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editorial

INDIAN LINK PUBLISI-IER Pawan Luthra EDITOR .

Rajni Anan�_ Luthra ASSISTANT EDITOR Kira Spucys-Tahar

NRI opportunities for the government of India

MELBOURNE COORDINATOR Preeti Jabbar CONTRIBUTORS l=arzana Ahmad, Dhanya Samuel, Chitra Sudarshan, Nancy.Jade Althea, Sanam Sharma ADVERTISING MANAGER · Vivek Trivedi 0410 578146 ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Preeta Nair 02 9279 2.004 EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Beheshta Wasseh

.. Indian Link is a fortnightly newspaper published in English. No material, including _advertisement�, designed by Indian Link, may be reproduced in. part or in w_hole without the written consent of the editor. Opini�ns carried in 1;;dia;;U11k a�e those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by Indian Unk. All correspondence should be addressed to Indian Link Level 24/44 Market St. Sydney 2000 or GPO Box 108, Sydney 2001 Ph: 02 9279·2004 !=ax: 02 9279·2005 Email: info@indianlin.l<.com.au ·

NATIONAL EDITION

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

A

s we go to print, India has just celebrated its 14'" Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengalurn.

Heralded as the largest ever gathering of overseas Indians, the event was attended, as per official estimates, by over 7,000 delegates, of whom 1500 were NRis and 500 were Aoating NRTs. This from over 30,000,000 Rls globally. Yes, less cban 0.007% of the target audience were in attendance.

Once the annual conference is over, it may be worthwhile for those in charge to question whether there is a better way to engage with global Indians. That they want ro engage is clear from the ongoing staging of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), bur is chis annual talk fest winning and making inroads in the hearts and minds of the NRls? Do they deserve more from the government of India?

On one hand, wben NRis relinquish

their citizenship or residence status, they are less of a responsibility of the Indian government. Yet, what the NRI has to offer ro India, should be enough of an incentive for the Indian go,rernment to work through ways of greater engagement with chis community.

The 30 million non -residem Indians are largely highly successful in their new country. According co an estimate from a leading US source, "If NRis were a country, their GDP would be in excess of US $800 billion, equal to 40% of India's GDP, even though their population is less than 3°/,, of resident lndians." There also is an estimate chat NRls' remittances to India stood at US$68.91 billion in 2015, accounting for over 4% of the country's GDP. This is growing as more Indians fan out across the globe.

Looking at the financial returns alone, without taking inro account the soft power opportunities which this community can exert, this is an extremely important resource which should be marshalled and used to work towards India's growth.

With an estimated 500,000 people of Indian origin in Australia, we do represent a very small part of the 'Iodiaspora'. But what we lack i n mm1bers, we do make up

in passion for all things l ndian. J LIS t look at the turnout during d1e India-Australia cricket series, or d1e revenue figures from Australia when major Bollywood blockbusters are released, co become aware that while the "Indian can be taken out of India, it is harder co take the India om of the Indian".

On a more practical basis, PBD details need ro be circulated in the community much earlier in die year rather than a few weeks prior co 9 January. Most Indian Australians plan their India trip during this holiday rime much earlier in the year, and knowing details of PBD may allow for a greater participation. Perhaps working on a delegation representing Australian Indians to attend as a cohort, may bring further momentum from the community.

PBD is but one occasion of the many opportunities for the Indian government to engage with die local community. lnvit:ing greater interaction from the community such as an Australia India Day for an open fonm1 to meet with consular officials, could be one such new opportunity, by way of example.

After all, the passion for providing greater oppornmities for Lidia is shared by both Indian government offices here, and the local Indian community.

JANUARY (1) 2017 5

• Indian Linlt

LINKING INDIA WITH AUSTRALIA

SPECIAL FEATURES INTERVIEW The true story of Lion: Meet Saroo Brierley

CALENDAR Indian holidays and observances for 2011

INTERVIEW Abhigyan Prakash on Modi's demonetisation

FOOD Add variety and taste to a gluten free diet

BACKCHAT What'sApp-ening on your online family group?

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JANUARY (1) 2017 7

YOUR SAY

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 decision of such a big magnitude requires

#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 role model for

others, Chandrika

Chura llya...l

She's still got it! RAKA SARKHEL on how Asha Bhos/e rocked her Melbourne and Sydney concerts Mahesh Berwal wrote: One of the best concerts I have been to. Love Asha What the IPL can leam from the BBL

SANAM 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 air. 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

Rusequlthe wrote: Thanks for sharing these inspiring experiences of

learning, Radhika. I was so impressed how you showed some individual experience for each person who just graduated on from their course.

ERA OF DHONl'S CAPTAINCY IN INDIAN CRICKET COMES TO AN END

Datwanl Chand wrote: Salute to the determined Sultan! Let's hope many

more are generated with him as a precedent.

8 JANUARY (1) 2017

time to make its effects known, and it is too early to make final decision for or against 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 opposing the issue the most in the media are the people who are not the big chunk of direct tax payers. They are the businessmen who transact a lot 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 this was a big blunder on the part of the government, but are the ones who have gone to the High Court and Supreme Court to get the ordinance back, which is a testimonial that they are badly effected to their roots and appear to be lost completely.

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 opposition's tried 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 there 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 your 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 valueless 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 country 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 the demonetisation of 86% of Indian currency achieves the target of our Prime Minister or not, one thing is definite, there will 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 Minister 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 staff risked their jobs, the income tax officials are on their heels to 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 with some banks. A few money laundering persons made news on TV channels which are totally busy in showing the hardship of the honest citizens of India struggling to restore their faith in an individual of their devotion.

Kala Raghunath wrote: 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 truth is most of us Indians do not really believe in following rules and they need to pushed down upon us by certain force to be implemented. The idea is brilliant but yes the implementation could have been better, but remember they had to keep this whole thing a secret so people suffering was always expected.

Klrltl Mortha wrote: Here's more ammunition to counter people with 'Modi­ blinders' on!

.f.

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newsmaker

Australia's GK Harinath among Pravasi awardees

D

r G K (Hari) Harinach OAl\f, Chair of 1v[ulticulmra.L NSW, has been awarded the Indian Government's 2017 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award for community service.

He is among 30 awardees announced in Bengaluru on 9 January at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD).

Indian-origin Pormgal Prime :Minister Antonio Luis Sanws da Costa and Indian­ born US diplomat Nisha Desai Biswal are some of the other high-profile winners.

The 55-year-old Costa, a Chief Guest at the three-day 14th PBD (Non-Resident Indian Day) celebrations, is the son of Goan father Orlanda da Costa.

As a senior Indian-American diplomat, the 48-year-old Biswal, who hails from Gujarat has been overseeing the US foreign policy and relations with 11 countries in the region from Bangladesh to Uzbekistan since October 21, 2013.

Costa and Biswal have been awarded for public se.rvice and public affairs.

"Of the awardees, six are from the US, two each from Britain and United Arab Emirates (UAE) and one each from 27 ocher countries the wodd over," noted the statement.

Five other overseas Indians from die

US sharing d1e honours wid1 Biswal are Hari Babu Bindal for environmental engineering, Bharat Haridas Barai, Mahesh Mehta and Ramesh Shal1 for community service and Sampatkumar Shidranrnpa Shivangi for community leadership.

Priti Patel and Neena Gill are the awardees from Britain for public service.

Vasudev Shamdas Shroff and India Social and Cultural Centre from Abu Dhabi in the UAE are me winners for community service and philanthropy.

Two more organisations Antwerp Indian Association i n Belgimn and Singapore Indian Association in Singapore have been honoured with the award for community service.

The other winners for community service are), Naseer Abamed 1fohamed Zackiriah (Brunei), Nalinkumar Suman.Lal Kothari (Djibouti) and Ariful Islam (Libya).

Od1er two winners for public service are Pravind Kumar Jugunath (Mauritius) and Winston Chandarbhan Dookeran (Trinidad & Tobago).

Raghunach Marie Antonin Manet (France) and Sandip Kumar Tagore Qapan) bagged honours for arts and culture.

Ocher awardees are 1-fokund Bhikhubhai Purohit (Canada) and Susbeel Kumar Saraff (Thailand) for business; Vinod Chandra Patel (Fiji) for social service; Lael Anson

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JANUARY (1) 2017 11

cover story

■ ■

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

• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Name: Xenia Lopes ATAR: 99.2 Subjects: English Advanced, English Extension 1, Mathematics, Business Studies, Legal Studies, Economics School: Hornsby Girts High School

Name: Preetham Kadappu ATAR: 99.90 Subjects: English, Mathematics, Mathematics Extension 1, Physics, Chemistry, Geography School: Sydney Boys High School

Name: Kabir Agrawal ATAR: 99.70 Subjects: Mathematics Extension 1, Mathematics Extension 2, English Advanced, Physics, Chemistry, Economics School: Sydney Boys High School

Name: Viney Kumar ATAR: 99.25 Subjects: Maths Extension 1, English Extension 1, Maths Advanced, English Advanced, Software Design and Development, Physics and Chemistry.

School: Knox Grammar School

• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• What was your overall experience of Year 12? What were your expectations going into the year?

Xenia Lopes: My initial thoughts going

into Year 12 were quite daunting. I was not prepared for the endless hours of work and stress chat would fill the months to follow and was definitely not prepared to be on lockdown, with no room for social events in the HSC calendar. I thought that my ATAR goal of getting 99+ \Vas impossible and no matter how hard I worked, there were always going co be kids from selective schools and private schools around the state char were smarter than me and going to get better marks. But it was one of the most challenging yet amaz.ingly fun years of my life. As I quickly organised the next few months and planned my srndy accordingly, the stress ran dry and I enjoyed Year 12 more than any of my other years at high school. It was nothing like I had ever imagined, J was travelling more, going out more and making more new friends than all the previous years of high school.

Although there were many late nights at the library, I definitely think chat as rhe months passed, my goal became more achievable and I realised chat my results wort.Id only reflect the amount of effort that I had pm m.

Preetham Kadappu: Year 12 was exciting, stressful, enjoyable and challenging all the while feeling as if it's just another year at school with everyone. There's nothing chat parallels all the new paths opening up i.n your life and being exposed to more of the "real world". Every year is a fresh slate for me, 1 always try to have no expectations and instead just try appreciate what mrns om in the end, and this year was no different. I feel as if it helps me both not slack off or get too caught up in past

12 JANUARY 0) 2017

failures. On the whole having no set expectations just made the entire experience of Year 12 more enjoyable, it made disappointments less harsh and achievements more fulfilling but that never avoids the faces that there are always ups and downs duoughout diis entire year, which was quite something co experience.

Kabir Agrawal: I enjoyed Year 12, a lot of it was quite fun for me, especially Mathematics. Going into Year 12 was daunting, as it should be because it is such a big leap. In the encl, it becomes like a cricket game, if you train one week, then you should be fine for the weekend. If you train for a year, then you should be fine for a few weeks of exams.

Viney Kumar: The backdrop of d1e HSC loomed over the events of Year 12.

Coupled with the stress associated with deciding on universities, subject preferences and career choices, it was an unsurprisingly cough year. However, contra.ry to my expectations, I stili immensely enjoyed my last year of school despite the exams. I'm sure that my memories of school life and the friendships I've forged over the past few years will remain entrenched, even after d1e HSC becomes a distant memory.

Jasnoor Mann: I found Year 12 to be a challenging school year, however, at the same tin1e it was exciting as I would finally be finishing school after 13 years. I was expecting an ATi\R result of around 99, given how I had performed in Year l 1. I exceeded my expectations considerably scoring a high 99 ATAR, as well as achieving DUX of the school.

Harjaap Singh: Year 12 was just as previous smdents had said; it was going to be tough, but enjoyable at times too. This was my exact experience. During exam times it was quite stressful however during

,, Even though my subjects didn't have ngreat scaling", I knew I would be in a better position if I actually enjoyed the subjects. By playing to my strengths, I was still be able to get a good ATAR '' Xenia Lopez holidays it was a good time to ease off the smdy and relax a little.

Ashvin Bandodkar: To be brutally honest, Year 12 was a rollercoaster of both challenges and emotions that seemed to present a new challenge around every corner, however it was all the more comforting knowing diat all your peers were in the same boat as you. If I had to summarise my Year 12 experience in one word, it would be diat of resilience. Year 12 was a huge eye-opener wid1 regards to the importance of pushing through and ensuring that you learned from your mistakes, and even more imporrandy did not take your successes for granted. Having done my Chemistry HSC in Year 11, J walked into Year 12 with great hesitation as to how J would balance all my remaining subjects over the course of only one year. I knew that Year l2 would be a challenge, however I never stopped to consider the fact d1at over the next year, not only would I learn how to balance a seemingly infinite

number of tasks and obligations, moreover, I would strengthen the friendships 1 had made with many of my peers to come out of the HSC in one piece., and it was that level of support that made the HSC a far better experience than I had initially anticipated.

Chiraag Bhalla: As my final year, I bonesdy found it my best and most enjoyable year. Obviously met with the increased academic pressure, I found that it was a great year to form valuable and great bonds with my cohort, as well as forrning friendships with teachers you mee[ every single clay. Also many forget that Year 12 is our transitional year to university, so the increased freedom was greatly enjoyed!

Being d1oroughly prepped from elder family and friends, I can comfortably say l was expecting to be Aooded with work and assignments that would i□e\Titably lock me in my room. As the year continued, however, I learnt di.at d1e pace you take. it at is completely up to you, and it is up to you with what you decide to make om of it. lr was this realisation chat helped me set my own targets, something I had to develop throughout the year.

\Vhat did you learn about yourself?

Xenia Lopes: The most important thing I

learnt about myself was my potential to work hard towards a goal 1 was passionate about. I didn't realise unti.l Year 12 chat 1 bad the capability to even smdy for eight hours straight if it meant chat 1 would be one step closer to achieving my encl HSC goal. T learnt to be more resilient, even when I didn't get the mark 1 was expecting and 1 chink most of all I realised how much growtl, capacity I have as an individual to do great things in the fumre.

Preetham Kadappu: I th.ink Year 12 helps

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into surviving the final year of school

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Name: Jasnoor Mann ATAR: 99.70 Subjects: Mathematics (2 Unit),

Mathematics Extension 1, English Advanced, Chemistry, Physics, Business Studies School: Parramatta Marist High

Name: Harjaap Singh ATAR: 98.35 Subjects: Chemistry, Physics,

Engineering Studies, Mathematics Extension 1 and 2, English School: Glenwood High School

Name: Ashvin Bandodkar ATAR: 99.95 Subjects:: Modern History,

Chemistry, Biology, Economics, English (Advanced), Mathematics Extension 1 and 2 School: Girraween High School

Name: Chiraag Bhalla ATAR: 99.50 Subjects:: Advanced English,

Mathematics Extension 1 and 2, Physics, Business Studies, Economics School: Girraween High School

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• you learn multiple aspects about yourself as a person and orient yourself for the future Kabir Agrawal: I felt enlightened. o, not really! I just felt that l really was a lot better than l thought after changing my mindset. I mean, you just understand a lot more about your own capabilities and what exactly someone can achieve if focus is applied and you just have fun with the subjects.

Viney Kumar: I believe the HSC and the circumstances surrounding my HSC year taught me how to sec my own goals and bow to systematically work to achieve tl1em.

The HSC is not just one set of exams - it's a marathon over an entire year that ends witl1 tl1e final exams in October. I learnt that by focusing on my goals for the future, I could overcome any barriers to achievement in any aspect of my life. I also found om how valuable motivation was as a resource.

During the holidays and through first two weeks of term three, I undertook a six­ week research internship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (l\lII1), Boston. This removed much of the time I had to study for tl1e exams, and I rem.med to school only two weeks before the dreaded trial exams began. Despite this difficult circumstance, the motivation I had accumulated from this amazing e.xperience allowed me co condense eight weeks of smdy into two weeks and achieve the best result diac I could.

Jasnoor Mann: I learnt that I had the ability co work hard and stay motivated, which ultimately allowed me co achieve and exceed my goals.

Harjaap Singh: I learnt d1ac I was capable of doing something which I previously had thought was out of my reach. Developing multitasking skills and learning how to manage stress was all due co my experiences of Year 12.

NATIONAL EDITION

Ashvin Bandodkar: The first thing I

learned about myself was that I reaUy needed my sleep, and so to all future HSC students I would recommend, at tl1e very least, taking naps to make sure you can make it through school and smdying at home. As the year unravelled, I learned that I stopped worrying about what everyone else was doing and started focussing on just myself. Of course, it's always good to know and care about how your peers are doing, however I feel chat through directing my attention towards my own challenges that I got through work a lot guicker and with much less stress.

Chiraag Bhalla: It was the first time that I realised chat I actually enjoy studying!

Previously, I found studying a chore, and my results reflected char. However, after a clear visualisation of my goals and targets, I could see my efforts in studying had a direction. And through this process, I actually began to enjoy the subjects I was learning and was motivated to do the work.

What was your studying technique? Did you have any added support from a tutor or at home?

Xenia Lopes: I had gu.ite a miique studying technigue; I never studied at home, but rather at ilie library. To my parents, this was strange at first as they never saw me study and tl1ought I wasn't caking tl1e HSC as seriously as I should have. But after my first assessments, they realised that chis was die right study techn.igue for me. I loosely pre­ learned the syllabus for my content heavy subjects and wrote my English essays many weeks before d1e exam so tliat the weeks leading up to exams were not as stressful as I had no new content to learn. In the 1wo weeks before any exam periods, I would start revising and doing past papers - which

,, Make sure you enjoy Year 12. It is honestly the best year of high school, and the friendships you form are ones that you will truly value ,, Chiraag Bhalla

I d1ink was the most important practice for any exam, especially under rimed conditions.

Preetham Kadappu: I always used co cake notes of what we did in class the day and once I was borne, detail them with any ocher resources - textbooks, internee or classmates. Every weekend I'd go through chem side by side with tl1e syllabus, ensuring I'd marked every poinr. Then as my major exams came up, I'd rewrite all the notes I had until d1at point in a condensed form. It didn't cake long, usually less than 1 hour each day, but nearing exams would reach 2-3 hours a day. Tutoring helped me reinforce what I was learning at school, and consolidated my knowledge. Bue much more necessary to my success was the ongoing support at home, my family were extremely understanding of my situation and guided me ilirough the year and more importantly let me skip doing chores.

Kabir Agrawal: I aimed to study in chtmks.

So d1e idea for me was to group chunks of common information toged1er and learn chis through a step by seep Row, and th.is was commonly applicable to physics,

chemistry and econoniics. For English and l\fathemarics, it is purely through practice and perfection, writing essays and doing questions under rime pressure. Yes, I did get help from other mtors.

Viney Kumar: Before the stare of the school year, I had been encouraged to come up with a study timetable. However, tl1ese timetables hadn't worked for me in past years, and I had picked up the unfornmate habit of discarding d1e plan after a week or so, as it simply wasn't flexible enough to be adaptable. One technique I used was to construct a "Not Smdy" plan, where I listed down all tbe extra-curricular and od1er activities I wanted co complete during the week (e.g. music practice, sports training rimes ere). After completing this plan, 1 was able co find the optimal rimes when l could put in blocks of study. I was never tempted to disregard the plan as it contained all the things I was really excited about during Year 12! 1n addition, the smaU spaces in my plan nor covered by a mass of extra-curricular activities made me aware of tl1e limited time I had, which certainly renewed my focus on the tasks at hand. Od1er than this, I used past examinations as my fall back method of smdying, as these papers were reliable ways ro become exposed to many different guescion types and topics LL11der exam conditions, while also improving my exam technique.

My parents pm in a lot of effort to accommodate for my study and od1er commitmems was absolmely incredible, and ic certainly enabled me to succeed in my studies and in other areas this year. My grandparents from India also made a special effort and were here right on rime to support me from tl1e trials all the way to d1e HSC results.

Jasnoor Mann: My studying cechnigue was

JANUARY (1) 2017 13

cover story focused on addressing all the requirements of the syllabus dot points and completing as many past papers as I could. Also, I had tutoring for a few subjects which was very helpful.

Harjaap Singh: I learnt much berter when I wrote down all of my notes as compared to typing them up on a PC. I was only tutored for Extension 2 Mathematics and Chemistry.

Ashvin Bandodkar: For me, the most important thing to consider whilst studying was to ensnre that I dedicated equal amounts of time ro alJ of my subjects, which meant 30 minute rotations between each subject, which 1 repeated over the course of each evening. I never really bothered studying during recess or lunch at school because that was my time to just rellLx with mates. As far as tutoring goes, I had a wonderful support network of tutors for Mathematics, Biology and English, alongside my mother who's a Chemistry teacher herself.

Chiraag Bhalla: My studying methodology relied heavily on task delegation and recording all tasks and assignments I had ro complete. This meam that each day when I came from home, I knew what tasks I had to get done, and it was these mini targets th.at allowed me to stay on track in the Jong run. During Year 1 1 , 1 noticed that l had a few conceptual gaps in a few subjects, so 1 sought the aid of an external tumr.

How did you decide what subjects to pick and why?

Xenia Lopes: Going inco the Preliminary

and HSC years, I was often told to pick subjects drnr "scaled well" or I wouldn't be able to get a good ATAR. However, d1ese "high scaling subjects" weren't really me subjects I was passionate about or enjoyed very much in junior school. I wasn't keen on studying Science and l didn't really like Maths so l decided ro stick to my strengths and focus on social sciences. For me, even though these subjects didn't have "great scaling", 1 knew I would be in a better position studying for the next two years of my li.fe if I actually enjoyed the subjects and by playing my strengths, I would still be able ro get a good ATAR. Preetham Kadappu: I decided co pick subjects based on my interest in me subject, my strengd1s and time management. I was always interested in the sciences and in maths, and luckily they were also my strengths. I only did Extension l rather d1an Extension 2 Maths because of rhe extra ti.me [ would get which I used to work on my weak points. Geography was a subject I

14 JANUARY (1) 2017

,, The first thing I learned about myself was that I really needed my sleep, and so to all future HSC students I would recommend good sleeping habits. Second, I learned to stop worrying about what everyone else was doing and started focussing on just myself ,, Ashvin Bandodkar wasn't coo interested in, but ir was a strength of mine, which is why I chose it.

Kabir Agrawal: I mainly picked me sciences because they are the most logical subjects, unlike English i n which there are so many possible answers mat can be expressed in so many different ways.

Viney Kumar: I picked my wbjects based mainly on a combination of interest and career ambitions as a Year 10 student.

Scaling is also an additional factor, but it only plays a role in deciding the marks one needs to score in each subject in order to achieve any particular J\TJ\R score. As long as you deem these marks to be achievable and the marks themselves are not affected too much by chance factors that vary from exam to exam, scaling factors should nor inAuence decisions. However, I would encourage anyone who is crying to decide on subjects for Year 11 and 12 to pick Advanced Mad1s and English (or higher), as these subjects are of vital importance in developing the critical min.king and writing skills which are essential for university.

Jasnoor Mann: Building upon my interests from Year 7 -10, I chose subjects that I enjoyed and wanted to potentially pursue a degree or further study in university .

Harjaap Singh: I had decided what course I wanted to study at univei-sity by d1e end of Year 10 so I chose the subjects that mer the prerequisites to increase my chances of being given admission. 1 also enjoyed a challenge and d1at is why I picked more

academic subjects.

Ashvin Bandodkar: After speaking to a lot

of my teachers and friends i n the year above, it became evident that if 1 was co do well, I would need co choose subjects that I had an interest in. That definitely meant locking in my two science subjects, a.s well as Economics and 1:vfodern l-listory. I chose those subjects with the aim of having a well-rounded studying experjence. I definitely enjoyed the high level of thinking involved in Extension 2 Mathematics.

Chiraag Bhalla: My subject selection was based on my natural interests mat I discovered during Year 10. I think this was one of my best choices, because often students fall i n the trap of picking high scaling subjects. Whilst d1is is good for chose who enjoy the subjects, forcing yourself to study a subject you don't like for two years is a lot harder than it sounds.

Did you feel there was much competition within your cohort?

Xenia Lopes; At a selective school, there

was definitely competition within the grade.

The ATAR system works in such a way that it pits students against each od1er in competition for the highest possible rank and naturally with this comes a lot of competition. However, as the mondis passed and my cohort began to realise that the HSC exams were soon dawning upon us, the competition disappeared and we began sharing notes and helping each od1er to ensure we all did really well, toged1er. It was when we realised d1at we all needed to work together that we were able to help each other and motivate each other to achieve the best results we could i n our final exams.

Preetham Kadappu: At any selective school there will be competition, but l felt as if within our school, it wasn't a hostile competition, people were sti11 very cooperative with each other, and we would often run peer tutoring during lunchtimes and before exan1s. The competitive nature of each person made us strive co be the best, but also didn't make us forget about our peers.

Kabir Agrawal: There is always competition. Especially at the top end of any cohort. lt becomes really pressurising because once you get to the top, there is always the need to stay there because things can change very, very quickly.

Viney Kumar: While there was competition amongst my cohort at school, it was friendly competition and \Ve never let academic competition stand in the way of personal friendship. In fact, everyone in my

cohort supported each other and helped other students to bounce back after an exam setback! This culture of peer teaching was immensely helpful as it helped everyone to succeed, as mere was always somed1ing to ]earn from the experience of teaching the content to someone else.

Jasnoor Mann: Yes, my cohort was very competitive, which was beneficial for all students as we pushed each other to improve.

Harjaap Singh: Competition was always present however this allowed for positive growth. Without competition students including myself would not have pushed themselves as far to gain the best outcome Ashvin Bandodkar: Throughout the year, I like to think that d1e healthy competition wid1in our grade is what morivated most of us to achieve our absolute best in every one of our subjects. That being said, there was never a time where individuals in my cohort would not help one another, and as such I believe that me competition we had established between ourselves was mere as a motivator to do our best.

Chiraag Bhalla: When 1 first started Year 12, l ,vas expecting students to become a lot more competitive, and friendships to strain under the stress. However, contrary to my thought, I saw my cohort become stronger and tighter than ever before. This was largely due to a cultural change our school introduced, and the benefits in performance and mental health have been positive and encouraging.

What extra-curricular activities or hobbies helped you maintain a balance between work and play?

Xenia Lopes: During Year 12, for me it

was really imporu'lllt to maintain a balance between work and play. Being heavi ly involved in the community in the years leading up to Year '1 2, I did not give up any of my commitments during my TISC year. I played netball on Saturdays with my team of five years, practiced music lessons once a week and volunteered at d1e local Red Cross Shop as a retail volunteer, completing my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award during Year 1 2 . I became a part of many school committees to keep myself busy during lessons and relieve d1e stress that came up from just being in the atmosphere of the HSC year.

Preetham Kadappu: I always tried to involve myself in as many extracurricular co make sure I didn't overwork myself, d1ese included sport tennis, basketball and soccer • which I would have games for on Saturdays; music • I play the guitar and diat

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HarJaap Singh

•

Ashvln Bandodkar Jasnoor Mann

•

• ••••••••••••••••• has always been a source of relaxation; and I ,vould vohmteer at several different places on a weekly basis such as at a childcare and at an English Intensive High School.

Kabir Agrawal: My main extra-curricular activicy was playing sport, especially cricket, which was the major outlet for me through school. I would also just spend rime watching TV for some rime, usually a regular show such as Scorpion.

Viney Kumar: My main extracurricular activities tncluded captaining tl1e 1st sguash and chess tea.ms and playing tl1e Aute in tl1e school symphony orchestra and wind ensemble. These activities were definitely both engaging and relaxing and helped me to maintain a balance between work and play.

Jasnoor Mann: I occasionally played video games, watched sports on TV and played sports with friends.

Harjaap Singh: Flying is a passion of mine and being able to go ro airport and rake

NATIONAL EDITION

control of a small engine aircraft allowed me to get away from all the stress of Year 12.

Ashvin Bandodkar: A lot of what I did aside from studying happened at school, and I am so graceful to have had the opportunity to do these activities as my form of stress relief tl1is year. Serving as the School's Vice-Captain allowed me to heavily imrolve myself in our school community, and tluough partaking in a.lJ the various prefect-organised events throughout me year, served as a great oppornmity ro rake a break from srudying whilst doing sometlung productive. Other tl1an that, 1 can honestly say char it was just me recess and lunch that I spent relaxing with mates that helped me get through and talk to them about the struggles of 4U Nfath of how much we all hated English, and tlrnt really helped me find tl1at balance between work and play.

Chiraag Bhalla: I quickly noticed tl1at

••••••••••••••••••••••• from the beginning of Year 12 I would have to maintain a healthy balance of extra activities co prevent the metaphorical "burning out" everyone warns you about.

For me, I did this through regular activities that l found relaxing and allowed to exit school thought. Within my school, I was in my debating and chess team. In my community, 1 would regularly volunteer and acting as a Youth Ambassador for che Red Cross further helped me.

What is your most memorable Year 12 experience?

Xenia Lopes: The last few weeks of Year

12 were guite memorable. We had just finished all our content and we were done with all the school exams and our trials and it was time to complete our high school journey. The events that the school put on during d1is time definitely made it harder co enjoy the fact that we were finally going to be done wirn school and it was especially

our Year 12 concert tl1at I tl1ink I ,vill remember for tl1e rest of my life.

Preetham Kadappu: Despi te every great memory of th.is year, ringing me bell as we walked out of Chemistry, our last exam, has to be tbe most memorable moment of Year 1 2 . Nothing could compare to the point where we finally crossed the finish line, and with our sanity intact as an added bonus.

Kabir Agrawal: My most memorable experience is related to cricket game in school team where I took 7 wickets and gave away 6 run in 8 over when we played against Sydney Grammar School. Th.is was a record breaking bowling figure in tl1e history of Sydney Boys' High School. Sure enough, I couldn't believe I was getting wicket after wicket off smart bowling, and 1 can genuinely remember each of me 7 wickets I took even now.

Viney Kumar: The week before graduating from Year 12 was absolutely awesome. lvfy school made this celebration incredibly

JANUARY (1) 2017 15

cover story

Viney Kumar

•

••

: Xenia Lopes

Kabir Agrawal

• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••

•••••••••••••••••••

special, holding events ranging from Year 12 breakfasts, to muck up days and even an entire fun filled carnival day complete with a bouncing castle! Year 12 presenrntion day was an incredible way to cap it all off and finish my schooling career at Knox.

Jasnoor Mann: Achieving the Dux of my school, as well as receiving the Senior Cup for English and Science.

Ashvin Bandodkar: Unlike rhe blur of assessments I faced this year, my most memorable Year 12 experience would have to be hosting the annual school Music, Art, Dance and Drama production alongside my otlier captains. Having the opporumity to just have a laugh along with our whole school for one night and view some amazing examples of music and dance was something I will always remember, and was one of tl1e fe,v moments in die year that we could all truly forget our studying commim1ents and relax a little.

16 JANUARY (1) 2017

Chiraag Bhalla: My most enjoyable

exper:ience was after our Tr:ial examinations, when several of my mates decided to go on a road trip to mentally reset and relax. It was one of the best choices I made to go, and the memories I have are great.

What would you do differently?

Xenia Lopes: I'm quite happy with how

this year went bm I think there are two things mat I would do differently if I had to do it all over again. Firstly, I think l would have wanted to complete. an accelerated HSC subject before my HSC year to remove die workload I had in Year 12 as many of my classmates did do ili.is and it really relieved their stress levels. The otlier rbing would be dropping Extension Mathematics sooner as I feel like 1 did waste half a year doing the exams for the subject and studying for it even though I dropped it before the HSC.

Preetham Kadappu: Noiliing, nor because of what I've achieved, bur because of the fact that 1 put in my best effott throughout the journey, and the ability to go forward knowing mar even if I wasn't gifted by sucli results, I would still be able ro say 1 gave it my all.

Kabir Agrawal: I would have loved ro change everything if I could. I would've done a lot better if I clianged my study technique earlier. But I would also rry and improve me way 1 approached life, especially talking ro others about something different to academics.

Viney Kumar: Sleep more by procrastinating less. Adequate sleep is increclibly important for success in the classroom as well as in exam situations.

Even an hour can make a huge difference.

Procrastinating on tasks less would have enabled me to sleep a little earlier, enhancing my performance in the long run.

Jasnoor Mann: In hindsight I mink I

should have been less stressed and been more optinlistic throughout the year.

Harjaap Singh: I believe the outcome of my results was quite satisfactory so I wouldn't do anyth.ing differently.

Ashvin Bandodkar: Looking back, I always regret nor going beyond die scope of the syllabus and only remembering what I absolutely needed to know. Tbe subjects we students are offered have an incredible breadth and coverage, and so if 1 were to do this all over, l would probably set aside more time before each exam to have a wholesome undersrnnding of my subjects in order to truly appreciate them.

Chiraag Bhalla: I learnt that in the irutial stages, I was relying heavily on motivation to keep me going and sn1dy. Whilst this does push you to smdy in the early stages, you quickly learn that motivation is only temporal. It was only later mat l learnr the

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value of discipline, and it is something 1 hope to integrate during university and further life.

What perks did you enjoy (either at school or at home)?

Xenia Lopes: I think the best perk was

definitely not having co do chores at home, haha. Jokes aside, my school did give Year 12s some an1azing perks which included our very own Year 12 cottage with a functioning lcicchen, lunch access co Westfield Hornsby and of course our witty name jerseys which were the best perk of being Year 12s.

Preetham Kadappu: Our school was not only academic oriented, but was strongly supportive of co­ cmriculars and excra-curt:iculars and provided us with more opportunities to partake in chem than other schools, which was the best perk of my schooling career.

Kabir Agrawal: 'i,\'lell, I loved to play sports and just as much, I love academics, and having this balance was definitely a perk of going to Sydney Boys' High.

Viney Kumar: I received incredible support from my parents for my endeavours. This was backed up by facilities available at school. I made particular use of a facility known as "evening study", which aUowed students co srudy in the Library after school until 9pm (with a break for dinner). In addition, I did not have co undertake a part time job during my final year of school.

Jasnoor Mann: My parents looked after me very well witl1 food, support and less chores, aUowing me to focus on my studies and at school my friends were also motivated to do well.

Harjaap Singh: Time to rime couple of school friends sit cogether in park and eat pizza dming stressful rime. Ar home 1 asked mtm1 to cook my favourite dishes.

Ashvin Bandodkar: I think the biggest perk of the HSC is tl1e ability to use it as an excuse for almost anything, and for me, that certainly came in the form of getting my brother to do all the housework (although I'm sure he'll remrn the favour in two years when he sics the HSC). Otl1er than that I think that the HSC makes chose around you a lot more caring and sympathetic, which acmaUy really marter given the high level of stress involved in doing everything in the span of only one year.

Chiraag Bhalla: To break the monomny

NATIONAL EDITION

,, I believe the HSC taught me how to set my own goals and how to systematically work to achieve them ,, Viney Kumar

of continuous studying, I would provide myself perks after 1 achieved each of my study goals. Often this would be watching a TV show or movie afterwards, guilt free, or even just meeting up with mates. I felt that this method of study first, enjoy later, was personally really effective as it felt more earned and continued to drive me to smdy in the fumre.

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

Xenia Lopes: I recently received an early

offer from tl1e University of Sydney to study in the prestigious Combined Law Program. In this program I will be studying a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Commerce.

Preetham Kadappu: For me, I never know, I would like to say I have a set out plan or know where exactly I'm going, but over the past year I've learned ro deal with life as it comes, as it's coo spontaneous for any plans to be made so early on. I'm hoping to study either medicine or actuaries and science double degree. l am reallj' and almost equally interested in both.

Kabir Agrawal: The fumre is always unexpected. But I aim to be a successful Actuary graduate who is also a good cricketer, and this much I can strive to achieve in the fumre. Obviously, it is not going to be easy, but I can always endeavour for the best.

Viney Kumar: I hope co combine my passion for Maths and Science with my love for debating, public speaking and writing by stud)�ng a combined degree i n Law and M.athematics at me University of Sydney.

It's incredibly exciting for me and I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for me there!

Jasnoor Mann: I was very interested in science in my schooling years and want to study Advanced Science in the Talented

Smdent Program (TSP) at UNSW.

Harjaap Singh: 1 am planning to study at

tl1e University of New South \Vales in the course Bachelor of Aviation (Flying) and attain my Commercial Pilot License.

Ashvin Bandodkar: In all honesty I'm not sme where exactly I will end up, bur I hope that next year l v.rill have tbe opportunity co smdy l'v[edicine or some health-related course at universicy.

Chiraag Bhalla: In 2017, l am planning on studying Law and Commerce at me University of Sydney. The choice was hard to make as I had co decline a Co-Op scholarship and Cadetship, but it will help me better reach my professional and personal goals.

What would your advice to future final year smdents be?

Xenia Lopes: I th.ink the best advice I can

give is never give up. During those 12 months of tl1e HSC year, it can be quite hard to continue to work co me best of your abilities and get back up when something has knocked you down, bur tl1e an1onnr of effort that you pm in to your Year 12 studies will definitely be reflected i n your reslllts, and you will receive a reward for your effort! Also, don't forget to treat yourself, take breaks and take some time to chill out once in a while before you start co burn yourself out. The Year 12 experience is something that can teach you many dungs about yourself and it is also one of the most enjoyable experiences of yom life so make sure you take advantage of all opportunities that come your way!

Preetham Kadappu: Although it'll be a 100111 sprint on tl1e racetrack in the course of our lives, while we go through ic, it feels more like a 1000 mile kayak across the Pacific Ocean. Remember co nor let the tides of results, hobbies or relationships carry you too far from your goals, and always know that you'll never be alone.

Good luck for your endeavours!

Kabir Agrawal: The best piece of advice l can give is relax and balance the \vork.

During tl1e exam period, always relax so diat you can remain mentally strong when doing me exams. When I say balance the work, 1 mean make sure you put equal effort into each one of the subjects that you do, because tl1e HSC is dependent on multiple subject scores, not just one subject.

Viney Kumar: Despite exams, the final year of school can be as enjoyable as you make ic. Find ways to make it enjoyable and fun, and tl1e exams will be over in no time!

Also, watch our for alternative entry

pathways into Lmiversity, as each university has at least one of these programs. Apply for them midway through Year 12, as these pathways can ease the added burden of universiry places being dependent upon exan1 marks, and enable you to focus on the exam and ease the nerves when tl1e crunch rime comes.

Jasnoor Mann: It is important to set goals, study hard and consistently, while maintaining a balance with leisure activities and lastly to do your best.

Harjaap Singh: I would advise future students to keep cairn and collected because if you put your mind to studying, you can achieve the results yon want.

Ashvin Bandodkar: Honestly the best piece of advice I can give for anyone sitting the HSC chis year is to be well-aware for what you're in for, and ensure that you do not place all your efforcs into one subject. I also constantly remember pushing myse.lf to write heaps of English essays because, at me end of me day, ic has to count! Ocher than that be sure to not burn yourself out, co exercise regularly and keep your family and friends close; you'll definitely need them to get through it all!

Chiraag Bhalla: I am sure students gee a lot of advice about smdying hard and getting good results, and that .is really important. 1 personally feel it is a Joe easier when you know the WHY of why you are smdying, and what it is dedicated cowards.

Also make sure you enjoy Year 12. le is honestly the best year of high schoo� and the friendships you form are ones that you will truly value.

Xenia: Stressful yet rewarding Preetham: Unforgettable

challenging adventure Kabir:

IMAGINE with all your mind BELIEVE with all your heart ACHIEVE with all your might Viney: Veni, Vidi, Vici Harjaap: Challenge persistence commitment Chiraag: Just have fun Ashvln: Exciting, challenging and humbling

JANUARY (1) 2017 17

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interview

The incredible story of Indian-born Australian Sarao Brierley inspires the Hollywood blockbuster Lion

BY KIRA SPUCYS­ TAHAR

A

lone and frightened. The young boy, just five years old, waits for his brother to return. Thinking his brother is on board, the boy climbs aboard a waiting train which takes him thousands of kilometres across India.

He lives on the streets of Kolkata for several weeks, far from home, barely surviving.

Urban India is not kind to yet another child beggar.

But luck shines on the young boy.

He finds himself at an orphanage.

Adopted by an Australian couple, John and Sue Brierley, the little boy grows up in Tasmania.

Twenty-five years later, haunted by memories, he painstakingly pieces cogerher railway lines and snippets of memory, using Google Earth to track down and reunite with his home town and birth mother.

The story of Sa.roo Brierley and his remarkable journey, first to Australia and then rerurning to India on a quest to find his birth mother, is now well-known. "It's nor norma�" Brierley admits. ''Ir's absurd really."

First written as an autobiographical book, A Long llV�y Home, the incredible story is now the subject of a new Hollywood film, Lio11, directed by Australia's Garth Davis, starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman.

Brierley never forgot his Indian family, and tl1e memories of his tin1e in lndia never

20 JANUARY (1) 2017

left him.

"It was definitely scary. I don't think those events you could ever forget. I think it's scarred in my memory," Brierley tells Tndian Link. "Those memories were daunting, but ultimately chat intense memory is what helped me find my way horne. Some people would go, 'Ymt must have been so traumatised', but I think I was quire resilient. I wasn't taught how to decrypt it. I never had therapy or anything like mac. It was left to me co make a decision about what I thought about it, how co process it."

Resilience is a key theme in Briedey's story. He wrote the book as a personal reAection in an attempt to help and inspire others who have become separated from their family. ''I had been carrying this weight on my shoulders, bu[ I achieved , I did it," Brierley says. "It was about sharing that knowledge."

The harrowing, against-tl1e-odds scory has captivated audi.ences.

"This has been a powerful journey and a whirlwind time for me," Brierley says.

"As I step back, I realise there are these themes - everything happens for a reason.

There was this nostalgia. I would hear songs that ,vould bring memories back.

Watching children play in nuclear families would bring memories back. I had lots of dreams on tl1e astral project side of things.

I had these out of body experiences where I would materialise on the streets of my old hometown. That kep[ tl1e memories a.live, perpentaliy in my mind."

ReAecting on the powerful ability of tl1e bra.in to adapt, Brierley says, "The bra.in is a fascinating or!,>an instilled witl1 adaptability, instinct, emotions, ability to wander. I followed that and led co my

accomplishment. This was just my destiny."

Moving to Australia, growing up in Tasmania, Brierley says he never really felt singled out or different. "l mink tl1at was there, but 1 was just so used co change and transition. One minute I was witl1 my family. The next I was on a train, wanting for, searching for my family.

Then I was in Kolkata and then in Australia.

Change just seems to be with me," he says.

"There wasn't much of an issue. I didn't register what people thought of me. I just took it a day at a time and was grateful to be in a loving fa.nlily."

Brierley was involved in the script development of the film, but then left it up to the director and actors to tell his story. "lf you've got a great script, it's up to everyone else to bring it to life."

He watched the film for the first time together with his family.

"I was holding on to my seat so hard my fingernails were digging imo the leather. I was so enchanted, so enth.ralled. l should be feeling desensitised, bur it felt Like I was reliving the whole thing again. 1 couldn't hold those rears in," Brierley says. "At the end of the movie we a.II got up and had a group hug. My dad turned to me and said, ' I didn't realise how much you went through.'

We had talked about it, but tl1is really showed him."

On the casting of Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman, Brierley says, "I think it was a good choice of people. Nicole Kidman has adoptive children and Dev Patel is an amazing actor - from Sl11111dog Nl.i!lio11aire, to Skins, to Chappie, there was nobody better out there to play this role. They're both wonderful people, both on stage and off stage, full of effervescence and vitality."

Brierley met witl1 Patel over several hours,

and the actor also studied l1is character through reading his book and internet articles.

"He nailed that Australian accent," Brierley says. "He personifies me really well. And my adoptive mother and Nicole Kidman talked a lot. Mum's ecstatic she got Nicole to play her."

As an adoptee himself, Brierley sees the adoption process as "a great thing" and hopes the government will help break down tl1e barriers.

"My parents just wanted co help a child in need of care and love instead of producing their own," he says. "They should re-open the gates which bave been shut for a bit.

We can only wish. You have people like Deborah Lee Furness and Nicole Kidman trying co get things underway. We can only hope they help open those gates. And I hope this movie portrays tl1ac too. My parents a.re so grateful to have us, but I'm even more gratefol for being with tbem.

They have shown nothing bur genuine love for me and my brother."

Since reuniting with his Indian family, Brierley has remrned to India around 14 times in the past four yea.rs. He has bought his biological mother a house and looks after his remaining siblings. They speak on the phone at least twice a montl1. He says he would Like to spend more time in lndia, seeing the country, travelling around as a courist.

"13eing in India, seeing the old style of buildings, visiting my hometown, visiting my biological mother, the family home, tl1e orphanage in Kolkaca, it's a mental cleanser," he says. "At the same time, my parents are here in Australia; I know the people, the culture, the language. I get a bit homesick. Both places are great."

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M A X I M I S E

Y O U R

A T A R

R A N K I N G

ACHIEVERS

These words resonate the grave concerns about Australian education standards as projected In the national report titled 'Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2015: A first look at Australia's results'released by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

ACAD E MY

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This article which appeared in all major news publications in November 2016 raised alarm bells in the minds of many parents who were genuinely concerned about their child's future in today's tech savvy world.

Considering this to be a wake-up call, many parents met Prof K Sen, Principal of Achievers Academy to discuss the issue and to look into how the Academy's personalised study programs could help their child improve not only in Maths and Science but also in English.

Achievers Academy is a Leading HSC tutoring college, renowned for its personalised approach that caters to students' individual needs. Achievers' Students have been among State Rank Holders and 'Young Writers Showcase' in English Ext2 Major work. ✓ Small sized classes, interactive teaching, well researched resources. ✓ Personalised study programs to suit individual needs designed by Prof K Sen ✓ Excellent teachers, many with NSW Teacher qualifications, post graduate degrees, State Rankers, trained in-house by Prof Sen - a Teacher Educator who has trained teachers world-wide. ✓ Application based teaching with active learning strategies ✓ Critical divergent thihkihg, research and analysis are the hallmarks of the Achievers' teaching methodologies/ learning strategies and their students are encouraged to become Thinkers for LIFE. ✓ A Member of Australian Tutoring Association.

Prof Kajol Sen

Principal, Achievers Academy

OPEN Days: Sat 1 4 January, 21 January, 28 January. Time: 1 2 noon - 3 pm

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WHAT'S ON FESTIVAL Consulate General of India Republic Day celebrations, Thurs 26 Jan, 9am-10.30am On the occasion of the 68th Republic Day of India, a fl ag hoisting ceremony will be held at the premises of the Consulate General of India in Sydney, Level 2, 265 Castlereagh St, Sydney.

All Indian nationals, persons of Indian origin and friends of India are welcome to attend. Confirm your participation at eventbrite .com .au/e/indian-republic­ day-celebration-tickets FIAN Australia Day and Indian Republlc Day celebration, Wed 25 Jan, 7pm Join the Federation of Indian Associations of NSW at The Madison Function Centre, 632 Old Northern Road, Dural, as they celebrate the shared milestone of 26 January Australia Day and Indian Republic Day. Tickets: $50pp. Contact: Dr Yadu Singh 0413 375 669 or fianinc1@gmail.com FUNDRAISER National Blood Donation Drive

by Sathya Sal International Organisation Sathya Sai International Organisation of Australia & PNG is again having a blood donation drive and is encouraging all of its members who are able to contribute in this wonderful and much needed service. Giving blood is giving life. What better way to 'Love all; Serve all' and honour Sathya

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Sai Baba. Contact: Mayavan 0404 059 093 MISC Hindi Classes Saturdays 2.30pm4.30pm Located at the Indian Cultural Centre, Level 1, 265 Castlereagh St. Sydney. Hindi classes are $5 per one hour class or $40 for ten classes. Registration is essential as there is a maximum of 20 people per class. Paid parking is available in the vicinity. To register email hindi@ indianconsulatesydney.org or contact 9223 2702.

SPIRITUAL 12 Jyothlr Ungams of Lord Shiva, Sun 15 - Thurs 19 Jan A rare opportunity to Worship twelve jyothirlingam (Jothilingam) in Sydney at Shri Shiva Mandir, 201 Eagleview Road, Minto. There are only 12 Jyothirlingams dedicated to Lord Eeshwara in the form of Shivalingam.

These 12 Jyothirfingams are situated across India and are considered rarest of the rare by Hindus all over the world. Contact: Sri Rangarajan, 0408 966 517 Swami Vivekananda's Birthday Public Celebrations, Sun 22 Jan, 10.30am Ramakrishna Sarada Vedanta Society of NSW and Vedanta Book Agency host this celebration at Vedanta Hall, 15 Liverpool Road, Croydon.

Featuring spiritual music, Hari-Om

Ramakrishna, silent meditation, Vedic chants, multimedia reading from Sister Nivedita's The Master As I Saw Him,

by Daya and Queenie Naidoo, panel discussion on Swami Vivekananda and the Rise of Spirituality, by Robert Grant and Walter Mason, and talk by Pravrajika Gayatriprana.

Contact: 0408 029 336 or visit: saradavedanta.org Spirit of lndla Yoga, Saturdays and Sundays New Classes start 14 Jan. Yoga classes are held in Ryde, Wentworthville, Quakers Hill and Epping. All levels incl. beginners. senior citizens, children's. To enrol in this 15 week course e-mail spiritofindia2002@yahoo.com, visit www.spiritofindia.org or contact Suresh 0412 202 182

Srlmad Bhagavad Gita classes, every second Saturday Learn the proper chanting of each shloka and its meaning in English.

Students also learn Sanskrit as they progress and no prior knowledge of Sanskrit is required. Participate either through physical attendance at 20 Station St, Pymble or online attendance through ZOOM: zoom. us/j/6140211522. Contact: Babu 0402 115 223 or devbab@gmail.com

Sant Nlrankarl Mission Sydney, Sundays 5.30- 7.30pm Congregation helps us strengthen our devotion. Weekly congregations held every Sunday at Sant Nirankari Bhawan, 166 Glendenning Road, Glendenning followed by community meals. Contact: Devinder, 0403 216 084

SVT Classes - Vedic Chanting Sundays 10am The classes take place in Sri Venkateswara Temple, Temple Rd, Helensburgh. This course will cover pronunciation and then practise with Sanskrit before moving to Vedic chanting. To register and attend, email enquiry@svtsydney.org

For full calendar of WHAT'S ON listings (nation-wide) check out: www.indianlink.com.au You can also submit your listing online

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Year 6 Sunday, 5th February 201 7 I The 20th ASAT Competition Schedule > Eligible Students

Year 6 students who will sit the Selective High School Placement Test in 201 7

> Test Date & Time

Sunday, 5th February 201 7 (9:30am - 1 :30pm) > Test Subjects Reading, Mathematics, Writing and General Ability > Test Centre Location Buring Pavilion (Exhibition Hall 3&4) at Sydney Olympic Park (Riverina Avenue, Homebush Bay) > Registration Fee $65 per applicant (not refundable) > Registration Closing Date Saturday, 21 st January 2017 (5:00pm)

Registration will close on Saturday, 2 1 st January 201 7 (5:00 pm) Register at your nearest Pre-Uni New College Branch, or Register & pay now for ASAT at�Os:3:)Utft'tl�b

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Pre-Uni New College will be holding its annual scholarship tests on Sunday, 5th February 2017.

Please find the detailed information on testing schedule and scholarship conditions below.

Who can apply?

Years 3, 4 and 5 students in 201 7

Test Dates & Time

Sunday, 5th February 2017(3:00pm - 5:30pm)

Test Subjects

English, Mathematics and General Ability

Test Venue

Exhibition Hall 3, Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park

Registration Fee

$25 per applicant (not refundable)

Registration closes on

Saturday, 21st January 201 7 (5:00pm)

How to register

Register at your nearest Pre-Uni New Col l ege Branch, or at www.newcollege.com.auLbooking

*Scholarships

Successful students will receive up to 75% scholarship discount on regular term WEMG course tuition fees. *Conditions Apply

For more information, please call on 9746 7000 or refer to your nearest branch.

NSW Strathfield Homebush Ashfield Bankstown Baulkham Hills Blacktown Cabramatta Campsie Castle Hill Chatswood City(Chinatown) Eastwood Epping Fairfield Gordon Hornsby Hurstville Liverpool Parramatta Pennant Hills Penrith Randwick VIC Burwood SA Adelaide

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JANUARY (1) 2017 23

indian news India's Sania Mirza and American Bethanie Mattek-Sands teamed up to take out the Brisbane International women's doubles title on 7 January, 2017, capturing the trophy with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina. The win means Mattek-Sands overtakes Mirza as the No.1-ranked women's doubles player in the world.

from South Africa, Modi said this day marked the return to India of one of the greatest Pravasis and that his government's priority was co convert "brain drain" into brain gain". " Rls and PIOs have made outstanding contributions. Among them are politicians of great stature, scientists of repute, outstanding doctors, brilliant educationists, economists, journalists, musicians, engineers, bankers and did I mention our well known technology professionals," added Modi.

Northeast could feed India up to 1,100 MW of power by year end

Diaspora seeks more time to exchange old notes

The Diaspora comprising I on-Resident Indians (NRls) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) has sought extension of the deadline to exchange or deposit the banned notes till December 31.

"The deadline should be extended by six months till December 31 as aU those having the banned notes will not come to India just to exchange or deposit them by June," Thomas Abraham, a I Rl from Dubai, said at the Pravasi Bharatiya conference in Bengaluru.

The government had on December 31 extended the deadline to June 30 for the diaspora to deposit or exchange the specified bank notes (old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000) after the November 8 demonetisation.

Resident Indians travelling or living abroad temporarily have been given three months (up to March 31) to declare the banned notes they are carrying ac airports on arrival before submitting them in designated Reserve Bank of India (RB]) offices across the country. ''Though many of us may noc hold huge amounts of the banned notes as we transact in local currency and the Indian rupee is not fully convertible, we should be given enough rime to exchange chem since most of us come to India once or twice in a year," Abraham said on the margins of the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

Another NRI from Oman said the government should allow the diaspora to deposit the banned notes ac Indian embassies or high commissions and credit them in their bank accounts in case the deadline is not extendable after June 30.

"The RBI or overseas branches of state­ nm banks like SBI (Stace Bank of India) should be advised to open counters at our embassies in all countries for depos.iting the banned notes whatever be their number as they are our hard-earned rnsh," said Gopalankutty Karnavar, a lvhiscat-based NRl from Kerala.

Several overseas Indian delegates attending the three-day biennial jamboree said they normal!)' keep or carry Rs 25,000-50,000 in cash when coming to India for contingencies despite having bank accounts and using debit/credit for payments or transactions.

24 JANUARY (1) 2017

"W/e bring a few thousands of rupees with us whenever we fly to India for initial expenses at airports or food, local travel and purchases before converting dollars or other currencies," said Kanavar, a blue collar worker from Alappuzha in Kerala who heads the Malayli wing of the L,dian social club in the Gulf country.

The Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin also urged the government co extend the deadline to December 30, 2017, for exchanging or depositing the high denomination noces in RBI or SBI. Terming the noce ban a welcome move, a majority of the diaspora said its implemenrntion was, however, poor as their kith and kin were at the receiving end of the cash-crunch and che economic disruption.

"If the high value notes were banned co fight black money, terror funding, fake currency and corruption, the move is laudable though ic exposes the governtnenr's failure to cmb the menace through ics enforcing agencies," a US-based RI said on the condition of anonymity.

Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday thanked the diaspora for supporting the note ban, many NRls and IPOs said unlike their resident L,dians they were not impacted by it as they don't transact in rupee, which is not fully convertible.

"The sudden ban has taken us by surprise though not affected by it as the rupee is not used in our country and the value of our remittances is inrnct in our bank accounts," said James Mathew, an accountant in a private firm at Manama in Bahrain.

Modi asks diaspora to first develop India

Prime 'Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the Indian diaspora co first develop India by investing and contributing its expertise in che land of its origin.

"To me, FDI means First Develop India through Foreign Direct Investmem, whose norms have been fully liberalised for Non­ Resident Indians (NRis) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and made on par with domestic firms for availing same benefits," Modi cold the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Non-Resident Indian Day) in Bengaluru.

Inaugurating the three-day mega event, J\fodi exhorted tl,e diaspora to participate i n

the government's flagship program.mes like Digital India, Make In L,dia, Start-up India, Swacch Bharat (Clean lndia) and Namami Gange (Clean Ganga) for the country's all­ rorn1d development.

"Diaspora can contribute to India by sparing tl1eir time and energy on implementing our flagship program.mes and stay connecced," said Modi during a 40-minute special address in Hindi and English.

Asserting that engaging with the overseas Indian community was a priority area for him, tl,e Prime Minister said the government was trying co convert 'brain drain' into 'brain gain' by inviting the diaspora to contribute tl1eir mite in making India strong and self-reliant.

"Brain drain has been considered a loss for the country as Indians went abroad seeking jobs and better life. But for me and my government, such a movement is not a brain dcain bm brain gain as they can help us in the development," noted Modi.

For young Indians seeking jobs abroad, Modi said his government would soon launch a skill development programme. "\'v'e will shortly launch a skill development program.me, the Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana, targeted at Indian yomh seeking overseas employment" he said.

The progran1me will train tl,e job-seekers w.ith soft skills so that they do not feel scrangers in the country they migrate to in terms of manners and culture.

Modi also appealed to all persons of Indian origin living tl,e world over to converc their PIO cards into Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card at the earliest.

"We are working on new procedures to ensure all descendams of Indians, especially th.eir fourth and fifth generations living in Fiji, Suriname, Guyana and Caribbean states co become eligible for OCI cards," Modi said.

Clarifying that the government does noc see che colour of the passport but the blood ties, the Prime Minister said the PIO card superseded the individual's passport as far as his or her ties to India were concerned.

When the PIO card is seen, "we don't see the colour of the passport but tl,e blood ties", Modi said to huge applause.

Referring to Mahanna Gandhi's rernrn

The north-eastern region, with its huge energy potential - 50,000 M\'\� by some estimates - could soon become the "power house of India". And caking a small first step in this direction, it is expected to feed the rest of the country up to 1,100 l\llW by the end of this year, energy expercs say.

Seven nortl1-eastern srntes, excluding Sikkim, currently have an installed capacity of 2,690 MW, but as some of the plants are very old, the output is some 100 MW shore of tl,e peak-hour demand of 2,200-2,300 '/vf\'v: However, there is a surplus of 300 i\fW during off-peak hours, while another 767 :r,.,f\'v' of capacity wilJ be added by year­ end. Sikkim is self-sufficient at 95.70 MW The stace-run orth Eastern Electric Power Corporation ( EEPCO), a min.i­ ratna company under the Union Ministry of Power, alone generates 1,290 MW from its seven power plams -- a mix of hydro­ electric, gas- and solar-based unics. "t EEPCO's generation capacity would rise to 2,060 MW by this end-2017 as commissioning of three more power projects would be completed much before the end of tl1is year," NEEPCO Chairman and Managing Director A.G. West Kharkongor told lANS. "The company is now commissioning three power projects -- 600 MW and t 10 NfW capacity plants in Arnnachal Pradesh and another of 60 MW capacity in Mizoram," he added.

"If the government allows NEEPCO, it would supply surplus power to other states of the country," Kharkongor said.

And, to feed the surplus power from the nortl1east to other parts of India, the state-run Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) has erected 800-kv capacity and 1,728-km-long High Voltage Direct Currem (HVDC) transmission line from Biswanath Chariyalli in Guwahati co Agra in Utcar Pradesh at an investment of Rs 12,000 crore ($1.8 billion).

The power ministry has estimated the hydro-power potential of the nortl1-eastern region at 58,971 l\,f\'(� almost 40 percent of the country's total potential, but only less than cwo per cent (1,200 'MW) has been exploited rill Jase year.

Energy expert Sudhindra Kumar Dube said that the power generation potential of the nottl1-eastern region must be utilised with proper planning.

"The region has not only potential to

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Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama interacts with devotees during the fifth day of the Kalachakra in Bodhgaya, India, on Friday, 6 January, 2017. Buddhist devotees from across the globe, including Hollywood actor Richard Gere and his girlfriend Alejandra Silva, have gathered in this small town to attend the 'Kalachakra' or Wheel of Time initiations by the Dalai Lama. Photo: AP

generate a huge amount of hydro-power but also has scope to set up more gas- and coal-based plant5 iu the region," Dube told IANS. NEEPCO also plans to generate at least 1,500 MW from non-conventional sources of energy such as solar and wind power in the next five years.

With a population of 45.58 million iu the northeastern region, the eight states including Sikkim, have a per capita electricity consumption of 257.98 kilowatt hour (kWh) against the national average of 778.71 kWh. Seate Power and Transporc Nlinister Manik Dey said that Tripura has agreed to supply an additional 100 M\'v' of elecrricit:y to Bangladesh over and above the 100 MW being supplied since March 23, 2016.

"The Bangladesh government has sought more electricity from India co cackle its power crisis in the eastern part of the country. India's power ministry recently wanted to know whether the Tripura government is ready to provide additional 100 l'vf\V of power to Bangladesh. We have accordingly agreed," Dey told IAt'-JS.

US-based Sikh body gifts diamond-studded sa6re at Patna gurdwara

A US-based Sikh body gifted a diamond­ studded sabre with a silver hilt at Takht Sri Hatimandir Ji Patna Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, during the celebrations of tl1e 350tl1 'Prakash Utsav' or bird, anniversary of tl1e l 0th Sikh master.

The 'Khalsa Raj' sword presented by me Sikh Dharma International (SDI) is plated in 24-carac gold and cost more man Rs 1 crore.

Hymns from the Sikh scriptures, both in English and Gurmukhi, have been engraved on both sides of the sabre.

The sabre was crafted especially for the celebrations held at the gurdwara near Pama from January 3 to 5. The sabre was a big attraction for thousands of devotees who thronged me celebrations from across the country and abroad.

The American Sikhs associated with the religious body showcased tl1eir skills with 'gatka' (Sikh martial art) during me celebrations, she said.

A delegation of more tl1an ·125 American men, women and children associated with the Sikh Dharma locernational visited gurdwaras in Patna and nearby Takht Sri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib co pay obeisance. former USAID chief Rajiv Shal1 to head Rockefeller Foundation Rajiv Shah, who headed the US government's foreign aid operations, has been appoimed the head of the Rockefeller Foundation, a multi-billion dollar private global charity with programmes in India.

The New York-based Foundation said iliat its trustees had selected Shah, who is a medical doctor and was the administrator of USAlD, to be its next president. He will take over tl1e job from Judith Rodin in March.

The 43-year-old will be the youngest person and tl1e fust Indian-American to lead the organisation, which has an ambitious $75 million project to bring electric power to

NATIONAL EDITION

Indian villages.

Shah received the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman award for distinguished Indian diaspora in 2011.

"I look forward to charting a course for The Rockefeller Foundation to engage witl1 partners to promote tl1e well-being of humanity, and to take on tl,e challenges of today and tomocrow both in the United States and around me world," Shal1 said Shah's appoinm1ent came a day after anotlier lndian American with the same surname and a similar first name, Raj Shah, was appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to be his deputy assistant and research director.

The Rockefeller Foundation, which sics on assets of $3.4 billion according to Bloomberg, says that it focuses on healtl1, ecosystems, "secure livelihoods," and urban problems.

Announcing tl1e appointment, tl1e Foundation said tliat Rajiv Shal1 "is best known for elevating international development in foreign policy, delivering results through public-private partnerships and tl1e respect he earned working with counterpart governments from Afghanistan to Central America and witli bipartisan leaders in the US Congress".

He will be taking over the Foundation at a time when the lndian governmem is tightening supervision of tl1e work of foreign charities and NGOs. The other major American philantliropy, the Ford Foundation, has bad run-ins with the government over its fi.mding of certain groups or individuals witli a perceived political bent Born in the US and educated in the US and Britain, Shah, as a medical student, had volunteered in a poor community in India.

He has a medical degree and a masters in health economics from tl1e Ivy League University of Pennsylvania.

He was the bead of USA.ID from 2010 to 2015 and among the highlights of his work tl1ere was mobilising action against d1e Ebola epidemic in Africa and organising relief for Haiti after its eartl1quake.

After leaving me government he was appointed Distinguished Fellow in Residence at tl1e Georgetown University, a Jesuit-nm instimtion in Washington.

He also fow1ded a private equity firm,

Latimde Capital, which ainis to finance power and infrastructure projects in developing countries.

He started in President Barack Obama's administration in 2009 as chief scientist and Agriculture Undersecretary and the next year was appointed USA.ID head. He has also worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Fow1dation .

In historic breakthrough, 5 Indian-Americans sworn-in as members of Congress

Sealing a historic breakthrough for Indian­ .Americans, five were sworn in mis month as members of the US Congress - one of them, Kamala Hards, becoming the first to become a Senator.

Ami Bera, who was me only Indian­ American in the 435-member House of Representatives and re-elected in the November elections, was joined by tl1e four others, increasing the Indian-American contingent to five members in the Congress.

Ali five are Democrats and tliree of them - Harris, Bera and Representative Ro Khanna - are from California. The otl1er two Representatives are Raja Krishnamoorthi from Illinois and Pramila Jayapal from Washington state.

Harris, whose mother was from Chennai and fatlier from Jan1aica, has a dual identity as botl1 an Indian-American and an African­ American. Vice President Joseph Biden administered her the oath of office which she swore on a Bible copy held by her husband Doug Emhoff.

Afterwards her family and friends gathered around the couple in celebration.

Two of tl1em were dressed in saris, although Harris wore a two-piece western outfit in blue.

In 1956, Democrat Dalip Singh Saund became the first Indian-American elected to Congress. Forry-eight years later, Republican Piyush Bobby Jindal was elected to the House i n 2004 and re-elected in 2006.

Bue i n 2007 he was elected governor of Louisiana and left Congress. After a five­ year gap for Indian-Americans, Bera was elected to Congress in 2012.

Republicans have the majority in both chambers. In the House of Representatives, they have 241 seats to Democrats' 194 and Republicans control the Senate \\,ith

52 seats to die Democrats' 46 witl, two Independents allied witl, them.

Banned Indian notes with special numbers could fetch a fortune

Am.id tl1e rush among Indian expatriates who scurried home to exchange tl1e demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes before tbe December 30 deadline, a Dllbai­ based numismatist who hails from India, has advised his compatriots to "hold onto ilieir old currency notes".

"Check the serial numbecs of the currency notes. Special serial nw11bers, fancy and royal notes could fetch several times their face value in future," tbe Khalerj Ti111es quoted numismatist Ramkumar as saying.

The collector will never make a loss, said the 36-year-old numismatist who is fond of rare notes and has been collecting them from last 15 years.

Ran11.7Jmar, who is from Chennai, said people should "treasure" currency notes of any counrry.

"How much profit one can make on tliese notes, purely depends on demand and supply.

There is worldwide demand for fancy notes," Ramkumar said.

He said that rare notes have a beautifol history and from an investment point of view they give very high returns iu long term.

Ranikurnar has a collection of royal number 000001 from LO different countries.

He also owns an old note of Rs 1,000 which was demonetised in 1978 in India under the High Denomination Bank Notes Acc. Apart from the old Rs 1,000 bank note, he also has the recently-demonetised Rs 1,000 note, and botl1 have same serial number 666666. According to him it is ''tl1e only known fancy number that survived".

His collection also includes the oldest sucviving Indian banknote, dated September 1812.

Asked about the value of sucl1 notes, Rajkumar said, ''There are a few items for which price cannot be determined, as they are eitl1er one or two that are known to exist and mere is no previous sale history of sin1ilar items to determine the value."

Solid (or continuous) serial munbers are more valuable compared to royal numbers .in bank notes.

IANS

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JANUARY (1) 2017 29

interview

Indian television personality and current affairs commentator Abhigyan Prakash in conversation with PAWAN LUTHRA

H

e may be a charismatic current affairs presenter on television, but Abhigyan Prakash is also an astute political analyst.

Prakash has been presenting live election analyses for Indian elections, both state and parliamentary, since 1996 (Election Poi11t, Vote Ki]uni). lntenTiewing Prime l'vlinisters and top leaders, i\bhigyan has become known for his particular style of presentation - direct, honest and credible.

Along with national issues, in the past five years the focus of his hugely popular shows Newspoi11t and M11kabala has been on political economy.

Here, he shares his vie,vs on a variety of issues in a freewheeling interview.

Pawan Luthra (PL): The D word, demonetisation, continues to be the talk of the town amongst Indians the world over. PM Modi's stated views were that this will expose those with black money, weed out corruption and also, tackle counterfeit currenc.-y. Now two months on, where are we?

Abhigyan Prakash (AP): The key issue

here is chat the payout has been d1e problem of the process. Since the aru1ouncement on 8 November, 2016, the people have been facing huge difficulties, queuing up for hours at banks and ATMs, exchanging their notes. \Vhat has been criticised the most, is the process in which this entire exercise has been carried out. Better planning and proper procedure was needed. A large section of the population are in favour of the move, no doubt, they don't want the economy to run on black money. But you also have co accept the reality chat in India, only 3 per cent of the country's population are direct taxpayers, 97 per cent are indirect taxpayers. Abour 68 per cent of chat are members of the rural workforce, so you've got an economy whid1 is very complex as compared co othe.rs.

That's why 1991, the year of liberalisation and free market, which st'lrted u.nder the Narasinma Rao Congress government, is considered to be such a milescone.

PL: Was there much planning done prior to this radical announcement, or do you think this was done rather hurriedly or with very limited consultation?

AP: There are many theories, but my take on it is, of course there was planning, but that pla□ning was not shared with certain relevant people. This point has been rai.sed by the Opposition in Parliament as well.

PL: Would that have diluted the impact and been a case of too many people driving the car at the same time?

AP: Ir's not a question of too many people driving the car at tl1e san1e time, it's a question of how many roadblocks do you want the car to have to drive d1roughl The point is, could you have reduced d1e roadblocks? Were you able to convince the India□ middle class - which loved you in 2014 and voted hugely for you, giving you that magical number of 282 (seats in Paclian1ent)? The people were caught by

30 JANUARY (1) 2017

surprise. Totally caught by surprise. So at 8pm on 8 November the announcement is made, and then you see at least half of urban India standing in queues! I think the surprise element could have been taken away. There could have been a more dialogue-oriented process of telling d1e people, 'd1e government is planning to do something and we need you to back it and support it'. Planning was lacking, from the perspective that the payout has created such problems. That was perhaps not calculated properly.

PL: The three reasons given for the policy are: exposing those with black money, weeding out corruption and tackling counterfeit currency. Eight weeks in to the scenario, how successful has demonetisation been?

AP: Eight weeks is a short time to judge d1e scenario, but definitely all eyes will be on the budget. I have already written about it in my regu1'lr columns for the major publications in India. One of my columns was titled, What 1vi/11JJeget 011t of it? And that's d1e key question Indians will be asking, and there should be a clear plan and vision given to that. Prime "Minister Modi has done what he wanted to do; and now people want to know from him, what are we going co get? \Xfill you be ab.le co give us competitive interest rates as compared to the global economy?

PL: Which he can't do. If you look at the global economy, outside the US, in most OECD countries they're lending at one or two per cent. In India it's 10-12 per cent!

AP: That's right, that's the same point I've raised in my columns. Can you slash that by half? No, you can't! When the economy is in a sluggish mode or struggling, you can explain it away by saying tbe global economy is in recession. AU governments do this BJP, Congress, whichever. You're □O\V living in a globalised world, so once your banks are back to being cash-rich, what is the average Indian getting out of it?

I've reported extensively on rural agendas, economies and farmers. It's an agrarian economy in India, wid1 68 per cent of d1e workforce in rural labour. Is the farmer now going to come out of the clutches of the local man who !ends hinl money, the sahuk.a1? \Vho eventually forces the farmer to commit suicide if the crop doesn't work out? The clistress of farmers, wiU that drnnge? Is the farmer going to get cash-rid1?

You've taken money away from d1e middle class, or those who you thought had a lot of black money, which was the right thing to do, no one is questioning that. Bur are people going to gee a share of that now? ls this farmer going to get it? Will he be able to plough his fields without the worry that 'I'U have co borrow money from the local lender who will eventually take my signature, own my land for che next "I 00 years and, every time, add interest?'

PL: So, do you think it will filter through?

AP: I'm not the right person to answer that.

That's the question that Narendra Modi has to answer eventually, with Jan Dhan or various od1er schemes d1at he's working on or has introduced. Will it actually reach these people? That is the question. Let's be honest, nowhere .in the world can you create a cashless economy. You can reduce it. Even in the most developed nations, you don't have a cashless economy. It'.s a great notion, but it doesn't happen. And about terrorism, yes, it is very in1portam to check counterfeits because chat's your main source of funding for terrorism. lndia bas been struggling with terrorism for the past 25 years, wid1 Pakistan's ISl regularly disturbing parts of India through homegrown terror. So all chis is the right move, but will it reach the people it needs to reach, and how fast? That is why I'll be very closel)' \Vatching the next budget.

PL: Anything else people can expect in the next budget which could be effected by demonetisation?

AP: Worldwide, look at the example of the second Obama administration: we all know he was struggling with a lot of his people becoming jobless. Economies have to be refunded in a way by governments pulling chem out of d1eir own crisis. If that is d1e agenda, if that is the reason the lndian government ha.s coliectecl money, then it will have to reinvest it into the economy. And that reinvestment has to be very evident for the people co know and realise. You can't build all the roads and hospitals and bridges in rwo and a half years. That reinvestment has to be highly visible and that will surely be one of the challenges.

PL: To your knowledge, how have corporates taken the demonetisation?

AP: A lot of chem have officiaUy said, yes this is short term pain for Jong term gain.

That has been the line. Again, corporates are very tax driven, what else is business about?

It's about how much tax they have to pay co the government, so they will also want to know, what are the concessions corning their way from the government? Already tl1ere has been a time-bound reduction suggested for d1e corporate ta.x in d1e last budget.

Everybody agrees, this cmmtry shouldn't be living off a cash, black economy. But if it's about getting organised, about inlpleme□ting structure, lee us know. That's my key point.

Let us know, what are we getting back from you? Tell us a clear plan of what Indians are getting back - be it industry, farmers or new business sectors, and of course d1e huge middle dass which has literaliy changed the landscape of India in the past 25 years.

PL: Is this the biggest gamble Modi has taken in his political career?

AP: I think you've hit d1e nail of the head.

I have written about this. In my columns for Outlook and Business World maga7.foes, my first paragraphs argue d1e point cbat Narendra M.odi will be judged very critically, just like Narasimha Rao '-Vas with the economic liberalisation and Bahri Masjid incident, Viswanath Pratap Singh for the

mandalisation of Indian politics. 1fany Prime i\,[inisters have been very critically judged by what they did in history, so will Nare□dra Modi PL: What drives Narendra Modi?

AP: I'm sure he has a certain conviction; he has his vision for the country. He has been kno,vn to be a person who works on that and takes a decision. This is a very bold decision N arenclra Modi has taken.

Any Prime Minister who has 282 seats in parliament and has a comfortable majority, has no threat to his government for the next five years, has co have a lot of conviction within him to take a bold decision like this, which could easily take away his entire popularity.

PL: You have spoken about the difference between being the 'Chief Minister of India' versus being the 'Prime Minister of Gujarat'.

AP: The reason 1 said that about Narendra Modi is, he was a very different kind of Chief Minister, compared to other Chief Ministers in Gujarat. Quick decision maker.

Would push the decis.ions. Bue Gujarat is a state. Now he has to deal with a very complex socio-economic scenario of a huge country like India. And yet, people want hin1 to rake decisions in that same manner.

He had nothing to worry about as far as this term was concerned. Still he rook d1e decision and he knows it can go against him if it doesn't work our the way lndians want it to, or expect it to. Has he treated India like Gujarat? In Gujarat he cook decisions very quickly and implemented things very fast, but this is India, a very complex country.

PL: What are his fall-back options should demonetisation not work and he hurts the very voter base who brought him to power?

AP: He is a very popular leader among the middle class. They are a huge, affable, loveable support base for him. So it will be very interesting to watch. Women, in particular will be an important factor because demonetisation has di.reedy affected them. Women, our home-makers, I feel are some of the finest economises India has - the way they run their households.

Remember, it was their savings that were brought our of d1e house du.ring d1e recent weeks; it's something which has never happened earlier.

PL: If you were Modi, what would keep you awake at night?

AP: The question that whatever I've thought of, is it being quickly in1plemented?

And also, an1 I getting honest feedback?

Feedback is extremely important in a country like India. Many politicians come to power and sic in an ivory tower; they don't get the feedback tmtil it's time to vote again! It happened to the Congress in 2014.

A majority government by a national party, went clown to a mere 44 seats.

PL: You have been a keen observer and

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,, Narendra Modi must decide whether he is the 'Prime Minister of Gujarat' or the 'Chief Minister of India' ,, Nawaz Sharif attending l\fodi's swearing in ceremony. And then Modi was criticised after he stopped by unannounced in L ahore to attend a family function. But there 11111s a lot of effort made. Sushma Swaraj went to Islamabad and announced talks. Then of course it all derailed after a series of terrorist incidents.

Narendra Modi bad a very good relationship witl1 Barack Obama and it should continue with Donald Trump. The key factor there will be to see tl1e kind of American pressure a President like Trump pms on Pakistan, and how his friendship with India goes fon.vard from here.

PL: What about Trump's xenophobic statements? How does that play into the extreme right elements of the world, including the BJP? AP: It will take time co understand the

reactions. The good tl1ing about Trump - of course he has a lot of people who disagree with him - bur his positions are quite welJ known. He's one person from whom there's noc much of an element of surprise. I don't tl1ink the BJP will have much of a problem on that front.

commentator of politics in India for 20odd years. How has politics changed in this period?

AP: In a lot of ways! For a simple reason:

we're a very young nation, and our youth are very active in politics in terms of opinion making, in terms of contributing to that opinion, and of cmirse in terms of being part of the electoral process. There are new political par-ties that have emerged in urban centres like the Aam Aadmi Party in DeU1.i.

A lot has changed. 1 think politicians are coming closer to the reality that new ways of politics have to be adopted. But despite that, caste politics hasn't changed. It has segmented sections of Indian politics over the last five decades . . . that hasn't changed the way it should have.

PL: Is there room for sensible discussion in politics today? Is there too much far left and far right but no middle ground?

AP: That's a very per-tinem, serious question.

1 was on a program recently with Javed Akhter and we both made this point: India's greatest socio-political strength has been in its liberal, centrist, secular position in key tin1es of crises. At tl1e moment, it's becoming diJficult because either it's extreme left or extreme right. People are looking for the oppornmity for the middle ground to come back. That's also why it's very important co see how Congress will go from here.

PL: Is the media in India stopping

sensible debate?

AP: A lot of tl1e time, yes. The solution i s y o u have to change the way viewers look at the media. The media has to tmderstand it has been completely positioned - either

NATIONAL EDITION

against or for.

PL: Let's dive a little deeper into the

politics of India. The Congress party had a resounding loss in the last general election. The BJP had an overwhelming

majority. India, as the largest democracy in the world, needs strong opposition to any elected government. Fast forward 15 years from now, how do you see the political landscape in terms of central major parties and regional but strong parties?

AP: There's no doubt that the national

parties, India's only two major alternatives to each other - BJP and Congress - have both ended up running the country through understanding the politics of coalition.

Traditionally, both of them were against it.

The new space will not entirely be left to a national party, or noc entirely to a regional party. It will always be a combination.

The national parties are not being able to reinvent chemselves in the states. They do come to power in the states, but ic's also very ob\Tious, whenever they're in power in the centre, naturally they also do very well in ilie states. Bm fr has nor yet come to a position where the regional parties are going to be finished. That is not going to happen.

TI1ey will have to live with that reality.

The senior party will be the main political parties, but you will not be able to ever look at Indian politics where regional parties are completely sidelined, it is not possible.

There are regional aspirations; the people want and demand more, and may feel that the regional players might provide becter.

PL: Moving on from national to

international affairs, within 24 hours of me demonetisation announcement, we had another seismic change in global politics with Donald Trump elected as the 45th US President. How did the world, and media, get this so wrong?

Nobody had predicted this result. ls media now more focussed 011 creating

me news such as who should win rather than reporting on ground reality of what actually people are thinking?

AP: l don't know how to answer. Those

who are taking definitive lines or following definitive agendas in the media will have to watch out. The American election again is a lesson for tl1e media itself to learn, worldwide. There's no denying the fact that the credibility of tl1e media is at stake in India. A Joe of people now question ilie media, massive opinion has come against the media. People have to be very careful, because they generaUy feel media is not getting the kind of independence it should, by itsel£ I don't know about the American media, but of course I also watched the elections and results very closely. Your question is very relevant, because I saw, after news of Trump's winning in different states started coming in, the experts and their views also started changing on television.

PL: What does a Trump presidency mean for India?

AP: It should be good, for a very

straightforward reason: he bas his views on Pakistan which he has voiced in che past.

India has been putting a lot of pressure on Pakistan, given the last incidents of terrorism. The Indo-Pak relationship itself, started off welJ under Modi, with

PL: You have travelled extensively overseas and met with a number of

Indians abroad - do you see them playing any role in India's future or

would you believe that as they have no

skin in the game, they should keep quiet about the reality in India?

AP: They should play a much larger role.

We are living in an era of information and change. There is a need to gather tl1e information and pass it on to ilie youngsters back home and make tl1em more alive to what the world is about and how the world is changing.

PL: What has been the most fascinating story you've worked on - something which has been an absolute game changer?

AP: \'{/hen tl1e Pokhran nuclear test took

place in 1998, l was the first reporter to break it. Acal Bihari Vajpayee was tl1e Prime :Minister then and I literaUy broke tl1e story from inside his house. I still remember tl1at very clearly. It was a huge garne changer for India, because just a few days later Pakistan also rested. Thar was a momentous time for l ndo-Pak relations.

The disturbing bit was 26/1 1 - tl1e attack on Mumbai and at the Taj Hotel. I was tl1ere as a reporter all through rhe period. I had seen many terrorist incidents in ilie past, but when you realise how close terrorism can actuaUy get co a normal hmnan being's life, that's when you really understand how internal security is not just some phrase to be discussed intellecmally, it has to be implemented. It made me realise how absolutely vital it is to live in a safe and secure environment.

JANUARY (1) 2017 31

books

, , Peasants were dreadfully damaged by punishing tax laws and were driven off their lands, compelled into deportation as indentured labour to far-off lands and made to suffer and die in famines.

Everything Britain did in India, was for its own benefit and not for that of the Indians. The rise of Britain was financed by its depredations in India ,,

F

or those of us in India and elsewhere, whose perspectives of the Raj have been shaped by the British version - that the metaphorical political unity, democracy and law-bound society as weU as modernity and technological advancement were a direct result of colonialism - Shashi Tharoor's latest book will come as a fitting response, an Indian scholarly offering sttiking back at both colonialism and the way it is looked at today. f 1n An Em o Darkness: The B,itish Empire in India, the former diplomat and now Congress MP from Thiruvananrhapuram, holds a mirror to the British and reminds them that there are questions co be answered. And these answers, the author insists, are not a favour for empowering

32 JANUARY 0) 2017

their one-time colonies bur rather a tool for themselves co "atone for the wrongs that have been done".

Tharoor's weU-researched work becomes significant primarily because some of the most prominent Western hisrorians, the likes of iall Ferguson and Lawrence James, have pronounced the conduct of the Raj as a positive force, describing the colonial mle as idealistic and basking in the glories of the railways, education and democracy. This has led many to believe that ultimately the Raj was humane, fair and constructive.

Jt is this myth that is shattered in this offering. The ambor has marshalled impressive arguments and supported them with historical facts and records.

Tharoor argues that the Raj was an era

of darkness for India, where economic exploitation of an unprecedented scale was committed. Peasants were dreadful])' damaged by punishing tax laws and were driven off their lands, compelled into deportation as indentured labour to far-off lands and made to suffer and die in famines.

Everything Britain did, argues the author, was for its own benefit and not for that of Indians. The rise of Britain was financed by its depredations in India.

The amhor, a fonner Under Secretary General for Communications and Public Information at the United Nations, is unforgiving in his approach. His arguments are backed by exhaustive research of historical facts and there is a tinge of irony in them, to tbe point where it will hurt the most - the Jewel in tbe Crown.

"Still, Aauming the Kohinoor on the Queen J\,fother's crown in the Tower of London is a powerful reminder of the injustices perpetrated by the forrner imperial power," he writes. "Until it is remrned - at least as a symbolic gesture of expiation - it will remain evidence of the loot, plunder and misappropriation that colonialism was really all about. Perhaps that is the best argument for leaving the Kohinoor where i t emphatically does not belong - in British hands. " Tharoor argues that the vast sums of money that were collected from India in the forms of taxes and exploitations cannot "realistically be reclaimed" bm inclividual pieces sitting in British museums could be. ''After all, if looted r azi-era art can be (and now is being) returned co their rightful owners in various \'(lestern countries, why is the principle any different for looted colonial treasures?" he asks.

Many readers will remember the actual source of this book -- Tharoor's speech at the Oxford Union debate on the proposition "Britain Owes Reparations to her Former Colonies", which went viral on the internet and prompted publisher David Davidar to i1-1sist that the amhor project his arguments in a book.

Not surprisingly, A11 Era of Darkness does not tell a story; rather, it makes a passionate argument. The author makes it clear that readers looking for a chronological narrative of the British Empire in India will not find it in this title. The book is also not about British colonialism as a whole, but simply about India's experience of .i t.

The offering examines the legacy of the Raj and critically studies the claims made for its alleged benefits. In doing so, the author succeeds in changing a long-existing narrative and presents enough evidence co support his arguments.

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JANUARY (1) 2017 33

fiction

ear's s ee

It's an unusual start to a brand new year, writes FARZANA AHMAD

W

bat did you do on NYE? :Me, I missed the whole shebang. Yeah, this was a first for me. I just slipped into oblivion, the day went in a blur and ew Year's Eve tiptoed past without me noticing. The fireworks weren't loud enough co tease this snoozing Jane awake. The celebrations didn't tickle me to deck up and join in. And when I did come to, the New Yea"r was noc so new, in fact it was a day old. Now don't you jump to conclusions assuming I was OUT on something! I know how some dirty little minds workl OK, let me unravel the tangles and put tl1ose worms back in che can.

Here's what happened: I was off on Christmas break and had comfortably eased into the 'late to bed, seriously late to rise' routine, quite common this time of the year. Armrnd noon (which was dawn for me), I was deeply engrossed in a virtual reality experience where I was strapped to an electric chair waiting to die. The atmosphere of my nightmare was pregnant with suspense. The prison officer stood tensely next to the retro red telephone ready to catch a state pardon the second it was delivered. I was terrified bur hopeful at tl1e same time, willing and praying for me telephone co ring in me hope of receiving a last-minute pardon. Why I was on the electric chair in a strange country is a harrowing tale I'll save for another day.

Right now, my heart was pounding, my eyes tightly shut, fists clenched in nervous balls as I concentrated on my prayers, trying to establish a connection wim the Almighty. I was repenting fervently for my sins - and those of my forefathers' - invoking, begging, demanding another chance ru1d willing for the ugly monstrosity of the phone to ring. The clock ticked away mournfully. 12 lvlississippi . . . l 1 J\,lississippi . . .mocking, building up the climax to my final countdown. 10...9 ... 8 ...

God, please let the phone ring . . . 5 . . . 4 . . .

Now, God, PLEASE ... 3 . . . Heart pounding in my ears, eyes throbbing with white pain, PLEASE, PLEASE GOD . . . 2 . . .

Rrrrrrrrrrrring.

My eyes Aew open ruid the adrenalin made me bolt om of the electric chair and straight into tl1e wooden pillar on the side.

Wham! Barn! Spin! Stars! The beam of my four-poster bed . . . What??? H.ang on, wasn't I strapped to the chair? Rrrring . . . rrrrrrrring, why wasn't the prison officer answering? I turned around and banged my head on the post again, this time with full blunt force. l fell. . . on my bed . . . like a sequoia tree struck by lightning. As I slipped through the fingers of consciousness, I realised one of d1e devices on m>7 side table was announcing an incoming call with an irritating retro riogtone 1 had tl1ought so cool just last night.

What happened next is a second, third and fiftl1 hand accotu1t of my husband, sons and sister-in-law respectively.

My better half Q1e likes to clunk) foll11d me conked our, a little on and a lot off tl1e bed as he stomped in to answer the incessant ringing. Let me mention here mat the award for the most Annoying Caller of the Year goes to my sister, who refused to be ignored. (She later confessed she

34 JANUARY (1) 2017

knew I'd probably be asleep but the scoop she had on cousin was a developing story that just couldn't wait. . . in retrospect, she declared, I should be tbruiking her for saving 111)7 life, after aU, if the phone hadn't rung wouldn't I have died on me electric chair ruiyway?) She does have a point I guess (hear/ scratch), thanks sis, owe you one!

So, coming back, Husband reported he cook one look at the phone and another at me. He had been heading out to the golf course, must I sleep like a log? He checked the caller ID ru1d almost died witl1 guilt, as he closed his eyes, put the cordless behind his back and quickly pressed reject (you see, he likes my sister, bur not more than golf). Now he tut nmed as he tried to drag me back up on the bed to a more civilized sleeping position. More time wasted, tut mt!

TI1e light bulb finally went on (methinks his is an energy saving one on delayed stare mode) when he rnrned m)' head and saw a thin trickle of crimson oozing from a golf ball sized bump on my forehead (the reference to golf ball was probably unintentional but an indication of what was really on his mind).

According to Husband, he immediately donned his '1-.facho Mao-in-Control' cape.

Realising l was too heavy for him to pull on the bed by himself, he called the kids up to help (though how much a m1·ee and fom­ year-old could help beggars belie£).

Enter the kids running. This brings us to die third-hand account of events tl1at ensued, a slightly different version to the second-hand account. The boys swear Dad let out a blood curdling scream which made tl1em drop their Xbox controllers and come rushing on the double. They found

Husband clutching the post of our bed, swaying dangerously close to a full on drop on me in a classic damsel in distress fashion ready to swoon at the sight of blood.

What were the little ones co do? They started screaming-shoucing-cryiJ1g at the top of their ltu1gs. The commotion attracted my sister-in-law's attention as she paused to switch tracks on her iPod in her bedroom downstairs. The split second of silence was shattered by the boys' screams. She bolted straight upstairs (she does dote on her nephews). My babies were rl1e bravest, they're my little heroes for saving my life for the second time dus after-morn.

Sis-in-law quickly assessed the siniation according to her fifth person account. (EJ'e roll) She was the woman of the hour as she modestly explains to whoever cares to listen. Firstly, she calmed her brother down, (yeah, look after your own first, don't mind me, I'm only dead for all you know, typical i n-laws for you)" She got Husband to call the ru11bulance while she settled the kids in the otl1er room. Then she rushed back to tend to me. The ambulance arrived in less tl,an five minutes. Sis-in-law will tell you how mud1 the paramedics admired her level headedness and praised her appropriate responses.

I was wheeled into the hospital on a stretcher. Tests were performed and I was found to have suffered a concussion which had sent me into a coma. It was decided by the medical experts that there was nothing they could do but wait for me to come around. I could wake up in a few hours or days or montl1s.

Luckily for aU involved, I was up the next morning, but by that time a year had passed

' ' The light bulb finally went on when Husband turned my head and saw a thin trickle of crimson oozing from a golf ball sized bump on my forehead (the reference to golf ball was probably unintentional but an indication of what was really on his mind} ,, and the world was welcoming the first day of 2017.

Wow, what a start! I could only hope this was not a sign of things to come for tl1e next 364 days.

""'*

"You clunk it works?" I ask my editor.

"Hmm . . .needs polishing, but yes," she snules in approval as she saves the script to her USR The New Year's issue of Well Spun Yarn is on u·ack.

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01n

rou err

special feature

A Victorian farm is determined to redefine silk farming for Australia, but for now, it's wine and liqueur

BY DHANYA SAMUEL

S

ilk Estate, a beautiful two­ hectare expanse on the South Gippsland Highway, is the dream project of Sarita Kulkarni, who is determined to help Australia rediscover its long lost silk growing industry.

In a bid to showcase that growing mulberries can be a commercially viable and sustainable crop industry, apart from its sericulrure use, Sarita began growing mulberry trees on her estate. Today, it makes for a breathtakingly beautiful sight i n summer, with trees laden with thousands of sweet berries. The fruit evenruaUy gets bottled as mulberry wine or liqueur and as pure mulberry syrup.

A native of Karnataka, Sarita arrived in Melbourne in 1987 following her engineer husband. Armed with a l\fasters in Zoology (specialisation i n sericulmre from Dharwad University, Karnataka), she also had ample experience teaching and working in the sericulrure iJ1dustry in India.

Sarita was very passionate and ambitious about her sericuJmre work, so she decided to further her expertise by doing a PhD. Bue, unfortunately, Australia's sill, industry had died Jong ago and no one seemed to know anything about it. Quite often, she was taunted when people responded that they knew only 'Aussie culture' and not 'sericulnue'.

Not one to accept defeat, Sarita went on to get a second Master's degree in Applied Agriculture/Entomology from l\fonash University, and in 1994, began work with the Agriculture Department working her way up to be a quarantine officer. It is here chat she got the opportunity to work closely with, and understand, tl1e farming practices and industry with.in Australia, also working extensively with the grape vine industry here.

Being knowledgeable about Australia's golden silk era, Sarita was positive that it was only a matter of time before she would find mulberry trees here. J\J1d that opportunity came after a chance encounter with Monnie Penner who used to maintain silkworms to spin silk for her weaving and craft activities. Sarita's excitement knew no bounds wben she came across a nursery which was selling two-year-old mulberry trees to the public who were interested i n growing these i n tl1eir backyards for tl1e sweet fruit.

This relentless enthusiasm and passion for her subject made her place an order for 20 mulberry trees, a personal attempt co prove that the silk industry can be revived and commercialised i n tbis country. This eventually led co the Silk Estate farm, which Sarita and her family purchased i.n 2003 and

NATIONAL EDITION

where they started tl1e mulberry plantation in 2005.

Sarita refused to accept the fact that silk does not fare well here as depicted in the history of Australian silk, but her repeated anempts to get the universities or tl1e government interested fell on deaf ears.

Projects and studies were taken up and discarded for the silk venture; so she decided that it was time to showcase the versatility of mulberry as a fruit and in a different light to the public. lo an attempt to prove that it can be a cash crop and mulberry cultivation is an organic and sustainable venture, she began to package and sell the berries to markets across Australia. \'v'hile Sydney cook to these delicious berries in a big way, Melbourne markets were a bit sceptical. And this presented another chaUeoge; mulberries have an extremely short season. Sarita was forced to research bow to preserve these for longer, and th.is led to the mulberry liqueur, wine, syrup and ;am project.

When the Silk Estate Mulberry Liqueur won a bronze award at an international wine show iu 2011, Sarita knew she was on the right path.

Today, the liqueur and syrup is produced in small batches every year, dependii1g on the crop, in association with a Victorian company and is available for sale on request A boutique product handcrafted with loving tender care, the liqueur is sweet and vibrant on the palate reminding you instantly of port wmes.

The \VU1e makes an excellent pairing with poultry, seafood, desserts and can also be used in making cocktails. The syrup is thick and sweet from the namral sugars present in mulberries and would be an incredible addition to any baking project.

In spite of a major health set back, Sarita is still passionate about taking her sericulnire work forward in the hope that the silk industry of Australia can be revived.

Silk Estate also grows otl1er produce, has a small temple on site and Sarita also has plans co build a museum co educate, it1crease awareness and showcase her studies with silkworms. ot one to sit still, she also runs a successful business and is the Quality Assurance Inspector and Entomological/ Quarantine and Sericulrure Consultant at Brij BugTrap Consultancy Pry Ltd. She

also works as Community Development Officer/Trainer/Life coach with the Victorjan Immigrant and Refugee Women's Coalition (VIC & RWC). She is also a trainer with Learn L ocals in the community in many disciplines, to keep the project afloat and viable. '1 am extremely thankful to each and ever y one for their effort in rnakit1g this venture possible," she told Indian Unk. While the mulberry liqueur and other byproducts make excellent business sense, Sarita's real passion remait1s for sericulture.

"Sericulrure is a vibrant, incredible, prodigious, sustainable, environmentally friendly and miraculous commodity given to mankind by accident, which should

give our agriculmre industry a boost not only i n the wine industry, bm also i n the fruit, health, and well-being of mankind," Sarita observed, her passion for tl1e fruit coming through clearly. "The gurus of the sill< world once said to me when I was i n their country, to give them 100 hectares of land and they will make sure that Australia will be seen as one of the cop producers in the world marker of silk production. l e is this dream that keeps me alive. One day, I wish co see the silk industry of Australia get up on its feet again witl1 a lot of help from families, government bodies, venture capitalists, and many entrepreneurial dreamers who have a vision and similar goal."

JANUARY (1) 2017 37

food

01n ■

Looking to eat healthier? Add variety and taste to a gluten free diet while still enjoying your favourite meals

W

hether you are coeliac or just enjoy following a gluten free lifestyle, these recipes use fresh, wholesome ingredients and show how you can add vaciety and caste into a gluten free diet.

From the petlect savoury or sweet

uten ee

breakfast dish to a gourmet sandwich for lunch, followed by the perfect altemati\7e to fried fish and chips, this summer menu has been created by Sophie Henley of Henley's Wholefoods, using Helga's Gluten Free bread. Some of the recipes are also dairy free.

. . ........................................................ .

Indulgent Gluten Free French Toast

Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus 30 minutes soaking) Cooking time: 17 minutes Serves 2 Ingredients

4 slices Helga's Gluten Free Wholemeal bread 3 eggs 1/3 cup almond milk Pinch of salt 50g walnuts 1/3 cup maple syrup, plus extra to serve 4 rindless rashers bacon (optional) 2 small bananas 1 heaped. tbsp coconut sugar

Method

Place eggs, almond milk and salt in a bowl and whisk until combined. Place bread into lamington pan or similar rectangular dish. Pour batter over

bread. Leave to sit and soak in the eggy goodness for 30 minutes, gently turning after 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 1800 Line baking tray with baking paper, scatter with walnuts and pour over maple syrup. Stir to coat nuts evenly.

Roast 12 minutes or until nuts are toasted and caramelised, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Turn off oven.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.

Cook bacon 2-3 minutes each side.

Remove from pan and keep warm in oven.

Remove bread from the batter, cook both sides until golden brown. Remove from

pan.

Cut bananas in half lengthways and coat inside lengths with coconut sugar. Place in pan, sugar side down and cook until golden and sticky.

Now it's time to assemble the stack!

Layer from the bottom up: bread - bacon - banana - nuts -bread - bacon banana - nuts - then drizzle with the extra syrup to serve.

. . .............................................................. ..................................................... .

Savoury Spic;y Beef Breakfast James Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes M'lkes 2 lafftec Ingredients

4 slices Helga's Gluten Free 5 Seeds bread 1 tbsp olive oil 1 brown onion, finely chopped 500g beef mince ( If you don't eat beef, you can substitute another meat proten) 1 carrot, grated 2 cloves garlic, crushed 3 tsp ground cumin 1 tbsp finely grated ginger 1 -2 red chilies, finely chopped (keep seeds if like a little extra kick) 400g can diced tomatoes ¼ cup tomato paste 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves Salt, to taste Olive oil spray 2 egg yolks Baby spinach leaves

Method

Heat oil in a frying pan over a medium

38 JANUARY (1) 2017

heat.

Add onion and cook 10 minutes, until softened, stirring occasionally.

Increase heat and add mince, carrot, garlic and cumin. Cook, stirring constantly, to break up mince, until browned.

Add ginger, chilies, tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, thyme and salt.

Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, until very thick, stirring occasionally.

Spray a jaffl e iron with olive oil spray, then preheat. Spread 1 heaped tablespoon of spicy beef over one slice of bread, make a well in the centre of the beef mixture, then carefully place an egg yolk in the well. Top with a few baby spinach leaves.

Gently cover with another bread slice.

Repeat with remaining bread.

Carefully place the two sandwiches in the jaffl e iron and spray with olive oil spray.

Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes or until bread is golden and crunchy.

Refrigerate leftover spicy beef mixture. www.indianlink.com.au

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Henley's Chicken Sandwiches

Preparation time: 35 minutes (plus overnight chilling of coconut milk and 30 minutes cooling of chicken) Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes MakP-s 24 r.ocktail sandwiches Ingredients Poached chicken 1 whole chicken 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped 1 onion, roughly chopped 1 carrot, roughly chopped 2 bay leaves 1 sprig rosemary Henley's "sour cream" 165ml can coconut milk 3 tsp lemon juice ½ tsp apple cider vinegar ¼ tsp sea salt FIiiing ¼ cup finely chopped parsley leaves 3 spring onions, finely chopped 1/3 cup slivered almonds, roasted and roughly chopped Sea salt and ground black pepper 12 slices Helga's Gluten Free Wholemeal bread Garnish 1 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced Torn parsley leaves

Method

Place can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight to chill.

Place chicken, peppercorns, celery, onion, carrot, bay leaves and rosemary in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Remove chicken and set aside for 30 minutes to cool.

Remove chicken from bones and skin, then shred meat with 2 forks.

Carefully turn the can of chilled coconut milk upside down, then use a can opener to remove the bottom of the can.

Drain off the liquid and scrape the thick coconut cream into a bowl. You should have about 1/3 cup coconut cream.

Add the lemon juice, vinegar and sea salt. Stir until smooth.

Combine 2 cups chicken, Henley's "sour cream", parsley, spring onions and slivered almonds into large bowl, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Evenly spread filling over 6 of the bread slices. Top with remaining bread slices and press down gently. Cut each sandwich into 4 squares. Top each square with a slice of cucumber and garnish with parsley.

. . ................................................................................................................... .

Wholesome Crusted Flathead

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 22 minutes c;.iP-,VP-c:. 4-6 Ingredients

5 slices Helga's Gluten Free Sunflower & Red Quinoa bread 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil ½ cup chopped parsley leaves 1 long chilli, finely chopped (remove and discard seeds) 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1/3 cup pine nuts Sea salt and ground black pepper 750g fl athead fillets, halved if large Olive oil spray Quick lemon mayonnaise 2 egg yolks, at room temperature ¼ tsp sea salt 1 tsp Dijon style mustard 1 tbsp lemon juice 100ml vegetable oil 100ml extra virgin olive oil To serve Lemon wedges Sweet potato chips Green salad

NATIONAL EDITION

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Tear bread into rough pieces and place on a large baking tray. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss to coat. Bake 12 minutes or until toasted.

Place bread pieces in a food processor along with parsley, chilli, garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper and the remaining olive oil, and process into rough crumbs.

Line the oven tray with baking paper and place fl athead fillets onto the paper. Evenly pile and compress the breadcrumb mixture on top of fillets.

Spray with olive oil. Bake 10 minutes or until fl esh is just cooked through and crust has browned.

Meanwhile, to make lemon mayonnaise, place egg yolks, salt, mustard and lemon juice in a tall jug. Combine oils and pour on top of egg yolks. Place a stick blender into the bottom of the jug. Blend for 10 seconds, then slowly draw the stick blender up, thus pushing remaining oil into the emulsion. Season with extra lemon juice, mustard and salt, to taste.

Serve fi sh with lemon mayonnaise, sweet potato chips and a green salad.

JANUARY (1) 2017 39

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travel diary

C

,, Every ancient wall in Xian l'eminds one of Xuanzhang, the gl'eat medieval traveller and Buddhist scholar who came to India dul"ing the reign of King Harsha , ,

BY CHITRA SUDARSHAN

hina roday is full of travellers fron 1 different parts of the world. .

Although our tour covered . . four cities, it is the city of Xi'an that left the greatest imprint.

Modern Xian is a large city and the capital of Shaanxi Province in central China. Once known as Chang'an (Eternal Peace), it is full of symbolism: it is where the great Silk Road began; it was the Old Tang dynasty capital, and capital of the Zhou, Qin, [Ian and Tang dynasties and for many centuries, the centre of the Chinese Empire. l t was not without si. gnificance that Indian Prime Minister Modi met the Chinese President here in May, 2015. President Xi Jinping travelled to Xian co welcome Modi - the first time he has done so. It is very rare for Chinese leaders to accompany foreign guests outside Beijing. Xian also happens to be Xi's hometown.

Modern China is now reviving the concept of the Silk Route and has also Aoated the idea of a Maritime Silk Road (MSR) as an expression of its aspiration to develop a string of ports and coastal economic hubs along its maritime trading routes. This encompasses d1e One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, and the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) at its core. The success of this vision would allow China to gate-crash as a powerful rule-maker of international trade and comrnerce, and is central to Beijing's rise as a mature global power. Xian is borh the centre of ancient China and the harbinger of a new, inAuential and powerful China as a world power.

NATIONAL EDITION

H.iscoric Xian has three great sights co offer: The Old City Wall and d1e Palace; the '\Xlild Goose Pagoda and the famous Terracotta \Warriors.

Xian City \Xlall and the Old Palace are quite impressive. Once a sophisticated defence system protecting China's ancient capital, Xia.n's 637-year old l\iling dynasty city wall is now the only complete wall fortification left in China. After d1e establishment of the Ming dynasty in the 14"' century, Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor, began to enlarge the waU built initially during the old Tang Dynasty (618 907), creating the modern Xian City Wall .

The Soud1 Gate of the City Wall is the impressive Zhu Que gateway, where distinguished guests were once greeted and welcomed in times of yore. Reading the signs and placards in the Old Pa.lace, I in1agined how in 645AD, when the great Xuanzhang returned to Chang J\n after an arduous seventeen-year journey co India via the ancient Silk Road, he would have been warmly greeted at d1at very spot by the Tang dynasty chancellor Fang Xuanling.

Today, you can rent bicycles and go riding

along the wall, and the view of the city from the cop of the waU is quite impressive.

Although Xian is apparently only a 'second tier' city, with a population of abour 14 million, it has a large airport, wide roads, parks, shops and boasts several Indian restaurants as well. Since the discovery of d1e Terracotta Warriors, it has become a popular tourist destination.

To the history buff, Xian has several tales to tell, and every ancient wall in Xian reminds one of Xuanzhang, the great medieval traveller and Buddhist scholar who came to India during the reign of King Harsha.

For those uninitiated, Xuanzhang started off from Chang'an (ancient Xian), along the Silk Road in 629, in defiance of the Tang Emperor's ban on travel. Helped by sympathetic Buddhists, he travelled via Kumu� following the Tian Shan mountains to Tmpan. He then crossed what a.re today Kyrgystan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, imo Gandha.ra (modern Kandahar), reaching lndia in 630 AD. Xuanzhang travelled throughout the Indian subcontinent for the next thirteen years, visiting important Buddhist pilgrimage sires, studying at the ancient university at alanda, and debating the rivals of Buddhism.

After returning to China and having obtained permission from d1e Emperor Gaozong (628-683), Xuanzhang, established the Daci'en monastery and, as the first

abbot of the Daci'en Temple, supervised the building of a pagoda inside.

One of d1e pagoda's many functions was to hold the Sutras and relics of the Buddha that were brought to China from India by Xuanzhang. With the support of royalty, he asked 50 'hierarchs' in the temple co translate Sanskrit sutras into Chinese, totalling '] ,335 volumes!

Even roday, this World Heritage Listed temple contains practising Buddhists in the monastery.

The now-famous Terracotta Warriors of Xian is a sight not to be missed by any visitor co China. They are the thousands of l i f e s- ize, hand-moulded figures which were buried wid1 China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. 111e Terracotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at d1is site, ,vhich is around 1 . 5 kilometres east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum in Lintong, a few kilometres from Xian. Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shi Huang, later d1e first Emperor of all China, had begun to work on his own mausoleum. lt took him ' I 1 years to finish the project.

Each soldier looks different, and for rourists, there is the mandatory visit to the site where they demonstrate how the figures were made and many shopping opportunities!

Modern Xian has excellent infrastructure, wid1 a very modern airport, train station, wide boulevards, stately buildings, good public transport, and several Indian restaura.n ts as well!

JANUARY (1) 2017 41

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BY NANCY JADE ALTHEA

------------------------------------ARIES March 21 - Apri l 19 Things have been a little unsettled for you of late. The cards are indicating a time when you will be trying to sort out matters from the past. There will be some financial issues to organise and there will be new opportunities to bring in funds. There will be some unsettling discussions around family relationships. Try to keep calm and positive. You will be thinking of moving to another area, and will be making plans for the coming months.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20 This month you will be looking a t new opportunities and making plans to climb higher up the corporate ladder. The cards are indicating a time when you will be concentrating on finances, your career and progression. Romantically, you will be wanting movement within a relationship or someone you like. You will plan a holiday and there will be some good news regarding tests you have had recently.

There will be a great feeling of energy and determination around you this month.

GEMINI May 21 - J u ne 20 You have started the year feeling slightly tired and under the weather.

It would be a good idea to look at your diet and start eating more fresh food. There is a feeling of optimism when you and your partner start sorting out your relationship which has been a little stressful of late. The cards indicate you will be doing well financially and at work.

You may decide to buy a new car and help a friend in trouble.

CANCER J u ne 21 - J u ly 20 There may be some re-organisation at work and you may be asked to take on more responsibility this month. This will come with benefits and might well lead to a promotion. The cards are indicating you will be feeling a little restless in your relationships.

You need to start relaxing more and communicating better with your partner. There will be some interesting revelations with regard to a matter that has been bothering you for a while to do with the family.

LEO J u ly 21 - Aug 22 �-��yr.1 You need to keep an eye on your health this month as there may be some ups and downs. The cards are indicating you may be thinking about moving to a new career. Take some time out and decide what you would like to do. There will be some interesting developments in the love area of your life and you will be feeling quite content. Take time out to go for walks and get some exercise included into your routine.

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22 A very passionate and fiery month will be enjoyed between you and your partner. There will be some discussions with regard to where and when your next vacation will be. There is some important paperwork that you need to sort out. Make sure that your car is checked at the mechanic. The cards are indicating you will have a .,. hectic and productive time. There will be a lot going on, but progress in business and finances is expected this month.

NATIONAL EDITION

LIBRA Sept 23 - Oct 22 As usual, you will have started this year with a lot of thinking and planning. You will be making sure you have arranged your next holiday, finances and affairs. The cards are indicating you will be able to take hold of opportunities with success and ease. There will be some interesting developments with an old friend you have reconnected with. Your partner may not be feeling very well, so it is a good time to go on that much needed break together.

SCORPIO Oct 23 - N ov 21 This month you will feel passionate, renewed and full o f energy.

You will be feeling extremely loving and highly sensual. The cards are indicating you will want your love life to be sorted out and contentment to prevail. There will be successful negotiations at work and you will be able to obtain what you desire most. It will be a month of kindness and excessiveness at times. You will have to exercise restraint and make sure you do not spend unnecessarily.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21 You will be making some important resolutions with regard to your relationship this month. You may also have to make some difficult decisions with regard to financial aspects of the relationship. You have been working very hard lately and you will be at the point of feeling that you efforts are going unnoticed. The cards are indicating a time when you will speak up and get what you desire and deserve. A good time to meditate on your issues.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19 This month you will be deciding what you would like to do with regard to your career. You have a mindful of ideas and plans.

There will be some dizzy spells of excitement and your head will be spinning. In your love life, you may be heading towards a more settled, committed phase of your union. The cards are indicating you need to think about your health more. Plan to walk and take some outdoor holidays to revive your motivation.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - Feb 18 This month will start with bold plans and decisions. Your current job is very busy and hectic. There will be new superiors hired and there may be some upset around the workplace. Ideas and plans may be a little muddled but there is an indication that things will settle down. Finances will be healthy. The cards are indicating a time when you will want to get back in touch with people from the past and start the year with positive energy.

PISCES Feb 19 - March 20 You may be feeling a little up and down with your moods this month. There will be definite plans with regard to career and relationships, and you are determined to make everything work just how you want it to. There may be confl icts with colleagues as you're not in the mood for soft words. You need to get your point across and you know how to do it. You need to look after your spending and not exceed your limits.

JANUARY (1) 2017 43

entertainment ■

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .- - - - - - - - .- - - - -

....

DANGAL

STARRING: Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra DIRECTOR: Nitesh Tiwari

,\

There are outstanding films. Then there is Dangat. A film so rich in the fl avours of home-grown emotions you feel you are floating in a field of aromatic sensation for close to three hours without feeling manipulated. You come away from this experience so moved and so much wiser that you wonder why cinema can't be so rewarding more often.

But then again, if every other fiIm was a Dangal how would we know the difference?

There I go, raving about a film which, let me state right away, will be remembered by posterity as one of the landmarks of Indian cinema in the same breath as, say Mother India, Sholay or Lagaan. Yes, Dangal has that kind of an impact. Not because it has anything new to say. On the surface it is another

rags-to-riches sports film where a girl, Geeta Phogat, from a small dusty town of Haryana brings the gold medal in wrestling to India.

No. It is not the theme. It's in the heartbreaking directness and artlessness, the absolute absence of artifice, in the narrative that we discover that mysterious oft-abused entity known as the Real India. These are places and people with real dreams and ambitions.

These are characters whom we live with, sometimes within ourselves. It takes a Mahavir Singh Phogat and his mulish obstinacy to pull India's perverse patriarchy dragging kicking and screaming out of its heavily cordoned lair and to say, enough is enough.

It takes an Aamir Khan to bulk up to the extent of looking like a tired but undefeated has-been to play the I wrestler whose determination saw his daughters break through the masculine bastion of wrestling to prove women can do anything men can. Aamir lives the role of Phogat, sternly manoeuvring

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his daughters' destiny to a glory denied to a lot of women in this country. ls this his best performance? Can't say whatever he has done earlier pales into insignificance.

Significantly, Dangal doesn't play the feminist card at all. There are no speeches tirades and pushy homilies on feminism. The men in fact are not shown to be excessively sexist for the sake of aggrandising the dramatic impact of girls' ultimate victory. While Aamir plays the epitome of gender equality, Aparshakti Khurrana who plays Geeta and Babita Phogat's goofy kind-hearted cousin is a feminist even without knowing what the word means.

No one in the cast and crew - not even the eternal attention-seeker Aamir Khan and not Sethu Sriram's cinematography - seeks attention here. Not even when fighting so ferociously in the wrestling akhaada. These people do what they have to. They fight inner and outer adversaries because - well, they are there and they must be fought.

Danga/ neatly and nimbly avoids all classifi cations and isms and emerges as one of the strongest cinematic statements on women's empowerment in recent times. The performances go a long way in imbuing a sense of unrehearsed classicism to the simple tale of a simple father who lives out his sporting dreams through his daughters.

As simple as that.

And such doughty daughters! The two sets of actresses who play the younger and older versions of Geeta and Babita Phogat are so liberating in their spontaneity that they at some point, cease to draw attention to their skills at character assumption and simply invite us to follow the girls' journey to victory.

While the younger Phogat daughter Babita, played ably by Suhani Bhatnagar and Sanya Malhotra, does have her say

in the expansive script, this is clearly the other elder daughter Geeta' s story, her blow-hot-blow-cold relationship with her father and her ultimate triumph in the wrestling ring. Aamir and Zarina Wasim/Fatima Sana Shaikh (the two girls who play Geeta) play against each other with vivacious credibility. While we watch Geeta wrestle her way to the gold medal - and she fights her opponents in the wrestling ring like a true pro - we also watch Geeta and her father wrestle in ways that are not manifested physically.

Geeta's change as she becomes famous is mapped with no judgmental regret. This is not a film that wastes time trying to slot judge or condemn human failings. It breathes with the characters and lets them exhale at their own will.

That is the real beauty of Dangal. It is what it is not because it tries to be great. but because the story it has to tell is effortlessly ensconced in excellence.

Director Nitish Tiwari simply plucks the fruits of a tree whose roots go deep into our culture penetrating societal biases towards the girl child, with a cluck of the tongue that is barely audible.

The climactic wrestling bout shot with adrenaline-pumping immediacy could have avoided reducing Geeta's coach to a scheming villain. Neither the film nor Aamir's timeless portrayal of Mahavir Phogat needed to be propped up and peppered with scriptural spice.

Dangal has no patience with judgement values. It is so precious and so valuable because it lets us look at home-truths with wisdom rather than cunning. This film will be remembered by posterity as one of the landmarks of Indian cinema, not because it tries to be one.

Thank you Geeta Phogat, Nitesh Tiwari, Aamir Khan. India is proud of you.

Phogat's sake, Dangal must be watched.

Subhash K. Jha

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entertainment

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

DEV PATEL: SEXIEST MAN ALIVE?

O M PU R I : AN ACTOR FO R ALL S EASO NS

H

is craggy, pockmarked but distinctive face may have kept him from becoming a leading man in films, but Om Puri used the remarkable range of expressions he could convey, from impotent rage to blazing menace to comic exasperation, along with his trademark baritone, to play some immortal roles on the big and small screen in India and abroad.

The true tribute to any actor is in remembering some of their performances and for Om Puri, who succumbed to a sudden heart attack this month, there is no shortage of roles, big or small, heroic, comic or villainous, in masala or art films to recall his skill.

Will we remember him for his depiction of the victimised tribal of Aakrosh (1980), conveying his anguished helplessness by facial expressions till the very last shocking scene when he finally opens his mouth in a loud protest, the hapless policeman in Ardh Satya (1982), the enthusiastic poetry-lover in In Custody/ Muhafiz (1993) or sinister terrorist Sanatan in Maachis (1996).

Or will we prefer to remember him in another light, as suspicious secretary Banwari Lal in Chachi 420 (1998), the jovial and kind but dutiful Inspector Khan in Pyar To Hana Hi Tha (1997) or determined Inspector Udham Singh in Gupt (1997). Then there is also his portrayal of British-Pakistani George Khan, who is loving but can be authoritarian and abusive towards his mixed family in East Is East (1999).

And let us not forget two cameos where he well marked his presence - Nahari, the unrepentant rioter in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982), and as Gen Zia ul-Haq in Charlie Wilson's War (2007), which shows how the Americans began their slide into the Afghan quagmire.

Vikas Datta

46 JANUARY (1) 2017

Popular American talk show host Ellen DeGeneres thinks Indian-origin British actor Dev Patel should be named the sexiest man alive.

Dev appeared on The Ellen OeGeneres Show recently to promote his film Lion, and DeGeneres encouraged him to start a campaign for "Sexiest Man Alive".

"Because you look so good, and people are saying you look buff and everything, I had this made for you," DeGeneres told Dev before presenting the 26-year-old actor with a fake magazine cover of him as People's annual hot man honouree.

"You can hand this out, it'll help your career" Patel responded, "I'll give it to my mom, she'll put it at the entrance to her house."

"This is very awkward," he went on, leading DeGeneres to quip, "You don't understand Hollywood."

Awww, simple, lovable Dev! Meanwhile, Ellen is making many new Indian friends. Recall how well she got on with Priyanka Chopra not so long ago? She had PeeCee downing vodka shots one after the other (in an obvious send up of apni Priyanka's vodka confessions at a red carpet just prior).

And if news is to be believed, Ellen has signed Deepika Padukone to appear on her show, in the lead up to the release of xXx: Return of Xander Cage.

Vodka for Priyanka, People magazine cover for Dev... wonder what Ellen has in store for Dippy? Need any help there, Ellen? How about good looking boys names Ranbir, Ranveer, Ranvir maybe...? Just a suggestion!

Dev, PeeCee, Dippy, we can't wait to see you in your new films.

And on more TV talk shows!

IT'S A TOILET BREAK FOR BHUMI PEDN EKAR

Her first film Oum Laga Ke Haisha contained the message that over-sized women are not at a disadvantage as long as there is love.

Bhumi Pednekar's second film too has a societal message. It's about... toilets? No, it's a love story. Heck, no, it's a love story set in a toilet. No, no, no, it's a story where toilets fall in love.

Excuse our confusion. But the film­ makers are not telling us much about the film other than the fact that it's called Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. Now you understand our foggy minds...

The 27-year-old actor said the film isn't preachy.

"It is a beautiful love story that taps into aspects of our society as well," she noted.

While it is quite apparent from the

title that the film is about personal hygiene, the producers are keeping the storyline close to their chests to retain interest in the movie that is set to release in June. Akshay Kumar stars alongside Bhumi.

Bhumi is more than happy about Bollywood making message-based films and says cinema is the easiest way to communicate with the people.

"I feel that today's people, audiences and filmmakers, we all have become very aware of the problems and the situations that we have around us," she remarked. "Earlier, we were in a position to ignore them but I think we have now reached a point where we cannot ignore certain things and I think that's fantastic. Cinema is the largest and the easiest way to communicate with the masses and if you can put it to good use, then why not."

She went on, "What attracts me is real stories about real Indian girls."

You go, girt!

Bhumi, who before entering the world of fi lms was a casting director, considers herself to be lucky for bagging realistic roles.

"I think I have been really lucky that I have been getting roles where I can play the girl-next-door or a girl... My roles are not similar at all," she said.

Oum Laga Ke Haisha came in 2015 and Bhumi's next film is all set to release in June 2017.

Will the time gap help her build a new image?

"The time I took off was planned because I had to come back to being Bhumi (my natural self) and it took me this much time. I had gained an insane amount of weight for the film and I had to drop it off," she explained.

WHEN PRIYANKA GLITTERED IN GOLD

Priyanka Chopra made a glittering statement at the Golden Globe Awards in her custom-made Ralph Lauren golden gown.

Priyanka's outfit was described as 'one-of-a-kind hand-embroidered evening dress' by the official Twitter handle of the designer brand.

In a candid confession to IANS before the 74th edition of the award gala, Priyanka had said that she likes to have www.indianlink.com.au

l'J

a "fun on red carpet as I meet people I work with. It's fun time for me."

Bollywood's 'desi girl" made her debut appearance at the Golden Globe Awards, which recognise excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign, to present the award for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama. She was joined by Hollywood actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan. She gave away the trophy to Billy Bob Thornton for his role in Goliath.

Colleagues Zac Efron and Dwayne Johnson certainly liked her look.

"Bad is an understatement. Why I love her! Stunning tonight. Being 'Baywatch' Golden Globes," Johnson tweeted.

"Congrats Priyanka! Teams killin it tonight! You look beautiful! 'Baywatch' babe," Efron tweeted.

Many back home complain that most Indian celebrities opt for international labels for their red carpet appearances.

Does Priyanka feel such comments are justified?

"I think people wear clothes that work for an event. I have worn Indian designers internationally, and vice versa. There is no harm in it as clothes are clothes. People should wear what they feel like wearing," Priyanka said.

AUSSIE HOLIDAY FOR BIPS

Bipasha Basu was in Australia recently and on extended honeymoon with her bridegroom Karan Singh Grover. Sydney

and the Gold Coast featured on their itinerary, with the loved up duo bringing in the New Year in Sydney, an arms' length away from the world-famous fireworks on the harbour. The bubbly actor tweeted pies of herself and her miyan at the Opera House forecourt, at Pitt St Mall, in Myer in the city, on a boat in Sydney Harbour, fish and chips at Watson's Bay, in Leura in the Blue Mountains, beach-bumming, at various restaurants... all accompanied by the hashtag aussiemonkeys.

On ya, Bipasha!

WORTH WAITING FOR? YOU DECIDE!

Ohhhhh, here's another unfortunately named film: Haramk hor, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shweta Tripathi.

Shweta (of Masaan fame) has been gushing all over the place about her talented colleague.

"At first, I was worried sharing screen with an actor like Nawazuddin Siddiqui because he is a remarkable actor and an outstanding person," she said recently. "(But) he didn't make me feel like a newcomer. Nawazuddin brings himself down to match the level. I felt as though I was working with an actor who has same experience like me.

That's why I respect him so much. I

don't know anybody who does that. He gives space to another co-star."

Er, okay.

Shot in a small village in Gujarat, the film explores the romance between a 14-year-old school student and her teacher.

The main characters of the film are the teacher, the student, a boy who has a crush on the girl and his friend who helps him and the teacher's wife.

Meanwhile, Salman Khan is headed to Morocco with former squeeze Katrina Kaif, for director Ali Abbas Zaffar's Tiger Zinda Hai, a sequel to 2012 blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger.

Zaffar is currently busy scouting locations in Morocco.

Produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films, the fi lm is gearing up for a Christmas release this year.

KATIE STEVENS or MALAIKA ARORA KHAN in ZEYNAP ERDOGAN?

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WHAT TWEETY BIRD TOLD US THIS WEEK

Match the stars to the following tweets Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Karan Johar, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar Sometimes too many options aren't a good thing... #GoldenGlobes #Gir!Problems ... suggestions?

The Sunday well wishers... always an occasion to consider that life is worth what it gave me...

Jaan se #Zaalima tak.... Hope you all like it!

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

What's the chitchat between LION stars DEV PATEL and SONNY PAWAR

Joining hands on a project where @ akshaykumar is the hero and will be co produced by @karanjohar and #SKF Here it is... #GoPagal with our first song, my favourite song from #JollyLLB2!!

Cried my heart out in #LION ....and absolutely loved #DevPatel .... sad and cathartic.... but so magical in many moments ....

Thrilled to announce that #XxX:TheReturnofXanderCage will release in India first! before anywhere else in the world! #14thJanuary #VinDiesel

What's the chitchat between AKSHAY KUMAR and SAJID NADIADWALA during their grand entry to the set of Yaaron Ki Baraat Everybody get ready for Houseful/ 4!

SIMONE SINGH , Werribee, VIC wins a ticket to OK JANU

JANUARY (1) 2017 47

backchat

o ern famil The in an e ition ■ ■

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What'sApp-ening on your online family group? Can you identify your electronic parivaar here

The Famil� Gang

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Happy Ho�l!US Q People world

BY SANAM SHARMA

A

big part of the Indian social fabric are the rishtedaars (relatives). 1n India, one grows up on an overdose of 'relatives', sometimes those you're not even really related to, and they come in all shapes and sizes. There are the nice ones with whom you seem to spend your cwo­ month-long summer vacations each year.

There are the not-so-nice ones, who you try, usuallr unsuccessfuli)', to avoid. There are the ones \vho are only concerned abom che exam grades scored by the other kids in the family (aapkc bache ke kitne m11J1ber ac!)'C types).

And the competitive ones who are always there to outdo you in everything - but with

Ha ri Jass a I

a charming smile, of course.

Family gatherings, birthdays and ,veddings have traclitionally been the bonding grounds for the tribe. It is during these occasions that all the relatives in the khandaan (clan) come together over a hearty mix of celebrations, feasting, and gossip (in no particular order).

However, with the advent of social media, the Indian 1ishtedcJaris have moved online. Facebook and WhatsApp are the two most conm1on platforms where modern lnclian families play out d1eir e.xtended social scene. Social meclia has brought families closer, especially the Indian ones. Relatives who used to catch up and converse maybe annually now ping each od1er 'round the clock.

With this online migration of India's extended families, the Indian 1ishtedaari. etiguette seems co have seamlessly transitioned into the World Wide Web. Internal family politics, gossip, jealousies, disputes and grudges all seem co have

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family group on \X/hatsApp. Tius will get the entire fan1ily talking. Group speculation will give war to one-on-one messages, debating the cause of your discontent while soliciting ways co bring you back into the family fold.

Some may even be courageous (or stupid) enough to message you directly - either to discreetly share d1eir displeasure with the family as well, or co cry and plead a case for you to re-join the electr01uc pe11ivacJr. Then there are d1e online passive­ aggressive relatives. They resort co creative status updates which are adeguately vague enough to give away identities, yet keep tbe rest of the clan guessing about who's d1e target of meir rams. The ones in the family who are most boggled by such updates are bound to reacl1 out and probe for further clarification (if only to rule themselves out).

Last but not d1e least, if you claim to be a writer, you mar end up getting yourself thrown out of d1e online family network for writing such a piece. You know, kbcmdacm k.a naam hadnaal/l karue ke ljye!

Know Thyself as

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adopted an online avatar. For those 'good' relatives, social media is a great forum co keep a tab on the welfare of the extended family. For d10se borderline to mischievous risbtedaars, Facebook and WhatsApp are potent cools to dish out concealed sarcasm and sometimes, not so concealed outrage.

There has never been a better time to be a sp)' in the Inclian extended family.

Just 'fri end' d1e entire clan online and d1en peacefully sit back, with a drink in hand, and scroll mrough your Facebook tirneline at leisure. In no time, you will have enough verifiable data to come up with educated conclusions about the break-ups, link-ups, factions and frictions within your kba11daa,1. Gossip and glory of the entire famil)7 at your fingertips, ready co unleash at d1e slightest trigger. It is die Wikileaks eguivalem of the on.line desi.

WhatsApp and Facebook also cater for those who fancy keeping a grudge going.

Drop in a subtle hint of displeasure and \mfriend' a 1isbtedaaron Facebook, or leave a

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