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PUBLISHER

Pawan Luthra

EDITOR

Rajni Anand luthra

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Kira Spucys-Tahar

MELBOURNE COORDINATOR

Preeti Jabbal

CONTRIBUTORS

Section 18C:

Another nail in the coffin?

BYPAWAN LUTHRA

provision winalso be inducled saying d1c test co be applied indeciding whether ISC hasbeen breached,is theobjcc□\'e standard of ''the reasonable member of d1e Australian commmury" or the pub rest.

whowaswellsupportedby1.he multiculturalcommunitiesarthe Inst election,ba.sallowedhimself to beheld hostagebyfringeckmencsin hisparcy, advocatingTrump-type policies.

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Indian Link is a fortnightly newspaper published in English. No material, including advertisements designed by Indian Link, may be reproduced in partor in whole without the written consent of the editor Opinions carried in IndianLinkare those of the writers and not necessarilyendorsedby Indian Link. All correspondence should be addressed to Indian Link Level 24/44 Market St, Sydney 2000 or GPO Box106, Sydney 2001

Ph: 029279-2004 l=ax: 02 9279·2005

Email: info@indianlink.com.au

Waleed Aly,Gold Logie winner and one of the few multiculrural commenramrson

Australian television, oncesaidLhat1.here isa highlevelof low levelsof racism in Australia.

Theproposedchanges co ScCLion ISCof the Racial Discrirninarion Act could now changethis to a high level of high levelsof racism.These proposed changes,announcedon Harmony Day and iustdaysaftert.he government released a report onthe achievemencs of multiculturalism in Australia,do ha\·e the pocential comake iteasier for people co beracistinpublic.

For those whodon'tknow •and there arcmany whodon't•Section ISC sa)'Sit is unlawful fora personrooffend,insult, humiliateorintimidateanotherpersonor agroup of peoplebecauseof the race, colour or nationalor ethnic origin of the other person orof someorall of the people in rhe group. Under the proposal, the word"harass"will replace d1e words '·offend", "insult",and"humiliare". J\

Itisimporramtonotetharracism notonly disadvantage..� peopleoverdy, for exampledcn)�ngpromotion inthe workplace conre:.xrorrejectionasa potentinltenamofnresidentialproperty, butcan alsomanifestin od1erwa)"S and causeochersortsof harm. Racist commemscan leadtohurt andanger. fear and panmoia.Therecan be.:amoredirect impactonmigrantsasircanexposethem Lo ridicule nbout theirclochesaodculture.

Section ISCin itscurrent format hasworkedwell forthe20-oddyearsit hasbeen in place. Yes,there havebeen procedural issuesaroundtheedgeswhere trivialcomplaintshavecomethroughor d1ctimelinebetweentheoffenceand legalactionhasbeenlong.Burlargely,it hasbeen ashieldprovidedb)theSrncc forthosemostvulnerable.Those who mayhavelessknowledge of rhc S)'Stem and understanding of their rightsunder thelaw,havebeenthemosrexposed.This verrprotection forthe lndigenousand migrantcommunitiesseemsto be being rnken awarbythe white,male,middleaged sub-sectionof societywhohold the reins ofpower in Canberra.

Whatashamethata Primi:Minister,

lfnnyrepeal of Section ISC isco allow for more speech•given i1 is becoming a cenct of the Liberal Parry toallowfor morelaisse faire policies•chcn wouldit be a matter of time d,at d1eright co bear armsbecomes allowed in Australialike it isin the US?

The /11tli1111U11ksurveyin rhisissue indicatesthat d,ereneedsto be alotof talkingbytbeLiberalside of policies totheir multicukural electoratesshould they wishtominimiseanybacklash.The sLxscarsmost at risk for diem include Reid (CraigLaundy), Bcnnelong Qohn Alexander), Banks (David Coleman), Chisholm Qulia Banks),Deakin (ll•lichacJ Sukkar) and Brisbane (revor E1rans). Witha one-seat leadinthecurrent Parliament,theoddsareverymuchagainst rheCoalition:howcanthey disregardthe Aow-oneffectsof thenew ISC within Lhe multiculmralvmebank?Changesto !SC maybeanattemptbythe Llberal-Narional parries ro close the gap withOneNation anc.lLheirpolicies-buratwhatcost?

The CoaliLion's track recordon ilisues of samesexmarriage andclimate change hasbeen condemned byn-ianr;changes to Section ISCmight well rurn our to be anothernail in tht:coffin for them.

Aneela Menon, Raka Sarkhel, Ritam Mitra, Darshak Mehta, KhushaalVyas,Mohan Dhall, Ananya Wakhare, Ashwini Saseedaran, Minal Khona, Sandip Hor

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EXPERTIN

MRT/RRTREVIEW

YOURSAY

SUNNYSIDEUP!

In an Australian exclusive, RAJNIANANDLUTHRA spoke with little Lion star SunnyPawar

AnnSharon van Beemen-Prasadwrote: He is cute, isn'the?

Maryanne Fonceca wrote: This fills myheartwithsooomuchjoy!

DavidHersantwrote: He lovesAustralia, he'd probablystand forthe anthem

THEYKNOWATHINGORTWO!

FARZANA AHMADprofiledexceptional twins NeeranjaliandSwaranjali Jain, settinga great example to other Indian Australianyouth. We received a huge response to this article. Here are some ofyour comments

Dlllp Bhatt wrote: Amazing and inspirational youngladies living, breathing examples ofhow open mindsthat are able to harness thebestof diversity and cultures, can result in outstanding citizenryof any land.

PersisShah wrote: What an amazingpair of intelligent and achieving twins. Mayyou climb to higher goals and shine foryourselves aswell asyour parents and family, theworld needs people like you. We areso honoured by your success, keep aspiringto reach yourgoals, and stay happy.

Vasudha Chandra wrote: Amazing role models! Indian Link: whywrite "over-achieving youth", when you could have written 'high achievingyouth'?

Sunll Salunkewrote: Remarkable achievementsgins, congratulationsto you both! We wish you all the best!

Leena Kordewrote: Dear Swara, Neera. You girls are amazing! So proud of you. Keep up with your hard work and success is sureto follow.

SylooMehtawrote: Well done! How proud you make not only yourfamily butalsothewhole Indian community! God bless and wewishyou a lifetime of happiness.

PalllatlveCareVolunteerlng NSW wrote:Twicethe musical talent in palliative carevolunteering-See the original story in Indian Link. Twins in bothlife and study Neeranjali and Swaranjali Jain recentlygraduated with first class in honoursfrom Bachelorof Medicine (UNSW) in 2016, with a swagofprizes each. The youngwomen alsohave a heartforcommunity causes and overtheyearsthey have been involved with the Cancer Council and Red Cross, aswell asvariousfundraisingevents. Neera and Swara are also accomplished musicians, belongingtothe NSW Doctors Orchestra and each holding an Associate Diploma in Piano. Itistheir musical skillsthat havetaken them into palliative carevolunteeringwheretheyvolunteerto playing music forpatients in Sydney.

Music and music therapy istopical in palliative care, and willfeature on the program ofthe 2017 NSW Palliative CareVolunteerConferenceto be held in Maitland in Maywhen Hanna Tsoi presents a workshop on Music Therapy.

PROUDTOBEVICTORIAN

PREETIJABBAL reportedon the newgovernment campaign on multiculturalism in Victoria featuringIndian-Australian Satbir Singh Kah/on

Robin Scott MP wrote: Greatwrite-up by Indian Link's Preeti Jabbal on our #vicproud campaign, profilingthe inspiringSatbir.

JasvlnderSidhu wrote: Well done Preeti Jabbal and Indian Link

HarlnderSidhu @AusHClndia tweeted: Indian-Australian SatbirSingh Kahlon is a great example of#multicultural Australia @VicGovAucampaign

INDIANSMUSTSTOPFUNDING POORGOVERNANCE

Indian citizens have to wake up to the fact that theyfunding the lifestyles of their politicians while themselves beingmade to lie in eternal waitfor "achhe din" wrote SANAM SHARMA

Chandra Klshorewrote: The young peopleshould speak out and be part of the required change

SALTOFTHEEARTH

DHANYA SAMUEL wrote about the holistic approach to farmingat Avani boutique winery

Australla In lndla shared Indian Link s article: One of the best placesto enjoy a glass ofAvani wine in Victoria is at Tulsi restaurant, owned byShashi Singh and her husband Devendra. Originally from Haryana,theyboth moved toAustralia in 1983 and today own the 15-acre Avani boutique winery in Red Hill South, Victoria.

Alan Davidson wrote:After reading theexcellentstory ofShashi and Devendra Singh from Avani Winery, onthe Mornington Peninsula, I wrote to them asking ifthey would do a storyformy new local online publication The Peninsula Star. Yourstory,just published, isterrific and I wondered ifthere would be a chancethat I could reproduce itwith credits?

It could make a coverstorywith therightillustration.

RISINGSTARANKITASACHDEV

Former Indian Link Radio idol and now Co/orsTVRisingStarAnkita

Sachdevspoke with Indian Link Radio's own KASHIF HARRISON

Srinivasan Nswrote: Best wishes. Keep risingwith yoursweetvoice and talent!

>LOGontoyourownFacebook orTwitteraccount

> TYPE "Indian link" intothesearchboxatthetopofthe screenand click onthe linkthatcomes up

> CLICK'like'tojointhe Indian linkFacebookcommunity or 'Follow' @lndian linkonTwitter

The death ofHarjit Kaursparks further conversation on the steps we can take toward endingthe national crisis ofdomestic and family violence

BYANEETAMENON

Torrentialdownpoursdidn't keep more tban200peopleaway fromgatheringinBlacktown thisweektocommemorate thelife ofGlenwoodresident HarjitKaur.NSW Policehavechargedher husband,JagdishSingh withher murder. Thevigil,organisedBlacktown Women's and Girls Health Centre (BWGHC) and BlacktownCiryCouncil,wasattendedby communityleadersandpoliticians aswellas Mrs Kaur'sfamily,friendsandmembersof thesub-continental community. The vigil commencedwith aprayerbyrepresentatives from Park.leaSikh Ten1ple,which Mrs Kaur frequented.

lSW!StateMemberfor Blacktown,John Robertsonaddressedthosegathered,relaying that Harjit Kaur is the ninthwon1an to die fromdomesticviolencein Australiaso far thisyear.

Shewaskilledin thetenthweekofthe year.

Blacktown Mayor Stephen Balireaffirmed BlacktownCiryCouncil'sconmuonentto thecause,assuringthecrowdthat Blacktown willserveasleader intacklingdomestic and familyviolence(DFV),despite theissuenot being aproblem unique tothe area Domestic andfamilyviolenceknowsno geographic,ethno-religious,socioeconomic orculniralbarriers.Asa frontlineservice,

Blacktown Women'sandGirlsHealth Centre worksaround-the-clock tosupportwomen, manyofsubcontinental background,arming themwith theknowledgeandskills required toescape harmfulrelationshipsandcreate lives freeofabuse.

In theface ofweakeningstategovernment support,access to fewerresources,andpitted againstdeeplyentrenchedsocialand culniral ideologies which aimtononnaliseDF\� frontlineservices arefightinganuphillbattle.

FederalMember for Greenwa)�and ShadowMinister for Communications. MichelleRowland,whohas ahistoryof legaladvocacyfor DFVvictims,wasdeeply troubledbyMts Kan.r'sdeath as it notonly occurred inher electorate,butthefamily were also among her neighbours.

Speakingontheissue,MsRowlandsaid, "Frontlineservicesknowwhatthey'redoing. Theyknowwhat theyneedtodo,andneed tobesupportedbygovernment."

i\foni HabibfromB\X!GHCworks throughouttheweek toensurewomenare supportedandadvocated for."Everything startswith education,and educationbegins inthehome," sheexplained.

What can be done byway of education

\Xfbilst asa societywearebecoming increasinglyawareofthestatistics around thefatalities causedbyDFV,thegreater cost remains hidden. Manywomen -particularly thosefromsub-continentalbackground- are unabletoproperlyclifferentiatebetween healthyandnormalrelationships and those which maybemoreinsidious."Particularly when awomanis norworking,andis made to feelas though sheisnot contributing,she

maybemorelikelyroacceptan unhealthy dynanuc;'Ms Habibcontinued.

It is the inabilitytorecognisedomestic abuseasbeingbeyondphysicalviolence whichpreventsearlyintervention. Akeypart in tacklingDFVis forus,as communities, friendsand families,tobecomea\vareof warning1,ignssuch ascontrollingbehaviour, persistentmessaging,controlover orlimited accesscofinances,verbalabuseandpmdownsand cyber abuse,suchasdemanding accesstoemailandsocialmediaaccmmts.

Threats ofviolence,whether tothe individual,familymembers (includingthose overseas)orevenpets,arean extremely commonwayin whichpeoplewho use violenceexett controlovertheirvictimsand leavetbemfeelingtrapped.This isnota precursortodomesticabuse,this isdomestic abuse.

Speak up

UnderstandingthatmainstreamAustralian services maynotinnatelygrasptheculniral intricaciesofour community,Kittu Randha,va,ChairoftheIndian Subcontinent Crisis and SupportAgency(ICSA),an organisationspecificallysupporting subcontinentalvictimsofDF\�wantsto assurewomenthat supportisout there. "Peopledon't report. andoften,asin the caseofHarjit,itis too lace."

The mosttroublingissuefacingthe subcontinentalcomnmnity,shesays,isthe lackofprotectionofferedtospousesand dependents residinginAustraliaaspartof temporaryvisas.

"Thelawasweknowirdoesnote.xcend tothesewomen Forthem itis a caseofput uporshutup,"MsRandhawasaidregarding

situationswherewomen,legaUyresiding in thecountry,risk deportation for speaking Out.

Whilst culmrallyit canbequitenaniral for ustoavoidtalkingwith our friendsand communitymernbersabout their familylives, remainingsilent maywellbethedifference betweenlife anddeath,aswasthecasefor Harjit Kaur.

Evenwhenconfronted,victims canbe reluctant todisclosetherealities oftl1eir siniation fora myriad ofreasons,however it is vitaltoensurethatpeopleknowthat theyaresupported,willbebelievedandwill not beshunned.Thattheyknowthereis a futureand alifebeyondviolence,andthatit iswithinreach.

Forsupportvisit:Bklcktown Wvmen'sand GirlsHeal:thCentre-womnl$andgirls. org.au,98312070;/SCA-icsa.net.m,

Angerincommunit at changestoSection SC

Indian Link survey reveals ethnic minorities will change their votes based on 18C reform

BY KIRA SPUCYS•TAHAR

Justonedarafrerreleasingareport tided'!\fuh.iculruralJ\us1.rnlia:Un.ired, S1.rongandSuccessful',Prime J\linisrcrl\LalcolmTurnbullandhis LiberalPartycoUea,guesannounced theirproposal1.0amendSection !SCofthe RacialDiscriminationAct. ,\f-termomhsofdebateandaJoint ParlfamentaryCommittee Reportwhich failedcoreachaconclusionou I8Chu1. called foroperacionnJandp1:ocessreform ofthe HumanRightsCommission,andin spireofseveralMPsspeakingagainstthe changes•likelyduetotheirmarginalscats, ord1osewi1.hahigh numberofethnic communitiesintheirelccrorarcs•the proposedbillwasagreedcobyrheparry room.

Hthniccommunitygroupshavesaid theseproposed changesaredisappointing andmotivatedbyoutdatedideologiesor politicalexpediency.The}'haveadvisedthat ,vnreringdownthefuicialDiscrimination t\crwillallowracisminthecommUDityLO nourishandcreatelegalconfusion.

IndianU11kcompiledasurveyto determineifattitudesatthegrassroots levelinthecommunityarcreAecredby Lhetoneofdebateamongleadersand poliLicians.225resp()nsesweregathered inaperiodof24hours.Themajorityof respondentswereofAsianorigin (56%), followedbyAumali,morigin(25'¼,)and Europeanorigin (5%).

Inmanyways,theresultsofthesurvey weremost.Irw1surprising.

Whenasked,"Thegovernmenthas proposedchangestoSection JSCof theRacialDiscrimination.Act.Doyou

understandwhatrhescch1111l'{Csmean?"a majoricr41%responded'Yes,somewhat' followedb)·36%with'Yes,completely'.Of therespondentswhowerelessclearabout thecb,mges, l3%answered'No,notreally' and 10%'ro,notatall'.

ltseemstheCoalitiongovcmrucmmar beintroubleifitcontinuesitscrusadewith thesereforms.NationalsleaderBarnaby Joi•cchaspreviouslysaid t8Cisnota burningissueind1eelecwraceanddie govcrnmemwouldlosevotesonir.The resultsofoursurveyilldic:ueheisnot wrong

"Doestheproposaltomakethese changesinfluencethewayyou IntendtovoteInthenextelection?"

Anoverwhelmingmajorfryof70%of respondentsindicatedtheissuewouldhave rnmeinfluenceovertheirdecision(33%) orwould completelychangetheirvote (37%,)inthenextclecLion.·n,isshould be particularlyconcerningfortheCoaliciou governmentghenrhatitsuffereda2.8per cemswingagainstitarthelastelectionand holdspowerwithasingleseatmajorityin thelm-verhouse

OppositionLeaderBillShorrengave

animpassionedspeechattheAustralian MigrationandSettlementJ\wacdstheday follo\l,ingthego\'crnmcnt'sannouncement. Hecoldrheaudience,"I'veneverpersonally comefacerofacewithracialprejudice directedarme.And-byanoverwhelming majority-ncid1erhaved1epeoplewhoare arguingthattheRacialDisccimin.ationAct needstodrnnge.Thesearepredominacelr powerful,\"Oatl,middle-agedmen•who chinkdusisalljustarh<>roughlyintercsciug philosophicaldiscussion."

"Burracismisn'tad1coryfortheAsianAusi.ralianstudent,beingheckledand

subcontinentaloriginhasanentirely differenreffectonth:upersonthanif thesameslurwererobedirectedara personof:tn}'otherethnicitY.t\sasimple RITAM MITRA casts a le6al eve over what theproposed chan6es mean example,3racialepit.hetsuchas"curry

6' J· 6 muncher''or"whitetrash"ismore like!) tooffendthepersonmwbt)mIIis Lheindividual.Atlaw,forconducttobe towardsapersonwouldin"allthe directedifthatpersonisoftheracethat "harassment'',itmustgeneraUyinvolve circlUnstances"bereasonablylikelytO acniallyunderpinsrherelevantslur.

Currently,itisunlawfulforapersoncodo asustainedpatternofconduct,ratJ1cr offend,insultorhumiliareapersonor Instead,undertl1cpmpos.:clmodel, anactthatisreasonablylikely10offend, th11n one-offincidents;AdclirionaJLy, groupofpeople. t.hestandardwouldlikelybethatofn insult,humiliateorintimidateanmher d1eintroductionof the''intlmidarion" 11alcolmTurnbullhasconfirmed '·rci\SonablememberoftheAustcalian personorgroupofpeopleonthegrounds conceptsuggestsaneedforafearof thatthegovernmentisprnposingthe community"•anabstract,nndtn this ofrace.colourornacioualorethnic physicalhaan.Toged1er,thesechanges introducaonofa"reasonablepcri;on" case,ircdcvancdeterminaciond1at origin.Ifthenewlawpassesasproposed representasigpifica.□cwateringdown testtodeterminewhetherconductwould wollld beuptoajudgetoconsider. Bur, (whichisiuiL�elfUDcertain),irwill ofthepcorectionscurcemlyavailablero (undert.l,enewlaws)hnrnssoriutimidate impon:aml);glvenmostcomplaintsunder onlybecomeanoffenceto"harassand victimsofracialdiscrimination,asthey apersononprohibitedgrounds. theRacialDiscrimination Actarcserried inrimida1e"apersononthosegrounds. imposea much higherrhcesholdupon Theeffectofa"reasonablepersou''test inmediationpriortoreachingthecouns Inocherwords,underrhcproposed discriminatoryconduct. isthataperson'sindividualcircumsmnces thereisamaterialriskthatamendingthe

amendment,itwillbepermissiblem wouldnolongerbe relevantinconsidering provisions-asproposedwilldiscourage offend,humiliateorinsultan1ndiy1dual

· racialdiscrimination(asiscurrendr complainantsaltogether.

onthebasisofrllce,nslongasthe Section ISCoftheActc.urrent.ly 1.hecase) Tnisiscoumcr-imuiLive;a RitamMitraisalawyersperialising;,, conducedoesnm''harassandintimidllte" considerswhetherconductdirected racialslurdirectedtowardsapersonof commerciallaw

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

abusedonherwavhomeonlhetrain.It'snot ahypotheticaldel;aringpointforlhcmanin anirbandrhTingacab,orworkit1gtherughl shiftataservicestmion,beingmockedb}' drunks.Peoplewhoworkhard,paytheir i:axes-theyshouldn'thavemwonderwhy theirparli,uncntisarguingwhetherornotit shouldbeeasiertoinsull,offendorhumiliate them.Orsimplrbecold thatifyouru:e harassed,wellthar'sdifferem.171isdebalc hurtspeopleandithurrsourcountry."

It isclearLabo.rintendstousethis issuetodrawpolit.icalcapital.Without d1esupportof LaborortheGreens, the governmentneedsruneofthelISenate crossbencherstosupporttheirchanges d1eAct.TheNickXenophon'feamhas confirmedirwillnotsupportd1echanges cod1ewordingof theActmeaningrhe proposedbillisunlikelytopassd1eSenate. Thedamagetotl1cCoalition'sreputation maralreadyhavebeendone.

Freespeechorhatespeech?

Afterannouncingthe!SCreforms,Prime MinisterMalcolmTurnbullsaidinQuestion TimeinParliament,"\Y./earestandingup forthefreedomofspeechthatunderpins oursociety,thegreateslmulticulturalsociety intheworld WJeknowtharourprecious freedoms,ourfreedomofspeech,isthever)' foundationoft.henation."

Butitseemsmanyinthecommunityvie\\' thisreasoningwithgreatcynicism. When asked"\'\'h)'doyou chink thegmsernmcmis proposingthesechanges?"memajoricyof rcspondcmspointedtoPi\!Turnbull'sdesire toappeasemembersofilieright-wingofhis partyandmoreconservativecrossbenchers. Onerespondentwrote,''It'saclearattempt t.Opandertothefar-rightfactionsofthe party(factionsinwhichlhePrime111Linister hasb:..:r,�ia:ufestlyunpopular)and,similarly, 10rakethestingoucofsimilarproposalsby partiessuchasOne ation."(Seeboxfor morecomments.)

Manypointedtodiecompnsicionofthe Coalit.ionilSdfastheissue."TheLiberal Partyiscontrolledbybigoted,whireoldmen whohavenounderstandingofwhatracism reallyisforethnicminorities,"wroteone respondent.

Omerswereconcerneddiar thisissueha.� cloudedthedebateaboutmoreimportant polidcalconcerns.Onerespondentwrote, "Thep�p�rs tellmeTurnbullca,·edinfrom peerpressure.Iam1101quitesurewhychis needscobereformedwhenthere'salotof otherreformsd1atarcmorenecessary.''On theorherside,severalrespondemsseemed

tohaveabsorbedsomeof theCoalit.iooand governmentrhe10ricontheissue,writing thatthechangeswereto"promote free speech tobefairer"and"eliminateneedless lirigation". Othersansweredrhntthe reformsarenecessary"mrakesomeaction againstracistactivitiesaroundthecountry'' and"wnarrowthemearung/interprerncions of thelegislationtoavoidfuturefrivolous lawsuits".

Arethe18Creformsoutoftouch withtheneedsandwantsofthe majorityofmodemAustralia?

One of d1emostworryingandsignificant responseswasmthequestion"Doyou thinkd1echangeswillleadtomoreracism inthecommurury?"Asurprising56°/i,of respondentsanswered'Yes',followedby 30%with'Can'tsay'and 14%with'No'.

Thisresultwasmadedistressingby peoples'answermdiequest.ion,"Haveyou oranyoneyouknoweverbeenthe,�ctimof aracisrslllrornttackinAustralia?''wherea staggering73%ofrespondentsaJ1$\Vered 'Yes'.

ItwaswriterBenjaminL'lwwhorequested peoplesharecheirownstoriesandexperiences wid1raci5monsocialmediausingtbe hashrag#FreedomOfSpcechinanartempt tohighlighttheiactcharmepreviousterms of 18Cwerenecessaryfortheprotecdonof minorities.The hashtaghasgoneviralwith manyconuibuciugtheirpersonalstories.

PakistanicomedianSarniShah,whoisnowan Australiancitizenliving.inMelbourneshared: "lcan'tacruallypickwhichrncistexperience tolistcausethere'vebeensomany." ainsinclahouseC\vccred:"Beingsogeneric brownd1atdudecouJdn'tfigureomwhich .racialslurtousesohetriedmemall."

Supportforprocessreform

JulianLccser,MemberforBcrowrain S\'17, hadbeenvocalof meneedtomaimain Section ISCasalimitedprotection.Hetold IndianU11kinaninterviewjustdaysbefore thePM'sannouncement,"ld1inkfreespeech isimportant,weneedfreespeechtobeable tochallengepeople'sideasaboutthings, but theidt.'>1of freespeech isthacyoucan changeyourmind. Whileyoucanchru1ge yourmind,youcan'tchange}'()urrace.My preferredoptionwasd1atwecodifylhelaw in thewayinwhichjudgeshaveinterpreted Section l8C,:indthatis,itdoesn'tmeanmere offenceormereslights,irhastobeprofound andsubstantial."

1'1rLeesersaidbmhsidesofpolit.ics agreedrheHumanRightsCommissionhad

notbt'�<,,.:oi.16icsjobproperlyinallowing casessucl1:isthatoftheQUTsruclcnrsand thelaLecartoonistBillLeaktogoahead.

ThebipartisanRcporcofthe ParliamentaryJoimCommitteeonHuman RightsondieRacialDiscriminationJ\cr proposedaseriesoflegislativereforms tbatmanyinParliamem,andindeed tl1e community,doseemtosupport-making ilhardertolodgeacomplaint,makingir easierforthecommissionrocerminare mattersitdeemswithoutchanceofsuccess andrcstrkcingaccesscod1ecourtsifthe Commissionhasterminatedamatter.

MrLecsertoldI,,dio11LJ!lk,'·J'vebeenme greatchampionofprocessreforms.This issuehasbeenstuckinapolit.icaldeadlock since2011.\'v'eneedrogerlegislation throughd1epadiamenrandmo,·cthisissue offdiefrontpageofd1epapers."

Bmheconceded,"Thecommittee heard from almosteveryimaginableedmic communityinr\usrmlia,includingvariolL� indigenousrepresentativesaswcl�andthose communitieswereallunanimousintheir viewthatSection 18Cshouldremain.Almost all thosecommunitiesalsosupportedprocess reforms." HewasamongseveralMPswho expressedfearstheoverhaulwillalienate echniccommunities.

India//U11kconlacrcdd1eofficesof se,•eralLiberalpolit.icianswhohadpm·iously spokenagainstchangingthewordingofthe RacialDiscriminationAceorhm·eancd,oic majority in theireleccorate.Wereceivedno responsefromJohnAlexanderorCraig Laund)',,\spokt:swomcnfromtheoffice ofSenatorConcetta Fierrnvanti-Wellsrol<l lndia11Li,d.s,"Her,·icws ond1isissuearewell knownand havebeenwidelyre1x>rted.She isthrilledtohavehadthereasonableperson restincludedinthereforms." Itscetmas d1oughadirectivehadgoneoutfromthecop notmengagewiththemedia;aconcerning lackoffreespeechinadebateconcerning freespeech.

AsLaborSenamrSamDastyarisaid, ·'WherethedebatehasbeenheacLing,is simplyaboutgreenlightinghowoffensive peoplecan be. lt'snotnecessa.rjlyaboutthe lawsitself,it'sabour iliesignalswesend as asociery."

Community surveyon proposed changesto the 1'8C

Thegovernmenthasproposed changestoSection18Cofthe RacialDiscriminationAct Doyou understandwhatthesechanges mean?

willchangemyvote 37% No,

What prompted the change

Some responses from oursurvey

"Theythinkhatepoliticscan winespeciallyafterTrump'svictory Anglo votesareover60%and whitesarestillamajority.So Ifthegovernment cangiveahopetothemajoritytoestablishwhitesupremacy,thatmayget themunalignedvotes."

"They'rechangingitbecausetheoncemoderateTurnbullisa wholly ownedsubsidiaryofthehardrightoftheLiberalPartyandtheIPA "

"They'reright-wingracistsandbendingtothepopulistextremeconservativevote.Theyaremostlywhitesohaveneverbeen onthe receivingendofracismanddon'tunderstandthedepthofitsprevalence andharms."

"Ifyou believe18Cis something thatneedsto beaddressed, thensorry butyou'rea racist."

"This Is panderingto the rightwingandcontinuingthe distraction from the struggling economyandtheirinabllitytoenactmeaningful legislation "

"I bellevethatsinceMalcolm Turnbullhasnotcome outwith anyother policies that havesuccessfullygone through, he needed somethingto look strong and win his party's support BIii Leak's deathjustservedas a triggerfor itn

AIMGAcondemns dodgydoctor

Indian-origin medical communitycomes outstronglyagainst fake doctor

OG!J� ��

The Australian IndianMedical GraduatesAs . sociation (AIMGA) hascondemned tbe actionsof anIndian-originman,vhowas caughtmasquerading asadoctor inNS\\7.

Theassociationsaid inarelease,"W/eat AllVfGA are disturbed andconcernedabout therecent news ofa personwho wirb an allegedlystolenidentitymanaged to enter J\ustral.iaandwithfalse documentation acquired medical.registrationand went on to workfraudulentlyasaJunior Medical Doctor in the hospital system in t SWover aperiod of 11 years."

AThfGAPresident Dr SunilVyas told IndianLinkthe actionsof tbe manindirectly taints Indiandoctorsas wellas rl1e Indian community.

"Posing as adoctor is onething, but activelypractisingas one andperforming invasive procedurescould well be physical assault,"hesaid. "This personprovided

opinionthatpatients relied upon,andthus put them atrisk."

However Dr Vyas admittedthe case was notcommon.

"What'sreassuringis chatJ\PHRA (AustralianHealth Practitioner Regulation Agency) is verystringentinassessing and grantingofregistrationstanisboth tolocallyandoverseas trainedmedical practitioners."

"\'(/e have noinformationof whether this manbadmedicalbackgroundof anysort," Dr Vyas said. "lewas onlyinthe last three years apparentlyrbat his actions became suspicious."

The conartist Shyam Acharya, whostole the identityofUK-basedrbeumatologist Dr SarangChi.tale,has since beenlocated inlndiaandfaces a$30,000hne uponhis return.The lSW Health Minister Brad Hazz.ard has announced aninquiryandsaid he wants to seize Acharya's $1.5million North Ryde home.

Cardiologist Dr YaduSingh, acommentator onIndian community affairs inhisrole asPresidenrof the Federarionof IndianAssociationsof NSW (FIAN),said the punishment should be more stringent. "Norjust fines, ajail termshouldalsobe givento fake doctors,"he declaredina mediarelease.

"Iris notfor us todecide puoishmenr," DrVyas said. "It is uptorhe legalsystem todothat. Burwe stronglysupportthe Minister forHealthandtheregulatory authoritiesatbothstate and national levels in their effortsroinvestigate rl1is matter so thatsuch incidentsdo notoccur in future and tomaximise their effortsiobringing rl1e alleged miscreantto face justice."

Headded.,'1nd.ianoriginmedical

practitioners have along bisroryof honourable and ethicalservice notjustin Australiaburalsow0rldwide."

Doctorsmustsurelybe one ofIndia's largest exports, adoctor at arecentAIMGA event declared. ("Nocityis complete without aChinatown and Indiandoctors," he joked.)

"Itis interestiog tonorerbesecondcase that ernerged recentlyof afakedoctor inMelbourne practisingunregistered ata cosmeticclinic," DrVyas observed. "The clinicwillbe liable there, but this man faked his documentsto getregistrationandso his crime is alot more significant."

Rajni Anand Luthra

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The festival thisyearhad ingredientsgalore, but lacked the right blend ofspices

BY RAKA SARKHEL

After laying low last year, Parramasala,vas celebratedin the monthof 'Multicultural rvlarch'at Prince AlfredSquare andtheParramarta River Foreshoreon 10-12March.

The festval,wbich aimsto share a slice ofthewhole culmra1melting pottbatis WesternSydney,evokesalotofinterest amongsttberegion's communities and hyphenatedidentities.i\fany of thesewere visibleintheOpeningNight Paradethat startedofffromCentenarySquareand filled Church Street,the mainarteryof Parrarnatta,with a wholelot of colourand chutzpah.

The paradesaw participation fromover 30 communitiesin their traditional attire - Armeniansin their arkhaluks,Chinesei11

their beautifulsilk dressesand exquisite handfans,andBalinese childrenin intricate animalmasksdepictingtheirheritageand culture. TheIodians camewithtbeir dholaks and kartalas(clash-cymbals),theBrazilians with thefr Sambaand t§embesandvarious dancetroupes bearingproudly theHagof theirtraditions and culmres.

Cheering theparadeloudlywerepassersbyandpedestrianson kerbsand foot-paths, regulars our fora Friday night at their favouritepubs and cafes andraisinga toast as d1eir c01nn1w1itiesstrutted d1rough in ail rl1eir traditional finery.

PrinceAlfredSquare,the mainvenue forthefestival and a cornerstone for tbe suburb,wasdeckedwith festoon and fafry lighting;music and danceperformanceslit up rl1e stage, camel and Ferriswheelrides broughtusbackcoour childhood,and rl1ewhiffof many Aavourswhettedour appetites.

Henna and face-painri.ogstalls,andthe Adorned Headdressworkshops serthepace in themotnu1g withBobbySinghdelivering themorningragas.PakistanitruckartistRiaz RafipaintedeJ,oticmotifsandpatternson

avanat rl1emiddleof rbesquare,akathakflamenco fusiongraced thedancestage, VietnameseartistMaiKhoifilledtheair withhermelodioustunes.

Bengali choir Protiteesang from Tagore, Salil Chowdhury and Nazrul. LeelaSan1son,internationally acclaimed Bharatnacyamdancer (andalso''Aunty" &om OKadhaiKa11111a11iandits Bollywood remake OK]atl!111) broughther group Spandato Australiaforcbe6rsr time.

The River Foreshorehad a rangeof aboriginal workshops andperformances, including ochre tree painting,weaving, puppetry and story-telling.

Such wasthegamut andrangeof performances.

The mostpopular crowd-puller was Indo-Balineseversion of Ramayana-the Lordof theRing,feamring50localand international artists,20Gammelanand Sourl1 Indian classicalmusicians, 30 Kecak, Bharatnacyam and Indonesian dancers, depicting astory integraltoboth Bali and India.

ThePa.rramasalapantry at theRiverside courtyard sentdelicateandfragrantwhiffs

of spicesintheair enricing uswith all the magic rlrntwasbeing cookedin there.The live cooking demos saw Nilgiris chefAjoy Joshi to a completely-packed Pakistani demobyFurqanLodJii.Therewere samplesof Jamaican,Croatian andother cuisinesondisplayaswell.

Although the cuisinesand cultureswei:e many,nor allthevarious andmultifarious communities from thesuburbs ofWestern Sydney were represented equally,wbich posed a problem forpatronswho came lookingfor sometliing andgotsomerl1ing elsein rerurn.Thiswasreceivedattimes with a sense ofnew discovery anda 'let's seewhat'sin store'artirude,and attimeswith mild dissatisfactionand disappointment.

Peopleexpect more from Parramasala as it isSydney'sonly festival wirh anambitionof such scaletrying ro represent somany culrures, and it does haveallilienecessaryingredientsin termsof venue,interestfrompatrons andartist collaborations.Yetwhat ic lacks is theright amount of spice,and a morefocused approach.

rr1

Thebrandof Parramasala is well knownin the multicultural spaceinoutcity.Itwasaffordeda new lease oflife last year when the1SWgovernment announced its support for4years with afundingof $1.6 million.Thisbrought a senseof certaintyto this celebration of all thingsmulticultural,and was welcomed asan opportunitytoset up a long-termplatform for showcasing multicultural art.

So, didit fulfilitsmissionthistime round?

\XThiletherewereflashesof creativity,a centralunifying theme seemed tobe sorelymissingyetagain. What,indeed, /JJ(ISthe leitmotif at the festival?Wasitharmony,enrichment, assimilation,integration,contributiontothemainstream new identities ?Or was it merelysufficientforthe artistesto be of 'multicultural'background,nothingmore?

A varietyof performingarts were onoffer -frommusic, dance,theatre,cinema,circus, soundand light shows,and even fashionand food.Thesecame frommanysectionsof oursociety -Indigenous,Chinese,African,Indian,Sri Lankan, Pakistani,Bangladeshi,Syrian,CookIslander,Mongolian, Lebanese,Brazilian andUyghurcomnmnities,andgave usa sneakpeek into each of these cultures.

The streetparade,it wasclaimed,wasbiggerthanever before.

Therewasasteadyflowofvisitorsboth daysat Prince Alfred Square,which wasahive ofactivity.Someof the attractionswereunique-theBioscopeman, Pakistanitruck arr,Chai-Shai, thefoodstalls and thebearded bakers Knafeh. Thetechnologydistrict,a great newaddition,providedhours of jortoyoungand old alike.Thetwo stages though seemed abitat odds,oftenclashingwith theirrespective soundsas actscameon simultaneously.Buttheyheld thecrowdsin, perhaps to the disadvantage of the food trucksinSpiceAlley whomust have felta bitleft out as comparedcothefoodstalls withinthe park.

There didn't seemto bemuch awarenessamongstthe visitors about theeventsinsidethe Riversidetheatres, and oone at all of thoseontheforeshore (in fact abrief visitthere gavetheincorrectideathat perhapstheeventswerecancelled becausenoonewasaround).

Wasthereanysignageatall,anywhere outside theprecinct, such asat Parramartastation?

What thefestivalseemsro lack (andthispaperhasraised thisinearlierreports) is avisionofwhatit standsfor.Year after year, we are created to the sameparadewith participants cheeredonbythe cafedinersonChurch Street,and then two daysof marketstallsandstageperformancesthatarenot promoted·well enough to create abuzzin thecommunity.In contrast,onehasonlytolook at the Premier'sMulticultural Dinnerwhichmanaged topnl.l togetherrole modelsfrom the multiculturalcommunityin d1e fieldsofentert,'lllllllent, sport, fashionetc.Singer Paulini,rugbyleaguelegend GregInglis, fashiondesignerAki.raIsagawawereamongthose who came outto showcase their unique identityin - andcontributiontothewiderAustralian society.

Amajor supporter of Parramasalawith its live broadcasts, ABC Radio,was sadlymissingthis year.

Perhapswhat was saddest of all,was chat the organisers completelymissedthatthe eventcoincided with Holi. TheIndianfestivalof colourshasbeenappreciatedbythe mainstreamcommunityoverwhelminglyinrecentyears. It neverfailstolivenup participants,andwithitscoreemphasis on"lettinggo",doestrulyhelp bringpeopletogether.A Holi element wouldhave madefor a morecolourful- andenjoyable - Parramasala this year.

Thismulticulturalfestivaldesperatelyneedsan overarching theme,better managementof resources,better-known acts,a moreimaginativeuseofthe Parramartaprecinct,andbetter promotion of the varioussatelliteactivities.

TI1eBoardofDirectorsat Parramasala needstobemore acco1rncablefor tl1eir submissiontothefundingauthoritiesasco their contributionto d1eartsandculturevisionfor Parramasala. Itisup tothem bothnow,to clarifyabetter visionforthe festivaloverthe next threeyears.

Aratimewhensome ofdiebasic tenet�ofour multicu.lmralismareunderthreat, such astheproposedchanges to Section 18 Cof the Racial DiscriminationAct,itiseven more significanttohaveaperformingartsfestivalwhich is robustand showcases d1evaluesand successesofour diversity

Rajni Anand Luthra

Changing of the...,.uard at Air ndia

Beinginvolved with thelaunch of Air India Aights toAustralia wasindeedan honour,"outgoing Air IndiaRegional Manager Australasia,Madhul\fathen told IndianLink. "It certainlywas a challenge anda steeplearning curve,"herecounted co agroupofwell- wishers andtravelagents at his farewellpartyin Sydneyrecently. Madhuhas beenpromoted toGeneral ManagerMarketingat Air India's corporate headquartersinDelbi with theresponsibility of drivingglobalsales.

Air Indialaunched cl1eir triangular services betweenDellii,Sydneyand Melbournein 2013 andoperatefour weekly AightstoSydneyandmreeweeklyco

Melbourne. FlyingtheDrearnliner planes, tbisterritorybasproved so popular that onhisrecent visit toAustralia,Chairman andManagingDirector Ashwani Lohani announcedthat in2017therewillbe 10 weekly flights toAustralia.

Alargepart ofthe credit for the success of Air Indiain tbis pareof thewotldgoes to Mathen who,alongwicl1 colleagueRavi Bodade,wasinstrumental iuestablishingthe networkofground operations, travelagents andoilier support for cl1eairlinein Sydney

and1\-(elbourne.Now,Air IndiatendSto bea sentimental fa,ToutiteforIndiansin Australia ttavellingback tothecotmtryof rhe.ir bitcl1 andfor lnd.i,'ll1swantingadirect connectionto Australia.

"Ihad ro unlearn andrelearn themore intricate concepts of marketingpretty quickly when I arrivedhere,"11:athen said. "To positionAir Indiaasanairline of choice was noreasy,butI am extremely proudof the achievements I havehad. My dream ream here contributed tomaking Air India such as strongpresencein Australia."

Sujoy f<ishore is nowthenew Manager forAir Indiain Sydney andislooking forwardto carryingcl1elegacyforward. Havingspent rimein Nepal, Franceand Korea,and at the head officeinIndia, Sujoytoldlnd.i,'ll1 Link ,"The foundation ofAir India is verystrongin Australiaand soonwithour increased flightsbetween cl1e two countries,ic will certainlybeeasier for people in both countriesto interact with ead1 other. \Vich cricket and sud1, Australiansalreadyknow muchabout India, andAir Indiamakesiteasier forthem co traveJ cl1erealso."

Pawan Luthra

PHYSICIAN SPEAKSAT UNITED NATIONSABOUT MEDITATION

Whenyou cangotothe United Nationsto hearatalkabout meditation, youknowsomethinghaschanged intheworld.

0n Friday,March 10,2017, Dr. Kunwarjit Singh Duggal,guest of theUnited NationsSaluS Well-beingNetwork,spoketoapad{ed audiencein tbeSecretariat Con.f. Room 8.on "CultivatingIrmer PeaceforOuter Peace." He began:''Nlymain messagehere istotalk aboutpeace.Howdoweachieve peace? Inordertotakepeacerome nextle\7el, wehavecofindpeacewithin ourselvesfirstbeforewe cangoon helping me.restof society."Bybisownadmission, Dr.Duggalisquitepassionateabouc medicationas anintervention formany oflife's challenges,whemerworldlyor personal-auniversalparadigm

His topicon Friday,particularly timelytoday,detailed chelatest scientilic researd1ontheprovenbenefitsof medication. lotingthemanydifferent typesof meditation,he talked about several significantstudies,mosr focused onpeace,stressandanxiety.Hequoted onerandomized controlled studyin whichpeoplewere.askedromeditate each moroingfor 21 daysstraight fora shottdurationof time.Theresearchers measured cortisol (mestresshormone)

levelsbeforeand after 21 daysand foundasignificant decreasein every participant. Notablesmdiesalso found thatforpatients undergoingorthopedic rehabilitationthosewbomeditated benefirtedtwiceasmuchasthose who were treatedonlywicl1cl1erapeuticexercise.

Onetellingexamplewasanexperiment doneinatroubledSanFrancisco schooldistrictin whichcwo15-minute periodsof quiet timewereinstimted for srndems. Theresultswereimproved test scores,attendance,psychological stateand enhanced concentration.These srndencsal.soreportedincreased calmness and decreasedanger.Byincreasing the calmnessin cl1esesrndenrs,their correspondingtroubledgeographical regionsnoted decreased crimeratesand improved safety.

Dr.Duggalthen presentedthe medicationtechniquepracticedin Science of Spirin1ality,Jyoti meditation,after which everyonehada chanceromeditate for a shortperiod.

Theafternoon concludedwithalively questionand answer session.

Dr.Duggalwasat cheUnitedNations

Dr.KunwarjitSinghDuggalspeakingattheUnitedNations,March10,2017, On 'Cultivating InnerPeaceforOuterPeace,'asaguestofUnitedNationsSaluS Well-beingNetwork representingtheScienceofSpirituality, (NGO),aworldwide, spiritualorganization dedicatedtotransforminglives mrough medication Hisfamer,SamRajinder Singh Ji Maharaj,headofScienceof Spirituality, spokeat theUNlastMayonffMeditation asMedicationfor meSoul."

Dr.DuggalisaBoard-Certified Physical MedicineandRehabilitationSpecialistand AssistantProfossor at RushUniversity

MedicationCenter in Chicago. Helectures extensivelyonmeditationasaneffective interventionforphysicalandemotional medicaldisorders.

FormoreinformationaboutScienceof Spirituality: www.sos.org www.sos.org/aus/australia ScienceofSpirituality,4S 175Naperville RoadNaperville,IL 60563

Baldand beautiful!

Deepa Hariharan shaves her luscious locks to raise funds for cancersufferers

advertisingtheir World'sGreatest Shave campaign,oneof Australia's biggest fi.mdraisingevents,and Deepahad a lighrbulbmoment.

BYKIRA SPUCYS-TAHAR

Deepa Hariharan'sfriend Natalie Keevil passed awayrecently. A much-lovedmemberof Deepa's mothers'groupin Sydney's Ropes Crossing,Natalie lost her courageous battlewithan aggressi\7e form of braincancer.Another mum in the group, justdaysbefore givingbirchto her second child, ababyboy,wasdiagnosedwith breast cancer.

"It showedmehowunprecUcrable cancer canbe," Deepa,32,coldIndianLink. "I wasreallydownabout the whole situation andwantedto do sometl1ingfor chem, something to help."

The Leukaemia Foundation began

"Myoriginalgoalwastoraise$3000and Icrossedthat," she said. "I've sofarraised $3800.NowIwant tocrossthe $4000 mark!"

As part ofthe World's GreatestShave, people sign up co get sponsoredto shave, colour orwaxtheir hair. Committed to the cause, Deepachose tocornpletelyshave her hair.

The dayofme shavingwasn'teasy, though.

"Icriedandcried," Deepa said. "Ihad tissuesinmyhand,it was just reallydifficult and there were alot of emotions."

Mumtotwo-year-oldTiaand adevoted wife to husbandAjoy, several people told her she couldbackout and she didn'thave m shave her hair,but she persisted.

"Irwas about showing mydaughter that once you've committedcosomething,you

gothroughwith it," Deepasaid.

With her mother here from India, standing byfor support,DeepaandAjoy ended up shaving their heads toged1er.

"Myhusbandjoinedme and Iwasso worriedbecause Ithought our daughter wouldn't recognise either ofus!Bmwhen wewent home, she justlookedat mewith noreactionandsaid, "Ob,mummycmher hair.'Soitwasfine."

Bmthe freshlyshavedhead rooksome gettingusedtofor Deepaherself.

"AcfirstIrefused tolookin the minor. I couldn't lookatmyself," she said. "Bm now, l reaUylike the wayIlook! When I finally looked in tbe mirror,I mought, 'l can pull chat off!' l'm mi.nking of keeping myhair thisway."

OriginallyfromMrnnbai,Deepamoved coAustraliasevenyears ago. She works as a contract coordinator in the CBD.

"I'mreaUyhappychat Idid it," Deepa said. ''I've been gettinglotsof complimems andpraise for takingpart inanoble cause.] justwantedtodo something togive back."

Blood cancersinclucUngleukaemia, lymphoma,myelomaandrelatedblood disorders cannotbe preventedandclaim the life of one Australianeverytwohours.The World'sGreatest Shave is the Leukaemia Foundation'smost significantfundraiser andhelpsgive familiestbe emotionaland practical support theyneed,and fund urgent researchto save more lives.

Tosttppo1tDeepa'sftmdrai.ringef.foitsvisit 111oddsgreatcstshavc.m111

Krishna's in Erskineville but does he belong there?

A controversial new artwork has some Hindus incensed, but the piece by Indian-Australian artist Leon Fernandes is a great talkingpoint

BYANEETA MENON

Hi11d�1s worldwide haveexpressed theirconcernover arecent art exhibition by Sydney artist Leon Fernandes who has depicted Hindu Gods andGoddesses illmodernisedcontexts.Urgingforthe immediatewithdrawal ofthe controversial piece, 'KrishnainErskineville',some commentators from thecommunityhave feltthattheartworks"trivialise" highly revered deitiessuch asLordKrishna,Lord GaneshaandGoddessDurga.

Agay Indian-Australiananist,Leon Fernandes (aboveright)has aunique creativemind and aradical senseof humour, which beincorporatesinto his mb,edmediapieces,madeupof embroidery,paints,canvasandeven parts ofhisown father's lndian fabrics.Although, not everyone seesthe "cheeky" sideto his work,heisproudof it.

"This series basbeen alabour of love forme," says Fernandes. "Hindu gods have the samefee.lings that weall have -love, lust,rage,despair, pain,joy -butthey often take them to the extreme. These images are away of exploringthat whole spectrum forme. They have become avital pareof my emotionallandscape."

'Krishna in Ersk.ineville'is the third incarnationof aseriesof Hindu godsin Sydney. In 'Durga',the powerful creation

goddess sirs astride atiger,incandescent wjth rage against the iconic suburbia of Howard J\rkley.

'Ganesh', the merciful survivor, stands in the Australianbushwith a banksia,offeringagifr of sweet beesin place ofrl1etraditional laddoo. 'Krishna illErskineville', dieclllmination of this sacred and sacrilegioustrilogy, standsflirtatiously brandishiJ1ghis pipe, his body adorned with peacock colours echoed in the pride Aag flyingfrom the iconic Erskineville pub. Fernandes defends his controversial choice to depict Krishna smoking ice.

"Dtug consumption has aritual significancein many worldreligionsand communities," he says. "It can beharmful, burit's also part of who we are."

Modern Hindllism often finds itself in a struggle reconcilingtheold with the new.astraditional conservatism often finds itself at oddswitb ancient Hindll traditions,whichareindeedi:ife with mind-alteringsubstances,aswellasgender and sexual Auidiry Just thisweek, Hindus worldwide celebratedHoli,afestival which hashisrorically associated withuse of bbang,anarnralintoxicant made from marijuanaleaves and flowers.

Nevertheless,it is easy to underst,'rnd andrespect the scepticism,andoutright oppositionto,such ris9ueworks.Despite d1ecolourfulhistory evident in Hindutexts, thedeepinfluencesof conservativeJudeoChristian notio.nsleftover from colonialism reverberatedeepwithin modern Hinduism. As aresult, suchwoi:ksareboundto bring to the surface Llncomfortableconversations aboutfiercelyempowered,weapon-wielding Goddesses orGods\vho routinely practice gender fluidityand,of course, theroleof drugsand othermind-alteringsllbstancesin Hindu lore.

For local Hindu conmmnitiesgrappling with how to better engagedfasporic, rnillennialyouth, strugglingto reinvigorate the senseof childhood excitement from talesof heroes andvillains,gods and monsterslongsinceoutgrown, Fernandes' artworkought to beagreat talking point.Growingup in the information age,aboveall,ouryoungpeoplewant a better understandingof what it is they're participatingin,why and how it relates to d1eir experiencenot only as lndiansor Hindusbutalso asAustraliansparticipating in a Western society.Shiftingancient Hfodu conceptsinto a2017 Allstralian context provides afantasticplatform for the comrnw1ity co have discussions about those otherwise uncomfortablegreyareas of Hinduismwhich areavoidedin favour oftraditionalritual-based practice. Even if Fernandes'artworkis aplatform where the community is boundto disagree,it is inarguably engaging.

,, Hindu gods have the same feelings that we all have - love, lust, rage, despair, pain, joy. These images are away of exploring that whole spectrum for me ,,

WHAT'SON

FUNDRAISER

Chris Vlnmlnl Charity: Fundralslng fora purpose,Sat25 March 6pm9 30pm

Come alongtothisfundraising event for needy children at Hills Sports High School, 56 Best Rd, Seven Hills

Donate$10 for entry Kids under 10 free Contact: Rajesh 0403 509 455 orChristian Herft 0407 890 223.

Swachh Bharat

Help providefinancial supportfor Swachh Bharat mission through the Sulabh Social Service Organisation. The ongoingcampaign invites all persons of Indian origin togenerously donateforSwachh Bharat Donations can be made toSulabh through Western Union Bank details are below In favourof: Sulabh lntemational Centre ForAction Sociology (SICAS)

Account No: 63012660749

IFSC Code: SBIN0030262

MICR: 110002347

Name ofthe Bank: State Bank of India,

Branch Name: C 28 Community Centre, Janakpuri, New Delhi-58 Contact: bharatramvasudevan@gmail. com

National Blood Donation Drive by Sathya Sal International Organisation

SathyaSai International Organisation ofAustralia & PNG is again having a blood donation dnve and is encouragmg all ofitsmemberswho are able to contribute in thiswonderful and much needed service. Giving blood is giving life What betterwayto 'Love all; Serve all' and honourSathya

Sai Baba Contact: Mayavan 0404 059 093

COMMUNITY

Blacktown Women's and Girls' Health Centre Multicultural Food and Health Festival, Mon 27 March, 10am-3pm

All are welcometojoin this celebration of cultural diversity. Aswell as deliciousfood, there will be speakers talking about health, information stalls, free activitiesfor children and much more. Held atSeven Hills Community Hall, 5 Artillery Crescent, Seven Hills. Bookings essential. Contact Karen 9831 2070 or info@ womensandgirls.org.au

Haathl InTheRoom launch,Sat 1

Aprll, 2 30pm-4 30pm

Listen toguestspeakers,startthe conversation and eliminatethestigma associatedwith mental illness in theSouth Asian community Cost is $15 perperson and proceedswill be donated to BeyondBlue Guest speakers include Natasha Herbert, Clinical Psychologist, and Monica Das

BeyondBluespeaker Held at Curry LoversRestaurant, Unit 40-74, Rawson Street, Epping Contact: Sue: 0417 210 268 or Megha 0449 805 344

ARTS

An Odlssl DanceWorkshop, Mon 3 April, 3pm-4pm

Indian Culture Centre, Consulate General of India, Sydney and Madhuram Academyof Performing Arts presentsthisfree workshop by Pravata Kumar Swain. Held at Indian Cultural Centre, Level 2, 265

Castlereagh Street, Sydney Limited Seats. RSVP at icc2.sydney mea.gov in

MISC

FreeHSCWorkshops with Achievers Academy, 25 March; 1, 8, 15, 22 April

AchieversAcademy are holdingfree workshops everySaturday in the hopes of aidingstudents in maximisingtheir ATAR ranking. Held at Skycity, 20A Lexington Dr, Bella Vista, topics ofthe workshopswill vary every week. On 25 March, HSC Markers and teachers are goingto conductthe workshop with UTheSecret of HSC Writing Essays" as the maintopic. They will also discuss AOS Discovery and othermodules. Seats are limited so parents and students are encouragedto reach outvia www achieversacademy.com. au/hscworkshops or phone 02 8882 9327forbooking

Shaktl ManagementCommittee

Member Volunteers

Shakti Migrant and Refugee Women's Support Group NSW isseeking people experienced in finance, fundraisingand leadershiptojoin their management committee As a Committee Member you will have the capacity toset aside 6-15 hours a month to attend meetings and committees, and supportvarious activities.Visit: shaktiaustralia org.au To apply, email: sydney@ shaktiaustralia.org.au.

Hindi Classes Saturdays2.30pm4.30pm

Located atthe Indian Cultural Centre, Level 1, 265 Castlereagh St, Sydney. Hindi classes are $5 per one hour class or $40 forten classes. Registration is essential as there is a maximum of 20 people perclass. Paid parking is available in the vicinity. To register email hindi@ indianconsulatesydney org orcontact 9223 2702.

SPIRITUAL

Devi Jagran, Sat 1Aprll 7pm10 45pm

Devoteeswho wish to participate in Navratri Devi Bhajansshould join the community atShri Shiva Mandir, 201 Eagleview Road, Minto There will be Devi Bhoj, Sankalp/Pooja by the sponsors, Devi Bhajans, Aarti and Prasad Contact: Jagdish Chawla, 0421376 384 orSneh Gupta, 0418 415 739

Chlnmaya Mission Free Public

Talks: "Yogasofthe Geeta" Mon3 April-Fri 7 Aprll, 7 30pm9pm "Yogasofthe Geeta"with H H Swami Swaroopanandajl (Global Head of Chinmaya Mission) held at 38 Carrington Rd, Castle Hill. A children's program will complement the main talks conducted bySwami Shrikaranandaji (ResidentAcharya of Chinmaya Mission Australia) Contact: Chinmaya Sannidhi 02 8850 7400, 0416 482 149

Amma Satsang, 6 30pm-9 30pm 3"' Saturdayeach month

Sri Mata Amritanandamayi, or Amma, also known asthe huggingsaint. is cherished as a humanitarian and spiritual teacher Mata

Amritanandamayi CentreSydney

hosts a monthly program to engage in spiritual practices such as meditation, aswell as toconductcommunityoriented service projects Held at Uniting Church Hall. 11 Carrington Ave, Strathfield Suggested donation is $20 forashram fundraising

Contact: Mohan 0418 462 687 or visit ammaaustralia org au

Yoga:Theway of llfe Saturdays

8am; Wednesdays 7pm

A retreat forbody mind and soul join weeklyyoga sessionsat Glenwood PublicSchool (Saturdays) or Moorebank Community Centre (Wednesdays) To secure a spot, contact: Meera 0433 125 708. or Ankita 0431 750 991

Shanti Mission Satsang Sundays

9 30am

Held atthe Shanti MissionAbode of PeaceAshram (1hour north of Sydney), 45 Kings Road, Cooranbong and also in Sydney atthe Henley Community Centre, 2 Crown Street, Henley Visit: wwwshantimission org Contact 4977 3300

FirePooja

Devotees are invited to attend Vedic fire pooja held at theShanti Mission Abode of Peace Ashram (1 hour north ofSydney), 45 Kings Road, Cooranbong

Durga Fire Pooja: Mon, Wed Thur,Sat &Sun evenings 6 30pm (time changesto 5.30pm when daylight savings ends)

Dhanvantre Healing Fire Pooja: Mondays & Wednesdays, 9am

Sri Maha Narayani Yagam: Every New and Full moon Shanti Mission also holdsspecial poojasforfeast days. Devotees maysponsorpoojas Visit: www shantimission org Contact: 4977 3300

Sri Hanuman Pooja, Tuesdays

7 30pm-8pm

Devotees whowish toseek the blessings ofShri Hanuman should join the community atShri Shiva Mandir, 201 Eagleview Road, Minto, on Tuesday eveningsforthe reciting of Hanuman Chalisa, reciting Hanuman Kasht Nivaran Hanuman Aarti and Prasad Contact: Jagdish Chawla, 0421 376 384 or PriestArul Muthulkumar. 9820 1094

Spiritoflndla Yoga, Saturdaysand Sundays

Yoga classes are held in Ryde, Wentworthville, Quakers Hill and Epping. All levels incl. beginners, senior citizens, children's To enrol in this 15week course e-mail spiritofindia2002@yahoo com, visit wwwspiritofndia.org or contactSuresh 0412 202 182

Volunteersneededtoteach

Vedic/Hindu Dhanna Inschools

Indian children livingin Australia need to study theirheritage in an

instructive and deliberateway Vishva Hindu Parishad ofAustralia has taken up the task ofteachingVedic/ Hindu Dharma heritage teaching in mainstream schoolsas partofSpecial Religious Education We are lookingfor moreyouths, seniors, young parents, grandparentsto come forward to volunteer Contact: Akila, 0450 117 372 orvisit: vhp org au

Sant Nlrankarl Mission Sydney, Sundays 5 30- 730pm

Congregation helps usstrengthen our devotion Weekly congregations held everySunday atSant Nirankari Bhawan 166 GlendenningRoad Glendenningfollowed by community meals Contact: Devinder 0403 216 084

Heartfullness Relaxation and Meditation

Saturdays 4 30pm-5.30 pm; Sundays 11 30am-12 30pm

All arewelcometoexperience

Heartfullness.Therearenofeestojoin thegroup atSeva Yoga Studio, 3c/8, CowperSt Parramatta Contact: 02 80046547 orsydney@heartfulness org

Srlmad Bhagavad Gita classes, everysecond Saturday

Learn the proper chantingofeach shloka and itsmeaning in English Students also leam Sanskrit asthey progress and no prior knowledge ofSanskrit is required Participate eitherthrough physical attendance at 20 Station St, Pymble oronline attendancethrough ZOOM: zoom us/j/6140211522 Contact: Babu 0402 115 223 or devbab@gmail.com

SVTClasses-Vedic Chanting, Sundays 10am

The classestake place in Sri Venkateswara Temple, Temple Rd, Helensburgh This course will cover pronunciation and then practise with Sanskrit before movingtoVedic chanting To registerand attend, email enquiry@svtsydney.org

Hindi Dada Bhagwan Satsang, Every second Sunday 5pm -8pm Held atWentworth Community Centre Hindi SatsangTime: 5 00pm-6 30pm

Aarti Time: 6.30pm-700pm Preeti Bhojan Time: 700pm-8.00pm Kids

Gujarati Language Classes: 5 00pm6 00pm Thevenue is Kurajong Room underneath Redgum Function Centre Contact 0421 127947 forfurther information

VHPAustraliaclasses,Sundays

A local InitiativeofVHPAustralia, SydneyVeda Patasala (SVP) holds weekly classes includingvedic chanting, advanced veda classes and Sanskrit language program Bala Samskar Kendra (BSK) holdsweekly Sanskrit language lessons aswell as a culture and heritage program at various publicschools Contact: R Subramanian 0425284 501

For

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

Hopingto implementGST fromJuly1:Jaitley

FinanceMinisterAnmJaitlerbassaidtliar chegovernmentishopingtoimplementd1e GoodsandServicesTax(GST)byJuly I aftertheenablingBillsgetParliament'snod inchecurrentbudget�ession.

"GSTisthebiggestreforminIndia. Hopefullr,GSTwillbeimplementedby July I.GSTBillswill hopefullybecleared inParliament,"JaitleysaidinIewDelhiat the23rdC<)nfcrcnceofAuJicorsGeneral ofCommonwealth1 acionshostedb)'rhc Comptrollerand AuditorGeneral(CAG) ofIndia.

Jaicleysaidmat1ndia'sindirecttaxation regime,whichiscurrentlythemostcomplex incl1cworld,willtran�forminroasimplified onewiththeimplementationofGST.

"Wehavethemostcomplicatedindirect taxsrtems.Onceimplemented,whacis currentlythemostcomplic:ttcdsystemin theworldwillbecomethesimplestin1hc world.Theenablinglawsarebeforethe Parliament.Bymiddleofmeyear(2017), wehoperosectheimplementationof CST,"hesaid.

'·Eva!iionoftaxeswillbedifficulttmder GST.SizeofIndianeconomywillincrease," headded.

Jaicleyalsonotedcl1atIndiaisan openeconomywith90percentof meinvesanenthappeningthroughthe automaticroute.

"Opposirionroreformsisminimal. Opposirioncoprotectionismisminimal. Reformsintheforeigndirectin\'estmenr (FDl)inIndiahavebeensignilicamnndwe nrcamongthemostopeneconomicsinche world,"hesaid.

TheFinanceMinister,however,lamented tharwhilepublicu1VC$tmencand FDIwere high,prirntcsectorinvesmwnrstilllagged behind.

Kansasdeclares'Indian AmericanAppreciation Day' TheGovernorofUScit)'ofKansas declnrcd 16J\Jarchas"IndianAmerican AppreciationDay"'rohonourlnclian engineerSrinivas Kuchibhotlawhowas killedinanapparemhatecrime.

Kuchibhoda,32,waskilledandhisfriend AlokMadasaoiwasinjuredwhenAdamWI. 24

Purinron,awhitemanwhoearlierservedin theUSNavy,shotd1ema1theAustinsBar &GrillinOlarheon22February.

Purinconreponedlygot inroarowwith thevictimsandhurledracialslurs. Heyelled "Getoutofmycountry"and''terrorist" beforeshootingthem.AnAmerican,Ian Grillo1,wasinjuredin 1heattack.

"Kansaswillremaincommitredto standingwid1 rheIndiancommwiity;' KansasGovernorSam Brownbacksaid ataneveartocommemorate thelifeof Kuchibhotla.

Brownbackissuedaproclamationatthe eventtorecognise 16i\Larchasthe"lndian AmericanAppreciation Day'',reportedTbe Km1sus CitySlrtr.

"\V/ewillalwaysrejectactsofviolence andharm.W/ere.jeerhatredinallin;forms," hesaidinTopeka,thestatecapital.

·Thisisadeplorableactthathappened," Ilrownbacksaid."\Xiewill notletirdefineus asapeople."

Bothi\!adasaniand Grillotattendedthe eventtohonourJ..:uchibhmla.Duringa briefspeech,Madasaoithankedpeoplefor theirsupport.

"11meansalottoaU of usandwereally appreciateit,"hesaid.

Kuchibhotlaof Hyderabadandhis colleaguel\fadasanifrom\X'araogaldistrict inTelanganawereworkingasaviation programmemanagersatGarmin,an1''1NC.

Purintonhasbeenchargedwithfirstdegreemurderandrwocountsofattempted lirsr-degreemurder.The PB! isinvestigaring tl1eshootingasahatecrime.

Trump nominatingIndianAmericanjudgeforelevation toappealscourt

USPresidemDonaldTrumpannounced thismontl1diacheisnominatingIndianAmericanfederaljudgeJ\mulThaparfor elevationLOanappealscourt,thesecond higbesrleveloftheUSjudiciary.

Appealscourtsarejustbelowd1e SupremeCourr.Thaparwasontheshortlist ofTrump'spicksfortheSupremeCourt matwasannouncedduringlasryenr's electioncampaign

Describinghimas"thesonofIndianAmericanimmignmcs",andLhefirstfederal districtjudgeofSouthAsiandescent,

1heWhiteHousesaid thatifconfirmed by theSenate,Thaparwilljointhebench oftheSixthCircuitCounof1\ppeals, whichcovers1hcrwoimporra111staresof i\lichiganandOhio,inadditiontoJ..:cntllckr andTennessee.

Thapar,47,willbemesecondperson fromthecommunityat theappellatecoun level,joiningJudgeSriSrinivasan,whowas appoinredbythe menPresidentBarack Obamatod1epowerfulbenchthatcovers Washington.

Thapariscurrentlyafederal judgein Kenmcky,appointedbythemenPresident George\Y/.Bush in2007.

ThelikelihoodofThapar'sconfirmation bythe Republican-controlledSenateisvery strongand hehas thestmngbackingof Lhc SenateMajorityLeaderMircl1McConnell, whohasdescribedhimas"afriend."

HisfuUnameisAmulRogerTbapar. Hehasalawdegreefrom rheUnivcrsi1:y ofC11iforniaatBerkeleyandwasafederal prosecutorin Kenmckybeforehewasmade ajudge.

;\(cConneU,whodisclosedTrump'splan tonominaccThapar,saidinastarcmenr, ·'Iapplau<lthePresidentforannouncing hisintenrtonominatemyfriend.Judge AmulThapar,toserveontheSixtl1Circuit CourtofAppeals.Throughouthisalready impressivecareerofpublicservice,t\mul hasshownanincredible:intellectandan unshakabledcdicmionmLhelaw."

McConnellsaid helookedforwardto Thapar'sconfirmationbytheSenate,saying: ''Hehasearned the respect ofhi�colleagues, andIknowthathe willbringrotheSixth CircuitLhesamewisdom,fairness,andabiliry chathehasshownontheDistrictCourt.'"

SouthAsianBarAssocinrionPresident Vicl1alKumarwelcomedthenomination andcalledhima"rcspccrcclandthoughtful juristwhohaslongservedasrolemodel forcl1cSouthAsiaoandgreaterlegal community".

India ranks122ndin happinessindex Indiaranked 122nd,behindterror-riven Pakisrnnandpoorest-of-poorIepalin thegloballistofd1ehappiestcountries, according10aUnitedNarionsreporc releasedchismonth inOslo,Norway.

TheGangesandtheYamuna(seen hereatAllahabad),twoofIndia'smost iconicrivers,consideredsacredby nearlya billion Hindus inthecountry, havebeengiventhestatusofliving entitiestosavethemfromfurther harmcausedbywidespreadpollution.

Indiacamedownbrilireesloes,as lastyearitwasplacedat 118mspOl. It wasbehind themajoricyof Southi\sian Association forRegionalCooperation (SAJ\RC) nations,apartfromwar-ravaged Afghanistan,thatstooda1 141.

AmongtheeightSJ\ARCnations. Pakistanwasar80thposition,!epalstood a1 99,Bhutanat97,BangladeshatI10while SriLankawasac 120. HowC\'cr,i\!aldivcs didnotfigureintheWorldHappiness Report.

NorwartookthetopspotfromDenmark asmehappicsccountryinrheworld.

TheScandinil\'iannation,whichwas ranked fourcl1inlastyear'sreport, jumped tothetopthisyearonthebasisofseveral keycalculations,includinglevelsofcaring, freedomtoma.kcliedecisions,generosity, goodgovernance,honeSLT,healthand income.

Otherfac1orsbywhich I55countries weremeasuredintheannualWorld HappinessReportarc:inequality,life expectancy,GDPpercapita,publictrust (i.e.alackofcorruptioningovernmentand business).andsocialsupport.

Denmark,lccfand,Swi12crlandand Finlandroundourthet0pfive,whilethe CenrralAfricanRepubliccamelastinthe \\forldHappinessReport.

\X'esternEuropeandNorrhAmerica dominatedthempoft.hctable,withthe USand Brirainal 14thand I9tl1positions, rcspccd\'cly.

Syriaplaced 152 of 155countries• YemenandSoud1Sudan,whicharcfacing impendingfamine,cameinat 146and 147.

TheWorldHappinessReportwas releasedcocoincidewithdieUnircd Nations'lntcmationalDayofHappiness on,\larch20.

Digitaltransactionsrecede, threaten 'Digital India' Thevalueofdigital transactionsnationwide declinedmarginally(1.5percent) to Rs92.6 lakhcrorc(Sl.4trillion)inFelm1a.rr2017 fromRs94l:tkhcroreinIovember2016 ($1.42trillion),accordingtorepresentath-e darn(provisional)oaelectronicpayments released bytheReserveBankof India (RBI).

ThedatadonorcoveraUtransacrions acrossallbanks.Bue,cardpaymentsdarn for fourmajorbanks.mobilebanking figuresforfivebanksandprepaidpayment instruments(PPT,meaningmobilepapnent gatewayssuchasPayTM andFreeCharge) dataforeightnon-bankissuershavebeen consideredasrcprescnrntivc foranalysing trendsinpayments.

Digica.l rmnsactioos(volwne)had increased42percencfrom672million inNovember2016to958millionin December2016buthavesincedeclined20 percentovertwomonthsro763millionin Februaq2017.

Thisputsinperild1egovernment'starget roachieve25billiondigitaltransactions in2017-18,which translates10acleast t\vobilliontransactionspermood,.The Fcbruarr2017figureof763million transactionsfalls60percentshortof the momhlyrequirement.

·'Thecontinuanceofchathighgrowth withafurd1erpick-upinsomecomponems (nfdigiralpapne1m)(sic)fromNovember tojanuarr20I7wasapositivefaUoutof

Photo: AP

demonetisation. However,Lhcpaceof growth moderatedsomewhatin February 2017," che RBJ notedln its hrstassessment of demonetisation, tided"Macroeconomic impactof Demonetisation-A Preliminary Assessment".

Prime.MinisterNaremlraModi -whose n,lrrntivcofdevelopmentearned Bharatiya Janata Parry(BJP)alandslidemandatein rhereccnrUrrarPradeshassemblypollschanged tackondcmonecisation fromblack moneyandfakecurrencyiniti:tll)' codigirnl/ cashlesseconomylater.

Onlyrwopaymeorplatforms,Unified Paymentslmcrface(UP]) andAadhaar EnabledParmencsSystem(AEPS),show aconsistentciseinvalue (inRupees) and volume(number) of cransacLionsposcdemonecisacion.Allotlierform.5haveshown adecline-eitherconsistentlyorinoneor rwomonths in the four-montl1 period. While l.lP'J linksmobileapplicacionsco aperson's bank account directly, AEPSis anAadhaar-linked biometricidcncification systemused fordirectca.sh 1.ransfersw1dcr go,,crnmenrschemes.

"Digitalcannotsubstitutecash. Theshare of digital amongtransactionsmightincrease in thelongrunbuccash is affordable,"said RajeswariSengupta,economics professor, lndirnGandhiInstituteof Development Research.

"Digital uansactionsdemand aperson m buya smartphoncand spendondata, whichincur higher costpertransaction. Peoplenmurallyprefercash,where the cost isborneby the government."

Use ofonlincbankingusing the lacional ElectronicPundsTransfer EF'"f) plarform reducedconsecucivclyinJanuary andFebruary2017,while chatof lmmccliatc PaymentSyscern (IMPS)increasedin December2016andJanuary2017but declined in Fcbmary.

"The cacalrtic push &omde.monetisation hastenedmigrationtowardsdigital parmcncsin NovemberandDecember 2016.However,easeinavailabilityof cash byprogressiveremonecisationimpacted the paceofgrowthof digitalisacion inFebruarr 2017," die RBI assessmentsaid.

Dcbirandcreditcardtransactions for four majorbanks sh,,wlittledifference between November2016andFebruary 2017 •·205 millionswipestransactingRs 35,200croccinNovember2016 w212 million swipesuansaccingRs39,200crorc inFebruary2017.

"As thecashincirculationwillsettle ma lowernormal thanthepre-demonetisation lcvc.ls,digimlpayments willsettleatahigher normalandconLinue its upwardrrendas before,"Sangram Singh, head of cardsand pnymems, Axis Bank,said.

Card transactions improved to311 millionswipestransacting Rs52,000crore in December 2016,showingn50 perccm risein transactionsand48percentrisein valueu-ansactedover:imonth.

Bm che paceof additionindebitand creditcardshasnotbeenmntcheclby,in equal focusonpointofsale (PoS) terminals. " incomparison rot!ie 800millioncnrds thathavebeenissued asof now, the nun1herof PoSterminalshasnotbeen reallyadequate," R.81 Deputy Governor R. Gandhi saidinaspeechlastmonth.

High capitalandoperationalexpenses havedeterred chcexpansion of PoS infrastructure,Gandhiadded.

Cash availablewi1h people,which reduced Erom Rs 17lakhcrorcjust before demoncLisacioncothelowestpostdemonetisationlevelof Rs7.81 l:tkh crorc ($1 I8billion) on December9,2016, increasedtoRs 11.74lakhcrore($178 billion) onMarch3,2017,accordingtoROI data.

Modih:id announced theworld'sbiggest

India FashionWeekAutumn-Winter

2017, organised bythe Fashion Design Councilof India (FOCI) in New Delhi, presents a newtakeonsarees

currencyswapprogrammetha1scrapped 86percent ofhighdcnominacionI..ndian currencyon November8,2016.

Thecurrentlevelof currency,virhpeople mate.hes theNovember2013levelof Rs 12 lakhcrorc($200billionatthe then prevailinge..xchangerareof Rs60perUSS).

200 mn4Gfeature phones tobesoldin India in next5 years

Nearly200million4G-enabled feature phones willbesold in Indiain the ncxr fiveyears,triggeringaslow-down forchc domcscic smanphonc market,anewrepon claimed d1is month.

"Weestimatecloseto60 million unitsof 4G-capable featurephonescould shipthis yCftrglobally fromalmostamill.ionunirs lnsryear,wit!1 lndiapocentinllycontributing toalmosthalfof that thisyear,"said theanalysLSfrommarketresearchfirm Counterpoint Researcl,. ln termsof hardwarerevenues,itisa$6 billi<mopportunitycwnulativc.ly overdie next fiveyearsin India.

''Key plarers co watch out in d1is seb,mem arc?ficromax,itel,Lava,Jio, Nokiaand so ford1,"thereportadded.

Chipset brandssuchasQualcommwith itslatestQualcomm205platform specially designed for4G LTEFeaturePhones is poisedcodrivegrowd1startingwith end of Q22017.

"More than400m.illion feature phones weresoldgloballyin2016and wesaw smartphonemarketgrowd1 slow down to 3 percent(year-on-year),portrayingthatdie easydays of smartphonegrowth arcover," die reportstated.

The smartphoncgrowth slowingdo\\'n andthe fra1ure phone dee.line slowingdown isthepolarisation of marketin termsof technolom•aswellasuserbase.

"This ismakingacase forcl1eriseof 4G capable feaiurephoneswi1h thecore value propositionbeingVoLTE callsand moverheuserscorhecostcfficicm4G networks.W/eestimate morethanhalfa billion4G capable fcanirephoneswillbe sold over the nextfive rca.rs, a'bigshorttermopponunity'forplayersin themobile industry,"theanalystspredicted.

MukeshAmbani

toP.SForbes

listof101Indianbillionaires

Indiahasthe fourrhlargestnumberof billionairesgloba.Uy,with Reliance lndustcies (R.IL)Chairman 11ukeshJ\mbani heading rhelist ofmorethan I00 highnetworth individual Indians, asperthelatestliscingby American magaidne Forbe.r.

The US.with 565. has morebillionaires than :myochernation. Chinacomesncx1 with319, while Germanyisatnumberdirce with 114.

Microsoftco-founderBill C'nitesheads cbelistforthe fourthyearin nrowwith a fortuneof$86 billion,up from$75billion lastyear.

MukeshAmbanicops thelist of Indian billionaires,and isplaced33rdwithanet worthof $23.2billion.

Forlmsaid the RILchairmansparked apricewarin the Lndian telccommarket with the launch of theJio4G phoneservice lastSeptember. His youngerbroclierAnil isranked745thwith anetworthof $2.7 billion.

The USmagazinesaidAn.iiAmbani "orchestrated themergerof hisReliance Communication's re.le.com bllsinesswith

thatof rival Airccl,controlledbyi\falaysian billionaireJ\nanda Krishnan.Thecombine, whichawairsregulatoryapprovals,will be Lhecountry's fourth-largestmobilephone operator".

ArcelorJ\fornl Chairman Lakshmil\litt:tl follows nextat the56th spotwithanet worthof S16.4 billion.

,\boutMirra!,Forbessaid:"Theworld's biggest steclma.keralsogot areprieve from importtaciffs on steelimposed by cl1eUS and Europeandaone-timeS832million savingfrom anewlabourcontracrsigned lastyearwith itsUSworkers."

i\lobile wallet Paytm founderVijay Shckhar. harmaisranked 1,567 with his networrhofS1.3billionandi�·'oneof the biggestbenehciarics of thegovernment's decision todemonetise86perccnr nf 1ndia's rupeesandmovetoacashless economy",Forbessaid.

OtherIndians in the listincludeWipro ChairmanJ\.7..im Prcmji (72), Adani Group founderGauram J\dani (250), Bajaj Group Chairman Rahu.l Bajaj (544),investor RakeshJhunjhunwala (939), Infosys cofounderNR Narayana l\lunhy (1,161), DaburChairman EmeritusVivekChand Burman(1,290), lnfosysco-founder Nandau lilekaui (1,290), \Xlockbardtchair H:1bil Khorakiwa.la (1,567), M:ihindragroup chief Anand i\Lahindra (1,567)and Yes Bankhead Rana Kapoor(1,795).

Only fourwomenbillionaires from India featureinLhe list,ledbySavitciJindalat 303rd with anetworthof$5.2billion.

''Afcerdeclininglasryear,the fornme

of steel andpowerclan,whosematriarch SavitriJindal chairs dieOPJindalGroup, roseas steel p[icesrecovered,"Pod1�ssaid.

Smica Crishna-Godrej from the Godrcj group is ranked 814th,followed byBiocon founderKjran l\lazumdar-Shaw(973) and LeenaTc'l.vari (1,030).

Airbnblaunches'Trips' platformin India

Community-drivenhospitalitycompany J\irbnb has launched its 'Trips' platform in lndia, givingacha.neeto customers tobook specially CLIUted localexperiences.

Afterbeingannounced in LosAngeles lastyear,theservicewaslaw,cbedin 12 cities,including Detroit,London, Pacis, Nairobi,Tok1o,Seoul andSan Pmncisco.

In India, it beginswith 15 bookable local experiences. One such isaguided trip wirh fashiondesignersShancanuand!ikhil.

Brian Chesky,co-founderandCHO of theonlineplatform,said ardielaunch in New Delhi, 'Tm C.'-cited tolaunch lndiaTripsaswe've handpicked unique experiences,designedanclled br locals,to rcllect the diversit}' and variety of thecity."

Thedesignersarccrip ho�rs andwill cake participants through acreativejtmrney of style, where theywill�eeaninnovative blend of architectureancldesignexpressed diroughcoucure.

Guestswillhave acl1nnceforacandid tccc-il-recewid1 them,seeingitscvolucion fmmideationanddesigncoafirui.lshowcase on dierunwayar theduo'sIoidaworkshop. IANS

Photo:AP

4'¥4

BY RITAM MITRA

Acthe age of 12,ayoung Maasai girl made alife-changing bargain with herfather: agreeing coundergo female genitalmutilationinremm for his promise colet her finish her education. Now 38,that girl bas since beenawarded aPhD inEducation from the University of Pittsburgh,andisthe founder and president ofthe Kakenya Centre for Excellence,aMaasai boarding school forgirls,attendance atwhich requires agreement from parentsnorto subjecttheir daughtersto female genital mutilation or forced child marriage.

More recently,that girl, Dr Kakenya lra.iya, visitedAustralia to deliver aseries of stirring speeches,.including apassionate address coa groupof privilegedguests artl1e LBW Trust's annual dinnerat ilie SydneyCricket Ground - withnone otl1er tl1antl1e cricketing great WasimAkramalso in tl1eir company.The LBW Trustprovides supportcoeconomicallydisadvant.'lged studentsin developing,cricketplaying countriesto help themcomplete their tertiaryor vocationaleducation.

For DrNta.iya, although the dinner was perhapsa less formal affair than the earlier engagementsonherAustralian tour -

which includeddeliveringtl1e International Women's Day Address at ilie National PressCluband meeting wicl1 Prime Minister MalcolmTurnbull - hermessage wasnoJesspowerful.

Kakenya'sstory

As ayoung gicl, Dr Ntaiya's daywould begin at 5.inthe morning. By the time she had embarked on her 3-mile long walkto school,she wouldhave finished sweeping the house,makingbreakfast,collecting waterfromthe r.iv1;:r,andcaking care of her motherandhersiblings. Engagedcobe married at the age of 6ve, Dr Nta.iyawas acutelyaware that at some stage,shewould have to undergofemalegen.ital mutilation, a customaryprocedure priorto marriage.

At 12,irwas crunchti.me.

"I was supposedtogetmarried,andto be marriedI bad to undergo therite of passage,whimis femalegenital cutting, cobecome a woman.Ar iliat time,1knew that if 1go through th.iscut,I'mgoingto become a wife AndIdidn't want cl1ac. I had to figure out,at the age of 12,how tonegotiate myself out ofa deal chat was made manyyears ago bymyparents," recalled DrNtaiya.

Yet,evenafterconvincingher fatl1er coallow hertocompleteher educationin exchange for undergoing the procedure, Dr Ntaiya hadno idea as tothegravityof her ordeal.

Iroo.icall};andcruelly,it wasonly muchlater,inthe courseofcompleting a universityresearchtaskon female gen.ital mutilation,that Dr Nca.iya realisedthe

illegality of the procedure,andits hordfie consequences: byreading about it online. It wasat th.is moment that Dr Nta.iya resolvedto ensure chatno more girlsin her village would have to go through similar suffering. Since 2008,the Kakenya Centre for Excellence hastransformed cbe livesof 230youngwomenin Kenya.

Thelighterside oflife

On the ocher side of dinner, aQ&A sessionbetween\v'asirnAkramandthe in.imitablecricket commenracor Mike CowardMf, revealed afascinating insight intoAkram's snmo.ingrise from playing tennisbaU cricketin alleyways and on rooftopsinLahore,to tormenting iliebesr batsmen aroundthe world andchanging the cricket,vorld forever.

Akrnmdidnotplaywiilia cricketball tmtilthe age of 16,andeventhenonly after being forced.into itbya neighbour.

As Cowardhimself put it,Akram'swasa chapterfromPakistanicricket'sromantic storybookof serendipitousdiscoveries.

Givenhow easyAkrammade the game look -he cook 10 wicl,etsin just his second testmarch - itwascomforting to know that he coo,had to put in more than his fair shareofhardwork, no lessevident than.in his having playedwith Type 1 diabetesfora substantial portionof hiscareer.

'"\X-'hen Igot pickedup forthePakistan team, Itold myself,'I don't want co be a onetourwonderoraone Test wonder. Because this isfun. Thisis aparty,andI wantth.ispartyto go on for 20years.'And it did,"joked Akram.

Easilytl1e most entertaining recollection of J\.kram'swasbowling co Sir Vivian Richardsduringthe third test between Pakistanandthe WestIndiesinBarbados in 1998.Acone point,a skinny,19-yearoldAkram sworeandsledgedRichards after beating him with a bouncer ortwo. Richardsrecorred,"Don't abuse me, I'll see you outside",to which Akramresponded inkind,"I'llseeyou outside". After reassurance from his six-packsporting skipper,ln1ran Khan,Akramcontinued bowling bOLmcers and dishing outabuse, e,,enmallybowling Richardsandgiving him a huge sendoff.

Unforttmately,laterthatevening, Richardsshowedupat the Pakistani dressing room - dressed innothing but a cowel,with hisbulging musclesonfull displayandbat in hand - and asked for Akram. Gaining no support from Khan this time,Akram instead fell atRichards' feet,and promised,"Viv - tl1iswill never happenagain.I'mso sorry."

Theevent '-Vas described asa huge success, andduringrhecourse ofthe dinner,LBW Trust Chairman David Vauxconfu:med diat the charity hadraisedenough moneyto provide fulltertiaryeducation schob.rsh.ipsfoteachof the 26high school graduates fromilie Kakenya Centre for Excellence. lewas agentle,but firm reminderof ilie tangible difference being madebyan .inspirationalfew.

For111oreinfimi1atio11abouttheLllWTmst,visit lbwtmst.co!ll.t/11

It's an inspiring evening at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the LBW Trustannual dinner

Level1Sutte1&2,48MacquarieS1 Porromo!to,NSW-2150 info@ouromigrotionservices.com.ou

Atrocious behaviour mars ex}:lilarating ser1es

Afrcravisiting rerunlands Ul1\uscralfa, tl1escwickersdon't become diamcccicalJy oppositetheir usualcharacter!

BY DARSHAK MEHTA

Thehighlrcontcnciousand

mclcx:lrarnatic 2ndTestmatch in Bangaloremay haveled someto think that d1iswasexactlythetonic tbatTestcricketneeded,foritsre,ival.

Really?

Of wursc,all theingrcdiencs were there:skill,spectacle,luck,drama, passion, pressureand unfortunately, most of all,bad blood.The cricket basbeen 1frcting.

Bur,ischisthewaywewantco portray ourgame tohundredsof millionsof imprcs$ionablcyoungsters?Can youimagine chct1nacccptablcbehaviourof succes.�ivc generationsof Indian and Australian teams -club,domesticor international -innucnced as they would beby watchingthenppalling actionsandwordsoftheir heroes?

Don'tadultsneedcobehaveLikeadults, in aci,;,il and rcscrnincd manner?DoadtJts not havetorespectocher adults,iJ1dailylife? Canadttltsmockotheradultswithimpunity, makeslyor blamnrremarksandconst·antly insult,hectora.addistractt:!1cm?

Or,is it thenew rulethatonceyouace on afieldofplay,allnormsof ci,1iliscd behaviour arcinapplicableandcobe jertisoned?

HaveweaU forgotten that firscand foremostcricketi.� ag:ime?Nationalism, patriotism etc.surelycomeinro plav,hm norbeforesportsmanship,onewouldhave hoped!

13ad sportsmanship is not merelylooking upcothedressingroomtogetasignalon whether toiniciarc aDRS Rcvie,v.

leis atrociousspon-smanshiptomock and ridiculeopponents, toinitiateinsolent conversationswid1a,�cwtogaining unfair advantageand/or puttingrirnlsoff their games.

J\lw,do cricketershavetu take tunbragc and immediatelygiveoffensetoretired crickcrersdoingtheirjobsorexpressiJ1g their professionalopinions,when such dreadfol conduct iscriticised?

''Atitbidrvobbom."Guest is God.

Isn't Indiathelandwherehospitality to,,isitors is mandatedbyoursho.,lros? Then,whyarcsuchhorriblewicketsbeing dcliberntcly orderedandprepared,for :,,,s1tors.

Pleasedon'tclaim t:!iatcYcryonc·'cooks" ,,kkccsathome,cosuitchcmsclvcs. Auscrnliaccrtai.nlyDON'T. Everywicket hasics intrinsic characteristic whcd1cr ili� nTesti\latcl1 oraSheffieldShieldgame. Brisbaneisa seamingcrack which favours quicks.Sydneyfa\"oursspinners,lacein die game.Perthwasabouncy crack,d1ough it is moreplacid, d1escdays. Adelaideistbebest barringcrack in Ausccalia.

ln l.odiawicketsarcblam.ocly doctored to instructionsfromthe hometeam. Cricket becomesagameof chance,notskill,when youha,·e ballskeeping low from Day I. The Bangalorewicketlooked Likesc>mc pieces (md)of jigsawpuzzbhad beenpoorly smck together.

Pw1ewasaworn anddusty crack from Day I wilhrurfdislodged from d1cvery 1-icscover of thegame.

Ranchiwasa low,slowwicket.A bowler's gca,•cyard.

Prescription?Thetossneedstobe dispensed,,�t:11.Visidngreamsshouldhave tl1cprcrogati�·crodecidewhat co do. Only thenwillhometeamsbchm·e responsibly andpreparesporting tracks.Thetossshould nochavechesolebearingin decidingthe rcsuhof the match.

l alsochink it isrimechat thedestructive anddiscourteousbch:n-iourweha\"e witnessedii1 Pune,BangaloreandRanchi is stoppedby bod1 teams. le hasgotten rocallyourof hand. Remember,violence beginswhenrationalnrgun,ent bccorncs impossible.

The medianeeds co hemore constructive and not writeprovocativelyasflag-bearers of theircountries'teams. flans caked1cir cue from theseand social media hasbecomea viper'snestof incrediblehate,racism and abuse. Virac Kohliwaslikc11cd mDonald Trnmpby Sydney's TbrD(lib,Trlegmphand Stc\·eSmid1lampooned asachC',\t and worse,bythedregsofthe lnclian media. 111cscarceirtra(,rdinary cricketersa11d iimacclydecent blokes who ii1 dieheat of tl1ebattle, crosstheline, sometimes,butarc redoubcablcleadersoftheircounccicsNo.I sporeand deserve farmorerespectfrom d1cicopponents<>n the field,inncwspnpers TVandonsocial media. Respectfromthe publicwill follow.

Dothteams havebroughtour noble gameintodisrepute. Umpiresneed to reportccickccers,no matter how"reputed" andJ\fatch Refereesshouldsuspendany cricketerreportedforhcha\"ingdisgracefully. lntcmarionally,apart from "cwZealand, fewteamsarcplayingwid1graciousness or deference foetheir opponents.Our neighboursarea highlycompetitiveoutl-ir and yettheyhavenever bcha,·cd in tl1e gratuitouslyoffensiveway thatsome J\uscralian cricketersdoandsome lnclian cricketersarchappily,butill-ad,�iscdly, mimicking.

Thedayaftcr theBangaloreTest ended, afriendwhobasperhapsd1cgreatest surnamein lndiancricketaskedme,ina verypainedcone,"If thesetworeams bate each other somuch,whyforGod'ssakearc tl1ey playingeach ocher? Call off chctour." ]hadnoanswer.

Tbralflhoris(I Cofo1111derefle11di11gcrdulcmtff'ded11wlio1111/rh11r{J'TheLBlf Tm.rt, b,md i11SJrlllOJ'.

There areconcerns forthe mannerin which the noblegame ofcricketisbeingplayed

Ambassadors for a game for all

KHUSHAAL WAS in conversation with AFL stars Stephen Coniglio andAliirAliir

ntheleadup to Round One,we've gone d1rough me game and itsbasic rules,andexchangedourvowsinthe sacredceremony ofpickingyour team. lmportantly,1 hopethat you have identiliedAFL isa unique game for one and all.ln thisissue we bringyou someming incredibly excitingaswe speakwithtwo scarsofthegame,AFLMulticulmral

AmbassadorsStephenConiglio (G\\\'S GIANTS) andAlifr Aliir(SydneySwans).

Stephen Coniglio

IV'hatva/11edoes11111/tic11ltura/is111btingtothe

APL?

SC: AFLinAustralia has so many supporters and a massiveaudience itcan reach our to. By celebratingandeducating thisaudience on tbe importanceof rnulticulturalism, cogetherwecangrow this game andbridge gapsinoursociety witb issuesarounddisrespecttowardsdifferent cultures,whilstalsocelebratingthe culmres mat make up misgreatgame and country. Youwerealsoquiteatalmtedc,icketerbefo,·e joiningtbeAFL Whatare)'OtlrtipJ011engaging thoseofh1dianheritage1Pherecrickethasalwqys been"religion?

SC: Ilovedmycricket andstill do.My advice wouldbe to embrace andtry many sportsandgive it a shot at understandingits rules,wbatit brings and meanstoalotof people. Dowhatyoulove andthatdoesn't have tobejust one.spore.It canbe many!

Favo111iteIndianfood,movie,song,c11/t11ral

celebmtion?

SC:Tougb choice. I've been to India when l was 16ona cricket tourand was fortunate.enougb co spend some extra time off over there. The culture andpeople arelikeno otl1er,theirfriendly andpeaceful nan1re is amazing. Ir's hardtogopasta dassic naan bread wimbmter chkken, ald10ughtbat mayseem alittle mainstream.Myfavourite movie wasS!ttt1tdog1VIillio11ait·e,but after recentlyseeingLion,that takesthe leadasmyfavourite.

AllirAllir

Youcame toAustralia asa refugee atage seven. Did AFL play aroleinsuchabigtransition between two countries?

AA: Yeah,definitely.lt helped me to connect withomer kids andIallowed me coenjoy a new environment,newculn1re and new country.

Beingthefirs/A.PLplqyerofSudtmese heritageinthegav1e'shistoryhtJSt1m1edyo11i11tf! abeaco11jf!rc11/t11raldiversi()'in,port. Doyou feellike)'011ht1veahigroletoplt91inpro111oting 11mlticultt1rali1111i11theAr?

AA:Tobe honest Ihaven't reallylooked backandthought about beingthe first personof Sudanese heritage tocome throughthe draftand mingslike mat,but1

know thatbeingfrom a differentcountryI have a role co play in terms of helpingand gettingod1etmulticulturalkids intoAFL andd1at'spart ofwhatIlovedoing.

Whr,tdo)'Otthopetohringto.J'Oflrroleasti M11/tic11/t11ralAmbassadorfortheAPL?

ru\: Iguess to connectother kids, wherever theymightbe from, andtry co help them feellike they're welcome.I'dlike to share myexperience of how Igot here and teach them thattheycando whatever

d1ey want todowhetherit be AFL,soccer, whateversport,so they can feel comfortable andfeelAustralian.

F,JV0111itcIndianfood,111ovie,1011g,ctt!t1tml celebration?

AA: Is Butter Chicken in tl1ere?Yeah, definitelyButterChicken!

\1(/ell then,you've hadit all. The rules,the teams,the brilliantplayers. ow getready forRorn1d One.Welcome to die AFL!

AFL NSW/ACT is committed to growing the gamewithin ourdiverse communities.

For more infonnation visit: e aflnswact.com.au/community-programs/multicultural/

newwo

What will our children need to learn to negotiate an unpredictable global future?

BYMOHAN DHALL

itb thepace ofchange accelerating,it may hetimeto reimagine thecurriculum. lo a worldofinstabilityand unpreructability,questionsmust be asked aboutwbatistaught and learnt, andwhat wouldberequiredif everythingweknew wasbrokendownorlost.The starting point must bewhatkindofchinkingand skillswould berequiredconegotiateor manageinaworldwhenproblemsare new or even unimagined,wheredisruptionand discontinuity is thenewnorm.

Thepurpose ofengagingin thistypeof thinkingis to inquiredeeplyintowhether weareeducatingstudent.5forthe sortof worldthat theywil.l face soonerthan later. Asanexerciseinimagination,itis interestingtoaskwhat ismost valued. Therewouldberufferent thingsthat people mayvaluegiven the scenario,butconsider thefol.lowingaspossibleinclusions.

Human rights

Asa basic premise ofeducation,al.I diildren atalllevelsshould beexplicitlyeducatedin theirhumanrights. Theymustbeableto articulatetheirrights.Such rightsinclude rberight tobe free ofarbitraryabuseby the state, tl1eright to freedomof speech, theright totakepareingovernment and the right tofreedom ofreligion. Of course,education in such rightswould also require anunderstandingof age-

appropriateresponsibilities. In this way,an understandingofrightswould betempered byanunderstandingthat othershaverights, andlivingin communitiesandsocieties carriescertain responsibilities. Thisbalance must befoundas theunfettered expression of individualrightsdoes not displaycare, gentleness or tl1at thegreatest personal freedomisfound whenbehavingwith.in certain limits.

Critical thinking and scepticism, cause and effect thinking

Thecapacityco understandmeimplications of ideas and ideologiesisessential to understandingthe contemporaryworld. Deep thinkingrequiresappreciation of cause andeffect. lemeansthat students shouldbe caught howtoextrapolatetl1e particular to thegeneral.Taken further, suc.hthinkingwill alsoquestionwhether an exceptionshouldbecomearule.Thiswould beconsistentwith Gandhi's notion that, "In everysituation tl1ereisalways aright tbing codo,evenif no-onedoesit."

Scepticism andcritiqueshouldinform understanrung,and repeated 'whys'may beneededif 'wise' is sought. However, balanceagain mustfeature here asevidenceinformed datasets shouldnot belabelled 'fakenews'or 'alternative facts' simply because such evidencemayberusconcerting or meanthat solutionstoproblemsare complicated.

Research skills and factfinding abilities

Clo.selyembeddedin critical dunkingis tl1e abilitytoresearch beyond a singlesource of 'newsfeed'so that differingversionsor interpretations of oneissueare sourced wheninformingand formingopinions.

This is a criticalskillgiven d1at aggregating technologiesprovidepeoplewith informationthattheywanecohearrad1er man information iliac couldimproveilieir thinking, informtheir ideas and opinions, and shapeenlightenedpublic opinion.

Perspectives

Building maturityin aworldofdisruption meanstakingperspectives with aview counderstandingrufferent stakeholders' interests, differentvalue setsand vulnerabilities.All students shouldbeable coargueagainst theirownbeliefsin orderco better understandconflictingperspectives, respectforo.thersand d1efactors chat informanother'sagenda.

Creativethinking and problem solving

Faced with disruptionand ruscontinuic:y, creativityand tbe capacitym solveproblems areessential. Creatvethinkingcan be trickyandscaryforthosewhowant tobe midwhat todo,liked1eidea ofdefined answersand are afraid totakerisksfor fearof failure. Nevertheless,thecapacity coal.lowfar-fetchedalternatives tobe considered,andtl1eabilitycoclunk, free fromconstraint, sothatpossibilities arenot disnussedtooearlyarenecessaryintimesof rapidchange.Embracingcreativitybrings forth the possibilityto solveproblemsina waythat is novel andadaptive.

A study of character

Interpersonalskills andintrapersonal skillsatevaluediuall cnrricula.The understanrungof humansand motivecan begleanedfroma close studyofcharacter. Impulse,motivation,desires,tendencies, competingpressuresandtrade-offs,and howthesemanifestintheuseofpower,

positionandinfluenceareveryimportant tonavigatinga changingworld.Ostensibly meplacefortl1ismaybeina srudyof historyor English,butitalso informs the social sciences,politics,business,economic decision-makingand a host ofother influencesthat directlyaffect studentsand their lives.

A smdyofcharacterhas been a feature of humansocietyfor millenniaandwas often taught through story,legend,myth, fables, songs andpoems.

Strength in the face of adversity

Adaptingin timesof change requires strengthwhen circumstancescoUudeto make people feeluneasyoruncertain. As such,strength buildsfortitudeand comes fromphysical abilityand ruscipline,aswel.l as the abilitycoconcentrate,test themind and focus.Theseattributeshavebeen lost in the technologicalageand studentsaremore flightyandimpulsive, more c1istractibleand anxiousthaninpriortimes.

Tothislist, other thingscould beadded, such as scrongliteracyandnumeracy skillsas a meansof enablinghigherorder thinkingandexpression.Thisis assumed -asisan essential beliefthat education can trulyempower,regard.lessofthe circumstances.

,, Scepticism and critique shouldinform understanding, and repeated 'whys' may be neededif 'wise' is sought ,,

Both inside and outside the classroom, Term 1 ofYear 7is full of 'firsts'

BYANANYA WAKHARE

Jerm1isnearlyoveralready!I feellikeschoolisfinallyfinding aplaceforme.\'(thatwerethe highlightsofthisterm?Ohyes, camp!Unfortunatelyforme,I wassicktwodaysbeforethestartofcamp andhadtoraketimeoffschool.Iwas consideringstayinghomeandmissingour, butonsecondthoughts,whywould1wam tomissomonmyfusthigbschoolcamp?1 gotoutofbedanddecided,yesIamgoing! BeforeIknewitTwasboardingthebus tou·avelallthewaytotheIllawatra.When wefinallyreached ourdestination (whichseemedlike ittookforever), myfeetwalked onthecamp

grotmdsandIknewI'dmadetheright choice.Wewerechallengedinmanyways suchaspitchingtentsandcookingour dinnerbur_wediditandactuallyenjoyed workingcogetherinteams.Ialsomadeit throughtheactivities-surfing,kayaking andbushwalking,whichI'mgladnowwere notoptional.WhenIreturnedhome,after whatfeltlikeeternity,Icannotexplainhow happyIwastoseemyMumandDad.

Theswimmingcarnivalwasthenextbig event.Alotsurely-hashappened!Ithink youmayrememberthatomhouse'sdress upthemewasTheWiggles?Ienjoyed dressingupandcheering loudlyfor myhouse andthe swimmingof cottrse.Ithink

wehadthebestsynchronisedswimming dance.TheYear12'swereinchargeofthe activitiesforeachhouse.1enjoyedwatching eachhouseperformaccordingtotheir themesandtherewasevenaBollywood! Afewdayslatertheyannouncedthe winners.Outhousedidn'twinbutwewon thesynchronisedswimming!

Friendshipshaven'tbeensohardbut wereslowerthanIin1agined.SinceIplay sport,Imadefriendsthroughd1atand l'mluckythatmostofmyfriendshave thesameclassestoo.Iamquitehappy

withmyfriendshipcircle.Myimpressions fromwhenIfirstmetthemcomparedto nowarereallydifferentnowthatIknow thembetter.Perceptionschange.Ifeellike �portistakenmud1moreseriouslythan inprimaryschool.Thegamestal,eupmy weekendtimebut1enjoyplayingsportasit helpsyoubuildstrongfriendships,sporting spiritandyougetto'lmowyomteammates. DidIevermen!Jonthatmyalarmbuzzes at5.30am?Yep,5.30!Ttcakesareallylong timetogetusedtotheroutine.Allthe homeworkandthetrainjourneysand especiallyO(gani.singyourtimecocrectly.

Organisingandprioritisingisan importantskillforhighschool.Iam gettingusedtoitthough.Yourealise thatsleepandrelaxationissomuch morevaluabletl1aoitwasinprimary school.WheneverIgetthechance tosleepjnIfeellikeit'sthebest thingever!!!

Takingthe easyroad

New anthology ofshort stories presents nuances ofbehaviour within Australia's Indian community

The most strikingaspect mAvijit Sarkar'scollection of short stories,A Tume Eumts, isthe fundamentally flawed nature of the charactersthatinhibit the shorestories.

A T11mef Eve11tsisAvijit'sfirstcollection of short storiestbatreinforce migrant ethnography. But beneaththe veneer of the migrant experienceis the w1derlyingnamre oftbe characters -andat its core, the base elementswhichmake us human.

So each of the shorestories,even with a rnristat the end,highlights the lackof the higher roadthat the characterscouldhave chosen torake,andindoingso,eachof the charactersbecome each ofus.Real,deeply flawed,andconvincing

Forexample,in'A Doctor in The Making',we readof adutiful daughter, who despite her own ambitions,takes the easyroadandgives into her parents' expectationsand emotional blackmailto srudymedicine,onlyatthe end,to mrn around and advise themthat sbe was not goingto practise medicine and instead will studymathematics. Had shetaken

the initial,more difficultroadof tryingto convince herparentswhytheirexpectations did notalignwith hers, she could have saved herself yearsofeffort,the financial resources spent,and the place she would

haverakenfrom someoneelseto study somethingshe had no intentionofusing. While thisisa fan.1.iliarstoryamongIndian households,it does not reveal the farrarer experience of loftier idealsof parents understandingtheirchildrenbetter,or children acceptingthe chal.lenge of being more forthcomingabouttheirdreams.

Similarly,in 'The HealthyMan'weread of awomanandher parentswbo keep her di'lbetesfromher potentialhusband, ahealth-obsessed suitor,who does not see beyond the here andno,1, Gi.rda.r(the groom) demonstratesincredible selfcentredness inself-righteouslysendingbis diabetic andpregnant wife back tOLidiaonlytOget hiscomeuppance whenbe dies ofa heart attack. Girdarchoosesto be a kh11dgarz1 S11Jartheezaaii111, when the higher road wouldhavebeen to live andlet live, andaccept the fact that hisparentsallowed the dowryto guide theiractions.Everyone in this storyis egua.l.lyculpable,withthe true innocent victim beingthebabywhois yettobe born.

The characters in each of the stories demonstrate the range of human

namre - jealousy,envy,resentment, judgemem,abuse,pettiness,spite,betrayal, manipulation. At the endofeach scory there is atwist thatrakesplacewhid1 shapesthe characters'lives. Bur even then,

there isno indicationthat the characterhas evolved or learnt fromtheire.,:perience. One justimaginesthat each characterconti.nuesto live their life,i.nthe same incmious, unevolved skin they inhabitedat the beginningof the story.

The storieswouldhave been more compelling- by beinglesspredictable - had the authorchosento portray characters through actions of aloftier nature Characters that took the higher .road, and transcended theirbase naturesin theprocesswould have added complexity, interest andintrigue to the stories. Additionally, it wouldhavegiven the reader foodfor thought, and more importantly, provideda canvason whichto fran1e theirown behaviour and character.

Thenthe thoughtoccurs

to the reader that the charactersarcno different from tl1e people we know. \Y/e

selvesto shape our actions.And in failing to do so,the charactersinA TurnOf BtJenfs are simplyareAectioninamirror we hold to our faces. all continuallyfail to take the road less travel.led.Wedon'talwaysallow onr higher SalmaShah

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BYASHWINI SASEEDARAN

The calnung crash ofwavesagainst shoresof speckled sand guietly engulfsthehumof local traffic and beachgoersaslaughter driftswiththe coolbreeze, andconversationspause at animpressive sculpture.

Overlookingthe never-ending beauty of theIndianOcean andstretchesof sand aticonic Cottesloe Beach, Perth, an intriguing sculpLUre hasbeen delicately and thoughtfully installed.

Feamredamong 78 other wocksarthe annualSculpnu:e by the Seaexhibicion, Columnof Soundisathoughtprovoking andconversationstarting sculpmre.

Announcedwinner oftl1e $50,000Rio TintoSculptureAward, multidisciplinary artist HarshaVardhanDurugaddahas rigbtfully earned hisplace asarising virmosoin d1e artisticcommunity.

ColumnofSound standsasa unigue form,sculptedspecifically using audio fromthe site'slocation. Afterapainstaking processofrecording audio from theplanes ofland surrounding the sculpture'ssite,the artist conceivesa physicalrepresentation ofthe sounds He constructshis art and adjuststhe sculpture based ontherhythms andmovementsheard. The finalproduct standsas aprofoundtransformation between audio andvisual realms

Having receivedthe AndreaStreeton MemorialInvitation at Sculpnu:e by the Sea, Bondi 2016, Dmugadda'sexplorations in tl1e perceptionsofaudioandvisual certainly question the normative approach by imploring criticalandimaginative tl1inking.

Sensoryconceptsare commonly imerpreted singulacly, as smelliscorrelated cothe nose, soundis parallel toears andtouch ismutually exclusive to feel Durugaddahasinsteadachievedthe almost unthinkable inhisfeat by purposely disrupting commonperceptions and inviting onlookers to be apartofthis sensorybreakthroughasbe forges binaries between otherwise opposing sensesand notions "\Xie are usedtowhateverisalreadyin Physicsbooks People are not readyto touch or feelsound. I'm working tochange perceptionsanddisturb people's dunking oflife. Whend1eytouch die sculpnu:e, they touch the sound of die site,"explains Durugadda.

"It isnever the same sculpn1re in visual the slicesof marble piecesaredifferent eachtin1e.The sculpcure changesaccording cospace."

Appropriately situated at die forefront ofanoceaniclandscape wherethe worlds ofnatme andartificial construction collide, Column of Sound isa deepexpression ofnature inspiredartcoupledwirn anthropomorphic ideologies

Born inAndhraPradesh,India and nowbased inNewDelhi, Durugadda completed]usMasters inVisual Artsand beganpractisingwith anumber of different mediums Experimenting withperformance art, video, printsand sculptures,he then venturedomofthe nation successfully holding exhibitionsandpublishingworkin London and here in Australia.

Inits 13'hyear,Sculpture by the Seahas become ahouseholdname as perhapsthe world'slargest annualomdoor sculpcure exlubition. Eachyear the beautifully captivating shoresofpopular Cortesloe beach become home coatemporary sculpnireparkwith local,nationaland internationalartists showcasing their ,,jsionary art.

Attracting hundredsoftl1ousandsco

,, I'm

tl1etown of Busseltonthrough the efforts ofRioTinto.

change perceptions and disturb people's thinking oflife. When they touch the sculpture, they touch the sound of the site ,, itsshores,tl1e free outdoor exhibition has people pouring inall timesof dayand 1-ught,fromresidentsinPerthtotourists andevenlocal APLfootballstars

The eventinvitesthe publicto appreciate and participate incontemporary artin a physical andinteractivemanner asallare welcomedtoviewtl1e piecesat their own pace and create theirownimaginative perspectives

"(Sculpnire by the Sea]isagreat oppornmity and agreatway tojudge differentworks Itis agreat benchmark for otl1er organisations andespecially for yorn1ger artistsworkingalongside more experienced, senior artists," says Durugadda."[T11ewin]is such an overwhelmingwelcome,l wassosurprised. Thisisagreat step formy careerand such aconfidence booster. Ihavereceivedthe highestreceptionfor mywork here in Australia."

Apart frombeingthe majotprize winner, ColumnofSoundwill soon be installedin

"Asan emerging artist, Iwas hiring mostthingsbefore. Now1want cobuild upmy studio andinvest intools tbacwill allowme to continue doing my work," reveals Durugadda. "I will be applyingco be exhibited inBondinext year,aswellas applying for exhibitionselsewhere in the world."

Followinghis successin Australia, Durugaddaencouragesaspiring artists ofIndianocigin tovenmre ftu:tber man pursuing d1e pattern ofbeing doctorsor engineers '1wasmore welcomedhere d1an at home in India," saysDurugadda. ''Usually in Asian com1tciesthe)'gofor senior artists and only they endupreceiving awards [Australia] isopenforeverybody toengage with."

Sctt/pturebytheSea, Cottesloew.:4,will beopentothepubfieuntil20March2017

working to

n's

r aw

India's national carrierflies its all-female crew in to Melbourne

BYPREETIJABBAL

The conversation in the cockpit sure wasdifferencthistime, asthe all-female crew from Air India flew intoMelbourne airport,aspart of aninitiati,7e byAir India cocommemorate International \Xfomen's Day.

LedbyCaptainLaxmi Nagrath,the DreamJinetleft Delhiat 1.15pm on 8 March andlandedin:tv[elbourne justbefore 7amon 9l'vfarch,coveringaround 10,215 kilometers,with237 passengers and nine infants on board.

Asthe weary travellersmade their wayout toArrivals,there wasa sti.rof excitement, and the four Air Indiacockpit crewmembersemerged.intheir crisp uniforms, allofthem women.Theychatted easilyabout their experiences and were very proudcobe partofthisinitiative to mark InternacionalWomen'sDay.

This wasn't the first time anall-female crew flew into Melbourne,accordingto CaptainSangeeta Nirmal,whoclaimedthat Air Indiahadconsciouslyencouragedand promotedseveralsuch flightsinthe past. lncerestingly, both her daughtersare also pilotsandshe stronglybelievesthat aviation

��3U�#f:-'ll ;,Rlltlll11IA

isagreat career for women.

Captain Nagrath said she had come acrossnogender disparity in terms ofpay or opportunitiesduringher 30-year flying career."Infact I was looked after better thanthe menandmybatchmatestook extracare inlookingout for me whenIwas training,"she sharedwitha smile.

Thiswasnot their first visit to Melbourne andjudgingbytheir conversation,plans seemed tobe inplace tocheckout Melbourne's sightswith Melbourne Zoo and St Kildabeach on copof their todo list.ThepopularThousand Seeps walking trail andbikeridescothe beachwere also highonthe agenda

The cabin crewdisplayednosign of weariness, despite the longhaul,as they happilyposedfor photos,smartand smiling intheiruniform. Theirmood seemed co match the colour of Indian spring(mustard) that wasdominantintheir saris.

The passengers were equally upbeat and delightedtofindomchat they were partof a specialevent.

"Itwasperfect!The plane couldn't differentiate betweenamale andfemale pilot!" Sunila Forsyth laughinglycold Tndian Link. "Jokes aside,Ifeltverygoodknowing chat Air Indiadeployedauallwomen flight. It'svery empoweringandencouraging, especially for Indian women around the

world.Allthe female passengerswere given roses before boarding -Iwasgiven two!" Air Indiais seekingaGuinnessWorld record forits all-female flights aroundthe world. Other airfu1eshave alsorecently laLmched similar flightsintheir guest to join the bandwagon,however Air Indiaclaimsit isthe first one to script history by flyingan all-womancrew flight around the world.

Al's all-women crew operates 'around theworld' flight Nationalpassengercarrier.A.ir Jndiarecently operated an'aroLmdthe world'flightwith an all-female crew,onitsNew Delhi-San Francisco-New Delhiroute.

Flight AI 173tookofffromIndira GandhiInternacionalAirport in Delhi on 27 February toSanFrancisco,covered a distance of around 15,300km in 15anda halfhoursoverthe Pacificroute,andon the returnjourney fromSan Francisco over the Atlantic.

"The entire flight wasoperatedby the women -staff ofeightdeparm1ents," an airlinerelease said. "These departments induded cockpit crew,cabin crew,checkin staff,doctor,customer care staff, ATC (air traffic controQ and the entire ground handlingfromoperatortotechnician, engineer and flightdispatcher and trimmer."

The lineoperationsafety auditwasdone byHarpreetA De Singh, ED (executive director) Flight Safety,Air lndia.Thisis the first time chatchis-audit was clone bya female officer foran around-the-worldtrip.

OCI

Champion chestnuts!

The 'old chestnut' is new again, writes KIRA SPUCYS-TAHAR

Chestnmsreallyare a superfood - super versatile and super healthy \-X1ith a delicate,unique Aavour, chestnuts canbeusedin avarietyof savoury and sweet dishes. Available frommid-March through toJuly,they containhigh levelsof,Titmnins CandE, fibreand folace,and,unlil<e many othernut varieties, are lowin fatandoiJ content

Chestnutsareactuallymorelike a fruit thana nut Grownontrees,thenutsare sheathedin aspikeyhuskwith around three nutsin eachburr.Whenripe, thefruitfalls to thegroundand thehusk splitsopen to reveal thesmooth-shelledmus.

Chestnuts arequitedistinct fromother nutsio chattheirnaturalgoodnessis obtainedth.rough cooking Theyshou.ldnor beeaten raw,owingto their high tannicacid contentwhich cancausedigestiveissues.

Chestnutshave two skins. Oneisthe hard,omer, shinybrown shell.andthe other isthe thin inner skin lmownas thepellicle.

Topreparechestnurs,you canbake, microwave,roastorboilthenut before incorporatinginto your recipe.Themost important stepisto cut into the shell co

prevent thenut fromoverbearingand e1,.1Jlodingwhilecooking You canmakea shallowcutioto the flar sideof theshell acrossthe faceof thenut,ot cut a cross into the flat-end. Peel chestnutswhilethey arestillwarmasthey canbetrickyto peel whencooled.You can choose toremove both the iru1erand outer shell,or keepthe pellicleintact.

"Historically the chestnut is popularfor roastingand oncetheouter shell isroasted, thepellicle comesawayprettyeasily,"says ChestnutsAusi;raliamemberandgrower Jane Casey "However,in theearly season varieties,thisis notthe case,yetpeopletry todiscard the pellicle.With whatweknow now,thepellicle'shealthbenefitsareso siguificamchatweareeatingit too."

"Chestnutsgoreallywellwith chocolate, orange, mushroom, cabbage,pork and chicken,just tonameafew," saysJane Casey Havingbeengrownin Australiafor over 100years, chestnutsare,vellworth the patienceandtime needed for their preparation.

Formorevisitchestnutsaustralia.com.au

Preparing Chestnuts

: Toroast

: Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fanforced).

: Place prepared chestnuts onto a bakingtray and bakefor15to 20 minutes oruntil : the shellssplitopen.

•

• : Togrillorbarbecue

: Place prepared chestnuts on atrayundera moderatetohotgrill, or place chestnuts : directly onto thebarbecuegrill, turning a coupleoftimes,forapproximately 15-20 : minutes oruntil theshellsblacken and splitopen.

•

• : Toboil

: Place prepared chestnuts into a pan ofcold water and bringtothe boil. Simmerfor : 15 to 20 minutes oruntil theflesh is tender and easilyseparatesfrom theshell.

•

• .

• Tomicrowave

: Place 6 to 8 prepared chestnuts in a singlelayeron a microwave-safe plate. Cook, : uncovered, on full power (850 watts or High) for 2 to 3 minutes or until the fesh is • tender. Timing canvary depending on chestnutsize and microwave power.

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

Chestnut, Spinach&GreenPeaSoup

Preparation15mins+chestnutpreptime Cooking25mins Serves4

Ingredients

2 tbspoliveoil

1 leek, trimmed, halved lengthways, washed and sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped 400g cooked and peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped

4 cups chicken stock 100g baby spinach leaves

1½ cupsfrozen green peas Sour cream, to serve

Method

Heatoil in a largesaucepan overa medium heat.Add leek and garlic and cook,stirring often,for3-4 minutes until softened. Add chestnuts and cook, stirring occasionally, for5 minutes. Add stock, cover and bringtothe boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmerfor 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and peas. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes until peas are tender. Removefrom heat and puree with a

ChestnutAndGolden SyrupPudding

Preparationtime20 mins+chestnut preptime Cookingtime25mins Serves4-6

Ingredients

220gfresh chestnuts

½cup milk

1egg

80g butter, melted

2tbsp golden syrup

1/3 cupfirmly-packed brown sugar

1 ¼ cups self-raisingfour, sifted

Icingsugar, fordusting

Cream orice-cream, to serve

Sauce:

½ cup brown sugar

2tsp cornflour

1 ¼ cups boilingwater

¼ cup golden syrup

Method

Cutchestnuts in half acrossthewidth ofthe chestnut.

Place prepared chestnuts into a saucepan of cold waterand bringtothe boil.

Simmerfor 15to 20 min. Remove the chestnuts one at a time from thewater. Wrap in a clean tea towel for 5 to 10 minutes. While chestnuts arestill warm, quickly peel offthe outer brown shell and remove the papery thin skin underneath.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightlygrease an 8-cup deep ovenproofdish.

Finely grate chestnuts in a food processor. In a large bowl, combine

milk, egg, butter and goldensyrup. Stir in chestnuts, sugar and siftedfour. Using a large metal spoon, mix until just combined. Spoon intothe prepared dish.

To makethesauce, combinesugarand cornfour in a small bowl.Sprinkle over pudding. Combine waterand golden syrup in a jug. Pourmixture over the back oflarge metal spoon overthe pudding batter. Place dish on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bakefor 50-55 minutes until golden and puddingbouncesbackwhengently pressed in the centre. Stand for 5 minutes. Dustwith icingsugar. Serve with cream or ice-cream.

stickblenderuntil smooth. Seasonto taste.

Ladle into bowls and top each with a dollop ofsourcream.Sprinklewith chestnutcrisps* if liked and serve.

NOTE: This soup thickens on standing - add extra stock if necessary.

*To makechestnutcrisps; slice 50g of cooked and peeled chestnuts in a little olive oil in a fryingpan over medium-high heat, tossing often, until golden. Drain on papertowel

BYMINALKHONA

tis autumn alreadyand,before you knowit,the \Veatherisgoingtoget colder. Evenpeople withnormal skin willfinditgoingdryanditchy.Instead ofslatheringonthe creamsafter the temperaturesdrop,whynot start taking care.ofyour skinweJl inadvance. with these basicat-home productsyoucanuseto keep your skinmoisturisedduringwinter.

Sunscreen

WeusualJytakebetter care of our skinin summer thaninwinter.W/e areextracareful with the stmscreen,moisturisers andlip balms. But,doyou know thatwe need sunscreen in winter roo?Just because the sunis notblazingdown,itdoesn'tmean the UVraysaregonetoo.The first thingro remember is that asunscreenormoisturiser witha minimum of SPF 15 should be somethingyou use al1throughthe year.

Honey

This versatilekitcheningrectient isagreat moisturiser.Take a spooneach ofyoghurt andhoneyand applyit al1over your face andneck. Rinse offonce it isdry Do this regularly for softand supple skin.

Extra virgin coconut oil

These daysthe organicorextravirgin varieties ofthiswonderful oilare avai!Jible everywhere.Just applyingit all over your face andneckisenough togiveyourskin the moismre it needs.That'sbecause coconut oil has fattyacidsthat can nourish theskinandit iseasilyabsorbed.Youcan also applythisoil toyour hairandleave on for anhour before youshampoo.Itwill preventhair from becomingextradryand frizzydmi.ngwinter.

Atiptogauge if theproduct isgenuine: Pure coconutoil willalwaysfreezeincolder weather. Itbecomesalmostlike a solid white massinsidethe bottleandyou have to place the bottle inhot watertillitmelts.

Fruit

While we eat ctifferent frnit fo.rtheir multiple benefits, applyingtl1e111 tothe skin isalsohelpful.Take abit ofpapaya,banana

or orange pulpand mix itwith honey. Apply it all over the face andneckandyou will have moisnire rich skinintenminutes. This works forall skintypesandnotonlydry skin.

Cream and milk

If you have drylips,adabofghee or clarified butter,honeyor evencrean1will workwonders. Tryboilingalittle fullcream milk, the creamwill floatto the topand you canuse that asabase for face masks (cream mixedwith crushedalmondsorwalnuts is anexcellentmask for verydryskin);a face scrub(mixcreamandgram Aour and scrub your face with it to remove dryskin);or evenas aheavy duty moisruciser (mixcream and alittle milkandrub it into the skin gently).

Extra virgin olive oil

Winter canleadtodreadeddandruff.This oil worksveryweJltoeliminate dandruff due toitsanti-microbialqualities Warmit upandapplytoyour scalp.Ifyour hair is onthe drier side,blendthe oil with araw eggandapply- the oil will take care of the dandruff and the eggwillnourishthe so·andsandrootswith e.xtraprotein.

Antioxidant-rich diet

Make sureyouinclude oneor more 'superfoods'inyour diet. Tbese arefoods thatare high in nutrientsevenwheneaten in small quantities. Walnuts, pomegranates, salmon, quinoa, sprouts,leanmeats and seeds Like chia, sunflower and flax, give you energy, and the antioxidants and nutrients the bodyneedsto stayhealtl1yonall fronts.

Water

During winter we don't feel sotbirsty, but it is important todrink enoughwater through the dayso the cells ofthe skin staymoismrised.Youcaneven scareyour daywitl1a glass of warmwatermixed with honey -it is agreat detox for tl1e system, especiallyifyouhave alifestyle where you are indoorsat work or partyover weekends. Thiswill helpcountertheside effects of air conditioningand alcohol.

Talk toyourgrandmothers,read about seasonal foodsand tryroincorporate tl1ern into your dietandbeautyroutines.Your skin and hair will show theresultsof tl1e extracare andwinter winds won't hurttl1em anymore.

As theseasons change, so mustyourbeautyroutine

BYSANDIP HOR

IassumeMessilovesBarcelonawhile Ronaldopuncheshisweightbehind Madrid,theirfondnessobvious!)' arisi11gfromtheirrespective associationwiththetwocelebrated Spanishfootballclubs,BarcelonaFCand Reali\fadrid.

However,wheninSpainit'snot difficulttospototherpointsofrivalry betweenthenation'stwomostvisited destinations.Foremostisperhapsthecry fromBarcelonansforseparationoftheir state,Catalonia,fromSpain.Thecapital Madridhatesthisideaandasaresult someideologicaldifferentiationhasbeen explodingbetweenthetwocities.For example,there'snomorebullfightingin Barcelonabecauseit'snowthoughttobe brutal,butinMadriditcontinuesinfi.tlJ

swingasapartofage-oldSpanishtradition Eachofthetwocitiesclaimtobethe 'bestdestination'inSpain.However,asa firsttimevisitor,Istayneutrala11dstamp bothasequallyappealing,eachhaving theirownurbancharacterandhistorical, architecturalandcontemporarycharmsto dutchvisitorsintheirgrips.

TuckedbetweentheCollserolaHillsand ?vfediterraneanSea,Barcelonarepresents apatchworkofcharacteristicdistricts, narratingthestoryofitsevolutionfrom amedievalmaritimehubtothe19'h centuryextensionsandtoday'shighenecgy

boroughsetup.

Beingahistoryenthusiast,Istartmy BarcelonaodysseyatBarriGotic,orthe GothicQuarter,whichisthemedieval nucleusofBarcelona.Thisareainsidethe OldTownisalabyrinthofpavedsquares andtwistedstreetslinedwithsever.al pivotalbuildings,themostsignificant beingthemightyBarcelonaCathedral, ablendofGothicandRomanesque designItsconstructionbeganin1298 onthefoundationsofaRomantemple andl'Yfoorishmosqueremindingmodern generationsthattheRomansandthe Muslimsearliermarkedtheirfootstepsin Barcelona.

SotoodidtheJews,whowerealso occupyingpartsoftheOldTown,Antiga Sinagogabeingtheirmostnotableliving landmark.EdgingtheGothkQuarter isLaRa.mbla,thecity'srnostillustrious tl1oroughfare.Denselypackedwith restaurants,cafesandbars,thiskilometrelong,tree-linedavenueisadawn-to-dusk frenzyofhwnanactivity.

BarcelonaclaimstohaveEurope's greatestcollectionofArtNouveau buildingsdatingfromtheearlyI9'hcentury. Manyofthemweredesignedbyprodigious Cat.'lia.narchitectAntoniGaudiwhose distinctivestyleisbrandedbyfreedomof shape,riotofcolourandtexture.Acluster ofhiscreationsinBarcelonaareWorld Heritagelisted,mostvisitedamongthem beingPalauGi.ie.11,CasaMila,CasaBatU6 andLaSagradaFamilia,amonumental dmrchwhoseconstructioncontinuesto thisdaysinceitwascommencedin1883.

Ifthereistimetoseejustonething inBarcelona,ithastobetl1istowering building,deemedGaudi'smostfabled

concept,based on the traditions of Gothicand Byzantine carbedrals. His design calls fora total of 18 spires,some ofwhich are stillunder construction. Theyare supposed corepresentJesus, theVirginMary,Four Evangelists and the Twelve Aposrles. Whencomplete in 2026,thisband of spires willrepresent aunique addition totbe skylinevista of Barcelona. The cathedral's interior,whjch is almost complete, reAectsinnovativeuse oflight tobequeaththe architecture with eloquence andgrandeur. Gandi diedof atragicaccident in 1926 and hisbodyis buried inside the crypt,so that he remains for time eternalwithhisdistinguished formation.

IfLa Sagrada Familiaranks at the top ofanyBarcelonaitinerary, then Museo Nacionalde!Prado aptlyqualifies for a similar rankinginMadrid.Accordingto artgums,it fits inthe same bracket as the Louvre in Paris and the Uffizi Galleryin Florence,allofchembeinga treasure trove ofextraordinaryart andsculpture. Housed inavastneoclassicaledifice, the Prado embraces art from the 12'1,co2Q•h centuries andexhibits theworld's largestcollection ofSpanishworks.Its distinctfeature is the displayof the collectionsofformer Spanishmonarchswhichreflect the taste

andpoliticalalliances of the royaltyduring 15,1 to 17'" century. i\fanyvisit here tosee theworksofFrancisco de Goya,the most eminent Spanishcourtpainter,whosebest creationswere completed as a part of his officialduties.Severalof his masterpieces, like the NakedMajaandthe Clothed Maja,are housedinthis museum. \X-'hi.le the Pradopresents Spanish art, thereare museums inBarcelona, suchastheMuseu Nacionald'Art de Catalunya,thatshowcase mosrly Catalanarr.

The Sparush capitalsince 1619,Madrid is engravedwithmanyimperialemhlems, with rl1e 18•h centuryRoyal Palace being the biggestcrowdpuller .Manyofits 3000 rooms are opentothepublictowitness rl1e opulent lifestyle ofmonarchslil,e King CharlesII&IVand KingAlfonso XIV.

Like La Ran1blainBarcelona,the medievalquarter of Puerta de]Solis rl1ewhere the heart ofMadrid has been racingfor centuries.The area is filledwith churches, monasteries and government buildings,recent adrutionsbeinghordesof restaurants,cafes,bars,boutique shops and othetoutletsvisirors lookfor,like money changers andmobile phone suppliers.

It's close tothe expansive Plaza i\fayor,a paved square whichbeganlifein rl1e 15" centuryas a macket place and thena venue

for bullfights, carruvals and important ceremoniesofimperialMadrid.Astatueof 17'1,centurymonarch Phillip lIIstands at its centre. The squaretodayis animportant hubofsocialgarl1erings andis surrounded bysomeofMadrid's bestrestaurants;Los Galayos, servingauthenticSparushcuisine since 1894,beingoneofthem.

The biggestsimilarityberweenBarcelona andMadridis rl1eir passionfor football. Though tapas,paella and flamencoare other contributors toharmony, none are possiblyasstrongas rbe worldgame.

Both Can1p NouandSantiagoBernabeu Stadiums, the homesof Barcelona FC

Clockwisefromtopleft:Barcelona square;Gaudibuilding,Barcelona; Madridbullfightarena;Gaudi's ParkGuell, Barcelona;Sacred BlackMadonna insideMontserrat Monastery;RegalentrytoMadrid; RoyalPalace,Madrid

and RealMadrid, are pilgrimage sites for football fansirrespective of their cityof origin.Iftheirclubsarenotplaying, these fans have nohesitationinunitingtostand behind rl1e Spanishnationalteam during anyinternationalgame.

QatarAirways (www.qatarairways.com) have regularflights fromSydney, Melbourne, Adelaideand PerthtobothBarcelona and Madrid,with a highspeedtrainconnectionbetweenthetwocities.

HotelGataloniaBarcelona Plaza(en.cataloniabcnplaza. com) andHotelNH Madrid Eurobuilding(www.nh-hotelscom)areconveniently located and wellserviced.

• Tuckedata mountainous location40km awayfrom Barcelona, Montserratisa basilicaand monasterywherepilgrims stormtoseetheBlackVirgin.

• Dotted72kmfromMadridistheformer imperial cityofToledo.still deemedthe nation·s regaland cultural epicentre. TablaoVillaRosa(www.tablaoflamencovillarosa.com)in Madrid presents an excellent dinnerandflamencoshowpackqge.

SpanishTourism Board (www.spain.info)

,, Like La Rambla in Barcelona, the medieval quarter of Puerta del Sol is the where the heart of Madrid has been racing for centuries ,,

MATRIMONIALS

SEEKING GROOMS

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Highlyeducated Indianfamily,wellsettled in Sydneyfor 25 years,lookingfor amarchfor 30-year-olddaughter -goodlooking,mildcerebralpalsy,well educated and workingfull timeforlastsix years. E-mail kcas1210@gmail.com or call 0423 941 636.

Lookingfor asuitable match for 37-year-old, well educated, Brahmingirl. Well setdedin permanentgovernment jobin Brisbane. Height 5'3", slim and faircomplexion. Please replyto kumar.sham@bigpond.com.

Seekingprofessionallyqualified,settledmarch forSydney-ba.sed,never married, AusCitizen,Hindu,PunjabiKhatri,43, 5'3",slim,fair,attractive girl. Girl ispostgraduate and isworkingin agood position ingovernmentorganisation.Pleasesend detailswith photo to indsyd2016@gmail.com.

Seekingagroom for mydaughter,brought upinAustralia,from Kayasthafamily,livingin Sydneyfor past 24years. She is25years old,5'2",Bachelor of Commerce with Bachelor ofLaw from UNS\X,;aqualified lawyer workingwitl1reputedinternationalfirm in Sydney. She issmart,caring,hasgreatregardfor familyvalues. Lookingfor aqualified, smart boy,preferablysettled in Australia. Caste no bar. Send details to pbab93@gmail. com or call +61 412 487 801.

Seekingagroom for well-qualified,Tank-KhatriSikhgirl.Age24,height 163cm,slim, hotelmanagement,currentlyworking,businessfamily,based inCalcutta,India.Looking for handsome Sikh boy,well-educatedand working, from culturedfamilybasedanywhere in Australia,permanent reside.nt or citizen. Uncleslivingin Sydneyfor past 30years. Respond with photo and profilecosaggu.aman@yaboo.com or call +61 404 187 115for further information.

Seekingsuitable match for]ate-Sikhgirl,Australiancitizen,33,S'S",slim,fair,responsible, compassionateyonngbdywitl1acharmingpersonality. Professionallyqualified,workingin governmentorganisation.Boyshouldbe professionallyqualified,settledinAustralia.Caste no bar.Please send derailswid1 phototo kaur.nonie@gmail.com or call+61422409 881.

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATIONCENTRE

Seekingwell educated AustralianCitizen/PR for avery fair, slim, Khatri girlwillingto move to Australia. 31 yearsold, 5'3",comingto Melbonr.nefo March. Familysetded in Jalandbar,brother in .Melbourne. Call/Whatsapp:+91 99151 54747or emailbiodataand picmres to khanak3171S@gmail.com.

Wellsettled familyinAustraliaseeks professionalmarch for 29 year old,5'7",beautiful, Punjabi, Hindugirl with traditional Indian values,workingi.nasenior government position.Prefer boyhavingAustralian Citizenship o.r PRstatus. Send biodacaand photographs toausingh60@gmail.com.

SEEKINGBRIDES

Suitable match (vegetarianornon-vegetarian) for Australian-born,vegetarian,Punjabi doctor boy, 31 yearsold,5'7"rail,fair complexion.Familysettled in Australia. Please email desiny3239@gmail.com.

Lookingforasuitable matchfor33-year-old Brahminboy,wellsetdedfoAustralia. Involved infamilybusiness. Faircomplexion,height5'8". Emailkumar.sham@bigpond.com.

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Ph 0414338423

Ph 0410 719375

The 2016 NSW Budgetintroduced a 0.75 percentsurcharge land taxto be paid by foreign persons who own any residential land in NSW, including their principal place of residence. The surcharge is in addition to any land tax which may be payable.

Aforeign person may be a person, corporation, trustee, beneficiary or government, among others. This includes people who do not usually live in Australia. Australian citizens are notforeign persons.

Foreign persons will receive assessment noticesfrom March 2017. To find out more, visit www.osr.nsw.gov.au/surcharge

FREEDOMLIIESBlYONDIFEIR ACTING ON THE NEXT LEVEL

filled with people who - how do we put this politely? - don't give a damn about the next person.

Motwane, who last helmed the underwhelming Lootera, brings out the apathy in the large city in a sequence where Rao announces his departure to his fatmates.Theybarely muster a response and one ofthem indifferently asks where he is going.

Answer not relevant.

The preamble, which includes a sudden eruptionofromancewith a woman Noorie (Geetanjali Thapa) ends justassuddenly once Rao's characteris trapped in an apartmentso farremoved from human contactthat noscream of help reaches anyone's ear. It is a terrifying premise, executed effectively by a script that relentlessly exploresthe theme ofisolation and survival.

CinematographerSiddharth Diwan is as fearless behind the camera as Rao is in front. Together, theyshoot Shourya's growingdecline and fadinghopeof rescue with minimalist magnificence. Theshots are cutwith no room for lingeringwoundedness. IfShourya bleedswe can't look away.

TRAPPED

STARRING: Rajkummar Rao

DIRECTOR: Vikramaditya Motwaney

Whatwould you do ifyouwere trapped in a highrisefordayswithoutfood, water orcompany? Eat a bird although you are vegetarian? Check. Drink your own urine to quench yourthirst? Check. Talkto a ratfor company'ssake? Check. The incredibly gifted Rajkummar Rao, nostrangerto internalised performances, immerses himself in the

judiciously assembled plotwithsuch radiant authenticity thatafter a while we cease to watch theskill that underlines the outstanding performance. All wesee s thesuffering ofthetrapped soul, his desperation to get out ofthat apartment whereShourya is locked away farfrom civilisation, though not even a road away from the bustle.

Unlike othergreat survival dramas like RobertZemeckis' Castawayor Ang Lee's The LifeOfPi(the latter I exceedingly overpraised), Trapped is I set right in the heartof a swarmingcity

Rao's projection of his character's waningstrength is as authentic asTom Hanks in Castaway. Rao's Shourya is no islanded recluse. Thelittle apartment perchedsmugly and stoically in the sky is all theworld that Motwane's plot inhabits. There are no frills and no digressions. The background score by Aloknanda Dasgupta is used with rationed effect, quite liketime, food, water and hope running out on the protagonist.

The one time thatthe background score lightsupthe sound.scape is when Shourya collects rainwater in every vessel he can find in his high rise prison. It is an interludethat reminds usofwhat we have and what we take forgranted

can be snatched away within moments. Even the fashbacks areseverely restricted Uust one, actually, when we see Shourya arguing passionately in favourofvegetarianism before being forcedto eat a bird in the present crisis). Whatwegetisthe core element of survival. Thevery epicentre ofselfpreservation where no action or reaction is prohibited. It isvery difficultfor one actorto hold ourattentionfortwohours.

Rajkummar Rao gets our undivided attention unconditionally. His character's awful predicament isso tangibly tactile astoleaveusshakenforgood.

Amongthe many remarkable hurdles thatMotwane'sstorytelling crosses with its beleaguered protagonist is the whole idea ofgettingthegeographical periphery ofthecrisisright. The apartment building,the isolated fat and itsdistancefrom any human contact are all measured outbythestorytellers, so thatwe neverfeel we are beingtricked into believing in Shourya's crisis.

Atone point duringthe actor'sjourney fromself-assertion to self-abnegation, and beyond, we see Rajkummar Rao's trousersfall offfrom hiswaisttothe ground.This is probably a random unscheduled crisisthatwas allowed to remain on the editingtable. t helps servetwo purposes. Itshowsthe character's complete repudiation of vanity in the face of death. It also shows how much weightthe actor has lost in the courseofhisjourney.

It's hard to imagine Trappedworking so effectivelywithout Rajkummar Rao. He lives everysecond ofShourya's struggleforself-preservation. His journey issoillustrative of a migrant's metropolitan melancholy as to make any attemptto add signboards tothe storytelling akin to shiningtorchlightto supplementsunlight.

Subhash KJha

BADRINATH Kl DULHANIA

STARRING: Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Shweta Basu Prasad, Rituraj Singh, Sahil Vaid, Yash Sinha, Aakanksha Singh, Gauhar Khan

DIRECTOR: Shashank Khaitan

�.�,:

A quick-fix, from the stables of Dharma Productions, directorShashank Khaitan's Badrinath Ki Dulhania is a

AA GAYA HERO

STARRING: Govinda, Ashutosh Rana, Murali Sharma, Makarand Deshpande, ChandrachurSingh, Richa Sharma and Poonam Pandey

DIR , E�TOR: , Dipankar Senapati ...( �,(

Dear Govinda, I wentthroughthesingular experience ofwatchingyourlatestfilm touted as your comeback, butseverelysavaged by critics as being "too 1990s" to be taken seriouslynow. In caseyou didn't notice, it is 2017. Butwhen critics say Aa Gaya Hero istoo 1990s, I don'tknow whatthey mean, because even in the 1990s, yourfilms made byyourfriends like Pahlaj Nihalani and David Dhawan, looked like they came 30yearstoo late.

But anyway,thosefilms back then like Shola AurShabnam and Hero No 1 were fun, ifyou liked thatsort of a thing-thrusting pelvis, double meaning comebacks Nowthe pelvis doesn't thrust. It thirsts.

Therewas the inimitable and remarkablywitty Kader Khan for company back then. Alas, Kader Khan is no more partofyourjourney Thewit isgone.

In a scene in Aa Gaya Hero (Here

typically cliched, frothy rom-com, which exploits thesheer charm ofitsstars.

A lot happens and it happens charmingly with such quickspirit and wit, that it'senoughto putyou offromcomsfor a while. The film is not bad, but with no novelty factor. This isjust a case ofthe law of diminishing marginal utility.

Thestory involves Badrinath Bansal (Varun Dhawan), a typical small town dude from Jhansi, who itchesto get married soon. It is during his friend's

wedding in Kata that hespotsVaidehi Trivedi (Alia Bhatt), a bright, spirited and ambitious girl and sets hisheart on her. How he woos herforms the crux of the tale.

What keepsyou hooked isVarun's buffoonishyet lovable characterand with his charismatic and endearing performance, he portrays itwith panache. He is aptly supported byAlia, who is effortless and convincing. Together, they have the sort of

chemistry that might make any dialoguework, and it certainly works in this story about a typical Indian guy who is bogged down by his overbearing fatherand an ambitious girl, till the boy finds courageto finally come right out and oppose his father. This sort of chemistry is not always inevitable, but it works well here.

Rituraj is a powerful actor but as Amarnath Bansal, Badrinath's father, he is a misfit. Swanand Kirkire as Vaidehi's father, Shweta Basu Prasad and Yash Sinha as Badrinath's sisterin-law and brother have their moments of on screen glory.

Sahil Vaid as Badrinath's friend Somdev is delightfully impressive. Gauahar Khan as Police Sargeant Laxmi Shankar is wasted in a minisculerole.

One ofthe film's problems is thatthe plot nevergathers enough momentum, emotional or narrative, to involvethe audience. With several amusing and compelling episodes the film seems forced, predictable and yet entertaining.

Mounted on a grand scale, the songs are peppy and even soulful. They complement the narrative, but not organically.

Overall, thefilm isvisually appealing, glossy and vibrant.

TroyRibeiro

ComesThe Hero???!!!), I was aghastto seethe theatre stalwart Makarand Deshpande saying something as sleazy as- and I translate loosely - "When you grow older, what goes up in your younger days,stays down."

I am pretty surethatwas Makarand, though I could be hallucinating. I alsothink I saw Poonam Pandey in one shot. I haveno idea whatshewasdoing withyou, orwhy shewas doingwhat she wasdoing/notdoing. This film had that effect on me. It is like a lengthy, disjointed, incoherent, tawdry and tacky homage tothe honest-copssagas ofthe 1970s, executed bysomeone high on dope and low on hope.

Aa Gaya Hero could passoff as a spoof on Prakash Mehra'sZanjeer and Govind Nihalani'sArdhSatya, ifonly the director(where did youfind him???) had the sense of humourto carry offa

satirical look atthe khakhi genre.

You know, how Deadpoo/ spoofsthe superhero films? The only entityAa Gaya Hero ends up ridiculing is you, Govinda - once a star now reduced to a paleshadowofwhatyou onceusedto be.

The swagger ofSarkaye lo khatiya is replaced by a grotesque parody of the funny-entertaining hero who once was King. Who is this impersonator on screen? And what is he doing in this pathetic patchwork quilt of a product. parody that parodiesthe parodic

Govinda film ofthe 1990s,withgaping holes and ongoingcontinuity lapses.

Clearly, the editor has used a butcher'sknifeon thefootage, not knowingwhat to cut because it was all so messy.

Where isthe real Govinda? Why has he allowed this charlatan to take over?

If I was you, Govinda, I would slap a defamation suit againstthepeople responsible for this hideoustravesty. Nobody must do thisto Govinda. Not even Govinda.

Subhash KJha

STARS BEHAVING BADLY

We regularly hearof celebrities misbehaving in public. Now comedian-actor Kapil Sharma, thesimple guy whostarted small, has recentlyjoined this club.

Returningto India from a tourofOz, Kapil had a mid-air bust-upwith Sunil Grover, his loyal lieutenant.

Ofcourse he tookto social mediatofirstdenythe wholething and thentosay it was but a little matter ("itna to cha/ta han, and thento openlygrovel and profess undying love.

Really, Kapil?

Ofcourse Groverwould havenone of it and gavethestara piece of his own mind.

Seems like hehas no intentiontosupport Kapil's desperate attempttocover up his brat-like behaviour.

Sources say Kapil's change ofheart came from the intervention of his channel Sony TV'stop brass, who would notliketo see ratings drop if Grover quits. Others say fans turned on Kapil for his bad behaviour. Perhaps both aretrue. But onething'sforsure-yup, Kapil Sharma is the industry's newest brat.

GHOSTLY ANTICS OF ANUSHKA SHARMA

Sowe'veseen Anushka Sharma's ghost, called Shashi, in the most unlikely places by now.

Ifyou don't knowwhatwe are talking about, we mean the promotions of Anushka Sharma's new film Phillauri, in which she plays a ghost named Shashi.

In the lead up to the release on 24 March, Anushka has starred in a seriesof memeswhereShashi turns up at various places to stir things up, with the hashtag#ShashiWasThere.

So we saw her at the Oscars goof-up with the Best Picture announcement, atTrump'sswearing in ceremony, on Kapil Sharma's top-rating comedy show, and in many of Bollywood's iconic momentsfrom the recent past (Sheila kijawaani, Ranbir Kapoor's famous bath-towel scene, Aamir Khan's transistorshot...), and most recently inside Shah Rukh Khan's palatial home Mannat. Yup, Shashi was there everywhere.

Pityshe missed the real Shashi (Kapoor's) 79th birthday only a few days ago, eh?

And oh, ofcourse #ShashiWasThere as cricketer boyfriend Virat Kohli terrorised the Aussies on and offthe cricketfield....

WEIGHTY ISSUES: RANBIR KAPOOR

Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor, who is reprisingSanjay Dutt in a Hindi biopic onthe controversial actor's life, looks heavier than usual these days.

The asyet untitled film, being directed by Rajkumar Hirani, is said to portray seven different phases oftroubled actor Sanjay Dutt's life, startingfrom when he was all of 22.

The proverbial silver spoon, a stellar launch to a film career.then family tragedy, drugs, broken relationships galore, and ultimatelyjail - there must be some ofthese aspects from Sanjay's life that poor little rich boy Ranbir can himself identify with?

"It has been an inspiringjourney for me to be playingSanjay Dutt for the silver screen. I have never put on so much weight before and now plan to reduce some weightforthe nextphase ofshooting," Ranbirsaid at a recent press conference.

Weight is a congenital problem in yourfamily, Ranbir, sowe know where you're headed in your middle age butthe real weighty issuewewant clarification on, is what the hell where you doing in that distressing video conversationwith Mahira Khan?!

SUPERHERO OF A DIFFERENT KIND

Superman, Batman Pad Man. Yup, sanitary pad man.

AkshayKumar's new film, called Pad Man, is produced by his glamorous writerwifeTwinkle Khanna,

It is based on the real lifestory of Arunachalam Muruganantham, an entrepreneurwho found a wayto make cheap, affordablesanitarynapkinsfor women in his village. He scored much media attention the world overfor turningwomen s lives around in rural India.

Hisstory isone of the manyreal-life storiesthatformsTwinkle's acclaimed second book, The Legend ofLakshmi Prasad.

Twinkle says she is proud of being associated with a movie that brings the spotlight on a "shamed" subject like menstruation.

The shoot ofthe film gotunderway this month in Indore. The moviestars Akshay Kumar in the lead role, with Radhika Apte featuring as his wife. It is being directed by R. Balakrishnan, better known as R. Balki.

Mr Muruganantham was himself presentto see the film kick off.

STILL LOVE TV: SAKSHI TANWAR

Shehas delivered powerful performances in shows like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kil and BadeAchhe Lagte Hain, and after baggingthe role of Aamir Khan's wife in, many believed it could mark hershiftfromthe small to the big screen.

"Why should I," Sakshi told IANS when asked ifshe has quit TVfor Bollywood. "I havegiven 16 years of my life to TV. I have reallyworked hard to be where I am, so why should I justgive it up? Infact, I would love to experiment with more and more media. It's not aboutTV, films or web - you know an artiste tries to do as many possible mediums as he or she can."

Born and brought up in Alwar, Rajasthan, Sakshi grew up with two siblings- a brother and a sister- and pursued her graduation from Lady Shri Ram College here. She earned fame forher character Parvati Agarwal of

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

the popular Balaji telefilms TV series Kahaani Ghar GharKii and later as Priya Ram Kapoor on BadeAchhe Lagte Hain.

In Dangal, the actor played Daya Kaur,wife of Mahavir Phogat, essayed by Aamir. The film did roaring business at the box office, but Sakshi always kept a low profile.

"I kept a low profile earlieralso, and nothing has changed after Dangal. The way I am and the way my life is, it has been samefor a numberofyears and I don't think it's evergoingto change because it has to do with the kind of person I am. I am grateful that I got an opportunity to do lovelywork, and beyond that, I am the person that I am," said the 44-year-old.

It definitely hasbeen a longjourney forSakshi from Parvati to where she is now. Kudos to her!

ALIA BHATT: STUPID, OR SMART?

Alia Bhattsays she would rather be stupid than pretend to be smart and intelligent.

Social media had a field day when Alia famously drew a blank when asked to name the President of India on a TV show notso long ago.

"A lot of energy is consumed in pretendingtotheworld that you know it all," the 24-year-old said recently.

"Ifyou preserve this energy, you can use it to learn.True knowledge in acquired by being on the threshold of ignorance."

The Udta Punjab actorsays it would bother her ifthere are nojokes at her expense.

"When thejokes on me stop coming, I'll be upset. If I am crossingyour mind at any point ofthe day, I am relevant. So why I should be upset? Myfather says one day, the flowers will stop coming and you'll be upset. I say one day, thejokeswill stop coming, and then I'll be upset," she said.

Hmm. Smart.

ON HAPPY MARRIAGES: KJO Filmmaker Karan Joharsays he would beshocked and surprised if he comes across a "happy marriage" in the film industry.

"A happy marriage in the industry would reallyjolt me. I'd be like, 'You're a dinosaur, get out of here'," he says. Besides being a successful director, producer and writer, the 44-year-old is the son of acclaimed late producer Yash Johar. He is known to be the ultimate insider to the industry.

For him to make a comment like this, it really makesyouwonder about all thoseseemingly happily married couples in Bollywood.

WHO WORE IT � BETTER?

MALAIKA ARORA KHAN or GIULIANA RANCIC in AZZO AND OSTA

+ Shareyour views with us on our Facebook page /lndianLinkAustralia

WORTH WAITING FOR: VIDYA BALAN'S BEGUM JAAN

The morewehear about forthcoming period drama BegumJaan,the more we wantto see it.

Costumes are bound to be interesting, one would guess. Designer Rick Roy has revealed that National Award winning actorVidya Balan donned un-ironed outfits, to bring authenticityto her role as brother owner.

"Vidya had 40 changes (outfts) for the film. None of the clothes she wore were ironed. It was her idea to dip wash the clothes and skip the ironing part. This ensured herclotheslooked worn and added to the authenticity. Nobody's clotheswere ironed in the film," Roy said recently.

"Theywere dyed in vegetable dyes, so thatgives that muted, earthy shade," he added

The film is a story ofsurvival set against the backdrop of the country's Partition in 1947. It is a Hindi adaptation of National Award winner Srijit Mukherji's critically-acclaimed Bengali outing Rajkahini.

WHAT TWEETY BIRD TOLD US THIS WEEK

Match the followingstars to the tweets below:

Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar, Anushka Sharma

Shoothoon! Apni superpowers use karke Mannat mein ghus toh gayi! Pata hai wahan kya hua? #ShashiWasThere

Thank you for all the crazy love we have got this season for our stimulating cups of koffee!!!

Actors go for roles with possibility. Instead an actorshould choose the impossible &give it his/her best even if it means to fail trying it

Embarking on a newjourney, this time with the Mrs. First day of @ mrsfunnybones' #Pad.man directed by R. Saiki, need urlove & luck as always

What's the chitchat between PRIYANKA CHOPRA and JIMMY FALLON?

Send in your responsesto win@indianlink.com.au and win a movie pass

What's the chitchat between KARAN JOHAR and ALIA BHATT?

KARAN: This one's my pretend child, but I've now gottwo real ones back home!

SHALEEN GILHOTRA Cromer NSW

Shaleen wins a ticketto Hindi film Badrinath Ki Dulhania

Green-eyed monster

DEAR AUNTYJI

I am a fairly hardworking person in IT and always go the extra mile. Recently, I wasgiven a new projectto manage and I took it on board However, I have noticed that one of my colleagues has been makingsnide comments about me, even to my face When I reported this to my manager, I found outthat Pradeepwanted to do the projectthat I got, and wassomewhatjealous ofthe fact that I had been given it despite my so-called lack oftechnical skills. My manager and I get along really well, and hetendsto support me in situations like this Auntyji, when I found out about Pradeep'sjealousy, I wasgobsmacked He isalwaysso nice to myface and makingjokesand all, but behind my back, hetried to knife me I mean, what kind of a person is he, and thisjust bringsto lightthat Indian people are alwaysjealous of other Indian people. I never believed this till now What should I do? I

have been a little reserved towards Pradeep, but I wonder when he intends to stick the knife in mypeeth again Whatto do, Auntyji?

AUNTYJI SAYS

Hmm. There are jealous people everywhere, so this Pradeep is no different. The only thing different about Pradeep isthat he was foolish enough to try to cast aspersions about you to your manager. Everyone knows not to take on a likeable character in the workplace. People will always defend people they like. So, what should you do? Continue to focus on yourwork and do such a stellarjob at the project that there should not be any doubt in anyone's mind that you were perfect forthe role. Be polite, friendlyand professional to Pradeep, and let him dig his own grave with hisjealousies. Stupid man should have realised that you aregoingplaces. and heshould haveyou on side. So, worksuper hard, be pleasant and professional, and treat Pradeep like any other colleague. Sooner or later he willget what he deserves. And so will you - a promotion!

DEAR AUNTYJI

We bought a beautiful terrace in Sydney for less than a million dollars 3 years ago, and last month, our neighbours' terrace, which is the same as ourssold for$1.6 million dollars! Can you believe it? Everyone was so happy and the neighbours even had a celebration afterwards, theyweregiddy with excitement. Now, Auntyji, I am a strategic thinker, and seeingthat 67% growth filled me with despair I have two daughters and I am concerned that they will neverbe able to own a home inSydney. Since the sale, while my husband and otherneighbours are running around crowingabouttheir good fortune, I have been tilledwith despair on the inside. Why do Ifeel this way?

AUNTYJI SAYS

Oh my dear chu/buli, my dear gu/abo. How nice it is to see a home owner with some sense for a change. Yes,

Sydney's property market increases are unsustainable. There is likely to be a correction. Whatyour hubby and neighbours are selfshly not seeing is now their actions and motivations are creating a divided society. You are absolutely right in feeling sad about your daughters not being able to afford homes in the current climate. So, here is what you should do. Start planning on getting a second property, so that both ofyour daughters will have somethingthat they will own one day. This isthe onlysensible advice I can giveyou - because Sydney,s housing market is out of control. So speakto yourfinancial planner about how you can get an investment property in due course, and thiswill be a long term investment. I suppose I could also tell you that you don,t need to worry about this because laws will change and there will be considerations made for first home buyers in thefuture- but you should not depend on the government forthis. Start planningforhowyou can help your kids - becausewe all know that that,s what good Indian parents do anyway. Congratulations onthe 67% capital gain. Where exactly doyou live in Sydney again?

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