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INDIAN LINK

_ PUl3LJS��R

. �<1"'.�n !:.�tbr11, EDITOR

l,?ain!t-11_a11 d Luthr-3

ASSISTANT EDITOR; l<ira Spucys:Taha;:

t-11:LBOURNE COORDl�ATOR

Preeti Jabbal

! CONTRIBUTORS

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Indian Link is a monthly newspaper published in English. No material, includi�g- ad'.-'.E!r�i�ernents_, designed by Indian Link, may be reproduced in partor in whole without the written consent ofthe2 editor.Opinions carried in IndianLinkare those of the writers and not necessarily

Section18C: Another nail in the coffin?

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

WaleedAly,GoldLogie winnerandoneof thefew multicultural cmnmentatorson Australiantelevision, oncesaid thatthereisahighlevelof low levelsof racisminAustralia.

TheproposedchangestoSection 18Cof theRacialDiscriminationAct couldnowchangethisro ahighlevelof highlevelsof racism.Theseproposed changes,announcedonHarmonyDay andjustdaysafterthegoverim1ent releasedareportontheachievementsof mulciculturalisminAustralia,dohavethe potentialcomakeiteasierforpeopleco beracistinpublic.

Forthosewhodon'tknow-andthere aremany whodon't•Section18Csaysit isunlawful foraperson rooffend,insult, humiliateorintimidateanotherpersonor agroupof peoplebecauseof d1erace, colourornationalorethnicoriginof the otherpersonorof some orallof the peoplein d1egroup.Underd1eproposal, theword"harass"willreplace thewords "offend","insult",and"humiliate".A

provisionwillalsobeincludedsayingthe testtobeappliedindecidingwhed1er ISChasbeenbreached,isthe objective standardof "the reasonablememberof theAustraliancommunity"orthepub test.

Itisimportanttonotechatracism notonlydisadvantagespeopleovertly, forexampledenyingpromorioninthe workplace contextorrejectionasa potentialtenantof aresidentialproperty, butcanalsomanifestinotherways andcauseorbersort�of harm.Racist commentscanleadtohurtandanger,fear andparanoia.Therecanbearnotedirect impactonmigrantsasitcanexposethem toridiculeabouttheirclod1esandculntre.

Section 18Cinitscurrentformat basworkedwellforthe20-oddyearsit hasbeeninplace.Yes,tl1erehavebeen proceduralissues around d1eedgeswhere trivialcompaintshavecomed1roughor thetime.linebetweentheoffenceand legalactionhasbeenlong.Butlargely,it hasbeenashieldprovidedbyd1eState forthosemostvulnerable.Thosewho mayhavelessknowledgeof thesystem andunderstandii1gof d1eirrightsnnder the.law,havebeenthe mostexposed,This veryprotectionforthelncligenousand migrantconm1w1itiesseemstobebeing takenawaybythewhite,male,middJeagedsub-sectionof societywhoholdthe reinsof powerinCanberra.

Whatashametl1ataPrimeMinisrer,

whowaswellsupportedbythe mulriculcmalcommunitiesatd1elast election,hasallowedbimself robeheld hostagebyfringeelementsinbisparty, advorntingTrump-rypepolicies.

If anyrepealof Section 18Cis toallow formotespeech -givenitisbecoming atenetof theLiberalPartytoallow for morelaisse fairepolicies• d1enwouldit beamatterof timethattherighttobear armsbecomesallowedinAustralialikeit isintheUS?

The Indian Llnk surveyinthisissue tndicatesthatthereneedscobealotof talkingbyd1eLiberalsideof politics totheirmulticulturalelectoratesshould theywishtomininuseanybacklash.The sixsearsmostattiskfortheminclude Reid(CraigLaundy),Bennelong(John Alexander),Banks(DavidColeman), Chisholm(JuliaBanks),Deakin(Michael Sukkar)andBrisbane(frevorEvans). Withaone-seatleadinthecurrent Parliament,theoddsareverymuchagainst theCoalition:howcantheydisregardd1e flow-oneffectsof thenew18Cwithinthe multicnlniralvotebank?Changesco 18C maybeanattemptbytheLiberal-National partiestoclosethegapwithOneNation andtheirpolicies-butatwhatcost?

TheCoalirion's trackrecordonissues of samesexmarriage andclimatechange hasbeencondemnedbymany;changes toSection 18Cmightwellnunomtobe anothernailinthecoffinforthem.

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Indian

YOURSAY

RIPVIMLA LUTHRA

Indian Link was overwhelmed with expressions of support following the passing of MRS VIMLA LUTHRA JI. The tribute by her grandchildren was also very well received. Here is a selection of your memories and thoughts.

AnjallPassey wrote:Very saddened. I will always miss you. All prayers for the family and may your soul rest in peace and hope you keep showering your blessings from the heaven above. A really a great tribute to Massi ji by her grandchildren! Loved reading each one of their feelings for her. A role model, a legend and a divine person. She will remain in our hearts always.

Poonam Luthra wrote: Beautiful tribute. Her blessings are always with all of you.

Raghu Kamath wrote: Vimlaji, you have been an inspiration for all the anchors and the listeners of Indian Link Radio. RIP. Your presence will be missed.

PrlyankaTater wrote: The first time I had Vimlaji on-air on one of my shows, I had no clue that she was the "boss' mom". She rang in just like any other passionate listener and shared her thoughts with so much humility. And how can I forget her poetry the fact that she wrote some of those verses made me a fan of her literary skills. Your voice still remains fresh in my mind. You will be missedVimlaji.

ShlvdevKier wrote: Most respectedVimlaji -words cannot even begin to express our feelings. Someone so special cannot be forgotten. May Almighty put you in a very special place where you will be watching us, the people who loved and cherished your blessings. You will forever remain in our hearts. RIP.

Subhadra Maudgal wrote: Oh, cannot believe that Vimla ji is no more. She was a loving and very dignified person. May her soul rest in peace and give strength to the family to bearthis loss.

Jaswlnder Dhlllon wrote: VimlaJi was an inspiration to so many people. I listened to her poem about Jawani only last week, it's hard to believe she has left us. RIP.

Shally Relan wrote: May your soul Rest in Peace. You will be missed in Indian Link family and heartfelt condolences to the entire family.

JasreenSingh wrote: Vimla ji you will be missed aap ki kavitayen

hamesha bahut madhur thi our respect and alvida to you

NavdeepKumarKalla wrote: We will miss you Vimla ji. aapki batein

kavitaye aapki awaaj

Ruchlka Mangla wrote: RIP Vimla ji. You will be terribly missed inthe Indian Link family.

SandhyaSharma wrote: Vimla ji, you will be always in our hearts.

SubhashlnlChanna wrote: The programme dedicated to Mrs Luthra on Indian Link Radio was very well presented. It was very emotionalto hear her narrate her own poems. A greattribute to a great personality. Kudos to you all.

JLFCONVERSATIONS

JLFcame to Melbourne and brought its unique and frank discussions on context, culture and history, reported APARNA ANANTHUNI

Krlshwrote: Interesting read! I wonderif HarryPotter is considered "women's writing" by anyone. Or The Hunger Games for that matter. There's no doubt that eachgender can contribute a different perspective to the same story, but in a transgendered, transnational world, do perspectives stillneed to be from what's experienced andnot just felt?

ASKAUNTYJI:WEIRDCELEBRITYBABYNAMES

Auntyji gave her thoughts on Kareena and Saltcalling their baby boy

Taimur

Krlsh Na wrote: My wonderful friend Taimur from Russia, originally of the Caucasus, approves your advice, Auntyji!

ChandraKlshore wrote: Who cares what they calltheir child!

WHAT A RACIST ATTACKINMOSCOW TAUGHT ME

Society's hidden racism that comes out when it's dark, is a realfear, but we can't allow fear to control us, wrote KRISHNA NEELAMRAJU

Ken Dorge wrote: A beautiful story from a beautifulhuman being

SALTOFTHEEARTH

DHANYA SAMUEL wrote about the holistic approach to farming at Avani boutique winery

Australia In lndla shared Indian Link's article: One of the best places to enjoy a glass of Avani wine in Victoria is at Tulsi restaurant, owned by Shashi Singh and her husband Devendra. Originally from Haryana, they both moved to Australia in 1983 and today own the 15-acreAvani boutique winery in Red Hill South, Victoria.

Alan Davidsonwrote:After reading the excellent story of Shashi and Devendra Singh from AvaniWinery, on the Mornington Peninsula, I wrote to them asking if they would do a story for my newlocal onlinepublication The Peninsula Star. Your story, just published, is terrific and I wondered if there would be a chance that I could reproduce it with credits?

It could make a cover story with the right illustration.

LETTER TO THEEDITOR

To Indian Link,

My name is Li Max Joy from Hobart. I was assaulted andracially abused by 4 boys and a girl here in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

I am seeking help from associations registered under the Ministry of Indian Affairs. I am trying to contact the Minister for Foreign Affairs Sushma Swaraj to help me. I am attaching the details and forwarding the complaint given to Tasmanian police this morning.

ToTasmanian police, report number: 557854.

RespectedSir, I am an Australian Citizen of Indian descent holding an OCI card. I am a part time taxi driver in Hobart. Driving my taxi, between 4.30am and 5am on 25th March, 2017, three boys assaulted me in the McDonald's premises in Argyle Street, Hobart.

I went to the toiletof the McDonald's and was goingback to my taxi vehicle to continue my shift. I saw four boys and a girl inside the Mc Donald's arguing with the staff.I did not order any food as they were harassing the staff. I heard the staff telling them they would be calling cops if they did not leave.

When they were coming out of the store they saw me. A boy wearing a black t-shirt called out, "Why you looking at us, you black Indian****."I said, "Sorry, I am not looking at you mate."

All of a sudden, with no provocation, a boy wearing a white t-shirt and the boy wearing a hat punchedmecontinuously in the face. I tried to block them and tried to get in the store. They continuously hit me while wearing metal rings on their fingers. My face started bleeding from the right upper eye area and my jaw was hit continuously by them.

I took their photos before they left McDonald's. While I was taking a photo they again came at me and hit me again and again. I called the police for help as soon as possible and police officers attended.

I am attaching photos of my condition on attending the emergency department at Royal Hobart Hospital. A police officer asked me if I will stand against the men who assaulted me. I said I will stand till my last breath to make sure they will be punished under Australian law.

I hope theTasmanian police willhelp me and make sure these men are charged under the law. I am ready to come to court if necessary. Kindly do the needful to investigate the case.

Yours faithfully,

LI MaxJoy

INDIANS MUST STOPFUNDING POORGOVERNANCE

Indian citizens have to wake up to the fact that they funding the lifestyles of their politicians while themselves being made to lie in eternal wait for "achhe din" wrote SANAM SHARMA

ChandraKlshore wrote: The young peopleshouldspeak out and be part of the required change

RISING STAR ANKITASACHDEV

Former Indian Link Radio idol and now ColorsTV Rising Star Ankita Sachdev spoke with Indian Link Radio's own KASHIFHARRISON

SrinivasanNswrote: Best wishes. Keep risingwithyoursweet voice and talent!

SUNNYSIDEUP!

In an Australian exclusive, RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA spoke with little Lion star Sunny Pawar

AnnSharonvanBeemen-Prasad wrote: He is cute, isn't he?

Maryanne Fonceca wrote: This fills my heart with sooo much joy!

David Hersant wrote: He loves Australia, he'd probably stand for the anthem

PROUDTO BEVICTORIAN

PREETI JABBAL reported on the new government campaign on multiculturalism in Victoria featuring Indian-Australian Satbir Singh

Kah/on

RobinScott MP wrote: Great write-up by Indian Link's PreeHJabbal on our #vicproud campaign, profiling the inspiring Satbir.

JasvlnderSidhu wrote: Well done PreetiJabbal andIndian Link

HarlnderSidhu @AusHClndia tweeted: Indian-Australian Satbir Singh

Kahlon is a great example of #multicultural Australia @VicGovAu campaign

WOWING US WITHTHEIRWORK

Not-for-profit Women Of Wyndham continues to support theMelbourne community. This time with their inauguralmulticultural evening.PREETI DAGA reported RakeshRalzada wrote:Thank you Indian Link for the coverage and support

+JOIN THECONVERSATION

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> CLICK 'Like' to join the Indian Link Facebook community or 'Follow' @lndian Link on Twitter

BY CARL BUHARIWALA

Srudents of Hindifrom theVCE Classof 2016 reconvenedin March foraspecialoccasion. ThelocalHinditiket.'ln organisationhadorganisedthe event torecognisetheireffortsinstudying their mothertongue.

Theeventalsomarkedtheappreciation of Hindi,oneof thefastestgrowing languagesinAustralia.Members of allages tooktothestagetoperformHindi songs, poetry,skitsanddance .routines.Theevent showcased traditionalandcontemporary performancesanditwasremarkabletosee the youngergenerationsspeakingHindi withahighdegreeof proficiency.

The HindiNiketan hasbeenorganising theeventforthepast22years.

DrRahuJGupta, Pres.ident,commented, "Itisgreattoseemanystudentslmdertake VCE Hindi.Theyareallcontributingto thepromotionof thisgreatlanguagetothe widerVictoriancommunityforfutureYear 11and12students."

Thegraduatesreceiveda trophyand certificateof recognitionfor theirefforts. Thosewhorankedfirst,secondandthird, accordingtotheirsrudyscore(outof 50), receivedamonetaryprizetoo.

Forthosewhomightnotknowtbe hi.storyabout theVCE Hindi subject,Hindi becameanaccreditedVCEstudyin 1993. TheVictorian Cmriculum andAssessment Authority(YCA.A),thedepartment responsibleforVCEtesting,assessments andexamination,workedinconsultation withlanguageexpertsandcommunity leaders,includingDr DineshSrivastavaof

Hindi iketan,to haveHindiaddedasa VCE languagestudy.

TheVCAA develops,monicors andreviewsVCE languagestudies toensurethatthe needsof Victoria's culturally and li.nguiscicallydiverse communitiesare supported.Monash CouncilMayor RebeccaPatterson noted,"Thereare approximately 147 languagesspoken athomeswithinthe J\fonashjurisdiction. Encouraging theyounger generationstolearn a languageensuresthattheyretainthis vitalunderstandingforfurnreyearsand generacions."

lndia11LinkcontactedtheVCAA,to obtain current factsaboutthe Hindisubject. TheVCAAadvisedthattheoverallnumber of VCE smdentsundertakingHindihas remainedrelativelystableover thepastfive years.Si.nee2012,enrolmentshaveaveraged between34and41. Cornplecionrates havealsoremained steadywithstudents successfullycomplecingthesubjectBased ondataforthepreferredlanguagestudied, Hindiiscurrentlyranked21outof the 46 languages offered. Chinese,Frenchand Japaneserank1st,2ndand3rdrespeccively.

AllstudentsthathadundertakentheVCE HindisubjectattendedcentresrunbyThe Victorian SchoolofLanguages(VSL).VSL provideslanguageprograms forsmdents inYears1to12who donothave access tothe smdyof thoselanguagesintheir mainstreamschool.

Representing theVSLPrincipalDrFrank Merlino,DrRoigerNord (SeniorManager for theSouth-Eastregion)encouragedpast studentstopromotetheHindisubjectto futurestudentsand recognised theopening of thenewPointCookcentreearlier this year.

TheVCEHinditeacherswere commendedfor theirdedicacionco enrichingthestudentexperienceand providinggualitylearningsupporttothe students.Parents were also praisedfor transportingtheirchildrento classesevery Saturdaymorningandencouragingchemto persevere.

Whilsta majority of thestudentswho completedVCE Hindiwereof Indianorigin, itwouldberewardingcoseetl1enon-Indian studentsundertakethissubject.Teachers of Hindi,andfamilieswhospeak Hindi, needtopromotethelanguagecotherestof Victoria.L1d.iaisaboomingeconomyand thepreferenceforthislanguageshouldbeas highasFrenchandChinese.

,, Hindi became an accredited VCE study in 1993 after consultation with language experts and community leaders, including Dr Dinesh Srivastava of Hindi Niketan ,,

Morescl1oolsshouldbeencouraged to teachHindi;alanguagethatranksinthe topfivemost cominonlyspokenlanguages intheworld.Withitsclose relationshipto Sanskrit,Hindiisafundamentallyimportant language withuniquehistoricroots.

Leaningalanguageis importantand everystudentshouldbeencomagedtolearn alanguageocherthanEnglish. Knowing aforeignlanguagewillassistyouathome, withfriends,inthe workplace and whenyou are socialising/networking.Itshowsrespect, a willingnesstoassociatewithothersin differentplacesof theworldandaneffort tomakecommunicationeasier.

Indian priest returns to his parish afterracially-motivated

IndianLink.

attack

BY USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND

earingnoillwilltowardsbis attacker,FatherTomyKalathoor Mathew,theMelbournepriest whowasrecentlyscabbedinan isolatedbutracially-motivated hatecrimeon19_March, hasresumedduties atStMatthew'sCatholic ChurchinFawkner North,celebratingSundaymasswith parishioners.

The48-year-old cleric,whohails from Kerala, wasstabbedin theshoulderbya disgruntledparishionerwhocookexception tohisIndianbackground.Hewas luckyto escapewitl1non-lifethreateninginjuries.

"You areIndian,soyoumusebeHindu orMuslimand are notqualified todeliver mass,"the manstatedbefore attackingtl1e priestwitha lmife.

Theincidenttook place in tl1echurch foyer,asthepriestwasabouttobeginthe 11am Italianmass.Themanhassincebeen chargedwitl1intencionalJyandrecklessly causinginjuryandwillfacecourtinJune.

Narratingtheincident,FrMathew told TnrlianLinkthattheparishioner,whowas notaregular visitor,had accostedand racially abused hima weekprioraboutbis ethnicity.Healsolater foundomthattl1e attacker,whoisof Italiandescent,had enqLtiredabomtl1e"Indian"priestwhilehe wasawayforholidaysinJanuary.

"I was uneasyaboutbisanger towards meandmyIndianheritage and notified theParishCouncil,butIneverexpected th.ismovefrom hllll,"Fr i'vfathewtold

StMatthew's welcomesbelieversfrom manydifferentlinguistic andcultural backgroundsincluding thoseof Italian, Polish,lndian,SriLankan,Vietnamese,Iraqi aswellasAngloandlrishbackgrounds,and hascelebratedth.isdiversitybyemplO)'it,g min.iste_rsfromdifferentnationalities.

"\Wehavea wonderfulco=uniry hereandnaturallytheywereallshockedparticularlytheItalians,whowereashamed bytheircompatriot'signorance,"FrMathew said."Theattackwasnodoubtthework of a mentallysickpersonwhoneedsour supportandsympathy.\Veshouldprayfor suchpeoplesothattheymaynotcause harmcoothers,andtheymaybeablecoget melightof truth."

"IamalsotrulygratefultoGod for havingmadeth.isincidentforpromotingme virtue of forgivenessandGod'severloving care,"hesaid.

Downplaying tl1e racialovercones,Fr Mathewemphasisedthatitwaspure ignorancethatfuelledtheunfortunate incident.Indeed,therearenearly20mill.ion CatholicsinIndia.

"ManypeoplechinkthatIndiaisaHindu country.Theydonotrealisethatmereisa substantialChristianfollowingchatdaces backmanycenmrie.s,aswe.11asmanyother religions.Wenrnstbeloversof humani.ryiJ1 allitsdiversity,whichisverysignificantina nationlikeAustraliawhereweareallfrom differentorigins."

FrMathewhasneverthelessbeen overwhelmedbythe gestures of support hehasreceivedfromworkcolleagues, parishioners,police,healthcareprovidersas wellastheIndianConsulate.

"Theconsularserviceofferedtomewas prompt,personalandwellbeyondthecall of duty,"henoted.

"Theycreatedmelikecheywould their ownfamilymember,"headdedwith gratitude.

Thepriesc, whoarrivedin Australia five yearsago,alsohasnothingbutpraisefor d,egenerosityof chisbeautifulcountry.

"Iamnotconcernedaboutsuch happeningsin future,"hesaid."Ihave alwaysbelievedAustraliaisnotaracist country.Itis trulywelcomingand mulriculcural.Th.iswaswhatIusedto tel1 myfriendsandfamilybackinIndia whowereconcernedabouttheracismin Australia.I wouldlovecobe.lievethesame even now."

FrMathew, whorelocated toMelbourne in2012,belongsto Kalathoorfamilyof KarimbuinAnakkampoyilandbecame apriescunderdieTharnarasserydiocese in 1994.Hehadpreviouslyservedat churchesinAdakkakundu,Vettilappara,

KallurntciandChundadrnmpoyil,and woi:kedasateacheratAlphonsaSchoolin

Thamarassery

Expressing shockattheappalling incident,theCatholicJ\rchdioceseof Thamarasserywasrelievedtohearabout miraculousescape.

"DuetoGod'sgraceand thespecial robesfortl1e masstheknifedidn'tgo deep and just injuredtl1eneckmuscles," AbrahamKavi1purayidathi1,chancellor and spokespersonof Thamarasserydiocese stated,addingmatFrMathewisdetermined tosmyon andcontinuehisgoodwork.

"People shouldneverbetreatedlike th.is," said ShaneHealy,a Catl10licArchdiocese of Melbournespokesman,condemningthe attack."Fr_Mathewisdoingwonderfulwork for hisparishionersand chisis reallyablight ontl1egreatworkthatmany,manyCatholic priestsaredoing."

Celebrate Easter with Us!

There will be face painting, balloon twisting, art and craft, a prize giveaway, plus an Easter egg hunt with a special guest appearance from the Easter Bunny! Make sure you and your family come along and enjoy the fun!

CRAIG/EBURN RD

Anger in communit at changes to Section SC

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

BYKIRA SPUCYS-TAHAR

Just oneday after releasingareport titled'lvlu.lticulturalAustralia:United, StrongandSuccessful',Prime Ministerl\1alcolmTurnbullandhis LiberalPartycolleaguesannotmced theirproposaltoamendSection 18C of the RacialDiscriminationAct.

After montl1s of debate andaJoint ParliamentaryCommitteeReportwhich failedroreachaconclusion on 18Cbut calledfor operationalandprocessreform of theHumanRightsCommission,andin spite of severall\{Psspeakingagainstthe changes-likelydue totheirmarginalseats, or thosewitl1ahighnumberof etlmic comnnmities intheirelectorates-tl1e proposed billwasagreedtoby theparty room.

Ethniccommunity groupshavesaid theseproposedchangesaredisappointing andmotivatedby outdatedideologies or politicalexpediency.Theyhaveadvisedthat wateringdown theRacialDiscrimi11ation Actwillallowracisminthecommtmity ro flourishandcreatelegalconfusion.

lndiat1Linkcompiled asurveyto determineif attitudesattl1egrassroots levelinthecommunityarereflectedby thetone of debateamongleadersand politicians.225responsesweregatl1ered inaperiodof 24hours.Themajorityof respondentswereof Asian origin (56%), followedbyAustralian origin (25%)and Europeanorigin(5%).

1n manyways, theresults of iliesurvey weremostlyunsurprising.

Whenasked,"Thegovernmenthas proposedchangestoSection18C of theRacialDiscriminationAct.Do you

understandwhatiliesechangesmean?"a majority41%responded'Yes,somewhat' followedby 36°/,)with 'Yes,completely'.Of tl1erespondentswhowerelessclearabout thechanges,13%answered'No,notreally' and10%'No,notarall'.

Itseemsthe Coalitiongovemmentmay bein trouble if itcontinuesits crusadewith thesereforms. National5leader Barnaby Joycehaspreviously said l8Cis nota burning issue intheelectorateandthe governmentwouldlosevotes onit.The resultsof oursurveyindicateheisnor wrong

AnoverwheL1ung majority of 70%of respondentsindicatedtheissuewouldhave some influence over dieirdecision(33%) orwouldcompletely change theirvote (37%)inthenextelection.Thisshouldbe particularlyconcerningfortheCoalition governn1entgivenchatitsuffereda2.8per centswingagainstitatthelaseelectionand holdspowerwiiliasingleseatmajorityin thelowerhouse.

OppositionLeaderBill Shortengave

RITAM MITRA castsa legal eye over what the proposed changes mean

Currently,itis unlawfulforapersonto do anacttliatisreasonablylikelyto offend, insult,humiliate orintimidateanother personorgroup of people onthegrounds of race,colour ornationalorethnic origin.If thenewlawpassesasproposed (whichisinitself uncertain),itwill onlybecomeanoffenceto"harassand intimidate"apersononthosegrounds.

1noilierwords,under roeproposed amendment,itwillbepermissibleto offend,humiliateorinsultanindividual ontl1ebasisof race,aslongasthe conductdoes not"harassandintimidate"

theindividual.Atlaw,forconductto be "harassment",itmustgenerallyinvolve asustainedpattern of conduct,rather iliaoone-off incidents.Additionally, theintroductionof roe''intimidation" conceptsuggestsaneedforafearof physicalharm.Togeilier,thesechanges representasignificaritwateringdown of ilieprotections currentlyavailableto victim� of racialdiscrimination,asthey imposeamuchlugherthreshold upon discriminatoryconduct.

I•

SectionISC of theActcurrently considerswhetl1erconductdirected

mwardsapersonwouldin"allthe circumstances"bereasonablj•likelyto offend,insultorhumiliateaperson or group of people.

MalcolmTurnbullhasconfirmed matdiegovernmentisproposingdie introductionof a"reasonableperson" testto determinewhetherconductwould (underthenewlaws)harassor.intimidate apersononprohibitedgrounds.

Theeffectof a"reasonableperson"test isthataperson'sindividualcircumstancei; wouldnolongerberelevantinconsidering racialdiscrimination(-asiscurrently iliecase).Thisiscounrer-inmitive;a racialslurdirectedcowardsaperson of

animpassionedspeechattheAustralian MigrationandSettlementAwardsilieday followingthegovernment'sannouncemem. Hetolddieaudience,"I'veneverpersonally comefacetoface'l\,jthracialprejudice directedatme.And-byan overwhelnung majority-neitherhavethepeoplewhoare arguingiliactheRacial DiscriminationAct needstochange.Thesearepredoininacely powerful,vocal,middle-agedmen-who thinkthisisalljustathoroughlyinteresting philosophicaldiscussion."

"Butracismisn'tameoryformeAsianAustraliansmdent,beingheckledand

subcontinental originhasanentire!)• differenteffect onthatpersonroanif iliesameslurwereco bedirectedata personof anrothereilinicity. Asasimple example,aracialepithetsuch as"curry muncher"or"whitetrash"ismore likely tooffendthepersontowhomitis directedif iliatpersonisof ilieracethat acmallyunderpinsilierelevantslur.

Instead,underilieproposedmodel, iliestandardwouldlikelybeiliatof a "reasonablemember of ilieAustralian community"-anabsttact,andinthis case,irrelevantdeterminationth;it wouldbe up toa judgetoconsider. But, importantly,given mostcomplaintsunder ilieRacialDiscriminationActaresettled inmediationpriortoreaching diecourts -tllereisamaterialriskthatamendingilie provisionsasproposedwilldiscourage complainantsaltogether.

RitamMitraisalawyerspecialisingin commerciallaw

"Doesthe proposal to makethese changes influence thewayyou intend to vote in the next election?"

abusedonherwayhomeonthetrain.It'snoc ahypotheticaldebatingpointforthemanin aturbandrivingacab,orworkingthenight shiftataservicestation,beingmockedby drunks.Peoplewhoworkhard,paydieir ra..xes-theyshouldn'thavetowonderwhy theirparliamentisarguingwhetherornotit shouldbeeasiertoinsult,offendorhwniliate them.Orsimplybetoldtbatifyouare harassed,weUthat'sdifferent.Thisdebate hurtspeopleanditburtsourcolmtry."

ItisclearLaborintends co usethis issueto drawpoliticalcapital.Without thesupportofLaborortheGreens,the governmentneedsnineofthe11Senate crossbenche.rstosupporttheirchanges theAct.TheNickXenophonTeambas confirmedit will not support thechanges tothe,,mrding oftheActmeaningthe proposedbillis unlikely co passdieSenate. Thedamage totheCoalition'sreputation may alreadyha\7ebeendone.

Freespeech or hate speech?

Afterannonncingthe 18Creforms,Prime NlinisterMalcolmTurnbullsaidinQuestion TimeinParliament,''Wearestandingup forthefreedomofspeechthat underpins oursociety,thegreatestmulticulturalsociety in dieworld Weknowthatourprecious freedoms,ourfreedomofspeech,isthevery foundation ofthenation."

Bueitseemsmanyinthecommunityview thisreason.u1gwithgreatcynicism.When asked"Whydoyouchinkthegovernmentis proposingdiesecl1anges?"themajorityof respondentspointedtoPMTurnbull'sdesire toappeasemembersoftheright-wing ofhis partyandmoreconservativecrossbenchers. Onerespondentwrote,"It'saclearattempt topandertothefar-rightfactionsofthe party(factionsinwhichdiePrimeMinister hasb�•..:,.1.,,r..ifesdyunpopular)and,similarly, totakethestingomofsimilarproposalsby partiessuchasOneNacion."(Seeboxfor morecomments.)

l\fanypointedcothecompositionofthe Coalitionitselfasdieissue."TheLiberal Partyiscontrolledbybigoted,whiteoldmen whohaveoo understanding ofwhatracism reallyis foredmicminorities,"wroreone respondent.

Ocherswereconcernedthatd1isissuehas cloudedthedebateaboutmoreimportant politicalconcerns.Onerespondentwrote, "ThepaperscellmeTurnbullcavedinfrom peerpressure.1am11otquitesurewhythis needstobereformedwhenthere'salot of ocher reforms d1ataremorenecessary."On theodierside,severalrespondentsseemed

tohaveabsorbed some oftheCoalitionand government rhetoricontheissue,writing chatthechangeswere co "promotefree speechtobefairer"and"eli.niinateneedless litigation".Others answereddrntthe reformsarenecessary"totakesomeaction againstracistactivitiesaround thecolmtry" and"conarrow themeaning/interpretations ofthelegislation toavoidfururefrivolous lawsuits".

Are the 18C reformsout oftouch with the needs and wants ofthe majorityofmodern Australia? One ofthemostworryingandsignificant responseswastothequestion"Doyou thinkthechangeswllleadtomoreracism inthecommunity?"Asurprising56%of respondent.5answered'Yes',followedby 30%with'Can'tsay'and 14%with'No'. Thisresultwasmadedistressingby peoples'answerto diequestion,"Haveyou oranyoneyouknoweverbeend1evictimof aracistslurorattackinAustralia?"wherea staggering73%ofrespondentsanswered 'Yes'.

JcwaswriterBenjaminLawwhorequested peoplesharetheirownstoriesandexperiences wid1racism onsocialmediau$ingd1e hashtag#FreedomOfSpeechinanattempt tohighlightd1efactthatthepreviousterms of 18Cwerenecessaryfortheprotectionof minoriries.Thehashtaghasgoneviralwith manycontributingtheirpersonalscories. PakistanicomedianSaniiShah, whoisnowan Australiancitizenlivingini\'1elbourneshared: "Ican'tacruallypickwhichracistexperience tolistcausethere'vebeensomany." ainsindahousetweeted:"Beingsogeneric brownthatdudecouldn'tfigureoutwhich racialslurtousesohecriedtbeinall."

Support for process reform JulianLeeser,MemberforBerowrainNSW, hadbeenvocaloftheneed tomaintain Section 18CasaLim.icedprotection.Hetold IndianLi11kinaninterviewjustdaysbefore d1ePM's announcement,"Ithinkfreespeech isimportant,weneed freespeechtobeable tochallengepeople'sideasaboutthings, buttheideaoffreespeechisd1atyoucan changeyourmind.\Xl'hileyoucanchange yourmind,youcan'tchangeyourrace.My preferredoptionwasthatwecodifythelaw intheway.inwhichjudgeshaveinterpreted Section18C,andthatis,itdoesn'tmeanmere offenceormereslights,ithastobeprofound andsubstantial."

1fr Leesersaidbodisidesofpolitics agreedtheHumanRightsCommissionhad

notbee,.dcin_?;itsjobproperlyinaUowing casessuchasthatoftheQUTstudentsand thelatecartooni.st BillLeak co goahead.

ThebipartisanReportofthe ParliamentaryJointCommitteeonHuman Rights ontheRacialDiscriminationAct proposedaseries oflegislativereforms thatmanyinParliament,and indeed the community,doseemtosupport-making ithardertolodgeacomplaint,makingit easierforthecommissiontoterminate matte.rsitdeemswithoutchanceofsuccess andrestrictingaccesscothecourtsifthe Commissionhasterminatedamatter.

MrLeeser told Tndir1nLi11k,"I'vebeenthe greatchampionofprocessreforms.This issuehasbeenstuckinapoliticaldeadlock since2011.\Y/eneedrogetlegislation tbrougbtheparliamentandmovedusissue off thefrompageofthepapers."

Butheconceded,'Thecommittee heardfromalmosteveryimaginableethnic communityinAustralia,includingvarious indigenousrepresentativesasweU,andthose communitieswereallunanimousi.nthei.r viewthatSecrionl8Cshouldr=aitL Almost allthosecommunitiesalsosupportedprocess reforms."Hewasamongseveral.MPswho expressed fearstheoverhaulwillalienate ed1niccommunities.

IndianLlnkcontactedtheoffices of severalLlberal politicians who hadpreviously spokenagainstchangingthewordingofthe RacialDiscriminationActorhaveanethnic majorityintheirelectorate.Wereceivedno responsefromJohnAlexanderorCraig Laundy.Aspokeswomenfromdieoffice ofSenatorConcettaFierravanci-\Vellstold India11Link,"Herviewsonth.isissueareweU knownand havebeenwidelyreported.She is d,rilledtohavehadthereasonableperson testincludedinthereforms." Itseemsas dioughadirectivehadgoneoutfromthetop nottoengagewiththemedia;aconcerning lackof freespeechinadebateconcerning freespeech.

AsLaborSenatorSamDasryarisaid, "\Xfbered1edebatehasbeenheading,is simplyaboutgreenlighcinghow offensive peoplecanbe.Tc'snotnecessarilyaboutthe lawsitself,it'saboutthesignalswesendas asociety."

Community survey on proposed changes to the 1-SC

Thegovernment has proposed changes toSection 18Cofthe Racial Discrimination Act. Do you understand whatthese changes mean?

Yes, completely 36%

Yes, somewhat 41% No, not really 13% No notatall 10%

Doyouthinkthe changes will lead to more racism in the community?

Yes 56% No 14%

Can't say 30%

Does the proposal tomakethese changes influence the wayyou intend to vote in the next election?

Yes,this willchange my vote 37%

No, otherissues will determine my vote 30%

Will havesome infuence on my vote 33%

Have you or anyoneyouknow ever been the victim of a racist slur or attack in Australia?

Yes 73% No 27%

Region of birth

AUS/NZ 25% Asia 56% Europe 9%

Sth America 2%

North America 2% Africa 6%

What prompted the change

Some responses from oursurvey

"Theythink hate politics can win especially after Trump's victory. Anglo votes are over60%and whites arestilla majority Soifthe government cangivea hope to the majorityto establish white supremacy, that mayget them unaligned votes "

"They're changingitbecause the once moderate Turnbull is a wholly ownedsubsidiary ofthe hard right of theLiberalPartyand theIPA."

"They'reright-wingracists and bendingtothepopulist extremeconservative vote Theyare mostly white so have neverbeen on the receivingend ofracism and don'tunderstandthe depth ofitsprevalence andharms "

"Ifyou belie-ve 18C issomething thatneeds tobeaddressed, then sorry but you're a racist"

"This is pandering to theright wingand continuing the distraction from thestruggling economyand theirinabilitytoenactmeaningful legislation "

"IbelievethatsinceMalcolm Turnbullhas not come out with anyother policiesthathavesuccessfullygone through, he neededsomething to lookstrongandwinhis party's support Bill Leak's deathjustservedas a trigger forit"

1ve rence!

The Premier's Gala Dinner headlines Victoria's Cultural Diversity Week celebrations

BY PREETI JABBAL

CoincidingwiththeUnitedNations

Dayfor theEliminationof Racial Discrimination,thecommunity calendarin Vicro1jawaschocka-blockwithcelebrntionsof multiculturalismaspartof CulturalDiversity Week2017.

Headliningtheseriesof eventswas thePre.mier'sGalaDinnerheldatthe MelbourneCom1entionCentre.Over1400 people,fromallbackgrounds,attendedthe prestigiousgala;manyof themresplendent intheirtraditionalattire.

Thisyear,Culn1ralDiversityWeekmarked its 15'"yearunder theaegisof theVicroriao MulticulturalCommission(VM)with supportfromtheVictorianGovernment.

Arangeof eventsaodactivities,across regionalVictoriaandmetropolitan Melbourne,wereheldtoshowcasevibrant multiculniralismandtocelebratetheculniral richnessof Victoria'scommunity.

The'Victo1i,m.AndPro11dOfTt'campaign ispartof rherecemlylaunchedl\fulticultural Policy StatementbytheVictorian GovernmentthatisencouragingVictorians tosharetheirstoriesandreflectontheir journeysofar.

Similarly,thisyear'sthemeof 'Our Journey,OurSrories'providedanavenuefor diverseperspectives,culnuesandvaluestobe accepted,appreciated andcelebrated.

Inherspeech,Victoria'sGovernorLinda DessauACreflectedonherownstoryasa firstgenerationAustralianchild.Herfather arrivedinMelbournein1929tobesafefrom loomingthreatstoJewish familiesinEurope. Sherecollectedhowherfatheralways consideredAustraliatobesafe,fair,stable andagoodplacerogrowwithoppormnities.

"Storiesmatterbecausetheyhelpustosee oneanother,notasgroupsorstereotypesor caricanu:es,butasindividuals•peoplemade upof somuchmorethanwhatwewear, whereorhowwepra)�whatot:howweeat orwhomorhowwemarry.Andtheymatter becausewequicklyseethatd1eessence

of mustoriesissimilarinsomanyways;' GovernorDessausaid.

'1f wepersonaliseourstories,wecan rjseabovetheusualrherotic,liverogether withoutmistrust,andcelebrateandcapitalise uponourdiversity."

'1n.Vicro1ia,wedonottoleratediversity, we celebrateit,"saidthePremierDaniel Andrewsashed1ankedeveryonefortheir contributioninmakingVicroriaaspecial state.

AccordingtothePremier,Victoriawould notbethestrong,respectful,dynamic, creativestarethatitisandwouldnot bethe"world'smoststunningexample of multiculturalism",if notforthe contributions,commitmentandpassionof itsdiversecommunity.

Healsospokeof thechaUengestomodern Victoriaandtoitsleadership.Accordingto himtherearesomepeoplewhoareworried bythemodernfaceofVictoria,whofeel fearfulandcanunforninatelyreactwith prejudiceorinequality.

Inresponsetod1ischallengehesaidthat theframeworkof tbeVictorianMulticultural Policywouldensurethatweneveraccept

discriminationinanyformand thatweinsist onequality.

"\Vearebetter thantheprejudice,hatred, divisionand fraudulentpoliciesputforward bythosewhodonotunderstandthe Vicro.ria.nways," thePremiersaid."Weknow betterthan drntandJetmeteUyouwby. BecauseweareVicroriansandweareproud of it,"hesaid,asheendedhisspeechto thunderousapplause.

Thernulticulnualaudiencealsoheard fromRobinScott,MinisterforMulticultural Affairs.Leaderof d1eOppositionMatthew Guywas LIDabletoattenddue roaninterstate commitment.HelenKapalos,Chairperson of VMCwastheofficialMCfortheevening. ShesharedtherolewithotherVJ\ifC comm1ss10ners.

Arttranscendedallbordersasthegala continuedtoofferqualityentertainment throughmusicalanddanceperformances fromlocalartists.Didgeridooartisti'viitch FirthcoUaboratedwid1ChineseAustralian artistJoelMaandProvokativDance Ensembletocreateanimpressiveopening actduringdinner.

KoreanAustralianpopartistHanny

Lee,d1eSriLankanCulturalEnsembleof Australia,DowntimeJazzBand,Lehenda UkranianDanceCompany,KrlieAuldist,Jali BubaKuyateh'sAfroMandingmusicand Zoj'sPersianmusicaddedtotheeclecticmix of culn1ralofferings.

Theaudienceparticularlyenjoyedthe upbeatMzuriDancefromSudanand Ethiopia,d1esensuousflamencobyArte Kanela,vintageBollywoodfromBombay RoyaleandexuberantGreekdancesbythe ZorbaBrothers.Theaudiencewasinvited rojointhedancegroupsonstageinseveral interactivesessions.Manyhappilybecame partof theperformanceastheyexperienced thelights,musicand actionfirsthand.

Posteventfeedbackwasmosdypositive, howeverInga PeulichNILC,Shadow:tvlinister forMulticulrnralAffairs,pointed outthatfor thefirsttimeinthehistoryof d1ePremier's GalaDinner,theAustraliannationalanthern wasnotplayed.

She saidinapress release,"Daniel AndrewsandVictorianLaborarefailingthe testof leadershipbycleansing references coournationalidentityandsilencingour national anthem."

INDIAN LINK

NotrorcommerdalorresaepurpcsesForusenAustraiaLebaraNa�onaPlan$29.90i11tkJdesror30days;unlimtedstandardnatiOnataktwS.MMS;upto250standaidlnternaUO!lilmnutesroruseInCanadaChinaIndaandUnltedStates.differentratesappytoolhei countriesandmayeffectInternationalcallmnutevalue.lnducles5GBdata;ll!bamUnlimtedPan$4990Includesllr50days;unimtedstandardnatonataktext&MMSUnlmtedstandardcallsto60seectedcountrespus$5Internationacalluedttoothercountres; 10GBdata-SGB•5GBbonusends30/04/17;UnlimtedNationacalingncludes13BOOand1800numbersbutexcudesPlvotel.DatasessionsroundedtothenearestKB.Oncedataincusonisexhaustedyouwillneedtopurchaseadatapad<orusemanbaancetocontnue usngdataUnuseddataandplancredite<pll!5after30days.]GB=1024MBSeewwwebara.eom.au/30-<1ay-plansfors�ificrarestointernationaldestnatonslistofunmitl!dcountresandottiertermsandconditons.lebarareservestherghttoamendorwthdrawany panincusions, omotonaloffersand/orprcing11,,givingateast:30days'noticeo our'M!bsite.

Farewellspeeches,touching personalstoriesandeventears were theorderof thedayat the recentMelbournefarewellof AirIndia'sRegionalManager AustralasiaMadhuMathen.

Aselectgroupof travelagents,airline staffandwell-wishersgatheredattheYarra

Suite,MarriotHotelMelbournetosay goodbyetoMadhuMathenand to welcome MonikaThukralasthenewManagerforAir IndiainMelbourne.

Mathenisleavingtotakeuptherole of GeneralManager,Marketingat Afr India's Corporate Servicesin Delhi, with theresponsibilityof drivingglobalsales.

l\fonikaThukralwillbetbeAirIndia Managerinl\folbourne,whileSujoyKishore isthenewmanagerforAirIndiainSydney.

AirIndia staff andstakeholderstook the chancetoexpresstheirgratitudeforthe support,inspirationandmotivation that Mathenprovidedduringhistenure.

Machenclaimedtohave learntalotin

thefouryearshehasspentinAustraliaand he thankedhistemnforits supportand commitmentinhelpinghin1toconsolidate AirIndia'sposit.ionasaproviderof choice inAustralia.

"TopositionAirladiaasanairlineof choicewasnoteasy,butI an,extremely proudof theachievementsIhavehad.i\liy dreamteamherecontributedtomakingAir IndiasuchastrongpresenceinAustralia. India'slargestnationalflagcarrierandthe chi.rdlargestairlineinIndia,AirIndiahas seenmanyupsand downssinceitslaunch_in AustraliainAugust2013.Todayitoperates analternatingtriangular route between Melbourne,SydneyandDelhi.

OfferingdirectflightstoIndiaanda Boeing787-8Dreamlinerexperience,the airlinehasnowrepositioneditselfin the burgeoningcou.risrnmarketandisplanning onthisyearincreasingthenumberofclirect Rightsto IOweeklyflightsbetweenIndia andAustralia.

MonikaThukral,whowillbecakingover thereinsinMelbourne,thankedMathen inanemotionalspeechexpressingher gratitudeforhisguidanceand mencorship. MathenwascreditedforJeadingAir Indiastaff tofollowhisvisionbybeinga motintionalleaderandaninspiringhuman being.

"Thechange of handsandina·eased numberof flightswillposenewchallenges, butthankstothelegacythatMadhuji hasleftbehindwewillmoveforward withconfidenceandcontinuetoaimfor success,"sharedanairlinestaff member. PreetiJabbal

Matthew Guy woos community

With19months leftuntilthe nextstateelection,Opposition LeaderMatthewGuyclaimed recentlythattbestateof Victoriacanbebetterthanitiscurrently.

"Victoriatoday islessconfident,lesssafe, haslessof adirectiontl1an,I think,ithas hadforaverylong time,butwecando better,"hesaid.

TheOppositionLeader wasaddressing agatheringattheLeadersMulticultural GalaorganisedbytheMulticulmralLiberal BusinessClub(JvfLBC).Heldatthe HungarianCommunityCentreinWantirna, theLiberalPartyfundraiserattracteda packedhouseof Liberalsupportersfrom variousmulticulturalcommunities.

TheOppositionLeaderwentonto criticisetl1ecurrentGovernmentforpaying more than $1.1 billiontoscrapMelbourne's EastWestLinkroadproject.Hetouchedon theGovernment'scontroversialindustrial dealwiththe FireFightersUnionandthe axingof plansforaprivatehospital wing of anewcancercentre.

The LiberalPartyleaderalsoslammedme AndrewsGovernment for whathecalled turningablindeyetothecrimewavethat issweepingthestateand fornotreforming bail laws,sentencingandjudiciarypolicies. AlsounderfirewastheGovernment's implementationof genderstudiesinstate schools.

"Thisstate hasaproblem;anditisnot thecrimesystemorthelevelof crimenor tl1eeducationstandardsortl1e EastLink, it'snoneof those.Theproblemisthe

Governmentandin I9 months' timeweare goingtochangeallthat," he said. "TheVictoria 1leadwillbeamore confident,morecentered andmorecommonsense Victoria,"claimedthe OppositionLeader.

Hepromised to improvethequalityof education,welcomethe private seccor whenit comestoheathcareand in1plementaonestrike and youareourbail system.

"Ladiesand gentlemen,I willbuild EastWestLink,"he declaredtotheaccepting audience.Heasked everyonetocomeon boardtohelphimandhisGovernmentby beingapartof thechange.

Itwassmilesandsnapsgalorewhen iYfatthewGuywentontomeetandgreet guestslaterintl1eevening.Aftmdraising rafAeandauctionwasalsoconducted tohelpraisefrn1dsfortheLiberalParty.

·MichaelKroger,LiberalStatePresidentin Victoria,wasinattendancealongwitl1other prominentmembersof LiberalParty.

InbisspeechPararnJaswal,Presidenc of Federationof lndia.n-OriginMulti-faith Organisation(Flt\10),remarkedthatrliere wasanincorrectperceptionthatMLBCis

mainlyaclubforlndia.nbusinesses.However, witl1theeffortsofVasanSrinivasan, FounderandChairmanof MLBC,itnow hasrepresentativesof variousmulticultural communitiesonboard,manyof whomwere presentatthegala<linnet·.

Entertainmentcameintheformof some energetic,percussionfromJapanesegroup WadaikoRinclo.TheTaikodnunsandthe spectaculardisplayof stamina,strengthand synchronisationof the traditionalJapanese drummerscaptivated theaudience.

TavreenJaswalpresentedaquintessential Bollywoodnumberwithgrace,followed byanelegantclassicallndiaodance

performancebyArtof VinayasaDance group.i\foremulticulturalperformances followedwhileaneclecticmenuof IndoChinesefood,cateredbyTandooriJunction, tookthemulticulturaltheme further.

"The strength of theLiberalPartyis basedonthequalityof peoplewhowork tirelesslytopromotetheircauseandit isgreattoseethatsomanypeoplehave nunedupatoureventtoday,"saidan MLBC spokesperson. "Theyhavedug generouslyintotheirpockets,particularly thesponsors,forwhich wearevery thankful."

SimmiSingh

Charityintheblood

Disha continues its 10years offundraising work for Melbourne's hospitals

BYPREETAJABBAL

Humourruledoverhaematology asD.rSrepbenTingfrorn MonashUniversityandAlfred Healrhdeliveredanenlightening andenrerrainingpresentation on cancerattheDishafund.raisingeventheld recently.

DrTing(picturedbelowleft,centre)is currently rheDirectorof Haemarologyat Eastern Health,BoxHill,Vicroriaanda BloodsremcellResearcherattheAustralian CentreforBloodDiseases,Monash Universicy.

DrTing'spresemationwasbasedon hisresearchinstemcellself-renewal andwastitled,'Haemarologydiseases inthenewworld order'. Hisresearch aimstotmderstandrhe molecular mechanismsgoverninghaemaropoietic andleukaemiastemcellself-renewal.He spokeaboutstemcell.transplamsandthe in1portanceof beingabonemarrowdonor.

Theaward-winninghaematology clirucian-scientistwasthemainspeaker ar Disha'srenilianniversarydinnerdanceheld atLincolnsof Toorak,oneof Melbourne's premiumreceptionvenues.

Despitetheserioustopic,DrTing managed tocapm.re theattentionof the audience,stimulatedtl1eirimaginationsand wasinAuentialinlooseningapurse-stringor two at the charityevent.

Begtmin2006,Disha-ilieDirection toHopeisanor-for-profitorganisation createdcoraisefundsforworrhwhile causes.Disha'saimis tobringlike-minded peopletogetberandfosterinvolvement incommunityneeds-especiallycancer researchandt.ream1ent.

Overmepast tenyears,Dishafounders andvolunteersTaraChandramouli,Sunira Dhir,SumanKanodia,Madhu Chauhan, PoonamAggarwal,AoilDhir,Neelam Bharadwaj andArriLakhani,alongwith theirfamilies,havesupported cancer treatmentsand any othercausesthathave touchedtheirhearts.

FrompalliativecarebedstoECG machines,toscalpcoolingmachines

forchemotherapy,they haveraised mousandsof dollarsforvarioushospitals andequipment.Inadecade,Dishaclaimsto haveraisedanddonatedover$200,000. Dishahasitsaameonthehonour wallsofallmajorhospitalsincluding RoyalMelbourne,RoyalWomen's,The Alfred,andPeterMac.AwardatThe

AlfredhasalsobeennamedafterDisha fortheircontributionrowardsrheward's requirements.

ThisyearDishadonated$25,000 to tl1e AlfredHospitaland$25,000 toTheEastern HealthFoundation(BoxHillHospital). DishasupportedtheHaematologyand Oncologyareasof thesehospitals.

AttheDishaDinnerDanceevent,me mree-coursemealwasasdelightfulas me ambience;bothaestheticallypresentedand tasteful.Thehappyandttnivetsallyflattering 'couchof red'tl1emeensuredrhattheguests lookedvibrantandfeltthesameintl1e internationalcolourforbloodcancer.

The organisers,toensurethatallaspects of theeventransmoothly,providedgreat attentiontodetail.Speecheswerekept shoreandwineflowingastl1eaudiencewas engagedinthetruepurposeof rheevent, raisingfunds.

Inspiredbythe saying'Thegiftof

givingisin thepowerof one',theDisha teai:nheldsilentauctionsaswellasan innovativeopen auctiontorai.sefunds forhospitalequipmentincludingfallmatt alarmti.oarsensors,wheelchairs,IVstands andtemporalarterytl1ermometersfotThe Alfred Hospital.

Forentertainment,dancersfromGowri Dancesof Indiapresenteda fusion of classical andglobaldances,masteringthe headymix ofBollywood andBhangra wirhequalease.Itwasn'tloagbefore theguestsloosenedupandhitthedance floorgroovingtogreatoldiesandfresh chartbusrers.

Aftercelebrating10 yearsofexistence, theteamatDisha-theDirectiontoHope willbehandingoverrhe reinsof the organisation torheyoungergeneration,who havealreadydeclaredd1eywillbedoing thingsdi.fferently.Itwillbe.interestingtosee rhemembarkon anewdirection,hopefully movingfromstrengthtostrength.

,, This year Disha donated $25,000 to theAlfred Hospital and $25,000 to The Eastern Health Foundation (Box HillHospital) ''

WHAT'SON

COMMUNITY

lndlan Young Women's Group

Fridays 12 30pm-2 30pm

The Indian YoungWomen's Group is organised free by Wyndham Communityand Education Centre (Wyndham CEC) every Friday afternoon atthe Wyndham Park Primary School, Community Hub Room, KookaburraAvenue. Werribee. Contactthe Wyndham Community and Education Centre. 3 Princes Highway Werribee. wyndhamcec org au or call 03 9742 4013

The Gurukul Hindi Classes

Saturdays 11am-12pm

Connections@Craigieburn, 59 Craigieburn Road, Craigieburn VIC 3064. These weekly classes aretaught by Manisha Gard and Bhupinder Kahlon Contact Narinder Garg 0431 123 045 or infothegurukul@gmaii.com

Let's Talk: Conversational English

Saturdays, 10atn-11.30am

Practice and develop your English speakingskills in a relaxed smalI group that has a warm and friendly atmosphere Meet every Saturday atWerribee Church of Christ, 200 Tarneit Road. Wembee This is forpeople who wanttogain confidence and practicetheir English. All are welcometoattend. morningtea is provided and it'sfree. Contact 9741 6051 or werribeechurchofchnst.org

Pronunciation Workshop

15' Sunday ofthe month 12pm3pm

Are you learning English as a second language and interested in working on your pronunciation?

Join Kaled -a friendly ESL(English as a Second Language) expert who will help you work on your English language skillsforfreeat the Library at The Dock, Activities Room. 107 Victoria Harbour Promenade, Melbourne ESL speakers and learners ofall levels are welcome.

FESTIVAL

Broadmeadows Street Festival, Sun 9 April Tanderrum Way, Broadmeadows will be lit up with music and dancingfor Hume's BroadmeadowsStreet Festival. The vibrant and colourful event will be held to celebrate the cultural diversity of Hume City with food, dance, music, entertainment, kids' activities, carnival rides and a car show. The night issetto end with a

spectacular firework display Visit: hume vic govau

Vaisakhi Celebrations, Sun 9 April, 12pm

Celebratethe Punjabifestival of Vaisakhi atThe Heritage, 512-516 High Street, Epping Freeentry. Contact Kuldeep Kaur, 0449 520 792

Vaisakhi (Khalsa Day), Sun 30 April, 11am-6pm

Comeand celebratetheSikh festival ofVaisakhiwith an afternoon offree outdoor activities in the heart of Melbourneat

Federation Square A celebration of Sikh tradition, heritage and culture, the event programme will include Shabad kirtan (spiritual music), langar (food),turban tying, folk music, stage plays, martialarts, children'sactivities, and much more! Contact: 0430 582 078 or info@sikhheritagemonth.com.au

FUNDRAISER

Swachh Bharat

Help providefinancial support for Swachh Bharat mission through theSulabh SocialService

Organisation The ongoing campaign invites all persons of Indian origin to generously donate for Swachh Bharat. Donations can be madeto Sulabh through Western Union. Bank details are below

In favour of: Sulabh International Centre ForAction Sociology

(SICAS)

Account No: 63012660749, IFSC Code: SBIN0030262

MICR: 110002347

Name of the Bank: State Bank of India,

Branch Name: C 28 Community Centre, Janakpuri, New Delhi-58

Contact: bharatramvasudevan@ gmail.com

SPIRITUAL

Sai National Conference 2017, Fri 14 - Mon 17 April

Sathya Sai International Organisation ofAustralia will conduct its Biennial Conference during Easter 2017 atthe Box Hill Town Hall, Melbourne Hosts and organisers ofthis conference are Victoria Region East and West. The theme ofthe Conference is "Walking in His Footsteps" Visit: conference saiaustralia org.au/ Contact: Anjana Bhan, 9436 6045/ 0437 747 868, email: sainationalconference@gmail.com

Antarkboj, Sat 29 April, 4pm 7pm BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir

Melbourne presentsa unique stage show with cultural programs and modern audio visualsto revitalise Indian culture, values and their benefitsto Indian community in Australia Held at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, thisstate of the art event willtake you on a journey around Hinduism, the importance of ideal parenting, family unity and the benefits ofethicalthoughts and behaviours This is a free event. Contact: 9437 6767 orvisit: eventbrite.com.au/e/antarkhojregistration-31278750585

ARTS

Satrangi 2017, Sun 7 May, 1pm5pm

TheSeven Colours Film and Arts Festival returns Featuring Australian. Indian and crosscultural film, fashion, music and dance performancesaswell as food and promotional stalls, the event is held in memory ofthe late DrYash Raj Chopra Held at Clayton Hall, 264 Clayton Rd, Clayton. Visit: skga.org.au

Bombay Talkies Exhibit, till 2 July, 2017

Presented by Australian Centre for the Moving Image located at Federation Square, Flinders St, Melbourne, this free exhibition capturesthe excitement and glamour of early Indian cinema The exhibition showcases, for the veryfirsttime, the Dietze Family Trust archive, a Melbourne-based treasure trove of more than 3000 cultural artefacts once pwned by Himansu Rai. The archive is the most comprehensive collection of 1.920s and 1930s Indian film studio ephemera in tl1e world.

MUSIC

Carnatic Music, 20-21 May Academy of Indian Music (Inc ) and SruthfLaya Kendra Aust (Inc J present Mummoorth1gal Jayanth1 & Tyagaraja Festival at Kel Watsor Theatre. Forest Hill Secondary College. Contact: 0411 321 556 or email rav1.narmatha@gma1I com

Haadu Baa Kogile

Melbourne'sfirst ever Kannada musical event t1eldevery last

Saturdayofthe month. All welcome Organised byAnkura MUSICSchool. Contact: 0432 192 424 orhaadubaakogile@gmail.corn

The Indian Music Collective

Melbourne Sundays 4pm

The Indian Music Collective

Melbourne (IMCM) providesspace for practice/jamming in a friendly environmentfor musicians to meet and practice Anyone who plays a Hindustani classical music instrument (such astabla. sitar. sarod, etc.) or can sing Hindustani classical musicat anyability/ level 1s warmly welcome atSt John's Catholic Primary School. 77 Queens Parade, Cliton Hill. Listenersare also welcome. Gold com to contributetowardstea/ coffee/snacl< costs. Contact: Harjinder Bhogal at oldrnanindia@ gmail.com

SENIORS

The Gurukul Chopaal, Tuesdays 6.30pm-7.30pm

The Gurukul Chopaal is an Australian Indian senior citizens club which hostscultural activities as well as laughingyoga, computer literacy lessons and games. Held at Connections@ Craigieburn, 59 Craigieburn Road, Craigieburn. Contact: Narinder Garg 0431 123 045 or e-mail infothegurukul@gmail.com

MISC

Australia India Institute Events

Drop in Chai Every 1st Friday of the month, 2pm-3pm Come chatto otherSouth Asia enthusiastsoversamosa and chai and catch up on what different people are doing in relation to India. The chai and conversation isfree and open to all. Held at 147-149 BarryStreet, Carlton.

SouthAsia Research Seminar: Journey of Competition

Reforms in India, Fri 21 April, 2pm-3pm

Founder Secretary General ofthe Jaipur-based Consumer Unity & TrustSociety, Pradeep S Mehta delivers a free presentation on the challenges ofturning India into a competitive market economyof the 21st century. Held at 147-149 BarryStreet, Carlton.

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

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Harvainder Singh Grewal (Gary)

Hopingto implementGST fromJuly 1:Jaitley

FinanceMinisterArnnJaitleyhassaidthat the governmentishopingto implementthe GoodsandServicesTax (GST)byJuJy 1 aftertbeenablingBillsgetParliament'snod intl1ecurrentbudgetsession.

"GSTisthebiggestreforminJndia. Hopefu11y,GSTwillbeimplementedby July L.GSTBillswillhopefulJybecleared inParLiament,"JaitleysaidinNewDelhiat tbe23i:dConferenceofAuditorsGeneral of CommonwealthNations hostedbythe ComptrollerandAuditorGeneral(CAG) of India.

JaitleysaidthatIndia'sindirecttaxation regime,whichiscurrentlythemostcomplex intheworld,willtransformintoasimplified one withtheimplementation of GST.

"Wehave me most complicatedindirect taxsystems.Onceimplemented,whatis currentlymemostcompLicatedsystemjn tbeworldwillbecomemesimplestinthe world.Theenablinglawsarebeforethe Parliament.Bymiddle of meyear(2017), wehopetoseetheimplementation of GST,"hesaid.

"Evasion of taxeswillbedifficult under GST. Sizeof Indian economywillincrease," headded.

JaitleyalsonotedmatInruaisan openeconomywith90percentof theinvestmenthappeningthroughme automaticroute.

"Oppositiontoreformsismirumal. Oppositiontoprotectionismisminimal. Reformsintheforeignrurectinvestment (FDI)inIndiahavebeensignificantandwe are amongthemost openeconomiesintl1e world,"besaid.

TheFinanceJvliruster,however,lamented tbatwhilepubLicinvestmentandFDI were high,privatesectorinvesm1entstilJlagged behind.

Kansasdeclares'Indian American Appreciation Day'

TheGovernor of UScity of Kansas declared16Marchas'1.ndianAmerican AppreciationDay"co honourIoruan engineerSriruvasKucbjbhotlawho was killedinanapparentbatec::rirne.

Kuchibhotla,32,waskilledandhisfriend AlokMadasaniwasinjuredwhenAdam\Y/.

Purinton,awhitemanwhoearlierservedin theUSNavy,shotthemattheAustinsBar &GrillinOlatheon22February.

Purintonreportedlygotinroarowwith thevictimsand hurledracialslurs.Heyelled "Getout of mycountry'' and"tetrorist" beforeshootingtl1em.AnAmerican,Ian Grillot,wasinjuredintheattack.

"Kansaswi.11remaincommittedro standingwithmeInmancommunity," KansasGovernorSamBrownbacksaid atanevent tocommemoratethelife of Kuchibhotla.

Brownbackissuedaproclamationattl1e eventtorecognise 16Marchasthe "lnruan AmericanAppreciationDay'',reportedThe Kt111StJSCi!)•Stt11: "\Vewillalwaysrejectacesof violence andharm.WerejecthatredinalJitsforms," hesaidinTopeka,tl1estatecapital.

"Thisisadeplorable actmachappened," Brownbacksaid."Wewill not letitdefi11eas asapeople."

BothMadasaruandGrillotattendedme eventtohonourKuchibhotla.Duringa brief speech,Madasaruthankedpeoplefor theirsupport.

"ItmeansalottoaU of usandwerealJy appreciateit,"besrud.

Kurnibhotlaof Hyderabadandhis colJeagueMadasarufromWarangalrustrict inTelanganawere workingasaviation programmemanagersatGarmin,anMNC. Purintonhasbeenchargedwimfirstdegree murderandtwo counts of attempted first-degreemurder.TheFBIisinvestigating theshootingasahatecrime.

Trump nominatingIndian­Americanjudgefor elevation toappealscourt

USPresidentDonaldTrumpannounced tl1ismontbtlrntheisnominatingIndianAmerican federaljudgeAmulThaparfor elevation toanappealscourt,thesecond highestlevelof theUSjuruciary.

Appeals courts arejustbelowthe SupremeCourt.Thaparwasontheshortlist ofTrump'spicksfor theSupremeCourt matwasannouncedduringlast}'ear's electioncampaign.

Describinghjrnas"thesonof IndianAmericanimmigrants",andtl1efirstfederal rustrictjudgeof SouthAs.iandescent,

theWhite Housesaidthatif confirmed bytheSenate,Thaparwilljointhebench of theSixthCircuit Court of Appeals, whichcoversthetwoimportantstates of MichiganandOhio,inadditiontoKentucky andTennessee.

Thapar,47,willbetbesecondperson fromthecommunityattheappellatecourt level,joiningJudgeSriSrinivasan,whowas appointedbythethenPresidentBarack ObamatothepowerfuJbenchmatcovers \,'{/ashington.

Thapariscnrrentlyafederaljudgein Kentucky,appointedbythethenPresident George\YI.Bushin2007.

Thelikelihoodof Thapar'sconfirmation bytheRepublicancontrolJedSenateisvery strongandhehasthestrongbackingof me SenateMajorityLeaderMitchMcConnell, who hasdescribedhimas"a£riend."

ffis fullname isAmulRogerThapar. HehasaJawde.gree.from tbeUruversity of CaliforniaatBerkeley andwasafederal prosecurorinKentuckybeforehewasmade ajudge.

McConnell,whorusclosedTrump'splan tonominateThapar,saidinastatement, "1applaudtl1ePresidentforannouncing hisintenttonoffiillatemy friend,Judge AmuJTbapar,toserveontheSixthCircuit Court of Appeals.Throughouthisalready impressivecareer ofpublicservice,Amul hasshownanincredibleimeUectandan Lmshakablederucation to thelaw."

McConnelJsaidhe.lookedforwardto Thapar'sconfirmationbytheSenate,saying: "HehasearnedtherespectofbiscolJeagues, andIknowthathewillbringtotheSixtl1 Circwtmesame wisdom,frurness,andability mathehasshownonmeDistrictCourt."

SouthAsianBarAssociationPresident VicbaJ Kumarwelcomedthenomination andcalledbima"respectedandthoughtful jLLristwhobas longservedas rolemodel fortheSouthAsianandgreaterlegal con1munity',

India ranks 122nd in happiness index Indiaranked122nd,behind terror-riven Pakistan.andpoorest-of-poorNepalin thegloballist of thehappiestcountries, accordingtoaUnited Nationsreport releasedthismonthinOslo,Norway.

TheGangesandtheYamuna(seen hereatAllahabad),twoofIndia's most iconicrivers, considered sacredby nearly abillionHindusin the country, havebeengiventhestatusofliving entitiestosavethem fromfurther harm causedbywidespread pollution.

Jnruacamedownbythreeslots,as lastyearit wasplacedat!18th spot.It wasbehindtbe majority of SoumAsian AssociationforRegional Cooperation (SAARC)nations,apartfrom war-ravaged Afghanistan,thatstoodat 141.

AmongmeeightSAARCnations, Pakistanwasat80thposition,Nepalstood at99,Bhutanat97,Bangladeshar 110while SciLankawasat120. However,Maldives didnotfigureintheWo.cldHappiness Report.

Norwayrook thetopspot fromDenmark astl1ehappiestcow1tryintheworld.

TbeScandinaviannation,whkhwas rankedfourthmlastyear'sreport,jumped tothe topthisyearon mebasis of several keycalculations,including levelsof caring, freedomtomakelifedecisions,generosity, goodgovernance,honesty,healmand 111come.

Otl1erfactorsbywhich155countries weremeasuredintheannualWorld HappinessReportare:ioequa]jty,life e:-..'})ectancy,GDPpercapita,publictrust (i.e.alackof corruptioningovernmentand business),andsocial support.

Denmark,Iceland,Switzerlandand FinlandroLmdoutmetopfive,whilethe CentralAfricanRepubliccamelastin the WorldHappinessReport.

WesternEuropeandNorthAmerica dominatedtl1etop of thecable, witl, the USandBritainat 14tl1 and 19thpositions, respectively.

Syriaplaced152of 155countriesYemenandSoumSudan,whicharefacing impendingfamine,cameinat146and 147. TheWo.cldHappinessReport was releasedto coincidewimtheUnited ations' InternationalDayof Happiness onMarch20.

Digital transactions recede, threaten 'Digital India' Thevalueof digital transactions11ationwide declinedmarginaJJy(1.5percent)toRs92.6 lakhcrore ($1.4 trillion)inFebruary2017 fromRs94lakhcroreinNovember2016 ($1.42rrilljon),accordingtorepresentath7e data(provisional) onelectronicpayments releasedbytheReserveBankof lndia (RBI).

Thedata do not covera11transactions acrossallbanks. But,cardpayments data forfourmajorbanks,mobilebanking figuresforlivebanksandprepaidpayment instruments (PPl,mearungmobilepayment gatewayssuchas PayTMandFreeCharge) dataforeightnon-bankissuershavebeen consideredasrepresentativeforanalysing trendsinpayments.

Djgitaltransactions(volume) had increased42percentfrom672milJion inrovember2016to958rrullionin December2016buthavesince declined20 per cent overcwomonms ro763millionin February2017.

Tlusputsinperilthegovernrnent's target toachieve25billion digitaltransactions .in2017-18,wluchtranslatestoatleast t\vobilliontransactionspermonth.The February2017figureof763million transactionsfalls60percentshort of tl1e monthlyreqwrement.

"Thecontinuanceof thathighgrowth wimafurtherpick-upin somecomponent.� (of rugitalpayments)(sic)fromNovember toJanuary2017 wasapositivefalJoutof

Photo: AP

demonetisation.However,diepaceof growdimoderatedsomewhatinFebruary 2017,"theRBInotedinitsfirstassessment of demonetisation, titled"Macroeconomic lmpactofDemonetisation-APreliminary Assessment".

PrimeMinister arendra1fodi-whose narrativeof developmentearnedBharatiya Ja.naraParry (BJP)a landslidemandatein therecentUcta.rPradeshassemblypollschangedtackondemonetisationfromblack moneyandfake currencyinitiallycodigital/ cashlesseconomylater.

Onlytwopaymentplatforms,Unified PaymentsInterface(UPI)and Aadhaar EnabledPaymentsSystem(AEPS),show aconsistentriseinvalue(inRupees)and volume(number)oftransactionsposrdemonetisation.Alloilierformshaveshown adecline-eitherconsistentlyorinone01: twornond1s in thefour-mondiperiod. WhileUPI linksmobile applications co aperson'sbank accountdirectly,AEPSis anAadhaar-linkedbiometricidentification systemusedfordirectcashtransfersunder governmentschemes.

"Digitalcannot substitutecash.Theshare ofdigitalamongtransactionsmightincrease indielongrunbutcashis affordable,"said RajeswariSengupta,economicsprofessor, lndiraGandhilnstituteof Development Research.

"Digitala·a.nsactions demanda person tobuyasmartphone andspendondata, whichincurhighercostpera-ansaction. Peoplenaturallyprefercash,wherethecost isbornebythegovernment."

Useof onlinebankingusingdieNational Electronic FundsTransfer (NEFT) platformreduced consecutivelyinJanuar;r andFebruary2017,whilediatofImmediate PaymeorSystem(IMPS)increasedin Dccernber2016 andJanua.ry2017but declinedinFebruary.

"Thecatalyticpushfromdemonetisation hastenedmigrationtowardsdigital paymentsinrovemberaodDecember 2016.However,ease.in availabilityofcash byprogressiveremonetisationimpactedthe paceofgrowdiofdigitalisationinFebruary 2017,"theRBIassessmentsaid.

Debitandcreditcardtransactionsfor fourmajorbanksshowlittledifference betweenNovember2016and Febrnary 2017-205millionswipestransactingRs 35,200crore.inNo,1ember2016to212 millions,,,ipe.stransactingRs39,200crore inFebruary2017.

''Asthecashincirculationwillsettletoa lo,vernormalthanthepre-demonetisation levels, digital paymentswillsettleatahigher normaland continueitsupwardtrendas before,"Sa.ngrarnSingh,headofca.rdsand payments,AxisBank,said.

Ca.rdtransactionsimprovedto311 millionswipestransactingRs52,000crore inDecember2016,showinga50percent riseintransactionsand 48percentrisein value transactedoveramonth.

Butdiepaceofaddition indebit and creditcardshas notbeenmatchedbyan equalfocusonpointofsale(PoS)terminals. ".incomparisontothe 800 millioncards tl1athavebeenissuedasofnow,tl1e numberofPoSterminalshasootbeen reallyadequate,"RBIDeputyGovernorR. Gandhi saidina speech lastinontl1. Highcapitalandoperationalexpenses havedeterredtheexpansionofPoS infrastructure,Gandhiadded.

Cashava.ilablewirhpeople,which reducedfromRs17Iakhcrorejust beforedemonetisationtorhelowestpostdemonetisationlevelofRs7.81 lakh crore($118billion)onDecember9,2016, increasedtoRs 11.74lakhcrate($178 billion)onMarch3,2017,accordingtoRBI data.

Modihadannouncedtheworld'sbiggest

India FashionWeekAutumn-Winter

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

currencyswapprogrammethatscrapped 86percentofhighdenominationIndian currencyonNovember8,2016.

Thecurrentlevelof currencywithpeople matches theNovember2013levelofRs 12 lakhcrore($200billionat thethen prevailingexchangerateof Rs60 perUS$).

200 mn 4G feature phones to besold in India in next5 years

Neatly200 million4G-enabled feature phoneswillbesoldinlndiainthenext fiveyea.rs,triggeringaslow-downforthe domesticsma.rtphonemarker,anewreport claimedthismontl1.

"Weestimate closeto60million unitsof 4G-capa.b.lefeaturephonescon.Idshipthis yeargloballyfromalmostamillionunits lastyear,withIndiapotentiallycontributing coalmosthalfofdiatthisyear,"said theanalyses frommarketresearchfirm Corn1terpoimResearch.

Intermsofhardwarerevenues,itisa$6 billionopportunitycunmlativelyoverthe nextfiveyearsinIndia.

"Key playerstowatchoutindiissegment areMicromax,itel,Lwa,Jio,Nokia andso forrh,"thereportadded.

ChipsetbrandssuchasQualcommwit!, itslatestQualcomm205 platformspecially designedfor4GLTEFeaturePhonesis poisedcodrivegmwth startingwithendof Q22017.

"Morethan400 millionfeaturephones weresold globa.Uyin2016andwesaw smarrphonemarketgrowtl1slowclownco3 percent(year-on-year),portrayingthatthe easydaysof smactphonegrowtl1areover," thereportstated.

Thesinartphonegrowthslowingdown andtl1efeaturephonedeclineslowingdown isthepoladsationof marketintermsof technology aswellas userbase.

"Thisismakingacasefor tl1eriseof 4Gcapable feamrephoneswiththecore valuepropositionbeingVoLTEcallsand moved1euserstodiecostefficient4G networks.Weestimatemoretl1anha.Ifa billion 4Gcapablefeaturephoneswillbe soldoverthenextfiveyears,a'bigsho.rttermopportunity'forplayers inthemobile industry,"the analystspredicted.

MukeshAmbanitoP.sForbes

listof 101Indian billionaires India.basdiefourtl1largestnumberof billionairesglobally,withRelianceIndustries (RlL)ChairmanMukeshAmba.oiheading thelistof morethan 100highnetword1 individualIndians,asper dielatestlistingby Americanmagazine Forbes.

TheUS,with 565,hasmorebillionaires diananyoiliernation. Chinacomesnext with319,whileGermanyisatnumberthree with 114.

Microsoftco-founderBillGatesheads thelistforthefourtl1yearinarowwitl1 a fortuneof$86billion,upfrom$75billion lastyear.

MukeshAmbanitopsthelistofIndian billionaires,andisplaced33rdwit!,anet worthof $23.2billion.

Fo1-bessaidtl1eRILchairmansparked apricewarintheIndiantelecommarket wit!,dielam1choftheJio4Gphoneservice lastSeptember.H:isyoungerbrotl1erAnil isranked745thwith anetword,of$2.7 billion.

TheUSmagazinesaidAnilAmbani

"orchestrated themerger ofhisReliance Communication'stelecombusinesswit!,

tl1atofrivalAircel,controlledbyMalaysian billionaireAnandaKrishnan.Thecombine, whichawaitsregulatoryapprovals,willbe diecountry'sfourrh-largestmobilephone operator''.

ArcelorlvfittalChairman Lal,shmiMirta.I followsnextatthe56tl1spotwithanet worthof$16.4billion.

AboutMitta.�Fo,-bessaid:"Theworld's biggeststeelmakeralsogotarepdevefrom importtariffsonsteelimposedbythe.US andEuropeand aone-rime$832million savingfromanewlabourcontractsigned last yearwid,itsUSworkers."

MobilewalletPayt:m founderVijay Shekha.rShannaisranked 1,567widihis networthof$1.3billionandis"oneof the biggestbeneficiariesofthegovernment's decisiontode1nonetise86per centof India'srupeesandmovetoacashless economy", Forbessaid.

OtherIndiansinthelistincludeWipro ChairmanAzimPremji(72),AdaniGroup founderGautamAda.Di(250),BajajGroup ChairmanRahulBajaj (544),investor Ra.keshJhm1jhunwala(939),Infosys cofounderNR NarnyanaMurthy (1,161), DaburChairmanEmeritusVivekChand Burman(1,290),Infosysco-fmmder NandanNiJekani(1,290),Wockhardtchair HabitKhorakiwala(1,567),Mahindragroup chiefAnandMahindrn(1,567) andYes BankheadRanaKapoor (1,795).

OnlyfourwomenbillionairesfromIndia featureindielist,ledbySavicriJindalat 303rdwithanetworthof$5.2billion.

''Afterdeclininglastyear,tl1efortune

ofsteelandpowerclan,whosemaa-iarch SavitriJindalchairstheOPJindalGroup, roseassteel pricesrecovered,"Forbessaid.

SmitaCrishna-GodrejfromtheGodreJ groupis ranked814th,followedbyBiocon founderKi.ranMazumdar-Sha.w(973)and LeenaTewari(1,030).

Airbnb launches 'Trips' platform in India

Commun.icy-drivenhospitalitycompany Airbnb has launched its'Trips'platformin India,givingacha.neetocustomerstobook speciallycuratedlocalexperiences.

AfterbeingannouncedinLosAngeles lastyear,dieserviceWll<5launchedin 12 cities,includingDetroit,London, Paris, airobi,Tokyo,Seouland SanFrancisco.

InIndia,itbeginswidi15bookablelocal experiences. One suchisaguided tripwith fashiondesignersShanta.nuand Nikhil.

BrianChesky,co-founderandCEO ofdieonlineplatform,saidatdielaunch i.nNewDelhi,"I'mexcitedtolaunch IndiaTripsaswe'vehandpickedunique ell.-periences,designedandledbylocals,to reflect thediversityand varietyof the city."

Thedesignersaretrip hostsandwilltake participantsdiroughacreativejourney ofstyle,wherer.l1eywill seeaninnovative blendofarchitectureand designexpressed tliroughcouture.

Guests,villhaveachanceforacandid tete-it-tetewiththem,seeingitsevolution fromideationanddesigntoafinalshowcase ondienmway attl1eduo'sNoiclaworkshop.

IANS

Photo: AP

nout

Marking International Women's Day

ront

Being Bold For Change

Personalstorieshighlightedtheexperiences of womeninthecommunityduringthe recentcelebrationof InternationalWomen's Day(IWD)attheIndianConsulatein Melbourne.Whetherjoyful,candidor sobering,thereflectionsontheirliveswere expressiveof themultiplerealitiesthat womenfaceincoday'sworld.

Genderandotherequityoutcomeswere centraltothediscussiondespitedigressions causedbysomeparticipantswhotinwittingly perpematedtheunconsciousbiasinstead of addressingitasanissue.Theirrambling, however,waslappedupingoodhumour, withapinchof salt,makingformore conversation.

Thespeakerswereselectedfortheir diversiryof backgroundandinput, accordingmConsulGeneralManikaJain, whohostedthee,Tent.Sheadmittedd1atit wasalastminuted1oughtandputrogethe.r hastilytoensured1atWomen'sDaydidnot gounobserved.

Therathersparseaudienceheardabout theinitialchallengesfacedby.MindBlowing Film'sMituBhowmickLangeasa"brown, Bengali.filmmaker"inAustralia,resonating withherstoriesof struggletosuccess. ThroughDrMridulaNathChakraborty, DeputyDirecrorof MonashAsiaInstitute, theywereapprisedof anacademic

observationongenderparitybotbhistorical andcurrent.

DrMarikaVicziany,Professorof Asian PoliticalEconomyandformerDirector of MonashAsiah1stimte,dwelledonher migrantexperienceasayoungchildin Australiaincludingherlaterdisillusionment withEasternEuropewhereherparents c:amefrorn.

MonikaThukral,AirIndiaAirport Manager,Melbourne,sharedanoptimistic accountof herachievementsinovercoming obstacleslikegender,ageandcapabilitybias tomakeasignificantcontributiontober chosencareer.

ProfessorSmesbBhargava,theDeputy ProVice-Chancellorlnternationalof RtvfITUniversity,asthesolemalevoice, emphasisedtheneedtonorponderover historyburfocusonthepresenttocake women'semancipationfurther.

TheinteractiveQandAchatfollowed madeforsomeconstructiveconversation, thedebateheatinguponthequestionof whetherWomen'sDayeventsaremerely anactof tokenism.Thefewvoices(mainly male),thatsuggestedthatthecelebrations arepurely'lipservice',weredrownedont quicklybytheoverwhehningmajoritywho beggedtodiffer.

Theemphasiswastobroadentheagenda andreviseourassumptionsaboutwhat matterstomakesurethatgenderbiases d1roughpaygap,glassceilingsandcultural

orstructmaldisparityareremoved.

AparticipantfromNagalandemotionally pointedoutd1efierceoppositiontowomen's reservationof 33%seatsin Nagaland Municipal Councilsbymale-dominated tribalbodiesinNagaland.

Accordingtoher,chis"strncmral injustice"needscobeaddressedastradition andcustomarypracticesarestillbarring womenfromparticipatingindecisionmakingbodies,despitehundredsof years sincethefirstwomen'ssuffrage.

ThethemeforIWD2017,BeBoldFor Change,encouragespeopletostepupand takegroundbrealcingactioncohelpdrive genderequality.Bybeingleaderswicbin ourownspheresof inAuence,wecan initiatecoordinatedeffort.�andpurposeful collaborationstodemandequalrightsinthe political,social andeconomicprocess.

Theeveningdiscussionwentwaypastits expectedfinishastheaudiencepassionately contributedtotbegenderdebate.ltwas deemedimperatived1atmenandwomen bod1dotheirbittoensurethatthefuture forgirlsis bright, equal,safeandrewarding.

ApetitionentitledSupportNagaIV'omen} PoliticalVoice:33%SeatRese1"Vatio11inNagaland isC/IITent!J'being111adef:ylnotoliZhimomia11d Dol!J'KikonfromMelho11mc.For111oredetails visit:https://111Wlll.change.org/p/p1ime-minister-of india-s11pport-11aga-11,0111e11-spolitical-iloice-33-seatrnscr11atio11-in-nagakmd

Preeti Jabbal

We Won't Mother India: Diversity in IndianWomen's Rights

''Betweenthedevilandthedeepblue sea."Thisishowactivistandfounder of IagaEducation House,lnotoli Zbiu1omidescribesthestateof Naga womeninIndia. Speakingatapanelfor InternationalWomen'sDay attheAustralia Indialnstiture,Zhimornispokeof the recentturmoilinNagalandasaresultof aproposed33%reservation forlaga women in UrbanLocalBodies.Nagamen have been opposingaffirmativeactionsince 2006,butafterasuccessfullegalchallenge, courtsorderedd1eStateParliamentto introducethereservation.Violentprotests ensued, leadingtothedeathof twoyoung ruen,andthestategovernmentwere pressuredintopostponing d1eelections. ZhirnomiandDrDolly Kikon,another academicandactivistwhoalsospokeat thepanelhavebeenactively involved,in d1efaceof severalthreats,inthecampaign currentlyunderwayinNagalandcogiveits womenapoliticalvoice.

ThepaneltocommemorateInternational \�omen'sDaypresentedadiverse perspectiveonwomen'srightsinh1dia. Stayingwitl1Nord1EastIndia,DrDolly Kikontalkedabouttheeconomicmobility

,, Inotoli Zhimomi

ofwomenfromNagalandandManipur,and howthefactthattheylooked'exotic',gave them opportunitiesnm.inmeniallabouron cashewplantationsandshrimpfaccories,bur infieldslikehospitality.DrKikon followed theseyoungwomentoPune,Mumbaiand Thiruvananthapuramastheypursuedcareers athighendhospitalir:yvenues,andcame acrossthecerm,'shelflife'.

"Shelflifeisnor onJyforfood,itis forhumanbodies,"shesaid.Following the womenaround,andwatchingthem makechoices was hard,saidDrKikon."I couldn'tsaytheirchoiceswerewrong,or thatthecorporationswerebad.It'snot black andwhite.Thesegirlsearnedmoney, savedandboughtland.Theydon'c have inheritance.rights."

DrAmandaGilbertson,lecturerinYouth andContemporaryIndiaattheUniversity ofMelbourne, talked ofthediversityin theyouthmovementpostthehorrific 2012rapeinDelhi.Theprotescsafterthe rapewere,5eenmoreasayomhmovement andnor awomen'srightsmovement. Shelookedathowyoutb connectedwith themovement,andpresentedtwocase smdiesthatrepresentedtwodifferent views onfeminism.Samaanra,ayouth-led organisationthathasafocus on'peace',and aimsrodevelopyoungpeopleasactorsfor genderequality,approachesgenderfrom apersonaltransformacionperspectiveand iscriticalof otherorganisations'focus onpatriarchy.The foundersdon'tcall themselvesfeminists,andviewthetermasa politicalstatement.

PinjraTod,ontheotherhand,isastudentJedmovementtomakehostelandpaying guestaccommodationlessregressiveand restrictivefor women."Theirapproach," Gilbertsonsaid,"UnlikeSamaanta,is notpeaceorpersonal transformation, butfighcingforinstitutionalandsocial change."PinjraTod'sstatementfor InternationalWomen'sDayisaplayon the1950 filinMotherIndiaandreads,"We Won'tMo.therIndia."CriticisingWomen's Day'celebrations',irsays,''Amilitant historyofstrugglehasbeenco-opted and institutionalisedintoadayofrirualiscic commemoration,ofmarketgimmicks and'spa'discounts,ofinstitutionalised 'celebrations'and'seminars'."

ArnyPiedalue, whosePhDresearch lookedathow organisationsinHyderabad worktoempowerwomenandspecifically address gender-basedviolence,talkedof howthelaw,evenwithoutitacnmllybeing usedbycommunities,canbeatoolfor socialreform.Thelawinquestionisthe Protection ofWomenagainstDomestic ViolenceActthatwaspassedin2005. Theorganisations(whichaskedtoremain anonymous)usethelawininteresting ways.Ifawomanapproacheschemfor help,butthehusbandrefusestocooperate, thelawisusedasa roolto applypressure: isn'titbetterfor himtocome to themto discusstheissueinstead of d1ewifetaking matterstothepolice?Also,addsPiedalue, thisacknowledges"thatpolicestations canbedangerousplacesforwomen". F\mdamentally,itisaboutwomensaying, 'l don'twanttousethislaw' andthen strategicallyfiguring out,howtoscilladdress theviolencewid1outlosingthattool. Piedaluealsotalked ofd1eimportance ofkeepingin.line widithewomen'sdesire

tostayconnectedwiththeircommunity.She chaUengeddie"simplistic \'{lesternfeminist construction offeminismasindividualised, andasrealisedd1roughseparationfrom familyandcornmtllllty Weneedstrategies tocreatesafetyandjustice,andchange d1osespacesrather thanforcethewomento becomeindependentfromchem".

Dipanjali Rao

Women's Day, the Air India way

Theconversationinthecockpitsurewas differentthistime,astheall-femalecrew fromAirIndiaflewintoMelbourneairport, aspart ofaninitiativebyAirIndiato commemoratel□ternationalWomen'sDay.

LedbyCaptainLaxmi agrath,che DreamlinerleftDelhiat1.15pmon8J\farch andlandedinMelbournejustbefore7an1 on 9March,coveringaround10,215kilometers, with237passengersandnineinfantson board.

Asthewearytravellersmadetheirwayom toArrivals,therewasascirofexcitement, andthefourAirIndiacockpitcrewmembers emergedind1eircrispuniforms,allofthem women.Theychattedeasilyaboutdieir experiencesandwereveryproud tobe partofthisinitiativeromarkInternacional Women'sDay.

Thiswasn'tthefirsttimeanall-female crewflewintoMelbourne,accordingto CaptainSangeetaNirmal,who claimedthat AirIndiahadconsciouslyencouragedand promotedseveralsuchAightsinthepast. Interestingly,bothherdaughtersarealso pilotsandshestronglybelieveschataviation isagreatcareerforwomen"

CaptainNagrathsaidshehadcome acrossnogenderdisparityintermsofpay or opportunitiesduringher30-yearflying careet."Infact,1waslookedafterbetter than themenandmybatchmarestookextracare in lookingourformewhen1wastraining," shesharedwithasmile.

ThiswasnottheirfirstvisittoMelbourne andjudgingbytheirconversation,plans seemedtobeinplacetocheckout Melbourne'ssightswithMelbourneZooand StKildabeachtopoftheirlist.Thepopular ThousandStepswalkingtrailandbikerides tothebead1werealso highond1eagenda

Thecabincrewdisplayednosign of weariness,despitethelonghaul,asthey happilyposedforphotos,smartandsmiling intheiruniform.Theirmoodseemedto matchdiecolourofIndianspring(mustard) thatwasdominantinthefrsaris.

Thepassengerswereequallyupbeatand delightedtofindoutthattheywerepartofa specialevent.

"Itwasperfect!Theplanecouldn't differentiatebetweenamaleandfemale pilot!"SuoilaForsythlaughinglytoldIndian Link."Jokesaside,Ifeltverygoodknowing diatJ\itIndiadeployedanallwomenflight. It'sveryempoweringandencouraging, especiallyforIndianwomenarow1dthe world.Allthefemalepassengersweregiven rosesbeforeboarding-Iwasgiventwo!"

AirIndiaisseekingaGuinnessWorld recordforitsall-femaleflightsaroundtbe world. Otherairlineshavealsoreceody launchedsimilarflightsintheirquesttojoin tbebandwagon,howeverAirIndiaclaimsit isdiefirstonetoscripthistorybyflyingan all-womancrewflightarow1dtheworld. PreetiJabbal

Al's all-women crew 'aroundoperates the world' flight

ational passengercarrierAirIndia recendyoperatedan'aroundtheworld' flightwid1an all-femalecrew, onits ew Delhi-SanFrancisco- ewDelhiroute.

FlightAI173 to.ok offfromIndira GandhiInternationalAirportinDelhi on 27FebruarytoSanFrancisco,covereda distanceofaround 15,300kmin15 and a half hours overd1ePacificroute,and on the return journeyfrom SanFrancisco overdieAdantic.

"Theentire Aightwas operatedbythe womenstaff ofeightdepartments,"an airlinereleasesaid."Thesedepartments includedcockpitcrew,cabincrew,check� instaff,doctor,customer carestaff,ATC (air traffic control) and theencireground handli11gfrom operator to technician, engineerand flightdispatcherand trimmer."

The line operationsafetyaL1ditwasdone byHarpreetADeSingh,ED(executive director) FlightSafety, AirIndia.Thisis thefirsttimethatthisauditwasdoneby afemale officer foran around-the-world trip.

Opposite:InternationalWomen'sDay celebrationsatthe Indian Consulate in Melbourne

Below: CaptainLaxmi Nagrath and herAir Indiacrewarrive in Melbourne

and Dr Dolly Kikon have been actively involved, in the face of several threats, in the campaign currently underway in Nagaland to give its women a political voice ,,

ACarnatic dedication

The Samarpanam fundraisingconcert is a coming-of-age moment in the Melbourne Carnatic communityfor Pragadeesh Shamugarajah

BYAPARNAANANTHUNI

Iamsittingintheaudience ofa Carnatic concerr,asrrangerina familiarland.

IthasbeenawhilesinceI have attendedapropersolo'k-utcheri', orfull-lengthconcert-infact,it'sbeen sometimesince I've thoughtof myself as 'one of'theSouthIndianclassical music communityinMelbourne,despite havi.ng learned Carnaticsingingwithinchar communitysinceagefouc SoI'mn.otsure howI'mgoingcothinkor feel.Insidero.r outsider"

However,whatI cannot doubtj5this: hereisartdovetailingitselfeasilywithlife: agroupof artistsusingtheirarc co raise fundsandawarenessforrwo urgentcauses: cbeOvarianCancerResearchFoundation, and theAustralianMedicalAid Foundation, whichworkscoward helpingSriLankan comnmnities rebuildafterthe civil war.

OnstageisyoungMelbourne-bornand raisedvocalist PragadeeshShamugarajah, trainedinCarnaticmusicinMelbourne underJayashreeRamachandran.He'salsoa mrdangist,traininginthatarcformLmder Ravii\1[Ravicbandhira,alsoinMelbourne. HisaccompanistsareweU-knownexpert figuresintheMelbourneCarnacicmusic scene-MuraliKumar ontheviolin,Balasri Rasiab onmrdangam,and HariharanBalasri onghatam.

Pragadeesh'sconnectiontothisconcert

isapersonalone.Tbeconcertis dedicated cothelateKandiahThangara]abOAM,a well-belovedandinfluentialmember of the Tamilcommunity,who hadaskedbimto undertakeafLmdraisi.ngconcert,a request thatcouldonlybe fulfilledposthumously. So,in fact,theartistsandtheirart tonight areprofoundlyconnectedtobothlifeand death.

Iperkupattheopeningsong, 'Pranamamyaham' inGowlaraga,bythe astonishingly.long-lived(nearahundred years!)MysoreVasudevacharya,becauseit isacompositionIcanrememberlearning. Pragadeesh'simpro,,isedswaras (note sequences)areconfidentandcreative,and thisissomethingthatcontinuesthroughout theconcert.Theeaseof hisexchangeswith hj5accompanists,especiallywithl'Yfurali Kumar ontheviolin,catchesmyattention aswellButwhatstrikesmemostofaUis thelackofmanicureandcarefulshaping inhjssinging;insteadhethrows outa messy, spontaneousenergy,andistmfazed bythe risks of thisapproach.Thisis what makeshisrendering of 'NiravadiSukha', one ofthemost upbeatcompositionsof

diereveredni.neteend1-centurycomposer Tyagaraja,inragaRavinchandrika,the hjghlight of theconcert-hisplaywiththe

swarasequenceisexcitingandkeepsboth dieaccompanistsandaudienceguessing.

Pragadeeshhasalovely,softtimbreto

hi�voice,especiallyinthelowerregister, andthiswasshownmadvantagein his 'Karti.keya',acompositioninTamilby prolificandhighlyi.nHuenti.altwentiethcenturycomposerPapanasamSivan,in theshadowyragaThodi.WhenMysore Vasudevacharyamadeareturnin hismost famouscomposition 'Brochevarevarura' inKamasraga,Pragadeesbagain displayedanw1prerentious,playful comfortwithimprovisation.

I have reachedastageinmyappreciation ofliveconcerts whereIammoreinthe mood toadmireconfidence,playfulness andindependence,especiaUyfromyoung emergingperformers.Andsowhen Pragadeeshinrroducesthesenior musicians aroundhimas'fellow artists', Igrinin appreciation.

Theconcertraisesover$3000 foreach cause.

Ican'tsayhowPragadeeshwouldexpress bisconnectionto Catnaticmusic. Imyself feelsomewhatambivalentaboutic-on onehand,itpleasesrne aesthetically,on the other,I wonderabouticscontemporary relevance,dependingasitdoessoheavily on religiouslyrics,emanatingfrom-let'sbe frank-departedmalecomposerswhocame fromanodiertimeandplace.

Butrusperformancestrikesme asa coming-of-agemomentin theMelbourne Carnaticcommunity:whenart,life,deadi, creativity,explorationcome together,and wherea22-year-old performercanboldhis own andlendanew, energetic Havour toit.

WhateverI feelaboutCarnaticmusic now,thesearethingsabouticasa performingarc thatIwillalwaysbeableco connectto.

,, Pragadeesh Shamugarajah's performance strikes me as a coming-ofage moment in the Melbourne Carnatic community: when art, life, death, creativity, exploration come together ,,

Classroom protest

While The Manganiyar

Classroom showcases a dying musical heritage, it is also a cry against the educational system in

India

TheatredirectorRoystenAbel, famousfor'TheManganiyar Seduction' presented atthe2011 MelbourneFestival,remrnedthjs year withlittlestorytellers in'The ManganiyarClassroom'. Themesmet:isingshowwaspresented byMelbourneRecital Centreinassociation withAsiaTOPAandArtsCentre Melbournelastmonth.

TheManganiyarsareatribalcommllnity fromRajasthanwith astrongmusical tradfrion.lothisnewestproduction,35 youngManganiyarkidsraisetheirvoices againsttheteacherinprotestathowthey arebeingtaught,challengingthesystemall thewhileastheyentertain withtheirsongs.

Thelittlefe.llowssimplystunned with theirtalentandenergy;thesonganddance, andsheerrhythmintheirmusic,drew

d1eauruence incotheirwayof life, whichsadl)�isfastdisappearingunless somethingisdoneaboutit.

''Iencourageyoutoenjoytheabsolute beautyof meManganiyarssinging,tosee some llniquetalentfromanotherpartof the worldandtoexperience me sheer power of music d1ough innocence,"saysAbel.

Theproductionis not justan .introduction co the glorjousmusical reservesof thistreasuredtribalcommunity, butmrollghit a ltindof activismto highlightissues inthe present Indian educationsystem.It wasallaboutagroup

of naughtyboysprovokingand challengingmeirteachers,alongside sometrulyvisceral,passionateand powerfulsingingtoallowtheinco continuelearningthroughtheirmusic.

Theshowalsocelebratestheorigins of storytellingandtradition-theyoung boyswhoaredestinedtobekeepersof theflame,thestorytellersof thefumre,the holdersof metalesandtraditions.

Abelheardtl1eManganiyarchildren in2005andengagedtalentedkidsinthe firstproductionwhichresonated wimthe audiences.Almosteightyearslater,when hereturnedcoJaisalmertoseemebrilliant youngkids,hewasspeechlessashecould notrecognisethem."Theyhadloseme sparkintheireyes withnoconfidence. Theytoldmemeyhadgone toschool for aboutsevenyearsandhadchosentodrop

omof themusic."

This metamorphosisinmekidsrusturbed himenough tolead him to workonthis productiontotalkaboutd1eissuesin tl1e educationsystem throughthismusical experience.

Afterhavingworked andperformedwith thesechildrenfordiepastthreeyearsAbel is tryingtoe.5tablishaschool,astateof theartalternativeeducationsystemforthe Manganiyarchildrensomeycanacquire educationinawaytheywillonlygain and notlose.

Afterhavingseenthisperformance1truly hopeAbel'seffortsyieldresults-music cannotonlyplayagreatroleineducation, itcanalsohelpin keepingstoriesaliveand importantly, tosharethesestoriesaround theworld.

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Remarkable kathak: Niru m and ajen . .�

BYAPA.RNAANANTHUNI

WhenIfirst saw NirupamaandRajendra, internationallyacclaimed kathakduofrom Bangaloi-e,i11Melbourne, backin201l,Ik11ewnothingaboutkathak. Withmyaestheticsensibilitysteepedin bharatanacyam,theresultof Melbourne's beingabsolutelyfloodedwiththisSouth Indiandanceform,Ifounditstrangely exuberant,vividandfree,something1had neverassociated withIndian (11eo)classical dance.Andindeed,whatI've sincecome toloveaboutkathakisitsspontaneity,its sensuality,itseasewiththeground,witlithe air,andthewayitsgestures-so'un-mudraad',sounlikeSouthIndian danceforms -canspeakcothecontemporarydesirefor freedomof bodyandmovement.

LastweekI watchedtheduoagain,along withtheirseniorstudentandaleaddancer of theirdancecompany,RohiniPtabhat, intheirlatestMelbourneperformance, 'Rang'.ThatwaswhenIrealisedthatwhat NirnpamaandRajendradowithkathak isactuallyincredibly unique.Theirwork skillfullyleveragestheform'sinherentflair anddramai11toasetof theatrical,costumed stageperformancesthat nsebotl1ttaditional andcontemporaryIndianmusic,aswell

asworldmusic,while stilldancingthe kamakrepertoire. Theresultisremarkably harmonious andbalancedina waythat manyso-called'fusion'(Ihatediatword!) performancesarenot.

'Rang'consistedof aseriesof themed pieces.Nirupamaherself announcedand explainedeachitembeforehand-anice intimatecouch,whichisacharacteristicof Nirupama-Rajendra'sinteractionwiththeir audience.Furthercharmwasaddedbydie duo'splayfulnessonstage. Forexample,in thetheirinttoductorypiece,whiledancing signacnrekathakhigh-speed'chakkars' orspins,oneof irupama'searringsfell, whichsbedeftly(whilestilldancing) threw tod1esideof mestage. Andinthevery nextpiece,'Varsha',abomthemonsoon, Rajendra,actingthepartof theromantic heroor'nayaka'-romanticlovebeinga typicalmotif of monsoonmusic-sneaked cheekilyupcoherandheldourthedropped

earring, whichsheattempted,unsuccessfully andlaughingly,cofixbad(inwhilestill dancing I wouldhave,truthbetold,found '\Tarsha' alittletoocutesyformyliking if it hadn'tbeen for thisfun little bitof improvisation.

Nirupamaatonepointspokeof the journey of beingadancer,declaring,"Our gurusintheireightiesarestillexcited.And thatiswbatdancegivescothedancer,a ttemendoussenseof hopeand joyin life." Andthis wasn'tjustrhetoric:theduo's genuinejoyinmovement-andin dancing rogeclier-camethroughin everypiecethey performed.

In'Tarang',anexquisitepiececonsisting of puredance(ratherthanstorytelling), theyperformedanexchangeof footwork diathadteasing,knowinghmnourwoven throughit,andalsoincludedabeautiful presentationofgdt(gait),oneof theunique elementsof kamak.However,thehighlight of th.eperfon1iance,forme, was'ThaDah',apiecedanced agarnstablendof ordiIndianclassicalmusicinterwoven withAfro-Jambeandjazz.AsNirupama describedir,thispiecewasabout"Two energiescomingtogether [and] how whentwothingscometogetherabeautiful synergyhappens [and]how withkathak wecanbeveryuniversal." Indeed,'ThaDali'wasdramatic,sensual,sharp,soft, romantic,andof courseplayfulbyturns, harnessingthefullrangeof contemporary movementpossibilitiesthatthekathak aesd1eticoffers.lirupama'sshimmering purplegownlentanalmostbaroque glamourtotluspiece.

However,whatwasproblematicabout 'Rang', werethetwosexistR,m1C!Jan'dpieces that wereperformed:'VimanaYana',a sectio□from Kalidasa'sRagl.mvcw1sa,and 'Panchavati',anenactmentof me'golden deer' episodeof the Ra111t!]a11a,danced solobythe highlyskilledRoluniPrabhac. Ir'sttuethatNirupamaexplainedtheir inclusionof Ra111,ryanainrelativelysecular terms: " They standfor humanvalues.

Theymayberepresentedasourgods, buttheywereall humanbeingswith divinequalities " Butit'snorenoughto secularise-despite Nirupama'sdeclaration diatinclassical dance "1vhatisdoneisnot matimporta11r,hoi/Jitisdonebecomes important",diemisogynyof thesedanced storiesurgentlyneedstobeaddressedtoo. Becausewewatchedthe'san1eold' 'same old'of lordly,wise,'manly' Rama,reaclung orpreachingtoorobjectifyingchildish, foolish,helplessSica,withnoattemptto make thissrory'universal' andcontemporary atall.Infact,Nirupamaspokeof Sitaas "fragile",anddescribedthePanchavati episodeasillusccating,amongotherthings, "howa,vomanfeels,alone, whenthe husbandis gone." lt'struethatthe musical backdropfor"Panchavati' wasunusualswelling,orchestral,almostDisney-like,the productof a collaborationbetweenRavi ShankarandPhilipGlass.Butrhestern patriarchalstoryof chastisinga11d ceaclung the'foolishwoman'diatwasdancedagainst itcreatedarealclissona11ce-especiallysince other workpresentedby d1eduo,suchas 'Tha-Dah',wasso unbow1d.

Towardstheend,Nirnpamaand Raje□drapresentedaddightful versionof 'jugall)andbj'(improvisedexchange),with nomusicorpercussionaccompaniment, justtheiranklebellsandeachother,with theaudienceinvitedtoparticipatewith clapping Undeniably,theirsisatechnical skill,unpretentiousexuberanceandphysical chemistrythatishardnottobesweptupby.

Theaestheticsof katliak-informedbyits almostwhollysecular,courtlyhistory-are, asI saidinthebeginning,particularlysuited toexpressingmodernityanditsdesires.So 1amnowleftasking: howmeaningfulcan attention tocostL1me, lighting, musicand audienceengagementbe,wherethereisn't alsoadrivecore-,risionandre-writethe a1:chaicandpatriarchalastheco11ten1porary andequal,andtotellstoriesof depthand substancetliatseekto connectandexplore, aswellasentert.'linandamuse?

It's a wonderful modern interpretation ofkathak, but there's a strikingelement ofdissonance

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BY CHITRA SUDARSHAN

ShubbaVilasDas cook on a monumemalcask of writinga book ontheRamayanain2013abook thatwouldbringtheepic outof thedosetandrevealto theworldthedepth of learninghiddenio jc.Heembarkedooanambitiousproject of writinga6-volnmeseries titledRa111qyanaTheGm11eofLife Thefirstthreevolumes, RiseoftheSul/Prince(Book 1) andSbt1ttcred Dreams(Book2) andStole11 Hope (Book 3) fromhisbookserieshavebecome national bestsellers,andhehas nowcompletedthe fourthvolumeintheseries. Hewasaguest atthe2017JaipurLiteraryFestival,andhe is now a much sought after motivational speakerandcounsellor.

Icaughtupwithtl1eautl1orrecentlywhen hespokeatISKCONl'v[elbourneandthe VedicSocietyof Victoria.

ShnbhaVilasDas' tl1.reevolumesinthe Ramayanaserie.svividlybringalivetheepic which,tl1eautl10r felt, hadbeenlargely ignoredasphilosophicalliterature.

"Idecidedtowi:itetl1eRamayanafrom anew,modernperspective,yetremaining trueco irsuniversal andperennial messages, becauseI sawthat either therewere versionsthatwerewrittenfromatraditional perspective,or thosetl1atwerebeing reinterpretedand rehashedformodern

cin1esbyignoringthespiritinwbichitwas originallycomposed,"hetoldme.

Heembarked onanexcensiveresearch of originalliceratureslike Vt1!111ikiR£1mt1y,mr1 inSanskrit,Kt1111baRamqyana,theoldest Ramayanaversioninavernacularlanguage; andTulsidas'immortal R,u11chmita111atl(JSin Avadhi

"Forme thisepicwas full of lifelessons whichcanbeprofitablyusedtoinformour livesintheC\venryfirstcenrury."

The resultis awonderful retelling of this popularepicwhichprovidesdeepinsights oncontemporarysubjectssud,ashow humanrelationshipsworkorwhytheyfail, howleaderscanmaximizetheirpotential, andhowtheancientepiccanprovide a moralcompassinarapidlychanging world. Thesebooks interpretscoriesfrom theRamayanaanddistillessonsfrom themtohelpusbetterunderstandaocllive meaningfullives.

ShubhaVilasDas'fourthbooktitled Opcn-E:Jcdl\lleditationswaslaunchedin MumbaiinSeptember2016.Itisa beautifulcompilationof thoughts where eachmeditationtakes onajourneytothe pastto healaprobleminchepresem.He helpspeoplepractiseandmasterthe arr of meditationwitheyeswide openasbe believes thekeenobservationof theworld around us(ratherthanshuttingit out),is anequallylegitimatewaycoenlightenment. Heoffersvaluablenuggets of wisdom and actionpointresourcesto deal withevery moderndilemma.

Givenhisloveforbooks,ShubliaVilas DassetupTulsiBooksPublications,a publishing housediatpromotesbooks

thatencouragespicimalthinkingand reasoning. Hewasnotalwaysanautl10r: hebeganhiscareerasanengineer with theTataGroupandlatermovedtoan internationallawfirm inBangalore.After tlusstintinchecorporateworld,bejoined theInternationalSocietyforKr.ish.na Consciousness (ISKCOl'\1) andthendecided toservesocietyinasmanywaysashe could.Hebecamea monk andchosecobe aspirimalseekerandpreacher.Hiskeen interestinfindingagoal forlifeledhim cochannel hisenergiesintodeepstudies andinterpretations of VedicScripmres. HeisnowPresidemof ISKCONGoa, andspendsagreatdeal of timeaddressing peoplefromallwalks of lifethrough d1ought-provokingseminars. Hehas becomeamuchsought-aftermotivational speaker.(Forasample,thereaderwould beablemfindseveralwonderfultalkson YouTube).

ShubhaVilasDas gavea talk attheVedic Societyof Victoriaon"Ancientwisdom formodernlife"andatISKCONhespoke abouthow to"Stop worryingandstart living".Asmetopicssuggest,VilasDas's forteistofindanswerstoproblemsin21" cenrnrylife,bylookingatourancient-yet universalandperennial-wisdomsfrom our traditions,especiall)'theRamayanaandtbe Mahabharata.

ShubhaVilasDas'RamayanaVolume4 iswicbthepublishers. Heisnow working onsomeunusualandunheard of scories fromchePtm11u1s,inabook heisgoingto callNfysticalTalesfaraMagicalUfa Heis also working onabookfortheyomb on howcoaddressandhandlecercainemotions

inourliveslikeenvy,insecurity,etc.He issimultaneouslyworking onRamayana Parr5,andabook onmeBhagawadGira -whichwillsuccinctlysummarisethe messageof theGita.

Allhisbooks areavailableonAmazon or throughISKCON.

SOME NUGGETS FROM SHUBHAVILAS' TALKS

"The Mahabharata demonstrates how a person's true greatness can be seen in the way they handle provocation. It is always easy to be great when things are going well. However, when provoked, we should become like the tortoise, that is, withdraw andthink. In the Mahabharata, Kama's life teaches us this, that happiness comes from within us, and that waiting for others' approval and validation makes us deeply unhappy."

"One of the ways in which we can improve our self-image is by contributing to the world; being consumeristic is being like Ashwattama, who tried getting gratification from possessions and owning things. Arjuna, on the other hand, tried to get the most from what he had."

MoneyGram Launches Vaisakhi Campaign to Celebrate the Harvest

Receivers stand a chance to win over 60 excitingprizes includingmotorbikes

MoneyGram,aglobalprovider of innovativemone)'transfer services,announcedits

'Vaisakb.i201Tcampaign in tbepresence of famousIndiancricketer HarbhajanSinghrecently.Withthe campaign,MoneyGramaims cocreate excitementamongitscustomersinPunjab andbringjoytotheirVaisakhicelebrations.

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Thecampaign willlastforamont!Jand isdesignedforcustomersreceivingmoney inPunjabwhowillhaveachancetowin 10 LEDTVs,50smartphonesand thegrand bumperprize-threeRoyalEnfieldbikes

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'1amthrilledrolaunchthe 'Vaisakbi2017'campaign today. MoneyGramprovides notonly areliableplatformformoving money seamlesslyacrossthe worldbutalsotoconnectpeople throughajoyfulcelebration.I'm surethatdi.iscampaign willmake thisoccasionaspecial memory. Itgivesmeanopportunityto comebackhomeandbeapart of tl1ecelebrationsalmgetl1er wiilimyfans,"said Harbhajan Singh.

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r1 1nasas oiticians

Analysing the nexus between crime andpolitics in India

BY CHITRA SUDARSHAN

MilanVaislmav'snew book WhenC1imePc!Js: Mon�)'andlvi.mcfei11T11dian Politics(YaleUniversity PressandHarper Collins

India,January2017)isasuperbanalysis of thenexus berween crimeandpoliticsin lndia.Vaishnavhasstudiedchesymbiotic relationshipbetv,eenmoneyandmuscle on theoneband,andpoliticalpower onthe ocher;he setoutto delveandexplainhow widespreadcrimeandimproprietyco-exist inIndiaalongsidefreeandfairdemocratic elections;andto understandwhyvorers readilyforgivepoliticiansandlookaway fromche crimes theyperpetrare,and indeed,elecrandre-elecrthem.

Usingadat,'lbaseof candidates' self-disclosures,whicb rheElection Commissionbasmaintainedsince2003, Vaishnavcrunchesdatafromnearly60,000 candidatesspreadacross35stateelections andtwonationalelections.Hesupplements his deskresearchwichfieldworkinIndia spanningoversevenyearswherebe conduceshundreds of interviewswith variousstakeholdersinthesystem.The finalresult of allthisacademicdiligenceis asuperlJ,candidanddevastatinglybonest bookonpoliticsinIndia-notasitis taughtin universitiesoracademia.

Vaishnav,CarnegieEndowmentscholar, trackschedisturbinganddistressingrise of criminal-politiciansinIndia:Indian politicians who havebeenchargedwithor convictedof serious crimes arethreetimes morelikelytowinparliamentaryelections thandiosewhohavenoelWhatmakeschese murderers,rapists,blackmailers,tbievesand kidnapperstick?Vaishnavtriestoexplain thispuzzlingphenomenonindiebook.

Tounderstandthemotivationof criminal candidatesinstandingforelectionsandof votersinelectingthem, Vaishnavusesthe frameworkof anelectoralmarketplace. Writingaboutthesupplysideof the criminalpoliticians'market,theauthor contendsthatitwastheweakeningof che Congresspartyand agrowingassertiveness inthepreviouslymarginalisedgroupsthat initiallyledtostronglinkagesbetween criminalsandpoliticians.

Inrecenttin1es, however,wehavethe phenomenonof criminalsthemselves turningintopoliticiansandrunningfor elections.Whyandhowdidthishappen?

Vaishnav uses theconceptof 'vertical integration'toexplainit:itisasystem wherebycriminalssubstitute market exchangewichpoliticiansbyinternal organisation(becomingpoliticians themselves). "Bydirectlycontesting elections,criminalscouldreducetl1e

uncertaintyassociatedwichnegotiating (andrenegotiating) contracts,"saysthe auchor.Criminalschusjoinpoliticsforselfpreservacion,protection,and thepotential financialbenefitstheystandto gainby holdingoffice.

Thesupplyof criminalpoliticians cannot,however,beexplained wichout w1derstandingchedemandsideof tl1e equation.Thedemandforcriminal politiciansbypoliticalpartiescanbe Lmderstoodonthebasisof chesoaring costs of electioncampaigns,whichparties areunableto afford.Therefore,parties increasinglylookforcandidates whonot onlyself-financetheircampaigns,butalso add tothepartycoffersandlinetbepockets of partyelites.Whydovoterselectthese criminalpoliticians?Voterignorance,he found,wasnotacompellingexplanation of voterbehaviour.Forstarrers,candidates whohaveoutlawreputations oftenmake agreatshowof highlightingtheircriminal reputations.Farfrombidingthem,d1eyare

often wornasabadgeof honour.Voters consciouslyelectsuchcandidatesfor their abilityco"get thingsdone".Intheface of aweakruleof lawandsalientsocial divisions,checriminalityof candidates gainscredibilityamongvoters, whorelyon criminalpoliticianstoprotecttlieirinterests andcoactlikediecrmchthathelpschem "navigateasystemthatgiveschemsolittle accessinthefirstplace".

Clearly,dieamalgamationof criminality andpolicieshasseriousimplications forsociety.Constituenciesrepresented bycrookssuffereconomically.Sowhat shouldbedonetobreakd1isequilibrium thatthemarketforcriminalpoliticians hasreached?Forsustainablesolutions, itisimpetacivethatbothchedemand andsupplyof criminalpoliticiansbe diwarred.AsVaishnavpointsout,of utmost importanceisclearingrhe morass aroundelectioncampaign linancesand improvingtransparencyandtnclusionin politicalparties. Fmther,chestatecapacity

,, Votersconsciously electsuchcandidates fortheirabilityto "getthingsdone"theyrelyoncriminal politicianstoprotect theirinterestsandto actlikethecrutchthat helpsthem''navigatea systemthatgivesthem solittleaccessinthe firstplace ,,

indeliveringpublicservicesshouldbe improvedandinstitutions<lea.lingwidirule of lawstrengthened.Of course,noneof these.solutions,asche auchor points out,.isa silverbulletbyitself.

\\Tharis fascinatingischeextraordinary deftnesswid1wbichVaishnavinterweaves differentdisciplinesof political science, sociology,economicsand historytocreate anuancednarrative. Hetakesthereaders behindchescenesandregalestl1emwicha plethoraof anecdotesaboutthefouland fiendishmen(whileconspicuouslyleaving outtliewomen)wbo wininIndianpolicies. Hewritesinaproseaccessibletolayreaders witl1outlosingacademicdeptb. lt ishis thoroughanalysisandgreatsrorytellingchat make ff/hmCti111ePqysanengagingread.

The bookisoftengrimly amusing. ln 2008,governmentwbipsgotsixl'vfPs releasedtemporarilyfromjai.lfor afew dayssothattheycouldvote,andavoida parliamentarydefeat-nevermindtl1e 100oddcases of kidnapping,arson,murderand soonchatthel'vfPsfacedbetweenthem!

Someof chegangster-statesmenappear cobestraightomof Bollywood films. Onelocalfanof apoliticianatonepoint explainedtoVaishnavdiatbis]\,fpwasnot a murderer,"He merelymanagedmurder!"

Modibaspledged tocleanupthe system-and hisrecencscrappingof large-denominationbanknoteswas meanttocleanupcorruption. However, hehasappointed 13allegedlawbreaking l'vfPscohisfirstcabinet-eightof whom faceseriouscriminalcharges!One wondersif theysupportedModi'srecent demonetisationatall?

T/aish11avisco-editoi·(,vithDeveshKapurand PmtapBham1Mehta)ofRethinkingPublic InstitutionsinIndia (OxfardU11iversity1Press) tobepublishedsoon.

Goangoals

Communitysoccergains in popularity

SaligaoPoxesovercamestiff challengefromSao1\{iguel de Taleigaotowin 1-3ind1efinals of Australia's first7-a-.5ide GoanInterVillagesoccer tournamentlastmonth.

TheeventwasorganisedbytheGoan AssociationofAustraliainMelbourne.

SaligaoFoxes,ledbyformerinternational ArnaldoAfonsowhorepresentedGoaat theSantoshTrophyandwasapactof the SalgaocarSportsClubwhentheywerethe ChampionClubof India,marshalledhis teamwellthroughoutthetournamentand wasawardedthehighestscorerandbest playerof dietournament.

lndiefinalsagainstthehigWy-spirited opponentsSaoMigueldeTaleigao,the veteranArnaldowhoindiepastplayed againstPoscoSportsClubof SouthKorea, demonstratedhisskills andexperiencewell toguidehisteamtovictory.

Atotalof fiveteams-Siolim,Fatorda, GoaUnited,SaligaoFoxesandSaoMiguel deTaleigaoregisteredtoplay.Thewinner's trophyandallmedalsweresponsoredby CliffordD'Costa,theManagerof Saoi\'1iguel deTaleigaowhoplayed duringthisyounget daysinGoaandDubai.

ltwasafun-filledevent·withalotof high

scoringmatches. Atotalof 56goalswere scoredin 13matches.Arnaldotookthe medalforthehighestscorerbyscoring9of chosegoals.

Theladiespresentontheground participatedinapenaltyshooroutcontest Theywereclividedincotwogroupsof 10 each,HazelD'SouzaandVenessaAfonso topped dieirrespectivegroupsandHazel rookthewinnersmedalatthepenalty shootom.

JeremyD'Souzawasawardedtheyoungest playeratthetournament.

AllmatcheswereofficiatedbyTerence Carvalho,aveteranof theintervillage rournamentsinKuwaitanddieMiddleEast. Terenceplaysveteranshockeyandrepresents Victoriaatnationallevel games.

TheChief GuestforthedaywasAnd1ony Lobo,aGAAmemberand thecurrent Presidentof theLionsClubof Mapucain Goa.Anthonyisinvolvedinalotof charity workinGoaalwayssupportingtheneedy.

EarlierGoanAssociationof Australia inMelbournePresidentGerardLobo welcomedthegarneringandthankedd1e participatingrerunsfor d1esupportandurged theGoandiasporainMeJbournetoworkto buildastrongerGoancommunity.

Frankey Gerard Fernandes

ADVERTiSEMENT

PHYSICIAN SPEAKSAT UNITED NATIONSABOUT MEDITATION

When you can gotothe United Nationsto hear atalk about meditation, you knowsomething haschanged in the world.

0nFriday,March 10,2017,Dr.

KunwarjitSingh Duggal,guest of theUnitedNationsSaluS Well-beingNetwork,spoketoapacked audienceintheSecretariatConf.Room 8on"CultivatingInnerPeaceforOuter Peace."Hebegan:"Mymainmessagehere istotalkaboutpeace.Howdoweachieve peace? Inordertotakepeacetodie nextlevel,wehave tofindpeacewithin ourselvesfirstbeforewecangoonhelping dierestof society."Byhisownadmission, Dr.Duggalisquitepassionateabottt meditationasaninterventionformany of life'schallenges,whetherworldlyor personal-auniversalparadigm.

HistopiconFriday,particularly timelytoday,detailedthelatestscientific researchondieprovenbenefitsof meditation.Notingthemanydifferent typesof meditation,hetalkedabout severalsignificantsmdies,mostfocused onpeace,stressandanxiety.Hequoted onerandomizedcontrolledsmdyin whichpeoplewereaskedcomeditate eachmorningfor21daysstraightfora shortdurationof time.Theresearchers measuredcortisol (thestresshormone)

levelsbeforeandafter21daysand foundasignificantdecreaseinevery participant.Notablesmdiesalsofound chatforpatientsundergoingordiopedic rehabilitationthosewhomeditated beoefittedtwiceasmuchasthosewho werecreatedonlywiththerapeuticexercise

Onetellingexamplewasanexperiment doneinatroubledSanFrancisco schooldistrictinwhichtwo 15-minute periodsof quiettimewereinscimced forsmdents.Theresultswereimproved testscores,attendance,psychological stateandenhancedconcentration.These smdencsalsoreportedincreasedcalmness anddecreasedanger.Byincreasing thecalmnessinthesestudents,their correspondingtroubledgeographical regionsnoteddecreasedcrimeratesand improvedsafety.

Dr.Duggalthenpresentedthe meditationtechniquepracticedinScience of Spirimalicy,Jyotimeditation,afterwhich everyonehadachancetomeditatefora shortperiod.

Theafternoonconcludedwithalively questionandanswersession.

Dr.DuggalwasatdieUnitedNations

Dr. KunwarjitSinghOuggalspeakingattheUnitedNations, March 10, 2017, On 'Cultivating InnerPeaceforOuter Peace,' asaguestofUnited Nations SaluS Well-beingNetwork representingtheScienceof Spirimality, (NGO),aworldwide, spiritualorganization dedicatedrotransfotminglivesd1rough meditation.Hisfather,SantRajinderSingh Jij\fahataj,headof Scienceof Spirituality, spokeattheUNlastMayon"Meditation asMedicationfordieSoul."

Dr.DuggalisaBoard-CertifiedPhysical T\'1edicineandRehabilitationSpecialistand Assisc.'U1tProfessoratRushUniversity

MeditationCenterinChicago.Helectures extensivelyonmedfo1tionasaneffective inretvencionforphysicalandemotional medicaldisorders.

FormoreinformationaboutScienceof Spirituality: www.sos.org www.sos.orgt'aus/australia

ScienceofSpirituality,4S 175Naperville RoadNaperville, IL60563

Above:ArnoldAfonso receivingthe winners' trophy from AnthonyLobo. Also seen are GerardLobo, President of Goan Association of Australia in Melbourne, Ana Lobo and Philip D'Souza members of GAA

DysonHe pell's Indianlin s

The new Essendon captain takes his role as AFL Multicultural Ambassador veryseriously

developmentprograms,"Heppellobserves.

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

Tbeshapeoftheballnever fails to atnuselnclianaucliencesnewco AFL.

DysonHeppellhadcoget accustomedtothisprettyquickly whenhetraveUedinIncliaconductingfoory clio.icsnotsolongago.

"Theywereinitiallyconfusedwiththe shape,butanamraltalentcameoutvery soon,"thenewEssendoncaptaincellsIndian Li11k."EspeciaUythegirls-theyseemed cohaveagoodknackforitandIwasquite surprisedattheirattitude.Theyhadagood go!AndIwashappytoseethempickingup theabilitytokick.It'shardcoteachthese skills "

ThecharismaticHeppellwillsoonbe dealingwithmorelnclian-andother multiculmral-audiencesinhisnewroleas Mulriculn1ralAmbassadorfortheAFL.

Hewasoneof19playersnamedas 'AustraliaPostAFLMulricnlcmalPlayer Ambassadors'recently(includingfour womenplayers),initspushtoengagea wideraudience.

"AsanAFLplayer,1havetl1ecapacityto inAuencesocialactinidesandaddvalueto

Sportcanindeedbeaneffectivetoolto helpmigrantsintegrateintosociety.Itoffers aplmformt9connectwiththemainstream community.

JustaskTrevorBanerjee,whofounded MasalaPCinGreaterDa.ndenongin2012 afterplayingforanIncliateaminAPL's InternationalCup.

''Thereisanessential)'tta1m1a(camaraderie) aboutAFLthatIsimplylove,"hesays."It's called'shepherding':Ihavetheball,andif someonetacklesme,myguyswillprotectme. Ontl1efield,yourdifferencesclissolve;you lookafterotl1erslikeyourownbrothers."

Itistl1iskindofJ"am,mathatDysonhas clearlyshownheisafter.

Fooryclinicsheldacrossthenationand overseastbathehasparticipatedin,have broughtinnewfansaswellasplayers.

''Thecrowdsaredefinitelygettingmore andmoremulticultural,"heaclrnowledges. "SeeingplayerssuchasMajakDowandLin Jonginactiongivesconfidencetopeople oftheirspecificcommunities.Theyarerole modelsandpeoplelovetowatchthemplay."

Some 15 percentofALplayersacrossits 18clubsatefrommulticulturalbackgrounds.

WiUweseeanIndian-originplayerinthe AFLanyrimei.nthefuture?

Dysonisoptimistic.''Yestheyarecoming up,and.inEssendoninparticular.Thereare manypathways,andIthinkitisamatterof time:"

Thelndia v PakistangameisonagaJ.nas

pareoftl1eFriendshipCuptl1isyear.

"ThatwiUheaninterestingonetolook at,"Dysonagrees.''\�e'reencouragingaU coparticipate.It'sapositiveandvibrant environmentinA.FLatthemoment,andit's greatcoseepeoplehavingagoandloving it!"

Aftertroubleswit:11racismand homophobiaintl1epast,theAPLhasbeen workinghardcobuildamoreinclusive spii:it.Ithasbeenpushingtomovebeyond itsAnglo-centricculmre,includinginstances ofappallingbehaviourbythecrowds, andcommentators'publiccondemnation ofoffensivebehav:iomwhileprivately condoningit.

AFLCEOGillon·McLachlanhas personallyapologisedtovictimsand encouragedpeopletocalloursuch behaviour,withperpetracorsbannedfrom games,andevenofferedcLtl.mralawareness training.

'Mulriculmraldevelopmentofficers'have

beenappointedtoincreasethereachof thesport.SuclipChakraborcy,one-rime captainofIndia'sAFLteamandsinglehandedlyresponsibleforpopularisingthe gameinlnclia, nowworkswithtl1eA.FLand Essendouinparticulartocakethesporeto dieIndiancommunityinVictoriainarole createdforhim.

A'MulriculcuralRound'inthefoocy season(Round19)isnowaregular inclusion.

A'MulticulmralAmbassadors'progran1, lau.nchedin 2013, furtherengages multiculturalcommunitiesthrougha networkofdeclicatedvolunteers.Targeted attemptshavebeenmadeattl1eIndian, African,GreekandArabiccommunities.

"Essendonhasastrategicplanespecially innorth-westMelbourne,"Sudip ChakraborcytellsfodianI.ink."Crnigieburn alsoboastsofapureIndianAuskick Centretl1atissupportedbytheCraigieburn Gurdwara."

''Theclubisalsointerestedinidentifying Indiantalentinthesport,thereasonwhy KevinSheedy,oneofthebiggestlegends oftbesport,wentoverroIndiarecentlyco attendtheannualNationalChampionship runbyAFLIndia.Kevinhelpedshortlist theteamthatwouldbetravellingoverto AustraliainAugustthisyeartoparticipateat theA.FLlncernarionalCup 2017."

EssendonFCalsoorganisesaspecial GloBallprogramwhereinternational studentsandmigrantsaretakenrothe EtihadStadiumorMCGtowatchanAFL matchforfree,\.Vitbguidesexplainingthe rulescothem.

Meanwhile,DysonHeppellcontinues totellinterestingstoriesfromhisrimein India,includingworkinginMotherTeresa's institutionatKolkataandplayingfoot:y withstreetkidsond1elawnsatVicroria Memorial.

Oh,andalso,becominga'terr<)rsuspect' briefly.

"Wewerereturningfromplayingclose cotheBangladeshborder,"he.reminisces, laughingly."Thesesolclierscarryingguns chargedontoourbus it,vasquitescary,let metellyou,butitallc_amegoodintheend!"

,, As an AFL player, Ihave the capacity to influence social attitudes and add value to development programs ,, Dyson Heppell

ew-wor

It's avant-garde wines with an artisan approach at Tasmania's Domaine Simha

BY DHANYA SAMUEL

Tasmania,theisland state of breathtakinglandscapes,unique wildernessandexquisiteproduce isalso home coDomaineSirnha, whereartisanalfinewinesare craftedbased onancient knowledgeand intuition.

Foundedbyhusbandandwifeduo,Nav SinghandLousieRadman,DomaineSirnba hastransformedthefine winelandscape andfosteredanew outlookonwhat Tasmaniahas tooffer.Justa fewyearsafter theirfirstvint.'lge,theexceptionalwines ofDomaineSimhaarehighlysoughtby collectors,sommeliersandconnoisseurs acrossAustralasia.

Speakingtollldi,mLink,Nav Singhsays thatatDomaineSimha,thephilosophy of winemaking centres onterroir(howa particularregion'sclimate,,5oiJsandterrain affectthecaste of thewine).Thewinesare shaped'aunature!' toreflectepicsingle vineyards.Livingwinesareproducedhere relyingonancientwisdomasmucl1as science.

"Omwinecomesstraightfromtl1e

earth,"saysSingh."W/estrivefor subtlety and detailthatcanonlybeachieved naturally invery fewplaces.Weparethings backto revealtbepurest essenceof terroir andthecharacter of theseason."

AtDomaineSimha,tl1eir devotion to qualityisevidentineverystagefromthe vinetotl1eglass.Craftedbyhandinmicro batches,just2-3barrelsofeachwineare made.Anavant-gardeapproachembraces naturalmethods;harvestingbylunarcycle onfruitandflowerdays,wholebunchwild fermentationwithtraditionalfootpigeage, mamration incusromlargeformat oak barrelsandclayamphorae,basketpressing, andbottlingunE.nedandunfilteredwines withperfectnamralbalance.

AccordingtoSingh,Tasmaniaisthe ultimatefinewineterroir!

"TasmaniaisAustralia'sfinalfrontier andtl1enaturaladvantageswehaveare unparall.eled.Makingwinehereislike standingonthebrinkofanewworldwhere everythingispossible,"hesays.

BornandboughtupinDell1i,Nav SinghmovedtoAustralia topursuehigher educationin1996.\%ilecompletingstudies ineconomics,Singhfoundhehadapalate fordifferentflavoursanddevelopedan interestin wine.AstimworkingatSydney's ParkHyattfuelledhispassionand he decided toundergo formal winemaking trainingatAdelaideUniversity.

1.fasteringhiscraft,Singhhoned hisskills

atsoineof theworld'smostprestigious wineestates,includingDomainede L'ArlotinBurgundyandChateauLePin .inBordeaux,FranceasweUasworkingin AustraliawithChandonandMountadam andheadingupoperationsinMargaret RiverandClareValley.

ln2012,Singhalongwith his wifeLouise Radman(whobasahostofimpressive winecredentials of ber own),relocatedto TasmaniatoestablishDomaineSimba.

A very uniqueandinterestingname, DomaineSimhapayshomageto!av'srich Indian heritage.ThenameSingh originates fromtheSanskritword Simha,whimmeans lion.Thelogo features theIndiaGate Rankedbytwo lions,andmany ofthe wines caketheirnames fromhistoricroyaltitles likeRani,RanaandRaja.

Some of thecollectionsundertl1e DomainelabelincludeAmphoraeand Sanskrit.Makingwineinthetraditional amphoraisanage-oldmetl10ddatingback thousands of years.Crafte.dinwhiteclay vessels,DomaineSin1baAmphorae wines areenergetic withexpressivecharacter.The clayallowsthewinecobreatheandevolve, whilecirculationofnaturalconvection currentsenergisesthewineandmaintains astablerernperanu:e.Thebeautifully patterned,goldenAmphoraelabels referencetheexquisitearchi.tecmral beauty of jali screens foundthroughoutIndia.

TheSanskritrangeisareflection of

tl1epoeticlanguageof love andbeauty; thewinesshinealight onlesser!mown grapevarietiesand stylessuchasgamay andcabernet franc.TheSanskritpinotgris and schonburgerareskin fermented white wines.Essentially,chisinvolvesmakingan oxidative-stylewinematmedbylea\-ri.ng on tl1egrapeskinsasyouwouldnormally do forredwines.Theresultisatextured, 'orange' styleofwine withcharacterful gingerspiceandearthyflavours.

DomaineSimhawinescanbefound onlineandinspecialistwineretailers.Their productshavealsobeenembracedbysome ofAustralia'scoprestaurantslikeAria, Quay,Rockpool,TheFatDL1ck/Dinnerby Heston,Aloft,Smolcandmore.

Whenaskedif hehaseverhadtoface anychallengesduetohiscounrry of origin, NavSingh repliesthathiscultural heritage is onetobeembracedasitgiveshima uniqueadvantage."IbelievemyIndian backgroundgivesusaninterestingstoryro complement out wine.Agoodmeasure of self-belief hasalways helped."

And toall those who are takingsteps into the wine makingbusiness,Singhhas thisadvice,"Finda mentor andgainas much practical experienceaspossible aroundtheworld.Alwayskeepanopen mind andpositive attimde whiletasting wines.Build good networks within che winecommunityandbereadytowork hardandlonghours."

SIMHA

II,SIMHA

Champion chestnuts!

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

Chestnmsreallyarea superfood - superversatileandsuper healthy.\-X1ith a delicate, unique Aavour, chestnuts canbeusedin avariety of savoury andsweet dishes.Availablefrommid-Marchthrough toJuly,they containhighlevelsof,Titmnins CandE,fibreand folace,and,unlil<emany othernutvarieties,arelowin fat andoiJ content.

Chestnutsareactuallymorelikeafruit thana nut.Grownontrees,thenutsare sheathedinaspikeyhuskwitharoundthree nutsineachburr.Whenripe,thefruitfalls tothegroundandthehusk splitsopento revealthesmooth-shelledmus.

Chestnuts arequitedistinctfromother nutsiochattheirnaturalgoodnessis obtainedth.roughcooking.Theyshou.ldnor beeatenraw,owingto theirhigh tannicacid contentwhichcancausedigestiveissues.

Chestnutshavetwoskins.Oneisthe hard,omer,shinybrownshell.andtheother isthethininnerskinlmownasthepellicle.

Topreparechestnurs,youcanbake, microwave,roastorboilthenutbefore incorporatinginto your recipe.Themost importantstepistocutinto theshellco

preventthenutfromoverbearingand e1,.1Jlodingwhilecooking.Youcanmakea shallowcutiototheflarsideof theshell across thefaceofthenut, otcut across intotheflat-end.Peelchestnutswhilethey arestillwarmastheycanbetrickytopeel whencooled.Youcanchoosetoremove both theiru1erandoutershell,orkeepthe pellicleintact.

"Historicallythechestnutispopularfor roastingandoncetheoutershellisroasted, thepelliclecomesawayprettyeasily,"says ChestnutsAusi;raliamemberandgrower JaneCasey."However,intheearlyseason varieties,thisisnotthecase,yetpeopletry todiscardthepellicle.With whatweknow now,thepellicle'shealthbenefitsareso siguificamchatweareeatingittoo."

"Chestnutsgoreallywellwithchocolate, orange,mushroom,cabbage,porkand chicken,justtonameafew,"saysJane Casey.

HavingbeengrowninAustraliafor over 100 years, chestnuts are,vellworth thepatienceandtime neededfortheir preparation.

Formorevisitchestnutsaustralia.com.au

Preparing Chestnuts

: To roast

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

: Place prepared chestnuts onto a baking tray and bake for 15to 20 minutes or until : the shells split open.

•

• : Togrill orbarbecue

: Place prepared chestnuts on a tray under a moderate to hot grill, or place chestnuts : directly onto the barbecue grill, turning a couple of times, for approximately 15-20 : minutes or until the shells blacken and split open.

•

• : Toboil

: Place prepared chestnuts into a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for : 15 to 20 minutes or until the flesh is tender and easily separates from the shell.

•

• .

• Tomicrowave

: Place 6 to8 prepared chestnuts in a single layer on 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 can vary depending on chestnut size and microwave power.

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

Chestnut, Spinach&GreenPeaSoup

Preparation 15 mins + chestnut preptime Cooking25mins Serves4

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

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 cups frozen green peas Sour cream, to serve

Method

Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add leek and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add chestnuts and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add stock, cover and bring tothe boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and peas. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes until peas are tender. Remove from heat and puree with a

ChestnutAndGolden SyrupPudding

Preparationtime 20 mins+chestnut preptime Cookingtime25 mins Serves4-6

Ingredients

220g fresh chestnuts

½cup milk

1egg

80g butter, melted

2 tbsp golden syrup

1/3 cup firmly-packed brown sugar

1 ¼ cups self-raising four, sifted

Icing sugar, for dusting

Cream or ice-cream, to serve

Sauce:

½ cup brown sugar

2 tsp cornflour

1¼ cups boiling water

¼ cup golden syrup

Method

Cut chestnuts inhalfacrossthe width of the chestnut.

Place prepared chestnuts into a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil.

Simmer for 15 to 20 min. Remove the chestnuts one at a time from the water.

Wrap in a clean tea towel for 5 to 10 minutes. While chestnuts are still warm, quickly peel off the outer brown shell and remove the papery thin skin underneath.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease

an8-cupdeep ovenproof dish.

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

milk, egg, butter and golden syrup. Stir in chestnuts, sugar and siftedf our. Using a large metal spoon, mix until just combined. Spoon into the prepared dish.

To make the sauce, combine sugar and cornf our in a small bowl. Sprinkle over pudding. Combine water and golden syrup in a jug. Pour mixture over the back of large metal spoon over the pudding batter. Place dish on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 50-55 minutes until golden and pudding bounces back when gently pressed in the centre. Stand for 5 minutes. Dust with icing sugar. Serve with cream or ice-cream.

stick blender until smooth. Season to taste.

Ladle intobowls and top each with a dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle with chestnut crisps* if liked and serve.

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

*To makechestnut crisps; slice 50g of cooked and peeledchestnuts in a little olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, tossing often, until golden. Drain on paper towel

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STARRING:

DIRECTOR:

Nothing in this unexpected storm-trooper of a film has prepared you for its highvelocity energy andfervent statement on femalesexuality. Without exaggeration, Anaarkali OfAarah (AOA) is the surprise I of the season.

or rural.

Lady, you may belong to Aarah or Arizona, there will always be menwho feelthey've the birthright to own your body as and when they wish.

So, here's the simmering provocative scenario. Anaarkali, the smalltown hottie who makes every guy in town horny, is on stage giving robust voice and body to her raunchysongsyes, she does dirty dancing for a living andenjoys her job as much as Swara enjoys acting andI enjoy writing - when the town's prime educational institution's Vice Chancellor (Sanjai Mishra) decides to take the 'Vice' too seriously.

He jumps onstage to molest the dancer,as her performing partner (played with poignant panacheby Pankaj Tripathi) watches in muted horror. All hell breaks loose thereafter. While the lechers of Aarah seethe in anti-climactic rage,Anaarkali gives them a long rope to hang themselves with.

female hero of thesetimes of sexual ambivalence when men in positions of power misuse their strength to subjugate women in workplaces.

This is a sublimefilm about the dignity oflabour narrated with a raunchy rigour that is often appealing at times exasperating.

Swara Bhaskar hits all the right notes in the shrillest of scenes, bringing out the feisty Bihari woman's inner strength and an extremely appealing moral grounding evenwhen confronted by the demons of her d.isreputable profession. There are scenes where Swara is required to push aside all her inhibitions, even her innate feminine grace, to appear predatory in her aggression. To her credit Swara sidestepssleazinesseven when she is required to sing and shake her booty to lyrics thatwould makeYo Yo Honey Singh blush.

But there is a certain grace and dignity to thedoublemeaning thrown out of the eroticdancer'spelvisthrusts, like fire leaping into the sky. Swara dances to these ribald lyrics withsuch familiarity and trust, you won't notice the sexuality inher thrust. You will see the thirst and dare I say, the innocence, the determination to remain anartiste even when pushed so much against the wall that her body is stiffened and stymied by social orderwheremenhave the right to 'own' women's physicality.

writer-director nor the actress playing Anaarkali can control her destiny. They, like us, can only move back and gawk in amazement as this astounding female hero takes on the empowered goons copowered by thelouts LaLu Land.

The smell, the feel, thef avour and the emotions of the stiflingly patriarchal small-town is so palpable, you are swept into the vortex of the film's vibrant vista. Full marks to the film's cinematographer Arvind Kannabiran for makingAarah and Anarkali seemweddedto oneanother, and of course Rohit Kumar's authentic folk songs they add so much value to the proceedings! It's hard to imagine the flm without its true-to-life songs and music, and its compelling and credible characterisations thatimpel the gripping plot into areas of exposition where sexual exploitation is turned inside-out, upsidedown.

A dizzying, combative explosive expose of small-town hooliganism and a spunky girl's determination to survive all odds, AnaarkaliOf Aarah has a memorable gallery of actors giving the goings-on a sterling pushand a bracing vigour with their performances.

I have to single out Sanjai Mishra as the sleazeball academic, Vijay Kumar as his murky cop in crime,PankajTripathi as Anaarkali's partner onstage, Mayor More as her callow, infatuatedutterly devoted lover-boy, NitinArora as backalley music baron and last but certainly not the least lshteyak Khan as a smalltown man who knows how to respect a woman.

It is stunning in thought, spellbinding I inplot andutterly gripping in the way

In onesequence,Swara strides, looking crushed, into the vice-ridden Chancellor's den only to make him look ridiculous at theendof it.And at the end the story of a small-town dancer-singer's adventures in lecher-land unfolds.

AOA is many things at the same time.

her dance of defance and exposure she I is so volatileand so deliciously over-theIt is a shimmering sun-soakedmirror of small-town values whereinevery sneeze or fart is noted and evaluatedacross I top I found myself jumping out of my seat to congratulateSwara.

No walkover, ourAnaarkalitakes on theacademiclout with such vigour and strength that you will find the communities. Andyet the story of Anaarkali(Swara Bhaskar, spectacular) is also the story of every woman, urban I yourself cheering and clapping for this

In this nimbly-written ode to feminine grace, a cheesy dancer who probably moonlights as prostitute tells the predatory man where to get off. It kicks where it hurts themostand its does so without the fourish of schisms.It is a terrific premise for a post-feminist film. Writer-DirectorAvinash Das doesn't focus on remaining fashionable about women's empowerment.

After a point his heroine's tale has a will of its own.You suspect neither the

These are not just performances. They are classrooms of impeccable characterisations. But above all there is Swara Bhaskar giving what history will record as one of the bravest and most important performances by a female actor in post-modernist Bollywood. Don't even think about seeing any other film. With this towering achievement around the others don't stand a 'ghost' of a chance.

Gimme the spunk queen of Aarah any day rather than the bhoot ofPhillauri.

Subhash K. Jha

Swara Bhaskar, Sanjai Mishra, Pankaj Tripathi, lshteyak Khan

Avinash Das tttt- ,

usedtothinkthatall mortgagebrokers arethe same.... until I met Swati"-Koma/

PHILLAURI

STARRING: AnushkaSharma,Suraj Sharma, DiljitDosanjh

DIRECTOR:Anshai Lal

Sad, buttrue.Somefilmsworkbetter onpaperthan onfilm. I canjustimagine howexcitedAnushka Sharma must have beento play a ghost in a film about a restlessspirittryingtofind a culminationto herincomplete lovestory from 98years ago.

It's a clever premise, evoking nostalgia aswell as history in cascades ofpoetry, music and drama. Lamentably thepoetryismorecornythan epic, and

BADRINATH Kl DULHANIA

STARRING: Varun Dhawan,Alia Bhatt, Shweta Basu Prasad, RiturajSingh, SahilVaid,YashSinha,Aakanksha Singh, Gauhar Khan

DIRECTOR:Shashank Khaitan ttl-::-:11

Aquick-fix,from thestablesofDharma Productions, director Shashank Khaitan'sBadrinath Ki Dulhania isa typicallycliched,frothyrom-com,which exploitsthesheercharmofitsstars.

Alothappensand it happens charminglywithsuch quickspiritand wit,thatit'senoughtoputyou offromcomsfora while.Thefilm isnotbad, but with no noveltyfactor.This isjust a case ofthe lawofdiminishingmarginal utility.

Thestory involves Badrinath Bansal (Varun Dhawan), atypicalsmall town dudefromJhansi,who itchestoget marriedsoon. Itis duringhisfriend's weddingin KotathathespotsVaidehi Trivedi (Alia Bhatt), a bright,spiritedand ambitiousgirl and sets hishearton her. Howhewoosherformsthecruxofthe tale.

the music, barringthe 'Sahiba' track, isatbest serviceable. Thisisan inexcusable lapse in a filmthat takesusinto the Punjabi heartland on two levels, the present andthepast, both donein contrasting colourpalates, onerusty and ruggedthe otherpeachy andsaturated.

Alas,the themeof lovefinding a restingplace intwo lifetimesbarely registers. Fora largepart, Phillauri movesthroughthelavish labyrinthofa bigfatweddingin a Punjabi household withthesamemisdirected gusto as VikasBehl's Shaandaar. Exceptfor thefactthatthe charactershereare, in principle, quiteinterestinginthe waythey respondtothe presenceofa friendlyghostintheirbustlinghome.

Thepace doesthe narrativein, bringingwhatseems likenoble ambitionstothegroundwitha thud. I suggestthemakersofthisfilmwatch anothernew release Anaarakli OfAarah toseewhatvigorouspacingcan doto afilm.

Anushka Sharmamakesa pretty ghost. ButShashi is a ghost as interpretedbyAnushkaSharma.She behaves likeAnushka'scharacterin Ae Di/ Hai Muskil in blingyapparitionwith theadded advantageofbeingseen only bySuraj's character.

If onlythenarrativeslid intothepast with moreeconomy and equanimityand lessmisplaced enthusiasm.

Shashi'svillage-bound romancewith theneighbourhood poet(DiljitDosanjh, confidentbutunremarkable)isdrawn withthefaintpaintbrushstrokesof an artistewho has all thetime in theworld.Therelationship between Anushka and Diljit developsthrough a seriesofvignettesplantedintoplot's oscillating memory-chipwith little room forplausibility.

Inthe present, Kanan (Suraj Sharma)'sweddingtotheprettyAnu (newcomer Mehreen Pirzada, adequate) isthreatened bythepresenceofa ghostwhohasbeen released through a bizarreritual.

Suraj'sbewildered responsesto local superstition aresoapt,youwonder iftheyoungactorhasstepped intoa rolewrittenforhim. Unfortunately, he getslittlespiceto chewthemeat of theplotwhichsimmerson slow-burn, sometimessosluggishlypaced,you wonderatthegall ofthe directorto attemptsomethingsounhurried at atimewhen audiences have all the patience ofa sparrowbuildinga nest duringrainfall.

Curiouslythelanguid narrative pacing doesn'tbringin itswakea thehrao inthetheme.Allthroughthefidgety story,the competentactorswaitforthe

dialoguestogetlesscheesy,the plot twiststo evolve matureand fructify.

Phillauri isdeplorably deprivedofa smooth narrative.Attimestheepisodes inthestorytellingseem likegatecrashersata wedding, unwanted guests over-stayingtheirwelcome.

Initially,when Kananpressesthe panicbutton aftermeetingtheghost, awhole lotof misdirected laughteris aimed ata little servant boythinking he isbeingseduced bythe bridegroom ata wedding.Thejoke isstretched tobreakingpoint seekingtojustify itspresencewith painful explanatory footnotes. Itallseemslike an edifice constructedto impresswithlittleto supportitsambitionsexcept asassy appetiteforspirit-hunting and a zestfor aself-created melodrama.

Phillauri hasitsredeemingqualities. The homagetohistorythatisbrought intoplayatthe end isso daringin its sweep andsuggestionthatyou admire thefilm'sdebutantdirectorforgoing againstthegrain.Some ofthe period detailing inthe past is interesting. Themomentofthe adventofthe gramophone disciswarmlycaughtin thecharacters' awestruckfaces.Such tenderodestoa timelong-goneshould have added uptomakea filmthat leaves uswith a brightbeam oflight piercingourscepticism.

TragicallyPhillauri isneither humorousenoughtobe deemed a romcom norpropelled byample heftto be called a historical epic. Itisneitherthis northat. It isjustexasperatingforthe possibilitiesitthrows open butfailsto explore.

Subhash K Jha

What keeps you hooked

isVarun's buffoonishyet lovable character and with his charismatic and endearing performance,he portraysitwith panache. Heis aptlysupported byAlia,who is effortlessand convincing.

Together, they havethe sortof chemistrythat might make any dialoguework, and itcertainlyworksinthisstory about a typical Indianguywho is bogged down by his overbearingfatherand an ambitiousgirl,tilltheboyfinds courage tofinallycome rightoutand oppose hisfather.Thissortofchemistry is not always inevitable, butitworks well here.

Rituraj is apowerful actorbut as Amarnath Bansal, Badrinath'sfather, he isa misfit. Swanand KirkireasVaidehi's

father,Shweta Basu Prasad and Yash Sinha as Badrinath'ssister-in-law and brotherhavetheirmomentsofon screenglory.

Sahil Vaid as Badrinath'sfriend Somdev isdelightfullyimpressive.

GauaharKhan as Police Sargeant Laxmi Shankariswastedin a miniscule role. Oneofthefilm'sproblems is thatthe plot nevergathersenough momentum, emotional ornarrative,

to involvethe audience. With several amusingand compellingepisodesthe film seemsforced, predictable and yet entertaining.

Mounted on a grand scale, the songs are peppy and evensoulful. They complementthe narrative, butnot organically.

Overall,thefilm isvisuallyappealing, glossy and vibrant.

TroyRibeiro

STARS BEHAVING BADLY

We regularly hear of celebrities misbehaving in public. Now comedian-actor Kapil Sharma, thesimple guy who started small, has recently joined this club.

Kapil'smid-airstoush withSunil Grover, his loyal lieutenant, made headlines in India for days.

Of course he took to social media to first deny the whole thing and then to say it wasbut a littlematter ("itna to cha/ta hai"), and then to openly groveland profess undying love.

Really, Kapil?

Of course Grover would havenone of it and gave thestar a piece of his own mind, andjust as publicly.

Seems like he has no intention to support Kapil's desperate attempt to cover up his brat-like behaviour. But his "no-press" rule, and that of his colleagues who also protested silently, definitely raised their stature in the eyes of all.

Sourcessay Kapil's change of heart came from the intervention of his channel Sony TV's top brass, who would not like to see ratings drop if Grover quits. Others say fans turned on Kapil for his bad behaviour.

Perhaps both are true. But one thing's for sure - yup, Kapil Sharma is the industry's newest brat.

#HITBACK

Girls should fight back if harassed, say actors Taapsee Pannu and Akshay Kumar, stars of the upcoming Naam Shabana.

"In our country, I believe, girlsshould not have to learn martial arts or selfdefence becauseI feel they should be free to walk anywhere, anytime, anyplace,"Akshay said recently. "But unfortunately, because of some (bad elements), they have to learn selfdefence."

Akshay Kumar runs a school in Mumbai for women's self-defence and wants to launch another in Delhi soon.

His colleagueTaapsee felt it is important for girls to be unapologetic about how they dress and the lifestyle they lead.

Associated with #HitBack, Culture Machine's latest video in the Unblushedseries,Taapsee is known for playing powerful characters in films likeBaby and Pink. Women should take responsibility for their own safety and learn the act of self-defence, Taapsee has said on many occasions.

Her character inBaby resulted in its spin-off Naam Shabana, produced by Pandey and directed by Shivam Nair and releasing on March 31.

As a promotionalstep for the film, an action spy-thriller,Akshay andTaapsee have also released on social media a video teachingself-defence techniques to girls.

WEIGHTY ISSUES: RANBIR KAPOOR

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

The as yet untitled film, being directed by Rajkumar Hirani, is said to portray seven different phases of troubled actor Sanjay Dutt's life, starting from 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 ultimately jail - there must be some of these aspects from Sanjay's life that poor little rich boy Ranbir can himself identify with?

"It has been an inspiring journey for me to be playing Sanjay Dutt for the silver screen. I have never put on so much weight before and now plan to reduce some weight for the next phase of shooting," Ranbir said at a recent press conference.

Weight is a congenital problem in your family, Ranbir, so we know where you're headed in your middle age but the real weighty issue we want clarification on, is what the hell where you doing in that distressing video conversation with Mahira Khan?!

SUPERHERO OF A DIFFERENT KIND

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

Akshay Kumar's new film, called Pad Man, isproduced by his glamorous writer wife Twinkle Khanna,

It is based on the real life story of Arunachalam Muruganantham, an entrepreneur who found a way to make cheap, affordablesanitary napkins for women in his village. He scored much media attention the world over for turning women s lives around in rural India.

Hisstory isone of the many real-life stories that forms Twinkle's acclaimed second book, The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad.

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

The shoot of the film got underway this month in Indore. The movie stars 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 present to see the film kick off.

PREMATURE BABY? DON'T LOSE HEART: KJO

Filmmaker KaranJohar,whose surrogate children Roohi and Yash were born almost 10 weeks before full term, saysthosewho have premature babies must not get discouraged. Hesays with right kind of care, they canbenurtured towardsnormal growth.

Karan recently become a father of twins viasurrogacy.The children have been under the care of Bhupendra Avasthi, Director, Surya Mother & Child Hospital, and Karan says they are "both on their way to a happy and healthy childhood".

Now assomeonewith a voice, he wants to reach out to people about the virtues ofneonatalintensive care for premature children.

Karan said, "Millions of preemies are born every year but babies are resilient. With theright kind ofcare, they standjust as good a chance ofsurvival as anyone else."

Karan revealed his children were born

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

"worryingly underweight".

"My heart sank... Knowing that there were comp ications with my babies' birth owing to how soon it was, I was terrifed. All I wanted to do was holdthem and protect them but theyneededto be in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). It was painfulto see how tiny they were."

Thefilmmaker, known for his family dramas, has thankedthe legal and medicalteams for being h s "strength and spine" duringthe process.

Karan's post has come in support ofSurya Hospital's #SavePreemies campaign

A celebrity's effort to highlight an issue can make a difference, says Avasthi.

"India needs many more NICU units for its 'preemies' where they cansurvive the first few days, weeks or months of life until they are strong enough to make it on their own," he added.

ALIA BHATT: STUPID, OR SMART?

Alia Bhatt says 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 not so long ago.

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

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

The Udta Punjab actor says it would bother her if there are no jokes at her expense.

"When the jokes on me stop coming, I'll be upset. If I am crossing your mind at any point of the day, I am relevant. So why I should be upset? My father says one day, the flowers will stop coming and you'll be upset. I say one day, the jokes will stop coming, and then I'll be upset," she said.

Hmm. Smart.

ON HAPPY MARRIAGES: KJO

Filmmaker Karan Johar says he would be shocked and surprised if he comes across a "happy marriage" in the film industry.

"A happy marriage in the industry would really jolt 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 makes you wonder about all those seemingly 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 more we hear about forthcoming period drama Begum Jaan, the more we want to see it

Costumes are bound to be interesting one would guess. Designer Rick Roy has revealed that National

Award winning actor Vidya Balan donned un-ironed outfits, to bring authenticity to her role as brother owner

"Vidya had 40 changes (outfits) for thefilm None of the clothes she wore were ironed It was her idea to dip wash the clothes and skip the ironing part This ensured her clothes looked worn and added to the authenticity

Nobody's clothes were ironed in the film," Roy said recently

"They were dyed in vegetable dyes, so that gives that muted, earthy shade," he added

The film is a story of survival 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 following stars to the tweets below:

Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar Anushka Sharma Bhoot hoon! 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 actor should choose the impossible & give it his/her best even if it means to fail trying it

Embarking on a new journey, this time with the Mrs. First day of @ mrsfunnybones' #Padman directed by R. Balki, need ur love & 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

How to survive immigration

Inside secrets are revealed byOne Who IntegratedSuccessfully

BYKRISHNA NEELAMRAJU

Migratingtoanewcountryis probably chehardest thing you'll everdo. If yourlife were-amobilephone, this islikepressingthe'factory reset' button.AUtheappsyougotusedto? Yeah,they'regone.I'mafraidyou haveto installthemagain.

Iwrote oncebefore:.Migmntsp,,ckalo!of worriesintheirsligbt/y011en1Jeightcabinbaggage.

Understandingthelocalaccentis probablytheleast of yourworries.Bigger battleswillbefoughtwhenyou'rejob huntingandconvincingrealestateagents thatyourcurrydoesn'tsmellchatstrong.

Havingspemalmosttwoyearsin Australiaandnot runawayyet,I'vedecided tocomp.ilesomeinsidesecretsthatwillhelp newdesiimmigramssurvive.Readyforit?

Heregoes:

Fire Alarms

Theveryfirsc crisisyouw.illfaceintheWest ischebleepingfirealarm.Everytimethe littlebuggersgooff,thestressw.illmake youwilllosetwo days of yourbalance life.Theyseemmintuitivelyknowhmvto harassyou.Justwhenyouthink you've got thehangof makingthatbmcerroti,chefire alarmdisagreesand puts youinyourplace.

Oneof mydeepescfears,Iconfessed tomywifeonce,istl1at ourson'sprecious childhood memorieswillbefiliedwichhis immigramfacherfanningthefumesaway fromthefire alarm. He'llprobablywrite ascand-up routine aroundit, a laRussell Peters. DidIhearyousaysomethingabout removingbatteries?Yonslydog!

Tip:IfJOflwanttohingeongbeesmeared cbapathis,h11msome{[[loriesbeforehand. Standdi,·ect(yhelo}/JtheJirnalarm,holdalarge super111"rketcatalogue111ithboth,117maho11eyom· headandja11an1qyJi1rio11.r61,It'salsogoodexercise for'o!lrlatissivmsdrmimuscles

Shopping centres

There'ssometl1ingmisleadingaboutthese big,air-conditionedboxesthatlookthe sameeverywhere.1f youwalkinlace,after

alltheshinylightsaretmnedoff, you'dthink thatdesisarehalf the Australianpopulation.It'saType 1samplingerror.Whilethe rest of thecountyiseitheratanall-nightbeach-parcyoralreadyinbed,thedesifamily strapsitssnonykidtocheback of ametal trolleyandhatrntstheaislesof adiscount megastore orasupermarketinthelocal shoppingcentre.Smdy:ingthepricesof unsaltedbutterbrandsat9pmonweekends hasneverbeensopopularinthehiscory of hmnanicy.

My fam.ily'sweekends havebeenmore productiveeversinceIshifted togrocery shoppingaloneonweekdays, onmyway homefromwork.

Tip:Ihawaone-111ordtipjoT]OIII'fVRT111"/lsi11 general:AvoirL

Indian TV Box

It is anessentialaccessory to everydesi household.Likethe tintedfilmforyour carwindows,itprocectsyonfromthe ha.rmfuleffects of overexposureto local emercainmenr.Acleastforfirstgeneration immigrants,theTVboxisthe only connectionto d1emothershipwhennot on aSkypecall.That,andthepiratedDVDs yougetforfreewitha$100grocerybillac theIndianstore.Getoneif yonmust,buc don'tbecometooattached to it.TheTV box,Imean.

Tip:Reshictthelndia!ITVhoxto50%ofJ'om· idiothoxtime.Patroniselocaltalenttoo.If)'OIi mn't,111/;(lt'sthepointofevtigroting,really?

'These People' Righcfromday one,Ihavebeengetting genetousadviceabouthowtodealwid1 'thesepeople'. leisd1eproduce of decades of collectiveimmigrantwisdom,crunched imobite-sizedstereotypesaboutthehost country.

'Thesepeople'don'tworkatall.All theytalkaboutislawnmowingandhome renovations.

·r ever trust'tl1esepeople'.Theywillturn againstyouanyrime.

'Thesepeople' earn tillThursdayand spenditallonboozeind1enextthreedays.

Iconfess I've alsobeen guilry of generalisingabout'thesepeople'-thoughin mydefence,mystereotypesonlyincreased myadmirationfor'thesepeople'.

'Thesepeople,no?Theyarelikethis only!'

Tip:Tfrokaytoindttlgein abito'thesepeople'once in,11JJhile.'Thesepeople' doittoo.]11.rtdontoverdo

Pressure Cookers

Sowepressured onr landlady aboutche leakingtapsuntilshesentahai1dyman tofixthem.Therehewas,intheshower, grapplingwiththecomplexproblems of waterdripswhenheheardanearthshatteringsound of somedlingblowing upoutside.Suspectingmortalclanger,he rushed outtosavehimself andalertlaw enforcement.

Nodoubchewasembarrassed torun into mytoddJercoollybuildingwooden traincracks,obliviousmthehullabaloo.My braveson,unlikecheburly handyman,grew upcothesounds of chepressurecooker blowingwhistlesfourtimeseverymealI amsuredesikidscould eve□handleanoil rigblowing upinthene.xtroomandnot 8inchamuscle.

Adesifriend'sAussieauntonceplayfully mockedthesuburbwelivein.'Every cwo seeps,yo1.1hearapressurecooker go off.Ir's almostlikeIndia!' Saysicall,doesn'tit?

Tip:The111orldh(lsmovedontofnsta11tPots, b11lifyo11w,mttos11rvi11etheftrstfa111)'Cars ofit11migrotio11,makesure)'Ol/1'40kgbaggage allowancebasa10kgsublimitforiHductionfrimd!y press11recookers

New Immigrants

Afavouritepastime of olderpeopleis to complainaboutho\vthingswere'sogood' beforeand'notatallgood' now. Keeping upwiththetradition,a desiformercolleague oncetoldmethattl1equalityof newdesi immigrantsisreallyfalling.Sheshould knO\V.SheemigracedtoAustraliaatthe samerimeas cbeDandekars.Iwasabout three months oldinthecouna-ywhenshe gaveherquality assessment, so Iassumed shewasmikingabomcheoneswhocame afterme.

Tip:Thei'eis110/hing111oredesithanbeing discti111i11atedagainstbyafallowdesi.Tflkein lihemldosesofgoodolddesimohhe1y1J1heneve/')'Ot1 ca11.1t's"IJ)01ide,j11/mreforhomesickness.

Adjustingtothenewenvironmemcakes time.'iXfhacmakesiteasyiswhenyouknow insidesecrecslikethese.Withmeonyour side,you'renevershort of excellentinside info.

Fin"/Tip:Takeit(l/1111ithapinchosalt.Ifitis stillunp(lf(lf{l/;/e,sp1i11k/esomechat11uuala011the top.Th(lt011ghtadoit!

it.

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HomeBundle:Minchargeincludes$20Prepayment+$99.95Setup+$1ODelivery(fapplcabe).Onlyavaiableinselectedcoverageareas HthenbnTMnetworkcomestoyourarea,TPGwill nvteyoutomoveyourservce tothenbn™networkon18monthcontractwithWi-Fimodem ncludedatnoadditionalcosttoyou.Somecall typesnotsupported,incl.fax,pay1Vprogrampurchase,backtobasealarmsandsmar.Mobile: Mncharge includes$10SIM.Newmobleregistrationsonly.UnlimitedCalls&SMStoStandardAustraanNumbersareforusewithinAUonly.StandardratesappyforotherusagetypessuchasExcessData,VideoCalls,Internatonal Roaming&otherEnhancedServces.CallsandSMSto 19NumbersandPremiumSMS/MMSarenotsupported.DatausageischargedperKBorpartthereof.ExcessData$10forextra1GBbocks.100Internatonal Minutesofferdoesnotincludecallstosatellitephones.Unused100Internatona MnutesandIncludedDataareforfeitedattheendofeachbllingcycle.ExcludedorexcessusageisonlypossibewthsufficentPrepad Balance.General:Theseoffersmaybewithdrawnatanytme.Pansareforresdentia customersonlyandnotforcommercaluse.Vistwebsiteforfullterms&conditons.