2017-04 Sydney (1)

How migrants can achieve the great Australian dream

DAD HAS BEEN PLANNING YOUR WEDDING FOR A LONG, LONG TIME

A daughter's wedding is a fathers lifelong dream. At Manjit's Total Events we see that dream come true at every wedding organised by us. Weunderstandwhataweddinginvolvesinpreparationandorganisation. Moreimportantly, wealsoknowwhat aweddingmeans toyourfamily. That's why we have a team to make sure every little - and big - detail will be looked after. From food to music, menu to service, venue to decor. Sotheonlythingyouneedtodoiscelebrateandhaveagreattime.

Manjit'sTotalEvents.Weknowwhatbigoccasionsmeantoyou.

NotrorcommerdalorresaepurpcsesForusenAustraiaLebaraNa�onaPlan$29.90i11tkJdesror30days;unlimtedstandardnatiOnatak twS.MMS;upto 250standaidlnternaUO!lil mnutesroruseInCanada China IndaandUnltedStates.differentratesappytoolhei countriesandmayeffectInternationalcallmnutevalue.lnducles5GBdata;ll!bamUnlimtedPan$4990Includesllr50days;unimtedstandardnatona tak text&MMSUnlmtedstandardcallsto60seectedcountrespus$5Internationacalluedttoothercountres; 10GBdata-SGB•5GBbonusends30/04/17;UnlimtedNationacalingncludes13BOOand1800numbersbutexcudesPlvotel.DatasessionsroundedtothenearestKB.Oncedataincusonisexhausted youwillneedtopurchaseadatapad<orusemanbaancetocontnue usngdata Unuseddataandplancredite<pll!5after30days.]GB=1024MB Seewww ebara.eom.au/30-<1ay-plansfors�ificrarestointernationaldestnatons listofun mitl!dcountresandottiertermsandconditons.lebarareservestherghttoamendorwthdrawany panincusions, omotonaloffersand/orprcing11,,givingat east:30days'noticeo our'M!bsite.

JORDANSPRINGS

Pakistan revolution can be to India's gain

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

TheKarachiSrockExchange !ndexhadanastonishingre�rnln2016.lusupmorethan:,2 percentoverthepastyeru:-and theWorldBankhasforecastagrowth rateof5.2percentthisyear.Thereis nodoubtaboutit:thereisaneconornic revolutiontakingplaceinPakistan. A cotu1tryravagedwithissuesof terrorism andsuicidebombersisnowmaking headlinesforotherreasons.

Pakistan'smiddleclass,which dominatesoverhalf itsrota!population, hasbeguntoexertpressureonthe governmenttostimulateeconomic growth.

This,coupledwid1relativelyimproved politicalstabilityinrecenttimes,has encouragedmultinationalbusinessessuch asApple,Samsung,Unilever,Toyota andCocaColatoinvestmoretocapture rbemiddleclasseconomicstrengdi rippedtoreachover$1 trillionby2030. Multinationalsarebeingincreasingly attractedtoPakistanwidireturnsof over 25percentbeinge.xpecredinthismarket.

PostBRICS(Brazil,Russia,India, ChinaandSonthAfrica)andMINT (Me.xico,Indonesia,NigeriaandTuckey), wenowhavethenewacronymVARP (Vietnam,Argentina,Romaniaand Pakistan).Pakistanisabouttojoindie well-respected"emergingmarket"index of theJ'l,[SCIwhichincludesthe24 countriesthatrepresent10percentof worldcapitalisation.

AneconomicallystrongPakistaniswell inlndia'sinterest.leisaneighbourwhich, withapoplllationof approxiniately200 millionpeople,isalsothesbrthmost populouscountryintheworld. Anuclear powerinitself,apeacefulPakistanallows forbothnationstofocusonsolving theirownproblems.Theirproblems, unsurprising])�arenotdissimilar,these beinginvestmentsininfrastructure, relianceonagriculturewiththe interlockingproblemsof water,wead1er anddrought, increasingeducation standards,andfindingsolutionstod1e energyissuesfortheirrapidlygrowing populations.

However,theproblemsincross-border terrorismhavestalledanymeaningful discussionsbetweendietwocounrrjes. WhilethePakistanigovernmenthas deniedanylinkstodieseattacks,India hasrepeatedlyproventhesourceof diese terrorismattackstobefromPakistan. Thesecross-borderterrorattacksneed

tostopif economiccooperationisto developbetweenthet\vocountries.

Todate,allrequestsandthreats &omtheIndiansidehavestalledand failed.Alsoaddingtothetensionsis themultibillioncloUarChina-Pakistan EconomicCorridor,pareof China's "OneBeltandOneRoad"ornewSilk Roadproject-aseriesof roads,railways, pipelines,hydropowerplantsandother developmentprojects,beingbuiltfrom d1eXinjiangprovinceinChinatoGwadar insouthwesternPakistan.Passingthrough territoryinKashmir,whichIndiaclaims asitsown,thiscouldcreatefurther tensionsbetweend1etwocountries.

Butnow,withthechangesemerging withinrbeeconomicallyambitiousmiddle classPakistanis,thiscanchange.An optionforthe Indian governmentcould becoworkthroughastrategytoreach outtod1ismiddleclass.Softdiplomacy canworkdiecharmoffensive-whether throughsportinginteractionsorarts andculmre,includingfilms-totake advantageof thechangingdemographics andwinthemiddleclassPakistani populationovertoallowfo.rmore pressureonthepoliticalsystem.

ThereisarevolutiononIndia's doorstep,andafreshapproachneeds tobetakentoperhapsfindsolutionsto problemswhichhavefesteredforfartoo long bet\veenneighbours.

NEWORANPARK Webber Loop, Oran Park (offCamdenValleyWay)

CnrlllouraWay&Koorala Gardens,JordanSprings

HOMEWORLD5 HartiganAvenue, (off Windsor Road) Kellyville

Indian Link

LUKEFOLEYMP LEADER

OPPOSITION, MEMBER FOR AUBURN

GregWarrenMP MemberforCampbelltown

JodiMcKayMP CourtneyHoussosMLC GuyZangariMP MemberforS!TathfieldMemberoftheLegislativeCouncilMemberforFairteld

HughMcDermottMP MemberforProspect

JohnRobertsonMP ShaoquettMoselmane MLC Julia FinnMP

DanielMookheyMLC MichaelDaleyMP MemberforBlacktownMemberoftheLegislativeCouncilMemberforGranvlleMemberottheLegislatveCouncilMemberforMaroubra

SophieCotsisMP MemberforCanterbt1ry

EdmondAtalla MP MemberforMtDruitt

YOURSAY

SECTION 18C: COMMUNITYSPEAKSOUT

PAWAN LUTHRA asked how the Coalition can disregard theflow-oneffects within the multicultural vote bank, while KIRA SPUCYS-TAHAR revealed that according to an Indian Link survey, ethnic minorities will change their votes based on 18C reform

Jasvlnder Sidhu wrote: Welldone Indian Link andIndian Link Radio for runninga communitysurvey onproposedchangestoSection18cofRacial DiscriminationAct.Thesechangessimply mean racialdiscrimination becomes right oftheoffenderunder theargumentoffreedomofspeech.

Changesmake it okto offend,insultandhumiliateanyone inAustralia due to their race, colourornationalor ethnicorigin.

Alex Bhathal sharedthe postandwrote:IndianLinkI thinkyoushould amendquestion three ofthe surveytoinclude aresponse forpeople who are voting for partiesthatdonot support the 18Camendment. Something like: 'No.Theissueis importantto me,butI amalreadyvotingfor politicians/ parties whodo notsupport theseamendments'.

Michelle Rowland MP wrote: "What ashame that a Prime Minister,who waswellsupported bythe multicultural communities at thelastelection, hasallowedhimselftobeheldhostagebyfringeelementsinhis party, advocatingTrump-typepolicies."WellsaidPawanLuthraat Indian Link.

Jett Kerrlng wrote: 18c isaboutpeoplegetting vexatiousforstupidreasons; Likein BillLeak'scase,thehatepartwasinthe eye ofthebeholder.

jJATROCIOUSBEHAVIOUR MARSEXHILARATINGSERIES

A thoughtful DARSHAK MEHTAworriesfor the way in which thenoblegame of cricket is now being played John Greentree wrote:Greatarticle! Lovedtheidea thevisitingteamcan selectwhetherto bowlorbat. Sledgingshouldbepenalised.The umpires hear whatis goingon.

Dr Ahad Khan wrote:Wellsaid,Darshak. Competitivenessisadmirable. Notgiving upthe game,no matterhowimpossiblethesituationlooks,is admirable.Fighting'toothandnail' is admirable.

Comingfrombehindagainstallodds(likeLaxmanandDraviddidwiththat memorablepartnership),isadmirable.Usingone'sskillswiththe bat and ball to tuma game inside out (like Ian Botham's single-handedeffort to win)isadmirable.The way the West Indies,witha 'never give up' attitude, createdthefirsttiedTest Match,isadmirable.

But,SLEDGING andABUSING anopponentisnotadmirable - it isdespicable. Thephrase"It ain't cricket" isusedto describecertainunpleasant behaviours. Such isthisnoble game ofcricket.

I agreewith Darshak- playerswhoattemptto bringthisnoblegame of cricketintodisrepute mustbe removedfromthe game.

Dhanada Mishra wrote: We playedsports to learn sportsmanship! Is our cricket teaching our youngsters the values that we needso badlyinthe real world?asksDarshak Mehta. Brilliantasusual- amustread.

Peter Lalor wrote:Goodarticleby my favouriteNRI. Better behaviourand pitches needed.

Peter Laloradded:He'snotreallyanNRI.Heisagreatman. BorninMumbai livesinSydney.Tirelesscharityworker. LBWTrustchiefofmany years.

Khushroo Dastur wrote: Good article,wellsaid.

Shlshlr Hattangadl wrote:Validissues,Darshak Mehta.

Ryan Carters wrote:Wellsaid,Darshak. I agree.

David Peever wrote: Poignantarticle.Welldone.

Clayton Murzello wrote: Splendid piece. Great perspective.

Pradeep Kasllwal wrote:Toss tobedone away looksto me oneofthebest ways,but wehave doneitaway byplayingonneutralvenuesindomestic matches.

GeoffArmstrong@garmstrong61 tweeted:If crickethas reachedthe point where thetoss mustbe'dispensedwith' toensure a fair game,thencricket isdone.

Vk22 @thirdaccountvk2 tweeted:Agree ontheneedfor betterpitchesespeciallyAustraliantestpitches whichareflat as roads.

Angus Livingston @anguslivingstontweeted: Indian writersaysAustralia doesn'tdoctorpitches,visitingteamsshouldchoosewhether tobat/bowl first. Ithink itwouldreally beinterestingandmakeTestseriesmore exciting. Mathew lnkson @imathew tweeted: I'velongwonderedifvisitors getting the choice wouldbe good,notjust because evenpitcheswouldbe rolled,bu.t itprovides balanceagainst generalhomegroundadvantage.

INDIANLINKCEO PAWANLUTHRAONQ&A EXTRA

ABC NewsRadio's TRACEYHOLMEScontinued theQ&A conversation on the 'Festival of the Arts' with studio guest Pawan Luthra, taking calls and answering questions.

Avl Chandlok wrote: Listeningto the radio lastnightI heard PawanLuthra. Prettyimpressive.

Manjlt Ral Handa wrote:Arts thrive only ifpatronisedby therich,notwhen paidfor bythe taxpayer.

Melanie Smith wrote: So manypeopledon't seemtounderstandor appreciate what the arts bring to society asa whole. Ifkidsdevelop reading habits early enough, they will become lifelongreaders andtheir lives and thatof others will be immeasurably enhancedinmany otherwaysaswell. Put awaythe iPads!

Douglas Mciver wrote:Nopublicfundingofthe arts seems very much like theAmericanmodelof thearts being supportedbyphilanthropyetc. Let's not godowntheAmericanpathway!

WOWINGUS WITHTHEIR WORK

Not-for-profit WomenOf Wyndham continues to support the Melbourne community. This time with their inaugural multicultural evening. PREETI DAGA reported Rakesh Ralzada wrote:ThankyouIndianLinkfor the coverageandsupport

Shauna Roche wrote:I wasquitedisappointedinthe(admittedlyfew)India art galleriesI wasabletovisitin Mumbai,Jaipur andDelhi recently.Thework thatwas'hung'wasextremelyinterestingandvivid,butthegalleriesinsuch poor conditionIwas afraidfor the culture. Onthe otherhand,thereseemsto beabig·artmarket'whichisaimedatthehyper-wealthy.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

ToIndianLink,

Myname is Li MaxJoyfrom Hobart. I wasassaultedandracially abusedby4 boysanda girlherein Hobart, Tasmania,Australia.

I amseekinghelpfrom associations registeredunderthe Ministry ofIndian Affairs. I am trying tocontactthe Minister for ForeignAffairsSushmaSwaraj to help me. I am attachingthe details andforwarding thecomplaint givento Tasmanianpolicethis morning.

ToTasmanian police, RespectedSir, I amanAustralian CitizenofIndiandescentholdinganOCI card.I ama parttimetaxidriverinHobart.Driving mytaxi,between4.30am and5am on25th March, 2017,threeboysassaultedmeinthe McDonald's premises inArgyleStreet,Hobart.

I wenttothetoiletofthe McDonald'sandwasgoingbacktomytaxivehicleto continuemyshift. Isawfourboysanda girlinsidetheMcDonald'sarguing with thestaff. Ididnotorder anyfoodastheywereharassingthestaff.I heard thestafftellingthemtheywouldbecallingcopsiftheydidnotleave. Whenthey werecomingout of thestore theysaw me.A boy wearing a black t-shirtcalledout,"Whyyoulookingatus, you blackIndian****." I said, uSorry, I amnot lookingat you mate."

Allofasudden,withno provocation,a boywearingawhite t-shirt andthe boywearinga hat punched.mecontinuously inthe face. I tried toblock them and triedto getinthestore.Theycontinuously hitmewhilewearing metal rings on their fingers. My facestartedbleedingfromthe right upper eyearea andmyjawwashitcontinuously bythem.

I tooktheirphotosbefore they left McDonald's. WhileI wastakingaphoto theyagaincame at me andhitme againandagain.I calledthe policefor helpassoonaspossibleandpolice officers attended.

I am attachingphotos of my conditiononattend.ing the emergency departmentat RoyalHobart Hospital. A police officer askedme if Iwillstand against themenwho assaultedme. I said I willstandtillmy last breath to makesure they willbepunishedunderAustralianlaw.

I hope theTasmanianpolicewillhelpmeandmakesure thesemen are chargedunderthe law. I am ready to come to court ifnecessary. Kindlydo the needfulto investigatethe case.

Yoursfaithfully,

LI MaxJoy

ENDINGTHE SILENCE

The death of Harjit Kaur sparked further conversation on the steps we can take towardending the national crisis of domestic andfamily violence.

ANEETA MENON reported

JagmohanSharmawrote: Horrible,enddomestic violence.

RI Ya wrote: It isjust anillusioninmindofwomenbecauseoftheculturewe havegrownupthatifwe speak, thingswill getworse, butactuallyoncewe getthatconfidence andstandbywhat youhavedecided to tacklethisissue, that fear will transfer verysoonto thepersonwho is torturing you.Theyknow thereality andthey knowyou are inAustralia,so speak upandbe confident. Itdoesn't matterwhatthe situation isandwhatother side-effectswillbe.All the effects willbe definitely negativeifyoudon't speak.

VeraKallczlnsky wrote: Very true! By notspeakingoutyouare protecting theindividualandgiving him permission todo whathewants.

ShlvanlGopalwrote:Aneeta, I alsoapplaudyouforwritingsuchan importantpiece.DFV issuchahushhushmatter inourcommunity and it'stime we acknowledge its existence andsupport thosethat have been subjectedtoviolence. It'ssoheartbreakingto seeyetanother life taken.

WOMEN'SDAY, THE AIR INDIA WAY

India's national carrier flew an all-female crew to Melbourne in celebration of International Women's Day. PREETI JABBAL reported.

Rajnl Luthra wrote: It's amazing, I've neverheard awomanpilotonAussie fights,but theyseem tobe quitecommonwhenyoufly domestically inIndia.

DhanyaSamuel wrote: That's wonderful... Air India hasfnallygot somethingright.

HarlnderSidhu @AusHClndia retweeted:Touchdown! Congratsto the @airindiain allwomencrewwho arrived in Melbournethis morning RajanVayakkattll wrote:Congratulations for superchargingandmotivating allIndians,especially women!

lndla6AM tweeted:congrats.Womenare thefoundationfor our Indian culture. Happy tosee their progress.

NeelamVasudevanwrote: Fantastic!Whata proudmoment.

Shabblr Bootwalawrote: Greathonour tothe nationfor theirperformance. ChandraKlshorewrote:Congratulations,ladies.

Rajdeep Sardesal tweeted:Theday the Indianmale becomes apractising feminist, India willbe a better place! Happywomen's day!#womensday

KRISHNA'SIN ERSKINEVILLE - BUTDOES HE BELONG THERE?

A controversial newartwork had some Hindus incensed, but the piece by Indian-Australian artist Leon Fernandes is a great talking point, argued ANEETA MENON

Leon Fernandes wrote:Astanding ovationfor IndianLink "Modern Hinduism oftenfinds itselfina struggle reconcilingthe oldwith the newas traditionalconservatismoften findsitselfat oddswithancient Hindu trad.itions, which are indeed rifewith mind-alteringsubstances,aswellas gender and sexualfluidity.Justthis week,Hindusworldwide celebrated Holi,a festivalwhichhas historically associatedwith use ofbhang,anatural intoxicant made from marijuana leavesandflowers."

Sunny Kalvelkau wrote: Keepdoingwhat you're doingman- evena reddot (reference tothe marriage dotonaHinduwoman'sforeheadunintended)on ablankcanvaswouldoffendsomeone. Karma is about moreaboutthe heart anditsintentions.Assomeonewhoserootsliesomewhere inGujaratand Uttar Pradesh,ironically Mathura- Krishna's apparentbirthplace, I find those whoseheads are fullofreligion dodgy, yetthosewhose hearts arefree of religionbetter people toshare a pipe with ShereenaSidhuwrote: WelltoucheIndianLink!WelldoneLeon.Allthis debateaboutidentityandmoderncultureiswonderful! Hadachatwith my mumaboutallthe brouhahaandshe waslike, "Ishouldbuy it andhangit at home!" Keep itup!

Kay Bazley wrote: I lovethe way you(andothers)arestandingby yourwork Leonandthis isa greatarticle.

LauraArmestowrote:So gladforthe article,nicetohaveothers publicly sharing your view pointonsuchanimportant issue.

Ashlyn Pinto wrote: Refreshing to see a well-balanced piece, kudos.

BYUSHARAMANUJAM ARVIND

earingnoillwilltowardsbis attacker,FatherTomyKalathoor Mathew,theMelbournepriest whowasrecentlyscabbedinan isolatedbutracially-motivated hatecrime on19_March,hasresumedduties atStMatthew'sCatholicChurchinFawkner North,celebratingSundaymasswith parishioners.

The48-year-oldcleric,whohailsfrom Kerala,wasstabbedintheshoulderbya disgruntledparishionerwhocookexception tohisIndianbackground.Hewasluckyto escapewitl1non-lifethreateninginjuries.

"YouareIndian,soyoumusebeHindu orMuslim andare notqualifiedtodeliver mass,"the manstatedbefore attackingtl1e priest withalmife.

Theincidenttookplaceintl1echurch foyer,asthepriestwasabouttobeginthe 11amItalianmass.Themanhassincebeen chargedwitl1intencionalJyandrecklessly causinginjuryandwill facecourtinJune.

Narratingtheincident,FrMathewtold TnrlianLinkthattheparishioner,whowas notaregularvisitor,hadaccostedand raciallyabusedhimaweekprioraboutbis ethnicity.Healsolaterfoundomthattl1e attacker,whoisof Italiandescent,had enqLtiredabomtl1e"Indian"priestwhilehe wasawayforholidaysinJanuary.

"I was uneasyaboutbis anger towards meandmyIndianheritage andnotified theParishCouncil,butIneverexpected th.ismovefrom hllll,"Fri'vfathewtold

IndianLink.

StMatthew'swelcomesbelieversfrom manydifferentlinguisticandcultural backgroundsincluding those of Italian, Polish,lndian,SriLankan,Vietnamese,Iraqi aswellasAngloandlrishbackgrounds,and hascelebratedth.isdiversitybyemplO)'it,g min.iste_rsfromdifferentnationalities.

"\Wehaveawonderfulco=uniry hereandnaturallytheywereallshockedparticularlytheItalians,whowereashamed bytheircompatriot'signorance,"FrMathew said."Theattackwasnodoubtthework of amentallysickpersonwhoneedsour supportandsympathy.\Veshouldprayfor suchpeoplesothattheymaynotcause harmcoothers,andtheymaybeablecoget melightof truth."

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

Downplaying tl1eracial overcones,Fr Mathewemphasisedthatitwaspure ignorancethatfuelledtheunfortunate incident.Indeed,therearenearly20mill.ion CatholicsinIndia.

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

FrMathew hasneverthelessbeen overwhelmedbythe gestures of support hehasreceivedfromworkcolleagues, parishioners,police,healthcareprovidersas wellastheIndianConsulate.

"Theconsularserviceofferedtomewas prompt,personalandwellbeyondthecall of duty,"henoted.

"Theycreatedmelikecheywouldtheir ownfamilymember,"he addedwith gratitude.

Thepriesc,whoarrivedinAustraliafive yearsago,alsohasnothingbutpraise for d,egenerosityof chisbeautifulcountry.

"Iamnot concerned aboutsuch happeningsinfuture,"hesaid."Ihave alwaysbelievedAustraliaisnot aracist country.Itistrulywelcomingand mulriculcural.Th.iswaswhatIusedto tel1myfriendsandfamilybackinIndia whowereconcernedabouttheracismin Australia.Iwouldlovecobe.lievethesame even now."

FrMathew,whorelocated toMelbourne in2012,belongsto Kalathoorfamilyof KarimbuinAnakkampoyilandbecame apriescunderdieTharnarasserydiocese in1994.Hehadpreviouslyservedat churchesinAdakkakundu,Vettilappara,

KallurntciandChundadrnmpoyil,and woi:kedasateacheratAlphonsaSchoolin Thamarassery.

Expressing shockat theappalling incident,the CatholicJ\rchdioceseof Thamarasserywasrelievedtohearabout miraculousescape.

"DuetoGod'sgraceandthespecial robesfortl1emasstheknifedidn'tgo deepandjustinjuredtl1eneckmuscles," AbrahamKavi1purayidathi1,chancellor and spokespersonof Thamarasserydiocese stated,addingmatFrMathewisdetermined tosmyonandcontinuehisgoodwork.

"Peopleshouldneverbetreatedliketh.is," saidShane Healy,aCatl10licArchdiocese of Melbournespokesman,condemningthe attack."Fr_Mathewisdoingwonderfulwork forhisparishionersandchisisreallyablight ontl1egreatworkthatmany,manyCatholic priestsaredoing."

Indian priest returns to his parish afterracially-motivated attack

How Indian migrants are workingto make thegreatAustralian dream come true.

ByKIRA SPUCYS-TAHAR

ThegreatAustraliandreamof owningyourownhomeisslipping furtheroutof reachformany. PropertydatagroupCoreLogic releasednewfiguresthisweek showinghousepricesincreasedby 19 percent inSydneyand 16 percentinMelbournein thepastyearalone.Fourof Australia'seight

and USHA

RAMANUJAM ARV/ND

capitalcitiesarenowshowinganannual growthratehigher than10percent,and acrossallAustraliancapita.Icitiestheaverage priceincreasewasnearly13percent,the fastestrateof growthinsevenyears. Therearemanyreasonspeopleconsider enteringtherealesrncemarketandbuying aproperty. Formigrantsinparticular,

SAKSHI & ANKIT GOYAL

SAVINGFORTHEIRFIRSTHOMEWITHHELPFROMTHEIRPARENTS

An.kitGoya.ImovedtoAustraliaona scudencvisasixyearsago.Thecelecom engineerhassincefoundworkwithTPG andhasbeenwiththetelecommmiications compan)' forsometime. Hisyoungwife Saksbi,whorelocatedtoSydneyafterbet marriage,recentlycompletedherstudies andcurrentlyworksatUTS.

Theyoungcouplerentintheinnercity suburbof Glebeandareexploringtheir optionsintheoverheatedSydneyproperty market.

"Rentingisnmhingbuthelpingsomeone elsepayoff tl1ei.tmortgage,ratherthanyour own,"Ankitacknowledged." arurally,Iwill looktoaddvaluetomyownnetworthby prudentpropertyinvesrmenc."

Alt11oughmeyarelookingtoeventually buy,AnkitandSakshibothfeeltheyare notreadytotakecbeplunge."Hopefully, dependingonoutfinances,2018isour target,"tl1eGoya.lstoldllldianLink.

WhileAnkithaspaidoff hisstudent loan,Sakshiisstilldoingso.il.Jthougbborn havestableincomes,savingalittlemoreis

certainlyanecessity.Ankicwillalsorelyon hisparencstolendahelp.inghandbyselling offpropertybackinIndia.

"Naturally,thewesternsuburbsiswhere wearescanningforstiitableproperty,given theexorbitantprices,"saidAnki.t.

Atwo-bedroomunit,reasonablyclose topublictransport,andwithgood train connections,isootl1eirwishlist.Ankitand Sakshiarealsoconsideringanoff-the-plan purcbasetocapitaliseonthefirsthorne buyer'sincentiveofferedbythegovernment.

Whiletheyhavemade cursory explorations,tl1esehavebeenmainlyreal estateadvertisementsonline.Theyare currentlyadoptingawaitandwatchpolicy toseehowthefuturewillshapeup.

Asitistheirfirstproperty,tl1eGoyalsare choosingnottoworryabouttheso-called propertybubble.

"Bubbleo.tnot,wehavetoenterthe marketandwecanonlyhopefortl1ebest," AnkitGoya.Iconfessed."Of course,those ·whoboughtpriorto2010,willstandto gainbythesteepincreaseinvalue."

homeownershiprepresentsprideand accomplishment,astableandsafe environmentforthemcoraisetheirfamily asaJong-term,value-for-moneyinvestment. lealsogivesthesenseof puttingdown rootsandgettingestablishedinanewland. ButmanymigrantscomingtoAustralia, predominantlysettlinginSydneyand

Melbourne,are6ndingcbemselvespriced outofamarketdominatedbyinvescors. Witl1thisinmind,IndianLinkspoke withsevera.llndianAustralianfirsthome buyersabouttheplanning,challenges, strategies,triumphs,compromisesand disappoina11entstheyhavefacedbreaking intotheS)'dney propertymarket.

DEEPTI DABRAL & SAMBITAGASTI

PURCHASED LAND IN A 'GREENFIELD' PROJECT

MediasalesprofessionalDeeptiDabtal andhercreditanalysthusbandSambit AgastimovedroSydneynearlytwoyears agofromM.umbaiinsearchof abetter work/lifebalance.Likeanyotherprudent youngcouple,buyingaproperr,wasthe nextlogicalstep.Currentlyrentingaunitin Parramatta,theyoungcouplehaverecently purchasedlandinSchofi.eldsandwillmove inoncetheirdrean.1homeisbuiltnextyear.

"Theidea germinatedaboutayearago. BothDeeptiandIarereasonablywell settledprofessionallyandhavesavedup throughhardwork,"saidAgasti."We

realisedthatwewerereadyto enterthe propertymarker."

Havingspentmostof theirlivesinhighdensity areasof Mumbai,AgastiandDabral werenaturallykeentoembracetheultimate Australiandream-asuburbanhomewitha bad<yard.Proximitytotherailnetworkwas notonlyatopprioritybutaprimarydriver intl1eirfinalchoice. WhileDeeptiislucky coworkfromhome,Sambithasthedaily commute totheCBDtoconsider.Given budgetaryconstraints,Schofieldsbecamea sensibled1oice.

"Alotof ourfriendswerelookingtobuy

land,soitseemedaverygoodideatous too,"Dabralexplained.

DabralandAgastihavenotonlysaved hardbucalsoliguidatedassetsinMumbai tofacilitatemepurchase.Theywere amongmebuyerswhosnappedupthe firstlandreleaseatthegreenfieldsitebeing developedbyStockland. (A greenfieldsite isundevelopedlandonthefringesof acity previously usedforagriculturebutrezoned forurbanhousingdevelopment.)

AccordingtoRawsonHomesGeneral ManagerCraigMoore,ahomebuilding companylikeRawsonHomescanhelp smooththeprocessof buildinganew home,witl1optionsforsingleanddouble storeyhomes,houseandlandpackages, aswellasknockdownrebuildoptions. "Rawsoncanbuildyourdreamborne, wirl1gualit:yinclusionsandyourchoice of specifications,atarealpricewirl1no hiddenextras,"hesaid."Weaimtodevelop agualityne,vhomeaccording torl1eneeds andwanrsof yourfamily,anddeliveryour newdream borne."

Withmedianpricessoaringinthe KellyvilleandRouseHill region,Scbofields

ispoisedtobecomeoneof Sydney's mostsought-afterareasandisperfectly positionedforbuyerswantingtomoveinto rl1enortlnvest corridor.Thecommunity beingdevelopedoppositeSchofieklstrain stationissetto featureawiderangeof housngincludjngfreestandinghouses, aparanent.�,terrace houses,retirementliving andcownhouses.

Besidessuitingtheirunigueaspirations, buyinglandinanemergingneighbourhood hasallowedAgastiandDabraltimeco staggerspendingandplantbeirfinances better.

"Lastyearwedidnothaveenough savings,"explainedAgasti."Itwaslogicalto investintl1elandfirst.Wehadtheoptionto strategisetowardsacommon goal."

Withlandtitlesettlingshortly,Agastiand Dabralarenotonlyshoppingforarchitects butalsomortgageoptionsiliactheycan tailortosuitrl1eirindividualneeds.

Dabralexplained,"Aslandsupplyis .limited,bothduetosoaringimmigration andstringentrulesgoverningmeprocess, wewentforthisoptionoveraunitcloserco thecity."

ANUSHA & PAVAN BHURAVARJELA

BOUGHTA 'RENOVATOR'S DELIGHT'

AnushaandPavanBhuravarjela will moveintotheirfirsthome thisEaster. Aftersearchingforseveralmonths,the Bhuravarjelassettledonathree-bedroom propertyinStMarys,awesternsuburb 45kmsfromtheSydneyCBD.Poised forphenomenaldevelopment in keeping withthegrowthtl1ewesternsuburbs arecurrentlyexperiencing,StNfaryshas alreadybeenontheradarof enthusiastic developerswithaneyeforvalue.

LocatedintheCityof Penrith,the oldhouse,inurgentneedof renovation, metseveralof theBhuravarjelas' criteria, thetopmostbeingproximitytOpublic transportasbothAnushaandPavan dependontherailnetworkto gettowork.

Setonagenerousblockof650sgm,the three-bedroomhouse,builtinthe1950s, iscurrentlybeingrenovated,withthenew ownersupdatingthebathroom,andadding asecond,aswellasrestoringtheAoorboards andpaintworkaspartof makeover.

TbeBhuravarjelashavebudgetedforaU of this.

''\Xie hadbeenexploring optionsfora whileandwere constantly gettingpriced out,"PavancoldTndia,1Link."Westarted withabudgetof $500,000aswedidnot wanttoburnourLimitandputundue pressureonourfinances,"headmitted, candidly.

Thecouple,whocurrentlyrentat PeoclleHill,hadbeensavingcarefull)'fora deposit.However,tl1eyrealisedtheywere constantlyfallingshort. Asaresult,they haveoptedtotakemortgageinsuranceto makeuptheshortfall.Pavanbelievesthat wasasounddecisionasthepricesareonly spirallingupwards.

"Thesalarygrowthisnotproportionate tothegrowcliof thepropertymarket, particularlyinSyd11ey,"helamented. "Sydneyisgettingpricedout.Therehas beensuchaphenomenalgrowthinthis sector becauseof overseasinvestment." Onlyrecently,aninvestorfromChina boughtanentirebuildingoff theplan,he pointedour.

Thefrustratedcoupleevenconsidered investinginIndiainstead.Theyoung couplearenevertl1elessecstatictofu1ally owntheirownhome.

SUKESH & MONICA THAPLIYAL PURCHASED OFFTHEPLAN

EducationindustryprofessionalSukesb andhiswifeMonicamigratedro Australia in2014fromAhmedabadinIndia,along withtheirnow15-year-olclson.They recentlymovedintoanaparnnentin Wemworthvil.lewhichtheypurchasedoff tl1eplaninDecember2016

"We lookedattheplansinOctober andtl1edevdopmentwasalreadyUJ1der construction,"SukeshtoldIndianLink "W/esettledontl1eapartmentafew montl1slater whenconstructionwas complete."

Thetwo-bedroomunittickedallthe boxesfortheThapliyals

"lnitiaUy,welooked at buyingahouse andexploredaUouroptions,"Sukeshsaid "But withoursmallfamily,wedecideda Llllitbetterfittedourreguirements."

TheThapliyalsownahouseinIndiabut aremorethancontentwithanapartment inSydney,despitethefactitwasprobably moreexpensive,persguaremetre,than buyingahouse "l boughtmyunitin\'<:rentworthvillefor almostrhesameamountasmy brother who purchasedhishouseinthissuburb in2014,"Sukeshexplained."\Welike Livinghere.The areaisgood-it'ssafeand convenient.TbereareIndianscoresclose by,good schoolsandaccessrotransport -wehavetherailwaystationclose.byand we'rewellconnectedbybeingclosetothe M4andother freeways. Ir's handyaswe havemanyoverseasvisitorsandit's easyto gettotlieairport. "

"Thebiggestadvantageforfu:sthome buyersinpurchasingoff theplanisthat youhaveminimalinitialoutlay,"explained ThomasPerrnm,asalesexecutiveat Conguest."Withafive or 10percent deposit,tl1ere'sanumberof financial options.There'sanopportunitytoput downsomemoneyandtliensavesome morebeforeyouneedcogetamortgage, ortoborrowsomemoneyfrommumand dad,continuesaving,andpaythemback whenyoutakepossessionof thepropetty."

"Ratherthanhavingthebenclunarkand costkeepincreasing,buyingoff theplan givespeopleanopportunitycojumpinand grabaproperty before themarketprice changes,"hecontinued."Thegovernment rebatesareguiteattractiveandalsoan incentiveformany."

Asfirsthoinebuyers,Sukeshand Monicawerefortunateroreceivethefirst homebuyersgrantfromtl1egovernment andsomerebateinstampduty."Thoughit

.

wasn'tverymuchbecausewewerecloseto thestampdutytlireshold,"Sukeshsaid Recognisingtbeincreasingcosts of owningahomeinAustralia,tl1eThapliyals hope tohelptheirsoninthefuture "Partof ourreasonforbuyingthis apartmentwastohaveabaseinvestment sothatlateronwecanhelpourson," Sukeshsaid."Fiveortenyearsdownthe Line,we'llhavesometl'lingandhopefullybe abletobuildupthenumberof properties."

DHEERAJ & NEHA BHARDWAJ

OrigiL1al.ly fromDeJhj,India,Dheeraj BhardwajmovedtoAustralia 12yearsago forhisworkindieITindustry.Initially livingwithfriendsinAshfield,afew yearslater,heandwifeNehamovedto StLeonardsonSydne)"sNortliShore.

They movedtoArtarmonlastyearfor theirsix-year-olddaughter'sschooling. TheBhardwajsarehappily rentingatwobedroomapartment.

"ltriedcobuyinSydneyin2013," Dheerajsaid."1Jiie hadtliemoney,we lookedatourfinances,buttlieonly propertywecouldaffordwasintl1ewestern suburbs.W/ewerelooking at$400,000 apartmentsin\Vesrmead."

At thattime,thecoupledidn'ttl,inkof purchasinganinvesunenrpropertyandthey didL1'twanttolivesofarfromtheCBD.

"Iworkinthecity andmywifeworks inChatswood,"Dheerajexplained."Time forusispreciousandwewanttospend itwitliour youngchild. Ipreferhavinga 15-n'linurecommute."

Afterdoingthesums,the highinterest ratesatthattimemeantdieamounttlie Bhardwajswouldpayininteresttothe bank wasegt'livalenrtotheirrent.

"\Xi'hentheinterestrateswentclown, wethoughtgreateraffordabilitywouldbe tliere,"Dheerajsaid. "Butthepricesjust keepgoingup!"

"If Ibought thesamepropertyI'mLiving innow,Iwouldbepayingsomuchmore. ltwouldbetheprincipalcost,thefeesand thenthestratalevies,whichareguitehigh. Thepropertypriceshavegone up,but tl1ere'saslimchance you'llgettl1esame ratesfiveyearsfromnow. Thepriceshave tocomedown."

Insteadof purchasingapropertyin Syru1ey,theBhardwajsare happyrenting,as Dheerajsaid,'1livewherel wantto live", buttlieyotmgfanJilyisconsideringbuying aninvestmentproperty inBrisbane.

"I'vedonesomeresearch,andBrisbane isatopperformingmatketintermsof rentalyieldandinvestment,"Dheerajsaid. "Australiaisstillgrowing,andBrisbane isnextafterSydneyand:lv[elbournefor developmentandinfrastrucmre,andtl1ere's affordability."

Dheeraj continued,"As farasSydney isconcerned,withintlienextfourorfive years,buyingpropertyhere doesn'tmake sense forus,1inaocially."

Weknowhowdifficultitistosaveforyourfirsthome

That'swhywe'vedecidedtolendahandbydoublingthe FirstHomeOwnerGrantto$20,000*.That's$10,000from theGovernmentandanextra$10,000fromThriveHomes.

Soifa$20,000*FirstHomeOwnerGrantwillhelpyou getyourfootinthedoor,whynotjumponourwebsite andcheckoutourrangeofstylishandspacioushomes Wehavedesignstosuitalmostanybudgetandanyblock. Buyingyourfirsthomeiscloserthanyouthink.Applynow. TermsandConditionsapply.Visitthrivehomescom.aufordetails.

Reshapingattitudes

Acclaimed Human Rights Watch researcherJayshree Bajoria discusses barriers tojustice for victims ofgender-based violence in India

BY NAMITA GOHIL

Inarecentsemi.oarbosted bythe U . niversityofSydney'sSouth AsiaStudy Group,consultantforHumanRights WatchJayshreeBajotiadeliveredan informativeandpoignanttalkabout the sociopoliticalclimateofsexualandgender basedviolenceinIndia.

MuchofBajoria'stalkconcentrated ondissectingtheresponsesofdifferent insrinitions\Vithinthelegal,healthand socialspherestowardsrapevictimsin India. Bajoriaparticularlyillustrated how the2012Delbi gangrapecasereshaped thecollectiveattitudesofIndiansociety. She articulatedcharathreemonthprocess inreviewinglawsandinitiatingchanges waswelcomed,andwasakeyturning pointintheIndianlegislativesystem. Reformsincludedextendingthedefinition of rape,addingnewcategoriesofsexual assault,providingfreemedicaltreatment forvictimsandhavingpenaltiesforpolice andheald1professionalswhoneglectto adequatelyrespond.

However,Bajoriainsinuatedthatmany problemsandbarrierscontinuetoexistfor womenandrapevictims.

"\Xiehavealongwaytogoinfodia," Bajoriasaid."Thefirststephastogofrom educationinschoolsandgendertraining, butthenthelawshaveto actuallybe enforcedaswell-otherwisetherewillbeno deterrencefortheperpetrators."

Bajoriacitedissuessuchasalackof victimprotectionlaws(wherefemale victimsoflowercasteswhohaveaccused amanofahighercasteareoftenforcedto dropthecase)andvictimblaming,which havebecomeamajorencumbranceinthe plighttoachievejusticeandtoensurethe wellbeingofrapesurvivors.

Specifically,Bajoriaconveyeddismayat theattitudesofthemediaandlegislative authorities,whocontinuetoquestiond1e character,clothinganddemeanourofthe

woman,asopposedtoconcemratingonthe natureofthecrime,inspiteofconrinuous socialawarenessandgovernmentcampaigns sincethe2012case.

Bajoriadescribedd1ecaseofawoman fromascheduledcasteinRajasthanwho badaccusedamanofrape,whofoturn thenaccusedthewomanoftheft.While thepoliceneglectedtherapecharges,d1e womanwasplacedinjailforthreemonths ford1eftandjustbarelymanagedcogether husbandtobailherout.Acpresent,therape chargesarepending.

Accordingtc;iJayshreeBajoria,these cases,whicharefarfromisolated, demonstrateadireneedtocontinue improvingthewayinwhichsexualassault victimsarecreatedi.nIndia.

'Wearenowhereclosetowhereweneed tobe,"shesaid.

Hussain adirn,coordinacoroftheSouth AsiaStudyGroup(SASG),recognisedthe

importanceofinvitingJayshreeBajoria, whoiswell-knowninfadiaforworkingon hrnnanandwomen'srights.

"TheSouthAsiaStudyGroupworks extensivelyongender rightsintheregion, andourpurposeistobringawarenessin AustraliaaboutissuesrelatedtoSoud1Asia. WewereproudtoinviteJaysbreetospeak tosnidentsaboutsuchapressingissue," Hussainsaid.

Hussainalsoacknowledgedthevaluable informationthatJayshreeBajoriaimparted. "Thetalkwasveryinsightfulandthetal<e homemessageformewasthattheSouth Asiaregionasawholefacessimilarproblems ofviolenceandrapeagainstwomen,and thattheproblemsareasmuchlegal,political, bureaucraticastheyarecultural.Thesolution needstobewelld1oughroutandshould coverallaspectsoftheissue."

JayshreeBajoriaalsoengagedstudents inaquestionandanswerdialoguewhich

delvedintospecificitiesabout thenature ofsexualviolenceandrape,includingme entrencl1edculturalphenomenonofthe prevalenceofrapeinfadiaarisingthrough theconceptof'eveteasing',andhowcan weusemediumssuchastechnologyto workforwomen'ssecurity.

''Assomeoneinterestedinpolitics,gender anddevelopment,atrendingtheevent wasadecisionImadeassoonasI heard aboutic,"saidparticipant ishd1aSharma. "Discussionsaroundgender-basedviolence caninitiatechange regardlessofwherein theworldyoulive.Talkingabouttheissueis alwayspositiveasitbringsd1eissueourinto thepublic."

SharmafoundBajoria'sdiscussionon accessibilitytolegalandsupportservices inrnralIndia tobeveryenlightening."She tookamultidimensionalapproachtothe issuewhichhelpedbringthecomplex natureoftheproblem tolight."

INDIAN LINK RADIO APP

Thes upof

1c1n9 enr1th

A performance showcase shares subcontinental culture with the widercommunity

BYSONDARYA KRISHNAN

Weallknowchetypical Indianstyleofdance, Bharacanat:aminthe . southandBhangrain the north,buthowwelldo weknowSriLankan,NepaleseorBhucanese dance?Andhowmuchdothe local residents ofPenrithknowaboutsubcontinental culture,foodandfashion?TherecentSpicy Penrithevencansweredthesequestionswith creativityandflair.

Over167pei:formersgatheredco showcasedancesfromIndia, SriLanka, epalandBhutanattheJoanSutherland PerformingAnsCentre.Therewereclose to30performancesonthenightwhichgave everyoneachancetoreleasetheirinnerdesi andhavesometoe-t.appingfun.

Thenightbeganat5:30pm,\virhstalls outsidethetheatrewhereguestscouldenjoy a epalesemealofmomosorbutterchicken andrice.Thereweregirlsgettingfreshhenna, stallswherepeoplecouldpurchasefairtrade productsandIndianartefacts,andonlookers enjoyedthetraditionaldrumperformance. Therewerealsowomencladinpinksarees, representingthePinkSarimovementwhich ain1scoimprovebreastcancerscreening ratesinthesubcontinentalcommunity.It wasanamazingsightcoseesomanypeople involvedintraditionalIndiancustoms.

Onceweweresearedinthehall,we wereimroducedtotheguestofhonour, theMayorofPenrithJolmThain. Heexplainedchatinrecentyears,the demographicsofPenrithhavechanged andtherearenm.vmore SouthAsian membersin thecommunitythanever before.TheSpicyPenrithevencis thereforeverysignificantbecauseitis anopportunitycocelebratethelocal

communityandgivesachance fordancers andperformerstoexpresstheirculture audvalues, hesaid.Mostimportantly,it introducesthecultureandfoodtothose whodon'tknowmuchaboutit.

Thisyearwasthefourth'Spicy'event. FromasmallhallinStMary's,ithasmoved toaprofessionalstagehallinPenrit11and theaudiencehasgrown from300to700! TheaudiencewasamixofIndianand Australianfau1iliesandeveryoneagreed t11e sho,vwasamazingbecauseitwasdifferent.

J\,fembers of tl1e audiencewere impressedbytl1eeffortandcostuming. OneolderAustralianwomansaid, "If my legsweren'tsowobbly,Iwouldgetupon stageand daucetoo!"

Spicywasauniqueeventbecauseit broughttogetherfourcommunities, whichhavetheirownstyleandform, bucattl1eendof tl1eday,worked togetherseamlessly.

TbeeventwasorganisedbythePenrith CityCouncilinconrunctionwiththe SinhaleseCuln1ralFonm1,theAssociation ofBhutaneseinAustralia(ABA)andthe NepaleseCommunityofWesternSydney (nCOWS).Themainaimof thesegroups istoeducateyouthsonchesignificance ofmaintainingtheircultureinanew environmentandbeingresponsiblecitizens whocontributetotl1ecommunity.Manyof thedancersonthenightwereyoungpeople whotooktheinitiativetobeinvolvedina voluntaryprogram.

Spicy Penrithwasintendedtoraise a\varenessoftl1echangingden1ographicsin thearea. Penrithcityisacommunitywhere 26percentofcitizenswerebornoverseas. AccordingcodatafrommeAustralian BureauofStatistics,asof30June2016, lndiansmakeupthefourthmostpopulous groupinAustralia.Inrecentyears,people fromIndiahavealsobecome tl1efourth mostpopulousgroupinthelocalPenrirn area. Celebratingdiversityand harmony through chiseventwasnotonlyenjoyable, butalsosignificantinbuildingstronger bonds amongthelocalcommunities.

can a rence

AUPbonesArenaevent,during hisvisit to Australiain2014.

AnAFLtragic,Khushaalcontinues towork acrossvarioussectorsinthe local communitywitheventsincluding theCancerCouncil RelayforLife, CabramattaMoonFestivalandseveral youthconferences.

\"Vhenaskedwhatth.isawardwill meantohimin20years'time,Khushaal repliesthoughtfully,''Hopefullyitwillbe somethingIlookbackonas thecatalyst thatamplifiedmyabilityanddesreco advocatefor multiculturalandjustcauses inth.isamazingcotmtry."

Eachyear,tocelebratethediverse andinclusivenacureof thepeople of NS\'7,thePremier'sHarmony Dinnerisheldaspartof thestate's 'MulticulmralMarch' cel.ebrations.

Th.isyeartheeventwashostedbythe MinisterforMulticulturalismRayWilliams, in thepresenceof thePremierofNew SouthWalesGladysBerejiklian.The Premier'sHarmonyDinnerisagalaeventto recognisethesignificantcontributionsmade tothecomumniLybymulticulturalleaders.

Aspecialpartof theeveningisthe presentationof thePremier'sMulticulmral CommunityMedalsrecognisingourstanding achievementsinpromoting community harmony.

Thisyear,ymmgcommunityleader(and IndianLinkwriter)KhushaalVyaswas conferredtheYouthMedalandrecognised forhisworkwiththeFairfieldCiryCmmcil YouthAdvisoryCommitteealongwidihis fundraisingandoutreachwork.

''\\,'inningtheawardwasalotof luck andaprivilegeonlypossiblebecauseof thesupportI'vereceived,"Khushaaltells l11dia11Link."I'vestoodonthesbouldersof giantsandwithoutthesupportof somany differentpeopleandorganisationsbehind thescenes,noneof itwouldbepossible.The awardisforallof diemandwhatthey've cloneformemorethananythingelse."

Khusbaal'sworkwithdieFairfieldCity YouthAdvisoryCommitteeinvolved guidingthecouncilonyouthissuesand establishingprogramsandeventsrelevant toyoungpeoplelivinginthearea.It culminatedinorganising amajoryoud1 event,theBringicOnFestival,andhelping tolay thefoundationsford1ebuildingof a newmulti-million dollaryouthcentre.

"Tbecentrewillprovideincentivesfor youngpeopleinonrareatogeeactive,gee involvedandalso haveaccesstoimportant developmentprograms,"heshares.

AsPresidentof dieUNSWLawSociety, Khushaalhasorganisedforstudentsfrom theLawSocietytovolunceerinDubbo, inregionalNS\Xl,twiceayear,working withandmentoringyotmgdisadvamaged cbildrenalongwitbLidigenousElders, solicitorsandvariouscommunitycentres.

"It'sbeenaprojectveryclosetomybeart andhasreallychangedmylife,"Khushaal says.

Inthecurrentpoliticalandsocialclimate, many youngpeoplefeeldiattheirvie,vs andconcernsare beingignored,with characteristichtunility,Kbushaalbelievesall youthhavetheabilitytomakea difference.

"Ithinktbebiggestmessageisdiatitisin ourhandstoempowerotm,elves,"Khushaal says."Thetypesof changewewantto see,whetheritissomethingasmajoras governmentpolicy,or somethinginmy caselikeadvocatingforanewyoudicentre foryoungpeopleinneedinyour local community,we'veproventoourselvestime andtimeagainchat,asclicheasitsounds, change,thoughoftendifficulttoachieve,is alwaysinourgrasp."

Asayoungmanof Indianbackgroundin h.isearlytwenties,Khushaalis well awareof theimportanceof promoting intercultural dialogueandco-operation.

''Multiculturalismatitscoreisabout thefeelingof beingacceptedandfeeling yourplaceinthecommunity.Indiebigger picture,multiculturalissuesandthestrength of Australia'sbelief inmulticulturalismwill determineAusu·alia'ssuccessasawhole. Thestrongerourcommunityis,themore

wecancontributetogether," hesays.

But lookingattherecent debatearound18Candthe currentpoliticalrhetoric,is diegovernmentdoingenough toreachoutandengagewidi youngpeople?

"Thisisdifficult,"Khushaal admits."Ontheonehand, I'vealwaysbeenAustralian firstandfeltasdioughI fit rightinfromthe outset.Perhapsthatitself isanexampleof successfulmulticulturalpolicythroughlived experience."

"Atthesametime,if youswitchonthe news,oreven social mediaforthatmatter, it'shardnottoseeanti-in1migrationand racistrhetot:ic.It'seasytospotandfeel afraidof agrowinganti-multiculmral voice inAustraliaandaroundtheglobe."

Whatdoeshethinkthegovernment shoulddotocbangethesefeelingsof disengagememandguelJthisrisng intolerance?

"Idon'tthinktherenecessarilyneeds tobeayourh-centricapproachinordet formulticulturalpoliciestoreachyoung people.Simpleevents,e\7endiosediatare heavilypromotedsuchasdieHarmony Dinner,arejncrediblyimportantsymbols thatdemonstratetopeople-yotmgand old-d1atmulticulturalismisanimportant Australianvalue.It'ssimplegesturesthat alloweveryonei1-1ourcommunitytofeel asoneandfeel thattheyhaveaplace. That'simportant,ratherdianfocusingon removingprotectionsthatpredominantly lookafterethniccommunities."

ThecommunityremembersKhusbaal's stintasMCatIndianPM arendraModi's

THREE PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE ME

MY GRANDMOTHER

At 87,she isstillworkingas a professional gynaecologistand helpingthemost vulnerable andpoor peoplein India. Inher entire workinglifeshehasnever stoppedinher service to others andto saythat sheinspiresme isanunderstatement.

MY AUNTY NANDINI OZA

She'sspenther entire life advocating for therights of vulnerable villagecommunities acrossIndia.You've probably spottedatrend here,butmy auntandgrandmotherare twoveryspecial people who probablydon't knowhow much they've shapedmy life

TEELA REID

TeelastartedtheDubbo program with me and1saproudWiradjun womanwhohasstaredadversity inthefaceandachievedsomuch. I vebeenso lucky towork with her andshe's inspired me to do more thanwhat I everthoughtI could

Youth leader Khushaal Vyas recognised with Premier's Multicultural Community Medal

When two childhoodfriends struggledtofind shoes that wouldfitthem correctly, their entrepreneurial venture with a social conscience, SolefulShoes wasborn.

PradhirnaShyamsunderand KuppalPalaniappanarewomen aftetyoursouls.

"Giveusyoursouls," demandedPradhimaduring ourrecentchat. Relax!Shemeant'soles' andwasreferringtotheirshoestoreand donationdrive,SolefulShoes.Niceplayon words!

Together,SriLankan-bornPradhimaand South Indian originKuppalownSoleful Shoes,anonlinestorecateringtowomen withlargeandsmallfeet.Theirpassion forhelpingothershasseenthemlinktheir producttocharitybygivingtheircustomers anopportmtitytodonatetheiroldsho.es whentheybuyanewpairfromtheirscore.

SolefulShoesisa product oftheSydney pair'spersonalfrustrationatnotbeingable tofu1dliceshoesintheirsizes.

"'iX/eareexactlyombrand,"Pradhima explained,referringtoherownshortstan1re at4ftl1inchwithpetitesize5feet,and Kuppal's toweringheightat5ft10inchwith size11feet.

Aftertinkeringwiththeideaofabusiness forseveralyears,Pradhillla,aFinance ManageratSocialVenturesAustralia, andKuppal,aconsultantwithDeloitte, approachedDivyaJSechmarnofPlumtree Shoes.TheSydneyshoedesignerproduces qualityhandmade shoesfromherworkshop inBengaluru,India.lncollaborationwith Sethuram,SolefulShoeswaslaunchedin 2016.

''\XlhenIstartedworking1worehigh heelsallthetime.Itwouldtakemeages tofindshopschatstockedmysize.Mostly,

theyorderedonlyafewinsmallsizeswhich weresoldoutbythe timeIgotthere.So, Iendedupbuyingshoesthatweretoobig anduncomfortable.Istartedbingingon shoesduring mytripsoverseas,"Pradhima shared."Kuppal,ontheotl1erhand,could onlyfu1dshoesinhersizeinchainstore.5 andsometimesresortedtoshoppinginthe men'ssection.\'Q'ewerespendingtoomuch moneyonfootwearthatdidn'tfit."

Bothwomenyearnedforasolution. Fromtheageof18,Kuppaldreamed ofstartingabusinesssellingshoesfor womenwithlargerfeet,bmsatontheidea. Meanwhile,Pradhima gotherfeetwetwith OnlineshoeretailerTeacupShoesatage27. Thatearlyvenntrecateringtotinyfeetwas shortlived,asshe gotmarriedandtook upfull-timeemployment.Still,Pradhima insists,itwasaninvaluableexperience. ''l learnedsomuchthatIcannowsharewith Kuppal."

Thepairinsisttheirbusinessisabout motetbanprofits;it'saboutaddressing rheneedsofpeoplewho.findthemselves outsidemainstreamfootwearoptions.

"Wedon'twantSoulfulShoestobefor petiteandlargeshoesonly,"Pradhimasaid. "Ourultimatevisionistocatertoanyone whoisnot anormal shoe size,likewomen withonefootsmallerthanmeother, orthosewithdisabilitiesaffectingshoe choices.Ourbrandisallaboutinclusion. Wewanttobeknownasspokespeoplefor inclusivefootwearinAustralia."

Aspartoftl1eirsocia.lmission,Soleful Shoesbaspartneredwithnon-profit organisationDressforSuccess,encouraging

,vomencopurchase apairofshoesand donate apairoflightlywornshoestothe charitypartner.

"DressforSuccessprovidesexceptional servicestowomenlooking forwork," Pradhimasaid."ltgiveswomen professionalclothesandshoesandprepares tbemwithtrailingandsupporttoachieve economicindependence.\Ve'reproudtobe associatedwithic."

Justsixmonthsintooperation,thepublic responsetotl1eventmeencomaging.

"Customerslovethestylesandmaterials inourfirstcoliectionofhandmadeshoes," Pradhimasaid. "Divya'sexpertiseisguiding ustoexplorecreativesideswedidn'teven thinkexisted"

Withfulltimejobsandfamily commitments,thewomenagreeitis challengingtorunabusiness.

"Butwhat'simportantis tokeepit sustainable,"admittedPradhima."Instead ofputtingintoomuchandbmning ourselvesout,we'retakingitslowand supportingeachother.Werealisechatas mebusinessgrowswemustmakeacall,but fornmvwearemanagingitwitheverything else."

UnderthebannerofSolefulShoes, thewomenare organising aclothesand

shoedrive on9April.The'DonateYour Soles' eventis Aaggedasafunaffair atBicentenrtialPark,SydneyOlympic Park. TheeventwiUfeatmespeeches, entertainmentandfood.Donationsforall men'sandwomen'sclotl1esandshoesare welcomed.

Theproceedsfromtbedrivewillgo toDressforSuccessandassociatednonprofitorgartisationDressforWork,which providessimilarservicestomenlooking forwork.The organisationimpartsjob readinesstrainingandsupporttojob seekers,inadditiontogoodqualitysuits, shoesandaccessories,forinterviewsand formaloccasions.

"Thisissuchatangiblewayforpeople comakeadifference.Inthisluckycountry, we allhave stuff thatwecan spare,"said Pradhima."Socomealong,donatesome stuff,grababiteandchatwithus!"

PradhimaandKnppalwouldLiketosee allwomenembracetbeirtmiqnenessand ownwhotheyare.''Ifwedidn'thaveour differences,wewouldalllookthesameand lifewouldbesoboring.Insteadoffeeling insecure andhidingomdifferences,we mustcelebratethembecausechatiswhat makesusspecial. That'swhatSolefulShoes standsfor!"

FARZANAAHMAD reports

,, Our ultimate vision is to cater to anyone who is not a normal shoe size. We want to be known as spokespeople for inclusive footwear in Australia ,,

WHAT'SON

FUNDRAISER

Swachh Bharat

Helpprovidefinancialsupportfor Swachh Bharatmissionthroughthe Sulabh Social ServiceOrganisation

Theongoingcampaigninvites all personsof Indianorigintogenerously donateforSwachh Bharat. Donationscanbe madetoSulabh throughWesternUnion Bank details are below Infavour of: Sulabh International Centre ForActionSociology(SICAS)

AccountNo: 63012660749, IFSC Code:SBIN0030262

MICR:110002347

Nameofthe Bank:StateBank of India, BranchName:C28 CommunityCentre Janakpuri NewDelhi-58Contact: bharatramvasudevan@gmaii com

National Blood Donation Drive by Sathya Sal International

Organisation

SathyaSaiInternationalOrganisationof Australia &PNGisagainhavingablood donationdriveandisencouragingallof itsmemberswhoareabletocontribute inthiswonderfulandmuch needed service Givingbloodisgivinglife

Whatbetterwayto'Love all;Serveall' andhonourSathyaSaiBaba Contact: Mayavan0404 059 093

ARTS

Portraits In Pink Exhibit, until Sat 21April 9am-5pm

PenrithCity Library 601 HighSt, Penrith will hostanexhibition featuringphotographicportraitsof breastcancersurvivorsfromIndian andSriLankanbackgroundslivingin

NSW The professionalphotographers - also from IndianandSriLankan backgrounds- havevolunteeredtheir artisticservicestoaddress a�culture ofsilence"aboutbreastcancerwithin their cultural communities This free exhibitionisaninitiative ofthe PinkSari ProjectandNepean Blue MountainsLocal HealthDistrict.

MISC

Free HSCWorkshops with Achievers Academy, 8, 15, 22 April AchieversAcademy are holding free workshopseverySaturdayinthe hopes of aidingstudentsin maximisingtheir ATAR ranking. HeldatSkycity,20A LexingtonDr, BellaVista,topicsofthe workshopswill varyevery week.On25 March, HSC Markersandteachersare goingtoconducttheworkshop with "The Secretof HSCWritingEssays" as the main topic.They willalsodiscuss AOSDiscoveryandothermodules. Seatsarelimitedso parentsand studentsare encouragedtoreach outvia www.achieversacademy.com. au/hscworkshops orphone 028882 9327 forbooking

Shakti Management Committee

MemberVolunteers

Shakti MigrantandRefugee Women's SupportGroupNSWisseeking people experiencedinfinance, fundraising andleadershiptojoin their managementcommittee.As a Committee Member you will have thecapacitytosetaside6-15hours a monthtoattendmeetings and committees,andsupportvarious activities.Visit:shaktiaustralia. org.au.Toapply,email:sydney@ shaktiaustralia org.au

Hindi Classes Saturdays2.30pm4.30pm

LocatedattheIndianCultural Centre, Level 1,265Castlereagh

St,Sydney Hindiclasses are$5 per one hourclass or $40 forten classes Registrationis essential as there is a maximum of 20 people per class. Paidparkingisavailable in the vicinity.Toregister email hindi@ indianconsulatesydney.org or contact 92232702.

SPIRfTUAL

Free public talks by H H Swami

AnubhavanandaSaraswatl

YoVeda Inc Australia presents free spiritualdiscoursesinSydney.Join Swamiji as hetakes youthroughalife learningexperience ina funnyrelaxed fashionasonlyhe can!All Eventsare free Visit:swamiparamanandanet

Email: swamiparmananda@yahoocom Contact:0410698 650

YogaVashlsta - Direct Path to Self-Realisation, Mon 10 • Thurs 13Apr, 730pm-9pm

AnInstructivedialogue betweenSage Vashishta &ShriRam. Heldat22a WinbourneStreet,WestRyde Contact: Subhash, 0411400313; Mataji, 0423205210

Ashtavakra GeetaCont'd,Tues 11 - Fri 14Aprll, 6.15am-715am HeldatSubhash&Sumanresidence, 62 BombaySt,Lidcombe,Contact: Subhash 0297027022, 0411400 313

Weekend Retreat •Contemplatlve Talks:lshavasya Upanishad,Fri14

April,Sun 16April

HeldatDrSteve&Robyn'sResidence

12GlenroyAve,MiddleCove Contact: Robyn,029417 7840,0421813 702

Sunder Kaand Paath at Shrl Shiva Mandlr,Sat 15Aprll,530pm7.30pm

Joinarecitation ofSunder Kaand Paath fromtheRamayana,depicting the adventuresofSri Hanuman,by ShriAshwinKumar Pathak(Guruji) Bhoj (dinner)servedonconclusion. HeldatShriShiva Mandir, 201 Eagleview Rd, Minto.For information and your contdbution,contact:Jagdish Trivedi, 0418992274;Jagdish Chawla, 0421 376 384

Freeyoga with Divine Life Society, Tuesdays, 7pm

SwamiUditramanandajiofTheDivine Life SocietyofAustralia offers free yogaclasses everyTuesday from 7-8 15pm atStrathfieldGirls High School.All levelsoffitnesswelcomed Entrancevia OxfordRoad For further details,please contactKaro: 0413 535157

AmmaSatsang, 6 30pm-9 30pm 3rd Saturdayeach month Sri MataAmritanandamayi or Amma, alsoknownasthe hugging saint ischerishedasa humanitarian andspiritualteacher Mata Amritanandamayi CentreSydney hostsa monthly programtoengage in spiritual practicessuchasmeditation aswell asto conductcommunityoriented serviceprojects Heldat UnitingChurch Hail, 11 Carrington Ave,Strathfield Suggesteddonation

is $20forashramfundraising

Contact: Mohan0418462687 or visit ammaaustralia orgau

Yoga:The way of life, Saturdays 8am; Wednesdays 7pm

A retreat forbody,mindandsoul, joinweeklyyoga sessionsat GlenwoodPublicSchool(Saturdays) or Moorebank Community Centre (Wednesdays) To secure aspot, contact: Meera0433 125 708,or Ankita 0431 750991

Shanti Mission Satsang Sundays

9.30am

Heldatthe Shanti MissionAbode of PeaceAshram (1hour north of Sydney) 45 KingsRoad Cooranbong andalso inSydney atthe Henley CommunityCentre,2CrownStreet, Henley Visit:www shantimissionorg

Contact:4977 3300

FlrePooja

Devoteesare invitedtoattendVedicfire poojaheldattheShantiMissionAbode of PeaceAshram (1hournorth of Sydney),45KingsRoad,Cooranbong. Fire Pooja:Mon,Wed,Thur,Sat&Sun evenings,6 30pm (timechangesto530pmwhendaylight savingsends)

Dhanvantre HealingFire Pooja: Mondays&Wednesdays,9am Sri MahaNarayaniYagam:EveryNew andFullmoon Shanti Missionalsoholdsspecial poojasfor feastdays Devotees maysponsorpoojas Visit:www shantimissionorg Contact: 4977 3300

Lakshmi Fire Pooja,Sat 29 Aprll, 630pm Devoteesare invitedtoattendVedic firepooja HeldattheShanti Mission HarmonyCentre,50New Farm Road,WestPennantHills Visit:www shantimissionorg Contact:4977 3300

Pain Heallng Cllnlc, Sun 23 Aprll 12pm Energyhealing,talkand demonstrationto helpthe physical body. HeldatShanti Mission, Henley CommunityCentre,2CrownStreet Henley Visit:wwwshantimissionorg Contact4977 3300

Sri Hanuman Pooja, Tuesdays 7.30pm-8pm Devotees whowishtoseekthe blessings ofShri Hanumanshould jointhe communityatShri Shiva Mandir,201 Eagleview Road, Minto, onTuesday evenings forthereciting of HanumanChalisa,reciting HanumanKashtNivaran,Hanuman Aarti andPrasad Contact:Jagdish Chawla, 0421376 384or PriestArul Muthulkumar, 9820 1094

Volunteers needed to teach Vedic/Hindu Dhanna In schools Indian childrenlivinginAustralia needto studytheirheritageinan

instructiveanddeliberateway Vishva HinduParishadofAustralia has takenupthetask ofteachingVedic/ HinduDharma heritageteachingin mainstream schoolsas partof Special ReligiousEducation Weare lookingfor moreyouths,seniors,youngparents, grandparentstocome forwardto volunteer Contact:Akita, 0450117 372 or visit: vhporgau

Spirit oflndlaYoga, Saturdays and Sundays

Yogaclasses are heldinRyde Wentworthville Quakers Hill and Epping All levelsincl.beginners, senior citizens children's Toenrol inthis 15weekcoursee mail spiritofindia2002@yahoo.com, visit wwwspiritofindiaorg orcontactSuresh 0412202 182

Sant Nlrankarl Mission Sydney, Sundays 5.30- 730pm

Congregationhelps usstrengthen our devotion Weeklycongregations held everySundayatSantNirankari Bhawan,1fi6Glendenning Road, Glendenning followedby community meals Contact:Devinder, 0403 216 084

Heartfullness Relaxation and Meditation

Saturdays430pm-530pm;Sundays 1130am-12 30pm

All are welcometo experience Heartfullness There areno feestojoin thegroupatSevaYoga Studio, 3c/8 Cowper St Parramatta Contact: 02 80046547 orsydney@heartfulness org

Srlmad Bhagavad Gitaclasses, every second Saturday Learnthe proper chantingofeach shlokaanditsmeaninginEnglish Students also learn Sanskrtasthey progressandnopriorknowledge ofSanskritisrequired Participate eitherthrough physicalattendance at20StationSt, Pymbleoronline attendancethroughZOOM: zoom us/j/6140211522 Contact: Babu 0402 115223or devbab@gmail.com

SVTClasses•Vedic Chanting, Sundays 10am

The classestakeplaceinSri VenkateswaraTemple,Temple Rd, Helensburgh Thiscourse willcover pronunciationandthenpractise with Sanskritbefore movingtoVedic chanting Toregisterandattend,email enquiry@svtsydneyorg

Hindi Dada Bhagwan Satsang, Every second Sunday 5pm - 8pm HeldatWentworthCommunity Centre

HindiSatsangTime:5 00pm-6 30pm

AartiTime: 6 30pm-700pm Preeti

BhojanTime: 7 00pm-8 00pmKids

Gujarati LanguageClasses: 500pm6 00pmThe venueis KurajongRoom underneathRedgum FunctionCentre Contact0421 127 947 for further information Forfull calendar of WHAT'S ON listings (nation-wide) check out: www indianlink com au You

8.30am

B@JulieOwensMP

Fax: 9689 3813 DJulieOwensMP

Dalai Lama in Arunachal: India tells China notto interfere in its matters India-China diplomatic tensionsroseafresh overtheDalalLama'svisittoAruuachal Pradesh,with[ewDelhiassertingthis monththatnopoliticalmotiveshouldbe attributedtothevisitandaskedBeijingnot tointerfereinitsinternalaffairs.

Beijingina freshsalvoslammedthe DalaiLamaasan"anti-Chinaseparatist" andattackedNewDell1iindirectlyforits supportcotheTibetanleader.

Union1YlinisrerofStateforHomeKiren Rijiju,whoisfromArunachaJPradesh,said thatnopoliticalmotiveshouldbeam·ibuced toDalaiLama'strip."Indiahasalways beennon-interferingintheneighbours' internalaffairsinourapproach,"Rijiju told reportersinNewDelhi.''lnthesame manner,weexpectthesamefromour neighbours."

TheDalaiLama'stripwaspurely religious,headded.

RijijusaidIndiahasneverquestioned China'ssovereigntyand"hasrespecrfuUy adheredcotheone-Chinapolicy".

"SoweexpectthatChinaalsoshouldnot interfereinourinternalmatters,"hestated.

TheDalaiLamahasvisitedthestatesix timesearlier andno"additionalcolour" shouldbegiventohisvisitstartingfrom April5.

Reactingtothevisit,theChineseForeign MinistrytoldEfenews:"The14thDalai Lamaisananti-Chinaseparatistwhohas longlivedinexilefollowingafailedarmed rebellionbythereactionarygroupofhighrankingfeudalserf ownersinTibetin March1959."

"TheChinesegovernmentisresolutely opposedtoanycountry'ssupportand facilitationforthe14thDalaigroup's anti-Chinaseparatistactivities,"readthe statementwithoutalludingdirectlytoIndia.

Meanwhile,theDalaiLamaarrivedby roadinBomdila,ArUJ1acbalPradesh,after inclementweatherforcedhimtocall offthe scheduledvisitbyhelicopter.

InBomdila,theDalaiLamawasreceived byArunachalPtadeshChiefiVlinisterPema Khandu,andmembersoftheTibetan community. Khanduwasaccompaniedby BJPleaderSudhanshuMittal.

ArunachalPradesh holdsaspecial significancefortheTibetanleader,asitwas thefustterrirory-tl1encalledtheNorth EastFrontierRegion-inIndiaheentered whlefleeingChinesetroopsin1959before movingcoDharamsala,wherehenow resides.

AssertingthatArunachalPradeshisnot adisputedterrirory,Rijijusaid,"Wehave certainissueswithregardtodellneationof theboundaryonthespots,ontheground alongMcMahonLinebecauseitisnot beingdemarcatedonthegrow1d.Thar iswl�ythereisatalkbetweenthespecial representativesof IndiaandChinaandthe peopleofArunacbalPradeshhopethat anamicablesolutioncanbereachedinthe foreseeablefuturetime."

ChinainMarchsaidtieswithIndiawmtld behitifNew DelhiaJJowedtheDalaiLama to visitArunachalPradesh,whichisclaimed byBeijingaspartofSouthTibet.China's ForeignMinistryspokespersonGeng ShuangsaidChinawasstrictlyopposed co thevisit.

GengsaidIndiaknewthesensitivityof theborderissuebet\veenbothcountriesand allowingtheDalaiLamatovisitArunachal Pradeshwould damageitstieswithChina.

Changed H-18 visa norms don't mean muchforIndia: Nasscom TheIndianITindustrylJodyNasscomhas saidtheclarifyingguidancebytheUSCTS oneligibilityforcomputerprogrammers undertheH-1Bvisanormswillhavelittle impactonitsmembers,astheclarification hasbeentheadjudicatorypracticeforyears.

"TheMarch31USCISmemorandum reinforcesanexistingpracticeby adjudicatorsandclarifiesrequirementsfor certaincomputerprofessionals,"saidthe NationalAssociationofSoftwareServices andCompanies(Nasscom)inastatementin Bengaluru.

TheUSCitizenshipandImmigration Services(USCIS) OnMarch31issueda clarificationthat computerprogrammers,to beeligibleundertheH-1B visanorms,must provechattheirsisaspecialcyoccupation.

Merelyobtainingacompucerdegreemay notbeenough.

Comingjustaheadofstartofthenew seasonforH-lBvisasforskilledworkers,it waslargelyseenasthetighteningofnorms bytheUSautl1oritiesforhiringcomputer programmers,thusputtingasqueezeon IndianITcompanies.

USembassiestheworldoverstarted acceptingnextyear'sH-1Bvisapetitions fromApril3.Indiantechieshm7ebeenthe biggestbeneficiariesoftheH-1Bvisasobtainingabout 70 percentof suchvisas -wicbcompaniespostingthousandsof employeestotheUS.

Thisvisaallowsworkin the particular areaforsixyears,extendableafterchat.Itis alsotheroutecoaUSpermanentresidency oraUSGreenCard.

Notingthatseveralof itsmembers haveappliedforvisasforhigherlevel professionalsthisyear,theapexbodysaid theevidenceshowedtl1at thejobswere complexandrequiredprofessionaldegrees.

"Ourmembercompaniesprovideskilled talentandsolutionstoUSfirms.TheH-lB visasystemexisrsspecificallybecauseof thepersistentshortageofhighly-skilled domesticITtalentintheUS,"thestatement pointedout.

IndianITcompanieswouldcontinueco provideskilledtalentandsolutionstofill thatgapandkeepUSfirmscompetitive globally,itadded.

Initspolicymemorandum,theUSCIS mentioned,"Based onthecurrent versionof theHandbook,thefactthata personmaybeemployedasacomputer programmerandmayuseinformation technologyskillsandknowledgetohelpan enterpriseachieveitsgoalsinthecourseof hisorherjobisnot sufficienttoestablish thepositionasaspecialtyoccupation."

Thememorandumsaid,"Apetitioner maynotrelysolelyontheHandbookco meetitsburdenwhenseekingcosponsor abeneficiaryforacomputerprogrammer position.Instead,apetitionermust provideotherevidencetoestablishthat theparticularpositionisoneinaspecialty occupation "

TheUSCongresshassetacapof65,000 H-1Bvisasperfiscalyear.AdditionaJJy, 20,000suchvisasaregiventochosewith

Amantakesaphotographata memorialformusicianKishoriAmonkar inMumbai, India,4April2017.

Amonkar,renownedforherinnovative interpretationofclassicalIndianmusic, diedthismonthaged84.

Photo:AP

Master'sorhigherdegreesfromtheUS.

Atthesan1etime,theimmigrarion serviceshavemovedtodetectH-1B visa fraudsintheUSbytakinga"motetargeted approach"onsitevisitsacrossthecountry aimedatfindingourifemployerswere evadingtheirobligationstomakeagood faithefforttorecruitUSworkers.

''ToomanyAmericanworkers,whoare asqualified,willinganddeservingtowork iathesefieldshavebeenignoredorunfairly disadvantaged,"saysapressreleaseissued bytheUSCIS,addingthat"protecting Americanworkersbycombatingfraud inouremployment-basedimmigration programsisapriorityofUSCIS".

TheImmigrationServiceswarned employerschattheywouldnorbeallowedco "abusetheH-lBprogramme",whichitsaid affectsUSworkersnegatively,decreasing wagesandjobopportunities-aposition thatUSPresidentDonaldTrumphasofren endorsed.

Combatingprejudiceagainst Africans:Indiahasa lotto lose Indiahasagreatdeal tolosebymistreating andbeatingupAfricanswhocometostudy orliveinthecountry.Thelatestattackson March27,2017onNigeriansrudent.�living inGreaterIoidaborderingNewDelhi andpartof tl1eNational CapitalRegion havemade breakingnewsonallTVnews channelsand front-page headlinesinleading newspapers.

WhileplayingupadnauseLunthe sensationalnewsstoryissupposedto increasetheviewershipofTVchannels and boost dwindlingnewspaperreadership, itiaAictsmassiveharm toIndia-Africa bilateral relations,Indianinvestmentin Africa,andIndiandiasporainAfrica.The mediumandlongtermrepercussions andmassivedamagetolndia'sgoodwill internationallyislostontl1eangry,racist andviolentIndiangoonswhoassaultand injureAfricans.

Thetragedyisthatdtisisnot anisolated incidentresultingininjuriestoAfricans LnA.ictedbyboorishlocals. Suchincidents havebeenhappeninginmajormetrosfor years,especiallyinandaroundDelhi.Sure, theyarereportedinthemediabutnolasting remedialactionisdevisedorimplemented. Aftersomehueandcry,thepolicebold somemeetings increasepatrollingandit thenfadesawayuntild1enextAare-up .Africanenvoysmakestrongprotests tothelndiangovernmentandthe responseiswordedindiplomaticjargon. Butnosustainedcampaignislaunched inthemedia,onthestreetsorinbigher educationalinstitutionstoinform,educate andsensitize localIndiansaboutracial disc1:iminationandlndia-Africacooperation onmanyfrontsandlevels.Themedia hardlyeverreportsonAfricanaffairs, leave aloneAfricansuccessstories.The newspapersreportonlywhenanIndian companysecuresamajor contract,startsan investment projectorexpandsitsoperations LUAfrica.

Thewoesof AfricanslivinginIndia arecompoundedbyfrequentnewsitems whentheyareapprehended atairportswith

From Bomdilahewould visitDi.rang, LumlaandTawangduringhisoversevendaytripcoArunachalPradesh.

Indianworkerscultivatecalendula flowersinafieldontheoutskirtsof Amritsarcity,India,04April2017. Besidesuse in decorationsand in religiousoffering,thecalendula flowerisalsomarketedforitsmedicinal properties. Photo: AP drugs.Thus,asustainedimageofalmost all Africansasdrugcatriershasfrozenin themindsof l.ndians.Ortheythinkthat Africanwomenmakemoneybysellingtheir bodies. Africans-from54courn:ries-are viewedanddealtwithonthebasisof these media stereotypes.

It'shighcirnethatchisstereotypedimage wassmashedforalltimeand thefactthat tbousandsof Africansmdentsareobtaining highereducationinIndiaandhundredsof AfricanpatientsarecomingtoIndiafor specialisedmedicaltreatmentisboosted. If thesesmdentsaretreatedwithconcern andunderstandingwhentheyareaway frorntheirhomeinacomplicatedsociety, tbeywillgobackasthemosteffective ambassadorsof India.Similarly,ifthe patientsandtheirrelativesaretreatedwith careandsympathyinlndia,theywillgo backasthetoppromotersforIndia.

Butno!lntheir racistandbrutal reaction toanysimationwithAfricans,allthis nevercomestomind.Nothoughtfor tbemassiveIndianinvestmentsinAfrica, hundredsofjointventures,andespecially thethreemillionlndiandiasporainAfrica.

Morethan1.2millionIndiansUveinSouth Africa;another200,000liveinEastAfrica andsmallernumbersinthousandsinmany countries.TheseIndianscanbeattacked andinjuredinrevenge,theirshopsand factoriescanbedamagedordestroyedand theirgoodwillwashedaway.

At thenationallevel,theIndian governmentismakingspecialeffortsto wooAfricaandobtainthecooperationof the54Africancountriesformumalbenefit andasablockforvotesintheinternational foraliketheUnited ations.Indiahas beenholdingIndia-AfricaSummitwithall Africancountriessince2008topromote bilateralrelationsinmanyspheres.The mostrecentsuchmeetinginDelhiin2015 wasattendedbyalmostallheadsof African statesandPrimeMinister arendraModi madespecialeffortsto,velcomeandmeet eachoneofthem.Cooperationinmany fieldswasproposedandagreedupon. lnvesanentandexportcreditsweretop fearmes.Betweensummitmeetings,likerhe conclaveinNewDelhiearlierthismonth, carriestheeconomicagendafurther.Indian hasmounteda diplomatic outreachto Africawithvisitsbyitspresident,vicepresident,theprimeministerandministers toAfricanstates.

However,repeatedboorishbehaviour andviolentassaultswipeoutallthese goodwillgesn1reswhileseriouslydamaging Indiareputationandthefateof theIndian diasporacontributingtothedevelopment of Africa.Sowhatcanbedonetoretrieve thispatheticsirnation?

First,thepolicemustcrackdownonall accusedof racialinsultsandviolenceto Africans.Athoroughinvestigation,afoolproofprosecutionandtoughpunishment istheprimaryresponsebytheauthorities. Andthat'snorenough;thepunishment mustbereportedbythemediaasa deterrent toallothers.

Second,inadditiontopacifying diplomatic statementsbytheExternal AffairsMinistry,otherministriesand

organisationsmustberopedi.ntolauncha ,5trongandaggressivepubliccampaignto promoteracialharmony.

Third,thePublicDiplomacydivision ofd1eMBAshouldlaunchacampaign to informandeducateIndiansn1dentsinhigh schools,universitiesandhigherinstitutesof learningabout Africaanditsimportanceto India. Africaisstillundiscoveredbyalmost allIndians. AlltheyknowaboutA£ricaare thecricketteamsfromSouth Africaand Zimbabwe!

Fom,inadditiontoofferinghigher education andmedicaltreatmentfor Africans,Indiashouldurgentlyestablish branchesofitsuniversitiesandspecialist hospitals,atJeastinease,west,central andSouthAfrica.Theseprojectshave languishedforlonginthepreliminarystages andnow d1etimehascometoimplement themurgentlytoreducetheflowof African studentsandpatientstoIndia.

Theprejudiceandviolenceagainst AfricansinIndiaisnotgoingawaysome timesoon.Strong,drasticandsustained actionisoverdue.

IndiasnubsUSofferto de-escalatetensions with Pakistan

India hassnubbedtheUS' offertohelp de-escalatetensions withPakistan,saying thatitspositiononbilateralredressalof all issuesbetweenthetwoneighbonrshasnor changed.

lt also said tl1artheinternational communityneedstoaddresstl1eissueof terrorismemanatingfromPakistan.

"Government'spositionforbilateral redtessal of allIndia-Pal<lsranissuesinan environmentfreeof terrorandviolence hasn'tchanged,"Ministryof External AffairsspokespersonGopalBaglaysaid.

"\Ve ofcourse,expecttheinternational communityandorganisationstoenforce internationalmechanismsandmandates concerningterrorism emanatingfrom Pakistan,whichcontinuestobethesingle biggestthreattopeaceandstabilityinom regionandbeyond,"hesaid.

ThereactioncameafterNikkiHaley, theUSPermanentRepresentativetodie UN,saidthattheUSwasconcernedabout thestateofIndia-Pakistanrelationsand

PresidencDonaldTrumphimself mightget involvedinapeaceprocessbetweend1etwo SouthAsianantagonists.

"Thisadministrationisconcernedabouc dierelationshipbetweenIndiaandPakist.'ln andverymuchwantstoseebowwedeescalateanysort ofconflictgoingforward," Indian-AmericanHaley,who holdsacabinet rankintheTrumpadministration,said.

"Iwouldexpectthattheadministration isgoingtobeintalksandtryandfind itsplacetobepartofchatprocess,"the fonnerGovernorof SouthCarolinasaid, adding,"Andalsowouldn'tbesurprisedif thePresidentparticipatesaswell."

New liberalised visa regime being implemented: Minister CommerceandIndustryMinister irmala Sicharamanhasseatedthatd1egovernment hasstartedtoimplementthenewliberalised visaregimefrom April1,2017.

TheUnionCabinet headedbyPrime MinisterNarendraModihadonNovember 30,2016,approvedvariousmeasnresfor liberalisationof thevisaregime.

"Multipleentrytouristandbusiness visasforaperiodoffiveyearswillnow beavailabletonationalsofmostof d1e countries,"Sitharan1ansaidinaseriesof tweets.

Thenewregimehadsub-dividede-Visa into three categories-e-touristvisa, e-businessvisaande-medicalvisa-for nationalsof 161countriesto enterIndia through24airports.

"E-visafacilityextendedtoCochin,Goa andMangaloresea-ports(tobenefitcruise tourism)soonalsoatMumbaiandChennai sea-ports,"Sitharamantweeted.

"Uponurgentrequests,businessvisaand medicalvisawillbegrantedwithin48hours ofapplication."

Theministerpointedom,"Separate immigrationcountersandfacilitationdesks to assist medical touristatDelhi,Mumbai, Kolkata,Chennai,BengluruandHyderbad."

Thegovernmenthasalsointroduceda newcategoryof visaforfilmproduction inIndia-(F)Visa-whichhasamaximrnn dmationof oneyearwithmultipleentry facility.

"AnothernewVisatitledIntern (I) Visarolledourw.e.f 1stMarch,2017,to

foreignersforimernshipincompanies, educationalInstitutionsandnongovernmentorganisations(NGOs),"d1e ministeradded.

Tatato launch SUVbyyearend

TataMotorswillbelaunchingtheNexon compactSUVbytheyear-endaspartofits strategytoimproveitsshareinpassenger vehiclessegment,acoinpanyofficialsaid.

Withfivepercentmarketshare,Tata Motorsiscurrentlyatfourthplace inthe domesticmarketandhasset thegoalof reachingtl1irdpositionby2019.

PrarapBose,Headof Design,Tata Motors,saidthey didn'thaveapresencein 60percentofthemarket.

"\Vedon'thavepresenceinsome segn1entsandcompactSUVisoneof them,"Bosetoldreportersonthesidelines oftlielaunchofTataTigor,itslatest product,inHyderabadmarket.

Thescarringex-showroompriceof Tigor inHyderabadisRs4.85lakb forRevotton 1.2L (petrol)variantandRs5.77lal<hfor Revocorql.5L(diesel).

Heclaimedtl1atmanycarswereindesign andengineeringphases.Hesaidthese were part of thecompany'sstrategyfor asustainedgrowthinpassengervehicles segment.

TataMotor'smarketshareinpassenger vehiclessegmentgrewby0.64percentlase year Thecompanysold1.53lalcb unitsin 2016-17against1.25lakhintheprevious fiscal.

lnl\.forch2017,thecompanyrecorded salesof 15,433vehicles,agrowthof84per centoverMarch2016.

TigorisTataMotor'sthirdproductin oneyear,havinglaunchedTiagoandHexa earlier Bosesaidtl1atinTigortl1eybrought togetherthebest ofthefeaturesoflarge hatchbacksand.smallsedan.Hesaidtl1ey criedtofillthe gapin boththecategoriesin termsofspaceandstyle.

TigoristhethirdproductfromTata i\ifototsbasedonimpact design technology. Heclaimedd1atTiagoreceivedahuge responsewith 80,000bookings.Over 50,000Tiagowerealreadyonroads. IANS

eav1n e.

Ruchirand Santana, who lived in Australia for 22years, decidedto return toJaipur, India in 2016.

RUCHIR

lndeciding to movefromAustralia to India, wechosemskipdoinganyderailedresearch orplanningaboutwhatwewoulddoco 'settledown'.Infact,tl1is'go-wim-the-flow' spiritwasprobablywhatmademedecision possible.Theimpetuswassimplytl1echance athavingafewqualityyearswimmyparents andsupportingmemastheygrewolder.

Whileeventsincludingdisease,deathand discordrockedourfriendsandfamilies, ouranchortoAustraliasuddenlyfeltnotas steadfastasbefore.LivinginIndiaseemed likeadefinitepossibility,buoyedbythe familiarityandthegenera.Iwarmthand connectionweexperiencedfrompeople elutingourfrequenttrips.

Webadconcernsaboutourabilitytoadapt tothechangestoourecosystemsandour dailyroutines(andhowourdogs,Mistyand Ellie wouldadapt).Thedarkersideof India usuallyremainscamouflagedduringholiday trips-asystemandcultureinwhichdayto-daylifecanbefullof hurdles,painfully strenuous,andunbearably'I-can't-believemis' ridiculousattimes.Anyway,armedwith myuruetteredoptimism,(andSantana's morecautiousvariety),webidfarewelltoour

Aussiefriendsandheadedtolndia.

AJtbonghnostrangerstoIndia,wehave had to gobackroschool,re-learningand re-calibratingourlife'sroutinecodifferent rules,protocols,norms,beliefs,emics, expectations,choicesandboundaries.India hasdelivereditspromiseofservingupa tasteoftheentiregamurof emotions.It hasbeeninteresting,refreshing,indifferent, loving,embracing,surprising,puzzling, playful,astonishing,frustratingand bewildering,sometimesallinoneday.Many timeswehavehadagoodlaughattheway thingsare,andatothertimeswe'velostout patience.

Wearelearningtorecognisethe mab>nin1deof disruptionandtoacceptthe slowpaceandmeanderingnatureofthe voyageof 'settlingin'.Thehardestpart hasprobablybeenaboutwhatwealways knewhappenedhere,burwemisjudged ourexpectationsabouthowwewould .reacttothesimationsathand.Inthepast fewmonthswehavebeenadjustingour e.'l'.pectations,'beingkind to ourselves'and regainingtheabilitytorespondingoodhumou.r.

Thesmmblingblocks?Acclimatisation

Ruchir,Santana,MistyandEllieathomeinJaipur

Theyshare theirinitial experiences and thoughts on this big move with JYOTI SHANKAR

-MistywassickandEUieisstillscaredof thenightlyfireworks.Diwaliisoverbutthe weddingsgoon. Wetoohavefallensick multipletimes.Waitingfortradiesandtheir lackof skills,toolsandprofessionalism hasbeenadampener.\Xiearegettingused tosensoryoverload,tonoise,rubbish,and mayhem.DogsarenotaUowedinparksand hazardsliketraffic,garbage,andstraysmean thatourdailyrelaxingwaU,sarelessso.

Attheriskof generalising,weIndians wearourheartsandbeliefsonoursleeves. Weloveexpressingouropinionsandgiving advice,witl1alotof emphasisonwhatyou 'should'or'must' do.Thereisaclearand sharpdividebetween'right'and'wrong'. Logicisoftenconfoundedbytraditions andbyspecialcasesanddispensations. Conversationsareloud,dramatic,andontop-of-eac;h-other,muchlikethetraffic.It certainlytakesgettingusedto!

Andthehighlights?Warmconnections witbfamilyandfriends,oldandnew.Culture andfood-weloveaUthehappeningsand eventsinJaipur.Itisfascinatingho,vhistory andtraditionareeverywhere.Thoughwe're notfullythereyet,asasongfromarecent BoU)'\vooclfilmgoes .'Loveyou,zindagi!'

SANTANA

"Sohayeyousettledinnicely?"Thisisthe questionIhavebeenaskedmostoftenin thepast fewmonthsandIstillstruggle todeliveracoherentresponse!IleftOz aunedwitl1alifetimeof memoriesand dozensof love-fil.ledfarewells.Wean:ived inJaipurandrealisedthatourapartment renovationswerestillalongwayaway fromcompletionbutwent aheadwitha housewarminganyway.Wehadnodeartl1 of peoplewillingcohelpussettleinand giYeustipsonwheretOgoforwhat,which wasagreatsupporttohave.

Indiaissurelyalandof extremesand inthespaceof adayitdrivesmeto both endsof thehappinessspectrum,multiple times!Itissonoisy,chaotic,dirty,dusty, hot,loving,caring,inventive,hilarious, maddeningandinspi.ringall atonce.

Ar memaddeningenclof thespectrum, I donotadviseanyfa.i.t.1t-heartedindividual toundertakeanysortof renovationsin India. Theconceptof sa·aightlines,spirit levels,smootl1 surfacesandtimelinessare allconspicuouslyabsenthere. Havingbeen advisedmarthe onlywaytherenovations wouldfinishwouldbeforustomove

inandevictthetradies,ittookweeks of cajoling,begging,dummy-spitting and histrionics togettheworkto95% completeandgetridof thetradies.95% completeishowIsuspectitwill stay.

Anotherque.srio.nIamoftenaskedis "Doyou missAustralia?"Andtl1eanswer isyesI do,butmostof cbetimeit isnot aconsciousmissingof chisorthat.Iris moretherealisationthatyoutakesomuch of yourenvironmentforgrantedandwhen someof thosethi11gsaremissing,youtend ro getfrustratedorunpleasantlysurprised.

Indiahasneverbeenaneasyplaceto live,butAustral.iareallyspoiltme.Iam slowlybutsteadilyseekingthewonder intl1elittleiliingsmathavealways beenamazinghere-likemesense of communityandthetimetl1ateveryonebas foryou;likethetinycupsof teaandcoffee youcangetanywhereandeverywhere;lil,e thewayanythingispossiblewhennothing shouldbe;likeilieincredibletenacity of thedispossessedandthehorrifically poor;likemereallyoldplacesandtl1eir magical histories,andl,astbutnor theleast, recliscoveringthefamiliarwaysof being andacceptingIndiainaUitsextremes,die wayIwas ableto dowhenI lived hereover 22yearsago.

Manywisepeopletel metl1atittakesat leastayearormoretotrulyfeelsettledin anewplace,soaskmeagaininafewmore monthsandImayhaveamorecoherent answer!

AnotefromMistyand Ellie Thisplace hassomanywonderfulnew creatures-somanymorepigeonstobark atandshoo-off from the balconies,and squirrelsinsteadof possums,andratstoo!

,, India has never been an easy place to live, but Australia really spoilt me ,,

Clickbaitdominates cricketmedia

The Australian sports media revelled in negative sensationaIism throughout the India Australia Testseries

BY RITAM MITRA

0ntheeveoftheconclusionof oneofthemostenduringly captivatingsportingcontests inthepastdecade-aseriesof Testcricketwhichcapturedthe attentionofcricketfansaroundtheworld -theonlineeditionofoneofAustralia's leadingnewspapersfeaturedasitstopswry apiecewiththe headline: 'Thril/ingfinaltest marredfo1allegationso chet1ti11g".

''Allegationsof cheating"isinitselfa misnomer,arisingonlyfroma lip-readofan inadvertentand,originally,privatetwo-word outburstbyAustraliancaptainSteveSmith. Soirrelevamwastheincidentinthecontext oftheseries,thatthebeadJinewaschanged afterlessthanan hour,andtheincident sinceforgotten.Buritwasarevealinglapse; theseriesthatTestcricket hadbeencrying Outfor,alikelyseminalbattlebetween theworld'srop-two rankednations,was asits root,merelyanopportunityforthe Australiansportsmediatoscratchout anothercringe-worthychapterinitslongrunningwaragainstpositivity.

ItbasJongbeenacknowledgedthatthe Australiancricketmedialovestocreate monsters-inrecenttimes,thinkStuart Broad,F'afduPlessis,Vi.ratKohli.The commonelementundedyingthethree istheircombativenature;theyarenot afraidtogivebackaswellastheytake,and againstAustralia,theycertainlytake.Yet theAustralianmedia-and thejournalists, producersandcriticsofwhichitis comprised-knowshowtoappealtod1e baseinstinctsofsportsfansbycreating controversyandincitinghatred.Recently, rniscolumnisthadarevealingconversation withd1eindividualsbehindapopular Australiancricketwebsiteandsocialmedia hub.Lamentingtheclickbaitnatureofthe articlesandtheincentionaJlyincendiary narnreoftheposts,theadministratorsof dlesiregrinnedsbeepish.ly."\V/ehateittoo," rneysaid.''Butitworks".

Andhereinliesthecruxofdleissue: mediaisamulti-billiondollar business,and ifpostsonsocialmediagarnerattention, advertiserswillflock.Unformnately,social mediaisalsothehomeofsensationalism: "traction"iscritical,andinafast-paced onlineworld,thereisnorimerovet real-timeinformation.Instead,content producersrelyonyeUowjournalism:

eye-catchingheadlineswithlittleorno legitimate,well-researchednews.Irisa bidtopit fansagainsteachother-a.nd onesuspects,dleplayers,too.Some popularinternational cricketsocialmedia pageshavebecomeacesspooloftacisin, vilificationandonlinebullying-propagated byfansfrombothsidesofthefence.Itis farbeyondtraditionalsports banter,and difficultto imaginethatsuchadescent wouldhaveoccurredifreportingwasnot sounabatinglyinflammatory.Evidencelies indlerelativelysanguinecommentsbyfans onpostsbyESPNCricinfo,forinstance, which hasmaintaineditsjournalistic integrityandsteeredclearofposting attention-grabbingheadlineswithlittleto nosubstanceunderpinningthem.

Ornermediaoutletswerenotso measured.Onthewebsiteofaleading Australiansportsbroadcaster,oneparticular journalistdealtexclusivelyinvitriol,singling outtheIndiancaptainKohliandtheBCCI forcriticismwirnnorefrain.Thewriter's lackofawarenessoftheintricaciesofTest cricket-thestorieswhich deservecobetold intheuniquemilieuofthefivedayswhich makeupaTestmarch-wasmatchedonly byhisaversiontofactualinformation. Instead,hismodusoperandiwasthe regurgitationofover-usedandunfounded conspiracytheories-forinstance, suggestingthatrneICCisunableco sanctionIndiancricketersduecorneBCCI's influenceonthegaine.Aheadofthethird

TestinRanchi,thejournalistwentonto stated1at"the reputationandintegrityof Indiancricketisonthebrinkofcomplete embarrassment"basedonhisill-informed assessmentoftheRanchipitcb.Hindsight willshowthatd1epitchprovedtobefine. Therewasnoretraction.

Atonepoint,thisjournalistevenwentas farastocompareVicatKohliwithDonald Trump,notingwithnosenseofironythat "JustlikePresidentTrump,Kohlidecided toblamethemediaasameansoftryingro bidetheeggsmearedrightacrosshisface." Ironic,becausebytheendof it, hismedia outlethadgivenuponreportingfacts altogerner,itsFacebookpagedeclaringthat

SteveSmithwastheManoftheSeries(he \vasn't).Again,d1erewasnoretraction. Biasinsportsmediaisalmostuniversal. TheIndianmediacontingentisjustas guiltyofinherentbiasasitsAusu·alian andEnglishcounterparts.Sensationalism, too,isaconceptwithwhichIndia'sraving 24/7newschannelsa.re-allcoofamiliar. Burperpet1alb: negativesensationalismisa craftinwhichrneAustraliansportsmedia is unparalleled.Whetheragainstirsown playersortheopposition,me preferenceis todivertrnegazefromachievements,act asaflamefortheignorantmotl1,andwave a redflaginfrontofragingonlinebulls. It wouldbeaninconsequentialapproach,if rnemediadidnotplay atangibleroleinthe relationshipbetweeni\ustraLianandIndian nationals.Buritdoes.

TheetaofgreatAustraliancricket columnistsisallbut atanend-sincethe saddemiseoftheeruditePeterRoebuck andd1ewinding-downofdleeloquentMike Coward,therehasbeenanoticeabledearth inreasonedscribes.

Thisisnottosayrnetalentisnotthered1eanalysesofGregBaum,Malcolm Knox andPeterLalora.rethoughtful,measured, andweU-resea.rched-andimportantly,they areaboutdieg(l111e.Buttheya.refewandfar between.

Intheageofclickbait,sensationalism andinstantgratification-Australianspores media'sintegrityiscertainlyatitslowest ebb.

,, The era of great Australian cricket columnists is allbut at an end - since the sad demise ofthe erudite Peter Roebuck and the windingdown ofthe eloquent Mike Coward, there has been a noticeable dearth inreasoned scribes ,,

MIGRATION SERVICES

IMMIGRATION ADVICE AND SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AT AFFORDABLE PRICE

Visit: www.auramigrationservices.com.au Call 0433 986 780

MIGRATION SERVICES

AAMS can provide patliwaY. to Disal:>ilitY. (J\._& Community Services P-rograms.

DoyouwanttomakeacareerinAgedCareSector?

AAMS isPioneerCRICOS approvedRTO inNSW delivering Cert III in Individual Support, Cert IV in Disability & Diploma of Community Services to internationalstudents.

Come andjoin usto make a careerinAgedCare, DisabilityorCommunityServicessector.

�,.,.�Of !IA,.,, AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT & SCIENCE

fffll Ph: 02 9837°421°'3° , 02M1�b�0413 145 880

info@aams.nsw.edu.au

� www.aams.nsw.edu.au

We also offer Cert. 111 & IV in Commercial Cookery and Diploma of Hospitality Management

PersonalLoans OnSpot TaxRefund OnSpot

Cash in 1 hour Anywhere in Australia Accountants and Registered Tax Agents

Tax Returns: Home Loans : Accounting : Car Loans

Blacktown:

Ph: 1300 768 284 Fax: 1300 768 384 Level 1, 6 Main St (Opp. train station)

Parramatta:

M: 0469 824 086 Fax: 8004 8180

Suite 1, Level 1, 247 Church Street Parramatta NSW 2150 (Opp Westpac Bank & Above Subway)

Lodge TaxOnline

Ph: (02) 96221704, 1300 768 284, Fax: 1300 768 384

Mobile: 0413 223 675, 0413 846 630 , 0425 382 169

Enquiry@taxrefundonspot.com.au

www.taxrefundonspot.com.au

*ConditionsApply

• General Skilled Migration

• Employer Nomination ENS / RSMS Visa MA Memberol

• 457 Work Visa (Skilled Work)

• Student Visa & Extension

• Family and Partner Visas

• Business Visas

RegstraLionNumber

• AAT Appeals of visa refusal or cancellations \'NNJ.rna,;;ig:uau

GET RPL QUALIFICATIONS AT AFFORDABLE PRICES

OpeningHours Mon-Fri9amto5pm

Afterhoursappointments available Weekendpriorappointments onlyCall0433986780

SonalAgrawal MARN-1169617

Level1Suitel&2,48Macqua1ieSt Parramatta,NSW-2150 info@auwmigrotionse1vces.com.au

Email: sonal@auramigrationservices.com.au

didan excellent Job. Theywereprofessional, friendly

andhelpful. "

Brother-sister duo present captivatingarrangetram

BYMURALISANKAR VENKATRAMAN

Whenl fust heardVishni Ravindranplayin 2012,shewasasoftspokenYear9student whosecalmandsincere countenancebeliedthecuriosityto experimentandexpandthemusicalidioms throughtheveena.Thatconcertthen,while predominantlymelodic,hadirsshareof outliers;andwhenevertheyappeared,they wereaccompaniedimmediatelybyasubtle, a.lmostimperceptible,frownonhereverpoliteface.Itgaveaway thatshewasself andmusic-aware. Theoccasionaldisconnect betweenthoughtandexecutionwasno doubtartributedtodieenormity of the cask-wieldingtbeoldeststringinstrument ofIndiawithtbefinessethat.itdemanded -whichshewasjustbeginningtounravel. Harish,her(tl1en)kid-brother,hrn1ga.round, probablycoaxedbythepromiseof an extradoseof candybytl1eirever-inspiring

motherShanthinie.Fastforwardto2017, IwasAabbergastedbyaconfidentyoung woman,asmdentof medicine,playingme verysameveena,thistimewithadmirable deftness.Harish,nowaYearI'Istudent andbuiltlikeasportsman,accompaniedhis sisteronthemridangammajesticallyand meticulously.

Thistimeround,some600people hadgarneredtohearthesiblings onthe occasionof theirmmgetam,heldlast month. Whenthecurtainswentup,the stunningdecorations,donewiththeeye of anaesthete,providedabeautifulbut laconicallycontrastingbackdroptothe artistesonstage.

Theconcertstartedwithavarnamin ragaKaanada-notusuallya"starter raga"-composedbySrinivasaIyengar. Vishnididwelltoshowcasetbe11111kta)'i andchittaslJ'arams,instillinganeagerness forthenumbersrofollow. Alanguidaalap inShanmukhapriyafollowedwhereher nowwarmed-upfingersextolledilieraga's ga111aka111.rinanassuredandelaborate manner."SiddhiVinayakamAnisham", aDikshitarktitiwaswellrolledoutand thekalpa11a,J/laramsthatfollowedlater establishedherpristineunderstandingof theragaanditss11,araconstructs.While

pm1chm11a1t1occupiesacentralpositionas itwouldinany111e/✓1ka1taraga,Vishnialso Bashedpa11ch✓1!11a1;1-freepassagesinvolving just111t1d1!Jt1111a111anddhaivathm11which evoked asenseof restlesseagernessinilie listeners' mindsthat unconsciouslyyearned fortheembraceofprmchama/JJtorelax. Harishaccompaniedbrilliantly,adaptinghis playtosoundas closeto themeter ofthe complicatedSJ/llllapassagesthrownathim. Allinall,Sbanmukhapriya,whichlasted closeco20minutes,erasedanydoubtsand setthebarhighfortherestof theevening GuruThanjavurMurngaboopathi actedastherhythm-keeper;the)70ung performersoccasionallythrew himalook during thedifficultrhythmicpassages. WhileThyagaraja'sShreeragamcomposition "EndaroMahanubhavulu"waspresented "asis"withoutanyextraornamentations andwasfairlysatisfying,Ifeltthega111akas inthepassage"chanduruvarnunianda chandamunu"couldhavebeenatadbetter. Butforthat,thissongbyilievirtueof its chittai.rwarasprovidedthefi.rstopportunity intheconcerttohearviolin(Shri MullaivasalChandramouli)andveenain totalunison-itdefinedbliss.

':JananiNinuvtna"inrejuvenating R£etigo1vlairagamandlllisra-ch,rpn

ta.a.Lampavedwayfortheever-enticing, vibram"RaghuvamsaSudha"in Kadhanakumoohalam-amodemmetric forassessinga11t1inik,1indeliveringrapid chittaiswampassages. Vishni'soccasional excursioninto"twonote"chords,borrowed fromwesternrnusicidiomandpopularized byVaidya,wasatreattohear.

WhileKadbanakuthoobalamhas beenallowed.inmemoderntimesto "harmonise",BhairaviandTodi-metwo veritablebenchmarkstoassesstbeerudition ofaCarnaticartiste-arehanclledbyalmost everyartistinthetraditionalmonophonous manner.Vishni'sa,ilcuipairai,taa11a!II,f/Ct"tlVal andtl1edialogue of kalpm1as111m·amswitl1 ilieviolinistforthekriti"Balagopala Palayasumam",definitivelydeclaredher rightfulbelongingamongthepromising bestiniliegenre.Harish'sthaniavt11tha11a111 inadithalm11(2kalm)thatfollowedwas abeautifuldisplayof howitcanbesplit intoanadmixture.of thist"t1t11,J11isram,and kha11da111sub-partsandmergedbacktallying mecorrectrhyilicniccount.Thequestionanswersessionberweenthemridangamand ghatam(Shri.ChandrasekaraSharma)drew hugeapplausefromthecrowd.

Vishnicarefullyexplainedthetaalm11of a tough1aga111-ta,mam-pallaviinKarabarapriya composedbyherguruProf.Pudukkottai Krishnamurthyandwentontogiveastelfar renditionablyaccompaniedby Ha.rish. Themgamalikalt1t1nC1J11,nemva!,sanchcu11a111, 1agm11alikakalpa11as111an11mandk:✓1alaprat11aana111 reinforcedourbelief inmeitmusical acumen.BrindavanithillanaofDr.Balamurali Krishnawasclearlyadancer'sinterpretation onveenaandaresrnmenttoVisho.i'srigorous traininginBharatanatyam.Theenergyand vivaciousnesswasunmistakableandwhenit ended,itbroughtasmileoneverybody'slips.

Shri.MurugaboopathiandDr Ramachanclraheapeddeservingpraiseson ilieduoandartributedtl1eirstupendous performance to"nevermissinghomework".

Inanutshell,simpl)7 outstanding:ilie Ravindransareboundtomake ahugeripple inthefield of Carnaticmusic.

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 tbepresenceof famousIndiancricketer HarbhajanSinghrecently.Withthe campaign,MoneyGramaimscocreate excitementamongitscustomersinPunjab andbringjoytotheirVaisakhicelebrations.

"Punjabhasalwaysbeenoneof ourkey marketsandwecomebad,eachyeartobe apartof chiscelebrationandwishallour consumersawonderfulVaisakhi.Thisyear wehavepreparedsomethingspecialand nothingismoreexcitingthanthechanceto winadreambike",saidSheshagiriMaWah (Sukesh),beadof IndiaandSub-continent atMoneyGran1."Weunderstandthebond betweenfamiliesthatworksohardto bringasmileonthefacesof theirloved onesbackhome.Thisyear,apartfromtli.is specialcampaign,we havealsoprepared anewcommercialwhichwillbeonairas of today.AtMoneyGran1wetrulybelieve that beingabletomovemoneyacross boundariesbringspeoplecloseL"

Thecampaign willlastforamont!Jand isdesignedforcustomersreceivingmoney inPunjabwhowillhaveachancetowin10 LEDTVs,50smartphonesandthegrand bumperprize-threeRoyalEnfieldbikes

signedbythespinnerhimself Topromotetl:tiscampaign

MoneyGtamwillalsoruna'Spot &WinContest'.Customerswho spotiliesignedbikeinPunjab andsendanSMSwiththecodeto 56677willparticipateinthedraw cowinasmartphoneeveryday.

'1amthrilledrolaunchthe 'Vaisakbi2017'campaigntoday. MoneyGram provides notonly areliableplatformformoving moneyseamlesslyacrossthe worldbutalsotoconnectpeople throughajoyfulcelebration.I'm surethatdi.iscampaign willmake thisoccasionaspecialmemory. Itgivesmeanopportunityto comebackhomeandbeapart of tl1ecelebrationsalmgetl1er wiilimyfans,"saidHarbhajan Singh.

?:,foneyGramisaglobal providerof innovativemoney transferandpaymentservices andisrecognisedworldwideas afinancialconnectiontofriends andfamily. Whether online, orthroughamobiledevice,atakiosk or inalocalstore,JvfoneyGramconnects consumersanywaythatisconveii.ient

meet our Linkers

Wantto be more active in your community?

Could your business or organisation be more accessible?

Ability Links NSW is afree program that promotes inclusion.

SSI Linkers knowthe local community and work with people with disability, theirfamilies and carersto create opportunities.

To find your local SSI Linker call 87139200 or visitssi.org.au/services/abilitylinks-nsw

outmoreaboutthe MoneyGram 'Vaisakhi2017' campaign, pleasevisit www.moneygram.com

When:

PEOPLEI PLACESI PARTIESI

esweetest victories

A lookbackon India's come-from-behind 2-1 series victoryoverAustralia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy

operandiformesummer:winorlosethe wss,butbesurecopileontherunsintl1e fuseinnings.

BY RITAM MITRA

Ateramonth-longarmwrestle nvolvingamyriadof on-field d1eatrics,severalcombativepress conferences,andconsistently 1eart-stoppingcricket,leading intothefinalTestinDharamsala,tl1ere remainednotl1ingmseparateAustraliaand Indiainme2017editionof meBorder<flvaskarTrophy. Aseriessokeenly contesteddeservedathrillingfinale-and againsttl1estunningbackdropof majestic Himalayanpeal<s,metwosidesdelivered afittingcrescendo.Ultimately,itwasIndia whoprevailedby8wickets,sealinga2-1 seriesvictorymatwillgodownasoneof its .sweetestever.

Poor in Pune

Thefirstof thethreenewTestvenuesinthe series,Punewillconsideritselfluckyrohost anotherTestmatch.Labelled'poor'bythe ICC,thePnnepitchproveddiabolicalfor bornsides,butstunningly,itwasIndiawho blinkedfirst.

ReducingAustraliato9-205initsfirst innings,Indiawasinilieascendancy;but astunningriposteby1viircbellStareJed Australiaco261.Inreply,despitesuffering earli1setbacks, at3-94andwithtwoset batsmenatthecrease,Indiaappearedto beinprimepositiontocontinueitsmodus

But onDayTwoof thePuneTest,tl1e moststunninghourof TestcricketsawIndia onirsknees,withSteveO'Keefe,tl1esteady left-armspinner,taking6•5inoneof tl1e greatestspellsbyaforeign spinneronIndian soil. Indiacapitulatedforjust105,banding Australiaa155-runadvantage.Notcobe outdonebyO'Keefe'sheroics,inAustralia's secondinnings,SteveSn1ithplundereda calmcenturyinnear-impossibleconditions, scoring109outof Australia's285.Anomer 6wicketstoSteveO'KeefeinIndia'ssecond inningssawAustraliawinby333runs,raking a1-0seriesleadinaseriesinwhichitwas predictedtolose0-4.

Bitingbackin Bengaluru

InBengaluru,Indiaonceagainfounditself indeficittoAustraliaintl1efirstinnings, givingupanadvantageof 87rw1s. At4-120 inmesecondinnings,Indfawerestaring downtbebarrelof ascarcelybelievable situation:if Australiawonmemarch, AustraliawouldretaintheBorder<flvaskar trophy.

EnterAjinkyaRahane,andIndia's answertoSteveSn1ith,CheteshwarPujara. A118runpartnership-thefirstcentury partnershipof meseries-seemedtohave putthematchbeyonddoubt,untilIndialost itslast6wicketsfor36runs,settingAustralia atargetof 188onadeterioratingwicket WithAL1stralia4-98,mematchwasstill incliebalance.Thetben-,vorldnumber onebowler,RaviAshwin,whohadbeen conspicuouslymissingfromtl1eseriesso

far,cameroaringbackwim6-41,leaving .Australiacolickitswoundsafterbeingwic11in agonisinglyclosesight of afamousfinish line.

Stalematein Ranchi

ForthesecondconsecutiveTestmatch, Australiaseemedtohaveonehandonme trophycourtesyof itsbugefirstinnings of 451,whichfeamtedanunbeaten178* bySteveSmithandamaidentestcenrury forGlennMaxwell.ButasithaddoneaJJ summer,lndiafoundawaycocancelouttl1e firstinningsafterlosingmeross.Con1ing rogerherat6-328,WriddbimanSahaand CheteshwarPujaraputonarecord199runs in63.2overs,gruellingagainstimpressively

accuratebowling.Pujara's202off 525balls wasmelongest-everinningsbyanIndian intermsof ballsfaced,and,despitebis dismissal,abrutalhalf-cenmrybyman of the seriesRavindraJadejasawIndiatakeafirst inningsleadof 152runs.

Ar4-63ontl1efinalday,andwiili talismaniccaptainSteveSmithbackin thedressingroom,itseemedasthough anIndianvictorywasallburaformality, butShaunMarshandPeterHandscomb aJJayedAustralianfears,keepingmetourists intl1eserieswimadiligent,march-saving partnershiplastingmorethan60overs. Dharamsala decider Themostpicniresquegroundinworld crkket,Dharamsala'sTestdebutwas magnificent.Foreachof thefourdaysit wasabreathtakingsight:theplayersintheir off-whites,rnru1ingalongclielushgreen grasswirbsnow-cappedpeal<srisingabove therusticredTibetangrandstandbehind them.Thecricketwasexcellent,andthe matcbwasplayedinthebestof spirits. Arguablycliough,thepitch mademebiggest contributiontothedecider;witl1paceand bo1mcetosurpassanyof its Australian counterparts,andenoughnu:nandconsisrenr bouncetosatisfycliefussiestof spinnetsand batsmen.Indeed,tl1eevennessof thedeckis evidentiniliefactthatIndiawonmemarch despiteJosingthetoss.

AsABCRadiocommentatorPrakash \Xlakankarnoted,theHimalayanpeakswere notmeonlyimmovableforcedeckedourin whiteindiedecider,asanothercenmryby captainSteveSmithinAustralia'sfirstinnings sawhimbecomeonlymesecondcaptain (afterA11srairCookin2012)topeeloff3 centuriesinaTestseriesinIndia.Ha,7ing been1-144,however,Australiawasshotout for300,leavingthedooropenforanIndia fightback.

At6-221inreplyondayiliree,Indiawere yetagainlooking likeconcedingafirst• inningsdeficit.Butacrucialpartnership betweenRaviJadejaandWriddhimanSaha broughtIndiabackfromthebrink,sealinga vital32-runleadwithanattimesexplosive 96runpartnership.

Thencametheacmalfireworks,inclie mosthostilespellof fasrbowlingever producedbyanIndianattack,asUmesh YadavandBhuvneshwarKumarranrampant witl1tl1enewbaJJ,pickingup3wicket.�-and onesuspects,inflictingmanymorebruisesbeforeAustraliahaderasedmedeficit.

Fromtl1ere,itwassmoothsailingforilie hosts,whowreckedtl1eAustralianmiddle orderandchaseddowntheevenrnaltarget of 106withtimeand,;,,ricketstospare.

7henextchapter:

IndiainAustralia,2018-19.

QUICK

TheRound round-up

The latest AFL season has alreadydelivered diverse results in agame full ofdiversity, writes KHUSHAAL WAS

Ihavetosayit.Itoldyou so. TheAFL hasroaredbackintolifeandit'salready beenacrazyfewgamesfullof drama, passion,pureexcitementandevenabit of heartbreak.Infact,itsoundsalittle bitliketheplotof anewBollywoodfihn. ReadonforlndianLink'sfirsteverAFL RoundRound-Upandourveryowntipping competition!

Round 1

Theail-excitingopeningroundwas probablythebest orientationanewfanco the AFLcouldeverhopetoreceive.Big lna.rks,biggoals,bighits andsomebig upsets. In whatlookedtobeafairlyeasy roundtopredict results,theAFLdidwhatit doesbest;remindyouof howunpredictable thegamecanbe.

Oneof themajorshockswasthefall of themightyHawthornHawkstoan

Round Three Tipping

Sydney Swansv Collingwood Magpies

North Melbourne

Kangaroosv GWSGiants

Richmond Tigers v West Coast Eagles

GeelongCatsv Melbourne

Demons

Port Adelaide Powerv

Adelaide Crows

FremantleDockers v Western BuIIdogs

St Kilda Saints v Brisbane Lions

Carlton Bluesv Essendon Bombers

Gold CoastSunsv

Hawthorn Hawks

agileEsseodon.Of course,hereiswhere thetaleof heartbreakandwoebeginsfor Sydneysiders.\'v'h.i.lsttheSwanswereheavy favouritesagainstPoreAdelaidePower,a rustyperformance,andsomekeyplayers missingduetoinjury,sawthePowermake themostof tbeiropportunityandsend shockwaves through theSydney campwith animpressivewin.

LookingtotheWest,afterapromising firsthalf,theGiantsultin1atelyfelltothe AdelaideCrowswithmuchtoworkon. However,ohyeof littlefaith,itisbut RmmdOne.Therustisbeingshakenoff andd1ejourneyisonlybeginning.

Round 2

Perhapsoneof themotespecialaspects of Round2,moremanthematches themselves,wasbaringwitnesstothe AFL'scommitmenttodiversityand

multiculmta.lismasaguestattheDiversity LaunchatSpotlessStadium.Now, sometimeswecanbealittlecynicalabout thevalueof symbolicfunctionsand speeches,andtruthbetold,somefreefood andatickettowhatpromisedtobean excellentmarchwasenoughtotemptonea-5 fickleasme.

However,justasIwasmistakenthat Australiawouldnotwinatestmarchin lnclia,1wasprovenwrongonceagain.The Launchwasanincrediblyspecialcelebration of themyriadculturesthatparticipateintl1e AFL,andareminderof tl1eway inwhich thesporthas,sinceitsinception,broughtso manycommunitiestogetl1er.lndeed,it was inspiringtobearAFL NS\XI/ACTCEO, SamGraham,advocatefortbeimportance

of multicuniralismforboththesportand thestateasawhole.

In lightof recentpoliticaldebates regardingamendmentstol8C,amessage of re-affirmingtheimportanceof diversity inAustralia'smostloYedgamewas somethingquireremarkable. Addingtothe moodwastl1eGiantsrecord102pointwin overtheSuns,but,infairn�ss,theLaunch gaveussomethingmoremeaningfuland specialthanasimplewin.

AndwhilsttheSwansfellshortof staging astunningcome-frombehindvictory againstd1eBulldogs,wemustn'tforget tl1atthelasttimetheSwansstartedwith rwolosses,tbeyultin1atelyqualifiedfotthe GrandFinalin2014!Don'tworry.Have faith.There'salongseasonahead!

Khushaal Vyas

*Themysteriousbrotherof,nineyou'veheardsomuchaboutinthesea,ticles.He'stheonetobeat!

Bhal* Tanya Sinha Margit Shah

Complete Migration Services (I nternati onal)

ABN- 18 976 102

We help you achieve a better life and pursue your dreams

Contact:

Work, Study, Live In Australia! !!

AUSTRALIAN REGISTERED MIGRATION AGENT & MORTGAGE BROKER

Forallmortgageandloan queriesrelatedtoAustralian andNewZealandCitizenonly

Forallyourmigration, Australian&NewZealand Visarelatedqueries

CALL NOWON 0421 119 628

Syed Mohiuddin (JP) EX-VISAOFFICER

MARN-1171248NZJAA201200519

Level 2,Suite8A,48 MacquarieStreet

Parramatta,Sydney,Australia 2150 Ph 0421119628 +61286775161

Email:syedcompletems@gmail.com syed@completemigrationservicesint.com.au contactus@completemigrationservicesint.com.au

(We speak English, Hindi, Sinhalese, Urdu, Telugu)

Don KamalJayakody,MANAGER LOGISTICS

Parramatta,Sydney,Australia Ph +61452 539 784 dkjlogistics@gmail.com

Ourservicesinclude:

•AdviceonMigrationpathways

•GeneralSkilledMigration

•StudentVisas

•StateSponsoredVisas/ENS/RMS/457

•BusinessMigration

•PartnerandFamilyMigrationSpecialist

•AdmissioninAustralianCollegesand Universities

•AATReviewProceduresinAustralia

Wealsospecialisein:

•Home/CommercialLoans (MFAACertified)

•InternationalMoneyTransfers

International Contacts:

Alima London, England Ph+44 784 9525 973 completemigrationservicesuk@gmail.com

Kalika Mayekar, Mumbai, India Ph +9102240043399

Debra Pitre, Dubai,UAE Ph +971561452141

OlgaYavtseva, Ukarine Ph +380542600488

Chandika Jayakody, Sri Lanka Ph +94778419970

MDArafath Hossain, Bangladesh Ph +8801673753577

1)urga Temple, Rege;t P. s�a.n.eJ s clr}(

'1

The Sydney Durga Temple cordially invites all to the inauguration ofthe new Sri Durga templeat: 21-23 Rose Crescent, Regents Park.

Durga Temple - opening ceremony - Maha Kumbabisekam 7th May 2017

Homam Starts - 30th April 2017

Ashtabanthana marunthu - 5th May 2017

Devotees apply oil -5th May from 3.00pm until 6th of May 2017

Raja Kopura Maha Kumbabisekam -7th May 2017 10:00-11.00PM

Witnessing such eventcomes once in a life time. Thetemple has been constructed over 12 yearsata costof$8.5 Million.

ew-wor w1nes

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

BYDHANYASAMUEL

Tasmania the island stateof breathtakinglandscapes,unigue wildernessandexquisiteproduce isalsohome toDomaineSimha, whereartisanalfinewinesare craftedbasedonancientknowledgeand intuition.

Fotu1dedbyhusbandandwifeduo,Nav SinghandLousieRadman,DornaineSimba hastransformedthefinewinelandscape andfosteredanew outlookonwhat Tasmaniahastooffer.Justa fewyearsafter theirfirstvintage,theexceptionalwines ofDomaine Simhaarehighlysoughtby collectors,sommeliersandconnoisseurs acrossAustralasia.

SpeakingcoJudianU11k,NaYSinghsays tliatatDomaineSimha,tliephilosophy ofwinemakingcentresonterroir(howa particularregion'sclimate,soilsandterrain affectthetasteof tliewine).Thewinesare shaped'aunature!'coreflectepic single vineyards.Livingwinesareproducedhere relyingonancientwisdomasmucl1as science.

"Ourwinecomesstraightfromthe

earth,"saysSingh.''\Vestriveforsubtlety and detailtliatcanonlybeachieved naturallyinveryfewplaces.\.'i(/eparethings backtorevealthepurestessenceof terroir andtliecharacterof theseason."

AtDomaineSimha,tl1eirdevotionco qualityisevidentineverystage from the vinetotheglass.Craftedbyhandinmicro batches,just2-3barrelsofeachwineare made.Anavant-gardeapproachembraces naturalmethods;harvestingbylunarcycle onfmitandAowerdays,wholebunchwild fermentationwitlitraditionalfootpigeage, maturationincustomlarge format oak barrelsandclayamphorae,basketpressing andbottliogunE.nedandunfilteredwines withperfectnaturalbalance.

AccordingtoSingh,Tasmaniaisme ttlcimatefinewineterroit!

"TasmaniaisAustralia'sfinalfrontier andthenaturaladvantageswehaveare unparalleled.Makingwinehereislike standingontliebrinkofanewworldwhere everytliingis possible,"hesays.

BornandboughtupinDell1i,Nav SinghmovedtoAustralia topursuehigher educationii11996.Whilecompletingstudies ineconomics,Singhfoundhehadapalate fordifferentflavoursanddevelopedan interestinwine.AstimworkingatSydney's ParkHyattfuelledbispassionandhe decidedtoundergoformalwinemaking trainingatAdelaideUniversity.

:rvfasteringhiscrafr,Singhhonedhisskills

atsomeof tlie world'smostprestigious wineestares,inclL1dingDomainede L'ArlorinBurgundyandCbateauLePin inBordeaux,France aswellasworkingin AustraliawitliChandonandMountadam andheadingupoperationsinMargaret RiverandClareValley.

1n2012,SinghalongwithhiswifeLouise Radn1an(whobasahostofimpressive wine credentialsof herown),relocatedto TasmaniatoestablishDoma.ineS.imha.

Averyunique andinterestingname, DomaineSimhapays homageto! av'srich Indianheritage.ThenameSinghoriginates fromtheSanskritwordSimha,whiclimeans lion.ThelogofeaturestheIndiaGate flankedbyC\VOlions,andmanyofthewines take theirnamesfromhistoricroyaltitles likeRani,RanaandRaja.

Someof thecollectionsunderthe Domaine label includeAmphoraeand Sanskrit.Makingwineinthetraditional amphoraisanage-oldmemoddatingback tliousandsofyears.Craftedinwhiteclay vessels,DomaineSin1haAmphoraewines areenergeticwimexpressivecharacter.The clayallowsthewinetobreathe andevolve, whilecirculationof naturalconvection currentsenergisestl1ewineandmaintains astable cemperanu:e. Thebeautifully patterned,goldenAmphoraelabels referencetheexquisitearchitecturalbeauty of jaliscreensfoundthroughoutIndia.

TheSanskritrangeisareflectionof

thepoeticlanguageof loveandbeauty; mewinesshinealightonlesserknown grape varietiesandstyles suchasgamay andcabernet franc.TheSanskritpinot gris andschonburgerareskinfermentedwhite wines.Essentially,thisinvolvesmakingan oxidative-stylewinematuredbyleaving onthegrapeskinsasyouwouldnormally do forredwines.Tbe resultisatextured, 'orange' styleofwinewitl1characterful gingerspiceandeartliyflavours.

DomaineSimbawinescanbefound onlineandinspecialistwineretailers.Their productshavealsobeenembracedbysome ofAustralia'stoprescauramslikeAria, Quay,Rockpool,TheFatDL1ck/Dinnerby Heston,Aloft,Smolcandmore. Whenaskedif hehaseverhadtoface anychallengesduetohiscountryof origin, NavSinghrepliestl1athiscttlturalheritage isonetobeembracedasitgiveshima uniqueadvantage."l believemyIndian backgroundgivesusaninteresting storyto complementourwine.Agoodmeasureof self-belief hasalwayshelped."

Andtoall chosewhoare takingsteps intomewinemakingbusiness,Singhhas thisadvice,"Findamentorandgainas muchpracticalexperienceaspossible aroundthe world.Always keepanopen mind andpositiveattitude whiletasting wines. Build goodnetworkswid1inthe winecommunityandbereadycowork hard andlonghours."

EasyEaster bak1ng

From traditional European treats to an Aussieclassic, celebrate Easter in style, writes GAURAV

MASAND

ForChristians,GoodFridaymarks

theendof 40daysof Lent, whi.leEasterSunday,marking theresurrection,istherimeto

celebrate!Butnomatterif youcelebrate Easterornot,herearesomelip-smacking recipesperfectforparties andfamily reumoas.

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

Black Forest Cake

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

Impressiveandrich, Black Forestcake isalwaysa crowdfavourite;thisfamily recipe willnever letyoudown.

Ingredients

For cake (Double layer)

1½ cup condensedmilk

1 cupself-raisingplainfour

1cupwholemealself-raisingflour

½cup cocoapowder

¼tspbakingsoda

½cup/ 100gbutter

2tspvanillaessence

¼cupbrownsugar

½cupmilk

For filling

2cups heavy cream

2tbspcastersugar

½cupmorellocherries,chopped 10-12maraschinocherriesfor garnish

Darkchocolate

Bowlforwhippingcream andelectric mixer attachments, keptfor 1hourin freezer

Method

Meltthe butterandbeatit withsugar untilmixed.

Addcondensedmilk,vanillaessence. Beat togetheruntilyougeta smooth mixture.Addthe dry ingredients with milkandmixwith electricmixer.

Grease two pans evenlywith butter. Divide andpour the mixture equally in twopansandbakeinapre-heatedoven for 30-35minutes or untilatoothpick comes outclean.

Usinganelectricmixersetonhigh speed,whipthe creamwithsugar, until mediumto stiff peaks form, forabout 1 minute.Do notoverbeat.

Spread1/3creammix onone cakeand topwithchoppedcherries.

Addthesecondlayer ofcake and spread 1/3ofwhippedcreamevenly on the cake.

Grate a darkchocolateblock with mandolinslicer.

Spread thechocolate onthe sides and top ofthecake.

Addthe remainingwhippedcreamto a pipingbaganddecorate the cake. Refrigerate for 4-5hours.

Garnishwith maraschino cherries and serve.

"Hotcross buns, Hotcross buns, onea penny,two apenny,hotcross buns."This oldEnglishnurseryrhyme, associated with theendof Lent, is a favouritechildhood memory. These buns area crowd favourite andusually eaten on Good Friday

Ingredients

2cups plainfour

1 cupwholemealflour

¼ cupcurrants

3½tspdryyeast

30g meltedbutter

½cupwater fordryyeast

1½ cuplukewarmwaterandmilk mixture

2 tspspicemix(cinnamon, nutmeg)

Ginger,smallpiece

2 tbspsugar

1 tbspsalt

¼ cupself-raisingfour (for thecross)

Method

the mix frothyandyeastwillactivate within15minutes.

Addthisyeast,water and milk mixture, alongwithcurrants, tothe four. Kneadthedough,this willbe sticky atthe start.Addmeltedbutterand remainingingredients. Keepdough asidefor 30minutesto rise

Once ithasdoubledinsize,punchit downandkneaditagain.

Divide thefour into 9equalportions, givethem a roundshapeandarrange them ona bakingtray withsome space in between thebuns.

Let them rest for 30 minutes.Youwill see thedough rise andthesides might touch each other.

Mixself-raising flourwith1 tablespoon of waterto form a paste,andadditto a pipingbag. Mark a cross onthe buns with the paste.

Bakethe bunsfor 10minutesat225 degreesanda further 6-7 minutes at 200 degrees.

Checkthereadiness byinsertinga toothpick. Ifitdoesn't stick to the dough, thebunsareready. Serve freshwithbutter or fruitpreserve. •

Preheatthe ovento225degrees. Addsugartolukewarmwater,mixuntil itdissolves.Toactivatethe yeast,add to sugarwater mixture.This willmake

Upside Down Plum Cake

Australia isblessedto havea bounty ofsweetplumsatthis time ofyear. Enjoytheseasonalproducewiththis deliciouscakerecipe

Ingredients

¾cupcondensedmilk

1 cupself-raisingplainfour

¼cupwholemealself-raisingfour(can replace with1/3cupplainself-raising flour)

¼ cup/50gramsbutter

2 tsp vanilla essence

2 tbspbrownsugar

2 tbspmilk

¼ cupbrownsugar(for glaze)

350gmSatsuma plums(or anyvariety ofplumswithredflesh)

Method

Cut4-5plumsinthinslices,andthe rest into small pieces.

Heat thesugar withanequalquantity ofwater.Let it cook untilitforms a thickandbrownglaze.

Lineaspring form caketinwith baking sheet,includingthe sides. Spreadplum slices inconcentric circles,glazingthem withsugar. Meltthe butter;beat together with sugar untilmixed.

Combine withcondensedmilk and vanillaessence.

Beattillyou getasmooth mixture.Add thedryingredientsandthemilk. Mix withanelectricmixer.

Pour the mixture evenly into the cake tinandbake ina pre-heatedoven for 40minutes or untila toothpick comes out clean

Letitcoolfor 15minutes

Place cake ona plateupsidedown Garnish with fresh plum slices Bestservedwith ice-cream.

MATRIMONIALS

SEEKING GROOMS

SeekingGujaratiunmarriedmatchforAug'78borngirl,5'2",B.E(Instrumentation), VaishnavVanik,workinginSydney(PR).FromMumbai.ReadytosettleinJvfumbaior Australia.E-mail:raksba2602@gmail.comorcall:+610469875159/+610470253729

Seekingmatchfora33-year-oldHinduPunjabiBrahmin,5'6'',attractivegirlwithcharming personality.Professionallyqualifiedwithcorporatejob.Melbourne-based,nevermarried, AusCitizen.Castenobar.Pleasesendderailswithphotocomadhumarch05@gmail.com

WellsettledfamilyinJ\uscraliaseeksprofessionalmatchfor29yearold,5'7",beautiful, PunjabiHindugirl,vithtraditionalIndianvalues,workinginaseniorgovernmentposition. Preferboyhaving AustralianCitizenshiporPRstatus.Sendbiodacaandphotographs toaus.i.ngh60@gmail.com

SeekingprofessionalmatchforHinduSaraswatBrahmingirlinSydney.Doctor,31 years old,5'1", wichtraditionallndianvalues.Farnil)'wellsettledinSydney,Australia.Preferboy havingAustralianCitizenshiporPR status. Pleaseemail:sydneygsb@gmail.com

SuitablematchforAustraliancitizen,Sydney-based,Sikhgirl,1991born,170cm,qualified charteredacconntanc,workingforAustralia'sleadLngbank.Parentshighlyeducated andwell settledinSydney.Pleaserespondtohs522l6a@gmail.com

Seekingprofessionallyqualified,settledmatchforSydney-based,nevermarried,Auscitizen, Hindu, PunjabiKl1acri,44,5'3",slim,fair,attractivegirl.Girlispostgraduateandisworking inagoodpositioningovernmentorganisation.Pleasesenddetailswitl1photoindsyd2016@ gmail.com

Seekingwelleducated, AustralianCitizen/PR foraveryfair,slin1,Khatrigirl,31yearsold, 5'3".WillingtomovetoAustralia.ComingtoMelbourneinAprilonvisit9rvisa.Brother settledinMelbomne.Whatsapp: +91-9915154747oremailbiodataandpicturesco khanak3171S@gmail.com

SEEKING BRIDES

Seekingabeautiful,educated,family-orientedgirlforaPunjabiKhatri,handsomeboy, 34yearsold,5'7",NRI,AustralianCitizen,Accountant,ownhouse,wellsettledfamily. Divorced. Castenobar.Contact:matrimonialsydney@outlook.com;+61 411 342849

SeekingsuitablebrideforJatSikh,41,divorced,wellsettledinAustralia.Caste/religion/age nobar.Pleaseemailwithphoto andbiodata tomailpoint247@gmail.com

• HolstcRelaxation

• Stress-EliminatonwithaEffectiveBreathingTechnique

• Deeprestandheapsofmoreenergy

• SimpleLife-GuidingPrinciplesfromAncientScriptures

• LearnSudarshanKriyatoharmonzetherhythmofthe body mindandtheemotions.

Register@https://www.artofliving.org/au-en/program/1461 WritetoAnkita:ankita@artofliving.org.au ph0431 750991

Upcoming Program May26-28 @ Genfed Fr 6:30pm -9:30pm Sat, Sun9:30am -2:30pm Genwood Public Schoo, CnrBemont &Harrows Rd, Genfeld FreeIntroductoryseminar onMndfuness@30thApril

2:30pm •3:30pmat Li.erpool Library, 170GeorgeStreet, Li.erpool

1 Frunded111981bySrSriRaviShanl<arTmArtOfLivingisanot-fa-profit,educatklnal,andhumalltarianNGOergaged 1111 1""•rn"'' instress-managemer1tandsenJOI!Intiativesacroos151countries. Formoreinformation,visitwww.artofliving.org

We provide professional preparation ofallvisa applicationswithdetailedsupportingsubmissionsto enable streamlined processing. Ourservices included butarenotlimited to:

• General skilled migration and state sponsorship

• Employer Sponsored Temporary visa 457

• EmployerSponsored Permanent visa 186

• Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme(RSMS)

• Student visas and student's dependent visa

• Family migration- Fiance, spouse, parent, child

• Business Migration with State/Territory Sponsorship

Multilingualstaff:

• Hindu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Macedonian, Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian,Thaiand Mandarin.

Address: Suite 2B, Level 13, 99YorkStreet, Sydney, NSW2000 Phone02 92998881 and 02 98915828

Email: lnfo@migrationcentre.com.au

Contact:

FreeStudent Service: Free and quick admissions in all Australian and USA Institutions

• FREEchangeofCourse and Institutions

• FREE RPLand credit exemption facilities available

• FREE Professional guidance to select a course or pathway

• Scholarships available in many institutions

• Flexible timetablesformorning, afternoon, evening orweekend classes

• Friendly counsellors speaking yourlanguage

• FREE OSHC issueadviceand quotes

limitofINR1,00,000pe,transfer.The Instanttransferisavailablesubjecttocertainlimitsontheamountsentandasoclearingmandatorycomplianceverificatonprocesses "Estimatedinternationalwire-transferfeeforbanktransfersfromAustraliatoIndia

Rernil21ndia-MoneyRemittancetoIndiaalanaffordableprice.Remit21ndiaisasecureonlinemoneytransferserviceforNRlstosendmoneytoIndiafrornUnitedStates,UnitedKingdom.Australia,Sngapore.Canada,U.A.E., HongKong,Germany,Spain&otherEuroCount,ies.TheserviceallowsNRlstosendmoneysafelyusingwiretransferandACH/DirectDebt.ThemoneycanbereceivedinIndiathroughdirectaccountcredits.

POORNA

I "Ihave no purpose_ Ijustwanttodo

to-richestrajectorywithtextbook-ish precision. Butthe heartis inthe right place, bringingtothe narrative a kindof non-negotiableintegritythatisatonce compellingandwinsome.

Authenticityisthekeytothe cogency of Bose'svision. Hechooses actorsand locationsastruetothe originalmilieu ascinematically possible.Therestjust follows.

Thenarrativesweeps usinto an emotionalrealismthatis atonce sparse anddramatic, pumping upthe sagaof resilience andhumanism with vignettes andframesthatform a panoramicarc overthe film's rugged landscape.

Poorna'ssaga beginsinan impoverishedvillageofAndhraPradesh andendsontheworld'shighest summit- Everest. Itisanambitious arc, navigatedandtemperedwitha lavish affection forthedowntroddenandan absenceofpatronisingpride indepicting the rise ofa young underprivilegedgirl to heights ofglory.

Little lshaanin TaareZameen Par hadhisRam ShankarNikumbhto steer him intothe light Poornahas Praveen Kumar,abureaucratwho belongsto thatrare breed ofcivil servants who stillbelieveshetookonthejobwith the purposeofimproving lives ofthe underprivileged. I've readsome very strangecommentsonhowRahul Bose hascasthimselfinaself-glorifyingrole.

government-fundedcanteens.Rahul's PraveenKumardoesn'tflinchashe swallowsmorselsofthe garbageUunk foodatitspurest?)

Butwedo.

Throughoutthetellingofthisinspiring taleofa girlwhowon'tbuckle under the pressure of poverty andcynicism, Rahulgives usthe portraitofa bleak landscape litupbya distanthope. He istheartiste whowon'tjudgea value systemthatcondemnsthedowntrodden to doom. Buthewon't condone iteither. He canlaughwith Poornaather poverty -don'tmissthesequencewhere the girlsattheboardingschoolgiggle andcompareeach otherspoverty- but hewon'tlaughathercondition.

Poorna is alittlegem witha bigheart. Ithasmany virtues.Aditi lnaamdar who playsPoorna isa prizedfind.So isyoungS. MariyaasPoorna'sspunky buttragically vanquishedcousin_The scenesshowingthetwogirlsbonding are so heart-warmingasto make us overlookthefilm's obviousfawsofoverstatement.

STARRING: Rahul Bose,Aditi lnaamdar, Dhritiman Chatte1ee and Heeba Shah

DIRECTOR: Rahul Bose

it,"shetellsher mentorhonestly. I Thesimple confessional articulation ***Ir-'---

Atonecrucialpointinthetellingofthis I simpleandheart-warmingtale ofa tribal girl'sclimbfromthe pits ofpoverty I to Himalayanheights, Rahul Bose, I playinganuprightbureaucrat,asksthe littleAndhragirl whatisher purpose for I climbingEverest. I

exemplifiesthisfilm's mood. So rich in its message,so far-flunginitsintentions andpurposeand yetso intimate in treatmentandexecution, Rahul Bose winsyouoverwithhishonestyof purpose_

There areno duplicitousbonesinthe structure ofthisfilm.

Sure, there are passages inthis motivationaltalethatfollowtherags-

Wait isthatagainstthelaw?To play noble characters? Hasthatbeen declareda cognisable offence bya social orderthatthinkscynicismiscool?

Itiseasyto getcynicalabouta character whose heart bleedsforthose whoare notgivenonesquare meala day.Thereis anemotionallysurcharged momentinthe narrative wherethe conscientious bureaucrateatsa midday mealwithschoolgirlsto getafeel oftheawfulfoodthatisservedupby

However, some ofthe other actors inincidentalrolesseem tohavecome onboardjustto feelgoodabout themselvesforhelpinganoblecause. Thefilmisshotwithminimumfuss and optimum feelings. WhenlittlePoorna stoodatthepeakofEverest,I feltI was standing uptherewithher.Gloriously triumphantandhopingthatwhat MajroohSultanpuriwrote45years ago for ajustsocialorderwouldcometrue soon:Kitne din aankhentarsengVKitne dinyun di/ tarsenge/Ek din tohbaadal barsenge/Ae mere pyaase diVaaj nahin toh ka/mehkegi khwabonki mehfil.

Takea bow, Rahul Bose. Poorna isnot justatale ofthetriumph ofthehuman spirit.We allhaveaPoomainsideus waitingto conquer ourownEverest.

SubhashKJha

NAAM SHABANA

STARRING: Manoj Bajpayee,Taapsee Pannu,Akshay Kumar, Prithviraj Sukumaran,Danny Denzongpa,Anupam Kher,TaherShabbir

DIRECTOR:AShivam Nair

1rlc-\- -\

NaamShabana,aspin-off fromthe 2015 popularfilm Baby, ispurported

ANAARKALI OF AARAH

STARRING: SwaraBhaskar,Sanjai Mshra, PankajTripathi,lshteyak Khan

DIRECTOR:AvinashDas

Nothinginthisunexpectedstorm-trooper ofafilmhas preparedyouforitshig� velocityenergyandferventstatementon female sexuality.Withoutexaggeration, AnaarkaliOfAarah(AOA)isthesurprise oftheseason.

Itisstunninginthought,spellbinding inplotandutterlygrippingintheway thestoryofasmall-towndancer-singer's adventuresinlecher-landunfolds. AOA is manythingsatthesametime. Itisashimmeringsun-soakedmirror of small-town valueswhereineverysneeze orfartisnotedandevaluatedacross thecommunities.Andyetthestoryof Anaarkali(SwaraBhaskar,spectacular) is alsothestoryofeverywoman, urban orrural.

Lady,youmaybelongtoAarahor Arizona,therewillalwaysbemenwho feelthey'vethebirthrighttoownyour bodyasand whentheywish.

So, here'sthesimmeringprovocative scenario.Anaarkali,thesmall-townhottie who makes every guyintownhorny, is onstage giving robust voice and bodyto her raunchy songs- yes,she doesdirty dancingforalivingandenjoysherjob asmuchasSwara enjoysactingand I enjoy writing- whenthetown'sprime educationalinstitution'sViceChancellor (SanjaiMishra)decidestotakethe'Vice' tooseriously.

Hejumpsonstagetomolestthe

tobe anactionthrillerwhereShabana Khan(TaapseePannu)is a middle-class girl who lives with her mother and has adevoted boyfriend,college mateJai (TaherShabbir).

Anincidentone nightconvinces hertoputher martialartstraining touseandshechoosestofollow an unchartedpaththereon. Howshejoins anintelligencegroupto save hercountry dancer,asherperformingpartner (playedwith poignantpanache byPankaj Tripathi)watchesinmutedhorror.All hellbreaksloosethereafter.Whilethe lechersofAarahseetheinanti-climactic rage,Anaarkaligivesthema longropeto hangthemselveswith.

Inonesequence,Swarastrides, lookingcrushed,intothevice-ridden Chancellor'sdenonlytomakehimlook ridiculousattheendofit.Andattheend herdanceof defiance andexposureshe issovolatileandsodeliciouslyover-thetopI foundmyselfjumpingoutofmyseat tocongratulateSwara.

Nowalkover,ourAnaarkalitakes ontheacademicloutwithsuch vigour andstrengththatyouwillfind yourself cheering andclappingforthis female hero ofthese times ofsexual ambivalencewhen meninpositionsof powermisusetheirstrengthtosubjugate womeninworkplaces.

Thisisasublime flm aboutthe dignityoflabournarratedwitharaunchy rigourthatisoftenappealingattimes exasperating.

Swara Bhaskar hits allthe rightnotes intheshrillestof scenes, bringing outthefeisty Bihariwoman's inner strengthandanextremelyappealing moral groundingevenwhenconfronted bythe demons ofherdisreputable profession. There are scenes where Swara is requiredto pushaside allher inhibitions, evenher innate feminine grace,toappear predatory inheraggression.TohercreditSwara sidestepssleazinessevenwhensheis requiredtosingandshakeher bootyto

from unwantedelementsbeginningwith aglobalarms kingpin, formsthecrux of thistwo-hourplusflm.

Thisisafilm whichexudesanaura ofintrigue andbeingmuch-anticipated, onegoes inwitha lotof expectations.

Butalas,thefirsthalfwhichstarts witha fair amountofpromise and anemotionalquotient, degenerates intoa mindlessactionfilmwhich fails togripyou anddrags.The weak and far-fetchedplotmeandersaimlessly, hingedona weak motiveboth ofthe protagonist,Shabana as wellasthe intelligence groupshe works for.

Theactionscenesare expectedly well-choreographedandexecuted,but lack freshness astheseoffernothing new.The foreignlocalestoo don't help inelevatingthefilm.The characters, perhaps withtheexceptionofShabana, whosebackstoryissharedto makeher lookcomplete,are allone-dimensional and appear outof nowhere.The dialogues aretrite andlackpunch.

ThefilmisTaapsee's canvas allthe way andone mustlaudher martial arts prowess andhard workwhichshines intheactionsequences.Her feisty personaandagility are praiseworthy. Butthatis whereitends.She failsto make an impactwhen she emotes and thescene during her childhood,when shewitnessesher parentsfght,is particularlytackyandunconvincing. lyricsthatwouldmakeYoYo HoneySinghblush.

Butthereisacertain graceanddignitytothe doublemeaningthrown outoftheeroticdancer's pelvisthrusts,likefire leapingintothesky.Swara dancestotheseribaldlyrics withsuch familiarityand trust, youwon'tnoticethe sexualityinher thrust.You willseethethirstanddare Isay,the innocence,the determinationtoremainan artiste evenwhen pushed somuchagainstthewall thather bodyisstiffened andstymied bysocialorder wheremenhavetherightto 'own'womensphysicality.

Inthisnimbly-writtenodeto feminine grace,a cheesydancerwhoprobably moonlightsasprostitutetellsthe predatorymanwheretogetoff.Itkicks whereithurtsthemostanditsdoesso withoutthe flourishofschisms. Itisa terrificpremisefor apost-feministfilm. Writer-DirectorAvinashDasdoesn't focusonremaining fashionableabout women's empowerment.

The smell,thefeel,thefavourand theemotionsofthestifingly patriarchal small-townisso palpable,youareswept intothe vortex ofthefilm'svibrantvista. Fullmarkstothefilm'scinematographer Arvind Kannabiran formakingAarah andAnarkaliseemweddedtoone another,andofcourseRohitKumar's authenticfolksongs theyaddsomuch

Prithviraj Sukumaran asthe arms dealer MikhailakaTony,hasastrong screen presence and portrays his characterwithconviction.

A melee ofgoodactors appear for no realreasonatallandnaturally failto impress owingtothepoorscriptand characterisation.Anupam Kherand DannyDenzongpaina minisculerole, arewasted.

EvenAkshay Kumar's presence asfellowagent.Ajayseemsforced anduncalledfor.Manoj Bajpayee,as the mysterious'Sir' with no name, whotracks andappointsShabana hasnothingmuchto offer byway of histrionicsandneitherdoes he appear comfortable inthe skinofhischaracter, merely mouthingpatrioticlines.

TaherShabbir as Jai, Shabana's boyfriend,isearnestandendearing. The actor playingher mothertoo is competent.

The musictoo is nothingto boast aboutandin factthebackgroundscore createsanunnecessarydin, drowning everythingelse."Rozana"byShreya Ghoshal,ishowever,pleasant.

Overall,NaamShabanatrieshardto be anaction-packedwoman-centricfilm and while itlets Shabana deliver the lastpunch inthepredominantlymale bastioninwhichshe supposedly shines, itfailstoconvince.

TroyRibeiro

valuetotheproceedings!A dizzying, combativeexplosiveexposeofsmalltownhooliganism anda spunky girl's determinationtosurviveallodds, AnaarkaliOfAarahhasa memorable gallery ofactorsgivingthegoings-ona sterlingpushandabracingvigour with their performances.

ButaboveallthereisSwara Bhaskar givingwhathistorywiII recordasone ofthebravestandmostimportant performances byafemaleactor inpostmodernistBollywood.

Don'teventhinkaboutseeing anyotherfilm.Withthistowering achievementaroundtheothersdon't standa'ghost' ofa chance.

GimmethespunkqueenofAarahany dayratherthanthe bhootofPhillauri.

SubhashKJha

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

ALI FAZAL GOING PLACES

Youprobablyknowofhimfromhissmallrolesin 3 Idiots, Fukrey and Happy BhagJayegi. ButourAli Fazalisnow goingplaces.

Hegotasmallrole in Furious 7andfoundhimselfthrustinanew world of greatopportunities.TheLucknowladacquittedhimselfwellenoughthereto getnoticed,and before long, had baggedthetitle roleintheJudiDenchstarrer Victoria andAbdul.

TheStephen Frears-directedfilmshouldopennew doors foryoungAli,and has probably already doneso,nowthattalentmanagementfirmJulian Belfrage Associates hassignedhimon.Thiscompanylooksintothework ofthe bignames suchasDenchas wellasJude LawandDanielDay Lewis.

Victoria and Abdultellsthestory ofQueen Victoria'scloserelationshipwitha tallandhandsome Indian Muslim calledAbdul Karim. Itisbasedona book bythe samename byLondonwriterSharbani Basu.

AbdulKarimwasjust24whenhewassenttoEnglandfromAgra towaitat tablesduringQueenVictoria'sgoldenjubileein1887. He wasgiventoher asa "giftfrom India". The queentooksucha likingto himthatshesoonelevatedhim inrankandhebecameaclose confidante. He introducedhertothefoodand culture of India-shesoontooktoeatingcurry regularlyandevenlearnttoread andwrite HindiandUrdu.

Thefilmreleases on22September.

Meanwhile,news isthatAli Fazalhasbaggedarole inan upcoming Hollywood productionoppositeParisJackson, MichaelJackson'sdaughter. RichaChadda is alsosaidto bepartofthisfilm, amusicalcomedyalong Bollywoodlines. Aswell,there'sa projectwithEddie Izard inthe offng,whoAli workedalongside in Victoria and Abdul.

BHAGYASHREE'SSON TO MAKE BOLLYWOOD DEBUT

Bhagyashree'sson?Shehasagrown upson?

Weall rememberher asthePretty YoungThingthatSalmanKhan- and thewholeofIndia- fellinlovewith, in thatsuper-duperhit Maine PyarKiya (1989).Shelefttheindustrysoonafter, neverhavingdone another Hindifilm, towedtheloveofher life,agedonly 19. Today,28yearson, hersonAbhimanyu DassaniisallsettomakehisBollywood debut.

He hasjust been announcedasthe leadinaquirky actioncomedycalled MardKo OardNahi Hota. Thefilm, whichwillalsolaunchRadhika Madan, isdirectedbyVasan Bala, whowrote anddirectedthe 2012crime-thriller Peddlers.

ThefilmistobeproducedbyAnurag Kashyap,whoselong-timeassistant Vasanhas beensincethe heady daysof DevD.

"Vasanhaswrittenasuperblyfunny andkickass martialartsfilm,thelikesof whichI haveneither readnorseen. It's so local andsonewthatyoucan'thelp butmarvelatit,"AnuragKashyapsaid.

ThefilmalsofeaturesTamilstarVijay Sethupatiinakey role.

SHABANAAZMI: NO SLOWING DOWN India'sveryownMerylStreep,Shabana Azmi feelsthefilm industryhasdefinitely beenage-centric,butthatthisis grad.uallychanging.

"Ifyoulookinmyowncareer graph in thelast10 years, Ihave probablyhad themostchallengingrolesofmylife," she remarkedrecently."I havefivefilms linedupforrelease.Twoofthemare American productions -oneiscalled Signature Move andtheotheris The Black Prince."

"ThenI havePremchand's ldgah, Sonata and The Wishing Tree.Allthese rolesareasdifferentasyoucanpossibly imagine."

Shabanasaysit'sa rich varietyof rolesthatiscomingherwayat66,andit makesherhappy.

HINDU SUPPORTERS PROTESTAGAINSTSCENEIN UPCOMING FILM

Vishva HinduParishad(VHP)supporters protestedoutsidefilm producerT.P. Aggarwal's office claimingthathis forthcomingrelease Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana includes ascenewhichcanhurtthe Hindu community'ssentiments.

They demandedthe deletionofa scenewhereinapregnantwomenis seenbeingmarried.

However,Aggarwalstoodfirmagainst theprotestand saidhewon'tmakeany editsinthefilmasithasbeenpassed bytheCentral Boardof Film Certification (CBFC).

"Itisnotacrime fora pregnant

womantomarry,"thefilm producer,who isalsoPresidentofthe Indian Motion PictureProducersAssociation,toldthe protesters.

He also askedthemtoshowwhere in thescripturesitismentionedthatthis istaboo.

Directedby Manish Harishankar,the film,slatedtoreleaseonXXXX,features NaseeruddinShah'ssonVivaanand Kamal Haasan'sdaughterAkshara. Itisbasedonthethemeofteenage pregnancy, arisingconcerninIndia's metropolitancities.

WEB SERIES FOR SHAMITA SHETTY,APARSHAKTI

It'sgoodtolearnthatthefilmindustry isgrowingby lookingatvarious modes of consumption.Theterm'webseries' isnowbeingbandiedaboutwith increasingfrequency.

ShilpaShetty's babysisterShamita Shettywillsoonbejoiningactor Aparshakti Khurrana forawebseries.

Theseries,inworks forViacom18's Over-The-Top(OTT)platform- VOOT, will markShamita'sdigitaldebut.The storyline oftheseries andallthe other related information isbeingkeptunder wraps.

Shamitahadrecentlyteasedher socialmedia familywithapostthat read:"Doing whatI love best! Work mode,shootlife,newbeginnings,happy me."

Accordingtoanofficialstatement from VOOT,theserieswillalsofeature GauravPandey -lastseenin Badrinath Ki Dulhania -andRidhimaPandit. Thetitleoftheserieswillberevealed soon.

RANI MUKERJIIN COMEBACK MODE

BollywoodstarRaniMukerjireturned tofacethecamerathismonthforher comebackfilm Hichki. Theannouncementwasmadevia avideopostedonthesocialmedia platformsofproductionbannerYashRaj Films.

After her power-packedperformance asapolicewomaninMardaani,theactor tooktime off formotherhoodwhenshe haddaughterAdirawithhusbandand filmproducerAdityaChopra.

Thenshewantedtoreturntodowhat

shelovesdoingthemost.

ComingoutundertheYashRajFilms banner, Hichki isbeingdirectedby SiddharthP. Malhotra andproducedby ManeeshSharma.

ThefilmwillfeatureRaniinapositive andinspiringstoryaboutawomanwho turnsher biggestweaknessintoher biggeststrength.

Inanearlierstatement, Ranihadsaid shewasonthelookoutfor ascriptthat wouldchallenge andexcteher.

Thefactthat Hichki came witha positive premise,urgedtheactressto takeitup.

KAJOL: SOUTHERN SOJOURN

Meanwhile,Rani'sfirstcousinand equally lovedactor Kajol,hasjust finishedworkonhercomebacktoTamil cinema.The Soundarya-directed VIP2 hasjustwrappedup.

Lastseenin1997Tamilfilm Minsara Kanavu, KajolhasreturnedtoTamil filmdomafter nearly twodecades.

VIP2, asequeltothe2014Tamil blockbusterVelaIlla Pattathari stars Dhanush intheleadrole whileKajol playsasuavebusinesswomanina pivotalrole.

"Therole issomethingI amreally very happyabout. I reallycan'trevealmuch aboutthefilm,asI have gotstrictorders frommydirectornottotalkaboutthe film,"theDilwaleactorsaid.

ApartfromtheTamilflm,Kajolisalso workingwithherhusbandAjayDevgnfor

theirhomeproduction.

"It istoo early to talkaboutmyhome productionfilm.We willmostprobably startshootinginthe comingtwoorthree months,"shesaid.

AND SOME OTHER COMEBACK FEATURES

Speakingofcomebacks,Srideviisall settobewitchyetagain,thistime as Mom.DirectedbyRavi Udyawar,Mom,a woman-centricfilm,isproducedbySri's husband Boney Kapoor.Itwillreleasein Hindi,TamilandTeluguonJuly14.

AndwhathasRaveenaTandonbeen doing,whilehercontemporarieshave beenworkingawayontheir comebacks? She'sbeenjudgingachildren'stalent showonTV calledSabse BadaKalakar.

"Judginga kids'realityshow isvery easy," ravishingRaveenasaidrecently.

"Kids arevery uncomplicated.For them, lifeisverysimple- either itisblackorit iswhite,withnohiddenagenda.Ithas beenagreatandwonderfuljourney filmingthisshowwiththem."

ReallyRaveena?Simple??Wellthen, thisnext story below,is aimed atyou.

BEHIND THESCENES OFA MUSIC REALITY TVSHOW

Thereare aweinspiringstoriesof unknowntalentdiscoveredonTVreality showswhogoontostrikeitbiginthe worldofentertainment. Butwhatabout

the equallygoodtalentthatdoesnot makeittothe top?Howaretheyleft topickupthepiecesaftertheyhave 'failed'?

Thisistheunusual themeof upcomingfick Blue Mountains, directed bySumanGanguliandproduced by RajeshJain. Itstarsyoungtalent YatharthRutnam, reallifewinner of a children'stalentshowonIndianTV, eventhoughhetakesonthe role of someonewhodidnotwin.GracySingh (of Lagaanfame)playshismum,failed classicalsingerwhourgeshimonina bidtorealiseherowndreamsvicariously throughhim.

Thefilmhasalready takenoutvarious awardsintheinternationalflmfestival circuit.

MADHUR BHANDARKAR IS ATITAGAIN

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar's upcomingproject lndu Sarkarwill releaseonJuly21.

Themovieisreportedlybasedonthe infamousEmergencyera,a21-month periodfrom1975to 1977,when Prime MinisterIndiraGandhideclareda state ofemergencyacrossthe country. ItfeaturesAnupam Kher,NeilNitin Mukesh, Kirti KulhariandBengaliactor TotaRoyChowdhury.

A recipientofthe PadmaShri, Bhandarkarisknownforhissocially relevantfilmslike Traffic Signal, Chandni Bar, Fashionand Page 3. Hefeelsyouth willbeeager to watchlndu Sarkar.

WHATTWEETY BIRD TOLD US THIS WEEK

Matchthestarstothefollowing tweets: KaranJohar,SalmanKhan,ShahRukh Khan, Madhur Bhandarkar

Thankufor thelovethepassionandjust stickingbyurteam. KKRfansumake us!

It'sanEmergency!Yourdatewith animportantchapterfrompost independence historyofIndia,'lndu Sarkar' releasesonJuly 212017

Mybabynurserydesignedby @gaurikhanwithsomuchlove and care it's myparadise! Love you gauri. Nice.@SohailKhaninaugurates @bebeinghuman53rdstore at Seawoods Mall,Navi Mumbai

What's the chitchat between DEEPIKA PADUKONE and NEETU KAPOOR?

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

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

SMEAR CAMPAIGN!!!

SUNEETA ROSARIO St. Agnes, SA

Suneeta wins a ticket to Hindi film Phillauri

How to su1Vive i'mrnigration

Inside secrets are revealed by One Who IntegratedSuccessfully

BY KRISHNA NEELAMRAJU

Migraringcoanewctrnntryis probablychchardesli:hing you'lleverdo. Ifyourlife wereamobilephone,this islikepressingLhc'factory reset'button. All theappsyougotusedto? Yeah,they'regone. J'm ,tfraidyouhave co installthemagain.

1wroteonce before:Migrrmlspt1rktilo/ef 11•oniesi11/heirslighl!Jormnightc11bi11briggage.

UndcrstaJ_1dingi:hclocalaccentis probablytheleaseofyourworries.Bigger bart:lcswillbefoughtwhenyou'rejob hunlingand convincingrealestateagcncs thatyourcurry doesn'tsmellchatstrong.

Hmringspcnralino$ttwoyear$in AuscraLiaandnotrunawayycL,I'vedecided tocompilesomeinsidesecretsd1atwillhelp newdesiimmigrantssurvive.Readyforit?

Hercgoes:

FireAlarms

Theveryfirstcrisisyouwillfaceini:he\'vest isd1cbleeping firealarm.Everyrimed1c littlebuggersgooff,thestresswillmake vouwilllosetwodaysofyourbalance life.171cyseemcoimuithrclyknowhowto harassyou.Justwhenyouchinkyou'vegot d1ehangofmakingd1atbutterroti.d1efire alarmdisagreesandpursyouinyourplace.

Oneof111)'deepestfears,1 confessed romywifeonce,isdrnrourson'sprecious childhoodmemorieswill be filledwid1 his immigrantfad1erfunningthefumesaway from tbefirealarm.He'llprobablywrite asmnd-uproutinearound ir,t1!t1Russell Peters. DidI hearyousaysomedlingabour removingbacceries?Youslydog!

Tip:(fJ'OIImm/lobinge(I//gfaeem1et1red rhnpt1lhis, bHm.ro111eralontsbtfareba/ld. Stm1ddiru/9•btloll'/hefirer1/am;, holdr1lm-ge mper111arkelratt1/og11e11•ithholh11r1J1subo,,eJ'Ollr het1dm1dfa11mmyf111io11s9.fl'.,t1lsO.!,J(}Ode.wrdse for_yo11rlalissiJ1111sdorsi11111.rrles

Shoppingcentres

There'ssomethingmisleadingnboutthese big,air-conditionedboxeschatlcx>kthe samee,·crywhere. lJ youwalkinlace,after

aJJtheshinylightsaremmcdc>ff, you'dthinkrhatduisarchalfthe Australianpopulation. lr'sa�l'pe Isamplingerror.\'<:rhiletherestof thecmu1tyisciilieratanaJJ-nigbtbeach-panyoralreadyinbed,thedesifanlilv scrapsitssnottykidtoi:hebackofametal trolleyand hauntsd1caislesofadiscoW1t megascore(Hasupccmarkecinthelocal shoppingccnrre.Smdyingchepricesof unsaltedbutterbra1Jdsac9pmonweekends hasneverbeensopopufarind1ehistoryof humanit}:

Myfamily'sweekends havebeenmore productivee,·crsincel shiftedtogrocery shoppingaloneonweekdays,onmywa)' homefromwork.

Tip:Ihm-ea011e-wordlipfarJ'()/JrIF"RT111cillsi11 ge11eml-Al'Oid

IndianTVBox

leisanessentialaccessorycoeverydesi household. Likethetimedfilm foryour carwil1dows,itproccecsyoufromd1c harmfuleffectsofovcrcxp<>surecolocal cnccnaiJm1ci1LAtleastforfirsrgeneration immigrnncs,d1eTVbnxis rheonly connecti<>n cothemod1ershipwhennoton aSk-pecall.That,andthepirated DVDs yougeeforfreewid1aSI00grocerybillat d1eIndianstore.Getoneifyoumusl,but don'tbecome too attached co iLTheTV box,l mean.

Tip:RestrictII�/11dia1177'bo.vlo50%of)'Ollr idiotboxli111e.Patonise/om//(l/et1Itoo. IfJ'OII ro11'!,ll'h11l's/htpoi11tofm1igmti11g,1wl!J?

'These People' Righcfromdayone,I havebeengerring generousad,�ceabouthow ro dealwid1 'thesepeople'.leisd1eproduceofdecades ofcollectiveimmigrantwisdom,crunched inlObite-sizedstereotypesabomd1chost country.

'Thesepeople'don'tworkatall.All theymlkaboutis lawnmowingandhome renovations.

e1·crcruse ·mesepeople'.171eywillturn againstym1anytime.

'Thesepeople'earntillThursdayand spcoditaUonboozeind1eoei-1:threedays.

1 confess,l'vcalsobeenguiltyof generalisingnbour'thesepeople'-thongh in mydefence,mystereotypesonlyincreased myadnlirntionfor·dtesepeople'.

'Thesepeople,no?Theyarcliked1is only!'

Tip:It'sokqytoi11d11!gc1i1 tibitef 'thtsepeople'011ce i11r1111hile. The.rtpeople· doiiloo.]us/t/011�overdo

PressureCookers

Sowepressuredourlandladyaboutd1c leakingtaps until shesencahandyman co fixthen.1.Therehewas,ind1eshower, grapplingwiththecomplc.xproblems ofwaterdripswhenheheardaneard1sharreringsoundofsomedtingblowing upoutside.Suspectingmorcaldanger,he rushedomcosavehimselfandalcrclaw enforcement.

it.

New Immigrants

1odoubthewasembarrassedtorun intomycoddlercoollybuildingwooden traincracks,obliviouscothehullabaloo. My braveson,unlikethebuclyhandyman,grew uptodtesoundsofLhepressurecooker blowingwhistlesfourtimeseverymeal. l amsurede.rikidscouldevenhandleanoil rigblowingupin d1enextroomand noc 0inchamuscle.

J\ desifriend'sAussieaunconceplayfully mockedd1esuburbwelivein. 'Everycwo steps,youhearapressurecookergooff. ]e's almostlikeIndia!'Saysitall,docsn'lit? Tip:17xworldhas111oved011to!11Slr111/Pots.

b111ifJ'OII11tmflos11rri,,e//�firstft11•_J-e,m q(i111111igmtio11,111t1/u1Hre_yo11r40kgbaggage ,t!/0111t111ahasti 10kgS11b!iJ11itfari11d11dio11:frie11d9, presmrerook.trs

Afavouritepastimeofolderpeopleisco complainaboutho\\"thingswere'sogood' beforeand'notataJJgood'nmv.Ieeping upwithd1e cmdition,ade.riformercolleague oncecoldmethatthequalityofnewdui immigrantsisreallyfalling. Sheshould know.SheemigratedcoAustraliaatlhe sametimeasd1eDandckars.lwasahouc threemomhsoldind1ecountrywhenshe gaveherqualityassessment,solassumed shewastalkingabouttheClneswhoc:une afterme.

Tip:"Piereis11othi11gmorede.riIha,,bei11g dimi111i11r1/cdag1Ji11slI?)•afel/0111desi.Takei11 lihemldosese!f!Odolddesis11obhe1]"111;e11e11trJ1011 rt111. TJ:rIIwo11dnfit!mrefarhrJ111tsirkm.ss.

Adjustingcothenewenvironmentmkcs time.Whatmakesiceasy is "'henyouknow insidesecretsLikeLhesc.\X'ichmeonyour side,you'renevershoreofc.._;ccllentinside info.

Fi1111/Tip:Talwitalhvilhapi11chefsalt. !fitis slill111rpa!t1tahle,sprinkleJO/Jltrhr1I111asalt1011lhe top. Tbt1toughtado ii!

UNLIMITEDDATA

3GB ('13 14 23 I tpg.com.au

HomeBundle:Mnchargeincludes$20Prepayment+S99.95Setup+$10Delivery(ifapplicabe).Onlyavailableinselectedcoverageareas.Ifthenbnn•netwolkcomestoyourarea.TPGwillinviteyoutomoveyourservice tothenbn'"'networkon18monthcontractwithWi-FimodemincludedatnoaddtionalcosttoyouSomecalltypesnotsupported.Incl.fax, payTVprogrampurchase,backtobasealarmsandsimilar.Mobile:Mincharge includes$10SIM.Newmobileregistrationsonly.UnlimitedCalls&SMStoStandardAustralianNumbersareforusewithnAUony.StandardratesapplyforotherusagetypessuchasExcessData,VideoCalls,International Roaming&otherEnhancedServioas.CallsandSMSto19NumbersandPremiumSMS/MMSarenotsupported.DatausageIschargedperKBorpartthereof.ExcessData$10torextra1GBblocks.100International Minutesolferdoesnotincludecallstosatellitephones.Unused100InternationaMinutesandIncludedDataareforfeitedattheendofeachbilingcycle.ExcludedorexcessusageisonlypossibewithsufficientPrepaid Balance.General:Theseoffersmaybewithdrawnatanytime.Plansareforresidentialcustomersonlyandnotforcommercialuse.Visitwebsiteforfullterms&conditions.