2017-11 Brisbane

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BRISBANE

Indian all-girl crew’s

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editorial INDIAN LINK PUBLISHER Pawan Luthra EDITOR Rajni Anand Luthra ASSISTANT EDITOR Harshad Pandharipande MELBOURNE COORDINATOR Preeti Jabbal

Rudd, Jones, Jones and Adani

CONTRIBUTORS Preeti Jabbal, Jyoti Shankar, Vish Chilumkurti, Ritam Mitra, Krishna Neelamraju, Dhanya Samuel, Usha Ramanujam Arvind, Anubhuti Madan Singh, Nury Vi achi ADVERTISING MANAGER Vivek Trivedi 0410 578 146 ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Charuta Joshi 02 9279 2004

Indian Link is a fortnightly newspaper published in English. No material, including advertisements designed by Indian Link, may be reproduced in part or in whole without the wri en consent of the editor. Opinions carried in Indian Link are those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by Indian Link. All correspondence should be addressed to Indian Link Level 24/44 Market St, Sydney 2000 or GPO Box 108, Sydney 2001 Ph: 02 9279-2004 Fax: 02 9279-2005 Email: info@indianlink.com.au Cover photo: Ravinder Singh Virk

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

O

nly days ago, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and shock jock Alan Jones found themselves as panellists on ABC TV’s Q and A program.

Jones, whose voice dominates Sydney radio airwaves, is known to be like a bulldog over a bone, so tenacious are his views on any topic on which he has made up his mind. He has been very vocal in his opposition to the Adani Group’s Carmichael coal mine being set up in central Queensland. He is the public face of the anti-Adani ads on behalf of campaign group Lock the Gate, which seeks to ‘stop the taxpayer loan to Adani’. In the ad, Jones expresses his disbelief at the potential use of taxpayers’ money to help fund the $16.5 billion coal mine.

All sides of politics - the Greens excluded - seem to back the Adani

project. During his last visit to India, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had a number of requests from India’s corporate leaders to meet with him. The list, it seems, included leading IT companies such as TCS, Wipro and other businesses either doing work with Australia or keen to engage. Yet the only one-on-one meeting which Turnbull took, blessed by Indian PM Modi, was with Gautam Adani. Photos of both the Prime Ministers and Gautam Adani, splashed across the media in Australia, only raised the ire of those in opposition to the mine. The Labor party has also committed to this project. In the lead up to the Queensland elections, both the first-term incumbent Labor government currently led by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, and the Liberal National opposition currently led by Tim Nicholls, have endorsed the project.

At stake, cry the political leaders, are 10,000 jobs to be created in Queensland which is suffering the downturn of the resources boom. Not true, say those who oppose the mine - they count new jobs to be created at less than 2,500.

Yet, a recent survey by company ReachTel of 2,194 Australians found

that 55.5 per cent of voters said they opposed the project, with only 26.1 per cent in support and the balance undecided.

And so, why are the governments in power - the Coalition at the federal level and Labor in Queensland - willing to face community backlash on this project?

To get an insight in the workings in the Prime Minister’s office, Alan Jones asked his fellow panellist former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd this question, “Nothing adds up (on the Carmichael project). So why are these political leaders falling over themselves (to endorse the Adani deal)?”

With bated breath, one waited for the answer from the former leader of the government who could have shed some light… but before Kevin Rudd could answer, another panellist jumped in with a different issue.

And to the dismay of the Stop Adani brigade, host Tony Jones did not come back to the question at hand, passing it off as a comment.

What a blunder from Australia’s preeminent journalist.

The answer would have been fascinating.

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YOUR SAY

LESSONS FROM THE LAMB AD

HARSHAD PANDHARIPANDE wrote on how the community handled the infamous lamb ad featuring Ganesha eating meat.

Sadanandan Nambiar AO wrote: I was interested in your coverage of the concern raised by some members of the Indian community and subsequent media news about the protest related to the depiction of a version of Ganesh (an actor with a mask around a funny dinner table) in a TV advertisement promoting the consumption of Australian lamb meat. Around the dinner table were similar caricatures from several other religions and beliefs. The advertisement was a display of typical Australian humour, and a commonly seen marketing ploy. That is all. I gave up eating meat some years ago.

I understand the sentiments of Ganesh worshippers. However, with due respect to their views, I would like to share another perspective through your columns. In comparison with all other religions in the world, Hindu thought probably allows the highest form of flexibility, in matters of intellectual freedom, debates and multiple paths to spiritual enlightenment. Hindu gods are the embodiment of virtues and faults, passionate sexuality and deep and contemplation, acquisition of brutal power and detachment into nothingness. Krishna is an embodiment of just about every fault that we have, yet he is divine to millions. Hindu mythology is replete with paradoxes; Ganesh is a god to many, but also a jolly-good, indulging, over-eating guy to many. Creation (not by birth) of Ganesh himself is the ultimate paradox, an outcome of an unbelievably cruel act of impulse, anger, vanity and compromise. Yet, millions worship Him and find in Him a source of support and seek his blessings for wealth.

If Ganesh is a personification of God or God himself to a true worshipper, how can Ganesh be dishonoured by man’s jokes or stupidity? Is He not above such things?

Vegetarianism is not necessarily a Hindu belief; it came into practice in some sections of Hindu communities very long after Hindu philosophical thoughts were well advanced. Today, millions of non-vegetarians and Indians classed as “lower caste” worship Ganesh in India.

Explicitly and wildly sexual carvings on stone walls in our many great monuments and places of past worship would more than match the most pornographic displays found today. Such were the strengths of our ancestral thoughts, truth seeking and wisdom.

Our mythology and epics are full of humour and jokes. For centuries, Vaishnavites (followers of Vishnu) and Shaivites (followers of Shiva) joked, abused and insulted each other, one calling the other “meat-eating, drunken mongrels”. There are brilliant Sanskrit plays written about this and such plays have entertained and enlightened Indians - Hindus - for centuries.

Some years ago, I played the lead role of Sathyasoma, a Shaivate monk, a drunken, cunning, half-mad, rude, womanising yet jealous fellow, to a packed audience (with repeat performance!) in a small theatre in Adelaide; my wife acted as Devasoma, my call-girl offering “hotpleasures”! That was a Sanskrit play written a few centuries ago and staged in temples. These are rich and intelligent traditions of Hindu thoughts and culture.

For an analysis of the extraordinary intellectual dimension of the deeper Hindu thoughts, as depicted in the great epic Mahabharata, I commend to your readers the scholarly and compelling book by the illustrious writer Gurucharan Das, called The Difficulty of Being Good: On the subtle art of dharma.

Our community would do well to take these things with a sense of humour, as intended by those who created the MLA advertisement, and take such stunts in our stride with a broader perspective, informed by higher order thoughts about the meaning of Hindu Gods and our philosophy.

Voice raised to draw attention to the recent misinterpretation of the Indian national boundary is a serious and important one. In future, we would make more impacts and gain respect, if we learn to target our concerns and protests more selectively and judiciously, and on matters that really count for India, Indian secular diaspora and Australia. If we fail to uphold Indian issues in judicious ways, we might descend to be seen as petty and immature.

NOVEMBER NOVEMBER

BLACKTOWN DIWALI IN NSW

PAWAN LUTHRA was a judge for the Blacktown City Council’s Light Up Your Homes for Diwali competition organised in conjunction with Indian Link Arun Sharma wrote: Although it is lovely Diwali lighting and the winner must be congratulated, this is not the first instance in Australia as claimed. The organisation Celebrate India in Melbourne has held the Home and Office illumination competition from 2007 to 2012. That was the first ever!

CONFLUENCE, A TRICKLE?

With its limited reach and menu, the Festival of India in Australia runs the risk of not engaging with mainstream Australians, wrote PAWAN LUTHRA Preeti Thadani wrote: Parenting my son who is born and raised in Oz, I was delighted when he and some of his Aussie friends got exposure to Indian culture and performing arts outside of Bollywood, at last year’s Confluence Festival. This year, fellow school parents and I were eagerly waiting to feast on a smorgasbord of performances with our children. Sadly, Sydney got only one classical music performance and one Bollywood dance workshop (a formula, we all agree, done to death). Confluence 2.0 seems more about grant gatherings, political agendas and appeasing sponsors than about PM Modi’s vision, which he shared with Sydney audiences in 2014 about wanting to showcase Indian arts to mainstream Australians. Confluence 2017 has farcically disconnected the audiences.

AT LAST, FEMINISTS OF COLOUR: MELB WRITERS FEST

APARNA ANANTHUNI reported from the Melbourne Writers Festival about feminists of colour talking about taking control of their own narratives.

Ruby Hamad tweeted: A concise but incisive roundup of the Decolonising Feminism session at MWF 17...

Aneeta Menon tweeted: Absolutely amazing women and awesome coverage from @indian_link #RepresentationMatters #ifshecanseeit

+ JOIN THE CONVERSATION > LOG on to your own Facebook or Twitter account > TYPE “Indian Link” into the search box at the top of the screen and click on the link that comes up > CLICK ‘Like’ to join the Indian Link Facebook community or ‘Follow’ @Indian_Link on Twitter

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art

Designer tram Indian-Australian artist turns Melb tram into a colourful canvas with a Kolkata connect

I

t’s kitschy, it’s cool and it’s definitely colourful.

For commuters on the streets of Melbourne, it is hard to miss the bright vinyl wrapped tram that currently plies on route No 11 West Preston and No 86 Bundoora tramlines.

Tramjatra is first of the eight trams designed to bring colour and creativity to Melbourne’s daily commute and is eliciting mixed response for its visual imagery.

Using elements of popular Indian streets and tribal art, Lucknow-born IndianAustralian artist Bushra Hasan has designed Tramjatra to honour the 21-year-old tramways relationship between Kolkata and Melbourne.

Esoteric is the word that springs to mind as one absorbs the art that has been made inherently accessible and public, courtesy the Melbourne Art Trams project.

A Victorian Government initiative, the project is a collaboration between Creative Victoria, Public Transport Victoria and Melbourne Festival with Yarra Trams.

The annual Melbourne Art Trams project, now in its 5th year, invites Victorian artists and community groups to submit designs that transform trams into mobile artworks.

Apart from Bushra, this year the designs are by artists Robert Owen, Matthew Clarke, Emma Anna, Oliver Hutchison, Justine McAllister, Josh Muir and St Albans Heights Primary School’s Community Hub. Speaking animatedly, Bushra shared the story of how her art made it to the largest ever canvas she has worked with.

“My art exists beyond the gallery, it is in everyday objects from a simple spoon to a storage can, buckets, tins and now to a tram,” said Bushra, who is also the cofounder of Indybindi designs.

Bushra created Indybindi, along with her two sisters Maryam and Zoya, to give visual expression to ordinary items and transform them into masterpieces.

INDIAN LINK

‘‘

I want everyone who looks at the tram to smile. I want to communicate the vibrancy, colour and diversity of India Bushra Hasan, artist

‘‘

BY PREETI JABBAL

Their promising business venture also supports Ashiana, an NGO for underprivileged women and children in Uttar Pradesh. Rural women are encouraged to learn to paint items, generate an income and be self-reliant.

A graphic designer by profession, Bushra has worked in India with fashion and lifestyle magazine Marie Claire as a senior designer and Harper’s Bazaar as an Assistant Art director.

She migrated to Australia in 2013 and after brief stints in Sydney and Launceston, settled for the world’s most liveable city.

During a visit to meet her sister, who was studying at RMIT, Bushra visited Melbourne and the city worked its charm on her. “The artist in me wanted to live in this beautiful city and I moved here with my husband in 2014,” she said, sharing her migrant journey.

She worked for St Kilda News as a graphic designer and is currently working on freelance projects with Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV). She was also responsible for designing the two lifelike moving elephants at the Moomba Parade in 2015.

Tramjatra was initiated in partnership with Melbourne trammie Roberto D’Andrea.

A friendship society was started in 1996 between Melbourne and Kolkata as the two cities outside of Europe that have used trams since 19th century. This year, they celebrated their 21st anniversary.

“I must admit that initially when Roberto explained the concept to me, I was unsure how to incorporate all the past Tramjatra characters and over 20 years of history in my design. It was such a good story with so much to say but I did not want the tram to look cluttered so I decided to use truck art,” said Bushra.

“Truck art is funky, kitschy and I can juxtapose it with artworks from different regions of India that are reflective of its diversity,” said the talented artist.

According to Bushra, she added her own

touches like the eyes of Goddess Durga that ward off all evil and are symbolic of the complexities of India’s contemporary society, particularly notions of gender.

She tried to reflect the warm Indian welcome and hospitality on the doors with images of flowers being showered on the passengers and the Indian Namaste.

Characters like Bondhu, Calbourne, Sundari, Cricket, Baccha, Shared-Lung, Paribeshbandhu and Gitanjali were incorporated in the design. Orange-bellied Parrots next to Great Indian Hornbills were also included.

All of this was designed on computer and then reproduced on vinyl. It took her a month to create the design and then put it

on sticker art. It took nearly two days and specialised workers to wrap the vinyl in perfect alignment around the tram.

“I want everyone who looks at the tram to smile. I want to communicate the vibrancy, colour and diversity of India whilst retaining the rich Tramjatra history,” said Bushra. “I also want the colours to cut into the grey tone of Melbourne,” she continued with a smile.

The other seven trams, with their own unique design concepts, will also be hitting Melbourne’s streets soon. All the trams will stay on tracks till April 2018.

Throughout the lively conversation on topics ranging from challenges faced by her to her grasp of traditional art and technology, her politically inclined family and her rebellious siblings, Bushra was delightfully candid.

She also shared with characteristic enthusiasm the ‘overall positive’ feedback she has received for her design so far.

With art being subjective and open to multiple interpretations, people have made several comments on Bushra’s artwork ranging from incredible to hideous.

Whether you love it or hate it, you simply cannot ignore it.

NOVEMBER

cover story

#LookAtMeSail An all-girl Indian crew on a daring mission to circumnavigate the world stops by at Fremantle.

SAI NARAYAN and RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA report

F

For a young woman who grew up in the mountains, Vartika Joshi has done pretty well as a sailor.

The spunky Garhwal girl is leading a team of six Indian women who are circumnavigating the globe on a sailing vessel. Her boat, INSV Tarini of the Indian Navy, docked at Fremantle WA on 23 October, in its first stop on a 7-month voyage. They sailed onward to Lyttleton (New Zealand) on 5 November.

As Vartika guided her crew in to Fremantle, the 56-foot Tarini had been at sea for 44 days and had sailed 4800 nautical miles.

A welcoming committee awaited, made up of the local Indian community, the Indian High Commissioner Ajay Gondane, Consul General of India (Perth) Amit Kumar Mishra and others of the diplomatic corps, and the media.

“It is wonderful to see this welcome,” skipper Lt. Commander Vartika Joshi said upon coming ashore. “Having been tossed about on the seas, and having been away from home for so long, it’s the warmth of this welcome from the people here that we will take with us when we go back to sea.”

The all-girl crew of the INSV Tarini, under the program Navika Sagar Parikrama, was flagged off from their base in Goa by another woman, India’s Defence Minister Nirmala Seetharaman, on 10 September.

Their project, christened ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’, is the first attempt by Indian women to circumnavigate the world.

Lt. Cdr Joshi’s Team Tarini consists of Lt. Cdr Pratibha Jamwal (Hull Officer), Lt. NOVEMBER

Cdr Patarapalli Swathi (Navigating Officer), Lt. Aishwarya Boddapati (Electrical Officer), Lt. Vijaya Devi (Seamanship Officer), and Lt. Payal Gupta (Logistics Officer). The average age on the boat? 26 years.

“Our aim is to promote the idea of sailing, even amongst men,” Vartika told Indian Link, in her trademark calm and collected demeanour. “Sailing as a sport is not exactly popular in India! We are also aiming to encourage more women to take up adventure sports.”

After a fortnight-long halt at Fremantle, the girls proceeded to Lyttleton (New Zealand). From there, there next stop will be Port Stanley (Falklands) and Cape Town (South Africa), before returning to home base on 18 April 2018.

To be technical, circumnavigation requires the vessel to be in open waters at all times and not in canals or straits. The Equator must be crossed at least once, and the total distance covered must be more than the circumference of earth, i.e., 21,600 nautical miles.

Life on the high seas

What’s the journey been like thus far?

“We’ve had a mix of calm weather and rough seas in our journey so far,” Vartika recounted. “When we set sail, there were no head winds. This reduced our speed - it was frustrating. But that has been our only low point thus far.”

The highpoints have been many, the girls chipped in.

“Dolphins - we saw plenty of dolphins,” offered Swati. “I was on watch on one occasion when some dolphins came around. The sailboat doesn’t make much noise, and these dolphins just roamed around us casually. What we saw first was a streak like a white doodle, or a big white snake. I froze for 5 or 6 seconds, then I calmed down and realised what it was. It was a sight to see, as they came at us like a torpedo!”

Killer whales were sighted too, she revealed. “We saw some baskets floating around, with some fish underneath them. It was like ‘man overboard’. We thought we’d do a drill, pretend the fish is a man. We tried recovering the whole thing for over an hour, tempted by the fish which was very colourful and attractive, but gave up ultimately.”

Another highlight was Diwali at sea, and a call by the Prime Minister himself.

Vartika recalled, “We were an hour and a half ahead of India, expecting PM Modi’s call at 1600 IST. We set about making our flour diyas and drying them in the sun. A call came through and we thought it was be a trial call, but it was the PM… he had called early! We were like, oh no, we’re not ready!!” Of course, the call was shared nationally.

There has been plenty of work was well.

The ladies have been collating and updating meteorological, ocean and wave data on a regular basis for accurate weather forecasts by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The Indian Ocean has seen some horrific natural disasters in recent times

and many resources are being invested to gain a better understanding of weather conditions.

They’ve also been also monitoring marine pollution, and have recorded lower levels south of the equator.

Food and watch duties were shared on a roster.

“We keep fresh food to last us for about 10-15 days,” Vartika described. “Then we switch to dry rations which we reconstitute with hot water.”

There was however, a particularly rough patch with the weather.

“We were expecting to hit a cold front in the southern hemisphere and had been preparing for it even five days in advance,” Vartika revealed. “We had no idea though of what the intensity would be. When the storm came it was high in intensity - with winds of 35 knots that picked up much more. We hadn’t ever experienced winds like that before, so it was a little bit scary but we came through it well.”

How it all began

The Sagar Parikrama (literally, circumnavigation) program began in 2009 when Cdr Dilip Donde set off on the first-ever solo expedition. Following him, Cdr Abhilash Tomy bettered the record by accomplishing this feat nonstop and unassisted. Both sailed on the INSV Mhadei, the navy’s first sail boat that Donde helped build.

In an attempt to keep up this newly established tradition, the Indian Navy struck upon the idea of having an all-girl

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The Tarini team with Consul General of India (Perth) Amit Kumar Mishra, and WA Parliamentarians Paul Andrews, Yaz Mubarakai and Simone McGurk

INDIAN LINK

NOVEMBER

Photos: Ravinder Singh Virk and Indian Navy website

cover story

crew take up the challenge.

“The call for volunteers went out in 2014,” Vartika said. “Three women sailors including me were picked for a mixed crew, on an experimental basis. Although the Navy had female officers by then, they were not serving in the field. There was no history of women on ocean-going platforms. But we coped well in our little experiment, and it was agreed we could take it up further.”

Volunteers were sought then for INSV Tarini. “Twenty applications came in; six were picked. We belong to different cadres two of us are naval architects, two are from training, and two from air traffic control.

The Navy gave us the option of pulling out whenever we wanted.”

Vartika loved the experience, having sailed since 2010. But one of the younger girls revealed she found it much harder.

“My first few days of sailing were very tough and I thought I would never come back to it. But soon, I was hooked!” The girls mentored by Cdr Dilip Donde, came together as a team in 2015. They clocked up nearly 25,000 nautical miles onboard INSV Mhadei and Tarini as part of training, including an expedition from Goa to Vizag for the International Fleet Review 2016, two expeditions to Mauritius (in 2016 and 2017), and a voyage from Goa to Cape Town. They also participated in the sailing race Cape to Rio earlier this year.

Fremantle

In its fortnight-long break at Fremantle, INSV Tarini underwent regular maintenance checks and replenishment of supplies for her onward journey.

“There is much to prepare for the next leg of our travels,” Vartika noted.

“Southern Ocean conditions are known to be even rougher so we are preparing the

NOVEMBER

boat as well as ourselves.”

The young crew were also out and about, meeting and talking to people.

They were welcomed warmly at schools and universities, at media interactions and within the local Indian community, the curiosity always high about a group of young Indian girls on a daring sail across the world. Particularly interesting for the girls themselves were their meetings with women in high profile positions, such as WA Governor Kerry Sanderson, the Deputy Mayor of Fremantle Cr Ingrid Waltham, President of the WA Legislative Council Kate Doust, and Deputy Lord Mayor of Perth Cr Jemma Green.

One of the stated aims of the program has been to showcase Nari Shakti, or women’s empowerment. “This would also help to discard the societal attitudes and mindset towards women in India by raising visibility of participation by women in challenging environments,” a government communique had declared.

Pratibha is particularly keen on this showand-tell feature. “We want to meet people and tell them that Indian women are doing this, on a boat that’s made in India.”

In recent years, India has been taking a renewed look at its naval program.

Programs to modernise - and indigenise its platforms have been announced in the backdrop of increased naval activities in the Indian Ocean Region, and also as concerns grow for it as a trade route and as a region vulnerable to natural disasters.

In light of this, its attempts to find larger roles for its women officers is a welcome initiative.

No doubt the next level up in the Sagar Parikrama program will be a solo circumnavigation - unassisted and non-stop of course - by an Indian woman.

We keenly await this announcement.

INSV TARINI > INSV Tarini, the Indian Navy’s second ocean-going sailboat, was inducted in February this year. > Designed in the Netherlands, she is a sloop built by Aquarius Shipyard Pvt Ltd at Divar, Goa.The hull is made of a wooden core fiberglass sandwich that performs better than aluminum and steel. > NSV Tarini carries a suite of six sails including a main sail, head sails, downwind sails and a storm sail. It is made out of wood covered in fiber glass. > The mast is 25 meters tall and has been custom-built by Southern Spars, Cape Town, for sailing in extreme conditions. > It also boasts of a Raymarine navigation suite and an array of latest satellite communication systems through which she can be contacted anywhere in the world. > INSV Tarini is almost identical to its predecessor, INSV Mhadei, which has sailed over 115,000 nautical miles in the past eight years. > This includes path breaking voyages like the first Indian solo circumnavigation undertaken by Captain Dilip Donde (retd) in 2009 and first solo, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation by Commander Abhilash Tomy in 2013. > The successful construction of both the Mhadei and Tarini in Goa are a tribute to the Government’s Make in India policy. > The Indian Navy is currently operating two other sailing vessels also built in shipyards at Goa - Tarangini and Sudarshini - capable of open ocean deployments. The Navy is attempting to revitalise open ocean sailing and will shortly be inducting four 40-feet, state-of-the-art open ocean racing sail boats. > INSV Tarini draws her origin from the famous Tara-Tarini temple of Orissa’s Ganjam district. The word Tarini means boat and is also a Sanskrit word for saviour. > Tara-Tarini is the patron deity for sailors and merchants and is worshipped for safety and success at sea. > Tara-Tarini of Orissa is known to have historical linkages with the river Goddess Mhadei -- the exclusive boat deity of Goa’s Mhadei river. Both deities have sculptural similarities.

IANS

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sustainability

Revitalising India’s rivers Isha Foundation’s Rally for Rivers campaign finds support in Brisbane

“E

veryone who consumes water must rally for rivers,” says Jaggi Vasudev or Sadhguru, as he is better known. Sadhguru is the founder and spiritual leader of the Isha Foundation, an organisation known for its free yoga programs, self-development programs such as Inner Engineering and environmental initiatives such as Project GreenHands. In September this year, he launched a Rally for Rivers to rejuvenate the rivers in India, many of which are drying up drastically.

Leading a convoy across sixteen of the most affected states in an attempt to raise awareness, he broke partisan and political barriers, successfully getting several state governments to offer their support to the cause. It also received support from famous sportspersons, artists and other celebrities across India. Hundreds of thousands of people showed up on the rally route.

Simultaneously, Isha Foundation also ran a ‘missed call’ campaign and 12 crore (120 million) people have already shown their support this way.

Why rally for rivers? The seven major rivers of India and their tributaries have been the lifeline for millions of people living on their banks and along their courses for hundreds of years. Rivers carry water and nutrients to areas they flow through.

They provide sweet water for drinking and are home to many creatures. Rivers provide a transport channel and can be a source of hydro energy. Most of the world’s civilisations such as Indus, Nile, Tigris, Euphrates and Yellow River have emerged on river valleys.

In India, people have a spiritual association with rivers, addressed reverentially as ‘mother’, a source of life.

NOVEMBER

together and prevent erosion, preventing the destructive cycle of droughts and floods that occur otherwise. Trees can provide a source of income for the farmers too. A win-win situation for people and the environment.

Some sceptics have argued that solutions, such as these proposed by Isha Foundation, do not consider many ecological issues of riparian vegetation

‘‘

Recognising the need for urgent action, a simple solution to reverse the trend is proffered by Sadhguru maintain a minimum of one kilometre tree cover on both sides of the river

‘‘

BY JYOTI SHANKAR

Most rivers are named after goddesses. Up until now, rivers have helped us maintain the fragile balance of eco-systems by absorbing and carrying away waste and effluents, but we have battered them to a point that they cannot recover without our help.

Recognising this and the need for urgent action, a simple solution to reverse the trend is proffered by Sadhguru - maintain

a minimum of one kilometre tree cover on both sides of the river. Where the land belongs to government, forest trees can be planted and where land is privately owned, income generating fruit trees could be the planted. By afforesting the banks, river basins are given a chance to recoup. Trees are essential to capture moisture from the air and rainfall. They also hold the soil

systems and groundwater systems or the logistics of agro-forestry. Will tree saplings planted in various abhiyaans (drives) survive without further nurturing? How will this be ensured? How will horticultural produce reach markets? Without such arrangements, will such an enterprise be viable for farmers? However, no one can deny that trees are good for the environment and

afforestation does stabilise micro-climates, increases rainfall and contributes to general health of rivers and groundwater.

Amod Datar, an Australia-based volunteer with Isha Foundation, told Indian Link that this simple idea of planting trees along river banks is backed by scientific research. “The ‘missed call’ campaign which has garnered so much support in India and among Indians the world over, is proof that people realise the seriousness of the situation and want to do something about it. What the Sadhguru is trying to achieve with the rally is a long-term commitment from the government, as reviving the riparian ecosystem will take many years to happen, way beyond the term of a state government.”

In Australia, Isha Foundation volunteers and friends have met over the past few weeks in Canberra, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney to show support to the cause. The Indian High Commissioner in Canberra and many dignitaries in other Australian states joined in supporting the Rally for Rivers. Amod said that in future Isha Foundation plans to meet up with the Murray Darling Basin Authority and exchange notes on how best they could contribute towards enhancing river systems in Australia, while at the same time taking ideas to implement the Rally for Rivers plan in India.

Australia is also very prone to droughts and its river systems are under threat. It is the world’s driest continent and less than one-fifth of the rain that falls in Australia ends up in its rivers. The government here has formulated catchment management plans to protect riverine eco-systems and manage water use effectively. Working together and sharing lessons learnt could be a great way to enhance cooperation between our countries.

As Kalidasa wrote in Raghuvansham, “Rivers are like mother for the country and mountains like the father… These water-filled streams fill the earth with the power of procreation and energy. It is these streams flowing on the landmass which act as the blood-pumping arteries in the body”.

No doubt a cause worth rallying for.

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Who wants to be a Hindi cricket commentator?

Think you have what it takes to call a match like Harsha Bhogle or Bill Lawry?

It’s time to put your skills to the test with Indian Link’s Who wants to be a Hindi cricket commentator? competition Indian Link Media Group will be broadcasting live cricket commentary selected matches for the upcoming KFC BBL, KFC WBBL & ODI, Adelaide Australia vs England We are looking for commentators who: > Have an in-depth knowledge of cricket > Have fluency in commentating in Hindi > Are able to travel to Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne on match days > Are over 18 years of age Entries close 25 November 2017. T&Cs available at indianlink.com.au

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO APPLY: 1. Go to www.indianlink.com.au and watch the 3-minute video clip on our YouTube channel Indian Link Australia, or Indian Link Australia Facebook page

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2. Record yourself calling the match in Hindi.

(Use your smartphone or any other device) 3. Send us your recording via Whatsapp (+61 410 578 146) or via a message on our Facebook page (facebook.com/IndianLinkAustralia).

Please include your name, age, city, contact details and email id.

Successful candidates will be invited for a live audition.

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NOVEMBER

politics

Car mechanic gears up for politics Greens candidate Navdeep Singh up against Premier in 24 Nov election

I

met Navdeep Singh long before he was chosen as a candidate for the Greens in Inala constituency. It was in the garage of a friend’s place.

I had gone to this friend’s house to give him some Diwali sweets and his wife told me that he was at the back of the house, getting his car fixed by a mechanic.

I was surprised that a mechanic would be making house calls in the afterhours and not charge an astronomical amount of money.

It was probably that ability to get his hands dirty, regardless of the time of the day, that endears Navdeep to hundreds of people, making him an ideal candidate

NOVEMBER

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Increasing cost of electricity with no value addition in the recent years and traffic congestion are two issues on top of Navdeep’s list

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BY VISH CHILUMKURTI

for a region which has multicultural and multiethnic demography.

Hailing from Punjab, this unassuming man joins the limited number of people of Indian origin who have chosen to join Australian politics to make the collective voice of the migrant community heard by the different levels of government. A mechanical engineer by qualification, he has a disarming smile and many big ideas about issues that affect the migrant society in Australia.

What motivated Navdeep to join politics was the apathy displayed by political leaders towards the increasing bureaucracy in the visa grant process, and a feeling of being neglected and unheard after a series of job redundancies led him to open up his own small automotive repair business.

Having expanded his automotive repair workshop to two different locations, Navdeep Singh also joins the ranks of the very few politicians who can boast of a

blue collar background. His postgraduate study of environmental engineering in 2007 brought him closer to the Australian Greens Party whose ideology on environment, public transport, rising electricity costs and migrants and refugees policies matched with his own personal views. Working

on minimal funding, Navdeep actively campaigns on Facebook and other social media to espouse various causes close to his heart and his party.

The main issue on Navdeep’s priority list is the increasing cost of electricity with absolutely no value addition in the recent years. He is equally concerned about traffic congestion and has a few different ideas that could help ease the traffic congestion in the heart of Brisbane city and his constituency of Inala.

Up against the Premier of Queensland, Annastasia Palaszczuk of the Australian Labour Party who has held the seat since 2006, and Leanne McFarlane of the LNP, it does look like a battle between David and Goliath.

However, going from the quiet and consistent confidence that Navdeep is known for, it would be interesting to watch the results of the Queensland election which will be held on the 24 November.

www.indianlink.com.au

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Is doing business in India really easier now?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts in building India’s global appeal for investors seems to have finally yielded returns in terms of the country’s performance in the World Bank Doing Business rankings.

India witnessed its highest-ever jump of 30 places in the rankings, reaching the 100th place among 190 countries. Subsequently, it also joined the list of top 10 improvers for the first time and became the first South Asian country to achieve the feat.

The World Bank measures this in terms of a Distance to Frontier (DTF) metric, which shows the distance of the economy from the best performer in each category on a scale of 0 to 100, with the latter representing the frontier. India has shown a drastic improvement of 4.71 points over the last year from 56.05 to 60.76. To put things in perspective, China has witnessed an increase of 0.40 points.

India’s performance has been impressive by any standard. It has moved closer to the global standards in nine of the ten parameters on which the Doing Business rankings are based and has enforced reforms in eight of these categories over the last year. The three key reforms among these were resolving insolvency, ease of paying taxes online and protection of minority investors. Despite these improvements, the general sentiment has been to dismiss the rankings mainly for the flaws in its methodology.

First, the rankings are based on perception surveys of few entrepreneurs or professionals based on questions that are mostly subjective in nature. Second, they are not even based on the economic conditions of the entire economy but on one or two cities within a nation. For India, it is based on Delhi and Mumbai alone. However, the critics miss the point.

If India performs poorly even on such a limited study that chooses the best cities in the country, it speaks volumes of the business conditions across the country and is indicative of the scope of improvement that remains. Moreover, rankings are

NOVEMBER

relative by definition and since the World Bank chooses a maximum of two cities for other countries as well, it should depict a near accurate performance of any country on a relative scale. Therefore, any improvement up the ladder cannot be summarily dismissed.

Further, reforms considered by the World Bank include a mix of central and state initiatives. Passing of central legislation like the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, that helped India jump from 136 to 103 in the “resolving insolvency” parameter have pan-India benefits and are not just limited to Delhi and Mumbai. Therefore, it would be incorrect to presume that merely focusing on a few cities is disassociated from reality even though the actions of state governments are not reflected.

Incidentally, India performs poorly in parameters where state government interference is maximum: Getting an electricity connection, starting a business and registering a property. This underlines the importance of policy coordination between the states and the Centre.

Nevertheless, credit needs to be given where it is due for an improvement in rankings majorly driven by reforms undertaken by the central government over the last few years. It must be noted that the rankings have not taken into account the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Therefore, considerable potential remains for further improvement.

But it should also be kept in mind that these rankings are not an end in themselves and are far from perfect. A lot of it is based on policies which are on the books and do not necessarily capture the real experiences on the ground. After reforms are initiated to ease the business environment, the main task of implementation begins where the real problems emerge. For instance, the World Bank applauded India’s efforts at increasing access to credit with the adoption of a new insolvency and bankruptcy code. However, the parameters fail to recognise the problem that India is

going through one of its slowest phases of credit growth and that banks are wary of lending so easily.

Moreover, a lot more parameters, apart from the ones considered in the Doing Business rankings, need to be considered to understand the business environment in India. The country’s dismal performance in the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom (in which it is ranked 143, below most of its South Asian neighbours) and Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (ranked 79th), reflect the areas that the country still needs to improve upon to better the business environment.

Therefore, the chest-thumping around the Doing Business ranking improvements needs to be seen in conjunction with these factors and worked upon to ease the problems faced by common businessmen.

A premature celebration can be counterproductive.

India successfully test fires subsonic cruise missile Nirbhay

India on 7 November successfully testfired its indigenous subsonic cruise missile Nirbhay, which failed its last test in December 2015, an official statement said.

In a major achievement, the first indigenously-designed and developed Long Range Sub-Sonic Cruise Missile which can be deployed from multiple platforms, was successfully test fired from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur in Odisha.

The test took place after the error, that led to the failure of its fourth trial in December last year, were rectified, said the statement.

The missile has the capability to loiter and cruise at 0.7 Mach, at altitudes as low as 100 metres. The flight test achieved all the mission objectives completely from lift-off till the final splash, boosting the confidence of all scientists associated with the trial, it added.

The missile took-off in the programmed manner and all critical operations including launch phase, booster deployment,

engine start, wing deployment and other operational parameters demonstrated through autonomous way point navigation.

The guidance, control and navigation system of the missile is configured around the indigenously designed Ring Laser Gyroscope nd MEMS based Inertial Navigation System along with GPS system.

“The missile majestically cruised for a total time duration of 50 minutes, achieving the range of 647 km. The missile was tracked with the help of ground based radars and other parameters were monitored by indigenous telemetry stations developed by DRDO,” the statement said.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hailed the success of DRDO scientists and complimented them for this inspired achievement. She was optimistic that this successful trial would take India to the select league of nations for possessing this complex technology and sub-sonic cruise missile capability.

With the capability to strike deep into enemy territory, Nirbhay has been designed and developed by the DRDO at its aeronautics R&D laboratory Aeronautical Development Establishment based in Bengaluru.

The cruise missile is powered by a solid rocket motor booster developed by the Advanced Systems Laboratory and is guided by a highly advanced inertial navigation system indigenously developed

by Research Centre Imarat.

Nirbhay is able to pick out a target among multiple targets and attack it, can go around a target and re-engage it. It can fly at different altitudes ranging from 500 metres to 4 km above ground and can fly at tree level to avoid detection by radar.

Concerning: ‘Malnutrition, anaemia pose huge health challenge to India’

Sounding alarm bells, The Global Nutrition Report 2017 says India faces a serious challenge stemming from both under-nutrition and obesity leading to various health, social and economic problems.

Among 140 countries, including India, the GNR-2017 found “significant burdens” of key forms of malnutrition as indicators of the broad trends, the findings released in Mumbai on 7 November said.

These include: Childhood stunting affecting 38 per cent children under-five years of age of 155 million worldwide; 21 per cent of under-fives defined as “wasted” or “severely wasted”, implying they are underweight for their height, comprising 52 million children.

More than 51 per cent of women of reproductive age suffer from anaemia and more than 22 per cent of adult women are obese or overweight, besides one-third of all women affected worldwide with no country on track to meet global targets.

While India has made some headway in addressing the problem of under-five stunting, it has lagged in tackling anaemic women and is off-the-mark in achieving targets to reduce adult obesity and diabetes.

“India’s government is recognising that the country cannot afford inaction on

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A man walks on Rajpath Avenue engulfed in smog near the Indian President’s house, in New Delhi, on 7 November. Air quality hit ‘severe levels’ in the Indian capital city Photo: AP

nutrition, but the road ahead is going to be long.

“The GNR-2017 highlights (what) needs to be tackled as part of its national nutrition strategy,” said the report.

At the global level, nutrition is recognised as key in enabling sustainable development, according to Corinna Hawkes, co-chair of the GNR’s Independent Expert Group and Director, Centre for Food Policy at City, University London.

“We will not achieve any of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development by 2030 unless there is a critical change in our response to malnutrition in all its forms, and action throughout the goals to tackle the many causes of malnutrition,” said Hawkes.

The GNR-2017 calls for nutrition to be placed at the heart of efforts to end poverty, fight disease, raise educational standards and combat climate change.

The GNR says that overweight and obesity are on the increase in almost every country, with two billion of the world’s seven billion now falling in this category.

In India, 16 per cent of adult men and 22 per cent adult women are overweight, says GNR-2017.

The Global Nutrition Summit 2017, held in Milan, Italy, earlier this week saw new commitments of billions of dollars to achieve nutrition targets, including a pledge of $50 million for five years by the Tata Trusts, Mumbai.

Right now, Srikanth is world’s best badminton player

Two remarkable statements since Kidamnbi Nammalwar Srikanth won back-to-back Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super Series titles at Copenhagen and Paris should be taken note of.

Srikanth, the fourth player in the world to have won four Super Series titles in a year, said that the days of Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan, if not Chen Long, are coming to an end.

Incidentally, the three stalwarts are the only others to have won four Super Series singles titles before Srikanth. With China and Hong Kong Opens still to be played, Srikanth can improve his career record of six big ticket titles, but will take Lee Chong Wei’s record of seven in a year.

Srikanth with six titles is fourth behind Lee Chong Wei with 45, Lin Dan with 21 and Chen Long 17 in all-time winners.

That showed the confidence of the Indian who is now World No.2, a ranking only three other Indians share with him, starting with the great Prakash Padukone and Saina Nehwal, who went on to become the only World No.1 from the country, and Pusarla Venkata Sindhu, who is right now World No.2 in the women’s singles.

The other statement, from his highly acclaimed coach Pullela Gopichand, is more startling. Gopi says that the achievements of his ward Srikanth are only the tip of the iceberg. Imagine what else could be in store from Srikanth if this only the tip of the iceberg.

We only talk of bench strength when it comes to cricket and at times the strength

INDIAN LINK

of the country’s Davis Cup squad. Now you can see an all-round growth the Indian badminton. Not only, his friends and roomies at the Gopichand Academy, Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth and Haseena Sunil Prannoy are also moving ahead.

It was Praneeth who beat Srikanth at the Singapore Open for his own maiden Super Series title and thereafternot only he but the world’s best were at the receving end against him. Praneeth has nothing but admiration for his teammate. He feels that 2017 is Srikanth’s and he is unstoppable.

It has not been an easy ride for the Hyderabad-based young man from Guntur.

He had to fight hard in the opening rounds in seven of the 12 tournaments h played this year he had to rally to win in three games, but curiously he looked comfortable towards the tournament weekends as only final went to three games.

His one major comeback win at the Denmark Open was against World champion and No.1 Viktor Axelsen. He also had to fight it out over three games against Chinese Shi Yuqi and Prannoy in France.

Both the finals turned out to be onesided, in the Denmark Open against 37-yeard-old Korean Lee Hyun Il and at the French Open, against qualifier Kenta Nishimoto of Japan.

Srikanth’s turning point was Jakarta and from then he has been a completely different player, though the signs were there at Singapore itself in July. His next title came at the Australian Open and then the two European titles from Denmark and France.

The best thing that could have happened to Srikanth was Mulyo Handoyo joining Gopichand Academy as the second in command. The Indonesian knew his ward’s caliber as world class.

Seven months ago Handoyo had said the Indian would be going places as he sees in him his own protégé Taufiq Hidayanto. His job was to take him to the next level and how well he did, bringing him back from a low ranking of 31. He honestly believed

Srikanth has an all-round game like Taufiq even if he doesn’t impart the same power in hi strokes.

It is all soeasy to compare Srikanth with Prakash and Gopichand. What the two veterans did was to win the All-England titles which none of the Indian, men or women, have done after that. The sport has changed a lot and the tour is getting tougher these days and considering that what Srikanth has achieved is stupendous.

Gopichand has the last word on Srikanth: Right now he is the best player in the world!

Delhi-NCR yellow smog blanket: Worst air quality, poorer than a day after Diwali

The National Capital Region on 7 November saw its worst ‘air quality’ and ‘smog situation’ of the year -- which was even worse than a day after Diwali, as a yellow blanket of smog hung heavily in the sky. The pollution level rose to dangerous levels, with 18 out of 21 active pollution monitoring stations recording ‘severe’ air quality.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the average Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi at 3 p.m. was 446 -- with major pollutant PM2.5, or particles with diameter less than 2.5mm recorded at 418 units. This is worse than a day-after Diwali -- October 20, 2017 when the AQI was recorded at 403, while the effluents on 7 November were just few a notches below the index value recorded a day after Diwali-2016 (October 31) which was 443.

The average AQI in Delhi-NCR combined was recorded 412 -- considered ‘severe’, while PM2.5 volume was 400 units as reported by CPCB at 1 p.m.

At different locations of Delhi-NCR, the PM2.5 value was found to be 23 to 19 times higher than the permissible limit.

The safe limit for PM2.5 is 60 micrograms per cubic meters according to the national standards, and 25 micrograms per cubic meters as per the international

standards.

According to weather analysts, Delhi is suffering from one of its worst “smog situations”, due to combined meteorological factors and stubble burning in the neighbouring states.

Recording severe PM2.5 levels at all its 10 monitoring stations across Delhi-NCR, the central government’s ‘System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR)’ has cautioned ‘everyone’ in the region to “avoid walk, outdoor activities, burning anything including incense sticks and candles, shut the windows, mop the floors and not vacuum clean and use only N-95 or P-100 standard respirators and not to rely on dust masks”.

According to SAFAR’s data, that predicts the air quality of Delhi-NCR to remain ‘severe’ for the next two days as well, the PM2.5 ranged from 453 unit (minimum) at Pusa to 569 (maximum) at Lodhi road at 2 p.m.

According to weather analysts, the negligible wind speed along with other meteorological reasons are behind the spike in air pollution, along with unabated stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana.

“Currently the westerly winds from Rajasthan and Haryana are flowing at negligible speed, this causes the condensation of air near the surface which thereby mixes with the pollutants from local emissions and those from the stubble burning. This is the reason that there is no scope of dispersal of the pollutants for now,” Mahesh Palawat, Director private weather forecasting agency, Skymet told IANS. “The situation will remain same for next few days,” Palawat added.

Authorities hiked vehicle parking fees by four times in the national capital in a bid to curb worsening air quality.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA) to discourage people from using private vehicles.

IANS

NOVEMBER

special feature

Labour pains of adoption Liz and Adam Brook’s story shows how a freeze on adoption from India has kept Australian childless couples in limbo

BY RITAM MITRA

B

y some estimates, India is home to between 20 and 30 million orphaned children, the overwhelming majority of whom are orphaned by abandonment, rather than because of the death of their parents.

Lost in a sea of some 400 million children - the largest child population in the world - the outlook is bleak for those left behind. Crippling poverty and poor literacy rates form an unforgiving couple, leading to a vicious circle of child labour, child trafficking and systemic abuse.

Yet, even as India’s population continues to skyrocket, and adoption becomes more accepted within its borders, adoption rates in India have plummeted over the last 7 years.

Over the same period, almost under the radar, the Australian government has upheld a ban on the adoption of children from India, amid a cloud of bureaucratic smoke and mirrors that continues to frustrate prospective adoptive parents and denies some of the world’s most desperate children the chance of a new beginning.

It’s now been seven years since Australia suspended its adoption program with India, when the then Attorney-General placed a hold on applications to India, purportedly in response to ongoing investigations into illegal adoptions and child trafficking.

Although the Indian adoption environment has been overhauled since the hold was first announced, the Australian government’s position remains inexplicably unchanged. It’s been a period largely characterised by misinformation, a dearth of transparency and, most dishearteningly for Australian couple Liz and Adam Brook, relentless uncertainty.

It’s quite a contrast to the spirit of National Adoption Awareness Week that is marked from 8 to 14 November. The Week aims to increase awareness about adoption and remove the stigma around it.

Actress and adoption advocate Deborralee Furness and her husband, actor Hugh Jackman, recently launched a hashtag on social media called #ahomeforeverychild, to encourage Australians to think about adoption reform. News presenters Louise Ransome and Angela Bishop and journalist Sandra Sully are just some public figures who have supported the Adopt Change campaign.

Just as importantly, it is also worth noting that former Australian women’s cricket NOVEMBER

captain Lisa Sthalekar, who has Indian biological parents, was adopted as an infant from Pune.

A subcontinental romance

Liz and Adam form part of a crushing but unavoidable statistic: they’re one in six Australian couples who experience infertility. Even at an early stage of their relationship, the couple discussed openly the avenue of adoption with each other.

Liz had been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome as a teenager. It was around this time that Liz also fell in love with the subcontinent.

“I have been fascinated by India since I was a child,” says Liz. “My parents made sure we were exposed to different cultures, races and religions. But it wasn’t until Boxing Day in 1998 or 1999, when I was about 13, that India became a larger part of our lives.”

That was when, as Liz recalls, multicultural broadcaster SBS aired the 1996 film Raja Hindustani. “I was hooked,” says Liz. “It took years and a lot of development until Google was good enough to find me that film again, but my sister and my mum contented ourselves with whatever we could find on eBay.” By 2013, Liz and Adam owned dozens of Bollywood films, and were regulars at their local Indian restaurant. That year also marked Liz’s first visit to India; she would return again in 2015 with Adam to tour Rajasthan and its surrounds, Adam learning how to play several Bollywood tracks on the guitar along the way. With Adam having since taken Hindi classes, and the couple notching up another trip to India this year, it’s no surprise that now, as ever, Liz and Adam picture themselves with an Indian child.

“I remember early on in our relationship, going through a drive-through and the

server was a young girl of Indian descent, her name was Anjali - which of course got my attention, reminding us of Kajol!” laughs Liz. “From then on, we had this fantasy that our daughter would be Anjali, the first female Formula 1 champion.”

Hopes dashed

But the couple were dealt a harsh blow at the very beginning of their journey in 2017, learning that Australia’s adoption program with India was on hold. Having spent countless hours reading about the Australian and Indian adoption regimes, including trawling through outdated Australian government websites, navigating broken links and weeding out general misinformation, Liz emailed a number of government agencies and politicians – including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull - seeking clarification. “I could have accepted it if the answer was no,” laments Liz, “but the limbo is killing me.”

On each occasion however, Liz was given the same, bitter pill to swallow: that the Australian government is “continuing to monitor” India’s adoption system.

India’s adoption regime

Australian governments have - rightly - consistently adopted a conservative and cautious approach to Australia’s intercountry adoption programs; and particularly so since 1998, when Australia ratified the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.

But the procedure and regulation of adoptions in India has changed significantly since applications were suspended in 2010.

In February 2011, a delegation comprising officials from the AttorneyGeneral’s Department and the Victorian Department of Human Services met with

the Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), the statutory body for the adoption of children in India, and had meetings with the Australian High Commission in India as well.

During these meetings, delegates discussed the approval and implementation of the new Guidelines Governing the Adoption of Children, a key milestone in India’s quest to abolish illegal and mismanaged adoption practices. The guidelines, which were based partly on the Hague Adoption Convention (to which India is also a signatory), were implemented later that year.

More recently, in 2015, amendments to the Indian Juvenile Justice Act further revolutionised India’s adoption program, making adoptions faster and more transparent by moving the application process online, creating a centralised waiting list, and most importantly, requiring closer monitoring of the practices of adoption agencies.

And it’s not just pen on paper - CARA and the Ministry of Women and Child Development have already begun cracking down on illegal adoptions and adoptions facilitated by unauthorised agencies.

A culture of finger-pointing

Despite the significant steps taken between

by Indian lawmakers and authorities over the best part of the last decade, the position of Australian authorities with respect to the India program remains overwhelmingly unclear, and authorities seem determined to avoid the issue at all costs.

An intercountry adoption kit issued by the Victorian Department of Human Services, for instance, cites that the decision to place the adoption program on “temporary hold” was actually in response to “current investigations being undertaken by the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation in relation to illegal adoptions,” while a Daily Telegraph article wrongly accuses India of suspending its adoption program with Australia.

Even in the wake of the most troubling child-trafficking allegations from India, which surfaced in late 2013, the then Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the establishment of a taskforce to report back to the government on Australia’s intercountry adoption regime, citing the “millions of children in orphanages overseas who would love to have parents,” and that “tens of thousands of those could come to Australia.” Despite recommending that Australia “reinvigorate” its efforts to establish new country programs across the world, the ensuing report essentially ignored the plight of one of the largest, poorest populations of adoptable children the

www.indianlink.com.au

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National Adoption Awareness Week (8 to 14 November) aims to increase awareness about adoption and remove the stigma around it

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Liz and Adam Brook at Pushkar, India

world; instead, the report failed altogether to consider India’s renewed adoption regime, and merely noted the fact that the hold on the India program remained in place.

The relevant state and territory adoption bodies also appear to have been left in the dark, and the bureaucracy is deflating for prospective parents. Having requested only to attend an adoption information seminar facilitated by the NSW Department Family and Community Services - the only agency in NSW which can arrange intercountry adoption - Liz and Adam were turned away, with a FACS case worker notifying the couple that the “India program has been on hold for several years and we don’t know when the hold will be lifted,” and that there would be no room for “newcomers” to attend the seminar.

CARA CEO, Deepak Kumar, suggested to Liz that the ball was in the court of

Australian authorities. “We had a few sessions of interaction with the Australian central (adoption) authority and their embassy in India at CARA & through Skype,” said Kumar. “The Australian authorities were convinced but have been non-committal. In fact, every time (we speak to them), they say the Minister) for Social Services, the Hon Christian Porter MP) is yet to take a decision. We are committed to recommencement of the program but you must ask the Australian government to take the decision at the earliest.”

Yet Kumar’s comments, too, are to be taken with a pinch of salt. Campaigners in India are currently calling for an immediate end to intercountry adoptions, on the basis that they do not provide adequate protections for children. These calls have come following the death of a threeyear-old girl, ostensibly at the hands of

her adoptive father. The toddler, Sherin Mathews, was adopted from the Mother Teresa Orphanage and Children’s Home in Bihar, India, just over a year ago.

More recently, local media outlets reported that Assistant Social Services Minister, Zed Seselja has confirmed that discussions are in final stages to allow Australian parents to adopt children from India. Yet the irony is that no such confirmation has been provided to the couples most affected by that decision, or to the public more generally. Once again, no information appears on any relevant government website.

In fact, in response to a query by Indian Link, the department of social services said via a spokesperson that there has been no change to the status of the India-Australia intercountry adoption program. “Australia’s hold on sending new intercountry adoption applications to India remains in place.

Representatives of the Department of Social Services visited India earlier this year to see the changes in India first hand and understand the steps India has taken to improve adoption practices as well as how the current adoption process operates. While there is no specified timeframe for lifting the hold on the India-Australia program at present, the Australian Government continues to actively engage with India’s adoption program and Indian officials.”

It’s also unclear whether Indian authorities have been kept in the loop; as recently as last month, CARA noted that it was unable to shed any more light on the situation and was in continued discussions with Australian authorities.

An inconsistent approach

Deborra-lee Furness and her husband, actor Hugh Jackman Photo: Twitter

INDIAN LINK

Aside from the prevalent culture of red tape and buck-passing, there’s a particularly cruel irony in the position taken by Australian authorities: although Australian state and territory adoption authorities will consider “ad-hoc adoption” applications for children

from countries with which Australia does not have an active intercountry adoption arrangement, ad-hoc adoption applications are not accepted for countries where an adoption program exists. In other words, if the adoption program with India had been cancelled altogether in response to child trafficking allegations - rather than put on hold - it would have been possible for prospective parents to submit to their respective state and territory central authorities ad-hoc applications to adopt Indian children.

It’s also curious that the Australian government - whose recent human rights track record, for the record, is unconvincing, at best - should cite its Hague Adoption Convention responsibilities in relation to its reluctance to reinstate the India program, despite other major signatories to the Hague Adoption Convention, such as the UK and the USA, continuing to allow their citizens to adopt children from India. The Australian government’s seven-year long vigil is, in essence, an indirect suggestion that other Hague Adoption Convention countries have violated their obligations under the Convention - of which there appears to be no evidence.

The harsh reality for couples like Liz and Adam is that managing intercountry adoption sits low on the priority list for elected officials in Australia, where successful intercountry adoptions are, by numbers, few and far between. It’s certainly a path that merits careful traversing; the risks of poor oversight and blasé due diligence can hardly be overstated. Yet, for those few dozen children in India each year who could quite literally be given a second chance at life in Australia - and equally, for the Australian couples desperate to give those children that chance - the very nature of the industry demands a more balanced, transparent and functional approach to policy and governance.

NOVEMBER

opinion

Australia’s Hindu community felt free enough to protest MLA’s recent lamb ad. Photo: Facebook

Are you free to disagree?

BY KRISHNA NEELAMRAJU

T

rue freedom is best witnessed when the minorities in a society can raise their voices without repercussions from the establishment. The Indian community in Australia had a taste of such freedom recently. Hindus of Indian origin, despite being an ultra-minority in this country, turned up in healthy numbers to express their opposition to the Meat and Livestock lamb ad. The protests caught mainstream attention and politicians of all parties expressed support. Some of the protestors’ energies were spent in a futile attempt to get the ad banned, which is really a hangover of the ‘ban’ culture in another part of the world. Nevertheless, the best outcome of the episode was proof that minorities in Australia enjoy the unrestricted freedom to protest without a fear of violent backlash.

Granted, the lamb ad was a harmless distraction for the average Australian who did not care enough about the outcome.

Another minority issue, a thoroughly mainstream one, of the British statue inscriptions raised by Stan Grant of ABC provoked rigorous debate and hot tempers.

Even that was largely devoid of threats,

NOVEMBER

violence or economic blockade. Contrast this with the incidents such as the assassination of Gauri Lankesh in India just for being a contrarian or Donald Trump’s call to fire the kneeling NFL athletes in the US, and Australian freedoms shine in the brighter light. When the majority starts reacting viciously to those who dissent, the idea of freedom becomes an illusion. The implicit message is, you are free only until you agree.

Especially in the Indian context, it is essential to preserve the freedom to disagree, given the diversity of cultures, languages, and religions in the country.

Disagreement is inherent to Indianness.

It’s impossible to get the whole country to agree on any one thing and the argumentative Indian takes pride in being adversarial as a matter of principle.

Disagreement was also one of the most active tools of India’s non-violent freedom struggle. The civil disobedience movement, for example, was built entirely on the idea of peacefully disagreeing with the law of the land.

A couple of months ago, a remarkable document from 1930s India surfaced from archives and was shared on Twitter, shining the spotlight on the disobedience movement. The document showed a list of freedom fighters sentenced to prison by the City Magistrate of Bombay for violating a government ordinance. The offences were flimsy, but the punishment was rigorous.

The British colonialists were bent on crushing dissent and imposing order. The draconian laws had very little effect on

the freedom fighters who not only broke the law openly, but also did it in style, as the document shows. The names on the prison manifest are remarkable, to say the least. Not needing to prove their identity, prisoners renamed themselves ‘Son of India, God’, ‘George V Ram’ (King George V was the British regent in 1930), ‘Zindabad Mahatma Gandhi’, ‘Inkhilab Mahatma Gandhi’, ‘Bharat Shevak Mahatma Gandhi’ etc. for the court records. It is a fascinating window into the thinking of the foot soldiers of the Indian freedom movement.

Freedom is a sanguine concept. It evokes powerful, positive imagery - people in pastel coloured clothes, glowing with laughter, running through lush green fields; soldiers saluting a fluttering flag; perhaps a famous singer blowing up her lungs singing an anthem. Freedom always looks good visually, particularly on TV. But, is that the freedom ‘Zindabad Mahatma Gandhi’ yearned for? In 1930, Indians weren’t actively seeking a full exit by the British. They were only aiming for better representation in lawmaking, to put it bluntly. No matter the lesser cause, the protesters were happily filling up the prisons by violating the civil law and in the process, experiencing a freedom they didn’t have - the freedom to disagree.

Seven decades after independence, some Indians are still fighting for that right.

British-era laws such as sedition have seen a resurgence in recent times. Sedition is now unapologetically used against political protesters while the government runs

‘‘

The best outcome of (the lamb ad protests) was proof that minorities in Australia enjoy freedom to protest without a fear of violent backlash

‘‘

The real test of freedom is dissent without fear, not silence

amnesty schemes for armed Naxalites accused of murder.

Rationalist voices are being silenced through terrorist tactics. More shockingly, these atrocities have widespread public support in the name of ‘order’. Decades of corruption, poverty and political inaction are making Indians forget the roots of their independence struggle. They seem to be ready to surrender their freedoms in favour of ‘order.’ The same old ‘order’ that the colonialists promised, peddling the same old arguments - ‘agree with us and enjoy peace, enjoy prosperity; disagree and face prison.’

Indian Australians can perhaps use their recent experiences to remind their friends and family in India that the real test of freedom is dissent, not silence. Minorities with limited political power need the freedom to express themselves without fear of repercussions or their freedom lacks meaning. Protest against your government, criticise an ideology, ridicule politicians and if you are not forced to go into hiding for the fear of personal safety or incarceration, you can be sure you are free.

www.indianlink.com.au

sustainability

Let the sun rise, not power bills

Investing in rooftop solar PV systems makes financial and environmental sense

BY JYOTI SHANKAR

C

onsider this. Your quarterly electricity bill used to be around $300 but you are shocked to see current bill rise to $450. You chide your family members for leaving their mobile chargers, laptops and TV on all day and you shiver in the cold as you restrict heater use this winter.

Wastage of energy is no doubt bad but shouldn’t you be able to enjoy the little conveniences of modern life? This is certainly possible when you have free energy being generated on your own rooftop.

As prices of electricity continue to be on the rise, people are literally taking power into their hands by installing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on their rooftops. Many households who were early adopters of the PV technology enjoyed years of low bills with a generous feed-in tariff of up to 60 cents/kWh, but all this came to an end on 31 December 2016 for those in NSW. Solar households have seen an increase in their bills but for those yet to install solar PV on their roofs, the onset of winter with increased heating costs and the announcement of higher electricity prices by most retailers from 1 July 2017, it’s a double whammy.

Should we install solar PV? Should we take up battery technology? How do we make the best use of our solar generation considering most family members are out during the day? These are few of the questions that come to mind. The decision is big and can have a lasting impact on your future energy costs.

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Experts have calculated that an average electricity bill of $500 a quarter, increasing at 7% energy inflation, over the time of solar panels warranty of 25 years, will cost you over $135,000. Therefore, investing in solar PV makes perfect financial and environmental sense.

Solar energy is renewable and nonpolluting. Currently, experts say that one should go for the largest PV system possible. The actual size you can install on your rooftop would be determined by many other factors such the roof tilt, shading from surrounding trees, orientation of the house, and, of course, your budget. The payback is on an average around five years.

You don’t have to worry that turning up the air-conditioning on a hot summer day or cranking up the heater on a cold winter’s day will result in an energy bill that will break your bank account.

You can expect a 40 to 50% reduction in bills if you time your energy use to solar generating hours. For instance, appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers can be timed to run during the day and you can cool or heat the house before sun down.

So, we have free energy during the day from solar PV but what about when the sun sets? During the winter months, it gets dark earlier in the day. Most of our energy use is when we get home in the evening. If we could store the solar energy generated during the day for night time use, it would make more sense. This is where battery storage comes in. Should we invest in this right away? Probably not, unless you have some money to spare and you are one of those early adopters who love new technology. A compact battery system for an average household costs around $10,000.

The payback averages around 12 years.

This does not cover its warranty period and hence it makes sense to wait for a further price drop. Battery technology is improving

by the day. That said, a hybrid solar PV system with battery storage may still make sense for heavy energy users.

An installer accredited by the Clean Energy Council (CEC) should be able to work this out for you based on your past electricity bills, roof space, time of use and other factors. Always seek at least three quotes.

Your local council may offer free solar advice. They also often organise events where you can learn more about solar and battery technology from experts. Empower yourself with knowledge from websites such as Renew Economy and One Step Off the Grid. Websites such as Solar Quotes have a list of questions to consider and ask a solar installer. CEC’s Guide to Installing Solar PV for Households is an essential read.

The future for solar energy is bright.

SUNNY SIDE UP

• In 2016, small-scale solar was responsible for 16% of Australia’s clean energy generation and produced 2.8% of the country’s total electricity.

• 752 MW of new solar capacity was installed in 2016, an increase of 7% compared to 2015. More than 1.64 million small-scale solar power systems were installed across the country by the end of 2016.

• Australia is one of the sunniest continents in the world. Given a stable policy environment, there is massive potential for solar PV to make a significant contribution to electricity generation in Australia over the coming decades.

(Source: Clean Energy Council)

NOVEMBER

the young ones

I can.

I will.

‘‘

Mark has learned a lot in Springvale Park SDS, going on to become School Captain in his last year there in 2015

‘‘

Mark Alvares: How to put aside your challenges and embrace life

BY DHANYA SAMUEL

I

can. I will.

These are the words that sum up Mark Alvares’s life, who was awarded the Samantha Sophia Ramsey Memorial Award at the Dandenong Civic Centre a few months ago.

This national award celebrates the achievements of a young person with a disability, recognising outstanding achievements in training, education or employment.

Mark received a one-off $2000.00 grant towards TAFE or RTO fees to further his education and employment opportunities.

Mark was born in UAE and moved to Australia with his mum, dad and older sister in 2006. The Indian-origin family lost their dad in 2014.

Mark’s ADHD had been noticed when he was 3 years old with mild status but a proper diagnosis and treatment plan was made only after he moved to Australia.

Within a few years, he was also diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

The diagnosis was a difficult phase for the family as they understood the impact of how difficult and different the journey would be for Mark. Michelle, his older sister, recollects that Mark was too young to understand any of this and was a normal happy child in spite of the fact that he achieved his milestones at a slower pace.

But soon the differences became

obvious especially after he was enrolled at a mainstream school.

Michelle recalls, “Mark had some trouble coping with others’ teasing and such, but there were some that stood up for him and watched his back. He only lasted about three months in the school - his teacher realised he was different. She assisted the family to find help based on the diagnosis, and also helped with the transition to a much better suited school (Springvale Park SDS). Mark has learned a lot in Springvale Park SDS, going on to become School Captain in his last year there in 2015. He is friendly and helpful and cheeky too, which made others happy.”

Mark had been attending the holiday programs provided by Youth Services along with Michelle. His cheerful and pleasing personality made him popular amongst the staff and he also started attending committee programs such as Holiday Leadership and Freeza.

In the Freeza committee, Mark and his team helped organise youth acts on stage for the Dandenong Show 2016, Australia Day 2017 etc, with the support from Dandenong Council.

Winning the Samantha Sophia Ramsay Memorial Award has been a big boost to Mark’s confidence and has helped him continue work towards achieving his goals.

The money will also help Mark to gain knowledge in his education in literacy, numeracy, computer and warehouse skills.

Sponsored by the WPC Group, the annual award is in memory of Samantha Sophia Ramsey, the late daughter of Skilling Australia Foundation Director Sophie Ramsey.

Speaking to Indian Link, the spokesperson for WPC Group said “Mark was nominated

by a youth program worker at City of Greater Dandenong Youth Services, and was a standout candidate. He has shown exceptional motivation to strive and achieve his goals and that he is committed to an expansive future armed with a plethora of skills and showing no limits to his personal growths.”

The ride has not always been smooth.

There have been plenty of challenges along the way as our society is still judgemental when it comes to people with different abilities.

Michelle observes wryly that the biggest challenge they faced has been society itself.

“Everywhere we went people would stare and laugh. Recently Mark was dancing at an event and some boys decided to laugh

and video him. These boys had an older brother who sang as part of a church group at that event. It is such a shame that some people see such challenged children as an entertainment and this award proves how much more he has achieved.”

Mark was lucky to have some wonderful people who helped him along his path with opportunities: right from the teacher in the mainstream school, to the staff at City of Greater Dandenong Family and Youth Services. These individuals and groups have allowed a young life to blossom and deserve our appreciation.

But it is Mark that should serve as an inspiration to us all: his attitude - give it a go - is one that we could all adopt in our own lives.

INDIAN LINK RADIO APP

NOVEMBER

www.indianlink.com.au

the young ones

Spellbound NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian congratulates Akshath

Akshath Senthil is NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee runner-up

BY USHA ARVIND

N

ine-year-old Akshath Senthil was named runner-up at 2017 NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee in the junior division.

Akshath, a Year 4 student at Sydney’s Homebush West Primary, was one of 3,700 students competing in 89 finals.

A total of 950 schools registered to participate in the 2017 Spelling Bee, with an astounding 154,000 students involved in the competition. Multiple elimination rounds at school and regional levels culminated in the State Finals held in front of a live audience at Eugene Goossens Hall at ABC Centre in Ultimo on 8 November 2017.

Spelling seems to be in the Senthil genes. An insatiable thirst for reading and a burning desire to emulate his brother Adirath (who was also a state finalist in 2014) ensured that Akshath was not only well geared up for the competition but also thirsting for the top gong.

In the end, he was tripped by the word ‘gondolier’. Calm and collected through the entire process, Akshath and Lena Zhu survived multiple elimination rounds as ABC TV and Radio newsreader Juanita Philips carefully enunciated each word.

The Premier’s Spelling Bee was first introduced in 2004 as a fun and educational way for primary school students to engage in spelling. The program includes activities to encourage all students to engage with spelling and to promote improved literacy in combination with the English K-6

INDIAN LINK

syllabus. There are two categories - junior and senior. Junior spellers had to correctly spell words such as bitmap, acoustics and flannelette to compete in the state finals, while senior students were challenged with words such as pendulous, delicatessen and antiquity.

“Premier’s Spelling Bee is one of my most favourite competitions because you can learn new words, make new friends and, of course, improve your ability to spell in the future,” Akshath told Indian Link.

“It felt amazing to come this far to the State Bee. It all started back when our teacher held a written test to see who would get selected for the class Spelling Bee,” he explained. “I was one of the ten people because I got 20 out of 20. A few weeks later, we had the class Spelling Bee. I won that and then I went on to Regionals.”

His winning word at the Regionals was scenario. “I was very excited when I got that correct,” Akshath stated.

Nervous and confident in equal measure, Akshath prepared for the big day by systematically learning new words from the Macquarie English Dictionary that he won at the Regionals.

“At times, it was very annoying to study the words again and again but as I got used to it, it became fun. When my brother was preparing for his State Finals in 2014, I used to ask him the words and that’s how I got interested in it,” he explained.

Some of the words he had to contend with were wheel, inquisitor, fraternal, bicentenary, commodious, thermodynamics, paltry, non-descript, convivial and paparazzi.

The hardest word he got, Akshath said, was beleaguered. “Lots of rounds went by, more people got eliminated and the words got tougher. Finally, in the eleventh round, it was just me and another girl, she spelled

‘irrevocable’ correctly so I had to get this word correct to stay in the competition. So I prayed that I would get a word I know. I got ‘gondolier.’ I thought I knew that word but I spelt it G-O-N-DE-L-I-E-R instead of G-O-N-D-O-L-I-E-R,” he added.

Clearly disappointed, Akshath has promised Premier Gladys Berejiklian that he will be back next year.

When not grappling with words, Akshath can be found at Airey Park in Homebush playing with friends. He enjoys a number of team sports, particularly table tennis, soccer, cricket and basketball.

“I want to excel in table tennis, maybe get into a club and start playing competitions often. My long term goal is to get into the Olympics and represent Australia in table tennis,” the talented youngster said.

His favourite subjects at school are Maths, Arts and Sports.

Akshath started enjoying books even before he started walking, recounted proud mum Ponnu. Like every devoted Indian mother, she is clearly the driving force behind her boys’ success, encouraging a genuine love of all learning. “He was 8 weeks pre-mature and did not walk until he was 3. He loves to borrow books from the library and often finishes 10 books at a stretch with a packet of chips,” she noted.

Thanking parents and teachers for kindling this interest in literacy, Berejiklian said, “Spelling is the cornerstone of literacy and the spelling bee is invaluable in promoting development of skills, necessary for clear communication. It encourages

students to embrace love of spelling and, in turn, love of reading, which stays with them for the rest of their life.”

In the meantime, for Akshath, the countdown to the next bee has already begun, this time in the senior category.

Words that AKSHATH spelled correctly WHEEL INQUISITOR FRATERNAL BICENTENARY COMMODIOUS THERMODYNAMICS PALTRY NON-DESCRIPT CONVIVIAL PAPARAZZI BELEAGUERED

NOVEMBER

stage

There’s a bear in there, and Nick as well!

Indian-Aussie presenter makes it to iconic kids show

I

f you’ve grown up in Australia, or been around children who have, you’ve likely heard of Play School. Widely considered one of the most iconic television shows in Australian history, Play School has been a staple of children’s edutainment since 1966, making it the longest running children’s show in Australia.

In 2003, the ABC estimated that 80% of pre-school children under six watch the program at least once a week, a percentage that correlates to around 1.5m viewers each week! For the last few weeks now, those 1.5m viewers have met Aussie-Indian musician and actor Nicholas Brown.

Born and raised in Australia by Indian parents, Nick moved to Mumbai in 2007 to pursue a Bollywood career. Having trained at NIDA and having an above-average interest in song and dance, Bollywood felt ‘like a second home’, Nick tells us.

After finding success and collaborating with Hrithik Roshan in 2010’s critically acclaimed Kites, Nick returned to Australia but not before starring in a stage show of

NOVEMBER

‘‘

At a time where the brown male body remains the single most vilified image in the Western world, Play School takes a phenomenal step in the direction of positive representation

‘‘

BY ANEETA MENON

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in India. Nick laughs, recalling the experience, “A lot of Bollywood stars attended the stage show and complimented us on our flawless lip syncing. We had to tell them that we actually sing and dance at the same time.”

Overall, Nick’s experiences in Bollywood were favourable, despite the expected culture shock. “When we take risks, I think they almost always pay off. I had nothing to lose and wondered what it was like to live and work over there with no expectations or idea what I was in for. India is an assault on the senses, even for people of Indian origin.”

But any discomforts were made up for by the overwhelming ‘adventure, excitement of the unknown’. Upon asking if he’d return to Bollywood, Nick says, “I could never be Bollywooded out but TV is so great right now, and so many great actors are doing television,” so he decided it was time to pursue the medium.

Nick’s next move was LA where he faced “absolutely blatant racism”. Roles for actors of Indian appearance are often restricted to doctors, nerds and terrorists. “My agent kept telling me to be geekier and nerdier, but I am a big, beefy guy. I can’t hide that, and I didn’t want to be a career terrorist.”

So, how did a big, beefy guy navigate his way to children’s television?

“I had auditioned for Play School many times when I was younger without any

luck.” However, now he feels “the timing is right, now I am a bit older and more mature”. Nick also has real live children in his life now with whom he interacts and admits that absolutely provides “more of an understanding of the work”.

At a time where the brown male body remains the single most vilified image in the Western world, the importance of being able to see one’s self represented on screen and across media and advertising, is a crucial element of developing one’s sense of self, especially from an early age. Men of Indian appearance are routinely seen through a media lens as dangerous, so the introduction of a presenter of Indian descent into Play School is a phenomenal step in the direction of positive representation. Something Nick is absolutely thrilled to be a part of. “It

is so important for young people to have positive role models and see themselves depicted on screen, especially young Indian kids”. Additionally, it is just as important for children of non-Indian backgrounds to see the brown male body represented in a positive manner to counter-act all the negative representation. A huge focus of Nick’s work is around “normalising diversity, which is important for future generations. At the moment, it is such a buzzword and actors are cast for the sake of it.”

In the future, he hopes that diverse actors are presented with opportunities as diverse as their respective backgrounds.

As for his own future plans, Nick is presently content with where he is working on Play School and is also lending his voice and using his platforms to aid the Yes Campaign for Marriage Equality of which he is a big proponent. “I am a Yes campaigner!

And I believe in equality for all”.

Saving the most important question for last, Nick confirms that he would indeed always and without hesitation choose to go through the Arch Play School window (earning a thumb’s up from us!) but also goes on to explain, “There is a diamond window now! We went through it the other day!” Change is well and truly in the air, even on Australia’s oldest television sets the sort of change that is both long overdue and wholeheartedly welcome.

www.indianlink.com.au

dance

Kathak central Kathak exponent Prerana Deshpande presents a recital with disciple Helena Joshi

BY VISH CHILUMKURTI

C

ulture connoisseurs in Brisbane were treated to a spectacular Kathak performance at the Multicultural Centre, Kangaroo Point by internationally acclaimed Kathak exponent Prerana Deshpande recently. She is currently touring under the aegis of Infinity Kathak School.

Kathak is a North Indian classical dance form. The term is derived from the ancient Sanskrit word Katha which means story.

Much like the travelling minstrels of the West, wandering storytellers in ancient India recited mythological tales with appropriate use of melody, rhythm and expression, which led to the gradual evolution of the Kathak dance as we know it today.

Kathak has its roots in ancient Indian temples as well as royal courts. It has survived the march of time through an oral tradition learnt and taught from one generation to the next in the traditional guru-shishya or a master-disciple tradition. It was one such master-disciple relationship

INDIAN LINK

that saw Brisbane-based Dr Helena Joshi join Prerana Deshpande’s Nrityadham in Pune, Maharashtra.

Each time Helena went to India she would spend at least 4-5 hours of intense training every day under the watchful eye of her guru immersed in dance, having lost track of time.

Helena recalled fondly how the dance form’s mathematical precision led to an emotional climax and was a port of entry into a very sublime state of mind comparable to meditation. Helena told the audience that “the annihilating yet sublime” practice routines brought her close to “the realisation of God.” After a rigorous training regime under the tutelage of Guru Prerana Deshpande, Helena felt the need to further disseminate her knowledge of Kathak in Australia. This led to the creation of the Infinity Kathak School at West End in 2016.

The recital started off by an invocation to Lord Ganesha by Helena with a Tarana which is a musical aspect of Kathak, consisting of a main melody and multiple nuances of rhythm. Dressed in ochre and yellow, Helena’s Tarana was an exposition of controlled grace and sublime symmetry accompanied by a very skilful ensemble.

The first half was very much a teaser though. When the curtain rose on the second half, the audience were treated to a very high energy performance by Prerana Deshpande through teen taal, gat and thumri which are essentially portrayals of characters accompanied by highly

measured and mathematical beats of the tabla (drum) and other instruments. Prerana also interacted with the audience with grace and humility as she described herself as “a drop of water in an ocean of art as art is far greater than the artist.” She was accompanied on the tabla by Shen Flindell, on the viola by Richard Grantham, Darshil Shah on the flute and Dr Mansi Kinarivala as a vocalist. Dr Richa Dave, as MC, ensured that all the stages of the concert integrated into a seamless panoply of visual and aesthetic delight.

Internationally renowned for her skill and dedication to Kathak, Prerana has been felicitated by multiple awards such as the Gaurav Puruskar by the legendary Pt Birju Maharaj and has many titles conferred upon her including Nritya Shri and the Shringar Mani. Prerana herself was taught by the late Dr Rohini Bhate and excelled by becoming the first student of her guru to gain a Master of Arts from the University of Pune. She also graduated with honours and received a national scholarship from the Government of India for two years.

She established the Nrithyadham in Pune, Maharashtra.

Speaking to Indian Link, Prerana said, “In any art form, the reflection of the artist’s individuality and personality makes them a complete artist. Deep knowledge of the art under the guidance of a guru, intense training and true passion are the only ways to achieve it.” She added that she was looking forward to meeting as many Kathak enthusiasts in Australia as possible, through a series of dance workshops organised in Brisbane and later in Hobart, Tasmania.

She exhorted the youth to get to know the culture better by gaining a deeper understanding of this ancient dance form.

NOVEMBER

pastimes

Aww-dorable Melb mum creates cute images with her infant daughter and some household stuff

W

e all love making memories and capturing them on camera, because a memory captured is a memory that we can live each time we

look at it.

With this idea, a mother originally from India and now settled in Melbourne made her then 2-month-old daughter the centre of some cute and creative images she created.

Krinzal Chauhan, whose hobbies include painting, drawing and doodling, found herself a bit lost after the birth of her daughter. Overjoyed without a doubt, the school teacher had no creative outlet while on her maternity break.

That’s when Krinzal’s husband Himanshu suggested that she combine her passion for craft, painting, and of course the endless

NOVEMBER

‘‘

BY ANUBHUTI MADAN

‘‘

“I created her and she inspired me to

create this,” Krinzal says. “I arranged the I created backdrops first and then positioned my napping daughter with the props, making her and she her an integral part of each scene,” she inspired me to explained.

Kudos to this mom for her creativity and patience which it takes to make an infant create this pose. For her, this is her way to tell a story

Krinzal Chauhan

love for her daughter into creating some beautiful portraits. That’s how Mommy Creates came to life.

With Mommy Creates, Krinzal created fantastical and whimsical scenarios from household stuff like bedsheets, blankets and clothes, all with her daughter Shanaaya in various moods.

She then patiently clicked the pictures to create some unique memories, and also posted the images of Facebook.

and the inspiration can be drawn from everywhere, including kids’ storybooks.

Asked about the future of this project, she says she still hasn’t really made up her mind though now that her daughter is a year and five months old. “The floor backdrops would soon be replaced with wall paintings since it is now impossible to make our active toddler stay in one place for a very long time,” Krinzal said.

For Krinzal, it all started with a colorful crotchet mermaid dress and her baby. For you, your next inspiration could be right in front of you. All you need to do is keep an open eye, grab what interests you and the rest will follow.

You can view Krinzal’s beautiful work on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ Mommycreates/

www.indianlink.com.au

food

Curry for change!

Getting involved in the ‘Great Aust Curry’ campaign

BY DHANYA SAMUEL

C

an a curry change the world?

Maybe not. But a curry can definitely contribute towards putting food on another family’s table. The Great Australian Curry is an annual fundraising campaign by Opportunity International Australia which gives a hand to families living in poverty.

Opportunity International Australia works through a unique system of microfinance, community development, training, local presence, technology and rural outreach programmes in developing countries including India. And the ‘Great Australian Curry’ campaign is a great way by which food lovers like us can contribute in a meaningful manner towards poverty and diminishing its impact.

This year’s campaign was officially launched last month with a spicy cook-off between two teams: Stephanie Rice (Triple Olympic gold medalist) and Courtney Ferdinands (Finalist, My Kitchen Rules) took on Michael Kasprowicz (former Australian Test Cricketer) and Valerie Ferdinands (Finalist, My Kitchen Rules) in this curry contest.

Michael Kasprowicz said, “I recently visited Opportunity’s work in Delhi, India.

Seeing firsthand the impact of small loans empowering parents to meet the needs of their children, was so rewarding. Kids can dream of becoming whatever they want in the future, whether it be sportspeople or teachers, because they know their parents can afford to give them an education. It’s the way it should be.”

It’s a great cause and with curry being a favourite at most Australian homes, it’s so easy to organise a small fundraiser in your home or office. Invite a couple of your friends home for a dinner

INDIAN LINK

(plenty of delicious curry recipes on the blog to help you with the cooking) and organise a small fundraiser of your own.

Or perhaps arrange a curry potluck in your office where you can pitch in with your colleagues to raise a target amount.

Remember that even the smallest amount can go a long way in being a helping hand to those in need.

Robert Dunn, the Opportunity Chief Executive Officer, said that last year the campaign was able to raise $108,000 which was used to help out 1500 families start small businesses and provide a livelihood. “We hope to help even more families this year through the generosity of Australians.”

There are also many exciting prizes up for grabs this year to encourage you to start a campaign. “The first 20 people to set up a fundraiser on Opportunity’s website will receive Rick Stein’s mouthwatering cookbook, ‘India’. There is also a writing competition and the prize is a signed copy of renowned Sydney Quay chef Peter Gilmore’s cookbook Organum.

And of course you need a delicious, lipsmacking curry recipe to get your fundraiser started. So here’s a Chettinad style Duck Kurma – absolutely flavourful and fingerlickin’ good!

Kurma is a type of curry preparation that was bought to India by the Mughals.

While it has evolved much over the years, it is essentially a rich creamy curry and can be both vegetarian and non vegetarian.

However in the Chettinad region of the south of India, the cream gets replaced by coconut which is blended with poppy seeds, cashewnuts and other spices to form a rich and flavourful curry.

I have veered away from the usual proteins, opting for duck instead of chicken or lamb as it’s a delicious meat that pairs beautifully with the spices and coconut. And also because we get such high quality duck meat in Australia.

Use any meat of choice or replace with eggs or mixed vegetables/paneer/tofu for a vegetarian option.

Duck Korma Ingredients

Wet spice paste: 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tsp fennel seeds 2 tsp cumin seeds 3 fresh green chillies; broken in half 2 tsp white poppy seeds 10 raw cashewnuts 7 garlic cloves; crushed 2 tbsp roasted Bengal gram (split) 1 ½ inch piece ginger, crushed 60 gms fresh grated coconut For the curry: Whole duck (approximately 1.1kg), cut into curry sized pieces 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil 2 inch piece cinnamon bark 4 green cardamom 1 large onion, finely chopped ½ tsp turmeric powder 2-3 sprigs curry leaves 2 large ripe tomatoes; pureed 2 tsp red chilli powder Salt, to season

Method

To prepare the wet spice paste: Heat oil in a large pan and add the cumin, fennel seeds and green chillies. Then add the poppy seeds, cashews and garlic; sauté for a few seconds.

Next add the Bengal gram, coconut and ginger. Mix well and sauté for a minute or two till the coconut turns a little toasty but not too brown.

Remove from heat and allow to cool thoroughly.

Blend with just enough water to get a wet paste.

To make the curry: Heat the remaining oil in a large wok/kadhai and add the cinnamon and cardamom followed by the onion. Sauté till the onions are softened and turn light brown.

Next add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and curry leaves; mix to combine.

Add the tomato puree and season with salt.

Cook on medium heat till the mixture comes together and you can notice oil appearing at the sides of the masala.

Next add the wet spice pasta and mix well to combine. Sauté for about 5-6 minutes on low to medium heat stirring continuously.

Add the duck pieces; mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add 1-2 cups water (depending on how much gravy you prefer) and bring to boil. Turn down the heat and simmer gently till the duck pieces have cooked perfectly and the gravy has thickened.

Taste and season with salt if necessary.

For more information about the campaign visit the fundraising website au.opportunity.org/ great-australian-curry

NOVEMBER

entertainment

the BUZZ UP-TO-DATE NEWS ON WHAT’S HOT AND HAPPENING IN BOLLYWOOD

SALMAN & KATRINA

SALMAN, KATRINA BACK TOGETHER

There are gunfights, there’s horse riding, there’s muscle game, mind game, punches and punchlines - the trailer of Tiger Zinda Hai shows Salman Khan back with a vengeance to delight the fans and give a message of peace.

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the movie brings back the Ek Tha Tiger on-screen couple Salman and Katrina, playing Indian agent Tiger and Pakistani spy Zoya.

This time round, they are on a mission to rescue 25 Indian nurses kidnapped by terrorists.

For Salman, message-based cinema seems to be the way to go now (Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Tubelight.)

But the hostage plot in Tiger… reminds us of Akshay Kumar’s Airlift.

We’ll just have to wait until 22 Dec to find out.

COMING SOON: SARA ALI KHAN

Get set for the comparisons to Sharmila Tagore and Saif Ali Khan. And probably Amrita Singh and Soha Ali Khan.

Sara Ali Khan’s launch film Kedarnath will hit the screens in late December. The producers believe the long holiday weekend will give Saif Ali Khan’s daughter the perfect launch pad in Bollywood.

The film is directed by Abhishek Kapoor and also features Sushant Singh Rajput, is based in picturesque Uttarakhand and is said to be “a tribute to Lord Shiva”. That’s all they’re saying for now!

GIRL NEXT DOOR

I

n her 12-year Bollywood career, Vidya Balan has won the heart of the nation with her girl-next-door, sari-clad, smiley-face image.

Well, she’s at it yet again in her next release Tumhari Sulu, in which she reprises that average middle-class woman so suited to her. This time round, she’s your typical housewife – but with an extraordinary natural talent for radio which sees her become a star.

Vidya ruminates that she has never played the teeny-bopper roles.

“The dancing-around-the-trees role never excited me,” she laughs. “I came into the film industry as a woman at the age of 26!”

Her clever choices of films may have gotten her her national awards, but perhaps choosing certain kinds of films is limiting her talent? Or is that giving her more room for experimentation?

“I am experimenting in my way. This year I’ve had three very different films Kahaani 2, Begum Jaan and now Tumhari Sulu. So yes, I am doing enough experimentation as a performer.”

Born and brought up in a middle-class southern Indian family in Mumbai, Vidya has grown up with traditional values and a very progressive mindset.

“You know, I am the first Palakkad Iyer girl to join Hindi films as an actress,” she reveals. “As a community, we are very traditional. Our focus is always on studies, classical dance and music. But I am blessed to be born in a family where my parents gave me and my sister, wings to fly. Our upbringing made us emotionally safe and secure. They taught us to do everything to the best of our ability.”

Perhaps that attitude gives her the confidence to say, “I know there will always be some work for me in whichever age I am.”

Tumhari Sulu releases on 17 Nov.

NOVEMBER

FIT TO FIGHT: KANGANA RANAUT

Actress Kangana Ranaut, known to speak her mind despite the reactions her words elicit, says it is tough to remain ‘headstrong’ in filmdom.

As a Reebok brand ambassador, she is part of the second edition of the brand’s #FitToFight campaign, which fights looming gender demons of eveteasing and pay disparity.

Despite the challenges especially of recent days, she claims she herself is mentally tough and fit to fight. “My experiences in life, on the personal and professional fronts, have helped shape the individual I am today,” she said on the sidelines of the campaign. “There have been moments in my life when it was very difficult to continue working in unfavourable conditions. But I fought my way, to make a mark for myself. In our industry, it is important to remain headstrong as you are often judged for not following the status quo. There will always be a segment that will try to make you feel insignificant, but it is important to channel your strength and confidence and work hard to triumph.

It’s important to grow a distinct voice to break the clutter.”

This is what she is trying to promote

with the #FitToFight campaign.

“I have also been opinionated and I choose to express my views openly. I hope to inspire other girls through my stories of courage, faith and conviction.

I truly believe in the limitless potential that every woman possesses to be physically, mentally and socially fit. I do hope my story and journey of facing adversities, fighting obstacles and emerging stronger and fitter, will inspire other women to be Fit to Fight,” she said.

PADMAVATI’S WOES CONTINUE

With the release date of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati approaching, its troubles seem to be mounting as well.

After protests by the Karni Sena and also a Brahmin group, now the former royal family of Jaipur has opposed release of the film “if historical facts are distorted”.

Former princess Diya Kumari in a statement said that no film should hurt the sentiments of a community by “twisting historical facts”.

Diya Kumari is a BJP MLA. “The director of the film Padmavati, Sanjay Leela Bhansali should not wrongly depict the story of Queen Padmavati of Chittor. He should get the facts in the film verified by a forum of historians,” she said in a statement.

Diya Kumari said that “Rajputs will not allow any distortion of the valiant history of Rajasthan and sacrifice of its people in fighting barbarians”.

Bollywood has not often got its facts right in its historical films. The latest development comes as film distributors in Rajasthan have expressed unease over releasing the film, scheduled to hit the screens on 1 Dec. Raj Bansal, a leading film distributor in Jaipur, says his company will not buy the distribution rights of the film till the controversy is resolved. Other distributors have agreed too.

With 300 screens in Rajasthan, and it will be a loss of around Rs 5 crore if the film is not released in the state, sources said.

The movie tells the tale of Rani Padmavati - the legendary Mewar queen known as much for her beauty and intelligence as she was for her

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KANGANA RANAUT

CAPTION CONTEST WIN MOVIE TICKETS!

SONAM KAPOOR

DILJIT DOSANJH

courage, her husband Maharawal Ratan Singh - a glorious Rajput ruler and a warrior king who fought till his dying breath to defend his kingdom and his wife’s honour and Sultan Alauddin Khilji - an ambitious and obsessive invader.

DILJIT, TAAPSEE IN HOCKEY FILM

The last hockey movie that came out - Chak De India - left us exhilarated.

Now, another one is being made on the life of former Indian hockey captain Sandeep Singh. And who better than the dashing Diljit Dosanjh to play the protagonist? This one will be the Udta Punjab actor’s first solo lead.

Sandeep Singh played as a full back and was a penalty corner specialist.

He made headlines when he made a comeback into the game after being injured in an accident.

Taapsee Pannu, who is also acting in the film and will essay the role of a hockey player, is super excited about the role. Reason? She says she loves sports so much that had she not been an actor, she would have aspired to become a sportsperson.

“I love sports and always feel if I wasn’t an actor, I would’ve aspired to become a sportsperson. But being an actor is very special because you get to live so many lives in one life. Finally, I have got an opportunity to combine the two interests. “I have been pretty

excited about my hockey learning sessions,” Taapsee said.

SONAM’S ‘VILLAINOUS’ DESIRE

Sonam Kapoor says if she is cast in a super-hero film, she would like to play a villain as they also have great stories to tell.

On scoring 11 million followers on Twitter, Sonam treated her fans to a question-and-answer session.

A fan asked her that if she was roped in for a superhero movie, would she like to be the hero or the villain?

“I think villains also have great stories to tell,” Sonam replied.

She proved her mettle (finally!) in Neerja, and it’s nice to see her thinking of doing more challenging roles.

One user asked Sonam which character she has played is her favourite. She said: “I can’t choose one.

I love each and every character I have portrayed.”

Sonam said her all-time favourite Hollywood actor is Meryl Streep, and that her favourite film by her father, actor Anil Kapoor, is Mr. India.

When a fan asked her to describe her Prem Ratan Dhan Payo co-star Salman Khan, she said: “Super hero.”

I WAS REJECTED AS NOT FIT FOR TV: SMRITI IRANI

India’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani says producer Ekta

WHO WORE IT BETTER? HILARY SWANK or SONAM KAPOOR in DELPOZO? Share your views with us on our Facebook page /IndianLinkAustralia

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Kapoor chose her to lead the cast of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi even though Kapoor’s team had rejected her (Irani) as “not fit” for television.

Irani spoke at the 17th Indian Television Academy (ITA) Awards where she was conferred the ITA Pride of Indian Television award recently.

“I have been associated with television for over 20 years now.

Television gave me a platform to enter Indian political space and I will be forever grateful for that. Also, Ekta Kapoor spotted me among the many young girls who had come for audition and selected me despite her team having rejected me as not fit for TV. “In 2007, when I was the anchor at the ITA Awards, I had invited the then Information and Broadcasting Minister on stage. So life has come a full circle for me to be invited on this stage as the serving Information and Broadcasting Minister.”

Irani, a former Miss India contestant, had risen to popularity as Tulsi Virani, the protagonist of the “saas-bahu” show which was launched at the start of the millenium and had a long run of over 1,800 episodes.

Ekta and Irani, who continue to remain friends, made the most of their time together at the ITA Awards event.

Ekta even clicked a selfie with her and posted it on social media.

Memories and selfies. That’s what good friendships are all about!

WHAT TWEETY BIRD TOLD US THIS WEEK

Match the following tweets to the celebs that made them.

Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Twinkle Khanna, Ranveer Singh And it’s a wrap! Goodbye Alauddin. One year and a few weeks later, I bid thee farewell. May your restless soul find its peace, Khilji Tiger is ready to roar Unwise wisecracks Honored to stand alongside these amazing trailblazers... #PowerWomen #Worlds100MostPowerfulWomen @ forbes In love with your #DoTheGhoomar videos!!!

What’s the chitchat here between DEEPIKA PADUKONE and ALIA BHATT? Send your response to: media@indianlink.com.au

LAST ISSUE CAPTION CONTEST WINNING ENTRY

What’s the chitchat here between VIRAT KOHLI and ANUSHKA SHARMA? Hetaal Badiyani: Anushka: Keep posing till they get the right angle.

I like my side face to look perfect.

Virat: I am trying, darl!

Cricket is easier than posing ;) Hetaal wins a movie ticket Another good one: Raghu Rules: I am always bowled by your spell... You can always sledge me all my life

NOVEMBER

entertainment

cineTALK CAPTURING RHYTHMS OF METROPOLITAN LIFE

RIBBON

STARRING: Kalki Koechlin, Sumeet Vyas, Kalyanee Mulay, Neha Iyer DIRECTOR: Rakhee Sandilya RATING: ***

HHHHH

And then, something happens.

Something awful and irreversibly life-changing happens in this true life portrait of an urban marriage threatening to fall apart under the strain of coping with daily vicissitudes.

Debutant director Raakhee Sandilya uses her two principal actors to mirror metropolitan mores and meltdowns

with masterful vigour and a scrupulous authenticity. The camera is used not to accentuate or glamourise Mumbai’s suburbia, but to simply serve as a functional topography for the lives of the couple Sahana and Karan played with such an absence of bravura and flourish that we forget Kalki and Sumeet are playing characters who don’t exist beyond the film.

At least not in the way we see them here.

The authenticity instilled into the couple’s lives is comparable with what Basu Bhattacharya achieved with Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore in

the remarkable portrait of a marriage on the skids in Avishkaar 43 years ago.

Director Raakhee Sandilya’s protagonists are not played by stars and one of them has not been seen on the large screen before. Kalki and Sumeet penetrate the lives of their characters with an incredible alacrity. No time is wasted in bringing their lives as close to us as cinematically possible. We enter their lives without fuss or ceremony and we leave them just as quickly, with no room for farewells.

Sandilya strips the film of all vanity. There is very little background music to highlight even the highest summits of emotions in the narration, so that we get the feeling of an unpolished raw home video. Hurting and hurtful. Kalki plays the more aggressive partner. And why not? Early in the plot (if one may accuse this film of resorting to plotting devices), Sahana, well, she loses the plot when her seemingly supportive boss turns wary and hostile after she returns from her maternity leave.

The scenes of Sahana’s workplace politics make us flinch. Yup, this is what goes on when women workers get too big for their boots.

The sequences where the couple deal with their child’s hired nanny abound in the scent of lived-in familiarity. Every

working couple silently suffers the tantrums of its house help. Ribbon is a subverted upturned take on all the family films we’ve seen in the 1960s and 1970s. If Jeetendra and Leena Chandavarkar in LV Prasad’s Bidaai were to set up home in Mumbai today, this is what they would have to deal with.

If Ribbon was not such a sharply aligned slice-of-life story, it would be a horror film, much in the same way that Daron Aronofsky’s Mother is. It is disturbing in its implied critique on the nuclear family where couples choose to keep their parents out. The last 30 minutes of the film is a separate beast, bound to serve up a wallop of shock disgust and despair in the audience as they watch the couple’s helpless attempts to keep their self-limited world from falling apart.

A lot of the scenes between the couple seem so spontaneous and unrehearsed, almost as if the lead pair walked into situations in the script that they had inherited from a couple who lived there before them. Ribbon captures the rhythms of metropolitan life with such a vehement repudiation of drama that I often forgot I was watching fiction.

Ribbon has its share of flaws.

So relentless is the focus on the protagonists’ lives that we barely get a glimpse into the lives of the other (interesting but sketchy) characters, like Sahana’s friend or Karan’s father or the babysitter who evidently leads a life as adventurous as her employers, if not more.

But that, some other time.

Subhash K. Jha

WANT TO WRITE FOR INDIAN LINK? We’re on the lookout for freelance contributors.

We want people who are great with deadlines and have a passion for all things Indian in Australia.

Email your CV with a cover letter telling us a bit about yourself, along with two examples of your most current work to media@indianlink.com.au

NOVEMBER

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backchat

MATRIMONIALS SEEKING GROOMS Looking for a suitable match for 37-year-old well educated Gour Brahmin girl.

Well-settled with a permanent government job in Brisbane. Height 5’3”, slim and fair complexion. Please reply to kumar.sham@bigpond.com Seeking suitable, professionally qualified groom for 27-year-old Punjabi girl living in Sydney. Born in England, 5’7”, with a slim build and wheatish complexion. Australian citizen, never married. Soft spoken and gentle, qualified with a Bachelors in Primary Education and a Bachelors in History. Currently working in a private company in Sydney. Caste no bar. Please call 0412 407 123 or email jskhepar@optusnet.com.au

What shall we be angry about today?

Netizens love to outrage over trivial issues and ignore bigger ones

W

hen you see the shocking, outrageous things people do just to get attention on the internet, it’s impossible not to shake your head and think: why didn’t I think of that?

So this columnist bought a KitKat, a snack consisting of four thin sticks of chocolate. Instead of snapping the individual sticks apart, I left it as a single unit and took a big bite out of the top.

As soon as pix were posted, outraged reactions poured in. “That’s not how you eat a KitKat!!!” said the first. “Man, that is just so wrong,” said the next. “U R one sick dude” said the third. “What is wrong with u,” said another.

This experiment, which I did some time ago, confirmed that a) people love being outraged, and b) the most trivial things create a much bigger reaction than serious but uninteresting things such as the imminent end of the world, the coming nuclear disaster, global Armageddon, etc.

Case in point: in August, police officers reported that a man wearing jean shorts robbed several shops in St Louis County in the US state of Missouri. The public reaction? I found precisely zero comments about the wrongness of robbing stores but vast numbers of angry posts about the wrongness of a male wearing jean shorts.

Police investigators joined in. “His disregard for the law is as offensive as his disregard for fashion trends,” said officer Ben Granda. His team circulated a photo of the man and asked the public (I am not making this up) to report him to law enforcement officers and “the fashion police.”

A couple of months ago, the internet glowed red hot with a report entitled “That’s not how you eat chicken nuggets.”

Clicking on the headline led you to a

INDIAN LINK

‘‘

People are angry on the internet because they are hungry for group validation. When others share their shock, they feel they’re vindicated

Match required for my sister, Australian citizen, Hindu Punjabi (non-veg) 5’0”, slim, fair, beautiful, 1988-born, Masters of Professional Accounting, working in Melbourne. Australian Citizen or PR required. Email melbournejodi@yahoo.com

SEEKING BRIDES People describe this tall, 32-year-old media professional as humble, honest and respectful with a modern mind and traditional values. I am also sensitive and funny and passionate about music, art, nature and spirituality. Seeking friendship leading to marriage. Age, religion, looks and past not important.

Honesty and tuning is. Call 0403 800 080 Seeking Gujarati match, either in Australia or abroad, with good family values, for a well settled accountant. Australian citizen, 42, 5’8”, divorced with no children. Vegetarian and non-smoker. Respond with photo and biodata to WhatsApp/Viber 0421 504 058 or email gujiaust@gmail.com Match required for a handsome Hindu Brahmin boy, 34 years old, 183 cm tall, athletically built. Very honest, down-to-earth and caring. Family well-settled in Delhi and running their own business. Boy living in Melbourne for the past 12 years, Australian citizen, currently working in a major bank. Divorce awaiting, have one little daughter. Caste and age no bar. please contact on 0420 693 449 or melbournegroom764@gmail.com Looking for a suitable match for a 33-year-old Brahmin boy, well-settled in Australia. Involved in family business. Fair complexion, 5’ 8”. Email at kumar. sham@bigpond.com Looking for a suitable match for a 33-year-old Hindu Brahmin boy. Australian citizen, good looking, well settled, 6 feet tall. Seeking an educated and good looking girl in Australia. Caste no bar. Please contact on 0422 091 170 or 0431 176 440 A well-settled, clean-shaven 48-year-old (looks only 35) good looking, tall, slim man. Senior manager with one of the four major Australian banks from a Jat Sikh family. Citizen of Australia and USA, good natured, sociable with a blend of Eastern and Western values. Seeking a lady with a view to marriage. Caste and age no bar. Respond to param69@gmail.com

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‘‘

BY NURY VITTACHI

secretly filmed video of someone eating the McDonald’s, er, “foodstuff ” with a knife and fork instead of fingers. “It’s so weird,” said one comment. “People who do things like that might be serial killers.”

Reddit and Twitter, meanwhile, were outraged over people who buy hot pizzas and then carry them vertically. “Who carries pizza like that?” said one Tweeter.

“I think I am witnessing a drug deal.”

Modern, liberal internet society HATES non-conformity and loves exposing misfits. Why? “Historically, humans have always gathered to discuss behavioural morality in religious and cultural gatherings,” a psychologist who did not want her name printed told this columnist via email.

“Now many are missing such forums.”

Professor Ryan Martin, who studies anger, told the New York Times that people are angry on the internet because they are hungry for group validation. When others share their shock, “they feel they’re vindicated and a little less lonely and isolated in their belief.”

The bad thing is that evil, unscrupulous media people can exploit this to get clicks on their own posts.

Mwa ha ha ha ha. Speaking of which, more responses had arrived under my image of eating a KitKat the wrong way.

Mother looking for a professionally qualified and settled Muslim groom (Australian resident or citizen) for Sydney based 29/5’3”, single, fair, slim, attractive, family oriented Punjabi girl. Well qualified, HR professional. Only serious candidates should contact with bio-data and pic on ysk.sikander@gmail.com

NOVEMBER

foretell

TAROT

NOV 2017 BY VANDANA November ushers in warmer days and balmy nights. With a glorious full moon lighting up the skies with its gentle rays on the fourth, this month will be a time of bringing to balance all we may have missed earlier so as to conclude the year with a contented drumroll.

ARIES March 21 - April 19

TAURUS April 20 - May 20

GEMINI May 21 - June 20

CANCER June 21 - July 20

Aristocratic Aries, you are spirited and spontaneous and it may not be easy for you to slow down for those who may not be at your mental cruising speed or merely unable to appreciate the larger picture that you so clearly envision. So weigh anchor for a bit! The Alchemist asks you to weigh the alternate ways of achieving your goal. Soon you will wear away the wisps of doubt with wit, determination and charisma as only you can, Aries.

You are strong-willed, Taurus, once you set your mind to something and your sense of purpose is unbeatable. The Magician invites you to edify yourself with in-depth knowledge and to temper your actions with kindness as the universe awaits ripples of your positive energy. A long-standing friendship stands you in good stead and brings you great contentment. You may consider a partnership or collaboration with this person who understands you well.

Friends such as these are precious gems.

The Lovers card appears in your reading and brings you to a point where you have to take an important decision.

Your head and heart have a mini tugof-war, Gemini, as you contemplate two paths that appear attractive to you in equal measure. Will long-nurtured ambition win the day or will the option of the easier path beckon? Sometimes it is easier to let others in on your thoughts when decision-making gets nebulous. You need to choose that someone wisely!

Hey, Cancer! Your friends and family are determined to get you out of your shell and it seems you’re in a bit of a quandary about whom to engage with socially. You feel safe within your shell and the thought of people getting you out of it gives you a bit of a shake. The Materialist card assures you of fun if you are willing to go with the flow. So dump that internet surfing and emerge into magical moonshine.

LEO July 21 - Aug 22

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21

Travel is on the cards for you, Leo, as The Chariot wheels itself into your November plans. A planned vacation or an impromptu trip necessitated by a pesky publisher (if you’re writing) or a weekend invite, you’re definitely packing your bags sometime soon.

Zoom away! You’ll be your best Lion-self once rested and will bring new ideas, zeal and commitment to your place of work. You’ll be open to innovations and suggestions which fall in line with your long-term aspirations.

The Emperor exalts your reading as you orient yourself to tap into the potential of your own mental prowess and the depth of knowledge you have acquired.

It is a strong card that resonates with power both internal and external. This becomes a source of joy for you and a friend or partner when you extend yourself a bit and include newbies in your friends’ circle. Who can be better than you, Virgo, in organising a meeting of the minds?

Witty, intellectual Libra, you’ve got sunshine in your pocket this month!

Sunrays bring you happy tidings and a ceremony - is it a wedding that’s in the offing? Or a betrothal, perhaps? It’s definitely a happy street where you’re taking a walk! Should you turn your hand to a humanitarian cause, you will find within you resources you hadn’t been aware of previously. Contribution to community welfare will bring you joy and oh, charming Libra, also an ardent fan following.

You like going it alone, Scorpio, whether it is thinking, action or decisions. You might make an exception this month.

Graced by the Guru card, you have an opportunity to receive the benefit of wisdom from an elder person or a professional that leads you beyond where you would reach by yourself.

You stand to gain in terms of a greater cash flow and also, a wider circle of acquaintances. You deserve a pat on the back for being astute!

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - Feb 18

PISCES Feb 19 - March 20

Happy changes are coming to you this month which signal a closure to something that has been of grave concern to you in the past. Whether you experienced workplace woes or were harried on the home front, the change that’s coming gives you great relief. You break free of all that and fly!

Some centaurs may be moving house - perhaps to another state or even another country. You have worked hard and you deserve the change. Settle well, Sagittarius!

You are at your creative best with The Enchantress stirring up your reading, Capricorn! Copywriting, advertisement, jingles, lyrics or art – you ace it. Like the proverbial mountain goat that climbs the mountain with ease, your personal development goals are easily conquered with the power of the mind. The inner faith with which you motivate yourself each day lends you a magnetic quality and you will revel in meeting people from different creative fields and sharing your brand of creative expression.

Surrounded as you are by a lot of love, Aquarius, you may yet feel the need for more of everything, indicates the card of The Devil, which brings devious, selfish thoughts into your mind. You may want to get away by yourself or spend on a few extras for you alone, which may not go down well with a partner. Fulfillment will certainly come your way with the Knight of Cups shining the path to favourable partnership and relationships.

A phase comes to a conclusion and another commences with The Tower urging you to prioritize health issues and take a much needed break from your routine. Sensitive to everything around you, Pisces, you tend to absorb energies and get exhausted. Be aware of the energy flow around you but shield yourself and build again your precious inner resources. You feel your best when you explore your talents so dabble in that which fascinates you – painting, poetry, prose or photography.

NOVEMBER

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Understanding Australia’s new broadband By replacing and upgrading parts of the existing phone and internet network, nbn is bringing more Australians access to fast and reliable broadband services.*

Most homes and businesses need to switch

You have a choice of speeds

and other issues.*For more information on how

As most existing landline phone and internet services will be disconnected, it’s important you switch affected services before your disconnection date.^ nbn will notify you by mail once you can switch to a new plan over the nbn™ access network. You’ll then have up to 18 months before existing services are disconnected.^

nbn offers three superfast wholesale speed tiers to providers - 25Mbps, 50Mbps and 100Mbps.* There’s also 12Mbps, which is not considered superfast broadband.* Talk to your phone and internet provider about speed tiers available in your area, as well as the actual speeds you can expect to experience on your new plan (particularly during peak times like the evening).

your particular experience will be affected, speak

nbn is a wholesaler This means nbn does not sell to the public. nbn supplies phone and internet providers with wholesale services they combine with their own network services to deliver your new plan. So you’ll need to contact your preferred provider once you’re ready to switch.

to your provider.

Important information on device compatibility Safety-critical devices like medical alarms, fire alarms, monitored security alarms and lift emergency phones, may not be compatible with your new plan at all times.† To help minimise a loss in your services, check with your device provider

Factors affecting your experience

that these will work on your new plan or whether

The nbn™ access network and your provider’s network are likely to slow down when more people are online at once. Maximum speeds will also vary based on your modem, Wi-Fi

you’ll need to find an alternative solution. It’s also important you register safety-critical devices with nbn by calling 1800 227 300 or visiting nbn.com.au/compatibility.

Contact a phone or internet provider *Your experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn™ broadband access network, depends on the technology over which services are delivered to your premises and some factors outside our control (like your equipment quality, software, signal quality, broadband plan and how your service provider designs its network). nbn is a provider of wholesale speeds to internet providers. nbn™ wholesale speed tiers available to your phone and internet provider vary depending on the access technology in your area. ^ Services offered to phone and internet providers over the nbn™ broadband access network will be replacing phone and internet services provided over most of the existing landline networks, including copper and the majority of HFC networks within the fixed line footprint. Services provided over existing fibre networks (including in-building, health and education networks) and some special and business services may not be affected. To find out if your services will be affected, please contact your current phone or internet provider. For more information, visit nbn.com.au/ switchoff or call 1800 687 626.† The rollout of the nbn™ broadband access network will involve new technologies, and some existing devices (including many medical alarms, autodiallers and emergency call buttons) may not be compatible with these at all times. You should contact your device provider to find out if your alarm or other device will work when connected to the nbn™ broadband access network and what alternative solutions are available. For more information, visit nbn.com.au/compatibility. © 2017 nbn co ltd. ‘nbn’, ‘bring it on’, ‘Sky Muster’, ‘gen nbn’ and the Aurora device are trade marks of nbn co ltd | ABN 86 136 533 741.

INDIAN LINK

BWMNCO0578/250X358/CALD

NOVEMBER

32 NOVEMBER 2017

www.indianlink.com.au