WHAT’S ON

ARTS

Parramasala

9-11 March A free, public celebration of the diverse and rich cultures in Sydney, the multicultural arts festival Parramasala will offer entertainment, food, markets and music from over 40 different cultures in a positive, diverse and friendly atmosphere. Details www. parramasala.com

Bangla Art Exhibition 2018

Sat 10 March (10:00am)-Sun 11 March (3:00pm) A celebration of the vibrant Bengali arts with a program that includes short lm, performing and visual arts from Bangladesh, West Bengal, Australia and New Zealand. State Library of New South Wal Macquarie Street, Sydney. Details www.banglahub.org

STAGE

Hindustani vocal

Fri 16 March (5.30pm-7.00pm) Indian Cultural Centre (Consulate General of India, Sydney) invites you for Sacred Songs of Hindustan: A Thematic Concert with vocalist Nadhamuni Gayatri Bharat, accompanied by Maharshi Rawal on tabla, Roopak Haridasan on harmonium, and Charan Vedurumudi on mridangam. Venue Level 2, 265 Castlereagh Street, Sydney 2000. RSVP to library.sydney@mea.gov.in

Dances of India

Fri 9 March (5.30pm onwards)

Consulate General of India (Sydney) and Sandalwood Arts present Bharat Yatra, Indian classical and folk dances by Bangalore-based dance group Shivapriya. Venue Level 2, 265 Castlereagh Street, Sydney 2000.

Details Roopa 0423 187 325

Bappi Lahiri show

Sat 10 March (7:30pm) Whitlam Centre, 90A Memorial Avenue, NSW. Details Rakesh 0411 621 371

Anoushka Shankar

Sun 11 March 8.30pm. Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Details www. ticketmaster.com.au

Kannada Musical Melody Night

Fri 16 March Multiple award winner

Santhosh Venky, melody queen Nanditha and rapper Chandan Shetty to perform. 108 Silverwater Road, Crn Egerton Street. Silverwater. Details 0401 432 282

Naada Sambhrama

Sat 17 Mar 6.00 pm Hindustani instrumental music night featuring Nagaraj Hegde on ute and Bharavi on tabla. Venue Wattle Grove Public School, Cressbrook Drive, Wattle Grove. Details Narayana 0423 634 979.

Tarang

Sat 17 March and Sun 18 March (3:00pm onwards) On the occasion of Rhythm Dance Academy Sydney’s 9th annual day, experience various art, music and dance forms with three well-renowned overseas artists, 15 Sydney-based artists and RDA’s whole bunch of students in a twoday festival Tarang. UNSW Science Theatre Kensington, Sydney. Details harshudance@gmail.com

Sitaron Ki Meh l

Sat 24 March (7:00pm) Chesterhill RSL Club 20 Chesterhill Rd, Chester Hill. Details, Hema 0423 464 517

Sydney Dance Festival of Classical

Indian Dance

Sat 7 April (2:00pm-8:00pm)

Madhuram Academy of Performing Arts presents dance festival featuring Odissi recital by Sanatani Rombola, Bharatanatyam by Praveen Kumar, Kuchipudi by Sailaja Narayanaswamy, Kathak by Gauri Diwakar. Bryan Brown Theatre, Cnr Rickard Road and Chapel Road, Bankstown NSW. Details 0411 015 396

Tahir Qawwal

Sat 17 March (8:00pm) Byron Theatre, 69 Jonson Street, Byron Bay. Details www.tahirqawwal.com

Indian Stand-up Comedy Festival

Sat 24 March (7:00pm) Featuring Mahdeep Singh, Manish Tyagi and Gaurav Gupta. 632 Old Northern Rd, Dural. Details gumberv@yahoo.com

FESTIVAL

Holi Mahotsav

Sat 14 April 10:00am to Sun 15 April 7:00pm Tumbalong Park, Pier St, Sydney, Australia 2000. Details: www.holimahotsav.com.au

SPIRITUAL

Events at Regents Park Sai Temple (25 Rose Crescent Regents Park) Fri 23 Mar Mata Chowki 9:00pm to 12 midnight.

Sun 25 Mar Ram Navami 9:00am to 9:00pm, with Ram Janam celebration at 12:00 noon.

Details 1300 524 724; www.shirdisai. org.au; Facebook.com/saimandir

Life enrichment program (Fortnightly) G.O.D. Australia Sydney Chapter invites school children to Gopakuteeram, A life enrichment program imparting universal values through stories from Indian scriptures, slokas, bhajans, choir, games, drama, art festivals and more. These twohour, fortnightly classes start from 4 February at 4.00 p.m. Namadwaar 44 Oakes Road Winston Hills. Details Jayashree 0420 522 629

Simran and Meditation Diwan in Sydney Wed 14 March (6:30pm-8:30pm)

Gurudwara Turramurra Sikh Temple Sydney 81 Kissing Point Road, Turramurra. Details 02 9449 8253.

The Journal of Dharma Studies http://www.springer.com/ philosophy/philosophical+traditions/ journal/42240 (previously, the International Journal of Dharma Studies) through Springer Publications, has been launched under the editorship of Rita D Sherma and Purushottama Bilimoria. For submissions and details ldunn@ses.gtu.edu

COMMUNITY

Women’s Day celebrations

Sat 17 March (10:30am-3:00pm)

International Women’s Day 2018 celebrations hosted by UIA Women’s Steering Committee. Haveli Function Centre, 57-59 Main Street, Blacktown. Details 0450 450 191

TECH FOR KIDS

Annual Code Challenge: Your school is invited!

DXC Technology Foundation announces its Annual Code Challenge using Scratch, a fun and free coding platform for beginners. Free event, open to all children aged 10-14, groups and schools welcome to join. All that is required is access to a computer, an internet connection and an imagination! Teams will have until April 27, 2018 to develop and submit an online project. Entries will be evaluated by our panel of judges for creativity, originality, technical merit and accuracy and good programming practices.

Details dxc.technology/dxccodes or email dxcgivesback@dxc.com

YOGA

Learn Kriya Yoga

Sat 17 March (8:30am-5pm) This Kriya Yoga initiation ceremony is a twoday program of teaching, reviewing and practicing the Kriya technique. Suitable for all ages 12+. Held at Australia Kriya Yoga Ashram, 226 Macdonalds Road, Lisarow NSW. Details 0422 334 573

MISC

Fijian Bollywood party

Sat 24 March (9:30pm to Mar 25 3:00am) Club Crystal event. Roma Function Centre 167A Northumberland Street, Liverpool, NSW. Details 02 9600 8888

Sikh Games

30 March 7:00am-1 April 10:00pm McClean St, Bass Hill NSW. Details australiansikhgames.com.au

The Great Khali meet and greet Sat 31 March (7:00pm) Meet wrestler the Great Khali. Dezire Function Centre, 1/107-109A Main St, Blacktown NSW. Details 0431 871 002

Bollywood Night

31 March (6:00pm to April 1 2:00am) Easter Long Weekend Party. Canyon Restaurant 96 Phillip Street, Parramatta, NSW. Details www. rivercanyon.com.au

SENIORS

AASHA at Hornsby

Every second and fourth Friday of the month, 11.00am - 2.00pm. Venue Hornsby Youth and Community Centre, cnr Muriel and Burdett Sts, Hornsby, close to Hornsby Station. Programs feature yoga, music, dance, games health and tech presentations, health checks, and light lunch. Details Bijinder 0412 786 569

Crows Nest

Every third Wednesday of the month, 10.00am - 11.30am. Venue 2 Ernest Place, Crows Nest. Social event with free morning tea. Details 02 9439 5122

To list your event email: media@indianlink.com.au INDIA

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RSS loyalist Biplab to be Tripura’s 11th Chief Minister

Biplab Kumar Deb, the Chief Ministerdesignate of Tripura, has been a long-time RSS volunteer who is largely credited for the BJP’s turnaround in the state elections - winning 35 out 60 assembly seats and demolishing one of the last citadels of the Left Front in the country.

Deb replaced Sudhindra Dasgupta, the longest-serving BJP state president, in January 2015 after he was handpicked by BJP’s “Prabhari” (central incharge) Sunil Deodhar to lead the party in the state.

BJP leaders say the idea of letting Deb take charge of the party in Tripura was well received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party President Amit Shah.

The 48-year-old leader is said to have played a crucial role in making some of the former Congress MLAs join the BJP last year - a move that proved vital in BJP’s spectacular win in the state where the Left Front had been ruling for the last 25 years.

With the slogan “Chollo Paltai” (let’s make a change), Deb led the BJP’s door-todoor campaign that ultimately saw the BJP increasing its vote share to over 43 per cent in the 18 February elections from just 1.5 per cent in 2013.

The BJP had no member in the outgoing assembly as 49 of the 50 candidates it had fielded in 2013 even lost their deposits.

And credit for the turnaround -- from nil to 35 seats -- goes to Deb, who defeated CPIM’s Amal Chakraborty in the Banamalipur constituency by a margin of 9,549 votes. This was Deb’s first electoral battle.

He credited the party’s performance to Modi, Shah and all other central and state party leaders who “worked very hard and continuously guided us before and during electioneering”.

“The credit must go to all,” Deb said in his first media interaction after winning the election.

Deb will be the 11th Chief Minister of Tripura succeeding Manik Sarkar, 69, who governed the state for 20 years. He said his priority would be to make Tripura a model state in India in terms of development with the help of the Prime Minister, central ministers, central and state leaders and workers of the BJP.

Born on 25 November, 1971 in southern Tripura’s temple city of Udaipur, Deb had completed his graduation from Tripura University in 1999 and went to Delhi before he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a volunteer.

From Delhi, Deb is said to have moved to Pune and Nagpur in Maharashtra where he attended RSS camps. He is believed to have spent much of his time at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur.

Lenin statues razed in Tripura, post-poll violence continues

The post-poll violence in Tripura continued for the fourth consecutive day even as the administration, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) urged everyone to maintain peace.

Calling for maintaining peace, Chief Minister-designate Biplab Kumar Deb repeatedly urged the people not to disturb peace and attack the rival party members.

According to the leaders of CPI-M, two statues of Vladimir Lenin were razed by the BJP activists in Tripura.

“A statue of Vladimir Lenin was knocked down by the BJP activists on Monday night at Sabroom in southern Tripura. The statue was set up a few years back,” Tripura CPI-M state secretary Bijan Dhar said. Sabroom is 135 km south of the state capital.

According to an earlier report, an 11.5feet fibre statue of Vladimir Lenin was brought down with a bulldozer by the BJP activists in Belonia in early March.

“The BJP supporters, chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, knocked down the statue of Lenin near a government college in Belonia,” CPI-M leader Haripada Das told the media.

He said the statue was set up a year ago in Belonia, South Tripura’s district headquarters, around 90 km from Agartala.

“We are getting huge number of reports from different districts on Tuesday about

BJP and IPFT (Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura) workers attacking CPI-M members and supporters and demolishing their assets,” Das added.

State’s Governor Tathagata Roy said in a tweet: “What one democratically elected government can do another democratically elected government can undo. And vice versa.”

Roy is believed to have referred to instances of statues of leaders iconic to other parties demolished or defiled in the past in the state.

A media report said Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the Governor and Tripura Police chief Akhil Kumar Shukla, requesting them to take steps to control the violence in the northeastern state, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the new BJP government.

Dhar alleged around 520 CPI-M supporters were injured in attacks by rival BJP-IPFT party workers in more than 225 places across Tripura, after the declaration of the poll results.

“Arsoning, attacks and loot were carried out in around 1,745 houses. Many rubber gardens and small vehicles, hundreds of small shops, were forcibly occupied, ransacked or burned at around 500 places,” Dhar told the media.

According to him, a middle-aged man Taher Mia died of heart attack when the BJP workers exploded crude bombs in front of his house at Baxanagar in western Tripura.

He said that around 535 party offices and CPI-M’s frontal organisational offices were attacked, forcibly captured and set on fire across Tripura.

“We urge the administration and the BJP party leadership to take adequate measures to stop these post-poll violence immediately,” said Dhar, also a CPI-M central committee member.

On the other hand, accusing the CPI-M for “deliberately provoking and indulging in violence and attacks on BJP supporters”, Tripura BJP vice president Subal Bhowmik said that there have been 49 incidents of attacks on party workers and supporters by CPI-M cadres in the past 48 hours, injuring

17 BJP supporters.

He warned all that law would take its own course against the attackers irrespective of party affiliations.

Google India launches #HerStoryOurStory campaign

Aiming to celebrate women’s voices and uncover their inspiring stories of trials, hope and success in everyday life, Google India on 6 March launched its #HerStoryOurStory campaign ahead of International Women’s Day.

As part of the campaign, Google will be sharing woman hero stories through online videos, putting spotlight on women who have not just fought societal, cultural and economic barriers to achieve their dreams but are also redefining women’s role in the society and business through technology.

The campaign will showcase stories of trials, hope and success of women across India.

“Many studies show that one of the major barriers that prevent women in India from growing is the lack of relatable and realistic role models from a similar background.

“We are committed to empowering women, across both urban and rural India, by investing in providing access to tools and skill sets required to grow and succeed,” Sapna Chadha, Director Marketing (SEA and India) Google, said in a statement.

“On International Women’s Day, we want to bring forward stories and voices of women who are not just transforming their lives but also their communities along the way. We are celebrating the success of women from all walks of life - who can inspire many more women to follow their dreams,” Chadha said.

Women, both in urban and rural India, who are overcoming barriers and succeeding, can post their inspiring stories across social platforms using #HerStoryOurStory, the statement said.

Novel blood test may detect Zika more accurately

A new blood test may extend the window of accurate detection from weeks to months after the onset of Zika infection, giving clinicians a powerful new tool to screen for Zika throughout pregnancy, a new study led by an Indian-orgin researcher suggests. Infection with Zika virus during pregnancy raises risk for neurodevelopmental problems in the offspring, including fetal microcephaly - a condition in which a baby’s head is significantly smaller than expected - in at least one in ten pregnancies.

The blood test called ZIKV-NS2B-concat ELISA improves on existing options, providing an accurate and cost-effective means to determine whether a patient was infected, days or months after exposure, the researcher said.

“Many people infected by Zika have only mild illness, or are unable to see a clinician in the early, acute phase of infection. Our new test greatly extends the window during which an individual can be assessed with accuracy,” said Nischay Mishra from the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University.

blood test quickly detects up to 200 samples in four hours and the researchers anticipate its cost will be similar to other ELISA tests used in clinical settings, the researcher said.

“An affordable and accurate test for Zika virus is critical for public health,” said W. Ian Lipkin, co-author of the study published in the journal mBio.

To develop and evaluate the test, the researchers analysed blood samples collected from children in the Nicaraguan Pediatric Dengue Cohort Study, all of whom had previously tested positive for Zika virus.

Using a microarray, they identified a unique peptide sequence - a short section of amino acids - that binds with antibodies to Zika virus but not with antibodies to similar viruses like dengue, yellow fever, and Japanese encephalitis.

Next, the researchers customised a low-cost testing technology called enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to work with the sequence-improving on current versions of the ELISA test which use larger sections proteins that bind to the virus.

Conservationists sound alarm as India loses 106 leopards in 2 months

A staggering 106 leopards have died in the first two months of this year in forest areas across the country - a number that conservationists and officials said was alarmingly high for the “vulnerable” feline species in India.

According to the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), which compiled the data, the maximum number of deaths was due to poaching as evident from seizures of leopard hides and other body parts. Only 12 of the big cats died of natural causes.

Uttarakhand tops the list with 24 leopard deaths, followed by Maharashtra (18) and Rajashtan (11). The incidents of mortality were reported from 18 states.

According to official records, a total of 431 leopards died in 2017. These included 159 incidents of poaching. Some 450 big cats died in 2016 and 127 of them were found poached.

Leopards have been targeted by poachers for their expensive hides and other body parts. However, habitat loss, especially due to farming, has posed a new threat to them.

According to experts involved in tracking illegal wildlife trade, an animal skin changes lots of hands before it reaches a possible market in China where it can fetch around Rs 50 lakh - sometimes even higher than that.

A poacher in India sells it to a procurer for about Rs 3-4 lakh. It reaches a trader in Nepal or other neighbouring countries where it is sold for Rs 8-10 lakh. The traders in Nepal and other countries then smuggle an animal hide to Chinanotoriously considered the hub of wildlife blackmarketing. By the time it reaches the final trader in China, an animal hide can get Rs 40-50 lakh, experts said.

The WPSI said there are 10 possible general causes for leopard deaths. Of 106 leopard deaths so far this year, 36 were without clarity on what caused the deaths. There were 23 cases of seizure of hides, skulls and claws. But in such cases, it is usually not known if the animal died of a natural death or it was killed for some of its parts and then the body left behind.

However, there were 18 cases of clear poaching. The clarity on such deaths comes because there are clear signs of gunshot wounds or trap marks or poison found on an animal’s body.

The WPSI said eight leopards died in road or train accidents in January and February this year; five were killed by villagers; seven of fighting with other leopards; five were killed by tigers or other animals.

Two of them died in rescue operations or treatments, and one due to electrocutionand one was shot dead by a police official in Uttar Pradesh.

Beside this, four leopards were rescued alive from smugglers in Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, the WPSI said.

“The number is unusually high. We don’t see such a large scale of killing or mortality in such a small span of time. It’s a bad start in terms of wildlife conservation,” Tito Joseph, a programme manager at the WPSI, said.

Y.V. Jhala, a senior scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), said the number could actually be higher because the available figure is what could be detected or reported.

According to Dehradun-based WII, there are at least 9,000 leopards across 17 states where tigers are also found.

However, the actual leopard population is unknown as no assessment is done in other states like Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir where incidents of leopard sighting is random.

The Indian leopard is listed as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. It is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Men walk shirtless to support DCW’s anti-rape campaign With an aim to convey a strong message that ‘clothes do not cause rape, sick mentality does, the male volunteers of

Delhi Commission for Women’s Rape Roko movement marched on the streets of national capital without wearing shirts on 6 March.

Marching from Mandi House to Central Park in Connaught Place with placards stating “her clothes are not short, your mentality is” and “what clothes was the 8-month-old baby wearing?” the volunteers in a unique manner challenged the mindsets who tend to shame the survivors.

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal stated: “Rape Roko movement’s strength is its volunteers. They are campaigning for bringing about a change in system as well as mindsets and need to be supported.”

Olympic medallist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt also extended his support to the campaign and said that the toughest punishment, which is death penalty, should be given to the guilty of raping children.

“All our countrymen, all good people who respects their sisters, mothers, wives should come out & support #RapeRoko movement as today the victim maybe someone else but tomorrow it may be our sister or mother too,” Dutt commented.

Last week, the Indian Medical Association and the district court bar associations had also extended their support to the campaign.

How the Mughals inspired iconic 17th century Dutch painter Rembrandt

A museum in Los Angeles is launching an exhibition “Rembrandt and the Inspiration of India” that reveals how the 17th century Dutch painter was inspired by artists from a dramatically different culture in a country thousands of kilometres away.

The March 13-June 24 exhibition of paintings by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn at the J. Paul Getty Museum will include 23 of his works, closely based on portraits made by artists from Mughal India.

“These drawings mark a striking diversion for this quintessentially Dutch ‘Golden Age’ artist, the only time he made a careful and extensive study of art from a dramatically different culture,” a J. Paul Getty Trust statement said.

The trust is an international cultural and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts that includes the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Foundation.

“Rembrandt may be one of the most famous painters in European art history but there are still remarkable discoveries to be made about his work,” said Timothy Potts, director of museum.

“This exhibition is a case in point, demonstrating how Rembrandt turned to the art of India to produce some of his most exotic and intriguing images. This vivid example of cultural exchange reminds us how artists on different continents take inspiration from one another, a reality that of course continues to this very day.”

The exhibition pairs 20 of Rembrandt’s surviving drawings depicting Mughal emperors, princes, and courtiers with Indian paintings and drawings of similar compositions, which had been brought to Amsterdam from the Dutch trading post in Surat.

Rembrandt’s portraits reveal how his contact with Mughal art inspired him to draw in a newly refined and precise style.

“The critical eye and attentive curiosity Rembrandt turned towards Mughal portrait conventions still captivates viewers today. At this late stage in his career, around 1656-1661, this meticulous rendering is exceptional,” said Stephanie Schrader, the organiser of the exhibition.

The exhibition also examines how global trade and cultural exchange impacted artists working for Mughal emperors in India, who were in turn inspired by Dutch and Flemish printed images of European rules and scenes of daily life.

Among the treasures found in a Dutch East India ship, which sank enroute to China in 1597, was a package that contained 400 prints by and after Dutch and Flemish artists. IANS