WHAT’S ON

STAGE

Bharatanatyam

Fri 20 April (5.30pm onwards)

Indian Cultural Centre, Sydney invites you to Samarpanam, a traditional Bharathanatyam repertoire by Deeksha Sharma. Level 2, 265 Castlereagh street, Sydney, 2000. Please RSVP at library.sydney@mea.gov.in

Stay Tuned

Sat 5 May (7.00pm onwards)

Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (CHYK), the youth wing of Chinmaya Mission presents comedy drama Stay Tuned at UNSW Science Theatre. All proceeds to social outreach projects in Sri Lanka and India. Details Niyati 0425 262 103

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 Rd, Bankstown. Details 0411 015 396

Tribute to Ra

Sat 7 April (7:00pm-11:45pm)

Rakesh Maharaja & Heavens Sydney Productions’s live orchestral concert, a special tribute to Mohd Ra . Bonnyrigg Sports Club 610 Elizabeth Dr Bonnyrigg. Details 0416 025 675

COMMUNITY

Punjabi & Bollywood Touch

Fri 6 April (7:00pm) Vodafone

Presents Punjabi & Bollywood Touch live concert. Parramatta RSL Club, Cnr of O’Connell St & Macquarie Street Parramatta.

Details Amit 0433 211 986

Mela Vaisakhi Da

8 April (11:30am-5:30pm) A family, non-alcoholic event with Jazzy B, Miss Pooja and more. Free entry for kids under 10. Castle Hill showground, Castle Hill.

Details Ginna 0402 931 000

Boishakhi Mela

Sat 14 April (11:00am-10pm)

Bangabandhu Council Australia’s event. Bengali New Year Festival on the rst day of Boishakh. ANZ Stadium Edwin Flack Avenue, Sydney.

Details 0433 351 662

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

Colorfest Sydney

Sun 8 April (11am-4pm) One-of-akind colour festival that will fuse all elements of EDM. St Ives Showground, 450 Mona Vale Rd, St. Ives. Details 1300 338 368.

ENTERTAINMENT

Stand Up Comedy: Zakir Khan

22 April Bowman Hall, Main Street, Blacktown.

Kumar Sanu & Anuradha Paudwal

28 April Whitlam Leisure Centre, Liverpool.

Vivacious Diva: Step up to express your style statement

28 April (6.00pm – 10.00pm)

Dezire Function Centre, 107 Main St. Blacktown. Details 0431 611 348

Teen Patti competition night

Sat 7 April (7:00pm) Full-on entertainment with Sydney’s best DJs. Live food stall, live singing and entertainment. Dezire Function Centre 107-109 Main Street Blacktown.

Details 0477 777 548

SPIRITUAL

Free Public Talk by Paramahamsa

Prajnanananda: Yoga and Meditation

Thur 19 April (6:45 pm to 8:30 pm) Experience the divine presence of self-realised (enlightened) yogi Paramahamsa Prajnanananda as he shares practical wisdom and naturally exudes pure love, compassion, peace and bliss. Marrickville Town Hall, 303 Marrickville Road, Marrickville NSW. Details 0422 334 573 or email nsw@ kriya.org.au

Shri Navadurga (nine forms of Durga) installation

Sat 28 April & Sun 29 April

Venue:Shri Shiva Mandir 201 Eagleview Road, Minto NSW. Details Jagdish Chawla 0421 376384

Chinmaya Mission public talks

Sat 28 April to Fri 4 May Chinmaya Mission Sydney presents Exceeding Excellence a series of public lectures based on the Hanuman Chalisa. Sri Durgadevi Devasthanam, 21 Rose Crescent, Regents Park NSW. Details 02 8850 7400, 0416 482 149

Simran and Meditation Diwan 4 and 11 April (6:30pm – 8:30pm) Waheguru simran at Gurudwara Turramurra Sikh Temple Sydney, 81 Kissing Point Road, Turramurra. Details 02 9449 8253.

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

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

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

MISC

Household Chemical CleanOut Event

April 8 (9.00am – 3:30pm) Location

Parramatta Operation Centre 316 Victoria Road Rydalmere. Household Chemical CleanOut is a mobile collection service. Use it to safely dispose of a range of household chemical products, including household cleaners, pool and hobby chemicals and pesticides.

Community Recycling Centres are permanent drop-off facilities, open year round. Use them to safely dispose of selected common household problem wastes such as paint, gas bottles, re extinguishers, motor/cooking oils, car and household batteries, uorescent tubes and globes, smoke detectors. Find your nearest Community Recycling Centre at www.epa.nsw.gov.au/ managewaste/comm-recycle-centres. htm. Details 131555

SENIORS

Free Tech Savvy Seniors Workshop

Learn basic computer skills at your local library Liverpool Library (10.00am - 12 noon)

3 April Introduction to computers.

10 April Introduction to ipads

17 April Introduction to Internet

24 April Introduction to Email H.J. Daley Library Campbelltown (10.00am to 12 noon)

1 May Introduction to Computer

8 May Introduction to Internet part 1

15 May Introduction to Internet part 2

22 May Introduction to Email Parramatta Library (10.00am–12 noon)

2 May Introduction to ipad 1

9 May Introduction to ipad 2

16 May Introduction to Social Media part 1

23 May Introduction to Social Media part 2

Denis Johnson Blacktown Library (10.00am – 12 noon)

6 June Introduction to Internet 1

13 June Introduction to Internet 2

20 June Introduction to Email

27 June Introduction to Social Media

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 tea. Details 02 9439 5122

How Sunita Williams is continuing her career in space

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is now helping privately-held companies like Space X and Boeing to develop their new spacecraft systems, which will eventually provide round-trip crew transportation services to the International Space Station (ISS).

After completing two missions to the orbiting laboratory, she is continuing her career in space on Earth as a member of NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap).

She is among the four astronauts who were selected by NASA in 2015 to train and prepare for commercial space flights that will return American launches to US soil and further open up low-Earth orbit transportation to the private sector, according to the US space agency.

Since the discontinuation of NASA’s Space Shuttle programme in 2011, US astronauts have had to rely on Russian shuttles to get into orbit.

The goal of the commercial crew programme is safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the US through a publicprivate approach.

NASA, Boeing and SpaceX have significant testing underway, which will ultimately lead to test missions when the systems are ready and meet safety requirements.

Boeing’s Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon will launch on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A, according to NASA.

After completion of each company’s uncrewed and crewed flight tests, NASA will review the flight data to verify the systems meet the requirements for certification.

Upon NASA certification, the companies are each slated to fly six crew missions to the ISS beginning in 2019 and continuing through 2024, NASA said in January this year.

Williams, 52, has spent 50 hours and 40 minutes outside the ISS and part of her new job is to verify that the companies’ spacecraft can launch, manoeuvre in orbit and dock to stationary spacecraft like the ISS.

“This is really different from my old job, you know,” Williams was quoted as saying.

“She is currently assigned to the cadre of astronauts training to fly the initial test flights for America’s first commercially built spacecraft the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Dragon,” according to the biography of the astronaut at the NASA website.

Alberta allows Sikhs to drive motorcycles without helmets

Canada’s Alberta province, which has the third largest population of Sikhs after British Columbia and Onatrio, will allow turbanwearing Sikhs to drive motorcycles without a helmet from 12 April onwards.

British Columbia and Manitoba already allow Sikhs to drive motorcycles without helmets.

Alberta’s Transportation Minister Brian Mason revealed that the exemption was granted at the request of the Sikh community as recognition of their civil rights and religious expression. The exemption applies to drivers and passengers over the age of 18 who are members of the Sikh religion.

“Our government is committed to these principles,” Mason said.

According to an Alberta government spokesperson, a rider wearing a turban, but not a helmet, would have to self-identify to be considered a Sikh. At that point, it would be up to the discretion of the officer. If the officer doesn’t believe the rider, a ticket may still be issued. The rider would then have to challenge it in court.

As per the 2011 census, there are 52,335 Sikhs in Alberta.

Baltej Singh Dhillon, who became the first Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer with a turban, welcomed Alberta’s decision.

In a statement, he said, “The decision by the government of Alberta to allow Sikhs to be able to ride their motorcycles without having to remove their turbans, which is an integral part of the Sikh identity, demonstrates a deep respect for the traditions and customs of the Sikh community. This exemption is a testament to the government of Alberta’s continued commitment to respecting diversity and religious rights of all Albertans.”

Gurpeet Pandher from the Sikh Motorcycle Club of Edmonton called the announcement a “milestone and memorable day” in Alberta’s history.

Canada’s top Sikh tycoon donates $10 mn to university

Canada’s top Sikh real estate tycoon Bob Dhillon has donated $10 million to the University of Lethbridge in Alberta.

The university has renamed its business school after him. It will henceforth be called the Dhillon School of Business.

The Calgary-based Bob (Navneet) Dhillon is the president and CEO of the real estate giant Mainstreet Equity Corporation which he started from the back of his car in the 1980s.

With its assets over $1.5 billion, the company owns over 10,000 apartment units across Canada.

The university said the Dhillon School of Business will drive futuristic learning and focus on new technologies such as blockchain, cryptocurrencies and new growth industries, including artificial intelligence and robotics.

“I’m a first-generation immigrant and I’m very fortunate that I’m in a position to make this contribution. This is my way of giving back to Canada,” said Dhillon whose family hails from Tallewal village near Barnala in Punjab.

Dhillon, who is an alumnus of Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, said, “I am an immigrant and a businessman and I’m extremely thankful for the opportunities I’ve had growing up here in Canada. I was very fortunate that the importance of education was drilled into me by my family, my parents, my brother, really everybody around me growing up.”

The Sikh real estate tycoon, who also holds an MBA from the famous Ivey School of Business at Western University, added, “Education is what drives successful global nations and Canada is unique in that there is so much opportunity here. The University of

A woman watches through a window a religious procession on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti festival celebrated by Jains in Allahabad, India, 29 March, 2018. The festival celebrates the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira, who created the de ning rules of Jainism.

Lethbridge is a world-class university that the world needs to discover.”

University President and Vice Chancellor Mike Mahon said the donation from Dhillon will be transformational for his institution.

“Our university was founded by forwardthinking mavericks... Here we are, 50-plus years later, and we’re still looking ahead, pushing boundaries and creating an educational experience like no other. This gift, this commitment from Dhillon, will help drive us forward.”

Jayamma’s story: From victim to crusader for sex workers

Jayamma Bhandari was orphaned at the age of three and spent her childhood in grim poverty. She was forced into the sex trade by her husband. But unlike other victims who are forced into the murky business, she decided to challenge her destiny - becoming, in the process, an inspiration for many other women like her.

Now 40 years old, Jayamma runs the Chaitanya Mahila Mandali (CMM) in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, to help sex workers leave the exploitative profession and find respectable livelihoods. CMM works in high-risk slum communities to raise awareness on sexual rights and reproductive health, and takes up skilling and livelihood courses.

According to India’s National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), there are 1.65 million registered sex workers in the country - the actual numbers would be much higher - who lead very sordid lives. Though they are not in the profession by choice, they have to bear the stigma associated with it, feeling ostracised, alone, unwanted and disposable. There are the ramifications of the exposure to various sexually transmitted diseases too.

Jayamma is credited with directly impacting the lives of some 5,000 women in sex work and nearly a thousand of them are now engaged in alternative livelihoods. Also, over 3,500 children of sex workers have been provided vocational training through her efforts.

Fondly called “Amma”, or mother, her efforts were acknowledged by the government and she received the Nari Shakti (Women Power) Award on International Women’s Day last month. Earlier, the Confederation of Indian Industry conferred her with the Exemplar Award in 2017 Jayamma grew up in her uncle’s home in Nakrakal in Nalgonda district, about 300 km from Hyderabad. After a tough childhood and a difficult adolescence, she was married to a man in Hyderabad who, soon after she had a baby, started pressurising her to join the flesh trade.

Her refusal led to her being tortured, both physically and mentally. With minimal education and no one to support her, she succumbed to the wishes of her husband.

Selling not only her body, but also her soul, Jayamma toyed with the idea of suicide many times. But the thought of what would happen to her daughter after her death - that she too could be pushed into the same trade - gave Jayamma the strength to go on.

For Jayamma, it was a meeting Jai Singh Thomas, an NGO executive from Hyderabad, that proved a turning point. He encouraged her to leave sex work and do advocacy for the community. With Thomas’ help, she decided to set up an organisation that would enable sex workers to find viable alternative professions. Thus began her journey as a change agent.

Now Jayamma - who finally mustered the courage to part ways with her husband in 2012 - and her organisation reach out to victims like her, counsel and try to convince them that there can be a better ways to lead their lives.

“It’s really a daunting task to convince them as some of these women have become addicted to alcohol, drugs, smoking, sex and living in that vitiating environment,” says Jayamma. “They have many questions: will they be able to earn enough to support themselves and their kids? Won’t their situation be more miserable if the world doesn’t accept them due to their past? We have the challenge to win their confidence and persuade them by offering help and support. Forcible rehabilitation doesn’t work in such cases and, as such, de-addiction, counselling, and slow, long-term therapy become necessary to restore their lives.”

The tragic life of sex workers is not limited to them - children born to such women are bigger victims. Being vulnerable, they usually end up finding themselves trapped in this or allied professions.

Hyderabad has no designated red-light area, and sex workers go out and solicit clients. They usually take their children along as they have nowhere to go. The sight of their children sometimes getting abused in front of them is disheartening for these mothers.

Jayamma thus felt that working to prevent the victimisation of children of sex workers was important. She set up Chaithanya (meaning awareness) Happy Home in 2011 where children of sex workers are provided with all basic necessities of life - food, access to education, life skills and a safe roof.

CMM not only rehabilitates the children but also carries out routine follow-ups to check whether they are safe. The initiative today has 43 such children with big dreams of becoming teachers, engineers and doctors.

With the aim of changing societal attitudes stigmatising sex workers - and with the belief in building a system equipped and sensitive to address the issue of trafficking - Chaithanya also conducts sensitisation training for police officers in Telangana.

On being asked whether sex work should be legalised in India, Jayamma comes back with a firm “no”. “First the law needs to be in place. Policymakers, police and activists need continuous sensitisation on this issue.”

Prostitution itself is not illegal in India, but soliciting and living off the earnings of a prostitute are. And the law is open to a lot of misinterpretation and manipulation by the police and pimps.

Bangkok’s Indian eatery No. 1 restaurant in Asia – again

Indian cuisine restaurant Gaggan in Bangkok has again topped the list of

“Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” for a fourth consecutive year.

The winners were announced at a ceremony at Wynn Palace in Macau on 3 April this year.

The Indian eatery, operated by chef Gaggan Anand, eclipsed stiff competition from Tokyo’s Den and Florilege, which took second and third spots respectively.

“Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” list was voted by a 300-member committee, whose members included food writers, chefs, restaurateurs and gourmands from across the region.

Members based their decisions upon their dining experiences of the past 18 months to list their favourite restaurants.

A restaurant from the Macau Special Administrative Region, Jade Dragon, was also included this year.

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macau Special Administrative Region government Tourism Office, said at the ceremony that Macau was committed to promoting creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable development.

Fernandes added that it was also seeking exchange, innovation, cross-field collaborations while treasuring traditions and training the next generations of culinary talent.

Macau had one restaurant, Robuchon au Dome, in the list of “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” in the first four years. In 2017, two local restaurants, Jade Dragon and The Tasting Room, were ranked on the regional list.

Launched in 2013, “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” list was the regional version of the famous list of “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” since 2002.

Need seen for ‘global agency’ to help protect Kashmir’s dying Dal Lake

Faced with alarming levels of muck and choking weeds, Dal Lake, the main tourist attraction in the Kashmir Valley, is gasping for breath - and the once-pristine waterbody seems to be in dire need of intervention by a specialised global agency to prevent further decay.

Despite a separate budget plan and the spending of several crores by successive governments for its conservation, the Dal Lake - once known for its clear, potable water - is currently dying because of the continuous flow of untreated sewage, waste material and wild creepers that are together destroying the area’s ecosystem.

“We need a specialised agency to tackle the problem and to prevent the lake from dying. The existing local agency, with its conventional cleaning methods, has failed to deliver,” a senior Tourism Department official, who declined to be named, told IANS.

The countrywide Swachh Bharat campaign also seems to be missing here.

“We have not got any funds under the Swachh Bharat programme. While our annual state capital expenditure on Dal Lake is Rs 80 crore, we have been allocated Rs 356 crore from the Centre for Dal Lake conservation and rehabilitation of dwellers from the lake to outside the area,” said Masoodi Hafeez, Vice Chairman of Lake and Waterways Development Authority.

The Authority, responsible for cleaning and maintenance of the Dal lake, has sought Rs 1,488 crore from the Centre for a holistic project that would involve relocation of dwellers from near the lake and its conservation.

Asked about the need for seeking help of a specialised agency from abroad, Hafeez declined to comment.

“There is a need for strong political and bureaucratic will to take up the cleaning issue as the turbulence in the Valley is pushing it to the backburner, with law and order becoming the priority of the government,” said the Tourism Department official.

Acknowledging that Dal is in deplorable condition and in desperate need of a massive cleaning exercise, Minister of State for Tourism Priya Sethi said strong political will is required to prevent its further deterioration.

The lake’s area has shrunk to 21 sq km due to encroachments and untreated dirty water being discharged from houseboats and nearby hotels - as well as houses on the shore.

While the lake needs a sewerage treatment plant of 80 million litres capacity daily to keep the water clean, the authorities have so far managed to install a plant that can only treat 36 million litres daily, resulting in massive depletion in water quality. Only 30 per cent of houseboats are connected to the plant, with the rest discharging untreated waste into the lake.

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) recently held its annual convention in Srinagar to attract more tourists to the Valley, which is currently witnessing a decline in footfalls due to the separatist violence in the state.

The event, aimed also at changing the perception about the situation here, has returned to the Valley after 31 years, said TAAI President Sunil Kumar.

While the Dal Lake is the central attraction for tourists in Srinagar, about 500,000 local people depend on it for their livelihood.

At present, the Dal is home to about 1,200 houseboats and 4,000 shikaras and pheriwalas, Bashir Ahmed, the caretaker of a houseboat, said. However, official data - which does not take into account unregistered boats - contends there are only 923 houseboats and 2,700 shikaras. There are also some 150 floating shops and 58 hamlets with about 10,000 families staying around the lake.

The flow of untreated water and sewage from hotels and houses along the lake is also affecting the aquatic life of the water body.

As for those responsible for the health of the lake, Ahmed said, “Sometime they come to clean, sometimes they don’t.” And the result of this dangerously lackadaisical attitude is there for everybody to see - the Dal Lake is in peril.

SRK comes to Madame Tussauds Delhi

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is the latest celebrity whose wax figure has been unveiled at Madame Tussauds in New Delhi. He stands in his classic romantic pose with his arms wide open, sporting a blue sherwani. Following a special unveiling, the figure was taken on a tour of Delhi.

.IANS