WHAT’S ON

Fundraiser

The Memory Walk and Jog

Sun 6 May (7.00am onwards) Take part in a 2km walk, 7.5km walk or the 7.5km run to raise funds for those impacted by dementia. Leichhardt Oval #3, Maliyawul Street, Lily eld, NSW, 2040. Details 02 8875 4673

Bollywood extravaganza

Sat 19 May (5.00pm – 5.30pm) A charity event for the Hindu Benevolent fund used for those affected by cyclone in Fiji. Paci c Hills Christian School Performing Arts Centre, Dural, NSW. Details 0430 157 679/ 0419 573 328

Shaam-E-Meh l

Fri 25 May (6pm onwards) Sewa

Australia presents Shaam-e-Meh l, an evening of golden hits with live musicians and talented singers. All the proceeds will directly go to Family Support Services. At Madison Function Ctr, 632 Old Northern Rd, Dural NSW. Details 0412 705 796/ 0404 044 276.

Vision 2020 Charity Ball

Sat 19 May (7.00pm onwards)

Cherrybrook Community and Cultural Centre Funds raised for the Aiyaswamy Aiyer School in Chennai, India. Details 0468 947 761

STAGE

MOTHER’S DAY SPECIAL

Thaaimai – A Celebration of Motherhood in Sydney

Sat 5 May (6.30pm – 8.30pm) A

Bharatnatyam performance to portray the unique bond between mother and child. The Bryan Brown Theatre and Function Centre 80 Rickard Road, Bankstown, NSW 2200. Details 0420 483 044/ 0431 897 473

Tamil Folk Art

Tue 8 May (5.30pm – 7.00pm) Indian

Cultural Centre, Consulate General of India, Sydney in association with Tamil Arts and Culture Association Inc. organising an evening of Tamil folk art at Level 2, Consulate General of India, 265 Castlereagh street, Sydney, 2000. Details 02 9223 2702

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

Ragaswarubam 2018

Sat 12 May (5.30pm – 9.30pm)

Enjoy an evening of Carnatic classical Indian music by the Gogula Dharshan Music Academy and Ragamalika Music Academy. At Bowman Hall Blacktown. Campbell St, Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia 2148. Details 0434833128.

Richa Sharma live in concert

Sat 19 May (7pm onwards) Richa Sharma live in concert at Whitlam Leisure Centre 90A Memorial Ave Liverpool NSW 2170.

Details 041 277 9418.

FESTIVAL

Ramadan dinner

Fri 18 May (4.45pm – 7pm) 25th

Annual Ramadan Dinner hosted by the Islamic Charity Project Association.

Venue: Al Amanah College Assembly Hall, 56 Nagle St Liverpool, NSW. Details 9707 4842, 0413 914 189.

Istaqbal-e-Ramadan

Sat 12 May (5.15pm – 7.15pm) An effort to educate children and adults about Ramadan. At The Hub at Mt Druitt, Ayres Gr, Mount Druitt, New South Wales. Details (02) 8886 2020

Ramadan Iftar

Mon 21 May (4.30pm – 7.30pm)

The Muslim Legal Network (NSW) is hosting its Annual Ramadan Iftar. At Doltone House Hyde Park Level 3, 181 Elizabeth Stt, Sydney, Australia 2000.

SENIORS

Free Tech Savvy Seniors Workshop

Learn basic computer skills at your local library

Liverpool Library (10.00am - 12 noon)

8 May Introduction to Internet part 1

15 May Introduction to Internet part 2

22 May Introduction to Email Parramatta Library (10.00 am – 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 0412 786 569

Crows Nest

Every third Wednesday of the month, 10.am – 11.30am. Venue 2 Ernest Place, Crows Nest. Social event with free tea. Details 02 9439 5122

LANGUAGES

BSK/SVP CLASSES

A local initiative of VHP Australia, Bala Samskar Kendra (BSK) holds Sanskrit language lessons as well as a culture and heritage program on Saturdays at Oran Park School, 390 South Circuit, Oran Park. Details 0450 117 372

HINDI CLASSES

Saturdays (2.30pm – 4.30pm)

Located at the Indian Cultural Centre, Level 1, 265 Castlereagh St, Sydney. Hindi classes are $5 per one hour class or $40 for ten classes. Registration is essential. Details icc2. sydney@mea.gov.in

MISC

Hindi conversations over chai

Every Thursday, a group of Hindi students and speakers who are enthusiastic to use language learning to build cross-cultural friendships. At CCH Ministry Centre, The Bridge Unit 4, 67-71 Jersey St, Hornsby (enter off Jersey St near corner with Bridge Rd). Details 0432 920 259.

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

To have your event listed, email media@indianlink.com.au and cooking oils, car and household batteries, uorescent tubes and globes, and smoke detectors. Details call the Environment Line 131555

Living in Australia without a valid visa?

Thurs 24 May (6.00pm onwards)

The Department of Home Affairs will brief the community services and options for people living in Australia without a valid visa. Find out about free assistance for people whose visa is about to expire, or has expired, such as the Status Resolution Service and voluntary return program. Auburn Centre for Community 44a Macquarie St, Auburn.

Simran and Meditation Diwan

Wed 30 May (6.30pm – 8.30pm)

Come and enjoy the peaceful diwan at Gurudwara Turramurra Sikh Temple, Sydney at Kissing point road, Turramurra, New South Wales, Australia 2074. Details +61 2 9449 8253.

MAINSTREAM

Biennale of Sydney 2018

Till 11 June: View the works of Indianorigin artists exhibiting as part of the ongoing Biennale Sydney 2018 this year – Simryn Gill, Tanya Goel, NS Harsha, Prabhavati Meppayil, Sosa Joseph and Khaled Sabsabi. Details 02 8484 8700

Tales from the East: India and NSW

27 April – 26 Aug Old Government House, Parramatta Park, Parramatta. Details 02 9635 8149

Sydney Writers Festival

30 Apr – 6 May A literary extravaganza that celebrates writers all over the world. The festival will also include Indian-origin writers Michelle Cahill, Shastra Deo, Ronojoy Ghosh, Roanna Gonsalves, Jamila Rizvi, Jeremy Fernandez, Zoya Patel, and Angela Saini. Details www.swf.org.au

ENTERTAINMENT

Rashke QAMAR 2018

Sat 5 May (6.30pm – 11.30pm)

Enjoy Bollywood performances by professional singers and tiny tots at Bowman Hall in Blacktown. Details 0414 682 364

INDIA TOURS AND TRAVEL SPECIALISTS

INDIA TOURS AND TRAVEL SPECIALISTS

Have a dream holiday of your life in India

Have a dream holiday of your life in India

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6, VERNON STREET, TURRAMURRA, NSW 2074

TEL: MOB:0424257087

TEL: MOB:0424257087

E:ram@ramworldtravel.com.au. web:www.ramworldtravel.com.au

E:ram@ramworldtravel.com.au. web:www.ramworldtravel.com.au

Modi always thinking how to criticise Rahul, abuse party: Congress

The Congress recently said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is constantly thinking about how to criticise their chief Rahul Gandhi and abuse the party.

“I can see a big change has come in him (Modi). I do not know if anyone is noticing or not. From morning till evening, be it the Prime Minister or leaders of BJP, whole day day they are thinking about Rahul Gandhi and the Congress.

“Whether they are sleeping, waking up, eating, walking, reading..all the time, Rahul Gandhi and Congress party. Maybe in his dream too. He is always thinking how to criticise Rahul Gandhi and to abuse the Congress party,” said Congress spokesperson Rajeev Shukla.

Launching his election campaign in Karnataka, Modi accused the Congress of being obsessed with “politics of dynasty” and dared Gandhi to speak for 15 minutes on the achievements of the Siddaramaiah government without a piece of paper.

Delhi student’s death: School van was plying illegally, says report

A school van in which a seven-year-old girl was travelling when it met with an accident, leaving her dead and 16 other students injured, was plying “illegally” while the driver of the tanker that ploughed into it was drunk, a senior official said.

The accident took place in north Delhi last week when a tanker hit the van and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered a magisterial probe into the incident.

The official said that an interim report submitted two days back found out that the school van was over 15 years old and was thus plying illegally in the city.

The van had completed 15 years in 2017. “Also the report has recommended to register cases against the owner of the school van and its driver under Sections 304 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 337 (Causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code),” the officer said.

“The report also said that the driver of the tanker was driving under the influence of alcohol,” he added.

Air quality has improved through serious efforts, says India

In wake of the WHO data that found 14 most polluted cities are from India with Kanpur at the top and Delhi at sixth position, the Indian Environment Ministry said that data is from 2016 while the government has done a lot to improve air quality since then.

According to WHO, based on PM2.5 or particles with diameter smaller than 2.5 microns, in 2016 the top 14 polluted cities include Kanpur, Faridabad, Varanasi, Gaya, Patna, Delhi, Lucknow, Agra, Muzaffarpur, Srinagar, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Patiala and Jodhpur.

However, WHO officials said that many cities in the world, including some expected to be among the most polluted, do not collect information or report on its outdoor air quality.

The report also said that nine out of ten people in the world breath toxic air. The ministry said that annual average Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 concentration of Delhi has improved from 2016 to 2017. It said that while PM 2.5 concentration in the year 2016 was 134 units, it was 125 micrograms per cubic metre in the year 2017.

“The Government has made serious efforts to deal with air pollution. Data for the year 2017 for PM 2.5 shows an improvement over 2016 and so far in 2018, it shows a further improvement, as compared to 2017,” the Ministry said in a statement.

“CPCB data based on Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) indicates that the annual average PM 2.5 concentration in the year 2016 as 134 micrograms per cubic metre and as 125 micrograms per cubic metre in the year 2017.

“Similarly, for PM 10 the figures were 289 micrograms per cubic metre in the year 2016 and 268 micrograms per cubic metre in the year 2017. Therefore, even PM 10 levels have come down in the year 2017 against 2016,” Ministry said.

The Ministry said that significant action has been taken in Delhi and NCR, including the formulation of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

Meanwhile, the WHO, in a mail, said that it “cannot compare cities based on their levels of outdoor air pollution”.

“Cities that collect and disseminate information on outdoor air quality need to be praised for their action. The cities which have invested in the capacity to regularly monitor and report the local air quality measurements have already demonstrated a commitment to starting to address air quality issues and public health,” it said.

No clear evidence of assault on couple in Kolkata Metro found: GM

The Kolkata Metro authority has said that “no clear evidence” of an alleged assault on a couple in a station premises was found after examining the CCTV footage but appealed the passengers to act responsibly to avoid any untoward incidents in future.

A young couple was allegedly thrashed by co-passengers at Dumdum metro station last week for hugging inside the metro compartment.

“All the CCTV footage at the station premises were thoroughly examined but no clear evidence of assault was found. No FIR was lodged by the couple either. So no actions could be taken,” Metro Railway General Manager Ajay Vijayvargiya told reporters.

He said no information or complaints were received from the couple or any other passengers following the incident and it came to their knowledge after an article was published in a Bengali daily on.

The metro authority also said additional security measures like installing more CCTV cameras at the station premises would be underway shortly.

As the pictures of the alleged incident went viral on social media over the last couple of days, youths held a demonstration on outside Dumdum and Tollygunj metro stations in Kolkata against moral policing in a train last week and offered “free hugs” to people to lodge their protest.

“We are doing nothing ... we are here just to spread love. Love will overpower everything. We have nothing more to say,” a demonstrator said.

“Be it love or anger or cruelty, it’s all about expression. We are trying to spread positive expression, to do away with all the negativities around,” a female protester quipped.

The Kolkata Metro issued a statement stating it is strictly against any form of moral policing.

Gandhi’s birth anniversary to mark India’s resolve for just society: Kovind

President Ram Nath Kovind said last week the commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi should become a moment of making a fresh commitment to his goals of a just, honest and fair society at home and abroad.

Kovind said the focus of the commemoration -- which will run for two years from October 2, 2018 to October 2, 2020 -- should not just be on events, but on tangible, actionable legacies that will make a difference to the lives of ordinary people.

“The Mahatma is our past, our present and also our future... So many of the themes and ideas he spoke and wrote of - some of them far ahead of their time - are even more relevant today,” the President said after he chaired the first meeting of the national committee for the commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

During the meeting, it was decided to set up a smaller executive committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to take forward the commemoration, since it would not be feasible for the entire national committee to be convened frequently, an official statement said.

The national committee has 125 members, including the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Union Ministers, former Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers, senior MPs and political leaders from across party lines, and eminent Gandhians, social thinkers and activists.

The committee also has nine international members, including two former Secretaries General of the United Nations - Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon - and Nobel laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and US former Vice President Al Gore.

Modi said it was important that this occasion be celebrated in a manner that ensures Mahatma Gandhi continues to be an inspiration for future generations, adding that with his timeless teachings, Gandhi can become a mechanism for people around the world to understand India.

He emphasised the need to use technology in the celebrations so that the whole world can take note and participate and called for the celebrations to move beyond government events and take the shape of a mass movement - or ‘jan bhagidaari’.

He also urged all state governments to have similar consultations and draw plans.

In his speech, Kovind stressed that Mahatma Gandhi does not belong to India alone but remains one of India’s greatest gifts to humankind and his name finds resonance across the continents.

The President said when one works for an India free of caste and religious prejudice, one invokes Gandhi. “When we strive towards ‘Swachh Bharat’, and a cleaner and more hygienic India... When we speak of the rights of women and children and of civil liberties of small and disadvantaged groups, we invoke Gandhiji.

“When we talk of the health and well-being of the Indian farmer and the Indian village... When we strive for energy access for the last village and the last home... When we build capacities in solar and renewable energy...

When we battle climate change and promote green, eco-friendly living, we invoke Gandhiji,” the President said.

He added that sustainable development was just an expansion of Gandhi’s simple mantra: “The earth has enough for everyone’s need but not for everyone’s greed.”

Centre reverses cap on education concession to defence personnel’s children

The Central government has acceded to Punjab CM Amarinder Singh’s request not to cap the educational concession provided to children of armed forces’ personnel, a state government official said last week.

“Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has written to the CM to convey the Union Government’s decision to continue the said concession without capping it at Rs 10,000 per month,” a spokesman of the CM said.

Welcoming the decision, the Chief Minister said it would go a long way towards boosting the morale of the armed forces and their families, particularly the children of martyrs and disabled soldiers.

“The Defence Minister’s communication is in response to Captain Amarinder’s letter dated December 1, 2017, urging her to revoke the decision to put a cap of Rs 10,000 per month on the combined amount of tuition fee and hostel charges under the scheme of educational concession to such children.

“Expressing serious concern about the proposed move of the Defence Ministry, the Chief Minister had then said it would make a mockery of the objective behind the scheme which was announced in the Lok Sabha in 1971,” the spokesman said.

Amarinder Singh felt that the move would “undermine the sacrifice of the defence personnel, and amounted to a shameful disregard for the contribution of the armed personnel to the country and its citizens”.

He was of the opinion that the “fee being paid to the children of martyrs and disabled soldiers was a small price in exchange for what they had given, and continued to give, to the nation”.

The educational concession was initially being given to the children of armed forces personnel killed/missing or permanently disabled in 1962, 1965, 1971 wars, Operation Pawan and Operation Meghdoot.

In August 2003, the Defence Ministry extended the concession to the children of armed forces personnel who were killed/ declared missing or permanently disabled during all post Meghdoot operations in India

A composite image of India’s iconic Taj Mahal (top) taken on 02 May 2018 and (bottom) taken on 31 October 2011, in Agra, India. India’s top court has asked the Indian government to seek foreign help to fix the changing colour of the ivory-white marble mausoleum. Photo: AP and abroad, including counter insurgency operations.

High tariff makes India less attractive to US investors: Envoy

Expressing disappointment at the Indian government’s decision to increase tariffs on 50 import items, US Consul General in Kolkata Craig Hall said last week that the high tariff baseline made India a “less attractive” destination for American investors.

“The US was disappointed to see India unilaterally increase the tariff rates of 50 line items in this year’s Budget raising a high tariff baseline already higher. This makes India a less attractive destination for US investors,” Hall said in a session organised by the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“The US maintains one of the lowest average applied tariff rates in the world at 3.4 per cent while India’s average applied tariff rate is 13.4 per cent. Almost one half of all tariffed items imported in the US are duty free whereas less than three per cent of goods coming into India qualify for duty free status.”

The envoy expressed concern over market access restrictions of US-based diary and poultry items in India while mentioning that America’s trade deficit of $28 billion with India last year is neither acceptable nor sustainable from the US perspective.

He also said that India has closed its legal system to foreign law firms and the educational sector -- US universities are not allowed to establish campuses in India or invest in a meaningful way in joint ventures.

Hall said the US government is also concerned about weak copyrights in India and challenges to patents, particularly in agro-technology and pharma.

“In pharma, the Indian government is setting price ceiling on drugs and medical equipment, which the US sees a violation of IPR.”

He claimed that India also contributes to the overcapacity and subsidy on steel items to an extent along with China and said the overcapacity and subsidy on steel by other countries diminishes America’s steel production base, thereby causing a threat to America’s national security.

Naveen wants inclusion of ‘non-violence’ in Preamble

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said last week that the Constitution should be amended to include non-violence in the Preamble as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

“I believe the greatest tribute India could pay Gandhiji on his 150th Anniversary is to include the ‘uniquely’ Indian idea of Ahimsa, of non-violence in the Preamble of India’s Constitution,” he said at the first meeting of the national committee for commemoration of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, according to a statement.

He said this will ensure that the future generations, not just of Indians but also people around the world, will be reminded of the profound truth of this principle.

The Chief Minister said that the most important aspect of Mahatma Gandhi’s doctrine of non-violence is that poverty and social injustice are the greatest violence.

“As Gandhiji said, as long as poverty exists, freedom is a wooden loaf. To remove poverty is the greatest task faced by any government. This cannot be achieved without non-violence.

“Progress requires peace. Progress requires the defeat of those who divide society on the basis of class, caste or religion,” he said.

Research, innovation bedrock of advancing knowledge: President

President Ram Nath Kovind last week highlighted the importance of research and innovation in improving the socio-economic status of a nation, terming it the bedrock of advancing knowledge.

“Knowledge alone holds the key to finding solutions to the problems we face in our world, nation and society. Research and innovation can play an important role in lifting our people out of poverty, ensuring their health and well-being or attaining food and energy security,” he said at oneday meet of Vice Chancellors of Central Universities at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

During the meeting which was also attended by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, he also presented the Visitor’s Awards for Research in the field of Basic and Applied Science and in the field of Humanities, Arts and Social Science.

“Researchers and innovators can help develop solutions to the problems we experience on a daily basis. Universities can also develop mechanisms to support innovation by ordinary people and help such grassroots innovators to further refine their work,” he added.

The President also said that universities should incorporate community-oriented initiatives in their academic programmes and engage with the communities near their campuses.

“Those universities which are located in backward regions have a special responsibility of working with communities around them. Such community initiatives will further expand the horizon of their students and prepare them well for life ahead,” he noted.

Kovind also called for universities to take up the lead in addressing the specific challenges faced by the nation.

“Many of these challenges require creative and innovative solutions. It is their duty to ensure that their campuses emerge as spaces that nurture free expression and ideas, where experimentation is encouraged and failure is not ridiculed,” he said.

Dey

murder: Chhota Rajan, 8 others guilty, journalist Vora

Acquitted

A Special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) Court last week found mafia don Rajendra S Nikhalje alias Chhota Rajan and eight others guilty in the murder of journalist J. Dey in June 2011.

But a co-accused journalist, Jigna Vora, who was charged among other offences with conspiracy was acquitted by Special Judge Sameer Adkar, Special Public Prosecutor Pradip Gharat said.

Also acquitted was Joseph Paulson, who was charged with providing mobile SIM cards for executing the planned murder, he added.

The prime accused found guilty was Chhota Rajan, who had ordered the “hit” on Dey, a veteran crime reporter of Mumbai.

The mafia don was deported from Bali in Indonesia in November 2015 and subsequently made an accused in the case

The 56-year old Dey, who was the Editor (Investigations) of Midday eveninger, was shot dead on June 11, 2011 near his Powai residence in Mumbai, shocking the media community.

Of the 11 accused, eight, including some sharps-hooters, have been found guilty, almost seven years after the killing of Dey in a public place.