Loving right now

A list of Indian Link’s current favourites

Listen Read

We’re loving our re-read of Roanna Gonsalves’ rst book The Permanent Resident, which this month won the Multicultural Prize at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards 2018, and which has been longlisted for the Dobbie Literary Award for rst-time authors. The short stories in this work are about what it means to be an Indian migrant in Australia, but as Indian Link’s reviewer Salma Shah argued, they could just as well be about what it means to be Australian.

Now this is clearly different Bollywood lm music. The Raazi album by music directors Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy tugs at our heartstrings with a patriotism that is subdued and nuanced rather than boisterous. Gulzar’s lyrics, Arijit’s soulful voice, Mahadevan’s cameo, Kashmiri couplets, Sunidhi Chauhan’s return to form, Harshdeep Kaur’s earthiness. The touch of folk. The pleasant melody and mellow vocals of Ae watan in both its versions and Dilbaro. Goosebumps…

Watch Eat

South Indian food in a mainstream Australian pub? Yes, you read that right! Chef Mischa Tropp pays tribute to his roots by showcasing Keralan cuisine at its nest at The Rochester, Fitzroy. Feast on traditional Kerala favourites like Chicken Ghee Roast, Beef Roast, Kadala Curry and Thoran, along with matching wines and beers. Try also the modern interpretations of South Indian avours like Duck Hearts, Con t Parsnips, Carrot Ada and Goan sliders. After decades of mediocre Indian curry houses, it is refreshing to see this new wave nally giving our cuisine its due in Australia’s culinary capital, Melbourne.

If you’re one of those people who think classical music is ‘too complex for your understanding’, we’ve got some great stuff in store. Meet Anuja Kamat, who’s trying to simplify classical music, making it easy-peasy to understand its nuances. Her videos go right down to the basics of Indian classical, like explaining swara, taal, raag, etc. Check the one titled: ‘On which raag is Ghoomar based?’ that references a song from the lm Padmaavat. The 24-year-old has a YouTube channel called ‘Out of the Shruti Box’ that boasts over 85,000 subscribers. We’ve been hooked, and we promise that you will be too.