2018-06 Sydney (2)

FREE FORTNIGHTLY Vol. 25 No.9 (2) JUNE (2) 2018 indianlink.com.au

SYDNEY

Creative Freedoms Nandita Das on cinema that engages

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EDITORIAL

PUBLISHER Pawan Luthra EDITOR Rajni Anand Luthra ASSISTANT EDITOR Neha Malude

Last rites for human rights?

MELBOURNE COORDINATOR Preeti Jabbal CONTRIBUTORS Usha Ramanujam Arvind, Ritam Mitra, Farzana Ahmad, Hamida Parkar, Charuta Joshi, Emie Roy, Vikas Dutta, Auntyji ADVERTISING MANAGER Sukesh Thapliyal 0410 578 146 ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Charuta Joshi 02 9279 2004

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NATIONAL EDITION

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

W

hen US President Donald Trump paraded North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in front of the cameras in Singapore recently, he gave credibility to one of the most oppressive and brutal regimes in the world.

In a United Nations report in 2014, the horror of Kim Jong Un’s brutality against his people was compared to that of Nazi Germany in the 1930s and ‘40s.

According to Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, Kim Jong Un holds more than 120,000 men, women and children in prison camps. Trump did not once bring up the issue of human rights in North Korea or press for any accountability for the murder, torture, rape and starvation it has perpetrated against its own citizens. This inaction simply endorses the deep lack of desire by people in power to confront those regimes or individuals who take away basic human

rights from their citizens.

In another country which is high on Amnesty’s human rights violation list, Russia, there are accusations of deaths in custody, widespread and systematic torture of persons in custody by security forces, and murders of members of ethnic minorities. In the last 20 years, it is estimated that at least 50 journalists have been targeted in contract killings.

And yet, Russia is currently the centre of the world’s attention with the FIFA World Cup keeping us glued to the screen, as the country scrambles for greater legitimacy while sweeping its poor human rights record under the carpet.

China is another country that falls foul of all human rights checklists. Political freedom has been very limited since the 1970s: there is no freedom of speech, press, assembly, or of the right to a fair trial. Detention without trial is a norm; there are forced abortions, restrictions of fundamental rights and freedom of religion. Yet, its influence on the world stage is unfettered by what it does to its weak and vulnerable.

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity

and rights. The first sentence of the Preamble to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is: Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.

Australia stands in the world top 10 as far as human rights are concerned. Here, we have the freedom to express ourselves, practise whatever religion we wish, and have the right to a fair trial. But we now need to be more vocal about those not being given a fair go – whether it’s for refugees or women, children or animals being mistreated or bullied.

Easier said than done, as word comes in just as we go to press that the US has decided to pull out from the United Nations Human Rights Council. This is especially pertinent in light of the news that some 2,000 children have been separated from their families at the southern border of the US following the crackdown on illegal entries. What more is to follow, only time will tell, but for the moment, it looks like we may be taking a few steps backwards as far as this issue is concerned.

JUNE (2) 2018 5

CONTENTS 17

SPECIAL FEATURES ACCOLADES Indian links in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours

10

SPORT Varun George wins Bradman Scholarship

17

HEALTH Screening for breast cancer

19

STAGE Mohanlal mania

28

10

32 COVER STORY

32

SURROUNDS Persimmon picking

28

WINNER

BUSINESS ACHIEVERS AWARD

Coaching College

Nandita Das at Sydney Film Fest

Hall of Fame

Tuition, Training & Children’s Services

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JUNE (2) 2018 7

YOUR SAY

NANDITA DAS ON INDIAN LINK

THE ‘UNTRUSTWORTHY’ WOMAN

APARNA ANANTHUNI and DIPANJALI RAO wrote in their opinion piece about how we are failing women by slapping labels on them Aneeta Menon wrote: Excellent work Aparna, Dipanjali - as true as it is sad. I think that this phenomenon is also nefariously underpinned by the idea that women are intrinsically more emotional than men, and therefore their judgement and reactions to things are deigned not to be objective as a result.

Which is probably why one man a week is killed at the hands of his highly emotional and completely irrational female partner. Oh, wait...

LABOUR PAINS OF ADOPTION

RITAM MITRA’s story ‘The labour pains of adoption’ was shared on Facebook by India’s Central Adoption Resource Authority, Adoption Australia, and the UK-based International Adoption Guide.

Ilaria Belliti wrote: There are between 20 and 30 million orphans in India.

Where are they? Why do we read on CARA statistics that there are 1,000 adoptable children per 18,000 couples in the waiting list? And years of waiting in the limbo for us as well?

Elizabeth Fanta replied: The difference is those living on the streets, and those who have not yet been “cleared” to be legally adopted yet. This is a work in progress for CARA, to have the entire country with a centralised authority is a huge job.

WHAT A CROAK!

Darwin-based radiographer Sarina Patel sent us a picture that made us laugh and cringe at the same time.

Petra O’Neill wrote: That’s common in the NT. Best to keep the lid down so they can’t get in, but once inside, gently help them out.

SAY IT AGAIN 8 JUNE (2) 2018

CHARUTA JOSHI’s interview with actor-director Nandita Das who was in town for the Sydney Film Festival was broadcast on Indian Link Radio and seen on our social media channels Darshak Mehta wrote: Nandita Das is a rare talent. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is an amazing actor. Wonderful, though sad, story of Manto. Good on Nandita for bringing it and him to life. Excellent interview of a very accomplished lady.

Manali Basu wrote: Nandita Ma’am, waiting eagerly for the release of Manto in India. All the best for the success of the film. May you continue to awe and inspire us with your talent and efforts.

Sujata Varanasi wrote: Thank you for giving Manto to us. Truly said, there should be more engaging cinema than entertaining one.

Sayan Bhattacharyya wrote: An enriching conversation from the esteemed actor-director! Her Excellency talked about freedom of expression, about women film-makers and about the biopic Manto. As she is a feminist par excellence, I expect that her next biopic will have Saadat Hasan Manto’s contemporary as the subject - someone named Rashid Jahan.

Titir RC wrote: I feel dreamy after watching Nandita Das speak. She looks so peaceful while delivering crisp arguments. Cannot wait for Manto’s release.

Rashima Sharma wrote: Can’t wait either!

Punya Prakash Tripathi wrote: Congrats!! Very well put: cinema should engage with the audience and not just focus only on entertaining. Always love to hear Nandita speak.

Swati Tripathi wrote: Nandita, congratulations and lots of wishes to you from Toronto. You and my interview with you are still so fresh in my mind. Such a great soul. Your social responsibility as an artist is rarely seen these days.

Sujay Kumar Ghosh wrote: Manto looks promising, different from normal films. Such powerful portrayal of character, Nawaz fits the role. Such movies will change Bollywood and make people look out for films from a different angle.

Indian Link Radio (Neelam Vasudevan) wrote: Wow this is simply fantastic to see one of Hindi cinema’s favourite people here, in person with Charuta Vaze Joshi. All the very best Nandita Das for Manto. Looking forward to more.

Anju Handa wrote: Best of luck to my favourite film personality, the very beautiful and talented Nandita Das Shivdev Kler wrote: Just watched the interview with Nandita -each word speaks volumes of her dedication and truthfulness towards her work. Wish her the best of luck. Also, happy to see our own Charuta here – well done Charu for some excellent quotes from her works!

Sabir Ali wrote: I’m a big fan of Nandita’s work, including acting and direction.

So very creative. I enjoy it. And she’s a natural beauty too.

Fahad Mehsood wrote: For the intolerable times we are living in, where both state and society are adopting fascist tendencies, the words of Saadat Hassan Manto can guide us to engage ourselves in introspection: “If you cannot tolerate these tales then the society is unbearable. Who am I to undo the garb of this society, which itself is naked? I don’t even try to cover it, because it is not my job. It’s the job of tailors ... People call me black-penned, but I don’t write on the blackboard with black chalk; I use white chalk so that the blackness of the board becomes more evident.” Thoughts of a great actor-director on a great writer in this interview. Her words are an apt representation of Pakistani society as well.

For Manto lovers, here is an interview worth listening to.

Rashmi Ravin wrote: Excited to have had the opportunity to film the mega talented Nandita Das for Indian Link. She is showing her film Manto this weekend at the Sydney Film festival. So much talent and such a worthy subject! If you haven’t read Sadat Hasan Manto, do it before you watch the film. His writings will gut you.

Sabina Giado wrote: About 14 years ago, Nandita Das visited a high school GK competition I was participating in at Dubai at the Indian Club. I was sitting about a metre away from her. (Yeah that’s the nerdiest thing I have ever said).

She is very very cool. She said, “Dream big and pursue it.” I definitely took that to heart.

Abhishek Tiwary wrote: She is next-level awesome! It was a privilege to watch her movie yesterday!

Scratch any Australian and you will find four different nationalities and that’s how we are. We grew up from the beginning as a multicultural nation and I just think there’s room for plenty more Tamie Fraser, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Ambassador, on World Refugee Day 20 June

Chatting with my Sikh Uber driver this morning. Turns out he only drives so he can donate all his Uber earnings to a man he’s never met in Syria for his leukemia treatment. He needs to send $635 a week.

You’re amazing, Harshdeep! @Khalsa_Aid Susan Carland, Australian academic, author

www.indianlink.com.au

CHANGING INDIA’S INTERNAL NARRATIVE

QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS 2018

RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA’s interview with OAM winner Arvind Shrivastava Smita Sharma wrote: Heartiest congratulations. You are an inspiration for us and we feel proud of you and your work.

INDIAN LINK POLL

The government is proposing that all new migrants seeking PR will now have to meet new English language requirements, saying that for “communities to merge well, you need to have a common language.” Do you agree?

Yes: 70% No: 30%

SANAM SHARMA wrote an opinion piece exhorting the citizens of India to find their vice to shake up the political establishment Ashwin Garg wrote in response: Sanam Sharma entreats the reader to rise up against the status quo and challenge the prevailing political narrative so as to improve the living standards of ordinary Indians. In an attempt to be non-partisan, he systematically disparages the approach taken by the BJP, Congress as well as minor party upstart, AAP. Whilst it is no doubt true that on any major developmental milestone, a China vs India comparison would almost certainly make for sobering reading, the pessimistic tone that the author takes cannot be justified by the major strides that the current government of Narendra Modi has made since sweeping to power in 2014.

The author stresses that we should not fall back on cut and dried GDP numbers approach to demonstrate progress. Fair enough. So let’s look at some non-monetary but nevertheless tangible achievements that the political class has delivered in the last few years.

The Swachh Bharat initiative has led to the building of no less than 50 million sanitation facilities, lifting rural coverage from 33% in 2014 to 70% now.

The universal bank account program has been a major success, helping to reduce middle man waste and ensuring that welfare reaches the targeted population whilst curtailing losses to corruption. This has been used in conjunction with the Aadhaar universal ID card program which was originally launched by the prior UPA government.

The removal from circulation of large denomination notes has taken one small step towards reducing economic leakages to the black economy. This initiative was watched with great interest throughout the world and indeed, the European Central Bank has decided to take a similar approach and remove 500 euro notes from circulation. Similar changes are occurring in Australia with talk of withdrawing the $100 note.

Finally, the GST was implemented on July 1, 2017. Although imperfect in its final iteration, if one espouses to the theory that the search for perfection should not be the enemy of the good, then one can safely say that a good outcome was achieved.

Yes, the wheels of democracy turn slowly in India. Then again, they often turn slowly in developed democracies like Australia as well. However, to make the assertion that the “current political class is clearly not equipped (and lacks the intentions) to deliver this calibre of honest and selfless service to is citizens” is just a crass throwaway line extolled by a clearly jaded journalist.

INDIAN LINK ON INSTAGRAM

WHERE IN INDIA

#WanderlustWednesday | We asked where in India you would find this building.

Saphira Toor correctly identified this famous Taj Mahal replica in Aurangabad, Bibi Ka Maqbara. Well done!

Remember when post-election analysts were like, “The systems will keep Trump in check”. And everyone from a developing nation was like “lol”.

Sami Shah, Melbourne-based writer and ABC Radio presenter,

NATIONAL EDITION

Shalini Bharadwaj shared a picture of her prize, a free movie ticket that she won for the Indian Link caption contest and her copy of Indian Link, on her account @shalzz2018: #ThankyouIndianLink #Winner #MovieTime #FunTimes

Delighted to share our #Indigenous culture & history with India through Indigenous Australia: Masterworks from the @NatGalleryAusss exhibition at @ngma_delhi.

Harinder Sidhu, Australian High Commissioner to India

Coming back to Fiji feels like coming home again. I’m really excited about my trip this time Ileana D’Cruz, Bollywood actor

JUNE (2) 2018 9

COVER STORY

H Y A D ’ B S ’ N E E QU SOCIAL INCLUSION FOR PRIMARY STUDENTS DARWIN

Jayanthi Srinivas OAM

For service to the Indian community of the Northern Territory

10 JUNE (2) 2018

Photo: Kylie Hyde

W

hen early childhood educator Jayanthi Srinivas and her ship building engineer husband arrived at the frontier town of Darwin in 1991 to start a new life, it was a shock to their system.

But Jaya, as she is better known, was quick to embrace the local values and culture, immersing herself in an array of deeply fulfilling roles. Along the way, she has had not just an amazing professional journey, but a rewarding social profile too.

Three decades on, the girl from Delhi is proud to call Darwin home. Today, she is the face of multicultural Northern Territory. And profiling Indian culture through India@Mindil - Darwin’s premier Indian festival that showcases Indian art, culture, food, fashion and music - is only one of her many achievements.

Displaying outstanding commitment to social cohesion and multiculturalism, Srinivas has been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours with Order of Australia Medal for service to the Indian community of the Northern Territory.

Besides being a broadcaster, the executive assistant principal at The Essington International School has served on many committees in NT including Indian Cultural Society, Tamil Society, Multicultural Council, Multilingual Council, Multilingual Broadcasting Council, Australia Day Council and Police Ethnic Advisory Group.

“It’s an absolute honour and a privilege,” Srinivas told Indian Link on her OAM recognition.

“When you do community service, you don’t do it with an agenda. But to be noticed and recognised for that, is truly humbling,” she stated.

Concurrently, she has been involved with leadership roles in educational boards, including Early Childhood Australia. Having completed 22 years at The Essington School, she has contributed valuably to the school community, championing social inclusion in the classrooms as well. The school has seen exponential growth from 127 enrolments to 1300 recently and includes many international students.

“As an early childhood advocate and educator, I’m a strong believer in bringing multiculturalism into classroom situations. As a role model for the school and community, I want to inspire children to engage meaningfully and contribute to the local scene,” Srinivas explained.

In 2013, she was appointed People of Australia Ambassador by Federal Minister Kate Lundy and since then has travelled with numerous NT delegations to a number of countries including India.

Srinivas has also won the Rotary Pride of Workmanship award and was bestowed the Australian Institute of Managers &

Leaders award last year.

Living in multicultural Darwin has inspired her passion for celebrating diversity. “Northern Territory has huge potential and the last two decades have seen big growth and changes as the city becomes the gateway to Asia,” she observed. “Life is simple here, but with all the advantages of an urban setting.”

Having worked extensively with detention centres and migrant communities as president of Multicultural Council of NT, helping immigrants settle down and find their feet, has been one of her most rewarding experiences.

“Assisting them in this difficult journey

has been one of the great privileges of this role,” Srinivas added.

While her passion is to provide an educational platform for all, she would particularly like to use this newest accolade to inspire women from CALD backgrounds.

“As a woman, I want to encourage others to gain confidence, push forward, embrace every opportunity and achieve their potential. I would very much like to share my knowledge with others, pass on this legacy and thereby make a positive contribution to the community,” she reiterated.

Usha Ramanujam Arvind

www.indianlink.com.au

S R U O N O HARNESSING THE POWER OF THE SUN DARWIN

Prof. Jai Singh AM

For significant service to education, particularly in the field of physics, as an academic and researcher, and to professional scientific organisations

D

r Jai Singh’s primary area of research over the last decade at Charles Darwin University’s School of Engineering and Information Technology has been solar cells, both organic and inorganic. This includes thin-film amorphous silicon solar cells and organic solar cells (OSC) for optimal photovoltaic performance.

“So far, solar cells have been made from silicon and therefore are quite expensive to produce,” the professor of physics explained. “The organic cells are cheaper, flexible and lightweight, with a simpler fabrication process compared to inorganic ones.”

However, OSCs have poor power conversion efficiencies, with a current efficiency of around 12% relative to the conventional silicon solar cells,

which is 25%. Another concern with organic materials is stability, as they can decompose under strong light, Prof Singh further indicated.

His focus area therefore has been optimising the performance of OSCs by exploring new materials such as polymerfullerene and improving cell design.

“It’s all about enabling the OSCs to absorb more light by optimising their layer thicknesses and hence enhancing their power conversion efficiency.”

What people don’t realise is that unlike resources that are extracted from the earth, solar power doesn’t get depleted and available all the year round. “But we need technology to cost-effectively convert this energy and capitalise on its immense potential,” Prof. Singh explained.

The professor is also supervising a number of researchers, who are exploring alternatives in this growth area. “Both in terms of solar research and usage, Australia has a high uptake and is ahead of its peers,” he noted.

Besides research and publications, Prof. Singh has collaborations with several global faculties and is the founder/ organiser of international conferences including those on excitonic processes in condensed matter as well as optical and optoelectronic properties of materials and applications. He has been president of the Northern Territory branch of the

SON OF THE SOIL BRISBANE

Prof. Ram Chander Dalal AM For significant service to agriculture through research into land degradation and sustainable farming practices

NATIONAL EDITION

S

oil degradation as an environmental challenge is fast becoming an issue of global concern. Defined as a decline in soil quality caused by human activity, it affects not only food security, but also water filtration, biodiversity (many species live below the earth’s surface) and climate change (soil acts as a carbon storehouse).

Soil and land degradation have been at the centre of Prof. Ram Chander Dalal’s professional life since he arrived

Australian Solar Council since 1998.

For his scientific contributions in the field, Prof. Jai Singh was honoured with the AM by the Australian government.

“The award came as a surprise to me,” Prof. Singh told Indian Link. “Of course, I am deeply honoured and humbled.”

Originally from Cheoraha, a remote agrarian community in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, Prof. Singh believes that it was motivation, hard work and focus that shaped his professional journey.

“My village had no high school. Back then, I had two choices – either start working on the farm or move to the city,” he reminisced. His maternal uncle’s suggestion to relocate to Lucknow proved to be turning point for the workaholic,

who topped every exam thereafter, winning scholarships all the way. Maths and physics were his forte. Even before Singh completed his doctorate in theoretical physics from IIT Delhi, he had research offers that took him to Germany, England and eventually Australia.

After a stint at ANU’s School of Chemistry, he moved to Darwin, which has been home for the last three decades.

While Singh believes there is a big future in applied physics, his immediate concern is that Darwin is unable to attract physics students at undergraduate level. He has mentored PhD students from around the world and hopes that interest in solar cell development will outlive his tenure.

Usha Ramanujam Arvind

in this country in 1975. His work at the School of Agriculture and Food Science at the University of Queensland, Brisbane has created awareness about the issue within the farming, scientific and general community. His research has contributed significantly to restorative practices for sustainable land management that are now in use both here in Australia and overseas.

For his work in an area that is now considered critical, Prof. Dalal was conferred the AM in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours.

“It feels wonderful to be recognised for the work done over many years,” Prof. Dalal told Indian Link. “Much of the work has been collaborative though, accomplished with the help of peers and many associates and farmers, so I am grateful to them all.”

He added, “I hope to use this AM honour to promote the work I’ve been doing. We’ve seen results from it across Australia and now also in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.”

Describing his body of work with the Department of Primary Industries, Prof. Dalal explained, “Soil and land management has been my primary area of concern, including the study of soil fertility, soil biology, soil chemistry, soil and water conservation, landscape restoration, soil carbon sequestration, soil constraints including sodicity and salinity, and nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc nutrition. I’ve also been involved with sustainable crop and pasture production systems using rotations, and

fertiliser, nutrient and water use efficiency.

Greenhouse gas mitigation has been another research interest, including the study of emissions and of uptake in soilplant systems.”

The professor’s work here has seen him work closely with farmers, who he describes as exceptionally open and warm, and keen to adopt the practices that he demonstrates. “A great side benefit has been many wonderful farm visits and plenty of farmer friends,” he revealed.

Prof. Dalal arrived in Australia in 1975, with a research position at the University of New England in Armidale NSW, having gained a PhD from the renowned Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi. He moved to Queensland in 1980.

His work has taken him back to his roots in South Asia, thanks to his collaborations at the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.

“My work there is about long term food security, using sustainable and resilient farming systems, including what we refer to as intensified farming systems in which we develop two or more crops where one was grown previously,” he detailed.

Prof. Dalal grew up on a farm in Haryana and was drawn to agriculture at a young age. “Very early on, a teacher said to me, ‘Soil is the mother of all resources’.

It struck a chord with me. Everything emanates from the soil: it is from soil that we can find solutions for pollution, clean water and clean food.”

Rajni Anand Luthra

JUNE (2) 2018 11

COVER STORY

S R U O N O H Y A D ’ B S ’ N E E QU

PROUD TERRITORIAN DARWIN

David Robert De Silva AM For significant service to the community through contributions to the economic and social development of the Northern Territory in a range of executive roles

O

n a road trip around Australia as a young man in the early 1980s, David De Silva found himself in Darwin when the Chamberlain case was making news nationwide. Lindy and Michael Chamberlain were being tried for the murder of their baby girl Azaria: they claimed they were innocent, and that a dingo had taken their baby. A curious David decided to sit in at the Supreme Court to watch the proceedings as the inquest took place – and was hooked.

He went back home to Adelaide and enrolled in university to study law.

“I had just finished school and was working in the public service, but was a bit lost,” he recounted to Indian Link. “I knew I needed to do something more, and I found my calling in Darwin. I was clear in my aim: return to NT to practise law.”

Some 30 years later, David is a successful litigation lawyer and principal of the Darwin-based De Silva Hebron Lawyers, which he founded in 1993.

Over this period, his skills in administration and zeal for public service have seen him take on leadership roles in a wide variety of areas. Currently, he serves as Chair of Crimestoppers

Northern Territory, Chair of the Territory Power Generation Corporation, Chair of Darwin Performing Arts Centre, and is a Board Member of the Darwin Waterfront Corporation. He has also served as Director of the state’s Power and Water Corporation.

As well, David’s keen interest in sport has brought him legal or administrative roles in football, AFL, basketball, hockey and tennis.

“As a lawyer I worked on soccer tribunals and found myself involved in the sport.

I helped establish AFL in NT after bringing it to Darwin.

Currently I’m director of Tennis NT.” For these services, David has been recognised with the AM in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours.

“I’m enormously surprised – I mean that. But mainly honoured, and honestly, quite excited,” he told Indian Link.

“You don’t go into it expecting the accolade, I’ve just done what I set out to do,” he added with humility.

David grew up in Australia although he was born in Bahrain, where his dad then worked. He credits him for his accomplishments today.

“Dad, a civil engineer trained from Roorkee University, has an incredible brain. He encouraged us to do lots of things, like he did himself. For instance he was a sports fanatic, and encouraged us in that direction too. He inspired us to keep our interests diverse. Australia also has been wonderful to us, giving us

the opportunity to express ourselves in different areas.”

What would he identify as a career highlight?

“Building a successful legal firm. I’ve helped develop many young lawyers who now serve as barristers and successful lawyers in other cities. Outside of my mainstream profession, I’d say seeing the launch of the Darwin International Tennis Centre. That was about nine years’ work.

Establishing the AFL here was also a big deal – and that took about 2-3 years.”

It is quite clear that David is a proud Territorian.

“NT is a real land of opportunity. It is an egalitarian society in every respect, and everyone gets a fair go. As a new centre for economic development, and

as Australia’s ‘Gateway to Asia’ there’s plenty of opportunities here in business as well as sport. In fact, when I finished uni in Adelaide I worked with a high court judge briefly and he offered to take me on in a permanent role. I declined, because I had NT on my mind!”

And what about his Indian links?

“Hometown is Agra even though Dad is from Goa and Mum is from Assam. It’s been years since I’ve been back though, as our family is now scattered across Australia. But of course we are in touch with extended family in India. Having said that, what I hope to do with my AM honour, is to inspire others to embrace the Australian culture while retaining their ethnicity and values.”

Usha Ramanujam Arvind

SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALISM MELBOURNE

Arvind Kumar Shrivastava OAM For service to the Indian community of Melbourne

O

nly happy and dedicated people can make others happy, says Arvind Shrivastava.

The Melbourne-based retired academic and community leader, who was felicitated the OAM in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours, has always believed that selfless contribution leads to

12 JUNE (2) 2018

a pleasant, purposeful and satisfying life.

As the founder of the Sankat Mochan Samiti Inc., a community organisation with a mission to assist people spiritually, morally and physically, Arvind feels he has been the greatest beneficiary.

“Serving my community has been a pleasure and privilege that I am grateful for every single day,” the dynamic leader told Indian Link.

“Receiving the OAM is not only a personal honour, but everyone who has cooperated and contributed towards the goal and objectives of the Sankat Mochan Samiti Inc. (SMS) deserves to share this recognition bestowed on me,” he said.

Arvind came to Australia in 1968 as a

graduate scholar in Monash University in the field of mechanical engineering after obtaining a masters’ degree from the prestigious Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

His academic and research interests have been in the field of Mechanisms, Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), Robotics, Automation and Engineering education.

He has published books and research papers in peer reviewed journals and participated in conference presentations and lectured in international universities as invited lecturer and visiting professor.

He was Executive Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Technology

Centre at Monash University when he chose to retire early in 1999. Since then, he has dedicated his time and effort to volunteering within the community through various organisations.

Arvind and his wife Dr. Sunila Shrivastava chose to move to the coastal town of Torquay on the scenic Great Ocean Road for a sea change. Several times a week they commute to Melbourne, driving for more than an hour, to meet family and fulfil other commitments.

His keen interest and research in Hinduism led to spiritual activities like havan groups and Sunderkand Path recitations, along with officiating at weddings and other Hindu rituals for

www.indianlink.com.au

SIMILARITIES, NOT DIFFERENCES CANBERRA

Kanti Lal Jinna OAM

For service to the multicultural community of the Australian Capital Territory

K

anti Lal Jinna’s gentle mannerisms, by far his most outstanding feature, come to the fore immediately as Indian Link offers congratulations following his OAM announcement. “I feel quite honoured really,” he said with humility, adding, “Yet it puts a heavy burden on you: you’ve been recognised, and now have a lot to live up to; you have to lift your game and do a lot more in the future!”

The 79-year-old has been involved with community service through the Hindu Council of Australia of which he has been Vice Chairman since 2009, through Canberra’s Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre which he cofounded in 1987, and as patron of the Fiji Australia Association of Canberra. In recent years, he has been advocating for seniors in Canberra’s Indian community as vice president of the Indian Senior Citizen’s Association.

But as someone who has assimilated well into the mainstream, Kanti’s passion has been to link the growing Indian community in this society with the broader mainstream, and vice versa.

His involvement with the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum put him in touch with other New Australians like him. “This opened pathways to offering my unique multicultural perspectives on many different boards such as Australian

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Capital Territories Public Cemeteries Authority Board and Partnering with Consumers and Carers Advisory Group at Calvary Hospital.”

This exposure led him to more mainstream positions such as on the ACT Chief Minister’s Council of the Ageing and the Royal Commonwealth Society, where he even served as President for two years.

“I believe strongly that we must encourage our community to be a lot more outward looking,” he stated. “We must look beyond ourselves as Indian or Fijian-Indian or Hindus, become part and parcel of the institution that is our nation, and see what we can do for us all as the wider Australian community.”

The guiding principle in Kanti’s work seems to be to build on similarities, not differences.

At the core of this attitude is the belief that the more we interact with others from diverse backgrounds, the more likely we are to develop friendliness, warmth, trust and empathy, and reduce myths about each others’ groups.

How would Kanti advise newly arrived migrants?

“There’s a lot to gain, but there’s a lot to offer too. Values such as Vasudhaiva kutumbakam (The world is one family) and Atithi devo bhava (The guest is god) are part of our culture. If you genuinely believe in these values as Hindus, then apply them to your immediate environment. They are based on respect and understanding, and will help you to mingle well with your new social milieu. I believe our community has amalgamated well so far, and I hope the pattern will continue.”

Equally, on the other side, Kanti has a few words of wisdom to Australians on the

values of migration.

“Let me recount an old story from the time of the arrival of the Parsis to Indian shores,” he began. “The Parsis, fleeing ideological differences in their homeland, arrived in boatfuls on Indian waters.

The Maharaja, considering a proposal from their leader to allow them to live in India, said, ‘My land is full to the brim like this glass of milk’. The Parsi leader added a spoonful of sugar to the glass and remarked, we will mingle with you and add sweetness to your lives. Centuries later, this promise has come true in India.

I see our roles here as migrants, to be the proverbial sugar that can enhance the quality of life. Not only will we be happier, the country will be richer too. I

think the world needs to listen to this story again.”

Kanti was born and brought up in Fiji, where his grandfather moved in the 1930s, post indenture. He was educated in Fiji, NZ, UK and Australia.

“Books have been a significant part of my life throughout,” he recounted in his characteristic gentle manner. “I worked at a bookshop as a young man, became a librarian, then a book seller, and for the past few years have been writing and publishing.”

His writing has concentrated on historical issues concerning Fiji, and on biographies of Fijian people of the postindenture period.

Rajni Anand Luthra

local families.

“Hinduism is a way of life, a distinct culture, marked by politeness, hospitality, an intricate web of social courtesies, values and relationships,” mused Arvind. “We should all take that as our personal responsibility and work towards achieving this goal. We are laying the foundation for the coming generations to build the infrastructure to reflect our identity.”

Arvind shared that his mission is to plead to every individual of the Hindu community to take a personal pledge to work towards building the social welfare infrastructure and educational facilities to spread the beneficiary aspects of the spiritual values inherent in their religion.

Arvind’s dedication extends to diverse community groups including multicultural faith, youth and seniors.

The community in Melbourne has also enjoyed Arvind’s lifelong passion for music. Sunila shares this interest and the duo have performed as a team on several occasions. Arvind, who considers music as his meditation, has led spiritual music sessions at our temples, in the homes of devotees, and at events held by community organisations.

He has previously received recognition through various awards including Excellence in Community Service Award, (Government of Victoria, 2009) and Meritorious Service Award (Government of Victoria’s Award for Excellence in Multicultural Affairs, 2009).

Arvind articulated his sincere thanks to Sunila, his family and the ‘amazing people’ who guided and supported him all the way through.

Preeti Jabbal

JUNE (2) 2018 13

S R U O N O H Y A D ’ B S ’ N E E QU

COVER STORY

COMMUNITY EYE-CON SYDNEY

Dr Sudarshan Kumar Sachdev OAM

For service to the community, and to medicine, particularly to ophthalmology

A

sk Dr SK Sachdev about his career highlights, and he will reply, “The crying days at eye camp.”

He means the last days of eye camps in remote areas of India or Fiji, where his patients from some of the most underprivileged sections of society come to bid him goodbye, their vision now restored.

The Sydney-based ophthalmologist has been named by the Australian Government in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list this year.

“I’m very proud of my OAM honour, coming at the end of 46 years of service,” Dr Sachdev tells Indian Link.

Yet he muses, “Is it going to change my daily life much? I can’t say; I’m going to continue doing what I’ve been doing.”

Dr Sudarshan Sachdev arrived here in the mid-1970s, fresh with university degrees from New Delhi and Edinborough, as an eye specialist at Taree Hospital. He was the only such specialist serving the people in the entire region. In his ten years there, he also taught at Newcastle Medical College.

He moved to Sydney in 1985 and set up a practice at Dee Why and a day surgery at Rosebery.

Very early in his career in India, Dr Sachdev began to give back to the community, working at eye camps in areas where his service was needed most. It is a practice that continues to this day.

As a member of the Roatry Club, he was able to extend this service to needy people in Fiji, taking teams of specialists and nurses, all volunteers, to far-flung areas to set up eye camps.

“The Rotary Club has been a great platform for me,” he observes. “In thirty years now, I’ve served as president of the Rosebery chapter, taken on various portfolios and overseen national and

14 JUNE (2) 2018

international projects.”

One such experience is his association with ROMAC, the Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children, a program in which members volunteer their time and expertise.

The Rotary Club recognised his efforts by presenting him with the Humanitarian Service Award on two different occasions, as well as with its prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship.

Currently he is involved with the eradication of trachoma. “The WHO aims to eradicate trachoma, a public health disease that causes blindness or impaired vision, by the year 2020. My own work in this regard is with indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.”

Besides ophthalmology, Dr Sachdev has developed a keen interest in the study and prevention of of degenerative ailments and in metabolic disorders His work with CHeBA, UNSW’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, stems from a deeply personal space. “I lost my mum to dementia, and that spurred an interest in healthy ageing and prevention of dementia.”

At Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, his work is aimed at better understanding insulin-resistant diabetes.

At both institutes, his Sachdeva Foundation raises funds to support research scientists engaged in finding treatments.

The foundation was set up eighteen years ago in association with his wife Naresh, herself a gynaecologist.

“The aim of the Foundation is to promote research into issues close to our heart,” he says.

Together both Dr Sachdevs are a well-regarded team in Sydney’s Indian community, heavily involved in local fundraising initiatives for other programs such as breast cancer awareness and prevention.

“Naresh is my right hand,” Dr Sachdev says of his wife. “The Foundation was really her idea, and she has been instrumental in the eye camps we organise and in the setting up of our surgeries.”

They met as medical students at Delhi’s Maulana Azad Medical College, an institute that has no less than 102 alumni in Sydney alone. “I am the senior-most of these 102,” Dr Sachdev laughs.

Rajni Anand Luthra

TALKING DIVERSITY MELBOURNE

Deepak Vinayak OAM

For service to the multicultural community of Victoria

T

his year’s OAM recipient and community leader Deepak Vinayak JP believes that leadership is not about titles, positions and flowcharts, it is about one life influencing another.

Five time Australia Day Ambassador and the first person of Indian origin to be chosen as Multicultural Champion by Victoria State Government, Deepak lives by his motto to do more for the world than it does for you.

Deepak has won countless awards and nominations for his work in the field of multicultural awareness and advocacy. He is a Justice of Peace, R U OK and White Ribbon ambassador, Pride of Australia 2018 medal winner, and the list of accolades goes on.

“I strongly believe in connecting all the dots by bringing people together from culturally diverse communities who call Australia home and all my endeavours are focussed on taking diversity to the next level,” Deepak told Indian Link.

He is currently engaged in strengthening the community resources in the areas of violence, gender justice and youth empowerment through active participation and engagement with the government, police, media and broader Australian communities.

Family man Deepak claims to be motivated by his two sons who look up to him as a role model. They inspire him to continue his voluntary work of giving back to the community.

“I have been a key believer in the powers of youth and this has led me to take initiatives to develop formal and informal platforms to bring young people together,” he said. “The aim is to

deliberate and act on issues like social cohesion and multiculturalism, and encourage them to play active leadership roles in their own respective communities and regions to strengthen fellow feeling, belongingness and good citizenship.”

These are broadly also the aims of the South Asian Communities Link Group of which Deepak is patron. SACLG focuses on a range of multicultural issues that impact on its member communities which include India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Afghanistan and the Maldives. The group focuses on the delivery of services to Australia’s culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse society.

Hailing from Rampur Phool in Bhatinda, Punjab, Deepak claims he came to Sydney in 1995 with one suitcase, no contacts, $20 in his pocket and big dreams.

Initially he did it tough by working in any job he could get and sleeping on benches in train stations, but coming to Melbourne and gaining education and employment changed his life. Deepak is currently Station Master/ Metro Community Liaison Officer at Metro Trains Melbourne.

He has actively engaged with newly arrived migrants who have chosen Australia to be their homeland and trained them in Australian values and ethics and helped them settle smoothly through language support and career guidance.

“We rise by lifting others. I don’t want anyone to go through the tough time I did when I came to Australia, penniless and friendless,” he revealed. “I consider Australia to be a lucky country and am passionate about welcoming new arrivals and giving them the support and guidance that helps them to achieve their migrant dreams.”

Deepak is humbled and delighted to receive the OAM honour. “I feel it’s very special for a civilian like me. I was surprised when I found out I was receiving it because I always felt this honour is for more senior, more mature and much more accomplished people than I,” he said sharing his joy.

Preeti Jabbal

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Batting for excellence Varun George is the 2018 recipient of the prestigious Bradman Scholarship

BY RITAM MITRA

I

t is taboo in the cricketing world to mention one’s feats – no matter how excellent - in the same breath as Sir Donald Bradman. But 19-year-old first grade cricketer and business student Varun George has recently earned that right.

Announced as the Bradman Scholar for 2018 in recognition of his all-round achievements, Varun will receive an allowance of $5,000 a year for three years to assist with his tertiary study expenses.

Yet for Varun – as with past recipients – the scholarship holds far deeper meaning.

The Bradman Scholarship, first awarded by the Bradman Foundation in 1990, rewards excellence in sport, education and community involvement, also taking into account personal and social skills.

Varun was chosen as the most recent recipient of the scholarship by a panel of highly distinguished names, including Bradman Foundation Chairman Dr Maurice Newman AC and former Prime Minister John Howard OM AC. Speaking about him, Bradman Foundation Executive Director Rina Hore said, “Varun is an outstanding individual and will be an excellent ambassador for the Bradman Foundation, sportsmanship and the Spirit of Cricket.”

Encouraged by his father and his cricket club to apply for the scholarship,

Varun was not even expecting to proceed to the interview stage, acknowledging the competitiveness of the prestigious scholarship and the calibre of other applicants.

It was not until much later, sitting in a lecture theatre at the University of Sydney, that Varun received a call from Hore informing him that he’d been selected for the award.

“I stepped out of the lecture and I was really happy,” Varun tells Indian Link. “I couldn’t contain myself, I gave my dad a ring and he had a similar reaction – and the same with my friends as well.”

Varun’s journey to this point has been characterised by excellence in all of his endeavours. A top-order batsman for Mosman’s first grade cricket team, he also plays first grade hockey for Sydney University, has a black-belt in karate, and is an active participant in the Sydney University Drama Society. With up to four training sessions a week for cricket alone – as well as strength training in the gym – it’s a good thing that by his own account Varun is more productive the busier he is.

Having participated in community service at the Anglican Retirement Village and Smith Family reading program through his school, St Ignatius College, Varun is also keen to continue giving back to the community through his work with Ash Doolan at Cricket Appeal, one of the largest junior cricket coaching enterprises in Sydney.

He also plans on transferring to a Commerce/Law degree next year at the University of Sydney, to build on his

Cricket is the only game which has “spirit” enshrined in the laws.

It’s all about the co-existence of competition and integrity

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Varun with Bradman Foundation Patron and former Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Bradman Foundation Chairman, Maurice Newman

strong communication skills in the field of industrial relations.

Despite the many feathers in his cap, it is cricket that continues to occupy a special place in Varun’s heart. “The nature of cricket can be described by its trade-offs,” he says. “The difference between the highs and lows is as big as it gets in any sport.

As a batsman, on your best day you could be batting all day, but on your worst, you could be out there for just one ball.”

Varun is also acutely aware of the unashamedly elevated status in which cricket is held in the Australian psyche.With a nod to the recent balltampering controversy and subsequent review into the culture of the Australian cricket team, he notes, “The constancy of events going on shows the weight of events in cricket and the scope for informed journalism to make sense of these events. I think the public does feel everything that happens and the intent behind [the cultural review] is good.

Cricket is the only game which has “spirit” enshrined in the laws. It’s all about the coexistence of competition and integrity, and you could say the balance might be slightly out at the moment. So the intent behind any action to resolve that is ideal.”

Humility, too, is an important trait of a Bradman Scholar, and Varun is no exception. “My parents have been the reason for any success I’ve had,” he says.

“My dad has been an inspiration for all my sport and mum has also been motivating me in all aspects of my life. Ash Doolan at Cricket Appeal has also played a big role in coaching me and in my approach to cricket more generally.”

Speaking about how the honour has shaped his outlook for the future, Varun is both aware of the opportunities ahead of him and conscious of the path he has taken to get here. “Initially there was a happiness and elation that came with it. But the best of it is yet to come. There will now be events which I may need to publicly speak at which I quite enjoy. It has also reinforced to me the importance of having a breadth of life and having many dimensions to it. It’s what the qualities of the Bradman Foundation are predicated on.”

JUNE (2) 2018 17

WHAT’S ON MAINSTREAM Leaders on Asia Address Tue 26 June (2.00pm – 4.00pm) Asia Society Australia and UNSW Sydney present a special Leaders on Asia address by Suresh Prabhu, Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry. Prabhu will unpack how the new policies such as ‘Make in India’, ‘Digital India’ and ‘Ease of Doing Business’ reforms are fuelling India’s growth economy. At The Mint, 10 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000.

Details 02 9385 6985.

Tales from the East: India and NSW 27 April – 26 Aug Old Government House, Parramatta Park, Parramatta.

Details 02 9635 8149.

KIDS AND YOUTH Winter School Holiday Program Mon 9 July – Fri 13 July (10.00am – 11.30am or 12.30pm – 2.00pm) Explore the world of gardening, learn how to grow veggies and take home your very own starter kit to create a wonderful vegetable patch at home.

At The Calyx, The Royal Botanic Garden, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney. Details 02 9231 8111.

Teenage Camp: Breaking the Cycle Sat 14 July (9.00am onwards) to Sun 15 July (till 5.00pm) A weekend camp with Swami Shrikaranananda where you can learn life lessons on how to set goals, overcome fear and unlock your hidden potential.

All teenagers (Grade 7 to 12) are eligible to attend. At Chinmaya Sannidhi (Ashram) 38 Carrington Road, Castle Hill, NSW 2154.

Details 0433 212 135.

Youth empowerment workshop Sun 30 June (9.30am – 4.00pm) A program by Sw Angajan for 1320-year olds to develop a positive attitude, develop harmony in thought, action and interpersonal behaviour.

At Quakers Hill High School, 70 Lalor Rd, Quakers Hill NSW. Details 0412 202 182.

Know Goa Programme Nov 30 – Dec 14 2018 Designed for students and young professionals in the age group 18-28. Participants will visit educational, cultural, historical and industrial sites of interest, and interact with local Goans, elected representatives and government officials. Applications close 15 Aug. Details Consulate General of India (Sydney) 02 9223 2702 FESTIVAL Eid Milan Sat 30 June (11.30am – 2.30pm) This year’s best Eid party with loads of games, food, cultural performances, lucky draws, and more. Held at The

18 JUNE (2) 2018

Hub At Mt Druitt, Ayres Gr, Mount Druitt, NSW. Details 0425 671 786.

Eid Milan Party Sat 30 June (5.30pm – 9.30pm) Live music, children’s quiz, comedy show, musical acts, and more. At Bosnian Community Hall, 205 Bringelly Rd, Leppington NSW 2179. Details 0468 486 966.

SPIRITUAL Turramurra Gurudwara 23 and 24 June North Shore Sikh Association Turramurra Shaheedi Purab of Shri Guru Teg Bhadhur Sahib ji., at Gurudwara Sahib Turramurra, 81 Kissing Point Road Turramurra.

Details 02 9449 8253 Simran and Meditation Diwan Wed 27 June (6.30pm – 8.30pm) and Wed 4 July (6:30pm – 8:30pm) Enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and listen to diwan at Gurudwara Turramurra Sikh Temple Sydney, 81 Kissing Point Rd, Turramurra, NSW. Details 02 9449 8253.

Lecture series on Ramayana June 25-29 (7.30pm – 9.00pm) A lecture series on Ramayana by Life Mastery Foundation’s Swami Angajan on mastering life. Free event but registration must. At Quakers Hill High School, 70 Lalor Rd, Quakers Hill NSW 2763. Details 0412 202 182.

Master your life Mon 25 June to Fri 29 June (7.30pm – 9.00pm) A program by Sw Angajan for spiritual enhancement of the participants. At Quakers Hill High School, 70 Lalor Rd, Quakers Hill NSW 2763. Details 0412 202 182.

HEALTH AND YOGA International Day of Yoga Sun 24 June (7.00am – 9.00am) A free session of yoga to celebrate the International Day of Yoga with Suryanamaskar followed by a session of Ayurveda in Daily Life. Breakfast will be served. Please bring your own mat. At Ermington Community Centre, 8 River Rd, NSW 2115. Details 0412 202 182.

Ayurvedic lessons Fri 6 July (7.00pm – 9.00pm) A session on using Ayurveda to manage lifestyle diseases by Dr Rajkumar Sharma. At Dundas Community Centre, NSW. Details 0412 202 182.

Wellness, The Yoga way Fri 8 July (5.30pm – 7.00pm) A free workshop on the knowledge and practice of yoga tips to overcome anxiety. Gain tools to handle the mind and negative emotions. Experience deep rest with meditation. Held at Indian Cultural Centre, Indian consulate General, level 2/265 Castlereagh St, Sydney, NSW 2000.

Details 02 9223 2702.

COMMUNITY

ENTERTAINMENT

Turbanator Awards Sat 23 June (7.00pm onwards) Announcing Turbanator Award for Best Sardaar (Best Turban) - Sardaarni (Best Suit). Ten candidates for each category will be shortlisted, winners will be personally honoured by the Team Turbanator. At Whitlam Leisure Centre, 90a Memorial Avenue, Liverpool, NSW. Details 0450 360 020.

Winter musical night Sat 14 July (5.00pm onwards) A musical event for fund raising to support Fox G1 Foundation. At Dundas Community Centre, 21 Sturt St, Telopea NSW 2117. Details Umaa Arun 0415 982 683.

DUAAA annual get together Sun 1 July (12.30pm – 5.00pm) An alumni get-together for Dhaka University Alumni Association Australia DUAAA. At pin Greg Percival Community Centre, Cnr Oxford Rd and Cumberland Road, Campbelltown, NSW. Details 02 4645 4000.

Teeyan Mela Sun 8 July (10.30am – 5.30pm) Punjabi Women Association of Australia present Teeyan Mela for women, a day of fun and entertainment. At Bowman Hall, Blacktown. Details 0430 486 050.

The 3 Idiots Comedy Night Sat 23 June (6.00pm) Live performances by Atul Khatri, Jeeveshu Ahluwalia, Vikramjit Singh. At 155 Beamish St, Campsie, NSW. Details 0431 347 665.

Film screening Sat 23 & Sun 24 June (6.00pm) Screening of Bengali film Swapnajaal

by Gias Uddin Selim. At Reading Cinemas Auburn, 100 Parramatta Rd, Auburn NSW 2144. Details 0422 691 313/ 0420 617 538.

SENIORS

Bollywood singing challenge Sat 23 June (6.30pm – 10.00pm) Swar Taj, a Bollywood singing challenge for all ages. At Parramatta RSL Club, Cnr Macquarie and O’Connell Streets, Parramatta, NSW. Details 02 9633 5177.

Introduction to Social Media Wed 27 June (10.00am – 12 noon) Free Tech Savvy Seniors Workshop at Dennis Johnson Branch Library, 1 Sentry Drive, Stanhope Gardens, NSW. Details 9839 6658.

Bollywood Comedy Night Sun 24 June (5.00pm – 7.00pm) A night of stand-ups, mimicry, dancing and more acts. At Young St, Parramatta NSW 2150. Details 0470 130 891.

Healthy Brain Ageing Session Fri June 22 (11.00am – 2.00pm) AASHA presents a free information session for anyone interested in learning about healthy brain ageing, dementia risk reduction and where to get help for people living with dementia. At Hornsby Youth and Family Community Centre, Hornsby, NSW. Details 02 9847 6050

Film screening Sun 1 July (6.00pm – 9.00pm) Watch the Bengali film Uma directed

by Srijit Mukherji and based on true events surrounding the life and death of Evan Leversage. At BongOz Films Wentworthville, NSW. Details 0406 063 058.

MISC Indian Curries and Craft Beer Sun 1 July (10:30am – 1:30pm) Learn how to mix your own spices and prepare both wet and dry marinades to create a delicious menu of curries and accompaniments. And enjoy this feast with cold craft beer. Held at Cooking School at The Essential, Ingredient, 731-735 Darling St, Rozelle, NSW. Details 02 9555 8300.

Hindi-English speakers Bilingual polling officials play a crucial role in ensuring all electors fully understand the process. The Australian Electoral Commission is asking bilingual Hindi-English speakers to sign up to help deliver the next Australian federal election.

All temporary election roles are paid and full training is provided. Those wishing to register their interest in working at the next election, or wanting to find out more information, should head to www.aec.gov.au

DJ Nite (Ladies only) Sat 30 June (7.00pm – 11.00pm) Ladies, gather your besties and deck up for a fun night of dance and music.

At Yaarl 221A Wentworth Ave, Pendle Hill, NSW. Details 02 9631 2003.

Jhankaar Beats 2018 Sat 30 June (5.30pm onwards) GCT and Jhanak Dance Academy present Jhankaar Beats 2018, a Kathak and Bollywood Saga. At Bowman Hall, 35 Campbell St, Blacktown, NSW. Details 0431 238 368.

Bollywood club night Fri 6 July (8.00pm onwards) to Sat 7 July (Till 2.00am) Sasha Club brings to you an exciting evening full of energetic music and nonstop dancing.

Held at Grand Royale 51-61 South St, Granville, NSW 2142. Details 0449 501 006.

To have your event listed, email media@indianlink.com.au

www.indianlink.com.au

HEALTH

Lou Bacchialla Metro Assist CEO, Trudy Phelps BreastScreen NSW, Sheetal Challam Cancer Institute NSW, Shanta Vishwanathan of Pink Saree project and Moushumi Martin

Let’s talk breast cancer A recent breast cancer awareness event drove home the point about the first step to treating it – regular screening. FARZANA AHMAD reports

F

act: Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in women in NSW. Fact: As many as 1 in 8 women will have a brush with the disease in their lifetime. Fact: According to an Australian Government estimate, 2018 will see 18,087 women afflicted by breast cancer and a staggering 3,128 lose their battle against it.

The scenario begs the question: why aren’t more women talking about breast cancer? And the more important question, ‘Why aren’t more women participating in breast cancer screening?’

It was precisely these questions – and more – that were addressed at the recent Breast Screen Awareness in Migrant Communities held at the Lakemba Senior Citizen Hall, where 80 women from varied nationalities were invited.

The project, an initiative of the not-forprofit organisation Metro Assist, is funded by the Cancer Institute NSW and aims at educating Culturally And Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities about the important of breast screening as an early detection and prevention measure.

Moushumi Martin, Breast Cancer Project Officer at Metro Assist, told Indian Link that the idea was to increase awareness on the subject through regular information sessions, excursions and discussions.

“We were thrilled to see such a healthy turnout of ladies from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, African, Indonesian, Rohingya and Chinese communities at the event,” she said.

NATIONAL EDITION

“In some cultures, breast cancer is still considered a stigma and a taboo subject. Their presence bore testament to a progressive shift in the mindsets about the disease.”

The attendance is particularly engaging in light of a report published in 2010 by the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA) that said ‘Culturally and linguistically diverse communities are often under-served in the screening process, more vulnerable during the cancer treatment phase and less likely to utilise support services.’

It has also been established that the migrant women diagnosed with cancer have poorer outcomes compared to their non-migrant counterparts. The screening rate within migrant communities is much lower. This prevents the disease from being detected in early stages, resulting in lower survival rates and higher rates of reported side effects.

These dismal statistics underline the importance of educational campaigns like the one held by Metro Assist. The event, convened on 31 May, kicked off with a welcome note form Moushumi followed

by an address from Metro Assist CEO Lou Bacchiella and an opening speech

by Trudy Phelps, Relationship Manager at BreastScreen NSW. The program was officially launched by Bankstown Deputy Mayor Councillor Nadia Saleh, after which the Advisory Committee was introduced to the audience. The six-member committee representing various agencies consisted of Dr Zakia Hossain, from the University of Sydney, Kate Mclean, from Canterbury City Community Centre, Lie Hua from Settlement Services International, Maria Chang from Chinese Australian Services Society, and Karen Richa and Melanie Ireland from BreastScreen NSW. The event also included a session by breast cancer survivor Boshra Masri, who recounted her story of personal struggles, unwavering resilience and ultimate triumph in the wake of her breast cancer diagnoses a few years ago.

The crescendo built up by her powerful narration was maintained by the screening of a short video about Firoza Azeem and Abida Sultana, two more breast cancer survivors from CALD communities. Their stories were deeply moving and drove

The screening rate within migrant communities is much lower and migrant women diagnosed with cancer have poorer outcomes

9 in 10

women diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a family history Book your free breast x-ray today English

Call 13 20 50 Call 13 14 50 for a free interpreter.

For women aged 50 to 74 years breastscreen.nsw.gov.au

home the importance of early screening in increasing the rate of survival and the quality of life afterwards.

The short film concluded the program for the evening and the ladies rounded it off with a scrumptious iftar before heading home with an improved understanding of the dogged disease, resolving to give themselves and other women in their lives the best chance to fight against it.

BREASTSCREEN NSW > The BreastScreen NSW program provides free screening mammograms. > Their mobile van will be in Lakemba till 22 June. There are also permanent offices peppered in convenient locations all over the state. > No doctor’s referral is needed and the appointment takes only 20 minutes. > The images are analysed by at least two specialist doctors for accuracy of diagnosis. > All BreastScreen NSW radiographers are females and interpreting service is available for those who need it. > Find your nearest BreastScreen service at breastscreen.nsw.gov au or call 13 20 50 to make an appointment.

JUNE (2) 2018 19

INDIAN NEWS An Australian emu gets a pat down at Manda Wildlife Park in Jammu, the winter capital of Kashmir Photo: AP

Economics teacher in a government school and whose mother is a homemaker, was a student of the DAV Senior Secondary Public School in Lehragaga. She said that she always wanted to become a doctor and wants to improve medical facilities in her area.

Goa-Hawaii to be sister states

Indigenous Australian masterworks travel to India

An exhibition of over 100 artworks by Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists was inaugurated in Delhi’s National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) last week.

Indigenous Australia: Masterworks from National Gallery of Australia is a joint venture of the NGMA and The National Gallery of Australia, and features historical and contemporary works by island continent’s aboriginal people.

The works, ranging from paintings, prints and photographs to sculptures and installations, reveal a great diversity of artistic styles and their recent developments, NGMA Director General Adwaita Charan Garanayak said in a statement.

According to the exhibition’s curator Franchesca Cubilio, aboriginal art emanates from the iconography around sacred sites, ancestors and mythology. She also pointed out the “diversity in aesthetic and style” that these works have.

The contemporary art brings forth, and reveals the themes of “identity, politics, racism, and people’s connection with their land,” Cubilio added.

The masterworks, dating from late 1800s to today, include paintings on canvas, as well as tree barks using natural early pigments.

“From rare, historical drawings to the dynamic desert painting movement, to contemporary urban aboriginal art, these works are a testament to the expertise, rich cultural knowledge and ingenuity of their creators,” NGA Director Gerard Vaughan said in a statement.

Aboriginal designs, patterns and stories are reinforced and replicated through ritual, dance, song, body painting, rock engravings and paintings, and through domestic and ritual objects, he added.

The exhibition was jointly inaugurated

by Australian High Commissioner to India Harinder Sidhu, India’s Culture Secretary Raghavendra Singh, NGMA Director General Garanayak, and NGA Deputy Director Kristen Paisley.

Sidhu also announced that “Australia

20 JUNE (2) 2018

Fest”, aimed at showcasing Australian culture and creativity across India, would be held in September.

Google to train 8,000 Indian journalists on fact-checking

To guard journalists from falling prey to false news stories, Google India has said it will provide training to 8,000 journalists in English and six other Indian languages in the next one year.

For this, the Google News Initiative India Training Network will select 200 journalists from cities across India who will hone their skills in verification and training during five-day train-the-trainer boot camps that will be organised for English and six other Indian languages.

This network of certified trainers will then train more journalists at two-day, one-day and half-day workshops organised by the Network.

Training workshops will be conducted in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada in cities across India.

The focus will be fact-checking, online verification and digital hygiene for journalists, using a curriculum built by experts from First Draft, Storyful, AltNews, BoomLive, Factchecker.in and DataLeads.

“Supporting trusted, authoritative media sources is a top priority for Google, which is why we are proud to collaborate with Internews, DataLeads and BoomLive to support journalists in their fight against misinformation in India,” said Irene Jay Liu, Google News Lab Lead, Asia-Pacific.

“Our goal is to train more than 200 trainers, who will then train 8,000 journalists in six languages over the next year, making this Google’s largest training network in the world,” Liu added.

UNESCO condemns Indian newspaper editor’s murder

UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay has condemned the slaying of prominent journalist and newspaper editor Shujaat Bukhari and his two police bodyguards in Indian-administered Kashmir last week.

“I condemn the murder of Shujaat Bukhari and his bodyguards,” said Azoulay, the

Director-General of United Nations culture organisation.

“I trust the authorities will spare no effort in seeking and prosecuting the killers who were undeterred by the presence of police in their determination to silence a journalist known as a voice of moderation.”

Bukhari, editor of the Rising Kashmir newspaper, was shot by unidentified gunmen as he was leaving his office in Srinagar on 14 June. The two police guards escorting him were also killed in the attack.

Bukhari had been under police protection since an earlier attack in 2000.

Kashmir is at the centre of a decadesold territorial dispute between India and Pakistan. Both countries claim Kashmir in its entirety and control different parts of it.

India has also been battling armed militant groups who are fighting against New Delhi’s rule in Kashmir. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people over the years.

Bukhari lobbied for peace in Kashmir in by organising conferences and summits in the US, Britain and other parts of the world.

The killing occurred on the eve of Eid. The Editors Guild of India called it a “grave attack on press freedom and democratic voices”. Major English publications including Greater Kashmir, Kashmir Reader, Kashmir Observer and Bukhari’s own Rising Kashmir came out with blank editorials to condemn the murder. Urdu newspaper Daily Tamleel Irshad did the same.

Girl from rural Punjab tops AIIMS entrance

Eliza Bansal, 17, from Punjab’s backward area of Lehragaga in Sangrur district has topped in the entrance examination for the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

Eliza scored 100 percentile marks in the entrance for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) course at AIIMS. Lehragaga, a municipal town in Punjab’s Sangrur district, around 165 km from Delhi, itself lacks proper medical facilities and doctors.

Eliza, whose father Vijay Kumar is an

Goa and Hawaii will soon sign a memorandum of understanding making them sister states, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said recently.

“Goa is going to sign a sister state agreement. The Cabinet has given approval.

The process started when I was Defence Minister. (Hawaiian) Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has a keen interest in Indian culture.

She moved a proposal and the Governor supported it,” Parrikar said.

Gabbard is the first Samoan American and the first Hindu member of the US Congress.

Parrikar said that during his visit to Hawaii as Defence Minister, he witnessed several similarities shared by the tropical US state and Goa. “I have been there for three days to visit Pacific command as Defence minister. I was surprised to see that it looks exactly like Goa.” “Their food habits are also like us – fish, rice and coconut is abundant. It looks like Goa, the two have a lot of similarities and they are interested in having sister-state relationship... Once we sign it, we will formulate a programme and accordingly we will work on it,” the Goa CM said, adding that the relationship could cover exchanges in the fields of culture, education and tourism.

Hyderabad mosque opens doors to non-Muslims

Standing on a balcony, a group of nonMuslims including women watched Muslims offer prayers at a mosque in Hyderabad which formally opened its doors for people of all faiths.

It was an opportunity for followers of different religions to know how a mosque looks from the inside and how Muslims offer ‘namaz’.

Visitors including heritage activist P. Anuradha Reddy went around Masjid-eQuba to see the charts displayed by the organisers explaining basic tenets of Islam.

She said such programmes promote better understanding between communities.

The organising committee of the mosque located in Mehdipatnam area, organised the first-ever “open mosque” programme inviting people of other faiths to visit the place of worship in an effort to elucidate the teachings of Islam.

A large number of Hindus, Christians and Sikhs visited the mosque and were explained concepts of ‘namaz’, ‘aazaan’ (call for prayers) and ‘wazu’ (ablution). They were also explained why the architectures of most of the mosques include minarets and domes.

They were then treated to dates and sheer khurma, a sweet made with vermicelli, milk and dry fruits.

Facebook bats for digital literacy for women

Facebook recently announced its partnership with the National Commission for Women

www.indianlink.com.au

New Delhi’s National Gallery of Modern Art is currently hosting Australian art in its exhibition Indigenous Australia: Masterworks from the National Gallery of Australia Photo: IANS

(NCW) to conduct a digital literacy programme aimed at training women scholars in Panjab University.

“We are committed to equipping women to express themselves freely. That’s why we invested through our products, policies and community education programmes to create a safe space for women to communicate and share,” said Ankhi Das, Public Policy Director-India, South and Central AsiaFacebook.

Launched in collaboration with Cyber Peace Foundation, the programme will enable women scholars to learn using online resources, protect themselves and promote digital literacy to reap the benefits of the internet.

The social media giant entered into a partnership with NCW last month and launched a digital literacy programme to train 60,000 women in universities across the country on the safe use of the internet, social media and email.

108 migrants from Pakistan get Indian citizenship

A total of 108 migrants from Pakistan received Indian citizenship in Rajasthan this month. Jodhpur District collector Ravi Kumar Surpur distributed the citizenship certificates to the former Pakistanis.

Most of these migrant-turned-Indian citizens got teary-eyed when they received the certificates. The surroundings of the Town Hall where they were given the certificates echoed with slogans such as Bharat mata ki jai!

Hindu Singh Soda, President of Seemant Lok Sangathan who has played an active role in highlighting the plight of the migrants, said directions to give them citizenship were issued way back in December 2016, and that some 6,000 people were still awaiting Indian citizenship.

Now, Shimla-Chandigarh heli-taxi to ply thrice a week

The heli-taxi service between Shimla and Chandigarh will now ply thrice a week, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said recently.

“Seeing the response of the tourists, we have decided to ply the heli-taxi service on every alternate day in a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” Thakur told reporters.

With the launch of the heli-taxi service, the travel time between Shimla and Chandigarh is reduced to just 20 minutes.

The state government in association with helicopter service operator Pawan Hans Ltd launched this service, cutting down the earlier four hours’ travel time. Each sortie, with 18 passengers on board, offers a minimum fare of Rs 2,999 per person.

New GM CFO, Dhivya was a ‘focused student’

The schoolmates of Dhivya Suryadevara, who has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of US automotive company General Motors, describe her as a calm and focused student who had all the fun.

“Dhivya was very disciplined and focused.

She never neglected her studies. And yet, she managed to have fun,” said Subha Srinivasan, a teacher in a Bengaluru school.

NATIONAL EDITION

In a historic move of sorts, GM appointed Dhivya as the new CFO of the company reporting to Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO. Her classmates at St. John’s Senior Secondary School revealed that she was generally a quiet girl who excelled at studies.

“She was brilliant and hard working.

She had no airs about being one of the class toppers. Generally her batch-mates were good and many of them are in good positions,” said S. Raja Ponnivelan, who taught accountancy at the school.

Indian Railways set for a makeover

The dark blue coaches of Indian Railways will be a thing of the past now as the public transporter would be repainting all Mail/ Express trains in a new colour scheme beige and brown.

The freshly-painted Delhi-Pathankot Express with 16 coaches will be the first train to be rolled out, by this month-end, with the new colour scheme developed by the in-house team of Northern Railway.

The colour of premium trains - including Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto - will however not be changed and only Mail/ Express service with conventional coaches manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai will be donning the new hues. Special service trains like Tejas and Gatimaan Express will also continue with the existing colour.

“A complete makeover of coaches was long overdue and the new colour scheme was applied in trains after it was finally approved

by Railways Minister Piyush Goyal,” a senior Railways Ministry official said.

It was in the 1990s that the new colour scheme of dark blue was introduced for Mail/ Express coaches, replacing the brick red colour which was in use for decades.

Now, the Railways has quite a task at hand - repainting about 30,000 coaches. “The change of colour is part of the Railways’ efforts to make passengers’ experience a pleasant one,” the official added.

Not only that, steps have been taken to improve the interiors of the coaches with additional facilities. “The replacement of all toilets with bio-toilets, providing mobile

chargers at each berth, and comfortable seats are some of the changes undertaken in trains.

In fact, a provision has also been activated to solicit passengers’ response and suggestions for improving service,” he added.

Flavours of India at FIFA World Cup 2018

Restaurateurs Prodyut and Sumana Mukherjee have not only brought Indian flavours to the ongoing World Cup in Russia but also plan to dish out free dinner to countrymen if Argentina wins the trophy on July 15.

Based in Moscow for the last 27 years, Prodyut and Sumana run two Indian eateries, Talk Of The Town and Fusion Plaza. Both restaurants serve popular Indian dishes like butter chicken, kebabs and a varied vegetarian spread.

During the World Cup, they are offering a 25 per cent discount for those who will possess a Fan ID (required to watch World Cup games). There will also be gifts and contests on offers during matches in both the restaurants to celebrate the event.

The Mukherjees, hailing from Kolkata, are diehard fans of Argentina. “I am an Argentina fan. I have booked tickets for a quarterfinal match, a semifinal and of course the final.

If Argentina goes on to lift the trophy, I will invite all Indians who have come here to watch the World Cup for a free dinner at both my restaurants,” Prodyut said.

“We have been waiting for this World Cup. Indians come in large numbers during the World Cup and we wanted these eateries to be a melting pot,” he added.

According to Cutting Edge Events, FIFA’s official sales agency in India for the 2018 World Cup, India is amongst the top 10 countries in terms of number of match tickets bought.

“After Russia won the first match of the World Cup, the footfall has gone up considerably. Indians are also flooding in after the 6-9 pm game. That is the time both my restaurants remain full,” Prodyut said.

There are also plans to rope in registered fan clubs of Latin American countries, who will throng the restaurants during matches and then follow it up with after-game parties

till the wee hours.

Watching the World Cup is a dream come true for the couple, Sumana said. “We want to make sure the Indians who have come here to witness the spectacle feel at home too.

We always extend a helping hand and since we are Bengalis, we make special dishes for those who come from Bengal,” she added.

Sulabh founder wins Japan’s Nikkei Asia Prize

Social worker Bindeshwar Pathak, the man behind the low-cost toilet revolution Sulabh Sauchalya, was recently honoured with Japan’s prestigious Nikkei Asia Prize for his contribution towards culture and community.

Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International, received the award for the invention of two-pit pour-flush ecological compost toilets that help provide low-cost environment friendly toilets to millions in the developing world. While accepting the award, Pathak dedicated it to the downtrodden sections in the society.

“This award will be another milestone in my commitment to the service of the society in Asia in particular and world in general,” Pathak said.

The award was presented by Naotoshi Okada, President of Nikkei Inc. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy are among the few Indians who have won this coveted prize in the past.

While conferring the award, the Chairman of the Award Committee Fujio Mitarai said Pathak was being bestowed the honour for “tackling two of his country’s biggest challenges - poor hygiene and discrimination”.

The other two winners of the award are Ma Jun (Economic and Business Innovation), a Chinese environmentalist, for using the power of the Internet to promote cleaner industry, and Nguyen Thanh Liem (Science and Technology), a Vietnamese doctor, for bringing cutting-edge medicine to children.

The Nikkei Asia Prizes were created in 1996 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Nikkei Inc’s main Japanese-language newspaper.

IANS

JUNE (2) 2018 21

COVER STORY Nandita Das at Cannes this year

Calling your inner Manto Being courageous and truthful as a way of challenging the growing intolerance to free speech: Nandita Das talks to CHARUTA JOSHI

Y

eh zaroori hai ki zamaane ke karvaton ke saath, adab bhi karvat badle.

It is imperative that as society changes, the arts also evolve to reflect that change.

Maverick writer and creative rebel Saadat Hasan Manto (1912-1955) made this statement in his own defence, in one of his numerous court appearances for obscenity in his literary works. The stories

22 JUNE (2) 2018

in question were set against the backdrop of the Partition of India which shattered the lives of millions of innocent participants.

In short stories such as Toba Tek Singh, Khol Do, Thanda Gosht, the brutal and unbearable truths about this tumultuous time in the subcontinent’s history are served up to readers like a punch to the face. To this day, Manto’s body of work, which includes 22 collections of stories, a novel, movie scripts, essays and radio

plays, are considered an honest account of the times.

These short stories - and the man that wrote them, often in the language of the streets - are at the core of a new film Manto, directed by actor and film-maker Nandita Das. Fresh from its first screening only weeks ago at Cannes where it was the only Indian film in the Un Certain Regard category, the film came to Sydney this month. It screened at the recently

concluded Sydney Film Festival to packed audiences, who attended equally eager to see Nandita herself introduce the film and answer questions afterwards.

Based on the notion of the freedom of expression, Nandita’s film seems to have hit the jackpot with timing, given the issue is a hot topic not only in India but also the world at large.

“I agree,” Nandita mused as she spoke to Indian Link on the sidelines of the

www.indianlink.com.au

Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a still from the film Manto

I’m not disrobing this society - it’s already naked. My job is to write with white chalk on a blackboard, so that its blackness is further highlighted Saadat Hasan Manto Festival. “In fact the reason I did this film was because I wanted to respond to what was happening around us. It’s not just freedom of expression: the identity politics being played out currently, is dividing us on the basis of race, religion, skin colour, gender and language. Manto’s humanism kind of transcends all of that.

That’s why he continues to be relevant even after 70 years. In fact, if Manto had been European, there would probably have been many films made on him by now!

You could also say the aim of the film is to awaken the Manto in all of us, the part that wants to be truthful and courageous and stand up to orthodoxies of all kinds.”

The idea first evolved in 2012, Manto’s centenary year, and dominated Nandita’s world almost entirely. One of India’s most critically acclaimed actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui co-produced the film and also played the lead character.

“I think Nawaz has done a phenomenal job - he really becomes Manto,” Nandita observed. “He’s got a great range, although Manto is a different kind of character for him. When I was casting, many actors sent me their pics dressed in white kurta pyjama and glasses. But that’s not only what Manto is. I wanted the kind of eyes that have seen life. Manto died at 42 and yet he experienced a lot. Nawaz at a very young age has lived life, gone through many struggles. I wanted someone who would bring out the contradictions in Manto – he was deeply sensitive but also arrogant in his own way. He had great qualities but also was fallible: he was muh-phat (forthright) to the point of being rude and could make other people uncomfortable. He was not a simple character to portray so I needed someone who could bring out those nuances. Nawaz worked closely with me in research as well.”

With its great start on the festival circuit (Cannes reportedly gave the film a 4-minute standing ovation), the journey continues, with Toronto, Busan and possibly Melbourne, coming up very soon.

“We are trying to reach out to different - and the widest - audiences possible,” Nandita revealed. “While the context is India and Pakistan, the story I think, is universal. And though it’s set in a certain time and period, it’s really a modern

contemporary story. That’s the beauty of cinema - it transcends boundaries. Knowing from my experiences with Firaaq, my first directorial and a film that I did just for my country, I was very pleasantly surprised when I travelled with it.”

Yet, she added, her Manto journey will finally culminate with the film’s September release in India. “In the ultimate analysis, yeh film jis context mein hai, sabse pehle to wahan ke liye hai (the film is first and foremost intended for the context in which it is set.)”

She added, in order to be global, you have to be local. “The more honest and truthful you are towards your own issues, to your own context, and you are not trying to make the film for somebody else, the more your film will transcend and become universal.”

But Manto is a different film; it’s complex, very personal and intimate.

“To understand a character, you have to understand the emotional context in which he operates. It’s only through relationships that you know about a person. Manto’s relationships with his wife, his friend, all of that forms a very important basis to this story.”

If this sounds like it’s coming from a woman’s perspective, it’s probably true.

“Do you know, I was told a few times at Cannes that you could immediately tell this film had to be made by a woman,” Nandita laughed. “I didn’t bring in my woman’s perspective consciously – when you’re directing, you’re not doing it as a female or a male. Yet we do have a different way of seeing the world because we have different experiences. I think there is something called a female gaze – you can sometimes see a film and know it is made by a woman, or sometimes that this film must be made by a man. Of course there is everything in between as well. Some of the most wonderful films about women’s issues have been made by men. I’ve just made a film on a male protagonist. About somebody who in today’s words was a feminist!”

Would this put her film and others like it such as Firaaq, Meghna Gulzar’s Filhaal, Deepa Mehta’s Fire, ahead of their time?

“There’s no bell that’s going to be rung to say now is the time. Films might not bring in revolutions but they do trigger

conversations. The role of films is to show us different world, a world of which we are not a part, otherwise we’ll remain in our little isolated worlds. It’s good that Fire came 22 years ago – by the way, it got no cuts from the Censor Board. Today perhaps it would have been filled with cuts! Would Fire and Firaaq even be made today? Sometimes I feel we are going one step forward and two backwards. So I’d say we are never ahead of our time. Now is always the best time to raise these kind of issues and talk about them.”

One of Nandita’s favourite Manto quotes is: Main us society ki choli kya utaroonga jo pehle se hi nangi hai. Use kapde pehnana mera kaam nahin. Mera kaam hai ki ek safed chalk se kaali takht pe likhoon taaki uska kaalapan aur bhi numaya ho jaye. I’m not disrobing this society - it’s already naked. My job is to write with white chalk on a blackboard, so that its blackness is further highlighted.

“The role of art is to unearth the reality.

I’m told myself, that I make films that show India in a bad light. It’s not about good or bad for me. If you love your country, you want to show the reality so that something is done about it. It’s like what Manto said, you know: Agar aap mere afsaanon ko bardasht nahin kar sakte, iska matlab hai yeh zamaana hi na kaabil-ebardasht hai. If you cannot bear my stories, it’s because you live in unbearable times.

So I’m only reflecting the reality. I think we must celebrate that. But instead people like me are being attacked – journalists, writers, film-makers, artists, who are trying to unravel the truth. They are being told forcefully to cover it up, to bury it and to keep it that way.”

At Cannes, her contemporaries from India might have made the news for their red carpet outfits, but Nandita used

her red carpet appearance to make a statement about women film-makers. “Yes, I walked with Cate Blanchett and 80 other women. In 71 years of Cannes, only 82 women have had their film in any of the competition categories, as opposed to 1645 men. The fact is that women as film makers have gotten the shorter end of the stick for way too long. We’re saying we just want equal opportunities, not more or less, but we’re still grappling with just those equal opportunities. We want the diversity that exists in life, that’s all we’re asking for.”

And talking of Cate, Nandita revealed she is quite familiar with Australian cinema. “I love Jane Campion’s work. I was on a short film jury with her at Cannes so we had a lot of time to interact. I’ve also been involved with an Indigenous project, an Indo-Aboriginal project, for which I travelled to Perth and Broome. I’m quite excited about this one. In preparation for this I saw films such as Rabbit Proof Fence that have taken up indigenous subjects. They are very interesting and not too different from some of the concerns we have in our own country, where our indigenous people are being dragged into the mainstream. We hardly get to hear their stories in films, where the protagonist is zameen se juda hua, connected to the land.”

These are the kind of stories that make for engaging cinema, she concluded, encouraging the audiences to help these stories to come out and get a hearing. “I hope you will support different kinds of cinema.”

Zamaane ke karvaton ke saath, cinema aur audiences bhi karvat badlein. As society changes, perhaps cinema and cinemagoers should also reflect that change.

With Rajni Anand Luthra

Nandita with Indian Link Radio’s Charuta Joshi, Nashen Moodley (Sydney Film Fest director), and Nawaz at Cannes

NATIONAL EDITION

JUNE (2) 2018 23

COVER STORY

When creativity kills Two films, one message. Nandita Das’ Manto and Kabir Chowdhry’s Mehsampur at the Sydney Film Festival cast the spotlight on free speech

BY HAMIDA PARKAR

L

ife can be distressing for creative souls who strive to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth. The consequence of their honesty could be killings or attacks, even in a civilised society. Sound familiar?

Indian films Manto and Mehsampur, directed by Nandita Das and Kabir Singh Chowdhry respectively, which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival this year, tackle freedom of expression by showing contentious, complex life chapters of people from the past.

Their chosen characters, Saadat Hasan Manto and Amar Singh Chamkila, don different artistic cloaks, eras, as well as surroundings. In choosing them as subjects, the directors indicate clearly which side of the political fence they are on. The stand is loud and clear against disruptive politics, endangered creativity, and threats to journalism in India.

Nandita introduced her second directorial Manto to the audience with, “I can’t say ‘Enjoy the movie’. Let me say ‘Feel the movie’.” In an intimate, delicate, and candid interpretation, she follows the literary writer played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui through four significant years (1946-1950) of his life. It was a time when

24 JUNE (2) 2018

he felt conflicted as a Muslim in Mumbai after partition, and moved to Lahore.

The director gently squeezes Manto’s soul and pours it over the big screen.

As a bonus, you get a glimpse into the Hindi film industry of the ‘40s. His failing personal and challenging work life, with fluttering images of five short stories he wrote, including Thanda Gosht and Toba Tek Singh, merge seamlessly. India had just achieved independence in 1947, the nation felt split. So did Manto.

Lost in divided India and unhappy in the new Pakistan, the move didn’t go as well for him. Manto missed the vibrant city of ‘Bombay’, his creative inspiration and the literary circle of friends he hung out with. Accused of writing obscene literature, he craved to freely express himself within the comforting confines of his pages. The socio-political landscape wasn’t the best platform for his searing, humane short stories on taboo topics like sex, communal violence and religion.

Then we have Kabir’s inventive and first-rate debut, Mehsampur (in Hindi, Punjabi, and English). Written by Akshay Singh, it scores high on creative originality and finesse. Its hybrid, coarse narrative smoothly dabbles in realism, imagination, voyeurism and fiction as he attempts to explore the mystery behind the deaths of legendary popular stage performers Amar Singh Chamkila and wife Amarjot Kaur.

A fictitious filmmaker Devrath wields the factual, grounded lens with his

webcam, mapping real-life characters who knew Chamkila, driving across the dirt and depth of Punjab soil. Real and fictional characters burst forth and merge on screen: a fading actress, Chamkila’s manager, a former partner. The result is visceral, cerebral, and a fine version of verisimilitude that leaves the audience restless and uncomfortable.

Songwriter, musician, and composer Chamkila was a popular stage performer known for his songs on extra-marital affairs, maturing, drinking, drug use, and hot-tempered Punjabi men. His fans loved his naughty take on Punjab’s culture and society but he was panned for his explicit lyrics and provocative songs. Chamkila received many death threats, which he ignored and obviously didn’t care about.

Both Manto and Chamkila were daring and defiant. Chamkila (and Amarjit) was shot dead by anonymous killers in 1988.

Manto’s depression due to his creative isolation drove him to alcoholism, and a premature death at 43. What’s dismal is that even today, freedom of expression

comes at the risk of grievous harm – we have seen the deaths of vocal liberals in Gauri Lankesh, Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, and M.M. Kalburgi, to name a few. They all shared common aspects, the biggest potential threat was their message in local language would convince a wider audience.

Manto is Nandita’s way of responding to the growing intolerant and religious atmosphere. With Kabir, it started off as an obsession for Chamkila. “There was no one like him. Others were just doing folk music, he was commenting on daily life, creating magic.” Then it veered into voyeuristic aspects of filmmaking, “Authenticity can be intrusive on the subject,” says Kabir.

Both the making, and their treatment obviously differ. Manto is immersive, feminine, and soft almost. Mehsampur is invasive, masculine, brutal even. Yet both are brilliant takes, soaked in pessimism, showing us a mirror to the ugliness of times today, across the world, as well as our painful past.

Manto is immersive, soft, while Mehsampur is invasive and brutal. But both mirror current tumultuous times where freedom of expression can be fatal www.indianlink.com.au

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STAGE

Mohanlal Mania An earnest performance despite a few hiccups here and there

BY EMIE ROY

C

Mohanlal has always been quite vocal about his love for music in real life, so it was not surprising that the show was heavily loaded with songs, with pretty much half of the artists singing, and Mohanlal himself crooning a few numbers, much to the delight of the audience.

Unfortunately, though, it ended up becoming a double edged sword for the actor. A lip-sync fail for one of the songs stirred up a fair bit of controversies. “We totally understand that Lal is not a singer, so it is fair enough that he uses the back track for one of the songs. But we never wanted to – nor were we expecting him to – sing so many songs in a signature show of his,” commented Priya, an audience member.

Around 2,000 people that witnessed the show were also a bit divided about his singing performance, especially when he sang songs from the ‘70s, probably because Mohanlal’s film songs from the ‘80s and ‘90s were what most people here grew up with.

Lal did a few dance numbers too, most of them in the soothing, semi-classical style unlike his more popular peppy onscreen numbers. Another male dancer, Arjun Lal, led the team in the more energetic ones. Boasting a huge local participation, the dances were beautiful though not resplendent. Stand-up comedian Suneesh Varanad cracked up the audience, and the two lead actresses Prayaga Martin and Meera Nandan made ample efforts to add value to the show.

Overall, if your aim was to catch a glimpse of the legendary “Complete Actor” (as he is fondly called by his admirers) in action, this was the perfect opportunity to do so. “Unlike a lot of ‘superstar’ shows, this man was there in flesh and blood for more than threequarters of the time; performing in front of the audience, like a true workhorse.

And it did compensate for the minor flaws in the larger scheme of things for sure,” said Mathew, aptly summing up the experience.

Photos: Amal Wilson

inema’s jack of all trades, master of many. That’s how one magazine described Mohanlal in 2004. Fourteen years later, the title still stands, and this was best illustrated by the superstar’s recent stage show in Sydney, Mohanlal Starnite, as part of his Australian tour to mark his 40 years in showbiz.

Even in a production that had more than a dozen other artists including some brilliant musicians, Lal pretty much stole the show. During the three-hour event, he graced the stage for more than 70% of the time, at times singing, at times dancing and at times doing something that is second nature to him – acting. It was interesting to watch the spectators,

fixated as they took in one of the most sought after Indian actors performing ‘live’ in skits. The show opened some half an hour late to a packed audience at Quay Centre, Sydney Olympic Park. In the opening segment Mohanlal made a dramatic entry on the stage all by himself, conversing to the audience about his life and his evolution as an actor, and singing the song I believe in you, originally sung by the American country singer and songwriter Don Williams. It was exactly the spectacular beginning to the evening that the audience had hoped for.

The event was interspersed with testimonials in the form of videos from eminent directors of the Malayalam film industry that Mohanlal has worked with all these years. They were quite smartly used as fillers.

As the show progressed, a few amazing singers were showcased – MG Sreekumar, Preethi Warrier and the 12-year-old child prodigy Shreya Jayadeep that the crowd clearly adored.

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JUNE (2) 2018 27

BOOKS

History and mystery Abir Mukherjee’s book is an intriguing peek into India’s tumultuous historic time, albeit with a generous sprinkling of crime and mystery

I

ts foundations already shaken by Jallianwala Bagh, the British Raj now faces a new type of freedom struggle – one utilising the country’s teeming millions as willing ‘martyrs’ to put pressure on the rulers while eroding their loyalists. With former imperial capital Calcutta a hub, can its hardpressed policemen tackle a case of serial murders, avert a massacre and ensure a royal visit is successful?

Captain Sam Wyndham of the city CID finds himself tasked with dealing with all three matters in Smoke and Ashes, the third installment of Abir Mukherjee’s thrilling and wellresearched historical crime series.

While either of the tasks would test any capable man, our hero must also try to rise above his secret, shameful, vice – liable to have adverse personal and professional consequences (as we learn in the tense, nightmarish first chapter).

Though Wyndham can count on Sergeant “Surrender-Not” (Surendranath’s pronounceable Anglicised version) Banerjee, his loyal aide now is hampered by his own problems, with the NonCooperation Movement causing bad blood between him and his family and friends, all on the other side.

While confrontation looms between the regime and the freedom fighters, spearheaded by the canny but principled lawyer Chittaranjan Das and his key aide, especially after the Congress volunteers are banned, the city is rocked by a series of brutal murders, including those of a British scientist and a Goan military hospital nurse. For not only do the corpses bear two gaping holes in their chests, their eyes have been gouged out too.

Wyndham and Banerjee are given the case, but Military Intelligence’s secretive and devious Section H, headed by the old adversary Major Dawson, soon take over

– though that doesn’t stop our duo from digging on.

Matters meanwhile come to a head as the authorities schedule a trip by the visiting Prince of Wales to the restive city, while Section H now reveals the serial murders may have their roots in a series of military experiments, where poison gas was tested on some sepoy “volunteers”, and that a consignment of the gas has now gone missing.

Will Wyndham manage to overcome his secret weakness and the military intelligence operatives’ own agenda to solve the case? Will this also forestall a monumental disaster if the poison gas is in the hands of the suspected murderer?

We learn how all this pans out in the course of this riveting mystery, full of twists and turns till well into its denouement,

where the Britain-based Mukherjee ably uses historical records (save in case of one rather high-stake standoff) to deliver an engaging, realistic backdrop to the action.

And then, the author provides some incisive literary and historical flourishes.

This can be the curious relationship between the setting and the principal protagonist, with Wyndham, wondering why he felt at home there, “that, in its own way, Calcutta was as flawed and dysfunctional as I was: a city built in the middle of a fetid Bengal swamp, populated by misfits all struggling to survive against the odds”.

Or the new politics of the freedom struggle – how Wyndham saw Mohandas Gandhi, a view that may have been of a maverick but would increasingly gain

traction among his more understanding compatriots in how even the sight of a “man in his little dhoti” had persuaded millions, beyond the big cities’ “parlourroom revolutionaries” to “boycott British products, resign from government posts, and generally create a bloody nuisance”.

Mukherjee also can’t resist showing that the strategy resonated with the Bengalis. And then, there are the historical personages, say Das’ aide, “a young, bespectacled Bengali, with a moon face and neatly parted, prematurely thinning, black hair”, recently returned from England, where he had topped the Civil Service entrance examinations but declined to join the service, and returned to India to fight for independence. Sound familiar?

It is all this that keeps this book from being just another exotic murder mystery to serve as a vivid portrait of Indian history’s course at a crucial time.

Vikas Datta

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28 JUNE (2) 2018

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OPINION

Fear begets fear Priyanka Chopra being targeted for an ‘anti-nationalist’ episode of Quantico is a reminder of mob mentality underpinning Indian society BY RITAM MITRA

I

t is perhaps the most curious but unfortunate quirk of public life in India: stay on the straight and narrow, toe society’s line and you will be treated with – often literally – religious reverence.

But make even the most miniscule of missteps and you face more than mere excommunication; you and your family are threatened with murder, your house pelted with stones, and your effigy burned in the streets.

So learned Priyanka Chopra recently, after the Quantico star appeared in an episode of her US show that portrayed Hindu nationalists as terrorists. The vitriolic aftermath was a harsh reminder of the mob mentality underpinning Indian society, stemming not just from a failure to distinguish reality from fiction, but an inability to control either the meaningful or the frivolous.

The episode titled The Blood of Romeo, which aired on US network ABC, portrayed Chopra’s character thwarting a terrorist plot ahead of a summit on Kashmir. In it, Chopra’s character discovers that it is not Pakistani terrorists plotting the attack as initially hinted, but rather Hindu nationalists attempting to frame Pakistanis.

The reaction back home was swift.

Many declared Chopra as an “insult to India”, while others stated that the “entire episode was not just an attack on Hindus but also an attack on India”.

Activists from the Hindu right-wing group Hindu Sena burnt posters depicting

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Chopra, calling for her to be sent to Pakistan, while death threats were the order of the day on social media. Chopra was forced to issue an apology, tweeting “I’m extremely saddened and sorry that some sentiments have been hurt by a recent episode of Quantico. That was not and would never be my intention. I sincerely apologise. I’m a proud Indian and that will never change.”

Unsurprisingly, this was not enough for her detractors; the overwhelming majority of the response continued to advocate for a boycott of Chopra’s movies, at the least.

“Too late to feel ‘saddened’!” stated one. “You could’ve refused to act in an episode that degraded your nation and termed the most peaceful of all religions ‘Hindu Terrorism’. You could be an atheist or agnostic but you are associated with thousands who believe implicitly in their faith!”

The irony in this sanctimony is, of course, that fundamentalist Hindus are no more peaceful than their equivalents in all other religions, whether Islam, Christianity or Buddhism. Nor is Indian nationalism any more honorable than that of other countries, and certainly not to the extent that its negative portrayal is unrealistic.

Take, for example, the recent gangrape of an 8 year old girl - and subsequent cover-up - by a group of Hindu men in Jammu and Kashmir. Thousands marched around the country in support of the men, including politicians, their justification being that Muslim men had also raped many Hindus, a classic case of whataboutism that cripples political and social discourse. The current landscape makes this much clear: in Modi’s India, it is more important than ever that duality in story-telling is closely and viciously protected.

While grappling with the nuances of

politics and religion may be a difficult albeit important line for filmmakers and writers to tread – particularly in the current global climate – India’s siege mentality is no recent phenomenon and its proponents regularly wage war on more than just the film industry. It is almost a rite of passage, for instance, for Indian cricket players to suffer death threats in the aftermath of a poor performance, or for Indian authors to be forced into hiding for espousing views to which the mainstream may be opposed. But the exhilarating highs they occasionally enjoy do not justify these crippling lows.

To understand the basis for mob outrage, it is critical to first consider its objectives. And they are basic: to identify a target, lay blame and to try and wrest

back at least some semblance of control in a society where accountability and control are not just elusive, but often impossible.

The struggle to be heard in a country so vast is a challenge in its own right; but also feeding into this is a cycle of rampant corruption, political opacity and overwhelmingly, fear.

When nothing of substance changes for the better, all that is left is the low-hanging fruit of the meaningless and the benign – television, books, sport.

And in these circumstances, group vitriol and mob violence are often merely the simplest solution to a very real fear: that one person does not matter, that one voice counts for nothing.

But, overwhelmingly, this is a fear which underpins humanity itself.

Chopra’s character in this particular episode discovers that Hindu nationalists are attempting to frame Pakistanis for a terror attack

JUNE (2) 2018 29

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SUSTAINABILITY A waste reprocessing unit in China

Rubbishing our waste With China banning Australia’s recyclable waste, it’s time to ask the hard question: shouldn’t we responsible for our own waste?

BY EMIE ROY

S

ometime ago, when news surfaced about how Australia is worried about China refusing to accept its recyclable waste materials, I wondered why that would be an issue. I realised later that “most” of the waste materials that I happily deposit in my recycle bin are being transported to China to be recycled into different material that eventually may or may not come back to our local markets.

As much as it surprised me, it confused me as well. I never knew that our recyclable rubbish goes on a trip to China!

Dr Avanish Pannikar, a Sydney-based Senior Waste and Wastewater Engineer, enlightened me on the subject. “Yes, your recyclable waste goes on a journey of its own,” he confirmed. “It is not actually ‘wasted’ in the literal sense of the word, but is a valuable resource. The stuff you put in your household bin and roll out to the street on bin night, gets transported to the sorting yard by the waste-trucks.

There recyclable materials like plastic, metal, glass, paper, cardboard and textile get categorised and sub-categorised.

For example, metals are sorted into different types such as iron, aluminium, tin, etc. These sorted waste materials make their way to Chinese processing units to be further categorised. They will then be manufactured into new materials.”

But why don’t we process it all here in Australia?

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“Primarily because we don’t have the resources to process our waste here in Australia,” replied Pannikar. “So we cannot make use of the sorted waste. On the other hand, recyclable waste is raw material for China to create new products.”

So why did China stop accepting waste from Australia? I remember reading that it is the contamination of the waste that triggered China to ban the process. “That is correct. The best examples are our pizza boxes. Nobody knew that these should not be put in the recyclable bin. Apparently, the pizza scraps add to the work load of the employees in the processing units in China, to remove the food waste and then process it. As far as they are concerned, they need to invest extra time and human/ mechanical resources into re-sorting the already sorted waste. Also, because of this contamination,

they are not able to fully reprocess the resources they procure.”

And here I thought chucking a pizza box into a recyclable waste bin was the easiest thing. In fact, the thing that impressed me most when I migrated to Australia was the presence of two bins in front of our homes – one for nonrecyclable food waste and another for recyclable waste. Alas, here the best of my impressions were proven wrong, as it slowly becomes obvious that Australia does not have a national waste policy, and we cannot afford to process our own waste when another country says no to it.

What’s worse, we can’t even send these recyclable materials to the landfills, because as Pannikar says, “These materials are then wasted resources.

Secondly, some plastic waste materials

will consolidate and as an outcome, the and will weigh down. Plastics like styrofoam will cause reduction in space as well; to mention a few problems.”

What does the country see as a resolution? An estimated increase of effective cost to councils are 400 and 500 per cent – which sounds scary. This is when different state governments start contemplating ideas to bear this cost. Like a landfill levy in Victoria which will make it the last option for households to send their waste into landfills. Or the proposed waste levies in Queensland, which will help to recover the waste management cost for local councils.

Interesting initiatives are also being introduced, like ‘Face Your Waste’ in Perth, where clear wheelie bins are supplied by councils to make people aware of how much they waste. Yet another option is a $465.7mn ‘Waste Less Recycle More’ project rolled out by NSW EPA, targeted at transforming waste and recycling in the state. “Instead of seeing the rejected recyclable waste as an increased burden, maybe we should see potential in this predicament,” Panikkar offered. “Why not see this as an opportunity to develop some waste processing units, and therefore create more employment?”

He makes a pertinent point. But where does it all start? At home, of course.

Perhaps it’s time we religiously follow the reduce-reuse-recycle process. It’s quite clear that our planet cannot take more than a certain amount of ‘waste’ we humans create. No doubt, there are initiatives aplenty to help create awareness about waste. But the question is: how many of us are ‘waste-aware’? That’s probably where the conversations should begin.

JUNE (2) 2018 31

SURROUNDS

A fruitful day out There’s something delightful about picking persimmons from a tree than having to chuck it in your supermarket trolley

BY EMIE ROY

“W

here do fruits come from?”

“They grow in supermarkets, where else?”

After overhearing this conversation between my kids, it did not take long for us to decide where our next trip should be to – a farm, of course.

As I searched online for farms that allow visitors, I noticed that plenty of them offer an opportunity to pick your own fruit too.

For someone like me, who can’t even keep a cactus alive, let alone a fruit-bearing plant, the idea of picking the fruit fresh from the tree was enticing.

Being autumn, stone fruit picking season has almost finished. However, many orchards are still open for those who like to pick apples, like the ones in lower Blue Mountains.

You can pick berries in Hawkesbury valley. But I went for persimmons, a fruit that’s become my favourite ever since I migrated to Australia.

“You are a bit too ambitious to even wonder about the possibility of picking persimmons. Forget picking, you won’t even get the fruit in the major supermarkets,” said a couple of friends when I asked them.

They were right. I had only seen this fruit in some Asian grocery stores - an orange yellow specimen that looks like a cross between peach, apple and tomato.

32 JUNE (2) 2018

The colour always captured my attention, and the first time I tried it, it lived up to my expectations of being a typical ‘sweet’ fruit. Tastes a bit tannin-like when raw, but it will happily sit in your fruit bowl to ripen into a beautiful fall orange colour, and a crisp, sweet taste.

To cut a long story short, I did manage to find an orchard that allows persimmon picking, around Sydney. Cedar Creek Orchard in Thirlmere, some 90 minutes from Sydney CBD, opened a new world to us all.

Started in the 1940s, the farm currently has about 23,000 trees in it, the plantings consisting of apples, peaches, nectarines and persimmons.

About 7,000 trees are persimmon, including both Jiro and Fiyu varieties.

Having booked the time and date online, we turned up on a Saturday morning, and were driven in a trailer named ‘Persimmon Express’ to the orchard. (The kids loved the bumpy ride).

Ripe persimmons welcomed us, and it was a gorgeous sight to see bunches of the orange fruit on the trees with the hills behind setting a perfect background.

We were allowed to eat the fruit in the orchard but had to hand over the peels to the owners to keep the flies and trash away.

Ninety nine percent of our fellow travellers were Mandarin, Cantonese or Korean speaking Asians.

“Koreans located our orchard some eight years back,” Mark Slim, one of the farm owners, explained to us. “After that, we kept getting requests from people who wanted to pick their own fruit. We were a bit skeptical about the idea to start with, but the demand just kept going up, so we gave in. And we haven’t looked back since.”

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Photos: Geevarghese Kollannur

Cedar Creek Orchard in Thirlmere, some 90 minutes from Sydney CBD opened a new world to us all But doesn’t fruit picking damage the fruit or the trees? We are, after all, no experts. “Not at all,” said Mark, adding, “Moreover, it is more profitable for us to allow fruit picking than sell it to the vendors. This saves time and money – we don’t have to pick, pack or transport.”

Mark used to export the fruit outside Australia but with the changing demographics of Sydney, the demand for persimmon within Australia has increased considerably. Just as it is good for the farmers, it is great for the people who

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come fruit picking too, as was apparent from the numerous families who’d joined us, enjoying picnics underneath the trees.

The entry fee is $10 and the fruit you pick costs about $7 a kg. Fresh apple juice pressed at the farm was another interesting find – something that will weigh quite a bit against the store-bought preservative-laden apple juices in the grocery shops.

While it is a ‘fruitful’ exercise for the old, I was delighted that I could get my kids to feel closer to nature.

JUNE (2) 2018 33

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Simren Samrai

Vish Chilumkurti

Kalyani Wakhare

Raka Sarkhel

Nikita Kulkarni

Vinaya Rai

Komal Utsav Jagad

Preeti Jabbal

Dinesh

Kira SpucysTahar

Anubhuti Madan Singh

Auntyji

Minnal Khona

Hamida Parkar

Nisha Joseph

Aneeta Menon

Sudarshan Arvind

JUNE (2) 2018 35

ENTERTAINMENT

cineTALK Nana Patekar as Rajinikanth’s adversary gets no attention from the script in the first half.

In the second half, Patekar tries to match wits with Rajinikanth and fails. Not only because… well, if you cross swords with the Thalaivaa you are bound to fall. But then the dialogues don’t make it any easier for Patekar.

Rajnikanth’s relationship with his simple bucolic wife (Eswari Rao, behaving as though a fling with cerebral palsy left

POOR MAN’S SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE KAALA

STARRING Rajinikanth, Nana Patekar, Huma Qureshi DIRECTOR Pa Ranjith

HHHHH

The splash of rhetorics and melodrama is to the uninitiated, quite overpowering.

But then who in India is not aware of the bombastic antics of Rajnikanth the actor who defies gravity?

Seriously! This is a man whom no force can defeat. Not poverty. Not pomposity.

Kaala twins it with majestic grandeur

over poverty and pomposity. Aspiring to penetrate the squalor of slum life in Mumbai’s Dharavi, this film ends up being the poor man’s Slumdog Millionaire.

Then there is the hamming. So much of it from so many characters who most of the time hang around waiting to say things that they feel will change the world. There are men in lungis and dhotis running in every direction shouting bloody murder. And it’s all supposed to be fine and even moral because the fight is for their land.

In this mayhem-motivated mess of

a movie no guns are visible except the weak morally deranged cop (Pankaj Tripathi in one of his worst roles in recent times) who is overpowered by the mob after he uses his gun. For the rest, it is swords, sickles and heavy iron objects all the way.

But that loud thud is not just primitive weapons bashing brains and skulls. It also the sound of a film fumbling and falling as it attempts to create a raga of revolution through its cacophony of mayhem.

Rajinikanth’s political ideology here is nothing more than a migrant’s lament.

her shaken for life) strains at the leash.

Rajini also has the hots for a woman called Zareen (Huma Qureshi) who we are told is an activist who won’t take no for an answer. She sometimes laces her dialogues in English to let us know she has travelled the world.

Kaala mows through our apprehensions, conveying the urgency of a pre-fixed wrestling match. The bleeding heart for slum-dwellers in Kaala could have done with some temperance, restrain and self-discipline.

Not the traits we can find easily in a Rajnikanth starrer. Don’t say you were not warned.

Subhash K. Jha

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superfluous and steeped in mediocrity. The inclusion of the Bhojpuri dialect at times makes the scene unintentionally funny.

Anil’s performance vacillates from sincere to perfunctory at a high rate, but nevertheless, he is the only actor worth a watch.

Salman Khan and Bobby Deol seem world-weary. Jacqueline Fernandez as Jessica - a con-woman-cum-undercover government agent is natural.

So are Daisy Shah and Saqib.

Freddy Daruwalla as Rana, one

RACING TOWARDS MEDIOCRITY RACE 3

STARRING Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Bobby Deol, Jacqueline Fernandez, Saqib Saleem, Daisy Shah, Freddy Daruwalla DIRECTOR Remo D’Souza

HHHHH

Race 3, as the name suggests, is the third edition of the franchise, but has no narrative connection with its previous editions. And unlike its predecessors, this one seems like a jaded fare as it lacks thrills and the adrenaline rush so palpable in its earlier editions.

Convoluted and predictable, this action thriller is a forced family drama.

In its broad outlines, Race 3 has a story similar to many Hindi films seen in the 1980s and 1990s, in which the family members are pitted one against another, only to realise that blood bonds are stronger than any external greed.

Shamsher Singh (Anil Kapoor), originally from Handiya in India, has a flourishing arms manufacturing and dealing business, operating from the private island Al-Shifa. Greed makes him plot a heist. He ropes in his twin kids Suraj (Saqib Saleem) and Sanjana

(Daisy Shah) and his adopted son Sikander (Salman Khan).

The twins have a grouse against their father. They feel that he is neglecting them as he is fond of Sikander. So they plot along with Yash (Bobby Deol), Sikander’s loyal bodyguard, to show him down. The plot advances relentlessly with twists and turns, and despite familiar elements it takes a complicated, longwinded path for a clichéd finale.

With dialogues like, “Our business is our business, none of your business” and “They don’t make men like you anymore”, the writing is light,

of Shamsher’s adversaries, has his moments of on-screen glory.

The film is astutely mounted with high production values.

The action sequences are wellchoreographed and slickly edited. While some of the scenes with live action drama get your adrenaline charged, especially when Jessica and Sanjana have a free-fight in the dance-club, there are others that resemble an action-packed video game. The camera work by Ayananka Bose is undoubtedly excellent.

The songs are an aberration to the narrative. All of them are slow and uninspiring: with their fatigued beat they are the weakest point of the film.

Troy Ribeiro

story where lust is not a predominant impulse, desolation is. And Manisha Koirala is perfect for the part of a wife who has found comfort in her husband’s best friend’s arms.

Somehow the hurt never comes across strongly.

Lastly, Karan Johar, who enjoys the orgasmic beat more than the others.

His story is an unabashed ode to the Big O, though a little broad and tactless in the way it makes the selfpleasuring vibrator seem like a tool of sexual liberation. Kiara is likable as the

repressed wife, while Vicky Kaushal as her self-righteous ‘sanskaari’ husband is outstanding in making his annoying character endearing. But much of Karan’s pontification on a woman’s desires and man’s character is laboured in its bumper-sticker wisdom.

Full props to the movie for opening that door into the Indian middle-class sexual consciousness where there lurks a lust for self-fulfilment, seldom explored, scarcely realised. This omnibus deserves an ovation.

Subhash K. Jha

IN THE NAME OF LUST LUST STORIES

STARRING Radhika Apte, Akash Thosar, Bhumi Pednekar, Neil Bhoopalam, Manisha Koirala DIRECTOR Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Karan Johar

HHHHH

Vibrators and self-pleasuring seem to have seeped into the cinematic consciousness of India. Barely had Swara Bhaskar finished her business in Veere Di Wedding, now a pretty Kiara Advani playing a sexually repressed wife shocks her in-laws by getting her own pleasure without the help of a man, the man of the house be damned.

This orgasmic omnibus opens with the weakest story of the lot. Anurag Kashyap’s tale ploughs through the sexual escapades of one of the most unlikeable heroines I’ve seen in recent times. Radhika Apte plays the sexually active Kalindi, a college lecturer with the hots for her virgin student Akash Thosar who remains virgin no more after she finishes with him.

Frankly, Kalinda leaves the audience feeling soiled and used too. She is brash, brassy, over-sexed and filled with intellectual pretensions that border on delusional megalomania. The part is perfect for Apte who now owns the space allotted to ‘sexually savvy’ and

NATIONAL EDITION

empowered women in our films.

Kashyap probably wanted us to hate Kalinda.

He succeeds.

Lamentably, the storytelling also appears unhinged and self-indulgent.

In Zoya Akhtar’s story, Bhumi Pedneker blossoms into an actress of substance. Playing a house-help who is helping her unmarried single employer (Neil Bhoopalan) with his bucket-‘lust’, Bhumi hardly speaks.

There is a kind of unvarnished elegance in Zoya’s delineation of domesticity. And in the way she makes the tea and serves her master, Pedneker shows us the complex dynamics of the household. If God lies in the details, this segment is a temple of titillation. It is a heartbreaking piece and probably Zoya’s gentlest work to date.

Dibakar Banerjee does an Ingmar Bergman-Basu Bhattacharya portraitfrom-a-fractured-marriage in the third

JUNE (2) 2018 37

ENTERTAINMENT

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

RANI MUKERJI

KEEP POLITICS ASIDE: PARESH RAWAL

What does art have to do with politics?

Nothing. At least, that’s what actor Paresh Rawal seems to think. In times where artists are attacked for their political ideologies – perhaps the reason why most don’t touch politics with a 10-foot-pole – it’s important that audiences enjoy an artist’s performance and keep their political opinions aside.

“Art is apolitical. Our film industry is the most secular and apolitical place.

Art should not have any boundaries and we should keep it beyond political ideologies,” says the actor, adding that no one in Bollywood cares about what religious or political background an artist comes from – so why should the audience? Wise words, Mr. Rawal.

NAWAZ AND THE NETA

I WAS RAISED TO BE FEARLESS: PRIYANKA

I

If there ever was a Bollywood celebrity that put India on the world map – it’s Priyanka Chopra. Her trailblazing journey, which started when she was crowned Miss World nearly two decades ago, saw her conquer hearts in Bollywood and then on the international stage. It’s sheer grit and hard work (with some great PR, we might add) that has taken her where no Indian artist has gone – whether it’s her lead role in the popular American series Quantico or her friendship with the now-royal, Meghan Markle.

It then stands to reason that Priyanka has a lot of stories to tell. The actor has revealed that she’s writing a memoir titled Unfinished that will be published next year. “The flavour of the book will be honest, funny, spirited, bold, and rebellious, just like me,” she said.

Priyanka clarified that although she’s a private person, she’s all set to talk about her journey in the hopes of inspiring people – especially women. “I was raised to be fearless when it came to opinions, and I would like to tell my story in the hopes of inspiring people - especially women - to change the conversation, to shatter glass ceilings. Women are always told that they can’t have everything. I want everything, and I believe anyone else can have it too. I’m proof of it.”

The surprise announcement was made recently by leading publisher Penguin Random House India, which also announced the publication of AR Rahman’s authorised biography.

38 JUNE (2) 2018

Nawaz is a chameleon. Let’s face it – there’s nothing the man can’t do. Whether it’s a small-time pimp in Talaash or the troubled Pakistani writer Saadat Hasan Manto in his new film Manto, acting comes as naturally to him as does breathing, we think. Now, he’s all set to portray the inimitable Shiv Sena’s late supremo Bal Thackeray in an upcoming biopic, and he couldn’t be more thrilled.

“It is a lifetime experience essaying him,” Nawazuddin said.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said that director Abhijit Panse always had Nawazuddin in mind to play the part. “I knew Nawaz bhai was the right one. And the moment I set my eyes on him when he walked into our meeting room, he was locked in my head,” he said.

Can’t wait to see what Nawaz does with this film, but one thing is for sure: it’ll be brilliant.

STANDING O OVERSEAS: HITCHKI

It’s never easy to find a foothold in Bollywood after you’ve been away from the action for a considerable amount of time, especially for actresses. But if you do make a comeback, Rani Mukerji is a stellar example to follow. The actress, who got back to work with her critically acclaimed film Hitchki this year, plays a woman with Tourette Syndrome who goes on to become a teacher.

It turns out that the Siddharth Malhotra film got a standing ovation at the Shanghai International Film Festival recently. Malhotra gushed, “What an honour and an overwhelming feeling when your work gets a standing ovation from a foreign audience who simply watches a film with subtitles and gets moved to tears/laughter.”

How true. It is, after all, only art that can transcend all borders.

FILMS BREAK BARRIERS: RATHORE

Speaking of transcending borders, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore believes that watching movies can break barriers of colour and culture. We are inclined to agree. Take for instance the superb French film Amelie or even the runaway Telugu hit Arya back home that we thoroughly enjoyed despite having to glue our eyes to the subtitles.

Rathore, while inaugurating the European Union Film Festival in New Delhi, where 24 latest European movies are being screened from 23 European countries, said that watching a film doesn’t just mean understanding the dialogue – it’s about understanding the emotion behind that dialogue, which is why anyone can enjoy any film, irrespective of the language.

The festival, which opened with Slovakian movie Little Harbour, will cover 11 cities till August 31.

FAILING AND LEARNING: RANBIR

They say you learn more from the things you fail at than those you succeed at.

Apparently that’s true in the case of Ranbir Kapoor, or so the actor says.

In a rare question-answer session on social media recently, someone asked Kapoor how he deals with frustration and failure. To which he replied, “I have only learned from my failures and not from my successes.”

Given that he has had more flops than hits, that’s certainly…but let’s not get snarky. Everyone knows Kapoor has ample talent, perhaps it’s just bad luck?

And how does he celebrate success?

“By wiping the sweat off my forehead and muttering ‘bach gaye’ to myself,” he said, adding that he hoped to entertain people for years to come. We hope so too, Ranbir. We hope so too.

BACK TO BOLLYWOOD: ASHUTOSH RANA

When was the last time you heard of Ashutosh Rana? When was the last time anyone heard of Ashutosh Rana?

No idea, right. Now that we think about it, he’s been MIA for quite a while.

Turns out, the actor had migrated to the southern film industry for a while – apparently he found a lot of work there.

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MALLIKA DUA

But it seems the he went to a party recently where a guest said to him that he had “vanished from the industry”.

“It wasn’t like that. I have been working in the south industry and a film in Bollywood at regular intervals,” said Ashutosh.

Looks like that hit him hard – and why wouldn’t it? So he decided to make a comeback – and how! Ashutosh has completed shooting for four films in the past six months.

“I guess that comment hit a nerve and I decided to take up the projects.

There is lot of work in the south, but I guess it was time to jump back.”

Welcome back, Ashutosh!

TROLLING TROLLS: MALLIKA

You’d think someone like Mallika Dua would only have fans and not haters, but unfortunately we’re living in times where everyone is looking for a reason to be offended. And the internet makes it oh-so-easy. Mallika says she gets a lot of vitriol but now she doesn’t pay attention to it. In fact, she has gone one step ahead and made a video called Trolled to get back at them.

“You realise that these nameless, shameless idiots’ (trollers) job is to sh*t on people who are doing better than them. Anonymity is an all access pass and the internet is an outlet for their frustrations and insecurities to manifest themselves as hate. So, it’s really like they are trolling themselves

and not me,” said the artist.

Trolled brings female artistes on board for three videos, who address the issue of trolling in the form of an originally composed music video. The first video features Bani J and second one is with Mallika.

THE GOOD FIGHT: ANUPAM KHER

When Deepika Padukone revealed to the world how she had fought depression for a long time while in the industry, she paved the way for many other artists to come out in the open and talk about their fight with the mental health issue. Although not considered as taboo as a few years ago, the topic of depression still remains in the dark. So actor Anupam Kher has decided to pitch in by releasing a video on YouTube where he encourages people to talk about it.

“There is still a taboo associated with depression. People shy away from coming out in the open and discussing it. This even affects not just the victim but their near and dear one’s too,” Anupam said.

The artist said that a heart-to-heart with his father just before he passed away gave him the idea. “A day before my father passed away, he gave me the message of living life to the fullest and that’s what I hope to encourage people to do with this video.”

In the two-minute video, Anupam

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makes some valid points: “Kids up to the age of five express themselves perfectly – their joys, sorrows, anger.

But as we grow up, we learn to mask our emotions, whether it’s the loss of love, companionship, issues with our salary, our body issues, and we perfectly train ourselves to fake them. Why?” Full props to Anupam for the gesture – and we definitely recommend watching the video.

WORTH WAITING FOR? YOU DECIE1

If you loved Alia-Bhatt starrer Raazi, chances are that you think its writerfilmmaker Meghna Gulzar and Bhavani Iyer are a winning team. The talented duo have already announced their next project, a biopic on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, the army chief during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Iyer says she’s thrilled to be working with Gulzar, whom she calls her creative soulmate.

“It is a delightful and phenomenal subject that promises to push me to every limit of my storytelling boundaries and then some,” said the writer, who’s also written a spy thriller for Nikkhil Advani that is “deeply political and tells a remarkable story of the geo-politics of our subcontinent”.

Can’t wait.

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Match the stars to their tweets: Shilpa Shetty, Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Karan Johar Happy Father’s Day to my main man! To have you as a role model has been my greatest gift and I wish I had words to tell you how much I love you daddy.

Hey Bhagwan. I get a preventive health check done at SRL regularly to know that my body is as healthy on the inside as the outside. Something we all must do. What’s all the fuss about !! And NO, not pregnant.

Thank you audiences in China for your appreciation for ‘Toilet Hero’ delighted to receive so much love Fathers and sons have so much silence between them! So much love and many a time so much left unsaid! Break that cycle! Give that #jadukijhappi to him today. Welcome to Twitter Ranbir!! Love you!!

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JUNE (2) 2018 39

BACKCHAT

ASK AUNTYJI Meow!

DEAR AUNTYJI

I have found love for the second time at 45. My new man is just perfect in every way - he is devoted and loving and well-read and quite affectionate, in every sense of the word. But the problem is that he lives by himself, with a billi rani cat, whom he fondly refers to as Rajkumari Neelu Wati Tirchi Akhon wali. Now this cat - and I have no issues with animals generally - but this cat, hops from sink to sofa, from bistar to bahar, leaving a wake of fur and feline scent everywhere. Now, I want to move in with my dear Neel, but what to do about the cat? Do you think it would be wrong of me to wake up one day and find Rajkumari Neelu Wati “missing”? Do you think I could “give” her away to someone without Neel ever finding out, and then I could say that cat simply ran off to find a billa for herself? Tell me Auntyji, what to do? My sense of hygiene is being compromised due to the presence of my feline soutan.

AUNTYJI SAYS

As my dear, dear brother-from-anothermother Dr Saleem Waaris Jamal would say, wala howal wala kuat! Have you no shame, you pox-faced old cat? Here

40 JUNE (2) 2018

Weighty issues you are, finding love for the second time and instead of rejoicing, you are plotting and planning to do away with Neel’s companion of so many years?

OK, so I too have an issue with cat fur everywhere, and everyone knows that we are mere slaves to cats, but to consider doing away with Neelu is the most outrageous thing I have heard in the last decade. (Actually, second most outrageous thing: the first being Pushpa bahen suggesting that I get my derriere botoxed 3 years ago). But back to the billi. Let me state it outright. No, you can’t do away with the cat. You can’t take it on a long drive and leave it in a national park.

No, you cannot accidentally feed it weed killer. No, you can’t accidentally, let her play in traffic. What you can do is talk to Neel, and then go and see a counsellor - because you cannot ask the man to give up something dear to him. It cannot be you or the cat. Of course, if you have made your sentiments known to him, and he is still clinging to the cat as though it were his surrogate child or girlfriend, then I’m sorry, but the man has made his choice. It’s time you made yours.

DEAR AUNTYJI

I have noticed something and my friends and I have been wondering about this.

Many years ago, once actresses passed a certain age, they started putting on weight. However, actresses today who are close to 50 are still very fit looking.

Do you think they have plastic surgery and take diet pills? Or is it because they pay for a personal trainer? My friends and I have been trying to lose weight and it’s a struggle for us. All of us are overweight. But when we watch Bollywood news, and see Madhuri and Shilpa and Karishma looking fit, we think it must be diet pills and surgery.

Aap ka kya khayal hai? Note that I have not said anything about Sridevi, she had the figure of an apsara. Surely that can’t just be genetics, nah? Your rai, please?

AUNTYJI SAYS

Aap ko hamari rai chahiye? How about I start with some sawals, you besharam hippopotamus. Bataiye nah, jab aap apni saheliyo ke saath hoti hain, do you eat like a haathi, stuffing your faces with samosas and pakoras? What about each day? Do you consciously monitor

what you eat and are able to track all the calories you consume on a daily basis? And do you stop after the first gulab jamun or do you go ek do teen in a heartbeat? The key, my dear, my moti gulabo, my little rasgulla, is to always be vigilant about what you eat. After a certain age, losing weight is hard so the key is not to put it on in the first place. As for those aspersions you’re casting on our beloved Madhuris and Shilpas, well, let me tell it to you straight. They have the discipline and focus you and I will never ever understand. They have been judged on their looks their entire career, so they have always known that that extra pakora will cost them. So for you and your pagal and petu sahelis, stop thinking about surgeries and instead focus on eating less. Kam khaiye, aur more exercise kijiye. This is the only way for you to lose weight and remain svelte.

And as for Sridevi, hum ek bhi baat nahi sunna chahate hai tumhari ghatiya zuban se. Sridevi hamari national treasure thi. Aur aap unko badnaam kar rahei hain? Khuda kare tumhari sapno me kala kutta aapko kate, aur aapko rabies de. Namaste.

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