2018-07 Melbourne

ARVIND SHRIVASTAVA OAM

DEEPAK VINAYAK OAM

JAYA SRINIVAS OAM

PUBLISHER

Pawan Luthra

EDITOR

Rajni Anand Luthra

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Neha Malude

MELBOURNE COORDINATOR

Preeti Jabbal

CONTRIBUTORS

Usha Ramanujam Arvind, Shakti Singh, Dhanya Samuel, Carl Buhariwala, Nehal Chhatrapati, Ritam Mitra, Minal Khona, Deepa Gopinath, Auntyji

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FOMO makes way for FOOP in property market

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

There are two investment sayings which have weathered the test of time, one being that whatever goes up, will come down. In hindsight, one might well be talking about nature and physics rather than cold, hard economic reality. The other saying is that when your cab driver (or Uber driver these days) starts giving you investment advice about a particular product, it is time to sell that product.

Not that taxi or Uber drivers are not savvy people; it’s just their wisdom may have been acquired by talking to many people, rather than technical research and analysis.

Property prices in most capital cities of Australia seem to be on the way down and there seems to be little in the way of holding back this slide. Buyers

who twelve months ago were rushing in to buy due to a Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) now seem to be worried about the Fear Of Over Paying (FOOP).

Investment decisions are normally propelled by fear or greed and at this time, vendors are still motivated by high valuations of the past and their greed to get that value, while buyers are fearful of paying too much and are holding off their decisions. It seems that the buyers are winning.

In the latest figures, Sydney’s auction clearance rate fell to about 50 per cent, while in Melbourne it was about 62 per cent, both well below recent highs. Interestingly, clearance rates for Adelaide and Brisbane were higher than a year ago. The property market which has seen positive growth for over seven years, is now facing some headwinds.

For the Indian Australian who has migrated here in the last few years and rushed into acquiring property, they may well have to get used to reports of falling prices over the next few months as banks tighten their controls, overseas investors

dry up and generally the steam goes out of the market. If their purchase is for residential purposes, they need to think long term and go with the flow. For those who have borrowed to invest, they may find their banks looking more closely at their loans and they need to make sure that their cash flow is secure, and that they have built up some equity in their property so that any downward pressure on valuation does not leave them short.

If you are a migrant looking to buy, then hold your nerve. Economic indicators are pointing to an extended time of downward pressure on property valuations. Currently properties are not selling quickly, sellers have started to discount, and real estate agents are working harder to achieve a sale. It is a matter of time before better opportunities to buy start emerging. Of course, as Indian Australians, we do love a bargain. When you feel that the time is right to buy but need verification, do take a few Uber rides. If your friendly driver says it is not the best time to be buying, you know what to do.

THE TEAM

Wespendourtime tellingyourstories

YOUR SAY

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...

NANDITA DAS ON INDIAN LINK

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!

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

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

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%

FOR WOMEN, BY WOMEN

PREETI JABBAL profiled the Indian Business Women Network (IBWN) in Melbourne a new organisation through which aspiring businesswomen are helping each other out.

Ginny Kohli Gulati wrote: It was an immense pleasure and a great opportunity for Sonal Dang and I to be interviewed by Preeti Jabbal.

Thank you for supporting new emerging community organisations and showcasing the platforms they are providing. We are extremely excited to be featured in Indian Link’s Business section. Our mantra of supporting other businesswomen is catching on and we are thankful to Preeti Jabbal for giving recognition to our group and our team.

Abhishek Seth wrote: Good work!

Ruby Kumari wrote: Congratulations Ginny.

Shagun Oberoi wrote: Well done, ladies! Keep up the awesome work and initiative.

Avi Randhawa wrote: Well done, guys!

Sudhir Juneja wrote: I read the article. Good work, all. Preeti Jabbal, it was very well written.

Shweta Oz wrote: Extremely humbled and grateful to be part of this amazing team of rocking entrepreneurs at Indian Business Women Network Inc!

Thank you Preeti Jabbal for the wonderful article!

Nitu Grover Ahuja wrote: Incredible! Thanks Preeti Jabbal and Indian Link

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!

INDIAN LINK ON INSTAGRAM

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

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,

QUEEN’S B’DAY HONOURS

SOCIAL INCLUSION FOR PRIMARY STUDENTS

Jayanthi Srinivas

OAM

For service to the Indian community of the Northern Territory

When 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

DARWIN

Photo: Kylie Hyde

HONOURS 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

Dr 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

Soil 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,

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

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

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

QUEEN’S B’DAY HONOURS

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

On 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

SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALISM

MELBOURNE Arvind Kumar Shrivastava OAM

For service to the Indian community of Melbourne

Only 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

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

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.”

Rajni Anand Luthra

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

SIMILARITIES, NOT DIFFERENCES

CANBERRA

Kanti Lal Jinna

OAM

For service to the multicultural community of the Australian Capital Territory

Kanti 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

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

QUEEN’S B’DAY HONOURS

SYDNEY

Dr Sudarshan

Kumar Sachdev

OAM

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

Ask 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

international projects.”

COMMUNITY EYE-CON TALKING

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

DIVERSITY

MELBOURNE Deepak Vinayak OAM

For service to the multicultural community of Victoria

This 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

Little India Cultural Precinct: Past, Present and Future

BY DHANYA SAMUEL

Melbourne’s Little India Cultural Precinct was established in central Dandenong about 25 years ago. And since then, the precinct has been home to several Indian businesses including textiles and fashion, restaurants, groceries, other retail shops, a museum and the head office of Federation of Indian Association of Victoria (FIAV). The Indian precinct is situated in and around Foster Street, right next to the Central Dandenong railway station. But in spite of being in a central and ideal geographical location, the precinct has never been one to attract the residents, both local and otherwise. A sense of neglect evades as you walk into the precinct, with none of the vibrance, history or cultural ethos of what India stands for in a global perspective.

In 2015, the Minister for Multicultural Affairs Robin Scott announced officially that Dandenong will be home to Victoria’s first ever Indian Cultural Precinct and promised a funding commitment of $500,000 to revive and re-develop the existing precinct. (Wyndham and Monash were also earmarked for Indian precincts).

While not a huge amount, this funding commitment was a refreshing boost to both the Central Dandenong Council and the Indian community at large, since both parties have been rallying to uplift and redevelop the precinct for many years as it holds much social, economic and cultural potential.

Mr. Vasan Srinivasan, former President of FIAV (2009-2014) and a well-respected community leader said, “We have been striving and working towards the development of the Indian precinct for so many years now. The Council has done a commendable job in reaching out to the community taking their interests on board and putting the funding to its best use. But we hope that the Government lends its support too to ensure the re-development of the Indian precinct and not let it go to ruins once again.”

Speaking to Indian Link, Mayor, Cr Youhorn Chea said that it is an honour for the Council to be recognised as Melbourne’s first Indian Cultural Precinct.

“More than 85,000 people of Indian origin live within 20km of Dandenong and more than 17,000 people from the Indian subcontinent choose to call the City of Greater Dandenong home. We consulted extensively with the community when we were creating the Indian Cultural Precinct Framework and the community spoke a lot about the look and feel of the precinct and wanted the street to match the colour

and vibrancy of the retail offer seen in the shops. This is just the start and I personally look forward to watching as this space takes shape.”

A taskforce was formed which included representatives from the Department of Premier and Cabinet (Office of Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship), Places Victoria and the City of Greater Dandenong as well as leaders of speciality perspectives including business, faith, community; festivals/events and youth. The Council engaged the services of a highly experienced community facilitator, who conducted a series of discussions/ conversations/activities with the community

members from all the different perspectives, Little India traders, local stakeholders, overseas students, event managers and media.

First of its kind, the discussions were a highly welcome initiative as they helped the taskforce to gain an insight into the expectations and shared visions of the residents from all walks of the Indian community with regard to the precinct. It also initiated conversations about changing perspectives and how the precinct can be further strengthened to ensure economic and cultural viability, staying relevant to the present yet prepared to embrace the future.

Based on the research conducted by the

Melbourne’s Little India Cultural Precinct stands at an identity crossroad, fueled by political, social and economic delays. But change seems to be around the corner, starting with a series of artworks and streetscapes aimed at a visual revitalisation of the area

Aishwarya Pokkuluri features in Mike Eleven’s artwork Between Two Worlds

taskforce, the Dandenong Indian Cultural Precinct Framework was prepared which captured the community aspirations and the shared vision over the short, medium and long term. The framework also identifies 140 initiatives which were broadly categorisedunder the six Precinct Objectives: Presentation and Curation, Trade Experience, Marketing and Partnerships, Festivals and Events, Community Hub and Development.

The initial projects undertaken by the taskforce included an overall visual revitalisation of the precinct which will inject more colour and vibrancy into the area in the hope of drawing more visitors to the precinct. Street art by local artists emerged as a popular idea and four highly experienced artists, Rowena Martinich, Geoffrey Carran, Mike Eleven and Julian Clavijo were roped in to create three new artworks.

At the Mason Street carpark, the mural Adornment by Rowena Martinich and Geoffrey Carran pays tribute to the vibrant and colourful textile history of India. The bright, colourful and intricate patterns and designs on the mural are also a souvenir to Little India’s textile and fashion traders, one of the longest standing clusters of Indian commerce and cultural expression.

“We are drawn to colour,” the artists observed. “We wanted to create something that would brighten the day of passers-by so we decided to take colour from inside the shops and project it outside.”

The Mason Street work Between Two Worlds by Springvale raised artist Mike Eleven explores the young, modern and progressive face of the Indian community. Mike has always been a strong voice when it comes to cutting edge street art;

his murals and artworks have earned him a place as one of the 40 most iconic artists in the Melbourne Street Art Guide. He chose as his subject Aishwarya Pokkuluri, Greater Dandenong’s 2018 Australia Day Young Leader of the Year. The mural pays tribute to her extensive volunteering efforts for the marginalised and underprivileged. As well, in a twin representation, it stands for second and third generation Indians who have blended seamlessly their two worlds of Indian upbringing and Australian lifestyle.

“The work depicts how Aishwarya moves between both worlds effortlessly and acts as a bridge between tradition

and progress,” Mike told Indian Link

In the third artwork, internationally renowned Melbourne artist Julian Clavijo pays homage to perhaps the best known Indian in the world, with his mural Mahatma Gandhi (Halpin Way, former Substation). Along with being a vibrant and positive piece, this mural will be a conversation starter about Gandhi’s message of non-violence and peaceful co-existence. This themed mural also coincides with the digital exhibition titled “Mahatma Gandhi: An Immigrant” currently on at Melbourne’s Immigration Museum.

A suggestion to erect a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the entrance to the

Indian precinct is also being considered and a survey was held among the community to understand the feasibility of the idea. Apart from these prominent artworks, there are also landscaping works being deployed to improve the visual impact and make the street more welcoming and visitor friendly. Future projects involving branding with a specific colour palette is also in the pipeline which will further enhance the visual impact of the precinct. While the City of Greater Dandenong and the Indian community have come together and the unified voice for the redevelopment of the Precinct is at its loudest, nothing can be achieved if the existing and future Governments do not lend support.

The mural pays tribute to the manner in which youngsters blend their Indian upbringing and Australian lifestyle

Julian Clavijo’s Mahatma Gandhi on Halpin Way

The mural Adornment by Rowena Martinich and Geoffrey Carran

The world’s richest Indians

From media moguls to steel magnates, software industry bigwigs to construction tycoons, these are the 25 wealthiest Indians across the globe

Ambani, Mittal, Birla, Kotak – if there’s one thing that’s common across all these names, what would you say it was? Power. These names – and the people behind them – are the ones that have for years now influenced the direction that India has progressed in, economically and otherwise. They are the brands that dominate India’s stock market,

and for good reason.

Through extensive research, checks and cross-checks, London-based media house RAYMEDIA brought out its third edition of the list in 2017 that combines 160 Indians, non-resident Indians and persons of Indian origin or overseas citizens of India.

The qualification for inclusion on the list is a minimum net worth of US$1 billion

or its equivalent. The aggregate net worth of the people featuring on the list is well over 20% of India’s GDP. As one might expect, the names are pretty much the same as last year with a slight shuffle here and there. Indian Link, which has the exclusive Australian rights to publish the list, brings you the top 25 names from the list here (see full list on our website indianlink.com.au).

The template for the compilation was

created by Philip Beresford, one of the most experienced wealth estimators in the world. He has been compiling the UK’s Sunday Times annual rich list for 27 years.

The net worth figures are best estimates and subject to fluctuation, given the volatility of the markets. All figures are in US dollars.

Here are the wealthiest Indians of 2017.

MUKESH AMBANI India Industry

$23.5 billion

Mukesh Ambani remains the richest person in the Indian diaspora. His Reliance Industries Limited is a petrochemicals, oil and gas giant which provides around 5% of the Indian government’s tax revenue. In the telecom sector he has launched 4G services called Jio, which in one year has secured 130 million subscribers by offering free or virtually free services. Reliance also directly or indirectly controls several television channels, including news networks. According to an MBA student at Stanford Business School in California, his home in Mumbai is the world’s most expensive residential property. He owns about a third of his company. His interests include ownership of Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League and promoting the Indian Super League football.

SHIV NADAR India Software

$13.3 billion

HCL Group, co-founded by Shiv Nadar in 1976, began by selling microcomputers, and is now India’s 4th largest software firm. Its customers include Boeing, Microsoft, Cisco and UBS. HCL also invested $780 million in an intellectual property partnership with IBM. Nadar also possesses a $100 million art collection.

KUMAR MANGALAM BIRLA

India

Aluminium, Cement & Telecom

$12.6 billion

Hindalco Industries, a part of Birla Group, is India’s second largest aluminium maker. It acquired Atlanta-based Novelis for $6 billion in 2007 and bought the rival Jaypee Group for $2.4 billion. Birla also launched a fashion portal abor.com. He merged his firm Idea Cellular with Vodafone India to compete with Reliance Jio.

DILIP SHANGHVI India Pharmaceuticals $11.6 billion

Despite drop in shares, Shanghvi’s company remains India’s biggest firm in the sector and the 5th largest generics maker in the world after acquiring rival Ranbaxy Industries for $4 billion in 2014. In 2016 it introduced a generic version of Gleevec, a cancer drug made by Novartis, in the US.

AZIM PREMJI India

Software

$19.4 billion

After his father’s death in 1966, Azim Premji had to cut short his studies in electrical engineering at Stanford University to take charge of the family business. He turned it from a seller of hydrogenated cooking fats, soaps and other consumer products into Wipro (short for Western Indian Vegetable Products), the third largest Indian software exporter, which has since 2000 been quoted on the New York Stock Exchange. His acquisitions include Florida based insurance technology firm HealthPlan Services. He has pledged 39% of his stake in Wipro to his charitable trust.

PALLONJI MISTRY India/Ireland Construction & Investments

$17 billion

2 5

The Mistry family have a stake of 18.5% (the largest) in the $126 billion Tata Group. His son Cyrus is locked in a legal battle with the Tatas, after being ousted as chairman of Tata Sons in 2016. Mistry heads Shapoorji Pallonji Group, pioneering builders in India since the 1860s, credited with the creation of some of India’s most iconic structures. Since the 1970s, the company has also had a significant presence in the Gulf. It is presently engaged in a $200 million venture to construct 20,000 affordable homes in India. Mistry, recipient of the Padma Bhushan - is now an Irish citizen.

HINDUJA FAMILY UK/Switzerland/India

Various $18.6 billion

GAUTAM ADANI AND FAMILY

India

Infrastructure & Energy

$11 billion

Adani is known as much for his business interests in ports and power as he is for his association with Narendra Modi. In 2014, he acquired major ports in eastern and southern India. He has received approval for a coal-mining project in Queensland but the plan has also raised environmental concerns.

The Hinduja Group have assets in truck-making, lubricants, banking, energy, chemicals and cable TV. The Old War Office in London that they bought for £350 million, is being re-launched as a hotel. They also started NXT Digital, a digital TV distributor, in India. Captained by the second of four brothers, Gopichand, their businesses include India’s second biggest truck maker Ashok Leyland, British electric bus maker Optare, interests in Gulf Oil, US chemical company Houghton and IndusInd Bank, which has a presence in Switzerland, India and Britain.

LAKSHMI MITTAL AND FAMILY UK Steel $16.9 billion

3 6

As chief executive of the Luxembourg-headquartered ArcelorMittal, Lakshmi Mittal seems to be as strong as the steel he makes. After a $7.9 billion loss in 2015 due to an industry-wide crisis caused by over-capacity and dumping by China, the world’s largest steelmaker made a profit of $1.8 billion in 2016. Mittal moved from Kolkata to Indonesia before settling in Britain in 1995, where he was declared the wealthiest person for eight years, but is now only 11th on the Sunday Times Rich List.

DAVID AND SIMON REUBEN $15.8 billion UK/Switzerland Property & Internet

UDAY KOTAK India

Financial Services

$10.2 billion

Uday set up Kotak Capital Management Finance in 1985 and converted it into Kotak Mahindra Bank in 2003. After acquiring ING Vysya Bank, it is now India’s 4th largest bank. It also has a stake in MCX, India’s largest commodities exchange. Kotak Mahindra Bank also owns Business Standard, an Indian financial daily.

Born in Mumbai, the Jewish family started out in metals. Their property portfolio includes prime buildings in London, airports and heliports. They are leading investors in the UK’s Metro Bank and still own 51% of Global Switch, a data hosting company, having sold 49% to Chinese investors Elegant Jubilee for $3 billion less than a year ago. Grosvenor House Hotel in London and Plaza Hotel in New York are mortgaged to them against loans granted to Sahara India. Reubros and Aldersgate Investments, controlled by them, are estimated to be worth $14 billion.

GODREJ FAMILY India Various $14.2 billion

4 7

In 1918, the Godrej Group, now headed by MIT graduate Adi Godrej, with brother Nadir and cousins Jamshyd and Smita Crishna-Godrej part of the empire, launched the world’s first soap product made from vegetable oil. After 120 years, it is now involved in real estate, industrial engineering, appliances, furniture, security, agriculture, and consumer goods – ranging from mosquito repellents to refrigerators – that are also sold in other parts of Asia, Africa and South America. Godrej Properties is now developing its vast and nearly 100-year land holdings – its biggest asset - in suburban Mumbai.

SUNIL MITTAL AND FAMILY India

Telecom

$10.2 billion

Bharti Airtel, controlled by Mittal with SingTel of Singapore, is the world’s third largest telecom company by way of subscribers. Airtel is engaged in a price war with Reliance Jio in the 4G data space. It enjoys a presence in 18 countries in Asia and Africa. Mittal has also launched Airtel Payment Bank.

14 15 16

RADHAKISHAN DAMANI India

Investor

$9.6 billion

17 DIASPORA

A jump from No 134 to 14, Damani’s net worth is a result of an IPO of his hypermarket chain D-Mart. He has a 26% share in cigarette maker VST Industries and in India Cements. Damani has also acquired the Radisson Blu Resort in Alibag, a beach getaway near Mumbai.

VIKRAM LAL

India

Motorcycles

$6.8 billion

Eicher, which used to make tractors, switched to manufacturing motorbikes by acquiring a stake in Enfield India. After growing more than 50% annually since 2010, it has partnered with Volvo to make trucks and personal utility vehicles. Vikram Lal, who oversees operations with his son Siddhartha, commands a 55% share.

CYRUS POONAWALLA India Pharmaceuticals

$8.9 billion

From owning stud farms in Pune, Cyrus Poonawalla and his brother Zavaray launched Serum Institute of India in 1966. It is now the world’s largest producer of vaccines; every second child in the world is inoculated by a vaccine from SII. Its range of new vaccines includes one for dengue.

ACHARYA BALKRISHNA

India

Consumer Goods

$6.6 billion

A new entrant, Acharya Balkrishna’s rise has been meteoric. Patanjali Ayurved is a joint venture with Baba Ramdev, a yoga teacher who is close to the current ruling party in India. Balkrishna holds 98.6% of the company, which sells a range of products, including toothpastes, cosmetics, noodles and jams.

SAVITRI JINDAL AND FAMILY India Steel, Power & Energy

$7.6 billion

Savitri Jindal took charge after the death of husband Om Prakash in 2005, and delegated the four divisions of the company – steel, power, mining and oil and gas – to her sons, Prithviraj, Sajjan, Ratan and Naveen. Apart from JSW Steel operated by Sajjan, the other businesses have declined.

SRI PRAKASH LOHIA

Indonesia

Petrochemicals

$6.4 billion

Indorama is the world’s largest producer of polyester. In addition to Indonesia, it has production plants in Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Turkey and Senegal. In London, he and his wife Seema bought and restored a 1772 five storey mansion known as Sheridan House for around $66 million.

BENU GOPAL BANGUR

India

Cement

$6.3 billion

Inheriting an underperforming cement company in a family carve out in 1992, Bangur turned it around. Kolkatabased Shree Cement has in recent years maintained its buoyancy despite bearish demand. Bangur is reputed to reside in a 51,000 square foot mansion which possesses a temple, home theatre, a gym and volleyball court.

VIVEK CHAAND SEHGAL

Australia/India

Auto Parts

$5.9 billion

Co-founded in 1975 by Sehgal and his mother, it is now a leading manufacturer of car components, with a tie-up with Japan’s Sumitomo, which owns 25% of the company. Its clients include Volkswagen, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Ford and Toyota, with 230 factories in 37 countries including Europe and South America.

NUSLI WADIA India

Various

$6 billion

The Wadia Group, a marine construction company for Britishers, today owns Bombay Dyeing and Manufacturing Company, Bombay Burmah Trading Corp, Britannia Industries and many properties in Mumbai. It also promoted Go Air, an Indian airline. Ness, Nusli Wadia’s son, has a stake in IPL Twenty20 cricket franchise King’s XI Punjab.

PANKAJ PATEL India

Pharmaceuticals

$5.6 billion

KUSHAL PAL SINGH

India

Urban Development

$5.9 billion

He heads DLF, India’s largest urban development company with son Rajiv. Shares have tumbled by a third in 2015-16 due to low demand and debt rose to $3 billion. But Singh sold his 40% stake in DLF’s rental arm to Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC for $1.9 billion to stabilise the situation.

MADHUKAR PAREKH AND FAMILY India

Adhesives

$4.8 billion

Pidilite Industries, owned by the Parekhs, owns Fevicol, M-Seal and Dr. Fixit, household names in India. Its share values continue to rise. Madhukar, who has an MSc degree from Wisconsin University, inherited Pidilite from his father who died in 2013. The family have a 70% stake in the business.

All clear for temple

Signalling friendship, faith and collaboration the Australian, Aboriginal and Sikh flags were hoisted recently at a proposed site for a new Sikh place of worship.

The 20-acre property, earmarked for the planned Sri Guru Nanak Darbar temple, is located at Officer in Cardinia Shire Council region.

The flag hoisting marked the grand foundation ceremony of the new temple as well as National Reconciliation Week.

It came as a relief for the Sikh community of Cardinia Shire as the execution of the project was under strain due to initial objections from neighbours.

24 local residents had earlier approached the VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal) and raised an objection against the proposed temple that was later withdrawn.

The concerns were mainly around increased traffic on roads frequented by children, horses and bicyclists, noise pollution in a tranquil lifestyle and adverse impact on the green wedge zone environment.

The VCAT case against the temple development was withdrawn in May this year after the residents sought legal advice on the matter.

According to community representative Harpreet Singh, “Mutual understanding is an ongoing process and we are grateful that the residents made the decision to withdraw their objection”.

Singh also thanked those who helped, guided and persevered in their efforts to support the community.

According to him the Sikh society embarked on an outreach and public relations effort to communicate their intentions. They shared knowledge of their faith and plans for the place of worship though mailbox drops and through community interactions.

Local land care groups, environmental and planning experts were consulted to ensure that the project met the best standards. The development will include organic food farming and other horticultural activities in line with the rural landscape.

During the flag-hoisting event, trees were planted and bird boxes installed at the property to celebrate the World Environment Day. All the special guests were presented with a memento of the famous Golden Temple in appreciation.

The 123-capacity place of worship will be designed as a place for prayer and spiritual energy.

Devotee Avtar Singh reiterated, “Everyone, no matter which country or religion they belong to, is welcome to the Gurdwara and can be a part of our celebrations and service.”

The exalted Sikh flag (Nishan Sahib) symbolises the inherent values of the Sikh faith: one god, equality of all humans, love and respect for all, and a life of service and dedication.

Daniel Mulino, Member for Eastern Region & Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury and Finance stated, “It was a privilege to attend the opening of the Sikh temple at Officer. The Sikh community has worked collaboratively over a number of years to get to this point. I am confident that they will make a significant contribution to Officer and the broader region.”

Nina Springle MP, Deputy Leader of the Victorian Greens, observed, “Foundation Day Siri Guru Nanak Darbar marks an important milestone for the Sikh community as an established

and contributing part of Cardinia Shire. It’s clear from the widespread support they have for their project that they will continue to play a valuable role in the growing diversity of the area.”

Central Ward Councillor Michael Schilling said, “It was a privilege to take part in the flag raising ceremony, and be able to witness the success of the Sikh community here in Cardinia. Cultural and religious diversity is so important in building a healthy community, and I very much look forward to following this group’s progress over the coming years.”

Simmi Singh

Initial hurdles satisfactorily overcome, it’s now smooth sailing for proposed Gurudwara at Officer

The Sikh flag Nishan Sahib is flanked by the Australian and the Aboriginal flags

The youngest members of the community get to raise the Sikh flag

Guests help plant flowers

Tarneit calls for better services

Residents take protest to Parliament

BY SHAKTI SINGH

Garima Sisodiya, a banking professional, works in the CBD.

A year ago, she constructed her home in Tarneit, a suburb of some 35,000 residents, 20,000 of who are believed to be her compatriots from India. Every morning Sisodiya drives out to Tarneit station - the nearest bus stop is about 2.8 km away from her home. Most days, she finds the parking all taken at the second busiest train station in the city;

she is forced to drive back home and call for a cab. Sometimes she leaves her car wherever she can find room, such as on the paddocks, only to find a $95 parking fine waiting for her upon her return.

Sisodiya is not alone. Thousands of Tarneit residents face a similar situation every single day. Appeals to the authorities for better infrastructure and better planning have gone unheeded, and one of the fastest growing suburban communities in Melbourne finds itself at crisis point.

A large group of residents staged a protest at the stairs of parliament on 20 June, organised by a social group called ‘My Tarneit’.

The protest identified the significant shortage of over 2,000 car parks,

inadequate bus services and poorly planned routes, appalling entry and exit points, and overcrowded and congested trains with safety issues.

Arnav Sati, spokesperson of the group My Tarneit said, “This is the situation when less than half of the region is currently built. Imagine what will happen in the next 5 years, when another 15 - 20 thousand people will make Tarneit their home. Infrastructure is simply not keeping pace with the growth in population and severely affecting quality of life.”

Local Council has been of no help either.

Wyndham City Council continues to blame the state government, but still makes huge revenue from parking fines totaling over $300,000 in the last three years alone. Sati said, “Residents are keen to know how the local council has used any part of the fines collected to solve the actual problem, rather than simply using it as an addition revenue stream.”

The median age of the Traneit resident is 32, second youngest after Melbourne City Council, Sati observed, which means there are many young people commuting for work. Additionally, the region is home to a large chunk of international students due to the low cost of rent, who just cannot afford the taxi and are forced to travel long distances on foot.

While there was absolutely no representation at the protest from the Labor Party, the Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan came in for much criticism: she “continues to neglect the plight of the residents and provide relief,” it was claimed.

Safe-seat representatives were seen as

doing precious little for their electorates – as evidenced by the placards “Safe seat voters also matter.”

Sati observed that the sitting MP does not even live in the area, preferring the CBD instead; and neither does the Labor candidate for the upcoming elections, Sarah Connolly, who has only just moved in from interstate.

“Connolly said if the residents have any issue they should come and talk to me,” Sati related. “In a way she said no to attending the protest and hearing our concerns.”

Bernie Finn, Rachel Carling-Jenkins and Huong Truong were among the politicians from Western Metropolitan Region who did attend the protest. They expressed the view that the Labor Government has not yet joined the dots on the unprecedented growth that our suburbs are experiencing, that voices in the west matter, and that better planning is needed for urban growth.

“Being a safe Labor seat, this area is neglected,” a communique from MyTarneit noted. “The state government continues to generate millions in revenue in land tax and GAIC (Growth Area Infrastructure Contribution) but avoids investing back, while funding major projects in marginal seats.”

The Victorian Government’s Public Transport Guidelines For Land Use and Development (2013) aims to provide public transport to residential localities within a radius of 300-400 metres. However in reality, there are over 50 localities identified in Tarneit where transport can’t be accessed within 700 meters of walk.

Many of the residents believe that if

Tarneit residents protesting at the stairs of Parliament

the transport service was in order, with adequate frequency of buses, they would leave their cars behind in their daily commute to work.

A voice for the people

Arnav Sati, a 35-year-old business analyst, finds himself thrust in the spotlight as the call for better infrastructure is now being heard. The issue came up on ABC TV’s Q and A program not so long as a young Tarneit woman asked a compelling question in front of a national audience. And since then, Arnav has been out speaking at a Special Meeting of Wyndham Council, to local newspapers, ABC Radio and other media outlets. Each time, his sincerity comes through as he looks to get his community the attention it deserves.

Clearly, Arnav is passionate about social issues.

He arrived in Australia in 2001 as an international student and moved to Tarneit in 2017. In January 2018 he formed the Facebook group ‘My Tarneit’ to provide a forum for residents to talk about issues relevant to them. It now has 1678 residents as members.

“The development in Tarneit is occurring at a slow pace,” Sati mused. “Besides the transport issue, the crime rate is increasing day by day. Burglaries are common.”

But he will not be silenced. He said on the platform recently: “Never be afraid to raise your voice for truth, honesty and compassion against injustice, lying and neglect.”

TARNEIT RESIDENTS DEMANDS

> Build multi-level park or significantly increase the capacity of the current car park

> More bus routes with increased frequency to make access to public transport easier

> Add additional carriages to the V/ Line trains to ease over-crowding and increase commuter safety

> Re-design entry and exit to the station

> Perform audit on commuter safety for V/Line trains put to service Tarneit Train Station

> Increase pickup/drop-off spaces

> Fast-track the construction of Truganina and Tarneit West train stations

> Fair share of Growth areas infrastructure contribution (GAIC) to be spent on Tarneit and its need

Arnav Sati

MLC Rachel CarlingJenkins and MP Bernie Finn attending the protest

Helping hands

Community youth come together to help raise funds to support existing charities keep up the good work

was to showcase the strength of AFL in bringing ethnic communities together in a fun and enjoyable environment.”

It’s a unique concept, as Rishi pointed out. “TMU is unique because its impact can be felt from not only the funds raised, but the events themselves.”

For example, at the basketball tournament, a creative form of engagement developed has been a wheelchair clinic for participants to learn and play by sitting in a wheelchair in a safe and friendly environment. This has been a hit amongst all those present and has significantly raised awareness for those with a disability.

For the remainder of 2018, TMU will be hosting in Victoria a newly-introduced Futsal Tournament, the Peregrine Cup and a cocktail night.

Suri added, “Once TMU is strongly established in Victoria, the volunteers are keen to explore the idea of creating events interstate to raise money for charities in their communities.”

BY CARL BUHARIWALA

Charities may exist to help those in need – after all that is their purpose – but sometimes, they need a helping hand too. While bigger and well-established organisations have the resources to do so, both financial and non-financial, the smaller ones often find it challenging to raise funds for lack of same, eventually having to shut shop.

It was this notion that paved the way for Third Man Up (TMU), a local not-forprofit organisation that helps the large and growing charity sector in Australia by raising funds to support their activities.

Instead of starting another charity, in a rather saturated market, the founders of TMU felt that their skills and association were better placed to support existing charitable organisations realise their potential and in the process, aim to create awareness for the range of difficulties that young people face.

Founded in November 2016 by a group of university graduates and young professionals with a diverse skillset in business, law, public policy and technology, TMU’s aim is to host sports, entertainment and social events to support the health, development and wellbeing of young people of all backgrounds in Australia. The funds raised from the events are transferred to worthy charities who share the same mission and goals.

Jude Newton, Srinath Susarla, Suri Samsoodeen, Rishi Kher and Natasha

Arora all appreciated the fact that society needed an organisation to work alongside established charities to allow them to concentrate their efforts on what they were good at – making social impact.

So far, they have supported Helping Hoops, Father Bob Maguire Foundation, Ladder Foundation, Wavecare Counselling and Support Service and Youth Projects, to name a few. TMU also attended a local primary school recently to share their experiences about volunteering for a not-for-profit organisation with Year 5 students.

Jude told Indian Link, “A lot of thesmaller charities do not have the resources or bandwidth to commit to raising funds. Their only source of funds is from government grants and individual donations. With government grants, charities are restricted on how they can spend funds, and individual donations only make up 5% of revenue allocation.”

The funds received from TMU have allowed charities to fund projects that no longer receive support and would have seized.

For example, Wavecare Counselling had a pro-bono counselling program to allow walk-ins to receive free counselling sessions from a registered mental health counsellor. This program was going to shut down, until TMU offered to donate the funds from one of their events.

Similarly, Youth Projects has a kitchen on its premises open to homeless people. A program that taught individuals how to cook was expected to end. However, the $4,000 raised from TMU’s Trivia Night helped keep it active.

Since its establishment, TMU has raised and donated over $19,000 across six events, including a basketball tournament,

trivia night, exhibition AFL match and a cocktail night. “Each event has had a charity carefully selected to be the recipient of the funds,” Suri explained.

The AFL exhibition match hosted by TMU and formally known as the Peregrine Cup involved 60 players from Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent raising funds for the Ladder Foundation.

Jude explained, “The purpose of this game

TMU is always on the lookout for volunteers. Srinath mentioned that the organisation has been fortunate to have Dev Bhattacharya and Juhi Pandya join the team in the last 12 months. In addition, TMU is planning to create a database for charities to find skilled professionals who are interested in volunteering to assist them in developing their organisation.

People can reach out to TMU through the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ thirdmanup

TMU has raised over $19,000 across six events, including a basketball tournament, trivia night, exhibition AFL match and a cocktail night

The Peregrine Cup, TMU’s exhibition AFL match fundraiser

The team behind TMU

Stand up and be heard

International student launches into comedy

Astrong Indian accent. Skinny figure. Sort of like Gandhi. Long and difficult name. Being ‘different’ in Australia. An Indian migrant in Melbourne.

No, we’re not describing Abhishek Panchal. He’s describing himself.

Being self-deprecatory comes naturally to Abhishek, given he is a stand-up comic. His routines based on his ‘differentness’ have been bringing him plenty of laughs at open mics across the city.

For example: “Hi my name is Abhishek Panchal and I’m a comedian. I’m wellknown in India, where I even made the news once. Only once, ‘cos my name took up the whole newspaper.”

Or again: “Of course as an Indian it is very hard for me to drive herebecause you guys have these things called ‘rules’…”

For a young international student who came here at 18, to make it to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival at 20 is no mean feat. But he’ll tell you

he’d been doing The Comedy Factory in India for quite a while.

And no doubt his good-natured and warm-hearted personality has helped.

“Growing up though, I was never known as a funny guy,” Abhishek told Indian Link. “I was never one who cracked jokes with friends. But I have always had these funny thoughts in my mind. I observe unique characteristics in people and in things around me and the way certain things work. One day, my brain just ran out of storage space - I just had to share my funny thoughts with the world.”

The Ahmedabad boy would do open mics whenever he got a chance, and ended up getting two big gigs on university campus in India. Well received by the audience, he was inspired to do more.

But there was university to tackle first, as any ‘good’ Indian boy will tell you. He moved to Australia to study IT at Central Queensland University’s Melbourne campus. And like a ‘good’ Indian boy,

he finished his Bachelor’s degree before the age of 21. (“I am a true Asian. #MummaWillBeProud”).

Student life was filled with many achievements: he was International Students Ambassador, Students Representative, Change Champion Ambassador, Peer Advisor and a participant at the National Student Leadership forum at Canberra where he got a chance to hobnob with Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull.

Yet with just as much determination, the budding comedian kept his passion alive on the side, striving to get better and better.

It was not easy get a foot in, he admitted. “Melbourne’s comedy scene is very tricky. You need to be an extrovert, and knowing the right people helps to get spots. Most spots are offered to friends, and cultural differences also play a role at times. Still, the greatest challenge I face here is translating my thoughts to English. Some words are really funny in Hindi

and Gujarati but they lose essence when translated to English!”

He gets around this by testing his jokes repeatedly with different audiences. And by watching and learning from other comedians like George Carlin and Biswa Kalyan Rath as well as some of the local comedians with whom he performs. Being a keen observer, noticing unique traits in friends and people around him, and bringing a twist to day-to-day things, helps him with fresh content, he revealed.

Today he works at CQUniversity as a social innovation ambassador, when he is not entertaining people.

“Stand-up comedy is my hobby and I love to make people laugh, but I have a keen desire to become a social innovator,” he revealed. “My work is aimed at solving some of the most pressing social issues with the means of innovative technology, thus contributing to society.”

Sort of like Gandhi?

Nehal Chhatrapati, Rajni Anand Luthra

Abhishek Panchal takes to the mic

WHAT’S ON

STAGE

Nrityanjali 2018

Sat 14 July (4.00pm – 8.00pm)

Annual dance concert by students of Rachana Natyalaya. Held at The Quin Auditorium Churchill Av, Braybrook, VIC 3019. Details 0413 359 776.

Hindustani classical vocal Sat 28 July (8.00pm – 11.00pm) The Melbourne Hindustani Classical Music Society is pleased to present “Surmani” Meenal Dattar in an enchanting traditional home baithak. Held at 27 Forest Glen Ave, Blackburn South VIC 3130. Details www.mhcms.org

Bart Stenhouse and Surojato Roy Sun 8 July (7.30pm – 10.30pm)

International touring artists Bart Stenhouse (Aus) and Surojato Roy (India) will perform live. Bart is an accomplished guitarist and composer, well versed in Indian classical and flamenco styles. Surojato Roy is a percussionist, specializing in tabla, from Kolkata. Held at Dizzy’s Jazz Club 368 Bridge Road, Richmond, VIC 3121. Details www.dizzys.com.au

ENTERTAINMENT

Antakshari

Sat 21 July (6.00pm – 10.00pm)

Entertainment World brings you back the same memories of Parwane, Mastane and Deewane Antakshari with rounds such as Prelude, Dhun and Remix, etc., which will put contestants to the test. Held at Tandoori Fusion

Reception Bar & Restaurant 4/2-6 Kilmur Road, Hoppers Crossing, VIC 3029. Details 0432 080 901.

Yawwanaye

Sat 14 July (6.00pm onwards)

Musical concert with West Theory

Live Band at Yarra Valley Grammar, Kalinda Road, Ringwood, VIC 3134. Details 0433 753 348.

Aspects of love

Sun 1 July (4.00pm) A series of lecture-demonstrations focussing on abhinaya and sringara bhakti in Indian classical dance forms by dancer, choreographer and academic Dr Chandrabhanu OAM. At Erasmus Primary School Hall, 40 Lisson Grove, Hawthorn. Details 0414 678 923.

Haadu Baa Kogile

Melbourne’s first ever Kannada musical event held every last Saturday of the month. All welcome. Organised by Ankura Music School. Details 0432 192 424 or haadubaakogile@gmail.com

The Indian music collective

Melbourne

The Indian Music Collective Melbourne provides space for practice/jamming in a friendly environment for musicians to meet and practice. Anyone who plays a Hindustani classical music instrument or can sing Hindustani classical music at any ability/level is welcome at St John’s Catholic Primary School, 77 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill.

Listeners are also welcome. Gold coin to contribute towards tea/coffee/snack costs. Contact Harjinder Bhogal at oldmanindia@gmail.com

Jee Ayan Nu 2018

Fri 29 June (6.00pm – 9.00pm) Oorja

Foundation’s 4th year celebration includes a free program full of dance, music, drama, acting and other fun activities. Held at Epping Memorial Hall 827 High St, Melbourne, VIC 3076. Details (03) 9404 8843.

Bollywood glow party

Fri 29 June (10.00pm onwards) to 30 June (till 3.00am)

Catch all the masti of Bollywood with amazing DJs at Bar 420, Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000. Details 0411 651 142.

Kali Mustang Live

Sat 30 June (9.00pm onwards)

Rehmat Production & Ashwani Jain presents Kali Mustang live concert at Seven Nightclub 52 Albert Road, South Melbourne, VIC 3205. Details 0450 687 786.

Bollywood and bhangra

Fri 29 June (10.00pm onwards)

Groove to the latest Bollywood, RNB, UK bhangra numbers. At Chasers Nightclub 386 Chapel Street, South Yarra, VIC 3141. Details 0416 802 721.

Umara & Sachith live in concert

Fri 29 Jun (10.00pm) to Sat 30 Jun (5.00am)

Umara & Sachith live in concert, plus the best local/interstate and international talent that will keep you dancing all night long. At Lux Melbourne 373 Chapel Street, South Yarra, South Yarra, VIC 3141. Details 0414 877 893.

Nukkad

Wed 6 July (10.00pm onwards)

to Thur 7 July (4.00am) Dance to the hottest fusion of your favourite Bollywood & RnB hits. Held at Brown Alley 585 Lonsdale Street Melbourne, VIC 3000. Details 0404 825 285.

Sakhi Divas

Sat 14 July (6.00pm – 11.00pm)

A ladies-only entertainment event Held at The Heritage Receptions 512-516 high street, Epping, VIC 3076. Details 0403 687 796.

COMMUNITY

Eid Fest

Sat 7 July (11.00am – 7.00pm) All the fun and festivity with the most awaited family Eid festival. Held at 494498 Mitcham Rd, Mitcham VIC 3132. Details 0410 285 278.

Palhalai Kathambam

Sat 14 July (6.00pm – 10.00pm)

Juga Victoria Inc’s annual function Palhalaikathambam 2018 will be held at Rowville Performing Arts Centre Humphreys Way, Rowville, VIC 3178.

Details 0433 522 213.

Teeyan da mela

Sat 30 June (1.00pm – 6.00pm)

A desi, musical and fun-filled event where you can enjoy Punjabi folksongs, dance performances, delish snacks and fun activities for kids. At Buninyong Town Hall, 309A Learmonth St Buninyong VIC 3357. Details 0433 631 716.

Teeyan Melton Deeyan

Sun 15 July (11.00am onwards) Rooh

Punjab dee Melbourne Bhangra Gidha academy presents Teeyan Melton Deeyan at Melton Civic Centre 238 High St, Melton, VIC 3337. Details 0430 738 534.

Nanak Project

Wed 11 July (6.00pm – 8.00pm)

A series of free workshops aimed at building bridges with Sikhs and the broader Punjabi community in Whittlesea. At Epping Leisure City @ YMCA, 41-53 Miller Street, Epping. Details 0417 563 768.

Telangana Bonalu

Fri 29 June (9.00am – 1.00pm)

Bonalu is an annual festival of Telangana celebrated in Twin Cities Hyderabad, Secunderabad and other parts of Telangana. Held at Sri Durga Temple (Melbourne) 705-715

Neale Rd W, Melbourne, VIC 3335. Details 0435 991 997.

Mighty Khalsa Fun Day

Sat 30 June (11.00am – 8.00pm)

Sikh Youth Australia and Sikh Naujawan Melbourne are excited to bring you the long awaited Mighty Khalsa Fun Day and Naujawan Satsang in Melbourne. At Blackburn Gurudwara (Sikh Temple) 127 Whitehorse Road, Blackburn, VIC 3130. Details 0431 086 075.

ABBS Sudharshana Homam/Havan

Sun 1 July (8.30am – 12:30pm)

A Sudharshana Homam performed by Sri Shriraman Mama and Nithyanantham Gurukkal for the welfare and benefit of the community. At Amma Ashram Hall, 842, FrankstonDandenong Road, Carrum Downs, Vic 3201. Details 0403 777 252.

Indian Professional in Victoria (IPV)

A non-for-profit, membership-based and member-owned association that aims to train and support Indian professionals and entrepreneurs through workshops, seminars, webinars and mentoring programs. Membership details www.ipv.org.au

Know India Program (KIP): An opportunity for diaspora youth to visit India, share their views, expectations & experiences and to develop closer bonds with the contemporary India. Submit applications till 15 July for 47th KIP (25 Sep – 19 Oct) and 48th KIP (25 Oct – 18 Nov) to Tamil Nadu and Manipur & Mizoram, respectively. Details www.kip.gov.in

MISC

Indian community mental health support group

Fri 6 July (2.00pm – 4.00pm) For families and health caregivers who are facing mental health issues to share and discuss their concerns and experiences with others in similar situations. At Yarra Plenty Reginal Library (Mill Park Library) 394 Plenty Rd, Mill Park VIC 3082. Details 0402 459 642

Taming a busy mind

Sun 29 July (10.00am – 3.00pm)

An interactive workshop for effective solutions to help tame a busy mind, and help you break free from conditioned thinking. At Hawthorn Community Precinct, 584 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122. Details consciouslivingoz@gmail.com

Fearless life by Sanjay Raval

Sat 14 July (7.00pm onwards) A motivational seminar by Sanjay Raval at Bakers Rd, Oakleigh South VIC 3167. Details 0431 926 500.

Cycling

Calling all cycling enthusiasts. We are forming a group of like-minded people interested in recreational riding around Melbourne.

When: Every Sunday 9:00 am

Where: Scenic bike paths of Melbourne

How Long: About 2 hours, with a coffee break (ride will be tailored to the group’s fitness level)

Who can join: Open to all occasional riders as well as experienced ones (riding at 15 – 20 km/hr)

What do I need to bring: A bike and a helmet Meeting Point: A central starting location will be chosen to suit the members

Details Rajiv Tikkoo 0434 081 465 or email Melbourne.Cyclists@gmail.com

MAINSTREAM

Mahatma Gandhi: An Immigrant

Until 15 July (11.00am – 4.00pm daily) This digital interactive exhibition honours the period of Gandhi’s stay in South Africa and his subsequent personal transformation from this experience. Immigration Museum, 400 Flinders St, Melbourne. Details 03 9927 2700

Anu Patel: Recent Works

Sat 14 July (10.00am – 1.00pm)

The exhibition by Anuradha Patel is focuses on laser-cut metal work, prints and papercuts, and the works are inspired by the traditional technique of paper cutting. At CS Gallery, Caroline Springs, VIC 3023. Details 03 9747 5200.

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

Fear begets fear

Indian society

BY RITAM MITRA

It 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

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

Priyanka Chopra being targeted for an ‘anti-nationalist’ episode of Quantico is a reminder of mob mentality underpinning

FIFA FEVER

This south Kolkata confectioner has made FIFA so much sweeter, what with their delightful football cakes and a World Cup trophy made from... wait for it...kheer! That’s right, no fondant business for this one.

Eleven-year-old Nathania John made the news this year for being the first indian girl to be an official match ball carrier at FIFA. We’re so proud of this Tamil Nadu kid!

No one shows FIFA as much love as Malayalees do. Case in point The Mallu Football Anthem launched by superstar Prithviraj. The idea behind the video was to capture the “mallu passion” for football. Mission accomplished.

This amazing couple - Pannalal Chatterjee and wife Chaitalihas been to nine FIFA tournaments, and are hopefully on their way to the tenth one. They gave up most of their life’s luxuries to create a World Cup Fund.

Another case in point is Clifin Francis, 28, a Kerala man who decided one fine day to cycle all the way to Russia - that’s right - in the hopes of meeting his idol, Messi.

More ties in education

Under the Victoria India Strategy (launched in January 2018) the Victorian government has set its trade and investment targets as per which education remains the primary focus.

Delivering a briefing about the Victorian government’s targets and activities, Michelle Wade, appointed last year as the Victorian Commissioner for South Asia (Trade), said, “Our team in Bangalore is currently performing audits on Victoria’s investments in India. We have concluded that South Asia is a significant source of international students and India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal make up four of Victoria’s top ten source markets. For trade, it’s easy to think about India as a massive emerging middle class.”

Wade was speaking at an Australia India Business Council (AIBC) event, addressing the audience live via video, from her head office at Bangalore.

The inaugural event under the ‘Doing Business with India’ series, it was attended largely by entrepreneurs and AIBC members, organised in collaboration with Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce and the Victorian government.

Ms Wade spoke about the government’s

upcoming initiative of an exchange program for students in Years 8 and 9. “We are identifying a large number of schools from both ends. We are also working on a teacher’s exchange program of a similar nature, the first of its kind.”

The long-term vision behind this step was clear.

“To do business in India we have to understand each other better and we have decided to strengthen the relationship beginning at the school level,” Ms Wade said.

Wade also talked about the government’s plan to increase the number of direct flights between the two countries.

She said, “We’re working with our colleagues from Invest Victoria to increase direct flight links, as we believe the route is extremely under-served. However, this isn’t something that gets resolved quickly – you need to work with airlines several years in advance, but more direct flight routes from locations outside Delhi have the potential to transform our bilateral relationship.”

From Wade’s speech it was evident that, under the current strategy, the Victorian government does not see much potential in Indian’s health sector. She said, “As per our observation, the average money an Indian

PROMISES COME HOME WITH REMIT2INDIA

Indians working overseas sent home

USD 69 billion as remittances in 2017*. Not only does that account for 2.77% of the country’s GDP**, it places India on top of the list of countries receiving remittances from its diaspora across the globe. While this is interesting, what is more interesting is the story behind every remittance. These are stories of Hope, Happiness and Promise.

One such story is that of Sunita, a chartered accountant, who moved from Mumbai to Melbourne to pursue her career dreams. Leaving her parents and her brother behind was a tough decision since her father had retired and Sunita was the only earning member of the family. However, she could not let go of the opportunity to work in Australia. So while leaving for Australia, she made her family a promise: “I might be far away but I will always be there for you.” Sunita makes it a point to save a fixed sum of money post her expenses to send back home. She regularly sends money for household expenses, her

parents’ health insurance and for her brother’s university tuition fees.

Ganpat Rao, a farmer in Bolepali village of Maharashtra, too is a happy recipient of one such promise. He was struggling with meagre yield and even lower purchase price for his crops. Every year the situation only got worse. In spite of the hardships, Ganpat Rao ensured that his son Bhale Rao got a decent education. He didn’t want Bhale to be a farmer and suffer the same fate. Ganpat Rao had to borrow money to fund his son’s education. Bhale, being a witness to his father’s struggle to get him a university degree, put his studies to good use. He landed a job in Sydney as a software developer. When he was leaving for Sydney, he made a promise to his father. “Baba, I will repay your loans and make sure you will never have to borrow money again.” Bhale keeps his promise by sending money to his father regularly through Remit2India to manage the household and farm expenses. Ganpat Rao’s loans were all repaid by his son

spends on health is USD 170 per year. We can’t just take 1.3 billion people and divide by the total health benefits. We have to work into the right area of the market where Australian products might best compete.”

Another speaker at the event, Gary Sussman from the India-Israel Forum presented his own perspective on doing business in India. He observed, “If you have the patience to understand the cultural dimension, you can do a lot in India. I think the biggest mistake foreigners make, is they give up on their companies after three years, but believe me, India is a long journey. In 12 years you will gradually start reaping the benefits if you show consistency. The main thing you need to focus upon is relationships, which becomes your insurance policy while making money in India.”

He added, “As well, most companies think of Tier One cities when it comes to establishing a business. It’s time to change that perception because India has a lot a potential in its Tier Two cities which is yet to be touched.”

AIBC vice president Preeti Daga said, “The event aimed to demystify India and provide insightful information for anybody wanting to engage with it. Both our guest speakers Gary and Michelle highlighted the opportunities, challenges and provided practical advice for businesses.”

Rakesh Malhotra, acting Consul General of India (Melbourne), Cameron Abbott, partner at K&L Gates and Marcus Mandie, CEO Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce, were among the significant people present at the event.

Shakti Singh

and he didn’t have to borrow money ever again. The son lived up to his promise and continues to do so.

Promises like these - big and small - add up to $69+ billion dollars in remittances each year. Millions of NRIs use various remittance services to send money back

home and Remit2India is one such provider. One of the leading providers of remittance services since 17 years, Remit2India has been helping NRIs keep up to their promises with fee-free instant money transfer service from Australia to India.

From left: Gary Sussman, Preeti Daga, Marcus Mandie

Art as identity

BY PREETI JABBAL

If you were around to catch sight of the ‘kitschy Indian tram’ in Melbourne last year, chances are you’ve heard of Bushra Hasan.

The artist, who led a community art workshop as part of the Emerge In The North 2018 art exhibition recently, spoke to Indian Link about her latest project.

The exhibition, held in collaboration with the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV), ran over nine days across Melbourne’s north, from Broadmeadows to Epping, Thomastown to Coburg.

This year it was a series of artistinitiated events in a weeklong festival with exhibitions, art installations, cooking demonstrations, live music, theatre, storytelling, dance and conversations.

Bushra’s art workshop was an allinclusive event that invited participants to portray their journey as an immigrant, using mixed media. The artwork created will be displayed, later, at the Epping Northern Hospital. “It was a remarkable opportunity to discover the incredible and diverse cultures and talent that lives in Melbourne’s north,” said Bushra, adding that her role as the liaison officer for MAV is not just restricted to curating arts or promoting it but to build relationships with the community.

“Supporting emerging artists and celebrating their art and culture can generate a ripple effect; addressing questions of inclusion and identity whilst creating opportunities for social connection.”

And perhaps no one knows that better than Bushra herself, who came to Australia not too long ago, with bright prospects and impressive credentials but little exposure. “It took me nearly three years to get my first major art project as I did not know where to start, had no contacts, little direction and several rejections,” the artist shared. “I had a strong professional background, good language skills and no lack of confidence but it was certainly not a walk in the park.”

It’s unsurprising then that during the course of curating art for the exhibition, Bushra found stories similar to hers, of people who had faced the same challenges she had. “This exhibition has attracted an overwhelming response and I believe it will be a big boost for these artists who have generated work that imaginatively extends the diversity of cultural expressions,” she says, adding that both MAV and Brotherhood of St Laurence “value the arts and cultural activities as vital components of sustainable future for people living and thriving in a multicultural environment”.

Iraqi artist Ahlam Alsharif agrees. The artist, who works with recycled material and fashions them into decorative and ornamental pieces, used Islamic art and pattern work to create displays themed around Ramadan this year. Ahlam says the

exposure helped her gain respect within the community.

Another noteworthy artist, Iran-born Mahla Karimian says the exhibition offers the opportunity for artistic reflection as well as expression in a safe and creative environment. Mahla is a visual artist who works predominantly with Persian miniatures on scratchboard. She’s skilled in printmaking, sculpture, stencil, woodwork and digital media, and holds a degree in photography from Tehran University. “In an Islamic country, being an artist was challenging,” Mahla recounts. “I was forbidden from taking part in anything related to art, and even imprisoned for wanting to be an artist.” (Mahla was arrested when she was in Iran

for taking photos on the street).

It’s these painful experiences that she now pours over her scratchboard. “My life experience has left my soul scarred and scratched, and so in the same way, I scratch the surface of paper to create my artworks,” she says. “It ultimately allows me to create something beautiful out of something painful.”

Indeed, creating art is a cathartic process, and Mahla’s is just one of many lives it has changed for the better, restoring an element of hope and meaning. As it did this year, hopefully festivals like Emerge in the North will continue to provide a powerful advocacy tool to communicate such stories and foster new channels for culturally diverse artistic voices.

Bushra encouraged people to share their ‘immigrant journey’ through art at the Emerge In The North festival

Artist Bushra Hasan surrounded by some of her work

A collage by Serap Istekli

Etching by Mahla Karimiam

My mat is my canvas ...and yoga is my art

Rajendra Yenkannamoole led yoga sessions on International Yoga Day at the Victorian Parliament, at Sri Durga Mandir and at Keysborough

Loving right now

A list of Indian Link’s current favourites

WATCH

Doing the rounds of the international film festival circuit, Nandita Das’ Manto has just screened in Sydney after Cannes. It is based on the maverick writer and creative rebel Saadat Hasan Manto (1912-1955), whose short stories are set in the backdrop of Partition (Toba Tek Singh, Khol Do, Thanda Gosht). Written in the language of the streets, they saw him hauled in to court on numerous occasions, but each time he argued in favour of freedom of speech. That’s what makes him so relevant, some seventy years on. As Das said in Sydney, the film is a call to your inner Manto, the part that wants to be truthful and courageous and stand up to orthodoxies of all kinds.

LISTEN

Canadian podcast Bollywood is For Lovers (BiFL) is well worth a try for your daily filmi fix. A fortnightly podcast presented by Alberta-based film buffs Matt Bowes and Erin Fraser, it is aimed at “introducing people to this vibrant 100 year-old film tradition”. In each episode, the selected films are discussed down to the very last detail – the social milieu in which the stories are based, cinematic issues, subplots, comparisons with other films of the genre, the marketing. Oh, and celebrity gossip as well, revealing how well the presenters know the desi setting. For us, what it boils down to, is looking at ourselves through the eyes of another. And enjoying that firang-accented Hindi!

READ EAT

It’s cheat day and you are salivating at the thought of digging into some mouthwatering Indian mithai but your 6-year-old Aussie puttar wants ‘something normal’ – ie, not Indian. Well, look no further. Sarika Deokar from Sweet Treats Melbourne has the perfect solution for you. Rasmalai cake! The home baker with a Human Resources background and a creative flair finds sweet satisfaction in adding the flavours of India to her yummylicious cakes. It’s a two-day process: making the rasmalai, then the syrup, baking the cake, creating the icing, and finally decorating it with pistachios almonds and rasmalais. A few hours’ work, that will be a moment on your lip and a lifetime on your hip. But hey, it’s cheat day! And your child gets to have his cake and eat it too. Win-win, we say...

You can’t empower women without listening to their stories. NZ-based authors Geoff Blackwell and Ruth Halliday bring us empowering stories from across the globe in their book 200 Women. In answers to five questions, the subjects reveal their motivations and hopes, high points and low points, and pick a word that they most identify with. Read stories related by corporate women, environment activists, entertainers, Hollywood stars, home-makers, artisans and many more. From India, check out actor Vidya Balan, activist Vandana Shiva and youth entrepreneur Divya Kalia among others. Just as catching are the portraits of the 200 women, taken by Kieran E Scott against the same backdrop. Proceeds from sales go towards women’s causes around the world.

Preeti Jabbal, Rajni Anand Luthra

MATRIMONIALS

SEEKING GROOMS

Brother based in Sydney seeks suitable match for 39-year-old Gujarati girl, Mumbai born, never married, 5’4”. Well cultured, medium build, BCom and working for international shipping company in Dubai. Hindu grooms please contact on 0416 475 948 or komaldxb@gmail.com

Seeking match for our daughter, Hindu, Australian citizen, 34, 5’4”, Masters in IT, working in a bank in Sydney, beautiful, fair, never married, vegetarian. Parents visiting Australia. Contact father 0402 265 428 or +91-98980 17279 (after August)

Seeking suitable match for Australian citizen Canberra-based Hindu girl, highly qualified IT professional. Parents highly educated and well settled in Sydney. Please respond to rukrghrmn@gmail.com

SEEKING BRIDES

Seeking a 25-30-year-old Hindu/Punjabi girl settled in Australia for our 31-yearold son who is a surgeon, 5’9’’, born and brought up in Sydney. Please respond to gupta_rsr@hotmail.com

37, 5’11”, North Indian male, never married, Hindu/Hindi, fair, enjoys keeping fit, corporate & legal adviser, Melbourne born/based, seeks female, never married, tall, fair, interested in our Indian culture, traditions and values (inc. Hindi, food, music, film), enjoys keeping fit, enjoys all non-veg food, blend of intellect/cultured/worldly, appreciates the fragility of life and so prioritises the things that really matter. Please email ashok1940@hotmail.com with recent photo to connect.

We offer catering services for all occassions:

• Birthdays, • Weddings,

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We cater from 20 to 2000 guests and we suit your budget, taste and requirements.

JULY 2018 BY MINAL KHONA

Minal Khona has been reading tarot cards for the last two decades. She uses her intuition and connect with the cards mostly to help people.

ARIES

March 21 - April 19

An idea manifests and gives you room for growth. Listen to your heart and not your head this month. You might take a decision you have been putting off for very long, and discordant thoughts in a difficult situation will dissipate. Take a break amidst nature, or pursue a hobby. Get in touch with your intuition to see what is really bothering you. Health issues revolve around the upper back. Success through a change in attitude is foretold.

LEO July 21 - Aug 22

All aces indicate a fresh start. The Ace of Pentacles for Leos indicates prosperity, new investments replacing old in terms of time, money or hobbies. You seek new pastures to challenge you and if you’re self-employed and working from home, you will see a surge in activity. Business will thrive and better health is all around. Money held up will come through; it will be more than you anticipated and a romance you thought was over will get revived.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov 22 - Dec 21

TAROT

TAURUS

April 20 - May 20

There is a pause in the progress of a situation causing dissatisfaction or anxiety. You will want to re-evaluate your goals and aspirations. You will be disappointed in matters of romance and money causes anxious moments. Treat any deep-seated depression and related health issues if you are feeling indifferent towards everything. The universe is sending help in areas you need so have patience. Everything will resolve itself. Someone will help change a negative situation into a positive one.

VIRGO

Aug 23 - Sep 22

It is a difficult time as you feel restricted, oppressed perhaps, with health and work issues. But you will get out of this situation with clarity of thought. A beneficial trip is in the offing and if you are looking to sell property, you will succeed. You might just say no to a job you were not too keen on to start with. You could be accident prone so be careful. Understand that not all stressful situations are your doing.

GEMINI

May 21 - June 20

A change of heart in a romantic situation leads to new things. You might feel that your efforts are wasted in business. Work keeps you busy and leaves you no time to relax. Tension related health issues could crop up. Discussions regarding finances in business will result in you making money after giving concessions. Income equals expenditure this month so err on the side of caution. Stay calm and a new course of action could bring the change you seek.

LIBRA

Sep 23 - Oct 22

You could get influenced by a Leo type of personality – affectionate, generous, gregarious or shy, loyal and fun loving. You seek spiritual pursuits and if single, the prospect of a relationship is high. If already in one and things are bad right now, it could come to an end. Expect good news on the career front. You will seek new age remedies for health. Beware of family spats as the damage could be permanent. Decisions make themselves, so stay calm.

CAPRICORN

Dec 22 - Jan 19

AQUARIUS

Jan 20 - Feb 18

A tough month as things could get really bad before they get better. A stagnant situation or unfinished business – everything must get cleared out for new energies. In a romance, the worst is over so hang in there and things will improve. A makeover is indicated but avoid retail therapy. You could quit or be asked to leave a job. Don’t give up on yourself, a loved one or a stressful situation. Have faith; let go, let God handle it.

You will want to move onto a spiritual path and focus on intuition; men should tune into their feminine side more. Avoid conflicts and stay calm; don’t believe everything you see. Insights into reasons of why a partner or colleague is behaving a certain way will come to the fore if you trust your gut. Stay away from office politics. Women could have health issues related to their menstrual cycle. You will overcome setbacks.

You are in a passive state of mind and you would rather be than do. Emotions and intuition dominate. You are discontented because of what you lack but you don’t have a solution. Longing for love, strained communications with loved ones make you detached and withdrawn. Those trying to get pregnant will be successful. You might travel for work or pleasure. Visualise your outcomes for them to come true. Luck is on your side.

CANCER

June 21 - July 20

Expansion, communication, arts, media and a person with a Gemini type of temperament are influencers this month. Expect an impasse in love but you will get unexpected validation from important or influential people at work. You are mentally preoccupied and emotions take a backseat. A new project gives you satisfaction and health improves on all fronts. Regrets of the past end and you move on. If estranged with a friend or lover, you will reconcile and a reunion is expected.

SCORPIO

Oct 23 - Nov 21

Destiny takes charge and material gains abound, as does spiritual poverty. You need to balance it out as old friends, lovers, habits and issues resurface. These are an indication of what needs to be cleared out and negative situations can be made positive by redirecting your energies. An old health issue crops up, needing medical attention. Your desire for change is so intense, that it will bring about what you seek with its intensity. Avoid bingeing on food or alcohol.

PISCES

Feb 19 - March 20

Reconciliation, reunions, and goal oriented planning occupy most of your time. Settlements of legal and income issues are predicted. You will want a better quality of love life over quantity. Money comes in sooner than expected. One cycle in your life will end and a new one will begin. There could be a divorce in the family. For any issues in business that have been bothering you, the best option is to wait for them to get resolved.

cineTALK

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

can the with. the the towns.

Athe and celebrated country: Year, Ramadan to name However, of peoples reminder been reminds achieved The put current 18C constrains speech. That unlawful public likely… humiliate another of is done race, ethnic person There that is important important the democracy.

Patekar tries to match

(Eswari Rao, behaving

in

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.

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

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

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

(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,

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 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

The BUZZ

CLASS ACT: SRK, TABU & MORE

Being associated with the Oscars is an honour every artist dreams of. We can only imagine how some of our Indian artists must be feeling right after having been invited to part of the Oscar Academy’s Class of 2018.

Actors Shah Rukh Khan, Soumitra Chatterjee, Naseeruddin Shah, Tabu, Madhuri Dixit, Ali Fazal and Anil Kapoor, producers Aditya Chopra and Guneet Monga, as well as music artistes Usha Khanna and Sneha Khanwalkar are among the Indians on the prestigious list.

Fazal was quite clearly thrilled to have been part of the invitee list. The actor, who was last seen in Victoria and Abdul alongside Judi Dench, said, “I am so happy the Academy has diversified extensively over the past few years. And to include me in that prestigious list is in itself an honour for me and my country.”

The invites are sent to artistes and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures across the world. And those who accept will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2018.

NO KIDDING: DANNY DENZONGPA

Danny Denzongpa is back in action and we are loving it. One of Bollywood’s favourite baddies, Danny was recently seen in the critically acclaimed Bioscopewala, a film loosely based on Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s short story Kabuliwala

PRICK: ARE THEY OR AREN’T THEY?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard the latest rumours circling the glam world about Priyanka Chopra allegedly dating Nick Jonas.

It’s actually quite silly to say ‘allegedly’ because the social media world is just teeming with pictures of the two celebs hand-in-hand wherever they go.

The Bollywood diva and American singer have been followed by eager paparazzi since Day 1 and clicked together at the Mumbai airport, on a dinner date in the city – Priyanka has supposedly even had him meet her mother, Madhu. To gain blessings for a big day, perhaps? An entertainment magazine in India recently claimed that the two might get engaged soon.

After all, Priyanka did talk about “having kids in the next 10 years – or maybe even earlier” in an interview.

And not too long ago, Jonas took the Quantico star to a family wedding in Atlantic City. According to reports, Chopra went with Jonas as his date to his cousin, Rachel Tamburelli’s wedding.

Although there was a fair bit of hoo-ha about the 10-year age gap between the two (and let’s face it, it’s quite apparent), who’re we to say it won’t work? Look at Amrita Singh and Saif Ali Khan…oh wait. Never mind. Well, anyway, we hope the Prick (Priyanka-Nick – sorry guys) works out, and what started on the red carpet of the Met Gala 2017 turns into a serious affair, no pun intended.

The actor’s performance, especially alongside the little girl Miraya Suri garnered him a lot of appreciation from everyone. But would he ever act in a film with his own kids? Turns out, no. Denzongpa also added that he would never make a film for his kids either. “I will be depriving them of their own satisfaction... the creative satisfaction that ‘I have done it’. Everybody must have that. Otherwise, all your life, you will feel that ‘my father helped me to be an actor’. Whatever success I have, is my own,” he says.

Do you hear that, star kids?

CHUBBY SPIDER-MAN: RANVEER

No, of course we aren’t talking about the Ranveer now. Duh. Have you seen that 8-pack? But it turns out that Ranveer was quite chubby back in his childhood days. Which in itself isn’t funny – until you get to know that that’s the reason he landed the role of SpiderMan.

“I remember playing Spider-Man in a school play but our play was a satire and it was a spoofy take on Spider-

Man,” says the actor, adding, “I was a bit chubby as a kid which is why they decided to cast me in the version. Because it was apparently funny to see a chubby kid in a tight Spider-Man suit.”

Aw, you poor kid, you must be thinking. But hey, we all know what a good sport Ranveer is, always ready to make himself a butt of jokes. “I was only too happy to go out on the stage and be laughed at. I still have no problem with being laughed at or (no problem) making a fool of myself,” he says.

Typical Ranveer.

TERRIFIC TRIBUTE: NAWAZ

For Nawazuddin Siddiqui to have won Best Supporting Actor at the recent International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards in Bangkok is no big surprise. Who else could they have given it to? But it really warmed our hearts to see that Nawaz dedicated his award to his Mom co-star Sridevi.

Sridevi, who died in a Dubai hotel earlier this year, was posthumously awarded the Best Actor in a Leading Role Female title.

“It was once in a lifetime opportunity to work with the first female superstar Sridevi and I dedicate my award as a tribute to her,” Nawazuddin tweeted.

What a beautiful way to remember one of India’s most loved stars, wouldn’t you say?

OPINION OVERLOAD: SONU NIGAM

Sonu Nigam is never afraid of speaking his mind, that’s for sure. Many a time, he’s been brazenly honest about the industry and how things work in it, and it has earned him brickbats a few times. However, the singer seems to think that it’s others who seem to have too many opinions these days – especially about music – whether or not they know anything about it. Touché!

Nigam says people may know zilch about creating music, but they always have something to say about it, and that was never the case back in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

He said that during those times, actors and other people would be present during the process, but not with the intention of preaching or interfering with music composers or singers.

RANI MUKERJI

“They used to go there to learn something from them, to have a good time and to give some input. Nowadays, however, everyone has an opinion while creating music whether they have the knowledge of it or not. I feel like that’s a major difference between now and then.”

Well, unfortunately for Nigam, the way things run in the industry have changed and sometimes it’s just easier to roll with the punches, eh?

NAWAZ AND THE NETA 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.

SUPERIOR SHETTY: SUNEIL

All parents seem to think that their kids are far better than they ever were at the same age – there are possibly no exceptions to this. Even Suneil Shetty seems to think that son Ahan Shetty, who’s soon going to be on the big screen, will make a much better debut than he did. The actor says he isn’t worried in the least about being compared to his son.

“He (Ahan) is far better than me. So, I am not worried about comparisons. If people accept him, luck is on his side and if he does the right thing, then he will be successful,” Suneil said.

After daughter Athiya Shetty made a rather feeble debut in Bollywood some time ago and, we are quite interested to see how things go for the other star kid.

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

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

SHARAM DINIZ or DEEPIKA PADUKONE in VICTORIA HAYES?

+ Share your views with us on our Facebook page /IndianLinkAustralia

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.

WORTH WAITING FOR? YOU DECIDE

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.

ON TWITTER THIS WEEK

Match the stars to their tweets: Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Nawazuddin Siddique, Parineeti Chopra, Salman Khan.

Every 365 days I am forced to compliment you. It’s too tough aise nahi chalega baba please increase payment.

An actress claimed to not be doing a thriller film with me.

Would like to clarify that in the first place, I was never a part of any thriller film. So basically it’s all baseless.

Glad that u have liked n appreciated everyone’s effort that was put in the movie. God bless sukhi raho n keep watching means a lot.

Uff this Maradona adds so much stress. Love the Nigerian team but have to have Argentina in the play offs. My Phews continue…

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!!

MOVIE TICKETS!

Sonam: Silly girls. After a few drinks they think they can walk on water RAJ SANEJA, NSW Congrats, Raj! You win a movie ticket!

Another good one: Sonam: I know who’s gonna make the biggest splash already LEYLA SINGH

RANVEER SINGH

SUNIEL SHETTY

MADHURI DIXIT

Don’t panic

20-metres depth. Breathing compressed air. And a looming panic attack: what do you do?

I’ve been dabbling in a spot of scuba diving. A surprise to myself as well as those who know me. Being painfully un-athletic and colossally uncoordinated (who put that wall there?!), I never saw myself in a wetsuit, 20-something metres underwater, breathing from a tank and incredibly, not freaking out!

When my now husband (then boyfriend) gifted me with a scuba-diving certification course for my birthday, I tried to appear nonchalant. Inside, I thought ‘Who is this (surely crazy) man who had cleverly ignored my multiple declarations that I was not the ‘athletic type’?’ In fairness, how was he to know that I had given up all romantic dreams of being a marine zoologist, inspired by ‘90s shows Ocean Girl and Seaquest DSV, because I could only swim backstroke? That any attempt to swim any other stroke ended in me giving up, a spluttering mess, because I hated having to breathe out underwater? How

was he to know that any of my athletic pursuits as an adult were negatively shaped by having been the quiet, chubby, bookish Indian kid in Penrith in the ‘90s, always the last in the class to be ‘chosen’ by a team for any sport?

That’s right, he wasn’t to know. He must have sensed something though because he did tell me he would understand if I didn’t want to do it.

Challenge accepted.

Actually, it was my ‘safety-firstcall-us-when-you-get-there’ mum who further encouraged me to do the course. “Conquer your fears!” she exclaimed. “Learn a new skill!”

And so I did, but I won’t pretend that I took to it like a fish to…..errr…you know. I was the worst in the class, so much so that the assistant instructor was assigned to me exclusively. After a two-day intensive course, the instructor told me that he was impressed because although I had buoyancy issues, seemed terrified, and generally just wasn’t

great at scuba (still waiting for the compliment….), I somehow managed to stay calm and not do anything stupid or dangerous. Ok, I’ll take that. Being a serial over-thinker is something I had to push aside. Because really, if I allowed myself the luxury of thinking about it...‘I am underwater, people!! Breathing from a tank!! With compressed air in my lungs!! Air that can diffuse into my bloodstream and form painful bubbles if I come to the surface too quickly! This is not natural! Humans were not supposed to breathe underwater! Also there are big scary animals with sharp teeth that can swim faster than I can! What was I thinking? Why would I jump out of a perfectly good boat or walk off a perfectly solid shore to breathe through a tank underwater?!’

So as you can see, my usual over-thinking habit has no place in a dive.

Instead, I am learning to quiet my mind and enjoy the peace

and beauty of the underwater world. Once I get past the panic, the stillness and slowness and ‘floatiness’ of it all makes it a beautiful, almost a meditative experience. If I’m lucky, I’ll see something beautiful to distract me when my mind wanders to unwanted places.

A gorgeous school of fish, zebra-striped with fluorescent green dorsal fins, engaged in a perfectly coordinated dance - an underwater flash mob. Or a baby shark, hiding under a soft coral, biding its time until it is big enough to survive the big bad ocean. It is wonderful to have something that husband and I can do together on holiday. An

experience we can share and chat excitedly about, or even quibble about afterwards! For me, it is the conquering of a fear. Not the fear of water or underwater creatures, but the fear that I am not ‘athletic enough’ to do anything so incredible.

Also, I must be getting the hang of it. On my last dive, I didn’t panic once, not even when we saw the huge bull-ray. We had a big friendly groper fish follow us like a puppy for most of the dive, and I didn’t crash into the fellow once! I was even told that I no longer look like I’m having a seizure underwater.

Again, I’ll take it.

Deepa Gopinath

ASK AUNTYJI Meow! Weighty issues

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

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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