2018-12 Sydney (1)

PUBLISHER

Pawan

through your banking and other needs.

Shriti

Charuta

Link is a fortnightly newspaper published in English. No material, including advertisements designed by Indian Link, may be reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the editor. Opinions carried in Indian Link are those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by Indian Link. All correspondence should be addressed to:

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

When Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) were introduced just over 50 years ago, it was meant to be a monumental shift in the banking industry. That it was, so much so that now with the evolution of the cashless society, even ATMs are feeling a bit lonely and unloved. The ATM and its offshoots like internet banking were meant to be the end of the line for banking staff. But that has not proved to be the case.

What has emerged is a strong demand and need for relationship bankers, where there is an actual human to connect to at the other end of the banking transaction. One just has to walk through any major shopping mall where the banks (and other industries such as private insurance providers) have welcoming signs, concierges and little booths where you can interact with a person as you go

The very basic need to talk and to connect face-to-face, even in a world being taken over by WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, is as strong as ever. The time spent on face-to-face professional communication however, may be limited, and so for the aspiring communicators who want to be noticed professionally, the challenge is to connect and convey the message in the clearest manner possible.

Understanding and mastering the gift of conveying your thoughts with passion to groups of people, has become a must-learn goal in today’s professional landscape.

A baby step is to be genuinely interested in other people so that you can understand them better. Their background, their passions, their story (everyone has one) are all important facets to learn.

For those of us of Indian origin, there is an inherent head start on this ability to want to know more about others. Be it good or bad, part of the culture is to have a “sticky beak” into other people’s lives. While local Australians may find it

somewhat intrusive, in India it is not uncommon to enquire after financial details about personal transactions (such as how much the plane ticket cost, property purchase price, best SIM card, etc.) While it is important to understand and respect the local culture on a macro level, this ability to learn more about others does come naturally to people from the sub-continent.

Turning that into a skill set to master the art of conversation without offending, can be an important professional and personal goal.

It is also a skill set that Australian politicians can build on. As we head towards the end of 2018, the sound cloud is increasingly about politicians both at State and Federal levels not listening to communities, being interested in their own ends instead.

Town Hall-style meetings where the public can meet and talk to their political representatives open a dialogue at the very grass roots levels. Yes, the debates can turn robust but that can help bring the best out in the conversation rather than simmering discontent through talkback radio and “fake news”.

INDIAN

YOUR SAY

CAPTION CONTEST

What’s the chitchat here between Deepika and Ranveer?

Kumar Tashu wrote: Zor laga ke haiya

Rishi Singh wrote: Too early to wash your hands off me

Ambika Girglani wrote: Ab tera kya hoga

Arix Bishnoi wrote: Itna footage to Virushka ko bhi nahi mila hoga, jitna hame mil raha hai

Vimisha Jani wrote: Ab tumhare sath puri zindgi chakki peesing

Geetika Sethi Arora wrote: Nahi Padma ab mein tumhe is paani mein nahi doobne dunga

Monika Patel Kothari wrote: Cheete ke chaal baaz kee nazar aur Bajirao kee takat pe

sandeh nahin karna

Payal Singde wrote: Yeh bandhan toh pyaar ka bandhan hai

Arix Bishnoi wrote: Deepu Deepu, yes Ranveer, eating laddu, no Ranveer, open your mouth, ha ha ha

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN OR RUBY ROSE IN PRABAL GURUNG?

Kareena 69% Ruby 31%

INDIA-OZ: NEED TO RE-CRAFT AN OLD RELATIONSHIP

The India-Oz relationship has huge potential. But will the two nations - who have missed many opportunities to collaborateever explore that potential, AMIT DASGUPTA asked on the eve of the President of India’s visit to Australia

Krish Na wrote: Excellent perspective. There’s an urgent need for both the countries to find common ground, with China encircling both at an alarming pace. But first, there’s a need to elevate India to peer status in the popular culture. Unfortunately, one still sees a patronising and occasionally dismissive portrayal of India in the Australian media and political space that eventually results in a lack of engagement. The best example of it is how the Abbott government sold the Adani mine locally – as a salvation for the underprivileged Indian masses. Such a tone in commercial affairs creates an impression of patronage and results in resentment. I think the tone of engagement needs to change, while acknowledging the ground realities that India has plenty of catching up to do on its side to be considered a value provider.to play in sharing ideas around culture and ethnicity, and in building respect and understanding.

PRESIDENT KOVIND DINES AT MANJIT’S AT THE WHARF

Manjit.wharf wrote: It was a huge honour having the honourable @presidentofindia dine at Manjit’s this week with his family and the High Commissioner of India for Australia. Special thanks to @ indianlink for this memorable photo.

Rosemary Mula wrote: Well, where else would the Indian President eat? He deserved to be honoured with the best and I’m sure he received it at Manjits @ the Wharf. Well done to you all. What a fantastic migrant story.

AUSSIE DIWALI

SAY IT AGAIN

Ashish Wadhwa wrote: Awesome! Btw even I went in yesterday evening and received the same treatment as Ram Nath Kovind Ji!

DIWALI BLESSINGS

Prof Narayan Prasad wrote: It was a great pleasure reading and digesting the Diwali issue of Indian Link. Pawan Luthra’s pleasant and touching editorial Embraced by the Light was outstanding. Your last para was such a piece of rare blessing. You have given us a lot of food for thought. What I know about Diwali and Lead kindly light are educative. Thinkers and Linkers was a pleasure to read. Congrats also for embarking on your 25th year. Your sweat is bearing fruit. Keep it up.

A giant cow is news in Australia. Thank goodness that it’s not in India, for the loonies there would’ve found cause for another larger than life statue to be built.

Anoop Sadanandan, social scientist, UC Berkeley

THE TEAM

President comes calling

In the first ever visit to Australia by an Indian President, Ram Nath Kovind invites Australia to benefit from India’s growth story

Bharat mata ki jai! The cry went up from the crowds at Parramatta NSW just as the President of India Ram Nath Kovind took to the microphone to begin his address.

“I find much similarity between (the terms) ‘Bharat mata’ and ‘Parramatta’,” the President said, as the crowd erupted again. That clever way with words popped up frequently enough during the President’s visit to Australia to impress the audiences.

The crowd’s more than warm reception of India’s head of state might have given the host nation some idea of the regard with which the mild-mannered and gently spoken man is held in his country.

There were no Modi-like histrionics or flashy kurtas, and while the mannerisms may

have been gentle, the message repeatedly conveyed was strong and clear: let’s take this bilateral relationship to the next level, there’s plenty in it for both of us.

In anticipation, the Australian government finally endorsed the India Economic Strategy report that it commissioned Peter Varghese to write in July 2018, and announced its in-principle support to its 20 priority recommendations.

Besides his official one-on-ones with the Governor General Peter Cosgrove, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten and Defence Minister Marise Payne, the President met with the expat Indian and the business communities in large numbers.

GANDHI STATUE UNVEILING

At Parramatta, hundreds of Indians gathered at Jubilee Park to see him unveil the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the best-known Indian in the world. Standing alongside PM Scott Morrison, the missive here was really twopronged: one, that the Government of India values its diaspora - “a living bridge,” as the President described; and two, that the Government in Australia values its own migrant constituents.

The President said, “This statue - an initiative of the city council - symbolises the bond that ties our nations together. Going forward, I’m optimistic that our two countries, which share so much in common, can achieve so much together.”

Mr. Morrison said about the Mahatma, “His message is not a whisper of the past, but a teaching embedded in the hearts of millions around the world.”

He added, “Numerous Australian PMs from Menzies to Turnbull have laid wreaths in his honour at Rajghat and paid their respects, and now we have the opportunity to do that right here in Parramatta.”

The President gifted a book titled Hind Swaraj to the Prime Minister and the Lord Mayor of Parramatta Andrew Wilson, a book written by Gandhi in 1909.

HIGH COMMISSION OF INDIA RECEPTION

In stark contrast to the Parramatta event, the reception hosted by the High Commission of

India was much more subdued, and steeped in formality. Some 300 invited guests from across the country gathered to welcome the President to Australia. As he wished his compatriots belatedly for Diwali, and for Milad Un Nabi and Gurupurab, he expressed satisfaction at the manner in which they have adapted to their karmabhoomi, and invited increased engagement with their land of birth.

In an unusual ritual, members of the audience were invited in small batches up on stage to be photographed with the President. (Perhaps this was sparked after the swarm of selfie-hunters impeded proceedings somewhat at the 2014 visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.)

AFR AND AIBC

At two business events - the Australian Financial Review India Business Summit and the Australia India Business Council’s annual India Address - the President invited Australia to benefit from India’s growth story.

“In recent years, India has renewed its commitment to a liberal, transparent and globalised economy,” he pointed out.

He added that India has reached the top league in terms of openness to foreign investors, and listed a variety of sectors that have thrown open their doors to global players, including aviation, mining and defence production.

India is in the midst of an “infrastructure push of unusual urgency”, he detailed, as it

constructs highways, rolls out broadband, creates new railway and freight corridors, upgrades ports and high-speed train networks, expands air connectivity and industrial corridors.

He also pointed out that India’s growth is different from that of many others. “We are the first major country that is seeking to make that leap into industrialisation while also combating climate change, and while reducing the intensity of dependence on fossil fuels,” he said. “India has set a target of 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2022, of which 100 gigawatts will comprise solar energy, and is on course to exceed the target.”

While India’s digital economy, its e-commerce companies, its technology start-

ups and its fin-tech innovators are attracting foreign direct investment, he said Australia seems missing in the India investment story.

“This is a gap we need to address. Australia and India have too much at stake in each other to not up their game,” he said.

Kovind said the Australian super-funds or pension funds will find Indian infrastructure space worthy.

“Let us put our heads together and create investment products that work for Australian super-funds and Indian infrastructure, and for Australian pensioners and Indian consumers, and lead to a win-win situation,” he said.

India-Australia trade, valued at $21 billion in 2018, has grown but remains below potential, he said, adding that India

“Australia and India have too much at stake in each other to not up their game”

“Batsmen who do well on India’s pitches … show patience, they study the conditions. They form good partnerships, and they do not get taken in by the spin”

“India has set a target of 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2022, of which 100 gigawatts will comprise solar energy, and is on course to exceed the target”

“Let us put our heads together and create investment products that work for Australian super-funds and Indian infrastructure, and for Australian pensioners and Indian consumers, and lead to a win-win situation”

“There is a world of opportunities waiting for you in India. I hope to see more mates and mateship between the business communities of Australia and India”

is positively engaging in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and will contribute to its conclusion by 2019.

Kovind also said the two countries shared the vision for peace and prosperity of a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific Region.

“There is a world of opportunities waiting for you in India,” the President concluded. “I hope to see more mates and mateship between the business communities of Australia and India.”

DINNER AT MANJIT’S

The President Mr Kovind, First Lady Savita Kovind and their daughter spent a relaxed evening at Sydney’s leading Indian restaurant Manjit’s at the Wharf. (Indian Link understands this was a request from the President himself).

The high-profile visitor and his entourage were treated to a specially designed menu by Manjit’s staff, including tandoori fish malai, tandoori aloo, dal bhat tikka, Balmain bug curry, kaju ki sabzi, goat curry and vegetable biryani.

Part of the restaurant was closed off to regular diners.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

At the University of Melbourne, the President delivered a lecture titled ‘Australia and India as knowledge partners’.

The special public lecture event was organised by the university’s Australia India Institute led by CEO and Director Professor Craig Jeffrey.

The President opened his address by

congratulating the university for living up to its founding motto Postera Crescam Laude which means, ‘We shall grow in the esteem of future generations’.

“Our ever-growing knowledge partnership has happened principally through two streams: education cooperation and scientific collaboration,” said the President.

Whilst this has worked well, he said, the ambit can be expanded with more knowledge areas to work on.

“Australia ranks the second most preferred destination for Higher Education for Indian students,” he said. “Today, there are close to 85,000 Indian students in various parts of Australia. Over 1500 Australians have studied and completed internships in India in last few years.”

The President was happy that the two governments have rightly identified education as a priority area for bilateral cooperation and it has been chosen as the flagship sector for Australia in the India Economic Strategy.

Speaking of the knowledge engagement through scientific collaboration and research, he noted that Australia is among the top five research partner countries for India. During his visit both countries announced a renewed commitment of $10 million dollars each towards the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund.

“As mega-bio-diverse countries, both India and Australia can enrich the world with biogenomic wealth and improve agriculture and human health. Our scientists and experts can together develop climate change adaption

strategies and innovative ways to manage the environment,” said the President. He noted that as an oceanic culture, Australia is known for its understanding and expertise in marine ecology and blue economy. Australia and India are thus collaborating under the Indian Ocean Rim Association framework.

On the other hand India’s strength lies in space technology, cyber security, traditional medicine and basic research and India can provide new synergy to scientists and researchers in Australia.

The President also touched upon the promising area of partnership between the two in the field of sports beyond cricket. “Your sporting expertise can help us develop sports medicine, sports management and a sporting way of life. On our side, we

are ever ready to share with you how to bring the balance of Yoga to the pace of Australian Rules Football.”

As part of his engagements in Melbourne the President visited Government House where the Governor of Victoria, Ms Linda Dessau, held a luncheon banquet in his honour.

Leader of the Opposition in Australia Mr Bill Shorten also briefly called on the Indian President. They discussed the strength of the bilateral relationship and a shared desire to enhance it further across multiple sectors including economic, trade, skills development, education and cultural links.

The President’s much-anticipated visit to the MCG to witness the India-Australia T20 match live was unfortunately cancelled due to inclement weather.

BACK TO CRICKET AND CURRY

Cricket analogies abounded across President Kovind’s speeches. He urged Australian businesses to take heed from batsmen who do well on India’s pitches. “They show patience, they study the conditions. They form good partnerships, and they do not get taken in by the spin,” he observed as attendees at the AFR summit burst into laughter.

If it was cricket for Kovind, it was food for Sco-Mo: the garam masala analogy was recounted yet again, and may well be a good analogy to describe multiculturalism, but might just be a bit too hot to handle for the tastebuds of many in the mainstream.

More interesting was the PM’s reprisal of a predecessor from years ago, Alfred Deakin,

who “to use his phrase, ‘spread his sails to catch India’s breeze’ … (and) fell in love with and wrote two books about India before he became prime minister; the complexities, contradictions, colours, faiths, architecture and vibrancy of India captivated him. He returned to Australia as an evangelist for the opportunities for India.”

Deakin had predicted way back in 1893, that education could be an avenue to bring India and Australia closer

125 years after the potential was realised, will Kovind’s visit to Australia - and Peter Cosgrove’s upcoming return visit to India - see Australia finally spread its sails widely enough to catch India’s breeze?

Pawan Luthra, Neha Malude, Rajni Anand Luthra and Simmi Singh

What Sydney can learn from Delhi

BY MANAN LUTHRA

Looking back at life in Delhi from where she moved only four years ago, Kavya Nagpal remembers two things. One, the very strong sense of community in her neighbourhood, and two, the traffic chaos that ensued almost every day.

In a university contest recently, she used both these facets of Delhi life to create her vision for Sydney’s future as a global city, and walked away with the top prize.

A first-year Economics/Law student, Kavya Nagpal of the University of Sydney has won the Lendlease Bradfield Urbanisation Scholarship, earning up to $50,000 for her work in urban planning.

The Scholarship, open to Sydney University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, School of Architecture, Design and Planning, and Business School, requires first- and secondyear students at the institution to write an essay on ‘What does success to Sydney’s future as a global city look like to you?

What is the greatest obstacle to achieving that success and how would you overcome it?’

Kavya’s two-fold response involved

Urban Design and Urban Planning: the development of high-rise building models enveloped by curved balcony edges and hosting communal green spaces, as well as the development of a mini-city or a ‘micropolis’, which has all amenities and services to be located within a walkable distance.

Kavya Nagpal wins award for her vision of Sydney’s future as a global city

Inspired by American architect Jeanne Gang, who is known for designs that nurture relationships between individuals, communities and environments, Kavya proposed a plan for a Sydney “that is actively involved in ‘relationship building’, a city that has inclusive living spaces that foster meaningful social relationships.”

Speaking to Indian Link, she described, “My urban design measures are aimed at improving community health and combating the problem of loneliness. I developed a high-rise building model based on Jeanne Gang’s Aqua Tower that is enveloped by curved balconies and ‘balcyards’ or balconies that cover grassed areas. Such features allow for a more favourable environment for socialising and fosters a sense of neighbourhood - something that is pretty hard to achieve in vertical development.”

Also integral to Kavya’s model is urban planning, ie, the construction of ‘micropolises’ across Central and Western Sydney – multi-use areas that consist of residential high-rises, vertical farms, community centres and commercial and public-services buildings within a 2-3km radius. A key feature of the ‘micropolis’

is low speed internal roads, of around 15 km/h, to encourage walking and cycling and encourage greater outdoor activity, while mainstream traffic is diverted to external arterial roads. “Not only will this reduce congestion, it will also generate greater small business activity (because when people walk, they tend to interact with local business to a greater extent), and facilitate community engagement through social activities such as parades and festivals. More walkable streets also open up higher density areas to a wider demographic of users such as families with young children and elderly Australians who would otherwise prefer quieter suburbs because the streets there are safer to walk on.”

She pointed out, “Implementing urban planning measures to improve walkability have delivered these outcomes in other cities around the world. For instance the ‘superblock’ concept in Barcelona has allowed for the development of wider sidewalks and more street furniture as well as reducing traffic congestion.”

Kavya was awarded the scholarship at the university’s Bradfield Oration attended by the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian,

and more than 200 leaders of business, government and infrastructure.

In awarding the scholarship, Lendlease Chief Executive Officer of Property Australia Kylie Rampa said, “Kavya has developed an approach requiring us to rethink our relationship to the built environment – where buildings not only provide shelter but one where their role in creating broader social and cultural ecosystems is also considered.”

What does Kavya think about the popular notion that cutting immigration will reduce congestion?

“I heard the Prime Minister speak at the Bradfield Oration about his concerns for growing immigration causing congestion. Now, to be fair, I haven’t looked into the nitty-gritty of it all but I believe that Sydney’s congestion can be managed through the implementation of planning measures regardless of our immigration numbers. Reducing traffic congestion is as much about current population policy as it is about using planning measures to future-proof our cities. The approach in Barcelona is an example of such a planning measure - making sure that streets are walkable automatically reduces car use. Maybe it’s time we realised that it’s not so much about making more roads as it is about reducing the number of cars on our roads.”

“Kavya has developed an approach requiring us to rethink our relationship to the built environment – where buildings not only provide shelter but one where their role in creating broader social and cultural ecosystems is also considered”

Lendlease CEO Kylie Rampa

Clockwise from left: Kavya delivering her acceptance speech, with the other finalists, and with her family

The stuff of dreams

When high school kids get to bowl to Virat Kohli in the nets

Ahead of an all-important Test series, it would be a routine task for the Indian team’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar to organise net bowlers to facilitate a good training session.

This time round, he got together with an old mate Sanjiv Dubey, a Sydney-based sports coach and sports writer, to give a local group of upcoming cricketers the experience of their lives.

In a unique opportunity, four young lads from Western Sydney got to take a day off school to see what it’s like to bowl to the stars of India’s cricket team, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara.

“I was really excited,” spinner Venkat Viswanathan recounts. “Initially I felt under pressure, but as I bowled I began to feel more comfortable.”

It is an experience that he and his mates Avi Bansal, Sandeep Deepak and Ishan Iyer will never forget.

Sanjiv Dubey, a Level 3 coach, is the founder of the Western Sydney based cricket academy Sports Foundation

Australia, and as coach of the Blacktown Grade Cricket Club, he has been mentoring the boys for a very long time.

“These boys are not just weekend warriors – they are keen and budding cricketers who have been part of Cricket NSW’s pathway program, playing representative cricket before emerging into senior cricket,” the proud coach, who has himself been invited to net sessions with visiting Indian cricket teams for many years now, tells Indian Link

His wards have now started to make their mark in the NSW Premier Cricket league.

“Venkat finished as the second highest wicket-taker in last year’s NSW Under 16 Green Shield tournament,” Sanjiv reveals.

“And he hasn’t stopped there – in the NSW state Under 21 PGs competition playing for Blacktown Grade Cricket Club, he has been in the thick of wickets, claiming the scalps of some big names like Liam Scott and Lachlan Hearne (who are representing NSW in the Under 19s). Venkat is still under 17.”

Dubey was able to organise for Indian chinaman Kuldeep Yadav to share some

quick words of wisdom with Venkat, advice that will stand the youngster in good stead as his own career blossoms.

No doubt Virat Kohli is currently in great form for his country, but so is fast bowler Avi for his Blacktown Club, as are Sandeep for Mosman and Ishan for Western Suburbs. “It was like David and Goliath, watching them against the greats at the SCG nets,” Dubey laughs.

The Goliaths of the Indian team have been known to mentor many young Davids. In fact, Sanjiv reveals, as the videos of Venkat bowling to Virat Kohli got shared around in India, he was mistaken for another Indian youngster who is often seen bowling at the Indian team’s net sessions, and is deemed to be another spin wiz.

“Was the wicket spinning?” Sanjiv asked Venkat later.

“Not that much - only the occasional ball,” the 16-year-old replied like a pro. “A few of my leg spinners and wrong’uns spun, but not too much.”

Sanjiv is very proud of the manner in which his boys rose to the occasion. “On the day these young boys fully understood their job and role and presented

themselves with great professionalism, while respecting the expectation without getting in the personal spaces of the senior players,” he describes. “Once the net session was over, they also had the opportunity to interact and take photos with their heroes.”

Equal respect and admiration was witnessed from the entire Indian team as well. Coaches Bharat Arun, Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Bangar ensured that the boys didn’t end up over-bowling in excitement, having the boys bowl short spells. The team’s bowlers Bumrah, Ishant, Bhuvi, Umesh and Shami also bowled short spells.

“It was a unique experience to be able to interact with the Indian team,” paceman Avi Bansal recounts. “To be alongside players of such high calibre and to train with them is the stuff of dreams.”

Dubey agrees. “It will be an understatement to say that these boys have scored a lifelong memory. This should inspire and motivate many other young cricketers to keep playing and one day maybe bowl to their star players.”

Munish David

Venkat with Ashwin

Venkat with Yadav

A renewed demand for justice

Indian missions in 16 countries hold memorials on the tenth anniversary of Mumbai 26/11

It was one of the darkest days in the history of modern India.

In a horrific terrorist attack in Mumbai between 26 and 29 Nov 2008, 166 people were killed and 293 injured by ten members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamic terrorist organisation based in Pakistan. Seven men masterminded the attack from Pakistan, in the full glare of national media, according to detailed investigations which took place after the attack.

In spite of detailed reports given to the Pakistani government, none of the Pakistani men have been brought to justice.

Reports allege that the mastermind of the attack LeT operations commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi has almost secured

his acquittal and his six accomplices are expecting their exoneration anytime in the near future.

On the tenth anniversary of this brutal attack, the message from the Indian government about Pakistan’s behaviour is very clear.

Speaking at a special event at Sydney’s Indian Consulate, Consul General Vanlalvawna said, “Pakistan is showing little sincerity in bringing perpetrators to justice. The planners of 26/11 still roam the streets of Pakistan with impunity. The 26/11 terrorist attack was planned, executed and launched from Pakistan territory. We once again call on the Government of Pakistan to give up double standards and to expeditiously

bring the perpetrators of the horrific attack to justice.”

Similar memorials were held at the Indian consulates across the countries of the 16 foreign nationals, including Australia, Japan, United States, United Kingdom, Singapore etc. The message at all these centres was clear – an urgent demand to Pakistan to do their bit in stopping terrorism by bringing these Pakistani nationals to justice.

Even the United States President Donald Trump has expressed strong support for India in its fight against terrorism, tweeting, “On the ten-year anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack, the U.S. stands with the people of India in their quest for justice. The attack killed 166 innocents, including six

Americans. We will never let terrorists win, or even come close to winning!”

The US has already announced a new reward of $5 million for helping secure the arrest of those who masterminded the 26/11 attacks.

“It is an affront to the families of the victims that, after ten years, those who planned the Mumbai attack have still not been convicted for their involvement,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. A sombre group of some 50 people at the Sydney event held a minute’s silence to remember and pay respects to the innocent victims of this terrorist act.

Similar events were held in the Indian consulates in Melbourne and Perth.

Pawan Luthra

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WHAT’S ON

CRICKET

Indigo Crew at SCG Bay of Tendulkar

Sat 12 Jan (1.00pm – 10.00pm)

Claim your FREE Tendulkar wig and cut-out by joining us at the SCG’s Bay of Tendulkar this summer.

To unlock the secret password to access the Bay of Tendulkar tickets from Ticketek, just email us at myindigocrew@gmail.com or send us a Facebook message with your email address. At Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Driver Ave, Moore Park, Paddington. For details email myindigocrew@gmail.com.

COMMUNITY

Desi Aussie picnic

Sat 15 Dec (11.00am onwards)

Desi Aussie Socializer is bringing DAS to the Little India precincts in Parramatta. This one is going to be a day picnic with families. At James Ruse Water Park, Cnr Harris & Parkes Streets, Parramatta.

Kite flying

Sun 13 Jan (9.00am – 7.00pm)

Celebrate the biggest kite flying festival of 2019 with unlimited entertainment, food and fun. At Castle Hill Show, Castle Hill Showground, Castle Hill. Details 0430 044 255.

Kite flying

Sun 13 Jan (9.00am – 6.00pm)

Head to the kite flying festival at Holroyd Gardens to fly kites, enjoy traditional Indian street food and drinks. Plus a live DJ and other fun activities like henna stall, face painting and a jumping castle. At Pitt St & Walpole St, Merrylands. Details 0413 712 453.

Tech Savvy Seniors 2019

The Tech Savvy Seniors program provides free or low cost training through a network of community colleges and libraries across NSW to use technology such as computers, tablets and smart phones. Courses are now available in Bengali as well. For details www.telstra.com.au/techsavvy-seniors.

Bangla Utshob

Sat 19 Jan (12.30pm)

Music, entertainment and lots more at 2019 Bangla Utshob. At Belmore Sports Ground 3 Edison Lane, Belmore NSW, Newcastle.

Details 0416 784 471.

ENTERTAINMENT

Bollywood Nights

Fri 7 Dec (9.00pm)

Feel The Punjab Vol 1 In Sydney. At IVY Level 2, Den, Lounge & Terrace, 330 George St, Sydney.

Details 0412 739 020.

Parmish Verma Live

Fri 28 Dec (10.00pm – 3.30am)

Watch Parmish Verma perform live at Home Bar Darling Harbour Sydney.

Details 0402 931 000.

NYE Ball

Mon 31 Dec (8.00pm – 1.00am)

Celebrate New Year with family and loved ones at the NYE Royal Ball Welcome 2019 with a ‘masquerade’ theme. At Parra Villa Function Lounge 42 Campbell Street Parramatta.

Details 0421 259 078.

New Year

Mon 31 Dec (7.00pm – 1.00am)

Enjoy New Year’s with your family and loved ones at 2019 New Year’s Eve. At Dezire Function Centre, Blacktown.

Details 0430 042 041.

NYE Gala diner

Mon 31 Dec (8.30pm - 11.30pm)

New Year’s Eve 2018 Gala Dinner with 4-course dinner, champagne on arrival and lots of prizes. At The Colonial British Indian Restaurants, 118 Crown Street, Darlinghurst.

Details 02 8084 6700.

NYE Bollywood Masquerade

Mon 31 Dec (9.00pm onwards)

Adorn your masks, dress in your finest and prepare for a night of nonstop fun. At IVY Level 2, Den, Lounge & Terrace, 330 George St, Sydney.

Details 0412 739 020.

Sridevi tribute

Sun 24 Feb (2.00pm – 6.00pm)

Adrian’s Orchestra Presents Remembering Roop Ki Rani, a tribute to Sridevi. Live concert with one show only. At Bowman Hall, 35 Campbell Street, Blacktown.

Details 0432 108 287.

SPIRITUAL

Foundation Truth Retreat

Sun 9 Dec (10.00am – 6.00pm)

A one day retreat to understand the power of acceptance and learn to make better choices in life. At 71, Stromeferry Crescent, St Andrews, NSW. Details 0423 644 082.

Sant Nirankari Mission Sydney

Weekly congregations held every Sunday 5:30pm to 7:30pm followed by community meals. Venue: Sant Nirankari Bhawan, 166 Glendenning Road, Glendenning. Details Devinder 0403 216 084.

Free Yoga with Divine Life Society (Tuesdays 7.00pm)

Swami Uditramanandaji of The Divine Life Society of Australia offers free Yoga classes every Tuesday from 7.00pm-8.15pm at Strathfield Girls High School. All levels of fitness welcomed. Entrance via Oxford Rd.

Details Karo 0413 535 157.

Lunch-time meditation session

Thu 13 Dec (12.15pm – 1.00pm)

Sit back, relax and be guided through a mind-body relaxation. At Indian Cultural Center, level 2,

265 Castlereagh Street. Details 02 9223 2702.

MISCELLANEOUS

Indian Traditional Medicine Systems

Thu 13 Dec (6.30pm – 8.00pm) An event that will outline opportunities for Australia-India collaboration related to India’s rich medical traditions, including Ayurveda and yoga. At UTS Peter Johnson Building, Harris Street, Room 22, Level 3, Building 6, Broadway. Details 02 9514 1652.

Photography workshop

Sun 23 Dec (6.00am onwards) This class by Smita Nashikkar is perfect for someone who wants to broaden their understanding in the basics of outdoors natural light portrait photography. At Nurragingy Reserve, Knox Rd, Doonside. Details 0433 565 633.

Film screening

Tue 8 Jan (2.00pm – 4.00pm) Enjoy a free screening of a themed movie at Leichhardt Library. This month’s screening is Victoria & Abdul, Stephen Frears’ film about Queen Victoria’s unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk. At Leichhardt Library, 23 Norton Street, Leichhardt. Details 02 9392 5966.

Go veg cooking class

Wed 9 Jan (5.30pm – 8.30pm) After this class, you won’t find any excuse to not eat and enjoy vegetarian fare. Sue Kumar presents a class to learn India’s traditional vegetarian curries. At The Essential Ingredient Newcastle, Junction Fair Shopping Centre, 200 Union Street Newcastle. Details 02 49 261991.

Indian Jungle Dance Safari

Mon 14 Jan (10:30am) Through story-telling, fun facts and firsthand experience, Shyamla Eswaran teaches students how to move and act like Indian animals in the wild. The workshop encourages selfexpression and teaches children the importance of maintaining the natural habitats of these wild creatures. At Concord Library, City of Canada Bay Libraries, 60 Flavelle St, Concord. Details 02 9911 348.

Indian Bridal Expo

Sun 3 Feb (10.00am – 2.00pm)

The Indian Bridal Expo is an event to assist couples with all their wedding needs. It will have a number of stalls ranging from outfits and jewellery to caterers and videography. At Liverpool Catholic Club, 458 Hoxton Park Road, Prestons. Details 0431 005 869.

FUNDRAISER

Hakimi Trust Christmas drive appeal

The Dawoodi Bohra Muslim Community in Sydney as part of their

registered charity trust called Hakimi Trust are doing a major Christmas Appeal drive in collaboration with The Salvation Army in Dural to assist and support families in tough times by collecting toys, clothes, electronics, gift cards, non perishable food items and cash. Drop off your donations at these venues:

Hills District: 41 Ashmead Avenue, Castle Hill. Any day after 6pm. Details 0414 282 703.

Newington: 32 Watt Ave, Newington. Any day after 6pm. Details 0409 408 897. Auburn: 6 Castle Street (off Raglan Rd), Auburn. 10th, 11th and 12th Dec. Between 5.00pm and 7.00pm. Details 0434 679 072.

STAGE

Qissebaazi

Sat 8 Dec (7.00pm – 9.00pm)

Nautanki Theatre Company presents Qissebaazi, or the playful telling of stories. Nautanki Theatre Company and Macquarie University will also run a workshop and film screening followed by a Q & A session with Danish Hussain on Friday 7 December 2018. At T1 Theatre, Building Y3A, Macquarie University, 10 Hadenfeld Ave, Macquarie Park. Details 0432 832 311.

Guards At The Taj Sun 9 Dec (5.30pm onwards)

Guards at the Taj, a dark comedy in English written by Pulitzer nominee Rajiv Joseph and directed by Jyotsna Sharma. At Monkey Baa Theatre Company, Terrace 3, 1-25 Harbour St, Sydney. Details 0401 230 046.

YOGA

Free Yoga with Divine Life Society (Tuesdays 7pm) Swami Uditramanandaji of The Divine Life Society of Australia offers free Yoga classes every Tuesday from 7.00pm8.15pm at Strathfield Girls High School. All levels of fitness welcomed. Entrance via Oxford Rd. Details Karo 0413 535 157.

Yoga: The way of life (Saturdays 8am; Wednesdays 7pm) A retreat for body, mind and soul, join weekly yoga sessions at Glenwood Public School (Saturdays) or Moorebank Community Centre (Wednesdays). Details Meera 0433 125 708.

Spirit of India Yoga (Saturdays and Sundays) Yoga classes are held in Ryde, Wentworthville, Quakers Hill and Epping. All levels incl. beginners, senior citizens, children. To enrol in this 15 week course email spiritofindia2002@yahoo.com, visit www.spiritofindia.org.au or contact Suresh 0412 202 182

To add your event email media@indianlink.com.au

WhatsApp says ‘Spread joy, not rumours’

Facing flak for the misuse of its platform, WhatsApp has launched its first-ever TV campaign in India as part of its efforts to address the challenge of misinformation and pernicious rumours.

The popular messaging platform earlier launched two phases of a radio campaign to create awareness among users. For the TV campaign, WhatsApp said it worked closely with filmmaker Shirsha Guha Thakurta to develop three 60-second films that each convey real scenarios about dangerous rumours that can spread among users.

Timed to start just prior to the Assembly elections in Rajasthan and Telangana, the films will be available on TV, Facebook and YouTube in nine languages, the Facebookowned platform said, adding that it would build on this effort to prepare for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

“We’re humbled by the impact that WhatsApp had on people’s ability to freely connect with their loved ones. We recognise at the same time connecting people can also lead to the spread of misinformation, which has to be confronted,” said Bosco Zubiaga, who led production of these films for WhatsApp.

The rumours spread on the popular messaging platform which has over 200 million users in India have been linked to several lynching incidents in the country, forcing the government to send a stern message to the company.

Over the last several months, WhatsApp has made a series of changes including labelling forwarded messages to inform users when they have received something not from their immediate contact and set a limit on how forwarded messages can be sent.

In addition, it bans accounts that engage in unwanted automated activity. “We hope this campaign will help educate people how to stay safe on WhatsApp,” Zubiaga said.

Each film’s protagonist teaches someone important in their lives to not spread rumours and to use WhatsApp controls such as the ability to leave groups where rumours are spread and block unknown senders.

Chatbot Shakti to help fight workplace harassment

In the wake of the recent #MeToo India movement, Silicon Valley-based bot and

messaging platform Gupshup has launched a chatbot called Shakti to help women in India find a voice against sexual harassment. Chatbot Shakti will help guide women on necessary measures that could be taken during an unfortunate event of harassment along with the details of relevant authorities they can reach out to.

It can be used by people to understand what constitutes sexual harassment, details that a survivor should keep ready to report an unfortunate incident, who in the organisation should the incident be reported to and the contact details of the concerned authorities to whom a formal complaint can be made.

“It is encouraging to see courageous women from a cross section of industries raise their voice against workplace harassment. We feel technology can play a role in offering information that many survivors seek, when something like this happens,” Anindita Guha, Head of Product and Product Marketing, Gupshup said.

The bot is available 24x7 and can be accessed by logging into one’s Facebook account and sending a message to the page ‘MeToo India’.

The #MeToo movement, which began in the US over a year ago in response to accusations of sexual harassment and abuse by powerful men in the entertainment industry, gained traction in India late September after actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of inappropriate behaviour on the sets of a film they were shooting in 2008.

Since then, the hashtag has become a rallying cry against sexual harassment, with multiple women coming out with their #MeToo stories on various social media platforms.

India’s Train 18 on track to improve travel

Train 18, developed indigenously by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), offers not only a fast and comfortable mode of transport but also safety, thanks to coaches that are fitted with fire-resistance fibre composites.

“The interiors of the coach have been made up of composite materials, which are fire resistant,” ICF General Manager Sudhanshu Mani said.

The interiors are manufactured in the country and the ICF gave sourced the fibre-

reinforced plastics (FRP) from manufacturers in Chennai. “After the manufacturers delivered the FRP materials, it was fitted into the Train 18 at the ICF plant in Chennai,” he said.

The ICF GM said that all the panels inside the Train 18 coaches are built with composite material. A senior railway ministry official said that the FRP has been used in the Train 18 sets to make it more power efficient and light weight which enable the train to move faster as compared to other train sets currently in service in India.

Train 18 is currently undergoing trials under the supervision of Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), Lucknow. It has successfully completed the trial up to a speed of 180 kmph. Train 18, which is self-propelled on electric traction like metro trains, will start replacing the existing train fleet of the Shatabdi Express next year.

The new train boasts inter-connected fully-sealed gangways, automatic doors with retractable footsteps, on-board Wi-Fi and infotainment, GPS-based passenger information system, modular toilets with biovacuum systems, rotational seats which can be aligned in the direction of travel (available only in the executive class), roller blinds and diffused LED lighting, and disabled-friendly toilets.

Pavwan Droliaa, Managing Director of Asterix Reinforced Limited which manufactures composite materials, said that in case of fire these composite components do not generate poisonous gases, collapse, or spread molten material or droplets, thus keeping escape ways open for passengers to get out.

Indian app becomes iPad App of Year

Froggipedia app from Ahmedabad-based e-learning company Designmate has become the iPad App of the Year, Apple has announced.

Froggipedia is an interactive learning Apple Augmented Reality (AR) app that helps explore and discover the unique life cycle and intricate anatomical details of a frog.

“This year, Battle Royale-style games like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile dominated global gaming culture with exciting, last-playerstanding action.

“Innovative apps like Fabulous, Shine,

Supporters and surviving victims of the 1984 Union Carbide Bhopal gas leak carry out a protest on the 34th anniversary of the tragedy in Bhopal, India, 03 December 2018.

The gas leak on 2-3 December 1984 killed at least 15 thousand people in what is considered the world’s worst industrial accident. Photo: AP

10% Happier and Headspace expanded the practice of wellness around the world to make self-care more accessible than ever before,” Apple said.

Oxford Dictionaries scouts for Hindi word of the year

After choosing Aadhaar as its first Hindi word of the year, the Oxford University Press has begun its hunt for another such word from one of the most spoken languages on the Earth that occupied the minds of the people for much part of the year and reflected “ethos” and “mood” of the nation. “Following the success of our inaugural Hindi Word of the Year in 2017, Oxford Dictionaries is now calling on Hindi speakers across the country to help choose a Hindi Word of the Year for 2018.

“The Hindi Word of the Year will be a word or expression that has attracted a great deal of interest over the last 12 months. The chosen word should reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the year. It should not necessarily be a new word, but should be one that is strongly linked somehow to 2018,” the publisher said in a statement.

The press has invited submissions from the general public which can submit a word at hi.oxforddictionaries.com/hindi-word-of-theyear till December 9.

“Last year, we launched the Oxford Hindi Word of the Year and received an excellent response, both in terms of numbers and the vast variety of words that were submitted as entries. We are delighted to invite suggestions for the Hindi Word of the Year 2018 - words that have resonated with Hindi speakers over the course of last 12 months,” Sivaramakrishnan Venkateswaran, Managing Director, Oxford University Press India, said in the statement.

The 2018 Hindi Word of the Year will be announced in January 2019 at the Jaipur Literary Festival.

Delhi: No more heavy school bags for kids

The weight of a school bag in Delhi is officially fixed, according to a recent Delhi government circular. It says school bags for students in Class I and II should not be above 1.5 kg; for Classes III to V (two-three kg), classes VI-VII (four kg), Classes VIII-IX (4.5 kg), and Class X (five kg).

The circular also asks schools not to assign any home work to Class I and II children. It asked schools to inform the students in advance about the books and notebooks to be brought to the school on a particular day.

The decision of the Delhi Directorate of Education follows Centre’s order and guidelines for capping the weight of school bags for Classes I-X.

“Heavy school bags are a serious threat

to the health and wellbeing of the school students. It has a severe adverse physical effect on the growing children which can cause damage to their vertebral column and knees,” said the circular.

The load of the school bag, according to the circular, is increased by bringing textbooks, guides, homework/classwork notebooks, rough work notebooks, water bottles, lunch box and sometimes the heavy bag itself.

“Three textbooks (of Hindi, English and Mathematics) have been prescribed for Classes I and II. There shall not be any homework for these Classes,” it said.

“As per the curriculum, six textbooks have been prescribed for Classes VI to X - three textbooks for three languages and one for Maths, Science and Social Studies each,” said the circular.

“There shall be one notebook for each subject for exercises, projects, Unit Test, experiments etc. which the students need to bring as per timetable. Students should not be asked to bring additional books, extra material to the school.”

“The students should always use both straps for carrying the bags and should not sling the bag over one shoulder. The students should keep the bag down while waiting for the school conveyance or in the school assembly,” it added.

Kolkata writes to Imran Khan for participation of Pak publishers

For the first time in the history of the International Kolkata Book Fair (IKBF), the organisers have written to the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan asking him to ensure participation of publishers from Pakistan.

“We have written to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan on November 28 and am hopeful of the country’s participation for the first time as six publishers have shown interest in our invitation,” secretary of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild Tridib Chatterjee said.

Chatterjee recalled that Khan, World Cup winning Pakistan cricket captain, was one of the speakers at the Kolkata Literature Festival, a highlight of the IKBF, in 2012.

“He came to the Book Fair in 2012 and experienced the gathering and footfall himself. So we requested him to look into the matter,” he said.

The organisers are hopeful as the participants and publishers have already applied for the Visa. “We wrote to him reminding about 2012 when he was a special guest and visited Kolkata Literature Festival. That time he was a participant but not a Prime Minister, now things have changed,” Chatterjee said.

IIT Kharagpur confirms ‘Antarctic ozone hole healed’

A study conducted by scientists at IIT Kharagpur has come up with new data that they claim confirm ‘healing’ of Antarctic Ozone hole.

The research is the first of its kind, providing detailed long-term (over four decades) analysis of Antarctic ozone loss saturation in terms of its occurrence and timing, using high-resolution ozonesondes - a balloon-borne instrument that measures concentration of ozone - and satellite measurements inside the vortex (a whirling mass of fluid or air) for the said period. The researchers have collected data from 1979 to 2017.

“We have observed over the past four decades the Ozone layer depletion peaked during winters each year except the warm winters of 1988 and 2002. However, our analysis shows a clear reduction in the frequency of occurrence of ozone loss saturation over the period 2001-2017 consistently throughout various datasets,” Prof Jayanarayanan Kuttippurath said.

Explaining if it will affect the existing protocols and regulations for industrial emissions of ozone depleting substances, Kuttippurath said: “The recovery indicated in the loss saturation layer, robustly suggests that the Montreal Protocol has definitely saved the ozone layer and climate of the Southern Hemisphere”.

The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty to protect the ozone layer.

However, “The ozone recovery process is very slow and it will take a few decades to get back to the pre-ozone hole levels,” said P.C. Pandey, another member of the team said.

Tyeb Mehta’s art fetches

Rs.20.49 crores at Sotheby’s auction in Mumbai

Sothebys inaugural auction in Mumbai Boundless India, featuring seminal works by Tyeb Mehta and Amrita Sher-Gil, has achieved a total of Rs 55.40 crore, the auction house has said.

“The top price of the evening was Tyeb Mehta’s Durga Mahisasura Mardini which sold for Rs 20.49 crores, reflecting the strong market for the artist in recent months,” it said in a statement.

Another work by artist Amrita Sher-Gil The Little Girl in Blue - only the seventh oil

painting by the artist to be offered anywhere in the world - sold for a record price of Rs 18.69 crore.

“The work had remained in the same collection for 80 years, since it was selected by the artist for her first solo show in 1937.”

An untitled 1950s bronze sculpture by Sadanand Bakre achieved a record price for any 20th century Indian sculpture at Rs 1.88 crore, said the Sotheby’s statement.

As per Sotheby’s International Head of Indian and South Asian Art Yamini Mehta, the sale enabled them to “connect with scores of new and existing clients” and at the same time deepen their understanding of the Indian art market.

Himachal becomes first state to launch single emergency number

Himachal Pradesh recently became the first Indian state to launch a single emergency number 112 which will connect to police, fire, health and other helplines through an Emergency Response Centre (ERC) in the state.

This obviates the need for citizens to remember multiple numbers. Under the project, one ERC has been established in Shimla along with 12 District Command Centres covering the entire state.

“The ERC has been integrated with police (100), fire (101), health (108) and women helpline (1090) services to provide emergency services via single emergency number 112,” said a Union Home Ministry statement.

The service is part of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) which includes a ‘112 India’ mobile app integrated with panic button of smartphones and ERSS state website for ease of citizen in availing immediate assistance.

“Ensuring safety of women, a ‘SHOUT’ feature has been introduced in ‘112 India’ mobile app to seek immediate assistance from registered volunteers in the vicinity apart from the immediate assistance from ERC. The SHOUT feature is exclusively available to women. The ERC has also been integrated with location based services provided by telecom service providers,” said the statement.

It said the ‘112 India’ mobile app will be subsequently rolled out in all states and Union Territories to help people across

the country access the unified emergency services.

Handmade tribal jewellery sparks empowers these women

Dependent on the forest for their day-today needs, women of Bandha Tola faced an uncertain future when their whole village, along with hundreds of other such Baiga tribal villages, was moved out of their traditional habitat in the jungles of this famous tiger reserve in central India’s Madhya Pradesh state.

But now, thanks to their culture and traditions, these women see a ray of hope: in jewellery. A brainchild of the Kanha Tiger Reserve’s administration and the Last Wilderness Foundation (LWF), this initiative has also brought tribal jewellery into homes of people who have started appreciating the dying art.

“We (Baiga) make our own jewellery. It hardly takes a few hours to make these necklaces. If we work as labourers, it gets us Rs 100 for an entire day’s work, time and energy; beside there is no honour as those contractors and other people from big cities look down upon us. But to make necklaces is something we can do at home while doing other household chores,” says Sunita Dhurve, a 25-year-old mother of one.

“It’s great to have our own source of income. Now I am not dependent on my husband for money. I have my own savings and I don’t have to make him happy for every small thing that I need,” quips Sanju Bopche, another tribal woman.

While the foundation provides them all the material that they require, they earn some Rs 50-100 per piece. The jewellery is, however, sold for Rs 600 to Rs 1,000 at different souvenir shops and resorts in Mukki zone of the Kanha Tiger Reserve, as well as on e-commerce platforms. However, the initiative is aimed at preserving the Baiga culture and to reduce their dependence on the forests, says S.K. Khare, assistant director of Kanha Tiger Reserve.

Vidya Venkatesh of Last Wilderness Foundation adds, “It’s a brilliant experience. We received a really good response, but the best response came from online stores and foreign visitors.”

Tyeb Mehta’s ‘Durga Mahisasura Mardini’ and Amrita Sher-Gil’s ‘The Little Girl in Blue’ recently sold at Sotheby’s inaugural Mumbai auction for record prices

Wear your Team India shirt, grab funky Sachin-style wigs from us, and get ready to make some noise and colour at every game! Boundaries,

catches, drops…. We’ll cheer them all !

The cricketers have to wear white, but not us! So let us dazzle the crowds on Day 3 of every Test Match by turning out in our best saris, sherwanis and kurtas! The best dressed will win fantastic prizes!

Introvert and c ri cket legend

Autobiographies of sportspersons evoke curiosity among sports lovers and fans but when one is penned by someone who remained an introvert throughout his playing career, it is bound to heighten interest. Indian cricket great V.V.S. Laxman, who was known for keeping his distance from controversy, has laid bare the various highs and lows in his arduous journey to become one of the best batsmen India ever produced.

Coming from a conservative, middle-class family in Hyderabad, Laxman never allowed his emotions to show, either on or off the field. In this book authored with R. Kaushik, a veteran cricket writer, the former Indian batsman shared his thoughts, his childhood dreams, the dilemma he faced in choosing a career, the hard work he had to put in, and the ups and downs he encountered.

Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman, popularly known by his initials, goes down memory lane, his tryst with cricket during school and college days, playing for a local club, and his emergence as a first class cricketer.

For Laxman, who made his debut for India in 1996, Mohammad Azharuddin was a childhood hero. He writes that “Azzu Bhai” had massive influence on him. “I was totally in awe of him then, and I still am, all these years later.”

The autobiography makes for interesting reading as it covers aspects like the pride Laxman felt on wearing the India cap, the ecstasy of being in the midst of the greatest players of his time, his love for Eden Gardens, his equation with teammates, heartbreaks over being dropped without strong reasons, the team’s journey to become the No 1 Test side in the world, and the injuries he had to grapple with.

Laxman, who was dropped as often as he was selected and never played a World Cup, revealed that he was so hurt over the manner in which he was left out of the 2003 edition that he had almost made up his mind to call it a day.

The Hyderabadi believes his One-Day International (ODI) career was a roller coaster of several lows and occasional highs. He admitted that he was not an ODI natural and that big shots were not

his strength. He also acknowledged that he was not the fastest man on the park or the most naturally athletic. “Different captains, coaches and selection panels kept picking me and dropping me for no apparent reason, and I found that hard to comprehend,” he writes.

He recalled that he grappled with the bouts of negativity, first in 2000 when he was dropped midway through the home series against South Africa, in 2003 when he was not selected for World Cup and the third time in 2007 when he was being weighed down by the pressure of having to go out and prove himself day after day.

Laxman believes that his spiritual quotient helped him overcome the negativity and find his mojo again.

“There are well-documented stories of sportspersons going into depression. Every professional sportsperson, indeed every individual, goes through these periods, when nothing seems to matter anymore, when you find yourself in a sea of darkness, waves of anguish washing over you, over and over again.”

As Laxman is defined by his memorable knock of 281 against Australia at Eden Gardens in 2001, it is no wonder that he choose this as the title of his autobiography. The knock, after India trailed by 274 runs in the first innings, has been rated as the greatest Test performance of the last 50 years by fellow players, commentators and journalists in a poll conducted by ESPN’s Cricket Monthly digital magazine.

Little wonder then that the stylish

batsman, who retired in 2012 after playing 134 tests and scoring over 8,000 runs, has devoted the first chapter to the knock that changed his life.

The wristy batsman recalled how he went ahead with the announcement to retire even though his parents, uncle, coaches and teammates tried to convince him to defer it at least till the home series against New Zealand for which he was picked.

Though he wanted to go out on a high by playing a home series against England and Australia to redress the wrongs on away tours to those countries, the pressure of his values and ideals weighed in favour of quitting.

With both father and mother being

doctors, Laxman was also expected to pursue a career in medicine after he passed an entrance exam but his parents gave him the choice and he preferred serving the country with his willow.

However, becoming a doctor remained his passion. After retirement at the age of 38, he toyed with the idea of doing an MBBS, but his wife Sailaja argued that the children would have to spend more time away from their father.

He, however, remained linked to cricket, taking up commentary, writing columns, coaching and running an academy - but dearest to him is mentorship of the Indian Premier League team Sunrisers Hyderabad. “All along, the driving force in my life had been education and cricket. Through these new engagements, I found a way to fuel my second innings.”

According to Laxman, the only controversy of his cricketing career was triggered when the media speculated that he retired because of differences with then captain M.S. Dhoni. He recalled how he was struck by Dhoni’s maturity and simplicity when he went to meet his teammates to thank them on his retirement. The captain suggested he not take the media reports to heart.

Mohammed Shafeeq

Laxman’s 2001 knock of 281 against Australia, after India trailed by 274 runs in the first innings, has been rated as the greatest Test performance of the last 50 years.

The story of the quiet batsman who made that career-defining knock of 281

To

Flushing their worries away

Keeping girls at school: that’s Mark Balla’s ultimate aim as he builds basic facilities in rural India

BY PREETI JABBAL

19 November was officially recognised as World Toilet Day by the United Nations in 2013 as a day to raise awareness of the importance of sanitation.

For Melbourne-based social entrepreneur Mark Balla, however, every day is World Toilet Day as he delves into the potential and limitations of bringing about a social change for school kids in rural India.

Working in collaboration with Rotary Club India, Mark initiated Operations Toilets Australia (OTA), which has helped nearly 30,000 Indian students to get access to toilets.

OTA builds toilets and delivers hygiene education programs in schools in developing countries with the special aim of improving educational opportunities for adolescent girls.

For ‘toilet warrior’ Mark Balla, the main focus is on breaking the taboo of toilets and constructing dialogue around it.

In 2013 an unplanned visit to Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum in Mumbai, saw a turn in Mark’s life that set him off on this unconventional journey.

He was travelling in Mumbai’s local train when two young boys approached him and offered to take him on a tour of Dharavi. He impulsively agreed, ignoring the safety warnings for foreigners.

The boys took him around the densely populated area that accommodates nearly a million people in 535 hectares of land. They also took him to a primary school where he noticed that there were no teenage girls. The majority of the students were boys of all ages, and some younger girls.

When asked, the boys explained that there were no teenage girls in school as there were no toilets for them to use. They have to defecate in the open and they skip or drop out of school when they go through puberty.

Mark, whose daughter was turning 13 at that time, was shocked to know that many girls were deprived of education due to lack of basic facilities.

He couldn’t comprehend how girls, at an age when they should be excited about their future, were instead faced with the end of their education.

“There’s the old saying that ‘if you educate a woman you educate a village’. To me the women not fully participating in the economy due to lack of education was a civil concern,” Mark told Indian Link He realised that there are massive flowon effects to this issue that are statistically proven. Girls who stay in school longer get married later and have fewer children, their children are less likely to die in the first five years of their lives, and their

earning capacity goes up 5 -10% with each additional year spent in school.

Mark then started his own research to find that according to UNICEF nearly 33% of India’s population lacked access to proper toilets and around 530 million people defecate in the open.

The impact of this endemic sanitation issue included unsafe waters and communicable disease, and deaths due to diarrhoea. Lack of privacy and dignity contributed to nonattendance in schools, low health and equity outcomes and risk of disease, abuse and exclusion.

Mark returned to Australia to create ‘We can’t wait’ a not-for-profit organisation that partnered with Rotary Club to raise funds to build 15 toilets for a school in Nashik, Maharashtra.

Starting with their first project in 2015 that reached 500 children, they have now reached another 30,000 children. They don’t just build toilets, they also assist with hand washing stations and training, water

and sanitation education and outreach to families and wider community.

“I have never had so much job satisfaction from a job that virtually pays nothing,” remarked Mark as he laughingly shared that he had to swap his Mercedes for a cheaper car recently.

According to Mark, the sacrifice was not a difficult decision for him, as he likes to put his money where his mouth is and contribute to this great cause.

“With generous support, sponsors and ongoing efforts we have been able to remove one of the barriers to education through a reduction in incidences of sanitation-related issues, and helped create a healthier and protective school environment,” said Mark.

Sharing some interesting stories of his trips to India Mark talked about his favourite experience of a school that he visited, up in the hills, a couple of years ago. The village was populated by 300 people with around 25 primary aged

children, all being taught by one lady teacher. They had no toilet so he asked the teacher how they managed.

The teacher told him that she took a bus from her village every day, travelled for two hours to get to the school, taught all day and took the same journey home. She said she got home and took a big drink of water.

She went the whole day without drinking water and when he asked her how she managed when she had her periods she told him that the children do not come to school on those days.

Mark was horrified and he worked out a solution where a toilet and a washbasin was quickly provided for the children and teacher to share.

A few weeks later he got a message from the teacher telling him that now when she gets to school, the first thing she does is drink a lot of water. She also told him that the previous month was the first time since she started working at the school that the children had attended school every day.

reached another 30,000 children.

No doubt we will get to read more about this single-teacher school in Mark’s upcoming book A Journey to the Toilet, but it is experiences such as this that motivate Mark to continue to push the conversations, mobilise projects, support and collaborate with schools and organisations to ensure that basic sanitation needs are met.

Mark praised the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a nationwide campaign that aims to have India Open Defecation free by October 2019.

“What they are trying to achieve is fantastic and there have been many toilets installed in the country as a result of this ambitious project, its high profile ambassadors and Government subsidies,” he said when asked about its progress.

Speaking of confusing data on the subject, Mark said that the data that they tend to trust mostly is from UNICEF and other large organisations like World Vision, as they have a large number of people on the ground collecting that data.

According to him the Indian Government

data is good from an infrastructure point of view, however not necessarily from the quality perspective. For example they may be able to list the number of toilets in schools but not necessarily the condition of those toilets or the number of children that can use those toilets.

“Some of the toilets I have seen in schools are appalling. They may exist but are completely unusable or used for storage and other purposes,” said Mark.

“We take on projects that are easy to implement, where water is not scarce and the school authorities are completely engaged in the process and desperate for improvement,” he continued.

As a former writer of survival guides for Lonely Planet, his survival tip for those planning to conduct any charity work in India is that it is important not to judge anyone.

The journey may not be easy and can have frustrating moments but continue to persevere and do not fail to tell stories that capture people’s attention as stories are powerful.

Starting with their first project in 2015 that reached 500 children, OTA have now

OTA doesn’t just build toilets, it also assists with hand washing stations and training, water and sanitation education and outreach to families and wider community.

“I have never had so much job satisfaction from a job that virtually pays nothing”

Mark Balla

The business of music

Melbourne entrepreneur Harish Rao takes on interesting new role

BY USHA RAMANUJAM

It is a well-known fact that music blurs boundaries, transcending cultural and linguistic barriers.

When Melbourne-based entrepreneur Harish Rao was invited by the newly-formed Australian World Orchestra (AWO) to forge links with the Indian community ahead of Zubin Mehta’s iconic visit, little did he know that this was only the beginning of a long lasting and deeply fulfilling relationship. The association has grown well beyond classical music, presenting new opportunities for bilateral ties between the two nations.

The Chennai-born Rao has recently been appointed chair of the AWO. The announcement follows a highly successful local season with maestro Riccardo Muti as well as a return tour of India in September, with concerts in Chennai, Mumbai and Kochi as well as outreach programs.

Since its inaugural concert series in 2011, the AWO has established itself as a fine platform for the best of Australia’s national and international musicians, while also nurturing young talent.

“We’re tremendously excited to welcome Harish in his new role as chairman,” AWO artistic director Alexander Briger AO stated. “His expertise in business and international relations, coupled with his passion for the Australian World Orchestra’s vision will prove invaluable as we continue to grow our reputation as a world leading orchestra,” he added.

A Patron of AWO since 2012, Rao is currently the global head of business development at Sundaram Business Services and serves on many boards including Friends of Asha Australia, Guide Dogs Victoria and Australia India Institute.

The past achievements of the ANU and Monash University alumnus also include roles as Victorian president of the Australia India Business Council, Victorian government Multicultural Business Advisory Council and AIBC national chairman.

“My association with classical music only began 5 years ago,” Rao revealed to Indian Link.

“AWO were keen to associate with

the Indian community in Melbourne as they were hosting the renowned Zubin Mehta, one of the greatest conductors who happens to be of Indian origin. I had obviously heard of Zubin Mehta but never actively listened to classical music other than attending the occasional concert. I was happy to help the AWO and connected them with various parties in Melbourne who were able to assist them. It was then that they asked me whether I would consider being its Patron. My first reaction was, are you sure, because I don’t really know a lot about western classical music? They assured me that that was not an issue and they would love to have my involvement and so I accepted. This was the beginning of my education in classical music and whilst I am still by no means close to having a full understanding, I greatly enjoy the concerts and I guess that is what is important at the end of the day,” he reminisced.

Although somewhat surprised to be asked, Rao is delighted to lead the organisation and hopes to take it to new heights.

So what can we expect under his tenure?

“Resonating from its name, my vision is to make this into a touring orchestra playing in the best venues such as Royal Albert Hall, London, Carnegie Hall, New York, LaScala in Milan among others. The AWO must be associated with Brand Australia and I would seek to have the Australian Government support the AWO in any of the OzFest events that the government runs around the world. The AWO has been touted as the “Socceroos of classical music”, I believe that we need to think big and make this orchestra one of the best in the world! And that is not unrealistic, because some of the best conductors including Zubin Mehta, Sir Simon Rattle and Ricardo Muti have all compared its musicianship with the best in the world,” he proudly pointed out.

“When the idea of the AWO was first circulated, the popular opinion was that it would never work. That though did not stop Alex Briger in following his dream to bring together Australia’s finest musicians to play as one. That dream became a reality and the AWO has grown from strength to strength,” Rao continued, looking back at AWO’s nascent history.

The organisation is quite excited that Director Alexander Briger AO, who is

the beneficiary of Sir Charles Mackerras’ scores which are housed at the Royal Academy of Music in London, will use Sir Charles’ scores to conduct Janacek’s Taras Bulba which were last used with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2003. The AWO will again collaborate with the NSW Regional Youth Orchestra, the flagship orchestra representing the NSW Regional Music Conservatoriums, for tuition and a chamber performance in Sydney. The AWO continues to collaborate with education institutions in NSW and Victoria and looks forward to announcing the details of these collaborations in the New Year.

It is no wonder then that Rao claims he is galvanised by the energy, passion and captivating music of this world-class orchestra.

But arts organisations, AWO included, always have challenges especially in regards to funding, he acknowledged, indicating “we are now at a stage where

we need to secure the funding for the AWO over the next 10 years and take it to greater heights.”

Meanwhile, Rao has big aspirations for the Australia-India partnership.

“The time has come for Australian businesses to stop procrastinating and take India seriously - the opportunity is real - and the question is, can Australian business afford not to engage with India,” he asks.

“And the example I give is that if a notfor-profit institution like AWO can go to India twice with nearly 100 players and their instruments and handle the logistics, dealing with local businesses across three cities, why cannot an SME or Corporate also take that same level of risk?”

Building any relationship, for Rao, is a marathon, a long-term play at whatever level the interaction is. And as a strong proponent of cross-cultural diplomacy, he believes there is a bright future that AWO tours can help cement.

ARVIND

“My vision is to make the AWO a touring orchestra playing in the best venues such as Royal Albert Hall, London, Carnegie Hall, New York, LaScala in Milan among others”

Harish Rao

A poet and a questioner

Haalaat khench laye hain apno se kitni door, Do chaar ke hoon paas hazaron se door hoon (Circumstances have brought me here far from my own, I am close to a few but far from millions of my own)

Many of us who have moved away from our homeland may have thought this very thought, but it was left to Om Krishan Rahat, well-known community personality, to express this so poetically.

Om Krishan Rahat, an Urdu poet and afsananigaar who dedicated his life to literature, passed away on September 12, 2018 in Sydney.

He leaves behind his wife of 68 years Sudesh, a son, two daughters and their families, including six grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

He is mourned equally by a large circle of literary-minded friends, fans and readers, spread across the Indian and Pakistani communities of Australia.

Having arrived in Australia in 1996 following his retirement to be close to his children, Rahat became the glue in a nascent community of poets that was seeking a platform to air its views. He already had thirteen books to his credit by then, and penned three more, two of which are written both in Urdu and Devnagri. His book Do Kadam Aagey took shape with the encouragement and support of Tilak Kalra of the Australia Hindi Indian Association.

His very first book Shuaaye Noor came when he was but thirteen years of age.

Growing up in Ludhiana, he was creatively inclined from a young age and after finishing school went to Government College with the likes of Sahir Ludhianvi, a stalwart in India’s poetic world.

He saw life from close quarters and wrote from his heart about the inequalities created by man. He often questioned the creator of this universe about the sufferings of the poor. He stayed away from the rigid norms of society, questioning the relevance of these in daily life.

Jawaab chahta hai apney har sawaal ka jo, Khuda ke rubru aisa bhi ek sawali hai (He who seeks an answer to all the questions, I am that questioner who stands in front of the Creator)

Rahat Sahib won much acclaim for his written works, including the Khwaja Ahmed Abbas Award as well as the Rajinder Singh Bedi Award.

Whilst he spent much time in Sydney mentoring many emerging poets, no mushaira across the community nationwide, was complete without the presence of Rahat.

The Sydney-based organisation Urdu International of Australia organised an evening recently to remember Rahat as a poet, as an “Ustaad” and to acknowledge the contributions he made in the literary circles in Australia.

Attending were lovers of literature and poetry from both the Indian as well as Pakistani communities of Sydney. The event under the direction of renowned writer and poet Ashraf Shad, saw Mrs. Rahat present a tribute and read from her husband’s works. The second half was presided over by Dr. Baqar Raza an Urdu poet himself and Dr. Akhlaq Gilani, who is also a renowned poet visiting from Pakistan. He brought along with him messages from old friends for Rahat Sahib.

Ashraf Shad said, “The coming of Rahat Sahib to Australia was a blessing for many upcoming poets here, who he mentored

whenever they approached him. He became a bridging figure between Indo-Pak communities.”

Dr. Shabbir Haider, a senior poet, remembered Rahat Sahib’s first mushaira in Wollongong in his early days here, where he mesmerised the listeners and a long journey of love and affection began.

Sadiq Arif, Tariq Mirza, Rekha Rajvanshi and Kaneez Fatima Kiran were others who spoke fondly at the tribute. They recalled Rahat Sahib’s saadgi; his mentoring; his inability to wait for his turn to recite; his impatience when poets did not pronounce words correct, and the standing ovations every time he concluded.

The United Indian Associations (Inc)

announced on the occasion that an award will be given to an emerging poet each year in Rahat Sahib’s name.

Sant Ram Bajaj of AHIA recounted, “Rahat Sahib was so down-to-earth it took us a while to know him and his illustrious career as an accomplished writer and poet. He was no ordinary poet, he was a born poet. His 16 books have all been awarded and he was a poet of the masses. He wrote about the corrupt socio-economic system, the miseries of the downtrodden, and the challenges of everyday life.”

Rahat Sahib recited his poems frequently in AHIA’s seniors group and formed many strong bonds of affection there. Subhashini Chanana once asked him teasingly why he

didn’t write about romance. He replied, when there is so much suffering and inequality in this world, how can I even think of it?

His philosophy of life was about selfreflection; knowing oneself before pointing a finger towards others.

Jab jab bhi apne baarey main janana pada, Apney hi dil main mujhe jhankna pada

(Whenever I needed to know about myself, I had to search the depths of my own heart)

Rahat Sahib was an avid reader and loved reciting poetry to the end of his days. His devoted wife Sudesh was always close at hand, gently supporting him if he occasionally slipped up in the later years of his life. She herself translated his Urdu works in Hindi and Punjabi.

Rahat Sahib captured the nuances of human psyche in his words.

Phailata hai haath gharaz ka jab koi majboori main,Har jaani pehchaaani surat anjaani ho jaati hai.

(When in need someone asks for help, Every known person becomes a stranger.)

Main ne insaan sa khudsar nahin dekha rahat, Apne mohsin ko bhula deta hai ehsaan ke baad

(I have not seen anyone as selfish as the human, It is only mankind who forgets the one who has helped them.)

Iqtedar Abdi who referred to Rahat Sahib as “OK Uncle” often visited him with his wife Fahmida, and was with him a day before he passed. “Janaab Om Krishan Rahat was a humanitarian from the core who always stood for betterment and equality of human beings,” he recalled.

One of Iqtedar’s own favourite Rahat couplet shows this brilliantly.

Is bulandi se tujhey khak nazar aaonga, Aey falak dekh mujhey mere baraber ho kar (I may not even appear as a speck of dust from your heights, But O Maker, look at me by standing equally with me.)

Another literary stalwart Abbas Raza Alvi has captured Rahat Sahib’s works in music in the album Dooriyan. Currently in production is Alvi’s Rahat where he has put to music many of Rahat Sahib’s ghazals and nazams in what he describes as a mix of musical sounds of the Indian subcontinent and Australia. The album is slated for release in March 2019.

Alvi said, “Rahat Sahib will be regarded as one of the best Urdu poets in Australia and will always be remembered through his words which reflect the feelings of ordinary people.”

Rahat Sahib, in saying alvida, one can but use your own words:

Khoon huaey hain sarey armaan ab fursat hi fursat hai, Jab ae maut kahegi hamse saath tumhare ho lenge.

(All my desires have foiled, now I am free, When you, O Death, ask me to come, I shall walk with you)

Apni is zeest se ab jaan chuda li jaye, Jisney yeh bakshi thi usko hi sambhali jaye

(Let me be free of this life now, the One who gave life to me, Let me return it to Him)

Bakhuda sher merey sher nahin hain rahat, Mere afkar ka bikhra hua sheeraza hain

(O Creator, my poetry is not just mere words, They are a scattering of my thoughts)

Utthake layen hain kaandho pe mujhko

markad main, Sahara aaj bhi yaaron ki dosti ne diya (I have been brought to the end of life on these shoulders, As always even today it is my friends who have given me support)

Compiled by family and friends

Om Krishan Rahat will be remembered as a humanitarian who stood for betterment and for equality of human beings

Om Krishan Rahat (1925-2018)

This

Spread the Christmas cheer

… but spare the earth, with these suggestions for an eco-friendly festive season

succulents for presents

Plastic-free decorations

A live tree

Table decorations

Wooden ornaments

Table centrepiece

Facing page: Table centrepiece (detail)

Christmas feast

page clockwise from top left: Potted

Photos: Amal Wilson, Geevarghese Kollannur

BY EMIE ROY

Christmas means different things to different people. Whilst it is deeply religious to some, for others it is the celebrations, food and rejoicing that makes it the favourite season. It could be the time of the yearend reflections to many, while a few might find the presents under the tree or the upcoming holidays to wash off a year’s cargo excite them like none other.

Whatever your source of motivation, there is no denying that most people look forward to celebrating this season. I am no different; I long for filling my home with Christmas goodies, setting up a tree, baking some treats, doing a big lunch, and catching up with friends and family.

The month of December is also the prime shopping time when money is splurged on materialistic pleasures: a hand bag that has been eyed for a long time, that sophisticated watch for the partner, the expensive sneakers for the kids, the luxury baubles to decorate the brand new Christmas tree, a new set of fancy lights to light up the home, the largest turkey in the supermarket to roast. Everything sounds justifiable at that point in time; until the feelings of shame and guilt kick in. And the final blow comes when we see the credit card bills for December.

Bearing witness to how everything picks up during the season and the loads of ‘stuff’ I buy, with each passing year I am becoming more and more of an advocate for a sustainable Christmas. Boring it sounded first to me too, as I thought it led to a Christmas sans glitz. But I was wrong – sustainable Christmas is not only just as beautiful, it helps nurture creativity and innovation too.

Here are my tips for an eco-friendly Christmas.

Season to deck up

Pick a live, green pine tree to start with, which can be planted after the season. If you prefer artificial trees, invest in a good tree that can be reused for at least 10 years. Consider lighting up the tree (as well as the home) with fewer strands of lights, preferably LED lights which consume less energy. To decorate your tree, look beyond plastic: there are heaps of alternatives –hessian, ceramic, glass, paper, cardboards, fresh flowers, potted plants and so forth. Stunning centrepieces on the dining tables and coffee tables state celebrations big time. The best part is that these can be made with the most natural finds. An easy centrepiece with a red table runner, a few pine needles, some wooden artefacts, cinnamon rolls and some pillar candles, will stand out for its originality. Or think fresh gum tree leaves, some potted plants, and wooden curios for a closer-to-nature look.

Season of giving

For presents, think something that will create less clutter and more living. One well-thought out choice will tick the box instead of many small gifts that will end up in the thrift shops or on Gumtree. How about gifting ‘experiences’ this time

round – a gift of tickets to a show perhaps, or activities for children, spa/massage vouchers for a colleague.

Ever thought how dear a handmade gift will be? Try potting a few succulents/ herbs, baking cookies/gingerbread men, or making relishes/jams/preserves ahead of the season. These will be much appreciated. A ‘green’ gift made from recycled products will hurt the earth a little less. Choosing a locally made gift to support the local economy is another option.

The wrapping paper that gets ripped up in an instant is a source of massive waste: try using recycled wrapping paper instead. Maps, newspapers, brown paper, clothes, if used tastefully, can create beautiful wraps too. Furoshiki, the art of sustainable wrapping, growing in popularity these days, considerably reduces waste caused by wrapping paper.

Season of fine eating

There is no denying that the best meals are shared over Christmas. However, indulgent meals often result in massive food waste. Planning ahead to cut down on the food waste, getting the guests to take home doggy-bags, or using left-over food creatively to whip up something different, and composting the food scraps can all help. Instead of large supermarket chains, purchase from local farmer’s markets, which will help feed the farmers’ families too.

Season of holidaying

The virtual, indoor world of television, play stations, Nintendo and online shopping are too compelling, but nothing like a taste of the real world outside. Plan to spend more time outdoors, which the whole family can enjoy. Think of activities you have been wishing to do or trips you have been putting off. Visiting rural towns and shopping locally will infuse a fresh bout of energy into the rural economy as well.

Season of spreading cheer

I was once invited to go sing carols with a group that performs in the local nursing homes, and it was an experience like no other. Singing a few songs there, and spending some time with the elders may have been a trivial thing for most of us in the group, but it was invaluably appreciated by our audience. Tears trickled down the eyes of the elderly, many of them bedridden or on wheelchairs, while they sang with us – a real, original gift we could give to people who were in need of it.

These days there are other innovative initiatives for those of us that are techsavvy. Kiva is an online lending platform that encourages gifts of loans as small as $25 for small businesses, where the amount will be repaid and you can re-lend it. Or give a gift of charity donating to The Hunger Project. Participate in Australia’s own Share the Dignity enterprise where a handbag can be filled with essentials for girls and women and donated, or be part of the local council’s toy drive.

At the end of it all, just as you count the blessings of the year, you can count your carbon footprint, and spend some bucks to offset those through Carbon Neutral.

And as you tread softly on the planet this festive season, here’s wishing you a greener Christmas!

MATRIMONIALS SEEKING GROOMS

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

Well-settled/professional match invited for Sydney-based Punjabi girl IT professional/business analyst, never-married, 44/5›6», attractive, fair, jolly nature, good mix of Indian and modern values. Working in MNC. Australian citizen. Educated family. Parents well settled. Send details with photo: sydgirl09@gmail.com

Seeking professionally qualified settled match for Sydney based, never married Aus citizen, Hindu, Punjabi Khatri, 45, 5›3» slim, fair, attractive girl. Girl is postgraduate and is working in a good position in government organisation. Please send details with photo to Indsyd2016@gmail.com

Australian-born Indian, resembles Deepika Padakone, seeks a handsome, tall, Indian Christian boy with good job and character. She works as teacher with 6-figure salary in Sydney. Email pauline. phillips@liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au

Seeking professionally qualified match for Brahmin, vegetarian girl born in 1985, and working as a doctor in Sydney. The

family are well settled in Sydney and prefer boy having Australian citizenship or PR. Please contact aussyd08@gmail.com

SEEKING BRIDES

Seeking a beautiful, slim, <5’4”, Hindu vegetarian, qualified girl for a 35-yearold boy. He is a Chartered Accountant in Sydney. Please send details with photo to cksg7103@gmail.com

Seeking a beautiful and well educated girl in Australia for a handsome Jat Sikh boy, Australian citizen, 1984 born, 5’10”, non-drinker and non-smoker, innocently divorced, completed MBA and professionally employed in Melbourne. Contact 0490 849 695.

Indian Christian Protestant parents, seeking a suitable match for their 38-year-old son, software engineer, born and brought up in Australia. Seeking Protestant girl between 28-34 years. Email sammy5073@gmail.com, Mob: 0403 836 360.

Hindu male, ‘81 born, BIT/MBA Post Grad, looking for an educated and settled bride. Prefer from Australia or Canada, America, NZ but others may approach. Please call 0424 014 255

Seeking professionally qualified settled match for Sydney based, never married Aus citizen, Hindu, Punjabi Khatri 44, 6›, athletic built boy. He is project manager with engineering background and is working in a private organisation. Please send details with photo - Indsyd2016@gmail.com.

police car is a random breath testing (RBT) unit. If caught driving while over the legal limit you will face a fine and may lose your licence. It’s not worth the risk.

December 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 unexpected trip could lead to a chance encounter. Check the fine print if starting a new business. Success at work improves your attitude and determination. An estranged ex could try and win you back. Eat more high energy food and reconcile your differences if any, with family members. Good news regarding your business or finances can be expected. Luck is on your side to help you make new business connections though don’t accept any offers if you don’t feel good about them.

LEO

July 21 - Aug 22

A mixed bag as the year ends for Leos: life forces you to let go of a situation as all your attempts to change it have failed. A sudden financial opportunity will come your way and a profit is indicated. There could be feelings of martyrdom in a relationship. Rest some more and avoid those who drain you. A new way of thinking will evolve from your struggles and conditions improve. Let go: a turbulent time is coming to an end.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov 22 - Dec 21

TAROT

TAURUS April 20 - May 20

Everything you thought you had a handle on resurfaces to challenge you this month. It could include old friends, lovers, habits, desires, health or money – and you will seek spiritual assistance to cope. An ex could pop up and the encounter brings closure. Happiness comes through improved health or finances. Try to stay emotionally balanced as old wounds could crop up. Your best success comes through your ability to stay in control; and you can change a negative situation into a positive one.

VIRGO

Aug 23 - Sep 22

If you have been wishing for something, you just might see it begin to manifest as the Magician heralds new beginnings. It also signifies a synergy of elements and everything coming together like magic. Those wanting to sell property will be successful, a new venture is on the anvil and a rekindled love affair or a new relationship is imminent. Money is good but avoid stress or you could get ill. The universe always gives more – be open to receiving.

CAPRICORN

Dec 22 - Jan 19

New ideas, tensions, and a new beginning – all are on the anvil now. An unexpected admirer makes their love for you known. People express interest in your work and strong emotions at work or in a marriage makes a situation precarious and tense. Don’t let frustration bog you down as it is a temporary situation. The money situation remains tense and it could lead to you taking action to improve your health. A new direction in your career is foretold.

Delays come to an end this month and expansion at work, travel and gettogethers are indicated. A great time to start a new love affair so make sure you get under the mistletoe. Travel for work is also indicated. No health issues to bother you so you can enjoy the festive season. Avoid misunderstandings with friends. Conditions change for the better and there is a renewed energy in your work. Don’t be anxious; everything is working out in your favour.

GEMINI

May 21 - June 20

You have divine protection no matter what you embark on and more than work, it is family matters that take up your time this month. A petty argument or confrontation takes you off guard and it could be due to a misunderstanding or a financial matter. You, a family member or a pet could need medical attention. Money will come through multiple sources like clients, investments etc. Your best success comes through areas related to family, friends, the home or your personal appearance.

LIBRA

Sep 23 - Oct 22

Keep your distance if a relationship is stagnating, as familiarity does lead to contempt. A gift from the universe will turn out to be a blessing – this could be related to work, money or your love life. Be meticulous with paperwork; business takes a turn for the better. Any niggling health condition will improve but go easy on it this month and stick to your limit with alcohol. If you are in a rut, do something different to feel alive again.

AQUARIUS

Jan 20 - Feb 18

You will be diligent, practical and busy this month. Good news from someone who cares makes you happy and you indulge in some retail therapy to keep moody blues at bay. You might consider separating from your spouse due to incompatibility. Mood swings keep you high and low and health issues could bother you all month. Money is slow and travel plans might have to get cancelled. If something is meant to be, it will come of its own accord.

CANCER June 21 - July 20

An Aries temperament this month makes Cancerians feel all charged up about something only to lose interest in some time. Renewed business activity, financial security and a powerful love affair keep you occupied. Short trips could be on the anvil. A family member could fall seriously ill. Luck is on your side with everything this month. Career success and financial gains are predicted. A good time to embark on new projects and if you visualise it, you will receive guidance to solve problems.

SCORPIO

Oct 23 - Nov 21

Tens signify coming a full circle, so you might have to come to terms with something you have avoided in the past. Be prepared for an intense and unusual love affair; healing and taking a break from boring responsibilities. If you are single, marriage could be indicated. A negative situation comes to an end but be prepared for mood swings. Finances will improve and if you are experiencing bouts of anxiety, reduce your work load at office or at home.

PISCES

Feb 19 - March 20

A busy month for Pisceans as legal matters, settlements and reviewing of one’s situations is on hand. You want a better quality of closeness in your relationship and not quantity. A payment comes through earlier than expected. A new cycle will begin and a tense situation becomes more flexible. There could be some upsetting news at work or a relative might be considering separation or a divorce. An unsolved dilemma makes you anxious but it is best to wait it out.

cineTALK

IT HAS ITS HEARTWARMING MOMENTS

the jalebis never stops sizzling in the streetside kadhaai (wok).

Here, Leena Yadav who gave us the brilliant Parched two years ago is not as comfortable dealing with an estranged father-son’s attempts to iron out their differences as a gaggle of friends and distant relatives in Old Delhi eggs them on. A tech-savvy aunt and her daughterin-law (played with wonderful charm by Nirmal Rishi and Sheeba Chaddha) suggests that the father chat on Facebook with his son.

The scenes where the two ladies set up Rishi Kapoor’s Raj Mathur on the iPhone with his son Kabir are done with a sense of reined-in fun.

It really makes no sense for the patriarch to employ an outsider’s help, paying her huge amounts of money to do the needful when he’s allegedly bankrupt, while the son sulks and sings some songs with a ragged band that wouldn’t qualify in the first round of any music contest.

Nonethless Rajma Chawal is not totally a wash-out. The son’s attachment to his dead mother and the resultant hostility towards his father could have been better explored. The nooks and corners of Chandni Chowk are explored with curious candour, with the very talented Adil Hussain showing up in one fleeting scene.

RAJMA CHAWAL (NETFLIX)

DIRECTOR: Leena Yadav

STARRING: Rishi Kapoor, Anirudh Tanwar, Amyra Dastur

HHHHH

The closing song of this sensible but scattered film goes, Mujhe dosti karne

ka shauq hai, mera dil Chandni Chowk hai. What is it about Old Delhi that drives filmmakers crazy with yearning and nostalgia? So many memorable and not-so-memorable films, from B.R. Chopra’s Chandni Chowk to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi 6 to Kabir Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan have pitched their tale’s tent in the crowded galis of Chandni Chowk where the sun sets and

But then it all comes undone. The plot hops, skips and jumps all over the place barely able to avoid the potholes it creates for itself. For one, it is hard to swallow that a father would carry on the charade of posing as a girl named Tara on Facebook to get his son’s attention, and the son would not come to know of his father’s hare-brained scheme even when the father asks his son for headphones after the son offers to play a song for ‘Tara’ during their net-chat. Such improbabilities would go unnoticed in escapist kitsch. Rajma Chawal aims to be in a more realistic natural space. The problem is, the more it tries the more the plot ties itself into impossible knots. Midway through the promising but compromised screenplay (Vivek Anchalia, Manurishi Chadha, Leena Yadav), the film introduces the wildchild character of Tara (Amyra Dastur), a homeless nomadic opportunistic adventurer who is befriended by Raj Mathur and his busybody friends (all played by savvy veterans) to bring Raj’s son back on the track.

Rishi Kapoor, who is never known to fail the script, barely manages to make the disgruntled father’s role credible. Fatally the actor Anirudh Tanwar playing Rishi’s son fails to make his character relatable. And Aparshakti Khurrana who never fails to make an impact scarcely gets a chance to make an impact in his loutish revolvertoting loverboy’s role. He does have one strong moment with the pretty Amyra Dastur (nose ring and all to look adequately rebellious) when he confesses she isn’t ‘disgusting’. (She has just returned the money she owes him and I agree that’s a rare quality). No such harsh description can be applied to this film. It is a sweet if somewhat strained attempt to make sense of Delhi’s quasi-diasporic demagogue. Could have been so much better. But then as a famous poet once declared Kabhi kissiko muqammal jahaan nahin milta. So let’s look at this unfinished film as representative of the incomplete people it depicts.

Subhash K Jha

NOT ENOUGH MEAT ON THE BONE

woman, played by the young beautiful Sri Swara.

(A word on this talented beauty: why is she largely ignored by our film industry?)

Further tension on the dining table. Naseer’s character Vijay Kapoor doesn’t seem to get along with his son Varun (Bhuvan Arora). Papa makes snide remarks. Son grimaces. Other dinner-table guests squirm.

ROGAN JOSH (SHORT FILM)

DIRECTOR: Sanjeev Wig

STARRING: Naseeruddin Shah, Avantika

Akerkar, Shishir Sharma

HHHHH

26/11 has spawned many works of art, some memorable, others chilling, some neither. This all-heart-no-substance shortfilm falls in the ‘neither’ category. It is big in intentions but falls flat in execution, as the idea of the tragedy underlining the plot overtakes the onscreen proceedings,

which appear reasonably interesting to begin with.

We gather in a few seconds of the pungent kitchen conversation with the wife (Avantika Akerkar) that Naseeruddin Shah is a masterchef at a posh hotel. His speciality is the rogan josh. The entire family seems smitten by the mutton. But alas the telling of the grave story lacks gravy. The narrative is dry and self-conscious, as though the director’s brief was to convey the grief caused by the attack on the Taj on that fateful November day.

The film is shot as a dinner-table conversation. Lots of furtive anxious glances amidst morsels of the yummy meal. Some very fine actors are at work here. But with due respects to the mutton delicacy on the table, even the redoubtable Naseeruddin Shah has very little meat to chew on. He struggles to supplant substance to his shadowy role, and achieves precious little.

Naseer gets able support from the ever-dependable Shishir Mishra who is shown to be married (or are they just a couple?) to a young beautiful Muslim

Dinner-table conversations have been a classic stage for on-screen drama. But here the director has more on the plate then he can handle. In 17 minutes he crams in mixed relationships, parental distress, spousal trust, praise for punctuality and course the virtues of rogan josh.

By the time the twist in the tale appears on screen we know that the plot has been only a pretext to come to a point where a fatal statement on the 26/11 attack is tagged on to the characters who are probably tucking into the rogan josh even after the doom’s day saga is done. This film does nothing for the memory of those who lost their lives in 26/11. Hope it helps make the mutton dish even more popular.

Subhash K Jha

MAMMOTH DISAPPOINTMENT

2:0

DIRECTOR: Shankar

STARRING: Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar HHHHH

With due respects to Thugs Of Hindostan, it wouldn’t be wrong to call Shankar’s long-awaited spectacle about Man, Robot and Radiation the biggest letdown of the year.

Take a deep breath when you enter the theatre to see this digital-age mayhem. You need extra strength to make it through the cheerless cautionary drama.

2:0 is a work of FX-driven misadventure that screams for attention.

The larger-than-life combats between the robot Chitthi and the rampageous environmentalist Pakshi Rajan (so called, because he loves birds, isn’t that subtle?) are staged with the frenzied determination of religious rallies on roads orchestrated by red-eyed youngsters who don’t know any better.

There is a quality of desperate anxiety to please audiences which ultimately reduces this film to an epic mess. When a film screams for attention the audiences recoil in embarrassment.

Director Shankar, never known for subtlety, goes for the sledgehammer effect where every thunderous thud is driven home with a disdainful disregard for the audiences’ visual and aural sensory perceptions.

While the plot pleads for environmental degradation to be curbed, it induces a noise pollution far more hazardous than any cellphone related catastrophe. The soundtrack is obstreperous and Rahman’s music is sinfully soul-less.

The anarchic narrative knocks you senseless with its senselessness.

What on earth is the film trying to say

about ecological imbalance? That the cellphones of the world must be annihilated to save the planet? This thought- process is put through a gruelling stream of clumsily-staged sequences showing mobs being devoured by thousands of cellphones.

The villain Pakshi Rajan is not really a villain because... well... he’s played by Akshay Kumar. So the character’s outward ferocity, punctuated by makeup borrowed from Friday The 13th, is given a sympathetic backstory about a bird-lover whose pleas for a reduction on cellphone towers is mocked by the powers-that-be.

There is a telecom minister who makes so many sneering faces I thought the film had finally decided to get satirical about its message... but no, it’s all serious business.

This post-intermission interlude of about 15 minutes when we see Akshay as the caring bird-lover is the only chunk of the sprawling unwieldy narrative that has an emotional grip. The rest of the film feels as robotic as Amy Jackson’s performance. That she actually plays a robot doesn’t matter. Every actor seems to have been given the brief to pull out all stops.

The agonizing film has hundreds of junior artistes who have to look startled/ scared/traumatised. I’ve never seen a mob of actors hamming so much, and enjoying it to the hilt.

Alas, we cannot bring ourselves to share the mob’s enthusiasm even when we get two Rajinikanths for the price of one. The novelty of the double deal wears off within 15 minutes as director Shankar unleashes a bloodless tide of chaos and incoherence seldom witnessed and scarcely tolerated.

Subhash K. Jha

The BUZZ

PRIYANKA: IT WAS ALL TEARS

Actress Priyanka Chopra, who said “I do” wearing a 75-foot long veil for her Christian wedding ceremony with American singer Nick Jonas in Jodhpur, says she was nervous and scared before the nuptial. But her worries melted away when she saw her groom waiting for her down the aisle.

“Every girl dreams of being a princess on her wedding day. But I never had a plan about what I wanted it to be,” people.com quoted Priyanka as saying. The singer, 26, suggested they dream big and opt for not one, but two ceremonies in India to celebrate their different backgrounds.

“It melted my heart,” said the Quantico actress, adding that being able to have two big weddings, in India, with their closest family and friends was “unbelievably special”.

#NICKYANKA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a crowd in congratulating newlymarried couple actress Priyanka Chopra and American singer Nick Jonas at their reception here on 4 Dec.

Modi arrived amid tight security to be part of the special day of the actress, who first made India proud by winning the Miss World crown in 2000, and then became a leading Bollywood actress, followed by a rare successful crossover into Hollywood.

The PM, who was escorted on stage by Priyanka’s mother Madhu Chopra, gifted the newly-weds a rose each and shared some moments of laughter. He was dressed in a white kurta-pyjama with a black Nehru jacket. He remained on stage for about 10 minutes, meeting Nick and Priyanka’s families with folded hands and exchanging pleasantries.

Priyanka introduced her brother-in-law Joe Jonas and his to-be-wife, Game Of Thrones actress Sophie Turner - dressed in a beige lehenga - to Modi, saying, “Inki bhi shaadi hone waali hai (They are also going to get married).”

The couple of the night posed with panache, but also engaged in banter throughout the party even as guests queued up to meet them one after another.

Bollywood’s ‘desi girl’ was all smiles. “On a scale of 1 to 10 in happiness, I’m 12,” said, while Nick said, “I’m a fan of Indian weddings.”

Priyanka dazzled in an elegant shimmering Falguni and Shane Peacock ensemble with a multi-layered diamond necklace and earrings, with her hair neatly tied in a bun complete with white roses. She flaunted the chooratraditional red bangles worn by a Punjabi

bride - and sported vermillion. Nick was dressed in a velvet dinner jacket and completed the look with a bow tie.

The venue, the Durbar Hall at the Taj Palace Hotel, was done up elegantly with exotic white and soft pink flowers. The “NP” icon, which has remained a staple throughout the couple’s wedding, stood out on the elaborate stage.

Candles flickered away at different spots of the venue which was enlivened by the sound of live music and a free flow of cocktails and a wide variety of food.

There was also an element of quirk with a vintage car which read “Just Married”.

The gala evening was preceded by a three-day extravaganza in Jodhpur’s majestic Umaid Bhawan Palace, where Priyanka, 36, and Nick, 26, exchanged wedding vows as per Christian and Hindu rituals in two separate ceremonies.

Their pre-wedding rituals at the celebrations, which saw participation from just a little over 200 guests, included a “mehendi” ceremony. There was also a friendly cricket match between the two families, as well as a glitzy and power-packed musical evening.

Of her wedding, Priyanka, a National Award-winning actress who has made her name in Hollywood as the lead star in American show Quantico, told people. com of her wedding: “I love that our wedding was a religious mash-up. We took beautiful traditions that we both grew up with and personalised them in a way that made sense for us. It’s been incredible to find the commonalities between our beliefs and figuring out how to blend them in a respectful and meaningful way.”

There were 225 guests in all at the epic weekend wedding at the majestic Umaid Bhawan Palace. These included Nick’s brothers Kevin with wife Danielle, Joe with fiancee and actress Sophie Turner and Frankie along with Priyanka’s brother Siddharth.

The festivities - which also included a friendly cricket match - were all planned by Sandeep Khosla and Aditya Motwane, respective founder-owners of Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla and Motwane Entertainment & Weddings.

On 1 December, the day after the couple held a mehendi ceremony and a sangeet that night in which both families performed elaborate musical numbers, Priyanka and Nick were married in a Western ceremony on the palace’s lawn. Wearing a hand-beaded and embroidered Ralph Lauren gown with a veil that has been described as “football-field sized”, Priyanka looked ethereal as she was escorted down the aisle by her mother Madhu.

“It was all tears. All tears,” said the actress, who carried a bouquet of hyacinths and tuberoses designed by Jenya Flowers (NYC), which created the floral arrangements for the entire wedding party.

“I could not hold it in. I think I was nervous and scared. But as soon as the curtains opened, and I saw his face it was just like everything settled and I knew I was making the best decision of my life,” she told People magazine, which had exclusive access to the stars and their wedding photos and videos.

As for Nick, “the emotions were running high during the ceremonies”, especially during the Western wedding.

“You know you think your whole life about that moment. Honestly, I could not have imagined it would be as perfect as it was. It was highly emotional,” said the star of the former The Jonas

Brothers band.

For the Hindu wedding ceremony, Priyanka sported a deep red lehenga, choli and dupatta. She looked every bit the ‘desi’ bride with the chooda, kaleere and garland. Nick was dressed in a sherwani and a turban.

TWITTER TANTRUMS

Swoon-worthy pics aside, Twitter had its own tantrums at the Priyanka-Nick wedding jamboree. It began with the mehendi ceremony, and was all about the synchronised fireworks outside the grand Umaid Bhawan Palace venue.

You see, only weeks ago, Priyanka Chopra had starred in a social media campaign for the reduced use of fireworks to bring down Diwali pollution, so that asthamatics like her and numerous others would not suffer.

Oh, the hypocrisy, cried Twitter - while waiting breathlessly for more pics to come forth from the wedding.

And as soon as they did, it kicked up another fuss – a horse and an elephant at the wedding? How could you, Priyanka? Band, baaja, brutality, blah blah.

Then the sanskaari types got on the band-baaja wagon: white wedding, kya bakwaas?

Meanwhile, fashion police types bakwaas-ed that “ridiculously long”, “football-field sized” veil, and carefullystaged overhead drone shot (smirk)

And then later, when the delirious bride sent out her own messages of bliss (“Just us @nickjonas”, “And forever starts now”, and “Once upon a fairytale…”), Twitter was all “awwwww….”, with a few hundred thousand likes.

All in a social media day’s work, eh?

AISHWARYA RAI: MY TAKE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

So Aishwarya was a late-comer to social media (yes, you know that, followers and closet followers that you are). Well, she told Conde Nast Traveller India recently that she took her tome ‘cos she felt put off by the fat that people see it as a “barometric reflection of your popularity or status”.

U P-TO-DATE NEWS ON WHAT’S HOT AND HAPPENING IN BOLLYWOOD

PRIYANKA CHOPRA

Photo: AP

So far, she says, her social media journey has felt natural.

“I don’t post whatever happens through the course of the day because then it would become a job and then you’re constantly focusing only on the fruition of it, and not the actual experience. I need to be connected to my real life,” said Aishwarya.

Erm, wonder if Aish follows that prolific user, her respected father-in-law, on social media?

Anyway, what made her finally decide to take the plunge?

“The patience, prodding and perseverance of my well-wishers... I mean, it’s the way of the world; I get it. It’s (also) a business at the end of the day, but I didn’t want to get drawn into that entire world, the drama. That said, it’s a way of life, it’s the world in which our kids are growing up, it’s here to stay, and there’s nothing wrong with it.”

Sure you were not feeling left out a little, Aish?

DEEPVEER: WEDDING EUPHORIA CONTINUES

They called him the ‘boyfriend of the millennium’.

It looks like it’s a label the newly married Ranveer Singh doesn’t want to give up, since he now wants to be called ‘husband of the millennium’.

‘The millennium’ must be a very lucky girlfriend/wife, ha ha, sorry Deepika!

At the presser for the trailer launch

of his upcoming film Simmba, the scribes were still treating him like the bridegroom (of the millennium?)

Has Deepika seen the trailer, he was asked.

Yes she has, he replied. “She said, Hot lag raha hai (It looks hot)”.

Of course he also did the politically correct thing for the moment, and acted as the fan of the millennium – of all the (bigger) celebrities on the film he was spruiking. It’s the done thing, baba

About director Rohit Shetty, Ranveer said, “I have been a huge fan of Rohit Shetty sir since the beginning. He has made some of the greatest commercial cinema that we have ever seen. Golmaal, Singham and Chennai Express are some of my favourite films of all time.”

As for sharing the screen space with the top-billed Ajay Devgn, Ranveer said it was a dream come true.

“I have grown up watching Ajay sir’s films. He is one of my favourite actors and my screen idols. He is a legend. Working with him was so refreshing and he is such a down-to-earth, grounded and chilled-out person. I had the most wonderful experience and (carry) fond memories in my heart forever.”

He concluded, “Being part of Simmba, being a part of Rohit Shetty sir’s world, collaborating with Ajay sir is really a dream come true for me.”

All the boxes ticked, shabaash dude.

Now, if only Simmba can get the

‘opening of the millennium’ on 28 December.

ANOTHER BIOPIC: COSMONAUT RAKESH

SHARMA

Mahesh Mathai, who is directing Saare Jahaan Se Achcha - a biopic on India’s first cosmonaut Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (retd) - says he is an inspiring Indian hero.

He was speaking at the unveiling of a painting of Sharma at the Russian Embassy in Delhi in early December.

Sharma flew on board a Soyuz spacecraft in 1984 as part of an Soviet Interkosmos mission. His daring flight fired up the imagination of an entire generation. When asked by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, what India looked like from space, Sharma had uttered the now iconic words, “Saare jahaan se achcha”.

Bollywood producers Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur are making the film on the real-life hero, with a superstar set to play Rakesh Sharma. Recently, Aamir Khan, who was earlier slated to be a part of the project, had let slip that Shah Rukh Khan would now be doing the role.

However, Kapur has said they will soon announce officially, the name of the actor who plays the cosmonaut.

ON TWITTER THIS WEEK

Match the stars to the tweet that follow Parineeti Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Tapsee Pannu, Priyanka Chopra

And forever starts now

After whirlwind like crazy weeks I am finally off to a work holiday. While I show my two beautiful gems of this year, ‘Mulk’ and ‘Manmarziyaan’ to the festival audience, I shall enjoy visiting the unticked cities of Marrakesh and Florence in my bucket list.

Hear #Simmba roar on the telly ! Watch the #SimmbaTrailer today.

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

To all those speculating the joota hiding money - you know nothing!! All I can say is - you’re wrong!!!!! Haha. Nick was MORE THAN CRAZY HUGELY MADLY GENEROUS! No words. Still reeling. Phew. He shocked us. Whatta playa!!!

LAST ISSUE CAPTION CONTEST WINNER

SHAH RUKH KHAN

RANVEER SINGH

AISHWARYA RAI

How not to impress a woman

BY NURY VITACHI

Useful tip: guys, end every sentence you speak to a woman with the words, “But I could be wrong”. This saves time. Example: “Good morning! But I could be wrong.”

This thought was inspired by a recent news item. A man robbed a bank and then threw some of the money over singer Taylor Swift’s fence “to impress her”.

More evidence that most men have NO IDEA how women think.

Bruce Rowley was arrested as he left Taylor’s home in Rhode Island. Bruce, you do NOT impress wealthy women by throwing cash over the fences of their mansions. You throw property deeds, credit cards and in your case, I think vasectomy papers would be essential.

It reminded me of a case in India where a young man stole a train for his girlfriend. Ketan Kumar, 24, thought his beloved would be pleased to be presented with the 8.20 p.m. express to Amrapali. Sadly for him, both girlfriend and police were significantly unimpressed.

Ketan, buddy, you need to know more about how girls think. Big, ugly steaming lump of metal? Great for guys. But for girls? Not really.

A colleague, hearing about this column’s topic, forwarded me a news video from Chechnya. It shows a five-year-old boy walking down the street hand-in-hand with his girlfriend. To impress her, he breaks into a parked car, and then turns on the engine. The five-year-old girl, way smarter than her companion, swiftly backs away while he drives off, pursued by adults.

This all adds to the tonnes of evidence that males are born thinking women are impressed by extreme stupidity and immorality, and it takes us years - let’s be honest, decades - to realise this is not the case.

Young males should take advice from fathers of girls, who are forced to learn something about the young female brain. For example, I now know that fathering a daughter means pretending you’re thrilled when they spend half your salary having an eighth of an inch cut off their hair. The tricky thing is that they don’t tell you whether they’ve had an invisible haircut, their eyebrows plucked or a complete head transplant, but just burst through the door saying, “Dad, what do you think?” Of course you MUST reply: “It looks great” and then leave the country before there are any follow-up questions.

In fact, when a young woman asks her father for his opinion on any matter, what she is really saying is, “I wish to hear my opinion repeated in a deeper voice.”

Stop press: a colleague forwards another example. On April 24, several media reported that a man named Zach Doell decided to pick up his girlfriend from the University of Louisiana in a different funny vehicle every day, including the Batmobile, a

car that looked like a giant hot dog, and an ice cream van.

He thought this was highly impressive. His, er, thrilled girlfriend Brianna Garcia told the media it was “embarrassing”.

So there you have it. It is this columnist’s fervent hope that this information will help young men and young women understand each other and communicate better.

But I could be wrong.

‘You name it, we have it’ Spice

“Never try to impress a woman. Because if you do, she’ll expect you to keep up the standard for the rest of your life”

- WC Fields

My sister has a promising future

Aditi’s family wanted to know the Navy was a smart career choice. Now Aditi’s joined they’ve discovered her Navy engineering education and training is also recognised by many industries outside of the Australian Defence Force.

But that wasn’t the only thing they found out. In fact, the Navy is supportive of all backgrounds, cultures and beliefs.

Aditi works in one of many diverse roles, with great career advancement opportunities, offering her a rewarding career as a Marine Engineer Officer that makes her family proud.

Find out for yourself. Watch Aditi and Priya’s full story. defencejobs.gov.au/family

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