2018-12 Sydney (2)

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DECEMBER (2) 2018

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EDITORIAL

PUBLISHER Pawan Luthra EDITOR Rajni Anand Luthra

By a nose, on the nose, and to save a bloody nose

SOCIAL MEDIA Neha Malude MELBOURNE COORDINATOR Preeti Jabbal CONTRIBUTORS Sudarshan Arvind, Dipanjali Rao, Tasneem Zavery, Sudha Natarajan, Petra O’Neill, Auntyji ADVERTISING MANAGER Shriti Sinha 0410 578 146 ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Charuta Joshi 02 9279 2004

Indian 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:

INDIAN LINK MEDIA GROUP Level 24/44 Market St, Sydney 2000 GPO Box 108, Sydney 2001 Ph: 02 9279-2004 Fax: 02 9279-2005 Email: info@indianlink.com.au

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

2

019 is shaping up to be a year of election battles. For the Indian community in NSW, and particularly those interested in politics (and there are quite a few around), there will be much to discuss as not one but three elections - the NSW elections, Australian Federal elections and Indian elections - all scheduled for the first half of the year.

If one reads the tea leaves, the NSW Coalition is expected to win the March 2019 state elections by a nose. However their Federal counterparts are on the nose and Labor is all set to storm in. Meanwhile in India, the current BJP government will pull all stops to make sure it does not get a bloody nose in the country’s 17th Lok Sabha elections in April-May. The State coalition has done a fantastic job of kickstarting the local economy, given that when they took

over in 2011, there was paralysis in the ruling Labor Party with leaders changing from Morris Iemma to Nathan Rees to Kristina Kennelly. Somewhere along the line though, the Liberals in NSW have forgotten to articulate well enough what their achievements have been, while the issues on which they have ‘got it wrong’ have been magnified. The Premier Gladys Berejiklian connects well with the Indian community: what will be interesting to see is how her minders manage her engagement with the community. By current trends, the natural slide which happens after 8 years in government will play out in March 2019: it will be difficult to insulate the State Coalition brand name from Federal issues, leaving the local politicians to work harder to create their own persona to win the support of the public.

On the Federal side, while a week can be a long time in politics, by all accounts the next election is for the Australian Labor party to lose. Pressure points can include their call on negative gearing abolition, especially as the housing downturn worsens. The changes to franking credits system, again can cause voter concerns in volatile share market. But realistically, one would hope the Labor strategists can

work through the political issues and adapt accordingly. Barring a miracle (and yes, it is Christmas time), the writing is on the wall for the current Coalition government.

What will be the most fascinating however, will be the battle between the presidential styles of Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, back in India. Congress has just won three state elections in the Hindi heartland of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. According to commentators, one of the reasons for its success has been the ability for the party to claim the mantle of liberal Hinduism as compared to the far right Hinduism of the BJP. Hinduism is an accepting religion strengthened by centuries of absorbing a wide range of philosophies and tenets: while liberal Hinduism accepts that, the BJP’s version does not. The BJP took 282 seats of the Lok Sabha in 2014 - as opposed to the Congress’s 44 - and vowed to rule for 50 years. With the latest results in the three states, it will pull all stops to prevent a bloody nose next year.

On that note, we wish for peace and stability in 2019, and greater acceptance and tolerance between people.

In the meantime, seasons’ greetings, and safe and happy holidays.

Celebrating with friends or family?

If you’re drinking, don’t drive.

Every 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.

NATIONAL EDITION

DECEMBER (2) 2018 5

CONTENTS SPECIAL FEATURES REWIND 2018 Trends and trendsetters in Sydney’s Indian community

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SPECIAL FEATURE Our pick of Indian Link stories from 2018

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XMAS Dawoodi Mulsim community for Salvation Army

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SENIORS Kailash Bhatnagar: An artist at 94

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TRAVEL Singapore stopover

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6 DECEMBER (2) 2018

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COVER STORY

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Indian links in Sydney Festival 2019

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YOUR SAY

TOILET WARRIOR

PREETI JABBAL wrote about Melb-based social entrepreneur Mark Balla’s efforts to build basic facilities in rural India so that girls can stay in school Mayur Katariya wrote: Mark, it is interesting/mystical how some issues attract us to work on them, you may not have imagined in your wildest dream that this is what you’d do one day, here you are. Thank you so much for making a small but significant difference. I’m also trying to make a small difference wrt to transgender people’s access to education in India. It is sad how this 5 million strong community had no / will not have access to education. When others are thriving in India, they are being left behind.

A DAY AT THE CRICKET, OZ STYLE

NV KUMAR of India, a senior visiting relatives in Perth, writes to us about his experiences at Perth Stadium The Aussie supporters went “Smash him out of the ground!”, “Chop their head!” “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie Oi Oi Oi!” The Indian supporters went “India, India!” and “Kohli, Kohli!”

The dhols, the synchronised claps and roars, and the Mexican waves, all made it an enjoyable experience for me, a senior at my first test match in Australia.

The food outlets at each level were a sight to behold – beer and wine, fast food, hot and cold drinks, ice cream parlour. Plastic cup holders or trays with multiple glasses of beer kept coming out regularly. I couldn’t imagine drinking beer instead of water to quench the thirst.

An unusual sight for me to see the ladies as well indulging - not backward in piling up those empty glasses! One young lady close to me counted her glasses at the end of the day – ten.

Yes they piled up the glasses neatly, taking care to dump the cups and other discards in to bins.

Our men ie Indians too were enjoying their drinks mostly beer, and some Indian ladies too.

As I checked the price, I couldn’t even think of buying one, at $8.5 a cup. In INR, Rs 500. Yes I know one should not make this conversion at every step, but the devil mind never ceases to do it, and instructs not to buy!

The toilets were clean despite many visitors. The utility services staff were always in action, cleaning and mopping. Police and volunteers too obliged by helping to find gate or gallery.

Also interesting was the recess-time activities around the ground. The TV interviewer asked one woman on screen what she thought about the match. I don’t have a clue what’s going on, she replied.

Another interesting round by the roving interviewer had some couples kissing for the camera.

Unusual for me – and no, there was no gay action on camera.

A bit different, you could say, to being in the stands at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Lining up for ticket, going to stadium hours before, humorous slogans from the spectators, smiling at the families who brought home-cooked meals, listening to Bengali commentary alongside the live action - in the voice of the great Pushpenda…

It is indeed cricket that is the winner at the end of the day.

SAY IT AGAIN 8 DECEMBER (2) 2018

If anyone has seen a better player across all the different formats then I haven’t seen him .. @ imVkohli is incredible ...

Loved his ‘let the Bat do the talking’ celebration !!

Michael Vaughan

CAPTION CONTEST

What’s the chitchat here between Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas?

Shruti Arya wrote: Nick: I love how you care so much for India.

Covering the country in a mosquito net is so selfless.

Priyanka: Awww Nick, I did this all for you. Can’t have you getting dengue before all the wedding pics. We need to overshadow DeepVeer. I’m not letting Mastani steal my Bajirao away.

Preeti Jabbal wrote: To have and to hold, let’s break the typical marital mould, and have our wedding photos sold, as your beauty is a joy to behold. No wonder the world calls us ‘the beauty and the bold’.

Indy Saggu wrote: I wonder if I’ll become irrelevant in Bollywood too.

Ambika Girglani wrote: Do NOT step on my veil!

Harpal Narula wrote: It’s a vulgar display of wealth.

Monika Patel Kothari wrote: Our net income will be substantial now. Will get Ralph Lauren to sponsor our honeymoon too.

Vandana D’souza wrote: Priyanka, I meant to sweep you off your feet, not meant for you to sweep the floor!

Considering that the tail is wagging consistently, nowadays, Indian bowlers must try and have more concentration of good length balls and curb the excessive variation to lower order batsmen.

Sanjay Manrekar

www.indianlink.com.au

STUDENTS

Singing to his own tune HSC 2018: Kiran Gupta tops the state in Music 1 BY MANAN LUTHRA

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SC 2018 is all but finished, with one final agonising wait yet – for that ATAR, due tomorrow.

Kiran Gupta of Sydney Grammar School is experiencing mixed feelings alongside every single one of his peers. However, he can rest a little easier knowing his hard work in Music 1 has earned him a coveted “First in Place” award, beating thousands of other students across NSW. It must be particularly satisfying, given that enroute to that top rank, he had to overcome a serious medical condition that struck unawares.

“I was absolutely overjoyed and quite

NATIONAL EDITION

blown away [when I found out],” he tells Indian Link.

“Music is such a personal thing, it felt quite validating when people connected with my singing.”

A singer since he was 10 years old, and influenced by Delta Goodrem, Kiran’s love of music comes from an interest in -people.

“I find music to be a really good tool for connecting with both yourself and society. When you do this, it allows you to flip [social] boundaries and inspire social change.”

Inspired to study music because of his passion for it – “I wanted to do subjects I would enjoy (as much as you can enjoy an HSC subject)” – Kiran’s course is a highly practical one, where upto 70% of a student’s mark can come from a live performance of 5 pieces of their choosing. They may choose to perform these pieces either vocally or with their preferred instrument.

“My friends were doing more typical subject patterns, very maths- and scienceheavy. I find those weren’t really for me – I’m not particularly strong at them. Music was a good choice for me for that reason and also because it was a good break from the monotony of my other subjects.”

In the lead-up to his final music exams, Kiran’s study method was simple but effective.

“For the practical component, I was performing as much as I could to get as

much experience as possible. Doing that allowed me to increase my confidence for the final day.”

The numbers he picked were Why God Why (Miss Saigon), I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues (Elton John), She Cries (Songs for a new World), Anthem (Chess) “For my theory exam, I listened to a wide variety of music and made sure I was comfortable with any type of music they could ask me about. I’m glad I did – in the HSC exam they had a few questions on a Bollywood remix of Swedish House Mafia’s Don’t You Worry Child that many students hadn’t expected!”

However, right before his performance assessment, disaster struck.

“One day I woke up completely dizzy, throwing up and unable to walk. The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital put me right in the stroke ward. They found a lump under my tongue, and fearing lymphoma, put me straight into surgery. Later, I was diagnosed with acute cerebellar syndrome, a neurological condition. This condition affected my stamina so much I had to change one of my performance pieces that I had been working on for months before a week before the assessment.”

Going through this journey made this outcome even more special for Kiran, who would also go on to be nominated for Encore, a showcase of the best performances

by Music students across the state held at the

Opera House.

“It was quite a euphoric feeling, knowing that my hard work had paid off.”

How would he advise other youngsters in our community who want to do creative-type subjects but are discouraged because ‘they don’t scale well’?

“I would say, go for it. I go to a selective school and many people advised me not to do music because it doesn’t scale well.

Yet it ended up being my best scaled mark - which shows that if you have a passion for something, that is the most important thing.

If I did 4U Maths, I would not have got the results I got. I would say, follow your passions and the ATAR will come, because if you enjoy a subject you are going to do much better.”

As a singer, what tune has he caught himself humming today?

“Red in Black from Les Miserables – I’m currently performing at Manly Musical Society’s production, playing Joly one of the students.”

With his ATAR result still to come, Kiran has high hopes for the future.

“I would like to study Arts/Law at Sydney University, majoring in Media and Communications, but would still like to pursue music as a performer. My ultimate goal is to get a record deal and hopefully land a reality TV show or end up in musical theatre.”

His HSC in three words? “Challenging, stressful, doable.”

DECEMBER (2) 2018 9

COVER STORY

Indian links at SY

WHEN

12 January

WHERE

City Recital Hall

INDIAN CLASSICAL MEETS AUSTRALIAN JAZZ SHUBHA MUDGAL AND ANEESH PRADHAN presented by sandy evans and sirens big band

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adha and her son Siddhartha are finally ready to embrace their new lives in Sydney’s western suburbs, when a phone call form WHEN Colombo brings the past 11 January – spinning back to life.

2 Feb Sixteen actors play four generations of a family in a story about WHERE Australia as a land Sydney Town of refuge; Sri Lanka’s Hall efforts to remain united; and reconciliation within families, across countries, across generations.

An epic story of love and political strife, of home and exile, of parents and children.

Written by S. Shaktidharan, this powerful new play - in its world premiere is served with a communal meal.

10 DECEMBER (2) 2018

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ndia’s rich musical palette meets top Australian jazz talent, in a collaboration that includes revered Hindustani singer Shubha Mudgal, jazz saxophonist Sandy Evans, tabla maestro Aneesh Pradhan and his disciple Bobby Singh, and classical harmonium player Sudhir Nayak. They are accompanied by 17-piece jazz super-collective Sirens Big Band, who showcase Sydney’s leading female and trans musicians.

With music composed by Shubha Mudgal, Aneesh Pradhan and Sandy Evans, and recorded between Mumbai and Sydney, the Bridge of Dreams project is all about exchanging ideas between worldclass collaborators working in complex, ever-evolving genres.

Bridge of Dreams, in its world premiere at the Sydney Festival, spans everything from improvisational jazz to Hindustani, classical, Bollywood and Indipop.

A TAMIL TALE FROM SYDNEY COUNTING AND CRACKING

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SYDNEY FESTIVAL MALLAKHAMB INDIA

FREE EVENT

WHEN 11-13 January WHERE Prince Alfred Square, Parramatta

CHECK OUT ALSO

I

s it acrobatics, aerobics or gymnastics?

A kind of yoga, maybe?

Check it out for yourself and decide.

The ancient Indian sport of Mallakhamb comes to Sydney next month as part of Sydney Festival 2019, all dressed up as a work of art.

The show Mallakhamb India presents some incredible feats of daredevilry - and poise - as practitioners, extreme gymnasts, use vertical poles to show off their physical as well as mental prowess.

They climb, they slide, they hang, they twirl, they balance - as they grip the pole with their hands, feet, knees and toes.

Originating in Maharashtra around the 12th century, Mallakhamb is a little-known physical practice that is believed to have been prescribed as fitness routines for wrestlers.

‘Malla’ means wrestler and ‘khamb’ stands for pole, so the term could be translated to mean ‘pole wrestling’ or ‘the wrestler’s pole’.

NATIONAL EDITION

Like traditional wrestlers, practitioners wear a langot, grease their hands with castor oil or rosin, and remain barefoot.

Historical texts make mention of the Mallakhamb in ancient Vadodara, Nashik, Koture and Saptashringi, and there is some evidence to suggest the early practitioners were devotees of the monkey god Hanuman.

Macquarie University researcher Jon Burtt, writing in the International Journal of the Arts in Society (2010), traced Mallakhamb to the ancient text Manasollasa (1135AD), “a detailed instruction manual on the scholarship and military training of young Chalukyan princes, written by the Chalukyan King Somesvara III.” Today though, this ancient practice has evolved into a sport. Competitively, it is the same as modern gymnastics, where a bunch of judges score the routines of individual participants. There are pole, rope and hanging versions of Mallakhamb.

The sport came out of India for the first time in 1939, as an exhibition sport in the Berlin Olympics. It is believed Hitler himself was impressed enough with the gymnasts to present each one of them with an honorary medal.

As well, Mallakhamb has evolved into an artform. Artists have toured Australia frequently: they were at the Gold Coast earlier this year as part of the Commonwealth Games. Their new show, titled Mallakhamb India is a rare opportunity to see the form’s top artists from Mumbai, in a masterful show

by Australian director Benjamin Knapton, performing to a live soundtrack presented by Mumbai-based musician Donn Bhatt.

Knapton says in his directorial statement that Mallakhamb has been one of the highlights of his career. “Unlike previous presentations of Mallakhamb on the stage, which run for no longer than 6 minutes, this show has gone

Mallakhamb artists in Sydney Festival Talks Talking Circus: Through Different Lenses, 13 January at Riverside Theatre Parramatta. Free event.

through a long artistic development period to authentically transform the training practice into a work of art. The show is influenced by history and its relationship to now, the past and present of India, as well as the connection between our respective cultures.

This Mallakhamb show is physically brutal and tender, spiritual and irreverent, astounding and human. It is about the 6 artists that present it, their bodies and how they connect with the world around them.”

DECEMBER (2) 2018 11

COVER STORY

WHY WE LOVE SYDN 4

I N D IA N LI N

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ydney sparkles in January.

It’s not just the shining blue ocean water - or the cheers of Blue Army cricket fans this time round - but the cultural scene that comes alive with the annual Sydney Festival.

Every January, Sydney Festival starts the New Year with a bang, lighting up the city with a bold cultural celebration based on critical ideas and cutting-edge art and performance. The first Festival took place in 1977 and it has since grown to become one of Australia’s largest annual cultural celebrations.

This year’s edition of Sydney Festival boasts a few Indian links (see pages 10-11). It welcomes India’s top 5 Mallakhamba performers to Parramatta in MallakhambIndia and a fusion of big band jazz and Hindustani Indipop in Bridge of Dreams featuring the inimitable Shubha Mudgal. We hope you will go along to these, as well as the SriLankan story Counting and Cracking.

Over and above these three, we pick here our Top Ten favourites from Sydney Festival 2019.

1 Fly Me To The Moon

You’re invited to help mark the 50th anniversary of the moon landing by taking part in an epic city-wide achievement. Jump on your bike, alongside the rest of Sydney, and collectively cycle the 384,400 kilometres to the moon.

12 DECEMBER (2) 2018

7 You can take part in this slightly loony lunar expedition by peddling on the wild “flying bike” sculpture Lunar Velocipede created by arts company Erth Visual & Physical.

You can also get involved in organised rides or donate the kilometres from your daily bike travel or gym sessions.

Together, we’ll make it to the moon!

(9-27 Jan, World Square, Free event)

2 Nick Cave: Until

This is American artist Nick Cave’s largest, most thought-provoking and spectacular installation yet, speaking about gun violence and the race issue in his country. A world of shimmering crystals, thousands of beads, gilded pigs and a crocodile - that’s just a fraction of what you will see.

(23 Nov-3 March Carriageworks, Eveleigh. Free event)

3 Home

On an empty stage, a house rises before your eyes. People move in, move out, eat, sleep, love, argue, throw

a party; as though everyone who ever lived within the house were there together.

(9-18 Jan, Roslyn Packer Theatre)

4 Shanghai MiMi

An extravagant cabaret inspired by 1930s Shanghai, a city famous for its flamboyant clubs and heady nights. Combining Chinese jazz whilst dancers, acrobats, aerialists and singers give a thrilling performance.

(10-20 Jan, Riverside Theatre, Parramatta)

5 Sydney Symphony Under the Stars

The perfect evening to pack a hamper, grab a blanket and settle back in the Sydney summer dusk to enjoy the beautiful music of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

(19 Jan, Parramatta Park, Free event)

6 In the Heights

This quadruple Tony Award winning musical tells a joyous summer tale

about family, community and chasing your dreams while staying true to your roots. Set in Manhattan’s vibrant Hispanic-American community.

(16-20 Jan, Sydney Opera House)

7 Heliosphere

So you always wanted to fly. Check out this guy who gets to do so! A giant, moon-like helium sphere suspends a talented aerialist 20 metres above the crowd: he swoops down to shake hands with audience members one minute, and soars back up to the skyline the next.

(11-13 Jan, Prince Alfred Square, Parramatta; 16-26 Jan, Barrangaroo South, Free event)

8 Pigalle

A fusion of burlesque, circus and disco with a ‘70s soundtrack. An international cast perform a glittering and raucous night on the town.

(8-27 Jan, Spiegeltent, Festival Garden in Sydney CBD)

www.indianlink.com.au

NEY IN THE SUMMER 6

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9 Article 14.1

“Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.” Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 14.1 Watch as Australian artist Phuong Ngo builds thousands of origami boats: it’s his way of reliving his parents’ momentous journey from Vietnam in 1981. Listen to recorded interviews with Vietnamese refugees.

On the tenth and last night of the performance, a boat burning ceremony at sunset will pay tribute to those lost at sea.

(14-23 Jan, Museum of Contemporary Art. Free event)

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10 The Vigil Gather at dusk at

Barangaroo Reserve on 25 January for the lighting of the fire. A vigil will be held overnight to reflect on the impact of colonisation in Australia, the significance of the day before the First Fleet arrived, and what happened after. Hear musical performances and stories of Country from current and future community Elders. (Free event)

For more details about Sydney Festival (9-27 Jan), visit sydneyfestival.org.au NATIONAL EDITION

2 DECEMBER (2) 2018 13

REWIND 2018

Trends and trendsett The year that was for Sydney’s Indian community

taken up in practice, remains to be seen.

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

W

hat made our community buzz – or not – this year? Here’s our take on events and issues in 2018 that had us talking.

India-Oz

At bilateral level between the India and Australia, there was movement at the station, with many high-level visits to and fro, not the least being the two head-of-state visits: Gov Gen Peter Cosgrove to India and President Ram Nath Kovind to Australia.

(NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Governor of Victoria Linda Dassau were other high-profile visits from Australia).

The Kovind visit - the first ever by an Indian President - is definitely the highlight of the year for Australia’s Indian community.

The release of Peter Varghese’s report on a proposed strategy for engaging with India caused much excitement at the discussion level in business and education circles, even as the mainstream press made a bit of a deal about the scaled-down manner in which it was first launched. The wisdom in the report for the scaling up of economic engagement – how urgently that will be 14 DECEMBER (2) 2018

Newsmakers

Like previous years, we saw yet another bunch of high achievers from the community in the Honours lists for Australia Day and Queen’s Birthday. Leading lights came yet again from the sciences and the medical profession. Congrats to Dr Mukesh Haikerwal AC, Dr Vanita Rajul Parekh AM, Prof Sharad Kumar AM, Prof Jai Singh AM, Prof. Ram Chander Dalal AM, and Dr Sudarshan Sachdev OAM. In strong contrast though, next-gen kids are impressing by following their passions in creative fields rather than sticking to timehonoured choices in subjects at high school or in their career choice. They are excelling at school in the creative arts courses like music, drama and writing just as much as our kids always have in science and maths. Is their belief in themselves stronger than previous generations so that they are able to convince their more conservative parents, or are parents now more willing to allow their kids to make their own choice?

Both, perhaps. Congrats to Varun George (Bradman Cricket Scholar), Sagar Nagaraj (AWO musician) and Kiran Gupta (topranked HSC student in Music 1). Will these creatively-oriented kids go on to fill the Honours lists in another 20 years’ time and change the racial stereotype? Who knows!

Meanwhile, for those who campaign for increased participation in STEM, there’s

no doubt our community will continue to deliver: kudos this year to 16-year-old Angelina Arora (inventor of an eco-friendly prawn shell based plastic).

Business and trade with India

Fruits are there for the taking, and Peter Varghese in his India Economic Strategy reminded us of this in no uncertain terms.

DFAT, Australia India Council and Australia India Business Council have been working hard to give this report more oxygen with limited help from the political leaders in Canberra. Trade with India still ranks far below with China and perhaps the expected government change in Canberra (as most polls are predicting) can be a circuit breaker. AIBC needs to lead the charge and its leadership will be crucial in the next year.

Meanwhile the Australia India Youth Dialogue (AIYD) has been surprising with some gems – wonderfully bilateral, their annual conference this year in India came up with some workable ideas in areas of need, and seemed to be a rewarding experience for those engaged in helping to build relationships between people interested in the India-Oz story, itself a great outcome.

The Mela scene

This has proliferated to such an extent that - no exaggeration - there’s been a fair bit of mela-fatigue this year.

The time has come for one event commemorating India’s Independence. It doesn’t really make sense to have multiple events, celebrated in a far-off land, and also for events to go on for a fortnight.

While no doubt such a mushrooming of fair-based day-long events is good for the community as it gives them a variety to choose form - and venues that could be closer to home - for the businesses that support these events, it is getting harder to attend each, that too on successive weekends. Not to mention the politician types who have to rock up to each and think up a different speech each time. That said, the community is surely the winner here. At Diwali for instance, you could choose from an entire gamut of events: Blacktown Mela, well before Diwali, was craft-based and therefore good for picking up bargain gifts; CIA’s event was fashioned as a street fair, and AHIA chose a classy sit-down affair.

The Hindu Council of Australia’s two-day event, touted as the flagship Diwali event in Sydney, floundered this year with nothing new or exciting to offer even though PM Scott Morrison attended. FIAN’s inaugural event suffered from an identity crisis of sorts, other than being an also-ran. More fun, it seems, was had at the smaller, less formal, no-celebrity events held in pockets across the community.

Regarding Holi, the cleverer organisers have cottoned on to the most basic community need: an opportunity to actually

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ters

Indian Link’s Person of the Year: Consul General of India (Sydney) B Vanlalvawna

Vawna and Rosy with their son Daniel

Consul General B. Vanlalvawna, “call me Vawna”, is currently on a round of multiple send-off events as his tenure ends in a few weeks’ time. Having represented his government with much distinction in NSW and in SA, his work in creating a better understanding of India at all levels of government including the local council levels, will pay dividends in the months to come.

His relentless telling of the story of contemporary India, and the possibilities of promise in the bilateral relationship, both seem to have struck a chord with those towards whom they were intended.

He also won the admiration of the local Indian community like few other Indian government officers in his position. His regular presence at various events across the community, and his gently but sincerely delivered speeches specific to the audience he addressed, never failed to impress.

His wife Rosy Khuma Bawitlung played a major role in reaching out to the community in her own right as well as in supporting Vawna, and together they made a power couple in Sydney’s Indian community.

Soon to depart our shores to take up his position as India’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, his contribution to the local Indian Australian fabric wins him the accolade of Indian Link’s 2018 Person of the year. play Holi in an open field with coloured powder, to nonstop dance and music.

Classical events, politicians’ speeches, sponsors collecting plaques up on stage – who needs these when all you want to do is enjoy the celebration?!

In our other large-scale events, Parramasala continued its downward spiral even faster than last year, and Confluence all but bypassed Sydney in 2018 and went straight to Melbourne.

The big wet, and the big dry

Unprecedented floods in parts of India, and unprecedented drought in parts of Oz. As Indians, we are used to extremes. And we got on with it – the community rose to help both sections of our people. As the Keralite community organised its fundraising, the rest of us, those in the mainstream included, came out in full support. And as farmers in NSW and Queensland struggled, a group of senior leaders from United Indian Associations (UIA) set off for a march from Sydney to Canberra, to raise awareness of the draught conditions.

Though they fell well short of their ambitious target of raising over $150,000, they did raise the bar on thinking big and creating a stronger bond between the local Indian diaspora and the Australian community.

Community trends: Connecting virtually

If you’ve so far been untouched by Facebook NATIONAL EDITION

and WhatsApp community groups, then it’s time to acknowledge you are out of touch with the times. The community associations of yore, so vital to our social lives in the early years, might be a dying institution as people choose now to associate virtually. The plethora of online groups out there serve many settlement needs, help keep in touch with events and movements ‘back home’, and often also end up entertaining with their quirky presentations. Of course the danger is ever present that these groups might actually turn the community inwards, by virtue of their exclusive nature and preventing the flow of ideas from other sources.

Entertainment

Thumbs up to the rising trend of tours by stand-up comics from India. These events are jam-packed with 20-somethings, and old-timers who consider themselves the ‘leaders’ of the community will be baffled at an entirely new section of Indian-Australians that they did not even knew existed. The events are neatly organised, and the talent itself, highly commendable.

Thumbs down to the rising trend of ‘beauty pageants’ and contests of Mr and Mrs Whatevers (they seem frivolous and add no value to the community fabric), and to the ‘meet and greet’ type events run by small-time organisers who tie up with a B-list celebrity from Bollywood and hold a ticketed dinner (and a selfie parade) at a western suburbs restaurant.

No big-time act from India was worth writing home about: Southern star Mohanlal, eagerly awaited, fell short of expectations with that unfortunate lipsyncing allegation made by some attendees.

In this landscape, mainstream platforms may actually be serving the need better.

The Sydney Film Festival brought out some cutting edge presentations (Manto, Mehsampur) as well as talent that is appreciated by a worldwide audience such as the fabulous actor-filmmaker Nandita Das. The Sydney Festival also needs to be lauded for bringing out some wonderful traditional arts such as Mallakhamb, packaged innovatively as entertainment (think also Rajasthani music by the Manganiyars; and the temple drummers of Kerala who cooked payasam on stage to beautiful choreography, for the audience to savour later).

Indeed, it was a mainstream platform that brought to our shores again this year, India’s sweetheart Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

From within our community in Australia we got our first-time ever Indian winner in MasterChef 2018, even though Sashi Chelliah identifies more as Singaporean. The series continues to present ongoing Indian links that make a mark in their own way, such as Loki Madireddi this year.

Sport

Cricket Australia has had a tough year and is battling declining public interest in its ventures. To the rescue has come the

Indian cricket team which is providing a fascinating test series. It seems Virat Kohli has grown on the Australians – he is tough, yet fair according to the commentators of the game. It is also good to see diversity in the commentary box with the change in broadcasting rights from Channel 9 to Channel 7 and Fox Sports. Former UK cricketer Isa Guha is a delight to hear as a commentator.

The Commonwealth Games proved that flashes of brilliance are coming through in other arenas of sport as well with India third on the list of medal winners.

Meanwhile locally, the Australian Sikh Games is growing in stature and reach every year, with a strong community feel and strong participation.

LGBTQI The LGBTQI community had much to celebrate as the contentious 377 was finally abolished in India, and that too so soon after the Yes vote right here in Australia.

The onus is on the wider community now to allow this marginalised section to flourish, in both lands.

And finally…

Congrats to us, for taking out the Best Publication of the Year award at the NSW Premier’s Media and Communications Awards 2018 - a fantastic way to start our 25th year.

DECEMBER (2) 2018 15

WORK

WORK

Out of this world Arvind Ramana on his work in Australia’s emerging space industry BY SUDARSHAN ARVIND

C

hennai-born and Canberra-based Arvind Ramana leads a team at UNSW Canberra Space that is helping to propel the Australian space sector into the stratosphere. Its pioneering BRMM (Buccaneer Risk Mitigation Mission) satellite, produced as a collaboration between UNSW Canberra Space and the Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group has been fully designed, built and tested on Australian shores. Travelling at an eye-watering speed of 7km/second and orbiting at an altitude of 550km, it has sent back the first ever image of Australia captured from space by an Australian satellite.

The stunningly compact, “milk-carton sized” machine will provide “valuable assistance to the Australian Defence Force in safeguarding the borders”, Ramana told Indian Link, helping to calibrate the Jindalee Operational Radar Network which is currently in place to monitor sea and air movements in Australian territory.

He added, “The satellite also has key applications in Space Situational Awareness and Ionospheric research, which will propel our ever-growing knowledge-base in the field.”

Since migrating to Canberra from Singapore in 2015, Arvind Ramana has headed the Embedded Systems and Flight Software Team at UNSW Canberra Space, the UNSW’s campus at the Australian Defence Force Academy, a world-class conglomeration of academics and professionals that has spearheaded the emergence of Australia’s space industry on the global stage. Graduating with a degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Anna University (Chennai), Ramana’s academic and professional journey has taken him from India to Singapore and finally Australia.

“Coming from the land of APJ Abdul Kalam, space has always been of huge interest to me,” Ramana revealed when looking back on the origins of his passion in the field. “When studying at Nanyang Technological University Singapore, the opportunity to work in the sector presented itself, and I haven’t let go of it since.”

While at Singapore, he worked on designing and developing various hardware subsystems including mission critical on-board computers and digital design for TeLEOS-1 satellite (Singapore’s first commercial earth observation satellite).

He is a strong advocate for Australia’s involvement in space and acknowledges some of the crucial contributions the country has made over the years.

“Australia has played a huge supporting role in major space programs including the famous moon landings. The industry has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years with successful satellite missions, cutting edge research in Space situational

16 DECEMBER (2) 2018

awareness and the recent establishment of the Australian Space Agency,” he explained.

According to Ramana, Australia’s strengths in the field derive from its “facilities and skill sets in spacecraft operations, radar technology, data processing and analysis (which are) phenomenal and recognised worldwide”.

Speaking about the motivation behind his team’s BRMM satellite, he stated that “UNSW Canberra Space has always been interested in applications of space research that are directly beneficial to a better Earth.”

Not merely satisfied with the incredibly high quality of research data produced by the UNSW Canberra Space laboratories, he pointed out that his team is also deeply entrenched in a mission to develop a local ecosystem of space capability in Australia.

“We are working very closely with the local scientific community and organising various STEM outreach events to make sure that the younger generation also gets inspired by Space Engineering and Research”.

Ramana is particularly excited about the local Indian community’s enthusiastic involvement in this field.

“Many of our outreach events see a good share of local Indian community participation and I can also see a lot of local Indian uni students showing initiative to get involved with our team’s projects as well.”

Looking beyond the operation of the BRMM satellite which is one of the key current priorities of the UNSW Canberra Space labs, Ramana’s team has been “busy developing the [upcoming] M1 and M2 satellite missions. M1 will be launched in the next couple of days while M2 is anticipated to launch in June 2019.”

Both satellites will have wide-reaching applications including ship and aircraft detection, as well as providing an opportunity to test “in-house developed technology”.

Ramana with Buccaneer, a “milk carton” sized satellite that has just marked its first birthday in space

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DECEMBER 2018 7

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NATIONAL EDITION

DECEMBER (2) 2018 17

INDIAN NEWS India’s Pusarla V. Sindhu wins the HSBC Badminton World Tour Finals in Guangzhou, 16 Dec 2018, defeating Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 21-19, 21-17.

Photo: AP

“soft” Hindutva, but also in the economic field, the unforgiving people of India, who are increasingly becoming impatient for quick results, will have no hesitation in dumping the Congress.

The Congress president’s problem is that he will have carry with him his allies in the mahagathbandhan - if and when the grand alliance is formed - and so he cannot make unilateral announcements on key issues.

But he must remember that the eagerness with which many of them court foreign investors shows that the earlier aversion of the average politician to capitalism is dying out.

Rahul Gandhi will have to state whether he shares their views or still considers himself to be a foot soldier of the Niyamgiri tribals of Odisha who ensured the eviction of investors from their sacred hills.

(By Amulya Ganguli, political analyst)

Now comes the hard part for the Congress

Winning, although narrowly in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, was the easy part for the Congress.

The favourable signals were there from the party’s earlier by-election victories in the two states. But despite the Congress’s latest success, what must be worrying for the party is that it missed losing by a hair’s breadth, given how close the voting percentages were for the two contenders - 39.3 per cent for the Congress in Rajasthan against 38.8 for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 40.9 per cent in Madhya Pradesh for the Congress against the BJP’s 41.

This shows that the Congress doesn’t have a moment to lose to show that it can provide better governance than its predecessor. There is no time for the party to bask in the glory of having risen like a phoenix from the ashes of the 2014 drubbing. It has to hit the ground running.

It will not do for the Congress to bank only on populist measure like loan waivers for farmers which are frowned upon by economists as sops which ultimately help neither the farmers nor the agricultural economy. The loan waivers are in line with Sonia Gandhi’s favourite rural employment scheme of the Manmohan Singh government which was of no help to the party in 2014.

Nor will the pursuit of a “soft” Hindutva line to project the Congress as a BJP minus the gau rakshaks be of any help. Instead, the party will have to take definitive steps to demonstrate that it means business in dealing with agrarian distress and unemployment - the two main factors which brought about the BJP’s downfall.

Neither will be easy for a state government, especially when there is an unfriendly regime at the centre, waiting to see how it fumbles. But an emphasis on irrigation and groundwater and surface water management can underline the state government’s serious intent.

An expansion of the formal credit facilities can also reduce the dependence of the farmers on rapacious money-lenders, as can efforts to ensure that the routine subsidies are not misappropriated by the richer farmers.

Similarly, joblessness can be partly alleviated by helping in the growth of small and medium businesses in states which 18 DECEMBER (2) 2018

haven’t yet been able to shed the damaging BIMARU tag of being “sick” where the social and economic indicators are concerned.

But, in addition to such initiatives which are within the capabilities of the state governments, it is time that the Congress at the national level outlines its broad economic vision, which has been hazy so far as was evident from Rahul Gandhi’s reluctance to specify what he means when he talks of supporting farmers, creating jobs and extending health care, as he did at the London School of Economics last summer.

The Congress and its president will have to realise that such generalities no longer pay political dividends. The voters, especially the youth, are interested in specifics, including the spelling out of targets.

Since the problem with the Congress is that it has been unable to make up its mind between populist and pro-market policies, it appears to be suspended mid-air where economics is concerned with no one knowing what to expect from a Congress government - a return to Manmohan Singh’s economic reforms or to Sonia Gandhi’s focus on freebees.

So far, the Congress governments in Punjab and Karnataka have been run-of-the-mill ones with little to show them as result-oriented, especially in the matter of bolstering the economy.

But now that three more states have come under the party’s aegis, there has to be greater focus in its policies instead of a recourse to homilies.

For Rahul, the unambiguous projection of an economic direction in the run-up to the next general election will be a bigger test than containing the Congress’ age-old malady of internal factionalism dating to the TilakGokhale split of 1907.

If Modi is perceived to be faltering, it is because he tried to tackle the country’s economic ills with patchwork repairs like opening myriad bank accounts, providing direct cash transfers for cooking gas cylinders, extending rural electrification and undertaking faster highway construction. But he failed in carrying out what are called “big bang” reforms to rejuvenate the economy, which was the expectation behind his 2014 success.

If Rahul, too, is found to be following in the BJP’s footsteps not only in pursuing

Amitav Ghosh first English writer to bag Jnanpith Award

In a first recognition for an English writer, Amitav Ghosh has been announced as this year’s Jnanpith Award winner for “outstanding contribution towards literature”.

The 1956, Kolkata-born author was described as a “path-breaking novelist” by Bharatiya Jnanpith. The awarding body said that Ghosh, in his novels, treads through historical settings to the modern era and weaves a space where the past connects with the present in relevant ways.

“His fiction is endowed with extraordinary depth and substance through his academic training as a historian and a social anthropologist. His major thematic concerns include migration and interconnections across places, cultures and races, and human distress and suffering caused by historical turbulences, especially at the level of girmitiyas, coolies and lascars,” Bharatiya Jnanpith said in a statement.

Ghosh has explored several Indian protagonists ranging across a wide international field, including Bangladesh, England, Egypt and Myanmar in both his fictional and discursive writings.

Some of his celebrated works include The Circle of Reason, The Shadow Lines, The Calcutta Chromosome, The Glass Palace, The Hungry Tide and the Ibis trilogy that includes Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke and Flood of Fire.

All the previous winners of the much coveted award have been writers in Indian languages, making Ghosh the first writer in English its winner.

India to open another bridge near China border on 25 Dec

Bogibeel Bridge, the longest rail-cum-road bridge on Brahmaputra river, is all set to be inaugurated on December 25 by PM Narendra Modi. The bridge will facilitate faster movement of troops to Arunachal Pradesh, the country’s eastern-most state that shares border with China.

The foundation stone of the bridge was laid in 1997 by the then Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. The construction, however, started only in 2002 when then (late) Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated the construction works.

The 4.98 km-long bridge will not only reduce the distance for the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam but also

facilitate faster movement of troops and supplies to the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.

Chief Engineer of the Northeast Frontier (NF) Railway’s Bogibeel Project, Mahendra Singh said 99% of the bridge’s construction work has been completed. The rest of the work which includes ‘final finish’ would be done before December 20.

Aussie duo’s journey to discover their Indian roots

This is the family tale of three adventurous Australians - Susan Glasfurd and her elder brother Peter Glasfurd (and his wife Jennifer) - who were on a mission to trace their missing roots in Incredible India.

They travelled to India in November, clueless about where to look, finally found the rich legacy of their forefathers and managed to pay homage to them at Sironcha in Maharashtra, thanks to “the wonderful Indian hospitality”.

The brother-sister duo had grown up on a large farming property in Western Australia, but their hearts had always yearned for India, where their forefathers had lived many years ago. Their father was born in Poona (now Pune), his father and two uncles were born in the adjacent Matheran hill station and his grandfather was also born in India (but it’s not exactly clear where) as were earlier generations.

“Our father told us so many tales, they were never ending. But we knew he was a great story-teller, and where was this place India anyway? As children, to us it seemed like just another of his exciting fairytales,” Susan said.

“However, we yearned to visit this place to retrace our family history. We had heard of stories of the forts, the tribes, the fleet, the magistrates, the commissioners and the story of their return to their ancestral homes in Scotland. We have also seen their homesickness and their regret over leaving their adopted country which at times became overwhelming,” she added.

“We came to India but the basic question was: Where to start? We knew of a village named after our great grandfather, Charles Robertson Lamont Glasfurd, an engineer and surveyor and commissioner here in India. We decided that we would, if possible, discover the village,” Susan explained.

They did manage to hit paydirt in Jaipur.

Their local tour operator, Manoj Vardhan, located the village - Glasfard Petha - and also suggested a plan to reach Sironcha, an offthe-beaten-track place located in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, bordering Telangana.

“Our father, Duncan Angus Glasfurd, was born in Pune and spent a long time at various places in this country. He narrated stories which became the inspiration to explore our family history. Duncan John Glasfurd was our grandfather who rose to become a general in the army. Charles Robertson Lamont Glasfurd was our great grandfather who served as Commissioner at Sironcha. It was an important place ruled by the Nizam of Hyderabad during late 19th century,” Susan said.

“Our first port of call was Glasfard Petha.

The welcome we received was beyond description,” she said.

“We walked with the headman and the school teacher along the track between the

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An Indian cake artist gives the finishing touch to ‘Flower’ crafted out of sugar bricks, sugar paste, and cakes, at the 44th annual Cake Exhibition for the upcoming Christmas season in Bangalore, 13 Dec 2018. Photo: AP

houses, noting that it was a neat, tidy and clean little village. It was a very emotional time for us. The whole village escorted us back to the car,” Susan said.

While on our way, we had discovered that Charles had built a house on the highest point of Sironcha out of the stones of a derelict ruin and sure enough there it was in all its glory still standing and now a government guest house. We managed a full tour of this house as well,” Susan said.

“We were here to find history from fragments of historical notes, here to piece them together and create a story for our family history; and it was here that we discovered why our ancestors had such emotionally strong ties to India. This is a holiday that will remain in our hearts for all time,” Susan concluded.

NFR achieves rare feat in construction of world’s tallest bridge

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has constructed a 100 meter tall pier in the world’s tallest railway bridge being built near Noney in Manipur.

An NFR spokesman said, “The bridge is being constructed as part of the 111-km-long Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal new broad gauge line project. The project picked up momentum in the last three years due to its importance as a National Project.”

He added that there are 45 tunnels in the project, the longest being of 10.280 km.

“The tunnel will also be the longest railway tunnel in the northeast,” he stated.

The Noney Bridge is being constructed across the valley of river Ijai near Noney with a pier height of 141 meters.

“On completion, the bridge is expected to exceed the existing record of 139 meter of Mala-Rijeka viaduct in Montenegro in Europe. The total length of the bridge will be 703 meters,” he said.

Now, lifetime achievement award for Shashi Tharoor

The Crossword Book Award announced recently that its jury has unanimously nominated Shashi Tharoor for the Lifetime achievement award.

Crossword Book Award introduced the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, which was conferred upon Ruskin Bond by Gulzar. In 2017, Sudha Murty was presented the award by leading cardiac surgeon Dr Ramakanta Panda.

Crossword, in the past, has also awarded Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Amitav Ghosh and Kiran Desai.

Tharoor said he was looking forward to receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award later this month. “I see this as an acknowledgement of more than five decades of published writing and eighteen books. I have always seen my writing, both fiction and non-fiction, as a contribution to the national conversation about the ideas and issues that matter in the unending struggle to define India’s soul. That contribution continues,” the 62-year-old said in a statement.

Mauritius to organise Gita Mahotsav in 2019

Mauritius will organise a Gita Mahotsav in NATIONAL EDITION

February 2019, the country’s acting President, Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory has said.

Speaking at the inauguration of threeday International Seminar on Making New India-Insight of Shrimad Bhagvad Gita being organised as part of International Gita Mahotsav at Kurukshetra, Vyapoory said the teaching of sacred Gita is as relevant today as it has been when Lord Krishna delivered celestial message of Gita to Lord Arjuna in the battlefield about 5,300 years ago.

He said a delegation from India has also been invited for the event. Mauritius is the partner country and Gujarat is the partner state in the ‘International Gita Mahotsav 2018’ inaugurated in Kurukshetra.

All-women construction group builds a Kerala house

In a small, tucked-away village in Kerala stands a 475-square feet house which is known across the region not because of who owns it, but because of those who built it.

And it’s not a building constructed by some famous architect but by a group of 20 dailywage workers -- all of them women.

This 20-member all-women group, Nirmanashree Constructions, is challenging building-industry stereotypes and has broken the glass ceiling in a male-dominated

sector by completing their first building at Elamdesham village in Kerala’s Idukki district. In a matter of less than two months, these women, most of whom belong to the nearby Velliyamattom village, got trained to become qualified masons, good enough to take on their male counterparts. Not only did they complete the building as part of their training, they are already in final stages of talks for their next project.

Although women constitute half of the construction labour force in the country, they are relegated to menial work with skills like masonry, carpentry and others considered to be men’s domain.

“Thanks to our Velliyamattom village council president Sheeba Rajasekheran, we have turned professional,” Suja, 43, who left college to get married after failing her B.Com examinations, said.

Rajasekheran, who also looks after the Kerala government’s women’s empowerment programme Kudumbashree, first called a meeting and mooted the idea of training interested women to become masons.

She also got in touch with the Kottayamheadquartered Archana Women’s Centre (AWC), which specialises in running training programmes for empowering women through imparting of new skills. The AWC

brought with them a qualified civil engineer, Priyanka, and an experienced male mason, who provided guidance.

Bindu, 40, said, “There were a few days of classroom teaching, where we were taught everything about the construction process and skills. Then we were straight away taken to the site, where we were told that we have to build the house. It was not an easy task, but we were determined and soon it became a pleasure to see the work progress.”

The women first designed the layout of the house on paper and then, under the guidance of newly-graduated civil engineer Priyanka, they started the construction process wearing shirts over their salwar kameezes and towels wrapped around their heads.

“It was a great experience thereafter for them as well as for me,” Priyanka said, adding that while they were guided by an experienced male mason, women executed all the work -- right from laying the foundation to building walls, setting the roof, and plaster and painting work.

Rajasekheran added that through this initiative, the intention is to provide skills to women and ensure they are able to earn a sustainable income without depending on others.

IANS DECEMBER (2) 2018 19

SPECIAL FEATURE

Worth Our pircieks o t s f o reading from thr is ea y again

Desert in the sky

MARIA VISCONTI on Ladakh’s Zanskar Valley

Recycled garden

JYOTI SHANKAR on jugaad in the backyard

Sari-clad Indian doctor RAJNI MADAN on Adelaide’s Jayalakshmi Gopalakrishna, who marked 50 years as a GP this year

She came, we saw, she conquered

KALYANI WAKHARE on the Sydney visit of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

How Gandhi would navigate a post-truth world

RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA’s report on Indian journalist and political commentator Shoma Chaudhury’s address at UNSW’s Gandhi Oration

#PowerOfYouth

HARSHAD PANDHARIPANDE on the role of the Australia India Youth Dialogue in the bilateral relationship

My child is in a combined class

VINAYA RAI on the positives of learning in a multi-age classroom

Taking surf rescue to India PETRA O’NEILL on Coogee lifesaver Doug Hawkins’ efforts in Mangalore

20 DECEMBER (2) 2018

An influx of internationals

End of an era

RITAM MITRA on the talent from Pakistan and Afghanistan that made it to this year’s BBL

HARSHAD PANDHARIPANDE on the closing down of the India Tourism office after 50 years

India slams door on ABC Radio

Dragons and elephants

HARSHAD PANDHARIPANDE on the suggestion that the Four Corners story on Adani had something to do with the refusal of visa to Phillip Adams’ radio team

Fantastic plastic

JYOTI SHANKAR on 15-year-old Angelina Arora’s eco-friendly plastic developed from prawn shells

Coming out of the shadows

HARSHAD PANDHARIPANDE on filmmaker Sridhar Rangayan’s Evening Shadows which premiered at the Sydney Mardi Gras

Time’s up for complacency

ANEETA MENON on why men must fight structural inequality just as strongly as women

Let women be angry

APARNA ANANTHUNI on how angry women will change the world

Why NOT to be a domestic goddess DIPANJALI RAO on why our gendered expectations need to change

CHITRA SUDRASHAN’s review of a collection of books on China and India

Indian films, Aussie critic

EMIE ROY on Brisbane YouTuber Corrie Hinschen’s reviews of Indian films

Australian honours

Our series on this year’s Australian government honours for our scientists, researchers and doctors Mukesh Haikerwal, Dr Vanita Rajul Parekh, Prof.

Sharad Kumar, Prof Jai Singh, Prof. Ram Chander Dalal, Dr Sudarshan Sachdev

The myth of inglorious war

AVI CHANDIOK on superstar dancer Akram Khan’s Xenos, a haunting tribute to the Indian soldiers of World War I

Gold rush

Our comprehensive wrap-up of the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast which saw India finish in the top 3 with 66 medals

Indian Anzacs

RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA on Indian veterans’ call for a commemoration in India along the lines of ANZAC Day

Music as spirituality

RAJNI MADAN on Alan Posselt’s path of

transformation from classical guitarist to sitarist

Media diversity: Walking the talk

VIRAT NEHRU on why repeat discussion panels about diversity achieve little

The Delaneys of Delhi

HAMIDA PARKAR on an Aussie family that calls a Delhi slum home

Having the last laugh

PREETI JABBAL on Indian comics at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Calling your inner Manto

CHARUTA JOSHI and RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA’s interview with Nandita Das, director of the film Manto which screened at the Sydney Film Festival

When creativity kills

HAMIDA PARKAR on the two Indian presentations at the Sydney Film Festival – Manto and Mehsampur – both about free speech

Winning pins and hearts

NEHA MALUDE’s interview with Sashi Chelliah, winner of MasterChef 2018

A little bit of your time

HARSHAD PANDHARIPANDE on the emotional and financial abuse faced by community seniors, and their pursuit of dignity in the face of it all

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GUST (1) 11 (1) AU Vol.25 No.

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Practice makes perfectly imperfect

MOHAN DHALL on why constantly seeking perfection through practice is a deeply flawed idea

The FREEDOM issue

Our August issue for Independence Day: a photo-based feature on what ‘freedom’ means to us in our contemporary lives

Keep calm and curry on

MRIDULA NATH CHAKRABORTY’s tracing of the many narratives of the term ‘curry’ linked to identity, and the possible origin of the slur ‘curry muncher’

Masala and musings

PREETI JABBAL’s reports from the 2018 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

The big wet

EMIE ROY on the lessons of resilience from a flood-ravaged Kerala

And the big dry

EMIE ROY’s pitch for drought-affected farmers in NSW and Queensland

Colour me proud

Our series of reports and features coinciding with India’s decriminalisation of homosexuality

A tune for India

USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND on up and coming classical musician Sagar Nagaraj who toured India as part of the Australian World Orchestra

NATIONAL EDITION

“We will rebuild”

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Stitching it together

Jai ANZAC Jawan

PAWAN LUTHRA’s interview with Dave Sharma, Liberal candidate in the high-profile by-election at Wentworth NSW

Publication of the Year

Blacktown does Diwali

USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND on Indian Link’s latest – and 22nd - multicultural media award

RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA on Blacktown City Council’s ‘Light your homes for Diwali’ contest

Drumming to his own beat

Editorials

String of pearls redux: Increased concern for India

RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA’s recount of the events at Sydney’s Hindu temple Bharatiye Mandir as vandals struck

Eye on Wentworth

USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND on musicologist Sam Evans, Australia’s first PhD on the tabla

It’s time to stand up, not stand by

ANEETA MENON on the power of bystanders to intervene in situations of domestic violence

Thinkers and linkers

Team members speak on the 25th anniversary of Indian Link

What I know about Diwali Our feature on what the Festival of Lights might mean for non-Indians

Art of loving in tragedy

HAMIDA PARKAR on the fascinating story of an Indian painter, his Austrian wife and their Australian family

(Very) Special assembly

Year 11 student ADITI SADAKALE on the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at her school

JYOTI SHANKAR on UTS textile and fashion academics who collaborated with master embroiderers from India for an unusual exhibition

PAWAN LUTHRA’s notes on contemporary issues such as the role of China in international politics; lessons from FIFA; India-Australia ties as affected by the political turmoil in Canberra; the diaspora serving as ambassadors for the birth country; women’s financial literacy; the need for greater diversity in our social discourse.

Expect the unexpected this summer

RITAM MITRA on the Indian cricket team’s chances ahead of the 2018-19 tour to Australia

The dawn of a new cricket era RITAM MITRA on the transformative initiatives of the ICC that may well determine the future of one or more formats of the game

Good governance gone bad

RITAM MITRA on the one thing Australian and Indian cricket have in common: corporate governance failures

PAWAN LUTHRA on Sydney’s memorial to Indian-origin soldiers in WW1 – and the controversy surrounding the process by which it came about

LINDSAY HUGHES on China’s two proposed development initiatives in Thailand, which could have far-reaching consequences for India because the so-called ‘string of pearls’ would then completely encircle it

President comes calling

Our comprehensive coverage of the Australian visit of the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind

The stuff of dreams

MUNISH DAVID on the high school kids - up and coming cricketers – who got to bowl to the Indian cricket team’s greats in the nets at the SCG

Flushing their worries away

PREETI JABBAL on Mark Balla, a Melbourne social entrepreneur who is building basic facilities in rural India, to help keep girls at school

Singing to his own tune

MANAN LUTHRA on Year 12 student Kiran Gupta, who topped the state in HSC Music 1

DECEMBER (2) 2018 21

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XMAS

Giving a little love Photos: Hozefa Rangoonwala

Dawoodi community responds with open hearts to Salvation Army Christmas Appeal Lend a helping hand Research commissioned through Roy Morgan as part of The Salvation Army Christmas Appeal has revealed that:

T More than three million

Australians are likely to contact a charity for help with basic necessities such as food, power, or other bills this Christmas.

T One in four Australian adults

experienced anxiety, three million experienced depression, and two million experienced social isolation when thinking back to last

Christmas.

BY TASNEEM ZAVERY

L

ove, light, hope, peace, smiles are all synonymous with the Christmas spirit. Keeping this in mind, volunteers from the Muslim Dawoodi Bohra community’s Hakimi Trust have come forward to spread a bit of cheer amongst the less fortunate families in Sydney.

“I have been very fortunate to build a comfortable life for myself in Australia, so this is my way of giving back and saying thank you to the community,” Munira Abbas, a Hakimi Trust volunteer, told Indian Link.

In December, the Trust organised a Christmas Drive Appeal in partnership with the Salavtion Army, where they requested members of the Dawoodi Bohra

NATIONAL EDITION

community, as well as other communities, to come forward and donate non-perishable food items, toys, games and clothes towards Christmas presents.

Drop-off locations for this drive were organised at the homes of volunteers in Castle Hill, Auburn and Newington.

In a short span of time, and through word of mouth alone, the drive garnered great support from the community.

“We received stationery, clothes, toys, games and food boxes,” Mustafa Marvi, one of the Hakimi Trustees, revealed.

“Monetary donations came in as well, which we used to buy goodies for kids. This has been our first major project in partnership with another charitable organisation, and the generosity has exceeded our expectations.”

Cars filled to the brim, the volunteers and trustees made their way to the Salvation Army Dural Family Store on a cold rainy Friday morning. As they loaded the tables with all the donated items, there was a sense of hope - and gratitude - amongst the people present there.

Major Karen Flemming, Dural Salvation Army Officer (pastor) said, “I was very excited when I received a call from a Huzefa (volunteer) for their Christmas Drive Appeal. We rely on food and donations from the community at large. This was a good connection of religious groups to come together to support the Salvation Army.”

The food donated will become part of Christmas hampers sent to community food banks over the course of the next week. Toys and gifts will be available at the Family store, where families are welcome to come and take their pick, as and when they contact the Salvation Army office.

“I enjoyed seeing the passion of the volunteers of the Dawoodi Bohra community in making a difference to the community, they have been very generous,” says Major Flemming.

A registered charity trust in Australia with an approved DGR status, the Hakimi Trust was established in 2016 by Sydney’s Dawoodi Bohra community. It aims to uplift underprivileged sections of society on the subcontinent and also locally in Australia.

T Six million Australians feel

obligated to spend more than they can afford at Christmas.

DECEMBER (2) 2018 25

SCHOOL

CEREBRATE!

The holidays - a time of rest or pause between activities are also a time of regrouping and realigning

BY MOHAN DHALL

T

ime is a continuum, but the human capacity for pause and reflection can create a distance between events that is necessary for growth.

During this period of celebration, there should be time for contemplation or ‘cerebration’.

Celebration is not the antithesis of cerebration. Thinking, reflecting, evaluating, reprioritising – these can all feature in the time between active years.

Summer has arrived. The academic year is over. Annual results have been released by schools and businesses. Resignations have been tendered, offers have been made and others are being considered. For students, some have been pleasantly surprised at their academic results whilst others have been disappointed. For all, it is time for rest and for recreation. After a time of focus and concentration, it is good to let go of routine.

Good to wake up without an alarm and endless ‘snoozes’ and reminders. Good to not have to be ‘somewhere, somewhen’.

The holiday period brings significant celebrations: Christmas, the Western New Year, and the Lunar New Year, mistakenly called “Chinese New Year”, shortly thereafter.

This is a time when gifts are shared, people eat their fill and goodwill predominates. It is a time for preparation around celebration.

However, for many, this time of year can be a time of loneliness, hardship and stress. Family dynamics can be fraught and expectation-laden gatherings can bring great pain and frustration. For parents estranged from their children, the days can be long and far too silently predictable.

For the religiously inclined, there will be some time spent reflecting on the religious aspect of the holiday break.

For most people globally, there will be a new year. It is common at such time for people to talk of new resolutions. They might suggest a recalibration. Setting goals around fitness, restraint from deemed vices and maybe a new sense of priorities with greater clarity around what matters.

Consideration of the significance of annual

Consideration of the significance of annual events and celebrations is an important element at this time of year.

So is a deep refection into the year gone by: the significant things that occurred and what they taught.

26 DECEMBER (2) 2018

events and celebrations is an important element of this season. However, so is a deep refection into the year gone by, what happened through the year, the significant things that occurred and what they taught.

Students and adults everywhere can spend some time thinking about the year that has been. There are different approaches to such reflections. These may be characterised as: the ‘everything happens for a reason’ contemplation, and the ‘I am the maker of my destiny’ contemplation.

The “Everything happens for a reason” contemplation

There are numerous adherents to the notion that everything that occurs to a person does so for ‘a reason’. This is a debateable and dubious ‘truth’, consigning unfortunate people to a fate where circumstances outside of one’s control dictate all.

However, the sentiment underpinning the idea is important to contemplate. Without agreeing to the notion, a person should be able to sit still and ask, “What if it was true?”

What outcomes would a person reach if the things that happened to them through the year told them something? A further question would arise as to whether there is a theme to the events. A commonality, other than oneself?

This contemplation may allow a person to see whether there is a similarity to the types of negative events that occur to them.

This may be in the realm of relationships or other areas of life. If so, this may provide a person some insight into behavioural or other patterns that could be looked at, adjusted – around which resolutions could be made.

Alternatively, there may be no pattern to

events or incidents. They may appear to be random. In this regard nothing will have been wasted for the excursion into thinking.

The ‘I am the maker of my destiny’ contemplation

A common alternative conception is for a person to contemplate on being the maker of the destiny of their choosing. The idea what we can ‘be whatever we want to be’ can seem empowering. However, taken at face value, this slogan from positive psychology is preposterous. A person cannot walk vertically up buildings unaided no matter how much they want to. This maxim consigns those who are hampered by bad luck, racism, sexism and other forms of overt or insidious discrimination to believe they are somehow responsible for their own lack of opportunity.

This is a particularly abhorrent effect of the universal application of this approach to others.

Once again however, reflecting on this can be interesting when the purpose of contemplation is deep thinking and insight.

A person may not actually become whatever they want to be but they can however reflect on whether they are making decisions that move them in a desired direction or create greater freedom, personal satisfaction and empowerment.

The pause between activities

The time of rest or pause between activities is necessary for regrouping and realigning. How this is done is important, as all too often the years blend without any change in behaviour or attitude. Learning is left untouched and life passes in a haze of reactions rather than responses premised on wisdom.

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SENIORS

Never too late to shine Late-blooming artist Kailash Bhatnagar proves age is no barrier

as bits from her heritage, to create her dot paintings.

The swastik symbol and the Om sign are unmistakable elements in her pieces, as she finds novel ways to express herself. So are the mandala patterns - the Hindu and Buddhist representations of the universe, and the cyclical nature of life.

The elemental nature in Mrs Bhatnagar’s works is clearly derived from her deeprooted Hindu spiritualism.

The piece Staircase to the Moon depicts this very philosophy. The painting comes

from the natural phenomenon of the same name, a common occurrence in Roebuck Bay WA when the full moon rises over the exposed tidal flats.

Describing, Mrs Bhatnagar recounted, “There was pin drop silence as the moon ascended - in well-calculated steps in a straight line. Dil itna khush hua, ki aisa laga ki lapak ke chand ko godi mein le loon.

It filled my heart with such happiness that I felt like jumping up to the moon and embracing it.”

Painting the moon, another worshipped

deity in Hinduism, in this new avatar gave Mrs Bhatnagar not only much pleasure but also increased confidence.

“The black in this painting beckoned to me, and I decided next to paint on a black canvas,” she revealed. “And that is how the painting of the dancers came about.”

Of course it was a challenge - as she discovered that she had to paint the figures in white first, and then paint the colours over!

Indeed, the learning continues for Mrs Bhatnagar, late-blooming artist.

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

W

hen Kailash Bhatnagar first encountered Aboriginal art, she was reminded immediately of the drawings that she made annually for the festival of Ahoi Ashtami back in India.

These drawings are created for the festival dedicated to the Goddess Ahoi, the Hindu version of the patron saint of mothers. The main figures in these drawings are simple depictions of little children and animals, but they are enclosed in elaborate decorative borders made up of dotted lines and patterns.

Having created these drawings every year for this festival of the bond between mothers and children, Mrs Bhatnagar was drawn immediately to the undulating dotted patterns in Aboriginal art. Not only did they take her back to her childhood, they also inspired her to paint.

Some six years later, at 94, she presented her first art exhibition.

Held earlier this month at her Epping home, it gave her an opportunity to talk about how she first picked up the paint brush not so long ago.

“It was definitely a spiritual connection when I saw my first dot painting up close,” Mrs Bhatnagar said. “It made me certain that there is a deeper link between Australia’s Indigenous people and our own people, a link that goes back thousands of years.”

She was visiting Broome in WA at the time. In her six-month stay there, she went to many art exhibitions and galleries, spoke to artists, and read extensively.

As creative possibilities began to suggest themselves to her, she resorted to the comfort of an old skill - embroidery - to present her own versions of the new ideas to which she was being exposed. In Anant ki or (Towards Eternity), her skilful use of chain stitch, beading and delicate stem stitch, relay the underlying message effectively.

But by now, a whole new passion had been ignited.

Already in her late 80s, at a time when regular people are slowing down, she felt an urge to try an entirely new skill.

“I had never painted in the modern sense before,” she revealed. “My painting was restricted to the Ahoi drawings that were made on the walls, and on paper later.”

There was no stopping her now.

Completely self-taught, she experimented with landscapes in oil, but it was with the abstracts that she found her true love.

Acrylic also allowed her an ease which helped her to become prolific.

In her work, Mrs Bhatnagar brought into play the new concepts that allured, as well

28 DECEMBER (2) 2018

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SENIORS

Recipes from grandma A year-long project initiated by the seniors at RAIN comes to fruition BY SUDHA NATARAJAN

T

here have been changes in the Aged Care arena as more and more people are advancing in age. We hear lots of talk about ‘consumer directed care’ and ‘person-centred support’ and all aged care service providers are working hard to make sure their clients are well taken care of.

As a seniors support group for the Indian community in Sydney, the Resourceful Australian Indian Network (RAIN) has the unique privilege of having seniors directing operations from day one of incorporation.

As the Indian sub-continent senior population increases in every region, RAIN quietly follows its seniors to make it possible for them to have social support groups in areas where they reside.

With venue support and guidance from Sarah Harrison, Community Service Officer in the Inner West Council, RAIN has been holding regular fortnightly sessions for seniors.

A year-long project entitled the ‘Super Chef Project’ has been the highlight of 2018.

Initiated, planned and executed by RAIN, it has been a winner – and a memorable experience for all involved.

Forget MasterChef, we all agree that family elders are the real Super Chefs in our community. To encourage ongoing, voluntary and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge, RAIN put together a Super Chef Project involving seniors and their carers.

The contest: vegetarian cooking from different parts of India.

In an unusual twist, new migrants were also invited to participate, so that the project combined capacity building for seniors, with supporting new migrants by providing opportunities for intergenerational sharing of recipes.

Members of other ethnic groups and people belonging to the wider Australian community were invited to judge the food contests and to participate in the festive sessions. As the project took shape, project coordinators Hardika and Anju collected recipes, took photos and the RAIN Super Chef booklet was created.

Some of the more popular presentations include Pilloo Naoroz’s Kopra Pak, Taunaz Patel’s Sweet Vermicelli, Peruvemba Radhamani’s southern Indian sweet treat Sugian and Hardika Hirani’s Faludo.

Alongside this ongoing competition, RAIN seniors were provided an opportunity to participate in the multicultural festival of the Inner West Council by Raffaela Cavadini, the council’s Community Arts Projects Officer. The group decided to participate by presenting rangoli decorations in and around the Ashfield Service Centre area.

Beautiful photos were taken which became part of the official booklet.

The outcome of the project was confidence development for the elderly and skill development for the younger volunteers who attended food safety training sessions.

Most importantly culture and traditional cuisine sharing sessions invited participation from other communities providing it a multicultural flavour.

As a grand finale to the year-long project, RAIN celebrated a multicultural Diwali to officially launch the collection of recipes. In a spirit of sharing, different ethnic groups were invited to perform and acquaint us of their culture, while showing off the best

traditional artistic performances of the Indian community.

Traditional Chinese dances of the Asian Women At Work troupe, as well as Flamenco dances by the Los Carmonas School, meshed well with the Kuchipudi/ Bharathnatyam of our very own Sahana Javagal and Iksham Dance School and Bhangra by Jaspreet Singh.

Chief guest Sarah Harrison made a special mention of “RAIN’s interest in and engagement with other cultural groups”, which she described as inspiring.

A special congratulatory message from David Coleman, the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, was read out by senior Loganayaki.

When Jaspreet invited the seniors to dance with him, it was a true reflection of the ‘person centred’ approach of our care philosophy: he showed much concern as he led the seniors in gentle steps, and made

sure they enjoyed every moment Gargi Shah, a dear friend to all RAIN seniors and a valued member, made a special visit from the nursing home and though restricted to a wheel chair, was delighted to have Jaspreet step out of the stage to dance near her. Nirmal Kapila tried a few steps with Jaspreet too, joined by the energetic MC Pradip Pandya who gave it a fair go. Well done, seniors!

The highlight came with the launch of the Super Chef book by Sarah Harrison and Jaya Chivkula, Grants Administration Officer from Multicultural NSW. The joy in the seniors was unmistakable as they saw their work in print - recipes, photographs and rangoli designs.

In some small way, RAIN had helped them gain a renewed sense of purpose and worth, and to feel connected to the world.

Experts say these can go a long way in combating senior isolation.

(Left) Rangoli by seniors; (centre) launch of Super Chef booklet; and (right) Gargi Shah and Pradip Pandya try the bhangra NATIONAL EDITION

DECEMBER (2) 2018 29

TRAVEL

Singapore

BY PETRA O’NEILL Go exploring

While tourists head for the famed retail stretch of Orchard Road with every conceivable designer brand and gadget, discover instead the unique neighbourhoods where the real charm of Singapore lies. The Colonial District, Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam all have their own identities.

At the Raffles’ Landing Site, Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, landed in 1819. Trace the river along Boat Quay, and view St Andrew’s Cathedral and other colonial buildings including the Supreme Court and Raffles Hotel.

To see how Chinatown was before the towering skyscrapers, head for Amoy Street to view Siang Cho Keong Temple built in 1867, Telok Ayer Street, Ann Siang Hill and Keong Saik Road, home to hole in the wall bars, cafes and boutiques and the best place to go late at night.

At Kampong Glam go past the fabric shops and gold domes of the Sultan Mosque and seek out great street art and quirky local fashion finds at Haji Lane.

Colourful Little India is a bustling, dazzling incense burning neighbourhood with temples, pastel-coloured shop-houses,

30 DECEMBER (2) 2018

exotic vegetable markets, and restaurants including my favourites Komala Vilas and Mavalli Tiffin Rooms. Along Serangoon Road you’ll pass Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple built in 1881 and Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple built in 1855.

Go Green

One of the world’s largest greenhouses, futuristic Gardens by the Bay is an amazing 101-hectare fantasy park with towering high tech super tree sculptures of up to 16 floors high showcasing exotic plants – ferns, orchids, bromeliads and vines that light up at night.

Slip on the trainers early and head out to the 74-hectare Botanic Gardens, established in 1859, a cool retreat filled with joggers, dogs and tai-chi practitioners.

Wander through the rainforest, palm garden, and lakes before visiting the National Orchid Garden.

If you want to hike along a nature trail there are many options. Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve offers mangrove swamps, ponds and forests and 140 bird species including kingfishers and herons. At MacRitchie Reservoir, the Treetop Walk is a 250m suspension bridge that looks out over the reserve. Southern ridges is a nine km trail that connects several nature parks while at Pulau Ubin you can explore trails to old rubber plantations and beaches.

Set in lush secondary rainforest, the Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo allows you to see over 900 nocturnal animals –

A perfect stopover destination, here’s a run down on the best sights to see

including lions and leopards – in a natural habitat without barriers.

Alternatively Lantern at the Fullerton Bay Hotel has views across the water.

Fabulous food at affordable prices

Art and culture

Cheap and cheerful dining is easy thanks to the hawker markets that exist in every neighbourhood that are clean, crowded and noisy. You’ll be spoilt for choice food-wise with Peranakan, Indian, Malay and Chinese cuisine on offer. Unique to Singapore try chicken rice, carrot cake made from white radish, and rojak consisting of bean curd, potatoes and vegetables smothered with sweet sauce.

For an authentic dose of old school open air hawker centres, two of the best are the Maxwell Food Centre and the Victorian splendour of Lau Pa Sat, where Chefs wok fry, griddle, grill and roast their way through preparing delicious food.

Along Orchard Road you’ll also find Food Republic with a great offering of authentic food.

Start the day with coffee (kopi) and Kaya toast, green coconut and pandan jam sandwiched between toast and served with runny eggs and soy sauce. Seek out an old style Kopitiam coffee house with marble topped tables and whirring fans.

Drink at altitude

Singapore now has a thriving nightlife with bars and clubs but for glamour, head to 1 Altitude, the world’s highest rooftop bar, offering incredible views 63 levels up.

It may seem odd to head to a hotel to look at artwork, but the Ritz Carlton has a museum worthy collection of modern and contemporary art featuring Frank Stella, Dale Chihuly, and Andy Warhol. The National Gallery of Singapore has a world class collection of contemporary Asian art housed in the historic Supreme Court and City Hall buildings, while the Asian Civilizations Museum has an exquisite collection. To learn about the origins of the Straits Chinese stop by the Peranakan Museum or visit Baba House built in 1896.

Known as the garden city, Singapore is a destination rich in contrast and colour with a souring skyline that rises above shop-houses, colonial buildings and lush tropical parks.

Enjoy the nightlife

May sound a bit unusual, but the red flag city is full of bars that become high-octane after sundown. Popular ones are at the rooftop of French-built hotels, Caravelle, Majestic and Rex where locals and visitors enjoy the view of the illuminated city below with a cold beer in hand.

Photos: Singapore Tourism Board Clockwise from top left: Ritz Carlton, Orchard Road, Chinatown, Gardens by the Bay, Haji Lane, Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre

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FACT FILE Changi International Airport is super-efficient and enormous boasting four terminals, with food halls, endless shopping, pay as you enter lounges, gardens, waterfalls, a butterfly sanctuary, and outdoor swimming pool. If you’re on a layover, this is the world’s best airport to be stranded in. For transit passengers flying Singapore Airlines, until 31 March 2019, enjoy a S$20 reward to spend at the airport.

Getting Around

From Australia fly with Singapore Airlines, Qantas or low cost Scoot. From the airport, the MRT will whisk you to the city centre for around S$2.30. The MRT trains are clean, safe, frequent and cheap, with tourist passes available. A taxi from the airport will cost around S$20.

Stay

At the airport, the award-winning Crowne Plaza Hotel. For budget stays, try the Hangout@Mt Emily or capsule hotels near Bugis and Chinatown. The centrally located G Hotel caters for solo travellers with single rooms as well as offering double rooms.

The Ibis Bencoolen is another centrally located choice. But if its glitz and glam you’re after, the Ritz-Carlton with views of the city skyline, is sensational and the Club Lounge hard to leave.

Insider tips

The exchange rate is close to parity with the Australian dollar.

Money changers, ATMs and banks are everywhere. Singapore is safe, ideal for families and solo travellers and the cruise terminals are ideal for joining a cruise.

NATIONAL EDITION

DECEMBER (2) 2018 31

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

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.

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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

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.

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ARTS

BY DIPANJALI RAO

A

young boy, aged about 7, is playing with his toys. He’s set up a small toy classroom, and has just finished the play roll call when his father walks in.

The father looks at his son and asks, in a loving tone, “Beta, what do you want to be when you’re grown up?”

“A teacher,” the boy replies.

The father pauses, then asks, “Sir or madam?”

The child hesitates, and then in a soft tone says, “Madam”.

The film Ek Aasha (Hope), symbolises this hope that young trans-girl Ashish has, of becoming a teacher.

Its Melbourne-based writer, co-producer and director Mayur Katariya won the ‘Best First Time Filmmaker’ award at the Australia Independent Film Festival in Brisbane recently.

In the film, Ashish struggles with her gender identity from a young age, and dreams of growing up and being a teacher just like her teacher at school, wearing a red salwar kameez, pretty earrings and lipstick. Bullied at school for being girly and effeminate, and berated and abused at home by her mother for wanting to be a girl like her sister, her only support is her classmate and best friend, who is also a transgender girl. Ashish’s father, though sympathetic and reasonably progressive (he takes Ashish to see a doctor as opposed to the local spiritual leader) seems unable to give Ashish the support she needs.

The film charts Ashish’s struggle as a young child and her transition to being a woman. Ashish leaves home to join the kinnar or transgender community, where she is welcomed generously by the guru and is given the name Aasha. They take care of Aasha and teach her the skills she requires to be a part of their community, which involve collecting money from local businesses and blessing marriages and new-born babies.

Aasha is educated and wants to be a teacher, but as she says in the movie, most transgender people in India aren’t even literate, much less able to pursue dreams such a teaching.

The film follows Aasha’s trials and tribulations, experiences of acceptance and rejection, love and heartbreak. While doing this, it attempts to educate the audience about the of the kinnar community in India – their long history as a part of Indian society, religion and mythology, their sudden change in status when they were criminalised by colonial law, their experiences of violence and exploitation, and the Indian government’s recent moves to grant them equal rights.

Katariya shot the film over 45 days in Surat, Gujarat, his home town.

The cinematography is rich and captivating and makes the film a visual treat, matched by sharp music. Most importantly, all the transgender roles are played by nonactor transwomen, with Disha Yadav, a young transwoman from Mumbai, in the lead role. The film advocates for education and work rights for transgender people, so it was on principle that Katariya wanted the actors to all be transgender.

“I wanted to create roles for transpeople,” he tells Indian Link.

NATIONAL EDITION

Living in the margins Melb-based Mayur Katariya wins Best First Time Filmmaker award for his take on India’s trans community A well-known actress wanted to play the role of the guru in the movie, he reveals, but he declined.

“It was a difficult decision; it would have made funding for the movie much easier!” he laughs. “But I didn’t want to deprive them of the opportunity.”

A tough but sensitive decision for an independent filmmaker, and one that strengthens the movie and its social impact program of promoting education for the kinnars.

He adds, “India’s approximately 5 million transgender women have no access to education and career, despite its progressive policies (on paper) for transgender people.”

Sadly, Katariya reported that his actors faced discrimination and abuse while they were filming in Gujarat. Though Indian law is changing to make the lives of its trans population better, societal and cultural attitudes are harder to change.

All the more reason for a movie like Ek Aasha, for it is cultural change along with structural change which will move transgender people from the margins to the mainstream.

“I wanted to create roles for trans people.”

Mayur Katariya

It is cultural change along with structural change which will move transgender people from the margins to the mainstream.

DECEMBER (2) 2018 33

ENTERTAINMENT

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

DEEPIKA PADUKONE

SHAADI CELEBRATIONS? THEY’RE STILL ON: DEEPIKA

Not many would say it, but we suppose that’s what newlywed bliss is all about, eh? Well, at least in the case of Deepika and Ranveer it is. The duo, which has always been #relationshipgoals for the rest of the country, got married in a dreamy setting in Italy recently and frankly, even though the Nickyanka ceremony grabbed more footage the world over, we secretly loved the grace and low-key feel of the DeepVeer shaadi.

Someone asked the beauty at an awards show recently if the shaadi celebrations have finally come to an end, to which Deepika smartly replied, “I think marriage itself is the beautiful celebration and literal celebrations are done at least from our end. But December anyway, I think is very festive time and as a newlywed, the celebration continues for a while.”

Deepika married Ranveer in November at a private ceremony in Italy. And the actress has more to look forward to, with her birthday coming up soon next year. “I don’t know…We haven’t planned anything as of now.

Right now, we are looking forward to his (Ranveer) film’s release (Simmba).”

At the trailer launch of the film, Ranveer had mentioned that he made Deepika watch few rushes of the film and she had complimented him saying “Hot lag raha hai”. Of course she did.

But going by the reaction to the trailer, it will at least be a hit. Wait and watch.

RIP TULSI RAMSAY, INDIA’S ‘HORROR’ PIONEER

LIFT MANTO BAN, ARTISTS TELL PAK

H

e belonged to ‘both countries equally’, Nandita Das said about Saadat Hasan Manto, the subject of her widely acclaimed film Manto, so the filmmaker was rightly disappointed to hear that Pakistan banned it.

With Manto, Nandita traced the life of the writer Nawazuddin Siddiqui had brought the character to life. The film followed the most tumultuous years in the life of Manto and those of India and Pakistan where Manto inhabited and chronicled.

The reasons cited are that ‘the film has anti-Partition narrative theme and explicit scenes, which is against the norms of Pakistani society’.

Manto, who died in 1955 at the age of 43, wrote on various genres. Out of his literary gems was a story on Mirza

34 DECEMBER (2) 2018

Ghalib, a poet often compared with the stature of William Shakespeare. His work also gained attention for weaving stories around the ordeal of partition as well as sexuality.

Nandita’s tweet reached Pakistan’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry, who then decided to help. “I am trying to pursue importers to bring this movie to Pak(istan). I hope someone will take risk of showing a less commercial film to the viewers,” he wrote of the film. Nandita, who has herself featured in a Pakistani film titled Ramchand Pakistani, responded with “Shukriya”.

According to Pakistani publication Dawn, an online petition has been initiated to demand that Prime Minister Imran Khan lift a ban on its screening.

Tulsi Ramsay, known for creating lowbudget horror films between 1970s and 1980s with his six brothers, is no more. One of the Ramsay brothers’ most successful films Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche was said to be made at a budget of Rs 3.5 lakh. The movie, released in 1972, made a profit close to Rs 40 lakh. The Ramsays went on to make more than 30 horror films.

Tulsi directed most of them including Andhera, Purani Haveli and Aur Kaun.

Interestingly, films made by Ramsay brothers have never really been considered ‘A grade’, actor Anil Dhawan, who featured in several of these including Aakhri Cheekh and Andhera, said. “What they did given their meagre budgets, no one else could do,” Dhawan said recently. “Their films made money no matter what the budget. It is a shame we talk of ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ films when the third class compartments in the Indian railways are gone. As far as I’m concerned, there are only the ‘H’ films and ‘F’ films. Hit or flop. And the Ramsays made hit films.”

Dismissing the Ramsays’ reputation as sleaze makers, Bappi Lahiri, said, “When I composed music for their film Aur Kaun, I got Lata Mangeshkar to sing the title song. Would she be part of anything of disrepute?”

Tulsi’s brother Shyam said, “The fact is Ramsay is a brand name. We are a reputed family with decades of cinema to our credit. The whole film industry knows it. If someone still chose to portray us as sleaze hawkers, it is not our problem.”

CHEF-TURNED-DIRECTOR: VIKAS KHANNA

He has made a name for himself as far as gastronomy goes, and now Chef Vikas Khanna is all set for his debut directorial The Last Color to premiere at the prestigious 30th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival 2019.

Starring Neena Gupta, the film will be screened thrice during the festival.

It marks Vikas’ debut as a director and screenwriter, and is based on his bestselling book by the same name. The Last Color is the story of Chhoti (Aqsa Siddiqui) - a nine-year-old flower seller and tightrope walker who befriends Noor (Neena Gupta), a 70-year-old widow living a life of complete abstinence.

“This is a story that had to be told and I am glad that I am finally getting an opportunity to do so. This story not only moved me deeply, but also motivated me to pen it into a book and subsequently make it into a film,” Vikas said. Can’t wait!

FANTASTIC BEAST IN BOLLYWOOD? No, it’s not what you think. Actor Claudia Kim, part of the Hollywood cast of Fantastic Beasts says she would love to crossover and explore the world of Bollywood one day. Well… who doesn’t, Claudia?

Kim has been part of big films like Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Dark Tower and Warner Bros Pictures’ project Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

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ALIA BHATT

VARUN DHAWAN

CAPTION CONTEST WIN MOVIE TICKETS!

RANVEER SINGH “I really feel that there are no boundaries anymore. I have friends like Zhu Zhu from China who did an Indian film (Tubelight). Bollywood is a huge industry that I am dreaming of. And crossover is for everybody,” she says.

“I have lots of friends working in the industry. I would love to do Bollywood films… Who knows where life will take you?” True!

RANVEER: TONE IT DOWN AFTER MARRIAGE? ME?

We are so pleased to see that Ranveer Singh is not one to shed his crazy boy image just because he is hitched. Nope.

In fact, the actor says he doesn’t want new wife Deepika to change herself either.

“Marriage is like the best thing that has ever happened to me. I feel some kind of magic, some kind of power, it’s like I’m invincible. You know in those superhero movies, you know that moment when the suit comes on. I feel like marriage has done that to me,” Ranveer said.

Charming, much?

He says getting married makes him feel “grounded, feel secure”.

“I’m really loving it. It has only been about 10-15 days now but it’s so nice, it’s so lovely. I would highly recommend it to the entire young population of the country. Take it from me, it’s great,” added the actor.

As far as “toning it down” goes, here’s what Ranveer had to say: “Did you see what I was wearing for my wedding? I was wearing a leopard on my shoulder for one of the events. A leopard who had green lasers coming out of his eyes!

How is that toned down? It was hot pink.

Manish Arora made it especially for me.

He is my spirit designer, and he’s really out there. I don’t think I’m going to tone down or change who I am just because now I’m married which leads me into the next part of my answer that if it happens, I’m not going to filter it. I’m just going to allow it to happen if it happens naturally.”

Way to go, Ranveer.

KID FAVOURITES: VARUN, ALIA

Actors Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt won Favourite Movie Actors at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2018, where Deepika Padukone walked away with the Powerhouse Performer of the Year title.

“It is always fun performing with and for the kids along with their favourite toons,” Varun said.

Alia agreed, adding, “Performing for my young fans is always fun. Being recognised by kids and being slimed as a mark of honour was a lot of fun and an amazing experience.”

The awards show, ‘by the kids, for the kids and of the kids’, celebrates the best in the world of Indian

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

US RAPPER ‘INSPIRED’ BY AASHIQUI 2 MELODY?

Yep, you read that right. Hey, it’s not always Bollywood that gets inspired by the West. So this time, it seems that an American rapper, T-Pain dropped a “surprise” song, which got blocked on YouTube on copyright grounds after Indian filmmaker Mohit Suri and Mithoon pointed out that it sounds suspiciously similar to one of their songs from the 2013 film Aashiqui 2.

Suri, who had helmed the Bollywood film, wrote: “Dunno why, but this seems familiar. ‘Aashiqui 2’ ‘Tum hi ho’ T-Pain.

It’s a melody from Mithoon’s song.”

Mithoon also wrote on the microblogging site: “Sir, the melody that you have used in your new song is my original work for a previously released Hindi film. The label (T-Series) is looking into this. ‘Tum hi ho’ ‘Aashiqui 2’.”

Following their tweets, the video got blocked. Bet you are googling the song right now. We did too.

ON TWITTER THIS WEEK Match the following celebs to the tweets that appear below: Anil Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Priyanka Chopra, Rishi Kapoor Bhai ne Phir Jiyra Chakna Choor kar diya. Thank u Big Boss & @ BeingSalmanKhan for a great evening.

It’s heaven, when you don’t sense time passing by ... It’s heaven, when you marry a good ‘man’.

DEEPIKA PADUKONE OR JOSEPHINE SKRIVER IN PRABAL GURUNG?

Congratulations @priyankachopra & @ nickjonas!! You both look so gorgeous and sumblimely happy in your wedding pictures!

+ Share your views with us

Wow moment. Impromptu meeting with Robert De Nero on 65th and 3rd.

Cannot get over his demeanor.

on our Facebook page /IndianLinkAustralia

NATIONAL EDITION

entertainment across film, television, mobile gaming and sports.

Marital bliss they say…

What’s the chitchat between Katrina and SRK here?

Send your response to: media@indianlink.com.au TO WIN A MOVIE TICKET!

LAST ISSUE CAPTION CONTEST

WINNER

What’s the chitchat between Priyanka and Nick here?

Nick: You care so much for India, covering the country in a mosquito net.

Priyanka: Aww Nick, it’s for you. Can’t have you getting dengue before all the wedding pics!

Congratulations, Shruti Arya, NSW You win a movie ticket!

For more caption entries, see YOUR SAY Page 8

DECEMBER (2) 2018 35

BACKCHAT

ASK AUNTYJI All in the family DEAR AUNTYJI Hello Auntyji. I just saw Kedarnath and thought Sara Ali Khan was quite good for a newcomer. But I can’t help feeling she got lucky because of the gene pool from which she comes. Recently, you will have read all the Bollywood news about nepotism - that so-and-so got into a movie because his or her father or mother was a star. This just means that other people don’t get a chance and the celebrities control all the good roles and who gets to be in films. This makes me so angry because this is exactly what the problem is with our society. People get all the opportunities because of who they know and others who have more talent or who are working harder don’t get a fair chance. I think this is a major problem and I am totally against nepotism in Bollywood. What do you have to say on this issue?

AUNTYJI SAYS Well, well, well. Here is an interesting topic and I definitely have a view on this.

Now Bollywood is a special place. We can all agree that nepotism is everywhere, but it’s in Bollywood that this gets played out and decided most fairly – much like the Catholic church of yore from which the term originates. I have two things to say about nepotism in

Bargain price Bollywood. First, star children will always get their first break because of who they are. So yes, Alia Bhatt, Abhishek Bachchan, Sara Ali Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Jahnvi Kapoor - all got breaks because of their family name. And no doubt so will Aryan Khan, Suhana Khan, Ananya Pandey, Khushi Kapoor, even Taimur Ali Khan and Roohi and Yash Johar, all of who are waiting in the wings (im) patiently. However, guess who decides whether these stars/wannabe stars are worthy of the considerable burden of being a celebrity? The junta. You and me. It’s true that these kids got their first breaks because of whose kid they were, but if the junta feels they don’t have the talent - then the junta stops seeing their films. Just ask Twinkle Khanna. Or Esha Deol. Or Mimoh Chakraborty. And others who came and went with hardly a bang. My second point is that everyone’s success is based on kismet. If it’s written, it will happen. If it’s not meant to be, then it won’t happen. People survive in Bollywood because of their destiny (just look at the talentless Katrina Kaif) or because they are talented and destiny took them to Bollywood (just look at Kangana Ranaut). So don’t worry about nepotism - because at the end of the day, everything equalises.

DEAR AUNTYJI A friend and I went shopping at a store in the Strand Arcade in Sydney which sells antique and vintage jewelry. I was looking at some items and when we left 30 minutes later, I realised my friend had bought a beautiful coral bracelet. It was so stunning main to dekti rahe gayi. Sanjana seemed very pleased with her purchase and when I asked her why she said that she had admired this bracelet for over a year, but it was $3000. The owner of the shop was on holidays, and her staff weren’t aware of the value of the bracelet, so had sold it to my friend for $300 only. Hamari rai me, Sanjana ne najais faida uthaya ye salespeople ke ignorance ka. Ab two weeks later, I wonder if she had done the right thing.

Mai kya karoon Auntyji, Sanjana meri saheli hai, mai usse kya kahoon. And what should I even be thinking about this event?

AUNTYJI SAYS Oh my goodness. Your friend, your kaali saheli is a paapi darinda, a chorni. She bought something that she knew was more expensive and she took advantage of the salespeople’s ignorance. That is essentially chori -

and your girlfriend will pay for it one way or another.

I mean, who thinks like this? Who comes to Australia and lives here for 30 years and then engages in this level of fraud and deception? Please tell me that Sanjana does not work in a bank, because if she does, first, I would not be surprised, but second, I can prepare to see a news article any day.

Now, about Sanjana’s kaale kartoot.

What else is she deceptive about?

Does she steal money from the fountain at Hyde Park? Does she take chocolates from the primary school fundraisers without paying for this?

Does she use public transport without a valid pass?

So just so we are clear, you should be upset about what your friend did, which is essentially theft. She took something without paying the right price for it, so it is deception.

Should you have a conversation with your friend? Well, if you are going to be judged by the company you keep, then yes, you should have a chat.

Otherwise, you can just dump her because sooner or later, I am sure your friend will convince you to become a thug just like her. Is that what you want to be, a chorni?

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year from the team at Indian Link indianlink.com.au

36 DECEMBER (2) 2018

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