WHAT’S ON

Spiritual

Chinmaya Mission Melbourne

29 April – 2 May The Global Head of Chinmaya Mission, His Holiness Pujya Swami Swaroopananda is making his annual tour to Australia and New Zealand from 24th March to 2nd May, visiting 5 key cities, with his last stop over in Melbourne. He will be imparting a 4-evening session of free public talks in English, entitled ‘Blast your sorrows away with Sankat Mochan’. Venue: Doncaster Secondary College, 123 Church Rd, Doncaster. Details www.facebook. com/ChinmayaMMelbourne/

FESTIVAL

Vaisakhi Mela

Sat 20 April (6:30 pm onwards)

Gary Sandhu Live in Melbourne, at Springers Leisure Centre, 400 Cheltenham Rd Keysborough. Details Deepak Sharma 0450 687 786

Vaisakhi at Federation Square

Sat 27 April (12 noon – 6.00pm) An opportunity for people of Sikh heritage to connect with their history, raise Sikh Community profile, contribute to Melbourne’s cultural diversity and foster cultural understanding. Program includes Shabadkirtan (spiritual music), langar (food), turban tying, folk music, stage plays, martial arts, children’s activities, and much more.

Details sikhheritagemonth.com.au

STAGE

SHAAM-e-ISHQ

Sat 6 April (7:00pm - 10:00pm)

Canadian-born Tahir Hussain Faridi Qawwal presents Sufi Qawwali. Venue: Coburg Town Hall, 90 Bell St, Coburg Vengayam by Nithya Iyer

Sun 7 April (4:00 pm – 6:00 pm)

Vengayam- meaning ‘onion’ in Tamil - is a performance installation that investigates the constructs of identity as traced through the signifiers of citizenship, migration and nationalism. Exploring transnational sources of ideology that govern the dictates of ‘Indian-ness’ against the expectations of the assimilated model minority, the work aims to articulate how individual identity is susceptible to the dictates of political and cultural hegemony.

Venue: Bus Projects, 25–31 Rokeby St Collingwood.

Sartaaj: Ecstasy Tour

Sun 28 April (5:00 pm onwards)

Melbourne Recital Centre 31 Sturt St. Southbank. Details

Guruvir Singh 0433 337 500

Melbourne International

Comedy Festival

Until 21 April Check out the Indian acts including Rahul Subramanian, India’s Improv Dream Team, Indian All Star Comedy Showcase, Kanan Gill, Ruven Govender, Neel Kolhatkar and others. Details www.comedyfestival. com.au

Exhibition

Visions of Paradise

Till 26 April (10.00am - 5.00pm)

The exhibition features a selection of works from a major 1980 Felton Bequest acquisition of over 270 paintings that document the princely lifestyles of the Rajput courts of Bikaner, Marwar (Jodhpur), Jaipur, Kotar and Mewar (Udaipur). At NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road. Details www.ngv.vic.gov.au

Music

Haadu Baa Kogile

Melbourne’s first ever Kannada musical event held every last Saturday of the month. All welcome. Organised by Ankura Music School.

Details 0432 192 424

The Indian Music Collective

Melbourne

The Indian Music Collective

Melbourne provides space for practice/jamming in a friendly environment for musicians to meet and practice. Anyone who plays a Hindustani classical music instrument or can sing Hindustani classical music at any ability/level is welcome at St John’s Catholic Primary School, 77 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill. Listeners are also welcome. Gold coin to contribute towards tea/coffee/snack costs. Contact Harjinder Bhogal at oldmanindia@gmail.com

SEMINAR

Australia India Institute’s Drop in Chai

First Friday of every month (2.00pm - 3.00pm)

Come chat to other South Asia enthusiasts over samosa and chai and catch up on what different people are doing in relation to India (feel free to bring announcements or new publications!).The chai and conversation is free and open to students, staff, faculty, and members of the public at Upstairs Seminar Room, Australia India Institute 147149 Barry St, Carlton. Details 03 9035 8047 or visit www.aii.unimelb. edu.au

Group rights and gender justice

Wed 10 April (5:00 pm – 6:30 pm)

Indian-born British Bangladeshi social economist, president elect of the International Association for Feminist Economics, Prof. Naila Kabeer presents a talk on ‘Group rights versus gender justice: exploring their tensions within an indigenous community in rural India’. Venue: Deakin Downtown, 727 Collins St, #tower 2 level 12, Melbourne.

SHE ROARS: Muslim Women: My Art, My Activism

Sun 14 April (2:00 pm - 3:00 pm)

Muslim Collective presents its second annual SHE ROARS event, bringing together three Muslim women - writer Hanifa Deen, artist Saffaa and designer Asia - to delve into questions about female expression and art, and women's voices in Muslim and other spaces.

Venue: Deakin Edge, Federation Square, Flinders St, Melbourne

How can fast growing cities ease urban congestion?

Wed 17 April (5:30pm - 6:30pm)

Australia India Institute’s Question Marks Seminar will focus on India’s large cities, asking what solutions are being found to ease congestion and what lessons does India have for other fast-growing cities around the world. Speakers include Prof. Sanjay Gupta (Professor of Transport Planning and Head CASS/GIS Centre at School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi), Dr. John Stone (Senior Lecturer in Transport Planning, Melbourne School of Design), Prof. Graham Currie, Public Transport Research Group, Monash University), and Dr. Raghu Rama Swamy, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, Melbourne School of Design.

Venue: 219 Theatrette, Kwong Lee Dow Building, 234 Queensberry St, The University of Melbourne.

Community

Indian Professionals in Victoria (IPV)

A not-for-profit, membership-based and member-owned association that aims to train and support Indian professionals and entrepreneurs through workshops, seminars, webinars and mentoring programs. Membership details www.ipv.org.au

Indian Community Mental Health Support Group

For families and carers both who are experiencing mental health concerns. Every First Friday of the month. From 2.00pm-4.30pm. At Yarra Plenty Reginal Library (Mill Park Library), 394 Plenty Rd, Mill Park. Details Carer helpline 1300 554 660 or email carers@mindaustralia.org.au

Indian Women's Support Group

Mon 15 April (11:30am - 1:30pm)

Mental Health Foundation Australia organises a regular support group for social interaction and to combat isolation. Venue: Penrose Community Centre, 83 Penrose Promenade, Tarneit

Indian Young Women’s Group

Fridays 12.30pm-2.30pm

The Indian Young Women’s Group is organised free by Wyndham Community and Education Centre (Wyndham CEC) every Friday afternoon at the Wyndham Park Primary School, Community Hub Room, Kookaburra Avenue, Werribee. Contact the Wyndham Community and Education Centre, 3 Princes Highway Werribee, wyndhamcec.org. au or call 03 9742 4013

Let’s Feed

A volunteer-driven campaign and fundraising group working to organise activities, source food and deliver it to different agencies and also assist family violence victims with food related needs. Let’s Feed fills foodrelated gaps in existing services using micro donations. Let’s Feed collects non-perishable food from local groups at temples, participating grocery stores and delivers to Youth Resource Centre, Asylum Seekers Resource Centre and other agencies. Visit: letsfeed.org or email: jasvinder.sidhu@ letsfeed.org

Language

Gurukul Hindi Classes

Saturdays 11.00am-12.00 noon

Connections@Craigieburn, 59 Craigieburn Road, Craigieburn VIC 3064. These weekly classes are taught by Manisha Gard and Bhupinder Kahlon. Contact Narinder Garg 0431 123 045 or infothegurukul@gmail.com

Let’s Talk: Conversational English

Saturdays 10.00am-11.30am

Practice and develop your English speaking skills in a relaxed small group that has a warm and friendly atmosphere. Meet every Saturday at Werribee Church of Christ, 200 Tarneit Road, Werribee. This is for people who want to gain confidence and practice their English. All are welcome to attend, morning tea is provided and it’s free. Contact 03 9741 6051 or visit werribeechurchofchrist.org

Pronunciation Workshop

1st Sunday of the month 12.00 noon – 3.00pm

Are you learning English as a second language and are interested in working on your pronunciation? Join Kaled – a friendly ESL (English as a Second Language) expert who will help you work on your English language skills for free at the Library at The Dock, Activities Room, 107 Victoria Harbour Promenade, Docklands.

MISC

Women: Get Active

Every Wednesday from 2pm to 3pm, AFLW North Melbourne Captain, Emma Kearney hosts a free sporting class for multicultural women in Ascot Vale. The class, hosted at Wingate Avenue Community Centre, is a chance for women to come together and get active.

This year, Emma and the class are encouraging women and families of all ages, backgrounds and fitness levels to take part in the Premier’s Active April campaign. The Active April campaign is a Victorian Government initiative that encourages Victorians to sign up and take part in 30 minutes of exercise per day for the month.

Registration is free, and everyone who signs up has access to a host of freebies in their local area. Details www.activeapril.vic.gov.au/

Thermomix Flavours of India:

Demonstration-style cooking class

Fri 5 April (7:30pm – 9:30pm)

Learn how to cook traditional and contemporary Indian cuisine in your Thermomix. Venue: Arrabri Community House, 42 Allambanan Drive, Bayswater

Details Sarah Boer0408 330 093

School Holiday Activity

Tue 16 April (10:30am - 11:30am)

Bollywood dance class, suitable for children aged 5-12 years. Venue: Northcote Library, 32-38 Separation St Northcote. Bookings essential. Details Darebin Libraries 1300 655 355.