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EDITORIAL

PUBLISHER Pawan Luthra EDITOR Rajni Anand Luthra DEPUTY EDITOR Sneha Khale

Indian wins and losses from Election 2019

SOCIAL MEDIA Suruchi Bhavsar MELBOURNE COORDINATOR Preeti Jabbal CONTRIBUTORS Ritam Mitra, Janani Karthik, Reghu Balaraman, Usha Ramanujam Arvind, Mayabhushan Nagvenkar, Emie Roy, Sandip Hor, 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

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NATIONAL EDITION

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

A

s we go to print, the results of the Indian elections have just been announced, with PM Modi reinstated in a landslide victory. We will report on the results of the voting wishes of the 900 million in a few days’ time.

For now though, the voting wishes of the 16 million odd in Australia’s 2019 Federal elections are clear. They have endorsed the government of PM Scott “ScoMo” Morrison ignoring the chaos within the Coalition in the previous years, and against all odds, the Liberal-National parties will be at the helm for at least another 3 years. As the Labor Party sits down to some deep soul searching, there will be recriminations, heads will roll: and then they will get an Opposition up and going, planning its assault at the next elections in 2022.

So, what was the scorecard for the Indian links of this election?

While there would have been champagne corks being popped by the

Coalition’s supporters, it is an even bet that the top team at Adani in Australia would have opened their bottles of Grange.

Never has a foreign business played such a pivotal role in the Australian Federal elections. According to all analysis, the Morrison government won the election in the state of Queensland as the voters rejected the ALP’s policies. While the Morrison government came out strongly in favour of the Adani Carmichael mine, the ALP enthusiasm for the mine was low as it sought to insulate itself from the backlash from other states. The Queensland voters voted for the mine and its promised benefits of jobs and opportunities over and above environment concerns. And these are the votes which won ScoMo the government. Chants in favour of “Adani!

Adani!” were being heard as National/ Liberal members were giving their acceptance speeches on the night.

Where to from here? With Queensland State to go to the polls in 12 months, it will take a very fatalistic leader to adopt an anti-Adani or a go-slow-on Adani stance.

Whatever may be the environmental concerns of the Adani Carmichael mine, the writing is on the wall. Adani has won.

The Labor Party also had promised a bag of goodies for the multicultural

communities. Top of the list was their ease in allowing long-term visitor visas for parents. The rules were much more flexible and less expensive than those proposed by the Liberal party. And then there were promises of funding for $100 million to expand access to culturally appropriate aged care facilities throughout Australia, which included a promise of $5 million to a Sydney based organisation for a respite centre. While the Coalition did offer their own bag of goodies, it was of much smaller benefits, the largest being a $2.5 million community centre in SouthEast Melbourne.

And now, post-election 2019, there is less on the table for the migrant communities.

But then, therein lies the power of community leaders to reach out to the government in power and articulate their requests. After all, the diaspora is growing strongly. Not only will the 600,000-strong community increase in number by the time the 2022 elections come along, but more will become eligible for voting. This is one migrant community which the political party in power needs to court.

Thirty six months is not that long a time to win the hearts and minds of a community.

17/4/19 4:48 pm

MAY (2) 2019 5

CONTENTS SPECIAL FEATURES ART Indian links at the Archibalds

10

OPINION Federal Elections 2019: Democracy’s ongoing battle with uncertainty

13

PEOPLE AR Rahman, a Melb fan and his new BMW

14

FASHION Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

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CULTURE DIARIES What we’re loving right now at Indian Link

6 MAY (2) 2019

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COVER STORY

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Oz supporters celebrate Modi victory

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FORBES

NATIONAL EDITION

MAY (2) 2019 7

YOUR SAY

TAMIL FEASTS In our new video series AUSSIE BITES, we followed India’s TV chef RANVEER BRAR as he travelled around Oz trying new foods, making new friends and trading stories. In Episode 2 (TAMIL FEASTS: Food for Social Justice) he met with Tamil asylum seekers who use food to overcome socio-political obstacles as they rebuild their own lives.

Janine Holgate wrote: Very heart-warming and informative.

I loved the stories told and the format of casual conversation around the dinner table. I look forward to the next episode!

Have subscribed.

Natalie Moshegov wrote: Thought it was excellent!

Lillian Meyerhans wrote: Food is definitely a good way to bring people together. Great job. Feeling hungry now!

Sunita Lakhanpal wrote: Ranveer is a wonderful story teller, over and above being a chef.

Georgie Kyrikos wrote: Interesting video. How wonderful that you have brought awareness of these people through your work.

Penny Pavlakis wrote: I loved it. Makes me feel like cooking a curry.

Ranjan Bora wrote: Amazing how food is so closely associated with our sense of identity. Wonder what the (horror) stories were behind why these guys left their home to seek refuge in Australia.

REMEMBERING BOB Bob Hawke’s passing threw us back to a 1998 feature written by PAWAN LUTHRA Pawan Luthra wrote: Had the privilege of interviewing Bob Hawke in 1998 just as One Nation was on the rise. His views on the inclusivity ingrained in Australian values are as relevant today as they were then. And yes on my query of what he would have liked to be if he was not a politician, an academic or businessman was an unexpected answer. Vale Bob Hawke.

Sri wrote: Indeed Pawan, and of course, shows you were a big hitter even 20 years ago Ramu Chakravarthy wrote: I remember this one.

ONE NATION CANDIDATE

SCHOOL SUCCESS You liked our post about young Indian student Neha Verma who topped her school exams despite difficult family circumstances Dee Durran wrote: Well done, you are a shining star!

Shezuti Shazneen Hasan wrote: Respect.

Salim Shafeek wrote: Amazing achievement; true star.

Alan Mowle wrote: Bravo!

Manoharan Thottarath wrote: This is very good news. Congratulations to young Neha for her very remarkable achievement. What makes her success so special is that she fought all odds.

Seema Gladston wrote: God bless you beta, congratulations Savitri Naraine wrote: Congratulations to you - humility and contentment are (traits) that take you a far way in life.

SAY IT AGAIN 8 MAY (2) 2019

In the wake of #australiavotes2019, multicultural communities need to come together to scratch the veneer of diversity that many social and political institutions are putting forth to tick a box.

Sukhmani Khorana, Culture Studies academic and writer

We interviewed Nikhil Aai Reddy, One Nation’s candidate for Petrie, QLD in the 2019 Federal Elections.

Krish Na wrote: Is this the same Nikhiul Reddy who is an active OFBJP-er and Secy of the FICQ? To be fair, Malcolm Roberts was the first Indian guy to represent One Nation.

Jonathan Steffanoni replied to Krish Na: That is clever and also correct: as soon as we conflate ethnicity with nationality, we create racism.

Rochelle Fernandez wrote: I don’t think Nikhil has been listening when he says, "One Nation started the debate over issues the major parties refuse to speak about – Immigration, Foreign Ownership, Water Security, Energy Prices, Fuel Prices, Safe Schools, and Political Correctness." That is all the major parties speak about. Why would he want to be part of a party that hates him?

I believe the exit polls are all wrong. In Australia last weekend, 56 different exit polls proved wrong. In India, many people don’t tell pollsterst he truth fearing they might be from the government. Will wait till 23rd for the real results.

Shashi Tharoor, Indian MP and author

www.indianlink.com.au

CAPTION CONTEST

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KASHIF Indian Link Radio broadcaster KASHIF HARRISON’s weekly show Good Morning Shanivaar had a special birthday edition recently What a memorable birthday I’ve had on air this year! Firstly, we had Mrs Kler as a guest live in the studio – the one and only Mrs Kler, who is one of our first listeners, who everybody loves dearly, and who loves us all like her own children. Fantastic to have you on my Facebook live stream segment, thank you Mrs Kler! Touched to hear also from many listeners who rang in with birthday wishes. And then the boss Pawan Luthra rocked up to wish me happy birthday, and began this unrehearsed segment, sort of like “Let’s Know You Better, Kashif”. Caught me unawares, I can tell you, but I did enjoy the q-and-a! And that was not all: just as my show finished, the phone rang and I answered; it was none other than ScoMo on the other side – the Prime Minister of Australia, calling me on my show! To wish me many happy returns?

No, not quite, he had an interview lined up with Pawan. But still, you’ve got to agree, WHAT a birthday on air! Thanks, guys!

What’s the chitchat here between Hema Malini and Dharmendra?

Nikita Patel wrote: Dharmendra: Yunki, aap toh jante hi hain ki iss Basanti ko zyada bolne ki aadat toh hain nai, toh woh vote mange gi nahi, par aap isiko apna vote dena!

Manish Mendhe wrote: Dharmendra: Basanti, yeh log is umar me humara duet dekhna chahte hai, without payment… kya karein?

Deepak Vincent wrote: Dharmendra (reprising his famous one-liner from Sholay): Hum kaam sirf paison keliye karte hain Gopal Ganwani wrote: Dharmendra: Agar tumne Hema ko vote nahin diya… to mai tumhara KHOON pee jaoonga Ajay Naidu wrote: Dharmendra: Basanti, tum chaaho to inke saamne naach sakto ho Hema lA Chauhan wrote: Dharmendra: Chun chun ke vote lenge warna chun chun ke maarenge

WHERE IN INDIA? WHERE IN OZ? This self-proclaimed “largest maze complex in the world” is a quirky family attraction with no rides or anything mechanical/electrical.

Readers Rishabha Chitalia Nayak and Roshni Majumdar correctly identified it as Tasmania’s Village of Lower Crackpot and Tasmazia.

After each one of these sessions (the show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction) I think to myself, it is a very smart, very lovely person from whom I have learned things. Shah Rukh, would maybe be at the top of that list.

David Letterman, Talk show host, after interviewing Shah Rukh Khan NATIONAL EDITION

High up in the Himalayas, surrounded by glaciers, lies this secluded and picturesque lake. And yet when the snow melts, the water body reveals its spine-chilling secret – human skeletons, some 600 in number.

Readers Tushar Choudhary, Aniket Deshkar, Rajeev Ramakar Tiwari and Rajiv Gupta identified it correctly as Roopkund Lake, Uttarakhand, also known as Skeleton Lake.

Hey @HBO , you can reshoot the entire #GameOfThrones Season 8 in India. It'll cost you half and we like to serve tea in earthen cups and water in steel glasses.

GIVE US AN ENDING WE DESERVE. Also, locations lit AF: Gulmarg, Madhya Pradesh, Udaipur Rosa Barks, Twitter user @therosabarks MAY (2) 2019 9

ART Photo: AGNSW/Jenni Carter

10 MAY (2) 2019

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Photo: Josie Withers

Photo: Josie Withers

Grace and elegance Adelaide’s Anant Kaur Sandhu becomes Mrs Singh in artist Tsering Hannaford’s Archibald portrait BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

A

s she sits, regally, in her beautiful blue green costume with gold motifs, her AM honour proudly pinned to her shawl, Anant Kaur Sandhu is a picture of grace and elegance, accomplishment and distinction.

Who is this eminent lady, a member of a tour group asks.

“She’s a well-known restaurateur in Adelaide,” the tour guide replies. “Everyone knows her simply as Mrs Singh. At 88, she’s still active, visiting her kitchens twice a week to oversee the functioning.”

Murmurs of appreciation are heard from the group.

Gazing upon Mrs Singh, artist Tsering Hannaford’s arresting portrait at this year’s Archibald Prize Exhibition, is like a dream come true for me. Having followed Australia’s most prestigious art exhibition for nearly 30 years now, the thought has crossed my mind often about possible Indian links at this annual event.

“The Archibalds are a beautiful celebration of people, in subject, and include a wide range of different styles.”

Tsering Hannaford NATIONAL EDITION

While there have been Indian-origin artists - the Mumbai-born Nafisa Naomi won the Packer Room Prize in 2010 for her portrait of journalist and commentator Glenn A Baker, and this year Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran presents Hindu iconography in his Multilimbed Self Portrait – we’ve never had an Indian sitter. Flaunting their Indian identity.

Mrs Singh is paving the way yet again.

She’s come a long way since 1980, when she launched her restaurant Jasmin, putting her family recipes to use. Today it is an institution, frequently called ‘Australia’s best Indian restaurant’, its refined take on Indian cuisine having attracted pop stars, politicians and prime ministers.

Equally, as a devout Sikh, Mrs Singh is known for her seva (religious service) to homeless people: her restaurant has been preparing and serving hot and nutritious meals for socially disadvantaged people for nearly twenty years now.

For her service to the restaurant and catering industry and for her philanthropic activities, Mrs Singh was given the AM honour by the Australian government in 2018.

“Everyone in Adelaide knows Mrs Singh,” Tsering Hannaford said when asked why she picked Mrs Singh’s portrait as her Archibald entry.

The portrait was commissioned by Mrs Singh’s son Amrik, as an 87th birthday present last year.

“She was reluctant at first,” Amrik revealed. “But after the first sitting, she got right into it! I have no doubt it was because of Tsering and her whole attitude to it – the two got along famously and now often ring each other just to chat.”

The portrait was unveiled on 18 June 2018, Mrs Singh’s birthday, as the extended Singh-Sandhu family gathered to celebrate the matriarch.

“There were plenty of oohs and aahs,” Amrik recounted. “Tsering has done a wonderful job; she’s captured the essence beautifully of the persona that is Mum.” Mrs Singh has given Tsering her fifth consecutive appearance in the Archibalds

“I felt proud and happy for Tsering when I heard about the Archibalds. It was her work.”

Mrs Singh as a finalist. (And that’s no mean feat for a young artist who only became professional in 2012. In 2015, she was a finalist alongside her dad, acclaimed artist Robert Hannaford, in what was the first time ever that a father and daughter duo made it to the Archibalds.)

“Mrs Singh is one of my best portraits from last year,” Tsering observed.

Describing the process, she said, “We had eight sittings at my West Hindmarsh studios in Adelaide. Mrs Singh would come in and stay for three hours. We would do three poses, break for tea, and then do three more poses.”

Did the sessions involve an Indian meal?

“No,” laughed Tsering, “but she’d always bring me something, like short bread biscuits she’d baked, or pickings from her garden.”

Interestingly, Mrs Singh lent Tsering her salwar kameez, so she would be able to get the pattern just right.

“Tsering paid attention to every stroke,” Mrs Singh revealed. “She was very precise, and would remember every little detail, like the rings I had worn on my fingers at the last sitting. What impressed me also was the calm and patience with which she worked. I admire her for her patience: she was soft and gentle, and took her time. She was caring too: she’d ask often if I was tired, and if I would like a break.”

She loved the final work when she got to see it. She said with characteristic humility, “Initially I thought why are the kids making such a big deal about a portrait? But at the

end, I was impressed with Tsering’s work – it came out good, don’t you agree?”

How did she feel when she heard the portrait was to be hung at the Archibalds?

She replied without hesitation, “I felt proud and happy for Tsering. It was her work.”

Mrs Singh is keen to travel to Sydney to see the portrait at the Art Gallery of NSW. “We get it back only after August next year, after it tours the country.”

Tsering Hannaford claims portraits are the most cherished part of her practice, even though she is also known for her still life and landscape works. “I feel privileged to meet such an array of interesting people. As I paint from life I take the time to get to know them, their stories and their lives. Mrs Singh has been a lovely lady to meet.”

Perhaps that’s why she loves the Archibalds. “They are a beautiful celebration of people, in subject, and include a wide range of different styles.”

She agreed that the event this year is particularly diverse, thanks to the hijab (Angus McDonald’s Mariam Veiszadeh), the Buddhist robe (winner Tony Costa’s Lindy Lee), to list a few. “In recent times, the Archibalds are becoming a true reflection of our society.”

Here’s to an even more diverse Archibald Prize Exhibition from here on: we look forward to more salwar kameezes, multiple arms, hijabs, and more body paint.

The Archibald Prize Exhibition is on at the Art Gallery of NSW until 8 Sept.

MAY (2) 2019 11

ART

Lakshman Nitish Ramesh: Me Myself and I Photo: AGNSW / Diana Panuccio

Hazel Thenamkodath: Elizabeth Photo: AGNSW / Diana Panuccio

Emerging talents T

Budding artist in the Young Archie 2019 competition

wo young artists of Indian origin have made it to the shortlist at this year’s Young Archie competition at the Art Gallery of NSW, held concurrently with the Archibald Prize exhibition.

Sydney’s Lakshman Nitish Ramesh is hung as a finalist for his self-portrait Me Myself and I, and Melbourne artist Hazel Thenamkodath has received an honourable mention for her portrait of her mother, titled Elizabeth.

Both were picked from 2100 entries nation-wide.

The contest is open for young artists aged 5-18 in four different age groups. They are asked to present a portrait of someone special in their lives.

“I am the most important person in my life, so I chose to make a self-portrait,” Lakshman, 17, told Indian Link about his pencil drawing.

His artist’s statement reads, “I chose to draw myself as my life is in my hands and I am responsible for my own actions. I drew 12 MAY (2) 2019

myself with a neutral expression, (and) in black and white to symbolise that I am yet to experience life to the fullest. The red, orange and yellow gradient symbolises my future experiences, opportunities and life that will soon fill me with colour.”

Hazel picked her mum as her subject because “I cannot think of another individual who has provided me with so much support and love during my 17 years.”

Lakshman and Hazel have both been drawn to art since a very young age, and have benefitted from extra training outside of school.

Lakshman was encouraged to enter the Young Archies program at ACE Art and Design (Eastwood NSW) where he takes lessons, and Hazel is grateful for the weekly drawing lessons from “my absolutely phenomenal teacher Gwen.”

Their entries took them 12-14 hours to finish.

“I felt ecstatic when I heard I had been shortlisted,” Hazel revealed. “When I saw

the other works accompanying my own, I was honoured to be a part of a group of very talented young individuals.”

Lakshman agreed. “I had seen previous years’ entries and was impressed with the detail, so being in the top ten was a very big deal.”

Victoria Collings, Gallery’s senior coordinator of education and family programs, said of this year’s entries, “I can’t believe the standard – it gets higher each year. Talent and passion lifts each year. I love the stories too, and the fabulous range of techniques. Personally I love the idea of kids being excited about such a program, creating their works and sending them in.”

Describing the program she said, “It began in 2013. The Archibalds were very popular and schools were engaging with it in a major way. We looked at how we could engage further and make young visitors feel part of it, and so began a junior version.”

There are four prize winners in each age category: they get a cash prize of $200

and an artist’s pack. All finalists get $50 from the presenting partner ANZ and an Archibald catalogue. This year’s winners will be announced on 10 August.

The finalists are exhibited at the Gallery, and the Honourable Mentions at the SH Ervin Art Gallery.

“Everyone’s works of course can be seen on the website, where they are archived each year,” Victoria added.

Lakshman and Hazel both are keen to continue with their art.

“Submit an entry for the Archibalds?

Maybe one day,” Lakshman said with promise. “I might even study fine arts at Uni, or perhaps architecture, I don’t know yet. But I will always have my art.”

Hazel claimed she had “no intention” of retiring from painting anytime soon! “I imagine there are many projects awaiting me in the future. Hopefully a couple will be worthy of submitting to the Archibalds.”

Rajni Anand Luthra The Young Archie exhibition is on at the Art Gallery of NSW until 8 Sept.

www.indianlink.com.au

OPINION Photo: AP

Democracy’s ongoing battle with uncertainty Why the 2019 Federal Election result makes many young Australians nervous about the future BY RITAM MITRA

O

n a global scale, the most reliable element of democracy in the last three years has been its unrelenting uncertainty. Closer to home though, that uncertainty stretches back even further to 2010, when Julia Gillard successfully deposed then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to become Australia’s first female Prime Minister. Those events, though astonishing at the time, have become almost routine in the time that has since passed. In the last decade, Australia has had no less than six different leaders, and came very close to what had long seemed an inevitable seventh, before Scott Morrison’s LNP coalition pulled off the most incredible of coups. Remarkable as its victory was, the Morrison government will ultimately be judged not by this election, but by its ability to govern. To young Australians in particular, that poses perhaps the most significant of all uncertainties: an NATIONAL EDITION

insecure future.

It’s no secret that young voters lean towards progressive views and, over time, shift towards the right. After all, the saying goes that “any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has no heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains”. Although often incorrectly attributed to Winston Churchill, both statistically and anecdotally, the maxim holds true. Over the years, progressivism has driven change on some of society’s most fundamental inequalities, including breaking down racial segregation, abolishing child labour, and fighting gender-based discrimination. These seem like no-brainers today, but they were not always so.

The problem is that today, climate change is seen primarily, by many voters, as a progressive issue. This is a lazy oversimplification; in modern history, humanity has not faced an issue with the extent of the existential consequences posed now by climate change. Accepting this scientifically-backed proposition is to accept that climate action and conservatism are not mutually exclusive. Even in the embattled UK for instance, the conservative Tory government recently became the first

national government to declare a climate emergency, in a bipartisan stance that places the environment squarely at the centre of UK government policy, rather than on the fringes.

In contrast, Australians now face a conservative government who will no doubt claim a mandate to implement a half-hearted climate policy, an insufficient approach which itself was the result of the ongoing and petulant protestations of the recently deposed Tony Abbott to the more robust National Energy Guarantee, amongst a host of other bipartisan options.

With Abbott gone, LNP moderates, along with new Independent MPs Helen Haines and Zali Steggall, will at least have some leeway to aim for loftier targets. But the vacuum left by Abbott is not as gaping as it might appear; there are enough within the LNP far-right ready to take up the mantle, and Abbott himself has already committed to an ongoing involvement in politics. It’s easy to see that, along with Murdoch, Abbott’s influence will not be limited to public opinion like the rest of us.

Ironically, many progressive voters would personally benefit from a Liberal government; Morrison’s promised tax

breaks for those earning up to $200,000 are evidence enough of this. Yet there is a bigger picture, and this is what young Australians recognise better than perhaps any other demographic. Far removed from the sheer luck of Baby Boomers and Gen X to be born in times of now unthinkable prosperity, young voters are more politically engaged than they have ever been as they attempt to build a future even half as prosperous for themselves and subsequent generations, even if it means voting against their own personal short-term financial interests.

This year has already seen tens of thousands of high school students march around the country, echoing protests around the world, in support of climate change action. The election itself saw the highestever rate of young Australians being enrolled to vote. In this milieu, Scott Morrison’s cannot rest on his laurels; his overwhelming responsibility, as those in the Indi and Warringah electorates have demanded, is to secure this country’s future.

Australia’s population may be aging, but it is not just today’s Australia or indeed today’s world that requires governing. The LNP government and other political parties alike would do well to remember this.

MAY (2) 2019 13

PEOPLE

Melb lad’s AR Rahman tribute Fan says Rahman’s music motivates him every day

BY JANANI KARTHIK

M

elbourne-based Chander Ram, an ardent fan of Indian music director AR Rahman has inscribed the maestro's name on the number plate of his brand new BMW Z4, which he says is his dream car.

When Chander tagged AR Rahman to a tweet featuring the picture of the car, which reads 'I Love ARR', there came a surprise! Rahman replied to his tweet saying,'Drive safely'.

Well, that was it – Chander went viral.

"800 friend requests on Facebook and some hundred requests on Instagram, many followers on Twitter,” Chander told Indian Link. “I certainly didn't expect any of this my intent was not to become famous!"

About the novel choice for the number plate of his dream car, he revealed, "It was purely to show my love and respect for Rahman. I tagged him to tell him that I'm one of his biggest fans; I have not missed even a single track of his ever since Roja. My day begins and ends with his songs. I wanted to have a memorable number plate to cherish all my life, and obviously, I was listening to Rahman's songs when I thought about the number plate. That's when I decided that I should have his name on the car. I tried to have his full name on the plate but due to space constraint, I chose 'I love ARR'."

He added, “It was overwhelming to see his reply on Twitter. Actually, I was heading to a marathon on the Great Ocean Road when lots of people congratulated me on Twitter after Rahman's message. It gave me all new positive energy to kickstart a marathon."

Chander, an IT professional from Bangalore, is also an avid fitness enthusiast.

He runs marathons and competes in all the major events in Sydney and Melbourne. No prizes for guessing what music he listens to while running!

“An electrifying song like Chale Chalo from Lagaan for example, keeps me motivated all through."

The songs of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam and Kandukondein Kandukondein title track are his favourite tracks. But it is Khwaja

Mere Khwaja from Jodha Akbar that he considers ‘life-changing’.

“It has been a ritual to listen to Khwaja before I head to important meetings and crucial job interviews. I believe that this song is magical."

Chander has met his beloved idol once, at a concert in Delhi for which he had travelled all the way from Melbourne. “When I met him, I told him that I want to be his bodyguard and just listen to his songs all day. He just smiled and replied, 'You will be bored after two days'. Not only his songs but the way he made me feel comfortable, also touched my heart.

There is much to learn from him."

Chander's tribute to his icon is not going to end with this fancy number plate: he revealed he has other plans as well.

“Rahman helps many underprivileged kids learn music through his music school KM Conservatory. I have plans to contribute something to this school in the future as yet another tribute to my maestro."

AR Rahman: The Quiz Chander Ram (nearly) aces Indian Link Radio’s quiz on ARR, live on air with RJ MANOJ What’s AR Rahman’s daughter’s name?

Khatija

What’s Rahman’s first composition?

Roja, but he had an unofficial composition called Set me free before that.

No! It was a Malayalam film, but Roja did catapult him to fame. Rahman was called Dileep then.

His music academy’s name?

KM Conservatory.

Correct, he launched it in 2008.

You obviously know Rahman’s birthday.

Of course, I do. He invites his fans to his place and celebrates his birthday with them with cake etc. Two of my friends work as assistants for Rahman, which

works great for me.

It’s 6 Jan 1967.

Rahman shares his birthday with someone very close to him. Who? You put me on the spot! I don’t know the answer.

Rahman’s son, who was also born on 6 Jan in 2003.

There’s a specific window of time when Rahman composes his music.

When’s that?

Only at night. He also has the habit of lighting the candle when he composes.

I’ve tried doing it myself when stressed and have had to concentrate for work. It does help!

Correct answer! The only time Rahman made an exception was when he was composing/recording with Lata Mangeshkar.

“It has been a ritual to listen to Khwaja before I head to important meetings and crucial job interviews.

I believe that this song is magical."

14 MAY (2) 2019

www.indianlink.com.au

BY SNEHA KHALE

A

t around 4.30 pm on 27 January 2017, Krishan Lal was returning from a breast cancer-related fundraiser in Newcastle when he collided head-on with an oncoming truck.

What followed was the stuff of nightmares, interspersed by a series of serendipitous events. Krishan was flung off his motorbike and landed next to a guardrail on a high and remote mountain road. Port Macquarie, the nearest point of help, was over 100kms away.

With no cell reception, Krishan’s only hope at that point was some form of miracle. And the “powers that be” somehow delivered!

A man on a BMW motorbike was riding along when he saw Krishan lying on the side of the road, surrounded by a few people who were only conversant with basic first-aid. The rider didn’t have any medical skills either, but he did possess something very useful – an emergency beacon, which they used to call for help. There had been a dangerous amount of blood lost by then, and although emergency services were on their way, Krishan was struggling to stay alive. As luck would have it, a guardian angel, in the form of orthopaedic surgeon Dr MaxLeibenson, happened to be driving by. He helped pull Krishan from under the guardrail in the most medically-efficient manner, re-broke his femur bone (without any pain medication, mind you) and controlled the bleeding long enough for emergency services to arrive and airlift him to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle some 380kms away.

That last part wasn’t easy. The paramedics from the local hospital, who were convinced Krishan’s injuries were so bad his legs would have to be amputated, wanted to take him to the nearest hospital. Dr Max had to convince them to fly him to John Hunter (where he worked) for Krishan to be treated without amputation. High on ketamine, which puts users in a trance-like hallucinogenic state, Krishan spent the next 1.5 hours in the helicopter hallucinating about everything around him burning, and imagining the paramedics as people with horns, purple skin and carrot hair!

He recalls, “I looked out the window of the helicopter and everything was on fire, as if it was the apocalypse. I couldn’t feel

I looked out the window of the helicopter and everything was on fire, as if it was the apocalypse. I couldn’t feel anything and I was seeing weird things. I thought to myself, ‘I must have died’.

NATIONAL EDITION

Karma in real life

Following a horrific motorbike accident two years ago, a recovered Krishan Lal wants to thank all those who helped him live

Krishan Lal with Dr Max

anything and I was seeing weird things. I thought to myself, ‘I must have died’”.

It was nearly midnight by the time they reached the hospital. Krishan says a lot of what happened next is a blur. “In the emergency ward and OT, through x-ray scans and signing waivers, I kept telling the medical staff just one thing – whatever happens, don’t amputate my legs.”

After a 9-hour long surgery which required

blood transfusion (he was given 1.5 litres of blood from Red Cross donors), Krishan woke up not knowing what the doctors had done with him: were his legs amputated?

Thankfully, Leibenson’s roadside fix had prevented the need for amputation; however, the doctors weren’t able to salvage the remaining bones in his legs. As a result, Krishan’s bones in his right leg from the femur (thigh bone) all the way down to the tibia and fibula (ankle), as well as his left leg from the patella (knee) to the fibula (ankle) were all replaced - with titanium.

Krishan is the sort of person who believes in doing good deeds and making a difference.

He regularly donates blood, plasma and bone marrow at Red Cross centres.Once, after recording a 98% stem cell match to a 15-year-old girl who was dying of leukaemia, he donated his bone marrow for a procedure that saved her life. Did some higher power intervene on his behalf when he was lying on the side of the road? Was there someone watching over him?

Karma is a tricky thing to speculate about. After his surgery, Krishan had to relearn how to stand and walk. But after two years of physiotherapy, Krishan now has a clean bill of health. In February 2019, he completed a 50-km hike with no problems.

He hasn’t been on a motorbike since his accident, and is unlikely to do so in the future. “My family will kill me if I talk about

Being airlifted to hospital

getting on a motorbike again,” he laughs.

Now, besides his usual donations, Krishan also wants to thank those who helped save his life – Dr Max, the doctors who operated on him and the paramedics, but also the countless unknown Red Cross donors who donated the blood that saved his life. As a way of thanking them and the Australian Red Cross, Krishan is organising a free Red Cross - Concert under the Stars charity event at Ettamogah Hotel in Kellyville on Saturday 25 May 2019.

The family-friendly event will hopefully raise awareness for the kind of incredible work the Australian Red Cross does.

ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVE: DONATING BLOOD The blood you donate in one sitting can potentially save three lives. n Donating blood takes only about 1015 minutes. n Australia needs more than 25,000 donations every week. n One in three Australians will need n

blood or blood products in their lifetime. n Reaching out is very easy: go to your local Red Cross Centre and just ask what they need. They might need volunteers or donations for specific items.

MAY (2) 2019 15

INDIA-OZ

India to respond to Australia’s White paper on trade PAWAN LUTHRA in conversation with ANIL WADHWA, who is tasked with showing a way forward - from the Indian perspective - to grow Australia-India commerce

T

he Indian economic strategy released last year by the Australian government- put together over eleven months by former diplomat Peter Varghese - has been hailed as a way forward to Australia doing business with India. The Indian government, showing their interest in forging a closer trade relationship with Australia, has commissioned Anil Wadhwa, former Secretary East in the Ministry of External Affairs, and former Ambassador, to explore similar opportunities from an Indian perspective.

Over the last six months, Wadhwa has been consulting both Indian and Australian companies in both countries, and is just a few weeks away from finalising his report.

Here are excerpts from a wide-ranging interview with him.

On the challenges and opportunities in the document An India Australia’s Economic Strategy to 2035 This type of a blueprint to enhance trade opportunities between India and another country has never been attempted before and to an extent, there was never an Indian template to fill in. I think it’s always good to be a pioneer and I think there could not be a better country than Australia to do that.

There are so many synergies as far as the two countries are concerned - vibrant democracies, the growing diaspora from India as a great link, at least in the current day circumstances so we see this relationship going from strength to strength in the future.

What we are looking for is not the past; we are looking at the current circumstances and the future, most importantly the future, and therefore this report is forward-looking, lays emphasis on fields for the future, creative ideas and areas in which we have not engaged with each other. So that will then complete the report, which is in three sections. The first is a macro section, which analyses our economies and the direction of the economies, and the gaps which are there; the second section is on the sectors which we have identified as promising (and some sectors which we have been engaging in but in any case need to be strengthened); and the third is the creative and the forward-looking industries and businesses and services which we will engage in in the future.

On areas of cooperation for India and Australia We found that there are a number of areas of cooperation, actually. Many of them have not been utilised properly, probably because of lack of information about each other.

A second issue is the fact that both India and Australia have been looking at other 16 MAY (2) 2019

I think there’s room for improvement in the Business Councils. They need to get more focused, and they should be more sectoral. partners for the same products and services and investment. But just to name a few, for example, there have been new areas which have opened up in natural resources. India has been a partner of Australia’s national resources in coal, gold, copper etc., but with the new international exploration program which has been announced in India, new opportunities for new minerals have opened up. Therefore, minerals like lithium, nickel, cobalt, the rare earths, all become important. And this program is well on its way – there is a target of 2030 and beyond – and obviously the basket of natural resources for which India is looking to Australia becomes much larger. We also have an ongoing relationship in LNG for instance; right now there’s a lot of commitment from Qatar as well as concern, because our LNG terminals used to be on the Western seaboard, but now we have a new port on the Eastern seaboard which has just opened, and that will bring with it the possibility of freight costs coming down from Australia.

We’ve also looked at renewables, with a big emphasis on solar and wind energy. The whole effort to bring solar, nuclear, and wind

energy higher into the overall mix for energy in India, and the fact that India is a pioneer for the International Solar Alliance, makes it even more important.

Australian technology – like remote sensing and management of large farms – can be used in the Indian context as well. So, there is a give-and-take in this situation, and it would be also useful for both sides to look into creating joint ventures which can service both countries. We’re also looking at agriculture and agricultural technologies where Australia offers the possibility of tracks of land which can be cultivated by Indian investors – I’m thinking, for example, of cotton. There are possibilities of forming joint ventures with Australian companies which are already in the market, food processing technology and processing of machinery, and manufacture of machinery in India with use in both countries.

A model example exists already - there are some companies which are doing this very successfully - and all we need to do is scale it up and advance it further. In the field of pharmaceuticals, there is a big market for Indian biogenetics, and Australian and

Indian companies teaming up to produce higher quality vitamins for instance. That’s one progressive area. We also have the IT side, where Indian companies are here in the market; they are into services in a large way. What’s happening with industry all over the world is we are going into Industry 4.0, so we will need appropriate technologies and products to be developed to meet that challenge in terms of AI and machine learning etc., and here again Indian companies are very well equipped to work with Australian companies. In the field of banking we looked at financial technologies, where both sides can cooperate. Education is very high on the agenda in the India Economic Strategy 2035. From the Indian perspective, I think it’s important we seize the STEM collaboration.

We also look at arts and liberal arts and areas in which there is a shortage of people who can work in sectors like musicology or curatorship for example. And so you need to create another cluster of engagement between a different set of universities altogether. Universities in India are looking for joint degrees, ramping up of the PhD programs on both sides; they’re also looking at scaling up the skills development program, which Australian companies are involved in. One way to do that is to train the trainers for instance, which we will emphasise.

We need to create a special fund for innovation, because that’s emerged as a major area for collaboration. Tourism is a growing sector between our countries, and more tourists from India are coming in to Australia.

www.indianlink.com.au

One of the ideas that we discussed in many places is to encourage the shooting of Indian films, which makes a destination more popular, and Australia is ideally placed to do that.

We have the health technologies and health equipment: India being a consumer market, we can scale up the technological progress that Australia has made in this field.

Water technology is big in demand in India. So cleaning of water, preservation of water, and remote operation of water services through solar energy would be great areas to collaborate in. I already told you about the food chain – so just processing and food preservation – because 35% of food in India is wasted still. Then we need coal chains and also warehousing and storage. So, all companies who are in this sector should look at India quite seriously. Sports technology is an emerging area – sports management, where some Australian companies have entered Indiaalready – needs to be scaled up further.

And then, from India to Australia, we also have a demand for Indian medicine – Ayurveda, for instance – which needs to be expanded in scope in terms of opening more spas, new treatment areas etc. across Australia.

Finally, with the infrastructure demands in India, the Australian pension funds must enter India: this is the right time. We feel that the earlier they do so, the better, so that’s going to be another recommendation.

because Australia is a good market by itself.

If you need to scale it up, then you must look at markets like India. Of course, Australia has been engaged with China, but if you analyse the exports from Australia to China, 80% of it is natural resources. So what we are looking at, is a more complex kind of relationship with India – both are vibrant democracies; they have needs which complement each other, and so far it’s not happened because there was no focus on the sectors that I just told you. India has started a series of new programs now, starting from Digital India to Make in India to Clean in India, and then there’s a focus on start-ups as well. Education is receiving a lot

course that’s one sector which isn’t very well developed. If I had to pick another sector, I would pick health technology, where the scale is huge, and if the technology is to be scaled up, it has to be in India because the demand is growing.

of attention. So all these areas are those which Australia is quite adept at. There is also a focus on healthcare as you know – a new program Aysuhman Bharat was launched recently.

their returns are good, they’re happy.

They’re foraying into airports as well, bidding for airports, and of course the toll road business is doing very well.

On why Australian companies hesitatea bout doing business with India

On those one or two big opportunities for Australian businesses in India

On another Indian Prime Ministerial visit to Australia

I think it’s a question of taking the plunge and going into a new market. I think it’s in the intrinsic nature of Australian companies to be a little more risk averse to situations

Education, because of skilling. There’s a lot of demand for skilling, and so Australian companies which are in to skilling actually can’t meet the demand at the moment. So of

I think because of the growing engagement between the two countries, you will see frequent visits from now on. Normally, it’s at least every two years or so, a stand-

On the success of Australian companies in India, such as Macquarie They had the patience, and they did not look for a return immediately. They have been in the market in India since 2002.

Infrastructure projects typically have an 8-year gestation period for returns to flow in. Now that they’ve completed their period,

With the infrastructure demands in India, the Australian pension funds must enter India: this is the right time.

We feel that the earlier they do so, the better, so that’s going to be another recommendation.

alone visit which should happen, if not every year. But our economies are coming closer together and geopolitically, India and Australia are coming together. So this is imperative.

On the Business Councils of the two countries I think there’s room for improvement, frankly. The business councils are meeting, but those meetings need to get more focused, and they should be more sectoral.

On the Indian diaspora’s contribution towards trade I think the diaspora in Australia is doing a great job as far as I can see. There is not much of an Australian diaspora in India unfortunately, but the diaspora here in Australia seems very active. They are helping the states where they are to formulate the strategy towards India. For example I went to Northern Territory, which wants to engage in India with a particular state. Now their partners are officially Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for instance, but there is a 3000-strong Indian diaspora in Alice Springs – they are doctors and health providers and nurses. They are very well connected with the government in NT, and because of them there are very strong linkages which have developed with the state of Kerala. I think the NT government is now planning to sign an MOU with Kerala as well, which will help them do more business together with the help of the diaspora because they have created those linkages which never existed before.

TSS 482 Visas

NATIONAL EDITION

MAY (2) 2019 17

COVER STORY

Vijay Parva (Victory Festival) events held nation-wide by the Overseas Friends of BJP. RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA and SNEHA KHALE report

I

t's a level of political obsession that's unimaginable to many. Very few real people inspire that kind of fervent devotion, especially in politics. But Narendra Modi is no ordinary person. His god-like status in India stands cemented, with chants of 'Har Har Modi' (a play on the religious chant 'Har Har Mahadev') from his followers, as the results of the 2019 Indian elections began to come in. By likening Modi to the great god Mahadev aka Shiva - the Supreme Being; the Lord of Divine Energy, time, destruction; Supreme Destroyer of Evil; Lord of the devas (gods) - his supporters have made their devotion to the Indian Prime Minister very clear.

And this devotion transcends national borders.

As the western hemisphere was still waking up to the election results on Thursday 23 May, NaMo supporters in Australia had a clear advantage with regard to their celebrations. With trending hashtags like #ModiAaGaya (Modi has arrived) and #NaMoAgain, they rejoiced in Modi's re-election in quintessentially Indian fashion, i.e. loud and proud.

As we write this, late on Thursday night, there are Vijay Parva (‘Victory Festival’) events organised in every metropolitan

Photo: AP

Oz-based supporters revel at Modi victory

centre, with dancing, dhol music and the big screen TV at the back that has been blaring the resounding results all afternoon.

Members of the Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) are celebrating into the night.

“We want to thank the Indian people and the diaspora who have supported the politics of development and rejected the politics of dynasty,” Jay Shah of OFBJP Melbourne told Indian Link.

“There’s 150 karyakartas (volunteers) here at the Dosa Hut restaurant - we started dancing at 2pm.”

In Sydney, the General Secretary of the OF BJP Rahul Jethi said, “We had a Vijay Diwas (celebration day) back in 2014.

This time round it’s a Parva, a festival in continuation!”

Some 300 people gathered at the Parravilla Function centre, most joining in after work. (Among the revellers was Scott Farlow MLC - well-known for his own Indian links - who made an impassioned speech congratulating Modi).

Keyur Kamdar of OFBJP Perth shouted over the dhol in Fusion6 Restaurant at Wembley, “Junta ne bumper voting karke government ko second term di hai. They showed confidence in Modi’s development

Melb

18 MAY (2) 2019

www.indianlink.com.au

Perth

Perth

policies and acknowledged his hard work.

And so we thought it was time to bring out the band-baaja and the mithai!”

All agreed that it was a tremendous victory, predicted by the polls, no surprises there.

The BJP is the first political party in India to reach out to the diaspora and build a base that can contribute in multiple ways, even if they can’t vote.

Take the NRI4NaMo community for example. Touting themselves as the biggest volunteer community of the Indian diaspora, this organisation of 20,000+ volunteers across 121 countries and boasting 100,000+ Facebook community members, invested 70,000+ volunteer hours with the sole intention to ensure that Narendra Modi got re-elected and continued to be the Indian PM. In our own backyard, the OFBJP claims it made 10,000 calls to India to garner support for Modi; put campaign stickers on no less than 1000 cars; organised 40 events at iconic locations such as the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Cricket Ground and Optus Stadium Perth; had a social media reach of 2 million impressions, and featured some 30 articles about their activities in Indian newspapers.

“The global outreach of the BJP is not new,” Brisbane’s Malpe told Indian Link. “It began in the Indian diaspora in the US, giving the community there the opportunity to be involved in Indian politics. With social media, the movement has spread.”

Keyur Kamdar agreed, “At OFBJP we want to ensure that people living outside India continue to be attached Sydney

Such is the utsaah (enthusiasm) that some supporters are planning a trip back home just to be around for the swearing-in.

Melb

strongly to major trends there.”

The sentiment is seen in other diaspora communities as well. Jay Shah observed, “The American diaspora have active platforms such as Republicans Overseas and Democrats Abroad. We all have very strong links to our home country and want to do our bit to help it develop and prosper.”

Yet the BJP karyakartas seem to be a different breed of animal altogether. Many of them have taken time off from work to

go back home and contribute. And such is the utsaah (enthusiasm), Kamdar reported, that some Perth residents are planning a trip back home just to be around for the swearing-in.

For Rahul Jethi, the strong investment in BJP is an ideology he grew up with. “The BJP is about enterprise and opportunity; it’s about giving people the means to create a better life for themselves, not to handicap people by dishing out benefits. As well, to do the right thing by your country.

The Liberal Party here in Australia, of which I am a member, has that same ideology of empowerment. So for me, it’s been a smooth transition.”

Jethi was actively involved in the launch of the OFBJP ahead of its election win in 2014. Since then, the organisation has grown nation-wide, and has organised some highly attended events with visiting BJP members of rank such as Sambit Patra (official spokesperson) and Prakash Javadekar (Minister of Education).

The Perth branch was launched only in March this year. Keyur Kamdar revealed, “We held our first event, a Chai Pe Charcha (Modi’s favourite mode of interacting with individuals and small groups over tea), and 70 people turned up even though we did not advertise. At the Vijay Parva, 90 people turned up, and I’m happy to say we come from all parts of India - Himachal, Kerala, Gujarat, even Arunachal Pradesh. Our next events are screenings of the films Narendra Modi and Tashkent, a film about the death of Prime Minister Shastri.”

Rahul Jethi has the last word: “The OFBJP’s activities in the future will be to bring our two countries together culturally and socially, to work together to help make the world a better place.”

For the moment, though, the members of this organisation are simply ecstatic about the election results.

"Landslide" is a term being used in relation to the BJP's momentous win for a second straight term, and it's not uncalled for. As we now know, the BJP on its own won more seats this time round than it did in 2014, and it wouldn't be foolhardy to say that all of it was thanks to Modi's cult of personality.

We're sure the celebrations won't stop anytime soon.

Perth

NATIONAL EDITION

MAY (2) 2019 19

FASHION ALICE MCCALL

Sy IS

CARLA ZAMPATTI

BY REGHU BALARAMA

20 MAY (2) 2019

www.indianlink.com.au

MARIAM SEDDIQ

ydney

AN

fashion

Snapshots from the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 12-17 May

NATIONAL EDITION

MAY (2) 2019 21

WHAT’S ON EXHIBITION

Archibald Prize 2019 Upto 8 Sep Check out Australia’s most extraordinary art event that awards the best portrait artists for their paintings. South Asian artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Young Archie finalists Lakshman Nitish Ramesh and Anupama Pangeni are hung in this year’s event. Also hung is a lovely portrait of iconic restaurateur Anant Singh who opened the famous Jasmin restaurant in Adelaide in 1980.

Venue: Art Gallery Rd, Sydney NSW 2000. Details 1800 679 278.

YOGA AND MEDITATION

Lunch-time yoga and meditation Mondays Art of Living Sydney presents free lunch-time Yoga sessions from 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm at Level 2, 265 Castlereagh Street, Sydney.

Thursdays The Brahma Kumaris Australia present meditation sessions from 12.15pm - 1.00pm at the Indian Cultural Centre, Level 2, 265 Castlereagh Street, Sydney.

Details 02 9223 2702.

Register at icc2.sydney@mea.gov.in Yoga at Spirit of India Saturdays and Sundays, 15-week Yoga course. Also check out special yoga classes for children (5-12 years), adults and senior citizens (55 plus). Venues at Wentworthville, Quakers Hill, Pennant Hills, Auburn, Epping, Homebush, Ryde.

Free Yoga class every Wednesday (5.30pm - 7.00pm) at Indian Consulate Cultural Centre, Level 2, 265 Castlereagh St, Sydney. Free meditation every Saturday (8.30am - 9.15am) at Wentworthville. Details www. spiritofindia.org or call Suresh 0412 202 182 or Raja 0402 789 109.

Yoga and meditation 100% Health Thur 6 June (5.30 pm - 7.00 pm) Sri Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC) in association with Tej Gyan Global Foundation is hosting a health camp with gentle warmup exercises and Yoga, various meditations for inner peace and to improve self-awareness, and breathing techniques to improve respiration, energy and vitality.

Venue: SVCC CGI Level 2, 265 Castlereagh Street, Sydney 2000.

Details 02 9223 2702.

SPIRITUAL

Sant Nirankari Mission Sydney weekly congregations Sundays (5:30pm - 7:30pm) followed by community meals.

Venue: Sant Nirankari Bhawan, 166 Glendenning Road, Glendenning.

Details Devinder 0403 216 084.

Chinmaya Mission Australia Saturdays Family programs (Balvihar classes) commence at 22 MAY (2) 2019

Eastwood (3.00pm – 4.15pm) and at Strathfield (4.45pm - 6.00pm).

Details Chinmaya Sannidhi 02 8850 7400, 0416 482 149.

SENIORS

Tech savvy seniors Mon 27 May Introduction to Internet Part 1 Mon 3 June Introduction to Internet Part 1 Mon 17 June Introduction to Email Part 1 Tech Savvy Seniors program aims to help seniors with little or no digital experience develop skills and confidence in using technology for socialising, accessing services or conducting personal business.

Training is fun and hands-on, and includes basic introductory courses on using computers, tablets, smart phones, the internet, email and social media. At Guildford Library, Railway Terrace, Guildford. Details 02 87579063.

AASHA Hornsby Every second and fourth Friday of the month, 11.00am - 2.00pm.

Programs feature yoga, music, dance, games, health and tech presentations, health checks and light lunch. Venue: Hornsby Youth and Community Centre, corner of Muriel and Burdett Sts, Hornsby, close to Hornsby Station. Details 0412 786 569.

Crows Nest, every third Wednesday of the month, 10.00am -11.30am. Venue: 2 Ernest Place, Crows Nest. Social event with free tea. Details 02 9439 5122.

STAGE

Sitar Recital by Sri Subrata De Sun, 26 May 2019 at 7.30pm Sri Subrata De from Delhi will perform a sitar recital at the Vedanta Centre of Sydney. He will be accompanied by Sri Abhijit Dan on tabla. Venue: Vedanta Centre of Sydney, 144A Marsden Rd, Ermington NSW 2115. Details 02 8197 7351.

Ankit Tiwari Live In Concert Sun 30 June (7.00 pm) The Bollywood playback singer, whose songs include hits like

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

Galliyan and Sunn Raha Hain, is touring Australia. His Sydney concert is at Whitlam Leisure Centre, 90A Memorial Avenue Liverpool, NSW 2170. Details 0452 337 387.

CONFERENCE

Inspiring Change - Women’s Conference 2019 Thurs 13 June 9.30am - 5pm (Registration at 8.30am) The Community Migrant Resource Centre is presenting a day-long conference on women without borders. A select group of migrant women will share their success stories and help others bring about social change. Venue: Parkroyal Paramatta, 30 Phillip St Parramatta. Details email cmrc_admin@cmrc.com.au

Venue: The Essential Ingredient, Junction Fair Shopping Centre, 200 Union Street, The Junction, Newcastle, NSW 2291.

Details 02 4926 1991.

Bollyfusion Grooves + Bindi Bosses Moves: Dance Workshop with FREE Henna Art Sun 16 June (3pm – 5pm) Join Bindi Bosses Shyamla Dance and Jes Subba (2019 Australian Dancehall Queen second place winner) to learn how to adapt funk, samba and dancehall to a Bollywood context, while also focusing on technique, expression, groove and movement. Venue: Electric DNA (Dance N' Arts), 394 Marrickville Road (Upstairs), Marrickville, NSW 2204, Australia.

Details 0415 633 531.

How South-Asian Media is Serving the Desi Community Sat 15 June (4.30pm – 6.00pm) Nautanki Theatre Companybrings together editors, producers and founders of some of the top South-Asian media groups in Australia to discussmedia and the desi CaLD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) community.

Panel discussion moderated by Sukhmani Khorana, PhD Media, Communication & Law at the University of Wollongong. Venue: Information & Cultural Exchange, 8 Victoria Road, opp Prince Alfred Park, Parramatta.

Details 0432 832 311

Garden to Table: Indian Cuisine

by Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living Sat 29 June (12.00pm - 3.00pm) In this sustainable workshop funded

by Campbelltown City Council,chef Gerry will prepare some classic Indian recipes including tandoori and korma dishes as well as coconut based curries and seafood, all with the idea to reduce and avoid food waste and packaging. Venue: Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living, 1 Mount Annan Drive, Mount Annan, NSW 2567.

Details 02 4647 9828.

WORKSHOPS

FUNDRAISER

Autism workshop Sat 25 May (1.30pm - 4.30pm) Learn about autism and how to understand behaviour, working together with your school and taking care of yourself as a family member.

At Dundas community centre, 21 Sturt St, Telopea.

Details 0435 967 226.

The Art of Chai - Sydney Workshop by Chai Walli Wed 5 June (6.00pm) A1.5 hour long class to understand and explore chai - its culture, taste, ingredients and brewing methods.

Hosted by Australia's leading chai expert, Uppma Virdi from Chai Walli, who is the granddaughter of an Ayurvedic doctor who specialised in Indian spices and remedial chai.

This class will equip you with the right skills to truly understand authentic masala chai.

Details 1800 839 668.

South Indian Feast by The Cooking School Thu 6 June 2019 (5.30pm - 8.30pm) Take your taste buds on a trip to South India with Indian cook Sue Kumar. Learn to make traditional South Indian specialties like Chettinad Lamb Curry, Eggplant Brinjal Fry, Cabbage Poriyal and a Cucumber Pachadi, all while devouring the food you make.

Red Cross Concert Under the Stars Sat 25 May (concert starts at 6.00pm until 10.00pm) Free concert under the stars while viewing some of the best concerts of all time from the 70s, 80s, 90s as well as contemporary ones on a 300-inch big screen. Family friendly event with all your favourite food and drinks available along with kids entertainment and plenty more. Venue: Ettamogah Pub Cnr Merriville & Windsor Rd, Kellyville Ridge NSW. Details 0403 527 340.

Womanity: A Fundraising Initiative by Bollywood Empire Sun 9 June (7.00pm - 11.30pm) Womanity is a fundraising fashion show with live music, dance and other performances aimed towards raising funds for the McGrath Foundation (an Australian breast cancer support charity) and the Indian Support Centre (an organisation that supports people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse). There will be an Indian buffet, Bollywood and Bhangra music, dhol players etc.

Venue: Parra Villa Function Lounge, 37 Campbell Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150.

Details www.bollywoodempire.com.au

www.indianlink.com.au

COMMUNITY

My mum can s ng!

A look at Indian Link Radio’s Mother’s Day talent quest Sagar Mehrotra presents the Main Bhi Kalakaar award to Arvinder Kaur Makkar as her daughter Nimar and husband Harpal look on

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

S

ydney’s Arvinder Kaur Makkar debated with herself for two whole days before making the call.

Ultimately, she gathered courage to pick up the phone, and dialled in to an Indian Link Radio show, to participate in an ongoing Mother’s Day contest.

The contest – Main Bhi Kalakaar (I’m an artiste too) targeted at the mums of our community to showcase a hidden talent.

Live on air, Arvinder presented her talent: singing. The number she picked: Madhaaniyaan, a traditional Punjabi wedding song.

She packed in so much feeling in her presentation of this age-old number – which talks of the moment a young bride leaves her parental home – that the judges were blown over.

Arvinder Makkar, mum of two, walked away with the top prize in the Mother’s Day contest, appearing live on presenter Sagar Mehrotra’s show Sunday Matinee to accept her honour.

“It turned out to be a very special Mother’s Day this year,” Arvinder said later.

“My kids Jas (24) and Nimar (18) and my husband Harpal were with me live on the special Mother’s Day broadcast, and were very proud of me.”

No less than 28 women participated in the contest which ran for two weeks, in an on-air contest conceived and delivered by Station Manager Ekta Sharma.

“Participants rang in on our live shows which are broadcast mornings and evenings, and presented a talent,” Ekta described to Indian Link. “The showcase ran the entire gamut from poetry to singing to shayaari to jokes, even mimicry. One entrant presented a motivational speech on the topic of harmonious relationships.”

In the end though, it was Arvinder’s haunting melody, and her characteristic gentle mannerism, that won the day.

“I couldn’t believe I had won,” Arvinder revealed, adding, “This was the first time ever that I had rung in to a radio station.

I heard about the contest and thought I should participate, and then wondered about my talent. I’m not a great singer but I do love music – Hindi songs of the ‘80s and ‘90s, and some contemporary songs are part of my everyday life, and of course traditional Punjabi numbers. You could say I’m a good bathroom singer!”

Arvinder works for Sydney Trains, and after hours, at her Subway franchise.

Indian Link Radio has become a regular companion, at lunch breaks and at home as she goes about her chores.

In many ways, the Mother’s Day contest was designed for women exactly like her: the intent was to present to our families that our mums are more than care-givers and breadwinners, that they are individuals with their NATIONAL EDITION

own particular passions and loves, and that we must acknowledge and highlight these even as they nourish the very same in us.

Ekta Sharma concluded, “To all the entrants in this contest, and to others, I’d like to say, we are just a phone call away – call us and tell us your stories, and what’s happening in your inner world. Meanwhile, we have some more interesting competitions lined up for you. Coming up very shortly, two Bridge Climb tickets to be won. Tune in to find out how.”

Find Indian Link Radio in your app store, and on Facebook at IndianLinkRadio

Ekta Sharma, Station Manager, Indian Link Radio

The idea was to highlight that our mums are more than care-givers and breadwinners - they are individuals with their own particular passions and loves MAY (2) 2019 23

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STAGE Photos: FOTOMINDED

The power to heal Danseuse Sanjana Chandawarkar on how Bharatnatyam helped her recover from a sports injury

BY USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND

S

anjana Chandawarkar’s Bharatanatyam journey began in Bombay as a five-year-old.

When her family moved to Sydney, she continued her tutelage under guru Hamsa Venkat and soon became an integral part of the Samskriti School of Dance.

Excelling in this art form was her dream and arangetram its natural progression.

However, Sanjana’s journey to this destination has by no means been an easy one. A sports injury tested her determination.

“I am a strong believer of everything happening for a reason in life. These challenges helped me to understand myself and be aware of my own body. Dance has the power to heal,” the biomedical engineer explained, acknowledging her guru’s patience and perseverance during this difficult phase.

Yoga helped Sanjana find focus. “It not only allowed me to mould myself to the physical requirements of Bharatanatyam but also shortened my recovery time exponentially,” she added.

By embracing innovative themes, bold choreographic NATIONAL EDITION

techniques and a unique style of delivery, Sanjana paid obeisance to her guru’s driving philosophy, a quote by George Bernard Shaw: I dream of things that never were and ask why not.

“Bold statements often have to come from deep within and it is very important for both teacher and student to feel it in order to take the audience with them,” Hamsa emphasised.

Approaching the arangetram as a service to the divine, Sanjana’s repertoire for the evening was an exquisite kadamba garland, incorporating myriad blossoms for a multisensory feast. Be it cartwheels or complex emoting, her personality shone through.

Music is intrinsic to a Bharatanatyam recital and the orchestra, comprised of Sai Vigneshwar (vocal), Hamsa (nattuvangam), Pallavarajan

Nagendran (mrudangam) and the Sritharan siblings Saumya (veena) and Venkhatesh (flute) sustained the narrative in great harmony.

The invocatory Omkaram and Swaranjali, a jathiswaram composed by Mohan Iyer, showcased beauty through movement.

Soon, the audience was transported to the Chennakeshava temple at Belur, in a scene where the danseuse is mesmerised by the sheer grace and fluidity of the dancing sculptures that adorn the temple and bring Chennakeshava to life.

Varnam, a showpiece for the night, was dedicated to Lord Krishna and his divine manifestations. Snapshots of his colorful life unraveled - from adorable truant, eternal playmate and charismatic lover to cosmic creator. It was also an exploration of the self as the danseuse connected with key aspects of her persona.

The full impact of the dialogue between Arjuna and his charioteer was not lost on Sanjana – the conflict between action and inaction, material and spiritual, ephemeral and timeless.

“Arjun’s reaction to Krishna’s advice and the revelation of His Vishwaroopam was one of the many special moments for me in

my arangetram. The musical ensemble allowed me to feel the presence of the divine in every moment of the dance and I thank them all for bringing me so close to the divine through their music,” she said.

Throughout the performance, music and dance effortlessly collaborated like soul mates, to weave a rich tapestry.

Delving into the creative process, Hamsa complimented the team not just for their ability but also their attitude, “They were willing to experiment with us and worked as a team, where all our energies were channeled towards one goal, the best outcome on stage that day. In fact, the whole music composition for the piece on the lion and mouse started only days before the performance,” she added.

Small deeds and little gestures can have an enduring impact - that was the moral of Kathanam, an endearing rendition of the old Panchatantra classic.

Aananda Thaandavam was a tribute to the patron of art form as the syllables tha thi, nom and tham emanate from his radiant being.

The padam in Begada was a bold depiction of love, the queen of emotions, where the nayika fearlessly flaunts her passion unencumbered by social norms of the day.

Swati Thirunal’s Dhanasri Thillana was Sanjana’s penultimate piece, an exhilarating expression of bliss. She concluded with Omkaara Kaarini, a dedication to many forms of Devi, saluting the power vested within each woman.

Hamsa could not have been more proud of her diligent shishya. “Though I was fully conscious that Sanjana had gone through severe physical trauma, my way of dealing with it was not with sympathy but with the attitude that I am going to keep the bar high and she has to make that extra effort and build resilience to get there. The satisfaction she felt after the performance and the determination she now feels to move ahead with confidence, more than compensates for the challenges along the way,” the guru concluded.

MAY (2) 2019 25

BOOKS

Impressions of India

S

andwiched within the provocatively titled book, The Assassination of Indira Gandhi, Upamanyu Chatterjee’s collection of short stories takes a wide sweep of rural and urban India’s landscapes and ‘peoplescapes’, through a range of extreme narratives, which deal with the figurative as well as fecal.

The titular short story comes towards the end of the book, where a jaundiceridden and fatigued young Sikh boy learns about the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, while recuperating in the comfortable confines of his parents' home in Mussoorie. It makes him wonder about the futility of an unstable world, where fate is indifferent to effort.

The assassination barely plays out in the story, through inputs from primitive television and informed neighbours in the remote hillstation home, where the young boy and his parents discuss the events which followed the killing. But the shock value of the short story's title apparently does enough to cloak it on the cover.

The 12 short stories are written in varied styles, some of them delightfully complex, jargon-filled, while others are stunningly simple in both style and content.

By the way, when one gets the opportunity to chance upon phrases like ‘iambic pentametre’, ‘decolam’, ‘varlets’, among others, in course of the stories, there really is no call for raised eyebrows, as you reach for a dictionary to understand the meaning. After all, Upamanyu Chatterjee was a Shashi Tharoor ahead of his time, when it came to bringing the spotlight on rare nuances of the English language, much before Tharoor’s literary

Photo: Outlook India

A collection of short stories from the beautiful but complex weave that is Indian society

Upamanyu Chatterjee

The 12 short stories are written in varied styles, some of them delightfully complex, jargon-filled, while others are stunningly simple in both style and content. adventures trended on social media.

The collection opens with a cloak and dagger story, about how British ambassador Sir Thomas Roe dawdles his way through local customs, courtiers, satraps, the weather and corruption in order to present himself at the court of Emperor Jehangir.

The other stories include ‘Othello Sucks’, in which a seemingly upper middle class couple comes to terms with their daughter's warming up to

a dark-skinned boy of half Mauritanian descent, after they engage with each other at school, against the backdrop of rehearsals for the Shakespearean play about the Moorish prince.

The other stories are about a young boy avenging his sexual predator, the death of a teenage girl and her classmates’ coming to terms with her demise, and the disappearance of children from the village following an encounter with a professional catcher of rats.

The collection of short stories also marks the comeback of the irreverent, but affable young trainee bureaucrat Agastya Sen, the protagonist of Chatterjee’s English August in the short story ‘The Killings in Madna’, which is a throwback to the stifling, bureaucratic settings of the author’s debut novel.

A bureaucrat himself, it would not be too difficult for the author to recreate the dourness surrounding a young city-bred bureaucrat’s life in a dusty district. But Chatterjee is a master of this craft, which he unleashes through his fictional sub divisional magistrate under-training and the air of futility through which he plods on.

Another story titled ‘Sparrows’ tackles the phenomenon of sparrows disappearing from modern Indian cities and the doomed efforts of a man who tries to make a pair of birds feel at home in his city home.

‘Can’t Take This Shit Anymore’ is also a gripping story, which tugs at the heart, about the daily humiliation faced by the children of manual scavengers in rural India, especially those involved in the dehumanising chore of cleaning dry toilets, which ends on a valiantly optimistic note.

Overall, The Assassination of Indira Gandhi is a book which encases many slices of India and some of them are really savoury.

Mayabhushan Nagvenkar

The collection of short stories also marks the comeback of the irreverent, but affable young trainee bureaucrat Agastya Sen, the protagonist of Chatterjee’s ‘English August’…which is a throwback to the stifling, bureaucratic settings of the author’s debut novel.

26 MAY (2) 2019

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CULTURE DIARIES

Loving right now A list of Indian Link’s current favourites

READ

LISTEN

Are you a meat eater who loves animals? Are you an environmentally and ethically conscious person who feels a tad uncomfortable eating meat? Author Josephine Moon herself struggled with this for many years. Her conundrum led her to write Buddhism for Meat Eaters – a practical book that encourages readers to be more mindful about their choices, without judging them. You can eat meat and still be ethical and guilt-free by making wiser decisions on how you live your life and consume your food – and this book helps you do that!

The selling point of The Intersection is right there in its set-up – it’s a podcast with two journalists (Padmaparna Ghosh and Samanth Subramanian) taking us on a journey through India’s uber-rich history and culture while discussing all sorts of interesting, important and sometimes quirky topics through lots of research, interviews and anecdotes.

Topics include our plastic addiction, lab-grown meat, and the science of the stampede (a topic they covered after the deadly stampede at Mumbai’s Elphinstone Bridge in 2017).

Episodes come out every fortnight and the knowledge drop is absolutely legit!

EAT

WATCH

Like your ginger chai? Then try Spice Zen’s ginger juice. Cold-pressed from fresh, raw, whole organic ginger root grown right here in Australia, this 100% ginger juice contains no preservatives or additives. It mixes easily in beverages and has a smooth texture and a spicy, earthy, pungent flavour. Down it as a shot in the morning or add to a cold or warm drink, juice or smoothies. Or splash it on your stir fry, salads, marinades, seafood or meat; use it in baking, or simply freeze the juice as cubes.

Set in Mumbai, Little Things, a Netflix show is a story of a young couple living together.

Between their work, friends, chores and relationship, it’s a snapshot of millennial life that resonates deeply. Starring Mithila Palkar and Dhruv Sehgal, it’s a refreshing look at life in an age that sometimes seems saturated with Instagram posts, brunches and constant FOMO. Whether it’s sitting back and watching TV, or spending a quiet evening reading, the show is a reminder to take life slow, and enjoy and savour these “little things”.

NATIONAL EDITION

MAY (2) 2019 27

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MATRIMONIALS SEEKING GROOMS Seeking a suitable match for a 33-yearold girl, 5’6”, Melbourne based CPA, working as a consultant. The boy should be well qualified, professionally settled in Australia, with a minimum height of 5’9”.

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Beautiful, highly educated with very good family background, soft spoken, career oriented, 33-year-old vegetarian Brahmin girl, working, well settled in Sydney, seeks an educated, teetotaller boy with good family background. Prefer Australian citizen or PR. Please contact rajsyd83@gmail.com

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REFLECTIONS

Tough times, happy times Lessons from the story of Anh Do, the ‘happiest refugee’ in Australia

BY EMIE ROY

I

t was 700 of us in the Adelaide Convention Centre, and we were all laughing and crying at the same time.

Who would have thought listening to a keynote address would end up like this, and that too one delivered by a comedian.

But Anh Do is much more than a comedian – perhaps motivational speaker is a better description.

Tears trickling down my face, I was relieved to see my neighbour was no better, smudged eyeliner and what not!

There we were, blotting up the words of Anh Do, the ‘happiest refugee’and multicultural icon. If you’ve read Anh Do’s acclaimed 2010 book (The Happiest Refugee), you’ll know the story. Impoverished family leaves wartorn Vietnam on a crowded leaky boat, fighting the elements (and a pirate attack).

They arrive in Australia, only to see their troubles continue as they settle in Yagoona. Dad can’t take the pressure and abandons the family, leaving Mum to raise three kids alone.

It is a touching tale, but told with a large comedic overlay, so that listeners (and readers) are left crying and laughing alternately.

It occurred to me that Anh’s recount is something we can all identify with as migrants, even though our own transition may have been smoother. As I learn more about fellow migrants – not just Indian migrants - the cross section of the struggles they encounter is formidable.

International students who have not been provided an honest impression of the cost of their studies; well-settled couples that migrated without jobs and subsequently got thrown into the deep end; even fresh graduates who boarded the plane in search of better jobs and lifestyle but ended up with no luck... to list just a few of the many affected!

And talk about acculturation – where it takes a while for every new migrant to get used to how Sydneysiders talk, gesture, eat and even greet; and be embarrassed while we get accustomed to it all!

If it was Yagoona for Anh, it can be different suburbs for different ethnic communities in Sydney. Many subcontinentals start their lives in Western Sydney. The parallel social set up there - with spice shops, eateries, sporting grounds, cultural get-togethers and even schools that are populated with the kids of NATIONAL EDITION

Second generation kids face much pressure to make it big in their lives; just like Anh Do signed up to be a lawyer, thinking that it would earn him the best of pay checks. young migrant families - fosters a totally different culture compared to that of the mainstream. Second generation kids face much pressure to make it big in their lives; just like Anh Do signed up to be a lawyer, thinking that it would earn him the best of

pay checks.

Many other things from Anh’s story rang familiar bells within me. He recalled how his parents had spent pretty much all their money buying warm clothes for the family, but it was summer when

they landed. It took me back to my own first winter in Australia. Coming from a part of India with no huge fluctuations in the weather, I had no clue whether I was dressed less or more for the cold weather. And thus, I ended up either too cold or too hot. With the kids, I continued to struggle with their apparel as well – some days the poor things shivered, and other days they sweated in winter, until I worked out the happy medium.

And then come the cultural conflicts.

Anh hilariously talked through how he brought his Vietnamese family to his engagement party which was held at his girlfriend’s home in the affluent northern suburbs. As part of the groom’s party, a suckling pig was carried in with pride, as the Vietnamese do traditionally. What was his mum’s thought when she saw the mansion – we should have brought a bigger pig!

Amidst the ripples of laughter, Anh had brought home the point about secondgeneration migrants who get entangled in the web of conflicting views and sentiments.

One of my own girlfriends told me recently, “My parents don’t approve of me going to late night parties, but I am being seen as antisocial at work because I don’t hang out with the colleagues on, say, Friday nights.” Or when newly enrolled youngsters at Uni have commented, “I am only used to Western Sydney, the university in central Sydney kind of intimidates me.”

Anh also talked about reconciling with his estranged father who has now taken another wife. We see more of it too in our own community; extramarital relationships are increasing, with the freedom provided by a liberal Western society, but it often ends in catastrophe.

No judgements here, but reports of divorces and even ‘entitlement’ murders have indeed gone up in our community.

The price to pay while we move into liberal societies can be much: whilst it is not always advisable to hang by unstable domestic relationships, one might wonder if the aggravating complications could be due to the loosely attached bonds.

Anh gave us a firsthand narration of the perils of displacement from the home-country, uprooting from comfort zones, challenges, struggles to start a new life in an exotic land when neck deep in poverty, and an account of how it takes generations to settle into a different culture.

One thing is for certain. Anh Do was not just telling his story, he was telling my story as well. And in all probability, it is your story too.

MAY (2) 2019 29

TRAVEL

Ganges Voyager

Colonial stopovers Learning the European history of Kolkata and its surrounds while cruising the Lower Ganges BY SANDIP HOR

E

arly 17th century, India’s share of the global economy was around 25%, as large as all of Europe put together. India’s wealth and its rich produce from spices and silk to pottery and jewellery lured the Europeans - Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, French, Armenians and the British – to establish outposts at riverside locations along the Ganges in the eastern part of the country.

All of them were initially granted permission by the representatives of the Mughal Emperors in Delhi to set up settlements as traders, but as history says, other than the Armenians, all had an eye for territorial control in the region. Today their legacies are more stored in the pages of history books than in bricks and mortar; still, a stop at these riverside junctions, nestled within the 50km stretch from Kolkata, is a dip into the growth and fall of European colonisation in the subcontinent.

HOOGHLY & BANDEL At the beginning of the 16th century, the Portuguese with the grant from Mughal Emperor Akbar did set up a colony in Hooghly, but within a few decades became a terror in the region as pirates. So the Mughal regime seized all their power, uprooted them from Hooghly and later resettled them as missionaries at Bandel (literally, ‘mast’ in Portuguese) where they built a church in 1599. Renovated several times later, the church still exits as one of 30 MAY (2) 2019

A colonial memoir in Kolkata

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French built church in Chandannagar

CRUISE FROM KOLKATA

India’s oldest Christian shrines.

CHINSURA The Dutch were next to arrive. Around 1610 they set up a trading post at Chinsura, where they built a fort, a church and several noble houses. None of them exists today; they were demolished by the British when in 1825 they grabbed Chinsura in exchange for the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. What remains today is a cemetery bearing testimony of Dutch presence in the locale.

For international travellers, a fast-growing way of sampling Kolkata and the other colonial strings is by embarking on an upstream river cruise from Kolkata abroad Ganges Voyager I & II – the two luxury vessels owned and operated by the Delhi-based Exotic Heritage Group. For cruise details visit www.exoticheritagegroup.com

SERAMPORE Not far from Chinsura is Serampore where the Danes lived from 1755 until 1845 when they left the shores selling their settlement to the British East India Company. While flourishing as a trade centre, the Danes built a church and a college, both of which still exist and were recently renovated with a stupendous initiative from the National Museum of Denmark. A Danish tavern and two graveyards from the period have also been restored to bring alive memories of Danes in Bengal.

CHANDANNAGAR The French got hold of Chandannagar in 1673. Unlike the other European townships this still boasts of extensive French heritage, primarily because it stayed on as a slice of France until 1950. Even today French is still taught at many local schools. The town’s riverside promenade called ‘The Strand’ The Strand, Chandannagar

NATIONAL EDITION

Bandel church

is one of the most picturesque parts of the region’s waterfront. Still many French-built mansions flank the passageway along with the former French Governor’s House, now a museum and a 19th century church, just a minute away from the river.

KOLKATA NEE CALCUTTA Calcutta now called Kolkata unquestionably is the epicentre of European colonisation in Eastern India. Founded by Job Charnock, a Lancashire born businessman in 1686, it was developed in the 19th century on the Ganges as a replica of London on the Thames.

Referred by Her Majesty Queen Victoria as the second city of her empire, it remained the capital of British India until 1911. After seven decades of Indian independence, the legacy of the empire has faded, but the ensemble of the quality colonial architecture and lifestyle - embellished with cricket, cocktails, curries and cakes - still identifies the city. It has become a place of near pilgrimage to the admirers of Raj who reminiscence the legacy by meandering in the Esplanade, strolling along the riverside Strand, glimpsing Britishmade red edifices, and relishing art and history inside Victoria Memorial (a structure

Serampore College

that looks like the Taj Mahal) or frequenting one of several old gentlemen’s clubs for a gin and tonic. The Armenians also arrived this city in the 17th century and many of their leftovers still exist, Armenian Church being the most prominent.

British Raj legacy in Kolkata

MAY (2) 2019 31

ENTERTAINMENT

cineTALK CUDDLY, WINSOME, NAUGHTY

DE DE PYAR DE DIRECTOR: Akiv Ali STARRING: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Rakul Preet Singh

HHH Okay, guys, there is news. Ajay is back to spelling his surname as ‘Devgn'. He confuses me in every film, dropping an 'a' as though it was a primetime soap's fluctuating ratings.

In this film Devgn's title is not all that is confusing. His 50-year old highly successful London-based executive has abandoned his wife (Tabu, if you please!) and two grown-up children who understandably hate their father.

He is now pulled into a romance and relationship with a girl half his age literally. Yes Ayesha (Rakul Preet Singh) is actually 25 to Ashish (Devgn)'s 50.

And she has the hots for him even as

he tries his best to fob her off.

But she's soon in his bed, with full make-up on. That's Rakul Preet Singh for you. Never forgets her warpaint even when the war is called off.

Rakul plays the silliest girl-in-love I've seen. Ayesha not only chases Ashish (Devgn) down until he surrenders to her demands, she accompanies him back to India to his ex-wife's home in an idyllic hill station which looks like a cardboard cut-out infused with unexpected life and vigour.

While the first-half - Devgn being seduced with whammy one-liners and snarky retorts - breezes by with an invigorating absence of stereotypical romancing, the second-half brings us the phenomenal Tabu as Devgn's stillto-be-divorced wife.

This is when I seriously started seeking signs of splendour in the saga.

And I got it when the wife Tabu, sitting down on the bed with a grim slightly befuddled ex(?) husband has a glorious meltdown: she blurts out how she longs for just that one day in her life when she doesn't have to worry about anyone but herself. The camera (manned majestically by Sudhir Chudhary) loves Tabu's face in that sequence - it records her angst as though that face, for a few minutes, becomes the map of the human heart.

If you are a Tabu fan, then be warned: the script comes to terms with the logistics and dynamics of her character - an estranged wife who has singlehandedly brought up her two children - quite late in the day. A major part of the plot is adorned with perky Rakul's over-the-top chirpiness. She is like Jaya Bhaduri in Guddi without the school dress but the skirt is still short.

And so is the talent.

It beats me why any man would prefer this annoying child-woman (who confesses she loves to drink and who sits in a prospective bridegroom's lap to check out whether 'anything happens') over the magnificent Tabu.

But then that's the beauty of the journey undertaken by the human heart. You never know where it is going until you get there. De De Pyar De is filled with a kind of wondrous audacity.

The dialogues are smart-alecky in the way two tipsy lovers spar over the WhatsApp when they know all along, that their fast-flowing words would fade into daylight.

The performances are interesting as long as the actors are not saddled with underwritten roles, like Jimmy Sheirgill’s. For once his struggle to make his character credible fails.

Kumud Mishra, another actor we can always depend on, is also left trying to find a centre to his sketchy character.

But Sunny Singh as a silly suitor is brilliant in a cameo. Just goes to show it's not the size that matters.

Unabashedly dedicated to amplifying the central conflict in the love triangle featuring a middle-aged man, his newly-acquired girlfriend and his sensible wife, De De Pyar De creates an vivacious afterglow in its exploration of a dead marriage. The fire that Rakul Preet Singh's booze-friendly bartender's role kindles in the past-his-prime hero's life may seem a little far-fetched. But director Akiv Ali works on making the relationship seem predestined rather than predesigned. You may wonder why any sane man would make a move away from a wife as focused and calming as Tabu. But you can't judge the protagonist for his choices in life.

Subhash K. Jha

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BEYOND THE CANNES RED CARPET: WHERE ARE INDIAN FILMS?

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FRILL SEEKERS

ihanna wore it back in 2017. Last year, J Lo wore a hotter, pinker version of it for the premiere of her movie Second Act. OTT outfits have been a fashion staple for the stars, so we were not at all surprised when the Bollywood poster-girl of “extra on the red carpet” Deepika Padukone chose a similarly ultra-puffy (and neon green, because why not?) Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown for her second appearance at the Cannes red carpet this month. Padukone’s satin pink turban accentuated the pink bow on her dress and gave out some serious Carmen Miranda vibes. Which isn’t a bad thing, per se. And while the neon green of her tulle gown didn’t make her look as princess-y as Kacey Musgraves in her pink Valli gown at the 2019 Oscars or as much of a fluffy cloud as Lana Candor at the Met Gala a couple of weeks back, it was still quintessentially Giambattista Valli –

34 MAY (2) 2019

whimsical, feminine, statement-making and perfect for Cannes.

These fluffy dresses have been a fixture in the Italian designer’s haute couture collections for the past few years. His Fall/Winter 2019-20 collection had at least a dozen such designs, including the dresses worn

by Musgraves and Candor. And while Rihanna, J Lo, Musgraves, Candor and Araya Hargate (pictured below) all won rave reviews for their sartorial choices, Padukone’s outfit was a bit more divisively received by the fashion world this time round. Being called a “tall loofah” certainly isn’t flattering, but we’re sure she doesn’t give a hoot about what people think of her outfits when she’s getting paid to travel to the French Riviera, wear designer gowns and be the spokesmodel for a legacy brand like L’Oreal. You keep doing you, Padukone!

SNEHA KHALE

As many as 1,854 feature films were submitted to be part of the 2019 Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival from across the world this year. As many as 39 nations are represented as production or co-production countries.

India is missing.

Filmmaker Onir rightly questioned, “What are we supposed to celebrate about Cannes 2019... The cinema that’s being celebrated or just the clothes our actors wear and the parties they attend.

Somehow that is all that seems to be talked about.”

Barring the overwhelming red carpet or party looks of Bollywood actresses making a splash on social media, an India Pavilion organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and FICCI, is doing its bit to forge international partnerships in distribution and production, to pitch India as a shooting destination and promoting film sales and syndication.

India may be one of the largest film producers in the world, but no film from the country made it in the competition categories. There was nothing to boast about in the key sidebars - Director's Fortnight, Un Certain Regard and Critics’ Week this year either, but for one respite - Achyutanand Dwivedi’s three-minute short film Seed Mother which won the third prize in the international section of Nespresso Talents 2019.

National Award-winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who is a part of the government-led delegation, found it “unfortunate” that Indian cinema had no presence at the gala, but said the prerogative of the festival line-up lies on the jury.

“The jury decides what movies should be shown, and we should respect what they want. We should be proud because people have taken India seriously in terms of our cinema and our digital content. People are watching Indian cinema in a big way. They know our stars very well,” Bhandarkar said.

To make inroads into such a festival, Bhandarkar said it was essential that Indian filmmakers follow the Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak kind of cinema with “Cannes value”.

Mira Nair was the first Indian to win the Camera d’Or in Cannes for Salaam Bombay in 1988. The last Indian film to compete for the coveted Palm D’Or at the prestigious gala was Shaji N. Karun’s Swaham in 1994.

Producer Guneet Monga, who has leveraged the power of co-productions, said creative collaborations with producers across the world play a major role.

“When you get more creative collaborators and you structure films

internationally like with Europe, there’s a lot of mentorship that comes with it in terms of storyline and process. That’s what we did with The Lunchbox and Masaan (both of which were shown at Cannes),” Monga said. “I genuinely feel co-productions help with the quality of filmmaking and for a global launch. It challenges us to make better versions of our own stories, and I would highly encourage people to do more co-productions to be able to tell more Indian stories to the world,” said Monga, whose co-production Period. End of Sentence won an Oscar this year.

Actress Huma Qureshi, whose twopart film Gangs Of Wasseypur was showcased at the Director’s Fortnight sidebar at the film jamboree a few years ago, is at the gala this year -representing a dose of “desi girl power” as part of a brand association with Grey Goose.

She told the media, “In 2012, my first film Gangs of Wasseypur was showcased at Cannes, and it was a fine example of an Indian film making waves in the French Riveria. There have been a few others over the years like Masaan and Manto. But the fact is that we as an industry are not making and supporting enough films like these.If we really want to be noticed and showcased at world festivals like Cannes, are we ready to make films where art is celebrated for art’s sake?”

Malayalam filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan however finds a silver lining in Bollywood stars glittering on the red carpet.

“This is the only reason when a film goes to Cannes, even in a sidebar section, the media gives some attention.”

Radhika Bhirani

AISHWARYA RA

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‘DESI GIRL POWER’ ROCKS CANNES PARTY Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Huma Qureshi, Diana Penty and Hina Khan made a pretty picture of “desi girl power” as they posed alongside Nick Jonas at a party on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival.

“Strong women support each other, real women support each other. Thank you Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas ‘jiju’ for making our night about desi girl power,” Huma wrote with the photograph, which she posted on Instagram.

Hina, whose presence at the gala has created waves, also shared the same image and wrote: “About Last Night at Chopard’s party. I have a lot to post, lot to write but for now all I can say is dreams do come true.”

The Kasautii Zindagii Kay star also commented on Huma’s post saying: “Lovely meeting you.”

All four ladies had their style on point.

Priyanka and Nick were hosts at an exclusive after-party put together on Saturday by luxury Swiss jewellery and

watchmaker Chopard and attended by a slew of supermodels, singers and actors.

The couple has been setting romance goals at the French Riviera. They interacted with fans as Priyanka gave off major Grace Kelly vibes in a silk dress and fedora hat, while Nick sported a sharp summer suit.

They also stepped out in all-white outfits, with fans swooning over how Nick held up an umbrella for his wife. “Riviera romance,” Priyanka cheekily captioned one of her photographs on social media.

WILL SMITH WANTED “BOLLYWOOD LEVEL” SCENE IN ‘ALADDIN’ Wannabe Indophile (and everyone’s favourite ‘Man in Black’) Will Smith loves Sab sahihai bro, a song that Indian rapper Badshah has created as a promotional number for the Hollywood star’s forthcoming release Aladdin.

Badshah took to his Instagram page to share a video in which Will has shared his appreciation, as well as spoken about how he wanted a sequence in the movie to be “Bollywood level” - whatever that means.

Smith, who plays Genie in the movie, saw the song in Japan, and said, “Badshah, great work man...that is beautiful...looking at the things that you shot against what is in the movie, that is some good production you got going on there.”

He added, “It’s funny when we were making the sequence, what I kept saying to Guy Ritchie (director), is, it’s gotta be Bollywood level, man....don’t let the sequence not be Bollywood level.

You know I always wanted to be in a Bollywood dance sequence, so this is beautiful, man. Love the work, really appreciate it. Thank you.”

Badshah is thrilled with Smith’s words.

But of course.

“I guess Will Smith paaji likes the song I did for Aladdin. In theatres May 24! It’s high time you do a proper Bollywood film sir,” Badshah wrote tagging the actor, who shook a leg on the set of Student of the Year 2 on a visit to India last year.

Aladdin is a live-action adaptation of one of the most beloved animated classics of all time.

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MAY (2) 2019 35

BACKCHAT

Empty vessels

ASK AUNTYJI DEAR AUNTYJI I am hoping you can help me solve my most recent conundrum. Previously I have written to you about other problems and you have been most helpful.

As you know Auntyji, I am a bit of an introvert. I prefer to stay at home and read books to expand my knowledge of the world, and of others around me. I like to have philosophical debates about life with my husband, who is very smart and comes up with diverging ideas which help me expand my thinking. To problem ye hai, ki Neil’s best friend now has a new girlfriend

and this girl has taken a shine to me. Naina, let me put it delicately, is as boring as a wet dish towel. She is completely incurious about the world and spends all her time on Facebook commenting about other people's lives. She works in marketing in a large corporate so she is not dumb, but

by Shiva Auntyji, she is so dull that she does my head in. Now she wants to spend time with me: how do I say no to her? Each hour I spend with her seems like I am wasting my life talking to a zombie. Even a 4-year-old bachcha is infinitely more interesting than her.

AUNTYJI SAYS I totally feel your pain. And it's good to hear from you again. I heard from Pushpie saheli that your rash has cleared up, and things are harmonious in your household again. I'm glad you took my advice: garlic and turmeric really are elixir of the gods, nah? OK, I can fully understand the horridness of having to spend time with sust Naina. There are two approaches you can take. One, if you are feeling a little charitable, you can assess what you can learn about human behaviour from Naina. Life offers us many opportunities to learn, and perhaps Naina can tell you what the voxpopuli is, according to Facebook. You can quiz her about what she has read and commented on, and seek to understand Naina better. Alternatively, if you feel like being a rakshasi, then an alternative and equally effective approach can also be considered. You can use Naina as your guinea pig to test your extreme ideas and see how long it takes

before she breaks apart, like a gulabjamun in the hands of a chhotimoti.

Start by buying Naina a book - preferably something light and easy, like Shashi Tharoor, and then taking her to dinner and discussing the book with her. Preferably, discuss this at dinner with Neil and his friend included. Then ask Naina questions about the book. One of two things will happen. Neil's friend will realise quickly what a dullard he is with, and hopefully he will break up with Naina, thus saving you from a lifetime of uninteresting conversation, or Naina will finally realise that there is more to life than Facebook. Such a simple and elegant solution, nah? It is our duty to ensure our collective wisdom is not depleted by the nasamajh khaali dabbaas whose bhojan is not digested until they have had their daily dose of Facebook. Let me know how it goes, or if you're too busy, don't worry. Pushpie is an incorrigible gossip, she will broadcast the news to me in due course.

feminism fit into your life? Frankly Auntyji, I think I am disappointed about the ease with which you call women names. OK, I admit you give good advice, but seriously, what's with the name calling? Would you call your daughter or niece a dayan or churail? Have some pity on the poor people who write to you seeking your help. You are an elder of our community and you should behave with some dignity. What is your rai on my points?

AUNTYJI SAYS Arre badmaash, mujh se panga kyon le rahe ho? Kya kaale kutte ne kaata tha, ki tumne socha ki aaj Auntyji se panga lete hain? Bewakuf launda.

Let me set you straight, you crazy rascal. I will call a churail a churail, regardless of whether they have XX or XY chromosomes. When I see bad behaviour or questionable actions or thoughts from people, I will tell it like it is.

I don't discriminate between dayans and rakshasas. Now here is the more interesting question. How many of my past columns have you done any regression analysis on, to determine if there is a statistical correlation between the frequency and range of my gaaliyan for women, in comparison to men? I suspect you have done none, and you decided to hop on the MeToo

rickshaw and felt that you could shame me on my past behaviour.

Arre shaitaan ki vanshaj, you kaala kamina, you besharam paapi, you should be so ashamed of your baseless aarop that you should immediately go to the temple and do a puja and an offering to Kali Ma. Otherwise, shakti de Kali Ma, ki main tujhko duss loon door se. Finally, none of my female relatives are so budtehzeeb that they do not know how to conduct themselves with grace and dignity. I therefore never have to chastise them or rein in their behaviour. They are thoughtful, intelligent women who know better than to misbehave.

As for you, you zalim nasamaj moorkh, go and read Simon de Beauvoir's seminal work - you know which one I mean - to understand what feminism means. Crazy ashaheen aadmi.

Potty mouth

DEAR AUNTYJI I have been reading your columns for some time, and while you are very funny, I was wondering if you have realised that you are very harsh on women. You call women names like dayan and kalankani. Being a woman yourself, have you no shame about putting down these women?

And what about the MeToo movement, surely this has brought to our consciousness that women need to support other women. Where does

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