MUSIC KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES

Carnatic music. Thrilled by the OAM honour, Jayashree told Indian Link, “Any award will propel you to work harder and this honour has instilled an all-new confidence in me. Ever since I landed here in Australia I have been working in the field of Carnatic music by performing and teaching the art. I’m indeed happy by this recognition.”

I encourage my students to use science to strengthen their arguments.”

In his role as an educator at multiple universities worldwide (UC; University of South Pacific, Fiji; University of Fiji; Fiji National University), as the founding President and Fellow of the South Pacific and the Australian Computer Societies respectively, as a Fulbright ambassador since 2016 and as the senior member of various institutions and think-tanks, Prof. Sharma has always stressed on the importance of education and of students challenging themselves. He’s especially passionate about the STEM fields, saying, “Worldwide, we’re not investing as much as we should in science and technology. STEM should have a lot more focus early on in school. But I see the students who come to me, from all over the world, and I’m filled with hope.”

What’s next for Prof Sharma? “This award is just a stepping stone. I’ll continue to be a professor - connect with international colleagues and universities (including many Indian ones) to solve difficult problems, use data science to make the world a better place. I still haven’t achieved everything that I want to. There’s lots to do still, and I’m very excited about the future.”

Sneha Khale

Jayashree Ramachandran, a Carnatic music vocalist, believes that her OAM recognition would motivate her to reach many more milestones in the field of

Jayshree, who is the Vice-President of the Federation of Indian Music and Dance (FIMDV) since 2013, is also the founder of Sapthaswara School of Carnatic Music. The school, which was started with just a handful of students in 1992, is now one of the finest music schools in Melbourne. About this musical journey, Jayashree said, “Thirty years ago, the environment in Australia was challenging for me to establish the Carnatic music scene as there were only a few Indians here. Also, I was juggling between my Telstra job, family life and music at that time. Slowly but steadily, I made the Telstra job a parttime one and Carnatic music became my full-time career, so that I could give my 100 percent to this art. Our school, which has hundreds of students now, started with just four to five kids. Over a period of time, with many dedicated musical performances across Australia, we were able to inspire many children to learn Carnatic music. We also created avenues to help kids display their talent on stage. From the initial baby steps to now watching our school students perform at three-day concerts, truly it has been a rewarding experience so far.

Despite western music taking centrestage, we have managed to inculcate the love of Carnatic music in our young children. My wish is that out of 100 students, at least 20 consider Carnatic music vocals as their professional career to keep this beautiful art alive in the coming years.”

To help youngsters to understand Carnatic music, Jayashree has been performing thematic concerts, which according to her are being well received by the audiences. About the conceptbased musical performances, she said, “In these thematic presentations, I explain the concept of the song in English and then render songs based on that theme. I have plans to do more such lecture-based musical concerts as they reach out to a wider audience, especially youngsters,

Smart Strategy

PROFESSOR Arun Kumar Sharma, AM

For significant service to computer science and information technology

Alook at the career highlights of Prof. Arun Kumar Sharma makes one wonder why his Australian Government honour did not come sooner.

The Queensland University of Technology’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) has made many noteworthy contributions in a wide range of areas, as he straddles the worlds of university, research and industry.

“Yes I have tried to (be broad-based),” Prof Sharma told Indian Link. “I’m pleased that this recognition has come my way, and grateful that my contributions are acknowledged.”

In his own area of expertise, ICT, Prof Sharma’s work has significantly impacted Australia’s research and innovation policy. In the early 2000s, as UNSW’s head of the School of Computer Science and Engineering, he co-founded the Cooperative Research Centre for Smart Internet Technology, a seven-year project that linked universities, industry and federal and state governments in the research and development of high-end Internet technologies. The research expertise that arose from the program has paved the way in areas such as ad hoc networks, agent technology, artificial intelligence and data mining.

Also in the early 2000s, Prof. Sharma co-founded and became inaugural Director of National ICT Australia (known then as

NICTA but now a part of CSIRO Data61). The organisation’s role was to pursue potentially significant ICT-related research for the Australian economy.

“To establish cooperative research centres in technology has been rewarding and fulfilling,” Prof. Sharma said.

Taking up his current position at QUT in 2004, Prof. Sharma has focussed on building the university’s research capabilities very successfully. “Our research income has tripled,” he revealed, adding, “We have also increased our research ranking substantially. Particularly satisfying for me has been the expansion of our research and innovation activities in regional areas.”

Sharma has been actively involved in Bluebox (QUT’s innovation, venture and investment company), and in cooperative research centres in a variety of sectors such as diagnostics, construction innovation and integrated engineering asset management.

He also sits on the boards of a number of institutes, again showing a breadth of interest and expertise: children’s medical research, Gallipoli research, sugar research, and has also been on the board of the Adani Abbot Point Terminal ever since they acquired it in 2011.

About Adani, Prof. Sharma noted, “They want to address the energy needs of India. I hope (the project) will go ahead. They are doing their bit for renewable energy too. I think we need to create a balance in how we look at climate change and economic opportunities.”

Sharma’s particular passion for fostering Australia-India links has been longstanding. He served as national chair of the Australia India Business Council (20112012) and as President of its Queensland chapter (2005-2011).

In 2011, when his university conferred an honorary doctorate on Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, Prof. Sharma may have inadvertently played a role in breaking bilateral tension.

In the wake of the strained relations between India and Australia following the student attacks of 2009-10, Amitabh Bachchan had rejected a university honour from Australia. His acceptance of the QUT honour, engineered by Prof. Sharma, may have helped in its own way to bring the balance back in the Indian public’s perception of Australia.

Sharma was born in Bihar and studied in Assam and in New Delhi. He took his undergraduate degree at the prestigious BITS Pilani, then a PhD from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a postdoc from MIT.

He moved to Australia in 1991 to work at UNSW.

The move from research and teaching to administration helped him tick off many items on his wish list. “I felt I was able to make a greater contribution by helping build institutions; the impact that I had (as an administrator) was far greater… and it’s been a role I’ve enjoyed.”

What’s in the future for Prof. Sharma? His brilliant mind is brimming with ideas.

“I hope to undertake projects in renewable energy, going forward. I’m also writing – on the future of tech, and the future of work. I’m also keen to look at more bilateral projects in the IndiaAustralia space.”

Rajni Anand Luthra

who get to know more about their tradition. Currently, I’m doing a lot of research on various topics for these thematic presentations.”

She added, “Right now Carnatic music has been restricted only to the Indian community. I would like to take this artform to the mainstream audience in Australia as music has no boundaries. We have also been performing orchestral ensembles just to reach out to the local audience. My students and I have been performing in many street festivals and cross-culture music festivals to create awareness in the mainstream about the rich cultural heritage of Indian classical music.”

Janani Karthik