2019-07 Sydney (2)

PUBLISHER

Pawan Luthra

EDITOR

Rajni Anand Luthra

DEPUTY EDITOR

Sneha Khale

SOCIAL MEDIA

Suruchi Sehgal

MELBOURNE COORDINATOR

Preeti

Jabbal

CONTRIBUTORS

All work and no pay

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

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

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Fax: 02 9279-2005

Email: info@indianlink.com.au

The Indian community is stirring out of its winter hibernation. With the festive season soon upon us, a plethora of activities will start crowding the community calendar. Our numerous organisationsgeographical and linguistic - and the umbrella organisations, are gathering momentum as they work quietly on those Independence Day fairs, the garbas, the Ganesh poojas and the Diwali melas. There’s probably not going to be a free weekend between now and Christmas. No doubt most of these events will be colourful and joyous community gatherings with song, dance and food.

As you enjoy these functions, do keep in mind the many volunteers who will have put in numerous hours post-work and on weekends away from family, to make sure that these special days and festivities are remembered and celebrated.

Volunteers are a great resource without who many organisations - certainly community-based ones -

would probably not exist. Indeed, the success of many community initiatives can be measured by their ability to attract volunteers in large number. Two such platforms spring to mind immediately, both from Melbourne: the upcoming Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, and Celebrate India’s Victorian Festival of Diwali, both boast of strong and dedicated teams of repeat volunteers. In Sydney, the Hindu Council of Australia’s Diwali Mela and the health platform Pink Sari are not far behind.

On a broader level, volunteerism is on the rise in our society. A Volunteering Australia report suggested recently that people from diverse backgrounds are highly engaged. “65% of new arrivals to Australia engaged in volunteering within the first 18 months of their arrival. Motivations to volunteer differ (ranging from) to contribute to society, make friends, improve their English or gain local work experience,” said the report.

In our own community, we know a high level of engagement returns later after suffering an intermediary dip. Our doctors for instance lead in this regard, volunteering in disadvantaged pockets across the world. For others, Clean up Australia is a popular venture, and many give their time in various forms

such as fundraising, or the local cricket or soccer club, or at seniors’ groups and language learning centres.

‘Self-worth’ and ‘doing something with my time’ are cited as two of the reasons to volunteer. There are personal and social benefits no doubt, and satisfaction gained from using one’s skills. For older volunteers, there might even be physical and psychological benefits, with some studies suggesting a negative relation to mortality, and cognitive benefits such as reduced risk of Alzheimer’s.

For the youth, the benefits have been shown to be even more attractive. While they themselves might list better job prospects, access to adventure, etc. as reasons, volunteerism is positively associated with self-esteem, confidence, communication, responsibility, teamwork and innovation. Perhaps most significantly, it has mental health benefits such as keeping depression at bay.

Of course the concept of volunteering also has its religious antecedents. The earliest discussion of it (as dana, to give) can be seen in the Hindu text the Rig Veda. Sikhism has its own version, sewa.

Whether or not you want to follow religious doctrines, volunteerism is here to stay. All you need is to find a cause that you’re passionate about. Go on then, what are you waiting for?

Virat Nehru, Danish Ravi, Shubha Singh, Sydney Srinivas, Janani Karthik, Sandip Hor, Auntyji

YOUR SAY

AUSSIE BITES WITH CHEF RANVEER BRAR

Indian Link followed India’s popular TV chef Ranveer Brar as he travelled around Oz trying new foods, making new friends and trading stories.

Kalpana Patel wrote: Hey Ranveer, you always come out with new and different concepts.

Anil Samal wrote: I’ve loved every episode. Learnt much too, like method, cooking skills and especially plating.

Keshal Patel wrote: Happy to see Australia included (on Ranveer’s shows).

Jui Saha wrote: Are you attempting to tell us you were in Australia and we missed it?

Kulshreshtha Rita wrote: I like your theme to connect with different cuisines.

Mousumi Banerjee wrote: Making India proud in a foreign land. Proud of you, Ranveer.

Rashmi Chhibber wrote: Great job, Chef, you make our country proud and of course we learn new things from you which we were unaware of. Plus, you are respected in other countries too which is very good! Truly proud of you, Ranveer.

Laboni Haldar wrote: Planning on visiting NZ?

Kiran Deep Deep Kiran wrote: Another new series: small episodes but interesting and filled with knowledge.

Kanika Malik wrote: Australia needs better exposure to Indian food! There’s more to Indian cuisine besides rogan josh, vindalo, butter chicken and korma.

Happy Foodie wrote: Exotic... love those bits of info flashing.

Neeru Sandeep Dutt wrote: Hi chef, huge fan of yours, would love to know when you come next to Australia.

Shua Peter Juliet wrote: Come to Melbourne please, Ranveer. I’m a chef too and want to take a photo with you.

Rajdeep Borgohain Wao wrote: Thanks to you Ranveer for representing our country in such a great way...

Zahra Hasanain wrote: Hey are you in Sydney for long?

Rekha Chhibber Sharma wrote: Please go to Harris Park also, Indian food street!

Mandeep Singh Juneja wrote: Try crocodile as well, Chef! You will love it.

Rohit Joshi wrote: I enjoyed the fish markets in Sydney. Do try Vic’s Meat Market while there. Have a good time down under, Chef!

Kanika Walia wrote: Good day, mate! Enjoy your stay in Aussie land.

Sanjeev Sharma wrote: Welcome to my city, Chef. Come over to Kebabiya to have the best Indian kebabs in town. Our Muska Murg is from your butter chicken recipe.

Ishwar Madhyastha wrote: Enjoy the chill pill weather...and happy to catch up if you are around for a few days.

Jaswinder Kaur wrote: Hello sir, can you come to New Zealand?

Jeevika Paras Sharma wrote: Welcome to Sydney Ranveer. Do try Indian restaurants at Harris Park.

Jui Saha wrote: Ranveer was in Melbourne!!!!

Ranveer Brar wrote: One of the best parts about my travels is discovering

SAY IT AGAIN

Looking at the footage, it looks like what you get when a spacecraft above the atmosphere engages its rockets and does a burn. It's way too slow moving to be a meteor. The consensus seems to be it's the Indian mission to the moon.

Professor Jonti Horner USQ, on a bright object moving in the Australian sky at 7.30pm on 22 July.

native ingredients. Exploring local flavours in this tour brought some amazing revelations.

Rashmi N Bhalla wrote: So many new things to learn from these videos. Some ingredients were so new to me, have never heard of Rosella flower.

Sujata Shastrakar Singh wrote: This is interesting… new knowledge about food. Aditi Chaudhuri wrote: (Re Tamil Feasts) Loving the themes you choose to deliver messages to people. Great going. Keep it up.

Vijayta Maharana wrote: (Tamil Feasts is a) beautiful initiative. Firms up the belief in humanity strongly through food as a medium.

Yo India Food Truck wrote: Big thank you to Indian Link and Indian Masterchef Judge and TV host Chef Ranveer Brar for coming to talk about Indian food and our story.

Bhanu Kothari wrote: Great. I knew Yo India Food Truck very well. Nice food and service.

Atul Kashyap wrote: Hey Yo India, #chefranveerbrar in the house! Great going!

Kristyna Brown wrote: So much love for Yo India!!

Ranveer Brar wrote: As someone who's worked up the ranks in my professional life, I found Mr Sudhir Warrier's culinary journey quite fascinating. Let's explore Sydney Showboats Dinner cruise...And yep, I couldn't help hijacking the kitchen for a bit!

Sydney Showboats wrote: Thank you, Chef! It was lovely having you on board!

Sushmita Jaiswal wrote: It's true, success stories (like these) are very inspiring.

Kalpana Patel wrote: Interesting and inspiring story.

Bidisha Banerjee wrote: Truly incredible!

Kshama Mahajan wrote: This is inspirational.

Ranveer Brar wrote: Great music and great food. For the Bearded Bakers at Knafeh bakery, these two go hand in hand. Wherever they stage their pop-ups, you can hear them before you even get to them.

Kulshreshtha Rita wrote: Wow, beautiful moments with Knafeh bakers.

Minakshi Kapoor wrote: Enjoy the music while cooking or enjoy cooking with music. (Either way) great combination.

Ritika Bedi wrote: Ranveer Brar you are doing amazing! I agree with what you said about playing good music while cooking, I follow the same. Cooking becomes more interesting with good music.

Bina Chakraborty wrote: Nice thought about music and food.

Mahima Deka wrote: What an amazing video! Good food and good music spread good vibes, positive energy, and the golden aura of happiness all around.

Ranveer Brar wrote: For architect-turned Knafeh "king" Ameer, this bakery in a shipping container (yes!) is a passionate dream come true. Proves nothing can stop you, if you have the vision and the zeal to follow it through.

Rashmi N Bhalla wrote: So full of life…what can be better than this! You show us - and in a way link us - to so many things we have not even thought of. Jahan jahan aap jaate hai vo destinations I add in my bucket list!

Guys, meet my nephew Austin. He lives in Australia and the name was suggested by my uncle (AUSTralia + INdia). He'll have a really cool story about his name to share.

Poora Pahadi, Twitter user

There were almost 1500 people registered as Singh playing cricket in the 2018/19 season among 247,000 unique names on the MyCricket website last season. The second-most common surname, Smith, had 954 unique player registrations. Patel was the third most common name, with 604 registrations, while Jones (553) and Brown (546) round out the top five. Nigel Gladstone, smh.com.au

INDIA-OZ

Indian Link Radio broadcaster PRIYANKA TATER asked the question on air: Woh kya cheezein hain jo aapney kabhi India mein nahi ki, but have had to do here?

Ekta Sharma wrote: Leaving kids at day care.

Mohina Raj Garg wrote: Ghar ki safai. Cook almost sab kuchh to satisfy your food cravings.

Rajan Vaid wrote: Educated and qualified people doing cleaning, security guard and taxi driving jobs.

Vijesh Khanna wrote: Catching public transport.

Deepti Madan wrote: Filling petrol ourselves.

Manisha Belani wrote: Job! I started working here in Sydney.

Vinita Agarwal wrote: I never ate leftover food. Always fresh prepared roti, freshly made food three times a day. Baaki aur kya dil ka dard likhoon…

Sonal Wahi wrote: Lonely weekends.

Preet Sodhi wrote: Driving.

Avneet Kapoor wrote: Bachchon ko English main dantna.

Vinita Agarwal wrote: I was so surprised to see a dog obeying instructions in English.... yaar, kutte ko BHI English aati hai.

Abhinav Saxena wrote: Dishes. Jhaadu pocha. Laundry. Ironing. Day care. Buying frozen Indian mithai. Using the same card to travel in bus and train. Cleaning my own car. Petrol self-serve.

Mohina Raj Garg wrote: Kisne socha tha ki ek din frozen chapati, parantha, samosa and even frozen rasmalai tak khaani padegi.

Ashish Verma wrote: Following traffic rules.

Vinita Agarwal wrote: Not beeping the horn... my Aussie driving instructor asked me to stop the car and asked why did you beep?

Arora Vijay wrote: Left parents behind.

Pushpinder Sharma wrote: Reaching office sharp at 9am.

Avneet Kapoor wrote: Bartan dhone.

Pankaj Juneja wrote: Listening to Indian Link Radio.

CAPTION CONTEST

What’s the chitchat between Akshay Kumar and wife Twinkle Khanna?

Rishi Singh wrote: Our smiles say it all.

Arix Bishnoi wrote: AK: Hoy, Twinkle twinkle little star...

TK: My husband is my superstar!

Raj Saneja wrote: Akshay: I am stuck with you now, at a time when actresses are hooking up with younger guys.

Twinkle: Sau choohe kha ke billi hajj ko chali.

Sabiha M Shaikh wrote: Mr and Mrs Khiladi glowing like newlyweds even in their 40s.

Rita Dushyant wrote: Twinkle: After marriage, Khiladi, tera khel khatam. Rachna Gupta wrote: Main khiladi tu anadi.

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

PARINEETI CHOPRA OR SUI HE IN FENDI?

WHERE IN OZ

This abode is known to be the oldest surviving home in Australia. What is this place?

Reader Rita Dushyant correctly identified it as Elizabeth Farm, Rosehill NSW.

The Holy Trinity of @masterchefau and my Gurus @garymehigan @gcalombaris @ mattscravatI’ve very few words to express my gratitude to you and to your contribution to my culinary journey! As we say in India, Guru devo bhava (Teacher is Divinity)

Sandeep Pandit, MasterChef Australia 2019

40% Sui He

Investment in an Indian start-up goes a lot further than in an Australian one. It gives you access to an incredible pool of welleducated talent, and if your start-up kicks a goal in India, you have a consumer base greater than $1.2 billion and a well-off middle class ten times the size of the entire Australian population. Tony McAuslan of the Virangana Project, which connects women entrepreneurs with mentors, services and investors in Australia.

60% Parineeti Chopra

Congrats to ISRO on the launch of Chandrayaan 2, a mission to study the Moon. We’re proud to support your mission comms using our Deep Space Network and look forward to what you learn about the lunar South Pole where we will send astronauts on our Artemis mission in a few years. NASA

The issues that matter

The new Leader of the Opposition in NSW Jodi McKay on the need to bring compassion back into politics

as the Leader of the Opposition?

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

Jodi McKay is a familiar figure within the Indian Australian community. It’s hard not to notice at a community event that the warmest applause amongst all the invited guests is usually reserved for her. Dressed immaculately in a statement sari, it typically takes her time to reach her allocated seat, as many surge forward to share a special moment with her.

The Member for Strathfield and recently elected Leader of the Opposition in NSW Jodi McKay is known for her warm interactions with the multicultural community. Yet at Indian Link, we thought it was time to learn more about the person behind the saris.

As she breezed in to our office in her power colours, she was bright and chirpy, quick with her observations (“You’re the only male in this office, Pawan”), and eager to talk.

Congratulations Jodi, on your new role. What have the last four weeks been like

It’s been incredibly exciting. I’ve spent most of the last four weeks travelling around the state, making sure that everyone knows who I am, what I’m about, and what the Labor Party can do for them. And the reception has been fantastic: yesterday we were in Lismore, tomorrow I’m on the central coast, and then we’re on the south coast, I’ve been in the Hunter, spent a lot of time in Western Sydney, and then of course Parliament resumes next week. For me it’s about making sure that I’m talking to people and they understand who I am and why I put my hand up to be leader and how Labor is going to win the next election.

What went wrong for Labor in both the NSW and the Federal elections this year?

There’s been a lot of reflection in regard to that; I think they were two separate issues. The Federal Election I won’t comment too much on, but at the State election I think that people just didn’t feel that they could vote for us, that they trusted us enough. I think the anger was there towards Gladys Berejiklian’s government but I’m not sure that we put the case forward well enough for people to actually vote for us, and what I’m hoping to do is to rebuild that

trust in Labor so people know who we are and what we will do in the lead up to that 2023 election. But it was a disappointing result, we won only two seats, and I think it’s important to know that we’re only two seats from minority government as well though. So Parliament is an interesting place right now.

You’ve said, “I’m not going to pretend I’m Gladys, I am not. We’re very different”. Yet the general perception is that that the Coalition government has delivered on jobs, growth and infrastructure.

Let me say upfront that I see Gladys as very capable; I look forward to taking her on. It’s going to be very interesting having two women as leaders of the parties here in NSW. I see her government, however, and her leadership as largely hollow. I see it as transactional. With respect to other issues, I’ll say two things in regard to that: those projects are $14 billion over budget, they’ve wasted that money, there’s been $70 billion in public assets that have been privatised, and being in government is about more than that. We have 37,000 more people who are homeless since they came to government, we’ve got issues within our mental health system that

we’ve seen played out in the last week, we’ve got rural communities that are losing jobs, we’ve got people in Western Sydney who are paying 60% more for their electricity, we’ve got 2,500 public servants about to lose their jobs. You can’t be a government just bent on infrastructure. You have to be a government that is about supporting the community. For me it’s about being true to the values of our party; I think anyone who knows me will know that I’m very much about heart - I want us to be a party with a big heart, a party of compassion, about recognising the struggles people have on a daily basis, the fact that people want to get their child in to a good school with quality education, that they don’t want to have to be struggling with a waiting list getting in to hospital. There are a whole range of issues that this government is not focusing on.

Labor has been diverse in its pick of candidates - in terms of gender as well as ethnicity. But this has not worked for you in the last election, state and federal. Well, I think we need to have candidates who are representative of the community and I have pushed that. We’ve been able to achieve gender diversity in our cabinet - 50% of which are women - and those women are

there on merit. But we need to do much better around our multicultural representation. We need to make sure in particular that in our upper house it is truly reflecting of the community which we serve and that means it’s not just about our multicultural community - it’s also about people in rural and regional areas that are represented there. We have to do much better. We are the party of multiculturalism, but I think we’ve taken our eye off the ball and my focus is on making sure that every single one of our MPs, no matter their cultural background, understands the importance of a diverse and vibrant multicultural community. I do and no one would doubt that, that I am so committed to our multicultural community, and I want everyone to know that under my leadership that is what the Labor Party is.

Are there sections of the media that are playing up the nationalistic angle?

We have to call that out when it happens.

I’m not going to mention the media you’re speaking about - I think most people would know who that is - but they’re also the media that wants to attack the Labor Party all the time as well because of what we stand for.

How will you get your message out, past the biased media?

I’m going to do it conversation by conversation, which is what I’ve always done, because I love people, I love connecting with people, and I want to get to as many people as possible. Neville Wran, when he did this in the 1970s, travelled the state and he made sure that at every country show and at every CWA morning tea and at every multicultural function he was there and he was talking to people about who he was and what he stood for and what the Labor Party could do. And that’s what I want to do, that’s me.

How would you describe the mood in the NSW Labor party right now?

One of the good things about this leadership ballot has been – because it’s the first time in NSW that anyone has been elected out of a ballot process, which is too long a process - that it involved a vote of our caucus and of our party membership. So we had 12,000 members of our party who voted. But I travelled 1,000 km every weekend to talk to our party membership, and out of that leadership ballot process they are reinvigorated. We’ve had 2,500 new people join our party since the federal election and through that leadership process. So our party is re-energised, it’s reinvigorated, and it’s ready now to spend the next 3 and 4 years - 3 years for the Federal and 4 years for the State

- to make sure that we hold the government to account and we have people that believe in us, and that’s my job to get out there and make sure people know who we are and what we’re about.

Jodi, tell us what you are most passionate about in politics.

I want to see politics in general focus more on what matters to people. You brought up this government’s infrastructure spend - and that has been a significant amount of money they have spent to the detriment of many other things. I think there has to be a recognition that the government has a role in cost of living, and making sure that people can pay their bills, and can get from their home to school without being stuck in traffic. That public transport is available and not congested. That public schools have decent buildings and not half of them which are demountables. They’re the things that government can and should do, but I also want us as a party to focus on the intractable issues that won’t win votes, and that’s something like homelessness. My DNA, who I am, demands that I have a focus on those issues. That media we spoke about, they’ll say ‘Oh, this is the Labor Party helping all those people on welfare.’ It’s not, because people are slipping on the cracks that should never be there because of the cost of living.

Is aspirational politics more sellable as a discussion rather than homelessness and politics of support?

There’s two things I’d say to that. It is sometimes like whistling in a dark room, I agree, but I’m still going to do it anyway, because it is who we are as the Labor Party to make sure that where there are people

who are in difficulty to support them, and I will never ever walk away from that, no matter how many votes it doesn’t get us. It’s just who I am, I have a responsibility as a person in this community and as a member of the Labor Party to do that. But yes, you spoke about aspirational voters, and I come back to those issues around education and health - education is in our DNA. We’ve got the smartest kids in school who want to be teachers and then when they look at what a teacher is paid decide ‘I don’t want to do that anymore because I can get more money working in another profession’. But we should have our best and brightest as our teachers. We’ve seen this government focus on building hospitals, but we have waiting lists that are like never before. We have nursing positions that can’t be filled if you’re in rural/regional areas. There’s parts of hospitals that aren’t opened - so you have to be more than just a builder. You’ve actually got to be a person or a leader that realises that people matter and if you’re going to deliver services it’s truly about making sure the service is there and not just talking about it or pretending that you’ve built something. And that’s what I see Gladys doing.

You’ve taken on the portfolio of Shadow Multicultural Minister. Would you say we are doing multiculturalism correctly in NSW? Or are we lagging behind Victoria?

That’s actually a very good question. For me, taking on this role is about sending a very strong message about how I value multiculturalism and our party values it. It’s about standing up when I see and hear things that I find offensive to our multicultural community and taking a strong stand as a

leader on that. But it’s also about funding, it’s about the programs that are there through community language schools, and through language in schools more generally. It’s about making sure that you’ve got a strong multicultural body that is setting policy and advising government. But I keep coming back to the fact that it’s about living the experience; I live it every single day. Multiculturalism is one of the most important things that I love. The thing I love about being an MP is that my electorate is one of the most diverse in NSW. I have immersed myself in it because I feel so strongly about the strength we have and are as a society when you have a multicultural community that is strong and united, that’s cohesive. That’s my job - to be the champion. Is Multicultural NSW lagging behind Multicultural Victoria? I don’t think so. But I do think that when you look at particular communities - such as the Indian community, Victoria probably does far better than us at certain events, I think there’s been more of a focus on that - they seem to attract some bigger names than what we do here. And I know you’ve been a strong commentator on many of those issues. So can we do better? Yes, but I don’t think in any way we should talk down what we do here.

Let’s learn more about your Indian links. What draws you to India? That’s a great question. It’s the colour, the excitement, the extremes I see when I’m in India. I can go in any one day from feeling such despair to the heights of ecstasy around this joyful celebration. No one word describes the attraction. I actually think I’m half Indian, people keep saying that… but to me it’s just wonderful - the colour, the saris, the dancing, the music.

The saris - you’ve famously said you have 85 of them. Is there a sari adviser in your entourage?

There are a couple of things I’d say about my saris. I wear a sari out of respect for my community, but I also wear a sari because it makes me feel like I’m a leader in my community, and that comes about because it is the way I give to my Indian-Australian community and the response that I receive back. Sometimes when I drape it I drape it wrong but no one cares because at least I’ve made the effort. Sometimes I find myself wearing a southern Indian sari to a northern Indian event and I never make that mistake again. And no, I do not have a sari adviser on my payroll. It’s just me, but I learn. Julia Finn is the same, Julia and I learn. We find when we go to functions we just end up looking at the women’s saris. And when we’re there

we find we have sari envy! The sari to me is one of the most beautiful garments you could possibly wear. I am completely enamoured by it. My mother used to own a fabric shop when I was growing up and had rolls of fabric around her, so I used to love fabric. But it’s the way it comes together as something you wear; you know the pallu and the fall at the front and it can look so different, whether it’s pleated or it’s on your arm… I just have such enthusiasm for the sari.

You are aware of the “multiplier factor” in Indian festivities - each festival will have at least 4 different groups celebrating it. Does it tire you to keep up with it all? Do we have too many associations in our community?

Sometimes I think there’s not the coordination that there should be amongst particular groups who organise events. If you take Diwali for instance, I would go to 10 Diwali events. I do think that there is probably more that can be achieved by working together. Because some of these events will be in the same location - there will be Bowman Hall in Blacktown or in Parramatta. But the one thing that I find frustrating about Indian events - can I say this - is that everyone has to speak. My advice to anyone organising an event would be to get one or two people up only and get the speeches out of the way really quickly. The problem is that then I can’t stay for the entertainment or the cultural experience, because the speeches have gone for two hours. And all the MPs are saying exactly the same thing.

And regarding the question on too many Indian associations, that’s controversial - I would say no, there are so many different parts of India that the events are often themed around. I think those small community events are really important. I won’t say there are too many associations; I think sometimes you get the bigger events where there isn’t enough coordination. But you know it’s important. What I’ve noticed, though, is that there aren’t nearly as many events in winter - I think that’s probably to do with the saris - but more of the events are held in summer, so at the moment the Indian invitations coming for me are quite sparse. I’m like, what is going on?

But seriously, what can NSW do to increase engagement with India for business and trade?

I think the Varghese Report was a really solid report. I just don’t think anything has been done with it. There’s been a lot of discussion about some of the aspects of it, particularly around trying to make it about more than just education, so I would like to see more done with that. I’d like to see some sort of action plan as a result of thatand I’d like to see NSW involved. That was a federal report, and then it’s like the states need to carry some of these actions through as well. I’m looking at a trip to India soon again - I had a discussion today whether I can get there in the next couple of months - but I think it is about making sure that we have a high profile there and that as much as possible, in regard to trade, is supported. There’s such a focus on education and we need to move beyond that. There’s a lot we can be doing around technology, around new innovations, but we seem to focus on education and education only. I’d like to see us do more than that.

Hear the full interview as a podcast on the Indian Link Radio app.

Up close and personal with Jodi McKay

A personality that inspires you?

Right now, Jacinda Ardern. She’s compassionate and she governs with heart.

What would you tell your 18-year-old self? It’s okay growing up in the country and in rural and regional NSW – it does not limit you.

Two strengths which women leaders have over men leaders? Ability to take people with them.

I look at my own leadership - I want people to be there around me and not feel threatened by people in my sphere. Taking people with you during that journey is really important.

Another thing is - I’ll say this, and a part of me doesn’t want to say this - I think that we do have a lot of compassion that we put in to our leadership. There’s a lot of understanding of empathy, which I think sometimes is missing from male leadership. But let me say, that does not mean that we are not strong and forthright and capable and also hold our own in Parliament, because we do. I can debate any man in that Parliament and hold my own and those blokes in that Parliament know it.

A good day for you is…?

One where I am out and about and not sitting in my office. Sometimes we’ve had leaders in the past who have spent the whole time sitting in Macquarie Street. For me, it’s out talking to people.

What keeps you awake at night? Worrying about my media advisor calling me at 5:30 am and wondering if I should, at 2 am, be actually checking what the news story is of the day so that I know when they call what I have to say. Your head doesn’t stop in this job, right? You’re always thinking, you’re always trying to pre-empt what may be there and what role you may have in that as leader.

That one moment when you knew you wanted to serve the community? In this role? It was a discussion I had with my husband late one night. We’d been working through all the possible issues that could come up and he said to me, ‘Do you want to do this?’ and I said yes.

So when it came down to it, it was whether I wanted it or not, and I want this.

Your message for the Indian Australian community? I value you, I love being in your community, I love you being a part of this great multicultural state, and I will always be there to support you.

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Science busking

BY Rajni

As a high school student not so long ago, Riddhi Gupta remembers being fascinated by her time in the science labs and with scientists in general.

“Those early experiences with science stayed on with me, and motivated me to take on a PhD in quantum mechanics,” Riddhi, a research scholar at the University of Sydney, told Indian Link.

So valuable was that experience, that Riddhi is now passionate about talking to other young people about science and about engaging with STEM, and encouraging them to take it on as a career.

As a presenter at Sydney’s inaugural Soapbox Science program, she is one of 12 women scientists who will take science to the masses at a public event at Circular Quay.

Soapbox Science is quite literally a public event, where presenters talk about science at a busy public spot (like the orators at the Speakers’ Corner at London’s Hyde Park).

An initiative that started off in the UK, it is scheduled for 10 Aug at the start of National Science Week (10-18 Aug).

“Come along to see us busking science!” Riddhi laughed. “Soapbox Science is a grassroots-oriented program that has great value in making science accessible.”

Fellow presenter Prof. Arti Agarwal of UTS, agreed. “It’s about taking science to the public in an approachable, acceptable and interactive manner – no powerpoints, or even a science-aware audience,” she detailed. “We take science to the people, rather than wait for the people to come to science.”

It aims to demystify scientists by showing that they come from all walks of life, and clear the misconception that they, as Prof. Agarwal described, are “white guys in lab coats with glasses”. “Science is open to everyone regardless of gender or race, and it can be interesting, fun and cool.”

“We need to break down mental barriers that young people have about maths and science,” Riddhi stressed. “They’ll tell you they are not smart enough, and to them I’d like to say, you don’t have to be smart, just curious! It’s like music or sport - the more you practice, the better you get.”

And this is where Riddhi has a problem with popular perception about quantum physics - eg Big Bang Theory - that you have to be a genius to get it. “You just have to be curious. And have the patience to read.”

An equally significant aim of Soapbox Science is to counter the watering down of the scientific temperament that we have begun to see in society.

“It’s getting hard in our world to divorce real fact from misinformation,” Riddhi lamented. “There’s a real danger people are consuming information that is not scientifically correct. We need not only to present information to society, but also

to help them synthesize these data points to make rational decisions for future generations.”

Prof. Agarwal added, “There are doubters amongst the public, yes. We must continue to work in a way that members of the public trust scientists and ask their political representatives to inform policy decisions based on good science.”

To encourage girls in STEM and IT is a particular passion for Prof. Agarwal. “In the engineering classroom I’m still seeing one girl to every ten boys.” She runs a program for female students where they buddy up with senior students and meet with industry mentors in an informal space. “I’d like my young female students to know they don’t have to be isolated and can meet similar others over a coffee and a laugh, exchange information, and set up networks and find opportunities to collaborate.”

She identifies that Indian-origin girls may well be ahead of their mainstream counterparts here.

“India has strong STEM education and the numbers for girls are higher. Those of us who

move overseas - I myself have a University of Delhi and IIT background even though I also studied in the UK - we are bright and hardworking, but we have to work three times harder to prove ourselves, and we are that good, but race is holding us back.”

Riddhi, in her idealism, cares more about the science at this point in her career, rather than about diversity. “I feel we need to focus on great research instead, not emphasize that the scientist is XYZ. It draws attention away from the science itself, and that may not be healthy for dialogue.”

She herself will be talking at Soapbox about her work in making quantum devices. “I will show you what these devices look like, what quantum properties are and why they are different to how we experience the world normally. I’ll show you how we borrow ideas from robotics, machine learning and engineering to help improve the way quantum devices work. I’ll explain why there’s a global push to make the first quantum computer. Together, we can speculate how these devices might affect our future lifestyles.”

More details about Soapbox Science at soapboxscience.org

Prof. Agarwal will talk about her work in optics: modelling of photonic components such as solar cells, optical fibers, sensors, lasers etc.

Two Indian-origin scientists are part of an exciting new program aimed at taking science to the public

Anand Luthra

“It’s getting hard in our world to divorce real fact from misinformation. There’s a real danger people are consuming information that is not scientifically correct. We need not only to present information to society, but also to help them synthesize these data points to make rational decisions for future generations.”

Riddhi Gupta, University of Sydney

Prof. Arti Agarwal, UTS

What divides us pales in comparison to what unites us

Hindi and Urdu poets come together in a spirit of unity at an ICSOA event

The Indian Crescent Society of Australia (ICSOA) hosted a joint Hindi-Urdu Mushaira on 6 July at the Berala Community Centre. The theme of the evening was “Haq-oAman Saath Saath”.

This theme of togetherness not only celebrated the close bond between the two sister languages Hindi and Urdu, but also highlighted different cultures, ethnicities and ways of living coming together through literature and poetry. Local poets from Sydney were joined by distinguished guest poets from India and Pakistan to present their work based on this theme.

The evening was graced by the presence of many dignitaries including Mr Manish Gupta, Consul General of India-Sydney, Dr G.K. Harinath, Chair of Multicultural NSW, and Mr S.K. Verma, Head of Consular and Community Welfare Wing from the Consulate General of India. These dignitaries were joined by guest poets Khushbir Singh Shaad, Professor Rais Alvi and Izharul Haq.

Community organisations working to promote both Hindi and Urdu languages came together under one roof for the evening. Members and founders representing Hindi Samaaj, Anjuman Taraqui-e-Urdu, Urdu International, Bazme-Urdu, Urdu Society of Australia, ILASA and USL School of NSW were present.

This was a unique evening, not only in terms of the talent on stage, but also because it showed how different cultures come together through arts and literature. Whether the poets recited their work in Hindi or Urdu, what became apparent quite clearly was that the distinctions and

divisions that some have envisioned in language are, in fact, not there at all. The audience was clued into every word that was uttered, be it in Hindi Kavita form or in Urdu Shayari form. The one conversant tongue that brings us all together is the ‘Hindustani’ language, which borrows as

much from Hindi, as it does from Urdu. It is neither klisht Hindi, nor khaalis Urdu. The initiative by ICSOA to show this by inviting both Hindi and Urdu poets to present their work on the same platform is commendable in order to bridge these arbitrary differences.

There were poets from all ages present. Young poet Fiza Fatima recited Faiz’s famous poem Bol, which feels as relevant today as it was back when it was written. The creative ability of different poets to interpret the theme of togetherness in whichever way they saw fit, was on full display. One of the highlights of the evening was Dr Rekha Dwivedi’s interpretation of the theme through her poem Kashmiri Seb. Each poet was given three minutes within which to recite their work.

The evening reached its crescendo once the international guest poets were called upon to recite their work, after the conclusion of the recital from local poets. Khushbir Singh Shaad, Professor Alvi and Izharul Haq sahab, all had the audience in their grip. The audience held on to each word, each ash’aar, each misra they recited to conclude the evening.

It was heartening to witness how arts and literature can be catalysts that bring people together.

Virat Nehru

Calling all faujis

National Defence Academy Alumni Assn (Aus) incorporated in Victoria

TAlumni Association (Australian Chapter) was launched recently in Victoria. The first Annual General Meeting of the recently incorporated chapter was held in Canberra last month and attended by office bearers elected to steer the committee.

According to Col Rajesh Kaswan, Secretary NDAAA(AC) the main purpose of establishing this alumni chapter is to provide support to its members by creating avenues for professional and social networking. (ndaaaac.org.au)

NDAAA(AC) also aims to provide resettlement assistance to NDA alumni planning to migrate to Australia and if required, provide support to NDA alumni settled in Australia.

NDA is the prestigious Joint Services academy of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three services, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force train together. Established in 1954 and based in Khadakwasla, Pune, Maharashtra, it is the first tri-service academy in the world.

After completion of the three-year gruelling course, the cadets go on to their respective service academies for further

pre-commissioning training. NDA alumni

Starting with only a handful of members, obligations and choosing to settle in Australia and the surrounding Oceania region.

“After much hard work and dedication conducts official and social meetings and

send Money Overseas most reliably and securely within 10 minutes through moneygram send Money to any bank account at the best rate and flat fee of $15 (No Limits applicable on amounts) exchange your currency with us, we give the best rates and do not charge any commission send money to our own branches in all major towns and cities in Fiji and New Zealand

Ask us about our commercial business, we do import payments and all international business related remittance at best rate and a flat fee of $15.00 only

Chandrayaan-2 to reach moon by August 20: ISRO

India’s second moon spacecraft Chandrayaan-2 that was put into earth’s orbit on July 22, is scheduled to reach the Moon by August 20, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

For those interested in the technical aspects - the first earth bound orbit raising manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-2 was successfully performed this week by firing the onboard motors for 57 seconds.

The new orbit is 230x45,163 km. The second orbit raising manoeuvre is scheduled for July 26, at 1.09 a.m. IST, ISRO added.

On July 22, the Chandrayaan-2 was injected into an elliptical orbit of 170x45,475 km by India’s heavy-lift rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV Mk III) in a textbook style.

Chandrayaan-2 consists of three segments - the Orbiter (weighing 2,379 kg, eight payloads), the lander ‘Vikram’ (1,471 kg, four payloads) and the rover ‘Pragyan’ (27 kg, two payloads).

The Indian space agency said the major activities include earth bound manoeuvres, the trans-lunar insertion, lunar-bound manoeuvres, the lander’s separation from Chandrayaan-2 and its touchdown on the moon’s South Pole.

The trans-lunar insertion of Chandrayaan-2 is scheduled on August 14, which will send the spacecraft to the moon, where it will reach by August 20.

The lander Vikram will land on the moon on September 7.

Originally, the GSLV-Mk III rocket carrying Chandrayaan-2 was supposed to fly on July 15. As we now know, owing to a serious technical glitch, the flight was postponed to July 22.

As a result, there have been some changes to the mission schedule. For instance, as per the July 15 flight schedule, Chandrayaan-2’s earth bound phase was 17 days; as per the new schedule, it is now 23 days. On the other hand, the lunar-bound phase which was expected to last for 28 days per the July 15 flight schedule, has now reduced to 13 days.

Additionally,the original plan was for Vikram to land on the moon 54 days after the rocket’s lift off; now the landing will take place in 48 days.

Celebrate this Raksha Bandhan with seed rakhis

A silent movement to curb pollution is underway in Jaipur with thousands of people working to produce plastic-free

plantable ‘Seed Rakhi’ for the upcoming Raksha Bandhan festival.

Artisans from women’s self-help groups, FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) and various start-ups are working together to make these rakhis, which can be planted and grown into trees once they are sown in the ground.

“Every year, 620 million rakhis are dumped in waste that never decomposes, generating 1.18 billion tonnes of carbon footprints. This made us ponder and it took us two years of intense research and hard work to develop the ‘Seed Rakhi’,” said Nitin Jain, one of the cofounders of the start-up Indibni.

“Around 60 crore people celebrate Raksha Bandhan across the world each year, but no one has ever thought about where the rakhis end up after the grand celebration.”

“A ‘Seed Rakhi’ can be sown and grown into plants, helping India become greener and cleaner,” said co-founder Ankit Jain.

“Traditional rakhis are embedded with stones and glitter, marking them quite useless once the celebrations are over. Our rakhis are made with seeds of sunflower, amaltas, papaya, rice and basil.”

Indibni joined hands with FLO and other self-help groups from Nagpur in Maharashtra, Kerala and Rajasthan to get more trained and skilled hands to bring out approximately 30,000 such rakhis into the market this year.

The start-up is also organising workshops to teach people how to make seed rakhis, thereby galvanizing the green environment movement.

Another movement that’s benefitting from this is women’s empowerment. In order to make the seed rakhis, Indibni ordered coir from a women’s organisation in Kerala, while other organic material is being ordered from women’s self-help groups in Nagpur and other parts of Rajasthan.

Indibni is also working with organic farmers in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to bring to the market organic rakhis and organic yarn.

The ‘Seed Rakhi’ kit comes with coir and manure to help you sow the seed and grow the plant. The kit also includes a handmade eco-friendly paper diary and is packaged with recyclable and bio degradable paper and cloth.

Another organization called Anan Taya, a five-time winner of the UNESCO Seal of Excellence, is busy engaging local artisans to create handmade rakhis

Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated on August 15 this year.

IPS officer vows to make Hyderabad garbage-free city

The Telangana government transferred him to the printing and stationary department, usually considered a “punishment posting”. But senior IPS officer V.K. Singh has used this opportunity to vow to make Hyderabad a garbage-free city.

The Commissioner of printing and stationary told reporters that since he “didn’t have much work to do”, he would start a social awareness campaign on cleanliness and work to bring changes in society.

As the Director General of Prisons, Singh introduced many reforms in Telangana jails.

He said the transfer came as a surprise to him while he was on leave. Refusing to resign following his transfer to a comparatively insignificant post, Singh said he would work to serve people in any post.

The commissioner stressed that the ‘Bangaru Telangana’ (Golden Telangana) could not be achieved by politicians, but hastened to add that he wasn’t against the state government’s policies. ‘Bangaru Telangana’ is the slogan of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao.

Delhi to have a modern museum for all ex-PMs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced this week that a modern museum displaying the lives and belongings of all former Prime Ministers will open in Delhi soon.

The Prime Minister’s announcement came at an event for the release of the book Chandra Shekhar - The Last Icon of Ideological Politics written by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh and Ravi Dutt Bajpai.

“Several Prime Ministers have been forgotten. But I have decided that a huge modern museum of all former Prime Ministers will be constructed in Delhi,” Modi said.

He appealed to the family members of all former PMs to collect memorabilia from the Ministers’ lives so that the common people, including theyounger generation, could know about their lives and achievements.

“There is need for a new political culture in the country,” said Modi. “Chandra Shekhar ji can inspire the new generation if he is viewed in the right perspective.”

Rajya Sabha passes Bill including death penalty for child abuse

With members across party lines supporting a stricter law against child abuse, the Rajya Sabha this week passed the bill for amending the Protection of Children from Sexual

Offences (POCSO) Act.

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill 2019 provides for stringent punishment (including life imprisonment) for the use of children for pornographic purposes.

The new law is expected to discourage the trend of child sexual abuse by acting as a deterrent due to the strong penal provisions in it. It intends to protect the interests of vulnerable children in times of distress and ensure their safety and dignity.

There has been a worrying rise in crimes against children in India in recent years. It is estimated that 1.6 lakh cases of child abuse are pending in 31 states and union territories (UTs).

As per official data, about 12,609 rape cases were registered under the POSCO this year.

While participating in the discussion on the bill, all members of the Upper House supported the amendments, with only a few of them expressing reservations over the death penalty clause.

While supporting stringent laws, TMC member of Parliament and television personality Derek O’Brien shared his traumatic experience of being sexually molested as a 13-year-old boy. He urged celebrities, cricketers and people in the public eye to speak up about such incidents.

“I would like and urge more people especially in public life, if you have been sexually abused or harassed as a child, please come up and speak about it,” the TMC legislator said.

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill 2019 was moved by Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani.

ISRO earned Rs 6,289 cr by launching 239 satellites Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), launched 239 satellites earning Rs 6,289 crore in revenue, the Indian government informed the Lok Sabha this week.

Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh also said the government had set up New Space India Limited (NSIL), which would replace the Antrix Corporation.

NSIL, under the administrative control of the Department of Space (DoS), will commercially exploit research and development work of the ISRO and other DoS units. NSIL had been set up to meet the

The Seed Rakhi kit, which comes in an ecofriendly package that includes the seed rakhi, a coir planter, manure etc.

Photo: Seed Rakhi

ever-increasing demands of the Indian space programme and to commercially exploit the emerging global space market, he added.

It would spur Indian industries’ growth in the space sector and enable them to scale up manufacturing and the production base.

NSIL would spearhead commercialisation of various space products, including launch vehicles and technologies.

Chandrayaan-2, which was launched earlier this week, cost Rs 978 crore.

Uber in pact with SUN Mobility to deploy e-autos in India

Ride-hailing giant Uber has announced a partnership with SUN Mobility to deploy e-autos in India.

This partnership will be piloted across select Indian cities in the coming months, Uber said.

As part of the alliance, SUN Mobility will offer its unique energy infrastructure platform, which includes swappable smart batteries and quick interchange stations to select original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for building e-autos.

Fleet owners and Uber’s driver partners will benefit from this because they can buy vehicles without the battery to save money on initial acquisition costs.

They will receive charged, swappable batteries as a service by SUN Mobility, thereby helping bring the overall cost of e-autos in line with their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts.

“This is an important step forward in fulfilling our vision for creating a mobility ecosystem that is sustainable, provides cleaner air and helps build smarter cities across the region,” Pradeep Parameswaran, President Uber, India and South Asia, said in a statement. SUN Mobility is a joint venture between Maini Group and SUN Group, pioneers in areas of electric mobility and clean energy. The company was launched in April 2017 and is led by Chetan Maini (who previously founded ‘Reva’ which was renamed Mahindra Electric) and Uday Khemka (Vice Chairman of SUN Group).

India, China to pip US in tech innovations: Survey

By 2035, self-driving cars will be more common than individually owned automobiles while India and China will surpass the US as tech innovation hubs in the world, according to a survey conducted by Bloomberg.

Globally, 54 per cent of respondents believe that by 2035, China and India will have

surpassed the US as the world’s centres of tech innovation.

The findings are based on the views of 2,000 business professionals in 20 markets. They were asked what the future will hold as the balance of global power shifts towards new economies. A majority of them also agree that by 2035, we will be reaching the point of no return on climate change and that rising sea levels will have already wiped the first low-lying country off the map by 2035.

India has presented itself as a world leader with regard to mitigating climate change.

Netflix unveils mobile plan in India at Rs 199 per month

Your friends and family in India can now watch Netflix on their phones for just Rs 199! Aiming to close the gap with rivals like Amazon Prime and Hotstar in India, American video streaming giant Netflix unveiled a mobile subscription plan for India priced at Rs 199 per month.

The plan will enable users to view content in standard definition (SD) on one smartphone or tablet at a time.

This is Netflix’s fourth Indian plan, in addition to the existing basic, standard and premium plans which are priced between Rs 499 and Rs 799.

“Our members in India watch more on their mobiles than members of any other country in the world - and they love to download our shows and films. We believe this new plan will make Netflix even more accessible and better suit people who like to watch on their smartphones and tablets - both on the go and at home,” said Ajay Arora, Director, Product Innovation, Netflix.

“Indian consumers watch on the go. And you can’t beat that freedom.”

According to a FICCI-EY 2019 report, Indians spend 30 per cent of their phone time and over 70 per cent of their mobile data on entertainment.

Netflix is also investing heavily in Indian films and series across all genres and for all generations, including the much-acclaimed recent hits like Sacred Games, Chopsticks and Mighty Little Bheem.

According to the company, thirteen new Indian films and nine new original series are already in the pipeline.

Microsoft India hackathon empowering customers, NGOs

In a bid to hack and work on real-world

challenges, Microsoft India is organising a week-long hackathon in various cities across the country. For the first time, the annual event has witnessed participation from customers and NGOs at various Microsoft campuses.

The ‘One Week Hackathon 2019’, which was kicked off on Monday in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and other centres, has seen active participation from employees, customers and NGOs hacking and collaborating to build solutions for the world, according to a statement released by Microsoft.

“Hackathon enables employees to collaborate to solve a problem they care about, with a focus on the big picture. Employees take on challenges they feel passionate about or to come up with ‘the next big thing’ for our customers and create experiences that are accessible to all,” said Reena Dayal, Director Garage India, Microsoft (‘Garage’ is a flagship programme of Microsoft).

Earlier hackathons managed to bring out some great products such as the ‘Seeing AI’ app, Xbox adaptive controller ‘Kaizala’ and ‘SMS Organiser’.

Film, military bands, dances & drills to mark Kargil show

A short film with a voiceover by Amitabh Bachchan, performances by Shillong Chamber Choir, songs by Mohit Chauhan, dances, drills and military bands will liven up Delhi’s Indira Gandhi indoor stadium on July 27 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Kargil war.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the event to commemorate the occasion.

In the video made especially for the event, Amitabh Bachchan explains all the aspects of the war and India’s response to push back against Pakistan army intruders from mountain tops. The video further talks about the Indian Army’s Operation Vijay, Indian Air Force (IAF) launching Operation Safed Sagar and the naval mobilization Operation Talwar in 1999 to corner Pakistan.

IIT Delhi aims to have at least 500 foreign students by 2024

With a target of enrolling 500 foreign students within the next five years, IIT Delhi organised a summit meeting for diplomats from various countries to showcase the opportunities at the premier institution.

‘Globalisation of IIT Delhi: New opportunities for Higher Studies in India’ was attended by Ambassadors and Education Attaches of 12 countries including South Korea, Indonesia, Sweden, Britain, and

Mexico.

In his address at the summit, IIT Delhi Director, Prof V.Ramgopal Rao said,“Our target is to have at least 10 per cent foreign students in our Ph.D. programmes and make them work on technology platforms that can serve global needs.”

Foreign students can apply for PhD in 28 academic units at the IIT, including applied mechanics, atmospheric sciences, biochemical engineering, among others.

During the summit, IIT Delhi presented the newly launched International PhD Fellowship Programme (IPFP), which provides liberal financial assistance to meritorious international students.

The institute will also be looking towards attracting teachers from various academic institutions in different countries to join IIT Delhi’s faculty.

Bill to ban Ponzi schemes, protect depositors passed by LS

A Bill to protect depositors from Ponzi schemes and put in place a mechanism by which investors can be compensated, was passed by the Lok Sabha this week, by voice vote.

The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill 2019 seeks to tackle the menace of illicit deposit-taking, done by exploiting regulatory gaps and due to lack of strict administrative measures.

The Bill provides for 1-10 years punishment and Rs 2 lakh to Rs 50 crore fines to deter any such act.

The Bill also ensures that no hardship is caused to genuine businesses, or to individuals borrowing money from their relatives or friends for personal reasons or to tide over a crisis.

It contains a clause, which bans deposittakers from promoting, operating, issuing advertisements or accepting deposits in any unregulated deposit scheme. The Bill also aims to prevent unregulated deposit schemes or arrangements at their inception.

As per information provided by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), during the period between July 2014 and May 2018, 978 cases of unauthorised schemes were discussed at the state-level coordination committee meetings in various states/ Union Territories, and were forwarded to the respective regulators/law enforcement agencies in the states. IANS

The Chandrayaan-2 lift-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh, on July 22, 2019.

Photo: ISRO

VIEWFINDER

BY DANISH

I like sports photography because it’s challenging and requires precise focus. This was a multiple exposure this image is 'bracketing’. To perfectly capture an image like this, the surroundings and the background need critical in getting a good shot. Sports photography inherently Shot on a Nikon D3s with Exposure: 1/640 sec, f/4 ISO 6,400 Manual,

shot I took at the 2018 ASEAN Games in Indonesia. The technical term for the layers and superimposition in to be dark; multiple exposure shots don’t work in brightly lit areas. Which is why both patience and speed are inherently isn't easy and this shot certainly wasn't a piece of cake. with a 500mm f4 prime lens. Manual, centre weight metering and no flash.

WHAT’S ON

DANCE COMPETITION

Nach Le Sydney: A Bollywood style dance competition

Sat 3 Aug (6.00pm onwards)

Inviting contestants in three categories: SOLO, DUET, GROUP (max 8 members).

Cash Prizes to be won. PLUS a Popular Choice Award for the entry with most audience support.

PIONEER THEATRE

Pennant St and Castle St, Castle Hill (5-min walk from Castle Hill station)

Details Shriti Sinha 0410 578 146

SEMINAR

Lunch and Learn with one of India's largest Asset Managers

Tue 30 Jul (12.15pm – 1.30pm)

Hear from one of the largest asset managers in India, Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management. Deputy CIO SaileshBhan, and Head of International Business Abhijit Singh, share key insights into one of the fastest growing economies in the world and learn how you can invest in India via the first Indian equity ETF launched on the ASX.

Topics

n Outlook on India post-election

n Will India overtake China and the rest of the world?

n Inside the Nifty 50 Index: Is this the best exposure for investors?

n NDIA – the first Indian equity ETF listed on the ASX

Venue: Sir Stamford at Circular Quay, 93 Macquarie Street, Sydney. Details 02 8311 3488 or infoAU@etfsecurities.com.au

The Art of Chai

Wed 7 Aug (6.00pm onwards)

Uppma Virdi of Chai Walli fame presents a 1.5-hour workshop on the culture, taste, ingredients and brewing methods of Indian chai.

Venue: 44 Edward St, Warehouse #4, Summer Hill. Details chaiwalli.com.au

An Evening with Tishani Doshi

Wed 7 Aug (7:30pm - 9:00pm)

Newcastle Writers Festival presents Indian poet, novelist and dancer Tishani Doshi. This intimate evening will include dance inspired by Tishani's most recent novel Small Days and Nights as well as poetry from her best-selling collection Girls Are Coming Out of the Woods. The performance will be followed by a conversation facilitated by festival director Rosemarie Milsom.

Venue: Playhouse, 373 Hunter St Newcastle. Details: www.newcastlewritersfestival.org.au

STAGE

Shankar Ehsaan Loy

Sat 27 July (6:30pm onwards)

Hillsong Convention Centre, Baulkham Hills, NSW.

Details 02 9191 0638

Sid Sriram Live in Concert - Isai

Velvi 2019

Sun 4 Aug (5.30pm-9.00pm)

Kamban Kazhagam Australia presents Sid Shriram, classical vocalist, songwriter, producer and playback singer. Sid will be accompanied by some of Chennai's most sought-after musicians; Sri H

N Bhaskar on Violin, Sri Patri Satish Kumar on Mridangam and Sri Shree Sundarkumar on Ganjira.

Venue: Sydney Bahai Centre, 107 Derby St, Silverwater.

Details: www.kambankazhagam.org

Guru Randhawa

Sun 11 Aug (7:00 pm onwards)

Punjabi singing sensation Guru Randhawa in concert at Whitlam

Leisure Centre, 90A Memorial Ave, Liverpool.

Details Vishal 0405 656 786

ENTERTAINMENT

Bar Bombay

Sat 3 Aug (9.00pm onwards)

Trikone Australiasia presents Bar Bombay queer Bollywood dance party. 105 Victoria Road, Factory Theatre Marrickville.

Details www.barbombay.com

Bhangra night

Fri 9 Aug (9.00pm onwards) Feel the Punjab at IVY, Level 2 Den, Lounge & Terrace. 330 George St, Sydney. Features include Bhangra, Bollywood, RNB, Urban Punjabi.

Holly Bolly - East Meets West

Fri 9 Aug (9:00pm onwards) Zeta Bar, Hilton, 488 George St Sydney, featuring DJ Raze, DJ Sparsh, DJ Chris Choklate.

COMMUNITY

Mateship Fair

Sun 4 Aug United Indian Associations (Inc) marks the 25th anniversary of its annual IndiaAustralia Fair. Venue Parramatta Foreshores. Details 0452 025 666

India Day Dair

Sat 10 Aug (12 noon – 9pm)

FIAN presents India Day Fair 2019 Parramatta Park.

Details 0413 375 669 info@fian.org.au

SPIRITUAL

Chinmaya Mission Australia

Saturdays Family programs (Balvihar classes) at Eastwood (3.00pm - 4.15pm) and at Strathfield (4.45pm - 6.00pm).

Details Chinmaya Sannidhi 02 8850 7400, 0416 482 149

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

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 (8.30am9.15am) at Wentworthville. Details www.spiritofindia.org or call Suresh 0412 202 182 or Raja 0402 789 109

Sahaja Yoga: Music and Meditation

Free sessions at multiple venues across Sydney. Details www. sahajayoga.com.au

EXHIBITION

Archibald Prize 2019

Until 8 Sep Check outAustralia’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

MISC

In memory of a beautiful little soul: Blood donation campaign

The Sydney-based Kaushik family are commemorating the brief life of their daughter Vanhi (16 April 2013 - 09 July 2015) who fought bravely against leukaemia by asking the community to join them in their blood donation campaign for Red Cross. Join their campaign ‘Vanhi the Smiling Star’s Red 25’ either by registering online (https://www. donateblood.com.au/red25) or by calling 131 495. Details Vishal and Nidhi Kaushik on 0433 823 668.

SENIORS

AASHA Foundation Australia (Ltd) organises seniors social hubs at various centres across Sydney. All communities welcome. Activities include yoga, music, dance, networking, health talks, technology, health checks, light lunch.

Blacktown: First Wednesday of the month (11.00am – 2.00pm) West

point Shopping Centre, 17 Patrick St, Blacktown (Community Room, next to gym, Fourth floor). Close to railway station.

Wentworthville: Fourth Saturday of the month (12.30pm – 4.30pm)

Wentworthville Community Centre, Grevillea Hall (next to library), 2 Main Street, Wentworthville. Close to railway station.

Hornsby: Second and Fourth Friday of the month (11.00am – 2.00pm) Hornsby Youth & Family Community Centre, Cnr. Muriel and Burdett St, Close to railway station.

Crows Nest: Third Wednesday of the month (10.00am – 11.30am) Musicbased social gathering at Crows Nest Centre, 2 Ernest Place, Crows Nest.

Details Bijinder Dugal 0412 786 569

Seniors Rights Forum

Sat 24 Aug (1.00pm – 4.00pm)

AASHA Foundation Australia (Ltd) announces a forum on ageing and seniors rights, including Q and A with experts and free health checks. Venue: Wentworthville Community Centre, 2 Lane St, Wentworthville.

Details Bijinder Dugal 0412 786 569

STUDENTS

Essay writing competition

The Ambedkar International Mission Australia invites entries for its second annual essay writing competition, open to uni students across Australia and New Zealand.

Topics:

1. Comparison of Dr Ambedkar’s contributions with any political philosopher of your choice OR

2. Salience of Dr Ambedkar in the coming decade in any one of the following aspects – Social justice, Affirnative action, Women’s empowerment, Nation building. 3000 words. First prize $300. Second prize $200. Third prize $100. Lasy date for submission 15 Nov 2019. Submit entries to aim.sydney2018@gmail.com.

Details Vaibhav Gaekwad 0415 469 525

Calling Indian international students

Tue 6 Aug (4:00pm - 6:00pm) Study NSW organises a special event for Indian students entitled ‘Making the most of your international student experience’. Hear tips on how to find employment, network with government representatives and fellow students, learn about safety, well-being and support services, learn about work place rights and responsibilities. Guest speaker Simon Taufel, legendary Australian cricket umpire. Venue: ConsulateGeneral of India, 265 Castlereagh St, Sydney.

Details 02 9223 2702

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

Budding robotics experts

Robo Cup 2019: Year 8 and 9 students from India put up a bold act

BY JANANI KARTHIK

Karthik, a middle school student from India, was part of a team that travelled to Sydney in early July to participate in RoboCup 2019, a world robotics championship. He spoke with Indian Link about his team’s presentation at the competition.

“We selected a real-life incident as the theme of our robotic presentation in the Junior On-stage category,” he related. “There was a piece of sensational news about an interstate organ transplant in the newspapers. The heart was transported within a few hours from Bangalore to Chennai with the city traffic controllers in both the cities halting the entire traffic to facilitate the transplantation. We chose this theme of how everybody came together to save a single life. We scripted the narration, composed background music and we performed this act with our five robots playing different characters.”

His team, made up of students in Years 8 and 9 at the BGS World School in Karnataka, was one of 50 from across the world that participated in the event, held at Sydney’s International Convention Centre. In the Junior On-Stage category in which they competed, students presented robots that they designed, built and programmed.

Inchara, a Year 8 student, described another round in the contest where her team got together with teams from other countries to collaborate.

“In the ‘super team’ event, three countries came together to present a new theme,” she described. “We coordinated with Singapore and Italy for this presentation for which the theme was ‘save the environment’. As one of our robots had to perform in this theme, we had to change the entire programming of the robots to this new theme within a few hours. We learned effective teamwork when we worked with other teams and also, got to know different types of robots.”

The BGS World School in Chickallapur, 100km out of Bangalore, was one of 50mschools form across the world that participated in RoboCup 2019

This team from India reached the international stage after winning two regional level robotic competitions. About prepping for this tournament, Ananya from the students’ team said, “For the past three months, we used to practice for our presentation for three hours every day after school. We even utilised the free periods during school hours to discuss the programming of the robots with our teachers. The practical application of the theories during designing of the robots at the robotic labs was an interesting

strong STEM education and the exposure to robotics at this young age helped them to reach this level.”

The regard for Mandal amongst the young students is clearly evident.

“Ourprincipal has been parenting us these days,” said Bhavatej, another student. “We feel very good when he treats us like our moms, making sure we eat our breakfast and our snacks! We also cooked for him when he was a bit unwell. We enjoyed bonding with him like this during this trip.”

and this year we have come to Sydney to compete with some of the best teams in the world. For the past two years, we are doing well in this competition. This year, apart from this junior team, there is also another team from India, who have participated in the ‘rescue robot’ category. They were one of the top ten teams in that category.”

People across India enthusiastically participated in the regional level competitions to qualify for the international level, Prakash revealed, going from only 20 a few years ago to 600 last year.

“These numbers reveal how competent and enthusiastic we are when it comes to robotics. Isel has been conducting robotics classes in 35 schools across India with 26,000 youngsters enrolled currently.”

He commended Karthik, Inchara, Ananya and Bhavatej who made a commendable presentation but didn’t make it to the top this year.

“It is not about winning or losing. It is all about the new ideas that they have learned during this entire travel. They got the chance to see other teams perform and learn new problem-solving skills. As they met many creative minds from across the globe at this event, they made wonderful technological advancements. This exposure is more important than anything else. During this stint, they learned how to practically apply the programming lessons that they study in their classrooms. That learning experience is the real outcome.”

part of our preparation.”

These students are from a rural part of India, Chickallapur, 100km from Bangalore. “Most of their parents weren’t even aware of what robotics is, and what international competitions are all about,” Ranjit Kumar Mandal, Principal of BGS World School, who accompanied the students, told Indian Link . “When these students were selected for the Sydney contest, we had to prepare the parents to support their kids.”

The students slowly gained confidence after participating in the regional level tournaments with a hundred other teams in India.

“Apart from the rigorous training period of three months, the students have been gearing themselves for the past six years,” Mandal said. “They have been participating in various robot contests all these years. Robotics is compulsory in their school curriculum as well. Our

India has been actively participating in RoboCup championships for the past six years. RoboCup is an annual robotics competition that promotes technological advancement in robotics. The major competition of the championship was the robot soccer games, in which many teams across the globe participated in the senior category. To encourage younger minds, there are many categories that carry different themes and the Junior On-stage is one among them.

About India’s role in the championship, David Prakash, CEO iselRobotik India and also the Chairman RoboCup Junior India, said, “So far we’ve participated in events at Brazil, China, Japan, Canada

Isel Robotik India has been conducting robotics classes in 35 schools across India with

youngsters enrolled currently

26,000

BGS World School Students team at the Robo Cup, Sydney.

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Magic of the Bonduki story

In his latest novel, Amitav Ghosh links present-day climate change and migration with an old Bengali folktale

Journeys to distant lands, migration and ancient connections between civilisations are recurring themes in Amitav Ghosh’s books. His latest novel, Gun Island, is a story of travel and migration, overlaid with myth and folktales, and the deepening crisis of climate change.

In his previous book, The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable, Ghosh had questioned why artists and writers of fiction had ignored climate change in their creative work. In Gun Island, he entwines the impact of climate change on migration and displacement, with an old Bengali folktale that connects the fast-depleting mangrove forests of the Sundarbans to the slowly sinking city of Venice.

On his annual sojourn to Kolkata, Brooklyn-based dealer in rare books, Dinanath (now an Americanised “Deen”) hears the tale of Manasa Devi, the goddess of snakes and her battle to turn the merchant Chand Sadagar or Bonduki Sadagar (Gun Merchant) into a devotee.

Deen travels to the isolated island with the small temple (that the merchant built to appease the goddess). From the temple, its panels of mysterious drawings and symbols, and an encounter with a King Cobra, Deen and his young companions, Rafi and Tipu, are sent hurtling to their separate journeys that eventually lead them to Venice.

Ghosh suggests that the term ‘bundook’ (‘gun’ in Hindi) is derived from alBunduqiya, the Arabic name for Venice. The Bonduki myth links Venice and India through 17th century and present day migration to Europe, and the life-altering impact of climate change on migration and the displacement of humans and animals.

as a slave, then freed by his master, finds a treasure trove of cowries – the shells used as currency in the Indian Ocean coastal region – and reaches Venice, the great trading port of the 17th century. The Mediterranean is going through unseasonal weather with storms and devastating floods that came to be known as the “little ice age”. The merchant is forced to return to Bengal to make peace which protects local villagers till it’s swept storms that ravage the Sundarbans in the Deen travels from Kolkata to Brooklyn,

is serviced by a colony of Bangladeshis, who cook pizzas, run restaurants, man ice cream carts and the city’s markets. Many of them have made the perilous journey by bus, truck and mini-van; travelling from Bangladesh through India, Pakistan, Iran and then to Libya, forced to pay additional sums of money at critical times or fall prey to organ harvesters.

Deen’s voyage of discovery is assisted by Piya, the marine biologist who arranges his visit to the Bonduki temple; Cinta, the celebrated Italian professor; Rafi and Tipu. It helps Deen decode the riddles of the temple panels and the Bonduki Sadagar ballad. There are strange visions and premonitions about specific events, and unlikely coincidences (e.g. Deen narrowly escapes being hit by masonry falling from high buildings on two occasions). Words of the Bonduki legend acquire different meanings when associated with places and events from the Gun Merchant’s own journeys.

Between the myth and uncanny events, Ghosh weaves the realities of contemporary life - the impact of changing climatic patterns on human and animal life, and migrants and human traffickers using modern technology to find the best routes to evade local authorities. Unlike the exuberance of Ghosh’s Ibis trilogy, Gun Island has a clear message about present-day realities of migration and climate change. At times, it tends to overpower the Bonduki legend. And yet, the magic of the story remains.

Shubha Singh

Ghosh suggests that the term ‘bundook’ (‘gun’ in Hindi) is derived from al-Bunduqiya, the Arabic name for Venice.

Between the myth and uncanny events, Ghosh weaves the realities of contemporary life.

MATRIMONIALS

SEEKING GROOMS

Seeking professionally qualified settled match for Sydney-based, never married Aus citizen, Hindu Punjabi Khatri, 46, 5'3" slim, fair,attractive girl. Girl is postgraduate and is working on a good position in government organisation. Please send details with photo to Indsyd2016@gmail.com.

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

Looking for a well-qualified and wellsettled Australian citizen match for NRI Indian girl now residing in India. She is 32, height 5’ 4”, B. Tech (aeronautical engineering),running her own business in India. Email banteryshop@yahoo.com, or call +91 9876999296

Seeking professionally qualified, well-settled match from Sydney for ’88-born 5"3" Hindu Punjabi girl, divorced

(concluded) with brief marriage of 1.5 years. Working full time with a leading university in Sydney. Pref teetotaller. Aus PR or citizen only.

Email: matrimonial.ml@gmail.com

Seeking professionally qualified match for attractive girl. Legally separated, no kids, 35 years, 5'3", working as Lead Legal Counsel in reputed investment firm at Gurgaon. Hindu family settled in Gurgaon.

Email: satinder.neelam@gmail.com; phone: +91 98188 85477

SEEKING BRIDES

Seeking professionally qualified, settled match for Sydney-based, never married Aus citizen, Hindu Punjabi Khatri, 45, 6', athletic built boy. He is a project manager with engineering background and is working in a private organisation.

Please send details with photo to Indsyd2016@gmail.com.

Professional match for Punjabi boy, 34, 5'11", fair, B.Com/BBA, Chartered Accountant, Australian citizen andworking as manager with a major bank in Sydney. Girl should be Hindu, 26 to 32, professionally qualified, Australian citizen or PR, and must be Sydney based. Please send photo & details to: sanjdeep6@gmail.com.

Seeking match for educated, divorced, 5’9", 1975 born Sikh boy, self-employed, earning 100k per annum, on bridging visa with full work rights. Looking for PR/citizen match from Australia.

Phone: 0422812939 or email: jas_ghai01@hotmail.com

Loving right now

A list of Indian Link’s current favourites

READ

Machali, Ranthambore National Park’s beloved Bengal tigress who died in 2016, was the inspiration for American author Katy Yocom’s debut novel Three Ways to Disappear – a story about family, love and loss, as a human and as an endangered species. Protagonist Sarah De Vaughan quits journalism and returns to India, the country of her childhood. In the process, she explores her lost family, forbidden love and the vast natural beauty of her former home. Wistfully descriptive, this is a must-read for anyone who loves family dramas, the big cats and a well-told story.

LISTEN

You’ve seen him do his stand-up comedy shtick on TV, and maybe even in person. With his podcast, irreverently titled Birdy Num Num, you get to hear Sanjay Manaktala wax eloquent (and hilarious) about his philosophy –because life begins after engineering. Of course, you don’t have to be an engineer to appreciate Manaktala’s brand of humour. With episodes like ‘Being Yourself is Underrated’, ‘Grooming, Hygiene, Bodyspray and the Indian Man’ and ‘Who Said You Can Only Have One Career’, Manaktala (and his guests) have something for everyone. Episodes drop Mondays and Thursdays.

EAT

Hot pakoras (fritters) and chai (tea) are a match made in… every Indian home. Now this dream combo’s right here in the heart of Sydney’s CBD – this winter, head over to Gunjan Aylawadi’s diminutive Flyover Fritterie on Temperance Lane for a bite-sized meal of pakora burgers with pickled beetroot and tamarind chutney, and some spicy chai made with soy milk. With just four items on the menu, you won’t be overwhelmed. And with a big cone of hot pakoras (drizzled with delish chutney) in your hand, you definitely won’t be disappointed.

WATCH

ICYMI, Engineering Girls was one of the best web shows of the past year. Nudging aside the well-worn subject of male engineering students, this series (directed by Apoorv Singh Karki and starring young web talents Barkha Singh, Sejal Kumar and Kritika Avasthi) explores the trio’s college and hostel lives, their aspirations to have their own start-up and the ensuing craziness that inevitably follows. Not only is the 5-episode series immense fun to watch, but it’s also a not-too-subtle nod to the importance of having more girls in STEM. Episodes are out on YouTube.

The grand Balkan tour

Two weeks. Multiple countries. Countless lakes, canyons, palaces, cathedrals, walled citadels and UNESCO World Heritage sites.

BY SANDIP HOR

The Balkan region - named after the Balkan Mountains and comprising of several countries - is fast entering every traveller’s bucket list. Croatia ranks near the top, with Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo not far behind.

A suitable option of exploring the best from this region, interconnected by an excellent road network, is the fully escorted Grand Balkan Tour package available in Australia from Beyond Travel.

The 13-day odyssey, which involves travelling over 2000kms by road in an airconditioned luxury bus, starts in Croatia’s capital Zagreb and ends in the nation’s most sought-after seafront destination

Dubrovnik. In between are stops at Plitvice Lakes, Trogir and Split in Croatia, Lake Bled and capital Ljubljana in Slovenia, Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Budva, Kotor, Centinje and Kolasin in Montenegro, capital Tirana in Albania, Ohrid and capital Skopje in North Macedonia and Peć in Kosovo. The itinerary traverses through lakes, waterfalls, canyons, beaches, palaces, cathedrals, monasteries, walled citadels, bridges and several UNESCO World Heritage sites.

NATURE’S CREATION - Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Located 130 km west of Zagreb in a mountainous region, it’s the nation’s oldest and largest national parkland comprising of 16 lakes and several gushing waterfalls, all of which make it a site of exceptional and rare natural

beauty. The lake water varies in colour from emerald green and turquoise to deep blue, depending on the mineral deposits underneath.

PALACE OF DIOCLETIAN - Split, Croatia

The Adriatic Sea-fronted Split located in the south is Croatia’s second largest city. It’s most famous for experiencing 1700 years of living history in the Palace of 3rd century Roman Emperor Diocletian, who built the fortified palace-city, continuously occupied since its foundation. The sprawling complex includes several palatial buildings, cathedrals and churches that reflect period styles from Romanesque and Gothic to Renaissance and Baroque.

HISTORIC SETTLEMENT - Trogir, Croatia

A half hour drive from Split is Trogir, a tiny island settlement with an orthogonal street

plan that dates back to the Hellenistic period. It was later developed by successive rulers with many Romanesque churches and Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian period. The Cathedral of St Lawrence, built gradually over 400 years, is the domain’s major attraction.

OLD CITY - Dubrovnik, Croatia

Perched on the southernmost part of Croatia on steep rocks along the Adriatic Sea, Dubrovnik rose to fame in the 13th century as an important sea power that traded with India and had a consul based in Goa. Surrounded by walls almost 2000m in length, the township - now called ‘old town’ - remains virtually unchanged and well-preserved despite an earthquake in 1667 and war with Serbia in the nineties. A walk on the fortified walls is a must-do for visitors, alongside a visit to the Rector’s Palace, the Cathedral and Franciscan

World

Awesome Plitvice Lake

Lively Kotor

Monastery with Europe’s oldest pharmacy.

OLD BRIDGE - Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Nestled on the edge of the vast Neretva River, Mostar is the largest settlement in present-day Herzegovina. It gained importance during the 400 years of Ottoman rule in the 15th century when many significant structures were built, including the famous bridge across the river. It was completely destroyed during the Bosnian War, but rebuilt in 2005 with the same design to continue the legacy of the

Ottoman builders.

NATURAL AND CULTURAL

HERITAGE - Ohrid, North Macedonia

Ohrid, a quiet settlement founded in the 7th century, boasts of an impressive centuries-old quarter with a labyrinth of steep streets lined with beautiful churches, mosques, open-air ruins, castles, fountains and red-roofed buildings, all majestically set on the shores of Lake Ohrid, one of the planet’s oldest and deepest lakes. Must-see sites include the 11th century Church of St Sofia with its Byzantine period fresco paintings and a nearby monastery dedicated to Slavic missionary St Naum.

NATURAL AND CULTURO-HISTORICAL REGION - Kotor, Montenegro

You first view Kotor on the Adriatic coast as you’re winding down the scenic mountainous region of Montenegro. The most famous part of this medieval city is its very well-preserved old quarter, with a Romanesque cathedral and several churches, fortifications, entry gates, noble houses and monuments flanking a maze of cobblestoned streets and squares.

TRAVEL NOTES

Getting there: Emirates has regular flights from Australia via Dubai to Zagreb.

Tour Details: Contact Beyond Travel (www. beyondtravel. com.au) for dates and pricing of the Grand Balkan Tour which includes accommodation, breakfast and dinner and almost all key sightseeing with no hidden extra costs.

Dubrovnik Alleyway

Dubrovnik Old Town

Wonderful Trogir

Seafront Split

Picturesque Ohrid

Old Bridge in Moster

cineTALK

EERIE, SCARY, BINGE-ABLE FUN

has one of the series’ funniest scenes with him in a car. There is also a lengthy flashback about a matriarch’s witchcraft powers shot in an enticing orange glow that suggests a state of exploitative saturation. The flashback also sneaks in a little homage to Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Mera baap chor hain’ tattoo from Deewaar.

All this tends to scatter the plot, make it zig and zag through situations that would have otherwise been avoided in a tightly-edited feature film. Also, as much as I loved the little girl Sam (played by Aarna Sharma) and her sleuthing activities with her young friends, it just didn’t seem to hit the right notes, veering from the over-cute to the outright listless.

What works is the ever-dependable Purab Kohli as a caring single parent and an inquisitive cop trying to piece together a series of bafflingly sinister scenarios.

The scenes inside the haunted bungalow are exquisitely shot, capturing as they do the rhythms of everyday activities pressurised by a spell of inexplicable happenings.

TYPEWRITER (NETFLIX)

STARRING: Purab Kohli, Palomi Ghosh, Samir Kochhar, Aarna Sharma

DIRECTOR: Sujoy Ghosh

H H H

A typewriter is an obsolete instrument. And yet, its sheer vintage value is preserved in writerdirector Sujoy Ghosh’s engaging genre-conforming yet unorthodox supernatural web series - about a discarded typewriter which does sinister things on its own, e.g.

pounding out messages like ‘Bhoot is not Jhooth’.

‘Jhooth’ or not, Ghosh’s series Typewriter , available on Netflix, has a lot of fun with spirits. The writing is sprightly yet dark, grim yet giggly and briskly paced. This is not to suggest that Ghosh is trying to do a Stree.

You know, make ghosts funny. To its credit though, Typewriter succeeds in being humorous while scaring the hell out of us.

A family moves into an abandoned yet strikingly picturesque bungalow in Goa, India. We soon realise that the mom Jenny (Palomi Ghosh) has a deep and devastating connect with the home. The series gathers its strength here, hitting a solid punch to our guts.

Jenny’s husband (Samir Kochhar) is involved with a tartish temptress who

Typewriter should have concentrated more on the ghostly dynamics of the ‘haunted haveli’ rather than run around collecting proof of its own adventurous spirit regarding the ghostly genre.

Having said that, there is an ingrained warmth in the storytelling. And though the child actors do not have a well-appointed space in the voluminous plot, they succeed in imbuing a great deal of honesty to the telling of a spooky story that has the potential to be a pedestrian shiver giver, but manages to become something more.

Subhash K Jha

THE RISE OF THE PATRIOTIC BOLLYWOOD MOVIE

As we gear up for the upcoming Independence Day melas and look back at our own I-Day editions of the past several years, some of our team at Indian Link got understandably nostalgic about the motherland. A coffee-break conversation at our office turned into a discussion about the increasing number of patriotic movies that Bollywood has been churning out, especially over the past few months. Inevitably, lists were made. Here are a few of the movies we thought of. Have we missed any?

PARMANU: THE STORY OF POKHRAN (MAY 2018)

Directed by Abhishek Sharma, starring John Abraham, Diana Penty and Boman Irani. Loosely based on the nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by the Indian Army at Pokhran in 1998, Parmanu offered a fictional version of the events in India’s recent history, when the country was on the verge of becoming a full-fledged nuclear state.

RAAZI (MAY 2018)

Directed by Meghna Gulzar, starring Alia Bhatt.

With a super hit song (Dilbaro) and an Alia Bhatt dialogue that tugs right at your patriotic core (Vatan ke aage kuch nahin… Khud bhi nahin), Raazi was an adaptation of Harinder Sikka’s 2008 novel Calling Sehmat, which itself was a true account of a RAW agent married into a Pakistani family of military officials to essentially spy on Pakistan, prior to the Indo-Pak War of 1971.

GOLD (AUGUST 2018)

Directed by Reema Kagti, starring Akshay Kumar, Mouni Roy, Kunal Kapoor, Vineet Kumar Singh, Amit Sadh and Sunny Kaushal.

The first Bollywood film ever to release in Saudi Arabia, Gold is about the journey of a man who was instrumental in India winning its first Olympic gold medal (for hockey) post-independence. Arjuna Award winner and former Indian national hockey team captain, Sandeep Singh, trained the actors with their hockey skills.

URI: THE SURGICAL STRIKE (JANUARY 2019)

Directed by Aditya Dhar, starring Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Mohit Raina and Yami Gautam.

A dramatised account that follows Major Vihaan Singh Shergill (Vicky Kaushal) of the Indian Army, Uri: The Surgical Strike chronicles the events of the surgical strike that the Indian military carried out against suspected militants in PoK after the 2016 Uri strike. The famous dialogue from the movie - “How’s the josh? High sir!” – is unlikely to be forgotten anytime soon.

MANIKARNIKA – THE QUEEN OF JHANSI (JANUARY 2019)

Directed by Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi, starring Kangana Ranaut. Who doesn’t admire the story of Rani Lakshmibai, India’s very own Joan of Arc and one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British Rule? Ranaut portrayed the fierce warrior of Jhansi who refused to cede Jhansi to the British. Her strength and bravery are legendary. Expectedly, this movie has patriotism in heaps.

KESARI (MARCH 2019)

Directed by Anurag Singh, starring Akshay Kumar with Parineeti Chopra.

A period drama based on the inspiring true life story of the Battle of Saragarhi in 1897, Kesari brought to the big screen the event where an army of 21 Sikhs fought to defend the North-West Frontier Province against a 10,000-strong invading Afghan army.

BHARAT (JUNE 2019)

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, starring Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Tabu, Sunil Grover, Disha Patani and Jackie Shroff.

The official adaptation of the Korean film An Ode to My Father, this Salman Khan juggernaut depicted recentish Indian history (1950s to present day) through the life of an ordinary man. Salman Khan played the lead character over a span of 50 years. Seeing Salman as an 18 year old requires a huge suspension of belief, but nonetheless, Bharat provided a huge dose of patriotism for Khan’s army of fans.

The BUZZ

AND

IN BOLLYWOOD

PRIYANKA RETURNS TO TIFF WITH HER NEW FILM

Actress, producer and all-round queen Priyanka Chopra Jonas will head back to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), for the first time since 2017. This year, she’ll be at the festival to showcase “a small package of love to the world”. Her film The Sky Is Pink, helmed by Shonali Bose, will have its world premiere at the prestigious festival on September 13.

The National Award-winning ChopraJonas stars in the leading role alongside Farhan Akhtar. Her production company, Purple Pebble Pictures, is co-producing the film.

“The Sky Is Pink is a story that I connected with from the minute I heard it and in Shonali’s hands, it’s been crafted into a moving, beautiful film that will renew our faith in love and life.

“It’s what led me to not only take on the challenging role of Aditi Chaudhary but also to co-produce it. I’m so proud of this film and am honoured that the film’s world premiere will take place at the Gala

Presentation at TIFF 2019.”

Purple Pebble Pictures’ Pahuna: The Little Visitors was screened at the festival two years ago.

The Sky Is Pink is a biographical movie about the love story of a real-life couple – protagonists Aditi and Niren Chaudhary - spanning 25 years. It’s told through the lens of their spunky teenage daughter, author and motivational speaker Aisha Chaudhary, who was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Aisha passed away in 2015; her book My Little Epiphanies was published a day before her death.

For National Award winning director Bose, The Sky Is Pink is deeply personal and an incredibly special film. “At its core, this is an extraordinary story of what it means to be a family. I’m honoured that the film will premiere at TIFF,” she added.

The movie is produced by RSVP and Roy Kapur Films, in association with Ivanhoe Pictures and Purple Pebble Pictures. It is slated to release worldwide on October 11.

JACQUELINE LAUNCHES HER YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Following in the footsteps of Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, Shilpa Shetty and Alia Bhatt, Jacqueline Fernandez recently launched her YouTube channel, apparently to further her bond with fans.

The actress, who is quite active on social media, went live on her Instagram account to announce the launch of her YouTube channel.

Her first video gives a glimpse of her childhood, her family, her first rampwalk, her first audition, and the moment she was crowned Miss Sri Lanka.

“Looking back, I think I always had a special relationship with the camera. I feel I have always been camera-friendly - a happy little kid. I have two people to thank for that - my dad and my mom,” she said in the video.

“As I grew up, so did my dreams and so did the size of the ramp...I was only 21 when I got a chance to be at the Miss Universe pageant. Although I didn’t win, this gave me enough confidence to chase my dreams, and that somehow got me to Mumbai. That is a story I will tell you later.”

Fernandez will next appear in Netflix’s upcoming thriller Mrs. Serial Killer, about a woman whose husband has been framed and imprisoned for serial murders. She needs to commit a murder exactly like the serial killer, in order to prove that her husband is innocent. The film is directed by Shirish Kunder and produced by his wife Farah Khan.

NEW-AGE B’WOOD DANCES LACK THE LACHAK: SAROJ KHAN

Bollywood’s OG choreographer, Saroj Khan, is upset at the dearth of emotions, grace and lachak in contemporary dance numbers.

“Nowadays, films lack heart and soul, and hence are forgotten in a year or two, unlike the films of yesteryears with songs and dances that have become classics over the years. Even after decades, there are songs that gain a new audience, owing to their foottapping signature steps,” said Khan.

Khan is considered to be among Bollywood’s most successful choreographers, whose numerous hits include ‘Ek do teen’ from Tezaab (1988) and ‘Dola re’ from Devdas (2003). Her latest work as choreographer was in the recent flop Kalank, where she directed the graceful ‘Tabah ho gaye’ number.

Khan believes dance moves in recent films have become mechanic, with actors blindly following the directors. New-age choreographers, she adds, don’t seem to have a major say in deciding signature steps.

However, Khan is hopeful that this lacuna will be filled, and soon a new wave of dance and rhythm will return to Bollywood.

She says she loved working with Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit, an icon when it comes to dancing and acting. “My chemistry with Madhuri is unbeatable. I miss working with her,” she revealed.

Among the men, she’s allured with the dance moves of Govinda.

Khan says she enjoys working even at age 70. “I’m working on many projects and I don’t keep a count of my work, I can’t speak about them, but yes, I am pretty engaged.”

She’s amazed with the talent that children display on the small screen. “I wish they are moulded well, (and they get a chance) to recreate the magic on the big screen, and may their dancing force people of all ages to shake a leg at festivals and celebrations everywhere,” she concluded.

KBC KICKS OFF WITH INSPIRING PROMO

As the eleventh season of Kaun Banega Crorepati gears up for its launch this August, the reality show’s host Amitabh Bachchan urged the audience to keep chasing dreams and try their luck on the game show.

A recently-launched promo for KBC showed a tailor’s son fulfilling his dream of studying abroad.

The video starts with the tailor asking his son to work fast, because

JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ

customers are waiting. The son sullenly states he would rather study abroad than become a tailor. His father is stunned. The boy is later mocked for his impossible dream.

Everyone’s attitude, however, changes when the young boy appears on Kaun Banega Crorepati and gets an offer letter from California Business School. Bachchan himself makes an appearance at the end of the promo, advising viewers, “The moral of the story is that if you have belief in yourself, firmly stick to the belief.”

THANK GOD FOR TWITTER: SRK SHARES FAMILY HOLIDAY PICS

Snorkelling with his younger son AbRam, frolicking on the beach or taking selfies with his wife - superstar Shah Rukh Khan had a “perfect holiday” (his words, not ours) in the Maldives with his family recently. And in true 2019 fashion, he captured quite a bit of it on Twitter, for the benefit of his collective fandom. Told you - celebrities, they’re just like us!

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

KHUSHI KAPOOR OR ZENDAYA IN TOMMY X ZENDAYA

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SRK shared four photos on the social media platform, giving fans a peek at his enviable holiday. In one image, a shirtless man, seemingly older son Aryan, is seen doing a handstand, followed by a photo of AbRam and SRK trying their hand at water snorkelling. The third photo captures SRK’s daughter Suhana’s over-her-shoulder glance back at the camera, against a picturesque beach backdrop. Finally, the superstar and his wife Gauri pose for a selfie.

“Perfect handstand. Perfect Harmony. Perfect Sunset. And Perfect wife,” Shah Rukh captioned the images that he posted on the social media platform.

SRK’s wife and interior designer Gauri Khan had started the holiday photochronicling earlier, when she shared an adorable photograph of their three children relaxing on their family vacation.

THE KINGS TO STAR IN INDEPENDENCE DAY MUSIC VIDEO

Mumbai’s champion hip - hop dance

crew, The Kings, who were crowned winners of the American reality television show World of Dance, will feature in a patriotic music video, to be released before a film inspired by them hits the screens.

About two months after producer Shailendra Singh announced that he had acquired rights to the group’s inspiring story for a film, he’s all set to feature The Kings in a special dance video.

The troupe will feature in the video of a song titled ‘Ek Bharat. Mera Bharat (Anthem4Good)’, sung by singercomposer Mithoon, Sukhwinder Singh, Jubin Nautiyal and Godswill.

“The Kings have made India proud by becoming world dance champions. It is hugely exciting that they have come together to make this video in celebration of the anthem. They have shared an incredibly emotional story that I think many people can relate to,” Shailendra said.

The song was created and produced by Shailendra and Mithoon.

What’s the chitchat between Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao?

What’s the chitchat between Akshay Kumar and wife Twinkle?

Akshay: I am stuck with you now. Actresses hook up with younger actors these days.

Twinkle: Sau choohe kha ke billi Hajj ko chali.

Raj Saneja

Congrats Raj you win a movie ticket For more caption entries, see YOUR SAY Page 09

DOLA RE

KBC

SHAH RUKH KHAN

DEAR AUNTYJI

I’m a medical professional in my early 50s and my husband works in finance. On Thursdays, I work shifts, so I come home late while my husband catches up with his friends. Last Thursday, my shift ended early. I got home to see my husband in the bath, surrounded by candles, wearing one of my face masks, his hair oiled as he gently buffed his fingernails, while Mohammad Rafi’s soothing voice serenaded him on the stereo. My husband is a very conservative man, and main pareshaan hoon about this roop of his. I always wondered why my beauty products ran out so quickly - now I know. I was so surprised that I snuck out of the bedroom and went out grocery shopping. When I returned two hours later, Navin was watching TV. We didn’t discuss what I had seen. When I asked him about his evening, he said he worked late and had been watching TV while waiting for me. Auntyji, main kuch boloon ya rahene doon? I’m so surprised by all this and am wondering what else my hubby does when I’m not home. What’s your rai on this?

AUNTYJI SAYS

Arre meri na akal, nasamaj gulabo - when I started reading your problem, I thought you’d come home early to find your husband in the bath with titli from next door, or that after the bath, Navin tried on your clothes, including the gold and red sari you bought for Jamila's wedding. Instead, you write to me about a man's private ablutions, as if it’s a crime. Arre jahil aurat, your poor husband was minding his own business at home, relaxing. Instead of viewing this as something sweet, you’re corroding its innocence into something sinister. Don't you watch enough Bollywood movies to know that your real problems would have started had you come home to find titli in the bath with Navin, feeding each other gulab jamuns and listening to songs from Mere Mehboob? Navin should be allowed his “me time” without having to explain things to you. He has every right to a scented milk bath filled with rose petals, donning a Chanel face mask while eating besan ladoos and listening to Kishore Kumar songs. In fact, you should try it too. As long as neither of you ask titli to join you in the bath, everything here is halal. Live and let live.

DEAR AUNTYJI

I’m a 34-year old Australia-born man (of Indian descent). I have been on many dates, but I find many of the girls to be....not my type. They’re all on social media, and I’m not. They take photos with their tongues hanging out, and come across as superficial. My best friend Neena, a brilliant scientist who I went to university with, says she wants me to be happy and is always trying to play match-maker by setting me up on dates. I go on these dates, mostly to please her and find an amusing story for us to share afterwards. Neena is my confidant. Like me, she has never been on social media. When she speaks, she says insightful things. I feel like she understands me really well - yet, she sets me up with women who are clearly not right for me. I have tried to set Neena up with some of my friends, but she is picky and refuses to go on dates with them. I’m interested in marriagebut am at a loss about finding the right girl. What options are there for me, auntyji - I am getting older by the day!

AUNTYJI SAYS

Arre my nadaan Romeo, my nasamaj chickna aankhen hain ya aloo ki tumhe nahin dikhta what is right in front of you. You’ve been searching high and low for this anmol pari, that beautiful, elusive girl who is intelligent, attractive, has a brilliant mind, is not on social media and most importantly, does not take pictures with her tongue hanging out like Kaali maa in one of her murderous rages. While Neena, with whom you’ve been friends for over a decade, is right before you. Are you really that blind? Do you still not see her being your wife? Neena’s setting you up for failure with girls who are the exact opposite of her, in the hope that you’ll see her attributes - and you’re being completely oblivious. Tum mard log bhi nah, kitne nadaan aur nasamaj ho. Neena is obviously the right girl for you. It's time to turn that dosti into mohabbat. Ask her out. You can just start off with something casual. But mere raja, tumhari mehbooba tumhare aakhon ke samne hain. Now go, and don't forget to invite me to your wedding shedding.

Gladys Berejiklian Premier of New South Wales Member for Willoughby