2020-12 Melbourne

lndianlink

PUBLISHER

PawanLuthra

EDITOR

RajniAnandLuthra

MELBOURNE COORDINATOR

PreetiJabbal

CONTRIBUTORS

BageshriSavyasachi,RheaLNath,

SALES

CharutaJoshi

Indian Link is a monthly newspaper published in English. No material, including advertisements designed by Indian Link, may be reproduced in part or inwholewithout the writtenconsentofthe editor Opinions carried in Indian Linkare those of the writers and not necessarilyendorsed byIndian Link. All correspondence should beaddressed to:

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Email: info@indianlinkcom.au

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

s 2020 draws toa close, itlooks like thepandemjc isless ofa concern to the governn1entin India as opposedto thefarn1ersgatheringon the outskirts ofDelhi.

As wego to print, hundredsof thousands areca1nped outside Delhi to protestagainstwhatthey sayis the corporatisation offarmingbythe Modi government.The fanners, largely fron1 Punjab, arebeingjoinedbytheir fellowfarn1ersfron1 across the nation. Theferocity ofthepassion behind the protest-andsome starkimages of policebrutality-n1ay havegalvanised theModi governmentininitiatingtalks withthefanners,butto datethereis little progresstowardsresolution.

Like all thingsthisdecade,social media haslitupwithvariousexperts paradingaround extolling-or criticising-thenew agriculturelaws.

Whathas beeninterestingto noteis theinternationalisation ofthe farmers' protest, as supportcomes infrom the United Kingdom,Canada, andthe

UnitedStates.

Froma politicalleadership pointof view, the strongestremarks have come fromCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who has supported therights of Indianfarmers to protestpeacefully. This hasnot been takenkindlyby the Indiangovernment, whichina press release issued bythe Ministry ofExternalAffairs,saidthatsuch commentshave "encouraged" extremist activitiesoutside the Indianmissionsin Canada. India haswarnedthatremarks of the Canadianleadership onfarmer protests would leadto increasingantiIndia rallies inCanada.

Otherpoliticiansin the United Kingdo1nandAustralia have also added theirvoices to the ongoing protestsin Indiawithcomn1unitygroupsjoiningin globally.

Thenewbreed of Non Resident Indian continues to engage deeplywith theircountryoforigin, andcomes forwardreadily toshowsupport- be it forthe Indian cricket tean1 atthe SCG, or changes to Article 370, orthe Indian Citizenship Amendment Act.

An early demonstration ofsuch deep engagementwith the mothercountry came during theIndianelections of2014,when pro Modi supporters congregatedaticonic spots such as the

Sydney Opera House andMelbourne's Federation Square asresultswere declaredin India. Perhaps the most vocaloutpouringofpatrioticfervour was the Pulwa1naprotestmarchin SydneyCBDagainstalleged Pakistan ledterrorism. WhenCAAlegislation was announced, wesawbothpro and anti ralliesin Parramatta andSydney's CBD.

This internationalisation of domesticpoliticsisindeeda doubleedgedsword. Thejury is still out whetherwe shouldbe bringing contentious topics 'fron1 backho1ne' outin themainstrea1n. Then again, withsocialn1ediaplayingsuch a pivotalrole inhighlighting ourissues, vision opportunities ofsupporters anddetractors againstinternational landmarks do addan additional gravitas to the situation.

Meanwhile, as we prepare to bid adieu to 2020,we can'thelpbut look backatayear thatwas filledwith unknowns, and one whichforcedus to re-evaluate various aspects ofour lives. If 'pivot' wasthewordwe used frequentlyin2020, perhaps the word for2021willbe 'agile' -as welearnto workthroughissues in smarterways.

Wishing you and yourlovedones a great2021.

RitamMitra,NikeetaBhatia, MelissaDomingoRawat,SandipHor, LPAyer,MinnalKhona

YOUR SAY

STEVE WAUGH'S INDIA

At the launch of the legendaryAussie cricketer's new book of photographs of India, PAWAN LUTHRA spoke with him about his love for all things Indian.

Darshak Mehta OAM wrote: Excellent interview. Youdrew out the essence of theman-averygood man. Hewasgenerouswithhistime anddidnotduck anyquestion. Good on you, Pawan

Rahul Gupta wrote: Pawan, do youknow howmuch of the$249 isgoingto charity-eitherthe SteveWaughFoundation or acharityinIndia?(Because the advance publicity promotesthe SWFandthere are photographs ofdisabled and disadvantagedpeopleinIndia-some philanthropicaspectisimplied.)

Santram Bajaj wrote: Thoroughly enjoyedthisinterview, and the ease with which you both chatted. Loved thatCurtlyAmbrosequestion: facinghim on abouncypitchversuscheckingthe camerato see if hegot the perfect shot, which ismorefilled withtension!

WE'VE GOT A BRAND NEW LOOK

Indian Link's new look logo took followers by surprise - until we explained it. Deepak Vincent wrote:Howdoesthis signlink toIndia, Indian Link?

Dhlraj Arora wrote: I preferred the lastlogo.

Rakesh Hans wrote:Thislogo doesnotreflectIndiantri colour flag orAshok chakraat all. You could have usedthe same colours at least.

Indian Link replied: Theicon depictsIndianLink'scommitmentto digital integration. It ismade upof halfof the traditionalAshokaChakra oftheIndian flag(representing ourtraditionalprint form of media), while theother halfisa globe

The starat thecentre of theAshokaChakraisthe seven-pointed Commonwealth/Federation starfrom theAustralian flag; it represents our linksacrossthe country.

The globeis synonymous withthe worldwide web, representing Indian Link's pushtowardsmore modern methods ofconnecting with thecommunity. The essential elementsof our previouslogo, whichyou lovedsomuchfor26 years, are still present in ournewlogo!

Vandana D'souza wrote: Loveit!!!

Paavan Gulati wrote:Looks great!

Krlsh Na wrote:Looks good don't know whythe angryface uncles are gettingtheir knickersina knot. Alsothe seven-point starisa nice touch

CELEBRATING NAIDOC WEEK

In her podcast series Don't Miss The Link, BAGESHRI SAWASACH/ spoke to Indigenous poet Ali Cobby Eckermann on the Indian links in her life and the importance of NA/DOC week.

Mridula Nath Chakraborty wrote: Congratulationson thegreataudiostory withAliCobbyEckermann forNAIDOC Week.Thanksagain forcontinuing the work ofIndigenousstory-telling in yourpaper.

Savi Tumkur wrote: Ihadtears inmy eyes, you've madesome bold statements. We needbetter understanding and action!

SAY IT AGAIN

Letmebe clear: wearinga mask isnot aboutmaking yourlife less comfortable ortakingsomething away. It'sto givesomethingback to allof us- a normallife.

Joe Biden, USPresidentelect

WHERE IN INDIA

We askedyou to identifythis engineering marvel where, whichever zodiac the sun is in, the first raysof sun fall on that pillar in this 12-pillared structure. ReadersSujay Kumar Sringeri and Balakrishna Narasimhamurthy correctlyidentifiedit as theVidyashankarTemplein Sringeri, Karnataka.

I'm terrible atwrappinggifts. The parcels enduplooking wartornandprettyoffensive. I wonderifIshouldjustnot botherwrapping them. I've reallythoughtthisthrough and it'sthe thoughtthatcountsright?

Antoinette Lattouf, Channel 10journo

As apriority, allchildreninAustralian schoolsshouldbe taughthow tofact check andidentify misinformation. Thisproblemisn't goingaway. We have to adapt.

Carrick Ryan, political commentator

HAPPY DIWALI, AUSTRALIA POST!

BAGESHRI SAVYASACHI reported on Oz Post's holiday discounts - which didn't include Diwali cards.

Mohan Ayyar wrote: IfAustraliais asecularnation,then thediscount for cultural cardsshouldbe availableall yearround.Whyare Christiansgetting specialtreatment?

Lorna Davidson wrote: Indiaclaimsto bea secular country as well, but I can'tsee Christians getting adiscount ontheirChristmasmail there.There's areason whyyou getto enjoy the Christmasand Easter holidayshere. If Australiais such asecularcountry, how comethere areno publicholidays for Eid, Diwali and other religions celebrated here?

Leyla Nubia wrote: Idon'thave aproblem with it. It's like sending Eid cardsout, Greek Eastercards,Jewish NewYear cards, etc. If thepricingis exclusivelyforChristmascards, thensobeit.

Editor's note:AseriesofquerieswithAustralia Postultimatelyturnedout to be conciliatory. Our Diwali cardswere deemedokayto be treatedas "seasonal greeting cards during themonths of November andDecember as long as they were "in asealedenvelope andendorsed'cardonly'in thetop RH corner." (They were)

AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER'S RSS VISIT RAISES EYEBROWS

BAGESHRI SAWASACHI reported on the objections raised at Barry O'Farrell's meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Prasanna Kovalam wrote:Yes Isaw this. Definitelyraiseseyebrows!

Hindesh wrote: Shameful.

Yadu Singh wrote: Indian Link shouldalso have asked viewsof those, who see no issue withtheAustralian HighCommissioner visitingthe RSS HQand meeting Dr. MohanBhagwat. This reportisdisappointing. Indian Link is giving fartoomuchimportanceto afringe groupof 15 agenda-driven people

JayShah wrote: Two questionshere. 1. Whydid you misshundreds of Australian Indians whohave welcomedthismeeting?2.Whatisthereachof suchfake Humanismprojectandtheir contribution todiaspora?

The Humanism Project wrote:Thank you for publishinga fair and balancedarticle.

WHERE IN OZ

Whose statue is this and where would you find it in Australia?

Reader Bhanu

Kothari repliedwith the correctanswer, Captain Cook at Cairns,Queensland.

WHEN INDIAN AYAHS TRAVELLED THE WORLD

RHEA L NATH reported on a Newcastle University project that will trace the history of Indian domestic help in Australia.

Veda Gottumukkala wrote: Reallyinteresting article written on theseldom discussed livesand fartravelsofIndianayahsand the links between Indians and theircolonizers

Siddharth Aatreya wrote: I've been reading Naipauland allabout Caribbean Indians, didn't realise they took IndianstoAustraliaalso!

Sharanya Vish wrote:Veryinterestingread!

Pheroza Daruwalla wrote: Fabulousarticle.Thank you, Rhea. Beautiful photostoo FLAME University (India) shared: Migrant labour from Indiahas served many needsin theWesternworldfor generations. One such fascinating aspectisthatof ayahsand their contributiontohouseholds in countriesthat were their colonialmasters.

Natasha Jha Bhaskar wrote: Fascinating piece @indian_link on oldlinks betweenIndiaandAustralia throughdomesticserviceandcolonisation.The historicalandhumanconnections between colonialism, carework andlabour mobility.

Robert Smith wrote: Excellent project.

Rishi Suri wrote: Trulyfascinating! Interesting read.

Yes, Fabulous Lives of The sad partis,thenoise of mostTV debates Wouldbehelpfulif Youcan beone ofthetwo persons Lovethenonchalance BollywoodWiveswas hasmade mostthinking peopleandexperts governments ofallstripes inlife:theonewhodragspeople ofthisgeneration. absolute trash and yes I refuse tocome on witheach other. They think wouldnotmake scapegoats down,ortheonethatseeksto Havingtohitasixjust willwatchseason 2the they willbe ledintoa catfight. So they prefer of peopleandseek to lay pushthemonwardsandupwards. doesn'tfazethem moment it comesout doingsolo interviews. Great loss for anysociety. blameduringa pandemic It'sasimple choice. Make it. Harsha Bhogle, Shruti Jani, Twitteruser Shoma Chaudhary, journo Casey Briggs, ABCjourno Siddharth Rath,Twitteruser cricketcommentator

Life can be a longjourney of lessons, but you never learn quite as much as you do in your youth! With the year that's gone by - bushfires, pandemic, lockdowns, elections and all - there's certainly a healthy dose of reflection to go around. So whether it's discovering a tenacity you never knew you had, overcoming your constant procrastination, or mastering your mum's best recipes, we wanted to look back at the year fondly - what has 2020 taught you about yourself?

AISHWARYA REDDY

I'musuallysomeonewholovestobesurroundedwithpeople.ldon'tenjoyspendingaminuteofmyweekendathomeCOVID, however,hadotherplans.Thelockdownandbanontravelfrustratedmeatfirst-Ifeltlikemywingswerecutoff.Overtime,it forcedmetogetbacktoroots.I'masinglechild,soIusedtospendalotoftimebymyselfandthisyear,Idiscoveredhowtoenjoy myowncompanyagain.Inowhavearenewedloveforreading,dancingandcooking.2020alsotaughtmehowunpredictable lifecanbe.Lookingaheadtothenewyear,I'mplanningtofulfilalltheplansthatwereputonhold,travelbeing#1onthelist. Eventually,2020willbenothingmorethanapunchline I'llusewhenthings aregoingwrong. I'lljusttellmyself:'Hey,it'sstill betterthan2020!'

SHRIYASHAH

Ashumans,Ithjnkwe'repredisposedtobelieveintheideaofcertainty,andthisyearhasobviouslychangedthat.Therehavebeen missedbirthdays,graduations,weddingsandothermilestonesinourJives.But I'veseenhowhumanstrengthliesincommunity. I havethisnewadmirationforhu1nanityasIseefrontlineworkersaroundtheworldtirelesslycareforpatientsandbowcommunities havecotnetogether(evenifitisdigitalJyorvirtuaJly)tobethereforoneanother.It'sbeenrefreshingtoseehowthjspandemicasked ustoconfrontourideasofequalityandwhythestatusquoneedstochange.Althoughtheworldandthefuturecanseembleak,this yearhastaughtmetostoptosmelltheroses.I'mreadytotakeon2021withthissenseofhopefuloptimism.Thankyou,next!

ABHRANILHAZRA

FromgettingmyfirstinternshiptocompletingFrenchin10weeks,2020hasactuallybeenarewardingyearforme.Thanksto technology,Imanagedtoconnectwiththeoutsideworldandmakenewfriendsfromtheconfinesofquarantine.Thisyeartaught me tobemoregrateful forlivinginthisworld, forbeingable to run, touch, sense and breathe allthat Earthhas tooffer. WhenI wasfacedwiththechallengeofuniversitystudiesmovingonline,Ihadtopersevere,overcomingadiscouragingenvironmentand allkindsofdistractions.Asti1newentby,mybodyandmindadjusted-andthiscouldbeseenwithmyimprovedgradestoo!

BAGESHRI SAVYASACHI

Thisyearhasn1ademeanexpertins1nalltalk.Now,llovebeingaskedhowI'mgoingandwhatIthinkoftheweather!I never appreciated the company ofstrangers and acquaintances asmuch before.Thelockdown,therestrictionsandtheisolationalso taught1netobeself-reliantanddependonmyselffor1nyownwell-beinglbecameanexpertinchickencurriesandlearnedhow todoafullsplit!Ihavealsolearnedtobegrateful,mostlyforlivinginacountrythatwasrelativelysaferduringthepandemic. Lookingback,ithasdefinitelybeenayearofactivismallovertheworld(theBlackLivesMattermovementinUSandOz,andthe CAAandfarmers'protestsinIndia),itissocomfortingtoseethatpeopleeverywherewillnevergiveupfightingfordemocracy.P.S. Trumpbeingfiredfron1theWhiteHousewastheicingontopofthecake.

SUREEN HASAN

Assomeonewhostruggleswithanxiety,2020wasanightmareattimesandcompletelyoverwhelming.Somanyterriblethings happenedintheworldandthenewsandsocialmediacanseemsonegative.Thisyear,I learnedthat it'sokayto take breaks fromsocial media.There'sanoffswitchforareason! Mymindcan'thandletheconstantnegativityandI'velearnedtolimitmy consumptionofitall.I'vefoundmyselftobeinamuchhappiermoodwhenI'mnotcomparingmyselftoeverythingIseeonsocial media,andIhavemoretimetojustenjoylifeinsteadofworryingaboutwhateveryoneelsemightbedoing.

ANEETA MENON

It'sbeenayearthat'sreallychallengedusateverycollectivelevel:asfamilies,ascommunities,asbusinesses,ascountries,andas aworld.Throughthatlens,I'velearnedalotaboutboththeworldandmysmallplaceinit.It'smademefeelstrongerthanever abouttheimportanceoffightingauthoritarianregimes,aboutadvocatingforourownFi1·stNationspeople,andabouthoweventhe mostbasicofmychoices,likehowoftenandhowwelJlwashmyhands,canhavesuchalastingimpact.Anotherthingthatstood outtomethlsyearwastheprivilegeofmygeography,bothinproximitytomylovedonesandlivinginacountrythathasdone comparativelywellwithCOVID-19.Iempathisewiththosewhofoundthemselvessuddenlyandindefinitelydisconnectedfrom placesandpeopletheyholdmostdear. l hadtolearnthatsometimes,there'snothjngmuchyoucandotohelp.But mostsurprising ofall,I learned more science-ywords, terms and conceptsin 2020 thanI everthoughtIwouldknow!

KEIRATH SINGH

TheseeminglyinnocuousbutdangerouspandemichasforcedusaUtomakesacrifices.Whileatfirstwearingamaskandstaying indoorsseemedsimpleenough,astheweeksandmonthsspilledover,webegantounderstanditsrealimplications.Latewake-ups foronlineschool,alldayNetflixmarathonsand2AMZoomcallswithfriends(muchtomyparents'displeasure)wereinitially welcomed,buteventuallythebreakdownofourroutinesandstructuredlifestylesallowedforintrospectionnotpossibleinpreCOVIDtimes.BeingastudentinmyfinalyearofVCE,thesurplusoftimeallowedmetotapintowhatmyfuturegoalsreallyare, whatIneedbemoregraciousfor,andwhatIcouldbestdowithoutinmyJife. Practisinggratitudefortheseeminglyinsignificant thingsinourlivesisalessonIwillcarrywithme, asyouonlytrulyknowtheirsignificanceoncetheyaretakenaway.2020hasnot onlybeenofbenefittomaskmanufacturersandshareholdersinZoomInc,buthasbeenaformativeyearformetoo!

ANAVI CHANDOK

2020taughtmethatoursenseofnormalcycanbelostovernightandbereplacedbyrestrictionsandmorningpressconferences inablinkofaneye.Butsuchisthenatureofchange,itcanbedisruptiveandunnerving. Despite thenegatives,change can also be progressiveandenlightening.ThisyearIrealisedhowimportantitistonottakethingsforgrantedorunderestimatethetrivial thingsinourlifelikeafamilytriptoagrocerystoreoradinneratarestaurantwithfriendsOften,itisthosemenialtasksthat subconsciouslygroundusandallowourlivestoretainorder.Withthemayhemthathascomewiththisyear,1havealsolearned thatitisimportanttosurroundyourselfwithpeoplewhowillstaybyyoursideduringtroublingtimes.ThisisalessonthatIwill surelycontinuefollowintotheuncertainyeartofollow.

DHANANJAY KAPOOR

2020hasbeenarollercoasterofen1otions.lwasinmyfinalsemesterofuni thisyearandwasoverloadedwithclasses.Switching fromface-to-facelearningtoonlinestudywasanightmare,asI'mastudentwhoneedsin-classinteraction.lhadnootherchoice buttopullupmysocks,con1mittomyschedule,andusethistomyadvantage.1wascreativewithmyprojectsanddevelopedalotof newskillsthatwillbeadvantageousinmyfuturecareer.I couldn'tbelieveitbutthiswas actuallymyhighestscoringsemester!With im1nensestudypressureandlifeinlockdown,Ialsodecidedtopickuponanewhobbyandstartedlearninghowtoplaytheguitar. WhenIlookbackat2020,it'sbeenablessingthat'shelpedn1ebecomemoreskilledandpatient,andhelpedimprovemyrelationships withfa1nilyandfriends

KARTIKSINGH

2020hasarmed1newithsomeusefultools-knowingwhentomutemyselfonZoom,figuringouthowtopickthemostergonomic chairformyhomeof:fice,andbeingn1oreadventurousonmydailywalks("today...I'llgoleftinsteadofright!").Ittooksome work,butaftersomeinternalbattlesandmyfairshareofresistance,I'llassign2020asmybestyearyet.I'veexperiencedmore enjoymentlearninghowtomakeamargaritainmykitchenthanIwouldhavehadsippingoneatacocktailbarinthecity;more presencewalkingthroughmyneighbourhoodandgettingdeeplyacquaintedwithmystreetthanIdidwalkingthroughthe cobblestonestreetsofFlorence.Armouredwitha new-foundoutlookonhowtoenjoythe present, I have no problemsworkingfor the future-becauseIknowforsurethatI'llenjoyitwhenIgetthere.Andthat'saprettygreatachievementinmybooks!

MISHASETHI

Theyearmayhavebeenfilledwith"socialdistancing",butI'velearnedtheimportanceofmeaningfulsocialconnection.Being unabletoseefriendsformanymonthsprovidedaplatformforreflection,toreconsidertherolesdifferentpeopleplayinn1ylife.For somefriends,lfelt1nyselfreachingoutandtryingtofindnewwaystomaintainourconnectionremotely.Forothers,thenatural driftstartedtooccur.Therewasnolongeranysocialisingand gossiping,as the"outing"oreveryone'sdaysbecame thatsacredwalk around the block. lbegantotrulyappreciatethepeopleinmylifewhomakealastingdifference.Ithinkasasocietywecanlearn fro1n2020thatsocialisingmayhaveabigroleinourJives,butit'simportanttovaluethepeoplewhoaretheretocheckinonyou.I havelearnttoprioritisemystrongrelationshipsandvaluethefriendsandfamilywhoarearoundwhen l mostneedthem.

NEIL BHATIA

Theyearhastrulytestedourresolve,bringingusalltogethertofightacommonenemy.Thetragedyofcoronavirushasbound ustogetherandremindedustobegratefulforthefamilyandfriendsweexperienceourliveswith.Wemayhavelostourwayin 2020,but the flamewithineachorusburnsbrighterafterovercomingsuchchallengingodds. 2021willbeayeartobandtogether torepairthedamagecaused,andbuildstronger,moremeaningfulrelationshipswiththosewecarefor.Ibelievewemustlook towardsthefuturewithrecklessabandonandchaseourdreams-withoutforgettingtheimportantlessonsandchallengeswe haveovercome.

AMAN REKHY

Thispastyear,lhadtoquicklylearntomakepeacewithexternalfactorsbeyondmycontrolandtofocusonwhatwaswithinmy control.Themorecurveballswerethrownmyway,themoredeterminedIbecan1etostayupbeat,focusedandpositive.2020taught metheimportanceofself.Lifehasandwillcontinuetobebusy,todemandmorefrom us, tokeepuslookingtothefuturebut there'smoretolifethanthat.lhaddiscoveredtheconceptofmindfulnessyearsago,butitwasin2020,throughnecessity,thatI learnedhowtonurtureandgrowitasaskill.Byfocusingonmymentalhealth,IwasabletopursueandachievethegoalsIsetfor n1yselfatthebeginningoftheyear. I'memergingoutof2020a betterman in comparison to the one goingin.

SIMARCHEEMA

Startingacareerasaparamedicduringapandemichasbeenaneye-openingexperience.Iwaslearningtheropesforanewjob, but also navigatingtheuncertaintyoftheeffectsofCOVID-19onthecommunity. In2020,Ilearnttobegratefulformygood healthand supportsystems. Itrulyunderstandtheimportanceofbeingabletocomn1unicatewithmylovedonestomaintaina positivementaloutlook.Thisaspectwasvitalforme,soIcoulddebriefanddecompressthestressfulaspectsofmyjobandIcould continueprovidingcareforpatientsatworkwithempathyandcompassion.It'sbeenadifficultyearformost,butIfeelitwasayear oftogethernessalthoughmanyofuswerephysicallyapart.

FIRZADAHAMMED

Ispentmostoftheyearcompletingmydegreeonline,andit'scertainlyanoddyeartograduate.Asaninternationalstudent, it'salreadytoughtofindjobs,andthisyearhasmadeitevenmoreofachallenge.Betweenjobapplications,interviews,and rejections,andstayinggluedtothenewsonliftingrestrictionsgradually,2020hasreallytaughtmetobepatient!Witheveryone upskillingandkeepingthemselvesbusyduringlockdown,it'sbeentheyearofusingyourtimewisely.I'mnoexception.Butabove allelse,beinginSydney,wewereluckyenoughforlifetogetbacktosomesemblanceofnormalcyquickerthanotherplaces.Iwill remaingratefulforthatfactsothatInevermakethemistakeoftakingthingsforgranted.

INSIYAAH MESIWAALA

lthink2020REALLYtaughtmetheimportanceofbeingpatient.Ifoundoutthesignificanceofgoodfoodanddevelopingahobby, bothhaveturnedintotherapeuticexercisesforme.Irealisedhowimportantitactuallyistomakeanefforttokeepintouchwithyour closeones,andthat'swhyIamsogratefulfortechnology.Ilearntthebenefitsofself-care,itmajorlyupliftedmymoodduringallthe lockdowns.Mentalhealthisso1nethingI'velearntnottocompromiseonandhavedefinitelymadeitapriorityafterthisyear.1also learnttoshutoffthenews.Onceinawhile,it'sperfectlyokaytonotcareaboutwhat'shappeningintheworldandjustfocusonmy iLn1nediatesurroundings.Youknowthetakeawayfromthatexperience?Mycompostbinandherbgardenkeepmemoreengaged thanallthestoriesandpostsonFacebookorlnstagran1!

SINGH

2020mouldedmetobecomemorepractical.It'salsotaughtmeanimportantlessonthatappliesmovingforwardwithmylife -learningnottojudgeanyone.Thisyearisatestamenttohoweveryoneisgoingthroughsomething,eveniftheydon'tshowit! ButIliketobelievethatdifficultyears,nomatteralltheobstacles,inevitablypass.2020hasmadememoreappreciativeofall theelementsinmylife.Itmademerealiseevenmore,thein1portanceofrelationships.It'slikemymumwouldsay•notrushing throughthingsandbeingpatientisthewaytogo!

EKAAGRAKESARWANI

ThisyearislikelythefirstI'vehadwhereI'mnotquitesurewhetherIthoroughlyenjoyeditorwouldn'twishituponmyworstenemy. Theangstcausedbybushfirestostarttheyear,andapresidentialtantrumtoendit,creatingasandwichwithapandemicsquished inbetween,wastrulybefuddling.Ontheflipside,theuttercalmwithinthefourwallsofmyroom,theconvenienceofstudyingfrom home,andtheflexibilitythatcan1ewithitwassomethingIneverexpected.Buthindsightis20/20(nopunintended),andahealthy doseofintrospectionneverhurtanybody.WhatIrealisedthisyearisthatwhileIdoenjoybeingalone,Ivaluethecompanyofothers more.Theconnectionfeltwithpeoplewhomaybestudyingthesamethingasyou-orplayingthesamesportasyou-issubtle,and somethingIonlyfeltwhenitwasnolongerthere.Iflgotthechancetowritetomyselfatthestartoftheyear,Iwouldaskmyselftobe 1noreopenandmakethen1ostofeveryopportunity1got.Oh,andIalsostartedbakingbread

NEHAMADAPPA

ThisyearmarksthelongestperiodoftimethatI'velivedawayfromhome.AndwhetherIlikeditornot,ittaughtmehowtobe self-reliantandindependent.Guys,Ilearnttokeepmyselfalive!Jokeaside,Ireallydidpickupsimplebutimportanttaskslike cookingmyown(healthy!)mealsforthefirsttime.Also,it'sbeenadifficultyearforeveryone,especiallyregardingtheirmental health.IfoundaresilienceinmyselfthatIdidn'tknowIhad.Therehavebeenafewdowndaysin2020,butinthosetoughtimes, IlookedtothepeopleIloveandrespect.Thebiggestlessonofall?Thatit'sperfectlyokaytoaskforhelp!

NAVEED BAGADIA

When2020began,Ineverthoughthebiggestflexduringameetingwouldbe"Igottojumponanothercall"andthemostrepeated sentenceoftheyearwouldbe"You'reonmute"!Onthebrightside,though,lockdownshavemeantthere'sprojectdrawdown (calculatedhowmuchtheearthhealedin2020)whereunknowinglyallofuscontributedespeciallywhenwewerebored.Thisyear hasbeenallabouttestingnegativeandstayingpositive.Ilearntthedifferencebetween'beingalone'and'beinglonely'.1alsolearnta greatwaytoexplainthenetworkeffect-justaskmyniece,she'sonly4yearsoldandnowshecanexplainexactlywhatitis!

RHEA L NATH

I'mabigfanoflookingatthebrightside,andunlikeSkype(sorry,Ihadto!),Iliketomakethemostofopportunities.2020isthe yearItookchances.Afterall,couldthingsreallygetanyworse?Imovedoutofstudentaccommodationandgotmyownapartment. 1submittedmypoetrytotheuniversityanthologyandgotpublished.Thefearofrejectionblocksourpathfartoooftenandwe've gottogetoutofourownway.Despiteallourcribbingaboutcircumstancesin2020,IdaresayI'mproudofallofusforfinding somesortofasilverLining!I'mgoingtoturn25inthemiddleofapandemic,andifI'mabletointrospectandlearnthismuchevery year,my20sdon'tlooktooshabby.

-Compiled by PreetiJabbal, Rhea L Nath and BageshriSavyasachi

BY RHEAL NATH

sprotestsagainst three controversialagriculture laws gainmomentumin India, many questions havebeenraised aboutthe in1pactofthesereforn1s.There's growingconcern thatthenewruleswill allowcorporatestoexploitfannersand willleave them worse offthanbefore.

As a result, India'sfarmershave takento the streetsin one ofthe largest suchprotestsin thelastdecade. Asof 7 Dece1nber, thousandsoffarmers are can1ped outon the outskirtson New Delhi after fiveroundsofdiscussionwith the governn1entre1nained inconclusive Thefarmersarebeingincreasinglyjoined by lndiansacrossthediaspora,iJ1cluding hereinAustralia. Nun1erousdemonstrations have alreadybeenheld inthepastweek, includingralJiesatQuakers Hillin Sydney, City Hallin Brisbane, Federation Square in Melbourne,andinfrontofthe Indian High Co1nmissioninCanberra.

Australianparliamentarians have also lenttheirsupport. LaborMP Rob Mitchell addressed hisconcernsonthe treatmentof Indianfarmers in the Victorianparliament, insisting"dialogueisalwaysbetter than violence", whileLabor'sRussellWortley MLCjoined arally on thestepsofthe ParliamentHouse.

AnAustralia-basedspecialistinthe agriculturedomainProfessorNanjappa AshwathoftheCO University,explamedhow thelawschangetheexistingsystemiJ1India.

"With the currentniandi(government regulated market) systen1,farmerstake theirproducetothe 1narket, where they displaygoodsinan auction. It'san open system where everyonegetsa fairchance witha n1inin1un1 supportprice (MSP) they are guaranteed."

Withthenewrules,Indianfarmerswill be abletobypassmandisandproduce directlyforprivatebusinesses. Thenew ruleswillalsoremoveprohibitionsagainst hoarding, allowingbuyerstostockpile produce.

The centralgovernmenthas said thiswill increase competition,opportunities, and

investmentfor lndia's farmersto helpthem achieve higherincomes. Prin1e Minister Narendra Modi has called thereforms"a watershed momentinthehistoryofIndian agriculture."

Butaccordingtotheprotesters, corporateswith high bargainingpower willbe able todrivedown prices,and these laws will pave thewaytoabolishingthe mini1num supportprice.

Nowwellinto itseleventh day, there'sa lotatstakewith the protests. Agriculture isthe primarylivelihood ofalmost 60per centofIndia'spopulationand the reforms affectmanystakeholders,including commissionagentsat the111andis, and state governmentrevenue.

"Fortheeducated farmer, thechanges canprovideagood system. But\vhowill lookoutforfarmerswhoaren'table to negotiatewithcorporatestogetagood deal?"Prof. Ashwath asked.

Understandably, thesituationistense. Indian mediaoutletshave alreadyreported someviolencebetweenthe policeand protesters.CanadianPriine Minister Justin Trudeau comn1entedontheunfolding incidents, callingthesituation "very concerning."

In the UK, 36 cross-party MPsled by the LabourParty'sTanmanjitSingh Dhesi have comeoutmsupportoftheongoing farmers' agitation, asking British Foreign SecretaryDominic Raab to raise the matterwith NewDelhi. Aprotestatthe Indian HighCommissioninLondonon 6 Decen1bersaw13 arrestsforbreaching COVIDregulations.

Aswegotoprint,thenextroundoftalks between 40farmerunionleadersand the

governmentisscheduled for9 December, followinga'BharatBandh' callon8 December.The farmers' five-pointcharter ofdemandsincludeaspecificlawon MSP, writtenassurance on MSP, nopunishn1ent forstubble-burning, repealofthe three farm laws, andsettlementofobjectionsabout proposed Electricity(Amendment) Act.

Meanwhile, farmersfrom otherstates and nationaltradeunionshavepitchedin. Theprotestsite atSinghu,nearthe Delhi borderhasnowtransformed intoa 'mini Punjab' asthenumberofpeoplegathering increasesdaily. Organisationssuch as KhalsaAid, United Sikhand DSGMCare onsite toensure comfortand care, and provide langars (free meals).

"Farmers are the backbone ofIndia. It's crucialtoencourage farmingpractices forfuturegenerationsand ensure they are protectedagainst companies. It's also importanttoconsiderwhoisbehind the protests, and whythis ishappening," Prof. Ashwath said.

With farmersmakingupa huge voting bloc, supportersofthereformhave said the protestersarebeingmisled with incorrect information.

Amandeep Singh Sidhu,a community leaderinthefarmingcommunityof Woolgoolga NSWandafarmerhimself, pointsout that muchofthe proteststems fromill-feelingthatthegovernn1entisn't consultingtheverypeople the reform impacts.

"Inpushingthesebills through parliamentwithoutdiscussion, there'sbeen noopportunitytostudythe laws,"he told Indian Link.

In September, the legislationwaspassed

inthe RajyaSabhaamid chaos,with the telecastofthe proceedingsbeing 111uted beforeeventually putting the Billstoa doubtfulvoicevote. Whilequick, thevoice voteraised questionson the truemajority votingin favour.

"It's a problem when the government turns adeafearto protests,puttingup barricades to stop citizensfro1ngoinginto theirown capital city," Singh elaborated. While he believesthe Acts workin theory, the inabilitytoproperly implement existinglawsin India doesn'tinspire confidence.

"Current ordinancessay thatpay1nents bythegovernmentmustcome within 21 days. Butsome farmersin states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab have payn1ents pendingfor14months orlonger," Singh observed.

"Attheendoftheday,companiesare drivenbyshareholdersandprofits. For example, afarmerreceives Rs 7fora kilo ofatta thatissoldbyacompanyforRs 150 a kiloin India. Whatdoyoudo aboutthat differencetoprotectthe farmer?"

These protests have raised muchdebate aboutsupportingIndia's agricultural sector and protecting farmersfromcorporate behemoths, amid numerouspolitical elements atplay.

Ahead ofthenextroundofdiscussions, Singh musesonpossible solutionstothe impasse.

"Seeingthe Australianmodel of corporatesworking withfarmers, the laws make sense ifcommunicated properly. I'dsuggestpausing the Acttorunan awarenesscampaignforfarmersforayear beforeimplementation," he said.

CQU'sProf. NanjappaAshwath

t, AmandeepSinghSidhu, Coffs -&. Harbour-basedfarmer

Three new laws have stirred controversy among the diaspora on its impact on the livelihoods of Indian farmers.

BY RAJNIANAND LUTHRA

wo lightingdesigns highon history, culture, craft and sustainabilityhavewonthe

inaugural IndianLinkWorldRemit Diwali Light UpYourHome Contest.

Manjunath Hukkeriandhiswife

Sujatha HosamaniofSchofields NSW tookhomethe firstprizeof$1501 for theirtraditionaldesign. The secondprize of$501 wasclaimedbySaritaKadukar

and herhusbandApurvKasoorkar, also ofSchofields NSW,fortheirdesignwhich wassteepedin history.

JudgedviaZoom,the prizeswere announcedlive on lndian Link Radioby Station DirectorEkta Sharma, on thenight before Diwali.

"We are so thrilledtowin thisprize," Manjunathtold Ektaonair. "Ithasmade our Diwali."

ManjunathandSujathagavetheirhome extensivecoverage -notonlyon theirfront fac;adewhichwasfullyilluminated but alsoalongtheirdriveway,retainingwalls, letterbox,windowsand pillars. Laserlights projected colourfuldesignsontothewalls.

DiyasandOmsymbols,halfadozen in number,adorned thewalls,fashionedout ofsteelwirebefore beingwrappedinstring lights. Bronze Lakshmi-Ganeshastatues, DiwaJisymbolssuchaskalash,Swastikand peacocks,andjasmine flowersaddedto thetraditionalfeel,aswellasastunning rangoli topped offwithashinybronze charanpaduka (goddess' feet) orna1nent.

"We'vebeenplanningthissincelastyear's Diwali,"Manjunathrevealed."Onourannual tripbackhomelatelastyeru·,wehadahuge shoppinglistforthis.Diwalihadpassedof coursebythen,butwesourcedoutstockists andwholesalersandfoundsomeauthentic, traditionalitemsforourdecorations."

• Forsecond prize winner Sarita Kadukar, this Diwali was dedicated to a herofrom history, Cbhatrapati Shivaji.The elaborate lightdecorations includedno less than60 diyas, besides fairylightsandstringlights. Floralgarlands, the traditionalgenda inparticular, con1plemented the lights throughout, injhoomars,latkans, thorans andtulsivrindavans.

Asignificanthighlightwasthezanjira, a tableaucommoninMaharashtrian/central Indianfolklore, depictingascenefrom Shivajai Maharaj'slifeandtimes. Modelled onareal-lifefortbuiltbytheMaratha ruler,theKadukarzanjirafeaturedmilitary and ruralscenes. Itwaspainstakingly

• •

• handcraftedoutofrecycled materiallike wastecardboardand upcycledmilkbottles.

Lotusflowersandfootprintsymbolsto welcometheGoddessLakshmiwereused abundantlythroughoutthemassiverangoli thatstretchedallacrossthedriveway,inthe centreandonthesides, andatthethreshold.

Itwasawonderfulsurprise tolearnlater thatthe twoprize winners are infactnext doorneighbours. Bothcouplestookaweek offworktoput theirdesignsup.

"Thehardestpartfor1newastocook," SaritaKadukarrevealedtoEktaShru·maon IndianLinkRadio. "Weworkedthroughout theday,andIfoundthatalongsidelooking aftermyone-year-old,therewasnotimeto

cook.Ourneighboursontheothersidecame intohelp,firstwithfood,andlaterwith everything.Wearetrulygratefultothem."

(Herdaughterwas born on Diwalinight lastyear, and na1ned Ramaa afterLakshmi, the Hindu Goddesswhoisvenerated on thisnight.)

Thetwoneighbouring Diwali designs, based heavilyoncultureandhistory, included manytraditionalandfolk-based depictionsthatareunusualevenindisplays in today's India.

Assuch, theirhomesplayedhostto hundredsofvisitorsdroppingbyto have a peak,manyofthemcompletestrangers.

Thenumberofteachablestationsinboth

It's history and heritage galore in the WorldRemit Light Up Your Home contest organised by Indian Link

designswere also high, addingto their inspirational value.

"I heardmanykidssayto theirparents, 'Mum, Dad,lookatthis-wecouldmake thisathome!'. To me, thatwasimmensely rewarding. Thisishowwemaintain aspectsofourculture, and infact,seeit grow," Saritasaid.

ScottEddington, Managing Director ofAsia PacificforWorldRemit, said, "It's beenanabsolutepleasuretobe connected tothisyear'sDiwaliviathe VirtualFestival ofLightscompetition, and to shinea lightonsuchmagnificent diversityin Australia. Toall thosewhoparticipatedin thiscontest, totheIndiancommunityand

indeed toallAustralians, I'd like to sayon behalfofWorldRemit, HappyDiwali, and n1ayyour livesbefilledwith thelightof knowledge,good willandharmony."

Pawan Luthra, CEO ofIndianLink, said later, "While thesetwohomes mayhave won, others in the competitionwerebyno means less commendable. Theeffort that wentintoeachwasclearly evident to all.

In the end, allcontributedtoIndianLink's ultimate aim: thatpeople should drive by orwalkpast tosee ourDiwali decorations, justlikewe've beendoingforyearsat Christmastime. Byparticipatingin this contest,you have helped thatbecome a reality."

BY RHEALNATH

espite a 'distanced Diwali', theirresistible festive spirit continuedthis year inNSWwith BlacktownCityCouncil's annual Diwali LightsCompetition.

Blacktown, thethirdlargestlocalcouncil in thecountry andperhaps one ofthemost diverse, is the onlycouncil thatcelebrates the Hindu festivaloflight ona grand scale.

Shamila andVishal Sadhufrom Bungarribeebroughthome the top prize forthe third yearrunning.

"People cameto seeourhomein thedays leadingupto thecompetition, and they wouldwatchusputup ourdecorations," shared Shan1ilawithIndianLink.

No doubttop contendersforthe prize, given theirprevious wins, the Sadhus' homewasillu1ninatedwithfairylights,

creatingDiwaliiconsLikediyasand peacocks,lotusesand Om sy1nbols,along the fa9ade.

Accordingto Shamila,ittook2-3 daysto complete the endeavour.

''This year, my husband reallytook chargewiththedesigns. Honestly,COVlD didn'tdeterus, andwe would'vedecorated our house regardless," shesaid.

BlacktownCityMayorTonyBleasdale

OAMcongratulated the winners, pointing outthatBlacktownishome tomore than 83,000 peopleof Indian descentwho activelyparticipatein this competition.

"Mywife Nina and I metthe finalists during thejudging andmany ofthem said thatDiwali this yearwas truly a celebration ofemergingfrom the darkness ofCOVID into thelightofbettertimes," MayorBleasdale said.

In secondplacefora second yearina rowwere Sarita and Apurv Kadukarof Ward Street, Schofields.

"We decidedto bringadditional Indianflavourto ourdecorationswith

flowermaalas. We incorporateda lotof craftitemswhichwe n1ade byhandwith recycledmaterials," Apurvexplained.

Theil·decorationslookedback totradition, using oillan1ps,genda (marigold},andTulsivrindavans. Most notably, theycreatedazanjira, a model of a real-life fortbuiltbyShivaji Maharaj, in a nodto central Indianfolklore.

"Lotsofkidscametoseeourfortandask howitwasmade.Then, they wenthomeand builtfortsoftheirown!"Saritasaidhappily.

SunainaandYogendraUpadhyayofThe Pondsbaggedthe thirdprize.Theirhouse boastedofanundeniableDiwaliatmosphere -includjngthe soulful melodies ofaflute.

"Wedidn'twanttoputourGanesha decoration onthefloor,so webuiltaspecial platform.Thenwedecided,inkeepingwith thistheme, toincorporatesomemusictoo."

Duringthe days ofjudging, passers-by were wowedbythelights, colour, and uniquetunesofthe Upadhyayhouse.

For Sunaina, decoratingthehouse for Diwaliholds specialsignificance.

"Coincidentally, mykids have neverbeen in India duringDiwali.That'swhyItry tobring the festivespirithereforthen1 to see,"shesaid witha smile.

Aspecialawardforbestrangoliwent outtoSujata HosamaniandManjunath Hukkeri ofWard Street,Schofields. lncorporati11gaspecific Diwali theme ofdiyas, kalashs, and even specialcharan paduka (goddess'feet) in her design,Sujata painstakingly created her rangolisstarting 5 am, beforeheryoungchildrenwokeup.

With rain and windplayingspoilsport, sheended upcreating the rangoli on three separate occasions,usinghomemade glue mixturesto holditin place.

TheHukkeris(alongwiththe Kadukars) also tookhomethetitleofBest Street, whichacknowledges familieswhocreate a festiveatn1osphere intheirneighbourhoods.

"Ourstreet,WardStreetin Schofields, is fulloftradition. Everyone enthusiastically joins thefestivitiesandshows offthe Diwali spiritto the restofoursuburb," Manjunath said.

Threefamilies - the Sadhus, the Kadukars, and the Upadhyays - continue theirwinning streaks this year.

TheKadukars'Schofieldshome:Secondplace

TheUpadhyays'homeatThePonds:Thirdplace

Bestrangoli:Sujatha Hosamani, Schofields

DharamSinghSandhu, 67,andhis wifeNirmaljeetSinghKaur, 66, are spendingnightsparkednearthesite ofthefarmersprotestattheDelhiHaryanastateborder, India.

36 cross-party UK MPs support Indianfarmers' agitation

A factionof36 cross-party UKMPs, ledby the Labour Party's Tanmanjit Singh Dhesi, havecome outinsupportofthe ongoing fanners' agitation in India, asking British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raabto raise the n1atterwith New Delhi.

The MPs, ina missive to Raab,askedto pressurise India against therecentlyenacted agriculture lawswhich "exploit" thefanners andthose who dependonfarming.

They further urged the Foreign Secretary toholdtalkswith the Indian government through the supportofSikh farmers in Punjab andabroad.

In his letter,Dhesi, the Laboul'MPfor Slough, saidthat last 1nonth several MPs wrote tothe Indian High Co1nmission in London aboutthe impactsofthethreenew fannlaws.

"Thisisan issue ofparticularconcernto Sikhsin the UKandthoselinkedto Punjab, althoughitalsoheavilyimpactson other Indian states.

"The Punjabi communityiswidely recognized asthe backboneofthe state's economic structure andthefanners' concerns al'e apowerfulfaction in national andstate politics," thelettersaid.

Jtcalledforanurgentwith Raabtodiscuss the"deteriorating" situationin Punjab andits relationshipwiththe Uniongoverrunent. Also, representations to be111adeto India about the impactonBritish Sikhs and Punjabis,with longstandinglinkstoland and fanningin India.

Dhesitweeted, "Many constituents, especiallythose e1nanatingfrom the Pw1jab, have contacted MPs toexpress solidal'ity with the fannersopposingfarmersBill 2020 in India.

"Dozens ofMPs dulydeliberatedand signedacross-partyletter,seekingjustice for the peacefullyprotestingfar111ers.11

Thedevelopmentco111es asfarn1ershave continuedtheirprotests atthe Delhi-Haryana andDelhi-UttarPradeshborders.

The agitatedfarmers are demanding

therepeal oftheth1·ee farn, lawspassed by Parlian1entearlierthisyearandhave expressedapprehension thattheywould pave the wayforthe dismantlingofthe minimumsupportprice system,leaving them at themercyofbigcorporatehouses.

Thegovernmenthas maintainedthat the newlawswilJ provide farmerswith betteropportunities. It has alsoaccusedthe opposition partiesofmisleadingfarmers.

USSenate passes bill to clear epic Green Card backlog

Aftermore than a yearofintensepolitical tangling,the US Senate has passedabill thatliftstheexistingper-countrycapon the numberofe1nployrnent basedpermanentresidency permitsor'GreenCards'issuedto legal in1migrants, potentiallypavingtheway forIndianswaitingin decades-longlinesto breatheeasier.

Butthere'sa catch. Several,actually. lt's the SenatevsHouse lawmakersversioning problen1.

Apa1·na Bhatnagar, an Indian livingin Stamford,Connecticut who's been in the "queue forever" places thedevelopments in context.

"Thisversionhas toreconcilewith the previousversionthat the House passed. It's still alongway togo andby that time the new rulingpartywilltake over. Let'swait andwatch," shetold!ANS.

The "previousversion"thatBhatnagar referstoisthe 'Fairnessfor High-Skilled ImmigrantsAct' whichpassed the Houseof Representativesin2019in a 365 to 65 vote.

Whatpassedthe Senate wasasimilar pieceoflegislation sponsoredby Senator Mike Lee (Republican, Utah),nottheexact onepassedbytheHouse.

SenatorLee's state Utah,incidentally,is the newmagnetforthenearshoringbusiness modelinthe US.

The SenateandtheHouse billswill now havetobelayeredontoeach other and a comboversionwillhavetopassboththe HouseandSenatebeforebeingsentoverto theWhite House.

Current USruleslimitanyonecountryto7

percentofallemployment-basedgreencards.

Indians make up morethan600,000 of those whose paperworkisapprovedbut are waiting.

The State Departmentawardsabout 140,000Green Cardsa yearbutdoes not have capson how manyapplicationsget approvedeach year -creatinga demand supplyasymmetrythat puts millionsoflegal immigrantsona perpetual waitlist.

"ItisindeedagreatdecisionbytheSenate. FingerscrossedbecausetheHousehastopass thebillwiththeaddedamendments,"Rashi Bhatnagar,anAtlantaresidenttoldIANS.

Theswirlinganxietycentresaroundthe carveoutsintheSenateversionofthebill, comingfromvarious RepublicanSenators opposedtothelegislationinitscul'rentavatar.

Senator Rand Paul(Republican, Kentucky) has insertedprovisions for nurses from thePhilippinesandisdemandingnew restrictionson firn1sthatemploy 50 percent workerson HlBvisas.

Senator RickScott(Republican, Florida) addedtwomoreintothemix: a newlimitfor the next 10 years on the overallnumberof immigrantson Hl-B visaswho can receive Green Cards andanotherwhichcouldslash immigrationfromChina.

"While I recognize thesincerityofall membersandsenators struggling tofind solutions,unfortunatelytheprovisionssent to the Housebythe Senateyesterdaymost likelymakemattersworse, notbetter," said RepresentativeZoeLofgren,chairwoman ofthe House Judiciarysubcommittee on immigration,who sponsoredthe House bill.

"S.386 passedthe Senatewithunanimous consent,whichmeansall 100Senatorsagreed tothisbill.Thisshowsthatthisinlmigration billhashugebipartisansupport," said AnirbanDas,wholeadsSkilledImmigrantsin America(SHA),anon-profit.

"Thebillisalmostatthefinishline. I sincerelyhope RepresentativeZoeLofgren canworkoutacompromiseandfinallypass thisbill."

Das,whohasbeenthroughthe Green Cardgrindhinlself,leanedonSenator Lee'sremarksthatbirthcountrycapsin

Employn1ent basedimmigrationare "racist andun-American".

Biden-Harris name IndianAmerican as executive directorforinauguration

USPresident-electJoeBidenandVice President-electKan,alaHarrishave appointed lndian-A1nericanMajuVarghese,whosteered theircampaign,to betheexecutivedirectorof theirinauguration - theswearing-inceremony and thefestivitiesaroundit.

TheannouncementmakesVarghesethe fifthIndian-American tobe appointedto an important position byBidenandHarris.

Earlier, Bidenhadformallyannouncedthe appointn,entofNeeraTandenasthe Director ofthe OfficeofManagement andBudget. Vargheseplayedan importantpart in the successfulBiden-Harrisca1npaign asitschief operatingofficerandasasenioradviserto theformerVice President.

He ran the logisticsfor the nationwide, n1ulti-million-dollarefforttoelect Biden, mobilisingtensofthousands ofstaffand volunteers.

Hehadworkedforformer President BarackObama as his special assistant and deputy directorofadvance, a position in which heworkedonorganisinghis travel in the US andabroad.

Oneofthoseassignments wasorganising Obama's2015 historic trip to India for the RepublicDaycelebrations.

Vargheselaterbecameassistanttothe Presidentforadministration andmanagement andoversawthe White Housecomplex. HisparentsimmigratedfromThiruvalla, Kerala,tothe US, wherehe was born, andis a lawyerby training.

The inauguration ofBiden as President and Harris asVice President isslated take placeon fanuary20,2021, as mandatedby the constitution when they will forn1ally take over theoffices.

Thiswillbe the 59th inauguration and itwill take place under the shadowofthe Covid-19pandemic andthe festivities would have to balance the exuberant outpouring ofjoy byBiden supporters with the needto prevent the spreadofthedisease.

TonyAllen,whowasnamedthe CEO oftheinaugurationcommittee,said,"This year's inaugurationwilllookdifferentamid thepandemic, butwewillhonourthe American inauguraltraditions andengage Americansacross thecountrywhile keeping everybodyhealthyandsafe."

HeisthepresidentofDelaware State UniversityinBiden'shomestate andhadbeen hisspeech-writerwhenhewasaSenator.

Morethan amillionhavecometosome previous inaugurations.

The socialhighlightofinaugurations has been theinauguralball, aformaldance by the President andthe Vice President and theirspouses, andthe invitees, with the women dressedglamorously in designer outfitsthatgetwidelydiscussed.

Severalentertainments arealsoorganised fortherestofthecrowds attending the inaugurations.

Congressisofficiallyincharge of

Photo:AP

Farmers arriveatthe Delhi-UttarPradesh state border toparticipateintheprotestagainst newagriculturelaws.

the formalswearing-inportion ofthe inauguration and has the bi-partisan Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies tohold the ceren1onyatthe Capitol, the Congress con1plex.

Thecurrentco1nmitteeisheadedby Republican Senator RoyBluntand includes DemocratSpeakerNancy Pelosi.

Butthewinningpresidential candidates set up theirown comJnittees toworkwith it and toorganise othercelebrations andraise fundsfor theevents.

The otherIndian-Americans named to in1portantpositionsby Biden includeforn1er SurgeonGeneralVivek Murthy,whowas appointed co-chairofhis Covid-19taskforce last n1onth in oneofhis firstactsafterthe media proclaimed himthewinnerofthe presidentiaJ election.

Two lndian-Americanswerenamedtohead theco1nmitteesinchargeoftransitiontothe newadn1inistration ArunMajumdarforthe DepartmentofEnergyand KiranAhujafor theOfficeofPersonnel Managen1ent. In addition, 19 Indian-Americanswere appointedtothevarioustransitionteams andtwooth.ers,Atul GawandeandCeline Gounder,totheCovid-19taskforce.

Transfering Infothrough humantouch: Purdue University's Indian-origin engineers

Atea1n ofIndian-origin researchersin the US has madeitpossibletoessentiallylet theiJ:bodies actasthelinkbetweenthecard ors1nartphone and the readeror scanner, makingitpossible totransmitinformation justby touchingasurface.

The prototype,developed by Purdue Universityengineers, doesn'ttransfermoney yetbutit's thefirsttechnology thatcan send any information through the direct touch of a fingertip.

WhileweariJ1gtheprototype asawatch,a user'sbodycanbeused tosend information such as aphotoorpassword when touching a sensorona laptop.

"We'reusedtounlockiJ1gdevicesusingour fingerprints,butthistechnologywouldn'trely onbiometrics- itwouJd relyondigitalsignals. Imagineloggingintoanapponson1eone else'sphonejustbytouch,"said ShreyasSen, a Purdueassociateprofessorofelectricaland con1puterengineering.Shovan Maityledthe studyasaPhDstudentinSen'slab.

Thestudywaspublished iJ1Transactions onComputer-Human Interaction,ajournal bytheAssociationforComputingMachinery.

The technologyworksbyestablishingan "iJ1ternet"withiJ1 thebodythatsmartphones, sn1artwatches,pacen1akers,insulinpun1ps and otherwearable oriJnplantable devices canuse tosend information.

"These devicestypicallycommunicate usingBluetoothsignalsthattendto radiate outfromthe body. Ahackercould iJ1tercept thosesignalsfron1 30feet away," Sen said.

Sen'stechnologyinsteadkeepssignals confinedwithinthebodybycouplingthemin a so-called "Electro-Quasistatic range" thatis muchlowerontheelectromagneticspectrum thantypical Bluetoothcommunication.

This mechanisn1iswhatenables information transferbyonlytouchinga surface.

Even ifyourfingerhoveredjustone centimetreabove asurface,information wouldn'ttransferthrough this technology withouta direct touch.

US post officeto be named afterslain Sikh police officer ApostofficeintheUScityHoustonwill be na111ed afterSandeepSingh Dhaliwal, the firstSikh DeputyinTexas's Harris Countywhowasshotdeadwhileondutyin September2019.

Deckswerecleared forrenamingthe postofficeat 315AddicksHowell Road in Houstonas"DeputySandeepSingh DhaliwalPostOffice Building"withthe US Congresspassingthe necessarylegislation.

TheSenatehasjustpassedabillto renamethepostoffice afterthe Houseof RepresentativesdidsoinSeptember.

Thebillisnowheaded totheWhite House forPresidentDonaldTrumptosignintolaw.

The post office named after Dhaliwal in Houston is onlythe secondone named after an lndian-An1erican.

Thefirstonewasnamedafterthefirst Indian-AmericanCongressman DalipSingh Saund in SouthernCaliforniain2006.

OnSeptember27,2019,Dhaliwal,42, wasshotdead bya suspectduringa traffic stopinthe county'sCypress a1·ea.

He wasthe county'sfirst Sikh Deputy whenhejoined the force 10yearsago,and becamea national figureafterconvincing the Harris County Sherrifs Department to allowhim toweara turbanandgrowa beardwhileonpatrol.

Respondingtothe development, theslain policeofficer'sfatherPyaraSingh Dhaliwal said thatthe"gesturewill 1nemorialise his legacyofservicetohisbeloved Houston, whilealsoremindingusall toupholdhis example and celebrate thediversitythat makesourand somanyothercommunities strong",AmericanBazaarreported.

Inastatement, RepublicansenatorTed Cruzsaid, "The US PostalOfficeonAddicks

Howell Road in Houstonwillnowserve asa lastingtribute to Deputy Dhaliwal's trailblazinglegacyforSikhAmericansand religious minoritiesinlawenforcement."

Indian racing star Daruvala

earns Maiden F2 Podium Indian racingstarJehanDaruvalaearned hismaiden FLAFormula2 podiumat the Bahrain Grand Prix Support Race on 5 Dec.

The Red Bull Racing Junioristhefirst Indian tostandonthepodiun1man FLA Fonnula2 Race,inthe presenteraofthechampionship.

The F2 season movedtoSakhir, Bahrain, forthe lasttwo roundsofthe F2 championship, and DaruvaJaiJnmediately sho\ved his pace intheonlypracticesession. lo thelast 15 minutes, Daruvalaposteda laptimeof 1:42.782 secondstogofastest. Withjust five minutes left, Nikita Mazepin of Russiawentfasterbya mere 0.122 secs. Qualifyingthreatenedtocompletelyundo alloIDaruvala'sefforts. He faced traffic on hisquicklapsthatallowed himtoposta tiJne thatwasquickenough foreighth on thegrid, two placesaheadofChampionship leader MickSchumacher. Callum llottofGreat Britainea1·nedanotherpole position.

Daruvalamadeanexcellentstartforthe Feature Race(Race 1)fromeighth. Hegained twoplacesandstayedinasixthforafewlaps. DaruvalaandotherracersontheMedium compoundoftyre,thenseemedtostruggle againstthoseonthe Hard Compound. Lap 5 sawDaruvala lose twoplacesandwasforced offthecircuit.Theresultinglossofspeedlost hiJnmorepositions. Daruvalastayedintenth forafewlapsbeforepittingtochangetyres.

The22-year-old lndianemergedfromthe pitdownin 18thplace. Hethenreeledofa seriesofquicklapstoclimbup theorder.He gainedmorepositionsasotherspittedand wasrunningsixthbylap 19 ofthe32-laprace. Daruvalasoonovertookmultipleracewinner Robe11Shwartzmantomoveuptofifth.

RaceleaderMickSchumacherthentook hismandatorypitstop. Daruvala's blistering paceafterhisownpitstop meant that Schumacheremergedfromthepitsbehind Daruvala,whowasnowrunningthird.

The main riskwasthat Schumacher hadtyresthatweremany laps fresher than Daruvala. The two were evenly n1atched for atleastanothersixlaps,before Schumacher, now in his second season,started closing thegap to Daruvala. Schumachersoon broughtthegapdown from two seconds to around 1.5 seconds. Besides much fresher tyres, Schumacherwas also nowon the fasterMediumcompoundand charged to reduce thegap down to 0.7secondswith five laps remaining.

Unfortunately forDaruvala,thisn1eantthat Schumacherwasnowalsoable touse his DRS (Drag ReductionSystem) whichgave hiJnextraspeedon threestraightsaround the Fl circuit. Jtseemedonlyamatterofcorners before Schumacherwouldovertake Daruvala.

However, ma nail-bitingfewlaps,Daruvala withouttheoptionofDRSandatyre disadvantagedroveoneofhisbestracesof theseason.Withthreelapstogo,he had to defendaggressivelyintothefirstcorner, both driversweresidebyside forafewcorners butDaruvalawasnotgivingupinspiteofhis disadvantage. Heheldhisnerveandplaced hisCarlincarinexactlythe rightplaces, preventingSchumacherfromgettiJ1gahead.

Twolapsbeforetheendoftherace, Schumachermomentarilygotaheadof Daruvala,buttheIndianwasnotgomgto allowthatandhebrakedlate, togetthe positionback. Daruvala'sexcellentracing causedSchu1nachertomakeacoupleof mistakes.ThisallowedDaruvala room to breathe. Hecontinuedhisintelligentdriveto increasethegapandcrossedtheline0.894 secondsaheadofSchumacher,toearnareally welldeservedthirdplace. BrazilianFelipe DrugovichwontheraceaheadofCallumHott. Daruvalawasthe second runner-up in the FLA Formula 3 Chan1pionship lastyear. He earns hismaiden FIAFormula2 podium, inhisfirstseasonintheultra-competitive championship,whichhas seen 15other racersstandon the podium. Daruvala's achievementis alsothefirstpodium,byan Indian inthe currentiteration ofthe FIA Formula2 Championship.

IANS

Photo:AP

Ahead

BY RITAM MITRA

oronce,IndiareturntoAustralia astheholdersofaBorderGavaskarTrophycontestedin Australia,butcuriously,India arefarfron1beingfavourites.Squad changeswithinbothtean1sheavilyfavour Australiathisseries,whileIndiahashad zeroexposuretolong-formcricketsince COYID-19emerged.Yetwiththelimited oversseriesnowdoneanddusted,India areintheunusualpositionofenteringthe Testserieswithcompetitiveinternational cricketundertheirbeltalreadyonthis tour.Theju1npfro1nlimitedoverscricket toTestcricketisalargeone,butnotso largethatsomelessonscannotbelearned.

Smith and Warnerare (seriously) back

IftheIndianplayerswereinanydoubt regardingtheforn1ofMessrsSn1ithand Warnerfollowingtheirlongbreaks,those werequashedintheOD1series,where eachofWarnerandSmithplundered thegenerallylacklustreIndianbowlers. Warnersmashedtwoblisteringfifties (thoughisindoubtforthefirstTest havingpickedupagroininjuryduringthe second001),whileS111ithnotchedup,in consecutiveinnings,bistwofastest-ever ODItons.

Jfthatwerenotdauntingenoughforthe Indians,theywillalsoneedtoconquer MarnusLabuschagne,Australia'sbest findofthelasttwoyears.Afterabreakout Ashesseriesin2019whereLabuschagne wasthefirst-everconcussionsubstitutein aTestmatch,Labuschagneisnowoneof thefirstnan1esontheteamsheet,suchhas beenhisn1eteoricrise.Thethird-ranked batsmaninTestcricket-behindonlySmith andKohli-Labuschagnecouldwellbe Australia'sanswertoPujarathissummer.

India's bowling lacks bite Inthe2018-19Testseries,Bumrahlooked nighunplayable;thepolitefastbowler pickedupaseries-topping21wickets,and bowledn1oreoversthananyotherquick acrossbothteams.Sincethenthough, Bun1rahpickedupastressfractureinhis lowerbackthathasthreatenedtoderailhis stunningcareertodate.

InhisonlytwoTestssincereturning fromthatinjury,Bun1rahpickedup6 wicketsat31apiece,11higherthanhis careeraverageof20.Thenumberiseven moreconcerninginODis,wherehehas taken5wicketsatnearly100runsawicket (ODIs).Thatincludeshis4wicketsinthe recent001seriesagainstAustralia,which

u-----� Indiawillbewithouttheir � talisman, ViratKohli,for _g mostoftheTestseries.

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cameatanaverageof50.

WithBumrahoutofsortsand\vitbout thecontroloflshantSharma,India'sattack suddenlylooksashadowofits2019self.

UmesbYadav,whoaverages46withthe ballinAustralia,isthelikelythirdseamer behindBumrahandShami,whileNavdeep SainiandMohammadSiraj,eachofwhom havesofarstruggledattheinternational level,arethereserves.

A long summerof drops mayawait

Ifthere'sonethingpost-COYIDcrickethas taughtus,itisthatfieldingandcatching arethefirstskillstohavedeparted internationalcricketersduringtheirtime awayfromthegame.AustraliaandIndia bothunderwhelmedinthefieldinthe

recentOD1andT20series,butifanything symbolisedIndia'sefforts,itwascaptain Kohlihimself.

Normallyoneofthemorereliableand electricfieldersinworldcricket,Kobli's white-ballserieswerescatteredwith errors;lettingballsgothroughhislegs, regularlymissinghisshiesatthestumps, andevendroppingtworegulationcatches thatanycompetentunder-14cricketer wouldhavetakenintheirsleep.

Itwouldbeunfairthough,tosingleout Kohli:catchingandfieldingstandards havefallenininternationalmatches acrosstheworld,perhapsasymptomof COYIO-wearycricketersbeing,foronce, unaccustomedtotheperiodsoflong concentrationrequiredwhenfieldingat thehighestlevelsofthegame.Inthefirst

India'schallengeofAustralia.

SteveSmithisasgoodashehasever been,andstillloomsasthebiggest threatforthe Test series.

TestbetweenNewZealandandtheWest Indiesforinstance,NewZealanddropped perhapstencatches.

Fieldingisnotaskillthatreturns overnight,andforthoseintheTest squadwhodidnotplayinthelin1ited oversseries(beingthen1ajorityofthe team),evenlongerbasthebreakbeen betweeninternationalmatches.Dropsand misfieldsn1aybelargelyfleetingandeven inconsequentialintheshortestformsofthe game,butinaTestseries-nolessafourTestseries-theycanbephysicallyand mentallydebilitating.

Howwelleachteamsupportsits bowlersinthefieldcouldgoalongway todeterminingtheoutcomeoftheseries -andthebloodpressureoftherespective captains.

of the Testseries, India may want to look seriously at its bowling, fielding and facing a resurgent opposition

Rediscoveringitsfieldingand catchingformwillbeakeypartof

MelbCup2020: Indian trainer Julius Sandhu breaks through with his horse Do You Reckon

020willgo down asa 1nemorable yearforCranbournehorse trainer Julius Sandhu, andnotonly because ofCOVID.

Thisyear, he scored hisfirstmajorwin in the Melbourne Cup Carnivalwithhis horse Do You Reckon.

[t tookout the $500,000Melbourne Cup CarnivalCountry Final on Oaks Day.

"Itwas averyrewardingeffort," Julius told IndianLink. "Notn,anypeople gavemyhorseachanceforthatdistance, 1600111 - butheran agreatrace. Itwas a bigdealforus tosee himwin."

"My life's passion is for horses," Julius mused. "They're magnificent anin1als. I'mhappyto spend 1nost ofmydayaround them."

luliusSandhuhasbeen drawntohorses since his teenageyearsin India, introduced tothembyhis brotherwhowas ahorse trainer. Laterhe cuthis teeth as atrainer underAris David, oneofIndia'sbestknown trainers.

Itwasin Dubai thoughthat hedecided that racingwouldbehislife'scalling, after workingunderlegendaryna1nessuch as Sheikh Mohammed and his son Sheikh Hamdan, andAmerican thoroughbred trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

InAustralia heworked briefly in the industryin 1996,then lefttoestablish hi1nselffinancially. He's been acertified trainer nowforthreeyears.

Julius describes hisfour and ahalfyears in Dubai asthe mostin1portantpath in bis careerin racing.

"There's nobettingin racingoverthere, it istheprize n1oney thatisa!J-in1portant. So, fundamentally, thehorses are there for the racing.The trainer'sjob isthetefore to keep the horses in thebestpossible shape and condition forracing.Theytrulycare forthen,, and dotherightthingbythem."

In lndia,onthe otherhand, the situation isreversed. "Firstly, the 1ndian industryis a closed industry - it'shard to breakinto it

unlessyouhaveconnections. Secondly, the gamblingis averylargepartofit; thevast majorityofpeople in racingarethere for thatpurpose,forgetaboutthewell-beingof the horse. Forme that was achallenge."

Luckily for him, Melbourneprovided the perfect middleground. "Both aspects blend in the industryhere. Prizemoneyis good, thebettingpart isjust abit offun. It makes ita differentexperiencealtogether."

He added,"TheAustralian racing industry isveryblessed. Melbourne alone has 35 racecourses, sowe have theability toraceeveryday in different conditions. Inbetween, thehorsesrestin lushgreen

paddocks. There's an expanseoffarmland sohorsescan behorses. Myhorse DoYou Reckon forexample,who has beenracing for7 continuousmonths, isresting now."

Juliusisalso agreatsupporterof women inracing: in hisown stable, the mostsuccessful riderbasbeenawoman, Alexandra Bryan. "There's agreatinflux ofgirlstakingup ridingas aprofession. At Cranbourne 30%ofthe ridersare women."

What is hisview though,onthe increasing numberofaccidents in racing?

"Unfortunate accidents can happen in all kindsofracing - boat,car, motorbike,even bicycles.With racingandspeed there's

alwaysrisk. It's notidealthatinternational horseshavetobeput down. Behindthe scenes, there'splentyofworkongoing togetto the bottomofthese accidents. Horses come conditioned to different kindsoftracks-tracksin UKand Ireland are softerthan ours duetoclimate. We're tryingtofind waystobringthese incidents down - shouldthe horsesarrivehere earliertoacclimatise to ourconditions, for instance? We're tryingtofocus on the best possiblesolutionsforhorses and for all otherparticipants-trainers,jockeys, and fans, because everybody isin1pacted. Don't forget, racingis avibrant industrythat heldupwellevenwith COVID. lte111ploys 300,000people and contributesgreatlyto the economy."

Regardinghisown plans, Julius sees Do You Reckon-a career highlight sofar-as the start ofmanythings. "I'm nowlooking togrowmystables. We have23 horses so far,and I'd like totakethat number to 30-35. Ifthere's anyone out there keento getinvolved, in an ownership perspective perhaps,getin touch!"

Rajnl Anand Luthra

n aselectgroup ofren1arkable leaders, RMlT's ProfessorMadbu Bhaskaran has stoodouttowinthe Science& Medicine category ofthe 40 Under 40Most InfluentialAsian-Australians thisyear.

The awards, aninitiative ofAsialink, PwC, andAustralian National University, recognisethe contributionsofAustralian leaders fron1Asian backgrounds. Nowin its second year,itincludes accomplished leaders invarioussectorslikecommunity and advocacy, education, artsand culture, sports, corporate, entrepreneurship, scienceand medicine, and public sector and govern1nent.

Madhu is no strangerto awardsforher researchendeavours, butsheconsidersthis a specialone.

"lt'sparticularlyspecialbecauseit recognizesmylndian background, and myworkin thecommunityforenhancing diversity,"shetoldIndianLink.

Thetesearcher, originallyfromChennai, firstcametoAustraliain2004.Withthe completionofher PhDin2009, accolades have pouredinforherdevelopment of unbreakable, flexible electronicsthatwork "like electronicskin."

"Thishasbeeneightyearsin themaking andwe're nowworkingwitheightindustry partners. We see itspracticaluse in healthcareandaged care. It'sapatch,like abandaid,whichcanbeusedtomonitor UV exposure onyourskin and help in the fight against skincancer. Itcanalsohelp detect, and monitor, earlyonset diseases andchronic illnesseswithin the body,"

Madbu explained.

IfaU thissoundslikean inventionfroma sci-fi1novie toyou,you'renot alone.

"Thegoal inour teamistomake science fictionareality," shechuckled.

Theaward alsohighlightsherwork towardsgenderdiversity, such ascofoundingtheWomen Researchers'network at RMIT Universityin2013 and sittingon the National Boa1·d ofDirectors forWomen in STEMMAustralia.

"Often, 'diversity' isonlyconsidered in termsofgender,but itgoesbeyond that. It'saboutaspiringfordiversityin thoughts, age,cultural background,andperspective - becausethesearetrulyrepresentative of ourexperiences,"she elaborated.

Citingthe Womenin STEM Decadal Planfrom2019, shepointsoutthatsocietal

:JuliuswithDoYouReckon, who wasriddenbyjockeyKerrinMcEvoy onOaksDay

e ourne

New award for19-year-old follows recenthonour in the 40 Under40 Most lnffuential Australian Asians

aysuhiKhillan,19,haswonthe YouthChan1pionAwardinthe prestigious2020Melbourne Awa1·ds.

Shewasfelicitatedforherworkinthe healthandeducationfieldstosupportthe MelbournecommunityduringCOVID-19. Ascholarship-win11ingbiomedstudentat theUniversityofMelbourne,Aayushiwas alsooneoftheyoungestawardeesrecently inthe40Under40MostInfluential AustralianAsians2020Shewas recognisedforherworkintheeducation sector.

Beforethis,shebecametheyoungest everAustralianselectedforagovern1nental boardwhenshewasappointedtothe VictorianCurriculu1nandAssessment Authority(VCAA)attheageof18.

Clearly,theyoungladyhasmanyfirsts tohernan1e.Andyet,likeanotherSouth Asianwhohasrecentlybeeninthenews, sheisdeterminedtoensurethatsheisnot thelast.

"1doreallyIivebyVice-president-elect KamalHarris'words,"Aayushitold Indian Link. "Imaybethefirsttodoalotof things,butIcertainlydonotwishtobe thelast.1wanttoempowermoreyoung peopletodoevenbetterthanIamsothey cancreateanevenbetterworldand 1 plan tocontinuemyworkbysupportingand en1poweringothers."

AayushiKhillan'sinnategumptionand willingnesstopushforchangehasalways heldheringoodstead,whethersheis outtowinvalidationinaboardroomor shininglightonissuesthataffectherfellow millennials.

Aayushiconsidersherappointment totheVCAABoardasoneofher bestlearningopportunitiesthatbas significantlybroadenedherhorizons,

developingherskillstoapointwhereher inputwasbothrecognisedandvalued.

"InHighSchoolwelearnhowto beleadersa,nongstourpeers.VCAA, however,helpedn1etogrowasaperson andbeastrongleaderamongleaders," revealedAayushi.

TheVCAAisastatutoryauthority primarilyaccountabletotheMinisterfor EducationandtheMinisterforTraining andSkills,servingbothgovernmentand non-governmentschools.ltdevelopsand implementsthecurriculumandassessment fromEarlyLearningtoVCE.

Aayushi'sexperiencethereprovideda morenua11cedunderstandingofresources availabletoVictorianschools.

"Myroleistoactasaconduitbetween nonnsandstereotypesaffectgirlsfrom ayoungage.In2016,IndiaandChina reportedthehighestuptakeofSTEM subjectsbygirls,whileAustraliahadthe lowestpercentageamongAsiaPacific countriesatjust27percent.

"Itco1nesdowntothethoughtprocess andthewaypeoplechoosetheircareers. InAustralia,weseethatonly16percent ofAustraliansinSTEMprofessionsru·e womenalthoughthepopulationintermsof genderisfairlyeven,"Madhuexplained.

Butshealsoaccountsforthefactors motivatingwomentojointhefield.

"There'sapopularsayingthatgoes'you cannotbewhatyoucannotsee'.Well,we nowhaveagenerationofwomenwhohave hadtobewhattheycouldn'tsee.They've hadtobreakceilingsandjustgoforit!"

thestudentsandtheBoard,"she explained."Icanspeakdirectlytostudents toestablishwhatchallengesandstruggles theyarefacing,whatchangesarerequired andtoseeifthechangesmadeare sufficientandeffective."

lnthisCOVID-dominatedyear,the VCAAimplementedmeasureslikereduced contentforYear12students,delayed exams,ongoingsupport,onlinemodules forteachersandmoreconsiderationsfor students.

BesidesherworkwithVCAA,Aayusni contributedtohealthandeducationas theexecutiveofficerforBodyWorks,a not-for-profitorganisation.Shevisited primaryschoolstoengageandmotivate childrenandteachthemabouthealth.She

iscurrentlyalsoinvolvedinacommittee thatwillintroduceapandemicmodulein alignmentwiththeschoolcurriculum.

"Iampassionateforschoolcurriculun1s tofocusonlifeskillstopreparestudents fortherealworld,byprovidingthe1nwith strategiestosurviveapandemicaswell asdealwithmentalhealthissuesthatn1ay follow."

Aayushiliststechnologyoverload, isolationfromfriendsandinactivityasthe biggestchallengesyoungpeoplehavefaced duringthepandemic.

"Healthhasbeensounpredictable duringthistimethatitiscrucialthatthe nextgenerationispreparedandequipped topreventfuturepandemics,"she explained.

Sheherselfhastakenpainstobe organised,planninginadvanceandtaking tirneout,atleastonceaweek,torelaxand pursueherinterestinphotography.

"2020hasbeenatoughyearforallofus andJalsohadalottobalance.Istruggled withuniversitywork,meetings,tutoring anditwasnoteasy.However,Iamso passionateandhappywithwhatJdothat itneverfeltlikeaburden,"shesaidwith characteristicenthusiasm.

AayushicreditsherfatherDrRajKhillan forprovidinghertheinspirationtoachieve andhermotherDrPreetiKhillanfor providingherstability.Shewasgratefulto bothfortheirongoingencouragen1ent,and toheryoungersisterforbeingasourceof inspirationandinnovation.

"Butreally,participationhasalways beenthekey,"shemused."Iwouldhighly recommendthatyoungpeopleworkin teamsettings,volunteer,joinuniversity clubsandshareinsightsiftheyaspiretobe leadersorchangemakers."

PreetiJabbal

Winningtheawardhasanother importantpurpose.AlthoughAustralia's growingAsian-Australiancommunity accountsforaround12percentofthetotal population,researchindicatesthatless than5percentmakeittoseniorleadership levels.

WhatisMadhu'sadviceforyoungAsian Australians?

"AppreciatethefactthatAustralia's multiculturalsocietyembracesdifferences. Overcon1eanyshynessandlearntoask questions-no,it'snotoffensive!Intime, webuildconfidenceinseeingAsian Australiansaroundusdoingwellintheir fieldsandultimately,ithelpspavetheway forafuturegeneration."

Rhea L Nath

''Only16percent ofAustralians in STEM professionsarewomen, although the population in terms ofgender is fairlyeven''

BY NIKEETABHATIA

orseven-year-old Vishwa Solanki, whohasspent n1oreofherlifein hospital than anywhereelse, the Diwalijustpassedhasbeenavery special one.

Herwishfora'princessroon1'wasgranted, andshewasthriUedwhenshesawituponher returnfromanotherboutinhospital.

"Now Ihave so1newherethatisbeautiful tosleep - it'snothinglikethe hospital," Vishwasaidhapply.

Herwishwas realised thanks to the StarlightChildren's Foundation,which workswithseriouslyiU kidsbringing themfunand happiness thathasalasting positive impactontheirlives.

Throughthestressofhospitallife, Vishwa and herfamilyfoundjoyinthe StarlightChildren's Foundation.

Vishwa's mum Mital said, "Starlight has changed ourlives; ithas broughthappiness outofasituation ofsadness."

Atjusttwoweeksold,and afterthree harddaysinthe ICU,Vishwa wassadly diagnosedwith the kidneydisease CongenitalNephroticSyndron1e. She spentthefirstfewmonths ofherlifeinThe Children's Hospitalat Westinead.

"Weweredevastated," Mitalrecalled. "Insteadofbeingho1newithus, Vishwa lived inhospital forthe first coupleof monthsofherlife."

Afterbeingdischarged, Vishwa returned tothe hospitalfourtimesaweek. Doctors toldthefamily thatVishwawould need a

Vishwawithfamily

kidney transplant. Vishwa'sgrandn1other, 'Nanima',travelled from India toAustralia tobe thedonorforherfour-year-old granddaughter.

"Nanin1aandVishwa nowshareavery specialbond," Mitalrevealed.

Thoughpositivefrom theaftermathofthe surgery,Vishwa wassadlydiagnosedwith anotherlife-threateningconditionearlierthis year. Increasedtimeinhospitalresultedin Vishwanotbeingabletoattendschool. She missedherbabysisterRishwa,andcooking anddancingwithhermumathome.Vishwa alsolostherhairduetotreatment,but bravelydecidedtodonateittosomeoneelse.

Thefamilydiscovered Stai-lightduring thelongdaysinhospital. Itsvolunteers, named 'Captain Starlight'helpedVishwa tosimplyenjoybeinga kid intimesof worryanduncertainty.

"CaptainStai-lightissobeneficialforkids' e1notions," Mitalsaid. "AssoonasVishwa seestheCaptains,she'sheroldselfagain."

HappinessalsoarrivedwhenVishwawas grantedherStarlightWish.AsVishwaloves

playingprincesses shewishedforaprincess roomforherandhersister.Theanticipation andexcitementhelpedVishwa through the toughdaysat the hospital.

"Shelovedplanningeveryelementofher dreamroom,fromtheprincessdressing tabletothepinkcushions,"Mitaldivulged. "Itgavehersomethingfuntodo inhospital."

Vishwawasveryexcitedwhenshe saw thefinished roomjustdaysbefore Diwali. Shenowlovestoplayprincesseswithher littlesisterand friends andsharephotosof her newroom.

Herparentsarethankfulthatthedouble celebration willgiveVishwamany happy memories.TheWishcoincidingwith Diwalihasaddedlotsofcolourandlight inherlife.Mitalisverythankfulto the Starlightcommunity:

"Averybigthankyou. Vishwa'sStarlight WishislikeabigDiwalipresentforour familyatsuchaspecialtimeofyear. We couldneverhavedonethisonourown. Starlighthaschangedourlife;bringingus outofthesadnessfeelslikeanewlifeforus."

Inhospital

StarlightChildren's Foundation workcloselywith theirhospital and healthcare partners todeliverhappinessto hospitalised children inAustralia. Starlight CEO LouiseBaxtersays, "Beingseriously ill shouldn't mean missingout onthe funof childhood, especiallywhen evidence shows happiness helpskidsbounce backafter goingthroughtoughtimes".

ByChristmas2020, Starlightwill have grantedmore than 350 life-changing StarlightWishes, provided over 113,000 positive Captain Starlightexperiences, and broadcastedover 16,000 hoursofStarlight TV to hospitalwards.

Vishwa'sPrincessRoomis partofthe StarlightChildren'sFoundation2020 ChristmasAppeal. Theappealiscurrently attemptingto raise $1.3 1nillion tohelp bringhappinessto morethan 30,000sick children in hospitalandthe community thisChristmas.

Youcandonatebyvisitingstarlight.org. au/Christmastogivethegiftofhappinessto sickchildrenthisChristmas.

• How the Starlight Foundation brightened up little Vishwa's life

yndhamDiwalihasplayed acentralroleinbringing con1munitiestogetherto celebrateandsharethefestival oflightsDiwaliorDeepavaliwiththe broadercomn1unityforeightyears. .DespitethechallengesofCovid-19this year,theWyndha1nDiwaliVirtualOnline Festivalin2020providedanopportunity forthespiritandmeaningofDiwali andIndianculturetobesharedwith allVictorians,andforotherculturesto participateinDiwalicelebrations.

Over45performancesJndian,andfrom othercultures,werelivestreamedon Facebook,MeTVandYouTube,alongwith Diwalin1essagesfron1thePrimeMinister ScottMorrison,thePremierDaniel Andrews,LeaderoftheOppositionMichael

X

O'BrienandotherStateandFederal MinistersandMembersofParliament.

Diwalin1essageswerealsolivestreamed fro1nVivNguyen,Chairpersonofthe VictorianMulticulturalComn1ission, EddieMicallef, ChairpersonoftheEthnic Com1nunitiesCouncilof Victoria,andnumerous cross-culturalleaders.

"TheWyndhamDiwali2020Festival wastruetoourorganisation'svisionwhich isManyCultures-OneNation,"Jenny Matic,SpokespersonofWyndhamDiwali Inc.said,"Itservesasaplatformfor celebrationallearningaboutothercultures, whichinturnbuildsculturaltoleranceand communitycohesion."

Ontheday,thousandsofVictoriansand

1300 643 287 X X

internationalparticipantscametogether inthespiritofDiwalitospreadpositive cheer,markthestartofnewbeginnings, andenjoythevastarrayofenthusiastic perforn1ancesrangingfron1those takingtheirfirststepsin theperformingartsto professionalperformers.

"Itisfantastictoseethe WyndhamDiwali2020 VirtualFestivalperformancescontinueto beviewedonlineweeksaftertheofficial festivallivestreamevent,"spokesperson SrinivasSheshamsaid."Wehopethe performancescontinuetobringjoyand cheertothecomn1unityintothefuture, particularlythosewhoaresociallyisolated. ThisyearWyndhamDiwalilaunched ahomedecorationcontestproudly

CHANGING TRAVEL

supportedbyTAAL"

Theeventwasputtogetherinrecordfive weeks,thankstotheeffortofteammen1bers JennyMatic,ChristinaChia,Sudarshan Sritharan,RajbeerKaurandSrihari Kommineni.Valuedsupportcameinfrom theStateGovernment,theMentalHealth Foundation,TeluguAssociationofAustralia Inc(TAA1),DennisFamilyCorporation, andpeaknationalIndiancomn1unitybodies likeCIAA,FIAV,FIMOandFIMDV.

"MostofallonbehalfoftheExecutive Con1mitteeofWyndhamDiwaliInc,Iwould liketothankourperformersandallthose whoparticipatedinour2020Festival," SrinivasSheshamsaid."Buildingonthe soundfoundationsofpriorfestivals,withyour continuedsupport,wehopetobringabigger andbetterWyndhamDiwaliinthenewyear."

WemaylovetohateonthescorchingAussie Decemberrollsaround,outcometheclassics: fansandmore.Thissummer,RHEALNATH decidedtoembracethecliches!Here's momentsyou'reboundtoencounter-

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Who says you can't 1ind a great gift for $20 and below?

BY BAGESHRI SAVYASACHI

nthequestto findthatperfectpresent this time ofyear, even the n1ost thoughtful effortscan so111etimes burna holein yourwallet. lsiteven possible to find adecentpresentforlessthan $20 ? Well, challenge accepted! Whetheryou have aplanned Christmas budgetoryou're flatbroke,theseideas forpresentswill make everyonewishyou were theirSecret Santatoo.

1. Personal care bundles

When indoubt, giftbundles are agreat waytogo. Without endorsingthem too much, I'd sayBodyShopgiftbundles are aguaranteed winner. Allyou have to do is walkin,pickyourfavourite onewhich comeswith acon1binationofsoaps, gels, bars orperfu111es,and they'll wrapitup for you. Unbelievably,youcangetoneunder $10 attheirsales.

2.

Mugs

The one thingthateveryoneneeds! Regardless ofyourrelationshipwiththe giftreceiver, thisis somethingthatthey would use and appreciate. A mugwitha cute cartoonornoveltydesignwould leave themsmiling. lfyou wanttogoone step

further,youcould alsoincludea small pack ofteabagsorcinnamon and clovesinside the mugasa bonusgift.

3. Thrift stores

Some people maynot optforthis option because they like togivenewlybought presents. However, ifyou are someone who'slookingto reduce theircarbon footprint and stop morewaste from endingup in garbage mines, thisis a goodway togo. Any Red Cross, Salvos orVinnies inyoursuburbwould have enough unique clothes and otherantique knick-knacks to produce the perfect present.

4. :Jewellery

Tinyjewellerystoreslike Lovisaand Accessorize have extremelybudget-friendly options.Around thistime, I've spotted some extremelyadorable festivedesigns likecandycanes, Christmastrees,or snowflakesasearrings.Alongthe linesof 4 pairsofearringsfor$10,the dealsonly getbetterasyouincreaseyourbudget. Astud orringfortheirpiercing would be a niceadditionto theircollection. (Some folksevencollectfingerand toerings!)

5. USB drive, SD/Memory cards

Thisis possiblythemostpracticalpresent you cangiveanyone. Peopleneed to

backup theirdata! Asmall 64GB stick costs about $15. Asmaller USBwith 16 GB storage is also availablefor$7 at Harvey Norman. Most ofus coulduse a portablestorage device bandyincasesof unforeseen printing!

6. Postcards ls itjustmeordoesthe State Gallery (and most othergalleries) have the coolest collectionofpostcardsandpaintingprints forsale? Even aquickbrowse in thegallery giftshopwouldbe enough foryoutopick outa fewbeautiesthatyoucan wrap a ribbon around,and it's readyto begifted! Betteryet,purchaseone and postit to themwitha thoughtfulgreetingifyou share that sortofrelationship.

7. Plant accessories

Neighbou1·hood nurseriestendto have smallpotsoffloweringplants and succulentsfor3-4dolJars,or3 potsfor $10. Besides,gardeningandtendingto plantsisagoodbobbythissummer; the rightseasontoplant abunchofmarigolds oragorgeoustomatosapling. (It'sreally nosurprise thatmoreandmore ofus developed agreenthun1b to beco111e 'plant parents'duringlockdown!)

8. Postersat Officeworks Officeworkshas agreatdealonprinting posters. Alarge-scaleprintofyoursecret

Santa receiver'srolemodel (youcould find outthat info Cromyourcolleagues/friends) orastiJL fron1 their favourite movie orTV showwould defin_itelyget themexcited abouttheposter. Al sizeposterscan be printedfor $20anywhere!

9. Magazine subscription

Acurated printordigitalsubscription to a hobbymagazine isn'tson1etliing1nanyof uswould think todo forourselves, making it theideal Christmaspresent! A3-month subscription toTaste Magazine is about $13 and thesa1ne fora Vogue subscription isabout $20.

10. Origami sets

Gift then1 a simple origami setwith instructions! It'sgoodfun and a greatexercisein mindfulness. Asone becomesengrossed in thefoldingactivity, one feelspresent in the1noment,almost findingoneselfin ameditativestate.A setcosts around $20at Dymocks,you canalso buythemonlineonAmazonor Booktopia.

Afterallthis, ifyou can'tbebothered to spendthe $20 ona present,here'satip: justgrabasheet ofpaperand somecolour pencils to makethemapersonalised card. (IfyourartistskiJJsareonpoint,you could evenmakesmallcaricaturesofthem,just foralaugh!)

Afavourite familyactivity in the lead upto Christmas

BY MELISSA DOMINGORAWAT

hristn1aston1e,besidesitsreligious significance,isafeeling,anaroma, aconnectionwith1nyhappiest self.Asachild,tin1estoodstillas wenearedChristrnas. Ma1n1naandIwould driftoffintoan1agicalworldofourown. ChristmasCarolsbyBoneyMwouldbeon repeatandthesn,ellofcaramel,vanillaand butterwouldgentlywaftthroughourlittle apartmentasMarnmaturnedoutgoodyafter goodywithrneasherlittlehelper."Lifeisnot measuredinbankbalancesbutratherin men1ories," Marnmawouldsay.

.I'mnowamum111yselfand Itakeher wisdon1verymuchtoheartasrnykidsandl gatheraroundourkitchenbenchtopton1ake men1orieseachyear. Irnarvelatboththeir abilitytobickerandtheirabilitytowolfdown treatsassoonastheyleavetheoven! Butter Cookiesarebyfarmychildren'sfavourite Christmastreat -allowingthemtoget creativebycuttingoutshapesoftheirchoice. Contrarytomyson'sbelief,dirtyhandsdon't enhancetheflavour.

Theideal ButterCookieisonethatholds itsshapeduringthebakingprocessto emergeasagoldenpieceofflaky,buttery, vanillagoodness. I'dliketogetallfancy andreco111n1endexclusiveingredientsbut really,thisisjustahun1bletreatthattastes wonderfulwithanybrandofingredients.The magicisintheha11dsandinthemoment.

Butter Cookies

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

INGREDIENTS

■ 170gm butter(softenedjustenough to holdafingerprint)

■ 150gm powderedsugar

■ 1largeegg

■ 2tspvanilla extract

■ ¼tspalmond extract

■ 280gmflour

■ 1/2ntsp baking powder

METHOD

■ Usinganelectrichand mixer, beat butteruntilcreamy.

■ Addsugarand continue beatinguntil fluffy.

■ Addegg,vanillaandalmond extract and beattillwellcombined.

■ Combine baking powderandflourin

a bowl.

■ Siftthedryingredientsintothewet ingredients little bylittleand keep beatingata lowspeed until the dough isjustcombined. DO NOT overbeat.

■ Add 1or2tbspextraflourifneeded toadjustthedoughto rollable consistency.

■ Dividedough intotwoequal parts. Roll into¼inchthickdiscs,cling wrapand refrigerateforan hour.

■ Oncechilled, rolloutandcutshapes with cookiecuttersofchoice.

■ Bake in preheated ovenat175deg Cforaround 8-10 minutesoruntil theedgesofthecookiesjuststartto becomegolden.

BY SANDIPHOR

cenes from the 1985 film Out ofAfrica keptflashingin my n1indwhen 1 touredKenyaand Tanzaniaafewyearsago.

MerylStreepandRobertRedford,the starsfrotnthatclassicfilm, strike meagain whenbackinawildlifeenvironmentrecently.

As dawn breaksout, Istandin the veranda of1nylodge and watch antelopes, elandsandzebrasgrazing, giraffes stretching outtograb theirbreakfasthigh in thetrees, andtworhinoscrowding arounda waterhole. Whilebirds chirp freely, a lion roarsnottoo faraway. The morningsun starts colouringthe dry

savannah thatstretchesoutbefore me. l feellike l'm at one of those tented acco1nmodation outletsinside the wildlife parksin Africa, butin reality, I am not too farfrom myborne in Sydney.

I am atthe Zoofari Animal View Lodge insideTarongaWestern PlainsZoo in Dubbo, locatedinthe GreatWestern Plains region of NSW, about400k1n northwestofSydney.

This300-hectareoasisofwoodlandand irrigatedgrasslandis hometo4,000animals fromover 350species,someofthem endangered.Theyfreelywanderin their self-containedhideouts without metalbars, cagesandconcreteslabs;cleveruseoflakes, moatsandunobtrusivefencingseparate themfromvisitors.Thisinvariably createsa pseudojunglescenal'ioand theilnpression ofbeingalinostfacetofacewiththeanimal world,likeinarealwildlife reserve.

With,nanyCOVID-19travel restrictions in placecurrently,thenot-too-farandeasily connectedDubbohasemerged asanideal destinationforafewdaysescapefromurban life.Thekeyattractionhereisthe natural sanctuarywhichbestowsatasteofAfrica rightin ourownbackyard.

TheAfrican1ood escalateswhenstaying overnightattheuniqueZoofariretreat. EverythingisAfrica-inspired,fron1thestyle ofthecottagesand themealsprovided, to bookson Africanwildlifeand abinocular in theroomforacloserviewoftheanimals. Eachofthetenindividualair-conditioned, tent-likecottagesfeaturesaprivateensuite andashaded deckforanimalviewing,and containsaking-size andadoublesofabed tosleepafamilyoffour.The2-day, 1-night stayingpackageadditionallycoverszoo ad1nission,two exclusiveguidedtourson anAfricainspired safaritruck- onein thenightfollowedbyanotherearlyinthe morning-bikehire,anddinnerandan a-lacartebreakfastserved attheadjacent

guesthouse,where thewell-stockedbarwill quenchyourthirstwheneverneeded. There are otherstayingoptionsinside thezoo. Tucked inside nativebushes nearthe AnimalViewingLodgesarefive Bushland Lodges,whichoffersimilar accommodationfacilitiesbutnoanimal viewingfromtheroom. Foradventureminded and budget-conscious travellers, self-contained SavanahCabinsand BillabongCampsare ideal. Bothare located notfarfromthemainzooarena.

Duringmytwo-daystay, 1 come acrossalmosteveryspecies thatI have encountered in n1ytravels to Africa. While meanderinga 6kmcircuitthrough the naturalbushland ofvarious types of treesfrom eucalyptusandgumto African acacia, I spotgiraffes, zebras,elands, antelopes and rhinosgrazinginsprawling savannah,Africanwilddogsrestingunder a tree,l1ippos slumpingin the muddy pools and elephantsplayfullyshruggingoff the dustfrom theirbodies. However, the

TRAVEL NOTEBOOK

e GETTING THERE Dubbo iswell connected byroad and air. However, arelaxingwayto reachthere isby rail (wwwnswtrainlink.info) The6.5-hour journey fromSydneyCentral station offerspassengersa greatvistaof rural Australia.

• GETTING AROUND THE ZOO Whilethe energetic prefertowalkorride bikes, it ispossibletodrive yourowncarorride onanelectric carttobe booked prior.

adrenalinepumping thrillscomefrom the bigcats - lions,cheetahsandtigers.The longpause tosee themappearonthe scene remindssimilarwaitingspellsinside the sanctuaries in Africaand in lndia tospot thefamous Royal BengalTigers.

Thiszooprovidesmuch more than animaldisplays. ltisalsoaneducation base, aresearchhub,and aworld-renowned wildlifeconservationcentreforspecies from throughouttheworld. Sinceopening in 1977,thezoo bassuccessfullybreda numberofanimals,includingblackrhinos, Asian elephants, lions, hipposand more.

A motivating part of thejourney hereisthe learningexperience.The omniscientzookeepersprovideinteresting information aboutthe animals - their habits,behaviours,diet, mating, gestation periods and manymore factsand figures, like thedifferencebetweenblackand white rhinosand whyAfricanelephantshave muchbigger earscomparedto theirAsian counterparts.

FirstofitskindinAustralia, thiszoois alsoan idealvenueforthefamilyto relax andenjoy. Inside thesprawlingcomplex therearetwo cafes andplenty ofplaces to restorenjoyapicnicin thesun orunder shadytrees.

Foranyonewhohasn'tbeenonawildlife safaritourto AfricaorIndia, thiszoo offers thesights,soundsandsmellsofanatural setting,adequate toignite thoughtsof travellingthereinthefutureto seeanimals intheirownnaturalenvironment.

• ACCOMMODATION INSIDE THE ZOO Checkwww.taronga.org.au/ accommodationforZoofariLodge bookings.

e DUBBO CITY ACCOMMODATION There areplentyof motelsinDubbo cityfrom wherethezoo isonlya shortdrive away CleanandtidyShearingShed MotorInn (www.shearingshedmotel.com.au)isa good choice.

• EATING OUT Thereare many good cafes and restaurantsinthecity Popular amonglocalsandvisitorsfor good food and service isRoyal IndianRestobar (www.royalindiarestobar.com.au).

On the cultural appropriation of a treasured Hindu symbol: Dancer RaghavHonda at the Sydney Dance Company

BY BAGESHRI SAVYASACHI

horeographerRaghav Handa's latestproduction CultofThe Titansco1neswithacontent warn1ng.

Theworkcontainsi1nagesoftheswastika .. Patrons(have)theopportunitytoleavethe theatreiftheywish.

Thepiece isincludedintheshow New Breed2020,theSydneyDanceCon1pany's annualcelebrationofthebesten1erging Australianchoreography. Handaisone offourchoreographersfeaturedinthe con1pany'srecentreturntothestageaftera yearofcancelledshows Ste1runingfro1ndeep within the choreographer'sHindu roots,thepieceis intendedtoreclaimthereligioussymbol swastika,itsimagetarnishedafteritwas stolenbyNazis Synony1noustodaywithfascisn1,the swastikahasforcenturiesstoodfor"wellbeing",itsliteral1neaningintheancient Sanskritlanguage.

"Peoplelookattheswastikapurelyas asyn1bolofhatred," Handalamentedto IndianLink. "Instead,wecouldactually startaconversationandaskhowwecanresanctifywhatwasoriginallyn1eantforpeace, happinessandgoodfortune."

Hindureaders1nayhavehadthisvery conversationonmorethanoneoccasion withtheirmainstreamfriends,perhapsas recentlyasDiwalionlydaysago,whenthe swastikawastobefoundalloverIndian homes,paintedondoorstepsandincludedin floordecorations

ButRaghavwelcomedthatcontent warning,givenhedidencountersomeminor hiccupsintheprocess

"Oneoftheperformersfeltreally uncomfortableaboutrehearsingthepiece andcarryingonwiththeperformance, whichI reallyrespectaseverybodyisgoing tohavedifferentreactionstothis, sowehad tohaveachangeofcastatthelastminute," herevealed

Theintentofthepieceisloudandclear fron1theveryoutset,withtheimageofthe swastikaappearinginthedark,son1ewhat menacinginitslookandfeel Dancers attempttostandinfrontofitandmoveinits imagery.

Soon,amidstmoresootningmusic,apair ofcharactersrepresentingtheswastika's Hindu originsareintroduced,embodying, as Raghavnotes,the"macrocosm"andthe "microcosm".

Theirgracefulsynchronousmovements, gentlefacialexpressionsandcomfortable multicolouredclothingexudeacalming effect.Theydemonstratetheoriginalunity andharmonythattheswastikasymbol representsinHinducultui-e

Contrastingly,lurkingintheshadows, agroupofantagonistsstanddressedin dullmonochromaticrobesthatcanbe interpretedasuniforms

Suddenlyanddramatically,oneof theminfiltratesthepair'selegantduetby aggressivelyinterruptingtheirflow.This interruptionresultsintheradicalseparation ofthetwoentitieswhere oneofthemis hijackedbythefascistgroupandforcedto danceintheircircle.

Afteraperiodofvisibleconflict,theevil doers' dancecomestoan endrepresenting thefalloftheNaziregime;thetwo entitiesstruggletore-unite,portrayingthe swastika'sattemptatfindingitsrootsinan atmosphereofstigma Handasaidlaterhedidn'twanttocreate

justapieceof"sensationalisedart"but intendedittobea validconversationtobe hadbecause"itcomeswithanintentionto uniteratherthandivide".

Hewasgladtoreportthatoverall,the workgarneredsupport.

"LeadersoftheJewishcon1munity attendedtheperformancetolendtheir supporttothisconversation,andl thinkthat wasremarkable,"hestated

Therecitalforcedonetositupandwatch intently.The 1novementsstunnedwiththeir starkmilitaristicchoreographyaswellas subtleglimpsesofIndianKathakmudras, revealingRaghav'scharacteristicstyle ina self-described"contemporarylanguage".

Themusiccomposedby Jan1esBrown withtablaandvocalstylingsofMaharshi RavalandRaghavhimselfcarriedone seamlesslythroughtheabstractstorytelling. Intheend,the"seductivepull"ofthe swastika'stragicmainstreamrepresentations stoodsuitablyde-weaponised Translatingthepainfullossofthe swastika'soriginalsignificance,manywould leave theperformancewitharefreshed opinion,oratleastallowittochipaway atthesymbol'sprolongedandgross misappropriation.

DARBAAN (ZEES)

STARRING: Sharib Hashmi, Sharad Kelkar, Rasika Dugal, FloraSaini, Harsh Chhaya

DIRECTOR: Bipin Nadkarni

Itiseasyto makeafilm ifyour material athand isTagore.Then again, itisjustashard,thinkofthe purists. NationalAward-winningMarathi filmmakerBipin Nadkarni makes his Hindi debutstraddlingthoseprosand cons.

Nadkarni'sfilm ridesasecond asset besidesthe hallmark emotive nuances thatcomewith a RabindranathTagore classic. Sharib Hashmi maystill notdraw immediate recallformany Bollywood buffs, butchancesare-if you recognise him from Filmistaan or thewebseries The FamilyMan -you know him as an actorwhodoesn't need much ofan effortto light upa scene. With atitle role in Darbaan,

A COMMENT ON CLASS DIVIDE

I Nadkarnigives Hashmi an entirefilm

I toflaunt hisskills.

I Nadkarniand co-writerRakesh JadhavdrawfromTagore's 1918

I shortstory KhokababurProttaborton, I and reimaginethe plotintheearly 1 seventies.Thiswasanerathat marked the end ofprivatecoal mines

I in India. Raicharan (SharibHashmi)

I isa loyal darbaan in thehousehold

I ofone such mineowner(Harsh Chhaya),and hisjobisto lookafter

I the miner's infantson, Anukul.The I yearspass, and Anukul is nowa fine youngman (Sharad Kelkar). Raicharan I is presentlyentrusted withthejob of I lookingafterAnukul's littleboySiddhu.

I However,a twistoffateawaits

I Raicharan,onethatwill changelifefor allcharactersofthestoryforever.

I Nadkarni andteamworkwiththe

I basicoutlineofTagore'swork, but I havealtered a lotofthestoryline, obviouslytosuitmodern-daytastes I andfita simplistic, mainstream I cinema narrative.Credibly,thefilm I remainsa visuallyappealingperiod 1 piece.Thecinematography(Amalendu Chaudhary) vividlycapturesa sleepy I EastIndian coalminetownand 1 adjoiningscenic landscape.

Thestoryunfoldsata relaxed I pace. It isalmostas if Nadkarni I wastryingto underlinetheold-world I charmaboutthefilm'ssetting,as

wellasthe virtueofselflessnessit professesthrough Raicharan'sfinal actofsacrifice. Itisanactthatis, I idealisticallyspeaking, momentous. Butitcouldseem hardto relateto I formanyinthis dayandage.Without I givingawayspoilers, Raicharan'sfinal

sacrifice, romanticised as it is, gives thestorya heart-warmingclosure. ForSharib Hashmi,this ishis biggestrolesincethe2014 release Filmistaan, andalsomoreintricate thanthatfilm inthe playofemotions itdemands.The actordoesbrilliantly and Raicharan resonates inyour mind longafterthefilm.Almostall ofthe castfittheirroles perfectly, notably Sharad Kelkarasthegrown-upAnukul and Rasika Dugal as Raicharan'swife Bhuri.

Nadkarni'sfilmavoidsthedeeper psychological contextsofTagore's story. It remainspoignantdrama, nonetheless, weavinga commenton classdivide into itsstoryofan affluent scion and hiscaretakerwithout gettingtoo in-your-face about it.

Vinayak Chakravorty

Have changes been proposed to your electoral district?

Theelectoral districts in NewSouthWales are being reviewed.This is a legal process called redistribution and ensureswehave approximately the same numberofvoters in each oftheState's 93 electoral districts. A redistribution isaconsultative process. Feedbackfromthefirst round ofpublicconsultation has beentaken intoaccountto produce a setof proposed electoral district namesand boundaries.This is called the draftdetermination.

Thedraftdetermination and reasonsforany proposed changes are available onthe NSW Electoral Commission website,at elections.nsw.gov.au/redistribution

The Electoral DistrictsRedistribution Panel nowinviteswritten submissions relatingtothe draftdetermination.Anysubmissions lodged duringthesubmission period will bepublished onthe NSW Electoral Commissionwebsitefor publicinspection and comment.

Following closureofthe submissions period on Wednesday, 9 December 2020, a further 14-dayperiod ofpublicconsultation will commence, with comments onthosesubmissions beinginvited.Anycomments received during this period will also be published onthe NSW Electoral Commission website for publicinspection.

To see ifyourelectoral district is affected bythe proposedchanges, and tohave your say,visitthe NSWElectoral Commissionwebsite,at elections.nsw.gov.au/redistribution

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December

2020

BY MINAL KHONA

MinaIKhonahasbeen readingtarotcardsfor the lasttwo decades. She usesherintuitionand connectwiththecardsmostlyto helppeople.

The usuallyfieryAriescouldbeeven morecharged upthis monthas they pickthecardthat standsfor Leos. Indulge your passions, strengthen your spiritualfoundation, and let go ofthe past. Expectchallengesin your personaland professionallife. Keep atit onthe workfront; duecredit and rewardswillcome. If inarelationship, you couldbeconsidering marriage. Patience andempathyin atroublesome situationcan improve your love life. Debts getcleared.

TheAceofPentaclescard standsfor anewbeginning; mostlyinthework and practical realmof life.Thismonth, youthinkwith your headandare not willingto put upwithunsupportive friendsorfamily. Past problems endand aproject atworkwill be successfullycompleted. Businesswill improveifit hasbeen slow.Youmay resortto alternative remediesfor a health issue. A romancecould give you stress as youcan'tmake upyour mind.

I You pickthecardforCapricornthis I month soGeminiswill be slightly more I practical regardingtheirideas.Youwill experience ambitiousmomentswhere I you wishto succeedno matterwhat. I Skirmishesin relationshipsare dealt withmaturely. Aneventor personwill I makethingsbetteratworkthatwill I improve your mood. If you havethroatI related health issues, itcouldmean you are not sayingwhat you reallywantto.

I You shouldbeopento newideasthis I month.

I I I I I I I I I I --------I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Acycle isnearingcompletionand anotherone isdueto begin. Watchout for someonewhomay deceive you.This could be ina relationshipor withwork and money.Aclandestine love affair couldalsobeonthecards.Conflictsat work make youtensebutyour self-control keepsthingsincheck. Afeelingofdread needstobeexamined asyoucouldbe misled.Someoneclosecouldletyou down.Youmayexperience insomniaor suspiciouslumps. Followyour gutinstinct.

I Amonthofactivities,childhoodmemories andleavingbehindsomethingfor a I newpath.Ifsingle, youwillbeopento I newromance.Anewcareeropportunity couldcomeyourwaywhichmakesyou I happy.Spiritual guidancechangesyour I perspective. Yourfinancesarebetterthan youexpected.Fatigue bogs you down I butyouwillplodon. Writersmeetwith

I successandcouldgetpublished.Analyse I I allyourideas; youwillknowwhichoneis I rightfor you.Thingswillworkoutwell.

I I I

Youfindyourselfatacrossroadsthis monthinwork, love, life, home andall thatmatters.Thingsmaybe stressful

I

Youmaybefacedwithadditional I responsibilitiesduetotheactionsof I someoneelse.Inthemoodtofinish I projectsandtie uplooseends, you mayend uptakingonmorethan you I should. Make sure youtake restor you I will beexhaustedwithhome andwork

chores.Atwork, youmaywanttolook for somethingdifferentto do.A rocky relationshipmay not revive despite your bestefforts.Yououtgrow someoneon theemotionalfront.

I •--------- • I I I I I I

I I

I The suncard standsforthe number 1 I whichimpliesanewbeginningisathand.

butthe situationistemporary.A new acquaintance maywellturnoutto be your soulmateor BFF. Workmay have some unpleasantsituationsthatyou have todealwithbuttensionswilleaseoff I tofeelmotivatedagain.Therecouldbe an announcementofa pregnancyinthe eventually.Stressmakesyou determined to solve problemsandyouwill.Visitthe dentistifyou can. Financesimprovethis monthandluckiswithyou.

I I I I I I I I

BY LPAYER

tisearly Decen1ber.Atthistimeofyear, acertainworkshopatthe northernmost point oftheearthis usuallybuzzing with activity, 111akingtoysandgift iten1s. Unfortunately, like everythingelse around theglobe, thisyearitissomewhat lessactive,eventhoughitisnotlocked down (waytoofarfromWuhanforthat).

Its ownerSanta Claus-akindlysoul witha pot belly, snow-whitebeard and largeheart-haschampionedthe tradition ofdistributinghisfactorywarestochildren around theworld in awhirlwind tripof less than aday.To dothis, heplans his flight path meticulously. In recentyears hehasfoundthisbecomingincreasingly complicated,withwar cloudslooming in n,anyparts.Thisyearitis even more difficult.Althoughthe airspace itselfis veryclearwithnoplanesinflight, the new challengecon,esfromnations choosing toclose theirborders.

SantaClaus spendslong hours in hisstudyporingover a large world map with green, orange and redmarkers.His custon,aryfirst spot,America, isevenlydividedbetween red andbluezonesshowing howdisunited itis. Its (ex?) co1nn1ander-in-chiefis fightingforhisjob althoughheeasilywon his briefbattle with COVID, presumably takinga largedose ofself-prescribed disinfectant. Doubts arise in Santa's mind whethertogo or skip. Finally, a red tick, and he moves on toBritain.

Jts head honchoBoJo, afterastint in the ICU, recovered his mojobutonly

briefly, asa secondwave ofcoronais creepingthere. Maybe nextyear.

France, Spain, and Italy, the spiritual home ofFatherChristmas, are all swept upbyasecond wave too;hereluctantly scratchesthemoffhisitinerary.

Middle Easthasbeen the'missingeast' forseveralyears,withactualwarsand civilwarsscarringthe land from Syriato Afghanistan.

When itcomestothe

countryjusteastofAfghanistan,Santa alwaysrecalls'Beefy' Botham'sfamous line,"Jtisthe sortofplaceeveryman should send his mother-in-lawto,fora month, all expensespaid."

India ofcourse has beenoneofSanta's favouriteplacestovisit,whereChristmas iscelebratedin manypartswith the samegustoas Diwali. Forthepastfew years,he has an added affinitysince that country'sheadman NaMo

looks somewhat like him. But this tiine, withits large corona count,Santathinks twicebeforegivingit asaffronmark,tobe reviewed closerto the date.

GoingovertheHimalayas isalwaysa delight,withsnow-cladpeaks andcrystalclearwaterflowingfromthe meltingsnow formingn,ightyriversliketheGanges, Sind, Yamuna and Brahmaputra. But picturesofopposingarmiescampedthere cause someconcern. Whenviewedfrom the air, thatpartoftheglobe looks so gloriousthat Santawonderswhyanyone wants toping thatpristine landandruin the peace. Aparadise (Xi)jinxed? Maybe the PRC, with aneye on all thosewaters forthefuture, want their southern 'bhais' shown theirplace.

Forthe past twodecadesMr.Claushas shown keen interestin visitingChina, his biggestcompetitor in makingtoys of all sorts-elementaryto electronic-so he couldpickup a fewclues. He's had no luck, though. Bamboocurtains are noteasytobreakthrough. Is it safe togo there?Although this iswhere thevirus originated, there isn'tawhisperofanother wave. While there ispandemonium everywhere else, thereareno pandemicsin the landofpandas. Santa, abitwary, places abig redtickfor RedChina. With not manycountries lefttogoto,Santa lowershiseyesand spotsAustralia. Its supermarketshelves brimmingwithtoilet rolls,andbeerand spiritswalkingout thedoorofbottle shops, Santa feels thiscountrylooks likeitisbackto normal. Corona is conquered. Heponders forafewsecondsthough -whatifasecondwavehits?

"Stop makingtoys," Santa issuesan order tohiselves. "Startontoiletrolls. That'swhat theyvalue Down Under."

How Santa is working out his new route this year

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