2021-01 Melbourne

MANJITS HOSPITALITY

...

For almost four decades, Manjits has ben an industry leader in event management, catering and hospitality of Indian and subcontinental Asian celebrations and corporate experiences.

With a passion for creative vision, we know exactly how the correct styling, themeing and entertainment can enhance the ambiance, evoke inspiration and result in the overall success of an event. From boardroom lunches, to Presidential dinners, to million-dollar weddings, the Manjits Catering team has seen it all and understand the importance of nailing the typical, delivering on the creative, paying attention to the details and serving with passion.

138-144 Majors Bay Road Concord NSW I (02) 9736 3366

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PUBLISHER PawanLuthra EDITOR

RajniAnand Luthra

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CONTRIBUTORS

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on an

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

venbeforetheSiraj-Bumrah scandalatSydney'sPinkTest hadbeenfullyinvestigatedby authorities,thenatureofthe discoursewasclearforthosewatching thelargerIndia-Ozequation.Howis thisgoingtobereportedintheIndian media,andwhatrepercussionswillit haveonthebroaderrelationship?

Itwasnotthatlongago,onlytenyears infact,whenthetwonationsstaredat astalematefollowingtheinternational studentfiasco.Headlinesofaracist Australiascreamedacrossthefront pagesofIndianmedia.

Australiathenspenttimeand 1noneyinreinforcingitsmulticultural acceptanceofIndiaandIndians.Some statesdiditwell.Victoriasuccessfully createdthisgoodwillandhasbenefitted withlargerinflowsofIndianstudents andtourists.NSWdidtakeupthe challengebutsadly,haslostinterestin thisarea.TheartsfestivalParramasala whichwasinitiatedfortheIndian

communityafterthe2009studentriots, isnowasadmishmashofallthings multiculturalwithnostandoutfeatures towhatwasoriginallyintended. IndiaandAustraliaarebothaware thatasmoothrelationshipismutually beneficial.It'snowunderstoodata deeperlevel,givenstrategicdefenceand geopoliticalelementshavebeenthrown intothemix.Thenewlyappointed AustralianTradeMinisterDanTehanis desperatelylookingatnewmarketsafter ChinahasshutdownmajorAustralian exports.ThenatureofChina's aggressioninthispartoftheworldhas alsoforcedIndiaandAustraliaincloser defencecooperation.

Andyet,itislamented,asportingspat canputaspannerintheworksandstall yearsofsoftpowerdiplomacy.

Thejury'sstilloutonwhetherthe spectators'behaviourwasracistor justladsknockingbackafewbeers. Eitherway,itwasdisrespectful.And unpardonable.

Inwhatshouldbeconsidered'another dayintheoffice'fortheplayersas theystepontothefield,thiskindof behaviourfromthecrowdscanamplify personaldemons.ConsiderSiraj,who losthisfatherwhileontourhereand

couldnotmakeitbackforthefuneral duetoCOVIDrestrictions.Histearsat theIndiannationalanthempriortothe startoftheTesttooksocialmediaby storm.

Perhapsevenmorereprehensible wasthespatoutinthe1niddle,as twoofAustralia'smostrespectedand admiration-worthystarsletatoughday getthebetterofthem,foralltohear (andsee)thankstostump-miesand stump-cams.BothAustraliancaptain TimPaineandseniormemberSteve Smithshouldknowbetterthantoallow theirfrustrationstotakeoverinstinct. Asregardsthecrowdbehaviour, whatweneediseducationoncasual racism-meaningfuldiscussionson howwordscanhurt.Otherwise,Siraj's stancemidfield,pointingtothecrowds intheverysamemannerasAFL legendAdamGeodeswhenan audiencemembercalledhiman'ape', willbecomeamorecommonoccurrence -asitrightlyshould,becausesuch behaviourneedstobecalledoutloud andclear.

Asfarasrepercussionsgo,perhaps PaineandSmithwillfeelthebrunt moreseverelythanthebroaderbilateral relationship.

ADVERTISEM

EVERY TEST HELPS US STAY TOGETHER

Every test for coronavirus (COVID-19) is helping us keep our families together and our communities open.

If you have any symptoms, get tested. Even if you have been tested before.

Every test helps.

STAY

#WHEREININDIA

Thisfamoustemplecoveredinsnow last winter waspopularlyfeaturedin theHindifilm Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewaniin 2013.Perhapsitwasaneasy one - readers Meet Kaur, Ramneek Sharma, Aashna Mlttal, Jlljilmary Augustine, Charuta Vaze and Ashhlma Verma got the correct answer: HidimbaTemplein Manali.

RAKSHITHA LIVES ON IN NINEOTHERS

RAJNI ANAND LUTHRAshared the moving story of internationalstudent

Rakshitha Mallepally, who saved nine Australianlives with organ donation aftera tragic accident on New Year's Eve

Sukhpal Sangha wrote: Proudof her.

Naresh Sharma wrote: Hopeitinspiresothersto becomeorgandonorstoo Ifwecan'thelpotherswhileweare alive,thisisthe veryleast wecando.A requesttoeveryone-pleaseconsider becomingadonor.

Rekha Kanth wrote:Very saddenedto readabout thefatality.At thesame time, feelextremelyproud aboutthesupportthathasbeenextended. Her devastated parents givingconsentfor organ donation. Herfriendscollecting $62,000to pay off loans. Makesmebelievethat thereare stillmany thatare veryhuman.OmShanti.

Ramanl Dokka wrote:Sheliveson truetohername

Chltra Iyer wrote:Sosadtohearofher death,buthowmagnanimousofher friendandher parentsto overcomepersonal feelingsand donateherorgans.

Sadhana Khare wrote:Greatserviceformankind.

Shlvkumar Mahallngam wrote:Shestilt livesin theformofninepersons.

Hatsoff to all thehelp byfellow Indians andfriends. Great work bySreenadh forthetimely responseand in convincingher family to agree totheorgan donation.Ourheartfeltcondolencesto Rakshita'sfamilyandfriends.Om Shanti.

Deepa Somasundaram wrote: RIP Rakshitha. May allthe recipientslivea healthylife through you.

Thakor Patel wrote: MayAlmighty appreciate Rakshitha'sinvaluabledonation and grantherpeace.

Jacob Modayil Oommen wrote: Forthe parents,the decisionwasa very toughone. ForSreenadh,the decision togetinvolvedwas atoughone.The accidentitself was abad and undesirableincident.Butthreepeople whohad visionbeyondthemselvesturned thewholethingaround.Skilleddoctorsdid their bit,andninepeoplereceived afreshleaseoflife.Sreenadh, thanksfor the big lesson. Kudosto theparents. RIP,young one.

Shivkumar Mahalingam wrote:Shestill livesoninthe form onnine persons. Hatsoff to all thehelp,fellow Indians andfriends.Great work bySreenadh forthetimely responseand in convincingherfamilyto agree totheorgan donation.Ourheartfeltcondolencesto Rakshitha'sfamilyandfriends.Om Shanti.

Sivashanmugam Natarajan wrote:Sreenadh, proudof yourservicesas always. Noble deed. May Rakshitha's greatsoul attainSadgathi. May Godgive strengthtoher family (to bear this)inconsolableloss.

SAY IT AGAIN

Comeon spectators,wecan alldobetter. Thegameof cricketis aboutcelebrating EVERYONEandnot abusing.#Unacceptable.

PS:Getting towatchcricketlive fromthe stadiumis aprivilegeinthesedifficulttimes, honourit.

Shikha Pandey, Indiancricketer

#WHEREINOZ

Thislargewhale sculpturecan befoundin Australia's whale-watching capital ontheeastcoast. Deepak Vincent and Seema Chauhan hadthe right answer: Hervey Bay,QLD.

Theother elementthathasn't beenmentioned isthatSiraj & Bumrah,who coppedracistabuse over MULTIPLEDAYS,are both fromminority groupswithin India. Ifyou're from aminority,you're hyperawareaboutprejudice&discrimination, knowingit ain'tsomething you raiselightly Oz, Twitteruser

Ahyes,summerinAustralia whereit'shailing butthe sunisstillout andshining, I wouldlike to beknocked out byhailstonesandget atan atthesametimeplease Emily, Twitteruser

TEMPLE MAKEOVER

After nearly 10 centuries, a Shiva temple in Maharashtra is all setto be revamped Sachin Wakhare wrote: Fantastic! #heritage #preserve #restoration Ajay CV wrote:Please don't touch them Youhave noideahowhardour ancestorshave workedto create this.

Eric wrote: Pleasestay away from ourtemples.And don't even trytogive thema "makeover".Seriously.Stayaway

Ananda S Jayant wrote: Whydoesatempleneeda makeover?Who decides what'sto be doneornot?What structureswillchange,removed,inthe name of makeover?What willthe ArchaeologicalSurveyof Indiadointhe name of makeover?

Sal Priya wrote: Idon't trust theArchaeologicalSurveyof India'ssenseof aesthetics (orfrightfullackthereof)intheleast.Theystruggleevenwith simple preservation - I begofthemnottogive any ancient temples "makeovers". Dhanashree wrote:Ohno! Brace yourself foruglycement patchwork and gaudyoilpaints.

RACIAL ABUSE AT SCG

Readers weighed in after reports emergedthat Indian pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj faced abuse fromsome spectators ondays two and three of the Vodafone Pink Test in Sydney.

Lynda Blair wrote: I amso sorry thishappened.Thosewho engagedinthis behaviour representthe dregs ofAussiesociety.I'vejoinedsomeof the Indian pagesaswellasAussie this year because I've beensoimpressed with personalities andskilllevelonthe Indianside.I've decidedif Australia is playing they'remy team.If AUS isn'tplaying but Indiais,I'mcheeringfor India.When we'replaying eachotherI'mjustin awe. IknowIcan'tmakeup forwhathashappened.Ijustwantyoutoknow that thisAussielovesyou.

Steve Roach wrote:Let's wait for theenquiry.

Renu Datta wrote:Strongly believe the culpritswill getthelessonfrom the authorities.

David Adcock wrote: Idon'tbelievethem.

Brad Smith wrote:This fromthe teamwho calledAndrewSymondsa monkey!

On the Sydney Test draw

James Peter Lalor wrote: Bestfifthdayinatest.Well done, India.

Ashim Sinha wrote:Absolutely!!Aheroic performance.

Sandip Hor wrote:This drawisbiggerthanawin

Priyanka Nijhawan wrote:Welldone TeamIndia.What abrillianteffort to pulloff a draw despitetheinjuries,the dramas,the restrictions.Thiswas a win forusin all aspects. Great captaincycoupledwithgreatresilience.A fitting responseto all thebullies outthere on andoff the field.

BATAO BATAO!

IndianLink Radio's RJ EKTA asked on her show Good Morning Australia: Baar baar poocha jaane wala kaunsa sawaal aapko most irritate karta hai?

Saurabh Saste wrote: Party kab doge?

Meenakshi Kalia wrote: Aaj shift hai?

Dheeraj Saxena wrote:The wife asking, Aaj khane mein kya banaoon??

Nishant Menon wrote: Kya hoga is desh ka?

ShubhangiBhaleraoKamble wrote: 2020se ek hi sawaal nesataya hai. Log puchhterehte hai bar baraurhumejawab nahi pata: Indiakab aa rahe ho?

Manish Godbole wrote:Questionfrom wife: Meri maase tumhari kya dushmani hai?

Dheeraj Saxena wrote:Wheninjured, Oard to nahin ho raha??

Dheeraj Saxena wrote again:On the phone: Aur batao?

Reallylookingforward to the all -Anglo panels and Itis wildtobe Anyone else missing GottatellyaSydney, I Iwishfatgrlsweretaughtthattheydeserve commentators on TV &radio weighing in on whether livingthrough Trump tweets amlovingthismandatory kindness,decency,respectandaffectionjust Siraj's treatment wasindeed racismandhow@ ahistoric already?Ironicallyof masksituation.Whew. asmuchasnon-fatgirlsdo.We'retaughtthat CricketAus should respond. It's thekind ofnuance moment every course butstill,this

Ifeelmuchmore we'rejustluckytohavesomeoneinterestedin and lived experiencewe've come to know and love in 6minutes. placejustgot alittle comfortableonpublic usandweshould begratefulfortheattention. Australia Kimeko M, moreboring. transportnow. We'retaughttoletsomuchslide.

Antoinette Latouf,journalistanddiversitychampion reporter Vir Das, comedian OmarSakr, poet HarnidhKaur,writerandpoet

Former Australian Test opener and ex-Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards on his ambitious project to reunite Australian cricket with a long-lost archive of historic Fairfax Media cricket photos

BY RITAM MITRA

henforn1erTest openerand chairmanofCricket Australia

WallyEdwardswasmade aware ofalong-lost archiveof 38,000 Fairfaxcricket photographsreadyto be repatriated toAustraliafro1n the United States,heknew theopportunitywastoo goodtopassup.Withnoothertakersfor thephotos, Edwards,a Board men1berof the Bradman Foundation, bought thephotos hin1selffor$1 apiece,andpromptlydonated the1n to the Brad1nan Museun1.

Famed forhisunwavering"all-ornothing" approach,Edwardsthen con1menced the publicationoffourbooks aimedat bringing thephotos tolife,with theflagship book - India's71-YearTestbeinglaunchedbyRavi Shastri aheadof thethirdTest between IndiaandAustralia thissun1mer. It marked theendofasaga that threatened to robfromAustralia a largechunkofitscricketinghistory, whileopeninganewchapterforthelongforgotten - and fleetinglyunwantedphotographs.The first halfofthissagawas a taleofcross-borderdeceit, indictment and imprisonment,but thesecondisofhistory, culture and art. At theheart ofit all liesthe gentlen1an'sgame.

The photographs

In 2013, FairfaxMediaentrustedAmerican businessman John Rogerswith the digitisationofFairfax'spricelessphoto archive.Theproject wouldsee Rogers' con1pany, RogersPhotoArchive, scanand tagthe1nillionsofphotosand negativesin the Fairfaxcricketarchive,inreturn for theright toselltheoriginals. What Fairfax didn't knowat the timewas that Rogers PhotoArchivewasunderinvestigationby the FBI forfraud, andwasultimatelyplaced intoreceivership,withthe vast collection ofphotosleft tositidlyin awarehouse followingraidsbyauthorities.

As thedust settled,it emerged that onlya quarterofthephotosappeared tohavebeen digitised,withn1anyoriginalsunaccounted for,includingafterite1nergedthat Rogers' wifehadsold manyoriginalsoneBaybefore theyhad evenbeenscanned. Rogershiinself wassentenced to 12yearsinfederalprison and ordered topayUS $23 millionin restitutiontohisvictims,thought tobethe most significantsentenceeverforsportsmemorabiliarelated fraud.

Itwasnotuntil2017,when Duncan Miller, thedirectorofanartgalleryin

RKaushik(author, India's 71-Year Test), Harsha Bhogle andPhilBonser (Managing Director, ChurchillPress) discussing an earlydraftconcept ofthe bookin Mumbai, August2019.

California,purchased thearchjvefrom court-appointedreceivers,that therewas anyrenewedhopeofbringingthe archive ofFairfaxcricketphotosback toAustralia. Millershoppedaround thecollection- now valuedat astaggeringUS $82million - but struggled tofindinterest fron1cash-strapped mediaorganisations,let alonethecharitable BradmanFoundationwhocouldnotjustify spendingthecashrequiredtoacquire thecricket-relatedphotosin thearchive, especiallywithnoguaranteeofmakinga returnontheinvestment.

EnterWally Edwards

ThisiswhereEdwardsstepped in.A cricket tragicbyanymeasureoftheterm, Edwards'loveaffairwith thesport started withaballtiedontheendofastringinhis hometownofMuchea,asmalltownsome

50km north-east ofPerth. Yet bythe timehe was 15, Edwardswasplayingjuruorcricket in themorningandseniorA-gradecricket in theafternoon,withgoodformdriving hisselectionfortheembattledWestern Australiastateteam.On thebackofan excellentstart tohisSheffield Shieldcareer, EdwardswasselectedfortheAustralian nationalside.

Edwards' ti1ne donrung thebaggygreen mayhavebeenbrief-heis thefirst to tellyou hewasperhapsa touchfortunate toplayTest cricket - buthistimeasan administratorwasanythingbut. Alongservingboard memberoftheWestern AustralianCricketAssociation,Edwards alsoserved 19yearsonthe CricketAustralia board,includingfouryearsasAustralia's boardmemberon the ICC executive committee. Duringhis time,Edwardswas

instrumental indevelopingwomen'scricket, includingtheera-defining2015 launchof theWomen'sBigBash League.

PartofEdwards'legacyalso lies inthe controversialcentralisationofpowerin cricket amongst the"BigThree" nations ofAustralia, Englandand India,and unsurprisinglyhisrelationshipwith his Indiancounterpartsduringhis ti1neat the heln1ofCricketAustraliawasastrongone. "J n1ade [dealingwith the BCCI] ahigh focusofmine,"says Edwards.

"Assoon as Ibeca1nechairman, I went to India tomeet [former BCCI President] N Srinivasanandothers. I thinkwegoton verywelland I thinkwe achievedquitea lotin termsofreformingthe ICC. We broke theTestclubup, introduced theconcept of'meritocracy'andmadeit aloteasier for teamslikeAfghanistan and Ireland to becomeTest matchplayingcountries. It used tobehighlypolitical- andit probably still is - but nowthere'sprocessesinplace so that ifacountryisgoodenough, they canbecomeaTest matchplaying nation. l enjoyedworkingwith Srinivasan, 1 found himaveryengagingandintelligent man. Hecertainlybad Indiancricket at heart, no questionsabout that. He's helpedbring Indiancricket to the fore."

A new lifeforthe photographs

Withcricketallbut runningthroughhis veins, itwasnatural that Edwardspounced at theopportunitytobuythe archiveof Fairfaxcricket photos throughhisco1npany, Holman Industries. "I thought thissort ofstuffiswhythe Bradman Foundation isaround: tocollect these photos,protect them,anduse them," saysEdwards."But runningamuseum,youdon't make any money,sol bought thephotosanddonated themto theBradman Museun1. I alsogavea commitment toseewhatwecoulddotoget themout ofthearchiveand intosomeform ofbookorotherthings that might be able togeneratesomerevenuefor the Brad1nan Foundationaswell,ratherthanleave the photossittinginanair-conditionedclin1atecontrolledenvironment."

Thenaturalpathway toachieve thiswas through thepublicationofbooks - again, aventure Edwardsneeded toself-fund. Edwards'first port ofcaUwasPhilBonser, the ManagingDirectorofChurchillPress, withwhomEdwardsinspectedhundreds ofphotosfrom thevast Fairfaxarchiveof cricketphotos.

Thepairinitiallydecided topublishtwo books- ClearingBoundaries, abookabout thehistoryofwomen'scricketinAustralia, and,withanodtoIndia'sfirst-everaway TestserieswinoverAustralia,India's71-Year

,._SunilGavaskar(1977)

Test.Asit turnedout, EdwardsandBonser alsopublished twosmallerbooks,tellingthe taleofShaneWarne'sbaggygreenwhich raised over$1 n1illionat auctionduring Australia'stragic2019/20bushfireseason andisnowhousedat the BradmanMuseum, and a JustinLanger-authoredreinventionof SirDonald Bradman'sfamous 1958book TheArtofCricket.

"Whenwe started thewholeprocessof buyingthephotos, thatwasaroundwhen Indiawon [the2018/19Testseries]," says EdwardsonthedecisioninDecember2018 topublishIndia's 71-YearTest. "Itwasa huge achievementforIndia, and Idon't thinkit got enoughairtin1e. It neededto becelebrated, andthefact that thephotos werethere,wewanted todosomethingabit

different. We didn't want tojust doanother bookonAustraliancricket-wedidn't want tojust tracethe history.Wewanted topresentcricket inanenjoyable,easyto readway,sothat theaveragepersoncan turnthepagesandeveninhalfanhourget agoodhandleon thehistoryofwhat we are talkingabout. That'swhatphotosdo,when acco111paniedbysomenicecommentary, and that'swhat thestyleofthesebooksis."

Edwards'commentsareechoedby Bonser,whoreferencesachancemeeting with HarshaBhogleduringthesecond Test ofthe2018/19BorderGavaskar seriesin Perth. "(Bhogle]agreedwith myinklingthat,shouldIndiatakeout theseriesinAustraliaforthefirst time, itwouldbeamomentousachievement

worthdocumentinginitsentirety,"says

Bonser."At thatpointheintroducedme toauthorRKaushik, andwestarted£rom there -with [designer] Matt Bonserand I diggingthroughthesametroveofhistorical imagesintheBradmanMuseum'sHolman Collection that underpinned Clearing Boundaries.Twenty-fourmonthslater, COVlDnotwithstanding,India's 71-Year Testwaslaunched byRavi Shastriat theSCG."

Preserving cricket history

Speakingabout theongoingimportance ofpreservingcricket'shistory, Edwa1·ds reflectsonlessons belearnedduringhis time at thehelmofAustraliancricket. ''In away, theBradmanMuseumislookingfor

itsplace incricket," he says. "I regret that when1waschairmanofCricket Australia, Ididn't showmoreinterest in theBradman Museumand the Foundation. It'sonlynow that I've beeninvolvedwiththeFoundation forhalfadozenyearsthat I appreciate that it'sveryimportantforCricketAustralia to haveanarchivelike this.

"Weareveryluckyto haveamuseu111 to tellstoriesabout ourpast andcollecthistory asit happens. In England theyhave Lords, andwewouldlikethe BradmanMuseum recognisedineveryone'seyesaswhere cricket'sheritageishoused andlooked after,anditsstories told. It isaboutmore thanjustAustraliancricket, and it has to beenhanced,not diminished,"concludes Edwards.

ChanduBorde(1966)

RaviShastri(1985)

GRVishwanath(1981)

RaviShastri(1985)

BY RITAM MITRA

orasportwithasstoriedahistory ascricket,booksonitspastare unsurprisinglyadhneadozen.

Givenitsorigins,thegamehas alwaysbeenblessedwithextensive,often romanticisedwritingsfromson1eofthemost eloquentdoyensoftheEnglishlanguage.

Butlong-establishedtraditionhas itsfoibles,andintheworldofcricket publishing,thebiggestoftheseis inaccessibility,withonlythe1nostardentof cricketsupporterslikelytocasuallypickup abooktraversingthegame'shistory.

India's 71-YearTest, recentlylaunched byformerIndianall-rounderandcurrent nationalteamcoach RaviShastriat theSydneyCricketGround,subverts thegenre;ittellsthehistoryofIndian cricketinAustraliaprimarilythroughan expansivecollectionofover200photos, manyofwhichwererescuedfromthe USA aspartoftheHolmanCollection. Takingthereaderthrougha chronological,tour-by-tourjourneyof thehistoryoftheIndiancrickettea1nin

Australia,India's 71-YearTestisperhapsone ofthemostvisuallystunningbookseverin itscategory.Contrarytotheusualmodus operandi ofcrickethistorybooks,where photostypicallyoccupyasmallsectionof dedicatedglossypagesinthecentreofthe book,lndia's 71-YearTestisscatteredwith photosoneachofitsbeautifullydesigned andlargedouble-pagespreads.

Thisaccessibilityisoneofthemain reasonsauthorRKaushikexpectsthe booktobe successful in India."Inthelast fewyears,thereadingcultureinIndia basmushroomedexponentially,andthere isfargreaterliteratureonIndiancricket than usedtobe,say,evenadecadeback," besays."Iamsurepeoplewillespecially lovethefabulousblackandwbjtepictures oflegendsfro1nthepast,thoughonlytime willactuallytellbowitisreceivedhereat home."

Thejourneybeginswithaforeword byShastri,whoopensbysaying,"Ofall countriesI'vetoured,Australiahaseasily beenthebest."Shastricitesthequality ofcricket,thefacilities,theweather,the cultureand theloveofthegameamongst thereasonshefoundtoursofAustralia bothenjoyableandchallenging.He commentsalsoontherarityofsuccessin Australia:"Asaprofessionalsportsperson,

youknowthatwhenyouwinthe hardway, youcommand respect,"hewrites. It'snowonderthatShastrihas committedtoprovidecopiesofthebook toeverymemberofthe Indiansquad currentlytouringAustralia.

Shastri'sforewordechoesboththe themeandconclusionofthebook,and indeeditsgenesis:thatIndia'sachievement ofwinningitsfirst-everTestserieson Australiansoilonits2018/19tourwas asbiganachievementasanyotherinthe nation'ssportinghistory,anddeservedto bechronicled.

Then1ainbodyofthebookbreaksinto foursections: Initiation,coveringIndia's 1947/48and 1967/68 tours,Progress, spanning 1977/78to 1991/92,Confluence, covering 1996/97 to2014/15,and Glory, describingthe successful2018/19tour. Itisin theearliertourshowever, thatthe HolmanCollectionofphotostrulyshines.

Describinghisfavouritephotoswithin theHolmanCollectionphotoarchive, formerCricketAustraliachairmanand TestplayerWallyEdwards(whofundedthe collection)says,"Ienjoyedallthephotos oftheoldplayers,likeLalaAmarnath.1 canrememberalltheseoldplayersasakid listeningtotheradiobroadcasts,through totheearly 1970s. [Thephotos]makeyou

recaponyourearlylife,seeingphotosof peopleyouknewonlythroughradio".

Someofthephotohighlightsin the book- andthereare many - include the Australianand Indianteamswiththeir headsbowedinrespectduringatwominutesilenceforthepassingofMahatma Gandhiin 1948; BSChandrasekharbeing chairedoffthefieldbyteammatesafter his 12-wickethaul in 1977/78,handing IndiaitsfirsteverwinonAustraliansoil; andayoungAustralianfanpattinganicecoldBisban BedionthebackafterIndia defeatedAustraliabyaninningsforthe first time onAustraliansoil,in thevery nextmatchafterChandrasekhar'sheroics.

SirDonaldBradmanoncemused, "The gameofcricketexistedlongbeforel was born. Itwillbeplayedcenturiesafter myden1ise". Ifthatistoprovecorrect, authorsandpublishersalikemustcontinue targetingnewer,wideraudiencesanddo awaywiththe"tooniche"categoryinto whlchmanycricketbooksinevitablyfall.

India's 71-YearTestdoesexactlythat.

India's 71-YearTestisavailablethrough variousonlineretailers,includingthe Bradman Museum'sonlinestore, andwill be availableinbookstoresthroughout AustraliaFrommid-January.

Chandrashe Gavaskar(1981) Gavaskar(1985)

The recently lunched coffee table book India's 71-YearTest includes over 200 photos rescued from the USA

International student, 20, helps save nine Australian lives with organ donation

erveryna1nespeaksvolumes forherlastactinthisworld.

Followingahorrific accidentonthenightof31 Dec2020,RakshithaMallepally's donationofherorganshasnowsaved nineAustralianlives.

'Rakshitha'isSanskritfor 'protected,guarded,savedand preserved'.

Thetwenty-year-oldinternational studenthadsteppedouttobuyherself son1edinneratWentworthvilleNSW whenshewasinvolvedinatraffic incident.

SreenadhBrahmpuram,aco1nmunity workerwhoassistedinthecase,told Indian Link, "ShefinishedworkatHello Freshat1amandhadatelephonechat withhern1other.Shehoppedontoher scooterwithafriendtogobuyasnack atthelocal7-11.Caughtintheheadlight flashofanoncomingcar,shelostcontrol, throwingherpillionrideroffandshortly thereafterfallingtotheroadherself.She hitherheadonthepavement."

Labor

Herheln1etwasn'tstrappedon. Herfriendrangforhelp,butpolice andambulancecouldnotreviveher. ShewastransferredtoWestmead Hospital.

Asshelayininducedcoma,the doctorssuggestedorgandonation. Rakshitha'sparentsinTelangana, devastated,rejectedtheidea.

'Thatwasthestorywhen[arrived atthehospitalat3pm,"Sreenadh recounted.

Hegotontothephonewithher familyinTelangana,andwithamutual friend,begantocounselthefamily. "Rakshitawilllivebeyonddeath,Isaid tothem."

Asthehospitalfinallybeganits procedures,thesunhadrisenonanew year.

SreenadhBrahmpuram,anIT professionalfromTelanganahin1self, iswell-knowninSydney'sIndian con1munityforhiswelfareactivities.

HewascontactedbytheIndian Consulatetoassistinthen1atter.

Heispleasedtoreportthatmany otherslikehimhavesteppeduptohelp Rakshithaintheirownways.

Rakshithawasastudentatthe Sydney-based IIBIT (International InstituteofBusiness&lnforination Technology).TheInstituteputin$8000 towardsrepatriationfees.

Meanwhile,Rakshitha'sfriendshave collected$62,000tosendtoherfamily backinIndia,tohelpthen1repaythe loanstheytookoutforherAustralian education.

Rakshitha'smortalremainsreached herhomeinMeerpetHyderabadIndia on9JanonaQatarAirwaysflight,and thefuneralwasheldsoonafter.

"Intheend,lthinkitwasatimely decisiontodonateRakshitha'sorgans," Sreenadh1nused."Iwouldliketo thankherparentsVenkatandAnitha forgivingtheirconsent,andtosave thelivesofnineothers.Morepeople shouldcomeforwardtodonatetheir organs."

Rakshitha

Rajnl Anand Luthra

BY RAJNIANAND LUTHRA

ankeert Kapatkarhas received aperfectscore inVCE Music, playingthetraditional Indian instrun1enttabla.

"l wasnotexpectingtogetaperfect store - onlyone otherstudent hasgotit, I believe," the Melbourne High School studenttold IndianLink.

Sankeert tookto the tabla at 8years ofage, inspired bya friendwhoplayed, learningunder Melbourne-based musician Pt. Ajit Nimbkar.

Twoyears ago, musicologist DrSam Evansbeganguidinghim forthe VCE.

Sankeert tookhisTablaVCEas aYear 11 student, and wiII co1npletethe restof hisVCE subjectsin 2021.

VCETabla hasaninvestigativeaswell as aperforn1ance element, Sankeert described. Fortheinvestigative, hewrote a paperco1nparingtabla representations in classicalstyleand in the moderncontext (injazzorworld tnusic).

"Formyfinal perforinance, requiredto be 20-25 minutes, I picked fourpieces-a table solo in teentaal, ajugalbandiwith sitar, Five TrainsbySan1 Evans, and Farha by DhaferYoussef."

Forthat lastpiece, aconte1nporaryjazz piece typicallyplayed onthepear-shaped stringinstrument oud, Sankeert composed a tabla component, addinga tisrajati.

Itwas nothoweverhis favouritepiece in the perfonnance. Thatposition isreserved forthejugalbandiwith sitarist Denis Phelan. He confessed, "I dopreferthe traditional approach-itis n1ore structured. ItisonlyrecentlyI've been introduced to modern music."

Theyoungstudent,whocountsPtZakir HussainandPtAnindoChatterjeeashis greatinfluences,willsoonpresentatTop Class,theVCEshowcasewherethe state's topperfor1ningartsstudentsstruttheirstuff.

Nodoubthe willwearhisbrightest kurta, like he did forhis final exan1.

HisteacherSam Evanswill probably be there to see hitn. "It isa prestigious event, and amidstthepianoplayersand the operasingersand the stringquartets,it willbe beautifultosee a traditional Indian

Melbourne High School student ends one VCE subject on a high note - in Year 11

instrument," DrEvans told IndianLink. "I thinkit speaksvolumes forthediversity inVictoria that Indianmusicisaccepted andvalued."

Guru isquitepleasedwithhisshishya. "Sankeertdid areallygreatjob. He worked veryhard,especiallyin the lastsixmonths. Inthelast fewweeks I wasactuallygoing, wow!"

Dr Evans,whoreceivedAustralia's first doctorate in tabla studiesin2018 from Monash University, sawthree students throughthe VCEthisyear.

VCETabla is aprogramforwhich he can take creditentirely. Theonlyoneofits kind in thecountry, DrEvans launched it in2009.

"I workedwiththeboardofeducation tohaveit recognised-theywereveryopen tohavinga non-Westerninstrun1ent in the curriculum. It's definitelypossibletodo this inotherstates. It'lljust take someone todothejob I did - contactyoureducation board."

TheVCEhasseenatleastonetabla student througheveryyearsinceit began tobe offered asa courseofstudy - there are three kids thisyear,and twothenext.

DrEvans' onlybeefis that tabla is still called an 'alternate instrun1ent'. "Atwhat stagedowestopcallingitthat? It'sjustan instrument!"

Howwould headvisestudentswishing totakeupthetablainYear 12?

"J'd sayto them,this is an opportunity touse the skillsyou'vegainedsince yourchildhood,towardsyouruniversity entrancescore. Mainstream kidswho mayhave learnedawestern instrument forlong,can makeaVCEsubjectoutofit, but Indian-origin kidswhohavelearned an Indian instrument\verenotable todo sountilnow. I'd alsosuggest,doit like Sankeert - hefinished itinYear 11, and thattoowithaperfectscore,soitshould sethimupwellforhisfinalresult."

We cannotletDrEvansgo without askinghim this:howimportantisthe tabla inworld 1nusic?

"Veryimportant: thiswas the subjectof myPhD. ltisreadilyaccepted, andeasily collaborateswithotherinstruments. In pitch, tonalityand rhythm, it translates well. lt can takeonharmonicand melodic roles. Itisatthe forefrontofeastern instrumentsaccepted inworld music today."

BY MANAN LUTHRA

With your HSC/VCE/SACE now done and dusted, you've probably had much opportunity to look back at it all with some wisdom. What did you learn about yourselfin the academic year and 2020 overall?

ArnavKatra:Thisyearwas,withouta doubt,extremelydifficulttoconfront, butwith anydifficultyinlifecomes anopportunitytogrow. Ireallylearnt ofn1ypotential tore1nainresilientin de1nandingconditions. I wasconstantly underpressureinboththeonlineand on-campusenvironmentsthroughout 2020, and I think111yabilitytocomeout ofitwell atteststo1nycapacitytoretain adete1·n1ined andconcentratedmindset, whichissomethingI'msurewillbeofuse infuturestudies.

BhawanDillon:Throughoutthe HSC, 1 learnthowimportantitistobeadaptable andthatJ havethecapacitytobeflexible dependingonthecircuinstances.Weoften viewchangeasnegativeandaburden, butthisisnotthecaseifwecondition ourselvestoconstantlyevolveandplan

ADARSH PAREKH (SACE)

ATAR: 97.75

Subjects: Mathematical Methods, Research Project,Tourism, English LiteraryStudies, Psychology, Micro-Business Operations(VET). School: AberfoylePark HighSchool

fortheworst,likegoingonlineduring COVID.

KeirathSingh:Thisyearhasshown me theimportanceofmaintainingabalanced lifestyle andn1akingsureyou haveoutlets outsideofschooltokeepyouoccupied. Sittingbehindalaptopscreenallyear madethisespeciallychallenging,however itforcedmetofocusonbeingorganised andstayingaheadofschedule.

Aryan Bhatia: I'velearntthatIamcapable ofachievingthingsI'veneverbeenable todobefore I amverypleasedwith my perfectstudyscorein SpecialistMathsand high scoresin1nyMethodsandPhysics andChe1nistrysubjects. I haveachieved thisthrough sheerdedication, hard work,self-studyand withoutanyexternal tutoring.IwasabitchallengedbyEnglish, tosaytheleastbut Jwasabletowrite3 con1pleteessaysduringtheexamwhich l a1nveryproud of.

AdarshParekh:With2020throwingthe livesofYear 12studentsintochaos,l learntthat SACEstudentsthisyearhave been abletoeffectivelyadaptthrough thechallengesfaced. Personally, Ihave becomen1oredisciplined,self-sufficient andindependent,takingmylearningmore intomyownhands.

SharanyaKarnath: Ilearntthatalthough thereweren1omentsofdifficultywhich

BRINDA MURLIKRISHNA (SACE)

ATAR: 99.4 raw(99.95adjusted)

Subjects: Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics,Chemistry, French, Korean, RP, Integrated Learning Awards/State Ranks: SchoolAwardsin Methods, SpecialistMaths, Frenchand RPStateAwardforKorean Beginners School:StMary'sCollege

demandedn1ore time andhardwork, it wasthesechallengingexperiencesthat werethen1ostrewarding. Everyeffort matters- youcan'texpectresults ifyou don'tputin theeffort.Thisencouragedn1e torefine myassignmentsandstrengthen thequalityofmywork.

Brinda Murlikrishna:ThebiggestthingI learntwouldbetolowermyexpectations ofmyself,especiallyduringtoughtimes. AssoonasIloweredmyexpectations andacceptedthatitwasjustanextremely hardyear,1feltbetteraboutmyselfand myresultsandultimatelyendedupdoing better. It'simportanttoknowthateveryone isin thesameboatasyou,andeveryone hastheirownchallengestoovercome.

AkulSaigal:Tohavesuchanunpredictable yearcoupledwiththealreadychallenging Year 12 meantthatIwascertainlypushed andgiventhatthestakesseemsohigh, theonlyoptionwastocope.Andl did. l alsobegantounderstandthementaland physiologicalsignsofburnoutandstress. Evenwhenl did notfeelstressedortired, mybodywouldexhibitsignsthattoldme I hadtoresttoregaintheenergyanddrive tocontinue.

What were your expectations going into the year? How did COVID reality compare?

ArnavKalra: Honestly, I wasn'ttoo sure whattoexpectgoingintoYear 12. I knew therewouldbea heavyworkload, and Ithinkonline learningactuallyhelped alleviatesomeofthatpressure. Ihad more timetodedicatetowards mystudies athome,whilstalsobeingabletorelax moreas 1wasableto pursue Year 12 study fromthecon1fortof1nybedroon1. ltwas disappointingtoloseouton n1anyschool eventsandactivitiesdue toCOVID,butl wasfortunateenough toend theyearwith aformalwhichwas thoroughlyenjoyable. BhawanDillon: 1expectedquitealinear yearcomprisedofgoingtoschool, assessments,and thefinal HSCexams. However, theseexpectationswere undercutbythesocialparametersin1posed byCOVIDasclasseswentonlineand assessmentwerealteredand111odified tofitthecurrentparadigms. ltjustwent toshowthatyou canneverknowwhat's ahead and havingabroadfocusonall aspectsoflifeisthemostreliablewayto adapt.

KeirathSingh:Therewasalotofhearsay aboutthechallengesoftheyear. In retrospect, Jdobelievethattheyearis muchlessstressful thanpaststudents makeitouttobe.OnebenefitofCOVID (dare 1say) was theamountofextra time thatl had. Itdecreasedmystudyloadand

Learning in lockdown: The Class of 2020 picked up some additional - and valuable - life lessons

made theyearconsiderablylessstressful than expected.

AryanBhatia: Ihadexpectedanormal schoolyear,filledwith regularinteraction withfellowstudents,includingsocial eventsandphysicalactivities. COYID wasadisruption,butithadpositive consequences. IdidnotexpectthatI wouldbeusingmyco1nputern1orethan 8hourseverydayfornearlytwofull termsornearlygivinguponall outdoor activities,but Itriedto makethebest ofthesituation.Everycloudhasasilver lining-COVIDended up beingablessing indisguiseas Iendeduphavingmoretime onmyhandstostudy.

AdarshParekh: Iwasexpectingittobea memorableyear.Anditwas,inadifferent way. Insteadofbeingayearofcelebration filledwithfocusedstudy,schoolevents, practicalclasses/assessn1entsandother Year 12 'ritesofpassage',COVIDresulted inthecancellationofalmosteverythingexceptthe 'studying'bit.

Sharanya Karnath:Althoughthere werestressfultimes,especiallywhen multiple assignmentdeadlinescoincided, itwasovercon1ethroughprioritising and time1nanagen1ent. In ayear whereCOYIDcreatedastressfuland alarmingatmosphere, resiliencewas acrucialqualitythathelped me adjust

BHAWAN DHILLON (HSC)

ATAR: 93

Subjects:PunjabiContinuers, EnglishAdvanced, Mathematics, Physics,Chemistry

BandGs/State Ranks: Band 6 in EnglishAdvanced and Band 6and 1stin State in PunjabiContinuers

School:StMarys Senior HighSchool

SHARANYA KAMATH (SACE)

ATAR:99.35

Subjects: English, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematical Methods, Information Processingand Publishing

Awards/State Ranks: EnglishMerit, Information Processingand PublishingMerit

School:WildernessSchool

tothesituation.Severalschool and extracurriculareventswerecancelled; howeverthiswasviewedwithapositive attitude and allowed 1noreti1nefor personal life.

BrindaMurlikrishna:Tobehonest, Iwas initiallyworriedaboutyear 12because I believedwewereatadisadvantage becauseofthepanden1icand thatwe wouldstrugglemorethanpreviousyears. I thoughtonline classeswouldderail the year 12experiencebuttheyearwent quitewell. EventhoughCOYIDhad some negative impactssuchastestspushed forward. ultimatelyitwasafairyear.

AkulSaigal:Con1ingintoYear 12, I felt anxious. Evenhavingdonea¾subject inYear 11, I wasstillunsureaboutwhat theyearwouldentail. Settingsuchahigh standardfor1nyselfdidn'thelp. Butonce I openedthebookletandmypenhitpaper, allofthatuneasinessmeltedaway.Asthe yearwenton,I begantorealise thatin the end,itreallyisjustanumber. Anumber thatinnowaydefinesyou.

Whatwasyourinitialresponseto onlineclasses,andbowdidyoumake themworkforyourlearningstyle?

ArnavKatra: I actuallyenjoyedonline learning,asitmeantIcouldsleepin longerandnothavetochangeintoschool

uniformeveryday! Itwasannoyingnot beingabletointeractwithfriendsand teachersphysicallywhichissomething I reallyenjoyedabouthighschool,but witheveryone'swebcamsswitchedon onZoom,onlineclassesgotalittle less strange. I'maveryvisuallearner,so I appreciatedtheuseofYouTubevideos andwhiteboardstomakethe lessonsmore engaging.

BhawanDillon: Initially,everything becameverydistortedbecause myinternet connectionwasn'tthebest. Butthanks to thestaffatStMarysSeniorHighSchool, especiallyMrAnil Sharmaand Ms DanielleErvine, I neverfellbehindwith myschoolwork.Tbeywould helpmeout throughemailand200111,and upload the classworkandvideotutorialsontoGoogle Classroom toensure that Icouldcontinue learningthecontent. ln theend, 1adapted myscheduletosleepduringthedayand studylaterintothenightwhenallthe contentwouldbeuploadedandavailable. Itensured! wastedverylittle timeand increased1nyoverallproductivity.

KeirathSingh: Initially I founditvery difficulttoadjusttothisnewwayof learning. I wasforced tobemore independentwhichcontrasted thepast 12yearsofschooling. MakingsurethatJ spentenoughtin1eawayfrommyscreen

eachdayconsiderablyhelped me toadapt toonline learning.

AryanBhatia:Theconceptofonline classeswasbothsearyandexciting. I believeonlineclassesareeffectiveaslong asstudentsremainsmotivated tostudy forthen1selves. Computershaveahostof temptingvideogames,soit'sadmittedly easiersaidthandone. Butaftera n1onth, Imanaged togetintoaroutineandfocus moreonmystudies. Havingused my time moreefficiently, Iwasable tobe productive.

Adarsh Parekh: Iwasneutral to the conceptofonlineclasses.Althougha learningenvironn1entsuchasaschoolis obviously1nuch preferred, I madeonline classesworkwithmylearningstyleby takingdownnotes, highlightingthe key pointsfromthe lessonandaskingthe teacherwhen Ihadquestions.

SharanyaKarnath:Atfirst,Iwasexcited foronlineclassesasthisapproachwas moreflexibleandrelaxed,yetIwasquick torecognisethechallenges,especiallyfor subjectslikebiologyandchemistrywhere wehadtoundertakepracticals.These limitationswereovercomebyapplyingthe flexibilityofthecoursetofocusmoreon theoryandknowledgeduringonlinelessons, allowingthepracticalstobeconducted whenface-to-faceclassesresu111ed.

Brinda Murlikrishna: r didnotlikeor supporttheideaofonlineclassesas r tendtogetdistractedwhen I'm online. T was, however, luckyenoughtoonlydo oneweekofschoolonline. Duringthese onlineclasses,l madesuretowritedown notessoIcould betterrememberwhatwas beingtaught, aspersonally,typingthings on ,nylaptopdidnotseen, tohelp.

Akul Saigal: Iwascertainlynotchuffed, butmyschool did handleitverywell. Idid forcemyselftoleaven1ydeskasoftenas I could andexercisemostmornings-in fact, Ifeltmorefitand regin1entalduring isothan l hadbeenbefore,whichwas somethingJ wasnotexpecting.

Whatwasyourstudy technique?

ArnavKalra: I arrangedmydesktopsuch thateachfolderrepresentedasubject, whichcontainedsubjectnotesfrom the year,aswellasn1arkedhon1eworktasks andprojects.Thismadestudyingmuch easier,asallmyrevisionmaterialwas well organised,and Iwasundernoadded pressuretowardsthelatterpartoftheyear.

BhawanDillon: Mystudytechniquewas verysimple. Iwouldlearn thecontent andthen makesure Ikneweverything aboutthesubject matterathandbydoing myownresearchlike readingpapers, watchingvideos, and listeningtopodcasts. Then Iwould takeabreakbefore returningtodopastpaperquestionson the topic.Afterthisl wouldpreparefor futurecontenttostudy,aspermyschool's scopeandsequence.Thiswasn'tanything toohectic,itwasjustreadingso1nepages fron1thetextbookandpreparingquestions thatI mayneedtoaskmyteacherwhenwe coveredthecontentduringclass.

KeirathSingh:I wouldn'tsaythatI had astudyingtechniquepersebecause onlinelearningwassonewtome. I would recomn1endfuturestudentscreateastudy timetableandtrytosticktoitasmuchas theycan.

AryanBhatia:Imanagedtoremain motivatedbysettingreasonablegoalsthat Iwouldfinishbytheend oftheday,such asanessayperday.Formaths, l mostly didquestionsfromthetextbook. Often studentscontactedn1ewithmathproblems

AKUL SAIGAL {VCE)

ATAR: 99.7

Subjects: English Language, Further mathematics, Mathematical Methods, Specialistmathematics, Physics,German Awards/State Ranks: DuxofMentone GrammarSchool

School: Mentone GrammarSchool r

KEIRATH SINGH {VCE)

ATAR: 98.45

Subjects: English, MathsMethods, Chemistry, Economics, Biology, French School: HaileyburyCollege

theyfoundchallenging,thatIcould solve.Itwasabitofawin-winsituation: Igottosolvethemostchallenging problemswhiletheygothelpwiththe solution. Bytheend oftheyear, Iwould dopracticeexamson aregularbasis, correctmyexamresponses,andlookfor con1n1onmistakes.Thisalsoallowedme togetfamiliarwiththeexamcontentand structure.

Adarsb Parekh: Isetpersonaldeadlines forassignn,ents,completingthembefore theiractualduedatestodo otherthings, keeporganised and maintainawork-life balance. l alsoused theflashcardsapp 'Quizlet'duringexamperiodswhich effectivelyhelpedwithcontent-heavy subjects.

SbaranyaKarnath:Organisationiscrucial forsuccess. Followingascheduleensured thatJwaskeepingupwithmyassignn1ents andwasespeciallyimportantinplanning myexamrevision.Aftereachlesson, I reviewedmynotestoconsolidatethe information.Leadinguptotestsand exams,1 aimedtoattemptasmanypractice questionsandpastexamsasIcould.

BrindaMurlikrishna: J'm an avidnotewri.ter. Ilovetakingnice notesonpaper as I tendtorecollectmoreinfor1nation. I wasalsotutoredquitealotafterschool whichforcedmeto putinextratimeinto eachofmysubjects. Ilikedplayingsome calmbackgroundmusicwhileIstudied. Whathelpedmethebestwasteachingand helpingotherpeoplelearnthecontent.

Akul Saigal: Mystudytimetablesavedmy life.Okay,1n1ightbeexaggeratingalittle, butwithoutitI wouldhavebeensolost. Inthelasttwomonthsbefore theexan1s, I had aplanthatshowedexactlywhat subjectsI wantedtodoandforbowlong. This1neantI wasabletogiveequaltime toeverysubject. Ofcourse,Iwasnotable tofollowittoaT. Butitstillgavemeson1e much-neededstructureandmeantI did notfeeloverwhelmedwiththeprospectof exa1nsbeingrightaroundthecorner.

What extra-curricular activities, hobbies,orTV shows helpedyou through thisyear?

ArnavKalra: Stayingfitwasreally

importanttome,notonlyforphysical means,butbecauseitreallyhelpedme concentrateandalsorelax. Playing basketballandgoingtothegym(COVfD allowing)were mymainwaystodothis. I definitelybingedafewshowsonNetflix andAmazon Primeaswell!

BbawanDillon: f participatedinalotof volunteeractivitiesincludingserviceat Langar(freecongregationkitchen)atmy localGurdwaraandsomecharities. It helped medevelopadeeperconnection tomySikh faithandallowedme to helppeopleduringtimesofhardship and despair. lfeltthesatisfactionand internalprideassociatedwithproviding forothers.Apartfron1this, l usedto listen toSantJarnailSinghJi'sand Dr APJ AbdulKalam'sspeechesthatfurther instilleddeterminationwithinmetodo mypersonalbestandstretchboundaries imposedbysocietyandchallengepolitical norms.

KeiratbSingh: J madesuretocall my friendsandorganiseZoomcallsevery nowand thentokeepintouchandtalk aboutourlives. I followedtheAFL quiteintenselyandalwaysmadesureto blockouttimetowatchmyteam,the Saints,playeveryweek.

AryanBhatia:1joined moreclubsin

Year 11 thananyotheryearinschool. I hadjoinedArn1yCadets, Robotics, andevenChoralesasextracurriculars. 1alsoused toruneverySaturdayinan activitycalledParkRun. 1used todetest it,butIhavetoadmit1feltrefreshedand invigoratedafterwardsandithelpedme tofocusbetter.Atonestagel evengot ParkRunnerofthen1onth. I wouldhighly recommendthesekindsofactivitiesin

Year 12.AsforTVshows,Iusedtowatch alotofspaceandsciencedocumentaries, worldhistoryandWorldWarII related videos,NationalGeographicand thelike Theyreallyhelped to relaxwhenI gota bittiredofstudyingbutfedmybrain's appetitefortrivialinformation.

AdarshParekh:Asaviolinist,Iwasthe concertmasteroftheSecondarySchools StringSymphony(orchestra)andfound that1nultipleactivitiessuchaskarate,gym exercise,tennisandbadmintonhelpedme

todestress.

SharanyaKarnath:Inordertokeep n,yself motivatedandfocused,I tookbreaks betweenstudyingto re-energisemyself. Thiswouldallowmeto returnwitha relaxed mindandinturn, maxin1ise my productivity. Ienjoyedplayingbadminton orwatchingmovies. Ialso foundthat spendingtimewithfamilyand friendswas importantformywellbeingandhelped relievestress.

BrindaMurlikrishna:I danced three timesaweek,learntalanguageoutside ofschool,and Iwould take longwalksat nighttodestress.Athome, Ioftenplayed Minecraftwhilstlisteningtogamingmusic forhoursatatime, butitwasagood breakfromallthestudying. Myfavourite TVshowstogetmethroughallthestress probablywouldhavebeen Luciferand Gossip Girl. I also spentalotofweekends withfriendsandwentout. Itwasgoodfor meas Iwasable tobalanceoutmysocial lifewith myschoolworkload.

AkulSaigal: I stayed involvedwith activities frompreviousyears. Iwas still leadingaplatoonincadets,playing saxophonemostdaysaweek,playing soccer,volleyballand tennis,debatingand - mostimportantly- spendinglotsoftime withfamily. Sadly, asweallnowknowtoo well,MsRonawasn'ttookind,soalotof myactivitiesgotcancelled. Debatingand banddidmoveonlineandtheybecame necessaryto maintainbalanceandbreak fromstudy. 1 alsomadeanefforttoplay withmylittlebrotherasoftenasI could. Only nowhavel beguntorealisehow importantitwasformeandmysanity.

Whatmoments fromthe pastyeardo you remembermost?

ArnavKalra: Definitelythelastfew weeksofYear 12,asI thinkthatitwasan opportunityforallofusatschooltoreflect onthepastsixyearstogether.Itwasreally enjoyabletobeable tospend thattime together,engagingindifferentactivities andeventsorganisedbymyschool.

BhawanDillon: Irememberstressingout alotbutlifegoeson,soIdon'treallygive muchthoughttoindividualmoments. IfI hadtorecall,itwouldprobablybefighting

P. :::,

a fake plagiarismcasesomeonetried to in1poseonmeformyEnglishassignment, butintheend, Igotaband 6in English and theydidn't. It'sbeenan interesting year filledwithchallengeswhichallow you togrowand becomea betterversion ofyourself,soitisso1nethingI definitely en1brace

KeirathSingh:The lastdayofschoolwas quite 111en1orableforme. J thoroughly enjoyedcelebratingitwithmyfriends andteachers.Additionally, throughout lockdown,we hadorganisedafewonline 'Year 12gamesnights'aspartofthe leadershipcommitteewhichwerevery enjoyable

Aryan Bhatia: J re1nen1bergettingA+ in1nostofn1ysubjects Thatwasreally heartening But J alsorememberonepoor scorein English, I wasabitheartbrokenat firstbutI.tookitasalessonand1novedon. Sometimesonemightgetlowgrades,but weshouldjustlearnfrom itandnotlose sightofthedestination,whichistheYCE exam

AdarshParekh:The6-daystate-wide 'circuitbreaker'lockdownwhichresulted in thecancellationofbothformaland graduationforourschool'sYear 12 students. SharanyaKarnath:Thechallengesof learningonlinemademerealisethevalue oflearningface-to-faceandincreasedmy gratitudeforn1yfriendsand teachers

Finishingmylastexa1nwasanother memorablemomentasthiscreatedasense ofachievementandrelief.Graduationday wasanotherhighlightwhich allowedusto reflectonourachievementsthroughout ourschoolyears.

BrindaMurlikrishna:Thememorable momentfor1newouldhavebeenYear 12graduation, asitwastheonedaywe didnothavetoholdbackwiththesize oftheevent I saidgoodbyetomypeers, son1eofwhomI hadspentthelast 13 yearswith Sayinggoodbyetosomeofmy a1nazingteacherswashard,butalsoreally touching Itmademereflectonallthe yearsspentlearningfro1nthemandbeside them.

AkulSaigal:Alockdown 18thbirthday made specialbymyfa1nilythatmy9-year-

ARYAN BHATIA {VCE)

ATAR: 99.25

Subjects:SpecialistMaths, Maths Methods,Physics,Chemistry, Accounting, English School: Melbourne HighSchool

ARNAV KALRA (HSC)

ATAR:99.70

Subjects:EnglishAdvanced, Mathematics Extension 1, Mathematics Extension2,Chemistry, Biology, Italian Continuers, Italian Extension School: SydneyGrammarSchool

oldbrotherlikestotake creditfor.

Whatwouldyouradvicetofuturefinal yearstudentsbe?

ArnavKalra: Stayorganised. ltisveryeasy togetcaughtupwithstressand panicin yourfinalyear. Keepyournotestogether, seekhelpifyouneed it, and lookoutfor yourfriends.

BhawanDillon: Don'tworryaboutit,just doyourbestandeverythingelsewillsort itselfout.Aslongasyoudoyourbest,it doesn'tmatter Therearemanypathways touniversity. Ipersonallyknowqualified doctorsandsurgeonswhoreceivedATARs below75andstillgotintomedicine Alwaysremembertotakecareofyourself firstbeforeyourgrades.

KeirathSingh:Mymainadvicewouldbe nottostresstoomuchabouttheyear. Even ifyoudon'tachieveyourdesiredATAR, there aredifferentpathwaystoreachthe endgoal Iwould maintaintheimportance ofkeepingabalancedlifestyleand making surethatyoukeepotherinterestsoutside ofstudy.

AryanBhatia:Year 12 isastressfulyear anditpaysofftopracticetechniquesto coolyourmind. I'venoticedthatwhenmy mindiscool,I an1able toperformbetter. Pleasedon'tstudyonesubjectformore than2hoursaday-itgetstiring! Break themonotonywithothersubjectsorsome funactivities

AdarshParekh: Forfuturefinalyear students,I wouldadvisetomanage yourtimeand111aintainawork-life balance,enjoythelittlethings,minimise procrastination,appreciateyourhigh schoolfriendsandteachers, takebreaks andhavefun Also,startpreparingfor finalexamsearlyintheyearratherthan leavingittothelastminute.

SharanyaKarnath:Thingsstarttopile upifyoufallbehind,sostayorganised. Createaschedulethatcanhelpyou dedicateenough timeforeachofyour subjects. It'salsoimportanttomaintain abalancebetweenstudyingandyour personallife. Don'tforgettotakeson1e timeofftorelax.

BrindaMurlikrishna:I wouldrecommend futureYear12stohaveahealthyroutine.

Studyingall thetimejustwillnotdoit,so learntohavefunand make newfriends. Learntohavealifeoutsideofschooland distractyourselfsometimes.Andfinally, developagoodsleep routineofatleast

7-10hourseach night When I sleptwell, I didwell. It'sabouthowwellrestedyou are,nothow manyhoursyoustudiedthe nightbefore. Evenonthe nightbefore exams, Iwasreallystressedbut Idecided tosleepearlyandendedup recallingmore content. Sogoodluck!

Akul Saigal:Takeadeepbreath. Jt issuch apowerfultool.Takeonenowandyou'll seewhatl n1ean.Whenever J feltstressed oroverwhelmed, Iwould takeafewdeep breaths. Ithelpedputeverythinginto perspective. lt'ssuchsimple,quickand powerfultooland lwouldrecommendit foreverybody!

Whatareyoumostlooking forwardtoin202l?

ArnavKalra: Startinguniversitywill bealotoffun. I'mexcited tomeetnew peopleandexperienceanewlearning environment. I'malsolookingforwardto travel,hopefully

BhawanDillon: I amlookingforwardto exploringnewthings,meetingnewpeople, andexpandingmynetworkatuniversity. lamalsoexcitedtopursuemore volunteeringopportunities I'dliketo partnerwithmorecharitiestoundertake moresocialjusticeandcontribute to improvingsociety.

KeirathSingh: 1 ammostlooking forwardtothe additionalfreedomand independencethatuniwillprovide.

Onlineuniversitywillbeanother challenge,butI amlookingforwardto hopefullybeingoncampussoon.

AryanBhatia:I amveryexcited tosee whatthefutureholdsforme,especially theopportunityofgettingintothe universityandthecourseofmychoice.I'm hopingitwillbeenjoyableandwillopen upmanyvenuesforme I'malsoexcitedto takeonaparttimejobandgetintomore outdooractivitiespostCOVID.

AdarshParekh: Forittobeevenjust slightlybetterthan2020 SharanyaKarnath: In2021,I'mlooking

forward tostudyingatuniversity, tneeting newpeople,theflexibilityofthelearning schedule,andthe rangeofopportunities thatareofferedatuniversity

BrindaMurlikrishna:As Iammoving interstatesoon, Ilookforwardto startinganewlifeinCanberrawhere [willbeundertakingmydegreeatthe ANU lamlookingforwardparticularly tomakingnewfriendsandgoingon lotsofadventuresaroundtheworld (if restrictionspermit) andinAustralia. Iwill bestudyingcomputingand languages, two subjects that J thoroughlyenjoy,so Iam superexcitedtobegin mydegree AkulSaigal:Theunusual freedomand challengesofuniversity. Ltwillbeatotally differentexperience and I'mexcitedfor thisnewchaptertobegin

Favouritequotefromateacher'?

BhawanDillon: Bhawan,putyoursafety goggleson.(Ms Lidijaand Ms Rosemary) Aryan Bhatia: Itiswhatitis.

AdarshParekh: Practiceiseverything. SharanyaKarnath:Year 12 islikeatennis match-eachtermisaset,and thefinal examsarethetiebreaker Attimesyou maybe fallingbehind,butbyovercoming thesechallengesyouwillwinthe match. Andjustlike tennisoranyothersport, it's importanttohavefunalongtheway.

BrindaMurlikrishna: Lifethrowsyou manychallenges. Butwhatmattersishow youdealwiththen1

AkulSaigal:VCEisamarathon,nota sprint

Describeyouracademicyear inthreewords.

ArnavKalra: Unusual Challenging. Rewarding

BhawanDillon:Aninterestingjourney. KeirathSingh:Challengingbutenjoyable. AryanBhatia: Unprecedented. Perplexing Enjoyable.

AdarshParekh: Onewildride.

SharanyaKarnath:Challenging Rewarding Memorable.

BrindaMurlikrishna:Challenging, Encouraging,Successful.

AkulSaigal:Challenging, rewarding rollercoaster

89 Delhi hospitals chosen for COVID vaccination drive's first phase

Withtheworld'sbiggestvaccinationdrive slatedtorolloutacross Indiafron1 January 16,the Delhigovernmenthasannounced thatithasmadeallpreparationsand finalised 89hospitalsforthefirstphaseof COVlD-19vaccination.

Ofthe89 Delhi hospitals,40are government-runand49areprivate, Delhi Health MinisterSatyendarJaintoldapress conference.

TheCentralGovernmenthasfinalised around 5,000vaccinationsitesacrossIndia.

JainsaidthattheDelhigovernn1entwill focusonhealthcareworkers,frontline workersandthen peopleagedabove 50in thefirstphaseofthevaccination.

Asmanyas2,25,000healthcareworkers willgetthevaccinationinthefirstphaseof the1nammothexercise.TheDelhigovernment willalsoincludeteachersintheexerciseas theyworkedasfrontlineworkersinthetime ofCOVlD-19pande1nic,the1ninistersaid.

Jainsaid thatthevaccinesforthe COVlD-19willstartarrivingbetween January 12to 14andtheDelhigovern1nent hasprepareda"verystrongandrobust storagesyste1ntokeepthevaccine".

'Proud moment': India begins 2-year stintat UN

Security Council

Indiakickedoffitstwo-yeartenureasa non-permanentme1nberoftheUNSecurity Council(UNSC)withthecountry'stricolour beinginstalledattheindoorstakeoutarea duringaspecialceren1onyonawintry afternoonatthe UnitedNationsheadquarters inNewYorkCityearlyinthenewyeru·.

"Thisisaproudmomentformycountry and fortnydelegation,"A1nbassador T.S.Tiru1nurti,India'sPern1anent Representativetothe UnitedNations,said, inpreparedremarks.

"IndiacomesintotheSecurityCouncilas thelargestdemocracyrepresentingonesixth ofhumanityandwithastrongcommitment toreformedmultilateralis111,ruleoflaw,a fairandequitableinternationalsystemand topeace,securityanddevelopment.From KashmirtoKanyakumari,westandunited asone,boundbyourethosofdemocracy,

pluralismandcornn1itmenttofundamental rights,"hesaidatIndia'sOaginstallation cere1nonyattheUNSecurityCouncil.

Tiru1nurtiframedIndia'sroleasonethat brings"human-centricandinclusivesolutions tomattersofinternationalpeaceandsecu1;ty".

"Indiawillbeavoiceforthedeveloping world,"headded, echoingIndian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi'sremarksatlast year'sUNGA.

IndiawillpresideoverthecouncilasUNSC PresidentinAugust2021 andagainin2022. ThepresidencyoftheUNSCisheldbyeach me1nberinturnforamonth. Lreland,Kenya, MexicoandNorwayjoinedIndiainthelatest cohortofnon-pern1anentUNSCmembers.

OutliningNewDelhi's"veryambitious agenda"foritstwo-yearterm,Tirumurtitold lANS,"WewilJberaisingourvoiceagainstthe enemiesofhumanity,particularlyterrorism."

InapolarisedCouncil,Indiawillbe bridge-builder,especiallywhentheworld emergesfron1 the ravagesoftheCovid-19 pandemic,hesaid.

"WearealsoenteringtheSecurity CouncilwhentheCOVIDpandemicison. Therefore,wearehopingthatwewillplaya rolenotonlyduringthepandenlic,butalso inthepost-pandemicworld,where I think thereisalotofhealingtodo.Thereare fissures,(and) I'mconfidentIndiawillbea bridgetoovercomethesefissures."

Atagloballevel,Indiaisalreadyhelping countrieswithfightingthecoronavirus,he saidcitingPrimeMinisterNarendraModi's pledgeatlastyear'sGeneralA5semblysession to"beanilnportantplayerinthecontextofthe COYlDpande1uic"andtoshare"thevaccines forthesakeofhu1nanityandmankind".

"Wehave alreadyassistedmore than 150 countries,bywayofmedicalaid.AndI'm confidentthatduringthepandemicwewill playanextremelyimportantrole,"hesaid.

AnIndianForeignServiceofficerofthe 1985batch,Tirwnurtitookoverasthe PermanentRepresentativelastyearjustas IndiawasgettingreadyfortheCouncilelection ru1dguidedtheca111paigntoanin1pressive victory,polling 184ofthe 192votescast.

Indiaishistoricallythebiggestconh·ibutor tothe UN peacekeepingoperationsand heindicatedthatthetopicwillbehighon India'sagenda.

Peacekeepingis"anextremelyimportant

componentofourengagementwiththeUnited Nations,aswellaspeace-building,whichhas comeintopron1inenceinrecentyears",hesaid.

Thepeacekeepingmandatesareissuedby theCouncilmostlydrivenbythepermanent memberswhoareobliviousofground realitiesand Indiahascomplained thatthe troop-contributorswerenotconsulted. Now India,which hassentmorethan200,000 peacekeepersin49missions,willbeableto contributetotheframingofmissions.

"Wewillalsobeadvocatingreformed multilateralism,theruleoflaw,womenand youthinthecontextofconflictsituations," hesaid.

Ontheterrorismfront, Indiawillbeable asaCouncilmembertoparticipateinthe discussionsaboutterrorismandterrorists, whereChinahasgivenPakistancoverinthe past.

Forexample,Beijingforseveralyears protectedMasoodAzhar,thePakistan-based terroristleaderoftheJaish-e-Mohammed, whowasbehindseveralterroristattacks•the mostrecentoneinPulwamain2019that killed40Indiansecuritypersonnel.

At least 20 IndianAmericans now appointed to Biden-Harris administration FollowingJoeBiden'selectionvictorylast November,theUSPresident-electhas proceededtofillhisgovernmentstructurein awaythatwill"looklikethecountry" With thesupportofVicePresident-electKamala Harris, atleast25 IndianAmericansareset tohold rolesinthenewadministration,with atleast 15inkeypolicypositions.

Themostimportantappointmentinthe healthsectorcan1ewhenBidenpickedVivek MurthytobetheUnitedStatesSurgeon General. Murthyhadalreadyservedas SurgeonGeneralduringtheObama-Biden Administration,makinghimuniquely qualifiedtoleadasAmerica'sDoctor.

Tru·unChhabra,afirst-generationAmerican andagraduateofStanfordUniversity,Oxford University,andHarvardLawSchool,wilJ serveasSeniorDirectorforTechnology811d NationalSecurity.SumonaGuba,agraduate ofJohnsHopkinsandGeorgetownUniversity, hasbeenappointedasSeniorDirectorfor SouthAsiaandformerjournalistShanthi KalathilwilJbeCoordinatorforDemocracy

Ahealthofficialconductsroutine checksoftheElectronicVaccine IntelligenceNetwork(EVIN)iceline coldstoragerefrigeratoratastate vaccinestoragecentreinBangalore, India, 10January2021.

andHumanRights.

Additionally,MalaAdiga,Directorfor HigherEducationandMilitaryFamiliesat theBidenFoundationwasnamedasPolicy DirectorforthenextFirstLady,DrJillBiden. Aweeklater,NeeraTanden,acontroversial closeconfidanteoftheClintons,was appointedtoheadthepowerfulWhiteHouse OfficeofManagementandBudget(0MB) 811dAliZaidicurrentlyservingasNewYork's DeputySecretaryforEnergyandEnvironment willbetheDeputyNationalClimateAdvisor. Amongotherappointments,DrArun Majumdar,formerGoogleexecutive,Obama official,andUT-Bombaygraduate,willleadthe transitionteamfortheEnergyDepart1nent; DrRahulGuptawillleadthetransitionwith theOfficeofNationalDrugControlPolicy; KiranAhujahasbeennominatedforTean1 LeadforOfficeofPersonnelManagement; BharatRamamurthiwasnamedasDeputy DirectoroftheNationalEconomicCouncil (NEC)forfinancialreformandconsun1er protection;VedantPatelwillbeassistantpress secretaryoftheWhiteHouse;Bhavya Lalwill leadthetransitionatNASA;PunnetTalwar willbeontheagencyreviewteamforthe USDepartn1entofState;PavSinghwillhelp transitiontheNationalSecurityCouncil;and SeemaNandawillbewiththe USDepart1nent ofLabor;andCivilrightsactivistVanitaGupta willserveasassociateattorneygeneral.

Latestintheseriesofappointmentsis SabrinaSingh,alongtimeaidetoUSVice PresidentelectKamalaHarris,whohasbeen namedWhiteHouseDeputyPressSecretary.

21-year-old Arya Rajendran elected mayorof Thiruvananthapuram

Arya Rajendran,a21-year-oldComn1unist PartyofIndia-Marxist(CPM)councillor from Mudavanmugal,hasbeensworninas the newMayorofThiruvananthapuran1city corporation.

Arya,aB.ScMathematicssecondyear studentattheAllSaintsCollege,will continuewithherstudiesalongwith handlingtheresponsibilitiesasMayor.

ShehadadefinitiveleadoverherCongress rivalcandidateintheelections,withher nominationforthepostbeingseenasasignal ofencouragementtowardsyouthinvolvement inpolitics,especiallyinherstateofKerala.

NowtheyoungestcitymayorinIndia,she hasbeatentherecordpreviouslyheldby Devendra FadJ1aviswhohadbeenelected mayoroftheNagpurMunicipalCorporation attheageof27.

Apartfro111hernewestaccolade,Arya Rajendranisalsostatepresidentof Balasangam,thechildren'swingoftheLeft party,andisastatecoffilnitteen1emberof Students'FederationofIndia.

AlongwithRajendran,twootherwomen wereelectedmayorsoftheirrespectivecity corporationsintherecentelections.

InKollam,PrassannaEarnestofthe CPMwassworninas theMayor. Thisisher secondstintastheMayorofKollam. InKozhikode,retiredteacherBeena Philipofthe CPMwassworninasMayor. IANS

Photo:AP

NAVJOTPAL KAUR and SUMEETSEKHON

stemperaturesplummet, hundredsofthousandsof1nen, won1enandchildrencontinue tospendbone-chilHngdaysand nightsinmakeshiftsheltersacrossmultiple protestsitesencirclingNewDelhi.

Thesewidespreadfan11ers'protestshave enteredtheirsecondmonthtorageagainst newcontentiousfarmlawspassedbythe IndiangovernmentinSeptember.

Fannersarede1nandingtheIndian governmentretractthelaws,introduced duringCOVID-19lockdownswithout consultingstakeholders.Accordingtoexperts thelaws,ai1nedat"liberalizing"Indian agricultu1·e,willgraduallydriveoutsmall andmai-ginalfarmersbycreatingprivate monopoliesinthe1narket.

Giventhat86percentoffarmersinIndia aresmalllandholders(owninglessthantwo hectares),strongoppositiontothelawsis hardlysurprisingatall.

Theprotesthasgarneredhugecommunity supportfromIndiaandabroad.Ithasalso managedtoincludeandmobilizewomen. Inthisway,thefarmers'protestsshow how1nodernprotestsitescanbespacesof resistanceandpowerbutalsoofgender equityande1npowerment.

Democraticalienationandanincreasing distancebetweencitizensanddecision makersseemstobethehallmarkoftheModiledIndiangovernment.Anexampleofthis wasseenduringtheShaheenBaghprotestto

discuss the empowering nature of women's activism and protest in India

theCitizenshipAmend1nentAct.

ShaheenBaghandtheongoingfarmers' protestarea1nongthebiggestproteststo rockIndiainrecenttilnes.Anoteworthy featureofboththeseprotestsisthattheyhave challengedthestereotypesofIndianwomen thathavebeendo1ninatedbytheirsupposed passivityinthefaceofvictilnhood.

Thefarmers'protest,however,isdistinct fromtheShaheenBaghprotestinthe sensethatithasgarneredunprecedented coLnmunitysupport.MostlyledbySikh fannersfromPunjab,theprotestspace reflectstheSikhethosoflangar(freemeals), sewa(service),andcharhdikala(highspirits).

Theseismicwavesoftheprotestare notonlybeingfeltinIndiabutindifferent countriesacrosstheworldwheretheIndian, andparticularlyPunjabi,diasporaareholding massiveralliesagainstthefarmlaws.

Women lead protests PunjabandHaryana,thetwostatesleading thefarmers'protest,arecharacterized bydeeplyentrenchedfeudal,patriarchal structuresthatplacesignificant,deliberate andinadvertentconstraintsonwomen. Furthermore,bothPunjabandHaryana continuetobecounteda1nongthecountry's worst-performingstatesintermsoffemale-tomalesexratios.

Usually,intypicalagrarianpatriarchal societies,womenandn1endonothave equalaccesstohouseholdresources.This

inequalityisworsenedduringtin1esof economichardshipsasintra-household bargainingformeagreresourcesintensifies. Inotherwords,decisionsaremorelikelyto beskewedinfavourofmen'sinterestswhen householdresourcesareinadequatetomeet theneedsofallmen1bers.

Adecreasemfarmingincomesislikelyto haveadisproportionatelyadverseilnpacton thelivesofwomen.Fu1thermore,adecrease infarmincomesislikelytoleadtomore peoplegoingintodebt-oneoftheprimary causesoffarmersuicidesinIndia.Women belongingtosuicide-affectedfamiliesare particularlyvulnerabletopoverty.They arelefttofendforthemselvesduetodeeprootedideasofpatrilinealinheritance,which precludewomenfromowningland.

Againstthisbackd1·op,itisremarkable thatthousandsofwomenareexercisingtheil· agency,bravingthebitingcoldandnotonly participatinginbutleadmgtheprotests.

Whenaskedabouttheirmotivationto participatemtheprotests,won1entold journalistsabouttheiractiveinvolvementin thefarmingprocess.Indeed,womenofrural Indiacontributedirectlytowardsagricultural productionintheformoflabow·onfamilyownedfarms,aswellasmdirectlythrough cooking,cleaningandcaringforchildrenand theelderlywithinthehousehold.

Thelongworkinghoursandgruelling dailylivesofwomeninruralIndiaarewell documented.Monumentalcontributionsto

farmingnotwithstanding,wo1nenareyet tobeacknowledgedasfarmersbysociety. Thewomenattheprotestsites,however, arecomfortablewiththefrfarmeridentity. Perhapstheprotestisanopportunityforthem topubJjclyclait11thisidentity.

Inadditiontoprotestil1g,womenhave takenontheentireresponsibilityofmanaging theirfarmsandhouseholdsbackinPunjab. Thesewomenarealsoensuringthereisa continuoussupplyofrations,blanketsand otheressentialsneededattheprotestsites. Withoutthislogisticalsupportfromthe womenmtheirfamilies,andtheknowledge thattheirfarmsarebemgtendedto,themen could nothavecampedonthebordersof Delhiformorethanamonth.

Moreover,intheabsenceofmen,wo1nen aremanagingabout 100protestsitesin Punjabtokeepupthemomentu1ninthe homestate.

Thededicatedparticipationofwomenin theseprotestsshowsthatwo1nen'sactivism andprotesthasbecomeanempoweringspace inandofitself.

NavjotpalKaurisaPh.D. Candidate, Sociology,MemorialUniversityof Newfoundland, Canada. SumeetSekhonisa PostdoctoralResearchFellow,Development andGenderStudies, UniversityofBritish Columbia, Canada.

Thisarticlefirstappearedin The Conversation.

JAN UARY

FEBRU AR Y

SEPTE MBER

OCT OBER

2MahatmaGandhi'sbirthday 4Queen'sBirthday(QLD) 4LabourDay(ACT, NSW, SA)

15Dussehra 19Milad-un-Nabi 20MaharishiValmiki'sBirthday 24KarvaChauth

Australian holidaysand observances are listed in colour.

MARCH

NOVE MBER

Acontemporary videoartwork reinterpretsa2000-year-old Tamiltaleto resonate with life today

BY BAGESHRI SAVYASACHI

annagibeginsasanordinary woman;wellnotthatordinary, andthentransforn1sintoa goddess ofjustice!"

SosaysSydney-basedartistfilmmaker ZannyBegg,whosevideoStoriesof Kan.nagihasbeenno1ninatedforthe Blake Prize, anartprizethatengagesartists creatingworksaboutspirituality,religion, andjustice (ortheirlackthereof).

"It'saboutthecentralfemalecharacter Kannagi,whoisknowntobeachasteand docilewomanforalongtime,butwhenshe isconfronted withinjustice,shetransforms intoafierycharacterwhodeliversastrong speechtotheking,"ZannytoldIndian Link. "Herspeechissopowerfulthatthe kinggivesuphispowerandthecityis consu111edinflames."

ShewasintroducedtoKannagiwhenJiva Parthipan,culturaldevelopn1entofficerata non-profitcalledSTARTTS(Serviceforthe TreatmentandRehabilitationofTortureand TraumaSurvivors)approachedherwiththe ideafortheproject. Jivahasbeenworking withtheTamilco1nmunity(includingTamil refugees)forthelast3yearsteachingthem aboutfilmmaking.

TheideaitnmediatelyappealedtoZanny, allofwhoseworksaredefinedbystrong femaleleads.

ThestoryofKannagi

Kannagiistheprotagonistina2000-year-old

TamilepiccalledSilappathikaram111eaning

:JivaParthipan

'thetaleofananklet'inTamil.Aclassic,itis taughtinlocallanguageschoolsaspartofthe Tan1ilcurriculuminAustralia.

ThereareKannagitemplesallover southernIndiaandSriLankatothisday. Devoteesvisitthesetemplestoaskfordivine interventionwhenfacedwithproblems.

"InSriLanka,ittookonanotherangle. In2009,attheendofthewar,theUN baddepartedandtherewerenoexternal witnesses.So,peoplebelievedthatKannagi wasthesolewitnesstothewarandwillgive themjusticeandtothepeoplewhoarestill missing,"JivaParthipanexplained.

Storiesthatstandthetestoftime, especiallystoriesofsuTvivalandresilience, deeplyinterestZanny.Additionally,Kannagi isnotperfect,andflawedcharacters,Zanny muses,are"themostinteresting".

"Hersisanancientstorywhich resonateswithlifetoday,particularlyin theAustraliancontext,wherewehavetotal injusticetowardsrefugeesandmigrants," Zannystated."So,havingthispowerful figurewhobasicallytellstherulerof thelandthatbedoesn'tdeservetorule

anymorebecausehehasn'tbeenajust ruler,resonatedwithme. Jfeltapowerful attractionto thestory."

The power of language

ThevideoalsofeaturesSriLankan TamilwritersNiromideSoyza,Shankari ChandaTanandSrishaSritharan,to interprettheideaofloveinSilappathikaram incurrenttin1es.Allthreewritersarebased inAustraliaandprominentlyuselanguage asaformofdissent.

"lwasinterestedinthepoweroflanguage andJivawascreatinganexhibitioncalled OlderThanLanguagewhichwasaboutthe roleoflanguageinexiledcommunities," ZannyBeggsaid."So,Ichosetofocuson threewriterswhowereusinglanguageto challengeinjusticeswhetheritwasthrough books,memoirsorslampoetry.Ithought itwasanicebouncepointbetweenthis 2,000-yearstoryofKannagiandthewayin whichthesewomenwereusinglanguageas aformofresistancetoday."

Begginitiallycreatedafilmcalled/ am Kannagi aboutayoungTamilwon1an

seekingasyluminSydneywhichmade theroundsatfilmfestivals,and later collaboratedwithlinguiststocreateStories ofKannagi, avideoartworkforexhibitions. Asidefrom1nakingafewcallstocasting agents,itwasdifficulttofindbilingual -o actorsandactressesfortheproject.

[ "Ithadtobepeople fron1within the projectwewereworkingonand nearly t allofthemwereuntrainedactors," Jiva a. ro Parthipanadded.

u Eventhevisuallanguageinthevideolends g itselftoabeautifulandvibrantlandscape.

3

Q) StoriesofKannagishowsanincredible weddingsequencewhichwasfilmedata weddingreceptionvenueinPendleHill. "ldidallthedrawingwhichformedall thedrapesforthemandapofthewedding. Wekeptthatbackgroundevenwiththe contemporaryinterviewswiththewritersto maintainavisuallinkbetweentheoldstory andthecontemporarycontext,"Zannysajd. Themusicinthefilmwascreatedbylocal composerJamesBrownincollaboration withSrishaSritharan,aSydney-basedpoet wholenthervoicetotheco1nposition.

BeingnamedasafinalistfortheBlakeArt PrizewasmomentofgreatprideforZanny. "I'mjustproudofthewholeteam. Ifeel like thestoryhasthisincrediblespiritual dimensionandlooksatjustice,exile,and colonialismthroughtheprismofstories, culture,andspirituality.Feelslovelythat there'sthatkindofrecognitionforthis project. Ifeellike IgottoknowtheSri LankanTamilcommunityinSydneymore andI'msogratefultoJivaforaskingtome tocomeonboard."

SeeStoriesofKannagiattheBlakePrize ExhibitionatSydney'sCasulaPowerhouse ArtCentre, 13 Feb - 11 April2021.

BY JYOTI SHANKAR

reetiVijayaSawrikarisnostranger topain.So1neofourreadersmight rememberreadingherstoryin 20l9,ThePowerofPetals.Thestory ofbowtherestorativeeffectsofgarde11i11g helped Preetifightapainfulconditioncaused byadegenerativeneck,wasinspiring.Many operationslatei-,thepainstillLingersand isoftenquiteunbearable.1-fowever,Preeti hasfoundanewwaytocontinuetohelp herself,aswelJasspreadtheloveforplants whilesupportinganoblecauseinherhome country.

The seedoftheideaca1netoPreetiwhen shevisited herhometownHyderabadto meetfriendsshehadbeentoschoolwith. Shewasn1eetingthemafter49yearsand therewasn1uchcatchinguptodo.One ofthechildhoodfriendsshemetwas DrAnantReddy,nowareconstructive surgeonforaleprosyhospital.

"Ananthadthiscaln1andradiantaura abouthim,"PreetirecountedtoIndianLink. "Speakingtohim,itwascleai-thatitcame fromhisyearsofdedicationtoanoblecause, theleprosyhospitalheworkedatsincebe becameadoctor.Iwantedtoknowmore."

OnherreturntoSydney,Preetisaw videosoftheSivanandaRehabilitation

Hon1ethatDrReddysenther.Theheartbreakingandtouchingstories111oved Preetisomuchthatshedecidedthiswasa causeshehadtosupport.

Alreadyanaccon1plishedhobby gardener,Preetidecidedtocombineher creativeskillsinarrangingsucculentsto contributeasbest asshecouldtothecause.

TheSivanandaRehabHomefund-raiser projectwasbon1.

Thelogisticsofcollectingplantsandpots andhaulingbagsofpottingmixeswasn'tan easyone.Succulentsarehardyplantseasy tolookafterbutatinyplantcansometimes costupto$10.Herpersonalcollectionof hundredsofplantshelpedtosomeextent, butsheoftendroveforhourstopickup bargainsfromonlinesellers. Explainingthe processofcreatingunique arrangementsof theseplants,Preetisays,"Succulentscome inavarietyofshapes,coloursandsizes. Itwasn'tjustamatterofthrowingthem togethei-. 1hadtoconsiderthewaterand lightrequirementstomatchsimilarplants togetherinanarrangementwhichwasalso aestheticallypleasing".

Shethencontactedherfriendsandput awordouttothecommunityabouther project.Manyweresurprisedtoknov,that leprosywasstillaprevalentdiseaseinIndia.

"UntilImetDrReddy,Imyselfdidnot know1nuchaboutleprosy,"confessedPreeti.

Herprojecthelpedinraisingthis awareness.Leprosy,abacterialdisease, affectsthebody'snervoussystem.Affected

areasareskin,eyesandmusclesofthe handsandfeet.Asthediseaseprogresses, sensationsarelost,1nakingthepatient vulnerabletocutsandinfections. Stiffened musclescauseclawedhandsand thelossof theblinkingreflexcouldevenleadtototal blindness.Amputationoffingers,anarm orlegbecomesnecessaryattimes.

However,itisnotjustthephysical impactsofthediseasethataresignificant; leprosycarrieswithitasocialstigma whichimpactsthesocialandeconomic well-beingofpatientsandfamilies.

SivanandaRehabilitationHome,inthe outskirtsofHyderabad,wasfoundedin

1958byRaniKumudini Devi,toprovidea refugetosuchpatients.Todayithousesover 500patientsand treatsthousandseachyear. Italsoprovidespatientswithrehabilitation andoccupationaltherapynecessaryto integratebackintotheircommunity. Dr Reddy'sworkinreconstructivesurgerynot onlyreturnsthefunctionofsloughedbody partsbutalsorestoresnormalitytotheir appearance,increasingsocialacceptance ofleprosypatientsinthecommunity.Italso helpsthemtoperformdailytasksandlive independently.

Preetiwasoverwhelmedbythesupport ofherfriendsandcommunitytothiscause. Withinamatterofweeks,over300to 400ofherplantartpiecesweresnapped up,raisingover$8000todate.AsPreeti putsit,"Thesatisfactionofhaving1nade adifferencebas helpedn1eforgettnyown pain. That ispriceless.Atherapysession costs$200perhourbutthebenefitthis projecthasgivenmeisinvaluable." MostofusliveaprivilegedUfein Australia, andalittlesupportcangoa longway.Asetofspecialisedfootwearfor peopleaffectedbyleprosycostslessthan $10. With$200, reconstructivesurgeryof deformedbandsandfeetismadepossible, and $100cancoverthe annual1nedicine costforonepatient.

Andwhileprovidingthisinvaluable supportifyouwantto takehomealovely plantarrangementtoo,pleasegetintouch withPreetionvijay.sawrikar@gmail.com.

Sydney's Preeti Sawrikar has converted her love for succulents into a fundraising effort

Indian Link ::g::,

VICGOVTANNOUNCES

$50,000 FOR HINDU CELEBRATIONS

he Victorian Govern1nent has announced $200,000 multicultural festivals and celebrations.

$50,000 ofthis amount is set asidefor Hindu celebrations, events and festivals.

Early in the newyear,ActingMinister for Multicultural Affairs Shaun Leane opened the Multicultural Festivals and Events Progra1n, invitingorganisations to apply forfunding forevents to be held between March and June this year.

The fundingwill support eventsheld either in person orin adigital fonnat. 1n-person events must adhere to the COVIDSafe Public Events Framework.

With the entertainn1ent and events industry one ofthe hardest hit becauseofthe panden1ic, this funding

announcement comes as awelcome move.

The initiative is part ofthe Andrews' LaborGovernment'selection co1nmitn1ent to invest $200,000 to support multiculturalcelebrations.

In March,Victoria'sGreek cornmunity will celebrate the 200th anniversaryofGreekindependence - a significant occasionon theircultural calendar. Minister Shaun Leanesaid, "The $200,000 fundingwill help it be COVIDSafe but in1portantly, a rnilestone to ren1en1ber."

Applicationsclose 3pm on Wednesday, 3 February. For n1oreinformation or to apply, visit vie.gov.au/multicultura1-festivalsand-events-program.

eunsun

1oneers

Roderick MacKay's film The Furnace offers a peak into the toils and travails of our forebears who came to this country 150 or more years ago

BY RAJNIANAND LUTHRA

anyIndigenouspeopletoday continuetohaveSikh orAfghan names.Thismessageattheend ofthefihnTheFurnacebrings homethedeephistoricalconnectionsthat peopleofSouthAsianoriginhavehadwith theoriginalinhabitantsofAustralia.

Knownasthe'Ghans'-shortfor 'Afghans'eventhoughtheydid notallhail fromAfghanistan-theyworkedthecan1el trainsin theoutbackinthelate 1800s, transportinggoodsandn1aterialsasa youngnationcameintobeing.

Laterthehistoryofthecameleer'Ghans' becan1elosttomodernAustralia,their workandcontribution-indeedtheirvery existence -onlycomingtotheforeina substantialwayearlythiscentury.

Now,acriticallyacclaimedAussiefilmis helpingtomakethemmainstream.

RoderickMacKay,directorofTheFurnace toldIndianLink,"Icertainlywasn'ttaught aboutthecameleersinhighschoolor university. Itwassixyearsagothatlfirst stumbleduponsomeblackandwhiteimages ofthecameleersintheoutbackinabook byEmeritusProfessorofHistory,Geoffrey Bolton. Withwhatlittleinformationwas available, Ibegantoresearchintowhothese extraordinarymenwereandwhytheywere heresolongago.That'swhenIbeganto fullyappreciatethatthecameleersarethe unsungpioneersofAustralia'sinland."

Headded,"Australianhistoryhastypically beenwrittenfrontaverynarrowAnglo-Celtic perspectiveandsosadly,itdoesn'tsurprise methatourMuslim,Sikhand1-Iindupioneers havebeensweptundertherug."

Inhisfilm-theloneAustralianfilmat lastyear'sVeniceFilmFestival-agroup ofcameleers intheGoldRusherabecotne involvedwithwhitesettlersandthe localAboriginalcom111unity.Admittedly theirrelationshipwiththelatterismuch smoother,giventheirsimilarspiritual andpsychosocialperspectivesandtheir

KaushikDas,AhmadMalekandBaykaliGanambarr

readinesstosharecultureandlanguage. Intheir ownseparateways,eachcommunityisforgingits ownsenseofidentity;together, theyarebuildinga notionofnationhood.

lnastrokeofgenius, MacKayhashischaracters speaktheirnativetonguessothattherearesome sixdifferentlanguagestobeheard inthefilm, includingHindi,Punjabi,Pashto,Cantoneseand theWesternAustralianIndigenouslanguage Badimaya.

Setinthegold1niningtownofMt. Magnet,six hoursawayfrom Perth, thefilmbringstogether amulticulturalcasttosupport lead actorDavid Wenha1n'scharacter,agoldthiefontherun.As hisAfghancameleerHanif,thebrilliantyoung EgyptianactorAhmedMalekbecomesparallel lead.

Indian-originactorsKaushikDasandMahesh JaduplayJundahandSadhurespectively-Sikh can1eleersandfamilyfigurestoHanif.

"Thefilmitselfishistoric,startingaconversation aboutaneranotdiscussedmuch,"Dastold Indian Link. "Withtheirremarkableworkexploringthe outback,andwiththeirblood,sweatandtears,the can1eleersopenedthefrontierstotherestofthe country."

Unlikeanythinghehaseverdonebefore,the highpointsfromtheexperienceweremany.

"BeingatMt.Magnet,stillanactiveminingsite, wasroughingit,butasspiritualIndigenousland, 1felttheenergyoftheplace.Meetingtheoriginal descendantsofthecharacterswewereplayingwas specialtoo -manywerepart-Indian.I alsofelta greatresponsibilityinlearningtospeakBadimaya,

asleepinglanguage,asitslastspeakerdiedayear ago.Heknewthoughthateffortswerebeingmade withhislanguagein thisfilm,sothatwasspecial. Andofcourse, thecamels- Ifellinlovewiththe amazingcreatures."

Thechallenges?"Filminginthe40-degreeheat, withtheflies.Everytimeweopenedourmouths, wetookafewfliesin!"

Particularlyspecialhowever,wasplayingaSikh character,beingaBengalihimself.

TheAustralianSikhHeritage,servingasSikh consultants,advisedwithnamesandattireofthe times.Mostimportantly,theytiedtheturbans,which theyinsistedmustbekeptauthentic.

Jundahwasapparentlythenameofareal cameieer,Dasrevealed."l-leoperatedoneofthe largestcameltrainsfromthe 1890stothe 1930s. Whenmotorizedtransportcame,helosthis livelihoodandtookhisownlife. Hisnameprobably camefromthewordjhundawhichn1eansflag. l like tothinkofhimasflagbearerofthecommunity."

It'sclearthatDasisquitetakenwiththisperiod ofhistory.Coincidentally,thiscriminallawyerturned-actor-producer-writerwashimselfwriting ascriptsetinthisera, inspiredbyAdelaideartist PeterDrew's"Aussie"posters,whenhescoredan auditionwithTheFurnace.

RoderickMacKayisconvincedweneedto tellmorestoriesofthetime. "TheFurnaceonly scratchesthesurfaceofthehistoryofourvery fascinatingSikh,MuslimandHinducameleers. Ihopeitencouragespeopletogoontheirown researchjourneyandawakenmoreinclusive notionsofAustralianidentity."

DavidWenhamwithAh

13-year-old Ashwell Starr is making waves in the Australian youth soccer league

BY RHEANATH

shwell Starr still reme1nbers that he scored over ten goals in the first soccer match of his life as a young boy. Ever since, the now 13-year-old has been hooked to the beautiful ga1ne.

"I love the thrill ofthe competition and scoringgoals," Ashwell admittedwith a cheekygrin.

Overtheyears, he's garnered a few feathers in his cap, playingforbig clubs in Sydney like the Parran1atta Eagles and Marconi Stallions. The left-wing striker impressivelyended the 2019-2020 season as the highest scorer in his agegroup in the league.

This year, the budding soccer star is all set to commence a new stage in his career, playing for the U-14 team ofthe highly competitive Western Sydney Wanderers.

"It's a testament to his skills that he was scouted by the Western Sydney Wanderers. You don't typically try out for theWanderers - they scoutyou,"proud father Carlton Starr toldIndianLink.

By most accounts, he could be the most successful 1ndian player in the Australian youthleague so far. Ofcourse, the accolades don't come easy.

"Ashwell undertakes specialised training once a weekwith one ofthe best academies in Australia called Futboltec," Carlton explained. "Then he trains three ti1ues a

weekwith the Wanderers. And there are games over the weekend."

With thewhole family involved in Ashwell's training, includingolder brother Jason who played soccer in India and England, the game is very much a family affair for the Starrs. (Even their pet dog Diego is named after the late Argentina soccerlegend Maradona.)

As part ofhis soccercareer,Ashwellhas travelled all over, such as to theCairnsCup Yanmar Cup in Japan lastyear. With such a busylifestyle dedicated to his game, the unwaveringfanuly support helps.

"It's not easy to train eaTlymornings and

late nights. At times, we'vehad to make sacrifices, but Ashwell has an undeniable talent. Others train very hard to reach this level oftalent that he'sborn with," said Carlton.

It's this talent that continues to fuel Ashwell's Socceroos ambitions.

"I'd love to play for the national team, of course," he shared with JndianLink. "I'd also love toplayfor the Indian Super League (ISL); there are a lot ofAustralian players doing well there."

Like most boys his age,Ashwellcounts Neymar, Messi, Renaldo as his favourite players. When asked about the English

Premier League, theexciten1entin his voice is hard to contain when he states that he's an Arsenal fan.

So what has he learnt about hi111self fro1n the game?

"Soccer, like most sports, teaches discipJj11e and respect for the opposition. l've learnt to remain hun1ble with victories and with losses," he said.

His fathercouldn't agree more.

"Ashwell is a really respectful boy. He's learned a lot about the importance of teamwork and conducting yourselfwell,on and offthe field," Carlton elaborated.

The Starrs, originally from B01nbay, migrated toAustralia in 1995. As Ashwell's soccer careers continues to reach new heights, it's easy to acquire naysayers. To this, Carlton Starr has one simple philosophy - hard work and results should do all the talking.

"It's a great sign that there's an increasing number ofIndian boysplaying soccer at the grassroot levels. I believe we're goingto see a lot ofIndian talent coming up the ranks in the next few years. As l frequently tell Ashwell, no one can argue with dedication and talent," he said.

Like with many aspects oflife, COVID has puta dampeneronAshwell's soccer plans too, but the Starrs are keeping apositive outlook.

"Ashwell has been contacted by Genk, a celebrated soccer team in Belgium. But we've been unable to travel because ofborder closures," Carlton revealed.

With this manyexcitingthings in the works, it's nowonder the Starrs are eager to see what2021 holds for the talented lad. Onwards and upwards,we say!

TheStarrfamily-mumKareena,sons::Jason,AshwellandLeander, anddadCarltonStarr.

BY PETRAO'NEILL

ithafocusonofferingrailtours

toexploreregionalNewSouth Wales,Irecentlyjoinedthe inauguraltouroftheGolden WestwithVintage RailJourneysasthetrain's TourDirector.

Overfivedaystravelling 1500kilometers wevisitedhistorictownships,wineries, gardensand1nuseums,andviewedtheeverchanginglandscapethroughthewindowsof thetrain.

The train

Initsheydayfron1 1962-86,theSouthern Auroraprovidedafirstclassovernighttrain servicebetweenSydneyandMelbourne.

Aftertheserviceceased,manySouthern Auroracarriagesca1netoformpartofthe collectionsofrailpreservationgroups.In 2017,VintageRailJourneysacquired 14, renamedthecarriagesAuroraAustralis,and scrubbedandpolishedthembacktotheir originalcondition.Togetherwiththedining andloungecars,thedecorislikethatofan old-fashioneddiner,featuTinglaminated walls,andflutedstainlesssteelexteriors, allowinggueststorevisitthepast.

HummingalongtothetunesofFrank Sinatra,barmanagerDanservesdrinkswith

An old Sydney-to-Melbourne train service takes on a fascinating new avatar ...

flair. Passengersareofferedqualitywines sourcedfromvineyardsalongthejourney. ChefsBelindaandScottpreparehea1ty countryfare,withanemphasisonfreshlocal produce.Afteralongday'stravel,passengers cantuckintomainsincludingrackofCowra LamborslowlybraisedBeefCheeksserved withlentilsandsweetpotatoes,followedby lemonpiewithadollopofcreamorsticky datepuddingwithcaramelsauce.

Twin-sharecabinshaveseatsthatfoldback tobecomebunkbedsatnightwithasteep laddertoclin1bandacompacten-suitewith folddownbasinandtoilet.Thesmallsingle cabinshavesharedtoiletsandshowers.

The journey

AtSydney'simposingCentralStation,we welcomed 124guestsonboard.Thewhistle blewandtheAuroraAustralisheadednorth, pastruggedsandstonecliffs,densebushland, andstunningcoastalscenery.AtBrooklynwe joinedtheRiverboatPostmanthatsince 1910 hasdeliveredn1ailandessentialsuppliesalong theriver,foraleisuTelythree-hourcruiseof theHawkesburyRiverandBrokenBay.

Rejoiningthetrain,wetravelledontothe pictureperfectvillageofPaterson,nestledon thebanksofthePatersonRiver.Volunteers fromtheRailMotorMuseumandHistorical Societyguidedusaroundthetownslovingly restoredhistoricbuildings,manydatingback totheearly1830s.

Thenextday,wejoinedahop-onhop-off

bus to visit the H.untei- Valley Gardens with the med gardensincludiJ1g an Indian garden. Stops wei-e also made at the Watershed Gallery showcasinglocal artists, and at several wineries to sample wine at cellar doors. Re-boardingthe train,we travelled onto Werris Creek, and were metby volunteers to view the fascinating collection of1nemorabilia at the Railway Museum. Later that evening, with a band playing, we met friendly locals at the renownedWerrisCreek Railway Hotel.

An earlydeparture bad us travelling on freightlines, with the train turningat Binnaway Junction, before passing towns including Dubbo and Wellington. Thegently undulatiJ1g landscape graduallychanged fron1 lush greento golden, around bends and through tunnels aswe passed by canola fields, rollinghills, fruit orchards, viJ1eyardsand paddocks. Many differentbirdsflew overhead and horses flicked their manes. It was a relaxing day,withguestsgaziJ1g out oftheir cabin windows to view the ever-changing scenery.

Arrivingin Orange, a cityof40,000 overlooked by the iinposing Mount Canobolus,guests could selfexplore with a map in hand to view parks, Federation-era mansions and historicbuildings. Atour was also offered to visitAdagio Mills that specializesin alpacawool, to learn more about how thewoolis processed.

The followingday,we visited Bathurst, and

explored local sites such as the impressive Fossil Museum, featuring rare crystals and fossils fro1naround the world. Wethen travelled bycoach towards Oberon tovisit May field Garden, the prettiest privategarden I've ever seen. With meandering pathways, waterfalls, lakes and streams, surroundedby oak, maple and birch trees, this was a day to re1nember, with a picnic lunch by the lake.

This beingour final night, ourjow·ney continued to Kandos, a small settlement tucked in the foothillsofthe mountains. Greeted with a Welcome to Countryby men1bers ofthe Wiradju1·i people, volW1teers led us to view aboriginal art galleries and the Rail Museum, before arriving at the Kandos Community Hall, for a spit roast dinner and liveband that soon had us clappingand stomping our feet.

At sunrise the nextmorning, the huge sandstone cliffs ofthe Caper tee Valley gave offa goldenglow, as wefollowed the Gwabegar line, across the Great Dividing Rangeto Wallerawang. Thescenerywas breathtaking and on a line that is seldon1 used, the overgrown tree branches almost stroked against the train.

Onourwayto Lithgow, we crossed a series ofbrickviaducts built in the 1920s, before arriving at Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains. Passengers spent the day selfexploringon the hop-on hop-offsightseeing bus before re-boardingthe train and ending ourjourney atCentral Station.

TRAVEL NOTEBOOK

• Thefive-dayGolden Westjourney costs$3995 perperson,twin shareorfora singlecabin.Other itinerariestothe North Coastand Riverin a arealsoavailable. Contact 1300421422fordetails.The journey providesan introductionto regional NSW.

• Ifyou'd prefertoexplore in greater depth,a short break iseasyto organise. Manyexpertlydesigned roadtripsareavailabletoguide yourdrivethere, orchoosea town toserveasyourbase, and make daytripsfromthere. Mypicksare OrangeorTamworththatare both buzzingrightnow. Regionaltowns

offersomuchtoseeand do, and while basedthere,takescenicdrives tovisitnational parksand quaint historicvillages, madeeasy by touristdrive mapsthatcan beeasily downloaded.

• Ifyou'd prefertocatchthetrainand hirea caron arrival, NSWtrains arecomfortable, affordableand relaxing.GotoNSWtrainlink.Visitor Information Centresare located atall majorcenterswith veryhelpfulstaff.

• Togetyou started,goto visitnsw.com

Before makingplans checkthe latest advice fortravelInNSW.

Talk about biryanis, and you'll encounter waytoo many FAQs...

Doyou cookthe riceand meatseparately,ortogether?Doyou usetheovenordoyou prefertoplaceyourpotontopofa hotirontawaonthestove?

Doyou useboned meat, ordoesbonelesscomeoutbetter?How doyou preventyourbiryanistickingtothe bottom ofthepan-doyou cookon low heat, ordoyou layerthebottomwithsliced potatoes?Thecorrectanswertoeachoftheseofcourse, istotrythem outbothways, and find outfor yourself!Whileyou'reatit, whynottastethedifferentregionsofIndiathisRepublic Day,andtrydifferentvariationsofthe biryani? It'll bea pleasure if you do itwith Fortune Rice

Bombay

VEGETABLE BIRYANI

Forthe Rice Wholespices

• 250grams(roughy2 cups)

Fortune Biryani Rice rinsed andsoakedfor 15 minutes

• 2 tbsp oil

• 1 tsp shahijeera

• 4-5 blackpepper pods

• 1-inch piece cinnamon

• 2-3 cloves

• 2-3 green cardamom

• 1 large fresh bayleaf

• Salt to taste

FortheVegetables

• ½ cup green peas

• 4pods blackcardamoms

• 3cm piece cinnamon

• 8 whole cloves

• 8 whole peppercorns

• 1 tsp shahiJeera

• 3 fresh bay leaves

Forthe Masala

• 3 tbspghee or oil

• 4medium onions, sliced

• Green chillies to taste

• 3 tspg,nger-garlic paste

• ½ tsp turmeric powder

• Red chilli powderto taste

Plus

• ½cupyogurt,whisked

• Afewstrands saffron, soaked,natbspofwarm milk

Forgarnish

•Tomatoslicesand corianderstrips

•2onions,friedcrisp

•Choppedmintand corianderleaves

•Limeorlemonwedges

• ½ cup carrots, cut into

• 1½ tsp garam masala long pieces

• ½ cup green beans, cut into long pieces

• 2 medium sized potatoes, cut into four pieces each

• 4-5 dried plums or prunes

• 3 large tomatoes

powder

• 1½ tsp coriander­

cumin powder

• Saltto taste

-

• Oil fordeep fryingonions

Tocookrice, heatoilandadd inthe When well-combined, add the whole spices. When they begin to crackle add in the drained rice and sautebriefly.Addwater(equivalent to double the rice) and salt, and cookuntil 75%done. Sievethrough a colander.

Heat oil and deep fry onions until well browned. Removefrom oil and cool,thengrindtoa paste.

To cook the veggies, heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and throw in thewhole spicesandgreen chillies. Allow oil to infuse flavours until spices crackle, then introduce the onion paste, ginger-garlic paste and saute. Stir in tomatoes. Add turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and coriandercumin powder and salt. Saute until itallcomestogether.

vegetables and prunes cook until vegetables arejust about al dente. Add atinyamountofcookingwater ifnecessary. Cool, and stir inyogurt to keep it all moist. Keep covered until needed.

Assemble biryani in a large baking dish.

Arrange alternate layers of rice and prepared vegetables. Pour over the milk infused with saffron. Cover tightly with alfoil and bake in a moderately hot oven for 20 minutes.

Servedecorated withgarnish.

NI RICE

Hyderabadi

CHICKEN BIRYANI

• 1 kg chicken, cut into medium pieces

• 1 kg (roughly S cups) Fortune Biryani

• Rice; rinsed and soaked for 1S minutes

• Juice of 1 lime

• 2 cups yoghurt

• 2 onions, sliced

• 1 cup oil (add a littleghee ifyou prefer)

• S tbsp oil extra

• Saltto taste

Grind to Paste

• Green chillies to taste

• 7cm piece ginger

• 4-5 garlic pods

• 2 onions, sliced

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1 tsp salt

Rub chicken with salt and letsit for 10 minutes. Then add the ground pasteandyogurt, mixandsetaside for20 minutes.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and throw in whole spices. Add water in 1:2 consistency, salt and turmeric and bringtoa boil.

Introduce the rice, cover and cook until halfdone. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat 4 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and fry sliced onions. Removewith slotted spoon and keepaside.

Whole Spices

• 2 tspshahijeera

• Sblackcardamoms

• 6-7 cloves

• 1 large stickcinnamon

• 3 large fresh bayleaves

Green Masala (chopped fine)

• 5-6green chillies

• 1 bunch mint leaves

• 1 bunchcoriander leaves

Lucknowi

Inthesameoil,putinthemarinated chicken. Layersinglefile ifpossible. Spread half the rice on top. Then add the fried onions, the green masala and lime juice. Layer the restofthericeon top. Nowpourin thecupofoilandgheeifusing.

Cover with teatowel and tighten with lid. Place on a hot iron tawa and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes.

(Alternately, cook in oven. Seal lid with dough. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C before putting your pot in and then reduce heat. Check in 20 minutes.)

• 1kggoatpieces,large(retainbonesand

• Salttotaste somefat)

• 250ml milk

• 4tbspcream Rice.rinsedandsoakedfor15minutes

• 750grams(roughly4cups)FortuneBiryanl

• ½ cupoil

• 2stickscinnamon

• 4-5cloves

• 1medium-sizedonion,sliced

• 4tspginger-garlicpaste

• Redchillipowdertotaste

• S0gyoghurt

• Afewstrandssaffron

• 1tbspkewrawater

Heatoilinheavy-bottomedpanand addcinnamon and cloves. Stiruntil flavours are infused in the oil. Add onion and fry until golden brown. Introduce meat and saute on high flame, stirring constantly. Add ginger-garlic paste and continue to stir. When nicely browned, add red chilli powder, salt and yoghurt. Mix well and let cook for 3-4 more minutes.Thenadd500mlwaterand thekewrawater,stirandthencover and cookuntil meat is beginningto separate from the bones. Turn off heatand coolcompletely.

Theoilwill bynowhave risentothe top, and will be infused with the colour of the spices. Use a deep spoon to siphon offall the excess

• 3-4podsgreencardamom

• 1 tbspghee ._

• ¼ tspsugar

• 1 tbsprosewater

For Masala Powder: grind together

• 7 pods green cardamom

• 2 tbsp white pepper pods

• 8-10 blades ofmace

rice.Cookuntil 75%done,andthen sievethrough acolander.

Meanwhile, bringoutthesiphonedoff cooking oil and add to it ghee, sugarand rosewater.Mixwell.

Assemble biryani in a heavy bottomed pan. Put in a layer of riceatthe bottom, and then spoon some of the meat and gravy over. Spoon some of the flavoured oil over.

Repeat with another layer of rice, meatandgravy, and flavoured oil. Finish off with a final layer of rice and pour the rest ofthe flavoured oil all over.

oil - this will be come to use a bit Cover tightlywith teatowel or alfoil later. and cook on high for five minutes

Then cook on low heat on top ofa Add milk, cream, saffron and the hot irontawafor20-25 minutes. ground masala. Mixwell and cover tightlyto incorporate.

Tocook rice, heat water in another pan and add a stick of cinnamon, the cardamom pods and salt to taste. When hot put in the soaked

(Alternately, cook in oven. Seal lid with dough. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C before putting your pot in and then reduce heat. Check in 20 minutes.)

AK VS AK (Netflix)

STARRING:Anil Kapoor, AnuragKashyap,Sonam Kapoor, Harshvardhan Kapoor

DIRECTION:Vikramaditya Motwane ***1

Halfthetrickliesinthecasting.Anil KapoorplaysAnil Kapoor.Anurag KashyapplaysAnuragKashyap.They gettobadmoutheachotherexposing theother'sfallaciesinthebuild-uptoan engagingthrilleroverflowingwithwrywit.

AK VsAKhasto bethequirkiestfilm

Bollywood madethisyear.

Vikramaditya Motwane'sfilm thriveson itssheer absenceofgenrespecifics. Itinvolvesreal people playingoutafictionalstoryline,and yetthe narrativecoldlydrawsfrom their livesto setup make-belief.The mockumentary-stylenarrativeplays

I outwiththeclinicalprecisionofatrue

I story, exceptthatnoneofitactually everhappened.

I AvinashSampath'sstoryis atwo-

I liner. FilmmakerAnuragKashyap

I (ashimself)andveteran Bollywood starAnil Kapoor (ashimself) areat

1 loggerheads. Thefilmmaker kidnaps

I Sonam Kapoor (asherself},daughter

I ofthestar,andsetsoffthesenior

1 actor on afranticsearch,in a bidto teachhimalesson.AsAnil Kapoor

I getsgoingon adesperatehuntfor

I daughterSonam, Kashyapfilmsthe

I actionin realtime. Heissureit'sready materialforhis nextblockbusterfilm.

I Experimentalentertainmentthat

I toyswiththereal andthefictionalis

1 rare even in Hollywood,leavealone Hindifilmdom.Onecanatrandom I recalltheSpikeJonzegems Being

I John Malkovich andAdaptation.

MATRIMONIALS

SEEKING GROOMS SEEKING BRIDES

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Professionallyqualified match required for '88-born 5"3" Hindu Punjabi girl, divorced (short marriage, issueless). Workingfull time in Sydney. Pref teetotaller. Must have Aus PR. Email: matrimonial.ml@gmail.com.

I IranianfilmmakerAbbas Kiarostami I madeClose-Up, abouta crazed 1 cinephilewhopassesoffasthe maestro Mohsen Makhmalbafand

I scamspeoplesayinghewill castthem. I

I InAKVsAKMotwaneusesthegenre I 1 specifics well,to craftanoriginalstory.

Sonam Kapoor'sappearanceis I boostedby anaccompanyingcameo I ofherbrotherHarshVarrdhan Kapoor.

1 Harsh's casting, in fact, isusedby director Motwaneto addcheeky I humour, takingthejokeonhimself.

I Buddingactor Harshisseentelling

I Kashyapatone pointofVikramaditya Motwane'sBhaveshJoshiSuperhero, I whichendedupaflop. Harshwants

I Kashyap,who wasa producerofthat I film,to makea sequel.

Thefunreallyliesinsavouring I thewaythese'real'charactersare I presented,evenasthefictional

Sydney-based 46-year-old, PR holder, down-to-earth,sweet natured, healthy,slim,attractive, cool-minded,welleducated, spiritual, issuelessdivorcee,vegetarian, North lndianKayastha Hindu man, workingin ITcompany, seeksa girlfrom India

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Seekinga professional matchforHindu-AdDharmijRamdasia, 27-year-old engineer onTRvisa, doingcustomerservicejob in Sydney,with an educatedfamilybackground,family relatives professionallysettled inSydneyand Brisbane. Caste no bar. Pleasecontactwithdetailsand photoat hsruby 2000@yahoo.com/0401324862

suspenseunfolds. Motwane keeps thenarrativesuitablyfast-paced,with SwapnilSonawane'scinematography deliveringtheimpact.

Thecredibletech-specs complement smartscreenwritingthatdrawsfrom personalaspectsofthecelebritiesin question (AnuragKashyap's asthmatic fitsin real life,forinstance,arewoven intothestory), justasfeats and failuresoftheir professionallivesare tossedinto conversationsto render dramatothedialogues.

Good writingis also thereason theactors getto playthefieldas themselves.Theironyisyou never quite know in whichsceneaparticular castmemberisactually 'acting, andin whichthey arejustbeingthemselves. Thatsortofafluidityis Motwane's triumphasafilmmaker.

Vinayak Chakravorty

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No.391237)

I

1 COOLIE NO. 1

1 (Amazon Prime)

I STARRING:Varun Dhawan,SaraAli Khan, Paresh Rawal,JavedJaffrey, I Rajpal Yadav,JohnnyLever,SahilVaid, I ShikhaTalsania,VikasVerma, Manoj 1 Joshi,Anil Dhawan, BharatiAchrekar

45th film of DAVID DHAWA

I I

Well,Varun better stickto doing I a Varun - that'sthe wayhisfans likehim.AndSara doesn'tlookcool I withthe coolie.The gyration gig is

I I simply notfor her,she can give the 1 pelvis some rest. OnDhawansenior, someonetellhim whatyear thisis.

I Init"�lf,thefirst Coolie No. 1 was I nogreat comedy - noteven by David 1 Dhawan'sloony yardstick. Butat leastthe filmhadthe singular asset I thatmade itstand out- Govinda.

I Youshouldn'tgetintosuch ditsy 1 misadventure inthe name of comedy filmmaking unlessyouhave Govinda I tojustifythe chaos.

I The big problem aboutthe 1 recreated Coolie No. 1 is notthatit

is utterly brainless (the 1995 original was nointelligententertainment either). Theproblem withthe remake 1 isit failstohold your attention from almostthetime itgetsgoing. Boring I and brainless can be a lethal combo I for a 'comedy'.

1 Owingtoany obviousintent tonarrate anything original,the I castisa one-on-onearray of I substitutes.Soif Varun does a 1 Govinda andSaratakes over the I naach-gaana duty from Karishma Kapoor, Paresh Rawal stepsinto

I I I

DIRECTION:DavidDhawan

1 KAAGAZ (ZeeS)

--I MonalGajjar,Amar Upadhyay,Satish Kaushik I DIRECTION:Satish Kaushik

I ThemeritsofPankajTripathi'snew outing aredwarfedbythe clichesthat I thefilmfailstoresist.Itissomething I thatprevents Kaagazfromlivingupto thepotentialitsstoryline had promised.

I Tripathi,one of Bollywood'smost I incrediblesuccessstoriesinrecent I years,continueswithhisgloriousrun asan actorintheOTT domain,this I timereturningwith astarringrole in I Satish Kaushik'snewdirectorial.Among I thefilm'sadvantagesisalsothefact thattheplotdrawsfromanintriguing I truestory.The factthatwriter-director I Kaushiktriesgivinghistaleof blatant I corruptionasatiricalspin wouldonly I seemtoaddtoitscredence.

NATIONAL EDITION I

The joke's on all ofthem really,

realise asthe muddled messplays out. I

Rajpal Yadav doeshis ownversion

Varun Dhawantriestodoa Govinda I of the heroine's mama, whichShakti

plays out.

Okay, notall of itis a rehash. Govinda was a coolie wearing a blue shirtata bus terminus.Varun is a coolie ina red shirtata railway station.Some originality, right?!

Screen writer RumiJafry re-hauls thestoryline ofthe 1995 original almostin entirety. David Dhawan callstheshotson a familiar chain ofeventsas attempted slapstick, overdone mimicry, some melodrama andthe mandatory fightscenes unfold.

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

The livid panditpicks up Raju the 1 coolie (Varun Dhawan) from the station, packageshim as a millionaire I and presentshim before Rosario as a loaded, prospective groom. Raju and Sara fallfor each other before you

I I can spell 1-o-v-e, and Rosariohappily marries off his daughtertothe 'super rich' Raju.

Ata convenientpointin the narrative, Rosariodiscovers Raju's reality, sothe guy invents a twin. Almosteverything thatfollowsis a blind repeatofthe 1995 screenplay.

As all of 134 minutesplay out,you wouldfrequently find asking yourself -whywasthisfilm made inthe first case?There is noevidenteffortto cater tocontemporary tastes.

-and a Mithun and a Bachchan and aNanaforgood measure.Sara Ali Khanhitsfranticmode with her pelvic

1 thrusts; she was outtoprove she can be darling ofthe masses,too.David

1 Dhawan comes outof some sortof a I timewarp thinkingthisis 1995.

Sahil Vaid for Harish asthehero's I buddy, and Javed Jaffrey forSadashiv

1 Kapoor playedinthe original. There's I

I Amrapurkar asthematchmaker

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 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 Kaagazstartsfailingearlyoninits efforttocreate anemotionaltugover I theprotagonist'splight,owingtoits I sheerlackofstorytellingdepth.

I TripathiplaystheLal Bihari,a bandwallahinavillage.Withworkflow I increasing,Lal Biharidecidestoexpand I hisbusiness,andforthishedecides I tosellaplotof landheowns.Except I I thatwhenhetriesto,herealisesthat conniving relativeshaveusurpedthe landbylegallyprovingheisdead.

I WhenLal Biharitriestosetthings I right,hediscovershemustwageafullonwarwithasystemthatiscorruptto I thecore.Thenarrativethatfollowsis I abouthisindefatigablestrugglethat I lastsforyears,toproveheisalive.

Amusinghow youtendto subconsciously recall Govinda in specificscenesas Varun tries repeating random antics. Thatcan surely be the biggestfailure for a remake.

I I

I I I I I

I Paas Hai, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Haior BadhaaiHo Badhaai). In Kaagaz,likehis I I morerecentreleases GangOfGhosts I or Karzzz, thebreakpointhappens I I muchbeforeinterval.Longbeforethe firsthourisover,thefilmstrugglesto I holdattention.Nosurprises,Kaushik's I turnasLalBihari'slawyerisfarmore I effectivethanhisfilmmaking. Thatissadactually,forthiscould I have beena relevantfilm.

JANUARY 2021 35 I I I I I I

I

you

January 2021 BY MINAL KHONA

MinaIKhona hasbeen readingtarot cardsfor thelasttwodecades. She uses herintuitionand connectwiththe cardsmostlyto helppeople.

Abalanced monthforArieswithouttoo many upsand downs. But, asa number5, it could lead tosome change or unresolved issues. An ex could returnand it may help youfind closure. Focus your energiescorrectly forfasterresolution ofproblems. Cruisingatworkdespitefrustrations no longer works, sowhenthingsget unbearable,the change youseekwill come.An old health conditioncould recurduetostress. Transformation on allfronts isforetold.

Youmayhavetaken onmorethan you can handlethismonth. Changesare predicted; youareinthemoodtotie up looseendsand startonsomething new.Additional responsibilities could bethrust upon you.Arelationship going nowhere isnotgoingto improve so let itgo. Take it easytoavoid fatigueand exhaustion.Allthis additionalflurryofactivitywill lead toa newlifestyle. Don'taccept less thanwhat youdeserve - inlove or profession.

I Thepractical Capricornappearsfor I youthis month, indicatinga more I realisticapproachto everythingfrom youmercurial Geminis. Youwantto I make moremoneybutthe road seems I blocked. A senseofbeing responsible in yourrelationshipwill leave you content I no matterwhichwaytherelationship I goes.Arockymarriage could end. I Express yourself or youcould end up withthroatand earrelated health I problems. Moneymaybeslowright now I but morewill come.

I You could have experiencesthis month I that leave youfeelingpowerless or confused. Theymayevenchange your I lifeinsomeways. Praiseat work makes I youfeel valued. Drive carefullyasan I accident could occur. Planstoset yourpaperwork in orderwill be I successful. Businessimprovesand I sodoreturns oninvestments.Your legs couldgive youtrouble,take some rest if I it is nota serious condition. Shed your I illusionsabout people youthink are on I your side.

Theten ofswordsindicatesa situation of extremestressand clearing out of dead energy. Ifa relationship hashit rock bottom, it can onlygetbetterfrom here on.Youare ona self-improvement drive inall aspects of your lifethis month.You might evenquit yourjob orgetfired. Dissatisfactionwith your current situation can causestress. Financesare onan upswing.An infatuationcouldalsoend. Don't lose hopeandacceptwhat is.

I Stayonguardagainst officepoliticsand deceitfromsomeoneyoutrust. While you I dohavethemental strengthtofightback,

I A slightlydifficutmonth; youspendasyou earnamidbusinesslosses.Everything

You could be in need of healingthis month, onvariousfronts.Anew romance maybeinthe offingbut itmaynot bethe one youwant.An engagement ora pregnancyinthe family isforetold. Health isgoodthis monthanddespitefinancial constraints youmaygoahead witha businessplan. Itwill helpadd to yourkitty.Atroubled relationship could improve. The more creative yourideas,the higher your chances of success.

I itisa wasteofresources.Plansregarding I thehomedon'tproceed smoothly.A I strokeofgood luckin yourlovelifeor I financesiscoming. Don'ttakeontoo

I problemispossiblethismonth.Trynotto I takeontoomuchthismonth.Stresscan causeachesandpains.Hanginthere, I positivechangesarecoming-thesecould I beduetoa changeinperspectiveorthe entryofsomeoneintoyourlife.

I seemsblocked; controllingyouremotions inadifficultsituationwillbehard.A problematworkwillgetsolvedifyouthink I differently.Surmountingofan emotional muchasit could leadtoillness.Letgoa I little; perfectioncanbe exhausting.Any I disputesatworkwillberesolved.Goslow I witheverythingand haveabalanced perspective.

Atimetoplanthe yearahead and I focusonareasin yourlifethatneed I improving.A promotionatwork or I expansioninbusiness keeps you motivated.Anestrangedfriend or I lovermaytrytowinyouback.Afamily I reconciliation could takeplace. Profits I in business increase.Eat more of highenergyfoods.You might lose out I onsomefunding ora projectbeing I cancelled. Trust yourinstinctswhen it comestoa newidea or offer.

I An excitingstarttothenewyearfor I Capricornastheycould haveintriguing I interactions,a newromance or even travel.In yourpersonal orprofessional I life, expecta dilemma withtwotempting I options;thinkbefore youchoose. A

I Therecouldbenewavenuesopening I up ontheworkfrontYouneeda break from homeandworktorecoup. Thenew I yearbringsapositiveoutlookandthe I qualityofworkimproves. Becareful of I what youeat; youcould end upwithfood

poisoning.Moneyowedtoyoustilldoesn't I comethrough.Butitcomesinfrom other I I sourcessoyouwill haveenough.Success

whirlwind romancecould comealong. Your careergetsafreshboost oflife.If I a relationship isrocky,anoccurrence

I Thequeenofwandsstandsforthe I zodiacsignofLeosothedreamy I Pisceanscouldfindthemselvesina gregariousand extrovertedframe of I mindthismonth. Theymighteven I meetsomeonewhoisa Leo.A sudden currentsetback isa blessingindisguise. I Moneycomesinthroughvarioussources. I Thereseemsto be noway outforthose trapped ina bad marriage.Aproblem

I getsresolvedduetoa rightdecision you I makeorwiththehelp ofanother.

I comesfrom educationrelatedareas. Solveproblemsbyjustlettingthem be I sometimes.

I couldtakeittothepoint ofnoreturn.If undecidedaboutadilemma,theright I decision will cometo you.

henewyearishere, and the summerof2021 isunderway or isit?Asaninternationalstudent spendingmyfirstsummerin

Australiainsteadofrunningoffto Indiato enjoythatextendedvacation,I expected blisteringhotdays I waspro1nisedcool waves,endlessbeachdays,andsitcon1-esque su111n1eradventures. Instead,as1sitdownto writethis,acoldbottleofwaterwithinarm's length,it'scon1etomyattentionthatit'sbeen comparativelytin1idweather.

Sundaeshaveremainedintactuponexiting theicecreamparlourand theoccasionaJ jackethassnuckitswayoutofthecloseton anovercastday.The'bloodyhot' Sydney sumn1erhasn'tquitebareditsteeth.

Growingup in Bangalore, a cityknown forits n1oderatecli1nate and cold beer yearround, I've neverhadtoexperience particularlyhotweather.To me,anything above 22 degrees ishot- and anything above 30degreesis outrightburning. But, I was ready totest n1ymettleagainstthe Aussiesun.

Perhapsaboon ratherthan abane,this year's sun11nerhasstayed an1anageable affair,sparingn1efron1those a1nusing incidentsofchecking1nyseatfor sweat-stains orneedingtoduckintoa conveniencestore to takeshelterin the A/C. (Orair-con, to use thelingoofthe land). As Isoon came torealise, italso offered achance tosalvageunproductive days withtheseeminglynever-ending daylight. Is 8 PM toolateforaworkout? ls 9 PM toolatetorun errands? Surelynot, if youcan makehaywhile thesunshines, in itsmostliteralsense.

Evenasthedustsettlesonthelastlegof AUSvlND111atches, thepleasantweather hasalso111eantarelativelygoodsu1n1ner ofcricket. l'1nhardlythe1nostardent

supporter,butit'saterriblemistaketo discounttheelectricstadiumatmosphere. Anyhomesicknessgetswipedawaysittingin thestandswhen,forabrief1noment,theloyal fanstransportustoWankhedeStadium, flags,chantsand all.Thistime,ofcourse, withthewelcomeoptionofamid-gamebeer. Still,themostamusinganecdoteshave con1efromconversationswithfamilyback in IndiaasI complainabouttherarehumid day beforeInotice theirjacketsandshawls, scarfsandhotteas, andremen1berthatwe are,ofcoui-se,inthesouthernhemisphere. Sumn1eractivitiesin Dece1nberandJanuary -itstilltakesasecondtowrapmyhead

aroundit! (still#freshofftheboat,guiltyas charged.)

DiscoveringmyversionofOzsummer fashionhasbeenaninterestingaffair.What doesonewearforthoseswelteringhours inthesun? Jeansarebutanabomination, socksareanunwantednuisancebeneathour soles,andduringaheatwave,evenadress feelslikefartoomuchclothing.Thisyear,we havehadclothmaskstoaddtotheequation. Everydayas Ilatheronthesunscreen,l think ofnextseason'spotentialtrend-sporting strategictanlinesacrosshalfourfaces.

ButJcan'trea1lycomplain. Maybeit'sthe lingeringNewYearspirithangover,but 1

find thatit'salmostcomlortingtobe ableto enjoythissummer.Tosavourthedays.After all, frombushfiresandprotests, restrictions andallsortsofdistance,thepastyearwas achallengingone.As thevacations rolled aroundandwewereabletoventureoutdoors (stayingCOYID-safe,ofcourse),italmost feelslikeweweren'tbeinghandedanything wecouldn'thandle.

Will 1 becrackingeggson thepaven1entto seeiftheycookin theheat?Nah. Instead, almostlikeamantraforthe new year,youcan findmelookingoutforn1ore suntanandlesssunburn. (PS: Seriously, don'tforgetthesunscreenthough.)

hedayhasfinallyarrived. 1t isthe 1norningof19 Januaryand some well-armedguards aredragging aheftymanoutoftheexpansive White House,evenashekicks andscreams, "Iwantfourmoreyearsonthislease!"A huge crowdgathersoutsideonPennsylvania Avenue,watchingthisscenewithgreat amusement.Afewprotesters(ahem, rioters?)wavehand-n1adeplacards, allthewhilecribbingabouta 'robbed'election.

Inside, the classicblack suitsofthe SecretService canbeseen clearingthe Oval Office. Theyexpect tofind agreatpile of sensitive documents. Instead, they're surprised tounearth an assortment ofunusualitems in the drawers ofthe

• mahogany desk.

Inthe topdraweraregolfballswiththe namesofVIPplayers inscribedonthem, alongwith preciousscorecardsofgames. (Theyallhaveoneleadscorer:Trump.)

In thenextdrawer, thereisa half-empty bottleofdisinfectant,presumablythesame treatmentthathelped dearDonaldrecover fromsuchashortspellofCOYJD.

Besidethat,there'sasaffroncolouredshawl.Youknow,the specialgiftfromtheHowdy TrumpgalawithNaMothat reads'Abkibarr,Trump sarkar'inDevanagari-esque cursive.Peekingoutfrom underneaththeshawl,hiddento theuntrainedeye,isahugepile ofpinkslipsusedtosackWhite Housestaff.Alas,noonefrom theSecretaryofStateto thelunchladywas immune.

LPAYER is a fiy on the wall as Trump exits the White House

Aspecial keyisexchanged betweenthe SecretServiceagents tounlockonelast goodyonthe table:thepersonalcomputer ofthe President,nowpadlockedbyTwitter, Facebookand more. With thegraceful turn ofa key, itfalls to theground,puttingan end toTrump'sreignofmisinformation.

Topreparethe houseforthe next occupant, maintenance menwash the walls,doors,anddoorhandleswithgallons ofsanitizer. Noonehas theheart toshare withpoorTrumpthatit's allimportedfrom - youguessedit - China.Asifcementing the man's nightmare,a newshingle isalso placedatthe maingate: 'J Biden'.

Evenasdozensofremovaltrucks move outwithloadsofdesignerfrocks,shoes and otheraccessories ofMelaniaTrun1p, alone truckpullsupwithdozens ofhot idlisspeciallycookedforKamalabyher chithi(mum'syoungersister) inChennai, speed-postedforherInaugurationDay breakfast.There's alsoa smallpacket

often1ple 'prasad'sentbythepeopleof Tulasendrapuram, Kamala'sancestral village. (Butdotheyhearsomeofher pronouncementsarenot that India-friendly, accordingtothosein the know?)

Acrossthe pondat DowningStreet, BoJo isexpectingJoBitokeepupthe traditionof visitingBritainfirstas a markofrespecting Anglo-Americanbond. Meanwhile, infar offBeijing, thesphi11x-likeXi Jinpinghas alreadybegundraftinganinvitation to Joe Bidentovisitthe'ForBidenCity'. NewYear, newbeginnings,perhaps Cartoonists allovertheworld plan an onlinewake onZoom, one lastode to the manwhosecatchphrases andactionswere theirstaple dietforfourlongyears. 1, too, will 1nissTrump, havingwrittenmoreon him than anyoneelse. ButI've learntnotto counthimout, the manwho has 1nastered the artofthe comeback.

Fornow,though,we can allagreeto hopenotforthecomebackof2020.

RHEA L NATH on battling homesickness (and sunburn) during her-first Aussie summer

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