COMPLEMENTARY GLASS OF BUBBLY OR A ROMANTIC COCKTAIL ON ARRIVAL
AvaiJableforlunch and dinner
.February 12th to 14th 2021
twason11 March2020 thatthe WorldHealthOrganization(WHO) declaredCOVID-19apanden1ic. By thatdate,thecoronaviruswhichhad originatedinWuhan, China,hadspread toover 110 countries infectingover 118,000 people. Theconcernsof WHO werejustified.
pointabovethe globalaverage. Eventually analysiswillbeundertaken astowhy anislandcountry such asours gotitso wrong, andwhy wepunched muchabove ourweightinanarea we didnotwant.
evenstatedhewouldopenhisstate's bordersonly whenthe coronavirus was eradicated.)
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As wegoto print, thereare 107 1nillioncasesreportedglobally, with 2,335,308peopledeadfromthisvirus. Leadingthesestatisticsis theUnited States,with over27.5 millioncasesand 476,000 dead (1.85 percentof cases).
Indiahashad11,000,000reported caseswith156,000dead(1.4 percent ofcases); Brazilreported9,550,000 caseswith2.4percentdead, andRussia documented4,000,000 cases with 1.7 percentdead. UKhasadeath rateof 2.82 percentofitsreportedcases. India hasfarfewerdeaths- butalsoone ofthe lowesttestingrates(145,000 permillion people).
Australiahashad 28,857 cases reportedwith909deaths. At3.15 per cent, thedeathrateisafullpercentage
COVID-19also testedourpoliticians, andourfaith inpolitics.One re1narkablepoliticalfatality,Donald Trump, couldnotarticulate orlead withaplan to tackle thevirus.The debateisonwhetherTrumpwouldhave lostthe2020electionswere itnot for COVID-19.Other authoritarianleaders likeRussia's VladimirPutinandBrazil's JairBolsonaro bothledfrombehind onthis issue. Indianleadershiphada peculiarway ofhandlingthevirus, with chantsanddrums todriveitaway.
Australiamovedfasttoclose its internationalborders, but individualstates erredwithlapsesin implementationoftheisolationstrategy.
TheinfamousRuby Princesscruise shipandthenlaxhotelquarantine issuesexposedlocalcommunities to the virus.Knowingthat thiswasano-win situation, theFederalgovernmentsat thisoneout, whileallowingtheStates to make theirowndecisions.Asexpected, thestatessplitalongparty lines, with theLaborstatesmoredraconianin theirlovefor thenation. (Onepremier
TheAustraliansharemarkethita lowof4,403 pointsearly, on23 March. Mediapredictedgloomanddoom,and many investorspulledtheirinvestments outfromthe plungingmarkets. The share marketsdefiedallpundits, andfuelledby cheapcreditandnew opportunitiesemergingintechstocks, theAllOrdsnowstandsat6,850points, upabout55 percentfromitslowpoints. Itjustremindsone thatitis timeinthe marketwhichworks,not timingthe market.
Theshiningstars havebeenthe frontlineworkerswho workedlong hoursattestingsites whilescientists scrambled tounderstand whatthe viruswasallabout. Pharma companies threwalltheirmighttowardsfindinga vaccine, andbeganrollingthemoutin undera year.
AstheAustralianrolloutbegins- after manyothercountries - we'reseeing so1ne hesitationinourownIndianAustraliancommunity.Isitthequick turnaroundorseemingly insufficient testingof thevaccine? Whateverthe case, at thispointintime, betterstrategy andleadershipareneededtoallaysuch concerns.
RheaL Nath, BageshriSavyasachi, JyotiShankar, Manan Luthra, SmitaNashikkar,SandipHor, AnujaVijay,Shyamal Bhatia, Mina! Khona,Auntyji
RITAMMITRA on how a battered India pulled offthe greatest Test serieswin ofall time.
Prem Verma wrote: Reallyinspiring.
Mohinuddin Choudhry wrote: It was awellcontestedmatch.Welldone, Team India.
Gurmeet Kalsi wrote:SERIESSORTED. Paine, wesaw you atGabba
Ananya Hazra wrote: Firstwinfor India after 1988inGabba What amatch itwas.We areproudof theyoung Indianteam.Jai Hind.
Bharathlya Jayarathne wrote:Great win.Continue captaincywithRahane.
Chakrapanl Rao wrote: Atthis rate, our superstarswhowere injuredandwho attended other dutiesmay not find aplace in the team.Why were such young talents waiting in the wingsfor a long time?
Blswadeep Sinha wrote: Now thequestionis whether therookies willbe allowedto play more Testcricket, after Kohli comesback.
HarshaArora wrote:TheBollywoodfilmonthisTestserieswillbeablockbuster.
Robert Gardlnl wrote:A tributeto self-belief, courage, andpersistence.
Vaanle Krishnan wrote: IndefatigableCheteshwar Pujara!
After neighbours complained about the strong smell of Indian cooking, RHEA L NATH discussed what we, and you, can do about it
Pheroza Dauwalla wrote: Love, love, love Indian Link - thank you. Had to share Rhea'sarticleon "smelly foods".Wonderfully writtenanda realeye opener. Loved that youoffered tips to reducesmellsanddidnotgo overboard on theoutrage. Keepupthe fabulouswork
Akshay Kulkarni wrote: We actually hadto stop cooking Indianfood in our Houston house when we were tryingto sell it. The people that came by to see thehouse wouldcomplain about thesmell.
Rlshab Shankar wrote: These are thepeople whocomplain aboutthe mayo being spicy
Betty Jager wrote: I myself loveallthesmells ofdifferentfoods fromdifferent cultures.The one complainingneedsto stopand mind their business.
Rakhl Joshi wrote: Evenin Mumbaisomebuildingsdo notallownonvegetarianfood (to becookedordelivered).Flats aresold or leasedwiththis clausein suchbuilding societies. Individualchoice! Look for a secludedhome.
Amal Ral wrote: Curry smell doesn't kill anyone. Ithink itisok.Thereis no law sayingfood smellhas to be lockedin your room!
Ambarlsh Natu wrote:The realissue onhand is thepoor design of buildings in Australia in general - that includeskitchen exhausts andventilation systems. The AustralianStandardsandthe BCA standards need an amendment to addressthismatter. The builders havebeengettingaway with cheap constructionsdesigns for fortune of a price forwaytoo longnow!
Burjor Banajl wrote: (TheIndiantenantin thisstory)hasevery rightto complain.
YB Yoshi wrote: Northeast Indians face these problemsin mainland Indian cities We have to hide(to)cook (our food).
Nathan Nalewabau wrote: Thatis what you call racist.
BAGESHRI SAWASACHI reported on veteran cricket fanClaudeCurrywho rang our offices to apologise to MohammedSiraj after reports of racial abuse surfaced at the SCG.
Prem Bhardwaj wrote:Good one.Thereare alwaysnice peoplearound. Appreciated.
Bhagwandass Gursahaney wrote:We support MohammedSiraj and condemn those who passed remarksof racialdiscrimination againstouryoung rising player.
Sudin Kamat wrote: Oneof the nice fellows.
Solomon Raj wrote: One can't affordto blametheAussiefans enmasse for thiskind of racistmentality. Only ahandfulof rogueelementsindulgein this shamelesspractice. If itcontinues, evenothernationalteams willhesitate to tourAustralia.
Sherwin Dias wrote:Good, better latethan never.
Deepu Dharmarajan wrote: Based on some people's behaviour, we cannot judge all!So many goodhearts in Australia.
Rohit Jaggi wrote: 9NEWSand 7NEWS, why don'tyoushare thisnews?
Devastating news for Indiaand @narendramodifollowing flash flooding in Uttarakhand.Australia stands withone ofitsclosest friends atthisvery difficulttime.
Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia
Acarynidhi Das wrote:Thecomplainantislogicalandjustified.Despite all knowledge, Indians stilluselotsof garlicandonionwhichare considered food in ignorancemode.I too can'tstandthepungentsmell fromthe neighbour's house.Food tastes better withoutonionand garlic. If youdon't believe me, check outwithany Hare Krsnas
Venkatesh Paramasivan wrote:The neighbours' concerns are valid. Our curry smellmight bepleasing forus as wehave gotten usedto it since childhoodandwe may not even feel it, butitmight be difficult for people of othercultures. It's areasonable concern andnotbigotedor racistatall. Eveninmyhome country, some veg communities prefer nottohave non veg communities livinginthe same building.Whileit'snotillegal, it'sa practiced norm, maybebecause thesmellof meat(troubles them).So they've gota point.Weneed to manage these differences and sometimesone sidehas to compromisemorethantheother.
Gautam Nath wrote:What an aptarticle!Well written andto point.Where we live inCanada, recently landednewcomers livein tiny homes andthe food smell getsonto theirclothes and heavy woollen jackets, so become walking incense sticks.
Whatelse cana fortified city and blockinginternet accessrepresentother thanabarricadedand diminisheddemocracy?
Ed Roy, writer
Whenapersonof colourspeakspublicly about racism weknowithastaken a lot - notof courage, butalotof racism. Thus, when they speak, itisnotenough just tobelieveor sympathisewith them; wemustact,immediately. Allof us.
Chelsea Watego, academic
If you don't think white supremacy is real, Emily in Paris isnominatedfor a GoldenGlobe.
Kimberly Drew,writer
There are 1,212pillars, eachintricately carved, inthistemple corridor, believedto be thelongest ofits kindin theworld Whichtemple, builtin its current form in the 12th century, arewe talking about?
Readers Shabu Thomas and Chandra Kishore guessed it right: RamnathswamyTemple inRameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
KRISHNA NEELAMRAJU reported on Western SydneyMayor Steve Christou's divisive comments that Diwali and the Lunar New Year are "not part of Australian culture", and ratepayers should not foot the bill for these events.
Charlshma Kallyanda wrote:Welldone Indian Link forhighlighting the hypocrisy ofCumberland Council Mayor inposing forphotooppswith culturally diverse communities whenitsuitshim but failingtouniteand support ourcommunitieswhenit countsmost.
Alan Mascarenhas wrote:Themayor alsodissed Diwali, whichissuchan importantpart of our tradition in ParramattaandCumberland. Torepresent his community,heshouldwalkthe streetsand understandit.
Renu Datta wrote:We willstill continueto celebrate with our community of diversecoloursdespite these narrow-mindedpeople
Leyla Nubia wrote: Hypocrisy posingin thatphoto SunllGole wrote:Thanks, didnotknowthat. Had wonderedwhy there were no Diwali bannersby councillastyear. Now Iknow.
Krishna Kumar Ramamoorthy wrote:TheMayor ofCumberlandwoulddo welltotakealeaf outofScott Morrison'sbook.The Premierhasalsobeen warmand inclusive each year atDiwali. Multiculturalism isheretostay;the Mayorshouldtakea walk aroundhisownsuburb tofindout.
BhavlnRabarlwrote:Whydo wecare?TheIndiansaying aboutelephants having (separate) display teeth andchewing teeth precisely fits the politicians,soI wouldn't beaffected toomuch by either theovertdisplay or theabsence of bonhomie.On thecontrary, Hindusshouldcontinue to be ideal, hard working citizens, achievingsuccess, creatinga reputation for themselves. That'swhatshould matter
Joseph La Posta, CEO Multicultural NSW wrote: Nearly onein 20 Aussiestoday were either bornin Chinaor India.Why shouldn'twe embrace Lunar NewYear andDiwali? Bothfestivalscelebrate lightoverdarknessand beginningsandunity!
JohnnyDue-HuyNguyenwrote:Thisisdisappointingnewsforsomeone that representsso many of those whose culturehe haseffectively rejected It'salsoimportantto note thatthe apologymentionedin the lastlineshould extendbeyond Australiansof Indianand Chinese origin: LunarNewYear,as the namesuggests, isnot only celebrated by ethnicallyChinese peoplebut peoplefromallacrossAsia.
Brian Mackenzie wrote: Pleasedto seethe term "Australiansof Indian or Chinese origin". Makes abigchange fromthose whooffer origin before Australian.
EricRoine wrote: My family come from another culture. Idonot expect Australiansto bowdowntoit. IamAustralian nowin Australia
Neil Robert Darling wrote: UntilCOVID 19iscompletely under control, they shouldbe restricted thesameasallcelebrationshave been.
Narturhi Karibianwrote: IbelieveitisIndian cultureandshouldbe celebratedand enjoyedwithinthe Indian community andany otherswho wanttojoin. Thisis after alla multiculturalcountry. Asa multicultural country, every ethnicgrouphasthefreedom tocelebrateitsownparticular daysof culturalcelebration,and thankgoodnessforthat.
If entitled white women who complain to the manager are Karens, I thinkAustralianscan agree entitledwhitemen who feel they're thetrue victimsof systemic racismare now Eddies.
Benjamin Law, writerAfter lotsoftime using Bing(livingin countries whereGoogleisblocked), I think I cansum up theuser experience. It'slikeaskingfor directions, andthen beinghandedascrunched up pieceof paper with'road' writtenonit.
Richard Cooke, writer&journalist
Thisdesertishometo theseuniquelynatural attractions - where isit located?Readers Petra O'Nellland TwlnklTwlnklhad the rightanswer: the PinnaclesDesert,NambungNational Park,WA.
RITAM MITRA spoke to former Oz Test opener and ex-Cricket Australia chairman WallyEdwards about a Jong-Jost archive of Fairfax Media cricket photos, including India's early tours of Australia, which is now available asa book. PeterYoung wrote: Indian Link hasmadetheBradman Museum cricket books,includingIndia's71-YearTestlaunchedbyRaviShastrilast week, its coverstory. Paper'seditorialalsomuseson potentialimpactof Syd teston Aust-IndiadiplomaticlinksAustwantstostrengthen
Jamie Parker, NSW MP wrote: Coverstory oncrickethistory isabsolutely fantastic!Welldone,Ritam Mitra.
DarshakMehta wrote:Whataterrific,heart-warmingproject.Wally,todo somethingsoridiculouslygenerousforno reasonwhatsoever,istruephilanthropy.
Lovetheideathat politicians getting thevaccine firstwill somehowlessen vaccine hesitancy.Theonlygroup Australianstrustlessare real estatesalespeopleandad execs.
Osman Faruqi, podcaster
IwelcomeKamalHaasan'sideaof recognizing houseworkasasalariedprofession, withthe state govt payinga monthlywage tohomemakers.This willrecognize&monetisetheservicesofwomen homemakersinsociety, enhance theirpower,& autonomy& createnear-universalbasicincome.
ShashiTharoor, IndianMP
Safe for new mums? Pfizer or Astra Zeneca?
DrVYOM SHARMA answers your questions on the COVID vaccine + (S)_.. .
rVyomSharn1aisamedical practitionerinMelbourne, specialisingingeneralpractice. Asahealthco1nmentator,he hoststheshowRadiotherapyonTripleR, writescolumnsinthemainstreampress, andappearsfrequentlyonourTVscreens, notablyonABC's Q+Aand TheDru.111.His particularpassionisreservedfordispelling misinformationandadvocatingevidence-based medicine.HesitsdownwithIndianLinkto answerfrequentlyaskedquestionsaboutthe coronavirusvaccine,settorolloutthismonth.
Whatshould I do before I get thevaccine?
There are three thingsyoucould do. First, makesureyou'refeelingwellontheday. Generally,ifyou'reunwell,we don'tlike tovaccinate. Soifyouhaveanysymptoms, askyourGP. Two,make anote ofanyother vaccinationsyou mayhavehad recently• we like tospacevaccinationsapart.Three, keepathand infonnationaboutthethings you maybe allergic to.
YOUR DOSEOF t-!: RELIABLE [INFOR��;ION '(_,
Howshould J care formyelderly parents
iftheyare getting thevaccine first? There could be mild symptoms that could last forup toadayor two: abitof painwherethe needlewentin,orperhaps tenderness; tiredness; soremuscles orachingjoints. Keepyourelderly parentsunderobservationafter their vaccination - bestnottoplanany activities.
Should I getthevaccine ifI'mpregnant?
IfI'm tryingto fallpregnant? IfI'm a newmum?
Thevaccineisnotcurrently recommended forpregnantwomen. This issimply becausewedon'thavesufficientdata at thisstage. We'rewaitingfor more testing, andit isverylikelythatitwillbe recommendedfor themtoointhefuture.
Newmumsshouldhavenoconcerns whatsoever.
Tryingtofallpregnant -whilewe don'thaveofficialguidance onthisyet, itwillverylikelybe thesameadviceas
newmums,unlessyou are lookingto fall pregnant inthesamecycle.
What about newborns?
The vaccine is onlyforpeople 16years and over,atthisstage.Testingforchildrenonly beganmuchlaterin the piece.
Whataboutallergic reactions?
Allergicreactionscanoccurdueto anything, butlife-threateningallergic reactionstoCOVlD-19vaccines are very rare. Butjustincase,you'llbeasked tostay for 15 minutesafterbeingvaccinated. lfyou developanyconcerningsigns,you canbe treatedimmediately -we arereadyforthis!
Whatshould I know about side effects?
The vaccines are incrediblysafe.There could be mild sideeffects inthe first2448 hourslike I've listedbefore,whichare reallycommon to all vaccinations.
Long-termsideeffects are rare, and most commonlypop up bythe 45-daymark.
Butconsider this: we've had 80 million
COVIDvaccinationsdeliveredworldwide already, andwe've observednothingof concernsofarforseveralmonths.
Also, theAustraliangovern111enthas laidoutacon1prehensiveprogra111of investigationofallside effects.
Howmany shotswill be needed? Two, asofnow. Ican'ttellyouright nowwhatthe timegapbetweenthe two willbe.
Aftermytwo shots,will I continue tohavetowearmasksand sanitize frequently?
Yes,thecurrentadviceistocontinuetowear masksandpractisehandhygiene.Thevaccines areverygoodatpreventinglifethreatening orsevereCOVID-19.Butcouldyoustillgeta verymildinfectionthatyoupassontoothers? Maybe-we'restillfindinganswerstothis question.Untilwe'resure,besttowear111asks andsanitizetokeepotherssafe
I hadCOVIDandrecovered Do I still needtogetvaccinated? Thegeneralthinkingisyes. The immune responsethatthevaccineprovidescan be betterthantheoneyoudevelopafter gettingCOVID. Butresearchers are exploringwhetherjustoneshotis enough forpeoplewho'vebad COVID before.
Who should NOTgetthevaccine? Thosewhohavehadprovenallergytoone ofthespecific ingredients ofthevaccine. Andthatwillaffectaveryverysmall numberofpeople.
What's the difference between Pfizer andAstraZenecavaccines?
Bothvaccines are tryingtodo the same thing - teachourimmunesystemto recognise a keypartoftheviruscalledthe 'spike protein'.Thevaccinesboth 'show' our immunesystemthis'spike' protein, andthenthebodylearnsto recognise it, andis readytodestroyvirus it ifitever encountersit again.
Pfizervaccine teachesourbodyto make asmall amountofspikeprotein, sothe in1munesystemcan recognise it.
AstraZenecavaccineusesanother completelyharmlessvirus tocarrythe spike protein intoourbody.
Eitherway, the immune system'sees' the spike protein, andlearnstodefend the bodyagainstthevirus ifitevercomes acrossitin future.
Howwill theydecidewhogetswhich one?Can Ichoose?
Atthisstage, mostpeoplewillget theAstra Zenecavaccine- simplybecausewe have moreofit. Idon'tthink peoplewillget to make an individual choice. But frankly 1 don'tthink itmakesmuchdifference atan individuallevel- I'dtake the first one Icanget. All thevaccinesseemtobe veryeffectiveatstoppinglife th1·eatening infections, which is fantasticnews.
Can I refusevaccination?
It isnotmandatory atall. In future perhaps insomehigh-riskoccupationsLike aged or healthcare theymightbe mandatory butnotfornow. Ideallywedon'twantit tobe mandatory - wewantyou tosee the benefits ofitforyourself. Butwe arevery hopeful:vaccination ratesare highinthis country- despite the anti-vaxmovement gainingmon1entumrecently.
Whatwouldyousayto people who are sayingcurrentlytheydon't wantthe vaccine?
I'dsay tothem, findoutmoreabout the vaccine, fromtrainedexperts. Manypeople havevalidconcerns butin 1nyexperience, onceI answertheirquestions, theyfeel muchmoreconfident aboutgetting vaccinated!
Whatwouldyou sayto peoplewho say they areworried aboutinsufficient testing? Thatthevaccine came outin record time and somightnot be reliable?
There are severalsteps inthe preparation ofavaccine - thereare preclinicalstudies, thentrialsinPhases1, 2 and3, andthen anapprovalprocess. Nota single stepwas skippedintheLnakingofCOVIDvaccines. Yestheyweredevelopedinrecordtin1e, but that was because there wasoverlapin somephases. Plusofcourse manyofthe bureaucratic andfundinghurdleswere removed,with afloodofresources thrown atthis, given theurgency.
Wonderful thingscan happenwhen the focusison thescience.
Andalso, researchonmRNAvaccines hasbeenongoingforyears. Whatseen1s like a rapid invention was basedon decades ofwork.
Whatdoyou knowabout India's vaccines Covishicld and Covaxin?
Covishieldis thesameas theOxfordAstraZeneca. Covaxin, an lndian developedvaccine,we havenotseen the resultsofthe Phase3 trialsyet. It's hardto commentonitwithoutthefullinformation.
Acommenton India'srolein manufacturingandexportingthe vaccine?Can Indiabecomethe'pharmacy totheworld'asis beingclaimed?
Absolutely. India hasdone a fantasticjob in the pharmaceuticsindustry. Andgiven thecurrenttrade tensions with China, it candefinitely make aplay,especiallyas it isseenasn1oreopen.
But there arechallenges,like there areevery timeyou talkaboutChinaand India and theAfricannations.Thereare conversationsaboutqualityassuranceand transparency. ButforIndiathiscanbean amazingopportunity: ifit candemonstrate highspeed, high qualitymanufacturing,it can be thebeginningofanewage.
Phase 1 isforthose peopleatriskof exposuretothevirus (ie healthcare workers;aged care and disability care);thoseatriskofdeveloping COVID-19 (seniorcitizens, Aboriginal andTorresStraitIslanderpeople undertheageof55,quarantineand borderworkers; essentialworkers).
Phase 2 isplannedforAboriginal andTorresStraitIslandersadults between 18to54yearsofage; Australiansbetween 50-69years ofage;and otherhigh-riskworkers.
With Phase2b,the restofthe adultpopulation isexpectedtobe covered.
Phase 3 willbeforchildren "if recommended",followingevidence thattheydonottransmitthedisease likeadults.
Despite initialconfusion,freeaccessto the COVIDvaccine has been assured toallvisa-holders in Australia, includinginternationalstudents, refugees, bridgingvisa holders, and othertemporaryvisitors.Theyare likelyto beconsidered in Phase2b, exceptingat-risktemporaryvisa holdersorthosewith existinghealth conditions.
P.erceived
P.rofessional_jou1·nalists, P.alients and • I irreplaceable. Melbourne-based
neverwatch certainly
Fordistinguished service to the banking sector, toAustraliaIndia relations, and to tertiaryeducation governance and financial administration
'' alwayssay - there's more diversitybetween Kash1nirand Kerala than there is between Norwayand Greece," said Robert Johanson fondly as helookedbackon his two dozen tripsto India in thelastdecade. Thisyear, hismarked con11nitment to Australia-India relationswasrecognised with anAustralia Dayhonour, alongside his respected career in banking, having servedon theboardofBendigo and Adelaide Bankforover 30years.
In the field oftertiaryeducation, too, the veteran banker has donned many hats - chairingthe investment Committee and servingas Deputy Chancelloratthe UniversityofMelbourne and now, board men1berofMelbourne Business School.
Still, he re1nainsalmost surprised to receivethe award.
"It's agreathonour Son1e mightexpect it, but Ididn't reallyknow I was being nominated," he admitted.
As Chairman oftheAustralia India Institutesince 2011, and Chainnan of Australian FriendsofAsha forSlums since 2012, he's no strangerto the Indiansubcontinent. Reflectingon the relationshipbetweenthetwonations, whichhas certainlyseen itsupsand downs in the21st century, Robert looksahead withoptimism.
As he explains, diplomacy today has evolved from thedaysofcontestbetweena handfulofbigpowers.
"We're all becomingincreasingly aware ofthe relationship with India and
Australia. As ti1ne has passed,with the changingrole ofthe United States and developments in China,it'sbeen itnportant for India andAustralia tostrengthenties."
Havinghada pivotal role in establishing the Australia India Institute,howdoes heenvisionits rolein facilitating this relationship?
"Overthe last 10years,it'sbeenan interestingexperience togetinvolved
and see howtheinstitutedeepensthe engagementbetweenIndiaandAustralia. Theinstitutefacilitatesacademicresearch
andcollaboration, but there's abroader scopeaswell. We've assistedwhen political figureslike Prime Minister Modicame tovisit Australia. We've helped organise exchangesand round tables.The institute recognisesthe crucialroleofmobilising theyouth," Robertelaborated. Acrucialpart in thjsdeveloping relationship, he pointsout, is understanding India asa "rich,diverse andcomplexcountry"with astill overwhelminglyruralpopulation.
Through hisworkwith Australian FriendsofAsha, theAustralian branch ofAsha India, he hasseen thisfirst-hand. Thecharitableorganisation,createdbyDr Kiran Martin in 1988,addressessocial, health,andeducation issues affectingslum dwellers in New Delhi.
Thepride in Robert's voice isevident when hesharesthe successstoryof Mahinder, whowasbornandraised in a Delhislum,andwenton to complete his master'sincomputerscience at the UniversityofMelbourne in 2018.
'' am pleased and honoured," DrAnand NaidooofCoffsHarbour NSW told Indian Link, abouthis Australia Day felicitationthisyear.
He added laughingly, "It never crossed my mind that I would be put up for this honour.
Wondered whyanyonewould bother!"
Dr Naidoo came toAustralia from South Africa as ayoungdoctorin 1978, servingin Sydney and Coffs Harbour.
Whatwould he sayhas beenbis career
highlight?
"Saving n1anylives,workingas a regional paediatrician. But that'swhatwe do. Ifyou've been in this line ofworklongenough, you'll havefacedseveralsituationsin whichyou've been able to save lives and help youngfamilies."
To serve ina regional settingis another highlight, he noted, takingmedicine to regional and remote communities, even though Coffs Harbouris notexactlyremote.
"The advantages for ruraldoctors ofcourse,
"Over theyears,we're seeing howlives are beingtransformed through education," Robertsaid.
Inthecase ofAustralia, whose tertiary education sectorwasshaken upwhen borderswere closed practically overnight, he identifiesa realopportunity.
"Australiabecame structurallyreliant oninternational students. Theseoverseas studentscontribute notjust through money, but to the richness and multiplicity ofuniversities. Out ofthis crisis, there'sa realchance to reset."
In fact, heextendsthis philosophyto most aspectsoflife since the pandentic.
"Hopefullywe don'tjust rush to resu1ne life as it was. It'sa chance tosit backand pause. Toreassesshowwe work,howwe live, bowandwhat weconsume, andour relationship totheenvironment," Robert said. "It's achance to rediscoverwhat's reallyimportant."
YoucansupporttheworkofAshabyvisiting www.australianfriendsofashaslums.org.au
Rhea L NathForhisservice to medicine, andto thelocal andSikh communitiesof Woo/goo/go
saproud Sikh and aproud Australian, DrAmarjitSingh Morewasdeeplypassionate aboutboth identities, serving bothcommunitieswith unwavering com1nitment.
"Our Gurushave taught usto follow apathofrighteousnessand truth and to createa free, con1passionate, tolerant, and egalitarian society," heonce said. "These vaJues are the same asthoseofAustralian society. SikhsfoughtalongsideAustralian diggersin the 1nanybattlesin WWl and WW2 touphold the valuesofaden1ocratic, free, andjustsociety. OurGuruswere martyred fordefendingthesevalues."
DrAn1arjitSinghMorewasfelicitated
withtheOAM honouron thisyear's Australia Day.
"1 am deeplyhun,bled, andalsosad," hisdaughterSasha More told IndianLink aboutthehonourforherfather.
Dr More passedlastApril.
"Buthehimselfwouldhave said,what's all thefussabout! Hewasaverygracious man,verydeserving."
As founderandgeneralpractitioner attheWoolgoolga Medical Centre, Dr Morewasamuch-lovedmemberofthe comn1unjty. AsaSikhelder,hewashighly regardedwithin the local Sikh coIDJnunity, and tookon aleadership roleinthe buildingofthenewFirstSikhGurudwara.
"He lovedworkingfor thegurudwara," Sasha recounted. "Fro1nplanningthrough to buildingand inauguration, he was involvedatevery step,goingto the site everydayevenwhenhewassick. He also travelledwidelyforfundraising. Ican safelysay,withouthi1ntherewould be no gurudwara. 1t ishislegacy."
Thenewtemplewasgrantedheritage statusayearafterbeinginaugurated.
DrMorearrivedinAustralia in 1964as a 13-year-old. Buthisfamily'slinksto this countrygowaybackbeforeFederation. His greatgrandfathercame herein 1800s,and the familydivided theirtimebetweenIndia
andAustralia. Hisgrandfatherstarteda bananaplantation thatthe familystill owns.
DrMorebecameschoolcaptain ofthe localpublicschool inWoolgoolga,andthen wentto the UniversityofQueensland to studymedicine.
He chosehowevertoreturn to Woolgoolga toservehisadopted city. Deeplyinvolved inthecommunity, he founded the LionsClubofWoolgoolga in 1976, and wasmemberformanyyears. He was alsoasupporterofthe Returnedand Services LeagueofAustralia.
Asa Sikhelder, healsoplayed apart in makingtheAustralianSikhGames the hugeannual event it istoday.
Hiscommitment toboth his nativeand adoptedidentitieswasevidentwhenhe saidattheinaugurationofthe NewSikh Gurudwara in 2019, "Weareonly the custodiansofthisuniqueandiconicplace ofworship,but itbelongsto all Woolgoolga and Australia.ThisGurdwarais foremost aplace ofworshipforSikhs, butithas broughttogetherindividuals, communities, and faiths fortheimprovedunderstanding betweenus all."
Itisa sentiment thathlsfamilyfollowsto the letter.
"Mybrotheriscurrentlythevice presidentofthe temple committee, and my
•
also include lifestyle. Coffs, with its beachside setting, is paradise!"
'Paradise' is a term he also uses to describe his adopted country, especiaJJy given his experiences ofApartheid South Africa,where hisfamilyhaslived since the early 1900s.
"Although I havegood memories of mychildhood, these are overwhelmingly predominated by the racist rule, police brutality,controlofwherewe could or could notgo. I'm pleased or see the backofit. Ofcourse, the situation haschanged, nowthatitis politically
different."
He faced no such jssues here in Australia.
"There were manydoctors ofcolour when l arrived here," herecalled. "I've worked with many doctors ofIndian origin forexample-allbrilliant, they function at averyhigh level."
How wouldhe adviseyoungdoctors comingintodayas NewAustralians?
"I'd sayto them, do work tothe best of yourability. It's allabouteffort, effort, effort. This is afaircountry, and it will giveyouopportunities. There could be
cousin issecretary," Sasha revealed. "We believe thattheGurudwara isacommunity centreand invite the mainstream inatany opportunity."
Incaseyou'rewonderingaboutthat unusual surname fora Sikh, Sasha clarified, "Ltcomes fromtheHindustani termforpeacock. Dad'suncle moved to Englandandchanged his na1ne there."
Ltis aname thatsuits DrAmarjit perfectly.
The peacocksymbolismacross various culturesstandsfor nobility,holiness, guidance,protectionandwatchfulness. lt is also symbolic ofrejuvenation-a connection between thepast, presentand future.
Rajni Anand Luthrabarriers to entry to begin with, but isn't that true ofanycountry - noone will acceptyou straightoffwithopen arms. Manypeople ofcolourare now heads ofdepartments, doing reallywell. You can see that in the Indian diaspora - the barriers are high, and those that do get through are talented. By no means is this sheerluck; there's thousandsofyears of history behind such achievement. Today's Uberdriver is the parent oftomorrow's professional-it's partoftheir cultural strength."
Rajni Anand Luthra
comfortable swimmingaroundmen."
BY JYOTI SHANKAReing appointedas VicePresident ofthe LawInstituteofVictoria (LIV) is a hugely satisfying achieve1nent forMolina Asthana.
Notonlydoes this makeherthe first Indian-born woman - indeedthe first Indian-bornperson - tobe elected to this position inthe 162-year historyofthis institution, it also1narkstheculn1ination of a longjourneyof16years,when as anewn1igrant, shewas toldshewould struggleto get ajob inAustralia withher Indian qualifications andexperience.
Despite having worked as a lawyer in the SupremeCourtofIndia, Molina's degree andexperiencewerediscounted here. She took a MasterofLawsdegree inMelbourne with goodgrades, but that wasn'tenough togetherstarted. Even as recruitersdismissed herapplications, Molina decidedto 1nake herown move.
"Meeting the partners at thebig lawfirms, I wouldtellthem aboutmy experiences, 1ny background andthe value addthat wouldbring," Molina told Indian Link, recountingthe earlydays ofstruggle. "When I gotmyfirstbreak, it was at the top-tierlawfinn Clayton Utz."
Starting as a trainee solicitor,she climbedtheladderwithinn1onths. She soonbeca1ne the Principal Solicitorat the VictorianGovernmentSolicitor'sOffice, a positionin whichsheservedforeleven yearsuntiltwoyears ago.
Explainingherdecision to start her ownpractice, Molina said, "AsI wentup the ranks, 1 realised that in spite ofall my effortorskills, I wouldprobablynever reach the top, like becomingpartner."
She decidedtoservice the migrant businesspopulation, whowereclamouring for"son1eone whospoke theirlanguage andunderstoodthemculturally."
As a wo1nanofcolour, she hadhit what shedescribesas the 'double-glazed glass ceiling'.Herownexperience ofthe law firn1cliquewhere work cultureis exclusionaryis telling. "Peoplelike me feela bitlostinthebigfirmswhere male colleagues speakofprivate schools they wenttoorthefootyand state clubs they belong to anddon't make any effortto includeyou."
However,Molina adaptedquickly. She nowsitsonsportingboardslikeGymnastics Australia,theAFLSouthEastCommission andTribunalfortheFootballFederation ofAustralia.Sportwassomething
Molinarealisedcouldbeherstrengthin assin1ilatingintoAustralianculture.
"WhenI camehere, I wasa1nazedto see everyone participatingin some sport, whetherrunning, cycling, walkingor organisedsportlike soccerorfooty. I was inspired," Molina revealed.
Shenowrunshalf-marathons. Itledhertolaunch a not-for-profit calledMulticulturalWomeninSport, usingsport as a meansofempowerment
andtoincrease wellbeingand a sense of belonging. Jtworkswithlarge sporting organisationstohelpthem restructure com1nunity programstomake them migrant-women-friendly.
"Wealso advocate formore inclusive
spaces forwomen, such as allowing womentoplayinclothingtheyare comfortablewithlike thehijaborlonger clothing,have womenfacilitators, umpires andcoaches, curtainswhenswimmingor separate timingsforwomenwho arenot
Molina hopesto useheryear-long tenure as Vice PresidentofLIVto make a realimpact. Allegationsofsexual harassment are rife inherprofession. "More supportforvictims, awareness campaigns, andhelpingsmallerfirms set uppolicies tostemsuchbehaviour, willbe an areaoffocus,"shestated.
Diversity in the legalprofessionis anotherissue. Manylawgraduatescome fromdiverse backgroundsbutdon't eventually make it to the top, thinningout atn1id-level. "There are barely anyjudges ofAsian/migrant background. Visually the profession is verywhite," Molina observed.
Recovery from COVID-19is another focus forLIV. Notonlylawyers, butmany migrantclients have also suffered. "Going online has benefits butwheneverythingis tech-based, it is the most vulnerable that suffer,ending upbeing marginalisedeven further."
Herown practice, which also runs an office infndia, specialises in comn1ercial law.Cross-border work is Molina's passion. She speaks at legal conferences inIndia andhasbeenconsultedon lawsdrafted there, relating to financial consumerprotection andprivacy. She is also trying to make iteasier foroverseas lawyerslike herselfwho struggle to get theirpriorlearningandexperiences recognisedwhen theymigrate.
Tohear Molina inher own words and literally walk inhershoes, head toSydney Maritime Museu1n, where she is featured as partof'A mile inn1y shoes' event. Inside a giantshoebox, visitors are providedwith a stranger's pairofshoes and an audio recording and are encouragedtowalk a mile to understandwhere thatperson came from and whathas shaped their migration story.A free exhibition, it is onuntil30 April2021.
Molina'sadvicetowomeninher professionis to equip themselves with knowledge andimbibegoodthingsfrom the cuJture oftheiradoptedcountry while being true to their ownheritage.
"1encourage aUwomen,inparticular migrant women, toputtheirhandsup forleadershippositions. Youhaveto make yourselfheard," says Molina who haswalked this talk andcontinues to, tirelessly.
Empoweringinsightinto women's strength andresilience
Bridgerton (Netflix) for its diverse casting
Diversity in the legal profession, sexual harassment, and recovering from COVID fallout will be high on Molina Asthana's agenda in her new role.
.ltdia Gillard -- ---- _..,. --- ---- -�gozi Okonjo-1,,·e.._'llaMyownCOVIDcreation: Mincetomyum chickenandvegetableson lettucewith crispynoodles
''startedoffplayingcricket,justas anynorn1alkidwould."There'sa lovelysenseofhun1ilitytoSydney ladTanveerSanghawhohas,inthe spaceofonesu1nn1er,lituptheAustralian cricketworldwithhislegspinbowling.At just19yearsold,he'sgonefromunknown T20debutanttotoutedTeststar.
Tanveer'scricketconnectionsreachas farasthenationalMen'steamcoachJustin Langer,andhe'scurrentlypreparingto battleafonnidableNewZealandline-up acrosstheTasman.Hehaseveryright totalkhimselfup,flexhisstatistics,and flaunthimselfasafutureAustralian cricketer.Instead,hedisplaysastriking levelofmaturityandperhaps1nore importantly,enjoymentofthegan1e.
"Iwasnineandstartedplayingin 1nylocalUnder-t0stean1.Wewereonly allowedtobattwoovers,butyoucouldget outasmanyti1nesasyouwantItwasall aboutfunbackthen.Outofthose12ballsl couldonlyhit,like,2or3!"hetold Indian Linkwithagrin.
Fromthoseearlyunder-10smatches,the storyofTanveerSanghareallybegan.
"As1startedbowlinglegspinatabout13 yearsold,that'swhenIstartedn1akingthe localrepresentativesquads.WhenIwas15, In1ade1nyfirstNSWrepresentativeteam, andfromthattourna1nent,l111ademyfirst AustraliaUnder-16steam,"hesaid.
Whatfollowedwerehisselectionsinto theAustraliaUnder-17s,Under-19s,and thentheUnder-19WorldCup,ironicallyin 2019.
Allthoseyearsofrepresentativecricket paidoffinthen1ostrecentT20BigBash League.Tanveerfinishedtheseasonas thejointthird-leadingwicket-taker,played alongsideexperiencedcricketerslike UsmanKhawaja,andearnedhisfirstcalluptoAustralia'sT20squad.
He'san1onganun1berofyoung,fresh facesinthenationalteam,enteringavastly differentcricketlandscapefromthe'old' eraofRickyPontingandSachinTendulkar.
"Mytean1-matesalwaysteasemeabout it,butIamsobadwith'old'cricket history,"Tanveerconfessed."They're shockedwhenIdon'tknowthisplayeror thatplayer.Well,IhatedhistoryinschoolsoIdon'tlikeanythinghistoryrelated!'
Aheadofhisdebut,it'sclearthathe's enteringadifferentcricketatmosphere thantheplayersbeforehim.Cash-rich leaguesaroundtheworldareten1pting(he brieflyraisesafondnessforIndianPremier LeagueteamKingsXIPunjab),newer competitionsareonthehorizon,andthe ga1neisevolvingconstantly.
ForTanveer,though,themostexciting partisthechancetoobservehow experiencedplayersgoabouttheirgame.
"1'111definitelylookingforwardtojust beingouttherewithallthoseseniorguys [inNewZealand],"heshared."Bowling tothern,askingquestions,trainingwith themandseeingtheintensityandthe qualitytheytrainat.[Seeing]thelittleoneper.·centersthatreallyhelpthen1getthat edgetothenextlevel,getthatadvantage overotherguys."
Notingthenicebalancebetweenthe experienceoftheolderplayersandthe confidenceandfreedomoftheyounger players,hehassomeadviceforup-andcon1ingcricketers.
"Havingagoodbalanceisvery important.Itshouldn'talwaysbecricket, cricket,cricket.There'salwayshardwork -facingalotofballs,spendingti1nein thenetsbutit'sknowingwhat'quality' trainingis,"Tanveersaid."Havingthat qualityinsteadofquantityreallyhelpedme towardsthebackendofmytrainingover thelastfewyears."
Like1nostcricketfans,hewasgluedto cricketupdatesthispastsummer.Infact, helookstotheAUSvINDseriesof2020-21 asaguideforhisfutureactions.
"Idefinitelysawmanyupsanddowns (intheBorder-GavaskarTrophy],somany •
amazingperformancesfrombothsides -especiallyfromIndia.Withsomany injuriesanddowntimesforIndia,what withquarantining,theystillfoughtsohard onthefield.Theyhavesomuchpassion andloveforthegame,andIreckonthat reallyhelpedthemcomeoutintheseries andkeepfighting,"hesaid.
Understandably,heidentifieswiththe youngerplayersoftheIndiansquad(think
-
•
MohammedSiraj,WashingtonSundar,and TNatarajan),whomadethemostofthe opportunitytofight-andstandout.
"Ireckonthat'swhatmightbesimilarfor me.IfIget1nyopportunity,I'mgonnatake it,standoutthere,andshowwhatIcando aswell."
Andfinally,hispredictionsforthe upcomingAustralia-NewZealandseries?
"3-2,Australia,"Tanveersmiled.
BY RAJNIANAND LUTHRA
twas aconsolidatedcampaign staged overthree long111onths,but LaTrobe's Dr Ian Woolford received news this weakthatn1ade itallworth it. The university's Hindiprogran1, slated tobe terminateddue toCOVID-caused financialhardships,will bemaintained with nocuts.
"It'squitearelief" DrWoolford ' , LaTrobe'sface ofHindi, toldIndianLink. "I can hardlybelieve thatthe uni hascome to thisdecision."
Announcingthe decision,theuniversity's Dean ofHumanitiesand SocialSciences
ProfNick Sisleysaid, "Afterconsiderable discussionswith stakeholdersincluding staff, students,con11nunitygroups and governments,we havedecided to retainthe current tlindiprogram. Notwithstanding the significantfinancialchallengeswe face, itis cleartous thatit re1nainsfirmlyin the university's andcountry'sinterestto retain the Hindiprogram."
Buoyed atthedecision, Dr Woolford said, "I an1particularlyheartened that thereasonstated isthatHindi isvitalto Australia'snationalinterestand therefore has aplace atthe university.Asa Hindi specialist, I agree."
DrWoolford spearheadeda massive campaign involvingvariousinterestgroups besideshis owncolleaguesand students, dedicatingallhisenergies intosavingHindi at theuniversity.
"Ireached out tostaffand studentsfrom multipledepartn1ents andotherswho
wanted tosee itsurvive, the Indiancommunity in Australiawhowroteto the universityand totheir Me1nbersofParliament askingforsupport,even academicsin India. Support ca1nefrom theAustralian High Commission in New Delhi too."
Hindi student Jessica Elle1n, who coordinated the student response tothe university, isoverthemoon attheannounce1nent.
"I'111sogladtobestarting mythirdyearbeingable to continue Hindi,"shetold IndianLink. "The uni has made a wise decision. The currentfinancial situationis not idealbutit'sitnportant forus to haveHindi - not onlyforour 700,000strong Indian communitybutalso forAustralia'sownfuture in tradeandgeopolitical stability."
Jessica organised fellowstudents towrite groupsubmissions to theuniversityand also targeted newsoutletsand governmentagencies.
"Iworkedveryhard on thephone, and onsocialmedia, tokeeppressure onthe Universityand thefederal government. I alsowenttotheVictorian Sate Government, DFAT, the Ministersof Education,HomeAffairs,Multiculturalism, andotherrelatedministersandShadow ministersto stoptheuniversityceasing
The Indian Student AssociationofLaTrobeand the university's Bollywood Club alsoplayed theirpart.
Presidentofthe
Bollywood Club Priyanshu Tomar, an international studentstudying for a Masters' degree in ComputerScience, helped organisetwoonline petitions.
Theyread: "LaTrobe Universityuses their connectionto the Indian Film FestivalofMelbourne and Bollywood starsto promote the University in India,particula1·ly to potentialfuture students. Itis hypocritical (todo this) andatthesame time cut Hindi,the language ofBollywooditself. What kindofmessagewill this extraordinarystepsend to India and the Indian diaspora?"
"ItisgreatnewsthatHindi willcontinue," Priyanshu toldIndianLink. "Ihave firstgeneration migrantfriendswhoare studying Hindiandtheyweredevastated whenthe movewasannounced."
DrWoolfordmeanwhile, isshowingno signsofslowingdown,instead appearing furthergalvanized intheserviceofthe languagewhichhascome todefinehislife.
"Nowthatwehave support,itisvital tocontinuetobuildmomentum,and not
just at LaTrobe butacrossAustralia," he reflected. "The universitysectoris devastatedby thecurrentcrisisand wemustconsider newinitiativesgoing forward. Forinstance, I'm looking atways toworkwith facultiesacross the spectrum -Public Health, International Relations, Sociology-tosee ifthere isanywaywe can design Hindi units to help their students. In Public Health forinstancetherecouldbe greatadvantages. Howcanwe make Hindi, avitalcommunity language inVictoria, more attractive to theirstudents? l think it's a natural thingwe should bedoing."
He seems tohavepassed thisenthusiasm on tohisstudents.
Jessica Ellen1stated, "I will work alongside Ian togetmorestudents. Butthe universityalsohasa responsibility. Itwas perhapsa failureofmarketingthatpeople didn'tknowabout tlu1diat LaTrobe."
She added, "Ianisagreatteacher, and agreatasset totheuniversity. Itwould havebeen ashame tolose himand the program."
OneofIan'sjobsonhis to-do listfor nowincludeswritingmessages ofthanks tovariouspeoplewhosupportedhis campaign.
"There are hundredsofpeople to thank, peoplewho tookituponthe1nselvestodo their bit. l justknowthefirst 150."
Wecan'tletIangowithoutaskinghitn this: with Hindisafeat LaTrobe,is there a line ortwo frompoetrythatdescribeshis currentstateofmind?
"Thelastlinesfron1Vinod Kumar Shukla'spoemHathashaseVyaktiBaith GayaTha. Theygoasfollows: flum dono saathchafe,Ekdoosrekonahinjaantethe, Saath chalnekojaantethe."
Bravo, Ian babu.
hen Karl Rockpicksup the phone (with acheerful 'Na1naste!' noless), his New Zealand accentisapparent. That is, until he burstsinto 1-lindiwith an earnest, quietconfidence.
Onsocial media,the popularlndophileis knownforhishonest,sometimeshumorous, videoswherehebustsn1ythsand scamsof India. He'sevengothisown hashtagforthe cause: #nahichahiyeji (Nothankyou).
"Therewereso1nanyproble1nswhenlfirst ca1netoIndia.Everytouristhasatleastone badexperiencefromtheirtrip.l wantedto givetravellersawaytodiscoverthecountry andavoidthescains,"KarltoldIndianLink.
Fromhighlightingfakecallcentresto warningagainstfake teasandtrinkets, his videosaiintoprepare the averagetourist
forIndia. It'snosurprise, then,thathe'sgot over 1.2 millionYouTubesubscribers.
Nowa residentofNew Delhi, Karl earned a stampofapproval lastyearby none otherthan ChiefMinisterArvind Kejriwal when hedonatedhisplasmaafter recoveringfron1 COVID.
"All I havewantedistofitin. Itwassuch a nice thingto becalleda Delhiite. Itwas oneofthebestdaysin aprettydifficult year,"he saidwithasmile.
TheKiwi'sadventures in India might evenput local travellersto shame.Since hisfirsttripbackin2013,he hasvisited everystateand UnionTerritory, along with neighbouringcountries Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Hisreason issimple: "I've been fascinatedwith Indiasince I was 18years old. Ijustwanted toseeeverythingthe countryhad tooffer."
Indeed,aglance atbisYouTube channel reveals escapadesoffthe beatentrack, like visitingthe BearTemple inChhattisgarb and CellularJailin theAndaman and
Nicobar Islands.
Even in hisowncity, Karlroutinely sharessnippets ofhislife. In2019,he sharedhisexperience ofattendinga Diljit Dosanjh concert andsoon afterthat, the Punjabi singerreached outonlnstagra1n, welco1ninghim"tothe Bhangra world."
Theexpathasauthoredtwoe-booksso farfortourists and Indophiles,includinga bookonhowtolearnHindiquickly.What made hjn1wantto learn thelanguage?
"l startedlearningHinditoassin1ilate," Karlexplained to Indian Link. "Often, menusandroadinstructionsandothertravel basicsaren'tinEnglish. LearningHindi helpsyou connectwitheveryone."
Infact,someofhismostpopularvideos onsocialmediaremainhisinteractions with localswhilespeakingin 1-lindi,complete with theirfaceslightingupinsurprise.
Jnone instance, hegreetsa military officerwithajovial "Rani rani ji, ki haal chaal?" (How's itgoing?)beforeentering the airport.
Anothertitne, anamused shopkeeper
askshim: "Toh kahan. se seekh rahe ho? (Whereareyoulearningfrom?)"
"Mere dost se (From myfriend)" Karl responds happily.
Doesthis111eanhe'sgotagraspofthe infamousIndianbead wobble?
"Initially, l had troubleunderstandingit," helaughed. "Butnowpeoplecommenton myvideosthatldo it too!"
AnotherbenefitoflearningHindi has meant enjoyingBollywoodn1ovies likea local. In 2018, heevenvisited the Druk White Lotus School (whichwas featured in Bollywoodfilm 3 idiots) beforeitwas closed totourists.
"I started discoveringBollywoodwith ShahRukbKhanmovies, but now I'ma massiveAamir Khan fan.Hismovieshavea lotofdepth. ltcanbe difficult forforeigners to trulyunderstand movieslikePKor 3 idiots withoutcontext,butI'mnowgetting the hangofit," Karlshared.
Twoyearsago, histiestoIndia were officialJycemented when bemarried bisgirlfriend, Manisha Malik,bycourt
marriage through the Special Marriages Act. Stayingtrue tohiscause, healso made themostoftheopportunity tobust mythsaround marriage in lndia, including a misconceptionaboutconverting to Hinduismto marrya Hindu.
"There'ssomuchstrength in the Indian familyunit.Sometimes, there canbe commentspassedabout my wife being married to aforeigner, but myparents-inlawreally fight forme," Karlsaid.
"I didn'tknowthisbefore,butwhenyou marryintoanIndian family, you become theirothersonordaughter. l cannowsay thatl have twosetsofparents!"
Movingfron1Auckland toNew Delhi, asonecan imagine, wasa "steeplearning curve" forthevlogger.Herecallsthe initial difficultyoflearningto'adjust'bysharing seatsona busorassertingbisspot inline if peopletrytocutpast him.
Overtheyears,though,heseemstohave settled in. "There'snotalltoomuch I miss about NewZealand Agoodn1ince and cheesepiemaybe,"he confessed.
With Karl Rock
Favourite local dish? Cholebhature. I love it!
Cookanything Indian?
I'm not much ofacook Ican make Maggi,though. I liketoadd extra black peppers,turmeric, chilito spice itup.
Favourite Indian drink?
I amthechaiwallah ofthe house! I loveto makepropermasala chai, I probablydrink multiplecupsa day. Thefunnythingis, I didn'teven like tea before I cameto India.
Favourite Bollywood movie?
Oangal, starringAamir Khan. It'sset in Haryana,where mywife isfrom. AdvicetoAussies or Kiwis looking to live In India?
Live here ifyou havea deep appreciation ofthecountry. You haveto WANTto be here. Otherwise, itcan bea lotofworktoadapt.
then1on1entintherealin ofculturally appropriate careforcarers."
BY RAJNIANAND LUTHRAcancerdiagnosistypicallyturns one'sworldupsidedown,andnot necessarilyforthepatientalone.
"Carersareoftenforgottenin thecancerjourney,"ShanthaVishwanathan, PresidentofPinkSariInctoldIndianLink. "Buttheyaredoingtrulyimportantwork."
PinkSarihasjustlaunchedayear-long projectentitledBeyondPink,aimeddirectly atthisseg1nentofthecancerexperience.
Treatmentoutco1nesare knowntobe betterwitheffectivecaregivers, andyet thefatigue, stress,even angerandperhaps illnessresultingfon1 forgettingoneself whilecaringforalovedone, isscarcelythe subjectofconcern.
"It is the toughestplacetobe,watching someoneyoulovego throughcancer," Prof. DavidCurrow, ChiefCancerOfficer and CEO oftheCancerInstitute NSW, said at thelaunch. "Jtisanenorn1oussacrifice, andoftenthei1npactstays,evenaftercare is complete."
PinkSariInc's BeyondPinkproject,a partnershipwith NSWMulticulturalH.ealth Con1municationServicefundedbythe CancerInstituteNSW,isaimedathelping caregivers1nake senseofitaU,empowering then1with informationaswellasskiJls.
"We'dbeenobservingthe fa111ilies that weworkedwithandhadi.dentifiedaneed," Shantha YishwanathantoldIndianLink. "Thisledtoa survey-targeted as wellas opentothecom1nunity-thatestablished agapin services.There'snothingat
She acknowledgedthatourcommunity isgoodwith offersofhelpto knownand sometin1esunknownpeople,but added thatfonnalandcompletecare is theneed ofthehour.
"Firstup,wehopeto conductworkshops toconnectcarers-bothprimaryaswell secondarycarers- with existingservices, offeredbyCarers NSWandtheCancer Council.Alsoontheagenda areworkshops onhealthylifestyle.WhenIworkedinthe US Ifoundon-sitefacilitiesforcarerssuch asyoga and1nusictherapywhichwerevery beneficial."
Sheadded,"Ultimately,wehopetodevelop strategiestoadvocateonbehalfofcarers."
Ontheoccasion,com1nunitymember Selvi Ranjanprovidedafirst-personaccount ofcaringforhermumwhovisitedfrom India andfellseriouslyillwithstomach cancer. "Withmyownyoungfan1ilyatthe tin1e,Iwouldhave likedso1neculturespecificcare: helpwithtransport,groceries, anythingwouldhavebeenappreciated."
IndianandSri Lankanwomen.
Alsolaunchedsimultaneouslywasa secondPink Sari project,entitled'Cervical ScreeningforSurvival'.Tobe in1plemented with partnersAustralianIndianMedical GraduatesAssociation(AIMGA)and theAustralianMedical AidFoundation (AMAF), the projectwillraise awareness aboutthe NationalCervicalScreening Progra1nandtheimportance ofearly detectionofcervicalcanceramongst
Speakingontheoccasion,DrPalu MalaowallaandDrChitra Harinesanof AIMGAandAMAFrespectivelyprovided earlyideasofincreasingscreeningrates inWesternSydneyandSouthwestSydney. TheseincludetargetedresourcesforGPs suchasdata-drivenhealthmanagement programssuchasPenCAT;settingaside adaysuchasonaweekendandhavethe womencomebyfortesting;sendingout reminders;dispellingmythssuchas'I might notbeat riskbecause1 amnolongersexually active/asymptomatic/havenofamilyhistory'; awarenesscampaignsusingmultilingual flyersand posters, and,perhapssignificantly, involvingmeninthehealthofwomen.
"Cervicalis the most preventable cancer," Prof. Currowoffered. "Screening isthe bestway toproceed, andAustralia hasseengreatsuccess here."
PinkSariIncbeganasacommunity projectfundedbytheCancerInstitutein
2014toincreasebreastscreeningratesin IndianandSri Lankanwomen. Whenthe two-yearprojectcametoanend,itbecamea communityassociationonitsown. Starting offwithsixwomenvolunteers,itnotonly capturedtheimaginationoftheco111111unity withitsinnovativeandaward-winning campaignsinvolvingthearts,italsometwith appreciablesuccessinincreasingscreening ratesforbreastcancer,givingitstarget womenabettershotatbeatingtheoddsand abetterrangeoftreatmentoptions.
"It's beenexcitingto seeyou growand develop thiswaysinceyoufirstlaunched," Prof. Currow told Pink Sari. "Youshould be proud-you'reawonderfulexampleof whatthe communitycandowhen they take ownership. (You've shown) incredible trackworkingalvanizingthecom1nunity. We are countingonyouas apartner because ofyourgreatcom111unity reach, and knowthatyouaretrustedandhave the necessary skillsandexpertise."
Facebookgrouplaunched lastyearisfastbecon1ing thego-toplace forexpectant andnewrnurnsinSydney's Indiancornrnunitywho have transitioned into motherhood with nosupport from extended family.
When it became apparent inlate February 2020 thatCOVID wasgoing todisrupt ourlivesin an unprecedented manner,HetalBhimani Vasavada began tonotice aparticulartrend on corurnunity socialn1edia platforms. Pregnantwomen were postingwith concern asking whether theirparents'impendingvisits-to help with theirnewbornbabies-wouldhaveto be cancelled.
"Itwas clear to rne that these women would be having theirbabies with no outside help," Hetal told Indian Link.
The 33-year-old auton1ationengineer knewexactlywhat this meant. Whenshe firstarrivedinAustralia in 2017,shewas 32 weeks pregnantwith her firstchild.
"My husband and 1 weresettingup ho1ne in anew country-wherewe did not knowasoul, and didnot knowthesysten1s -at atime when most expectant parents are wrappingupwork responsibilities and preparing forthe birth,"she recounted. "Luckilythough, we did have my parents visit forthefirstthree monthsafterour sonwas born. For2020's newparents, J knew I had to help."
Jt all beganwithsimple postonenight on acon11nunity Facebookpage.
"I live inWestn1ead," Hetal wrote. "If you're goingtobeatWestmeadHospital havingyourbaby, I'd behappyto help." There were 30repliesthenext1norning.
While some werenotes ofappreciation forheroffer ofhelp, many werefrom youngwon1enseekinghelp.
"I'mfond ofcooking,and since my husband and I were bothworkingfrom home,I foundwe had to time togodeliver some food boxes," Hetalrecounted.
Soonother women wereposting, saying theycould helptoo.
"The den1andwasgrowingforsheera, the kheerthat is traditionallyfed tonew mumsinourculture,"Hetalsaid. Posts begantoappear fro1n other suburbs, seeking/offeringhelp.
Thenaturalnextstep was to setup a Facebookpagededicatedto thisnew endeavour, andso the private group Helpinghandstoivomen duringpregnancy/ Deliverieswasborn.
As ayoung mumherselfwho has little time to read longposts,Hetaltold membersto keepitshort. "Telluswhich
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suburb youare from,and whetheryouare seekinghelporofferingit."
Today, expectantmumsnearingterm seekinfonnationaboutwhat to take to hospital, where to buybabyneeds. New mumsaskforinformationonpost-natal massages, dietary concerns, breastfeeding issues, andcatch-upsforolder kidsand the1nselves.
Sleepconsultantsandn1aternitysupport professionals post theiravailability. Womenwithsparetitne on theirhands offerhelpwithcooking,grocery runsand occasionalchild-1ninding.
It's a warm,supportiveenvironment, filled with care andgenuineconcernand much kindness.
"Manywomenhavesaid to me, this feels like fan1ilywhen ourownfamilycannotbe here,"Hetalsmiled.
Post-partumtraditionswithstrong familyinvolvementcontinue to berobust inourculture, evenforthose ofus whomoveoutofthe country. Physical nourishn1ent is paramount, with special energy-giving, in11nunity-boostingand reparativefoods, aswellas therapeutic massages.Emotionalnourishmentis
equallyimportant,with freedomfrom household chores, and much rest, rejuvenation and replenishment. It isa time when new mumsneed mothering themselves, itisbelieved, andso convalescenceisencouraged in our parentalhomes, withourownmothers, sisters, auntsallchippingin.
And whenwe can'thave ourreal 'village' supportinguswithournewborns in anewculture,thattoointimesof COVID-relatedrestrictions, the virtual 'village' isfilling in quite njcely.
Whilethe women areno doubt accessingthe freegovernmentservices intheirareassuchaschild health centres, howmanyhaveHetaland fellow administratorChhavi Mishrahelped?
"Icouldn't tellyou,"Hetalrepliedwith honesty. "It'sonautomodenow.The girls exchangephone numbersand take it fro1n there, and we haveno wayoffollowing itallupto see ifhelpwas delivered effectively. Allwe've done is provide a platform- it's really the womenoutthere who arehelpingeachother."
Whenwomensupport women,amazing things canhappen.
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A community Facebook group is doing what extended family has not been able to
Whatwould you do ifyou saw this note on your building's noticeboard?
Sincethen,Aishwarya became alittle moreconsciousofhercookingathome, where shehadAmerican, Latino, and Korean flatmates.To be more mindful ofthosearoundher, shestarted toputa clocheoverthepanwhile cookingand begantoventilate the houseasmuchas possible.
Formanyfirst-generation kids, there's also the daunting'lunchboxmo1nent' when theyfeel targetedforthesmells coming from theirpacked lunches. Toavoid ridicule,theyeventuallyswitch to 'safer' lunchesat school like hamsandwiches.
Ofcourse, the argumentgoes beyond homes.Acommonquestion onAirbnb's hostdiscussions rooms hasbeen: 'Can you askgueststo not cookcurryorsmelly foods?' Some queries are morestrongly worded thanothers, but thecon1mon sentimentisthat curryhasa strong, lingeringsmellwhich allAirbnbguests might notenjoy.
Itallboilsdown to understandingand recognisingdifferences.
BY RHEAL NATHhen 29-year-old Vaibhav Pokhriyal moved intohis newapartinentin the Sydney suburbofDee Why, he never would have guessed whata stir(no pun intended) his cookingwould create.
Merelytwoweeksin, asignwentup on the building'scommunity noticeboard, in bold letters: 'Stop cookingcurry! This buildingsmells likean Indian restaurant.'
Wasitthegarlicpaste inbisdal?The hingin hisaloosabzi? Whateverthecase,it rubbedhisnewneighboursthewrongwayand theywere determined tolethimknow.
Toreceive suchapassive-aggressive note abouttheircookingmightdetersome people. Vaibhav, though,was determined to continue hishabitsas is.
"I'm stillcooking Indianfood," hetold IndianLink. "I'm notgoingtostopbecause ofthiscon1plaint. I'mcertainly notgoingto makepasta everyday."
Infact,hetookit astepfurther. He decidedto address thepassive-aggressive note with alittleone ofhis own: 'Ifyouare tired ofyourfood,you'rewelcome totry someof1nine.'
Bothnotesstayedup onthenoticeboard foratleast a1nonthbefore theywere taken down.
Unfortunately, thisisn't aloneincident ofIndian cookingreceivingbacklash
from neighboursorlandlords. Indian cotnmunitygroupson Facebookhave seen numerousposts about neighbourswho complain aboutthe strongsmell emanating from their kitchens.
"l an1 in so 1nuch stressthat 1 have stopped cooking Indianfood," oneuser lamented.
Anotherusersharedthattheymovedout oftheirnewapartmentaftera fewweeks because ofunpleasant incidentswith their neighbours.
"My cousinwaslookingatproperties around Western Sydney. When he found onethatheliked,hewastold by the agent thatthe landlord doesn't lease to Indian orChinese familiesbecauseofthe smell of the cooking,"Vaibhavadded.
In situationslike this,it'shardtoshake offthe paranoia upon realisingyourfood makesyou stand out negativelyfrom the restofthe crowd.
24-year-oldAishwarya Reddy, an HRconsultant recalls across-cultural managementclass fron1hertime atthe UniversityofSydneywherethestudents were encouraged tohaveanopen,honest conversation about stereotypes.
"Wewere aprettymixed classwith Indian, Chinese, andAussiestudents. WhenwewereaskedaboutAsian stereotypes,wetalked about seafood, soy, strongvinegarsmells," sheexplainedto IndianLink.
"Whenit cameto Indianfood, Iwas surprisedand initiallyoffended.Then I realised this is howthe othercommunities must've feltduringthediscussion."
As individuals, wetendto becautious ofsmells,sights,andsounds that we aren'taccustomed to. However, when migrantcommunitieshavefacedthese kindsofissuesallove1·theworld,the idea of"smelly food"isn'tlimited toanyone culturalgroup.
Plentyof"white" foodslikebluecheeseand anchoviesareassociatedwithstrongsmells.
Early European familiesarrivingin AustraJia felt thebrunt ofsimilarostracism with theirsalamis, cheesesand sauerkraut.
South-east Asian foods like kimchi, and fruitsuch asdurian, are strongin their smells butaredelicious to eat.
What WEcan doaboutour cookingsmells
• A new-agetricktogetridofstrong smellsis lightinga candletosoak up the airin a room. Tryitoutnexttime you're cooking- and no, itdoesn't haveto beascented candle.
• Cookingfood,especiallyIndianfood, can bea longprocess. Trytoclean asyougo, includingwipingdown thestovetopandtheadjoiningwall whenyou'redone,to limitthelasting scent.
• Ifyou'reexpectingguests, itmight helptofinishyourcookingofcurries and otherstrong-smellingfoodthe daybefore.
WhatYOUcan doaboutour cookingsmells
• Simplytell us ifyoufind ourfood overpowering. Wedon'tfind itso,
Andyetwithincreased interaction and exposure came acceptance, even true relish. Evenaubiquitoussupermarket iten1such asyogurtwashard tofind comn1erciallyuntil notso longago - today the averageAussieconsumes around 7.5 kilogramsofyogurtannually.
The internationalfoodaisles in supennarkets,while convenient, are anotherwaythatwe see a formoffood politicsplayout. Some items, like olive oilwith Mediterraneanorigins, sit comfortablyonshelveswhile lentils, tortillas, and currypaste find themselves indifferent aisles. With time, as these ingredients become more commonand normalised in households, maybewewon't need to see such ademarcated space.
Unfortunately, unpleasant incidentscrop upwhenothers feel the need to impose their ideas. Who likes to be told what theycancook in thecon1fort oftheirown home?
Perhaps all this boils down to the way we accept, and giveout,criticism. Think back to neighboursofother cultural backgroundswhosecooking might have affectedyounegatively in anyway. Or even considerother Indianfamilieswhose cookingn1ightsmell different than our own.
Withoutdolingoutshame or disapprovaJ, maybe it's time we accept that foodhas asmell. Sometimeswe like it, sometiineswedon't.
(But ifyou're facingparticularly nastyincidents withyour neighbours orlandlords, do somethingabout it. Reach outtostrataoryour local council. Disagreementsareokay, racistremarks are not.)
sowe won'tbeaware until youtell us. Mostofuswouldtake an extra step, like usinga cloche,to make it a more comfortableexperience. (Try nottosound likeVaibhav Pokhriyal's neighbourthough).
• Knowthatsomeofyourownfoods smelltoo -there aresome pretty strong-smellingcheese; and an egg sandwichfor lunch can stink upthe office, oreven microwaved cheddar popcorn.Soit'snotjustcurry,or 'ethnic'or'Asian' foods.Strongtaste =strongsmell.
• Giveourfoodatry.Ifyou likethetaste, youmightfindyou'llbeabletotolerate thesmell.Mostofuscould notstand the lookandsmellofVegemitewhen wefirstcamehere, butwegaveita goastheanthemofAustraliasayswe should.Tryand broadenyourpalettes whenyougoouttoeat.
PS: Numerousreadersreachedouttosaythattheyhad actuallygotten compliments abouttheircookingfromfriends,neighboursandacquaintances.Someevenaskedfor recipestotryathome.Alwaysagreatsign!
t's 26 January, memsaab," the milk1nan l had known foryears said to1ne. "Maybeyoushould putup ablackflagonyour
balcony."
"I d-don'thavea blackflag," I sta1nmered in reply.
"Use ablacksari, oradupatta." Itwasthefinalstraw.
That night 31 years ago, undercoverof darkness, I fled myhomein Kash1nirwith myhusband andtwoyoungsons, after months ofsheerterror.
Thisismyrecount ofexperiences I had then. As I relaythese toyou, I makeno allegationsoraccusations.This is buta straightforward accountofthedaysleading up tothenightweweredrivenoutofour state.
Itwasthe night of 19Jan 1990. My brotherandhisfan1ilywerevisiting
us.Theywere overtoseeournewhousewhichwehad built lovingly, puttingall our savings111.
The doorbell rangat 11.30pm. 1twasourPanditneighbou1·s, allina panic.Don'tyouknowwhat'shappening?
Locked infromthe coldwinter,we hadn'theard thecom1notion.The entire neighbourhoodwasouton the streets, as loudspeakersfron1 themosqueblaredout messages tellingKashmiriPanditslikeus, toleave, convertto Islam,ordie.
Theterrorhad begunmonthsago,when wereceivedletters tellingustoleave Kashmir, referred to asthe Land ofAllah, the land forMuslin1s, inwhichkaafirs (non-believers) had noplace. Theletters endedwiththreats toourchildren'slives.
Wewerea smallminoritygroupof Kashmiri Pandits, inthe Muslimmajority state ofJammu and Kashmir. The daily
persecutionsand harassment ofour communityofthepastfewmonths had left usin fearofourlives.
Therewere dailyreportsofkillings, blackouts,curfew, stone-throwing, breakins,andclosureofschools,colleges, and cinema halls.
Onlyrecently, ayounggirlhad been rapedand killed brutally. Sheworked as a nurse, and apparentlyhad informed police abouta patientorpatients, clearly militants.Theyleftherbody, cutupinto pieces, ata prominentcitycrossing.
Notsolongago,aclosefriend
Lassa Kaul,whohappened tobemy husband's boss and DirectorofSrinagar's Doordarshan Kendra,wasshotonpoint blankrangeoutsidehishomein Bemina colony,underthewatchfuleyesofhis 'trusted'driver.
Also, ourclose relation PushkerNath Handoo,a top stateGovern1nentofficerin
the informationdepartment, lost hislife when hisown driverbroughtanassailant to his home in Karan Nagar, Srinagar.
There are manymore such storiesof friendsandfamilyme1nberswhoare no longerwithus.
Andtonight, the mosquewas sending outitschillingmessageon its loudspeakers: KashmiriPanditsexit, butleaveyourwomen behind. Batawvaraie, Batneiwsaan.
"You're the onlyhome herewith a phoneconnection," the Pandit neighbours beseechedus. So we rangthe police,the army. No onepickedup.
We rangfriendsinotherlocalities,fa1nily inneighbouringcities:Sendhelp. Ourhearts can1euptoourmouthswhenweheardthey wereinthesameboatasus,withmosquesin theirareasblaringoutthesame1nessages. AriseMuslimbrothers,fighttheHindus. Nizaam-e-mustafa Pakistanzindabad.
At l.00a1n, thecalls endured inthe backgroundas mayhen1 continued on the street.
Mybrothersaid,"I'mgoingtohideupon theterraceand keepalookout. I'llyellwhen Iseethe1n coming,you allrun outtheback."
Ifigured I couldask ourMuslim neighbours forhelp - they had been strangely silent.
Fromoui-backyard, Ihoistedmy8-yearoldsonintomyPanditneighbour's house towake themup. Meanwhile,asamob descended onourdoorstep, imaginemy terrorwhenIrealised,mysonisstuckinthe neighbour'sbackyard,allalone,inthedark ltwasonlylaterwewouldgettoknow, the mobwastheretothreatenandterrifyus.
Butweknew then thatwe hadtorun, ifwewanted to saveourlives.Butwhere wouldwego?And how?Wehad nomoney athome, andverylittle in the bank,having putallofoursavingstowardsthe dream homewewouldhavetoleave.
Itwasdead ofwinter, and the citywas closed to curfew.
On the morningof the 20th, thingswere quiet.The night, too,passed sleeplessly, in sheerterror.
"Makesurewhenweleave,thatyoutake BabyBrotherwithus," mysonwhisperedto me."Youmightforgethimifhe issleeping."
* * *
On21 Jan, anotherneighbourstoppedn1e inthestreet.
"Sister,can1sendthewomenofmyfamily toyourstonight?Thearn1y-wallahswon't searchyourhon1ebecauseyou'reHindu.They createhavocinMuslimhomeslikeours."
Istaredathim dumbfounded ashe continued,"Leaveyourhouseunlocked tonight. I mighthaveto bringmyfamily overinahurry."
* * *
On 25 Jan, the doorbellrang. Ifroze. l toldmyhusband togoto thebackof the house. Wehadbeenadvised thatthecallers mightshowmorerestrainttowomen.
Twoyoungmenstoodat thedoor,tall and well-built.Their handswerehidden in thepocketsoftheirflowingphirans.
"lsyourhusband home?" theyasked.
"No," Ilied. "He'sprobablystillatwork."
"He's not," theyreplied. "We checked. HeworksatDoordarshan, in thenews department.Wewantedtoaskwhybe spreads liesabout us."
"Hedoesn't make the news,"Ireplied, tryingtocalm111yracingheart. "Hejust putsoutwhatcomes fromabove."
Silence.Then: "Mayweuseyourphone?"
Iunplugged theinstrumentfrominside thehouseand brought itout,hookingit intoan outsideport. Asl stoodaround, theirphoneconversationsent thechills rightdownmyspine.
"Hopethearmyisnotcreatinghasslesin yourarea," theysaid intothephone. "It's allclearoverhere. Maybe send the asla (ammunition) here. Thisis alargehouse. There'splentyof spaceheretostore itall."
1 can'tspend thenightinthishouse,I said tomyhusband.
Werangafriendinthearmycantonment area,consideredfullysafe, andsaidwewere comingovertostaywiththemforthenight.
Thenextmorning,26Jan,we returned
home,justasthe milkmancan1eby.He gaveusourdailyn1ilk-and thatmissive aboutthe blackflag.
Webatchedaplantoleavehomethatday.
Taxito Tammu? Wedidn'twanttoriskit. Wewouldhavetofly.
There isaflightearlytomorrow, the aii-porttoldus,butitisfullybooked. Wereplied indesperation,we'recoming regardless.
Wearrangedtoborrowsomecashfron1 ourclosefriend,DeepakBudki.Asnightfell, underthecoverofdarkness,myhusband drovetoDeepak'shousetopickitup.
Meanwhileathome,Ihadpackeda bag. Itwasa briefcase, really -allitcontained wasourdocuments.Thekidsand [puton asmanyclothesaswecould; to protect us fromthe cold Itold then1, but I knewthis is allwewouldhave forthenextfewweeks.
Asataxidrove us totheairport, I did notonce turnaround tolookatthedream homewewereleavingbehind.
Oureyeskeptdartingaroundtospot peoplewhomightstop us. Itwaswhen we saw the armypicketat theentrance tothe airport, thatwebreathedagain.
"Iknowtheflightisfull,"n1yhusbandtold thecheck-incounter."Buttherecouldbe somecancellationsascurfewhassetinnow?"
Waitandsee, wewere told.
l prayedall nightaswehuddled inthe cold - but relativesafety- oftheairporthall.
Earlynext morning,we wereairborne.
At Jammu,wegotsome time to process thelastfewdays. I had leftfoodonthe stove. Clothesdryingon the stand. Toys lyingaround thehouse...
Soonwebegan to bearfromfriends. So1ne,likeDeepak,had fledlike us.Others, tragically,willliveonintheValleyeternally.
* * *
Weekslater,wefoundourselvesin Jalandhar, myhusband'sen1ployer Doordarshanhavingfound himasuitable position.Wewerewarnednottotellanyone wewerefrom Kashmir, aslandlordswere notrentingto Kashmiris-yousee,theymay havefled theirhomes,andinalllikelihood wouldhavenomoneyforrent.
"Just theone bag?" ournewlandlord asked us.
"Ourstuffiscon1ingbytruck,"welied. Myownemployer,DAV,alsofound me a positionasa teacher. Iwasan MA-MEd, but l happilytookon nurseryteacher training. Myson,whowent toanelite privateschoolin Kashmir, went toCentral School now.
Like allKasbmiriPandits, wefellback onoureducation to build usupagain. We'vealwaysbeenproud ofthe 100% literacyin ourcommunity:itcame invery bandyinthistimeofcrisis.
Myhusband and I climbed thecorporate ladderwithbetterand betterjobs.Our sons tookengineeringandMBAdegrees, and foundjobsinAustralia. Uponretiring, we moved toAustraliapermanentlyin 2009tobewith them.
On19 Jan thisyear,theanniversaryof thatdreadfulstarttothe Kashmiriexodus, wespentthedaywithonline communities nowstretchedacrosstheworld,whofaced thatterror.Weremembered. Weprayed. Wethanked,even.
Butmostofall,wevoicedourhope. Our wounds remainraw,butjusticeeludes usevenafter32years.Drivenoutofour ancestrallands,wecontinue toseeka probeintothegenocideof 1989-90. The HandoofamilyinAustralia
A9aibowlsincreasinglybecomingoneofthemostpopularsuperfoods whyisthat? Theytaste incredible,they lookappealing, and theyareamazinglyhealthy! Some proponentsclaimtheyhelpwith weightloss, high cholesterol,and arthritis.Acaibowls areessentiallythicksmoothie bowls loadedwithtoppings.Theyare madeofpulped andflash-frozen acai berriesthatarepureed with otherfrozenfruit,then served ina bowl andtoppedwitha varietyofberries,granola,seeds, nuts, peanutbutteretc.
Ritu weds Chandni byAmeya Narvankar isa wonderful children's picture bookabout a LGBTQ wedding. Thestoryfollowsa younggirl Ayesha, who iseagerlyanticipating theweddingofherfavouritecousin Ritu Didi.Thevibrantcoveris eye-catchingand thecontents, simplywholesome. When Ritu and Chaandniareconfronted with bigots, youngAyeshatakesa stand and doesn'tletthe negativity ruintheirspecial day! It's the perfect bookto educateyourchildren aboutdifferenttypesofrelationships.
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Ofallthe Indianshowsand movies releasingonlinethis month,wethinkyou shouldn't miss: The Girlon the Train (Netflix), a Hindifilm adaptation ofPaula Hawkins'debut novel from2015, starringParineeti Chopra. The Broken Hearts Gallery(Amazon Prime), a rom-com starringAustralian actorGeraldineViswanathan.Alsocatchseason 2ofThe FamilyMan (Amazon Prime) and 1962:A War in the Hills (Disney+Hotstar) with Abhay Deol inthe lead role.
The incomparableShreya Ghoshal has released a newsingletitled 'Angana Morey'. Thesingercollaborated with herbrotherSoumyadeep in her homestudiotoproduce the latestcontemporarypop releasewhich isadramatic interpretation ofa woman longingforherbeloved.Thesong'selectronic beatscoupled withsoundsofthetabla andfluteputyou ina musicaltrance.Ghoshal'sdistinctivelysweetvocalsonlyamplify thisexperience.The musicvideoonYouTubegarnered 5,000,000views intwodays.
•
nsouthAsian culture, there's astrong sense ofdutytowardsfamily. Whether it's old age, sickness, ordisability, fan1ilies rallytogethertodotheirpart fortheirlovedones.
Whentheyneedanextrahand,though, OSANAbiJityAssistishappytostepin.
"Ourculturecanson1etimeshinderthe abilityto askforhelp.AtOSAN,we're simplysuggestingson,e additional aid," saysDrOmerKhanwith asmile.
AsCEO, he hasseenthe con1pany growfrom its humble beginningsinto an industryleaderindisabilitysupport and agedcare services.Through their certified caregivers,excellentacco1nmodation facilities, andservices that span26 differentcategories, OSAN providesitall.
"We'renottoolargethatourclients beco1nejustanumber,butwe'renottoo sn1allthatwe can'tcater toyourneeds. We liveour mission state1nent: 'qualitycare withcompassion',"On1ershares.
True to theirword, OSAN'sphone servicesdonotgetdirectedtoan answering machine. Instead, you'realwaysgreetedby apleasantvoiceontheotherendoftheline in avarietyoflanguageslikeHindi, Urdu, Nepali,Turkish, andAfghani
lnfact, Omerbeams, OSAN goes the extramile. From trainees tosenior manage1nent, allstafftrytovisit every client, gainingvaluablefeedbackand creatingconnectionsalongthe way. Many times, theselittle interactions make allthe difference.
AsaregisteredproviderwithAustralia's NationalDisabilityInsuranceSche111e (NDIS),OSAN'ssupportservicesare tailoredtoeachclient.Andfornewmigrants andAustralianswhodon'tknowabout NDISfacilities,Omerandhisteamwantto helpyougetthefacilitiesyou'reentitledto.
Howdoyou knowthatyou're eligible? It startswith three sin,ple questions:
■ Areyoulessthan65yearsoldwhenyou firstentertheNDlS?
■ AreyouanAustralian citizenorholda permanent/ProtectedSpecialCategory visa?
■ Doyouhaveadisabilitythataffectsday-todayactivities?
With $22 billionallottedtodisability servicesin Australiain2020,OSANis determinedtoconnectyouwith the right fundingforyourneeds.
MembersoftheteamLikeKarunaPrasad, DirectorofOperationsatOSANAbility, believethatleaderslikeOmertrulyhavethe abilitytochangepeople'slives.Infact,when fundingfellthroughforaclientwhohadbeen waitingforadisabledscooterforn1onths,she sawOmerbuythescooterhimself.
"Thiskindofworkmakesyoulearnalot aboutyourself,"Karunashares. "AndOSAN isthe kindofcompanythatisdrivenby communityservice.Apartofourincomeis devotedtowardswelfarework,togiveback."
Shestill remembers the case ofan elderlymotherwhose sonwasplacedina governmentfacilitythatwasunsuitedto hisrequirements. Everydayhewouldcall
her,stressedoutofhis wits. Eventuallythe 85-year-oldtookhim in - andcontinuedto care forhim in heroldage.
With OSAN's accreditedshort-and medium-term accommodation services andspecialiseddisabilityaccon,modation, familiesdon'tneed to make thatdifficult choice everagain.
"We welcome familiestobeinvolved, butwe en1powerourclients, sotheydon't feellikea burden.Wehelp themachieve theirgoals,no matter theirage, creed, or disability,bygiving them theirownspace andindependence," Karunaexplains proudly.
During the pandemic, the importance ofhealthcareworkershasbeenat the forefront. OSAN, too, continues to hire care workersastheyexpand.
"TheAustralianphilosophyis to always invest in health. Asanorganisation,we're recruitingalmostevery week. We require minimum Certificate3 & 4 qualifications in disability andagedcare.Thisis a greatcareerchoice forthosewho are interested,"Omersays.
Whenover4 millionAustralians continue tolivewithadisability, en1poweringthe1ntolivenormallives (with alittle assistance) cangoa longway. No matterwhereyouareinAustralia, OSANis always theretohelp -justreachout.
BY SANDIP HOR
okangarooswelcome me as I landonthe shores ofAustralia's third-largestisland, but two centuries agoin 1802 a large numberofthen1greeted English explorer Matthew Flinders.
He proceeded toseize 31 ofthem as meatforhisravenouscrewand asa token ofgratitude, named the southerndiscovery Kangaroo Island.
Onlya45-minute ferryridefrom Cape Jervisonthe southern edge ofSouth Australia, thislandmasswith its towering and colourfulsea cliffs, lush rolling fields, footprintfree beaches, ribbons ofnative vegetation, thrillingwildlife,and boutique food and wine, has longbeen atopbucket listdestinationwithboth international and domestictravel connoisseurs.
The island is 155-kmlongand 55k,nwide,coveringalandareaof4416 square kmandencircledby509 kmof coastline. While Kingscote is theisland's busiesttownand hometo atinyairport, Penneshawis anothersmall townwhere the ferryfromthe mainland arrives. Both are located on the eastern part ofthe island.
Markedbythefootprints ofAmerican sealersandwhalers, Frenchnavigators and English colonisers, theearlyhistory
oftheislandisnoless invigorating. When SouthAustraliawasformallyestablished asa British Provincein 1836, Kingscote becan1ethe capital and ren1ainedso forfour1nonths,untilAdelaide in the mainland tookover. Fanningbecame the principaloccupationofthe local people and it 1natured furtherwith the soldier resettlements afterWorld WarII.
Afewbuildings,lighthouses,graveyards, memorialsandrelicsstill remainas poignantemblems ofthe earlyera.
UnquestionablyKangaroo Island is a beautiful 111akingofMother Nature,whoat times doesn'thesitate todestroyherown creationwith deadlyacts ofearthquakes, floods, landslidesandotherdisasters.
Kangaroo Islandbecameavictim ofthis naturalphenomenonearlylastyearwhen devastatingbushfires ripped through almosthalfofthe island,terminating infrastructure,vegetation,andlandscape,
and mostdisturbinglykillingseveralnative animals, livestockand twohumans.The calamitywassospread that96% ofthe 326square km FlindersChase National Park-one ofAustralia'stopprotected sanctuaries-turnedblack. Itissaideven the birdsonthe island stoppedchirping. Manyincludingthe 4000-pluslocals, thoughtthe returntoformerglorymaynot happen soon.
MotherNature thought differently. Twelve months on, it'samazingto see howtheecosystem is bouncingback,with hugesplashesofgreeneryemergingfrom a blackenedlandscape.
With this tragedystillfreshinmind,my islandodysseykicksoffona depressing note,particularlyafterhearingfromNikki Redman, thetourguidefrom Kangaroo IslandOdysseys, the magnitudeofthe bushfire. Butthegloom starts to fade asI notice theregenerationallaround me.
"Nature is slowlyreturningto norn1al," says Nikkias l seecolour other than blackdecoratingthe landscape, floralike yucca plants springingback to life. We heargolden whistlersandwattle birds singing,andspotwedge-tailedeaglesand blackcockatoos,a special offeringofthe island,up inthesky.
One wayofsupportingtheisland in its recovery, issimplyto visit.
Inadditiontoobservingnature's renaissance,there isstillenough unaffected by the bush fires to take inand enjoy. It will notonlyaidtherescue,butwillalso boost thelocaleconon1yshattered furtherbythe COYID-19pandemic. Withinternational travel barred forthe timebeing, it'sperhaps the best timetoexplore thisge1ninourown backyard, notonlytosavouritssplendours but alsotosupportits retrievaltoroutine.
There'sa lotin itsn1enu card, so I list someofthe top drawcardsthat make the island sospecial.
Kangaroo Island is abundantwithnative birds,koalas, short-beaked echidnas, and ofcourse kangaroos andwallabies.A large number ofthemdied fromthebushfires, butthere areplenty thatsurvived and it's possible to encounterthemin theirown habitat almosteverywhere.
The southerncoastoftheisland ishome to sealions. Watchingtheminlarge numbers restinginthe sunor ridingthewaves
ontothe beach intrueAussie style isan unforgettableexperience. Onaguided tour it'spossible togetclosetotheseanin1als, evenpose foraselfie.
STUNNING �EAFRONT OCAT ONS
Gettingintin1atewithsun,seaand sand ispopularatseverallocationsalongthe coastline-VivonneBayinthesouth,Western RiverCove Bay,SnellBay,StokesBayand E1nu Bayinthenorth,and PenningtonBay inthe westarefan1ousfortheirspectacular settingsandbeachestosuitevery11100d.
ROCKY WONDERS
Locatedatthe westernendoftheisland inside theFlindersChase National Park are Australia's twoiconic rockgrowthsRemarkable Rocks, an impressivenatural formationoforange-lichen-covered granite boulders bythe sea, and the Admirals Arch, a stalactite-coverederoded rock bridge outside ofwhichthousandsoffur sealslike tosunbathe.
OLD LIGHTHOUSES
Many shipwrecksoccurred aroundthe
islandsinceofficialsettlement, leading tothe buildingoflighthousesatnearby Cape Willoughbyii11852, Cape Borda in 1858, Cape StAlbans in 1908 andCape du Couedicin1909.Alloftheseexisttoday as silent witnessesofthecolonialpast.
Lin I:. SAHARA
Awayfromthecoast,naturallyevolved inland sand dunesoffer toursand activities forthe adventure-minded, slidingdownthe sandy billbeingafavourite.
-
N UIN CO ON Penneshawis theho1netoacolonyoflittle penguins whichcanbe seenonaguided tourintheeveningsonly.
CA PRODUCE
Thepristine andstress-freeenvironment provides a fertile platformforthegrowth ofpremiumproduces.Visitors have the chance to tastesome ofthe finestseafood, lamb, honeyand locally madewine, cider, beerandgin. --......
Gettingthere: QantasLink(www. qantas.com)operates daily flightsfromAdelaide,otherwise byferrywithSealink(www. sealink.com.au)fromCape Jervis, located twohourssouth ofAdelaidewithcoachservices available toconnectferries.
Stay: Allsortsofaccommodation isavailable,fromswagunder treestofivestar suites. AuroraOzone Hotel(www. auroraresorts.com.au)at Kingscote and Sea Front Hotel (www.seafront.com.au)at Penneshawaregoodchoices.
Tours:KangarooIslandOdysseys (www.kangarooislandodysseys. com.au)specialisesin various smallgroup toursand tailormadeitineraries.
More Info :Visit WWW. southaustralia.comandwww. tourkangarooisland.com.au
The NSW Government is inviting applicationsfrom people interested in becoming a memberofa Local Health DistrictorSpecialty Network Board.
The Boards are responsible foroverseeing an effective governance and risk managementframeworkforthe district/network, setting strategic directions, ensuring high standards of professional and ethical conduct are maintained, involving providers and the community in decisionsthataffectthem, monitoring service delivery and financial performance againsttargets and holding the district/ network chief executive accountablefortheir performance.
Individuals should demonstrate the capacityto representthe interest of consumers of health services and the local community served by a district/network, and indicate any affiliationswith universities, clinical schools or research centres, as well as skills and experience in one or more ofthe following areas:
• corporate governance;
• health management/health administration;
• business/financial management/public administration;
• clinical practice/provision of health servicesto patients;
• expertise, knowledge or experience in relation toAboriginal health;
• understanding of local community issues;
• understanding ofor experience in primary health care
Accepted applicationswill be included on the NSW Health Board Register for Local Health District and Specialty Network Boards.The Registerwill be used to fill vacancies on Local Health District and Specialty Network Boards during 2021 and 2022.
To apply, individuals need to complete an expression of interest indicating their skills and experience relevanttothe role by Sunday28February2021.
For information and to obtain an Expression of Interestform visit: health.nsw.gov.au/eoiboards. Forfurther information please call 1800328 998
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etthe 111ango mania continue,we say, andyou agree! Ifyou haven't made anaamkapannayetthis --- season, tryoursimple recipe. Plus, a n:iangopopsicleforafterschool, and a n1ango sandesh forafterdinner.
Eachwilltakeyou backtothesummer holidaysofyourchildhood in India.
1 cupfresh mangopulp
1cupfrozenorfreshraspberries pureed
■ 2tbsphoney(ormoreor less.to adjustsweetnesstotaste).
Addhoneytoraspberrypuree. Pourmangopulpintopopsicle mouldto the halfwaymark.Add1tbsp raspberry puree. Layerwithanotherspoonof mangopulp andthen raspberrypuree. Freeze until half-frozen.say2-3hours. Stickinyourpopsiclesticks. andthen freeze untilfullyfrozen.about8 hours or overnight.
1 raw mango
¼ cupjaggery
■ Mint leaves ½tspblacksalt
1tsproastedcuminpowder
Peelthe skin offthe rawmangoandchopintosmall pieces. Cookin apressure cookerwith enoughwaterfortwowhistles. Transferthe mangoesintoablenderalongwithahandful ofmintleaves.jaggery Blendtosmooth.Sievethe pulpand add blacksaltandcumin.Ifneeded.add morewatertoadjust consistency.
■ 1 litrefullcream milk
■ 2tbsplemonjuice
• 1/3cup powderedsugar
Thinlysliced mangoes Apinch ofsaffron soaked in ateaspoonofmilk
Bring milktoaboilina heavy-bottomed pan.stirring occasionally.Add lemonjuice and allow milktocurdle.Turn heatoffand letthe milksit forfive minutestocurdle completely.
Lineastrainerwith cheese
cloth and pourthe curdled thesaffron milk. milkthrough.Oncethe wheyis Nowaddthe powderedsugar strained.washthe cheesewith andformabigball. coldwater. Placeasheetofbakingpaper Bringallthe endsofcheese onthecounterand rollthe clothtogetherandsqueezeout cheeseballinarectangular the excesswater.Leaveitin shape evenlyon it. thestrainerfor20minutesto Placethesliced mangooverthe remove excesswater. rolledcheese.
Transfercheesetoaplateand Withthe helpofbakingpaper kneadgentlywiththehelp firmlyrollthecheese. Leaveitin ofyour palm.You'llhaveto fridgefor15minutestoset. kneadfor5to7minutesuntilit Cutintosliceswiththe helpofa becomessmoothandsoft.Add sharp knife.
So you've plur ed n man s all summer - but of course you can iit in some more before the season ends, right?
plushworldofAshokisanawakening ofsortsforBairam.Slyandambitious thathealwayswas, Bairammanages topenetrateAshok'sworldinawayhe becomesincreasinglyindispensableto hismaster.
Yet, Balram's rudeawakeningswill notbe restrictedtothe realisation oftheacute class dividethatexists. Hewill beshockedto realise after a tragic incidentone night how disposable heactually isto his employers. Bairam understandsthe onlywayto bucktheclassdivide, which iswholly loaded againsthim, itisto break all master-servant rules that have been drilled into his mind sincechildhood.
I STARRING:Adarsh Gourav, 1 Priyanka Chopra, RajkummarRao, Mahesh Manjrekar,VijayMaurya, I SwaroopSampat
I DIRECTION: Ramin Bahrani
I ***"'
1 "Don'tbelieveforasecondthere'sa million-rupeegameshowyou can win I togetoutofit".
I That's Bairam Halwai in The White I Tigerthinkingaloud,outliningthe squalid povertythatheliveseveryday, I asopposedtowhatJamal Malikin
I SlumdogMillionaire mighthavesaid.
I The White Tigersetsitstonebluntly withthatline,somewhere intheearly I portionofatwohour-odd runtime.
I The idea isclear:thereisno superstar-hosted miraclegameshow I waitingtodeliveryou ifyou are Bairam I Halwai, dehatidriverdevotedtoa
I wealthyuppercaste'master'. Butif
1 youare Bairam,andatthewrongend ofthesocial stratum,gettingatthe I wrongend ofthe lawmightjusthelp.
I Only, ina countrywhere'Wanted'
1 postersthatcopsissue rarelyeverlook 1 liketheculprit,you haveto besmart
I I becausethe man whogetsitso right-Iranian-Americanfilmmaker RaminBahrani-hasneverlived in I eitherIndia. I
I enoughtogetawaywith it. I I
I Itisa notionthattriggersinstant chaosasweenterBalram'sworld, I andthemood pervadesbeneathall
I thatgoeson, asthefilm capturesthe
1 essenceoftwoverydifferentlndias thathave learnttocoexist. From I theguttersofLaxmangarhvillagein
I backwaterBihar,where Bairam hails
I from,totheworldofsuper-swanky Gurgaoncondos,where heendsupa
I driverforhis morallymalleable, ultraI richemployers, it'sinterestinghowthe film capturesthe realityaboutboth I milieuswith discomfortingprecision.
I Itleavesyou intriguedallthemore
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Itiseasy, ofcourse,to rootforThe WhiteTigerforits performances, becausethecastiswhatprimarily drawsyourattention.Adarsh
I Gouravas Bairam Halwai, rises fromthefringestodelivera defining I performance,as Bahrani unfolds his I lifestorybrimmingwith unapologetic 1 tragi-comedy. Balram's isajourney from lower-classignominytowhat I he hopeswill onedaybeataleof
I I I I I successful entrepreneurship. I 1 Thegreystoryofambitiongetsatwist I ofcolourwhenhemeetsPinkymadam I (PriyankaChopraJonas, insurelyher I mostassuredperformanceinyears), I I I drop-deadgorgeouswifeofhisemployer 1 Ashok(RajkummarRao,awkwardlyout I ofsyncwithforcedaccent). Indeed,the I
Professionallyqualified match requiredfor '88-born, 5"3" Hindu Punjabigirl, divorced (shortmarriage, issueless).Workingfulltime inSydney. Prefteetotaller. MusthaveAusPR. Email: matrimonial.ml@gmail.com.
Seekinga professional matchfor Hindu-AdDharmi/Ramdasia, 27-year-old engineerboyonTRvisadoingcustomer servicejob in Sydney, withan educated familybackground,family relatives professionallysettled in Sydneyand Brisbane. Caste no bar.
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Maintainingthe narrativetoneof Aravind Adiga's Man BookerPrizewinning bookofthesamename, Bahrani'sscreenplayunfoldsasa letterBairamwritesto erstwhile Chinese premierWen Jiabao, around his India visitof2010. As Bairam punches in hisstoryon a laptop,the idea isto laybare a representative citizen ofoneofthetwo most populousnations in the worldtothe headoftheother. Does Bairam really representIndia, andthe nation's moral, economic and culturalfibre? Wewillgivethe makersofthisfilm theadvantageofcreative liberty.
For, Bahranidoes keep his narrative ascloseaspossibletoAdiga·sstory. Thebookwasalwaysgripping,andthe writer-directorusestheadvantageto crediblyestablish everysocio-cultural commentinherent inthetale.
Wittyintone, heart-rendingin its impactandentertainingoverall.
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am an ardent admirerofOPNayyar's n1usic. Anyonewho knowsmewell, knowsof1ny love forIndian film n1usic from the 1940s tothe 1970s. l have grown up listening to, and thoroughly enjoying, songsbyco1nposers rangingfrom Pankaj MaUickand RC Bora! through to RD Burman.
Butifl mustpickapersonalfavourite among these itwould have tobe Nayyar. 1 have oftenwondered to 111yselfwhyit isthat Ilike Nayyar's n1usicso much, and whatitisin his songs that makesforsuch pleasurable listening. What isit that sets it apartfron1the others?
Early exposure
Iwasintroduced toNayyar'smusic in 1ny earlyteens bymy brother,Tushar Bhatia (MusicDirector,AndazApnaApna). The radiowasplayingEkpardesi1neradi/le gaya fro1nthe fihnPhagun.
"You have to listen to this," hesaid, and wenton topointoutbowthe songbegins ona single beat forthefirstlineand then doublesupfor the nextfate}ate,neetha meethagham degaya.
"Notice the word repetition -jatejate and meetha meetha," he said. "Isn'tit wonderful?"
Thatwas it. I was mesn1erisedbythe songand found 1nyselfinstinctivelytapping myfeet.
And fromthat point on beganmy journeyof'discovering' 0 PNayyar.
The discoveryofeachpreviouslyunheard
OPsongwaslikeuncoveringtreasure, and through 1nyschool and university days Ispenthourssearchingforthese songstoadd to 111ycollection. Radio Vividh Bharti and RadioCeylonwerethe obvious sourcesand 1 wouldsitpatiently with mycassetterecorderwaitingfor the announcertoutterthewords"music direction O PNayyar" before I pressed the REC button.
1 recaUgoingto Rhyth1n House,an iconic musicstore in Mumbai, with Tusbarbhaijustto beable to listen to the songsfrom the filmAarPaar. Rhythm House hadlisteningboothswhereyou could sitdownandlisten to LPsbefore youbought them. 'Trybeforeyoubuy' as the sayinggoes, exceptwe neverbought. Wecould not afford thepriceysumofRs 30 for the LPbackthen. Weweresimply there tobearthesongs - Babujidhire chalna, Sunsun sunsunzali,na and Hoon abhi,naijawan would run shiversdown my spine. Theystill do.
ChorBazarin Mumbaiis alargeflea marketwith dozensofstoresselling second-handgoods. Irememberfindingan
EMI Pakistanrelease LPofYehRaatPhir naAayegiwhich I endeduppurchasingfor Rs 100.Thatwaslaterin myuni days and while Rs 100wasstillalargesum, I could nowafford anoccasional splurge.The recordwasoutofissueinIndia and buying this rarecopywasmostcertainlyworthit.
ChorBazarbecan1ea regularhaunt whereI painstakinglywentthroughpilesof dusty 78rpmrecordsinthehopeoffinding a Nayyarsong. I discoveredraresongslike
Chayahaisennameradi[haijawan (Qaidi); Man moregaajhoo,nke(Mangu) andAha hahajawanijhootntihai(BadeSarkar).
Acassettewithall Howrah Bridgesongs and one with a highlyechoeyrecording ofManguand Musafirkhana songswere excitingfinds.
Smugglingmycassette recorderinto matineeshowsofHumSubChorI-lain, and Pran JayePar Vachan NaJayeto tape the songs,and recordingoffChayageeton Doordarshan resultedin n1e augmenting mycollection.
Son1uchmoreadventurousand thrilling todiscoverandcollectthisway, rather thandownloadingoffYouTube!
Meeting the man himself IhadtheopportunitytomeetOPNayyar several timesthanks to afriendArshad Sultan. Arshadsaabwasthe representative ofPakistanAirwaysbased in Mumbai and Nayyar, beingaclosefriend, frequently visitedhim inhisCuffe Parade apartment. Arshadsaaborganisedseveral mehfils attendedbyfansandwewould spend hourssingingandlisteningtostories aboutNayyar'smusiccareer. These areoccasions I wi!Jneverforgetand be eternallygratefulfor.
The man, the music Icanbroadlycategorise Nayyar's music careerinto threeeras. Thefirst in the'50s wherehepredominantlyused Mohammed Rafi,Shamshad Begum and GeetaDuttas singers-Ayedi[ayedeeivane(Baaz), Yeh lo maiharipiya(AarPaar), Thandihawakali
ghata andJaanekahan merajigar(Mrand Mrs 55), Boojh merakya naam (CID), Badi rangeelizindagi (Shrimati420), Tumjohue merehumsafar(12o'clock).
I'm still blown away byThodasadillaga kedekh (Musafirkhana) where Nayyar had Shamshadsingthe words with Rafi singing theinterlude musicthroughout.
Then came the era whereAsha Bhosle became his prime singer. The sophistication in his orchestration and hisuseof1nusicians like Rais Khan (sitar),ShivkumarSharma (santoor), Zarin Daruwala (sarod) and Rain Narain (sarangi) added adiamondlike lustretohis songs. Romanticmusicals Like MereSanani, Sawan kiGhata, Kashn1irKiKali, Yeh Raat PhirNaAayegi, Flumsaya, Ek MusafirEk Haseenagaveus songs like faiyeaapkahan jayenge, Pukartachalahoon ,nai, Zara haule haulechalo, Phirmilogekabhi, Oilkiawaz bhisu'and Bahutshukriya.
San1bandhwasaturningpoint onceagain. Withserious,meaningfulsongslikeAndhere ,nejobaithehain, Tu,nkotokarodosaaland Akelihoonmaipiya, Nayyarshowedusa siderarelyseeninhispreviouswork.
Comingbackto the question ofWHY I like Nayyar's music asmuchasI do, I can onlyconclude that1 don't reallyneedto understandwhyIlike itson1uch,ittouches the heartand thatisenough.
J'vlerinazaren haseen haiketumhohaseen, yehsamajhnekimujhkozooruratnahin, baatnazaron kihaibaatkuch bhinahin jiskodilchhaheduniya mehaiwhohaseen.
MinaI Khona has been readingtarotcardsfor the lasttwodecades. She uses herintuition and connectwith the cards mostlyto help people.
The chariot card drawnfor you signifies a need forbalance in yourlife. Italsostands forvictory: focus on yourgoals, you are on the right path.Thecharioteerin the card represents one's higher selfsoifyou are on a spiritual quest, you willfind growth. Ifa situation no longerservesyour higher purpose, you will walk awayfrom it - whether itisajob or a relationship. Watchout formoodswingsthis month.
You could gothrough bouts of insecurity regardingmoneythis month. Don'tworry, itwill teach you tovalue moneyand notletitown you. Balance your expenses. Ifyouare lookingtosell property, itwill be sold. Despite obstacles, you will continue withyoursignificantotherifin a new relationship. Ifthere'sa health problem, take a second opinion before it becomes chronic. Success isyours this month butaskyourselfwhat is it reallyworth.
I This month, Gemscould dosome I soul searchingand seekanswers I from their higherselves. On thework front, itis goodto knowtheprosand I cons before makinga decision. A I shorttrip could be on theagenda. If you've had a setback, you could lack I confidence butworkon yourself. You I can resolvea lot ofyourproblems bycontrollingyourthoughts. Money I could betightbutfinances improve I shortly. Payattention totummybugsor 1 headaches.
I The card drawn foryousignifies I successatwork:youwill useyour I will powerproductively. Don't let temptations override common sense, I andthink beforeyou act, especially in I matters ofthe heart. You will take up a much-needed break. Moneycould I betight butfunds underdispute will I cometoyou. You maytake a decision 1 regardinga businessora relationship. Itwill end anydilemmas insideyou. I Acceptyourcurrent situation and don't I force outcomes.
You drawa destinycard this month,sogo withtheflowwhere possible. Therecould I
Thecard picked representsthesign of TaurussothefinickyVirgocould well be I stubbornthismonth. Oryou maymeet be new businessventurescomingyour way. Ashorttrip could introduceyouto a potential business partnerorromantic interest. Watch yourhealth, especially yourheart. Itcould also indicatea heart attackforafamily member. Friendsgive you thesupportyou need. Finances improve, especially inthe realm of investmentsorprofits. Perseverewithout worryingaboutthe results.
I someonewhoisaTaurean. Stressin a relationshipalmostmakesyou walkaway I butyouwon't. Positivechangesare round I thecornersodon'tgive upontheone I you love.Travel plansfallthrough.Dental problemsare indicated. Money matters I need resolving. Earlierblocks inyour I head, workorpersonal lifeease upand positivechangesareontheway.
[evena
I You maydisplaya Leo-likegregariousness notusuallyassociated withthesecretive
Yourcardthismonthstandsforthesign ofGeminisoyou could blowhotand cold on mattersthatinterestyou. Ifsingle,you could meetsomeone reliable, afinancial advisorora man in a position ofauthority. Adisagreementin a relationshipdoesn't getresolved immediatelybutyou will reunite.You impressyourbossesatwork anda newprojectbased on pastwork could comeyourway. Health improves overall.You prosperfinanciallythismonth. Bediligentinyourwork.
I YourcardrepresentsLibrasotheusually I indecisiveCapricorns maytakeeven
I longertomake uptheirmindsthis month. Nervousenergyisindicated,andyoucould I losefocusthismonth. You could also I meetsomeonewho is December-January born, probablya professional - ora I militaryperson.Work isstressful;watchfor I bacterial infections. Change howyourelate I topeopleforbetterresultson allfronts. A legalmatterends in awinforyou. Stay I detachedto maketherightdecisions.
I Scorpios.Oryoumightmeetsomeonewho I I Aromanticrelationshipcancausesome heartachebutall isnotlostAnewprojectat I workdoesn'tquiteexciteyou.Manyofyour I I problemsarereallyself-created,socontrol I I yourthoughts.Watchagainstdeceitinsome I
I divorce]canbesiegethemthismonth.
form.Takea breakfromwork;especially I ifyouarestrugglingwithdepression.Any I setbackyoufaceisshort-livedsodon't panicordosomethingimpulsive.
I isa Leo.Youwill havesuccessatwork andyou desirea position ofauthorty. Buttrynotto becometoodemandingor controlling.A relationshipcould leaveyou feelingresentful orjealous.Apassionate loveaffaircould beontheanvil forthose I whoaresingle.A rockyrelationshipwill
I end. Healthremainsupbeatand good luck I iswithyou all month.
I TheusuallygenerousAquariansneedto I lookoutforfeelingsoflackthismonth. Guardagainsta povertyofspiritkindof I approachand practicegratitudeinstead. I Seekinnerguidanceforeverythingthat I needsclarity.ExpensescouldmountSome ofyoumayevenhaveanextra maritalaffair.
I Youneed restfromaperiodofmentaland I emotionalstress.Workcolleaguescouldbe difficultthismonth.Afallorinjurywill need I medicalattention.Spiritualguidancesees I youthroughatough month.
I Indulgeinsomeself-analysisthis month; I repeatedpatternsand old habitscould be I holdingyoubackon mutiplelevels.Itis alsoacardofrejection,substanceabuse, I lossofa lovedoneandeven heartbreak.
I Yet,the universewillgiveyoua helping handthroughsomeone. Don'tgetso I familiarwithsomeonethattheygetbored I withyou.BusinessimprovesforthesefI employedandresourcestoacquiremoney through multipleavenueswillcome.Give I yourselfsome loveandTLCthismonth.
DEARAUNTYJI
It'sbeen12monthsofCOVIDandwe have notheardapeepoutofyou. Where haveyoubeen,areyouwell, andwhatthoughtshaveyouhad?
Subkuch theekthaaktohai?
Theworldisadifferentplaceit appears somuchhaschangedand peoplearestilluptoalltheircrazy tricks Wehaveneededavoicelike yourstohelpallofusstaysane-and youhavenotsaidasingleword Ab tokuch kaho nah!
AUNTYJISAYS
Arre mereyaaro, merebhakt, mere imlikikesundhi, maiyaheento thi, ourkahajaatitum logonse door?Buthaan, thodisishaantthi, becauseIneededtimetosochna samajhnakiisduniyameinhokya rahahail. Yousee,earlylastyear. wehadmassivebushfireshere andtheair literallybecomefoul. Soans Jenamushkilhogaya tho. Literally.Uske baad.I noticekiour blacksaathisintheUSwere getting killedandtheycouldn'tbreathe becausesomeone wasputtingtheir
kneesontheirthroat. PhirCOVID hua. andthepeoplewerefinding ithardtobreatheagain.andthose whodieddidsoaftergaspingfor air.Itoccurredtomethatthereis amessagehere.Natureandthe universearegivingussignalsthat eachbreathisablessing,andwe needtobemore responsible-to thosearound usandtotheplanet itself.Somaiapnisaansginrahithi andthinkingabouthowtomakethis worldabetterplace.Butthen.early thisyearI realisedtheworldneedsa wake-upcall,anditneedssomeone likemetopointoutthebittertruth toallyouandhelog. Tojaago. mere doston, ourdekho-insteadofasking mehowIam,askyourselfwhatyou havedonetomaketheworldabetter place.Haveyouacted withloveand wisdom, respectandtolerance.or haveyou beenwastingyourtime postingrubbishonFacebook?
Haveyoushowncompassionand humdarditoyourparivaarandfellow saathis, orhaveyou remainedan ignorantbewakuf?Likhkarmujhe batao, mere bachcheshaitaano.
DEARAUNTYJI
Iama30-year-oldsinglemanbornand raisedinAustralia.butIstraddle both IndianandAussie culture NowIdon't know manypeoplewithkidsandmostof myextendedfamilyare in Canada.USand Norway SoIhave nothad muchcontact with bacche log Inanycase,Ihave moved toa newblockofunitstoliveinSydneyand itappearsthisblockofflatsisfullofpeople withbabies Therearebabiesofevery colour sizeandsoundintensity Someare fatandothersareskinny...butthe mote moteAsianonesarethe cutest. NowusuallyIamindifferenttokidsbutI amintriguedbythesefat.squishylittle beings.and nowIam wondering whetherI tooshouldgetmarriedand havekidsofmy own ButAuntyji,the worldisaroughplace; isittherightthingtodotobringa child intothisworld?Andisitmandatorytohave kids? Whatareyourthoughts?
AUNTYJISAYS
AlielemychiknalKitnepyarahairetu gettingallcluckylikethat!Iamsoproudof youforaskingsuchaninsightful.intelligent question.Someone likeyoudeserves tohavechildreninstantly,becauseyou
have alreadydemonstratedthatyouarea superiorhumanbeing.Mostpeoplehave bacchebecausethat'swhatpeopledo-and somepeoplejustdoitwithoutanythinking aboutwhetherlunaticslikethemshould havekidsinthefirstplace.Theonlyreason wehavechildrenistocontinuethehuman race.That'sthe basic,mostfundamental reason.Butifyoudon'tdoitthensomeone elsewill-sothequestionforyouistoassess whetheryouhaveanysuperior genesto contributetothehumangenepool.Sofor allthe badmash, bewakufand budtehzeeb log, thereareothersamajdharlog who need tobalancethescale.Itseemslikeyouneed tocontributeyourintellectand wisdomto thehumangenepoolotherwisetherewill bealevellingoffofilliterateashikshitvyakti whohavetheir2-3children whodon'thelp progresshumanity.Asfortheworldbeing rough-yes.that'strue.Butit'suptous todoourbesttomakeitabetterplacefor our children.So. goforthandprocreate posthaste.Justmakesurethemotheris notapsychowhowill passon herfaulty genesandoffsetyoursuperioronesinyour progeny.Howtofindaspousewhoisnot lattoo isyournextquestion.Agarmerirai chahiyeto batana.
• Keep physical distancing in public spaces.
• Wear a mask when needed.
• Practise good hygiene.
• Protect others and stay at home if you're unwell. If you're experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms get tested for COVID-19.
• Have the COVIDSafe app.
Together let's keep going and stay safe. Visit health.gov.au for more information, or call the National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080. For translating and interpreting services call 131 450.
We need to all keep making COVIDSafe choices to help stop the spread.
