SAY IT AGAIN

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

#WHEREININDIA

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

DIWALI "NOT PART OF AUSTRALIAN CULTURE"?

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, writer

After 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

#WHEREINOZ

Thisdesertishometo theseuniquelynatural attractions - where isit located?Readers Petra O'Nellland TwlnklTwlnklhad the rightanswer: the PinnaclesDesert,NambungNational Park,WA.

INDIA'S71-YEAR TEST

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 rVyomSharn1aisamedical practitionerinMelbourne, specialisingingeneralpractice. Asahealthco1nmentator,he hoststheshowRadiotherapyonTripleR, writescolumnsinthemainstreampress, andappearsfrequentlyonourTVscreens, notablyonABC's Q+Aand TheDru.111.His particularpassionisreservedfordispelling misinformationandadvocatingevidence-based medicine.HesitsdownwithIndianLinkto answerfrequentlyaskedquestionsaboutthe coronavirusvaccine,settorolloutthismonth.

Safe for new mums? Pfizer or Astra Zeneca?

DrVYOM SHARMA answers your questions on the COVID vaccine + (S)_.. .

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.

The vaccinations will be rolled out in three phases

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