2021-09 Melbourne

ReclaimintheSwastika

In the light of a proposed Vic Govt ban on a fascist symbol, a discussion on itsoriginal Hindu signi1icance

Manjits have you covered during lockdown with our new heat-and-eat meals available at your local convenience store, or delivered from our Darling Harbour restaurant. .,

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PUBLISHER

Pawan Luthra

EDITOR

RajniAnand Luthra

CONTRIBUTORS

Rhea LNath, BageshriSavyasachi, Manan Luthra,ChitraSudarshan, DanishRavi, MohanDhall,NehaJain, GopikaS, Petra O'Neill, Anya Doan, MisbahAnsari, Minal Khona, Auntyji

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BY PAWAN LUTHRA

he knock on the doorfromthe deltavariant oftheCOVID-19 virushas gotlouderoverthe past few months.

Thishasseenhealthauthoritiesand politicalandcommunity leaders scramble togetthe vaccinationmessageout.

Thenationhas responded with vaccination ratesnow racingto 70%, -80%ofdouble dosage. Wonderful news, thisopensthe doorto a somewhatnormallifeonce again.The danger,however, lies in those who are vaccine deniers, and who, forone reason or another, are notwillingto getvaccinated. FederalLiberalMPs includingAndrewLaming and Russel Broadbenthavesignalledtheirunease withwhat somearecalling"vaccine apartheid" - withpeople losingtheir jobs and beingpreventedfrom enteringpubs and other venues if theyhaven'tgottenthe jab. The questionthen is, dopeoplehavea right to refuse the jab, andstillgo about

their businessasusual?

Theansweris, no.The action(or inaction)ofthis groupimpacts everyone elsein society. To use agraphic metaphor, itislike goingto apublic pool, pissingquietly inthe corner and assumingno one will be affected.

People may claimthatthey havea rightto refuse vaccination. Butthat does not give themthe right to put the lives of others at risk,norto forcethe majority topay fortheirbaddecisions. Why should the soon-to-bemajority ofAustralians accommodate those who refusetotakethis simplestepespecially now that wehavean antidote to the virus?

Withthe highlycontagiousdelta variant, theunvaccinatedpose a deadlyriskto others and themselves. Vaccinatedworkers,students,airline passengersandothers who go outin public shouldnothave to bearthe risks andhuge financialcoststhatthe unvaccinated areimposing on society.

As asociety, we alreadyundertake socialapartheidinmanyinstances,and havelearntto live withthis.Think of what we do with smokers. We are tough onsmokinginpublic andinconfined places wherenon-smokers haveto

ebreatheinthetoxicfumes. We banned smokinginflights, we charge smokers higherinsurance premiums.

Thedanger weface is afuture wave ofthe pandemicoftheunvaccinated - which willbring withit enormous lockdown costs,joblosses as places of leisure and workshut down,disruption of schooling, financialflow-on effects as people struggle to pay rent and mortgages or losetheirhomes, and mentalhealthpressures.

Meanwhile,as we dealt withthe currentlockdownandwiththe mammothtaskofvaccinatingthe population, the'lattelines'and 'shisha lines'thatdivideourcities became clearerthanever before.Perhapssome timeinthefuture, socialresearchers willundertake acloserexamination of whyit wasso difficultto break throughto thepopulations incertain parts of Sydney and Melbourne atthis challengingtime.

Our governmentsat alllevels, while payinglip service to multiculturalism andplurality, need to workharder inforging closertiesand better com1nunications between the various groups into whichourcitiesstand divided.

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WhyAustralia needsto inject a fresh senseofpurpose in reengaging with India

BY MAURICE NEWMAN AC

ndiaandHongKongshareacommon Britishcolonialhistory.Fromtheearliest timesthatconnectionandfreeenterprise attractedmanyIndianmerchantsto migratetothe"barrenrock"wherethey prosperedandbecamesomeofthecity'smost prominentbusinessmenandphilanthropists. Whatevertheircolonialshortco1nings, theBritishbroughtasystemofdemocratic government,theruleoflawandfree enterprise.WhereasIndiahasjustcelebrated 75yearsofindependencefromBritishrule, HongKonghadtowaituntil1997.

Underanhistoric"OneCountry,Two Systems"agreementwithChina,the citywasguaranteeditsdistinctpolitical, socioeconomic,andlegalarrangementsforat leastfiftyyearswithoutchange.

WhileIndiahasgoneontostamp itspresenceontheworldasavibrant, democratic,growtheconomy,oncefree, HongKonghassuccumbedtoBeijing's imperiousinterferenceinitsdomesticaffairs. Asliberty'slightisextinguished,sogoes thecity'srenownedinternationalfinancial centre'sfuture.

ButChina'sPresidentXiJinpingwon't fret.Heiscontemptuousofindividualliberty, marketeconomiesandwhathecan'tcontrol. Heseekstoreplacelostinternationalbusiness withdomesticdemand. Withtotaldebtof290 percentofGDP,fallingproductivityandweak profitability,itiswishfulthinking.Beijing's optionsareshrinkinganditsfutureisnot whatXitellstheworld.

Sevendecadesofcommunismhave cementedacorruptrulingclassbuilton cronyismandnepotism.XiJinpingisa productofthatsystem.Some70,000 heavilysubsidisedzombiecompaniessap productivity.Investmentanddivestment relyonpatronage,notprofit,andpreviously concealedbaddebtsthreatentheviability offinancialinstitutions.Chinaisnolonger thecheapmanufactureritwasandPresident Xi'sobsessionforcontrol,meansa"please Beijing"culturecrowdsoutrisktakingand innovation.

MostcripplingisMaoZedong'slegacyof theone-childpolicy.Despiteeffortstoupthe quotatothreechildren,Chinaiscurrently experiencingitslowest birthratesincethe 1950s.Itmeansincomingdecadesover100 millionworkerswillretirewithno-oneto replacethem.China'sover60spopulationis alreadyat 17.9percentcomparedtoIndia's eightpercent.

WhencomparedtoIndia,China'sfuture looksgrim.Withitsyoung,smart,energetic populationof 1.4billionpeople,untroubled bytotalitarianleadership,Indiastandsas abeacontoglobalcorporationslookingto reposition. Indeed,accordingtoresearch firmGartner,athirdofsupplychainleaders haveplanstomoveatleastsomeoftheir manufacturingoutofChinabefore2023 andupto 1,000companieshaveIndiaunder consideration.

NodoubtthisrealityaccountsforBeijing's flagrantincursionsintodisputedterritories.It seestimerunningoutandwantstodeterthe WestfromdefendingTaiwanshoulditattack.

It'strue,untilrecently,China'smiracle economyhasmesmerisedtheworld.But Beijinggotaten-yearstartonDelhithanksto DengXiaoPing's1980sreforms.Itwasn't

until1991 whenacollapsingSovietUnion convincedtheIndianCongresstoabandon socialismthatIndia'sstarbegantorise. Onlythendiditbeginditchingtheeconomic rigiditiesandentrenchedpatronageco1nmon tosocialistregimes.

Thechangesincludedprivatisationof governmentassetsandaconcertedeffort toderegulatemainstreamsectors.Indeed, Indiaiskeentodispelitsoldimageofstifling bureaucracies,awarethatsmallergovern1nent 1neanslesscorruption,lowertransactioncosts higherreturnsandincreasedinvestment. UnlikeChina,ownershipisatwo-waystreet withveryfewsectorsrequiringpriorcentral governmentapprovalforforeigninvestment. Limitsonforeigndirectinvestmentacrosskey industrieshavebeenincreased.

Today,Indiaisalandofemerging opportunitieswithagrowingappetitefor adiverserangeofhighvalueservicesand products.Ithasreachedanewlevelof growthandmaturitywithoutsurrendering itscompetitiveness.For2021-22the InternationalMonetaryFundforecastsIndia's GDPwillgrowby9.5percent,wellaheadof China's5.7 percent.

Theseprofounddevelopmentsare serendipitousforAustralia,particularlyatthis time. Whilemanyingovernmentandbusiness 1nayyearnforarekindledrelationshipwith China,itwon'thappenunderXi. Canberra's decisiontodenyHuaweiparticipationinits 5Gnetworkanditspushforaninvestigation intotheoriginofCOVID-19,angered himdeeply.Now,withAmerica'sabject retreatfromAfghanistan,Xi'swolfwarrior diplomacyinAsiaandthePacificwillput furtherstrainsontherelationship.

Inthiscontext, Indiahasbecomean indispensablesecuritypartnerforAustralia.

Bothareme1nbersoftheQuadrilateral SecurityDialoguewhichalsoincludesthe UnitedStatesandJapan.Itsaimistosupport "afree,openandinclusiveInda-Pacific Region"and,toChina'schagrin,its1nembers haveestablishedregulardefence co-operationthroughnavalexercises,and thesharingofintelligence.

Fiveyearsago,acompellingopportunity pushedbyIndianPrimeMinister,Narendra ModiandthenPrimeMinisterTonyAbbott, tocompleteacomprehensiveeconomic co-operationagreement,wasinexplicably squanderedbyAbbott'ssuccessorMalcolm Turnbull.Now,asAustralia'sspecialtrade envoy,Mr.Abbottisendeavouringtorebootthisbilateralagreement.Itfollowsan understandingbetweenPrimeMinisters MorrisonandModito"re-engage"and upgradetheirrelationshiptoacomprehensive strategicpartnership.

Togivethiseffect,thePrimeMinister andtheMinisterforTradeneedtoinjecta freshsenseofpurpose.ItmeansAustralian bureaucratsmusturgentlyfindcommon ground.Toooftentheyhavecreated obstaclesorconcentratedonnon-negotiable issuesratherthan findsolutions.Tobuild momentumand,asameasureofgoodfaith, Mr.MorrisonshouldvisitDelhibefore year-endor,atleast,meetMr.Modiatthe marginsoftheGlasgowclin1ateconferencein November.

TheIndian trainisleavingthestationand unlessAustraliamovesquickly,itriskslosing itsplaceinalengtl1eningqueue.Toquote MahatmaGandhi,"Thefuturedependson whatwedoin thepresent".

Reprintedwithpermissionfrom TheDailyTelegraph(dailytelegraph.com.au)

JodiMcKaycouldbe NSWTrade Envoyto India

ithoutdoubt,formerNSW OppositionLeaderand MemberforStrathfieldJodi McKayisthemostpopular politicianamongsttheIndiancommunity inherstate.McKaywowsallatcommunity gatherings withherknowledgeofandlove forIndiancultureandtraditions - andan enviablecollectionofsarishelpsjustas much.

Arecentstorydoingtheroundshasbeen of JodiMcKay being courtedbytheNSW Governmenttotakeupthepositionof the state'stradeenvoytoIndia.

SkyNewsPoliticalEditorAndrew Clennellbrokethestory."Irevealed (yesterday) thatthe NSW governmenthad beenundertakingtalkswithformerLabor leaderJodiMcKayaboutherbecoming atradeenvoytoIndia,somethingwhich wouldyielda by-electioninStrathfield witha5percentmarginandcouldgive GladysBerejikliana majority government," Mr Clennellsaid. "Theministerincharge of these$500,000ayeartradeenvoy appointments,Deputy PremierJohn Barilaro,didnotdenytalkswithMs McKay."

SpeakingtoIndianLink, McKayhas indicatedthatshehas beenapproachedand isinterestedintherolebutdiscussionswith thegovernmenthavenotprogressedany further. "Iamcurrentlyfocussedonhelping thepeopleofmyelectorateofStrathfieldas they aregoingthroughdifficulttiinesduring thislockdown,"shesaid.

JodiMcKayresignedasLeaderofthe Opposition after beingtargetedbyfactions forfailingtowinthe UpperHunterseatin aby-electioninMaythisyear.The Upper HunterseathasbeenheldbytheNational Partyforover80years andneverbythe LaborParty.Thoughofferedafrontbench rolebythenewOppositionLeaderChris Minn,McKaydeclined theoffer.

Thereisagrowingtrendforpoliticians tobeappointedtodiplomatic andspecial posts, especiallyto India.FonnerNSW PremierBarryO'Farrell,thecurrent AustralianHighCommissionertoIndia,was himselfNSW's tradeenvoyatonestage. IfMsMcKaydoestakeuphernewroleas tradeandinvestmentenvoy,shewouldbe stationedinMumbaitopushforincreased businessactivity.Therelationship between NSW andIndia,despitehugepotential,has

seen stops andstartsfortoo long.There wasmo1nentumintheearlypartofthelast decadewhenasPremier,BarryO'Farrell putthisasatoppriority. YetPremiers thatfollowed-MikeBairdandGladys Berejiklian-havenotbeenabletofocuson thisrelationship.

Appointingaleadingpolitician whohas aspecialregardfor Indiacanonlyhelpin increasing bilateraltradeopportunities.As anation,Australiais beingdrawntowards Indiaduetoitsobviousopportunities,as wellasitstradeanddiplomaticfracaswith China.

PMScottMorrisonhasrecently appointedformer PM TonyAbbotasa specialenvoytoIndia.MsMcKaytakingup hernewrole willfurtherde1nonstratethe seriousnessof amovetowardsIndia.

Ifthisappointmentdoesproceed,theseat ofStrathfield,whichisheldbyLaborbya narrowmarginof5%, willalso beinplayin theensuingby-election.

Itcouldwellbeatestfor thenew OppositionLeaderChrisMinn,andaloss forLaborcangiveGladysBerejikliana majoritygovernmentinNSW.

Pawan Luthra

YOUR SAY

COVID TEARING ME APART EVA BOSE

Covid is very bad and it makesmesomad So many people are dying and everyone around the world are crying

I do not like online learning as with this, we are all burning

All we seeis people singing 'Happy Birthday'onZoom and in your class, youjust sit and listen to them singing from your room

I missmyteachers and my friends and it feels like the world has come to an end I finish all my work so quickly and nobody plays with me, Everyone keeps on working and I feel so lonely

I cannot go to school and play on the playground Thismakesmy little face turn into a frown

But I get to sleep in and eat lots ofmummy's yummy food

I am not very thin, but this keeps me in a good mood!

All I hear is 'You're on mute or turn on your cam!' Oh whatever! I still love spending time with mytam! Before Covid, life wasa bliss Stop Covid, I do not like this!!!

lndianlink�

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES

A poem by EVA BOSE, 9, won over readers

Smita Shah wrote: Wise words from a 9yearold.

Rupa Ganguly wrote: Straight from herheart. An innocent perspective - a little girl's take on COVID.

Shirali Chohan wrote: Indeed straight from herheart!Very well expressed,Eva.

Ashmita Chakraborty wrote: Wow, beautifully written, Eva,I hope we all soongetto returntoour normallivessoon andyou can then start enjoyingall the fun atschooland with your friends. Till then, enjoy thecuddly, snuggly feelingat home

Veena Gandhi wrote: Very beautifully written and expresses our feelingstoo

MISSION JAB

When 'London Thumakda' became 'Aussie Thumakda': Indian Link Radio's Bol/ywood-inspired vaccination message continues to inform and entertain.

Natalie Ward MLC (NSW Minister for Multiculturalism) wrote: Please pass on mythanksto the Indian Link team forcreatingthisBollywood-style videoclip, which helpsto spread themessage abouttheimportanceof being vaccinated. The songiscatchy andgood-heartedand accompanyinggraphics effectively convey thisvitalmessage, especiallytoyoungerviewers.My office has shared thisYouTube link withmany of our stakeholders. May Itakethis opportunityto commend IndianLink foreducatingitsreadersaboutthe publichealth measuresthat are helping tocounterthe spreadofCOVID-19.

The NSW Government appreciatesthat you, your team, and thecommunity are helping tosave lives

Pepi Bedi wrote: A veryimportant messageto ensure people comprehend the vital needfor vaccination

Ritam Mitra wrote: Amazing work,team. This is a campaign to be proudof.

Petra O'Neill wrote: This issuch a greatinitiative by Indian Link -I hadmy second Pfizer vaccinelast week. Can'twaitfor our borderstoopen once more.

Rohina Joshi wrote: Lovingthemissionjabselfies. Thankyou, Indian Link for promotingthismessage.

Mala Mehta wrote: Congratulations Indian Link fromall atIABBV HindiSchool forthiswonderfulinitiative thechildren are enjoyinglearningtosingit!

Pink Sari Inc wrote: Here's a fun 'jabsong' from Indian Link. We'vehad our jab. Haveyou hadyours?

Vaibhav Singh wrote:Justsaw you on ABCNewsLive.Great job.

Jason O'Connell wrote: Thisisthe greatestthingI haveseentoday!!

Elliot Brown wrote: Loveit-great messageand an absolutebop ofa tune!

Jeanette Alexander wrote:Brilliantjob. Loveit.

Phil wrote: Excellent.Great musicwith an importantmessage.

SIKH SOLDIERS' WAR MEMORIAL IN BLACKTOWN NSW

RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA on an upcoming project that will pay homage to the Sikh efforts in Australia's military history.

Sumeet Singh Chhabra wrote: Great effort. Respecting the past shall encourage the future.

Moninder Singh wrote: Great initiativeby the IndianSikh community to rememberthe soldiers.

Jay Macmillan wrote: Iwasa peacekeeper with the UN in Cambodia. We had a Sikhbattalionwithusin our village,they werewonderfulblokes.

John Graham wrote: Good soldiers.

Rohit Ralli wrote:Greateffortandafantasticoutcome.Keepupthegoodwork!

SAY IT AGAIN

Freeadvice:untilyoumeaningfullyincludethevoicesof survivors,victim-survivors,andfamilieswhohavelost aloved onetomen'sviolenceinyourdiscussions, youwon'tget remotelyclosetosolvingtheissue. Tarang Chawla, writerand genderequalityadvocate, ontheWomen'sSafetySummit

FORGET CHINA, INDIA IS OUR FUTURE

MAURICE NEWMANAC whyAustralia needs to injecta fresh sense of purpose in reengagingwith India.

Rina Hore wrote: I couldn'tagree more. I reallyenjoyworkingwith our cricket-lovingvisitors.They havesuch a deep respectforAustralia and our champions.

Dipen Rughanl wrote: I likethis: To give this effect, the Prime Minister and the Ministerfor Trade need to inject a fresh sense ofpurpose. It means Australian bureaucrats must urgently find common ground. Too often they have created obstacles or concentrated on non-negotiable issues rather than find solutions. To build momentum and, as a measure ofgood faith, MrMorrison should visit Delhibefore year-end or, at least, meet Mr Modiat the margins ofthe Glasgow climate conference in November. The Indian train is leaving the station and unless Australia moves quickly, itrisks losingits place in a lengtheningqueue. To quote Mahatma Gandhi, "The future depends on what we do in the present".

Amar Bantwal wrote: Nothing new here. Both sidesofthe leadership and bureaucracycome up shortwhen itcomestodelivery.Themanifesto bootlegginghas gone on fortoolongnow.

Dalzy Maan wrote: Whydoesourfocus on India always needto be in comparisonto China?As ifAustralia issomeelite nation takingitspick ofAsian countries.Thistypeoftitlefeedsexistingbilateraltension and divisive rhetoric.

VlraJ Vaidya wrote: Ifyoustartanarticlepurportedlytalkingpositively about India with "shared colonial history",you're notgoingtoget anywhere. No wonderIndia hasdeclined all Australian efforts ofsecuring an FTAwithAustralia.Thetruth isAustralia doesn'thave muchtoofferto India, and Australiansarestuckin atimewarpabouttheirperceptionsof whatIndia is. Even ifany progress is made betweenthe relationship, itwill not besignificantforthese reasons.

WHERE IN INDIA

OntheoccasionofJanmashtami,ourcluewasKrishnarelated:wherein Indiais thistemplelocated,knownas'PremMandir'?

'YES, l'M AN OLD SOUL'

The VoiceAustralia'sJANAK/ EASWAR chatted with RHEA L NATHabouther musicaljourneyso far.

Elisabeth Negrrea wrote:Yes,youarea beautiful oldsoul.

Vlshal Kumar wrote: IsawyourperformanceattheAustralia IndiaAddress withtheAIBC.You inspireusall.Allthebest!

Lois Weightman-Jones wrote: Anothergood interviewto listentoJanaki and knowsomuchaboutyou.Soyoung,sowisebeyondyouryears. I'm loving gettingtoknowyou betterthroughthequestionsjournaliststouch uponthat givesusa pictureofthe beautifulandtalented younggirlthatyou are.

Lydia Dyas wrote:You'reamazingJaanu.God blessyou,child.You're making agreatimpact. downtlmereddltor wrote: I'm soglad it's newmusic.AnytimeIwatch an Indianchannel which hasyoungkidssinging, it's usuallyold '80s and '90s musictheirparentslistenedtogrowingupandtheydothehand motionstheir singingteachersdo. I gottiredofitafterthesecondtime. I'm glad hers is more modern

WHERE IN OZ

Weaskedyou:whereinAustralia canyoufindthisbuilding, which gained heritagestatusin 2020?

I asked himwhyhewantedto be Indianand his responsewassimple: 'Ifeel Indian,' hesaid. 'It'sthecountryI love,theplace whose historymattersto me,thenationwhoseaspirations I share. It's India'speople I love. It'swhere I am mostcomfortable. I wouldn'tdream oflivinganywhereelse.

Dr Shashi Tharoor'stributeto histeacher Dr David Bakerwho passedawayrecently, in The Australian who wanted to be Indian, (www.mathrubhumi.com)

GetthebestofIndian Linkstraightinyour inbox.ScantheQR codetosign uptoour weeklyenewsletter

Readers Radha Raju,Vandana Mathur,Abhishek Nahar, Falguni Shah and Sarita Narayan hadtherightanswer:Vrindavan,UttarPradesh.

Readers Yogesh Kasnia, Kylie Dhillon and Vandana Gulati gotitright: GurudwaraSahibWoolgoolga,Australia'sfirstSikhtemple.

Well-intentioned reform by the Victorian Government against hateful symbols could be cause for concern for the state's Hindu community.

RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA and RHEA L NATH report

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hereisconcernintheHindu communityinAustraliaatthe recentannounce1nentregarding strengtheningVictoria'santivilificationlaws.It'sa1noverightfu1ly intendedtoputastoptoextren1ismand propaganda,likeNazisymbols,butit isunnervingforHindus,forwhon1the swastikaisanancient,sacredsymbol.

Announcedon2September,the landmarkreformaimstocurbhateful behaviourand1nakecivilandcriminal vilificationeasiertoproveincourts. Expectedto beintroducedinearly2022, itcould1neanconsequencesofaln1ost $10,000finesorsixmonthsirnprisonn1ent, asreportedbytheABC.

"Allformsofhatearetu1acceptable andhaveno placein Victoria-expanding ouranti-vilificationlawsto protect more Victorianssendsa clearmessagethat thisvilebehaviourwillnot betolerated," explained Victoria'sAttorney-General Jaclyn Sy1nes.

ThisincludestheNaziswastika,which glorifies"oneofthe111osthatefulideologies in humanhistory,"saidthestate'sMinister forMulticulturalAffairsRosSpence.

ln themodern world,theswastika isasymbolofhatredand violence. So synonymousisitwithfascis1nthatits originalmeaningstandsobliteratedinthe western world. However,forAustralia's nearly450,000Hindus(asofthe2016 census),itisasyn1bolofgoodfortuneand wellness.

Swastika: The original and the misappropriated Growingupin Hindufa1nilies,manyof usknewoftheswastikafirstasasacred syn1bolofallgoodthings,andonlyn1uch laterasasyn1bolthat theNazisstole.

TheSanskritterm'swastika'con1es fron1thecombinationoftworootwordsSu (1neaninggood)andAsti(meaningexistence) andassuch,refersto wellbeing.Thefour 'anns'signifywellnessorgoodforn1inthe fourbasicendeavoursofhumanlife-1noral, economic,emotionalandspiritual (which Hindureaders1nayknowofasDharma, Artha,Kan1aandMoksha). Jnthissense,the sacred Hindusymbolistheveryantithesisof whattheNazisintendedittobe.

Tothew1trainedeye,thesymbolsmay lookalike,butthereisadifferenceinthe iconographyoftheNazi Hakenkreuz(booked cross)andtheHinduswastika.TheNazi symbolisblackandtilted,onadistinctive whitecircleandredbackground.lnhis autobiographicaln1anifestoMeinKan1pf, Hitlerelaboratedthattheredsymbolised socialthoughtwhilethewhitenational thought.Theswastikainthemiddlesignified his'ntlssion'-"thestruggleforthevictory ofAryanmankindandatthesan1etimethe triu1nphoftheidealofcreativework."

Thus,theNazimisappropriationbasseen

theoriginalsignificanceoftheswastikaturn headoverheels.

AtaSydneyDanceCompanyproduction onlymonthsago,whencontemporarydance performerRaghavHandaattemptedaresanctification(TheCultoftheTitans),one castme1nberoptedoutbecausetheywerenot comfortablewiththethemeoftheswastika. Whenitfinallydidgoahead,theshowcame withacontentwarning: Theworkcontains imagesoftheswastika Patrons(have)the opportunitytoleavethetheatreifthey wish.

InNovember2013,a weU-meaningbut controversial"Learnto LoveTheSwastika Day"evensaw tattooartistsaroundthe worldofferfreeswastikas. lt wasanattempt toembracethesymbol'smulticulturalpast ratherthanitsfascistconnotations, butit drewmassivecriticis1nand wasultimately shut down.

How the ban will impact Hindus

ForHindus,theswastikaisasymbolof blessingthathasbeenusedforthousandsof

years. ltn1arkstheopeningpagesofbooks, thresholds,doors,evenevents.

"VisitanyHinduhon1e,andyou'll findtheswastika-oftenattheentrance," Prakash Mehta, Presidentofthe Hindu CouncilofAustraliatold Indian Link.

"Weuseitat thecommencement ofour religiousrituals. Butequally,(inourdaily lives) weuseitasdecoration,at weddings, inourvehicles.Thispracticehas been continuouslyfollowedforthousandsof years. Henceaban willgreatlyimpact Hindus,forperfornungnotonlytheir religiousceremonies,butalsotofollowtheir culturalpractices."

It'scrucialtonotethatthe Victorian Government hasnotcategoricallybanned theswastikaandtherecommendationto ban thesymbolhassomeconsiderationsfor exceptions.

"The HinduCouncilofAustralia (Victoria)madesubmissionstotheenquiry into theanti-vilificationprocess. However, thetermsofreferencewererelatedtoantiSemitismandthepotentialprohibitionof

theswastikasymbolwasnotidentifiedatthe time,"Mehtanoted.

"Whentheanti-vilificationreportwas publishedinApril2021,thereference totheswastikawasnoticed. The Hindu Councilimmediatelymadeasubmissionto the VictorianMulticulturalCommission ·wereceivedassurancethenthattheHindu communitywouldbeconsulted. However, the Hindu communityisdisappointedto notethattherearenoreferencestothisin the (recent) announcement."

The HinduCouncilofAustraliaandother Hinduorganisationsareexpectedtomake submissionsthat wiUelaborate andspecify theusageofthesyn1bolforallapplications relatedtoHindufaith.

Earlierthisyear, in anexclusiveinterview with Indian Link, Ministerfor In1migration, Migrant Services, andMulticultural AffairsAlexHawke wasquicktonotethe difference between thetwosymbols.

"Obviouslythe swastikaisadifferent syn1boltotheancient Hindusymbolused formanythousandsofyears. We're very sensitiveto that issueas well. Theswastika can bearaUyingpointforright-wing extremism,andthereforeifwe receive advicetoremove thoserallyingpoints, we wiUbein favourofthat,butitwillnot affect thefaithsymbols. I'veseenthemin Hindutemplesandpeople'shouses,the n1isappropriationofthatancientsymbol by the Nazisisatragedy," hetold Indian Link's Pawan Luthra.

Whenaskedaboutpreservingthe Hindu syn1bol,heconfirmedthatthe Federal Governmentplansto take thatapproach.

"The banoftheswastikaismeantto be a banonrallyingofNazisn1,nottotarget otherpeople'sfaiths. WeareaninteUigent country,and wecan identifythedifference betweenthetwo symbols," heinsisted.

Still,there havebeen unfortunate incidentsinthepastwhen well-meaning Australianshave foundthemselvesatodds withtheswastika,mostrecentlyin20I9 whena Hindu family's Diwalirangoliwas destroyedbyanAdelaidedeliverymanwho thought itto betheanti-Semiticsymbol.

''Theidentificationofthedifference between thetwosymbolsistobe done throughcommunityawareness andeducationtobeitnpartedtothe implementingagencies,"said HinduCouncil ofAustralia's PrakashMehta. "(We) will undertakeatanappropriatetime this activitytoclearlydistinguish betweenthe twosymbols."

It'sclearthattheVictorianGovernment's recentreform,whileweU-intentionedand necessary,isunderstandablyunsettling forthestate's Hindus. Hasthetimefina1ly cometode-weaponisetheswastika?

Mainimage: Facebook/EmpoweredYogini yogabyMasterAnshu(Anshupriya,Yoga InstructorVietnam) "

TheSanskritterm 'swastika'comes from the combination oftwo root words Su(meaning good) andAsti (meaning existence)and as such, referstowellbeing.

Theswastikainuseindailylife:onearthernwareDiwalilamps;onbricksintempleconstruction:infloordecorations,onledgerbooks;andabove,duringDiwalitheFestivalofLight.

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STORE MANAGER

Reportingtothe Executivesyouwill havefull accountability in your roleand support all operational and people aspects ofthe store.You will take pride in contributingtoa storewhich isencouraging,warmand welcomingfor ourteam, customers, andcommunity members.

Ifyou have solid experience in a management position in a supermarket (preferencefor IGAexperience), Knowledgeof profit& loss, balance sheet, cashflow managementand general finance and budgeting, please apply online with your resume on ourTuckerFreshWebsite

ASSISTANT STORE MANAGER

The AssistantStore Managertogetherin collaboration withtheStore Manager managesall aspectsofthestoreto maximise salesturnover, profit, customersatisfaction and staff recruitment, engagement, development, performance, and retention.

We are lookingforsomeonewith exceptional customerservice skills, a demonstrated record ofstrong achievement in meeting customerneeds and experience in a management position (preferenceforIGAexperience) Pleaseapplyonline withyourresumeonourTuckerFreshWebsite

DAIRY MANAGER

We are seeking a Dairy Managerwho is hardworking and passionate aboutwhattheydo.Ourambition isto continuetodelightourcustomers and build on ourreputation as afirst-classfood destination.

Reportingtothe Store Manager, you will havefull accountabilityforthe day-to-day running ofthe dairy department.Youwill take pride in contributingto astore which is encouraging, warm and welcomingforourteam, customers, and community members.

Ifyou have solid experience in the dairy department, preferable management experience and acan-doattitude, please applyonline with your resume on ourTucker FreshWebsite

DELI ASSISTANT

The deli assistanteffectivelyhandles, displays, and rotates stockinthedeli departmentand meetcustomers'needswith excellentcustomerservice. We are lookingforsomeonewith experienceworking in afresh department, preferably in deli and who is passionateforfood, creative and willing toshare ideas.

Where

• Respect

• Ownership • Can-do attitude

• Commitment • Teamwork -

• Transparency

• Creative

BY MANAN LUTHRA

orfansofIndiancricketherein

Australia,there'sbeenlittleliveaction sinceJanuary2021. India'shistoric winattheGabbaisundoubtably etchedinourcollectiveconsciousness,butit's nolongertheflavourofthemonth.Overtaken byisolations,uncertainties,andthefatigues ofdailycasenun1bers,thatDay5inJanuary seemseonsago.

Thankfully,theendofourcrisisappears tobeinsightasvaccinationratesincrease dailyand weincren1entallyre-experiencethe freedomsweoncetooksoeasilyforgranted - reme1nberwhenSydneyCricketGround couldboastofhostingthefirstinternational sportingevent witha capacitycrowdsince thepandemicbegan?

Theupcon1ingseriesbetweenthe Indian andAustralianwo1nen'scricketteamswill bethefu-stbiteofacherryIndiancricket fansinAustraliaaresodesperatetotaste.

WithaT20WorldCupfinalslossto avenge,a rareWomen'sTestmatch,and an8-n1onthdelaycourtesyfinancialand COVID-19concerns,theIndianteamarrive inAustraliawithalottofightfor.Forthe ever-increasingnumberofwomen'scricket fans,andparticularlythosethatfollowthe AustralianandIndianteams,themultiformattoursettostartinQueenslandon September21 isaseye-wateringastheirlast match-up 18monthsago.

Butjusthowpreparedistheteamfor theAustralianconditionstheynowfind themselvesin?Howhas their squad developedsinceMarch2020,and what

shouldtheylooktododifferentlytocontain oneofthemostdon1inant cricketteams, regardlessofgender,ofalltime?

The schedule Fii·st,let'sconsiderthelogisticsofthetou1·. Afteratour1natchon 19September,to beplayedatMackay'sGreatBarrierReef Al·ena,thetwoteamsbattleitoutovera three-matchOD!seriesatthesamevenue.

FourdaysafterthefinalODI,thesoleTest matchofthetour(whichoccursoverfour daysasopposedtothemen'straditional five),tobeplayedatGoldCoast'sCarrara Stadium.Finally,athree-matchT201 series onnear-consecutivenightsinearlyOctober, alsoatCa1-rara.

Thisbringsthewholeaffairto21 days, 11 ofwhichwillfeatureinternationalcricket. Ampleopportunitytosee lndiainaction bothliveandonline,butahectic schedule forthesquadbyanystandard. Hopefully they'llhavetin1etorestdu1·ingtheu-twoweekquarantine,becausetheywon'tbe gettinganyoncethat'sdone.

Withrespecttothetwostadiums,neither teamhasplayedinthembefore;infact, they'vebarelybeenusedatall.

The squads Onthesquads,confiTmedonlyinlate August, there'snoshortageoftalenton eitherside.Aush·alia's 18-womancollective, onlyoneofwhofeaturedinEngland'snew domestichundred-ballcompetitionaptly named'TheHundred',isstackedwithallstars,multipleWorld Cupwinners,and greatsofthegame.Manyofthemfeatured intheside'smostrecentinternational fixture, asix-matchseriesagainstNew ZealandinApril2021,butgameti1uehas beennon-existentsincethen.Thoughthey

will misstheservicesoftop-ranked001 bowlerJessJonassenduetoinjury,itwould beunfairtolabelthemshort-staffedor 'rusty'-theyarecomingoffa24-001 and 3.5-year-T20I winstreakafterall.

India,bycontrast,havekeptthemselves busyinthecricketscene.Asubstantial numberofthecurrentsquad,similarly packedwithhouseholdnames,playedinthe one-Test,three-OD!,andthreeT20series againstEnglandoverJune-July2021. Manyof thoseplayersalsostayedintheUKfor'The Hundred',whichgavethemafurthermonth oflimited-oversgametime.Testand001 captainMithali Rajcurrentlysitsatopthe Women'sODlbattingrankings, with 17-yearoldShafaliVermathetop-rankedT20batter (unfortunately,theICCdoesnotmaintain similarlistsforWomen'sTests).Theteam's record,however,islessthanoptimal:the testwasdrawn,andbothlinuted-oversseries werelost2-1 totheoldenemy.

Onthosefactsalone,it's difficulttopicka strongerside.Australiabastherecord,but Indiahasthein1mediateexperience.Both line-upsaretheenvyofthewon1en'scricket world,andforgoodreason.Australiacanbe arguedtohavehomegroundadvantage,but giventhelackoffamiliarityregardingthe pitchesinuse,it'sanunimaloneatthat.

The contest

What,then,can dividethetwonations? Howcanoneteamgaintheadvantageover theother?

Theanswer,asitregularlyisinmodern cricket,isdeceptivelysimple:psychology.

Foreventhe mostgeneralcricketfan,it's easytosaythatAustraliahavetheupper handinthisdepartment.Lasttimethe teamsmet,over86,000homefanspacked intotheMCGtowatchtheirveterangfrls

execute theirtried-and-testedmethodof successyetagain.Thesame names delivered (astheyhaddonetimeandtimebefore) againstasidewho werein themiddleof unearthingtheircoreofyoungsuperstars, who(alongwiththeirrespectiveveterans) werecomprehensivelyunpreparedforthe matchahead.

Yet,thatconclusionnegatestheimpact ofthepast 18 months.ThankstoThe Hundred, whichbroughtunprecedent crowdsandmediacoveragetothewo1nen's game,manyofIndia'sgirlsunderstand howtodealwiththen1entalbattleplaying inaforeign stadiumbrings.Theyknowthe challengesofplayingonlushandbouncy Western wickets,becausesince2020most havespentmorecompetitiveplayingtime onthemthanthosebackhome. In England, they'veshowntheirabilitytofightagainst top-flightcricketteamsandcricketplayers forgrittyhundredsandhard-earnedfivefors.Thepastfourmonthshaveallowed themtoprovethattheycantakeona challenge,andthereisnobiggerchallenge incricketthanAustraliainAustralia.

Asa result,thoughonpaperthereis perhapslittletodistinguishtheIndian women'scricketteamfromMarch2020 totheoneinAustralianow, whatmakes thiscurrentsquadsovastlydifferenttothe former,istheirmindset.Psychologicallythey arelightyearsaheadofwheretheywere lastyear,andcontraryto2020 theynow havetheconfidenceinthemselvestogetthe jobdone.Asthemen'steamdemonstrated inJanuary, that'sthedrivingforcebehind cricketingsuccessinthiscountry - and whythistow·willbemoreintense,more competitive,andmorethrillingthanany beforeit.

Wecouldbeinforatreatofatour.

ViceCaptainHarmanpreetKaurhasshowngoodforminAustralia

(Photo:Twitter/BCCI) CaptainMithaliRajisthetoprun-getterinwomen'sinternationalcricket (Photo: IANS)

The Indian Women's Cricket Team's upcoming Tour of Australia: A preview

or

A project supported by the Blacktown City Council will pay homage to the Sikh efforts in Australia's military history

BY RAJNIANAND LUTHRA

lenwood in Sydney's north-west could soon be home to a Sikh Soldiers' War Men,orial.

A tribute to the turbaned soldiers in Australia's 111ilitaryhistory, a proposal to this effecthas been accepted bythe Blacktown City Council and has currently beenput out for con1munity consultation.

Mayor oftheCouncil Tony Bleasdale told IndianLink, "Historically, the Sikh community has played a significant part in the British E1npire, sacrificing many sons and daughters in war zones on behalfofus all. When a 1nonumentwas suggested, we were more than proud to offersupport."

Blacktown is oneofthe most diverse LGAs in Australia, with asignificant Sikh con,munity.

"Blacktown is agreatcityfor respect forothergroups, and Sikhs are partofthe big Blacktown fa1nily," Mr Bleasdale said. "Theyare extremelygenerous - having perforn1ed exe1nplaryserviceat times of bushfire, floods and COVID 19. Even as wespeak,theyareout there supporting thosewho can't support themselves."

Theirsenseofservice will be exen1plified in the statue ofthe unknown Sikh soldier, to be erected, ifaU goes well, at Glenwood Lake Reserve (cnr of Dia1nond Ave and Glenwood Drive).

Blacktown Councillor Dr Moninder Singh told IndianLink, "The projectwas put to Council bythe FatehFoundation, a not-for-profit, with support fron1 the RSL, theNational Sikh CouncilofAustralia and Glenwood Gurudwara."

The process began about ayearago, Dr Singh revealed. Various siteswere

considered, including an RSL location, before Blacktown Councilwasapproached.

"Wehope that the n1emorial becomes a spot forthe community togather on occasions such asAnzac Day and Re1nembrance Day, aswell as dates of significance on the Indian calendar."

The Fateh Foundation,whowill be funding the 1nemorial, waslaunched lastyear. VolunteerAmarinder Bajwa said, "Wewant to highlight the legacy ofIndian soldiers, Sikhs in particular, and to let future generations knowof their contributions. Our project is seeing supportfrom the Sikh community across Australia."

Currentlya design for the monument is beingdeveloped with artists and architects, Bajwarevealed.

Sikh soldiers foughtforthe British Arn1y in World Wars I and II at hotspots in Europe, Africa, the Middle East andAsia. In Australia, their involvementat Gallipoli, where they fought particularlyvaliantly, came to light in theearly2000s.

Especially noteworthy is the contribution ofthe 14th Sikh Regiment. 371 Sikhs fought gallantlyto their

deathson June 3 & 4, 1915. Manyof themwere amongthe 22 Victoria Crosses awarded to Indian soldiers.

Paying tributetotheir heroism, General

Sir Ian Hamilton, Commanderofthe Gallipoli operations, wrote:

"In the highest sense ofthe word extremegallantry has been shown by this fine Battalion In spite oftremendous losses therewas not a sign ofwavering allday. Not an inch ofground gainedwas given up and not a single stragglercan1e back. The ends oftheenemy's trenches leadinginto the ravinewere found to be blocked with the bodies ofSikhs and ofthe enemywho died fighting at close quarters, and theglacisslope is thicklydottedwith the bodies ofthese finesoldiers aU lying on their faces as they fell in theirsteady advance on theenetny."

The bravery and heroism are acknowledgedannually at theAnzac Day Parade, at which a Sikh contingent has been marchingsince 2007.

Much ofthis unknown part of Australia's history was unearthed by historians Len Kenna and Crystal Jordan ofthe Australian Indian History Society.

Awar memorial to Indian soldiers already exists in Sydney, unveiled onthe eveofArn1istice Day in 2018 at Cherry brook. Aproject ofthe Hindu Council of Australia, it has been criticised by Kenna and Jordan for including only Sikhs and Hindu names, not Muslims, Anglo-Saxons orother people of Indian origin whowere Anzacs,who served in the Australian Imperial Force andfought forAustralia.

Opinion is beingvoiced again at the Blacktownmove now, against faith-based tributes to Indian-origin soldiers.

A similar UK tribute, unveiled in 2018, isa 3m bronzestatue ofa Sikh soldier, but it honours soldiers ofaU faiths from the Indian subcontinent who fought for Britain during WWl. (Another memorial, the SikhWar Memorial in Coventry, bears the Khanda, the 1nilitary emblem ofthe Sikhs.)

In 2017, Brisbane got its own memorial honouring Indian participation in Australia's war efforts. It is housed at Sunnybank RSL.

The Glenwood Sikh memorial, itis hoped, will be the first ofits kind in the southern hemisphere.

''Blacktown is a greatcity forrespectforothergroups, and Sikhs are partofthe big Blacktownfamily.Theyare extremelygenerous, having performed exemplaryservice attimesofbushfire, floodsand COVID 19."

Blacktown MayorTony Bleasdale

ee tosen moneyoverseas?

mind

AVANI LEKHARA (S oo Jng)

HailingfromRajasthan,the19-year-old shooterwongoldintheWomen's10mAir RifleStandingSH1categoryandbronzein theWomen's50mRifle3PositionsShooting SHl.Lekhara,whosustainedspinalcord injuriesfromacaraccidentin2012,tookup shootingin2015aftershewasencouragedby herfathertolearnasport.Afterattempting bothshootingandarchery,shefoundshe enjoyedshootingmore,andherresolve wascementedafterreadingOlympicgold medallistAbhinavBindra'sbook.Shen1ade herdebutin2017attheWorldCupinAlAin, UAE.Thisyear,notonlydidshewinIndia's firstgoldatthe2020ParalympicGames,she becan1ethefirstIndianwomantoeverwin goldintheOlympicsorParalympics

PRAMOD BHAGAT (Ba h1 nton

Currentlyranked#1intheworldin para-bad1nintonn1en'ssinglesSL3, Pra1nodBhagatwasafavouriteatthis year'sParalympics,winninggoldinthe Men'sSinglesSL3event.Hepartnered upwithPalakKohJiinthe1nixed doublesSL/SUcategory,butcrashed outinthese1ni-finalstoJapan'sAkiko SuginoandDaisukeFujihara.

Bhagat,whocontractedpolioat fouryearsold,beganco1npetingin para-bad1nintonin2006,having co1npetedagainstable-bodiedplayers since2002.HereceivedtheArjuna Awardin2019.Thisisthefirsttit11e thatbadn,intonwasplayedatthe Paralympics,1nakingBhagatthefirst Indianbad1ninto11playertowina Paralympic1nedal.

SUMITANTIL �avelin throw)

23-year-oldSumitAntilbeatAustralia'sMichal BurianandSriLanka'sDulanKodithuwakku toplacefirstintheMen'sJavelinThrowF64 category.Healsosetanewworldrecord intheprocess,hurlingthespearto68.55 metres.1nfact,inanimpressiveshowing, threeofhisfiveattemptsmadenewworld records.AlongwithfellowathleteSandeep Chaudhury,whoultimatelyplacedfourth inthesameevent,Anti!wasviewedasa strongmedalcontender.Hehascompetedin para-athleticssince2018andalsocompetes inable-bodiedjavelinatthenationallevel, mostrecentlythe2021lndianGrandPrixin Patiala.AntilcompetesintheF64category, designedforlimbdeficiencies,afterlosing hisleftlegbelowthekneeinamotorbike accidentin2005.

MANISH NARWAL otin )

KRISHNA NAGAR (Badminton)

The22-year-oldbadmintonplayer,diagnosedwithdwarfismatagetwo, defeatedHongKong'sChuManKaitotakeho1nethegoldintheMen's SinglesSH6event.

Earlierthisyeru·,NagarwontwogoldsatthePara-Badminton InternationalsinDubai,settingthetoneforwhatwasasuccessful Paralympicscampaign.Heisranked#2intheworldandtookup bad1nintonasahobbyin2017.

OriginaJlywantingtobeafootbaJler, 19-year-oldManishNarwalturned toshootingin2016.Hewongoldat Tokyo,shooting218.2towintheP4 Mixed50mPistolSHlevents,days afterlosingoutonamedalinthePl men's10mairpistolSHl.

Duetoacongenitalimpairment, Narwalisunabletoraisehisright hand.Showinggreatprontlseinparasports,hereceivedtheArjunaAward in2020.Hisyoungerbrothercompetes inthesportaswellasamemberof theable-bodiedIndiannationaljunior shootingsquad.

BHAVINA PATEL (Tabl i

The34-year-oldtabletennisplayer wonIndia'sfirstmedalatTokyo2020, baggingsilverintheWomen'sSingles Class4onthecountry'sNationalSports Day.ShealsobecameIndia'sfirst TTplayertowinaParalyn1picn1edal. Ranked12thintheworld,Patelhad missedoutonparticipatinginRio2016 duetopaperworkissues.However, sheviewstheexperienceasablessing indisguise.InherTokyocampaign, sheknockedoutworldnumber2 andRioParalympicGoldmedallist BorislavaRankovicinanexcitingsemi finaln1atch,ultin,atelylosingtoworld nun1ber1ZhouYingofChina.

SINGHRA:J ADHANA )

Anotherdouble111edallistfromTeam IndiaisFaridabad'sSinghrajAdhana, whowonasilvermedalintheMixed 50mpistolSH1(currentlyranking#4) andabronzemedalintheMen'sPl 10metreairpistolSH1(ranking#5). The39-year-oldpickedupthesport fouryearsago,originallywantingto beaswimmer.Earlierthisyear,he wonthegoldinPlcategory,silver inP4teamevent,andbronzeinP4 individualeventinAlAinWorldCup heldin'UAE.InMay,hewasintheICU withCOVID,andwhenherecovered, hereturnedtobuildhisownshooting rangeathomeinpreparationforthe Paralympics.

NISHAD KUMAR

ndjanathleteshaveputtheirbestfootforwardinthlsyear'sParalyn1picGameswithatallyofnineteen n1edalsintotal.Withsomepromisingyoungfacesinthisyear'scontingent,suchas19-year-oldgoldmedallist AvaniLekhara,andnumerousworldandAsianrecordsbeingbroken,it'sproventobeaveryexciting Gan1es.Incaseyounussedit,herearetheathletesthatbroughthomemedalsforJndia.

PromisinghighjumperNishadKumar broughthomeIndia'sfirstathletics n1edalatTokyo2020,winningsilver inMen'sHighJump T47category. Heclearedthebarat2.06n1etres andn,atchedtheAsianrecordinthe process.The21-year-old,wholosthis righthandattheageofsix,firstbegan con1petinginpara-athleticsin2009. Sincethen,hehaswonseveralmedals atthenationallevel.In2019,hewon bronzeattheWorldChampionshipsin Dubai.

DEVENDRA:JHA:JHARIA (:Jave I I

PerhapsoneofIndia'smostdecorated athletes,javelinthrowerDevendra Jhajhariawasaimingforhisthird ParalympicgoldafterRio2016and Athens2004.Ultin1ately,hewonsilverin theMen'sJavelinThrowF46categoryat Tokyo2020.Hislefthandwasamputated whenhewaseightyearsoldafter accidentallytouchinganelectricwireina tree,andhetookuppara-athleticsinhis teens.In2004,heself-fundedhisjourney tothe2004Paralyn1picsinAthensand wonthecountry'sfirstgoldattheGames. lnhisathleticcareerspanningtwo decades,the40-year-oldfromRajasthan hasbeenarecipientoftheArjunaAward in2004,thePadmaShri(India'sfourth highestcivilianaward)in2012andthe KhelRatnaAwardin2017.

YOGESH KATHUNIYA ( --=·- _...,)

Withanimpressive(andseasonbest) attemptof44.38metres,24-year-old YogeshKathuniyaearnedsilverinthe Men'sDiscusThrowF56category.The NewDelhinativetookupthesport attheageof20,goingontocreatea worldrecordintheF36categoryinhis firstinternationalcompetition,the2018 Para-athleticsGrandPrixinBerlin. Thefollowingyear,hewonbronze inthe2019WorldChampionshipsin Dubai.Attheageofeight,Kathuniya experiencedaparalyticattackthat impairedcoordinationinhislimbs.He creditsathleticsasawayofovercoming hisdisability.

MARIYAPPANTHANGAVELU

TheflagbearerforTeamIndiaatTokyo 2020,thehighjumpertookhome thesilvern1edalintheT63category. Thangavelu,fromTamilNadu,was disabledinaroadaccidentattheage offivewhenhewashitbyadrunk busdriver,crushinghislegbelowthe knee.Inthe2016RioParalympics,he becameIndia'sfirsthighjumpertowin aParalympicsgoldmedal.In2017,he wasarecipientofthePadmaShri.

18-year-oldPraveenKumarbagged thesilverintheMen'sHighJump T64categorywithabestjumpof 2.07metres.Hewasaclosesecond toGreatBritain'sJonathanBroomEdwards,whohadwonthesilver inRio2016.Kumar'scongenital impairmentaffectsthebonesthat connecthishiptohisleftJeg.Earlier thisyear,hesetanewAsianrecordof 2.05metresinthehighjump,winning goldattheWorldParaAthleticsGP.

SUHAS L. YATHIRAJ dminton)

The38-year-oldshuttlerwonthe silvermedalintheMen'sSinglesSL4 category.AnIASofficer,hisiI11pairment comesfrompoortreatmentafteran accidentthatresultedinadeformity inhisrightankle.Yathu-ajbecame India'sfirst-everservingbureaucratto winamedalatthegloballevelwhen hetookhomethegoldinthe2016Asia ChampionshipsasDistrictMagistrateof Azan1garh.HeiscurrentlytheDistrict MagistrateofGautamBuddhaNagarin UttarPradeshandwasarecipientofthe YashBharti,thestate'shighestcivilian honour,in2016.

Five gold, eight silver, and six bronze medals mark Team India's best campaign yet

SUNDAR SINGH GUR�AR Li-J

Considered astrongn1edalprospect, Sundar Singh ca111ein third place in the Men's JavelinThrow F46 category, sharingthe podiumwith Devendra Jbajhai-ia. He wasconsidered a medalfavourite intheF46javelin throw at the 2016 RioParalympicsbutwasdisqualified afterfailingto registerforthe eventon time. The 25-year-old tookuppara-athletics in2015 afterlosing hisleft band in an accident. Hewasnamed2017 DifferentlyAbled Athlete ofthe Yearby ESPN fndia andwas a recipientofthe ArjunaAwardin2019.

SHARAD KUMAR (Highjump)

SharingthepodiumwithMariyappanThangavelu in the Men's HighJumpwas SharadKumar,whotook ho1ue the bronzeintheT63 category.The29-year-old brokea 12-yearAsianGames record in2014and more recently, hewongold atthe 2018 ParaAsian Gamesin Jakarta,settinganewAsianand Continentalrecordat 1.9 metres.Hisimparrn1ent is the resultofpolio,which causedparalysisin hisleftlegatagetwo.

MANO� SARKAR (Badminton)

Another shuttlerdebutingat theParalyn1picsisManoj Sai-kar,whodefeated Japan's Daisuke Fujihara towinthebronzein the n1en's singles SL3 event. He hasbeenplaying badminton sincetheage offiveandreceived theArjunaAwardin 2018.

Hisprevious internationalwins include the bronze attheWorld Championshipsin 2019 (losing to fellow Indian shuttlerPramod Bhagat) and bronzeintheAsian Para Gamesin 2018. Sarkar'simpairment isthe resultofhupropermedicaltreatmentforpolio,which affected his rightleg.

HARVINDER SINGH (Archery)

NotchingIndia'sfirsteverarcherymedalatthe Paralympics,HarvinderSingh placed third to win the bronze in the men's individual recurveevent..He is currentlyranked #23, havingtakenuppara-archery afterwatchingthe2012 Paralympics inLondon. He made his international debut in 2017 atthe Para ArcheryWorld Championships in Beijing. When hewas 18 n1onthsold, Singh'sdoctorprescribed medication fordenguethat had adverse effects, leadingtoan impairment inhislegs. BeforeTokyo2020,hisbiggest internationalwinwas at the 2018 Para AsianGames in Indonesia, winningbronze.

VINOD KUMAR (Discus Throw)

Alongwith India'sgreat showingatTokyo 2020 came one unfortunate incident: Vi.nod Kumar'sbronze medal in the men's F52 discus throwcame underreviewaftersome competitorsobjectingto his classification in thecategoryforathletes with impaired muscle power, limbdeficiency, leglengthdifference orrestricted range ofmoven1ent. The 41-year-old'sthrowof19.91 metreshad puthim in third place behind Poland's Piotr Kosewicz(20.02m) ofPolandandCroatia's Velimir Sandor (19.98m). After review, theathletewas found to be 'ineligible' indisabilityclassification assessment.

In the officialstatement bythe Paralympic Gamesorganisers, itwas announced that thepanelwasunable to allocate Kumar to asports class, and hewas thus designed as "classificationnotcompleted." Thisrendered hisresults in thecompetition void.

Shooting stars SinghrajAdhania andManish Narwal

Paralympic Committee PresidentDrDeepa Malik with silvermedallistBhavina Patel

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A review of Mccomas Taylor's latest book The Visnu Purana

BY CHITRA SUDARSHAN

heVishnuPuranawastheearliest Puranatobetranslatedfron1the SanskritandpublishedinEnglish, in1840,byHJ-{Wilson.

Animportant Pancharatra textinthe Vaishnavaliteraturecorpus,itiscanonised asoneofthemostsacredtextsofthe Srivaishnavacon11nunity,inwhichIwas broughtupmyself.Iwasexposedtothe Vishnu Purana fron1ayoungage,and knowofitasthemostcomprehensiveand authoritativePuranaofallonLordVishnu. Soitisindeeddelightfultoseeanew translationofthis1nuchreveredtext, The Visnu Purana, bytheAustralianNational University'sSanskritscholarMcComas Taylor.

McComasTaylorleadstheuniversity's SouthAsiaProgramintheCollegeofAsia andthePacific.1-iisresearchhasbeenin thehighlyesotericfieldwhereclassical Sanskritnarrativeliteratureintersectswith conten1porarycriticaltheory.Thiscanbe seeninthecomprehensiveintroductionhe haswrittentohisbook The Visnu Purana: it trulyenhancesthereader'sappreciationof thetext.

Readers1nightbeawarethereare 18great Puranasandpossiblyanequalnumberof lesserones,allwritteninSanskrit. Besides these,therearescoresofotherPuranas-like the sthala puranas or mahatmyas oftemples andsacredplacesinvernacularlanguages, whichpreserveaccountsofsacredsites, comn1unitiesandreligiouspractices.

TheVishnuPurana'sdateisrather contested,andvariousscholarsplaceit anywherebetween100B.C.and 1400C.E. Taylor'sassessmentisthatitisabout1450 yearsold.Whatwecanbecertainofisthat

itdateslaterthanthe Mahabharata - as well as the l-lariva111sa, whichdescribesitself asanappendixtothe Mahabharata. asthe creatorswereawareoftheforn1er.(Taylor reconunendsSiinonBroadbeck'stranslation ofHarivamsa). Unliketheprevioustwo, however,TaylorarguesthattheVishnu Puranaisfilledwithsongsofpraise,and in1buedwithaBhaktithatisabsentinthe twoearliertexts.

ThePuranas,asthenamesuggests,are agenreofsacredtextswithcollectionsof narrativesfrom'longago'.Needlesstosay, LordVishnu(especiallyinHismanifestation asKrishna)isthecentraldeityintheVishnu Purana,whichcontainsanaccountofthe universeaswellasaguidetolife. Itplaces Vishnuatthecentreofcreation,theology,

eschatology,soteriology-andrealityitself: it alsoprovidesacomprehensiveintroduction tothethemesandnarrativesthatconstitute theHinduimaginationsuchascyclical creationanddestructionoftheuniverse,gods andmortals,thepopulationoftheworldandthestructureandconductofanideal society.

TheVishnuPuranaalsocontainsthe trialsandtribulationsofVishnu'sexemplary devoteeslikeDhruvaandPrahlada,the strugglesbetween devas and asuras andthe deedsofgreatheroesaswellasHis Avataras. Therearesomegreatdevotional shlokas and hymnsinHispraise;Krishna lee/a canbe foundinthistextinitsauthoritativeform andtheVedasarealsoinvoked;creation anddissolutionoftheUniverseismentioned

insomedetail. Indeed,theentirePurana isdividedupintosix'books',vizCreation, Theworld,Society,TheRoyalDynasties, Krishna,andDissolution.

ThebasicHinduideaofsamsara, orthe cycleofbirthandrebirthwhichcontinues forever-isexplainedinthe Vishnu Purana, whichalsohasaroadmapoutofthisto nioksha -thatcanbeachievedbymerging withtheDivine,Vishnu.Onecanrealizethis bycultivatingthedeepestdevotiontothe Divine.TheVishnuPuranaalsoexplainsthe fourstagesoflife- chaturasrama -through whichallpiousindividualsareexpectedto pass.The purushartha orthegoalsofhuman existence,arealsolaidout.

ItisthisPuranathattalksaboutVishnu's ten avataras aswell-althoughtheearlier Mahabharata listsbetweenfourandeight; andthelater Bhagawata Purana lists22. Krishnaisthemostimportant avatara inthis Purana-indeed,asTaylorrightlypointsout, itisimpossibletothinkoftheVishnuPurana withoutHim,asHeisthesubjectofentire BookFive.

ThePuranasmustembodythe panchalakshanas orcharacteristics,and theVishnuPuranaadherestothiscanon morecloselythanmostotherPuranas.ltisa conservativetextinthatitplacesBrahmins atthetopofthesocialhierarchyandalso assignsanarrowroleforwomencon1pared tosomeofthemoreliberalones.

AsTaylorsays,"TobeHinduistohave internalisedthePuranicthought-wodd."

ForthosenotproficientinSanskritbut wouldliketoplungeintotheworldofthe Puranas(withoutthehelpofTVserialsor Amar Chitra Katha), Icannotrecomn1end abettertranslation. Itisseamless,easyto followandstaystruetotheoriginal.

"TheVishnuPuranaispoetry,beautyand nectartobein1bibedandrelished,"notes Taylor.

Hisownrenditionofitisbeautiful,lyrical, anddeeplysatisfying.

TheVisnuPurana,MccomasTaylor's translationoftheancientIndiantext,is easytofollowandstaystruetotheoriginal

ANU academic and Sanskrit scholar produces firsttranslation of its kind in 200 years

BY RAJNIANAND LUTHRA

cCon1asTaylorfirstfeltdrawn toSanskritwhenhesaw Peter Brook'stelevisionproductionThe Mahabharatainthelate 1980s.

Today,asanacadenucattheAustralian NationalUniversity,hehastranslatedthe entireVishnuPuranafromitsoriginal Sanskrit,intoEnglish.

ReleasedinJunethisyear,thebook

The VisnuPurana(ANU Press)isthefirst EnglishtranslationoftheancientSanskrit textinover200years.

TheVishnu PuranaisanancientIndian textbelievedtobeson1e 1500yearsold.As anintroductionofsortstoHinduis1n,itssix sectionsexplainHinduthoughtstartingfrom thecreationoftheuniversetothe description ofthereligioninKaliyugorthe'modern'era.

"It'sacollectionofbeautifulverses whichistypicaUysungorrecited," Dr TaylordescribedtoIndianLink. "Jn mytranslation, I'vetried tocapturethe musicalityofitall,and1 hopethatitwillbe readaloud,asitshouldbe,orrecited-not readsilently."

Headded,"Theoriginalisinmetric, whereas1nineisin blankverse,althoughI stucktotherhyth1nicnatureoftheverses. Youn1ighthaveheardthatoldsaying,poetry is whatgetslostintranslation! I'malso consideringan audiobook."

Theprojectwasfiveyearsinthemaking, DrTaylorrevealed."Fourofthesewere spentintranslation,working9to5,aseach idea wastranslatedintoEnglish-1 produced fiveco1npleteversions.Thelastyearwas spentpolishingitaU."

Theperformanceaspectofpuranictexts hasfascinatedDrTaylorforsometi111e now. "l spentagreatdealoftimestudyingthe

Bhagavatapurana, especiallyobservingthe saptaha(sevenday)traditionofitsrecital. Thesea1·ebeautifulevents,describing storiesofKrishna."

OutofthiscamehisbookSevenDaysof Nectar(2016).

Acolleaguein Indiathensuggestedhe shouldtranslatetheVishnu Purana. He tooktheprojecton,con1mencingon 13 Dec 2016,afull11oon daysacredtoVishnu. Whichsectionsofthebookwouldhepick ashisfavourite?

"TheadventofKrishna,thegopisin Vrindavaninparticular. It'sjustsublime. Myfavouriteversesarewherethegopis followthefootprintsinthesand,andknow thatKrishnaiswalkingwithoneothergirl. Atonestagetheycanonlyseehistoes, andsurmisethathewasreachinguponhis tiptoestopickaflowerforhis beloved."

AlifelongloveofSanskrit McComasTaylorfeUinlovewiththe MahabharatafollowingPeterBrook.He wasalreadyinvolvedinAsianstudiesby then,havingdabbledinChinesestudiesand Tibetanstudies.

"TheTVshowwaslife-changingforme, settingmeonalifelongstudyofSanskrit andthetraditionsofIndiaandHinduism. l'vebeenreadingtheMahabharatainthe original,apageaday,since. 1beganabout eightyearsago,andIfigureIhavefourmore togo,soit'sonongoingproject!"

Todayhisresea1·chliesattheintersection ofcontemporarycriticaltheoryandclassical Sanskritnarrativeliteratu1e.Startingwith explorationsofthePanchatantratales(which ledtoanearlybookTheFalloftheIndigo Jackal, 2007),hemovedontostudying theperformativeandritualaspectsof

Sanskrittexts. Hisworkisrecognisedforits contributionstothen1annerinwhichtexts shapesocieties,particularlyintheinterplayof power,textandoralperformance.

AsaSanskritscholarandresearcher,Dr Taylorhasalsoseenhisuniversitybecome theleadingnationalandinternational providerofSanskritstudies.ANUoffers theleadingSanskritprogramintheworld, havingpioneeredanonlineprogram.

"We'vebeenteachingonZoomlong beforethepandemicmadeitpopular,"Dr Taylorlaughed."Theprogram,forfirstyear tertiarystudents,hasbeengoingfor 15years now. ItattractsstudentsfromEurope,North America,Chinaand India. Infact, wecan claim tobetheonlyuniversityintheworld thatexportsSanskritstudiestoIndia."

Thee-bookhehelpeddevelop, TheJoy ofSanskrit,hasbeendownloadedson1e 180,000times.

Theprogramincorporatesaspoken element,quiterareinSanskritstudies. "Studentsattheendofthefirstyearcan speakaboutthemselves,theirfamilies,likes anddislikes,andhaveavocabularyofabout 250words. Uniquely, webalanceproduction oflanguagewithreceptionoflanguageclassicalandtextualSanskritaswellasits spoken, writtenandrecitedforms."

Aboutathirdofthestudentsare ofIndianculturalheritage, DrTaylor described, therestbeingyoga practitioners keentoaccess thefundamentaltextsof theirtraditions. "Theywanttogetadeeper knowledgeoftheasanastheypractice,or theverses theychanteveryday."

Whatbetterwaytoendthantohave McCon1asTaylorpresentamessagetoour readers,inSanskrit.

Idanimjagatidukhamsarvatraanubhuyate. Kintuagamivarsheshantihsarvatra bhavishyati, itiashaye.

Weareallcurrentlye.xperiencingmuchsadness intheworld. 1-loweverinthecomingyear,my hopeisthatweallgettoexperiencepeace.

Lisa Singh is new directoratAustralia India Institute

ormerAustralianSenatorandthe firstMPofIndiandescentLisa

SinghwillsoonjointheMelbournebasedAustraliaIndiaInstituteasits newDirector.MsSinghhasau1uquesetof skillsandexperienceintheIndia-Australia realt11whichwillbeputtoproductiveuseat theUniversityofMelbourneinstitute.

SheistheDeputyChairoftheAustralia IndiaCouncilandalsositsontheadvisory committeeoftheUniversityofMelbourne's Asialink.

MsSinghhasbeenalong-termadvocate foradeeperAustralia-Indiarelationship.In 2014,shewasawardedthePravasiBharatiya SanunanbythePresidentofIndia,for

buildingfriendlyAustralialndiarelations,thehighest civilianhonourforaperson ofIndianorigin.MsSingh saidsheishonouredtotake uptheroleandintendsto workwitharangeofleaders inAustraliaandIndiato advancethepoliticaland econonlicagenda.

"TheAustralia-India relationshlpisgoing throughatransformative period.Ibelieveitssuccess willbedependentonthe effortandcollaboration

thatgovernments,business andinstitutesliketheAll putintoit,"MsSingh said."It'simportantwe nurturetheacademicand researchcapabilitiesinthe relationship.Butitneeds tobedonebyfocusing onsharedpriorities.That waypartnershipsforboth nationswillbeenduring andmutuallybeneficial."

Steppingintohernew role,MsSinghisaware thatinternationalstudents, manyofwhomarefrom

India,areclamouringforafullreturnto campus.

"COVID-19restrictionshavestymied theeducationsector.ThesoonerIndian studentscanreturntoAustraliatoco111plete theirqualificationsthebetter.1hopetoplay aroletohelpfacilitateapathwayforthatto happen,"MsSinghsaid,whileexpressing concernoverthesignificantimpactofthe pandemiconthesector.

TheAustraliaIndiaInstitutewaslaunched attheUniversityofMelbournein2008asa centrededicatedtothestudyofthebilateral relationship.Itplaysasignificantrolein developingrelationsbetweenthetwonations byexpandingscholarshipopportunities.

''In mytranslation, I'vetriedto capture the musicality ofitall, and I hopethat itwill be read aloud, as itshould be, or recited - not read silently."

KOOKABURRA

Blue Mountains NSW

Image by DANISH RAVI Nikon 05 with 500mm f4 Prime Lens and an exposure of1/640 sec, f/5.6 ISO 1000. www.danishraviphotography.com

Innovative Janmashtami celebrations at Hare Krishna Melbourne amidst COVID lockdown

rishnaJanmastan1iisthelargest festivaloftheyearfortheHare Krishnacomn1unitytheworldover. Itn1arksthebirthofShriKrishna, thedeityofloveandcompassion.

InMelbourne,theHareKrishna communitycelebratedtheeventon 31August,usingacombinationofonline strean1ing,re1notetneetups,andsmaller at-homefamiJycelebrations.

TheHareKrishnaMelbourneTemple residentsworkedhardtomaintainthe regulardeityworshipstandardswithoutthe usualcrewofvolunteers.Thedeitydresses werechangedthreetimesthroughoutthe daywithgorgeous,brand-newoutfits.Each darshanaandaratiwaslivestrean1edvia theTempleYouTubechannel,sothateager devoteescouJdparticipatefromthesafety oftheirhon1es.Thehighlightofthedaywas thebeautifuJabhishekaceremonyofRadha Krishna,wherethedeitieswerebathedwith milk,honey,yoghurt,ghee,andfruitjuices.

TheTempleresidentsalsocookedand offeredover108delicious,vegetarianfood preparationstoKrishna.Thisprasadan1 wasdistributedviapickupsanddeliveries aspartofHareKrishnaMelbourne'sFood ForLifeprogram.

TheHareKrishnaco1nmunitycreated

auniqueculturalprogran1glorifyingthe SupremeLordKrishna.Overahundred fa1niliesrecordedandsubmittedvideos oftheirchildren'sin-homeperformances. TheseincludedtraditionalIndiandances, soulfulkirtanasandshortdramatic monologues.TheHareKrishnamediateam workedhardtocombineallthesevideos

intoavirtualculturalprogramthatwaslive streamedonYouTube.Theseperformances canbeseenbyallonHareKrishna MelbournechannelonYouTube.

"Itwasasurrealfeelingtobecelebrating Janmastamiatborneinlockdownwithmy children,"YasodaSonthalia,amemberof theHareKrishnacomn1unity,saidlater."We

didson1ecraftactivities,kirtan,chanting,and readingstoriesfromKrishnaBook.Wealso cookedtogetherandhadadeliciousfeastat home.Weespeciallylovedwatchingthelive streamoftheabhishekaandmeditatingon theDeitiesup-closeonscreen."

Herchildren,9and6,performedinthe culturalshow.

BY BAGESHRI SAVYASACHI

inceCOVID-19swepttheglobe lastyear,researchersacross disciplinesandborderscameto a curious conclusion. Thatthis nightmareofapanden1ichasbeenaffecting usevenwhilewesleep. In ourdreams. Expertswhocollectedlargesan1ples ofdreamspeoplehadduringCOVID-19, discovered anobviousnegativesideto almostallofthem.

Ofcourse,thisisbecausewe'reallabit disturbedrightnow-mourninglosttime andfreedomandcommunity.

Andwhilepeopleincreasinglyreported dreamsaboutsickness,socialanxiety,and isolation duringthepandenuc,thepeculiar phenon1enonisnotallgrim.

lnderFijianartist,writerandeducator ManishaAnjalirunsanonlineplatformcalled ConlllunityDrea1nPractice(CDP)thathosts aCOVID-19CollectiveDreamJournal:a collectionofdreamsexperiencedbythepeople oftheworlddw·ingthecoronaviruspande1nic.

"It[CDP]is aresearchand documentationarchivefordreams,visions andhallucinations.Thedreamjournalisan

ongoingresearchandstorytellingproject, toseewhatnewmythologiesarisefromour dreamsinourtimeofcollectiveisolation," ManishatoldIndianLink.

Manishawasawayatanartist'sresidency programwhentheideaforthisspecial communityprojectfirstcametoher.

"Iwaslivingin Naarm(Melbourne)when lockdown began.I hadjustreturnedfrom

anartistresidencyinMooramong,a4000acreestateonWadawurrungcountry,where Iwassharingmydreamsfro1neachdayof theresidency," Manisharevealed.

"Iwasalreadyrunningaplatformwhere Iwasconductingaudio interviewswith artistsandwritersabouttheirdreams, soI thoughttoopenituptothewholeworld,as wecollectivelytransitionintoanewworld order,"sheadded.

BorninSuva,Fijiandadescendant oftheGirmityas, Manishaspenther childhoodinAotearoa(NewZealand).A filmandliteraturescholar,shecompleted herhonoursfromVictoria University. NowManishalivesonBundjalungcountry (NSW) and headstheSchoolofDreams.

"l havenotreceivedanyformaltraining on dreams,mysticismandcreativewriting. Iamself-taughtandself-resourced,always onthelookoutforteachers, butjustlearning fromthisincarnationoflifeasIn1ove through," Manishamused. "TheSchoolof DreamsisanimaginationworkshopIrun, where IguideparticipantstopuJIsymbols andnarratives from theirowndrean1sand integrateinto theirownpracticesandlives."

Dreams,ancientdevotionalpoems by Indianwomenmysticsandsaints,ani111al power, mountains,oceans,Girmitya histories,andtheworldsofchildren,areall keyinfluencesthatguideherpractice.

"Inmanypre-colonialsocieties,dreams haveplayedanimportantpartofstorytelling, mythmakingand healing.Manyofustoday havelostaccesstoourowndreams,andthus ourowncultural knowledge and meansof selfandsocialhealing," Manisharemarked.

"Iaminterestedin documentingdreams thatcon1munitiesare experiencingin this momentinhistory,to learnwhatourstories are,andtoencouragepeopletosharetheir dreamsmorewitheachother,"sheadded.

Manishainvitedfolksshe hadcon1eto knowthroughcreativecon1munitiesand friendshipsto participateintheCOVID-19 Collective Dream Journal.Thenewsmostly spread throughwordof mouthandsocial mediaduringlockdown.

Theresponsewasoverwhelmingly wonderful.

Thefollowingaresomeexcerptsfrom diferentpeople'sdreamentries.

I1,vasinIndia,areturntotheimaginedIndia of1nydrea,ns.

Idrea,ntofswimmingintothedeepocean. I wentthrough thewrongdoorandendedup rightatthebottomofthesea

1realisedthatIdidn'thaveahelmetsoI couldn'tactuallyridemybikeanywayas 11,vasinAustraliaandnotEuropewhere helmetsareanoptionalextra.

Frozenjalebi!Ijumpedoutofthebed. GroundstillwetwashedbyAaji, seated.

AsIpeerintotheicycore, Icanseemoments oflifefromallaroundtheworldplayingout inrealtimelikeshortfilms, andwhatever Iivanttoseeappearsintoview. The1nore1 focusthemoreI'mabletosee

Someshort,someepic-sized,somepoetic, andsome blunt.Thesevaluablereflections andruminationsareallinoneplace onlineforanyonetoaccess. Dowiththat informationwhatyouwill.

Andifyoulike,enteryourdream at https://communitydream.org/

Writer ManishaAnjali shares her new creative project: a COVID-19 community dreamjournal

''I am interested in documenting dreamsthatcommunitiesare experiencing inthis moment in history, to learnwhatourstories are,andto encouragepeopletosharetheirdreams morewith each other."

Manisha Anjali

sc 00

A new approach to tertiary education in pandemic times

Economic reasons

BY MOHAN DHALL

niversityeducationinAustralia

shouldbefreeforschoolleavers

in2022.Thisisparticularly i1nportantgivenseveralfactors thathavemadeitharderforthecurrent cohorttofeelconfidentabouttheirfuture.

Firstly,thiscohortmorethanothershas sufferedtwoyearsofdisruptedlearning.The pandemiccotun1encedwhentheystartedYear 11andhascontinuedthroughouttheirfinal schoolyear.UndoubtedJyandwidelyreported, forstudentstherehavebeensignificantmental healthissuesassociatedwiththepande1nic. Theseincludefeelinguncertain,isolated andworried.ltiswellknownineducation andineducationalpsychologythatwhen feelingsofanxiety,lonelinessanduncertainty predontlnate,learningisaffected.Accordingly, thereshouldbesignificantadjustn1entsmade toconsiderthedisadvantagesfacedbythis cohort.

Secondly,formalassess1nentsforthese studentshavebeendisruptedthroughoutthe pasttwoyears.Thiscohortandtheirparents feelparticularlyconcernedaboutwhether theywillgettheuniversityplacestheydeserve. Thisfactalonerequiresdirectreassurance. Suchreassuranceshouldco111efromsenior bureaucrats,universityViceChancellorsand EducationMinisters,State-basedandnational. Thirdly,universitiesthemselvesfacean uncertainfuture.Whilstan80%,COVID vaccineuptakemayleadtoso111epartial reopeningoftheinternationalborder,whatis

evidentisthatuniversitiesneedanenroln1ent modelthatappliestothecurrentand predictablefutureissues.Oneaccommodation thatuniversitieshavemadeisamid-yearor rollingintake.Thisisaninlportantchange. However,theuniversitiescannotdoastheydid priortothepandemic-havinganoverreliance onthe"cashcow"ofinternationalstudents. Withthenewnormalthereneedstobeanew paradigm.Thisparadigmneedstobebased aroundaccessibilityfordomesticstudents.

Theuniversitieshavehadaround18months toadjusttothenewandemergingsituation. Thlsincludesassessingandadaptingtheway learningisapproachedandengagedwith.It alsomeansthatthereisaneedforfarmore flexibledeliveryandarangeofshortcourses forschoolleavers.

Othersignificantchangesthatneedtobe w·gentlyconsideredincludetheremovalof HECSfeesandtheintroductionofwhatIcalJa "StudyKeeper".

Abolish HECS during economic recoveryfor school leavers

IbelievethatHECSchargesshouldbe abolishedforatleastthefirstsixmonths

ofnextyearforschoolleaversentering universitiesaroundthecountry.lnaddition tothis,IthinkthattheCommonwealth SupportedPlaces(CSP)schemeshouldbe expandedsothatanycapsonuniversity enrolmentsbeliftedatleastforsixmonths. Thiswouldmeanthatwhilewearein transitionandundertakingeconomic recovery,studentscanaccessthetertiary studiestheydeserveanddesire.ltseems tomethatauthenticinvestmentinhigher educationcommenceswiththis.

The need for a Study Keeperwage

Ialsobelievethatforatleastthefirst sixmonthsof2022thereshouldbea "StudyKeeper"wagethatgoesdirectlyto studentsforthepaymentoftheirtertiary enrolmentfees.Thiswouldsupport thoseseekingtoundertakeapathwayin universitiesfortertiarystudy.Themoney shouldgodirectlytothelearners,notthe universitiesinthefirstinstance,andshould bereleaseduponenrolment.Thiswould enableschoolleaverstoengagewithtertiary educationatnorisk.Thiskindofinvestment shouldbeanationalpriority.

Thereareimportanteconon1icreasons astowhyaStudyKeeperwage supple1nentshouldbeimple1nented. Firstly,itcanbeassumedthatAustralia willbeinaperiodofeconomicrecovery throughout2022.Inatimeofrecovery, unemploymentisgenerallyhighandyoung people,typicallythemostoverrepresented amongsttheunemployed,willbefinding workhardtocomeby.Tohelpthem improvetheiropportunitieswithin thelabourma1·ket,havingaccesstoa StudyKeeperwagewiJlsupportthem improvingtheiracademiccredentials andmakesomemorejobready.Thisis preferabletohavinghighincidencesof youngpeopleonwelfare.

Afresh start

Thisideaofafreshstartoranewapproach toaccessingtertiaryeducationisextremely importantcontextually.Itrecognisesthat theuniversitysectorhasbeenha1upered bytheeconomicdownturninducedby thepandemic.ltfurtherrecognisesthat thecurrentschoolleavershavebeenvery affectedbyrollinglockdownsnationally throughouttheirlasttwoyearsofschooling.

Theideashereintendtobethebeginning ofaveryurgentconversationthatshould havetakenplace18monthsagoandatleast shouldbeonthenationalagendarightnow. Weneedtoworkurgentlytowards articulatingandimplementingplansthat willaddresspredictableissuesthatwill otherwisearise.

This cohort morethan others has suffered two yearsofdisrupted learning; wealso knowtheyhave experienced significantmental health issuesassociatedwiththe pandemic.

This PCOS Awareness Month, a personal account of living with the hormonal disorder

BY RHEA L NATH

ormanywomen,goingtothe gynaecologistisn'talwaysa pleasantexperience.lshouldknow -I'vehadtoscheduleadoctor's appointmenteverythreemonthsforthelast twoyearsbecause,likein10wo1nenaround theworld,ILivewithaconditionthatoften feelsoutofmycontrol.

Polycysticovariansynd1·0111e,orPCOS, isacom111onhormonal,reproductive, andn1etabolicconditionamongwo1nen ofreproductiveage.It'snotcurable,and whenInoticedmyownsymptomslikeacne breakouts,moodswings,difficultyinlosing weight,andskippedperiods,Iwaspetrified. Infact,Ifound1nyselfactivelydodgingdoctors toralt11ostayeartoavoidgettingtested.

EveutuaUy,sittingacrossthegynaecologist goingthroughmyultrasoundsandblood work,IwastoldthatIhadtomakeso1ne importantlifestylechangestogetaheadof mycondition,especiaUybecauseitputme atanincreasedriskofdevelopingdiabetes, cholesterolissues,andcardiovascular diseasesinthelongrun.

At22yearsold,allthiswasdifficultto takein.WhatamIsupposedtoeat?What medicinesshouldIbetaking?ShouldI changemyworkout?ItseemedlikeIhad tooverhaulmyentirelifestyle,butIdidn't knowwheretobegin.

Sincejoiningthe'cysterhood'in2019, I'vedevelopedaroutinethatworksforme andhelps1nefeelincontrol.Therearestill goodandbadperiods(nopunintended) butincaseyou'reinthesa1neboatIwasin, hopefullythesetipsandtrickshelp.

1. Irregularperiodsornoperiods

2. Higherlevelsofandrogensare presentinthe blood,shown byblood testorsymptomslikeexcessbody

Read. read. read I'msomeonewholikestodomyresea1·ch andhaveaUtheinformationinhand,so Ioftenfindmyselfreadingarticlesand studiesaboutPCOS.1thelpstounderstand what'shappeninginmybody,butmore importantly,ithelps1nereme1nberthat thisisnormal,anditisnotmyfault.lalso foUowalotoflnstagrampagesforwomen withPCOStoseetheirsuccessstories.It'sa lovelyreminderthatthis1naynotbecurable, butitisdefinitelytreatable.

Staying active

Whileexerciseandanactivelifestyleisoneof thebiggestwaystoimproveoursymptoms, thehormoneimbalancelinkedtoPCOScan oftencauselethargyandfatigue.Whowants toworkoutwhentheywakeuptired?

Duringlockdown,I'vetakentohour-long walks,listeningtomusicorchattingwith friendsoverthephone.Formoreintensive workouts,loptforweighttrainingand pilateswithsomecardio.I'velandedonthese exercisesthroughtrialanderror,having spenthoursontheellipticalwithseemingly noresultswhilestrengthtrainingimproved mymetabolismandhelpedburnfatfaster.

hair, acne,scalp hair loss

3. Polycystic ovariesarevisibleon an ultrasound

triedtocutoutgluten.Atypicalmealnow consistsofleanprotein(thinkchicken, fish,tofu,andlentils)alongwithplentyof vegetables.I'vefoundthatlimitingmycarb intake,ratherthancuttingoutitemslike riceandbread,hasalsoworkedwonders. Dessertsarepartofmypalatetoo,takenin stridewithmygenerallyhealthylifestyle.No morefeelingguiltyformysweettooth!

Whilen1ostnutritionalrequirementscan comefromyourdiet,I'vefoundcertain supplements,likeprobiotics,tobehelpful withhormoneregulationandimprovinggut health.

Taketime for self-care and relaxation

WomenwithPCOSoftenstrugglewith cortisol,thebody'sstresshormone,which disruptsourmenstrualcycle,impairsour immunity,andisoftenthereasonwecrave sugru·ytreatswhenwe'restressed.Infact, somewomenmayfindthathighintensity exercisesworkagainstthembecauseitonly booststhesecortisollevels.

Find medical professionals youtrust

BecauseofthenatureofPCOS,proper treatmentcanmeanconsultingwith specialistsLikeendocrinologistsand dieticians.Unfortunately,toomanycysters havefeltdismissedbytheirdoctorsbefore gettingtothatstage,toldtosimplylose weightorcomebackwhentheywanttoget pregnant.Inmycase,myfriendswarned meagainsthormoneregulatingpillsand birthcontrol,butltrustedmydoctor,and theh·eatmentmadesuchadifferencefor mycondition.Eachcaseisunique,after all,soit'scrucialtofindadoctoryoufeel comfortablewith.

AccordingtotheRoyalAustralianCoUege ofGeneralPractitioners(RAGCP),upto70% ofwomenwithPCOSremainundiagnosed. Andforthosewhoare,therearesignificant healthcarecosts(approximately$400million peryearinAustralia).Asaninternational studentinAustralia,I'mweUawareof howthecostofthesenecessarymedical treatmentscanreallyaddup.

Figure

out a sustainable healthydiet

Basedonadvicefrommydoctor,Iturnedto adairy-freedietin2019andmorerecently

Thetypicaladviceofyogaandmeditation torelaxdoesn'treallyworkfor1ne,soIturn insteadtoactivitiesthatmakemehappyand keepmeawayfromascreen.I'vestartedto enjoyanightlyroutineofmintteaalongside somejournaling,andit'shelpedtoshedthe stressfromtheday.Whatmattershere,really, iscarvingoutalittle'me-time'everyday.

LivingwithPCOShasn'tbeeneasy. TherearemanydayswhenI'vehadterribly lowself-confidencefromacnebreakouts, bloating,facialhair,andothersympton1s thatopposesociety'straditionalideaof 'femininity'.Mixthatinwiththeebband flowofunderstandingyourbodyinyour 20s,anditcanfeellikethere'snobeating this.Butrecently,afriendsharedsome greatadvicethat'shelpedputmyPCOS journeyinperspective:saying'haveselfconfidence'ismucheasierthanactuaUy doingit,butyouhavetobelievethisis notabrokenproblemtofix.It'smorelike tuning,findingtherightfrequencythat worksforyou.

A diagnosis of PCOS can be made when at leasttwo of the following three criteria are met:

Myjobtitle

IntakeandReferralSocialWorker-Mental &Alliedflealth.

Ihavebeeninthisfieldfor 16years,eightofthesepredo1ninantly engagedincommunityhealth.

Myeducationalqualifications

IhaveaMasters'degreeinSocialWork, augmentedwithacoursein MentalHealth dealing withsuicidalclients.

Myworkprofileandprograms thatIworkfor Iamassociated withtwo1nentalhealth programs: 'LIFT'alsoknownas'Stepped CareModelforMentalHealth', and'Head toHelp'alsoknownasMentalHealthHub. AtMentalHealthHub,myrolerequires me toidentifyinitiallythementalhealth

concernsoftheclient,assesstheireligibility, Cal'eplanandurgency,alongwithlinking themwithpsychologists/counsellorsand/or othersocialandhealthservicesavailablein thelocalcommunity.

'LIFT'isafreementalhealthservicefor peopleofallageswholive,work,orstudy inthenorthernmetroregionofMelbourne whocannotaffordoraccesssimilarservices, includingasylumseekers.Theygetsupport frommentalhealthnurses,psychologists andcounsellors,cal'ecoordinatorsand peerworkers.Iengagewithclientsneeding helpwithmentalhealthconcernsincluding anxiety,depression,1nentalhealth disorders and suicidalthoughts.I ensurethatevery personseekinghelpreceivestimelyand relevantcarefromaspecialistintheirlocal com111unity. Ourwideclient-baseincludes localcommunitymemberswithoutincome oronhealthcarecards,thehomeless,

refugees,won1enwithfamilyviolenceissues, andchildrenwhohavenoaccesstosupport serviceorareunderchildprotectionorders.

HeadtoHelp,anotherserviceprogram, ispartofmyjobprofilesincetheonsetof thepandemicinearly2020. Whena mental healthconcernisreferredbythemental healthserviceoremergencydepartmentof a hospitalorthroughcallsdirectly,using Referral DecisionSupportTool(LAR-DST), Iidentifytheirneedsand typeofsupport andservicesrequiredthroughpreliminary assessment,usingaseriesofclinicaland socialquestions.Acaller/clientmaybe referredtoe,dstingservicesortooneof theHeadto Helpserviceswhichoffera multidisciplinary teamtohelpwith more complexneeds.

What'shardaboutmyjob Myworkisfulfillingandrewardingbut can alsobeemotionallytaxing.Itcan be challenging,establishingrapportandtrustbased relationshipswithhigh-riskclients concerned withconfidentiality.

Mentalillnesscan becausedbyabuse buthavingamentalillnesscanleave apersonvulnerabletoabusetoo.Our clientsarevulnerabletoabuseinmany forms-physical,sexual,psychological, fmancial,discriminatoryandneglect.This abuse,intentionalorunintentional,can comefrom manysourceslikefriends, family, neighbours, strangersandevencare professionals.Working withvulnerable peopleputsaSocialWorkerinaposition ofpower, bothrealandperceived,anditis importantthatthisisnotabused.

Communicationcan beastruggle. Apart fromhallucinationsanddelusions, son1epeopledon'thavethemotivation tocommunicate, whileotherslackthe confidence.

HowCOVID-19haschangedmyworkpractice COVIDhasexacerbatedanxietyand mentalhealthissuesinthecommunity.My CommunityHealthCentreinMelbournehas seena55%increaseinphonecallsreporting stressandanxiety,hopelessness,andan inabilitytocope.Wenowhavea waitlistfor ourclientsandarefacingashortageofstaff duetothis increaseddemand. Themental healthcaresystemisstl'ugglingalongwith

thepublichealthcaresystem.

Workingvirtuallyhas beenchallenging, especiallyinafieldwheredirectinteraction andcomn1unicationaresovital.

Jugglingworkwithhomeschooling ofchildrencan beoverwhelming, but l havelearnedtobe1noreorganisedand disciplinedaboutmy work.

Lookingaftermyown mentaland physicalhealth,keeping work-life balance andstayingpositive,areofgreatsignificance intimeslike these.

Thepositiveaspectsofmywork

Then1ostrewardingpartofworking ata Community HealthCentrearetheclients. Theycon,efromallwalksoflife,with uniqueexperiences,strengths,attributes, andtraumas.Theycarrywiththemtheir own distinctiveintersectingsocial identities Like race,gender,sexualorientation, religion, andage, whichplay amajor roleintherapy andmakeitaninteresting experiencetogettoknowthempersonally andprofessionally.

It'sagoodfeelingtoknow I'vehelped improvethequalityof life forsomeofthe most marginalized groupsofpeopleinthe healthcaresystem.Apartfrom this Ialso getanopportunity tolearn waystowork effectively witha widevarietyof healthcare professionals(physicians,psychiatrists, nurses,counsellors,etc.)

Adviceforpeoplewhomayneedmental healthservices

Ifsomeoneyouknowisaffectedbya mental healthissue,supportfrom friends, family and healthprofessionalsplaysasignificant roleintheircopingand recoveryprocess. Youcanmakea bigdifference throughsmall gestmeslikelistening,keepingintouch,and showingyoucare.

Therearemanyfreeandlow-coststate andfederalfundedmentalhealthservices available. YoucancontactyourGP,nearest publichospital,orlocalcounciltolearn more.

Thefollowingaresomeotheruseful numbersyoucouldtry:

BeyondBlueCall1300224636orchatonline. BlackDogInstituteOnlinehelp. LifelineCall 13 11 14orchatonline. SuicideCallBackServiceCall 1300659467

In this column, we look at the interesting vocations in which our community members are involved. This issue, Melbourne's NIRALI DHRUVE tells us about her work helping people with mental health needs

My Community Health Centre in Melbourne has seen a 55% increase in phone calls reporting stress and anxiety, hopelessness, and an inability to cope.

I ase

earn1n

How to make learning the home language exciting for your children

BY NEHAJAIN

sIndianAustralianparents, westrivetoeducateour childrenabouttheirbiculturaJ backgroundssothattheycan appreciatethediversitythattheygrowup withandbeconfidentinwhotheyare.

Whenwebecameparents,n1yhusbandand Iwerealsokeentodothiswithourlittleone. Readinguponthetopic,welearntfrom researchthatchildrenaged0-8learnbest throughplay.Sowedecidedtousetheplaybasedapproachwithourchildtoexplore theirbiculturalheritage.

Oneofthewaystolearnaboutourcultw·al backgroundsisbyteachingourchild1·enour variousho1nelanguages.Languagehasan instantconnectiontocultw·e.

Forsomefamilies,teachingthehome languagecomesverynaturally.Forothers,this isn'tquiteaseasy,andinthatcase,thisarticle willbeagreatstartateasingyourworries.

Herearethreetipstoassistinmaking learningtheho1nelanguageexcitingfor children.Thesearetipsthathavepersonally workedforusinourfamily.

TIP 1: MAKE IT FUN

Aswithanykindoflearningforour children,itisimportanttomakehome languagelearninganenjoyableprocess. Whenlearningisfun,childrenarekeenand wanttolearnandthisissomethingthatwe havenoticedwithourlittleone.

Thereare1nanywayston1akehome languagelearningfun:

■ Childrenlovemusic.Listentonursery rhymesandsongsinyourhomelanguage toyourchildren,andsing(ordance) alongwith.Scientistshaveshownthat listeningtosongsandhumn1ingor singingalongtosongshelpwithlanguage learning,memorisationaswellasem·ich ourvocabulary.

We'venoticedthatwhenwearesinging anddancinginourhomelanguage,our littleoneseen1stopickupwordsquicker (e.g. indradhanush, chand, tara),and definitelyseemstoretainbetter.

■ Watchcartoons/childfriendlymoviesin yourhomelanguagewithyourchildren asthisisanenjoyablewaytoimmerse yourchildinthelanguage.

-amJi;il·li

Anotherimportantpartoflearningisthat itneedstobeconsistent.Weallknow continuedbehaviourofanykindbecomes ahabit.

Herearesomewaystomakelanguage learningapartofyourdailylife:

■ Haveadedicatedtimetohave conversationswithyourchildinyour homelanguage.Youcouldstartoffby having5-mi.nuteconversationsandthen progressfromthere.

■ Getgrandparentsinvolvedastheyare agreatresource.Leavevoicenotesfor

grandparentsorvideocallthemandget themtohaveconversationswithyour childreninthehomelanguage.

■ Usethehomelanguageyourselfregularly.

TIP 3: IMMERSION

Lastly,learningismorepleasantwhenitis donewithothers,andalsowhenitisapart ofyourchild'senvironment.Whenyotu· childhearstheirhomelanguagespoken aroundthem,theywillbemoreLikelyto wanttousethatlanguagethemselvesaswell asbeintrinsically111otivatedtounderstand andlearnit.

SomewaystoitnLnerseyourchildinyour homelanguage:

■ Ifit'spossible,surroundyourchild withextendedfamilyspeakmgthesame language

■ Surroundyourchildwithfriends speakingthesamelanguage

Sothesearesometipsforparentsto ensurethathomelanguagelearningis excitingfortheirchildren.Asweareonthis journeyourselves,Icandefinitelysaythatit isajourneywithfunnymoments,learning mon1entsandmon1entsoftriw11ph.

Oneofthefunnymon1entsishow ourchildmixesthelanguageslearntilla sentence,e.g''MummaIwantsomepaani." Thetriumphoccurswhenourchilduses thehomelanguagespontaneouslyandthe learningmomentsenableustomakethe journeysmootherandmorefun.

Somyadvicetoallyouparentsis:enjoy thejourney,makeitfun,andwatchthemagic unfold.

■ Gamesareentertainingsoplaygames likeBingo,1spyandmemorygamesin yourhomelanguage.

POWER ROUTINE (Ananya Bose)

Basicalgebra.Differentialcalculus.Mydadteaches n1e alot.Butthebestlessonsreallyco1nefron1what hedoes. EverymorningJwakeuptoseethreebowls ofbreakfastonthekitchen table (plusourvitamins). Beforesettingtheseup,Dadhasalreadyexercised, showered,andsaidhisprayers.Every. Single. Day. By breakfasttime,heisaburstofpositiveenergy. I've learntfromhilnthatroutineiscrucial. Inlockdown, I'n1tryingtobehiminpractisingroutine. I'veeven donewhat I thought I'dneverbeabletodo - fifteen minutesofyoga daily. Thanks Dad!

MAKING MY BED (lshaan Verma)

'It'sthefirsttaskoftheday', myfatherwouldalways say.Onceyoucompleteit,younaturallyfeelasense ofacco1nplishment. 1'111averymessyperson,soI alwaysdidappreciatethelittlesenseofcontrolthat camefrommakingmybedeverymorning. Evennow, italwaysleavesmefeelingmotivatedandpositive, I'111 definitelymoreproductivefortherestoftheday!

MORNING DUMPS (Rohan Shinde)

Thispieceofadvice reallychanges things. During myschooldays,mydadwouldn'tletmegotoschool withouttakingadumpinthemorning. Hewould alwaysstresshowimportantitwastobeableto focus onyourdayandalsohaveahealthygut. Myman wouldstandoutsidethebathroomandaskforupdates until I wasdone.Andtilltoday,Ibelieve it,takinga shitbeforeleavinghomeinthe morningisthebest thingonecandoforoneselfandbody!

LOOK GOOD, FEEL GOOD (Sharanya Ganguly)

THE ELIXIR THAT IS WARM WATER (Misbah Ansari)

Myfatherprobablyhasthe1nostnicheyettherapeutic n1orningandnightroutines.Then1oroingstartedwith warmwater,milk, andtwosoakedalmonds (torun n1ytwobraincells). However,nothinglikehisnight routinewithwannwateragain(fordigestion),olive oilontheskin(beautyguruscouldnever),Saafi(this bitterherbalpotionbyHaindardwhichcouldjust makeyourpimplesvanish)andturmericmilk(white people'sturmericlattercouldnever). So,1figurethat all111yillnesses,depressivemoods,existentialcrises, canbesolvedbydrinkingwarmwater.That'sit.

Ihavealwaysbeen'PapakiPari'andthewisdomhe's impartedhasalwaysremainedveryclosetoheart. Priortothispandemic, Iledaregularuniversity studentandpart-timeworker'slifewithanearly starttomydaybeginningbydressingtoimpressand readytotaketheworldbystorm.Ofcourse,during lockdownsurvivinginpyjamashadcomefarmore instinctivelytome.So,my fathersuggestedl continue startingmymorningbygettingreadyasifIwasgoing out,butofcoursetake thedetourroutestraighttomy studytablewheretheday'sagendaawaitedme.This smalltipgaven1epurposetoexcelacademicallyand professionallyandforthatI ameternallygrateful.

THE ARTOF THE HANDSHAKE (Manan Luthra)

Mydadtaughtmehowtoshakehands - firmly, withgoodeyecontactandasmileonmy face. The normsintherecentpastmaywellhavenecessitated fistorelbowbumpsornocontactatall,butthose earlylessonsfromdadhavetaughtmeto1nakethat firstimpressionalwaysmemorablefortheright reasons.Thehandshakeasanartformisridiculously complicatedinitssimplicity-comeon,you'reliterally justshakingsomeone'shand - butwhendoneright, withtherightnuxofrespectandconfidence,itcanbe amasterpiece.

THE ARGUMENTATIVE INDIAN (Kushaagra Kesarwani)

I havelearntmanythingsfrommydad,butoneofthemmustbetheimportanceof a gooddiscussion.Fromlisteningtohimandmybrotherargueforanhourafterdinner -onavarietyoftopics - I'velearnthowimportantahealthyquarrelcanbe. I've realisedthatthesediscussionsallowyoutoformnewthoughtsandideasandgainnew perspectives.Thisiswhattheworldneedsnow-peoplearetooignorantofothers' opinionsandwon'tbeconvincedotherwise,andthekeyistomeetinthemiddle.

For Father's Day this year, we asked young readers to share the smallest bits of fatherly advice they've receivedfrom their dads that have made all the difference. Be sure to note down thesepearls of wisdom!

fyou'rethinkingofbuyingnewplants foryourspringgardeningorifyou're renovating,thenputlowmaintenance plantsonyourshoppinglist.

Springisthetimewheneverythingin natureperksup.Whenitcomestogardening, thisisthetimetoprepareyourgardensoil, cleartheweeds,andidentifyplantsthat survivedthewinterfrost.Then,youcanmove ontoshopping,toaddcoloursandediblesto youryard.

Choosinglowmaintenanceplantswillsave youn1uchtimeinyourgardening,whileyou continuetoenjoyathrivinggardenallyear round.

PrepyQur oil

Soilisthefoundationforeverylivingthjngin Olli' environn1ent.Makingyoursoilorgaruc richwillbelikeaddinganextraboosttoit. [fyou'replanningtobuyloadsofflowering plants,thenaddtoyourshoppinglists01ne pren1jxedgardensoil-tluswillhavethe necessarynutrientstogiveyourplantsthe bestchancetosurviveandthrive.

Lowmaintenanceplants

Thebelowisnotanextensivelistbutworth themoneyandtime.Theselow1naintenance plantsonceestablishedinthegardenwill requirelesscareasyearsrollin.

ThreePerennialPlants

Perennialplantsgivemorebangforyour money.Onceestablishedthey'llflower andfruiteverywhereifwateredduringdry periodsandshownson1ecare.

• Correareflexa(NativeFuchsia) Best plantedinpartshadelocation.Lowlevel shrub.BloomsfromSpringtoAutunut.

• Plargonium(Geraniun1s)Bestplantedin fullsuntopartshade.Lowlevelshrub. BloomslateSpringtoAutun1n.

• Daisy(Perennialvarieties)Bestplantedin fullsuntopartshade.Colourfulfillers. BloomslateWintertoAutu1nn.

ThreeAnnualPlants

Ifyouwanttoaddquickcolourtoyour gardeninanyseason,thenannualsare yourbestbet.

• Zinnia(Zinnia)Fullsun.Mediumsized shrub.BloomsSummertoAutumn.

• Cos,nosbipinnatus(Cos,nos)Fullsun. Mediumsizedshrub.BloomsSpringto Autu1nn.

• Calendulaoffinalis(Marigold)Fullsun. Mediumsizedshrub.BloomslateSpring toAutumn.Ma1·igoldsareaspecial favouriteforIndian-Australians,because wehaditaroundusinabundance growingup.Theyfonnedsuchan integralpartofourcelebrations.Here inAustralia,theycanbringthatfeelof celebrationtoourgardens,withthefr gold,copperandbrassdisplay.Another greatattractionwillbethattheyare drought-resistantandheat-tolerant.They alsomakewonderfulcompanjonplants forallou1·favoul'iteveggies-tomatoes, eggplant,chillies-keepinginsectsand pestsatbay.

ThreeScreeningPlants

Asmuchasweloveoui-neighbours,welove ourprivacymore,especiallyinourbackyard. Thesescreeningplantsgrowfastanda1·elow maintenance.

• Syzgiu111austral"Pinnacle"(LillyPilly)Fast growingscreeningplant.Native,suitable

toallconditions.

• Trachelospennumjasminoides(Star jas,nine)Partshade.Needssturdysupport forclimbing.

• Viburnumodoratissitnu,n(Sweet Viburnum)Evergreenshrub.Dense growth.Perfumedflowers.

ThreePoolPlants

Apoolbyitselfisnotgoingtobeappealing toyouroutdoorspace.Addingplantsto softenthestructureworksverywellifyou chooseplantswisely.

• Magnolia"LittleGem"(Magnolia) Fullsun topartshade.Perfumedflower.Compact growthhabit.

• Ophiopogonjaburan(Giantlilyturf)Best suitedfordryandshadearea.Grassy foliage.

• Grevilleajuniperina(ProstrateGrevillea) Suitsfullsunarea.Lowlevelshrub. BloomsfromSpringtoWinter.

ThreeGroundCovers

Thebenefitsofgroundcoverplantsare numerous,especiallyinsummermonths whentheycoverthesoilandhelpitretain moisture,savingtimeinwatering. Groundcoversarebestsuitedinyour gardenbed,inbetweenpaversoras alternativetolawn.

• Violahederacea(Nativeviolet)Bestsuited forpartshadetoshadearea.Native groundcoverwithtinyflowers.

• Gazaniatomentosa(SilverGazania)Full sun.Suitableforslopearea.Bloomsfrom lateSpringtoSummer.

• Thy,nespp(Thyme)Suitableforall weathercoodjtions.Fullsun.Aromatic leaves.

ThreeEdiblePerennials

Whodoesn'tlovebringingingoodproduce fron1thegarden?l't'sdefinitelyworththejoy evenifittakestime,energyandn1oney.Ifyou plantsomeperennialplantsinyouredible gardenbed,thengardeningbecomesabreeze withfreshproduceeveryyear.

• Mint(inidealconditiontherootswillbe invasive)

• Ginger

• Pomegranate

ThreeAnnuals/Biennialsplants

Herearesomeeasy-careannualsyoucan plantamongyourperennialedibleplants eachseasontoenjoyfreshproducefromyour yard.

• Beans

• Spinach

• Potato

TheplantsListedhereareavailablein mostretailandonlinenurseries.Costwill varybasedonthesizeoftheplant.Ifyouare lookingforcost-effectivewaystobuyplants thenbuyseeds,seedlingsandtubestock.lfyou havetimeconstraints,thenbuyabiggersize plantforquickestablishmentinyouryard.

Afin Itip

Getthekidsinvolved.lt'sagoodideatotake themshoppingtopickplantstheylike,their favouriteveggiesforexample-eventhough thlsmightnotbepossibleinlockdown.Get themtheirowntools.Encouragethemtodig around,andcleartheweeds.Givethemtheir ownlittlecorner,theirownlittleindoorplant tocarefor,startseedsindoors,orgetthem tomakepopsiclemarkers.You'llbesowinga lifelonghabit.

ome sugges 10 o maintenance plants thi eason from landsca

Marigold

BY PETRAO'NEILL

fyoucould liveanywhereintheworld, wherewoulditbe?Accordingtothe Economistn1agazine'sannual Global Liveability Index,oftheworld's1nost liveablecities,Australia'spunchwayabove theirweight. Melbourne, Brisbane,Perth and Sydneyjostletoreachthetopten, thoughthisyear,Adelaideovertookthen1 all,con1ingin atnumber3.

PlannedbySouthAustralia'sfirst Surveyor-General,ColonelWilliamLight in 1837,Adelaideisideal fordiscoveringon foot,withbroadtree-linedstreetsarranged inaneasy-to-followgridpattern,with gardensquaresandexpansiveparklands surroundingit.Streetsarelinedwithgrand historicbuildings,majesticchurchesand shopswithbroadawningsanddecorative ironlacebalconies,whiletheRiverTorrens thatrunsthi-oughthecityaddstoitsappeal.

I'vevisitedAdelaide manytin1es,and whenever l returnit'swithasenseof finding1nyselfinfamiliarsurroundings, thestreetscapereassuringlythesame. Missingtheclankingtrams,heritage architectureandgreatdiningandbar scene,l recentlyspentseveraldaysthere sightseeing. Hereisaguideonwhatyou cansee and do.

ACITYOF USEUMS

NorthTerraceisAdelaide'sculturalprecinct whereyou'llfindseveraloutstanding museums.TheSouthAustralianMuseum ishometotheAboriginalCulturesGallery, withmorethan3000artefactsfromstone toolstowovenfishingnets,then1ost significantcollectionofitstypeinthe world.TheArtGalleryofSouthAustralia inoneofAdelaide'smostbeautifulhistoric

buildings,showcasingartfromthecolonial eratocontemporaryworks.TheMigration Museu1nprovidespersonalstoriesfro1n migrantstoAustralia,whiletheState Libraryhasacollectionofmemorabilia donatedbySirDonald Brad1nan,Australia's mostfamouscricketer.

GARDENS

ContinuealongNorthTerracetothe Adelaide BotanicGardens,foundedin 1855,withVictorianeraglasshouses, fountains,subtropicalandMediterranean plantdisplays,andaconservatory featuring4000plants.

Fro1nhereloopbackalongthe meanderingpathwaythatfollowsthe River TorrenstowardstheAdelaideArtsCentre and ElderPark.Thedistinctiveandoften photographedoctagonalRotundawas builtin 1882.You'llpassbyduckswading, rowersatfullspeed, andthevintage Popeye cruiserthatoffersshortcruises.

NearbytheAdelaide Oval,steeped in cricketinghistory,hasbeena feature ofthe citysinceitwasbuiltin 1871. Nowredeveloped,theOvalhasbeen transformedintoamodernstate ofthe artstadium.Thecityskyline hasalso beguntogetaseriousbu1np,withseveral newskyscrapers,whiletheArtsCentre precinctnearAdelaideOvalhasexpanded toresembleMelbourne'sSouthbank.

GRAND BUILDI GS

AlsoonNorthTerracearetheformer RailwayStation,Governn1entHouse, ParliamentHouseandAyersHouse,the homeofaformerPrenlier, SirHenry Ayers. Fromhereyoucanproceedalong Adelaide'smainthoroughfare, King WilliamStreet,towardsVictoriaSquare, whereyou'llfindgrandcivicbuildingsbuilt fromsandstoneandbluestone,including theTownHall,SupremeCourt,andformer Treasuryand GeneralPostOffice.

P I G

ThemainshoppingprecinctisRundle

Mall.OnthecornerofRundleMalland KingWilliamStreetisthedistinctiveneoGothicBeehiveBuilding,hometoHaigh's Chocolates,theoldestfamily-owned chocolatemanufacturerinAustralia.The AdelaideArcadecompletedin1885,wasthe firstretailestablishmentinAustraliatohave anelectriclight.Nowbeautifullyrestored toitsoriginalcondition,withdecorative featuresincludingtessellatedtilesandcast iron,ithasmorethan 100specialtyshops sellinghats,comics,buttonsandpearls. Wanderdownthemanysmallstreetsand cobbledlanewaysthatleadoffRundleMall orthatarecloseby,todiscoverdesigner boutiques,myfavouritebeingUnionStreet.

MARKETS B RS ND DINING

ThebackstreetsofPeelandLeigh,tucked

CityofChurches

betweenHindleyandCurrieStreets,isthe heartlandofthecity'sthrivingsmallbarand diningscene,withtheEastEnd'sEbenezer Placeanotherareatodiscover,anodto Melbourne'slanewaysandbarscene. Fordining,Asianrestaurantsare popular,especially JapaneseandKorean, withothercuisinesonoffer,fromVegan ZenhousetoParwanaAfghanKitchen. Youcanalso findEuropeancuisine,alongstandingfavourite Lucia'sattheCentral Market,agotodestinationforfreshfruit andgourmetspecialities.

ULTICULTURALINFLUENCES

TheAdelaideplainswerethetraditional landsoftheindigenousKaurnapeople. AfterSouthAustraliawasdeclareda Britishcolonyin 1836,Britishsettlers arrived,displacingtheKaurna,whose numbersweredecimatedbylossoftheir

landanddisease.Germansettlersalso can1e,aswellasmigrantswhocamelater onfron1MediterraneancountriesandAsia. TodayAdelaideisan1ulticulturalcity. Whilemosthistoriclandmarksreflect theBritishcolonialheritage,onLittle GilbertStreetan1osquewasbuiltin1889, financedbyAfghancameleers.181Shut StreetistheformershopofMahometAllum fromKandahar,acan1eldriver,traderand renownedherbalist.SeveralhundredAfghan cameleerscametoAdelaidetotransport suppliesandproducethatwereessential inopeningupourvastdesertinterior.

NEARB ATTRACTIONS

Withitsboutiques,restaurantsandtreelinedstreetsthatshowcasethesuburb's manycottagesandgrandmansions,North Adelaideiswellworthavisit.

Manyotherplacesofinterestarealsojust

Adelaide moved up a few ranks this year to list in the world'stop three cities

ashortdriveaway.GlenelgBeachiswelJ known,butlocalsintheknowheadtobeaches includingHenley,BrightenandMoseley.

Ifyouenjoyfarm-to-platediningand finewine,therearemanyareastoexplore. TheAdelaideHillshas60wineries, includingPenfoldsMagillEstate,and excellentplacestodine.Enjoyspectacular viewsofAdelaidefromMtLoftyandvisit thebeautifulbotanicalgarden.

ThequaintsettlementofHahndorfis theoldestGermansettle1nentinAustralia whereyoucansampledelicaciessuch aspretzelsandsausagewurst,orbuy locallyhandcraftediten1s.TheBeerenberg StrawberryFarmandthefonnerhomeand studiooftheartistSirHansHeysenare alsofoundhere.

TheBarossaValley,anhour's drivenorthofAdelaide,istheheart ofAustralia'swineindustry,witha picturesquelandscapeofrollinghillsand valleys,historicquaintvillagesincluding StirlingandAldgate,artisanfood producers,andmorethan 150wineries manywithcellardoors.

DrivesouthofAdelaidefor451ninutes toreachtherollinghillsofMcLarenVale, nestledbetweenthemountainsandthe sea.Visitaclutchofesteemedwineries includingHaselgrove,d'Arenbergand PrimoEstate.There'salsogreatfoodwith artisanalbakeries,cafes,chocolateand cheese1nakersandtheweeklyWillunga Farmer'smarket.

Therearealsoson1egreathikesnearby includingtheHeysonTrail,andfornative wildlife,headfortheClelandConservation ParkorWarrawongSanctuarywhere nativeanimalsarelargelyfreetoroamina bushlandsetting.

Adelaideisalsoyourstartingpointif headingtotheFlindersRanges,withn1y stayatRawnsleyParkStationoneofmybest evertrips,andKangarooIsland,whichis whereI'mheadedhopefullysometimesoon.

NorthAdelaidemansion

BeerenbergStrawberryFarm

I THE EMPIRE 1 (Season 1)

I DIRECTOR: Mitakshara Kumar

STARRING: ShabanaAzmi, 1 Kunal Kapoor, Drashti Dhami, I Dino Morea, Aditya Seal, 1 Sahher Bambba and Rahul Dev. I ****

I Set in a world oftribal rivalries,full 1 ofbetrayalsand ruthlesslyambitious enemies, directorMitakshara I Kumar's TheEmpire, streaming I on Disney+Hotstar, isa historical I seriesshowcasingthe riseandfall ofthe Mughal Empire.Thefirstthree I episodesfocus on Babur,thefirst I Mughal emperor.

The prologuetotheseries begins I on an ominous note, with asmokeI screened sceneofa ragingbattlein I sepiatone and the camera focusing onthewide-eyed Babur(Kunal I Kapoor)whosavagelyswings his I sword, slashinghisenemies left,

, MATRIMONIALS

1 SEEKING GROOMS

I Seekinga professionallyqualified match, I teetotaler,ofgoodfamilybackground, preferablyAustraliancitizenorPRholder, I forhighlyqualifiedcareer-orientedBrahmin gir 35,5'2",vegetarian,ofgoodfamily I I background,workingandwellsettledin

I Sydney. Pleasecontactaussyd08@gmail.com

I Seekingqualified match (working I professional, notself-employed)from Australiafor'88 born 5"3" Hindu Punjabi '

I rightand centre, roaring his lungs

1 outand beheadingan opponentafter receivinga slash on hisneck.

I Thatiswhen he realises, "Zindagi

I mautsekitna hiladle,jeettohaakhir

1 mautkihihotihai(Howevermuch lifefightswith death, itisdeaththat I ultimatelywins)." And hethentells us I howfate made himfightdeathfrom I the ageof 14.

The plotofthefirstthreeepisodes

I narrated in a non-linearmanner, I oscillatesfrom circa 1494to 1526, I tellingushowShaibani Khan,an evil warlord killed Babur's uncle, how I BaburlosthisfatherUmarShaikh,

I the kingof Ferghana, in anaccident, I how Baburwasordained kingafter afailed assassinationattempt,and I how hewasa vulnerablesoultryingto I protecthisfamilyand kingdomfrom I schemingministers, hisstepmother Roxanna, and Shaibani Khan. I Thefirsttwoepisodessail I smoothly. Bythe mid-pointofthe

I third episode,the narrativegetsa bit I tedious butnevertheless intense.

Mounted on a magnificent I scalewithwell-etched characters, I resplendentsetsand period I costumes,thedirector, intricatelyand flawlessly,transportsyoutothe pre­ I Mughalera.

I The performances bythe I charactersarecaptivating. Mehroos Mirwhoplaysthe younger Baburlays I a strongfoundationforKunaI Kapoor I tostepin.

I Kohl-eyed and with over-the-top histrionics, Dino Morea, asthe main antagonistShaibani Khan, steals I theshowwhenever he is on screen.

I Hedisplaysthe rightbalanceofcold

menaceandfieryragethatborderson I insanity.

I ShabanaAzmi,asthe mighty I I I matriarch Ahsan Dawlat,fondlycalled I 'Shah Begum', isremarkable, withthe rightamountofdramaand restraint I I in her performance. I

girl(divorced,issueless),workinginSydney. MusthaveAus PRand preferablybe teetotaler. Email: matrimonial.ml@gmail.com

Seekinga professionallyqualified,settled matchforSydney based, nevermarried Australiancitizen, Hindu, Punjabi Khatri 48, 5'3"slim,fair, attractivegirl. Girl is a postgraduateandworkingata good position in a governmentorganisation. Pleasecontactatausind26@gmail.com

SuitablematchforAustralian citizen, Sydney-based Sikh girl, 1991 born, 170cm,

Theothers in supportingroles, too, are perfectlyhandpicked and deliver outstandingperformances.

Visually,theseries is mesmerising. Thecomputer-generated images seamlesslyinterlacedirectorof photographyNigam Bomzan'sframes. With a blend ofwide-angleshotsand close-ups, he notonlycapturesthe locales, butalsothe intricatedetails ofthetale,to perfection.

Hisatmospheric lightinglends authenticitytothe period depicted inthefilm. He has also managedto portraythe battlescenes brilliantly, makingthem look natural and real. Andtheclose-upofthe wound being sutured on Babur's neckisgutchurning.

Overall,thevisualsaccompanied byexcellent music and background score, aided byAtanu Mukherjeeand Sagar Manik'scrisp editing, elevate theviewingexperience.

Vinayak Chakravorty

qualified chartered accountant, workingin top bank. Parents highlyeducatedand well settled in Sydney. Please respond to hs52216a@gmail.com

SEEKING BRIDES

Seekinga professionallyqualified, settled matchforSydney based, never marriedAuscitizen, Hindu, Punjabi Khatri,47, 6',athletic builtman. He is a projectmanagerwith an engineering background and isworkingin a reputed organisation.

Pleasecontactausind26@gmail.com

HELMET (ZeeS)

Wal or?

9 Indian films and series to watch in September 2021

I MUMBAI

DIARIES 26/11

1 (Amazon Prime Video)

I Originallyexpected toreleasein March 2021,this I I seriespaystributetothedoctors, nurses, and I other medicalstaffwhowereoncall duringthe I 26Novemberterrorattacksin Mumbai, working I I againsttheclockto saveshundreds oflives. It I stars KonkanaSenSharma,TinaDesai (ofSense8 I fame), Mohit Raina, andShreya Dhanwantharyand I I created and directed byNikkhilAdvani, alongwith I Nikhil Gonsalves(directorofNetflix'sHasmukh). I MumbaiDiaries26/11debutson 9September.

1

As iftofollow in his brother'sfootsteps after Vicky I Donor,Aparshakti Khurana's latestfilmtakeson anothertabootopic:contraception. Directed bySatram I Ramani, Helmet isabouta botched robberywhere I the stolen boxes, expectedto containelectronics, are instead packed with condoms. With peopleshyto I openlytalk aboutthem, let alone buythem, whatcan I the robbersdo withtheirnew stash? Helmetbeganstreamingon3September.

I CRIME STORIES: INDIA

I DETECTIVES (Netflix)

I Joining Netflix'sslewoftruecrime isthis I docuseriesabouttheBengalurupolice. Providing a glimpse intothelife ofa policeofficerin India I and howpoliceinvestigations areconducted in the I country,theseriesshowcasesfour major crimes, 1 includinga baby's kidnapping, a missingchild, and a murder.

I Thedocuseriesbeginsstreamingon22September.

MAESTRO (Dlsney+Hotstar)

Aremake of Andhadhun (2018) aboutapiano player pretendingto bevisually impaired who inadvertently becomesa witnessin a murder, Telegu film Maestro hopestotake on a slightly different approachto the award-winning blackcomedy.ItstarsNithin, Tamannaah and Nabha Nateshand is directed by Merlapaka Gandhi.

Maestroreleaseson17September.

KOTA FACTORY (Netflix)

Kota isanIndiancityknown for itscoaching centresthattrain studentsfor competitive entrance exams.Comedy drama Kota Factory provides ahumorous, honestlook atthe student lifestylein Kota, outside of thetypicalcritique oftheIndian education system(think 3 Idiots or Laakhon Mein Ek). It'salsothefirstblack-andwhite webseriesin India, shotin colour andthen graded intomonochrome. After its original release onYoutubeand massivesuccess,theseriesnow movesovertostreaminggiantNetflix. Season2ofKofaFactorybeginsstreamingon 24September.

1

I

ANHAKI KAHANIYAN (Netflix)

Fromtheproductionhousesthatbroughtyou anthologies like LustStories and Bombay Talkies comes Anhaki Kahaniyan. Thethreelovestoriesare directed byfilmmakersAshwinyIyerTiwari (Barei/ly Ki Barfi), AbhishekChaubey (Dedhlshqiya, Udta Punjab), andSaketChaudhary (Hindi Medium) and promise to shareunexpected, untold love stories.Need we say more?

Theanthologyseriesdebutson23September.

I BHOOT POLICE (Disney+Hotstar)

I Boasting of bignameslikeSaifAli Khan, Arjun Kapoor, YamiGautam,Jacqueline Fernandezand Jaaved

I Jaaferi, Bhoot Police isa horror comedyabouta gang I ofghosthunters. It'sdirected by Pavan Kirpalani, whosepreviousworkincludesRaginiMMS (2011) 1 and Phobia (2016). Bhoot Police comesonthetails of I Bollywood's latest fascination with horror (like Laxmii I and Ghost Stories), hopefullythisfares betterthanits predecessors.

I Thefilm Isallsettoreleaseon 17September.

I INTRUSION (Netflix)

I In thisglobaloffering, Freida Pinto and Logan Marshall­

I Green(knownfor hisrolesin 24, Prometheus, and Spider-Man: Homecoming) play a couple left I traumatized by a homeinvasion. Leftwith nochoice I butto killtheski-mask wearingintruder,they find themselveswithmorequestionsthan answerswhenan 1 investigation ensues - cantheyeventrusteachother?

I Thiscrimethrillerreleaseson22September.

BREAK POINT (ZeeS)

Inthe '90s,tennis legendsLeander Paesand Mahesh Bhupathiwereconsidered amongthemostfeared doubles pairs. They playedtogetherfrom 1994to 2006 and reunited from 2008to 2011.Inthis 7-partseries, award-winning filmmakerduoAshwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwariprovide anhonestlookatthe friendship, ambition and hard workthatmarkedthe duo's career, includingtheverypublicfalloutthatleftmany speculatingontheir off-courtlives.Accordingtoits makers, Break Point is a bittersweetstory of friendship and success. Theseriesdoesnothaveaconfirmed releasedateyet although itisexpectedtoreleaselaterthismonth.

No white wo,nen wereharmedin the ,nakingofthispiece. However, the charactersarenotfictional. Theyareliving, breathing, interruptingyou,fightingfor LIBERATION, gaslightingyouaboutyour concerns, andcryingabout theiroppression. Wehearyouand weloveyou.

ranticallyglaringat the lurid co1nputer sct·een, Surry HillsDelta Babeputsthe finishingtouches on her 'Race and Environment' unit essay. Nibblingonthe lastchunkofabanh mi from Marrickville Pork Roll, herphone lock screen (Dua Lipa'sbutt) lightsup. A notification appears.

It's fro1n NewtownAlt Girl.

"Brunchafterthe protest?? VY hungry."

"Ooooyes! What ru wearing?"

"My patriarchy stompingdocs,hehe."

"Literally STEPON ME, rad-lefty marxistbabe, invented fashion!"

"I knowwe've onlyn1et once, butlove u! 1-Iehe."

SurryHills Delta Babe (SOB) and NewtownAlt Girl (NAG) are postDelta-variant-lockdown bestieswho met volunteering ata Covid-19 RSPCAAnimal Shelter. Con1n1unitycare,besties!

It's a scorching morning atTown Hall. Peoplepouroutofthetrain station and gatheraround thefountain. Itis the day ofthe 'Make hibiscusfreeforourchais' protest.

Atthe topofthe escalator, NAGwaits for SOB. They bothknew,fromtheirfirst fatedmeeting, that theywere destined to be friends. Ofcourse, theirrelationship runs deeperthan n1erefriendship.Theirs is afarmoreprofound connection borne oftheir fathers' careers in real estate and a

shared love ofrecreational amphetamines. Theywouldn'thave itanyotherway.

Ah, there she is. Theygreeteach other with a hugas theygigglein theirshrill, Aperol Spritz-infusedvoices, "Remember thatAudreLordeFacebookposttalking about the beautyoffemale friendship? So true!! Ugh,qween."

The protest begins.Chantsringthrough the square. SOBjoins the crowd and the firein hereyes follows. Inawe, NAG watches her, 1narvelUngat how their matchingleopard satinskirtsareagroundbreakingmetaphorforhowtheyhave torunfrom thehuntingshacklesofthe patriarchywhichdeprivesanimal lovers oftheirplant-based hibiscusmerchandise. God,she'ssogood, NAGmuses.

Meanwhile, SOB peersoverat Bondi Alpha Darling (BAD) whois takingfilm photosofthe protest. She isan absolute vision-in herwhite, mid-calftaj 1nahal linendress fromTreeofLife anda fuzzy Depop buckethat. Her stacked Eastern Flairringsgleamin the ]ate-Spring sun. Hertotebag,emblazonedwitha

Toni Morrison quotefromabookshe has definitely read, looks to be digging uncomfortablyinto hershoulder. Fuck, that's afirefit,SOB mumblestoherself.

Next to BAD is Sylvia, the first-year

babewhojust moved from Pakistan. She iswearinga chikankari skirtwith a cutewhite tee, bangerjhumkas, and an absolutebewildermentat the words BAD isspurring, asshepleads the protestors for1noredonations for theirhibiscuslove movement.

"Whata politicallyfiredupbabe BAD is, supporting POC sisters everyday," SOB and NAGtellthemselves.

"Hellooooogorgeous,yousexy activist," SOB serenades BAD in a long, ugly and high-pitched voice. "Was at Bondi lastweekand thoughtofyou,qween."

"Aw, that'ssosweetofyou," replies BAD. "Sorry I missedyourcall,just been sobusycryingabout the hiked pricesof hibiscus milk, you know. So itwasjustmy poodle and I creatingflyers."

"Aww,you poorbaby. Keen to hangout in Newtownand totes shake a legat the Marly," NAGavoids Sylvia'sgaze as she handsout BAD's flyers to the Millers Point Lorna Janewearingbabeswho stopped by at the protest after theirmorningrun.

"Thanks, babe. Loveyourwork. OMG also, n1eetShabana, mynewbestie! She just 1noved here-weare ina SouthAsian Studiesunit, such afeisty babe," BAD proclaims.

"Um,hi. It'sactuaJlySylvia,bytheway.

I don't know many people here but I was keen to come to this protest."

"OMG,I'msosorry,sweetheart. Ijustlove Muslimnan1es,but Iamjustgoingthrough somuch,youknow," BAD responds.

"Anyway, Sabna, so like, where are you from in Pakistan exactly?" asks SOB.

"Oh, I am from Pashtunistan, the northern part borderingAfghanistan."

"OMG that's, like, beautiful. Isn'tthat where Malala isfrom? Sopowerful. ohn1y god, she made meafeminist! Didyouguys, like, hangoutor something?" asks NAG.

"Um, notreally. 1 actually spentmostof mytime in Islamabad."

"OMG,you should totallycome to our fishjustice meetings. We could do with someWoCindigenous regional international student perspective, you know," BAD proposes.

"Ohandyourcityhas the name 'islam' in it!!! lnshallah!!l Hehel" SDB adds.

Asilence falls amongst thegirls, impenetrable by the din ofthe protest.

"Anyway, babes, seeyouall soon! NAG and I are offtotry son1e matcha lemon carob milkshakes withcoconutelixirfro1n thatplace in Paddington. Sick!"

Sylvia'sphoneringsasthecrowdwanes. It'stheKombuchaVitaeticketgroupfor <studentpublication> - amessagefromSOB:

"Babes! Sylvia, itwas nice to meetyou today! Lovedyourindie spiritwith that outfit,weshould totes talkover avegan lassi atthat place in Enmore. Would love tohaveyou because we want to bring yourmarginalised Muslimidentityto the forefront. Let usknow, sweetie. Always hereforyou, bestie. Mwah."

Firstpublished in HoniSoit. Reproduced herewithpermission.

Who's fighting for whose rights in this protest? It's hard to tell, write ANYA DOAN and MISBAH ANSARI

Atthe'Make Hibiscus Free ForOurChais' protest,therad leftymarxistbabesare out in -whatelse-theirpatriarchystomping docsandtotebagsfeaturing ToniMorrisonquotes.

September 2021 BY MINAL KHONA

MinaI Khona has been readingtarotcardsfor the lasttwodecades. She uses herintuition and connectwiththecards mostlyto helppeople.

I

The card plucked forAriesthis month standsforVirgo sothefiery April-born mayshow unusual reticence and caution. You could also meetafinicky perfectionist like a Virgo. Bad newscould come your waysuch as the death ofsomeone you know ortheseparation ofa couple closeto you.Atwork, you might wanttochange direction orlookfor a new businessto start. Livingwith acceptanceofwhat is, will make challenges easiertoface.

You could have unforeseen hurdles this month on all fronts. Ifsingle, you mightget involved with someone possiblyyoungerthan you. People all around will be helpful - atwork and at home. Anyshifts awayfrom work - a hobbyora webinarto improveskills will be productive. A personal situation can bevexingas it leavesyoufeelingtrapped. Money issues will get resolved. Something you had given up on will work outin yourfavour.

---------

Acesstandfor new beginnings I and swordsforwinter. You can expecta change in fortune bythe end I oftheyear. Singlescould expecta new I intenseloveaffair.A visitfrom someone I could changeyour plans regardingyour future. A marriage could gothrough I a rocky phase. Family membersare I all under pressurewhich addstoyour I problems. Moneycould bedelayed. Butrestassured,tensions will reduce I andyou will soon be in a betterframe 1 ofmind.

I All thatconsumed yourenergyand I attention is now on the back burner and you will lookforsomethingnew. I Ifsingleyou could be lookingfora new I love. Ifinvolved,you are not happy I with your current partner. Relaxation, spiritual pursuits and a revival of I somethingfrom your pastwill bringyou I joy. Investments giveyou rich dividends. 1 Health improvesandyoucould also starta new business. Keep a positive I mindsetand indulge in some retail 1 therapy.

Family, domestic issuesand yourhome keepyou busythis month. Infact,they leaveyou with notimeforlove.Yourhealth isgood butafamilymemberorapet will needtoseeadoctor.Therewill be asteadyinflowandoutflowoffinances mostlytied inwith dailyexpenses.You havedivineprotection, however,sothere won'tbeanyblocks. Ifanarrangement doesn'tsuityou,youwillcancelit altogether - whetherinyourpersonalor professional life.

You could be introspectingabouta

I situation orrelationship; even spiritual I matterscould keepyou occupied. If I single, yoursearchfora meaningful relationship continues. Unforeseen I problemsathomewill besurmounted I easily.Atwork, a longstandingproblem gets resolved. You needtoslowdownor I you could becomesick. Debts mayneed a I confrontationtogetwhatis owedtoyou. I An unpleasantsituation will end whenyou decidetowalkawayfrom itin allways.

I

Sevensindicatethe needforsolitude and introspection. Libranswillwantto I analysecurrentsituationsand prioritise.

I Work is hectic; watch outforoffice politics.Letgoofyourneedforperfection I as itadds undue pressure. Finances I are in orderand moneyowedtoyou will come.Achesand painscould add toyour I woes. Eventually,thingswill workoutin I yourfavour.Take everythingonestepat I atimeand letgoofproblemsyoucan't solve rightaway. I

I

Adifficult monthasyou avoid a I confrontation, pineforan ex orface I I hurdles intravel plans. Someoneyou I I know may need medical assistanceor I meetwith an accident.Argumentsatwork I cause unnecessarytension. Finances I I remain upbeatand you mayeven spend I I some moneyon a spiritual pursuit. I Ifmarried, you could expectboutsof I unhappiness. What is not rightforyou will I I havetobeletgo and you will no longer I wantto bearound unethical people.

I

Though work keepsyou busy,youwant tofocusonyourlove lifeandfinding happiness. Youseekthe kind of peace thatcomesfrom spiritual growth and simple living. Atwork, you getachanceto promoteyourskills. Businesswill improve in a bigwayfortheself-employed. Discord with family memberscouldtake place. Be honestin yourinteractionswith othersto release unnecessarytension.

A new business idea willgetthesupport and positivereactionyou are hopingfor.

I You will payattention to selfI improvementatworkand are hoping I forsomegood news. Ifsingle, ensure any new person you meetisnotalready I married. Asudden meetingwill leadto

I Thepractical Feb-born maybehaveinan I even more balanced mannerduetothe I appearanceofthecardforLibra. Conflicts ontheoutsideandwthin,changing I habitsand legal matterskeepyou busy.

I veryunusual loveaffairisalsoontheanvil. I Anold relationshipcouldseearenewal.

I financial gains. You are empowered at work which makesyoufeel good. An

I estranged lovercould trytowinyou back. I

I Eathigh energy healthyfoods. Profits at I

I andyouwillsortoutyourpersonal life. Staydetachedforthetruthtoemerge.

I Lettinggoofthepastinarelationship brings peace. Workis mundaneandcould causesomeanxiety.A mild infection needsmedicalattention. Lonelinessends I business willgoup. Achanceto make more moneywill alsocomeyourway. Be I thorough in allyouractions.

I Erraticfoodorsleep patternscanlead I to health problems,butifyou havebeen I I unwell,youwill recover. Financeswillslowly I improve.Whateveryouarestrugglingwith, I I itwon'tbeeasybutperseveretosucceed. I

I Trustthehigherpowersandyourself to have betterrelationshipsallaround.

SEPTEMBER 2021 37 I I

To be or not to ice lms�a-�on Iii

DEARAUNTYJI

IamlookingforwardtogoingtoIndia in Decembertogetmarriedtomybest friendRavi.Weare bothstudyingherein Sydney Ihavenotyetmetmyfutureinlaws buttheyhavemetmyfamily,and everyonehasagreedtothewedding ButAuntyji Ioverheardmybestfriend talkingonthephonetoanotherfriend andIamabitworriedthatwhatthey saymaybetrue.soI'mhopingforyour advice Mybestfriendsaidthatshe thinksthatmyfuturein-lawswillgeta majorsurprisewhentheymeetmein personbecauseIdon'tlookthesameas mylnstagrampictures Allmyfutureinlawsseemylnstragramphotosandyes, lnstagrammakeseveryonelookgood. ButAuntyji.whatifmyfriendisrightand theydon'tlikewhattheysee HowdoI fixthissituation-Iamveryconcerned Canyoupleasetellmehowtosolvethis problem?

AUNTYJISAYS

Arrekalmouhi. youbroughtthisupon yourself.Sillynirlajjanamjali. Howhave younotwastedtimeontheinterwebs lookingatreality-versus-lnstagram photos?Haveyounotmetanyofthese kultas wholooklikeanAlfonsomango onlnstagramandturnouttobesukdi

huiimliinreallife?Thisisathingand I'msurprisedanarcissistlikeyouisso unawareofthisculturephenomenon. Butyouhavecaughtmeinabenevolent mood.andIamtryingtobeabetter person duringthislockdown.

Sohere's myadvice.Startingnow. foreveryfivepicturesofyourselfthat youpostonthegram,makesureoneis realisticandhasnofilterapplied.Nothing -justyournormal.self-absorbed narcissisticvisage.Ofcourse,trytolook good,youdon'twantthemtorejectyou beforetheshaadi.

Then,overthenextfewweeks,start increasingtherealisticpicturesand reducinganywithfilterssothatslowly, youonlypostrealisticpictures.Of course.ifyouwantedtotakethisawhole newlevelintheoppositedirection, threeweeksbeforeyouflyout.only postunattractivepicturesofyourselflookingbelowaverage.Bythistime,the in-lawswillhavehopefullygrowntolike yourpersonality,assumingyouhaveone.

Then,whenyouturnupforthe wedding,everyonewillbesurprised thatyoulooknothinglikeyouruglygirl photosandarenotbad lookingatall. Thereyougo.problemsolved-andat theweddingeveryonewillagreethatyou areabeautifulbride.Winwinforall.nah?

-

On Linkedln Dos l

DEARAUNTYJI

Myhusbandhasbeentryingtogethis businessofftheground.andithasbeen a longstruggleforus.Butafterthree years,wehaveturnedthecornerand hewassohappyhestartedtotearup ashetoldmethathewasgoingtobe successful.Then,hewhippedouthis phone.tookapictureofhimselfwithall hisaansooinhis aankhen andposted itonLinkedIn Andwhilethereareover athousandcommentsontherewhich are goodandencouraging,thereare somecommentsthatarealittlehurtful. IthoughtLinkedInwassupposedtobe asupportivecommunityforbusiness professionalsandnowmyhusband's feelingsarehurtbysomeofthese comments Whatkindofkamineypost negativecommentsonLinkedln?Alsodo youhaveadviceonhowIcanmakemy husbandfeelbetterandhowheshould ignorethesejealouscomments?

AUNTYJISAYS

Youaskwhattypeofkamineypost negativecommentsonLinkedln?Well, jahils likeyourhusband,forastart. LinkedlnisnotFacebook;itisaglobal platformforbusinessprofessionalsand ittranscendsbordersbecauseanyone canseeanything. IreallywishIknew

whatyourhusbandwasthinkingwhen hewhippedouthisphonetorecordhis ronadhonainsteadofacknowledgingthe importanceofturningthecornerforhis business.Thenwhenhepostedthaton Linkedln,Idon'tknowwhatheexpected wouldhappen.ThebeautyofLinkedln isthatwhilethereismuchgroupthink andtherearealotofmessagesthat areblandandanodyne,thereisalso someinformationthatdemonstratesa diversityofthought.Andthisreflects thehumancondition.Therearejustas manydifferentopinionsasthereare people,andsoyourfoolishhusband postingpicturesofhistearswhileothers virtue-signalledbyofferingsupportor congratulationskepthispostlowbrow. Hedeservedthosecuttingcomments because-well,whocaresabouthis tears?Didyoupostyourtearswhenyou gavebirthtoyourchildrenorpassedyour exams?Thetearsinyourhusband'spost becameaself-indulgent.overdoneactof vanity.Whatwouldhavemadehispost compellingandauthenticwasifhehad talkedaboutthehardshipofthejourney, orsomeofhislearningsthatwouldhave helpedothers.Whata rothluyouhave married.Ihopehisbusinessideaisbased onproducingtissues-becausethen,he can behisownNo.1customer.

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