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All things Indian. In Australia.

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All things Indian. In Australia.

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EDITORIAL

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PUBLISHER Pawan Luthra EDITOR Rajni Anand Luthra CONTRIBUTORS Rhea L Nath, Bageshri Savyasachi, Jyoti Shankar, Rashida Tayabali, Carl Buhariwala, Kuna! Mirchandani, Mohan Dhall, Matthew Forbes, Kalyani Wakhare, Sandip Hor, S Gopika, Minal Khona, Auntyji SALES AND MARKETING Charu Vij

ADMIN

Priyanka Hatwalne Indian Link is a monthly newspaper published in

English. No material, including advertisements designed by Indian Link, may be reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the editor. Opinions carried in Indian Link are those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by Indian Link. All correspondence should be addressed to: INDIAN LINK MEDIA GROUP Level 24/44 Market St, Sydney 2000 GPO Box 108, Sydney 2001 Ph: 02 9279-2004 Email: info@indianlink.com.au

suspects it will not be pretty. If the Labor Party caused a stir with their 'Mediscare' campaign in the 2016 elections, the Coalition hit back with their retiree tax scare campaign in 2019. If the early analyses are any indications, the Indian Australian community in certain marginal seats, especially in Western Sydney, can hold the key to the Lodge. The Liberals need to double down to win them over - there's a fair bit of anger there in the community.

BY

PAWAN LUTHRA he last two years seem to have passed in a state of suspended animation - although things happened around us, there was a feeling of being a casual observer of our own activity. A pandemic, one supposes, does do that to people; constant lockdowns add the dimension of Groundhog Day syndrome where we relive the same day over and over.

As we end 2021 and start 2022, one hopes, nay, prays, that COVID is behind us. But with the recent emergence of the new variant Omicron, one can only wish that we are able to keep at bay Pi, Rho and Sigma, the next Greek alphabets earmarked for possible mutants of COVID-19.

Assuming we are finally going to get a sense of normalcy, let's look at what to expect in 2022 in Australia and globally.

Here are my seven issues to look out for: 1. Elections will dominate the sound cloud in Australia for 1nost of the year, with Federal elections to be called before May. It will be a brutal fight between Seo-Mo and Albo and one

2. Property prices are predicted to continue rising but not as strongly as in 2020/21. Modest price increases in 2022 will allow a gradual slowdown in 2023. The only caveat to the price increase will be if interest rates increase sharply, but in a Federal election year that will not happen.

3. The return of the international students will be welcomed by universities and employers who are facing staffing issues. The debate on migration numbers will be ramped up as skill shortages continue to bite.

4. China will also dominate the front pages of newspapers in the coming year, perhaps the coming decade. For its part, China will focus attention on

developing countries who feel they have been ignored by the developed countries. And the battle between the two superpowers - China and the US will rage on.

5. With mid-term elections in the US, expect Donald Trump to rally the faithful against both the Democrats and parts of the Republican ranks.

An1erica is fragmented as a country with a divided population between the Republicans and Democrats, and Trump will play to this weakness.

6. India will also be fascinated by elections as Uttar Pradesh and Punjab go to the polls early in the year. How PM Modi's backflip on farm laws impacts his party's election chances could form the template for Opposition attacks.

7. The ICC T20 world cup will be played in Australia next year: could we hope for an Aus V Ind drean1 final at the MCG on 13 Nov? Fair to say it promises to be an exciting year ahead, as we r e e- merge on the world stage and cast a pandemic-weary look around us.

Wishing all of you a happy and healthy 2022.

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SPECIAL FEATURES FARMING

Indian spices, grown in Oz

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Prof. Veena Sahajwalla, NSW Australian of the Year 2022

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Naidu Kumpatla, Bird Man

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FARMING

Cumin ljeera)

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Australian farmers could soon be adopting five common Indian spices, grown with clean and green technology.

BY

JYOTI SHANKAR r Surya Bhattarai, crop physiologist at Central Queensland University (CQU), is currently leading research to assess the agrono1uic systen1s required for farn,ers to adopt five high-value spice crops commonly found in our kitchens.

At the university's Institute for Future Farming Systems i11 Rockhampton, Dr Bhattarai's team is looking closely at black sesame (kaala til), fennel (saunf), nigelJa seeds (kalonji), caraway (shahi jeera) and cunun

Dr. Sur a Bhattarai of CQU

(jeera).

The varied weather conditions in different parts of India - for centuries at the centre of the spice trade - are ideal for growing a range of spice crops. Australia too has varied climate zones, ranging fron, equatorial, tropical, sub­ tropical and te1nperate to deserts and senu-arid regions. So potentially a variety of spices could be grown here too.

"Demand for spices is worth $30 billion in the global 1narket and Australia produces just 3% of this," Surya Bhattarai told Indian Link as he spoke about CQU's Spicing Up Northern Australia project.

Historically the demand for spices has shaped international trade routes as well as the structure of world economies in a way that can still be felt today. There were numerous wars fought over control of spice routes and arduous voyages undertaken in an atte111pt to reach the source of spices, such as those by Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gruna in the 15th century.

Today these condiments are a staple of many a pantry, and demand not restricted to just Asian and Middle Eastern kitchens.

Recognising that this demand for spices shows no sign of slowing down, the Jnstitute's cropping cluster started to research growing spices in Australia.

"Spices are used in ways that go beyond flavouring food now," Surya observed.

"Demand from the wellness industry has fuelled a boom for spice extractions in the form of oils and oleoresins, highly valued in the nutraceutica1 and pharmaceutical industry."

Industry partners

As an expert crop physiologist, Surya has

waste, for use in cremations aligned his cwTent research with industry needs. His teaJn at CQU works closely with coID1uercial partner Agriventis Technologies. Explaining how the process of commercialisation in agriculture works, he said, "Trials are first done in uruversity plots, then tested via field trials with farmers at multi-locations. Results generated from manual operations under the small plot trials are then tested for adaptability to broadacre mechanised n1anagement from planting to harvesting."

Surya admits that high labour costs in Australia necessitates mecha1usation to make competitively priced products. They work with engineers to research equipment for planting, harvesting, cleaning, threshing and grading.

"The entire value chain is involved. Unless all the links of this chain are connected, it would be hard to move this new industry forward,"

stressed Sui-ya, presenting a new face of academia n1oving beyond basic research.

It is a gradual move from research to commercialisation. "Once we understand the science, we connect partners such as Agriventis with farmers," he said. Agriventis has a closed chain system whereby they supply the seeds and buy the produce from fru·mers, providing all the requfred post-harvest value chain management.

Such research relationships between universities and companies are mutually symbiotic, enabling innovation for industry, and research funds and acclain1 for wuversities. ''Working with a range of partners helps to cover a wider area of research," said Surya.

where you can meet with industry partners, growers, local partners and researchers."

Besides the main crop, they also research the potential of the biomass waste left after harvest of spices. "We try to extract maximu1n value out of the product by looking at it from the circulru· economy lens," said Surya. For example, black sesame crop waste can be fashioned into fire briquettes. Realising that black sesame has special significance in Hindu cremation rituals, the team plans to meet up with suppliers of such products and also priests in Benares, when they travel to India for the international Spice Congress in Kochi in March 2022.

Australian Kaala Til

Clean food products

The team is particularly upbeat about the potential for black sesame, a crop whose drought and heat tolerance makes it a desirable crop choice for northern Australia. It has potential to fit into existing cotton or sugarcane fanning systems. Surya observes that previous attempts in Australia to establish sesame production in the '90s was focused on white sesame and did not gain momentum due to low commodity prices. Black sesame is a high­ value product returning approximately 45% more than white sesame.

Australia's increasing domestic demand, coupled with global demand, brings new opportunities for growers to enter into commercial production of black sesame and nigella, now in the third and final stage of commercialisation at CQU. Surya hopes to spread the word among other farmers who would like to participate in farm trials.

Speaking of opportunities to join, he said, "We do field days when a crop is ready for harvest

Recent stories in the n1edia about spices tainted with artificial coloUJ·s containing lead compounds has raised concerns among consumers. Discerning consun1ers are increasingly seeking foods that have identifiable provenance so that they can choose foods grown sustainably. Surya pointed out Australia's strong reputation for green, clean food products is an advantage. "With the exception of cotton, Australia does not allow genetically modified crops. So there is an opportunity to supply spices to local 111arket, as well as tap the rapidly expanding global opportunities".

CQU ultimately hopes to develop a world­ class centre for research and training in spices, herbs and aromatic plants. "We would also like to explore unique Australian spices and tap into the traditional knowledge of our Aboriginal community, helping them become future spice entrepreneurs," Surya said about CQU's long term vision.

DECEMBER 2021 7

YOU R SAY

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NSW STUDENTS ON PI LOT PLAN: "WE'RE LOOKING LIKE FOOLS"

RHEA L NATH reported on the expensive, non-refundable flight tickets and high accommodation costs awaiting international students in December.

Deep Dutta wrote: We did (warn) them. We had insider news. Yet people

thought let's not take a chance.

Renee Jones wrote: It's a privilege to come to Australia, the country our parents and grandparents built; you're not entitled. Perhaps make opportunities in your native country if that's your attitude.

Ali Geez wrote (in response): Wow, do you realise that this is Indigenous Aboriginal land? We are all migrants unless you are Indigenous. Why don't YOU show some gratitude? Your ignorance, entitlement to the land and arrogance is outrageous .

Brittany Watson wrote: I think the whole population has been suffering financially from day to day changes. $1000 is not a big loss in the scheme of things. This complaint will fall on deaf ears.

John Walker wrote: What is appalling is how all our governments turn a blind eye at how (international students) are exploited ... The fees they pay are outrageous.

Nabeel Shah wrote: Not such a big deal considering we are in a pandemic.

Australia is still a leading destination for international students with demand for skills and plenty of work opportunities.

Gautam Nath wrote: Well written article sharing the plight of the international student and in many cases, a parent's plight! I know of cases where parents have put their home as collateral to be able to fund a child's international education by taking out a student loan.

HARMANPREET KAUR IS WBBL'S PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT

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INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ARE G ETTING NOTHING FROM AUSTRALIA

With borders closed to temporary visa holders (again) till 15 December, RHEA L NATH reported on the frustrations of students still trying to return.

Courtney May wrote: Stay in India! (This is not in a racist way.) There's nothing

for you in Australia. It was once the land of the free but anything but now.

Rohit Chowdhary wrote: Forget Australia, go to Canada and New Zealand.

Australia Government decisions can change anytime. Very hard migration rules. No jobs, no accommodations .

Peter Trinh wrote: It would be risky coming here until (the pandemic) is over.

Ashish Gupta wrote: Thanks for highlighting our plight. Let's hope we will be heard by the people who can change our situation .

Rini Dharva wrote: Thank you so much for being the voice of many international students. Appreciate it.

Anjaneya Sharma wrote: Please support us by letting us back to Aus as we already lost thousands of dollars against the flight tickets booked between Dec 1st to 15th.

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ON THE RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION BILL

Trikone Australia chairperson KUNAL MIRCHANDANI explained how the bill, if passed, will affect young LGBTQIA Australians.

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Reddit user dermieZS wrote: Has been awesome for the Renegades, good to Navi Ram wrote: There are more than enough protections in current • • see her rewarded. The more the Indian legislation to safeguard the free expression of religion. All this bill does is • • • •• • women play, the better they get. Still effectively green-light greater powers to discriminate.

Never, even as a person • •• • • • can't believe there is no women's IPL. with a religion, have I ever felt 'persecuted' for it. But I sure as hell know of •• •• • •• Dkunapun wrote (in response): We are people being persecuted by it. Freedom of religion also encompasses freedom •• •• FROM it.

The government needs asking for it, but nobody will be there in • to stop and reconsider its priorities. federal •• • the grounds ...empty stadiums.

•• You know, like recovering from the pandemic perhaps?

••• •• •• Vishy Narayanan wrote: Inspiring Bali Padda wrote: Well written, Kuna!.

•• •• effort from Harmanpreet Kaur and •• •• Peter Kerr wrote: A powerful piece. I wonder how many of the politicians • the other 7 players from India (Smriti •• ••• making the final decision on this atrocious bill will make the time to read and • • • • understand this article and others like it? Certainly not Morrison and his band Mandhana, Poonam Yadav, Jemimah • • • • Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Shafali • • of merry zealots. The separation of church and State has become increasingly • • • • • Verma, Richa Ghosh and Rad ha Yadav). Especially after a long series with • narrow under this current government and the LNP need to leave the place of • •• • • COVID bubbles, lockdowns etc, making the inaugural season for Indian •• the people since they do not represent the people.

•• •• • Alan Maurice wrote: Kuna I, thanks for this brilliant message. women in the WBBL07 an impactful one. Bring on IPLW 2022!!

•• •• Michael Hennessy wrote: Harmanpreet Kaur has been fantastic, and it's • Betty Jager wrote: Australia has more laws than any other country. Every •• • • •• •• human being has the right to follow their own faith... Nobody has the right to been great to see so many Indian stars in the WBBL. I'm sure all the players •• • have loved the opportunity. I know I was so excited seeing Shafali Verma take that away from us.

•• •• •• •• Alec Bell wrote: Another them and us bill, well done . and Alyssa Healy in the same team, but sadly the Sixers didn't quite fire.

• •• • • Manan Luthra wrote: Great read .

• What a great WBBL it's been so far.

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SAY IT AGAIN

8 DECEMBER 2021

Thank you to all the women -journalists, survivors, MPs and public servants - who have broken the stories, spoken out, pursued justice. The women's uprising is one of the great stories of the past decade.

Juanita Phillips, ABC presenter

Welcome to new CEO of Twitter who on average tweets like twice a month.

Because he has actual work to do. Let this be a lesson to us all.

Sid Vadukut, writer

I don't know who needs to hear this but polio and smallpox never reached natural herd immunity. They were eradicated by vaccines.

Mohamad Safa, human rights and environmental activist

www.indianlink.com.au

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VEENA SAHAJWALLA IS NSW AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR 2022

RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA spoke with the academic on science, diversity, research, and application in sustainability.

Sheba Nandkeolyar wrote: That's the Indian diaspora for you, there are so many achievers and Veena Sahajwalla has done us all proud. I remember there was a time 20 years ago when we came, and people did not know what an IIM or an IIT degree meant.

Mahesh Enjeti wrote: People like Veena Sahajwalla have of course the 'Midas touch'.

Petra O'Neill wrote: This is fantastic news. UNSW are so lucky to have someone who is truly visionary. The more exposure recycling and how to repurpose gets the better.

Ben Kumar wrote: Congratulations Dr Veena Sahajwalla, you make us all so proud!

Rebecca Viney wrote: Great interview! Veena is truly inspirational and brings so much energy to the table. Let's keep on bringing the weird and wonderful ideas to the world!

Australian of the Year wrote: We're proud to call Veena the 2022 NSW #AusoftheYear and look forward to celebrating her achievements at the national awards in January!

Janet Coleman wrote: Perfect choice. Go Veena! This gives you a great platform to spread your message for us all!

Valentina Della Rossi wrote: Your eye for detail, frugal on waste and determination are my inspiration!! I hope we work together one day.

Mala Mehta wrote: Great interview.

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It was a straightforward one this time around - where can you find the Big Coins?

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WHY JAi BHIM SHOULD BE ON EVERY I NDIAN'S WATCHLIST

BAGESHRI SAWASACHI on how Tamil filmmakers are using the power of their art to influence millions to know better and be better.

Shraddha Arjun wrote: A great subject, true story of relevance is something that needs to be told with equal amount of finesse and nuance. Although this film is well intentioned, it lacks in several aspects of good film making.

Try Pariyerum Perumal, Visaranai or even Asuran in the same genre instead, they're not only great subjects or stories but also fantastic films on their own they trust the intellect of their audience, and don't get preachy and effectively drive the message home, without the need to repeat scenes over and over. This movie isn't also fully factually accurate. Despite Suriya's efforts and the story / intentions, the film is one dimensional, predictable and sometimes lacks sensitivity towards the oppressed. Good intentions alone do not make a film great. And honestly there wasn't much insight into the struggle of the lawyer, it seemed like he cruised through the case, which actually is grossly inaccurate.

Smltha Melkote wrote: A must watch movie!!!

Rihaan Shah wrote: What a movie! Couldn't stop crying, Sangini was amazing.

Hats off to her.

Deeplka Bharti wrote: This one indeed is a brilliant movie.

Reddit user Gattameow wrote: Upper caste Hindus aren't going to like this .

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WHERE IN I NDIA

We asked you to identify an iconic structure that marked a sombre anniversary in November.

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Readers Anu Shree, Krishna Vsr, Pallavi Grandhi, Kirti Singla, Rohit Ganesh, Sourav Biswas and Aryan Gupta had the right answer: The Royal Australian Mint in Canberra.

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SUklYA \

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The correct answer of course, is Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai. Readers Dipti Desai, Nitin Setia, Divya Palsodkar, Liladhar Ramteke and Trupti Shukla got it right.

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Even if the new variant doesn't end up as bad as people are making it sound, it is a v important reminder that we're not out of this until we're ALL out of this. Rich countries can't vaccinate themselves to safety and forget about the rest of the world. You can't continue to not adequately fund healthcare, not fund research, not fund vaccine production and just hope that we don ' t have another wave, another variant or like, the next thing in X years.

Nick Eversheld, journo

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COVER STORY 'I/ I

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA e live in transfonnational tiines. Collectively as a society, and perhaps at the individual level, we are stepping into new chapters of our evolution in these pandemic­ donrinated tin1es.

The same could be said about us at the conununity level. Here's a look at the way we've changed as a community: what were the trends and who were the trendsetters in Australia's Indian community this year?

Our take on events and issues in 2021 that had us talking.

COVID IN INDIA

"Do you know sotneone who knows anyone who can help source an oxygen cylinder?

An ICU bed?"

Many of us in Australia's Indian community received this or a sinrilarly frantic message this year.

For us, 2021 will go down as the life­ changing year when COVID struck its ominous blow.

At first the concern was for India as the deadly Delta spread menacingly, and we studied nun1bers and compared graphs.

Then it beca,ne a concern for our 10 DECEMBER 2021

What made our community buzz - or not - this year? fainilies, as the degrees of separation between COYID and us, began to shrink rapidly.

We scrambled to organise care, and source that elusive oxygen and then hospital beds, all while desperately trying to find a way to fly hon1e as the borders began to inch shut.

And then the news began to come in of the loved ones we had lost.

As the funeral pyres burned away on our TV screens, it exposed our vulnerability and helplessness as a diasporic community that could but stand by and watch in the face of an unmitigated health disaster in the motherland.

The special challenges we faced as a com,nunity then (who can forget those dreaded WhatsApp checks every morning), did have a positive impact: they u1·ged us towards vaccination. LGAs with high Indian populations recorded the highest levels of vaccination nation-wide.

Another somewhat comforting consequence was the motivation to stand up for India: many individuals and organisations within and outside our co1n1nu1uty gathered funds to organise help in whatever way they could. (A special mention here to COVID Connect, a bunch of Indian-Australian healthcare professionals

who initiated outreach programs in India with evidence-based telehealth support, peer-to-peer support and mental health support.)

COMMUNAL TENSIONS

One would expect that the collective grieving that unfolded then would have bound us closer as a community. Alas, we've seen divisions like never before this year. Tensions between Hindu and Sikh segments reached a flashpoint and spilled out onto the streets in Melbourne and Sydney. Car and truck rallies, sabre-rattling with flags, and religious and nationalistic sloganeering ultimately ended up in mob attacks and assaults. The issue at hand controversial agricultural laws back in the homeland particulaTly impacting farming communities in northwestern India.

When arrests were finally made, you'd have thought that was the end of that, and yet strangely, it only escalated from there.

One of the arrested, a 24-year-old student and expired visa holder Yishal Jood, became a hero for his side as a social media campaign raged on in India and in Indian communities worldwide for his release.

Some reports suggested India's External Affairs Minister had intervened. Turns out, charges against Jood including racial hate

crime were dropped after he pied guilty to some lesser ones, his jail tenn curtailed, and he "was put on a plane to India" immediately upon release. He arrived home to a hero's welcome.

Meanwhile, as India's Prune Minister and architect of the controversial laws announced a sudden repeal, it is hoped temperatures will reduce in co,nmunity hotspots here. The incidents caused at least one state government in Australia to become involved to deescalate the situation, and for the new Indian High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra to appeal for "the campaigns of hate" to "remain at the fringe," and for the "discourse to remain sane."

A rap on the knuckles fron1 at least two sources.

INDIA-OZ

When Mr Voru·a admonished the community with his well-crafted diplomatese, it was at his first outing after being safely ensconced in Canberra for the first few months of his tenure, thanks to lockdown.

No such luck for his Aussie counterpart Barry O'Farrell, who bravely fronted a Twitter barrage fro1n desperate, depressed or irate international students every

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tin1e he uttered a word. And yet Mr O'FarreU 111anaged to use the platform to com1nunicate his growing affection for his temporary ho1ne. (Love those peacock tweets, Barry).

Of course the Australian High Con1111issioner is currently busy showing an old friend and fonner boss Tony Abbott around India. The former prime minister is the current pri,ne 1ninister's special trade envoy. Interested stakeholders are keen to see whether Mr Abbott can successfully shift the momentu1n in bilateral trade. Interested stakeholders are also wary of repeated platitudes such as "natural partners" and "u ntapped potential" and long listings of areas where said untapped potential lies.

Yet, even as Peter Varghese's strategy to engage economicaUy with India continues to be invoked regu larly, it's good to see we've moved on fro1n "coal, cricket, curry and commonwealth". Mr O'Farrell has himself advanced fron1 the Cs to the Os lately - his buzzwords being Democracy and Dosti.

Talking of bilateral relations, business might perhaps learn a thing or two fron1 academia and scientific research, where the relationship seems to be forging on stronger, and with much less fanfare about it all.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

It's hard to discuss India-Australia relations without addressing the elephant in the room: the thousands of Indian international students still waiting to come back to shore.

From Twitter storms to protests outside the High Co1n1nission at Dellii, they've resorted to both online and offline activism to get some clarity from the government on their return. Our inbox has seen its fair

share of student inquiries too. Up until June, though, it seemed there was little hope for them. (Their now infa,nous hashtag #LetUsBackToAus continues to trend as borders remain closed to temporary visa holders till 15 December.)

Pilot plans were announced and quickly shelved amid lockdowns, questions surrounding vaccines remained unclear until overnight announcements, and now students continue to cross their fingers that Omicron won't play spoilsport on their Australian return. For n1any, though, it's already too little too late - new student cohorts are reportedly looking elsewhere.

GOVERNMENT GRANTS

At times of crises, governments do tend to act as shock absorbers for the community.

Comn1endably, the NSW and Victoria governn1ents have this year supported funding for students and temporary migrants stuck in Fortress Australia.

Working with co1nmunity groups, millions of dollars poured into the system to help with food and acco1nn1odation. Innovation grants of up to $250,000 were available to help vulnerable co1nn1u1uties through Multicultu1·al NSW, and Victoria was offering upto $100,000 to get their COVID-19 1uessaging out by community organisations. Monies set aside for community festivities found their way to online activities. There was a considerable push also towru·ds creating awareness and funding for mental health issues.

ISSUES THAT RANKLED

Travel bans Insulting and discriminatory.

That's bow tile community saw the

government's travel bans for Indian-origin Australians, which included jail terms for those returning. Victimised and demonised, they pointed out that no such rules were announced for those retu rning from a similarly stricken USA or Europe. For the 10,000 people stranded in India, retu rning to their families and their jobs i11 Australia proved to be nothing short of a nightmare.

They were, inexplicably, Australians banned from Australia, and not because they were terrorists or criminals, but because they had dashed overseas to care for sick and dying relatives.

The Swastika For as long as they've been residents of this country, Australia's 450,000 strong Hindu con1munity have been attempting to de-weaponise the Swastika in their own s1nall individual ways.

This year, they got to do so at a higher level, and collectively. A landmark reform in Victoria intended to stop extremism and propaganda caused much concern, as it aimed to ban the Swastika as a Nazi symbol. It is a symbol misappropriated from Hinduism and still in use widely. Shocked at the proposed $10,000 fine and six months imprisonment for use of this symbol, the Hindus sought consultations with the government successfully. It is expected now that the new law will not impact the faith symbol.

Kirpans at school After fu·st calling for schools to ban the kirpan following a stabbing incident in which a student was injured, the NSW Government backflipped only weeks later. As a knife, the kirpan is a Sik11 religious symbol signifying a fight against injustice. Sik11 students will now be allowed to weru· to school their kirpans,

under new guidelines to minimise any danger that might ensue. The debate on the topic initially brought up student safety, but concluded with a better understanding of Sikhism as a religion. In recent years, the Sikh community and the Sikh faith have come to the Limelight increasingly thanks to the tradition of seva (selfless service) especially in times of strife such as bushfires and floods.

Melbourne against Gandhi The Melbourne Indian con1111unity's relationship with Mahatma Gandhi, the world's best-known Indian and an apostle of peace, continues to puzzle. A few years ago, they voted, quite bizarrely, against a proposal to erect a statue of the n1an who brought a colonial empire to its knees. Then, when a statue finally can1e u p this year, inaugu rated with much flourish by the Prin1e Minister himself, it was defiled overnight in a strange attack, an attempt at decapitation.

Nonviolent protest? Civil disobedience?

Gone are the Gandhian ideals just at the very juncture they are needed, in today's deeply polarised world.

ACHIEVERS

We were delighted to see many of our con1patriots again this year in the Australian Government's honours lists. Academics, medicos and community warriors led the charge yet again, includi11g the late Dr Amarjit Singh More of Woolgoolga, Dr Anand Naidoo of Coffs Harbour, Melbourne's Dr Santosh Kun1ar and Dr Selvin Selvendra, and Prof Ramesh Balasubramaniam of Perth.

The boffins continue to do our community proud. Only weeks ago, inventor DECEMBER 2021 11

COVER STORY

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and sustainabiJity expert Prof. Veena SahajwalJa of UNSW was named NSW Australian of the Year 2022, and scientist and science co1111nunicator Dr Niraj Lal took ho1ne a coveted Eureka Prize.

Four young Indian-Australians also found then1selves listed in the nationwide 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians for 2021, including Sydney councillor Charishma Kaliyanda, Melbourne corporate head Anlit Singh, RMIT's Assoc Prof Sumeet Walia, and Brisbane entrepreneur Yash Dutt.

In a new trend, we brought you more reports than ever before the field of law.

Indian-origin Hament Dhanji joined the bench of the NSW Supren1e Court this year, and Pardeep Singh Tiwana was appointed as a judge of the County Court of V ictoria (Australia). India-qualified lawyer Molina Asthana beca1ne the Vice President of the Law Institute of V ictoria.

SPORT

2021 saw a historic Men's Cricket Test series win for India here in Australia.

It will be a Test series for the ages, Australian legend Steve Waugh had prophesised, and how right he was. A 4-Test series was decided in the last hour of the last day of the last Test n1atch.

It was a series that brought out the best - and the worst - on and off the field between the co1npetitors. lndja was not backward in collling forward with accusations of sledging both on the field and

by Australian supporters off it. Australia for their part accused the Indian cricketers of manipulating the system with their threats of withdrawing from certain venues due to restrictive COVID conditions. In spite of all this, India pulled off a remarkable series victory: losing the First Test convincingly after being bowled out for 36; drawing the next Test in Melbourne; winning Sydney, and then breaking the fortress of the Gabba, 12 DECEMBER 2021

where Australia had not lost a Test match in 32 years. And thls, incredibly, without the services of their dynamic captain Virat Kohli for most of the series, and the many injuries suffered enroute. Their win of the Border Gavaskar trophy despite these setbacks was a special n1oment for cricket tragics globaJJy. The Women's series on the other band was a damp squib, but WBBL has been a whole new ball game. The Indian entrants made it hugely watchable for our co1nmunity, and that they performed brilliantly was a great source of pleasure.

Harmanpreet Kaur's Player of the Series award - surely the icing on the cake.

Wonder what Un1nukt Chand, the BBL's latest Indian entrant, has in store for us.

ARTS

Meanwhile, mainstream TV is beginning to warm to the idea that it might like the notion of possibly acknowledging that it is considering that it understands that people of colour are part of the cultural landscape in thls country. And so we've begun to see a darker skin tone or two light up our screens.

Amongst the notables, NlasterChefAustralia got its second Indjan-origin winner in Justin Narayan, and twelve-year-old singer Janaki Easwar moved the judges to tears on The Voice. We're waiting for more in 2022!

Slightly further afield fron1 popular culture, there was a fair bit of the darker skin tone in the arts: the Archlbalds brought us portraits of infectious diseases expert Raina McIntyre and artist Keerthana Selvaraj, and the Blake Prize for Religious Art gave new life to a 2000-year-old Tamil tale, retold as Stories of Kannagi, a winning entry.

(We're predicting a Veena Sahajwalla portrait for a future Archlbald Prize - if there's an Indian artist who could deliver, that would be doubly wonderful!)

The Sydney Film Festival, the only large-

scale cultural program lucky to host in-person events in pandemic times, featured a clever selection of films from a new-look India, one where deep societal change is atoot.

In Brisbane currently, the Asia Pacific Triennial has just opened at the QAGOMA, featuring a list of interesting contemporary artists from India.

TRENDS

What trends defined the community this year?

Ministers Zooming in frequently. (And loving it.) The number of online meets that our politicians have held this year with multicultural media, is impressive. Hardly a fortnight passes by \Vhen there isn't an invite to a meeting, state or federal, or even indeed, with the prime minister. Restricted conversations (on COVID regulations, border closures, visa changes and the like), it's always entertaining to analyse who gets past the usual waffling to provide proper answers to the questions posed.

The proliferation of community social media platforms. Love it or hate it, social

media now plays a major role in our community life as a connective space for communication and information. This is evidenced in the recent rise of niche platforms connecting people with like needs and interests. Ayurveda enthusiast?

Desi gardener? Desi 1notorcycle rider?

Desi 4WD fanatic? Stuck in India?

Applied for travel exemption? New mum?

Mum t- o b- e doing it without help? Cooking enthusiast? Art practitioner? Fashion distributor? Don't worry, there's a group for you.

Virtual events. We've become pros at Zoom, embracing it at the community level business events, consulate commemorations, health and well-being seminars, poetry contests and mushairas, literary festivals, even dance and theatre. (Thank you and well done, Melbourne's Indian community

for that last one!) Everything's online, and everyone's Zooming in.

Everyone's an interviewer/ 'Chaiti1ne chats' by first-time interviewers and self-styled celebrities are a dime a dozen.Presented in neat packages and pushed via social 1nedia, these have served a purpose admittedly, in the COYID-caused absence of reaJ-tin1e interactions. Be prepared for plenty more!

VAY OR NAY: SCOMO'S CURRY NIGHTS

Here's the lowdown from our social media: Yay, it's nice to see our PM embracing Indian cuisine (and thereby, diversity). And he has an accompanying playlist, kay baat hail Nay, it's tokenistic, patronising when he tells us how to make our garam masala, and en1barrassing when he offers to cook a khichri for Narendra Modi.

Whlch way do you lean?

THUMBS UP TO...

Indian Link Radio's Mission Jab jingle, featuring a dancing policeman.

A public service announcement, this vaccination message parodying a popular Bollywood number went viral on TikTok, breaking the comn1u11ity barrier and garnering mainstream attention. lt proved that cultural and social perspectives can be more effective in health messaging targeted at multicultural communities, as opposed to literal translations of English language con1munications. Pat on the back to Station Director Ekta Sharma and her team!

THUMBS DOWN TO...

The infiJtration into Australia of India's domestic politics, and the division it causes in an otherwise harmonious and hard­ working Indian comn1unity.

With inputs by Pawan Lutbra, Rhea L Nath and Bagesbri Savyasachi

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COV I D-1 9 BOOSTER DOSES A R E N OW AVA I LABLE To book your COVID-19 vaccine booster dose appointment, visit australia.gov.au, or call 1800 020 080. For interpreting services, call 131 450.

On 28 October 2021 , the Australian Government announced COVID-19 vaccination booster doses for people 1 8 years of age and older.

Read on to find out more about the booster program, and when you can get your booster dose.

Why is there a booster program?

The COVID-19 vaccines available in Australia - Vaxzevria {AstraZeneca), Comirnaty (Pfizer) and Spikevax (Moderna) - are very effective at protecting people from severe disease, having to go to hospital, and death. They also have a significant impact on reducing the risk of getting COVID-19 and passing the virus on to others.

The Australian Government has started rolling out booster doses to people who completed their two-dose primary vaccination course at least six months ago.

It is important people know that two doses of COVID-19 vaccine provide very good protection, especially against severe disease.

A booster dose, six or more months after the second dose, will make sure that the protection from the first doses

is even stronger and longer lasting and should help prevent spread of the virus.

Do not rush to get your booster dose before six months of having your initial course, even if you are going overseas or you have other concerns.

You can be confident that your two-dose course is giving you full protection for at least six months.

How do I get my COVID-19 vaccine booster dose?

COVID-19 vaccines are free to everyone in Australia. This includes booster doses.

You can go to a doctor, a government vaccination clinic, or a participating pharmacy to get your COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.

of COVID-19 vaccine, as part of their initial course.

A third COVID-19 vaccine dose is different from COVID-19 booster dose. Booster doses are not currently recommended for people who are severely immunocompromised and who have had a three-dose primary course of the COVID-19 vaccination.

If you do not remember when you had your second dose, you can find those details on your COVID-19 vaccine certificate. Go to servicesaustralia. gov.au for information on how to access your certificate. Or, if you received your second dose from your doctor, you can ask them.

Where do I go for more information?

It's important to stay informed about the COVID-19 vaccination program through reliable and official sources.

What's the difference between booster doses and third doses?

Visit health.gov.au/covid19-vaccines­ languages for more information in your language. You can also call the National Coronavirus and COVID-19 Vaccine Helpline on 1800 020 080. For interpreting services, call 131 450.

Australia's immunisation experts, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), recommend a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 1 2 years and over who are severely immunocompromised. People who are severely immunocompromised have lower levels of immunity than the rest of the population. They need this third dose to get the same protection others will have from two doses.

Australian Government

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Those who are eligible for a third dose should have it between two to six months after their second dose

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Recent a n n o uncements include a pathway to citizenship for skilled worker visa holders and replacement visas for tempora ry g ra d uate visa holders he Australian Government has announced i1nportant changes to visas in the skilled workers category.

It wilJ allow enable about 20,000 skilled visa holders who stayed in the country during the pande1nic to apply for pern1anent residency.

These visa changes will in1prove access to permanent residence for: ■ Existing Te1nporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa holders in the short­ term strean1 ■ Legacy Ten1porary Work Skilled (subclass 457) visa holders who no longer 111eet the age requirement.

Prior to this announcement, ten1porary skill shortage visa holders in the short-term stream were restricted to a two year stay without a pathway to permanent residence.

Minister for l1nmigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Alex Hawke said these n1easures recognise the contribution of skilled migrants who remaiJ1ed here during the COVID-19 panden1ic and encourage them to stay in Australia.

"This is a special concession recognising those highly skilled migrant workers who chose to stay in Australia throughout the pande111ic, while contiJ1uing to address Australia's acute shortages. This allows them to stay here, with a pathway to Australian citizenship," Minister Hawke said.

"Eligible skilled workers, already in Australia, wiU continue to support local

businesses facing critical shortages, particularly in health, hospitality and our regions. This recognises the economic value-add of these critical workers, and retaining them will greatly assist in Australia's economic recovery."

The announcement will be particularly helped to address job vacancies in the hospitality industry, which increased by 87 per cent since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The Minister added that there are currently about 20,000 primary Ternporary Skill Shortage and 457 visa holders in Australia who may benefit fro1n these arrangements.

Most of these workers are employed in the highest-skilled occupations and the largest cohorts of workers benefiting from these changes iJ1clude those currently en1ployed in the health and hospitality industries, including many workers in regional Australia.

The Govern1nent will also extend visas for skilled regional (provisional visa) holders (subclass 489, 491 and 494) in recognition that this cohort has been adversely affected by COVlD-19 related travel restrictions.

"Cu1-rent and expired skilled regional provisional visas will be extended, providing additional tin1e to 1neet regional work. There are currently around 9,000 skilled regional provisional visa holders overseas. These visa holders can enter Australia from 1 Dece1nber 2021, and they wilJ also be eligible for an extension of their visa," he said.

The Government will also extend by a further six months Visa Application Charge waivers for new Visitor visa applicants overseas where their visa expired, or will expire, between 1 Tanuary 2022 and 30 June 2022.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

In important news for international students, Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa holders who have been unable to travel to Australia as a result of COV lD-19 international border restrictions, will be able to apply for a replacement visa.

Current and former Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa holders whose visas expired on or after I February 2020 wiU now be aUowed to re-apply for a new subclass 485 visa of the same duration as their original visa.

"Australia's border settings have been an important part of our health response to COVID-19, but we understand the impact that restrictions have had on current and former international students who remain overseas," Minister for Education and Youth Alan Tudge said.

In normal circumstances, applicants are limited to just one initial subclass 485 visa in a lifetiJne and a further visa is only available on the basis of regional work and study.

There are about 30,000 Temporary Graduate visa holders who lost time in Australia due to travel restrictions, who will now have the opportunity to apply for another subclass 485 visa.

Those graduates whose visas have expired will be able to apply for a replacen1ent visa from I July 2022.

There will also be other changes to Temporary Graduate visa settings to ensure Australia remains a con1petitive and attractive destination for international students.

■ The stay period on the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa for Masters

by Coursework graduates, will increase permanently from two to three years, to match the stay period for Masters by Research graduates.

■ As a concession during the COVlO-19 pandemic, the stay period on the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa Graduate Work stream, will increase from 18 to 24 months, and application requirements will be streamlined by removing the requirement for graduates to nominate an occupation from the skills occupation list. "increasing the length of Temporary Graduate visas for Masters by Coursework and Vocational Education and Training (VET) graduates and expanding opportunities for VET graduates to apply for a Temporary Graduate visa will benefit our economy," Minister Hawke said.

These changes will be iinplemented progressively from 1 December 2021 ilirough to 1 July 2022.

For more details, head to the Department of Home Affairs website at www.homeaffairs.gov.au

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Prof. VEENA SAHAJWALLA, NSW Australian of the Year 2022, in conversation with RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA rof. Veena Sahajwalla, scientist, inventor, science communicator, and flag bearer of women in STEM, has just won her latest accolade NSW Australian of the Year 2022.

Prof. Sahajwalla is best known for her research and application in sustainability, particularly transforn1ing waste products into steel. Her work converting plastics, tyres and discarded fabric for use in the production of steel and building n1aterial has won her n1uch acclaim in the scientific as well as i11 the broader comn,unity.

'Green steel', 'green ceramics' and the 'microfactories' that produce these green materials, are now beco1ning commonly used tern1inology thanks to her pioneering work. They look set to become 1nore conunonplace in the coming years as we embrace an increasingly sustainable lifestyle.

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Prof.

Sahajwalla arrived in Australia in the mid­ I990s. She brought with her the best in science education that India offered - a degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur), where she was the only girl studying metallurgy.

Not surprisingly, it did not faze her one bit.

Her interest in engineering took her to further studies in Canada and the US, where she met her husband, follow-scientist Rama Mahapatl·a.

They 1noved to Australia where careers in the CSIRO and UNSW awaited thenJ. Today Prof. Sahajwalla is Professor of Materials Science and the founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology at UNSW. The 56-year-old is no stranger to awards.

Starting with the Eureka Prize way back in 2005, there have been business awards and innovation awards galore, even the Indian Govern1nent's Pravasi Bharatiya Samman prize for e1ninent overseas Indians.

Her latest award is a hurrah for science, for overseas-trained scientists in this country, for women in STEM, and for research and application in the science of recycling.

She speaks here about beco1ning NSW Australian of the Year, and about diversity, science, and sustainability.

Congratulations Veena, looks like it's been a wonderful Diwali for you.

Thank you Rajni. It's been incredible. I still can't believe that 1 got nominated; that itself was a surprise. And then walking away with the award last night, that was a real shock. Thank you.

You have a series of awards already.

Oh look, it's one thing to get science and engineering kind of awards, but I think this is special. This is very much about capturing the spirit of being in Australia, and it's about being able to co1111ect with and contribute to communities. It's different.

It turned out to be a wonderful Diwali gift for the rest of the community as well.

That's very kind of you to say. I feel very blessed that so n1any n1embers of the community have been sending messages. I feel very hun1bled to have this recognition for the scientific work, but in a broader 16 DECEMBER 2021

the sheer love of what they were doing, the repair guys would genuinely engage. I'll never forget the conversations I had with the guy who would fix our shoes. He'd say, what kind of heels do you want - if I use this rubber sole rather than this one, it'll last longer. These simple conversations stayed with me, stored somewhere in the back of my mind, and became what l love so much about the science and technology of recycling. Today we bring to the table these very ideas about what can make a difference, however sLnall. For instance, that we can as consumers reduce our consumption in the first place, whether clothes or shoes or electronic devices. And that when products break down, we consider repair. If we put together all our little microsolutions and make them a part of our daily life, then we would actually be contributing to change in a big way. And that change in mindset, you know, is very much about sustainability.

sense, about what it means to our con1munities and to our environment. So ulti1nately it is a holistic recognition of the work more than just about science. It's very much about the social and environmental impact that this kind of work actualJy is for - it's for our planet, and for our people.

Trust you Veena, to always look at the bigger picture.

(Laughing) Thank you Rajni.

Who was the first person you called when you got to know?

My husband Raina was with me. I think as my name was called and I walked up, he was sending messages to our family - my mum and our kids.

How do you think this award will

change your life?

This has realJy been a recognition of all the fabulous work that n1embers of the UNSW Smart Centre and our collaborators in conlll)unities and industries have been doing.

We're realJy passionate about the scientific work, but perhaps more importantly about being a source of inspiration for future generations. To see our work as a source of hope and optimism, I think, is the best pru·t. I feel very privileged when young people tell me how they are inspired by the work I do. That's really the uJti1nate praise, you know, when a young person speaks from their heart.

So let's go back to a young Veena growing up in Mumbai...

My most vivid memories are going to the markets and bazaru·s in Mumbai with my mum. I'd be hanging on to her and taking in all those little stalls selling all kinds of stuff. I just enjoyed the buzz! And while the shops attracted 1ne, what really fascinated were the repair shops that fixed things clothes and shoes and old TVs. With their entrepreneurial spirit and creativity and

That mindset has seen you do some wonderful work in sustainability. You've recycled plastic for steel. You've used old clothes for building material. What other weird and wonderful things are you ,vorking on currently?

Well, there is something in the pipeline that I can probably share with you. I love my coffee.

There's a lot of coffee waste residue that's left behind, as you can imagine, whether you're having it at home or in cafes, and I began to wonder what we could do with it.

One of the projects we're working on right now is how to use that coffee residue in the process of making steel. This will reduce our dependence on coal-based materials. Yes of course you can use up your coffee waste by composting it, but using it in this completely different and creative way provides us an alternate path towards sustainability.

Wonderful! Never stop thinking weird things,Veena.

I'll keep thinking weird and wonderful!

Lately in Australia, we've had some serious talk about smart cars. We're fmally beginning to think about sustainable lives in the not-so-distant future. But seriously, how soon do you see this country making a measurable change towards a sustainable lifestyle?

Will it be five years, 10 years, more?

You know, there are so many solutions that we ru·e happy to embrace, but for alJ of these things, you need infrastructure, right? Whether you're talking about charging stations or about repairing cars, or about replacing batteries, infrastructure is essential.

This means that in our approach towards sustainability, we're going to constantly have to innovate. We have to think not just in the context of our electric vehicles alone, but more broadly about a push towards electrification, decru·bonization etc. So for all the different kinds of products that we'JJ use if we're going to make a choice about being sustainable as a viable alternative, we'll have to make sure that we have the

capacity to support the people who want to embrace these new concepts. You'll want to have charging stations for electric vehjcles for instance. You might want to have more electronic devices and goods being manufactured and produced in Australia.

You'll need access to materials that go into the 1naking of these kinds of sustainable products.

This is going to be a new journey; the world is evolving very quickly, that has become very apparent. And I do think n1ore and n1ore people are ready to embrace a whole new way of living, a whole new 1nindset. But this requires partnerships and colJective support all the way from your local councils to of course businesses and research communities and community members wanting to support new initiatives that are coming about.

You just spoke about mindset again, and it n1ade 1ne think of another question. l' 1n so happy to see that this award has gone to a scientist, because in the past few months, we've seen a shift in tcn1peran1ent in certain sections of the population away from science. What are your thoughts on that?

I think it's really heartwarming to see people keen to engage in conversations about science. But it's got to be conversations that connect science to our everyday lives, that show people that this has a big impact on our lives, whether it's about our health or about our environment. It is of course a critical role that scientists must play - to connect with our communities and make science accessible. I mean, we alJ understand why health matters to us. We may not understand the ins and out of medicine, but we n1ust understand what steps we need to take to have a healthy lifestyle. And just like we worry about out· personal human health, we must worry about the health of our planet.

You are a flag bearer for women in STEM. Why do you think women are a good fit for science?

1 think it's alJ about diversity, isn't it. We all think differently. We bring our life experiences to the table, and all the things that have inspired us. Like the repair shop guys in the Mumbai of my childhood. So 1 guess it' s very much about bringing our head and our heart, to the conversation. And when we bring our whole selves to the conversation, we can listen to other people, put ourselves in their shoes and learn what their needs and worries are. This will allow us to collectively deliver a better outcome for alJ the people on this planet. And that's why diversity 1natters.

I hope there are more young women out

there who are listening to you and are inspired by what you're doing. In your own way you're breaking stereotypes about scientists and making science cool, with your energy and enthusiasm, your creativity, even your cool sense of fashion.

I love that! I'm right here, willing to listen to our young people, and encourage and support them on their scientific journey.

www.indianlink.com.au

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SCIENCE

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Scientist and science c o m m u nicator D r N i raj Lal of Canberra wins Eure ka Prize for P romoting Unde rsta nding of Science BY

RASHIDA TAYABALI anberra's Dr. Niraj Lal was one of 16 scientists awarded this year's Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, known as the 'Oscars' of Australian science.

A scientist and science con1111unicator, Niraj won the Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science.

The prize is awarded to an individual scientist who has shared their expertise with a broad audience - informing, enthusing and engaging the public.

Niraj won $10,000 for his efforts in engaging Australians of all ages through pri1ne-time television, podcasts, and a children's book about gravity.

"It was a real honour to win this award even just to be in the company of the other outstanding finalists," Nil·aj told Indian Link. "The biggest value of awards like this is to help continue this work in the futw·e, and that's what I hope to do with promoting the understanding of science."

Niraj is based at the Australian Energy Market Operator and the Australian National University and is currently working in the renewable energy sector.

But you've probably seen or heard him on ABC Catalyst, ABC Radio National, 18 DECEMBER 2021

--- ABC Kids Listen podcast bnagine This, ABC Sciencey, Todd Sampson's Life on the Line, Dr Karl's Outrageous Acts of Science, TEDxSydney, or on his YouTube channel.

Born in Hawaii and brought up in Australia with roots in India and Fiji, Niraj's interest in using science for good was sparked on a visit to India as a teenager.

"My parents are from Fiji, but 1ny grandparents and great grandparents were from India. On this particular visit, 1 became aware of my h1credible privilege, education and upbringing in Australia compared to what I saw in parts of India.

I started wondering about the ways in which I could help address and reduce inequality, instead of contributing to it.

After graduation, I decided to explore

' using physics for renewable energy instead of defence where many of my peers ended up."

Science had always interested him as a child iliough he admits he wasn't one of those kids forever conducting experiments in his bedToom. " l was always asking why, and was interested in how things worked," Niraj revealed. "Growing up, I also spent a lot of time at the beach learning about the ocean in Hawaii, then the bush in Australia. I was interested in Maths, Physics, Politics and Philosophy and how things worked from a theoretical level."

Niraj's particular passion lies in

communicating with kids and promoting science to them, such as on the ABC .Kids Listen podcast imagine This.

"PersonaUy, the most impactful science communication is to audiences that aren't already engaged with science," he observed. " l feel like l can help make a real impact with children. I especially enjoy answering kids' questions about science."

This particular passion to make an impact on children in different ways led to a dream that inspired him to write a children's book on gravity, Henry The Flying Emu. "When I wrote the book, l was learning about gravitational mechanics and how things move in space. I had an idea in a dream about how fast you could fly to the beach if you went through orbit, and thought about how fast emus can run, and the book wrote itself from iliere!"

Niraj is donating half of his prize money to organisations supporting kids to engage in science, creativity, critical thinking, civics, performing arts or connecting wiili country and the natural environment.

So what's next for Niraj Lal? "I'm helping progress market design reforn1 of our electricity system and working with some great people across Australia about how our energy system could support a 100% renewable future."

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P H OTO G RA P H Y ''It took me three years to get a shot of the Crimson chat. When I finally did, I felt like I'd won the lottery."

Great Crested Grebes in courtship dance

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA t's Sunday night and bird photographer Naidu Kumpatla has just returned to his Perth hon,e from a weekend at Camel Soak in outback WA. The 800-km roundtrip was in pursuit of one - yes, one - feathered creature.

Known as Major Mitchell's Cockatoo (lophochroa leadbeateri), this saln,on­ coloured cockatoo is currently nesting there. With its striking red and yellow crest, especially against the arid surrounds, it is sure to make a spectacular picture.

Naidu did not get the shot.

But there's no hint of disappointment in his voice, onJy enthusiasm.

"I'Li go out again next weekend," he tells Indian Link with promise. "Don't want to miss this chance befol'e summer sets in."

If you're on birding platforms yourself or folJow bird and nature photography on your social 1nedia, you'll have seen Naidu's work.

The 3 5 y- ear-old's photographs are often picked up by the ABC. Not only is his photographic work a testit11ony to his love of bit·ds, the passion also comes through loud and clear when he talks about his winged friends.

Of course, he doesn't usually have to travel as far as the outback for his clicks.

He has some stunning images of the Great Crested Grebe, currently birding in Perth.

"I've been out to see them every day, starting at 5.30 am, before startit1g work at 8.30," he describes. "They are aquatic birds native to Australia, with long necks.

These days the chicks are out, always on the mother's back."

Naidu has learnt a lot about these birds, watching and observing.

"They spend the season in monogan1ous pairs, taking turns to sit on the eggs. I got a few great shots of their typical courtship dance earlier on, in which they dig up reeds

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Great Crested Grebe with her baby

A love of birds de-fines Naidu Kumpatla as much as bird photogra phy of grass from within the water and offer them to each other. This 'weed dance' is an amazing behavioural trait specific to this species. The weeds are used to build their nests."

The Grebes allowed Naidu to come close - even 4-6 feet, allowmg him shots of the nest eggs.

(Jt's an important insight he's gained while bird-watching: "Birds in Australia are much less shy than bfrds in Jndia. Using the satne focal length, I've captured many more intimate shots here.")

One of his most talked about images also came only 2 kms from where he lives, Perth's famous Queens Gardens.

It's a shot of the common kookaburra feeding on baby turtle hatchlings.

"The itnage caused much debate on social media, because the turtle species is endangered," he recounts. "The kookaburra itself was introduced to WA in the 1900s to reduce snakes but is now feeding on other local natives. My thoughts? It's nature!"

This profile-lifting shot came when COVID had restricted his work to two days a week, which meant he spent the rest of the week working his camera.

Although his daytiLne job is in hospitality (as director of revenue at a local resort), Naidu has always been attracted to wildlife and nature. Growmg up m India, he bushwalked in the forests of his native Hyderabad with a basic camera m his hand.

When he got his first bird shot, he was hooked.

"It was the Indian paradise flycatcher, a small bright-coloured bfrd with a long tail that appears ribbon - like when it is in flight. J fell m love."

Soon after, he acquired his first piece of equipment - a lens worth t 1.5 lakh (nearly $3000).

Today, he's looking forward to buying himself a mirrorless camera worth $9000 and lenses worth $26,000.

"Technology has changed now. From pro-level DSLRs we've moved to mirrorless cameras, easier to use and n1uch more advanced to captu1·e action shots." lt's an expensive hobby, he agrees, admitting wryly that his wife often drops hints about getting into the property n1arket.

"Apart from funds, you also need plenty of patience if you want to get into bit·ding, and time, and willingness to travel."

The longest he bas

had to wait to get a shot of a bird?

"Three years. It was a Crimson chat, a small sparrow-like bird with bright red head and red underbelly. It comes to WA in a season of 3-4 months.

When I finally got the shot after years of tracking, I felt like I'd won the lottery!"

His patience has no doubt paid off, as his inlages began to win hio1 small competitions, get shortlisted for Australian Photographer of the Year, and sell more and more.

Nevertheless, there are missed opportunities too.

"There's plenty of those!" Naidu laughs.

"Technical factors, limitations of equipment, plus of course not being attentive, or just not quick enough. The rainbow bee eater, also currently in Perth, has given much joy to photographers, especially as it tosses its prey into its mouth. But you're aiming at the bit·d with a handheld tripod for a one­ second action - there's so much that can go wrong."

The missed opportunities notwithstanding, we are sure Naidu will be out there again as the weekend comes up, camo net and yoga mat in tow.

More pies on pages 20-21

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DECEMBER 2021 19

V I EW F I N D E R

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo

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Red-capped Robin

Eastern Osprey with fish

Splendid Fairy Wren

Rainbow Lorikeet

BIRDS ARE A M IRACLE

Spotted Pardalotes

20

DECEMBER 2021

... because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain.

Douglas Coupland I MAGES: NAIDU KUMPATLA

Crested Pigeon

www.indianlink.com.au

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Laughing Kookaburra tossing her catch, a Baby Southwestern Snake Necked Turtle

DECEMBER 2021 21

ENTREPRENEUR

TiE Melbourne annual charter member lunch at Nazaaray Estate Winery, Flinders

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How TiE Melbourne is helping entrepreneurs help entrepreneurs BY

CARL BUHARIWALA hen Prakash Gupta and his wife Seema migrated to Australia in 2000 as skilled professionals, they were in search of job opportunities. They felt privileged when they successfuJly secured reliable jobs with their strong overseas qualifications.

However, Prakash always drea1nt of starting a business. 1n 2007, when he was made redundant, he took on the challenge.

Within 15 days of his redundancy, Prakash had taken the next step on his entrepreneuriaJ journey. With help and encourage1nent from Seema who aJso threw in her job, he established a company that offers technicaJ optimisation solutions for business processes.

Fast forward to 2013. The duo faced a dile1nma that all business owners experience.

They questioned why their business was not growing, and did not know what to do.

Open about their lack of business experience, Seema candidJy recalled that they desperately needed help and guidance.

Prakash contacted TiE Melbourne and sought mentorship. Having run the business for approximately 6 years, Prakash and Seema knew that they did not know everything about running a business. Their awareness and honest reflection about certain lacking capabilities n1eant that they had 1nade one of their best decisions in life.

TiE Melbourne connected then1 with a mentor who selflessly gave up their time to guide and support them. The mentor's support meant that the business did not fold. Instead, Prakash and Seema found the motivation to continue operating their 22 DECEMBER 2021

TiE Melbourne board: (From left) Saurabh Mishra, Treasurer; Sheela Edwards, President and Subhash Challa, Vice-President.

business, following their mentor's advice.

"Running a business can be lonely," Prakash ruminated as be spoke to Indian Link. "At the beginning, you do feel isolated because you are learning on your own about how to operate and grow the business."

"There isn't someone else doing that for you, like when you are an e1nployee," Seema added."When we knew we needed help, we got up and sought it."

Ti£ Melbourne is a chapter of globaJ not-for-profit organisation The Indus Entrepreneurs, established in 1992 out of Silicon Valley. Initially launched to 1nentor Indian-origin entrepreneurs in the US over their entrepreneurial journey, Ti£ has grown into a global association of more than 12,000 me1nbers and over 1,800 charter 1nembers with 61 chapters across 12 countries.

Sheela Edwards, President of Ti£ Melbourne, explained that over and above fostering entrepreneurship, the core focus is now on developing conscious entrepreneurs.

"Being aware and mindful of your situation, goals and purpose, is crucial to running a successful business," Sheela explained.

Since 2003, TiE Melbourne continues to assist entrepreneurs in understanding their purpose. Their focus is on the individual, not the business, and their program and events are driven by purpose-led activities. These activities are developed and run by charter members.

Current charter members cumulatively have decades of experience as entrepreneurs in a variety of industries including health tech, Fin Tech, education and Edtech, Al, mobile apps, and supply chains.

After engaging with TiE Melbourne in 2013, Prakash became a charter member in 2019. To qualify as a charter member, one must have entrepreneurial experience and meet certain criteria. It is a charter men1ber's role to give back to the community and support the organisation throughout

mentoring, events, engagement and network development.

TiE Melbourne's new Vice President, Dr. Subhash Challa reflected on his own journey and the charter 1nembers' role with TiE and explained, ".Having crossed the bridge from being an academic to becoming an entrepreneur with the help, support and mentoring I received fro1n TiE, I felt that it's my time to give back to the community of entrepreneurs and play a positive role in shaping future entrepreneurs."

Only a few weeks ago, TiE M.elbourne hosted its first in-person event following easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Commenting on the occasion, Sheela Edwards said, "It was wonderful to be given the opportunity to meet our charter members face to face and celebrate the progress of Ti£ Melbourne.

2021 has been an eventfuJ year, with the success of several programs including TiE Won1en Entrepreneurs and Ti£ Young Entrepreneurs, and increasing members."

Ti£ has become a vibrant platform for entrepreneurs, professionals, industry leaders and investors to interact with one another and forge long-lasting relationships. Collaborating with schools, universities, industry and government, Ti£ Melbotu-ne is open to any entrepreneur regardless of their time in their entrepreneurial life cycle.

Encouraging positive gestures by Melbourne's entrepreneurial cohort, TiE Melbourne helps the business ecosystem leverage experience and wisdom from others willing to share their time and motivate others to not give up.

"We don't end up where we are without others," Sheela Edwards emphasised.

For n1ore information about TiE Melbourne, its events and global network, and to become a member, head to www.melbourne.tie.org

www.indianlink.com.au

F U N D RA I S E R

1ves on

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BY RHEA L NATH t started off with a sitnple concept: for every $20 donation, a diya was lit this Diwali. And for every 25 diyas, adding up to $500, a young girl who dropped out of school would be given another chance at an education.

By the end of its six-week run, Pratham Australia was able to raise enough 01oney to send 41 girls and women back to school.

"I really beUeve that getting an education can change lives," bea1ned Anoop Kalra, a board me1nber of Prathan1 Australia.

"Young girls are an,ong the 1nost vulnerable sections in society, and by empowering them with an education, we're breaking the cycle and helping them on the path to a better life and more opportunities."

At an overwhelming $20,502 raised through this Diwali fundraiser, these funds will help these young girls and women to con1plete Year 10 and obtain an academic certificate.

The passion for education is evident in Anoop's voice as he elaborates on the life­ changing work done by Pratham.

"The Right to Education law in India guarantees free and compulsory schooling to all children till Year 8, but millions of children, especially young girls, drop out o r discontinue their education due to reasons like illness, n1arriage, cultural barriers. With the Second Chance progran1, we want to help bring them back to school."

Since its inception in 2015, Pratham Australia has fundraised nearly a quarter of a million dollars and supported 445 girls in the Second Chance program. It runs across nine states in India: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana.

In Phase 1 , the students fill in the gaps with fundamentals they have missed in subjects like English, science, math,

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This festive season, Pratham Australia raised ove r $20,000 towa rds ed ucating young girls a n d women in I ndia

H a p py Diwa l i #L/GHTALIFE THIS DIWALI

THANK YOU FRIENDS FOR SHARING THE SPIRIT OF DIWALI AND LIGHTING THE PATH TO EDUCATION FOR 41 GIRLS IN INDIA. WITH YOUR GENEROUS HELP WE HAVE EXCEEDED OUR INITIAL TARGET OF $5,000 AND RAISED A TOTAL OF $20,S02I

''Young girls are among the most vul nerable sections in society, and by em powering them with an education, we're breaking the cycle and helping them on the path to a better life and more opportunities." home science, and life skills. In Phase 2, they prepare for the Secondary School Curriculum through discussions, presentations, group learning, and other activities.

"We really believe in broadening the vision of these girls. By providing them with an education, we're changing their lives and thus, future generations too," Anoop pointed out.

His own involvement with the organisation was inspired by his young daughter, who wanted to tackle the issue of poverty for girls in India as her Year 6 project. The fanilly were referred to Pratham Australia and were blown away by the organisation's efforts.

Seeing the success of the Diwali fundraiser, Pratham Australia i s already

looking ahead at 2022, with a tentative Holi fundraiser in the works.

The organisation has received many accolades over the years, most recently being named one of the 34 initiatives from around the world to receive funding from the Google Impact Challenge.

For Anoop, who was born and raised in Australia, working with Prathatn also offers a deeper purpose.

"It allows us as the diaspora to give back to our heritage. We get to acknowledge our luck, privilege, and opportunities here by donating not just money, but time and energy to a meaningful cause," he told Indian Link.

To get involved, you can follow Pratham Australia on social media (www.facebook. con1/PrathamAustralia) or reach out regarding volunteer opportunities on info@pratham.org.au.

To donate, head to www.pratham.org.au/donate DECEMBER 2021 23

B O O KS

Chint Singh marks Christmas 1946 with after a horrific four-year war experie

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Chint Singh's wish to tel l the world his extraordinary tale of survival is fulfil led by his son, in a book just released.

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RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA n late September 1945, at the end of World War II, Lt F.O. Monk of the Australian Army helped rescue a group of Indian soldiers held as POWs by the Japanese Army in New Guinea.

"It was heart-wrenching," Lt Monk wrote later. "Ten of these poor fellows were lined up. Son1e were sitting because of the sores on their teet .... but were all rigidly at attention despite their rags and pitiable condition. In charge was a s111art-looking 111an, Jemadar Chint Singh, also in rags but with the most 1nilitary bearing who marched up, saluted, and said, 'Sir, one officer, two NCOs and eight other ranks reporting for whatever duty the King and the Australian anny requires of us'. I found it very hard to reply to him. I still feel much en1otion when recalling it."

They were the last survivors of a group of 600 Indian prisoners.

Today, more than 75 years after that rescue, we are learning the story of the 'smart-looking' officer Chint Singh for the first time in a new book just released.

It is written by his son, Narinder Singh Parmar, who has lived in Australia for over 30 years.

Parmar's book, Chint Singh: The Man Who Should Have Died is an extraordinary story of survival in the face of extren,e hardship and violence. It does not end at the rescue by the Australians. Indeed, the story becomes even more ren,arkable after that.

In the months following, Chint Singh became chief witness in the Australian War Crimes Comn1ission investigating atrocities committed by the Japanese Imperial Army.

While he stayed back in Australia to testify, his comrades, flying back home, aJJ perished in an air crash. Chint Singh was the sole survivor of 5000 Indian POWs taken by the Japanese.

"We should have killed hin1," one of his Japanese captors muttered at the trial.

Narinder Singh Parmar observed, "My father was a man who should have died. H.e survived torn1ent after torn1ent, and by a strange twist of fate, escaped that final fateful blow which took the l'est of his company."

That strange twist of fate - the War Crimes Commission and how Chint Singh came to be in it - is one of the n1any astonishing aspects of Parmar's book.

Revealing facts about India's involvement in World War I have come to light in the past decade; this book, it is hoped, will begin the interest in unearthing stories about the subcontinent's participation in World War II. uch more than a personal account of his father's story, the book records a part of Lndia's military history about which very little is known.

Revealing facts about India's involvement in World War I have con1e to light in the past decade; this book, it is hoped, will begin the interest in unearthing stories about the subcontinent's participation in World War 11.

Yet for Parmar, it is more than just a book. " l see it as my father's desire being fulfilled - he wanted the wol'ld to know this survival story." (ln a particularly despondent moment amidst the swamps of New Guinea, Chint had recorded that if he lived, he would tell his story.)

Parn,ar's book is in his dad Chint's words, recreated mostly from his diaries and the notes he jotted down on whatever paper he could find, including the wrappings on food tins.

The earliest notes come from 1941, when Chint was deployed to Malaya. After the fall of Singapore in 1942, Chint was among the thousands of soldiers taken prisoners.

Shipped to New Guinea, Chint and his men were put to work in manual labour through swamps and jungles, under the

worst possible conditions. Chint recorded starvation, disease, regular beatings, insults, race hate, stealing food to survive, and eating lizards, grasshoppers and snakes.

Records show Chint asking for relief for his n1en according to international law. It only resulted in further punishment. Men who escaped were dragged back to camp and beheaded publicly, or bayoneted.

Quite horrifically, Chint wrote of rnen who went missing, after which large quantities of meat were cooked in the Japanese kitchens.

His copious notes, diligently recorded, show dates and names of Indian men beaten or killed, and the Japanese men that comnlitted these crimes.

These notes would become evidence later.

"They saved my father's life," Parmar remarked. n his own retelling of the story, mentored by well-known Australian historian Prof.

Peter Stanley, Parmar has added details of each soldier who is mentioned in his father's diaries. He credits these details (including names of family members and the village they came from) to military resea1·cher Adil Chhina, but they show that be has inherited his father's attention

to detail. They also reveal Parmar's own dedication to ensure that the sacrifice of the men is duly recorded, and brought to the attention of the world.

Growing up, Parmar knew little about his father's story - only that he had been a POW. "He never spoke of it to us, but I'd seen some old newspaper clippings, and had heard him speak occasionally at events at Rotary Club or Lion's Club."

It was in 1990, only months after he arrived in Australia, that Parmar met Kevin Deutrum, a governn1ent official who served in PNG. Kevin recalled seeing a memorial dedicated to Chint Singh. He had followed it through and found a document in a Port Moresby library, written by Chint.

"That was enough to motivate me.

Through Kevin, l n1et Marsden Horden1, the officer who had arranged the rescue of my dad and his 111en in 1945. Turns out, he and my dad had kept in touch for years after."

(The book records the growing bond between the two men as the Indian POWs recuperated in the Australian can1p.)

Shortly thereafter, Parmar heard a Radio National show that spoke about the rescue of Indian POWs in PNG. He called in, and said, " I am Chint Singh's son." rom there it was as if the story unraveled itself to Parmar. He travelled across Australia meeting many of the men who had known his dad, a sociable person and great con1municator who had charmed everyone he crossed paths with after his rescue. " l am amazed at the warmth with which they spoke of my dad," Parmar revealed. "lt was a very proud moment when in 2004, they invited me to march with them on Anzac Day." Chint Singh returned to Australia in 1970, invited by the Australian government as lndian representative to mark the 25th anniversary of Japanese surrender at PNG. Sadly, the plinth that was erected has since been washed away in flood waters.

Yet Chint's signature can be seen, alongside those of others, on a surrender flag that is today held at the Australian War Memorial. It was carried by the comrnander of the Japanese forces in New Guinea, Lt Gen Adachi, on 11 Sept 1945.

To purchase Narinder Singh Parmal''s book, head to www.sbawlinepublishing.co111.au

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es Commission im Cr r Wa e th r fo ce en id ev Preparing DECEMBER 2021 25

OPINION

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BY

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Who exactly is it d iscrimi nati ng against?

KUNAL MIRCHANDANI rime Minister Scott Morrison introduced a Religious Discrimination Bill to the parliament last week. Promised by the Coalition governn1ent in the wake of the same-sex marriage debate in 2017 to provide extra protection for people of faith, this bill has been deeply controversial. But despite widespread opposition (including fron1 1nen1bers of his party), the PM's fervid language during the bill's introduction n1ade clear what we've known all along - that he doesn't represent all Australians.

"People should not be cancelled or persecuted or vilified because their beliefs are different fron1 someone else's in a free liberal democratic society such as Australia," Morrison said. "Many people from various religious traditions are concerned about the lack of religious protection against the prevalence of cancel culture in Australian life."

The fact that the PM would use this bill as an excuse to wade into the divisive waters of cancel culture is unsurprising, particularly since an earlier version of the bill included the so-called "Folau clause". As you n1ay recall, Jsrael Folau is a footballer whose inflammatory comments about homosexuals "going to hell" resulted in his termination

from Rugby Australia in 2019. It is clear from the PM's words that he believes Folau has been unjustly "cancelled" for his beliefs and his initial proposal for this bill would have protected Folau from being fired for his offensive staten1ents.

So what exactly is the Rel.igious Discrimination Bill and why is it so divisive?

On the surface, the bill aims to give better protection for people of faith, particularly when expressing their said beliefs. This could manifest in real life as a Catholic nurse telling an HIV patient that God

is punishing them. Or a waitress in a cafe telling a queer woman of faith her relationship is an abon1ination. There is a good reason why potentially sensitive "staten1ents of belier• are prohibited today and this bill would give zealots the license to broadcast their bigotry in the name of religion.

Let's face it, there's already plenty of religious protection in Australia. Even a widely supported public health initiative like getting the COVlD vaccine can be avoided based on "religious exemptions".

So who exactly is the bill protecting?

26 DECEMBER 2021

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Certainly not religious institutions, who already enjoy widespread protections such as tax exemptions. The ironic fact is that instead of protecting one group, this bill has been designed to discri,ninate against another group. By permitting religious schools and institutions to fire staff or students who don't conform to their beliefs, the bill resurfaces many of the old wounds that arose during the toxic marriage-equality debate. Young LGBTIQ+ Australians, whose sexuality was already questioned by politicians who had no business in the matter, will have their identity invalidated over and over in school recruitment brochures and employment websites.

The Coalition government has assured that any loopholes opened up by this bill would be addressed in an update to the Sex Discrimination Bill at a later stage.

But considering it's already taken years for this Religious Discrimination Bill to take form, who knows how long it will take for the governn1ent to fix the problems it has created? Unless there is adequate protection for LGBTlQ+ students and teachers in religious institutions in place, we 1nust not allow this bill to pass. It's not just the emotional state of our young queer Australians, but the very soul of our nation that's at stake. lf we allow our politicians to openly enshrine discri1nination into our law, what right do we have to continue calling Australia a welcoming, inclusive and multicultural society?

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Keeping in 1nind the different facets of the Raga woman's life, the watches are made for different occasions and are a great an1algam of functionality and beauty.

TITAN Edge, Raga and many more amazing designs & collections are now available in Australia and New Zealand on the website www.titanworld.con1.au. TITAN are currently running a 40% discount on store wide products including new ranges, Animalia and Pastels; and launching their perfume range, SKINN in Australia in January 2022.

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A new work cultu re is arising by default - and it is not productive BY MOHAN DHALL here's a problem emerging in Australian workplaces that no one reaJly wants to taJk about, but many are worried about.

WFH is causing substantial issues for workplaces across the nation. A significant proportion of people have decided that there is no need to return to the office.

Discussions with 1nanagers and business leaders reveal the problems starting to emerge with WFH: an erosion of work cultui-e, loss of conununication, loss of productivity, and a growing perception that the nature of employment is changing.

RTO or Return To Office has been resisted by many en1ployees. Indeed, on more than one occasion J have heard employees say, "I will never go back to the workplace. Zoom and Microsoft Tea1ns will do n1e, and I like working fro111 home."

There is nothing in statements like these that recognises the workplace.

Whilst e1nployees have every right to have a preference over where they wouJd like to work, a question arises. What kind of relationship do people have with their work, and the building of cuJture within the workplace?

The statement "I will never go back to the office" reduces work to a series of activities.

It does not recognise the nature of formal and informal structures and relationships.

Having been told what to do - they won't be told what to do

Lockdowns. Restrictions. QR codes. Masks.

Physical distancing. A wariness between people. None of these are things we grew up with. Extended lockdowns brought a default to caution, and this is both predictable and expected. The society we knew is not the society we now have.

This is aJso true of the workplace. Having been told what to do in the past, there has been a shift in ethos to "I won't be told what to do."

In a workplace this translates to: "If you would like me to come back to the office, then J need to be told why. J need to understand why I should spend the time travelling both ways, why the work cannot be done from home and how it can be justified."

Whilst there are significant benefits in working fron1 work on a personal level, people that I speak to report that their work takes longer and is quieter. Lndeed, people never seen1 to be "off". Deadlines routinely pass; perfunctory communications like someone missing tea1n meetings and follow ups on activities axe forever within the pui-view of managers and tean1 leaders.

Despite the use of Slack and Trello and Monday, many employees hide behind fuewalls of silence, 'poor connections' and focusing on something else. "I thought we were working on XYZ today ...?" or, "Wasn't ABC was the priority ... ??"

Wellbeing and resilience A further issue faced by managers and business leaders is the wild card of

Employees or contractors?

wellbeing. There is nothing like a pandemic to bring about a sense of uncertainty that affects how we navigate the world. This again is to be expected and is a normal response to stress, fear and a perception of danger. ln business, 'resilience' is a common buzzword. Resilience takes its base from managing vulnerability when there is no actuaJ danger. Managers tell me that "wellbeing" is becoming a banner phrase for not producing. They feel hampered by an inability to call out a group of behaviours that axe leading to disrupted timelines, disrupted workflows, poor communications and a lack of commitment.

One of the strengths of enterprise is the passion and commitn1ent the people who work in it bring. The ethos of an organisation is built around a sense of brand value and brand loyalty of those with the responsibility of creating the brand.

When that ethos breaks down, there's a shift in the nature of work. f The WFH/RTO standof appears to be shifting people from a mindset of 'employee' to a mindset of 'contractor'.

They appear to want the certainty of regular pay and other non-financial benefits whilst restricting contribution in the way a contractor might do: it is just work.

Formal and informal structures

Three or four days a week in office?

Managers know that within the workplace there are formal and informal structures.

Formal structures and communications can be managed, informal structures less so.

It is within the informal structures, the 'water cooler' discussions and impromptu cafe stops at morning tea that many workplace issues can be identified. I have heard people say that they didn't even know there were workplace problems disrupting productivity until two or three of them sat around chatting at lunch and wondered why certain things were occurring. These people tell me that problems now can't even be identified let alone resolved.

Inforn1al structures assist in creating alliances of people who like to work together. In a world where there has been a great discontinuity, building closeness, identifying and interrogating issues and finding solutions comes from such alliances.

Alas this is being rapidly eroded.

There have been many studies that show people can be just as productive over four days in an office as five. The fifth day is not a work from home day - it is a day without work. Productivity, team building, and shared vision appear to be better built when people work alongside one another rather than remotely.

A new paradigm

Perhaps a way forward for all businesses and work teams is a few days together to relearn new social structures, renegotiate how work will look and be done, and recreate a culture that is desired rather than arising by default. Spending time rebuilding, rather than simply reworking, will help to create the kinds of arrangements that work for all parties, built on shared understandings.

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MUSIC

TO AU SS I E ROCK

LA-based singer-songwriter Saahil Bhargava releases a stripped- back cover of ''Umbra'' by Ka rnivool of us, we got the part working, and then we decided after hearing it that we should add some strings into it. It took a long ti1ne because it was essentially dialling back what Karnivool had done, and then figuring out how to make it work with one instrun1ent and then extrapolating it out to four more instruments."

He cites Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, and Freddie Mercury as some of his singing influences, along with bands like Muse, Radiohead, and of course, Karnivool.

"I think (my interest) started when I was in high school in India, and I actually missed their concert in Bombay. I had a final exam or something that day. My friend said it was one of the best concel'ts they'd seen," Saahil said.

"Then it became a staple in my listening because there's so much to unpack in Karnivool's music. Every listen to each album, I would get something new out of it. I've always been a big fan of "Un1bra" as a song in general, because it's got such an exciting theme, and the lyrics really stood out to me."

For some fans, the only downside of Saahil's version may Lie in the absence of Karnivool's punchiness, mainly due to its lack of drums. But he certainly ,nakes up for that with a fiercely emotive vocal performance that sharply e1nphasises the pain in lead singer Ian Kenny's lyrics.

According to Saahil, "Each song gets its own inspiration."

No doubt his cover will now introduce the Aussie modern rock act to entirely new audiences, further proving that music really transcends all boundaries.

BY

MATTHEW FORBES resh off his debut EP released back in August, LA-based singer­ songwriter Saahil Bhargava has unveiled what he's dubbed an "homage" to one of Australia's most beloved modern rock acts. His cover of "Umbra", from Karnivool's 2009 album Sound Awake, is a stripped back arrangement of the sprawling prog rocker.

Covering "Umbra" in any fashion is an an1bitious effort, thanks to its shifting rhythn1s and con1plex chord progressions, as well as frontn1an Ian Kenny's typically stunning vocals. Bhargava certainly made the task harder by translating the bulk of the track's intricate guitar layers into a single piano part, backed by a fairly simple string section.

"I very recently came up with the term 'cinematic rock' as the best way to describe my music," Saahil told Indian Link. "All of my songs have this very kind of big and epic feel to them. It's supposed to give the Listener the feeling of being transported into another world and seeing lots of things around them, and my lyrics tend to be very descriptive too."

Drawing influence from classical, Indian classical, Bollywood music, and "pretty much everything in between", the musician started singing at the age of four, and took up piano shortly after. Since then, Saahil has picked up the guitar, bass, and even the alto saxophone.

Listening to his cover of "Umbra", tllis keen musical ear is clear by small details of the original song he picks up and expands on. A short and barely audible descending guitar line at the end of the chorus appears in Saahil's version as a grandiose string melody.

Another high point of the cover is when it takes the original's riff-heavy breakdown unarguably its most 'head banging' moment - and turns it into an elegant piano line, with the strings foregrounding the underlying harmonies from the original.

He elaborated, "This piano part I wrote was ridiculous; it took a while to get it and even longer to be able to record it. I worked with another guy who was also an exceptional keyboardist. Between the two

''My interest in Karnivool started when I was in high school in India, and I actually missed their concert in Bombay. I had a final exam or something that day. My friend said it was one of the best concerts they'd seen."

Find Saahil Bhargava's ''Umbra" on YouTube, Spotify, YouTube Music and Amazon Prime Music

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____ DECEMBER 2021 29

OUTDOORS

Hardenbergia violacea (Happy wanderer)

Anigozanthos (Kangaroo paw yellow)

Corymbia 'Summer Red' (Red gum)

Prostanthera (Mint bush)

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Create a low maintenance, sustainable and water-wise garden FEATURE TREES

BY GOPIKA SAMBANTHAM tanning to buy some new plants to freshen up your garden? Give a thought to Australian natives.

Distinct and diverse, native plants do not disappoint when it conies to colour, texture, forin and foliage, and can be adapted to any style of garden.

Not only will they provide aesthetic appeal, they will also benefit you cost-wise: once established they require 1ninimal care. Creating an Aussie oasis in your yard will provide a low 1naintenance, sustainable and water-wise garden that is worth the time and effort.

When it conies to choosing native plants, it's a wise idea to find out which natives thrive well in your particular local area.

Below are a few suggestions that will thrive well in suburban gardens in Sydney.

(If you live outside of Sydney, di-op us a note to tell us the kind of natives that grow in your area, or in your garden!)

Whether you are keen on grassy plants, low level hedging, screening plants, groundcover, feature trees and climbers, there is a good range of native plants to choose fro1n.

LOW LEVEL SHRUBS (GRASS VARIETY)

■ Anigozanthos (Kangaroo paw yellow):

Planted in mass, this will provide a colourful border. Co1nbining it with Kangaroo paw red will give your garden a striking look when in bloom.

■ Lomandra Longifolia 'Tanika' (Lomandra): This clumping grass variety 30 DECEMBER 2021

■ Corymbia 'Sum,ner Red' (Red gum): This

summer flowering gum tree has attractive red flowers. Once established it is a low maintenance tree to have in any yard.

■ Eucalyptus pulverulenta 'Baby Blue' (Silver leaved mountain gum): This eucalyptus with bluish silver foliage is a small feature tree which has year-round interest in any landscape.

■ Ceratopetalurn gummiferum 'Alberys Red' (NSW Christmas bush): This is a co1npact tree witb attractive red bloo1ns which can be used as cut flowers.

Callistemon 'Little :John' (Dwarf bottlebrush)

will suppress weed growing in between the plants when planted in mass and looks green all year round.

■ Acacia cognate 'Lin1elight ' (River wattle): For a lush litne-green effect, plant it in mass.

LOW LEVEL SHRUBS

■ Westringia 'Jervis Gen1' (Coastal

rosen1ary): This is an excellent low level edging plant which is low maintenance.

■ Calliste,non 'Little John' (Dwarf bottlebrush): With its bright red flowers, this will attract birds and bees to the garden. It is another excellent border plant.

■ Correa rejl.exa (Native fuchsia): This is a low level shrub that can be planted alongside a grass variety plant for an appealing look.

GROUNDCOVER

■ Viola hederacea (Native violet): For the

tight spaces between the fence and the concrete or paving, this groundcover will fill the gap and suppress the weeds, and will look attractive when in bloom.

■ Ajuga australis prostate 'Aussie Bugle' (Ajuga): The shady part of the garden bed can be filled with this groundcover.

■ Carpobrotus (Ice plant): This makes excellent groundcover when planted in mass; perfect near your swimming pool.

MEDIUM SIZE SHRUBS

■ Prostanthera (Mint bush): This fast­

growing plant has attractive purple flowers which stand out in any landscape, as well as aromatic foliage.

■ Hymenosporum Flavum (Native frangipani): This lean vertical growing plant can be used along the fence as a screening plant.

■ Leptospermum 'Tickled pink' (Tea tree): This is an attractive feature plant to have in any garden.

CLIMBERS

■ Hardenbergia violacea (Happy wanderer): This is a fast-growing climber with attractive purple flowers.

■ Pandorea /asminoides (Wong Vine): This is an ever-green clin1ber which grows fast and needs sturdy support to spread. It is suitable for fence or arbor.

WHERE TO GET NATIVE PLANTS IN SYDNEY?

■ Try your local council nursery.

■ Retail nurseries have a selection of native plants in stock.

■ Specialized growers and nurseries for native plants.

TOP TIPS

Group your natives together in one bed and make sure the soil is free draining. Add a native soil 1nix to your prepared bed and start planting. Mulch with Eucy Mulch.

Native plants can be sourced as tube stock which will cost less and will thrive well once established.

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KALYANI WAKHARE oday it is n1ore convenient than ever to build a sustainable hon1e, with abundant inforn1ation at your fingertips and so many 'green' product options to choose fro1n.

Last year was an eventful year for us, as my husband I, both architects, designed and built our drea,n home. Starting with a blank canvas, we explored every sustainability concept as much as practically possible.

A 'green' home isn't just about adding solar panels, rainwater tank or landscaping; it alJ begins right from when the designer puts pen to paper.

OuT aim was to harness passive solar design, utilise spaces cleverly without building son1ething unnecessarily massive, and embracing the natural features of the site.

In addition, we were keen to n1axilnise built in storage and reduce the need for buying furniture. The vision for the home was to have a contetnporary, minimaJ and light-filled feel.

■ The first step when designing a green

hon1e is to retain as many natural features of the land as possible, whether it is established trees or land slope.

Construction is an intrusive process, so conscious design is the first step. For exan1ple, designing a split level if the site is naturalJy sloping, so that excavation and backfill can be reduced.

■ Choosing materials that blend in softly with the natural environment and the architecture around your house can be a good decision. Consider recycled materials too. People have doubts about using old materials but recycled bricks for

Sachin and Kalyani Wakhare's newly built home has won a design award trophy at this year's Sydney Design Awards.

A multi-living family home concept, it was designed for their family and that of Sachin's brother Sanjay. And so, basically, it is two separate homes in one.

Some of the measures implemented in their sustainable home include using recycled materials, passive solar design, local products, designing around existing palm tree, harnessing solar energy, and storing rainwater in a large underground tank for the garden. They are currently working on a compost bin on site to produce bio-gas for BBQ from organic waste.

Facade palette pays respect to significant heritage church across the road from them and their immediate surroundings.

example have a rustic charm about them and will cost you far less too.

■ The house can provide a rich living experience to its occupants if the following factors are well thought of - the flow of spaces, the quality of daylight, the internal finishes in a timeless palette and the interaction of indoor and outdoor space.

■ A challenge that is conunonly faced when designing windows is striking a balance between getting abundant daylight and yet keeping the heat out. A couple of solutions should be considered. One, use low emissivity coatings, particularly for western and northern faces of the house that receive the most direct and harsh sunlight in summer. The other

option is to externally shade windows with an awning that blends well with the external materials, which is more effective in keeping the heat out than internal curtains or blinds.

■ Locally made products and finishes, ideally should be given preference where possible, as they are kinder to the environment, saving emissions from transportation and supporting local economy. Also natural n1aterials like bamboo or plantation timber finishes give the house a warm and cozy feeling, as well as being a sustainable choice. Ensure you pick paints and varnishes with low VOC (volatile organic compounds) in them, VOCs are typically harsh chemicals which may affect health in the long term and are not good for the indoor environment.

■ Sustainability will not be fully addressed if you don't apply this criterion to the selection of appliances and fixtures too.

Some examples for you to consider are low-flow shower heads and taps that dispense less water without compromising on the flow and effectiveness. Always choose fridge, washing machine and microwaves etc, with high star rating to ensure they aTe efficient and conserve energy, also reducing your energy bill in the long run. Install ceiling fans, these will not only provide good ventilation but also linlit the use of air conditioning to extremely hot days.

Finally think about the optiinum space you need for your house; after all, construction of your home is going to impact Mother Earth and our environn1ent. Why not build to fulfill our needs without adding unnecessary frills. Don't compron1ise on comfort and convenience in your 'dream home' but think about giving back to nature by being mindful about your footprint!

DECEMBER 2021 31

32

DECEMBER 2021

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FOOD

Some classic hol iday season recipes, with a plant-based bias

•

SUMMER VANILLA BERRY WELLNESS BOWL

VEGAN EGGNOG

Ingredients

almond milk ■ 2 cinnamon sticks ■ 1 tbsp maple syrup ■ 1 tsp nutmeg ■ 1 tsp mixed spice

Serves 2

■ 1 cup rolled oats ■ 3 tbsp cacao powder ■ 2 banana (mashed) ■ 2 tbsp pure maple syrup ■ 2 tbsp chia seeds ■ 1 ½ cup vanilla almond milk

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients

■ 1 bottle unsweetened vanilla

To serve ■ Fresh blueberries, blackberries, sliced banana, 1/3 cup unsweetened granola, peanut butter (to drizzle)

For serving ■ Cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon

Method

■ In a small pot combine the vanilla almond milk with the

Method

■ Add all oat mixture ingredients into a large bowl. Stir well.

Divide mixture between two bowls or mason jars. Place into the fridge overnight.

■ When ready to serve, top with fresh blueberries, blackberries, sliced banana, unsweetened granola and a good drizzle of peanut butter.

•

PINA COLADA SMOOTHIE Serves 2

Ingredients

■ 2 cups fresh or frozen pineapple pieces / chunks ■ Juice from 2 limes ■ 1 cup pure coconut cream from a can ■ 1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk

Method

maple syrup, nutmeg and mixed spice. Stir gently on a low heat.

■ Add the cinnamon stick and continue to stir for 8-10 mins while the milk thickens up slightly.

■ Pour the mix into a jug and refrigerate overnight.

■ Once chilled the eggnog is ready to serve. You could enjoy it warm if you prefer but let it refrigerate overnight so the flavour deepens.

■ Sprinkle some extra cinnamon on top to serve.

■ Optional: � _$'.little rum or bourbon if you would like it with some,ie •

••

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•

•• • • • •

■ Place all ingredients into a high-speed blender

and blend until smooth and creamy, adding extra almond milk if the mixture is too thick from the frozen pineapple. Serve with fresh pineapple.

Recipes and pies: califiafarms.com.au

DECEMBER 2021 33

T R AV E L

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FACT FILE

BY

■ Getting There Darjeeling is connected by air, rail and road with Kolkata the gateway city to eastern India. Contact Gaura Travel (www.gauratravel.com. au) for the best flight connections from Australian cities to Kolkata ■ Accommodation Heritage plays an important role when discovering Darjeeling. That's best experienced when staying at the Elgin Hotel (www.elglnhotels.com)

SANDIP HOR hink Darjeeling, and it is highly likely that what pops into your mind is a good cup of tea.

However, discerning travellers worldwide are drawn to this hilly tea­ region in eastern India not just for the top quality of the brew or by the lushness of the gardens from where it originates, but more by its picturesque Hi1nalayan setting.

Sitting at a height of 2000111, the snow­ capped Mt Kanchenjunga - the world's third-highest peak - towers over the azure sky in this tranquil town.

A forn1er Gurkha village at the foothills of the H i1nalayas, Darjeeling was spotted by the British colonisers in the 19th century as an ideal escape during the hot Indian su1nmer 111onths when their iinperial capital Calcutta, now called Kolkata, became near unliveable for the1n. Darjeeling then belonged to the Kingdom of Sikki111, who called this nest 'Dorji Ling' n1eaning 'the land of the thunderbolt'. The British managed to buy it from the royals and transfor111 it into a settle111ent fit for filing their colonial duties. The hilly landscape soon got packed with palaces for the British Governor-General and Indian Maharajas, colonial office buildings for administrative

Druk Sangag Choling monastery

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staff and quaint cottages for the affluent, alongside hotels, restaurants, clubs and shops lining winding thoroughfares.

European n1issionaries moved in to establish boarding schools which were comparable to their counterparts back home, while Scottish and English tea planters set about converting the rolling hills into plantations of tea.

Darjeeling soon became known as the 'Queen of Hills'.

A century and a half later, not much has changed, other than the addition of some contemporary and lifestyle elements.

The diva still retains her seductive charms to make it one of the 1nost visited tourist destinations in India.

Darjeeling is blessed with oversized scenery. It's possible to see its spectacular Himalayan panorama from aln1ost everywhere. However, Tiger Hill, the town's highest accessible point, claims to be the most popular viewing platform. Many don't mind the 3 am wake up call to be there at sunrise to watch how the first rays of the morning sun mystically change the colour of the white peaks of Kanchenjunga from crimson red to golden yellow.

It's a celestial sight, but for late risers and crowd avoiders, Batasia Loop is the next best option. Laden with manicured gardens, streams and falls and a narrow-gauge railway track forming a loop, the spot offers an uninterrupted vista of Darjeeling's landscape,

TRRUEL

34

DECEMBER 2021

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There's much more than l ush tea gardens that's enchanting a bout Darjeeling

a backdrop

Kanchenjunga and other unna1ned Hin1aJayan peaks. Though a lot of people throng the space, the eclectic serenity of the atmosphere keeps all qu.iet and arrested by the beauty of the scene, until the arrival of the 'Toy Train' - another iconic attraction of Darjeeling. Hauled by a century-old steam engine, the legendary train chugs into the loop to imbue a sense of a bygone era abruptly walking into the lives of onlookers. A sample of a great engineering feat, this fairy tale railway started operating in 1881, linking the torrid Bengal plains with the mountains. Now a UNESCO World Heritage-listed icon, it covers a much shorter distance as a wondrous memoir of the past.

After travelling to Darjeeling by this train in 1886, American novelist Mark Twain wrote, "The railway journey up the mountain is forty miles, and it takes eight hours to n1ake it. It is so wild and interesting and exciting and enchanting that it ought to take a week."

While bestowing the railway's old-world carefree charms, the shorter version of the legendary journey still evokes si1ni1ar feelings.

The ethnic population of Darjeeling comprised of people from neighbouring Sikkin1, Nepal and Bhutan. Their religion is Buddhis1n. So the quarter is home to many Buddhist temples, 1nonasteries and stupas, the ensemble being a major attraction for visitors. Some of them are pretty expansive and showcase extensive

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artwork. Most well-known, is the Yiga Choling Gompa monastery. (t exhibits wonderful murals and is home to some thirty monks from the Gelugpa School.

Built in 1850, it enshrines a Sm-high statue of Jampa or Future Buddha and 300 beautifully bound Tibetan texts.

Being at the foothill of the Himalayas, a visit to the Himalayan Mountaineering

Institute can be a fascinating experience, particularly for the adventure-minded.

Established in 1953 in honour ofTenzing Norgay after he and New Zealander Edmund Hillary conquered Mount Everest, it's the training ground for mountaineering students. But the lure for outsiders is its museum, stocked with n1ultiple exhibits that tell thrilling stories of many expeditions to Himalayan summits.

Adjacent to the institute is a zoo which is home to rare species like red pandas, snow leopards, and Tibetan wolves that live in the snow-clad regions of upper Himalaya.

The magnetism of Darjeeling is intense enough to make the return journey to the plains somewhat pain-stricken, unless one departs with a promise to co1ne back for another visit.

•

DECEMBER 2021 35

E N T E RTA I N M E N T

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What's on our screens this December I I I I I I

I I I I I COBALT BLUE { Netflix) I Prateik Babbar plays an enigmatic stranger who takes I up a paying guest room in a traditional Malayali family's house. Things get complicated when his charms appeal I to both the son, played by Neeley Mehendale, and the I daughter, played by Anjali Sivaraman.

The arthouse film releases on 4 December.

I

ARANYAK (Netflix) Raveena Tandon returns to our screens as cop Kasturi, who is investigating the mysterious disappearance of a foreign tourist. The TV series marks her digital debut, and is based on a Bengali novel of the same name by Bibhuti bhushan Bandopadhyay.

Catch Aranyak on 10 December.

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CHANDIGARH KARE AASHIQUI Ayushmann Khurrana fans, this one's for you. Of course, like all Ayushmann starrers, you can expect this film to be about smashing social stereotypes. This time round, he and co-star Vaani Kapoor bat for the trans community. The Abhishek Kapoor directed film is already copping its fair share of criticism for not featuring trans actors - will the final result be worth it?

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AARYA SEASON 2 (Disney+Hotstar) Coming off the heels of an International Emmy nomination for best drama series, Sushmita Sen returns for season 2 of Aarya, playing a woman who has joined the mafia to protect her family after her husband is brutally murdered.

Get the popcorn ready on 10 December.

I I I I I I I I I

DECOUPLED (Netfllx)

In this new dramedy by Hardik Mehta, R Madhavan and Surveen Chawla star as an estranged couple, dealing with their impending divorce amid their busy careers. The project is created by acclaimed writer Manu Joseph, who you might know for his works Serious Men and The Illicit Happiness of Other People. We've got a good feeling about this one!

The TV series launches on 17 December.

Hitting cinemas 10 December.

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I ATRANGI RE (Dlsney+Hotstar) 1

I I I

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Bihar girl marries Madurai boy, and then falls for flamboyant circus ringmaster. Sara Ali Khan, Dhanush and Akshay Kumar star. Romcoms of director Aanand L Rai's variety (Raanjhana, Tanu Weds Manu) have gone down well before - it remains to be seen if this one is as atrangi (out of the ordinary) as it sounds.

Atrangi Re will release on 24 December.

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Sports biopics are a recent phenomenon in Bollywood but this one had 'success' written all over it ever since it was announced. Pretty much like the World Cup event that saw a cricket-mad nation come into its own! If you're of Indian origin and haven't seen pies from this film floating around already, you're living under a rock. Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev, bring it on.

The film releases on 24 December 2021.

MATRI M O N IALS SEEKING

RIDES

34-year-old Sri Lankan man, Sydney­ based, seeks good-looking Sydney­ based match, 29-34. Please contact ramananthanapalasingam499@gmail. com or 0447 319 719 Seeking match for 36-year-old, 6' tall Tamil Hindu Brahmin man, Aust PR Visa, working for a top IT organisation in Sydney. Girl should be Hindu vegetarian,

36

DECEMBER 2021

I I I I I I I I I I

JERSEY A cricket has-been attempts to revive his career, at age 36, for the sake of his son. Jersey, starring Shahid Kapoor, is a remake of a Telugu film of the same name.

Shahid's dad Pankaj Kapur plays his coach and mentor. Directed

by Gowtham Tinnanuri, who also directed the original, this was meant to be a Diwali release.

Check it out now on 31 December.

preferably Aust citizen/PR. Please send profile to aravind7778@gmail.com Seeking a professionally qualified settled match for Sydney based, never married Aus citizen, Hindu, Punjabi Khatri man, 48, 6', of athletic build. He is a project manager with an engineering background and is working in a reputed organisation.

Please contact ausind26@gmail.com

SEEKING G 00 S

Seeking a professionally qualified match, of good family background, teetotaller,

preferably Australian citizen or PR holder, for highly qualified career-oriented Brahmin girl, 35, 5'2", vegetarian, of good family background, working and well settled in Sydney.

Please contact aussyd08@gmail.com Seeking qualified match (working

professional, not self-employed) from Australia for '88 born, 5"3" Hindu Punjabi girl (divorced, issueless), working with a government organisation in Sydney. Must have Aus PR; teetotaller preferable.

Email: matrimonial.ml@gmail.com.

Seeking a professionally qualified and settled match for Sydney based, never married Aus citizen, Hindu, Punjabi Khatri girl, 49, 5'3" slim, fair, attractive. She is a postgraduate and working at a good position in a government organisation.

Please contact ausind26@gmail.com

www.indianlink.com.au

F O R ET E L L

December 2021

BY M I NAL KH O NA Mina I Khona has been reading tarot cards for the last two decades. She uses her intuition and connect with the cards mostly to help people.

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E

There could be hurdles on all fronts with exhaustion ruling the roost.

A rocky relationship could end; for women, a series of disappointments by your partner could make you want to end it. Watch for burnout on the career front; take a break. Some bad news regarding a loved one could come your way. Be careful with money as expenses could rise but you could earn a bonus. Colon problems could add to your woes. Don't take impulsive decisions and wait for clarity.

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

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D

Mixed bag in store for you: learning and letting go; solitude and interactions with people; avoiding emotional attachments yet remembering past events. There could be gynaecological issues for May-born women. You can expect help from colleagues and seniors. The self­ employed will make money despite a dull start. If in a relationship, let time reveal what's in store for you. All matters related to money will be positive. Don't repeat old patterns: stick to your goals with single-minded focus.

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I JU I I I I I I I An existing s ituation can change in an I instant and you may consider moving house. Chances to move into a new I sphere of work, make new friends I and travel could come your way. Work I is upbeat and supportive. The selfemployed could be considering new I partnerships to increase business. A I positive mindset keeps you happy. Take care of your health to keep existing I conditions in control. Your financial I position is looking up. Adopt an attitude I of faith in the universe.

I I I I

1 I I I I I I The card that s ignifies spring I indicates that new beginnings are on the way. Strong romantic interest I in you by another could take you by I surprise. Those already involved may I want more affection. Some of you might buy a new house. Your growth I indicates that those not in sync with I you will be left out of your life. You r finances will i mprove. If you have been I sick, you will recover. Take time out I for some travel and indulge in your I hobbies.

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22

You could face some difficult situations in your relationships or at work. A solution to any problem will come from an unexpected avenue - mostly for work related issues. You could be strapped for time as work keeps you very busy. Stress could cause backache and other health issues. Money is tight as you earn as much as you spend. Disappointments in your personal life could spill over into your professional one. Change your mindset for a happier future.

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I I I I I I You should watch out for your finicky I nature not going overboard this month.

I The card drawn shows a need for I structure and organizational abilities. Use them where needed and within limits. A I superficial option for a relationship is not I what you want so singles will prefer to stay alone. A new career opening, more along I the lines of what you wish to do will come I your way. Money is good though debts I won't get paid. Don't compromise on what you truly believe in.

I

I I I I I I I I I I I I You wish to see a resolution to all your I problems, whether they are at work, in I I your relationships or elsewhere. Singles I I will be disappointed as a seemingly I positive romance won't pan out. A trip I to recuperate could be on the agenda.

I I Problems at work will get resolved. Go it I alone to rediscover yourself and your self­ I esteem. If you have health issues, don't I I ignore them. Money may be tight but in I I the near future you will have more than I you expected.

I I

You want to focus on your career and being financially stable. An attitude of abundance will help you achieve your goals faster. Travel for work or on holiday is indicated. If in a relationship, the feeling that something is missing still exists. Watch out for food poisoning so stick to eating fresh. Debts will not be cleared but you will have enough money for your needs. A new line of work is indicated. Stick to your goals even if you don't see results soon.

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

1 - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1 I I I I I I .------=-=-=--=----=:-:-:--:--:-=------. 1 .------ -=-=� -=-=,- -===-�---, l .---� F==-:-=----:--:-:- =-=,..,...,... -=- =,--� I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Work, public relations, changing the existing status quo in business partnerships keep you busy. You could meet someone special at work or a social event. A new job offer could also come by. If you are considering what you have already been offered, take it. More money and success is foretold. Time spent away from family is inevitable but will be productive. Avoid alcohol to prevent binge drinking. Focus on your strengths, trust your gut instincts and follow your dreams.

I You can expect change on several fronts.

I Have an attitude of gratitude for better luck and prosperity. Others could act up I making things difficult. Someone you I know could end up in hospital due to a I health issue. Take a break from house chores and stress. Losses at work are I indicated. Anxiety and self-doubt seem I overwhelming, but are the aftereffects of the stress you are experiencing. Health I problems need to be checked. Take up a I spiritual practice to cope with everything.

I I A productive month as you shift into I I a positive mindset. A lucky break wi th money through the sale of a house or I I a winning ticket is on the anvil. Singles I I could meet someone special and I I the attraction will be mutual. A new opportunity will give your career the lift I I you seek. An event or a person couId I I rejuvenate your life or work. Money troubles will end. Health issues need to I be looked into. Your future will be brighter I I I than you thought it possible.

A good time for romance, projects taking off and fruitful trips for Pisceans. The selfemployed will see a sudden spurt in their businesses though a setback may occur for some. Health is good and money will be stable. Any projects or goals that were blocked will now move forward. Overall, new energies bring in a rejuvenation that was long overdue and you will be motivated to do more. Move out of home if need be, help others and have faith in the universe.

DECEMBER 2021 37

I I I I I I I I I

BAC KC H AT DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR AUNTYJI? EMAIL INFO@INDIANLINK.COM.AU

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Spiritual ity fo r, ;begimmens DEAR AUNTYJI Namashkar. I hope you are doing well during COVID. My particular conundrum requires your usual direct and blunt approach - and I would be happy to take your feedback on board. My neighbour has a baby which is 4 months old. She is always taking the baby on walks and every time she runs into me. she wants me to interact with the baby. The problem is Auntyji that the baby is not Taimur Ali Khan. My own babies were very beautiful.

This baby is so unattractive I can barely bear to look at it. When it stares at me with its kaali kaali ankhen, I just want to look away. Its nose is too wide and it barely has any hair. Auntyji, I always try to beat a hasty retreat but Alycia always tries to engage me in conversation. Sometimes I pretend I did not see them coming and I cross the street. But Auntyji. I can't keep doing this forever. What advice do you have for me? Be honest. please.

AUNTYJI SAYS

Bahenji, aapke di/ mein kuch bhi mamta nahi hai kya? What kind of a black­

hearted. cold-blooded, loveless old nagin are you? Are you sure you're part of this community? How is it that our sages advised us that babies are the

embodiment of god, and are angels in human form, and this message bypassed your choti si saamaj entirely?

The reason this nadaan, nanhi sijaan looks at you is perhaps because being the embodiment of god, it wants to see its nemesis, the shaitaan, in human form. And you do not disappoint with your attitude and poisonous words. You don't even refer to whether the baby is a girl or a boy - you're calling the baby "it". The problem is not with the baby, the problem is with you. Aapke nazaron ka kasoor hai. How come you did not stop to think whether you could niharo this baby with your mun ki ankhein? It is not your eyes but it is your mun (mind, brain) where the fault lies. My advice would be to stop judging the external features of the baby by your insular, ganwar viewpoint. Look at the bhagwan within the baby, and you will see nothing but the most divine creation before you. Also, you better repent post haste and start seeing the parmatma within this precious bachcha, otherwise the grandchildren who are in your future will be lining up to turn off the switch on your life support when the time comes - because they recognise the churail in your soul.

DEAR AUNTYJI I grew up in a non-religious household.

Now in my 60s. I listen to some people who are spiritual and have faith and I wish I too had that contentment that belief in something bigger than myself.

Are you able to guide me on what I should do to live a more spiritual life, Auntyji - I mean, I know the basic tenets of Hinduism. Islam. Sikhism. Buddhism and Christianity but I feel the major religions are not for me. I want to have a 1:1 relationship with my creator. But I do not know where to even start. What should I read? Who should I talk to?

Which podcast should I listen to?

Every single being on the planet is a manifestation of the divine. So to get closer to this divinity. the first thing we need to do is to serve. Ask yourself, how can I better serve those around me? And perhaps. the answer might be to reflect within yourself and ask whether every interaction you have with those around you is one grounded in love and respect. For your spouse, as an example, do you choose your words carefully, or do you use words and actions that belittle. diminish and damage? Do your deeds build up those around you, or do they handicap and destroy? Start by changing how you speak and act. Every word that spills forth from your mouh should be underpinned by love and care. Look at your thoughts - each time you hear gossip, do you join in and add chutney to the masala, or do you gently chide others that gossip is damaging? Do you know the flaws and foibles of others and accept these without judgement?

When you see others in distress, do you reach out to help, or do you want to pry only? Focus on how you can bring out the best in others. and before you know it, you will already be having a 1:1 with the divinity.

AUNTYJI SAYS Far be it for me to mock anyone who as their foot starts dangling in the grave. want to get closer to god. And it's better to have spiritual aspirations at a late stage than never. So yes. I certainly have some advice to offer you. fellow pilgrim. In the first instance, I am not going to point you to some website or a podcast because they won't tell you the fundamental truth (or if they do. you will have to sift through lots of noise to get to the main idea).

So. the truth is. god is in each of us.

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natur.al

DECEMBER 2021 39

40 DECEMBER 2021

SYDNEY EDITION