2022-01 Sydney

MANJITS WHARF DARLING HARBOUR

120PPI.,

Waterfront venue

Luxury reslouronl selling

Prtvate bool?1ng options

Bespoke menv custom,sot,ons

Brnad new 2022 fusron n1enu

CONCORD FUNCTION CENTRE

200PPI_,

Heritage ltsted venue

Classic art deco appointn1ent

Ample free parking available

Bespoke menv custom,sotions

Freshly renovated during locl?dortJn

Were ready to party Are you?

PUBLISHER PawanLuthra

EDITOR

RajniAnandLuthra

CONTRIBUTORS

RheaLNath,BageshriSavyasachi,

•

LPAyer, Auntyji

SALES AND MARKETING CharuVij

ADMIN

Priyanka Hatwalne

Indian Link is a monthlynewspaper publishedin English. No material, including advertisements designed by Indian Link, may be reproduced in partor inwholewithoutthewrittenconsentofthe editor.Opinionscarriedin Indian Linkarethose of thewritersandnotnecessarilyendorsedbyIndian Link. Allcorrespondenceshouldbeaddressedto:

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Australia

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

or the1 millionIndians in Australia, the worry levelsare high aboutthepotentialspread of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus in India. Most of us wereleft affected directly or indirectly when the Delta variant bushfire raged acrossthenationless than9months ago, even as the health systemfought tooth andnail to contain it.

India isall about numbers; with a population of over 1.3 billion, these numbers can eitherbe a source of attraction or aliability to manage. Investmentconsultants spruik the great opportunities which lie inbusiness with these 1.3 billionconsumers; otherslook at the social, environmental, educational andhealth responsibilities which come with this population size.

India has reported35,000,000 infectionsand 483,000 deaths caused by COVID-19'sDelta variant. Theseofficial

figures have been disputed - claims are thattheyon thelower side,due to incompletecertification of COVID deaths, misattributiontochronicdisease andlow levels of paperwork in rural India. Nonetheless, theyconstituteabout 10% of theglobal deaths due toCOVID.

To bebetter equipped to fight the virus,oneneeds atleastthree dosesof vaccinesatthisstage, the initialtwo vaccinations andthenthe boostershots. Todateonly 45 % of the population isfullyvaccinatedandit is only nowthat the boostershots have begun to be rolled outforthose over60 or with comorbidities andforfrontline workers.

It isa well-known fact thatthe initial vaccination shots havelow efficacy after about4-5months. Of those currently vaccinated, alarge number of people in India willbe walking around unprotectedagainstthe Omicron variant, due merely to the gap between their initial vaccination and their hooter shot.

Lastyear, thespreadof Delta partially accelerateddue toelections infivestates of India, including BengalandTamil

Naidu. Throngingrallieswere blamed for the fastspread. Andnow in2021, 180 million people are setgo tothe polls inthestatesof Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur on10 Feb. Though election rallies have beenbanned,one can expect to seehuge gatheringsof people,leading tofears of a repeatof2021. Thatthe Omicron isreportedtobe particularly severe on those who have notbeen vaccinated or have low efficacyis therefore of concern.

All thisas the governmentreported 160,000newcasesona singleday (Sun9 Jan), with thetwo largestcities Delhiand Mumbairecording more than 20,000 newcases each. In spite of schools in many states remainingclosed, healthofficials are understandably concerned.

For Indian-Australians heading home toIndia in coming days, it is i1nportant thattheyare notonly double vaccinated but have had their booster also.And yes, social distancing in Indiamightprove to be achallenge,but sticking to the triple mantra of masking, social distancingand hygienemayjustmakethetripsafer.

\fl(fflll °Re� StateBankofIndia

JazibFarid, Krishna Neelamraju, NikeetaBhatia,MohanDhall, NidhiJoshi,TariniPuri, JessicaBhatia,PetraO'Neill, Minal,

YOUR SAY

CHRISTMAS DAY TRAGEDY IN PORT ELLIOT, SA

A harsh reminder for water safety among multicultural communities after 26-year-old Sidhardha Reddy Vaddi fell offthe rocks into choppy waters and drowned.

Petra O'Neill wrote: Sosad. Please only swim ata patrolled beachor river between thered andyellow flags, never alone

Dhiraj Patel wrote: This is very sadnews. Rest In Peace

Jawahar Mudliar wrote: Water safety skills are a must-have, always. RIP

Niranjan Ramjee wrote: Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti. God grant the family courage to deal with this loss

INDIAN

SPICE CROPS IN OZ

JYOTI SHANKAR reported on the work of CQU crop physiologist Prof Surya Bhattarai, which could see spice crops such as black sesame (kaalatil), fennel (saunf) and more, grown right here in Australia

Surjit Dhanji wrote:Awesome.I'dloveatourofthefarmwhereyougrowthese spices

Malcolm D'Souza wrote: Howinteresting, usingbiomassleftover afterharvest formakingfirebriquettesforcremation.Wonderiftheyuseonlytheblack sesame plant forthis purpose,andifso,why?

Preshika Sharma repliedto Malcolm D'Souza: Blacksesameis usedalotin death-relatedrituals. Itisbelievedtoabsorbnegativeenergiesbothwithinthe bodyandintheatmosphere, and soitmustbecleansinginsomeway.

THE WORLD IENE TH THE flNE PRINT

2 other sterles

INDIAN COUTURE FOR PETS

RHEA L NATH reported on doggie dressmaker Meygha Shankar of Sydney, who creates custom sherwanis, anarkalis, bow ties and more for dogs.

Revathy Sundaresan wrote: Brilliant concept and creation Meygha! How adorable the pups look. Wish you the very best.

Resmi Krishnan wrote: So genuinely proud of my friend for starting her passion project and alreadykillingit. So much sosheends up in Indian Link. Every AussieIndian knows - thisis big!

Esha Aggarwal wrote: I don't usually like dogs dressed up to looklike humans, and yet evenI paused to look closelyat these photos!

SAY IT AGAIN

MAKING MATHS FUN

NIDHIJOSHI on 17-year-old Vignesha Vishwanathan's new book of short stories, in which numbers are the main characters.

Dhanya Samuel wrote: How interesting!

Swathi Shanmukhasundaram wrote: Thislittle legend isalsoa Takeover MelbourneWinner! In addition toher love for writing,Vignesha'sfascination with nationalanthems and whatthey tell usabout anation'sidentity brought usso muchjoyin2021! Thanksto Indian Link for amplifyingVignesha'swork Prof. Asha Rao RMIT wrote: Thisisthesameyoung woman Itweetedabout last week. Shehasmemorised 38national anthems

Imagine being like: "It's ajail, it'shell on earth, I'm beingdeprived of my liberty, nobody should be treated likethis, it'sdespicableand inhumane" and they let you go and you just toddle off for a lovelyhit of tennis. Says all youneed to know.

Maxine Beneba Clarke, writer

Thebest moveforthegovernment now wouldbetofreeall the refugeesinindefinitedetention

Adam Liaw, writer and TV presenter

Iwouldnot bemadif my taxdollars were used forfree RATs. Beverley Wang, writer

tLLUSTRATIONS 6Y T[SS OOWUNO

A #STOPADANI PROTEST

JYOTI SHANKAR reported on a noisy game of cricket played out near the Sydney offices an Indian institution, in protest against Adani.

TejasJoshi wrote: Adani'sis not the only coal mineproject in the world. Thereareso many coaland otherindustriesthatarecurrently producing minerals and other natural resourcesfrom thesoilin Australia andaround the globe. Not sure why this projectishavingall theissues. It seems like particularly someonedoesn't like Indian businesses doing progress electricity will bringgrowth in India forsure whichmay beissueforsome. Soisthecause of protest on thename of theenvironment? Each and every project willhaveimpact ontheenvironmentatsomelevel. This project will earngoodrevenueforAustralia and give work toanumber of peopledirectly andindirectlyin Queensland.

WHERE IN INDIA

OnChristmas, wedecidedtotestyourchurchtrivia: wherecanyou findthis church, builtin theGothic Revivalstyle?Andno,itisn'tGoaor Pondicherry!

SEEKING PUNJABI READERS

We asked, what's this on the back of this truck, seen on Sydney's Hume Highway Naresh14 wrote: Baba mehar sab te. It meansMayGod bless all. Sukhvir Sidhu wrote: Isaw this same truck inMetcash, Adelaideacouple weeksback!

Hitesh Kaplish, Manjeet Singh, Keshav, Singh Gurdev, Sourav Wahi, Akshay Jain and Harjinder Aneja also wrote: Godblessall.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

WHERE IN OZ

This might've been atricky one! Wechallengedyou to identify thiscastle, hand-built by a Spanish dreamerin the Australian tropicaljungle.

Readers Naresh, Anu Shree, Keerthi Chandrapaty, and Rohit Ganesh had the correct answer: MedakCathedral in Telangana

The pandemic has fundamentally changed thelives of the many people who share theSanskritname of Kovid. And many of the Kovids are tired of the jokes. Several haveeven bonded over social media, forminga loose network to discuss and complain about their shared experiences of being mocked for a name that means "scholaror learned person" - andis referenced in Vedic literature, including within a Hindu prayer dedicated to Lord Hanuman.

Jennifer Hassan, "My name is Kovid and I am not a virus" in The Washington Post

Getthebestof Indian Link straightinyour inbox. Scan theQR codetosignuptoour weeklyenewsletter

Readers Anu Shree and Divya Praveen gottherightanswer: Paronella Park, QLD. It wasbuilt byJose Paronellain the 1930s.

Going through aseparation? Having trouble managingadifficult relationship? BroadmeadowsFamilyRelationshipCentrecan help.

AtBroadmeadows FamilyRelationship Centre we supportseparated familiestoestablish parenting, financialand property agreements. Mediation facilitatedbya neutraland accreditedpractitionercan help families deal with separation, manage relationships,improvecommunicationand support children tothriveafter separation.

We welcomefamilies fromall cultural andlinguistic backgroundsand provide interpreters and support workers to help families from diversebackgrounds through this challengingphase intheirlives.

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(03)93513100

BY JAZIBFARID

ithinternationalbordersopen atlast,n1ywifeandIdecidedto bringinthenewyearwithour lovedonesbackhome,forthe firsttimeinthreelongyears.Likemanyothers, ofcoursewe'dheardtheanecdotesofdifficult internationalflights,111iscon11nunicationat airports,andevenwrongpaperwork,butwe couldn'tshrugofftheexciten1entfrommeeting ourfa1niJyaftersuchalongwait.Andso,this sununer,wedecidedtotraveltoIndia.

WetookSriLankanAirlinesforourtrip fron, SydneytoMumbai(viaColombo).

ForourreturnjourneyfromMumbaito SydneyweflewThaiAirways(viaBangkok).

Now,l wishlcouldsayitwassmooth sailing. Unfortunately,likeallthoseother anecdotes,l saw myfairshareofdifficulties too.Therewaslotsofpaperworktobe co1npletedateachstep•shockingly,with nothingmorethanaglanceatthemby theauthorities.Wheninternationaltravel guidelineschangedpracticallyovernight, Ihad torelyonmyownresearchastheairlinesdid Httletohelpus.

Insharing1nystory,here'shopingfcanhelp othertravellersbebetterpreparedforwhatlies ahead.

(Letmealsomentionthataviationhas alwaysbeenapassionatehobbytorn,e,though byprofessionIleadtheenviro1unentaland sustainabilitydivisionforaSydney-based company. Lnmyfreeti111e,you'llfindmeat theairportwatchingplanestakeoffandland, whilelearningmoreabouttheaviationindustry everystepoffueway. l'malsoanamateur aviationphotographer.)

TRAVELLING TO MUMBAI

(SriLankanAirlines,25 December2021)

Ibookedmytickets inOctoberonthe airline's websiteandfoundit tobe afairly easyandstraightforwardprocess. Shortly thereafterI joinedsomeWhatsAppgroups forSriLankanAirlinestrave!Jersthatwere actively usedbycloseto 700people. The an1ountofinformationsharedwasgreat and it helpedn1e plan mytripmoreefficiently.

FlightTracking

Beinganaviationgeek, Itrackflightsvia the FLightRadara.pp thatgivesmelive informationof timings,delays,aircraft details, etc. Now, Iplann,ytriptothe airportas pertheinboundflight's arrival tin1ing.This helpsn1e workwith real-time flight inforn1ation that isavailableonline, ratherthanwhat issharedat theairport.

Flight Delay

Aheadof my travel, Inoteddown departure andarrivaltimingsofSriLankanAirlines flightsto andfron, Colombo, Sydney, and Melbourneandshareddetailswith fellow passengerstobepreparedfordelays. I foundtheyhavebeen delayedconsistently on weekend flightsfrom thesecities.

On 23 Dec, an1emberof the SriLankan WhatsAppgroupwhohadherparents flyinginfron,Colombo to Sydneyposted that the llightwasanhourdelayed. Usually if theflightisdelayedbyanhourbut has astrongtailwindinthedirectionofSYD, theflight can makeupforlosttime.When theheadwindis blowing towards theWest, ilights towards SYD areunable tomake up forthelosttin1e andhenceare delayed. Whiletrackingthisparticularllight, I realisedthatduetoatechnicalissue,itwas divertingback toColombo 1.5 hours after

departure.

Iknewthenthatgivennight-tin1ecurfew fron1 11pmto6amhereat SYD,therewas nowayIwouldbeboardingmyflightat 10.30pmasscheduled.

ShortJyafterfiguringthisout, Ireceived aca!Jfron1 SriLankanAirlines customer care tonotgotothe airport as theflight wasdelayed. Overphone call andemail, theyinforn1edme thattheywouldget in touch witha newdeparturetime andlater thatday,true totheirword, l receivedthese details.

Departurefrom SYD

Giventhe new boarding time at 6amon 25 Dec, l arrivedat theairportaround3:15am. Therewasahuge lineforverification ofdocumentsfollowedby thequeue for check-in. It tookme two hourstocomplete theentirecheck-inprocess. (Itis highly recomn1endedto takecolourprintouts ofall requireddocuments to maketheverification processquicker.)

The Documentschecked were:

• AirSuvidha Form

• COVID-19 VaccinationCertificate

• RT-PCRTest Report (takenwithin 72 hrs ofdeparturetime)

• OCI or Indian Visa

Afterthecheck-inprocesswascomplete, immigrationandsecuritycheck werea breeze as the airportwasempty. Ours was the firstinternational flight todepart SYDonChristmasDay. We completed theprocessby 5:43an,and waitedat the departuregateshortlyafter. Notably, there werenoduty-freeshopsor restaurants open,leavingonJyvendingmachinesfor snacksanddrinks.

Settledintomyseatonthe plane at 6.10am, 1 noticedthat over90percentof

the plane seatswere vacant.

In-flight Experience (Sydneyto Colombo)

Halfanhourintothedepartureanddrinks were servedalongwithvegetarianandnonvegetarianfoodoptions. Everythingcame insidea largeplasticbox foreachpassenger. The passionate environmentalistinsideme wasn'tparticularly impressed!

Theflightwascomfortablebutcoldrecomn1endcarryingajacketor sweater.

At 5:23pm (Sydney time) or11:53am (SriLankantime),welanded inColon1bo.

Transit atColombo Airport

TheTransferDeskwaspackedwith passengersfromourSYDflight who soon werenotifiedthat theironwardconnections to Cochin, Bangalore,or Hyderabadhad been cancelledordelayedandtheyhadn't been informedbeforehand. Understandably, itcausedan uproaras SriLankanAirlines wasn'tprovidinghotelsfor the longlayovers untilthetransit flight. I countedmyselflucky to have alreadyreceivedtheboardingpasses for theColombo-Mumbaiflightin Sydney.

The standard foodoptions available atthe airport are Pizza Hut, BurgerKing, andThe Coffee Bean&Tea LeafCafe. It'sworth notingthat theonly currency usedacross theterminal is USO andSriLankan Rupees. Someoutlets acceptforeigncurrency,but thechange wouldbegiven i11 USO.

DeparturefromColombo

The aircraft was quite worn down from the inside.The seatswereoldandbrushedoff andtherewereno in-flightentertainment screens. Unlikethe flight from Sydney, this llight (two andahalfhourslong), was fu!Jy packed. Infact,there wasn'tenough room

Despite open borders, international travel remains an ordeal due to changing rules and restrictions. A personal account of a recent trip to India.

FlyingSriLankaninto Colombo, andcrowdingthe

fortheoverhead luggage andsomeextra luggagehad tobetakenbytheground staff and stored in the luggage con1partmentof the aircraft.

Arrival in Mumbai

At Mumbai,itwas astraight-forward process aslongasyou had all docu111ents colourprinted and organised inafile/folder. The advicegivenbypassengers fron1 the WhatsAppgroupsproved veryuseful.

1stStop Location: Rando1n counterontheway to ln1111igrationafterdeboardingaircraft

Documents Check: AirSuvidha Forn1.They barelybrushed throughthe details and toldus toproceed to I111Juigration.

2ndStop Location: h111njgration

Documents Check: ForIndian Passport Holders-Submit Indian Passport For ForeignPassportHolders-Subn1it Foreign Passport, OCI or IndianVisa, .Department ofltn1nigration Form (given atColomboAirport duringboarding)

3rdStop

Location: Baggage Claim

Documents Check: No documents asked/ checked.

4thStop Location: Custon1s

DocumentsCheck: No documents asked/ checked.Only baggage screening.

5thStop

Location: lnthearrivalshalljustbeforeexit ofairport building

DocumentsCheck: AirSuvidha For111, International Vaccine Certificate, RT-PCRTest Results

The counterpersonbrieflysawthem, did noteven go through indetail and told us to 1noveon. Notably, noauthoritiesasked for the additional fonnsprovidedtous atColo111boairportor the in-flight health declaration.

Overall, itwas agreat airlineexperience

with efficientconlffiunicationtopassengers evenwhenthe flightwasdelayed from Sydney. The servicewasgood,and thecrew wasfriendlyandhumble. Iwouldflywith them again onalong-haul sector.

RETURNING TO SYDNEY

(ThaiAirways, 3 Jan2022)

Whenbookmg111ytravelinOctober, I noticedthatThaiAirwayswas sellingtickets forclose to $800-900 perpersonforthe Mumbaito Sydneysectorvia Bangkokin the firstweekofthenewyear. Itwasunreal for apremiun1 airlinetosell such comparatively inexpensive tickets du1·ingCOVID and the upcomingpeakholidayperiod. Little did I know, itwould be byfarafrustrating experience.

Buying the Ticket

Even purchasing1nyticketon theThai Ail-wayswebsitewasnot acomfortable experience. ltonlyallowedpurchase throughA1nerican Express(AMEX) credit cards, although the ticketingpolicyon the website states thatall Visa and Mastercard typesofpay1nentareallowed. Since [ didn't have anAMEXcreditcard, I hadtoask my family in lndja to purchase the ticket forme and banktransfertheamount later. Itwas highlyinconvenient, but I boughttheticket forits competitive price.

RegulatoryApproval

It turned outthatThaiAirwayssold ticketsin Octobereven though they had not received regulatoryapprovalyet to fly between India andThailand. Hence, there were noflightstorelyonto understand if my travel in January2022 wouldgoahead. Alotofthe decisionswerebasedon the hopethat the 1ndiangovernn1entwould approveThai Airways flights to India. Less than aweek afterbookingmytickets, there wasan official circular announcing the resumption ofscheduled flightstoand from India. 1 rested a littleeasier.

Aswithmyprevious travel, Ijoined the Thai Airways WhatsAppgroupcreated bypassengerstravellingwith the same airlines between lndiaandAustralia via Bangkok. Alot ofcritical announcements

anddiscussionshere ledme tosuccessfully travel to India and back. Perhapsour biggestchallenge, though,was the lackof travelupdates byThai Airways.Theykept changingthe rulesand restrictionsbutdid notcommunicate them to uspassengersvia phone call,e1nail,or textn1essage. Asyou can in1agine, itcreateda lotofstressand anxiety.

India'sannouncement fortravel restrictions (9 Dec 2021)

Practicallyovernight, theIndian governmentannounced that all internationalscheduled flightswill be suspended until 31 Jan 2022. Only countriessharinga travelbubble with India wouldbeable toflyeasily. Forpassengers travellingthroughcountries that do not have atravelbubble with India, they wouldhave to quarantine asper the transitingcountry'stravel restrictions. For usThaiAirwayspassengers,itmeant quarantining fora dayin Bangkokata hotel,completingan RT-PCRTestand then basedonthenegative test report, checking backinto BangkokAu·port toboard their onwardconnection flight.

Quarantine Requirements ofThailand (Thai Pass)

Since all travellersto and from India nowhad toquarantine in Bangkok, passengershad toapplyforaThai Pass, theentryper111itintoThailand to quarantine. Ofthe three typesof quarantine programsThailand offered, theleastwasofthe I-dayTest & Go Package. However, the requirements werequite strictand remarkably, the need foraThai Pass was not communicated tousin any travel updates fromThaiAirways.Wewere meant to discoveronourown thatwithoutan approvedThai Pass,wewould not be allowed to travel.

Following India's travel ban, I was increasinglyanxiousabout mytravel. 1 contactedThai Airways in Sydneyabout travel updates andquarantine requirements, buttheyremained unreachable.

Changing myticketforthe firsttime (14 Dec)

Eventually I wentto theThaiAirwaysoffice inSydneyCBD on 14 Decto change n1y flightticketto havea 24-hourquarantine inBangkok.Theofficewasclosed to the public butThaiAirways staffwere working inside. I knocked onthe door repeatedly untilsomeone finallycame outand agreed to help meout.

Inunder 10 1ninutes,myticketwas updated andnowhadthe 1-dayquarantine stopoverinBangkok. I also booked ahotel staythat is aSHA+ hotel as requiredfor the Thai Pass.

Thatsame evening,theairlinesputout a poston theirofficialFacebookpage about the need toquarantine. Passengerswere notcontacted bytheairline norwas this travelupdate available on theirwebsite. For apremiumglobal airlinetocommunicate in this fashionwas, I thought, rather unprofessional.

Second ticketchange (16 Dec)

Two days later, Thai Airways deleted the Facebook post and posted a new update, stating"Ifyou are booked to travel between 1ndia and Australia orvice-versa, youAREnow pern1itted toTRANSIT in Bangkokin both directions, you do not have to stay overnight in a hotel." There was noofficial noticefrom either the Indian orThai government to support this travel update but because wewereflying withThai Airways, we had nochoice but to follow them.

I contactedThai Airwaysvia Facebook Messengerand theychanged my ticket to myoriginal ticket. It felt veryunprofessional todo thisvia social media and after my ticketwas changed, I noticed they had not put in the 30kgsofstandard luggage in my updated ticket. It tooka long time chasing them togetthis updated.

Third ticket change (20 Dec)

Andyet, my ordealwithThaiAirwaysdid notendthere. Mysteriously, their Facebook post announcing the travelupdate was

ThaiAirwayscustomercareprovestobeachallenge;Transitin Bangkokisweary;arelieftobeonthatflightbackhome.

deleted, causing anuproar amongus passengers. Wewerebackto square one - requiringatleast24hours quarantine in Bangkok.

Despitenu1nerous attempts, I wasunable to reachThatAirways CustomerCare via phone. I wasalsotoldbyfriendswho visited theSydney CBDofficethatthestaff had behavedveryrudely.After consecutive phone callsgettingdisconnected, I was finallyabletogetthroughtoa staff men1ber atthe Sydney CBD officewho helped change my ticket (again). She was verypatientandhelpful.

Fourth ticket change (24 Dec)

A daybeforen1yflightfromSydney to Colombo, I received a travelupdate formy ThaiAirways ticketthatn1yflighthasbeen postponedbya day. Instead of travelling on2 Jan2022 fron1 Mumbai and arriving on3 Jan in Bangkok thatn1etthe24hours quarantine requirement + additional 11 hrs until1nynextavailableflight, ThaiAirways haschangedn1ydeparturedateto 3 Jan. It reduced my stopover tin1e in Bangkok to10 hours 451nins and mentioned it asa transit in111y ticket (which wasn'tallowed asperthelatesttravelguidelines). By this point, I was fed up with chasingThai Ajrwaysforupdates. Idecidedtotake a chanceatMun1baiAirporttoletthen1 permitme to travel.

26 Dec 2021

ThaiAirways announced on Facebook thatanynewapplicants forTest& Go

(I-day quarantine)in Bangkok havebeen suspended from 22 Dec2021. It meant thatanynew applicantfortheThai Pass would haveto quarantinefora minimu1nof 7-daysinThailand.Thisvital information was not clearly con1111unicated to us passengersvia anyforn1 ofcommunication byThaiAirways. However, 1 had received my1-dayThai Pass and was ableto quarantine in Bangkok on my tripbackto SYD.

RT-PCR Testing in India

As per India's travelguidelines, it is mandatory toonly do the RT-PCRTesting within 72hrs ofyour flightdeparturefro111 an approved JCMR Laboratory. My advice would beto referto thelatest updated Listof lCMRlabs. 1 completed1nytest in Mumbaiand got the results ontheday of departure. Pleaseensure the reporthas a QRcode, correctname, passportnumber and nationalityas per Passport.

Departure from B0M (3 :January, 2022)

Iarrived 5 hourspriortodeparturetiine to Bangkok and wasone of thefirstfew passengers forThaiCheck-in.Once the queuebegan, 1 was asked strictlyfora setofdocuments thatIhad prepared beforehand. TheThaiAirways team went through allofmydocumentsindetail:

• Thai Pass

• TravelInsurance

• Covid-19 Vaccine Certificate

• RT-PCR TestReport (Negative)

• HotelAccommodationBookjngin

Bangkok (that includes confirmationof RT-PCR Testing)

Thecheck-incounterwasvery slow and unsureduringthe whole process.Thestaff wasunsure ofthetravelrules themselves

Feelinglucky butconcerned and weren'tsurewhatwas required except forThai Pass. Isaw 1nany people in the check-in line who did not haveany Thai Pass and didn'teven knowabout such arequirementastheairlinesdid not communicateto them aboutit. I donot think theywereaJlowed to board theflight. TheTransitarea ofMumbaiAirport was prettyeLnpty, as wastheflightto Bangkok. Wedeparted at11:20pm.

Arrival in Bangkok

Welanded at4:26amon4 Jan2022 and were instructed to checkour documents.Attheverificationof docu,nentscounter, itwas all checked thoroughlyagain,beforeweproceeded to imnugration. Everythingat the airport, includingdutyfreeshops and restaurants,wereclosed. Only the money exchangecounterand health serviceswere still open, wherewegotsomeThai Baht as itis theonlycu1-rencyaccepted atthis airport.

Atarrivals, therearemanycountersfor hotelswith hotelrepresentatives sitting theretoreceiveyou and thencommunicate with thedriver to dropyou to thehotel. Ourhotelrepresentativeattended tous quicklyand wehad a dTiverin 15 minutes attheterminalexit. It was anSUV and all ourluggagefitin. Soonwearrived atthe hotel.

Bangkok Hotel Stay & RT• PCR Testing

Wearrived atthehotelby6amandopted forexpress PCR testingasweneeded thereportas soonas possible. With my changed ticket, my stopover in Bangkok was reduced fron135 hours to11 hours. 1 had tocompletean express PCRtestasthe resultswouldcomein4-6hours whilea standard PCRtestresult wouldcomein1215 hours. ltcostmeAU$200 perperson additionalover the hotelstay. The testing centre wasat the parkingofthehoteland had nowaitingtime.

It wasstressfulwaitinginthehotel room for thetest result without which I couldnot board my llighttoSydney. Weeventually received ourtestresults at12:30pmafter constant checking with thehotelreception. Oncetheycan1e,wequicklygrabbed a taxi from thehotelparkinglotandleftfor the airport.

Departure from Bangkok

Thecheck-in countersweredesertedat Bangkokairport. Mywifeand I were the onlypassengerscheckjnginat that time. Wecompleted ourcheck-inprocess in10 minutes, securitycheckand immigration in 15-20 minutes.

Wehad a lotof time to spend inthe airporttransitarea. Soonwerealised that70 percentoftheairport terminalis

underrenovationand therewereonly three food outlets to eat from, onebeing on the extremeend of the terminal while theother two(Bread CafeandSubway) wereatthe otherend of the terminal.Aswe waited, l continued tobeastonishedbythe number offlightcancellations onthedeparture board.

Wearrived inSydney on 5 Jan at 7:15am.Although the in1migration process was hassle-free, 1 was surprised thatno authorities checked foran RTPCRCertificateorAustralianTravel Declaration.

LOOKING BACKAT IT ALL

I've now shared my travel experienceonFacebookand WhatsAppgroups. I do not want anyonetogo through whatIdid, especially those who continue toface difficultiesaroundthe Thai Pass. Thai Airways wouldnotbe1ny preferred airlinebasedonmyexperience, although I'mthankful to havebeenable totravel to India andbackduring this time. Ithas beenalongtime sincemanyof ushaveseenourloved ones, but international travel remains achallengin gexperienceduringthe pandemic. Ifyou musttravel, pleasedo checkinformation constantly. But mostof all, beprepared for plentyof uncertainty.

ultiple COVID-19 testingsites acrossAustraliahavebeen temporarilycloseddue to n1assivenumbersofpeople lining upfor PCRtesting. If you'retravelling to India andtryingtogettested 72 hours before your flight, HistopathDiagnostics Specialistsatthree n1ajorAustralian airportswillgiveyou PCRtestresultsin90 1ninutesforthepriceof $79 pertest.

Only internationaltravellersare allowed toattendHistopath'spre-departure testing atSydney, Brisbane,andMelbourne Internationalairportsonthe sa,nedayof departure.

Testingis available totravellers toIndia 48 hourspriorto departure.

However,fortestingon thedayof departure,pleaseensureyouarrive atleast 4to 5 hours priortoyourcheck-intin1e in orderto secureyourtestandreceive your results.

Please Note: Passengersn1ustshow evidenceofflightdetailsin ordertobe acceptedfortestingandtestingfor Do,uestic flightsisnotavailableatanyof Histopath's airportfacilities.

When youaregettingatestatthe airport, followthissimple 3-stepprocess.

• Registerandpayforyourtest: no appointn1ents necessary

• Visitthetestingcentreforatest

• Receiveyourcertificate

PCR testing at Sydney International Airport

Departures

Available 7 daysa week6.00amto 11.30pm(Open PublicHolidays). Located on Departureslevelconcourseopposite entranceD.

PCR testing at Melbourne

Tullamarine Airport

Departures

Available 7 daysa week6.00amto l1.00pn1 (Open Public Holidays). Located inTern1inal l.

PCR testing at Brisbane

International Terminal

Available 7 daysa week 8.00amto11.00pm (Open Public Holidays). Locatedon Departureslevel,shop4B-41.

Inordertobeeligiblefortestingat Brisbaneairport,youn1usthave amodeof transportarrangedshouldyourtestcome backpositive.

If not,you willbe requiredto await OAStransportwhichcantakeupwards of 5hours. Ifyoudo nothave a Brisbane residentialaddressandtestpositive, youmaybe requiredtobeadmittedtoa Queenslandhospitalto awaitassessment.

Formoreinformation,visitwww.histopath. co111.au/locations/airport#Register

ou resu Sin

Government of India Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Revised Guidelines for International Arrivals from 11 January 2022 (00:01 IST)

Planning travel

• Submit a self-declaration form on the online Air Suvidha portal before the scheduled travel date.

• Upload a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report. Thetest should have been conducted within 72 hrs priorto departure.

• Passengers shall also submit a declaration with respect to authenticity of the PCR report.

Boarding the flight

• At thetime of boarding, onlyasymptomatic travellers will be allowed to board afterthermal screening.

• If any passenger reportssymptoms of COVID-19 during flight, theywill be isolated as per protocol.

On arrival from Australia

• 2% ofthetotal flight passengersshall undergo post-arrival testing at random (testing of these sampleswill be prioritised)

• These 2% oftravellers in each flight shall be identified bytheconcerned airlines (preferablyfrom differentcountries).

All travellers (including those 2% who were selected for random testing on arrival and were found negative) will undergo home quarantine for 7 days and shall undertake RT-PCR test on the 8th day of arrival in India.

Travelers are required to upload resultsofanother RT-PCR test for COVID-19 doneonthe 8th dayontheAirSuvidha portal (to bemonitored bythe respectiveStates/UTs). If negative, theywill furtherself-monitortheirhealth fornext7 days.

However, if such travellersaretested positive,theirsamplesshould befurthersentfor genomic testing at INSACOG laboratory network and theywill be managed aton isolation facilityand treated as perstandard protocol.

Disclaimer: This information hos been compiled from the Government ofIndia,Ministryof Health and FamilyWelfarewebsite (www.mohfw.gov.in). Guidelines maybesubjectto change, pleasecheckthewebsiteclosertoyourtravel date.

GAURA TRAVEL has now operated 100 charter flights between India and Australia

n the month ofMarch 2020, under great adversity, we sum1nonedthe will and alongwith thesupportand bl.essingsofsome great well-wishers, we operated our first charterflight. We weren'tsure back then howmany morewewould fly. Hey, apartofus wasn'teven surewewouldeverhave another plane in the airagain!

Butwepersevered. Ourbackswere against the wall, butwe found room for courage. Webanked upon thegoodwill ofourpassengersandlo andbehold, we flewour100th charter flightin Decen1ber!

We caJ1barelybelievethatwe actually scored a centuryofchartersandwe have you, ourvaluedpassengers, to thank. We thankyouforthe opportunityto connectyoubackwithyourlovedones. We thankyouforthefaithyou placed Ln US. Wearegratefultoyou.

Great stories from our 'charter' chapter

In February2021,weflewour 10,000thpassengerthroughour charter planes.

Westillren1embertalkingtoour 10,000thpassengerattheairportjustas hewasabouttoboard(andnowwehave flownwellover20,000passengers!). Weofferedhimabusinessclassticketand the happinessheexperiencedand expressedremainsindescribable.

Later thatevening,we also celebrated theevent withcolleagues andwell-wishersfrom theindustryand friends.

Eventhatnight,wedidnotimagine thatwewould put a 100charterplanes in the air.

Werealised oneimportantlesson: thatthe human spiritwantstoflyfree, and it cannevereverbecapturedfor long.

Wanttotravel, but haven't booked?

Wearealsotakingbookingsforsomecommercial flights through otherairlinesinthenewyear!

Sospeakwithourfriendlystafftogetfurther clarityonthe rulesand regulations.Weare open 24/7.

Make 2022 a yearto remember Wesincerelyhope thatthenewyearbrings the joyand togethernessthatwehaveaJJ beendenied forthelasttwoyears. We hopethatdestinationswillbeunlocked, thatborderswillremainopen,thatyouthe travellercanbe asfree asever.

Soif travellingin 2022 sounds like agreat idea,getonto itnow. We havea numberof travel packagesavailable.

So,callusandbookyourseatsbeforewesellout! Meanwhile,wehave a 100 reasons to express ourgratitude toallthosewhomake ourbusiness tick.

YOU!

The Gaura Travelteam

May it be a time to proudly remember and treasure your heritage India.

us ra

eco ea IC

Or why KRIS NEELAMRAJU joined the Australian Republican Movement

heAustraliansocietytakesimmense prideingivinga 'fairgo'toanyone whotries.Weare alltoldthat,as Australians,noopportunityorjob isdeniedtous. Exceptforonejobwhich happenstobeaprettyimportantoneina den1ocracy. Youshouldbeenragedto know thattheveryfactthatyouareanAustralian citizendisqualifiesyoufromthatjob.

Allowmetoremindyouthatthe Headof State ofAustraliaistheBritishQueenand onlyhersonorhergrandsonorsomeone in thatlineofsuccessioncaninheritthat role.AustraliancitizenslikeyouandI are, constitutionallyspeaking,111ere 'subjects' ofthesaidQueenorKing. Whichmeans wecanneverbegoodenoughtobecome the headofthiscountry. Ton1e,that disqualificationremainsbothersome.And itcontinues tore1nindmethatthereisstill worktobedonetomakeAustraliafully

independent.

ToamajorityofAustralians,having the BritishQueenasourHeadofState representsa harmlesslinktoaquaint institution.Awinkandanodtothe 'origin story'of1nodernAustralia, ifyou will.However,scratchthesurfaceofthis seeminglybenignarrangementandyouwill discoversomepricklylegalissues.Thereare dangerslurkingjustunderthesurfacethat arenotaswell-knownastheyshouldbe.

TheAustralianParliamentstillpasses laws'InthenameofHerMajesty'.In2002, theHighCourtofAustraliaruledthat'the fundamentalcriterionofme1nbership(of theAustraliannation)isallegiancetothe Queen'.Asperananalysispublishedonthe AustralianParliamentHouse'swebsite,that HighCourtrulinggavegreaterrightstononcitizenBritishresidents(eventhoseconvicted ofseriouscrimes) thanthoseenjoyedby

someAustraliancitizens.Thisisashocking exampleofhowhavingthe Queenasa Head ofStatecouldleadtomultipleclassesof citizenship.

Anotherissue isforeigninterferencein Australianpolitics.Fordecades,Buckingham Palacekeptsecretitsinvolvementinthe dismissalofanAustraliangovernmentin 1975. Legalexpertsstilldebateaboutthe unconstitutionalityofthoseevents. Ittook an epiclegalbattleinrecentyearsbya tenaciousAustralianhistorianinalliance withAustralia'sbestlegalmindstoforce BuckinghamPalaceto teardownthat wall ofsecrecy.Thisisanotherexampleofthe dangersof thestatusquo.

Toson1eonelikeme,whoseformative yearswerespentinIndia,bowingtoaKing orQueenrepresentsamoth-eatenclass systemthatiswellpastits'BestBefore' date. CelebratingIndia'sRepublicDayevery

TheNeelamrajufamilyattheir citizenshipceremony: Itwasavirtual event, buttheymadethevideocallon thestepsoftheSydneyOperaHouseto makeitamemorablemoment.

year, I learnt thedifference betweengaining Independence andbeconlinga Republic. Whenthecountry became 'independent' in1947, Indians gainedtherighttoselfgovernance. However,everysingleActofthe IndianParliamentinthefirst fewyears was passedinthe nan1eofthe British monarch, King George VI.This wasnotwhatthe freedon1fightersoflndialaiddowntheirlives for. Itwasstill'HisMajesty'sGovernment' on paperinIndia andthatdidn'tsoundlike realindependence. India quicklybeca111e a Republicandon January261950, Dr. Rajendra Prasad replacedthe King as India's HeadofStateandproclaimedequalityas a birthright toallIndians. Whata 1no1nentof pridethatwas!Withgreatenthusiasmand pride, Indiansstillcelebratethedaywhen theystoppedbeingthe 'subjects' ofaforeign monarch.

Consider mydilemmathen, when Ilearnt thatbecominganAustraliancitizen1neant implicitlypledgingallegiancetothe British monarch! Longbefore I beca1ne acitizen, IstartedfollowingtheAustralianRepublic M.ovement,anorganisation foundedin1991 tocampaign foranAustralian Headof State replacingthe Queen.The closer Igot to my citizenshipceremony,the moreimportant itbecametodeal with mydiscomfortwith allegiancetomonarchy. MylovetorAustralia andthe pride1 tookinbecomingAustralian wouldhavebeengreaterif I hadpledged allegiancetoanAustralian HeadofState instead.

Filledwith this Republicanspirit, myfirst politicalactasanAustraHancitizen wasto becomeapajdmemberof theAustralian RepublicMovement, thedayaftermy citizenshipceremony. Ihavesince been active inthe Movementandwas recentlyelected totheNSWBranchCouncil. Itismybelief thatweareonthecuspofhistoryduetoa uniquesetofexpectedfutureevents that couldmakethe Republicandreamareality. I-lowever,IalsobelievethattheRepublicis neitherinevitable norimminentunlessthere isanactivepushtobringthe issue tofore.To channelBobHawke from 1983, aRepublic isgreat tohavebutitisstillnotamatterof greatimportancetoAustralians. Itappears tobeofevenlessimportancetomulticultural communitiesincludingthelndiancommunity. Despiteourstrongrepublicanroots,Indian Australiansareyettoshowupinnun1bersto advocateandcampaignforaRepublic. Myeffortsaretopublicisethe Republican causean1ongthedesicommwuty,anditis mystrongbeliefthatwehaveacentralrole toplay. Wehave auniqueunderstandingof theimportanceofbeinga Republicandletus notforget,ourforebearshavedoneitonce already.

Wemustbecome aRepublicsothateach oneofusandourchildrenaregiventhat 'fairgo'thatwearesooftenpronlisedin Australia.

Vivela Republique!

TolearnmoreabouttheAustralian RepublicanMovement, headto www.republic.org.au

Member

Shadow Minister foi Immigration and CitizenshiR

Senator foi NSW

Shadow Minister for Reconstruction, Emr:1loyment, Skills and Small Business

Shadow Ministe" for Science

F.ederal Member fo" Corio

Senator for

Shadow Ministe" for Multicultural Affairs

Shadow Ministe� for Cities and Urban Infrastructure

Shadow Ministe� Assisting for Immigration and CitizenshiR

F.ederal Member fo� Scullin

Leader ofthe Australian Labo� P.arty

for F.ederal Grayndle�

Deputy Labor Leader in trie Senate

Deputy Leader ofthe Australian Labor JJarty

Authorised by Paul Erickson, ALP Canberra

L':abor l.'.eader in the Senate Shadow Minister for F.oreign Affairs

S1"-

, , Special challenge thrown

to Gold Coast's Navish Gupta sees him claim the championship at exclusive club

hoistanother nation's flagon the premises.

BY RAJNIANAND LUTHRA

Seeingtheunderdogrisetovictory isafamiliartropeinsportfilmsHollywood, Bollywood orAussiewood. Theoddsstackedagainstthem,theout-oftownerisn1otivatedbydrea1nsofsporting glory(thinkRocky),establishinganewrecord (thinkRideLikeaCir[),orperhapsfulfillinga parentalan1bition(thinkDanga[).

Sometitnesthough,itisnationalpridethatis atstake(thinkLagaan).

InamateurgolferNavishGupta'scase,it wasLagaan.alloveragain,ashewontheClub ChampionshipatTheGrandGolfClublast December.

IntheiconicHindifilinwhichbeca1ne India'sentrytothe2002 Oscars,an in1poverishedbutyouthfulfarmertakesonthe challengethrownbyaBritishRajofficial-win aga1neofcricketandhaveyourstruggling con1munity'staxwipedoffforthreeyears.

SowhatdidNavishplayfor,in2021? Uraniu1nforIndia,perhaps?Freetrade agreement?Con1passionforinternational students?

No,onlythemuchsimplersatisfactionof seeinghisbirthcountry'sflaghoistedata privateandexclusiveAustraliangolfclub.

Andwhendiditflyhigh,itwasnolessthan

anOlympiceventforthe54-year-old.

Recountingthechampionship,Navish described, "Iwasa1nongtheeightwho qualifiedatthequarterfinalstage.TheClub PresidentJimn1yVernon,agoodfriend,joked thatifIwon,hewouldhoisttheIndianflagat theclub.Itwasagoodlaugh,givenIplaywith ahandicapof4while1nyopponents,allof themmuchyoungerthanme,haveahandicap ofzero."

ItwasachallengenonethelessandNavish wasallfiredup.

"Thesemisweregruelling;after 36 holes Iwasone oftwo menleftstanding."

Navish then rang JimmyVernon, to ask ifbe remembered hispromiseaboutthe Indianflag.

The 88-year-old replied,"I will honour mywords." Ofcourse, he had toseek permissionfromtheclub committee,to

AsNavishGuptaemergedvictorious, the Indian Tricolourwas unfurled,bringinga touch ofcolourto the clubhouse.

"I feltvery proud," the2021 Club Champion revealed. "I'dseen thisvery scene playout in Dangaland similarftlms, butthiswascompletelymyowndoing!"

TheTirangaflewproudfortwowholedays, untiltheClub'syear-endparty. ltwasagrand affair,beingtheClub's24thbirthdayaswell.

"Indian-origin Uberdriverswhodrovethe guestsinweresurprisedandhappytosee the Tricolourflutteringaway," Navishlaughed. "WhyIndianflag,theyasked.We have an Indianchampion,theywere told."

Andtheicingonthecake,was,quite literally,thecakeoftheday. "Itcameout decoratedwithtricolourcandles!"

Inhisspeechattheevent,Delhi-bornNavish describedhisgolfingjow·neywithmuch candour. Itbegan25yearsago,whenhelived inIndonesia.

"Itookthefamilyoutforapicniconeday. Lookingforapeacefulspot,Icame upona beautifulgreenclearing.Wespreadoutour mat,madeourselvescomfortable,andtookout oursaniosasandchai.Wewereenjoyingthe serenityofitall,untilagroupofmencameup. Whatthebell,theysaidtous,you'reonour puttinggreen!"

Navishbadbeardofgolfbeforebuthad neverbeenonacourse.

"Thatsparkedmyinterest,andIdecidedto givethegameatry."

An lndia-trainedcharteredaccountant, Navishbecameasuccessfulentrepreneurin Indonesiamanufactw-ingfurniture.

HemovedbasetoAustraliain2003, continuingtogrowhisbusiness.

Currentlyhe issemi-retired,offering management consultancy. Heplaysfour daysaweekatThe Grand.

Designed byAustraliangolfingicon Greg Norman, the 19-holecourse isone of the world'sleadingprivate coursesand is described as "onlyavailabletoaprivileged few".

"Yes it's anexclusive golfclub," Navish revealed. "Its 555 memberscouldbe describedas thewho'swhoofQueensland, perhapseventhecountry."

Navishisalso keepingan eye on thegolf scenein India. "Thegame ispickingup beautifullythere. Indiadidsurprisinglywell at theTokyo Olympics, and I 1nustsingle out AditiAshok, the23-year-oldwhofinished 4th. I'm alsoveryimpressed by thecourses inDelhi, Bangalore and Mumbai."

He'salsoin contactwithprofessional golfer Gaganjit Singh Bhullar.

Lookingbackat2021, Navishsaysitwas agoodyearforhiin

"I had ahole-in-one in July; I won myagegroup championship (SO-plus),andfinally claimed the club championship."

Plansfor2022?

"Playasmuchgolfas Ican.Tillthetime mybodyallows! Oh, andwinthe Club Championship again."

15-year-old youth photographerAayush Chitnis wins photo contest

BY NIKEETA BHATIA

-year-old Aayush Chitnis' photograph, 'The Faces ofQuarantii1e', has won top honoursin the 'Alone Together' photographycompetition (Youth Category).

Thecon1petition, held bythe Hornsby ShireCouncil inSydney, aimed tobring localmembersofthe community togetherto connect on theirsharedexperiences duri11g the COVID pande1nic. Localphotographers, includingAayush,subntlttedimages answeringthe question, 'What does the COVIDpandemicn1ean tome?'

ForAayush, aYear 9 Nonnanhurst Boys student, thepandentlcmeant asense of stagnation. "Theworld around n1e stopped moving," AayushtoldIndian Link. "I didn't go anywhere,andI could notmove forward. Iwas stuckin aloopofeating, exercising, entertainment,hobbies, and alittle bitof schoolwork. I triedto embodythatfeelingof stagnationin mywork."

Constrained bythelimitsin1posedby lockdown,Aayushchosetophotograph himselfwithhisNikoncamera and tripod. Usingphotoshoptocreate a'stacked' iinage, thephotograph depicts threeversions of

himselftakingpart in variousmundane activities,including:eating,exercising, and practicingguitar. Hechose these activities to illustrate howasingularexperienceofbeing alone,bored, andstagnantinapandemic, couldbefeltbymany:"l couldn'tcapture animage thatincludedalotofpeople,so I tried to captureoneiinage to illustrate the experienceofmany."

Aayush revealedtl1atheusedphotography as anescapeduringthepandemic. "I started toseephotographyasanactualhobbyatthe endoflastyear. 1 thinkIchoseabad timeto getintophotography. l waslimitedwithwhat I couldshootsoI startedtakingphotographs inmyneighbourhood. I foundthattaking photoswascalmingandallowedmeto escape." Itwasononeofhisneighbourhood photographytripswhen oneofAayush's familyfriendsspottedltlmandsuggested he enterilie'AloneTogether'competition.

In addition, he alsoused the time to improve hisphotoshop skills bygoing backand editingold imagesfromtrips priorto thepandemic. He creditshis

growthinskillsetto hisfriends, YouTube, experimentation, andexperience withall the equipmentand featuresonoffer.

Aayushwasintroduced to theworldof photographywhen hisdad brought home a Nikon D7100 in2014. "When Iwas9 or 10, l started acompetitionbetweenmeand my dadastowhowasthebetterphotographer," Aayush recollected.

Hisfriendlycompetitionwith his dad hasnowbecome afriendlycompetition with friends. "Competitionmotivatesme. It'sa bigpart ofwhy 1 started to take photographyseriously." With friends,he nowtravels tothecityorwakesup early totakesunrise photosatvarious National Parksacross New SouthWales. He specificallyenjoys the"feelingofadventure" thathegetsfrom landscapephotography.

Aayushlookstothe Sydneyhobby photographyscene onlnstagramas a sourceofinspiration. "Thelocalartists' and photographers'whodefine the Australianphotographyscenearemybiggest inspiration,"herevealed. "Theyare able

tocapture thevastcityand landscapes in thediversecountrywelivein." He specificallylooksup to Sydneybased travel photographer@Pat_Kay,and @northborders, basedin Melbourne. ln thefuture,Aayush hopes toenterthe worldoftravel photography. "I willcontinue photographyasa hobbyfor the foreseeable future.Thedream istobecome atravel photographer. Iwould lovetotravel around Australia and the world totake photos."

Aayushwasextre1nelyhappywhenhe foundouthehadwoninthe YouthCategory, statingthatitwasa"stll'realexperience tolookatoneofmyphotoshangingupin anexhibition". Heexpressedhisgratitude towardstheHornsbyShire: "Iampretty luckytolivehere. Whatthey[HornsbyShire Council]doforartistsisreallynice.Youhave thechancetodisplayyourarttothewider publicand that'sreallyhelpfulingettingyow· nameoutthere." Inregard tothecompetitions theShireholds;"there'snodownside to entering. It'sareallygoodwaytogrow."

Aayush'sphotograph, 'The Facesof Quarantine', alongwith 17 otherwinning photographs, were displayedinan exhibitionin Hornsbyinlate December. The works ofwinnersand finalistscanbe viewed onthe HornsbyShire Council'swebsite: https://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/lifestyle/ arts-and-culture/alone-together

More ofAayush'sworkcan be foundon his Instragram: @chitniscuz

''I couldn't capturean imagethat included a lotofpeople,so I triedto capture one imageto illustratethe experience of many."

rou USIC

Multidisciplinaryartistand trans woman Naavikaran is challenging gender normsthroughtheirsongs.

BY BAGESHRI SAVYASACHI

fmen arefromMarsandivo1nenare fron1 Venus, thenIam theentiresolar systemandbeyond asseenthrough my mother'seyes.

These are thewordsofnon-binary SouthAsianartistNaavikaran, aproducer, choreographerand chai-makerfron1 Mumbaiand Bangalore basedin Brisbane, Australia.Amultidisciplinaryartist, their latestworkis a songtitled 'IfMyGenders WereTheEntire SolarSystem'.

Themusical compositionis especially

uniquebecauseitreimaginesgenderbeyond thebinaryof1nale and female, through the eyesofan Indian imnugrant.

"The titleisa funnystory,actuallyand is entrenched ingenderliberationand immigration," Naavikarantold Indian Link. "Havingmoved toAustralia in2015, I found it quite haTdto conveywho 1 am. Most people I knowandhave methaveavery shallowandbinaryunderstandingofgender, race and intersectionality. 1 therefore wanted tocreate somethingfloral, playful andyet accessiblethatI coulduse when I metpeople andintroduced myself."

'IfMyGendersWereThe Entire Solar Syste111'is a trackthat ispartofa bigger theatre-spectacleand albumcalledBrown Church created by themandcommissioned

to be presented asapart ofthe Undercover Arts Festival in Septemberlastyear at QueenslandTheatre.

Naavikaranworkedonthelyricsofthe poem-songforover2 years.

Theirpartnerand musicproducer, Levi Kohler, is behindthe tuneofthe'deeply celestialtrack'. Kohlerwasinspiredbythe synthmelodies ofartistslike Himeraand Oklou.

"Theideawastocreateasoundscape thatreallyawokethesenseofwhattravelling throughthe solarsystemwouldfeellike," Naavikaranrevealed."ThatJedtothecreation ofthetrackthatisinformationalbutyethasa child-likecuriosityandwondertoit."

Forinspiration,theylistentoalotofA.R. Rahman, ShreyaGhoshal and SanjayLeela

Bhansali. Theyalsofollowmusicians like Dua Saleh, Florence and the Machine, Doja Cat, Janelle Monae andwriterslikeOcean Vuong, James Baldwin, MayaAngelou.

Moreover, Naavikaranis notcompletely newtothe ,nusicscene; in December2021, theydropped theirfirstsingle ever-'Where Are You From?'.The trackcaptured the experiencesofpeople ofcolourbeingasked thatquestion, often by White people, not necessarilyoutofgenuine curiosity but morefron1underlyingrootsofracism.

"Iwanted tocreateatrackthat analyses howa veryinnocentquestioncanbe quite destabilisingtomanypeopleofcolour, migrants and evenIndigenouspeople. The worksignifies theway in whichracisttools like nucro-aggressioncancreate violent

experiencesforpeople regardless oftheir indigeneity, immigration status, classand gender," theysaid.

NaavikaranandLeviwrote the track together,which exhibits arange ofdifferent sectionsincludingIndian classical and hiphop,thatblend insmoothlytogivelisteners 'a funyetchaoticexperience'.

Makingmusic as an Indian immigrant in Australia

Whenasked aboutbreakingintoAustralia's 1nusicscene, Naavikaranshared theirfirsthand experience.

"I ain still 'breaking' into the music scene. The musicindustryisextren1elyracist andgatekept.

"As anon-traditionalSouthAsian, trans, disabled, darkskinned artiston a visa,whoisusingmainlyspokenword and experimental 1nusicas aforn1 ofexpression, there is neitherastrongaudienceforthe genre norcurated spaces thatcaterto diverse artforn1s. Whatever spaces doexist are culturallyunsafe and under-resourced," c3 they shared.

"Thejourneyis however, entirely c co exciting! I am lucky tohave avery smallyet g, loyal followingand I am lookingforward to 2 u keep workingharderforthen1," they added. o._

Theyalsoen1phasised thatAustralia, especiallyQueensland,haspoorresources, fundingand structures forstorytellingand performance.

"I thinkwehavealongwaytogo to change the narrative so that the distribution ofrecourses, mentoring, opportunities and avenuesto c1·eative forumsare 1nore equitable towomen, queerand disabled folkand other marginalized intersections," Naavikaran said.

Forthen1, makingmusic meansbeing more accessible, itwasthe easiestwayto sharetheirworkwith everyone.

"Mostoftheworld has access tothe internet and I am reallyinterested inoffering more andmore'free'waysofpeoplebeing able toHstentomywork,"theysaid.

As a storyteller, Naavikaran isdeeply invested in resourcingspacesforculture, liberation and expression torvarious intersections andcom1nunities,asled by those intersectionsandcom1uunities.

"I believe thatthe practice ofculture and storytellingis the practice ofcaringfor land, elders, children and thereforedirectly

leadingto abetterand saferplanet forusall. Makingmusicisone ofthemanyways I am engagedin thatwork," theymused.

Naavikaran is currentlyengaged in theatre-making;alongwith theirteam, they

haveproduced two sold outworks, Peopleof Coloursat Brisbane Powerhouseand Brown Church atQueenslandTheatre in2021. Theyare also buildingtwo newworks this year, soon to beannounced on theirsocial

mediahandles.

The talented multi-hyphenate also authored a piececalled 'Hazardsofdating as aqueerpersonofcolour' on SBS.

And occasionally, theywill blesstheir lnstagram followers withevocative poetry on the platform. Here'san excerpt fro1n an untitledpoen1: Wearen't!KEA builtmonoliths. Wearebiryaniin111yhouseforRa,nzanand id/isandchickenkudiatyoursforEaster. We arecricketandbadmintonan1idstdhai-handi andSawantuncle'sdaughter's weddinginth.e samekilometersradius.

What advicedoes Naavikaranhave for someone like themwho wants to make it in music?

"Buildyour community. Find mentors. Explore authenticitythat is beyond 'decolonising' and then live byyourvalues. Collaborationiskey," they said.

Youcan listen to their songs 'lfMy GendersWereThe Entire SolarSystem' and 'Where areyou from'onYouTube,Apple Music, and Spotify.

''Asa non-traditional South Asian, trans, disabled, darkskinned artist on a visa, who is using mainlyspoken word and experimental musicas a form ofexpression,there is neither a strong audienceforthegenre nor curated spacesthatcatertodiverse artforms. Whateverspaces do exist areculturally unsafe and underresourced."

JAN UARY

AR Y

MAY

SEPT EMBER

NOVEM BER DEC EMBER

BY MOHANDHALL

tisvery importantforparentstouse the ti1ne during theholidayswisely.The extended break isan opportunityto provide time, structure and experiences to develop critical thinkingcapabilityin yourchild.Therearea numberofimportant steps toundertake in ordertomaxitnisethe opportunity foryourchild to learn to think, to reason, and to thinkcritically.

PLAYTIME AND SOME THINKING TIME

Itis iinportantfor bothparentsand children tohavebalanceduringtheholidays.This means thatwhileholidays are atime for children to getadecentbreak, itdoes not mean titneawayfrombooksforfiveweeks. There shouJd bedaysand evenweekswhen there is noexpectationthe children doany structured thinking, a balanced life means that holidays canhavethinkingtin1e and aswell as plentyofplaytilne. lncluded inthisistime for social interactions, notwithstandingthatthisis slightlyharderin theseholidaysdue to 01nicron.

STRUCTURE

In the firstinstance,ensure there is appropriate structure toeach day. Appropriate structuretakesthe forn1of disciplineearly,productive thinkingwith a clear1nind ii1 the 1norning and free play, social interaction, televisionwatchingand downtime later. Mostchildren feelsafest, best guided and also more personally fulfilled when dayshave predictabilityand balance.

READING DAILY

Asignificant and in1portantskill,arguably one ofthe funda1nental tenetsofcritical thinkingisthe discipline and regularityof readingdaily. Readingexposeschildrento language, ideas, aworld ofiinagination, perspectivesaswellas thecapacity toboost theiroverall understanding. An in1portant aspect ofreadingisthe capacityto read confidentlyout loud.

READING OUT LOUD

Allowtune forchiJdren to readout loud. Indeed,parentsthemselvesshould read outloudwith theiJ·children and usethis as abasis fordiscussingwhat they're reading, assessingreadingcon1prehension aswell asusingitas an opportunity to improveexpression, articulation and the understandingoflanguage.

THINKING TRAINING

Parents can invest in books that have structured proble1nsandworked solutions. Theinvestmentinprinted materials helps toprovidea numberofdifferentthingsthat can assistwith thinki11g. Firstly,prepared materialshelp toprovide structure. Secondlyprepared materials can assist parents toknowwhattheageand stage expectationsare.This 1neansparentscan get an understandingofthekindofthinking skillsthatwouldbeindicativeofa child at aparticuJarage orwitha particuJarlevelof ability. ThirdJy,preparedmaterialsprovide anopportunityforchildrentoworkon their own. Itisofteninworkingbythen1selves that childrenlearn besthowtheythink.

ANSWERS MATTER AND ANSWERS DO NOT MATTER

Itisverycommonforparentstogetfixated ontheirchildren"beingright." When

trainingchildren for thinking, "beingright" is farless important than understanding how to do.That is, the focusshouldbe on processnotproduct.

LEARNING THE RIGHT STRATEGIES

Whendevelopingthinkingskills,children need to betaughta rangeofstrategies. WhiJst therearestructt1redmethodologies foransweringcritical thinking problems, there isalsoacommonpattern inquestions that canmean there areseveral different waysofreachingcorrectconclusions. Parentsneed tobeopen toalternativeways ofproblem solving, not fixated that the way theylearned is the onlywaychildren learn.

TAKING RISKS WHEN NOT KNOWING

The real developmentofcritical thinking occurswhenchildren canattemptquestions even iftheydo notknowexactlywhere they'regoingin theirprocessii1g. This is evidence ofchildrenwhoarenotafraid to takeacademicrisks.Takingacademic risksmeanschildrenwillattemptto solve problen1s through tryingvariousmethods even when the outcome at theoutsetis uncertain. It is through experiinentingthat childrenlearn tobuildtheirconfidence. When parents are too fixated onchildren beingright, theylimitorquellthe capacity forchildren to learn todevelop thecapacity totrysomethingnew

NOT EVERY QUESTION NEEDS AN ANSWER

Someparentsarehighlyvested inanswering everyquestiona childasks. In myopinion thiscanlead tofreneticactivity fromparents andverylittleeffortfromchildren. Parents need todevelop the capacity todiscern

betweenthe questions thatare important to answerand those that are sin1ply the passing oftime. lfyouare a parentwho remembers thequestion thatthe child has forgotten and revisits it, it is possible thatyou need to breathe and rememberto taketin1e out. Not everyquestion needs an answer. Itishealthy tolivewith theuncertaintyofso1ne things beingunknown.

:JOINING A CLASS

Duringtheholidays there are always classes available whichprovidestructure and materials tosupport children and their criticalthinking. ltcanbeveryuseful for parentsandalsosupportive to enrol their child in such classes. However, prior to enrollingparentsshould be careful to ask questionsaboutwhowrote the materials, howwelltheymap to anunderstanding ofcritical thinki11gandwhat the intended outcomes ofsuchclasses are. In thisway parentscan make informed decisions about thevalue ofanysuchclasses.

TELLING :JOKES

Finally, Iwilloften con1mence teaching critical thinkingwithajokeorapuzzle. This isentirelyplanned. Thepurposeof thisis threefold. Firstly, learningshould be fun. Secondly when people tell jokesit often requires a typeofthinking that integrates critical and creative abilities.Thirdly humourcarries expectationoffurther humour. Therefore,students are open and tendto lookforwardto whatthey're learning.

Insummary, the holidays are agreat opportw1ityforprovidingyourchild with botha breakfromschoolingand astart to developinghabitsthatbuildintothe capacity tothinkcritically.

Holidays are about rest and recreation, but you can use this time creatively to develop new skills, such as critical thinking

BY MOHANDHALL

here is apopulist refrain for those seekingrepresentation and equalityatthehighestlevels: "You can't be whatyoucan't see."

Educators, mentorsandotherswhoseekto empowergirlsandwomen need to becareful about the slogans theyroutinelyrepeat.This oneisparticularlydestructiveandlimiting.

Ifwe"can'tbewhatwecan'tsee,"thenour girlsn1ayneveraspiretoanything. Indeed, anyonewhoisnotequallyrepresented atthe highestlevelswillbeconsignedtoneverrise.

Aspiringtoa successful life requires educators and parents tosaypreciselythe opposite: "YouCAN be whatyoucan'tsee."

To say otherwise istoconsign our youngpeopleto alife oflimitation, low expectations and constrained imagination.

So,let'sunpackwhyit'ssoimportantthat weteachourgirlsandyoungwomenthatthey CANbewhattheycan'tsee. Indeed,they should expectto bewhattheycannotsee.

Clearinequalities and inequities

Itiswellestablishednowthatthereisagender paygapandalackofrepresentationofwomen inpositionsofpowerinpolitics,businessand institutions.Thereareclear inequalitiesand inequitieswithwomennussingout.

a ' ou can... see

It is evident that somewhere along the way women are discritninated against, marginalised, constrained, and end up, by and large, occupying lesser roles and lesser positions to their male counterparts.

In this contextyou 1nay say, "Surelywe need to tell those in power that female representation and female aspiration rises whengirls can seewhatcould be."

However, this is problematicofitself. For in the first instanceyoungpeople lookat what people do, notwhichgendertheyare.

Thecapacitytoseebeyond

In seekingto inspire,we needouryoung peopleto see beyond. Which 1neans, seeing pastwhatis currentlythere.

Imagination can beunconstrained. Young girlsandyoungwomenneed to be trained to iinagine. Imaginationis free. Imagination doesnotdepend onhavingthe limitation ofa person showyouwhatyou cando.

Imaginationdoesn'tstop atwhatyoucan see; itsees ft1rther.

Didthe utterlybrilliant Sam Kerrsee won1enkickinggoalsforChelsea asa child? Therewas nocompetitionforher to view.

I suspect,aU thatyoungSam sawwas the footballand thegoal, and had thebeliefthat shecould win matches.

Youcannotbe beyond,ifyoucannotsee beyond. To make anestablishedpattern obsolete,wemustinnovate.Andinnovation createsdiscontinuityforthebenefitofall.

Seeing ourselvesnot others

Tounderstandyoungpeople,step backand recallwhatyousawwhenyouwereyoung. I donotrecallseeingaperson l admiredand saying, 'I can'tbethat'. Itdidnotoccurto me thattherewaslimitationbasedongender, skincolour,religionoranyotherfactorthat canbeusedtodefine,limit,ormarginalise.

The reason for thisis because what we see isourselves, notothers.

Whenyoungchildren are told stories, find heroes, orpicture themselves in their imaginaryworld,theyplace then1selves into the positions theywant totake. This isimportantto reflecton. In the rea11n of imagination, theyfly, theyare heroes, they are popular, they are noticed, they are valued, theyare the best.Theyauton1atically become what theycannotsee.

Ourstartingpointthereforemustbe to free, not to limit.

Ourcommencementistheuniverse,nota dropofwater.

Oursloganmust be, "You can be what youcannotsee."

Ofcourse, thejourneyiseasier whenone is represented,butwemust supportourchildren,especiallyourgirls, whentheyare notrepresented, and tell them thattheyCAN be whatevertheywishto be.

A common slogan in empowering women is that we must be able to see what we want to be. But this can be destructive and limiting

Didthe utterlybrilliantSam Kerrsee women kicking goals forChelsea as a child?There was no competition forhertoview. I suspect, all that young Sam saw was thefootball andthegoal, and had the beliefthat shecould win matches.

Voracious readers, these Sydney twins have just debuted as authors

schoollibrarytoo.

BY TARINIPURI

was outfora walkwhen I saw abee, and 1 immediatelyhada story ideathat I wantedtowrite out," saysZoe Wadekar,author ofthe recentlypublishedchildren'sbook DineytheBee.

Shegoes on toconfidently narratethe synopsisofthe story withoutgivingaway the plot.

Diney was a funlovinganda curiousbee. Onedayshefoundson1ethinginteresting thatchangedherLife. Wonder what itwas Sheadds,"Mybookhas23 pages, andit took me a fewdays towritethe story."

Zoe hopesherimaginarycharacterscan teachreaders importa11tlifelessons.

TwinZara Wadekar,waitingpatientlyfor herturn,chipsinabout herownbook The CrystalBall, about agfrlLizzywho n1ust decidewhatto dowhenshe findsa n1agical sphere - she wantsto keepit,but should she?Thebookis intendedtobringjoyto thereaders.

"Icameupwith thestoryideamyself," she elaborates. "Thecharacterisco1upletely differentfromme. I readalotofbooks myself, andI havealotofthemathome."

Atan agewhenmostchildren arestill discoveringtheirloveforbooks,it'shardto believe thattwinsZoe andZara Wadekar - allof sevenyears-areboth authorswho havetheirillustratedbookssellingnowon e-commercegiantAmazonAustralia.

"Ifeltveryproudtofinallyholdmybook

inmyhands,"declaresZara. "It'sgotmy pictureonthebackcover."

She added,"Ourschoolfriends werevery

shocked,but theyarehappyforus,aswas ou1·schoolprincipal."

Proudparents Gauravand Kanchan Wadekarsay the books were a natural progression forthegirls, given their voraciousreadingandlovefor storytelling.

"Thegirls havebeen writingstoriesfor aslongas 1 canremember," Gaurav shares. "Theywouldwrite onbitsofpaper,and then wouldaskmetogluethemso that they couldhold themtogetherLikethebooks theyreadin the schoolLibrary.This time, weasked themtoselect oneof theirstories each, andwiththe helpofan illustratorwe foundonline, thought tobringthen1 to Life."

"Story-tellingseemstocomenaturally toboth thegirls," Mum Kanchan says. "Theyn1akeupstoriesas theygo along, especiallyatbedtime. Interestingly,both have theirownunique styles ofwriting,and don'tappreciateopinionfromothersfor theirstories.WhileZoe isveryn1ethodical inherwork, Zara scores higherin terms of imagination.Theirloveforreadinghas also translatedinto agoodperformance in school,especiallyinspelling. 1 enjoy reading theirstoriesmyself- theymayseemvery simple,but theyusuallyhave anunderlying messageaboutkindnessorabout selfconfidence."

ZoeandZaraparticularlyenjoystories withrich imagination,andhave loved readingthe HarryPotter series,andstories bytheEnglishwriterJuliaDonaldson. Besidesreading,thegirlsalsoenjoyplaying with their dolls,singing,swimming, and gymnastics.

Thecreativelyinclinedgirls also recently foundthemselveson television,performing asopeningacton Channel9's Christmas With Delta Goodrem.

· lilt: � \llC{ 1-\c�<

Thebookshave nowbeen placedintheir

en ma conce__

ecome 1nes or s

Maths genius Vignesha Vishwanathan's first book is about numbers, in the Enid Blytonesque world of Numberville

BY NIDHI JOSHI

nMelbournestudentVignesha Vishwanathan'snewbook,Piisalittle 'nu1nberling'wholivesinNu1nberville.

Whilethekidsatschoolenjoypulling eachother'stails,Piofcoursehasanatural advantage,becausehistailgoesonandon. Andon.

AndsotheteachersMsCircle,Ms SquareandMrTriangledecreethatPimust becutshortto3.14.

Pi'sparentsMrandMrsSquareRoot 2arenothappy,andtakethematterto Nun1bercourt.

Howwillthejudge-MrRuler-rule?

Tofindout,readthefullstoryinThe WorldBeneaththeFinePrint&Other Stories.

17-year-oldVigneshaVishwanathan,a self-confessednumberlover,wrotethebook thisyear,whilepreparingforherVCEas astudentofMac.RobertsonGirls'High Schoolin202l.

PublishedbyShawHnePublishing, Melbourne,thebookisnowavailableacross localcouncillibrariesincludingKnox, Monash,Wyndha1nandDandenong.

"Thestoriesareintendedtointroduce mathematicalconceptstoyoungreaders," VigneshatoldIndianLink."Equally,itis aitnedatre1novingthefearofmathematics fromyoung1nindsandmakingit more interesting."

Vigneshahasenjoyedmathematicsfron1 averyyoungage.

"Initially,Isuppose,itwasbecausel wasbetteratitthantheothersubjects," sheadinitted."Butovertheyears,Istarted learningmoreaboutthetheorybehind conceptstounderstandhowandwhy thingswork,andIfoundthattobereally interesting.Thatsparkedadeeperinterest inmaths,andI'vecontinuedtoenjoyit throughouthighschool".

Whilesheisoneoftheluckyfewwho love1nathsandcangrasptheconcepts confidently,therearemanystudentswho findthesubjectdaunting.Vigneshaagrees thatitcansometimesbechallengingto understandcon1plexconceptsbecause textbooksdon'tnecessarilyexplainthingsin thesiinplestways.

Asaresult,kidsandteenagersoftendon't approachthesubjectwithanopenmind, Vigneshasaid."Ifindthatifyoumake mathsinterestingandfun,peoplewillenjoy itmore.Maths,tome,isacreativefield.My in1aginationistriggeredwhenIamdoing mathsproblems.SometimesI111aystumble uponaconceptthatIcanweaveii1toa story."

She'sbeenweavingthesestoriesforthree yearsnow.

"IstartedwritingshortpiecesinYear 9,"Vignesharecounted."Iwouldwritein

thestreamofconsciousnessstyleandsend themtomyEnglishteacherforreview. She'dgivemegoodfeedbackandsoItried toitnproveeverytime,andreallyenjoyed theprocess.Atthebeginning,mywriting wasmainlydiaryentries,butafterawhile Istartedpersonifyingthingsandgiving characteristicstothem.Thesecharacters andplacesthenendedupbecoming stories."

OneofthesecharactersisthenumberPi. Vigneshalightsupwhenaskedaboutit.

"IoftenthoughtofPi'spersonalityin asimilarwaytoEnidBlyton'sFredrick Trotteville!llovethenumberPibecause itisso1nysteriousandthereissomuchwe don'tknowaboutit.Wethinkitisquite randominitspatternanddecimaldigitsbut actually,therecouldbepatternsthatwejust haven'tdiscoveredyet."

Itisthispassionandloveforthesubject thatreallyshinesthroughinherbook.

Thatshehasaflairforwordscomes

throughclearlytoo.

Considerthispassagebasedonagrowing attractionbetweentwotriangles:

TriangleTRXaskedTriangleABC,"How similararewe?"

"Ok,let'ssee.Whatareyourangles?" TriangleABCasked,tryingtosound in1passionedbutfeelingherheartjolt.

"35,80, 65,"TriangleTRXsaid.

TriangleABC'sfaceslightlyfell."Mineare 55, 80and45."

"Ok,thatmeansAMisoutbecauseallour anglesarenotcongruent."

"Whataboutyoursides?"TriangleABC asked.

"14,16,18."

"M' 7 8 9" .1neare,, Theygasped."SAS,"theysaidtogether. ('AAA'ofcourseis'angle-angle-angle', whenweknowallthreeanglesofatriangle. AndtheSAS(side-angle-side)theorem states:Ifnvosidesandtheincludedangle ofonetriangleareequaltotwosidesand

theincludedangleofanothertriangle,the trianglesarecongruent.)

Vigneshahasawiderangeofpassions whichincludenotonlymathen1aticsbut alsolanguages,cultures,andwriting.She oscillatesbetweenthesevariousinterests witheaseandhasbeenabletobeautifully con1binethen1togetherinherfictionalwork.

Itconiesasnosurprisetolearnwhat's nextforVignesha-shewantstostudy engineeringatuniversity.Someofher favouritemathematiciansareHungarian mathematicianPaulErdos,Russian mathematicianGrigoriPerelman,andcloser hometousinAustralia,Prof.AshaRaoof RMIT.

There'snodoubtthatVigneshahas abrightfutureaheadofher,whetherin mathematics,engineeringorwriting.Sheis trulypartofthemulti-hyphenategeneration thatwon'tbeboxedintooneparticular craft,andisproudofthevariouspassions andintereststhatlightherfire.

TH£ ORLD IJENE TH THE INE PRINT I (tMf' liel'�t\

BY RHEA L NATH

hroughthechaosofplanningher weddingduringlockdown,Sydney's MeyghaShankarca1neacrossa numberofhurdleswhilearranging caterers,make-up,venuesandn1ore. But perhapsthebiggestofallwas-whatwould theirdarlingdog,Sona,wear?

"MyKingCharlesCavalier-JackRussell cross,Sona,istheyoungestn1e111berofour familyandthen1ostpampered.Honestly, everythingrevolvesaroundher,"Meygha laughed.

Whenitcametodressingupherfurbaby forherspecialday,Meyghaonlyfoundbowties,bandanas,sweaters,andwesternwearfor dogs,noneofwhichwouldworkforherbigfat Indianwedding.

"Irealisedtherewasnothingoutthere torepresentmyheritage,"shetoldIndian

Link. "Sonaisnotjustanaccessory,she'san importantmemberofthefamily,andIwanted hertobeinvolved.So,1decidedtotake matters(and scissors!)intomyownhands." Havingboughtasewingmachinedw·ing lockdown,Meyghadecidedtoutilisehernew skillstowardspetapparel.Infact,sheadmits, sheevenchoppedupherownweddinglehenga formaterial.

"Iendedup1nakingSonathreeoutfitsfor thewedding.Shewasbymyside,matching withmybanarasisilks,velvetsandkanjivara,ns, foreachandeveryevent"

NotonlywasSonathecentreofattention atthewedding, butherstunningoutfitsgota fantasticresponseonsocialmedia. Inquiries beganpouringinfordog,cat,andevenrabbit apparel.

Andthat'showMeygha'spassionproject, PuprikaBoutique,began.Shenowdesigns

BrideMeyghawith specialguestSona

andstitchesarangeofluxSouthAsian apparelforpetslikeanarkalis,shen,vanis,and pattupavadais,alln1ade-t0-0rder.

Sheexplained,"Thefeedbackhasbeen phenomenal.Ourcustomershavebeenreally happytoinvolve theirpetsinspecialoccasions. WelaunchedinlateNovembersoImissed thisDiwalifororders,butI'msurenext year'sDiwaliisgoingtobehuge. I'malready planningdesignstorOnam, Pongal, Navratri, andotherfestivalstoo."

Andhowdothedogsseemintheirbrandnewoutfits?

"Sonawasn1ymodelduringlockdown. 1triedallmystylesonherto1nakesure theywerebreathableanddidn'thamper movements,andshewentaboutherbusiness asusual.Shecouldn'tseemtotellsomething wasonher,"Meyghaelaborated.

Keepingthemcute,comfortable,and mostimportantly,functionalseemstobeher philosophytowardsallthedesigns. Puprika Boutique'sclothesareofferedinarangeof standardsizesalongwitl1theoptionofcustom sizingfordogswithuniquebuildslikeCorgis, Dachshunds,andGreyhounds.

Thenextstep,Meyghasays,istofindatailor (asshecurrentlystitcheseverythingherself) andexpandtherangeofproducts.She's alreadyreceivedrequestsforcustomorders likedogturbans,andinanodtoherTamil heritage,she'shopingtomakedoglungisas well.

"GrowingupinSydney,IfeellikeI'vereally hadthebestofbothworlds,embracing1ny IndianheritageandmyAustralianupbringing," sheshared.

"Iamsoexcitedtoembarkonthisjourney, andthebestpartaboutitisallthedogsI getto seedressedupincuteethnicwear!"

How a lockdown wedding inspired a range of South Asian apparel for ourfour-legged friends

Wishing the Indian-Australian community a very Happy Republic Day

ftera thankfullyuneventful -yet somehow exhaustinglockdown,it'sbeen a relief and apleasure to finally have friends and fa1nilyover.

And so the holiday seasonhas been filledwithcooking,which Ilovejust as

The party's atJESSICA BHATIA's

muchasentertaining. While I am usually known to embrace a high-effort style of entertaining, the past fewweeks have seen 111e tone it down a fewnotches to the simplerpleasures. (Anatural consequence ofthe pandemic?Who knows!)

Myno-fussentertainingmenuinvolves a

selectionofentrees foreveryoneto snack on followed byone n1ain dish. I usuallydo a selectionofnuts, dips with crudites and ahotstarter (suchas tandoorivegetables/ paneer), a main dishofpuJao or biryani with a raita, and a showstopperofa dessert.

Here'sone suchmeal I planned recently, includingan assortment of bruschetta forentree, followedby1ny cheat's version ofaclassic Italian risotto withbakedpumpkinand home-made pesto, and acool and playful affogato for dessert.

PESTO,TOMATO,CHEESETOASTPLATTER

i::!Zn11:l�t.:d Pesto

Ingredients

■ 2 slicessourdough bread

■ 200 grams cherrytomatoes, cut intotwo

■ 120 grams cherry bocconcini, cut intotwo

■ 1/4 cup pesto (recipefacing page)

■ Salt and peppertotaste

Method

■ Toastthe sourdough slices.

■ Oncetoasted, spread an even layer ofpesto.

■ In a bowl, mixthetomatoes and bocconcini. Season with saltand pepper.

Note: Go easyon the salt asthe pesto will have its own seasoning)

■ Topthe bread slices with thetomato and cheese mixture.

Vine Tomato1 Mozzarella and Pesto Bruscnetta

Sundried Tomatoes, Cheddar Cheese and Bruschetta

Ingredients

■ 2 slicessourdough bread

■ 16-20 small vinetomatoes, with vine intact

■ 120gramsfresh mozzarella

■ 1/4 cup pesto

■ 1tbsp olive oil

Method

■ Preheatoven to 180 degrees C.

■ Placethetomatoes (withthe vine) on a bakingtrayand evenlycoat in oil. Place in the oven for 7-10 minutes or until thetomatoes are slightly bruised.

■ Atthesametime, placethe bread slices on a bakingtrayand put them inthe ovenforthe sameamountoftime.

■ Remove thetomatoes and bread from the oven.

■ Spread the pesto evenlyon the bread.

■ Top withtorn up mozzarella and placethe bread back inthe oven for5 minutes until the cheese has melted.

■ Removefromthe oven and gently placethetomatoes on top.

■ Servewarm.

Pesto Bruschetta

Ingredients

■ 4 slices ofa bread ofyourchoice

■ 1/2 cup grated cheddarcheese

■ 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes

■ 1/4cup pesto

■ A small amountofmelted butterforgreasing

Method

■ Preheatsandwich grill for 5 minutes.

■ Layer pesto, sundried tomato and cheese onto the bread slices (should make 2 sandwiches).

■ Brush thetop and bottom ofthe sandwiches with melted butter.

■ Grill for 5 minutes until golden.

■ Cutinto halvesand servewarm.

OVEN BAKED RISOTTO WITH ROASTED PUMPKIN

■ PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES

Baked Pumpkin

Ingredients:

Risotto

Ingredients:

■ 1½cupsarborio rice

■ 2tbspoil

■ 5 ½cupshotwater

■ 2 vegetablestockcubes(I use Massei stockcubes)

■ 1 mediumbrownonion,finely chopped

■ 1tspgarlic,grated

■ 1cup parmesan cheese, grated

■ 2tbsp butter

■ 2-3tbsp pesto

■ Saltand peppertotaste

Method

■ Preheatovento 190degreesC(fan forced).

■ Heattheoil in an oven proofpan on a medium heatstoveorDutchoven.

■ Addonion andgarlicandsautefor 2-3 minutesoruntiltheonionsturn translucent.

■ Add riceand stiragainfor1-2 minutes, untilthe rice iswell coated with oil.

■ Add 4 cupsofhotwaterandthe stockcubes,and coverthepan tightlywith a lidorwith foil.

■ Bakeintheovenfor30-35 minutes until mostofthe liquid has been absorbed bythe rice.

■ Once removedfromtheoven,stir through parmesan,butter, 1½cups hotwater,andsaltand pepperto taste.

■ Stir in 2-3tablespoonsofpesto.

■ Topwith baked pumpkin and serve immediately.

■ COOKTIME: 40 MINUTES

■ SERVINGSIZE:4(MAIN DISH) ■ DIFFICULTY: EASY

■ 3cups pumpkin,cutinto 1-2 cm pieces

■ 2tbspoil

■ Saltand peppertotaste

Method

■ Placethepumpkin piecesonagreased bakingtray.

■ Coatin oil,saltand pepper.

■ Mixthoroughlyand bake intheovenat190degreesC(fanforced)for30-35 minutestill roastedandgoldenattheedges.

Note: You can putthe risottoand pumpkintogetherintheovenas itcooksatthe sametemperatureandtakesapproximatelythesameamountoftime.)

Homemade Pesto

■ PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES

COOKTIME: 5 MINUTES

■ SERVINGSIZE: 1CUP

■ DIFFICULTY: EASY

Ingredients

■ 2 cupsbasil leaves,washed

■ 3garliccloves

■ 1/3cup pine nuts

■ ½cupextravirgin oliveoil

■ ½cup parmesan cheese Saltand blackpeppertotaste

Method

■ Roast pine nutson mediumheattill lightly toasted. Makesuretheydo notburn.

■ Oncetoasted,coolslightlyandthen place in afood processorwiththe restofthe ingredientsand blend until smooth Tastetoadjustseasoning.

■ (Note: Goeasyonthesaltastheparmesan adds itsownsalttothe pesto)

AFFOGATO

■ PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES ■ COOK TIME: NONE

■ SERVING SIZE: 4 ■ DIFFICULTY: EASY

Ingredients

■ 4scoopsvanilla bean icecream

■ 200mlfreshlybrewed strongespressocoffee (4shots, 50 mleach). Ifyoudon't havea coffeemachineyou can usestrongespresso instantcoffee powderto makethis.

■ Optional: 180ml Frangelicohazelnutliqueur orAmarettoalmond liqueur(4shots,30 ml each)

Method

■ Pourashotofespressointo 4 individual shotglasses.

■ Pourashotyourchoice ofliqueur(ifusing)into 4 individualshotglasses.

■ Placeascoopoficecream in each individual glass.

■ Servetheice-cream,coffeeand liqueurtoeach guest.

■ Lettheguestpourthehotcoffeeand liqueurontothe icecream.

,

HerDaughter-in-law isaTwisted Indian

Some unique and memorable names are popping up in the new Indian restaurantscene

(Note:Allnames listedhere belong to realIndian restaurants in SydneyandMelbourne)

BY RAJNIANAND LUTHRA

oveoverCurry Houses and TandooriDiners, there's a newtrendin Indianrestaurant natnes.Overthelasttwo decades,asIndianrestaurantshave mushroomedacross SydneyandMelbourne, there'sbeenaninterestingevolutionin nomenclature.

They'renolongerweighteddownby havingtoconstantlyreflecttheir native cuisine in theirna1nes.

What'sontrendinstead,is tosuggest thebusiness owner's mission.Andmost recently, togiveahintoftheirpersonality, ifsomequirkyanduniquena1nes areany indication.

Indian foodis111uchmorethancurries. Thisisan ideathat'sfinallybecoming understood, yearsafterourfavow·itechefs sloggedtoget themessageout. Howoftenhaveyousaidthis yourself?OneSydney

Aunty popsup. Don'ttellauntythat their foodisproudly'unauthenticIndian'ornot sotraditional- heck, they putwhiskeyin theirchai!

It's thesamewith lsh: thefoodonofferhere restaurant putthls thoughtdirectlyin its name- Not Just Curries.

the �i·wisted

TheTwisted Indian isdoing indian

is lndian-ish, modernish andallprepared withtheblessingsof lsh(war),ifyouaTe spirituallyinclined.

Andwhile exactlythat too.As itsaysitself,thefood the averageIndian eatstodayis amixof cunau: sICOCICTAILS GIICAf rc>ol>

traditional andmodern, desiandglobal, andso,being twistedseemsperfectly norn1al. Twist- such aswishwordforchange,for novelty,forquirky.

Talkofquirk,andthe na1ne Don'tTell

millennialsmight not getDaughter-in-law, therestofustotally do.It's atributetothe influenceofnewmembers inablendedfamily, toits foodculture. (Not to bemissed

hereis theobviousextrapolation to the benefitsofimmigration).

ThenodtoIndiaanditscultul'e isloud

and clearinthesewonderfullydescriptive andrne1norable names. (TheTadka isohso-Urban,don'tyoureckon?)Andnarya hintofthatubiquitoustermfor Indianfood -curry.

Havingsaidthisthough, there's one interestingrestauTant name that stillfeatures thecwordinit,butyouknowwhat, it's so esoteric thatwe'recompletelyonboardwith it: iCurry.

Itisquiteclear thatthenewIndian restaurantscene isjustasmuchaboutthe essenceof thefood,as it is about the target audience - food enthusiasts of allagesand backgrounds,hungryfornewexperiences.

The early days

Intheearlydays (readbeforethe1990s), whenIndianfoodneededtobe introduced toan unawarebutwilling-to-experiment communityofAussiediners,theeasiest optionsfornameswereas simpleas

'Flavour of' or'Taste of' India.

Comethe 1990swhen Indian food trulytookoff, and tennslike 'curry' and 'tandoor'becan1e better known,you'd pick these foryour restaurant name. ldeaUy, you'd gowith a double-word phrase: thefirstword wouldtypicallybe Curry, Spice,Tandoori orChilli. The second would be House, Hut, Corner, Palace, Diner orExpress. The combinationsand pern1utationsgaveyou a large enough variety to workwith.

And then as the lndiansthemselvesbegan to venture out to eat morefrequently,they looked for more authenticversionsoftheir cuisine than those available. And so the 'Dhaba'becan1evogue,givingus Mehrey Da Dhaba, Babe Da Dhaba, Kake Da Dhaba.

Meanwhile, mainstreamAussiesbecame curry-savvyandpicked up relevant Indian terms. When theylearnedthat'masaJa' as a spice mixisdistinctfrom 'marsala' as fortifiedwine, itwassafetoput thatinto ourrestaurantnames. Awhole newlistwas born: MyMasala, Masala Barand Grill, and howcoolis MasalaTheory?

But,eternally, itis spicethat isthe selling point in Indianfood.And sowe continue to haveThe Spice Roo1n, Spice Lounge, Spice Nation, SpicedBy Billu's. And sometimes, the numberofspicesthe restaurant probablyworkswith-likeThousand Spices, or somethingmoremodest,like 49 Spices.

Very muchlike spice mixesthemselves, permutations and combinations today continue toworkinrestaurant nomenclature,with terms like Zayka,

Rasoi, Affair, Delight,Central, Tiffin in frequent use.

Atadka boom

A recent entryinto this ntlxistheterm 'tadka',even though itisprobablyadifficult word forAussiesto understand, perhaps even say. It stands fortempering, and as a finalflou1·ish,can raise the successofa dishwith itsmultisensoryexperience.Alien to all othercuisines, itisbasicin Indian cooking. When elite Sydney restaw·ant UrbanTadka burst on to thescenein 2011,itsnameseemed bettersuited toa restaurantso1newhere i11 northern India, but thatdidn'tcome inthewayofits sustained success. Indeed, its achievements spawned a seriesofrestaurants withsimi1a1· nan1es-Turban Tadka,Tadka,ZeeraTadka, SpicyTadka,Tadka Boom,Tadka Hut, even UrbanTadkawithan extra a attheend (promptingan indignantpublicrebuttal fromthe original owners), and bizarrely, UrbanDelight,whichtellsyounothing about the nature ofthe restaurant

And asiftocounterthatlastone, Rustic Masala.

Whateverfloatsyourboat.

Thesingle ingredient

Whilewen1ayboastofthenumberofspices thatgointoourdishes, sometin1esthesingle ingredientstandsouttoour restaurateurs.

SuchasHaldi. Tamarind. TheClove. Cumin. Bayleaf. Zaaffran. Lentil. Black Pepper.

AnupmarketMelbouTne restaurant takes the cake inthiscategory,with its most

non-cake-like name:Atta. Perhaps the most basicofingredientstobe found in an Indian kitchen,it iselevatedhere torepresenta classyand elegantdiningexperience. Full marks!

Location-based names

Pickingarestaurant name from alocation in India isanothereasypath tofollow. lt might (or might not) inform the styleoffood thatyou couldexpect toeat, butitallows the restamanttodescribe the historyofthe place it is nan1ed after.

Sowe have DelhiO' Delhi, Delhi Rocks, Oh Calcutta, Mumbai, LastTrain to Bombay, Roadto Goa, Chennai and Hyderabad House.

Slightly moreexotic are Nilgiris, Tellicherry, Dakshin,Konkan,Mathma, Jaipur, Samarkhand,Ajmer, Malabar, Kochi, Koehl, Himalaya, Mount Everestand quite interestingly, BaseCamp. Ofcourse,geographyis not always limited to the subcontinent. TrySouthall. OrBrick Lane.

Ora Sydneyhotspotsuch as Barrangaroo Wharf, in Manjit'sWharf.

Owner-based names

TalkingofManjit's, anotherofSydney's leading Indianrestamants, bringsus to eponymouslynamedeateries. Billu's, Abbi's,Aki's, Surjit's,Tahira's, Meera's, Mrs Singb's.

The stereotypical vs the atypical Stereotypes,there's afewofthose.Anything

to dowithTaj, forexample, or0111. Perhaps even Colonial. Orsomethingbased onpop culture, such as Jai Ho. Dawatand Handi would be similarly stereotypicalwithin the Indian community. Andyetthereare othersthatare atypical as titles, butdeeply traditional in their referenceor meaning.

Feast-related, such as Bhoj, Bhojan, even Chatkaaz.

Spiritual,such asYrindavan, Govinda's, Moksha, Kammadhenu, Nirankar.

Earthy,such as Aangan, Banyan, Bhoomi. Musical, suchas Sitar, Santoor. Majestic, such as Jai Hind, Sanu·at. Obscure, such asChichora, Jawani. Andsomethatperhaps only Indiankids ofthe '70swill relate to: Foreign Return. Horn Please.

The bizarre

In 1nost majorcitiesoftheworld,you'll find Indian restaurants na1ned, curiously, Gaylord and Woodlands. The guessis the originalswereBritish Raj era restaurants (write intousifyouhave abetter explanation).

Some namesthough, completely defy logic, butwe'rewilling to be enlightened. No. 21. Yo India. Indian Leaf. Mukka. Masti. Nashaa.

And thenthere are some thatsimply make you go, WHY?

Like Bhang. OrPagla. Or 3 Idiots. OrThe DodgyIndian - I 1nean, reaJly? Andasfor Delhi Belly, I doapologise,but it doesn'tappealtome as aneateryofany sort.

elbourne has anenergyyou'll feeljustbybeing there. From anever-changingskyline, to excellent restaurants, asmall barmovement,streetartanddynamic culturalprecincts, Melbourne is anexciting destination that'seasytoexploreonfootor bytram. Here's aguidetowhatyoucansee anddo there.

Gran architecture

Melbourne's streetsarelinedwith1nany imposingbuildings builtafterthe 1850s goldrush.Mostimpressive isCollins Street, renowned forits churches, majestic bluestonebuildings, high-end boutiques anddeluxe hotels.

Opulent arcades

Melbourne'sarcadesarestunning.The RoyalArcade dates from 1870,while the nearbyBlockArcadehas abeautifuldomed ceilinganddecorative mosaicfloortiles. While here,visittheTea Rooms thatsince 1892 has served exquisitecakesandscones.

Laneways

Melbourne'slanewaysarespreadacross thecity. Fromeleganttospraypainted withgraffiti,theyareoneofthecity'smost distinctivetouristattractions. HosierLane,a cobbledJaneway,showcasesstreetart. Less knownstreetartlanewaysinclude Platypus, RainbowandLang's Lane,while Degraves

Mornington Peninsula

Streetand HardwareLanearerenowned for theirbars,restaurantsandpavementcafes.

Culture

FromMelbourneMuseum,thelargest museumintheSouthernHemisphere,tothe StateLibrary,andlmtnigrationMuseum,to performancesattheArtsCentreandtheatres, MelbournehasarichcultuTa1heritage.The NationalGalleryofVictoriaisstunningand vast,showcasingAustralianandinternational art,whiletheJan PotterCentreatFederation SquareshowcasesAustralia'sfinestcollection ofIndigenousAustralianart.

Parks and gardens

Melbourneissurroundedbyseveralsplendid gardens,includingTreasury,Carltonand FitzroyGardens.AlongsidetheYarra River is BirrarungMarrParkthatmeans"riverof mist"inthelanguageofthearea'soriginal inhabitants,theWurundjeripeople. Nearby Southbank'sriversidepromenadeislined withrestaurantsandbars.

Founded in 1846 the Royal Botanic Gardens isoneoftheworld'sfinest botanicalgardens with plants fro1naround theworld.Highlightsarethe lakes, fernery and majesticpines.

Queen Victoria Market

Forover 140years stallholdershave offereda staggeringarrayoffruit, vegetablesand freshproduce,themarket

asgoodasany in theworld. Visit the continental delicatessen forcheeses, small goods, cakes andbread.

Discover Melbourne's neighborhoods

Taketimeto discoverMelbourne's distinct neighborhoodsbytram. Efficient, and extensive,it'sthelargest trainnetwork in the world.

Fitzroy and Carlton Fitzroy's shopping precinct, bounded byBrunswick, Gertrude, Smith and JohnstonStreets, iswhereyou'll findretroanddesigner boutiques,bookshops,coolcafes,bars,and artgalleries. ln neighboringCarlton, the Italianheritage isespeciallyevident along Lygon Street. StopbyBrunetti's forcoffee, pizza,gelato and cakes.

SouthYarra andPrahranAwalkthrough the RoyalBotanicGardens leadstothe exclusivediningprecinct on Domain Road and nearby,bustlingChapelStreetlined withrestaurants andhighendAustralian fashion.Catchthetrambacktothe cityafter stoppingbythePrahran Markets.

StKilda VisitAcland Streetforcoffee anda slice ofrichEuropeancake, before headingtothebeachforaswim andwalk alongSt Kildapier. The best daytovisit isSundayfortheoutdoorcraft market. If you're driving,continue along the bayside suburbs tothe brightlypainted timberhuts on BrightonBeach.

Further beyond

Explorethestunninglybeautiful Mornington Peninsulaofhillsandvalleys,quaintseaside villageslikeBalnarringand Flinders,lush farmland,boutiquevineyardsandarugged oceancoastlinewithpoundingwaves. Thisis oneofVictoria'smostbeautifulregions,and myhomefortenyears.Tomaximizeyour visit,takethe Flinders hinterlandscenicdrive andconsideranovernightstay.Drivebysurf beachesincludingPointLeoandGunnc11natta, visitfarmsforfreshfruit,especially strawberries,samplewineatcellardoors,and dineatoneofthemanyrenownedrestaurants suchasPointLeoEstatewithastunning sculpturegarden.Themostenjoyableway toexperiencethebeautifulforestsandfern gulliesoftheDandenongRangesistotakea rideonthehistoricPuffingBillystean1train fromBelgrave,onehoureastofthecity. Therearealsomanyquaintvillagestoexplore includingSassafras,OlindaandTecoma,with cafes,artgalleriesandcraftstores.

NorthofMelbourneagreatdaycan bespentexploringtheYarraValley. Visit HealesvilleSanctuarywhereyoucan encounterAustraliananimalsincludingkoalas, kangaroosandemusinabushlandsetting.

TheYarraValleyregionexcelsinpremium coolclimatewineswithboutiquewineriesand restaurantsofferingfoodthat'slocallysourced andgrown,farmgatesandfarmer'smarkets. ThisisVictoria'spremierfoodandwine destination.

FitzroyGardens

BourkeStMall

Wal or?

What's on our screens this January

1 YEH KAALI KAALI ANKHEIN (Netflix) I I I I I I

We've allseenthefilmswith athreateningmale stalker, butwhathappenswhenthe rolesare reversed?Inthisthriller,a powerfulpolitician's daughterwilldoanythingto win overherlove, evenas he slipsdowna dark pathto escape her

I obsessivelove.Theseriesisdirected bySiddharth Sengupta (ofBalika Vadhu) andstarsTahirRaj

I BhasinandShwetaTripathiinthelead roles.

I Yeh KaaliKaaliAnkheinhitsthescreenson 14Jan.

KAUN BANEGI SHIKHARWATI (ZeeS) 1

Inanattempttoshake offanincometaxinvestigation thatrisks his palace andtreasures, a Rajasthani king bringstogetherhisfourdaughtersforsome healthy competition - andthe royaltitleisthe prize. Who will win?And whatwillthe dysfunctional royalfamily lose? Findoutinthesefunny 10episodes, starringbig names like NaseeruddinShah,Soha Ali Khan, Raghubir Yadav, and Lara Datta.

Kaun BanegiShikharwatl released on 7 Jan.

UNPAUSED: NAVA SAFAR (Amazon Prime)

Thepowerofpositivity.That'swhatthenew season Unpausedisabout. Unpaused: Naya Safar showcasesfiveuniquestoriesthat lookathow COVID-19hasmade usvaluelife and emotions morethanever. FilmmakersincludeShikha Makan (GondKe Laddu), RuchirArun (Teen Tigada), Nupur Asthana (The Couple), Ayappa KM (WarRoom) and Nagraj Manjule (Vaikunth).

It's a 21Jan release for Unpaused.

1 HUMAN (Dlsney+Hotstar)

1 Promisingtoexplorethemes ofclassdivide, medical practice, andthevalueofhuman life, newmedical

I drama Human looksattheworldofhumandrug

I trials.ItstarsShefaliShah(youmightrecognise her from Delhi Crime) and Kirti Kulhari (FourMore Shots, I Please!) alongwithSeema Biswas, Ram Kapoor,Vishal

1 Jethwa, andothers.

Getthe popcorn readyfor when Human releases

I on 14 Jan.

PUTHAM PUDHU KAALAI VIDIYAADHAA (Amazon Prime)

The secondinstalmentofthesuccessfulanthology Putham Pudhu Kaalai, thisseriesfeaturesfive original and inspirationalvoicesofcontemporaryTamilcinema (directors Halitha Shameem, Balaji Mohan, Richard Anthony, Surya Krishna and Madhumita),whobring newstoriesofhope andlovethatcelebratethe resilient humanspiritin these uncertaintimes.

It's a Pongal release forthis one, 14 Jan.

KAPIL SHARMA: l'M NOT DONE YET (Netflix)

Hequizzesthe mostpopularofpopular Bollywood stars on hiscomedicTVshow. YetKapilSharma's own rags-to-richeslifeisfilledwithstruggles, powerstruggles, bratty behaviour,social media storms and personal revival. Hetalkscandidly aboutallofthis, his loveforperformance,and his youngfamily, in hisfirstNetflixspecial.

Check outAmritsar's4th famous export, after Wagah Border, GoldenTemple, and Amritsari kulche, on 28 Jan.

MATRIMONIALS

SEEKING GROOMS

Seekinga professionallyqualifiedmatch, ofgoodfamilybackground,teetotaller, preferablyAustraliancitizenorPR holder,forhighlyqualifiedcareer-oriented Brahmingirl35,5'2",vegetarian, goodfamilybackground,workingand wellsettled inSydney.

Pleasecontactaussyd08@gmail.com

Seekingmatchfor42-year-oldGaur

Brahmin lady, workingasa lawyerin

Brisbaneandwellsettled in Australia. Height5'6','slim,complexionfair. Contact kumar.sham@bigpond.com

Seekinga professionallyqualifiedsettled matchforSydney-basedlady,never married,Auscitizen, Hindu, Punjabi Khatri49,5'3"slim,fair,attractive.She isa postgraduateandworkingatagood positioninagovernmentorganisation. Pleasecontactatausind26@gmail.com

SEEKING R DES

Seekingasuitablematchfor45-yearoldSikhKhatriman,divorced,nochild,

I THURAMUKHAM (Theatrical release)

Accordingtothe 'Chappa'systemofworkallocation, metaltokenswouldbethrownintowaitingcrowdsof labourers.Whoevergotthemwouldgetworkfortheday onthewharvesandgodownsofKechi,Kerala. Learn moreaboutthisprimitiveand barbaricsysteminthis newfilm,which hasgone ontheinternationalfilmfestival circuitas The Harbour.

Checkcinemas fora 20Janrelease.

ATTACK (Theatrical release)

John Abrahamisatitagain,in anactionflick setin Kashmirthistime,inthe backdrop of the Kashmiri Panditsaga. MinorityHindusare forcedtofleeasterroriststake overthepristine state. DebutantdirectorLakshya Raj Anand setsJohnasa lone rangerresolvinga hostage crisisthatsoundssimilartoacertain real lifeonethatcaughttheattention ofa nation.

Jacqueline Fernandezand Rakul PreetSingh alsostar. Attackscorches up the cinemas on 28 Jan.

self-employedonbridgingvisa. Preferred Australian PR/citizengirl. Contact0422812939oremail jas_ghai01@hotmail.com

Seekingmatchfor38-year-oldGaur Brahmin man,workinginfamily business.WellsettledinAustralia. Height5'8",complexionfair. Contactkumar.sham@bigpond.com

Seekingmatchfor36,6'TamilHindu Brahmin man,workingforatopIT organisation inSydney.PossessAustPR Visa.GirlshouldbeHindu,vegetarian,

preferablyAustcitizen/PR. Pleasesend profiletoaravind7778@gmail.com

Seekinga professionallyqualifiedsettled matchforSydneybased, nevermarried Auscitizen, Hindu, Punjabi Khatri48, 6', athleticbuiltman. Heisa projectmanager withanengineeringbackgroundandis workingina reputedorganisation. Pleasecontactausind26@gmail.com

Seekingmatchfor37-year-oldGaur Brahmin man, workinginuniversity.Well settled inAustralia. Height5'11",Very slim.Contactkumar.sham@bigpond.com

BY MINAL KHONA

MinaI Khona has been readingtarotcardsfor the lasttwodecades. She uses herintuition and connectwith the cards mostlyto help people.

The card signifyingwinter indicates I thata new cycle is abouttostart. I Singles could receive an unexpected declaration of love. You could also have I someone show interest in yourwork. I Tension in your work or personal life I is temporaryso don't let itaffectyou. Money matterstoo could stressyou out. A changed mindsetensures you will let a problem work itselfout rather than tryingto solve it yourself. Use

your mind to surmountall obstaclesfor

success.

You startthe newyearwantingto improve career prospects. Someone who likes oradmiresyou could lead to betterand biggerthings. Success on theworkfront makesyoufeel good on all counts. Plan yournextmove carefully. An excouldtrytowin your affectionsagain. Alteryourdiet if you have been low on energy. The self-employed canexpectprofits but new partnershipswill nottakeoff. Plan yourworkand workyour plan forbest results.

I Youcontinue to focus on yourwork I and career like the past and new I business opportunities could come yourway.Singles will be open to I meetingsomeone new. Those involved I may wantto takethings up a notch. Don'tovereattocombatstress I because work will leaveyoutoo busyto I exercise the extra calories away. Anew I business addstoyour income. Change thewayyouworkforbetter results; I maybe even considertakingon an 1 associate or partner.

I Youfinally begin to realisethe I importance ofchangingyourselffrom I within to cope with circumstances. Giveyourselfsome loveto be ableto I give itto others. Workcan pile upthis I month and there could be arguments with colleagues. New beginnings are I on the anvil. Avoid goingon a drinking I orovereating binge. Payments will start coming in. Be decisive abouttaking I action where relevantand it will work in I yourfavour. Self-healingand clarity is I required.

Delaysinanysituationare buttemporary. Expect positivechanges inthe Youfeelsomethingismissinginyourlife I new yearon all fronts.Singleswill and needtofind moremeaning.Singleswill I wanttheir next relationshipto bea wantmorethanasuperficial relationship. I meaningful oneand chancesare Despitemisunderstandings,communicate theywill gettheirwish.Someofyou yourintentclearlyforresolutionof I maybe lookingfora morefulfillingjob. problems.Someofyoumaywanttowork I Getyourmedicaltests done ifyou can't in morecreativejobs.An upperbackhealth I find therootofa problem. Money isgood issuecontinuestotrouble. Financialdelays and more is on the way.Anxietycould arepredicted.Trustyourintuition;itisokay I makean old health issue resurface. A tojustbeforsometime.Youdon'thaveto I hitherto hidden talentcould leadto keepbusyalways. betterthings atwork.

Clartyonwhatyou wantandneedwill I helpyousettle relationship issues. Help I froma senioratworkora business I acquaintance can lead to profit. Paperworkor redtape issueswill end I andyouget moreambitiouswith your I career. Ifinvolved and havetwo people I vyingforyouraffections, you are likelyto choosetheoneyou have known longer. I Afinancial problem will getsorted out I finally.Trustyourpath; allthe helpyou need isalreadygiven. I

Thecardforspringshowers new I beginnings inthe newyearforScorpios. I I You can expectachangein circumstances I I from Marchonwards. Elementsin yourwork orpersonal life I will startcomingtogetherand you move I into a morepracticalspace in your head and actlessfrom an emotional I space. Business gets betterfortheselfI employed. Ifyou were unwell, you will I recover. Debts will be cleared and money owedtoyouwill be paid.

Thecardfor Leoappearsfortheoutdoor lovingSagittarians. Familymatters, happyget-togethersand evensomeone with leadership skills couldtake centrestage. Singles could get intoa

I Therecould bethings botheringyou I thatyouwon'tbe ableto pinpointthe sourceorcauseof. Be cautious in all I yourdealings inJanuary - whether I romantic, inter-personal orprofessional.

Ifin a relationship,your partnercould be cheatingonyou.Aclandestine loveaffair with a married personisalso indicated. Work-related issuesneedto bedealtwith

I Januaryis likelyto bea busymonth but I don'ttakeon morethanyoucan handle. Singles may have morethan one love I interestand makinga choicewillbe I tough. Work-relatedtravel is indicated I and careerprogress is indicated.Takea second opinion ifa health issue persists.

newrelationship. Trustand letgoforthis I relationshiptosucceed. Spiritual matters could also interestyou. Career prospects I improveand impulsivebuyswon'tbe bad I decisions in retrospect. Shareyourgood fortuneformore blessings. Lifeisgood throughself-control ratherthan verbal with circumstancesand learntodetach I arguments.Adebtis repaid butnotinfull. I from outcomes.Stayfocused on what

I Opportunitiesforextra incomeareon I theway.You will changethewayyoudeal

I An importantmonth asyou outgrow I peopleand situationsand move into a I differentspace mentally and spiritually. Keepyouremotions in checkand I maintain balanceatall times. Singles I maydatesomeone new butitwon't leadto anythingserious. Niggling I problemson all counts needto be letgo I offor peace ofmind. Ensureyoutake

I regular breaks oryou could fall sick. An opportunityfora newjob or business on allfronts I Letgoof pastgrudges. I youwanttomanifest.

I could come yourway.

I .-----..,.....,...,..,.....,...-=:--:----:��=--=o=------.

DEARAUNTYJI

Happy newyeartoyou.Auntyji.and I hope2022isverysuccessfulfor you. Haveyou madeanyresolutions forthisyear?Don'tmind,noh but I haveasuggestionforyouandI was hopingyouwouldoblige To Auntyji.homeinyehlogtohoikiyou areasensibleladywithsuchgood advicetogive Youarealwaysspot on withyourso/ooh LekinAuntyji, what'swithallthegoo/is?Doyou reallyneedtoembellishyourgood advicewith swearwords-and carryon likeadoyonorafishwife? I havebeenreadingyourcolumn forsuch alongtime-whydoyou alwayshavegoo/isandshroopfor yourreaders?Whycan'tyou bea niceladyandnotswearandcurse? I reallyhopethatin2022yougive usyouradvice inasweet.niceladyway,and notmixedup with goondogordi Ilookforwardtoa sweetkind responsefromyou. dear Auntyji.

AUNTYJI SAYS

Arre, teremouhmehkidopode. What kindof&%#$#areyouthat youthinkthata man hastheright

totell me howIspeak?Didyou knowthat manyofmyreaders like mymoophotadvice becausethe world hasbecomefullofunpodh gonworswho say nicethingsto theface butthinkpoopshroopin theirmind.AtleastIalwayssayit likeit is -and really, doyoueven knowwhatagooliisnowadays?

Whydon'tyouwalkdownthe gulliesofJalandhartounderstand whatgoo/isareanyway. Everyone knowsthatmysocalledgoo/isare reallytermsofendearment. Here youare.preachingtomeandnot even seeingthehypocrisyofyour commentbycallingmeadoyon. ButItakeyourpointand understandthatyoupreferghee shokorfrommymouh. Tohumopne olfoozourzuboon Urdukitoroh presentkoronge- butonlyifyou canget10otherreaderstosupport youridea.Vaxpopuliwillwin-so putyourpoisowhereyourmouh is.andstartgatheringsupport foryourrequest.Iwillbehappyto oblige.mereshohjohon. merocool gin andtonicona hotday.mero kheerekococktail.Happynoyosoot toyoutoo.

DEARAUNTYJI

Idon'tknowifyouhavewatchedthefilm fvlimionNetftixbutIhaveaquestionfor youonthis.SoIwatchedthisshow.and overtheChristmasholidayswhenwehad abiglunchwiththefamily Imentioned thistomysister-in-law.IsaidIfound thefilmcharmingandendearing-andI recommendedthatotherfamilymembers watchittoo Myhighlyeducatedsisterin-lawlookedatmefunnyanddidn't sayanything- butIcouldtellshewas thinkingmany.manythingsAuntyji, many.manythingsindeed Ifoundmyself feelingslightlyfoolish.asthoughIhad saidsomethingstupid.Idontwanttoask Priyankaaboutthis-butcanyoupleasetell mewhatImighthavesaidthatwaswrong? Anyadviceofferedwillbeappreciated.

AUNTYJI SAYS

Oh dearie oh.Wheretostartwith educatingyou.noh, wheretostart?So themostimportantthing here isthat youhaveasister-in-lawwho.apartfrom being athoughtfulandintelligentperson. isalsosensitive anddiplomatic.Soshe couldseethatyou likedthefilm andbeing aconsiderateperson. shedidnotwantto rain onyoursuperficialparade.Soletme tellyouexactlywhatyourpyooribhobhi

wasthinking.andyoucan decide whatto dowiththisInformation.

Sothefilm fvlimiis basedonthecentral premiseofwhitepeoplefromrich countriescomingtoIndia andusing its peoplefortheirownselfish needs and wants.Sowe havea whitecouplewho arriveinIndia withtheintentoffinding astrong. healthygirltoactassurrogate fortheirbaby-andtheirchecklistfor thesurrogateisasoffensiveasitis amoral. It'sasthoughthesurrogatewas afarmanimalforthemere purposeof breeding.Then.theydecidethatthey didn'twantthebabyafterall -andthen theywantedthechild back.Thisfilmisa reflectionofwhathappensin reallife.and that'swhythisfilmisneithercharming norendearing -because itreflects the politicsofwhiteprivilege.Thisfilm bordersonart- becauseitshould have madeyouthink.Itshouldhavemade youquestionwhywhitepeoplefrom rich countriescometoIndiaforsurrogacy -and howthesurrogatesaretreated duringthe process. Essentiallythisfilm wasalightandfluffyrepresentationof the politicsofmaternity.Andthefact thismessagewasloston youiswhy bhobhiwasshaking herheadinternallyin disbelief.JustasI am doing rightnow.

PickourAustralia Day

New Australians are intrigued by a peculiar Australia Day tradition: in the lead up to this national day, Australians debate a better date to celebrate it

BY LPAYER

venbefore Santaputshisfeetup infrontofthefireplace,returning from hiswhirlwind tourdispensing � toystochildren andspreadingthe 1'i1 messageofgoodwillandpeacetohumanity, -f:.; awarofwordsbreaksoutDown Under. � LL ItisaboutAustraliaDay-whetherJanuary 26isthe appropriatedaytocelebratethis,

whetherthereshouldbeanalternatedate,or whetherthisdayshould becelebratedatall. Assureasnightfollowsdayorhotcrossbuns hittheshelvesfollowingBoxingDay,this a1u1ualdebatewillbeuponusshortly. Indaysgoneby,atsummertime, Australiansnevergaveatossaboutanything besidesbeaches,beerandbarbies. But thingshave changed. Raisingthesummer heatafewbars,tltiscontroversyisofrecent origin,gettinglouderwitheachpassingyear. Talkbackradio,socialmedia commentand LetterstotheEditorcolumnsarefullof protagonistsoneitherside,fiercelyarguing theirpointsofview.Thankfully(?)COVID-19 haskeptitatbaythisyear. No-vaxNovaktoo haslobbeditoverthelinetemporarily.

Livingintltisbeautifulcountryfornearly fiftyyears,I havecometolikeitslaid-back attitude.Australiansalwayslikedthesimple thingsinlife-sport,drinks,burnt-outchops. Butlatelyalmosteveryissueignitesafierce debate;notadaypasseswithoutdia1netrically oppositeviewsheardontheairwavesorread offourdevices,regardlessofwhetherthatissue canslipintodefinedblackandwhiteboxes.

FirstNationspeoplemay,justifiably,feel aggrievedtocalltltisdayacelebration,while peopleontheothersideprefertradition nottobetran1pledwith.Appropriatelythis time,thefirstsalvowasfiredbyformerpace bowlerJasonGillespie,whohasFirstNations ancestry,inatwo-pagearticleinSA Weekend

asfarbackasNovember.Nothavingscored morethansingle digitrunsin mybackyard cricketforays,I don'tdareventure aface-off.

Also,beingapacifist,I'dpreferan amicablesolution.

SoI'vecomeupwithafewoptions that might help resolve thedatedebate.

EverycountryintheworldhasitsNational Day.Wedonotwantourstoclashwith anothercountry'ssacredday.Sothatwillrule outsome 195days.Moreover,sincepeople frommanycountriesJiveinourmulticultural land,itwillhelpthemavoidthedilemmaof whichfunctiontoattend-theadoptedland's AustraliaDayorthenationaldayoftheir countryoforigin. Thisisparticularlyvalidfor

us from Indiaasitcoincideswithourho111e country'sRepublicDay.

Saturdays andSundaysaredefinitelyout asthesewouldrobusofapaid holiday. Another 154daysgone.

Thenaturalchoiceis January 1,asonthat dayin 1901,Australiacame into beingasone nation.(Althoughitdoesn'texactlylooklike thatduetoCOVlDanticsbysome states). However,thatbeingNewYear'sDay,we don'twanttobeshortchangedofaholiday.

HowaboutApril 1?No,forobvious reasons.

Nown1yoptionsare narrowing.

Howaboutmyownbirthday,the most importantdayin mycalendar. l don't mind sacrificingitforanationalcause. Butthe problem is,likeeveryIndian, Icelebrate mybirthday twiceintheyear-thedayin theGregoriancalendarIwas bornon, and the'star' birthdaywhichis amoving target. Therebeing27 starsinourcosn1ology,that daycanoccurwithinarange of13dayson eithersideoftheEnglishD.o.B. (Confused? Don'tbe-suffice ittosay, it'sallguided by celestialforces.)

Ah! Alightbulb moment. Howabout February29?Thatway,thecontroversy willoccuronlyonce every fouryears, until adateacceptable tothetwentyfour million ofusisfound.