FEEL THE ENERGY

enclosed park. Reports of the number of people killed vary between 379 and 1,200, but the slaughter of unarmed protestors has rankled deeply in the minds of Indians. For years, there have been calls for the British monarchy to apologise for the incident that fateful afternoon in April 1919. What also rankles is the sight of the Kohinoor diamond, one of the largest cut diamonds in the world which was taken from India in 1849. Though it is said to be ‘gifted’ by 10-year-old Prince Duleep Singh, the capacity of a child to take this decision beggars belief. Perhaps the new King will reflect that the Indian prince was not very much older at the time than his grandson Prince George is now. Indians may have settled with the status quo with Queen Elizabeth, but with her passing, the youth of India are keen to redress the dispossession which the country has suffered.

It is also important for King Charles III to keep the Commonwealth as a viable group. Established in 1931, its intent was to keep connected a bunch of Asian and African countries that were slowly slipping away from British colonial rule.

In its initial days, the Commonwealth did have a network of diplomatic and cultural influence globally, but over time this has reduced as new geopolitical relationships have emerged. In fact, the Commonwealth is known more for the Commonwealth Games than anything else. But it continued to be a great source of power to the Queen, and she invested much time and energy to keep the institution alive with frequent travels and interaction with Commonwealth leaders. It seemed at times that the Queen needed the Commonwealth more than the Commonwealth needed her. But she was well-liked as head of the Commonwealth, and it was she who held this group of nations together. Upon her death, questions will be asked of the new monarch.

After an appropriate mourning period, Australia will also come to discuss and vote on the issue of becoming a republic. Indian migrants could form an important voting bloc, noticing their sharply increasing numbers in Australia. It might well be they who need to be convinced to have the British monarch as Australia’s head of state.

Two Gongs At The Pmca S

Indian Link took home Best Text Report while RHEA L NATH was awarded Young Journalist of the Year at the 2022 NSW Premier’s Multicultural Communications Awards.

Ritam Mitra wrote: Awesome work, team!

Jodi McKay wrote: That’s very exciting and much deserved.

Ritesh Chugh wrote: Congratulations on these great outcomes!

Sukhmani Khorana wrote: Congratulations – so well-deserved.

Sriraman Annaswamy wrote: Well done and well deserved, Rhea L Nath, great to see the high quality of journalism in our community being acknowledged publicly, good show. Tons of kudos to Rajni Luthra and Pawan Luthra for persevering with a fledgling community paper back in 1994 or so, and growing it into the institution that it is today.

Lakshmi Pathi wrote: Congratulations on winning two more awards. You need a larger trophy display cabinet.

Sandip Hor, Dipen Rughani, Phillip Boniface, Aruna Chandrala, Vinaya Rai, Indu Harikrishna, Jhumka Films, Ranjeeni Dube, Devendra Singh, Jimmy Medhora, Nilesh Makwana, C Srinivasan, Pallavi Sinha and Natasha Jha Bhaskar were among other readers who sent in congratulatory messages.

PAWAN LUTHRA ON THE DRUM (ABC TV)

Taking stock of #IndiaAt75 (15 Aug 2022)

Ida Madge wrote: Great to see a diverse panel tonight and some independent media.

Dilip Rao wrote: Great to have an informed and respected commentator on Indian affairs, Pawan Luthra - a professional voice for the Indian diaspora. Best! Sheba Nandkeolyar wrote: It was very good Pawan, you had it all on your fingertips!

Meg Jobson wrote: Pawan Luthra is a delightful guest.

Gunjan Pagare wrote: Brilliant summary, Pawan. Yes, an incredible journey (for India), inspite of the speed bumps, now a leader on the global stage. So much more to achieve though before we meet the nation's aspiration to be a developed nation in the next 25 years! It is a proud moment for us all.

Rajesh Dave wrote: Excellent summary rattled off, Pawan.

Nishi Singh Dubey wrote: That sounded like Breathless by Shankar Mahadevan! The reaction in India to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II

Tanya Curtin wrote: Well said, Pawan. The empire fails to resonate with so many in the Commonwealth so the new King will have to do something to 'connect' with them.

Ashok Bajaj wrote: Your contribution on today’s The Drum show was spot on. Well done. It will help promote indirectly the idea of Australia becoming a Republic, which is well overdue. At the same time India, along with all other past British colonies deserve a well-meaning apology from the new monarch King Charles III, and perhaps some financial compensation directly from the Royal Family. May be all on-going and future income from their assets could be used to create a fund to be distributed according to the need.

Australian Monuments Join The Tricolour Part

y Saffron, white and green defined the façade of 40 Australian buildings to commemorate India’s 75th Independence Day.

Dat Hoang wrote: High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra should know very well that it’s the thought that counts, not the numbers of monuments. If numbers are the name of the game, I suppose the number of my Indian friends is very significant. And I am proud of every one of them.

Karan Mehta wrote: Always a pleasure reading these articles.

Tanu Bhatia (who sent us the pic above) wrote: Goosebumps, seeing the Sydney Opera House lit up like the tricolour. Waiting to see the lights come on took me back to Independence Day celebrations at school when the Tiranga was unfurled.

RIP, N IDHI AND RU x MI

Condolences have been flooding in for international students Nidhi Hirani and Ruxmi Vaghjiani who drowned after their car ran off the road into Aveley lake, Perth. Javed Sheikh wrote: That’s so devastating. International students should be more careful while driving on Australian roads.

Anirban Chakrabarty wrote: So very sad. Please keep a hammer in the glove box, this is happening too often.

Alka Girdhar wrote: Too sad. May God give strength to their parents and family.

Pravin Balakrishnan wrote: Sad news. Young lives tragically cut short.

This feels like the requiem for a nation. The remnants of a colonial military escorting its dead sovereign and the symbols of state, with the great star of Africa and the Kohinoor, the loot from a questionable history.

Stuart Cairns, writer

#M yI NDIANLIN k

An image of religious tolerance won Indian Link’s annual Independence Day photography contest.

Sandip Hor wrote: Well done, we are seeing some really great photos through this contest.

Kersi Meher-Homji wrote: The photograph contest winners have to be congratulated for their artistic vision and presentation. The winner brought out the image of religious tolerance candidly.

Ritesh Ghosh, winner of the contest, wrote: Congratulations to all finalists.

Sachin Wakhare, last year’s winner, wrote: Amazing. Congratulations, winners!

Sunil Vyas wrote: Excellent choice of winner. All shortlisted photos were very good but I particularly loved the one of the joyful kids at the lakeside with the man flying the box kite of national colours. It was natural and portrayed the joys in simplicity of celebration by ordinary folk! Congratulations for hosting the competition.

How much have all these ceremonies and proclamations cost taxpayers in the UK, Australia and the other Commonwealth realms? How much will the Queen’s funeral cost? How much is it going to cost to fly the PM, GG and others to the funeral? How much will the coronation cost?

Shane Bazzi, refugee advocate

STRO k E SURVIVOR LOO k S BAC k

Just after National Stroke Week (8 – 14 Aug), IT professional SUNIL RANADIVE recounted the journey of his own affliction.

Anand Dholakia wrote: My thoughts after reading your piece were that you feel you could have done more in prevention. I do feel that it was the system that should have done more. It’s a great article and quite educational.

Anagha Chitale wrote: Very important information in this article.

Shirley Jacob wrote: Very insightful. Thank you for sharing this.

Pooja Jaising wrote: Thank you for sharing your story. You are absolutely right, doctors are humans too and can make mistakes. You seemed to be strong willed and a very patient person. I am glad you took some tough decisions and made progress. God bless you.

Dhiraj Patel wrote: Our best wishes for full recovery.

Harinder Parmar wrote: Thanks and wishing you all the best, Sunil. Sunita Ticku Wattal wrote: Thanks for sharing, important information.

AN ‘AURAL ASSAULT’ OR A WATERSHED EVENT?

DARSHAK MEHTA and SRIRAMAN ANNASWAMY shared their (differing) experiences at the recent AIBC Annual Address and Gala Dinner honouring India’s Independence Day.

Sriraman Annaswamy wrote: Well done for printing both sides of a remarkable event. “Fair and balanced” is certainly something we’ve come to expect from your publication, often in contrast to the so-called mainstream media. The AIBC was breaking new ground with the AIIBS and as Indian-Australian community members, we need to support and encourage them with helpful feedback. I think so anyway.

Shirish Bharadwaj wrote: As a recent Master’s degree graduate and an aspiring future entrepreneur, it was a privilege to attend the gala dinner. It was an absolute honour to have had the opportunity to listen to leaders of such high profile share their views on pressing topics such as the economic future of the two countries. I found all the discussions held on the stage to be highly informative. With the stage performances from the traditional Indian dancers along with the super talented First Nations peoples, I found the evening to be an exuberant display of the intertwining of the cultural roots that make up the two nations. Overall, I found the entire evening to be entertaining and had an absolutely positive experience. Kudos to the entire AIBC team for organising such an event which helped in the planting of a metaphorical tree whose fruits will benefit the future generations of both countries.

Where In India

Unlike other camels, these camels are known for having two humps and were once a major mode of transport to travel to the Silk Route. Where in India can they be found?

Readers Anu Shree, Vani Shukla, Divya

Praveen and Josel Jose gave the correct answer: Bactrian camels, found in Nubra Valley, Ladakh.

Caption Contest

We asked, what is Kapil Dev saying to Abhishek Bachchan as they catch up at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne?

Kunal Pandit won a movie ticket for his response: AB Jr says,“When you won the World Cup in 1983, I was 10 years old (Dus saal ka). You were a hit then. Now I’ve made a movie called “Dasvi” but “83” is a hit again. How come?” Kapil replies,“Puttar, talent bhi hona chahiye na…” (No offence, AB Jr fans.)

Rachna Gupta wrote:“Abhishek, your work should be your passion.”

Chanel Bubba wrote:“(Great opportunity for) a night out and drink… our wives are back in India.”

Preeti Kothari wrote: “Dhoom 4 banani ho toh phir mujhe cast karlena, beta! Todha bohat action kar leta hoon main!”

Rekha Kanth wrote: “Abhishek, feels better to visit Australia as an IFFM guest rather than a cricket player.”

Ridwan Hassim wrote:“Looks like we shop at the same clothing store…”

Jasmeen Singh wrote: “Chal, KBC khelte hain - Kapil Bachchan Cricket!”

Muhammad Idrees wrote: “Buss yadain reh jati hain”

Amit Kumar Vasisht wrote: “Rishte mein hum tumhare baap lagte hai. Naam hai Hariyana Hurricane.”

Arix Bishnoi wrote: “Is that Ranveer Singh’s jacket?”

Nanditha Suresh wrote: “I’m just here for the snacks. Hope they have a good spread.”

Arix Bishnoi wrote again: “Once inside let’s go to the golgappa counter… and then the momos counter.”

Moulik Bavisi wrote: “Aur beta, kamai kaisi chal rahi hai ?? Papa se kam ya jyada?”

Chånpreet Batth wrote: “Aur tumhare papa ka kya haal hai?”

Kiran Kumar wrote: “Beta, thoda padhai pe bhi dyaan do.”

Where In Oz

Every evening, the colony of little penguins that reside on this island waddle along from the sea back to their burrows, much to the delight of mesmerized onlookers. Where in Australia?

This past week, I have been reminded what it is to come from the other side of history. History itself that is written as a hymn to whiteness. History written by the victors and often written in blood. It is fashioned as a tale of progress, as a civilising mission. As historian Caroline Elkins writes in Legacies of Violence, for hundreds of millions of people "the empire's velvet glove contained an all too familiar iron fist". From India to Africa to Ireland, the Pacific, the Caribbean and of course here, Australia, people from the other side of history have felt that fist.

Stan Grant, ABC presenter

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