2023-02 Sydney

Indian links in Australia Day honours

PUBLISHER Pawan

Luthra EDITOR

Rajni Anand Luthra

CONTRIBUTORS

Torsha Sen, Sampavie Sritharan, LP Ayer, Prutha Chakraborty, Lakshmi Ganapathy, Ron Barooah, Kersi Meher-Homji, Sandip Hor, Minal Khona, Auntyji

SALES AND MARKETING

Charu Vij

ADMN

Drishya Sharma

Indian Link is a monthly newspaper published in English. No material, including advertisements designed by Indian Link, may be reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the editor. Opinions carried in Indian Link are those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by Indian Link. All correspondence should be addressed to:

I

Modi Australia visit firms for late May

too small to accommodate the four visiting leaders and their entourages.)

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

It is expected that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Australia in the third week of May. Though the exact dates have not been announced, sources have indicated that the visit will follow the G7 Summit in Tokyo scheduled for 19-21 May.

PM Modi’s visit to Australia comes as part of the ongoing engagement of Quad leaders.

Email: info@indianlink.com.au

Comprising Australia, India, Japan and the United States, the Quad has gained importance over the last three years and is seen as an alliance to push back against China’s growing geopolitical involvement in Asia, particularly in the Pacific. The importance is such that Quad leaders have met four times in the last three years – virtually in 2021, and then later that year with President Biden hosting, Covid again pushing it back to a virtual meeting in March 2022 and then later with Japanese PM Kishida hosting in Tokyo. Australian PM Albanese is set to play host in 2023 in Sydney (Canberra is deemed

It is expected that the Quad leaders’ meeting will be held immediately following the G7 meeting in Tokyo, which concludes on 21 May 2023. The meet is shaping up to further solidify the positions of the countries of the Quad, with India emerging as a key partner. While the other three countries – US, Japan and Australia – have formal treaties amongst them, India has no such agreement with individual Quad partners. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in his latest book Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love, has called India the wild card in Quad, given it is a nation founded on socialist ideology, and which spent the Cold War aligning with neither the US nor the erstwhile USSR. “(India) has always charted its own course without a true alliance system, and that is still mostly the case. But China’s actions have caused India to change its strategic posture in the last few years,” Pompeo writes.

Narendra Modi will be making his second visit to Australia since he became Prime Minister in 2014. His previous visit was hailed for its resounding success and laid the groundwork for progressing trade

talks between the two countries, which culminated in the signing of ECTA on 29 Dec 2022. PM Modi also established an important bond with his Australian counterpart then, Tony Abbot. It is a bond which seems to have endured, as Mr Abbot has strongly contributed to this relationship even after his time in Canberra. But what was most memorable to the Indian diaspora here in Australia, the local politicians and the Australian media, was Modi’s reception at the Allphones Arena in Sydney Olympic Park. A rousing orator, PM Modi captivated the 20,000 strong crowd with his 90-minute speech.

It is expected that PM Modi will again address the Indian diaspora on this visit, spending time in both Sydney and Melbourne.

In 2014, Mr Modi had addressed a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament in Canberra. It is expected that it will be the United States President Joe Biden who will have this honour this time round, on his first visit to Australia as President.

Prior to the Quad meet, a bilateral meeting is to take place early next month between PM Albanese and PM Modi when the Australian Prime Minister visits India, taking with him the most senior industry leaders to have ever visited India.

KEEP NSW MOVING FORWARD

Authorised by Chris Stone, Level 2, 131 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Mookhey wish you and your family a Happy Holi!

Mick Maroney Candidate for Holsworthy Happy Holi

Julia Finn MP Member for Granville

Bali MP Member for Blacktown

Minns MP

Leader Member for

Member

YOUR SAY

KHALISTAN REFEFRENDUM

Did Australia fail India, PAWAN LUTHRA asked, following the recent faithbased altercations at Melbourne’s Federation Square.

Shibu Thomas wrote: Yes, they did. They allowed Khalistani sympathisers to violently attack peaceful Indian protesters excercising their rights of protest.

Vic Govt had endorsed the right to protest when Khalistanis protested during India's Republic Day celebrations.Now we have cases in court and hope the terrorist sympathisers get held to account.

Proud Indian wrote: Why is the majority of local Sikh community silent on such incidents, led by a handful?You can’t break India – not by referendum in Melbourne/Canada, not by protests on streets in Punjab and certainly not by violence against innocent Indian families elsewhere. I foresee isolation of the Sikh community from Indian platforms, and financial and social boycott of Sikhs by the wider Indian diaspora.

Tejas Vaidya wrote: Well said Pawan, this is a clear state-negligence against organised crime. This was more than a local brawl and who-hit-who; this is a case of how did the state protection agencies respond. Thank you for highlighting this.

Adi wrote: This was not Hindu vs Sikh. It was RSS Sanghis vs Khalistanis.

Renu Datta wrote: This is total failure of the authorities, they knew it. Very shameful, giving wrong image of Australia. There is someone out there who wants peaceful Sikh and Hindu community to divide, our people playing in their hands.

gomesconan wrote: No, Indians failed India. raziz.mister64 wrote: Yes the Australian Government and Police failed miserably. They should have banned this separatist movement! The illegal and anti-India sentiments here go against the country's values.

Tegbir Singh wrote: Do not involve Sikhs under the name of Khalistanis for this crime.

ON LOVE AND INTIMACY

NEERU SALUJA chatted with filmmaker Shekhar Kapur in Sydney on the eve of the release of his latest film What’s Love got to do with it?

Shekhar Kapur wrote: ‘Define love’, she said. ‘Then I would confine love’, I said. Definition is the killer of (things). Love is constant yearning; don’t try to define. Raj Saneja wrote: That's awesome! Congratulations Neeru. I am definitely going to watch the film. I am sure it will be thoroughly enjoyable as the other Shekhar Kapu masterpieces. He knows how to extract the best from the actors. He wouldn’t have to do much work with Shabana Azmi and Emma Thomson. They are seasoned actors and can do their roles effortlessly. Shekhar is expert in keeping the audience glued to their seats. Sejal Aly is my favourite Pakistani actress. I have watched her in the series Yakeen ka Safar, Yeh Mera Dil and Ishq E Laa. She is a good actress and a treat to watch. I can’t wait to see What’s Love got to do with it on the big screen.

Vandana Nankany wrote: He is one brilliant director who serves the masses storylines that are rich and profound and cater to people’s needs, and yet uplifting them at the same time surely.

Dolly Miranda wrote: Neeru’s conversation with the legend and ever charming Shekhar Kapur gives us a sneak peak into the director’s thought processes and also feelings about love. She cleverly unfolds how his formative years across geographies, his “un” definition of love, and his personal perspective, have all influenced the film. I thoroughly enjoyed Neeru’s style and intelligent conversation and can’t wait to see her bring Bollywood even closer to us!

Pals DS wrote: What an awesome experience, Neeru Saluja. Loved your wellcrafted questions. You are blending into this with finesse. I love reading your reviews and story pieces and how you add that perfect pinch of desi spice to your opinions. You not only resonate the views of the Indian diaspora but ignite that theekhi, khati meethi curiosity to all your reviews, making us want to watch, read or experience what you write about. Keep up the good words! Anupriya Agrawal wrote: “West has lost its narrative”, loved the phrasing. Amazing interview Neeru.

SINDOOR WITH HAUTE COUTURE

That’s exactly what fashion designer Prabal Gurung did at his Fall Winter 2023 collection in New York. His models sported, not ek chutki sindoor mind you, but big bright sindoor - thick and bold, and in every hue.

Sonal Wahi wrote: Looks amazing!

Tanvi Mor wrote: Seeing this as an upcoming trend now.

GP OF THE YEAR 2022

Melbourne’s Dr Abhishek Verma and Sydney’s Dr Anju Aggarwal, joint winners of RACGP’s GP of the Year, spoke to RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA.

PL Sharma wrote: Well done, great job!

Margaret Burns wrote: Congratulations, Abhishek Verma! Great that your concern for refugees and recent migrants and asylum seekers has been recognised by the powers that be.

Amandeep Gilhotra wrote: There are joint winners for GP of the Year Award, and wonderful to see both winners are of Indian background.

RACGP wrote: One of our 2022 GP of the Year Award winners Dr Anju Aggarwal in Indian Link about what she loves most about being a GP: “The love and trust of my patients gives me a sense of fulfillment.”

Seema Chauhan wrote: Love it, Prabal Rana Gurung

Renu Dutta wrote: Why? Not fair, my view. Priyamvada Singhania wrote: I think they make great visuals, especially on the catwalk, and especially with that pop of colour, but more than that, I’m not exactly sure! I would wear a dress like Prabal’s (or even by Prabal if I could afford it), but would I accessorise it with sindoor? Probably not. And if a non-Indian friend did, think of the reaction of the ‘cultural appropriation’ police…!

Even in Australia, when it is felt necessary, there are restrictions that can be placed on freedom of expression. This particular documentary (BBC’s India: The Modi Question) we felt was required to be pulled down.

Manpreet Vohra, Indian High Commissioner, quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald

Australia is not well-versed with a multipolar world. India has lived and breathed in multipolarity. Working through what multipolarity means will likely bring the two countries together.

Peter Varghese AO, Raisina@Sydney

ABOUT MULTICULTURAL PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

PAWAN LUTHRA asked, would you fancy a day off on Diwali or Eid, in lieu of working on Easter Friday or King’s Birthday?

Karan Hetal Hemang Mehta wrote: It’s a really interesting concept to look into, with a growing multicultural community across the globe to put in placepeople able to take public holidays according to their will and have a standard number of festivities declared as public holidays from the government end, and people can deduct their public holidays according to their beliefs.

Poornima Menon wrote: I don’t think the holidays should be in lieu of Easter or the King’s birthday as holidays with friends are planned during this time. It will be great to have two days in a year allocated to what could be called ‘multicultural leave’, just like the government has stipulated compassionate leave. This leave can then be accessed by people of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds for their festivals.

Pavneet Kaur wrote: Totally agree with Poornima Menon's point, not in lieu but two days leave at the choice of the employee to practice their faith/ festivals whilst being fair to all. It helps promote a feeling of equality and being valued. In fact I know a couple of multinational companies that do have such ethnic leave policy in Australia.

i.arun.n wrote: Definitely a YES to multicultural holidays!

Ripun Sikka wrote: Diwali off would be awesome.

Deepak Vincent wrote: Then it’s an open invitation to so many multicultural public holidays.

Tripti Joshi, Kunal Anil Sharma, Ajaz Ali Khan, Nakul S Nig also wrote in to say they would welcome some workable idea towards multicultural holidays.

WHERE IN INDIA

At 320 metres, this residential skyscraper is the tallest building in India. Where in India?

CAPTION CONTEST

What’s the chitchat here, we asked, between newly weds Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra?

Arix Bishnoi won a free movie ticket for his response: I hope they give us cute nick name like “Virushka”

Tashu Sharma wrote: Arey yaar, doosre gate se chalte. I'm not dressed properly, and the paps are here!

Anusree Chakravarty wrote: Jab miya biwi raazi toh kya karega paparazzi. Raj Saneja wrote: Kiara, run for your life. You forgot to change the bathroom slippers. sujay_shah_123 wrote: Kiara be like - Dekhna Sid, iss baar bhi Indian Link pe Sujay ko free movie ticket nahi milegi. rachnagupta72 wrote: Mere haath mein tera haath ho sare jannatein mere saath ho.

WHERE IN OZ

This 332.5 metre skyscraper, measured to the top of its spire, is the tallest building in Australia. Where in Australia?

The answer is Palais Royale, Mumbai

Congratulations Aruna Deenamani, Clarion Pereira, Rajeev Ramakar Tiwari, Kunal Anil Sharma and Rohit Ganesh, you got it right.

We need to decide that we are not each other's alternate plan or compromise, but each other’s first choice. We want to create a sandbox where #startups are working on #cleantech, gender and can knock heads and exchange ideas and information — Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation, Raisina@Sydney.

The answer is Queensland Number One Q1 Tower, QLD Yay! Smita Pawar Nashikkar, Bhanu Kothari and Krupa Shah, you got the right answer.

“RRR is ****** amazing. From a Western perspective, it’s like Avengers, Top Hat, Indiana Jones, Lawrence of Arabia, Lord of the Rings, Rocky, Grease and Michael Collins were all thrown together in an Indian washing machine with settings to 100 degree AWESOME. Twitter comment

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ONOURS

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY ON THE AUSTRALIAN SCREEN

Mitu Bhowmick Lange, AM

For significant service to the performing arts through film

We know Mitu Bhowmick Lange as Australia's strongest link to Bollywood - the person behind most of the Indian films distributed in Australia and New Zealand, and the highly successful Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. She talks to PAWAN LUTHRA about her work in films.

Mitu, you were born in India, have spent most of your life in Australia and are married to a New Zealander. With this new Australian accolade and top national honour, has India lost you forever to Australia? Never. That will never happen. My Indian identity is just as important as my Australian identity.

A lovely reply, Mitu. Now tell us, when you started Mind Blowing Films, did you see it growing and blossoming as well as it has? No, not at all. In fact, I think you know Pawan, because you’ve supported me right from the start. I don’t come from a business background, but an arts and filmmaking one. It was mostly for the love of cinema that we started the film distribution business. It took a life of its own, and as Indian films grew and grew we launched the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. Soon the Victorian government came on board and then that took a life of its own as well. So this beautiful journey has been

truly like Ekla cholo re where you've started on a path and like-minded people have joined you and supported you and it’s just gone to the next level.

What is that one moment you believed changed your story?

A very difficult question. I don't know Pawan, if there was any one single moment. It’s been a culmination of lots of moments. I think one of the big moments business wise, was when we did 3 Idiots We launched it on 20 screens in 2010, and to put it in perspective, we released Pathan recently on 120 screens. That is the kind of growth we’ve seen. 3 Idiots was the first film that crossed the one million mark at the box office. It really made the cinema chains sit up and take notice because our per screen average was so high. The irony is that Avatar had just released, and many cinemas took it off to put 3 Idiots on! It was selling out everywhere. That was a turning point not just for me but also for the distribution sector who till then were lukewarm towards Indian films, not realising the kind of box office impact they could have. And of course, culturally when we did the film festival - especially when Amitabh Bachchan came. You were there, Pawan. There was a moment when I was standing at Princess Theatre just behind Mr. Bachchan and the whole theatre was just screaming in joy. That energy just gave me such a sense of warmth. And then when Shahrukh Khan was here at Palais, and he jumped up on stage to join the 21 dancers who were young adults living with Down Syndrome. I really thought that the roof was going to come crashing down just with the cheer! That moment made me feel happy and fulfilled.

You’ve interacted closely with some top personalities of the film world. You mentioned two right now. Who’s been your favourite, and why?

We’ve been lucky because everybody who comes to the festival has been amazing. They are generous with their time, their warmth and goodwill. People like Mr. Bachchan and Shahrukh, they just bring a completely different level of energy.

Is it very difficult lining up these top names to come to Melbourne, or does Mitu just make a phone call and they ask what time do you want us there?

I wish it’ll be like that one day! I think the good thing is there’s a real intent and there is a real desire to come to the festival and to come to Melbourne, it's the distance and time (that are the worry). Dubai or Europe, it's maximum a two or three day commitment. But coming to Melbourne is almost a three to five day commitment. I think that's where it becomes a bit hard especially the ones who are super busy. But I've noticed if not immediately, then within two to three years, they keep their word and turn up, which is lovely.

One star who’s totally surprised you?

I won't say surprise but I was very appreciative of Vidya Balan who was our brand ambassador for the longest time, nearly seven years. She was always very generous with her time. Every year she brought beautifully hand-picked presents for the whole team. It showed warmth and thoughtfulness.

If there was a biopic made about you, who would you like to play you?

Pawan, you make me laugh! I don't know if you're saying this with sarcasm or are just pulling my leg!

Mitu, on a serious topic, you have a passion for social causes. It’s 26 January today, a day steeped in controversy in Australia, with the First Nations people and young Australians choosing to call it Invasion Day instead of Australia Day. How do you feel about this?

Pawan, there is a lot of history here which is very difficult and confronting, and I feel that at some point we all have to face it. I

do think that process has begun maybe not as actively and as furiously as it should be. I do feel that there is a lot of truth and depth to what a lot of young Australians and the indigenous communities are asking for.

Mitu, you have scaled new heights, creating new peaks in connecting Australia to Bollywood. What next for Mitu Bhowmick Lange AM?

I feel very privileged and very honoured and to be honest with you this morning I've only been feeling very very grateful for everything that I've been able to do. But I feel that it's just the start and there's so much more to do. We are now starting a very ambitious feature film production called My Melbourne. It is an anthology of four short films. Each film is based on one of the pillars of diversity - race, gender, LGBTQI and disability. All four are being headlined by a really iconic Indian filmmaker and completely made by Australian cast and crew. I’m very passionate about this project because it’s all about representation, diversity and inclusivity on the Australian screen. Both on screen and off screen, this is something that we want to nurture and push forward more and more. You know Pawan that my daughter is a little girl living with Down Syndrome and that has really opened the whole world of differently abled people to my husband Roy and me. The people who work there are just so incredibly strong and big hearted. As parents, we are always advocating, trying to make things better and I feel that if I can contribute in that in some ways, specially as far as screen culture is concerned because that's my area, I will feel very very very happy about it.

Wonderful, Mitu. On behalf of my team at Indian Link and the Indian community at large in Australia, thank you for the work you do, and best wishes.

Thank you, Pawan.

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PSYCHIATRIST AND LITTERATEUR

Dr Shailja Chaturvedi, OAM

For

When Dr Shailja Chaturvedi went to a home visit once in the mid-1970s, she was taken aback at the reaction she encountered.

“Family members were calling out to each other to come look at ‘the Indian lady doctor’,” she recalled. “They had no idea that an Indian woman could have a professional identity, believing India to be an uncivilised place.”

After 50 professional years of service, nearly all of them as a psychiatrist, ‘the Indian lady doctor’ has been felicitated with an OAM on Australia Day this year.

“I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the news,” she smiled.

Dr Chaturvedi arrived in Australia 53 years ago, having trained at King George Medical College Lucknow. She worked for two years as a GP and then undertook psychiatry training.

When she received her fellowship in 1976, she was the first Indian female Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. She spent ten years serving in the public system, then moved to private practice. Throughout, she performed speaking, teaching, and tribunal hearing roles.

And throughout, she has been fighting professional barriers of one sort or another.

“In another incident also in the 1970s, I was with a colleague as we went to an event at RSL. The friend asked me to wait in the car while they popped in briefly. I learnt later that they had gone in to seek permission for me to enter.”

Dr Chaturvedi retired three years ago.

“I wanted to acknowledge other things that make up my identity,” she explained.

“I did this via three books I have written so far. In Raising a Child I wrote as a mother, as a doctor and the East-West perspectives I bring to both roles. My second book is The Global Citizens of India. And the third is Reflections of a Psychiatrist: A Journey of Five Decades.”

It's been a productive retirement.

But literary pursuits have always been dear to her – many in Sydney’s Indian community know of her as a Hindi poet and litterateur, and founder of Hindi Samaj.

Her books are published by Gita Press in Gorakhpur India, said to be the world’s largest publisher of religious books. Funds raised by their sales go towards a children’s charity she set up in the region two years ago, called Child Can Cancer Foundation. CCCF offers affordable treatment for all types of childhood cancer, specialising in early detection. It also helps set up paediatric oncology units in hospitals such as at the Hanuman Prasad Poddar Cancer Institute in Gorakhpur.

Dr Chaturvedi is joined in this philanthropic work by her husband Dr Jay Chandra AM, an ophthalmologist who has been conducting annual eye camps at Fiji and India for two decades now.

How has psychiatry changed in 50 years, we ask Dr Chaturvedi.

“It has changed a great deal, largely because of social change. Many of the ‘deviant’ behaviours or ‘illnesses’ have now become part of normal life – such as homosexuality being recognised simply as a way of life. There’s also more openness about mental health issues now, it's no longer taboo. There is however increase in issues like drug abuse, domestic violence, suicides. And yet, there’s also increased research to combat these issues as well. Plus of course vastly increased

psychiatric services. Equally important is the understanding that there can be no defined ways of prevention or treatment –instead maintenance is important, and that there could be periods of remission.”

She added, “Social media is also playing a role in dissemination of information, but we’ve got to be careful about how the information is going to be interpreted. There could be dangers involved there.”

Dr Chaturvedi is also passionate about associating with other doctors of Indian origin, not only as a way of supporting each other but also to jointly organise care programs back in the homeland. In terms of the latter, Dr Chaturvedi has found like-minded people at GAPIO (Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin).

The former need is sufficiently catered

for by AIMGA, Australian Indian Medical Graduates Association, which she herself founded nearly forty years ago. As part of AIMGA, she was actively involved in the matter of India-trained doctors requalifying here. “It is an issue close to my heart, and I have spoken and written about it a bit. I participated in the Parliament enquiry on the matter, for a report that came out in 2012 called ‘Lost in the Labyrinth’. I’ve now come to believe that India must strive to retain its doctors. There’s irony there, given that I’ve moved here myself and that the health service here is largely run by Indian doctors. My point is, there’s plenty of opportunity in India, in terms of practice and research, and so much need.”

Rajni Anand Luthra

of

ONOURS

CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES

Prof. Elizabeth Fernandez, AM

For significant service to education, to social justice, and to professional associations

UNSW’s Elizabeth Fernandez, Professor of Social Work at the School of Social Sciences, was felicitated with the AM on Australia Day.

Her career in the field of child and family services, for which she was recognised, spans 45 years in Australia. It has seen considerable contributions, especially to the lived experience and long-term outcomes of adults who as children were raised in outof-home care. These include her extensive research on Forgotten Australians, members of the Stolen Generations, and British Child Migrants.

“My work early in India was foundational in this regard,” the Mangalore-born Chennai-raised Prof Fernandez told Indian Link.

“Soon after my master’s degree in social work at Madras University, I founded the first professional foster care service in India. It was quite a paradigm shift, to create care for vulnerable children within a family environment, allowing participating parents to undertake care responsibilities for the deprived and vulnerable in their own homes.”

Operating this service for five years at the Madras School of Social Work, she was able to create greater consciousness that congregate care was not providing the benefits of family relationships. The pilot program was later extended to Bombay, delivered by Nirmala Niketan.

She then embarked on an academic career in her alma mater Stella Maris College at Madras, becoming Head of the Department of Social Work.

She moved to Australia in 1978, and took a PhD researching children removed from their families, studying the factors that enabled them to return to their families after an episode in care.

Today she is an acknowledged authority in the field.

She is also recipient of the 2019 International Society for Child Indicators (ISCI) Award in recognition of outstanding contribution to the field of child indicators research from an international perspective.

“I feel privileged and grateful,” she said of her AM honour. “It is a validation of my work and contribution to Australia. It is also an acknowledgement of the importance of social science research and how it addresses the needs of marginalised people. Also, it recognises

teaching and learning in the higher education space. Hopefully it will be noticed, and influence social policy.”

Describing her work, she said, “’Forgotten Australians’ is a term given to an estimated 500,000 non-Indigenous Australian-born children who lived in children’s homes or other forms of care, whose families experienced sheer poverty and war trauma. The ‘Stolen Generations’ are an estimated 25,000 Aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families and culture through policies of coercive intervention. ‘British Child Migrants’ were children exported to Australia as unaccompanied minors to be looked after in Australian children’s institutions, estimated to be 1000-1200.”

Her three-year research on these children, which ran concurrently with the Australian Government’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, “identified physical abuse, sexual molestation, psychological abuse, educational neglect, oppressive child labour practices, and the enduring negative impacts for survivors including physical and mental health impairments, disrupted family relationships, alienation from country and culture, and compromised educational and employment outcomes. Findings from this research provided a knowledge and empirical base to argue for redress and responsive policy and services, extending learnings to contemporary care systems.”

The work is continuing, she reported. “The children are now an aging cohort, and there are concerns about aged care services available to them – whether there is sensitivity to their historical trauma. They are sceptical about being looked after in institutions again, and perhaps the answer is good support at

home through home-based services.”

As board member of the National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians she is deeply involved in these issues.

Another study Dr Fernandez initiated, was a ten-year longitudinal study with Barnardos Australia about children in permanent care. This research emphasised the achievement of positive outcomes for children such as resilience, and the factors that enable children to overcome their adversities.

Dr Fernandez is grateful for six large Australian Research Council (ARC) grants that supported this body of research over 35 years. The ARC have appointed her in 2011 as expert assessor of grant applications, and on the panel Excellence in Research in Australia ERA, (which identifies excellence in research in Australia’s higher education institutions through comparisons with international benchmarks.)

“The roles are a major responsibility and commitment. They give me an opportunity to be exposed to research endeavour across the country.”

In a four-decade long career, Dr Fernandez has taught students from the undergrad to the postgrad and doctoral levels, and has won the National Award

for Teaching presented by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council.

“I’m also passionate about international student exchange,” Dr Fernandez revealed. “I have been sending UNSW students to universities in US, UK Canada, Israel and India. I’ve organised internships in India for social work students at the Rajagiri School of Social Work in Kerala and the Madras School of Social Work.”

Amongst the major social justice issues facing Australia facing currently, Prof Elizabeth Fernandez AM lists poverty.

“One in eight people, including one in six children, live below the poverty line, according to the latest ABS data (2019-20) They are a priority for Australian welfare systems and policy to respond to.”

She added, “There are 46,000 children in care, a rate of 8 per 1000 children nationally. Indigenous children are disproportionately represented here –Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were in out-of-home care at 30 June 2021, at a rate of 58 per 1,000. There is a vital need to address this over representation through preventive and supportive services, and through addressing the entrenched socioeconomic disadvantage and other inequities they experience.”

Rajni Anand Luthra

Prof. Fernandez’s considerable contributions are in the field of outcomes for children removed from families, including Forgotten Australians, members of the Stolen Generations, and British Child Migrants.

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STRICTLY CLASSICAL

Narmatha Ravichandhira, OAM

For service to the arts in music and dance

Aleading name in the Melbourne Indian community’s classical scene, Narmatha Ravichandhira has played an active and key role in developing and promoting new music and dance repertoire in Australia and NZ, in both the performing arts and research sectors. Since 1992, her expertise in Carnatic vocal, violin and Bharatanatyam, has guided many students over the course of more than three decades, at her institutes Bharatha Choodamani Australia – School of Indian Classical Dance and SruthiLaya Kendra (Australia) School of Indian Classical Music.

She has long been regarded as a pioneer in her field – showcasing her creativity, skill and experience in her dance and musical compositions which express cultural nuances and deep technicality.

For her contributions to the arts, Narmatha Ravichandhira has been felicitated with the OAM honour this Australia Day.

“It gives me immense pride and

happiness to undertake more compositional and choreographic work,” she told Indian Link. “On each occasion, it is indeed a very proud and humbling experience for me to see audiences appreciate my work.”

Narmatha’s work is widely acclaimed domestically and internationally. Her music recordings have been played at the Olympic Village in Homebush during the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and have been included in the permanent soundscape of the William Barak Bridge in the Melbourne CBD.

Beyond her contributions in the performing arts sector as a dancer, musician, teacher, artistic director, choreographer and founder of a leading dance school, Narmatha has been greatly involved in social service.

A strong proponent of giving back to the community, Narmatha actively seeks out opportunities for her institutions and her students to contribute to and support various causes such as social inclusion and cultural diversity. She has fundraised for and supported countless charitable causes through dance and musical performances. These include productions for charities and organisations such as World Vision, Oxfam Australia, the Lions’ Club and the JET Australia Foundation (2009), Mental Health Foundation Victoria (2018), and PNSS Charitable Trust projects for social causes during pandemic times (2021).

Her most recent production Pranavam: A Dance Odyssey was a spectacular event exploring pandemic experiences in dance. It was presented as a fundraiser for the

LOVE FOR LANGUAGE

Selvarajah

Muraledaran, OAM

For his service to the Tamil community of Victoria

Selvarajah Muraledaran was a young parent when he first took his three-year-old son to Tamil school in 2000.

It sparked a life of voluntary service within Melbourne’s Tamil community.

His contribution to his community in education as well as in social-cultural and religious-spiritual pursuits, is now officially recognised by the Australian Government with an Order of Australia medal.

Muraledaran started off by becoming involved in the community school run by the Ceylon Tamil Association.

He was on the school committee for ten years, three of these as President. It was during this time that he strove for the

recognition of Tamil, although remaining outside the mainstream school syllabus, as a VCE subject option.

“It took a lot of effort,” Muralee told Indian Link, “to put together a syllabus of acceptable standard to get VCE recognition. But its now quite successful and is helping students of Tamil background to augment their final Year 12 scores.”

He added with gratitude, “It was a group effort though. Without the tireless dedication of the Committee members, this would not have been possible.”

Muralee is proud to say that today there are some ten community Tamils schools in

youth group of the Sri Vakrathunda Vinayagar Temple (2022).

Sharing knowledge about Indian classical performing arts field, is also a key interest and mission for both Narmatha and her husband Ravi Ravichandhira OAM. They have collaborated with the award-winning Artistic Director Aravinth Kumarasamy of Apsara Singapore, and Monash University to organise the Indian Performing Arts Convention (IPAC) in Australia. IPAC is multi-day celebration of creativity, featuring performances, collaborations and talks by local and foreign artists.

Melbourne.

His love for language is typical of his community. Sri Lankan Tamils’ affinity to their mother tongue is legendary. They continue to use it in their everyday life wherever in the world they settle and take great pains to pass it on to their children. This may be due to their desire to retain some link to their ancestral roots, having nearly lost them not once but twice – first during the colonial days when the British took many of them to work on their tea estates in Ceylon and then, in the recent past, due to civil strife when they moved to countries around the world. So their love for the Tamil language is understandable: they consider it a service to their community to promote it in whatever way they can.

For Muralee, this involvement with his community kids has extrapolated to young ones in his homeland. As President of the voluntary organisation e-kalvi (literally, education) for four years, Muralee has seen the establishment of more than 35 education centres in Northern, Eastern and Upcountry areas in Sri Lanka. Muralee’s community work has extended beyond the education sphere, serving as President for two years of a temple for Lord Murugan – another

Having contributed so much to the arts sector and the wider community, Narmatha has received numerous prestigious awards and accolades over her extensive career. And she is incredibility delighted and excited to be receive the OAM honour.

“It is a great honour and privilege. I would especially like to thank my parents, my family members, my esteemed gurus (teachers) and associates who have helped and guided me,” she said. “And to those who thought my contribution is worthy –thank you too!”

Sampavie Sritharan

favourite of Sri Lankan Tamils, run by the Tamil Educational, Cultural and Charitable Association.

Muralee feels fortunate that he is able to help his community both here and in Sri Lanka.

“I believe my Tamil identity adds to my Australian identity. That’s what multiculturalism is all about.”

Muralee’s day-time job has been in medical and pharmaceutical science ever since he arrived here in 1994. The Jaffna lad obtained an honours degree in chemistry from the local university, then M.Sc in analytical chemistry from the Colombo University and worked as a forensic scientist with the government. He won a UN fellowship for his work in drug control programs.

Currently retired, Muralee’s attention is devoted to his charity ‘Ayyamiddun’ which provides free meals and education to poor children in Sri Lanka. “I am proud of the fact that children over there are properly fed and resourced to focus on their studies – this was not possible in the past.”

That line sums up Selvarajah Muraledaran’s sense of his satisfaction over his achievements for his community.

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SWATI DAVE, inaugural chair of the centre for australia-india relations, speaks with PAWAN LUTHRA about her new role

That the Australian Government is very keen to stop stronger ties with India was evident when they allocated $21.4 million in the last budget towards establishing a Centre for Australia-India Relations, or CAIR, a national platform bringing together all levels of government, industry and the broader community. Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced high profile corporate executive Swati Dave as Chair of this new centre, who speaks with us here.

When making the announcement, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the role will – and I quote – “serve as a national platform to strengthen our relationship with India”. Swati, right into the driver’s seat, any pressure? Well, you know, we thrive on pressure. I think if there is high expectation, then there’s also the motivation to actually deliver. If I can say, Pawan, I’m incredibly honoured to be appointed as the inaugural Chair of the centre. It’s a wonderful time to be doing this, because it comes off the back of an incredibly strong bilateral relationship. I want to position the centre to build upon that really positive momentum. So yes, there’s pressure. But, I think, the things we want to do are going to be practical, and hopefully will deliver some important outcomes for our country.

We’re looking forward to that. Let me dig into this a bit deeper. The three pillars for the centre are greater engagement at government

levels, at industry levels, and the broader community. On the government level, where do you currently see this relationship?

There is quite a lot of government engagement already. The Quad is progressing very strongly. We have ECTA, which has also created a platform for more to happen between the countries. And if I reflect on the last year, there have been many ministerial visits from India. So we’re actually seeing greater engagement very visibly. And that is set to continue over the next little while.

Swati, you’ve had extensive corporate experience – Westpac for 13 years, MP, Deutsche Bank, NAB for 10 years. With that as a background, for your current role as chair of CAIR, what are your thoughts about the engagement of industry?

I feel that given the developments in India, certainly over the last short period, there’s a contemporary India that we need to make more visible and more accessible for corporate Australia. So there’s a great role for the centre to help that business literacy. It is about making people aware of how India has changed, how open it is now, and where the opportunities are. So, (moving on from the past), I think we have to think about what is possible in the future and how the centre can facilitate that level of understanding.

And how do you think the centre can facilitate that level of understanding?

Some of the priorities for us will be around

uplifting that business literacy. And (that could mean) demystifying India for Australia and Australians, making people more aware of what contemporary India looks like, where they’re focusing their attention, where the two countries have synergies and can work together effectively. So (we’ll be) spending some time and effort on uplifting that. And we’ll do that with people that are already busy in the market doing that. The diaspora is doing that, whether informally or formally; the various associations and organisations have been doing that for a long time. So this is really to build upon what they’re doing. We’re not seeking to replace or displace what’s going on; we will provide a national platform to make sure all those discussions are elevated and given a lot more urgency and momentum.

The goal is to increase bilateral trade from $27 billion to about $45-50 billion in the next five years. A daunting task?

It is a daunting task, but you have to match it up against the opportunities that present. India is a very large market, and is becoming more important for Australia and for the region and indeed the world. So it will still be a drop in the ocean in terms of the potential opportunities. We need to work out what opportunities are appropriate for our businesses to engage in, and how do we help them get comfortable with those opportunities. At the end of the day, all businesses need to make decisions

based on their own strategy, their own risk appetite for different markets, but I’m very hopeful that they do consider India as a very important market for them to engage with.

Swati, the Peter Varghese report, An India Economic Strategy to 2035, emphasises the importance of the role of the diaspora. Community engagement is the third pillar of CAIR. You grew up in a Gujarati family in Newcastle and married into a Gujarati family, now have three young boys, and interact regularly with the broader Indian community here. What has changed in the diaspora as to how they view the bilateral relationship? And how can this momentum be harnessed?

When I came here in 1971, it was a very different Australia, with very few diaspora. But the community has grown to an amazing level. We are seeing a much more diverse range of skills and aspirations and ambitions from the community. I am seeing a lot of vitality and energy and confidence. A can-do attitude is coming through very strongly. And I think that is really important if we’re going to take the relationship forward.

How do you harness this energy?

We just need to let them do more of what they’ve been doing so well for the past few decades. And I think with the centre engaging more with them, really listening to them, we can actually add value to them, and help them achieve those aspirations.

Swati, I’m aware it’s less than 48 hours since this announcement was made. It’s early days yet, but any milestones to achieve in the first 100 days as chair?

Well, for me, it’s to actually have a CEO and advisory board appointed because then we can actually (formulate) a strategy and start progressing. But having said that, we’re not waiting, because this is important work. We want to create momentum, and we want to deliver outcomes. What my business background has taught me is, you have to deliver results. That’s what people are looking for, and I’m very clear that that’s what’s expected of me.

Any message to the wider Indian Australian community from this platform?

Firstly, a huge thanks from me for what you have created, because it is something quite magnificent. Secondly, a huge thanks for all the wonderful messages that I’ve received in the last 48 hours. I’ve spent a very busy couple of days in Canberra, so it took me a while to get back and actually see what’s going on. But thank you all very much and I really look forward to working with you. Please reach out to me if there’s anything you think is critically important for me to be aware of or to focus on, because a lot of this stuff comes from people who are living and breathing these relationships on a day-to-day basis. So reach out and let me know what you’re thinking.

Swati Dave, inaugural Chair of the Centre for Australia-India Relations, congratulations on your new appointment and sincere best wishes.

Thank you, Pawan.

“

there’s a contemporary India that we need to make more visible and accessible”

Swati Dave with Foreign Minister Penny Wong

Melbourne Khalistan referendum Did Australia fail India?

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s comments at a press conference in Canberra late last year about the resurgence of the Khalistan issue in the Sikh diaspora, were blunt.

“As to the Khalistan issue (that you have raised), you know from time to time, we have engaged the Canadian government,” he said in relation to a question from this writer. “I have myself engaged my counterpart on this issue and we have flagged the need to ensure that freedoms in a democratic society are not misused by forces which advocate violence and bigotry. So, it’s important for countries to understand today how democracies should function not only at home but also the responsibilities that democracies have to other democracies abroad.”

The above statement was made at a joint press conference with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who visibly was caught unawares when the question about the Khalistan referendum being held in Canada was asked.

After EAM Jaishankar’s sharp reply, she rushed to add, “Just from Australia’s perspective – relevant to the question you

asked – the Indian diaspora is a valued and important contributor to our vibrant and resilient multicultural society.”

The Australian government would have been aware of the socially and political explosive situation brewing in Melbourne during January. The Australian national newspaper reported in December 2022 that senior Indian government officials have raised the alarm over the growth of Sikh separatism in Australia and its links to terrorist groups in India, warning the Albanese government ministers of the movement’s propensity for violence. The report in the paper also attributed a source in the Indian government having concerns that the local Khalistani movement was recruiting impressionable Indian Sikhs in Australia “who didn’t know what they were getting into.”

In January came reports of three acts of targeted vandalism against Hindu temples in Victoria, with slogans of Hindustan Murdabad, Khalistan Zindabad (Death to India, Long live Khalistan) splashed around. While the police registered complaints, there were press releases and tweets condemning these acts by both Federal and Victorian

politicians. Yet, there were no visits to the local Sikh gurudwaras or temples to pacify the community until much later, unlike the regular visits before the Federal elections in May 2022 and Victorian elections in November 2022.

Organised by the US-based organisation Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), the Melbourne Khalistan referendum asked Sikhs to vote on the question, “Should Indian-governed Punjab be an independent country?” While acknowledging the importance of freedom of speech, perhaps more steps could have been taken to stop the ugly scenes of 29 Jan at Federation Square, when clashes broke out between Hindu and Sikh communities.

Indian High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra called it out and said that the potential

for violence was always clear.

“We are… quite disappointed that action could not be taken in time to stop this violence,” Mr Vohra said. “The potential for this was something that we had repeatedly raised with the Australian authorities.”

Calls for more violence began to seep into community social media, with inflammatory comments in response. (These will not be reflected in this article).

The Indian government, in a Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi in 2019, had banned the pro-Khalistani group Sikhs for Justice for its purported antinational activities.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs had said then, “In the garb of the so-called referendum for Sikhs, SFJ is actually espousing secessionism and militant ideology in Punjab.”

India has been calling on other countries to ban SFJ.

In light of the ugly incidents following the Melbourne Khalistan referendum, it is time for Australia to showcase “the responsibilities that democracies have to other democracies abroad.”

When clashes broke out between Sikh and Hindu communities at Melbourne's f ederation Square

Hunting paedophiles

BY Prutha Chakraborty

When Indian-Australian filmmaker Akhim Dev wrote and directed his documentary The Children in the Pictures in 2021, he had no idea the project would change his life forever.

Based on the Queensland Police Task Force Argos, which rescues children from online sexual exploitation, the film went on to score a Golden Globes nomination, win multiple awards, even spawn a podcast.

It has now become a project that every parent is urged to engage with. Children are spending more time on the Internet than ever before. Around the world, a child goes online for the first time every half second, according to UNICEF.

Online child exploitation is a silent epidemic.

One in three children is approached online by someone they do not know. These predators use the dark web to find vulnerable children. One such website where the IP address is masked, is The Love Zone. Now shuttered, this pornography site was at the centre of Akhim Dev’s documentary and podcast.

The Children In The Pictures follows Task Force Argos into The Love Zone. Its 45,000 members, paedophiles, were creating, uploading, and sharing videos and photographic material of unimaginable acts

against kids.

“The film is an historical top-down view of the crime type and its evolution in a 20-year tech timeline from dial up Internet to mobile broadband, through the lens of Argos,” Dev tells Indian Link. “The podcast is a deep-dive into Argos’ first dark web network infiltration. The podcast format allows us to address issues in more detail and is an incredible format for storytelling with a social prerogative.”

“Everything came about from the willingness of the international law enforcement community to collaborate with us and let us in to their world,” he shares.

“It has resulted in screenings at the UN, in 150 countries, at the US Congress and in the Australian Parliament.”

Now, Dev says he has plans for India too, “where this problem has exploded”.

Ak HIM DEV: TRYST wITH STORYTELLING

Dev’s roots are from Chennai in India. His grandfather was the Governor of Bombay. His family moved to Australia in 1971 when the White Australia policy was prevalent. Growing up, he was expected to pursue a traditional occupation.

Quite serendipitously, his career in documentary films was launched after he moved back to southern India in 1994. “I wanted to take over my father’s magnet manufacturing business,” he recalls. “An hour out of Chennai, in the old port city of Mamallapuram, I built a small beach shack and surfed incredible uncrowded waves.”

One day, Dev was washed down the

beach and met a seven-year-old girl, who led him to a gypsy camp. Called the Vaghri, the members living in this camp are known for stripping the skin off wild cats. “I borrowed a camera and editing gear from a Bollywood studio and made my first short film on these gypsies. This project got my acceptance in the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Moore Park.”

Today, Dev has Storm Surfers and The 3G of Us to his credit.

ARGOS: A NET wORk TO bREA k A NET wORk

A research project about high-risk reoffenders led Dev to making The Children In The Pictures. “I had seen images and videos traded among members of huge organised networks of child abusers,” Dev informs. “I had to see this disturbing content to realise exactly what our children are facing. This is the most serious form of abuse committed by the most dangerous sex offenders.”

Initially, Dev couldn’t believe what he was discovering. He wondered – why wasn’t anyone covering this? “It was all out there in the public domain, but I don’t think anyone had realised the sheer scale.”

Luckily, Dev also found out about the Task Force Argos who were nailing these criminals. That gave him a glimmer of hope. “Not only are they great at what they do, they are plugged into a global network of dedicated child protection experts.”

Argos was the first law agency to take over an abuse network – in an effort to rescue as many victims as possible. Dev contacted the investigators, and told them

he wanted to tell their story.

“The project had challenges,” he says. “How do you talk about something so horrific in a way that we can engage the audience and not make them run screaming? How do you describe the indescribable and not sensationalise it? Most importantly, how do we honour the memories of so many child sexual abuse survivors?”

The filming took a toll on Dev’s mental health, especially since he is a father.

“The project impacted my parenting,” he confesses. “It took a long time to not be paranoid of any interaction my youngest – now 7 – was having with anyone. Statistically, the chances of her being abused by someone in the ‘real’ world is about the same as when I was a child. What has changed is technology. Smart phones have allowed an abuser direct and unfettered access to children.”

To recuperate from the horrors of abuse, Dev had to turn to counselling and transcendental Vedic meditation.

“We cannot reverse the Internet, but we can teach our children how to navigate safely. Awareness is key to reduce the incidence.”

And so, Akhim Dev wants to take this docu series and podcast to as many parents as possible.

“We will continue to work with the Australian Centre To Counter Child Exploitation and the eSafety commissioner in Australia, and with the UN, until we are not needed. Unfortunately, that does not look to be anytime soon.”

Akhim Dev’s documentary film and podcast series follow Queensland Police as they rescue victims of online abuse

Still from the film

BY PRUTHA CHAKRABORTY

Jarracharra, an exhibition of traditional textile art from Australia’s western Arnhem Land region, is currently on in Mumbai, as part of the city’s famed Kala Ghoda Arts Festival.

An initiative of the Bábbarra Women’s Centre (Bábbarra Designs), a world-class textile producing art centre, it takes to India its particular style of art – beautiful landscapes, spirit beings, bush foods and crafts from its region.

Incorporating rock themes, food collecting traditions, and the sacred sites on their land, their textile art is a wonderful introduction to their world, Jarracharra follows a highly successful international season that began in Paris in 2019, when five Aboriginal artists from Maningrida – a community based in Australia’s western Arnhem Land region –took it there. It was the year that the United Nations had declared as the International Year of Indigenous Languages, to encourage the world to appreciate the significant contribution

Weaving age-old stories

exhibition oftraditional designs

they make to our rich cultural diversity.

“The purpose of the [2019] exhibition was to promote indigenous Australian textile design to a global audience and reach beyond the confines of the Internet and social media,” says Jessica Stalenberg, manager, Bábbarra Women’s Centre, Bábbarra Designs.

The exhibition Jarracharra (Dry Season Wind) proved so successful that it has gone on several international tours – with the latest stop being India.

Before getting to Mumbai, Jarracharra was on display in Kolkata’s Indian Museum from December 15, 2022 till January 22, 2023.

Two artists – Janet Marawarr and Deborah Wurrkidj – also toured in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru.

The experience in India has been incredible, Marawarr tells Indian Link.

“At the opening in Kolkata, we did our traditional dance,” she begins. “I was happy with the way our fabric was displayed at the museum with bamboos. We also learned different, newer ways of making cloth. It’s definitely been an interesting trip.”

As part of their tour, Marawarr and Wurrkidj also explored heritage textiles in the states of West Bengal and Odisha. Wurrkidj’s personal favourite was the Tussar silk woven by members of the Santhal tribal community from the Trijanga

village at the Navajeevan Collective.

“I liked how they spun silk,” she says. “I also appreciated the paintings on the silk.”

Tussar silk is made from rearing silkworms or moths.

Marawarr was taken by the fine painting style on the silk. She even purchased a painting of a jungle vine – a design she can relate to through her own work. Around the world, Marawarr is renowned for printing on a range of textile surfaces using lino cut and screen-printing techniques. Her designs tell her ancestral stories in loose patterns and bright colours.

Both Marawarr and Wurrkidj were also impressed with the traditional Kantha embroidery work which involves stitching patchwork cloth from rags.

The magnificent art of wax printing, also known as Batik in West Bengal, took the duo by surprise.

“We visited the Alpha Textile Studio, Sadaf India Studio and Beej Studio as part of our tour,” Stalenberg shares. “They were incredibly generous and shared their natural dye textiles and stories of their origin with our group.”

The aim of this trip was to exchange knowledge with other women’s groups in India and bridge the gap between the two cultures.

“On our visit to a village in the

f irst nations from Arnhem Land’s Maningrida community in India

Jarracharra, their

The display at Kolkata’s Indian Museum

Janet and Deborah’s welcome dance at the opening

Deborah Wurrkidj wearing her Wild Bush Apples Kurta, and Janet her Kunkurra Kurta. Printed

stories into textile art

ations artists

Arnhem

Maningrida community tour

India with Jarracharra, exhibition oftraditional designs

Sundarbans, I shared our Jarracharra book so they too can see how we make our designs,” smiles Marawarr.

Wurrkidj’s fibre baskets made of wetland grasses struck a chord too: highly regarded for this craft learned at her grandmother’s knee, she has been exhibiting these and her trademark bark paintings and hollow logs across Australia and Europe for the past two decades.

THE IDEA bEHIND JARRACHARRA

The Bábbarra Women’s Centre was established as a women’s refuge in the early 1980s, supporting the financial independence of Maningrida’s Indigenous women who speak the Kunwinjku language.

Ndjébbana leader Helen Williams founded it with a strong vision for Maningrida women’s rights. It is operated by the 40-yearold Aboriginal-owned Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation which generates economic opportunities for the region’s clan groups to live on their homelands.

Bábbarra Designs is the main social enterprise operating at the women’s centre. Stalenberg tells us, “During the nineties, the women were introduced to Lino printing on fabric via a series of workshops. In 2003, they were introduced to screen printing by

senior textile designer Bobbie Rueben. Both art forms took off as the women were able to use a contemporary medium to tell sacred women’s stories and share indigenous knowledge about the food they eat, their songlines, dances and their country. The designs that are exhibited span many years of development from 2003 to 2019. They capture stories about culture in a way that can be shared with a wide audience and preserved – in cloth.”

Jarracharra was co-curated in 2018 by then managers Ingrid Johanson and Jessica Phillips. It features 44 textile designs created by 17 artists.

Following the India tour, Jarracharra will go to Cyprus and Ghana. The artists will include some of the new textiles developed at Tharangini Studio – Bengaluru’s oldest heritage textile studio – as part of a slightlyrevised collection. (Visiting Paris for the very first time, the artists were so fascinated by the architecture that they included the iconic Eiffel Tower and The Louvre in their new designs.)

“We hope that the tour has helped all the groups we have been introduced to find points of intersection in culture and potential collaboration in design. It has been wonderful for the artists to discover new techniques and we hope that this initiative brings about future collaboration,” Stalenberg concludes.

Janet Marawarr was taken by the fine painting style on Tussar silk. She purchased a painting of a jungle vine – a design she can relate to through her own work.

Meeting Odisha’s Santhal women

Hey there! I am Debashree, a digital content creator, I go by travel in style with debs on Instagram. Are you planning your next holiday? I may be able to help you.

I believe in making the most out of the long weekends, or school holidays, utilising them to plan getaways, and spending quality time with my family. Living in a fast-paced city like Melbourne, working as a digital content creator, and hustling with the responsibility of being a mother to a 9-year-old girl, I look forward to the escapades close to Melbourne. One of our favourite destinations in Victoria is the gold rush-era city of Ballarat. For me, Ballarat is always a top choice for my family of three, as we love to connect to the city’s rich culture, art, and nature. It is a fun place for kids, so it is a great way to get my daughter to disconnect from her iPad.

Located just an hour and a half by road from Melbourne CBD (and about the same by V/Line train), Ballarat was one of the many trips we took during the January school holidays as it is a one-stop destination for many adventures.

Whether you wish to explore the gold rush era at Sovereign Hill or unwind with your family over a picnic at Lake Wendouree, this family destination offers many enriching experiences. If you are thinking about where to begin, let me share some highlights of this enchanting destination with you, so that you can plan your trip to the lovely city of Ballarat.

Sovereign Hill

Ballarat’s goldfields have been attracting visitors and those seeking their fortune since 1851. We booked our tickets to explore the underground mines and discover what life looked like during the gold rush. Going down into the gold mines was quite a thrilling adventure. Make sure to grab your interactive maps from the reception before you start exploring. One of the highlights of Sovereign Hill is AURA, an immersive 90-minute sound and light experience which

runs on Saturday nights. There are also school holiday programs and special events throughout the year, including the amazing Winter Wonderlights. They have an annual pass if you plan on going back with visiting family and friends.

Ballarat Wildlife Park

Getting up close and personal with exotic and native animals like the koalas, meerkats, wombats, snakes or giant tortoises, hand feed kangaroos, and get a glimpse of Kai the Sumatran/Siberian tiger (the tallest tiger in Australia). We snapped a cute selfie with a koala that was as cheeky as we were. We also grabbed lunch at the café located in the park. Here's a tip for you: carry a rug, order in your food from the café sit outside – it’s like having lunch in nature’s lap and with kangaroos around.

Ballarat tram muSeum

We usually go for the ''100-year-old tram" ride every time we visit Ballarat. The tram passes between Ballarat Botanical Gardens and Lake Wendouree. The tram drivers are volunteers who share interesting stories on the way. My daughter loves to hop on to explore the trams at the new museum. The museum is open every weekend and most of the Victorian school holidays.

lake Wendouree

One of the highlights of our last trip was the 10km family-friendly bike trail which loops around Lake Wendouree and Victoria Park. This is one of my favourite trails to explore. I would recommend stopping to visit the Golden City Paddle Steamer. We love the tranquillity of Lake Wendouree, while my daughter enjoys her playtime in nature. The numerous boat sheds, especially the colourful ones, are our favourite spots to grab a family selfie. You can grab lunch on the go at Pipers by the Lake; it’s a beautiful place they are located in. With the Labour Day long weekend coming up, we plan to visit Ballarat again this autumn.

tHe Ballarat Begonia feStival (11-13 marcH 2023)

This festival is a must. Colourful installations, floral displays of rare begonias, live markets, and family activities. A floral extravaganza indeed. All the family activities run at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens from 10 am to 5pm, during the festival days. This year’s festival includes Bloom! performed by SWAY. It’s a colourful aerial spectacle performed atop bespoke 15-foot sway poles. My daughter is also looking forward to spending some time exploring the mini cubby installations. Other family activities include face painting, a sports zone (Western Bulldogs, if you follow AFL), an obstacle course, tram rides, and many more. Something to cater to your entire family young and old.

After the festival, the begonia displays continue until late April, so plenty more selfies are to be found!

Pick Your oWn SunfloWerS in dunnStoWn

One can’t get enough of the floral bliss, why not club your begonia experience with a family adventure in the sunflower fields?

Last year I took my daughter to visit the village of Dunnstown and we managed to grab some mom-anddaughter time among the giant sunflowers. It was the most beautiful paddock we’d ever seen. There’s an ample amount of parking and a cute food truck to grab some munchies too. The short season starts in March and you need to book online.

Adventures fill the soul, but good food fills your tummy, let me suggest some of the places where you can refuel yourself and your family:

Lilly’s at Eureka: Located at the Eureka Centre, Lilly’s is nested amidst the outdoor playground (which my daughter loves) and pool with splash park (open during warmer months). Their coffee and brunch menu rocks and I am a fan of their outdoor seating. Grab their Goldmine pancakes which come with “gold flakes” and a side of

chocolate “dirt”. Highly recommended. We as a family love to relax in their outdoor space with coffee and brunch. Hydrant Food Hall: Serving an innovative seasonal menu and aromatic speciality coffee in a lush green setting. Their rainbow pancake, topped with fresh fruits, marshmallows and maple syrup is an absolute favourite for kids (even I tried it once). The Forge Pizzeria: The locals love to dine here and who doesn’t love a good wood fired pizza? My daughter loves the kid's size Bolognese and Napoli pasta.

Delicious vegetarian food can be found at Cafe Merkama and Carboni’s Italian Kitchen. If you're looking for Indian food, try Indian Grill opposite the Eureka Stockade Memorial Gardens, Ballarat Indian Restaurant near Sovereign Hill, or Aroma of India in the city centre.

For overnight stays with family in the city of Ballarat do check out these places below:

Kryal Castle: Stay overnight in a castle suite! Includes free all-day entry to the medieval-themed adventure park where you can create some magic potions, take photos with mythical beasts and watch the knights battle on horseback.

Sovereign Hill Hotel: Stay in the heart of the action with all the goldrush excitement right on your doorstep, how exciting does that sound? Waking up to yet another day of an adventure of the gold rush era. I personally haven’t stayed here but we plan to do so this year on the Labour Day long weekend.

Quest Ballarat Station: 1, 2- and 3bedroom apartments, so a good option if you need connecting rooms. I am planning to book a stay once I have my extended family who is flying from India this year. The location is what I love the most – it is right in the centre of Ballarat, next to the train station. The lake bike trail also starts just over the road.

No matter how many times we visit Ballarat, there is always something new to explore in that city.

Helping the community ‘be informed.’

rights, divorce and property settlements and consumer credit. Sessions run between one to two hours and feature handpicked expert presenters.

Twenty-eight-year-old Melbourne lawyer Carl Buhariwala has always felt strongly about helping the community. As a child, his parents took him to the local Shirdi Sai Sansthan Temple, where he has volunteered for the last 16 years doing everything from kitchen work to media engagement.

“I’m not the type of guy that sits and prays for 60 minutes,” he says. “I’d rather spend 60 minutes cleaning up or fixing something.”

Buhariwala’s early efforts have blossomed into a career full of community engagement. Over the years he has given his time and skills to community legal centres and suburban law firms. He currently mentors Law and Commerce students at Monash University and provides legal aid with Law Help Australia.

Carl Buhariwala credits this long list of engagements to his initiative.

“I’m a very simple person – if I say something, I get it done,” he says. “Other people just talk, and nothing happens. I disagree with that behaviour – if you want to get something done, you need to act on it.”

His strong drive for action has led him to found ‘be informed.’, an online platform providing seminars on a range of matters of community interest, including employment

The project aims to provide the community with the knowledge to make healthy decisions on their affairs, something which Buhariwala feels strongly about.

“Often people make poor decisions because they don’t have the right information, and right now we’re flooded with information, some of which can be wrong,” he says.

“From an information asymmetry perspective, I started be informed. to help people get the right information… I want to lift everyone’s growth.”

Carl Buhariwala’s be informed. sessions are free to attend and run entirely online, with advertisements and registrations managed via social media. Each session also features a Q&A section and a one-page handout summarising each topic.

Buhariwala stresses the importance of simplicity in this setup.

“It’s nothing fancy. [The handout is] a word document, black and white logo. In everything I do, I’m trying to instil confidence in people that it’s objective, it’s clear, and it’s simple information that they can take away.”

Active for three months, be informed. is run entirely in Buhariwala’s own time, and is independent of any organisations. Despite being in its infancy, it is already garnering a positive response.

“People attend these seminars and then actually call me afterwards saying ‘oh, can

you help me with this, and who should I talk to?’ Some of them contact the presenters to get further help… it’s getting traction.”

Buhariwala hopes to leverage this wordof-mouth response to take be informed to the next level.

“I’ve got the platform… logistically it’s all set up; operationally, I’m getting presenters to present, so that’s great, but from a participant level I want to see that number grow. Getting that to the next stage is my goal for this year.”

Recently, Buhariwala’s work on be informed. was recognised, winning the City of Boroondara’s 2022 Youth Volunteer award in its inaugural year.

He reflects on what the award means to him: “There’s a gap that needs to be filled, and nothing else exists like be informed. [The award] means to me that the council recognises it’s valuable in society.”

Even amidst his accomplishment, he insists on putting other people first.

“It’s successful because it helps people. The community are also part of the award, it’s not just me taking the credit.”

For other young diaspora who want to follow in his footsteps, Buhariwala offers sage advice.

“You don’t have to start an organisation – if you have something to share, share it,” he says.

“We’ve all got something to share, so take the time to share it. Get out there and get your hands dirty.”

To learn more about Carl Buhariwala’s be informed. visit their Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube pages.

in his award-winning community project, Carl Buhariwala is helping new migrants make better informed decisions on a variety of issues

BY Lakshmi Ganapathy

“From an information asymmetry perspective, I started be informed. to help people get the right information… I want to lift everyone’s growth.”

Carl Buhariwala with City of Boroondara’s former Mayor Cr Jane Addis

Back-to-school blues

Many children come down with a case of the back-to-school blues as summer slips away. Having spent the holidays staying up late and having fun with friends and family, it can be a struggle to get back into a routine. For some children, going back to school can also be daunting if they are worried about keeping up with schoolwork, friendship problems or how they might go with a new teacher and class. Nerves about returning to school can manifest in a number of ways, from irritability to tears at the school gates.

How can you cope with this routine challenge? And how do you tell if is it something more serious?

How to tackle back-toSCHOOL bLUES

There are a few ways you can support your child and the family as you all head back the daily routine of school.

Plan ahead together

There are lots of ways you can gently work in a new routine – from encouraging kids to pack their bag the night before, to thinking of lunchbox ideas together.

Giving your child choices and the chance to be part of the decision-making process around routines will give them a sense of ownership and independence. For example, you could negotiate bedtime for the school term.

There are other fun, simple ways you can support them through this time. For

example, you could create a music playlist for the school run, set aside a regular time after school to do something you both enjoy (like a play at the park, seeing friends or buying an ice-cream) or set up a reward system for getting homework done on time.

Chat about school

Check in regularly with your child about how they are feeling, particularly in the early weeks.

Try to do this in a way that shows that you’re interested rather than concerned. For example, keep the questions open-ended: “What happened in your day?”. And keep a positive focus: “What was the best bit of your day?”

Look after yourself

With a hundred different things to think about, many parents and carers often forget about their own needs. But it is crucial to give yourself time to recharge, and reach out for support from friends, family or a health professional if needed.

If you are calm and positive, your kids will find it easier to remain calm and positive, too.

wHEN IS IT MORE THAN THE bLUES?

Nervousness about returning to school is normal. But some children will experience a level of anxiety about going to school that causes them significant problems.

Because everybody feels worried or anxious from time to time, it can be really tough to know how to distinguish between

“normal” nervousness and problematic (or clinically significant) anxiety. There are two key ideas to keep in mind: are the feelings causing high and persistent levels of distress? Are they stopping your child from doing what they want or should be able to do?

wHAT SHOULD I LOOk FOR?

When it comes to school-related anxiety, here are some specific signs to look for:

n frequently feeling physically sick (such as a tummy or headache) and unable to go to school. Anxiety causes real physical changes in our bodies, so when kids say they’re feeling sick, they’re telling the truth. It’s just they might be describing “worry sick” as opposed to “doctor sick”

n becoming teary, angry or aggressive when thinking or talking about school

n being uncharacteristically slow to get moving on school mornings

n avoiding activities that relate to school, such as joining a sporting team, putting on their uniform or going on a play date.

IS THIS SCHOOL REFUSAL?

School refusal or avoidance (when a child regularly fails to attend class for some or all of the day) has anecdotally been on the increase since COVID. The Senate is currently conducting an inquiry into the issue, with a report due in March.

If you’re starting to think your child’s anxiety may be falling into the problematic zone, you are not the only one. Anxiety is the second most common mental health

problem experienced by all children in Australia (among girls, it takes first place). Without treatment, children with clinically significant anxiety don’t tend to “just grow out of it”. Anxiety (often together with ADHD), tends to be the cause of school reluctance or refusal.

NE x T STEPS

If you notice your child is struggling to get to school, it’s important to act quickly. The more time kids miss in school, the harder it becomes for them to return.

The first thing to do is work with school staff. Your child’s classroom teacher will be able to tell you if they or someone else in the school is the best person to be talking to.

If necessary, seek further support from a health professional. You can start with your GP, who may suggest a referral to a psychologist. There are also free, evidencebased programs been developed by clinical psychologists for parents of children who are experiencing anxiety.

Although it can be daunting, it is important to know you are not alone and there are interventions that can help.

If this article has raised issues for you or someone you know, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.

Vanessa Cobham is Professor of Clinical Psychology at The University of Queensland. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Back-to-school blues are normal, writes VANESSA COBHAM, so how can you tell if it’s something more serious?

Photo: c anva

On identity belonging

BY RON BAROOAH

Ayoung lawyer in Sydney discovers a mysterious clue in her father’s old papers. This tantalizing discovery rekindles memories long buried, and takes the protagonist to a journey through the land of their birth, India.

Sydney writer Meena Mahanty Kumar’s debut novel The Peripheral threads its way through cultures, nations, and time.

Readers who share the immigrant journey to Australia will find several tugs of nostalgia.

The author Meena Mahanty Kumar moved to Australia in 1999, and has now lived half her life in this country. She has drawn on her personal experience to make the Australian and Indian cultures and practices come to life for the reader.

Yet, this book is not a walk through two cultures alone. It raises crucial questions about identity and belonging, and significantly, about otherness. It does this in two ways: in a lighthearted manner, through everyday ordinary things and experiences; and then, quite dramatically, by bringing us up close with the lives of kinnars (transgenders, previously known as hijras), who live on the periphery of mainstream Indian life.

The final result is a sensitive portrayal of difference – and its consequent human anguish. Some of the scenes in the transgender ghettos are striking - tense and confronting.

Kumar does not shy away from representing the reality of existence for kinnars.

In doing so, she brings to the surface quite

effectively, the basic human desire to fit in, be accepted, and have meaningful and rewarding social connections. To not feel membership, can be crushing at many different levels.

Overall, though, the book is an easy read and will appeal to a wide range of people from young to adult readers. Migrants will see a reflection of their lives and experiences in those of the protagonist, Rene. Be prepared for a bewildering array of India through a Sydneysider’s lens.

I found the personal touches delightful as well as provocative. I loved the references to familiar food outlets in Delhi; I also had to stop reading several times to allow the rush of emotions to subside.

To me the narrative felt like an extensive

How the migrant experience in australia shone a light on a sensitive issue in India

thali (assorted food platter) rather than a single course meal. You’ll find a range of images, individuals, emotions. Some you will enjoy and wish there was more, some you may just taste before moving on.

The book retains enough optimism to help the reader through the narrative. The author appears to seek refuge in the artists’ freedom to create perfection, rather than leave the reader with the dull taste of reality alone.

With Sydney currently hosting WorldPride 2023, the book could not have come at a better time: experiences of the kinnar community in India shed a light on the challenges of not fitting in with the social norms, anywhere in the world. At some time or the other, we have all been peripherals.

Adeeply personal journey

On trying to belong in contemporary australia, as a person of colour

Sarah Malik’s first book Desi Girl, released last year, is a collection of personal essays written in her characteristic understated and subtle style but delivering a sharp, journalistic examination of these very issues. It calls out, articulates and gives shape to the nuanced experiences of living and trying to belong in contemporary Australia, as a person of colour, a first or second generation immigrant with all the small and large struggles, inequities, indignities and inequalities that it entails.

I first encountered Sarah Malik's writing in 2019 through her article How the long commute from Sydney's western suburbs shaped me, where she wrote about the West to East commute that many Sydneysiders undertake every day to access their places

of work or study from places they can afford to live in. For many, this actual journey also symbolises the greater metaphorical journey of traversing divisions of class, race, financial mobility and being part of what counts as mainstream Australia every single day.

Desi Girl (UQP Books) is a courageous

book in the way it reveals so much of Sarah's own deeply personal journey of navigating gender, faith, race, class, modelling for anyone else on a similar path, ways of being and becoming and belonging. It accurately captures the outrage felt by a whole generation who have been brought up on the premise that Australia is their home but may not feel that they are truly seen or that they truly belong. The book inspires in the way it captures the courage, fight and determination in the constant navigation of these issues to assert oneself, find your authentic self and claim your rightful place under the Australian sun. Highly recommended for reading and rereading.

Aparna Jacob

Gulal, tick. Guest list, tick. Clean up backyard so you can mess it up big time, tick.

Are you Holi ready? Almost! You’ve still got to sort out the menu. You might think the food is not as important as the coloured powder on Holi. But with all the mucking up, the running around, the dancing, you’ll need to keep a well-stocked table. Festive favourites at this time are gujiya and thandai, but here’s something else you could be adding to your usual spread. One of these is traditional, and the other is, um, not so traditional, but perfectly suited to the spirit of the occasion. Holi hai!

PURAN POLI

This recipe comes from Smita Nashikkar of Honest Indian Restaurant, Sydney. As a proud Maharashtrian, this is a favourite at Holi and at Ganesh festival. Smita likes to serve it with Amti, a dal to dip it in, but it is also eaten by itself.

For the Puran (filling)

n 1 cup chana dal (or toor dal)

n 3 tbsp ghee

n 1 ¼ cup powdered jaggery

n ½ tsp saffron strands soaked in warm milk

n ½ tsp cardamom powder

For the Poli (flatbread)

n 1 ¼ cup atta (wholemeal flour)

n ¾ cup maida (plain flour)

n ½ tsp salt

To make Puran (filling), wash dal well and

drain liquid.

Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan and cook dal, stirring, till it breaks down and begins to come together as one mass. Use a masher or back of spoon if you have to.

Introduce jaggery, soaked saffron and cardamom powder. Mix well, and continue to cook till it all thickens. Remove any lumps with spoon or masher. Set aside to cool.

To make Poli, mix the flours and salt in a deep bowl and knead with water to make a pliable dough. Cover and set aside for about half an hour.

To make Puran Poli, break off fistful of dough and roll out into disc. Place enough puran in centre to scrunch up into a smooth sphere. Dust with flour and roll out carefully.

Cook it on a heated tava like a regular roti. Use ghee (or oil) to make it golden brown on both sides.

Repeat until dough and puran are exhausted.

n 150 ml fresh cream

Cannabis-induced food and drink have been (sort of) acceptable at Holi for eons – think bhang. While we’re not advocating that extreme here, Gunjit Singh Chawla of Mumbai’s Independence Brewing Co suggests a much safer, but adults only, option: beer icecream. He calls this preparation IxCacao, after the Mayan Goddess of Chocolate.

n 150 gm sugar

n 250 ml full cream milk

n 4 egg yolk

n 150 ml stout beer (preferably with notes of chocolate)

Cook the egg yolk in a double boiler, whisking continuously till it rises in ribbon consistency. Mix with all other ingredients; blend till well mixed, say two minutes. Strain the mixture twice to remove lumps. Pour into your ice cream maker and process according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

INDvAUS: Quirky trivia

BY KERSI MEHER-HOMJI

As a serious cricket tragic, I have witnessed many Tests and One Day Internationals, both live and on TV, in the last seven decades. One incident, however, remains unique. It took place 63 years ago, and I was on the sidelines at Brabourne Stadium in Bombay as it happened, watching India play Australia.

India’s handsome batter Abbas Ali Baig (then aged 20) had just scored 50 and evaded a loss to Australia, when a pretty young girl ran out to him.

“I was returning to the pavilion at tea when this girl jumped the fence and kissed me!” Abbas would recall years later. The incident inspired a Cadbury’s ad, which sources tell me, is one of the top three Indian advertisements of all time. (You may have seen it revived late last year – with genders reversed: the batter is a woman, and the (near) kisser is male. That’s right, no kiss this time!)

Below are some interesting and quirky cricket stats involving India and Australia. n Prolific run-getters Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and Steve Rodger Waugh share the same initials (SR), used the same brand of bat (MRF) and scored ducks in the first innings of the first Test in Brisbane in 2003-04.

n Former Australian off spinner Tim May was born on 26-1-62, a palindrome date. He must be popular both in India and Australia as 26 January is India’s Republic Day as also Australia Day.

n India’s Sunil Gavaskar and Australian leg spinner Bob ‘Dutchy’ Holland have something in common. Both named their son Rohan after the West Indies master batsman Rohan Kanhai.

n Steve Waugh was caught by India’s wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel (aged 18) off fast-medium Irfan Pathan (aged 19) in the first innings of the January 2004 Sydney Test. The veteran Waugh, then aged 38, had fallen to two teenagers whose combined age (18 + 19 = 37) was less than his.

n In the 1977-78 Melbourne Test against

Australia, India’s mystery spinner BS Chandrasekhar had identical figures of 6 for 52 and 6 for 52 as a bowler and 0 and 0 as a batsman. He became the first batsman to be dismissed for a pair (two zeros) in Test cricket four times!

n Forty years later in the February 2017 Pune Test against India, Australia’s leftarm spinner Steve O’Keefe had identical figures of 6 for 35 and 6 for 35.

n How much difference can two years make? Ask Virat Kohli. Against Australia in Australia in 2014-15 he amassed 692 runs at an average of 86.50 hitting four centuries (highest score 169) in four Tests. Against Australia in India in 2017, he struggled to 46 runs at 9.20 in three Tests, highest score 15.

n We can imagine the turbaned and

a s india and australia battle it out in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023, here are some gems from ind vauS history we guarantee you won’t find elsewhere

Abbas Ali Baig with fan

Cadbury ad 2022

Cadbury ad 1993

Twice bitten: Maninder Singh

Same different: SRW and SRT

Ton times: Ricky Ponting

bearded Indian left-arm spinner and right-hand tail-end batsman Maninder Singh asking himself: Why me? It must be a case of déjà vu for him. In the 1987 World Cup match against Australia at Chennai on 9 October 1987 he was bowled by Steve Waugh off the second last ball as India lost by one run. A year ago, on 22 September 1986 on the same venue, he was dismissed off the last ball of the match from Greg Matthews in the tied Chennai Test.

n Two Indians scored over 300 runs in a single Test in the 2003-04 series in Australia: Rahul Dravid 305 for once out (233 and 72 not out) in the Adelaide Test, and Tendulkar 301 without being dismissed (241 not out and 60 not out) in the Sydney Test.

n Other tourists to notch 300 in a Test in Australia were Englishmen RE Foster 306 for twice out (287 and 19) in Sydney in 1903-04, Herbert Sutcliffe 303 for twice out (176 and 127) in Melbourne in 1924-25 and Alastair Cook 302 for once out (67 and 235 not out) in Brisbane in 2010-11.

n Until 2013, Ricky Ponting was the only player to score double centuries in successive Tests against India, having scored 242 and 0 in Adelaide followed by 257 and 31 not out in Melbourne in 2003-04. New Zealander Brendon McCullum joined Ponting in February 2014 when he registered 224 and 1 in Auckland and 8 and 302 in Wellington against India. Australia lost the Adelaide Test despite Ponting’s double hundred in 2003-04. It remains the highest individual score in a losing side.

n Ponting’s performances in Tests in Australia and India are vastly different. He averaged a magnificent 86.04 in 15 Tests against India in Australia (1893 runs with seven centuries, highest score 257) but a poor 26.48 in 14 Tests in India (662 runs with a single century, 123). Ponting reached his nadir in 2001 in India when scoring only 17 runs (0, 6, 0, 0 and 11) at a Glenn McGrath-like average of 3.40.

n Two bowlers made their Test debuts in the January 1992 Sydney Test. Shane Warne was hit all over the SCG by Ravi Shastri and Sachin Tendulkar as he took 1 for 150. He retired 15 years later after capturing the then world record 708 wickets in 145 Tests. India’s medium-pacer Subroto Banerjee took 3 for 47 in the above Sydney Test, his victims being Mark Taylor, Geoff Marsh and Mark Waugh. Surprisingly, this remained his only Test appearance. The cricket world worships Warne’s spin magic but it is “Subroto who?”

n Nervous nineties? Against India in the October 2004 Nagpur Test, three Australians were dismissed in their nineties: Michael Clarke for 91, Simon Katich for 99 and Damien Martyn for 97. Martyn had scored centuries in his previous two Test innings: 114 in the first innings of this Test and 104 in the second innings of the previous Test in Chennai. He thus missed by three runs recording hundreds in three successive innings, a feat last achieved for Australia by Don Bradman, 132 and 127 not out in Melbourne and 201 in Adelaide against India in January 1948. Against other countries, Adam Gilchrist is the last Australian to hit centuries in three successive Test innings: 113 against Pakistan in Sydney in January 2005, 121 against NZ in Christchurch in March 2005 and 162 also against NZ at Wellington a week later.

n Before October 2010, Simon Katich and Michael Hussey had scored the same number of runs in the

same number of Tests; 3981 runs in 52 Tests. Both had started their careers as opponents in Under-13 matches in Perth.

n In the January 2012 Sydney Test against India, Australia’s Ricky Ponting (134 runs), skipper Michael Clarke (329 not out) and Michael Hussey (150 not out) added 622 runs for the loss of one wicket; Ponting and Clarke adding 288 for the fourth wicket and Clarke and Hussey 334 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket. The Aussie trio came within two runs of the record held by Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara (287) and Mahela Jayawardene (374) who had added 624 runs for the third wicket against South Africa in the 2006 Colombo Test. Never before had a Test innings included two successive stands of over 250 in Test history.

n Combining consecutive Sydney and Perth Test innings in January 2012, Australia lost only one wicket before Ed Cowan was bowled in Perth while the team aggregated 836 runs (from 3 for 37 to 4 for 659 in Sydney to 0 for 214 in Perth). Also, after Ponting was dismissed in Sydney at 325 before Cowan was bowled in Perth, Australia did not lose a wicket for 548 runs.

n Michael Clarke became the third batsman after Don Bradman (Australia v England in 1930 and 1934) and Wally Hammond (England v NZ 1932-33) to hit a triple and a double century in the same Test series. NZ’s Brendon McCullum joined them in the series against India in 2013-14.

n In the March 2013 Hyderabad Test, India’s Murali Vijay (167) and CheteshwarPujara (204) totalled 371 runs. This was three runs more than 11 Australian batsmen batting twice, and sundries, for a combined total of 368 runs (9 wickets for 237 and 131 all out).

n Australia was 9 for 399 when number 9 batsman Mitchell Starc was dismissed for 99 in the March 2013 Mohali Test.

n A week later in the final Test in Delhi, Australia’s Peter Siddle became the first number 9 batsman in Test history to score 50 in both innings. He was also the first number 9 bat to top-score in both innings.

n Allan Border scored centuries in two Chennai Tests; 162 run out in 1979 and 106 in 1986. In both these innings he was dropped on 0.

n India’s medium-pacer AjitAgarkar played six innings in the 1999-2000 series against Australia in Australia and scored five ducks in a row, four of them ‘golden’ (out first ball) and one ‘silver’ (out second ball). A year later he scored an unbeaten century against England in the Lord’s Test.

n Audacious Adam Gilchrist had an incredible series in 2001. He followed his match-winning 122 in Mumbai with 0 and 0 in Kolkata (the Test Australia lost despite leading by 274 in the first innings) and 1 and 1 in Chennai. His last four Test innings (0011) resembled an overseas phone prefix!

n On the third day of the third Test in the ‘3’ sponsored Test series in Melbourne on 28 December 2003, Australia was at one stage 3 for 333 trailing India by 33 runs.

n In the 111th over of the Chennai Test of February 2013 against Australia, India’s captain MS Dhoni was 111 not out and Harbhajan Singh 11 not out.

n India’s left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja took 3 for 33 and 3 for 33 in the next Test in Hyderabad in March 2013 to finish with match figures of 6 for 66.

Cricket, quirky cricket, indeed!

Angel number 111: M S Dhoni

9 runs short: Michael Clarke

Two to tango: Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara

Of highs and lows: Virat Kohli

On point: Ricky Ponting

Calling 0011: Adam Gilcrist

Duck tales: Ajit Agarkar

five idyllic Pacific islands to visit in 2023

Wonderful seaside holidays, there’s also something unique in each of these island destinations

BY SANDIP HOR

So we’re all settled in to 2023 and well into routine. Those of us with itchy feet have started planning our next short break –international, but not too far from the east coast of Australia. Suggested below are five idyllic South Pacific Island destinations each of which has something unique to offer besides the usual seaside holiday elements.

NE w CALEDONIA

By air only three hours away from eastcoast Australia, this island which has

been held by France since 1854 is an ideal location to grab a taste of the French Riviera without travelling to Europe.

The unique feeling of being in a French territory starts immediately on arrival at capital Noumea when greeted with French vocabulary. That feeling only escalates upon driving in to town, where billboards and street signage are in French; Renaults and Peugeots occupying the roads; bakeries displaying long sticks of baguettes, and the aroma of garlic dominating the food. The French mood reaches its peak when some sporty visitors join locals playing ‘petanque’, a bowling game very popular in France.

Besides getting immersed in many things French, there are plenty of other attractions here - from swimming, snorkelling and sunbathing to touring

Noumea’s downtown area that’s home to many museums and monuments (including some beautiful 19th century colonial architecture), and visiting Amedee Island, 45 minutes by boat, to see the 150-yearold, 56 m high stunning lighthouse built in France. Not to be missed, partying after sundown while trying authentic French culinary dishes washed down with the best of Bordeaux wines.

S AMOA

Located halfway between Australia and Hawaii in the heart of Polynesia, Samoa is an archipelago comprising ten islands. Two main islands are Savai’i and Upolu which is home to the international airport, and capital Apia where old and new collide seamlessly.

An ideal holiday here involves easy-

going relaxation mixed with activities from water sports to island hopping and visiting picture perfect Samoan villages. Given it is located just west of the International Date Line, the sun rises here first on the planet – another great selling point!

Fresh air, warm water, lush green surrounding and engulfing serenity make Samoa a perfect place to live a healthy life. This inspired famous Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson to spend his final years here. His home in Apia is now a museum, where the first edition copy of his epical Treasure Island can be seen.

NORFOL k I SLAND

Less than 3 hours flight from Sydney or Brisbane, this idyllic nest is hyped as nirvana on an island. The surrounding vista of the pine-clustered landscape

Norfolk Island

Petanque in New Caledonia

Samoa capital Apia’s city centre

RL Stevenson’s Samoa home

overlooking the turquoise blue ocean is wonderfully therapeutic. Also there’s nothing in this haven to create any sort of stress and strain, so relaxation follows almost naturally. Kingston the capital is where some loose urban touches can be found.

The history here is unlike anywhere else on the planet; seafaring Polynesians, daring British sailors, brutal penal commandments and cynical criminals have all left behind layers of captivating past to intrigue the modern generations. A sound-and-light show instils life into history, spilling shame on the British Empire.

The current inhabitants moved here about a century ago from Pitcairn Island, located 6800km away. They were the descendants of the famous Bounty mutineers, who found refuge in this unoccupied island to escape British justice. When that land became overcrowded, Queen Victoria granted them Norfolk Island. The new settlers brought with them their culture, all evolving from a unique mix of maritime English and Polynesian habits and practices.

Politically Norfolk Island functions as an external territory of Australia with her own flag, postage stamps, general rules and language, though this arrangement may change in future.

S OLOMON I SLAND

Located around 2000km northeast of Australia, this archipelago’s key lure is its laidback and slow-paced lifestyle, guarding a pristine and unspoilt natural environment comprising coral reef-rimmed lagoons and sandy coastline to tropical jungle, rainforests, waterfalls and volcanoes. A British protectorate until 1978, today it‘s an independent nation made up mainly people of Melanesian origin. Honiara is the capital city where traces of 21st century elements can be found, otherwise the setting is isolated and time-stopped.

Raw encounter with the sea is the key theme there. Underwater adventurers not only see a mesmerising galaxy of marine life but also submerged WWII relics such as battleships, bombers, fighters and many other dumps from wartime. This can’t be seen anywhere else in the world.

During WWII, the island was the stage for fierce combats between Japanese and Allied troops. Not many know John F Kennedy, the former President of USA, was then fighting in the region as a naval officer. When his patrolling boat PT 109 was sunk by the Japanese destroyer, he along with 11 others swam over 5km to a deserted island and then to another and survived for many days without food and water until rescued by two locals Eroni Kumana and Biuku Gasa. That island, still isolated, has been named after Kennedy - tourists are touched to learn about this interesting piece of forgotten history.

FIJI

Comprising over 300 islands, this South Pacific archipelago is a popular holiday destination for Aussies. Their two main islands Viti Levu and Vanua Levu where 95% of the population live, are some four hours away from Australia. The nation’s three biggest settlements, capital Suva, Nadi (home to the main international airport) and Lautoka are located on Viti Levu. The best way to see Fiji is by opting for a cruise which goes around some of the major islands and brings alive scenes from the 1980 hit film Blue Lagoon.

While indigenous Fijians are of Melanesian roots, a large proportion of the population is of Indian origin, living mainly in Nandi and Lautoka. Besides playing with the sun, sea and sand at various seafront spots, a major attraction of Fiji holiday, particularly for the Indian diaspora from Australia and other parts of the world, is to follow the footsteps of their compatriots who made their home here, by visiting temples, museums, sari and jewellery shops and restaurants serving North and South Indian delicacies.

Noumea seafront

Magical Pacific sunsets

Fiji’s main Hindu temple

Coffee on the beach in Fiji

Indian shop, Fiji

Local buses in Samoa

Worth waiting for? You decide!

What’s on our screens this february

MICHAEL (In cinemas)

This Telugu release takes the neo-noir genre and adds the right amount of spice for some serious South Indian action. Sundeep Kishan stars as ‘Michael’, a young gangster who dreams of power but also packs a punch.

Release date: 3 February

ALMOST PYAAR WITH DJ MOHABBAT (Netflix)

Written and directed by Anurag Kashyap, this upcoming Hindi romcom is bringing young love to the big screen yet again. Alaya F and Karan Mehta are united by a podcast all about love in times of hate with a rollercoaster of romance.

Release date: 3 February

SHEHZADA (In cinemas)

Following a string of successful releases, Kartik Aaryan seems to have claimed his title as he stars in Shehzada. Looking to be a movie full of Hindi cinema’s masala mix of action, romance, drama, and comedy, Aaryan is joined by Kriti Sanon, Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala and Rajpal Yadav.

Release date: 17 February

MATRIMONIALS

SEEKING GROOMS

Seeking professionally qualified issueless match (working professional, not self-employed) from Australia for ‘88 born 5’’3’’ Hindu Punjabi girl (divorced, issueless), working with a government organisation in Sydney. Must have Aus PR, non smoker and preferably teetotaler. Email: matrimonial.ml@gmail.com

Radha Soami Ravidasia family seek groom for their daughter, 30, 5’3”, Australia PR visa granted. Seeking vegetarian Ravidasia match only. Please contact or WhatsApp 0493 530 093.

South Indian parents seeking Roman Catholic grooms, 32 - 35 age, PR, Australian citizen. Grooms with work visas will be considered. Daughter

Australian citizen, working full time, age 32. Sydney residents only contact Ashok 0409 463 819 or email anthonyashok@yahoo.com

Seeking a professionally qualified settled match for Sydney based, never married Aus citizen, Hindu, Punjabi Khatri 49, 5'3" slim, fair, attractive girl. Girl is a postgraduate and is working on a good position in a government organisation. Please contact at ausind26@gmail.com

SEEKING BRIDES

Indian Christian Protestant parents seek suitable match for their 42-year-old son, a software engineer born and brought up in Australia. Seeking a Protestant girl between 32-37 years.

Email: sammy5073@gmail.com, Mob 0403836360

KALI JOTTA (In cinemas)

Neeru Bajwa is back in this captivating Punjabi drama alongside Satinder Sartaaj. The film promises more than meets the eye, Bajwa bringing her classic happygo-lucky avatar but troubled by a social landscape that doesn’t guarantee her future.

Release date: 3 February

CLASS

If we know anything about teen OTT series, it’s that audiences should expect the unexpected.

Hindi adaptation of the Spanish Netflix series guarantees all the coming-of-age drama with some sinister secrets sprinkled into the mix.

Release date: 3 February

LOST (ZEE5)

This intense Hindi thriller will lead you on an emotional rollercoaster, delving into the mystery behind a missing boy and the moments leading up to his disappearance. Yami Gautam is joined by Pankaj Kapur, Rahul Khanna and Neil Bhoopalam in this release that is riddled with more questions than answers.

Release date: 16 February

BUTTA BOMMA (in cinemas)

Anikha Surendran and Arjun Das lead the cast in this Telugu romantic drama exploring all things love, without the rainbows and butterflies. With two young lovers tangled in the mess of adolescence, audiences will have to see if their love survives.

Release date: 4 February

FARZI (Amazon Prime Video)

This dark comedy series marks the Hindi digital debut of Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi and is nothing short of a thrilling ride into the underworld. When art and crime combine it becomes the job of a hot-headed task force officer to ensure chaos doesn’t ensue.

Release date: 10 February

SHIV SHASTRI BALBOA (In cinemas)

Buckle up for this Hindi feel-good film as one man’s love for Rocky Balboa and bringing joy takes us on a journey through America. Acting powerhouses Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta unite to bring audiences along for a ride filled with comedic twists and turns.

Release date: 10 February

AMIGOS (In cinemas)

Three versions of Nandamuri Kalyan Ram, three times the action, three times the adventure. This Telugu thriller will have you on the edge of your seat as three doppelgangers come together and wreak havoc in their intertwining worlds.

Release date: 10 February

THE NIGHT MANAGER (Disney+Hotstar)

The original British series starring Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie is getting a Hindi make-over. Aditya Roy Kapur and Anil Kapoor enter their mission with guns blazing as the series looks like it will leave an impact on action-loving audiences.

Release date: 17 February

THE ROMANTICS (Netflix)

Releasing this Valentine’s Day is Hindi cinema’s love letter to Yash Chopra, the movie mogul responsible for creating some of Bollywood’s most iconic romcoms. This docuseries brings together 35 of Bollywood’s most famous faces, an array of archival footage and the ‘rumour’ of Aditya Chopra.

Release date: 14 February

TU HOVEIN MAIN HOVAN (In cinemas)

Adding to the list of romantic releases for this month, Tu Hovein Main Hovan will certainly tug at the heartstrings of audiences. Jimmy Sheirgill brings his charm to a Punjabi film that hopes to celebrate the ups and downs of love.

Release date: 10 February

AFWAAH (In cinemas)

Afwaah (rumour) has it that Bhumi Pednekar and Nawazuddin Siddiqui will be seen together in this Hindi drama film that is hoping to question what audiences see as the truth. Looks like we’ll need our magnifying glasses for this one!

Release date: 24 February

SELFIEE (In cinemas)

Hindi cinema seems to not be getting enough of the remakes with Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi coming together for Bollywood’s take on the 2019 Malayalam film Driving Licence. This dramedy follows the rivalry between the fan and the famous and how a simple selfie can create a world of chaos.

Release date: 24 February

VAATHI (In cinemas)

Alongside students going back to school this month is Dhanush also confirming that his classes will start soon as he returns in and as Vaathi. Set to teach a lesson that audiences won’t forget, Dhanush is ready for your attention in this highly anticipated Tamil action release.

Release date: 17 February

DEAR AUNTYJI

Auntyji, I have Australian sensibilities. My 28-year-old son still lives with me and two years ago, his partner moved in as well. Our house is large enough and so I have no issues with this. As a family, we get along super well so no worries there. Auntyji, one of my prime goals in life is to serve my family and every day I do my best. Each night I cook dinnerand I’m very particular about serving my family healthy, wholesome meals made with care and love. But Auntyji, Nikki is starting to make me have uncharitable thoughts. She says she has stomach issues and is always having tests. Don’t get me wrong, she is the nicest girl, and I think she is the best match for my son. But Auntyji, last year, she went on some wacky diet where she could not eat any meat or tomatoes or something. So I made sure that I cooked special foods for her. My son and hubby eat meat, while I am a vegetarian - so I cook meals that can be adapted for each member of the family. But last week, Nikki sent me a report that said her SIBO Bi-Phasic diet meant she could not eat any rice or grains or dal. Nor any onions or garlic. I mean, her dietary restrictions are not too bad and I can adapt the meals for her. It will be a bit tricky, but it can be done. But Auntyji, I feel like saying to her that all these tests and wacky ideas are just charlatans trying to get money out of her and she should just eat whatever she wants. It’s just so complicated and it does not sound scientific. What are your thoughts?

SiBO biphsasic diet or wholesome food?

AUNTYJI SAYS

ASK AUNTYJI

You know my choti si imli, my little sabool dana, the only reason I am not calling you a kalankani is because you seem to actually genuinely care for your family - based on the fact that you like to cook wholesome meals, made with love and care for them. Any person who goes to this much effort to make different meals for members of her family, and is happy doing it, is worthy of my admiration and respect. So kudos to you, I would definitely vote for you for mother of the year. But my dear lady, what kind of saboodana-brain are you that you are questioning these things that Nikki is trying to do in order to improve her health? What makes you say this is not scientific? Are you now going to tell me that your kapha pita vata doshas are all wrong? I know you have lived out of India for 40 years, but our people have known these things long before western scientists got involved. Who are you to question all these practices - just because you don’t understand them does not mean there is no basis to it. So I suggest you go look up this SIBO-pibo diet, find out more about it and then maybe help Nikki on her path to live a healthier lifestyle. It’s in your best interest to support Nikki, because if there is a potential for a little Miki, chiki or Vicki down the line, you want to be right there, feeding kheer and halwa to this little apple of your eye. All the best.

February 2023 BY MINAL KhONA

Minal Khona has been reading tarot cards for the last two decades. She uses her intuition and connect with the cards mostly to help people.

TAROT

aPriL 20 - MaY 20

New beginnings, a coming together of everything almost as if by magic and a new significant love affair will keep the April-born busy. Beware of someone trying to cheat you; don’t believe everything you see. A trip may have to be postponed. Some of you may look for a new job; the selfemployed could also take on a partner. Avoid being too stubborn and defiant. Money is good, especially for those in business. An idea you held will be manifested.

The bull draws the card representing the fiery ram, making them extra active and decisive this month, with short bursts of energy. Business goals and self-growth are the focus and professional contacts will grow. Don’t shut down in a relationship problem; stay open for quick resolution. Accept any invitations that involve travel. Singles could meet someone new or get a proposal for marriage. Watch for headaches or back problems; an exercise routine will help. Your decisions and actions will impact your environment.

Don’t stress over delays; they are temporary. Learn from repeated patterns to change and grow spiritually. A new opportunity to make money will come your way. Repeat clients bring more business for the self-employed. Avoid feeling like a martyr if you are married. Ensure you rest enough. Beware of someone who will leave you holding the bill. Money problems end. The universe knows what it is doing –send out the energy of gratitude and receive more than you expect.

New beginnings in some areas of your life are on the anvil. Singles will see success in personal and professional life. If stuck in an unhappy marriage, it could get worse. Money owed to you could be delayed. Avoid getting too sensitive about work-related issues. The selfemployed should let a problem just be and wait for it to resolve itself. Some of you might come across a new career option. Believe in yourself and the quality of your work for best results.

By the end of this year, Leos will have had a 360-degree shift in their thinking; spiritual growth, wanting to move on and seeking answers will be their top focus this month. Singles will not find the depth they seek in their current relationships. Matters related to property could have complications. Some of you may look for more creatively satisfying work; and choose it over a high salary even. Slowing down is mandatory to prevent illness. Things will work out in your favour eventually.

Hibernate, dwell on your situation, or meditate – whatever works for Virgos is required in February to tide over any problems. A project that was in cold storage could get revived at work; but the office environment could get unpleasant. Do not neglect a health problem and seek medical advice. Disputes and the slow pace of debts being repaid will be frustrating; be patient. Any unpleasant situation at work or in your personal life, or any disappointment, is only temporary.

You seek answers to spiritual questions this month; or want to be alone to find solutions to existing problems. A cycle is coming to an end, and you will be happy again if you have been depressed. Those trying to sell a home will succeed in doing so. Appreciation and more money are predicted on the work front. Money comes in for your efforts at work. Any kind of negative feelings will be replaced with happiness.

Be on your guard against deceptive situations, colleagues or business associates. Singles should verify if their new dates are not already married as the card signifies a clandestine love affair. Don’t ignore any feelings of dread or unease – there could be a message. A trip could turn out to be unpleasant. Avoid work related conflicts by controlling your emotions. Someone close could disappoint you tremendously. Though money owed to you comes in, you could still feel let down. Trust your intuition.

An extremely busy month for Sagittarians but don’t take on more than you can handle. Some of you want to tie up loose ends and move on – whether from a job or to a new home. Those in a relationship might be seeking clarity. Don’t try to revive it if it is at a dead end. Don’t let family take advantage and set boundaries. There could be a loss of income. Follow your goals and don’t accept anything but the best.

Short trips, meeting with friends and work keep Capricorns busy. Some of you might want to let something go in order to gain something else. If recovering from a break-up, an incident will give you hope for the future. A new job offer or project will lift you out of a slump. If depressed or facing health issues, practice self-care to get better. Finances are especially good this month. The self-employed will find a way to promote their business.

Some of you might want to change your occupation. Those in a relationship may feel stifled a bit, but focus on your spiritual goals and the feeling will pass. If looking to sell your property, it will get sold. Don’t let money issues make you say yes to a project you don’t want to work on. Use your mind and rationale to deal with any problem cropping up this month. Watch for mishaps around the home with gizmos and while driving.

A change in lifestyle triggered by a loss is predicted. A rocky relationship will end; but new beginnings are coming. Expect hurdles on the work front; as also a loss of income. The changes occurring are divinely ordained, so accept them as you will be successful by adapting to your circumstances. An unpleasant situation will end. An ailment or a death of someone close will make you change your lifestyle. Stop controlling situations and let go; let the universe be your guide.

Are you interested to know if your future property is compliant to Vastu Shastra principles?

FLY INDIA FROM NO RT-PCR TEST