2015-02 Perth

Natra· PRODUCTIOIXS-

Natraj Productions Australia Presents

Two generations - so near yet so far apart HINDI THEATRICALDRAMA

With Rohini Hattangadi

(''Kasturba" of Oscar Winning Movie GANDIIl, Winner of British Academy of Film &. Television Arts ( BAFTA ) Award, Filmfare and National Film Awards)

First time in Australia, performing live on stage

Written and Directed By Prashant

Dialogues and Stage Play By Dr.

PERTH

Tupe

Sanjay Patole

April 18th 2015

The Regal Theatre, 474 Hay Street, Subiaco, Western, Australia 6008

Also performing at

MELBOURNE

April 23RD 2015

Robert Blackwood Hall, Building 2, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800

SYDNEY

April 25th 2015

UNSW (University ofNSW), The Science Theatre (F13), Gate2, High Street, Kensington, NSW 2052

BRISBANE

April 26th 2015

Sleeman SportsComplex, "ChandlerTheatre•, corner ofOld Cleveland andTilley Road Chandler QLD4155

AUCKLAND (NEW ZEALAND)

May 02nd 2015

Avondale College Theatre, 51, Victor Street, Avondale,Auckland, NewZealand

Forfurther Inquiries please contact PRASHANT TUPE, Mobile: (+61) 424994560

•Email: tupep6@gmail.com

Ind�fenc�.ofhyphenated nat1onal1t1es

I'·.i I)., ' :!WANLUTHRA B

obbyJindalisanamewhich non-residentIndiansare familiarwithglobally.Ahigh Aying(Indian)American politician,Jindalisatshortoddscobe nominatedastheRepublicancandidate fortheUnitedStarespresidencyin

2016.Buehisrecentcommentsain1ed atsatisfyingthoseinthefarrightofthe parryhaveattractedmuchheadlineand debate.Jindal,thefirstIndian-origin GovernorofanAmericanstate,said inanaddressmtheHenryJackson SocietyinLondon,"Mydadandmom coldmybrotherandmethatwecameto AmericatobeAmericans.NocIndianAmericans,simplyAmericans.Ifwe wantedtobeIndians,wewouldhave stayedinIndia."

Hewenton,"Idonotbelievein hyphenatedAmericans."

BobbyJindal,whochangedhisname fromPiyushtoBobbyandreligionto Christianityearlyinhispoliticalcareer, alsowentontosaychattheobjectivein

thisspeechwastobeclearaboutwhat hebelievestobeAmerica'sproperrole ininternationalaffairs;tospeakblundy aboutthenatureofthethreatsbeing facedandtherecenttragiceventsin France;andtosuggestwhathethinksis thewayforward.

Oneisunsureascowhattheremovalof thehyphenwilldotobringaboutworld peace,orcowhatJindalispresumably referringco,thatis,thepreventionof radicalisedIslaminsecondandthird generationmigrantstotheUSandother countries.

\XihatJindalhasfailedtounderstand, clearly,isthatd1eneedtobelongisan essentialpsychologicalone.According topsychologistAbrahamMaslow,the needforbelongingisamajorsourceof hLm1anmotivation.Itfiguresasoneof livehrn11anneedsinhisfamoushierarchy ofneeds,alongwithphysiological needs,safety,self-esteemandselfacnialisation.Maslowtheorisedthat hmanneedsmustbesatisfiedinorder •d10seloweronthehierarchymustbe metfirst.

Itiseasycoextenddustoomlives asmigrants.Movingcoanewcountry, ourimmediatepriorityisourneed forphysicalsurvival•food,clothing, shelter.Oncethesearemet,westartour journeytodiscoverourselve,s.Through

ourfamilyenvironment,ourworkand ourlifestyle,wegetcoknowourselves inournewenvironment.Overtime wechaUengesomeoftheideaswe mayhaveheldpreviouslyandbeginto lookatthingsfromfreshperspectives, immersingourselvesinournewenvirons. Thisbecomesmoreevidentasd1enext generationofIndian-Australiansfinds d1eiridentityinAustralia.

Theabilitycobeconnectedwithall dungsIndianviaYouTubeorSkypewhile livinginAustralia,doesallowustohang ontoourheritage,moresothesedays thanperhapswhentheItalianorGreek migrantscametoAustraliabeforeus. Thenagain,d1esametechnologyallows ustounderstandthevalueandbenefitsof whatoutnewhomelandcanofferus.

ThefreedomcocelebrateDiwaliand thenhaveafewdaysoffestivitiesat Christmas,isdiegreatpartofbeing Indian-Australian.Hey,ifAustraliawins atthecricket,wecelebratebythrowing ashrimponthebarbie;ifIndiawins,we putonilietandoorichicken!Howabout atandooriturkeyatChristmastoenjoy bothsidesofourheritage?

So,Piyush'Bobby'Jindal,thereis nod1ingwrongwhatsoeverinhyphenated identities.\Vhatweneedtopromoteis opennessandacceptanceratherthan divisionsbasedoncuJmralbackgrounds.

Tom-tomming about Ind• 1a

Remembering ThomasEKing,IndianLink's long-timeTravel writer

Whatdoes theE in yournamestand for, Ionceasked TomKing.

''Exuberant!"he said withoutamoment'shesitation, inthatCanadian accenthenever losteven yearsafterleaving hishomeland.''Enthusiastic!

Energetic!!"

He wasallof chose,for sure, andmore.

WelostTomlasemonth, oneof Tntfia11Link's earliest andlongest servingcontributors.

As thequintessential lndophile whotravelled co Indiacountless times, he,vasfor many yearsin chargeof ourTravelsection. He brought co ourreadersgems from cbeleogcb andbreadd1 of tl1e country,and notjust tliose onthe regulartourist'sitinerary.

Tomtook his TndirmLink readerswith him ashe visited the TajMahallookalike atAurangabad (Bibi KaMaqbara);journeyed slowlyd1rough theKhyberPass; castedteainDarjeeling;shopped forpearlsinHyderabad;took a safariin the Sunderbans;studied me (golf)greeningof Delhi; gazed at cbe Kanchenjungafrom Sikkim, and prayedat tlietemples atTuticorin where, he cold us,37 American tourists are said cohave burned their Bibles andprofessed

allegiancetoHinduism.

Andall tliisin his firstt\vo years as anIndia11Linker.

Somenineyearslater, as Isuggested tohim tl1athe could probably writeabout destinations otherthan India, he was aghast.\Xi'hat, travel outside of India?Nol

\1(/elJ, hedid;and broughtus articles seekingoutIndianlinksin Shanghai, inSabah,inHue,andin innumerableother places.

As well, he wroteabout traveltrends, reportedontravel conferences, andattended Indian Tourism eventsin Sydney where he would taketo themicrophone and impresswitl1 bissalutations in Hindi andUrdu, andwith his khadikm-tas,extralong of course, tofithis straddlingstature.

Tomlivedto u·ave� andloved travellingto thesubcontinent ilie most. (Reproduced belowis a piecebyhim fromourarchives, whjchhe pennedin theyear 2000).Without doubt,his work helped raise theimageof India as a touristdestinationformany westernreaders.

Golf -anocbergreatpassion -wasalwaysquirec.learl)'tl1e second, orthird,loveof hislife, indeferencetohisbeautifulwife Karola(Ka)'), Tomcontinuedtowriteeven

INDIA: YESTERDAY,TODAY, ALWAYS BYTHOMASEKING

Likesomany westernersIhadno interestinIndiaandIwasmost certainthatI wouldnevergo cbere.

TheWesternmediahaddone itsjob well. Pressreports and televisioncoverageconvinced mematIndiawastotallypovertyridden,proneroendlessdisasters andhadnotliingtooffercbe visitor.

Thatwas some35yea.rs ago whenI lived on adifferent continentina differenthemisphere andbad adifferentperspectiveon cbeworld.

Such opinionsaboutIndia,.,.,ere furthermoreenforced byaccounts from the"welltravelled" who, although therhadn't actuallyvisited lndia, hadformed very strong opinionsabour tl1ecountr)'

Thesehadbeensolidifiedover theyearsbymediareportsand dieaccountscbeyhad heardfrom ochertravellers. Theendlesseye.le of ignorancecontinued.

Havinglistenedsointentlytothe well-informed, itwaswitl1some considerabletrepidationthat my firsttriptlirough mesubcontinent wasplanned.

India,admittedly, wouldnot bemyfinaldestination. Insteadit wouldbebutamerestopover ona

continent-spanning joume}'

Backin theearly1970sitwas not only possible, itwaswidely popuhr, tomake anoverlandcoach tripfromLondonandontoDelhi.

(Themajorityof overlanders wouldn't stopthere,however, astheyplannedtlieirjourneyto actually concludeinKathmandu.)

After flyingfrom Americato Europeand takinga few montbs to spin around cbecontinent,Ijoined 22otl1erintrepid travellers.

Whilewehailedfromsix different countries allof ushad me sameultimate destination in our diaries:Australia.

Ouroverlandodysseytook us fromLondon, overmeEnglish channel,through western,central andsoumernEuropeandto Turkey.

Oncewe crossed cbe massive bridgeovertlie BosporusStrait mypulseincreasedsignificantly. Westhad becomeEast;atlaseIhad arrivedinAsia.

Thoughitwas AsiaMinorand Iwasat thefartliermostoutpost of meimmensecontinent,it wasa majorstepforme.

Thejourneycontinued ilirough cberestof nukey,intoIran and cbenAfghanistan.Backin cbe early

after cancerbecamean unwelcome visitor.

"They've taken half mystomach out"hetoldmeafterhisfirst operation,anddescribedthescar iliacranhalfwayroundhis waist.

He wasstillJv[rEnmusiastic, ilioughinmontlistocomehe becamealittleless MrEnergetic. l offeredthathecould dictate his columns toeitherof mytwo l970sbeforeoccupationandwars decimatedthislandlockednation,it wasameccafortravellers.

We finallyarrivedin cbe subcontinent asmelast passport waschecked and wedrovepasttl1e Afghan/Pakistan border.

As weadvanced cbroughthe KhyberPass,I feltlikeatime traveller knowing cbatsomany yearsagoAlexandercbeGreat and his mightyarmyhadadvanced throughmis verysamenarrow channel in ilietoweringmountains. Hundredsof yearslatercbe great.Moghulsandtheire.x1:ensive entouragesalsomadethejourney.

J gained anunderstanding of meir civilisationandsaw some of theirpricelesshandiwork inLahore atcbeimmense BadshahiMosque, builtbyAurangzebandtheornate ShalimarGardenscbatShahJehan so skillfullyconstructed.

J askedthedriver/guide countless questions about tlie subcontinent in general and lndia inparticular.

Someof myfellowpassengers ontl1isoverland coac.11 trip had previouslytravelledthrough India byroad when theywentto Europe. I askedtl1emeven more questions.

Theytold me of beautiful women andgrubbychildren, luxuryhotels and 'no star' .inns,granddesert villages and

kids,whowere'grown up'noweversincehefirst came tovisitcbemboth whenthey were born, bearingthecutestlittlegifts.

"1 o,it's ok,"hehadsmiled. "I'll tryandgettl1em toyou in myown tin1e."

Hebecametooill towrite shortlyafter.

Thedevoted Karnlatooktlie helpofJesusas sheca.redforhim inthoselastfew difficult months.

Athis memorialin Kingsford

metropolitanslums, jewelled palaces and ran1shacklehurs,noisy crowds andtranquilsolimde, snowcappedmoLmtaios and barren land.

1enteredIndia forthe firsttime in December 1973. My21"trip tl1ereisplanned for November 2000.

1stillhaven't decidedif it's the cliversity of people, activities or sights mat fascinates me tl1emost.

Mostlikely it's tl1at my appreciationof tliecountryhas been moulded byallthreein tl1e roughlyquarter of acenturysince thatfirst visit.

1haveseenpoverty anddisaster but I have been able to look beyond iliesematters toseean Incliacbatdoesn't get on me front pages.

Pinning downmyfavourite area in acountry which is the world's largestdemocracy, gave birth to cbreemajor religions,has cbe highest mountains,is one of the mostdensely packedcountries on theplanet, has oueof cbe world's oldest civilisationsand is washed byrhree seas -toherald only a few superlatives -is impossible.

Should I prepare achronic.leof contrasts and adventuresIhave seen and experiencesIhavehad overtheyears,mytask would neverbecomplete.

I wouldalways remember

inlateJanuary,agiantTomsmiled down atusfrom me frontof tliec.lrnrch, wearinghis favourite purpletrim HimachaliPahari topi.Tbe verysamephotocbat accompaniedhispiecesonour pages, itwasindeedahark backto his TntfianLinkclays.

Restinpeace,Tom,andSh11kriya, to usea word thatyou yourself usedfrequently.

YonEntertained us, Encouraged us,andEnriched usinamultitude of ways.

something moreasmymemory ,vouldguidemearound cbe country time and time again.

One eventin the busyfilm studios ofMumbai would remind meof the solitude inAssam's rhino-filledKazirangaNational Park.

Thatwouldleadmeon to pleasantmemoriesof sipping samples .froma coffeesalesman inYecaud which wouldtl1en remind meof takingteawith a Buddhist school girlin Kalirnpong.

This would rake me to the Punjab and listening toa.nearly morningsessionof prayers at tlie GoldenTemplewhichwould remind meof attendingEaster services inEnglishinalirtle church in Darjeeling.

Beyondthiswouldbe fond recollections of a week of pampered nights onboard a houseboatin Kashmir, afeastof Goan delicacies and men strolling the backstreetsof Panjim, an overnightrail triprhrough rural AndhraPradesh, ajeepride through d1elushjunglesof soutl1ernKarnataka, takingto the tees of thedelightfulold Tollygungegolf course and tl1e list goes on and on.

India, forme,retains its mystique yesterday,today, ahvaysl

TomKing1947-2015

Photos:APGuruswamy;AshishCh Binu'sPhot awa, ography,Tasneem Zavery,AviChandiok,AnktSrinvastava

FourthAustitleforLeander

India'sLeanderPaesandhisSwisspartnerMartinaHingis win theAustralianOpenmixeddoubles

ndia'sLeander Paes,,vith his partner Switzedand's Martina Hingis, won theAustralian Open mi"<ed doubles crown in MelbourneonSunday 1 February

defeatingtheFrench-Canadian pair ofKristinaMladenovic and Daniel Nestor.

Paesand Hingis, seeded seventh,beatthe third seeds6-4, 6-3 in onehour and rwo minutes.

India's41-year-old veteran tennis scar withchis win takes homehis 15th GrandSlamtitle, his fourthinAustralia(doubles 2012 with RadekStepanek, mixeddoubles2003 with Martina Navratilova and 2010 witl1 Cara Black).

Paes andHingis werein control throughout andtookjust29 minutes to take the first set 6-4.

The chirdseeds cameback stronglyand broke the lndoSwiss pair earlyto take a2-1 lead insecond set.

However,itwasall downhill from tl1ere forMladenovic and Nestor as Paes andHingisbroke their servestwice ina row to

establish a 4-2 lead.

The French-Canadianteam did manage to winanother game butit proved co bea mere consolationasPaes andHingis finishedthe set6-3in33 minutes to take home their first Grand Slam title oftheyear.

This wasPaes'seventhmixed doublesGrandSlam title - bis first with Hingis,a formerWorld r o.1 in women's singles.

Paesalsohaseightmen's doubles titles inhis glittering career.

"It's agreat honour to keep comingback co Auscral.ia, saidPaes. "It's a treat to play with Martina. Ifinally managed co learnsome thingsfrom her returns and returned half decently today."

Hingis, 34, (who came out of retiremenc for the second time a coupleof years back), won her first Grand Slam title since2006. Incidentally,that wasalso amixed doublestitle wich another Indian, Mahesh Bhupathi. This washer tenth doublesSlam apart from her five singles titles.

Hingisthanked heridol and legendi\fartina Navratilovafor suggesting Paesas her mixeddoubles partner.

"I am thankful to Martina (Navratilova) forgecringme to partnerwith Paes,"shesaidafter the gan1e. "It's incredible to be playingontl,e surface thatI made my debut in1995. Inever imagined chat20 years down-tl1eline I would be still be playing here."

avratilovia, who also partneredPaes ro clinch the AustralianOpenandWimbledon mixed-doublescrownin2003, wasin the standsto watch the tennis veterans play. For Indian fans,thechance of seeing an all-India doubles finalin theAustralianOpen was lostafterSaniaMirza andher Brazilianpartner BrunoSoares bowed out inthe semis.

Sania t\veeced afterwards, "Sometimeseven ur best isnot enough whenluck is not onur side;we'llbe back- stronger and bettercyanext yrAustralia."

IANSandothersources

owero

YoungmindsfromIndiaandAustraliagathertospeakabouttherelationshipbetween theirtwocountries

t nu:nedouttobe mored1an just a'dialogue'.

At theFourthAustralia IndiaYouthDialogue (AIYD),15 lndian and 15Australiandelegates,chosen throughademandingselection process,gatheredcodiscussthe fun1reof tl1eAustralia-India relationship. Theydidnotsolely discussprojects,however,they implementedactionplansforthe future.

TheAIYDwasfoundedin2011 byeight members.leisaimed at developingnew avenuesfor collaborationandpartnership betweenlndiaand Australia throughthepower and vision of tl1eyoutl1inbothcountries. Varyinginsightsinto topical issueshelproproducereasoned outcomes.

Thedialoguetookplace from 26co 28JanuaryinSydney and on 29January inMelbourne.Over thefour-dayevent,discussions wereled by expertsin the areas of governanceandpublicpolicy, public diplomacy, businessand innovation.

"FortiesbetweenAustraliaand Indiatocontinuetoprosperand growinthelong-term, meaningful dialoguebetweentheyouth of these two vibrantdemocraciesis critical,"saidShaunStar, Chairof AIYD.

With al.mosttwo thirdsof India'spopulation undertheage of30,Indiais one ofAustralia's largestsourcesof permanent migrantsandthesecondlargest sourceof international students. Approximately200,000peopleof IndianoriginresideinVictoria.

Delegatesattendingthisyear's conference wereselectedfrom diversebad.grounds.

RepresentativesfromIndia included aninvestigativejournalise, apublicpolicyspecialise, a universityProViceChancellor, lawyersandpoliticians,anassistant professorinmbanplanning,a communitypioneerimproving sanitationconditionsanda specialistinminingandresources projects.

AmongAustralia'sdelegates, therewereanequality advisor specialisingin women's

rights,asenioreconomic adviser,politicians,amedia entrepreneur,agovernment tradeexpert,alocalgovernment and workforcespecialist and a former international cricl<et player.

Togec:her,theymadeupa network of experts,withenduring po\verto makeadifference.

Alawyerfrom Delhi noted, "It wasgreatrosee thepositive atmosphereoflike-minded youths comingtogetherto share theire,,-periencesand cl1oughtsin cooperative discussion."

AnengineerfromSydney remai:ked,"Thedialogueisnot theend.Ourprojectswillcome tosurfaceandactionwillbetaken codevelopAustraliaandIndiain in1portantways."

Atthegalaclosingdinner,held at theRichmondFootballClub inMelbourne, alrnnn.ifromthe past threedialoguesshared tl,eir experiences and theprogress tl1at theyhavemadeontheir projects. "Itisfantastictoseeour previousdelegatesembracingtheir entrepreneurial insight andmaking

achangeto theAustralia-India relationship,"saidMrStar.

Delegateswerealso treatedto atour oftheFootballClub and received achance tohave a kick on thegrmmd. TheIndiandelegation wereproud tohaveembraced Australian RulesFootball.

otableguestsatthedinner includedHisExcellency tl1e HonourableAle,'(ChernovAC QC,Governor of Victoria;Manika Jain, Consulate-Generalof India

Discussionssuchastheseare criticaltocementingessential fotmdationsin thebi.l.ateral relationship between Indiaand Australia. Bod1 nationsvalue the importanceof developing leadershipamongsttheyouth. The vis.ionsoftomorrow will be enhancedbythe synergy effect fromcollaborativeclunking.

CarlBuhariwala

(Melbourne) andBrendonGa.le, CEO of the RichmondFootball Club.

Delights of Paradise

Wedon'tlikecricket...weloveit!ApreviewoftheICCCricketWorldCup

Ir'sfinallyupon us. After alongsummerof cricket -one which wasalways destinedtobeacurtainraiser forthemainevent -wehavearrived at the11'"ICC CricketWorld Cup, robehosted in Australia andNewZealand between 14February and29 March, 2015. There will be14 venues hosting49games, robe contestedamongover200players from 14 differentcountries. This yearmarks23yearssinceWasim Akram'sheroics saw Pakistan lift theWorldCuponAustralian soil,and anew generationwill nowbewatchingonaslndia aimtodefendtheirtitle, while thedangerousAustraliansseek immortalityunderthe nation's watchful eye. The pitchesand stadiums promisethrilling entertainment forbothfans and playersalike.

Coulditgetany better?

THE CONTENDERS

Thiseditionof theWorldCupis oneof themostopeninrecent memory.Several teams have found formheadinginto the tournament - andit'snotjust the teamsyou

alwaysexpecttosee. Although Pakistan, SriLanka, lndia and England are genuine threats for tl1etitle, they may find themselves introublesomewatersif they reston theirlaurels,forthereare plenty of sharks at sea.

Australia

Iris widely accepted,by betting agencies and experts alike,that Australiaare favourites robe holdingthe trophy aloftatthe MelbourneCricket Groundon29 March.Theirbatsmen'sfamiliaciry with the bouncy wickets, their electric fieldingand sharppace attack, alongwith what promises to bevociferoushome support, are sureto see theAustraliansgo deepin the tournament. Totopir off, theiropeningbatsmen, Aaron Finch andDavidWarner,arethe mostconsistentand explosive combinationin tl1e world, while theiropeningbowlers,whether MitchellJohnsonorStare, CmnminsorHazlewood, areall genuinewicket-rakingthreats.

lris truethat there is tmcertainrysurroundingthe fitnessof the captain, Michael Clarke.However,Australiamay be stronger witl1out him; it is impossible ro dropFinch,\'{lamer, Steve Smitl1orShaneWatson forClarke,forfearof damaging the balanceof tl1e side. Thar leavesGeorgeBailey, whowould

beaggrievedto6nd hin1seLf eithercaptaininghis country,or sittingontl1esideline, despite his exemplary one-day international record. Clarke'sabsencemaygive the team the settled, unified feelit hasbeenrecently missing. The key factor forthe Australiansistheirphenomenal deathbO\vling. ln theirlastgroup match against England in thetriseriesforexample,Australiaused clever changesof paceas wellas yorker-lengtl1 deliveriestostifle England'sscoringin the last five oversof theinnings, transforming a difficult target into amanageable one.

South Africa

On paper,SournAfricahavethe strongest one-day international outfit in rheworld,and irwould be ahugesurpriseif they miss ouronasemi-final spot.Although theyboast aslightly top-heavy battingorder,it is anchoredby batsmenwhowould walkinto any nationalteam,including AB De Villiers,Faf du Plessisand HashimAmla,aswellaspowerful hirterssuch asDavidJv[i]]erand RileeRossouw. Their bowling attack is vastly experienced and varied,including tl1enaggingline and lengthof VernonPhilander, thesharp bounceof 1vforne Morkel,thepreciseaggressionof Dale Ste)'n andthe deceptive wrist

The key factor forSoutl1 Africaistl1eirabiliry to win tl1e key moments andpeak at the righrstage; itis wellknown mat SouthAfricahavehabitually underperformedat critical momentsin pastcampaigns.

New Zealand

A finebalanceof youth and expetienceisakey feamreof NewZealand'sbest-everone-day international rerun; consequently, it would be unfairro labelthem asmerely a'darkhorse'. Their recentform,along with home advantage,could create theperfect stormcosee theBlack Capsfinally break their40-yearwaittoreach aWorldCup final, (although tl1ey havereached thesemi-final stageonsixoccasions,thejointhighestalongsidePakistan).Their bowling attack has amazing depth, withTrentBoult,AdamMilne, Mitchell McClenaghan, Tim Sourhee, Kylei\,[jJJs andCorey Anderson,alongsidespinner DanielVettori allprovidingviable bowlingoptions. Meanwhile, theirtraditionally fragilebatting orderlooksvastly improved, with BrendonMcCLtllum and KaneWilliamson in particularly sparklingform.

ewZealand's key factor is avoidingrhelossof wickets in big clusters, asthey enduredinvarious

recent matches againstBangladesh, SriLanka,Soutl1Afocaand theWestIndies. However,their consistency inthemostrecent seriesagainstSri Lanka,as wellas intheir4-0hammeringof India, pointstogreenerpasturesahead forthe ream. ''

Australiaare favouritesto beholdingthe trophyaloftat theMelbourne CricketGroundon 29March.There isuncertainty surroundingthe fitnessofthe captain,Michael Clarke,but Australiamaybe strongerwithout him

spinof Imran Tahir.

PLAYERSTO WATCH

Each teamin the romnament boasts significam ralem.While players such asChris Gayle, DavidWarner and Dale Steyn will be perennial threats on the cricket field, IndianLinktakes a look at the players we've tipped mtake the rournamentby srorm.

AB de Viiiiers (South Africa)

South African one-day international captainAB de Villiers is quite simply one of the most exciting, absorbing and obscenelytalented athletes in the world -and there is no question thatbeforelong, be will go down as one of the most dynamiccricketers in bisrory. His audacious shot-making and ability to send any deliverysoaringover theboundarywillsimultaneously delightandfrightenAustralian audiences, who have already been exposedto his limitless talent. DeVilliers's abilityto performunder pressureis crucial toSouth Africa's desireto ditch tl1eir unfortunate reputationas "chokers" and finally make their mark on the worldstage.

Whatyou may not be familiar with is thatABDe Villiers also excels in anumber of otl1er sports. He was shortlistedfor SouiliAfrica's national junior hockeyand football teams;

captain of Souch Africa's national junior rugby team; aholder of six SouthAfrican school swimming records; amemberof South Africa's juniorDavis Cup tennis team;d1eSouthAfricanU/19 national badminmn champion; the bolder of the 100m dash record inSomhAfrican junior atl1letics,and he plays witl1 a golf handicap of scratch (zero).

Of course, noneof thatmay be relevant over 22yards, but if iliereis onlyoneplayer you payto watch this smnmer,your decision should already be made.

Virat Kohli (India)

Virat Kohliis tl1e most important player in the rournamentalbeit only because the Indian teamis so heavily relianton him. Kohliaveragesnearly70 when India wins, a figure that drops to32 when Indialoses. TheinextricableI.ink between Kohli's performance and his team's success is recognised by opposition captains,each of whom will have specific plansfor sending himback to thedressing rooms.

However, if any of those plans involve sledging, tl1ere'sa good chancethe plan may backfire. Kohli's sensational run of form intherecentlyconcluded Test series againstAustralia proved tl1at hecould handle tl1e heat;his

verbalbattles with crowds and opposition alike only seemedto spur him on. Although he has endured arelativelylean tri series, themeaningless natureof che matcheshas cercainl)'contributed to Kohli's mental fatigue. Heis already oneof India'shighest run-scorers onAustralian soil; he will be keen to make the most of his timeDownUnder and get to the top of the list.

Trent Boult (New Zealand)

TrentBoult finds hirnself in rare company asa modernday player who has played twice as many Tests as one-day internationals. Although his few ODI appearances have sofar generatedslightly underwhelming results,Boulc'ssignificant impacton tl1e Testarenamay well transfer to the fightfor cricket's biggest prize. Witl1 110 Test wicketsatan averageof 27, Boult has firmlyestablished himself as the spearhead of ew Zealand'sattack, andheis our tip to be tl1esurprisepackage of the tournament. Aleft-arm fastbowler, the 25-year-old can swing the bal1 both ways atserious pace, and it is no surprise tl1at he idolises Pakistani greatWasirnAkram. There may be more fearsome bowlers out there, however, the

young and experiencedBoult

\Vill be keen to impose himself on tl1eworldstage and hungry cobecomeahouseholdname. With I ewZealand playing the majority of their matches at home, i.n conditions traclitionally favourable to swingbowlers, Boultwillbe a tricky proposition for all batsmen who face up co him.

Boulthas alsodevelopeda repucation for taking scarcely believable catches - don't be surprised if he ends upwith the catch of the tournament, too.

Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

Kane Williamson willone day break all of New Zealand's batting records. It is scarcely believable tlrnt attheage of 24, he has scored over3000 Test runs and2000ODI nms, with a penchant for capitalising on bis starts and scoring big. Apart from being a delight to watch when attacking,\Xi'illiamson has an exemplary defensivetecluiique thatwill be vital early on inthe seaming,swinging conditions typicalof New Zealand.

Williamson has been in stellar form for the BlackCaps, scoring over300 rm1s in his mostrecent Testmatch against theSri Lank.ans,and notching up scores of 103 and97 in the subsequent

ODIseries.Unlil,eIndia'sVirat Kohli, Williamson will bat at number 3,giving New Zealand's best batsman the oppormnity to control thematch from avery earlystageand batfor as many overs as possible. Will.iamson also bowls handy off-breaks, a valuable asset to a team without a right-arm off-spinner

''

WithNewZealand playingthe majorityoftheir matchesathome, inconditions traditionally favourableto swingbowlers, TrentBoult willbeatricky propositionforall batsmenwhoface uptohim

Atripdownmemorylane

Tocelebrate40yearsoftheCricketWorldCup, aheadofits 11theditioninAustraliaandNewZealand, weexplore someofthemostmemorablemomentsinthetournament'shistory

added52runs in6overs, largelydueto Akran1's belligerent33fromjust 'I8balls, in anerawhere astrike rateof I00was exceedinglyuncommon.

Kallicharran destroys Lillee (The Oval, 1975)

Intbe veryfirstWorldCup,tbe mightyWestIndiesrestricted Australiatojust 191,which they wouldbe requiredto cl1asedown in 60 overs. Thiswas never going cobeadifficultchase, but it wasmadeeven easierwhen the din1.inutiveWestIndian Alvin Kallicharran,blastedDemus Lilleecoallpartsof TheOval, with Lillee's last tenballs to Kallicharrancostinghim35 runs:4, 4, 4, 4,4, 1,4,6,0and 4. Kallicharran,wbostood atjust 1.64m,was namedMan of the Match for his 78off 83balls.

O'Brien stuns England (Bangalore, 201 1}

At 5-111,chasingEngland's mammoth 327, youwouldhave betyour house,carand family membersonEnglandwinning theirgroup matcb against cricketing"minnows"Ireland.

EnterKevinO'Brien

The hulking Irishmanblasted 6sixesand 13 foursonhisway cothe fastest-ever\XlorldCup century, his 'I13 off just63 balls providingthef0tmdation for a nervy3-wicketwLn. There'sno doubtthat Ireland'smostfamous victorywasmade just that littlebit sweeter becauseof tl1eopponent againstwhomit came.

Gilchrist blasts the opposition (Barbados, 2007)

A squashballintl1eglovemight soundlikeapointlessexperiment, but itwasthisveryexperinient tl1atled tooneof themost breathtakingWorldCupinnings ever seen. In arain-reduced WorldCupfinal against Sri Lanka, AustralianopenerAdamGilchrist blasted 149off just104balls, carrying theAustraliansto281 at asensational7.39nmsperover.

The SriLankans never recovered fromGilchrist's8 sixesand 13 fours, andAustraliaclaimed their d1ird \Xlorld Cup in arow,albeitin farcically dark conditions.

Akram's all-round masterclass (Melbourne, 1992)

In the1992WorldCupfinal againstEngland,lmranKhanand JavedMiandadhadlaidasolid foundation, buc theinningsstill neededimpetuswhen\".1asim

Akram camecothecreaseat 1974.Akran1and Inzamam-ul-Haq

If thatwasn'tenough, Akramlaterpickedup two wickets in as many ballsat acrucial juncrnre, derailing tbe chaseandfinishingwith figuresof 3-49in amasterful displayof reverse-swing bowling.

Kapil Dev rescues India from the brink (Tunbridge Wells, 1983)

Indianall-rounder KapilDev wasonly24whenhescarredin India'svicrorious1983World Cup campaign India'sjomney appeared tobedoomedwhen Devwalked in withhis side 9-4, and later 17-5 againsttheWorld Cup debucantsZimbabwe. Dev counteredwithamarvellously concroUed,andeventually explosive innings, scoring175out of 266 in an inningswhereno other batsman crossed25. He laterbowledatightspell cohelp IndiarestrictZimbabweco235, saving Indiatheredfacesand jumpstartingtl1eirultimately successfulrournament.

Superman Jonty (Brisbane, 1992)

If youhadconominatea batsmanmostlikelycobe run-om, youwouldlook nofmthertlrnnPakist.'lll's Inzamam-ul-Haq And inthe1990s, if you wanteda fielder torun said batsman out,you wouldalways pickJaney Rhodes.

In Brisbaneat the 1992WorldCup, Pakistanwerechasing l94in36overs, andwere comfortableat B5/2with Inzamam andImranKhan at the crease. However,a typical lnzymomentof madnesssawJonty Rhodes going airbornewiththe ballandthrowinghisentire body attl1estumps,taking thewickets-and lnzamarn -outof the ground.

Pakistan endeduplosing tl1ematch,bucwinrungthe \XiorldCup.

South Africa self-destructs (Edgbaston, 1999)

Setonly214cowin byAustralia, LanceKlusener'sexplosive31 from14ballshadallbutsealed thegamefortl1eProteas, levelling thescoresat213in thefinalover. However,with two ballsstillleft,

KlusenerandAllan Donald hada disastrousmix-up,both batsmen ending up at the non-striker'send. TherampantAustraliansin canary yeUowripped up tbestmups,and went through totl1efinalbasedon

theirsuperiornetnmrate. Theworst part?Thiscamejust fourdaysafterHerschelleGibbs famouslydroppedAustralian captainSteveWaugh,whowent on tomakean unbeaten 120*.

From top:Alvin Kallicharran (England 1975)

Kevin O'Brien (India, 2011)

Adam Gilchrist (Barbados, 2007)

WasimAkram (Australia, 1992)

KapilDev(England,1983)

JontyRhodes (Australia, 1992)

nee

AlookatTeam India'schancesofretainingtheWorldCup title

0nlytwocaptains in thehistoryof tbegamehave successfully defendedaWorld Cup •CliveLloydand Ricky Ponting.Anduntiltwomonths ago, MSDhoniandIndiawere genuinecontenderstorepeatthe featatthe2015WorldCup. They hadjustbatteredthehopelessly underpreparedSciLankans5-0at home, followingstrongdisplaysin homeandawayserieswinsagainst the\Vest IndiesandEngland respectively. However, twomonths isaJongtimeininternational crid,et. Ir canbethedifference berweensparklingformand debilitatingfatigue,peakfitnessand suddeninjury,andinIndia'scase, supremeconfidenceandstifling uncert,'linry.

Irwastl10ughtrbarIndia'slong tourof Australiashouldhelpthem acclin1atiseto theconditionsin time fortheirfirst match against Pakistan on Sunday 15 February 15.Instead,altl1ough Indiahave nowbeenon these shores forover two monms, thingshaveonlygone frombadtoworse. Thebatsmen showedglimpsesof form inthe Testmatches, but India's tootl.less bowlingattad<wasnothingshort of embarrassing.Now,thetri series againstEnglandandAustraliahas revealedglaringdeficienciesin India'slimited-oversbatting,and tbebowlershavestuckdiligently to theirplanstosa·ivecowards complete mediocrity.

Toputitlightly,Indiawillneed totweaka few nutsandboltsif theywant to emulate thefeats of thegreat sides ofyesteryear.

Thefastbowling issue

It isbothaburdenandablessing thatIndiahavelittleroom toadjusttheirfastbowling attack;itis likely tl1ar three of BhuvneshwarKumar, Ishant Shanna, UmeshYadavand Mohammed Shami will play in everymatch,andthey canat leastbegenerallysure of their places in the side. However,even includingStuartBinny, inwhose bowlingMSDbonigenerally appears tohavelittle faith, me attackisone-dimensionaland likelytodisappear toallpartsof tl1eground,particularlyinthe 'death overs'whereithasbeenso vulnerablein therecentpast.

WithoutVarunAaron, thereis noout-and-outexpress bowler, a crucial elementinAustralian conditions thateachof the stronger sides have covered.New Zealru1dhaveAdaml'vfilne, South Africahave1forneMorkeland

Dale Steyn, andAustralia- cake your pick. Add in the fact that tl1ereis no left-bandedseamer, and it is clea_rtl1at batsmenwill adjust quickly ro theattack.

Not allbowlers cru1be tl1e spearhead;aspecificroleneeds tobegiven toeachof them.

Whetherit's usingchangesof

pace,cutters,bowlingfuUand fast, orhurlingdown short deliveries, eachbowler needstoknowwhat hiscaptain is expecting from him at aparticulartimeduring the innings, especiallyduring the death overs. This ensuresat least somevarietyintheattack whilecementingeach bowler's responsibilitiesandallowing Dhoni to secarelevantfield.

The spin bowling stocks

Indiagoesintorhe tournament with off-break bowler RavichandranAshwin andslow .left-armorthodoxbowlers RavindraJadejaandAxarPatel. However, uncertaintyhangs overeach of diem.Atthe time of writing, tl1einjured Ravindra Jadejahas not yet playedamatch in Australia,all-rounderAxar Patelhas failed to score asingle run,andRaviAshwinhasbarely beengivenachance.[one of this inspires any cor1fidence, and India is heavilyrelianton their spinners in the middleovers.

IfIndiacan'tfindtwo performingspinners,theyshould playfourseamers -at least onthesmallerNewZealand grmmds, wheretl1epropensity

for spinners todisappearover theshortbom1dariesisimmense. Otherwise,AshwinandJadeja mustbe favouredoverAxar Patel; each is astronger batsman, andaltliough Patelis asimilar bowler toJadejaoperatingfrom a greater height,Jadeja's fielding far outclassesPatel's.

The Dhawan conundrum

Australia's son-iJ1-lawShil,har Dhawan, who lives inMelbourne with biswifeandson,has bad an extremely tough "tour"sofar. Aftera promisingfirst outing in Adelaide, his form bas nosedived. His fragility outside the off-stumpbasled Indiato search for another openerin their squad; theonlyproblem is, tliey sent their best opener home after the TestmarcheswhenMuraliVijay departedAustralianshores.And so Indiastickswith Dhawan Jcisasignificantproblem.

DLLI1can Fletcherand RaviShastri can only do somuch in such ashort periodof rime tofix Dhawan's technicaldeficiencies. Although therehavebeen suggestionsby commentators suchasIanChappellthatSmart Binnyshouldopen tl1ebatting withAjinkyaRahane, anda casualconversationwitli Indian journalistsrevealstheir strong desire toplay Ashwinattlietop of tl1eorder,ilieseare bits-andpieces solutions.

Thereisnocapable replacement openerin thesquad If Dhawan's form continues, there might come atime in the tournamentwhen outlandish ideas maybe the01.ly wayforwardforIndia'sopening combination -justas SriLanka

theseshoresfor;

Victors Team Indio celebrateattheend ofthelostWorldCup

didwith SanarhJayasuriyaand RomeshKaluwitl1arana in 1996. Don'tbesmprisedifyousee Binny orAshwinfacingupfirst againstone of the weaker a[tacks.

Unlikely does notmean in1possible,andstrangerthings havehappenedinWocldCup history. Bur,if tl1eyfail toarrest theircurrent slide, India's2015 WorldCupcampaign mayjust derail before itgets off tl1e ground.

India'sWorld Cup 2015squad

l\,fSDhoni(Captain/ \Xlicketl<eeper),Virat Kohli, RavichandranAshwin, Stuart Binny,ShikharDhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, MohammedShami,AxarPatel, AjinkyaRahane,Suresh Raina, AmbariRayudu,lshantSharma, RohitSharma, Umesh Yadav.

Tic .

ketsall soldout for the India-Pak game? Yes,some20,000 people are estimated totravelcoAdelaide fromacrossAustraliaandoverseas forthe Sunday 15 Fehrury match.

AdelaideAirportis allgearedup towelcomeIndianandPakistani visirorswith "Namasti'and"Sa!a,11 walek1111!' greetings Bueitwasnoproblemifyou badnorickets forone recentIndiaPakclash:anyoneandeveryone waswelcomecothisgame at Adelaide betweenthetwogreat rivals.

Cricketers fromSouth Australia's lndian andPakistani communitiesplayedaFriendship Cupat KilburnOvalinthename of harmonyrecently.

This newly-createdFriendship Cupbroughttogetherthe two migrant commtmiciesin apreview of thecountries'meetingat AdelaideOvalin theCricketWorld Cup clash. Heldinmid-January,theevent wasthe fusetin1ethecommunities hadcometogetherlocallyfora jointevent.

TheFriendshipCupisanidea tlmtwasdevelopedbyMulticultural Sports&CommunityClub (MSCC)andSouthAusrralian CricketAssociation (SACA) to achieve commlltlaloutcomes.

Theeventwasco-organised

with tl1elndianAustralian Associationof SouthAustralia (IAASA) and thePakistani Associationof SouthAustralia (PASA)

Theideawasroprovidea platformwherepeoplefrom different backgrounds cancome togetherandenjoysomethingin agloballanguagesuch asspore. Cricket isjust dieSt'lrt,because that'ssomethingthatcomes to usnaturally,beingfrornthe subcontinent. Giventhesuccess ofthisevent,SAC\andorl1er organisingcommunitieshave agreedcomakeitanannualevent with tl1e potential toincorporate ochersubcontinent communitiesas well(SriLankau,Bangladeshiand Afghani).

Perhapstheywill getJ\.micabh Bachchan ro provide thelive commentary!

This event helpedpromote greatercollaborationbetween tl1ecultural groups and improved relationsbetween thetwo conmmnicies.Anotl1erobjective of tl1eeventdescribedbyFaisal ChaudhryofMSCC wasto enablerecently arrived migrants toconnectwid1 thewider communtywhileutilisingsport as aglobal language. Heobserved, "Eventssuch astheseenable new arrivalstoconnectwith awide rangeof peopleandgives them aplatform to network and start a newlifewitl1 some very positive resultsrather d1an suffering social isolation."

AKids' Cricket Clinic was also organisedonthe sameday providingaplatformforthe children fromtl1ecom1mmicies (aged4to 15) cogetinvolvedwith the sportof cricket anddevelop skills, underproperguidancefrom SACA.

Thiseventalsoprovideda platform foraday's entertainment for mewholefamilyastherewere Bollywoodpetlormauces,food stallswith scrumptiousIndian

andPakistani food,hennatattoos, ponyridesand face painringand jumpingcastlefor child1·en. Bollywood dancesbyMudra DanceAcademyandFusion bearskept thecrowdsentertained. SeemaSreeklltl1ar,DevangDave andFahadsangsomefantastic Bollywoodsongs andthrilled d1e audience.

Thepresenceof theLordMayor of theCity of PortAdelaide andEnfield GaryJohnsonand SJ\.JvIEAC (SoumAustralian Mulciculmral andEtlmicAffairs Commission)ChairmanGrace Portolesi encouraged bothme communities.

Bothassociationpresidents, brothers-in-armsonthisoccasion, spokewarmlyonbelialfof theircommunities.Dr Rakesh Mohindra,Presidentof IAJ\.SA, acknowledged the contribution of volunteersfrombotl1 the communities. ShahyanShabbir, Presidentof PASAsaidthat rl1eeventhasbroughtboththe communitiescloser.

Team Indiawontl1efirstever FriendshipCup trophywitl1 hopes in every Indian'sheart thatthe officialTeam Indiawillalsotake ICC WorldCup2015trophyhome.

A Hindu communityicon

It'sanAustraliaDayhonourforProf. NihalAgar, theheadoftheHinduCouncilofAustralia

�' BY �, RAJNIAN�N� ,1,. LUTHRA

ThisAustraliaDay, Sydney'sProf.Nihal Agarreceivedthe MemberoftheOrder ofAustralia(AM) award"forsignificantserviceto theHinducommunityinAustralia, tothefosteringofcrosscultural cooperationandnetworkingand tomedicaleducation".

Amuch-lovedmemberof Sydney'sIndiancommuruty,Prof. Agarisbestknownasthefaceof theHinduCouncilofAustralia, andmorerecently,astheman whospearheadedthemovement timeorgarusedthecommunity receptionforIndia'sprime ministerNarendraModiwhenhe visitedAustralia.

"lthinkitisawonderfulgesn1re onthebehalfofthegovernment torecognisemulciculrural communitiesinthismanner," 75-year-oldProf.Ahgattoldllldia11 Link."Irisavaluablerecognition fortheHinduCouncil,morethan formepersonally,andofcourse fortheIndiancommuruty."

Withcharacteristichurnilit)r, hegivescreditsquarelytohis sathi.s(colleagues),whohelikesto describeas"heereja1JJaba1''(gems).

"I'vebeenformnatetohave tl1esupportofsometruly wonderfulpeopleinallmyefforts actl1ecommurutystage,"hesrud, adding,'1t'stl1eirloveandrespect that'senabledmetocontribute meaningfully."

UnderPro[Agar'sstewardship, tl1eHinduCouncilhasbecome Sydney'sleadingIndian communityorganisationthat drawspeoplefromacrnss linguisticandregionaldivides. ltsflagshipevent,Deepavali,is easilythebest-knownlarge-scale eventintl1ecommunity;ithas grownstronglysinceitstarted overadecadeagowhileotl1er comparablefunctionshavewaxed andwaned.Inrecentyears,ithas gonefromaday-longfairtomuch more,withapre-eventwithin theSydneyCBDchatattracts tl10usandsofpeople.

TheCouncilalsodealswith enquiriesfromthegovernment andfromeducationalinstitutions.

Asamanofscienceasmucb asamanoffaith,Prof.Agaris equallypassionateaboutnmltifruch issues.Hespeaks(ororganises foraHinduCouncilvolunteer tospeak)atvariousmultifaitb forums,presentingtheHi.ndu noteonavarietyofissues,often highlightingtl1eonenessofall religions.Hehasbeenparticularly

insttumentalindeveloping networksforinstancebetweentl1e HindLLandJewishcommunities inSW,bighlighringcenturiesof friendshipaswellasastrategic relationshjpincontemporary □mes.

Arecenthighpointfortihal Agarhasbeentl1eSydney receptionforIndianPMNarendra Modilatelastyear,forwhichtl1e IndiancommunityinAustralia madeworldheadlines.The receptionwasorganisedbythe IndianAustralianCommunity Foundation(IACF),setupby Prof.Agarasacoalitionofdiverse Indian-Australianorganisations whopooledtheirresources specificallyfortl1eevent.Ina movetypicalofhisstyle,Agar declaredtl1actheeventwouldbe aninclusiveeffort,inwhichas manycommunityorganisationsas possiblewouldbeinvitedtotake part.

''Ouraimwasalwaysto representthediversityand pluralismthatdefinesIndiaand thethreehru1dredthousand IndianAusttalians."

ltwasamasterstrokethat LmitedtheJndiansinAustralia likeneverbefore,andalsosent themessageouttomewider Australiancommunitychatthey canbeaformidablepartof mesocio-politicalfabricofthe country.

Some400vo.lunteersoffered theirservices,someeventaking leaveofabsencefromtheir regulardayjobs.Tothem,Nihal Agarprovedtobeagreatleader andmotivator.

Histrademarkmodusoperandi, whichhasworkedsowe!Jinthe HinduCouncil,includesaclear visionofpurpose;aworking teamthatoperatescohesivelyand efficiently,andastrongbeliefin, anddedicationto,thecause.

Prof.AgararrivedinAustral.ia in1967asapostdoctoralstudent inphysiologyattheUniversityof IewEngland,Armidale,NSW. Hestayedontherefor33years tillheretiredin2000asProfessor andHeadoftheDepartment.

"Thatwastrulythegoldentime ofmylife,"ProfAgarremirusced. "Armidale'salovelylittlecountry town,andasIwastoldbymy ownprofessorintheearlyyears,a greatplacetobringupkids.Istill believech.isafter45years!"

HehasfondmemoriesofUNE aswell."Tcisthefirstuniversity outsideofthemetropolisesin Australia.It\Vasahappytimefor me,and1sharedmanywonderful timeswithmycolleaguesand students."

UponretirementProf.Agar movedtoSydneyandbecame associatedwitl1theUniversityof Sydney.Hecontinuestobean HonoraryAssociatetothisday.

Ir\Vaswaybackin1990that communityworkbeckoned.The establishmentofaSydneybranch oftl1eVishnuHinduParishad wasmootedatthetime,andProf. Agarfounditstruckachord.He becamePresident,andremruned sotill2005.Theannualfamily ca.mpwasoneofthehighpoints.

In2004,tl1eEkalVidyalaya movementinIndiareachedoutto thediasporainAusttalia.Inthis socialcampaign,theremotestrural regionsofIndiaarebenefitted byeducationalandeconomic developmentprogramscarriedout byvolunteers.Theorganisation runsone-teacherschoolsthat teachbasicliteracyandhealthcare educationtochildren.Today,it hasbecomethelargestgrassroots, non-governmentaleducation movementinthecoLmtry,having educated1.5millionchildrenin 53,000schools.

Asanacademichimself,the ideaappealedtoProf.Agar instantlyandheplungedintot11e Ekalmovement.Thefirstyearsaw some35schoolssponsoredfrom Australia.

''.Asoftoday, EkalinAustralia sponsors800 schoolsthat takeprimary educationtotribal kidsacrossthecoLmtry.I've nowpassedontheprimary responsibilitytoothers,but1am veryproudtoseeitgoingfrom strengthtostrength."

Infact,Prof.Agarlistshis accomplishmentswithEkalasone ofbisbestsuccessesinhissocial workcareer

Whatdoesthefunu·eholdfor NihalAgar?

'Tdliketocontinuedoing whatI'mdoing,tan,!llana11r dha11 kc saath(witheveryfibre ofmybeing).I'dlovetosee tl1eestablishmentofaHindu educationalandculturalcentrefor ourcommunityAlso,itwould bewonderfulifwecouldhavean eventortwoannually,alongthe linesofIACF'sModireception, whichwillbringtl1ecommunity togetherfromacrossAustraliaand sendomagoodname".

Amentothat!

Members oftheLGBT(Lesbian, Gay, BisexualandTransgender)communitytakepartin the 'QueerAzaadi'(Independence) March(QAM)inMumbai, 31 January2015.

Advani, Dilip Kumar, Amitabh conferred PadmaVibhushan

BJPleaderL.K.Advani,spiritual leaderandphilanthropist Aga Khan, actors Dilip Kumar and Amitabh BachchanandPunjab Chief l\,finisterParkash Singh Badal areamongthe nine named for India'ssecondhighest civilian honour,die PadmaVibhushan.

The awards, declaredon the eve of Republic Day,are the first Paclma honours announcedby rheNarendraModigovernmem whichassumed office lastMay.

lthadlast month conferreddJe nation'shighest honour -the Bharat Ratna -on former prime ministerAcalBihariVajpayee andeducationistMadan Mohan Malaviya.

Ahomeministry releasesaid d1atPre&identPranabMukherjee has approvedconfermentof Padmaawardsto104peoplenine forPadmaVibhushan,20 for Padma Bhushan and 75 forPadma Shri.

Seventeenof the awardeesare women. Fourhavebeennamed forPadrnaawards posthumously. AlsoamongthePadma Vibhushan awardeesissenior nuclear scientistM.R.Sriuivasan, 84,whohad negotiatedonbehalf of India with Russiaforsupplyof reactors forKudankulam uclear PowerProject (KNPP).

Srinivasanhasnearly60years' experiencein the Indiannuclear field and seen ilie construction of mostof thecountry'satomic powerplants. He has been conferred mePadma Bhushan and PadmaShriearlier.

Microsoftfounder and philanthropistBill Gatesand his wife Melinda, journalistsSwapan DasguptaandRajatSharma,

lawyerT--JarishSalve, filmmaker JahnuBarna, forrnerchief election commissionerN.Gopalaswami, wrestler-turned-coach Satpal, maths"Nobel Prize" winner ManjulBhargava andCarnatic singerSud.haRaghunathanare amongthe20recipientsof tl1e Padma Bhushan.

EconomistBibekDebroy, badmintonplayerP.VSindhu, space scientistsS.Arunan -the project directorforIndia'sMars mission -andS.K. Shivkumar, directorof theIndian Space ResearchOrganisationSatellite Centre andhavinga key rolein buildingthedeep spacenet\vork (DSN) thatwasusedintracking theChandrayaanandMarsOrbite inter-planetary satellites,are amongthosenamed forPadma Shri.

Thelist of Padmaawardees includessomespiritual leaders -Swami Ran1bhadracharya (PadmaVibhushan),Swami

SacyamitranandGiri and Shivakumara Swami (bod1Padma Bbushan) andPorn1gal-based JagatGuruAmrtaSuryananda

Maha Raja(PadmaShci) werein rhelist.Artof LivingfounderSri SriRaviShankar andyogaguru Ramdevhad declinedco receive the awardsafter their names appearedin themedia.

ThePad.maBhushan awardees alsoinclude formerLok Sabhasecretarygeneraland constitutionalexpertSubhash C. Kash.yap.WhileBhargavais settled in theUS,fourothersin thelist areforeignnationals.

Prominentamongchose who havebeen conferred Padan1aShci includeBollywood directorSanjay Leela Bhansali,lyricist Prasoon Joshi,musicdirectorRavindra Jain, Gujarati writerTarakMehta

andcartoonistPranKumar Sharma orPran (posthumously), T.V. MohandasPai (tradeand industry), Mithali Raj(sports) andJ.S. Rajput (literature and education).

Padmaawardsaregiven in variousdisciplinesandfields of activitysuchas art,social work,public affairs, scienceand engineering,tradeand indusa-y, medicine,literatureandeducation, sports andcivilservice.

PadmaVibhushan is awarded forexceptional anddistinguished service;PadmaBhushan for distinguishedserviceof high order and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field. Theseawards areconferred bythepresidentat ceremonial functions heldat Rashtrapati Bhawan usually aroundMarch/ April every year.

For Delhi's homeless, voter i-card a passport to better Iife NeetuShalu, a35-year-old homeless woman andmotherof foursmallchildren,feelsluckyshe has avoteridentitycard whichwill allowhertocastherballotin the upcomingDelhielection.

Shahiisamongagrowing numberof homelesspeoplenumberingnearly I0,000 -who can casetheirvotedue coefforts of ilieElectionCommission.

Pollingofficials in Delhi said9,369 homelesspeople will be eligibleco exercisetheirfranchisein theFeb 7poll.

Thoughofficial data puts thenumberof homelessin the metropolisat around65,000,it is not easy to keep track asmany of chemkeep changingd1eir location Shahi has beenlivingon a footpathneartheBaoglaSahib

yotmgandgrew upon footpaths of the national capita

Sonu, who willvoteforthefirst time,isexcitedaboutexercising his franchise.

"Itwillbemy firstchance tovote.Iam e--xcired and will certainlyvote," he said.

''Some peoplecame,askedmy nameand filled aform. Thisis how I gotmycard,"headded.

Sonu saidd1evoteri-cardwill helpestablish his identity andhelp himget employment.

''I work as a labomer. Sometimesrich people comeand gh1eus some money orfoodwhen theyseeussleepingon footpatl1s, but Ihavenot seen anybody from thegovernment helpingus,"he said. "Thecard willgiveussome identiry now."

Ganga revival in Varanasi: High on promises, low on action

Nearly ninemonths aftertl1e Modigovernment laidout an elaborateplan torevivetheri\Ter Gangaand clean uptheancient city,tl1ereappears ahugegap bet\veenhisvisionandvisible reality even asenvironmentalists dub theentire planas"overambitious".

GurdwaraincentralDelhi for manyyearsnow and, likemany otl1ersthere, shedependson tl1e gurdwara for her dailymeals.

"Votingor not itdoesnor makeany difference for us. But I willstillvote,"shetoldJANS.

Thevoteri-cardisnora simple document for Shahi, which will allow hertovote. Shefeels itisa passporttoimproveher life.

"The card will helpmegetmy cl1ildren enrolled ingovernmentnmschools," shesaid.

Shahi, likemanyotherhomeless people,hopesthevoter i-card will alsohelp themgetpermanent sheltersfromtl1egovernment.

DelhiChief Electoral Officer (CEO) Chandra BhushanKumar saidiliacpollingofficials were followingall theguidelinesin enrollinghomelesspeople.

Hesaid 5,500 homelessvoters were registered with thepoll panel forthe 2013 assemblyelections, while the numberof suchvoters in Delhi for theLokSabha electionsrose to 7,G14.

Hedescribedtheincrease asa "positivesign"for tl1e electoral process.

He said poll panel officials checked about thepresence of ahomelesspersonthriceat aparticularpointtoascertain whetherheorshecontinuedto livethere.

Aspecialdrive, which started Jan 5 andended aheadof the announcementof polldates, wasalsoconductedco enrol tl1e homeless.

Hesaid thehomelessvoters were beingencouragedtocast ilieir ballot.

Sonu, a20-year-old homeless youtl1 who keeps shifting from one place to another,saidhe had losthis parentswhenhe wasquite

Intheprimeminister's constituency,melocalauthorities havenotyetwoken uptoModi's visionfor thebeautificationof theGanga and theghats(tl1esteps leadingtothe river), which is why theproblem remains imraccable, said students fromtheInsritute of CharteredAccountants (ICA), who conducted a clean-up drivein diearea.

"Thelocal authoritiesare nor responsive tothe Swachh Bharat call. Thereareveryfew bins. Therearenogarbage col.lectionvanseitherin the city," said21-year-oldShubhJindal, a participant in the Clean lndia driveneartheAssi Ghatorganised togenerate awarenessabout keepingVaranasiclean.

"Thereisagapbet\veen what Modiji saidand what'sbeingdone on the ground," said another student.

While thelocalsremainupbeat and pinhopesonModi for deliveringhisclaims,experts seem l.irtleimpressed with the moon that has been promised.

''Itis a false plan developed bythe government I am not satisfied with thepollution cootrol efforts sofar because the government is ignoring theavif'tl!ta (continuousAowof water) aspect of cleaning tl1e Ganga,"Brahma DmrTripailii,professorof environmentalengineeringat rhe BenarasHindu University (BHU), toldlANS.

Whileiris importanttostress on tl1e problemof pollution, the focusmustgobeyond asthe issueof tl1eGanga'sresmgence is deeper than the contamination caused by floral waste, dead bodies and industrial effluents.

Theissueof 11ir111a/t{I(clean water)vsavirlatais at thecore,said Tripatbi, whoisalso amemberof

theNational Ganges RiverBasin Authority (NGRBA).

Functioningunderthe water resourcesministry, theNGRBA is d1efinancing, planning, implementing,monitoring and coordinatingaud1orityford1e Ganga.

"TheGangaisseriously sufferingfrom d1eproblemof reduced flow duecoconstruction of dams onthemain streamand theBhagirarhiin Uattrakhand. Whe11waterisscoredin dams,it leadscod1eproblem of seepage, affectingthequantity of water (in d1eriver)," Tripatbi said.

Thediversion of waterfor irrigationis another stress,he said.Thehealmy flowof water in theriveris key coensuring its self-cleansing potential, and"that's the main reason why wearenot ableto control poUution Priority shouldhegiven to enhancing d1eflow of waterandensuring its continuousflow(aviralta) Theclean water(11irmalta) aspect dependson diat," d1eprofessor said.

Anothercasein pointis d1emismanagement of solid wastebythelocalauthorjties. Theghatsbeingmorphedinto crematoriumsonlycompounds d1eprobJem.Floralwaste,plastic bags,coconucs,silt and ochersolid wastealsodot tbeghats.

"About33,000deadbodiesare cremated on d1eHarish Chandra andManikarnika.Moreover,about 3,000deadbodiesof humansand about6,000animalsarethrown intotheGangainVaranasi every year," said Tripadu, who has been researchingon theriver sincethe 1970s.

TheSupremeCourt asked thecentralgovernment recendy cospellout arimelimitasno verifiableprogresswasevident despitethe decades-oldcleansing work.

Theclarioncallforrevivingme Ganga,seen asa winningcard forModi fromVaranasi,was at mecoreof theBJP'selection manifesto for the2014general elections.Undercbe publicprivate-partnership model, the Modigovernment setasideRs. 80,000 crorefor its plan for an "aviralatn-11ir111al(concinuous and clean)"Ganga.

Also,thetimeframecomnutted to clean the2,525-kmriverstretch fromGaumukh (Uttral{hand) coGanga Sagar (\"v'estBengal) cannotbeaccomplishedwithin d1reeyearsaspromisedbyd1e government initsfirstphaseof theactionplan. Thegovernment proposescoconcludethe cleansingprogrammeby 2018.

ButA.S.Raghbanslu, directorof BHU'sInstituteof Environment andSustainable Developmentis not convinced. " ot possible. It'san overambitious plan."

Thelocalquann,mof sewage, oneof cheprimarypollucants, is 300million litres aday(MLD). Incontrast,me capacity of d1e current STPsinDinapurand Bhagwanpuris about90:tv[LD when mey work atfullcapacity.

Thus,about 200MLD isstilJ discharged untreated and"even if d1eystartbuildingSTPs today, they would cake about five years to complete," Raghubanshi said. Trus wouldmeanmissingd1e claimed deadline of 2018.

Dara Shikoh's neglected library may becometourist spot

TheUrcarPradesh government will renovatetheneglected red sandstone strncture inAgra that was oncetherich libraryof Mughal emperorAurangzeb's bromerDaraShikoh, agreat scholar who sought toexplore the commonalitybetweenIslam and Hinduism andtranslated Hindu scriptures, includingme Upanishad, intoPersian.

Historians sayMughal history wouldhavebeen radically differenthadDaraShikoh,had he notbeenkilled, ascended chethroneinstead of memore fundamentalist Aurangzeb.

Thefundsfortherenovation project wiU come fromtheWorld Bank'stourism initiative. The principal secretary of mestate government, Sanjeevl'vlittalhas orderedmeconservation of me herjtageJjbrary. Agra District MagistratePaokajKumarhas askedexpertstodraw upaplan wruch will soon besentto d1e government.

Conservacionists inAgrahad longdemandedtherestoration andreopeni11gof DaraShikoh' librar)'mat hasbeen inshambles in theheart of theTajcity.

"People may have forgotten about its existence. But dm:ing ShahJahan's reign,it was a centre of scholarship ande..xceUence," saidhistorian Raj KishoreRaje.

"Sufisaintsandscholars regularlymetanddiscussed mysticism and theology,with Dara Shikoh lumself initiacingthe discussions,"he added.

Dara Shikoh (1615-59) was ShahJahan'seldestson and would havesucceededhin1 bucforbeing defeatedin batdeand menbeing assassinatedatd1einstanceof rusbrother Aurangzeb.Thiswas duri11gan intense powerstruggle foUowing ShahJahan's illness, leadingto theemperor'sousterin 1658.

DaraShikoh, whose name in Persianmeans"possessingsuch magnificence asDarius",set up librariesinseveral places includi11g Delhi. Butthe best knownlibrary was inAgra.It wastakenoverby theBritish in 1881 andbecame theTown HaJJ.

Dara.Slukohwas agreat scholar of Persian andSanskrit. Despited1eravagesof warsand hisinvolvement in aseries of political anddomesticcrisesdue coShahJahan'silJhealth,hestill found rimeco translate andwrite books. His chief missionwasco exploremecommonality between H.induisrnandIslam andhowthe gap could bebridged.

Several importantworks, includingtheUpaiushads,were translated into Persian. Thelibrary hadseparateenclosuresforbook

binders,painters and translators. Daraboughtmousands of books fromEuropeford1islibrary.

TheBrajManda)Heritage ConservationSocietyhas urged d1eArchaeologicalSurvey of India (ASI) toacquirethebuilding andtake up restorationwork beforeopeningit comepublic.

"Thisstructuredoesnot boastof power orroyaltybut symbolisesd1espiritof Sulah Knl,Din-e-Ilaruand thelater day secularism. The library stands as atestimonycomehigh level of intellectualism and academic excellence,"Society president Surendra Sharmasaid.

Theredsandstone library building,wluchshould have been conserved and protected bytheAS],isnow with theAgra Municipal Corporation. Parts of it havebeensoldto tradersac cheMotiGanj Mand i while od1er pares havebeen encroached upon. Inits heyday, it wasabeautiful building,with aii-yshelves forthe books,provisionof light andair, hugehalJsandscholarlyambience.

The centralballwith painted windows, scone-carvedshelves forbooks wid1 proper vencilation and airpassagesand natural light filtersspeak of thetasteand passionof DaraShikoh.

Evidenceof thisisscill visible d1ough the area has beenreduced co awholesalemarketof rice, jaggery andsugar.

DuringBritish Raj,thebuilding wasbrieflyusedford1ehighcourt andmenforgovernment offices.

A third ofAmerica's budding science talent are ofIndian origin

Nearly one-d1irdof d1e40rugh schoolseniors namedfinalistsin d1e Intel Science Talent Search

2015,America's oldest and most prestigiouspre-collegescienceand math competition, are of Indian origin.

Thefu1alists receiveana.llexpenses-paidtrip to Wasbii1gton, DC fromMarch 5to 11 to competefor moreman$1 miJJjonin awru·dsfrom theIntel Foundation.

RunbytheSocietyforScience &me Public,the contest recognisesmemostpromising youngUSinnovatorscreatingthe technologiesand solutions d1.at willthatwill make people's lives better.

Intel ScienceTalentSearch recendytripled icstop award money,replacingmesingle $100,000 top prize with three Medal of Distincton awards of $150,000 each.

"lntelinvestsinengineering, math andscienceeducation to supportd1enext generationof innovators,whowill create d1e prodL1cts andservices coenrich ourdailylives,"saidJustin Rattner, presidentof theIntelFoundation.

Selectedfrom300semifinalists and morethan 1,800entrants,me finalists are from 36 schools in 18 states.

Iodie past, younginnovators cl1osentoparticipate inthe ScienceTalentSearchhavegone on toreceivemoreman 100 of the world's most prescigious honouss, includingeight NobelPrizes.

The 13 lndian American finalists and meirprojectsare: *Anandapadrnanaban,Eswar, NewJersey;TbcTbereJ\fTI\IJ:A Touch-lessRi!spiratoryMonitor: *Chemparad1y,AugustineGeorge, California;Accu11111lationefthe Biodiese/Prec11rsorT1iarylgfycerol OffsetsOxidativeStrwintheModel

A.{gaCbla111Jdomonasreinhanltii.

*D'Mello, Ryan,lllinois;ANe1p Result011 GapsBet111emIntegerPoints 011EllipticCm11eslllitbCoveragee App!icatiomtoCt]'ptograpq;,. *Gupta,Aiwita,Arizona; Co,np11tatio11alDmgDiscoveryfar Ca11ce1;Tuberculosis,andEbolahy TargetingfntrinsiailfyDisordered Protei11s.

*Khare,Somya,California;Cha11ges inGrOJvtb&-,te,md<:;ytoskeleMI Activi!JDmingtbeStarvation ResponseinE.coli.

*Kishore,Shashwat,Pennsylvarua; M1iltiplici!),SpaceSignr1t11resand ApplicationsinTmsorProductsofs/2 Representations.

*Kuditipudi,Rohid1,California; l'lehP01-kBasedlntegratio11efHigh Throughp11tGeneE.:,..pre.rsio11and Mefl!JlationDataRi!vealsNeu1Tnsight.r infoNAFWProgre.rsio11.

*LaJJ, Krici,California;ANovel BacteriaStraina11dBioreactorfor P1,1ctica/Arsenic[PaterBioml!ediatio11. *Pandya,Dhaivat Nitin, Wisconsin;MininmmCostI...i.11ear Netl/!01-kCodingDesignfarGe11cral Co1111ectio11.r.

*Pamak, Reesab,Waslungton; (ytol!legalovirusVaccineVecto,:rIflduce Universal,MHC-ERestTictedCD8+ TcellsAgainstATOSVims. *Prembabu,Saraaesh,Califonua; CoupledElechicandMag11etic PropertiesinArtificial!J-LaJered PerovskiteThi11Fi/111.r.

*Raghuvanshl,Ai1ika, Orlando; LogicSynthesisandaGenemlized 1-Votatio,1farJ\lf.e,mistor-&alized lvfateiiaLTmplicationGates.

*Tandon,Tanay,Cal.ifornia; TopographicalComputerVision A.{goritbv1sfarR,,pid,Lo/JI-cost J-lematologicrJIDiagnosticsandParasite DetectionTh1·011ghRa11domForests Classificatio11andvanue11111enhoek!)peImaging.

IANS

Heavysnows inKashmirearlyin Februaryhaveleftthe NationalHighway 1Aclosed, flights cancelledandtrainservicessuspended, leaving the wholevalleyeffectivelycutoff.

Pyar. /shq.Mohabbat. Indian LinkRadioanchors often talkaboutloveon theirshows, butwhatdo they considertheirfirstlove?

Ring ring, why don't you give me a call...

It's alwaysbeen aboutfirstlove for me!Pehlana.sha,pehlakhu!llaaar type, nowonder I lovethar song somuch!Myfirstlove story was withrh.is8-year-old girl. I was probably nineorten myself. She lookedatmeand then guitars starred playingin thebackground justlikeMainHoonNa!

Tocuta longstory short, sheended up witb mybest friend.Ouch. Inevercouldtell berhowIfelt,so she stilldoesn't know! Ievengiftedher my favouritetoy (Woody from Tqy St01y) that's how seriouslyI loved her Clearly, as you haveprobably gatheredfrommyflirty shows,I amnot shy anymore!

ln2013,I fellinlovefortbe firstti.meagainandthistimeit was-and still is- withmyfirst everiPhonel UJJ,thetimesI was standing, waitingforthephone i:t11a k11chagarkisiiadkikeljyek!)•a hotaI would'vebeenmarried abhi. Took me good fourmonthsof waitingto geefl/em1/Jtilaphone leki11,//Johkehtehai1111a,agarkjsi cheezkodi/sechahotoscwrikaya11ath tumhe11sset11i!a11ekikoshish111ei11 lagja"tihai. Or11ShantiOm, I can vouch for the truth in th.is!

Meand my phone areso happy togetherandnow. I'm waitingfor anotherfirst,hopefully itwon'tbe aniPhonethistime!

KashifHarrison

Yummo!

"Yummy,delicious,tasty, fantastic, awesome!"ravemy kids. "Thinkwe could makethese moreoften?"

Ohyes wecan!

Than.kstoyou,shiningbeauty, I finally ger romakea much loved familyfavourite arhome now. ForyearsI have only been ableto experience thatdelicious taste outsidethehouse, and really wondered when I couldlaymy handsonyou.See,I thoughtir wasonlyanexpert that could handle you. Now1 cancoo.A gi.fr frommy family, and finally Ihave you.Youmakethe best golden wafAes.

I LOVErbismachine!Never knew akirchengadgercould maJ,e mefall in love with it! #waffles #wafflemaker NeelamVasudevan

Zen and the art of...

On my weekly showKL,shishon Mondayevenings I talkafair bir aboutromance. Often listeners sayto me,kt1hhi"pnapehl"pym ke hm·emei11tohrJt(Jo!

To)'ChlijfyeMerapehlaPJ'aa,; mm1hiketha.

I am goingback downmemory lane, 1992 to beprecise. l boughr my newSuzuki Samuraiwhenit was launched. It wasa brighrmetallicred colour and I still rememberhow excitedI was when I was takingit out of theshowroom.

If you'reabikeloverlike me, you'll agreedrnt thethrill you get fromridingyour bike,you can nevergerfrom driving your car!

I was verypossessiveabout mybike.Nobody wasallowedto couchit,notevenmy brod1er. Oneof myfirstjobs in the morning wastoclean mybeloved bike.Andeach eveningI would ride ourtothepanipmistall, notgettingoff evento eat my cherished late afternoon snack.

Thebikewasdefinitelymy;eev,111 saathi.

Ononeoccasion,1returned from shopping to find theobject of myaffectionsmissing from its usual spot. Frantic,1ran abom likeacrazed man lookingforir. I searched my pockersfor the keys and then remembered,I hadput thebikeinforservicing!

When l lefrlndiafor New Zealandin1999,Ihad to make the painful decisionof selling mypyaaribike. As1gaveher up and returnedhomeinanautorickshaw,I couldn'thelp but sheda few silent tears. Thenext morning, omof sheerhabit, I venturedoutside as usual togive

thedung a clean, only wfind, she was mineno more (s11ifJJ.

I still.missmyfirst love,mySuzuki Samurai. TodayI driveasleekMercedes Benz, which I love deady,bur it will nevertaketheplaceof my cherishedbike. Shr!Jadisilyek.ehte hain, kekisi/;hicheezseih1t1mohahh"t na karokeuskechafejMnekehaad ,ukikamimehsoosho. ManojMenon

Elementary, my dear Priyanka!

He wasrhesmartestman l had known -sharp,asnue, and intelligenr (that'san understatei:nent);hehad d1e powersof logic andteasoni.ng, withmicroscopic eyesight, impeccable obsei:vation andthe absolme ability rounderstand, deduceand conclude anything withperfect accuracy.

I followedevery move,every act,everyincident that happened in his life and simply couldn't stopadoringhim, lovinghim andidolisinghim.Once,I even thought of taking up his profession,jusrto belikehim, but thenrealised rhatsome professionsrequireanIQ above 2001Alright,many of you may have known him too,and many mayhave shared similar emotions, butI don't care,as longas l know

tharhe was myfirst Jove. I only wisb he had comeout of those pages, bent down on his kneesand Had thar happened,Iprobably would havebeen living in221BBaker Srreet,London.

Well,for now helives in my study and has averyspecial place in ruyheart.

You're mine (with apologiesto Beyonce}

You can't callhim myfirstlove, buthe mostlydefinirely is a huge love of mylife. If I callhim the biggestloveof mylife,thereal, true loveof mylife maythrow both meand himout of the house!

It mostdefinitelywasrOT loveatfirst sight... In facrbisclose shaveandemaciatedbodyacmaUy put meoff completely when I firstlaideyeson him. Hewas so shyhe wouldn'tevenacknowledge all theeffortI wasmakingtoget hin1!I tried to hold him,cuddle him,kiss him, butit was like throwingmyself at abrickwall. I gotnothing Nor abelieverin unrequited

Priyanka Tater

love,1decided to persist and made deadliermoves coattract him tome.Either ourlove scorywasmeant tobeor The Force uptherefelt sorryfor me.Aftermuch convincingand cajoling1finally got akiss!My first kissfrom him, how canI ever forget! l was instantly engulfed in thewarmth of his loveand wantedtomakehimmine!

Lovelike thisis hard cofind; thisrelationshiphad tobemade official.

1hadmade thedecision to be witl1him and he had decided hewantedme.Theonlything

standingbetween uswaspaperwork. I impatientlygottheredt.1pe

ouc of theway,nothingwas goingtostop usnow.

Wecook off in our car,gazing into each other'seyes,both excited toscareour lives together.lewas trulymagical.

Openingthe door cothehouse forhimseemedsonatural... openingmyheart cohim,easy.

Hecameinco the house, curiouslycheckingout every room andcorner.Thenhecametowards mewithu·ustingeyeschatmelted

my heart. I could have criedwitbjoy! Hestopped nearmypreciousmirror ac the entrance,lifted oneleg and peed!

Oh, Triggy! It was going so well... Why didn't tbey pottytrain you actheRSPCA?

UzmaBeg

For my ears only

One tl1ingthat1have absolutelyfalleninlovewith is mySennheiserheadphones. Itsurebeats thenoiseof the outsideworld. Ihavealwaysbeen fascinatedwith that coollook, wearingthe headphonesfor

radio. lc's the "in yourface" presentationthatmakesit a LOT of fun. That'smyrecent Valentine'slove andIguess it's gonnalastforevernow.

SagarMehrotra

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Threethingshave kept Indianspore in focusthisformight. Thecricket teamfailedtomakethetri-series finaltoendadreadful tour ofAustralia;a Dutchmanhasbeennamedthenewnational hockeycoach,andLeanderPaespartnered anotherMartina(Hingis) towiuhisseventh GrandSfa.m titlein mixed doublesto add to biseightin themen'sdoubles.

IfnothingappearsbeyondPaeseven at41, notl-ungseems tobegoingright for thecricket team withtheWo.rldCup less than two weeksaway. Theappoinanent of PaulvanAss,54,aschief coachof the hockey team isaboltfrom thebluewith nomedialeaksorspeculational1ead ofthe appointment.

Paesisexciting to watch on tl1ecourt, givingexpression to hispassionforthe game. Hehasyetagainprovedtl1at he can win a major with any partner,Hingis this rime.Exactlyten yearsagohehad partneredanother

Martina, the legendary Navratilova, whoeven waited for him toreturn to courtafteralifethreatening parasitic infection.

PaesplayedwithSouth AfricanRavenKlassenat theAustralian Open,his 99tl1 partnerin tl1emen's doubles,and Hingis was the23rdinthemixedanamazingrecordfora doublesspecialist,who hasbeenaroundforover aquarter ofa century, playingover40 weeks each year.

battingandmay notbesureof tl1eirbowling compositionwhatwiththeinjuriescosome of their keybowlers.

In fact,theirin-formopenerRohit Sharmadidnotplaythelasethreegames nursingahamstring. Likewise pacer Ishant SharmadidnotbowlAatouceveninthe netsbutstayedwiththeteam for overa month.Nowit isbeingsaidhemaynotbe fitforthetournamentitself.

RavindraJadejaisanotherbowlerwhois aniffy,thoughhebowled9.5overswhen theday's bestbowlerStuartBinnybowled onlyeight. ObviouslyDhoniwasputting Jadejathrough theringercotesthisfitness than worryaboutwinningthematch which they couldhavewitl1alittleimagination.

Let theteamsettletheirfimessproblems beforediscussingtheirchancesof making thesemi-finals.

Coming tothe hockey development, none ofthe coachesin recentyearsleft withanygoodwill,some of chemhaveliteraliy beenhoundedour.At leasttwoof them,Ric CharlesworthandTerry

WorldCupcricket isatotallydifferent formatandthe

Indianteamcan bouncebackwith therubofthe greengoingtheir

way.

confident thathecoulddowell with her whereas Hingis t1oughthe would beberter off playing with another circuit regular. Perhaps,timemadebotl1 oftl1em to put inthatextrabitof effortas there waslittle doubtabouttheirexceptional skills.

How trueis che strengths and weaknessestheoryPaeshas spokenof. Only rwogreatexponents could plan ic our sowelito win without losingaset. That itself isaremarkablethingin modern day doubles.

The Indian cricketteam must seekinspiration frqmPaes'szealand determination. They need not worry too much about some peoplewriting their chances of defendingtheWorldCup off after their disastroustourDownUnder. l\fahendraSinghDhoni andhisplayers knowtl1attheWorld Cup isa totally differentformatand theycan bounceback with tl1erub of thegreengoing their way.

Though theIndianswould haveliked betterpreparationforthebigevent,they should beconfidentenough caking heart fromtheirst.'ln1sastheNo.2teamin tl1e rankings of the One-DayInternationals.

Theyhaveaproblemwiththetoporder

Walsh camewith huge reputations,buttl1e authoritiesjust couldnot findawaytokeepchem.

The oneman who seemedto havelearnt the ropesto stayputisHigh PerformanceDirector RoelantOlarnms,who alsodoubled upas

coachat theChampions Trophy in Bhubaneshwar when Hockey India (HI) decided tosackWalsh. Olanans'hand can clearly beseenin theappointment of compatriotvanAss, who wasin-chargeof thetetherlandsteamforfouryearsbefore being relieved at tl1eendof hisfouryearterm lastyear.AnotherDutch Hans StreederandAustralianAlexanderGrey weretheothertwo to be short-listed along withvanAss.

Walsh,whoguidedtheteam towinthe Asian Gamesgold tomake India thefirst team todirectlyqualifyforche2016 Rio Olympicsascontinental champions,fell foul withHI strongman Iarinder Batraby playinghis cardswrong.

ByalJaccom1ts,vanAssisano-nqnsense coachandexpectshisplayerstofaliin line.lnhisfirstinteractiqnwithanIndian journalisthe saidhebelievedinevolution and not revolution,,vhacever that maymean. Heshouldbehappytotakeoverateam thatbear Belgiumand his nativeDurch in theChampionsTrophyto finish fourth in atournamentwhich was played amongthe eight bestteamsintheworld,less thantwo monthsago.

www.indianlink.com.au l'J

Mango,sweetmango

Anhomagetothekingoffruits

hesedays,tbepleasing sunshii1ehuesof themangogreetus wheneverwewalk.inco a fruitshop orthe fruitsectionof any supermarket. Butnowtheseason ison itsway out,and it's agood timecopay homage to tbismagnificentfruit which hasbeenpamperingour tastebudsoverthepastfew months.

The mango enjoys the statusof auniversalfruit,and is cherished indiverselands as'theking of fruits' because of its alluringaroma and sweet succulency.

Itisremarkableforitsother propertiestoo.Thew:u:ipefruitisa rich sourceof vitaminC, andasit ripens,thelevdof betacaroteneor vitaminAin itincreases.A mango alsocontainsplentyof beneficial minerals,nutrientsandenzymes aswdl aspossessingphenomenal anti-oxidantproperties.

A regularintakeof mangoes helpsto lowerblood cholesterol levels,andsoisuseful in controllinghypertensionand heartproblems.Severalvarieties of mangoesarealso an excellent source of our daily requirement of fibre.

If you havelndian roocs,it may warmyour heart to know that the mango is agift from Indiato theworld. TheEnglish namefor mango findsitsorigin ind1ePortugueseterm for mis fruitNfarw,,which inmmwas derivedfrom me Tamilequivalent Ma11g-gai. lnbotany thetree istermedMa11.giferahulica i.n acknowledgement of its Indian origins;meearliestrecord of mangocultivationinIndia dates backtoaround4000 BC.

Apartfromd1eIndianstrain of mangoes,which ismonoembryonic,asecondlineagewith poly-embryonicseedsoriginated in SoutheastAsia.Through most of thepasttwomillennia,wirn increasinghuman movement betweencontinents,thep1jzed mango wasbroughtby traders and pioneers fromAsiatomany tropicalclimesacrossmeworld. In itswestwardjourney,memango travdleclfromIndiatoPersia,and further onwardstoEastAfrica and finallytotheAmericas.

History tells usd1at mangoes werebroughttotheshores of AustraliafromdieIndian subcontinentinthelatterpartof tbenineteenthcentury by traders deliveringhorsestoBritish India.

Thesetradesmenwerebased.in diecoastal town of Bowen i.n NormQueensland,whicbled to itsstamreasepicentreof mango cultivationinthepioneeringyears thatfollowed VisitorstoBowen are reminded of misby TheBig Ma11.go,which is agiantconcrete structureintheshapeof amango, rnreestoreyshigh. Indeed,the prizedyieldrelishedasKensington P,ideorKP,whichisthemost widespread variety of mangoesin Australia,is alternatively known as TheBo1JJenor BowenSpedaL

Today,medeliciousfruithas becomeanaturalised

produceof Australia. Tbe nativeseasonstans in September intheNorthern Territory,and sweepsacross Queensland, ewSouth\1(/ales and WesternAustraliafromrovember through February andevenMarch.

Apartfrom thetop favom-ite KP,other varietiesof Australian mangoestosavourareCalypso, Keitt,HoneyGoldandtherather intriguingly namedR2E2,to mention afew.]\{any of rnese varietiesa.rethe result of dedicated research,andarerenownedthe worldover.

Butdespiteitsuniversalspread andsuccess,totbisclaythemango remainsa timelessfruit of India, intrinsically boundwith Indian culinary,aswdlasculturaland religious,traditions.Assuch,no tributetodiemango fruit canbe consideredtobecompletewid10ur reflectingonits umbilicalbond withIndia.

LordGaneshaisoftendepicted holdinga mango in hishand asa symbolof attainment.Thefruit issymbolicof loveandfertility forHindus.Mangoleavesare consideredsacredinHindu.ism anda.reusedto decoratemarriage and religious venues. Theflowers areusedindieworshipGoddess Sa.raswatiin Bengal. Themango

leaf is usedtosprinkle holywaterduringreligiousrituals Buddhaisknowntoha,,efound tranquillitywhilemeditatingin amango grove. TheJaindeity Ambikahasbeenshownstanding underamango treein arock sculptureforn1din theElloracaves of WesternIndia.

TheancientpoetKaliclasa eulogiseddiefloweringmango treeasd1esymbolof springand romance.The obdLaureate RabinclranarnTa.gorepenned many alinein Bengaliinpraiseof cm1e1·manjari whichmeans'mango flowers'inthevernacular.\'Qe findapopularBollywoodduet setinthe rainyseason,withlyrics thataccentuatethelovethemein associationwiththemangotree:

"A111b11akidolipegqye111aflpa/i, koel/ya k.olinira!?'whichroughly translates intoEnglish"asdiea1erry cuckoo singslustily onthe branch of d1e mangotree".

Thereis an elongated and cun,aceous oval-shaped motif in Indian art,wdl-knownin the westernworldasmepaisley pattern,which issaidto bea s1:ylised represenrationof the mango seed, leaf,budordie fruititself.This isfamiliarto usvariouslyasA111biinPunjabi and Mang-kolaminTamil, among od1ernames,andisregardedby Hindusasanauspicioussign It

is omnipresentin Indian floora.rt orra11.goli,henna,textiles,artefacts andjewellery designs, andbas beenusedsincetimeimmemorial. Thepatternisalsoassociatedwith Persian traditions.

Weknowfromhistorical chroniclesthattwoforeign visitors to lndiainearly times,meGreek conquerorAlexander dieGreat andtheChinesetravellerHiuen TsangrelishedtheS\veetness and richness of mangoes duringdieir sojournsin India. TheMughal emperorAkbariscreditedwith planting amango orchard near DarbhangainBiha.rnamed"Lak.h Baa;(with ahundredthousand mango trees,suchwashisfondness forthefruit.

Onapersonalnote,Irnust mentiond1atmy subconscious mind inevitably makesa. spontaneousconnectionwith India whenevermy eyesspotonapile of mangoeshereinAustraliaor inany otherland forthat matter. I canstillrecallthet.'\stesof DlfSsberi or Dashaha,i,L,mgdaand ChaHSa varieties of mangoesthat my siblings andIwereprivilegedto snatch off in crazy quantities from ourmango treesdtumgchildhood claysintheterairegionof Uttar Pradesh.Nottoforgetthetonguetinglingtreatsof pickles, chutneys and morabbasandthesoothing drinkAa111KaPmmamatwere regularly conjured up from w:u:ipe mangoesby the adultsa.round LlS.

AmongIndian varietiesof mangoes,specialmentionmustbe madeof thedelectableA,phonso of westernIndia,developed indie sixteend1 century by a Pormguese colonialnobl=an namedAfonso deAlbuquerquewhogaveithis name.Thereis atreasurehouse of otherlocalisedproduceto

besavoured,an1ongwhichthe prominentgemsaretheKl!sarof Gujarat, Banganapalliof Andhra Pradesh,Ki.shenbhogand Nfoldaof easternlndia,d1eGuiabKha.sof Biha.rand Nee/aJ11of sourneast India. India accountsfor almost ha.Iftheworld'sharvest of mangoesannually,butdtisislargely consumedLnthedomesticmarket Thewordfor mangoin India's a.ncientlanguageSanskritis Aatllra,whid1hasgiven roottoits commonname/la111across most of diecountry today. Thewidely usedUrdutermAamisanadjective meaningcommon,andthrough this coincidence,thepointisdriven homeqttiteaptly drnt memango fruitisabunda.ndy availablein India andcontinuestobeaffordable for themasses. The national fruit of India,andof Pakistan andthe Philippinesaswell, has become a multinationalphenomenon:the tJIJ/11fruitof meworld.

Literatureloversrejoice!Allthehighlights from India'srecentbookfestivals

SUDARSHAN

Theliterature festival,Lit for Life, launchedfive years ago in Chen.nai overasingleeveningby thenewspapergroup

TheHi11d11, has nowgrown into an arumal three-day event. This yearit washeldover16,17 and 18January and curatedbyDr NirmalaLakshman,Directorof TheHi11r/11groupof publications. It alsoincluded TheHinduPrize for thebest workof fiction, whichwas thisyear wonby AshokSrinivasan for hisdebut collectionof 13short stories, BookofCo111111011Signs. For booklovers,this wasthe place tobe inJanuary,as the festival ranin tandemwiththe38thCben.nai

BookFair,oneof the largestof itskind in India with over 350 exhibitors.

The Festivalwasattendedby moretl1anahLmdred writersfrom Indiaand abroad andencompassed aneclecticrangeof subjects.

Jonatl1anGil Harrisrecounted some remarkable storiesin theFirst Firangfr-feaniri.ngtalesof heroes, courtesans,charlatans andother firangiswhobecameIndian. Charles Allen's-subjectwasAshoka,the emperor;Atish Taseerdiscussed bisnewnovel TheIV'tgThingsWere. DrSha.rad PaulfromNewZealand talkedabouthispassionforhis areaof specialty,skin,andeven presenteda workshopon skincare! Apaneldiscussiononour complex relationshipwith foodincluded chefsAdityaBel,Km1al Kapurand ManuChandra. There wasalsothe mandated workshoponcreative writingandonwritingmemoirs andeffectivelyrics.

JungChangspokeaboutthe birthof ModernChina,andtook pa.rt inadiscussiontitled'Powerful WomeninConservativeSocieties' Ahdaf Soueif,aCairo-born journalist,educatedandmarried in England andwhospendstimein both places,spokeaboutherbook Nlez,zatel'm:InhabitingtheC0111111011 Ground-andherjourne)'froma novelistroapoliticalwriter.Ammu Joseph,whohas writtena bookon themediaandwomenin India, was on apaneldiscussingtl1e'feminine form'.

ARVenkatachalapatliyand VSriram(aprolificwriterwith specialinterestinmusicalhistory andheritage)spoke aboutwriting tl1e storiesof Madras.There weresessionsonTamiltheatre, andof course,thecontrovers)'

surrorn1ding PerumalMurugan's book.Oneof thehighlightswas a HeritageWalkledbyVSriram;the walk startedfrom thegateof the Directorateof PublicInstruction, withSrira.mtalkingaboutthe originsof tbegreatSurveysin the country,goingontotheiconic FortSt Georgebuiltin1812,and onwardstotlie!vfadras Literary Societybuildingandthenthe Library.

Overtheyears,panelists at the Festivalhavecome toinclude significantnames from Ta.mil, Telugu,KannadaandMarathi fiction,aswellasauthorsfrom genresotherthan fiction.

NAIPAVL V.S.oTJSEFORtMBrsWAS

TheZeeJaipurLiteramre Festival,which ran from 21-25Jan,organised byWilliamDalrymple andNamitaGokhale, an.clbegunin2006,hasnow firmly establisheditself ontheworld's literaryfestival calendar. Itis probablythelargestfi'eeliterantre festivalanywherein theworld, andithasgrownfromstrengthto strength.Thisyearsaw tl1elikes of VS.Naipaul,Ahmad Rashid, KamilaShamsie,PaulTheroux, Chetan Bhagat;AnatolLieven, Hanif Kureishi, SimonSingh, JamesAstill,JeetThayil among many others,along with Christos Tsiolkas,Lionel Pogarry,AliCobby EckermannandMandy Ordfrom Australia.

As thetwo literary festivals ranbacktoback,several authors suchasJungChang,Sa.manth Subramaniam,ChetanBhagat,and othersattended bothfestivals.

Han.if Kureishi,Amit Chaudhuri,PaulTheromcand FarrukhDhondyfeamredona paneldiscussingNaipaul'smagnum opus,AHousefor·MrBis111as,now in the53rdyearof itspublication, an.clitsinfluenceon globalcultural thought.

KamilaShamshiespokeabout

hernovelAGodinE11e91Stol/e basedon letterswritten by soldiers fromIndiawhoservedinthe Army duringtheFirstWorldWar. Best-sellingIndianautl1ors AshwinSanghi,Chetan Bhagat andAmishTripathispokeon severalpanels.Tripathi,Bibek Debroy andNamica Gokbale were involvedin around-cableonthe Mahttbh{lra/a,themostcl1allengi.ng andcomplicatedof theIndian epics.Gokhaletoldthehuge audience thatwhenshewas asked to adapttheepic for children -and doitinsixmonths-ittook her twoyearstocomplete thetask. She felteverythingthatcouldbesaid had alreadybeen written in the l[ahahharata.

There were seriouspolitical discussions thatran alongside thoseabomfiction. Asession wasdevotedtorelationsbetween Pakistan,Afghanistan and India intheGoogleMughalTentwith Ahmed Rashid,AnatolLieven,G Parthasarathy,Khurshid1fahrnud Kasuri andSu.hasini Haidergiving theirviews.There was apanelon "AgendasforChangeinIndia", inspiredbyMeghnadDesai'sbook TheR£discoveryofIndi11, where the well-knownimellecn1alexamines thed1i.ngsthatmakeIndia anation andhold itrogether.During anotl1er session, aconversation

betweenTarnnKhanna andRahuJJacob was aboutChinaandIndia andd1cirrelationship, andtl1e'billionsof entrepreneurs' that areforging tiesbetween thetwoconncciesincidentally,thetitleof Kha.rma's 2008 book.

Rohan Murry launchedhis much-awaitedlvftt1),Classical LihmryofTndi"bookserieswhich makessomeof India's greatest classics availabletothe worldfor thefirsttime.leisamostambitious projectundertakenby aUniversity Press,and includes40booksin 12 languages. Murtyexplained tliat be stumbled upontheidea whenhe wasdoinghisPhDinComputer Science atHarvard. \Xfhen attending alectureonNfi111ams{I philosophy,Murty wasshockedat how littleheknewabout India's rich culmtalhistory.

Therewereseveral Bollywood itemsaswell,which were predictably wellattended and included namessuchasShabana Azm.i,\XfaheedaRehaman, aseerudclinShah;whileVikas Khanna,hostof Mt1sterch�(l11di{I, launchedhisMasterchefIndia Cookbook.

Therewassomethingat the festivals foreveryone!

SEEKING BRIDES

Matrimonialallianceinvitedbymedicaldoctor,27,Sa.raswat,Marathi,froma professionallj7 (notnecessarilymedical)qualifiedgirlfromarepmedHindufamily. Boy170cmtall,faircomplexionedwithmediumbuilt.HewillliketosettleinSydney orinabustlingtownshipofS\V.Caste,communitynobars.Replywitl1photograph todaboLs@iinet.net.au

ParentslookingforaBrahminIyergirlforourson,wellsettled,qualified ChaneredAccountantworkingforaninternationalcompanyinMt1mbai.Heis 33years old, 5feet9inches, tall andslim.Thegit!preferredage26to29yearsold, shouldhaveaprofessionaljob.Pleaserespondwithphotoanddetailsto kygopa1@gmail.com

Seeking suitable match for Hindu boy, 39 years old, 5'1", graduate,fair complexioned,nevermarriedandwithIndianfamilyvalues.Hasmilddisabilityand working01ilinefromhome.CurrentlyvisitingrelativesinSydney.Pleaseemailwith particularsatatalrohitl2345@gmail.com

Well settled Sindhi/Hinduparentsin Sydneylookingfor aprofessionally qualifiedmatchforEngineersonJuly1990born5fr8inch,fairandmediurnbuilt. GirlshouldbefromeducatedculturedHindu/Sindhifamilyheightatleast5ft3 inch,fairandslim.Pleasecontactradhabell90@grnail.com

SeekingsuitablematchforPunjabi/HinduKhatriboy,29years,5'1O",very fair,smart,MBA,Australiancitizen,workingasasolutionarchitect&settledin Melbournesiuce2003.Pleasesendrecentphoto&detailstoshubrb@grnail.com. 0491131413.

Match required for a South Indian Tamil origin, Austcitizenmale,39,5'11",divorced,working full timeinMelb.Girlmustbeabornag,unChristian. Details:samjeyak@gmaiJ.com

Looking beautiful girl (including students onstudyvisa) forahandsome boyAustraliancitizen,age39years,height5-11'HinduPunjabiArorainnocent divorceelivinginMelbournesince2000.Castenobar.Sistermarriedandsettledin Melbourne.melbournevivah2015@gmail.com

SEEKING GROOMS

Seekingwell educated Mangalorean Roman Catholic boy, workingin Australia,27-32years,forwellqualifiedMangaloreanRCgirl,AustralianCitizen,26, 5'7",fair,slim,workinginFinance.Pleaserespondwithrecentphotoanddetailed profiletorrnsj16@gmai.Lcom

SeekingsuitablematchforaHinduPunjabi(Khatri)34yearsold,5.2", AustralianCitizen,divorced,workinggirl.RetiredparentsaresettledinIndia. Theboypreferredtohavenokids,agedbetween33-35nevermarriedorlegally divorced,shouldbeanAustraliancitizen,shouldhaveaprofessionaljob.Kindly sendaphotographandyourdetailsonneha-bhatia@livecom.

Qualified, well settled, Australian PR , 28,5"3with Indianfamily values. LookingforJatSikhboypreferredMajha.MustliveinMelbourne.Contact +919814539383or0433973897

Well-settledBrahminfamily inAustralia invites alliance for26yearold, 5"5, daughter.BCommerce/GraphicDesign,workingfulltime.Seekingvegetarian,nonsmoker&drinkerpreferablywell-educatedandsettledinAustraliaPleaseemail interesttorkvm87@gmail.comorcallfatheron0424251395

Parents looking for aHindu boy forourdaughterin Melbourne. Sheis25 yearsold,5feet4inchestall,slim,fair,professionalinmedicalheldandAustralian citizen.Theboypreferredto26to31yearsold,shouldhaveaprofessional jobandshouldbeAustraliancitizen.Pleaserespondwithphotoanddetailsto matchgroom@hotmaiJcom

AUST settled,professionally qualified matches requiredforourtwodaughters, 24(Pharmacist)and22(Podiatrist),bornandeducatedinMelbourne.Punjabi/ Hindufamilyrespectstraditional&modernvalues.Pleasecommunicateinitiallyvia Email:kspooni@hotmail.com

Well settled Punjabi family in Sydneylooking forprofessionally qualified,very wellsettledboyfordaughterslim,beautiful5.4"1985borncitizen,Government employee.DoneaMaster'sinTeaching.Pleasesendrecentphotoandbiodatato scl1anderchopra@rediffmaicomorphone0411320014

INDIANLINI{COMPETITIONS

eeken wearsorte

Working9-5inofficewearmeansyoushouldletlooseyourstylegoddessovertheweekend

Long or short

t'sback towork,back to schoolandyou'reprobably wonderinglikeme,'110w havethe holidayszoomed bysoquickly?' Now,if it's back tomonochromework wear foryou, andthe kidsareback in schooluniform, then Ibetyou lookforwardto some weekend dressingup.

Dressingfor the weekendis muchrnore fun becauseyou don'thaveto adheretoa fixed dress codeand can bringour abit more colourthatshowsoffyour personality. Butyou can slip into thesamecombinationsof jeans andtees,oldcomfort wear, or a repetirjon of thesamejewellery!

If you think 'that'sme', then checkoutthesefivesupereasy, yeteffective, ways of dressingfor the weekend.You aresurerobe inspired tou:ysomethingnew,just wait forthecomplimentstorollin toamorestylishyou!

Jeans'n tee with a twist

Thebestwaytoaddinsrantchic toa basic jeans and t-shirtcombo is roadda colourful Aoralor abstractprintscarf thattiesin with the colour of the jeans and top.Awell-fittingpairof jeans issuperversatile whileaddinga bright teeinsteadof the usual neutrals(read: black, whiteand grey)canmakeit acheerfuloutfit straight away. Wearyourslipon sneakersorloafersandpickup your roomy tote for a relaxedday omwith girlfriends, adaytripor evenjust avisit rotheshops.And if you areout and aboutin the sun, aPanamabatwill beacute additionrokeepyoushadedand lookingverystylish!

Stripe i4 up

I can'tstressenough that astriped teeis auabsolme wardrobe essential!Stripesjustspellinstant style. I've heardthat coloured jeans arepasse maybe,but if you teau1 thesewith astripedtee and a cme silkor cottonscarf in adelicateprintyouwillbemaking aclassystatementindeed.Wear whiteormn Aatsandalsforthe perfectcasualrouch. This would bea greatoptionforvisiting friendsatlunchortalcingthe kids ourtotheart gallery. If you're worried about stripes makingyou look wider,then why notopt fora stripedinfinityscarf over ablack orgreydressforperJect casual elegance!

If youareashortslover and feelsuper comfortable sportingthese,then whynot trya mixof neutralsfor a fun yetrestrainedlook.1would recommend khakishortswith agreytee,beige with awhite teeorlightwashdenimshorts with a black tee. Tryknee length shortsif the sightof 'short' shoresscaresyou!Andif it'sstill notyourcupof tea, cry utility pants.Theyaresoft, comfortable tosit in unlikefittedjeans andyou could team these with a pastel tee or relaxedshirt.

Smar'" casual approach

Whatexactlyis'smartcasual'?A si..mpleanswertothat,isthatsmart casualdescribesamostlycasual outfit with oneormaybetwo structuredpieces.I likeastriped teeandjeans withasmartblazer, forexample. Itcouldbeaprinted dresswith astructuredbagand blockbee!sandalsmaybe,or acute printed pencil skirtwitl1a neutrnl teeandlayerednecklace. Thekeyis inthesimplicityof theaccessories andtl1ecoupleof scrucnu-edpieces timeyouareimenclingrouseto balancethelook.

Raise your style quotient

And now,lastbut not least, what doyou wearto thosepartiesthatdemand adressier,formal look?

Likeyou, Iget tempted tojumponline andbuya new dress foreach new occasion. That wasuntil thetimeIstartedtorealise that thedressesjust hang aroundinmywardrobe aftenvardsandtal,e upunnecessaryspace.

So,how do wetackle thisone?ltisbestto buyacoupleof high quality, high repeat value dresses like anLBD (littleblack dress),a navywrap dress, oreven a gorgeous white dress in a Aactering shape. Investin somegreat patternedones roo. This maybeslightlymore tricky asprintstendco date quickly, so a textured dressmight proveto bea safer bet. You can certainlybuythetrendy printed dresses at lowerprice points, but theymaynot last long and can quicklybecome dated. Use rich accessories like a thinmetallicbelt,statement necklaceorgorgeouspatent pumps to highlight thelook. An investmenthandbag willgo a long wayin termsof your party outfit- it will makeyour look expensiveand sophisticated.

e1s1n ea1r

Forgettheflowers,showyourlovethis Valentine's Daywith thesehomemadetreats

Chaucer.

Itisalsothoughcchereason

r,,BY KIRASPUCYS-

TAHAR

Thecelebration of Valentine'sDay

originaUybeganas

SaineValentine'sDay,a feastday in honour of theearlyChristian saints named ValentineorValentinus.It wasnoc until the highMiddle Ages thac thedaybecameassociated with romantic love,anotion which wasmadepopular throughthe worksof English authorGeoffre;r

Valentine'sDay came cobe celebratedinthemiddleof

Februarywas not onlyto commemorate theanniversary ofValentine's death,butin an effortbythe Roman Catholic Church to'Christianise' thepagan celebrationof Lupercalia, a festival dedicated to fertility.

Today,Valentine's Dayis marked across the world i.n variousincarnations. InJapan, women givechocolates to men, includingfemale office workers to their maleco-workers;lovers in Singaporearemostlikelycobe the biggestspenders accordingco

GE MoneyAsia; while according totheAmericanGreetingCard Association, around45 million Valentine'sDay cards are sent across theUSeach year,the second largest number after Christmas cards.

So, with alittleheJp from che humblecookie cutter,whynot makeyourlover'sValentine's Day alittle more special this year. As authorAlan D.Wolfelt once wrote,"Foodis symbolicof love when wordsareinadequate."

Start with aromanticbreakfast ofLove HeartCorn andCheddar Fritters. Delicioustopped with sour cream and tomaco salsa, thesefritters willmrn a simple

brunchintoaValentine's treat.

"Valentine'sDay offers the perfectexcuse toindulge in delicious food and ourrecipe ideas are sure toleave even the toughest nut feelingsentimental," saidAmanda Menegazzo,Food CommunicationsManagerat DairyAustralia.

Ifyou'relookingfor a decadent desserttoround offa romantic Valentine's Daydinnerthen these Chocolate Pots with Crushed CarameJPeanutPopcorn are perfect-both creamy and crunchy ineverybire.

So, roUupyoursleeves and turn yourgesmreofloveinto a delicious dish thisValentine's Day!

''Withalittlehelp fromthehumble cookiecutter,why notmakeyour lover'sValentine's Dayalittlemore specialthisyear

1 ½ cupsplainflour

½ cupcornflour

1 tspbakingpov,,,der

saltandwhitepepper,totaste

2eggs

1 cupmilk

2cupscanned sweetcornkernels,drained

½ cupgratedcheddarcheese

3 spring onions,finelysliced oliveoil,forcooking

ForTomatoSalsa:

3 ripetomatoes,chopped

1 ripeavocado,chopped

1 spring onion,chopped

¼cuppickedparsleyleaves

1 tbspextra-virgin oliveoil

200gsourcreamornaturalyoghurt, forserving

Combineflour, cornflour, bakingpowder andseasoningsinabowl.Whiskeggsand milktogether,addtothedryingredientsand whisktocombine.Batterwillbethick.

Add corn,cheeseand spring onionstothe batterand stiruntiljustcombined.Mixture willbestiff.

Heatanon-stickfrypan with alittleoil.

Placelightlyoiled8cmheartshapedcuttersin frypanandspoon2heapedtablespoonsful of batterin each.Fryuntilgoldenbeforeturning overand repeating onotherside.Drainon absorbentpaper.

Combinetomatoes,avocado,springonion, parsleyand oil inabowl

Servefritterstopped withtomato salsaand agenerousdollopofsourcream.

30g butter

1 ½tbspcastersugar

3tsphoney

1 cupcookednatural popcorn

¼cuproughlychopped roasted peanuts

400g ChocolateMousse

Bringbutter,sugarand honey

totheboilinaheavy-based saucepan, stirringuntilthe

''sugarhas dissolved Cook until mixtureisgoldenin colour.

Removefromheatandstir inthepopcornand peanuts. Spread ontoabaking-paper linedtrayandallowtosetat roomtemperature.Roughly chop.

Sprinklehalfthepopcorninto individualglassesordishes andthentopwithchocolate mousseand remaining popcorn.

Wedgedbetween twoharbours, Waitemata, which spills into Hauraki Gulf ontheeastcoast,and Manukau,openingouttotbe dramatic black sandbeachesof the west coast,Auckland isknown astbeCity of Sailsforitssnmni.ng harbour dotted with thousandsof smallrecreationalboats.

A vibrant and culmrally diverse cityof 1.4millioninhabitants,40 per cent werebo.rnoverseas, with many recentarrivalsfromIndia andAsia.

And whilecheCricket,'.(!oriel Cup maybethe latest incentive to travelhere,Aucklandoffersmuch to discover with icssteep streets, friendly neighbourhoodsof neat timberhouses andboutiques and restaurants that highlight locally-madeproduceincluding excellentcraftbeerand wine.

Highlights

A visittoAucklandisn't complete without a trek up roatleastone of its53dormant volcanic peaks. ThemostpopularisMount Eden, thetallest at 182metres, with an impressive crateroffering 360-degreeviewsoverthecity andharbours,orOneTreeHill another popular peak. Inthecity centre,tbeSky Tower, at 328 metres,provides panoramic views fromtheobservation deck.

Harbourand beaches

For aglimpseof NewZealand's stunningscenery,takea 35-minute fen-y rideacross roWaiheke lsland. Witb its rollinghills,100 white sandbeaches andstunning coastline, itisso visuallyinspiring that agrowingnumberof artists

callithome, whilethe islandalsohosts30wineries. On the waythereyou'llpassby small islandsandbluewatersteeming with residentpodsof whales and dolphins. Birdenthusiasts won't bedisappointedas penguins, terns,shearwaters andpetrels are common.

You can alsocatch a ferry to Devonporton thecity's north shore,renowned for its beaches, quainttimberarchitecture, boutiques, arcgalleriesand restaurants.

Formoreseaside wonder,head fortheca.Im whitesandbeaches facing thePacific Ocean orthe wild, blacksand wildernessof theTasman Seawith pounding waves,broodingskies,dramatic cliffs,high ruggeddunesand nativebushland. BethellsBeach, themostrenowned,is anhour's

drive away.

Theheattof downtown Auckland centreson thewaterside pedestrian precinctof Viaduct Harbour,homeco theAmerica's Cup operations,aswell asto an abtrndanceof restaurants, hotels and bars.

Museumsandart galleries

Forthosewhoenjoymuseums thereis noshortage.The outstandingAucklandMuseum containsextensive displayson Maori and other Pacific Island cultures. Highlightsof the permanent collectioninclude tbe Maorigallery, which housesthe world'slargestcollectionof Maori ancestral treasures, including stone and woodcarvings,weaponsand animposing war canoebuiltfor

ArtGallery;ViaductHarbour

100 warriors. ThePacilicPathways exhibit offersanoutst.'l11ding collectionfromTonga,Fiji, Samoa,theCooklslands,Vanuatu, theSolomon IslandsandPapua NewGuinea. AMaorigroup welcomes visitors withtraditional songsanddanceincludingthe haka, anancient rongue-poki.ng, skin-slapping dance, traditionally usedroprepare awar party for battle.

TheAucklandArtGallery housesmorethan l5,000works. High.lightsinclude 19'"century portraitsdepictingMaorileaders, many with exquisitetattoos. Tbemuseum'spermanent collectionalsoincludesworks by contemporaryKiwi artists. Afterwardsstrolltl1rough adjacent AlbertPark.

TheNewZealandrational

Headingacross theditchforsome WorldCupcricket?Trythesehotspotsas well

Top:ShoppingatPauanesia, HighStreet;Above:Auck/and

MaritimeMuseumpacks alot into its 14galleriesincluding Polynesian,vatercraft,Maori canoesandAmerica's Cup exhibits.

KellyTarlwn'sUnderwater

World includes 30live-animal exhibits and theworld's largest Antarcticpenguin colony display.

Shopping and Dining

Auckland's main street,Queen Street has banks,money changers,souvenirshops and thedepartment store,Smith andCaughey. Head for nearby HighStreet,where you'll find Pauanesia(35High Street)filled with quirkygifts;Chancery LaneandO'ConnellStreet,the trendyepicentreof a thriving cafeandfashion district, hosts internationallyrenownedNew Zealanddesignerssuchas Zambesi,KateSylvestorand KarenWalker.

To samplethebest of local

cuisine,headfor nearbyDepot Eatery andOysterBarwherethe accentison meatproduce.One of tbe most recognisablechefs of NewZealand cuisine,Al Brown's restaurant excels atofferingfish, lamb,duck,clams,veal, pork and fresh-shucked oysterswith a few vegetarian options.

On ParnellRoad in d1eelegant inner citysuburb of Parnell you'llfind cafes and upscale specialitystores,galleriesand antiquestoressuch as K.iwaArt (279Parnell Road).You canwalk therethrough AucklandDomain, asprawlingpark covering80 hectaresthroughwooded areas andexpansivegrassylawns.On weekends you'llfindtheParnell

Farmers'Marketwid1 stalls overflowingwith local produce includingseasonal fresh fruitand vegetables,fresh-baked artisan breadandpastries,fresh cheese andhome-madepreserves.

Myfavouriteinner city neighbourhoodis friendly

Ponsonby andthe main drag Ponsonby Road which islined wim cafes,bars, galleries and boutiques showcasingtalented local designers. Refuel with great coffeeac Allpress (266Ponsonby Road) andfor lnd.ianheadtoSaffron (31 Ponsonby Road). Forfunkyboutiques headfor meedgymoroughfareknown as K-Road, orKarangahape Road,whereyou'llfindIkoIko, meshelveslinedwith treasures, trinkets and Kiwi-kitschsuch as windup kiwi birdsandk.iwi-birdshapedcookiecutters. But perhaps Auckland's greatestdrawcard isits people. Unpretentious and friendly,itis meonlyplacewhereIbaveever been greeted by asmilingcustoms official on arrival,notwid1 an officiousgruff look,butwith, "WelcomecoNewZealand. Iwish you anenjoyablestay."

GETTINGTHEREAr nesthatflytoAuckandincludeQantas,ArNewZeaand, Emirates,Jetstar,VrgnAustralaandLAN.

GETTING AROUNDTheArportislocated21kmsfromthecitycentre.Catchthe efficientArbuswthfrequentdepartures.Thecity swelservcedbypub etransportwththree convenentoopsforsightseeng.Vsitwww.at.co.nzorjointhehoponhopoffbuswww.exporerbus. co.nz.TogettoEdenPark,homeofAuckandcrcket catchatranfromBrtomarttoKngsand

SHOPPlNG Greatbuys ncludeoutdooradventuregear,qua tywoollens(someabendof mernoandpossumfur)anddesgnerclothng.

MORE INFORMATION VstNewZeaandToursm-www.newzeaand.com.au andAuckandToursm-www.auckandnz.com

Clockwiseabove:AucklandSkyTower; Exploring PonsonbyRoad;WanderingdownHighStreet; MarvelatMaoricultureinsideAucklandMuseum

ARIES March 21 - April 19

What a lovely, exciting month ahead for you!You will befeeling full ofenergy and readyto go for anything You will need to keep yourselffocussed and ready to tackle all the challenges ahead Your lovelife will be interesting as your emotions will befixed on someoneyou areveryfond of. You will bereadyforloveand romance ifyou aresingle. Thecardsareindicating a magnificent timeforyou aftermid-February

TAURUS April 20 - tv1ay 20

This month you arefeeling very happy and positive.You are getting things ticked offthe listyou made at the beginning oftheyear. You arefeeling very creative.You also havethoughts ofrelocating.At the beginning ofthe month you may find just the home you are lookingfor.The cards are indicating a time when you may have to watch how you speakto your boss, as miscommunication maytake place Apromotion is likely.

GEMINI May 21 - June 20

er, --'"WORD3

You Will bespending time withdosefriends.You Will bereceiving invitationsto events, parties and willtaketheopportunityto network. Someone you havemetrecently, possibly throughfriends or via an onlinesearch engine, mayhaveyou in knots.Theconnection will beverystrong andyou will decideto pursuethe possibilityof dating.Youmay go on a business trip.On the cards itis indicated that you may decidetofurther yourstudies

CANCER June 21 - July 20

This month you will have somebrilliant news about finances. There will besome pleasing newsaboutan applicationfor extra finances you are trying toget You will be looking at investments and you need to make some verycareful decisionsto get the bestrewards.The cards areindicating a wonderful time forcareer progression. You aremaking progress as your boss and colleagues will bespeaking highlyofyou. Takecareofyour teeth.

LEO July 21 - Aug 22

This month is a bright happy and month ofhuge revelations.You will befeeling at one with yourselfand thosearound you.You are learning toloveyourselfand acceptthings you cannot change. Relationships maybea little strained asyou and your partner need tocommunicate without getting your wires crossed.The cards are indicating a time when you may bethinkingofmovingtoanother town or country. Work is going smoothly.

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22

This monthyou needtotake things easy.You have been stressed out oflate and maybea little overtired.Health is amajorconcern foryou this month, so taketimeto restand taketime out Workis busyand you needto makesureyoucompleteallyourprojects ontimeas you may not befeeling very motivated oflate.Thecards are Indicating that you needto becareful how you speak tocolleagues.

PREDICTIONS l=OR FEBRUARV�.JJ,,,;;;J'

By NANCYJADE ALTMEA

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22

It's asizzHng monthforyou intheromance department!You will be feeling loved and readyto love.Ifyou are attached, your love life willbe happy and peaceful. Friendswill bearound youthis month with advice and invitations.There will benewopportunities inyour career, where you maybeoffered moreresponsibility which will lead to an increasein finances.Thecardsare indicatingtimeofnew interests,agreattimeto join an new class

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21

It's avery powerful time foryour career. All the hard work and commitment you haveput in to yourjob is going to pay off There is good news about your performance. Familywill beimportant this month, as someone will not befeeling very well.They will need sometests and a change in theirdiet. Acarmaybe giving you trouble, so make sure you conduct all the usual tests Romance is blossoming

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21

This month you willbetryingtospend moretime with yourloved ones.Therehavebeentimesrecently when you havebeen busy with your work and travel.Therewill besuccessaround studies and achievements, you have worked veryhard to gain some qualificationsto furtheryour career prospects.Financesarelooking a lot betterand you arealsosaving money.Thecardsareindicating a timewhen you maybuya new car.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19

Finances arethe main thing on your mind this month.You have been planning how to manageyour money and increaseyour wealth.There will be somegood newscomingyourway mid month, as things will beputbackin balance.Take care ofyour health the cards areindicating a timeofa newfitness and diet regimethatis overdue You have been feeling quitesluggish of late. You will be thinking of moving to anothercity.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - f=eb 18

Looks likethisisgoing to be a bumpermonthforyou, as your birthday ishere.There will besome positivedevelopments with your business and personal life.Privatework will begoing very well for you, and you will beincreasingyouroutput in a certain area.Your partner will besupportive caring and by your side. You will be planning a holidayfornext summer. You will behiring contractorstogetsomethings done in yourhome

PISCES f=eb 19 - tv1arch 20

This monthyou willbelookingattheentertainment sideoflife. Either you are goingto catch up with watching a lotofyourfavourite movies, oryou will bethinking ofmaking a movie. Finances will be a concern ofyours, but you will be budgeting sensiblyso you will be ableto sortthings out.No hasty decisions when you areout Take careofyourstomach area and cutout animalproducts.

POWERFULAND EFFECTIVE

BABY

STARRING: Akshay Kumar, K KMenon, TapseePannu,Anupam Kher, Rana Daggubati, MikaalZulfikar, Rashid Naaz

WRITER/DIRECTOR: NeerajPandey **�).(

Don't move!The concept ofthe edge-of-the-seat thriller seems tohave been invented for Neeraj Pandey's enormouslyengaging take on internationalterrorism. Ittakes gutsto make a film which calls aspade a spade or Pakistanthe hub ofterrorismin the Asiansubcontinent.

WithBaby, Pandey immediately and irreversiblyjoinsthe ranks ofthe finest contemporaryfilmmakers ofourtimes.

Outwardly Baby, with its theme ofa bunch ofbravehearts apprehending international terrorists atthe risk oftheir own lives andtheirfamily's well-being, has nothing to offerthat we haven't seen in severalfilms in the counter-terror genre before.What places Babyfar above the routine thrillers is its refreshing lack ofcircumvention inthe storytelling.

Straight away Pandey'sfilm takes us inside the life ofcounter-terrorism expert Ajay(AkshayKumar) as he grapples to locate a colleague who has been betrayed by one oftheir own and taken hostage byterrorists.

In Babythere is a palpable predilection forbuilding unbearably suspenseful action sequences without losingthe essential authenticityofthe situation. All through the riveting drama, Ajay and his team (Tapsee Pannu,Rana Daggubati and other splendidly incharacteractors who show up with him in differentsections ofthe narrative) push the envelope ofcounter-terrorism without toppling intothe abyssofselfcongratulation.

We sense we are inthe midst ofa very important docu-drama onthe violence ofourtimes.A part ofthefilm's edifying mood ofbridled energy comes from AkshayKumar's screen presence. He is in control, powerful and effective without throwing his muscles around the screen toprovehis heroic stature.

One ofthe film's most interesting sub-texts is itsattitudeto heroism and machismo. Ajayand histeam are doing a job.They wantto do it like professionals. The difference lies in the mortality level: this hero and histeam could get killed atanytime. And you know what?They don't care!

Pandey keepsthe proceedingstightly wound, andyetwe neverfeelthe weightofthe epicplotas it coils and recoils through alabyrinthofsubverted idealism and crushed diabolism.The narrative is structured as a spiral of dread, doom and a kind ofromantic hope ofheroic redemptionfromthe cesspool ofterror-violence that grips the world.

Thoughnothing inthefilm'sdesign suggests anyconsciousattemptto create a mood-specificthriller, the film keepsus spellbound from firstframe to last. Yes, the airport climax where our heroes (standing ovationforthem is in order) make their getawayfroma middle-eastern countryseems inspired by Ben Affleck'sArgo. No harm inthat... creativity is never self-generated.

Helming, navigating and controlling this bridled exposition on anarchyis Akshay Kumarwith his career's best performance. His interpretation ofan unsung hero's stubborn determination to rescuethe worldfromchaos, is mature and restrained, even when pitched against veteran actors with a formidable history ofone-upmanship.

Watch him in the dexterouslydesigned

Know Thyself as Soul

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Sant Matis a practical and natural path to self realisation.

The meditation on the inner Lightand Sound combinedwith an ethical lifestyle builds the foundation to experience and strengthen the connection with the innercore of our being, the soul.

SantBajit Singh teaches this meditation to people searching for adeepermeaning in life.

Weekly spiritual gatherings(satsangs) are availablein mostmetropolitan areas.

KnowThyself as Soul Foundation is a non-profit incorporated association. Itoffers its services free of charge.

For further information contact 1800 462 193 or visit www santmat.net.au

sequence where he exchanges ideological barbs with aterrorist Taufeeq (Jamal Khan).

Watchout forthe solid supporting performances. Each actor, even in the smallest role, knows he is part of a workthat attempts to projectthe grimrealityof ourviolenceridden world without losing the inherent cinematic quality inthe narration. In various sections of the film Danny Denzongpa, Sushant Singh,Tapsee Pannu (asa desiLara Croft, she is a delight),K KMenon and Anupam Kherappeartoexcel withouttryingto.

Rashid Razasthe rabble-rousing Pakistaniradical leader with his eyeball-rolling act may seem overthe top.But then whoever said religious fundamentalists werecontrolled intheir emotions?

Whatcouldhave been avoided isthe over-punctuated background score bySunjoyChoudhary whichtriesto pound every sceneto a pulp. Ifthe narrative escapesfromtheassault onthe soundtrackit's becausethetimely plot gives us no roomto crib overtrespasses.

Pandey gets immense support fromhistechnicians.Sudeep Chatterjee shootseverynookofthe locations asthough it werethe end ofthe world.There is athrobbing urgencyto every sequence.The editing (Sree Narayan Singh) does away with punctuation marks to create a seamless world where danger lurks in everycorner and onlythe braveare allowedto survive.

Babyis one helluva roller-coaster ride. Miss it atyour own risk.

SUBHASHK.JHA

TI-IANKYOUTOTl-IE DREAMERS

HAWAIZAADA

STARRING: Mithun Chakraborty, Ayushmann Khurrana, Pallavi Sharda DIRECTOR: VibhuVirender Puri jrl(j{'��

Doyou ever wonder what it would be liketofly?Then see Hawaizaada, a film that soars into the skies with its overweening ambitions, and miraculously manages to stay airborne as it chronicles the life a man who wantedtofly.

Debutant directorVibhu Puri's accomplished film, atribute tothe scientist who apparently mannedthe first aircraftthat civilization has ever flown, is a stunningfeastofvisual splendour, compounded with a script that'stightly writtento accentuate the audacityand eccentricityofpeople who can float inthe future.

Straightawayitcan be said with pridethat Puri's debut is a homage to the art ofSanjay Leela Bhansali.Every frame is reminiscent ofseveral Bhansali creations, notablyDevdas and Saawariya, the formerforthetheme ofunfulfilled love(with Khurana's capricious love interestPallavi Shardaforming afusion ofParoand Chandramukhi's two-layered character)and the latterforthe rich bold use offlamboyant colours to highlight the opera-styled emotions.

Hawaizaadaattempts analmostimpossible marriage ofavisual

splendour with emotional surrender.The characters, be itthe whimsical aimless ShivkarTalpade orhis kookymentor Shastry, orthe British who scowl atany attemptbythe pairto create inventors' history these are people who don't believe in holding backemotions.

Theyearis 1895.The possibilities of recreatingthatera in presenttimes seemsfar-fetched and unlikely.Thanksto Puri'sartdirectors(SubrataChakraborty, Amit Ray), music composers (Vishal Bhardwaj with azestful lavnifilmed on the gorgeous Sharda) and most specially his incredibly gifted camera-person Savita Singh (who happensto be Puri's wife),the director has constructed a world as unthinkable on paper asthe theoryofflying a plane must have seemed toTalpade's contemporaries.

Thank Godforthe dreamers, backthen and now.

Co-writersVibhuPuriand Saurabh RShave useTalpade's dream offlying as a metaphorforanyonefromanyera who has dreamt ofbreakingfree.The pronounced but muted metaphoris extended intoTalpade's extendfamily of repressed character, again very Devdaslike in its structure.There isthe growling father (Jayant Kripalani),tight-lipped mother(NatashaSinha),smirking brother (Mehul Kajaria), dominating bhabhi (Priyanka Sethia), who all longto, well,fly.

Encirclingthis wide arc ofwannabe fliers who arepilotedintothe epic plotbyTalpade's navigational dreams, couldn't be an easytask.Vibhu Puri

manages the seemingly impossible maneuvering skilfullyand playfullythrough lives in an era when oppression was a pre-condition.

Soaring on a dream,Hawaizaada transports us into an enchanting world of a dream-reality where anything can happen.

Fuelling the impossible dream isthe central performance by Ayushmann Khurrana. He breathes life into Shivkar Talpade,the audacious 19thcenturyscientist who daredtofly. Khurrana playsTalpadeas atrippy dreamer, a Devdas drunkon his dreams.

Mithun Chakrabortyas Talpade's mentor is eccentric and endearing.This is the actor's most effective performance in years. Asfor Pallavi Sharda,though admittedlythat well-toned gym-produced physique doesn't gel withthefilm's periodicity, she is a revelation doing an amalgamation ofParoand Chandramukhi from Devdas. Besharam isforgotten andforgiven. Going back intime is neveran easy

ADOLi TI-IAT DODDERS

DOLLYKl DOLi

STARRING: Sonam Kapoor, Rajkummar Yadav, Pulkit Samrat,Varun Singh DIRECTOR:Abhishek Dogra ·•·1r)r,,z-r.z

It works onthe idea level -a spunky spirited girl who unapologetically cleans up unsuspecting bridegrooms onthe wedding night.

Thisfeistycon woman is outto take revenge on mankind after being dumped byaguy. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,they say. Scornfully presumptuous as it rollsthe wedding tent over and over againtofacilitate our Dolly's wicked designs (and we don't mean the luscious lehngasand the alluring cholis), DollyKiDoliisthesortof cinema where laughter at a social evil (thegirl child's lackofoptions in life) drowns the din ofimplausibility.

The plot works its waythroughthree episodes, each displaying Sonam Kapoor's vivacious charms in oodles of opulent'show-sha-giri'.

This is North India where everyone has to be loud and coarse.ArchanaPuran Singh leads the banshee bandwagon, screamingouteven the punctuations between her lines.

Sonam getsto create humourout ofeven 'woh auraton waliproblem'to get awayfrom doing the needful with Husband No.2 on her wedding night. Husband No.2 is played bythe cherubicVarunSharma who was last seen raising a laugh riotinFukrey. Here Sharmaand therestoftheverytalented castmust make do with paper-thin wit liningthe spoken lines.Theystubbornly cling tothe hope ofhumour.

What carries the slim film tothe finishing line are the actors.Theyall seemto be extra-protective ofthe flimsy material butthey keepthe humour from sagging. Specially good are Rajkummar Rao andVarun Sharma asthetwojilted grooms bonding overtheir betrayal.

Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub as the guy who secretly loves Dolly while he must pose as her brother at sham weddings is the only actor who introduced a sense ofseriousnesstothistale filled with a mocking rage over a social system that doesn't allow a certain section ofwomen to choose whomthey wantto sleep, or not sleep, with.

What works for DollyKiDotiis Sonam in the title role.

Sonam's character belongstothe cattleclass and yet refusestobe cowed down. Spirited till the end, she playsthe

film'shero in every respect, owning upto the conning gamethatmen have played from days ofDev Anand in Jaa/to Ranveer Singh in RickyBehlVersusTheLadies.

Why should the boys have all the fun?

lfonly the character had been provided with a better place to spread her wings.

DollyKiDotiworks in parts, those parts where the runaway bride doesn't havetojustify her waywardness even to her closest associates.

The take-it-orleave-it attitude suits Sonam's Dolly fine. It doesn'tworkfor the film, though.

Fora film filled with fun festivity and frolic,the musicand songs includingthe item song filmed onthe queen ofthe genre Malaika AroraKhan,are poorerfor their vapidity.

Incidentally, producerArbaazKhan was not quite tellingthe truth when he

taskin cinema. Manyhavefailedto courtperiodicityconvincingly.This miniature masterpiece leaves us exhilaratedand exultant.

Thankyou, Shivkar Talpade. Thankyou,Vibhu Puri.. SUBHASHK.JHA

claimed his superstar brother had no place inthis film. Salman Khan not only makes a surprise appearance at the end, Pulkit Samrat seems to be aping the star all through SUBHASH K.JHA

PALLAVISI-IARDA:S MELBOURNE FAMILY FLYING I-IIGI-I

It was a Bollywood party with a difference. For starters, it wastimedto coincide withthefirst showing ofa new release.Guestswereaskedto come dressed notjust in Bollywood style but in 1890s period costume ifpossible, asthefilm in question wasfromthatera.And also, thelead actorfromthefilm called in on Skype. Later, theentire party headed outtothecinemasto seethe film.

ForhostNalin Sharda ofMelbourne, it was a veryspecial event indeed, becausethefilm wasthe much-awaitedHawaizaada, starring his own daughter Pallavi.His guests wereallfamilyfriends, who have watched Pallavi grow upovertheyears.

"They wereall uncles and aunties ofPallavi, who arenow taking a keen interest in herfilm career;'Nalintold IndianLink."They'veseen her perform on stage sincechildhood, and they'veall encouraged her as she decided totry her luckin films''.

And no,the rising star did not disappointthe uncles and aunties.

"Shelit upthescreeneverytime sheappeared!"proud papa beamed."It is notjustme,butthecritics have said so as well. She played two characters essentially, one ofaTamasha dancer and lateras a simple woman in contrast. Now I'vebeen known totell heroffbefore when she'sbeen out ofstep, butthis time round, I thinkshedid afantasticjob!"

On Skype, Pallavi admitted to being a bit nervous ahead ofthe big release, but wasthrilled to seethe extnded Melbourne'clan'out infull support.

Theconceptofthefilm itself, Nalin hasbeengushing over."I thinkit'stime welettheworld know ofIndia's scientificand mathematical inventions and discoveries.How manyofus knewthatan Indian built aflying machineten years beforetheWright Brothers?The record hasto besetstraight. Marconifor example was long believed to have pioneered radiotransmission, but the IEEE (InstituteofElectrical and Electronics Engineers) has now settledthat Indian scientistJC Bosehad gottherefirst."

But being atechnical man himself, an electrical engineer and academic by profession, some ofthemore scientific aspects ofthefilm grated on Nalin. "Yes,thereweresomebitsthatmademe go'Oh mygod;butyouknow,in theabsenceofmuch recorded evidence, we haveto acceptthatthefilm is a 'fairytale'versionofevents''.

As a man ofscience, butalso asfather ofthestar, Nalin hopes many more peoplecan go and seethefilm.

RajniAnand Luthra

Change ofmood for Taapsee Pannu

Afterherbriefrolein Babyas Akshay Kumar's accomplicein Nepal who beats thehelloutof Sushant Singh,Taapsee Pannu has finally gotthe kind ofattentionthat herdebutfilm ChashmeBaddoor didn't giveher. Sheis now gearing upfor an imagechangewith her nextfilm AgraKaDaabra.

Thechirpy and vivacious actress said, "Contrary to the kickass image in ChashmeBaddoorand Baby, I play an extremely demuresoftspoken simti sisehmisinazaaqatsebhari(subdued and delicate) Muslim girl inAgra Ka Daabra."

AgraKaDaabra is directed by Shoojit Sircar, and also features Ayushmann Khurrana.

Talking aboutBaby, she said,"Most peoplehavelovedthe film.Eventhose who haven'tlikedthefilmthatmuch havebeen extremely responsiveto my performance:'

Playing an undercover agent on a dangerous mission,Tapsee hadto pull out all thestops in her hand-to-hand combat with Sushant Singh.

"I did theentire lengthyfight onmy own without abodydouble,"Taapsee said, adding, "It hastaken atoll on me. My old legjoint injury has resurfaced. Duringthefight I wasthrown around all overtheroom.There weretimes when oneortheotherofmylimbs wouldn't move. I had totakepainkillersto return tothe stunt:'

The end result was worth it.

She gives credit to her action director and co-starAkshay Kumarforthe sequence.

"Wehad two gentlemen on board to train. My co-starAkshayKumar was such a big help. Being a discipleofmartial arts himself, he guided methrough the sequence. Ofcoursethefactthat I'vealways been a sporty outdoortype helped meto getthe scene right;'she said.

Kashmir opens up to Bollywood afterfloods

Fitoor, an adaptationofCharlesDickens' GreatExpectations starring Rekha,Katrina Kaifand Aditya RoyKapur, is thefirst Bollywood movie being shot in Kashmir afterlast year's devastating floods.

Fitooris a lovesaga directed by AbhisekKapoorwho made KaiPo Che that did fairly well.

Theromanticfilm isabouta love triangleinvolvingaKashmiriboyNoor (Aditya Roy), his ladylove Firdous (KatrinaKaif)and the Begum (Rekha).

Fitoorshooting started in thefamous NishatGarden onthe banks oftheDal Lakein summercapital Srinagar as Katrinaarrived atthe sets wearing a burqa in typical Kashmiristylein the morning.

Themovieis running behind schedule, as it was scheduledto hitthefloor last year, sources in thefilm unitsaid.

"Thefilm unit has been in theValleyfor the last three days and weare working overtimeto completetheshooting schedule;'asource said.

TAPSEE PANNU

Fitoor is not onlythefirst Bollywood moviebeingshotin Kashmirafter last year'sfloods, but it is also thefirstto be shottherethis year.

Bollywood and Kashmir have had an intimate and mutually beneficial relationshipfordecades since 1960s.This was interrupted duetothe separatist violence in theValleythat started in early 1990s. Asthesituation improved overthe years, Bollywood has again returnedtoits choice locations.

Bollywoodblockbustersofbygone years like Shammi Kapoor-Saira Bano starrerJunglee, Shammi-Kapoor-Sharmila TagoreromanticbonanzaKashmirKiKali, Rajesh Khanna, Shammi Kapoor, Hema Malini super hitAndazand Yash Chopra's Silsilaare some ofthe memorable films that were shotin Kashmir.

Legendary BollywoodfilmmakerYash Chopra shot his lastfilmJabTakHaiJaan in Kashmir.

Celebrated Hollywood film maker David Lean shot parts ofAPassagetoIndia in old city Srinagarin mid-1980s.

ResidentsofSrinagarhad obliged DavidLean when he maderequests over thelocal media asking residents in old city Srinagartobringdown terrestrialTV antennaefrom rooftops for a day since E.M. Forster'snovel,APassagetoIndia is about India in the 1920s.

Singh Is... Bling?

Ohdear.Apparentlythat'sthename of theSinghIsKing sequel.

Bollywood's actiontitan Akshay Kumar saysthe upcoming film will bea perfect mix ofcomedy, action and romance, a "wholesomeentertainer''.

TheKhiladiKumar, whose espionage actionthrillerfilmBaby, released Jan 23, will begin shootingforthe new film soon, intimefor itto hittheatres on Gandhi JayantiOct2.

GiventhatSingh IsKing was madehere in Oz, will thesequel becoming down here as well? Perhaps not, because with a namelikethat,thelocal industry might thinkit's Bollywood'sversionofPriscilla Queen ofthe Desert. Ha ha!

ThePrabhudheva directorial also stars Kareena Kapoor and Kriti Sanon.

Meanwhile,Akshay will next beseenin the action dramaMain Gabbaralongside ShrutiHaasan.He will alsobeseen in the Bollywood remakeofWarrior, which will bereleased as Brothers in India.

My, he's certainly been busy

New documentary on Gandhi's favourite hymn

Anearly six-centuries-old song written by Gujarat's most revered poet-philosopher Narsinh Mehta and made byMahatma Gandhi as his life's guidingforce, is now the subjectofan upcoming documentary. The documentarytitled Gandhi'sSong, being written and directed by Chicagobasedjournalist and writerMayank

Chhaya, begins production shortly with location shooting in Junagadh and elsewherein Gujarat, where Mehta spent his lifecreating some ofthemost popular metaphysical ruminations addressedto Krishna.

"Generations ofIndians sinceGandhi's assassinationsixtyseven years ago have

AYUSHMANN KHURRANA

grown upthinkingthat VaishnavJan

To was written by him.This particular bhajan (hymn) is unique inthe sense thatit remains so currentin its moral underpinnings about what constitutes a civilized human being;'Chhaya said.

Mehta, who by most widely accepted consensus lived between 1414and 1481, was an unwittingfigurein India's great Bhakti Movement, whichflourished organicallythroughout thecountry during medievaltimes 800-1700 CE.

Inthetradition ofthefiguresofthe

Bhakti Movement ofthe time, Mehta was also apioneering social reformer who used thepower ofhis poetrytobreak down rigidcasteand class barriers.

VaishnavJanTo istypical ofMehta's deceptivelysimple but profound worldview. Each verseessentiallydefines whatkind ofmoral standards should drive humans.Thebhajanin many waysshaped Gandhi's larger sociocultural view that was attheheart ofthe country'sfreedom movement.

WI-IO WORE IT BETTER?

Don't like it, don'twatch it

Themoral policein India have kicked up a ruckus about comedy collective All India Bakchod'slatestventureAIB Knockoutfeaturing KaranJohar, Arjun Kapoorand RanveerSingh.

AIB,ifyouhaven't heardofityet, is India's premiercomedy collectivethat parodies Indian politics and public personalities on itsYouTubechannel.

Knownfortheir brazencomedy,AlB's sketches are gaining in popularityfor their underlying social messageas much asfortheirlanguage, whichmaybe explicit butwhich reflectsthepopular languageofurban Indianyoungsters.

Supportersarerising in solidarity with AIB, againstthisfreedom ofcreative suppression, butThe Knockout feature remains taken down asofnow. But giventhis unlikelypublicity,there can be no doubtthat people will be logging on and sharing AIB's previous works. Go on, log onyourselft Agood placeto start will beAliaBhatt:Geniusofthe Year, starring thegenius herself.

Big B for Adelaide's India-Pak game

"There's nothing Mr. Bachchan's voice can'tdo,"says R Saiki, director ofthe upcomingfilmShamitabh."Hehasdone voice-overs inmanyfeaturefilms and has also lenthis voiceto documentariesand social causes.Theonethingthat hehadn't donesofar is cricket commentary:'

Well, sothe country's mostfamous baritone is goingto rectifythat.

And whatbetter occasionthanthe keenly-awaited Feb 15 India-Pakmatchin the upcoming CricketWorld Cup.Amitabh Bachchan willtaketotheairwaves alongsidestalwarts Harsh Bhogleand Kapil Dev,forbroadcasterStar Sports Incidentally,theplotofthefilm Shamitabh also revolvesaroundthe baritone.

Looks likethe72-year-old will need to get his acttogether real soon, because afterarecentradio show that heguesthosted on Mumbai's REDFM, headmitted to being out ofsorts."I'm ata loss goodness, how dotheseguys manageit;' hesaid on social media.

ShareyourviewswithusonourFacebookpage /lndianlinkAustralia

Atleast he'sgetting his cricket terminology right, thanks totuitionfrom Harsha

Gemma Merna or Priyanka Chopra in Victoria Beckham

AKSHAy KUMAR

Itjustisn'tcricketanymore

Therehas been wall to wallcricket here for monthsnow. Afterthe five-day festivals and triangularone-dayers areover,thebigtime pyjama game willbe playedb)'teamsfrom14 countries across sixweeks until 29March whenoneoftheteams willwalk away with thesilverware andtherestwillrenirnhomewith their hardware-bars, balls,pads, protectors-and pride, punctured.

\Xfhy somuchcricket?Forthat matter,why somuchsport?To occupy thetimeafter buntingand gathering,overtimemandevised anumberof games played with batsandballsofvarioussizesand shapes-cricketbeingoneofthe earlyones.

Unlikeany other spore, cricket is ratherquixotic,probably reAecti.ng the character oftheland where it wasborn and thepeople\vho devised it. Icis theonly sport played inthreedifferent formats with varyingduration, clothing and rulesas well. Besidesthis, cricketistheonly game thatoften producesno resultafterplayers havecoiledin thesun forfivefull days.

Unlikemanyod1er Indians,I don'tclaimchissport asareligion, butstilltake considerableinterest andspenda 'reasonable'(though myspousedisagrees)amountof timewatchingiconTVorlistening onradio.Attimes,whenHarsha BogleorJimMaxwellisonthe airwaves,Idoboth,asIbelievethis givesrneabettertmderstandingof therulesof thegame.

In fact, crickethas rulesmany

timesmorethanthenumberof commandmentsMoses had on his tablets. There aresomefortytworulesof the game, rnany with sub-sections.Theirinterpretations aresubject to thewhimsoftwo gentlemen whodon'tplay the game,butcan changethe course of thematch with theirindex fingers. One can drivea truck throughtheLBWrulesand, at times,theumpires arearule unco themselves in implementingthem. One umpireevenearnedfame(or nocoriery?) raisinghisfingerin super slowmotion, minutesafter theballhad beenpitched, in a movewhich camecobeknown as the'slowfingerof death'.

In noothersportdoesthe captainofthedefending team movehis playersaround, any numberof times,to positions with fascinatingandquirky names. ow, with more women playing at internationallevel, it isall themoreina·iguingand interestingwhen thecommentator says:"Now the captain removes theslip, basa thirdman and acover."Or whendetailsof field placementsarebroadcast, Like:"Short leg- Sandra; fine leg-Fionaand, deep finelegDeepika." Hmm

Now mrningourattention co theoffsidefielders. Are they put off-side when theballspeedspast d1eircordontotheboundary,or dothey put thestrikeroff-side when acertain fouris cut down? And d1eon-sidefielders,dothey geeon sidewith thebatter,the one playingforther rivalteam?

Old cricketers never die. Formergreats,afterhangingup d1eirboxes,end upin abox- up therein coolcomfortworkingas conunentacors. i\farvellousl

Thissport,nurntreclon hallowedgrounds likeLord's, was endearingly called a'gentleman's game'. ot any more.Inearlier

times,oncethebanerrealised the ballhehadfaintly snicked had been snapped up,would wall,off - withoutwaitingfor the umpire's dreadedindex finger tostick up. Now ictakes a spider cam, a 'snickomecer' and a thirdumpire watchingumpteen replaysco heavethehitter fromd1ecrease. As abonushegets avociferous send-off too.

.Inno other sport isaplayer allowedtoconstantlymockan opponent. Butin thisso-called gentleman'sgame itisnow pare of tl1estrategy. Theslipcordon basmorphedinto sledgequartet alongwith abully fromthegully. Theybehavelike apad:of wolves snarlingd1eirteed1 at alamb tl1at isfacinga red grenadethrown by aspeeddernon22yardsaway. Verbalexchangesbetweenrival playersare splashed several times

on thescreen,with commentators sitting miles away adding their ownspin andspiel without knowingwhat transpired onthe mrf. Off thefield,someof these gentlemen don't mindhaving abiffowid1 membersofthe opposingteamafter aboozeupin thepub.

Insomecountriesthemedia merrilyjoinsthemelee.Fromthe momentan overseasteamarrives, the journos pick up their poison penandpick on d1evisitors, wares andall-realorimaginary. The scribesseemtosavourd1eirblood sport. Theadminisa·atorsofthegame, too,seem to belosingthegrace. Visitingteams wereoncegiven all the honour andhospitality. Nowthey arenotevenoffered d1eirpreferredfood and are not allowedcobringtheirtake-way co thedressingroom,forcing them

to sir omside thestadium andeat from abrown bag. Faitdi.nkum, that'snor cricket.

Still,manyofuswatch tl1is sporewhich attimescan keepyou enthralledforfivedays. That's cricket!

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