CelebratingTamil NewYear

Revellers takepartin thefourthannualSydneyChitnh1:·ra:1� spiritofcelebration resonatedintheair.

Addedtothis,the sentimentofculmraJ solidarityaswellas songanddancetotopitall,made itamemorabledayattherecently heldSydniyilChithiraithThir11vizfla, orSydneyChithiraifestival, markingtheTamilrewYearat RosehillRacecourse.

Nowinitsfourthyear,the colossal,day-longeventis notable,andworthyofpraise, forsolidifyingtheculturaltiesof theTamilcommunityinSydney.

OrganisedbytheTamilArtsand CultureAssociationInc.(fACA), itishailedforbringingtogether

Tamilianstraversinggeographical boundariesincludingIndia,Sri Lanka,MaJaysia,Singapore,South Africa,Mauritiusandotherparts oftheworld.

Thisyear,theTamilNadu government'sculturalentity,Ta.mil NaduEyalTsaiNatakaManram, steppedforwardandprincipally supportedthefestivities.The organisation'sChairmanand veteranSouthIndianfilmmusic directorDeva(a.k.aThenisaith

Thentmg,aJongwithhisensemble of20renownedfolkartists, deliveredmanyTamilculmralfolk performancesforthegathered spectators.ActslikeKaragam, Kaavadi,Poika!kJ1dhimiAtta111 (dunlfl[)Ihorsedance),Kaa!i,J\Tay,mdi lv[elam,andKaiSilav1b11AttaJII,left theaudiencespellbound.The ensembleisregularlyinvitedco performintheIndianRepublic DayParndeandtheirtalentand skillwerecertainlyevident.

PresidencofTACAAnagan Babusaid,"Thisisaunique festivallovedbytheSydneyTamil communityforitsfolkflavour. Theyfeelbackathome.This festivalisgrowingyear-on-year andthisyearit.�specialasthe TaniilNadugovernmenthas joinedwithusinpromotingTamil folkartsonforeignsoil.1thank aJIoursponsors,stallholdersand manyothersupporterstohave madethishappen."

FoodstaJlsatd1evenue suppliedattendeeswithdelicious Tamilcuisines-theid!ianddosa werenottobemissed.Kidswere comfortablyengrossedinvarious amusementgames.

TACAalsoreceivedsupport fromocl1erorganisationsincluding theAustralianTamilBroadcasting Corporation,SBSTamilRadio andmanyothers.TheCommunity MigrantResourceCentre(C1IB.C)

ParramattaincludingExecutive DirectorMelissaMonteiro,the EthnicCommunityCounciland SydWestMulticulmralServices werealsorepresentedatthe festival.

Astheevencwasheldin westernSydneyjustpriortothe NSWISeateelection,d1erewas astrongshowingfromlocal politicians.Specialguestswho attendedtheeventincluded ParliamentSecretaryforJustice DavidClarkeMLCandShadow MinisterforMulticulturalAffairs MichelleRowland.Laborparty membersJohnRobertson,Julia FinnandSusaiBenjaminwere alsopresentalongwiththeir LiberalcolleaguesGeoffLeeMP, TonyIssaandDeputyMayorof HornsbyGurdeepSingh.

Chithiraimarksthefirstmond1 intheTaniilcalendar.The Chicl1iraiFestivaJisacelebration duringthemonthofChitirai (April)inMadurai,India.leisalso oneofdielongestcelebrations indieworldasitlasesforthe entiremomh.Legendhasitdrnt thefi.rst15daysofmefestivaJ arecelebratedforGoddess-deity Meenakshiandthenext15days areforAlagar-anavatarofLord Mahavishnu.

Before starcing his career as a standup comedianin November2004, PapaCJ did his MBAat Oxford andworked as a management consultant in London.

Travelling inEngland,Papa CJ sayspeoplewouldsayto himthey knewabout Indiabecause they'd seenS/11111dogMillionaire.

Hewouldreply,"AndI know about Englandbecause I've seen 1'1 Bean!"

And when non-Indians talk co him today aboutthe(freakish?) concept of arrangedmarriages and the bigweddings,hepoints out to them chatitistheif'systemchatis arranged - orover-arranged- down cothelastdetail,withplacesettings andplannedmenus and rehearsed walksdowntheaisle,whereas our weddings arechaotic parrieswith hundreds of peoplecomingand going, andwhere che dinner is more like a food fair.

"I like comesswith die stereotypes chat people have about us,"PapaCJ says.

CJ stwiibled into stand-up whilesmdyiogin England. He lovedgoingto the Edinburgh Festivaland took a shotat d1eUS contest La.stCo,nicSta11di11gwhere he managed co gee into the finals ("Theremusthave been a diversity clause," he jokes).

Moving backto India,where stand-upwasn't a thing, he claims hestarted itaJJ off,wich hisfirst fewshows atDelhi'slVIochaBar, Within tenmonths, he'ddone some250 gigs

"The stand-upscene in India is prettymassive at die momentI've done gigs aJJ around the country, and peoplepayanywhere from Rs300toRs3000tocome and listen. The corporate circuit is pickingup coo."

This year marks Papa CJ's Australian comedyfestivaldebut as the firstIndian comedian to be invited toperform asolo show at the Melbourne Internacional ComedyFestival.

Established in 1987, the MelbourneInternacional Comedy Festival(]VfICF) is the thirdlargest comedyfestivalof its kindin theworldand one of thelargest cultural events in Australia.Theeventrakes place annually overfourweeks andplays host to hundreds of localand international artists;in 2014 the festivallisted469 shows and 6,488 performances (including 159 free performances) by2,228 artists.

This year'sedition of l\illCF hasnotewordiyrepresentation fromIndia. The flag bearers include Rohan Desai,RuchirAsh besides Indiancomedycircuit favourite PapaCJ,aswell as international actswith links to the sub-continent including Arj Barker, Hari Kondabolu,Vivek Mahbubani,Sameena Zehra and Australia'sown SurenJayemanne.

"Wework in a bubble in India," PapaCJ says. "It's great to be able to come here, representing India, and tosee thatwhatwe'redoing at home is relevant onaworld stage."

He hasperformed at theJust for Laughs festivalin Canada and hasbecome a regularon stage at the EdinburghFringe Festival. He has visited Melbourne before,but these showswillbe his Australian comedyfestivaldebm.

Butsurely'PapaCJ is not the comedian's real name?"Papa CJ isnot the name I,;vas born with but is thename I have taken," heexplains."As a teenager I \\�tnessed a brutal assassination involvingan international mafia cartel. I have since been under a witness protection program by the International Courtof Justice in The f-lague soI cannotreveal my true identity." 0-,'i/e hope he's joking!)

His newshow,'Naked' is different co the kind of work CJ usuallydoes,in matit is a narrative,largelyautobiographical. ''Myregularstyleinvolves plenty of crowd-work, where l chat withd1eaudience and buildfrom there."

''\Xfirh 'Naked', I talkaboutd1e human experience. And whileI usemylifestoryin theshow,I talk about experiences diat mostpeople havehadandemotionschatmost peoplehavefelt. Everybodyleaves myshow feeling marduringa part of it,I was talking abouttheirlife andnotmine"

"'Naked' is a showd1at straddles the realms of stand up comedy, theatre andstorytelling," PapaCJ continues. "ln this journey, one brick at a rime,I removethewaJJschatmost human beings keep between themselves and others, exposingmyself with aJJmyvulnerabilities and allmypain. Forme it isboth terrifyingandexhilaratingat the san1e time and bythe end, while I am completelynaked,I am also completelyfree."

PapaCJ hasperformedon a plane,on a train, on abus,on a boat, in apolice station, in the emergency room of a hospital while holdingthe head of agirl getting32stitches on it, and even at gu.npoiJ1t! Hebas toured sell-ourshowsacrossthe globe and lastyearwon the '.Asia'sBest Stand-upComedian'awardfrom Top 10Magazine.

So, howdid this Indian tea-planter'sson becomeone of India'smostsuccessful comedians?

"There are so many reasons whyI do stand up. For one, it isthemostamazinghigh ever. In years past,adventurerswent outiuto the unkuownin search of goldwithgreathopebutnot knowingwhether or not they would findit. As aprofessional comedian, l go out intothe unknown knowingthatI have to find and deliver comedy gold every 15 seconds! But byfar d1e best part of my job isnever havingto set an alarm cowake up in themorning. Ever."

He adds, "I love d1e honesty d1ac is involved incomedy.The interesting thing in comedyis the inward journeyit forcesme to take - what ismyge11ui11efeel about diisparticularissue?"

CJ likes to thinkof himself as an 'Ambassador of Happiness'. "I hadan 86-year-oldwoman come tome aftera showiu Kol.katta and say,'God blessyouson,1 haven't laughed so much in30years.' The other complimentI get frequently, whichI reallyappreciate, iswhen people tell me that l make them proud co be Indian. l personally consider mysdf to be in the happinessbusiness and not the comedybusiness. I getgenuinejoy out of seeingpeople laughing and happy. Thar iswhyin addition to pure stand-up, I domotivational speaking,havefoundeda d1arity for underprivileged children and do freeshows in hospitals as wdL"

Another audiencememberonce called him a'blessingcollector'.

"Shesaid, 'You justgo around theworldbringinghappiness into people's lives andcollecting blessings.' That reallyiswhat I do it for. The laughter on d1e faces of people and the blessings I receive aremy return on investment."

And whatwould he advise peoplewhowanetogetin on the act?

''\Vhar areyouwaiting for? Get our there anddo it. Drop me a line if youwane,I'll geeyousome stage rime!"

ComedyZone Asia: Rohan Desai

Almough theMelbourne InternacionalComedyFestival is mainly avehicle fo.r headline stand-up and cabaretacts,the event is also an opportunity for up-and-coming localand internationalacts.

FellowIndian comedian Rohan Desaihas already made hismark at d1e2014edition of MICF.The 25-year-oldwon aguestspotafter winningtheRAWComedyIndia event in NewDelhi in 2013.

"GoingtoMelbournewas my firstinternationaltrip," Desai says. "Jcwas amazingtogo to tbe RAW Comedy Final.Toperform in a stadium of 2,000peoplewas just great!"

Desai grewup in Surat,Gujarat, fourhours awayfromthenearest comedyclub. He tried hisluck around different open micnights before bittingthestand-upscene wid1 a bm1g. Hesayshe's "still figuringouc thewhole comedy dung", but tal{eS his inspiration from comedians helooks up to. "Stewart Lee, Obviously,like many Indians,Louis CK, and JerrySeinfeld," Desaisays.''I also take inspiration frommovies. Don Hertzfeldc, from the US, makes diese short films and he has a really odd sensibility which l enjoy."

After appearing in Melbourne, Desai earned aplace on the

ComedyFestivalRoadshow

Indian tour. ''You'reperforming in all these differentplaces and I gotto travelwith the Australian comedians,to gain experienceand learned fromthem on the road," Desai says.

Desai believesthereis great enthusiasmforcomedyamong Indians and thattliesceneinIndia is slowlyexpanding, "It's avery excitingtime for comedy in India," hesays.''Therearepeoplewho talk more about the culture the urban youthcan relate to-Facebook, Bret1ki11gBad;thenthere arepeople who performHindi comedy;then there arepeoplewho have a more traditional stagestyle;then you havepeoplewho are experimental all the rime. It's growingso fast. The best thingis -youcan do whateveryoulike!There's an audienceforeverything, as longas youdo itwell."

At MICF, Desai willbe performingaspartof the 'ComedyZone Asia'program, feacuringtop up-and-coming comedians from across Asia and d1eir different comedystyles.

"If you're expectingjust a lot of Indian references it's not that," Desai says of bisperformance. "It'sveryuniversal.It'svery accessible, and hopefully funny. Ir's just me being a nervous guy."

Desai says hewould describe himself as "an oddguy"with "averystrru1gewayof enjoying comedy", He recentlyperformed at India's largestcomedyevent -the Weirdass Pajama Festival. "The bestpart is nor only performing,but seeinga lot of othercomedywhichopensyour mind todifferentpossibilities," Desai says.

Ond1e recent All India Bakchod controversy,Desai is frank."It'snor thecomedians' fault," he says. "People don't underscru1d the style of comedy. Icwas expected people would get offended,but not that cheywould takelegal action! Theproblem is India has outdated laws. It's just an easywayfor thesepeople to getpublicity and attention by taking(die AIB group) co court. \Xlbenyouintroducenewideas to a traditional culture,you'rebound co have suchissues."

RAWComedyNational Grand Final: RuchirAsh

DesaitellsIndianLinkhisRAW Comedy successor,Kolkata's RuchirAsh is".reallygood" and he looks forward to seeinghim perform inMelbourne.

Whenthe 18-year-old arrives nextweek,itwi.llbe his first time in Australia.Ash,who is travelling withbisdad, says he's "really excited" about comingDown Under.

When heentered the RAW Comedy Indiaevent hewas still eirperimentingwith hiscomedy as a university student. "TheKolkata finaJwas an unrealexperience," Ash says. "The response Igot from theaudiencewas beyond anythingI hadexpected.The thrill of performingisunreal!"

Ash says hisparents are supportive, bur "\,fy mum doesn't knowwhat comedyis; she hasn't seen me perform.Shedoesn't really understand or know about standup."

He reveals his biggestinAuences includingLouisCKandIndia's Rajneesh Kapoor. "I loveBill BurrandJohn Oliver because they usecomedyto tackleserious issues ratherthan just punch-line humour. Allforms of comedy are okay,but 1personallywouldnot wanttogo into'roast' comedy," Ash says, alludingto theAlB controversy.

J\sh reveals hehas already startedwocking on material for theRAWComedy Final. "I've tried toevolve. I don'tthink I'm goingto repeatmuch material from theheats. Youget too accustomedtoit,stop believing in yourownjokes,"hesays. "I'm justgoingtotrycobemyself and hopeitworks."

"I've seenthe audience on YouTubevideos,and it's a comedian's dream- just thinking about performingis exciting!"

Homicidal Pacifist: Sameena Zehra

Someonewhoknows a lot about performingisSameenaZebra. Afterworkingas a professional actor foralmost20years,Zebra made the switchtocomedy. "All of my life inAuences mycomedy," Zebrasays, "No topicis off the table."

After beingborn inKashm.ir, Zebra moved to London as a baby. Afterherparentsdivorced when shewas about seven,she movedback to Kashmirwithher mother.

Zebra'scomedic influences range across different genres of comedy from Lenny Bruce to JoBrand andJosie Long.And thoughshe may be pe.rceived as more of a rarity - a successful female in a male-dominated industry-Zebra doesn't engage \'lriththe idea,vomen are,or shouldbe, treated differently in comedy.

"Throughcomedy Ihave met interesting, generouspeople," she says. "I'mvery confident and outgoing, so nothinghasever been said to my face,butI don't knowif I've missed outon shows becauseI'm awon1an."

"Women still getlesserwages, women are still fighting to be taken seriously acrossaJIfields.

I think it distracts from the comedyitself tofocuson that," she continues. "I don't think of myself as a'female, Asian comedian',1want tobe thought ofwith no qualification,just as a 'comedian'.

Zebrais conscious of participatingin 'Asian-only' gigs in the UK, sayingsheprefers to take partin interviews, shows and gigs that are about"crossingthe. divide".

"Ioftenwon't do 'Asianonly' gigs," shesays. "Bm l did oneshowfor\X1omen Against

FtmdamentaJism,which is a cause close to my heart, and thewomen in the audience said to me, 'We need tohear peoplelikeyou; yoms is avoicewewant to hear.' J\nd timebit home to mehowit canbe important foryoungerwomen and mentosee someonelikerne."

"I grewupin India, but I'm veryBritish andwestern in my thinking. I'm proud toconsider myself a feminist. Idon'tbelong to any stereotype,1want to talk about human beings;it's about engagingand having a conversation."

Zebra'sshowat lvfICF, 'Homicidal Pacifist',is a political and satiricalperformance about her "cull.inglist". ''I'ma pacifist," Zebra says, ''But I'm alsovery angry. The showis my attempt to putthosetwoconflictingelements together. It's tongue-in-cheek, dark humour."

In the show,Zehra outlines the individualswhoshouldbe 'culled' from the htm1anrace. "Ir's notgroupsof people,just the individual ones. Like peoplewho purspoonsin the fork section of a cutlery drawer -I hate that!"

She taJks aboutsex,the bmqa, Charue Hebdo. "Ir's very personal, frommy point ofview. And everythingI say has to be the truth. lfit'snor the truth, it doesn'twork.Myaim is to make people uncomfortablewiththe world and affect change."

Eat Praline, Die: Suren Jayemanne

Closer to home,Australian-born SurenJaymanne says hisSri ln 2014, Jayemannewas handpicked for MICF'sprestigious

Lankan and Malaysian background has slow!)'beglln to influence his comedy and change theway he looks at theworld.

"Growingup I never really saw myself as South Asian,I wasjust another kid,"Jayemanne says. ''It didn't really stand out to me chat I wasdifferent.More recentlyI'venoticed achangein society, ashift to an 'us and them' mentality.SlowlyI've starred to incorporate that into my comedy. Originally mycomedywas shorter jokes not based on persouaJ experiences, things observedor interpreting things differently. As I'veprogressed, I'm talking more personally,it's more about tl1eway I see theworld."

"If you kind of come from adifferentbackground to the standardwhiteAngloSaxon,you don'twanttorelyon stereotypes forcomedy,"Jayer11aru1esays. "But now I have more experience,I feel like I can do icwith meaning."

Jayemanne admits he still works parttime as an accountatlt tl10ugh his passion is comedy. "I think of my accountingcareer kind of like the Carwash or Los Polios in BreakingBad," he says. "It's like tl1e front or legit partof my business."

Originally influenced by Americancomedians like. Mitch Hedberg,Steven Wrightand DemetriMartin,Jayemannesays afterperforming in Australia and watching andlearningfrom others, "i\,fy inAuences have becometl10se on the localscene. I'ma real fan of the Fear of aBrownPlanetguys(Aamer Rahman and Nazeem Hussain) and I'm starting to incorporate more of thatinto my comedy."

'Comedy Zone', a showcase of Australia's best emerging comedians. This ye.athe's malcing hisFestivaJdebut, fresh froma sold-outrun at theSydney Fringe.

"'Eat PraJine,Die' is areference to the faceI'vegrown upwith food aJlergies,"Jayemanne says. (As achild hewas aJlergic toeggs, sesame,nutsand shellfish.) ''The show is a collection of stories about thetwo things I feel have influenced andshapedwho I am today- growing upwitl1 food allergies and growingupwitl1 an ethnicbackground.Thecat.'llysc was going co tl1ebig 10yearhigh school reunion. It prompted me. co reflect on where. I'mati.n life, what it is time's led me to this point."

"Over past fewyearsI've outgrown a few of the allergies," Jaymanne says. "I had prawns for the first ti.mein December.My mum'ssignature dish is samba! prawns so chatwasexciting."

Jayrnannesays as achild he used to joke around as a kind of defencemechanismtobeing 'different'. "Thinkingback,food alle.rgiesmadememore unique than mycultural background," Jaymanne says. "Now it seems society notices chat more."

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival and its RoadshowreguladytoursSouth EastAsia and India, and searches forlocal comics inAustralia. He.re's hopingthey continueto tmcovernewcomedytalentso the Indians can take on Melbourne more often - notjuston the cricket pitch!

KiraSpucys-Tahar,Gaurav Masand,RajniAnandLuthra

Nat.raj ProductionsAustralia Presents

City

Date/Time ...

Venue � Category ...

Adult ...

Sr.Citizens6S+& Kids3-12yrs(Kids below3freewithno seats) ...

Two generations - so near yet so far apart Wllb HindiMusicalTheatricalDrnmr1

Rohini Hattangadi

("Kas1u1i)a"ofOscarWinningMovieGANDIu,WinnerurOrlUsh.c\<.<1dcm) orfilm&Tcl1.,'Visio111\r1> (BAYI)\)A,>ard,FllmfaroandNaUonalFilmA"a.rds) first limo in Australia, performing live on stagc Wiittena.ndDirectedOy Prashant Tupe DialoguesandStagePlayOyDr.Sanjay Patole

Perth Melbourne Sydney Brisbane

RobertBlackwoodHall, UNSW(UniversityofNSW) SleemanSportsComplex, TheRegalTheatre,474 Hay Building2,Monash TheScienceTheatre(F13), "ChandlerTheatre",corner Street,Subiaco,WA6008 University,Clayton,

GauriMainiwentfrom highflyingHRexecutivetoorganicsoapmaker

Th.is isoneof themost interestingcareer profiles [hatI have come across amongtbe Indian community in Australia. Afterdecadesof service in the HR industry working wicl1 someof [he biggest corporate giants, Gauri Mainigave itall up to become asoap maker.

Today,she is theownerof asmallbusinessvenmrecal.led A WickedScrub and creates completelynarnral and organic soap bars, cleansersandother tream1ents for the skinand hair.

"A WickedScrub is abonr treatingyourself wickedly well," Main.i says. ''It isnot just about beauty; it is a celebration of cl1e beauty cl1at in abundantin us and in nan1re."

Gauri Main.i grew up in Gujarat, but wicl1 her dadbeing in cl1e police force, the farn.ily shifted towns frequently. Herparents,like otl1er Indian parents,encouraged her in academicsand pushed her co be independent.Though mey wanted her to take upa career intheservices, Gauri's heart was set on a businessdegree. She graduated with anMBA degree

Ifrom XLRI,oneof India's premier business schools.

Marriageand children followed and memoveto Australia happened in 2000. Her boss at Larsen &Toubro calledher "mad"toleave hercareer in India behind.

"Hegavemea book which I haveeven today -Hopeforthe F/0111ers,"Main.i says. "I clunk the caterpillar who is constantly looking formore is me. Until he realises that he needs to hang upside downandwait till his metamorphosis imoa butterAy, hecannotfly.Trouble is,I don't know if I amAyi.ngyet!"

After an initially slow transition period,Mai11i'scorporatecareer rookoff in Australia. But,in spite of havingit all, therestlessness continued. She wantedto be in the not-for-profit sector,butwas considered'toocorporate'by many. So, one day,shequit. and hasn't looked back since.

Beingacrave! buff, Mainihas always hada love and fascination of namralsoaps.Wim noprior experienceand completely selftaughc, shemade her firstbatchof oatmeal soaps. It wasloveatfirst sight, touch andsmell.

Thenshebeganexperimenting withomernatural ingredients creating soaps from natural salts, goat'snlilk,aloe veraand so began the journey of A Wicked Scrub.

"I th.ink itwas initially just mind blowingcoseehowI was so gullibleconsuming exorbitantly priced cleansers, creamsand treatmentsformy skin and hair without payingany attention cowhat is in it," Maini explains.

"The main inspiration behind A WickedScrub is that weallneeda licclebit of push topamper ourselves, toslow down and enjoyeachother. I hope cl1rough my products peoplefeel liked1ey cando mat."

Mai11i iscompletely self-caught when it comes to theprocess of making soaps and oilier beauty products. Bueshe isnot willing to compromise on qual.icy and works in closeassociationwith local artisansandproducers roensure highquali.tyand pure ingredients for herproducts.

''I don't want co use preservativesor emulsifiers.Just plain narnral ingredient.s,as close to the sourceor farmas possible."

Itis acommonfact mat allergies,especially skin associated onesl.ike eczema, are extremely common in Australia. Oauneal or goat's milk soap is recommended for peoplewho suffer from these conditions as it hydratesand moisntrisesthe skil1 in anatural manner, wimour tl1e presenceof any irritatingchemicals.Though mis isnot acu.re for the problem, using natural productslikethese can greatly help to reducethe intensity of mesymptoms andgetrelief.

Apart from local producers, l\fainialso worksin close association with producers fromaround theglobe co ensure that she uses only the best andtop quality ingredients for herproducts. While d1ecold pressed neemoil comes froma village in Kutch,theshea butter isfromKwabena. Hergifthampersandtrays comefromAnnof A.n Assorted Affair, while mebody brushes are from Import Ants whoworksin closeassociation with women in SriLanka.

One of the best-selling products is the bodyscrub, which isan indulgent,bespoke,natural andorganic blendof beeswax, essential oils, saltsor sugar. l\,faini also dabbles witl1 cleansingand essential oils; her favourites includepurerosegeranium, rosewooda.nd jasmine wllich can be found in many of her products.

A Wicked Scrub runsas an online store. Gauri Mainidoes not waneto scale up for profit's sake as sheprefers to retain her personaltouch and create indulgent products for allat an affordable price.