Indian News Queensland – Jan 2018 Vol 1 Issue 4

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PAGE 3 QLD CABINET

Jan 2018 Vol 1 Issue 4

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk introduces New Queensland Government Cabinet via Twitter

PAGE 12 NRI NEWS Annastacia Palaszczuk's social media states"We are 25 men and 23 women, representing a State that will soon be home to 5 million people spread across more than 1.7 million square kilometres.Our Queensland Labor Caucus represents Queensland from top to bottom."

PAGE 17 GC 2018 CWG

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n December 11th, 2017 Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the cabinet for her second term via Twitter. The decision was made after a caucus meeting with her MPs in the morning and then one-

on-one meetings with her ministers.

The new cabinet is made up of nine men and nine women, with an increase in ministers to 18 which was revealed in 15 tweets sent between 3.21pm and 5.20pm. She said her team was the right mix of experi-

ASIAN AFRICAN

ence and regional representation, and her government would prioritize jobs, health and education.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she is confident that her 18-member cabinet and five assistant ministers, made of equal representation of

men and women, will deliver greater economic prosperity and government services for all Queenslanders. ....Continued on Pg 3

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Indian News Queensland | EDITOR’S WORDS PUBLISHER Dr. Ram Mohan info@indiannewsqld.com.au EDITOR CUM ASSOCIATE EDITORS editor@indiannewsqld.com.au Ashutosh Raina Susmy Nair Duraimurugan Ramasamy (IT) CONTRIBUTORS Rashmi Ram Mohan Smith Mehta Munmun Gupta DESIGNER Tsai Min-Yi FOR ENQUIRIES, CONTACT: Dr. Ram Mohan info@indiannewsqld.com.au; sales@indiannewsqld.com.au

From the INQ Team Indian News Queensland looks to the future and 2018!

Thank you for the great support for the printed version of our tabloid newspaper. This is our fourth printed edition and our readership and distribution has seen a big growth across Queensland.

Many government and non-government agencies recognized and shared their media releases and event announcements in our newspaper. Many non-profit organizations shared their events and news to the members through INQ. Commonwealth Games Authority have extended the trust and advertised in INQ for the next few months lead up to the games.

As most of you will agree, to run a quality newspaper on sustainable basis, we would need more time, effort and lot more resources. But as of now, the advertising revenue is hard to get. Through this note, I would seek finding support from readers and local businesses to collaborate and advertise with INQ. On behalf of all of us at Indian News Queensland, let me wish all our readers abundant joy, health and peace in the New Year 2018.

Thank you for your continued support.

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Indian News Queensland | WORLD & GOVT

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk introduces New Queensland Government Cabinet via Twitter

O

The New Palaszczuk cabinet for Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk - Premier and Minister for Trade Responsibilities include the overall management of Queensland, Cabinet, coordinating government communication, policy development, Parliamentary Counsel, protocol, intergovernmental relations, one stop shop strategy, Screen industry development, Veterans’ affairs, investment facilitation, trade development, government information and communication technology policy and planning, and overall public service management.

Jackie Trad - Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Responsibilities include the state budget, taxation, economic policy, government owned enterprises, insurance, capital works monitoring, mineral and petroleum royalties, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage, policy and rights and culture.

Cameron Dick - Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning and Minister for Manufacturing Responsibilities include state development, manufacturing, economic development, urban growth, land use planning, major project impact assessment and programs for priority industry sectors.

Kate Jones - Minister for Innovation, Minister for Tourism Industry Development, and Minister for the Commonwealth Games Responsibilities include the Commonwealth Games, integrated resort developments and global tourism hubs, major events, tourism development and promotion, tourism investment attraction, innovation policy, strategy and programs, international education, research and development coordination and planning.

Yvette D'Ath - Attorney-General, Minister for Justice and Leader of the House Responsibilities include justice administration, courts, registration of births, deaths and marriages, Legal Aid, youth justice, fair trading and consumer protection, incorporation of associations, lotteries, keno and wagering, occupational licensing, registration of charitable and community purpose organizations and the Public Trustee.

Steven Miles - Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services Responsibilities include hospitals, public health, oral health, nursing homes and

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hostels, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, community health services, alcohol and drug services, disease surveillance, health rights and promotion, registration of health professionals and the ambulance service.

Grace Grace - Minister for Education and Minister for Industrial Relations Responsibilities include state schooling, early childhood education and care, higher education, non-state school funding, industrial relations, employment policies and programs, worker's compensation and workplace health and safety.

Mark Bailey - Minister for Transport and Main Roads Responsibilities include land transport and safety, main roads, marine infrastructure, passenger and personalized transport, ports, railways and transport infrastructure.

Anthony Lynham - Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Responsibilities include mining and petroleum, mine safety and health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land interests, land and natural resource management, native title, energy and water utilities, bulk water supply, distribution and retail arrangements, management of water supply emergencies and regulation of water quality and supply continuity.

Mick de Brenni - Minister for Housing and Public Works, Minister for Digital Technology and Minister for Sport Responsibilities include building and plumbing standards, government buildings, homelessness, housing services, licensing and regulation of the Queensland building industry, Open data, digital economy, shared services systems, archives, sport and recreation.

Shannon Fentiman - Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development Responsibilities include employment, vocational education and training, skills and workforce development, small business advocacy and resilience.

Leeanne Enoch - Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Minister for Science and Minister for the Arts Responsibilities include climate change policy, environmental planning and protection policy, the Great Barrier Reef, pollution and waste management, marine and national parks management, science strategy and the arts.

Mark Ryan - Minister for Police and Minister Corrective Services Responsibilities include the police service, adult corrective services and Queensland Government Air Services.

Coralee O'Rourke - Minister for Communities and Minister for Disability Services and Seniors Responsibilities include disability services, community care, seniors, social inclusion, adoption and community services recovery.

Mark Furner - Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Responsibilities include biosecurity, agriculture, animal welfare, food and fibre industry development, rural economic development, and racing integrity.

Stirling Hinchliffe - Minister for Local Government, Minister for Racing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs Responsibilities include local government, multicultural affairs, racing and the recovery and reconstruction of Queensland following natural disaster events.

Di Farmer - Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Responsibilities include child protective services, working with children check, women’s policy, youth affairs and justice and the prevention of domestic and family violence.

Craig Crawford - Minister for Fire and Emergency Services Responsibilities include fire and rescue service, state emergency service, rural fire service and disaster management.

Assistant Ministers Responsibilities include performing duties in accordance with any instructions or guidelines that may be issued by the Premier from time to time.

Jennifer Howard - Assistant Minister for Veterans Affairs and Assistant Minister of State Glenn Butcher - Assistant Minister for Treasury Julieanne Gilbert - Assistant Minister for State Development Brittany Lauga - Assistant Minister for Education Meaghan Scanlon - Assistant Minister for Tourism Industry Development

n December 11th, 2017 Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the cabinet for her second term via Twitter. The decision was made after a caucus meeting with her MPs in the morning and then one-onone meetings with her ministers.

The new cabinet is made up of nine men and nine women, with an increase in ministers to 18 which was revealed in 15 tweets sent between 3.21pm and 5.20pm. She said her team was the right mix of experience and regional representation, and her government would prioritize jobs, health and education.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she is confident that her 18-member cabinet and five assistant ministers, made of equal representation of men and women, will deliver greater economic prosperity and government services for all Queenslanders.

Among those to receive promotions was Steven Miles, who went from Environment Minister to taking on

Stirling Hincliffe Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Local Government and Racing

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the Health portfolio, along with Ambulance Services. Deputy Premier Jackie Trad had a win, taking on the Treasury and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships whereas former treasurer Curtis Pitt has been dumped from his role and will move to be the parliamentary speaker.

Transport and Main Roads will be under Mark Bailey, however he lost Energy to Anthony Lynham, who also has Natural Resources and Mines. Mr Bailey's old portfolios of Road Safety, Ports, Biofuels and Water Supply were absorbed into other portfolios. Grace Grace got Education and keep Industrial Relations.

Kate Jones lost Education but kept Commonwealth Games and will also be the Tourism Industry Development Minister. Dianne Farmer joined the cabinet for the first time, getting Child Safety, Youth and Women and Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, while Craig Crawford got the front bench, becoming the Fire and Emergency Services Minister.

Stirling Hinchliffe has returned to the cabinet as the Minister for Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs. Previously he was the Minister for Transport and the Commonwealth Games and had resigned from his cabinet portfolio amid the long-running Queensland Rail debacle. He was also the Minister of State assisting the Premier from 16 Feb 2015 till 8 Dec 2015 and Minister for Employment, Skills and Mining from 16 Feb 2015 till 8 Dec 2015.

JANUARY 2018

3

Indian News Queensland | COMMUNITY

Harman Foundation’s “March against Domestic Violence”

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n Sunday, the 17th of December Harman Foundation hosted the ‘March against Domestic Violence’ at Alwyn Lindfield Reserve in Glenwood. This event was to remember Harjit Kaur, who was stabbed by her husband in her Glenwood home in March of year 2017 and Parminder Kaur, 32, who died after being doused in petrol and set alight in front of her Rouse Hill home in 2013. These have been two tragic cases that have happened in the Punjabi community in Western Sydney however in Australia on an average at least one woman every week is killed by her partner or former partner. The theme of the event was #PressForProgess2018 in an effort to bring awareness and eradicate domestic violence.

Elected members of Blacktown City Council attended including Councillor Susai Benjamin, Councillor Chris Quilkey, Councillor Julie Griffiths and Councillor Moninder Singh. Councillor Griffiths recounted her own experience being a child of domestic violence, her father being abusive to her mother during her younger years. Councillor Quilkey mentioned the importance of support services for men with a propen-

sity to engage in abuse and violence.

Superintendent Robert Critchlow from the Hills LAC (Castle Hill Police station) who speaks out regularly in opposition of domestic violence emphasised reaching out to the Police as a first point of contact.

Director Harinder Kaur from Harman Foundation emphasised the need for DV victims to speak up and reach for support and help before it gets too late. She said that community should work together. Harman Foundation is currently helping women in DV by providing 24x7 helpline, outsourcing case management and establish a safe home for those who really need time out from their current situations. Harman Foundation’s partner community organisations were also present including the Australian Sikh Association, SydWest, Blacktown Girls and women’s centre, Blacktown and Relationships Australia NSW. After a minute of silence to commemorate Parminder Kaur and Harjit Kaur, over 40 attendees marched around the oval against domestic violence. We thank all those who attended. Finally we lend our support and love to the victims and children of domestic violence everywhere. #PressForProgress2018

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Let’s Stand Together Against Domestic Violence!

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omestic violence permeates every level of society and endangers people of all backgrounds and experiences. It’s terrifying impact on individuals can be psychological or physical and, too often, fatal even though it may be hidden in plain view. Every member of our community can play a role in changing attitudes and breaking down the gender norms and stereotypes that lead to violence.

Every year people die from domestic and family violence, even when there has been no history of physical violence. All forms of violence and controlling and obsessive behaviors should be taken seriously.

First step to identify and stand against it is by educating and empowering

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people and creating awareness in the society. If every individual takes it upon themselves to educate minimum 1 of all the people we know it will help to create a wave of change in society.

What is Domestic Violence?

Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviour through which a person seeks to control and dominate another person. Domestic violence does not take the form of a single incident.

It is ongoing behaviour that gradually undermines the victim’s confidence and ability to leave the violent person.

The severity and frequency of violence often escalate over time. It is also commonly known as: • Family violence • Relationship violence • Intimate partner violence • Child abuse

This violence takes many forms, none of which is mutually exclusive. While physical violence may be the most visible form, others such as sexual, emotional, social, spiritual and economic abuse can be equally harmful.

Where does it happen in general?

Examples include: isolating a victim from family and friends, controlling their access to money, diminishing their self-esteem, preventing them from practising their religious beliefs, intimidating them, and threatening them.

Domestic violence happens in all kinds of relationships, including intimate: partners, lovers, husband and wife, ex-partners, older people and their children (elder abuse), other fam-

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ily members, including step-parents, parents and their teenage or adult children, friends, people with disabilities and their carers When domestic violence occurs between adults in heterosexual relationships, research shows that men are most likely to be the perpetrators and women the victims. When the violence occurs against children in families, research shows that parents and step-parents are most likely to be the perpetrators. Children and young people also experience violence when they live with and/or witness violence between other family members.

How to get help?

In an emergency call the police on triple zero (000).

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DVConnect Womensline

Phone: 1800 811 811 (24 hours, 7 days a week) Womensline helps women to obtain safe refuge accommodation, confidential counselling and referral to other services.

DVConnect Mensline

Phone: 1800 600 636 (9am to midnight, 7 days a week) Mensline provides confidential counselling, information and referral to men affected by domestic and family violence.

Kids Helpline

Phone: 1800 55 1800 (24 hours, 7 days per week)

Lifeline

Phone: 13 11 14 (24-hour Crisis Counselling Line)

JANUARY 2018

4

Indian News Queensland | FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Annadanam (Food Donation) at Lord Ganesha Temple in Brisbane

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elva Vinayakar Kovil (Temple of Lord Ganesha) was established in Brisbane, the Capital City of Sunshine State of Queensland, Australia in 1995.

Similar to the Hindu temples in India, Selva Vinayakar temple is also situated amidst areas of natural scenic beauty, in proximity to the Logan River at South Maclean, an area of prevailing peace and inspiration to the devotees visiting this temple.

Selva Vinayakar temple is built according to traditional Indian style in conformity with ancient Sitpa Sastra and Agamas. A beautiful tower (Gopuram) and ornamental icons are also constructed by temple builders and sculptors invited from South India.

With migration of Hindus in Brisbane, some of the Hindu families felt the need for community worship so monthly congregational prayer meetings were conducted first at homes and then at the SWARA Hall. Finally, in 1990, the elected Management Committee ‘Hindu Ahlaya Sangam’ succeeded in purchasing 4.5 acres of elevated, virgin bushland at South Maclean, 35 km South of Brisbane for temple construction.

Gopuram

Temple is aesthetically beautiful and upon entering instils a sense of devotion and positivity in one. In the temple, Lord Ganesha is accorded in the centre. The vimanam (the structure that is built over the sanctum sanctorum) of this beautiful Central Shrine of Vinayakar, with its stupi, stands at a height of about 20 feet above the ground level. On the right of the Central Shrine Siva takes His abode and Abirami (Parvathi) is on the left. Maha Vishnu and Lord Murukan find their appropriate places to the rear of the Central Shrine.

The shrines of Navagrah and Vairavar are in their respective places close to the main entrance. Images are also installed in the niches of the three walls surrounding the Central Shrine. They face the ‘prakara’, the path which runs around the shrine.

Adjacent to the main deity, on the left of the shrine, Chandeswarar is assigned his place. On the right of Lord Siva are Nalvar (Sampanthar, Apper Sundarar and Manikkavasakar) in panchaloga (five metals) and Sri Ramakrishna in granite.

This temple also serves as a centre for various cultural and educational activities. Religious classes are

conducted for children; music and dance programs are conducted, and scholars and religious leaders are invited to address the devotees on special occasions.

Since 2007 few friends and families from Northern suburbs of Brisbane have been offering Annadanam (Food Donation) to devotees of Sri Selva Vinayakar Temple on New Year’s Day, and it has now become a significant event in the temple’s calendar. Among all the forms of charity, Annadanam is considered as an act of highest virtue. All the other human needs like clothes, shelter, and education impact only the quality of life but the food impacts the life itself.

After the special Puja between 9-10 am, meals cooked in the temple’s premises are served as lunch for the devotees in the temple.

On January 1st, 2018 around 3000 people were served as a part of Annadanam. The temple is located at 4915 - 4923, Mt Lindesay Highway, South Maclean, Queensland-4280.

URL: http://www.sriselvavinayakar.org Email: ssvkbrisbane@gmail.com | Phone: +61 7 5547 7302 Deity procession

Mahaabhishekam in 2015

Meal preparation group

Annadanam

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Meal preparation group

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JANUARY 2018

5

Indian News Queensland | FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Ayyappa Pooja in Brisbane

Bhajans and keertans at the ceremony Devotees at the pooja

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ord Ayyappa represents a combination of spiritual powers. Sastha Preethi, as the name suggests, is the worship of Sree Dharma Sastha for the blessing of his divine grace. Lord Sasta, also popularly known as Lord Ayyappa is known to be the offspring of Shiva and Vishnu (as Mohini, in his female form). The most famous and well-known shrine of Lord Sasta is the Sabarimala (mountain) situated at Kerala, India. Every year millions of people visit this shrine and seek the blessings of the Lord.

More than 5 million pilgrims visit Sabarimala in South India every year, the abode of Lord Ayyappa.

Ayyappa festival is an example of communal harmony and Queensland Indians have kept alive the centuries-old tradition of celebrating the festival together. For past few years Ayyappa Seva Sangam Queensland has been successfully conducting the annual Ayyappa Pooja in Brisbane for Indian Communities. This year Ayyappa pooja ceremony was conducted on 16th Dec 2017 at Engoggera and

was attended by all devout Indians.

The photo of swami Ayyappa was placed on a raised platform with 18 golden steps. It was decked with flowers and brass lamps lit up the area. Rows of priests chanted the mantras as devotees offered prayers.

They offered joint prayers to Lord Ayyappa, the crowd chanted together and sang the Ayyappa arthi which reverberated the temple hall and created an atmosphere of extreme positivity and rejuvenation.

Lord Ayyappa also known as Annadhana Prabhu believed in living life the simplest way possible and letting go of one’s materialistic desires and ego. He also believed that all on earth should be treated as equals. He always emphasized on feeding or sharing the food/offerings with the needy. It is said that “The Lord accepts any form of worship with devotion and dedication and to those who with absolute surrender and purity prayerfully call out to Him, He is always there, ever ready to take under His benign shelter and bestow upon us health, wealth, happiness and prosperity”.

Hence the entry for Ayyappa Pooja QLD was free for all and the celebrations were followed by a sumptuous meal comprising of South Indian traditional delicacies.

With the rising number of Indian migrants in Queensland, Ayyappa being a popular deity, individual homes and devotees of Lord Ayyappa performed pujas which slowly grew into a larger organized event.

One simply feels divine touching the priest’s feet and getting blessings of Lord Ayyappa. The experience surely ignites the hidden devotion in those who takes time out of their busy schedule to be part of this amazing religious festival.

On January 14th, 2018 (Makara jyothi day) AYYAPPA SEVA SANGAM is conducting the Ayyappa Pooja at the Ayyappa Sannidhi inside Selva Vinayagar Temple, South Mcclean.

For more about the AYYAPPA POOJA please contact Mr. Unnikrishnan Nair on 0416927100 or ckuknair@gmail.com.

Swamiyae Saranam Ayyappa!

Children seeking blessings from priests

Bhajans and keertans at the ceremony

Priests performing the pooja

Lighting the lamp for pooja

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Lord Ayyappa

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JANUARY 2018

6

Indian News Queensland | FESTIVALS & EVENTS

A Win For Tamil Oli Broadcaster Saradha Ravichandran!

Saradha Ravichandran

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rs. Saradha Ravichandran won the National award “Volunteer contribution of the Year 2017”. This award is given by the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters’ Council

(NEMBC) to a volunteer who has made an outstanding contribution to their community radio station.

This award was judged by strict guidelines including proven positive contribution to the community radio including station culture

and effectiveness towards its vision and guidance with dedication to community engagement.

Saradha is one of the volunteer broadcasters and panel operators for the “Radio 4EB- Tamil Oli” which

Accolade to the Winner of The Tamil Competitions

M

iss Sriharini Paranthaman known as Sriharini is an eleven years old grade 5 student from Undurba State School in Murrumba downs. She has been studying her mother tongue, Tamil through the Thaai Tamil School which is an afterhours language school, part of Ethnic Schools Association Queensland.

Sriharini migrated from Tamil Nadu, India to Australia when she was 4 years old along with her father Mr. Thirumalai Paranthaman and mother Kalpana Sabapathy.

Sriharini’s parents actively engage in speaking Tamil at home , as her parents believe this is where language development begins and that it is their responsibility to hand down cultural values, beliefs and the language to the next generation. This is the main reason that Sriharini and her little sister Aadhirai Paranthaman are fluent in spoken Tamil.

Sriharini is an academic achiever in her fundamental school activities and also takes part in many extracurricular music concerts. Since she has become a student of the Thaai Tamil School language school, Shriharini has been participating in various Tamil language competitions, as well as achieving many awards,

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broadcast Tamil programs since 1986 and it is part of the “Radio 4EB Community Ethnic Radio”.

Saradha was nominated by the Tamil-Oli management committee for the award based on her voluntary contribution for more than a decade.

Saradha’s voluntary radio journey began in 2003 with the Australian Tamil Broadcasting Corporation(ATBC, Sydney) as a regular newsreader and program provider, continuing through to 4EB Tamil-Oli Radio from 2013.

Other community involvements include; President of Thaai Tamil School and her involvement in the curriculum developments as well as organising various community events including the Pongal festival, fund raisers for the temple, being a regular blood donor and raising awareness about the importance of donating blood to her contacts.

Since 2015, Saradha is one of the Tamil-Oli’s executive committee members and also one of the key organising members of the the Tamil-Oli’s 30th anniversary celebration event that was held on June 2017.

Tamil-Oli broadcast hours are based on member numbers while broadcast and panel operation tasks are managed by volunteers. Maintaining membership is one of the bigwhich showcase her dedication and persistence. It was this dedication that aided in her becoming the National Winner, Gold Medalist of the year 2017 in the “National Tamil Writing Competition”, conducted

by Australian Society of Graduate Tamils’ Competition (ASoGT).

She was also one of the national finalist of the “Speech and Thirukural competition” as well as receiving a

gest challenges for community radio and Saradha is well aware of that.

She started to promote the TamilOli along with other dedicated volunteers during community gatherings, encouraged interested people to gain membership and then assisted them to produce recordings as well. During the year 2013-2014 she provided the most recordings to Tamil Oli FM98.1 ensuring radio activity to continue without any difficulties. Saradha’s recordings included literature, children’s’ moral stories, having children’s recordings aired, news, culture & Tamil heritage, leaders as well as health and community events.

Tamil-Oli management committee is so pleased to see Saradha as the winner of the national award and wish her all the best to continue to achieve great outcomes.

NEMBC award for Saradha Grade A certificate conducted by AsoGT. Sriharini is a multi-task talented young girl, learning Indian classical dance Bharathanatyam for five years and participated in various dance concerts. She is also learning violin and flute along with her favourite sport badminton. We wish her all the best to continue to achieve high and come out with flying colours.

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JANUARY 2018

7

Indian News Queensland | FESTIVALS & EVENTS

26th January: Dual celebrations for Australian Indians!

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elebration rings for both Australia and India on 26th of January as Australia celebrates its Foundation Day and India celebrates the Republic Day. It is interesting to note that one marks the arrival of the British in Australia, and the other signifies the end of British rule in India.

On Jan 26, 1788 that Captain Arthur Phillip, commander of First Fleet of British Admiralty, along with his officers rowed to Sydney Cove in eastern Australia and took possession of the land in the name of King George III. Australia Day marks the beginning of the European settlement in Australia and the foundation of the modern Australian state.

Since 1946 Australia Day Council has established Australian of the Year Award, Young Australian of

the Year Award (16 year-30 years), Senior Australian of the Year Award (over 60 years) and Australia's Local Hero Award.

The main symbols of Australia Day include the Australian national flag, with its representations of the Union Jack, the Commonwealth Star and the five stars of the Southern Cross, and the national anthem “Advance Australia Fair”. Other symbols include the Golden Wattle, which is the national floral emblem, the opal, which is the national gemstone and the national colors of green and gold.

It is an opportunity for Australians to come together to celebrate their country and culture. There are reflections on the achievements of the nation and explorations of way to make the country even better in the future.

On the other hand, India got freedom from British rule on August 15, 1947, through peaceful non-violence and civil disobedience movements, it needed an iron-clad document to run a country. January 26, 1950, was the golden day when India became a democratic governing nation. It was the day the Constitution of India, prepared by drafting committee headed by BR Ambedkar, came into force and replaced the existing Government of India Act,1935. The Constitution was formed taking into consideration the ethnic communities, multiple religions and regional tribes. Thus, completing the journey of becoming a sovereign democratic republic.

On November 26, 1949, the Constitution of India was adopted by the Indian Constituent Assembly, and it came into force on January

26, 1950. The reason why January 26 was chosen as the Republic Day was because, on this day in the year 1930, Indian National Congress (INC) proclaimed the Declaration of Indian Independence (Poorna Swaraj) rejecting the Dominion status offered by the British Regime.

Indians across the world prep up to come together and celebrate the 69th Republic Day on Friday, January 26, 2018. The methods of celebrating and preparing for this patriotic day are very varied. While the government officials in India look forward to participating and witnessing the Flag Hoisting ceremony by the President of India followed by the March Past in Delhi, other enthusiastic school children are eager to perform at their school and attend the flag hoisting ceremonies. Various housing societies also

organize flag hoisting ceremonies followed by sweet distribution to celebrate the spirit of the day.

The two countries have their share of similarities like their love for cricket with both sides holding regular matches. Many Australian cricketers have been taking part in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since it began in 2008. Australia and India follow the Westminster style of parliament and both countries are democracies with voting systems. As both countries are a part of the Commonwealth, the way local and state governments run are very similar. Both countries have a free press and independent judicial systems. The English language is also common to both countries.

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Indian News Queensland | FESTIVALS & EVENTS

10TH Anniversary of GOPIO in Oceania Region

O

n the 26th of October 2017, Gopio International Oceania celebrated 10 years movement of GOPIO in the Oceania as well as relaunched the GOPIO Chapter of Gold Coast under the supervision of Mrs Suman Kapoor, International Co-ordinator, Oceania, she was also the Chairperson of the ceremony. The celebration took place in a grand way and it all happened on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It was well attended by the Presidents, members and guests of different chapters from New Zealand and Australia. Members from Fiji were unable to attends.

The messages of good wishes from dignitaries of different backgrounds were overwhelmingly significant.

Hon. Jodi Mackay MP, Shadow Minister for Transport, Roads, Maritime and Freight. Hon. Mi-

chelle Rowland, Shadow Minister for Communications and Federal Member for Greenway, Mrs Archana Singh, Honorary Consul of India in Queensland representing the High Commissioner of India, Ms Julia Finn, Member for Granville, NSW, and Mr Peter Primrose MLC, Legislative Council. The Conference was attended by the members of the International Committee as well, like Mr Harmohan Walia, Chairman, GOPIO’s Committee on Chapter Policies and Procedures and Mr Jagdish Lal Lodia, Associate Secretary. The Committee for the event are as follows: Mrs Suman Kapoor – International Co-ordinator Oceania – Chair Mr Shyam Das – Past President of GOPIO Qld Chapter – Conference Convenor

Mr Harjit Singh – V P GOPIO Botany NZ – Conference Coordinator Mr Harmohan Walia – Chairman COPIO’s Committee on Chapter Policies and Procedures – PR Dr Sonia Cheema – President of GOPIO Melbourne Chapter – Conference Secretary Mr Pushpinder Oberoi – President of GOPIO Gold Coast – The Host The morning session started with networking with tea and coffee followed by welcome tikka/garland by the host chapter. The Emcee Dr Sonia Cheema was introduced by Mr Shyam Das, followed by Diya Ceremony for the invited guests and the committee members. Miss Ratna Venkat, the renowned classical dancer from New Zealand was

introduced and followed by a beautiful classical dance then the Oath Ceremony for the President of GOPIO Gold Coast Chapter as well as the Gold Coast has been relaunched

by Mrs Suman Kapoor. The Emcee called upon all the members and guests to join the forum followed by the presentations of different chapters. Mr Pradeep Kumar (President GOPIO Waikato, NZ), Mr Balkar Singh Kang ( President GOPIO Sydney Northwest) , Mrs Vinita Kaushal – President GOPIO Queensland Chapter, Dr Sonia Cheema - President of GOPIO Melbourne Chapter and Mr Harjit Singh ( VP of GOPIO Botany Chapter NZ) followed by the open floor chaired by Mrs Suman kapoor to discuss about the vision, program, aims and goals for GOPIO in the next five years. The following points were discussed: 1. CONFLUENCE 2. Where we would like to see GOPIO MOVEMENT in next five years 3. What is your vision for GOPIO 4. What works and what doesn’t, new chapters challenges and opportunities.

The inputs were great and Mrs Suman Kapoor assured the points will be taken up with the international body, in conclusion she also clarified some of the queries by the members. The outcome of the forum was very fruitful. It was followed by vote of thanks, which concluded the morning session. Most of the guests and members went on a tour of Gold Coast.

The evening session was started in time, at 6.30pm, includes networking, tea, coffee and drinks. The host welcomed everyone and introduced the Emcee followed by a beautiful dance from Ms Ratna Venkat.

Mrs Suman Kapoor, the Chairperson of the event was called upon to

New 2018 Executive Commiteee for India Australia Society Inc.

T

he India Australia Society Inc. had its Annual General Body Meeting on 17th December, 2017. The meeting is well attended by various members of the association. President Mrs. Ragamayi Yarlagadda, Secretary Mr. Raju Tippana and Treasurer Mrs. Vimala Menon presented their annual reports, which were well received approved during Annual General Meeting. Mr. Ravi Menon was appointed as Returning officer before dissolving the executive committee for 2017 to conduct elections to elect 2018 Executive committee.

Mr. Ravi Menon conducted the elections and announced that the following members have been elected for various executive committee positions.

The following people elected to various positions without any opposition and need for an election. This clearly

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signifies the cohesiveness, uniqueness, supportive and inclusiveness of The India Australia Society.

Mrs. Ragamayi Yarlagadda got reelected as President for 2018. In addition Mr. Hafeez Ali Khan got reelected as Vice President, Mrs. Vimala Menon got re-elected as Treasurer, Mr. Ali Taji got re-elected as Assistant Treasurer and Mr. Kris Nangia got re-elected as Assistant Secretary. Mr. Vishal Sharma, one of the active members of the society and a multi-media expert got elected as Secretary to The India Australia Society Inc. Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda well known community leader, past president of The India Australia Society Inc, Past President and current Patron of Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland got elected as another vice-president. In addition, Mrs. Phani Kumari Paritala, Mr. Ali Shokoohi, Mrs Irene Singh and

Mrs Uma Maheswari were elected as committee members. The incoming executive committee appointed Mr. Ramanathan, a well-known community leader and accountant and also past President of The India Australia Society Inc. and current President of Tamil Association of Queensland as auditor for 2018.

President Ragamayi Yarlagadda has given her welcoming speech to invite all new executive committee members and her brief speech is as follows: “Thank you very much for electing me to the position of President. It is a great pleasure to be continuing in this role. I am looking forward for another exciting year. It is very important for IAS to retain its membership base. One of the activities, we initially planned but did not have resources to organise in year 2017 is Outing. I remember in late 1990s, India Australia

Society used to organise a signature event that is Bus trip to Gold Coast or Sun Shine Coast. Seniors and Families with young children really enjoyed these trips. We would like to initiate these activities again.

I encourage all our members, not just office bearers to provide ideas or pursue in regards to gaining more funds from government and private organisations. If they can afford, please also sponsor an event as an individual or

say a few words by the emcee on the occasion followed by a few more speeches by the invited guests. On this great occasion The Committee also decided to recognise some of the members for their meritorious services to GOPIO and the Community. They are as follows: 1. Mr Pushpinder Oberoi 2. Mr Shyam Das 3. Mrs Sonu Harkerwal 4. Mr Pradeep Kumar 5. Mr Balkar Singh Kang 6. Ms Ratna Venkat 7. Dt Chaithana 8. Mr Harjit Singh 9. Mr Harmohan walia 10. Dr Sonia Singh 11. Mr Mannu Kala 12. Ms Arti Mundra Bajaj

The recognition programme was followed by dinner catered by Goa Indian Fusion. After the dinner the raffle draw took place and the prizes were great, given by Tandoori Place, Target Travel and Tours and Goa Indian Fusion. The Emcee called upon Mr Shyam Das, the Conference Convenor to give Vote of Thanks. Mr Shyam das is his vote of thanks appreciated very much Mr Pushpinder oberoi for sharing his restaurant as the venue for the event and extended the sincere thanks to the staff of Goa Indian Fusion Restaurant for their services, also the service of the committee members of Gold Coast Chapter was recognised, especially Mr Mr Mannu Kala and Mr Adam Adnan. Mr Palani Thevar, The President of the Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland, his presence was very much appreciated by the Committee. The efforts of the committee and the guidance of Mrs Suman Kapoor were great. All well that ends well. It was an extra-ordinary conference! a group. If we have more funds, we would be able to organise more social and cultural events.

Recent Health Research says that it is important for us to be active and interactive to delay degenerative brain diseases like Dementia. Community organisations like IAS provide us with opportunity to be socially and culturally active as well as interactive with a by-product better health. Coming year, we will also identify and organise more enjoyable and interactive events.

I request input from all of you in this regard. ” President concluded her speech by wishing all the members a Merry Christmas and also Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year 2018.

The India Australia Society Team

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JANUARY 2018

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Indian News Queensland | FESTIVALS & EVENTS

New Year Message From Gold Coast Hindu Cultural Association (GCHCA)

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ur mind projects the world based on our inherent latent tendencies and desires. In our progress towards spirituality, let us practice a positive approach in all our thoughts, words and actions.

As we welcome the 2018 New Year with family and friends, I'd like us to take a moment and ponder on our 2017 resolutions on what we have achieved and appreciate our self within for achieving these.

Now, let us take a pen to write our 2018 resolutions to enhance our: • Physique through good body and mind sustenance by eating healthy, having regular exercises and deep breathing (Kriya Yoga and Pranayama); • Relationships with family members, work mates and the community through mutual respect, right actions and service (Bhakti & Karma Yoga); and • Love, peace and joy through group association (satsang), recitation of manthra (japa) and meditation (Bhakthi, Gnana & Dhyana Yoga).

A wholesome body and mind enables us to unravel the divine consciousness

within and allows us to beam a light of energy from all of us to shower peace (shantam) and love (anandam) to ourselves and everyone around us.

We appeal to everyone to support us to leave an education and cultural legacy for all our children: • By becoming a member; • Making a donation; • Volunteering your time and skills; and • Promoting the Gold Coast Hindu Cultural Association’s mission to your peers.

Donate to: GCHCA Building Donation Account – BSB: 064 - 474 A/C 1048 8900 (donations of > $2 are tax deductible and you reduce your tax liability – please consult your tax advisor). http://culture.goldcoasthindu.org/ donations/.

From ignorance, lead me to truth Asato mā sadgamaya From darkness, lead me to light Tamasomā jyotir gamaya From death, lead me to immortality Mrityormāamritam gamaya Om peace, peace, peace Om śhānti śhānti śhāntih

(Brhadaranyaka Upanishad — I.iii.28)

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Aum Sothi Kanagasabai (m: 0401 207 221) President Gold Coast Hindu Cultural Association (GCHCA)

Be Part of Gold Coast Hindu Cultural Association’s Legacy

The Gold Coast Hindu Cultural Association Inc.

Donation Request

Incorporati on Number: IA 40338 Registered Charity: CH 2260

 Gold Coast Hindu Cultural Association’s (GCHCA’s) mission is to build an Education and Cultural Precinct with a Place of Worship at Australia’s touris m capital, the Gold Coast.  Gold Coast City Council (Council) has given consent for us to build Phase 1, the MultiPurpose Hall (MPH) which includes the Place of Worship and the Community Square on Council leased land.  Council’s condition is we need to show significant building construction progress by June 2018.  We currently have $0.6m. We desperately need an additional $1.8m of donations/ grants/ sponsorships or loans to commence construction work.  GCHCA aims is to provide, promote and expand community programs in education and culture for the well being of the individual and the community.  If you want a Hindu Education & Cultural Centre, help us leave a legacy for your children and their children to practice and enjoy Hindu Education and Culture in this country we call home.  Your support and continuous contribution will help complete the construction and will enable the community to have a place, to learn, to grow, to enjoy and experience spiritual and physical well-being.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------I wish to support GCHCA’s Phase 1 build of Multi-Purpose Hall which includes the Place of Worship: Title: ___ First Name: ______________________ Last Name: ______ ____________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________ _______________________ Phone: ______________ Email: ________________________________________ Signature: ………………………………….

Date: ___________________

 Donate - Phase 1 Construction ☐ $_______ GCHCA Building Donation Account - BSB: 064 474 A/C: 1048 8900 (donations of $2 or more are tax deductible in Australia)  Donate $1 a day ☐ www.GiveNow.com.au/gchcan Credit card via: http://Culture.GoldCoastHindu.Org/Donations/  Give a Loan ☐ $_______ interest free,☐ $_______ or with interest. (a memorandum of understanding with GCHCA will be negotiated and signed)  Sponsor a Shrine ☐ $_______ estimated to cost $100,000 each GCHCA’s Common Bank Account: BSB: 064 474 A/C: 1048 8230 (swift code:CTBAAU2S) gchcan@gmail.com www.GoldCoastHindu.org Ph: +61 401 207 221 ABN: 14 153 639 953 Support the noble objectives of Thank the GCHCA and Donate Lokah Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu You From The Management Committee

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Further details can be obtained by contacting our Secretary at gchcan@gmail.com

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JANUARY 2018

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Indian News Queensland | NRI NEWS

AIYAI – A Wrathful Soul

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ustralian Film Industry is an excellent platform that provides valuable opportunities for Independent film makers to successfully compete in a global marketplace. We have recently seen many great Australian Films of diverse genres successfully hitting the silver screen all around the world. Horror movies have always captivated the audience and have a huge fan base, of which psychological horror/thriller is one particular genre that is making the hottest trend, popular among movie goers.

One talented Independent Filmmaker from Australia, making his directorial debut is Ilanthirayan “Alan” Arumugam, coming up with his psychological horror-thriller film “AIYAI – A Wrathful Soul”. Alan has a long experience of working as an outdoor production coordinator in Bollywood and International film

industries. We had an opportunity to speak with Alan and he was happy to give us more insight about his upcoming film AIYAI and his production company YSA Screen Media.

YSA Screen Media is joining hands with Malaysian based Production Company Maraz Digital for this project. Executive Producer, Mr. Maraz is proudly introducing K. Karishma, a Malaysian Indian female artist to play a supporting role in this International English Film.

Talking about the Film, Director Alan explains, “This is the first time an International English film is getting a Tamil title. 'AIYAI' is a Tamil word that describes homeless clans of people that lived in a parallel world to the normal population.

The word is similar to the more predominantly used English terms like Karma and Avatar, which originate

from Sanskrit. The story revolves around an Indian student living in Australia who becomes plagued by mysterious events. He gets visions he is unable to explain and is soon lured into spiralling plot of a vengeful spirit. Kabir Singh and Pennyanne Lace play the lead role in the film. The supporting roles will be played by proficient International Artists. Alan further explains that the film will be shot at various locations of Queensland, one of them being Australia’s biggest cemetery.

When asked what new he will bring in this genre, Alan confidently says “The difference in this film is its believable and captivating script that progresses in layers and carries the viewers along the character arc.

While watching the film the audience will feel as if they are one of the characters in the film and the

I

lanthirayan 'Alan' Arumugam is a professional Movie Writer/ Director based in Brisbane, Australia with over a decade of experience working in the Indian Film Industry. Alan is highly inspired by World Cinema including European, Middle Eastern and Asian Films. He is currently wielding the megaphone as Director for an International Feature Film titled 'AIYAI – A Wrathful Soul' in the Psychological Horror-Thriller genre.

The Film entails a compelling story, matured screenplay and universal themes to invite a global audience and is backed by highly skilled crew members and technicians. This collaboration production of Maraz Digital, Movcam and YSA Screen Media will feature Australian and International Film Actors. Alan's vision is to explore new paths and styles in Film Making while creating highly entertaining Films that will have a strong impact in the audiences' minds.

Ilanthirayan Alan Arumugam

events are happening around them as the story progresses. I am happy to have a great and passionate team who are working hard to make this a great production.”

We asked when and where the movie will be released, Alan explains “We have already shot the pilot teaser to give a feel, mood and the look of the film. Currently we are in the pre-production phase. We are hoping to start shooting in early 2018 and finish the whole schedule within 40 days. The film will be released in Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA, Canada as well as rest of the world. We already have distributors on board with intent to release in Malaysia, Singapore and India. This movie will be a great experience for the Indian and Asian audience.”

On his strength and future plans, Alan explains that “We already have

three exciting full-length English feature films under development phase and many more to come.

Along with my supporting family, my biggest asset and strength is my team. We understand each other's passion and are working very hard to make our collaborative dreams come true. Australia is a diverse country and at YSA Screen media our mission is to produce films that will break regional boundaries. We would like to reach out to audiences across diverse, cultural backgrounds.”

You can follow the progress of AIYAI – A Wrathful Soul.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/ title/tt7209472/?ref_=nv_sr_8 AIYAI Facebook: https://www. facebook.com/aiyaifeaturefilm

Kabir Singh

Pennyanne Lace

Indian-origin teen made a fortune while on lunch breaks

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unch breaks for most teenagers is a time to make conversations, but Akshay Ruparelia used his to make money. The 19-year-old sold houses during his school lunch breaks to become one of UK's youngest millionaires. This is how he did it.

Ruparelia, who is of Indian origin, hired a call centre service to answer his company switchboard while he was in class and rang clients back after the school bell rang. While his friends played, he used his time to negotiate his deals over the phone.

Within months, investors were buying shares in Ruparelia's firm "www. doorsteps.co.uk". In little more

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By Munmun Gupta

than a year, the company bagged a valuation of 12 million pounds.

The teenager has sold 100 million pounds worth of homes.

His idea is proving so popular that this week Ruparelia's company became the 18th biggest estate agency in the UK - just 16 months after his website went live. His friends have nicknamed him "Alan Sugar" after Baron Sugar, the business tycoon and "Apprentice" star.

Ruparelia took a 7,000 pound loan from relatives to run this business.

He already has 12 people working for him and is set to double this size with investors having already handed him 500,000 pounds to get

their hands on shares. He is raising five million pounds with a share issue and is recruiting an expanding network of mums across the UK who are self-employed for showing prospective properties to clients.

Ruparelia has got an offer to study economics and mathematics at Oxford University but has decided to put that on hold to grow his business. He began by paying himself 500 pounds a month from the profits, which he has increased to 1,000 pounds a month and is saving up to buy his first car.

19-year-old Akshay Ruparelia

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JANUARY 2018

11

Indian News Queensland | NRI NEWS

Australia sees bout of drowning cases of Indians in December knowing how to help someone if they get into trouble as many visitors to beaches and waterways are unaware of the dangers they potentially face. Everyone can enjoy the beach safely by following simple rules.

SUN SAFETY To avoid sunburn and dehydration from increased exposure to the heat and ongoing over-exposure to the sun it is important that you protect yourself from sun rays (UV rays) and drink plenty of water in moderation.

Ravneet Singh Gill 5-year-old Indian student Nitisha Negi had visited South Australia Adelaide to participate in the Pacific School Games.

She along with her four friends went to Glenelg beach and were swept in to the sea on 10th December 2017.

The four survivors were rescued by local surf lifesavers and taken to hospital however Nitisha’s body was found near the break water later. The teenager had drowned along the same section of Adelaide coast that claimed two children's lives in 2016.

On Christmas day, a 22-year-old Indian man, Ravneet Singh Gill, a business student of Southern Cross University, has died after drowning at Duranbah Beach, Tweed Heads on the New South WalesQueensland border in Australia.

Ravneet along with his friends, total of eight swimmers drifted out to sea near Gold Coast. Queensland surf lifesavers took to the waters on their Jetskis for the mass rescue as Ravneet and seven others in trouble.

1

The lifesavers were able to rescue all eight of them, but Ravneet was pulled out unconscious.

On the other hand, an Indian student Hemant Govekar, who recently graduated from University of Queensland, went missing during a swim at the island’s treacherous Woolamai Beach. The beach was not patrolled at the time because it was Christmas Day. Emergency services continue a major search of the waters off Woolamai Beach for any trace of the 28-year-old. He was last seen in trouble by surfers at the beach at 5.30pm on 25th December 2017. Surfers tried to rescue him, but he went under before they could drag him from the dangerous surf zone.

With ever increasing numbers of beachgoers it’s important to educate one to the dangers of the surf and beach environment. Being beach safe is about understanding and recognizing the potential dangers, learning how to avoid them and

KNOW YOUR FLAGS The safest place to swim is between the red and yellow flags on patrolled beaches. These are places trained lifeguards have identified as being relatively safe and where they are watching for swimmers who may need help. Look out for other signage, including warning signs for hazards such as hidden rocks, regulatory signs showing what's not allowed on that beach, and safety signs pointing to provisions such as emergency beacons or first aid supplies.

Lifeguards use other flags to give information about the conditions on the beach: Red flag: Beach closed Yellow flag: Swim with caution, potential hazards in the water Black and white quartered flag: Surf craft exclusion zone to keep surfboards and similar craft out of the swimming area between the red and yellow flags.

WAVE SAFETY The ideal wave type is a spilling wave, which crests on itself and spills down the surface of the wave.

Dumping waves curl over and crashes down, often onto a shallow sandbank. Less dramatic but also dangerous are surging waves, where the wave never really breaks but can surge a long way up the beach, knocking you off your feet. The experts advise spending five or 10 minutes standing back and looking at the conditions to see what kinds of waves you're dealing with on the day.

• Dive into waves with your arms in front of your head to avoid head and spinal injuries • Always keep young children within arm's reach • Don't turn your back on the ocean RIP SAFETY A rip is the path the water being pushed onto the shore by the waves takes to run back into the ocean, so they often appear as dark, relatively calm channels between the white breaking waves. But these dark channels indicate fast-moving currents moving out to sea.

They're dangerous because people can become exhausted trying to swim against the current back to shore, or they can push inexperienced swimmers out into deep waters where they can't stand up. The trick is to think of it as a ride. Relax, don't fight it and call for help from lifeguards or nearby surfers if you need it.

Signs of a rip can include: • Deeper, darker coloured water • Fewer breaking waves • A rippled surface surrounded by smooth water • Anything floating out to sea, or foamy, sandy water out beyond the waves.

What to do – if caught in a rip current: • Don’t panic, it wastes your energy and keeps you from thinking clearly.

• Don’t attempt to swim against the current directly back to shore.

• Swim parallel to shore until you are out of the current as the offshore flow is restricted to the narrow rip neck.

• Float calmly out with the rip if you cannot break out by swimming perpendicular to the current. When it subsides, just beyond the surf zone, swim diagonally back to shore.

You can survive rip currents by knowing your options: • To reduce the chances of being caught in a rip current, always swim between the red and yellow flags.

• If you need help, stay calm, float and raise an arm to attract attention.

• To escape a rip, swim parallel to the beach.

• Always conserve your energy; the waves can assist you back to the beach.

For more information contact: info@lifesaving.com.au (Phone:+61 7 3846 8000)

Hemant Govekar

Revolution in milk preservation-New method developed by Deakin University researchers

N

ew method of milk preservation — capable of increasing its shelf life to more than six weeks and delivering higher nutritional value — is being developed by Deakin

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University researchers. The method still in testing at the university’s Waurn Ponds campus involves shooting argon gas through a syringe into an electrical circuit submerged in milk.

Mr Ponraj is among 850 Deakin

students graduating from Deakin this week. Deakin University ViceChancellor Jane den Hollander said she is proud to see graduands such as Mr Ponraj receive their qualifications. “The greatest innovations in history always come from people who are bold enough to explore new frontiers and think differently,” Prof den Hollander said.

Sri Balaji Ponraj and researches Dr Jane Dai and Dr Julie Sharp see the method as a potential replacement for pasteurisation — a preservation method used for more than 150 years. “We use a needle to send tiny gas bubbles through the milk, which can then be converted into plasma that provides an environmentally friendly, non-thermal approach to

decontamination,” Dr Ponraj said.

“Using this method, the shelf life of milk can be pushed out to six weeks minimum, which could absolutely change the landscape of the bovine dairy industry.”

Using this new method, the milk, stored at 4C, showed no significant changes in the bacterial count for six weeks whereas in pasteurised milk, the bacterial counts were significantly increased after two weeks.

The study concluded that the argon gas bubble discharge in milk significantly reduced the bacterial concentration compared to pasteurisation and increased the shelf-life of milk.

He said researchers at Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials were testing if the preservation method

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could be applied to human breast milk. If successful the method, which is yet to be commercially viable, could help to stockpile supply in hospital wards and maintain the nutritional value of expressed milk, Dr Ponraj said.

Ideas, knowledge and know-how are the critical currency for success in the 21st century, and discoveries like the one Sri Balaji Ponraj has already made show just what a difference we can make when we combine ideas, technology and drive.

JANUARY 2018

12

Indian News Queensland | NRI NEWS

NRIs of Australia now have the right to vote for Indian elections!

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ut of all 1.3 crore NRIs across world only 24,348 Non-Resident Indians have registered themselves with the Election Commission to vote.

As many as 23,556 of them hail from Kerala, making for about 96 per cent of those who have registered. The remaining 4 per cent are divided between the remaining states and Union territories.

Punjab attracted the second highest number of NRI registrations, with 364 people registering to vote, the Times of India reported. All other states have lower registrations while 13 states don’t have a single NRI registration.

Political analysts attribute the high numbers from Kerala with the fact that they are the most politically conscious. “In a state where there is a strong Christian community, alongside Muslims and even the RSS growing, how has communism as a political ideology thrived? It is because of how politically strong and aware its people are,” the publication quoted political analyst Harish Ramaswamy as saying.

There are about 1.30 crore NRIs living in 208 countries, according to the

Ministry of External Affairs. They can, under current rules, exercise their vote if they are physically present in the constituency they are registered at.

However, this is set to change after the Centre tabled the bill to allow “proxy voting” in Lok Sabha on Dec.18. The bill proposes an amendment to the Representation of People Act, 1951 to allow NRIs to nominate proxy voters.

With the amendment in place, analysts foresee states like Gujarat, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh bringing in more voters.

While NRIs and overseas Indians are free to cast their votes in constituencies where they are registered, as per the new proposal of the government, they would also be allowed to use the option of proxy, which as of now is only available to service personnel. Another option would be to use postal ballots delivered to them by electronic means to cast their votes.

In Australia voting is compulsory and voters failing to vote are issued a notice and the amount of penalty varies on case to case scenario and reason for no-show. If the matter is dealt in court you may be fined up to $180 plus courts costs and a criminal con-

viction may be recorded. However, in India, voting is a choice and not a fundamental duty. Also, the prevailing confusion over when proxy voting will be enforced is said to have kept a lot of overseas Indians on the fence. Indians in Australia with Indian Citizenship can easily exercise your voting rights by following the steps given below to register on Election Commission’s web portal for NRIs: • Visit Election Commission’s website eci.nic.in • Click on ‘Overseas Voters’ Portal’ • It will take you to http://eci.nic. in/OverseasVoters/home.html An overseas Indian (NRI) can get registered/enrolled in the electoral roll in the following way: 1. One must file an application for the purpose in prescribed Form 6A before the Electoral Registration Officer / Assistant Electoral Registration Officer of the constituency within which the place of ordinary residence of the applicant in India as given in his/her passport falls. The application accompanied by duly self-attested copy of the relevant

documents can be filed in person before the concerned Electoral Registration Officer / Assistant Electoral Registration Officer or sent by post addressed to him or can be filed online on website of Chief Electoral Officer of the concerned state or website of Election Commission of India.

While filing Form 6A on line, the copy of the passport and copies of other necessary documents like visa should also be uploaded.

2. Form 6A can be downloaded from the website of Chief Electoral Officer of the concerned state or website of Election Commission of India. Form 6A is also available free of cost in Indian Missions in foreign countries.

Besides, Booth Level Officers in every polling station area in India have been asked to distribute blank Form 6A to families of overseas Indians in India to send the same to persons living abroad.

3. The documents required are one recent passport size colored photograph, duly affixed in Form 6A, photo- copies of the relevant

pages of the passport containing photograph, his address in India and all other particulars of the applicant and also the page of passport containing the valid visa endorsement.

4. The decision of the Electoral Registration Officer will be communicated to the applicant by post on his address in the foreign country given by him in Form 6A and also by SMS on the mobile number given by him in Form 6A. Electoral rolls are also available on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer of the State concerned and can be seen by anybody.

One can download the Frequently Asked Questions from the site http:// eci.nic.in/OverseasVoters/home.html

ment arrangement, minimum duration of employment vary from lender to lender. Lenders prefer stable and long term employment.

most lenders.

It is important that we understand that every lender has different criteria and guidelines to follow. So it could be worth getting in contact with an expert and discussing your options before committing to any one option for the future of your home loan.

For an obligation free chat give us a call today. Mobile: 0425 158 280, email: gtandon@smartline.com.au

Are you ready to apply for your first home loan?

A

pplying for a home loan is a lot like selling yourself to the lender.

You’ve got to convince them that you’re worthy of a mortgage- someone who is trustworthy, reliable and capable of making the necessary repayments on time.

When you approach them, it’s important to ensure your financial health is up to scratch. While you may not necessarily understand all the jargon being thrown around the office, as long as you provide the necessary details, you should be in a good position to succeed.

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However, there are a number of ways to help boost your financial standing in the eyes of lenders and other institutions.

Evidence of savings/ deposit Lenders are looking for the type of people who are able to show selfcontrol and restraint with their money. If you’re able to prove to them that you have a long-term, consistent saving plan established, this can reassure them of your suitability for a loan.

Not only does this help to prove you’re level-headed and reliable,

but in the event that you are unable to make a repayment for whatever reason, having these savings means you’re in a better position to fulfil your obligation to them.

Rent Payments: If you are renting, you should be able to demonstrate that rent payments have always being made on time. With some lenders it can help you secure some credibility when it comes to making repayments.

Employment: If you are self-employed, you should have completed at least 12-24 months in your business. For anyone in PAYG employ-

A healthy credit rating Taking the time to pay off any outstanding debts and loans, as well as closing any lines of credit that you don’t use, can go a long way towards helping improve your standing in the eyes of a lender.

Conduct on loans: Do you have a car loan or credit card. Is your repayment history satisfactory? Great, you may get a high credit score with

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Indian News Queensland | ACHIEVEMENTS

Interview with winning Director of IFFOQ, Dakxin Charra for the film Sameer Firstly, congratulations on winning best Director award for your film Sameer at Indian International Film Festival Of Queensland (IIFOQ). What was your initial reaction?

Thanks for your wishes. When Chayan Sarkar informed me on Facebook, I was in Cambridge and it was around 2 am. We were packing our bags to return home. My producer Viren Ghamande, my Assistant Director Abhishek and actor Atish accompanied me. I shared this message with them and celebrated it by having Coffee at midnight!

We hugged to each other, shook hands…Wanted to cheer loudly but…it was Cambridge and 2 am!!!…There are some moments in your life you can’t forget. They are etched in your memories. Getting “Best Director” award for my first feature film is obviously chilling experience and I won’t forget that moment for lifetime.

In my heart, I dedicated this award to my father, my mentor who left me last year.

The film has received rave reviews from the audiences and critics alike. Did you expect this kind of reaction?

Honestly saying I did not expect that I would receive overwhelming responses from critics and audiences. As Sameer was my debut film, I was very naturally nervous about audience reactions. Most of those who watched the film appreciated it. The critics particularly welcomed the film due to its bold political statement and performances of actors. Let me tell you, there is horrible silence in creative and liter-

ary field in India. There is invisible dictatorship on creative and literary field and its becoming extremely difficult to make critical socio-political films now-a-days. Expressionists are being killed by extremist groups or insulted in public. In this kind of era, making Sameer was really challenging.

What is the genesis of Sameer?

Please discuss your journey on the making of the film from the beginning.

Before Sameer, I had already directed 86 documentary films on various social-political films that screened in many film festivals. In 2008, I used to work with known documentary filmmaker Rakesh Sharma and we made 5 political films on Gujarat politics. Around the same time, Ahmedabad witnessed a devastating terrorist attack and in 17 serial bomb blasts, 55 people were killed.

I went out with my camera to document the violence that my great city faced. During the shoot, in VS hospital of Ahmedabad, I saw a boy called Mohammed Ismail. He was around 10 years and badly injured in one of the blast and was admitted to ICU. I took his shots and chatted with his father. A few minutes later, he died. That incident made me realise that hatred practiced by political parties for Power, gain had lead to the killings of innocents of society. I wanted to explore this back-story and other such kind of violent actions by “Terrorists” and after many years’ research and debate I concluded that we all are victims of “Perception” that is created in our minds by media and politicians. At this point I decided that if

I will make my first fiction I would make on “Political Perception”. This led to the birth of Sameer.

What challenges did you face before or after the release of Sameer?

Making a film itself is challenging task and I am happy that I could make it. Before I made Sameer, I sent my script to a journalist friend to get her feedback. After reading the script she sent me an email and said, “This is right film at the wrong time so please don’t make it”. I responded to her, “I am making this film precisely for this reason”. Making Sameer was not an easy job. Today, when people are being branded as “Anti-Nationals”, “Anti-State”, making Sameer was a huge risk and a very hard job. Besides, film is also a product of collective work and its extremely important to have good team who understands your vision and helps you to achieve it. Fortunately, I got good producers and great technical team. We have written 8 drafts of the script. We also casted 8 National School of Drama (NSD) actors who were well trained and everybody did great job in the film.

However, the most challenging task was to get a Censor Certificate from CBFC. The Examining Committee gave some ridiculous cuts such as deleting dialogues such as “Mann Ki Baat” by stating that it is Prime Minister Mr. Modi’s Radio show name. In addition, they also gave me 6 more cuts, which could have damaged the entire narrative of the film. I challenged CBFC’s decision in the FCAT (Film Certification Appellant Tribunal) in New Delhi.

Unfortunately, FCAT also viewed

my film from their own political view and told me to drop some of the important dialogues from the last scene. It took me about 6 months to get a Certificate. The entire exercise was extremely frustrating and demoralizing, but I dealt with it firmly. While on one hand we have the Constitutional Right of Freedom of Expression, on the other hand in the name of “Law and Order”, the State constantly tries to curb the creativity and supresses the expression of expressionists.

What message would you like to offer to students aspiring to be filmmakers?

I strongly believe in Steven Spielberg’s quote “You shouldn’t dream your film, you should make it!”

Also, I am also writing a book on the Making of Sameer and where I have documented my experiences in it as a debut filmmaker. I am sure that the book would act as a guide for first time filmmakers.

Winning Director of IFFOQ, Dakxin Charra

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Indian News Queensland | ACHIEVEMENTS

Tete-a-tete with Chayan, the founder of Indian International Film Festival of Queensland

By Smith Mehta

Hi Chayan, tell us about yourself.

What do you do?

I am an independent Filmmaker, Actor, Screenwriter and Producer.

Apart from that, I also work for Queensland’s peak body in child protection and founder/ director of some festivals.

When did you realise your love for films?

I don’t really remember. I would have been perhaps ten /twelve years old. I come from a family of film makers and theatre actors in Kolkata. It was natural and spontaneous affinity and love towards cinema.

What are your earliest memories associated with films?

When I acted as child actor in front of a 35mm camera in a Bengali feature film. My uncle was directing the film and I had to be in scene with Bengal’s legendary actors like Manoj Mitra, Kalyani Adhikari.

What do you think about the recent Bollywood films that are being made?

Indian cinema and industry have entered an exciting and beautiful phase where new directors are making mainstream films with great messages. It is evolving and it has its sustainability in its own Indian audience. However now it is also the time to conquer the globe with global scripts.

What is the genesis of IFFOQ? How did it all begin?

It is essentially a festival to support good cinema and good cinematic talent from India and foster creative industries collaboration between India and Queensland. As a film maker I felt the importance of a platform like IIFFOQ and so I founded it in 2014. www.indiannewsqld.com.au

Can you give us some information on what goes behind managing IFFOQ? The answer is simple. A lot of hard work by a lot of passionate people who support me and who have faith in my creative vision and my consistent delivery year after year despite many challenges. The huge success of IIFFOQ in global festival platform today is due to its strategic and creative vision and unique selection of critically acclaimed films.

I am also honoured to have juries like Martin Brown, Farrukh Dhondy, Abhishek Bachchan, Ashutosh Gowariker, Narendra Kumar. These creatives in their capacity as IIFFOQ jury have taken the recognition from this festival to a very high level accolade for the industry.

industry event by default simply because India is the largest film making nation in the globe. The business potential between Indian screen industry and Queensland is immense. More understanding, immersion and in-depth knowledge are needed. We definitely need funds to make the festival bigger and better.

Where do you see the festival heading in the next five years?

It’s definitely going to be one of the most prestigious Indian film festivals in the globe.

What challenges do you encounter while managing IFFOQ? There are many challenges but the biggest challenge of all is to encourage audience to watch something unique and beautiful but not necessarily mainstream. So we have to invite people to encourage watch our screenings. I hope more people attend and simply buy a ticket to watch and appreciate good cinema.

We will eventually get there I sincerely hope.

Do you get any government support from India or Australia for managing this festival? What are your expectations from them?

I did receive Govt. support for the festival in the past. However 2017 IIFFOQ festival is an event entirely executed without any Govt. funds. We do need Govt. funds but the Govt. must first acknowledge that Indian cinema is not merely a celebration of screen culture in Queensland. It becomes a screen

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JANUARY 2018

15

Indian News Queensland | SPORTS

Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in good shape with Queen’s Baton relay travelling Oceania on schedule!

The Queen's Baton, carried by representatives of the Lautoka City Council, at Churchill Park, in Lautoka, in Fiji, on 21 November 2017.

The Queen's Baton, carried by members of the Golf Federation, during today's relay in Nuku' Alofa, Tonga, on 18 November 2018.

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n 8th December 2017 The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Coordination Commission (CoCom) handed down its final review of planning for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).

Held bi-annually since 2014, the Coordination Commission is established by the CGF to ensure compliance with the commitments and undertakings made in the bid for the Games and outlined in the Host City Contract.

Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) Chairman, Peter Beattie AC said that he was grateful for the guidance provided by CoCom during his time as GOLDOC Chair. GOLDOC CEO Mark Peters, who has led the Games since the bid in 2011, said he was pleased CoCom was satisfied with the progress towards a rapidly approaching GC2018.

The Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) is the ultimate symbol of the Commonwealth Games and is one that aims to spread peace and hope throughout the Commonwealth.

The Queen’s Baton’s first stop at Tonga was the Royal Palace to visit His Majesty King Tupou VI where it arrived on 16th November 2017.

Tonga’s constitutional Monarch is the South Pacific’s only remaining Kingdom, and the nation is recognised as the birthplace of Polynesian culture with a rich history stretching back over 3,000 years.

The Queen’s Baton has continued its Oceania journey to the shores of Samoa, where it arrived at a cultural performance on the tarmac at Fale-

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olo Airport before relaying directly into the heart of Apia city.

Situated midway between Australia and Hawaii and considered one of the most remote nations in the world, Tuvalu has welcomed the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) for the fourth time in Commonwealth Games history on 28th Nov 2017.

Its timely arrival to the island of Ambae, Vanuatu on 9th Decemeber 2018 was welcomed by locals, who are still recovering from the recent Manaro Volcano activity.

At the last stop on the international journey in New Zealand, the Queen’s Baton was officially handed over to representatives of the Yugambeh Language Group, the traditional custodians of the land on which most of the Games were held, at a special ceremony at the Auckland War Memorial Museum yesterday.

After travelling for 288 days and engaging with all nations and territories of the Commonwealth, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) Queen’s Baton arrived back on Australian soil in Brisbane on 24th December 2017 morning.

GC2018 Ambassador and Longines Friend Cam McEvoy accepted the Queen’s Baton airside from Hugh Graham, Vice President Commonwealth Games Federation for Oceania, following its arrival from New Zealand.

Hundreds of travellers were there to witness the historic arrival as McEvoy carried the Queen’s Baton into the arrivals hall on Brisbane International Airport’s busiest morning of the year.

GC2018 mascot Borobi added to the Christmas Eve festivities by celebrating with the crowd. Christmas Day marks a Games milestone, only 100 days until the start of GC2018.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development and Minister for the Commonwealth Games Kate Jones MP, Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) Chairman Peter Beattie AC, Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games CEO Mark Peters and Commonwealth Games Australia CEO Craig Phillips were in attendance to welcome the Queen’s Baton back to Australia.

From Boxing Day until 24 January 2018, the Queen’s Baton is engaging with thousands of Australians at popular summertime events, iconic locations and children’s hospitals around the country, building excitement for when the Queen’s Baton Relay revisits each state and territory in a traditional relay mode from 25 January until 4 April 2018.

The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) Queen’s Baton Relay is the longest and most accessible in history, travelling through the Commonwealth for 388 days and 230,000 kilometers.

After spending 100 days being carried by approximately 3,800 baton bearers in Australia, the Queen's Baton journey will finish at the GC2018 Opening Ceremony on the Gold Coast on 4 April 2018.

The Queen's Baton, carried by members of the Pelea village, relays through Apia, in Samoa, on 23 November 2017.

The Queen's Baton receives a welcome from schoolchildren on arrival in Funafuti, Tuvalu, on 28 November 2017.

The Queen's Baton, was carried by athletes from a variety of sporting disciplines, and community members, as it relayed through Commonwealth Street in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on 6 December 2017.

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Indian News Queensland | SPORTS

The Queen's Baton took part in the UNICEF Just Play activities at the Nduindui Primary School, in West Ambae Island, Vanuatu, on 9 December 2017

The Queens Baton arrives in Brisbane and Australia on a flight from New Zealand in the the hands of Commonwealth Games Federation Vice President Hugh Graham and passed on to GC2018 Ambassador Cameron McEvoy in presence of Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

The Queen's Baton, carried by New Zealand Prime Minister Right Honourable Jacinda Ardern (centre), at a children's sports event day held at Victoria Park Market, in Auckland, New Zealand, on 21 December 2017.

In photo traditional custodian Aunty Maroochy sings the 'Welcoime to Country'.

The Queen's Baton carried by baton bearers of Norfolk Island at Norfolk Bowling Club on 17th December 2017

Batonbearers, community events and the streets the Queen’s Baton will travel along are available at gc2018.com/qbr The Queensland dates for the baton relay in January are: Brisbane International 6 Jan 2018 - 7 Jan 2018

The Queen's Baton, carried by Uncle John Graham (Yugambeh elder, centre right)) and Kaumatua Taiaha Hawke (centre, left), was handed over from New Zealand, in a farewell event (Poroporoake) and given back to the Yugambeh people of the Gold Coast, in a cultural exchange ceremony which concluded the international sector of the Queen's Baton Relay, at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, in Auckland, New Zealand, on 23 December 2017.

North Stradbroke Island 8 Jan 2018 - 8 Jan 2018 Magic Millions Barrier Draw 9 Jan 2018 - 9 Jan 2018 Palm Island 10 Jan 2018 - 10 Jan 2018 Natural Bridge 12 Jan 2018 - 12 Jan 2018 SkyPoint 12 Jan 2018 - 12 Jan 2018

Michael Pennisi CEO of QSuper with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and GC 2018 Ambassador Cameron McEvoy. www.indiannewsqld.com.au

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JANUARY 2018

17

Indian News Queensland | SPORTS

Wrestling Champion Rupinder Kaur represent Australia at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games

Gold Coast CWG ambassadors

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he made the biggest mistake of her life heading into the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and now wrestler Rupinder Kaur is ready to get redemption at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Wrestling has been Kaur’s whole life since she picked up the sport as a 12-year-old living in Tarn Taran, a small village in India.

It’s why the events of Glasgow, missing her designated weight category by 200 grams and having to fight up a weight division, were so devastating.

It’s the reason this time, she’s determined to do everything she can to fulfil a destiny, years in the making.

“This mat is my home; it is my life actually," Kaur said.

“I can die without wrestling. Whenever I sleep I dream about wrestling.

Even when I was pregnant, I was dreaming about wrestling.

“From 12 years old, my whole life has been wrestling. Until my body is not fit and strong, my life is wrestling. I’m not going to leave.”

Kaur claimed the gold medal at the National Wrestling Championship in the 48kg class in May, and then won the National selection trial in November, putting her one step closer to qualifying for the 2018 Games.

It was a massive step on the comeback trail after becoming a mother.

Kaur started training just six months after giving birth, but admits it took 12 months for her body to completely heal from the C-section.

Kaur’s friendly and bubbly demeanor masks a fierce driven warrior hidden beneath the surface.

She’s won matches with a dislocated elbow, won essentially with an arm tied behind her back too.

Nothing distracts her from the task at hand. Her focus is laser sharp.

When she was young she wrote in a diary that she wanted to become an international champion, but not even Kaur could have forseen what was to come.

Representing India in 2004, Kaur won a gold medal, pinning every single opponent in under 60 seconds.

It was a watershed moment, Rupinder Kaur had arrived.

It also changed a lot of perceptions about her and about women wrestlers in India. Culturally, it was a massive deal.

“It wasn’t common to be a wrestler and female when I started. Now it is okay, but when I started families really didn’t allow girls to wrestle," she said.

“My mum said no way, this is not a girls’ sport. She said wrestlers have broken ears, you won’t find a boy, you won’t get married, you won’t be able to wear earrings.

“I had four or five times my arm was dislocated. My mum was like, no more, stop doing this. Maybe one day you won’t be able to eat with your hands, you won’t be able to walk, and I was like, I’ll be fine.

“My training gym was 32km away and I was catching the bus to get there, so sometimes I would get home really late. It is hard, living in a small village and once I get back home, people would wonder why a woman was getting home so late all the time.

“What’s wrong with them, why are they allowing her to do that.

“But once I got that medal, mum was telling everyone in my hometown, my daughter got gold medal.

“Everything changed, even in my hometown, look at that girl, she is winning medals in wrestling, she is doing really well. Why don’t we put our girls in wrestling too.”

Kaur’s journey has brought her to Australia, where she became an Australian citizen in 2012. While she’s proud of her Indian heritage, there is no question that she now calls Australia home.

Wearing the green and gold is something she does with absolute pride.

“Once I came to Australia, I couldn’t go back. Australia is the best country in the world," she said.

“When I moved here I was thinking I would stay here for two years, finish my study and move back, but I couldn’t.”

“I want to represent Australia and I want to be a good wrestler.

“I feel really proud. Some people ask me you are Indian and you are wearing Australian gear, shouldn’t you wear Indian, and I say no, I’m Australian.”

Ticket Purchase: https://gc2018. culturalpulse.com.au/tickets/

Wrestler Rupinder Kaur

Australian Cricket’s team Helping hand to MITHRA

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he Australian one-day cricket team recently donated autographed bats to MITHRA foundation at a reception hosted for the team by Australian Consul-general Sean Kelly in Chennai. MITHRA means Friend.

As its name suggests Mithra extends it's helping hand to all intellectually and physically challenged children and young adults to maximize their potential and become as independent as possible. Mithra began in 1977 and was founded by Sister Mary Theodore (a Catholic nun from Brisbane) in response to a serious need she saw in the slums of Chennai. It is a rehabilitation

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centre for children and young adults with either intellectual or physical disabilities or both.

Sr Mary Theodore’s vision is captured in the name and acronym she chose for MITHRA – “The Madras Institute to habilitate retarded, afflicted.” And her motto, "Challenge to Conquer", points to her belief that Mithra was founded to help every child reach his or her potential. Donations to Mithra have been towards capital projects, to provide buildings that facilitate education and rehabilitations services, as well as provide money for the recurrent needs such as staff salaries and providing food for the children.

Friends of MITHRA Incorporated is an ATO approved Deductible Gift Recipient, and a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, authorised to raise funds in all states & territories of Australia.

ABN 49 234 263 806. Donations of $2 and over are tax deductible in Australia. Your donations, sponsorship, fundraising, and volunteering can make the world of difference to the children of Mithra. Become a Friend of Mithra and add your flame to a blazing beacon of hope!

Contact Friends of MITHRA in QLD at 0408 720 011 or friendsofmithra.org

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18

Indian News Queensland | RELIGION

Religious Indian Festivals in January Pongal

Lohri

It marks the beginning of the end of winter, coming of spring and the new year. The festival is traditionally associated with the harvest of the rabi crops.

The traditional time to harvest sugarcane crops is January, therefore, Lohri is seen by some to be a harvest festival.

And thus, Punjabi farmers see the day after Lohri (Maghi) as the financial New Year.

There are some interesting socio-cultural and folk-legends connected with Lohri. According to the cultural history of Punjab, Bhatti, a Rajput tribe during the reign of Akbar, inhabited parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, and Gujarat (now in Pakistan). Dulla Bhatti, Raja of Pindi Bhattian, was put to death by the Mughal king for revolting against him. The tribal mirasis (street singers) trace the history of the tribe and interestingly, claim Maharaja Ranjit Singh as one of its scions.

Dulla Bhatti, like Robin Hood, robbed the rich and gave to the poor.

The people of the area loved and respected him. He once rescued a girl from kidnappers and adopted her as his daughter. His people would remember their hero every year on Lohri. Groups of children moved from door to door, singing the Dulla Bhatti folk-song: "Dulla Bhatti ho!

Dulle ne dhi viyahi ho! Ser shakar pai ho!" (Dulla gave his daughter a kilo of sugar as a marriage gift).

Lohri is essentially a festival dedicated to fire and the sun god. It is the time when the sun transits the zodiac sign Makar (Capricorn), and moves towards the north. Gur rewri, peanuts and popcorns are the three munchies associated with this festival. Besides these, in Punjab villages, it is a tradition to eat gajjak, sarson da saag and makki di roti on the day of Lohri. It is also traditional to eat 'til rice'--sweet rice made with jaggery (gur) and sesame seeds.

Makar Sankranti

Also known as Makara Sankranti is celebrated in various parts of the Indian subcontinent to observe the day which marks the shift of the sun into ever-lengthening days. The festival is a seasonal observance as well as a religious celebration.

Though extremely popular as Makar Sankranti, the festival is predominantly a harvest festival and is celebrated throughout India, from north to south and east to west. While Makar Sankranti is most popular in West India, down south, the festival is known as Pongal and in the north, it is celebrated as Lohri. Uttarayan, Maghi, Khichdi are some other names of the same festival.

Makar Sankranti is the festival of tilgul where sesame and jaggery laddoos or chikkis are distributed among all.

The festival Makara Sankranthi is a solar event making it one of the few Hindu festivals which fall on the same date in local calendars every year: 14 January, with some exceptions when the festival is celebrated on 15 January. www.indiannewsqld.com.au

Makar Sankranti is believed to be a time for peace and prosperity. The day is regarded as important for spiritual practices and accordingly people take a holy dip in rivers, especially Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery. The bathing is believed to wash away sins. Makar or Makara Sankranti is celebrated in many parts of South Asia with some regional variations. It is known by different names and celebrated with different customs in different parts of the region.

Makara Vilakku

Thai Pongal is the first month of the Tamil Almanac, and Pongal is a dish of sweet concoction of rice, moong dal, jaggery and milk. This festival is celebrated by one and all as it is non-relevance to any religious faith.

The whole Tamil population of the world celebrate it without any differences. Therefore, it is widely known as "Tamil Thai Pongal" or the "Festival of the Tamils". It is celebrated on the first day of the month Thai of the Tamil calendar.

Pongal is celebrated in Tamil Nadu and almost all through South India.

It is a four-day harvest festival and it is kind of thanksgiving to nature. The first day is celebrated in the honour of Lord Indra, the God of rain. On the second day rice is cooked in milk in an earthen pot outside the house.

The third day of pongal is Pongal for cows and on the fourth day women perform ritual before bathing and pray for their brothers to prosper.

Thai Pongal generally includes customs & celebrations that are the expression of jubilation over life's renewal. On Thai Pongal, the family begins the day early. The traditional

Uttarayan

Also, popularly known as International Kite festival is a uniquely Gujarati phenomenon, when the skies over most cities of the state fill with kites from before dawn until well after dark. The festival marks the days in the Hindu calendar when winter begins turning to summer. Kites of all shapes and sizes are flown, and the main competition is to battle nearby kite-flyers to cut their strings and bring down their kites. For this, people find their favored kite-makers

Also known as Mandala pooja at Sabarimala is a a seven-day festival which begins on Makara Sankranthi.

“Makara Jyothi“means the light of capricorn in Indian languages, Makara is the name of a Zodiac sign.

In Sanskrit it is known as “Makar” and in English as “Capricorn”, “Jyothi” means light in Sanskrit. Every year the sun appears to move from one Zodiac constellation to another because of the revolution of earth

who prepare strong resilient kite bodies with springy bamboo frames and kite-paper stretched to exactly the right tension. Lastly, the kites are attached to a spool (or firkin) of manja, special kite-string coated with a mixture of glue and glass to be as sharp as possible for cutting strings of rival kites Uttarayan is celebrated across Gujarat, with major centers of kite-flying in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Nadiad, among others.

Pongal (rice pudding) is prepared in the front garden which is preprepared for this ceremonious cooking. A flat square pitch is made and decorated with kolam drawings, and it is exposed to the direct sun light. A fire wood hearth will be set up using three bricks. The cooking begins by putting a clay pot with water on the hearth.

A senior member of the family conducts the cooking and the rest of the family assists him or her or watches the event. When the water has boiled the rice is put into the pot - after a member the family ceremoniously puts three handful of rice in first. The other ingredients of this special dish are chakkarai (brown cane sugar) or katkandu (sugar candy), milk (cow's milk or coconut milk), roasted green gram (payaru), raisins, cashew nuts and few pods of cardamom. When the meal is ready it is first put on a banana leaf and the family pray for few minutes to thank the nature sprit, the sun and farmers.

Since 1989, the city of Ahmedabad has hosted the International Kite Festival as part of the official celebration of Uttarayan, bringing master kite makers and flyers from all over the world to demonstrate their unique creations and wow the crowds with highly unusual kites. In past years, master kite makers from Malaysia have brought their wau-balang kites, llayang-llayanghave come from Indonesia, kite innovators from the USA have arrived with giant banner kites, and Japanese rokkaku fighting kites have shared the skies with Italian sculptural kites, Chinese flying dragons, and the latest high-tech modern wonders. A master kite maker and famous kite flyer Rasulbhai Rahimbhai of Ahmedabad trains of up to 500 kites on a single string have come to be a classic attraction.

Basant Panchami

It is celebrated by hindus in India & Nepal to honor the Goddess of knowledge and art. The festival is a tribute to learning and music and observed in the traditional Hindu households in Bengal. Saraswati puja as the ceremony is popularly called in Bengal has evolved from prayers to an event enjoyed by the young and old. In New Delhi too, Vasant Panchami is a day to mark the beginning of the month of "Vasant" or "Basanta". It is revival from the chill winter days to the mild summer mornings. The favorable weather in most

parts of the country is doubles the spirit of enthusiasm among the young people.

Vasant Panchami/ Saraswati Puja is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of "Magh" and is widely celebrated in west Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar. On Basant Panchami, schools and educational institutes in many parts of India celebrate Saraswati Puja. Kite flying competitions are also a defining element of Basant Puja. It is also considered auspicious by many to wear yellow on Basant Panchami day.

around it; in Sanskrit it is called “Makara Sankranti”. It usually happens on 14 January every year and various Hindu Festivals are celebrated in connection with this. One of the Temples where a large number of devotees come to worship on 14 January is Sabarimala, a shrine located in thick rain forest in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala on “Makar Sankranti” pilgrims gathers at the Sabarimala Temple precincts to worship this di-

vine star. It is believed that Lord Ayyappa shows His presence in the form of this celestial lighting and blesses his devotees.

“Makara Vilakku” is a flame appears thrice on the Ponnambalamedu, whereas” Makara Jyothi” a celestial star appears on the sky.The huge crowd of pilgrims that witnesses the “Makara Jyothi” has been on the rise every year.

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JANUARY 2018

19

Indian News Queensland | HEALTH

Be a Yoga-tarian

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urya Namaskar or sun greeting, or a technique of solar vitalisation is wellknown and vital technique within the yogic repertoire. Surya means sun and Namaskar means greeting or salutation. In ancient times, the sun was looked upon as a symbol of consciousness.

It is more than just a sequence of physical exercises. It stretches, massages, tones and stimulates all the

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muscles, vital organs by alternatively flexing the body backwards and forwards. The 12 postures in the sequence create the physical matrix around which the form of practice is woven. These postures generate prana, the subtle energy that activates the psychic body.

Surya Namaskar awakens the solar aspect of an individual’s nature and releases this vital energy for the development of higher awareness.

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Surya Namaskar sequence of postures:

Step 12 – Tadasana As you exhale, first straighten the body, then bring the arms down.

Relax in this position, observe the sensations in your body.

Step 2 - Hastauttanasana (Raised Arms Pose) Breathing in, lift the arms up and back, keeping the biceps close to the ears. In this pose, the effort is to stretch the whole body up from the heels to the tips of the fingers.

You may push the pelvis forward a little bit. Ensure you’re reaching up with the fingers rather than trying to bend backwards.

Step 10 – Hasta Padasana (Hand to Foot Pose) Breathing out, bring the left foot forward. Keep the palms on the floor. You may bend the knees, if necessary.

Gently straighten the knees and if you can, try and touch your nose to the knees. Keep breathing.

Step 3 - Hasta Padasana (Hand to Foot Pose) Breathing out, bend forward from the waist, keeping the spine erect.

As you exhale completely, bring the hands down to the floor, beside the feet.

You may bend the knees, if necessary, to bring the palms down to the floor. Now make a gentle effort to straighten the knees.

It’s a good idea to keep the hands fixed in this position and not move them henceforth until we finish the sequence.

Step 9 – Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian Pose) Breathing in, bring the right foot forward in between the two hands, left knee down to the floor, press the hips down and look up.

Place the right foot exactly between the two hands and the right calf perpendicular to the floor. In this position, make a gentle effort to push the hips down towards the floor, to deepen the stretch.

Step 8 – Parvatasana (Mountain Pose) Breathing out, lift the hips and the tail bone up, chest downwards in an ‘inverted V’ (/\) posture.

If possible, try and keep the heels on the ground and make a gentle effort to lift the tailbone up, going deeper into the stretch.

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Step 1 – Pranamasana (Salutation) Stand at the edge of your mat, keep your feet together and balance your weight equally on both the feet.

Expand your chest and relax your shoulders.

As you breathe in, lift both arms up from the sides and as you exhale, bring your palms together in front of the chest.

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Each round consists of two sets. These 12 yoga poses complete one set of Surya Namaskar. To complete the second half, you need to repeat the same sequence of postures, only moving the left leg instead of the right (in steps 4 and 9 given below). You might find several versions of doing Sun Salutation. However, it is best to stick to one particular sequence and practice it regularly.

Step 11 – Hastauttanasana (Raised Arms Pose) Breathing in, roll the spine up, hands go up and bend backwards a little bit, pushing the hips slightly outward.

Ensure that your biceps are beside your ears. The idea is to stretch up more rather than stretching backwards.

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Step 4 - Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian Pose) Breathing in, push your right leg back, as far back as possible. Bring the right knee to the floor and look up.

Ensure that the left foot is exactly in between the palms.

Step 7 – Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) Slide forward and raise the chest up into the Cobra posture. You may keep your elbows bent in this pose, the shoulders away from the ears. Look up.

As you inhale, make a gentle effort to push the chest forward; as you exhale, make a gentle effort to push the navel down. Tuck the toes under. Ensure you’re stretching just as much as you can; do not force.

Step 6 - Ashtanga Namaskara (Eight Point Salutation) Gently bring your knees down to the floor and exhale. Take the hips back slightly, slide forward, rest your chest and chin on the floor.

Raise your bottom a little bit.

The two hands, two feet, two knees, chest and chin (eight parts of the body touch the floor).

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Step 5 – Dandasana (Stick Pose) As you breathe in, take the left leg back and bring the whole body in a straight line.

Keep your arms perpendicular to the floor.

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Indian News Queensland | TRAVEL

Hiking the Annapurna Circuit

W

ith increasing urbanisation, one of the most renowned and popular trekking trails in the world is slowly changing.

New dirt roads and diesel jeeps are now encroaching on what was once beautiful untouched landscapes and unique natural environments. We undertook this challenge to be able to see this area of the world before the increasing population and commercialisation left irreversible damage to the western half of Himalayan range.

While ordinarily the full traditional Annapurna Circuit, takes 15 to 20 days to complete from the town of Besisahar all the way to Nayapul, we elected to do only a part of the circuit that would take us deep into the Himalayan mountain range.

With the new roads built in the last five years, parts of the natural trail have been demolished. Trekkers are now required to walk on the roads with trails of dust blowing into their path and covering everything in a fine layer of silt on long segments of the trek. While this is impacting on the natural beauty, these segments can be traversed by road to hasten the journey at lower altitudes and to avoid walking behind a trail of jeep dust. This allowed us to complete our portion of the trek in a total of 12 days.

Day 2 - View to Tal After Manang, it would take us two days to reach Muktinath and we were now reaching altitudes were the oxygen levels in the air began to reduce exponentially. The effects if this were apparent as the trek despite being similar to ascents achieved earlier was significantly harder - 20 steps felt like a thousand and we were easily exhausted from lack of oxygen. Fortunately, however we did not suffer from acute mountain sickness as we ascended to Thorang Phedi and on day 12 we decided to cross the pass to Muktinath with other trekkers with whom we played cards with the night prior.

A large group left at five am to cross the pass in the dark. It was minus ten degrees and during our initial steep 500 metre ascent our water had frozen within 30 minutes of

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By Rashmi Ram Mohan

acess to hot water. Running water also became difficult to come by as pipes froze overnight. While the difficulties of enduring the cold cannot be understated, we slept and ate by windows with views of some of the tallest mountains in the world. The daily sight of these mountain ranges made us appreciate natures force and its ability to create these formidable peaks and understand the life of the villagers who lived in such hostile conditions.

Reaching Manang on day 7, our trip was halted by a sudden snow storm. We heard distant avalanches from the safety of our accomoda-

Day 1 - Rice Terraces at Bahundada The trek follows the path of river Marsyangdi which slows down to a trickle in Bhulebhule, the village at the start of our trek. The trail criss crossed the river on several long suspension bridges through small rice terrace villages which utilised the river’s water.The hills between Bhulebhule and Ghermu were lined with rice paddy terraces which added to the natural beauty.

As the altitude increased, however, we witnessed dramatic changes in the landscape. As we approached 2500m elevation the rice terraces gave way to lush rainforests with countless waterfalls all tumbling into the Marsyangdi which was now a rushing rapid triple the size from

what was seen at the start. The trail climbed high above the river to the top of one of the deepest gorges in the world with thrilling views of the river from the cliffs edge. Eventually, we reached a plateau from which the Marsyangdi tumbled down into the gorge and we were met by the small village of Tal, built on the banks of the Marsyangdi.

As we passed 2500m in altitude, the scenery shifted to alpine forests and we were surrounded by the snowcapped mountains of Pisang Peak, Annapurna II and IV. The weather shifted and became infinitely colder reaching sub zero temperatures overnight. Rooms were basic along the trail with no heating and limited

commencing the hike. We reached Thorang High Camp (4950 m) as the sun began to rise however the temperature remained just as cold.

From high camp, we continued our ascent through a snow-covered trail marked by Tibetan prayer flags.

Half-way through the ascent, one of our travel companions, an Israeli American woman we had met along the way, developed severe altitude sickness with a crushing headache.

The path down two and a half hours away was slippery and steep and she elected to continue up as the descent on the other side was closer to road transport if required.

We helped her along the way with my emergency medication kit and all our water and after what seemed like endless marking posts and uphill climbs we were the last group to

reach the pass at 5416m. We took a brief moment to enjoy our victory, but our friend needed to descend as quickly as possible given her headache caused by swelling in the brain from high altitude. The descent was steep and slow as we supported our friend through this until we finally reached Charabu, an hour walk from Muktinath at 4200m elevation. We arranged a jeep from here to get our friend rapidly to Muktinath at 3800m elevation. With the descent and the medications administered regularly, she improved considerably and was grateful for our support and help. We were all thankful that we made it across the pass safely.

While our travel companion rested and recovered the next day, we visited the Muktinath temple complex.

Day 3 - Crossing the Marsyangdi on one of the many suspension bridges

tion and witnessed trekkers arriving into town through the blizzard seeking shelter as quickly as they could from the cold. The next day the meteorology station located in Manang advised that leaving 2 days after the storm was advised but trails for day treks were again open.

The weather was to remain clear and cloudless for 4 days. We took advantage of the extra day and hiked to Gangapurna Tal, a lake formed from the Gangapurna glacier. We were also able to hike to a ridge high above the lake which afforded spectacular views of Annapurna II and Gangapurna peaks.

Day 2 - Crossing the Marsyangdi on one of many suspension bridges

At the pass

Day 6 - Tibetan Monastry at Upper Pisang

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Indian News Queensland | TRAVEL Cars are completely prohibited in the area and to visit one needs to walk across Muktinath and up a series if stairs to a ridge above the town. The temple complex is beautifully constructed with both Buddhist and Hindu influences. Water trickled down by the stairs from the Hindu temple, outside which two large tibetan prayer wheels are constantly spinning as water rushes past them. Within the temple 108 fountains line the back wall and one must bath in the water before darshan. The water was freezing cold and the floor slippery with ice.

While we did not run through all the fountains like some other brave men, we trickled water onto our heads from each of the fountains before having darshan. The temple is attended only by female priests which alone is another unique experience.

From Muktinath, after our darshan, we arranged a private jeep to Pokhara and along the way caught glimpses of Annapurna I. While it is the 10th tallest peak in the world, it has the highest mortality rate for those attempting to summit the peak.

While we only completed a segment of the Annapurna circuit, the trek was a difficult physical undertaking from dealing with extreme cold temperatures and hiking at altitude. However, it was also equally as rewarding. The untouched and incredible mountain scenery surrounded by snow within the highest mountain range in the world was breathtaking. The sense of achievement we also gained from crossing Thorang La, the highest walkable pass in the world, was unparalleled.

We were glad we undertook this challenge now and we hope that increasing urbanisation doesn't impact on this incredible part of the world.

Day 9 - Gangapurna peak and Gangapurna Tal

Day 9 - Looking out to Annapurna II

Day 5 - Annapurna II from bedside window in Upper Pisang

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Day 12 - the trail to Thorang La marked by prayer flags

Starting our descent to Mukinath www.indiannewsqld.com.au

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JANUARY 2018

23

Indian News Queensland | BOOKS & LITERATURE

Premchand, the reformist writer of India

Munshi Premchand broke the barriers of language, religion, and region in communicating his message of equality and social justice for the oppressed by virtue of the relevance of the themes of his stories, and novels, and the indelible impression the characters of his stories left on the readers, feels Devashish Chakraborty.

M

unshi Premchand (a pseudonym, his real name being Dhanpat Rai) was an Indian author, who was instrumental in popularizing modern Hindi and Urdu literature. He initiated his literary career with his first novella, Asrar- e-Ma’abid, which was published for the first time in Awaze-Khalq, an Urdu weekly. It is wellappreciated by his fans and critics alike that he brought the element of realism into Indian literature, of which readers and writers of his time were completely unfamiliar. Those were the days of fantasy, fictions, and religious works. A change was on the horizon as years of subjugation and oppression under the British Raj were being confronted by those who had tasted the sweetness of liberty, equality, and justice after receiving Western education.

Premchand’s works held the mirror high enough for the society to discern its true reflection, and not a contrived one that was far from the reality of the time. It is, therefore, no wonder that he is hailed as one of the greatest authors that the previous century has produced in India.

ing popularity in the literary circles of Kanpur after he authored Soz-e-Vatan, a collection of short stories in Urdu.

His Contribution to Indian Literature Besides being a writer, Premchand was also a thinker and social reformer. The hallmark of his writings was the portrayal of reality in his short stories and novels. His forte was the depiction of life stories that were suffused with pathos and were full of tragic moments in the storyline. In one of his short stories ‘Sadgati’ (Salvation), which formed the basis of a film by Satyajit Ray in later years, the protagonist is a low caste man regarded as untouchable, who dies of utter exhaustion in an attempt to chop wood for a highcaste priest in exchange for a petty reward. The story is a social commentary on the prevailing injustice at the time.

It leaves the audience dumbfounded to visualize the corpse of the man being dragged off with a rope dangling around his ankle, like the carcass of a dog taken to the burial ground.

Through such portrayals Premchand has tried to depict realistically the plight of the poor, the downtrodden, and those belonging to the lower caste.

Premchand was a realist to the core, and his works bear testimony to this fact. His commitment to honesty and social justice for the oppressed is exemplary, and he chooses the pen rather than the sword to wage war against perpetrators of crime against humanity in whatever form.

His Childhood and Early Life Born on 31 July, 1880, in a village near Varanasi, in India, Premchand lost his parents when he was very young. However, he was entrusted with the responsibility of looking after his stepmother, and his siblings.

Premchand was married twice, first of which was a child-marriage, a custom prevalent at that time. After the unhappy ending of this marriage in 1899, he remarried again, this time a child-widow, in 1906. After a stint as schoolteacher, he became headmaster of a school, near Allahabad, and then was elevated to the position of deputy sub-inspector of schools and was stationed in Kanpur.

His Early Literary Career Premchand’s literary career began during his stay in Allahabad. He started as a freelancer and penned many short stories in Urdu. His first novella, Asrar-e-Ma’abid, was published in Awaz-e-Khalq, an Urdu weekly.

Later, he wrote columns on national and international issues for Zamana, an Urdu magazine. He started gain-

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Such depictions throw light on the characteristics of the author himself who does not shy away from laying bare the barbarism of an era to which he belongs. Premchand was a realist to the core, and his works bear testimony to this fact. His commitment to honesty and social justice for the oppressed is exemplary, and he chooses the pen rather than the sword to wage war against perpetrators of crime against humanity in whatever form. His writings were far from the romantic fiction of his time. If his rawness in portraying the reality appears grotesque and abominable to some readers, it may be ascribed to the times he belongs to.

Even as his stories depicted the society of his time, Premchand also wrote tales of immense personal tragedy such as in Nirmala (The Unblemished One).

In this story a young woman is compelled to marry an old man, whose sons from his earlier marriage are older than the woman he now takes as his wife. The tragedy is heightened when the husband is overcome by jealousy and blinded by suspicion believing, erroneously of course, that Nirmala

is having an affair with his eldest son, though Nirmala is only performing the duty of a mother to an ailing son.

The death of the son leaves Nirmala devastated, as would happen to any mother who has lost her child.

Though Premchand was a realist with pathos being the feature of most his writings, sadness isn’t the only theme he dealt with in his stories. For instance in ‘Moteram Ji Shastri’, the humorous side of the author comes to the fore when he portrays a lovable charlatan.

Then, the story of ‘Bade Bhai Sahab’ evokes in the readers a roller-coaster of emotions when the author depicts the character of his not-so-bright elder brother, who, none-the-less has a golden heart.

Besides delineating working-class characters, Premchand’s works also find depiction of modern characters in urban settings. In Seva Sadan, which was released as Bazar-e-Husn in Urdu, and also chosen to be made into a Tamil film, Suman, a high-caste damsel, has to put up with a loveless marriage out of compulsion. The writer provokes his readers to question the established norms of society, impelling them to reconsider the notions of a holy and an unholy alliance while entering into a relationship. The writer, through his themes of stories, upholds women’s right to liberty, equality, and social justice, in an environment where these aspects of a woman’s life were conspicuous by their absence. In fact, the reader is poked to shed any modicum of hypocrisy he may have during the very act of absorbing the underlying message of the writer, and realize the human folly in treating one of their own kind, here women, in not-so-tasteful manner.

Some of his stories, unlike most of the works of his contemporaries, give the impression that Premchand was ahead of his time in championing women’s right to choose the life they want to live. In ‘Miss Padma’, which was penned in 1914, the story revolves around a young modern woman who opts to enter into a livein relationship with a man, rather than marrying him. It is, however, another matter that the very object of her love abandons her and robs her of her jewels. Even these days it is not much different, as a woman is still at risk if she follows her heart’s call and decides to forge a close relationship of the kind not sanctioned by the society.

Premchand’s works include more than 300 short stories, novels, and many essays, letters, and plays. Godaan, his first novel, is hailed as one of the best novels of his time.

His other significant contributions include Gaban, Kafan Poos ki Rat, Idgah, and Bade Ghar ki Beti, Shatranj Ke Khiladi, and Sevasadan.

Premchand’s stories have the characteristic of being timeless in their own right. His stories touch the depth of human conscience, without in the least being even close to superficial unleashing of words and ideas.

His Later Years and Demise Throughout his life Premchand had conviction in the educative value of literature. Without being didactic his writings served the purpose of educating the readers. His fictions were not products of lazy fantasy, but fruits of careful consideration of ‘ailments’ afflicting the society of his time. His themes have a universal appeal and an element of timelessness.

Most of his stories are a sort of critical appreciation of the society and its norms and value systems, yet the narratives are entertaining and far from being boring. Though he had established himself as a respectable writer, financial crisis continued to chase him forever. However, this state of affairs did not dampen his spirit as a writer as he continued his crusade with the pen. Premchand breathed his last on October 8, 1936, leaving behind him an unfinished novel – Mangalsootra.

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No writer worth his salt goes without influencing others and without being similarly influenced by others of his kind. In this respect Premchand was no exception, as he was influenced by writers within the country and beyond its shores. One of the stalwart writers who influenced him was Saratchandra Chatterjee, an accomplished Bengali writer, whose writings he would voraciously devour. He was also inspired by the works of foreign writers such as Maxim Gorky. As for his own works, these have the power to leave an indelible impression on his readers, irrespective of the time and the region they belong to. This aspect has popularized his works the world over as is evident from the multitude of translations of his works, both in Indian and foreign languages.

JANUARY 2018

24

Indian News Queensland | HOROSCOPE Courtesy: ganeshaspeaks.com

Horoscope 2018 Overview Aries

Mar 20 – Apr 20 The Planetary positions for Aries in 2018 at the beginning of the year indicate that you need to work hard for achieving the desired level of success. In simple words, Aries Horoscope 2018 indicates that you need to stick to the assignment you are currently working on, and you will have to keep yourself motivated to put in that required extra effort. Perseverance is also needed to enhance your financial prospects. Major Planets, wily Saturn and Venus, are in a state of combustion and positioned in the tenth house at the beginning of the year. Mighty Sun in the tenth house indicates success for you.

Saturn wants you to invest sustained efforts without losing patience for success and higher growth. The Aries Horoscope 2018 suggests that you tighten your belt, gather all your skills, and march ahead on the road to progress. Respond promptly to opportunity coming your way, advises Ganesha. The transit of Venus from August is likely to open the door of abundance for you. Try to remain level-headed during retrogression of Venus and Mars.

Taurus

Apr 20 – May 21 The position of Planets at the beginning is indicative about kind of mix results for you during your journey through the year. It is not that you are not to experience favorable tides to sail upon. At the same time some challenging positions are to test your ability, skills. This is to keep you grounded and not raise high aspirations. A kind of pragmatic approach is to work well in sailing through the year. Saturn is measured as most favorable planet for your sign. Saturn along with ruler of your sign Venus is in state of combustion at the beginning of the year. However, Saturn comes out from combustion at end of the first week. This is to help in easing out any pressure situation. Venus remains in state of combustion till around 20th February. This is to hold you from going all out to do your best.

You are to then have fewer hassles while moving ahead. A visit abroad is on the card this year. Transit of Mars and its time of retrogression are to test your ability to keep working even when tides are not so favorable for you. Waiting patiently and keep applying is to help you sail through the challenging, testing times ahead.

Transit of ruler of your sign Venus from around second week of August is likely to play significant role, more so for job hunters and holders as well.

Gemini

May 21 – Jun 21 Major planets hard task master Saturn and dear Venus are in state of combustion at the beginning. In view of this, you may be keen on finding right direction to follow for enhancing your prospects.

Saturn comes out from combustion from second week. This is to provide some respite for you. However, to put in action new strategy, you need to wait till Venus comes out from combustion.

Venus rises on horizon from around 21st February. Things are to start then rolling in your favor. Things are to slow down from around 7th March. Ruler of your sign Mercury now turns retrograde. This is to give you enough time to review past www.indiannewsqld.com.au

actions, decisions. Identify weak area, improvement any if needed in your working methods. Retrogression of Mercury is not time for result oriented action. Period from mid of April seems supportive for result oriented action. You are likely to decide about direction to follow now.

Jupiter remains posited in the sixth house for most part of the year. This means having proper coordination of things at work place is to look challenging. In view of this you need to raise level of compatibility for smooth running of day to day affairs. Notable is the transit of aggressive Mars and Venus during the year. If you can play your cards efficiently, progress and growth in your pursuit is assured.

Cancer

Jun 21 – Jul 23 You are to be keen on self-growth cultivating rounded expressions along with notable progress, growth on occupational and financial front. Planets here seem perfectly aligned to fulfill your aspirations. However, disturbances in day to day working are to hold you from accelerating pace of progress. The culprit here is as usual that tough task master wily Saturn posited in the seventh house, in its own sign last of earthly sign Capricorn.

Mars and benevolent Jupiter are rightly posited to help you reach zenith in your pursuit. You need to remain strongly motivated and have patience on your side here. Good supportive time for adding to your wealth during the year. However, refrain from finalizing a deal when dear Venus moves in retrograde mode. You need to remain very much composed, level headed around period when Mars is retrograde. Things may seem not to work well in confirmed kind of relationship. Married one needs to avoid doing things which annoys your partner for life.

Give priority to resolving issue in personal life. Then you are to have enough time to get busy with constructive activities.

Progressive forces are to work very much effectively this time around.

Leo

Jul 23 – Aug 23 Lion being king likes to dominate, steal the show and make his presence being acknowledged. Planets at the beginning seem to be well aligned to push ahead your prospects in general. All the same, some strong obstructive forces are also to be at work. Lack of coordination at work place in day to day activities can slow down process of progress. You are to have your lesson to learn here. Just do not rush on viewing lucrative looking opportunity. Remember the saying “Bite only which you can chew” comfortably. This means access your capacity well enough before signing the contract.

Benevolent Jupiter is to keep facilitating opportunity for growth throughout the year. At the same time presence of tough task master Saturn in own earthly sign Capricorn, is to make you learn lesson in practicality. Ignore Saturn’s prompting at your own risk. Notable transits this year is about transit of dashing Mars (being most favorable planet for your sign) and dear Venus. Transit of Mars through its sign of exaltation Capricorn and last of fixed natured airy sign Aquarius is to play substantial role in keeping your busier to keep your stocks afloat. Venus enters its own sign that cultured airy sign Libra

from second week of August. From here on period till end of the year is to give enough fresh opportunity to work upon for enhancing your prospects in general.

Virgo

Aug 23 – Sep 23 You are to be keen on formulating a sort of perfect strategy to push ahead your financial prospects. Major planets Saturn and Venus are in state of combustion, at the beginning. Viewing this, you need to wait patiently till you can put your plans in action. Saturn comes out of combustion from around second week of January. This is to work well to shifting to higher gear. Venus comes out from combust state from around 21st February.

Then you can look forward to earning rewards for your hard work. Some new opportunity, shaping new meaningful relationships is to be the features of transit of Venus, in coming days. However, keeping cool and remaining focused is also to matter for your progress. Transit of aggressive Mars around second half of the year, can see you overtly worked up.

You are to be in a hurry to push things.

Jupiter is to keep protecting your interests for most part of the year. Transit of Venus from August is likely to play notable role, in terms of monetary gains. The year is to be eventful and gainful in terms to growth and financial gains.

Libra

Sep 23 – Oct 23 You are to be keen on formulating a sound strategy to push ahead prospects on occupational front. Benevolent Jupiter as usual is to back your efforts to succeed for most part of the year. Crunch in the story is about two important planets Saturn and Venus being in state of combustion at the beginning. This state of planets does not seem to support result oriented action. Saturn starts visibly rising on horizon from second week of January. This is to give you space to work upon your strategy. However, you may have to wait for your efforts to start bearing fruits. Venus starts rising visibly from around 21st February. Now on Venus is also support your cause. Planetary positions from mid of February seem supportive for shifting into higher gear.

Transit of aggressive Mars from around mid of May is to play vital role in occupation related matters. You may then start seeing more opportunities to push ahead your prospects to earn more money.

Before jumping to seemingly good opportunity, weigh pros and cons with long term in view. Remain very much careful during retrogression of Mars. Refrain from attempting anything new during this phase. Ruler of your sign Venus is to present enough opportunity for growth and handsome monetary gains. From around second week of August movement of Venus is prove fruitful for you.

Scorpio

Oct 23 – Nov 22 Good news for you here is about planet of expansion, growth Jupiter is to move through your sign for most of the year for you. Jupiter is in company of Mars, ruler of your sign at the beginning. This seems good omen for you. At the same time Saturn moving through the third house is to keep counseling you to execute caution, be practical and have kind of pragmatic approach.

Movement of Mars ruler of your sign from

around mid of March is to prompt you to

throw caution to winds and go all out for achieving desired level of progress.

However, it is good to plan your activities in advance and have a kind of methodical approach to achieve success in your pursuit. Mars is to induce you to now speak loudly about your intentions for stamping your authority by proving your worth. You do need to execute caution when aggressive Mars moves in retrograde mode. Do not try to attempt anything new, during retrogression of Mars. Transit of dear Venus from month of August is to see you in mood to enjoy pleasures life offers.

Sagittarius

Nov 22 – Dec 22 You are to be concerned about selfgrowth and enhance your prospects on occupational front. Saving more money is to be on your priority list. However, Saturn now posited in its own sign earthly Capricorn, is to induce you to handle matters related to finance much cautiously. You are to now have a practical approach in money matters. You need to plan finances with long term in view and make enough provision for contingency.

Transit of Mars through Capricorn can lead to unexpected expenses. Mars here is to induce to take decision in money matters driven by instinct. This way you may land up in a financial mess. You need to deliberate well enough prior to taking decision about major financial involvement. Disturbance in family is to keep bothering you. Family related matters need to be handled much tactfully and with due delicacy. Transit of Venus from August can lead to new relationship. People of all strata are to come in connection. Handle relationship with opposite sex much carefully. You are to have a pleasant and enjoyable time with near ones in relationship. Jupiter making move into your sign around beginning of November is to raise hopes about better times. The year seems to present kind of mixed results for you. These predictions are based on your Sun Sign, so you may not get the detailed picture about the entire year.

Capricorn

Dec 23 – Jan 20 Major planets are in state are in state of combustion. Ruler of your sign Saturn is posited therein along with most favorable planet for your sign Venus.

Both are combusting at the beginning.

Saturn comes out from state of combustion from second week of January. This is to give enough opportunities to work upon. Venus becomes visible on horizon from around 21st February. These signals beginning of better times for you. On occupational front encouraging opportunity is to come up. A new meaningful relationship is also likely to develop. This is to work well in enhancing your prospects in general. Benevolent Jupiter is in a watery sign Scorpio, in eleventh house from your sign. For most part of the year Jupiter remains stationed in the eleventh house, linked with fulfillment of wishes, gains and relationships in general. Jupiter is to work well for fulfillment of wishes and facilitate spirit enlivening monetary gains. If single, now is time to tie knots.

Venus is to help in shaping love relationship with opposite sex of choice. Married one is to have a pleasant and enjoyable time with partner for life. Summing up the year has something to cheer up for all.

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Aquarius

Jan 20 – Feb 18 Ruler of your sign Saturn also holds portfolio of the 12th house from your sign.

Saturn keeps traversing through Capricorn, in the 12th house for whole of the year. At the beginning you are to look for right direction to make move. From second week of January you are start becoming aware about constraints holding you from accelerating pace of progress. Venus is ruler of the ninth house, linked with luck, fortune in general. Viewing this Venus is to now give hint about direction to follow. In coming days Venus will work well in increasing inflow of money for you. Jupiter remains stationed in watery sign Scorpio and moves through the tenth house from your sign. Jupiter is to help for stabilizing things on occupational front. Jupiter sends positive vibes over its own sign Pisces, in the second house for most part of the year. With both benefices providing support, your position on financial front is to become stronger.

Saturn posited in the 12th house, can lead to unexpected expenses, can upset your planning. You need to handle money matters very much cautiously.

On occupational front growth prospects look encouraging. Job holder can expect a better position coupled with hike in remuneration. Business person and professional are to get good opportunity to strike profitable deals. Single one needs to be cautious, careful while trying to shape love relationship or developing relationship with opposite sex for enjoying sexual pleasure only. See that you do not get in relationship with person having undesirable characteristics. Happenings during the year are to result in better prospective position for you.

Pisces

Feb 18 – Mar 20 You are to be keen on making some intelligent move to push ahead your prospects.

However, you may not get a clue to enhance your prospects. Ruler of your sign Jupiter is also in charge of the tenth house.

Jupiter keeps viewing your sign for most part of the year. Planetary position seems perfectly aligned to help you strike it big.

Your image in social circles is set to improve.

Encouraging opportunity to make money will come up for you. You need to remain level headed and smart enough to benefit monetarily, cautions the Pisces in 2018 Horoscope. There is a strong possibility to gain from inheritance. Your birth chart is to give clear indication in this regard, as per the Pisces Horoscope 2018. Issue related to relationship can keep you stressed. Do not get overly worked up over this and resolve the issue with a cool head. Job holders are in for some good time. Growth prospects look encouraging for job holder. Good time also for a change for betterment for career oriented. Business person needs to refrain from taking undue risk. Married one is to have a pleasant enjoyable time here. Saturn remains in its own sign earthly Capricorn and moves through the eleventh house for whole of the year. Mars rules house linked with finance and the ninth house, related to luck fortune. Mars makes to and from movement from Capricorn to Aquarius and back to Capricorn in retrograde mode.

Mars on becoming direct in motion in Capricorn again shifts into Aquarius. This movement of Mars is a notable event. Some good encouraging opportunity for big ticket gain is to come up. At end of the year, you are likely to feel happy with your position on occupational and financial front as well.

JANUARY 2018

25

Indian News Queensland | FUN

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S-M-A-R-T New year resolutions for a SMART YOU!

N

ew Year comes with a bout of people making list of new year resolutions.

Here’s how to identify the right resolution to improve your life, create a plan on how to reach it, and become part of the small group of people that successfully achieve their goal. Your goals should be smart — and SMART. That’s an acronym coined in the journal Management Review in 1981 for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. It may work for management, but it can also work in setting your resolutions along with some motivations.

Make your goals specific People proclaim, “I’m finally going to get in shape.” But what does that mean? Do you intend to reach a certain weight? Or body-fat percentage? Do you want to run three miles without rest? Maybe be able to do 10 pull-ups? Your resolution should be clear. “Making a concrete goal is really important rather than just vaguely saying ‘I want to lose weight.’ You want to have a goal: How much weight do you want to lose and at what time interval?”

Measure progress “If you can measure it, you can change it” is a fundamental principal of psychology. These feedback loops will be a source of motivation as you reflect on where you started and where you are. They will also help you to know when you are hitting a plateau or slipping backward, so you can adjust your efforts.

Be patient Progress is seldom linear. Some people will see rapid gains only to hit

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resistance later in their efforts. For others, initial progress may be painfully slow but then they suddenly achieve rapid breakthroughs. Making lasting changes takes time.

Share your goals with friends and family Social support is critical. Yes, it takes some personal courage and vulnerability to share something that you might fail at, but to dramatically increase your odds of success you’ll want support from those around you. One of the most effective things you can do is to get an “accountability partner”, someone who checks in with you daily or weekly. It’s easy to break a promise to yourself, but far harder to admit it to a friend.

Schedule it Have you ever said you can’t “find the time” to do something? Nobody finds time, we choose time. We all choose to spend our time the way we do—whether that’s eating junk food or going to a spin class. Make your new goals a priority and schedule them into your calendar. If you have a fitness goal schedule recurring time blocks for your daily workouts.

Want to declutter? Schedule time to clean out your closet or garage on your calendar. Treat these New Year Resolution’s appointments just like they were scheduled doctor appointments. You rarely reschedule your doctor, you should treat this time the same way. That which is scheduled gets done.

Something is better than nothing Are you guilty of “all or nothing” thinking? Do you ever think, “Well,

I might as well get dessert since I already ate those French fries?” And then, “I blew my diet last night, so I’ll just restart it next week.” Dr. Marciano says the difference between doing something rather than nothing is huge. If you don’t have a full hour to workout at the gym, just decide to make it the best 20-minutes you can. If you stumble out of bed and don’t want to do 20-minutes on the treadmill, lace up your sneakers and do five minutes (and you just might find you do another 15 minutes once the first five are out of the way). Dr. Marciano says, “Any effort towards your goal is better than no effort.”

Get up, when you slip up Resiliency is paramount. Don’t turn temporary failures into total meltdowns or excuses for giving up. Instead, just acknowledge the mistake and recommit to the path towards the goal.

Celebrate Success If you did not buy a coat you really wanted but do not need, that is cause for celebration. If you passed on a burger and ordered a salad instead, that is cause for celebration. If you got a raise, a promotion, made a concrete step, large or small to achieving your goals, that is cause for celebration. Did you dodge a bullet? The vast majority of your life is in the every day, and the little moments. The grand moments go by quickly and ultimately make up a small percentage of your life, so celebrate the small steps and achievements, and be proud of who you are, your work and who you are striving to be.

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Indian News Queensland | BOLLYWOOD

Bollywood movies coming soon Okka-Kshanam RELEASE DATE: 28/12/2017

Okka Kshanam is a Telugu movie starring Allu Sirish and Surabhi in prominent roles. The cast also includes Seerat Kapoor and Srinivas Avasarala. It is a romantic thriller directed by Vi Anand, with Mani Sharma as the music composer, forming part of the crew.

1921 RELEASE DATE: 12/01/2018

Imaikka Nodigal

1921 is a Hindi movie starring Zareen Khan and Karan Kundra in prominent roles. It is a horror drama directed by Vikram Bhatt, forming part of the crew. It is based on the year 1921 which deals with Ayush and Rose’s battle with extreme paranormal activities created by a ruthless and cursed spirit that would lead them to their ultimate redemption or downfall.

RELEASE DATE: 12/01/2018

An upcoming Indian Tamil-language neo noir crime thriller film written and directed by R. Ajay Gnanamuthu starring Atharvaa, Nayanthara, Raashi Khanna and Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap.

Padman RELEASE DATE: 26/01/2018

Padman is a biographical drama starring Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte based on the life of the Tamil Nadu-based activist Arunachalam Muruganantham, who worked towards providing costeffective and hygienic sanitary napkins to the women in the rural areas, and features Akshay Kumar playing the lead role while Radhika Apte plays the role of his wife.

KAALAKAANDI RELEASE DATE: 12/01/2018

Kaalakaandi is a hindi black comedy film starring Saif Ali Khan and Sobhita Dhulipala. It is a story where fates intertwine, destinies bump into each other, chaotic ironies result and in the end - order is restored by a beautiful stroke of poetic justice. The story plays out in 12 hours, with six characters from different worlds, from urban, ambitious upwardly mobile Bombay and its dark, neglected under-belly. In this dark, funny tale, the lives of complete strangers intersect for a few frantic moments and lead to consequences not improbable but extraordinary.

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Indian News Queensland | BOLLYWOOD

Bollywood movies awaited in 2018

Thugs of Hindustan is an actionadventure film about the life of the mob in India before independence.

The movie is directed by Vijay Acharya, who directed Dhoom 3 also. The movie will feature Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh. The film is set to be released during Diwali, 2018.

The film is based on 19th-century novel ‘Confession of a Thug’.

Fanney Khan is a musical-comedy film, directed by Atul Manjrekar and has become one of the most-talked about films. Starring Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao in the lead roles, it is the official remake of the Oscar-nominated Dutch 2000 film 'Everybody's Famous!'. Produced by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the film may see Aishwarya sing for her role. The film in set to release in mid-year 2018.

2.0 is an upcoming Indian science fiction film directed by S. Shankar. It is a sequel to the 2010 Tamil movie Enthiran. This is the First Indian movie that is directly shot in 3D. Enthiran was a big success at box office in that year. 2.0 is expected to be released in Jan-Feb 2018. The film will feature Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, and Amy Jackson. Akshay Kumar will make his Tamil debut with this movie. It is the most expensive Indian film with an estimated budget of Rs.450 crores.

Manikarnika - The queen of Jhansi is Kangana Ranaut's next. It is a biopic helmed by National Award-winner Krish Jagarlamudi, it traces the life of Rani Lakshmibai, one of the leading figures of the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny. The film is based on the life of Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi and her war against the British East India Company, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The film will also mark the big-screen debut of TV actress, and Sushant Singh Rajput's former beau, Ankita Lokhande. It is set to release in April 2018.

Aiyaary is an upcoming Indian thriller film based on real life story and the relationship of a Mentor and Protege.

Neeraj Pandey is one of the most popular movie directors in Hindi Cinema.

All his directed movies have performed outstandingly with both critically and commercially successes. This film is featuring Siddharth Malhotra, Manoj Bajpayee, and Rakul Preet Singh. This movie could be a turning point in Sidharth Malhotra’s sinking career. The film is set to release in January 2018.

The Accidental Prime Minister is a biopic of former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh. The movie features Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh, the economist, and politician who served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014. The Accidental Prime Minister film is scheduled to release in winter season of 2018. The movie is directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte.

Raazi is an upcoming Indian period espionage thriller film directed by Meghna Gulzar and produced by Karan Johar. It features Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal in lead roles.

Raazi is an adaptation of Harinder Sikka’s popular novel Calling Sehmat, about a Kashmiri spy married to a Pakistani man during the IndoPakistani War of 1971. The movie is scheduled for release in May 2018.

Gold is a sports biopic based on the life of hockey player Balbir Singh who was on the team that won the 1st Olympic medal for India in 1948.

Gold is directed by Reema Kagti and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar. Akshay Kumar will be seen in vintage look for this movie.

Popular TV actress Moni Roy will make her Bollywood debut with this movie. The movie is planned to be released in August 2018.

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Dwarf is Shahrukh Khan’s most awaited upcoming romantic drama where he plays the role of Dwarf.

The Dwarf film is directed by Anand L Rai featuring Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif in the lead role. It is speculated that Salman Khan will also play a cameo in Dwarf. It’s one of the most ambitious movie of Shahrukh Khan and this big budget film is set to release in December 2018.

Veere di wedding is an Indian Hindi female buddy comedy film, directed by Shashanka Ghosh. The film is co-produced by Rhea Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor and Nikhil Dwivedi and stars Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania in lead roles, as four friends attending a wedding. The movie marks Rhea Kapoor's second attempt to ace the chick flick genre in Bollywood.

The film is predominantly shot in the capital city of Delhi and a few sequences in Bangkok. It is set to release in summer 2018.

JANUARY 2018

28

Indian News Queensland | WHAT’S ON

SRI SELVA VINAYAKAR KOYIL (GANESHA TEMPLE) BRISBANE (South Maclean)

Newsletter 132-04 Maarkali/ Pausha/Taiṣya Month (mid-January 2018 to mid-February 2018) Festivals Dear Sri Selva Vinayaka devotees, Hindu Ahlaya Sangam Qld Inc (HASQ) cordially invites you to Sri Selva Vinayakar Temple Brisbane (South Maclean) For Thai / Pausha/Taiṣya Month Festivals.

Thai Maasa Pirappu (Pausha/Taiṣya month starts)/ on Sunday 14 January 2018 Thai Pongal & Ayyapa Swamy Makara Jyothi Festivals/Prathosham on Sunday 14 January 2018 Chathurthi Viratham on Saturday 20 January 2018 Sri Lalitha Sahastranama Stotram Chanting on Sunday 21 January 2018 Ratha Sapthami on Wednesday 24 January 2018 Pirathosha Viratham on Monday 29 January 2018 Thai Poosam,Full moon/ & Sathya Narayanar Poojai on Wednesday 31 January 2018 Monthly Bajans on Friday 02 February 2018 Sankatahara Chathurthi on Saturday 03 February 2018 Sri Vishnu Sahastranamam & Paaraayanam on Sunday 4 February 2018 Visit Brisbane Sri Selva Vinayakar (Ganesha) Temple and get the Blessing of Lord Ganesha.

For further information please contact our Temple on 07 5547 7302 or the president Mr: M.Surendra on Mobile-0407-753991

Temple Website: http://www.sriselvavinayakar.org Follow us on (click the icons): 4915-4923, Mt Lindesay Highway, South Maclean, Queensland-4280, Australia, Phone: +61 7 5547 7302

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Indian News Queensland | WHAT’S ON

Pongal Festival Queensland 2018 The Annual Harvesting Festival ‘Pongal’ in Queensland state is organised by Thaai Tamil School Inc and Queensland Tamil Mandram Inc, sponsored

by ANZ-Riverlink and is supported by Ipswich City Council, Gabba Ward member, media and local community organisations. 2018 celebration is as follows: Where: Robelle Domain Park, Education City Dr, Springfield Central QLD 4300 When: 14th January 2018 (Sunday) from 3pm – 9 pm Entry: Free Happenings: Cultural programs, kids rides, balloons, loads of kids and adults competitions, yummy diversified cuisines, many fun activities and fire-works.

Background: Pongal Festival (The Harvest Festival) is celebrated by Tamils all over the world in the form of thanks-giving to the nature, agriculture, farmers and livestock animals which help in farming and cropping. This annual celebration exhibits loads of fun, ethnic food, art, competitions, fun rides, cultural events, country songs and dances. In Queensland, this annual celebration event has been organised in 'open park area' since 2014 by the Tamil Community in Brisbane.

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JANUARY 2018

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Indian News Queensland | PHOTO FEATURE

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JANUARY 20/11/2017 2018 4:14:40 PM