Indian Down Under E Paper August-September 14

Happy Independence Day
The Indian Down Under POBox 99 Thornleigh NSW2120 Ph (02) 9875 2713 Mobile: 0414 155 402 Email: indiandownunder@gmail.com
VOL 26 No. 4
Print Post Publication No. 23572300014
Annual Subscription incl. postage & handling $17
Newsagencies $1 inc GST
August - September 2014
Inside this Issue:
8: Rekha Rajvanshi interviews Indian Consul
General Sunjay Sudhir
20: Neeru Saluja follows Film Star Dharmendra in
Sydney for the launch of his Punjabi Film Double
Di Trouble and reports how his fans went mad
one even kissing him on the cheek.
25: Australias Foreign Minsiter Julie Bishop at
AIBC dinner address: Australia had very early
recognised Mr Modi as a leader to watch.
31: Esther Chaudhary-Lyons on Children Page
brings you interesting stories of India - The fox
who married a girl and more
45: Ashok Kumar of The Indian Subcontinent
Times talks to Australian Badmintown Open
Winner Saina Nehwal in an exclusive interview
Top: Dipen Rughani and
Sheba Nandkeolyar with
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop
at AIBC Annual Address
Bottom Left: Manju Mittal
with Dharmendra as he takes
a curious look at The Indian
Down Under newspaper
Bottom right: Indian commu-
nities Facebook publisher
Hemu Negi with Dharmendra
02 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2014
August - September 2014 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 03
Editor's Letter
August-September 2014 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 7
Editorial/Advertising Enquiries: 02 9875 2713
Postal Address: PO Box 99, Thornleigh NSW 2120.
Email: indiandownunder@gmail.com
Website: www.indiandownunder.com.au
EDITORIAL
Principal Editor: Vijay Badhwar
Associate Editor: Neena Badhwar
North America : Parveen Chopra
Correspondent
Sports Editor: Kersi Meher-Homji
Delhi Reporter: Ritu Ghai
WRITERS
Third Eye: Rekha Bhattacharjee
Political Columns: Karam Ramrakha, Mallika Ganesan
Films and Art: Neeru Saluja, Abhishek Sood,
Monica Daswani, Sumi Krishnan, Devaki
Parthasarthy, Neena Badhwar, Rekha Rajvanshi,
Manju Mittal
Body-Mind-Spirit: Dr Sunder Das, Kanaka
Ramakrishna, Faith Harper, T Selva
Sport: Kersi Meher-Homji
Fiji Diary: Karam Ramrakha
Cookery: Promila Gupta
Children Section: Esther Chaudhary-Lyons
Classical Music: Sumi Krishnan, Kris Raman,
Lokesh Varma
Travel: Vijay Badhwar, Kris Raman
Humour: Melvin Durai, Santram Bajaj
Seniors Column: Santram Bajaj
Beauty: Devaki Parthasarthy, Ritu Ghai
Community: Neena Badhwar, Kersi Meher-Homji,
Vijay Badhwar, Sumi Krishnan, Neeru Saluja,
Savitha Narayan, Manju Mittal
Photographers: Neelesh Kale, Raj Suri and Jordan
Anjaiya
Graphic Design: Nayanesh Gandhi,
Dinesh Verma,Dhiraj Kumar,
Bharat Bhushan Chopra/Bhagwati Multimedia
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T
eam Australia having stumbled on
repealing Section 18C of the
Racial Discrimination Act is due
for about face on another divisive issue
initiated to cushion the fall: expansion of
ambit of terrorism laws at the expense of
personal freedom. This is unprecedented
in terms of increasing authoritarian state
powers to be able to detain and question
people without trial and even sending
them to jail if they refuse to answer ques-
tions. The laws also seek to silence publi-
cation of even general information about
terrorism investigation and immunity of
intelligence services officers from prose-
cution for their actions. The extension of
these laws also entails asking telecoms in
future to store metadata of ordinary citi-
zens over extended periods.
The Government faced a torrent of
opposition, even from within its own
ranks, in its bid to water down Section
18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. Its
fate was long known as there was wide-
spread condemnation from community
groups, made even uglier as Attorney
General Brandis declared that people
have the rights to be bigots. Thankfully
came the backdown from Prime Minister
Tony Abbott who said he wanted the
communities to be friends, not critics.
All this effort was wasted (budget, econ-
omy, unemployment put on the backburn-
er for weeks) as the Government took
fancy to one journalist Andrew Bolt who
could not find expression weighed down
by the Racial Act. The backflip now
came in the name of national cohesion.
The repeal of the Racial Act, in any case,
would never have gone past the Senate.
The planned anti-terrorism reforms
fare no better. Will AFP
interrogate/detain people at airport cells
to establish their legitimate reasons of
travel to a particular region. There will
always be some rogue elements and they
have to be treated differently but to target
a whole community or a region is akin to
using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. If
everything the Government is proposing
is implemented - regulating a citizens
work, life, the company they keep, house
arrest without trial etc all based on
some confected threat, life will become
unbearable.
The metadata retention by telecom-
munication providers is also a misguided
call by the Government. As revealed in
The Snowden Files by Luke Harding,
the tapping of data from tech companies
became a major embarrassment for the
US and British governments. They
(Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft,
Yahoo, LinkedIn, Twitter and AOL)
wrote in an open letter to Obama and
Congress: The balance in many coun-
tries has tipped too far in favour of the
state and away from the rights of the
individual rights that are enshrined in
our constitution. This undermines the
freedoms we all cherish. Its time for a
change.
It seems there are hiccups with nearly
everything the Abbott Government is
doing as its policies are perceived not
being inclusive, representing big corpora-
tions or interest groups and dictated to
people its budget, silence on refugee
boats issues, racial laws, university fund-
ing, social security, environment. Its
high time Tony Abbott started working
with Team Australia.
M
eanwhile, in India, the new
Modi Government is brimming
with action, reviving relation-
ships with all its neighbours and drawing
plans for large infrastructure develop-
ment. For a long time there had been a
policy void with its neighbours -
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar
included - that was being filled up by the
other superpower in the region. Inviting
their leaders to India at the swearing-in
ceremony and the subsequent Indian
prime ministerial and ministerial visits to
these nations is certainly a step in the
right direction. The only failure of the
Government so far seems to be its inabil-
ity to rein in everyday commodity prices.
As highlighted in the recently held
AIBC annual meet, time is right for
Australia to do business with India.
Visit us at :
www.indiandownunder.com.au
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!
It seems there are hiccups with nearly everything the Abbott
Government is doing, be it repealing the Racial Discrimination Act
or the planned anti-terrorism reforms
Narendra Modi inviting other South Asian leaders to India at his swearing-in ceremony
& the subsequent bilateral visits to these nations is certainly a step in the right direction
8 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August-September 2014
Interview
By Rekha Rajvanshi
I
ndias new Consul General in Sydney
is Sunjay Sudhir, and I can tell you
first-hand that hes a doer.
On receiving a distress call from one
of my students for an urgent visa to India,
I hesitatingly called Mr Sudhir, not entire-
ly sure if I could take the liberty. But there
he was (after ascertaining that the urgency
was very genuine) to organize the visa
promptly for the grieving family.
Sunjay Sudhir, who has assumed
charge as the Consul General of India in
Sydney on May 2, 2014, belongs to the
1993 batch of Indian Foreign Service
(IFS) officers. Before his Sydney appoint-
ment, he has served as the Joint Secretary
and Head of the Office of External Affairs
Minister of India. Earlier, he served in the
Ministry of External Affairs during 2002-
04 as the Deputy Chief of Protocol han-
dling incoming and outgoing VVIP visits.
Sunjay Sudhir holds a Bachelor of
Technology (Electrical Engineering)
degree from the Indian Institute of
Technology, New Delhi. He has complet-
ed a Certificate Course in Diplomatic
Practice from Oxford University (UK) and
several courses in international trade law
and jurisprudence and dispute settlement.
His foreign assignments have included:
Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of
India to the World Trade Organisation,
Geneva [2007-11], Head of the Economic
and Commercial Wing at the Indian
Embassy, Colombo [2004-07], Second
Secretary [Political, Information and
Culture] at the Indian Embassy, Damascus
[1997-2000] and Third Secretary at the
Indian Embassy, Cairo [1995-97].
Excerpts from an exclusive interview
the Consul General gave to The Indian
Down Under on community issues, Indo-
US ties and the likelihood of bilateral vis-
its by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to
Australia and his counterpart in Oz,
Tony Abbott to India:
Welcome to Sydney. How do you like
Australia?
Consul General Sunjay Sudhir:
Australia is a lovely country with great
people, a big pravasi bharatiya communi-
ty and strong friendly relations with India.
There are so many similarities which
bring us close, such as multiculturalism,
parliamentary democracy, independent
judiciary, secularism, use of the English
language and the passion for cricket (and
curry). It is also heartening to see that
India, as well as Indians and people of
Indian origin are held in high regard here.
The Indian community seems so well
adjusted here, engages in cultural activi-
ties, fund raising for charities back in
India, working in the private sector and
government, pursuing higher studies all
hallmarks of a fully integrated community.
How is it different working in an
overseas mission than working in South
Block at the heart of the government?
CG: The government is a huge body,
with heart and limbs, all working for the
same purpose. Heading the office of the
Foreign Minister in Delhi provided an
invaluable perspective, a 360-degree view
of foreign policy. It was an extremely
demanding job but very rewarding. That
job was important and so is the present
one considering the importance we attach
to our relations with Australia.
People complain about the delays in
getting the Indian visa. What changes
do you envisage to address this issue?
Has the VSF traffic improved?
CG: I, too, have received casual
remarks regarding delays but when I ask
people about specifics, I have never
received any. For reasons of transparency,
the process is largely Internet based
wherein people can track status. What we
expect is the applicants must furnish full
and complete information so that their
requests are processed expeditiously. As
far as Consulate General of India, Sydney,
is concerned, I do not see any delay in
issuance of visas for normal cases. For
everyone to see, the actual processing
times for visas issued from CGI Sydney
during the last few months are available
on the Consulates website under the head
Visa services Data. You will be happy
to know that more than 95 per cent of
visas have been issued within the stipulat-
ed time period. There are certain cases
beyond the purview of the Consulate
which require the approval of Ministry of
External Affairs or Home or other depart-
ments in Delhi before visa can be issued.
Applicants are informed accordingly. In
some cases, when visas are sought by non-
Australians, we need to refer to the pass-
port issuing authority of the applicant.
This also takes a few days.
How long does it take now to get the
visa? If there is an issue, who to contact
and where?
CG: The processing times vary
depending on the type of visas and the
nationality of the applicant. It is our effort
to issue visas as soon as we can. We do
consider personal emergencies which peo-
ple may have and are willing to help them
out even on holidays. The details for visa
procedures are available on the website of
VFS at the following link
http://www.vfs-in-au.net/tourist.html.
It has been our consistent effort to
streamline procedures, simplify them and
make them transparent. Since July 1, 2014
in addition to visa, passport, OCI and PIO
cards, the miscellaneous services have
also been outsourced. VFS is the first
point of contact in case of an issue with
regard to issuance of visas. If the matter
needs escalation, an applicant may send an
e-mail to the Consulate at the e-mail
addresses given on the Consulates web-
site.
There was a proposal in the Rajya
Sabha to cancel current OCI and PIO
cards and instead issue a single card. If
this happens, where do the PIO and
OCI cardholders stand?
CG: There was a news item a few
months back on this subject. However, no
official communication has been received
from the Ministry in this regard. If and
when any decision on this is taken by the
Indian Government we will inform the
general public through media press releas-
es, Consulates website and Facebook
page.
Is PM Narendra Modi coming to
attend the G20 summit in Brisbane?
CG: By all indications Prime Minister
Modi will visit Brisbane in mid-
November. He is also likely to undertake
a bilateral visit to Canberra around the
G20 dates.
What are your long-term goals while
you are in Sydney?
CG: The long-term goal is to further
strengthen the relations between India and
Australia. A lot of work is already under-
way. I plan to take these initiatives further
and take fresh initiatives in tune with the
needs of the situation. Prime Minister
Abbotts likely visit to Delhi in September
and PM Modis likely visit to Australia in
November will open up new opportunities
and is likely to impart a new trajectory to
the relationship. I also plan to work on
issues of concern to the Indian community
here as well as increase bilateral invest-
ment and trade.
What are your expectations from the
local Indian community?
CG: I am very happy to see a large and
vibrant Indian community here. People
from different states of India, different age
groups, language and religious groups
have made Australia their home and are
contributing to the economy, culture and
life.
My expectations are simple. The
Indian community members must remain
responsible residents of this country, con-
tribute in positive ways and remain united.
It is distressing sometimes to see mush-
rooming of associations and people work-
ing at cross-purposes. Unity is strength.
At the Consulate General of India, all
Indians are equally important irrespective
of which association they belong to, even
if they do not belong to any association.
We want the welfare of all.
New CGs mission is to engineer
better Indo-Oz ties
Prime Minister
Abbotts likely visit to
Delhi in September
and PM Modis likely
visit to Australia in
November will open
up new opportunities
and is likely to
impart a new
trajectory to the
relationship.
Sunjay Sudhir, India's new Consul General to Sydney, with victor Dominello,
NSW Minister for Citizenship and Communities.
By Rekha Bhattacharjee
G
reenpeace Australia has
categorically denied the
accusation that the organi-
sation is specifically targeting the
Indian energy conglomerate headed
by Gautam Adani for reasons other
than environmental protection.
"Greenpeaces campaign is not
even specific to Adani, it is against
any company from any country
threatening the health of the cli-
mate, local eco-systems and the
future of the Great Barrier Reef," a
Greenpeace Australia spokesman
told RB when asked whether
Adanis were being made a target of
an orchestrated campaign.
There has been speculations in
the mining and political circles that
Adanis are facing severe opposition
from some global Non
Governmental Organisations in
India, Australia and elsewhere
because of their proximity to the
Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
The rumour mills got further
fillip when Australia's
Environment Minister Greg Hunt
extended his review of Adani's
A$16.5 billion ($15.5 billion)
Carmichael coal and rail project
last month.
Adani's Carmichael project is
one of the three major, multi-bil-
lion dollar projects which are try-
ing to export Australia's thermal
coal to India. Another Indian com-
pany GVK has partnered with
Hancock Prospecting which is
owned by the richest Australian
Gina Rinehart. The third mega
project in the remote part of
Queensland is owned by an
Australian maverick politician
Clive Palmer who also happens to
be a mining magnate.
Greenpeace Australia has
labelled Adanis' multi-billion dol-
lar Carmichael mine project, which
is located in the remote Galilee
Basin as a "major threat to the envi-
ronment".
"The mine itself will clear
20,000 hectares of bushland,
including areas which are home to
threatened species like the Black-
Throated Finch (Southern).
Scientists estimate the mines water
use will cause water tables to drop
significantly outside the mine
boundaries, reducing underground
water supplies to surrounding
farms and rivers," Greenpeace has
alleged.
Greenpeace has been running a
sustained campaign against the
Carmichael project. The well
known green organisation recently
commissioned a highly-damaging
report against Adanis' various com-
mercial activities in India. The
report is titled 'Adanis record of
environmental destruction and non-
compliance with regulations'.
Greenpeace Australia has also
rubbished the recent media reports
suggesting that they are one of the
global NGOs working in India who
are a threat to the emerging South
Asian nation's economic future.
They have quoted the following
words of Samit Aich, Executive
Director, Greenpeace India: The
strategy, it seems, is to discredit
the organisation towards the long
term goal of removing obstacles for
pushing fast clearances. But dis-
crediting Greenpeace will not save
the world from climate change.
Ours is probably the last generation
that can make a difference to curb
climate change.
When asked for their response
to the Greenpeace campaign, an
Adani spokesperson has criticised
the environmentalists for obstruct-
ing the progress of India and also
employment generation in
Australia.
"This massive mine, rail and
port project will not only generate
8,000 Australian jobs during con-
struction and nearly 12,000 when
operating, but the coal produced
will support the growth and electri-
fication of India, helping to bring
more than 100 million people out of
poverty," an Adani spokesperson
wrote in response to an email ques-
tionnaire sent by Rekha Bhatta
Adanis have also allayed the
environmentalists' fears that burn-
ing Australian coal would lead to
more pollution.
"The electrification is through
modern, more efficient generators
and our coal and the more modern
generators replace a range of dirti-
er and less efficient energy sources.
Thats better for India and better
for the world environment," the
spokesperson wrote.
It also looks like as if Adanis
consider the delay in getting the
Australian government clearance as
only a temporary setback. The
Indian conglomerate is likely to
shop elsewhere if its Australian
project fails to take-off as per the
plan.
"One way or the other, India
will buy coal- and if its not ours, it
will likely be lower quality coal
from less regulated nations. So,
activists stopping these well-regu-
lated projects will only not only
cause more environmental harm,
they will cost much needed
Australian jobs," the Adani
response reads. The Indian mining
company's confidence in getting
the project clearance is reflected in
the recent agreement signed with
Korea's Posco E&C. According to
the binding deal, Posco would be
the procurement and construction
contractor for Adanis' rail project
which, when completed, would be
capable of hauling a whopping 60
million tonnes per year.
The Third Eye by Rekha Bhattacharjee
Column
T
he passing away of
Nadine Gordimer, at the
age of 90, is a great loss
to the literary world. An end of
a different era!
An anti-apartheid activist
throughout her writing career
which started at a tender age of
14!
She was against any form
of inequality and racial preju-
dice. She followed her instincts
and was clear on the fact that it
was her writing that led her to
politics because as she herself
put it, politics is character in
South Africa.
Nadine Gordimer became a
chronicler although she wrote
fiction too of South African
political scene! She was one of the few white
celebrities who became a member of the
African National Congress (ANC) founded
by Nelson Mandela! She did not shun it
when ANC was a banned organisation by the
white-only government.
The ANC said Mandela had a long
friendship with Gordimer in his beginning
years as a young activist.
The Nobel Prize awarded for Literature
to her is said to be a true tribute to her chal-
lenge to the concept of apartheid.
Her best book I think is The
Conservationist that foretold the restoration
of Black South Africans their land!
A great loss, till the end Nadine had the
clarity of mind, body and spirit seen in her
books. She did not hesitate to criticise the
present government of President Jacob Zuma
for censorship which she said was another
form of apartheid!
Many paid tribute to Nelson Mandela but
Nadines post-apartheid novels continued to
explore South Africa without fear or favour.
T
he Man Booker Prize, a prestigious
prize given out each year to the best
original novel written in English,
announced its long list on July 23 which
included British-Indian writer Neel
Mukherjee's book The Lives of Others. The
plot revolves around a Bengali family in
Calcutta - it explores a family that is decay-
ing as the society around it fractures, and
one young man who tries to reimagine his
place in the world.
This is the first year that the prize has
been opened to writers from across the
world. Until last year, the award took under
consideration books written only by writers
from Britain and Commonwealth countries.
The books in this year's longlist are-
To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by
Joshua Ferris (Viking),
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by
Richard Flanagan (Chatto & Windus),
We Are All Completely Beside
Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler (Serpent's
Tail),
The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt
(Sceptre),
J by Howard Jacobson (Jonathan Cape),
The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth
(Unbound),
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
(Sceptre),
The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee
(Chatto & Windus),
Us by David Nicholls (Hodder &
Stoughton),
The Dog by Joseph O'Neill (Fourth
Estate),
Orfeo by Richard Powers (Atlantic
Books),
How to be Both by Ali Smith (Hamish
Hamilton),
History of the Rain by Niall Williams
(Bloomsbury)
The judges of the Prize this year are
Sarah Churchwell, Daniel Glaser, Jonathan
Bate, Alastair Niven and Erica Wagner,
headed by Anthony Grayling.
The shortlist will be announced on
September 9 while the winner will be
announced on October 14.
Famous anti-apartheid writer
Nadine Gordimer is no more
Neel Mukherjee's book in
Booker longlist
We are not targeting Adanis: Greenpeace Australia
There has been speculation in the mining and political circles that
Adanis are facing severe opposition from some global NGOs in
India, Australia and elsewhere because of their proximity to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
India
Modi takes over as Indias 15th prime minister
Amit Shah takes
over as BJP
President
Modis A-team
New Delhi: Congratulating Amit Shah for taking
over as BJPs President, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi lauded Shahs efforts during the
stupendous performance of the BJP in the Lok
Sabha elections and called him the man of the
match.
Speaking at the BJPs first national council
meet after the general elections, Modi declared
Home Minister and former BJP president
Rajnath Singh as the captain of his team and
thanked him for the crucial role that he had
played in leading the party to victory in the last
general elections.
Modi also praised Amit Shah for his relent-
less hard work in enabling the party to win 71
out of 80 seats in UP, a state which had not
been a BJP stronghold for quite some time.
Seeking replacing of the ideology of
Congress, BJPs new President Amit Shah asked
cadres to work for expanding the partys reach
with focus on states like UP, Bihar,
Maharashtra, Haryana and J&K where assembly
polls are due in near future.
New Delhi: The one omission from Modis cabinet was LK Advani,
who had objected to Modis projection as prime ministerial candidate
by the BJP. There are rumors that Advani may be made President
of the country after pranaba Mukharejees term is voer, by for the
moment it seems Advani has been sent in political exile. It is also
not clear if Arun Jaitley or Rajnath Singh is the No 2 in the cabinet.
Finance, Corporate Affairs, Defence:
Arun Jaitley is the Union Finance Minister and also holds the
additional charge of Defence and Corporate Affairs.
Home Affairs:
Rajnath Singh, who has quit as BJP president.
External Affairs, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister:
Sushma Swaraj
Shipping, Road Transport and Highways:
Nitin Gadkari
Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation:
Uma Bharti
Civil Aviation:
Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju (of Telugu Desam Party)
Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises:
Anant Geete of the Shiv Sena
New Delhi: Narendra Modi was sworn in as
India's new prime minister in a ceremony
May 26 in the forecourt of the presidential
palace in Delhi.
Modi took the oath before thousands of
guests, including his counterpart from rival
Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif.
Modi led his BJP party to a landslide
win in the May election.
The BJP won the biggest victory by any
party in India for 30 years, gaining a major-
ity in parliament and trouncing the outgoing
Congress Party.
Senior BJP and Congress leaders as well
as Bollywood actors and top industrialists
watched the leader from Gujarat take the
oath."I, Narendra Damodardas Modi, swear
in the name of God that I will maintain the
integrity of India," Modi said in Hindi. "I
will work without fear, anger or hatred and
will do justice to all as per the constitution."
Forty-five MPs, including seven women,
from Modi's BJP party and their allies were
also sworn in as ministers.
Monday's grand outdoor ceremony was
attended by the leaders of all seven South
Asian countries as well as Mauritius.
Residents watch Narendra Modi taking
the oath at a television showroom in
Mumbai
It is a great moment and a great oppor-
tunity," Sharif said on his arrival in Delhi
for the swearing-in ceremony.
"This is a chance to reach out to each
other. Both governments have a strong man-
date... This could help in turning a new
page in our relations."
Given the margin of victory, the BJP
will be able to govern without coalition
partners - 272 MPs are required for an
absolute majority.
The Congress party finished with just 44
of the 543 seats and under 20% of the vote
in what was its worst-ever performance.
Seconds after he took oath, the web site
of the Prime Ministers Office carried his
message to the people promising to script a
glorious future for India, one that is
strong, developed and inclusive and that
engages with the global community for the
cause of world peace and development.
Modi said he was choosing his web site
to deliver his first message to the people as
he was a firm believer in the power of
technology and social media to communicate
with people across the
world and a very
important medium of
direct communication
between us.
The ceremony
was watched live
across the nation and
in world capitals, on
TV and web casts.
Those on the move
could get a real-time
feed from the social
media.
As soon as the
ceremony concluded,
Modi met the visiting leaders, starting with
a warm handshake with Nawaz Sharif. The
leaders then posed for a photo-op with the
new Indian prime minister, the president
and Vice President Hamid Ansari.
It was an amazing journey for the
bespectacled and bearded Modi who sold tea
in a railway station in Gujarat at a young
age, before embracing politics, culminating
in his becoming the leader of a country of
1.2 billion people.
As Mondays event ended, the entire
vista of Rajpath, from the lighted fountains
of Rashtrapati Bhavan, down Raisina Hill,
leading up to India Gate was awash with
lights, signifying the start of a new era.
Must resist Modi government's
sectarian tendencies: Sonia
New Delhi: The Congress will resist the "authoritarian and
sectarian" tendencies of the government and attack it over
incidents of communal violence, party chief Sonia Gandhi said
Aug 13.
"It is our task to play the role of a vigilant opposition, to
stand up for the values and policies of the Indian National
Congress, and to resist the authoritarian and sectarian tenden-
cies of the new government as it tries to get its way in parlia-
ment," Gandhi said at the Congress Parliamentary Party meet
here.
She added that the Congress will fight with full might to
revive itself, and attack the government over incidents of com-
munal violence.
Repeating her stand on communal violence having
increased since the BJP came to power, Gandhi added: "The
moment they (BJP) betray the ideals on which this nation was
built, the moment they pursue the politics of division and
hatred, the moment they try to behave dictatorially inside or
outside this temple of Indian democracy - the moment they do
any of these things, we will stand up and fight them."
Gandhi also said that apart from communal violence, there
have been other subtle but "pernicious signals of intolerance".
She said the BJP had nothing new to offer to the country.
"They attacked us without principles and they are now
governing us without policies. Well, they are welcome to steal
our ideas. They are welcome to borrow our programmes.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," she said.
Adding that the Congress has been reduced to an all time
low in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said: "It has been a challenging
time for us...the process of rebuilding and restoring the confi-
dence of the public in the Congress party has begun."
Criticising the government on the union budget, price rise
and violence against women, she said that the motto of gov-
ernment "minimum government, maximum governance" has
changed to "minimum governance to protect the aam aadmi,
maximum government to amass power in the hands of the
BJP".
President Pranab Mukherjee administered the oath of office as
Prime Minister to NarendraModi who led his party BJP
to a landslide victory.
Narendra Modi, 63, took the oath of office before an estimated
4,000 guests, including his counterpart from Pakistan, on th
e forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.
Modi loyalist Amit Shah
Modi with his cabinet of ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Kerry, Hagel visits put Indo-US
relations back on track
Modi to meet 50 US Senators
& key governors
New Delhi: Two big visits by Secretary of
State and Defence Secretary - from the US in
successive weeks have tried to set in motion
the partnership that has been under stress
since 2011.
The two nations have realised that a lot of
work is needed in defence, nuclear energy,
migration issues and WTO matters as PM
Narendra Modi prepares for his trip to the US
next month.
While Secretary of State John Kerry and
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel's hopes were
raised with the Modi government inviting
investments in key sectors, differences contin-
ue of persist on a range of issues that will
shape bilateral ties in the years to come.
The atmospherics, however, have been
positive for substantive engagement in future,
key government officials sadi. "A lot will
depend on the treatment that's given to Modi
during the trip to the US in September.
Atmospherics during the visit will shape ties.
If the PM doesn't feel comfortable, it may not
bode well for the relationship. A good chem-
istry between President Obama and Modi is
essential to address the irritants and set the
tone," noted foreign policy expert and former
High Commissioner to Pakistan G
Parthasarathy.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
with Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi in New Delhi.
New Delhi: While Prime Minister Narendra
Modi may not be able to address the joint ses-
sion of US Congress during his trip late
September to Washington owing to the
Congressional holiday schedule, he is set to
have a luncheon meeting with senior US
Senators and governors of important states as
part of efforts to engage with a large section
of the American administration. And, he will,
of course, meet President Obama in White
House at the latters invitation.
Indeed, plans are on to organize a lunch
with over 50 US Senators who play a critical
role in decision making in the American sys-
tem. US India Political Action Committee
(USINPAC), which is a broad-based group of
Indian Americans, is driving this initiative,
reports Economic Times newspaper of India.
Robinder Sachdev, head of the Indian chapter
of USINPAC, said that the group is in touch
with over 50 Senators for the proposed lunch-
eon and plans are on to organize a meeting
between the PM and governors of key US
states. The idea is to have a get-together of
over a dozen governors of states that are keen
to invest in India.
Earlier Senators Mark Warner, John
Cornyn, Tim Kaine, Jim Risch, and the Senate
India Caucus, sponsored a resolution urging a
Joint Session of Congress address by Prime
Minister Modi. But due to the intervening US
Congressional holiday schedule, and the
House of Representatives' urgency to leave
Washington to prepare for the November elec-
tions in their home districts, a Joint Session
address by the PM is unlikely to happen in
September this year.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on
Sunday, the Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP)
said that Modi will address hundreds of Indian
Americans at the famous Madison Square
Garden in New York on September 28.
India
Modi to address diaspora from
Madison Square Garden in
New York on Sept 28 during
his US visit, which includes
meeting President Obama in
White House.
After veto, India says WTO deal not dead
New Delhi/Geneva: India is willing to sign a
global trade deal, which it has torpedoed, if
other World Trade Organization members
can agree to its parallel demand for conces-
sions on stockpiling food, senior officials in
New Delhi said in early August.
The deadline to sign the WTO pact to
ease worldwide customs rules has lapsed
after India demanded that the group also
finalise an agreement giving it more freedom
to subsidise and stockpile food grains than is
allowed by WTO rules.
It was not immediately clear if the latest
comments by Indian officials would open a
window for the deal to be resurrected.
In Geneva, a trade diplomat from a
developing nation said: "The trust that coun-
tries have in what India says is going to be
significantly diminished."
The officials in New Delhi said the deal
could be signed as early as September.
"It is ridiculous to say the Bali deal is
dead," said a senior official at India's trade
ministry, referring to the Trade Facilitation
Agreement (TFA) pact that was agreed on
the Indonesian island of Bali last year.
"We are totally committed to the TFA,
and only asking for an agreement on food
security," said the official, who cannot be
identified under briefing rules.
India
New Delhi: Samajwadi Party (SP)
chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on
Aug 12 said that he is ready to
join hands with his arch-rival and
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief
Mayawati if RJD chief Lalu
Prasad Yadav mediates.
The SP chief was responding to
Lalu's recent suggestion that
Mulayam Singh and Maywati
should also joined hands in Uttar
Pradesh to defeat the BJP in the
same way as he has allied with his
one-time bitter foe Nitish
Kumar's Janata Dal (U) in Bihar.
The coming together of two
traditional arch-rivals can mark a
new beginning in the caste-driven
politics of Uttar Pradesh, where
the SP is currently in power but
from where BJP won majority of
Lok Sabha seats.
However, the BSP has reacted
cautiously to the news. BSP
leader Sudhindra Bhadoria said
people of UP will never forgive
SP for their misrule and asked
Mulayam's party to apologize for
this. BSP chief Mayawati will
decide on future course, he said.
Earlier, ending weeks of spec-
ulation, RJD chief Lalu Prasad
and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar
last week came together and
launched a joint campaign for the
August 21 by-election to 10
assembly seats in Bihar.
The two former chief ministers
shared stage after nearly 23 years,
marking the beginning of a new
phase in the politics of the state.
Nitish Kumar, who had parted
ways with Lalu in 1994 and suc-
ceeded in dethroning him in Bihar
in 2005 in alliance with BJP, said
the Narendra Modi government at
the Centre knows that it cannot
fulfil the tall promises it has made
and will resort to spreading reli-
gious passion to cling to power.
"They can run government.
They cannot run the country. Did
'achchhe din (good days)' come?"
he asked, referring to BJP's slo-
gan during elections.
BJP, meanwhile, played down
the coming together of the two
regional leaders.
Arch-rivals Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar have decided to
bury the hatchet in Bihar
Haryana
gurdwara row:
SC says maintain
status quo
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has direct-
ed SGPC and Haryana Sikh Gurdwara
Management Committee to maintain status
quo in respect of all the 52 gurdwaras in
Haryana as of early August.
The apex court bench headed by Chief
Justice R.M. Lodha directed SGPC and
HSGMC to open separate bank accounts to
deposit the offerings by devotees in these
52 gurdwaras.
The court also directed the police chief
of the state to take all steps to maintain law
and order and prevent any untoward inci-
dent.
Of the 52 gurdwaras in respect of which
the status quo has to be maintained, eight
are of historical importance, 17 are those
which have an earning of Rs.20 lakh per
annum and each of the remaining gurd-
waras are earning less than Rs.20 lakh per
annum.
The court's direction came on a petition
by Harbhajan Singh - a member of SGPC
from Kurukshetra - seeking the invalidation
of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara
(Management) Act 2014, contending that it
was ultra vires of the constitution and the
state assembly had no power to enact it.
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi
was stopped by her son, Rahul, from becom-
ing prime minister in 2004 because he was
scared she too would fall victim to political
assassinations that had earlier ravaged the
Nehru-Gandhi family, former foreign minister
K Natwar Singh has revealed in his new book.
After winning a surprise election victory in
2004, Sonia faced stiff opposition from sever-
al senior party leaders, including Sharad
Pawar and PA Sangma who cited her Italian
antecedents to stop her becoming prime minis-
ter.
She then passed up the chance to take the
top job, saying her inner voice prevented
her, but many saw the decision as a face-sav-
ing move to quell dissent in the party. She then
chose Manmohan Singh for the post.
Natwar, whose tell-all autobiography One
Life Is Not Enough was published August 1,
also told the media that Sonia had access to
important government files that were carried to
her by an officer in the PMO.
The revelations are likely to embarrass
Sonia, whose sacrifice of the post of prime
minister has often since been upheld by her
party as a rare example of political propriety
and an act of selflessness. In the past, the
Congress has also denied she perused govern-
ment files.
They also offer a window into the mind of
Rahul, exposing his vulnerabilities as a person
battered by personal tragedies that may have
triggered a possible ambivalence towards
power. Many had accused him of showing
signs of reluctance in wanting to lead the
partys campaign in the April-May elections.
Natwar said Rahul told her mother he
would take every step to stop her and gave her
a 24-hour deadline to decline the offer to
become prime minister.
Natwar also said Sonia had complete grip
over the Congress, more than what Nehru or
Indira had, and was the last word in the party.
He also told the media that Sonia and
daughter Priyanka met him earlier to persuade
him to delete some parts from his book.
New Delhi: The Congress Party's promotional film project has run
into trouble. Initially a 25-minute release, the story by Aditya Chopra
was reworked by Priyanka Gandhi into a three-hour, old-fashioned
Rajshri kind of saga on the Nehru-Gandhi-Vadra families' contribu-
tion to the nation. For the film titled 'Parivar Ki Dain', Congress has
got Rohit Shetty to direct.
Priyanka Gandhi was the initial choice for Indira Gandhi's role.
But after she chose to write the big story and also become the
Executive Producer, the CWC along with Shetty started negotiating
with Priyanka Chopra. Because she has acted in the biopic 'Mary
Kom,' Priyanka who now knows how looks can be changed easily
agreed. Roshanb Seth will play Pandit Nehru for the 100th time.
Getting the right person for Sonia Gandhi's character was difficult.
Since she is at home with Indian culture, Priyanka Gandhi approached
Julia Roberts first. Fortunately, Meryl Streep who was Shetty's first
choice signed on the dotted line. In exchange for her consideration,
Streep demanded a hefty fee of 75 crore which has been paid in
advance. Aamir Khan who will play Rajiv Gandhi has been in touch
with Kamal Haasan for his guidance on how to manipulate height on
the big screen.
Randeep Hooda will be seen in a blink-and-miss appearance as
Robert Vadra. Rahul Gandhi character has ten minutes of screen
time. The big problem is, nobody wants to play him.
New alignments in UP-Bihar to keep Congress at bay
Rahul made Sonia refuse PM job: Natwar
Meryl Streep signed for Sonia Gandhi role
after Julia Roberts no
K. Natwar Singh has been a Nehru-Gandhi family loyalist for long,
but now has written a tell-all book.
Meryl Streep was seen recently in the title role of Englands Iron
Lady Margaret Thatcher.
Of the 52 gurdwaras in respect of
which the status quo has to
be maintained, eight are of historical
importance.
Bollywood
Interview by Neeru Saluja
A
ctress Neeru Bajwa is soaring new
heights. With one blockbuster after
another, she is the reigning queen
of Punjab. Her film Jatt & Juliet became
the highest grosser in Punjabi cinema.
Coming from a humble background in
Canada and making her way up in Mumbai
on her own, this gritty girl is here to stay.
She made her debut in Bollywood with
Dev Anand in the film Main Solah Baras
Ki and also worked in television, but it was
the Punjabi movie Asa Nu Maan Watna Da
that marked her big foray in Bollywood.
Her films Jatt & Juliet, Jatt & Juliet 2,
Jihne Mera Dil Luteya, Mel Karade Rabba
were all top grossers.
While promoting her next film Aa
Gaye Munde UK de in Chandigarh, the
actress took out some time for a candid
chat with The Indian Down Under. We
share her journey from Canada to Mumbai,
her success in films and what defines her as
an actress. Determined to become an
actress, Neeru Bajwa believed in herself
and never gave up. Keeping her spark
alive, today she is the darling of Punjabi
cinema.
Mind Blowing Films is bringing Aa
Gaye Munde UK de to Australian shores
on August 8.
Aa Gaye Munde UK de is a sequel
to Munde UK de. Previously your film
Jatt & Juliet 2 was a sequel to Jatt &
Juliet. What makes your sequels spin
success every time?
Im very lucky and blessed to have had
a few hits in the past. I dont think its
about a sequel success formula, your char-
acter has to be loved. People want to see
you in a character they can adore. Its nice
to be loved and I hope it continues.
Tell us a bit about the character you
are playing in your next film.
My characters name is Disha. Born
and brought up in Punjab, shes a normal
Punjabi girl. Her father wants to marry her
off to a NRI. Thats when she meets Jimmy
Shergill who falls madly in love with her
and brings a twist in the film.
You have worked with Jimmy before
in a few films. How do you find it work-
ing with him?
This is my fifth film with Jimmy
Shergill. I feel very comfortable with him
and he is my favourite co-star. I have
known him for long and every day I learn
something from him. I wish the fun contin-
ues and I can do many more films with
him.
What was the most enjoyable part of
the film?
The most enjoyable part of the film was
shooting for a romantic number Tere hi
naal. The director Manmohan Singh
thought up the concept for the song and
looked after the intricate details from the
clothes, location to the choreography.
Sitting on a motorcycle by the water in
Manali, I felt as if I was in a Yash Raj film.
Cinematographer turned director
Manmohan Singh sounds like your lucky
mascot. You started your film career in
Punjabi films with his Jee Aayan Nu
and have been his favourite choice.
He is the pioneer of Punjabi cinema.
Whatever I am today is because of him.
Manmohan Singh was shooting for a film
in Canada when I met him. I found the
shooting location and told him I want to
become an actress. He gave me his number
and when I reached Mumbai I contacted
him. I owe everything to him, I wouldnt
have been here without him.
You were 17 years old when you left
your family and friends in Canada and
came to Mumbai to become an actress. It
must have been quite a struggle
It was difficult. Mumbai is a big city
and it can feel scary if you dont know any-
one. But I really believed in myself. And
here I am, after 11 years Mumbai is home
for me. Im totally in love with this city as
it has given me everything I wanted.
Coming from a non-filmi back-
ground, how was your bringing up at
home?
My bringing up was very traditional. I
was brought up in a very protective envi-
ronment where we didnt know the world
outside. Everyone was an uncle or an aunty
and our summer vacations were spent in
Punjab. While we would visit the gurd-
wara, we also celebrated Christmas. My
only association with films was the movies
my dad brought for us to watch. And it was
Sridevis Mr India that proved to be a
turning point in my life once I watched
her I made up my mind to become an
actress!
You are one of those young actresses
who got a chance to work with Dev
Anand. How was the experience?
It was a fantastic experience. He was
such a legend, I was really lucky to get the
opportunity to work with him. He had just
completed 75 years of cinema and was
travelling the world. I performed on one of
his songs in Canada and thats where he
spotted me.
Being an actress, you need to be fit
and healthy. Whats your fitness
regime?
I enjoy eating healthy. At the same
time, I love cheeseburgers and french fries.
I love working out and go to the gym every
day. I feel very sexy, beautiful and confi-
dent after a workout!
Whats next?
Im venturing into production with my
best friend. This is something I always
wanted to do. Im also playing a double
role in a film releasing in November. Im
playing both the twins, where one is really
crazy and wild, and the other one is calm
and composed.
And which twin do you relate to?
Of course the crazy one! I take off a lot
on my own, put myself in crazy situations.
I have almost got myself killed and kid-
napped!
Besides your crazy nature, tell us
something else that your fans dont know
about you?
Till today, I get extremely nervous
when I get on stage. I start sweating and
say a prayer and then perform. Our next
stop will be Birmingham where we are pro-
moting our film and Im going to perform
in the O2 arena excited and nervous!
Music
By K Raman
P
lans are underway for Ustad
Amjad Ali Khan and son
Amaan to perform in
Sydney and may be at other Oz
venues as well, according to
Sudhir Das of the Sydney Chapter
of Soorya promoters who do yeo-
man service to fine arts under
Soorya Krishnamoorthys leader-
ship.
The first impression you get as
you see Janab Amjad Ali Khan
Saheb is the serene look on his
face, but when he comes out of the
shell he utters well constructed
and thought provoking logical talk
with a heavy accent to musical
melodies and laya pattern with the
intense mathematics governing
them.
Many moons ago as an 11-
year-old Khan Saheb performed in
public for the first time; he did not
have then a clear notion of his
pedigree, lineage, musical tradi-
tion of his family of six unbroken
generations and the job he was
destined to do over the years. He
only wanted his Sarod to sing for
him and nothing else.
Later, he came to know of his
enviable family heritage of unbro-
ken Sarod vidwans of class who
were his forefathers and the very
first of them was a direct disciple
of Tansen, a musicians musician.
Lamps lit itself when Tansen sang,
and he could bring rain during
draught by singing in Raga
Amrithavarshini.
It is believed God heard his
musical pleadings and fulfilled his
favourite sons wishes. Amjad-ji
thinks that he was blessed profuse-
ly with the musical genes as well
as the deep seated conviction and
will to learn classical music.
When I met him some 15 odd
years ago, I understood right away
that he is a traditionalist in his
music and day to day life. As I
addressed him either as Khan
Saheb or Usthatji or Amjadji, that
too every time I brought his name
up, he complimented me for doing
so. He said you are respecting
my music as well as me as its
practitioner.
Khan Saheb related, Recently
a novice journalist girl of Indian
origin who seems to be younger
than my second son Amaar,
throughout the interview was
addressing me Amjad which made
me a bit disconcerted and in the
end I told her to learn the basic
etiquettes like how to address sen-
iors.
Speaking of music, the great
Sarod maestro Padma Vibhushan
Amjad Ali Khan Saheb once said
that whatever forms of music we
listen to they are all music in their
wide and varied manifestations,
virtually off-shoots of the true
musical Banyan tree, which is a
creation of God. I only want the
listeners to take my music into
their mind for appreciative pleas-
ure, he said.
Sarod is a lute-like stringed
instrument with a rich history
behind it. It generates melodious,
deep, introspective and weighty
sound in the hands of a maestro.
Especially suited for North Indian
classical music, with the resonant,
reverberating notes it produces, it
creates listening pleasure to the
listener, thanks primarily due to
its Sympathetic strings.
Sarod is noted for its pristine
tonal quality, capable of generat-
ing a wide spectrum of emotions,
and a varied related dynamics it
can offer.
This instrument is a combined
product of the good features of
Afghan Rabat, Sursingar, and
Saraswathi Veena, evolved some
2500 years ago.
The music colossus Tansen
who adorned Emperor Akbers
durbar was one of the first who
introduced Sarod to Indian classi-
cal music. One of his descendants
Ustad Jaffar Khan is the one who
made structural modifications to
Sarod by introducing metal finger
boards and metal strings in its
construction. It remained fretless
all along. Jaffar Khan did so to
facilitate and execute Meeds
(glides), curves and minute musi-
cal aesthetic features.
It was Janab Alauddin Khan
who made many more changes to
Sarod bringing to its modern sta-
tus incorporating 15 Tarab strings,
3 Chicari strings, 4 main or pri-
mary strings and 3 Thaat strings.
Hafiz Ali Khanji is the father of
legendary Amjadji, the sixth loop
of the Sansia Bangeshi lineage.
Amjadji is a pastmaster to
coax his instrument to bring out
scintillating busts of Raga sancha-
ras, cloaked with Laya prastaras
besides decorated by many inno-
vative and mind boggling
Manodharma. His super method-
ology in elaborating ragas and
innovative swara padhathi is one
of its kind. His sons are also high-
ly skilled for their tunefulness as
well as play full of bold and reso-
nant stokes.
Khan Saheb, as tradition war-
rants, begins his concerts with a
Raaga Aalap, (short or extensive)
which is a highly subtle meditative
musical movement. His skill lies
in the usage of ascending and
descending of notes variation, in
which some may be flattened or
sharpened to suit the mood and
need; similar to what is done in
Jazz movements. In short, each
note brings up a particular
flavour.
Progressively, rhythm comes
into play to support slow melody
play, that follows the aalap played
and it is known as Vilambit. Just
like melody, rhythm is a complex
mathematical workout; which can
be sixteen beats, 12, 8, or 6 as the
case may be. In the master crafts-
mans hand everything turns into
bliss. You can describe Khan
Sahebs Sarod musical display as a
rigorous Tapas or the quest of
the timeless spirit in search of har-
mony in music.
I wish many of the learned,
appreciative classical musical
buffs make an effort to hear the
maestro in full flow during his
forthcoming concerts in Australia.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, who is
scheduled to perform in Sydney
and other Australian venues, can
boast an enviable family heritage
of unbroken Sarod vidwans of
class, the very first of whom was
a direct disciple of Tansen, the
musicians musician.
Sarod maestro comes to Sydney
The author with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
Bollywood
By Neeru Saluja
D
irector Richie
Mehta was in
the search for
a story and he was in
the search for his son.
A ride with a rik-
shawalla in Delhi
changed Richies fate.
As they both started
talking, a poignant
story unfolded and
inspired Richie to
make his next film
Siddharth.
I was in India and
a conversation with a
rikshaw puller became the plot of my
film. He was seeking help from anyone
he could. Once he recognised my Hindi
with a Punjabi accent, he told me his
story - how he sent his 12-year-old son
to Dongri a year ago and has never seen
him since then. He has been asking peo-
ple for help as he was illiterate.
Neither did he have a photograph of
his son nor did he know how to spell his
sons name. This was what moved me.
It took me five seconds to find the place
through Google but this guy kept on
asking people for a year. I was motivat-
ed to tell his story in the most truthful
and realistic way. I wanted to showcase
the India that I experienced. My experi-
ence was that people were kind, and not
what you see in mainstream cinema. Its
very easy for not being in India and crit-
icise India.
Richie Mehta is just a few films old
but already making waves in cinema.
His film Amal released in 2008 was
nominated for the Best Motion Picture
and Best Director at the 29th Genie
Awards. In 2013, he made a science fic-
tion movie Ill Follow you Down.
Siddharth has now been released in
United States, Canada and Europe.
Im very honoured to be a part of
the Sydney film festival. I know the
quality of the festival and being a part of
the festival is a good outcome for my
film.
Siddharth was shot on a shoestring
budget, and it took him time to find his
investors. The film boasts of a loyal and
talented cast with actors Rajesh Tailing
and Tannishtha Chatterjee heading the
cast. Both of my lead actors were
world class. Tannishtha as an actress is
amazing. She is very focussed and pro-
fessional. She has a very interesting
style of working. Once she picks up her
script, she runs through everything very
quickly and doesnt waste any time. We
completed her part in a nine day stretch,
which was amazingly good, tells
Richie.
Though Richie was born and brought
up in Canada, he has his roots firm
when it comes to his Indian heritage.
I spend a lot of time in India now
and am a witness to the changing India.
Its not only the cosmetic changes but
drastic changes in lower businesses as
lots of money is coming through. This is
the India I would like to show in my
films, says Richie.
Not many know that besides making
films Richie was also a judge on
Canadian talent show Bollywood Star.
Smiles Richie, I have a strong con-
nection to Australia! Bollywood Star
was actually based on the Australian
show Search of a star by SBS. They
used the same method and I was
approached by the co-judge. It was a
good experience as I encountered many
people whom I worked with. We tele-
cast four shows and all of them were a
hit.
So whats next, Richie?
My next film will be inspired by
the Delhi rape incident. I was in Delhi
at the same time when the incident hap-
pened. Im not a big fan of exploitation
and my line of thinking towards the film
will have to be non-controversial. Its a
sensitive topic and Im not in a place to
make judgements. The last thing I want
is to make enemies.
As an Indian living abroad, I dont
want to run away from my story. I dont
want to be seen as an outsider who
knows nothing about India and is mak-
ing films. Its a useless exercise to criti-
cise Indias system. I use my imagina-
tion to make a film as an observer from
outside. Filmmaking was always my
dream and I will continue to make films
about India.
This year the Sydney Film Festival was packed with films from the Indian subcontinent. One of the most
powerful films was Siddharth, the story of an Indian father searching for his son. Directed by Richie
Mehta, this film has already been a hit in Venice and Toronto festivals. The Indian Down Under inter-
viewed Canadian born director Richie Mehta for the art film lovers.
I want to show-
case the India that
I experienced. My
experience is that
people there are
very kind, and not
what you see in
mainstream cine-
ma. Its very easy
for not being in
India and criticise
India,
says Richier Mehta
whose
earlier film 'Amal'
made waves on the
film festival circuit.
Talented actors Rajesh Tailing and Tannishtha Chatterjee are the lead players in
Richie Mehtas latest movie, Siddharth.
Bollywood
By Neeru Saluja
S
inger Adnan Sami is having
an affair. A love affair with
his songs. It's the love for
his music that makes him create
romantic melodies with such pas-
sion.
Adnan Sami is not only a
singer, but a magician when it
comes to music. His on-stage per-
sona brings out the musician,
pianist, actor and composer in
him. His multi-talent comes from
his training in South Asian
Classical music while he merges
Asian and Western music styles
and instrumentation with style.
He was recently in Sydney for
a concert organised by Cinestarr
where he left his audience spell-
bound. The Indian Down Under
met him during the press confer-
ence held before the concert.
Sporting a slim trim look, Adnan
was beaming when he walked into
the press conference. There was
not a single dull moment when we
interviewed him. His candidness,
sense of humour, prompt and
witty answers left us wanting for
more from the star.
Adnan Samis popularity has
crossed the borders of India mak-
ing him an international star. Be it
India, Afghanistan or Pakistan,
his fans adore him. When we
asked him about his stardom, he
was humble enough to count it as
a blessing from God. This is
what we pray for. There are many
artists but its God who decides to
bless you and give you that extra
spark through his blessings. This
is something that should always
be valued. It is something that I
will remember as we artists are
nothing without the audience. Im
always indebted to your love and
attention.
Adnan Samis latest album
Press Play is an eclectic mix of
different genres.
So which genre are you most
comfortable with?
All my songs are reflections
of the various moods I go
through. All moods are equally
dear to me. Between morning and
evening, there would have been
different emotions happy, angry
and anxious. Music is a reflection
of emotions. For me, music is an
ultimate expression of emotions.
The song that I am composing is
my favourite. Im having a love
affair with my song. Its like a
child that has been born into this
world. And I have to nurture each
child, smiles Adnan.
An emotional person at heart,
Adnan brings out his own feelings
through his music. My music,
especially my albums, are very
autobiographical. If you want to
know about my life, listen to my
music. They are about moments I
was going through. I did want a
lift in life, I did see a chehra, I do
have a roya. Im the most truthful
and vulnerable person.
Sometimes there will be emotions
bottled up but when I write my
music I pen down all my emo-
tions."
So what's the secret behind
your inspiration?
"There is no secret. Im a firm
believer talent is a blessing from
God. It actually doesnt belong to
you. It is leased to you and it can
be taken back from you. Because
it doesnt belong to me, Im a
mere user because it has been
blessed to me. So there is no
secret, I need to share it. The best
of inspirations comes in five min-
utes. I composed Bheegi bheegi
raatein in fifteen minutes. It just
flowed. I dont know how to
define it. All play and no work
makes Adnan a musical boy!
"What people call my work, is
me playing with toys, and the best
part is I get paid for it. Im on
stage and Im in my playground
enjoying myself. I think let's go
and enjoy myself and then I give
my enjoyment to people."
So what is the best part you
enjoy - singing, composing or
performing?
"The most beautiful part I
enjoy in my concerts is we are
completely live. I have the finest
musicians of Asia who are trained
in music. I always tell my musi-
cians to keep your eyes on me. A
lot is dictated by the audience
now. Every performance is spe-
cial to me. Its not only the artist
who makes the concert, its the
audience. You would have
already heard the song on the CD,
I endeavour my audience gets
something more than whats on
the CD. I give my audience some-
thing unique."
The gift he gave to the audi-
ence of Sydney was the most
memorable. His soulful voice and
magical fingers on the keyboard
left the audience mesmerised by
his performance. He left Australia
with a big smile on his face.
"The kind of love that I
received over here is tremendous.
I will take back the warmth and
the beautiful memories back. It
has been a wonderful experi-
ence," said Adnan.
If you get confused, it is the slim and trim avatar of the same once
roly-poly Adnan Sami.
My music,
especially my
albums, are very
autobiographical. If
you want to know
about my life, listen
to my music. They
are about moments I
was going through. I
did want a lift in life,
I did see a chehra, I
do have a roya.
"What people call my work, is me playing with toys, and the best part is I get paid for
it, says the singing sensation Adnan Sami in this interview with The Indian Down
Under when he was recently in Sydney for a concert organised by Cinestarr.
All play and no work makes Adnan a musical boy
Bollywood
By Kersi Meher-Homji
T
he Indian community knows well
Vinod Rajput, a star of many con-
certs - Talat Night, Mukesh Night,
Saigal Night, and recently, Raj Kapoor
Memories, sponsored by The Indian Down
Under, his voice a healthy mix of Mukesh
and Mohammad Rafi.
But did you know that Vinod was a
Geophysicist working in the Australian
Petroleum Industry for over 30 years? And
the Woodside Petroleum put him on their
Honour Roll as one of the Legends.
It was a pleasure interviewing the
multi-talented Vinodji.
KMH: Who inspired you to be a
musician? Any particular singer who
was your childhood hero? At what age
did you want to be a singer?
Vinod Rajput: As a child, I always
enjoyed listening to songs on the radio. I
had an urge to sing, but as with most
families in those days singing was con-
sidered a distraction to pursuing the tradi-
tional career path like medicine or engi-
neering. So, I followed the parental dreams
and my desire to sing was kept under the
wrap. When I was in grade 10 at school,
our newlywed science teacher was not in a
mood to teach one day and asked the class
if anyone could sing a song. I don't know
how my hand instantly went up, so I sang
my first song in public, Jis Desh Mein
Ganga Behti Hai. My teacher liked it so
much that he gave me one rupee as a prize.
Along with my studies, I kept my passion
for singing live during my IIT days by par-
ticipating in music programs. My favourite
singer was Mukesh.
KMH: Any music in your family?
VR: My Dad used to write poetry and
shayari as a hobby. Although my Mum was
not a recognised singer, she used to sing
traditional songs during family weddings.
As a five-year-old I have vague images of
my mum listening to the songs on the radio
and dancing in the room. My sisters and
most of my brothers can sing but they did
not take it up as seriously as I have.
KMH: Were you taught or was it a
natural gift?
VR: My singing is God's gift. I devel-
oped it further by taking occasional lessons
in classical music and doing some voice
training.
KMH: Did you give any concerts in
India?
VR: I have given performances in
Ludhiana, Panchkula and Chandigarh.
KMH: When did you give your first
concert in Australia?
VR: My first performance in Australia
was actually doing a bhangra dance that
was broadcast on ABC television in 1971.
I gave many musical performances in Perth
during my 18 years stay there. I started
giving major concerts in Adelaide in early
1990s when I formed a band and recorded
two CDs. I would have given about 100
concerts including a few dozens in Sydney.
KMH: Do you feel nervous before a
concert?
VR: Never nervous! I regard singing as
fun whether I am doing it alone or in a con-
cert.
KMH: Your Saigal concert is my
favourite. Which one is yours?
VR: My favourite concert was at
Macquarie Theatre in 2005 at the launch of
my Mukesh CD, thanks to Avijit Sarkar for
providing excellent music backup, and
Kumud Merani, Sushma Ahluwalia and
Ashok/Rachna Rajput for their support in
making it a great success despite my not
being a resident of Sydney then.
KMH: Your favourite singer?
VR: I regard Mohammed Rafi to be the
natural singer whose songs are challenging
as well as good for vocal practice. I also
love doing yodelling of Kishore Kumar.
KMH: How many times you have
rehearsals before a concert?
VR: I keep practicing singing all the
time. To prepare for a concert where other
musicians and singers are involved, we
work together for at least a couple of
months. For a private performance where
only track music is involved, one week's
preparation is sufficient.
KMH: What else do you do apart
from singing and playing harmonium?
VR: I was a Geophysicist and have
worked in the Australian Petroleum
Industry for over 30 years. Now, I am hap-
pily retired and enjoy my passion in singing
and the company of my children, grand
children, other family members and
friends.
KMH: Is your family music
oriented?
VR: I have two daugh-
ters, a son and two grand-
daughters who are only five
and seven years old but
are quite interested in
singing.
KMH: Highlight of
your career
VR: It was the dis-
covery of the first major
gas field in early 1970s
in the North West Shelf
when I was with
Woodside Petroleum
which put me in their
Honour Roll as one of
the Legends.
Thank you and con-
gratulations, Vinod, in
your success in two vastly
different pursuits.
By Kersi Meher-Homji
I
realise that translation is the worst
form of literature but nostalgia makes
me write strange prose. I refer to the
Raj Kapoor concert orchestrated by Vinod
Rajput and sponsored by The Indian Down
Under last month.
And what memories from Shree 420
to Bobby! The Nargis-Raj Kapoor days of
my childhood, the contrasting themes of
Aag and Barsaat (fire and rain), rushed
back to me and all present in a flash.
All the melodies sung by Vinod,
Pushpa Jagadish, Reena Mehta, Sumati
Krishnan, Arun Nanda and Jagdeep Sinh
were outstanding. The Band Baaja started
with an instrumental version of Mera Joota
hai Japani. No words were necessary as
everyone in the audience was singing.
This was followed by Jaago mohan
pyaarey from Jaagte Raho by Pushpa and
the wistful duet Chhode gaye baalam from
Barsaat by Vinod and Pushpa.
The song I am still humming is the
Aah number Jaane na nazar mera ang
ang mushkuraya by Reena and Vinod.
Yes, every part of my body smiled listen-
ing to Reena -
Vinods haunt-
ingly happy
rendition! Call
it the X-factor.
Each song
was a toe-tap-
ping delight.
Arun Nandas
Main shayar to
nahi was anoth-
er masterpiece.
As were Rasik
balamaa by
Sumati and Ek
din bik jaayega
by Jagdeep.
My one
regret was that
there were no songs from Andaaz. Maybe
next time, Vinod. Monalisa Grover enter-
tained us before the interval with her ele-
gant dancing, which made all present
diwana (madly in love). Masters of
Ceremonies Rupali Rastogi and Rajeev
Chaturvedi introduced the singers with
lan. They also narrated the Raj Kapoor
story, his many highs and a few lows.
No concert can be complete without
those behind the instruments and they
were all in tune, complementing the
crooners.
As a climax, Vinod brought some of
the audience on the floor as they danced to
the lively number Jhooth boliya. It was
difficult to realize that this was 2014 and
not 1950s to 80s.
From Japanese shoes to jhoot boliya,
every part of my body smiled
People dancing to Vinod Rajputs Jhoot boleya (2) Vinod with singers Pushpa Jagadish, Reena Mehta,
Jaggi Singh and Arun Nanda
Vinod is accompanied by violinist Deepa Kannan and on guitar
Sharat Sharma
Community
By Manju Mittal
R
ecently I had the opportunity to
attend the Dream Girl 2014,
which kicked off on August 2,
2014 at Sydney Bahai Centre. With a
glittering, glamorous and powerful per-
formance by young contestants, it was a
beauty pageant that celebrated woman-
hood and aimed at honouring beauty,
inner and outer, as young women lined
up to promote the countrys multicultur-
al spirit as well as its people.
The contest featured 11 contestants
although proudly Australian, represent-
ing India, Greek, Vietnamese, Arabic,
Spanish and Fijian. There were two cat-
egories Under 25 and Above 25. The
contestants were judged on their confi-
dence, poise and how they introduced
and presented themselves and how close
they are to their culture.
During the presentation contestants
donned stylish Western and Indian wear.
They impressed the audience and judges
by strutting their stuff in high heels,
dresses, make up, hair styles and wooed
the audience with their dance, singing
and acts. Once the beauty contest was
wrapped up, the top 8 were asked ques-
tions to test their brawn to prove they are
not just beautiful but intelligent too.
The Judges panel comprised six peo-
ple from various fields- Film Maker
Bruce Hooshmad, Film Lecturer and
Director Anton Beebe, Chinese TV
celebrity and Singer Emily Wong, Miss
India 1986 Poonam Gidwani, Actor
Uzma Beg and South American Actor,
Director, Producer Shailla Quadra. NSW
Senator Mr Sam Dastyari and Ms Julie
Owens MP were the guests of honour.
After the round of questions it was
time to announce the winners and run-
ners up.
The Crown winner in the above 25
years category was Simi Ahuja Nandha,
who was favourite of all as one could
clearly feel from the audience response.
Maria Tran was announced Runner Up,
and another winner in the under 25 years
category was Sharon Mary George with
Regan Antonio as the young Runner Up.
A vivacious and charming Maria stole
everyones heart as audience picked her
as the winner of Audience Choice Award
as well as a gift voucher of $300 from
Fortune Travels. Another versatile con-
testant, Komal Suri, was awarded the
most popular contestant on Facebook
title.
Navneet Leo and Yolanda Franken
kept the audience entertained as MCs,
the gorgeous Yolanda kept changing
from one elegant outfit to another.
The Dream Girl Beauty Pageant is an
idea born in the year 2010 and now it has
turned into a great annual event. The
organisers of the event, Navneet Leo and
his wife Anju said they plan to make it
even better and bigger next year.
Another highlight of the show was local
talented singer Vijay Jogia, who enter-
tained the audience with his beautiful
songs. The event was supported by
Varun Tiwari and Kamaldeep Kaur from
Friends Audio Video, Simran Singh
from Fortune World Travels, Sanjay
Deshwal - Australian Visa and
Migration, Yogesh Sharma - Cine Star,
Rohit Duggal - MR Office. The event
was well captured by cameraman Vishal
Vashisht.
All in all, the event was well organ-
ised and the contestants seemed pre-
pared. One of the most enjoyable beauty
contests I have ever attended.
We are sure there are plenty of beau-
ties amongst us who deserve to be hon-
oured and celebrated for all the good
attributes they carry and thus be able to
become role models in our culturally
diverse society through initiatives such as
the Dream Girl beauty contest.
Simi Ahuja Nandha a truly
dream beauty!
Ecstatic Simi
- the winner
of Dream
Girl 2014 title
Sydneys dancing sensation Varun Tiwari makes everyone dance!
Maria Tran, Simi Ahuja Nandha, Regan Antonio and
Sharon Mary George
Community
S
aba Zaidi Abdi, artistic director of Adakar Theatre
Group has been professionally involved in theatre
for the last four decades. A graduate of National
School of Drama (NSD), India she has directed scores
of plays for television and theatre. As creative minds
never rest or get active after a lull, Saba realised after
having directed a play for the IABBV Hindi School that
there was enough creative people in Sydney itself who
could form a serious theatre group committed to doing
theatre on a regular basis.
Saba Zaidi is known for her great pioneering work
in bringing Indian television to Australia with the cre-
ation of Vision Asia and now having created South
Asian packages for Fetch TV, she has gone to her first
passion which is theatre.
Says Saba whose passion one can feel bubbling to
express with the help of some good local talent under
her tutelage, The community deserves to have a plat-
form to showcase their creative expression and talent.
Fortunately a group of very enthusiastic, committed and
likeminded people shared my vision and came together
to form Adakar Theatre and Cultural Group. We chose
to launch our theatre group with a celebrated comedy
Kanjoos in Urdu language which we expect will attract
and entertain all age groups of South Asian back-
ground.
In the middle of rehearsals, marketing and finances
there are many other challenges to produce the play
such as Kanjoos because one cannot be miserly about
the caste, costumes, stage dcor and the rest. The work
on the play started last year and rehearsals from
February this year, though Saba insists, It is purely a
non-commercial venture entirely funded by the founding
members of Adakar. I can proudly say that our actors
are both from India and Pakistan as we needed Hindi
and Urdu speaking actors and I must say they are enjoy-
ing working together.
When asked about Kanjoos, how she ended up
selecting this play to launch the group, she said,
Kanjoos is an adaptation of the famous French come-
dy by Moliere The Miser though written in the 16th
century it deals with fundamental human qualities of
greed, manipulation, hypocrisy and lust. There are
many shades of human character which are quite univer-
sal. Kanjoos has been beautifully adapted into a north
Indian feudal home in the middle of last century.
Kanjoos is the story of Mirza Sakhawat (generous)
Baig, who contrary to his name is the biggest Kanjoos
Makkhi Choos, is obsessed with the wealth that he has
accumulated and is always ready to grab more but spend
none. Now a widower, Mirza has a son Farrukh, and a
daughter Azra whom he wants to marry off for money.
Although Mirza is over sixty, he is determined to marry
an attractive young girl Mariyam who is actually in love
with his wealth.
Says Saba to the Indian community, This is a fami-
ly play which can be enjoyed by the very young and the
very old as our subcontinent community will be able to
closely associate with it. It is a great opportunity to
experience this great world comedy adapted into their
own cultural context and see interesting parallels in their
own society here. I recommend that the Indian commu-
nity should come and see this hilarious play enacted by
some talented local actors who are a force in themselves
now.
Adakar Theatre Group has a long term vision of a
creating a bridge between the South Asian community
and Australians and is looking at doing some full length
and short plays in the time to come as well as conduct-
ing workshops for speech, movement and acting.
Besides setting up Adakar Theatre Group, Saba is
directing the play and also acting in it. Other founding
members of the group are: Mala Mehta, Amitav
Goswami, Radhika Mathur, Sheba Nandkeolyar, Rajeev
Maini and Shashi Dandekar.
Kanjoos will be staged on October 18 at Riverside
Theatre at 6 pm.
Saba Zaidi directs
comedy play Kanjoos
Saba Zaidi Abdi as Sarzina, Ambika Asthana as Mariyam and
Amitav Goswami as Mirza Sakhawat Baig
Amitav as Mirza with Nisar Farough and Pankaj Yadav as servants
Ambika Asthana with Asif Ghafoor Khan
acting as Farukh
Aparna Vats as Azra with Vikas Sehgal
in the role of Nasir
By Neeru Saluja
H
is handsome looks and acting
skills have made him rule
Bollywood for decades. But with
his visit to Sydney, he has ruled our
hearts. The living legend Dharmendra
touched us with his simplicity, down to
earth nature and humility. The actor who
brought Punjab to Mumbai, brought
Punjab to Sydney during his visit.
Born in a small village in Punjab,
Dharmendras early life was simple and
playful. It was Dilip Kumars movie
Shaheed that made him dream of becom-
ing an actor. He came to Mumbai after
winning the Filmfare new talent award
and soon saw himself getting roles in
films.
Dharmendra started his career by
doing romantic roles, but later on earned
his name as the action hero and became
the He-Man of Bollywood. A career that
has given super hits, including the block-
buster Sholay, Dharmendra has seen it all
films, politics, his kids becoming stars
and now he is looking forward to his
grandsons debut.
Actor Dharmendra was in Sydney for
the promotion of his next film Double Di
Trouble where he is playing a double
role. Brought by Friends India
Entertainment, the film will release in
Australian cinemas on 29 August. He was
accompanied by his first wife Prakash
Kaur, co-star actress Kulraj Randhawa
and the director of the film Smeep Kang.
Voted as one of the most handsome
men in the world, Dharamji still has the
same charm. At the age of 78, he still is
the same dashing handsome and elegant
personality he portrayed in his movies. As
millions of fans in India and overseas
were crazy in his heyday, it was no dif-
ferent in Sydney as Sydneysiders were
overwhelmed with his presence, at times
overshadowing that of his pretty heroine
Kulraj.
With Double di trouble, Dharmendra
takes a step further with his foray into
Punjabi films. Though he has played all
kind of roles in Bollywood, he still yearns
to do a Punjabi film. The audience has
always been generous with their blessings
for me. I want to return their love and also
fulfil my wish to do a Punjabi film. I love
the Punjabi tongue and Im very fluent in
the language, says Dharamji.
True to his words, Dharmendra
proved to be a pure Punjabi by opening
his heart in his mother tongue. When
asked if he still speaks the language of his
village in Mumbai, he was at the best of
his wits. Speaking in Punjabi is not the
only thing I do.
As soon as I get up in the morning, I
yawn in Punjabi. My morning stretches
are also in Punjabi. I remember my mum
and dad in Punjabi. If Im embedded in
the memories of Punjabis, Punjabi is in
my blood. My home in Mumbai is like my
village. We all live together and speak in
Punjabi. It is such a sweet language. It
should become an international lan-
guage, said Dharam bhaji.
His wish may come true as besides
Australia his film is also being released in
Pakistan where his films are quite popu-
lar. I have a strong connection with
Pakistan. Im from Pakistan also. If
Hindustan is my mother, Pakistan is my
massi (aunt). My film Naukar Biwi Ka
was a copy of a hit Pakistani Punjabi
movie Naukar Wohti Da. Every lan-
guage has a universal touch.
Wherever Punjabis are, they will
enjoy the movies.
Though Dharmendras most notable
acting performances were in Sholay,
Satyakam, Chupke Chupke, Do Chor and
Jeevan Mrityu, his answer to his favourite
movie wasnt in the top ten list.
Without blinking an eye, Dharam ji
quipped, Pratigya was the movie I
enjoyed the most. I played the role of an
illiterate truck driver. I really enjoyed
being Ajit Singh. This was the film that
made his dance style popular with the
song Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana.
The choreographer of the film tried his
best to teach him dance steps, but all was
in vain.
Dharamji performed his best and it
became his signature dance! The song
became an instant hit and has been recre-
ated by numerous actors over the years.
The films title Yamla Pagla Deewana
starring all the Deols was inspired from
this song. To everyones surprise, he also
danced with his young fan on the song!
The Jat of Yamla Pagla Deewana has
come back to his roots with this film. As
they say, you can take a Punjabi out of
Punjab but not Punjab out of a Punjabi.
Who doesnt feel like going back to their
roots? Today also I feel like going to my
village, take the cows to the pond to give
them a bath, play kabaddi in the soil of my
land.
The life in a village has its own charm.
I can still hear the religious hymns in the
fresh air, its difficult to forget my moth-
ers teachings. Today, I also I feel like
going back to my village of those days,
says an emotional Dharamji in Punjabi.
On a closing note, the living legend
left a memorable lesson for everyone. I
have achieved whatever I have wanted to
in my career. I dont have any other
wishes. My only wish is to see everyone
happy. I would like everyone to spread the
message - the message of love, because
its only love that makes the world go
round, says the actor.
He advocated love to us all but the
love he got in Sydney from his fans could
only be believed if seen with ones own
eyes. People went crazy and waited to get
a picture with Dharamji and he willing-
ly gave his all to them. A thorough gen-
tleman!
(Double Di Trouble Punjabi movie in
which Dharmendra has acted is releasing
on 29th Aug 2014 and is based on
Comedy of Errors, where Shakespeare's
well known play would take a desi avatar
when a father-son pair discovers their
mirror images in a different city)
Bollywood
Manju Mittal proudly shows Dharmendra a copy of
The Indian Down Under newspaper
Billu Singh, owner of Billu's Eateries,
Dharmendra and the
film stars wife, Prakash Kaur
Dharmendra with Sydney media
personality Hemu Negi
Dharmendra
with his
co-star of
Double Di
Trouble,
Kulraj
Randhawa.
Sydney got bowled
over by the evergreen
star who is acting in his
first Punjabi film
He-man Dharmendra still going strong
Community
M
elbourne's Amrita Khambatta, an
avid Bollywood movie watcher,
was announced the winner of Chai
with Bhai contest on July 20, 2014.
On being asked about her experience
meeting the superstar Salman Khan, she said,
I have been watching Salmans films since I
was in Year 4. Flying to Mumbai and to
finally be able to meet him face to face was
like a dream come true. I got to ask him my
question Kick is about living life to the
fullest and doing things on impulse just for
the kick, what is the riskiest thing that
Salman has ever done just for a Kick, to
which Salman had a hearty laugh and replied
that he was very responsible, always just
worked and went home and never did any-
thing risky and had a big chuckle!
Amrita further added, I am so grateful to
Telstra and Mind Blowing Films for giving
me this wonderful opportunity. It is certainly
the happiest moment of my life!
Amrita Kambhatta won the competition
out of 1200 entries recorded from Indian and
Asian community Australia wide. Amrita was
flown to Mumbai to meet Salman Khan on
22 July in Mehboob Studios. With the
immense crowd present waiting to see and
meet Salman, Amrita got the chance to meet
and greet the superstar personally.
Telstra partnered with Mind Blowing
Films and offered a chance to the lucky win-
ner to fly to Mumbai and meet Salman Khan.
Telstra General Manager of Marketing,
Alister Park said, "Our aim at Telstra is to
connect people to what they love most every
day - their families, their friends, their work,
their entertainment and their world. Chai
with Bhai proved to be an exciting contest
that helped connect Amrita with her favourite
superstar back home, while giving the wider
community in Australia an opportunity to
participate and re-live the connection they
have with Bollywood.
As the lucky winner of a contest organized by Telstra, partnering with Mind Blowing Films, Melbourne's Amrita Khambatta was flown to
Mumbai to meet Salman Khan at Mehboob Studios.
G
andhi Creations, the award winning
event management consultancy, is
proud to launch the inaugural India
Australia Business & Community Awards
(IABCA) to be held on October 31, 2014 at
Sydney Town Hall. This is a brainchild of
Sonia Gandhi, who is a Paul Harris Fellow,
Director of Gandhi Creations and the
Global Origin for Indian People Award
Winner in 2012 for Community Arts &
Culture. Her goal is showcase the myriad of
ways that this community contributes in
areas such as the arts, education, travel,
technology and more. Partnered with the
Australia India Business Council NSW and
the Australia India Institute, IABCA is set
to change the way Indian business and the
community is recognised in New South
Wales. The concept will come alive through
a high profile black tie event that will wit-
ness businesses and communities celebrat-
ing over a gala dinner while experiencing a
cultural spectacular. IABCA is supporting
White Ribbon Australia, a non-for-profit
organisation and Australia's only national,
male-led primary prevention campaign to
end mens violence against women.
The Master of Ceremonies is Janice
Peterson from SBS World News.
Speakers will include White Ribbon
Chairman and Ambassador, Andrew
OKeefe (Host from Weekend Sunrise &
Deal or No Deal), Channel 7, CEO of
White Ribbon Australia, Libby Davies, and
a keynote address from The Hon Victor
Dominello MP, Minister for Citizenship
and Communities. The event format is a sit
down, 3-course gala dinner, with arrival
activity, black tie Bollywood style. Plus a
live Bollywood spectacular with 10 artists,
DJ & Dance Floor, a surprise act from a
world famous comedian and much much
more.
Sunjay Sudhir, Consul General of India
in Sydney, says about this initiative by
Gandhi Creations, I am glad to know that
the IABCA Awards is being instituted to
recognise the talent and work of Indian
Australians in NSW in diverse fields rang-
ing from arts and education to trade and
technology. I convey my congratulations
and best wishes to the organisers and the
winners of the inaugural Awards 2014.
The Hon Victor Dominello says about
IABCA Awards, I welcome the Awards as
an initiative that rewards excellence and
highlights the breadth of the contribution
made by Indians in Australia. As these
awards indicate, the skills, dedication, and
passion that result in business success are
just as important in delivering effective
community initiatives.
The India Australia Business &
Community Awards 2014 have a detailed
website that you can visit:
www.iabca.com.au
India Australia Business & Community Awards launched
(from left) The IABCA awards is a brainchild of Sonia Gandhi. The Master of
Ceremonies is Janice Peterson from SBS World News. Speakers at the gala
event will include White Ribbon Chairman and Ambassador, Andrew OKeefe.
Community
T
he Hindu Council of
Australia has drawn
attention to the news that
the Golden Circle long life
apple juice and drink are pre-
pared using a variety of clarify-
ing agents, one of which is
derived from beef.
Flavours (some are alcohol
based) are used across the
Golden Circle juice and drinks.
It is advised to read the ingredi-
ent list carefully because not all
of the Original Juice Co. juice
range will contain flavours,
such as the Black Label Orange
Juice, White Label Cloudy
Apple Juice and White Label
Orange Juice.
It is therefore clear that the
Golden Circle Long Life juice
range may not be suitable for
vegetarians.
It may also be relevant for
the followers of Islam to know
that these juices are prepared
using either non-halal clarifying
agents or contain alcohol based
flavours.
We will try to raise this
awareness in the community so
that Heinz (company that pre-
pares Golden Circle Long Life
apple juice) and other juice
companies have proper
labelling on their products,
said Prof. Nihal Agar,
Chairman, Hindu Council of
Australia.
(Email: nihalagar2 @
gmail.com
P
eople from Asian back-
grounds are well repre-
sented in entry level and
mid-level jobs in Australian busi-
ness, yet they are significantly
under-represented in leadership
roles, representing an enormous
waste of talent, according to
Diversity Council Australias lat-
est research.
While 9.3% of the Australian
labour force is Asian born, only
4.9% make it to senior executive
level. In ASX 200 companies,
only 1.9% of executives have
Asian cultural origins, compared
to 9.6% of the Australian com-
munity. DCAs new research,
Cracking the Cultural Ceiling:
Future Proofing Your Business
in the Asian Century, has uncov-
ered valuable information about
the bamboo ceiling and why so
few Asian leaders are reaching
the top. Key findings include:
1. Asian talent is ambitious,
motivated and capable: 84%
plan to advance to a very senior
role, 91% say challenging work
is very important in their next
career move, and 97% have Asia
capabilities.
2. Asian talent is under
leveraged, undervalued and
likely to leave: Only 17%
strongly agree that their organi-
sation uses their Asia capabilities
very well, one in five are very
satisfied with career progress
and opportunities, and 22%
strongly agree that they have
worked in organisations that
value cultural diversity. 30% say
they are likely to leave their
employer in the next year.
3. Key barriers locking
out Asian talent in Australian
organisations:
i) Cultural bias and stereo-
typing: Only 18% of Asian talent
feel their workplaces are free of
cultural diversity biases and
stereotypes. Many regularly
experience bias and stereotyp-
ing, including about their cultur-
al identity, leadership capability,
English proficiency, and age.
Women from Asian backgrounds
experience a double disadvan-
tage.
ii) Westernised leadership
models: 61% feel pressure to
conform to existing leadership
styles that are inherently
Anglo, e.g. over-valuing self-
promotion and assertive direct
communication, while under-
valuing and misinterpreting quiet
reserve, deference and respect
for seniority.
iii Lack of relationship capi-
tal: Only one in four has access
to mentors or professional net-
works and even less has access to
sponsors; similarly low levels
feel included in workplace social
activities.
iv) The case for culture not
understood: Only 15% strongly
agree their organisation lever-
ages its workforce cultural diver-
sity to better service clients.
Organisations often fail to fully
grasp the strategic value of Asian
markets, capabilities and talent
for Australian organisations
operating in the Asian
Century.
Caution on non-vegetarian contents in juice
Passengers tilted a train to free a commuter whose leg was trapped between a carriage and a platform in
Western Australia. The man was boarding the service in suburban Perth when he slipped, prompting a mass
rescue effort. The man was not badly hurt and caught a later train.
T
he companys Consumer
Services Team conceded
in a statement: The
clear apple juice used in the
Golden Circle ambient (long
life) juice and drink range is
made using a variety of clarify-
ing agents one of which is from
a beef source and would not be
Halal suitable. Flavours,
including alcohol based
flavours, are used across the
Golden Circle and Original
Juice Co. juice and drink
ranges. We would advise con-
sumers to read the ingredients
list carefully because not all of
the Original Juice Co. juice
range will contain flavours,
such as the Black Label
Orange Juice, White Label
Cloudy Apple Juice & White
Label Orange Juice.
Unfortunately none of the
ambient Golden Circle juice
range would be Halal suitable
as they are made using either
non halal clarifying agents or
contain alcohol based
flavours.
Asians under-
represented in
leadership roles
in Australia
The company making Golden Circle long life apple juice and drink
has conceded the criticism on content.Adani group Chairman
Gautam Adani, big dreams big projects
India, worlds largest
beef exporter
I
ndia is worlds largest beef exporter in vol-
ume terms with shipments totalling 156 mil-
lion tonnes (shipped weight) valued at US
$4.49 billion. Brazil is the second whereas
Australia is number three exporter of beef.
According to Food & Agriculture
Organization of UN, India has 58 per cent of the
worlds buffalo -- most of the herds are used for
milking and when they reach unproductive age
they are sold for meat production.
54 per cent of buffalo meat production is
consumed domestically and rest 46 per is export-
ed. The export buffalo meat is called Carabeef
which has been steadily growing from 1990 to
2010. Indian buffalo meat has a competitive
position in the world market being sold at US
$2.88 a kg as compared to Australias at US
$4.53 and Brazilian beef at US $4.52 a kilogram.
Indias largest export market is Vietnam,
second comes Thailand, Malaysia third and Saudi
Arabia is fifth largest beef export market. Philippines
has been the largest beef consumer as the eighth coun-
try and India has been its largest supplier for the last
15 years.
In 2013 governments of India and China signed an
MoU for direct trade in buffalo meat from India to
China but official shipments have not yet commenced.
Indias export buffalo meat is called Carabeef, export
of which has been steadily growing from 1990 to 2010.
Community
Hindu Council conducts women forum
T
he Hindu Council of Australias
forum to hear the voices of Hindu
women at the Hindu Womens Forum
was held on the August 2. The aim of this
forum was to gain an understanding of the
important issues and concerns of women in
the community, including looking at ways to
create stronger links and networks for sup-
porting one another.
The consultation was successfully attend-
ed by a number of women who were pleased
to have a chance to share their thoughts and
perspectives on the needs of the Hindu com-
munity. The participants were presented
with statistics of the Hindu community in
Australia, and a summary of the current
work of the Hindu Council including why it
is important that we consult and hear from
the community to assist our organisational
direction in planning projects and initiatives.
The consultation included a group work
discussion process where questions were
asked to identify needs and concerns, while
working together to come up with some
solutions and opportunities for addressing
these concerns.
An activity to create a shared communi-
ty vision for a strong and connected commu-
nity of Hindu women was conducted where
participants were inspired and engaged to
play a part in the vision.
The Hindu Council will now collate the
data collected into a summary report and
present it back to the community in the com-
ing months. This report based on the iden-
tified needs of the women will play a key
role in planning the activities and direction
of HCA for next year.
Some of the main concerns that were
identified included access to information,
support services, lack of knowledge about
the resources in the community and the need
for both social and professional networks to
better support Hindu women, particularly
the newly arrived Indian women migrants.
Discussions centred on serious issues
such as social isolation, supporting vulnera-
ble women in the community and awareness
about discrimination and domestic violence
in our community.
The women also agreed that support sys-
tems such as mentoring, networking oppor-
tunities, education and sharing resources are
important issues to be addressed. There a
pressing need for successful and established
women in the community to offer support
roles in providing education, inspiration and
development pathways for younger women.
The Hindu Council is now planning
strategies to work closely with the commu-
nity in addressing these issues and needs.
There is currently opportunity for Hindu
women to get involved with this initiative,
and we welcome interested women to con-
tact the council. For further information
please contact Anita Bachan Sharma on 0419
817 423 or Leah Briers on hinducouncil-
women@gmail.com
Y
UVA, a dynamic unit of the HSS
(Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh,
Australia Inc) organized a youth
camp as young university students came
together to help each other and become role
models for their communities.
This was the second YUVA Annual
Camp held from July 18-20, 2014, where
31 students from over 9 universities spread
out across 4 cities in two countries partici-
pated. The four cities where the participants
came from were: Sydney, Melbourne,
Brisbane and Auckland.
During all the activities the participants
shared a common outlook, however their
individual point of views added value to
their ability to overcome challenges. The
content of the 3-day camp was based on 3
pillars. These included seva, mentoring
and learning through physical activities and
games. The three pillars covered all essen-
tial aspects required in the characteristics of
a university student.
They also gave the students a perspec-
tive of the real world, as each activity was
focused on pushing the limits of physical
and intellectual boundaries that the students
believed they possessed. As the saying goes
Life starts at the end of your comfort zone
the camp provided opportunities for all the
participants to step of their comfort zones.
The bulk focus of the intellectual activ-
ities covered the need for character building
and the active transition from thought to
selfless action. Activities also identified the
necessity to surround students with like-
minded people and maintain the momentum
by coming together on a regular basis dur-
ing after the camp.
Seva or service is a universal concept
that encourages the idea of giving more
than what we take. This was well received
by all the students who identified the mind-
set to serve without any expectations, as
something that needs to be included in their
everyday lives. Learning through physical
activities is the perfect way to condition a
mind and turn behavior into beliefs. These
activities enhanced team-building and pub-
lic speaking skills thus pushing the students
to actively overcome their fears. The par-
ticipants were also introduced to traditional
Indian sports like Kabaddi and Kho Kho.
Mentoring is an important aspect of life
that is easily overlooked. The camp encour-
aged the students to think of mentoring as a
tool to strengthen their current and future
relationships thus enhancing the sense of
responsibility and accountability towards
the Gen next. Everyday schedule began at
6am and finished at around 11.30pm.
Prayer, yoga, team games, discussions,
workshops, lectures, gharba and quiz were
some of the activities planned.
The camp concluded with the partici-
pants deciding about the future programs
and the need to meet consistently to sustain
the momentum developed. Participants
were served with different varieties of tasty
vegetarian food. All members were pre-
sented with a copy of the Bhagavad Gita for
their future reference. Overall this was a
unique camp that challenged participants,
work with the team, and enhance discipline
without sacrificing the fun-aspect at every
given opportunity.
Anita Bachan Sharma speaking at Hindu Women Forum
University students at YUVAs Annual Camp
Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh organizes youth camp
Community
T
he Australian
Consulate General,
under its Direct Aid
Program, provided over Rs
7,50,000 on June 12 this year
to support former Australian
pacer, Brett Lees Mewsic
India Foundation. The funding
will support programs to edu-
cate and empower disadvan-
taged students currently learn-
ing music in Dharavi,
Mankhurd and Govandi slum
communities in Maharashtra,
India.
It will also be used to pur-
chase new instruments for the
Mewsic Centers, costumes for
auditions, to fund a Music
Mela concert for the families
of students, and the training
and upskilling of Mewsics
own Music Tutors.
During the cheque han-
dover ceremony, Australias
Consul General in Mumbai,
Mr Pierce, commended the
efforts of Mewsic which uses
music to heal, educate and
empower underprivileged
children and has already sup-
ported 1500 children since its
incorporation in 2011.
As a result of the
Australian funding, over 400
children will have access to
guitar and keyboard lessons as
well as vocal and dance
tuition. We are privileged to
help them.
I hope to see these children
perform at one of their melas
at the end of the month, said
Mr Pierce.
Brett Lee and his team at
Mewsic, along with children
from the Community Mewsic
Centres, are delighted to be
supported through this grant.
Its great to be recognized
and have the support of the
Australian Government and
the DAP. I am very passion-
ate about both Australia and
India and hope that through
my foundation we are doing
our small bit to foster stronger
ties between the two coun-
tries, Brett Lee said.
Its great to see how DAP
has imbibed a culture of giv-
ing something back to the
community and their support
is very much appreciated by
us here at Mewsic India
Foundatio, Brett Lee said.
We look forward to imple-
menting the work funded by
the Australian Consulate and
building a long term relation
with them.
Brett Lee is known
throughout the cricketing
world as one of the fastest and
most exciting pace bowlers to
play the game. He has been
recorded bowling at speeds of
over 160km/h leaving bats-
men with only a fraction of a
second to react once the ball
leaves his hand.
Brett Lee was born and
raised in Wollongong, New
South Wales, where he grew
up with his family and their
shared love of sports. He tried
his hand at many sports but
cricket proved to be the one
that he excelled in. He played
his first official game of crick-
et at the age of nine. He quick-
ly developed into a very tal-
ented player and progressed
through the cricket ranks to be
in a position where he gained
selection for his state at the
age of 21 and his country at
24.
Brett made his debut for
Australia in the Boxing Day
Test against India in 1999. He
finished his first match for his
country with figures of 5/47.
He picked up 310 wickets
from 76 Tests, joining the
elite 300 Test wicket club
before retiring from Test
cricket early in 2010 to con-
centrate on the shorter forms
of the game.
He also has a formidable
limited-overs record with
349 wickets from 201 ODIs,
only one Australian, Glenn
McGrath, has taken more
wickets in ODIs. Brett has
one of the best strike-rates in
the world for this form of the
game. His pace bowling com-
bined with his ability as a hard
hitting and determined tail end
batsman make him a crowd
favourite throughout Australia
and the world.
Bretts career highlights
include the Bradman Young
Cricketer of the Year 2000,
Wisden Cricketer of the Year
2006, Australian Test Player
of the Year 2008 and the pres-
tigious Allan Border Medal
2008 for the Australian
Cricketer of the Year.
Says Brett, Whilst most
people know me as a crick-
eter, there is another side to
Brett Lee that is lesser
known. I am passionate about
music perhaps even more so
than cricket! Actually, if you
took cricket out of my life, Id
be sad. But if you took music
out of my life, Id be devastat-
ed!
I am also very passionate
about India. I love its colour
and characters. Having trav-
elled here many times a year
for over a decade now, I feel
humbled by the country and
its people, who have given me
so much to be thankful for!
With a young son of my own,
I want to ensure that all chil-
dren in India have the oppor-
tunity to experience the joy
and power of music.
Outside cricket Brett has a
number of other interests. He
has a love of music and has
formed the band White Shoe
Theory and has written a num-
ber of songs with his music
partner, Mick Vawdon, for
their album with the hope to
launch later this year.
Brett also launched in India
with Asha Bhosle Youre the
One single, which he co-
wrote the lyrics, and this went
to the top of the Indian music
charts.
Former Australian pace spearhead Brett Lees Mewsic India Foundation has received funding from the Australian government for supporting programs to educate and empower
disadvantaged students currently learning music in some slum communities in Maharashtra, India.
Brett Lee has a love of music and has formed the band White Shoe Theory. He also launched in India
with Asha Bhosle Youre the One single.
Community
By Vijay Badhwar
I
t was a national day of mourn-
ing on August 7 for the 298
innocent lives lost when the
Malaysian flight MH17 was
brought down in the war torn
Ukraine. Prime Minister Tony
Abbott could not keep his appoint-
ment to deliver his keynote address
for the Australia India Business
Council (AIBC) personally at the
Four Seasons Hotel on the day. His
deputy, Foreign Minister Julie
Bishop, took his place instead and
stole the show with her enthusiastic
projections of India-Australia busi-
ness relations.
The hall was abuzz with more
than 400 business delegates and
dignitaries who were all upbeat
about two new prime ministers
keen to do business. That was the
theme of the evening as all speakers
emphasised the point that better
days were ahead.
John Cox, AIBC New South
Wales president, said that NSW
played a pivotal role in bilateral
trade between India and Australia.
Its an important year as there is
new state premier and new prime
ministers in Australia and India
who are keen to do business. We
are looking forward to the visit of
the important IT delegation from
Kerala later in the year, he said.
The AIBC National Chair,
Dipen Rughani, introduced dele-
gates to the new Gujarati greeting,
Kem Cho that is now widespread in
India after the win of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. He quot-
ed from a book, Conquering the
Chaos: Win in India, Win
Everywhere by Ravi Venkatesan,
if we do not figure out how to win
in India, we could end up losing a
lot of geography elsewhere.
He said that this was the best
time to do business with India when
the BJP enjoyed an absolute major-
ity. Mr Modi brings an incredible
grand vision to India; his priorities
in the fields of energy, food, water
are a massive ask, Dipen said.
Infrastructure was key to
Indias growth and there were
opportunities to enter into public-
private partnerships as Australia
has experience in the field and can
reap benefits with a smart long-
term strategy, he said.
NSW Premier Mike Baird also
recognised that there were huge
opportunities in doing business with
India, especially in the fields of
tourism, energy, water and trans-
port. Both prime ministers are
infrastructure PMs that provides
exciting opportunities as we have
experience in bringing finance and
infrastructure together, he said,
adding that he should be visiting
India at least once a year. The
Indian High Commissioner, Biren
Nanda, highlighted that the worlds
centre of gravity was shifting
towards Central Asia. In India,
where there has been the largest
democratic election with unprece-
dented use of technology, it has
been an election of hope with
record participation of voters.
The elected government, with
an absolute majority with 282 par-
liamentary seats, has outlined an
ambitious 10-year infrastructure
plan including high speed railway,
highways, connecting waterways,
port development and improving
connectivity with freight and indus-
trial corridors. There are also areas
of broad education policy with
institutes of management and tech-
nology in every state and IT devel-
opment with broad band reach to
every village. Other major pro-
grammes include cleaning the
Ganges River and extending the
national solar grid. There are
ample opportunities for Australian
companies in India, he said.
Master of Ceremonies, Kartik
Mohandas, engaged ace fast
bowler, Brett Lee, in an interesting
Q&A session seeking his views
how he gave back to the communi-
ty in return of the public adoration
he had received. A video clip
showed his involvement in a net-
work of music centres for under-
privileged children in India. Lees
charity, Mewsic India Foundation,
provides music lessons in slums and
therapy for young cancer patients.
The session also provided a plat-
form to talk about the preparations
for the forthcoming Cricket World
Cup to be held in Australia and
New Zealand next year. Following
the chat, cricket lovers thronged the
stage for a photo opportunity with
Brett lee.
AIBC National Vice Chair,
Sheba NandKeolyar, recalled how
14 years ago, when she was new in
Australia, she saw Tony Abbott,
then Health Minister, coming to her
work place for a meeting in a bat-
tered car. She found it amazing, she
said, no sirens, no ostentations for a
Health Minister!
The climate in India is also
businesslike. Having Mr Modi
return her call and meeting him one
on one, she knows everyone has
opened up in India.
Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop,
highlighted the strong bond
between India and Australia who,
she said, were natural partners.
Grieving for the loss of 298 inno-
cent lives, she said, Through the
tragic event, Australia can be
assured that our country is the best
to our own and we have done what
few other countries would have
done in the circumstances.
Australia had very early recognised
Mr Modi as a leader to watch. We
recognise India not only as a neigh-
bour but also as a key strategic
ally, Mrs Bishop said.
Revival of Colombo Plan of the
1950s again in recent times will
provide opportunities for our
youngsters to understand each oth-
ers culture as well as our foreign
policy finding a new expression.
We recognise a surging Indian
economy and have a desire to take
India-Australia relationship to new
heights. Very best days of
Australia-India trade relationships
lie ahead, Mrs Bishop said.
The evening concluded with
awarding three companies for their
stellar business achievements: SP
Jain School of Global management,
MSS Security and Riverina Oils &
Bio Energy in Wagga Wagga.
Hon Julia Bishop, Minister of Foreign Affairs, representing
Prime Minister Tony Abbott at the AIBC NSW Annual Dinner,
with Dipen Rughani AIBC National Chairman and Sheba
Nandkeolyar, National Vice Chair
NSW Premier Mike Baird addressing the audience
Amitabh Mattoo of Australia India Institute and Dipen Rughani of
AIBC presenting the White Paper on India to Hon. Julie Bishop
Indian High Commissioner Biren Nanda and Mrs Nanda with AIBC
NSW President John Cox
Kartik Mohandas in conversation with cricket star Brett Lee
Community
I
ndian Literary and Art Society of
Australia (ILASA Inc.) organized a
unique evening of poetry, Sydney
Sahitya Sandhya, on 6th July at The
Grand Marian in Harris Park. About 30
poets and shayars shared their work with
their fellow poets and audience.
The evening started with the tradition-
al ritual of lamp lighting by Indias
Consul-General in Sydney, Sunjay Sudhir,
and Bageshri Chakradhar, Nalin Sharda,
Rekha Rajvanshi and Rajpal Sandhu.
Everyone was pleasantly surprised when
an Australian model and actress, Tamar
Agni spoke about herself in Hindi. Dr.
Bageshri Chakradhar was the chief guest.
She is Kaka Hathrasis niece and Padmshri
Dr Ashok Chakradhars wife. Dr Bageshri
recited muktaks (four liners) in her beau-
tiful voice. Another writer from
Chhattisgarh, Sri Ganesh Shankar
Sharma, spoke on Gajanan Madhavs
Muktibodh.
Professor Nalin Sharda came from
Melbourne and entertained audience with
his beautiful poetry and sense of humour.
Mr Sudhir appreciated the efforts made by
ILASA and said that the new government
was giving preference to Hindi over
English. He also promised support to
ILASA in promoting literary activities in
future. The poets brought their own styles
of writing and reciting poetry, which
added to the entertainment value of the
program. It was rewarding to the poetry
lovers to listen to a variety of poetry,
mainly in Hindi and Urdu. 13-years-old
Alankar read his poem in English.
Pradeep Updhyay and Rekha Rajvanshi
compered the program.No doubt, we need
many more such creative programs to
inspire our next generation.
W
earing a bodysuit that resembles
a snakeskin and lying on a tree
trunk in a jungle setting, super-
model and Bollywood siren Dipannita
Sharma appears in a brand-new ad for
People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA) India just in time for the
release of her new horror film, Pizza 3D.
The ad's caption reads, "Exotic Animals
Belong in the Wild, Not in Your
Wardrobe". Sharma's point? That snakes,
crocodiles and other reptiles endure hor-
rors, such as being skinned alive, for fash-
ion.
Sharma's exclusive video interview
with PETA India about the campaign can
be seen on its website : http://www.petain-
dia.com/features/dipannita-sharma-sheds-
light-cruelty-exotic-skins/
"I have never, ever used exotic skin in
my life. I have never understood the
style quotient of carrying a clutch for
which an animal has had to go through so
much torture", Sharma says. "I don't think
it takes away from my fashion quotient or
style quotient because I am carrying faux
leather and something for which an animal
has not gone through torture."
Snakes, alligators and other exotic ani-
mals suffer greatly before their skins are
turned into shoes, bags and other products.
Snakes are often nailed to trees or posts
and skinned alive. After their peeled and
mutilated bodies are discarded, it can take
hours for them to die usually from shock
or dehydration. Alligators are often
crammed into small spaces on factory
farms and then beaten to death with ham-
mers or axes. An undercover video narrat-
ed by Joaquin Phoenix shows how snakes
are skinned alive and how lizards are
snared in the wild before they, too, are
skinned : http://www.petatv.com/tvpop-
up/video.asp?video=cold-blooded_hor-
rors_peta&Player=flv
For more information about helping
animals, please visit PETA.org.au.
Dipannita Sharma in PETA Indias Exotic Skins ad.
Shun wildlife for fashion:
Supermodel in PETA India ad
(From left): Ashraf Shad,
Ganesh Shankar Sharma
from India, Nalin Sharda
from Melbourne, Consul
General Sunjay Sudhir, Dr
Bageshri Chakradhar, Pradip
Upadhyay (Hindi Samaj), Mrs
Vandana Sudhir, Rekha
Rajvanshi, Neena Sinha, Dr
Prabhat Sinha, and Sant Ram
Bajaj (AHIA President).
ILASA presents a unique evening of poetry
(From left): Sonia Gandhi,
Shailja Chandra, Bageshri
Chakradhar, Rekha
Rajvanshi, Tamar 'Agni',
Aruna Chandrala and
Minu Kalra.
ILASA organized the unique evening of
poetry, Sydney Sahitya Sandhya.
W
hite Ribbon is a national,
male-led campaign to end
violence against women
which began in 2003 as UNIFEM
before becoming a foundation in
2007. The campaign, which originat-
ed in Canada in 1991, is today active
in over 60 countries. Our own Indian
community in Australia is also impli-
cated in a way as there are many
domestic violence cases that have
come to light as Indian migrants
increase in number Down Under.
The NSW government is taking con-
crete steps in helping increase aware-
ness not just among women but also
men about domestic violence.
Minister for Citizenship and
Communities Victor Dominello in
July announced that the NSW
Government would provide $80,000
to White Ribbon Australia to
strengthen engagement with cultural-
ly diverse communities and increase
awareness about violence against
women. The announcement was
made in the lead up to White Ribbon
Night, a new initiative which encour-
ages Australians to have a night in
to get the word out by participating
in fundraising events to raise aware-
ness about the impact of violence
against women. The NSW
Government, through the
Community Relation Commission, is
proud to partner with White Ribbon
to tackle violence against women and
support agencies like NSW Police to
sign up to its Workplace
Accreditation Program. It is recog-
nised that migrant and refugee com-
munities often face unique chal-
lenges before and during the resettle-
ment process which may impact
upon their understandings of domes-
tic violence. In the past decade
NSW has welcomed over 30,000
humanitarian refugees and this fund-
ing is about ensuring White Ribbons
message is accessible to all commu-
nities regardless of cultural back-
ground or language, Mr Dominello
said.
The partnership will focus on:
Raising the profile of White
Ribbon among men from culturally
diverse communities;
Accrediting NSW Government
agencies under White Ribbons
Workplace Accreditation Program,
starting with NSW Police;
Recruiting ambassadors from
culturally diverse backgrounds and
increasing the involvement of reli-
gious leaders; and
Developing culturally appro-
priate resources in the most relevant
community languages, including an
online calendar of White Ribbon
activities
Minister for Women Pru Goward
said the partnership would comple-
ment the NSW Governments It
Stops Here Domestic and Family
Violence Framework.
I welcome this initiative
because one woman is killed by her
partner or former partner every
week in Australia and broadening
community awareness is an impor-
tant part of primary prevention, Ms
Goward said.
White Ribbon Australia CEO
Libby Davies said that increasing
awareness about the foundation and
its objectives among multicultural
groups was integral to its success.
NSW is one of the most cultur-
ally diverse societies in the world so
it makes sense for us to develop
strategies to broaden our reach with-
in migrant communities and to part-
ner with influential men, including
religious leaders, who represent
them.
NSW Police Deputy
Commissioner Nick Kaldas APM
commended the partnership and said
his organisation supported White
Ribbons efforts to strengthen multi-
cultural engagement.
We deal with around 370 cases
of domestic and family violence
every day, so we are certainly on the
frontline in responding to this issue.
More information can be found
at:http://www.whiteribbon.org.au/.
A
fter enjoyable Eid release Kick, here are some exciting
Bollywood films being released in the month of August:
Raja Natwarlal - In Cinemas August 29
An upcoming thriller
directed by Kunal
Deshmukh starring
Emraan Hashmi and
Pakistani actress
Humaima Malick. The
film is a drama thriller
with Emraan playing a
conman , mentored by
Paresh Rawal and up
against Kay Kay Menon in
the film.
Daawat-e-Ishq - in Cinemas September 5
Director Habia Faisal bring a delicious rom-com drama, and
coming together of a shoe sales girl from Hyderabad and a charm-
ing cook from Lucknow ! A mouth watering romance between
Aditya Roy Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra.
Community
Shrutis Arangetram is full of dedication
By Vish Viswanathan
A
rangetram is a debut per-
formance of a classical art
student after undertaking
years of training. It is a public
graduation performance for a
dance artiste or musician. Every
dance teacher has a unique style of
teaching and the dance student
moulds her style of dancing gener-
ally following her guru over some
years.
Moving away from that style
to another style is a great effort;
passion and dedication is required
such as displayed by Shruti
Nathani in her Arangetram held
on 12 July at Abbotsleigh Girls
High School. Shruti is a disciple
of Padma Balakumar, director of
Nrityagriha School of Indian
Classical Dance.
Shruti entered the stage to per-
form a prayer in a very traditional
item Thodaya Mangalam to
invoke the blessings of Lord
Rama, Lord Krishna and other
forms of Maha Vishnu followed
by a delightful Jatiswaram with
her elegant steps. It was a pleasure
to watch display of such agility in
the footwork. The audience were
treated to a superb item Varnam
presented by Shruti in praise of
Goddess Meenakshi lasting for
more than 30 minutes. The var-
nam in a debut tests the dancer for
bringing out the best of the danc-
ing talent, style, grace, patience
and Bhavam. Shruti passed in the
test with flying colours and to
standing ovation by the audience.
The Varnam presented by Shruti
was also a display of divinity in
the dance.
Following a short break,
Shruti continued to perform very
confidently and gracefully items
such as Natanam Adinar to
depict Lord Shiva , Rusli Radha
rusla Madhav, narration of
Radha getting upset with Lord
Krishna when she finds him with
other women, Kavadi Chindu
quick rhythmic steps, and a
Tulsidas composition in praise of
Lord Rama Tumaki Chalat
Ramachandra.
Shruti concluded with a mes-
merising Thillana and a Manglam
item. It was a double delight for
the audience with an excellent
music support to Shrutis dance
debut by the very popular Sydney
classical music artistes Prema
Ananthakrishnan (vocal), Balaji
Jagannadhan on violin,
Pallavaram Nagendran on mridan-
gam, flute by young Venkatesh
and the Guru Padma Balakumar
on Nattuvangam. When the music
and dance compete with each
other to excel, it is always a won-
derful treat for the appreciative
audience.
For all those who attended the
Arangetram, the event was memo-
rable as Shruti demonstrated an
ease, confidence, full devotion to
the art of dance and above all a
great inspiration to the younger
generation. Hence it was apt when
her guru Padma Balakumar con-
gratulated Shruti on her debut:
To unlearn (an old style) and
learn again (a new style), it
requires a great deal of passion,
dedication and a desire to excel.
Shruti Nathani is a disciple of Padma Balakumar, director of Nrityagriha School of Indian Classical Dance.
White Ribbon to strengthen
engagement with multicultural NSW
Bolly bonanza
White Ribbon is a national,
male-led campaign to end violence
against women.
Mardaani - in Cinemas
August 22
Starring Rani Mukerji in
the lead, playing the role
of a cop for the first time,
the raw and gritty film
will be a distinct depar-
ture from Pradeep
Sarkars style of film-
making.
History
By Kushagra Bhatnagar
T
he narration of First World War is
that war was predominantly
European and was fought exclu-
sively by Europeans. This is quite a long
way from the truth. Today, while few
would remember that Indian Corps won
13,000 medals and 12 Victoria Crosses in
the First World War, Hindus contribu-
tion in the war is altogether undermined.
The apathy towards an important footnote
in contemporary history is mind bog-
gling.
Hindus were largely perceived as
weak, not great soldiers, and yet they had
been involved in fighting wars for other
than themselves. Among the first foreign
forces were Hindus to fight for British on
Western front.
Amid the plans for centenary com-
memorations of the First World War go
on, todays generation knows virtually
nothing about the sacrifices of those who
laid their lives in the war.
At the onset of the war itself it was
abundantly clear to allies that additional
troops from India were necessary to fight
in North Africa, Europe and the Middle
East.
It was the war India had supported
British by all means Political, military
and economic. At a time when majority of
Indians were suffering from abject pover-
ty, they gifted 100 million pounds for
war. The support was in expectation of
Britains sensitive hearing towards plea
for Indian independence, which post war
Britain was in no hurry to fulfil.
Indian army comprised men of diverse
faiths. The role of Hindus in the First
World War is by and large expunged from
the history books. Merely a cursory gaze
at the figures reveals a startling fact In
total 1,338,620 Hindus participated in the
war. This number exceeds the total num-
ber of army personnel from Australia,
Canada, New Zealand and South Africa
by 178,000.
Hindu soldiers were involved in the
lands as diverse as Palestine, France,
Syria and Mesopotamia. A school of
thought says it was the Hindu army which
changed the course of the war by turning
German soldiers at Marne.
Thousands of Hindu soldiers lost their
lives and no heros welcome awaited the
survivors, such was their fate.
The war graves in France and Belgium
are grim reminder of largely anonymous
Hindu soldiers. One of them was Mir
Dast, Victoria Cross holder, Britains
highest award of gallantry. He was the
officer of 57th Rifles of the Indian Army,
who came under vicious gas attack by
Germans in April 1915. As he held his
defence against the army, without a gas
mask, he managed to save lives of eight
officers.
Lying in the hospital bed at Brighton,
England, he wrote to his family that he
was twice wounded, once in the hand and
second from gas.
Traces of Hindu participation are frag-
mented by the fact that only a
limited record of correspon-
dence exists between Hindu
soldiers and their families.
The reason being most Hindu
soldiers were illiterate. They
would have one of the literate
ones among them write the
letter. The letter would then
be read out to British officer
as part of censorship proce-
dure to restrict passing of mil-
itarily sensitive information to
the enemy before being dis-
patched off to the recipients
village.
These letters and diaries
are the source of information
on the anguish felt by the sol-
diers about the war. The sol-
diers talk about guns, poison-
ous gas, destruction, yearning
for family. Hindu soldiers
would often refer to great
Hindu war epic Mahabharata and compare
the war of good versus evil to the current
one. One of the soldiers wrote that having
witnessed the current war, end of the
world seems near and all that was written
in Mahabharata and Ramayana appears to
be true to him.
Extracts of these letters could be
sourced from summaries prepared at the
time of censoring of letters. The digital
versions of the summaries are available at
European and British Library. The war
could also be remembered for the caste
discrimination faced by Hindu soldiers.
British insisted on maintaining the fault
lines of caste system. Recruitment in the
army was carried on the assumption that
some races were martial races. Majority
of army men were sourced from North
and Northwest India. The caste system
was practiced by British even in the hos-
pitals where Hindu soldiers were treated.
Royal Pavilion Hospital in Brighton,
where the wounded soldiers were treated,
ensured the hospital wards were segregat-
ed on caste lines. The so called untouch-
ables were employed as support staff.
According to Richard Smith, lecturer
at Goldsmith College, University of
London, and author of Jamaican
Volunteers in the First World War, dis-
crimination faced by the volunteers in the
army worked as catalyst for them to join
the movements for independence in their
respective countries.
Chattri (which means umbrella in
English) is the only memorial of signifi-
cance to honour the contribution of Hindu
and Sikh soldiers. The monument is on
the Downs, near Patcham in Brighton,
England. It was unveiled by the Prince of
Wales on 21st February 1921. It is a cre-
mation site for 53 Hindu and Sikh sol-
diers. In 2010, their names were inscribed
in stones on the site. It is truly disappoint-
ing that it has taken over a century after
their deaths for the Commonwealth War
Graves Commission to inscribe the names
of the martyrs. Hindu sepoys were one of
the highest number of volunteers as com-
batants and non-combatants. This is an
aspect of history that cannot be disregard-
ed anymore. Without them the freedom
Europe enjoyed would not have been pos-
sible. Its high time they are bestowed the
honour they deserve for gallantly sacrific-
ing their lives.
The Forgotten Heroes:
Hindu soldiers in the First World War
Archival pictures of Indian soldiers in First World War.
Childrens Corner
Children's Corner
By Esther
Chaudhry-Lyons
K
ing Akbar was very fond of Birbal. This made a
certain courtier very jealous. Now this courtier
always wanted to be chief minister, but this was
not possible as Birbal filled that position. One day Akbar
praised Birbal in front of the courtier. This made the courtier
very angry and he said that the king praised Birbal unjustly
and if Birbal could answer three of his questions, he would
accept the fact that Birbal was intelligent. Akbar always
wanting to test Birbals wit readily agreed.
The three questions were:
1. How many stars are there in the sky
2. Where is the center of the Earth and
3. How many men and how many women are there in the
world.
Immediately Akbar asked Birbal the three questions and
informed him that if he could not answer them, he would
have to resign as chief minister.
To answer the first question, Birbal brought a hairy sheep
and said, There are as many stars in the sky as there is hair
on the sheeps body. My friend the courtier is welcome to
count them if he likes.
To answer the second question, Birbal drew a couple of
lines on the floor and bore an iron rod in it and said, this
is the center of the Earth, the courtier may measure it him-
self if he has any doubts.
In answer to the third question, Birbal said, Counting
the exact number of men and women in the world would be
a problem as there are some specimens like our courtier
friend here who cannot easily be classified as either.
Therefore if all people like him are killed, then and only then
can one count the exact number.
MORAL: There is Always a Way
The Monkey and the
crocodile
O
nce upon a time there lived a monkey named Red-
face on a tree by the side of the sea. The tree was an
apple tree and the fruits it bore were sweet as nec-
tar. Once a crocodile named Ugly-Mug swam ashore and
Red-face threw apples at him and asked him to taste them.
Ugly-Mug started coming everyday ashore and eat the fruits
thrown by Red-face and soon they became good friends.
Ugly-Mug used to take some fruits to his home to his wife.
His wife was a greedy lady and asked him as to where he got
the nectar filled apples. Ugly-Mug told about his friend the
monkey.
The lady was greedy and pleaded with her husband that
she would like to eat the monkey's heart, as a person who
gave such tasty fruits must have a heart filled with nectar.
Ugly-Mug was angered and did not agree to deceiving his
friend. But she then insisted on not eating anything till he
brought her his friend's heart. Out of desperation, Ugly-mug
started making plans for killing his friend. He came back to
Red-face and entreated him with an invitation to his house
for supper stating that his wife would be thrilled to have him
home and also that she was very anxious to meet such a nice
friend. Poor Red-face believed the story but was asking his
friend as to how he could cross the sea to reach the house of
the crocodile on the other side.
Ugly-mug then offered to carry him on his back and the
monkey agreed. In the middle of the sea, Ugly-mug took the
crocodile deep into the ocean to kill the monkey. The mon-
key was frightened and asked the crocodile why he was
doing this. Ugly-mug told him that his wife wanted to eat the
monkey's heart filled with nectar. Red-face immediately
asked it to take him back to the tree as he told him that he
had left his other heart which was full of nectar back at the
tree. The foolish crocodile then swam back to the tree and
the terrified monkey jumped up the tree never to return.
Upon being asked as to why she was not returning, the mon-
key answered to the crocodile that he had only one heart and
he had been fooled and scolded his friend for misusing his
friendship.
The crocodile was ashamed at what happened and asked
the monkey if he could make any amends. And he was also
scared that his wife would not let him back in because he had
returned without the monkey's heart. Just then he heard that
a huge he-crocodile had occupied the house of his. The mon-
key advised him to fight the he-crocodile and drive him out
of his home and gain his wife's confidence. His advice the
crocodile followed and he was back happy with his wife.
MORAL: Wit is superior to brute force.
Elephants dont forget
T
here was a bad tailor in a village long ago. He used
to play pranks with people. In that village there was
a very good elephant. As you know elephants are
very big animals. Though they are huge, they are very car-
ing. If you give them Bananas they will take it from your
hands. They also place their trunk on your head and bless
you. The elephants love to take bath in cold water. They
would go inside the tank, swim and also enjoy pouring water
all over themselves.
The Mahout (he is the care taker of elephants) used to
take the elephant daily to its bath. On the way was the tai-
lors shop. One day the tailor offered a banana fruit to the
elephant. From that day, the elephant used to bless the tailor
daily. Then the tailor thought of playing tricks with the ele-
phant. The next day when the elephant blessed him, he took
the needle he was stitching and drove it inside the trunk of
the elephant. The elephant was very angry. But it kept quiet.
From that day, the elephant stopped blessing the tailor. After
a few more days, the tailor forgot the entire thing. It was
Deepavali. During Deepavali, all the people get new clothes
stitched. So the tailors shop was full of clothes. The ele-
phant that day while returning from its bath in the tank,
stored a lot of muddy water in its trunk. When it came near
the tailors shop it stuck its trunk inside the shop and poured
all the muddy water inside the shop all over the newly
stitched clothes. They got all spoiled. The villagers got very
angry with the tailor for giving them soiled clothes and beat
him without listening to him. Thus the elephant punished the
tailor.
The fox who
married a girl
T
here was once a very poor girl. She was very, very
pretty. There was a fox who was in the forest. The
fox wanted to marry the girl. It dressed itself like a
man and went to the father of the girl, Mama, wont you
give your daughter in marriage to me. The girls father was
pleased and said yes. The girls father gave the girl in mar-
riage. But he never knew that his daughters husband was a
fox. The fox was enjoying its stay in the girls house. There
was lot of good food and several feasts. After a few days the
girls father asked the fox to take his daughter to his home.
The fox was did not have any house. But it had to agree. So
it took the girl with it and they started walking. After some
time, the girl asked the fox, Amman, Amman Uracha?
meaning Uncle, Uncle, has your place come?. Then the
fox replied, No, No Innum Oru Aru Kadakka Venum
meaning, No, no, we have to cross one more river. They
walked still further. The girl again asked Ammam,
Amman, Uracha. Then the fox replied, No, No, Innum
Oru Aru Kadakka venum. Like this a few days went by. By
this time the girl understood that her husband was a fox and
it did not have any home. She told her husband, we will go
to my home, where we can be happy. The fox agreed and
they returned home. The girl secretly told her father about
the fox. That day the father got the help from his friends and
drove away the fox.
--P.R. Ramachander
The Three Questions Akbar & Birbal
Aug 2014 Mat 1. Match for slim, attractive 27
years old daughter; postgrad medicine, working in
a hospital in Sydney. Boy must be tall and hand-
some. Professionally qualified and earning well.
Punjabi Brahmin, Khatri, Arora or Sikh back-
groud. Australian Citizen. Apply with brief details
and phone number Ganpati_Om@hotmail.com
Aug 2014 Mat 2. Seeking suitable bride for
Punjabi Brahmin Boy 31 years 59 well settled
Australian Citizen working in Global Bank
Sydney, Caste no bar. Please email particulars
including photograph to:
account8888@gmail.com or contact 0401 954
390.
Aug 2014 Mat 3. MATCH required for my
daughter, we are a Punjabi Brahmin family, settled
in Australia. Education: LLB, Grad Dip Legal
Practice, B Business MGMT, working in Qld
govt, earns $90K. Elegant girl with pleasing
nature. 5-3, 34, lives a balanced lifestyle, fit and
fair. Looking for a handsome Hindu boy, intelli-
gent and accomplished in a good career. Caste no
bar. kumarpd07@yahoo.com.au
Aug 2014 Mat 4. MATCH required for a
Licensed Building Practitioner (Builder) Rajput
boy, NEVER MARRIED, very fair, athletic,
handsome, 5'-11", June 1982 born, High six figure
package, Caste no bar. +61-431-059-703. matri-
mony2031@yahoo.com.au
Aug 2014 Mat 5. Well settled parents looking
for suitable matches for their daughter, 32 years
old, working for a multinational company in
Sydney in a senior corporate position, pretty,
163cm tall; brought up in and values both Indian
and western culture. North Indian, Punjabi, from
other regional background, professional boys
from well settled family background preferred.
Please contact by email: sur6958@gmail.com or
mobile: 0404 147 744.
Aug 2014 Mat 6. Match for Australian born
28year old Sydney based Punjabi Bhardwaj girl,
Master of law, working for NSW goverment.
Pretty, tall, fair, homely yet modern girl blends in
both Indian and western cultures easily, wants a
professional, educated and outgoing match.
Contact: vk5454@hotmail.com
Aug 2014 Mat 7. SEEKING match for my
brother, Hindu, Gujarati - Patel, 32, 6 ft, vegetari-
an, Masters in Computing Studies, working and
living in USA (American citizen). Looking for a
loving Gujarati girl, caring with good family val-
ues, well cultured settled or trying to settle in USA
or Australia, preferably with a PR/Citizenship.
Email: bluepools2012@gmail.com
Aug 2014 Mat 8. Seeking suitable match (
from Australia ) never married, for Hindu Girl 34
yrs, Chartered Accountant (non veg) living in
Australia over 25 yrs with eastern and western
family values. Please email with all details on
ganesh2011v@gmail.com
Aug 2014 Mat 9. Seeking a Hindu boy, non
vegetarian, preferably Gujarati with good family
values for my daughter. She is 33 , divorced, 5'2"
and well-built. She is an Australian citizen, works
as an IT team leader and is well settled in Sydney.
If you are interested please contact us on 0404 595
182 or r.chandra2012@hotmail.com.
Aug 2014 Mat 10. Parents settled in Australia
looking for a suitable professional match for their
30 years old daughter, height 165cm, smart, pretty
and working as a clinical psychologist, well
brought up and respects Indian cultural values.
Professional boys from well settled family back-
ground preferred. Please contact by email:
fame46213@gmail.com or mobile: 0452 227 920
Aug 2014 Mat 11. Parents seeking match for
beautiful, multitalented Medical Doctor daughter
(age 27) with wider interests in life.
Correspondence requested from medical doctor/
dentist (preference vegetarian) with exclusive pro-
file : oasis1556@yahoo.com
Aug 2014 Mat 12. Parents seeking match for
fair, slim Hindu Sindhi girl 32 years/ 156 cm
working as Lecturer in leading University.
Permanent resident of Australia with dual degree
M.com (Accounts and Finance), fond of sports,
traveling and cooking. We are a well knit profes-
sional family. Please mail proposal with educa-
tion, job details with recent photo to :
mohri1324@gmail.com and Contact no. 0431
842 458
Aug 2014 Mat 13. Well settled Indian fami-
ly looking for a suitable match for their 25 year
old medico daughter, 5 5 tall, born brought up
and educated in Australia. Keen in outdoor and
sport activities, travel and wants a like-minded
Australia educated medico boy. Write to: wed-
ding2519@gmail.com
Aug 2014 Mat 14. Seeking a Hindu girl, veg-
etarian, preferably Gujarati, with good family
values, for my son. He is 36, divorced, no children,
fair, 58, well-built, non-smoker, light drinks. He
is an Australian citizen, works as a tax consultant
and lives with his parents. His two sisters live sep-
arately. We have lived in Sydney for 19 years.
Contact 0423 328 800 or syda
u714@hotmail.com.
Aug 2014 Mat 15. Seeking a well qualified
Hindu male, aged between 49 54, for a very fair,
young looking Hindu lady, aged 54 and an
Australian citizen. He should be a non smoker and
should have strong moral values. Caste no bar. She
is an eggetarian, divorced and has a 19 year old
daughter living with her. Contact lifepartner@hot-
mail.com.au.
Aug 2014 Mat 16. Hindu Punjabi business
parents invite alliance from a beautiful educated
girl for their highly qualified son 30/6'3", a very
well placed financial consultant with a leading
multinational company in UK. Will be in Australia
in July, Caste no bar. Send BHP to ukshaadi@hot-
mail.com
Aug 2014 Mat 17. Well settled family in
Australia inviting alliance for 27 year old, 5"11,
Sood Punjabi boy, B.Software Engineer(honors)
and is working as a senior IT Consultant for the
Australian government on high income. Seeking
Indian girl, caste no bar. Please call 0414-518-312.
Email aumohindra@gmail.com
Aug 2014 Mat 18. Seeking compatible well
educated, employed professional/ business match,
with Indian background, broad minded/ mature
outlook, independent, divorcee, age 47 years
onward, For caring, honest, friendly, Indian
Christian divorcee Australian citizen, 48 yrs 5'3"
tall, much younger looking than age, attractive,
graceful looking graduate nurse, employed. Caste
no bar. Email details to emily.lotus@hotmail.com
Aug 2014 Mat 19. Local born Melbourne
based turbaned Sikh boy with trimmed beard 33
years old 6 feet tall from established family mas-
ters graduate working as finance manager looking
for a likeminded professional Sikh girl who is
locally born or grown up in Australia with mix of
western and Indian culture and values. Send inter-
est with pix to sikhmundah@gmail.com
Aug 2014 Mat 20. Well settled, Punjabi kha-
tri family, looking for a professionally qualified
match for their beautiful, slim, 30 years, 5'5" tall
daughter, raised and educated in Australia. She is
working as a senior associate in a Law firm in
Sydney. Mail proposal with education, job details
and a recent photo to: pk212014@hotmail.com
or contact 0430 281 175.
Aug 2014 Mat 21. Seeking alliance for
Hindu, 37 yrs, girl, unmarried, charted account-
ant, simple, with Indian values and well tuned to
western values. Please reply with all details to
dknm10@gmail.com
Matrimonials
MATRIMONIALS
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Are you planning to buy or sell a house or a business?
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Please contact:Meena Kumar
Phone: 0413087208
Santram's Grey Page
I
n spite of having the vaccine for the flu,
I have been suffering from its ill effects
like running nose, watery eyes and
sneezes. The doctor advised rest and a cou-
ple of Panadols. Antibiotics are ineffective,
in viral attacks like these. A friend advised to
drink herbal tea made from concoction of
ginger, cinnamon, black pepper and jaggery
- all boiled together. Believe me, it does
help!
5 myths surrounding vegetarian diet
Misconceptions over the years have sur-
rounded vegetarian diets and those who
adopt them. Let's view the myths and see the
actual reality
Myth: Vegetarians do not get enough
protein.
Fact: Well, there was a time when nutri-
tionists and dieticians even said this, but no
longer. Now, we know that vegetarians get
plenty of protein. What they don't get is the
excessive amount of protein found in the typ-
ical modern diet. If you eat a variety of
fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes, then
getting enough protein is not an issue.
Myth: Vegetarians do not get enough
calcium.
Fact: This myth has been applied, in par-
ticular, to vegans who have eliminated milk
products from their diets. Somehow, the
notion got started that the only good source
of calcium is milk and cheese. Granted, milk
does have a good supply of calcium, but so
do many vegetables especially green,
leafy veggies. The truth is, vegetarians suf-
fer less from osteoporosis (a deficiency of
calcium that leads to weak bones) because
the body assimilates the calcium they eat
more easily during digestion.
Myth: Vegetarian diets aren't bal-
anced, so they are risking their health for
their principles.
Fact: First of all, a vegetarian diet isn't
out of balance. It has a good proportion of all
the complex carbohydrates, protein and fat
the three macro nutrients that are the cor-
nerstone of any diet. Plus, vegetarian food
sources (plants) tend to be higher sources of
most of micro nutrients. Another way to
look at it is this: The average meat eater con-
sumes one or fewer servings of vegetables a
day and no servings of fruit. If a meat eater
does eat a vegetable, chances are it's a fried
potato. "Out of balance" depends on your
perspective.
Myth: A vegetarian diet is all right for
an adult, but kids need meat to develop
properly.
Fact: This statement makes the assump-
tion that protein from plants isn't as good as
protein from meat. The truth is, protein is
protein. It is all made from amino acids.
Children need 10 essential amino acids to
grow and develop properly. These amino
acids are as readily available in plants as they
are in meat.
Myth: Humans were designed to eat
meat.
Fact: Although humans are capable of
digesting meat, human anatomy clearly
favours a diet of plant foods. Our digestive
systems are similar to those of the other
plant-eaters and totally unlike those of carni-
vores. The argument that humans are carni-
vores because we possess "canine" teeth
ignores the fact that other plant-eaters have
"canine" teeth, and that ONLY plant eaters
have molar teeth. Finally, if humans were
designed to eat meat, we wouldn't suffer
from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and
osteoporosis from doing so.
Why rice is good for
your health?
R
esearchers have shown that con-
sumers can improve their diets sim-
ply by enjoying white or brown rice
as part of their daily meals.
In a study, lead author Theresa Nicklas,
Dr P.H. of Baylor College of Medicine, ana-
lyzed the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey datasets from 2005-
2010 and evaluated the association of rice
consumption with overall diet quality and
key nutrient intakes in a nationally represen-
tative sample of 14,386 U.S. adults.1
Nicklas said their results show that adults
who eat rice had diets more consistent with
what is recommended in the U.S. Dietary
Guidelines, and they showed higher amounts
of potassium, magnesium, iron, foliate and
fibre while eating less saturated fat and
added sugars. She said that eating rice is also
associated with eating more servings of fruit,
vegetables, meat and beans.
In addition to the positive results in
cross-sectional studies linking rice consump-
tion with healthier diets, a human clinical
trial found that having white or brown rice at
a meal increased satiety and feelings of full-
ness more than a calorically equivalent glu-
cose solution control.4 Considering the
cross-sectional and clinical findings, both
enriched white rice and whole grain brown
rice should be recommended as part of a
healthy diet.
The study has been published online in
the journal Food and Nutrition Sciences.
Drinking milk can delay
knee problem in women
Women who frequently consume fat-free
or low-fat milk may delay the progression of
osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, research
indicates.
The findings showed that women who ate
cheese saw an increase in knee OA progres-
sion.
Yogurt, however, did not impact OA
progression in men or women.
"Milk consumption plays an important
role in bone health," explained lead author
Bing Lu from Women's Hospital in Boston,
Massachusetts.
OA is a common, degenerative joint dis-
ease that causes pain and swelling of joints in
the hand, hips or knee.
For the study, 2,148 participants with
knee OA were recruited.
At the start of the study, dietary data was
collected and joint space width was meas-
ured by x-ray to evaluate OA progression.
As the intake of milk increased from
none to less than 3, 4-6, and more than 7
glasses per week, the joint space width in
women also decreased by 0.38mm,
0.29mm,0.29mm and 0.26mm, respectively.
Results persisted even after adjusting for
disease severity, body mass index (BMI) and
dietary factors.
No association between milk consump-
tion and joint space width decrease was
reported in men.
"Our findings indicate that women who
frequently drink milk may reduce the pro-
gression of OA," Lu said in the study pub-
lished in the journal Arthritis Care &
Research.
6 foods that fight acne
I
nstead of buying countless over-the-
counter creams and products, or trying
out expensive dermatological treatments,
incorporate more of the following foods in
your diet, to get rid of your acne.
While fresh, leafy green vegetables
like spinach, lettuce, artichokes and cab-
bages are good for health and aid in diges-
tion, they are also beneficial in lessening
acne.
Cucumbers are a source of vitamins
A, C, E, water and amino acids, which help
to fight against acne.
You may not like its strong odour but
garlic will help you get rid of your zits. It
has strong anti-bacterial properties that will
improve your immunity.
Instead of drinking regular tea and
coffee, which are high in sugar, opt for
refreshing green teas. These will cleanse and
detox your body from inside, removing all
toxicity.
Tomatoes are not just a very rich
source of vitamin C; they also have
bioflavonoids that help to repair damaged or
scarred skin. Consuming them regularly will
reduce acne.
Don't use regular oil in your food.
Opt for olive oil. Since it is lighter, it will
get easily absorbed in the skin, thus allowing
the skin to breathe and prevent breakouts.
(Disclaimer: These health tips are taken
from well established and reliable sources
and are given in good faith. However, read-
ers are reminded to take care and consult
their doctor if not sure, as no responsibility
can be accepted by the writer of this column
or The Indian Down Under).
Just for Seniors
By Santram Bajaj
HUMOUR
Health & Well-being
Wife called hubby in office
Wife - Window is not opening..What
shall I do?
Hubby - Put some hot water and wait for
a while. It will open ...
Wife - are u sure ??
Hubby - yes, trust me it will do the
magic.. Try it ..
(After a while hubby calls back to check)
Hubby - Did u do as I told u ! Did it do
the trick ?
Wife - I don't know about the trick or
magic but NOW the entire laptop is not
starting....
Jalebi is the
most fattening sweet
J
alebi is one of the favourite sweets of
Indians but it has featured on an
American news website's list as one
of the most fattening food items across
the globe.
Hot tip: how to protect
your skin au-natural
1. Eat Your Tomatoes!
Cooked tomatoes have a miracle
ingredient known as lycopene that help
protect you from skin cancer. The red
and ripe wonders are significant when it
comes to protection against sun damage.
So, make sure you get some tomatoes in
your diet.
2. Drink your Tea
Tea contains a complex arsenal of
antioxidant compounds. Drinking green
tea is a smart move and a mainstay of
many healthy, traditional cultures.
Theres also evidence that dietary green
tea, specifically its polyphenols, is effec-
tive in reducing the risk of skin cancer.
And, when applied on the skin directly, it
can offer some mild sun protection.
3. Oil Your Skin
Almond oil and coconut oil are just a
few of the oils that contain natural SPF.
Raspberry seed oil, in the right purity
and concentration can contain up to SPF
30. Wheat germ oil, a natural supplier of
Vitamin E, can give you up to SPF20.
Coconut oil gives you an SPF8, and can
also help protect your hair from the sun's
damaging rays. So find oil that does not
clog your pores, and apply it on your
body and hair for the best sun protection.
Cookery
I
wish a very happy Raksha Bandhan
for all TIDU reading sisters. Now
you can win your brothers heart
with healthy dishes.
Baked Moong Sprout Vada
Ingredients:
Split green gram (Moong dhuli
dal) -1 1/2 cup
Split black gram (Urad dhuli dal)
- 2 tabs
Moong sprouts 1/2 cup
green chilies chopped -2
Salt to taste
Red chili powder- 1/2 tsp
Garam masala-1/2 tsp
baking powder -1/4 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
coriander powder - 1 tsp
Method:
Soak both the dals overnight and
grind into course paste. Add all the
above ingredients and mix well till it is
fluffy then make Vada shape and keep
separately in the microwave plate and
cook on high for 3 minutes, turn over
and cook again for 3 minutes till it is
cooked properly. Serve with yoghurt
and tamarind chutney.
Baked Namak Para
Ingredients:
Atta flour-1/2 cup
plain flour - 1/2 cup
baking powder- 1/2 tsp
oil - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Ajwain- 1/2 tsp
Method:
Mix all the above ingredients and
make dough like puries (hard dough)
and keep aside for 20 minutes.
Roll the dough like chapati but little
thicker then cut like diamond shape
and bake on pre heated oven for 15-20
minutes till it is brown on both sides.
Baked Samosa
Ingredients:
Atta flour - 1 cup
salt-1/2tsp
Ajwain- 1/4 tsp
Ingredients for the Filling:
Potatoes- 3 boiled ,cut into small
cubes
frozen peas -1/4 cup
cumin seeds -1/2 tsp
salt to taste
ginger- 1/2 tsp, finely chopped
mango powder- 1/2 tsp
red chili powder-1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Method:
Heat 2tabs oil in a pan, add cumin
seed till brown, add above ingredients
and mix well take a walnut size dough
a like chapati, cut in half. make cone
,add filling till 3/4 and seal with
water, keep in a baking tray for 15-20
minutes till it is brown and crisp (brush
the samosas with a little milk).
Baked Bathura
Ingredients:
plain flour - 4 Cups
fresh yeast - 3 tabs
salt -1 tsp
sugar- 1tsp
yoghurt-1/2 cup
milk-1 cup
poppy seeds-2tsp
Method:
Mix everything expect poppy seeds.
Keep it in a warm place for 3-4 hours
till it is double in size, knead again.
Take walnut size dough and make an
oval shape flatten bread. Sprinkle some
poppy seeds and bake in hot oven for
8-10 minutes till crisp and brown.
Handvo
Ingredients:
Rice-1 cup
tur dal-1/2 cup
chana dal-3 tabs
urad dal- 2 tabs
yoghurt- 1/2 cup
soda-bi-carb-2tsp
lemon juice-1 tabs
creamed corn-1 cup
ginger- garlic pastte-2tsp
salt to taste
turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
mustard & sesame seeds for sea-
soning
Method:
Soak overnight rice & dals. Next
day grind together and add above
ingredients but add soda-bi-carbon in
the end. Keep the mixture aside for 4
hours. Put this mixture in the greased
baking tray. Add seasoning of oil,
mustard seeds and sesame seeds.
By Promila Gupta
Mrs Vimla Singh
reveals her
Balushahi recipe
M
rs Vimla Singh has been feed-
ing us Balushahi for the last
thirty years in Sydney and they
are so popular that we all asked her for
recipe as now she is 80 years old unless
the recipe may be left a secret. Singhs
came to Australia in the seventies when
Mr Raghubir Singh came on a posting to
the Indian Tourist office in Sydney as
the Director.
So when insisted she finally gave the
recipe of this unusual but a very tasty
Indian sweet. She says that it took her
many years as she tried it dozens of
times before it became perfect and has
become an essential part of the house-
hold during festival days when we all
enjoy her perfect Balushahis and so does
her family.
Mrs Singhs Balushahi is so special
that it melts in the mouth, soft on the
inside and golden brown on the outside
are a sweet tooth delight.
Balushahi Ingredients:
1. 100 gms Plain Flour
2. 100 gms Self Raising Flour
3. Unsalted Butter 150gms
4. 1 Table Spoon Yoghurt
5. Warm water
Mix Self Raising and Plain flour and
then pour melted butter and mix well.
Add yoghurt and mix again. Knead the
flour with warm water into soft dough
and leave it for one hour covered with a
cloth.
Syrup:
1. Sugar: 250gms
2. Water: 100ml water
Boil the water and and add sugar and
make it into one wire ek taar ki
chashni that is when touched it turns
into a wire between the two fingers
when separated.
Process: Knead the dough and make it
into small balls and flatten them and
press in the middle. Deep fry Balushahi
patties, few at a time, in oil or ghee on
medium fire. Balushahi should be well
cooked from the inside and golden
brown from the outside.
Then dip them in the syrup and take
them out and leave them in the tray.
They can be decorated with pista powder
when served.
Mrs Vimla Singh with
her delicious Balushahi.
No-fry savouries for Rakhi
Also Mothers Classes
at Baulkham Hills
Reiki Therapist
Manju is a qualified Reiki therapist. Reiki heals Physical,
Mental, Emotional and Spiritual states. I can offer a wide
range of Reiki services to heal the body, mind and spirit. I
am dedicated to my clients and takes pride in assisting their
healing by channelling this wonderful energy.
Reiki is simple natural healing system through the laying on
hands energy is channeled to the area most needed for bal-
ance. Every treatment is different and healing occurs from
the inside and out. Reiki with Manju is truly a positive and
spiritual experience.
To see if Reiki could possibly help you
please call,
Manju Mittal - 0425 204 364
Body-Mind-Spirit
E
veryones name contains positive or
negative vibes, and his or her char-
acter, prosperity, fame and good
health depend on how his or her name is
pronounced.
In the sciences of pronology and
numerology, we can improve our lives and
minimise troubles if we make certain
changes to our name as per the rules of this
ancient knowledge.
Pronology analyses sound vibrations in
a name while numerology deals with
numerical values of each letter assigned to
the name.
Making modifications to your name can
change your fate, stresses renowned
numerologist Alaghar Vijaay from Chennai,
India.
He says that when a name is given to a
newborn child, it is vital for the date of
birth to be added, based on numerology
principles, to give the most auspicious
sound to the infants name.
I recently met Vijaay, who has authored
21 books on ancient secrets, to get a better
understanding on the phonetic impact and
hidden secrets of names.
People facing challenges in the areas of
health, relationship and prosperity, or
obstacles in life, should check on how their
name is pronounced.
This is no laughing matter because our
name carries a power that can determine our
destiny, says Vijaay, an engineer by train-
ing.
There are 26 letters in the English lan-
guage and each has a special wavelength,
colour and characteristic.
Take, for example, the letters O and N
appearing together in a name. The numero-
logical value of O is 6 and that of N is 5.
The sum of the two is 11, whether the let-
ters occur as ON or NO.
But ON denotes forward movement and
positive action, whereas NO has a negative
connotation and failure.
Vijaay says pronology offers an under-
standing of both the forces that may occur
in a name and gives people an opportunity
to act accordingly to remove the ill effects
and increase the beneficial values.
For example, he said, names containing
the sounds dhi, dy or di could bene-
fit from some modification because those
vowels represent something related to
demise.
Our name is like a mantra. When it is
repeated like a chant it vibrates a certain
sound which exerts an influence on the cells
in our body.
This may produce auspicious or inauspi-
cious results.
In his book entitled Pronology, Vijaay
explains that when two letters are com-
bined, their separate wavelengths meet and
generate a sound that can be positive or neg-
ative.
For instance, he says, when the letters A
and P are paired it will produce a sound like
APE, and an individual having such let-
ters in his or her name will have ape-like
characteristics.
Where the letters K and L are joined, it
sounds like KILL and those with this
component in their name will face trials and
struggles.
When the letters are reversed from KL
to LK, the sound LIKE is generated and
this vibration will boost their energy, allow-
ing them to enjoy peace and happiness.
When the sounds Han or Khan
occur in a name, the person gets an
enhanced sense of self-confidence and a
strong desire to achieve their goals in life.
Hindi stars Shahrukh Khan, Salman
Khan and Aamir Khan are some of the liv-
ing examples of success and fame owing to
such names.
Other favourable names are Kartik,
Ayappan, Raman, Mahalingam, Selvan,
Aravin, Barath, Praveen, Ashvin,
Jayakumar, Uthayakumar, Velu, Murugan,
Vishnu, Ganapathy, Ramakrishnan,
Ashvin, Rajen and Rajakumar,
Women having vibrant-sounding names
can be assured of a happy, peaceful and
comfortable life.
Those having names with pleasant sound
combinations like Vijaya, Preethi, Anujaya,
Jeyashri, Karisma, Rajaletchumi, Abarami,
Gyathri, Jeya and Ragavi will generally
enjoy peace and comfort and get good-
natured husbands.
Names like Vimala, Kamala, Mala,
Nirmala, and Malathi will be dominating
and they will have the skills to earn as much
as or more than their husbands.
To attract positive vibrations into a
name, an individual should add letter com-
binations such as UD, ON, RUN, GAIN,
VIN, VIND, ARARS, AN, GA, VN, NS
and RS. Avoid letter combinations like
SAD, LOSS, SAT, DOWN, NO, LESS,
ILL, NA, NE, LO, SK, VK, KK and KL.
Some examples of positive names:
Abdul, Rahim, Hassan, Halim, Rashid,
Jaffar, Yassin, Zaid, Karim and Azar,
Faroz, Arshad; Kuan, Tong, Man, Wong,
Liang, Shing, Chin, Fatt, Yee, Sing:
Richard, Henry, Clinton, Albert, Robert,
Anthony, Winston, Johnson, Angela, Amy,
Angeline, Betty, Jacqueline, Rebecca and
Rita.
To increase the power of a favourable
name, Vijaay suggests that people should
write their name in red ink and capital let-
ters 108 times daily on a white sheet of
paper. Names should carry the initial.
Letters giving a negative sound should be
removed and replaced with positive ones.
Combinations like NO, NA, IL, and NI
should be avoided. Avoid naming after
rivers, flowers, seas and selected deities.
Another exercise is to enunciate their
name as many times as possible in front of
a mirror for a minimum of 48 days.
Such acts can also be performed while
bathing, driving and combing your hair, and
can stimulate the results to take effect
immediately.
To further invoke the power of your
name, take a rectangular card and write it
down 27 times in red ink.
The name card should be read out loud
at least nine times and placed under the pil-
low.
If the above exercises are done con-
sciously for 180 days continuously, an indi-
vidual can expect to see the desired result in
his or her life within this period.
Whether you place a new letter to
enhance your name or remove one to cor-
rect any ill effects, what is vital here is for
the exercise to be done with absolute faith
and utmost respect in expectation of the
desired results.
Award winning author T. Selva is the
author of the bestseller book Vasthu Sastra
Guide. To get a copy of the book contact
Devi at 0412623017. He can be contacted at
tselvas@pd.jaring.my
VasthuSastra
By T. Selva
Everyones name contains positive or negative vibes, and his or her character,
prosperity, fame and good health depend on how his or her name is pronounced.
Favourable names for men are: Kartik, Ayappan,
Raman, Mahalingam, Selvan, Aravin, Barath,
Praveen, Ashvin, Jayakumar, Uthayakumar, Velu,
Murugan, Vishnu, Ganapathy, Ramakrishnan,
Ashvin, Rajen and Rajakumar.
Women having vibrant-sounding names can be
assured of a happy, peaceful and comfortable
life. Those having names with pleasant sound
combinations like Vijaya, Preethi, Anujaya,
Jeyashri, Karisma, Rajaletchumi, Abarami, Gyathri,
Jeya and Ragavi will generally enjoy peace and
comfort and get good-natured husbands.
I recently met Pt Alaghar
Vijaay, who has authored 21
books on ancient secrets
including Pronology, to get
a better understanding on
the phonetic impact and
hidden secrets of names.
H
ere are some memorable
gaffs from politicians.
Sometimes I think if, en
masse, we didn't vote or pay taxes
they would have no power. So
many are warmongers with self-
interest at their core.
If they busied themselves with
upholding the true value of life
and ensuring all had security along
with clean air and water then per-
haps they would earn respect and
then be true servants of the peo-
ple.
"Reports that say something
hasn't happened are always inter-
esting to me, because as we know,
there are known knowns; there are
things we know we know.
We also know there are known
unknowns; that is to say we know
there are some things we do not
know. But there are also unknown
unknowns-the ones we don't know
we don't know."
--Former US Defence Secretary
DONALD RUMSFELD.
This was Rumsfeld's attempt at
clarification on the search for
weapons of mass destruction. John
Lister said, "We think we know
what he means. But we don't
know if we really know."
"Tribal sovereignty means that
its sovereign. I mean, you're a
...you're been given sovereignty
and you're viewed as a sovereign
entity and therefore the relation-
ship between the federal govern-
ment and tribes is the one between
sovereign entities."
--President GEORGE W. BUSH
"You know one of the hardest
parts of my job is to connect Iraq
to the war on terror."
--GEORGE BUSH
"Oh, no, we're not going to
have any casualties."
--Bush discussing the Iraq war.
***
"In Iraq, a ruthless dictator
cultivated weapons of mass
destruction and means to deliver
them."
--Former Vice President under
Bush, DICK CHENEY.
"Conservation may be a sign
of personal virtue but it is not a
sufficient basis for a sound, com-
prehensive energy policy."
--DICK CHENEY.
***
"Climate change is crap."
-Australian Prime
Minister TONY ABBOTT
"Now I know there
are some Aboriginal peo-
ple who aren't happy with
Australia Day. For them it
remains Invasion Day.
I think a better view is the
view of Noel Pearson, who has
said that Aboriginal people have
much to celebrate in this country's
British Heritage."
--TONY ABBOTT
"No one, however
smart, however well edu-
cated, however experi-
enced, is the suppository
of all wisdom."
--TONY ABBOTT
"I think it would be folly to
expect that women will ever domi-
nate or even approach equal repre-
sentation in a large number of
areas simply because their apti-
tudes, abilities and interests are
different for physiological rea-
sons."
--TONY ABBOTT
***
"Poverty is a state
of mind."
--Indian leader
RAHUL GANDHI
"People join the
army to die or to
become martyrs."
--Indian politician
BHIM SINGH
Veg skies, veg hospitals,
veg housing societies. Soon
veg Mumbai! Either Gujjus
go back to Gujarat or they
turn Mumbai into
Gujarat - Red alert."
--NITESH RANE's
rant against Gujaratis
in Mumbai.
***
"Girls should be married at
age 16, so that they have their
husbands for their sexual needs,
and they don't need to go else-
where. This way rapes will not
occur."
--Former Chief Minister of
Haryana, O.P.CHAUTALA
***
"If you can't stop rape, enjoy
it."
--CBI Director RANJITH
SINHA
"Roads in Pratapgarh district
in the state would be constructed
like the cheeks of actressess Hema
Malini and Madhuri Dixit."
--Uttar Pradesh Khadi and
Village Industry Minister, RAJA
RAM PANDEY.
"We have told the chief minis-
ter in the assembly that the gov-
ernment will pay money to com-
pensate rape victims. What is your
fee? If you are raped, what will be
your fee?"
--CPI party member ANISUR
REHMAN takes a very cheap dig
at West Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee
***
T
here is more to herbs than
just grandmas potions for
curing rashes and stomach
aches. Many herbs are essential
constituents in the herbal beauty
industry products as well as most
Indian homes. Here are the top six
of them:
1. Lavender also known as
Lavandula angustifolia or
Lavandula officinalis is one of the
best known herbs used in the
beauty industry for its fragrance
and aromatherapy benefits.
Lavender is used as an antiseptic,
analgesic and a deodorant in bath
gels, soaps, and lotions.
Scientific evidence suggests
that lavender is helpful in alopecia
areata or patchy baldness. Along
with oils from thyme, rosemary,
and cedar wood it helps in over 44
percent reduction in hair loss after
just 7 months of treatment.
The anti-bacterial and anti-
inflammatory properties of laven-
der make it ideal for treating acne
and sunburns. Lavender is also
beneficial in relieving insomnia,
restlessness, stress related
headaches, fungal infections like
candidiasis, scars, burns and
eczema (a number of chronic skin
conditions with a characteristic
itching, redness, swelling and
blistering rash).
Lavender oil acts as a toner for
the skin and the advantage is that
it suits all skin types.
2. Aloe vera has been used
since time immemorial for skin
problems like burns, blisters,
frost bite, urticaria (an allergic
skin rash), herpes, inflammatory
skin disorders, psoriasis (chronic
immune related skin disease char-
acterized by red thickened skin
with silver scales), besides tooth
and gum diseases. Aloe is rich in
calcium, potassium, vitamin C,
vitamin E, zinc. The potassium
present in aloe helps in the detox-
ification of the liver and kidneys.
Aloe vera finds its usage in innu-
merable face packs, moisturizers,
soaps, bath gels, shampoos, con-
ditioners, tooth pastes, face and
skin creams, cleansers, sun-
screens, shaving gels, baby
lotions and wipes.
Local application of aloe pre-
vents aging and wrinkles.
Aloe also helps in healing
the skin and reducing scars.
Regular application of aloe is
known to prevent scarring and
stretch marks.
Aloe is a very popular sub-
stitute for creams as a moisturizer
for dry skin.
It is one of the main exfoliat-
ing ingredients in the organic skin
scrub.
Aloe reduces dandruff and
makes for a good conditioner for
silkier and softer hair.
Some people use it to shrink
warts.
3. Calendula or marigold has
anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and
antibacterial properties besides
containing high amount of
flavonoids (antioxidants) that pro-
tect the body against the damaging
effects of free radicals. Local
application of calendula cream
treats inflammations and infec-
tions of the skin, burns, scalds,
bruises, cuts, eczemas and haem-
orrhoids.
Calendula is used extensively
in face packs and soaps as a
cleanser and for blemishes and
acne.
It is also used as a hair condi-
tioner and cleanser.
4. Turmeric or Curcuma
longa has been also known as the
Indian solid gold because of its
innumerable health and beauty
benefits. Turmeric is an anti-
inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-
bacterial, antiviral, antifungal and
anti-disease agent. Turmeric can
be taken orally or applied on the
skin. Its beauty uses are many:
Since ancient times, turmeric
mixed with gram flour is used on
the skin of Indian brides and
grooms for a flawless complex-
ion. Turmeric is applied locally
to treat acne, wrinkles, dry skin,
oily skin, scars, pigmentation of
the skin
A pinch of turmeric added to
castor oil and applied on scalp
prevents dandruff. It is also used
as treatment for dandruff in some
cases.
5. Neem or Azadirachta indi-
ca is a tree whose bark, sap,
leaves, fruit, seeds, and twigs are
all used for multitudinous medici-
nal and beauty purposes. Neem is
also known in India as sarva
roga nivarini which means the
one that can cure all ailments.
Neem is used in diabetes, hyper-
tension, leprosy, ulcers, skin dis-
eases, and many more health
related diseases. It is by nature a
potent anti-inflammatory, anti-
viral, and anti-fungal agent
besides its use as an anti-malarial
and anti pesticidal plant. Neem is
used in soaps, toothpastes, deter-
gents, face packs and skin creams
for acne and eczema, hair prod-
ucts for thinning of hair and as a
shampoo.
6. Tulsi or Ocimum basilicum
is also known as basil worldwide.
Holy basil or Ocimum tenuiflo-
rum is a sacred plant to the
Hindus. It is also known as the
king of herbs. Basil is a rich
source of vitamin A, vitamin K,
vitamin C, calcium, magnesium,
potassium, and iron besides other
antioxidants and phytonutrients.
In the beauty industry tulsi has
found use in - anti acne face packs
and creams, anti lice and dandruff
shampoos and aromatherapy and
perfumes. In olden days, turmer-
ic was used in removing unwant-
ed hair from the body. It gives an
added advantage of soft and
smooth skin. Turmeric being anti-
septic it proves useful in prevent-
ing tooth decay.
Inner Space
By Faith Harper
Beauty without
Tears
Columns
These herbs are essential constituents in the herbal beauty industry
products as well as most Indian homes.
Six must-have herbs
Moronic, embarrassing, shameful. Some gaffs from
politicians deserving of foot-in-mouth Oscar.
Yes, they said that
Body Mind Spirit
By Sonika Jain
W
e are physically grounded on the
Earth because of the gravitation-
al force, which we take for
granted. Without it, we would be floating
aimlessly, devoid of stability. Sthiram is a
Sanskrit term meaning stable, and sukham
is a Sanskrit term meaning good space.
Yoga, which is the integration of mind,
breath, and body, brings the forces of
movement and stability into balance.
600 km above planet the temperature
fluctuates between +258 degrees and -
148 degrees Fahrenheit
There is nothing to carry sound
No air pressure
No oxygen
Life in space is impossible
(Opening credits of the film Gravity,
Alfanso Cuaron, 2013, 91 minutes).
There are moments in the film Gravity,
which mirror the iconic concepts of the
yoga philosophy found in the Yoga Sutras
written over 2,000 years ago by Sage
Patanjali. These are a collection of 196
aphorisms, each one concerning an aspect
of human nature and the path to enlighten-
ment. It elaborates on the eight limbs of
yoga including the two most commonly
known breathing (pranayama), and bod-
ily postures (asana). Yoga, according to
the Yoga Sutra Chapter I.1, is the practice
of focussing the mind (citta in Sanskrit)
away from distractions (vrttis in Sanskrit
for fluctuations).
The protagonist, Dr Stone, of Gravity,
struggles to find focus, stability (sthiram),
and good space (sukham), and her journey
can be understood with the yogic perspec-
tive offered by BKS Iyengars (yoga mas-
ter, commentator, and practitioner) classic
translation, The Light on Yoga Sutras of
Patanjali (2010).
In Gravity, mission control in Houston
warns the veteran astronaut Matthew
Kowalski (George Clooney) in command
of the spaceship Explorer, about a chain
reaction forming a cloud of debris in space
and travelling at high speed towards them.
The debris strike the space shuttle, detach-
ing astronaut Kowalski and his colleague
Dr. Ryan Stone who is on her first mission
(Sandra Bullock); leaving her in a state of
free fall. She tumbles aimlessly in space
while her oxygen levels reduce rapidly.
While reconnecting, after temporary loss
of communication between them,
Kowalski instructs Dr. Stone to slow down
her breathing. By focussing her mind on
her breath, she is able to give her where-
abouts, and Kowalski is able to locate her,
attach her with the tether tied to him; and
return to the Explorer all the while
reminding her to relax her breathing.
When they reach the Explorer, they
find the dead bodies of the remaining crew
floating in space. Kowalski motivates the
saddened Dr. Stone to leave the wrecked
shuttle immediately and start their
onward journey to Earth by reaching an
international space station (ISS) in another
orbit before their oxygen levels exhaust
and high-speed debris destroy it. He
nudges her to dig into her inner reservoirs
of stability (sthiram) amidst the instability
of the situation. En route, by engaging her
in a sensitive conversation, Kowalski
keeps her mind from drifting towards her
fears, and depleting the oxygen cylinder.
He realises that Dr. Stone is emotionally
suffering because of the loss of her young
daughter. Her sorrow, despair, unsteadi-
ness of the body and irregular breathing
shakes the body, creating instability,
which in turn brings mental distress. These
cause distractions, which agitate the mind
and consciousness (BKS Iyengar, 2010:
79) Yoga Sutra I.31.
Her painful past blurs her ability to
make clear decisions or embrace life and
its challenges (absence of good space or
sukham). On the contrary, Kowalski has a
feeling at the outset (a premonition) that
this expedition would be unsuccessful
based on the good space sukham) he has
within him. The unfolding events prove
him correct. Kowalski is able to share
insights based on his intuition and experi-
ential knowledge and constantly offers
advice and encouragement to Dr. Stone.
He personifies correct knowledge
[which] is based on three kinds of proof:
direct perception, correct inference, and
testimony from an authoritative sacred
scripture or an experienced person (Yoga
Sutra 1.7, BKS Iyengar, 2010: 53).
Kowalskis persona of concern, quiet
determination, humour, clarity, and
courage are a result of having healed him-
self from his share of suffering because of
which he can face the present moment with
confidence.
As they approach the substantially
damaged but still operational ISS, they see
its crew has evacuated, and the capsule has
become useless for returning to Earth.
Kowalski suggests that they use it to trav-
el to the nearby Chinese space station,
Tiangong, and board one of its modules to
return safely to Earth. Out of air and
maneuvering power, the two try to grab
onto the ISS as they keep flying away.
Their tether is broken and Stones leg gets
entangled in the modules parachute cords
as she grabs a strap of Kowalskis suit in
desperation. Despite Dr. Stones protests,
Kowalski disengages himself from her, as
the cords cannot carry the weight of two
people. Dr. Stone is loosely tied to the ISS
and is pulled back towards it. Kowalski
floats away into the silence and vastness of
space. However, his commitment to pro-
tect her remains unshaken. He keeps
prompting her with instructions and coax-
es her to believe that she will touch the
Earth as a genuine commander of a ship
or a spiritual guide would. Kowalskis
approach to life and death is spiritually
evolved: he maintains his purity and
detachment, and simultaneously has deep
compassion for others.
Both have contrasting personalities.
Dr. Stone is anxious, fatigued, introvert-
ed, unable to let go of her losses, and inex-
perienced as a space astronaut. Kowalski,
on the other hand, is on his last mission
before retiring. Because, he is self-reflect-
ing (svadhyaya is a Sanskrit term meaning
self-study, reflections of ones own self,
and study of scriptures), he has the emo-
tional space within (sukham) to see the
external reality with clarity and respond in
a wise manner. He is a yogi who has tran-
scended the fluctuations of the mind (citta
vrttis) and can direct the mind exclusive-
ly towards an object (in this case reaching
Earth safely) and sustain that direction
without any distractions (Yoga Sutra 1.2,
KYM, 2000:1). He knows when he must
pursue their journey with relentless effort
or tapah (in Sanskrit meaning self-disci-
pline and burning desire to reach perfec-
tion), and when he must surrender to the
universal spirit or Ishvara pranidhana (in
Sanskrit meaning surrendering to prayer or
profound meditation or higher soul, Yoga
Sutra I.23, BKS Iyengar, 2010:73). For
him, the journey is the destination and he
can enjoy the beauty of heavenly objects, a
joke, a story, and a crisp conversation in a
moment of crisis. Kowalskis gift to Dr.
Stone is not just her life, but also his yogic
approach, which she carries in her heart as
a legacy. Their understated yet deeply
moving relationship is refreshingly unro-
mantic and spiritually elevated.
Dr. Stone enters ISS alone, having lost
Kowalski, and among the many hurdles
that she crosses, she realises that she can-
not resolve the problem of a fuel-less
engine. Stone resigns herself to being
stranded and shuts down the cabins oxy-
gen supply and the lights. In her semi-con-
scious dream, Kowalski appears to give
Dr. Stone technical tips to propel the cap-
sule, and encourages her to gear herself
for surviving somehow by freeing herself
from her failures in her professional life,
and her losses in her personal life. Stone
shines through after this moment of self-
reflection (svadhyaya), and is able to con-
nect to the courage, calm, and clarity with-
in (balancing sthiram and sukham) to face
her unending challenges. Dr. Stone recalls
the lessons taught by her mentor, and com-
bines them with written manual instruc-
tions in different languages as well as her
own intuition wisdom from insight (pra-
jnabhyam). In other words, this truth-
bearing knowledge and wisdom is distinct
from and beyond the knowledge gleaned
from books, testimony, or inference [...]it
is intuitive knowledge [ which] is inher-
ent in the person but obstructed by a tur-
bulent mind (Yoga Sutra 1.49, BKS
Iyengar, 2010: 95).
Stones voyage highlights the divinity
of the omnipresent Earth, gravitational
force, and human life, which is usually
taken for granted. She touches the surface
of the Earth because of her heightened
sense of responsibility towards her life
when she combines zealous effort (devoted
practice or abhyasa) with objectivity
(detachment or vairagya) [Yoga Sutra
1.12, BKS Iyengar, 2010: 57-60]. The
film ends with her expression of gratitude
for being able to touch the stable surface of
the Earth.
The roller-coaster journey of Dr. Stone
and Kowalski encourages the audience to
revisit and acknowledge their own suffer-
ing, which triggers the process of healing
and growth. Gravity is a familiar story told
in an unfamiliar manner: a cinematic and
spiritual experience that touches deep
within to transform, restore happiness and
health, and to engage with the external
world with renewed faith.
(Courtesy Life Positive)
Sonika Jain highlights the essential teachings of yoga by
correlating it to the film, Gravity, where the protagonist learns the
vital importance of sukham (good space) and sthiram (stability)
George Clooney in the space movie Gravity, which also starred Sandra Bullock.
Community
By Vijay Badhwar
S
wami Damodarananda was
lovingly remembered by
Vedanta family at a special
prayer meeting held at the Vedanta
Centre in Ermington on 27 July.
Swami ji had confided to his close
devotees of his intensions to leave
the worldly body as he went to
Belur Math in West Bengal, India
and on the morning following the
Guru Purnima prayed and meditat-
ed on the banks of the river before
he merged in the Ganga waters in
the early hours of 13 July. He was
95. Swami Atmeshananda, who
especially came from Brisbane to
carry out the ceremonies, said that
was one of the prescribed methods
in the Hindu religion for the spiri-
tually advanced souls to discard the
body once they saw no useful pur-
pose in continuing in the game of
Maya.
One of the Brahamcharis at
Belur Math bid good bye to Swami
Damodarananda in the evening say-
ing that he would see him the next
morning. Swami Damodarananda
replied, he (Brahamchari) would
see him everywhere tomorrow,
Swami Atmeshananda said.
Swami Damodarananda was a
pioneer in spreading the Vedantic
teachings in Fiji and later in
Sydney. He left Australia two and a
half years ago due to his advancing
years. His devotees loved him for
his simplicity and pure love that
poured out of him.
Swami ji was fond of relating
how he had received blessings from
Ramana Maharshi himself at the
Tiruvannamalai Ashram. This gave
direction to the path he found in
life, later joining the Ramakrishna
order under Swami Virajananda.
Uma Srinivasan remembered
Swami ji pouring out with compas-
sion and simplicity. On learning
that I work with computers he
wanted to know if the computer
would find a solution for his stom-
ach problems. When I said, no,
Swami ji, it cannot find solutions,
he simplistically asked: But you
still work with computers.
Amazing, the way he would look at
life, laugh at it, Uma remem-
bered.
Last time Uma met Swami
Damodarananda was in Ulsoor,
near Bangalore. He was pleased to
see her and kept introducing her to
everyone that she had come all the
way from Australia. The chocolates
and some fruit she had taken along,
Swami ji asked her to distribute
among children. There was a long
queue of people waiting for his
darshan, she said.
He said that a big mistake he
had made was to go to his village
after so many years. He had
thought that everyone he knew
would have passed away. But there
were so many who claimed to be
his nieces and nephews and now
they visited him in the Ashram reg-
ularly.
Abhirami Anand remembered
visiting Swami ji in India. He
looked slim and trim, she said.
She and her daughter looked for-
ward - ran - to see him after the
aarti. She fondly reminisced:
When you said to him Hari
Om, he would say, Hurry Home.
When you said I am well, he
would say, Are you in the same
well as I am (he used to be in lot of
pain sometimes).
Prakash Gunalingham remem-
bered Swami Damodarananda as a
happy Swami. When you are
around him, it will make your
whole day, she said.
His attributes she has noted: to
do well whatever you do and to see
positive side of things. Even in
challenges, look at them like oppor-
tunities. Swami Sridharananda said
that Damodarananda ji used to live
in ecstatic joy which, even in a
major catastrophe, wont leave
him. He was an example of how
he saw through the game of Maya -
a sign of a person who is spiritual-
ly advanced, he said.
M
rs Bhanuben Patel came to
Australia in 1968 with her hus-
band and her son and the fami-
ly settled in Sydney. She did an Income
Tax Practice certificate course at TAFE
and took up her career with ITP in the
year 1978 and immediately proved her
competence as she excelled in her posi-
tion as a tax consultant. Soon she became
a senior consultant in the office and
achieved high admiration from her man-
ager and colleagues.
She died peacefully in her sleep on the
morning of July 12, 2014 due to an acute
cardiac arrest episode. We pray for her
soul to rest in peace.
Bhanu is survived by her husband Mr
S K Patel, son Amul Suresh and daugh-
ter Lina.
Mr Patel retired as a teacher of
Mathematics having taught at TAFE and
at NSW high schools. He has written
sought-after Excel Study Guides in Maths
for HSC students.
TRIBUTE
Swami Damodarananda leaves loving memories
Mrs. Bhanu Suresh Patel (1938 2014)
OBITUARY
Devotees of
Swami
Damodarananda
(above) came in
hordes
to get his
blessings before
he left for
India two and
a half years
ago.
Column
By Karam Ramrakha
F
iji goes to polls on September 17
this year. My prediction is that
Frank Bainimarama will receive
cautious acceptance in Fiji.
What is the dramatis personae of the
elections. There is the old Qarase Party,
now known as the Social and Liberal
Democratic Party (Sodelpa). Qarase can-
not stand but he has already attacked
Frank for disbanding the indigenous
Council of Chiefs, an old elite body of
indigenous Chiefs who would rubber-
stamp what the British wanted.
Mahendra Chaudhry, recently convict-
ed of crimes under the Exchange Control
Act and fined $1.2 million, is trying to
have his appeal heard and his conviction
set aside so he could stand. If press
reports are true Sodelpa and Mahendra
Fiji Labour Party has agreed to form a
coalition after the elections.
My own National Federation Party,
twice annihilated in the past two elections,
is making a comeback with some credible
candidates.
Frank has the benefit of incumbency;
the average man in the street has no rea-
son to reject him.
One lady, an expatriate, said, Yes,
he will win but I hope by not too large a
margin. For an Indian: I like what is in
place now; and for an indigenous,
Frank has given every Fijian (indige-
nous) village electric light. He has an
agenda and he should be allowed five
years to finish that.
Meanwhile, I saw Frank draw large
crowds, happy and smiling and people
anxious to shake his hands. His party Fiji
First seems well funded and as one
American politician said, Money is moth-
er's milk in politics.
When a military coup takes place,
there is an immediate hue and cry for the
military to return to the barracks and hand
power back to the people usually in the
form of early elections.
Vorege (Frank) Bainimarama seized
power on 6 December 2006. Laisenia
Qarase, the then Prime Minister, wanted
to turn all shores and the rich Fiji seas to
the indigenous Fijians.
Qarase had won elections on a very
racial agenda: Fiji for the indigenes.
Frank warned Qarase to desist but after
some eight months of waiting he seized
power.
I was one of the Fiji delegates who
met at Marlborough House in April 1970
in London and hammered out a constitu-
tion to give Fiji independence on 10
October 1970. Fiji had been ceded to
Britain on 10 October 1874.
Britain looks at the competing forces
in a country as they did in India in 1947
and while apparently discussing what the
people of the colony want, they keep the
final terms of independence in their own
hands. As Julian Moti, now Dean of the
Faculty of Law in the University of Fiji,
wrote recently, it is ironic that a departing
power on quitting a country should be
asked to set the basis on which the coun-
try should be governed in future.
In London, Britain was anxious to
strike some sort of an agreement between
the three races, Fijian, European and
Indian and to preserve the racial divisions
in Fiji's constitution. All that is in the
past now.
Despite all the excesses of Frank's
coup, its censorship, its stifling of free-
dom of association, I give muted praise to
Frank. Every citizen of Fiji, whether resi-
dent in Fiji or abroad, is entitled to regis-
ter electronically and cast his one vote.
He is given a card and election registra-
tion is universal and in full swing.
The average person in Fiji (like in
Australia) is often not directly impacted
by what happens at the elections. For all
these years they are unconcerned with the
absence of a Parliament. Some heaped
abuse on elected parliamentarians as para-
sites who would come to take their vote,
then not be seen for the next five years
and in the meantime wearing black suits
and driving in big cars.
Come September 17, we will know
the Fiji election results at the end of the
day. Incidentally, on September 20, New
Zealand also goes to the polls. God bless
Fiji and our neighbour across the ditch
New Zealand.
Karam Ramrakha is an ex Fiji M.P.
and practises as a barrister and solicitor
from Putney Chambers, 36 Pellisier Road
Putney 2112. He is a Life Member of the
New South Wales Law Society. Tel : (02)
98082760; mobile 0434 986 123 .
Facsimile (02) 9802 5014. Email: karam-
cramrakha@gmail.com.
O
n a recent Friday, my wife
and I decided to have
lunch at an Indian restau-
rant near our home, one that
offers an all-you-can-eat buffet. I
like their buffet because it's usual-
ly stocked with a variety of food,
mostly South Indian dishes but
also a few North Indian items.
The buffet costs $9.99 for adults
on week days, and I usually make
sure I eat at least $10 worth of
food.
Because we were taking our
three children along, I called the
restaurant to ask about their buffet
price for kids. "$3.99 for chil-
dren," I was told over the phone.
That seemed quite reasonable,
especially since my children aren't
big eaters. It's almost impossible
to get two of them to finish what's
on their plates, unless they're eat-
ing pizza or pasta. They must have
been Italian s in a previous life.
When we arrived at the restau-
rant, the pricing didn't seem so
reasonable any more. A waiter
told us that the $3.99 price applied
only to children aged 7 and under.
Anyone 8 and older had to pay the
adult price.
"How old are your children?"
the waiter asked.
"My son is 7 years and 11
months," I said. "One of my
daughters is 7 years and 38
months, and my other daughter is
7 years and 58 months."
But it didn't work: I couldn't
convince him that my daughters,
aged 10 and 11, should be charged
the children's price. Quite upset
about this, I berated him and
another waiter and anyone else
who looked like they might work
at the restaurant.
They didn't deserve to be
rebuked, of course. After all, they
weren't the ones who set the
prices.
The owner of the restaurant is
whom I should have been lambast-
ing, if only he was around. He
was probably sitting in his office
in the back, tapping the keys of his
calculator, figuring out how many
children would need to eat at the
buffet for him to retire to the
Bahamas.
We promptly left the restau-
rant my wife was rightfully
embarrassed by my outburst and
headed to a nearby Vietnamese
place. It had no buffet, so we
ordered off the menu and didn't
worry about overpaying for our
children.
My older daughter will soon
turn 12 and, whether I like it or
not, we'll be paying adult prices
for her at almost all restaurant
buffets. It's widely believed that
1 2
is the magical age when a child
begins to put away as much food
as an African bush elephant. The
food bill in our household will
practically double in a few years,
when both my daughters hit their
teen years and discover the joy of
eating. The typical teenager's
mouth, as various scientific stud-
ies have shown, is open for more
hours in a day than it's closed. If
teenagers aren't talking, singing,
chewing gum or eating, they're
sleeping with their mouths open.
Some teenagers just walk
around with their mouths wide
open.
As any good scientist will tell
you, this is a natural reaction of
the human body to protein depri-
vation, a way of communicating
this dire need to parents, as well
as potentially catching a flying
insect or two.
It's during the teen years that
children tend to grow the fastest.
One week, your daughter barely
reaches your shoulder; the next
week, she's saying, "Dad! You're
going bald!"
Teenagers need to consume
tons of food to get the calories
they need for their growth spurts.
That's why, when it comes to
charging teens, I can't help but
sympathize with restaurants.
If I were a restaurant owner,
I'd put up signs all over my
restaurant to deal with the issue of
charging teens: "Walk slowly. No
charging to the buffet!"
Unfair to pay adult fare for children
Bainimarama well placed in Fiji elections
Frank Bainimarama has the benefit of
incumbency; the average man in the street
has no reason to reject him.
Mahendra Chaudhry, recently convicted
of crimes under the Exchange Control
Act, is trying to get his conviction set
aside so he could stand.
THE HUMOR OF MELVIN DURAI
Sports
By Ashok Kumar
The Indian Sub-continent Times (IST)
B
raving blisters in her feet, ace
Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal over-
came a defiant Spanish unseeded
and world number 11 Carolina Marin 21-
18, 21-11 to lift the Star Australian
Badminton Open crown and take home
prize money of A$ 56,000.
She said that she was not sure whether
she would be able to play due to blisters
in both her feet but Physio Kiran helped
her back on her feet in time to play the
finals.
"I am thankful to my parents for their
support throughout," said Saina after the
match. Nehwal continued from where she
left off in the semi-final win over top seed
Wang Shixian (China), her athleticism
and attacking abilities wearing Marin
down. The Spaniard did sparkle from
time to time with her deceptive left-hand-
ed shots catching Nehwal off-balance, but
overall it was the Indian who dominated
from start to finish.
Nehwals relentlessness in chasing
down Marins shots broke the Spaniards
spirit in the second game. A warning
from the umpire and a couple of service
faults saw a dip in her focus even as
Nehwal grew in confidence. The 21-18,
21-11 victory took 43 minutes. This was
the Indians first World Super series title
in 20 months, the last being in Denmark,
though in 2014 Saina had won the Indian
Super Series title a few days ago in
Lucknow.
Marin, who, incidentally, beat another
Indian, P V Sindhu, in the quarter-finals
two days ago, was upbeat for the finals
but Sainas relentless smashes were too
much for her to handle. Marin was quick
to open her account and take lead 3-1 and
Saina was quick to establish her superior-
ity and take the first game 21-18 after
some unforced errors that made Marin to
close in the gap.
Marins last encounter with Saina was
in the quarter-finals of Djarum Indonesian
Open which Saina laboured to win 21-16;
21-19 to reach semi-finals.
The opportunity to interview came
after her quarter-final match when she
was sitting among the audience and the
coach Thomas asked me to avail the
opportunity.
IST: The Commonwealth Games
2010 Gold, according to reports, meant
a lot to you, especially after a few hic-
cups before a splendid victory. Your
views on that..
Saina Nehwal: Commonwealth games
are great games after Olympics and Asian
games, so the medal really means a lot.
IST: You have been out of form
going by the various tournaments you
played recently. Any particular reason
for the slump in form?
Saina: Nothing, except that I was not
completely fit to play to the maximum
capabilities, still I did my best to give the
best of my abilities.
IST: After the quarter final win you
expressed great joy that youve been
into semis after a long time.
Saina: I am happy after every win, so
nothing different between the two. I feel
happy after every win.
IST: You have played most of the
top players in the game. Do you plan
your game before the match?
Saina: Planning is very difficult to
make, still we look into the weak angles
of each player and accordingly we play.
IST: In all your tough matches you
tend to go into three games, especially
losing the first one.
Saina: I want to win in two only but
the opponents are so strong that they take
me to the 3rd.
IST: How do you take your defeats?
Saina: I go to practice to do more for
the next game. I believe that hard work
always pays.
IST: People look upon you as a role
model, how do you feel?
Saina: I am happy for the compli-
ment; I do not want to do wrong things in
my life.
In end June, Indias
ace shuttler braved
blisters in her feet
and overcame a
defiant Spanish
unseeded and world
number 11 Carolina
Marin 21-18, 21-11 to
win the crown.
Saina lifts Australian Open crown
Saina Nehwal proudly posing with the Australian Open trophy.
The Kersi Meher-Homji column
O
n 21 July the Indian supporters were
gloating as India beat England in the
second Test at Lords by 95 runs to
lead 1-0 in the Pataudi Trophy. Ten days later
they were moaning and groaning as England
annihilated them in the third Test at
Southampton by 266 runs.
What happened in one week? The hero of
the Lords Test, Ishant Sharma, was injured
and was omitted from the team for the third
Test. Another contributor for the Lords vic-
tory, Ravindra Jadeja, bowled a poor line and
length and dropped captain Alastair Cook
early on in the first innings and he went on to
score 95.
And apart from Ajinkya Rahane other
batsmen were pathetic.
With centuries from Gary Ballance (156)
and Ian Bell (167 enriched with three sixes)
and 85 by debutant wicket-keeper Joss Buttler
(85 with three sixes) England declared at 7 for
569 on an easy-paced pitch.
India started her response poorly with
Virat Kohli failing again and was all out for
330, trailing England by 239 runs. Rather
than enforce the follow-on Cook decided to
bat again and go for runs. England batsmen
attacked with gusto and declared at 4 for 205
at 5 runs an over.
Joe Root played a flamboyant innings of
56 in the second at a strike rate of 136.58.
Set a monumental task of chasing 445 runs
to win, India started poorly losing 4 for 112 at
stumps on day-4, Kohli failing again. The
Test was finished before lunch on the final
day as India lost the last six wickets for 66
runs. The only batsman to show some resist-
ance was Rahane who made a gritty and
unbeaten 52. He had also top-scored for India
in the first innings with 54.
The other batsmen, apart from skipper MS
Dhoni in the first innings, cut sorry figures.
Imagine Moeen Ali, an average off-spinner,
taking 6 for 67 on the final day! The likes of
Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin
Tendulkar and VVS Laxman would have
slaughtered him to smithereens.
I can understand fast bowler and Man of
the Match Jimmy Anderson troubling the
Indian batsmen. But Moeen? And India all out
for 178 on a good pitch? Surely something is
wrong. Mr MS Dhoni, please include
Ravichandran Ashwin in the fourth Test. The
series is locked one-all. All is not lost.
E
nough of depressing news! Let us be
happy recalling the victory in the sec-
ond Test at Lords.
India beat England by 95 runs in the
Lords Test last month to be one up in the
series with three more Tests to go.
The heroes were tall hairy opening
bowler Ishant Sharma and left-hand spinning
all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
What a final day to remember for India!
Usually at the receiving end of short pitched
deliveries, Ishant delivered knockout punch-
es on the final day. He finished England with
a sensational 7 for 74 spell and was the wor-
thy Man of the Match.
It may be added that England contributed
to her fall by some idiotic hooking spree
after Joe Root and Moeen Ali had given
them a solid foundation in the morning ses-
sion of the final day.
The exciting Test was tilting towards
England after lunch on the fourth day when
India lost her opening batsman and anchor
man Murali Vijay for 95. The visitors were
then 7 for 235, only 211 runs ahead and
England had almost ten hours to chase
around 250 for a win.
But the dynamic Jadeja changed the sce-
nario in a hurry. He batted as if it was a T20
match and smashed anything dished out to
him, especially Jimmy Anderson with whom
he had a disagreement in the first Test at
Trent Bridge a week ago.
He went bang-bang smashing 68 off 57
balls with nine spectacular fours. A hit on
the helmet and on his finger did not inhibit
him. He celebrated his 50 with a unique bat
dance.
Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar made 52
off 71 balls with eight fours. He and Jadeja
added 99 runs off 100 balls and now India
had a sniff of victory, only her second at
Lords in 82 years of playing there.
India was all out for 342, setting England
319 runs to win in eight and half hours. It
was a difficult but not an impossible chase.
However, the fired-up Jadeja was not fin-
ished with Cooks men. Soon the home team
was 1 for 18 at tea. And all at sea!
At stumps on day-4 they were 4 down
for 105 still needing 214 to win.
Kumar had taken 6 for 82 in the first
innings. In fact he became the third Indian
bowler after Ladha Amar Singh and Bishan
Bedi to capture 6 wickets in an innings in a
Lords Test. Ishant Sharma was to join him
two days later. Ishant went on to become the
only Indian to grab a seven wicket haul at
Lords.
Kumar has also rescued India from bat-
ting woes in the first two Tests. Coming in
at no.9, he made 58 and added 111for the
last wicket with another quickie Mohammed
Shami (51 not out) in the first innings of the
first Test, 91 for the eighth wicket with
debutant Stuart Binny (78) in the second
innings and 99 with Jadeja in the Lords Test
as described above.
All three partnerships were crucial for
India.
The drawn first Test in Trent Bridge will
be remembered for tenth wicket partner-
ships. To follow in the footsteps of Kumar
and Shami, Joe Root (154 not out) added a
record 198 runs for the last wicket with Man
of the Match Jimmy Anderson (81).
Middle order batsman Ajinkya Rahane
also batted with confidence in the first
innings of the Lords Test.
The poor batting form of Indias star
batsman Virat Kohli is a big problem. In this
series (after the third Test) he has scored 1,
8, 25, a first ball duck, 39 and 28 to make
101 runs at a deplorable average of 16.83.
However, the victory at Lords is a con-
fidence-booster for India prior to their tour
of Australia in a few months.
Three years have changed their outlook.
Winning the Lords Test after being sent in
to bat on a greenish wicket is a big positive
for India. It was her first overseas Test vic-
tory in three years. But a week later India
was brought down to earth in the third Test.
From sublime to disastrous
Magnificent victory
by India at Lords Bravo
Ishant, Jadeja and Vijay
India A wins
Quadrangular
ODI series in
Darwin
T
he two unofficial test series
between India A and Australia
A in Brisbane last month pro-
duced runs galore. Indias wicket-
keeper Naman Ojha averaged an
incredible 430.00 with the bat in the 2-
test series.
Both the tests were high scoring
draws. In the first test, India A
totalled 475 with Naman Ojha scoring
a fluent double century (219 not out)
and skipper Manoj Tiwari 63.
Australia A started shakily, being
six wickets down for 99, but were res-
cued by Mitchell Marsh (211) and Sam
Whiteman (174) who put on 371 for
the seventh wicket and Australia A
amassed 534 to lead by 59 runs.
Medium pacer Jasprit Bumrah took 5
for 132
Naman Ojha shone out again to
make an unbeaten 101. He added 199
for the seventh wicket unbroken part-
nership with Ambati Rayudu (100 not
out) as India totalled 5 for 285 and the
test ended in a tame draw.
The second test was another run-
rich draw. Australia lost 3 for 64 but
went on to plunder 423 as internation-
al players James Faulkner (94) and Ben
Cutting (96) batted fluently. Indias
Test cricketers Uday Yadav (5 for 63)
and Amit Mishra (4 for 142) were the
only successful bowlers.
India A took a 78 run lead with
Naman Ojha scoring his third century
in three innings.
Australia A openers Alex Doolan
and Test batsman Phillip Hughes hit
unbeaten hundreds as they made 202
without loss. Another run marathon,
another draw!
In a series dominated by batsmen,
wicket-keeper Naman Ojha scored 219
not out, 101 not out and 110 to total
430 runs at an incredible batting aver-
age of 430.00. Move over, Sir Donald
Bradman!
I know, I know. This is a hyper-
bole. But Naman (no relation to Test
spinner Pragyan Ojha) has been called
to England because wicket-keeper
Wriddhiman Saha is injured and has
flown back to India.
Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Murali Vijay
Naman Ojha
The Kersi Meher-Homji Column
The Anderson-Jadeja spat was
much ado about nothing
India A wins Quadrangular
ODI series in Darwin
T
hese days no international series
be it a Test, a one-dayer or a
Twenty20 is complete without a
controversy. So childish; he pushed me;
no, he pushed me first type of kinder-
garten skirmishes.
Grow up, I say, and play the game.
The latest was between Indias all-
rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Englands
fast bowler James Anderson. At first
Jadeja was fined 50 per cent of his match
fees after being found guilty of a Level 1
breach of the ICC Code of Conduct fol-
lowing an incident with Anderson during
the first Investec Test at Trent Bridge last
month.
The BCCI, in a release, said it was
not satisfied with the verdict and said it
reserved its right to appeal against the
sentence.
However, at the hearing in
Southampton, England, headed by judicial
commissioner Gordon Lewis on August 1,
both Anderson and Jadeja were found not
guilty of breaching the ICC Code of
Conduct during their alleged altercation at
Trent Bridge in early July.
After a day of hearing evidence and
submissions from both sides it was said
the verdict could take up to 48 hours to be
delivered but in the end commissioner
Lewis, who had joined via Skype from
Australia, needed a matter of minutes to
come to his decision.
Anderson will now be available for the
final two Tests of the series, which is
level at 1-1, including his home match at
Old Trafford. If Anderson had been guilty
he would have faced a ban of at least two
Tests.
"The Judicial Commissioner reached
his decisions following a six-hour hearing,
which took place via videoconference,"
the ICC said. "Witnesses, including some
Indian and English players, provided evi-
dence and were cross-examined by the
respective legal counsels."
There was no official reaction from
the ECB or BCCI the evening of the hear-
ing but Anderson's county, Lancashire,
was relieved to know their hometown star
would be available to play for his county.
I am sure BCCI will protest strongly for
the leniency shown towards Anderson.
The plot thickens.
Jadeja was alleged to have turned
towards Anderson in a threatening manner
and had originally been found guilty by
match referee David Boon at a previous
hearing and fined 50 percent of his match
fee. After applying legal pressure India
was allowed to lodge an appeal, which
was heard on August 1, and Jadeja was
also found not guilty.
The ECB and Anderson were repre-
sented in the hearings by Nick De Marco
while Adam Lewis QC represented
Jadeja. The hearings were also attended
by the two team managers, the ECB's
managing director Paul Downton, the
BCCI's Sundar Raman and MV Sridhar,
the ICC's General Manager - Cricket,
Geoff Allardice, and the ICC's Ethics and
Regulatory lawyer, Sally Clark.
Now that it is all settled, let us investi-
gate as to what actually happened during
the first Test at Trent Bridge in mid-July?
According to ESPNcricinfo Englands
wicket-keeper Matt Prior contended
Jadeja's bat was raised dangerously when
he turned towards Anderson, and Stokes
suggested Jadeja had pushed Anderson
first. India claimed Jadeja neither touched
nor swore at anyone.
According to Cricinfo, There is
another narrow passage inside the pavil-
ion, which both teams have to take before
parting ways to their dressing rooms, and
the incident happened there as opposed to
the popular view that it happened in the
staircase.
Sources claim England's case at the
hearing centred on Jadeja allegedly insti-
gating Anderson by turning around. India
claimed Jadeja only turned around after he
was allegedly sworn at once again. Dhoni
specifically said in the press conference
before the third Test that Jadeja's bat had
stayed tucked under his arm all through.
The stewards present claim not to have
seen the push and India were unhappy
about the security cameras not working on
that day.
As the verdict indicated it was much
ado about practically nothing.
I
n a tense finish India A defeated
Australia A in the final of the
Quadrangular series by four wickets
with eight balls remaining.
Earlier India A had beaten South Africa
A and National Performance Squad in
Darwin to enter the final on August 2.
The final was a thriller as 45 runs were
needed in 34 balls for a victory and India
A reached the target in 26 balls thanks to a
93 run partnership off 75 balls between
Rishi Dhawan (56 not out) and Akshar
Patel (45 not out) for the unbroken seventh
wicket partnership.
It appeared Australia A would win easi-
ly as their Test openers Cameron White
(137) and Phillip Hughes (51) added 146
runs for the first wicket and a total of over
300 appeared possible.
But Dhawal Kulkarni bowled with con-
trol to take 3 for 51 and the home team
was restricted to 5 for 274 in 50 overs.
India A started badly losing 3 wickets
for 51 before Manoj Tiwari (50) and Kedar
Jadhav (78) added 82 for the fourth wicket.
Still the going was slow with Ben Cutting
bowling with fire till Dhawan and Patel got
together and India won by four wickets.
It was India As sixth successive win
on the tour. The victory is creditable for
the young Indians as the Australia A team
included Test players White, Hughes, Pat
Cummins, Clint McKay, Alex Doolan and
Moises Henriques, and others who had rep-
resented Australia in one-dayers.
On the other hand India did not have a
single Test player although skipper Robin
Uthappa, Manoj Tiwari and Mohit Sharma
have represented India in ODIs.
India A team in Darwin
I
dont want to make any excuses
for Indias big defeat in the third
Test but umpiring decisions mostly
went against them. Both the umpires
in this Test, Rod Tucker from
Australia and Marais Erasmus from
South Africa, are honest and efficient.
But they are human and capable of
making mistakes.
Gary Ballance was caught when he
was on 10 and ended up scoring 156.
Also Ian Bell and Joss Buttler were
given not out when appeared to be
out. I must add that England also
received some poor decisions.
DRS (Decision Review System) is not
fool-proof but can rule out howlers.
Why BCCI (Board of Control for
Cricket in India) is against DRS is
beyond me.
A rethink is necessary.
BCCI,
please
reconsider
your DRS
rejection
Sports
Glasgow: If you take away 2010 New Delhi,
the benchmark for India at the
Commonwealth Games has been 2002
Manchester when they crossed the 50-medal
mark for the first time by ending up with 69
medals, 30 of them gold.
Before the Indians left for Glasgow, the
expectations were pegged at somewhere
between Manchester tally and 2006
Melbourne where they touched exactly 50.
So, 64 should be taken as a reasonably happy
figure, considering the turmoil the Indian
Olympic Association (IOA) has gone through
over the last four years.
To be fair to the national sports federa-
tions, they have been going through their rou-
tine with the government lending more than a
helping hand. They make all the plans for
training, competition and international expo-
sure. They scout around the world to get the
best of coaches.
Unfortunately, no one seems to take seri-
ously the 101 medals and the second position
India achieved at home in 2010. The refrain
is: "What's so big doing it in your backyard."
That's uncharitable. See how Scotland per-
formed at home to finish fourth behind
England, for whom also Glasgow is home,
behind Australia and Canada and a rung
above India.
India could have easily added a few more
medals if only archery and tennis had not
been dropped from the Games and also some
sure medals from wrestling and shooting
events.
Archery and tennis accounted for 12
medals in New Delhi. In shooting 18 events
have been dropped, including pairs event, that
meant 14 medals which India won in 2010 are
gone straightaway.
In Greco-Roman wrestling, India had won
eight medals. The shooters were not the same
confident lot they were in Delhi, though they
still logged in 17 medals, 13 less than what
they achieved at home.
Yet, Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt
made sure that Indian wrestling continues to
be on the upswing and, in all, five gold and
six silver and two bronze were surely impres-
sive. Vinesh Phogat and Babita Kumari
brought in a pair of gold from the women's
section.
The last day for India at Glasgow was a
replication of what happened in 2010. If Saina
Nehwal won the women's singles badminton
gold, her Hyderabad-mate Parupalli Kashyap
pulled off the men's singles final. It was a
great achievement for him as he won a singles
gold for India 32 years after the great Syed
Modi won it in 1982 in Brisbane.
If only P.V. Sindhu had not choked in her
semi-finals, India could have added another
medal just as R.M.V. Gurusaidatt who after
beating top seed Chong Wei Feng in the quar-
ter-finals lost his semis against Malaysian
Derek Wong over three games.
Like Kashyap, discus thrower Vikas
Gowda was another great athlete brought into
focus when he won an athletics Gold after 56
years when Milkha Singh won the 440 yards
at Cardiff in 1958. It is a different matter that
the "Flying Sikh"
narrowly missed
winning bronze at
the 1960 Rome
Olympics.
There was also
a flush of medals
from weightlifting.
The lifters won 12
medals that includ-
ed three gold, four
silver and five
bronze.
If India lost the
hockey final to
Australia four years
ago by a confi-
dence-shattering 0-
8 swamp, this time
they reduced the margin to half, 0-4, but still
could not score a goal. In the group game they
at least struck twice.
Abhinav Bindra has shown that he is not
for nothing among the world's best by win-
ning his 10m air rifle gold, his first at the
quadrennial event. He had his ups and downs
after the Beijing Olympic gold, but he showed
his mettle.
The boxers performed remarkably well to
make four finals but none could land gold and
that was a big disappointment, particularly the
loss of Vijender Singh who came back to
international competitions working hard.
Spare a thought for all those officials who
perform a full-time job in conducting age-
group national championships, spot talent and
help them come up. They never get the cred-
it, they are only picked for wrong reasons like
the corruption charges against the same offi-
cials who have also worked over the years to
bring Indian sport to where it is.
Before someone pipes up to say the Indian
sport has done well despite officials, there are
officials and officials. There have been men
who worked 24X7 going through the paper
work impeccably and made sure India had a
say at international forums, particularly at the
continental level.
The officials include some of those
charge-sheeted for their alleged misdeeds in
the run-up to the New Delhi Games. Don't
forget, there was nothing wrong with the con-
duct of the Games and the performances of
athletes. It was an exceptional showing.
The contribution of some of the officials
cannot be discounted even if the government
had opened up its purse strings for the train-
ing of the athletes. The athletes in private
praise their federation officials, but the
moment they face the camera they take the
fashionable route of running them down!
Commonwealth Games 2014
India should be happy with
Glasgow returns
CWG: Charges against Indian officials
dropped due to lack of evidence
Glasgow: IOA secretary general Rajeev
Mehta and wrestling referee Virender
Malik, who were arrested for different rea-
sons, were on Monday released after
charges against them were dropped for lack
of evidence, putting an end to their
unsavoury ordeal.
The charges against both the Indian offi-
cials were dropped and the matter did not
come up for hearing at the Sheriff's Court,
according to an Indian high commission offi-
cial. The decision to let off the two officials
came as huge relief for the Indian contin-
gent, which had to face a lot of embarrass-
ment on the last day of the 20th
Commonwealth Games because of the devel-
opment.
While Mehta was arrested for alleged
drunken driving, Malik, who is not a part of
the official contingent, was facing a more
serious charge of alleged sexual assault.
The duo was, however, not staying with
the official 215-strong contingent which was
putting up at the Games village. Both
of them were reportedly lodged at a local
hotel.
Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt made sure that Indian wrestling continues to be on
the upswing and, in all, five gold and six silver and two bronze were surely impressive.
Parupalli Kashyap badminton singles
gold came for India 32 years after the
great Syed Modi won it in 1982 in
Brisbane.
Discus thrower Vikas Gowda, based in
the US, won an athletics gold after 56
years when Milkha Singh won the 440
yards at Cardiff in 1958.
Abhinav Bindra proved that he is among
the world's best by winning his 10m air
rifle gold, his first at the quadrennial
event.
India ended at 5th position

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