Indian Down Under E Paper Jan - Feb 2012

The Indian Down Under PO Box 99 Thornleigh NSW 2120 Ph (02) 9875 2713 Fax (02) 9980 6349
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VOL 24 No. 4
Print Post Publication No. 23572300014
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January - February 2012
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New era in Indo-Oz ties
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
9: Rekha Bhattaharjee interviews
Prime Minister Julia Gillard
15: Neeru Saluja talks to Kiran Bedi
20: Interview with Tara Winkler -
Young Australian of the year 2011
32: HSC - Hard work with a bit of
fun!
56: Kersi Meher-Homji covers
Indian cricket in Australia
January - February 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 03
04 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER January - February 2012
Editor's Letter
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
Body-Mind-Spirit: Dr Sunder Das, Kanaka
Ramakrishna, Faith Harper, T Selva, Dilip Mahanty
Sport: Kersi Meher-Homji, Dilip Mahanty
Fiji Diary: Karam Ramrakha
Cookery: Promila Gupta
Children Section: Esther Chudhary-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
Community: Neena Badhwar, Kersi Meher-Homji,
Vijay Badhwar, Sumi Krishnan, Neeru Saluja, Savitha
Narayan
Photographers: Neelesh Kale, Raj Suri and Jordan
Anjaiya
Graphic Design: Nayanesh Gandhi, Dinesh Verma,
(Bhagwati Multimedia) Bharat Bhushan Chopra
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A
s the New Year dawns on us, it
brings with it new hopes and
aspirations, new challenges for
the life to move forward, and experi-
ences from times past some good and
others not so, to reflect on pleasant
memories and also to learn from them
and become wiser.
The New Year is also a beginning
when we all feel charged up, having
relaxed during the break and travelled to
far off places to meet friends and rela-
tives, which is especially true for the
Indian community.
The new beginning particularly
applies to the student community - some
of our HSC students who will have their
careers chalked out with the university
courses they select, a new start as they
enter into an age that carries more matu-
rity and responsibility. As always, they
have done well, ranks above as a com-
munity, which is a matter of pride for
all of us.
Some of the students TIDU inter-
viewed Jaya Punjabi who was ranked
99.65 ATAR, Tanya Mokha 99.45 and
Anita Gupta 99.3 have done the Indian
community proud while there are others
who have done even better. These stu-
dents have been all rounders, exception-
al in whatever fields they have chosen
besides studies a netball captain,
school dux and even a Bollywood
dancer. One of the students took up
Tabla playing as a subject and he topped
in that, such is the variety available
now-a-days in studies. Some of the stu-
dents will be budding doctors, engineers
or business leaders and will be torch
bearers for the community. We wish
them all the success.
On Indo-Australian bilateral front
there is good news that Australia has
lifted its ban on uranium exports to
India. It is a significant step forward as
the ban made no sense applied to the
largest democracy in the world which is
in dire need of energy. The uranium
sales also mark a policy shift favouring
India, no doubt at the behest of US who
is concerned about the spread of Chinese
influence in Asia, Africa, the Middle
East and the Pacific and is garnering
support among its friends to counter the
strategic shift.
I
n India, the Lokpal Bill is held in
suspension, but thankfully is marked
as an election plank in the state elec-
tions in Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa,
Punjab and Uttar Pradesh where, in the
past, results were heavily influenced by
communal/caste-based issues. It is high
time that eradication of corruption
comes to the fore, an issue that has infil-
trated all sections of the society and
white-anted the economy. It is under-
mining the progress India is really capa-
ble of.
Anna Hazare has announced a plan
to tour the five states scheduled to go to
polls starting end January although there
does not seem to be much choice
between Mayawati and Mulayam Singh
in Uttar Pradesh, and Badal father-son
duo vis--vis Captain Amarinder Singh
in Punjab. This will nevertheless be a
test for the Congress-led government at
the Centre, which is seen to have
derailed the Lok Pal bill, whether there
will be a backlash against it in the 2014
national elections.
The corruption in India is wide-
spread and interwoven in its fabric so
much so that the public has become qui-
escent to its presence; they are ever
ready to jump the queue with utter indif-
ference towards the system. Now that
they have the opportunity to elect only
those who have the wherewithal to make
a difference, will they exercise their
wont? It is yet to be seen.
The 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Diva this
time was held in the Pink City in early
January, where Trinidad and Tobago
Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar
was the chief guest as well as a recipient
of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award,
one of the 14 overseas Indians honored.
In cricket, the touring Indian team
has been beaten fair and square by a
team which has raised themselves from
the ashes and applied themselves with
exemplary dedication. Thats been the
difference.
Indo-Australian relations get a fresh start
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar was conferred the
Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award by the Indian President Pratibha Patil at the vale-
dictory session of the 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Jaipur.
Comment
Last year, in 2011, a number
of very prominent and talented
people passed away, among them
from Assam, singer composer Dr
Bhupen Hazarika and writer Dr
Indira Goswami who passed
away in November. Artist M F
Hussain, actors Shammi Kapoor
and Dev Anand and Ghazal King
Jagjit Singh all left for heavenly
abode in a matter of last few
months. True, we must accept
death as the supreme end of life
on earth.
Bhupen
Hazarika
D
r Bhupen Hazarika was
among the greatest cul-
tural icons of this genera-
tion - poet, musician,
lyricist, film director, thespi-
an artiste, winner of the Dada
Saheb Phalke Award in 1993 and
Padma Bhushan 2001 a multi-
faceted genius. He not only reju-
venated Assamese culture but
also showcased it to the world.
Bhupenda was one of the few
artists who could bridge the gen-
erational gap. The hundreds of
thousands of mourners, including
Bollywood stars and politicians,
that turned out to pay their last
respects for the cremation of one
of Indias most famous folk
singers, testify the love and rev-
erence which the Assamese soci-
ety had for Hazarika.
Bhupenda, with PhD in Mass
Communication from Columbia
University US, was international-
ly known as the Bard of
Brahmaputra a self pro-
claimed Wanderer - a citizen of
the world who took the rich folk
heritage of Assam and interpret-
ed it beautifully for the world
through his songs weaving
magic through songs like Dill
Hoom Hoom Kare and O
Ganga Behti Ho there is no
one his equal to be a poet, music
composer, actor, journalist,
author and film maker. He sang
and wrote in many languages in
addition to Assamese.
The famous painter MF
Husain complimented Bhupenda:
You paint through your songs
but I cant sing with my paint
brush. It is up to you to fill this
lacuna in my artistry. Thats why
Ive taken you to score for my
film Gajagamani.
His famous Hindi Films
include Kalpana Lajmis
Rudali, Ek Pal, Damiyaan,
Daman, Kyon, Papiha, Saaz, Mil
Gaye Menzil, Gajagamini. His
last song was from Gandhi to
Hitler where he sang Gandhijis
favourite Vaishnava Janetu.
Bhupenda not only introduced
the sweetness of Assamese folk
music to the nation, but also
raised his voice through his songs
against injustice and inequalities
meted out to the weak.
Javed Akhtar gave a fitting
tribute: in Dr Bhupen
Hazarikas death, Assam has
lost its greatest musical and cul-
tural legend. His contribution to
film and music was immense. He
gave Indians traditional folk
music from the North East. From
love to ballads Dr Hazarikas
contributions to music are some
of the greatest ever. He also
worked for the cultural growth of
Assam, promoted national inte-
gration, peace and unity through
his music.
We will not get another
Bhupen Hazarika in Assam.
Two revered icons from Assam pass away
Bhupen Hazarika
The Third Eye by Rekha Bhattacharjee
You wont get another musical genius like Bhupen Hazarika and
writer like Indira Goswami.
Dr Indira Goswami
T
he tragedy befalling Assam in the
same month was losing our
beloved Mamoni baideu a writer,
scholar and a humanist.
The memory is as clear as if it had been
yesterday instead of April 2010.
Dr Indira Raisom Goswami (14th Nov
1942 29th Nov 2011), Mamoni baideu
(big sister), had attended my fathers 50th
death anniversary I had organized in
Assam in April 2010. She had come with
her brother and sister, looking lovely and
happy.
Mamoni baideu was an extraordinary
human being, described by noted writer
Amrita Pritam as a rare soul. Her
humility endeared her to all.
The Prime Minister of India had been
her colleague. Dr Manmohan Singh con-
doled the passing away of an acclaimed
Assamese litterateur Indira Goswami,
describing her as one of the most influen-
tial writers. Her literary work earned her
many awards from her state, nationally
and internationally.
The PM said, Indira Goswami played
an important role in bringing peace to the
State of Assam by promoting discussion
and reconciliation among parties. Smt
Goswamis death will be mourned widely
across our country by the admirers of her
literary and social work.
Born in 1942, Goswami published her
first collection of short stories as a Class
VII student. At 20 years of age she pub-
lished her first collection of short stories.
She served as a professor of Modern
Indian Languages in the University of
Delhi with distinction.
From her own writing in her
Unfinished Autobiography, we come to
know she suffered depression and made
repeated attempts at suicide. The most
difficult period of her life was perhaps
after the tragic demise of her husband
Madhavan Raisom Ayengar in a car acci-
dent in Kashmir only eighteen months
after their marriage.
After a brief stint in teaching she left
for Vrindavan to pursue search for peace
of mind. Her novel The Pages Stained in
Blood and The Moth Eaten Howdah of
a Tusker was written during this period.
Her novel The Blue Necked Braja nar-
rates the plight of young widows for
whom companionship beyond the confines
of their ashrams and fellow widows
became impossible.
The novel is regarded as a Classic in
Modern Indian Literature.
Her books have been translated into
English and many Indian Languages. An
expert in Ramayana Studies, Goswami
was also a recipient of Sahitya Akademi
Award in 1988, the Bharat Nirman
Award in 1989 and many more over the
years. Her treatise Ramayan Ganga to
Brahmaputra, bagged the International
Tulsi Award from the Florida
International University. This was fol-
lowed by the National Jnanpith Award in
India from the hands of Nobel Laureate
Sir V.S. Naipaul. An ardent admirer of
Naipaul, she felt that he was a kindred
spirit as he too highlighted the plight of
the downtrodden sections of society in his
works. Mamoni baideus writings were
poignant portrayal of constant struggle to
overcome pain and suffering of both self
and others, although brought up in a com-
fortably well off Brahmin family.
Her fiction touched a chord for many
readers; her non-fiction works, so well
researched, added to the treasure house of
literature and will travel through time. A
writer like her cannot be forgotten, a
vibrant naturally gifted woman.
On her passing away, the Government
of Assam declared three days of state
mourning.
May she rest in eternal peace.
Indira Goswami
India and Australia have a bright future ahead: Julia Gillard
By Rekha Bhattacharjee
I
f there is one individual who
can seek some gratification for
getting credit for changing
Labor policy on uranium exports
to India, it has to be Australian
Prime Minister Julia Gillard. She
understands the increasing impor-
tance of India not only for the
Australian economy but also for
the strategic alliance to maintain
peace in the Indo-Pacific region.
TIDU: First, I must congratu-
late you for removing a major
roadblock in the way of bilateral
ties with India by getting Labour
uranium export policy to India
changed. What prompted you to
make such a significant change
in the Labor policy platform?
PM Julia Gillard: Australia
and India have strong and deep
ties from trade and investment to
education and science. We also
share significant people-to-people
links that underscore the closeness
and warmth of our relations. Yet,
despite these links, in one impor-
tant regard we had treated India
differently in relation to selling
uranium for peaceful purposes. I
believed it was time for the Labor
Party to modernise its platform
and enable us to strengthen our
connection with dynamic, demo-
cratic India by changing the poli-
cy.
TIDU: How difficult was it to
persuade some of your own fel-
low Labor Party members to toe
the line?
PM: There was a genuine,
passionate debate around the issue
- exactly what there should be at
National Conference and thats a
good thing. There should be a
debate on ideas that are the sub-
ject of interest, concern and dif-
fering views within the communi-
ty and consequently within our
political party.
TIDU: As far as we are
aware, Australia under your lead-
ership has agreed to export ura-
nium to India because of the
macro economic reasons and not
for lobbying by some individuals
as it is being claimed among the
Indo-Australian community. Is
this a fair statement?
PM: Not selling uranium to
India made sense when it was part
of a widely-supported internation-
al strategy to bring India into the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
But the US-India civil nuclear
agreement of 2007 changed that
strategy. Against that background,
it made little sense for Australia to
stand alone as a country that will
not consider nuclear trade with
India.
TIDU: With two of the most
chafing bilateral issues - assaults
on Indian students and uranium
exports - out of the way, there
seems to be realignment in the
region, favouring India. Any
comments?
PM: India is a good friend of
Australia and an important and
valued member of the community
of nations. The breadth and poten-
tial of our relationship is enor-
mous as we continue to strengthen
our ties. Together, we have a
bright future ahead in this Asian
Century.
TIDU: With Australia firmly
committed to export uranium to
India in the near future, how
does Australia maintain the bal-
ance with China, and especially
with Pakistan who's clamouring
for a similar exchange?"
PM: This policy is an excep-
tion which recognises the com-
pelling rationale and national
interest for a change in relation to
India only. In the case of
Pakistan, the issue does not arise
as it does not have an exemption
from the Nuclear Suppliers
Group.
Julia Gillard Rise of an Australian Iron Lady
By Rekha Bhattacharjee
I'm extraordinarily patient
provided I get my own way in the
end.
-- Margaret Thatcher
W
ith Maryl Streep giving
another Oscar-worthy
performance, the Iron
Lady Margaret Thatcher is back
once again at the centre of many
intellectual conversations in the
Australian living rooms. As if
some divinity had preordained, the
release of the much-acclaimed
Hollywood diva starrer has coin-
cided with some propitious signs
of the rise of Australias own Iron
Lady Julia Gillard.
But while Margaret Thatcher
may have enjoyed the luxury of
pushing through some tough
reforms, thanks to the numbers in
the British House of Commons,
Julia Gillard has been struggling
with every piece of legislation due
to the minority nature of her gov-
ernment.
After being on the receiving
end for most of the year, the last
quarter of 2011 yielded some
pleasing outcomes for the
Australian Prime Minister.
From the Indo-Australia com-
munity perspective, the most grati-
fying of all these outcomes was
when Julia Gillard managed to get
the consent of her Labor col-
leagues to change the party line on
uranium exports to India.
Julia Gillard and her team
were also lauded for keeping the
Australian economy, unlike her
US and some European counter-
parts, in good health. Passing of
carbon and revamped mining tax
legislations, in spite of the minori-
ty status of the Labor government,
would have required political acu-
men which her predecessor Kevin
Rudd probably lacked.
As accolades flew thick and
fast Julia Gillards way, many
political pundits could not resist
the temptation to compare her with
the former Conservative PM of the
United Kingdom Margaret
Thatcher who was also known as
the Iron Lady.
The validity of this comparison
is borne out by the functioning
styles of the two Prime Ministers
from the opposite ends of the ideo-
logical spectrum.
Of course, Julia Gillard would
have needed nerves of an iron
lady, and Machiavellian chutzpah,
to get no less than 250 pieces of
legislation without suffering a
defeat on any of those.
The last quarter of the year
2011 also saw Julia Gillard play-
ing gracious host to two of worlds
most powerful persons, US
President Barack Obama and
Queen Elizabeth II of Great
Britain.
While charming the above-
named dignitaries, Julia Gillard
also managed to pull off a difficult
Cabinet reshuffle and in spite of
low numbers, her position as the
head of the Labor government in
troubled times is not looking too
shaky.
The Labor hardships are far
from over with a number of prom-
ises made to the Greens and
Independents to get their support
continue to undermine Julia
Gillards government.
While Julia Gillard had to eat
her words and renege over Carbon
Tax, Independent MP from
Tasmania Andrew Wilkie has once
again put the Labor Government
on tenterhooks.
While many political pundits
would describe the Tasmanian par-
liamentarian as only indulging in a
face-saving exercise, the episode
has once again exposed the fragili-
ty of the Julia Gillard government.
Coming back to Julia Gillards
pragmatic and typically resolute
decision to lift ban on uranium
exports to India is one significant
step which is already being hailed
for heralding a new era in the ties
between the two, as described by
Lowy Institutes Rory Medcalf,
Indo-Pacific countries.
It would not be inappropriate
to say that the bilateral relations
between India and Australia were
never this good. The burgeoning
bonhomie between two former
British colonies has been set on
the right course by the long-await-
ed nod to the uranium exports to
India. With bellicose Harbhajan
Singh excluded from the Indian
cricket team currently getting pul-
verised Down Under, there is
hardly anything which can go
wrong in the relationship at least
in the short term.
What many political observers
see behind Canberra making a
serious, unprecedented effort to
have stable program of engage-
ment with India is Julia Gillards
visionary leadership.
Sale of uranium to India will
be good for Australian economy
and good for jobs, Gillard told
reporters after the motion to lift
the uranium export ban to India
was carried through in the Labor
National Conference last month.
It will be a way we can take a
step forward in our relations with
India; we have a good relationship
with India. It is the largest democ-
racy in the world, a stable democ-
racy, Prime Minister told the
media. With China increasingly
looking overbearing trading part-
ner in many respects, Julia Gillard
is not alone in looking at India as
an answer to many of the
Australian quandaries.
India will be central to almost
every issue of consequence to
Australia in the 21st century: man-
aging Chinese power, maintaining
US strategic engagement, dealing
with Islamist terrorism, the future
of Afghanistan and of Pakistan, re-
balancing the global economy, the
issue of global warming and the
environment, universalising demo-
cratic norms, and a host of oth-
ers, Greg Sheridan, Foreign
Editor of The Australian wrote in
his column recently.
Greg Sheridan has also given
credit to Julia Gillard led Labor of
not only removing the hypocritical
ban of uranium sale to India but
also creating a critical and
invaluable momentum in this rela-
tionship and it offers great oppor-
tunity
Julia Gillard with her Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh. Prime Minister Julia Gillard with US President Barack Obama
The Third Eye by Rekha Bhattacharjee
Analysis
Rekha Bhattacharjee interviews Julia
Gillard for The Indian Down Under
about various current issues, including
uranium sale to India.
India
India to invest $35 billion to stimulate economy
New Delhi: India is to launch a $35bn
wave of public sector investment to
reverse a decline in the fast-growing econ-
omys growth rate and return it closer to
double digits, according to the prime min-
isters office.
The emergency stimulus measures are
a strong response to widespread criticism
of policy paralysis in New Delhi and a
dramatic fall in economic growth to 7 per
cent from an earlier 9 per cent.
The Manmohan Singh government has
ordered 17 state-owned companies to use
reserves money to invest in a mix of infra-
structure projects and overseas energy
purchases, reported Financial Times in an
exclusive.
They are sitting on piles of cash,
said one official of the urgent need to trig-
ger a mobilization of currently inactive
resources to boost confidence in the econ-
omy, and promote Indias energy security.
The move also strives to prompt pri-
vate-sector companies which have
expressed reservations about investing in
the domestic market to follow suit. But
some observers have criticized the move
as a throwback to the old formula of the
1970s when Mrs Indira Gandhi used pub-
lic infrastructure spending to boost
growth.
Indias top policymakers are worried
about the economys loss of momentum,
and ebbing business confidence after a dis-
mal year characterized by political bicker-
ing, high profile corruption scandals and
an exit of foreign capital.
Companies such as the ONGC, Coal
India and the National Mineral
Development Corporation, have signed
agreements to spend as much as $35bn of
their cash or bank balances over the fiscal
year starting in April to expand their oper-
ations.
The sum is almost twice the $19bn for-
eign direct investment into India in 2011.
Among the proposed measures, Coal
India, which had a successful initial public
offering last year has been asked to
actively consider investment in allied
sectors such as road, railways, waterways
and power to improve the transport of
coal.
Fast-tracked investments, mainly in the
coal and oil sectors, will be monitored
quarterly by the prime ministers office to
prevent backsliding.
Of the total, Rs400bn ($7bn) has been
identified for investments overseas to buy
assets like coal, gas and oil. ONGC has
undertaken to spend Rs205bn in foreign
investment in the coming fiscal year; Coal
India has agreed to Rs60bn.
The move by the Singh administration
also reflects Indias determination to push
for higher growth in spite of uncertainty
surrounding the global economic recovery
and renewed anxiety about the perform-
ance of Eurozone economies.
17 state-owned companies such as ONGC
and Coal India to use reserves to invest in
infrastructure projects and overseas
energy purchases.
Riveting battles for the
ballot in 5 Indian states
New Delhi: Amid souring relations
between Islamabad and Kabul, India
and Afghanistan signed a defining pact
Oct 4 here to forge an all-embracing
strategic partnership that will entail an
annual security dialogue and expanded
cooperation to combat terror emanating
from Pakistan.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
and Afghan President Hamid Karzai,
who was in India on a two-day visit,
held "detailed and frank discussions on
terrorism", officials said.
Afghanistan shared its findings with
India on the complicity of Pakistani spy
agency ISI in recent terror attacks in
Afghanistan, including the assassination
of former president Burhanuddin
Rabbani, Karzais chief interlocutor
with the Taliban.
In a move that is set to annoy
Islamabad, India formally expressed its
intention to "assist, as mutually deter-
mined, in the training, equipping and
capacity building programs for Afghan
National Security Forces".
However, Indian officials said this
was part of the continuing training pro-
gram.
Signaling their resolve to partner in
peace and development, Manmohan
Singh and Karzai inked a strategic part-
nership agreement that seeks to incre-
mentally accelerate their ties across a
broad spectrum of areas.
The pact envisages an annual secu-
rity dialogue between the national secu-
rity advisers that will focus on a joint
fight against international terrorism,
organized crime, and illegal trafficking
in narcotics. The pact outlines annual
summits and meetings between foreign
ministers. "India will stand by the
people of Afghanistan as they prepare
to assume the responsibility for their
governance and security after the with-
drawal of international forces in 2014,"
Manmohan Singh said.
In a clear reference to Pakistan,
Karzai said Afghanistan "recognizes
the danger this region is facing through
terrorism and radicalism that (are)
being used an instrument of state policy
against civilians and innocents of our
countries".
The strategic partnership pact
envisages the setting up of a
Partnership Council, headed by their
foreign ministers, which will be the
nodal body for coordinating the strate-
gic partnership.
Neither Manmohan Singh nor
Karzai mentioned Pakistan by name,
but made implicit references to
Islamabad while talking about the need
to defeat "outside interference".
"Terrorism threatens our entire
region, and no country can remain
immune to its lethal effects," said
Manmohan Singh, adding that the peo-
ple of Afghanistan "deserve to live in
peace and decide their future them-
selves, without outside interference,
coercion and intimidation."
The Election Commission has ordered
Mayawatis ubiquitous statues covered in
the run up to election in Uttar Pradesh.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has indicated that
she is ready to play a bigger role in the
Congress party provided party general
secretary Rahul Gandhi gives the nod.
PBD 2012: a catalyst for
30 million Indian diaspora
Jaipur/New Delhi: The 10th edition of
the annual diaspora meet 'Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas 2012' saw the highest
participation this year. Over 2,000 dele-
gates from 59 countries participated at
the three-day event in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
"This PBD also signals, a paradigm
shift in the level, the range and the pace
of our engagement.
It is our conviction that the vast
majority of overseas Indians have the
ability and the willingness to partner in
and benefit from India's march towards
progress and prosperity," said Union
Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs
Vayalar Ravi.
The highlight of the three-day annual
congregation, that kicked off in the Pink
City on January 7, was fulfilling a long-
standing demand of the diaspora on vot-
ing rights.
India said it would allow NRIs to
vote and participate in the election
process. "Pursuant to the law that was
enacted to enable Non-resident Indians to
vote in our national elections, the govern-
ment has issued notifications for registra-
tion of overseas electors under the
Representation of People Act, 1950,"
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
announced while inaugurating the event.
"This constitutes the first major step
to enable Indian residents abroad to par-
ticipate in our election process," the
prime minister added.
In an another major initiative, India
asked its 30-million strong diaspora,
spread across over 130 countries, to con-
tribute in the development of healthcare,
energy and infrastructure sector.
The Indian government also launched
a special pension and life insurance
scheme that would benefit over 5 million
unskilled and semi-skilled workers
employed overseas mostly in Gulf coun-
tries on temporary contract visas.
Chief ministers of several states urged
overseas Indians to step up investment,
assuring a business-friendly environment.
Showcasing the development initia-
tives launched by their respective govern-
ments, they assured the Non-Resident
Indians and Persons of Indian Origin that
their states would facilitate investment
providing all possible support.
"We welcome with open hearts what-
ever support or contribution you may
wish to extend. Your support will be a
great morale booster for us," said Ashok
Gehlot, chief minister of Rajasthan.
On the last day, President Pratibha
Patil conferred the "Pravasi Bharatiya
Samman" awards to 14 eminent overseas
Indians, including Trinidad and Tobago
Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar,
and a Canada-based institution, for their
outstanding contributions in enhancing
India's image globally.
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award winners with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar at the
10th PBD-2012 in Jaipur.
Zardari has immunity, Gilani tells court
Islamabad: Embattled
Yousuf Raza Gilani Jan 19
made a rare personal
appearance for a Pakistani
prime minister in the
Supreme Court here and
stepped forth in defense of
President Asif Ali Zardari,
accused of corruption dur-
ing his wife Benazir
Bhutto's two stints as the
premier.
Hauled up by the
Supreme Court for not initi-
ating action against Zardari,
Gilani told a 7-member
bench during his seven-minute submission
that the constitution provides immunity to
the president. Many ruling Pakistan Peoples
Party supporters shouted slogans outside.
The case will now be heard Feb 1, giv-
ing a breather to the Gilani who faces con-
tempt charge from the apex court and has
also run afoul of the powerful army after
sacking Lt. Gen. (retd) Naeem Khalid
Lodhi as defense secretary. Lodhi was seen
to be close to army chief
Gen. Ashfaq Parvez
Kayani.
The "emerging political
developments" -- a refer-
ence to the simmering con-
frontation between the
army and the democratical-
ly elected government, and
a new folding tussle
between the apex court and
the Gilani regime --
Thursday made former
president Pervez Musharraf,
who was to return to
Pakistan by January-end, to
postpone his arrival home.
Gilani was on the defensive before the
judges, who had Jan 16 issued him a con-
tempt notice for failing to take legal action
against Zardari despite the court's directive,
insisting he would never even dream of
challenging a judicial fiat. Gilani told the
bench: "It will not give a good message to
proceed against a president who is elected
by a two-thirds majority."
Prime minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani before his court
appearance in Islamabad.
India
Rajasthan Police invented plot to
keep me away: Rushdie
Nikki Haley endorses Haley, the loser
in South Carolina primary
Tutoring with virtual chalkboard now
New York: Though originally aimed
at teaching Hindi to Indian children
in the US, an Indian American has
launched a virtual tutoring portal for
teaching various academic levels as well as
18 languages.
TheETutor.com, an educational online
tutoring company has been started by Harry
Aurora from New York.
Describing the state-of-art virtual portal
as a revolution in learning, Aurora said the
students participate in one-on-one tutoring led
by superb tutors from the comfort of their
home. TheETutor.com provides help with all
subjects for Kindergarten through twelfth
grade (K-12) besides 18 languages
including Spanish, French,
German, Mandarin and Italian.
TheETutor.com, was initially
established with the mission of teaching
Hindi and other Indian languages to Indian
American children with the goal of preserv-
ing their culture and heritage, Aurora said.
However, in the development phase, Aurora
saw a demand for other languages and aca-
demic subjects.
The technology includes an embedded
whiteboard, built-in video and voice chat,
image and file-sharing and even a feature to
record the tutoring session.
Jaipur: Controversial author Salman Rushdie
has said the Rajasthan Police "invented" a
plot to keep him away from the Jaipur
Literature Festival by claiming they received
a call from Mumbai underworld about him
being killed if he visits the event.
I've investigated and believe that I was
indeed lied to. I am outraged and very
angry," the writer of the banned "The Satanic
Verses" posted on Twitter.
The Rajasthan Police refused to comment
on Rushdie's charge that it had concocted the
story about assassins from the Mumbai
underworld hired to kill him in Jaipur.
Sources in the police said they had intelli-
gence about threat to the author.
Rushdie on Jan 20 announced that he had
called off his visit to Jaipur after intelligence
sources told him that paid assassins from the
Mumbai underworld were out to kill him.
New York: South Carolinas Indian origin
Governor Nikki Haley said Jan 21 she'll
continue to campaign for Mitt Romney
despite placing a losing bet on him in her
state's key primary that put her at odds with
her tea party base.
"I still believe Gov. Romney is the right
candidate," Haley said of the former
Massachusetts governor. "What this did
today was just ensure that this is going to be
a long race going forward. But I'll continue
to be supportive, the way I always have."
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
came from behind in South Carolina to defeat
Romney, who was seen as frontrunner so far
for nomination as Republicans candidate for
President.
The other Indian American Governor,
Bobby Jindal had endorsed Rick Perry, Texas
governor, who dropped off in favor of
Gingrich.
Nikki Haley and Mitt Romney
Community
By Sarika Gupta
M
edical profession, with its multi-
ple specialties and services, lends
itself seamlessly to voluntary
work. Many senior practitioners, like the
Chandra family, consider the act of volun-
teering to be the most wholesome and
rewarding in their careers. All three of
them in the family Drs Jay and Shailja
Chandra, and their daughter, Dr Puneeta,
have been involved with holding eye clinics
at Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh, India, for
the last 10 years. The two-week annual clin-
ic services patients with a multitude of eye
diseases, though its primary focus is to
restore the vision of those affected by
cataracts.
As a budding doctor I was therefore
intrigued and excited to participate in a vol-
untary program so early in my career and
joined a team of doctors from Sydney to
earn some good karmic points in my life.
Then, there was also the attraction of spend-
ing some time in nature in the foothills of
the mighty Himalayas.
The winterscape of Rishikesh is unique
because at times it doesnt feel like winter
at all but more like a pleasant spring morn-
ing. That was my first impression of the
small town at the edge of Indias Mother
Ganges. Coursing through the soothing
foliage en route to the Parmrath Niketan
Ashram which would be our home for the
next week, I was struck by the lushness of
the landscape and the myriad of sounds it
housed: birds, local grocer men by the
streetside, grunting cows, monkeys rustling
in the tree tops and, of course, the constant
flow of the Ganges herself.
The half hour journey from Dehradun
airport to the Ashram offered me the oppor-
tunity to contemplate my upcoming visit.
This was the first time I was participating in
a voluntary medical camp for ophthalmolo-
gy and to be honest I had no idea what to
expect, least of all what to do.
I was part of a team of ten profession-
als: three ophthalmologists, two anaes-
thetists, an orthoptist, a company represen-
tative from Bosch, a senior house doctor, an
experienced GP and a psychiatrist. Six
among the team were of Indian origin
three from Chandra family, myself, and
two anaesthetists, Drs Amarjeet Singh and
Rajdeep Kanwar. Our aim for the week was
to engage with the local Ashram which sup-
ported free medical services to local com-
munities, near and far. Primarily serving as
an eye clinic, we would be responsible for
assessing vision, performing general eye
checks, offering surgery to as many patients
as possible and advise those who were
beyond the scope of our services. The cost
of all medicines was borne by Rotary
Australia.
The clinic at the Ashram was simple
but had the essential facilities. Outside,
however, it was a different scene - chaos
everywhere as there was a flood of patients
trying to get inside the doors. They had
travelled from considerable distances and
some of them did need urgent help. They
would crowd in large huddles, refusing to
be arranged into neat lines despite our
pleading to do so and there were always
many more patients than there were medics
to see them. This chaos contrasted anything
even in the busiest of western hospitals.
Cataracts were the most common of
complaints, with patients describing a grad-
ual clouding of their vision for many years,
only presenting when their situation threat-
ened their livelihood. A number of cases
were advanced with dense cataracts permit-
ting only light perception or hand move-
ment vision.
In Australia, cataract surgery is offered
to those with 6/12 vision. I couldnt believe
the circumstances some of these patients
were enduring, some of them, sadly,
beyond the scope of our camps services.
Some would have to return home untreated;
others with better financial support may be
able to seek referral care.
It was particularly interesting to learn
their ages as a majority of them appeared
atleast a decade older than what was written
in their case history forms. Also, to watch
a Caucasian orthoptist negotiate her way
through a non-English speaking crowd to
obtain accurate k1, k2 and axial length
readings, was a scene to behold. She soon
learned how to say look straight and dont
move which were probably the most
important phrases for the entire trip.
Inside the theatres, Indian Bollywood
tunes quietly hummed in the background,
complementing the gentle buzz of the vibra-
tor probe used to ultrasound and obliterate
the diseased lens. Dr Chandra stressed the
importance of a surgeons head to be in
sync with their feet as he adjusted the
probe intensity to match the density of the
presenting cataract. Procedures lasted
about 20 minutes and the turnover of
patients saw up to 20 procedures performed
per day.
Amidst the surgical cases, many patients
had concurrent medical disease such as
glaucoma which is ordinarily well managed
by ongoing medications in the Western set-
ting. Lack of access to finance for ongoing
therapy for many patients in Rishikesh
meant they were ultimately denied treat-
ment as their vision would continue to dete-
riorate despite surgical intervention.
In India, the high incidence of cataracts
and retinal pathology is the direct result of
poor nutrition, diabetes and poor hygiene.
It was alarming to see the number of
patients who had never had their blood
pressure or sugar levels checked and were
found to be floridly diabetic or hypertensive
on pre-operative assessment.
The immense gratitude and relief dis-
played by patients after their eye shields
were removed post operatively quickly
explained the motivation for doctors to
return year after year and provide ongoing
service. Some patients were only restored
to 6/24 vision, but for them, with a previ-
ous lifetime of vision only perceptive to
light, it was miraculous to have any defini-
tion at all. The most notable case was of an
elderly 75 year old man who had dense
bilateral cataracts and a coloboma in his left
eye. He was given a new pupil aperture and
underwent a lens replacement. Post opera-
tively, he couldnt conceal his delight.
For many out of town patients needing
to stay overnight to make follow up, the
Ashram became their home too and this
aptly demonstrated the importance of a
strong working relationship between spe-
cialist and community voluntary bodies.
Many regions in India continue to
remain densely burdened by advanced eye
disease, particularly cataracts. While Fred
Hollows Foundation is doing good work in
Nepal and Vision India in North-West
regions, in Rishikesh itself there are two
local referral eye clinics which commit to
400 pro-bono surgeries per year. Large
population centres in the north and north
eastern region around Haryana and
Uttarakhand and Belgaum and Bellary in
the South remain heavily underserviced.
As we look forward to going there again in
October, other young doctors should also
join in, either in their specialist area of
interest or simply in general service. The
work to be done is of Himalayan propor-
tions. The more people that can be trained
in the art of volunteering, the stronger the
service network will become to benefit
needy communities.
Voluntary work that makes a difference
The author participated in a voluntary medical camp for ophthalmology in Rishikesh,
India, assisting Parmarth Niketan ashram in its two-week annual clinic that services
patients with a multitude of eye diseases, but mainly to restore the vision of those
affected by cataracts. Rotary Australia bore the cost of medicines.
Sarika Gupta is checking the eye of an Indian patient
Community
U
nited Indian Associations
(UIA) held its annual din-
ner and celebrations of
Indian Republic day and Australia
Day on January 20th, 2012. The
event was well attended by over
450 people from 19 organisations
that are grouped under the umbrel-
la of UIA. The event highlighted
the unity and strength of the organ-
isation providing a great opportu-
nity for the Indian Australians to
enjoy and celebrate the national
days of India and Australia.
UIA President Amarinder
Bajwa, in his opening remarks,
thanked the dignitaries and parlia-
mentarians from federal and state
governments who had gathered in
strength to support the community
and the UIA.
Bajwa congratulated HSxC
high achievers of the year 2011
applauding their efforts and hard
work to make the parents and com-
munities proud and reiterated that
these students represent the cul-
ture, values and hopes of all to
serve the country and the commu-
nities that they represent.
Touching upon the history of
Republic Day and Australia day,
he reminded the guests about the
national significance of the nation-
al day and its celebrations by UIA.
He said, UIA is dedicated
towards social integration and
development and being proud
Australians with the rich culture
and legacy of the Indian back-
ground.
Federal Members of
Parliament who attended the event
included The Hon Chris Bowen,
The Hon Julie Owens, The Hon
Michelle Rowland, The Hon
Phillip Rudduck and The Hon
Laurie Ferguson. State MPs
included The Hon Linda Burney,
The Hon Victor Dominello, The
Hon Greg Smith, Hon Dr Geoff
Lee, Hon Matt Kean, Hon Barbara
Perry, Hon Amanda Fazio, Hon
Robert Furolo and Hon Tony Issa.
All speakers highlighted the
growth of India and significance of
the relationship between India and
Australia and applauded the efforts
by UIA team in social development
and representing the Indian diaspo-
ra in Sydney.
Consul General of India in
Sydney Amit Das Gupta addressed
the gathering along with Consul
Mr. Gautam Roy.
UIA presented HSC High
Achiever awards to 25 students
from the communities, 4 Life time
Achievement Awards, 6
Community Service awards, 3
Friends of India Awards and 1
young achiever award. They were
given to seniors and people of emi-
nence from the Indian diaspora.
Neville Roach, Arun Jagatramka,
Harish Velji and CRC chairperson
Stepan Kerkyasharain received
Lifetime Achievement Awards for
their tireless work. Dave Passi, Dr
Nagamma, Sumati Advani,
Logassan Pillay and late Mrs
Leelamani Pillay got Community
Service Award. Soumil Chibber
received the Young Achiever
Award. UIA also honoured HSC
high achievers who received high
rank in the current HSC. They
were Tara Hariharan, Proteek
Chowdhary, Lilitagauri Nadkarni,
Manroop Singh, Prachi Batra,
Komal Shah, Amogh Sarda,
Manbir Singh Bhathal, Jaya
Punjabi, Anita Gupta, Prashant
Kelshikar, Samir Kinger, Karan
Sandhu, Radhika Patwardhan,
Megha Badhbadhe, Nakul
Bhagwat, Sanchi Ramaprakash,
Raghav Dharni, Isha Mehta, Rahul
Aswani, Rustam Sandhu, Talia
Kaur and Himmat Penag.
The event presented cultural
dances by Marathi Association and
songs. The sponsors to the event
were also presented with certifi-
cates of appreciation and included
Bank of Queensland, Billus Indian
Restaurant, Select Insurance, Gold
Star Learning and Commonwealth
Bank. The event was well received
by the community leaders of all
organisations and many individu-
als.Certificates of Appreciation
were also presented to the cast of a
short film produced in Australia by
a group of local actors and artists
named "The Jury". A launch of the
promotional website for the Indian
events PromoteURevent.com.au
was also made during the general
announcements.
O
vercast skies and rain did lit-
tle to dampen the enthusiasm
of those who attended a spe-
cial ceremony at the University
which marked the presentation and
garlanding of a bust of the famous
Indian poet, novelist, musician and
playwright, Rabindranath Tagore.
Tagore helped reshape Bengali
literature, music and poetry in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries.
He won a Nobel Prize for Literature
in 1913.
The ceremony, which featured
the garlanding of the Tagore bust,
was attended by Indian Consul-
General, Amit Dasgupta, who pre-
sented the bust on behalf of the gov-
ernment of India, Macquarie
Chancellor, The Hon. Michael
Egan, Vice-Chancellor Professor
Steven Schwartz and representatives
of The Bengali Association of NSW.
The president of the Bengali
Association, Biswajit Gupta, pre-
sented a cheque on behalf of the
Association to the University that
will be used to fund the cost of a spe-
cial new Indian-themed garden adja-
cent to the Tagore bust.
The presentation of the Tagore
bust was the latest step in a multi-
disciplinary initiative known as
"Ektaal - the Great India Project",
which began about two years ago to
increase understanding between the
two cultures by building new inter-
national relationships between
Australians and Indians.
The project will create new part-
nerships and expand research and
cultural opportunities through the
offering of both academic exchanges
and student scholarships as well as
offering access to concert and per-
formance programs.
The government of India pledged
support by agreeing to help fund the
Tagore Chair in Arts and Culture
and has already donated a number of
India-related books to the
University. Most recently, Vice-
Chancellor Professor Steven
Schwartz and his team visited India
to meet with existing partners and
establish new research collaborations
with Indian institutions.
Macquarie's scholarship support
of Indian students now totals more
than AUD 11 million. The scholar-
ships will involve students from the
University of Mumbai, Anna
University, the University of
Madras, Cochin University of
Science & Technology and the
University of Calcutta.
UIA honours community at
its annual dinner
Bust of Tagore installed at Macquarie university
Vice-Chancellor Professor Steven Schwartz, Indian-Consul General
Mr Amit Dasgupta, Chancellor, The Hon. Michael Egan, Executive
Dean, Faculty of Arts, Professor John Simons.
Consul General Amit Dasgupta
UIA honoured HSC high achieving students.
Seniors and eminent community members were honored at the event.
Bollywood
By Neeru Saluja
H
is debut film became an
instant hit earning him
accolades. Still fresh
on his success, he has just
released his second film
Ladies vs Ricky Behl with the
latest star couple in Bollywood.
Director Maneesh Sharma is
the new director from the Yash
Raj brigade, who will always
be known as the wedding plan-
ner of Band Baaja Baraat who
brought alive the onscreen
chemistry between actor
Ranveer Singh and actress
Anushka Sharma.
As another feather in his
cap, the film was recently nom-
inated in the Asia Pacific
Awards 2011 for the Best
Feature Film. Though
Maneesh Sharma couldnt
make it to Australia for the
screening, he was keen to talk
to us about his film on a phone
interview.
Weddings are an important
part of our Indian culture; its
about the perfect day with lots
of colour, festivities, fashion-
able dresses, mehndi, sangeet,
dhol, dhamaka and of course
finding new love. But Maneesh
came up with a total new con-
cept, contemporary and rare.
To this, he comments, People
often ask me how I came up
with the idea I actually didnt
have this story in my mind
when I wanted to make a film.
Its funny, I was talking to Adi
(Aditya Chopra) about another
subject which he liked but he
warned me its going to be
expensive. He wanted me to
make a film that is easy to tap
as I was a newcomer in direct-
ing, and not to feel rejected by
the end. Then I thought I must
figure out something and I gen-
erally wanted to tell this story
from my side (new voice).
I went through my Delhi
days to discover what I found
charming. In Delhi there are
lots of middle class people, not
resourceful in finances but
want to do a small investment
business. While reading an arti-
cle about how small entrepre-
neurs are making it big in India
from small makeshift offices, I
struck upon an idea. Business
makers who want to do some-
thing that excites them and
make money.
So there you go, I came up
with a story about two kids
based in Delhi, added a visual
backdrop office and they had to
be wedding planners. I
researched and met a few of
them in Delhi and saw how
they function. It did excite me
and I discussed my concept
with Adi.
A love story where the girl
and boy meet and face an obsta-
cle. My concept was a bit dif-
ferent it wasnt a love story
but about the process of falling
in love, says Maneesh.
The chemistry between
Ranveer and Anushka made
them the hottest couple in
Bollywood. Did you choose
both of them deliberately?
I selected Ranveer through
a typical audition process, I
wanted a newcomer. A known
face brings a persona with it.
The new boy funda was a very
clear call. Thanks to Adi who
agreed to it. The chemistry
between the stars, I had no idea
about it! he said.
You have signed the pair
in your next film Ladies vs
Ricky Behl also.
Yes I have, after Band
Baaja Baraat I developed a
comfort level with them and
they look amazing together,
though this time Ranveer has
three more actresses working
with him. Lately I have been
busy promoting the film.
Besides a director, there
has been a mention that you
were a dancer also.
Yes, I was a dancer, I
mostly used to line dance and
soon I actually ended up in pro-
duction of a musical called
Frame. I did a couple of musi-
cals and it made me really
happy. But direction was
always my dream.
Was it easy to fulfil that
dream?
I dont have any filmi
background; I belong to an
upper middle class family in
Delhi. I started off as an assis-
tant director and did a Masters
degree in film school. I was
lucky enough to start with Yash
Raj Films I worked on Fanaa,
and got the chance to work with
Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan,
Kajol and Madhuri. It worked
out really well. And then Band
Baaja Baraat happened rest is
history!
Weddings excite new director Maneesh Sharma
Ladies vs Ricky Behl builds on the onscreen chemistry between the lead pair Ranveer Singh and
Anushka Sharma brought alive by Maneesh Sharma in Band Baja Baraat.
Maneesh Sharma
Band Baaja Baraat was recently nominated in the Asia Pacific Awards 2011 for the Best Feature Film
though Maneesh Sharma couldnt make it to Australia for the screening.
Interview
By Neeru Saluja
Kiran Bedi. The name itself
makes me stand in attention. But
its funny how perception changes
with time. When we were young
drivers, me and my brother were
scared of Crane Bedis strict
traffic police raj in Chandigarh.
When I became a journalist, she
was a part of the news we deliv-
ered. When I came to Sydney, I
learnt more about her when I inter-
viewed the Australian filmmaker
Megan Doneman who spent six
years making a documentary on
her called Yes Madam Sir.
With age, our personalities do
grow and perceptions change.
From being scared of her, I started
admiring this incredible woman
and never even imagined how one
day she will make me proud of
being an Indian. The day I inter-
viewed her, my yoga teacher
advised all of his students to watch
the premiere of Yes Madam Sir
and how she reformed prisoners
with yoga and Vipassana medita-
tion. And there I was, raising my
hand once again as a young kid but
a proud woman - to tell my Aussie
and Indian friends who Kiran Bedi
was and how she became Indias
first woman police officer.
Kiran Bedi joined the police
force in 1972 and became the first
woman police officer in IPS.
During her tenure, she worked as a
Deputy Inspector General of Police
in Mizoram, Advisor to Lieutenant
Governor of Chandigarh, Director
General of Narcotics Control
Bureau to a UN body, and
Inspector General of Prisons in
Tihar Jail where she instituted a
number of reforms in prison man-
agement. She is also known as
Crane Bedi as she towed the PM
Indira Gandhis car for a parking
violation once. Awarded with the
highest recognitions, she is also
involved in many social causes and
is now one of the prominent mem-
bers of the India Against
Corruption campaign along with
Anna Hazare.
Know more about the Iron
Lady from excerpts from the inter-
view in which every word is an
inspiration and dedication to her
hard work.
Kiranji, you have made the
impossible possible. How do you
keep yourself positively charged?
I keep myself charged with
personal discipline. Become a per-
sonal witness of yourself, be your
own driver. Self-audit, self-correc-
tion is important. I also get a lot of
inspiration from reading. Not a
favourite book, but from the news-
paper. It is my daily nutrition
where I get lots of information.
These days Im reading books on
the Independence Movement and
how India became corrupt with
vessels coming from Vasco De
Gama and they started accepting
bribes. How East India united and
got corrupted, how they broke and
created spies. Never forget that
India was sone ki chidiya.
Somewhere there is always some-
thing to learn.
You have recently been in the
news for your fight against cor-
ruption with Anna Hazare.
Please tell us more about Team
Anna.
Anna Hazare is Indias destiny.
He was destined to fight. India is
losing on corruption; we are down
by less that 2% in GDP, the nexus
is corruption. We have become his
immediate associates and formed
the Team Anna. The core commit-
tee is spread over 100 cities and we
are all asking for an assistance
change.
Did your fight against cor-
ruption and injustice affect your
personal life?
Tremendously, I dont know
what a Sunday is in the past 14
months. I have been travelling,
thinking, going on TV debates,
countering hostility and analyzing.
I have missed my tennis and have
not been able to spend time with
family.
My sisters live in Canada and
England. Im giving these months
to my cause, but it asked every bit
of myself. The fight is still it on.
Few of the police officers may be
a part of them. They will know
where to take it, the resistance is
tremendous, Opposition is power-
ful, and this has been one of my
most difficult fights. But this is
beyond my control. This is a fight
of an ant in front of a king, but the
difference is its a swarm of edu-
cated ants, and the ants are biting
the king.
There is a lot said about how
you reformed prisoners with and
yoga and Vipassana meditation.
How did the prisoners react ini-
tially?
They just had to believe in
whatever I was doing was in their
interest. All they needed to do was
to communicate. Why would they
not learn something that may ben-
efit them. My job was to create an
opportunity; I only did my duty,
out of care and commitment. I was
opening their world they tasted
it, it was healthy for them and they
continued doing meditation. As
managers this was our duty, it was
not written in my book to teach
them. Mine was a maximum
approach, theirs was a minimum
approach.
You have become a role
model and inspiration for many
women. Has being a woman ever
been an obstacle in your career?
I think its all about the capa-
bility. Its also about the person;
the woman needs to have inner
confidence in herself. A man needs
a bit of woman in him and vice
versa. Its all about learning quali-
ties of each other. A woman needs
to be more mobile and independent
and a man becomes warmer.
I rose above my gender. I had
the money, I was mobile and I had
the sharing and nursing spirit of a
woman. Thats the plus factor of
being a woman. I continued to
grow and anyone has the capacity
to rise above the potential. Man
can be equally a mother and a
woman can be a provider - that is
where they rise above.
Yes Madam Sir has hit the
Australian theatres. What did
you see in Megan to accept her
proposal of making a documen-
tary on you?
In her I saw truth, simplicity,
dedication and tremendous hard
work. For me she was a foreign
girl traveling all the time and I felt
protected towards her. I wanted
her to be fine as she was so keen to
do something. Her style of shoot-
ing was unique, she shot things
happening, and sometimes I didnt
even realize she was shooting me.
She shot my daughter, the squab-
bles, she had the camera on as she
thought that was natural and
brought out the authenticity. There
was no make-up in the film, no
studio, either it was shot in the
lounge, or at work or sharing food
at home. The rule was to show life
as it was as it is.
Whats your key formula to
provide a solution in a tricky sit-
uation?
I believe in all those challenges
that engaged me in people.
Whether its police training, crime
and order, prison management in
all those assignments I love engag-
ing people. Im a solution provider
I have my feet in ground and I
get to know more when I reach out
to people. Once I find the solution
I then share my learning.
Chandigarhians have fond
memories of you as a student
and regulator. What are your
memories of the city beautiful?
I think Chandigarh is a dream
city. I got a sport scholarship,
stayed in a hostel, the city made
me and built me. It gave me a
sense of freedom and the confi-
dence of an independent woman. I
could freely bike around; I loved
the lake and the libraries. It was a
city of my dreams, thats why I
wanted to go back and serve the
city.
Within a few weeks we had
turned the police around because
of the high literacy rate. It was eas-
ier to educate people in
Chandigarh.
Would you like to give any
message to young police officers?
Enjoy your work as
Gandhians. While Gandhi was in
his dhoti, you are in khakhi. You
can make a difference and its all
in your hands, dont let go of the
opportunity. Make yourself proud,
and your nation proud.
Virtuous Model
Kiran Bedi
In the news lately for being in Team Anna which is leading
a massive campaign against corruption in India, Kiran Bedi
made headlines wherever she was posted as police officer.
Australian filmmaker Megan Doneman spent six years making a
documentary on Kiran Bedi called Yes Madam Sir.
It has just been released in Australian theatres.
Music
By K. Raman
Y
esudas reached the landmark of a
half century as a film playback
singer, ruling the roost all
through those five decades. He is now 71
and still retains the same old golden
voice quality. No wonder he is addressed
by his legion of fans as Gana
Gandharvan. He is also known as Das
Ettan, Sangeetha sagaram, Sangeetha
Chakravarthy, Golden tonsils and many
other names.
In November 1962, Music Director
M.B. Srinivasan used Yesudas voice to
record a song Jathi bhedam mathd-
wessham (Narayana Guru lines) which
hitched him a further 35,000 super
melody hits and it is still continuing. I
have known Yesudas for nearly 48 years
and was part of a small group who invit-
ed him to present a Ganamela at the
classy Shanmukhananda Hall in Bombay
in 1970. I can say he is always humble to
the core when he says how many of us
get the opportunity to embrace the pro-
fession which happens to be the one you
love utmost.
To Yesudas, music is like tapas and it
has no association with glamour and
showmanship. True to tradition of great
classical giants, he eschews glamour,
fame and stays away from limelight. The
blood flowing through his veins is truly
Ragadhara and he is one of very few
singers who are equally learned and com-
petent to sing both genres of classical and
light music with equal ease.
Born on 10 January, 1940, the eldest
son of the great Augustine Joseph (a
well-regarded drama actor and singer in
Malayalam) and Elizabeth Joseph, he had
no shortage of pedigree. His father knew
of his sons inherent musical talents but
extreme poverty pulled him away, mak-
ing his ambition farfetched. Yesudas
admits that he was below par academi-
cally and he spent all available time lis-
tening to music rendered by Pankaj
Mallick, Rafi, Mukesh, Lata and others,
emanating from tea stalls near his house.
It was a common sight then of the young
Yesu within easy listening distance of the
loud speaker sitting motionless under a
tree undaunted for hours.
As a singer in school level contests he
remained unbeaten, and at one stage he
was banned to participate to give other
aspiring singers a chance. He wanted to
learn Carnatic music but the academy
was 10 km away from home and the
tuition fees and bus fare combined
became unaffordable for him. Somehow
he enrolled for a four year
Ganabhooshanam course with the help
of his well-wishers. He breezed through
the course and won the gold medal as the
best achiever.
While he was trying to learn classical
music in the Academy to fulfil the fees
commitment he approached the rich
church authorities for a paltry shortage of
five rupees and the reply he received was
What a Nasrani mappila has to do with
Carnatic sangeetham! followed by a
cheeky laugh. Years later the same
authorities were craving to get Das to
sing for their festivities.
The rag to riches story gradually
unfolded from that point. His friend
Anthony took him to M.B. Sreenivas, an
ace Music Director seeking an opening
for playback singing. For the audition he
sang a song in Abheri Ragam, followed
by a ghazal and a popular Malayalam
melody. Nothing happened straight
away. On 14 November 1961, he was
called to Madras with a recording offer.
For rail ticket from Cochin to Chennai he
needed Rs 18. His mother gave him her
total savings of Rs four, and his friend, a
taxi driver by profession, Mathai, lent
him Rs 16.
Veteran Sound Engineer Koteeswara
Rao who recorded the song said to M.B.
Sreenivasan, Please check with me after
ten years, this young man is bound to
scale great heights and attain eminence
and glory. The prophecy came true and
now he is celebrating 50 years of unbe-
lievable success.
His love to Carnatic Music was so
intense that he fully utilised all opportu-
nities and spare time learning the art of
singing from some great stalwarts who
were impressed of his uncanny grasp and
singing ability. One such Vidwan who
took him under his wings and taught clas-
sical music was Chembai Vaidyanatha
Bhagavathar. During a concert in
Bombay, Chembai, who was the Chief
Guest, was so impressed of the Sudha
Sharreram of Das that he fetched the Silk
shawl presented to him by the king of
Travancore years ago and draped it on
Das and blessed him profusely.
No one will be able to pick a list of 10
top songs from a massive portfolio of
Das 35,000 songs. Recently, he, himself
admitted he wont attempt that because
there are elements of beauty and unique-
ness in each and every one of those
songs.
Musically speaking Yesudas has
many ingredients which are vital for suc-
cess in this highly competitive field. His
voice is pristine, grain less, his diction is
perfect, his Raga sudham is next to none,
he practices his music like a Tapas
filled with dedication and in a single
minded way. He lives a frugal life, eats
simple food items, a teetotaller, and
avoids cold and hot drinks. Speaking
about his total aversion to alcohol, it is
said that when he had to take medication
in mixture form, he always made sure
that it had no added alcohol. No wonder
he treasures and maintains his voice qual-
ity.
Yesudas lives in Chennai and Florida
while travels around the globe as a
singing hermit.
Born in a Christian family he was
never allowed inside Guruvayoor shrine,
though he sang wishfully:
Guruvayyor ambala nadayil oru
divasam njan pokum
Gopura vathil thurakkum njan
Gopakumarane kanum
(One day I will go to the shrine door
of Guruvayoor temple, open the door of
the inner shrine and see the lord in front.)
So far he has not succeeded in this.
The obstruction is not caused by the
Lord, but by his humble servants. But,
he says, let this song sung in the film
Othende makan remain as a wishful
thinking!
Yesudas rides
music waves for
half a century
To Yesudas, music is like tapas and it
has no association with glamour and
showmanship.
Born in a Christian
family Yesudas was
never allowed inside
Guruvayoor shrine,
though he sang
wishfully: One day
I will go to the shrine
door of Guruvayoor
temple, open the
door of the
inner shrine and see
the lord in front.
Raman (left) accompanies Yesudas on mridangam.
Music
By K. Raman
U
stad Sultan Khan was a
musical colossus. In his
passing away on 27
November 2011, we have lost one
of the greatest Sarangi players who
ornamented the Indian classical
music horizon for close to six
decades. He was a musical genius
who played the highly complex
stringed instrument from pre-teen
days with effortless ease and mas-
tery.
Sultan Khan was born in Jaipur
in 1940 and was a member of a
highly respected musical family.
His father Ustad Gulab Khan was a
brilliant Sarangi player who lived
in the princely state of Shikar. He
entered the musical arena in 1951
when he just 11 years old. This led
him to win many accolades like
Padma Bhushan, two Sangeet
Natak Akademi awards, the highly
sought after American Academy
Award, President of Indias meri-
torious award, the Gold medal
award of Maharashtra and many
other gongs in his six decades as a
musical luminary.
Apart from his ability to play
Sarangi, he, like Bharat Ratan
Ravi Shankar and Ustad Zakir
Hussain, was instrumental in
spreading far and wide our highly
traditional Hindustani Classical
music. To him music was an entity
even if it was a conglomerate of
various kinds of music, light, semi
classical or folk. He was an inte-
gral part of the Fusion Musical
Group Tabla Beat Science, which
was established by Ustad Zakir
Hussain many moons ago. Sultan
Khan Saheb was a member of the
Dark Horse World tour of 1974
which included Pt Ravi Shankar
and George Harrison.
Sultan Khan had a huge heart,
with a happy toothy smile, a
mouthful of stained teeth, compli-
ment of pan chewing and a great
sense of dedication to his music.
Many are not aware that he was a
great singer and film music com-
poser of repute. His unusually res-
onate, deep, and husky nasal
singing voice attracted musical lis-
teners.
Sarangi, the bowed string
instrument, is said to be a Nepalese
musical instrument of very long
standing. It is highly complex to
tune and play. It sounds pathos
when played and there are not
many who mastered it and very
few attempted to learn it because
of the complex nature of the instru-
ment.
The name Sarangi might have
originated from the combination of
two words, sou (hundred) Rang
(colour). Sow denotes the massive
stringy structure of the instrument
and Rang in fact depicts to the
multiple tonal sound patterns the
instrument generates. Sou Rang
thus became Sarangi. It has 3 or 4
main playing strings (depending on
the player) and many sympathetic
strings. This has no frets or finger
board, and the strings float in the
air. That makes playing the instru-
ment very hard.
The application of the degree
of pressure on the strings with the
left hand fingers must be precise.
The absence of frets with no
demarcation makes it too hard to
generate the perfect tone with puri-
ty. No wonder very few musicians
aspire to learn Sarangi now.
Sultan Khan died after a pro-
longed illness, afflicted with kid-
ney problems. For the last four
years he was undergoing regular
dialysis to keep the kidney going.
He lost his speech in the last few
days and that marked the beginning
of the end of a great life.
Sultan Khan is survived by his
wife, two daughters and son Sabir
Khan, a fine Sarangi player in his
own right. As a true admirer of
Ustad Sultan Khan, I never failed
to attend his concerts. The last one
I attended was when he performed
at the Sydney Opera House a cou-
ple of years ago.
May his soul rest in peace.
T
he queen of television talk shows,
Oprah Winfrey, connected to more than
10,000 people in this historic pink city
Jan 22 with her message on education, aware-
ness and empowerment of women.
Clad in a mustard silk 'salwar-kameez'
with a pink chiffon dupatta and sporting gold-
en bangles, Oprah said her trip to the city to
speak at the Jaipur Literature Festival was
made possible by spiritual guru Deepak
Chopra and was a "vision" coming true.
It was a connection she had made three
years ago when she came across a picture of a
woman on a camel. And since then, coming to
India had been on her mind.
"As I entered the city I saw the camels and
elephants. I said 'there is the vision, there you
are'," Oprah said.
The talk show host earlier visited Mumbai,
Agra and Vrindavan as part of her Indian itin-
erary. She is shooting some India-specific
episodes and interviews for her next show,
"Oprah's Next Chapter". Oprah said she was
"enriched and blessed" by her maiden visit to
India. She said the three things that struck her
about India was "its chaos, the underlying
calmness and love - and the fact that everyone
seems to know where they are going".
While Oprah was in Mumbai, socialite
Parmeshwar Godrej threw a lavish party in her
honour on her maiden visit to India and
Bollywood whos who were invited. Oprah
first dropped at Bachchan residence to bless
the new born and after spending an hour with
the family, she was driven to the Godrej party
venue by Amitabh Bachchan himself as a
chauffer. Oprah looked pretty in orange sari.
Sarangi maestro
Sultan Khan passes
away
Oprah connects to India in sari and salwar-kameez
Apart from his ability to play Sarangi, Sultan Khan, like Pt. Ravi
Shankar and Ustad Zakir Hussain, was instrumental in spreading
far and wide our highly traditional Hindustani Classical music. He
was a member of the Dark Horse World tour of 1974 with Ravi
Shankar and George Harrison.
The author with Sultan Khan
Oprah Winfrey at the Jaipur Literature Festival.
Big B became a chauffeur and drove
Oprah in Mumbai.
Bollywood
A
fter roping in the hottest stars of
the industry to burn the stage with
their stellar dance acts over the
years, the worlds biggest viewers choice
award - Zee Cine Awards 2012 is proud to
announce that Bollywoods Silkiest lead-
ing lady is all set to rock the stage at the
glitzy ceremony in Macau this year.
Following the announcements of SRK &
Priyanka Chopra as hosts and Shahid
Kapoors dancing tribute to Dev Anand,
the latest addition to the glitzy star per-
formers list will be the current darling of
Bollywood Vidya Balan!
After her universally applauded per-
formance in this years runaway hit The
Dirty Picture,
Vidyas oomph quotient has shot
through the roof and the actress has been
brought on board to raise a toast to Indias
southern sirens at Pan Bahar presents Zee
Cine Awards 2012. As Balan performs to
a medley of chartbusters from southern
cinema, her moves will bring out the
unmistakable flavor and inimitable style of
the dancers from south Indian cinema.
Burning down the stage with the raunchy
Naka Muka, Vidya will finish the per-
formance with a flourish, shimmying to her
own Ooh La la, Ooh La La ditty.
My performance this year at Zee
Cine Awards 2012 will be inspired by the
immensely entertaining styles of some of
the most iconic southern sirens including
Silk. Lets hope the audience has as much
fun as I do when I perform live at The
Venetian Macao! said Vidya.
Vidya is also a hot contender in the list
of nominees for Best Actress at Zee Cine
Awards 12 for her no-holds barred per-
formance in The Dirty Picture. Giving her
stiff competition for the trophy are
Priyanka Chopra for Saat Khoon Maaf,
Kareena Kapoor for Bodyguard, Kangna
Ranaut for Tanu Weds Manu and Katrina
Kaif for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The
actors vying for the Best Actor award this
year will be Hrithik Roshan for Zindagi Na
Milegi Dobara, Ajay Devgn for Singham,
Shah Rukh Khan for Don 2 and Ra.One,
Salman Khan for Bodyguard and Ranbir
Kapoor for Rockstar.
Hosted by the Don-2 duo - Shah Rukh
Khan and Priyanka Chopra - Zee Cine
Awards 2012 will be held at Asias leading
destination for business, leisure and enter-
tainment, The Venetian Macao. Since its
inception in 1998, Zee Cine Awards has
emerged as the biggest tribute paid to the
world's largest film industry and has
attracted stalwarts of both Indian and inter-
national cinema. The awards will attract
600 million viewers to television screens
the world over when it is telecast on
Sunday, February 12 @ 19:30 Hrs SGT
onwards only on Zee TV Asia Pacific.
S
tunning Indian-born, Australian-raised actor/dancer
Pallavi Sharda has been cast as the female lead inSave
Your Legs, the keenly anticipated big screen comedy
that tells the story of three life-long best friends who realize
their childhood dream to play cricket in India.
Save Your Legs! folllows Edward Teddy Brown
(Stephen Curry) - a cricket tragic whose unadventurous
life revolves around his cricket club, the Abbotsford
Anglers and his friends. But Teds fraternal cricketing
utopia is threatened by the realities of the mid-thirties-
careers, wives, mortgages and kids and the inescapable
fact that his teammates are moving on. With his precious
Abbotsford Anglers on the brink of extinction, Ted gam-
bles on a last ditch effort to save the club and keep the boys
together, by begging hisboss, Sanjeet, a retired cricketer, to
allow the Anglers to represent Australia on a three-match
tour of India. Its a bold leap for Tedinto crickets final fron-
tier in a move that he hopes will reignite the teams passion
for his beloved game.
Pallavi will star in Save Your Legs! as Sanjeets gor-
geous and savvy daughter Anjali who sweeps Ted (Stephen
Curry) off his feet once the Anglers arrive in India for
their tour. Pallavi will join the cast when filming resumes in
India, following a weeks shoot in Melbourne earlier this
month.
Pallavi has trained in the art of Bharatanatyam for
over 15 years and is famed for her choreography and
performance of contemporary Indian dance. Shifting base
from Melbourne to Mumbai in late 2008, Pallavi has since
pursued her lifelong dream to act in Hindi Cinema and has
shot several movies including My Name is Khan, Dus Tola,
Walkaway and Love, Breakups, Zindagi as well as featur-
ing as a recurring cast member of Anuvab Pal's theatre
comedy, 1888 Dial India. Pallavi was also crowned Miss
India Australia in 2010 and won the 'Fresh Look' title at the
Miss India Worldwide competition held in Durban.
Renowned Indian actor Darshan Jariwalla (Gandhi, My
Father) will portray Pallavis on-screen father, Sanjeet and
be joined by big-name Australian actors Stephen Curry (The
Cup, The King), Brendan Cowell (Beneath Hill 60, Love
My Way) and Damon Gameau (Balibo, Spirited) who star
respectively as Ted Brown and his two best friends, Rick
and Stav.
First time feature film director Boyd Hicklin will helm
Save Your Legs! alongside producers Nick Batzias (Not
Quite Hollywood) and Robyn Kershaw (Bran Nue Dae,
Looking for Alibrandi). The script was written by Brendan
Cowell, whose authorial talent has brought us The Slap &
Love My Way, whilst international sales are being handled
by Protagonist. The films development and production
partners include Screen Australia, Film Victoria & the
Victorian Government, Madman Entertainment, Robyn
Kershaw Productions, Melbourne International Film Festival
Premiere Fund, Deluxe & the Nine Network.
Website: www.saveyourlegs.com. Facebook: www.face-
book.com/saveyourlegs
D
ivya Dhingra, Sydney's upcoming
Bollywood hopeful, on her trip to
India created another stir. She was in
Mumbai to attend a family wedding when
she came across the Lakme Girl
Competition. Says Divya, "The hotel we
were staying had this poster from Lakme that
they were looking for a new face for some of
their yet to be released products.
I applied and was screen tested in
Mumbai with many other contestants when
half a dozen of girls got into the finals. We
were taken by Lakme to Goa for an exten-
sive shoot where they would have shot over
300 shots of us.
It was just incredible." TIDU asked
Divya as the news was all over Facebook
about her being selected as the Face of
Lakme, she said, "The talks are going on and
nothing has been finalised yet. All I did ask
at Lakme was whether I could take a pic to
show this once in a lifetime experience to be
representing Australia."book.com/savey-
ourlegs
Watch Vidya sizzle on screen in Zee awards
Pallavi Sharda stars in Oz comedy Divya Dhingra
the Lakme
Girl?
Vidya Balans oomph quotient has shot through the roof after The Dirty Picture
Pallavi Sharda
By Neena Badhwar
I met this young, beautiful, slim
girl standing in a queue at the Sydney
airport last year in September, waiting
to be checked in on her way to
Cambodia. Little did I know that this
girl standing there actually was the
young Australian of the Year 2011
who was recognized for her tireless
work to help raise Cambodian orphan
children.
Tara Winkler, yes, that is her
name, was with her mum and another
Cambodian girl who had come to see
her off at the airport. As we acquaint-
ed ourselves, her mum gave me an
article to read while the queue slowly
progressed to the counter. A quick
scan reading of the article revealed
how Tara was now the mother of 46
orphan kids in Cambodia and how
she rescued children to form her own
orphanage called the CCT
(Cambodian Childrens Trust).
Tara was once a budding model,
but having the heart that she has, Tara
had her karma rewritten differently -
to do something higher, other than
making two ends meet.
The Indian Down Under is sup-
porting Holi Hullad function to
fundraise for Taras orphanage to sup-
port children who did not have any
hope of a better life before they met
an angel in Tara. Following is an
interview with this star aptly named
Tara Winkler:
TIDU: Tara, you have taken a
bold step of moving to Cambodia and
starting Cambodian Children Trust.
How did you get involved in rescuing
orphans in Cambodia and finally
have become a mother to about 46
children at such a young age?
I didnt actually leave Australia
with the intention of living and work-
ing in Cambodia. I went on a holiday.
On my travels through South East
Asia I went to Battambang, and met
the kids living at the Sprouting
Knowledge Orphans (SKO) orphan-
age. I was struck by the poverty I saw
at SKO and pledged to help raise
them some funds when I got back to
Australia.
I raised quite a lot of money and
so decided to return to Cambodia, one
year after my first trip, to volunteer
for three months and monitor how the
money was to be spent. It was during
this time that I became aware of
underhanded dealings going on at
SKO by Bora, the former director.
When I found this out alarm bells
went off and I hurried back to
Battambang.
Jedtha, CCTs current director,
and I had several meetings with the
Assistant Governor of Battambang
and the Social Affairs Department.
They were extremely supportive and
moved mountains for us to help expe-
dite the process of rescuing the chil-
dren.
Just two weeks after we registered
as a local NGO, we were given per-
mission to offer the legitimate
orphans at SKO a chance to leave
with me if they wanted to. We turned
up, unannounced, with a bus and two
authorities from the social affairs
department. All 14 kids literally ran,
clutching their few belongings, and
jumped on the bus. And CCT has
been their home ever since.
CCT is now committed to provid-
ing them, and other children like
them, with a safe home and the oppor-
tunity to make something of their
lives. It definitely wasn't what I
planned to do with my life, but, as
John Lennon said, Life is what hap-
pens to you while you're busy making
other plans.
TIDU. How did your family react
when you decided to devote your life
to this cause?
I have the most supportive family
in the world. There's no doubt they
were worried for me at times but
they've stood by me through thick and
thin and now work tirelessly as volun-
teers to take care of the administration
work in Australia.
TIDU. What age are the children
in the CCT Home?
The kids living in residential care
range from 2yrs - 22yrs. But it's
important to note that CCT is now
much more than just an orphanage.
Our main focus now is on com-
munity development. Many orphan-
ages in Cambodia take in children
whose parents who are simply too
poor to support them. CCT has devel-
oped a community outreach program
for such cases. Were currently help-
ing many families in the local com-
munity to become self-sufficient, so
they can stay together and send their
children to school. These childrens
education could make a crucial differ-
ence to Cambodias future. Were
also now able to support many of the
street children living in Battambang,
through our community centre.
TIDU. It must be a commitment to
miss what a normal young person like
you could be doing and enjoying in
Australia
I'm not a normal young person.
When Im back in Australia and meet
other people my age, I often find we
dont have much in common. Im also
a perfectionist, and I spend much of
my spare time obsessing over ways to
make life better for Khmer people.
Some of the happiest times of my life
are the times I spend hanging out with
the kids. Its impossible not to be
inspired by their resilience in the face
of adversity, their determination to
make the most of every opportunity
that comes their way, and their zest for
life, despite all the unimaginable hor-
rors theyve been through.
Watching them thrive and grow
into intelligent, compassionate, moti-
vated individuals is a privilege and the
most satisfying thing I can imagine.
Anything else I might be missing
pales in comparison.
TIDU. Was it hard to set up and
manage and how are the local
Cambodians helping you?
I feel I receive an inordinate
amount of praise for the work Im
doing in Cambodia. Im delighted to
have the opportunity to set the record
straight.
Without a shadow of a doubt, or
bias, I can confidently say I have the
best team in Cambodia. The CCT
Team is primarily comprised of local
Cambodians, and they are the real,
unsung heros who make our work
possible. They work tirelessly to help
impoverished children and families,
from their very own community, to
have a brighter future.
TIDU: What does the CCT chil-
dren do in every day life?
They have a demanding schedule.
This year, we decided to pull them out
of the local public school, where
teachers often use violence to disci-
pline students and where wealthier
students can bribe their way to good
marks, and instead send them to the
best international school in
Battambang. A lot of their time is also
taken up with extra-curricular studies,
in music, art, dance and physical edu-
cation.
But we have a lot of fun too.
Before coming to CCT these kids
never had a chance to just be kids and
enjoy their childhood. We have
Sunday Fun Days, where we go for
picnics by the river; we take them on
excursions into town so they can
interact with the local community. We
have movie nights and some pretty
fantastic dance parties. We also take
them on Annual holidays. We've done
one trip to Modulkiri, where the kids
got to ride elephants through
Cambodian Jungle and learn about
wildlife conservation. We've done one
trip to Siem Reap when they got to
see the Angkor Wat temples for the
first time. And we've done two trips to
the beach at Sihanoukville. The first
of which was especially memorable
because neither the kids nor the staff
had ever previously laid eyes on the
ocean.
TIDU. You were chosen as the
Young Australian of the Year for 2011
definitely an inspiration to all. What
is your message to the youth in the
Indian community in Australia as
India also has many children who
may need help like what you have
done for Cambodian children?
I strongly encourage young peo-
ple to contribute to improving the
lives of others in disadvantaged
communities. But I would caution
anyone aspiring to get involved
first-hand. Apart from a great deal
of determination and perseverance,
you also need to do as much
research and seek as much advice as
possible from qualified profession-
als.
Initiatives like the Australian
Youth Forum are also a good way to
have your voice heard and con-
tribute ideas on government poli-
cies, for example, the targets being
set to reach Millennium
Development Goals, which affect
us all now and in the future.
TIDU. How do you fund for
such a worthwhile cause?
CCT is primarily funded by pri-
vate donations from kind Australian
people. I feel very lucky that I hap-
pened to be born in one of the most
generous countries in the world.
There are lots of ways to help. I
would recommend visiting our
website to find out the best ways to
get involved - http://www.cambodi-
anchildrenstrust.org
Twinkle twinkle little Tara
I'm not a normal young person.
When Im back in Australia and meet
other people my age, I often find we
dont have much in common. Im
also a perfectionist, and I spend
much of my spare time obsessing
over ways to make life better for
Khmer people.
- Tara Winkler, Young Australian of the Year 2011
Community
By Neena Badhwar
I
n the world of Internet, email,
Facebook and Twitter, when the
humble mail box in front of the
house has become a bin for junk mail
and the only one who writes to you is a
creditor, comes a beautiful envelope
addressed to you in calligraphic writing
with exquisite drawings around the
edges. Inside, there is a letter written in
perfect Hindi script; even a poem in
your name is included. It, indeed,
comes as a pleasant surprise. One is
suddenly reminded of the olden days
when we all ran when the postman came
and the art of letter writing and receiv-
ing them was in vogue.
The letter writer is Ramesh
Alandkar, an 80-year old artist living in
Pennant Hills, who is spending every
minute of his time in art. He says he
derives satisfaction through the process
of creating art. That is his karma phal
the fruit of karma.
Doing any work, any activity and
looking at it through the eyes of art
gives me complete satisfaction. After
that there is no desire for recognition
anymore. Hours pass as I immerse
myself in art and never feel tired.
Creative process is my karma yoga, my
inspiration till the day I go, says
Ramesh.
He has been visiting his son in
Sydney since 1996 and has found
Sydney to be the most beautiful and
inspiring place, its people quite helpful
and working selflessly, which motivated
Ramesh as he volunteered to work for
the disabled, Red Cross and the Friends
of India Society in Liverpool.
Termed as God Maker by a local
Liverpool writer, Rameshs work dur-
ing Ganesh Festival creating Ganesh
statues was noticed when he exhibited
his works at the Bankstown Library.
Although my mother was not inter-
ested when she saw my interest in art,
knowing that art does not give one a
livelihood, I followed in the footsteps of
my father, Shri Shakar Rao Alandkar,
who spent his lifetime in art and teach-
ing art. He was and still is my guru.
Keeping study as the main goal and
art as a hobby, I started to entertain peo-
ple by drawing with chalk, using hands
and even foot. People would watch me
produce symmetrical drawings in this
unusual way and I started to earn name,
medals and appreciation, he says.
Ramesh Alandkar completed his
B.A. in quite hard circumstances as his
father became unwell and he had to earn
for the family by working at a printing
press at night. After a few years I was
selected to work as Social Education
Organizer, going from village to vil-
lage, for which the only means of trans-
port was a camel and I came to be
known as Oonthwala Shah, he says.
In 1956, me and my wife
Mandakini went to Delhi where we did
a lot of work with various well known
publishers and she produced some chil-
drens books as well. Delhi of those
days was a quiet place and everything
was dirt cheap and people were quite
committed to work and respected art.
When once I went to Hyderabad, I
met some Americans who had come for
a World Literary Conference. They
were looking for some display material
for adult literacy for which I sat and
produced materials for them all through
the night. They really liked my work
and I came to the notice of Shri S K
Dey, Minister for Community
Development, who sent special instruc-
tions to create a position of an Assistant
Art Gazetted Officer. Suddenly, I was
promoted to a job which came with my
own room, a huge glass table, a phone
and a cushy swivel chair. My job there
entailed editing and producing and illus-
trating journals and publications for the
Government of India, says Ramesh.
I was a constant worker, always
creating and drawing. I worked for
many well known people, as well as my
drawings and pictures were used by
NCERT in their education materials. In
my spare time I read great Indian liter-
ature and felt inspired by it to produce a
series of works on Meditation and
Health which were highly noticed and
appreciated, he says.
Ramesh, one finds, is never bored,
never free as he spends hours on end
drawing. He is excellent in producing
cartoons as well which have been used
by major publications in India. He lives
with his son Hemant, who, says, Dad
is always busy and is never bored
because one does not even know
whether he is in the house. He simply
disappears into his room keeping him-
self busy, drawing and painting.
Ramesh Alandkar has contributed to
the local art scene by taking part in
demonstration of Indian miniature
paintings in the NSW Art Gallery exhi-
bition Dancing with flute. Casula
Power House art center introduced
Rameshs paintings in the exhibition
Ground a project that introduced
new artists to Australia.
Ramesh Alandkar is someone who
makes the Indian community proud with
his contribution. We live in a busy
world, running here and there purpose-
lessly while people like Ramesh live in
a different world and see and perceive
things differently. And that is why they
see art, meditation and karma in every-
thing they say and do. They catch hold
of ideas which they transport into the
medium of expression through art and
drawing. They observe the world from
a different plane and must be respected
and cherished as they are truly rare.
One with creation
Ramesh Alandkar with one of his paintings
Sketches and ruminations of Ramesh Alandkar
Community
T
hey are intelligent, good-looking and
excelling in careers in fields such as
engineering, management consulting
and medicine. But they are not married.
Marriage is a frequently discussed topic in
Indian subcontinent families. Though I am
married, I distinctly remember life before I
was married.
There could be the request to meet the
son of the cousin of a distant relative or a
family friend. Or, the invitation to a party
or a dinner that was the smokescreen for a
blind date that could be made into an enter-
taining comedy or a horror story!
In recent years, matrimonial advertise-
ments are no longer just in the papers, but
also on the internet and numerous matrimo-
nial websites that have been formed. There
are now even more opportunities for youth
to meet potential partners and get married.
But do the youth of today want to get
married? I spoke to unmarried men and
women aged 25-40 from the Indian subcon-
tinent living in cities across Australia such
as Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and
Adelaide, and obtained their views about
whether or not they wanted to get married.
For better or for worse?
The resounding majority response from
unmarried youth was that they did want to
get married. The reasons they provided var-
ied, ranging from companionship, sharing
the journey of life with their future partner
and learning new things, to starting a fami-
ly. According to Vinetha Manthena, 27,
Search Account Manager, marriage is the
union of soul mates and the beginning of a
life together.
Prajayan Kathirgamanathan, 33,
Network Engineer, found the love he has
witnessed between his parents inspirational.
Two people that I spoke to who were in
same-sex relationships said that they did
want to get married, but they were not per-
mitted to under Australian law. A Bill has
recently been drafted to legalise same-sex
marriage in Australia.
Those who were on the other side of the
coin and did not want to get married,
regarded marriage as an institution that was
out-of-date. The viewpoint of Nitin (not his
real name) was against marriage because he
thought that a marriage certificate was like a
piece of paper that he did not need as a rub-
ber stamp for his de facto relationship.
No time for a relationship
Statistics reflect that the median age of
people who do get married, is getting high-
er. Bright and intelligent Indian youth are
spending more time obtaining higher qualifi-
cations such as masters degrees, establishing
themselves in their career or attaining pro-
motions at work. One of the reasons why
online dating websites have become more
popular is the lack of time people have out-
side work to meet people.
I asked some youth why they thought
people were getting married later in life,
and, whether or not a focus on career could
be one of the reasons. Every person I spoke
to said that a focus on career was one of the
reasons they thought people were getting
married later in life. Youth of today seem to
have more options available to them than
their parents or grandparents.
One person I spoke to said that though
her grandmother completed a university
degree, she was discouraged and prevented
from working because her parents thought
they would not be able to find a suitor for
her if she was working.
Says Vinetha, As the gender gap begins
to shrink, men and women have a lot more
options open to them because of higher edu-
cation and careers, hence delaying the
prospect of marriage to explore options that
perhaps our grandparents never had.
Youth are also obtaining fulfilment from
their careers. The fulfilment they obtain
from their career means they may not even
be interested in getting married, or they
dont think its a necessary part of happi-
ness.
Society has changed, and with more
women in the workforce, they are often self-
sufficient and no longer need a spouse to
buy a house or a car. Women who are finan-
cially independent and thriving in their
careers may not be facing the same pres-
sures as their ancestors who could not pro-
vide for themselves.
A focus on self-development
Another reason provided for getting
married later in life was the need to explore
identity, individuality and the self, and the
enjoyment of the flexibility that single life
offered. The focus of an individual on devel-
oping their career or identity can be a good
thing because it can lead to a more complete
individual entering a relationship or mar-
riage. However, the flipside is that a focus
on the self can turn a person into one who is
fixed in his/her ways and is unwilling to
adjust, which is not conducive to a flourish-
ing relationship.
Financial costs of marriage
The need to have financial stability prior
to marriage was another reason given for
people getting married later in life. The
extra financial responsibilities that could
result from marriage, such as taking care of
a spouse or a child, were also worries that
weighed on some of the youth I spoke to.
Fear of divorce
With some reports in the media that 1 in
3 marriages end in divorce, it is not surpris-
ing that youth mentioned fear of getting
divorced as one of the reasons they think
people are getting married later in life.
Some thought that it was important to take
more time to get to know each other and/or
live together before marriage so that they
learnt as much as possible about their
prospective partner before they considered
marriage.
A recurring theme in responses provided
was that people were taking longer to get
married because they wanted to date multi-
ple people to make sure that they were com-
patible with the person that they eventually
married.
Advancements and improvements in
health care
The final reason provided by youth on
people getting married late in life is
improvements in health services and life
expectancy. Developments in medical tech-
nology mean that more women in their for-
ties are having babies. This is taking the
pressure off women to get married early in
life for fear their biological clock is ticking.
Is marriage for everyone?
Statistics suggest that the percentage of
people getting married in Australia is declin-
ing, whereas the rate of people forming de
facto relationships is increasing. The inci-
dence of such relationships is also rising in
the relatively conservative society in India.
The Australian Prime Minister, Julia
Gillard, who juggles the top job of the coun-
try, is in a relationship, but she is not mar-
ried. Individuals who commit to a relation-
ship embark on a journey together, and it is
a choice for the two individuals involved as
to whether marriage is the path for them.
For some, it is the best way to solidify that
relationship and formally recognise their
relationship. For others, it is unnecessary
paperwork that would not add anything to
the deep bond they already have between
them. Ultimately, for anyone who does take
the plunge into the ocean of emotions of a
relationship, the most important thing is the
sincerity of feeling and commitment to shar-
ing and growing together.
To marry or not to marry?
A Special Report by Pallavi Sinha who spoke to youth across Australia
about the popular topic of marriage.
Argues Vinetha Manthena: Men and
women have a lot more options open to
them because of higher education and
careers, hence delaying the prospect of
marriage to explore options that perhaps
our grandparents never had.
Prajayan Kathirgamanathan found the
love he has witnessed between his parents
inspirational.
More and more people in the country are forming de facto relationships, and they
include Prime Minister Julia Gillard seen here with her partner Tim Mathieson. The median first marriage age in Australia has gone up by six years.
Bollywood
From 16 February until 14
March, the Australian Centre for
the Moving Image (ACMI) in
Melbourne in conjunction with
TIFF Lightbox, Canada presents
Focus on Raj Kapoor, a spotlight
on the late actor, director and pro-
ducer who revolutionised Indian
cinema.
An extensive career retrospec-
tive, Focus on Raj Kapoor features
several new 35mm prints.
Revealing an on-screen persona
inspired by the smirk and swagger
of Clark Gable, the heightened
emotions and showmanship of
Gene Kelly, and the underdog
heroism and pathos of Charlie
Chaplin, Kapoor helped set the
template for the Bollywood films
of today. ACMI will be screening
13 of his films including Monsoon
(Barsaat), Sangam, and God, Your
River is Tainted (Ram Teri Ganga
Mailli).
A film of many firsts, Fire
(Aag) (1948) was Kapoors debut
as producer, director and leading
man. It also saw him perform for
the first time with his on-screen
muse, Nargis. A brooding, noir-ish
melodrama, Fire tells the story of
Kewel (Kapoor), who is banished
from the family home by his father,
but manages to scrape together
enough money to build a theatre
where he eventually hosts a per-
formance by his beloved Nimmi
(Nargis).
Kapoor had his first megahit
with Monsoon (Barsaat) (1949), a
film that focuses on two key char-
acters: romantic idealist Pran
(Kapoor) and his more carnally
driven best friend, Gopal (Prem
Nath). The film brought together
Kapoors enduring team of collab-
orators including composers
Shankar and Jaikshen, lyricists
Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri, cin-
ematographer Radhu Karmakar, art
director M.R. Achrekar, playback
singers Lata Mangeshkar and
Mukesh (who sang the songs
Kapoor mimed to), and his leading
lady, Nargis.
A contemporary retelling of the
ancient story of Ramas banish-
ment of Sita, The Vagabond
(Awaara) (1951) brought Kapoor
international success. Four genera-
tions of the Kapoor family
appeared in the film, and it also
marked the debut appearance of
the Charlie Chaplin-inspired tramp
persona that Kapoor would
become known for. Featuring an
extended dream sequence that rev-
olutionised Hindi cinema by intro-
ducing the idea of externalising
characters inner conflicts through
song and dance numbers, The
Vagabond was also nominated for
the top prize at the 1953 Cannes
Film Festival.
In Where the Ganges Flows
(Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai)
(1951) Kapoor revived his trade-
mark tramp character to play Raju,
a man on a pilgrimage to the
Ganges who becomes sidetracked
by the womanly charms of a bandit
named Kammo (Padmini). He
attempts to convert Kammos band
of brigands into modern day Robin
Hoods and through a series of
twists and turns, the stage is set for
a dramatic confrontation with the
rural police. The film was awarded
three major prizes at the 1986
Filmfare Awards: Best Music
(Ravindra Jain), Best Director and
Best Film.
With a nod to Vittorio De Sica's
Shoeshine, Boot Polish (1953) is
Prakash Aroras realist tale set on
the same streets as Slumdog
Millionaire. An orphaned brother
and sister are forced onto the
streets to beg by their wicked aunt
until a kind stranger encourages
them to join the boot polish trade.
But the children become separated
when the monsoons arrive and the
demand for boot polishing evapo-
rates. Embodying Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehrus campaign for
social reforms, this was Kapoors
second film to be nominated for a
Palme dOr at Cannes.
In the film Shree 420 (1955),
Kapoor adopts his most well
known Chaplinesque role. Playing
a poor but educated orphan who
arrives in Bombay with dreams of
finding his fortune, its not long
before he is drawn into a life of
gambling and fraud. Meanwhile,
he attempts to woo school teacher
Vidya, who tries to help him
change his ways, but a life of crime
continues to tempt him. The film
features several legendary musical
numbers, including the rousing
'Mera Joota Hai Japani ('My shoes
are Japanese') which was embraced
by a newly independent India.
In Stay Awake (Jagte Raho)
(1956), Kapoor plays a tramp on
the hunt for a glass of water that
wonders into a luxury Calcutta
building and exposes the behind-
closed-doors perversions of the
citys upper middle class. This film
was the first Indian film to win the
Grand Prix prize at the Karlovy
Vary Film Festival.
Sangam (1964) was Kapoors
first colour film and a world-wide
hit. Featuring four hours of pure
spectacle, it established a trend for
Bollywood films to seek out exotic
locations around the world (often
Switzerland) for their song and
dance sequences. Starring Kapoor,
Vyjayanthimala and Rajendra
Kumar in a love triangle, Sangam
provides a whirlwind tour through
suburban mansions, European
vacations and scotch-sipping par-
ties. The film screens with an inter-
mission.
My Name is Joker (Meera
Naam Joker) (1970), Kapoors leg-
endary box office disaster, was
condemned as an exercise in self-
pity at the time of its release, but
has since had its reputation revived
by Western critics who have pro-
claimed it is as a self-reflexive
masterwork. Kapoor reinterprets
his trademark tramp persona,
removing all trances of heroism to
appear as a saccharine, love-
obsessed clown. A compulsively
watchable film, My Name is Joker
runs for almost four hours and
screens with an interval.
Yesterday, Today and
Tomorrow (Kal Aaj Aur Kal)
(1971) marked a return to form for
Kapoor after the critical failure of
My Name Is Joker. The film also
stars three generations of Kapoors:
Rajs father Prithviraj, Raj himself
and son Randhir, the director of the
film.
In the 1973 film Bobby the
follow up to My Name is Joker
Kapoor delivers a paean to youth,
casting his son Rishi in the lead
role of Raj. Born into a wealthy
family, Raj falls in love with his
former maids granddaughter,
played by Bollywood icon Dimple
Kapadia in her first cinematic role.
Packed with zany sets, outrageous
costumes, and an abundance of
physical comedy, Bobby combined
traditional Indian sounds with
western music and in the process,
established a new genre of
Bollywood film.
Produced, edited and directed
by Kapoor, Love Sublime/Love,
Truth and Beauty (Satyam Shivam
Sundaram) (1978) was his studios
attempt to return to prominence
after releasing a string of epic
action films. A raunchy meditation
on love and beauty, the film won
two Filmfare Awards for Best
Music and Best Cinematography.
It tells the story of village girl
Roopa (Zeenat Aman), whose face
is disfigured as the result of a
childhood accident.
God, Your River is Tainted
(Ram Teri Ganga Mailli) (1985)
was Kapoors most financially suc-
cessful film, and signalled his
return to telling stories with a
social message. Highlighting the
endemic corruption within Indian
society, he used the state of the
Ganges as a metaphor for his coun-
trys decline. It featured the male
lead Narendra (played by Kapoors
son Rajiv), fleeing his politically
corrupt home of Calcutta for the
more pristine headwaters of the
Ganges, where he falls in love with
Ganga (Mandakini).
ACMI Film Programmer
James Nolen says, While Raj
Kapoor remains largely unknown
to Australian audiences, he is
regarded as an important cultural
icon, not only in India, but
throughout the Middle East and
beyond. The films he made during
the Golden Age of Indian cinema
continue to have an impact on the
Bollywood films of today.
Starting his career in 1935 as
an actor performing in his fathers
theatre company, Kapoor acted in
small film roles before founding
the production house, RK Films, in
1948. The Indian government offi-
cially recognised his contributions
to Hindi cinema by awarding him
the Padma Bhushan in 1971 and
the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in
1987.
Focus on Raj Kapoor screens
16 February to 14 March at ACMI
in Melbourne. For full program
information and screening times,
please visit acmi.net.au
Raj Kapoor in Melbourne
Above: Raj Kapoor and Nargis in Awara; Right Top:Zeenat Amaan in
Satyam Shivam Sundram and Right Bottom: Vyjayanthi Mala in Sangam
New creative
choreography in India
and the diaspora
A touching novel of music, clarity
and simplicity
Ramanujan saw God in Maths
B
orn in Mumbai, Ketu
Katrak is a Professor in
the Department of
Drama at the University of
California, Irvine. Recently
she published a book on
Indian dancing which should
appeal to Indians living in
India and overseas as also to
Indophile Australians.
Contemporary Indian
Dance delineates a new lan-
guage of dance, multi-layered
and multi-vocal, in India and
in the Diaspora. This language
unfolds at the intersection of
classical Indian dance forms
with yoga, pan-Asian dance
and martial arts traditions as
well as modern and post-mod-
ern dance, and theatrical tools
that result in hybrid dance cre-
ations.
Ethnicity, gender and sexu-
ality are inspired by artists'
geographical locations in the
north or south, east or west.
With the revival of Indian
dance in the 20th century, this
study is grounded historically
and examines today's phenom-
ena of globalization and
Diaspora that impact artists.
The attractively illustrated
book includes creative chore-
ography with over thirty
images from selected artists
and pioneers that has impact
and reverberates in 'an ances-
try of gesture' in the work of
emerging choreographers.
The main feature of the
book is Abstract Dance with
Rasa, pioneers being Astad
Deboo and Shobana
Jeyasingh. An interdisciplinary
and comparative approach
makes visible inter-connec-
tions among artists in sites as
distant as Toronto to Chennai,
London to Los Angeles and
Kuala Lumpur to Sydney.
A
n interesting look at
the great Indian math-
ematician Srinivasa
Ramanujan by Sydney
Srinivas piecing together his
life and works is a pleasant
read. Its a journey through
the great Ramanujans life full
of agony and ecstasy, which
Sydney found quite fascinat-
ing. So important was the
contribution of Ramanujan
that when some of his lost
works were found in the attic
of a colleague after he died,
the discovery of his lost note-
book caused as much stir in
the mathematical world as the
discovery of Beethovens
Tenth Symphony.
Ramanujans work on
mathematical theorems was so
intricate that till today it has
not been possible to fully
decipher the formulas. While
the western world wants
proof, Ramanujan used to
claim that he wrote the equa-
tions and formulas with the
guidance of Goddess Namagir
who would appear in his
dreams. For him numbers
meant something higher
shoonya as the Nirguna
Brahma as he used to say,
An equation to me has no
meaning unless it expresses a
thought of God.
Ramanujan who worked as
a clerk in India after failing in
his university exams devoted
his time entirely on Maths
equations and was finally dis-
covered by a Cambridge pro-
fessor Prof. G G Hardy when
he sent him nine pages of
equations and then got then
invited to Londons Trinity
College where he was finally
admitted as the Fellowship of
the Royal Society, FRS and
also as the Fellow of Trinity
College for having written
twenty papers on mathemati-
cal research.
Sydney Srinivas has spent
a lot of time researching the
great man by visiting places
where ever Ramanujan lived
- in India and England. He
has written an excellent story
of the great Ramanujan whose
life was full of tragedy, as he
died at the age of 32, but of a
man of utter brilliance.
Contemporary Indian Dance
By Ketu H. Katrak. Published by
Palgrave McMillan, USA, the
book retails at US$68. To order a
copy,
e-mail orders@palgrave.com.
Sydney Srinivas (middle) with Prof. M. Hirschhorn, School of
Mathematics and Statistics, UNSW at the launch of book on Srinivasa
Ramanujan.
The book Srinivas
Ramanujan a Tale of Agony
and Ecstasy (Manthana pp 56.
Printer Digital Data Imaging) is
on sale for $5 a copy from Sri
Ramyavaran 0423 533 554.
Book Reviews
A
bandoned on the rural streets
of India as a young child, ever-
optimistic Kalu carves out a
life by fetching and carrying for the
villagers to earn a few coins. When a
foot injury threatens to cripple him, he
faces complete destitution until the vil-
lage Healer overhears him blowing a
tune through the rolled leaf of a
banyan tree. From that moment,
Kalus life will never be the same
again. The colour and movement of
India are powerfully evoked through
his ongoing journey; from the suffocat-
ing nature of its class structure to the
energy of its markets, its people, their
joys and sorrows, their dances and
their dramas. There is so much beauty
here but, above all, there is so much
musicand its powerful rhythm forms
an irresistible beat.
Manisha Jolie Amin has an MA in
Professional Writing. Of Indian her-
itage, she now lives in Sydney.
S
huklaji Street, Old Bombay. In
Rashids opium room, the air is
thick with voices and ghosts:
Hindu, Muslim, Christian. A young
woman holds a long-stemmed pipe
over a flame, her hair falling across
her eyes. Men sprawl and mutter in the
gloom. Here, where they say you
introduce only your worst enemy to
opium, there is a whisper of a new ter-
ror: the Pathar Maar, the stone killer,
whose victims are the nameless, invisi-
ble poor. There are too many of them
to count in this broken city; pushers,
poets, gangsters and eunuchs.
Stretching across three decades, with
an interlude in Maos China,
Narcopolis portrays a city in collision
with itself, a sprawling underworld
filled with a fascinating cast of flawed
characters, written in electric and utter-
ly original prose.
Jeet Thayil is a poet, songwriter
and guitarist. He lives in New Delhi.
Intense, atmospheric novel
from Bombay opium dens
Dancing to the Flute by Manisha Jolie
Amin, Allen & Unwin 9781742378572
$29.99 pb
Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil (FABER
9780571275762 $29.99)
Community
My Karma My Life is a
community project initiated by
the Hindu Council of Australia
in association with Australian
Organ and Tissue Donation
Authority to raise awareness
about Organ and Tissue dona-
tion within South Asian commu-
nity in Sydney. As part of this
project, the Council has been
holding information stalls, cre-
ating multilingual fliers and
organising community forums.
The first forum was organ-
ised by Hindu Council on
Saturday 3rd December, 2011
at Reg Byrne Community
Centre in Wentworthville in
association with Donate Life,
Sri Om Care and Sewa
International. A panel of speak-
ers from health industry and
community shared their
thoughts about organ donation.
The key issues discussed by the
panel of speakers included the
following:
1. Does Hindu culture
prevent organ and tissue dona-
tion?
2. What kinds of inhibi-
tions come in the way of organ
donation with in Indian commu-
nity?
3. The need to create a
pool of organ donors from the
community and the urgency for
donors to register in the official
register.
4. What is the process to
become a donor?
5. How the organ dona-
tion process works?
6. Real life experience
of potential recipient waiting for
organ donation
7. How to discuss about
becoming an organ donor with-
in each donor family?
The forum was started with
lighting of lamp by Sri Om
Gnana Sakthiyendra Swamiji,
the president of Sri Om Care
Foundation. Satya Khanna wel-
comed the guests and the speak-
ers in the panel.
Sri Om Sakthi Swamaji
spoke about acceptance of
Organ and tissue donation with
Hindu philosophy. Anything
which can help mankind is an
acceptable cause with in our
culture, he said.
Prof Raja Jayaraman, the
Vice Chairman of Hindu coun-
cil of Australia, conducted the
forum bringing cheers to guests
with his relevant remarks.
Dr Neeraj Goureja has been
working in the medical field for
20 years in India and Australia
with special interest in holistic
medicine.
He spoke about why organ
donation should be encouraged
with in our community. He gave
the example of description of
our body and organs are like
clothes and soul is the real thing
according to Bhagwad Gita. He
emphasised the need of discus-
sion by potential donors with
their families.
Ms Nicola Seifert from
NSW Organ and Tissue author-
ity gave presentation about actu-
al process following of Organ
donation. Anybody can be an
organ donor at any age as long
as they are healthy. She spoke
about the Discover, Decide and
Discuss concept about Organ
Donation.
Mr Sidhartha Das, a senior
IT consultant, discussed what
potential organ receivers go
through while they wait for
organ donation.
Dr Meera Agar, a senior
Oncologist in NSW health sys-
tem, discussed the need of dis-
cussion of last part of our life
and importance of that in rela-
tion to Organs donation. She
emphasised that it should be dis-
cussed openly so that the impor-
tant decision can be made.
Mr Probir Maitra,
Councillor from Parramatta
Council, spoke about the impor-
tance of the organ donation and
the importance of the concept of
giving in our culture. Daan
is always considered the best
thing for salvation and Organ
donation can be one of the best
Daan person can do.
The forum was well patron-
ized by about 60 people from
the community. Some of key
community leaders like Dr A
Bala, President Sri Venkatswara
Temple; Amarinder Bajwa,
President UIA; Chandrakant
Kulkarni, Hindu Swayamsevk
Sangh; Vijai Singhal from
ARRCC; Padmanabhan,
President Sydney Malayalee
Association; Jayraman, Vice
president , Sri Om Care
Foundation; Vis vswanathan,
President of FAIA, attended the
forum and some of them shared
their views on the theme of the
Forum.
Ashwani Sharma, Director,
Hindu Council of Australia pro-
posed a vote of thanks to the
speakers and others who attend-
ed the Forum.
By Ajoy Ghosh
R
ekha Rajvanshi, Sydneys
Hindi poet and teacher
with the DET, earned a
national award for work in trans-
lation. Conferred a Runner Up
Award in the independent catego-
ry in Excellence in Translation by
the AUSIT (Australian Institute
of Of Interpreters and
Translators), Rekha has helped
make available Aboriginal
Dreaming stories to Hindi speak-
ing community in Australia and
overseas. Her translations of the
stories are used as voiceovers on
aboriginal dreametime animation
films which producer Keith Salvat
of Aboriginal Nation Australia
commissioned for the work to be
done on Hindi on 13 aboriginal
stories. The voiceover has been
provided by film maker Anupam
Sharma.
Says Rekha about her transla-
tion work, I accepted Keiths
offer and started translating and
soon realised that it was not that
easy and I needed to learn the
correct pronunciation of
Aboriginal terms such as:
Kuneye, Yandi, Djet, Bulbree,
Mungan Ngour, and Wurrawana-
Kannenner. Some of the chal-
lenges involved matching the cap-
tions frame-by-frame with
English subtitles and choosing the
right words and easy language
because the target audience was
mainly children. It was some-
times frustrating to listen to the
story over and over again just to
get a word or name correct.
Keith Salvats The
Dreaming animation stories have
won many international film
awards, including: Festival
Internacional de cinema video
(Gava Spain), Best Animated
Film & City of Gava Best Film
Award (all categories) for the
story of The Dolphin, Chicago
International Film Festival Five
individual Awards of Excellence,
Annecy Film Festival
Commendation, The Jury Prize
for the story The Bungulunga
Man.
Rekha is excited as the
Dreaming stories will now be
available to Indian students as
education material and will make
an interesting language learning
tool as well give the opportunity
to learn about Aboriginal culture.
Organ donation project launched
The first forum to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation within South Asian
Community was organised by the Hindu Council of Australia on 3rd December, 2011,
in association with Donate Life, Sri Om Care and Sewa International.
Rekha Rajvanshi earned a national award for translation for helping make available
Aboriginal Dreaming stories to Hindi speaking community in Australia and overseas.
Rekha Rajvanshi recognized by AUSIT
Community
Awards to Best
Performing Hindi
students in Canberra
Hill Sports SSCL Hindi student
tops the state
H
indi language is getting
its deserved recognition
in Canberra as it is
being taught in Narrabundah
College for the last 3 years by
Paramita Roy.
Narrabundah College organ-
ised an award ceremony on
December 19, 2011 for recog-
nising the students who excelled
in different areas including lan-
guage, after the ACT results for
2011 were declared. Santosh
Gupta, Hindi Samaj of
Canberra, presented the awards
at the ceremony.
Hindi Samaj of Canberra
and the High Commission of
India awarded four best per-
forming Hindi language stu-
dents, Shefali Malhi, Jaisleen
Kaur, Samiha Ahmad and Sara
Nasir with Co-op shop vouchers
and books respectively.
O
n Saturday 3rd December 2011, The Hills
Sports Saturday School of Community
Languages celebrated another year of tremen-
dous academic success. Students of Hindi, Spanish,
Polish, Chinese, Korean, Turkish, Modern Greek and
Maltese background were presented with academic
awards for their outstanding achievements. Our tal-
ented students also performed numerous cultural
items highlighting the cultural splendour and diversi-
ty in Australia. Our Hindi students in particular lit the
stage with their dazzling, colourful costumes and
magnificent dance. The two items presented captured
the colour of Bollywood as well as the beauty of tra-
ditional choreography. The audience included special
guest Ms Adelia Fuller, the Principal of the Saturday
School of Community Languages who along with the
rest were captivated by the star performance by the
Hindi students.
The Hills high has a dedicated and passionate
team of Hindi teachers that includes A Chabbra, S
Malhotra, R Rajvanshi and A Sood who have made
outstanding contribution to the Centre.
This year Hills Sports Hindi student Nirali Gohel
topped the state in 2 U Hindi Continuers and was
taught by Alka Sood. The Hills Sports SSCL not only
achieved 1st place in the State for Hindi it also
achieved its best results ever with 85% of students
achieving a band 6.
O
n the 3rd of December
The Saturday School of
Community Languages,
Liverpool celebrated their annu-
al function on the Presentation
Day of all the SSCLs across all
the 16 Centres in Sydney.
At Liverpool Girls High
School Centre the Bengali and
Hindi group together presented a
fashion parade of Indian cos-
tumes. Fourteen girls and one
boy walked down the ramp in
front of a strong and cheering
crowd. The fashion parade
exhibited Sarees, Salwar
Kameez, Lehngas, Angrakhas,
Churidaar Kurta and mens
Kurta Pyjama. Another group of
five Hindi language students also
performed Bollywood dancing
on a medley of three songs. Both
items were choreographed by
the Hindi language teacher Ms Kulwinder
Kaur.
On the day Janhavi Bhandari received an
award for first in course and Kiran Jasmin
McNamara received a Merit Award for her
consistent effort towards learning Hindi lan-
guage.
In 2011 five students appeared for HSC
Exam from Liverpool SSCL. They had an
excellent result with two students receiving
band 6, two students receiving band 5 and one
student receiving band 4.
Hindi Language is offered for free by The
Saturday School of Community Languages -
DET at Liverpool Girls High School, The
Hills Sports High School and Strathfield Girls
High School. It provides opportunities for
high school students to study Hindi language
to Higher School Certificate levels as it is not
available at their day school. They follow
Board of Studies syllabuses and the course is
assessable as part of their Higher School
Certificate. The classes are free of charge and
are run on Saturdays from 8.30 am to 10.30
am for year 7 10 & 8.30 11.45 am for
year 11-12.
If you are interested to enrol your child
the enrolment forms can be accessed from the
School Principal of the mainstream school of
your child or can be downloaded from
w w w . c u r r i c u l u ms u p p o r t . e d u c at i o n
nsw.gov.au/secondary/languages/sscl/
Contact Details:
Ph. 02 9886 7505 / Fax. 02 9886 7514 /
Saturdaycl-h.School@det.nsw.edu.au
Paramita Roy with students in Canberra
Hindi promised a place in the
shape paper by ACARA
Annual Day celebration at Liverpool
SSCL by Hindi and Bengali students!
A
fter an extensive lobbying by over
100 Indian associations through-
out Australia and by keen and
active individuals of the Indian communi-
ty Hindi language has finally been prom-
ised a place in the shape paper for it to be
developed as a language subject and
become part of the school curriculum.
All Australian students will be entitled to
learn a language other than English under
the new Australian Curriculum, with cur-
riculum for Chinese Mandarin and Italian
the first to be developed, said School
Education Minister Peter Garrett.
The Shape of the Australian
Curriculum: Languages, released late last
year, outlines how languages other than
English will be taught in schools as the
new curriculum is introduced. The shape
paper is written on the assumption that all
Australian students will learn a language
in primary and secondary school.
Mr Garrett said curriculum content
will first be developed for Italian and
Chinese Mandarin. The Australian
Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
Authority (ACARA) will begin work with
states and territories to develop curricula
for Arabic, Auslan, classical languages,
French, German, Hindi, Indonesian,
Italian, Japanese, Korean, Modern
Greek, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese.
Learning a second language provides
us with a window into other cultures and
ways of thinking, and is also of huge ben-
efit to our overall education results, help-
ing students in comprehension, critical
analysis and other vital skills, Mr
Garrett said.
As Australia embraces the Asian
Century its vital that future generations
are able to engage with our regional
neighbours. Providing Australian students
with greater opportunity to learn regional
languages is therefore important from an
economic and diplomatic perspective.
The Indian community was irked by
the draft shape paper of ACARA last year
when it overlooked to include Hindi.
Members of the community rallied
together to form Australian Hindi
Committee led by Tara Chand Sharma
and supported by UIA and Hindu Council
of Australia.
The AHC submitted a detailed sub-
mission which the ACARA had asked and
all the members of AHC rallied and can-
vassed with their local MPs to get Hindi
accepted. A huge signature drive and sup-
port of around 100 associations
Australiawide made ACARA change its
mind in favour of Hindi and include it in
its Shape Paper.
The curriculum of the languages will
be developed to provide, where appropri-
ate, different learning pathways for stu-
dents: second language learners, for stu-
dents studying a second language in addi-
tion to their native language; background
language learners, for students who have
a background or family heritage in the
language studied; and first language
learners, for students who are native
speakers of the language studied.
Community
Indian Community
Consultative committee
announced
Lebara leads with
unlimited national and
low-cost international
Mega Plan
AHIA elects new
executive
A
Ministerial Consultative
Committee for the Indian
community (MCC) has
been established to advise the
Minister for Citizenship and
Communities Victor Dominello
on behalf of the NSW
Government on the needs, inter-
ests and concerns of Australians
of Indian descent in New South
Wales.
The MCC for the Indian com-
munity includes leaders from key
Indian Australian representative
bodies, cultural and religious
groups, and businesses. Indian
community members selected
along with the Indian Consul
General Amit Dasgupta include:
Arun Jagatramka, Nihal Gupta,
Dipen Rughani, Rajni Patel, Dr
Hari Harinath OAM, Amarinder
Bajwa, Dr Yadu Singh, Bawa
Jagdev, Dr Samiuddin Syed,
Kedarnath Paggad, Rohitas Batta
and Dilip Chopra. The MCC will
be chaired on behalf of the
Minister by David Elliott,
Member for Baulkham Hills, and
Geoff Lee, Member for
Parramatta. Surprisingly there are
no women in the all men team.
The MCC was officially
launched on November 25.
Minister Dominello said, It is
vital to have a strong and struc-
tured dialogue between the NSW
Government and the Indian
Australian community in NSW,
and I am very pleased that the
MCC for the Indian community
will further enable that dialogue.
The advice of the MCC will
be sought in developing policy
relevant to the Citizenship and
Communities portfolio, suggest-
ing opportunities for leveraging
cultural diversity for broader
community benefit, and identify-
ing areas for improvement in the
delivery and communication of
services to the Indian Australian
community in NSW.
The NSW Liberals &
Nationals Government aims for a
relationship with the local Indian
Australian community that is
based on substance. The creation
of MCCs shows we approach our
multicultural communities seri-
ously and with respect, Mr
Dominello said.
Mr Elliott said: The Indian
MCC is a critical component of
having a serious, respectful and
meaningful relationshipwith our
local Indian community. I look
forward to its views and ideas,
including on how to best recog-
nise the contributions of
Australians of Indian heritage to
our diverse and vibrant society.
T
he Australian Hindi Indian
Association (AHIA), in
their AGM on 30
October, elected their executive
committee members who will
mould the associations activities
over the next two years. The
AGM had a tight election as two
candidates stood for the presi-
dents and vice-presidents posi-
tions.
The following Executive
Committee has been elected for
the next two years: President -
Santram Bajaj; Vice President -
Tilak Kalra; Secretary - Gurdeep
Sekhon; Treasurer - Prakash
Nathani; Executive Members -
Braham Prakash Sharma, Jagdish
Dua, Ira Kapila , Omila Bir and
Sunil Sharma.
AHIA has been an active
Indian organization started in the
1990s keeping in mind the grow-
ing needs of the Indian commu-
nity. It has established member-
ship that aims to cater to the
needs of the Indian seniors as
well as the young in the 21st cen-
tury.
AHIA publishes a regular
monthly Seniors Newsletter
along with some general AHIA
news and information. The new
executive committee aims to
revive Sandesh magazine and
organize activities for younger
and the newly arrived families
from India.
L
ebara, Australias leading
International low-cost call
provider for migrant
communities, has launched its
Mega Plan service, providing
unlimited standard calls and
SMS in Australia as well as
credit for low-cost international
calls and data services.
Recognising that as migrant
communities build their lives in
the new country, they have a
growing need to connect not
only with friends and family
overseas, but also with those
within Australia, we are offering
a plan that delivers low-cost,
high quality national and inter-
national calling for them, said
Warren Hardy, Managing
Director of Lebara Mobile in
Australia.
Mega Plan offers customers
the impeccable service and low
rates Lebara is renowned for.
Lebara led the market in 2009
when we launched our low-cost
international calling services and
we are doing it again by com-
bining unlimited standard
National calls and SMS with our
outstanding low-cost
International calls on the Mega
Plan.
From just $39.90, Mega
Plan customers will have 30
days of access to unlimited calls
to any standard fixed line or
mobile number in Australia,
SMS in Australia, calls to 13xx
and 18xx numbers - which most
other unlimited packages
exclude--as well as calls to/from
voicemail and standard free
call numbers.
Customers also get call cred-
it to use for calls or SMS to any
international number, mobile
data, video calls within Australia
or abroad, MMS or calls to pre-
mium or special service num-
bers.
Mega Plan is available in the
following denominations:
$39.90 with $10 included call
credit; $49.90 with $20 included
call credit and $59.90 with $30
included call credit
. For customers needing
more credit for services not
included in their unlimited
access, they can also top-up
within the 30-day period with
$9.90 or $19.90 extra call credit
with a Mega recharge. And
when they renew their Mega
Plan after 30-days, they wont
lose any unused credit - it will
simply roll over to the following
period
The new Lebara Mega Plan
can be purchased online at
www.lebara.com.au or at
Allphones, Australia Post, 7-
Eleven, Coles and independent
retailers.
MCC members with Consul General Amit Dasgupta
Indian Consulate
moves to new
premises
T
he Consulate
General of India in
Sydney will tem-
porarily relocate to Level
10, 190 George Street,
Sydney in the new year.
The Consulate regrets
any inconvenience
caused. Public dealing
hours for consular servic-
es will remain unchanged
as 9:30AM to 12:30 PM.
Further information is
provided on website:
w w w . i n d i a n c o n -
sulatesydney.org
Community
Ayurvedic medicines can cause lead poisoning
An Indian inventor makes women care free
T
he Department of Health
in Victoria has warned the
Indian community of the
dangers of lead in Ayurvedic
medicines bought overseas fol-
lowing several recent related
cases of lead poisoning.
In all of the cases notified
to the department people have
been taking an ayurvedic prepa-
ration that has been obtained in
India, usually by friends or rela-
tives, said Victorias Acting
Chief Health Officer, Dr
Rosemary Lester.
Three cases of lead poisoning
resulting from Ayurvedic medi-
cines have been reported since
early 2010. A further two cases
have since been reported, with
one person becoming seriously
ill. Similar cases have been
reported in other states across
Australia. In one case, testing of
the Ayurvedic preparation used
revealed lead levels 15,000 times
the Australian legal limit.
Lead is toxic to many
organs and systems in the body
including the reproductive sys-
tems of both men and women. It
can lead to sperm abnormalities,
difficulty conceiving and miscar-
riages, Dr Lester explained.
If you have been taking an
Ayurvedic preparation obtained
overseas and you are suffering
any unusual symptoms, Dr
Lester advises that you see your
doctor immediately.
The symptoms of lead poi-
soning can be vague and are
often mistaken for other more
common illnesses, so it is impor-
tant that you tell your doctor
about any complementary medi-
cines you are or have been tak-
ing.
Symptoms of lead poisoning
include abdominal pain, nausea,
confusion, headache, anaemia,
irritability; and in severe cases,
seizures, coma, and death. Some
adults and children may not
experience any obvious symp-
toms but may still suffer long-
term ill effects, such as heart and
fertility health issues. Treatment
options vary depending on the
level of lead exposure.
The Therapeutic Goods
Administration (TGA) in
Australia regulates complemen-
tary medicines sold in Australia
and allows a lead content limit of
0.001 per cent. Medicines pur-
chased outside Australia may
not be subject to similar regula-
tions.
The quality or safety of
medicines purchased overseas or
via the internet cannot be guar-
anteed. It is safer not to take any
medicine given to you where you
cannot be sure of its origin or the
safety of its contents, said Dr
Lester.
An information sheet devel-
oped by the Department of
Health advises that if you are
given a preparation by a friend
or relative and you cannot identi-
fy the origin or ingredients, it is
safer not to take it. You should
also tell your doctor if you are
taking or have taken any comple-
mentary medicines.
W
hen Arunachalam
Mu r u g a n a n t h a m
decided he was going
to do something about the fact
that women in India cant
afford sanitary napkins, he
went the extra mile: He wore
his own for a week to figure
out the best design.
Fashioning his own men-
struating uterus by filling a
bladder with goats blood,
Muruganantham went about his
life while wearing womens
underwear, occasionally
squeezing the contraption to
test out his latest iteration. It
resulted in endless derision and
almost destroyed his family.
But no one is laughing at him
anymore, as the sanitary nap-
kin-making machine he went
on to create is transforming the
lives of rural women across
India.
Right now, 88 per cent of
women in India resort to using
dirty rags, newspapers, dried
leaves, and even ashes during
their periods, because they just
cant afford sanitary napkins,
according to "Sanitation pro-
tection: Every Womens Health
Right," a study by AC Nielsen.
Typically, girls who attain
puberty in rural areas either
miss school for a couple of
days a month or simply drop
out altogether. Coimbatore,
Tamil Nadu based
Murugananthams investigation
into the matter began when he
questioned his wife about why
she was trying to furtively slip
away with a rag. She respond-
ed by saying that buying sani-
tary napkins meant no milk for
the family.
"When I saw these sanitary
napkins, I thought 'Why could-
nt I create a low cost napkin
for [my wife?'" says
Muruganantham. That thought
kick-started a journey that led
to him being called a psycho, a
pervert, and even had him
accused of dabbling in black
magic.
He first tried to get his wife
and sisters to test his hand-
crafted napkins, but they
refused. He tried to get female
medical students to wear them
and fill out feedback sheets, but
no woman wanted to talk to a
man about such a taboo topic.
His wife, thinking his project
was all an excuse to meet
younger women, left him.
After repeated unsuccessful
research attempts, including
wearing panties with his do-it-
yourself uterus, he eventually
hit upon the idea of distributing
free napkins to the students and
collecting the used ones for
study. That was the last straw
for his mother. When she
encountered a storeroom full of
bloody sanitary napkins, she
left too.
Analyzing branded napkins
at laboratories led to
Murugananthams first break-
through. "I found out that these
napkins were made of cellulose
derived from the bark of a
tree," he said. A high school
dropout, he taught himself
English and pretended to be a
millionaire to get U.S. manu-
facturers to send him samples
of their raw material.
Demystifying the napkin
was only the first step. Once he
knew how to make them, he
discovered that the machine
necessary to convert the pine
wood fiber into cellulose cost
more than half a million US
dollars. Its one of the reasons
why only multinational giants
such as Johnson & Johnson and
Procter & Gamble have domi-
nated the sanitary napkin mak-
ing industry in India.
It took Muruganantham a
little over four years to create a
simpler version of the machine,
but he eventually found a solu-
tion. Powered by electricity
and foot pedals, the machine
de-fibers the cellulose, com-
presses it into napkin form,
seals it with non-woven fabrics,
and finally sterilizes it with
ultraviolet light. He can now
make 1,000 napkins a day,
which retail for about 25 cents
for a package of eight.
Though hes won numerous
awards (and won his wife back)
he doesnt sell his product com-
mercially. "Its a service," he
says. His company, Jayaashree
Industries, helps rural women
buy one of the $2,500 machines
through NGOs, government
loans, and rural self-help
groups. "My vision is to make
India a 100 per cent napkin-
using country," said
Muruganantham at the INK
conference in Jaipur. "We can
create one million employment
opportunities for rural women
and expand the model to other
developing nations." Today,
there are about 600 machines
deployed in 23 states across
India and in a few countries
abroad.
The machine and business
model help create a win-win
situation. A rural woman can
be taught to make napkins on it
in three hours. Running one of
the machines employs four
women in total, which creates
income for rural women.
Customers now have access to
cheap sanitary napkins and can
order customized napkins of
varying thicknesses for their
individual needs.
It is not an easy path,
though. "Lack of awareness is
the major reason, next to the
apathy of NGOs," says
Sumathi Dharmalingam, a
housewife who runs a napkin-
making business based around
the machine. According to her,
rural women are clueless as to
how to use them, think twice
about spending even the small
amount of money to buy a
packet, and sadly have a devil-
may-care attitude about their
health. "When I caution them
that they might have to have
their uterus removed because
of reproductive infections, they
just say, 'So what? How long
are we going to live anyway?'"
Arunachalam Muruganantham of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, with the cheap sanitary napkin
making machine and workers.
Community
T
he Indian community in Australia
has mixed reactions on the sen-
tence of 21-year-old Nitin Gargs
murderer a young boy who had fatal-
ly stabbed him when he was on his way
to work at night at Hungry Jacks in
Melbourne in January 2010.
The boy, 15 and half at the time of
crime and referred to as JLE in court,
was sentenced to 13 years with a non-
parole period of eight years by the
Victorian Supreme Court judge Justice
Paul Coghlan who described it as a
"tragic and awful'' crime which "prob-
ably took place in less than a minute''.
A friend had dobbed JLE who had
initially shown no remorse on the death
of his victim and has been in detention
for the last 18 months. Justice Coghlan
said he accepted JLE had since become
remorseful for Mr Garg's death, a man
who had come to Australia to obtain an
accounting degree and to better himself.
He said in sentencing he needed to
balance immaturity, rehabilitation and
the effects of incarceration with the
need for deterrence and just punish-
ment.
In circumstances such as these
there are just no winners, Coghlan
said. Although this was a very serious
crime, it was committed spontaneously.
It should be noted, however, that you
chose to arm yourself and did a great
deal to avoid apprehension for your
crime.
The teen showed no visible reaction
when his sentence was announced. But
as he was escorted from the courtroom
by guards, he appeared to be fighting
back tears.
Attacks on Indian students have
reduced but still have occurred occa-
sionally since Nitins death. A report
about attacks on Indians in Australia
was submitted to the Indian Parliament
by the Overseas Indian Ministry in early
2010.
According to this report, the Indian
consulates were aware of 152 attacks on
Indian students.
The drop in bashing could be down
as there has been 46 per cent drop in
students applying for study visas due to
Australian government making the rules
more stringent for enrolments into voca-
tional colleges.
Nitins death created a furor in India
and Australia with diplomatic relations
between the two countries plunging to a
new low as Indian media pursued the
story about the terrible treatment of
Indian students in Australia.
Although some in the community
feel the sentence being lenient, young
Nitins death has not gone waste as the
authorities have taken note. The sen-
tencing of his murderer has sent out a
strong message to the perpetrators of
such crimes.
Nitins murderer gets 13 years
Indian student Nitin Gargs killing in January 2010 created a furor in India, creating
tension in Indias relations with Australia.
Community
Indian community has its say at Canberra meet
By Rekha Rajvanshi
T
he Indian High
Commissioner, Mrs Sujata
Singh, held a consultative
meeting with Indian community
representatives at the Hyatt Hotel in
Canberra on 17 December, fol-
lowed by a meet and greet session
at the High Commission with the
visiting Indian Cricket Team.
This was the third meeting of its
kind and was well attended by com-
munity representatives from all
over Australia. The High
Commissioner welcomed all the
participants and acknowledged that
feedback and suggestions on vari-
ous issues in the past meetings,
including consular, passport, visa
and OCI/PIO services were useful.
As a result of this feedback a
few important issues were resolved
such as a revision of the exchange
rate being used in fixing charges for
various consular services as well as
an online application for the Police
Clearance Certificate (PCC) and the
Indian Driving Licence Verification
(IDLV) in a user-friendly format.
The Indian Government has also
introduced the online visa applica-
tion form for visa processing, she
said.
Mrs Singh said that a new
Consulate had been established in
Perth and a new position had been
created in the High Commission for
community relations. First
Secretary Tarun Kumar will assume
this responsibility.
Several community leaders
expressed their views on issues
from Visa problems to challenges
faced by the community in general.
UIA President Amarinder Bajwa
talked about UIAs contribution in
raising issues and settling customer
complaints at the VFS office in
Sydney. He said that UIA was
working closely with the Federal
and State governments on various
issues such as travel concessions for
international students and seniors
on bridging visas and immigration
quota for seniors. He welcomed the
Australian Governments decision
of selling uranium to India and
raised concerns about the consump-
tion of asbestos in India and the
protection of children in the legal
battle of parents.
Sue Advani, President of the
Sindhi Association, congratulated
the High Commissioner on bringing
together community leaders from
all around Australia to share their
experiences. She mentioned the
UIA Womens Steering Committee
as one organisation that worked
with the Indian Government to
assist women in distress and formed
the Global Womens Network.
Mrs Jyoti Vimoori of the Indian
Cultural Society, who came all the
way from the Northern Territory,
thanked the Indian Government for
providing support in community
activities in Darwin. She raised
issues on delayed Visa services in
remote areas and the surrendering
of Indian Passports on attaining cit-
izenship. She proposed the intro-
duction of 24-hour free
Doordarshan in Australia.
Indian Consul in Sydney,
Gautam Roy, gave a presentation
on the IVFRT new visa processing
arrangements. There were presen-
tations on VFS Services,
Emergency Calls and Assistance to
Indian Women in Distress. First
Secretary Tarun Kumar presented
information on Indian women
deserted by their husbands in a for-
eign land and legal obstacles in get-
ting justice. Indian women in dis-
tress can get legal and financial help
through Ministry of Overseas
Indian Affairs and the Indian com-
munity welfare fund.
CIA President Dr Yadu Singh
changed the tempo of the meeting
by raising a concern that Indian
diplomats were getting involved in
the politics of the Indian communi-
ty. He was upset about the news in
an Indian newspaper in which,
according to him, inappropriate
credit for the uranium deal was
given to two individuals.
Indian Consul General, Mr
Amit Dasgupta, and the High
Commissioner, Mrs Sujata Singh,
expressed their disappointment at
the remarks and said that such
issues could affect the Indo-
Australian relationship.
Vish Vishwanathan from
Sydney expressed his concern about
excessive document verification
fee. Canberras Cultural Centres
Anil Gupta and Raj Satija,
President India-Australia
Association of Canberra, compli-
mented the forum that was impor-
tant to discuss issues related to the
community.
There were too many speakers
on the day, some with relevant
issues and some for the sake of talk-
ing, and the time was short. In the
end the High Commissioner
summed up the evening and
answered the relevant questions.
She also requested the Indian com-
munity of Adelaide to help the
Telugu speaking Indian student
Venkat Raja, who was recently a
victim of violence. She described
this student as isolated, depressed,
traumatized and in need of support.
The Indian community of
Adelaide can support him by doing
simple things such as giving him
home cooked food, talking to him
and getting him in family environ-
ment, she said.
The guests reassembled at the
High Commission for dinner with a
welcome inclusion of the Indian
cricket team. Mrs Sujata Singh said
that she was the only High
Commissioner who got an opportu-
nity to welcome the Indian team
twice - at the beginning and at the
end of her tenure.
Many Australian politicians,
among them Federal Minister for
Resource and Energy and Minister
for Tourism, Martin Ferguson,
Senator Kate Lundy and MP Julie
Owens were present at the dinner.
Indian team welcomed in Canberra by the Indian High Commissioner
Mrs Sujatha Singh
M.S. Dhoni on the way to practice
Indian Short + Sweet plays worth a watch
T
he Indian community is
forging ahead and making
its mark in play writing,
thanks to the efforts of Abhinay
School of Performing Arts
(ASPA). Three short plays The
Hostage by Shourya Nidhi;
Waning Shadows by Sukhpreet
Dhamoon and Rocky II and the
Indian Bride by Neena Badhwar
have made it to Short+Sweet
Sydney Festival being held in
Sydney through the months of
January and February 2012.
Out of 65 Independent Theatre
companies (ITC) proposals and 860
script entries, three of the plays by
Indian writers from ASPA have
successfully made it to the top.
The three plays will be pro-
duced, cast and directed by
Abhinay School as an Independent
Theatre company. Aishverya
Nidhi, Artistic Director of ASPA
said, Its a matter of great pride
that finally Indian writers, actors
and directors are being noticed by
the mainstream. Short 10 minute
plays are a totally new concept for
us who are used to seeing theatre of
long duration of about 90 minutes
and more.
Indian writers did an extensive
three day workshop under Alex
Broun, now director of Short +
Sweet Delhi, Mumbai and
Chennai. He helped them polish
their ideas to crisp 10 minute
scripts. The writers had their say in
casting of actors as well as direct-
ing. It helped them find confidence
in their work.
The story told through a 10
minute play can be equally interest-
ing and one can see ten different
plays unfold in one night. So the
audience is pretty involved all
through the evening. I am sure that
the community will come and sup-
port and watch these plays and help
them win a spot in the finals of
Short+Sweet Sydney in
February, Aishverya said.
Some other plays by Indians
that have made to the top are: The
Shadows Within by Sonal Moore;
Sparkling Effluescence directed by
Raj Muneshwar; The Cause writ-
ten, acted and directed by Neel
Kolhatkar and Jacob Boylan; Let
Me In written by Mansoor Noor &
Leela Vaghese (QLD) and The Full
Moon Caf directed by Uma Kali
Shakti.
Shouryas The Hostage will
be on Wednesday, February 29
Sunday, March 4.
Neena Badhwars Rocky II
and the Indian bride, as part of the
Wildcards, will be staged on
Saturday, February 18 Sunday,
February 19.
Sukhpreets Waning Shadows
has been selected as part of the
Wildcards and will be shown in
Wildcards 6 from Saturday,
February 11 Sunday, February
12 All these plays will be present-
ed at King Street Theatre at 644
King Street - cnr King + Bray
Streets, Newtown. For further
information, timings and bookings
ring (02) 9519 5081.
Two of the three plays which have made it to Short + Sweet Sydney include those written by Shourya
Nidhi (left) and Sukhpreet Dhamoon, and produced and directed by Aishverya Nidhi (right),
Artistic Director of Abhinay School of Performing Arts
Talia Kaur (above) with her main project of a wedding dress for the subject Design & Techonology in
which she topped the state; Prachi Batra top right; Anita Gupta second right; Jaya Punjabi with brother
and mum at bottom right; Tanya Mokha below left; Komal Shah below right and Vincent Dodd on Tabla.
Hard
work
and a bit
of fun,
the
motto
for HSC
stars!
Community
By Neena Badhwar
HSC is a quite a trying time not
just for students but also for the par-
ents, brothers and sisters, teachers
and the school. Even grand parents
from overseas rally behind the stu-
dents asking every now and then
how the student is going and if he or
she is working hard enough to get
good marks. Thats the way Indian
culture is which puts a lot of empha-
sis on study and academic perform-
ance. The saying goes in the Indian
household, Bete if you do well in
study then your life is made.
There used to be a joke which
went around among NRIs how our
parents used to put pressure on us to
study, warning, otherwise you will
be cutting grass all your life. But
the irony was that even after study-
ing hard we all ended up cutting
grass because the wife was on our
back on the weekends to mow the
lawn, said the men.
The mindset the Indian families
have is to stress on studies.
Recently, during the Australia-India
cricket commentary a commentator
said how 1.2 billion people of India
had not delivered medals at the
Olympics. Although Harsha Bhogle
deflected the response, the reason is
apparent: we put undue emphasis on
education and much less on sports.
But that has changed for chil-
dren from Indian homes who live in
Australia. Not only the students do
well academically, they show excel-
lence in sports as well. As James
Ruse Agricultural High School stu-
dent Anita Gupta quite shyly told
TIDU that she was the netball cap-
tain as well for the school and won
Bronze medals two years in a row
besides her impressive 99.3 ATAR
rank.
In December, when the NSW
Education Minister Adrian Piccoli
honoured students achieving first
in State in a subject, he commented
to TIDU: Its heartening to see four
students from Indian background
out of 107 students topping in
NSW. He said, I come from
Griffiths and I see a lot of Indians
who always strive hard and achieve
high in HSC. Thats quite com-
mendable how Indian parents
impress upon their children to excel
in studies.
Earlier in his speech, Mr Piccoli
said how he looked up to high
achievers, being a mediocre student
himself.
After the hard work, many of the
high achievers took overseas holi-
days as TIDU found it difficult to
contact them. One of them was Jaya
Punjabi who scored 99.65 and was
in a train on her way to Lucknow in
India when she got the news.
Says Jaya, I was pleasantly sur-
prised, and the next evening I set up
the alarm at 3am to check my ATAR
rank, which I did five times on my
uncles laptop. My family was total-
ly thrilled as they incessantly con-
gratulated me as I had surpassed all
their expectations. And there was a
lot of celebration.
Jaya says that she loved study-
ing Japanese and Maths. She quick-
ly organized notes of Ancient
History and Legal Studies so that
she could free time for her favorite
subjects. Past papers were a great
help, says beaming Jaya.
Her mum Gita says that the
credit goes to her dad: Jaya is the
splitting image of her dad.
Jaya is thankful for the positive
support she got from the family.
Besides studying, Jaya likes shop-
ping, cooking, reading, dancing and
hanging out with friends in her
spare time.
She found tutoring less helpful.
She says when asked about her
advice to future students attempting
HSC: "No one said it would be easy;
they said it would be worth it. And
nowhere else does it apply more
than in Year 12. It's easy to fall prey
to the competition that inevitably
arises between students, but try your
best and you will definitely reap the
rewards for the hard work you put
in. Meanwhile, Year 12 is a bitter-
sweet year; so, amidst the pressure
and stressful times, remember to
take time out for friends and your-
self.
Jaya Punjabi has decided to pur-
sue Bachelor of Business at UTS
after receiving a cadetship at the
PKF Chartered Accountants.
Tanya Mokha of Pymble Ladies
College scored a rank of 99.45
studying Physics, Chemistry,
Economics, 3 unit English and 3
unit Maths. She said to TIDU, Year
12 was the most enjoyable year of
my life. I think the most important
thing to remember is to study smart,
not study hard. So when assessment
blocks are coming up make sure you
give the books your undivided
attention but besides that, through-
out the year, you should still go out
with friends, have fun and keep a
balanced lifestyle. I also think that
setting a goal at the beginning of
Year 12 is important as it keeps you
motivated and focused throughout
the journey.
Anita Gupta from James Ruse
Agricultural High School, as men-
tioned earlier, scored 99.3 in her 4U
Maths, 3Unit English, 2U chemistry
and 2Unit Biology. She has been
invited to do Dentistry at either La
Trobe in Victoria or at James Cook
in QLD.
She says she got help from dad
and brother in Maths and
Chemistry. Anita resorted to to do
Lists for each day and made sure
that she completed the tasks even if
it meant sleeping in late. Anita
played Table Tennis, Netball,
Hockey and knitted her way
through HSC making blankets at
school knitting club who sends
blankets to Africa.
A volunteer with St Vincents de
Paul, working in school canteen, a
Library monitor, school netball
team captain, Anita was also on the
Formal Year 12 committee.
My parents and my brother
always calmed me down and talked
to me when I was under stress, she
says. If all that did not work then
she went and played cricket with her
brother in the backyard. Her advice
is Stay calm. You will be fine as
Year 12 is the best year of your life!
Nirali Gohel met TIDU at the
First in State ceremony having
topped in HSC Hindi continuers
getting a cool 98. Her Hindi expres-
sion is fresh and variably Indian as
she came to Australia only in 2008.
She says she was quite welcomed
by her fellow students and that she
learnt fast as the way the study is
done in Australia is quite different to
India. They all offered help at
Strathfield Girls High School in any
way they could.
Nirali was the Dux of the school
and topped the school by achieving
a rank of 99.15 and was very sur-
prised at her performance. She says
that her younger brother also helped
a lot by giving her his time and
always kept her humoured through
her stressful days. Family was a
constant support and inspiration and
teachers were available at any
time, she says. Visiting the Swami
Narayan Temple in Rosehill, Nirali
found some friends there who guid-
ed her well in time management and
how to maintain a balance.
Talia Kaur from Marrickville
High School topped in the State in
Design & Technology. She says, It
gave me a medium to explore my
creative talents and allowed me to
focus on something other than
heavy English based subjects.
Talia advises, There is no
greater preparation than practice,
especially since the HSC is a pen to
paper exam. The time limits may
also seem tough, so it is extremely
important to practice extended
responses at home to ensure a fast
writing speed.
She found fellow students quite
supportive, saying, After all, we
were going through this journey
together and were all in the same
boat. A healthy diet/regime also
helped me to stay focused. Talia
was also active socially as she was a
member of the school debating
team.
Talia has decided to take a 5-
year full time Bachelor of Arts in
Communication (Journalism) and a
Bachelor of Arts in International
Studies at the University of
Technology, Sydney.
Another student who has plenty
to smile about his HSC is Victorias
Vincent Dodd. Vincent from St
Michaels Grammar sat in his VCE
Music exams, you will not believe
it, as a Tabla player. Besides being
written in the Australian history
books in formal education, Vincent
received 100% for his Music
Investigation subject and an A+ for
his performance, giving him a study
score of 48/50.
"It was definitely hard work -
tabla is not an easy instrument,"
says Vincent, "but I am very happy
with the outcome, so I can sit back
and relax for a while now".
Vincent began playing percus-
sion on the drum-kit and later joined
African drumming groups until he
became fascinated with the tabla
and took up lessons with Sam Evans
at the Melbourne Tabla School.
"Tabla has an amazing tradition," he
says, "and its much easier to carry
on the train!"
Vincent performed traditional
Indian classical music in his final
examination including a solo tabla
lehara piece, a raga performance
with a sitar player, a world music
composition and a jazz piece. "It's
important to show the versatility of
the instrument and include music
that is relevant in an Australian con-
text," says Vincent's tabla teacher
Sam Evans who set up the program.
"We had to work hard with the
board to have tabla accepted at VCE
level, but we have done that now
and Vincent has set a great stan-
dard," says Sam Evans.
When asked, what his future
plans were, Vincent responded with
a broad smile: "more tabla".
If Vincent played Tabla for his
HSC then Prachi Batra danced
Bollywood in her room to take
breaks from studying for her HSC.
From Girraween High School,
Prachi, who got a 96.1 ATAR rank-
ing, said, she liked studying for
English as she found it quite differ-
ent from other subjects and allowed
her to express herself in unique and
interesting way. Prachi gives credit
to her younger sister who pushed
her to work harder for her goals.
Prachi has decided to study
Psychology (Honours) at Macquarie
University and advises students to,
Take breaks! don't feel guilty for
taking time off from school to just
clear your mind and relax. A little
bit of TV, sport, socialising won't
hurt!
Komal Shah of James Ruse
Agriculture High who scored 99.65
rank, says, I did do tutoring for my
sciences and my mathematics
because it ensured that I thoroughly
understood the syllabus, effectively
being taught the same concept
twice. With English, I had an 'on
call' tutor who'd go through my
essays and provide constructive crit-
icism only if I was unsure about the
strength of the essay, the various
quotations, and of how well I'd tar-
geted the question.
To new students she says, Im
sure you have heard this millions of
times and Im going to reinforce it
as well; it is essential that through-
out the year you maintain at least
one extra-curricular activity which
you attend weekly. Breaks during
study are as important as the study-
ing itself because your mind needs
to calm down from the overload of
information which you cram in
throughout the year. I believe
attending a sport is best because you
can try to ensure that you dont put
on any of the infamous HSC
weight.
Drawing, painting, playing
Badminton and volunteering to look
after gardens for the elderly and dis-
advantaged by joining Easy Care
Gardening Komal achieved high
marks in HSC and is going to pur-
sue Dentistry from the university of
Adelaide.
A bit of sport, socializing and
hard work have all been the keys to
success for the current crop of HSC
students. Congratulations to all who
rallied around them.
HSC is hard work with a bit of fun!
Proud moment: Nirali Gohel with mum and dad and NSW Education Minister Mr Adrain Piccoli
Book Review
By Khushwant Singh
Penguin
D
eath is rarely spoken about in
our homes. I wonder why.
Especially when each one of us
knows that death has to come, has to
strike. Its inevitable.
This line from Yas Yagana Changezi
says it best: Khuda mein shak ho to ho,
maut mein nahin koi shak (You may
doubt the existence of God, you cant
doubt the certainty of death). And one
must prepare oneself to face it.
At 95, I do think of death. I think of
death very often but I dont lose sleep
over it. I think of those gone; keep won-
dering where they are. Where have they
gone? Where will they be? I dont know
the answers: where you go, what hap-
pens next.
I once asked the Dalai Lama how
one should face death and he had
advised meditation. Im not scared of
death; I do not fear it. Death is
inevitable. While I have thought about it
a lot, I dont brood about it. Im pre-
pared for it.
All that I hope for is that when death
comes to me, it comes swiftly, without
much pain, like fading away in sound
slumber. Till then Ill keep working and
living each day as it comes.
I believe in the Jain philosophy that
death ought to be celebrated. Earlier,
whenever I was upset or low, I used to
go to the cremation grounds. It has a
cleansing effect, and worked like a ther-
apy for me. In fact, Id written my own
epitaph years ago:
Here lies one who spared neither
man nor God
Waste not your tears on him, he was
a sod
Writing nasty things he regarded as
great fun
Thank the Lord he is dead, this son
of a gun.
I had even written my own obit in
1943 when I was still in my twenties. It
later appeared in a collection of short
stories, titled Posthumous. In the
piece, I had imagined The Tribune
announcing the news of my death on its
front page with a small photograph. The
headline would read: Sardar
Khushwant Singh Dead. And then, in
somewhat smaller print:
We regret to announce the sudden
death of Sardar Khushwant Singh at 6
pm last evening. He leaves behind a
young widow, two infant children and a
large number of friends and admirers.
Amongst those who called at the late
sardars residence were the PA to the
chief justice, several ministers, and
judges of the high court.
I had to cope with death when I lost
my wife. Being an agnostic, I could not
find solace in religious rituals. Being
essentially a loner, I discouraged friends
and relatives from coming to condole
with me. I spent the first night alone sit-
ting in my chair in the dark. At times, I
broke down, but soon recovered my
composure. A couple of days later, I
resumed my usual routine, working
from dawn to dusk. That took my mind
off the stark reality of having to live
alone in an empty home for the rest of
my days. When friends persisted in call-
ing and upsetting my equilibrium, I
packed myself off to Goa to be by
myself.
I used to be keen on a burial because
with a burial you give back to the earth
what you have taken. Now, it will be the
electric crematorium. I had requested
the management of the Bahai faith if I
could be buried. Initially, they had
agreed, but then they came up with all
sorts of conditions and rules. I had
wanted to be buried in one corner with
just a peepal tree next to my grave.
After okaying this, the management
later said that that wouldnt be possible
and that my grave would be in the mid-
dle of a row and not in a corner. I was-
nt okay with thateven though I know
that once you are dead it makes no dif-
ference. But I was keen to be buried in
one corner. They also told me later that
they would chant some prayers, which
again I couldnt agree with, because I
dont believe in religion or in religious
rituals of any kind.
Though Im quite fit, I know I dont
have much time left. Im coming to
terms with death, preparing myself.
And since I have no faith in God, nor in
the day of judgment, nor in the theory of
reincarnation, I have to come to terms
with the complete full stop. I have been
criticized for not sparing even the dead,
but then death does not sanctify a per-
son, and if I find the person had been
corrupt, I write about it even when hes
gone.
I dont believe in rebirth or in rein-
carnation, in the day of judgment or in
heaven or hell. I accept the finality of
death. We do not know what happens to
us after we die but one should help a
person go in peace at peace with himself
and with the world.
Ive lived a reasonably contented
life. Ive often thought about what it is
that makes people happy - what one has
to do in order to achieve happiness.
First and foremost is good health. If
you do not enjoy good health, you can
never be happy. Any ailment, however
trivial, will deduct something from your
happiness.
Second, a healthy bank balance. It
need not run into crores, but it should be
enough to provide for comforts, and
there should be something to spare for
recreationeating out, going to the
movies, travel and holidays in the hills
or by the sea. Shortage of money can be
demoralising. Living on credit or bor-
rowing is demeaning and lowers one in
ones own eyes.
Third, your own home. Rented
places can never give you the comfort
or security of a home that is yours for
keeps. If it has garden space, all the bet-
ter. Plant your own trees and flowers,
see them grow and blossom, and culti-
vate a sense of kinship with them.
Fourth, an understanding compan-
ion, be it your spouse or a friend. If you
have too many misunderstandings, it
robs you of your peace of mind. It is
better to be divorced than to be quarrel-
ing all the time.
Fifth, stop envying those who have
done better than you in life - risen high-
er, made more money, or earned more
fame. Envy can be corroding; avoid
comparing yourself with others.
Sixth, do not allow people to
descend on you for gup-shup. By the
time you get rid of them, you will feel
exhausted and poisoned by their gossip-
mongering.
Seventh, cultivate a hobby or two
that will fulfill you - gardening, reading,
writing, painting, playing or listening to
music. Going to clubs or parties to get
free drinks, or to meet celebrities, is a
criminal waste of time. Its important to
concentrate on something that keeps you
occupied meaningfully. I have family
members and friends who spend their
entire day caring for stray dogs, giving
them food and medicines. There are
others who run mobile clinics, treating
sick people and animals free of charge.
Eighth, every morning and evening
devote 15 minutes to introspection. In
the mornings, 10 minutes should be
spent in keeping the mind absolutely
still, and five minutes listing the things
you have to do that day. In the evenings,
five minutes should be set aside to keep
the mind still and 10 minutes to go over
the tasks you had intended to do.
Ninth, dont lose your temper. Try
not to be short-tempered, or vengeful.
Even when a friend has been rude, just
move on.
Above all, when the time comes to
go, one should go like a man without
any regret or grievance against anyone.
Iqbal said it beautifully in a couplet in
Persian: You ask me about the signs of
a man of faith? When death comes to
him, he has a smile on his lips.
How To Live & Die
The Man in the Bulb meditates on the dying of the light
Absolute
Khushwant:
The Low-Down on
Life, Death and
Most Things
In-Between
By Khushwant Singh
& Humra Quraishi.
Penguin India,
Rs 250.
Community
There is now a Gujarati Community Centre
A
fully-functional Gujarati
Community Centre now
caters for the community at
12 Good St, Granville, which is
easily accessible from the
Granville Railway Station and is
just a four-minute drive to Harris
Park hub of Indian community.
Mukund Shah, member of the
Building Management Committee,
said that the building is a 128-
years-old heritage-listed property
with proud history. The place ini-
tially was used as a Parramatta
Council hall. For 40 years it was
used as a Granville School of Arts
and for many more years it was
used as Granville Technical
College and local community cen-
tre. The Gujarati community
bought the building and has now
restored to its formal glory as a
community Centre for wider use
by Indian and local community.
The Centre has three floors
with an Indian Restaurant, Zaika,
operated by the Taj group of
restaurants on Ground floor. The
first floor is a function hall with a
capacity of 300 theatre style seat-
ing and 230 dinner style seats. The
Centre is fully licensed with inde-
pendent kitchens and bars on both
floors. It is fully air conditioned
with cool rooms. Level Two has
offices and multi-purpose rooms.
Dr Jayant Gokani, Chairman of
the Building committee, said that
nearly 25-30 percent of more than
100,000 people of Indian origin in
Sydney are from Gujarat. The
Gujarati Community had a vision
to unite all the Indian communities
who can now use the Community
Centre.
The project was started three
years ago when quite a few mem-
bers of the community came for-
ward with small and large dona-
tions, including a very generous
donation of $200,000 from Dr
Bhaskerbhai Desai.
We acquired this building and
did all the necessary renovations
and it is now up and running for
the benefit of the Indian communi-
ty, said Dr Gokani.
Dr Geoff Lee, MP, said that it
was encouraging to see such devel-
opments in Granville/Parramatta
area. He congratulated the Gujarati
Community for their vision, gener-
ous donations and the management
team to successfully acquire and
restore the building to its original
glory.
Ms. Julia Finn, Councilor from
the Parramatta City Council, has
recently visited Ahmedabad which
has significantly improved her
knowledge base in regards to the
Gujarati community. The City of
Parramatta and Ahmedabad are
now forming ties to be sister cities.
This will increase cultural
exchanges, celebrate festivals and
increase business ties with Gujarat,
she said.
Mr. C. Jamnadas, Mukesh Rao, Ravi Pandit, Surid Sheth, Mihir Sheth, Jayant Gokani, Jignesh Shah, Mukund Shah, Rushi Sheth,
VM Patel and Harshad Desai
Childrens Corner
Children's Corner
By Manoj Das
Illustrations: Mario Miranda
O
n top of a three-hun-
dred foot hill was a
quiet old temple. A
hunched old man performed
puja here. Enshrined in the
centre of the temple was a
beautiful idol. Usha and Lalita,
two good friends, enjoyed talk-
ing to the kindly temple priest
and watching him adorn the
beautiful idol with multi-
coloured flowers.
Often in the morning, Usha
and Lalita climbed the hill,
dancing between the rhododen-
dron bushes, jumping, singing
and playing hide-and-seek.
Woken from the slumber, a
dovelet would coo sleepily,
Coo ! How noisy these
Brobdingnagian doves are! A
squirrel would skip past, flick-
ing its bushy tail and chatter-
ing, Audacity! They dare
show me how to play hide-
and-seek! A bright, yellow
warber, flying overhead would
trill, silly modern girls! Their
frocks are the colour of my
undercoat. Are they just trying
to tease me?
But the multicoloured flow-
ers pink, blue, yellow and
purple that line the path
would sway gently in the
breeze and whisper, Lalita
and Usha, we are in full
bloom. You can pick us and
we shall adorn the lovely idol
in the temple yonder!
Usha and Lalita would hap-
pily pluck them to the dismay
of the fluttering butterflies, of
course, and take them to the
priest. The old man would feel
the flowers as his eyesight was
weak and guess their names
accurately.
He would decorate the idol
and chat with girls. Have you
brought jasmines? Fine, God
will grant you purity. Or, so
today they are roses, arent
they? God will give you love
and peace.
One evening, Usha asked,
What if I offered lotus?
The priest replied, Lotus?
The queen of all flowers. The
lotus is the consciousness of
the Lord. When you offer a
lotus with devotion, you get
nearer to Him. You become a
better person.
Usha was delighted. She
skipped around joyfully. Lalita
looked puzzled. But where
will you find a lotus? she
questioned.
Usha smiled mysteriously
and refused to answer. After
some coaxing, she reluctantly
confided, Remember the old
pond on the other side of the
mountain? I saw a lotus bud
there. It should blossom by
tonight. I will pluck it early
tomorrow and bring it here.
But the pond belongs to
my father, protested Lalita
shrilly.
Usha had not thought of
that before. But she remained
adamant. Maybe, she
replied. but nobody ever goes
there. The flower would have
blossomed and withered unno-
ticed. I saw it. So I have the
right to pluck it.
But how? The pond is my
fathers.
So what?
So only I can pluck the
flower.
The two friends parted that
evening without smiles. The
next day, dawn was just break-
ing when Usha approached the
pond. She ran all the way
while the sky turned from a
light grey to a gentle orange.
When the pond was within
sight, she was overjoyed but
there was a touch of sadness
for her friend. Poor Lalita!
But suddenly her heart
almost stopped beating. In the
hazy light of dawn, she saw
somebody climbing out of the
pond. Yes, it was Lalita and
she had the lotus in her hand.
Usha hid behind a bush.
Lalita quickly began climbing
the hill. Holding back her
tears, Usha followed and
reflected bitterly on the perfidy
of the girl she had considered
her friend.
Lalita stood before the
priest who had just emerged
from bathing in the spring and
was about to perform puja.
Who is it? asked the old
man.
I, I have brought a lotus.
Lotus? Wonderful! I will
put the flower on the idol in
your name. It is Usha, isnt it?
Its a pity, I cannot see clearly
and always confuse Usha and
Lalita.
Lalita did not answer.
Usha, who was hiding and
peeping from behind, could no
longer control her tears.
Is it Usha? asked the
priest again.
Suddenly Lalita replied,
Yes, yes. Please offer the
flower to the deity in the name
of Usha.
No, shouted Usha from
behind. Panditji, it is Lalita
who brought the flower.
But you discovered the
flower. I only plucked it, said
Lalita, with tears streaming
down her cheeks too.
So what?
So only you can offer it to
the deity.
Then very gently the priest
intervened. Never mind. I
will utter both your names
when I offer the lotus to the
Lord. He will not object to
bestowing His grace on both of
you. You shall both be dear to
Him. Both of you shall grow
to be much better human
beings.
On their way back, Usha
and Lalita looked and smiled at
each other. They felt they had
already become better human
beings. They jumped, danced
and sang as usual. Once again
roused from its sleep, the
drovelet cooed drowsily in
protest at the disturbance.
*******
Two girls and a lotus for the Lord
Thornleigh Harris Park
1 Station Street Shop 3, 96-98 Wigram St
Ph: 02 9481 8200 Ph: 02 9893 8691
Tough times ahead
W
e are all familiar with
the phrase Health is
Wealth and no one
more so than one who is unwell.
Here are some quotes
regarding health and some
information to support them.
Oh blessed health! Thou are
above all gold and treasure.
They, that has thee, has little
more to wish for.
--Lawrence Stern
Knowledge indeed is desir-
able, a lovely possession, but I
do not scruple to say that health
is more so. It is of little conse-
quence to store the mind with
science if the body be permitted
to come debilitated.
--Thomas Jefferson
Health and good estate of the
body are above all gold and a
strong body above infinite
wealth.
--Ecclesiastics
I am no shrinking violet
but the experience I had at the
slaughterhouse overwhelmed
me.When I walked out of there I
knew I would never again harm
an animal! I knew all the physio-
logical, economic and ecological
arguments supporting vegetarian-
ism, but it was firsthand experi-
ence of humankind's cruelty to
animals that laid the real ground-
work for my commitment to
vegetarianism.
--Peter Burwash
All living things need food
and each organism thrives best
on the types of food best suited
to it.
Human beings like dogs,
horses, birds and trees attain the
highest standard of health when
provided with the most suitable
food. In the past, due to circum-
stances beyond their control,
some people were forced to eat
unsuitable foods for continued
consumption.
This was a basic misunder-
standing as unsuitable foods do
not always cause death or imme-
diate illness. They can be eaten
for some years before the harm-
ful effects occur, the illness will
then be attributed to a virus or
'bug' instead of the continual
eating of unsuitable foods which
have created blockages and
waste in the body.
Refined, overcooked and
adulterated foods combined with
harmful habits, lack of move-
ment and environmental pollu-
tion have produced a sub-stan-
dard condition which is regarded
as normal health.
In order to relieve pain and
unpleasant symptoms which
accompany these conditions
many people have resorted to
taking toxic substances called
medicines. Some relief from
symptoms does occur but unfor-
tunately the side-effects produced
by these medicines produce dif-
ferent kinds of problems.
Instead of eliminating the
cause, which is unsuitable foods,
the easiest and best known
course is followed which is to
remove the symptoms only. The
problem with this approach is
evident by the number of unwell
people and the size and number
of ever increasing hospitals
throughout the world.
Generally, many conceptions
about food need to be re-defined.
Unfortunately we often do not
think or question for ourselves,
but simply follow the ways of
those around us.
Fruit is one of the best foods
we can eat as well as vegetables,
nuts, herbs and small quantities
of grains and pulses. Eat locally
grown, seasonal organic food
where possible.
It is quite possible that fruit
was the original food of
humankind. It requires no prepa-
ration, is appealing to the eye
and palate, easy to eat and digest
and puts minimum demands on
the body. It also provides nutri-
ents in ideal proportions which
produce minimum byproducts
which then pass through the
digestive tract and are eliminated
quickly.
Ideally, for peak health fruit
would comprise 40-50 per cent
of daily food, vegetables - 35
per cent, starches - 10-20 per
cent and concentrates 5-10 per
cent.
Health is truly wealth!
Health is wealth
Inner Space
By Faith Harper
I
t is going to be a tough 2012
astrologically, more challeng-
ing than last year (2011).
Countries in South-East Asia
will face economic, political and
financial tests.
I sat with my seventh genera-
tion Vasthu Sastra and astrologer
master Yuvaraj Sowma in
Chennai, India, recently, to
analyse the 12 zodiac signs to
determine what lies ahead for indi-
viduals using the Indian almanac
which is based on moon signs,
known as rasi in Indian astrology.
(Western astrology is based on the
sun signs.) For the new year, it is
recommended that those who face
unfavourable periods in their
respective horoscopes should exer-
cise caution in undertakings related
to finance, relationships, business
and growth.
These people should perform
charitable acts, enhance their spiri-
tual practices and observe sweet-
ness of speech to offset the nega-
tive aspects.
Out of the 12 zodiac signs, the
only three stars which will be
enjoying a favourable period this
year are Taurus (Vrishabha), Leo
(Simha) and Sagittarius (Dhanus).
All other stars will have to be
extra careful to withstand the neg-
ative months ahead.
This is because Saturn has
moved into Libra (Thula) and get
exalted in this place.
In astrology, such a movement
happens once in 30 years, and it
brings positive and negative
results depending on which horo-
scope the individual belongs to.
If you are worried about
claims by certain quarters on 2012
being the end of the world, dis-
miss such talks because it is not
going to happen. This year has
been selected for such a claim
simply because the Mayan calendar
ends in 2012.
Not a single ancient scripture,
including the Mayan calendar,
speaks of 2012 to be the end of the
world. The Mayan civilization has
been attributed with plenty of spe-
cial intelligence merely because
they had great astronomical knowl-
edge. With the acknowledgement
of their wisdom came their support
to this contest.
According to the four eras
called Yugas (Satya, Treta,
Dvapara and Kali), as mentioned
in the Hindu philosophy, the cur-
rent period of Kali Yuga is the
final.
It started from the Mahabharata
(Sanskrit epics of ancient India)
period, which is about 3200BCE.
The Kali Yuga runs for a period of
432,000 years.
This is good news for those
who do not believe that the world
ends in 2012 because we have
completed only 5,000 years out of
the 432,000.
Owing to the testing times in
the coming months, it is best that
all dwellers observe the knowledge
of Vasthu Sastra to protect them-
selves and their home. This is
because our home is the abode of
peace and it plays a vital role in
healing and protecting everyone
who occupies the space. Since
ancient times, elders have regarded
the house as a sacred space
because it is created to inspire,
comfort and heal our body, mind
and spirit.
However, over the years, many
dwellers have overlooked the
importance of their private space
while some have abused it by not
giving it appropriate care and bal-
ance. This has resulted in many
people being angry, nursing
hatred, experiencing dullness and
feeling lousy when they step into
their house.
You dont have to rebuild your
house or tear down walls. You can
create a tranquil home just by
cleaning it, which helps to trans-
form and give your space a fresh
and motivating look. Making a
home sweet home starts with the
occupants feeling that they belong
in their house.
Next, take an inventory of your
house, like, which is your
favourite room, the room that
makes you uncomfortable, and
which area of the house needs
healing and attention.
We should allocate time to
clean and cleanse our living space
daily, and this should begin with
the master bedroom in the south-
west, which the couple of house
occupies.
Dust the bed daily and remove
any clutter in the corners of the
room and under the bed. Shoes
and slippers should not be worn in
the bedroom because they carry
negative energy gathered outside
into your private space.
All clothing should be placed
inside wardrobes and not hung
behind doors or on the wall.
In the living area, remove
mementoes from the past that hin-
der your movement into the future.
Display pleasant images of
fountains, mountains and scenery,
and hang family photographs on
the wall.
Remove all broken furniture
and stained carpets because such
defects create negative energy,
which will affect relationships and
family unity.
In the kitchen, wipe off oil
stains on the stove, table tops and
cabinets regularly after cooking.
Ignoring such an activity will allow
stale energy to stagnate in your
kitchen and hinder your desire to
cook.
In the dining area, display
some fresh fruits on the table as
this will enhance appetite and help
you enjoy your meals.
The bathroom should be in
working order, with no rusty or
leaking pipes, or spoilt showers,
which are all inauspicious. As this
is the space where you cleanse
yourself, it should be clean and
rejuvenating.
The garden should be inviting
and all dried or dead plants should
be removed and replaced with
flowering plants.
Every home should have a holy
space and this can be in the form
of a prayer room or a corner
where you take time out to relax.
The north-east is the appropri-
ate area for this activity and this
space should be clean and free of
weight and disorder.
Just like how we brush our
teeth and have our bath daily, our
house also needs to be cleaned
every day because the energies
emanating from it should be in
tune with that from our body.
Dr T. Selva is the author of
the Best Seller book titled Vasthu
Sastra Guide for health, peace,
happiness, prosperity and world
peace. To get a copy of the book
or for private consultation contact
Devi at 0412623017. He can be
contacted at tselvas@pd.jaring.my
Website: www.vasthusastra.com
VasthuSastra
By T. Selva
Out of the
12 zodiac
signs, the only
three stars
which will be
enjoying a
favourable
period this year
are Taurus
(Vrishabha),
Leo (Simha)
and Sagittarius
(Dhanus).
Body-Mind-Spirit
Taurus
Leo
Sagittarius
Santram's Grey Page
I
ndia is in the grip of poll fever. Though it
is only the Assembly elections in 5 states
Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa
and Manipur, it is going to be very interesting
as the biggest state of UP is involved and the
results will have a far reaching impact on the
general elections in 2014. We in Australia will
be watching with interest the outcome of these
polls.
In UP it will be an interesting contest
between the big guns like Rahul Gandhi
(Congress), Mayawati (BSP), Nitin Gadkari
(BJP) and Mulayam Singh Yadav (Samajwadi
Party). Rahul has roped in his sister Priyanka
Gandhi to help!
An additional factor this year is Anna
Hazare and his team. They have vowed to
campaign against the Congress party as the
Lokpal Bill being passed by the Government
has been rejected by Team Anna. Meanwhile,
the Election Commission has instructed the
Mayawati Govt. to cover all her statues and
also those of elephants (her partys election
symbol) so as not to influence the voters.
Stay healthy in 2012!
Eat, sleep and exercise: We seldom real-
ize that eating, sleeping and exercising are
goals that are interlinked. Simple changes
such as exercising for 40 minutes just thrice a
week, sleeping for at least six hours at night,
never skipping meals and ensuring that your
body is well-hydrated throughout the day can
give you tremendous health benefits.
Cut back on bad habits in moderation:
If you are a chain smoker, aim at reducing two
cigarettes a day. Sweets lovers should try to
replace at least one dessert by fresh fruit.
Reduce alcohol intake gradually. Make break-
fast a mandatory meal for everyone in the
family.
Don't switch to low fat foods: One of the
biggest mistakes dieters do is to switch to low-
fat products. Experts do not agree anymore on
the benefits of low-fat products. They may
contain added sugar, flour, or starch thicken-
ers (corn starch) to improve flavour and tex-
ture after fat is removed. These ingredients
add calories to the product.
Home remedies for cough and cold: It is
not advisable to depend on allopathic every
time because of side-effects to those medi-
cines. Instead, try some home remedies that
are good and quick enough to cure it.
1. Gargle with hot water by adding a pinch
of salt into it, it helps in curing sore throat.
2. Keep drinking hot drinks like coffee
and tea or simply lukewarm water.
3. Add turmeric powder, ginger powder
and a teaspoon of honey to warm milk. This
not only helps in curing cough but also
relieves from body ache, cold and headache.
4. For cold, steam inhalation is the best
home remedy.
5. While preparing your tea, add a few
tulsi leaves and crushed ginger to it along with
black pepper, it gives relief in cough and cold.
6. One who is susceptible to cough and
cold should consume Chavanprash (it is the
best Ayurveda tonic for winter) or amla
murabba (jam) which has high content of
Vitamin C, which helps one develop strong
immunity against cough and cold.
Dietary supplements: how important
are they?
A dietary supplement is any product that
contains a dietary ingredient' intended to add
to the diet. These ingredients may be any of
the following substances
* Vitamins (like vitamin B, D and E)
* Minerals (like calcium, iron, zinc)
* Herbs or other botanicals (like ginseng,
garlic)
* Amino acids
* Speciality substances such as glu-
cosamine, probiotics and fish oils.
Vitamins and minerals have developed the
reputation of being magic bullets' because
they are very effective in treating deficiencies.
However, this does not mean that in a well-
nourished individual, these supplements will
prevent diabetes, hypertension, heart disease,
cancer, and other chronic diseases of the 21st
Century that Indians are facing.
Check with your doctor if you really need
a multivitamin.
Fish oil may help cure leukaemia
A compound found in fish oil, which
apparently kills leukaemia stem cells, may
lead to the cure of the disease, a new study
including Indian origin researcher has
revealed the compound, delta-12-protaglandin
J3, or D12-PGJ3 targeted and killed the stem
cells of chronic myelogenous leukaemia, or
CML, in mice, according to Sandeep Prabhu,
associate professor of immunology and molec-
ular toxicology in the Department of
Veterinary and Medical Sciences.
Killing the stem cells in leukaemia, a can-
cer of the white blood cells, is important
because stem cells can divide and produce
more cancer cells, as well as create more stem
cells, he explained.
Extra virgin olive oil
It's fully loaded with health-boosting ben-
efits.
It's the only oil in the world that can be
consumed raw! In its raw and unfiltered form,
extra virgin olive oil is all goodness all the
way, all round the year. Look at people of
Mediterranean origin. Since the Middle Ages
their diet always had olives and olive oil as an
integral part of their nutrition. From breakfast
to lunch, small meals and dinner, olives and
extra virgin olive oils found their way seam-
lessly into their culinary lifestyle. No wonder
then, their longevity and wellbeing is far more
pronounced than other races across the globe.
The antioxidant polyphenols in extra vir-
gin olive oil (not in refined or other olive
oils), the rich chlorophyll in it and the sim-
ple, unfiltered method of extraction create this
formidable health booster. Rich in monounsat-
urated fatty acids, an extra virgin olive oil-
rich diet enhances Omega-3 fatty acids
absorption by cellular membranes, enhances
the good (HDL) cholesterol levels, and leads
to considerable long-term weight loss and
overall wellbeing. It bolsters our immune sys-
tem and reduces risk of developing rheuma-
toid arthritis and inflammations. With its
favourable effect on bone calcification it also
helps prevent osteoporosis and a cognitive
decline in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's
disease and memory loss.
Fat: The sixth human taste!
It's long known that there are five basic
tastes which the human tongue can detect
sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savoury. Now,
scientists say there exists a sixth one fat.
A team at Washington University in the
US claims to have identified a potential chem-
ical receptor for tasting fat, and also found
that its sensitivity varies between individuals,
the 'Journal of Lipid Research' reported.
The receptor is, in fact, located in the taste
buds on the tongue which recognises fat mol-
ecules, say the scientists.
The finding may help to explain why
some people consume more fatty foods, as
they are less aware of the taste as they eat,
and can be used to combat obesity by
increasing people's sensitivity to fat in their
food, the team says.
Health benefits of spring onions
Spring onions add great nutritive and taste
value to a dish and can be used in different
ways. They are an excellent source of vitamin
K and vitamin C, and a very good source of
vitamin A too.
Spring onions can be added to dal and
make it a much tastier dish. Similarly, you can
add it to vegetables like cauliflower and pota-
toes and it will make an excellent dish.
Mushrooms go very well with spring onions
and interestingly spring onions can be added
to soy nuggets while making a Chinese dish.
It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals
which aids in curing the various ailments. It is
seen to have helped in reducing the harmful
impacts of various diseases.
Some of the health benefits of spring
onions are as follows:
*Spring onion lowers the blood sugar
level.
*It is a support against gastrointestinal
problems.
*It is often used as a medicine for common
cold.
*It is used as an appetizer as it helps diges-
tion.
*It speeds up the level of blood circulation
in the body.
Daily dose of aspirin may do more
harm than good: study
Millions of people who take a daily dose
of aspirin in the hope of preventing a heart
attack or stroke risk are doing themselves
more harm than good, British researchers
have warned.
Aspirin has previously been hailed as a
"wonder drug" and has come to be regarded
as a "just in case" self-medicated measure for
millions of healthy patients.
However, researchers raised concerns
about the millions of otherwise healthy people
taking aspirin to prevent their first heart attack
or stroke.
The study also found that the risk of dying
from cancer was not affected, despite recent
studies showing that the drug could prevent
bowel cancers.
Professor Kausik Ray, the lead author,
said: "The beneficial effect of aspirin on pre-
venting future cardiovascular disease events in
people with established heart attacks or
strokes is indisputable. We urge people with
these conditions not to discontinue their med-
ication unless advised to do so by their physi-
cians for valid reasons.
"However, the benefits of aspirin in those
individuals not known to have these conditions
are far more modest than previously believed
and, in fact, aspirin treatment may potentially
result in considerable harm due to bleeding."
(Disclaimer: These health tips are taken
from well established and reliable sources and
are given in good faith. However, readers are
reminded to take care and consult their doctor
if not sure, as no responsibility can be accept-
ed by the writer of this column or The Indian
Down Under).
Just for Seniors
By Santram Bajaj
HUMOUR
Health & Well-being
A man and a friend are playing golf one
day at their local golf course. One of the guys
is about to chip onto the green when he sees a
long funeral procession on the road next to the
course. He stops in mid-swing, takes off his
golf cap, closes his eyes, and bows down in
prayer.
His friend says: Wow that is the most
thoughtful and touching thing I have ever
seen. You truly are a kind man.
The man then replies: Yeah, well we
were married 35 years.
A property manager of single-family resi-
dence was showing a unit to prospective ten-
ants and asking the usual questions.
"Professionally employed?" he asked.
"We're a military family," the wife
answered.
"Children?"
"Oh, yes, ages nine and twelve," she
answered proudly.
"Animals?"
"Oh, no," she said earnestly. "They're
very well behaved."
Fiction
n refuge of Rama
It is a far-flung premises escorted by groups of dense trees. Right in the centre of the premises
stands a huge structure of bricks. The interior of the structure is deliberately quietened to
facilitate meditation for the incoming devotees.
By Prof Dharampal
I
t is a far-flung premises
escorted by groups of dense
trees. A few of them are
deprived of their leaves also.
The dense trees offer some
resistance to the rays of the
sun. The leafless trees allow a
filtration through them.
Right in the centre of the
premises stands a huge struc-
ture of bricks. The interior of
the structure is deliberately
quietened to facilitate medita-
tion for the incoming devotees.
It is symbolic of salvation for
the devotees who throng it to
get their cravings gratified by
unseen divine forces. In the
vicinity of the Hall are small
enclosures to play their indi-
vidual, distinct roles culminat-
ing in a totality.
The premises has its differ-
ent rhythms at different hours
of the day and the evening. On
several holy occasions crowds
swell creating ripples of stam-
pedes. At times some receive
physical hurts. It is ascribed to
unfathomed divine forces man-
ifesting through the spiritual
Guru whose one glimpse paves
the road to salvation. The pres-
ence of the Guru brings forth a
radical transformation in the
devotees making them subli-
mate their tensions of their
subconscious.
In an isolated corner of the
premises stands a middle aged
man almost wasting away fol-
lowing a potent internecine
mental conflict. He is in a des-
perate search for a familiar
human face. Meanwhile a slow
moving wind pips him up. He
is constrained to mumble, Oh
what a fine place! It is full of
spiritual ecstasy. Every morn-
ing and evening Ramas name
is chanted giving a peculiar
inner mental relief. Free
meals! My house is worse than
hell. It is situated in a dirty
lane frequented by quarrelsome
women. His wife, Savitri is
also tension ridden and full of
fighting. Our neighbour is full
of jealousy for our six children
because she is childless. The
neighbour was bent upon hav-
ing a physical fight with me but
I had desisted.
Bikhu was recollecting the
chain of events that transpired
in his house quite often. Six
children! One problem or the
other always haunts his house
like a phantom. Vivid and ugly
recollections of his youth
swam before him. He was a
drunkard and despite his wifes
desperate protestations he
fathered six children. His wife
worked as a cleaner in a small
town in India. He himself
earned frugal wages from
white washing houses and
shops.
Suddenly he located a swell
of crowds. He jumped into the
arena to be near Gurujis feet.
That would wash off the ago-
nies of his life and his domes-
ticities. This belief bestowed
upon him some tension free
moments. In the process one of
his legs was injured. Guruji
constituted the hub of the entire
spectators.
Bikhu collapsed in a corner
absolutely unattended. The tide
of the crowd subsided. Bikhu
helped himself on his feet and
stood in the queue meant for
food. He resolved to snatch a
few moments to be in the
divine contact of his master.
Savitri gets up early in the
morning. She manages four of
her off-springs for school.
Despite being a mother of six
children, she retains the vitali-
ty of her youth. The other day
a conglomeration of a small
humanity stood in the front of
Savitris house. The woman in
her neighbourhood spoke
Savitri, your husband had
deserted you. So you can make
use of your lingering youth to
earn sustenance for your fami-
ly. Shameless creature!
Savitri had avoided the ugly
situation by keeping mum. She
felt an intense mental pain and
restlessness at her predica-
ment. How could she earn
bread for her six children?
How could she sell her body?
Her religious and other tradi-
tions of her parents blocked for
her this alternative. Bikhu has
sanctified himself under the
shelter of Rama and she was
thinking of polluting her body.
What an internecine situation?
What could be the escape?
Bikhu has opened the door
of heaven for himself but her
life is paved for hell. Suddenly
she visualised her children as
beggars. She compelled her
eldest son Ramu to contact his
father, Bikhu. On seeing his
son Bikhu picked up an aggres-
sive eloquence, Get away
from here, You insect of hell.
It is a blessed place. Here we
are lost in the incantations of
Lord Rama. You go back to
your mother.
Ramu stammered to his
father, We are in a hopeless
situation eating once in a day.
Mother works throughout the
day. She does not enjoy even a
breathing space. Bikhu
responded in a curt manner,
Then why did you come on
this earth? You have to pay for
your sins of your past life. No
one can help you.
Ramu came back home and
reported the entire sequence to
his mother. She undertook a
firm determination to educate
her children by selling her
body. She could not accept
Ramu as a child labourer.
Savitris eyes were brimming
with tears. And Bikhu was des-
perately trying to invoke
Gurujis blessings. At times he
would intensely think about his
wife and children but would
dismiss the situation at home as
the consequence of their past
sinful deeds.
One day, very early morn-
ing he felt the monolithic still-
ness in his surroundings.
Suddenly suppressed cries of a
human being became audible to
him. Like a culprit he softly
treaded his steps in that direc-
tion. There sat a man against
the trunk of an old tree. The
man was giving vent to his
grief in profuse tears. He
inched towards the human fig-
ure wrapped in haziness. He
felt like one who has been
struck with a stone on his head.
He felt flabbergasted to locate
Guruji shedding tears. He sat
near his feet and asked, I
know tears in your eyes are
divine. No No, these are the
tears of a father who had lost
his two daughters in their
infancy. Their mother was
dead long back. I miss my
daughters with a nervy mental
anguish. I shudder at their
plight.
But Guruji---- He left the
sentence incomplete. Guruji
focussed his soft gaze at him
Do you crave an emancipa-
tion from your present misery
with my blessings? He inten-
sified his crying, I know
nothing about my two lost
daughters. Maybe they have
become prostitutes?
Bikhu thought Guruji was
enacting something miraculous
to impress him. Guruji blessed
Bikhu and suggested that he
should go back home to his
family.
But Bikhu could not
renounce the concept of
Karmic theory. One day he
came across a piece of paper. It
contained the news that Savitri
was summoned to police sta-
tion for her profession as a
prostitute and Ramu was busy
as a labourer.
Body-Mind-Spirit
By Divine Life Society
H
e had no disciples, and he
never said that he had any
disciples. He also used to
say that he had no organisation or
ashram. He was Swami
Sivananda who came to Rishikesh
in 1922 under the name of
Kuppuswamy, the same Swami
Sivananda who lived through the
life of sanyasa and spirituality and
service to mankind, and it was the
same Swami Sivananda who
attained Mahasamadhi in 1963
without any change in his attitude
to this world.
The more we seek contact
with things, the more we run
from God, he said.
Such are the sparkling ideals
that he set forth before us. And no
greater homage could be con-
ceived to this saint than a sincere
determination to lead the life that
he himself intensely led, and to
develop a similar attitude towards
life as a whole: that the whole
world is enveloped by the
Presence of God.
The Isavasya Upanishad says,
"Isavasyamidam sarvam, yat kin-
cha jagatyam jagat": Whatever is
moving or unmoving, Sthavara or
Jangama, whatever is visible or
invisible, all this is indwelt by the
supreme Being of God.
The Upanishad also says,
"Tena tyaktena bhunjithah." Here
is the seed of Vairagya and
Sannyasa at the very commence-
ment of the Isavasya Upanishad.
It says, "Renounce and enjoy."
Enjoy by renunciation, not by
possession. The enjoyment that
comes by renunciation is more
intense than the enjoyment that
comes by possession of the things
of the world. That satisfaction or
pleasure or enjoyment which
seems to come to us by the acqui-
sition of the objects of sense, is a
pain that comes to us in the guise
of satisfaction. But that joy which
comes to us by renunciation is a
real and permanent joy.
The Isavasya Upanishad adds,
"Ma gridhah kasya svid-
dhanam": Covet not the things of
the world. Do not ask for things
which do not really belong to
you. The things of the world do
not belong to you, because they
are unreal. How can unreality
belong to you? Therefore, do not
ask for the things of the world,
which are untrue. Renounce all
false values with this awareness
that God indwells all creation,
both movable and immovable.
This is, in some way, the quintes-
sence of the gospel of Divine Life
which inspired the teachings and
the writings of Swami Sivanandaji
Maharaj.
Swami Sivananda, then
known as Dr. Kuppuswamy, went
to Rishikesh in 1922 and stayed
on the Svargashram side of the
Ganga. In those days there was
practically nothing in Rishikesh,
except a few alms houses
(Kshetras) and Sadhus staying in
isolated thatched huts.
Svargashram is an ancient institu-
tion where a few Sadhus and
Sannyasins were put up, living on
alms and practising their medita-
tions.
Two years later, at the age of
37, Dr. Kuppuswamy came
across a saintly person known as
Swami Visvananda Saraswati,
whom he met, as it is said, only
for a few minutes, and from
whom he received initiation into
the sacred order of Sanyasa, as
Swami Sivananda Saraswati.
From that, Swami Sivananda
started a rigorous life of Tapas, or
austerity. People who had seen
him in those days described him
as a fire of renunciation. From
1924-1936, for 12 years, he was
an incognito Mahatma doing his
own Tapasya for a purpose,
which he alone knew. From
another little information that we
gathered from Swamiji himself
during his later years, we under-
stood that he used to go to the
other side of the Laxmanjhula
bridge. His Kutir was somewhere
directly opposite to the Darsana
Mahavidyalaya of the present
day, and he used to be put up
there. But he did not stay in the
Kutir for most of the daytime
because of fear that people would
frequent him.
He was a worshipful figure,
even from the very beginning of
his life in Rishikesh and
Svargashram, on account of the
distinguished life of austerity that
he led.
During the nearly 26 years of
life no one had even an inkling as
to what sort of meditation he
practised, what was the Japa he
did and what was the purpose for
which he meditated. He would
never say anything about these
things, nor were we in a position
to get any information about
these. This is all we knew: that he
was staying on the sandy bank on
the other side of the Laxmanjhula
bridge during the larger part of
the day and night and would come
to the Svargashram for his
Bhiksha at the appointed time.
One of the pilgrims who hap-
pened to go to Badrinath, and
who was a lover of saints, heard
of the name of Swami Sivananda.
He was a teacher in a high school
in Nagpur and his name was Hari
Ganesh Ambekar. He later on
joined this Ashram and took
Sanyasa. He was Swami
Hariomananda Saraswati. He was
one of the earliest disciples.
Swamijis life was a combina-
tion of Vedanta Philosophy and
austerity or Tapas. He used to
define Tapas as "flaming like fire
by sense-control". Tapas is the
heat that is produced in our spiri-
tual body by the control of the
senses, as their outward move-
ment depletes our energy and
makes us the weaklings that we
are.
Realisation of God is the only
goal of life. "God-realisation
first, everything else afterwards"
this was, is and will be the
teaching of this saint for ever.
Everything else follows automati-
cally from this great surging long-
ing of the heart. God's presence
and the recognition of Him is the
primary objective of all human
activity, human longing and
desire of every kind. There is no
such thing as adding something to
God's perfection, because God is
another name for Perfection
itself.
To him we pay our obeisance
by directing our thoughts and
contemplating on these eternal
values, and by proclaiming once
again, in the same tone and inten-
sity of feeling and fervour, that
the goal of life is God-realisation.
Everything else follows in the
wake of this acceptance, as a
shadow follows the substance or,
as they say, "the tail follows the
dog". One need not separately tell
the tail to follow.
All the things of the world and
all values that are regarded as
covetable in life will come in
abundance and in plenty, if we
accept from the bottom of our
hearts that the goal of life is God-
realisation, for which ideal Sri
Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj lived
and sacrificed all his life. Such is
his Sanyasa, such is his Vedanta
and such is his teaching for our
practice.
A drama on Swami
Sivananda is under production
and will be enacted on the
evening of Saturday, 5 May
2012 in Sydney.
Further information is avail-
able on DLS Australia website
http://www.dlsas.org, or via
facebook http://www.face-
book.com/dlsaus , or on phone
0411 450321 (Vijay Gokarn) and
0415 720738 (Sankar Ramiah).
Sivananda the master of masters
Swami Sivananda was a charismatic personality
Swami Sivananda with close disciples, who went on tho become gurus in their own right,
on the bank of the Ganga in Rishikesh.
Hindi Humour
|= =-|+| | =- | =++|
-|-|t| |=+|+ | |==| =|
|-| r| +| =-+ o| =| |- : ;
r , | |=t |==| =| r| = = =|
+| =r| =|+| | |= + =| r
| = -+| ; r +t + =|==
-|-|t| |= ` -|= |=--`(pres-
tige symbol) -+ ; r |o
- -|-|t| | ++ = +|| :+ t| || =|
- =| = + :|+ =| =| |nn |-=
+r| =t tr| r , -= =t| =|== =
| | =| ++ = |+ ++ = -r|t
=| -|+ =t+ =| tr| r
|=++| - :| -|-|t| +++| r| -r
|++ += +t - = =|+| = | =t
+= = -|t - -|+ =t+| r
=| t - = | =|== =| |- =|
|; = - |== = +|= =- r |=
-r =| | =| | -|-||t| - + =|
, =|+ =| , |=t - +| :| |
+|= =| --+| =|| = -|t - = +
=-|+| -+ =| - c | r
-|-|t| r| +| = = t|= n o-+| =|
|=-- `=|+-` - ; | lym-
phosarcoma of the intes-
tine .., | |=t t|= = -|t =|
|=-- `| |= -|-t` - -
blood cancer.., | -|=
-|| nt|- = ; cirrhosis of
the liver
| |+ =t = + =| t
=r|+ |+ |o|
= = =- +r |= |-| = r|
=| `-|; -+|=` =| +t n+ =| |
+-r |= +|| - o| +| -r
=-+|=+, =++| =-| = o| =++
=| +t n+ = =c - |o| tr =| t
+ t| +tr = = = `|t- = =` =| =||
=| t =r| = | - = += =| =t
|; , ;= = -|t - |--+|t = -+|
tr
| - : |+ = = + tr -
=| t ++ =||r- = = rt +t |=
==|- =| || =| tr| | = = +=
-| = = rt +t =- -r =++| +-=|+
|nn =t| =| - = |o|+| r
=t ; , - n =|=| =| +|,
-r | =| r +| :| +t + -+| |=|
r ``, |= =| t | -+ =| =-+ = +|
``+| n t r `` r- + :t+ :t+ + =|
``==| :|-| = -| r , |=
; = =n+ t| = +| r ``, -r - :|
n|+ = -|
``==| =|== r -|- | -|+
r , =- r-|t| =|- r| | =| r - - :|
|- =+ = r , | += =|;= = | =-
|+=|+| - |-= r , -r =||r-
- : o n| o n| -| tr , = =
:|-|| = =| ; -+ r| -|- |
-|-|t| r| , =- |= =|= = =|
-+ r| |+= -|-||t| - |+|
=|+| r r
o t = = | r| , = = -|-||t|
-|| :t|-+| +| r =| -|-+- -
r| +| +r| r - = = = = -+ +r
|=:+| = +|+| - Giardia =| t
cryptosporidium = +| =|+
= | | - rn+ = ; | - r|
|= +r| -| =| | =- r- =| ;
|= +| +r| ; | - | |== |==|
+ |-| | |t+ = |==| | nrt
=| +|+| |+| r| , += =| =| -|
=| : +| |-| : ==+ r
=| t r| , +r ;++| -|-||t|
=r| | = =t, r|; : nt, r|;
=| - , = =,- | =, |:+t n+,
:|- | =, |=:+| |--, |-t
-- =| t + =|+ +| +| r| |
==+| |= =- r| , +t r-|t +|= ++
=| ++| |+ = | ;++ =|+ +
r| =| |= =|== =| | =|+| | =|
+ r- | r n| + =|++ - |
|; r| +| |= =|== ;+ =|
=|+=|t| |--| =| t t |:| +t |
=-|=|t +|| - ;= =|t = | =|+|
r |= + c =t | = + =t | = +
+| r |= = = r -|-|t| r- r
=| t |=t |+ r :| =t =| == t|
=| =| t, =- :| =t | | +|+
-|; | + |o =t | | +=-t |
--: - + =t| +| +=-| +r|
r| +| =| t :| =t =| = n+| +t
n= =| r| + +| r =| t = + -
- =|| =t|+ = +-=|+ | =|+
=| =| ; -|-|t| + |+= +| - :|
-| =| r| +| r =| t +| | =| +r|
+| |= =|+ = =| | o| =|
r o|r-o|r + =| =| t =- --|
=|
=|== =| -|:+ -|-||t| =|
-|:+ -|; | - -r +r -|| -|+
+r| r |= -+=n =| =| c| |+| =| t
o| =|, + =| =| t = =|- n =
|- | |=t `t|- -|+` = o||
=| t + =| =-|-+ |-| =|-
+r| =t tr| +| +|-+ - -||- =|
|t| o|; =| t = =--- -+ =|;
=| | r +| - --| +|
| | |=t ; | +t =| -
=t= =+ : - + += =r +t = =
|=| =|+| |, +t + =|== +=
=| |-= +-, -= =| =| t =|
=|+| r =-=| =| t = |+ , +r =-
|==| =| - o|t r| +| | +| r=|-
| -t| = =| +|+| +|+ =| -+|r|
=t+ =| t =r+ |= -t| = =|
o - +=|+| =|+ | +||= - o|t o-
r| =| .. r|| |= `:|r|; :t n+` =
=|r t| | =| - r| +| + r| =|
+| =|== | =| =| = | ==+
r - n | r , -=++ - - t =|
| =| = = =| | -r +| | =--+
=-=| | |= - t -= =t+ +t |= - n
-|-t -| = | = | +|+| |+||
=| +| - =|= r| =|= |, t -|
-|+ =| t - =|= r| | =| t
=| =| -r -|-t -|| = =| |
- :| -nr t r| |!
|== +tr = :| +t |
=|== | =| t = +|= r| |
=t + : | r , r t|+| r| +| r | =|
=|=| -|-||t| =| = : -+|| =|
tr| r =r+ r + | =t =| t
-r | o|= | =-- =|, +| |-=+= -
= t : | =| |- =| .. =-
+t| = |-+| -+o+ = ! +| =|+ =| =
| ==+ r
=| t |=t +| t| =| = =| ;=
+ =| | r||+=|t= =r || =|
r t|+| +| =++ |= =|++ -|= =|
-t |==+ o|+ o =t r ; =| |=
=|= - |= =- =t+ -|=| |=+|| t =|
| =| = =| =| |-=|; | +t |
r| =|= =t tr
- n | r =- |t+ - + -
==t =t tr r| + +| n| | =|
=; +tr +tr =| -|; | - =+ -|
=|+ =| ; =| o| =| = t-| - =+|
+| =| ; | + =| - =+ - | =++
=|- - - : + = r| + = =
- =||=t| =| =| o| - - ++ - -|;
:| - r|| r| =; n|n|| - =
+ =| t - =+ - =+ -| +|
= - | + | = =; | | = o+
| + += |-+| = |+=| ||
=t+ `= +|=` =| t `; = =n+`=
+|- r| ++ | | =| ++| +r|
=| t -r =| = :=| = |=+|t | = +-
|-+|t =| t | | = = = ` |t-
-+|` = -|rt -=-| | ``
|n|=|+` =| t `=| : =| + ` - rt
- = =| -| - =+ -| |=++| | :
;==| =t + n| | =|+ :| +t
=|== | =- +r| r -=|-
t| -|- | r=|- = |t|- rt
-|-|t| =| ;|= =|++ =|==
=| +tr +r| |= rt -|-|t| =| =++|
-+ n|- r =| t rt -+ n|-
|=-t , MRI, : -, |t+ -
=|| =t|+ = -| +tr +tr =|
| || |o =t +| r -|; | -
=; -|t +| - |-|+| + :+| r
:| + = =| - = = |==| = =|
Aspirin =|= r +| |==| = |
r |+= +| |= -r o + ++|
=t+| r , |==| =| calcium =|
| | = | r +| |==| =| += =
+ ==|+ - ==|- | to | r !
=- t | | o|; , | +rt =|
| | o|; =| t t|+ =| | | | -
=| + | || r| | || - =| t ;=
=|t | || = t| n|n| =|
:|t =| =|+| r rt t - |
=|r |= rt t - |= =-=| o|=|
= |-- =| =|+ -+ =|+| r - r| +|
r r |= |= |:-| - c | tc
-| = r| +| r |== - = +, zc
+| -= r| =|+| r , +| |= | +|
=|+ =|= r| =|+ r | :| =t -|;
- + r =- + +| r -|;
o|; =|+| r =| t + r| = =+ =|
| -|++| r - =-n - +r| =|+|
|= ;+ =| +| |=| =| , r| n|
=++| -=|+ (will) - |o =|
|= --=| - -t|-t -t|-t -| |
=|
r|| |= =|== =| =; -|--
||t| | =| r =| |= o|+ =| t |-
|- = =|= r| ==+| r , +t | |
= +|= =- +r| r =| t |= -|+,
|t+ - r|| |= =|== rt -|-|t|
=| ;|=, + t| +tr = r| ==+| r
+t + |=t | + = -| | |- n -
;|= =t|+ =|+ r - = = |o|- =
| =| t = = `|; - =|`- =| +
=++| t| -+ to+ = |
=| t =|==, -|-||t| =|
;|= -+ -r | r| +| =| tr| r |=
rt =|-| = -= =| -|+ +r| tr|
=r| =| +| t|- =| =| ; r = +r|
-++| |= -r -|-|t + : +| |= t|-|
+| o |= -+ - :| -|-|t| r
|= -|+ =| t -+|; , =- =|+
| -+ (+|+| + t|) =| t c| = =|
=|| o|+ +| +| =| +|= --+|
-| +|| =| =| t |+ || =t+
|= -r| = =| ; -|-|t| |
==+| r
+=| +|| =| -| = -+o|
--=t| = = | =; -|-||t| = -|t
- |=++ | =| =+ r +r +|
| - |t| =| r| =|++ +t =-
: - o|t | - :| =|+ -| -+| =|
r
;= +tr = = =| t | -|-||t| r
|=+ =| r- r| -|+ +r| =t tr r ,
= = -r- =| -|-|t|, |== =| ;|=
+| =-|+ r=|- = +|= | +r|
| | r|=|t =| -|-|t| =| |=
= + =| -|-|t| =| +tr = | ; r
=| t =| =|- +| t +t +| ||-+ |
=t=|t| ===t| =| +| r |== t
=t+ = | =-+| r =|t = = =-|=
= -= =+n+ +t =+n+ |= =| tr
r =| t + r| r- - t| =| -|+
=t tr r -- ++ = -|t - |=t =|
=r|!
o t, |; | =| t --+| , -||
-t|+ =| ==t+ +r| r =|+ =++|
=|- =||= - o|; , +||= =| t
enjoy =||= +| |= =| + =|
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Columns
H
ere are some recipes for making some-
thing special for the holidays and week-
ends. I hope our TIDU readers would
to try these easy yet delightful dishes.
Mushroom seekh kebabs
Ingredients
200 gm Small mushroom
cup red capsicum cut into small
square pieces
cup natural yoghurt
1 tabs oil
2 tabs soya sauce
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp raw sugar
tsp red chili powder
tsp salt
Method
Mix all the items except the mushrooms and
the capsicum.
Wash and dry the mushroom and capsicum.
Cut the stalks of the mushroom and keep the
stalks. Cut the capsicum into small square
pieces.
Place the mushroom heads, stalks and cap-
sicum into the marinade. Mix well and keep
aside for 1 hour.
Arrange the mushrooms, stalks and cap-
sicum pieces on the skewers. Grill them on
charcoal or in a grill. Rotate the skewers at
small intervals to get uniform cooking.
Serve hot.
Rice & corn rolls
Ingredients
2 cups cooked rice
1-1/2 cups corn kernels
1 onion chopped
cup diced capsicum
2 green chillies chopped
4 tabs oil
4 tabs plain flour
cup milk
tsp salt
tsp red chili powder
tsp garam masala
cup grated cheese
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
Oil for frying
Method
Heat the oil in a heavy base non-stick karahi
(pan). Add onion and capsicum. Saute for 2
minutes. Add plain flour and cook for another
2 minutes. Reduce heat and add the milk. Con-
tinue stirring to avoid sticking to the bottom.
Cook till sauce thickens and becomes lumpy.
Remove from heat.
Add the corn, cooked rice, green chili,
garam masala, red chili powder and grated
cheese. Mix well and divide the mixture in 12
to 15 equal parts. Make a ball of each part and
press between the palms of hand to shape like a
pattie. Prepare all the patties and place in the
fridge.
Beat the white of 1 egg and mix with cup
water. Coat each pattie in this and roll on bread
crumbs so that it is covered all over.
Deep fry till golden brown. Serve hot with
mint or tomato chutney.
Semolina kheer
Ingredients
1 litre full cream milk
1 tabs un-salted butter
cup coarse semolina
cup evaporated milk
2 green cardamom freshly ground
1 tabs silvered almonds
1 tabs grated pistachio
cup sugar
Method
Melt the un-salted butter in a heavy base
pan. Reduce heat and add the semolina.
Continue stirring till all semolina is cooked
to light brown colour and emits a beautiful
aroma that will fill the kitchen.
Add the milk and bring it to boil. Add
the evaporated milk, cardamom and sugar.
Cook on slow heat for about 10 minutes till
the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from
heat.
Garnish with almonds and pistachios.
Serve freshly cooked kheer or serve cooled
in a refrigerator.
Paneer kulcha
Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
cup fine semolina
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
tsp salt
1 cup grated cheese
cup fresh coriander chopped
1 green chili chopped
tsp freshly ground pepper
tsp salt
Method
Soak the semolina in cup water. Add
the sugar and keep aside for hour.
Remove any lumps by putting the plain
flour, baking powder and salt through a fine
sieve. Add the semolina mixture and knead
into soft dough. Place the dough in a bowl
and apply oil on top. Cover with a moist
cloth and keep aside for it to rise for at least
hour.
Add the filling items like the grated
cheese, coriander, green chili, red chili,
pepper and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix well.
Divide the dough into 8 to 10 equal
parts. Make a ball of each part and roll it to
about 13 to 17 cm disk. Place the filling in
the middle and lift sides to enclose and seal
the mixture.
Roll them again to about the same size
disk as before. Prepare all the remaining
portions like this.
Now have a tawa on the stove and also
have a grill on. Cook each filled disk to
cook on the bottom on a tawa and then to
cook the top till golden brown in the grill.
Serve with butter or raita.
By Devaki Parthasarthy
A smile is a little curve that sets a lot of
things straight.
~ Phillys Diller
T
he face is a complex palette of emotions.
One of the most endearing emotions is a
heartfelt smile. Animals and humans
we all smile the same way with a slight turning
up of the lips and a crinkling of the eyes sig-
nalling pleasure, contentment, happiness, or
satisfaction. Smiling is not a learned action. It
is as natural as breathing. As a matter of fact
just think about it, even those born blind will
smile when experiencing a joyful moment.
A smile is a warm gesture that benefits the
receiver but the secret is that it does wonders to
the giver!!!! You cant buy a smile, cant beg
for it cant borrow or steal it because it is of no
value at all.. till you give it away!!!! It is the
only thing that enriches those who receive with-
out making poorer those who give.
But if we move away from motherhood
statements and get to the act of smiling, smiling
is good for your own health and beauty!
1. Smiling increases your face value
A smile is the most inexpensive yet the most
effective accessory. We are drawn to people
who smile. There is an attraction factor. We
want to know a smiling person and figure out
what is so good. Frowns, scowls and grimaces
all push people away -- but a smile draws them
in in drones. The muscles we use to smile lift
those cheekbones, making us appear younger.
Why go for expensive creams and treatments
for a face lift when by just smiling we can look
younger and feel better?
2. Smiling has health benefits
Studies have shown that smiling releases
endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin.
A combination of these three gives us that Feel
Good feeling. It helps the immune system to
work better. When you smile, immune function
improves possibly because you are more re-
laxed. Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.
When you smile, there is a measurable reduc-
tion in your blood pressure. Stress can really
show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent
us from looking tired, worn down, and over-
whelmed. When you are stressed, take time to
put on a smile. The stress should be reduced
and you'll be better able to take action. Next
time you are feeling down, try putting on a
smile. There's a good chance you mood will
change for the better. Smiling can trick the
body into helping you change your mood.
3. Smiling is positively good
Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of
something negative without losing the smile.
It's hard. When we smile our body is sending
the rest of us a message that "Life is Good!"
Stay away from depression, stress and worry by
smiling. A huge benefit of smiling is that it
makes you look successful. Smiling people ap-
pear more confident, are more likely to be pro-
moted, and more likely to be approached. Put
on a smile at meetings and appointments and
people will react to you differently.
4. Smiling is contagious
When I was younger I passed a church that
said, smile a while and while you smile an-
other smiles, and soon there are miles and miles
of smiles. This is so true!!!! A smile has this
contagious quality! It travels faster than sound
ever said bye to someone over the phone with
a smile? If it is genuine and heartfelt, rest as-
sured that the person on the other end will
hear it. Look at a stressed person with a
smile and he cannot resist from smiling back at
you now we all know that stress is bad for
your health and smiling is good. So with a smile
you are giving the recipient the gift of health!
Amazing what a smile can do!
And honestly, I believe it is a myth that a
bright smile stems from happiness from within.
Research has shown that genuine happiness can
stem from a smile. Fake it till you make it
because it is said that even a smile called forth
when you don't necessarily feel like smiling can
trigger the release of endorphins, brightening
your day. The simple act of smiling can help re-
lieve stress by relaxing your facial muscles and
encouraging you to focus on happy memories.
And a forced smile, which only involves the
muscles of the mouth, can easily turn into a true
smile, which lights up the entire face.
So go ahead and smile and unravel the
secret of happiness!!!!
Smile and the world smiles with you
HOLIDAYS DELIGHTS
Look Good and Feel Great Naturally
By Promila Gupta
Body-Mind-Spirit
By Anil Sharma
L
ife is like a road. The starting
point of this road is birth and the
ending point, physical death. As
we move along this road we meet and
interact with others. Some of them we
love, get attached, while some others
we instantly dislike. Why?
The answer may lie with the com-
patibility of our vibrations some in
tune and the others discordant. Even
within ourselves we are happy to do
certain chores suiting our personality
but engagement in others causes us pain
and suffering depending on the vibes.
This human personality is governed
by the theory of vibrations. The science
of numbers which has its origin from
the vibrational theory is a key to tune
in, to understand our individual person-
ality. When we understand our person-
ality, we live in harmony with our-
selves, our environment and our uni-
verse. Thus we evolve towards perfec-
tion so that we may be united with the
absolute, thus fulfilling the lifes pur-
pose.
According to the latest scientific the-
ories we are all energy - there being no
distinction between matter and energy.
Its the Gods particle, Higgs Boson,
which slows down energy particles like
quarks to give them semblance of mass,
the corollary being that all things are in
a perpetual state of vibration. All ener-
gy is vibration. All thought, speech,
colour, sound are forms of energy
which again is vibration.
The primary source of energy on our
Earth is the Sun. Sun rays received by
Earth are again in the form of vibra-
tions. No form of life on Earth can
exist without this energy which our
Earth receives from the Sun. When we
walk along a river or a sea side we see
a lot of rocks. What shapes these
rocks? The movement of water shapes
these rocks. What moves the water?
The wind moves the water, and what
moves the wind. The Sun moves the
wind. The chemical energy of our
world resources of coal, oil and gas
originally came from plants and algae
which themselves acquire their energy
from the sunlight.
Tides are caused by the gravitational
pull or magnetic vibrations of the moon.
Even in the deepest oceans its magnetic
pull is so great that it causes millions of
tonnes of water to be pulled as high as
30 to 40 feet. Tides as high as 14.5
meters (47 feet) have been recorded
in the Bay of Fundy on the east coast of
Canada. Surely, human beings cannot
escape the effect of such electro-mag-
netic vibrations as water accounts for
nearly 60 per cent of the normal body
weight. Every single cell in the human
body is an electrical unit with a magnet-
ic field of its own.
The main functional units of the
human brain are called nerve cells or
neurons. At birth, brain has more than
100,000 million (1000x1000 =
1000,000 = 1 million) neurons. Every
day we loose about 5000 neurons and
these are never replaced. Even at the
age of 90 we have more than 99,000
million neurons. The main function of
the neurons is to send and receive infor-
mation in the form of electrical impuls-
es.
The atmosphere around us is not
only being constantly penetrated and
bombarded by magnetic vibrations from
outer space in a pattern related to the
position of planets and heavenly bodies,
but these vibrations are varying and
changing every second. Our personali-
ty is not only programmed within the
human brain by a complex field of mag-
netic vibrations at birth but also con-
trolled and regulated throughout our life
related to the ever changing position of
the Sun, the moon, the planets and other
heavenly bodies. The neurons or nerve
cells are magnificent receptors of these
electro magnetic energies.
So there is a deeper connection
between life and scientific logic and a
game of numbers. A qualitative study of
numbers can unlock the vibrations of
our unique personality. This science of
numbers was first introduced by the
famous Greek philosopher Pythagoras
born in 682 BC. Qualities are assigned
to numbers related to the human per-
sonality which unfolds the various traits
of our personality.
The Nine Squares by Pythagoras -
a simple but powerful key for a broad
and general analysis of personality
Table 1
Lying buried in the date of birth is
the entire personality which includes the
unique traits, abilities and talents, the
negative qualities or aspects.
Mental plane - logic, analysis, rea-
soning, memory, intellect or intellectu-
al power, understanding
Spiritual plane - intuition, divine
wisdom, feeling, inner guidance
Physical plane - practicality, materi-
ality, human activity
Table 2
We shall now do a general personal-
ity analysis using a sample date of birth
say 23 April 1963. This is written as
23-4-1963. The individual numbers
from left to right are 2, 3, 4, 1, 9, 6 and
3. These individual numbers of the
complete date of birth are placed in the
appropriate squares according to the
numbers as shown in table above Table
Table 3
2. The result so obtained by placing
these numbers in the appropriate
squares is shown below in Table 3.
More concentration of numbers in a
particular plane (Physical, mental or
spiritual) expresses the personality in
that plane.
In the example, maximum quantity
of numbers is present in the mental
plane, then is the physical plane, and
the spiritual plane containing the least
quantity (only one 2) or amount of num-
bers. Hence, the personality of some-
one having date of birth 23.4.1963 best
expresses itself in the mental plane, then
in the physical plane and least in the
spiritual plane of expression. Now from
Table1 the equivalent meaning of the
numbers present in the squares in Table
3 can be read.
When using this method the date of
birth must be correct and according to
the English calendar. When zero falls in
a date of birth, it is not considered in the
nine squares. Zero in a birth date indi-
cates the inherent high level of spiritu-
ality. Another point to be noted is that
more the amount of individual numbers
present in a single square, greater is the
vibratory force of that number in the
personality. For example two or more
fours indicate an extremely methodical
and practical person, two or more sixes
indicate the ability to assume much
responsibility, two or more threes indi-
cate a very high level of mental percep-
tion, understanding and analysis.
This human personality is governed by the
theory of vibrations. The science of numbers
which has its origin from the vibrational theory
is a key to tune in, to understand our individual
personality. When we understand our
personality, we live in harmony with ourselves,
our environment and our universe.
Thus we evolve towards perfection so that we
may be united with the absolute,
thus fulfilling the lifes purpose..
Know thy self
3
Rational Understanding
and Analysis
Mental Perception,
Ability to conceive
practical ideas
6
Domestic Responsibility
CreativityExpressive
Personal Creativity
Like Love of home,
an expression
expressing beauty
1
Ability of Verbal Self
Expression (Outward
Expression) other than
expression of innermost
feelings
7
Learning by Personal
Experiences thus
leading towards
knowledge and
wisdom
4
Practical and
organised
8
Spiritual Wisdom
5
Intensity of Human
Feeling Love, Freedom
of Expression Versatility,
Resourcefulness
Interest in facing change
or anything new
9
Ambition,
Responsibility
Idealism
Desire to pursue mental
activity to the full
2
Intuition and
Feeling,
Co-operation,
Consideration for
others.
3 6 9
2 5 8
1 4 7
33 6 9
2
1 4
Body-Mind-Spirit
Swami Vivekananda guides to uplift India
By Kanaka Ramakrishna
I cannot write about
Vivekananda without going into
raptures.His personality was
rich, profound and
complexreckless in his sacri-
fice, unceasing in his activity,
boundless in his love, profound
and versatile in his wisdom,
exuberance in his emotions,
merciless in his attacks but yet
simple as a child He gave a
practical interpretation to the
Vedanta to uplift his country-
men ..A yogi of the highest spir-
itual level who had consecrated
his whole life to the moral and
spiritual upliftment of his nation
and of humanity.
Subhas Chandra Bose.
S
wami Vivekananda was a
phenomenon. He was a
great saint, patriot,
prophet, humanist and much
more than all these put together.
He was too vast, too deep, and
too multisided personality to
comprehend. He was the archi-
tect of modern India and mould-
ed the future of modern India.
Even after 150 years after his
birth, his voice still rings not
only in India but all over the
world.
When Swami Vivekananda
travelled throughout India as an
unknown monk, he was agonised
to see the terrible poverty and
suffering and ignorance of the
masses and he could not restrain
his tears. He wanted to remove
the poverty and suffering of the
people and find ways and means
for the salvation for India, which
prompted him to decide to go to
America.
His roaring success in
America made him weep over
his victory when he remembered
the hungry millions of India. He
could not sleep in his bed but
rolled on the floor in agony and
despair, crying, O! Mother,
what do I care for name and
fame when my motherland
remains sunk in povertythere
millions die for want of a hand-
ful of rice and here people spend
millions for personal comforts.
Who will raise the masses of
India? Who will give them
bread? Show me Mother, how
can I help them.
Swamiji combined in himself
the fiery national spirit of a patri-
ot and the spirituality of a saint.
He found the common bases of
Hinduism and awakened the
national consciousness mong the
people. The central theme of
Indian life is religion and the
vitality of India lay in her inex-
haustible religious and spiritual
reserves, but he saw this vitality
of the nation was weakened. He
awoke India with a clarion call
for the realisation of unity,
integrity, sacrifice, strength and
selflessness.
Though he dwelled deep into
spiritual mysticism, he was
never tired of preaching what
India needed at that time food
for the hungry millions, social
justice for the low classes,
strength and fearlessness for the
emasculated people and a sense
of pride and prestige as a great
nation of the world. He made a
trumpet call to all the Indians to
shed fear of all kinds and stand
as men. He instilled energy and
strength by reminding them that
they are the spark of the Divine.
He galvanised the current of
national life, enforced new hopes
and aspirations and inspired
them to serve the motherland.
He gave a spiritual basis for
Indian nationalism. His teachings
permeated the lives and activities
of many nationalists and mar-
tyrs, who were inspired by his
teachings endured extreme suf-
ferings and sacrifices cheerfully
for the Motherland.
Swami Vivekanandas patri-
otism was exclusive. To him, the
very dust of India was holy; the
very air was holy and the holy
land was a place of pilgrimage.
He identified his consciousness
with the entire nation. To him,
India represented the repository
of spiritual power that meant for
the nourishment of the whole
world. He emphasised man mak-
ing religion and man making
education.
So also was his sainthood.
He was different from the saints
India had ever seen. He shocked
both orthodox and unorthodox
people by his utter boldness by
transcending the barriers of
caste, religion and race. But he
had touched the feet of God and
was at home in any situation.
People could not but love him
for his purity and simplicity.
His love was not only for his
countrymen but also for the
whole world. He said, as
Buddha had a message to the
East, I have a message for the
West. Buddhas message origi-
nated in the East (India) and took
firm roots and spread over the
other parts of the world. In
Swami Vivekanandas case,
India discovered him only after
the stupendous, maddening ova-
tion he received in the west
(America) at the Parliament of
Religions in 1893. It awoke India
to find her son calling from a
distant shore. It was the West
that recognised Swami
Vivekananda first. Most of his
lectures and writings came to us
from America.
Swamiji identified himself
with the whole world. His
attempt was always to find out
how to bring peace to the world.
He thought that religion was at
the root of all problems and also
religion is the motivation for
individual perfection and social
upliftment. He wanted to give
mankind a religion that was good
for all. He found out that
Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma),
the scientific religion, is univer-
sal, impersonal and eternal. One
can find a place for all religious
prophets of the world in this reli-
gion. Though Swami
Vivekananda mainly emphasised
manifesting our spiritual nature
as the source of strength, he did
not neglect other aspects of life.
He liked to see strength as mani-
fest in every situation and in all
areas of life. When he returned
from America, he found lack of
regard to physical strength
among Indians. He told them,
you will be nearer to God
through football than studying
Gita. When your body stands
firm upon your feet, you will
understand the Upanishads and
the glory of Atman better and
you feel yourselves to be men.
Besides physical strength,
mental strength is also impor-
tant. The mind controls the
body. Hence, mental strength
and will power, through concen-
tration and one- pointedness
should be developed. This is
possible by positive thinking and
meditation.
The ultimate strength, the
spiritual strength is the strength
of all strengths. The Spirit,
(Atman or Soul) is the controller
of everything. If we are aware
of the inherent spiritual strength
in us, we will be able to bring
out that strength at all other lev-
els in life. Swamiji said, then,
power will come, glory will
come, goodness will come, puri-
ty will come and everything that
is excellent will come, when the
sleeping soul is aroused to self-
conscious activity.
Swami Vivekananda was the
first in India who was bold
enough to welcome the advent of
socialism. He predicted that new
India would arise through the
struggle and sacrifice of the
have-nots, who had formed the
lowest strata of the society.
Swamiji knew very well that
for a nation, just economic
strength and economic security
are not enough. He even advo-
cated military strength for India.
Someone asked him, with your
gospel of the Atman and the one-
ness of Self, why should you
advocate military strength?
Swamiji replied, I have never
spoken of revenge. I have
always spoken of strength.
Mans life becomes a vacu-
um if he has no goal in life. So
also a nation cannot prosper
without a national goal. Swamiji
has given Indians a new national
goal to surpass their own ancient
glory and to build a new, mod-
ern, greater and stronger India.
He said good things have to be
retained from ancient India, but
the future India must be greater
than what she was - in the front-
line among other countries in art,
literature, science, trade and phi-
losophy. Swamiji exhorted
Indians to work for new India,
surpassing ancient India in every
aspect.
This national ideal should be
installed in the minds of the
Indians. We have to surpass the
glory of ancient India and show
to the world how to combine
material prosperity and spiritual-
ity. With the help of Swamijis
practical Vedanta, India has to
achieve this goal.
Though Swami Vivekananda
emphasised manifesting our
spiritual nature as the source
of strength, he did not neglect
other aspects of life. When he
returned from America, he
found lack of regard to physical
strength among Indians. He
told them, you will be nearer to
God through football than
studying Gita.
He was different from the
saints India had ever seen. He
shocked both orthodox and
unorthodox people by his utter
boldness by transcending the
barriers of caste, religion and
race. But he had touched the
feet of God and was at home in
any situation.
Body Mind Spirit
Columns
By Karam C. Ramrakha
Karam C Ramrakha, a veteran prac-
tising lawyer and former Fiji MP, writes
of developments in Fiji.
A
nd that date and the method of
elections intrigues us all. After all,
everyone was subject to his
Emergency Decree which restricted politi-
cal discussions and meetings, Frank has
declared that certain class of people would
not be eligible as candidates, and that has
to be spelt outIn 1643, Abel Tasman sight-
ed (or "discovered") Fiji, and Captain
Cook also landed there. But in 1774 it was
Captain Bligh who not only courageously
sailed his longboat through Fiji outwitting
the Fijians who chased him in their druas
or canoes, but charted the islands as well.
To the West he became the real discoverer
of Fiji and for a while it was called Bligh
Islands.
The Tongans warned European trav-
ellers that Fiji was inhabited by ferocious
cannibals and Bligh's report spoke of reef
strewn waters. Consequently, European
penetration to Fiji was limited for many
years to beach bums and convicts who
escaped from the British penal colonies in
Australia. Later, the lure of sandalwood,
beche-de-mer (sea cucumber) plantations
and enforced native labour would bring in
a flood of adventurers who would defile
Fiji with firearms, whisky and measles.
The climax would come in 1849 when
the Great United States of America
demanded $50,000 in compensation from
the natives for arson and pillage of Consul
property. The then King Cakobau turned
to Queen Victoria to cede the islands to
her who, after thrice rejecting the offer,
finally accepted it on 10 October 1874.
That's schoolboy history but the
Fijians would become beloved Children of
Empire with unflinching loyalty to British
Crown, its Law and Order and deep
embrace of Christianity. No empire could
have boasted a better acquisition.
In 1987, Colonel Rabuka seized
power, sacked the Governor General and
declared Fiji a republic. Since then Fiji
has not enjoyed any real peace. Its citi-
zens, both indigenous or otherwise, readi-
ly flee Fiji if they can.
Racial divisions and unrest has pre-
vailed until Frank Bainimarama's coup in
December 2006. Here, we were greeted
with a new chapter: a coup to make all
citizens of Fiji, equal with one man, one
vote, one value and to end discrimination.
Nevertheless, to the West a coup was a
coup and protests and denial of aid and
restrictions followed and are still in place.
Frank now is isolated and has turned
to China and Indonesia for help and com-
fort. At the same time Frank has been
obliged largely because of pressure from
European Economic Community to hold
elections. He promised one in 2009 but
his new date is 2014 and that will come
sooner if not later.
And that date and the method of elec-
tions intrigues us all. After all, everyone
was subject to his Emergency Decree
which restricted political discussions and
meetings, Frank has declared that certain
class of people would not be eligible as
candidates, and that has to be spelt out.
A recent development has been
Frank's uplifting of the Emergency
Regulations which was, however, swiftly
replaced with the forty-year-old Public
Order Act which contains very much the
same restrictions. Of course there is out-
cry at all this, particularly from the West.
But to add spice to the situation, a Russian
Minister is scheduled to visit Fiji.
(Remember, Fiji has that one valuable
vote in the United Nations.)
Although 2014 is two years away, at
least Frank cannot rest. It is on everyone's
lips that he must produce a Constitution
and allow political parties and open dia-
logue and discussion. What form that will
take is a matter of conjecture.
In 1994, Fiji had accepted the services
of Revered Sir Paul Reeves, former New
Zealand Governor General and
Archbishop of the Anglican Church, to
head a Commission to decide on a future
Constitution for Fiji. The result was the
1997 Constitution which presumably is
still a bedrock for future constitutions. But
Frank has to act quickly as time is running
out despite the pollsters showing that he
still commands majority support in Fiji.
iji still remains a giant in the Pacific
albeit a little one. As the Chinese tell us,
May God Bless Fiji and guide its lead-
ers.
Karam C Ramrakha, Barrister and
Solicitor, Notary Public, Putney
Chambers, 36 Pellisier Road Putney NSW
2112. Phone: 02 9808 2760, Fax: 02 9802
5014, Mob: 0434 986 123, Email: karam-
cramrakha@gmail.com
Fiji, Little Giant of the Pacific
Under pressure from
European Economic
Community, Frank
announced elections in Fiji
in 2014 but declared that
certain class of people
would not be eligible as
candidates, and that
has to be spelt out.
The strange people across the border
T
he other day, while visiting a furni-
ture store, I met a worker who
looked Indian. But when I told him
I was from India, he revealed he was
from Pakistan. At that point, I had no
choice: I grabbed a chair and chased him
around the store, shouting, "Death to the
Pakistani!"
Actually, it didn't go quite like that.
Security was tight, so I waited until his
shift ended and followed him home,
where I deflated his tires, raided his
refrigerator, and tattooed the words "I
love India!" all over his body. Who said
tattoos serve no purpose?
OK, I admit it: I didn't go that far.
All I did was shake his hand and smile.
We had a rather friendly chat. I didn't ask
if any of his relatives were terrorists. He
didn't ask if any of mine were infidels.
We didn't even insult each other's moth-
er-in-law.
He stated that the Kashmir dispute
shouldn't create any ill will between us.
"Yes," I said. "After all, India and
Pakistan were once the same country. We
are like family, you and I. That reminds
me: Does this store offer any family dis-
counts?"
If it were up to us, the border between
India and Pakistan would be eliminated.
Of course, if that happened, the country
would have to look for a new enemy, so
people in the military could keep their
jobs. Gotta keep the economy going.
It's a funny thing about borders -- how
they divide people, how they create enmi-
ty and envy, how they give travellers the
occasional thrill of being strip-searched.
Borders often seem so arbitrary, so
illogical, like a British monarch delegated
the task of drawing borders to his pet
monkey. And yet we take them so seri-
ously. We act like the people across the
border are so different from us.
Fifty-year-old man: "They're crazy,
those people across the border. They
speak a strange language and play strange
games. Crazy, I tell you."
Wife: "Oh, be quiet. You really
shouldn't speak ill of the Canadians.
They're just like us. Nice people."
I've often wondered what America
would be like if every state were an inde-
pendent country. It would be virtually
impossible to travel from Nevada to Utah.
Border officer: "You're from Las
Vegas? What, may I ask, what do you
want in Utah? There's no gambling here,
you know. No prostitution either. We
don't even allow bingo."
Traveller: "I'm visiting my parents.
They live just across the border."
Officer: "Visiting your parents? I
don't believe it. It's not Christmas yet.
Sorry, I can't let you through. If you
want to enter Utah, you'll have to hide in
a barrel like everyone else."
I like the Internet because it crosses
borders so easily, brings people of differ-
ent countries together. People in almost
any country can read my column, people
in almost any country can send me hate
mail. I love hearing from Pakistanis as
much as anyone else.
In major American cities, you will
find Indians and Pakistanis doing business
side by side, some operating stores with
names like South Asia Boutique, Indo-Pak
Groceries and Indo-Pak Sweets & No
Disputes. You may even spot them at the
local park, playing a few innings of crick-
et -- laughing and shouting and ignoring
the strange looks from passers-by.
There's no border between these peo-
ple. I hope there never is.
THE HUMOR OF MELVIN DURAI
The Kersi Meher-Homji column
Crushing defeats for India down under
J
anuary 15, 2012 was a sad day for India
when they lost the series 0-3 in Perth
and with it the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
they had proudly held for two years.
There is nothing shameful in losing a
Test match or a series. What makes it
unpalatable and humiliating for an India sup-
porter is the way India lost the series so
tamely.
Thrashed, crushed, walloped.
Losing the first Test in Melbourne in
four days was bad enough. At least India
was in the hunt being 2-214 at stumps on
day-2 in reply to Australias 333 all out.
Then Sachin Tendulkar fell for a super 73
and India lost 8 for 68.
But they fought back to have Australia
on the ropes when emerging speedster
Umesh Yadav took quick wickets and
Australia lost 4 for 27. But then Ricky
Ponting and Mike Hussey staged a rescue
operation and the home team won by 122
runs.
Since then it has been a rapid decline in
Indias performances.
In Sydney India again had a sniff when
Australia lost 3 for 37 but once Ponting
(134), skipper Michael Clarke (329 not out)
and Hussey (150 not out) got together India
was in a sorry state and lost by an innings
and plenty with a day to spare.
But at least they showed some fight when
totalling 400 in the second innings, with 83
from Gautam Gambhir, 80 from Tendulkar
and 66 from VVS Laxman.
Sadly, apart from hot-headed Virat
Kohlis 75, there was no saving grace for
India in the Perth mauling, another innings
defeat within two and half days.
That was the worst day in Indian cricket
since they had lost 4 wickets for no runs in
the Leeds Test against England in 1952.
Combining consecutive Sydney and
Perth Test innings this summer, Australia
lost only one wicket before Ed Cowan was
bowled in Perth on 14th January, while the
team scored 836 runs (from 3-37 to 4-659 in
Sydney to none for 214 in Perth). And after
Ponting was dismissed in Sydney at 4-325 to
before Cowan was bowled in Perth,
Australia did not lose a wicket for 548 runs.
So hows this for an unusual record for
Aussie bats; 1 for 836 and 0 for 548?
Clarke (329 not out) outscored India
(191) in the first innings in the Sydney Test,
and David Warner (180) outscored India
(161 and 171) in both innings in the Perth
Test.
Annihilation, no less!
This is the seventh Test India has lost
overseas following the 0-4 drubbing
received in England last year.
What are the causes?
To me, one cause is the IPL which ruins
batsmens technique and the ability to retain
their concentration. Also bowlers tend to
save runs rather than try to take wickets.
Every Test cricketer from India took part in
the 2011 IPL a week after winning the 2011
World Cup. Very few Australians from the
current side participated in this get-rich-
quick scheme falsely named cricket.
Also Australian pace bowlers were far
too good for Indias batsmen whose foot-
work left a lot to be desired.
As mentioned earlier, India should have
played a couple of first-class matches, say
against NSW, Victoria or Western Australia
to get a feel of the swing and bounce of the
Aussie pitches which are completely differ-
ent from the placid and spin-friendly Indian
turf.
Net practice is no substitute for match
play against top-class bowlers.
Tendulkar did his best in the first two
Tests but the added pressure and expectation
of his hundredth international century per-
haps clouded his temperament.
Was the advanced age of Indias top
batsmen the reason behind Indias poor per-
formances down under? Let me quote for-
mer Indian Test captain Nari Contractor
during a recent interview.
Aged 77, he feels that age is certainly
catching up with some of the seniors who
have put up exceptional service to the game
and to Indian cricket.
No one doubts their class and contri-
bution to Indian cricket. But again, you have
to respect age and accept the fact that the
reflexes are waning. Even a fraction of sec-
ond delay in judgement will lead to many
problems, especially when you are batting,
he said.
And, what really surprised is the way
so many mistakes were being repeated by
the batsmen. If you are to succeed in Test
cricket, you should know where your off-
stump is. This is the key to success at the
highest level, pointed out Contractor, who
is now part of cricketing folklore for a
remarkable comeback to play the game
again despite being felled by a nasty delivery
from Charlie Griffith in the tour game
against Barbados on the 1962 tour to West
Indies.
There are no exceptions to these mis-
takes. Sachin is getting out to balls frequent-
ly coming back into him. Laxman and
Sehwag are giving catches in the slip cordon
regularly and even [Rahul] Dravid is getting
bowled repeatedly. All sad signs of dimin-
ishing class of these great players, said
Contractor who played 31 Tests between
1955 and 1962.
Essentially, I don't think this Indian
team is ready, or enjoy facing challenges.
The end-result is the 3-0 drubbing, he con-
cluded.
The Australian team celebrating after drubbing India 3-0 in the 4-Test series.
The long faces of Tendulkar, Dravid and Sehwag tell the sad story of
Indias poor away form.
Skipper Dhoni had no answer to Aussies piling up century upon century, and is now
being criticized back home for uninspiring leadership of the Indian Test team.
Kersi Meher-Homji
analyses Indias rapid fall
The Kersi Meher-Homji Column
Indias dismal 5-25 Tests
record Down Under
Aussie ODI team beware, Sehwag is on fire!
Advertisers
patient despite
India's poor show
S
ince 1947-48, India have
toured Australia 10 times, los-
ing sevent series and drawing
three. Of 39 Tests played by the two
countries so far India has won five,
lost 25 with nine drawn.
Yet, the Border-Gavaskar
Trophy is the most prestigious Test
series after the Ashes between
England and Australia. And in
recent years the Border-Gavaskar
Trophy between India and Australia
has provided greater excitement.
Before the current series, India held
the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (inau-
gurated in 1996-97) by defeating
Australia in India 2-0 in 2010-11.
The current series provided
India its best chance of beating
Australia in a Test series in
Australia as Australias confidence
was at its lowest after being beaten
by an under strength New Zealand
in Hobart. But that was not to be.
After India losing three Tests and
the series, the Fourth Test in
Adelaide, January 24-28, is only of
academic interest.
The chart below shows Indias
poor record down under:
T
he India Test side's con-
tinued freefall in
Australia has infuriated
the media and angered fans
back home but advertisers and
broadcasters are refusing to
give up on cricket, given a lack
of alternatives and the fickle-
ness of local supporters.
Since the euphoria of a
2011 World Cup victory on
home soil in April, nothing has
gone right for MS Dhoni's
team, who lost the No 1 Test
ranking to England after a 4-0
series whitewash on a tour
there a few months later.
A similar humiliation
looms in Australia, where they
have been thoroughly out-
played in the first three match-
es of a four-Test series but
media planners insist cricket
remains a hot property.
"Overall, there won't be
much of a difference. Cricket
as a property is still hot and
advertisers will look to get on
board," Sanjay Chakraborty,
of ZenithOptimedia, told
Reuters.
The humiliation in
Australia, however, would
give more bargaining power to
advertisers buying slots for the
ensuing ODI tri-series. ESPN-
STAR Sports India are broad-
casting the series and the com-
pany's senior director of cor-
porate development, Rathindra
Basu, believes the side only
needed one good tournament to
win back fans who may have
turned their back on cricket.
Cricket drew more than a
quarter of the country's total
advertising revenue of $2.41
billion last year and it is likely
to remain the same this year
with big-ticket events like the
IPL and the Twenty20 World
Cup in Sri Lanka lined up.
In India's uni-sport culture,
cricket dominates sports adver-
tising revenue and Dhoni is
one of the prime beneficiaries,
having signed a two-year deal
with a talent management com-
pany for $39.70 million in
2010. The previous highest by
an Indian cricketer was Sachin
Tendulkar's three-year deal
with another firm for $35.8
million.
None of them stood to lose
in terms of brand value, said
TV commercial maker Prahlad
Kakkar.
I
ndia won the one-day interna-
tional (ODI) series against the
West Indies 4-1 on 11
December last year. Yet, cricket
lovers have not stopped raving
about Virender Sehwags spectacu-
lar and record breaking 219 against
the West Indies at Indore three days
earlier.
Especially Australians, as they
will encounter the six-smashing
fire-breathing phenomenon Sehwag
in the current ODI series in
Australia.
And no wonder. Sehwags sen-
sational double century is enough to
put shivers down any opponents
spine.
For those TIDU readers who
did not watch skipper Viru
Sehwags run-spree, let me recapit-
ulate the highlights.
India won the toss and attacked
with gusto, Sehwag (219 runs off
149 balls at a strike-rate of 147 belt-
ing 25 fours and 7 sixes) becoming
the highest scorer in an ODI.
He is only the second player to
score a double century in an ODI,
the first being another Indian,
Sachin Tendulkar, 200 not out
against South Africa at Gwalior last
February.
This made Tendulkar (resting
from the ODI series against the
Windies) exclaim, "I am very happy
for Viru. It is even more satisfying
that an Indian has broken my
record."
Sehwag added 176 runs with
Gautam Gambhir (67) for the first
wicket, then 140 with Suresh Raina
(55) at a run-rate of almost 8 an
over, till both -- Gambhir and Raina
-- were run out.
Thus India was at one stage 1-
316 and Sehwag marching towards
his record-smashing double hun-
dred.
India eventually reached 5-418
at a run-rate of 8.36. For those
interested in trivia not a single
maiden was bowled in the 50 overs.
Thanks to a fighting 96 from
Denesh Ramdin, the visitors scored
265 but lost the match by 153 runs
to lose the series.
Then in the next ODI in
Chennai, India under Gambhir
defeated the Windies by 34 runs
with Manoj Tiwari scoring 104 and
adding 117 runs with Virat Kohli
(80) for the fourth wicket before
getting injured. For the opposition
Kieron Pollard hit 119. Tiwari was
made the Man of the Match and
Rohit Sharma (305 runs at 76.25)
the Man of the Series.
The focus is still on Sehwag as
he received compliments from col-
leagues, opponents and former
greats (as reported in CricInfo).
Chris Gayle, himself a six sym-
bol: "Well I did watch some of that
innings by Viru... Brilliant strik-
ing!! Congrats on your 219...
That's child abuse!"
Team mate Yuvraj Singh who is
remembered for smashing
Englands Stuart Broad for six sixes
in an over in September 2007 in
Durban in the ICC World T20: I
say it again! I never saw Sir Viv
[Richards] bat but I've seen Sehwag
bat! What a player, 219 in a one day
game is next to impossible!"
Derek Pringle, former England
Test player and now a commenta-
tor:"Sehwag, the greatest slaughter-
er of bowling since IVA Richards."
And finally from Australias
opener Dave Warner on the eve of
playing the Hobart Test against the
Kiwis: "Wow, watching Virender
Sehwag score 200 plus was unreal.
Well done mate."
And so say all of us!
Australian spectators love
Sehwags unorthodox batting as
much as they cheer the elegant
stroke-play of Tendulkar, Rahul
Dravid and VVS Laxman.
The Melbourne crowd had the
thrill of watching Sehwag in full
flight in the December 2003 Test.
For five hours he enthralled the
Boxing Day crowd of 62,600 by
belting five sixes and 25 fours in his
spectacular 195. Despite his fire-
works India lost.
In the 2004 Multan Test against
Pakistan Sehwag romped to 309,
the first triple century by an Indian.
And he brought it up with a six.
Two Tests and three months ago in
Melbourne, he had been dismissed
trying the same stroke five runs
short of what would have been his
first Test double-hundred.
At Multan Sehwag thrashed six
sixes and 39 fours in his epic 309
off 375 balls.
His highest score is 319 at a
strike-rate of 105 against South
Africa in the March 2008 Chennai
Test. It included five sixes and 42
fours. He had hammered 257 runs
in a day.
So be it an ODI, a Twenty20 or
a Test match, six-o-maniac Sehwag
provides entertainment plus to spec-
tators but migraine to opposite cap-
tains.
Aussies beware, Sehwag is on
fire! Cricket lovers have not stopped
raving about Virender Sehwags
spectacular and record breaking
219 in an ODI against the West
Indies at Indore in December..
Sachin Tenulkar, player of the
2010 series against Australia in
India, holds aloft the Border-
Gavaskar Trophy, that India
retained. In the 2011-12 current
series, Australia won it back.
Twenty20 itinerary v.
Australia:
First, Sydney Olympic Park,
February 1, 2012
Second, Melbourne, February 3,
2012.
ODI tri-series against Australia
and Sri Lanka starts on
February 5 and the three finals
will be played in Brisbane on
March 4, second and third in
Adelaide on March 6 and 8.
The Kersi Meher-Homji column
The great, the sad, the mad and the
fantastic of 2011
In his book, Chappell blames Ganguly
for the famous spat
W
hat a year! 2011 had it all. There
were statistical milestones and
unique feats, jail sentence to
three Test players, mystery surrounding the
passing of a high profile columnist, thrillers
including a near tied Test, dramatic debuts
by bowlers, spectacular hitting by Shane
Watson and Virender Sehwag in ODIs,
England belting Australia and India to reach
the No. 1 ranking in Test cricket, Australia
shot out for 47 after being 9 for 21 in the
Cape Town Test and incredibly the last four
Netherlands batsmen getting run out for
ducks off four successive balls against
Ireland at Kolkata in the World Cup.
Lets start with the GREAT, mile-
stones and unique feats in international
arena.
* India won the World Cup in April in
Mumbai, the first time a country has won at
home.
*Indias Little Master Sachin Tendulkar
became the only batsman to score 15,000
Test runs (during the Delhi Test against
New Zealand in November).
* He is one century short of his 100th
international hundred which he may reach
in Australia.
*Thrilling Tests in Johannesburg,
Mumbai and Hobart, the Mumbai magic
ending in a near tie.
* It has been a year of debutant bowlers,
starting with Australias spinner Nathan
Lyon who took a wicket off his first ball in
a Test, only the 14th to do so in the134
years of Test cricket. This was against Sri
Lanka at Galle in September where he
grabbed 5-34.
* November and December were indeed
months for golden debutants when New
Zealander Doug Bracewell, Indias
Ravichandran Ashwin, South Africas
Vernon Philander and Australias Pat
Cummins and James Pattinson captured five
wickets in an innings on Test debut. Details
of Ashwins superlative achievements are
given elsewhere in this column.
* Replacing an injured Cummins, James
Pattinson took 5-27 in his debut for
Australia against New Zealand in the
December Brisbane Test followed by anoth-
er 5-fer in Hobart to finish with 14 wickets
in the two Test series. Like another debu-
tant Ashwin (vs. West Indies) Pattinson was
made the Man of the series against New
Zealand.
* Two unique records for Mike Hussey.
He is the only batsman to average 50 in
Tests, one-day internationals (ODIs) and
first-class (FC) cricket (qualification 4000
runs in each format) and to be adjudged
Man of the Match in all three Tests in a
series as also Man of the Series. This was
against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka in September
when his batting average was a Bradman-
like 92.60 and bowling average only 3.50.
* In the five-match one day internation-
al (ODI) series against England in India this
October, Indias captain wicket-keeper MS
Dhoni was not dismissed even once. His
scores: 87 not out, did not bat, 35 not out,
15 not out and 75 not out, in all 212 runs in
five consecutive matches. But the sequence
goes further back for him. In the fourth
ODI against England at Lord's this
September he scored 78 not out. And in the
fifth and final ODI at Cardiff five days
later, he made an unbeaten 50. Thus in
seven consecutive ODIs against England, he
totalled 340 runs and is yet to be dismissed.
This is a record for most runs in successive
innings against one country without getting
out. The sequence is ongoing as his next
ODI will be against Australia in Melbourne
next February.
* On 6 August, South Africas medium
pacer Norman Gordon became the only
Test cricketer to celebrate his 100th birth-
day.
Now to the SAD
I have still not come to grips with the
shocking and tragic death of Peter Roebuck;
my friend and hero, in November, aged 55.
The mystery surrounding his passing will
be discussed for decades. He was a brilliant
writer and radio commentator who did a lot
to help the poor and to fight social injustice.
Among other prominent personalities
to pass away this year were Test cricketers
Mansur Ali Khan (the Nawab of Pataudi jr),
Trevor Bailey, Terry Jenner, Peter Loader,
Graham Dilley, Basil DOliveira and Sam
Loxton. Not to forget my dear friend Vinay
Verma, a prominent writer on cricket and a
poet.
... the MAD:
* The jail sentence to the Pakistan Test
trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and
Mohammad Amir this November for spot-
fixing scandal of last year. Cricketers are
paid well these days; so it is sheer madness
to accept bribes to fix matches.
* On day-2 of the Cape Town Test on
10 November, 23 wickets tumbled for 262
runs. This included South Africa being dis-
missed for 96 and hitting back by routing
Australia for 47 (after they were 9-21).
Australias Peter Siddle batted and bowled
in all four innings on that day.
and finally the FANTASTIC:
* Australias Shane Watson hit a spec-
tacular unbeaten 185 off 96 balls against
Bangladesh in an ODI in Mirpur this April
at an astounding strike rate of 192.70. It
was spiced up with 15 fours and 15 sixes.
His 15 sixes in an innings is a record in all
internationals.
* This batting spree was bettered by
Indias six-o-maniac Virender Sehwag on
8 December. He slammed 219 runs off 149
balls at a strike-rate of 147 belting 25 fours
and 7 sixes and becoming the highest scor-
er in an ODI. See details of his firepower
elsewhere in this issue. He became only the
second player to score a double century in
an ODI, the first being another Indian,
Sachin Tendulkar, 200 not out vs. South
Africa at Gwalior last February.
L
ast month I attended the launch of
Greg Chappells book Fierce
Focus when I had the opportunity
to meet the Chappell trio of Ian, Greg and
Trevor, Doug Walters, Alan Davidson,
Neil Harvey, Brian Booth, Brian Taber, Ian
Davis and David Gilbert. Not to forget the
attractive Ellyse Perry who represents
Australian women in both cricket and foot-
ball.
Among the VIPs present was Indias
High Commissioner Sujata Singh, who
came all the way from Canberra. She made
a humorous presentation.
Fierce Focus is a well produced book
which traces the highs and (highs!) of Greg
Chappells cricket career, his encounters
with Don Bradman (both pleasant and not
so pleasant) and, among other items, gives
us an insight into his acrimony with former
Indian captain Sourav Ganguly when Greg
was the coach of the Indian team in 2005
and 2006.
Greg hints in the book that Ganguly was
selfish and self-centred. But he has nothing
but praises for Rahul Dravid and Sachin
Tendulkar.
To quote Greg, He [Sourav] played a
big part in me getting the job [as coach of
India in 2005] and probably expected me to
be his saviour, by helping him with his cap-
taincy. But we were always working at
cross purposes.
His idea was probably You scratch
my back, Ill scratch yours. He expected I
would be so grateful to him for getting me
the job that Id become his henchman in his
battle to remain captain.
I, on the other hand, took on a job with
a primary responsibility to Indian cricket
and the Indian people. There were a billion
of them and only one Sourav. I wanted to
help India become the best cricket team in
the world.
The chapter on Sourav and Me goes
on for 13 pages and I learnt things I did not
know before.
The Foreword of the book is written by
our very own Darshak Mehta who knows
both Indian and Australian cricket and
cricketers well. In my opinion Darshak had
the potential to be a Test class leg-spinner
himself but business took up most of his
time in his prime in the 1970s.
Greg was interested when I told him
that Suresh Raina and other young Indian
cricketers are still grateful to him for his
coaching. When I sent him the article I
received a very complimentary e-mail from
him. Fierce Focus (Hardie Grant Books)
is a well presented and easy to read hard-
cover book of 370 pages.
In Fierce Focus book, former Indian coach Greg Chappell writes He (Ganguly)
expected I would be so grateful to him for getting me the job that Id become his
henchman in his battle to remain captain.
Mike Hussey is the only batsman to aver-
age 50 in Tests, one-day internationals
(ODIs) and first-class (FC) cricket (quali-
fication 4000 runs in each format).
Cricketers are paid well these days; so it
is sheer madness to accept bribes to fix
matches.
The Kersi Meher-Homji Column
Tale of three thrilling Tests
Vale Peter Roebuck, the best
cricket writer of our time
I
n view of the fears thatTwenty20 crick-
et is throttling Tests and ODIs, it is
heartening to note that in recent months
we witnessed three thrilling Tests.What
pulsating moments each of these matches
provided!
Johannesburg Test
Australia vs
S. Africa
The Johannesburg Test twisted and
twirled on all five days with a climax on
the final day on 21 November. It will be
remembered for Australias18 year-old
quickie Pat Cummins sensational Test
debut.
South Africa looked set for a big total
with Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and
Ashwin Prince hitting 50s but were dis-
missed for 266. Likewise, Australia was
given a magnificent start of 174 runs by
openers Shane Watson (88) and Phil
Hughes (88). But the rest failed to build on
and the visitors had a narrow lead of 30.
The next day was a confrontation
between South Africas experienced bats-
man Hashim Amla (105) and debutant fast
bowler Cummins who captured 6-79. Set
310 to win, Australia reached the target
with only two wickets in hand and tied the
series 1-1.
Usman Khawaja (65) and struggling
former captain Ricky Ponting (62) added
122 for the third wicket. But the match was
in balance when tail-ender and Man of the
Match Cummins joined Mitchell Johnson
and hit the winning runs.
Also, the Test career of Ponting was
extended by his timely 62. When I chatted
with him a week later in Sydney, he said
that he was inspired by the good form
shown by Tendulkar and Dravid who are
older than him and scoring runs freely
against the Windies.
Mumbai Test: India
vs West Indies
With the Test series already won by
India 2-0, the only interest in the third and
final Test in Mumbai in November was
whether Tendulkar will score his 100th Test
century in his city of birth. Unfortunately,
he fell six runs short, being dismissed for 94
but many other highlights climaxed in a
chilling last ball.
When West Indies totalled 590 (Darren
Bravo 166 and fifties by five other batsmen
and spinner R. Ashwin taking 5-156) only a
draw appeared possible. Maybe a boring
draw when India replied with 482 (Ashwin
103, Tendulkar 94, Rahul Dravid 82) a bor-
ing draw was on the cards.
But it turned out to be an exciting, pul-
sating draw. Almost the third tied Test in the
134 year history of Test cricket.
The featherbed of Wankhede Stadium
turned a bowlers dream as the Windies
were bundled out for 134 in the 2nd innings,
spinners Pragyan Ojha capturing 6-47 and
Ashwin 4-34. Set 243 runs to win, India
confidently reached 101 for the loss of only
one wicket with slam-bang Virender Sehwag
hitting out freely and ferociously. He
reached 60 off 65 balls but then played a stu-
pid shot.
From a comfortable1-101 India plunged
to oh-no 4-113. The match was now in
balance. Kohli (63) appeared all set to take
India to victory but was dismissed when
India was 19 runs short.
Ashwin and Test debutant Varun Aaron
took India to 242. With only one run needed
for a win, Ashwin was run out and the match
ended with scores level.
It was not a tie because India had lost
nine wickets and not all 10. But you cant
get closer.
Test cricket is alive and well although
the crowd was poor throughout the series.
For his century and a 5 wicket haul in
the first innings and 9 wickets in this fluctu-
ating Test, Ashwin was made Man of the
Match.
In this epic Test he became the third
Indian after Vinoo Mankad at Lords in
1952 and Polly Umrigar at Port-of-Spain in
1961-62 to score a century and take 5 wick-
ets in an innings in the same Test.
For his superlative performance in all
three Tests Ashwin was adjudged Man of the
Series as well.
Hobart Test:
Australia vs
New Zealand
Who can forget December 12 when the
Hobart Test provided thrills and chills remi-
niscent of a Hitchcock movie?
Australia appeared certain to win this
Test at stumps on day 3, being 0 for 72 chas-
ing 241 for a victory. A 2-0 series triumph
over New Zealand would have given
Michael Clarkes men confidence to face the
stronger Indian challenge on the traditional
Boxing Day on the MCG.
But it was not to be as Australian bats-
men, apart from David Warner, collapsed in
a heap.
At one stage they lost seven wickets for
40 runs. Even worse, from 2-159 Australia
plunged to 5-159, losing three wickets for no
runs as the world-class batsmen Ricky
Ponting, skipper Clarke and Mike Hussey
perished in 14 delivers without adding a run.
Full credit to New Zealands medium
pacer Doug Bracewell, 21 and playing only
his third Test. He captured 6-40 in the sec-
ond innings and 9-60 in the match to enable
the visitors to win the thriller by seven runs
and draw the series 1-1.
He, and not Warner, deserved to be the
Man of the Match. Warner, playing in only
his second Test, propped up the Australian
batting with his spirited 123 runs off 170
balls and studded with 14 fours. But when he
was seeing the ball so well he should have
dominated the strike by taking a single off
the last or second last ball of the over to save
the tail-enders.
Last man in Nathan Lyon survived for
27 balls and 43 minutes to add 34 precious
runs for the tenth wicket and brought
Australia to within eight runs of victory.
Judicious running between wickets could
have changed the outcome of the thrilling
Test but well-set Warner went for singles
even at the beginning of the over.
How the Test fluctuated every day,
every session, every over! Sent in to bat, NZ
lost 6-60 but recovered to 150. Australian
quickie James Pattinson captured 5-51, his
second 5-fer in his second Test.
Australian batsmen did worse, being
bowled out for 136 to trail by 14 runs.
Pattinson and Peter Siddle bowled superbly
to dismiss the Kiwis for 226.
The win target of 241 was daunting with
the ball moving about but Warner and Phil
Hughes took them to 72 without loss as the
exciting third day ended.
But Hughes fell early and the rest, apart
from Warner who carried the bat, fell to bad
shots and to some superb seam bowling.
E
nough has been written on Peter
Roebuck who died in mysterious cir-
cumstances on November 12 when
covering a Test match in Cape Town, South
Africa.
Apart from being a perceptive and fear-
less writer he was a personal friend. His dis-
tinctive humour appealed to me.
The mystery behind the tragedy of his
death may never be solved but here is what
he wrote as a Foreword to my book Heroes
of 100 Tests, published in 2003:
Everyone contributes to cricket in his
own way. Some men dominate the headlines
with their deeds and others write the stories
that hold the attention of the reader. Some
men umpire, others fill the score books,
others drink beer and shout from the stands.
Kersi Meher-Homji has found a place
of his own from which to observe a game
that has fascinated him since childhood, a
place between the players and the reporters
which he has filled with determination and
humour. He delves into the game with the
delight of a child upon a Christmas stock-
ing, and generally emerges with a point that
the rest of us had missed. He is a cricketing
man blessed with a logical and meticulous
mind that finds satisfaction in the peculiar
mixture of beauty, violence and mathemat-
ics that sets cricket apart.
Much can be told from Kersi's annual
appearance at the Test match in Sydney. Of
course he arrives modestly, almost sheep-
ishly, though he is a familiar and respected
figure whose warmth is widely appreciated.
He joins his fellow writers in the press box,
discussing the game or else waiting upon the
arrival of the samousas, the highlight of the
day as far as most reporters are concerned!
Throughout, Kersi smiles and talks
thoughtfully about the game, often produc-
ing a telling statistic from the depths of his
memory.
Sometimes, during those visits to the
Sydney press box, Kersi mentions that he
has written a book about some part of the
game that has attracted his attention. Since
he is not a man in thrall to fame and fortune,
it usually emerges that he has written an
esoteric contemplation requiring much dili-
gent research. Whereas most writers go for
boundaries, Kersi pushes his score along
steadily, collecting ones and twos and never
mind that the crowd does not notice, till,
finally, he reaches three figures.
In this book Heroes of 100 Tests,
Kersi tells the story of the men who have
played 100 Test matches, and more particu-
larly their performances in that 100th
match. As ever Kersi sets the scene, pro-
vides the facts and adds insights into the
characters involved. His accounts of past
and present players confirm the thorough-
ness of his research and then extent of his
understanding of the game and life itself. He
talks about the great men of the game,
including Shane Warne, whose 100th Test
was an epic in its own right, and Sachin
Tendulkar, who was subdued in his 100th
match, as if worn out by the expectations.
Cricket enthusiasts will enjoy the con-
tents of this book, especially the recollec-
tions of the struggles involved. Although a
mathematical feat is the common factor in
this study, Kersi never forgets that cricket is
a story about the humanity of the players,
their mighty achievements and their numer-
ous flaws. Every chapter is different
because these centurions are men of varying
faith, colour, confidence and background.
He tells their stories with the kindliness and
sensitivity that count amongst his own
strong points, and which he forgets only
when news breaks in the Sydney press box
that the samousas are on their way!
Peter Roebuck
May, 2003.
Thank you Peter for your kind words
and friendship. May his soul rest in peace!
It was almost the third tied Test in the 134
year history of Test cricket. For his centu-
ry in the first innings and 9 wickets, R.
Ashwin was made Man of the Match.
Australian cricket writer and commentator
Peter Roebuck (left) died in mysterious
circumstances in November while covering
a Test match in South Africa.
60THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER January - February 2012
Sports
By Vijay Badhwar
T
he two tricolours wave faithfully
although there is gloom in the
Indian camp a patch of blue in a
section of the ground. The Indian batsmen
march continually to and fro from the
middle; occasionally a ball reaches the
boundary rope and there is a chant in the
air, jitega bhai jitega, accompanied
by a sudden burst from the dhol.
The bare-chested Australian support-
ers are vocal as the Swami Army awaits
the inevitable death rattle. But they are
unperturbed, even dignified in their loss.
There are no issues with the security
guards who idly eye them from the edge
of the ground. They are not drunk; they
are no trouble. They are there only to
have a bit of fun.
After the game is over, the Swami
Army is still singing out in the street. The
beats of dhol attract a large crowd of curi-
ous onlookers. There is dance and there is
celebration. It adds a spice to the scene.
Swami Army is a success story, a tale
of hard work that has paid off. Started by
a group of Indian youngsters who wanted
to have some fun together, it has come to
dominate the cricket scene this summer.
We talk to Anoop Kalra who has been
one of the key organizers for the sporting
Army.
TIDU: Now that you have established
Swami Army as a recognizable supporter
of Indian Cricket internationally, how
was the journey like?
Anoop Kalra: The journey has been a
lot of fun, but also a lot of hard work... a
labour of passion if you will... We have
had to do a lot in a very short period of
time essentially setting up an organisation
from scratch in only a few months. This
has involved setting up the legal structure,
creating the website
(www.swamiarmy.com), developing a
marketing plan to let people know who we
are, designing and sourcing merchandise
and trying to attract sponsors. In doing
this we have met many interesting people
and have had to do a lot of negotiation. It
would not have been possible without the
tremendous support from friends and fam-
ily and also the likes of Cricket Australia,
Cricket NSW and the LBW Trust.
TIDU: Weve seen on TV that you get
a lot of support from Australian cricket.
Do you get similar recognition from
Indian cricket you support?
AK: To date we have had tremendous
support from Cricket Australia, but at this
point we have had no interaction with the
BCCI.
TIDU: Its almost full time work fol-
lowing Indian cricket that has such a busy
all year schedule. Will you be able to find
so much time, being a not-for -profit
organization, to follow Team India?
AK: At the moment our goal is to get
through this summer of cricket... there
are a number of people involved in organ-
ising the Swami Army and we will have a
presence at every match India plays this
summer. Beyond this summer too, we
hope to continue our support of team
India.
TIDU: Whats the road ahead like?
AK: We will be supporting Team
India with full voice this summer and then
hope to follow the team on other
International tours. We have modelled
ourselves on the Barmy Army and are
contemplating arranging tours that follow
the team.
TIDU: How does it feel to be recog-
nizable non-supporters of Australian
cricket and sitting in the bear pit?
AK: We are all passionate cricket
lovers... we aim to make the live cricket
viewing experience as fun and enjoyable
as possible, but adding a bit of Indian
masala in the process bringing
'Bollywood to the cricket' with lots of
singing and dancing.
We are a fun loving lot and even
though there will be times where there is
tension between us and Australian sup-
porters, generally it has been a friendly
rivalry. We have actually found that
many Australian supporters have chosen
to sit with us given the atmosphere we
have created.
TIDU: Do you realize that you have
contributed to the sagging cricket support,
especially for Test Cricket in Australia?
AK: Yes, that was absolutely the
intention... we felt that if we could create
the right atmosphere at the ground... it
would attract people to come and watch
the game. We have had many calls from
people planning their first time visit to a
cricket match.
TIDU: You have now a huge mem-
bership from all over Australia and a
Swami Army fan base. Whats your mes-
sage to them?
AK: We currently have close to 3,500
members and our message to them is to
come out to the game and support team
India. We will create a fun, family
friendly environment with lots of singing,
chanting and dancing. We will also have
a dhol at each ground.
Indias down but
Swami Army flag flies high
(From left) Swami Army team of Kartik Ayyalasomayajula, Angad Oberoi, commentator Harsha Bhogle, Anoop Kalra and Amit Grover.

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