Indian Down Under - E Paper August-September 2015

VOL 27 No.
2
Print Post Publication No. 23572300014
August - September 2015
Annual Subscription incl. postage & handling $17

Newsagencies $1 inc GST
Hindi in Australia !
Inside this Issue:
Page8: Rekha Rajvanshi talks to
Indian Commissioner Navdeep Suri
Page13: Purushottama Bilimoria
talks to TIDU,Co-author of the book Indian Diaspora: Hindus and Sikhs
in Australia
Page 14 Manju Mittal talks to
Abhishek Bachchan
Page 15: Neeru Saluja interviews
award winning film Haiders
Director Vishal Bhardwaj
Page 17: Read full report on Hindi in
Australia - a National Hindi conference held at ANU, Canberra
A Sunday student at Indo-Aus Bal Bharti Vidyalaya, Thornleigh
The Indian Down Under POBox 99 Thornleigh NSW2120 Ph (02) 9875 2713 Mobile: 0414 155 402 Email: indiandownunder@gmail.com
02 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER August - September 2015
August - September 2015 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 03
04 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER August - September 2015
06 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2015
Editor's Letter
Time to recognise the First Citizens

Editorial/Advertising Enquiries: 02 9875 2713
Postal Address: PO Box 99, Thornleigh NSW 2120.
Email: indiandownunder@gmail.com
Website: www.indiandownunder.com.au
EDITORIAL
Principal Editor: Vijay Badhwar
Associate Editor: Neena Badhwar
North America : Parveen Chopra
Correspondent
Sports Editor: Kersi Meher-Homji
Delhi Reporter: Ritu Ghai
WRITERS
Third Eye: Rekha Bhattacharjee
Political Columns: Karam Ramrakha, Mallika
Ganesan
Films and Art: Neeru Saluja, Abhishek Sood,
Monica Daswani, Sumi Krishnan, Devaki
Parthasarthy, Neena Badhwar, Rekha Rajvanshi,
Manju Mittal
Body-Mind-Spirit: Dr Sunder Das, Kanaka
Ramakrishna, Faith Harper, T Selva
Sport: Kersi Meher-Homji
Fiji Diary: Karam Ramrakha
Cookery: Promila Gupta
Children Section: Esther Chaudhary-Lyons
Classical Music: Sumi Krishnan, Kris Raman,
Lokesh Varma
Travel: Vijay Badhwar, Kris Raman
Humour: Melvin Durai, Santram Bajaj
Seniors Column: Santram Bajaj
Beauty: Devaki Parthasarthy, Ritu Ghai
Community: Neena Badhwar, Kersi Meher-Homji,
Vijay Badhwar, Sumi Krishnan, Neeru Saluja,
Savitha Narayan, Manju Mittal
Photographers: Neelesh Kale, Raj Suri and Jordan
Anjaiya
Graphic Design: Nayanesh Gandhi,
Dinesh Verma,Dhiraj Kumar,
Bharat Bhushan Chopra/Bhagwati Multimedia
Indigenous Australian performers hold a smoking ceremony in

Sydney on July 6, 2015, as senior Australian political figures
met Aboriginal leaders to work towards "correcting" the constitution by recognising the nation's first indigenous inhabitants.
t is high time that Indigenous recognition in the Australian

Constitution is concluded instead of endless discussions
and community consultations over the model for changes.
Although there is clear acceptance and bipartisan support in
the community for the long overdue recognition, its closure
has been lost among the processes due to lack of direction and
leadership. To ignore Indigenous presence at the time of
White settlement, with the ridiculous terra nullius reference
in the Australian Constitution, is a grave aberration that needs
urgent amendment.
There have been several attempts at the Constitutional
change - by John Howard in 1998 and his promise of a referendum in 2007 (but for the election he lost that year), by Julia
Gillard for a referendum before 2013 and a promise by PM
Tony Abbott to nalise a model for Constitutional change by
2015. The July 6 meeting of the Indigenous leaders, PM and
the Opposition Leader has again conrmed support for the
change and, as a way forward, agreed on a three-pronged
strategy: to hold community conferences, prepare a parliamentary discussion paper and to constitute a Referendum
Council for its success. There is still discussion whether the
recognition should come via additions to the Preamble or by a
separate historical and aspirational statement on the lines of
US Declaration of Independence as suggested by Cape York
Partnership Chairman, Noel Pearson, his view being that due
to brevity of the Preamble, the recognition statement cannot
be fully expressed.
There are many views and the debate can go on. If there is
no expediency, formation of committees is an easy way to
prolong the process. The structure of these committees, elected or government appointed and terms of reference can easily
manipulate outcome. The referendum in 1998 under John
Howard was lost due to technicalities cleverly introduced on
the type of Republic rather than a simple yes on no vote
for or against a Republic by a committee that included among
the delegates government appointees.
In the meantime, the services for Indigenous communities

are curtailed and they are dislocated in parts of Western
Australia. On our recent trip to Alice Springs we found
Indigenous people abandoned and lacking purpose, crowding
around liquor shops guarded by police vans and around the
ATMs asking for help from passers by. Clearly, it needs a
fresh look at the Government policies to welcome the rst citizens in the fabric of the Australian society and make them
feel wanted. There is a lesson from the success stories of
Maoris in New Zealand and the lower castes from India who,
only in a couple of generations, have more or less successfully assimilated into the mainstream societies.
On a separate note, the boycott by Coalition ministers to
appear on ABCs Q&A programme is deplorable. In a democratic society there is always diversity of thoughts and it is
that variety that enriches the society. Trying to stie an opinion is a sure sign of immaturity in the Government. Zaky
Mallah, in fact, made a fool of himself. The audience saw
through that.
There is good news for Hindi language enthusiasts in
Australia. Hindi may be accepted as a subject in school curriculum following a public consultation of the draft,
Australian Curriculum: Hindi F-10. Those who support
Hindi being introduced in schools as a language subject can
give their feedback online through the Australian Curriculum
Consultation website: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/consultation.
n India, meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is
maintaining a deafening silence on damaging developments surrounding BJP bigwigs like foreign minister
Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara
Raje (for doing favours to the fugitive former IPL chief Lalit
Modi), and the Vyapam scam (in admissions and recruitments) in Madhya Pradesh. But his foreign travels and
diplomatic effort are going on apace. He just concluded his 6
countries visit in 7 days, during which he also attended
the BRICS meet in Ufa, Russia. He has by now impressed
one and all by his unlimited source of energy and moving
through endless number of engagements every day without
showing any signs of tiredness or fatigue (Shhh! the secret is
yoga, they whisper). Only he can visit one country in a day
with a packed program, and y to another country the next
day, looking fresh, observers say.
August-September 2015 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 7
DIPLOMACY
The Indian High Commissioner in Australia, Navdeep Singh Suri is not only
a diplomat, but he also has creative genes as a writer having translated his
grandfather Nanak Singhs classic Punjabi novels. A seasoned diplomat,
his innovative use of social media in public diplomacy has received extensive
recognition. He gave an exclusive interview to TIDU. Excerpts:
By Rekha Rajvanshi
TIDU: Mr. Narendra Modi is one of the most popular

prime ministers across Facebook and Twitter, and although
we do observe "Mann Ki Baat", how will you promote his
message to NRIs in Australia?
HC: There is no doubt that Prime Minister Modi has an
immense following on social media and has indeed created
an entirely new paradigm in terms of the way an elected
leader can connect with diverse audiences around the globe.
The weekly Mann Ki Baat radio programme is another
channel that the Prime Minister uses to communicate his
message directly to the people of India and to Indian communities around the world. As diplomatic missions, we
make a conscious effort to utilize our website, Facebook
page and other channels to ensure that the priorities of the
Government are effectively projected to various cross-sections of the public including, of course, the NRIs in
Australia.
ewly appointed Indian High Commissioner in

Australia, Navdeep Singh Suri is not only a diplomat, he also has creative genes as a writer having
translated his grandfather Nanak Singhs classic Punjabi
novels. The English translations have been published by
Penguin as The Watchmaker and by Harper Collins as A
Life Incomplete.
Navdeep Suri speaks Arabic and French besides Indian
languages, has a Masters degree in Economics and has written papers on Indias Africa policy, on Public Diplomacy
and on the IT outsourcing industry. He has helped pioneer
Indian governments partnership with Google and YouTube.
Mr Suri joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1983 and
has served in Indias diplomatic missions in Cairo,
Damascus, Washington, Dar es Salaam and London and as
Indias Consul General in Johannesburg. He has also headed the West Africa and Public Diplomacy divisions at the
Ministry of External Affairs. His innovative use of social
media in public diplomacy has received extensive recognition and two prestigious awards. Before coming to take up
his prime position in Canberra, Navdeep Suri was the Indian
ambassador in Egypt.
He is accompanied by his wife Mani who has a degree in
Economics and is now an accomplished graphic designer and
potter. They have two daughters, one an aspiring journalist
and the other an avid environmentalist.
TIDU: Do you think online and digital media will

replace print media one day?
HC: We can already see online and digital media gradually replacing print media in a number of developed countries. In India, however, both digital and print media are
currently growing in tandem. I am not sure if these trends
will change with the growth of internet penetration, particularly in smaller towns and villages.
The following conversation with the High Commissioner

provides a good introduction for TIDU readers:
TIDU: You have a wide-ranging experience in various
countries in the world. How do you perceive your mission
in Australia?
High Commissioner Navdeep Suri: This is an extremely important time to be appointed as Indias High
Commissioner to Australia. Our bilateral ties are clearly on
an upswing and there is strong leadership being provided
both by Prime Ministers Mr Modi and Mr Abbott to realize
the full potential of our relationship. As High
Commissioner, this represents both a challenge and an
opportunity; it also comes with a huge responsibility.
TIDU: You are one of the pioneers in using social
media with your work in Governments publicity department. In your experience, how can the two governments
(Indian and Aussie) work together to strengthen ties
through social media?
HC: We introduced the use of social media in the
Ministry of External Affairs in 2010 when I was the head of
our Public Diplomacy Division. In fact, our first Twitter
and Facebook accounts are almost exactly five years old. At
that time, use of social media in government was a new concept, one that offered immense possibility but also some
attendant risk. I believe that responsible use of social media
enables us to connect with diverse audiences and also providing feedback that is of great importance in our increasingly interconnected digital world. Moreover, it enables us
to communicate directly about the wide ranging activities of
a diplomatic mission, thereby providing both a context and
a texture to the kind of work we do.

TIDU: You have literary genes and you have worked in
the Public Diplomacy department. What can we expect
from you in terms of arts and culture to help build bridges
on that front?
HC: At the High Commission, we work closely with a
broad range of cultural groups and also with the Indian
Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in forging these links.
Over the next year, you will see preparation for a major
Festival of India in Australia for which we are currently
preparing the template. You will also learn about the establishment of the first ever India Chairs in prestigious
Australian Universities.
TIDU: You have travelled extensively in 25 countries.
Which country did you like best, or find the posting most
interesting, and why?
HC: It is never easy for a diplomat to say which country
he likes best because each country has its own special positive and negative attributes. Much depends upon your own
mind set, your receptiveness to foreign cultures and your
willingness to engage with people and issues that were hitherto unfamiliar.
My family and I have enjoyed each one of our diplomatic assignments in its own special way and are now eagerly
looking forward to a productive, rewarding and enjoyable
tenure in Australia.
8 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August-September 2015
TIDU: Which issues do you think are prominent for

the Indian community here, and how do you plan to
address them?
HC: Through our Consulates in Sydney, Melbourne and
Perth, we are in constant dialogue with members of the
Indian community. We make every effort to ensure efficient
delivery of consular services to the NRI community in
Australia and also engage actively with government officials
when any specific issues come up.
TIDU: There have been community meetings in
Canberra in the past where important leaders and community members from all over Australia have been invited to
discuss important issues. Would you consider restarting
those meetings to connect with the Indian Diaspora here?
HC: This is an important suggestion but also one where
we have to tread extremely carefully. The High Commission
certainly would not want to place itself in a situation where
it treats certain individuals as more important than others.
For this reason, we prefer to work through recognized communities, associations, and engage with their leaders at different levels. In addition, we also work closely with eminent
persons who have distinguished themselves in different
walks of life.
TIDU: On an ending note - I am also the founder and
coordinator of ILASA, and we have published a book on
our own steam a compilation of poetry by 11 local IndianAustralian writers, what kind of literary support can we
expect from you and the Indian government?
HC: This sounds like an excellent initiative. I would be
happy to receive a copy of the publication and to see whether
the ICCR or any other appropriate body is in a position to
extend support.
Column
The Third Eye
by Rekha Bhattacharjee
Australian business looking at India as new China

By Rekha Bhattacharjee
hose Australians who are
worried over the slowing
Chinese economy may
have some reason to smile as
Canberra is already working desperately to stitch up a Free Trade
Agreement with the worlds second most populous country India.
If everything goes according
to plan there is every reason to
believe that India and Australia
will do good business. India has
the
potential
to
become
Australias new China - the
largest trading partner at this
stage.
The Australian eagerness to
open such a vast market as India
to its service and manufacturing
sectors is reflected through the
statements made by its Federal
Ministers.
We are working through the
night ... putting pressure on them
(India) to help us to get to the
point where we can have a similar, very positive agreement,"
Treasurer Joe Hockey told a conference held in Canberra recently.
Joe Hockeys statement came
after the China-Australia Free
Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) was
signed mid-June.
Canberra intends to finalise a
similar FTA with India by the end
of this year.
A number of commentators
are writing on how Australian and
Prodded by the leadership of Modi and Abbott, India and Australia

are moving towards concluding negotiations for a free trade
agreement by the end of this year.
Indian geo-political and economic
interests are converging and how
they can harness the synergies to
the benefit of both the parties. If
the signals being emitted from
South Bock are being interpreted
correctly, India is also showing
some enthusiasm to conclude the
negotiations
for
the
Comprehensive
Economic
Cooperation Agreement (CECA)
this year.
While Liberal think tank have
next elections in their sight,
Narendra Modi-led Indian team
seems to be on an overdrive to
propel what is often lauded as a
tiger economy into accelerated
growth.
Even though the Indo-
Australian FTA negotiations commenced some seven years ago,

its the leadership of Narendra
Modi and Tony Abbott which has
added, as if, rocket fuel to the
process. The clearly noticeable
acceleration came after the
Australian PM visited New Delhi
and his Indian counterpart came
down under in November last
year.
At this stage, the two-way
trade between the Indian Ocean
rim countries is pegged at around
A$15 billion which is just ten per
cent of the value of Australias
trade with its largest trading partner China (2013-14 figures).
The sense of optimism among
the Australian stakeholders for
India is definitely palpable. The

Australian corporate honchos,
especially those linked with services sector, are particularly
buoyed by the thought of massive
revenue Indian market can churn.
Services represent around 70
per cent of Australias economy,
yet just 15 per cent of our
exports. This is an export we are
determined to grow and there are
strong prospects with India across
a wide range of services, given it
is one of the worlds most rapidly
growing services markets on
account of a rising middle class,
Andrew Robb said in a statement
recently.
A similar sentiment is being
nursed by Indias famed IT services sector which has been asking
for barriers to be removed.
Australian Trade Minister has
endeavoured to allay such fears
and in fact painted a picture
which is very different from the
one being shown by the naysayers.
All of this suggests that
Indias services sector stands to
benefit enormously from trade
and investment liberalisation.
Besides IT service providers,
Indian businesses such pharmaceutical, farm and fruit producers, etc also stand to gain from
the trade agreement between the
two countries. Australians have
identified areas like engineering,
health services, educating, contracting, construction, architec-
ture, design, and the agriculture

sector.
It is believed around two thousand goods and services have
been identified by both the sides
to be included in the CECA.
"The free trade agreement has
also made progress with the two
sides agreeing on 1,800 line
items... And it is just a small part
of Comprehensive Economic
Cooperation
Agreement
(CECA),"
Indias
High
Commissioner
to
Australia
Navdeep Suri told Indian community members in Melbourne
recently.
It is also believed that, once
CECA is signed, more investment
would flow into Australia from
India and vice versa. Indian foreign investment into Australia is
worth almost $11 billion, with
A$6.6 billion of Australian
investment in India.
There could be no better
illustration of Indias potential to
be at the centre of a new Services
Silk Road to drive growth in the
worlds
most
economically
dynamic region, Australian
Trade Minister said earlier this
year.
It remains to be seen whether
India would get an equal share in
the revenue earned from the proposed Silk Road or finish up just
as full fare paying commuters.
Rekha Bhattacharjee can be
contacted at vijay@hotkey.net.au
Australia takes a step back on immigration policy

A
n international study has found
Australias performance has
slipped backwards in terms of
how well migrants integrate in their new
countries.
Between 2010 and 2014, Australias
score on the Migrant Integration Policy
Index (MIPEX) dropped by one point
overall.
Jessica Kinsella from The Australian
National University (ANU) helped collate
the Australian data, which focuses on
providing migrants with the same rights,
responsibilities and opportunities as nonmigrants.
The fact that Australias policies are
deemed less favourable for integration is
disquieting given it is vital for social
cohesion and ongoing prosperity, Ms
Kinsella said.
We spend a lot of time on who we
keep out and who we let in but it is just
as important to look at policies affecting
migrants already in Australia and the
process of settling here.
Thomas Huddleston of the Migration
Policy Group in Brussels, which compiles
the index scores from 38 countries, has
54.
been tracking international performance

since 2006. Losing the point on the
MIPEX scale in 2013 raises questions
about the future direction of Australias
traditionally inclusive integration policies, Mr Huddleston said. Australia was
ranked eighth out of the 38 countries.
Ms Kinsella said the MIPEX project
identified eight areas of policy which
experts believe impact upon the integra-
tion of migrants.
Australia received lower scores in two
areas of the index which impact how successfully migrants settle into the country
family reunification and access to longterm residence.
In the 2014 study Australias score on
how governments are facilitating
migrants to reunite with family has
dropped by almost 15 per cent from 68 to
The result is due to the cap placed on

numbers of visas available for sponsoring
parents and grandparents and dependent
adult children, which in effect renders
these visas practically unavailable, Ms
Kinsella said.
Australias score dropped from 57 to
54 when it comes to how governments
facilitate access to permanent residence.
This is due to the fact that fewer people are eligible for permanent residency;
time spent studying in Australia as an
international student no longer provides a
direct pathway to permanent residence,
she said.
Australia is a nation built on migration and our policies are not placing
enough importance on enabling migrants
to settle properly. The MIPEX measures
policies in European Union member
states, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan,
South Korea, New Zealand, Norway,
Switzerland, Turkey and the United
States.
The latest results and Australian country profile are available on the MIPEX
website.
India
Over 40 deaths and 2,000

arrests in Vyapam scam
Perhaps the biggest scam to hit India, it is bound to trouble
BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh and in Delhi
New Delhi: When Indore police arrested 20
people exactly two years ago, including 18
impersonators attempting to appear in an
exam for admission in Madhya Pradeshs
medical colleges, no one could have imagined they had uncovered one of Indias
biggest corruption scandals.
Since then, bodies have been piling up
of people linked to the multi-layered
Vyapam scam. While state officials put the
death count at a little over two dozen and
say most resulted from natural causes,
activists and opposition parties peg the number at over 40 mysterious deaths.
As CBI takes over the probe, at least 55
police cases have already been filed and
over 2,000 arrests made with allegations
linking the governor and chief ministers
offices pouring forth. But sources say the
most influential people involved in the scam
are still out of the inquiry net. About 500
accused are reportedly missing.
The heat of the scam is being felt by the
Shivraj Chouhans BJP government in
Bhopal and the Modi government at the center. The probe is now with the CBI, which
has registered three cases in its ongoing

probe into the scam. The CBI registered
FIRs First against 21 candidates in the 2010
Pre-Medical Test (PMT) apart from one
against eight accused in the 2011 Pre-PG
exam. The third case was registered against
28 persons for alleged illegalities in the PreMedical Test held in Madhya Pradesh in
2009 and 2010.
The scam is said to be worth over Rs
10,000 crore and with powerful people
ranging from politicians, bureaucrats, to
influential doctors and mining barons
allegedly involved.
More than 2.5 million young people
have been affected by the scandal if only the
recruitment and entrance tests conducted in
2012 and 2013 being probed by the STF are
taken into account.
The scam was all about the manipulation
in the selection process for government colleges and jobs conducted by the Madhya
Pradesh Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal
(Vyapam). It involved the impersonation of
candidates, rampant copying, blank answer
sheets and fake marks.
IPL scandal:
CSK and Royals suspended,

Gurunath, Kundra banned
New Delhi: Chennai Super
Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan
Royals have been suspended
from the Indian Premier
League (IPL) for two years by
the Supreme Court appointed
panel in the spot fixing and
illegal betting scandal that
rocked the cash-rich T20 tournament in 2013.
The
Justice
Lodha
Committee also banned for
life Royals co-owner Raj
Kundra
and
Gurunath
Meiyappan, "team principal"
of CSK, from all cricketrelated activities undertaken
by the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI).
Run by BCCI, the IPL is
the richest of the world's T20
cricket leagues and the scandal hints at corruption in
cricket at high places.
Gurunath is son-in-law of former BCCI president and current International Cricket
Council (ICC) chairman N.
Srinivasan. Raj Kundra is part
owner of the Rajasthan team
Raj Kundra was part owner of Rajasthan Royals with wife

and Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.
with his wife and Bollywood
star Shilpa Shetty. CSK is led
by India team skipper MS
Dhoni.
Both Gurunath and Kundra
were earlier found guilty of
betting.
"Disrepute
has
been
brought to cricket, the BCCI
and the IPL to such an extent
that there are doubts abound
in the public whether the
game is clean or not," said
former chief justice Rajendra

Lodha, who headed the panel.
Cricket commentators say
the developments will come
as a blow to the eight-team
league and raise questions
about how the Indian cricket
board will find replacements
to fill the two empty places.
Failure to find replacements
would lead to considerable
loss of revenues for the
league.
Urged by Modi, Ufa BRICS

declaration condemns terrorism
At UN celebration of yog day, (from left) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj,
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon with wife,
Jain Acharya Lokesh Muni, US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard,
Indias Ambassador to UN Asoke Mukerji.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the meeting of BRICS Leaders with the leaders of the
invited states in Ufa, Russia on July 9.
Ufa, Russia: The Ufa BRICS declaration
reiterated the five members strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
The document, issued on July 9, stresses
that there can be no justification, whatsoever,
for any acts of terrorism, whether based upon
ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic,
or any other justification.
"We are determined to consistently
strengthen our cooperation in preventing and
countering international terrorism," it said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
made a strong pitch for united action against
terrorism and extremism by countries, including among BRICS, without discriminating
between groups, or countries, sponsors or
targeted nations. Addressing the BRICS plenary session, he said peace and stability were
the bulwarks of progress and prosperity and it
was the responsibility of countries to unitedly
combat terrorism and extremism.
The Ufa resolution also stresses that the
UN has a central role in coordinating international action against terrorism, that must be
conducted in accordance with international
law, including the UN Charter, international
refugee and humanitarian law, human rights
and fundamental freedoms.
According to Sujata Mehta, secretary (economic relations) in the Ministry of External
Affairs, there is a good paragraph on cooperation in the UN, specifically with regard to
reform of the UN Security Council.
Millions world over observe

International Day of Yoga
New Delhi/New York: It was an unprecedented demonstration of India's soft power
as tens of thousands across the world,
besides millions in India, performed yoga
on June 21 to mark the inaugural
International Day of Yoga (IDY).
A Guinness world record-creating
36,000 people, led by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, took part in the main
morning event at Rajpath in New Delhi.
Yoga was performed at events across the
world from New York to Trinidad and
Tobago, from the Maldives to Australia,
from on board Indian naval ships to the
heights of Siachen glacier, at schools and in
innumerable residential localities to mark
the event.
Modi is a keen yoga enthusiast on whose
proposal the U.N. last year announced a

global Yoga Day to be observed on June 21.
The IDY celebrations at the United
Nations sought to symbolize the unity of
humanity as people of all races and religions, nationalities and political persuasions
joined in. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
was there as diplomats and dignitaries pracitsed asanas, called out by the yoga guru Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar.
Ban quoted from Modi's UN speech last
year: Yoga is not just about exercise; it is
a way to discover the sense of oneness, with
yourself, the world and nature.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
emphasised in her speech that yoga was not
a religion and should not be seen as belonging to any particular religion.
India
After Modi-Sharif ice-breaker,

India-Pak trade fire
New Delhi: India and Pakistan
on Thursday lodged protests
against each other after crossborder firing in Jammu and
Kashmir left one dead and
seven injured, days after bonhomie between the prime ministers of both countries in
Russia.
Stating that Pakistan was
trying to shift blame of ceasefire violations, India cautioned
it about "effective and forceful
response" to an unprovoked
firing.
India, however, also reaffirmed its willingness to take
Refuting Islamabad claim, India said the purported
forward the process for
downed spy drone is of Chinese make and available
improving ties decided at the
off the shelf.
bilateral meeting at Ufa, in
The rising tensions along the Jammu
Russia.
and Kashmir border -- where civilians
Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar
have been hit hard on both sides -- follow
told media persons here after a meeting of
the July 10 joint statement between India
senior ministers that Indian forces had
and Pakistan, released after the Narendra
effectively retaliated to repeated ceasefire
Modi-Nawaz Sharif meeting at Ufa, to
violations by Pakistan.
build peace.
External Affairs Minister Sushma
There have been at least six violations
Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and
Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar met on of the 2003 ceasefire by Pakistan in the
last four days, Foreign Secretary
Thursday afternoon in the wake of "seriousness of unprovoked firing" by Pakistan. Jaishankar told media persons.
On July 12, Pakistani forces opened
In Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign
fire at Uri. A day later, there was a firing
Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry met
at Kupwara and Samba.
India's High Commissioner T.C.A.
Referring to the issue of drone,
Raghavan and registered a protest over the
Jaishankar said its photograph indicated
firing as well as an alleged "Indian spy
that it was neither of Indian design nor of
drone".
any UAV category held in the inventory of
India raised the issue with Pakistani
the Indian armed forces. "It appears to be
envoy Abdul Basit, rejecting the Pakistani
claim that the shot down drone belonged to of Chinese design, and is commercially
available off the shelf."
India.
Iran N-deal to benefit India

New Delhi: The landmark nuclear deal
between Iran and major world powers
has enabled Tehran to restore normal
trade with many countries. But despite
crippling sanctions, India was among a
handful of countries already doing billions of dollars of trade with Iran.
The lifting of sanctions will have significant implications for Delhi, which
hopes to reinvigorate its economic and
strategic engagement with Tehran.
More importantly, IMF says post-deal
lower oil prices are expected to boost
Indias GDP by 0.4-0.6 percentage point
in 2015-2016.
International oil prices will come
down with the imminent lifting of sanctions against Iran and benefit India,
Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
has said.
India is the worlds fourth largest oil
consumer and also the second biggest
buyer of Iranian oil after China, importing about 11 million tonnes of crude oil
in 2014-15.
However, Pradhan remained noncommittal on whether India will increase
imports from Iran after restricting it at 11
million tonnes in the past two fiscal.
Pradhan said with Iran rejoining
OPEC, there is likely to be a reduction
in production by the
FDI up 48% in 7 months of 'Make in India'

New Delhi: Foreign direct investment (FDI)
into the country has seen a 48 percent growth
in the seven-month period from the launch of
'Make in India' initiative in September till
April 2015, an official statement said.
"The growth in FDI has been significant
after the launch of 'Make in India' initiatives
in September 2014, with 48 percent increase
in FDI equity inflows during October 2014 to
April 2015 over the corresponding period last
year," the commerce ministry statement said.
In 2014-15, the country witnessed
unprecedented growth of 717 percent, to
$40.92 billion of investment by FIIs, it said.
"The FDI inflow under the approval route
saw a growth of 87 percent during 2014-15
with inflow of $2.22 billion despite more sec-
tors having been liberalized during this period

and with more than 90 percent of FDI being
on automatic route," the statement added.
India stands committed to an investorfriendly FDI policy and regime that also promotes investment leading to increased manufacturing, job creation and overall economic
growth of the country, it said.
Community
History of Indian migration to Australia

By Neena Badhwar
ndian diaspora in Australia is
growing fast and timely is the
publication of The Indian
Diaspora: Hindus and Sikhs in
Australia a well researched
book by three academics Purushottama Bilimoria, Jayant
Bhalchandra Bapat and Philip
Hughes -- with 11 contributing
authors.
Says Bilimoria, Fellow of
Australia
India
Institute,
University of Melbourne (where
the book was launched on July
23) and visiting professor at
University
of
California
Berkeley in US, Majority of
the Indian community is either
Hindu or Sikh, data on Muslims
from India gets mixed up with
larger Muslim population from
other countries, Jains are minimal
in number and Indian Christians
have been written about numerous times, we concentrated mainly on Hindus and Sikhs who make
up the majority of Indian immigrants to Australia.
We found that Indian diaspora to Australia is very different
from that in other parts of the
world, says Bilimoria talking
about the 150-year narrative well
documented from the mid-19th
century with arrival of Afghan
and Indian camel drivers, hawkers and colonial indentured
labourers to the arrival of engineers, doctors and academics in
the 1970s to Indian students in the
21st century.
The Foreword to the book
mentions that the chapters in the
book highlight studying the
processes of the Indian people
settling in this formerly racially
exclusivist white society bringing
to fore the immigrants feeling of
loss and dislocation from their
former homeland and giving way
to a cultural and religious reorganisation of their lives in a new
country. The authors in the book
look at the diasporic experience
producing changes both in the
receiving culture and the incoming culture of the immigrants.
Purushottama Bilimoria, the book's co-editor
The book covers chapters on

Hinduism and historical roots of
Hindus in Australia, Hindu practices and Hindu organisations,
Temple architecture, religious
maintenance and adaptation, Sikh
history and migration, story of
Pooran Singh and his last wish
for his ashes to be taken to India
to disperse in the Ganges, statistics on Hindus and Sikhs in
Australia, their changing attitudes
and Indian students in Australia
and problems faced by them.
According to Dr Bilimoria,
Australia being an English-dominated culture, the immigrants
here tend to lose their own cultur-
al roots by the second and third

generation whereas that has not
happened in countries like Fiji,
Surinam or Mauritius.
He goes on to add: There are
factors such as the inter-caste
marriages which are also happening in India itself. As Indian population grows in number so also
the interest in things Indian
their food, clothes, customs and
religious practices. Now a number of people, not just the
Indians, but others who visit spice
shops, pick up Indian newspapers
out of curiosity, buy food items
and take up popular dance such as
Bollywood. It leads to more toler-
Jayant Bhalchandra Bapat and Philip Hughes, the books co-editors.
ance and understanding which,

actually, is the purpose of this
book.
We can see that Australia
itself is going through a cultural
identity crisis as its economy is
very much tied up with Asia, it all
adds up that Australia is part of
Asia, rather.
Multiculturalism in fact does
not wipe out but helps greater
understanding of various cultures, their richness, the contribution they have made since they
arrived and how they have helped
build the tapestry of Australian
society which we see today.
Indian immigrant history is an
interesting history and study, says
Dr Bilimoria. Read the story
about Srinivas Shastri who came
in the 1920s and stayed in
Australia for a few months. He
travelled extensively and spoke
quite vociferously including in
Australian Parliament for the
rights of Indians who were considered heathen and niggardly
by the Whites, and was thus able
to help gain access to aged-pension for the Indians and also limited voting franchise on their
behalf because they were British
Subjects.
The book also covers the story
of Pooran Singh who died in June
1947, his plaque installed in 1980
in Warrnambool cemetery and
one Guyette famly preserving
Poorans ashes for two generations in deference to his last wish

that they be dispersed in the
Ganges in India. Finally in 2010,
cricketer Kapil Dev accompanied
Pooran Singhs grand-nephew,
Harmel Uppal, when the ashes
were handed over to them witnessed by hundreds of people
who travelled from Melbourne to
be part of that historic moment.
The ceremony took place at a
time as Kapil talked of building a
bridge of goodwill through the
story, are some of the interesting historical anecdotes that every
Indian should read, insists Dr.
Bilimoria. I recommend that
every Indian home should have
this book on its shelves and every
Indian who is coming here should
read this book so as to know the
history of Indians who settled
here just about as old as when the
white settlers came.
The Indian Diaspora:
Hindus and Sikhs in Australia,
edited
by
Purushottama
Bilimoria, Jayant Bhalchandra
Bapat, and Phillip Hughes. (New
Delhi: D.K. Printworld, 2015;
465 pp). The book can be purchased in Australia by calling
+61 3 8819 0123 or by following
this link:
https://www.cra.org.au/products-page/books/the-indian-diaspora-hindus-and-sikhs-in-australia/
Grandnephew of Pooran Singh, Harmel Uppal holding his ashes, with Kapil Dev.
Bollywood
Zaman will channel Mohammed Rafi on August 8, helping

you relive the great singer and his evergreen melodies.
By Manju Mittal
ohammed Rafi diehard fan and an
exceptionally talented singer and
musician, Saleem Zaman needs no
introduction to his fans in Sydney. Saleem
Zaman has performed in Sydney many a
times and won us all as we have become his
ardent fans and devotees of his mehfils. He
is one of the most popular singers who
croons like Mohammed Rafi. Notable for his
versatility, Zaman can sing songs of various
genres - romantic, patriotic, ghazals and
bhajans and his range amazes me. His rendering of old gold songs of Rafi at the concerts always takes us on a nostalgic journey.
Saleem Zaman has devoted many of his
concerts to charity and fund raising for many
worthwhile causes in Sydney. He sings in
several Indian languages such as Urdu,
Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada,
Tamil, Punjabi, Nepali, Oriya and Sanskrit
and also foreign languages Spanish and
English. This is an achievement by itself.
management for me to also present a childrens song which he taught me rigorously

for a week before the ceremony. Although I
was very nervous, I seem to have rendered
it good enough as the chief guest Mrs. Air
Vice Marshall who was flown in from Delhi
to present the award, whisked me away in
her car, and brought me back to my parents
with a car full of toys. It was the best inspiration a child could get for just singing a
simple song.
Here are excerpts of our interview on

Saleems music journey:
When did you come to Australia and
how difficult the journey has been?
I visited Australia first time in 1991 for
business reasons. I was invited to 7-concert
music tour which included New Zealand in
1995. Meanwhile, my family and I decided
to make New Zealand home to raise our
children. Life in Auckland was a dream until
the global financial crisis struck in 2008 and
after a few years of struggle to restore stability, we relocated to Australia in 2012.
Tell us about your upcoming Rafi
Concert on 8th August 2015?
I am a die-hard fan of the legend
Mohammed Rafi (most people in Bollywood
refer to him as Rafi Saab ) and I consider
myself a student of his playback art.
Whatever music and singing I understand
and deliver comes from listening to Rafi
Saabs renditions, and from studying his versatile contribution to the Indian cinema. The
least I can do in return for my Guru is to
celebrate his legacy once every year in a
small or large way, and I have been doing
this ever since his demise in July 1980.
This will be my 35th annual tribute to
Rafi Saab, and I am so delighted to find such
a large number of like-minded music lovers
in Sydney who are offering me unflinching
support for this event. Last year being my
first in Sydney, I could only cater to a small
audience of 300 Rafi fans. This year, I am
being supported by a team of event managers to stage a bigger and better concert for
about 700 Rafi fans at an acoustically
designed auditorium, C3 Conference Centre
in Silverwater. Some of Sydneys finest
musicians, singers and anchors have accepted my invitation to form a team of 12 professionals who have volunteered, and we
aim to present something uniquely different.

My vision is to recreate some of Rafi Saabs
golden melodies as close to the original
recording as possible, which can be quite
challenging in a live performance for any
team. I can promise the audience a night to
remember for a long time to come.
Have you got a target audience for
your concert?
Sydney is blessed to have a variety of
entertainment events that meet the different
tastes of the Indian community. Sangeet
mehfil serves a small, niche segment in the
diaspora who enjoy nostalgic journeys down
memory lane re-living their fond memories
from yesteryears and appreciating the
nuances inculcated in the creatively coined
lyrics musical compositions, presented professionally in a good listening environment.
Well, this is an age of technology and

every era has produced songs which people
of that generation can relate to. Western
influence and the internet have also played a
big role.
What are your earliest memories of
music?
It would have to be my first public performance in kindergarten at an Air Force
School in Karnataka, where I had academically achieved first rank in the state. At the
price distribution function, I still fondly
remember marching to the stage in an air
force uniform to receive the award. My
proud father had arranged with the school
What are the achievements you are

singularly proud of and your ambition?
I am simply providing a humble music
related service to a niche segment in the
Indian community. Personally I feel gratified to find lot of passionate music lovers in
Australia who enjoy light music through my
sangeet mehfils and we get together periodically to re-live our nostalgic filmi memories
from yesteryears. Ever since I bid farewell
to Bollywood in 1996, my ambition has been
limited to being able to communicate to the
next generation whatever little I have
imbibed from my humble endeavours in professional light music and studio recordings.
I aim to seek opportunities to create new
music for film and other productions Down
Under utilising my singing, composing and
recording skills.
How would you describe yourself as a
singer and any message to your friends
and fans based here?
I consider myself a light singer with sizeable exposure to the playback Industry. I
wish to thank all my friends and light music
fans for their encouragement and support.
Is there a particular song that is close

to your heart?
Yes, Ab ke baras from the movie
Bandini extremely well rendered by the
legendary Asha Bhosle, conveying the emotion of a married daughter who misses her
parents, siblings and her childhood friends.
My father was a central government employee and used to be posted at different locations in India. I fondly remember my mother singing this song whenever she missed
home. This melody has always tugged at my
heart and moistened my eyes.
What does music mean to you?
Music offers me relaxation from lifes
challenges whether I am listening to my
favourite songs or performing for good listeners or analysing diverse music compositions or working on my own creations. I forget all my worries when I am lost in the
music world.
What do you have to say about todays
film songs?
ydneys Indian music lovers are keenly looking forward to witness Rafi sung
by Zaman on August 8, 2015. Rafi was a great singer whose songs still ring
in our ears and devoted singers such as Zaman keep him alive. Rafi lived in
India, sang in Indian films, in mid last century, yet here we are, in Australia in
the 21st century still able to listen and relive Rafi through Zaman. So Rafi-lovers!
see you all there!
Bollywood
A page from princess Sohas diary
In Sydney to judge the Miss/Mrs/Mr India Australia contest, Soha Ali Khan looked
nawabi princess in a pink and gold Anushree Reddy lehnga.
By Neeru Saluja
he clock was about to strike midnight. And I had to talk to the
princess before she headed home.
Behold Cinderella lovers this is not a
fairytale story but an interview with our
very own royal princess Soha Ali Khan!
Daughter of veteran actress
Sharmila Tagore and late cricketer
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, actress
Soha Ali Khan needs no further introduction. She comes from the distinguished aristocratic family of Bhopal and
is an established actress in her own
right. Like her mother, she is charismatic and elegant with an understated acting prowess.
Soha was the perfect nawabi
princess when she arrived
in Sydney to judge the
Miss/Mrs/Mr
India
Australia
contest.
Dressed in a pink and
gold Anushree Reddy
lehnga, she was condent, candid and
down-to-earth when
she talked to The
Indian Down Under.
While the tabloids
cant stop talking
about her recent
marriage
to
actor
Kunal
Khemu,
I
wanted
to
know
more
about the lady
who is so
comfortable
in her skin.
Soha, welcome to Sydney. You have

walked the ramp in India for various
fashion shows. Hows it to be on the
other side of the ramp?
Thanks, Im thoroughly enjoying my
stay in Sydney.
Though Ive been
to
Australia
before, this
is the rst
time Im
judging a
pageant. I
c a n t
complain
the contestants,
the
rounds, the
While the tabloids cant stop talking about her recent marriage to actor Kunal Khemu,
we wanted to know more about the lady who is so comfortable in her skin.
panel, the food all have been great. Its

good to see the community coming
together for this contest. The girls have
been working hard and look condent. It
takes a lot to come on stage and go
through all the gruelling rounds.
Your dad was a famous cricketer and
mother a renowned actress. A deadly
combination of what our country is
crazy about. How was your bringing up
amongst such stardom?
My parents were much older by the
time I was born. Dad had retired from
cricket and mum had left acting. So I
havent seen them as superstars. For me,
they were ordinary parents. When I started working in the lm industry I realised
their stardom. We were brought up very
protected and were taught to embrace the
best of both worlds. My parents have
done the best job in the world in bringing me up.
Hows your relationship
with your brother actor
Saif Ali Khan? I read
he took you to a pub
when he had to
babysit you when
you were ve!
Not only did he take
me to the pub, he even
took my pocket money!
We have a nine years age
difference so he was a teenager then. We have never lived
together as he studied in a boarding school and when he came back
I went to study in London. But working in the same industry has made us
closer. We both have the similar sense of
humour. Hes very intellectual, warm,
generous, sensitive and entertaining. I

know I can always rely on him if I need
any advice.
Before lms, you had a different
career. Was it the love for acting or the
strong inuence of your family that
brought you to lms?
Acting is my third profession. I had a
cushy job in the banking industry and
believe me the lm industry is not all
about glamour. It was actually a surprise
to my family when I expressed my desire
of becoming an actress. It was for the
love of theatre and acting, not because of
my family.
Saying this, I believe career is not the
most important part of your life. Its
about maintaining the balance.
How do you feel when people keep
on asking you the same question will
you work after marriage? Do you feel
the careers of actresses change after
marriage?
A lot of people have this notion that
actresses take a backseat in their careers
after marriage. Actresses dont want to
give up their career but this is the attitude
of the lm industry. Producers assume
married actresses are no longer appealing
and their fans dont nd them desirable.
You will denitely see me in lms even
though Im married.
You have always chosen your roles
very carefully. Is there a particular role
you have in mind for the future?
I want to play a negative character. I
want to break my image of the dignied
and royal actress. Im waiting for a role
that has grey shades. A character that is
out of the box.
August-September 2015 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 13 A
Bollywood
Bachchans, the premier

family of Bollywood
Manju Mittal with AB
Since last year when I met the great AB (Amitabh

Bachchan) at the Indian Film Festival Melbourne
(IFFM), it has been a dream journey for me.
Abhishek Bachchan with founder and director of Indian International Film Festival of
QLD, Chayan Sarkar
By Manju Mittal
bhishek Bachchan is a leading
Bollywood actor and producer. He
has starred in many block busters
during his 15-year career in Indian film
Industry. From Refugee to Happy New
Year he has captivated many a heart.
His father Amitabh Bachchan is a godfather of Indian Cinema; his mother Jaya
Bachchan is a highly acclaimed actress and
member of the Indian parliament, and his
wife, a former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan, a leading Bollywood actress, an
International icon and a star.
Abhishek belongs to a family infused
with creative genes but he stands apart. No
one can forget his performance in the movie
Sarkar.
Abhishek Bachchan was in Brisbane on
July 9, invited to inaugurate the Indian
International Film Festival of Queensland
2015 (IIFFOQ ). At the opening ceremony
of the festival at New Farm Cinema,
Abhishek Bachchan arrived in a white limousine wearing a black suit and looking
dashing as ever.
When Abhishek stepped into the doorway leading out to the hall the crowd surged
around him. His presence electrified the hall
as he shook hands, gave autographs and
joined in for selfies. One of the sweetest
moments of the evening was Abhishek having conversation with three-year-old girl
Nistha Roy who was sitting there with her
parents. Perhaps, he was missing his own
little Ananya. People enjoyed the cocktails
before moving to the theatre for the opening
film.
Abhishek was gracious to agree when I
approached him for an interview.
TIDU: The Indian community extends
a warm welcome to you in Australia. Is this
your first trip to Australia? How do you feel
being part of the Indian International Film
Festival of Queensland leading as a Jury?
Abhishek: I have got a very emotional
bond for Queensland. This is not my first
trip to Australia. I am very excited to bring
Indian cinema in Australia. I feel privileged
and truly honoured to be part of this amaz-
ing festival and representing the third generation of Bachchans in this wonderful land of
Queensland. This is the first film festival I
have been asked to be on Jury and I hope I
really do justice.
TIDU: Could you tell us a bit about
your upcoming film All is well?
Abhishek: All is well is my next
release. Its scheduled to release on August
21 worldwide. Its a sweet intimate family
film. When Umesh Shukla sent me the script
I felt that there was a very strong message in
the film and I was keen to work with him.
This movie has got it all - moral, values and
principles.
TIDU: You have achieved a lot in a
short space of time. What is your next big
achievement you are looking for?
Abhishek: Honestly speaking, standing
in front of you today as a chairman of Jury
of IIFFOQ is a huge achievement for me.
Its a matter of pride to me.
TIDU: Belonging to a family of stars,
did acting come naturally to you?
Abhishek: Acting is a gift that is Godgiven, enhanced by training and polishing
your art. It was something I always wanted
to do. Growing up in a house full of actors
its just the world I knew I was comfortable

in.
TIDU: Abhishek, what is your secret of
being so fit and good looking?
Abhishek: (laughs) I think its very
important to lead a healthy life style. I like
to exercise and I like to get outdoor and play
sports. Eat healthy, get good rest and lead a
healthy life.
TIDU: And a few last words to your
film lovers in Australia?
Abhishek: The most important thing,
thank you and we are what we are because
of the audience. I dont think I will ever able
to pay them back. Thank you for the love
and respect and keep watching my films.
Since last year when I met the great AB
(Amitabh Bachchan) at the Indian Film
Festival Melbourne (IFFM), it has been a
dream journey for me: all the way to Cannes
where I met Aishwarya Rai and little
Aradhaya Bachchan, and now Abhishek
Bachchan in Brisbane. It has been a heavenly pleasure to meet this exceptionally intelligent, good looking Bollywood family and
talk and listen to them from up close.
Only waiting for Jaya now to appear
magically to complete the chapter.
Bollywood
Vishal Bhardwaj on Shahid and Shakespeare

As Haider sweeps six awards at IIFA and Shahid Kapoor hits headlines
with his wedding, TIDU talked to director Vishal Bhardwaj
about his relationship with Shahid and Shakespeare.
Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor in a scene from Haider

Vishal Bhardwaj directing Shahid Kapoor
By Neeru Saluja
s Haider sweeps six awards at
IIFA and Shahid Kapoor hits
headlines with his wedding, we
talk to director Vishal Bhardwaj about his
relationship with Shahid and Shakespeare.
Director Vishal Bhardwaj is not only

an Indian film director but a writer,
screenwriter, producer, music composer
and playback singer. He came into the
limelight as a music composer with
Gulzar's Maachis and continued to earn
fame through his music.
In 2003, he made Macbeth, the first
film of his Shakespearean trilogy. "I transitioned from music direction to film
direction to tell my own story. Music
pushed me to make my own films. Music
will always remain my first love. I still do
music for my films. My films have been
accepted because of this", says Vishal.
Haider is the third film of Bhardwaj's
Shakespeare trilogy after Maqbool and
Omkara. But his love for Shakespeare did
not stem from his schooling or university
days. "I had no idea about Shakespeare. I
did not study him in my college days and
I had no interest in Shakespeares literature. It was quite later in life when I read
Macbeth. At that time I was also keen to
do an underworld story. Violence had to
be the background and I wanted to go into
the psyche of the character. I put two plus
two together. I started working on
Macbeth for my underworld film and then
I read all the rest of Shakespeares plays,"
Vishal Bhardwaj tells us. Haider is known
to be Shahid's best performance to date.
Shahid also won many awards for his performance.
Actually I
choose the best
actors, then the
characters choose
the actors. My
characters drive
my films which
make my films
character
driven.
-Vishal Bhardwaj.
Was Shahid always your choice for

Haider? "I've worked with Shahid previously in Kaminey. We both know the negative and positive points of each other.
Actually I choose the best actors, then the
characters choose the actors. My characters drive my films which make my films
character driven," asserts Bhardwaj.
"You have also worked with Tabu previously but this was the first time with
Shraddha. How was the experience? "I
have worked with Tabu in Maqbool so we
had a previous understanding. It was a
great experience working with Shraddha
Kapoor. She gave her best. Irrfan Khan
was also perfect for the role.
Haider was the first Indian film to win
the People Choice Award at the Rome
Shahid Kapoor has married outside the industry, to a Delhi girl named Mira Rajput.
Film Festival. It has also won five
National Awards. But surprisingly Vishal
Bhardwaj doesn't want to be associated
with awards. "Popular awards don't interest me. They don't excite me at all. The
awards are associated with newspapers
and magazines. They can never be fair. If
there is an award, I have full regards for
the National Award. It covers all the lan-
guages. It's a prestigious award given by

the President of India," confides Vishal.
On a closing note, we ask Vishal about
his future plans, "I'm definitely not doing
Shakespeare for my next film. I will be
doing music for a couple of films. I don't
need to speak much, my films speak for
themselves."
Bollywood
Ishq Forever to premier in Melbourne on August 1
Lead pair Preeti Daga and Punnet Gulati

shq Forever is an upcoming short
romantic Bollywood movie written and
directed by Jaga Creations.
The main plot of the story revolves
around a young girl who is ambitious and
makes certain decisions in life to follow her
dreams leaving behind everything she ever
loved. She enters into a contract marriage
to fulfil her aspirations but the turning
point arrives when she comes face to face
with the only person she ever loved realising that her feelings are still strong.
What happens when they see each
other? Will they every get back together?
Will they have a happy ending? Does Ishq
last Forever?
See it for yourself as the movie premieres on Saturday August 1, 2015 at the
Backlot Studios in Southbank, Victoria.

The main lead is played by Preeti Daga
who is a Melbourne based professional
model and actress and has worked in a few
short and feature length films.
The love interest is played by Puneet
Gulati who has worked in a range of short
movies.
Other cast include Sameer Vashisht,
Shilpa Balakrishnan, Feazah Parkes, Murli
Parishe.
According to Jaga Peddi, Director of
the movie, We are delighted to bring our
project Ishq Forever to the Melbourne
audience. It is sure to touch peoples
hearts. We have further plans to screen this
movie in Perth and Brisbane in the coming
months.
Preeti clapping the board for a scene in Ishq Forever

It is wonderful to see local talent do
such an amazing job. The quality and level
of acting is excellent and hoping that people will love the movie and the work done
by the entire cast and crew.
I am super excited at the announcement of the premiere date, says Preeti
Daga, the main lead of the movie.
This movie is all about the choices
one makes in life and what happens when
you make a choice about the only person

you ever loved. Does love reign supreme?
Does life give a second chance? To know
more you have to watch the movie, Preeti
quips.
To book your tickets for the Premiere
visit the following link: www.jagacreations/eventbrite.com or you can follow all
updates on the movie on facebook:
www.facebook.com/jagacreations
UnIndian slated for October 15 release!

nINDIAN, one of the
most anticipated and
much-awaited Australian
film releases of the year, will
open at cinemas across the country on October 15.
The cross-cultural comedy,
starring Brett Lee and
Tannishtha Chatterjee, and
directed by Anupam Sharma,
was filmed in Sydney last summer and is the first production of
the Australia India Film Fund
(AIFF).
unINDIAN is an Australian
romantic comedy with a little
spice and a lot of heart! It follows the chequered path of
Aussie bloke Will as he attempts
to woo the gorgeous Indian
woman Meera who lives in
Sydney with her daughter.
Alongside the cricket superstar Lee and internationally
acclaimed actress Tannishtha
Chatterjee (Bhopal: A Prayer of
Rain, Siddharth, Brick Lane),
the films illustrious support cast
includes John Howard, Tiriel
Mora, Maya Sathimoorthy, Arka
Das, Sarah Roberts, Adam
Dunn, Nicholas Brown, Kumud
Merani, Bollywood stars Supriya
Brett Lee, cricketer turned actor in unIndian

Pathak Kapur and Akash
Khurana, and our own
Bollywood Queen, Pallavi
Sharda.
unINDIAN is being released
in Australia by distributor
Friends India Entertainment
(FIE), with respected distribution
consultant Tait Brady working
alongside FIEs Vvikas Paul.
Former Screen Australia executive Kathleen Drumm is consultant to the producers on the international distribution strategy and
Tracey Mairs TM Publicity will
manage the Australian publicity

and promotions campaign.
unINDIAN is a hugely
entertaining film and we know
audiences across Australia are
going to fall in love with its
wonderful cast of characters,
including Brett Lee in his debut
acting role.
Its set to be a real breakthrough release in this country
for a cross-cultural film that
speaks to the mainstream
Australian audience, and we will
be backing it with a huge mar-
Brett Lee and Tannishtha Chatterjee in rom-com unIndian

keting and publicity campaign
that will see the film on more
than 80 screens nationally from
October 15, Tait Brady says.
Presented by Devendra Gupta
and directed by Anupam
Sharma, unINDIAN is written
by Thushy Sathi, produced by
Anupam Sharma and Lisa Duff
(Last Cab To Darwin), executive
produced by Devendra Gupta
and Chandru Tolani, filmed by
Martin McGrath ACS (Muriels
Wedding, Killing Time) and
edited by Academy Award nomi-
nated Marcus DArcy (Lorenzos

Oil, Babe). The film is supported by Screen Australia, NSW
Governments tourism and major
events agency Destination NSW,
as well as a number of local
sponsors, UNSW Australia (the
University of New South
Wales), Guvera Music and
Cochlear Ltd.
unINDIAN will open in cinemas on October 15 after red carpet events around Australia, with
Brett Lee and other key cast and
the filmmakers in attendance.
Community
Hindi comes of age in the land of Oz

By Rekha Rajvanshi
ndia has become an economic
superpower in the past few
years. Both governments,
Indian and Australian, are recognizing the need of good bilateral
relationship and strong association
through trade, industry and cultural relations.
India has, in PM Narendra
Modi, a Hindi lover and a true
ambassador of the language. His
speech in Hindi at the Allphones
Arena at the Olympic Park last
year created a new feeling of identity for Indians in Australia and
elsewhere the world. It created a
change in peoples mindset, building up a new found momentum. It
is now realized that Hindi is crucial in terms of bilateral trade and
relations and to start seriously
thinking on policy to introduce it
as a language subject in Australian
schools.
The Australian Curriculum
Assessment
and
Reporting
Authority (ACARA) started working last year on draft curriculum:
K-10 Hindi. It was made available
online for public consultation in
June this year. After it receives
feedback from the community,
ACARA will re-develop and rewrite the nal curriculum and
make Hindi a school subject
Australia wide in the year 2016.
Hindi, so far in Australia, has
been taught in Indian community
weekend schools, two Saturday
Schools (SCLS, NSW), Victorian
Language School and also through
three regular government schools.
Hindi is taught in West Ryde
Public School and Girraween
Public School in NSW and at
Rangebank Primary School in
Victoria. West Ryde Public
School has offered Hindi language
for the last 19 years, being taught
by a dedicated teacher Archana
Chaudhary. Rangebank introduced
Hindi last year while Girraween
Public School is starting Hindi in
its last term this year.
Since ACARA is in the
process of nalizing Hindi curriculum, it was imperative to have
a National level workshop to bring
Hindi experts, teachers and writers under one roof and discuss
how Hindi should be taught effectively to aspiring young learners.
Hindi in Australia, a national
level workshop in Canberra by
ANU Hindi-Urdu Lecturer, Dr.
Peter Friedlander, came as a good
initiative. Held on a bitter cold
Friday on July 17, the workshop
brought together ACARAs curriculum executive and Hindi academics from NSW, Canberra and
Victoria on one platform.
The rst session of the workshop was a talk on the newly
framed Hindi curriculum draft.
ACARAs senior project manager
(languages), Suzanne Bradshaw,
explained the process of the curriculum development. She encouraged Indian community to read the
draft and provide feedback. She
From L to R: Suzane Bradshaw, Archana Chowdhary, Colin Avery, Harpreet Kaur, Frank
Mertino, Dinesh Srivastava, Peter Friedlander, Ian Woolford, Rekha Rajvanshi, Santosh Gupta
iterated that ACARA was only a
curriculum writing authority and
emphasized the fact that,
Inclusion of Hindi language in
the mainstream schools is up to the
School principals and the demand
must come from the Hindi speaking Indian community.
Dinesh Srivastava, editor of
Hindi Pushpa, Hindi Supplement
of South Asia Times, has been a
pioneer of Hindi language in
Victoria and instrumental in introducing Hindi in Victoria from as
early as in 1986. It was at his initiative in the 90s that NAATI
started conducting translation and
interpreting examinations in
English and Hindi. He explained
how he and his team developed
CCAFL Hindi HSC Continuers
(Collaborative Curriculum and
Assessment
Framework
for
Languages, Australia) syllabus
and also prepared textbooks to
teach Hindi.
Mala Mehta, founder coordinator of IABBV Hindi School in
Sydney (1987), participated in the
workshop through video conferencing from Delhi. She spoke
about her Journey of Hindi in
Sydney and about her work on
collaborating with school principals in NSW in offering afterschool Hindi classes. She mentioned her pioneering work
through India Calling program,
Expanding Horizons with Asia

initiative, in the Sydney region
which involved both face-to-face
lessons presented by a specialist
Hindi teacher and audio-visual
link ups with other schools.
Colin Avery, Principal of
Rangebank Primary School, said
that his experience of Hindi teaching-learning in his school had been
quite positive. He talked about
how the school community had
celebrated Holi festival last year
and how Hindi in Hinglish(Hindi
written in Roman) signs were used
at his school to create a positive
learning environment.
Frank Mertino, Principal,
Victorian School of Languages
(VSL), spoke about how VSL
started language teaching with two
languages, namely, Japanese and
Italian in 1935 and now it offered
50 languages in 40 campuses
across Victoria. Hindi in VSL was
included in 1993 and the rst
Hindi examination was conducted
in 1994. He spoke about offering
Hindi through Distance Education
Program.
Harpreet Kaur, Hindi teacher
at Narabundah College, ACT outlined the challenges she faced in
her school, especially as she struggled to nd good Hindi resources.
Dr. Ian Woolford, Hindi
Lecturer at La Trobe University,
raised three important questions
Hindi students at Rangebank Primary, Victoria
about teaching a language in a foreign land: 1. What does it mean to

learn Hindi in Australia 2.
Thinking of Hindi as a foreign language and 3. The question of culture. He showed various examples
of Hindi resources he used in the
course.
Dr. Peter Friedlander of ANU
and the organizer of the workshop
emphasized on group dynamics in
his Hindi class and how Hindi
learning helped in creating awareness about India and Indian culture.
The second part of the workshop included sessions on Hindi in
media and Hindi literary activities
in Australia.
Kumud Merani, Executive
Producer, SBS Radio, spoke about
the usage of Hindi in media, and
how it had changed with time. She
spoke about the origin of Hindi
and how words from 42 languages
had become part of Hindi and
vice-versa. Quoting in Hindi, she
said, Bhasha bahta Neer -language should ow like a river,
should be easy and practical for
the common people to understand.
As a Hindi poet, writer and

Hindi tutor at the University of
Sydney, I was the last speaker of
the day with my topic on literary
activities in Australia. When I had
started gathering information on
literary work on Hindi in
Australia, I was amazed to discover how many literary works had
been published and found so many
die hard writers and poets working
quietly and solo on their own initiative just because they loved
Hindi.
Collective work of poets
includes two anthologies
Boomerang-Australia
se
Kavitaen and Guldasta. Another
important project of Hindi translation was my own award winning
translation in Hindi of the
Aboriginal stories that were
voiced over on animation lms
The Dreaming stories for the
Aboriginal Nations Australia. The
other major translation project in
the pipeline is David walker's
book Anxious Nation translated
into Hindi as Udvigna Rashtra
by Dr Amit Sarwal and his team in
Melbourne to be published in
India.
Besides, so many Hindi radio
channels are broadcasting in Hindi
all around Australia and there is
contribution made by newspapers
and publications in Hindi. It
includes: Hindi Samachar Patrika,
Hindi Pushpa, Sandesh by AHIA,
Hindi Gaurav, Chetna by Hindi
Samaj and The Indian Down
Under publishing a page in Hindi
regularly by a local column writer
Santram Bajaj who writes humour
and has also published a compilation of his articles in a book,
Gustakhi Maaf.
At the end of this quite fruitful
workshop,
Dr.
Friedlander
emphasized the need of creating a
website to keep all Hindi related
information in one place.
Victorian School of Languages
accepted the proposal to host the
next national level workshop in
2016.
Archana chaudhary with her students at West Ryde Public School

where she has taught Hindi for the last 19 years
Bollywood
Indian cinema in full splendour

at Melbourne film festival
The 14-day festival in August overflows with gala events,
master classes with Indias leading film figures, IFFM awards
and over 45 films screening across four Melbourne venues.
he Indian Film Festival of
Melbourne (IFFM), the southern
hemispheres biggest annual celebration of Indian cinema, will take place
from 14 to 27 August this year. With
Equality as its unifying theme, this
years festival explores the richness of
contemporary Indian cinema across seven
programme streams, featuring films spanning Bollywood to art house and documentaries, as well as hosting the second
edition of the annual Indian Film Festival
of Melbourne Awards. The 14-day festival
presents a world-class program overflowing with gala events, master classes with
Indias leading film figures, and over 45
films screening across four Melbourne
venues.
The festival has lined up an impressive
list of Indias biggest stars as special
guests for 2015. The stellar list features
Anil Kapoor, who over the last 30 years
has established himself as one of
Bollywoods pre-eminent actors and made
his Hollywood debut as the quiz show host
in
the
Oscar-winning
Slumdog
Millionaire.
Mr Kapoor will attend the festival
along with his daughter, the celebrated
actress Sonam Kapoor.
Other VIPs include Rajkumar Hirani,
director of PK; screen legend
Simi
Garewal,
Bollywood heart throb
Imran Khan; Shonali
Bose,
director
of
Margarita With A
Straw;
Nagesh
Kukunoor and Elah
Hiptoola, director and
producer of Dhanak,
as well as Pakistani
superstar
Fawad
Khan.
IFFM
Awards fashion
show this year
will feature two
of Indias leading
fashion designers, Anamika
Khanna and
Gaurav Gupta.
I F F M
Awards are the
first Indian cinema awards of
their kind in
Australia.
A
jury panel of
Indian
and
Australian film
legends
and
e x p e r t s
including Simi
Garewal, Rajeev Masand, Andrew

Anastasios, Jill Bilcock, and Nikhil
Advani will honour winners in the categories of Best Film, Best Performance,
Best Director and Best Independent Film.
Together with the recipient of the Peoples
Choice Award, the winners will be
announced at a red carpet gala event on 15
August in the Great Hall of the National
Gallery of Victoria with a host of Indian
stars and industry leaders in attendance.
The awards will be accompanied by a
glamorous fashion show as iconic Indian
designer Anamika Khanna and her
Australian counterparts showcase a unique
collection presented by Australian models,
celebrities, Bollywood stars and guests
from various walks of life. Many of the
garments will be auctioned off during the
evening with all proceeds going to The
Royal Childrens Hospital in an exciting
new partnership.
IFFM opening weekend coincides with
the Indian Independence Day on August
15. Daytime celebrations will include the
raising of the Indian flag at Federation
Square, followed by the Telstra
Bollywood Dance Competition judged by
a panel of festival guests, leading into the
evening celebrations at the National
Gallery of Victoria.
Launching the program for the festival, Festival director Mitu Bhowmick
Lange said, Indian
filmmakers from
independent
short
film makers to our
most powerful directors will turn their
gaze to issues of freedom and equality in
the
contemporary
world and celebrate
the diversity that
defines us all.
The
Equality
theme is explored in a
number of critically lauded features and documentaries.
The section
H u r r a h
The line up of famous guests is led by Anil Kapoor, who after three decades in
Bollywood has made his presence felt in Hollywood too. He will attend the festival
along with his daughter, the celebrated actress and fashionista Sonam Kapoor.
Bollywood! features the best mainstream

Hindi cinema from the last twelve months,
featuring such hits as Haider, a modern retelling of Shakespeares Hamlet and the
recipient of numerous domestic and interPakistani supernational awards; and Piku, whose truthful
star Fawad Khan, portrait of a female protagonist navigating
who made his
modern Indian society was a huge comdebut in an
mercial as well as critical success.
Indian film
Beyond Bollywood presents art
opposite Sonam
house and cinema in regional Indian lanKapoor in
guages.Films From The Subcontinent
Khoobsurat, has
focuses on films from Bangladesh,
become hot
Pakistan and Nepal, such as Burka
property in
Avenger, the extremely popular Pakistani
Bollywood too.
animated TV series about a young masked

heroine fighting the Taliban (three
episodes will be shown together as a single feature). Girl Power features films
celebrating female characters; Film India
World focuses on Indian films that cross
international borders; while Master
Stroke showcases some of the greatest
classics from Indias rich cinematic history including screenings of Satyajit Rays
digitally remastered classics Charulata and
Nayak; the documentaries The Kingdom
of Nek Chand and Calcutta from iconic
Australian filmmaker Paul Cox exploring
his love of India.
Bollywood
AHIAs dance competition a great success

he Nritya Manch Trophy
dance competition conducted on Sunday July 19,
2015, saw one of the best dance
performance by Sydneys amateurs and professionals on stage at
Ryde
Civic
Centre.
The
Bollywood dance competition by
the Australian Hindi India
Association (AHIA), in association with Nataraj Academy, as
part of their Annual event, showcased Solo and Group dances and
was a hit with a packed audience.
Artists from all over Sydney
had been auditioned before the
actual event. Seven individual
dances and seven group dances
made it to the finals from many
who performed for the selection
committee earlier.
Another attraction, on the
final day, was performances from
some quite exceptional guestartists who performed excellent
dances and surprised audience
with their professional skilful
dances. The hall buzzed with
excitement with dancers dressed
in Bollywood attire ready to take
the stage.
The programme started with
Ganesh Vandna dance performed by the famous Deepa
Gupta. It was indeed a very auspicious beginning.
The opening dance by the
guest artists from the students of
Poornima Sharma followed
Ganesh Vandna and was very well
presented.
The participants under the
Solo category started with a
delightful dance by Nancy Kohli
followed by a delightful procession of talented youngsters, which
included
Pradnya Dugal,
Shabnam, Dhysta Sodhi, Ajesh,
Sukriti and Preeti Grover.
These seven artists performed
to a spell-bound audience.
The competition was dominated by the girls, mainly with only
male dancer being Ajesh. He
almost stole the show with his
Michael Jackson style of dance
and attracted the whistles from
youngsters with senior AHIA
members enjoying the dance item
thoroughly.
Just before the Interval, the
guest-artist from India Mrs Keka

Sinha, a Kathak exponent created
Umrao Jaan - Rekha magic with
Dil cheez kya hai aap meri jaan
lijiye. The audience were tapping
their feet watching her. Simply
put, it was brilliant.
AHIA president thanked
Avijit Sarkar for his support, also
judges team of Sandhya Bose,
Deepa Gupta, Poornima Sharma,
Sumati Lekhi and Radio Mahek,
The Indian Down Under newspaper, compere Aditi and the audience.
Second half opened to a
dynamic and competent guest
artist Shruti Nathani, with her
very impressive Bharat Natyam
dances: Kamla Lochan and
Adharam Mudharam
The group dances competed
in the second half of the programmewith Krishma Shringarpur,
Monsuun Academy (3 dances),
Swastick Academy dance group (
2 items) and Purvu Desi Group.
Towards the end of the programme another dance was performed by the guest-artist Mrs
Sinha. This time it was another
crowd-stopper
from
Pakeezaon its famous number
Inhi logon ne le leena dupatta
mera.
The closing item was performed by Ruchi Sanghi Group as
a guest appearance. There was
tremendous applause by the
appreciative audience after every
item.
The competition was supervised by Mr Avijit Sarkar of
Nataraj Academy. There was a
panel of independent judges who
were professional and followed
set criteria to award the points to
the participants. AHIA played no
part in the decision making, to
keep the competition independent
and above board.
The dance talent quest brought
out the best and it was a challenge
for the judges to pick the winners.
They carried a hard job of picking
winners in a very professional
manner. One could hear the peels
of delight once the results were
announced.
Winners of Solo were:
Shabnam who was awarded
Shabnam
Swastick Group: Pradnya Dugal, Shabnam, Dhysta Sodhi, Ajesh (winner second place solo dancer),
Sukriti and Preeti Grover
Monsuun Group
Trophy and cash prize of $500;
Ajesh was second and won cash
prize of $250 and Sukriti was
third with a cash prize $100
Group Winners: were Purvu
Desi Group who seized the winning trophy plus $500 cash prize;
Monsuun Group second place
with $250 cash and Krishma
Shringarpur at third place and a
cash prize of $100.
All the participants were given
a medallion as well for a memento. Beautiful Aditi Janveja conducted the programme as master
of ceremonies keeping audience
entertained and keen all throughout the afternoon. AHIA members and their guests enjoyed a
thoroughly delightful and entertaining performance that involved
the young talented members of the
community. That there is so much
talent available here in Sydney,
one had to be there to see. Well
the happy crowd wants it as a regular event every year.
Do visit AHIA website and
check for the next Nritya
Manch
Competition
on:
www.ahiainc.com.au
Pradnya Dugal (Pics by Anurag Vasisth)
Community
Sydney celebrates International Day of Yoga
Consul General Sunjay Sudhir talking to yoga enthusiasts gathered

to celebrate IDY at Taronga Zoo
By Vijay Badhwar
he highly successful
International Day of
Yoga Day on 21 June, a
brainchild of Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, is a
masterstroke to soft-sell India,
a marketing exercise par excellence to promote Indian culture and connect name India
with something as profound
and widespread as Yoga.
The thought of introducing
such an event is ingenuous,
akin to the brain waves Mahatma Gandhi used
to come up with, like the Champaran movement or the Dandi March. PM Modi is in
such august mould.
Establishing an International Yoga Day
backed by Indian Government also

sidelines recent trends to copyright
and narrow down yogic methodology to particular styles and, in particular, to stamp Indian heritage to
the ancient practice. The marking
in the international calendar of the
annual day through a United
Nations resolution will be an ongoing reminder of Indian culture to
the world population.
The celebration of the
International Yoga Day in
Sydney, although enthusiastic,
was minuscule compared to the
participation on Rajpath in Delhi and Times
Square in New York. The days events were
scattered at venues in Bondi, Taronga Zoo
and Parramatta and failed to gravitate into
a mega event for a major impact. The
Yoga on Sydney's harbour organised by The Consulate General of India - Sydney celebrates International Day of Yoga.
official function at the Taronga Zoo Function
Centre (rather than being at Opera House
forecourts or St Marys Cathedral Square),
turned out to be more exclusive as it required
prior registration for organisational arrangements.
Indian Consul General Sunjay Sudhir
launched the celebration. Delighted to share
the ancient discipline with the global community which is followed by tens of thousands of
Australians, he said.
We want to reach out to your hearts and
minds through yoga and stay healthy, Sunjay
Sudhir said, adding that facilities were available to learn yoga through the Indian Cultural
Centre.
Famous cricketer and now a movie star,
Brett Lee, was brief in his remarks that as a
sportsperson he learnt, although not good at
his knees, to being comfortable and getting in
touch with the spirit. In a Q&A session with

Kumud Merani he admitted that India was a
huge part of him.
Swami Govindanandji was expansive in
outlining yogas relevance in day to day lives.
Yoga was about being joyful: it teaches us
how to move well, think well and live joyously. It transcends colour, culture, nationality and goes right to the essence of our being
where I come from, where am I going, what
is that I want and how do I achieve it, he
said.
The picturesque function centre with
views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera
House then turned into a flowing mass of
practitioners graciously bending and stretching to the instructions from the Indian official
website Ayush.
The session concluded with a talk on
Ayurveda and a sumptuous vegetarian lunch.
Indian community celebrated Yoga Day with great gusto

By Neena Badhwar
he Hindu Council of
Australia (HCA) got together with Hindu Swayam
Sevak Sangh (HSS) and Overseas
Friends of BJP (OFBJP) and organised
celebrations
of
the
International Yoga Day (IYD) at
Parramatta Town Hall Square and
Bondi Beach in Sydney. The programs were elaborate and inclusive
as it invited various yoga institutions to display and hold sessions,
talks and activities.
Bondi beach goers instead of
taking a dip in the sea or sunbathing were not only impressed
but also participated in the yoga
exercises that included surya
namaskar at 7.30 in the morning.
People were then invited to join in
various talks, yoga sessions and
meditation demonstrations in an
interactive environment as all had
come prepared with yoga mats
wearing yoga outfits.
Although marred by intermittent showers, the celebrations
indoor and outdoor attracted wide
participation by the community.
Yoga session by Sri Om Care
in Parramatta was particularly
interesting as it backed benefits of
various yoga postures by a professional physiotherapist Sowjanya
Pasupulety. Laughter yoga upstairs
Balesh Singh Dhankad (left) talked about Yoga tradition as Bondi

Indian community celebrated Yoga Day with great gusto.
had the group laughing with almost
belly aching laughs. Spiritual energy flowed all around as outside
there were bhajans, instrumental
music, kirtan and yoga sessions
while close by people played table
tennis on a table nicely ensconced
to suit the atmosphere. People visited various stalls run by yoga and
meditation groups with plenty of
material provided to them.
As the skies cleared in the late
afternoon, the square was packed
with yoga enthusiasts following
various postures of Surya
Namaskar, indeed a sight for
passers by.
Says organiser, Balesh Singh
Dhankad, It has been sheer hard
work for us for the past two months

as we realised that there is keen
interest from various organisation
involved in yoga. I was quite
impressed with the passion they
have for yoga. I can see that it will
turn into much better and bigger
celebration in the years to come.
Balesh says that the IYD celebration went beyond the organisers expectations as over 1500 people, both in Bondi and Parramatta,
came through and participated.
We had other cities also taking
part with Melbourne which had
programs conducted from seven
different locations, also in
Adelaide, Perth and in Brisbane as
well. And it was all provided free
Kids doing yoga at Parramatta town hall court.

everywhere.
The aim was to connect yoga
back to India and make sure to connect to many who are not into yoga
yet so that they also benefit from
this ancient Indian tradition which
is our cultural heritage, said
Balesh. Yoga in India was celebrated with much fanfare as many
politicians and leaders joined in.
Said PM Modi as he took part in
mass yoga on Rajpath attended by
40,000 participants in Delhi. Its
Indias responsibility to make yoga
reach each and every corner of the
world. For a healthy, happy world
we must establish the roots of yoga
all over. Modi said that Rajpath
today has become Yogpath. A
yoga awareness and wave was created when International Day of

Yoga was announced as more than
180 countries agreed to be part of it
in September last year at the UN.
Since Yoga originated in India,
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev said on
the occasion, Yoga till today has
been thought of as twisting the
self but by celebrating it today it
has helped to bring the profoundness of yoga to the world.
Yoga is the science of inner
being. It is a historical day that
yoga has been recognised by the
whole world. Today marks the day
for yoga meaning that it is the only
way to go inside and not out, he
said.
Community
Guruvanand Swami gave discourses and

expensive gifts to a few lucky ones
By Manju Mittal
hri Guruvanandji Swami
is a living portrait of simplicity with depth, wisdom
and devotion. His devotees
claim he is one of the few living
Satgurus in the world who have
invoked all Chakras of their
kundalini.
The gurus publicity material
cites that he graduated from IIT
Kharagpur with a B.Tech, and
went on to earn an M.A. in
Sanskrit, Vedas and Jyotish and
a PhD in Astrology. Further that
he has been honorary principal
and professor at various academic institutions including the
prestigious Banaras Hindu
University.
Shri Guruvanandji Swami
has travelled to numerous countries to spread the message of
awareness and service to humanity. He has participated in several International religious conferences including the All Religion
World Conference where he
was honoured with The Best
Personality gold medal. He has
also received the Jyotish
Murmagya awarded by German
Astrological
Society.
Shri
Brahmrishi Ashram, founded by
Guruvanand Swami in Tirupati,
Andhra Pradesh, is committed
to helping people.
It is said that Shri
Guruvanand Swami attained his
spiritual powers after 45 years
of rigorous sadhana. He also
seems to have a deep understanding of Christianity, Islam,
Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism
besides Hinduism. His inspiration is Swami Vivekananda.
Called Gurudev by his followers, he works tirelessly to spread
the wisdom of Vedanta through
workshops and camps that
inspire people across the globe.
Shri Brahmrishi Guruvanand Swami

Sydneysiders had the good
fortune to be in the divine presence of an enlightened master
and Satguru Brahmrishi Shri
Guruvanand Swami and attend
his discourses for two days. His
discourses were held at two venues: Shri Rama Krishna temple
Liverpool on July 17 and Shri
Venkateswara
Temple
Helensburgh on July 18, 2015.
A large number of dedicated
devotees thronged the two venues to have darshan of the Guru.
Gurudev looked splendid in his
saffron-orange coloured robes.
Well known MC young
Divya Dhingra welcomed the
devotees and kept everyone
engaged throughout the afternoon gracefully. Guest of honour was Hon. Sharon Bird,
Federal
Member
for
Cunningham, who attended the
discourse at Helensburgh temple
and read message from the
opposition leader Bill Shorten:

On behalf of the Federal Labor
Party, I send my best wishes to
the Vishwa Dharma Chetna
Guruji with organisers Rajeev

and Ritu Sharma
Manch and all those attending

the inaugural session of Journey
of your soul at the Sri
Venkateswara temple, the Labor
party values the extraordinary
contribution that diversity of
cultures and faith makes to
Australia and we also recognise
the important role that interfaith
dialogue plays in building
bridges and fostering respect
and tolerance.
I strongly believe our rich
multiculturalism has transformed Australia into a vibrant
and prosperous nation and we
have communities such as yours
to thank for this transformation. Our local talented singer
Vinod Kumar Rajput sang devotional songs during the discourse
in his versatile voice.
I was impressed by Gurujis
lucid discourses full of wonderful insights into life and devotees
responded instantly to his wis-
Devotees at the two Sydney venues where the Swami gave discourses.
dom and his aura enthused with

positivity. I was following his
mantra and chanted it faithfully
and with utmost concentration.
At the end of the discourse people queued to touch Gurudevs
feet. Not wanting to miss out the
experience, I also knelt down to
touch his feet when suddenly I
observed an interesting phenomenon. He waved his hand and
brought forth a diamond pendant
and handed it to a devotee. He
produced precious stones several times giving them to people in
the crowd with devotees watching in total awe.
The spiritual message Guruji
gave through his discourse was
quite insightful as he spoke
about tolerance and service to
humanity. But his conjuring
objects from thin air was a bit
unbelievable.
I have my doubts and nd it
inexplicable how Swamiji produced these objects out and
showered his blessings and
offered them to only a few lucky
ones in the crowd. I could see
that peoples attention had
switched away from the message
of spirituality as they clambered
to get lavish gifts thus produced
by magic, and then comparing
with each other what they all
got. It seemed as if people had
come out of a trance to seek
material possessions with several outstretched hands. Many
were left disappointed for not
having received Gurujis rich
divine prasad.
There is plenty we have
here, many of us came to his
discourses for enlightenment
and nding peace, yet some
went back unhappy as my
thoughts went to the millions of
poor in India. Surely Gurujis
siddhis could help the needy
over there.
Community
Robb in India to promote trade ties

rade
and
Investment
Minister Andrew Robb
made his third visit to India
this year to continue building support to nalise a strong and mutually-benecial
Comprehensive
Economic Cooperation Agreement
(CECA) by the end of 2015.
Mr Robb was in New Delhi
for a three-day visit, and attended
the revitalised Australia-India
CEO Forum at the invitation of
the co-chairs, Rio Tinto CEO Sam
Walsh and the Chairman of the
Adani Group, Gautam Adani.
Prime Ministers Abbott and
Modi agreed to work towards concluding a CECA in 2015 to
increase trade and investment,
promote job growth and fuel prosperity for both our countries, Mr
Robb said.
With Australia and Indias
top business leaders contributing
to the Australia-India CEO
Forum, we are committed to
building and expanding our trade
Some interesting facts about India

GDP per capita (PPP basis, US$):
5,777 (2014) (also known as Per Capita Income)
Real GDP growth (% change):
7.4% (FY 2014/15E) (also known as GDP Growth)
Inflation Rate (CPI, % change):
4.3% (December 2014 Actual)
Australian Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb flanked

by India-Australia CEO Forum co-chair Gautam Adani and Rio
Tinto CEO Sam Walsh at the Forums meeting in New Delhi on
June 23. (Photo: Kamal Narang/Hindu).
and investment relationship and
together we will drive our future
economic engagement, he said.
Earlier this year Mr Robb visited India for the inaugural Global
Exhibition on Services in New
Delhi, following a visit in January
for the successful Australia

Business Week in India (ABWI),
which saw more than 450
Australian business leaders take
part in a week-long road show
across the country, designed to
boost trade and investment.
The variety of new opportunities presenting themselves from

our expanded economic engagement is providing exciting new
pathways to further deepen bilateral ties between our two countries, Mr Robb said.
In addition to improving market access for goods, Im determined to grow our services
exports to this region, given it is
one of the worlds most rapidly
growing services markets on
account of its rising middle class.
And we are already seeing
these opportunities take shape; the
Australia India Council has provided Victoria University a grant

to work with the Indian
Government to establish elite sport
systems, which has the potential to
unlock future commercial opportunities in this growing services
eld, he said.
India is Australias 12th
largest trading partner and twoway trade between India and
Australia is approximately $A15
billion. Indian foreign investment
into Australia has reached almost
$A11 billion, with $A9.8 billion
of Australian investment in India.
Skilled occupation list updated

Panel beaters and cabinet makers will be added to the list while urban and
regional planners, dentists and dental specialists will be removed.
anel beaters and cabinet
makers will be added to the
Skilled Occupation List
(SOL) for independent skilled
migration applicants, the Assistant
Minister for Immigration and
Border Protection, Michaelia Cash
and the Assistant Minister for
Education and Training, Simon
Birmingham, announced on July
1. Minister Cash said the new
occupations on the SOL reect that
there is a gap between the skills of
Australians and the work that

needs to be done.
Cabinet makers and panel
beaters make a valuable contribution to the Australian economy.
Migrants with these skills will
enhance the size and skill of the
Australian workforce, Ms Cash
said.
Skilled migrants complement
locally trained and skilled workers, help to create new jobs and
contribute to the communities in
which they live and work. The

Governments $6 billion annual
investment in vocational education
and training is also supporting our
training system to offer a pipeline
of local talent to help address skills
shortages, Mr Birmingham said.
The SOL was updated based
on the ndings of a review of
Australias labour market and education and migration data by the
Department of Industry and
Science. The review also consid-
ered submissions by industry,

unions, trade and professional
organisations.
The SOL applies to independent points based skilled migration
(skilled migrants not nominated by
State or Territory Governments),
Family Sponsored visa applications and Temporary Graduate
(subclass 485) visa applicants in
the Graduate Work stream.
Occupational ceilings are set for
each occupation on the SOL to
limit the number of migrants under

each occupation in this part of the
migration programme.
Other key changes to the SOL
include the removal of urban and
regional planners, dentists and
dental specialists. Additional occupations have been agged for close
review in next years process.
The new SOL comes into
effect on 1 July 2015. It will be
used for applications made from
that date.
Indians beat Chinese to become top migrants to Oz in 2013-14

ustralia could be next destination of an active Indian
diaspora on the lines of
USA, Canada and UK with
increasing number from here
choosing the country down under
as home as migration gures show
that Indians have beaten Chinese to
become number one in the migrant
category during 2013-14.
Over 207,900 migrants settled
permanently in Australia during
2013- 14. New Australian government
gures
released
on
Wednesday show that nearly one
in ve of the 207,900 migrants
who settled permanently in
Australia in 2013-14 came from
India.
Australia's Migration Trends
2013- 14 report shows that India
remained the main source country
for migrants with almost 40,000
Indian nationals migrating to

Australia in 2013-14.
In the same year almost 30,000
people born in India chose to
become
Australian
citizens,
according to the Australian government.
Indians have left immigrants
from China, the United Kingdom
and New Zealand in choosing
Australia as home. This is a key
reason behind the success of
Narendra Modi's public event with

Indian diaspora last November. A
key aspect of BJP government's
foreign policy is diaspora outreach
for connecting with the community
which left India as various points
of time in history both old and
recent.
Migration continues to be the
major component of population
growth in Australia. Between June
1996 and June 2013, Australia's
overseas-born population grew by

51.2% to 6.4 m. The substantial
growth in overseas born residents
is changing Australia's ethnic
composition. In the past 17 years,

the number of China-born
Australian residents has more than
tripled to 427,590 people.
Community
Vale Asha Chopra

(1948 2015)
t is with great
sadness the Chopra
family says goodbye
to their matriarch Asha
Chopra who breathed her
last on June 27, 2015.
Sixty-seven-old Asha ji
died of complications
resulting from her heart
condition.
Asha ji was the wife
of Hornsby ex-councillor
Dilip Chopra, married to
him for the last 46 years.
He fondly remembers his
wife: Asha was a kind
lady who was very community minded, caring
for the disabled and aged
besides running a family
of two children.
She was a support and strength in my career in politics. With her
support my term as a councillor for Hornsby from 2008-12 was a
success. She arranged things for me thoughtfully, attending to guests
and making our house a home, always with a welcome smile to
all, Dilip says.
Asha ji was an active member of the Hornsby RSL, a lovely cook
and president of Inner Wheel in India.
The Hornsby Council passed a resolution with a minute of silence
on 8 July 2015 for Asha ji.
Says Dilip with a heavy heart, Asha, I will miss you.
Hindi Humour
Body Mind Spirit
A grin without the cat

that is Meditation
Here is a practical guide to the practice for the seeker
By S. Sunder Das
editation has been studied and
practised by people all over the
world. There are many systems
of this discipline and the consensus now is
that every person should adopt the one that
suits him best.
There are many definitions of
Meditation, all of which, in one way or
another emphasise the act of turning
inwards, sometimes referred to as
Pratyahara in Maharishi Patanjalis Yoga
Sutras.
If we are asked to define meditation,
there are no simple answers. As in the case
of electricity, we know it exists and we
know its applications, but we are not sure
what it is. It is easier to describe how we
experience meditation. The essential principles or states of mind involved in the
study of meditation are:
All of the body is in the mind, but

not all of the mind is in the body
We see things not as they are but as
we are
I am not the body, I am not the
senses, I am not the mind
There are many types of meditation,
some of which even involve movement. It
has been remarked by some that the dance
form Bharatanatyam is an example of this.
In this context, it is useful to consider that
Lord Shiva, the greatest exponent of this
dance form is also the Yogi who can sit in
uninterrupted meditation over aeons of
time.
The usual forms known to many people
are the Zen and Transcendental
Meditationor TM. C. Naranjo, a serious
researcher in this area, distinguished three
types of meditation.
1. The Way of Forms: This is also
known as the way of concentration,
absorption, union and outer-directed
respectively. In this method, the meditator concentrates upon external symbols
and objects like candle flame, mandala or
mantra.
For instance, Ramana
Maharshis method of meditating on Who
am I is popular with serious students all
over the world.
2. The Expressive includes those methods, which involve receptivity to thought
contents and to the processes of consciousness. According to this, the meditator
dwells upon the form that springs from his
own spontaneity, until he may eventually
find that in his own soul lies hidden the
source of all attributes. The expressive
way has been described as the way of freedom, transparence and surrender, also
being inner-directed. It involves letting
go of control and being open to inner voic-
es, feelings and intuition. The Shamans

meditation seems to be an example of this
method.
3. The Negative Way involves elimination, detachment, and centering, denoting
the way. The meditator puts effort into
moving away from all objects and not
identifying with anything perceived. The
aim is to withdraw attention from both
external and internal perceptions as also
the internal experience, and to cultivate a
detachment
towards
psychological
processes. The Buddhist approach known
as Vipassana, the Mindfulness Meditation,
falls into this category.
One of the most thorough systems is
the Samkhya Yoga, namely the eight-fold
path originated by Maharishi Patanjali.
While all the eight steps are designed to
lead to the experience of Enstasis, the last
four, namely, Pratyahara, Dharana,
Dhyana and Samadhi are considered the
essentials of contemplation.
Samadhi itself is not considered one
state but seems to be a progression towards
Nirvikalpa samadhi, which is the ultimate
in pure consciousness. Although not many
votaries may be able to attain Nirvikalpa
samadhi, that is the end, which all meditators desire. One of the most remarkable
aspects of this state is the absence of
thoughts and images although pure blissful
consciousness exists.
When the votary can hold the image of
Continued on page 27
Lord Shiva is the original yogi who can sit in uninterrupted meditation over aeons of
time. Note the padmasana, which is the most comfortable position for meditation.
Body Mind Spirit

an object in his mind and progressively
ablate it, there comes a stage at which no
thoughts or images exist in the mind but
consciousness remains.
This method was used in a comprehensive study at the All India Institute of
Medical Sciences, New Delhi, in 1974.
The subjects were Postgraduate Medical
students. They were taught the rudiments
of progressive relaxation and the art of
meditation. With eyes closed, they had to
hold in their minds, the image of a lighted
candle on a candlestick. When they could
clearly form this image, they were asked
to ablate the candlestick, leaving only the
image of the lighted candle. Then they
had to ablate the image of the candle leaving the flame only. They were asked to
study the flame, its colour and its slight
movement to and fro. Finally the flame
also had to be ablated. Later on they were
asked to describe this state of no thoughts
and no images, which they could hold only
for a short period of time. They all
remarked that it was a state of ineffable
rest and contentment. After a few sessions
they became adept at reaching that state
using the progressive ablation method.
On examining the EEG records later, it
was found that most subjects started the
experiment by going into the Alpha state.
When only the flame remained in the
image, there were theta rhythms. After
the flame also had been ablated, there
were very slow theta waves until the key
was pressed denoting the return of images
and thoughts into the mind.
In the study referred to above, all the
subjects were able to achieve that state
somewhat akin to Nirvikalpa Samadhi for
a very brief period of time, lasting perhaps
a few seconds.
The various states of consciousness and
the corresponding EEG patterns are:
Waking Consciousness - Beta
waves - 14 to 22 cycles per second
State of relaxation Alpha
waves - 8 to 13 cycles per second
Very deep state of relaxation creativity Entry into a state of meditation Theta State 4 to 7 cycles per second.
Sleep - Delta state - .5 to 3.5

cycles per second.
Preliminary stages of mediation may
also be seen to be a dominance of the right
hemisphere of the brain, which emphasises the preverbal, spatial, emotional, passive, subjective and relaxed aspects of
human experience.
Like all disciplines, meditation also
requires a stringent process if beneficial
results are to accrue.
First of all, the
physical appointments are important. It
has to be performed in a quiet place where
there is the least likelihood of interruption
or distraction.
Contrary to popular belief, the padmasana is the most comfortable position
for meditation. Not only does it provide
a firm base for the body it also makes a triangular path for the flow of energy, which
must be contained rather than dispersed in
all directions. For the best results, it is
necessary to face the east or north to take
advantage of favourable magnetic vibrations.
After having settled down comfortably,
all parts of the body should be made as
relaxed as possible. The eyes are closed,
the eyeballs being directed slightly
upwards. Deep breathing helps to make
the mind come to rest. One variant of this
is known as the 1:2 breathing. A fairly
deep inhalation is taken, but the breath is
not retained. Slow exhalation takes place,
taking twice as long. If possible, the
breathing in and out should be through the
nose. Twenty to thirty breaths are optimal
to bring about quiescence of the body and
mind.
The next step is to obtain some control
of thoughts and images. It is well known
that the greater the voluntary effort, the
greater the fickleness of the mind. The
mind has often been compared to the monkey, jumping from one thought to another!
A paradoxical method is employed to
overcome this.
All control should be
withdrawn and the thoughts, ideas and
images allowed to flow through the mind
without let or hindrance. When that is
accomplished, thoughts can be laid to rest.
The late Dr. Ainslie Meares, who helped
many cancer patients to bring about remission of their condition, coined the expression passive volition to describe this
Wearing a 128-channel geodesic sensor net, Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard sits in a
soundproof room and prepares for an electroencephalography (EEG) test in the
Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. Ricard is a longtime
participant in an ongoing research study that monitors a subject's brain waves during
various forms of meditation including compassion meditation.
technique.
At this stage, a complex stimulus like a
lighted candle on a candlestick can be visualised and gradually ablated step by step,
as described above. When the ablation is
complete, a blissful state of peace will be
achieved.
It has been found that for maximum
results, each session of meditation should
last for at least 20 minutes. Experienced

meditators recommend two sessions a day.
It might be a good idea to end each session
with the thought of the Supreme Being.
Many Hindus prefer the word Om.
It has to be emphasised that meditation
does not pertain to any religion or belief
system and can be practised by everyone,
whatever his or her persuasion.
During TM or Transcendental Meditation

the brain activity appears to be synchronised to a considerably greater extent than
commonly. This appears as so-called EEG
coherence that means that the peaks of the
brain waves occur simultaneously in
different parts of the brain. The extent of
EEG coherence during TM increases the
longer one has meditated and encompasses
increased numbers of wave frequencies,
reflecting different aspects of the
functioning of the brain. In short, the more
coherence, the more of white "crests"
in the diagram.
Columns
THE HUMOR OF MELVIN DURAI
Loading up the Book of Faces

anjit and his father, Ravi, were visiting Ravis father in the village. It
had been a few years since Ranjit
had seen Dadaji, and he was eager to hear
one of the old mans stories.
Dadaji, tell me about the time you captured the tiger.
His grandfather took him into his bedroom, opened the drawer of a cluttered desk
and pulled out a large book. He turned to a
page with a black-and-white photo of two
bare-chested young men posing with a tiger
in a cage.
What is this book called? Ranjit
asked.
Its called a photo album.
Is it like Facebook?
Dadaji paused for a moment, contemplating the question. Yes, yes, its a book
of faces. Have you seen your fathers face
when he was your age?
Show me, show me! Ranjit screamed.
He was thrilled to see a photo of his
father as a 12-year-old, climbing a mango
tree. Daddy, come here, he shouted.
You should scan this photo and post it on
Facebook, so everyone can see what you
looked like when you had hair.
I dont like Facebook anymore, Ravi
said, walking into the bedroom.
Why not, Daddy? Ranjit asked.
Im tired of it. Its always the same
thing. Aunt Manjula is always posting pho-
tos of her grandchilden. Every day, a new

photo. She has posted photos of the grandchildren eating ice-cream, photos of the
grandchildren playing on a swing, photos of
the grandchildren picking their noses.
How can she afford to post so many
photos? Dadaji asked. The postage is too
costly these days.
Posting is the same as uploading,
Dadaji, Ranjit said. She uploads them to
Facebook.
Is uploading the same as loading up?
Dadaji asked. In my younger days, I
worked for a shipping company and loaded
up many ships.
Yes, its almost the same, Ravi said.
Aunt Manjula is loading up Facebook with
photos of her grandchildren.
What about space? Dadaji asked. If
she keeps loading up, will she not run out of
space?
Oh no, Ravi said. Facebook, unfortunately, has unlimited space.

What about the cost of film? Is it not
costly to take so many photos?
No, not at all, Dadaji, Ranjit said.
Digital cameras let you take unlimited photos.
Ravi sighed deeply. Unlimited photos,
unlimited space, and unlimited grandchildren poses.
Why dont you just skip over those
photos, Daddy?
I tried that. Skipped the grandchildren
photos and had to look at my niece Priyas
selfies. Every day, a new selfie.
What is selfie? Dadaji asked.
A selfie is when you take a photo of
yourself, Ranjit said.
Why is Priya taking photos of herself
when there are so many people around to
take photos of her? Dadaji asked.
Because other people get tired of taking

photos of Priya. But Priya never gets tired
of taking photos of Priya.
Does she load them all up too? Dadaji
asked.
Yes, she loads them up three times a
day, with comments such as, This is me on
the bus with the conductor in the background, This is me at the zoo with the
monkey in the background, and This is me
at the bank with the robber in the background.'
Why dont you skip over her photos
too, Daddy?
I tried that, but then I had to look at
my friend Jamals photos. He posts photos
of everything he eats and drinks. Many
years from now, when historians want to
know what Indians ate and drank in the 21st
century, they can just dig up Jamals
Facebook account.
Why dont you skip over his photos
too, Daddy?
I tried that, but then I had to look at
my friend Manishs vacation photos. Every
week, a new set of vacation photos. He
posted one photo and wrote, Its so beautiful in Tahiti. Best place on earth. I asked
him when he went to Tahiti and he said,
What makes you think Ive been to Tahiti?
Just because I posted a photo doesnt mean
Ive been there.'
As his father was talking, Ranjit spotted
a pen on Dadajis desk and quickly scribbled something in the photo album. Dadaji
slid his reading glasses on, peered through
them and smiled. At the bottom of the tiger
photo, on the protective plastic covering, his
grandson had written a single word: Like.
Someone needs to investigate the National Spelling Bee

By Melvin Durai
he National Spelling Bee
was once again won by not
one but two IndianAmerican contestants. Yes, for
the second year in a row, the
worlds most popular spelling
competition ended in a tie. The
organizers exhausted all the words
in the English language, even
words borrowed from languages
spoken in Latvia, Burundi,
Mongolia, Papua New Guinea,
and Harlem, New York.
Dr. Jacques Bailly, the official
pronouncer, tried unsuccessfully
to stump the two remaining contestants, Vanya Shivashankar and
Gokul Venkatachalam, with
made-up words such as scherenschnitte, pyrrhuloxia and
barackobamaphobia.
Its the eighth year in a row
(and 13th time in 17 years) that
Indian-American contestants have
won the National Spelling Bee,
but whos keeping track? Its really not a big deal, as shown by the
news ticker on an Indian broadcast network: Breaking News:
Indian-American Spellers Match
Boston Celtics Record of Eight
Straight Titles.
In case you were busy and
didnt get a chance to gauge the

reaction to the National Spelling
Bee on the Internet, let me give
you a taste of what the comments
were like on a popular news site.
PatsFan: A tie? Why did it
end in a tie? Shouldnt they have
penalty kicks or something?
JustSurfing: Yeah, I hate
how they ended it. I was hoping
for overtime.
FunGirl: They ran out of
words. What could they do?
JustSurfing: Why not have
an overtime period in which they
try to spell the names of all the
Indian contestants? That would be
more challenging.
Cletus Spuckler: Every
year, I hope an American will
win OUR spelling bee, and every
year, a freaking Indian wins OUR
spelling bee. Its time to send
Americans to India to win their

spelling bee.
FreeThinker: What a stupid
statement, Cletus! It wasnt a
freaking Indian who won the
spelling bee. It was two freaking
Indians. There were two of
them.
Cletus Spuckler: Two of
them? Man, I need to stop drinking. I thought I was seeing double.
BoilOnYourButt: Its not
enough that one Indian wins. Now
its two of them. Im telling you,
next year, itll be three of them,
then four of them. Theyre not
happy with just one spelling
champion every year. Im sure
they all got together and planned
this. Someone needs to investigate.
Cletus Spuckler: Yeah, the
spelling bee is fixed. It doesnt
make sense that Americans arent
winning. Indians are so corrupt.
Theyre probably paying off the
judges. Did you see that there
was an Indian judge this year?
Someone needs to check his bank
account.
CricketFan: You guys are
full of sh-t. Stop calling them
Indians. Theyre not Indians.
Theyre Americans! They were
born in America.
FreeThinker: I dont believe
it. Look at their names. Those
arent American names.
Cletus Spuckler: I want to
see their birth certificates.
Theyre probably like Obama
born in another country but pretending to be American.
BollyGirl: It wouldnt matter. The spelling bee isnt just for
Americans. In 1998, a Jamaican
won it.
Cletus Spuckler: Thats it,
then. Im not watching it anymore
until they let Americans win it
again. Im going to start a petition: Stop letting foreigners into
our country who can spell.
CricketFan: I dont know
why I read comments on the
Internet. Its like a convention of
morons.
FreeThinker: Im not a
moron. I have an advanced
degree.
CricketFan: Oh sure.
Advanced degree of brain deterioration.
RockStar01: The spelling
bee would be more interesting if
different kids won it. Not Indians
all the time.
CricketFan: Stop being
racist! Its not the same kids win-
ning it every year. These are different kids with different personalities.
RockStar01: But they look
alike. They all look like that
annoying kid in my elementary
school who sat in the front row
and always raised his hand when
the teacher asked a question.
Their parents look alike too. They
have the same clothes, hairstyle,
and smug expression that says,
We started spelling to our kids
when they were in the womb.'
FunGirl: Gokul and Vanya
are so cute. I wonder if they will
get married to each other one day
and produce more spelling bee
champions.
BollyGirl: The name Vanya
Venkatachalam has a nice ring to
it!
CricketFan: What I love
about these spelling bee kids is
that theyre so dedicated. Instead
of playing sports and videogames
like so many kids, they spend all
their time studying words. They
eat, drink and breathe words.
Cletus Spuckler: I knew it.
Theyre not human. Theyre
breathing words, not oxygen.
Theyre robots sent from India to
take over America. Someone
needs to investigate.
COLUMNS
Natural and paranormal ways of healing
VasthuSastra
By T. Selva
ealing methods and ancient
beliefs are found in all cultures and they are meant to
benefit anyone seeking help from
New Age therapies.
Whether they are from the eastern or western side of the globe, the
natural healing and paranormal
ways give strength and hope to people looking for alternative systems
to cope with issues related to health,
happiness, peace of mind, and relationships, among others.
I became richer in knowledge
and experience after participating in
Australias largest well-being event
the Mind Body Spirit festival in
Melbourne on June 6.
I was exposed to several exceptional techniques used in conscious
living at the event, which attracted
dozens of healers from around the
world. Sounds of drums, flutes,
sticks, rocks, rattles, didgeridoos

and chimes mesmerised me the
moment I entered the Melbourne
Convention and Exhibition Centre
at Southbank.
The huge hall was filled with
therapeutic energies and I was
urged to close my eyes and experience the power of prehistoric
sounds from an array of indigenous
instruments by Sika.
It was a fusion treat for visitors
at the event because Sika staged a
joint performance with Lou Van
Stone, another renowned celestial
musician.
She tapped into a divine source
by combining soaring and ethereal
vocals, narrating songs to inspire,
uplift and take listeners on a sound
journey.
I sat on the floor, together with
others, in meditative bliss, as we
experienced curative transformation
just listening to their deeply moving
vocal and sound performances.
According to Sika, the deep
sound has the power to move
through obstacles within an individual, promoting healing and altering
the state of consciousness.
Their 30-minute show allowed
spectators to feel a sense of grounding, contentment and liberation.
Red Horse, a Native American
from the Mescalero Apache tribe,
was an attraction at the event as he
introduced spiritual values and
Red Horse, a Native American

from the Mescalero Apache
tribe, playing healing sounds at
the Mind Body Spirit festival
in Melbourne.
aspects of Apache culture through

dance and music.
The rare sight of a shamanic
healing session caught my attention
because it is seldom performed in
public.
I learnt from the spiritualist that
our body is made up of energy in
the form of our emotions, thoughts
and spirit. These energies are
affected by unseen or negative
forces from time to time. As a
result, we feel fatigue, stress, unenergetic and experience dullness.
Joint performance by Sika and Lou Van Stone brought

awakening of celestial music.
This can happen following a

glance of ill-intent or casting an
envious and evil eye on an individual. It is common to experience low
energy after attending a funeral or
visiting someone ill in hospital.
Shaman healers work to restore
the affected persons energy
through a cleansing ritual to
strengthen his energy field.
Among the tools used in the ritual to ward off negative forces and
restore energy balance are feathers,
salt, rattles, beads, water and
chants. Thees are some ancient tips

for protection which I picked up
from several experts who work with
energy.
T. Selva is the author of the
best-selling book titled Vasthu
Sastra Guide for health, peace,
happiness, harmonious living and
world peace. To get a copy of the
book, contact Devi at 0412623017.
He can be contacted at drtselvas@gmail.com
Website:
www.vasthusastra.com
Better days ahead for Fiji

By Karam Ramrakha
iji has had 27 years of
coups since 1987 and certainly thought control and
censorship was not allowed during
most of that period. Frank
Bainimarama proposed what is
called a benign coup and certainly
he has lived to his promises. One
Man, one vote, one value. One
common name for all in Fiji. We
are all Fijians.
This has led to protests from
the indigenes, the so called
Bhumiputras as Mahathir so eloquently called His Malays.
Frank Bainimarama has made
enormous progress and even
established a newly elected
Parliament with all the trappings
of Westminster whose proceedings are streamed on the internet.
A bold move indeed!
Frank, being a fellow Marist
Brothers High School Bau Street
Suva old boy, has other irons in
the fire. Despite being shunned by
the West, he has found judicial
officers from Sri Lanka to fill in
the Judiciary. The lawyers, now
over 500, have formed a voluntary
organisation with the same name
as the one earlier dismantled, the
Fiji has opened its doors to China and today gleams with Chinese
built highways and bridges, not to forget Chinese businesses.
Fiji Law Society, but without disciplinary powers. Fiji's Attorney
General Ayaz Saiyad Khaiyum
(ASK) boasts of a Bill of Rights in
Fiji's Constitution.
Modi-style Frank travels and
tries to improve the lot of the common man. He specialises in Parish
Pump Politics having brought
electricity and water to all villages.
Fiji has opened its doors to
People's Republic of China and
today gleams with Chinese built
highways and bridges, not to forget Chinese businesses. Then
there is his, what we in India call
Ghar Wapsi program, and Frank's
predates that of Narendra Modi.
First and foremost, Frank
offered dual citizenship and voting

rights to all born in Fiji without
residence requirements. This has
boosted morale and Frank's stock
enormously.
Fiji is an enormously rich
country: good soil, good climate
and a haven for tourism. Like
Vanuatu, which I visited, there are
large tracts of land lying idle,
open to agriculture.
A sore point in Fiji was land
management. The indigenous
owners would refuse renewal of
leases and insist on taking on
farms only to find that farming
was not a sinecure and leaving the
land fallow. Frank has a program
to renew leases in such cases but
then the displaced farmers have
found an easier way of life in metropolitan areas, particularly Suva

where there are, I am told, some
100,000 shanties which house
those displaced farmers, especially cane farmers driven out during
the coups from all over Fiji.
Some in sugar farms have
introduced mechanical farming
but sugar production has experienced a sharp decline despite the
Government of India pouring in
$74 million worth of aid to the
industry. Ironically, Fiji faced a
sugar shortage some years ago and
imported sugar from India. That
raised a laugh. Here we were,
Indians imported from India under
an indenture semi slavery style of
agreement to plant cane in Fiji and
Fiji turning to India for a supply
of sugar!
Frank is trying to get Fiji's
intelligentsia back to Fiji. In the
past 27 years there has been an
enormous drain of talent. Not only
had the Indians taken to flight but
others too, including the indigenes.
There is, as one Canadian
journalist reminded me, no middle
class left in Fiji. It is the rich and
well established on the one hand
and the poor on the other.
Fiji was once a leader in the

Pacific Region. Even today, the
University of the South Pacific
which has weathered the storms
and stresses of the Fiji coups,
services nine nations of the
Pacific. Fiji hosted the Fiji School
of Medicine where it trained what
were called Assistant Medical
Officers who after five years
would work in the hospitals but
did not have the right of private
practice. As Cuba today excels in
its medical services and is a tribute
to third world countries, Fiji used
to shine as such. Frank sought the
design for a new flag and most
came out featuring Fiji's flowers,
including the Red and White
unique
orchid
called
the
Tagimoucia. Frank would do well
to encourage freedom of expression in a Fiji which has been
frozen and mired in coups. As Fiji
drifts along and Frank travels the
world and sells Fiji, let us see
what renewed role Australia and
New Zealand will take to help that
country.
Karam C Ramrakha is a
retired lawyer and one time M P
in Fiji. He can be contacted on
karamcramrakha@gmail.com
Santram's Grey Page
Just for Seniors

By Santram Bajaj
HEALTH & WELLBEING
he flu season has already set in. I

hope you did have the Flu vaccine
in time and are not affected by it.
If not taken it yet, please get it as soon as
possible. This time the winter seems to be
very severe and there are already cases of
fire caused by the heaters. The authorities
advise that we must take precautions and
follow the rule - stay a metre away from
the heater. Never smoke in bed and do
not let the kids play with matches or cigarette lighters.
CARDAMOM THE MISTRESS OF SPICES

ndia is the mistress of spices. No dish
is complete without the aromas of
Indian spices. Cardamom, also known
as the queen of spices, is one of our
favourites. Cardamom is considered one
of the most valuable spices in the world
due to its rich aroma and therapeutic properties.
Technically, cardamom belongs to the
ginger family. This spice has been grown
since ancient times. In terms of production
India comes second to Guatemala which is
the largest producer of Cardamom.
In India, green cardamom is usually used

as a flavouring agent of sweets and teas.
Black cardamom is used as a garnish in
rice and pilafs. Chewing cardamom seeds
is an effective remedy against bad breath.
Cardamom cultivation has increased with

the increase in demand and now it is also
cultivated in countries like Sri Lanka,
Tanzania and some parts of China as well.
The seeds of the cardamom plant contain a variety of important minerals such
as calcium, sulphur, and phosphorus.
They also contain volatile oil composed of
acetic and formic acids. Both, seeds and
oil, are used for cooking and medicinal
purposes.
In India, we generally use green or
black cardamom. Green Cardamom has a
strong, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic, resinous fragrance. Black cardamom has a distinctly smokey, though
not bitter, aroma, with a coolness some
consider similar to mint.
In India, green cardamom is usually
used as a flavouring agent of sweets and
teas. It is also used as a garnish in rice and
pilafs. In countries like Denmark and
Finland it is used in baking and Egyptians
use it in coffees. Individual seeds are
sometimes chewed and used in much the
same way as chewing gum as it is believed
to be the most effective remedy against
bad breath.
PROTECT YOUR
JOINT' ASSETS
ne of the biggest victims from the
wear and tear of our daily lives is
our knees. Apart from bearing the
burden of our weight, the knees also take
the brunt of an ageing body. Some tips to
protect your most important 'joint' assets!
It's the largest joint in the human body.
It helps you stay active, flexible and plays
an essential role in facilitating movement.
Know your knees
The knee is a joint that is protected by
cartilage -- a soft, flexible, connective tissue that is not as hard as bone, but harder
than muscle. It forms a protective cover
and links the two major bones of the leg.
Any damage to this cartilage can be
painful and irreversible unless surgery is
involved.
Ageing and Arthritis
"The health of your knee cartilage can
be affected by many factors," says Dr
Srinivas J.V., senior orthopaedic surgeon,
Fortis
Hospital,
Bangalore.
"In
osteoarthritis, the knee cartilage is completely worn out, until bone rubs against
bone. It's a result of a slow process of
degeneration, either due to an overactive
lifestyle or severe lack of calcium in the
body.
In most cases, damage to the knee cartilage is due to the natural process of ageing. But there are ways you can protect
yourself against the pain and avoid making
the damage worse.
"First of all, it's important to maintain
an ideal body weight. Being overweight or
obese will only put more pressure on your
knees," says Dr Srinivas.
"Exercising regularly will also help
your joints stay mobile and flexible.
Timely diagnosis and the control of diseases like diabetes and hypothyroidism are
important too, because if these diseases
run rampant in the body, it could affect
healthy cartilage."
Take precautions
If you're already experiencing pain,
Dr Srinivas emphasizes the need to take
precautions. "Don't make knee pain worse
by climbing the stairs or sitting crosslegged on the floor. Always sit on chairs
or a raised surface until the pain recedes.
Osteoarthritis is a result of a slow process of degeneration, due to an overactive lifestyle

or severe lack of calcium in the body.
High impact activities like

playing tennis or jogging
should be avoided.
Walking and yoga are good for knee health.
Avoid walking on hard gravelly surfaces

and performing strenuous exercises when
there is pain. Rest is the best remedy," he
says. In the long-term, switching to low
impact activities such as swimming and
walking (with less pressure on the joints)
is a good idea.
Exercising for arthritis
Exercising is an essential tool in combating arthritis.
Exercises should be done in a sitting or
lying down position so that the patient is
not loading the knee when the exercises
are being done. The exercises should
allow the patient full range of joint movement with moderate amount of stretching
of the ligament. Indian yoga exercises
serve this purpose very well.
We have to realise here that all yoga
exercises are not necessarily good for all
types of arthritis. For example, sitting in
Vajrasana as practiced by many individuals is not a good exercise for patients with
knee arthritis.
Impact activity exercises should be
avoided (for example, running, jogging,
jumping, skipping and step aerobics).
Simple walking on level ground or on a
treadmill without inclination is good. This
activity does not increase the arthritis as
many people tend to believe. Cycling
(without tension on the pedal), swimming
and rowing are other examples of non

impact aerobic activity.
Surgical Options
For people with advanced osteoarthritis, there is now relief. Knee replacement
surgery is fast becoming a common procedure.
Remember, caring for your knees is a
lifelong process. After all, it's thanks to
this joint that we have the ease and freedom of mobility.
Disclaimer
The health tips given here have been
taken from reliable sources.
However, no responsibility, whatsoever, of the accuracy or otherwise, of the
information can be accepted by The
Indian Down Under or the writer of this
column. Please consult your doctor, if in
doubt
HUMOUR
Bhikarin: Babuji, ek1 Rupiya de de,
teen din se bhuki hun.
Babuji : Teen din se bhuki hain toh ek
Rupye ka kya karegi?
Bhikarin: Weight dekhungi kitna kam
hua
The Kersi Meher-Homji Column
Day-night Test with pink

ball creates controversy
hat has got into the
minds of Australian
Cricket administrators
baffles me.
The Adelaide Test against
New Zealand this summer will be
a day-night affair using pink
balls. When things are going well
why this immature innovation?
Traditional Test cricket has
been well attended in Australia
and England. I realise that it is
dying elsewhere, especially in
India where the lure of IPL has
taken over in a gigantic fashion.
New Zealand cricketers are
against this new innovation. And
so are Australias fast bowlers
Mitchell Starc and Mitchell
Johnson.
Starc, the Player of the 2015
World Cup, says he could not see
the pink ball well in dark during
the Sheffield Shield trial match in
Adelaide last season. Nor can
Australias opening batsman
Chris Rogers who is colour
blind.
During the pink ball trial
Starc could not see the ball from
the boundary line. Also he
observed that the ball did not
swing as much as the red ball.
Steve Smith and Brad Haddin
find the idea exciting. But players like Johnson and Shane
Watson have never played with
pink balls at night.
Innovations are welcome

when they are necessary. But is
this pink ball day-night Test
cricket wise? Australia Cricket
should have carried out more
experiments before playing a
Test match using this gimmicky
innovation.
What purpose does day-night
cricket with pink balls serve? I
realise that we cannot use white
balls because players will wear
white clothes.
Or will we have Test matches
in colour clothing with white
balls by 2020? Heavens forbid!
Players are not quite tickled pink
with the new colour of the ball
Surprise, surprise Indians are touring Australia next January

Womens Schedule in January February 2016
Indian team was last seen in action Down Under in 2014-15

hat a pleasant surprise!
The Indian cricket
team which toured
Australia for a series of Tests
and ODIs in 2014-15 will be here
again in January 2016 for five
ODIs
and
threeTwenty20
Internationals (T20) against
Australia. But wait; there is
more! For a double delight, the
Indian womens cricket team will
also be in Australia next January
and February to play the Aussie
girls.
Below is the schedule of
internationals just announced
today by Cricket Australia:
Mens Schedule in January
2016
Victoria Bitter ODIs:

First ODI at WACA, Perth
on 12th January
Second ODI at Gabba,
Queensland on 15th
Third ODI at MCG,
Melbourne on 17th
Fourth ODI at Manuka
Oval, Canberra on 20th
Fifth ODI at SCG, Sydney
on 23rd
KFC T20 Internationals:
First T20 in Adelaide on
26th January which is Indias
Republic Day and Australia Day
Second T20 at the MCG
on 29th
Third T20 at the SCG on
31st
The Commonwealth Bank T20 Internationals

will be played on the same days and at the same
venues as the Mens matches but earlier. (See
above).
The three ODIs by the womens team will be
held in Canberra on 2nd February and at
Blundstone Arena in Tasmania on 5th and 7th.
The Indian womens team under Mithali Raj is
confident after beating the New Zealand womens
team 3-2 this month in a series of ODIs in
Bangalore.
Test series Down Under

in 2015-16
Australias mens team which is currently
engaged in Ashes series in England will play three
Tests against New Zealand and then three against
the West Indies.
Against New Zealand:
First Test from 5 to 9 November 2015 at
Brisbane
Second Test from 13 to 17 November in
Perth and
Third Test from 27 November to 1
December in Adelaide
This Adelaide Test is of importance as it will
be a day-night Test played with a pink ball. (See

the related story Day-Night Test with pink ball
creates controversy).
Against West Indies:
First Test from 10 to 14 December in
Tasmania
Second Test from 26 to 30 December in
Melbourne and
Third Test from 3 to 7 January 2016 in
Sydney
It is interesting to note that neither New
Zealand nor the West indies will play ODIs and
T20 Internationals against Australia this summer.
But India will. This just shows their crowdpulling potential.
Cricket Australia informs us that the highlight
of the season will be the match-up between
Australia and India, the worlds top-ranked teams
in one-day international cricket through the
Victoria Bitter Series.
These teams met in the semi-final of the
World Cup in a match which saw more than 300
million fans watching on Star TV in India, and we
want to continue to build a strong rivalry which
will be on show throughout the summer, according to Cricket Australia.
Come on Dhoni, come on Kohli!
Rahane appointed captain for Zimbabwe tour as Dhoni, Kohli are rested
W
hen will India learn from

past mistakes? Rather
than take lessons from
their loss to Bangladesh in ODIs,
they have selected a virtual second
XI for their Zimbabwe tour.
Here is their 15-man squad for
Zimbabwe for three ODIs and two
T20 internationals this month:
Ajinkya Rahane (captain),
Murali Vijay, Ambati Rayudu,
Manoj Tiwary, Kedar Jadhav,
Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey,
Harbhajan Singh, Axar Patel, Karn
Ajinkya Rahane
Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni, Stuart
Binny, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit
Sharma and Sandeep Sharma.
What, no MS Dhoni, Virat
Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravi
Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Cheteshwar
Pujara, Umesh Yadav, I shouted to

myself when I read the squad.
Why, why, why?
Explains Sandeep Patil, former
Test cricketer and now chairman of
selectors: The Indian team did not
do well in Bangladesh. (But) we
have to move forward and considering the domestic cricket to be
played, we have picked this side,
looking at the 2016 T20 World Cup.
We had picked the best possible team that played at the World
Cup and keeping the future series in
mind, whether it is Sri Lanka or

South
Africa
home
series,
Twenty20 World Cup or the
Australia series, we have decided to
rest a few players, who need urgent
rest, he said.
But the same tired cricketers
will get a burst of sudden energy
when playing cash-filled IPL matches!
To lose to Bangladesh was bad
enough. Now losing to Zimbabwe
will be too humiliating for words.
India will play three ODIs in
Harare on 10, 12 and 14 July and

two T20 internationals on 17 and 19
July.
Meanwhile, middle-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara was named
captain of the India A squad for two
four-day games against Australia A.
These matches will be played in
Chennai from 22 to 25 July and
from 29 July to 1 August. Despite
being rested from the Indian
squad to Zimbabwe, pace bowler
Umesh Yadav was named in the
India A team.
The Kersi Meher-Homji column
Mustafizur brilliant as Bangla

hits India with a bang
ow the mighty
ones, the 2011
World
Cup
champs and 2015 semifinalists, fell in ODIs in
June! And how the underdogs came to the top,
David
vanquishing
Goliath!
I am referring to
Bangladesh defeating a full
strength India 2-1 in ODIs
after leading 2-0.
And the hero in the
ODI series was debutant
Mustafizur Rahman who
captured 13 for 130 starting off with 5 for 50 in his
international debut followed by 6 for 43 in the
next ODI. The 19 year-old
left-arm quickie became
only the second bowler
after Zimbabwean Brian
Vitori to take five-wicket
Shakibs triple crown

ood on you, Shakib Al Hassan. The
multitalented Bangladeshi has been
ranked the best all-rounder in ODIs
once again. The latest ranking means he is
now on top of the pack in all three formats of
the game. The left-hander had topped the allrounder rankings for Test, ODIs and
Twenty20 Internationals just ahead of the
World Cup earlier this year.
However, an ordinary showing in
Bangladeshs campaign in crickets showcase
event in Australia and New Zealand saw him

slip down the ladder. In the latest International
Cricket Council rankings, released after the
Bangladesh-India series, Shakib moved ahead
of Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan to the top
spot.
Behind them is Sri Lankan Angelo
Mathews. Shakib scored 123 runs at an average of 61.50 runs including two half-centuries
during the three-match ODI series against
India.
No rift between Dhoni and Kohli

avi
Shastri
assures us that
there is no rift
between MS Dhoni and
Virat Kohli.
I would like to
believe Shastri but can I?
As they say, there is no
smoke without fire. Next
few months will tell.
The hero in the ODI series was debutant Mustafizur

Rahman who captured 13 for 130.
hauls in his first two ODIs.
India was unlucky in
the only Test at Fatullah
when they amassed 6
declared 462 when openers
Murali Vijay (150) and
Shikhar Dhawan (173)
added 283 for the first

wicket. But rain robbed
them of a victory.
India won the third and
final ODI by 77 runs but it
was too late as they had
lost the series
Big Indo-Windies connection in cricket

s you watched the recent
Australia-West Indies Test series
in the Caribbean on television in
June, were you struck by the names of
some of the Windies cricketers?
The team was captained by Denesh
Ramdin who also kept the wickets, the
opening batsman was Rajendra Chandrika
and the spinners were Devendra Bishoo
who took 6 for 80 in the first Test in
Roseau, Dominica and Veerasammy
Perumaul.
Till a few years ago Shivnarine
Chanderpaul (almost 41 years old now)
was their leading batsman and captain.
Also Sunil Narine is in their Test team as
an off-spinner.
These are all Indian names as although
born in the West Indies they have Indian
ancestry. Most of them look like Indians
as well.
Coincidentally, they are batsmen,
spinners or wicket-keeper. Not a fast
bowler among them a typical Indian
characteristic!
Even in the past the West Indies team
had celebrated cricketers of Indian origin,
spinner Sonny Ramadhin shining in Test
cricket from1950 to 1960, Rohan Kanhai
(who was as good with the bat as Garry
Sobers) from 1957 to 1973 and Alvin
Kallicharan from 1971 to 1980. They
could be described as legendary cricketers.
Other Windies Test players of Indian
origin are Ramnaresh Sarwan, Ravi
Rampaul, Inshan Ali, Nyron Asgarali,
Faoud Bacchus, Leonard Baichan, Daren
Ganga, Narsingh Deonarine, Imtiaz Ali,
Raphick Jumadeen, Dave Mohammed,
Ivan
Madray,
Rajindra
Dhanraj,
Sewnarine
Chattergoon,
Mahendra
Nagamootoo, Dave Mohammed, Charran
Singh, Rangy Nanan, Charran Singh,
Suruj Ragoonath, Ryan Ramdass,
Dinanath Ramnarine and Sewdatt
Shivnarine.
I did some research in cricket reference books and Google on the migration
of Indians to the West Indies. And this is
what I found.
On 5 May 1838, the year of finalised
abolition slave emancipation in the British
West Indies and the beginning of the
indentured labour system, 396 Indian
immigrants known as the Gladstone
Coolies landed in British Guiana (now
Guyana) from Calcutta.
This was the beginning of the indenture system which was to continue for 75
years and whose essential features were
reminiscent of slavery. Within a decade
Indian immigration was largely responsible for changing the fortunes of the sugar
industry, the mainstay of the economy,
from the predicted ruin to prosperity.
This is not my research but taken from
many sources compiled by Google.
The importation of labour from the
Indian subcontinent was part of a continuing search by Guianese planters for a
labour force that was docile, reliable and
amenable to discipline under harsh, tropical conditions.
The majority of Indian immigrants
were drawn from North India with smaller batches coming from Tamil and Telugu
districts. From1835 to1918, over 341,000
indentured labourers from India were
imported into British Guiana.
Unlike the African slaves, the East
Indian indentured workers were permitted
to retain some of their cultural traditions.
Between 1838 and 1917 over 500 ship
voyages with 238,909 indentured Indian
immigrants came to Guyana; while 75,898
of them or their children returned to India.
The vast majority of the Indian immigrants came from North India.
Over 85 per cent were Hindus while
15 per cent were Muslims. Guyanese
Hindus continue to observe holidays such
as Holi and Diwali while Muslims celebrate Eid.
The migrants continue eating curry,
roti and daal puri. Delicacies like gulab
jam, kheer and chicken curry were served
at weddings, poojas, and religious functions.
Many of them took to cricket,
In the recent past, Rohan Kanhai (left) and Alvin Kallicharan were legendary
cricketers who played for West India, but had their ancestral roots in India.
West Indies team that played Australia had many players of Indian ancestry.
excelling in batting and spin bowling like
their ancestors in India.
It is interesting to note that 10.5 per
cent of West Indies Test cricketers are of
Indian origin. Of the 304 cricketers to

represent West Indies in Test cricket, 32
have Indian origin, including their latest
Test cap Rajendra Chandrika.
The Kersi Meher-Homji Column
Sania Mirza won the Wimbledon womens doubles championship

partnering with Martina Hingis.
Leander Paes also teamed with Martina Hingis to win the mixed
doubles championship.
Three Wimbledon doubles titles for Indias

Mirza, Paes and young Sumit
imbledon 2015 was
dominated by Serb
Novac Djokovic, Swiss
Roger Federer and Americas
Serena Williams. Not to forget
the antics of Australias bad
boy Nick Kyrgios.
Indians did not go empty-handed. Partnering former Swiss great
Martina Hingis, Indias Sania
Mirza won the Ladies Double
title. Indias veteran Leander Paes
also lifted the Mixed Doubles title
partnering Hingis. Top seeded
Hingis and Mirza beat second
seeded E. Makarova (Poland) and
Russias E. Vesnina 5-7, 7-6, 7-5
in the Ladies Doubles final.
In a one-sided final, seventh

seeded Paes and Hingis convincingly defeated fifth seeded A.
Peya (Austria) and T Baber of
Hungary 6-1, 6-1 in Mixed 17-year-old
Sumit
Doubles.
Nagal
won
Seventeen-year-old
Sumit
the
Boys
Nagal won the Boys Doubles troDoubles
phy partnering Nam Hoang Lee
trophy
from Vietnam. Sumit thus joined partnering
the ranks of Ramanathan
Nam
Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan and
Hoang
Leander Paes from India who had
Lee from
Vietnam.
won junior Grand Slam titles. In
recent years Indians have not
made a name for themselves in
Singles events but to win two doubles titles is an achievement.
Tendulkar in news, but not Sachin

ou cant keep the name
Tendulkar out of headlines.
During
Wimbledon tennis last week,
TV cameras were at times
focussed on Sachin Tendulkar
and Virat Kohli watching the
semi-finals.
Now the name Arjun
Tendulkar is in news. He is
Sachins 15-year-old son. He
was praised by England's assistant coach Paul Farbace. On
July 15, Arjun attended
Englands net session at Lords
before the Ashes Test.
According to Indias cricket
writer Bipin Dani, Arjun attended the net session at the request
of Neil Burns who is one of the
Englands most influential
coaches. Speaking exclusively
from Lords he told Bipin,
Arjun bowled very nicely in
the nets to the England team. He
swung the ball in to the right

handlers and away from the left
handers. He has good control
and bowled very well.
Ten years ago, Arjun
Tendulkar was also praised by
Australian great Greg Chappell.
During Chappells visit, not as a
coach, to India in 2005, he met
Arjun when he was five year
old. He (Arjun) is an intelligent young man; he thinks a lot
before speaking, commented
Chappell.
I had watched Arjun bowling
to dad Sachin at the SCG nets
before the Sydney Test of
January 2013 and to be frank I
was not impressed. But that was
30 months ago.
Will there be another
Tendulkar in the Indian team in
five years time? I mean
Tendulkar the bowler, not
Tendulkar the master batsman.
Arjun Tendulkar trains with

the England squad
The Kersi Meher-Homji column
Sunil Gavaskar and

Sir Gary Sobers
Kersi Meher-Homji remembers
this anecdote fondly.
Seyoon Ragavan with Federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne
was in the Indian Dressing Room when

India played Australia in the Sydney Test
in January 1981. The great Garry
Sobers, then living in Sydney, was in the
Indian Dressing Room. When the equally
great Sunil Gavaskar returned to the pavilion
caught Marsh bowled Lillee for a duck,
Sobers scolded him saying, Is this the way
you play an inswinger, hanging your bat

out? And Gavaskar, a batting maestro even
then, listened dutifully as if he was an errant
pupil in the headmasters office!
Gavaskar told me later about Sobers
being superstitious. He always touched 21
year-old Gavaskars head for luck when
India toured the West Indies in 1970-71.
Sachika Ingale, a professional squash player from India, ranked 1st in women's in
New Delhi, 3rd in the women's category in India and currently ranked 91 in the
world, will be in Sydney to participate in NSW Open to be held at Thornleigh Squash
Centre from August 27 to August 30, 2015.
From Bronze to Gold:

Seyoon Ragavan a
whiz in Maths
C
ompeting against more than 600 contestants from 104 countries, the
International Mathematics Olympiad
held in Thailand was a tough competition,
but Seyoon Raghavan, a 16-year old Knox
grammar student, aced it with a gold, no
less.
The International Mathematical Olympiad
(IMO) is the World Championship
Mathematics Competition for High School
students and is held annually in a different
host country.
The Australian team was placed sixth in
the world, its best result in 35 years and
ahead of countries such as Russia, Canada,
and Japan. The team improved Australias
ranking from 11th last year to 6th in the
world.
IMO scores are based on the number of
points scored by individual team members
on six problems. The problems are taken in
sets of three in 4.5 hour sessions over two
days.
Only about five people at the Olympiad
usually complete all six questions, Seyoon
said.
It was that moment when the results
came out and everyone on the team was
really, really overwhelmed," Ragavan said
about his victory. "We were over the moon.
Our leader, our deputies, everyone was
absolutely thrilled."
Australian Mathematics Trust executive
director Mike Clapper, who oversees the

selection and training of Australian
Olympiad competitors, said it was the most
exciting mathematical event he'd been
involved with.
"The fact we can hold our place towards
the head of the pack against countries with
higher populations and lengthy traditions in
maths is a credit to the students themselves
and the trainers," he said.
"They're exposed to a variety of events,
problem-solving techniques, they're stimulated to explore maths more beyond the
school curriculum. They meet like-minded
people and form some strong and enduring
friendships," he said.
"It's not about harder school maths, it's
about new ways of thinking about mathematics," said Clapper.
For being chosen as part of the
Australian team, Seyoon had travelled to
Canberra last month and was presented with
a blazer by Federal Education Minister
Christopher Pyne.
"A genuine passion for maths and the
beauty behind it only started forming when I
pushed my boundaries into the Olympiad
field. That passion and love has built up
into what it is today," says Seyoon.
Besides Maths, Seyoon loves music,
singing and playing drums and Indian percussion instruments, which he says is a
good respite from the stress of competition.
Contact:
Mala Mehta
0412 283 677
Vipin Virmani
0419 636 161
On the Occasion of Hindi Divas

Australian Hindi Committee (AHC) and
IABBV Hindi School Inc
Present
Hindi Mela (
Sponsorship
or Donation to
recover the cost of the
program will be
greatly appreciated.
Sunday 13 September 2015

Venue : Thornleigh West Public School, Giblett Ave, Thornleigh NSW 2120
1.
2.
10.00am-11am
11am -12.00pm
3.
4.
12pm - 1.00 pm
1 - 3pm
Student Session display of students work and resources

Childrens Hindi poetry recitation competition
1st group of children Year 1-Year 4
2nd group of children Year 5-year 7
3rd group of children Year 8-year 12
Anybody can participate. Entries will close on 7 September 2013
Light Snacks
Antakshri & Trivia
NO ENTRY FEE ALL WELCOME!
Thi sevent is deidcated to Pink Sari Project !!
There will be a Childrens Photo-Essay Competition for students in Years 6-12

The topic for this competition is FRIENDSHIP - WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU. Children are to submit a collage (consisting of 2-5 images) and
write an original short essay (125-200 words) based on this topic in Hindi.
Participants will be able to use photographs, images, pictures, drawings and artworks. The collage and essay must reflect a childs view of the person they admire
and demonstrate creativity and effort. Please see criteria and instructions for entry below. Top three entries will receive a prize.
Criteria: Submission format: A4 page for photo collage, A4 page for essay
A4 cover page with contact information: name, grade, age, school, phone number, email address, postal address.
Photo collage: Two to five photos, images or graphics Essay: 125-200 words
Please encourage all to participate. There will be a panel of judges for both competitions. Entries will close on 1 September 2015.
We request all Hindi speakers / supporters / teachers / schools / students to join in the celebrations and present a united face to promote India's national language
Hindi. We would like to extend our deep gratitude to the Consulate General of India, Sydney for supporting this event. We also acknowledge the continued support
of The Hindu Council of Australia, United India Associations, Australia India Business Council, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Australian Hindi Indian Association, ILASA
- Indian Literary & Art Association of Australia, Hindi Samaj and and various other individuals and associations Australia wide; All Hindi Schools and Print, Radio
and Television Media. We are also supported by Project Vision, Multicall, Thornleigh Curry House, Maytas Pty Ltd, Uneek Conveyancing and Sharmas Kitchen.
For further information please contact:

For Essay Competition contact: Santram Bajaj (AHIA): 0414 553 739; Rekha Rajvanshi (ILASA): 0403 116 301
For Childrens Hindi poetry recitation competition contact: Kamlesh Chaudhry (AHC): 0410583282, Mala Mehta, OAM (IABBV): 0412 283 677; Nirupama Verma
(Hindi Samaj) 0421 895 310
Proud Sponsors of IABBVs Hindi Mela 2015:

K-Bella Beauty Salon
Kusum & Priya Singh
36 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - Septmber 2015

Indian Down Under - E Paper August-September 2015

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Indian Down Under - E Paper August-September 2015

Uploaded by

Copyright:

VOL 27 No.

August - September 2015

Annual Subscription incl. postage & handling $17

A Sunday student at Indo-Aus Bal Bharti Vidyalaya, Thornleigh

02 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER August - September 2015

August - September 2015 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 03

04 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER August - September 2015

August - September 2015 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 05

06 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2015

Time to recognise the First Citizens

Indigenous Australian performers hold a smoking ceremony in

t is high time that Indigenous recognition in the Australian

In the meantime, the services for Indigenous communities

August-September 2015 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 7

TIDU: Mr. Narendra Modi is one of the most popular

ewly appointed Indian High Commissioner in

TIDU: Do you think online and digital media will

The following conversation with the High Commissioner

a texture to the kind of work we do.

8 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August-September 2015

TIDU: Which issues do you think are prominent for

Australian business looking at India as new China

Prodded by the leadership of Modi and Abbott, India and Australia

Australian FTA negotiations commenced some seven years ago,

India is definitely palpable. The

ture, design, and the agriculture

Australia takes a step back on immigration policy

been tracking international performance

The result is due to the cap placed on

August-September 2015 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 9

Over 40 deaths and 2,000

has registered three cases in its ongoing

CSK and Royals suspended,

Raj Kundra was part owner of Rajasthan Royals with wife

former chief justice Rajendra

Urged by Modi, Ufa BRICS

10 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August-September 2015

Millions world over observe

proposal the U.N. last year announced a

After Modi-Sharif ice-breaker,

Iran N-deal to benefit India

FDI up 48% in 7 months of 'Make in India'

tors having been liberalized during this period

August-September 2015 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 11

History of Indian migration to Australia

Purushottama Bilimoria, the book's co-editor

The book covers chapters on

al roots by the second and third

Jayant Bhalchandra Bapat and Philip Hughes, the books co-editors.

12 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August-September 2015

ance and understanding which,

Poorans ashes for two generations in deference to his last wish

Zaman will channel Mohammed Rafi on August 8, helping

management for me to also present a childrens song which he taught me rigorously

Here are excerpts of our interview on

aim to present something uniquely different.

Well, this is an age of technology and

What are the achievements you are

Is there a particular song that is close

August-September 2015 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 13

A page from princess Sohas diary

Soha, welcome to Sydney. You have

panel, the food all have been great. Its

generous, sensitive and entertaining. I

August-September 2015 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 13 A

Bachchans, the premier

Manju Mittal with AB