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Happy DDiwali!

Avijit Sarkar Subra Iyer

Bipin Sharma Gnanam Muthukrishnan

Neni Tiwari Swati Jain

Inside this issue:

33: How Sydneylights a lamp thisDiwali in serviceto others17: Farhan rocks35: Lord Hanuman49: How to meditate 60: Vale Nawab Pataudi

Happiness is when you think, what you say and what youdo are in harmony.

The weak can never forgive,Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

Hatred can be overcome by love.

My greatest weapon is mute prayer.

Mahatma Gandhi

September - October 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 03

06 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

Editor's Letter

October - November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 7

Editorial/Advertising Enquiries: 02 9875 2713Postal Address: PO Box 99, Thornleigh NSW 2120.Email: indiandownunder@gmail.comWebsite: www.indiandownunder.com.au

EDITORIALPrincipal Editor: Vijay BadhwarAssociate Editor: Neena BadhwarNorth America : Parveen ChopraCorrespondent Sports Editor: Kersi Meher-HomjiDelhi Reporter: Ritu Ghai

WRITERSThird Eye: Rekha BhattacharjeePolitical Columns: Karam Ramrakha, MallikaGanesanFilms and Art: Neeru Saluja, Abhishek Sood, MonicaDaswani, Sumi Krishnan, Devaki Parthasarthy, NeenaBadhwar, Rekha RajvanshiBody-Mind-Spirit: Dr Sunder Das, KanakaRamakrishna, Faith Harper, T Selva, Dilip MahantySport: Kersi Meher-Homji, Dilip MahantyFiji Diary: Karam RamrakhaCookery: Promila GuptaChildren Section: Esther Chudhary-LyonsClassical Music: Sumi Krishnan, Kris Raman,Lokesh VarmaTravel: Vijay Badhwar, Kris RamanHumour: Melvin Durai, Santram BajajSeniors Column: Santram BajajBeauty: Devaki ParthasarthyCommunity: Neena Badhwar, Kersi Meher-Homji,Vijay Badhwar, Sumi Krishnan, Neeru Saluja, SavithaNarayanPhotographers: Neelesh Kale, Raj Suri and JordanAnjaiyaGraphic Design: Nayanesh Gandhi, Dinesh Verma,(Bhagwati Multimedia) Bharat Bhushan Chopra

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By Vijay Badhwar

As we go through the festive sea-son, the daily routines take tothe sidelines - the work, studies,

entertainment, even the usual politics,all take second fiddle to attending Durgapujas, Dandia Raas, Dussehra festivities,Ram Katha (a very popular event thisyear) and Diwali get-togethers. With asignificant growth in the Indian commu-nity in Australia, there are so manyfunctions that there is not much time foranything else.

In India, there are unbelievablescenes as there is noticeably more reli-gious fervour these days than a decadeago. One festival finishes and the nexttakes over. There is a constant buzz offestivities declared over the loudspeakersin competing intensities, a free-for-allbout for all faiths, such is the freedom.The queues outside temples snakearound for hours before you get theblessed glimpse of the deity.

If there is one dominating politicalnews, that’s of Anna Hazare. He iseverywhere, embedded in every news,the pathfinder among scams that arepropping up like weeds. Even the gentleand well-regarded Prime MinisterManmohan Singh has lost his appeal,people disenchanted with him, seeinghim as a mere puppet, sorely lacking theauthority India needs today. The absenceof Sonia Gandhi from the scene due tosickness hasn’t helped either as sheappears now and then but without anypurpose.

The Anna movement is sweepingIndia and Indians at grassroots level whofeel frustrated by endemic corruption inthe society. It is a burning issue that hasunited all Indians who are willing todesert major political parties and well-known candidates as they demand theirbasic right for a better life without theevil of corruption.

Not a day goes by without Annabeing the headline and highlight. He iscompared to Mahatma Gandhi, which hehumbly refutes, thus acquiring morecharm and charisma among the masses.Media banners provide twisted contextsthat his close associate Arvind Kejriwalputs Anna above Parliament (Kejriwal’sactual quote puts all citizens above par-liament).

There is a lot of political activity assmall time political hopefuls gravitateunder the umbrella of Team Anna andits movement against corruption. KiranBedi recently denied any political ambi-tions for Anna Hazare. In an address ata conference on women’s health, organ-ised by the Pune and Maharashtra chap-ters of the Indian Medical Association,Kiran Bedi said, “Anna does not haveany political inclination, but we willoppose all those political parties thatoppose the Jan Lokpal Bill.”

Interestingly, Laloo Prasad Yadavchallenged Anna Hazare to float a politi-cal party to contest elections to provehis worth. Lokpal Team India AgainstCorruption conducted a sample surveywhere 90 per cent of people opposed theBihar leader in his own Saran con-stituency. It was a slap on the face forLaloo who is notorious for his loosecomments.

Having found a common cause and aburning issue with Anna’s fight againstcorruption, people crowd to rallies whenAnna team comes to town. On October

10, Anand Kejriwal, in his home townHisar, along with Manish Sisodia,embarked on a campaign, ‘India AgainstCorruption’, to ask people to voteagainst the ruling party, saying, ‘GiveCongress a historic defeat’. Indeed,Congress came third as the Oct 13byelection in Hisar for Parliament waswon by Bhajan Lal’s son, KuldeepBishnoi, who was supported by BJP.The seat fell vacant when incumbentBhajan Lal died earlier this year. AjayChautala, whose father and grandfatherhave been chief ministers, finished sec-ond. Jai Prakash was the Congress can-didate.

In fact, Congress had a dismal scoreof 0-4 as it also lost in three state-assembly seats elsewhere. Whichprompted Anna Hazare to suggest that itwas a wake up call for the party.Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K.Advani termed the "results of the by-polls a reflection of the government'sinability to govern". On the defensive,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said,"One by-election cannot be seen as areferendum or a reflection on the per-formance of my government.”

Team Anna have clarified that theyare not anti-Congress, only opposing theruling party for not passing the JanLokpal Bill. They add that opposingCongress does not mean they are sup-porting BJP. RSS has been keen to showits proximity to Hazare movement, apoint seized by Congress to argue thatthe movement is prodded on by Sanghparivar. To milk the anti-corruption sen-timent and to claim the ground wrestedby Hazare, BJP’s Advani has embarkedon a yatra. Some Sangh parivar sympa-thizers beat up Prashant Bhushan, aHazare associate (who had made thecontroversial suggestion of holding

plebiscite in Kashmir, an idea Hazarehimself disapproved), and hurled a shoeat Kejriwal. Perhaps wanting not tocomment on such goings-on Anna hasgone into silence in his village ofRalegan Siddhi in Maharashtra.

Within Team Anna there is lack ofconsensus on the agenda. At least twoprominent members have moved awayon the ground that the movement hasturned political with the stand taken inHisar poll. Congress spokesmanDigvijay Singh have repeatedly saidthat Kejriwal has political ambitions. Anemail circulating on the internet hadKejriwal compared to Congress generalsecretary and heir apparent RahulGandhi, trying to prove that Kejriwalhad better credentials than Rahul tobecome India’s next prime minister.

Meanwhile, Sydney demonstrat-ed its own support for Annaby organising a meeting at

Parravilla Function Centre on August16. Gargi Tripathi, of Value WorldTravel who organized a Mahanavratrifestival recently, sat for a fast in supportof the cause. Perhaps NRIs have alsobeen the victims of corrupt practices inIndia during their visits back home.

Although Sydneysiders got twoIndependence Day Fairs this year, oneby UIA and the other by new entrantCIA, the community missed out on theannual $50,000 grant that it previouslyreceived for two years from the LaborGovernment. The conspicuous absenceof NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell at boththe fairs indicates that the Premier hasother priorities. The little hope the com-munity had of its own centre also goeson the back burner without the annualgrant. It’s a loss for the community.

Another sad loss for all music lovershas been the demise of ghazal maestroJagjit Singh. He had created a specialbond with the Indian community inAustralia. It was only last year that hehad celebrated his 70th birthday with theSydney community. His memories willlive with us forever.

Cricket lovers also must be feelingsad for Indian team’s thrashing inEngland in both Tests and ODIs. Albeit,at home, India has taken a sturdy 2-0lead in the five game ODI series againstEngland.

On a positive note, let’s all celebrategoodness in life with Diwali. We, atThe Indian Down Under, wish you all ajoyful and prosperous Diwali.

There is no other news like Anna news

Anna Hazare with Kiran Bedi and other supporters

BJP leader L K Advani's 38-day JanChetna Yatra is supported by the

popular Gujarat chief ministerNarendra Modi. The yatra is aimed towrest the anti-corruption initiative from

Anna Hazare.

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Community,Cricket,

India, Bollywood....

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8 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October - November 2011

Comment

By Rekha Bhattacharjee

Prof. Ramashray Roy’s bookon Gandhian thought is animportant addition to litera-

ture. Jai Narayan reviewed thisbook of importance to students ofhistory and Gandhi in particular.

Prof Ramashray Roy, the cele-brated author of “Gandhi:Soundings in Political Philosophy”,“Self and Society” and otherprominent works, gives the intro-duction to this volume with 11other prominent social scientistsand scholars.

Dr. A.K. Saran focuses hispaper on the concern of Gandhi forwhich he lived and died. For Saran,this concern was not so much fornational freedom as it was for civil-isation in its sweep. Gandhi’s initi-ation into politics began with hisfight against racial discriminationin South Africa. Since racial dis-crimination formed part of whiteman’s outlook, he was fighting acivilization that justified that.Gandhi was not opposed to theBritish people in general but to thecivilisation which dehumanizedexistence by giving effect to theirmission of civilising inferior racesand uncultured people. Gandhijiwanted it to be replaced by a civil-isation that had its roots in Indiantradition of non-violence.

Dr. D.K. Shah in his paper“Purushartha and Gandhi” attempts

to provide a theoretical scaffoldingto Gandhi’s ideas in general.

Dr. Amlan Datta elaborates inhis essay ‘The nature of the modernproblematique’ that identifiesindustrialism as the prime source ofthis crisis. Raising the questionwhy one country after anotheradopted industrialism, he argues

that it was not for removal ofpoverty as many believe. It was notalso for happiness because industri-al life and relations have fosteredalienation, isolation and unhappi-ness. Industrialism was adoptedbecause the nation did not want tobe swamped and swallowed bysuperior military might. In order to

defend, nations needed to developever higher technology and mod-ernise their production base. Thisled gradually to arms race, whichnow presents before the world acruel dilemma.

Dr. D.R. Nagraj addresses thisaspect in his paper. Taking up thequestion why violence persists,Nagraj speaks of two grounds ofviolence: a philosophical defencearguing that there is violenceeverywhere in the cosmos, and thehistorical justification of violenceas being useful. However, the mainground of violence, Nagarajargues, is fear. Turning to the con-temporary Indian situation heunderscores the need for re-enact-ing Gandhi.

Addressing the question of‘Where can the Gandhian discoursebe situated,’ Dr Raghuramarajuargues and explains that it is neces-sary to reformulate Gandhi’s cri-tique of modernity because both thecontent of his critique and theidioms of discourse of modernityhave changed greatly. Making adistinction between modern west-ern civilisation and western society,Gandhi highlighted the damagemodernisation has done not only tothe non-western societies but to thewestern society itself.

Arnold Toynbee, a worldfamous historian, has said, “mostcivilisations died 200 years beforethey knew they died”.

By Rekha Bhattacharjee

An Indian prime minister’sprincipal secretary wieldsenormous power, patron-

age and influence, much morethan a cabinet minister. Moreoften it has been headed by indi-viduals of genuine stature andquality. Great trust is entrusted bythe prime minister to his principalsecretary and to his personnelaide.

Sir C.P. Srivastava, an IASofficer, was Prime Minister LalBahadur Shastri’s aide, friend andbiographer. Sir CP’s book ‘A Lifeof Truth in Politics’ on LalBahadur Shastri gives insight anddetails of important events in theformer PM’s life.

Preceded by the towering per-sonality of Pandit Nehru whodominated the Indian politicalscene for 17 years and succeededby no less a controversial figure asMrs Indira Gandhi, the 19 monthsof Mr Shastri’s time as PrimeMinister has faded with only ref-erences in historical work.

On 11 January 1966, the thenUSSR’s Prime Minister Kosyginand Pakistan’s President AyubKhan, a war adversary of the day,

became a friend, grieving tollbearer, carrying the coffin of MrShastri on their shoulder to thegateway of the Soviet aircraft.

Great tributes have been paidto Mr Shastri.

The US Ambassador to Indiaduring that time, Chester Bowles,said, ‘PM Shastri was an extraor-dinary man’. He divided theIndian leaders into Adams andJacksonians.

The Adams were the ones edu-cated in UK and USA. These peo-ple, according to him, were notthoroughly Indian. They had one

foot in Asia and one foot inEurope. Bright and charming peo-ple. Shashtri was a Jacksonian; hehad his roots in India. He hadnever been out of India until afterhe became the Prime Minister.There were many of these, andChester Bowles concluded by say-ing that he had more faith in theJacksonians for the future.

In ‘Four Decades inParliament’, former PrimeMinister Atal Behari Vajpayeecompared Nehru and Shastri:“Nehru with his regal upbringingon the one hand and Shastri who

fought his way through abjectpoverty; a barrister who hadacquired western education andimbibed western culture atCambridge University on the onehand and Lal Bahadur Shashtriwho obtained the ‘Shastri’ degreeat the Kashi Vidya Peeth on theother. Despite these dissimilarities– Shri Shastri proved a worthysuccessor to Pandit Nehru – whichshows the inner strength and elas-ticity of Indian Society.”

Sir CP throws light on Shastri,the man, the statesman and leader.His honesty and humanity shinesthrough. Insight into the details ofhis conversations with Shastriji,his thoughts at the time of the mostimportant historic event are pre-sented in lucid detail.

The Tashkent Declarationsigned by Prime Minister Shastriand President Ayub Khan in thepresence of Prime MinisterKosygin of USSR was a historicevent after the Indo-Pakistan war.It restored peace between Indiaand Pakistan and eliminated thedanger of war. This peace wasachieved most honourably inaccordance with the relevant reso-lution of the United NationsSecurity Council.

The 19 months of Shastriji as

Prime Minister faced a number ofdaunting problems. He dealt withthe food crisis, took decisions,declared Hindi as the NationalLanguage on the 26th January1965, tackled China’s threateninggestures and the Pakistan war.More challenging was the achieve-ment of peace – his last act.

The epilogue that Sir CPwrote spoke volumes of Shastrijithe man.

“When he died his life sheetwas spotlessly clean. He left nomoney, no house and no land. Hedid leave an example which willcontinue to inspire, fortify andencourage all those of every com-munity and creed who believe thatthe only function for national lifemust be dedication to truth andhonesty. He never sought for him-self and superlatives are of ful-some praise. Epitaph that he mighthave liked would read:

Lal Bahadur Shashtri 2ndOctober 1904 – 11th January1966. In deep respect for

“A Life of Truth in Politics”.Sir C.P. Srivastava fills the voidprevalent in most historical worksof Modern India. It is of immenseimportance to students of ModernIndian History and other readersin general.

Forgotten thoughts of Gandhi

A life of truth: Lal Bahadur Shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri, Zulfikar Bhutto, Pakistan President Ayub Khanand Russian President Kosygin after the Tashkent agreement was

signed in January 1966 ending the Indo-Pak war.

The Third Eye by Rekha Bhattacharjee

The Painter

who loved

GandhiJagu Bhai Shah–the famous

artist from Gujarat, has revelledin teaching art to students, bothin villages and cities. In hisalmost 40-years-long teachingcareer, Jagu Bhai treated all hisstudents as if they were futureMichaelangelo. They wereencouraged to paint walls oftheir classrooms with murals sothat they could hone their skills.

But above all, like the saintpoet Tulsidas who loved topraise Lord Rama, Jagu Bhaigenuinely enjoyed praisingMahatma Gandhi – his ideologyof non-violence and construc-tive activities. He got involvedin Gandhian ways when heworked for Swariya Ashram ofVedchhi near Bardoli in SouthGujarat in 1941.

There, he made many paint-ings on walls that would com-municate Gandhiji’s teachingsto villagers and tribals visually.Since then he has been makingnarrative paintings, some verylarge and complex, based on theeventful life and activities of theMahatma, using various medi-ums.

October - November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 9

India should leverage soft power: Shashi Tharoor By Rekha Bhattacharjee

India is facing tumultuousuncertainty as its acceleratingeconomic growth and geopolit-

ical developments are pushing it tothe centre-stage for which it findsitself unready. The reluctance towear the mantle of, at least,regional superpower has generateda raging debate whether Indiashould assert itself as first amongthe global equals or not.

The well-known Indian author-politician Shashi Tharoor wouldnot feel comfortable with Indiabeing described as a superpower.He would prefer the emergingSouth Asian economic powerhouseto focus more on harnessing hersoft power overseas.

“Many of our people still liveas destitute amidst despair and dis-repair that’s why I hesitate to usethat word superpower,” he saidwhile delivering an oration onIndia as a soft power organised byAustralia India Institute (AII) as apart of the annual oration inMelbourne late last month.

"So far, goodwill for Indiaabroad has been largely generatedin an unplanned manner, but hasnot been systematically harnessedby New Delhi. There is a need todo more to leverage India's softpower systematically", ShashiTharoor, who is also a humanrights activist, said while makingthe oration which was the conclud-ing part of the Conference “TheReluctant Super Power - under-standing India and its aspirations”Sept 22-23.

Tharoor's senior colleague inCongress party, and also a formerdiplomat, Mani Shankar Aiyar,concurs that India should reject thenotion of superpower. He was a

guest speaker at the same event.Aiyer’s view is that India's

current push onto the internationalstage is being manipulated by theWest as a counterbalance to con-tain China's military and economicgrowth.

While declaring the notion ofsuperpower as a curiously archaicone, the erudite Tharoor went onto explain the phrase soft power inhis characteristically engagingmanner. "The soft power of acountry rests primarily on threeresources: its culture, its politicalvalues, and its foreign policies,"the former Indian minister saidquoting Harvard University’sJoseph Nye.

Tharoor recalled India's manystrengths such as films, televisionsoaps, yoga, ayurveda, pluralism,diversity and openness to globalinfluences. So it is not just materi-al accomplishments that enhanceIndia's soft power. Even moreimportant are the values and prin-ciples for which India stands, hesaid. After all, Mahatma Gandhiwon India its independencethrough the use of soft power -because Non-Violence and

Satyagraha were indeed classicuses of soft power before the termwas even coined, Tharoor furtherexplained.

India's first Prime Minister,Jawaharlal Nehru, was also askilled exponent of soft power: hedeveloped a role for India in theworld based entirely on its civi-lizational history and its moralstanding, making India the voiceof the oppressed and the marginal-ized against the big power hege-mons of the day, he said.

What makes Tharoor’s narra-tive even more interesting, andplausible, is the fact that he doesnot discount ˜hard power’ andbelieves it is, in spite of its limita-tions, necessary. The debonairMalayalee expands on this theoryby giving examples of Afghanistanand Vietnam where the erstwhilesuperpowers Soviet Union andtheir adversary US were respec-tively humbled.

The side with the larger armydoesn't always win. But the sidewith the better story, the moreattractive culture, and morenumerous channels of communica-tion, always does better than the

one which only has guns, Tharooropined.

The push to the world centre-stage has come as India has pro-gressed from an overwhelminglyimpoverished country to innova-tive society with double-digit (ifwe are to believe some econo-mists) growth rate in the last 25odd years.

The growth is being registerednot only in the sphere of econom-ics statistics but also India expand-ing its sphere of influence. Theexpansion, or exertion of econom-ic and military muscle, is beingseen as somewhat reluctant, half-hearted. This is in sharp contrastto the neighbouring China whichhas never believed in subtletywhile dealing with regional orglobal powers it see as worthyadversaries or, even, plain irrita-tions. While the vested westerninterests have been trying to playIndia against China for a whilenow, India has been cautious tonot take the bait.

Mani Shankar Aiyar tooopposes any such moves. Hebelieves India needs to focus oninternal issues rather than assumea more prominent diplomatic rolein the global contentious matters.He wants India to focus on moraldiplomacy as devised by MahatmaGandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

Because the expression ofmorality is regarded as being

impractical, is regarded as beingsuperior, where you're not superi-or and where it is felt that India'splace in the world will be deter-mined by the extent to which itparticipates in this quest for domi-nance, rather than the extent towhich it keeps itself away from it,Mani Shankar Aiyar told ABCRadio in Melbourne recently.Some experts are expressingdoubts over India’s ability to alle-viate crippling poverty and, hence,emerge as a level player amongthe international community.

Isher Judge Ahluwalia, an emi-nent Indian economist, is moreconcerned about the Indian com-placency. India is often reportedto be feeling smug over its$US300 billion in foreign reservesbut Ahluwalia warns against show-ing any complacency at this stage.''In this frantic and fragile worldof foreign exchange reserves, noamount is adequate if the percep-tion is that the policies are goingthe wrong way'', he said whilegiving Valedictory Lecture“India’s Economic Story: FromJawaharlal Nehru to ManmohanSingh” as a part of the Melbourneconference.

Prominent Indian journalistSwapan Dasgupta was also one ofthe speakers at the conference. Hespoke on ˜Religion, Secularismand Multiculturalism” in a well-attended session.

Mani Shankar Aiyer Shashi Tharoor

Julia Gillard to equip Australiafor an “Asian Century”

By Rekha Bhattacharjee

Pitted against relentless mediascrutiny, overly negativeopposition and subtle sex-

ism, Julia Gillard has not managedto earn much credit for policy ini-tiatives in her chequered career asthe Australian Prime Minister.

Shackled for heading a minor-ity government, the first femalePrime Minister of Australia hasalso been often criticized for lack-ing courage of conviction.Undeterred by the aforementionedadversities, she has been instru-mental in initiating many actions.

On Asia Link in Asian Society,hers was the greatest speech of anAustralian Prime Minister in adecade. A very important piece ofwork which would leave a long-lasting impact on the Australiansociety.

Julia Gillard has also showneconomic pragmatism and visionby recently commissioning a newpolicy white paper to guide thenation through the so-called AsianCentury. She has emphasized thatbusiness-as-usual approach wouldnot be sufficient to position our-selves to benefit from the emerg-ing bonanza in our neighbourhood.

“The shift of economic andstrategic weight to Asia has neverbeen more rapid or more profoundfor Australia’s interests than it isnow,” says the opening statementof the White Paper announcement.

The White Paper on“Australia in the Asian Century”would be drafted by the formertreasury secretary Ken Henry and that the draft would considereconomic, political and strategicchanges in Asia relevant toAustralia. The strategic blueprintof Australia’s engagement withAsia would also explore ways toharness further opportunities for

Australia.''Rapid growth in much of

Asia will change the social andeconomic, strategic and environ-mental order of our world,'' JuliaGillard said in a media release.

''What we know clearly is thatthere isn't a single aspect of gov-ernment policies and national plan-ning that won't be touched by thegreat changes to come,'' the PrimeMinister further said.

“Australia has managed towithstand global financial crisis

because of our economic ties withAsian economic giants like Chinaand India. Australia already hasstrong trade ties with Japan. Westand to reap further mind-bog-gling rewards by the sale ofresources, services and retailsitems to the burgeoning Asianmarkets in our neighbourhood.”

“For the first time, we arecloser to the fastest growing andmost economically dynamic regionof the world than our competi-

Continued on page 13...

Prime Minister Julia Gillard

The Third Eye by Rekha Bhattacharjee

Analysis

Tharoor, Mani Shankar Aiyar and IsherJudge Ahluwalia spoke at the conference

titled “The Reluctant Super Power -understanding India and its aspirations”last month organised by the Australia

India Institute in Melbourne.

Recognising the fact that the Australian economic fortunes arehinged with Asia, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced a

strategic blueprint to harness our links with the emerging Asianeconomic powerhouses namely - China, India and Indonesia.

10 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October - November 2011

India

India, Brazil, South Africa push for Security Council expansionPretoria: India, Brazil andSouth Africa, all of whom arenow non-permanent membersof the UN Security Council,on October 18 underscoredagain the urgent need toreform the system and addmore members to the hightable with increased participa-tion of emerging economies. Ina joint communique after IBSASummit level talks amongPrime Minister ManmohanSingh, Brazilian PresidentDilma Rousseff and their hostSouth African President JacobZuma, the three leaders saidthe Security Council expansionmust be of both permanent andnon-permanent categories.

In what is officially calledthe Tshwane Declaration, thethree sides also discussed theG4 initiative for UN reformsamong India, Brazil, Germanyand Japan for mutual supportof their candidature as perma-nent members of the UNSC.

"The initiative has beensupported by a wide coalitionof member states from allregional groups of the UN.Therefore, they expressed theview that such strong supportshould be considered as thebasis for further discussion inthe ongoing intergovernmental

negotiations on the UNSCreform," the communique said.

The need for greaterprogress in the negotiationswas identified as critical toensure the required impetus tochange and the three sidescommitted themselves to closecooperation and coordinationat the current GeneralAssembly.

Earlier this month, India,Brazil and South Africa -together members of the

Security Council for the firsttime since the trilateral forumwas formed in 2003 -abstained on a vote against theSyrian regime proposed bysome members, notably theUS.

This had led to the first everwalk-out by the US at the hightable of the council, which indiplomatic circles was seen as avictory of sorts for developingcountries in general, and IBSAin particular.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Brazilian President DilmaRousseff and summit host South African President Jacob Zuma.

IBSA summit focuses on economic crisisPretoria: India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA)sought credible action from Western countriesfor a way out of the sovereign debt crisis inEurope and the overall global downturn andsaid emerging economies can no longer remainmute spectators on such subjects.

The leadership of the three countries,which met here for the trilateral IBSA DialogueForum, also decided to coordinate their effortsahead of the crucial G20 meeting at Cannes, toprevent the situation from deteriorating further.

"We hope early steps will be taken byEurope and other advanced economies to calmthe capital and financial markets, and preventthe global economy from slipping into a double-dip recession," Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh told the opening plenary.Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and

summit host South African President JacobZuma also called on world leaders to takeimmediate steps since it was having a knock-down effect on emerging economies. Theirpositions were also reflected in a joint declara-tion. "We need a credible agreement to preventthe crisis from getting out of control," saidRousseff, who later gave a statement before themedia jointly with Manmohan Singh and Zuma,who also sought to link the crisis with the over-all threat to food and energy security.

"The economic crisis is accompanied by acrisis in our mode of consumption and use ofenergy resources as well as food shortages. We

face increasing incidents of poverty and inequal-ity in the world, while some parts of the globeface hunger and disasters," Zuma said.

According to Manmohan Singh, the debtcrisis and the slowdown were also sending neg-ative signals to the global markets, which wereexhibiting acute signs of distress and that devel-oping countries like India, Brazil and SouthAfrica could not remain immune anduntouched.

"We should coordinate our positions in therun up to the G20 Summit in France to ensurethat the priorities of the developing economiesare adequately reflected in the deliberations ofG20," the prime minister said, adding India willbe happy to host the next IBSA Summit.

With Pak in mind, Delhi, Kabul ink strategic pact New Delhi: Amid souring rela-tions between Islamabad andKabul, India and Afghanistansigned a defining pact Oct 4here to forge an all-embracingstrategic partnership that willentail an annual security dia-logue and expanded cooperationto combat terror emanating fromPakistan.

Prime Minister ManmohanSingh and Afghan PresidentHamid Karzai, who was in Indiaon a two-day visit, held"detailed and frank discussionson terrorism", officials said.

Afghanistan shared its find-ings with India on the complicityof Pakistani spy agency ISI inrecent terror attacks inAfghanistan, including the assas-sination of former presidentBurhanuddin Rabbani, Karzai’schief interlocutor with theTaliban.

In a move that is set toannoy Islamabad, India formallyexpressed its intention to "assist,as mutually determined, in thetraining, equipping and capacitybuilding programs for AfghanNational Security Forces".

However, Indian officialssaid this was part of the continu-ing training program.

Signaling their resolve topartner in peace and develop-ment, Manmohan Singh andKarzai inked a strategic partner-ship agreement that seeks toincrementally accelerate theirties across a broad spectrum ofareas.

The pact envisages an annu-

al security dialogue between thenational security advisers thatwill focus on a joint fightagainst international terrorism,organized crime, and illegal traf-ficking in narcotics. The pactoutlines annual summits andmeetings between foreign minis-ters. "India will stand by thepeople of Afghanistan as theyprepare to assume the responsi-bility for their governance andsecurity after the withdrawal ofinternational forces in 2014,"Manmohan Singh said.

In a clear reference toPakistan, Karzai saidAfghanistan "recognizes the dan-ger this region is facing throughterrorism and radicalism that(are) being used an instrumentof state policy against civiliansand innocents of our countries".

The strategic partnershippact envisages the setting up ofa Partnership Council, headedby their foreign ministers, whichwill be the nodal body for coor-dinating the strategic partner-ship.

Neither Manmohan Singhnor Karzai mentioned Pakistanby name, but made implicit ref-erences to Islamabad while talk-ing about the need to defeat"outside interference".

"Terrorism threatens ourentire region, and no countrycan remain immune to its lethaleffects," said Manmohan Singh,adding that the people ofAfghanistan "deserve to live inpeace and decide their futurethemselves, without outsideinterference, coercion and intim-idation."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Afghan President Hamid Karzaihave signed a strategic partnership pact that seeks to incrementally

accelerate their ties across a broad spectrum of areas.

Afghanistan a proxy warbetween India, Pakistan:

MusharrafWashington: CallingAfghanistan as a "proxy war"between India and Pakistan,former Pakistani presidentPervez Musharraf has accusedNew Delhi of "trying to cre-ate an anti-PakistanAfghanistan".

Hours after PresidentObama earlier in Octoberasked its key ally to stophedging its bets inAfghanistan and adopt apeaceful approach towardsIndia, Musharraf said the USneeds to understand Pakistan's"sensitivities" aboutAfghanistan's relationshipwith India.

"In Afghanistan, there issome kind of a proxy conflictgoing on between Pakistan andIndia," he said participating inthe rolling panels at theWashington Ideas Forum at theNewseum here, ABC Newsreported.

"India is trying to create ananti-Pakistan Afghanistan,"Musharraf said suggesting thatIndia has a vision of dominatingthe region and aims to "create aweak Pakistan".

He complained that India has

been training Afghan diplomats,soldiers and intelligence officersand that the training should stop.

Asked why recent polling inPakistan holds the US in lowesteem, Musharraf said that "his-torical past" has led to mistrustand antipathy against America atthe people level in light of theUS scale down in Afghanistanplanned for 2014.

Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf

October - November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 11

Ex-Karnataka CM back in jailBangalore: The formerchief minister of Karnataka,BS Yeddyurappa hasreturned to jail after beingdischarged from hospital.He is accused of acceptingkickbacks for selling gov-ernment land, allegations hedenies.

He was arrested andjailed in mid-October.Within hours, he was sentto hospital after he com-plained of feeling ill.Opposition leaders accusedhim of faking his illness to escape being injail. The authorities allege that the land

deals cost the Karnatakastate 4.65bn rupees, whileYeddyurappa and membersof his family were said tohave personally gained1.89bn rupees

On October 19 the BJPleader was taken to a jail inBangalore in an ambu-lance. His petition for bailwill be heard in court on 20October.

Yeddyurappa also facesallegations over a multi-bil-lion dollar mining scandal,

but no charges have been brought in thatcase.

BS Yeddyurappa, accused ina graft case

India

Rajaratnam gets longest insider sentence

NRIs can hold accounts in anycurrency now: RBI

New York: Raj Rajaratnam, the hedge fundbillionaire at the center of perhaps the biggestinsider trading case, was given the longestprison term in history in such a case.

The 54-year-old Sri Lankan origin chiefof Galleon hedge fund is to serve 11 years injail, ordered to forfeit $53million and pay afine of $10 million. He is out on a $100 mil-lion bail.

The sentence was the culmination of ayears-long federal probe of corruption in thestock market, which ensnared many other bigplayers too and pulled back the curtain on along-suspected dark side of the hedge fundbusiness. According to the government,Rajaratnam gathered inside information aboutpending corporate deals and earningsannouncements from an array of tipsters,including Rajat Gupta, a senior partner atthe consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

Rajaratnam was convicted in May of fivecounts of conspiracy and nine counts of insid-er trading for illegally using inside informa-

tion to trade in stocks such as GoldmanSachs, Google, Hilton and Intel. The tradinggenerated profits or avoided losses of $72million, the government estimated.

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank has said Indianswho have non-resident accounts in the coun-try can now hold them in any currency whichis fully convertible.

The move is likely to help NRIs/Personsof India Origin as it will give them moreoptions in the holding of accounts, and lessenthe risk from fluctuations in major curren-cies.

Earlier, FCNR(B) account holders wereallowed to hold accounts in only certain cur-

rencies such as the Pound Sterling, US dol-lar, Japanese yen, euro, Canadian dollar andAustralian dollar.

"...it has been decided that AuthorisedDealer banks in India may be permitted toaccept Foreign Currency (Non- Resident)Account (Banks) deposits in any permittedcurrency. It may be noted that 'Permittedcurrency' for this purpose would mean a for-eign currency which is freely convertible,"RBI said in a notification.

Raj Rajaratnam, the American hedge fundbillionaire of Sri Lankan origin, got 11

years in prison for insider trading.

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 31, married onOct 13 Jetsun Pema, a 21-year-old student, a commoner,

in a smple ceremony.

12 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October - November 2011

India

Anna movement has served its purpose: PMOn Board Air India One:Assuring a bill soon for an effec-tive Lokpal, Prime MinisterManmohan Singh Wednesdaysaid the Anna Hazare movementhad "served its purpose", whilealso condemning the recentassaults on members of civil soci-ety.

"I will not like to use thisopportunity to criticize any indi-vidual but I think the AnnaHazare movement has served itspurpose," the prime minister saidon the way back from Pretoria

after the India, Brazil SouthAfrica Summit a day earlier.

The prime minister was askedseparately if Anna Hazare and histeam were singling out theCongress party over corruption inIndia and what he had to sayabout the recent assaults onlawyer Prashant Bhushan andactivist Arvind Kejriwal.

"We are all working to ensurewe have in place before long aneffective Lokpal bill. It is ourexpectation parliament will votefor an effective bill. This will be

an assurance to people at largethat corruption cannot flourish asa way of life in our country."

On Bhushan and Kejriwal, theprime minister clarified thatdemocracy did not leave anyroom for violence on matters ofvarying opinions among peopleand that such acts needed to becondemned.

He also denied any remarkthat led to a perception that heproposed a change in the Right toInformation (RTI) Act in the lightof its use or misuse to obtain

some documents that had embar-rassed his government on thetelecom spectrum case.

On the larger issue of corrup-tion he said it couldn't be termedas inevitable fallout of growth."We cannot take that view. Thatwould be a very complacent viewpoint," the prime minister said.

"The recent debate in ourcountry has served its purpose. Ithas awakened our country on theharmful consequences of corrup-tion that is eating into the politi-cal, economic and social fabric of

our society," he said."Our government is commit-

ted to all that is necessary toclean up the system."

Attacks aimed at diverting attentionfrom Jan Lokpal bill: Kejriwal

Gold, gadgets top Diwalishoppers' list Dussehra

and DurgaPuja

festivalsconclude

Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh): Team Anna memberArvind Kejriwal said here Wednesday that the attackson him and his associates were aimed at divertingattention from the core issue of the Jan Lokpal bill.

He was referring not merely to a slipper thrown athim by a Congress party worker in Lucknow Tuesday,but also to the criticism by certain political leaders,particularly Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh.

Kejriwal said: "The game of these politicians is todivert our attention from the real issue of Jan LokpalBill and we are not going to allow that; we are onlyfocused on ensuring that the Bill is introduced andpassed during the coming winter session of parlia-ment."

He said, "That is the reason, Anna ji has been

repeatedly advising all our comrades not to get pro-voked by any act of our antagonists who basically donot want the Jan Lokpal to come into place."

According to him, "The Anna movement wasbound to be attacked from all sides, because the cor-rupt establishment was scared of the very movement."On the oft repeated charge that Team Anna was turn-ing political, Kejriwal shot back, "Well, there is nodenying that we are talking in political terms becauseour mission is to introduce reforms in governance; butthat does not mean that we turning into politicians."

"And let me make it absolutely clear that none ofAnna team members have any political ambitions; ourgoal is to see that Jan Lokpal becomes a reality duringthe coming winter session of parliament."

Mumbai: Diwali purchases arepicking up at a brisk pace, withgold and electronics topping thelist of favourites as always.Astute buyers have begun brows-ing the designs at jewellery storesin order to reserve the best piecesbefore they are sold out. Theypay an advance sum and takedelivery on the auspicious day ofDhanteras, which falls onOctober 24 this year.

"Ornaments prepared from22- or 23-carat gold that weigh 1,2 or 5 gm are in demand," saysSanjay Limaye, store manager atWaman Hari Pethe Saraf inDadar. "Those who opt for goldas investment are buying coinsweighing 1, 2, 5, 10 and 50 gm.Gold coins are sold by banks aswell but they are always cheaperat the neighborhood jeweler's."

Garments and apparel top thelist of mandatory purchases atany festival and this year tradi-

tional handloom saris are indemand at stores like KalaNiketan. "Kanjivaram andBenaras silk are evergreen itemsat Diwali, especially becausethere is such a vast range ofproducts and budgets to cater toall requirements. We have prod-ucts costing anywhere from Rs5,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh," says thestore's owner Navneet Parekh.

Although the specter of aneconomic slowdown hovers overthe festival, Parekh points outthat the wedding season is com-ing up as well.

"Women who have familyfunctions or marriages on theanvil are making purchases,albeit their budget has beenimpacted," he says.

Electronics are another bigdraw at Diwali, and this year,home theatre systems importedfrom the US, Japan and Canadaare doing brisk business.

Anna Hazare’s close associatesocial activist Arvind Kejriwal has

been the most visible face afterthe Gandhian himself of the Jan

Lokpal Bill movement.

Devotees carry an idol of the Goddess Durga for immersion in Kolkata.

People watch fireworks during the Dussehrafestival in New Delhi.

Congress presidentSonia Gandhi throwsan arrow as Prime

Minister ManmohanSingh and vice presi-dent Hamid Ansari

look, at the Dussherafestival at

Ramlila Maidanin New Delhi.

Congress defeated in Hisarby-election: Anna factor in action?

Hisar (Haryana): Kuldeep Bishnoi of the Haryana Janhit Congress(HJC) was elected Oct 17 to the Lok Sabha, winning the Hisar by-election in Haryana, officials said.

Ajay Chautala, son of former chief minister Om Prakash Chautaland Indian National Lok Dal candidate, finished second while JaiParkash of the Congress came third in what was mainly a three-cor-nered contest.

The election has been under the spotlight after Anna Hazare andhis team stepped in to ask people to vote against the Congress.

Kuldeep Bishnoi, son of former chief minister Bhajan Lal, alsohad the support of the BJP for this election. The Hisar seat fellvacant in June following the death of Bhajan Lal, a three-time chiefminister.

The election, held on Oct 13, witnessed a high 70 percentpolling. About 9.3 lakh voters (nearly 70 percent) of 13.32 lakh reg-istered voters had voted.

October - November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 13

India’s first F1 Circuitunveiled

Hermes launches sari @ Rs 4 lakhs

Centurion and still runningGreater Noida: The track at theBuddh International Circuit here isready and work is on at a franticpace to give the finishing touchesto the venue of the inauguralFormula One Indian Grand PrixOct 30.

The 5.14-km track wasunveiled to the media even as itgets dressed up, and the organiz-ers Jaypee Sports International(JPSI) are confident everythingwill be spic and span in the nextone week.

The track has been dividedinto four zones -- north, west, eastand south and the longest stretchis 1.4 km, which comes after turnthree, where the cars can zip up tospeeds of 320 km/hr. The undula-tions on the track will spice up therace with the first blind cornercoming seconds after the startinggrid.

Safety of the drivers is para-mount for the FederationInternationale de l'Automobile(FIA) and this becomes evident onvisiting the medical center at theBIC. The drivers can be treated inthe state-of the-art medical facilitywithin minutes of an accident. Thecenter has an operation theatre, X-ray room and specially made burnand doping area. Ten medicalbooths will be placed around thecircuit and if needed drivers willbe airlifted to the hospital fromthe helipad at the venue.

djacent to the medical center isthe pit building where the teamswill work on their cars. And ifthey want to unwind, a swankyteam building has been builtbehind the pits. A total of 24 pitgarages and 12 team buildings willbe at the disposal of the teams anddelegates.

New Delhi: It’s a proud momentfor India — the elegant sari hasbeen introduced on the globalfashion platform by French luxurylabel Hermes. But, there’s a catch— the just-released samples of thelimited-edition line look like fleamarket stuff to some.Internationally too, fashionexperts and followers haveslammed the designs for lackingcreativity and still bearing a pricetag of $6,100 to $8,200 (Rs 3lakh - Rs 4 lakh).

In India, while designers arehappy that this might make thegarment a hit abroad, they saythere’s much scope for better-ment. “I don’t see any wow factorin these saris. They are not superbeautiful and not really worth aHermes tag,” says designerAnand Kabra.

The contemporary collection

of four patterns, introduced by thedesign house which opened a newstore in Mumbai a few monthsago, has been created in Parisunder the guidance of Pierre-Alexis Dumas. But, they lack thebrand’s signature feel, says

Nandini Bhalla, editor,Cosmopolitan fashion magazine.“The design could have been somuch more impactful if they hadpicked one of the brand’s iconicscarf designs to convert into asari,” she says.

Toronto: Fauja Singh, a 100-year-old runner of Indian-ori-gin has set a new Guinnessrecord, becoming the oldestperson to complete a fullmarathon here. It took Singhover eight hours to cross thefinish line, more than sixhours after Kenya's KennethMungara won the ScotiabankToronto Waterfront Marathonyesterday for the fourth straightyear.

Singh was the last competi-tor to complete the course but entered the GuinnessBook of World Records.

He accomplished the amazing feat, becoming theoldest person ever to complete a full-distance 42-kilo-

metre marathon.Singh, who only speaks

Punjabi, also surprised himself.Through his interpreter, he saidhe had set a goal of finishingthe race in about nine hours.

Sunday's run was FaujaSingh's eighth marathon. Heran his first at the tender age of89 and wasn't the first time heset a record.

In the 2003 Toronto event,he set the mark in the 90-pluscategory, finishing the race in

five hours 40 minutes and one second.And on Thursday in Toronto, Singh broke world

records for runners older than 100 in eight differentdistances ranging from 100 metres to 5,000 metres.

Red Bull car is driven in the track during the unveiling of theBuddh International Circuit, the venue for India's first Formula One

Grand Prix in Noida.

Fauja Singh is oldest person to completea full marathon.

India

Julia Gillard StoryContinued from page 9

tors,” Julia Gillard said whileannouncing the White Paper initiativesat an Asialink and Asia Society meetrecently.

''Here, with our largest exportmarket and largest trading partner nei-ther a democracy nor part of ouralliance system, a nation whose eco-nomic transformation is in turn trans-forming the economic and strategicbalance of the world,'' Julia Gillardsaid while referring to China in herspeech.

About India she said, “Here, withan English-speaking democracy with1.2 billion citizens rising to find itsplace in the world and our region andon an ocean whose shores we share.”stressing the strategic importance ofIndia.

The announcement of the blueprintassumes added importance asAustralian economy has begun todither because of the global economiccrisis affecting economic growth inChina and India. Australian businessesand populace need to be reassured thatthe current Asia-driven boom wouldcontinue to fill our coffers for sometime in the future.

The White Paper initiative hascome at a stage when Julia Gillard isfacing media and opposition belliger-ence over Carbon Tax. The announce-

ment is also being seen as the LaborPrime Minister’s biggest internationalpolicy foray.

Julia Gillard’s optimism is drivenby the rising size of a new Asian mid-dle-class which will help makeAustralian economy strong.

We have been reading about theadvent of Asian Century for sometime now. As many pundits have pro-claimed so confidently, the G20 Meetat Seoul last year is being consideredthe take-off point of an era where thetransfer of power has begun from thewest to the east. It would not be pre-posterous to say that no prominenteconomist could have envisaged thisgeopolitical tectonic shift say onedecade back.

Needless to say, the decline ofwestern dominance and GFC has esca-lated the onset of the Asian Centuryand Australia stands to gain immense-ly from this windfall as we are posi-tioned strategically in the region.

The Labor Think Tank has beenmercifully keeping itself abreast ofdevelopments in our immediate neigh-borhood and world over. For obviousreasons, the White Paper is likely toprovide us with guide for theAustralian policymakers about theopportunities which would make them-selves available when Asian marketsstart to bloom with even more vigourand vibrance even as we get moreaccustomed with pervasive gloom in

our traditional markets in the west. The White Paper on Asian Century

which will be available just beforeJulia Gillard faces the election, willhelp Australian economists manageour economy in a more competentmanner.

There is the intellectual task of thewhite paper itself: fully to comprehendthe implications of the Asian century,fully to describe its opportunities andrisks, explained Julia Gillard.

While Gillard’s colleagues havestarted to work on the ways to harnessthe rising economic power of coun-tries like China and India, there isanother important study commissionedby her government.

Two former secretaries of theDefence Department, Allan Hawkeand Ric Smith, are said to be prepar-ing a review as a strategic context forDefence White Paper scheduled for2014.

The announcement has attractedthe expected amount of flak from theOpposition but, overall, it has beenlauded by the political and economiccommentators.

The White Paper on Asian Centurywould coincide with the introductionof carbon tax.

It would be interesting to notehow many critics angry over carbontax could be converted by the visionencompassed in the aforementioneddocument strategic blueprint.

By Rekha Bhattacharjee

While Indian PrimeMinisterManmohan

Singh’s decision to notattend CommonwealthHead of GovernmentsMeeting (CHOGM) to beheld in Perth this month isbeing seen as a routinedecision by most of thepeople, some skepticswould like us to believethat it is a snub.

It could not be a coinci-dence that no Indian PMhas come down under,skeptics point out, in thelast 25 years. The lastIndian PM to visitAustralia, one of India’smajor trading partners,was Rajiv Gandhi in 1986.

Manmohan Singh’s

decision to skip CHOGMsilver jubilee celebrationsin Perth has left Labor pol-icymakers embarrassed.The symbolism in the deci-sion could not be morestark as a Sydney MorningHerald columnist HamishMcDonald has pointed out,Perth is the city chosen byAustralia to promote astrategic and economicpush into the Indian Oceanregion and India itself.

While a plethora of rea-sons (read excuses) havebeen extended to explainthe Indian PM sending theVice President HamidAnsari in his place toattend CHOGM meeting,the sole provocation behindIndian snub seems to bethe Australian refusal tosell uranium to India.

Indian PM notattending CHOGM

- is it a snub?

14 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October- November 2011

Bollywood

By Neeru Saluja

For the quest of reality, he has trav-elled all over the world. He has tast-ed many genres of film making, be it

playing the role of a story teller, cine-matographer or director. But part of hissoul was always rooted in India, where hefilmed the controversial 'Samskara', a filmthat won Best Feature (President’s Award)in 1971 and many international prizesincluding the Silver Lion at Locarno.

Sydney filmmaker and producer TomCowan has a long association with India.He was initially invited by the famousIndian film maker Satyajit Ray during theSydney Film Festival in 1967 but ended upshooting a Kannada film with the late direc-tor Pattabi Rama Reddy.

But this time the theme of the film isneither controversial nor contemporary, it'sbased on the eternal story of love.Following on the series of his previous film'Orange Love Story', Tom is in Bangalorethese days in the search for authentic lovestories for his upcoming film 'BangaloreLove Story'.

The cinematographer turned directorwho is known for his films 'JourneyAmong Women', 'Survivor 2', 'ChandaMaruta', 'The Office Picnic' talks to IndianDown Under while he is in Bangalore forthree months to shoot the film.

What inspired you to make a lovestory that revolves around Bangalore?

We have collected 54 love stories so farand selected 12 to represent Bangalorefrom that particular angle or perspective.The love stories give us an insight intoissues that affect everyone. You mentionedcaste and that often comes between peoplewho fall in love. There are many forms oflove. The pressure of materialism oftenmakes people mad, especially in this madIT city where young people from quite con-servative village backgrounds are suddenlyliving a fast-paced pressurized life ofmoney, way beyond their capability to copeand beyond their parents’ values. Whenlove encounters such pressures, dramasoccur every day. At the same time, there isthis spirit of vitality, of dancing into a moreaffluent, sort of Bollywood, dream future.

What attracts you to the mad IT city?

There is thriving cultural activity inBangalore. Theatre is strong, music anddance are exciting. Perhaps because of thediversity, the wide mix of Indians whomake up Bangalore's population includinga lot of NRIs and all sorts of foreignerswho come for opportunities in new indus-tries - that may power the surprising rich-ness of the artistic community here.

How has your experience been so farin India while shooting?

Working on 'Samskara' was a once in alife-time joy. I was a young traveller look-ing around India and suddenly I was work-ing on an essential and deep drama about aBrahmin community from the acclaimednovel by Dr. Ananthamurthy. It was a phe-nomenon.

Why did Pattabhi choose me - perhapsit was karma? The people working onSamskara were all brilliantly talented andPattabhi Rama Reddy inspired them to dotheir best work. I had a dream job as cine-matographer - the locations were wonder-fully rich and beautiful. I got an award.The film won best picture of the year inIndia and the Silver Lion at Locarno. Whatan introduction to India! I worked on 'WildWind' with Pattabhi a few years later butthat film was suppressed when Mrs Gandhidiscontinued democracy. Pattabhi and I dis-cussed several other projects before hepassed away and I hope 'Bangalore LoveStory' is a small tribute to him.

You worked on movies in India in the70s when Bollywood was practicallyunknown? What inspired you to workthere?

In the sixties and seventies a phenome-non occured - a new outstanding film-maker burst upon the world stage - that wasSatyajit Ray. His movies had beauty, depthof story and wonderful characters andenthralled us young film-makers. Themusic too of Ravi Shankar in the early Rayfilms was strangely stirring. These filmsmade me want to go to India. Surprisingly,just as I was about to travel, I met SatyajitRay when he came to Sydney and I wasintroduced to him by David Stratton as ayoung film-maker. One of my films wasscreening at the Sydney International FilmFestival which Ray was attending. He invit-ed me to visit him in Calcutta and observe

him at work while he was making a movie.But instead when I got to India, I metPattabhi Rama Reddy and shot Samskarafor him. Ironically, Samskara beat Ray'sfilm for the President’s Award as the bestIndian film of 1971. Ray has had a greatinfluence on my film-making and his won-derful understanding of the secrets of theheart still inspires me. I didn't see anyBollywood movies until I came to India.They were great fun.

You have a distinguished film careeras a director and a cinematographer.What do you enjoy the most – where liesyour passion? Tell us more about yourcareer of few decades.

As a youngster, I obtained a traineeshipwith ABC TV in Melbourne. While atrainee I independently made a short film'The Dancing Class', which won all theawards you could get as well as theCommonwealth Award in Edinburgh. Sothat kick-started my career. Since then I'veexplored most areas of movies, producedand directed my five previous feature films,worked for Disney, worked on Survivor,shot many movies, several IMAX moviesand now - I am again doing something fromthe heart, another wild adventure makingBangalore Love Story.

I like telling surprising stories. The sto-ries we collected for Bangalore Love storyare funny, heart rending and surprising.My passion is capturing those moments ofcourage and grace which people show attimes when the chips are down or they areconfronted with impossible conflictingchoices.

At these times, a person makes achoice and maybe the reaction is either sador they laugh. I prefer that truthful vulner-ability to the kind where actors pretend toact characters different to themselves.Human nature is strange. I suppose I aminterested in the mystery of people.

In your present film, how do you planto portray India – the poor caste basedcountry or the modern fast growingeconomy country?

Bangalore represents the most contrast-ing aspects of contemporary India. Hereare the age old traditions, then the con-straints of the caste system, the remnants ofcolonial gentility and the manic IT world

careering past the 21st century. What morecould a film-maker ask for in portrayingthe life in India. The traffic in Bangalorepresents a picture of the jostling of theseworlds as they crash against each other inheadlong attempts to get ahead or stayafloat in the frantic rush into the mirage ofthe future. This symphony is present insome Indian music and will be created forthe movie by Konarak Reddy, a wonderfulmusician, who is one of my partners in themovie.

Will Bangalore Love Story be a shortfilm like your previous films or a full-fledged film?

I produced and directed five previousfeature films. I also made some shorts. Oneof my previous feature movies wasORANGE LOVE STORY which wasshown at international film festivals. It wasbased on real love stories and the charac-ters were portrayed by the real people. Wetook the stories and held an actors’ work-shop with the characters and slowlyprocessed a screenplay amalgamating threestories with their vital connection, the peo-ple's own background. Bangalore providesan even richer background. So far we havecollected 54 love stories and selected 12people and we are planning the workshopsto craft a screenplay out of their variedbackgrounds and love experiences.

Whom do you plan to cast in yourfilm?

The people are real. The stories arereal.

How would you define your style ofstorytelling in a movie?

My style is after Satyajit Ray's style. Inthis film, the multi-faceted story ofBangalore requires a multifaceted treat-ment with the contrasts, contradictions andjostling vitality all woven together in abeautiful tapestry, not an ugly mess. That isthe challenge.

Your future plans...

When this movie is finished I will beexhausted. I'll want to rest at home atBondi Beach. But my wife Lesley maywant to go on a holiday to Madagascar.

Real life love stories with Tom CowanHe was initially invited to India by

Satyajit Ray but ended up

shooting the award winning

Kannada film Samskara

Sydneysider Tom Cowan (left)

is in Bangalore these days

searching for authentic

love stories for his

upcoming film

'Bangalore Love Story'.

Bollywood

October-November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 15

‘Don't try to be a Master son, just be a student’

The Unforgettable Jagjit Singh

By Lokesh Varma

Interviewing Ustad ZakirHussain is a rare treat, theanswers in soft American burr

being insightful and full of candourand wit.

This is no wonder as UstadZakir Hussain is universallyacknowledged as a virtuoso, com-poser and percussionist whosetabla performances are of the“highest order and marked byuncanny intuition and masterfulimprovisational dexterity”. He isone who just did not stop aftermastering Hindustani classicalmusic but has also collaborated,jammed and made music withmany Western musicians, baggingboth a Sangeet Natak Akademi anda Grammy in the process. Or onewho has been acknowledged as aliving master by George Harrison,Ravi Shankar and JohnMcLaughlin back in the 1970s andBela Fleck and Charles Lloyd inthe 2000s.

The interview was memorable.A tired Zakir was asking questionsbetween sleeps, the Venice musicfestival, Florida and the GoldenGate Park concerts: “So where isthis Down Under”? The response,“out of sight, out of mind, Ustad?”got The Indian Down Under thefirst round.

Ustad Zakir Hussain will notonly perform again at theWOMAD festival in Adelaide, butwill also stop at the Sydney OperaHouse and at the PerthCommonwealth Festival. Whilehis modestly makes him say that“he is thrilled to be in Adelaideand get another chance to listen tothe incredible depth of world

music”, the reality is that weDown Under have been extremelylucky to play host to Ustad and hisMasters of Percussion. Apart fromthe expected tabla playing in soloand duets, the performers willexplore the frontiers between thetraditional, folk and classical.

Accompanying the main act

will be a star cast. Taufiq Quresh,Abbos Kosimov and NilandriKumar, along with the colour andathletic energy of the drummersfrom Manipur.

If Zakir's 2008 performance atthe Sydney Opera House is any-thing to go by, we are in for a sim-ilar treat. As a critic once said the

“tabla is a remarkable instrument.It can be tapped, petted, stroked,caressed, hit, pounded, rubbed orpoked, each technique resulting ina wonderful new sound. Takentogether, the tabla can be asexpressive as any chordal or moretraditionally melodic instrument.”

How does Zakir understand"the language of the tabla". Howcan he recreate the Indian rushhour—with trucks, scooters, cars,dogs and elephant - and the obvi-ously resultant traffic jam, makehis drums sound like a gallopinghorse (quoting the "Lone Ranger"theme song in the process), a mov-ing train and a jumping deer or thesounds of Siva's drums. Whatallows him to accompany Indianclassical musicians, Western per-formers, compose music for theAmerican National SymphonyOrchestra or the Athens Olympicsor simply act in Ivory Merchantproductions?

He does not regard genes hand-ed down from his father and Guru,the late Ustad Alla Rakha nor hisyears of careful riyaz in makinghim. It has “more to do with theenvironment I grew up in. Theconstant exposure to melody(ragas) and rhythm (tala) influ-enced me.”

Ustad Alla Rakha used to whis-

per ragas in his newly born oldson's ears. His childhood memo-ries are of the sounds of tablaechoing through their Mumbaihome. And years of knowledgeand study before his first profes-sional concert at age 12.

And there was the gentlerebuke that's stayed with him allhis life, “Don't try to be a Master,son, just be a student and you willdo fine.”

While he has just done fine,what about his legacy to the Worldof Music? After all, he turned 60this year and his formidable tour-ing schedule must tire him. He hasalso been busy passing on his skillsto a select group in New York andMumbai. At this stage, he turnsmodest.

“The seeds of fusion betweenIndian and Western music werethere before me. It was PanditRavi Shankar and my father andeven many Bollywood music direc-tors who had experimented withfusion music. I merely made itaccessible to the world. I reachedout to them.”

But what about your legacy,how will you want to be remem-bered?

“I just want to play music. Mylegacy will be written after I die,not yet.”

By Lokesh Varma

My association with Jagjit Singhlasted over 30 years. We'vebeen through good times and

bad, happy and sad, whilst in love andwhilst out of love. Reading this mightsound funny and weird, but it's not.Everyone I know has a poignant memoryassociated with a ghazal of his. The love-ly, rich, golden voice with his soz leftassociations deep and usually unspoken.

My treasures from this relationship aremany. 55 albums, seven concerts, threeface to face meetings, numerous write-upsand one obituary. For me, it started whenmy mum got her hands on TheUnforgettables. It might have been theGreat Jagjit and Chitra's first real album,but it was an easy hit in our home.Hummable, modern and most important-ly, it had a life much longer than the filmimusic she had grown up with. For mybrother and me listening to Jagjit Sahabwas a simple pleasure. After one albumcame another. The Unforgettables, Livein Royal Albert Hall, Ecstasies and thenmuch to our amusement, A Sound Affairand Passions.

In those days, music, the Indian Filmindustry and our definition of entertain-ment was pretty limited. Doordarshan'sSunday movie, twice a week Chitrahaar,Hindi movies with the angry young manand Michael is what we had. In the midstof this, Jagjit's awaaz and Chitra's clearbut innocent renditions, the album coversfeaturing the two good-looking peoplevery much in love, superb selection ofsher-o-shayeri set to excellent music wasall but lapped up. Then came his success-es in various art movies and then kagaz kikashti. It was the latter, a ghazal which tothis date moves whoever listens to it.

Jagjit, in the mid 1980s, whether heknew it or not, was now a part of the com-mon man's life. His aspirations, fears,losses and dreams were tied to the humbletape recorder, moved by Mirza Ghalib onTV and then on CDs. When we migratedto Australia, Jagjit came with us andshared with our deepest fears and hopes.We were moved with SomeoneSomewhere, tried to get Hope or goInsearch into what seemed like a Mirage.

Trying to be a Jagjit fan was difficultin those days. News about the desh letalone Jagjit was pretty hard to come by.

The web had not been invented, Indiannewspapers were published monthly andHindi radio was nascent.

That all changed during the summer of1996 when I met another diehard fan.From then on, it was all about his ghazals,the oldest album cover one had, his rela-tionship with Chitra, his son's supposedlyaddiction to alcohol, his training, relation-ship with Surjit Gujral...you name it andwe knew it.

That year, I also met Jagjit backstage.Here a patient Jagjit was meeting his fans,resting, shaking our hands and patientlywaiting for our camera's flash to kick-in.My brother, a young boy, had got hisattention...and later as we were to findout, something in this break had movedthe Great man. The second half was akinto the first, it was deep and meaningfulrather than playful and enlightening.

The albums though kept on evolving.Unique was quickly forgotten experimentof Western music and a pop-Jagjit, Sajdawith Lata didi was truer to the ghazal'sclassical roots, Atal Bihari Vajpayee'sSamvedna was a winner, while his manycollaborations with both Gulzar and JavedAkhtar were typically excellent. During

the last decade, he shifted his focus todevotional music, producing many com-mercial and critical successes in Maa,Saanwara, He Ram He Ram, Siva, Kabirand many others.

More wins, presence on iTunes,superb music videos and the Padma

Continued on page 26....

U S T A D Z A K I R H U S S A I N!Zakir Hussain Masters of Percussion,

Friday October 21 at 8pm.

Bookings: Sydney Opera House 02 9250 7777,

sydneyoperahouse.com

Zakir Hussian will also perform at Womad EARTH STATION,

Long Gully, Belair National Park, from 21-23 October 2011

And in Perth at the Commonwealth Festival, 23- 30 October 2011.

JAGJIT SINGH 1941 - 2011

16 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October- November 2011

Bollywood

By K Raman

The eminent actor and enter-tainer Shammi Kapoorpassed away on August 14,

2011. While being admitted fivedays before his death in theBreach Candy Hospital, Mumbai,his end came suddenly. He wasjust two months short of 80 years.

Shammi Kapoor was ailing formore than seven years with thedebilitating kidney problem andwas on a dialysis regime. But inhis typical style, the ‘Yahoo’ mannever revealed his sufferings tothe public or craved for sympathy.

Shammi Kapoor was born inMumbai as the second son ofPrithviraj Kapoor and his wife on21 October, 1931 and was namedShamsher Raj Kapoor.

Shammi Kapoor’s life theorywas to enjoy today as if there wasno tomorrow. There was life andmerriment when Shammi wasaround the studios or in the com-pany of friends. He led a life offlamboyance, dressed in style withthe best of shirts and suits special-ly tailored by the famous fashionhouses of Singapore and HongKong. He ate lavishly with friendsat Gaylord’s, Churchgate,Mumbai, where he had an exclu-sive table for himself, kept perma-nently for his personal use only.

During his yearly travels toDelhi and on to Kashmir (hisfavourite annual holiday spot), hebooked an entire AC Railwaycompartment to fill up with hisbuddies. Food for the entire jour-ney came from Mumbai’s Gaylordto start with and later fromDelhi’s classy Moti Mahal.

He once said, if he was in ahappy mood, he drank all nightand danced all day. “Youngstersthese days have no inkling of howto enjoy life,” he said.

Shammi became the PiedPiper to the teenage masses, lead-ing them all to their dreams. Hepossessed three vital ingredientsrequired in the teenage years: hewas truly mad; he had his dream

girl with him and always believedin a happy ending.

Shammi’s big success camewhen the blockbuster film Junglee(1961) was released in which heplayed a young and handsome richman of great ‘khandan’ controlledby an autocratic and eccentricmother (Lalita Pawar). From amorose and angry young man helearned to laugh due to his associ-ation with a cute Kashmiri flowergirl (Saira Banu). The film wasfull of love scenes with numeroushide and seeks around trees andrunning over meadows occupiedby grazing sheep in the pictur-esque Kashmir, all propensities ofteenage love.

Kashmir ki Kali was anotherbig hit that followed. Instead ofSaira Banu, he had the very beau-tiful dimpled beauty ShirmilaTagore as his heroine.

Then he played the hero inBrahmachari (1968) in which hetamed his heroine by teaching herhow to act and live like a western-er to suit his rich and flamboyantstyle of life.

Shammi’s films had a simpletheme (virtually no theme at all),an assorted mix packed with

melodrama, plenty of liltingmelodies and fights all over thestory. As a visible symbol of theyouth he was a bundle of energy,singing, dancing, skiing, and rid-ing, with extravagant costumesand flirting with the best of thebeauties available.

In Shammi’s logic everythinghad a happy ending. So he becamethe model for teenagers to literal-ly ape him. The role in ‘TumsaNahin Dekha’ (1957, NasirHussain) was literally a gift of theLord when the originally assignedhero Dev Anand walked out, allbecause he did not get the heroinehe wanted. In this film Shammigot rid of his pencil thin mous-tache and long shoulder lengthhair and the lanky physique bybeefing up a little. But in theprocess Shammi forgot to put astop to the beefing up process andended up being obese over years.The film was a massive hit.

His lovely wife Geeta Bali wasa big star while he was a starletbefore these successes came tohim. ‘Bluff Master’ and ‘AnEvening in Paris’ followed inquick succession and he became asuperstar, literally overnight. He

was often described as a crossbetween James Dean and ElvisPresley.

In 1962, China Town cameout, yet another hit. He lovedromancing the best of beauties inlocations in Kashmir. It is saidthat the cool mountain air madehim fit and strong, his cheeks red-dened while his romantic lightblue eyes became deep blue incolour. People glorified him bycalling him ‘the prince of hill sta-tion romance’.

His success came from thebreaking away from conventionaltear jerking acting established bythe elder trinity which includedhis older brother Raj Kapoor. Hesmoked, drank and did wild danc-ing and blew on the Sax, playedon drums or on the piano in dancesequences which became a trendin subsequent films.

In a Brahmchari songsequence he excelled by playingpiano interludes while hedrummed his way in presenting‘Tumne mujhe dekha’ in TeesriManzil. It suited him well becauseof his charm, tall and well-builtphysique and supple body move-ments.

A major partner of this suc-cess story was singer MohammadRafi. Their bonding was so closethat Shammi himself was mes-merised while Rafi rendered adance sequence when he wasoverseas. The song was ‘Asmanse aya faristha’ (An Evening inParis).

Shammi had a good teamwith Rafi, Shankar Jaikishan(S&J) and O P Nayyar (OP).They created great numberstogether. In the song “Taarifkarun” (boat scene) in Kashmir kiKali, you might have noticedevery opening of ‘Tariff karun’was rendered differently. Beforetuning the song OP arrived with52 tunes for this song and aftermuch deliberation the trio arrivedat the tune which we heard in thefilm. Those were the days of teamspirit. Shammi Kapoor met GeetaBali, the charming actress whowas very successful at the timewhen he was amidst failures in hisearly years. He met her in 1955on the set of ‘Rangeen Ratan’. Infour months they got married andled an ideal married life, sired twochildren, Aditya Raj andKanchan.

The death of his effervescentwife, who was so dear to him, lit-erally brought his mental state to acritical low ebb and he took toalcohol but survived to return tospirituality, to which he adheredto until his very end.

The three vital ingredientsneeded in an actor to be success-ful are emotion, comedy andrhythm and Shammi had plenty ofthose. He never learned dancing;rather, he invented his own style.The experts say Shammi was thebest of the lot because he wentbeyond steps. Dance is the expres-sion of feelings by body, whereasbody movements are governed bymusic. He was an innovative mag-ical dancer.

He was high spirited and fullof life and loved a good laugh. Hewas carefree and uncomplicated.May his soul rest in peace.

End of the great entertainer, Shammi Kapoor(1931-2011)

With Saira Banu in Junglee: Shammi’s films had a simple theme (virtually no theme at all), an assortedmix packed with melodrama, plenty of lilting melodies and fights all over the story.

Shammi Kapoor with Sharmila Tagore in ‘Kashmir ki Kali’: As a visible symbol of theyouth he was a bundle of energy, singing, dancing, skiing, and riding, with

extravagant costumes and flirting with the best of the beauties available. His lovely wife Geeta Bali was a big star while he was a starlet before he hit big time with

Junglee. Her death devastated him.

Bollywood Diary with Neeru Saluja

September - October 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 17

By Neeru Saluja

It all started in the summer of2001. Fresh out of college, ready toembrace the corporate life andstruggling to take the leap of love,he brought all of us 20 something'san answer. Like a fresh breeze hegave us a reason to love and laughwith his 'Dil Chahta Hai'. Soon themovie became the talk of the townand 'Sydney' the coolest city to livein. Sooner than later I landed up in theso called 'coolest city'. A monthlater I joined the office of theIndian Down Under, and to my sur-prise I came to know the man whocreated 'my college magic' had sethis eyes where I was working for avenue to shoot his film! My excite-ment levels went up when Irealised my editor had actually methim in person and noted the gleamin his young eyes.

Years rolled on and as I gotengrossed in the next stage of mylife, it was all by chance that Istumbled upon him once again in afilm called 'Luck by Chance'. I wastaken aback to see the man behindthe scenes as an actor in a full-fledged role. For his debut, heacted is way directly into my heartwith his dialogue delivery, freshlook and husky voice. I went to thecinemas to catch a glimpse of myheartthrob Hrithik who was doing aguest appearance but all I couldremember was Farhan all the wayback home. Unable to withhold my recent dis-covery, I shared my latestBollywood find with my brother.He agreed and informed me of howhe has already come in a moviecalled 'Rock On'. That film whichwas in my DVD cabinet for monthsbecause I couldn't recognise any ofthe actors because of their over-

grown beards? The movie turnedout to be a surprise package - ver-satile Farhan is not only an acedirector, actor but he can sing too!Once you listen to the songs ofRock On, you will never forgetthem. For those of you who don't know,Farhan Akhtar - the man whorocked into our lives with his imp-ish smile and fresh voice is notonly a director and actor, but a pro-ducer, playback singer, lyricist,script writer and television host.Blame it on his genes as he is bornto famous screenwriters JavedAkhtar and Honey Irani, his grand-father is the famous poet Jan NisarAkhtar, his sister Zoya Khan is adirector and actress Shabana Azmiis his step mother. Farhan is mar-ried to Adhuna Bhabani Akhtar, ahairstylist, so know you knowwhere he gets his cool hairdosfrom.

Though he entered Bollywood atthe young age of 17, Farhan madehis writing and directorial debut atthe age of 27 with 'Dil Chahta Hai'which was a big hit amongst theyounger generation and won manyawards. His next film 'Lakshya'didn't do that well but still won himcritical acclaim. There on followeda remake of Don which did well atthe box office. Very few peopleknow but he also wrote the lyricsfor 'Bride and Prejudice'. He madehis acting debut in 2008 with RockOn which became an instant cultfilm in metros, soon followed byhis sister's 'Luck By Chance'. In2010 he played the lead role in'Karthik calling Karthik' withDeepika Padukone which moder-ately did well. In 2011, Farhan once again acted inhis sister Zoya Akhtar film 'Zindagina Milege Dobara' where he playsthe role of Imraan, a copy writer

who is a closet poet. Zoya felt hewould know what she exactlywanted from the film, and cast himas Imraan. Once again, Farhanswayed his way into our hearts andhis acting became the highlight ofthe film. The poetry of the son-father duo injected a soul in thefilm. In the song 'Senorita' (whichhe sang) he even makes the danc-ing sensation Hrithik Roshan lookworn out in front of him!

As a proclaimed 'Farhan follower',Farhan's movies represent the newmodern youth of India where thecharacters evolve during the film.Friendships are strong (reflectinghis own upbringing) and visuals arechic and exotic. With a few moremovies in the pipeline, Farhan hasdefinitely brought a new wave inBollywood. As a Bollywood buff,all I have to say is watch out forhim!

Farhan Rocks...

Amitabh Bachchan has finally acceptedthe honorary doctorate by QueenslandUniversity of Technology on October 20when the thespian flew from Sydney toaccept the honor which he had declined in2009 due to attacks on Indian students.Amitabh Bachchan has been in Sydney play-ing a shadowy organised crime figure in BazLurman’s movie ‘The Great Gatsby’.

Big B has revealed he is appearing free ofcharge in director Luhrmann's new big-screenadaptation of the classic novel The GreatGatsby. Amitabh wrote on his blog that hewill make "a mere one scene appearance as afriendly gesture" in the film, which also starsHollywood A-listers Leonardo DiCaprio,

Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan.Bachchan's character, Meyer Wolfsheim,

is a shadowy organised crime figure whohelps the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsbymake his money in F Scott Fitzgerald's 1925novel.

The "Big B" says he agreed to take partafter Luhrmann - a Bollywood fan - visitedIndia last year. “He called and wondered if Iwould do this small role in his film and Iagreed," Bachchan wrote. "It is a gesture. Ihave refused any remuneration for."Bachchan visited Australia in August but atthe time did not disclose why.

Bachchan revealed in his blog that he wasin Sydney to take part in a preliminary read-

through of the script with the cast, as well ashave hair, make-up and costume rehearsals.

"It has been a wonderful experience to bea part of the Hollywood system and toobserve with what detail and diligence theywork," he added. Shooting for The GreatGatsby started in Sydney in October. Maguire(Spider-Man) plays Nick Carraway, thewould-be writer and narrator of the novel,who comes to New York from the USMidwest in 1922 to make his fortune.

DiCaprio (Blood Diamond, Titanic) playsthe lead role of Gatsby, while Mulligan (AnEducation) plays his lover and Carraway'scousin, Daisy Buchanan.

Amitabh Bachchan conferred honorary doctorate by QUT

By Neena Badhwar

Driving down the scenic high-way leading to Wollongong thecoal town where Gujarat NREhave organized a day for all gueststo take a look at the huge set up ofmachinery to demonstrate how apanel of coal is mined by the hugeshearers in front as the hydraulicpistons hold the panels to securethe roof of the mine from fallingwhile the coal is cut and mined,one can only but admire the bigvision of an Indian coalmineowner Arun Jagatramka in theIllawarra region. We are not insidethe mine but outside the collieryseeing the equipment as a minerexplains to all how the wholething works. It is a gigantic opera-tion and the miner tells us that itwill take six months to set up themachinery inside the mine andwill be mining thousands oftonnes of coal in a day.

And as you drive towards thetown with vast expanse of scenicocean dotted with huge freighterships, about a dozen of them, onedoes not stop to wonder if any ofthe ships carry coal to India, thou-sands of tonnes of black cokingcoal, trying to meet the ever risinghunger for coal related energyneeds of India - now a nationwhich is demanding and buyingminerals and other riches fromAustralia. Latest entrants from theprivate sector are the Adani group,GVK and Arun Jagatramka ofGujarat NRE who has establishedhimself with his company GujaratNRE Colliery Number 1 andanother one at Wongawilli.

Coal is actually abundant inIndia, as in fact it is the thirdlargest miner whereas Australiacomes fourth, of indigenous sup-plies in the world, with millions oftonnes still yet to be developed.Local coal production has grown7 per cent annually from 2000 to2005 till the past two years, whenit has declined barely inchingabove 550 million tonnes.

However, with India's bureau-cratic policies and stricter environ-mental guidelines, the coal stilltakes times to slide down the tun-nel, forcing private companies toset their sights across the seas.And India knows it cannot just bea simple buyer of coal alone. Ithas to purchase coal mines aroundthe world.

That's where Jagatramka'scompany Gujarat NRE has comelooking for coking coal on Aussieshores. Honoured earlier this yearby NSW Premier Barry O'Farrelfor his contribution to NSW econ-omy, Arun has definitely decidedto make Australia his home. Notonly have the Jagatramkas settledwith new residence built over-looking the oceans they havebecome true Aussies by adoptingand sponsoring Basket Ball ClubWollongong Hawks and under-age

State teams and programs ofCricket NSW. And Gujarat NREhas basically revived the deadmines around Illawarra and havebeen able to absorb over 500 min-ing staff and looking after themwell as one can see how the lifehas suddenly come back to a placewhich lay untended for years.Reviving, energizing the placewith plans and vision of an entre-preneur who knows what he isdoing, Jagatramka is the buyer inIndia of his own coal that he pro-duces or mines in Australia cart-ing it from Illawarra to Gujarat.

While mining riches Arundoes not stop short of sharing itwith people as the family settles inAustralia and contributes gener-ously to worthwhile sporting andcommunity bodies. He has recent-ly provided a loan to Shri ShivaTemple at Minto for the upgradeof driveways and carpark. Gujarat

NRE has supported over 80 com-munity & sporting establishmentsbelieving in the ethos of taking thecommunity along as the companygrows.

There are issues such as car-bon emissions and hence carbontax yet Gujarat NRE have lookedinto those concerns regarding car-bon tax and its implications forthe company having identifiedopportunities that would enableboth mines to manage fugitiveemissions thereby reducing thetotal greenhouse emissions.Although times may be hard eco-nomically worldwide GujaratNRE is aiming to increase its hardcoking coal production with thesetting up of longwall machinery.

And on October 10 theLongwall machinery ordered fromIndia is on display for selectedguests invited to see how thevision turns into action with Arun

Jagatramka. Former Labour pre-miers Neville Wran and MorrisIemma and Mayor of Wollongongand MPs from Illawarra region areall there on the day sunny enoughto stand out and see the machinework out in the open. As we walkfrom the canopy laid out with

food, wine and cool nimbu paanione cannot but wonder about thisamazing Indian entrepreneur whohas entered the Australian land-scape for digging riches out of theAustralian soil and helping toemploy a whole lot of Australiansto meet that vision.

18 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

A GGreen VVision

Gujarat NRE goes longwall mining

Above: Arun Jagatramka (third from left) with wife Mona and daughter and employees at the mine. Middle: Left: Ex Premier Mr NevilleWran and right Morris Iemma looking at the operation while, Bottom: A minor explains how the longwall machinery mines coal.

Community

September - October 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 19

Masala iin tthis yyears’ PParramasala...

Phillip Rolfe, festival directorParramasala - the Australian Festivalof South Asian Arts, has this yearlined up an interesting mix of artistsfrom the region that include world-renowned artists - includingAustralian premieres by Mavin Khoowith O.S. Arun and by TheChandralekha Group, accompaniedby the Gundecha Brothers. ‘BaulShilpi’ singers from Bengal withParramatta Town Hall forecourt per-formances by the outstandingMadhumita Roy Kathak DanceCompany from Kolkata on theOutdoor Stage in Church Street, aspart of a daily free program. There willbe outstanding music, dance andother visual delights accompanied byfood stalls, music, Indians crafts andparticipation from local artists .

Said Phillip to TIDU, “This years’program is much bigger which will goon for upto 8 days. The range willappeal to different audiences. Thereis something for everyone fromHarmonic Choir to Sufi music. We

have tried to create variety and diver-sity.”

Says he, “Do come and getinvolved as artists from all around theworld have been invited. It’s a rarecombination and a great opportunityto learn and experience art and cul-ture as there’s everything for peoplefrom all backgrounds to enjoy.”

“We are presenting a premiereperformance of brilliant dancer andchoreographer, Mavin Khoo, fromMalaysia, who is trained in both west-ern contemporary and Indian classi-cal styles. Challenging notions ofgender and tradition, Khoo's originalideas and techniques make him oneof the world's most in-demand artistsin his genre. He is accompanied bythe master Carnatic musician O.S.Arun and his group from India in hissolo dance production, Devi InAbsolution, at the Riverside Theatre. “

“We have films with South Asianfocus as we are showing a retrospec-tive on the great Satyajit Ray as wellas films from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan,Australia, Canada and the US.There’s a documentary onRabindranath Tagore and someBollywood glitz and glamour type ofmovies too. ”

“Chandralekha group fromChennai present ‘Sharira’ - thatinvloves contemporary style of dancewhich just quite stunning and an orig-inal piece of work.”

While last year the weather wasnot very kind though the interest inthe festival from the community was

great. Says Phillip, “We are keepingour fingers crossed hoping that theweather will co-operate.”

This year Parramasala will beheld from Sunday 30 October toSunday 6 November, starting with the2011 Deepavali Fair at ParramattaStadium on Sunday 30 October.

There are workshops that will givethe opportunity to engage with theartists.

“We have kept the tickets ataffordable level so that people notjust see a performance rather theycan afford to come to more things andexperience the festival as an intern-sive art and cultural experience.”

And what happened to cricket,that was there last year, says Phillip,“Oh there was not a good response toit. So there is no justification to haveit in the program this year. Althoughwe have not ruled it out completely.As the awareness about the festivalgrows we may add cricket back in.”

“Its really how the communityresponds. We are only playing by thecommunity’s involvement. You mayhear of a big surprise for next years’festival although we can’t say any-thing yet.”

So how do you want the communi-ty to participate, says Phillip, “Justcome and be part of the crowd, wit-ness free outdoor events, films, docu-mentaries and even buy a ticket ortwo to some performances if you likeany. There is world on offer right herein Parramatta and its really a veryspecial festival to entice one and all .”

Sharira : Chandralekha Group from Chennai Trilok Gurtu

Mavin Khoo

Baul Shilpi singers from Bangladesh

Sharmila Tagore in Apur Sansar

Phillip Rolfe

By Neena Badhwar

Mike Pandey, a film maker, spe-cialising in films about wildlife andthe environment was in Sydney toattend the International Quorum ofMotion Picture Producers in themonth of September at Sebel Hotel.This body represents a global groupof filmmakers who share ideas, dis-cuss their work, explore newavenues of film technology,strengthen networks and seek proj-ect partnerships, whilst developinginternational connections throughoutthe world,

Mike has produced over 600films and has won three WildscreenPanda Awards which are alsoknown as the Green Oscars for 'TheLast Migration - Wild ElephantCapture in Sarguja' in 1994, on afilm based on massacre of whalesharks on Indian coast called the'Shore of Silence' in 2000 and in2004 he won the third Green Oscarfor his film 'Vanishing Giants - astory on elephants - his ultimatepassion. Having been born inNairobi, Kenya Mike was intro-duced to wild life at a very youngage when his dad used to take himfor walks everyday to the nearbywildlife park.

Mike has won over 300 awardsfor his work to spread awarenessabout biodiversity and species con-servation. Most important is thatMike's work is helping conserve andprotect key species including theWhale Sharks, the Elephants, theTigers, the Vultures and theHorseshoe Crabs

"My fear of animals was gone ata young age as we slept near ani-mals hearing their sounds and noises

all around us," says Mike whenTIDU met him to talk about hiswork on endangered animal species."When I came to India Bollywoodwas my destination and I worked onKamal Amrohi's 'Razia Sultan' andSunny Deol's debut movie 'Betaab'but quickly realized that the Indianfilm industry was not where mayactual passion lay. I had lived nearanimals and observed them from upclose and I had seen sharks on myway to India from the ship," saidMike.

When asked how is the currentglobal climate changes and cuttingof the forests and other humanactivity is threatening animals, saysMike, " 'Shores of Silence' docu-mentary was based on massacre ofwhale sharks on the Indian coast.These are harmless migratory ani-mals. They do not kill and as a mat-ter of fact they are called the 'cowsof the ocean'. Indians were killingthem to get their livers to get oil tomake boot polish and rest of theparts were thrown away. Then theywere approached by businessmenwho offered to buy shark meat at $1a kilo which they sold in SouthEast Asia at $600 a kilo. The storythey gave to Indians was that theywere going to try and use all this'kachra meat' for either rose manureor chicken feed."

"This movie brought about anawareness and ban on their killingand the number of sharks that weredwindling have begin to rise." saidMike.

Talking about the dwaindlingtiger population in India as everydaya tiger gets killed, says Mike,"There once was a tigress that cameto actress Hema Malini's house in

Borivilli in Mumbai. When Hematalked to me complaining about'why the animal had come andscared the hell out of all the peopleat home.' By seeing the footage ofthe film I could make out the tigresswas lactating and had cubs some-where and was hungry and lookingfor food. And that it was not thetigress that had come to Hema'shome rather Hema Malini was liv-ing in the home of the tigress. Thereal estate activity by getting rid ofthe forests has destoyed the naturalhabitat of these animals," Mike said,“and what should these poor ani-mals do than look for food in peo-ple's home. "Perhaps the tigress hadcome to Hema's home to kill the bigdogs she has as pets."

"The tiger population in Indiahas gone down to 700 although thebillboards advertise that the tigers

left in India are around 1100," SaysMike.

"Consumerism, cutting down offorests has resulted in many speciesgoing extinct. If only for two insects- namely the honey bee and the but-terfly - if they go extinct then thewhole animal kingdom would bewiped out including humans. 87%of food crops will disappear fromthis earth if they are not there andthe role they play in pollination."

He further says, "We need toeducate and begin to respect that notonly the plants 'provide us withfood' that they are doing their job'without being paid'. My films aretargeted by 70 per cent of theIndians in rural areas. My program'Earth Matters' goes on Doordarshanto more than 800 million people in135 countries. It is interesting tonote here that 67 % of Indians are

environmentally aware as comparedto 47% in America and Europe."

Talking about the pH of theoceans, says Mike, "Oceans whenformed were very salty for trillionsof years. After the earth settled andthe rains made the oceans' pH godown to 7.4 it became the right con-ducive environment for the life toform. We as humans need to protectour planet and animals and plantspecies as we are all interconnected.Take Horse Shoe Crab for examplethere are nine patents pending withIndian scientists who are research-ing extensively on this animal that itcan reverse osteoporosis,Rheumatoid Arthiritis, HIV and TBand that it has the miraculous 'moth-er of all stem cells'. We need to pro-tect such animals and use them forthe benefit of humankind whilecohabitating with animals andplants."

"Do you know that the worldearlier had two years' food supplyleft as compared to 90 days current-ly that is if there was no more pro-duction or a catastrophe or adrought - only 90 days of food leftfor us all! Do we realise how muchwe take everything for granted andhow much food we waste," saysMike referring to how the greed isdriving the world economy.

"We need to act fast onlybecause in this interdependenceof cycle of life man is the 'weak-est link'. If we do not protectplant and animal life we will bethe first ones to go extinct.." saysthe filmmaker who has beendescribed by Time magazine asthe 'hero of the environment'.

20 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

An IInterview

Mike Pandey: We must protect ourselves

Harry Virk (left) of ‘Last Train To Bombay’ restaurant in Sydney isan old friend of Mike Pandey and hosted him in Sydney.

Community

September - October 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 21

Children at Indo-Aus Bal Bharti School preparing diyas for Diwali,learning to draw Diwali pictures, fire crackers with 81year old RameshAlandkar - a caricaturist, painter and a sculptor who says, “I have hadmy journey through life but would like to express my art through theseyoung kids,” as he patiently teaches kids how to draw. “just be relaxedand draw, doodle and you will get the hang of it,” says Ramesh that hewas getting bored at home as he visits his son in Sydney often. “Womencan occupy themselves at home but for me I find my inspiration indrawing, painting. That’s my life line.”

Top Left: Kavi Goshti held by ILASA at Rekha Rajvanshi’s residence.The first meeting had many old and new poets readign their poems.

Top right and below: Mala Mehta presented an impressive power pointpresentation on ‘India Calling’ program at the Language Conference byNSW Federation of Community Languages, held last Saturday onOctober 8 at Sydney university. “India Calling - initiative is an amazingway to teach languages to the yr 3-4 learners in Primary School. It givesthem an understanding of the country as well as an insight into the basiclanguage building up an interest if they wish to take it up further.

Sahitya Goshthi by ILASA Power point presentation by Mala Mehta of India Calling Teaching Initiative

Mala Mehta with Janet Freeman, ESL MulticulturalConsultant for Sydney region , NSW Department of

Education and Training at the presentation

Ramesh Alandkar with Vishakha NarayanHindi teacher Ruchira Virmani with kids - all ready with diyas for Diwali

Ramesh with IABBV Kids

22 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

September - October 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 23

24 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October - November 2011

Community

United IndianAssociations’ (UIA)annual Friendship Fair is

now well established. Despitesome recent challenges the crowdnumbers were the same as in theprevious years, may be evenmore stalls and variety and morethan the usual show of digni-taries.

The covering of the stage thisyear as an insurance against theinclement weather lost a bit of itsvisual impact, the scale now con-tained, but otherwise the busyprogramme entertained andinformed and remained as a plat-form for politicians and commu-nity leaders to voice their ideas.

Gujarat NRE’s ArunJagatramka used the stage tochallenge corruption, how every-one could contribute to rid thenow well-entrenched evil. Hegave analogy of the pirated

DVDs coming into Australiawhich was killing the genuinemarket and discouraged business-es to invest.

The stalls arranged on theperimeters of several circles did aroaring trade. The pink butterchicken was everywhere, along-with chole-bhature and dosas thatformed the popular dishes.

On stage, the bhangra grouptook over everything else -colourful and loud, and itengaged the youngsters to crowdaround the stage with raised armsand twitching shoulders to danceto the drum beats.

The artist from Batala (shemade sure it wasn’t to be con-fused with Patiala), the same vil-lage as the UIA president MrBajwa comes from, sang beauti-fully but without much variety -louder and louder she went toengage the largely north-Indian

crowd who absolutely loved herantics. So went the UIA fair, anannual get together to celebrate

India’s Independence Day in anAustralian context, with plenty ofopportunities for the community

leaders to be on show and for thecrowds to have a day out withtheir friends and families.

Although interrupted by rainseveral times, the first timefair organised by the

Council of Indian Associations(CIA) at Parramatta Park onAugust 7 was well organised andattracted enough crowds and stallsto be a precursor of a successfulannual event on the community cal-endar. It had all the ingredients tomake an impact - hoardes of digni-taries, parliamentarians, communi-ty leaders, backing of businesses

who had put up nearly 100 stallsand plenty of variety in entertain-ment. There was bhangra, classicaldances like Odissi andBharatanatyam, even belly dancingthat had the audience on the edgesof their seats.

Fashion parade is a well-rehearsed routine, popular, bothamong the spectators as well as theperformers who get an opportunityto be on stage for the fashion hous-es to display the latest trends in

evening wear and especially forweddings which is big business.

There were Indian flags aplentyon all stalls making the statementfor the forthcoming IndependenceDay celebrations.

The sun and rain kept playinghide and seek, the audience in toe,running from their seats and return-ing to clean their chairs, until ataround five in the afternoon a hugedownpour posed enough challengeto call it a day.

UIA Fair, a meeting point for the community

CIA Fair makes a debut

Bollywood

October - November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 25

‘Band Baaja Barat’ nominated for APSA Award

The Asia Pacific ScreenAwards (APSA) onOctober 12 announced

that 37 films from 19 countriesand areas have been nominatedin this year’s Asia PacificScreen Awards, the region’shighest accolade in cinema.India’s Bollywood film that cre-ated waves among the youth,‘Band Baaja Barat’ has beenmade it to the nominations forthe best feature film. Producedby Aditya Chopra, it is the debutfeature film for directorManeesh Sharma.

APSA 2011 InternationalJury President, Nansun Shi,made the announcement at theBusan International FilmFestival, which was founded byAPSA Patron Kim Dong-ho.Films from Iran, China, Turkeyand India are vying for the BestFeature Film Award.

Other Best Feature Filmnominees in the 2011 APSAsare Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (ASeparation, Iran), Rang zidanfei (Let the Bullets Fly, People’sRepublic of China MainlandChina / Hong Kong), Bé OmidÉ Didar (Goodbye, Iran), BirZamanlar Anadolu'da (OnceUpon a Time in Anatolia,

Turkey / Bosnia andHerzegovina).

Winners will be announcedat the Ceremony on the GoldCoast, Queensland, onNovember 24.

Nominees for BestDocumentary Feature Filminclude two India/UK entries:Marathon Boy (India / UK)Gemma Atwal, Matt Norman,and Pink Saris (India / UK)Amber Latiff, GirjashankerVohra.

APSA nominees are auto-matically inducted into the AsiaPacific Screen Academy makingthem eligible to apply for theMPA APSA Academy FilmFund, a US$100,000 scriptdevelopment fund supported bythe Motion Picture Association(MPA) and available exclusivelyto Academy members. APSAmembers are also eligible toapply for the APSA Children’sFilm Fund, a new developmentfund specifically for films forand about children of the Asia-Pacific. The fund is a partner-ship between APSA and Manilabased 4 Boys Films, establishedby APSA Academy memberButch Jimenez. TwoAU$20,000 grants will be givento support new children’s fea-

ture films at creative inceptionthat carry positive, life affirm-ing messages specifically forand about children in the Asia-Pacific. A member of APSAAcademy must be attached tothe project.

Led by Patron JackThompson, the Academy is agrowing body of the regions’most influential names in cine-ma including past APSAWinners, Nominees,International Jury andNominations Council members.The submission period for bothfilm funds closes on October 21and the fund recipients will beannounced at the APSACeremony on November 24.

Two additional major awardsfor outstanding achievement willbe presented at the ceremony.

FIAPF Award: Each yearFIAPF - InternationalFederation of Film ProducersAssociations - determines thewinner of the FIAPF Award foroutstanding achievement in filmin the Asia-Pacific region.

UNESCO Award: Thisaward is presented byUNESCO for outstanding con-tribution to the promotion andpreservation of cultural diversitythrough film.

Inspired by the huge suc-cess and influence ofBollywood movies, SBS

is bringing a taste ofBollywood to Australia witha brand new commission,Bollywood Star.

This four-part series,made for SBS by WTFNEntertainment (Bondi Vet,Keeping up with theJoneses), follows the searchfor an Australian Bollywoodstar: an unknown who willgo on to win the prize of alifetime – a part in aBollywood movie.Renowned Bollywood pro-ducer and director MaheshBhatt is offering a covetedplace in his next movie toone Australian to become thenext Bollywood Star.

Anyone can be aBollywood Star. Applicantsfrom any cultural back-ground can audition, but theymust be over 18. Nationalauditions will be held inSydney on October 22 at theNational Art School, TaylorSquare, Sydney. More infor-

mation on how to audition isavailable atwww.sbs.com.au/bol ly-woodstar.

Michael Ebeid, SBSManaging Director, said:“The series will follow thehundreds of hopefuls whowill audition for a part in aBollywood movie as they’rewhittled down to six finalistswho will travel to Mumbai toimmerse themselves inIndian culture and experiencthe glitz and glamour of theBollywood movie scene. Thefinal winner will be selectedby Mahesh himself and takeaway the prize of a role in hisnext feature film.

“While it’s the opportuni-ty of a lifetime for many, thisjourney will also be a chal-lenging one for those whotake part. Bollywood Starcontinues SBS’s commitmentto pushing the boundarieswith commissioned contentwith this exciting take on thetalent search format".

Bollywood Star will airon SBS ONE in 2012

The poster of ‘Band Baaja Barat’

‘With Love from Australia’ – ABollywood movie announced

SBS in searchfor a Bollywood

Star! Pramod Films, one of the mostprestigious banners ofBollywood, announced on

September 19 its revival with the lat-est film to be shot in Australia laterthis year making it the first MajorBollywood film ever to have anAustralian city in the title of film.

The film, tentatively titled ‘WithLove from Australia’ is a love storybetween two overseas students set inAustralia. Directed by PrateekChakravorty, the grandson of thefounder of Pramod Films, the film isseen as a crucial step in the growingIndo-Australia film trade.

Reminiscing about his days spentin Australia as an overseas student,director Prateek Chakravorty said,“I am particularly excited about thisproject as I have fond memories ofAustralia as an international student.It is only fitting that Australia formsan integral part of my debut film, par-ticularly when it is the revival of mygrandfather’s banner after a couple ofdecades.”

Speaking from Mumbai he said“We have yet to finalise the title ofthe film. It will definitely includeAustralia or either Sydney orMelbourne. Our Australian produc-tion company films and casting TEM-PLE is in conversation with the statesof Victoria and NSW to explore tieups before we announce the final

name.”Prateek further added, “This is a

romantic, positive, love story with abackdrop of Australian Universitylifestyle for international studentsshowcasing the beauty of Australiaand the vibrant, diverse internationalstudent culture present and thriving inthis country. This film, I hope, willrepresent my wonderful experiencesstudying and living in Australia.

Sydney based filmmaker AnupamSharma will head the AustralianProduction for Pramod Films. He said"This is one of the extremely rareopportunities where an Australian cityis in the title of the film and intricate-ly woven into the film’s story line.It’s a great marketing opportunity forAustralia to reach a target audience of

more than a billion people. This is agreat, fun romantic story and I lookforward to welcoming the team fromIndia and commencing the film.”

The film will be shot over a peri-od of 6-7 weeks before Christmas andwill begin pre-production activities inAustralia from the end of October. Itis estimated to spend millions of dol-lars hiring over 480 Australian castand crew and hospitality for theIndian contingent.

Bollywood has often in the distantand recent past made films where thecity is a character in the film and thestory is driven by the city where ittakes place, this is however a rareoccasion and the first time that anAustralian city will be named in thetitle of the film.

Anupam Sharma will head theAustralian Production for

Pramod Films

Prateek Chakravorty, the grand-son of the founder of

Pramod Films

26 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October - November 2011

Community

Prof Veena Sahajwallanamed finalist in theTelstra’s Business Women’s Awards

Punjab National Banklaunches in Australia

In September, Professor VeenaSahajwalla, from the University ofNSW, was announced a finalist in the

Nokia Business Innovation Award sectionfor her work in developing technology toreduce carbon-emissions during steel pro-duction and recycle end-of-life materialsthat would otherwise go to landfill. NokiaBusiness Innovation Award recognisessuccessful innovation within a business orworkplace.

Veena Sahajwalla is helping the steelindustry combat enormous environmentalchallenges and says, “Growing up inIndia, I would walk past huge mountainsof waste supporting communities of rub-bish pickers and imagine what it wouldtake to convert "rubbish" into somethingmore valuable.”

As Director at the Centre forSustainable Materials Research andTechnology at The University of NSW,Scientia Professor Veena developed tech-

nology to reduce carbon-emissions duringsteel production and recycle end-of-lifematerials that would otherwise go to land-fill.

Traditionally, in electric arc furnace(EAF) steelmaking, scrap is reprocessedusing large amounts of coke and coal assources of carbon.

After successful lab experiments whichcommenced in 2003, Veena collaboratedwith manufacturing giant OneSteel todevelop technology to recycle plastic andrubber waste in the scrap reprocessing fur-nace. The “green steel” technology notonly produces lower emissions, butreduces reliance on coke and coal andrequires less electricity.

In addition, plastic and rubber wasteare spared from landfill. The innovationhas attracted science and technologyawards in Australia and the United Statesand has the potential to transform steelproduction globally.

Jagjit Singh StoryContinued from page 15

Bhushan followed for Jagjitsahab. However, for me, thealbums while fully showcasingthe man's genius, did not beat hislive shows. I saw him live onstage seven times. Never withChitra as she had stopped singingin 1990. However, I was lucky tomeet Chitra at an intimate dinnerin 2005. That was an evening Istill treasure. Jagjit was perform-ing at the Sydney Opera Houseand she was there for thatmomentous occasion. I tried tofind out if she sung in private or

was able to speak to Vivek's spir-it through mediums and ouijaboards, but life had taught her tobe coy.

However, I had more successwith her partner. Jagjit was as hehas been described in the press.Simple (“yeh subh chodo, dalroti layo”), dedicated (“how arethe acoustics at the OperaHouse”), a lover (“my conceptof love is fixing my cycle chainin front of her house”), oldschool (“without riyaz there isnothing”) and above all aGentleman (splitting his garamroti with my wife).

The last time I spoke to him

was in April. Two things werememorable that did not make it toprint. He was not going to singbhajans as "mood and atmos-phere is different. Log joote daalke rakhte hain". Talk about dedi-cation to his music. The otherwas the advice he offered me."Cigaratte, alcohol na chuna.Ma-baap ka kahna manna".Wow! His last Sydney concertorganised by Vijay Jogia was asuperhit. Jagjit ji was able totreat the audience to the fullrange of human emotions. Welaughed, cried, sat up, weremoved and just sang with him afew times together. As his musi-

cians lived up to their Maestro'snods, shakes and whispers, audi-ence of all ages had somethingthey took away, and he musthave too... at the end, his voicewas unusually lighter as he sungthe curtain dropping tappas in hisbeloved Punjabi. And then with awave he was gone and we wereback in this world.

It’s sad to think that this is it,but it is. While a YouTube searchmight reveal a rare gem or some-one might have a forgottenalbum, for his many fans, theloss is a personal one. Mohabbathas lost its awaz. For he madeghazal like no other could.

Changing it from stuffy andupper crust to a live thing thatbreathes and lives.

Encompassing this GreatSinger's contribution, perhaps, isthis little gem from Kahkashan.

Ghazal ka saaz uthao, badeudaas hai raat, nawa-e-Mirsunaao, bade udaas hai raat

Kahe na tum se tu phir aurkisse ja kar kahen, seha zulf kesayoon badee udas hai raat

Suna hai pahle bhi aisee maybujh gai hain chiraag, dilon kikher manao badi udas hai raat,

Deye raho yunh hi kuchh deraur hath may hath, abhi na passse jao badi udas hai raat

India’s second largest state-owned bank,Punjab National Bank (PNB), opened arepresentative office in Sydney, follow-

ing the trend of Indian banks establishing apresence in Australia.

PNB is the fourth Indian bank to launchin Australia, setting up an office in the heartof the Sydney CBD on September 15, 2011.

Namo Narain Meena, Minister of Statefor Finance (EB&I) in India and Shri K.R.Kamath, the Chairman and MD of PNBwere in Sydney to formally launch PNB’soperations in Australia. The Inaugurationceremony for the representative office washeld with a select group of stakeholders.

A formal dinner launch was held at theHilton, Sydney, attended by leadingAustralian bankers, business leaders, medialeaders and members of parliament.

The Hon. Greg Pearce MLC, Ministerfor Finance and Services, made the openingspeech and unveiled the bank’s plaque. Thedinner was also attended by The Hon.Melinda Jane Pavey, MLC, ParliamentarySecretary for Regional Health, who repre-sented the New South Wales State Premier,Barry O’Farrell and conveyed the Premier’smessage that “The presence of PNB herewill further cement the important businessrelationship our state has with India.”

Minister of State for Finance,Government of India, Namo Narain Meenain his speech commended the bank, speak-ing of its history “Punjab National Bank,

with its experience gathered over last morethan 100 years can play a catalytic role instimulating the commercial ties between thetwo nations. I am sure they are alive to thisneed and opening of Representative Officein Sydney will go a long way in realizingthis goal’’.

The increasing links between the twocountries were very evident, when theConsul General of India, Amit Dasguptastated that “The entry of the fourth Indianbank into Australia is a clear reflection ofthe strength of Indian banking sector and arecognition of the strong fundamentals inthe Australian economy. The presence ofIndian banks will not only service therequirements of the resident expatriate com-munity but also facilitate closer business-to-business and investment links betweenAustralian and Indian companies.”

The Chairman of PNB K.R. Kamathwas “very happy to establish aRepresentative office due to the growing bi-lateral trade and business potential thatAustralia offers.’’

The Australia India Business Council,NSW welcomed the establishment of thebank as yet another milestone in the bilater-al trade and business relationship betweenAustralia and India.

PNB will be represented by ChiefRepresentative Mr Cyril Michael who willbe based at the bank’s representative officein the Sydney CBD.Prof Veena Sahajwalla with High Temperature Furnace

From Left: Shri K.R. Kamath, the Chairman and MD of PNB, The Hon. GregPearce MLC, Minister for Finance and Services and Namo Narain Meena,

Minister of State for Finance (EB&I) in India

Community

October - November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 27

Bob Hawke relives Rajiv Gandhi at AIBC 25th anniversary celebrations

By Vish Viswanathan

Bob Hawke, formerAustralian PM who hadlaunched Australia India

Business Council (AIBC) 25years ago, was again present atthe Council's anniversary cele-brations in August. He spokenostalgically about how he had`clicked instantly’ when he metthe late Indian PM RajivGandhi during the CHOGMconference in the Bahamas. Heinvited Rajiv Gandhi to visitAustralia and It was during hisvisit to Australia that bothprime ministers had establishedthe Australia India BusinessCouncil 25 years ago.

The vision was singular, topromote closer relationshipbetween Australia and Indiathrough bi-lateral business andtrade relationships, he said.Bob Hawke, delivering theAnnual Address, highly com-plimented AIBC for completing25 successful years and wishedsuccess for its future efforts inpromoting bilateral trade.

The celebrations hosted byAIBC attracted around 500business leaders, Federal, NSWand Indian Government repre-sentatives, community andmedia leaders, key stakeholdersand dignitaries from Australiaand India. It included theIndian High CommissionerSujatha Singh, Consul GeneralAmit Dasgupta, FederalMinister for Trade Dr CraigEmerson, John Alexander rep-resenting Leader of theOpposition Tony Abbot andGujarat NRE Chairman, ArunJagatramka, among others.

The event played a key rolein addressing the AustraliaIndia bilateral trade relation-ship and its rapid growth at ajuncture where globaleconomies were facing morechallenges and opportunitiesthan ever before. Dean Jones,famous Australian Cricketerand Coach, the MC for theevent, brought the relationshipcloser still regaling his person-al cricket day stories and thetied match played by Australiaand India in Madras in the sameyear that AIBC was establishedin 1986.

AIBC, NSW President,Dipen Rughani, highlighted therole AIBC plays in encouragingbilateral trade betweenAustralia and India. He sharedwith the audience a round up ofactivities undertaken by AIBC,NSW, across the past year. Hepromised to have an evenbusier year ahead, declaring2012 as the Year of Australia.

Mrs Sujatha Singhaddressed the guests on theoccasion with a thought pro-

voking speech on the future ofbilateral trade relationsbetween the two countries andstressed the need for increasedAIBC role in strengthening thisrelationship on a global scale.

The speeches by other dig-nitaries highlighted the rapidgrowth of trade between thetwo countries and further tradeand investment possibilities inthe Australia India businessspace. Indian investments inAustralian mining, telecommu-nications, IT and other indus-tries were on the rise.Australian opportunities to bemore involved with India’sgrowth was in the forefront ofdiscussions and Education andInfrastructure were two majorhighlighted areas whereAustralia could provide expert-ise in.

The Gujarat NRE ChairmanArun Jagatramka who has sig-nificant investments in NSWwas the tile sponsor of theAnnual Address and in his voteof thanks highlighted the needto continue to strengthen thisbilateral trade relationship.

The AIBC vice presidentSheba Nandkeolyar said thatAIBC, NSW, had played aninstrumental role in the rapidgrowth of bi-lateral trade andbusiness investments. She invit-ed business people to becomemembers of AIBC and availsignificant opportunities

The audience was treated toan Indian experience of viewinga Bollywood dance extravagan-za by Shiamak DavarProductions from India and anexquisite Indian dinner.

Arun Sharma National President AIBC, HE Sujatha Singh, Hon. Bob Hawke, Dipen Rughani,President AIBC NSW and Hon. Minister Craig Emerson at the AIBC NSW Annual Dinner

Stars of Bollywood entertaining the audience

ICT Sector will continue to grow By Vish Viswanathan

The ICT Chapter of theAustralia India BusinessCouncil (AIBC), NSW,

organised a seminar, “Indian IT:Innovation and Transformation”,on 20 September. The keynotespeaker at the seminar, RajendraPawar, Chairman of NASSCOMand NIIT Group of companies,said that currently there was nomodel in Global Supply Chainfor ICT Services and that the tal-ent domain would develop expo-nentially during the next tenyears. He delivered a thoughtprovoking address to a selectaudience and gave a snapshot ofthe past three decades of theIndian IT industry on how itdealt with change, growth,demand and transformation.

Related to Australia, MrPawar said, “Domain knowledgebase of the Small to Medium

Enterprises (SMEs) is verygood. The large number ofIndian SME’s should take advan-tage of this strength and collabo-rate with Australian SMEs.” Hesaid that such possible SME col-laboration was also discussedduring his brief meeting with theNSW Premier Barry O’ Farrellwho is planning a trade missionto India around the end of 2011.

He engaged with the audi-ence to get a deeper understand-ing of their needs and queries toassist them in making their ICTdecisions.

Ajay Unni, Chair of the ICTChapter AIBC NSW, while wel-coming the audience, said, “Oneneeds to realise that the connec-tion and partnership betweenIndia and Australia is not basedon our similarities. It's ratherbased on our differences anduniqueness. India has a wealth ofexperience and strengths that it

can offer Australia and likewiseAustralia has a wealth of experi-ence that it can offer India. Oneneeds to focus on these areas ofdifferences to grab and createnew possibilities and opportuni-ties.”

Rajendra Pawar, described

by Sudhir Mathur, pastPresident, AIBC, NSW, as oneof the pillars of the global ICTindustry, continued to engagewith the audience to get a deeperunderstanding of their needs andqueries to assist them in makingtheir ICT decisions.

From Left: Ajay Unnikrishnan, Rajendra Pawar and Neville Roach

28 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

Community

Gandhi Jayanthi on October2nd at UNSW university forecourtwhere Gandhiji's bust has beeninstalled had a special visitor onthe day.

Gandhi's bust has become anattraction not just for students butalso for visitors from around theworld. This year Thakur Bhoola,an 85-year old gentleman fromSouth Africa, Durban, was thechief guest. After lighting the diyason a windy, cold day IndianConsul General Amit Dasguptaintroduced Mr Bhoola as herecounted a story which was mostunusual and special. Mr Bhoolarelated the story of how he carriedGandhiji's ashes from India in anurn 62 years ago.

Bhoola, an ardent follower ofGandhiji took it upon himself thejob of transporting Gandhiji'sashes in an urn from Bombay toSouth Africa. Bhoola said he wasthere at the time of Gandhi's assas-sination in 1948 when he had gonethere to marry Mani, his wife.

"We approached Pandit Nehruand asked for a part of the ashes tobe taken to Africa."

"We then travelled to severalAfrican states, including Nairobi,where some of Gandhi's asheswere submerged in various riversand lakes.

“As we travelled in the trainwherever it stopped peoplethronged to pay last respects to thegreat man who had fought forindependence of India. They hadtravlled from far off towns to seethe ashes.”

After more than 28 days wereturned to Durban and the urn wasplaced at Sarvodaya, at PhoenixGandhi Settlement in Inanda northof Durban.

Gandhiji had started the settle-ment during his tenure here at theturn of the 19th century, undertak-ing various human rights projectsacross South Africa before return-ing to India.

"A part of the ashes was pre-served by Vilas Mehta, a closefriend of Gandhi's eldest sonManilal. And the ashes stayed inthe family with Chanda Mehta -his daughter-in-law who recentlygave them back to Ela Gandhi,Gandhi's grand daughter.

Ela then arranged the ceremo-ny to be held at a point where theUmgeni River joined the sea in

1948.A prayer service and night vigil

in memory of Gandhi preceded theimmersion ceremony, which wasfollowed by another public prayerservice held at the city hall here to

commemorate the 62nd deathanniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

"We want to install a bust ofGandhiji there at that place andalso build a museum for which weare fundraising at the moment."

said Bhoolaram Thakur.It was an emotional ceremony

as Sunanda Sharma sangGandhiji's favorite hymns andAmit Dasgupta along with mem-bers of the community garlanded

Gandhiji's bust.Thakur Bhoola was visiting his

son who lives in Australia and wasinvited by the Indian Consulate asa guest on Gandhi Jayanthi Day.

An emotional tale of journey of Gandhiji’s ashes

Top: Thakur Bhoola lighted the lamp on Gandhi Jayathi Day held at the UNDSW forecourt and recounted his journey 62 years ago of car-rying a part of Gandhi’s ashes to South Africa from India in 1948.Below: Members of the UIA , President Amarinder Bajwa and Aruna Chandrala pay respect by garlanding Gandhiji’s bust..

'Festival of lights' arrives in all its glory and golden sheen.Reminding mankind about purity of hearts within!For divine energy to be shining bright'Conscience' accelerating to a formidable height!

'Goddess Mahalaxmi's' annual visit to every home on Diwali day,Encourages all to extra clean and decorate with "rangoli" arrayCrowning with love and faith, for her benevolent blessingsEssence of all prayers and human birth's values awakenings.

As rows of 'divas' were lit joyously welcoming Rama & Sita's toAyodhyaAfter fourteen long years of banishment to wilderness arena!Kind Dasharatha's word of honour, upheld to the last.Rama Avatar's triumphant return signifies in 'Diwali Divas' cast.

'Diwali' conveys the vital golden messages.Good over evil and light of hope amidst darkened ages!Soul's ultimate evaluation to eternityFinally merging with the flawless light of divinity!

Jogmaya Narpatsingh

DIWALI

Community

October - November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 29

Hindi Divas gets colourful with Indradhanush playsBy Nishtha Handa

‘All the world's a stage, andall the men and women are mere-ly players.’

This widely regarded phraseis the beginning of a mono-logue from William

Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’. It was also the essence of

Indradhanush, a festival of Hindiplays, which took place onSeptember 11, at the ShopfrontTheatre in Carlton, to celebrateHindi Divas.

This stage production was thecombined effort of 41 players anda team of various supporting mem-bers. For the last four months theIndradhanush stage had becomethe world for each member of thisdedicated group from AbhinaySchool of Performing arts. All ofthe players came from differentwalks of life ranging from the ageof 15 to 70. Each person embracedtheir role and transformed intounique characters when in thelimelight of Shopfront’s stage.Characters ranged from a radiojockey to a robot and even a CateBlanchett.

However, one common theme,other than a passion for creativity,acted as a thread in tying theactors’ together- Hindi language.Yes! That’s right! The automatedrobot and even Cate Blanchett har-nessed their roles in “tootti foottiHindi”.

The Indradhanush festival,described as ‘A rainbow of IndianHues in Theatre’, celebrated thevarious textures of the Hindi lan-guage in a format of eleven short10-minute plays.

Aishveryaa Nidhi, the festivaldirector, said, “The main focus ofthe festival was celebrating HindiDivas. It’s the second most spokenlanguage in the world and wewanted to provide a platform forcommunity members to stay intouch with their roots but in a funway where they could expressthemselves through our mothertongue.”

Indradhanush was inspired bya playwriting workshop theAbhinay participants attendedrecently with one of the leading tenminute playwrights and ArtisticCo-ordinator of Short+SweetTheatre Sydney, Alex Broun.

Each of the students wrote aplay which was later translated toHindi for the festival. The playsalluded to contemporary, social,emotional and political issues. Oneof the plays, ‘Ek Nayee Subah’written by Jasbir Singh Ahluwaliahas even been selected to be per-formed at the Short+Sweet festi-val 2011 in Delhi, India.

‘Ek Naayee Subah’ or ‘A NewDawn’ revolves around a Hindumiddle class family and their Sikhneighbour in the year 1984, whenthe state of Punjab was being tornapart by religious tensions.

In true Indian style, flavour

and spice was added to the festivalby making it a competition, judgedby five industry professionals,including judges from the SydneyTheatre Company and with back-grounds in writing, directing andacting. Various actors and actress-es were acknowledged for theirtalents and passionate performanc-es.

Shourya Nidhi and CherylKhurana received Best Actor andBest Actress award for AlexBroun’s ‘Cate Blanchett facebookpar meri friend banna chahti hai’.This play was a comedy whereAcademy Award winning actress,Cate Blanchett played by NishthaHanda, who is learning to speakHindi, sets out to make someHindi speaking Facebook friends.This play was written by AlexBroun and translated and directedby Aishveryaa Nidhi. Yash wasplayed by Shourya Nidhi, Manojwas played by Sandeep Sharmaand Sonia was played by CherylKhurana.

First runner up actress wasIndu Takher for SwechhaKulshreshtra’s ‘Vytha KalakaarKi’ and second runner up actressAparna Vats for Neena Badhwar’s‘Ek Su-Sampann Var’.

‘Ek Su Sampann Var’ or ‘APerfect Match’ was set in the year2030 where women demand a per-fect match for a life partner ornone at all. Their parents pine forthe day when their darling daugh-ters would find such a life partner.Meet Reena: she is one such per-son who betters the rest. For shehas decided to marry a robot - herperfect match. But hours beforethe wedding she has the usual pre-nuptial pangs - is he the rightmatch after all? This play waswritten by Neena Badhwar, direct-ed by Swapan Chakravarthy withspecial inputs from Asha Sharma.Aparna Vats played the bride andNeel Banerjee played the robot.

‘Vytha- Kalakaar ki’ or ‘TheArtists Dilemma’ was about ascriptwriter’s need for ambition,which compels him to abandonidealism and instead write forrecognition and success. This playwas written & directed bySwechha Kulshreshtra.

First runner up actor was RohitKalia for Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia’s‘Ek Nayee Subah’ and second run-ner up was a tie between SandeepSharma for ‘Ek Nayee Subah’ andMehul Joshi for SukhpreetDhamoon’s ‘Taaqat’.

‘Taaqat’ or ‘The Power’ was abeautifully written dialoguebetween an arrogant radio host,Rajat (played by Mehul Joshi) andhis studio microphone, Dron(played by Ravi Chanana). In thisplay, written and directed bySukhpreet Dhamoon, reality ulti-mately dawns upon Rajat that thereare more powerful people than himwho are trying to make the worlda better place to live.

Sukhpreet Dhamoon won the‘Best Play Award’ for ‘DhaltiParchayian’. ‘Most Popular Play’

award also went to SukhpreetDhamoon for ‘Dhalti Parchayian’.

‘Dhalti Parchayian’ or‘Waning Shadows’ was the finalplay of the evening and revolvedaround the lives of a husband, awife and their daughter. It depict-ed the struggles and frustrations ofan immigrant family where cir-cumstances and personal egosforce the couple to live separately.Their daughter grows up in totalloneliness. Aishveryaa Nidhiplayed Namita, the wife, RajKumar Dixit played Raj, the hus-band and Cheryl Khurana playedNisha, the daughter.

Three special awards weregiven from Alex Broun’s Playwriting workshop to 15 year oldKaruna Darvesh for writing ‘Maanas, Dharti aur Prakriti’, 19years old Shourya Nidhi for writ-ing, directing and acting in‘Bandhak’ and 70 years old CrazyKamli for writing’ Vibhajan’.

‘Maanas, Dharti aur Prakriti’or ‘Human, Earth and Nature’ wasthe Earth’s conversation with theprime minister and president of thecountry, telling them that theywould have to stop polluting theEarth with carbon and GreenHouse gases otherwise she wouldstop providing him with her

resources. This play was writtenby Karuna Darvesh and translatedand directed by SukhpreetDhamoon. Dharti (The Earth) wasplayed by Ambika Jetley, primeminister was played Tek Barejaand the president was played bySuresh Makkar.

‘Bandhak’ or The Hostage wasabout a man (Parth Nanavati) whogets kidnapped (by Shourya Nidhi)and gets interrogated. He quicklylearns that the past can come backto haunt his future. This play waswritten and directed by ShouryaNidhi and music was composed byKiran Pradhan.

‘Vibhajan’ or ‘DelayedEpitaph’ was about the left side ofa female patient gradually partingfrom its right side, henceVibhajan. This play was written byCrazy Kamli, translated in Hindiby Shubha Kumar and directed bySwapan Chakravarthy. AshaSharma played the mother andAparna Vats played the daughter.

Along with the aforementionedplays, some of the other highlightsof the evening included plays‘Aath Gyarwee ke liye’ and‘Ladli’.

‘Aath Gyarwee ke liye’ or ‘8for 11th’ was very appropriatelooking at September 11th, 10

years on. This play was written byIqtedar Abdi and directed by NisarSirguroh.

‘Ladli’ or ‘Darling Daughter’is the story of a father whose wifedied during childbirth leavingbehind a bundle of joy, his onlydaughter! He too will be leavingthe world soon. He wishes to findan eternal place in her memory.This play was written and directedby Arvind Shukla. The role of thefather was played by ArvindShukla, the daughter was playedby Abmika Asthana, a friend wasplayed by Vikas Sehgal, the wifewas played by SwechhaKulshreshtra and the step son wasplayed by Pratick Tanna.

It was a fun filledafternoon/evening with hosts NitinMadan, Nishthha Nidhi, MonalisaGrover and Sam Almaliki keepingaudiences of both full houseshows, engaged throughout.

The festival was not only a truecelebration of Hindi divas but alsoof amazing local writers, directorsand actors. The men and women ofIndradhanush were most definitelymore than mere players. Theywere true stars who brought to lifeall kinds of characters and per-formed with elegance and enthusi-asm.

Cheryl Khurana (best actress), Shourya Nidhi (Best Actor), Sukhpreet Dhamoon (Best Play) and KarunaDarvesh (Special Award from Alex Broun’sworkshop) celebrating their win

Aparna Vats being commended for winning the second runner up actress award by Anne MArie-Wiles asAbhinay School's Indradhanush organiser Aishverya Nidhi looks on.

By Neena Badhwar

She is the talk of the townthough I have only been awayfrom Sydney for four weeks.Every one in Sydney was talkingabout Gargi when I came back.About her vigil along with a groupof ladies and men lighting candlesand observing a fast with thedetermined look in her eyes. I wasnot a witness to the event but sureit had the Facbook pages litteredwith pictures and people talkingabout it that a ‘lady had decided totake part in Anna’s fight againstcorruption and thus support hismovement in Sydney’.

And then before one realisedthere was the news ofMahabnavratri Festival onSeptember 30. Singlehandedlywith her heart and soul behind thissuccessful relgio-cultural festival,had a long queue of cars creepingtowards Rosehill Racecourse asthe evening of working day Fridayset in. As one entered there werehuge banners of Goddesses dis-played in the arena with a compa-ny of priests chantig mantras in anatmosphere of incence, yagna firein a havan kund near a stagewhere the Goddess Durga’s statuesat majestically and one could seethat Gargi Tripathi, yes in all herjewels and necklaces, dressedfrom top to toe, walking allaround the place, overseeingeverything from stage to the indi-vidual artists who were assignedvarious roles as the eveningunrolled in front of you boastingof a gathering that slowly swelledupto about 4000 people all enjoy-ing the festival like as if one wasin India. It was a complete feastfor the eyes - a full on relgious,spiritual, cultural and entertainingexperience. All the way to mid-night as the drums echoed not justin the precinct but were heard out-side as well while inside peoplewere on a different high as theypartook in the great big dance anddandia that happened under oneroof.

So who is this Gargi we ask?Gargi is the wife of Neni

Tiwari of Value World Travel whois quite religious and believes inissues that affect us today anddoes something about them. AboutMahanavratri TIDU talked to herand she says ‘Oh! its not a bigthing for me as I have been doingNavratri at home. In the Meritoneapartments I live I had 4 or 5partments that were lying emptythat I had access to. I have beencelebratig the event at home invit-ing friends and family. Since nowwe have two apartments this yearI thought why not do it at a biggervenue. So I walked into RosehillRacecourse. And rest as you knowis history.”

Gargi, the name she says thather grandfather gave her and thatit is after the name of a learned

woman in the ancient India whowas known to be so non-biasedthat she was appointed a judge inthose days and had the reputationthat she could even go against herhusband if she were to sit on hiscase.

Gargi came to Australia sevenyears ago and says that for herthere was no change and that itwas quite an easy transition. How?Says she proudly, “Didi! because Ihave ‘Hindustani Dil’. I didn’tfind any difference. Every onesays...videsh this..videsh that...saatsamundar paar...but for me I am sopatriotic that even now when Ihear patriotic songs ...I get goosebumps.”

“Anna Hazare in India is fight-ing for a cause and I said why notus in Sydney. Not just India, polit-ical system is corrupt everywherein the world. So it is rather a glob-al cause. I felt I had to help spreadthe fire that Annaji had lit in

India.”“In my childhood I saw my

dad getting affected by the corruptpractices at work for which therepercussions were felt at home bymy mother and us. We all gotaffected and it left a deep impres-sion on me from a young agewhen I asked why..why things arethe way they are. What can we doto improve thats what my dadinstilled in me. He was a greatfriend and a mentor. He used togive me topics to discuss and usedto make me come up with counterarguments on the spot.”

He was a three time winner ofgold medals at Benaras HinduUniversity and under his guidancewhen I won my first gold medaleveryone congratulated me fordoing dad proud,” says Gargi rem-iniscing her college days. Shebecame a lecturer and then beforeshe realised she was marreid andon the way to Australia.

When TIDU asks her about herflambyoyant style and dress senselike of the likes of Princess GraceKelly, that Sydney commuity talksabout her going around to func-tions in limousines of variousdenominations - long, black,sometimes white and even pink,says Gargi, “Well! ‘Khali haathaaye hain aur khaali haathjaayenge’ - we have come emptyhanded into this world and weleave empty handed. God hasgiven me all this and my motherwho was a great lady alwaysbrought me up to dress well. Shewas always dressed gracefully andshe taught me the same that whenwe go out we should present our-selves well.”

“These limousines are just abusiness interest of my husband’s.Neniji moves with his businessassociates like a one big family.He looks after them and they lookafter him. Without their help and

without the help from the commu-nity I could not have organised thefunctions. All the local mediahelped and so did the community.The Mahanavratri function hadthree elements running through it:Shraddha - faith, comviction,Sankalp - promise and Sankalan -composition. Shraddha is an ele-ment which runs in all of us. Weall beleive in our religiuos andcultural traditions. And I said wemust take out a literary souvenirfor the occasion which was ablysupported and edited by RekhaRajvanshi and PradeepUpadhyaye. ‘Salkalp’ magazinewill become a regular quarterly orsix-monthly literary magazine andlast I wanted to show that we hadtalented people like Neelesh Kalein our community. Neelesh is theyoungest Lalit Kala Academywinner. And I felt that this artistdeserves more credit than whatSydney has given him. So Iassigned him to do a photo shootfor the Navratri festival. He wentto India and chose a factory wherethey make statues of Ganesha andDurga - of all Gods andGoddesses. He produced theseamazing photos that when Ilooked at them I just cried,” saidGargi.

“We ought to cherish suchartists and give them the honourand recognition they deserve.”

Says Gargi, “I have so muchmore to do and hope that this fes-tival will only grow with blessingsand divine strength of Ma Durga. Ihave great faith that it will turnout to be the highlight of Indianfestivity in Parramatta region.”

“My father Sh. KeshriKrishan Tripathi was a big influ-ence and he was the founder editorof two magazines ‘Gandeev’ and‘Shastirye’ and my grandfatherPandit Gopal Shastri DarshanKesari wrote many spiritualbooks. I want to learn Sanskritmore and help establish a good lit-erary magazine of the likes of‘Dharamyug’. They both instilledin me a taste for good literature,cultural traditions and my mumused to write shlokas on a ‘peepal’leaf every day which me and mydad used to go to the ganges andfloat it on the water there. It usedto be our daily ritual. Having beenbrought up in such a pious cityand with so much respect for theelders - really for me my mother ismy goddess. She studied B.A. inSanskrit in those days while bring-ing us all up. I am what I ambecause of my mum, my dad andmy grandfather and that is what Iwant to leave behind. Otherwiseall this what I have is anillusion..the reality is somethingelse,” sums up Gargi.

Surely one can see the innerbeautiful being of this lady withall her trappings of luxury sittingat her feet. And we wish her wellin her pursuits to find her real self.

30 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

An IInterview

Gargi: Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani!

Community

October - November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 31

Mahanavratri festivala great success!

By Neena Badhwar

Mahanavratri Festivalheld at RosehillRacecourse on

September 30 turned out to be asuperb family event. Organisedby Value World Travel, it wasan incredible immersive experi-ence for all as the evening start-ed with puja, havan, prayersand chanting of mantras byselect priests who gathered inthe pavilion and created a spiri-tual atmosphere asSydneysiders thronged thevenue.

The program started withthe invocation of GoddessDurga and Goddess Saraswati –a captivating classical Odissiperformance by Anahita Suryafollowed by ‘Dashavataram’performance by Anisha and a‘Ganesh Stuti’ performed inKathak by Aastha Rajvanshi.

With beautifully decoratedand lit stage wishing all a happyMaha Navratri it was anevening full of entertainment asthe crowds were kept engagedthroughout. There was thegraceful Krishna in blue posingaway with people in variousposes. There was the GoddessDurga who came and sat onstage while an impressive lim-ousine had a few young girlsenjoying its interiors by goinginside and sitting in to get a pic-ture taken. On the other sidethere was a display of‘Ganesha’ pictures by NileshKale.

Mata’s bhajan’s sung byRajesh Batra, Dandia songssung by the group Dandia

Dhoom, Pupinder Mintu per-formed Punjabi pop as peopledanced. An excellent ‘ShivParvati’ dance performancechoreographed and performedby Poornima Sharma and Shivawho danced with a live snake.Poornima performed anotheritem of Durga as MahishasurMardini, an engrossing dance.Sydney’s rich culture was ondisplay all around as people gottheir fortune read through tarotreading, kids got their facespainted and food stalls soldNavratri fasting food as well assweets and Chhole Bhature. Itwas a great show ending indrums performed by a SydneyMarathi group as the venueechoed with people dancingaway in groups.

Sydney has witnessed anoth-er high as this cultural and reli-gious festivity has surelybecome an event to look for-ward to every year. For a selectfew it was a lucky evening asDivya Dhingra won the $2,000cash prize from Value World

Travel while Nigam and PayalPatel were all smiles as theywon the biggest win of all – atake home cash prize of $5000.When asked what they woulddo with the money so over-whelmed was the couple thatthey just said ‘don’t know yet’.Perhaps a trip overseas!

This successful evening’scredit goes to Gargi Tripathi ofValue World Travel who sin-glehandedly organized the showthat attracted over four thou-sand people who enjoyed everybit of the six hours of total fes-tive entertainment. By publish-ing a souvenir ‘Sankalp’, GargiTrapathi and Neni Tiwari haveproved that they are the newhorizon.

‘Sankalp’ is a colour glossysouvenir which has articles bythe Sydney community and hasbeen edited by RekhaRajvanshi.. To sum up theexperience, we all felt thedivine presence of Ma Durgain Sydney in a special way. JaiMata Di!

Anahita Surya getting ready by her mother before giving acaptivating Odissi recital.

Gargi Tripathi with Durga

Gargi Tripathi of Value World Travel and lucky winners

4,000 people turned up for the six hours of festive entertainment The Limousine Experience

32 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

Community

By Ritu Ghai and Neena Badhwar

Shiva, a principal Hindu god,asked his wife, Parvati, to fast forhim because he believed the sac-rifice would guarantee his longlife. Known for her devotion toher husband, Parvati agreed. Themischievous god Krishna thenspread the story to humans, whotook up the practice. Anotherfamous tale is about QueenVeeravati, whose seven brotherscould not see her hungry for aday and duped her into believingthe moon is out. In haste the sisterbreaks the fast and finds her hus-band fatally ill the next day. Sherevives him by removing the nee-dles embedded in the King's bodyand observing the fast faithfully.

Plenty of such stories onKarwachauth are heard, believedand followed by Indian womenacross the globe. Women in Northare brought up to believe in thistradition and that succumbing tohunger and breaking their fastwould cause their husbands to fallsick and die.

More than just missinga meal…

The myths are compelling, attimes scary but enough to driveevery women to follow this ritual.What makes this day worthremaining hungry is the glamourattached to it and the absolutelove a women expresses towardsher husband. Equally divine is theway husbands' bestow their wiveswith love, gifts and a specialtreatment. Even markets areresplendent with Karwa chauthfinery, parlours with their packageoffers, clubs organizing specialevents with various stalls, bumperTambola and dance competition -Karwa Chauth is no longer aboutsuffering a day without food.There is so much to enjoy so evenif you miss a meal what's the bigdeal - feel many young women oftoday.

To further add glamour to itsfestive spirit are Bollywood filmsand TV serials that glorify thisday. Sydney has seen its ownKarwachauth get togethers, pujasorganized by ladies till this yearas the custom has left ladies’domain and has taken up com-mercial undertomes in the form a'Karwachauth Mela' which turnedout to be a huge success aswomen turned up in gorgeoussaris and shalwar suits and therewas plenty of entertainment,song, dance and fashion parade.

Says Neeru Saluja, TIDU'sBollywood reporter, who does notadhere to stereotypes or subject

herself into a submissive maritalposition but when it comes toKarwachauth she looks forwardto the day, "Karva Chauth hasalways been a festival close to myheart. Since I was a little girl, Isaw my mum fasting for my dadand the best part of the day wasbuying fresh matthies and apply-ing mehndi! A day before KarvaChauth I go to Harris Park everyyear for my sargi - matthi, mithai,bindis and bangles. Reminds meof my India. I celebrate the daywith my girlfriends, we gettogether before sunset for thepuja, watch a Bollywood movietogether and then wait for themoon to break our fast and thenfeast on delicacies!"

"It's a great night out withfriends. After the fast there's somuch to eat as we all bring a dish.I do get asked at work whethermy husband keeps a fast for me.But I don't mind playing secondfiddle to my husband as I lovethis custom - it not only bonds ustogether, even my daughterwatches me doing puja and seeingthe moon before breaking the fast.She loves getting dressed up andputting bangles on!" says Neeru.

"Although society is changingand girls expect equality in a rela-tionship. Yet I find the youngergeneration is adapting theKarwachauth custom quite will-ingly. There's got to be someappeal in the whole concept of itall. It is not just the long life ofthe husbands girls wish for. In thesame wish they wish that theyhave a good understanding part-ner who loves them back andcares for them in return. So actu-ally the women are looking fortheir own well being in a healthy,happy and loving relationship.This day is a reminder to that thevow we took as a couple whenwe started our life together," saidNeeru.

TIDU spoke toMeena Berry married to Raviwho says about Karwachauth,

"For me a day of fast is some-thing quite small a gesture to askfor something big in return. Iactually feel privileged to cele-brate and honour the bond and itis a reminder for honouring thesanctity of the our relationship. Itsnot a big deal at all as the fast isdone only once a year. To me Ithink it is sweeter than valentineeven."

"People these days tend to buyhappiness to stimulate their sens-es materialistically though for meit is a day of spirituality and anoccasion to cleanse your thoughts.It's a time to detox if you haveany bitterness towards this per-son, says Meena. For her 'Karwa'means 'bitter' - so take away anybitterness out of the relationshipand think of the person you aremarried to with pure intention andfaith."

"I saw my mum giving atten-tion to dad and for her he is nextto God." When asked should thehusband also fast? She says, 'Ifthey do it out of their own choicewell and good. You can't forcethem to fast for you. There's noexpectation but it all comes back.

I know my husband respects mefor what I do for him. If it bringsus together then why not do it

without asking anything inreturn," says Meena.

Anoushka Paul, a researcherwith a pharmaceutical company-married this year to AnthonyPerumal of Sri Lankan origin,

says, "My husband does not knowabout this custom but he appreci-ated the gesture and it was amemorable day for me to connectto the women of the family in theknowledge that my mum, mydadima, my nanima have all beendoing the fast for a long, happylife for their husbands and inreturn wishing themselves a

happy married life. Why I do it isbecause I think it is a nice feelingto share the tradition and amhappy to do it quite willingly. ”

However this ritual becomes atorture for those women whosehusbands are abusive towardsthem or do not care about theirfeelings. When one hears ofdomestic violence, this customholds no sanctity. It becomesimportant for all men to respecttheir wives, rather all women asthe progress of a home, a nationdepends on the status of itswomen. Says Meena, "If you lovesomeone dearly and are willing toendure then do the Karwachauth.May be it is worth fighting forthat relationship. But if there'sabuse, other problems then onemust resort to counseling or seekhelp from outside," commentsMeena reflectively.

'Fast' forward... to Karwachauth

'Fast' Facts…Karwa Chauth is celebrated

on the fourth day after the nightof the full moon in the month ofKarthik. According to the Hinducalendar, the fast is observed onchauth, the fourth night after thefull moon, in the month ofKartikka, which corresponds tosometime in October orNovember.

On this day, wives observe a24-hour long fast for the longlife and wellbeing of their hus-bands. They start fasting atnight, after the moon has risenand continue until the nextevening, when the women dressup in their wedding finery andawait the rising of the moononce more, which signifies thattheir fast can now be broken.

Women hold a plate towardthe moon and look at it througha sieve held in the other hand.After offering rice, water andfood to the moon, they open turnto look at their husband throughthis sieve, touch his feet andbreak their fast by taking a biteof food from their hand.

Of course, people in differ-ent regions of India tend to cele-brate differently now and certainexemptions are possible intoday's time. If the husband isaway on business, the wife canbreak the fast by looking at hisphotograph or after a telephonetalk.

Some find it anachronistic,some find it a ritual to be fol-lowed with no questions askedand no explanations given, forsome its pure devotion and for afew its totally illogical. Evenwomen who take gender equali-ty seriously seem to be keepingthis fast to keep tradition aliveand show their partner howmuch they care. But ritual or noritual, this day is pure festivityfor our karwa chauth riddensociety.

Meena & Ravi Berry with daughter

Lokesh Varma Neeru Saluja

Anoushka Paul

Happy Diwali

September - October 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 33

Diwali: lighting a lamp for others!By Rekha Rajvanshi

‘Asato ma Sad gamayaTamaso ma Jyotir gamayaMrutyor ma Amritam gamaya’

From ignorance lead me to truthFrom darkness lead me to lightFrom death lead me to immortality

Deepavali, the Festival ofLights is celebrated by Hindus allover the world. It brings to thefore the tremendous potential inhumans and our ability to fightthe lower nature with all its baseinstincts and sordid cravings.Deepavali symbolizes the shed-ding of light and retreating ofdarkness. There are many in ourcommunity who work selflesslyto light a lamp of hope and hap-piness in other peoples’ lives.TIDU approached some and thisis what they had to say:

Gnanam Muthukrishnanis a volunteer who visits sen-

iors in nursing homes and rehabhome patients:

On this day we celebrate thetriumph of good over evil, a daywhich should be remembered asan opportunity when lightempowers our lives. This Diwalithe beacon of light I wish to blessupon humanity is the ever press-ing need to remember those lessfortunate than us. This year myDiwali lamp has brightened upthe lives of rehab-home patientswho necessarily wouldn't experi-ence such happiness on a day-to-day basis. The friendships I'vemade and the conversations I'vehad have enriched my life for thebetter and allowed me to instilhope in these patients' lives.Diwali is a time to count ourblessings, and what better way todo that than to provide light,hope and happiness to others.

Avijit Sarkaris a singer, musician, artist,

writer and a social worker, whohas committed himself to thecommunity to the extent thatsometimes his family getsignored. This Diwali he has animportant message for the family:

Having spent over threedecades entertaining audiencesand lighting their lamps of happi-ness, I think it is only prudentthat, from this Diwali onwards, Ilight many lamps of happiness,hope and peace for my own fami-ly. Out there in the broader com-munity there are many cries ofdesperation that need attentionand I am very aware that it is inmy bounds to light lamps thatwould, to an extent, alleviatemany of these cries. However,there comes a time in a man's lifewhen he needs to comprehendthe rationale for his achievementseven if these accomplishmentsare in small measures. Well forme the time has come. I need tosay a big "thank you" to my wifeand daughter for a lifetime dedi-cated to championing the scaf-folding upon which my successeshave been built. There is no bet-ter way of doing this than light-ing a lamp for them on thisDiwali.

Neni Tiwariof Value World Travels is a

young face in the Indian commu-nity, who never turns away fromgenerously sponsoring countlesscharity shows and loves to helpthose who are needy, poor or ill.Neni said:

I was always passionate abouthelping others. There are peoplewho are suffering from hunger,sickness and poverty throughoutthe world. In Australia I havebeen donating blood, which cansave a person's life. I think it'sonly fair to share a little of whatGod has given us with peopleless fortunate, and no better timeto do it than on this Diwali. Iwould like to support under-privi-leged children and orphans inIndia by making sure they haveaccess to food and education, andI hope that my lamp will bring asmile to their face this Diwali.

Bipen Sharma of Sharma's Kitchen has

always donated generously forworthwhile causes whenapproached. Away on a businesstrip, Tanisha, his daughter,replied on Bipin's behalf abouther dad:

My dad will support justabout any charity organisationthat comes his way for any typeof support. He gives his productsfor free to temples and large fes-tivals within the community. Thecharities and festivals don't nec-essarily have to be Indian; theyjust have to have a good cause.My dad also donates moneyoverseas in India towards build-ing schools in remote villagesand just all round helping theunder privileged. He also spon-sors a number of shows and pro-grams which bring the communi-ty together. My dad has always lita lamp in the lives of those lessfortunate and he's extremely pas-sionate about it. I am really proudof him.

Saraswathidoes a lot of community

work. She is always ready tohelp others and she does it solelyfor her love towards the commu-nity. Here's what she said:

I would like to the light thelamp of love, compassion andconcern for our fellow beingsand my duty is to nourish it withsufficient oil and wick. Thelamp might or might not light upother lamps, but still this body ofmine should live for the benefitof others. Share the good expe-riences and values to children tomake them good citizens of thisworld. These children carry thelamp of love and benefit othersto lead a peaceful life which ismore important in today's world.Every lamp lit with love willlight up other lamps.

Subramaniam Iyeris an accountant in Blacktown

hospital. He also works as apriest in Murugan TempleWestmead lighting many PujaArtis and Diyas:

Deepavali stands for the tri-umphant entry of the resplendentlight of peace, unity and under-standing among men and the dra-matic defeat of evil. It also signi-fies the emergence of the soulfrom the darkness of Avidya tothe light of Vidya or awakening.In other words the awakening ofknowledge in an ignorant personindicates light being brought intothe lives of silently suffering peo-ple immersed in utter misery andgloom.

Deepavali signifies emer-gence from ignorance intoknowledge. I am contributing ina small way to assist anEngineering Student in India tocomplete his studies under a verydifficult socio-economic condi-tions brought about by the bread-winner's premature death.

Friends, celebrate Deepawaliin style by bringing joy to some-one's life. Give away your oldclothes to the needy, visit anorphanage and distribute sweetsamong orphans, or make a vowto be nice to everyone, particular-ly your enemies. Don't forget tobe nice to yourself, maybe buysomething for yourself if youhave been longing for it for quitesome time.

Swati Jainhas been fundraising for cancer

foundation for the last couple ofyears and this is what she saysabout Diwali and the spirit the fes-tival holds for her:

"Diwali is a celebration oflight, togetherness and happiness.It is a time I celebrate with myfamily and friends and rememberhow grateful I am to have them inmy life to encourage and supportme. To me, the light of a lamp is asymbol of hope. This lamp lightsa path for me to follow andencourages me to continue mypassion for a hope of a cancer freeworld. This Diwali I will be light-ing a lamp of hope for the futureto ensure that we can all continueto live without the fear of loosingsomeone and can celebrate Diwaliwith everyone."

Diwali is a festival that spreadsthe message of goodwill anddenotes ‘victory of good over evil’Many of us do our bit to make thisworld a better place. Why not cele-brate this Diwali in its true spiritthat is giving joy to the world!

Dr Shailja Chaturvedi is a Psychatrist by profession.

She is a poet and has served theIndian community of Australia asthe president of Hindi Samaj. Sheis supporting the poor and lessfortunate in India by participatingin charity camps:

One of the greatest accom-plishments for anyone is to bringlight in someone else's life. Wemust endeavour to light one lampwith another, to create the contin-uous awakening and bonding forglobal illumination. For me per-sonally I shall share the shine ofa family wedding in India andplan the Eye Camp in Rishikeshto help open at least 100 blindeyes to the world soaked withsunshine, happiness and hope. Ihope everyone around the worldwill be committed to creatinghappiness and goodwill by con-demning the terrorism, brutalitiesand destruction.

34 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

Sri Hanuman

October-November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 35

Servant of the Lord is greater thanthe Lord Himself

By Kanaka Ramakrishna

The servant of the Lord isgreater than the LordHimself.” This profound

statement by Saint Tulsidasapplies quite aptly to none otherthan Sri Hanuman. He can beconsidered as the brightest jewel,a veritable diamond in the neck-lace of the characters inRamayana. Perhaps he is the onlycharacter in the marvellousgallery of portraits of Valmikiwho has received so much adora-tion and affection from theHindus as Sri Rama Himself.

Hanuman’s physical strengthand prowess were proverbial.There was no task that he couldnot accomplish. His mastery overthe scriptures was unmatched. Hisintelligence and shrewdness wereextraordinary. His commonsensewas uncanny. He was the paragonof every virtue. Above all, hisdevotion to Rama was supreme,towering above all other qualities.

Hanuman was the son ofAnjanadevi and Vayudeva (alsoknown as Marut). Hence he isAnjaneya and Maruti. He iscalled Hanuman because of hanuor a prominent jaw. He was edu-cated by the Sun-god and was anaccomplished yogi. He hadacquired immunity from variousweapons as per the boons of thegods in heaven.

Hanuman belonged to themighty Vanara clan, an ancienthuman racial group in SouthIndia. He was the minister and anintimate friend of Sugriva, theVanara king of Kishkindha. ValIdrove his brother Sugriva out ofhis kingdom, took away his wifeand chased to kill him. Sugrivawas on the run to save his life.Hanuman, being a righteous per-son, accompanied Sugriva and forhis sake, voluntarily underwentmany hardships. He advisedSugriva to take refuge inRishyamukha hill nearKishkindha, as Vali was prohibit-ed to enter that area due to thecurse of Sage Matanga.Hanuman’s wisdom and timelyadvice saved Sugriva’s life.

When Rama and Lakshmana,in the course of their search forSita, arrived at the foot of theRishyamukha hill, Sugriva sentHanuman to find out who theywere. Hanuman’s respectful andcourteous manner of approachand his refined speech impressedRama so much that he admiredhim and told Lakshmana thatnone could speak like Hanumanwithout mastering the Vedas withall their branches. He admired hisscholarship, faultless elegant lan-guage, fine accent and his art oforatory. Convinced of their nobil-ity and greatness, Hanuman car-ried them to Sugriva and eulo-

gised them before him. BothRama and Sugriva forged mutualfriendship and agreed to help eachother.

The attraction of Hanuman forRama and Rama’s special affec-tion for him that sprouted on thatfirst meeting grew to paramountproportions, is now a legend. Assoon as Hanuman saw Rama, heremembered his forgottenstrength. He felt himself drawnirresistibly to him and instanta-neously Rama became his spiritu-al ideal and he resolved to dedi-cate himself completely to him.The very name ‘Rama’ broughtinexhaustible energy to Hanuman,which was the secret of all hiswonderful accomplishments.

Rama killed Vali and restoredto Sugriva his kingdom. WithVali’s death, his noble queen Tarawas inconsolable with grief. Itwas Hanuman who comforted herand his timely advice restored hermental balance and peace.

After regaining his kingdom,Sugriva was steeped in sensuouspleasures, neglecting his duties aswell as his promise to help Rama.It was Hanuman who roused himand advised him to apologise toRama.

Sugriva had full confidence inHanuman that he would find Sitawherever she was. Sri Rama alsohad great trust and faith inHanuman. Before he departed tosearch for Sita, Rama gaveHanuman his signet ring to begiven to Sita, expressing his fullconfidence in him and his successin his venture.

Thereupon, Hanuman offeredhimself to Rama. All his thoughtsand activities were concentratedon Rama alone. He had anunflinching loyalty at the cost ofhis personal comfort and even atthe cost of his life. Though hewas bestowed with many wonder-ful yogic powers and strength, hebelieved they were not his, but

the power of Rama’s name, whichwas his strongest secret weaponto conquer anything in the world.His faith was, “I have chanted theholy name of Rama. Is there any-thing impossible for me?” Theego of a devotee is not an ordi-nary ego. It begets no pride.Instead it strengthens the devotionand love to God.

Sugriva sent his troops in alldirections to find out the where-abouts of Sita. Since he had seena lady in distress in an aircraftalong with a monstrous figure fly-ing towards the south, he sent themost able of his troops to thesouth under the leadership ofHanuman and Vali’s son Angada.When this group arrived at theshore of the southern sea, nonebut Hanuman could cross the seato reach Lanka. Uttering Rama’sname, Hanuman enlarged hisbody to a massive proportionusing his yogic powers. Withimmense faith, courage, patience

and presence of mind, overcom-ing many difficulties on the waywith undaunted spirit, Hanumancrossed the ocean extending onehundred yojanas in one mightyleap.

In Lanka, Hanuman searchedfor Sita everywhere especially inRavana’s palace, but could notfind her. Seeing many beautifulwomen in the harem in variousuncouth postures, he was nottempted in the least. This revealsHanuman’s great mastery over hissenses and is a tribute to hisbramhacharya (celibate life).

Hanuman showed his humilitywhen Vibhishana asked who hewas. Hanuman replied humblythat there was nothing in his namebut if one repeats the name ofRama, one can attain mukti. Thissubtle spiritual advice showsHanuman’s humility and loyaltythat stretched to the utmost limit.

Finally, Hanuman found Sita Continued on page 36....

Hanuman’s physical strength and prowess were proverbial.When Lakshmana was felled unconscious by Ravana’s missileand Rama was in grief, Hanuman flew with the speed of thewind to fetch the Sanjivini herb from the Himalayas, which

brought Lakshmana back to life to the delight of all and Rama was supremely happy.

36 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October - November 2011

Sri Hanuman

Continued from page 35

in Asoka Vatika. His intelligence andexpertise in psychology are clearly demon-strated here as on several other occasions.When he came to Asoka Vatika he quietlyclimbed a tree and hiding himself, sur-veyed the surrounding areas. He found Sitaseated on the ground under a tree, lookingthin and pale, surrounded by the wickedrakshasis. Seeing her thus, Hanuman’sheart melted with pity. When the rakshasis’attention was diverted, Hanuman quietlycame down from the tree and told Sita thathe was the messenger of Rama. He had touse all his wisdom and tact to establish hisidentity and develop a personal rapport andgenerate full trust in her. He gave herRama’s signet ring and message. Seeingthe ring Sita was very happy and wasrelieved. Hanuman offered that he wouldtake her to Rama if she were willing. Sitatold him it would be appropriate for Ramato come and take her within one month, thestipulated time that was given to her byRavana, and redeem her honour. She sur-rendered her crest jewel to be delivered toRama with a final hope that he would comesoon and rescue her.

After finding Sita Hanuman was mightyhappy. Though his task was fulfilled, toleave a mark of his immense strength andextraordinary power, he contrived to meetRavana and also to have a surveillant viewof his city. He destroyed Ravana’sfavourite pleasure garden and killed therakshasa warriors who tried to capturehim. Finally, Hanuman wilfully submittedhimself and succeeded in meeting Ravana.Hanuman admonished Ravana severely andadvised him to return Sita honourably toRama or face decimation at Rama’s hands.He offered Ravana a chance to save him-self. Ravana became furious and ordered toset fire to his tail, the very fire with whichhe destroyed Lanka. But Hanuman knewthe truth that it was the fire of Sita’s sighsand Rama’s wrath that had already burntLanka. Before he returned to Kishkindha,he came to Asoka Vatika and assured Sitathat Rama would rescue her within amonth.

Seeing the victorious Hanuman, allwere very happy in Kishkindha. Hanumanmet Rama who was eagerly waiting andtold him, “I saw Sita.” He handed overSita’s crest jewel to him and narrated allthat happened in Lanka. Rama’s joy knewno bounds. He heartily praised Hanumanexpressing his gratitude and gave him thebest reward he had - his warm embrace -and said, “O mighty hero, I cannot repayyour debt.”

Rama and Sugriva started on an inva-sion of Lanka immediately. When theywere camping on the seashore, Ravana’sbrother Vibhishana came to seek refuge atthe feet of Rama. It was Hanuman whointroduced him to Rama and convinced himof Vibhishana’s genuine purpose of seekinghis refuge.

In Lanka, during the war Hanuman’smany heroic exploits were remarkable. Asa result of fierce battle between Rama’svanara army and Ravana’s rakshasa army,many vanaras were wounded and dying.Hanuman was told that he was the only onewho could save all the vanaras by bringingthe precious herbs from the peak in theHimalayas. Immediately he flew fasterthan the wind to reach the place. When hecouldn’t find the herbs, he tore the entireSanjivini peak and flew back to Lanka sofast as only he could fly and saved all thevanaras. Again when Lakshmana was

felled unconscious by Ravana’s missile andRama was in grief, Hanuman flew with thespeed of the wind to fetch the herb from theHimalayas, which brought Lakshmanaback to life to the delight of all and Ramawas supremely happy.

When Ravana lost his brothers and sonsin the fierce war, he desperately sought thehelp of his only remaining brother AhiRavana, the king of nether world. He camein disguise and carried both Rama andLakshmana to the nether world, while theywere asleep. When he was about to sacri-fice them to the goddess, Hanuman sud-denly appeared and killed Ahi Ravana andcarried both Rama and Lakshmana on hisshoulders and returned to Lanka. The ser-vant of the Lord saved the Saviour! Onceagain the servant of the Lord becamegreater than the Lord himself!

After the death of Ravana at the handsof Rama, Hanuman was given the privilegeto give Sita the happy news, which he didhappily and gracefully. Sita was overjoyedand blessed him to be a chiranjeevi (to liveforever on this earth).

It was Hanuman’s privilege to be themessenger of Rama to Bharata. He gavethe happy news of Rama’s homecoming toBharata who was eagerly awaiting andendeared to Bharata almost instantaneous-ly. It was Hanuman who brought joy andauspiciousness to all - by unifying Sugrivaand Rama, Vibhishana and Rama, Sita andRama, Bharata and Rama and finally hehimself became completely unified withRama.

After the coronation ceremony ofRama, Sita gave Hanuman a precious neck-lace of rare pearls. Hanuman received itrespectfully and started to break the pearlsone by one with his teeth. Surprised bythis strange act, Sita asked him why he wasbreaking the pearls. Hanuman said,“Mother, I want to find out whether any ofthe pearls contain my Rama. I do not keepanything devoid of him. I do not find himin any of the pearls.” Sita asked, “Then,tell me whether you keep Rama withinyou.” Hanuman immediately opened hisheart and showed Rama with Sita in hisheart. What more evidence is needed whenthe devotee tears open the heart to revealhis Lord!

Hanuman did not have any ego con-sciousness. Once Rama asked him,“Hanuman, how do you look at me?’ Withall humility and respect Hanuman replied,“O Lord, as long as I identify myself withthe body, I am your servant and you aremy master. I am your creature, eternallyseparate from you. When I identify myselfwith the soul, I am a part and you are thewhole, I am a spark of the Divine fire,which you are. But when I identify myselfwith the knowledge of Truth, you and I areone.”

Hanuman was always immersed inRama’s bliss and did not think of any otherthing. Once he was asked which day of thefortnight it was. Hanuman said, “Brother,I do not know anything of the day or theweek or the fortnight or the position of thestars. I think of only Rama.”

Hanuman had unswerving and single-minded love and devotion to only one ideal– Sri Rama. He went to Dwaraka to seeRama and Sita. Krishna said to Rukmini,“Hurry, you better assume the form ofSita. Otherwise, there will be no escapefrom the hands of Hanuman.” He wouldnot see any other form except Rama withSita, his chosen ideal.

Sita said to Hanuman, “My child, inone form I’m Sita, in another form I’m

Rama.” Whatever names and forms yousee is nothing but the manifestation of thepower of Chitshakti.”

After having the vision of God withform and also without form, Hanumanremained firmly devoted to the form ofRama, because he wanted to enjoy Rama’sbliss (Satchidananda) forever.

Finally, before departing to his heaven-ly abode, Rama blessed Hanuman andasked him to remain on this earth as longas His legendary story was recited and bepresent wherever people chant or sing Hisglory. Even to this day, wherever peoplesing and chant the name of Rama,Hanuman will inevitably be present there.

Once, Swami Vivekananda was askedwhat ideal one should follow. Swamijisaid, “Make Hanuman your ideal. With the

name of Sri Rama, he crossed the ocean.He had no care for his life or death. Hewas a perfect master of his senses and won-derfully sagacious. As on one hand,Hanuman represented the ideal of service,on the other hand, he represented the leo-nine courage. He had not the least hesita-tion in sacrificing his life for the good ofRama - a supreme indifference to every-thing else except the service of Rama. Suchwholehearted devotion is wanted if youwant to pursue God. If you can build yourcharacter after such an ideal, then thousandothers will follow. Do not swerve from theideal and never lose heart. Then only youwill attain the grace of God.”

There is no Rama withoutHanuman: There is no Hanumanwithout Rama.

Servant of the Lord is greater than the Lord Himself

After Rama’s coronation, Sita gaveHanuman a precious necklace of rare

pearls. Hanuman started to break eachpearls. Surprised, Sita asked him whyhe was breaking the pearls. Hanuman

said, “Mother, I want to find outwhether any of the pearls contain my

Rama. I do not keep anything devoid ofhim.” Sita asked, “Then, tell me whether

you keep Rama within you.” Hanuman immediately opened his heart and showed Rama

with Sita in his heart

Community

October-November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 37

The journey of keys

A Rajasthani take on ‘Swan Lake’

By Sumi Krishnan

Quietly, the keys hit theirnote. As the controlledvoice embellishes the

sound, comes the poetry. In thecorner of my eyes is a movementand then I hear footsteps… BlueDivine!!

‘Where the difference betweenthe singer and the song no longerexist, there is Music’, said AnilSrinivasan and in so saying beganthe journey of the keys joined bythe voice, the poetry and the storytold by the footsteps bringing tofruition an entrancing evening atthe Parramatta Riverside Theatrein Sydney

In an intricately laced partner-ship in August, Sikkil Gurucharanand Anil Srinivasan explored 4-19century poetry from renownedtexts, setting the pace for theevening with Kalidasa’s composi-tion. This was followed byNightingale in the Grove, in‘Punkuyil Koovam PooncholayilOre Naal‘ and the sensitive selec-tion of the keys in ‘ThanimayilInimmai Kanden’ ‘In solitude I amfound’.

This is ‘The Blue Divine’ – aproduction initiated byAnandavalli, Artistic Director ofLingalayam, whose attempt to linkthe music, the musicians, thePoetry, the Story through the

medium of dance with her stu-dents, young dancers from hercompany across two countries, isdecidedly an ambitious experi-ment.

As the silhouette of the dancersmysteriously draws one’s eyesaway from the piano and SikkilGurucharan, one can actually hearthe bells of their feet, see theexpressions and the colorful cos-tumes, feelings breathe life intoJayadeva’s Lalitha Lavanga.

No sooner is the romantic spellcast, Sikkil and Anil draw us intothe sensitive folds of ‘MadhavaMamava Deva Krishna’. IfNarayana Tirtha’s compositionwas not sentimental enough, the

next numbers cast a spell bindingquiet in Hari Tum Haro, aMeera’s composition and in theequally soft Pibara Ramarasam –the story of Rama. Anil’s com-mentary in between is the onlyspell breaker casting a crease inthe velvety smooth aura of theirunique music.

In ‘Saramaina MatalenthoChalu Chalu ra’ the musicianswere yet again joined by theLingalayam Dancers who por-trayed the story of the Feet thatBrahma Washed. The Dance intoInfinity with Bhavayami followed.The sentimental journey endedwith a long awaited Thillana.

Anil Srinivasan’s ability to

blend the realms of each ragaremain true to the mood and inter-pretation of the lyrics isadmirable. The voice of SikkilGurucharan and his imaginationset the standard for the evening.

The dancers of the Lingalayamdance company did an excellentjob of conveying the stories. TheAnil-Sikkil partnership, while newto Sydney, has been in existencefor a long time now. Their honedact is unmatched.

What is required of the audi-ence is an open mind to welcomeexperiments such as Blue Divinewhich show a decided potential totake these traditional art forms intounchartered waters.

By Brijanthi Rajeev

Swans represent womanhood in its purestform. The stories of swan-maidens dateas far back as ancient Greece. In Hindu

mythology, the swan is the symbol of graceand discernment. Brahma the creator uses theswan as his carrier. The Brahma temple ofPushkar Lake in Rajasthan is one of the fewtemples dedicated to Brahma. Legend has itthat the gods released a swan holding a lotusin its beak and let it fall on earth whereBrahma would perform a grand Yagna – itfell in Pushkar.

Thus, it is fitting that the Indian/SriLankan dance school Thillai Nadanalayachose to set Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake balletin the Jaipur. The creation of its director,Dhamyanthy Balaraju, ‘Swan Lake in Jaipur’was staged on 10th September at theHurstville Entertainment Centre.

Dhamyanthy hails form a family of musi-cians. Her grandfather Param was thefounder of the North Ceylon Oriental MusicSociety, established in 1931 to advanceCarnatic music in Sri Lanka. Her fatherParam Thillairajah was an ‘A’ grade Carnaticmusician of TV and radio of Sri Lanka.Dhamyanthy has done her musical lineageproud with the promotion of Indian/SriLankan classical dance in Sydney for the past27 years. She has staged many creative danceproductions noted for their choreography andnovel themes and ideas. She staged SwanLake first in 1991.

The evening commenced with traditionaldances to a live orchestra. It is a refinementto the repertoire of a musician to be able tosuccessfully accompany dancers and themusicians rose to the challenge under the ableguidance and exceptional nattuvangam ofDhamyanthy. Of note was the lead vocalistSudhagar Sivabalan and his mellifluous voice.The now frequently called upon Mridangamplayer to Bharatanatyam artists, JanakanSuthanthiraraj, must also be commended forhaving nurtured his innate musical talents inAustralia. It is also fulfilling to a dance con-noisseur to see an element of pure classicaldance at any dance production. The first halfof the night was a showcase for the technicaldance talents of ‘Thillai Nadanalaya’, theBharathanatyam dance school ofDhamyanthy. Well trained and hungry toplease their teacher, the young ladies in eachof the dances displayed enthusiasm and wide-eyed earnestness to do justice to the beautiful-ly choreographed pieces. The youngest par-

ticipants, perhaps five years old, were adelight as their cute gestures brought out theirinnocence.

As a compere for the evening, I was ableto take it easy as the helpers scurried aroundme backstage, preparing for each scene of themain event that was to follow. The colours ofRajasthan slowly started to enfold backstageas I saw maidens in beautiful blue organzawhisk past me in all their youthful beauty.Dhamyanthy’s 1991 ‘Swan

Lake’ had an Indian theme but not thesame colour that only a production set inJaipur could. Instead of white, for example,the swan maidens this time were in turquoisewith the lead in a shimmering gold. The cos-tumes of Rajasthan made the production ashow in itself rather than mimicry of the orig-inal Swan Lake ballet. Similarly, the classi-cal and semi-classical Indian dance moves(rather than an imitation of ballet), empow-ered the show in its own right. This produc-tion was mature and intelligent, doing justiceto Kathak and Indian dance (as well as SwanLke). Pity that the live orchestra did not con-tinue to accompany the dancers. Also, a larg-er, more majestic stage was needed for suchan ambitious production.

Nonetheless, each scene of this produc-tion had mesmerizing dancing. The leadswan was confident in her Bollywood likemoves. The evil sorcerer too was magnifi-cent, sending a shiver down my spine. Wejoined in the merriment of the Bollywoodmoves of the boys (and girls). The royaldancers and companions played their partswell. At the ‘Swayamvaram’ for PrinceJanakaraj, we were spoilt with several Indiandance styles as the various state princessesdanced with elegance in an attempt to win hislove. The princesses rose to the challenge ofbrisk eye catching dancing, bringing out thebeauty of the various dance styles of India.The recent arangetram debutants Ramya andArchanaa Rathakrishnan teamed up with the1991 production dancer, Aruna Pavithran, todisplay their polished moves. Indeed, it wouldhave been nice to see more of DhamyanthyBalraju’s arangetram debutants.

My congratulations to Dhamyanthi for hercreativity and dedication to Indian classicaldance in yet another magnificent production.‘Swan Lake in Jaipur’ is a poignant exampleof her ability to create new frontiers in Indianclassical dance while maintaining the tradi-tional nuances of this ancient art form. Wecan only look forward with anticipation to hernext production!

38 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

Community

By Abhishek Sood

The Indian ConstituentAssembly adopted Hindi as theofficial language of India on 14thSeptember 1949, which has sincebeen observed as Hindi Divasacross the world including India,every year.

To mark this significant occa-sion, IABBV Hindi School, inassociation with the AustralianHindi Committee, ILASA (Indianliterary and art society ofAustralia) and Bhartiya VidyaBhavan, proudly hosted "HindiMela" at Thornleigh Public Schoolon 11th September 2011.

The event was held with thenoble intention of helping IndianAustralians stay connected withtheir culture and values and rein-forcing the importance of thenational language, given Hindiunites all Indians regardless oftheir background and nativetongue.

The event was graced by thepresence of several dignitaries andguests of honour including MrPhillip Ruddock MP, Mr DavidElliot MP (Member for BaulkhamHills) representing Mr VictorDominello, Minister forImmigration & Community, MrMatt Kean MP, Mr Nick Berman(Mayor, Hornsby Shire), Mr DilipChopra (Councillor Hornsby

Shire), Mr Kamahl Kamleshvaran,Mr Shashikant Meshram (ViceConsul), representing Mr AmitDasgupta, Consul General ofIndia.

All the dedicated students andteachers, under the tireless guid-ance of beloved "Mala Aunty" pre-sented a wonderful presentation of

everything Hindi! The day com-menced with narrations by olderstudents on topics ranging from"Role model ke roop mein pita" to"Akshay urja".

This was followed by an enter-taining an informative Hindi skiton Anna Hazare and his recentanti-corruption movement, ably

performed by students from Years5 to 8.

The program continued with apoetry recitation contest, whichincluded participation by studentsof all ages. The students recitedsome truly delightful poems andthe recitals by the little ones wereespecially commendable. The

competition was won by the fol-lowing students: AkankshaKandulal & Shreya Parwal, RishabBabji and Nirali Atul ChandraGoel.

The most enjoyable perform-ance of the day then ensued - bythe little stars of Hindi School whopresented a beautiful poem on"Chiriya", colourfully dressed upas adorable birds!

Finally, Hindi Divas concludedas the melodious Mr Vinod Rajputled the children in a group per-formance of the ever-popularHindi song, "Mumbai Meri Jaan".The finishing touches were thenadded by a powerful rendition ofRabindranath Tagore's poem bythe renowned singer, Kamahl.

A Hindi Diwas could not becomplete without the contributionof local writers who write poetry,stories, articles in Hindi. The after-noon culminated into a session forserious Hindi literature lovers as aKavi Sammelan organized by wasthe highlight. ILASA is a newlyformed literary and art society oflike-minded people mainly writersand artists. Kavi Sammelan startedat 1.30 pm and was attended by250 people.

MC Rekha Rajvanshi invitedRicha Srivastava, who recitedfamous Hindi poet Jai ShankarPrasad's poem. A tribute was paidto Saba Zaidi's Mum Sajida Zaidi,

A joint Hindi Divas under one roof

Simran Somaiya - a young Hindi student of IABBV

Community

September - October 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 39

a famous Urdu-Hindi poet, who leftus last year. Saba recited one of herAmmi's favorite poems.

In all, there were 24 local poets,who recited their poems and mesmer-ized the listeners. These poems reflect-ed various moods, memories and emo-tions. Subhash Sharma, a renownedpoet from Gladstone was invited andhis famous poem 'Maza naheen vo aayahai' and 'Julia O Julia' were appreciatedby all. Some of the younger and newpoets were - Gargi Tripathi, AnuChhabra, Siddhant Nakra, Ajoy Ghosh,Mukesh Jani, Darshan Behl and SureshMakkar. Their poems had a new andfresh outlook, some of them were nos-talgic. Amongst the known poets were -Dr Shailja Chaturvedi, Vimla Luthra,Sant Ram Bajaj, Dhanraj Chowdhari,Vijay Kumar Singh, Ram PrakashMehdiratta and Rekha Rajvanshi.Another interesting Hindi contributioncame from Anu Shivram, who speaksKannada but loves Hindi. Dr YaduSingh recited a poem on new age jour-nalists; Harmohan Singh Walia'shumorous poem was on 'Dil'. ShashiBaranwal, Pradeep Upadhyay, KusumChowdhary and Arvind Verma readpoems of their favorite poets. All thepoets were honored with a shawl.

The Kavi Sammelan was sponsoredby 'Sharma's Kitchen' and 'UneekConveyancing' and was attended bymany dignitaries. The quality of poemsin the Kavi Sammelan was highlyappreciated by the audience. For thesuccess of this Kavi sammelan, creditgoes to Rekha Rajvanshi of ILASA andMala Mehta of IABBV Hindi School.

Overall, Hindi Divas Mela wasgreat a success as it was a joint effort ofIABBV Hindi School, Australian HindiCommittee and ILASA and owing tothe tremendous hard work of all stu-dents, teachers, alumni and the support-ive parent community. Kudos to allinvolved!Siddhant Nakra, Ajoy Ghosh,Mukesh Jani, Darshan Behl and SureshMakkar. Their poems had a new andfresh outlook, some of them were nos-talgic. Amongst the known poets were -Dr Shailja Chaturvedi, Vimla Luthra,Sant Ram Bajaj, Dhanraj Chowdhari,Vijay Kumar Singh, Ram PrakashMehdiratta and Rekha Rajvanshi.Another interesting Hindi contributioncame from Anu Shivram, who speaksKannada but loves Hindi. Dr YaduSingh recited a poem on new age jour-nalists; Harmohan Singh Walia'shumorous poem was on 'Dil'. ShashiBaranwal, Pradeep Upadhyay, KusumChowdhary and Arvind Verma readpoems of their favorite poets. All thepoets were honored with a shawl.

The Kavi Sammelan was sponsoredby 'Sharma's Kitchen' and 'UneekConveyancing' and was attended bymany dignitaries. The quality of poemsin the Kavi Sammelan was highlyappreciated by the audience. For thesuccess of this Kavi sammelan, creditgoes to Rekha Rajvanshi of ILASA andMala Mehta of IABBV Hindi School.

Overall, Hindi Divas Mela wasgreat a success as it was a joint effort ofIABBV Hindi School, Australian HindiCommittee and ILASA and owing tothe tremendous hard work of all stu-dents, teachers, alumni and the sup-portive parent community. Kudos toall involved!

Hindi Divas moved from classroom to classroom as children performed in front of the select audience with Hon Phillip RuddockFederal MP, singer Kamahl, David Elliott MP Balukham Hills and guests from community. Middle: Poets made ILASA’s Kavi Sammelan a successBottom: ILASA’s Rekha Rajvanshi with Keith Salvat and Sheba Nandkeolyar, CEO Multical Connexions, launchign the DVD ofAboriginal Stories translated into Hindi by Rekha with DVD produced by Keith.

40 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

Community

By Neena Badhwar

The Liverpool Whitlam CentreHall fully was packed with devoteesof Murari Bapu congregating to thevenue every day from September 18to 25 for the Ram Katha organised byShri Shiva Temple, Minto.

There were 300 devotees whohad come from overseas and inter-state everday along with thousands tohear their dear Bapu as people sat athis feet listening to anecdotes, mytho-logical stories from the epicRamayana. And as he related the sto-ries he cried as well at times wipinghis tears so emotionally tied up is heto the story of Lord Rama, Devi Sitaand their favorite disciple LordHanuman. As Morari Bapu sat him-self at the feet of an impressive pho-tograph of Hanuman in meditation,.saying goes that where ever the RamKatha is being told Hanuman ji issure to be present.

And when Morari Bapu tells theway he tells the story surely there wasthe presence of Divine Lord as theaudience sat mesmerised every dayfor hours to listen to what MorariBapu had come to say.

Sydney had been waiting for theSaint’s visit since the last few yearsas earlier a trip was cancelled due topersonal reasons. And reasons he didgive as devotees had prepared for histrip having even made sweets andsavouries for the occasion by the hun-dreds which had to be gotten rid of.They all wanted to know why. AndMorari Bapu profusely apologied fornot making it to Sydney a place hesaid was like living in a heaven.

As he related the Katha with hisinteresting style and musiciansaccompanying him singing bhajans,

hymns and chopais from theRamayana, Morari Bapu’s easy deliv-ery with contemporary message forall made sense. He said, “We shouldbe practising everyday Sanyas - NitSanyasi is one who is detached yetliving in this world. One does nothave to go to the Himalayas tobecome a sanyasi - it means living adesire-free life right where you are.”He quoted the Sydney road sign‘Watch out People About’ - whilebeing connected to your innerself doyour duty towards the people aroundyou.”

“Do not mull if a dear one leaves

but don’t stop the tears from runningdown from the eyes..”

Bapu said, “Stay put and don’trun away. Live right here in the mid-dle of all yet live with total detach-ment. If tears come in remebrance ofthe dear deparetd ones so be it.”

Bapu’s little pieces of wisdomkept all coming for more as crowdsswelled to thousands on the week-ends.Bapu told interesting storieshow earth had gone to devtas in theform of a cow asking for help, for anAvatar to take on the bad in theworld. “An Avataar is born aftermuch prayer, wait and tapas - one has

to wait for thousands of years whenBhagwan takes birth. And thats howLord Rama came after much penanceand prayer in the Dashrath house-hold.”

Morari Bapu said that sometimespeople approach him to come urgent-ly for a ‘Katha’ and when he tellsthem that his diary is busy for the next4 years they get disappointed. “I sayto them that there are no short cuts. Imust adhere to the booked schedule.And I always stress that there’s no‘bhajan without bhojan’ - wherever Igo for Katha there must be food aspeople come from far off places so

there must be prashad.”Interspersed with chopais, beauti-

ful songs that Morari Bapu convertsinto ‘love for God and God alone’ -his musicians sing beautifully withhim - ‘Tumhi mere mandir tumhimeri puja’ and when telliing jokesMorari Bapu wins all - young and theold..

Sydney presented a beautifulBhajan Sandhya on September 24thwhen artists clamoured to sing fortheir favorite guru. Volunteers tooktime off their work and lives to bepresent and serve at the occasionwhich required huge amount of plan-ning. Jagdish Chawla got a Peepaltree uprooted from his home by a hor-ticulturalist which he had broughtfrom India and tended for the last 15year in his backyard. The tree wasplanted in the Temple precinct byMorri Bapu as a memory of his visitto Sydney.

Dr Jasu Ben Kana who headedthe Catering team for all the 9 dayssaid that people worked from morn-ing to late at night cooking food forover 15,000 devotees who throngedto the venue. And must we say thatthe prashad was the most deliciousand keenly served by all. Dr Kanaeven made sure that there wasEkadasi dishes on the day like SamuKhichdi and Farari Shak, potato curryand peanuts. Rest of the days hadsimple sabzi, rice, roti or puri andsweets. Jasu Ben was helped by fif-teen husbands and wives team whoproduced meals for breakfast, lunchand dinner.

Everyone enjoyed the spirituallysoaked environment and vibrationsaround the venue were felt by all.With Bapu present it was love anddevotion all the way!

He came, he cried and won our hearts

Morari Bapu’ s Ram Katha - a spritually enriching experience

Young Volunteers at the Food Hall Dr Jasu Ben Kana with her team holding the ladle in the kitchen

Sangeet Sandhya organised by Aradhana Bhatta (right) Devotees

Community

September - October 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 41

A Candle Light Vigil at Parramatta Park on November 26 in memoryof 26/11 Mumbai Attack

"Mit jaate jo maatrbhumi par voh bante itihaas hai, mastak dhool chadaane unko jhuk jaate aakaash hai"

Paradoxes,contradictions and contrasts make India a unique nation where democracy and solidarity remains the final word on resolu-tions.The sheer audacity of the terrorists on India's pluralistic democracy to polarise Indian society with murderous rampage of 60 hourson 26th november 2008 bitterly failed. It may have taken 3 years for the tears to dry in order to articulate the sentiments of our achingheart but from this year Sydney will join the globe, to remember the Shaheeds of Mumbai.Mumbai has risen to its past glory stronger than ever and united than ever before. We salute the undefatigable spirit of Mumbai with-standing all the natural and man made atrocities. We honour those who sacrificed their life and those who rebuilt the spectacular iconiccity of magic with their unrelenting endurance,generosity and resilience.

Terrorists have changed the rules of civilisation and existance of democracy. The discovery of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan removedany dout that it is the country where terrorism grows destroying even its own people and fracturing its own chaotic economy albeit withgenerous financial funding from the US.

Wherever we live,we the Pravasi Bharteey stand uncondionally with India to support its quest for solidarity and true pluralistic democracyThe brutal carnage will not be a mere piece of history or information,it will be actively eradicated from our cultured society.In the midst of paradoxes,contradictions,controversies and contrasts and with the experiences of resounding triumphs and devastatingfailures India has never tarnished its most valuable assett of the solidarity of its people which shines out of every adversity. The capacityof Indians for love, courage, resilience and endurance will never cease to amaze me. Mumbai in no uncertain form has shown its profound committment and dedication to remain undefeated

"Shaheedo kee chitao par lagenge har baras mele, vatan par marne vaalo kaa yehi antim nisha hoga"

A candle light vigil will take place in Parramatta Park on 26th November at 6 PM. More information www.aimga.org.au

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australiacelebrated Mahatma Gandhi's 142ndBirth Anniversary (2 October) asInternational Day of Non-Violence bydedicating a stage play, ‘Personal War-Stories of the Mumbai Attacks’ to itsmembers and patrons. The play writtenand directed by Divya Palat, (Winner ofaward for excellence in direction at theNew York International Fringe Festival),is based on strories of victims as sixactors share the first-person account ofthe 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The playwas staged at The Greek Theatre,Marrickville and stirred up great emo-tions as actors played each story withscreen in the background reliving the sadepisode. Said Divya, who also played arole, “It was sad to see so many peopleaffected by the attack and every victimseemed to tell the same tale of bureacrat-ic bungle, the frustration and how theinnocent were people caught up in thesad saga of war and terror. I felt that thestoriess of the real heroes who faced theordeal need to be told.”

It was an excellent play in the form ofmonologues and videos as the story ofeach victim unfolded. So engrossingwas the play that people were quiet afer-wards as if they had become themselvespart of the storiesenacted by actors.

Divya has taken this play around theworld having staged it in New York,Durban as she says about the play that

‘The play brought my own catharsisbecause I felt that by doing a play I want-ed to make my contribution in my ownway to victims who had seen hell anddisplayed tremendous courage and hopeto rebuild their lives.”

Other functions held to commemo-rate Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle ofPeace

The Gandhi Peace Centre in coordi-nation with Holroyd City CouncilLibrary and Parramatta City CouncilLibrary also organised a weeklong booksand poster exhibitions at the libraries.Other local Community Partners, localbusinesses, Councils, MRC Parramattaorganised various public functions on theday.

The High Commission of Indiaorganised a function to commemoratethe birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhiat Glebe Park, Canberra. MahatmaGandhi's 1.68 metre high bronze statuein the heart of Canberra and Universityof New South Wales in Sydney, are sym-bolic representations of the many corevalues of tolerance and respect for diver-sity that the two nations share.

A play on Mumbai 26/11 attacks tomark the International Day of NonViolence by Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan

Top: Divya Palat with Gambhir Watts,President Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan,AustraliaBottom: Divya and actors withSydneysiders at the Greek Theatre afterthe play.

42 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

October - November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 43

Columns

Saying goodbye to a trusted friend

My wife, Malathi, and I recentlybought a new minivan, tradingin the 2000 Subaru Legacy

Wagon that had served us well for nineyears. As we were leaving the Hondadealership in our sparkling white minivan,my 7-year-old daughter, Divya, stuck herhead out toward the parked Subaru andwaved. “Bye, car! Thank you, car!” shesaid.

It wasn't the first time one of us hadspoken to the Subaru. When we bought itsecond-hand in 2002, Malathi had troublelearning to drive a stick-shift (manual)car. As she took her foot off the clutchpedal too quickly, the car would jerk for-ward and stall. “Go! Go! Go!” Malathiwould yell, but the car couldn’t seem tograsp this simple instruction. Being a

good husband, I tried to be helpful: “It’sa Japanese car. What’s the Japanese wordfor ‘go’?”

But after Malathi's initial words to thecar, I don't recall any of us talking to ituntil Divya's parting

words. I hate to admit this publicly,but we didn't even give it a name. Wejust referred to it as “the car” –- asthough it didn't have an identity of itsown, as though it was exactly like all theother Subarus. Just ask any mechanic andhe will tell you that no two cars in theworld are exactly alike. “Your car is defi-nitely unique,” he will say, “and it has aunique problem that will take me manyhours to fix.” And pretty soon you willhave a unique bill to pay.

“You charged me for an exhaust pipe,exhaust gasket and exhaust clamp,” yousay, looking at the items on the bill. “Butwhy did you charge me for exhaustfluid?”

“Sorry,” says the mechanic. “I wasexhausted and needed a drink.”

Our Subaru certainly had some uniquequalities. For example, if I made a sharpU-turn, it would produce a poppingsound. I used Google Translate and foundout what it was saying: “Make up yourmind where you’re going, you idiot!” If Iwent over a bump too fast, it would makea deep vibrating sound, which Google

also translated for me: “Time to get youreyes checked, you moron!”

But despite its occasional complaints,it was a good, reliable car, one that weshamelessly took for granted. Even whenit had carried us safely on a 30-hour trip,we didn't have the decency to give it apat on its bumper. If it was dirty andneeded a bath, I waited for a rainy dayand tossed it a bar of soap. And when itcame to feeding it, I was always slow todo so, waiting until the gauge showedempty, not feeling any remorse if thewarning light came on, saying “Feed me,dude. I'm not a model!”

I may have neglected the car now andthen, but I never intentionally abused it inany way, either verbally or physically,even when it was at fault. When its bat-tery died and it wouldn't start one morn-ing, I didn't kick its tyres and scream,“Stupid car! Why didn't you remind meto turn your lights off?” When it almostcrashed into a building while Malathi wasat the wheel, I didn't punch its headlights

out and shout, “Stupid car! Why didn'tyou tell her that her foot was on theaccelerator, not the brake!”

I always felt a sense of loyalty to thecar and was reluctant to part with it.That's why I was pleasantly surprised tohear Divya's words of gratitude. Whilethe rest of the family was excited aboutthe new minivan, she had taken a momentto appreciate the old car. I should havedone the same: “Good bye car! Thankyou for keeping us safe. We’ll miss you. Ihope your new owner speaks Japanese.”

THE HUMOR OF MELVIN DURAI

Our Subaru certainly hadsome unique qualities. For

example, if I made a sharp U-turn, it would produce a pop-ping sound. I used Google

Translate and found out whatit was saying: “Make up yourmind where you’re going, youidiot!” If I went over a bump

too fast, it would make adeep vibrating sound, whichGoogle also translated forme: “Time to get your eyes

checked, you moron!”

From a Hindu viewpoint, whatis happening with the USeconomy could be seen as

some sort of karmic payback. Themoney wasted and the lives lost ontwo unnecessary wars is now hav-ing its repercussions.

It takes a brave person to standup to the might of imperialism. EvoMorales, Hugo Chavez ofVenezuela and Fidel Castro ofCuba are some of these people.

Evo Morales, the president ofBolivia, an Aymara Indian, is anoutspoken critic of the the US for-eign policy and the involvement oftransnational corporations in LatinAmerica. In 2009, he was named'World Hero of Mother Earth' bythe General Assembly of the UnitedNations.

Here are excerpts from one ofhis speeches.

* The world is suffering from afever due to climate change, andthe disease is the capitalist develop-ment model.

* Whilst over 10,000 years thevariation in carbon dioxide (CO2)levels on the planet was approxi-mately ten percent, during the last200 years of industrial develop-ment, carbon emissions haveincreased by 30 percent.

* Since 1860 Europe and NorthAmerica have contributed 70 per-cent of the emissions of CO2. 2005was the hottest year in the last

thousand years on the planet.* Different investigations have

demonstrated that out of 40,170 liv-ing species that have been studied,

16,119 are in danger of extinction.One out of every eight birds coulddisappear forever. One out of fourmammals is under threat. One outof three reptiles could cease toexist. Eight out of ten crustaceansand three out of four insects are atrisk of extinction.

* We are living through thesixth crisis of the extinction of liv-ing specie since the history of theplanet and, on this occasion, therate of extinction is 100 times moreaccelerated than in geologicaltimes.

* Faced with this bleak future,transnational interests are proposingto continue as before, and paint themachine green, which is to say,continue with growth and irrationalconsumerism and inequality, gener-ating more and more profits, with-out realising that we are currentlyconsuming in one year what theplanet produces in one year andthree months. Faced with this reali-ty, the solution cannot be an envi-ronmental make over.

* I read in the World Bankreport that in order to mitigate theimpacts of climate change we needto end subsidies on hydrocarbons,put a price on water and promoteprivate investment in the cleanenergy sector. Once again, theywant to apply market recipes andprivatisation in order to carry busi-ness as usual, and with it the sameillnesses that these policies produce.

* The same occurs in the caseof biofuels, given that to produceone litre of ethanol you require 12

liters of water. In the same way, toprocess one ton of agri fuels youneed, on average, one hectare ofland.

* The countries of the northneed to reduce their carbon emis-sions by between 60-80 percent ifwe want to avoid a temperature riseof more than two degrees in what isleft of this century, which wouldprovoke global warming of cata-strophic proportions for life andnature.

* We need to create a WorldEnvironment Organisation which isbinding, and which can disciplinethe World Trade Organization,which is propelling us towards bar-barism. We can no longer talk ofgrowth in Gross National Productwithout taking into considerationthe destruction and wastage of natu-ral resources.

* We need to adopt an indica-tor that allows us to consider, in acombined way, the 'HumanDevelopment Index' and the'Ecological Footprint' in order tomeasure our environmental situa-tion.

* We need to apply harsh taxeson the super concentration ofwealth and adopt effective mecha-nisms for its equitable redistribu-tion.

* The United States andEurope consume on average 8.4times more than the world average.It is necessary for them to reducetheir level of consumption andrecognise that we are all guests onMother Earth.

Consume less for earth's sakeInner Space

By Faith Harper

Morales said: The United States and Europeconsume on average 8.4 times more than the

world average. It is necessary for them toreduce their level of consumption and recognise

that we are all guests on Mother Earth.

44 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October - November 2011

Santram's Grey Page

October is ‘Mental Health and wellbe-ing’ month. The State and FederalGovernments are increasingly becom-

ing conscious of the ageing population andtheir needs. They are also providing fundingfor non-English speaking citizens in aged carecentres. But these patients have some addi-tional problems of communication and food,as pointed out by Dr. Rakesh Sachdev on SBSRadio’s Sunday Hindi programme. Hestressed the need for separate residential carecentres, day care centres etc. staffed by thedoctors and nurses speaking the same lan-guage as their patients. For example, there arequalified personnel (Volunteers) availablefrom Hindi speaking background who wouldbe manning these centres. The Governmentcan contribute towards staffing activity nursesneeded to help the patients. The Governmentalso needs to provide suitable premises andgive ‘transport vouchers’ to the people whocannot afford. One such group of eligible peo-ple that comes to mind is the people on ‘bridg-ing visas’ who don’t have Medicare card andare frail and elderly.

According to the ageing ministry, 1 in 4dementia patients will be from non-Englishspeaking backgrounds by the year 2026. It issaid that dementia patients lose their knowl-edge of English and ‘revert’ back to theirmother tongue. The latest research shows thatthe dementia patients are better served if theystay in the home environment as long as pos-sible with their families who are offered pro-fessional help by the experts in the field. Infact this scheme is already in operation to acertain degree, where the Government is pro-viding respite care to the carers at home.

The ageing of Australian population isputting a lot of pressure on the tax payer fund-ed facilities but we hope that the respectiveauthorities will take some concrete steps tomeet this challenge.

B-Wise‘B' vitamins are required by the body for

production of energy, proper functioning ofthe nervous system, metabolism of fats andproteins, and formation of red blood cells.

Most packaged foods are laced withpreservatives that strip our bodies of essentialvitamin B. Processes which include heating,radiation, prolonged exposure to atmosphere(oxidation), cooking with acids (such as vine-

gar etc) destroy most of the B1, B12 in thefood.

The lack of Vitamin B can result infatigue, body aches, tingling of nerves, weak-ness, hair loss, lack of appetite, fatigue, hairloss and lack of appetite.

Many skin disorders (like eczema) havebeen associated with this deficiency. VitaminB12 and B6 deficiency is also common instrict vegetarians who do not drink milk ordairy products,” says Geeta Shenoy, a regis-tered dietician based in Chembur, Mumbai.

A recent study published in the Journal‘Circulation', has linked low vitamin B6 lev-els with higher risk for stroke and heartattacks.

Excellent sources of vitamin B6 includespinach, bell peppers, turnip greens, mush-rooms, garlic, tuna, cauliflower, mustardgreens, banana, celery, cabbage, broccoli,Brussels sprouts and watermelon.”

Acidity & Heartburn Heartburn is a condition where liquid con-

tent (acid) of the stomach backs up (refluxes)into the oesophagus or the food pipe. This iscaused by ingestion of heavy, rich, spicy,diet, heavily laden with ghee or oil. It can alsobe triggered by eating food hastily. Those whodrink and smoke heavily also suffer from acid-ity and heartburn, in addition to flatulence,colic and general dyspepsia. Remove the basicfactors that are known causes of such distur-bances. Repeated bouts of acidic dyspepsianeed help of a professional.

Ayurvedic Remedies....... Adopt one or more home remedies listed

here to treat heartburn depending upon itsseriousness.

•Take lemon juice, (mixed with a cup ofwater) and add some rock salt to taste. Thismay be taken 1-2 hours prior to taking meals,or lemon may be used with meals. It will alsoremove constipation -- one of the contributorycauses of acidity.

•Chewing a piece of harad is an age oldremedy.

•Drink coconut water 3-4 times a day. •Have a plateful of watermelon or cucum-

ber every hour. •Take a tiny piece of jaggery (gur) every

hour. Just keep it in the mouth and slowlysuck it till acidity subsides, and then repeatthis treatment every hour until the acidity haspassed.

•Have apple cider vinegar & Baking Soda- Drink 2 table spoons of apple cider vinegarafter adding it to lots of water throughout theday. Alternatively mix 2 tsp of apple cidervinegar and 2 tsp of honey in a glass of waterand take before meals.

•Drink fresh pudina (mint) juice aftermeals.

•Although traditional tea is risky in condi-tions of heartburn, green tea and other herbaltea containing chamomile, ginger, liquoriceroot and catnip help the stomach lining repairitself and aid the body in the digestionprocess.

• Chew half a tea spoon of saunf (fennelseeds) slowly after your meals.

• Have aloe vera juice before every meal.• Use ginger while preparing food. Fresh

ginger can be taken in tea. • Keep a single piece of clove in mouth

after meals and suck on it gradually. • Chew some leaves of basil herb (tulsi) to

get relief from blazing, nausea and gastricproblem.

Diet & Lifestyle for Hyperacidity

Diet for Hyperacidity:•Drink hot/warm water.•Take the balanced diet, don't shift to the

totally spice-less foods.•Don't drink water after taking the meal.•Don't eat the next meal, until the prior

meal hasn't digested properly.•Avoid taking the frozen foods.

•Don't have chilled drinks.•Carbonated drinks are good for nothing.•Avoid taking more caffeine and nicotine

in your daily routine. Try to have the LiverCare and Pitta Tea, daily as it will help you tocure properly.

•Avoid Alcoholic drinks, if you are toomuch addictive; add as much water as you canin a least quantity of alcohol.

Lifestyle for Hyperacidity:•Don't work till late in night. Lesser

sleep may worsen your condition. It is betterto rest at home than to hospitalize?

•Avoid sleeping just after taking themeal, whether it is a lunch or a dinner.

•Walk for at least 10 minutes both inevening and morning.

•When you have finished your meal, lieon your left side and rest. This will allow yourfood to occupy the chamber of your stomach.

•Yoga after the meal in hopes of aidingdigestion is not recommended by Ayurveda.Your body digests food best when it isrelaxed.

•Don't allow anger to excite your neuronsand also be ware of anxiety. Anxiety can giveyou nothing!!

•Don't mess up unnecessarily with yourfeelings. They are yours and you should learnhow to cop-up with those.

Quick RelaxationTechniques

Different relaxation techniques appeal todifferent people.

Whole body tensionTense everything in your whole body, stay

with that tension.Hold it as long as you can without feeling

pain.Slowly release the tension and very grad-

ually feel it leave your body. Repeat threetimes.

Imagine air as a cloudOpen your imagination and focus on your

breathing.As your breathing becomes calm and reg-

ular, imagine that the air comes to you as acloud.

It fills you and goes out.You may imagine the cloud to be a partic-

ular colour.Pick a spotWith your head level and body relaxed,

pick a spot to focus on (eyes open at thispoint).

When ready, count 5 breaths backward:with each breath allow your eyes to closegradually.

Concentrate on each breath. Counting ten breaths backWith each count, allow yourself to feel

heavier and more relaxed. With each exhale,allow the tension to leave your body.

-Breathe deeply and slowly….-Let the tension flow away….

Avoid sitting to havegood heart, waistline

Get up and move around as often as youcan, for it's good for your heart and waistline,says a new study.

Practical tips to do this in an office-basedworkplace:

- Standing up to take phone calls. - Walking to see a colleague rather than

phoning or emailing. - Going to a bathroom on a different level. -Taking the stairs instead of the lift where

possible

Now, a fruit pill toprevent hair going

grey!(A bit late for us!!)Grey hair could soon be a passé, thanks to

scientists who claim to have created a pillfrom a fruit extract that prevents theinevitable, and most apparent, sign of ageing.

Bruno Bernard, head of hair biology atL’Oreal , said: “We think it will have a mar-ket among men as well as women. We intendpeople to take it in the same way as a dietarysupplement. It won’t be expensive.”

The drug uses a compound from anunidentified fruit that mimics tyrosinase-relat-ed protein 2, an enzyme that protects pigmen-tation production; it aims to prevent a processcalled oxidative stress, when hair cells suc-cumb to harmful anti-oxidants and go grey,say the scientists.

Bernard added: “Ideally you would take itfor your whole life but realistically we wouldencourage people to start using it before theirhair goes grey, because we don’t think it canreverse the process once it has started.”

(Disclaimer: The Health tips in the articleare taken from various well established andreliable sources and are given to you in goodfaith. However, readers are reminded to takecare and consult their doctor if not sure, as noresponsibility can be accepted by the writer ofthis column or The Indian Down Under)

Just for SeniorsBy Santram Bajaj

As your breathing becomes calm andregular, imagine that the air comes to you

as a cloud.It fills you and goes out.

Vitamin B6 sources include: Brusselssprouts, spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms,garlic, tuna, cauliflower, mustard greens,

banana, celery, cabbage and broccoli.

HUMOUR

Health & Well-being

An elderly lady was shocked to see someyoung fellows getting into her parked car whenshe returned from the grocery store.Infuriated, she took her gun out of her handbagand confronted the ‘thieves’ who were soscared that they ran for their lives. The ladytriumphantly got into the driver’s seat but herkey would not fit. On closer examination, shefound that it was not her car. She found her carwhich was parked in the next row and drove tothe nearest police station to report the matter.

The police sergeant could not help laugh-ing and pointed to the other corner where fouryoung fellows were sitting. They were there toreport that one mad old lady with a gun wasinvolved in ‘carjacking’.

No charges were laid

Children’s Corner

October - November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 45

Children's Corner By Esther Chaudhry-Lyons

Dussehra, also known asVijaya Dashami, is anIndian festival that cel-

ebrates victory of good forcesover evil forces. It spans 10days and is celebrated in variedtraditions across India. Hindusobserve a 10 day ceremony offast, rituals, celebrations, feststo honor the mother Goddessand triumph of Lord Ramaover Demon Ravana. Dussehraalso symbolizes the triumph ofwarrior Goddess Durga overthe buffalo demon,Mahishasura.

During Dussehra, a numberof fairs are organized through-out northern India.

'Ramlila' - an enactmentof the life of Lord Rama-isheld during the nine days pre-ceding Dussehra. On the tenthday (Dussehra or VijayDasami), larger than life effi-gies of Ravana, his son andbrother - Meghnadh andKumbhakarna are set to fire.The theatrical enactment of thisdramatic encounter is heldthroughout the country inwhich every section of societyparticipates enthusiastically. Inburning the effigies the people

are asked to burn the evil with-in them, and thus follow thepath of truth and goodness,bearing in mind the instance ofRavana, who despite all hismight and majesty wasdestroyed for his evil ways.According to scriptures, byworshipping the 'Shakti' onthese nine-days the household-ers attain the threefold poweri.e. physical, mental and spiri-tual, which helps him toprogress in life without anydifficulty.

DeepawaliDussehraDiwali or Deepawali is one

of the most important,hugely awaited and

immensely cherished festival cele-brated across India and in parts ofNepal. Originally, the name wasDeepawali, which has its originfrom Sanskrit, meaning “rows oflamps”.

Over the years the words hasbeen pronounced as Diwali, espe-cially in Hindi, whereas it stillremains Dipawali in Nepali.Diwali also popularly known as“Festival of Lights” is celebratedwith great gusto and is observed asan official holiday across India.

This festival is not only signif-icant to Hindus, but, has impor-tance in Jainism, Buddhism, andSikhism. For Hindus, it is associ-ated with the return of Lord Ramato Ayodhya, after his 14 years ofexile and victory over the demonRavana .On that day, he was wel-comed to the kingdom of Ayodhyawith rows of lamps

Thus, there is a tradition oflighting oil lamps that symbolizethe victory of good over evil andfreedom from spiritual darkness.Hindus also make preparations towelcome goddess Lakshmi bydrawing rangoli, and footsteps(paduka) at the entrance thatwould allure goddess Laksmi tovisit one’s home and bring pros-

perity along with her.There are numerous customs

and traditions associated withDiwali, namely, burning of crack-ers, playing cards, lightning oflamps, wearing new clothes, dis-tribution of sweets, exchange ofgifts etc.

Diwali celebrations spreadacross five days, with each dayhaving its own significance and setof rituals. The first day is called“Dhanteras”, on which new uten-sils and silver ware is brought tothe house. The second day iscalled “Chhoti Diwali”, whichnormally involves preparation forthe next day and the tradition ofplaying cards is observed in manyfamilies.

The next day, or third day isthe “Badi Diwali”, which involvesthe worshipping of motherLakshmi. The fourth day is theGovardhan puja and finally thefive days end with Bhai Dooj.

The festival of Diwali is truly a“Festival of Lights”, as it not only

involves lighting of Lamps but italso brings the light of happiness,togetherness, spiritual enlighten-ment and prosperity for everyone.With the sound of crackers killingall bad-omens, the lighted lamps-lighting the lives of people, theprayers and pujas creating anatmosphere full of goodness andpurity.

According to the Hindu calen-dar, the festival of Diwali is cele-brated on the new moon day thatmarks the end of Ashwin andbeginning of Kartik month. Diwalithis year is on the 26th of October2011

During the reign of Akbar, agreat saint, Surdas, was born. Hewas blind and was beyond theparochial religious beliefs. His lov-ing description of Krishna’s life infolk language, known as Brajbhasa,is till today a treasure of Krishna’sbhajans.

In the village of Sihi near Delhi,in the house of a poor Brahmin, achild was born in 1478. He was

born blind. He had three other broth-ers. He was so neglected by hisneighbours and his own family thatby the time he was three, everyoneforgot his real name and he wascalled Sur, which means blind. Hewas later known as Surdas.

Surdas would often go hungrybecause his mother would not botherto feed him. His brothers wouldreceive new clothes at Diwali timebut not Surdas. His parents thoughthe wouldn't be able to tell the differ-ence anyway. It hurt his feelings.

Surdas' outside world was notvery kind either. His playmatesenjoyed teasing him and when hecame to his mother for sympathy,she scolded him for going out. So,unfortunate Surdas stayed on theporch most of the time.

One day, a group of singerspassed by his house singing in praiseof the Lord. Swept up by the joy themusic brought in him, he forgot for a

moment that he was blind. "One day I will learn how to

sing," he told himself. When Surdas joined his brothers

to learn from their father how to readand write, his father said, "Go away.You are blind, you cannot read." Hisbrothers teased him as he sat andwept.

A few days later, another groupof singers came by, passing throughthe village, begging for alms andsinging in praise of the Lord. Surdasfollowed them. At night they stoppedto cook and rest near a lake. One ofthem came to Surdas and asked,"Why are you following us?"

"I would like to learn to sing,"answered Surdas.

They fed him that night but did-n't want to be burdened with theblind boy. In the morning they leftwithout telling him.

Where could blind Surdas go?He sat under a tree and began singingthe Lord’s praise. He had a goodvoice and his feelings wereexpressed with utmost sincerity.Villagers passing by gave him foodand he survived. The lake was a pop-ular resting spot for those travellingto Mathura and Vrindavan. Fromtheir conversation, Surdas learnt alot about the outside world.

By the age of 14, Surdas devel-oped a keen sixth sense and couldpredict many things. People wereamazed and he was called "miracleboy." If a villager lost an animal,Surdas could tell him where to findit. He was consulted on the appropri-

ate day to travel or to start any proj-ect. People from other villages trav-elled a long way to meet him andgave their offerings. One day, thelandlord's little toddler wandered offand could not be found. Surdas pre-dicted where the boy was and the boywas found. The landlord was sopleased that he fell at Surdas' feetand asked his men to build a cottagefor him near the tree under whichSurdas stayed. Shortly thereafter,people offered him a string instru-ment to accompany his singing.Some people became his disciples.They began to write the songs hecomposed. The disciples loved himand served him to the best of theirability.

One night, Surdas dreamt ofKrishna and people praising Himthrough bhajans. Surdas woke up andwas convinced that Krishna was call-ing to him. The next morning, hedeparted for Vrindavan. His disci-

ples came running and were worried. "Why are you leaving us? Are

we at fault?" Surdas consoled them and con-

tinued on his way to Vrindavan.Wherever he went people wanted tolisten to him sing and have him staywith them. They would beg him tostay in their village. They respectedhim, honored him and fed him. ButSurdas kept moving.

"I am a travelling monk, I cannotstay at any one place," Surdas said.

One day, while he was resting atthe edge of a shallow abandonedwell, he fell into the well. Blind andinjured, he did not know how to getout. Surdas stayed in the well forseven days praying for help.Suddenly he heard a child’s voice,"Hold my hands, I will take youout."

Surdas came out of the well andthe boy disappeared. He kept search-ing for the little boy who rescuedhim. In his imagination, the boy wasnone else but Gopal Krishna(Krishna's childhood name). Peoplethought he was crazy.

One day one of his disciples toldSurdas that the great learned saint SriVallabhacharya was going to visitVrindavan. Vallabhacharya wasfamous for his writings aboutKrishna. Surdas keenly wished to seehim. But while he was makingarrangements to cross the river tovisit Vallabhacharya, he himselfarrived at Surdas’s abode. Surdaswas overwhelmed with joy. He fellat Vallabhacharya’s feet and sought

his blessing. Upon his request,Surdas sang a bhajan about Krishna.Vallabhacharya requested him todedicate his life to the praise of LordKrishna.

Vallabhacharya stayed withSurdas for a few days and taught himabout Krishna's scriptures. Then heinitiated Surdas in his own religiousorder. Surdas went to Vrindavanwith his guru, Vallabhacharya whoappointed Surdas as the chief singerof Srinath temple in Govardhan, nearVrindavan. Srinath is another namefor Krishna.

Surdas’ reputation as a singerand devotee spread far and wide.One day in the court of the Mughalemperor Akbar, the court singerTansen sang one of Surdas' songs.Akbar was charmed. Tansen admit-ted that the tune and the lyrics werethat of Surdas, the blind devotee ofKrishna.

Akbar was a broadmindedMuslim ruler. He invited Surdas tohis court. Surdas declined saying, "Iam so very honoured, but I sing onlyin the court of my beloved Krishna."

When Akbar heard of this, hegladly came to Surdas and listened tohis prayer songs in the temple. Hewas very pleased and asked Surdas toask for anything he wanted.

Surdas said, "Just do not ask meto go to your court to sing." Akbaragreed.

Surdas lived a long life and wrotemany songs in praise of Krishna'schildhood days. Surdas' songs aresung to this day.

Surdas

46 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October - November 2011

Columns

This festive season, presenting somerecipes for making sweets at home ratherthan buy them from the market and be

doubtful about the quality of ingredients andadulteration of foods imported into Australia.

MOONG DAL BARFI

Ingredients�1 cup Moong yellow dal [soaked

overnight]�1 cup milk powder �3/4 cup desi ghee�1 cup sugar�¼ tsp green cardamom seeds powder�1 tabs slivered almondsMethod

Grind the moong dal in a blenderHeat the desi ghee in a heavy bottom pan.

When it is melted, add the dal mixture. Cookon slow fire with constant stirring to avoid thesticking of dal to the bottom of the pan. Whenthe dal is golden brown, add the sugar, car-damom powder and 2 cups of water and cooktill all the water evaporates then add milk pow-der. Stir to mix well and cook for 2 to 3 min-utes. Remove from heat and mix in the sliveredalmonds.

Grease a tray with at least one inch depth.Pour the cooked burfi on the tray and spread tomake a uniform thickness. When it cools downcut it into diamond shape.

KAJU KATLI

Ingredients� 1-1/2 cups cashew nuts�1 cup sugar� 1 tabs desi ghee�½ tsp green cardamom powder� 2 tabs milk �Silver foil for garnishingMethod

Soak the cashew nuts over night. Next day,drain the excess water and grind them to a thinpaste. Add a little water if needed.

Place a heavy bottom pan on the stove.Place the desi ghee and melt it. Add the cashewnut paste and sugar. Stir well. Then reduceheat. Cook the mixture with continuous stirringto avoid sticking of the mixture for 6-8 minutes.When the mixture has thickened, add the car-damom powder.

On the rolling board place a butter paperand pour the mixture on it. Now place anotherbutter paper, sandwiching the mixture betweenthe two papers. Roll it with a rolling pin.

Remove the butter paper from top and placesilver foil.

Cut into diamond or square shape pieces.

RASMALAI

Ingredients� 8 cups milk�2 tabs lemon juice�1/2 cup sugar for syrup1/2 cup sugar for milk�¼ tsp saffron strands�¼ tsp green cardamom powder�¼ cup finely grated mixed nuts (cashew,

almond and pistachio nuts)Method

Boil 4 cups of milk in a pan. When milkcomes to boil, slow the heat and pour in thelemon juice. Remove from the stove and keepaside till water and paneer separate completely.Drain the excess water. Remove this paneer andplace in a mixing bowl. Knead gently to formsoft dough. Divide the dough into 12 to 15equal parts and make a ball of each part. Gen-tly pat each ball with the palm to flatten the ballto a patty shape.

Boil 1 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar togeth-er. Place the patties in the syrup for about 12minutes.

Boil the 4 cups of milk in another pan andcook till it reduces to about half of its originalvolume. Add ½ cup of sugar, the grated nuts,saffron strands and cardamom powder. Cookfor 2 minute. Remove from heat. Add the pat-ties to the milk. Cover the dish and refrigeratefor 2 to 3 hours before serving.

BADAM HALWA

Ingredients� 3 cups almonds� 2 cups sugar�1 cup desi ghee�½ tsp cardamom powder

�Silver foil or grated pistachio nuts forgarnishing

MethodSoak the almonds overnight. Drain water

and remove the skin. Grind the almonds in afood processor to make smooth batter addingwater if needed.

Place a heavy bottom pan on the stove.Place the desi ghee and melt it. Add the almondbatter. Bring the mixture to a boil and then re-duce heat. Cook the mixture with continuousstirring to avoid sticking of the mixture for 8 to10 minutes. When the mixture has thickened toa thick batter consistency, add the cardamompowder and sugar.

Serve hot and garnish with silver foil orgrated pistachio nuts.

BOMBAY KARACHI HALWAIngredients�150 grams sugar�1 tsp lemon juice�0 grams of corn flour� 4 tabs. desi ghee�½ tsp food colour (orange colour )�100 grams of grated cashew nuts and al-

mondsMethodBoil sugar and 125 ml water in a pan. When

water comes to boil, add the lemon juice. Re-duce heat and cook till the syrup is thickened. .Keep the syrup aside. Mix corn flour and 100ml of water uniformly so that no lumps remain.Melt 1 tabs desi ghee in a pan. Add the cornflour mixture and cook on slow heat till it be-comes like a jelly. Then switch off the heatcompletely. Add the warm sugar syrup in smallquantity at a time and stir till completely mixed.Repeat till all the syrup has been consumed.

Now turn the heat on. Add desi ghee insmall quantity at a time and stir to be com-pletely absorbed. Repeat the process till all theghee has been consumed. The cooked mixturewill appear like a thick jelly. Add the foodcolour and cardamom powder and grated nuts.Mix well. Grease a deep serving plate andtransfer the cooked mixture on it. Flatten tomake a uniform thickness. Let it set for about 2hour. Cut into cubes and serve.

By Devaki Parthasarthy

Delicious and crunchy applefruit is one of the most popu-lar fruit favoured by health

conscious, fitness freaks who believein “health is wealth.” This wonderfulfruit is packed with rich phyto-nutri-ents that in the true sense are indis-pensable for optimal health. The an-tioxidants in apple have many healthpromoting and disease preventionproperties; thus justifying the adage,“an apple a day keeps the doctoraway.”

Eating apples daily may promotecardiovascular health according to astudy in the US. Apples are rich inpectin and polyphenols that boostlipid metabolism and reduce inflam-mation.

Health benefits of apple:• Delicious and crunchy apple is

one of the popular fruit that containsan impressive list of essential nutri-ents, which are required for normalgrowth and development and overall

nutritional well-being.• Apples are low in calories; 100

g of fresh fruit slices provide only 50calories. The fruits, however, con-tain no saturated fats or cholesterol;but are rich in dietary fiber, whichhelps, prevent absorption of dietaryLDL cholesterol in the gut. The di-etary fibres also help protect the mu-cous membrane of the colon from ex-posure to toxic substances by bindingto cancer causing chemicals in thecolon.

• Apple fruit contains good quan-tities of vitamin-C and beta-carotene.Vitamin C is a powerful natural an-tioxidant. Consumption of foods richin vitamin C helps body develop re-sistance against infectious agents andscavenge harmful, pro-inflammatoryfree radicals from the body.

• Apples are rich in antioxidantphyto-nutrients flavonoids andpolyphenols. The total measured anti-oxidant strength (ORAC value) of100 gm apple fruit is 5900 TE. Theimportant flavonoids in apples are

quercetin, epicatechin, and procyani-din B2. Apples are also good in tar-taric acid that gives tart flavor tothem. These compounds help bodyprotect from deleterious effects offree radicals.

• In addition, apple fruit is a goodsource of B-complex vitamins such asriboflavin, thiamin, and pyridoxine

(vitamin B-6). Together these vita-mins help as co-factors for enzymesin metabolism as well as in varioussynthetic functions inside the body.

• Apple also contains smallamount of minerals like potassium,phosphorus, and calcium. Potassiumis an important component of cell andbody fluids helps controlling heart

rate and blood pressure; thus coun-ters the bad influences of sodium.

Here are some serving tips: • Eat apple fruit as they are with

skin to get maximum health benefits.• Sliced apple turns brown (enzy-

matic brownish discoloration) on ex-posure to air due to conversion iniron form from ferrous oxide to fer-ric oxide. If you have to serve themsliced, rinse slices in water addedwith few drops of fresh lemon.

• Cloudy apple juice is a gooddrink with dinner.

• Apple fruit is also used in thepreparation of fruit jam, pie, and fruitsalad.

According to the environmental-working group reports, apple fruit isone of the most heavily pesticide-contaminated produce. The mostcommon pesticides found on appleare organo-phosphorous and organo-chloride pesticides like Permethrinand DDT. Therefore, it is recom-mended to wash the fruit thoroughlybefore use.

An apple a day….

DIWALI SWEETS

Look Good and Feel Great Naturally

By Promila Gupta

September-October 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 47

Hindi Humour

suc ;tu Ft˜e ntule ne :e scrfUmthe vqkse nth awfUt :t> 100 h¥vguytih bnelu fUe ytrFhe ;theF, =tuy˜d y˜d ct;ü nî, vhk;w buhu vtm 50h¥vgu :u stu yc mtblu ciXu =uJüŠ fUesuc bü st awfUu :u> Fu bü bî rc˜fUwyltze ne nqâ _ fUuJ˜ r=Jt˜e fUtu ne=tu ath nt: ntu st;u nî> Nwh¥ Nwh¥ bü;tu =m cem se;t Ce, vh sÖ=e nesuc nÖfUe ntulu ˜de> yc rmJtgu WXlufUu fUtuRo atht Ce l :t> r=Jt˜e fUtr=Jt˜t cl awfUt :t>

me"t Dh výkat - Dh Ce ¢gt ni,cm YfU fUbht ni rsm fUt YfU=hJt\st ni, YfU rF\zfUe ni ytih YfUhtiNl=tl - l lntlu fUu r˜gu ct:Áb,l htuxe fUu r˜gu hmtuRo - ytih buhu rJathbü sc ;fU Ztcu Jt u r\sà=t nî, hmtuRofUe rfUme Ce bfUtl bü \sÁh; ne lné>lntlu "tulu fUu r˜gu ldhvtr˜fUt fUu l˜˜du ýY nî>

˜Gbe bt;t fUe ;ôJeh fUu mtbluciX dgt ytih ˜dt Œt:olt fUhlu rfUnbthe ytuh Ce f]Uvt ntu stgu > l stlufUc ;fU ˜Gbe btâ fUe rbàl;u fUh;trfU yatlfU rfUme fUu =hJt\stFxFxtlu fUe ytJt\s ytRo> r=˜ ner=˜ bu fUw\Zlu ˜dt rfU fUtil ntudt stuht; fUtu Ce ythtb lnek fUhlu =u;t -r=Jt˜e fUe ht; Ce ¢gtuk lnek yvlu DhciX;u ˜tud?

"fUtil ni? " bî lu dwômu mu vqAt>"=hJt\st Ftu tu, ôJgk ne bt qb

ntu stgudt" _ gn YfU ôºte fUe ytJt\s:e> bî Dcht dgt _ IfUtxtu ;tu c=l bü˜nq lnéO Jt˜e ct; ntu dRo> Rm mbgR;le ht; dgu gn ôºte fUntâ mu ytdRo, gntâ ;tu r=l bü Ce rfUme ôºte fUu=ëlo ne ntu;u - Ntg= fUtuRo yc˜tcuathe dwkztü mu ca fUh mntht ZqkZ hnentu> rVUh rJath ytgt rfU fUné bwSuqxlu fUu r˜gu rfUme lu st˜ l rcAtgt

ntu - vh buhu vtm hFt ne ¢gt ni stufUtuRo qx udt>

rclt fUtuRo VUim˜t rfUgu bî ctuv\zt, "vn u yvlt vrhag fUhtytu,;c =hJt\st Fw udt"

";wb Ce rfU;lu zhvtufU ntu! bî fUtuRoztfUq ;tu lnek stu ;wönü qx qkde, ;wbmu fUwA ulu lnek ytRo nqâ, =hJt\stFtu =tu"

"cý; at˜tfU bt qb ntu;e ntu,Rm ;hn ;wb mVU˜ lnek ntu mfU;eOO,

bî ytih dwômu mu ctu t>"stllt atn;u ntu bî fUtil nqâ, ;tu

mwltu - bî ˜Gbe nqâ - "l =ti ; fUe=uJe _ yts r=Jt˜e fUe ht; bî rsmfUu Dh bü ŒJuN fUÁkde, Jn cý; "le

ntu stgudt> bî ;wönü ybeh cltlu ytRonqâ> bî ctnh F\ze :fU dRo nqâ, \shtsÖ=e mu rfUJt\z Ftu tu>"

bî cý; \stuh mu xntfUt bth fUhnkmt> "˜Ìbe! ¢gt ltb awlt ni ;q luY at˜tfU ytih;? ˜Ìbe btâ ;tu fUCeCq u mu Ce R"h lnek yt mfU;e> d˜efUu lw¢fU\z vh stu dà=de fUt Zuh ni,Jne Wl fUe n= ni, Wmu Ju vth lnekfUhüde - Rmr˜gu yc ;wb Ctd stytu,lnek ;tu bî v\zturmgtü fUtu sdt =qkdt ytihrVUh nb mc ;uhe ctuxe ctuxe ltuazt üdu>"

"bî ;wönü fUimu rJëJtm r=˜tQâ ?yåAt, WXtu ytih =hJt\su fUe =ht\s mune =uFtu, bî yvlu ym˜e Áv bü yt;enqâ>"

yc fUu bî lu rnööút fUe ytih

=hJt\su fUu mt: ˜d fUh ctnh =uFt -YfU =b buhe ytâFu awkÆgt dRok! =uFt ;tumtblu ˜Ìbe se fbj fu Vqj vhrJhtsbtl :ek> Wl fUu ;us c˜ mu bîafUht fUh leau rdh v\zt, WXt ytih

mkC˜ fUh ciX dgt> ytâFtü vh rJëJtmne lnek ntu hnt :t rfU gn mtGt;˜Ìbe bt;t ne nî>

rVUh ctu t, "btâ ! ;wb Rm ytuhfUimu yt dRok? bî ;wönthe l\shtü bü fUimuyt dgt? ;wönü ;tu rfUme C{³tathe lu;tfUu ImrJmI cifU ytfUtQkx bü, rfUmerbrlôxh fUe fUtuXe bü stlt atrngu :t,gt rfUme ç ifU btfUeoxTgu fUe suc bü gtrVUh rfUme muX fUe r;stihe fUe NtuCtcllt atrngu :t - Rm Stîv\ze bü ¢gtulu ytRo ntu? "

"cuxt! ;q lnek mbS;t, Rlne ˜tudtülu ;tu bwSu c=ltb fUh hFt ni, bî ;tuRl mu ;kd yt awfUe nqâ >fUwA YfU fUtu;tu bî r;nt\z su bü výkat ytRo nqâ ytihNuM fUtu Ce Atu\zqkde lnek> yts bî lumtuat rfUme rl"ol vh =gt fUh fUu

=uF qâ, Ntg= Jn bwSu cuR\ß\ß;e mucatgu>"

"vhk;w btâ ! rsm fUu vtm ;q stgudeJn rl"ol fUntâ hnudt? Jn Ce ;wönthumt: Jimt ne ÔgJnth fUhudt >"

˜Ìbe btâ W=tm ntufUh ctu é,IIct;;tu XefU ni ;wönthe, bî lu Rm mu vn uCe fURo cth dhec ˜tudtü vh f]Uvt fUeni vh bwSu vt;u ne Ju ˜tud NeD{ nec=˜ st;u nî>

";tu rVUh gn mc stl;u ýY Cebtâ, ;wb bwS vh fUimu rJNJtm fUhmfU;e ntu? bî ;tu fUn;t nqâ yCe Cembg ni ˜tix stytu, rfUme ybeh fUtuytih ybeh clt =tu, rfUme muX fUer;stihe bü ltuxtü fUe fUwA ;nü ytih c\Zt=tu, rfUme fUe YfU fUth fUe =tu athfUthü clt =tu, rfUme .... "

"lné cuxt lnek ! bwSu \ßgt=tNLbà=t l fUhtu", ˜Ìbe se lu buhect; fUtx;u ýY fUnt, "sntâ buht btll ntu, buht d˜; Rô;ubt˜ ntu bî Jntk\ßgt=t =uh lné rxfU;e - bî a˜;e

rVUh;e hn;e nqâ_ yts gntâ ;tu fU˜Jntâ, vtve ˜tudtü fUtu vmà= lnekfUh;e>"

"=uFtu btâ! ;wb d˜; ct; fUn dRontu - ;wb muX dtuh"l fUtu ;tu stl;entu - stu vn u dr˜gtü bü ytRomf{UebfUwÖVUe cuat fUh;t :t - stu ;wönthef]Uvt mu yc Jn rfU;lt "le cl dgtni > yCe fU˜ ne Wm lu =tu lRo fUthüFhe=e nî, fURo fUturXgtk nî Wm fUu vtm- dhectü fUt Fql aqm;t ni .. ytih;tu ytih, rsm fUbhu bü bî hn;t nqâ, JnCe Wme fUt ni, rvA u =tu bneltü mu bîcebth a˜ hnt nqâ ytih Wm fUt rfUhtgtlnek =u mfUt _ Wm lu bwSu "bfUe =eni rfU bwSu bfUtl mu ctnh rlfUt˜ =udt>Rmr˜gu bî lu yts =tu vútu VUîfUu :u vhJu Ce WÖxu ne v\zu ... yc ;q ne c;trfU ;q rfUm fUt mt: =u;e ni? "

"cm! cm!! cý; ntu awfUt",˜Ìbe btâ YfU=b rcVUh v\ze, ";wön-tht lmec ne VUqxt ýyt ni stu Dh ytRo˜Ìbe fUtu XwfUht hnu ntu, Rmr˜gu ;wbmthe ytgw htu;u hntudu, bî YfU cth RmŒfUth a˜e dRo ;tu rVUh nt: lnekytQkde ytih ;wb fUuJ˜ fU˜fUeo nefUh;u hntudu, ytih YfU ct; ytih, bî;wönthu muX dtuh"l =tm fUtu ne Atu\zfUh yt hne nqâ>"

"Xnhtu btâ Xnhtu, bî yCe =hJt\stFtu ;t nqâ ,bwSu Gbt fUh =ersgu, bîytv mu cý; fU\zJe ct;ü fUh dgt,buhe y\¢˜ vh v=to v\z dgt :t", bîlu WXfUh =hJt\st Ftu ;u ýY fUnt,"ytytu,ytytu yà=h ytytu_ Jtô;Jbü buhe ;tu r\fUôb; std dRo ni stu ytvv"thé ytih yc Wm dtuh"l =tm fUucåau fUe Ce y\¢˜ rXfUtlu ytstgude, c\zt a˜t :t muX cllu ytihbwSu bfUtl mu ctnh fUhlu, bî Wmu neyc Wm fUe fUtuXe mu rlfUt˜ ctnhfUÁkdt ;c b\st ytgudt ytih... "

buhe ct; buhu bqân bü ne yxfU dRo,hdtü bü Fql sb mt dgt, ¢gtürfU=hJt\su vh muX dtuh"l =tm F\ztraÖ˜t hnt :t, "nhtbe mwyh! YfU ;tu=tu bnelu mu rfUhtgt lnek r=gt ytih=qmhu nbü ne dt˜e =u hnt ni ytih JnCe nbthu mtblu> rlfU˜ st Rm bfUtlmu! lnek ;tu "¢fUu bth bth fUh rlfUt˜=qkdt>"

ytih bî fUCe muX fUe ytuh =uF;tytih fUCe fUbhu bü ˜de ˜Ìbe bt;tfUe ;ôJeh fUtu stu bî yts ne ct\sthmu 2 h¥vgu 50 vimu bü Fhe= fUh ˜tgt:t>

.....bwSu Yumu dt rfU simu Jn buheytuh =uF fUh bwôfUht hne :e>

r=Jt˜e ffUe hht; ... mk; htb csts

48 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

September - October 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 49

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50 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

September - October 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 51

52 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

Body-Mind-Spirit

October - November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 53

The Pure Mind, the immaculate Being,is eternally wrapped in blissful still-ness – in Turiya or Samadhi, the state

beyond awake, dream and sleep states.There remains nothing more for one toachieve but to consolidate this state into thepermanent experience of Sahaja Nirvikalpa,a state of merging in the Self, a state of trueliberation.

Ramana Maharishi reaches spiritualaspirants through his conversations with S SCohen on oft-raised queries related to spiri-tual practice, meditation and Self-enquiry.

Disciple: How do I meditate? Ramana: Meditation is, truly speaking,

atmanishtha (to be fixed as the Self). Butwhen thoughts cross the mind and an effortis made to eliminate them the effort is usu-ally termed meditation. Atmanishtba (toabide in the Self) is your real nature.Remain as you are. That is the aim.

Hold on to one thought only. Dhyana(meditation) is the chief practice. Dhyanameans fight. As soon as you begin medita-tion other thoughts will crowd together,gather force and try to sink the singlethought to which you try to hold. The goodthought must gradually gain strength byrepeated practice. After it has grown strongthe other thoughts will be put to flight. Thisis the battle royal always taking place inmeditation. One wants to rid oneself of mis-ery. It requires peace of mind, which meansabsence of perturbation owing to all kinds ofthoughts. Peace of mind is brought about bydhyana (meditation) alone.

Disciple: How is dhyana (meditation)practised - with eyes open or closed?

Ramana: It may be done either way.The point is that the mind must be introvert-ed and kept active in its pursuit. Sometimesit happens that when the eyes are closed thelatent thoughts rush forth with great vigour.It may also be difficult to introvert the mindwith the eyes open. It requires strength ofmind to do so. The mind is contaminatedwhen it takes in objects. Otherwise, it ispure. The main factor in dhyana (medita-tion) is to keep the mind active in its ownpursuit without taking in external impres-sions or thinking of other matters.

Disciple: But thoughts come up. Is oureffort meant to eliminate thoughts only?

Ramana: Yes. Meditation being on asingle thought, the other thoughts is keptaway. Meditation is only negative in effectin as much as thoughts are kept away.

Disciple: If a form is given I can medi-tate on it and other thoughts are eliminated.But the Self is formless.

Ramana: Meditation on forms or con-crete objects is said to be dhyana (medita-tion), whereas the enquiry into the Self isvichara (Self-enquiry) or nididhyasana(uninterrupted awareness of being).

Disciple: Is the practice of concentra-tion between the eyebrows advisable?

Ramana: Everyone is aware - `I am'.Leaving aside that awareness one goes aboutin search of God. What is the use of fixingone's attention between the eyebrows? It ismere folly to say that God is between theeyebrows. The aim of such advice is to helpthe mind to concentrate. It is one of theforcible methods to check the mind and pre-

vent its dissipation. It is forcibly directedinto one channel. It is a help to concentra-tion. But the best means of realization is theenquiry ‘Who am I?’ The present trouble isto the mind and it must be removed by themind only. The final result of the practice ofany kind of dhyana (meditation) is that theobject on which the seeker fixes his mindceases to exist as distinct and separate fromthe subject. They, the subject and object,become the one Self, and that is the Heart.

Disciple: I do not always concentrate onthe same centre in the body. Sometimes Ifind it easier to concentrate on one centreand sometimes on another. And sometimeswhen I concentrate on one centre the thoughtof its own accord goes and fixes itself inanother. Why is that?

Ramana: It may be because of pastpractices of yours. But in any case it isimmaterial on which centre you concentratesince the real Heart is in every centre andeven outside the body. On whatever part ofthe body you may concentrate or on what-ever external object, the Heart is there.

Disciple: Can one concentrate at onetime on one centre and at another time onanother or should one concentrate alwaysconsistently on the same centre?

Ramana: As I have just said, there canbe no harm wherever you concentrate,because concentration is only a means ofgiving up thoughts. Whatever the centre orobject on which one concentrates, he whoconcentrates is always the same.

Disciple: Why does not Sri Bhagavandirect us to practise concentration on someparticular centre or chakra (subtle centres ofenergy in the body)?

Ramana: Yoga Sastra (Yoga scriptures)says that the sahasrara (the chakra located inthe brain) or the brain is the seat of the Self.Purusha Sukta (a part of Rig Veda which isthe oldest Hindu scripture) declares that theHeart is its seat. To enable the sadhaka tosteer clear of possible doubt, I tell him totake up the thread or the clue of `I'-ness or`I am' ness and follow it up to its source.Because, firstly, it is impossible for anybodyto entertain any doubt about this `I' notion.Secondly, whatever be the means adopted,the final goal is the realization of the sourceof `I am'-ness which is the primary datumof your experience. If you therefore practiseSelf-enquiry, you will reach the Heart whichis the Self.

Disciple: What is dhyana (meditation)? Ramana: It is abiding as one's Self

without swerving in any way from one's realnature and without feeling that one is medi-tating.

Disciple: What is the difference betweendhyana (meditation) and samadhi (the stateof absorption in the Self)?

Ramana: Dhyana (meditation) isachieved through deliberate mental effort. Insamadhi (the state of absorption in the Self)there is no such effort.

Disciple: What are the factors to be keptin view in dhyana?

Ramana: It is important for one who isestablished in his Self (atmanishtha) to seethat he does not swerve in the least from thisabsorption. By swerving from his truenature he may see before him bright efful-gences, or hear unusual sounds, or regard asreal the visions of gods appearing within oroutside himself. He should not be deceivedby these and forget himself.

Disciple: How do I prevent myselffalling asleep in meditation?

Ramana: If you try to prevent sleep itwill mean thinking in meditation, which

must be avoided. But if you slip into sleepwhile meditating, the meditation will contin-ue even during and after sleep. Yet, being athought, sleep must be got rid of, for thefinal natural state has to be obtained con-sciously in jagrat (the waking state) withoutthe disturbing thought. Waking and sleepingare mere pictures on the screen of thenative, thought-free state. Let them passunnoticed.

Disciple: What is to be meditated upon? Ramana: Anything that you prefer. Disciple: Meditation is more direct than

investigation because the former holds on tothe truth whereas the latter sifts the truthfrom the untruth.

Ramana: For the beginner meditationon a form is more easy and agreeable.Practice of it leads to self-enquiry whichconsists in sifting the reality from unreality.What is the use of holding on to truth whenyou are filled with antagonistic factors? Self-enquiry directly leads to realization byremoving the obstacles which make youthink that the Self is not already realized.Meditation differs according to the degree ofadvancement of the seeker. If one is fit forit one might directly hold on to the thinker,and the thinker will then automatically sinkinto his source, pure consciousness. If onecannot directly hold on to the thinker onemust meditate on God and in due course thesame individual will have become sufficient-ly pure to hold on to the thinker and to sinkinto absolute being. Meditation is possibleonly if the ego is kept up. There is the egoand the object meditated upon. The methodis therefore indirect because the Self is onlyone. Seeking the ego, that is its source, theego disappears. What is left over is the Self.This method is the direct one.

Disciple: Meditation is with mind. Howcan it kill the mind in order to reveal theSelf?

Ramana: Meditation is sticking to onethought. That single thought keeps awayother thoughts. Distraction of mind is a signof its weakness. By constant meditation itgains strength, that is to say, the weaknessof fugitive thought gives place to the endur-ing background free from thought. Thisexpanse devoid of thought is the Self. Mindin purity is the Self.

Disciple: What is the differencebetween meditation (dhyana) and investiga-tion (vichara)?

Ramana: Both amount to the same.Those unfit for investigation must practisemeditation. In meditation the aspirant for-getting himself meditates `I am Brahman' or`I am Siva' and by this method holds on toBrahman (the Absolute) or Siva. This willultimately end with the residual awarenessof Brahman (the Absolute) or Siva as being.He will then realize that this is pure being,that is, the Self. He who engages in investi-gation starts by holding on to himself, andby asking himself `Who am I?' the Selfbecomes clear to him. Mentally imaginingoneself to be the supreme reality, whichshines as existence-consciousness-bliss, ismeditation. Fixing the mind in the Self sothat the unreal seed of delusion will die isenquiry. Whoever meditates upon the Self inwhatever bhava (mental image) attains itonly in that image. Those peaceful ones whoremain quiet without any such bhava attainthe noble and unqualified state of kaivalya,the formless state of the Self.

Disciple: There is more pleasure indhyana (meditation) than in sensual enjoy-ments. Yet the mind runs after the latter anddoes not seek the former. Why is it so?

Ramana: Pleasure or pain are aspects ofthe mind only. Our essential nature is hap-piness. But we have forgotten the Self andimagine that the body or the mind is theSelf.

It is that wrong identity that gives rise tomisery. What is to be done? This mental ten-dency is very ancient and has continued forinnumerable past births. Hence it has grownstrong. That must go before the essentialnature, happiness, asserts itself.

Disciple: Why should one adopt thisself-hypnotism by thinking on the unthink-able point? Why not adopt other methodslike gazing into light, holding the breath,hearing music, hearing internal sounds, rep-etition of the sacred syllable Om or othermantras (sacred syllables repeated in medi-tation)?

Ramana: Light-gazing stupefies themind and produces catalepsy of the will forthe time being, but it secures no permanentbenefit. Breath control temporarily benumbsthe will but it is not permanent. It is thesame with listening to sounds, unless themantra (sacred syllables repeated in medita-tion) is sacred and secures the help of ahigher power to purify and raise thethoughts.

Extracts from the book‘Life Beyond Death’

by Anil Sharma How to meditate:

Ramana

54 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

Body-Mind-Spirit

October - November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 55

An epitome of love, DamodaranandaBy Vijay Badhwar

Some comment on his skin being as fresh as that of achild, some talk about the glow on his face; SwamiSridharananda at the Vedanta Centre says that you

have to poke him as in a beehive to enjoy the sweetness ofhoney pouring out. I see the simplicity of love in him – notwists, no turns; a whole-hearted love pours out when some-one touches his feet and there is ringing of bells in the laugh-ter he bursts out in after every short sentence he speaks.

That’s Swami Damodarananda. And, it’s with a heavy heart we learn that he’s called it

a day of his Australian fellowship to return home at the ageof 94, to be at Belur Math where he had made a new begin-ning for his life as a teenager.

It was many years ago, he recalls with a memory that’snow fading, that he had run away from home to join theRamana Ashram in Tiruvannamalai. “Inspired by a bookletabout Ramana Maharshi going around among students Iwondered that there were Brahamapurushas like him. Whatwas I doing there; I should be with him at his feet. Arousedby Shukata Samskaras, immediately I took a train, not evenknowing where exactly I was heading.

“A family in the train advised me where to get downfrom the train. Otherwise I had no idea that I had to changetrains on the way to reach Tiruvannamalai. Hungry andexhausted, I reached the Ashram and sat for a darshan of theMaharshi.

“Maharshi’s prolonged gaze, looking straight at me,sent me an inner message what life had in store for me. Istayed for several weeks at the Ashram helping in thekitchen and stealing every opportunity to listen to RamanaMaharshi, even daring to ask him ‘the shortest path to sal-vation’.

“In my spare time I read lot of scriptures, among thatabout Swami Ramakrishna, Ma Sarada and Vivekananda. Ihad found my path in life and felt very happy about it. Butit did not last long as my family had found out where I wasand they forced me to return home.

“But the homecoming did not last long. There was aRamakrishna Math close to my house and I started visiting

that often. “One day I was reading the works of Swami

Vivekananda when a particular passage struck me. Swamijihad written, “You have devoted innumerable lives to fami-ly and material concerns. Can you not offer one life to God.

“Immediately, a voice rose inside me: yes, I can do that.I decided to join the order and was initiated several yearslater by Swami Virajananda,” Swami Damodarananda said.

During this time he travelled a lot – in the Himalayas,to all the holy places like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Mt Kailash,a journey on foot in those days. “I joined a group of shep-herds and went with them through the high passes.”

“One day they asked me to turn around for some time asthey killed a goat. It shocked me but realised that it was theirway of life. I had my ‘sampa’ tied in a piece of cloth, a partof my survival kit,” he said laughingly.

Immediately afterwards at the Ramakrishna Mission theforeign postings started – 1954-60 in Rangoon, 1961-76 inSingapore and immediately afterwards to Nadi, Fiji, wherehe stayed until 2000. During those 24 years SwamiDamodarananda visited Australia and New Zealand often, aguest of Mr and Mrs Ramakrishna in Sydney, and crys-tallised the Mission’s activities in Sydney, Perth andBrisbane.

Devotees recall Swami Damodarananda carrying a pileof books with him wherever he travelled and distributingthem among curious spiritual seekers, encouraging them tostudy the scriptures and inculcate the message of SriRamakrishna in their lives. This period marked the begin-ning of Ramakrishna Mission in Australia.

Swamiji briefly returned to India in 2000, only to be sentto Thailand in 2004. From Bangkok he also co-ordinatedMission’s activities in Hong Kong and reached as far asPerth where he stayed from 2007-09. He has since been inSydney, spreading his love among keen devotees.

Now at 94, he’s still keen to be among his family of fol-lowers in Sydney. “But it would be better if I returned dueto my health,” he thinks aloud.

“Has ever a stray thought come in his mind that he couldhave chosen another path in life,” I dare to ask.

“What path,” comes a brief but stern retort.What was the ‘shortest path to God’ for people in fami-

ly lives, I redirect the question he had once asked RamanaMaharshi?

“Sarveshu Kaleshu man anusmara yudhya cha – hequotes from Bhagwad Gita and explains: engage in the warof life valiantly doing your required duties. But offer it allto God.” ‘Kaam karte raho, naam japte raho’, is his simplemessage. Swami Damodarananda will visit all the centres inAustralia before he leaves the shores in November, andcomplete a full circle returning to Belur Math where he hadmade a beginning some 70 years ago.

The beloved Ramakrishna Mission Swami is returning to India. Hissimple advice to householders: Engage in the war of life valiantly

doing your required duties. But offer it all to God.‘Kaam karte raho, naam japte raho’.

When young, SwamiDaomodarananda went to live atRamana Maharshi’s ashram inTiruvannamalai. “I stayed forseveral weeks at the Ashram

helping in the kitchen and steal-ing every opportunity to listen toRamana Maharshi, even daring

to ask him ‘the shortest path to salvation’.”

“One day I was reading the worksof Swami Vivekananda when aparticular passage struck me.Swamiji had written, “You havedevoted innumerable lives to

family and material concerns.Can you not offer one life to God.“Immediately, a voice rose insideme: yes, I can do that,” Swami

Damodarananda recalls.

56 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

Community

September - October 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 57

Julie Owens MP, Federal Member forParramatta congratulated Dr VairamuttuManomohan, President of the SydneyMurugan Temple on the Great WesternHighway at Mays Hill, and its entire congre-gation on their successful sponsorship of threehighly specialised and devout Sculptors towork on the Temple before its important 12-year reconsecration in late January 2012.

"Dr Manomohan approached me for help acouple of months ago because the Temple washaving trouble getting visas for theseSculptors," Ms Owens said.

"Working on the beautiful sculptures on aHindu Temple is not something just anyonecan do," she said.

"Proper Temple Sculptors need to havelearned their craft through traditional Hindutraining, and when they carve, they followstrict requirements of Hindu scripture - dailyprayer, vegetarianism and rising early in themorning to do their work, among otherthings."

"It is a beautifully devout practice and the

three Sculptors who are on their way are inter-nationally known for their work."

"I was delighted to help the Temple to getthese visas as quickly as Immigration couldgive them" Ms Owens said.

Dr Manomohan said, "The Temple is mostgrateful to Julie Owens MP for her help. Wemight still be waiting for these visas if she hadnot supported the applications and followedthem closely".

"The Sculptors will arrive in the comingdays and they will be working hard over thenext three months to get the Temple ready forthe reconsecration. The Sydney Tamil commu-nity is very much looking forward to it" hesaid.

January 2012 marks the 12 year anniver-sary of the Sydney Murugan Temple, which isan important milestone for the importantbuilding under Hindu tradition. The reconse-cration will involve much celebration and reli-gious observance and will be an importanttime for the Sydney Tamil community.

Talented Sculptors head toSydney Murugan Temple inMays Hill for its 12th yearanniversary in January 2012

Julie Owens with Temple president Dr. Vairamuttu Manmohan

10th anniversary celebration of HoliMahotsav will take place in DarlingHarbour on 23-25 of March2012organised by Bharatiya VidyaBhavan. BVB in Australia is a non-profit and non-religious NGO. Since itslaunch in 2003 it has undertaken alarge number of activities related toIndian culture and promoting multicul-turalism in Australia. The major annualevent is the festival of Holi Mahotsav.This beautiful festival of friendship andharmony was introduced in Sydney byBhavan Australia nine years ago. Sincethe beginning BVB has celebrated it atthe most prominent location constantlyvisited by people from every communi-ty at Darling Harbour as it is free foreveryone to join the festivitiesand hasbecome one of the important culturalicon visited by over 20,000 people. Holi Mahotsav is a grand and uniquefestival of colors, friendship and har-mony. The festival has an ancient ori-gin and celebrates the triumph of 'good'over 'bad'. On this day people get rid oftheir old baggage including unwanteditems and of course animosity and starta fresh year ahead. Old foes becomefriends. In India during Holi days onecan see colors of joy everywhere. HoliMahotsav celebrates culture, coloursand folk and fun. Every year around four hundredsartistsfrom local community, India and allover the world perform during the fes-tival in Sydney. Visitors enjoy the per-formances and the delicious Indianvegetarian food stalls and craft stalls inTumbalong Park.Program of Holi Mahotsav (23rd - 25thof March 2012 will have music and

dance performances that will start onFriday at noon, and will continue tillSunday 25th of March evening. Thefestival will last for 3 days. On Friday many school groups areinvited with special section of eventsfor young people and children. The fes-tival starts with musical performances,and lectures, seminars and culturalworkshops about diversity, multicultur-alism, social cohesion. Saturday becomes the stage of yoga,prayers, and meditation activities.There will be a large street processionfrom Hyde Park going through SydneyCBD and Sydney Town Hall and cul-minating in to Tumbalong Park,Darling Harbour. The Procession willinclude Rath Yatra (hand pulledChariot) and other community floats.There will be the Sacred Holi Fire. TheHoli Bon fire is believed to drive awayevil from the society.On Sunday in the designated area willtake place the funny practice of colorthrowing / playing with colors.The cultural performances include abo-riginal performances and tribal bellydances, together with many Indian andother international dance and musicgroups. There will be also many foodand merchandise stalls. Holi Mahotsavalso presents several art exhibitions, tosupport upcoming international artists.Its a unique expereince to witness sucha mix of cultures coming togetherunder one banner to experience theability of people to unite and transcendboundaries of race, caste, culture, ageand gender; or simply enjoy an array ofcultural performances.

Bhartiya Vidya Bhavanreadies for an exciting HoliMahotsav in March 2012

Oct Mat 1. Hindu Punjabibusiness parents invite alliancefrom a beautiful educated girl fortheir highly qualified son 30/6'3",a very well placed financial con-sultant with a leading multination-al company in UK. Will be inAustralia in July, Caste no bar.Send BHP toukshaadi@hotmail.com

Oct Mat 2. Well settled fami-ly in Australia inviting alliance for27 year old, 5"11, Sood Punjabiboy, B.Software Engineer(honors)and is working as a senior ITConsultant for the Australian gov-

ernment on high income. SeekingIndian girl, caste no bar. Pleasecall 0414-518-312. Email aumo-hindra@gmail.com

Oct Mat 3. Seeking compati-ble well educated, employed pro-fessional/ business match, withIndian background, broad minded/mature outlook, independent,divorcee, age 47 years onward,For caring, honest, friendly,Indian Christian divorceeAustralian citizen, 48 yrs 5'3" tall,much younger looking than age,attractive, graceful looking gradu-ate nurse, employed. Caste no bar.Email details to emily.lotus@hot-mail.com

Oct Mat 4. Suitable match for26.5 year old, Hindu boy, 6 Feet,handsome, Australian qualifiedDentist, Income High Six figure,seek Indian good-looking, profes-sional girl with strong family val-ues.Caste no bar, girl merits mainconsideration.

Please contact with profile andrecent photograph at 0412-788569or Email:Jaiho2000@hotmail.com

Oct Mat 5. Young IndianHindu girl 27 years old fromrespectable family, living inSydney seeks young AustralianIndian man with strong culturedand family background for friend-ship with view of marriage. Pleasecall on 0421 689 546.

Oct Mat 6. We are looking fora Sikh/Punjabi girl who is welleducated and independent yet cul-turally grounded with traditionalvalues. Our son has a MastersDegree in "Applied Finance' andis currently a self-employed busi-nessman. He is 30 / 6', living inSydney and seeking a life partnerwith whom he can share hisdreams and ambitions. E-maildetails to: tkt1223@gmail.com orring 0415 307 314.

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October -November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 59

Vasthu master Selva honoured

Indian Down Under columnistT. Selva was conferred fiveawards for his outstanding

writings, work and excellence inpropagating ancient Indian sci-ences and knowledge.

He received an Honorary

Doctor of Oriental Learning (PhD)from the Indian Institute ofOriental Heritage in West Bengal.

Selva, who writes a VasthuSastra column, was also bestowedthe Vasthu Padmabibhushan andVasthu Samrat and Vasthu Gauravby the Kolkata-based AsianAstrologers Congress (AAC) andVasthu Ratnakara award by theMalaysian Astrological Society(MAS).

He received the awards fromMalaysian Human ResourcesMinister Datuk Dr S.Subramaniam at the 13th AsianAstrology & Vasthu Sastra

Conference on National Heritagein Kuala Lumpur on Aug 12.

Asian Astrologers Congresspresident Dr Satya Biswas said thetitles were given because Selva hasbecome a leading exponent outsideIndia to write and speak on ancientIndian secrets and sciences world-wide.

He said the congress wasimpressed by his work and com-mitment to popularise all branchesof early knowledge for the better-ment of mankind.

“We are overwhelmed bySelva’s selfless service to write,speak and spread the intricate

knowledge of Vasthu and astrolo-gy in many countries selflessly,”said Biswas.

MAS president N.Aruampalam said the society choseSelva in recognition of his merito-rious services rendered to thecause of research, developmentand propagation of Vasthu, astrol-ogy and Tantra text.

He said they were proud that aMalaysian has become a leadingfigure in Indian sciences and wis-dom.

Selva’s writing appears inAustralia and Malaysian newspa-pers and he hosts regular radio

and television shows in Malaysia.He has authored five books on

Vasthu and ancient Indian secretsand over the past eleven years hehas presented 373 talks for freeand for charity in nine countries.

For more information on thebooks, visitwww.vasthusastra.com.

T. Selva is the author of thebest selling book titled VasthuSastra Guide. To get a copy of thebook or for private consultationcontact Devi 0412623017. He canbe contacted at his email: tsel-vas@pd.jaring.my and Website:www.vasthusastra.com

T. Selva writes a regularcolumn for The

Indian Down Under

Columns

By Karam C. Ramrakha

Karam C. Ramrakha, veteran ex FijiMP, casts a practised eye on Fiji and inthis article examines the responsibility ofthe large Indian diaspora's responsibilitytowards the mother country.

Collape of Euro, and Europe! Obamain Re-Election Peril. Julia Gillardin imminent peril. Taj Mahal in

peril: danger of collapse within 5 years?Hamid Karzai in embrace with

Manmohan Singh. Ah, the mind boggles.Afghanistan.. Surely not stan, but sthan.There is sthan all over the map, all oncepart of a Vedic World of Indias. The suf-fix "sthan" akin to the suffix "land" inEurope (England, Finland, Iceland all onceruled by Vikings). Ah, to return to theglory of Vedic India of old. And the nameAfghanistan, surely it is from Awa-Gamansthan, a land of coming and going, a valu-able passageway, a through route whosefierce people defy conquest after conquest.

And what of our own Australasia?Despite 800 million our Ramsi pours intothe Solomons there is turmoil and unrest.Fiji, the naughty child we would love tohave sit in a corner is still rebellious.Frank Bainimarama the coup leader showsno remorse, no contrition. Large areas ofPacific islands notably Tuvalu and Kiribatiand even island groups in Fiji will, thanksto climate warming, be submerged inwater. A new paradigm emerges. Waveafter wave of people from our own back-yards. The mind boggles. Can this DesertContinent which is Australia sustain us all?

And what of elsewhere? The oldromantic adventure-ridden world of theMiddle East is in turmoil, as the oil richbastion of Saudi Arabia fearfully draws upits shutters. Arab Spring! Uprising afteruprising as the bullet defying residentsseek justice and a new world

Everywhere there is demand forchange. Internet Rules. Internet Informs.Internet is Ubiquitous.

What of the future of the Human Race?What legacy will we leave our children?There are urgent questions which demandurgent solutions, as we realise how limitedour resources are on Planet Earth.

Events are in the saddle and ridemankind, as Ralph Waldo Emerson hadsaid. Yes, indeed events are riding hard,real hard, and threatening to overtake anddestroy us. I quote lines from my favouritepoem "Blight and famine, plague and

earthquake, roaring deeps and fiery sands,Clanging fights, and flaming towns, andsinking ships, and praying hands. (TheLotos Eaters)

As I pondered depressed on currentworld affairs, a voice came to me out ofthe blue. It was my protege, Noor Dean,Melbourne lawyer and onetime Fiji MPwho was incarcerated by Rabuka in the1987 coups. Deeply shaken he was cryingand his voice from where? Of all placesJallianwalla Bagh in Amritsar. Noor, an

Akhand Bharti, was deeply shaken by hisvisit. Yes, I too visited it in 1975. TheBagh or Garden stained with blood as onBaisakhi Day, April 13, 1919. A BritishGeneral Dyer ordered his Indian soldiersto fire on unarmed and peaceful protesters.An uncle of mine Lalla Ram who escapedby pretending he was dead described howthose who lay dying were picked and bay-onetted to death. It was a cataclysmicevent but it did not signal end of Empirewhich lasted in India for some threedecades after the event. Remember it waswe Indians, our own killing by our own onthat Baisakhi Holy Day. It is we Indianswho bolstered British Empire so much sothat India was described as the Jewel in theCrown. Ironically India's Koh-i-noor stillsits atop the Lady's Crown.

But as the World around India teetersand India and China, Chacha Nehru's two(beloved) sleeping giants awake from theirslumber what awaits us.

There are pundits galore who analysethe future of India and China. Ajay Singh,one time Deputy Minister in India'sParliament and recent ex HighCommissioner to Fiji, on a recent visit toFiji addressed the University of SouthPacific students on how he believes thatIndia and China will become one country.

He says there is acknowledgement inChina that India ruled China for 2000years but it was not with the sword. On a1975 visit to Taiwan, its Vice Presidentspoke of how the ancient Chinese went onpilgrimages to India and how a belief inreincarnation made them take even theiranimals with them.

I was deeply touched by his words. But here we are. The old circle

returns. The General Dyers of JallianwallaBagh are still alive in our midst, still incit-

ing their own to shoot their own. Syria andLibya stand out as prime examples. All thebreastbeating after General Dyer has doneus no good. His name has passed into leg-end. There is doubt whether it was thatvery Dyer or another Dyer whom Indianpatriot Udham Singh shot and killed. Mygeneration was besotted with the emanci-pation of India. We endlessly recountedJallianwalla Bagh in our families; weprayed and hoped against the might ofEmpire which enslaved us as its colonials,its subjects in a very derogatory sense. Nowonder Noor Dean, a child of Fiji, shedhis tears on the site. It is man's inhumanityto man which arouses our conscience,which makes us realise the utter futility ofdivisions of place of origin, language,race, caste, colour and creed.

As we in Australia battle over carbontax, boatloads of refugees, the future ofJulia Gillard, the call from JallianwallaBagh is a wake-up call, reminding us of agreater world of which we are only a smallpart. And finally as I leave you, GentleReader, to ponder what Kahlil Gibranurged us: Ask not what your country cando for you, Ask what you can do for yourcountry. Let me turn my mind to mynative Fiji.

A recent survey showed that more than

half the people in Fiji approve of FrankBainimarama. At the recent Pacific Forum,both Australia and New Zealand realisedthat the Forum was meaningless withoutFiji. It was described by one writer as theelephant in the room. But can Fiji remainin a limbo indefinitely as some observerspredict to be Frank's agenda. No, Frank isnow focusing on an electoral roll. Good,bad, indifferent he is committed to 2014elections. He avoided that 2009 promisebut can he avoid 2014 promise. Hardly.What Frank needs is some dramatic revivaland the one area where he could succeed isthe sugar industry. Sugar sells. Sugar is indemand, like most food items in a rapidlyexpanding world. What is needed in Fijiwhere there will always be two large rgroups, not necessarily racial as possible atloggerheads namely the landed and thelandless is not a political solution but aneconomic one. This is borne out by thefact that the people are generally happywithout the trappings of Parliament. Theycome in their black suits and land roversand seek our vote and then they disappearfor the next five years and enjoy their fatsalaries and privileges. That is what I haveheard in my four trips to Fiji since thecoup of 2006. And that makes sense. Howdoes our Parliamentary system serve us.Most of those elected merely provide num-bers, and a physical presence for an area.Most are powerless and MPs are oftenforced to turn their constituents awayempty handed. Yes, we wallow in thepast. Fiji once touted as the way the worldshould be and acknowledged as thus byvisiting leaders including the Pope. Fijinow the way the world is. Fiji a multi-reli-gious, multi-cultural, multiracial countrystruggling with its problems but hoping tobecome and set an example to the rest ofthe world. We from far away can onlywatch and wait, watch and pray.

God Bless Fiji. And finally God blessthe millions who put their body on thefrontline as they did in Jallianwalla Baghand who died to give us a better world.Not to forget those like Noor Dean whorefused to rot in prison and defied a dictator.

Karam C Ramrakha, lawyer since1955 and ex Fiji MP, still practises lawfrom an office in 36 Pellisier Rod, Putney.His contact iskaramcramrakha@gmail.com. phone num-ber (02) 98082760 and fax (02) 98025014.He handles most type of legal work.

Events Events Events

At the recent Pacific Forum, both Australiaand New Zealand realised that the Forum

was meaningless without Fiji. It wasdescribed by one writer as the elephant in

the room. But can Fiji remain in a limboindefinitely as some observers predict to

be Frank's agenda.

60 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011

Dilip Mahanty Column

October - November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 61

India plummets—and how!

By Dilip Mahanty

The recent disastrous seriesagainst England in allforms of the game exposed

the hollowness of thinking in thepeople who run cricket in India.The veneer of respectability thatcovered Indian cricket in the lastfew seasons following its climb tothe top of the Test totem pole aswell as the recent winning of theODI World Cup lay shattered intomillion pieces after the thoroughdrubbing at the hand of theEnglish. The puffed chests, thestrut, the arrogance of players andthe administrators deflated like apunctured balloon and they lookedforlorn and lost on return.

One is always wise on hind-sight but signs of decline in Indiancricket, especially in Tests, weregradual but noticeable. The main-stay in the batting, the fabulous 3(Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman)plus Sehwag, were ageing and nopromising youngster to replacethem was on the horizon. Thebowling depended heavily on theinjury prone Zaheer Khan and thedeclining skills of HarbhajanSingh. The fielding was geriatricand an embarrassment. The BCCIofficials were too busy with postWorld Cup congratulatory back-slapping and counting the heapeddollars to notice the gradualdecline. The money spinning IPLsand the ODIs caught their fancyand minimum requirements ofTest cricket were jettisoned. Thelopsided scheduling of the annualcricketing calendar where a surfeitof meaningless 20-20s and ODIspunctuated the gaps between Testmatch programmes did not helpeither.

Mentally and physically jadedplayers were resigned to aHobson’s choice. Take a breakfrom these meaningless games torest aching, injured bones andmuscles with a chance of beingignored during future selections orrisk injuries but be amply reward-ed financially for continuing toplay. Even established players likeDhoni, Zaheer, Harbhajan,Sehwag and Gambhir did not wantto upset either BCCI or their gen-erous IPL sponsors by taking anextended break! Some chose toskip national duty, owing to injuryor fatigue, rather than upset theirclub sponsors! BCCI was not onlyambivalent to the players’ plightbut also complicit in forcing themto play for their lucratively spon-

sored “clubs” when R & R wasessential. To top everything,BCCI felt that the Indian team wasso good that it did not need anyform of local conditioning when itundertook an overseas tour, irre-spective of whichever form ofcricket it was scheduled to play.

The tour to West Indies wasundertaken a few days after a hec-tic scheduling of the World Cup

and IPL4 where most players inthe touring team participated. Afew like Tendulkar, Zaheer,Gambhir and Sehwag gave thistour a total miss through fatigueor injury while others like theexhausted Dhoni skipped the ODIsthere. In any case WI was not like-ly to pose a danger to India’ssupremacy and therefore a degreeof leniency was permitted.

Having won the series in WI,BCCI contemptuously dismissedEngland’s preparedness and sentbulk of an overworked teamstraight from West Indies toEngland and asked the rest to fly

straight out of India without prop-er assessment of fitness or matchreadiness. A weather interfered 3day match was the only condition-ing the team was allowed for thistough Test series. The results arefor all of us to see!

In the face of lively, seamingconditions and England’s heavyartillery of pace bowling India’sbatting wilted and a worrying

fragility was uncovered. Exceptfor the doughty Dravid whose pro-fessionalism and skill tamed therampaging attack time and again,the others were found wanting.Even Tendulkar had a modestseries by his standards and oftenlooked underdone in preparation.Strangely Laxman, known to riseup in difficult situations, alsofailed. The rest of the batting wasinept and lacking in confidenceand technique. Some of theyounger players like Raina,Mukund & Kohli were uncomfort-able against pace and swing andnever looked secure at the crease.

Gambhir’s injury and Sehwag’slate but scratchy appearancetowards the end of the series didnot help either. Dhoni failed withthe bat most of the series and thelong tail was non resistantthroughout! India never got a goodstart to its innings nor did it getany support from the tail.

Defending modest scores witha depleted bowling attack and a

butterfingered, lethargic fieldingside was never going to be easyand this showed throughout thetour. Mainstay Zaheer’s break-down in the very 1st Test threwthe rest of the bowling into chaos.While Praveen Kumar and IshantSharma, who did bulk of the bowl-ing in the West Indies, triedvaliantly to bring some orderthough the work load was toomuch for them. Sreesanth waserratic and wasteful in conditionsideally suited to his type of bowl-ing. The greatest disappointment,however, was Harbhajan! Insteadof leading the inexperienced attack

with inspired bowling he chose tobowl flat and unimaginativelywhen on the same pitch GraemeSwann threatened to take wicketsevery time he bowled. Mishra’sbowling, when he got to play,lacked penetration. He surprisedeverybody with the number of “noballs” he bowled! How many legspinners does one know who bowlas many no balls as Mishra?

Sure bad luck, insufficientpractice, injuries at crucial timesdogged the Indian team through-out the tour but that does notexcuse the total annihilation theteam experienced! It also beggarsbelief that services of players likeRaina, who showed little inclina-tion and ability to stay at thecrease in Tests, continued to besought when some former Indianplayers who had very successfulseason with their respectiveCounties in England were ready,willing and able to jump into thefray at a moment’s notice if theyhad been invited

. The players in question wereWasim Jaffer, Murli Karthik andAkash Chopra. These playerswere not old. In fact they were notonly younger than the fabuloustrio of middle order batsmen butalso had plenty of experience inplaying in local conditions againstmost players representingEngland! Why were unfit, unpre-pared players sent desperatelyfrom India to replace the injuredones when experienced, seasoned,conditioned Indian players wereavailable in England? Did it makeany sense? Perhaps it made senseonly to BCCI!

Given that the Indian team willplay a 3 -Test home series againstthe weak West Indies inNovember interspersed with anumber of 20-20s and ODIsbefore touring Australia later, oneshudders to think of the likelyoutcome against an increasinglyimproving and better preparedAustralian team returning homehardened after locking horns witha tough South Africa team! If afull strength and fit Indian teamlands in Australia, it might offer atough challenge but if a depletedteam (especially the bowling -minus a spearhead like Zaheer)takes on Australia it will be a sum-mer of leather hunting for theplodding fielders!

One is always wise on hindsight but signsof decline in Indian cricket, especially inTests, were gradual but noticeable. Themainstay in the batting, the fabulous 3(Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman) plus

Sehwag, were ageing and no promisingyoungster to replace them was on the

horizon. The bowling depended heavily onthe injury prone Zaheer Khan and the

declining skills of Harbhajan Singh.

If a full strength and fit Indian team lands inAustralia, it might offer a tough challenge but if adepleted team (especially the bowling - minus a

spearhead like Zaheer) takes on Australia, returninghome hardened after locking horns with a toughSouth Africa team, it will be a summer of leather

hunting for the plodding fielders!

62THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October-November 2011

Tribute

By K. Raman

Two great Indian men havepassed away in quick succes-sion - Shammi Kapoor the

showman par excellence and‘Noob’ the Nawab Tiger Pataudi, acricket genius.

Pataudi was 70-years old. Hebreathed his last at Sir Ganga RamHospital, New Delhi on September,22, 2011. He was suffering fromacute intestinal lung condition. Itwas reported that he knew that hewas fighting a losing battle. Hemade sure that his healthy eye wasdonated to a deserving person to giftvision of life. This was indeed anoble act. His wife and three chil-dren were by his bedside whenPataudi died.

Whenever Pataudi played atBrabourne stadium, I was there tosee him play. Apart from his battingand fielding prowess, he moulded agood team from what he inheritedas one prone to defeats. He was anideal captain, friendly with his co-players while he never compro-mised on discipline. He always ledby example. Apart from that he wasnot prone to controversies.

He was born on the lap of luxu-ry in the princely Nawab householdof Pataudi (Bhopal). His real namewas Mansur Ali Khan. He was bornon January 5, 1941 as the son ofIfthikar Ali Khan Pataudi- 'Pat'-(eighth Nawab of Pataudi) andSajida Sultan. His father Pat was theonly Indian cricketer who playedTest cricket both for England andIndia.

Pataudi Jr received an illustri-ous, well chalked out upbringing -education at the prestigious and

classy Welham Boys School ofDehradun, Lockers Park Prep.School, Hertfordshire in U.K,Winchester College and BaltiolCollege (Oxford University). Hisfather died in 1951, aged 41 years,when Tiger was 11 years old, thusinheriting the title, the ninth Nawabof Pataudi.

Tiger became well knownbecause of his exploits in cricketfields the world over. In a major caraccident he lost vision in his righteye when he was 20 years old. Hehad to do some adjustments to hisstance in the crease which is not aneasy task to do for one who waswell settled in batting stance andtechnique. It was akin to startingfrom scratch. Lack of sight in oneeye also tells on the mental reac-tions and reflexes. He overcame allthese problems and did remarkablywell as a batsman.

He was a right handed batsmanand bowled seamers. He managedto get one Test wicket only in hiscareer. A naturally gifted cricketer,he played in 46 Tests for India scor-ing 2793 runs at an average of34.91 and saved India from manytight situations. He scored six tonsand 16 half centuries, not bad forone who had only sight in the lefteye and was loaded with the respon-sibilities as the skipper of the team.

When we talk about Pataudi, itis his captaincy skills that come tothe fore. In 1962, when he turned21, he became India’s youngestskipper of all time. As the new skip-per he inherited a sinking ship andin the next 40 Test matches hemoulded a team that could face anyattack in the world. He, however,lost the captaincy in 1970 and his

position in the team in 1975. It wasprimarily due to disenchantment hedeveloped towards the game heonce loved so much.

His first cricket coach was thegreat Sir Frank Worrell. He inherit-ed the appellation of ‘Tiger’ inrecognition of his quick tiger likemovements, sharp and quick whilefielding.

He was a batsman capable offacing any type of bowling attacksand was known for concentrationand hardly ever got out for rashshots. He always took part in thepre match workout and fitness exer-cise with his team members.

On December 27, 1969, hemarried the beautiful, highly suc-cessful film actress SharmilaTagore, the great grand daughter ofIndia’s national poet Laureate,Rabindranath Tagore. Before hermarriage she had to change her reli-gion to become Begum PataudiKhan. To her friends she remainedas Rinku. She bore him three chil-dren, a boy and two girls - Saif AliKhan, the Bollywood heart throb,Soha Ali Khan a highly rated actressand Saba Ali Khan, a well-knownjewellery designer.

Pataudi was honoured with theArjuna award (1964) and the PadmaShri (1967). He rarely used to visithis home principality and his pala-tial home is now a heritage-listedhotel.

Tiger and Sharmila nevercraved for an opulent living andpublicity. They lived a quiet seclud-ed life. Noob was a true example ofthe British gentleman with a stiffupper lip, a reluctant talker. Eventhough he was known for hisclipped low voiced talk, he wasfriendly, forthcoming, highly artic-ulate and courteous. With inborncharm aaaaaaaaapataudi andSharmila always cast a spell on theonlookers. India has lost a greatson, while cricket has lost a brilliantcricketer in the demise of TigerPataudi.

May his soul rest in peace.

A great son India lost

Sharmila Tagore with Soha Ali Khan, who, with her very first film‘Rang De Basanti, became an A-lister actress.

Pataudi with film star son, Saif Ali Khan.

Pataudi Jr was married to Sharmila, the great grand daughter ofPoet Laureate Ranbindranath Tagore.

Tiger Pataudi’s father, IfthikarAli Khan Pataudi was the only

Indian cricketer who played Testcricket both for England

and India.

The author with Nawab Pataudi.

The Kersi Meher-Homji Column

October-November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 63

India back to its old losing habitsWhat a nightmare as India

lost everything inEngland.

From hero to zero, from glitterto litter! That describes India’s fallfrom the top to near bottom withinthree months.

Till April 2 India was on top,having won the 2011 World Cupconvincingly. Following a victory(not very convincing) in the Testseries in the West Indies, Indiaretained her No. 1 rank in Testcricket.

Then the tour to England andthe wheels started to fall off.

From July to September, Indiawas whitewashed 0-4 in a 4-Testseries for the Pataudi Trophy, lostthe only Twenty20 match and theNatWest one-day internationalseries 0-3 with one match tied andone match drawn.

What went wrong? If onlyIndian Test cricketers had notplayed the meaningless IPL matchesa week after the 2011 World Cup.Not only did this led to injuries butalso their focus. The crores ofrupees suddenly came ahead of con-centration in batting, bowling andfielding. Then came the tour to theCaribbean where the playing condi-tions are grossly different to thosein England.

To succeed in England one hasto play many county matches to getadjusted to the conditions where theball swings much more than in Indiaand the West Indies.

Defeat in the first two Tests byhuge margin meant that the moralewas down, down, down. Then itgradually got worse with only RahulDravid putting up stern resistance.

Also injuries to star players -fast-medium bowler Zaheer Khan,opening batsmen Virender Sehwagand Gautam Gambhir and middleorder batsman Yuvraj Singh decap-itated India. To make matters worselater on the tour, off-spinnerHarbhajan Singh and prolific (butout of form) batsman Sachin

Tendulkar were injured.It was too much of a strain on

Dravid who had to open the battingor go in at no. 3 with the score on 1for 5 or thereabouts.

Excuses or explanations? Littlebit of both as England also lost theirconsistent batsman Jonathan Trottand fast bowler Chris Tremlett toinjuries. But unlike India they hadready-made replacements.

Face it, the difference betweenthe two teams was focus and fitness.England players had focus and weremostly fit. Indians were unfit andout of focus.

England deserved to win theseries 4-0 with magnificent per-formances by Alastair Cook, IanBell, Kevin Pietersen, skipperAndrew Strauss, Trott, fast bowlerJimmy Anderson, all-roundersStuart Broad and Tim Bresnan,wicket-keeper-batsman Matt Priorand spinner Graeme Swann.

In fact, every player fromEngland contributed whereas forIndia it was only Dravid and, to aless extent, Praveen Kumar.

In short, a series to rememberfor England and the one to forgetfor India.

Among Englishmen, Pietersenheaded batting aggregate and aver-age with 533 runs at 106.60. Bellwas the next best with 504 runs at65.03 and Cook 348 at 58.00.

Apart from Dravid (461 runs at78.83 with three centuries) otherIndian batsmen were disappointing,Tendulkar coming next with 273 at34.12. Broad took 25 wickets(including a hat-trick) at 13.84 andAnderson 21 at 25.71. No Indianbowler could manage 20 wickets inthe series, best being PraveenKumar (15 at 29.53).

About time BCCI orders currentand established Indian Test crick-eters not to participate in IPL. It isgood for youngsters and for recent-ly retired Test cricketers. Anythingelse is pure suicide, affecting bothfitness and focus.

Pakistan’s fast bowler ShoaibAkhtar’s recent and contro-versial autobiography made

me think. If he can ‘write’ a book,why not Indian Test cricketers?

Here are suggestions for autobi-ography titles:

“The Great WALL of India”,“My Very Very Special Story”,“Viru’s Gunning for a Six”,“Yuvi’s Six Appeal” and “Savingfor a Raina Day”.

At least nine cricket books werewritten after England regained theAshes in 2005.

I wonder how many will bewritten after Andrew Strauss’s mendethroned India to reach the no.1Test ranking.

Here are suggested titles fortheir autobiographies: “Eat, Pray

and Cook”, “It rings a Bell”,“Waltzing with Strauss”, “FoxTrott”, “My Broad, Broad Ways”and “Swann Lake”.

Some ideas for Australian Testcricketers:

Doug Bollinger with his con-trasting hair-dos and expertise inclowning has a book in him forsure: “BO Lingers on”.

Fast bowler Trent Copeland get-ting a wicket off his second ball inTest cricket at Galle against SriLanka last month inspired me withthis novel title for his biography“Cope Lands a Winner”.

Then I saw Peter Siddle in theAustralian Dressing Room sittingbetween Ricky Ponting and MikeHussey. The title of his bio/ghostedautobiography should be “Siddle in

the Middle”.“Dizzy Heights” should be an

apt title for Jason ‘Dizzy’Gillespie’s best-seller.

Jason, ‘Crazy’ Krejza, has justthe title to tantalise readers: “CrazyTale – 8 for 215 and all that”.

“Star Waughs” need no intro-duction, nor do “What’s on,Watson”, “Taylor-made” and“Mark My Words”. Bosom buddies(?) Simon Katich and MichaelClarke can consider a joint autobi-ography titled “Kat and Pup story”.

And howzatt for “No Paine, nogain” by Tim Paine, “MarshMallows” by debutant centurionShaun Marsh, “I Blew It” by GregBlewett, “From Hero to Zoehrer”by Tim Zoehrer and “What MoreDo You Want?” by Dav Whatmore.

May I request the Test stars whoaspire to become authors to hurryup with their life stories? All theyneed is a ghost writer who collectsgarbage.

The formula is simple. Writerubbish against the most gentleman-ly cricketer and a prolific batsman(Sachin Tendulkar). The journalistswill make a hue and cry about it asthey did with Adam Gilchrist’sautobiography in 2008 in which hehad accused Sachin of being a liarand now Shoaib Akhtar who hintsthat Tendulkar cannot face fastbowling and he and Rahul Dravidare selfish cricketers. Absolutelydisgusting allegations.

After selling over 40,000 books,the ‘author’ will apologise and saythat he was misquoted!

A jubilant England team after dismissing Suresh Raina on the fourth day of the third Test match in Birmingham, Aug 13, 2011.

India's Rahul Dravid acknowledges the crowd after the fourth Test match against England where he car-ried the beat, remaining unbeaten at 146

Shoaib Akhtar’s autobiographi-cal book, ‘Controversially Yours’hints that Tendular cannot face

fast bowling.

The Great Wall of India and other zany book titlesIn lighter vein

64THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October-November 2011

The Kersi Meher-Homji column

The passing away of formerIndian cricket captainMansur Ali Khan Nawab of

Pataudi Jr on 22 September, aged70, reminded me of my interviewwith him some time ago.

In Sydney to open a photo-graphic exhibition EncounteringIndia in 1997, the Nawab and hischarming wife Sharmila Tagore – ahigh profile and beautiful movieactress – were greeted at the airportby their fans and bad weather.

Known for his aloof nature Iapproached him with pessimism buthe put me at ease chatting away.The weather reminded him of theMelbourne Test of 1967-68 whenhe had scored 75 and 85 runs on agreen bouncy MCG pitch -- leadingfrom the front.

He considered these innings asthe best he had played, far ahead ofhis highest Test score of 203 not outagainst England in 1963-64.

“The Melbourne Test is specialfor me,” he told me. “The pitchwas as green as the outfield, thescore was 5-25 as I limped in, notquite recovered from a hamstringinjury, and ‘Garth’ McKenzie wason fire.”

His stroke-play and determina-tion against odds reminded com-mentator and former Australiancaptain Lindsay Hassett of Bradmandays.

Mansur considered this tour ashis happiest, scoring 339 runs at56.50 and almost leading India tovictory in the Brisbane Test.

He captained India to a 3-1 winover New Zealand a month later,India’s first series win outside thesubcontinent.

The amazing statistic aboutMansur is that he played all his 46Tests (40 as captain), scoring 2793runs at 34.91, hitting six centuriesand taking 27 catches with vision inonly one eye.

A Nawab, a Test captain, apolitician, an editor of Sportsworldmagazine and author of Tiger’sTale, Mansur Ali Khan 'Tiger'Pataudi lived in the constant flood-light of publicity. Before he gaveup the Nawab title, his home con-tained 150 rooms and employedover a hundred servants, seven oreight being his personal attendants.

However, to be recognised asone of the best cover-point andextra-cover fielders in the world

gave him the real thrill. Mansur’s climb to the top

appeared to be derailed when a carcrash in England in 1961 resulted inthe loss of vision in his right eye.He was 20 then.

The Indian selectors, not know-ing the full extent of his eye injury,appointed him to captain thePresident's XI against Ted Dexter'sMCC at Hyderabad that summer.Mansur was delighted but battingwas not easy. When using contactlenses he had double vision, seeingtwo balls six inches apart.

“By picking the inner one Imanaged to score 35 by tea,” hesaid. “Then I removed the contactlens and, keeping the bad eyeclosed, completed the top-score of70.” After this, he was included inthe Delhi Test. In the final Test inMadras (now Chennai) he hit asplendid 103. “This convinced methat I had the handicap licked.”

Mansur became India's emer-gency captain in the West Indies in1962 when Nari Contractor had anear fatal injury facing a CharlieGriffith bouncer.

Mansur was 21 then andbecame the youngest Test captain

for India. He retained the captain-cy till 1969, an unprecedentedachievement in Indian cricket.

To my question as to whetherGriffith chucked, he replied firmly,“Yes, very much so, and he was amenace to life and limb. Even now[in 1997] there are a few chuckers –both among quickies and spinners.They should all be thrown out.”

Among the bowlers he reveredwere Australia’s Dennis Lillee andWest Indians Andy Roberts andWes Hall.

I asked him as to why he wasnicknamed Tiger. “To my parentsand friends I have always beenknown as ‘Tiger’. As an infant I hadthe tigerish propensity for crawlingenergetically about the floor on allfours.”

Tiger Pataudi played two glori-ous innings against England atHeadingley in 1967 after India wasforced to follow on 386 runsbehind. India was on her knees at 7for 92 before being revived byMansur’s do-or-die 64. In the sec-ond innings, he hit a magnificent148.

Earlier, Mansur had captainedOxford and Sussex, honours which

had eluded his illustrious fatherIfthikar, who had represented bothEngland and India at Test level.

Mansur Pataudi, an adventurouscaptain, stroke-player and a superbfielder, gave Indian cricket charac-ter and positivity.

Who made the greatest impres-sion on him? “Pandit JawaharlalNehru made a remarkable impres-sion on me and I just can’t forgethim, for various reasons, one can-not forget the times.”

Both Pataudis, Sr and Jr, werehonoured by Wisden as Cricketersof the Year, 36 years apart. Onlythe Parks from England, J.H. Parksin 1938 and his son the wicket-keeper J.M. in 1968, were bothsimilarly recognised by Wisden.

Who was the greater cricketer,Ifthikar or Mansur? Sir DonaldBradman, who saw them both, said:“Pataudi Senior was a fine player,but from observation I feel PataudiJunior, taking into account his phys-ical affliction, displayed evengreater qualities.”

As a final gift to humanity,Mansur Pataudi donated his goodeye.

RIP, Tiger.

Vale Nawab of Pataudi

The amazing statistic about Mansur is that he played all his 46 Tests(40 as captain), scoring 2793 runs at 34.91, hitting six centuries and

taking 27 catches with vision in only one eye.

Who was the greater cricketer, Ifthikar or Mansur? Sir

Donald Bradman, who saw them both, said: “Pataudi

Senior was a fine player, but from observation I feel

Pataudi Junior, taking into account his physical

affliction, displayed even greater qualities.”

Vijay Merchant and other “centurions”Remembered as the Don

Bradman of Indian cricket,Vijay Merchant had his birth

centenary on 12th October.Along with Merchant, four

other Indian Test cricketers wereborn 100 years ago in 1911. Theyare Lala Amarnath, Baqa Jilani,Kharshed Meherhomji and ShuteBanerjee.

Amarnath, born on September

11, was India’s first Test centurymaker, against Douglas Jardine’sEnglish side at Bombay Gymkhanain 1933. He was also independentIndia’s first captain on the tour ofAustralia in 1947-48 and played 24Test matches between 1933 and1952. His sons Surinder andMohinder also represented Indiawith distinction.

Jilani (born July 20) played his

solitary Test at the Oval in 1936. Amedium pacer, he was the firstbowler to capture a hat-trick in theRanji Trophy in 1934-35.

Born on August 9,Meherhomji’s lone Test cap alsocame on the 1936 tour of Englandat Manchester. The uncle ofTIDU’s cricket correspondent,Meherhomji was the first wicket-keeper in the history of first-class

cricket to take a hat-trick of catch-es. It came in the Moin-ud-DowlahGold Cup semifinal in Hyderabadin December 1931 for Freelootersv. Railways ‘A’ when he caughtthree batsmen off consecutive deliv-eries from the bowling of L. Ramji.

Incidentally, Amarnath outlivedall his contemporaries, passingaway in 2000 at the grand old age

Continued on page 61...Vijay Merchant

The Kersi Meher-Homji Column

October-November 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 65

Hussey, Hussey, Hussey, oi, oi, oi!

Cricket Quirky Cricket launched amid laughs and applause

This September Australiaunder new skipper MichaelClarke won a Test series for

the first time since January 2010.And that too on foreign soil andagainst a higher ranked team, SriLanka.

This series victory promotesAustralia to No. 4 in Test rankingand demotes Sri Lanka to no. 5.

Many contributed toAustralia’s series victory but nonemore than Mr Cricket, MikeHussey. What a unique trifecta forhim!

He won Man of the Match(MoM) Awards in all three Testsand Man of the Series Award aswell. This is unique in the historyof Test cricket. Call it a GrandSlam of cricket!

Not many statisticians keeprecords of MoM awards. I mademany inquiries including to statis-ticians on CricInfo website butdrew a blank till recently. Then Istruck gold when India’s top statis-tician Rajesh Kumar did his homework and confirmed that it wouldbe unique for a cricketer to benamed MoM in all three Tests in a3-Test series.

Here are Hussey’s scores inthis series: 95 and 15 in the firstTest, 142 in the second and 118and 93 in the third. Thus hetopped the batting aggregate andaverage (463 runs at 92.60 withtwo centuries and two nineties)from both teams and, freakily,bowling average as well, 2 wickets

at 3.50.Next best in batting was Sri

Lanka’s Angelo Mathews scoring274 runs at 91.33 with one centuryand a 90, followed by Australia’sShaun Marsh 240 runs at 80.00with a debut century and an 80.

In bowling, Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Rangana Herath was

on top of the table with 16 wicketsat 23.00, his best spell being 7-157in the final Test in Colombo.

At one stage it looked that hemay take all 10 wickets in a Testinnings to join England’s JimLaker and India’s Anil Kumble.But Sri Lankan skipperTillekeratne Dilshan spoilt theparty by dismissing Hussey for 93after Herath had captured the firstfive wickets.

The Test was memorable forKumar Sangakkara who scored 79runs in his 100th Test and openerPhil Hughes who scored a career-saving 126 as an opener.

The series will be rememberedfor the Debutants as four -- NathanLyon, Trent Copeland and ShaunMarsh from Australia andShaminda Eranga from Sri Lanka -- struck gold at the first attempt.

The happiest man at the prizedistribution ceremony was notquadruple award-winner Husseybut captain courageous MichaelClarke

. He had scored a magnificent112 on the last day of the finalTest, adding a record-breaking 176runs with Hussey for the fifth

wicket. Had the fifth wicket fallenearly Australia could have lost theTest and tied the series to remainat no. 5 in the Test ranking.

Clarke also led the team wiselyand with conviction.

Has Australia turned the cor-ner? It is too soon to say as SriLanka on the whole underper-formed. They had a good chanceto put pressure on Australians bybatting aggressively on day-4 ofthis Test in Colombo. But theypussy-footed -- especially the usu-ally aggressive Mathews. He wasmore concerned about his personalglory, the century, rather thanwhat was good for the team.

And captain Dilshan did noth-ing about it.

As all Australian wanted was adraw to win the series, this tor-toise-march was a gift from God.

So Clarke’s men have still tobe tested against a team with moreaggro.

The tour of South Africa inOctober will give us a better indi-cation.

Meanwhile let’s all chant:“Hussey, Hussey, Hussey, oi, oi,oi.”

Vijay Merchantand other

“centurions”Continued from page 60

of 89. Vijay Merchant was consid-

ered India’s finest opening bats-man till the advent of SunilGavaskar in the early 70s.Although injury and World WarII limited his Test appearances toonly 10 (1933 to 1952), he fin-ished with the creditable average

of 47.72 including three cen-turies. He was a prolific scorer indomestic cricket and had theamazing first-class average of71.64, second only to the peerlessBradman’s.

About the same height asBradman, Merchant was morethan just a great batsman. He wasa writer, cricket commentator,witty public speaker and chairmanof national selectors.

He was also an industrialistand a philanthropist whoemployed handicapped persons inhis textile mills.

As an opening batsman,Merchant will be remembered for

his rock-like defence. Eagle-eyedand quick-footed, he relished cut-ting and hooking fast bowlers.His late cuts and fine leg-glanceswere a treat for the spectators buta hazard for the wicket-keepers asthey were executed as if as anafterthought.

A master of the front foot, hiscover drives rivalled LenHutton’s in elegance.

He won international fame inEngland after some marvelousbatting in the two abnormally wetsummers of 1936 and 1946. Afterhis magnificent 114 in theManchester Test and othernotable innings he was named as

one of Wisden’s five cricketers of1936.

In a wet England in 1946 the35-year old Merchant scored2385 runs (with seven centuries)at 74.5. Wisden 1947 comment-ed, “No praise is too high forMerchant who, on any reckoningshould be counted one of theworld’s greatest batsmen.”

The eminent cricket writerNeville Cardus called Merchant“India’s good European.”

The confrontation between thetwo mighty run-getters, Bradmanand Merchant, was anticipatedwith excitement during India’spioneering tour of Australia in

1947-48. Merchant was appointedcaptain but groin injury forcedhim out.

Bradman summed up his dis-appointment by saying, “We weredenied the sight of VijayMerchant, who must surely haveclaims to be the greatest of allIndian players.”

This is a personal tribute tothe great Vijay MadhavjiMerchant. First my hero, hebecame my close friend and weexchanged many letters from1967 to 1987 when he passedaway. His hand-written lettershad the same elegance as hiscover-drives and leg-glances.

Ienjoy a cricket book which is full ofanecdotes and unusual statistics.Unfortunately these days most sports

books include gossips and scandals.TIDU’s sports editor Kersi Meher-

Homji’s 13th cricket book avoids controver-sies as he loves the game with passion. Hislatest book is full of unusual and weird statsand facts. No wonder it is titled CricketQuirky Cricket.

The book was launched last month at theRugby Club in Sydney where over 80 invi-tees were kept amused by book launcherJack Potter’s amusing anecdotes.

Afterwards, Potter narrated the story ofa man sitting next to him in the 1970s. Hespoke to him in a voice resembling aduck’s. On asking who he was, Jack wastold it was Sir Don Bradman!

Kersi was in fine form too, picking outnuggets from his book: the oddities, weirdcoincidences, figure curiosities and eye-catching headlines. Some excerpts from thebook:

* Have you heard of English first-classcricketers last century named Julius Caesar,

William Shakespeare, George BernardShaw? Currently there is an Indian cricketernamed Napoleon Einstein.

* And how about these edible Test crick-eters -- Clive Rice, Allan Lamb, PhilMustard and Graham Onions?

* Some scoreboard trivia: At 3.33 p.m.on the Sydney Cricket Ground in a Benson& Hedges World Series match between

West Indies and Australia on 19 January1982, the scoreboard had lots of 3s:

IVA Richards…………….. 33SFA Bacchus……………… 3Last man (HA Gomes)……. 3Extras……………………... 3Wickets…………………… 3GS Chappell……………. 0-3

* Also, on the 3rd day of the 3rd Test inthe “3”-sponsored Test series on 28December 2003 in Melbourne, Australiawas at one stage 3 for 333, trailing India by33 runs.

* And how about these name coinci-dences?

South Africa’s VD Philander played inthe 2007 ICC World Twenty20. VD?Philander?? Quite a contrast from RoyVirgin who played for Somerset againstAustralia at Bath in 1972. This made local

barrackers croon:“You Aussies have your Chappells but

Somerset has the purer team. We have aVirgin.”

And there was an English club cricketerby name Robert Unger Serious, RU Seriousfor short. This is how an imaginary conver-sation took place between RU Serious andAustralian captain Ian Michael Chappell (IMChappell for short).

Since they had not met, Chappell intro-duced himself, saying, “IM Chappell”

Mr Serious extends his hand out andsays, “RU Serious”

“What do you mean, of course I AMSERIOUS!” grunts Chappell.

The book is anything but serious. Hopeyou enjoy it.

Y ou may order a copy of Cricket QuirkyCricket from the author(kersi5@bigpond.com) The Foreword is byformer Australian fast bowler Geoff Lawsonand the book is illustrated with some rareautographed images. Cost: $22 includingpostage.

Michael Hussey won Man of the Match Awards in all three Tests andMan of the Series Award as well in the away Test series against Sri

Lanka. This is unique in the history of Test cricket. Call it a Grand Slam of cricket!

Kersi Meher-Homji (middle) at the launchof his latest book, Cricket Quirky Cricket.

Vijay Badhwar was there,clapping away

66 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER September - October 2011