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Pages 12-14
Beth Shalini Perera, Holroyd
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02 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 03
04 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 05
06 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Editor's Letter
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 7
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T
here is often a comparison
made between China and
India, the two fastest
growing nations in the world, the
economic giants of Asia on whom
the world depends to sell their
raw materials. While there is
amazement at Chinas infrastruc-
ture development, which spurs
discussions on how large power
plants are constructed one a
week, efficient road networks and
super fast trains extended to
nooks and corners of the country,
there is disappointment at Indias
lackadaisical approach on ade-
quate energy production and effi-
cient delivery structure.
Mega power failure this
month that plunged most of north
and eastern India in darkness for
whole days is an embarrassing
incident that cannot be easily side-
lined with little consequence to
the minister (Sushil Kumar
Shinde) who was rather promoted
from Power to the important
Home portfolio in a major cabinet
reshuffle.
There were traffic jams on
roads; the trains came to a halt
and the passengers were trapped
inside the Delhi Metro; the busi-
ness and industry came to a stand-
still as the West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamta Banerjee
declared a holiday. Six hundred
million people were affected
across 20 states. But a Delhi jour-
nalist nonchalantly reported that
the life was not seriously disrupt-
ed as most of the people in India
still used kerosene lamps!
The power outage was caused
by, according to the minister,
overdrawing of electricity by
Uttar Pradesh. It is akin to plug-
ging too many heaters in one
power point/circuit which blows a
fuse. But this was a big fuse
indeed that blacked out a big part
of India.
India is the seventh largest
power consumer in the world. Its
efficiency in energy production
cannot be estimated as nearly 30
per cent of the power produced is
lost by theft. The rest is highly
subsidised for farmers who con-
sume nearly 22 per cent of the
supply and the domestic sector
that uses 24 per cent. The indus-
try makes up for the losses
incurred from subsidies.
While India has a variety of
power plants thermal (coal and
gas), hydroelectric and nuclear,
the cheapest production is from
gas-fired plants. But one such
plant in Dabhol by Enron supplies
the most expensive electricity in
India mired by allegations of
bribery during the times of
Narasimha Rao government.
Another experiment in Jaitapur in
Maharashtra of six nuclear plants
each of a capacity of 1650 MW is
underway with French collabora-
tion and, once completed, will
address power shortage in India
to a large extent.
Indias development is hin-
dered by widespread corruption
and skulduggery in every project,
be it communication, mining or
infrastructure development. But,
unfortunately, even the general
public has become numb to the
pain as lately it is hardly paying
heed to clarion calls for action by
Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev.
A public awakening is long due.
O
n the local front there is a
large representation from
Indian subcontinent candi-
dates for the Council elections in
NSW on 8 September. This is a
sign of growing up for the com-
munity, who, earlier, were too
engrossed either in settling pains
or locked in within their own
small associations. The time is
ripe to represent on the wider
Australian landscape. The com-
munity will benefit from their
representatives who understand
their language and cultural sensi-
tivities.We wish them all the best.
Time to think for the nation
Mega power failure this month that plunged most of north
and eastern India in darkness for days is a shameful incident.
Endemic protests could lead to flirting with chaos: President
I
n his maiden address to the nation on the
eve of 66th Independence Day of India,
President Pranab Mukherjee made a
veiled attack at endemic protests warning
that the country would be flirting with
chaos if its democratic institutions come
under assault.
Mincing no words in underlining the dan-
gers in undermining institutions like
Parliament, he said legislation cannot be
wrenched away from legislature or justice
from judiciary. He described Parliament as
the soul of the people, the Atman of India.
The Presidents comments came against
the backdrop of anti-corruption protests of
Anna Hazare and now Baba Ramdev.
In a speech that covered Indias emer-
gence as a stable democracy and its economic
growth post-Independence, the new President
also warned that if progress fell behind rising
aspirations of the youth rage will manifest.
Earlier last month in his acceptance
speech after his election to the post, Mr.
Mukherjee had said that trickledown theories
do not address the legitimate aspirations of
the poor. In Tuesdays address, he said if
Indian economy has achieved critical mass,
then it must become a launching pad for the
next leap. We need a second freedom strug-
gle; this time to ensure that India is free for
ever from hunger, disease and poverty.
Mr. Mukherjee said, Anger against the
bitter pandemic of corruption is legitimate, as
is the protest against this plague that is erod-
ing the capability and potential of our nation.
There are times when people lose their
patience but it cannot become an excuse for
an assault on our democratic institutions, he
said. The President, a veteran parliamentari-
an, said the institutions were the visible pil-
lars of the Constitution and if they crack, then
the idealism of the Constitution cannot hold.
They are the interface between princi-
ples and the people. Our institutions may
have suffered the weariness of time; the
answer is not to destroy what has been built,
but to re-engineer them so that they become
stronger than before. Institutions are the
guardians of our liberty, he said.
The President said when authority
becomes authoritarian, democracy suffers;
but when protest becomes endemic, we are
flirting with chaos.
Democracy is a shared process. We all
win or lose together. Democratic temper calls
for dignity of behaviour and tolerance of con-
trary views. Parliament will live by its own
calendar and rhythm.
Sometimes that rhythm sounds a bit
atonal; but in a democracy there is always
judgement day, an election. Parliament is the
soul of the people, the Atman of India. We
challenge its rights and duties at our peril,
Mr. Mukherjee said.
He said he was saying this not in a spirit
of admonition but as plea for greater under-
standing of existential issues that lurk behind
the mask of the mundane.
The President said the young thirst for
knowledge that will lift their skills; and for
opportunity that will put India on the fast
track to the first world.
They have the character; they need the
chance. Education is the seed; and economy
is the fruit. Provide good education; disease,
hunger and poverty will recede.
President Pranab Mukherjee addresses the
nation on the eve of the 66th Independence Day.
8 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Perspective
By Neena Badhwar
W
as there a lost decade in the
relations between India and
Australia? Yes it was. From
2001-2011, every Indian, every politi-
cian, academic, diplomats of both the
countries, businessmen involved in
trade, all had a view that the relations
between India and Australia were not on
an even footing. Added to that was the
Indian student problem which had esca-
lated the tension between India and
Australia.
Australias stand on Indias nuclear
policy and having declared a ban on sell-
ing Uranium to India in the late 1990s
was a chafing issue. While the trade
between the two nations kept on rising
slowly, the Indian student problem kept
on escalating and reached a flashpoint
when the Indian television channels in
India started to report extensively about
the attacks on Indian students in
Australia, accusing Australia of being a
racist country.
The government, diplomats, commu-
nity leaders all bandied together to find
solution to the problem as every one felt
threatened by the environment they were
living in. They all agreed that it had
been a hard journey to settle and make a
success of their life here yet the older
Indian Diaspora felt that calling
Australia a racist country was not in
order.
Australian education industry took a
battering as its image in India was being
sullied every day as the Indian TV chan-
nels reported each and every episode of
violence, mugging and robbery blaming
the Australians.
Accusations flew across the two
nations but when the dwindling educa-
tion industry hit the Australian hip pock-
et, solutions had to be found urgently.
They all sat across the table to sort the
problem out and along with it came the
other issue to the fore like the Uranium
ban, the bilateral trade, cultural dia-
logue, even Hindi language.
The current Labor government
agreed to not only to lift the Uranium
ban but also took strong measures to cut
down on vocational education. The
shoddy colleges promoting themselves
as visa factories to Indian students
closed like dead flies.
The exploiters became the victims
themselves and as the traffic of students
decreased so did the episodes of vio-
lence.
The whole phase of student problem
proved to be a silver lining in terms of
Indo-Oz relations which are improving
as each day passes.
On July 17 was the launch of
Beyond the Lost Decade - a timely
report from the Australia India
Institutes Public Perception & Policy
Change Taskforce on the Australia
India Relationship and the way forward.
The report compiled by the six-member
team of academics, diplomats, journal-
ists outlines many recommendations to
underpin Australia-India relationship
without the nagging tensions and bad
publicity as slowly the perceptions of
Indians in India of Australia are improv-
ing who now rank Australia as a top ten
country, well governed, ready to do
business, tourist-friendly, providing
quality education destination.
The report has been a collective work
of Dr. Sanjaya Baru, director for Geo-
Economics and Strategy; Maxine
McKew, Vice-Chancellors Fellow with
the university of Melbourne and an advi-
sor on education; Gopalaswamy
Parthasarathy, Visiting Professor at the
Centre for Policy Research in New
Delhi; John McCarthy, national presi-
dent of the Australian Institute of
International Affairs and High
Commissioner to India from 2004-2009;
Ashok Malik, a leading columnist writ-
ing for Times of India and Hindustan
Times and Christopher Kremmer,
author of four books on the history, pol-
itics and culture of Asia and a foreign
correspondent of the ABC, The Sydney
Morning Herald and The Age.
It recommends measures to build
trust and improve perceptions of each
other in the fields of education, diplo-
macy, media and security that include:
doubling DEFATs public diplomacy
budget to $10 million per annum, a new
Indo-Pacific Division within Indias
Ministry of External Affairs, extending
post-study work rights to international
students, training Australian school
teachers in Hindi language in anticipa-
tion of it being added to school curricu-
lum, as an act of goodwill extending
visas to students caught up in changes to
the regulations following the student cri-
sis, an Australian education rating sys-
tem that can downgrade states that fail to
provide security and education standards
for international students, invitations to
representatives of Indian army regiments
that fought at the Gallipoli to participate
in commemoration ceremonies planned
in 2015 as 100th anniversary, an
Australia-India senior editors dialogue,
permanent naval attach positions to be
established in both capitals, regular
Prime Ministerial visits between New
Delhi and Canberra, visas on arrivals for
some Australian travelers to India as
currently permitted to citizens of New
Zealand and a setting up a one-stop por-
tal serving all aspects of trade, diplomat-
ic and educational, people-to-people and
cultural relations between India and
Australia.
Launched in an impressive session
conducted in a conversation format by
Maxine McKew, the
report draws conclusions and propos-
es recommendations for action that will
create more robust Australia-India ties in
an era of greater convergence in inter-
ests, shared challenges, and expanded
opportunities for practical co-operation.
It recommends measures to build
trust and improve perceptions of each
other in the fields of education, diplo-
macy, media and security.
The report Beyond the Lost Decade
sums up that Australia needs to do more
than just persuade Indians that its a
great place to live, work, study and
play; it also needs to combat ignorance
and negative perceptions of India in
Australia.
With political will, public education
both India and Australia can become
good reliable friends and partners and
the migrant Diaspora in Australia can
live peacefully and contribute to their
second home in a safe and a positive
place.
No more of those insecure times of
the student crisis era as this report is
timely to improve the relations between
the two countries.
Beyond the lost decade
Journalist Ashok Malik, IABBV Hindi School Co-Ordinator Mala Mehta, Writer and
journalist Christopher Kremmer, former Indian High Commissioner to Australia G
Parthasarathy, current Indian High Commissioner Biren Nanda, IIATA treasurer
Pradeep Khanna and Indian Consul General in Sydney Arun Kumar Goel.
The panel at the media conference: John McCarthy, former Australian High
Commissioner to India, Maxine McKew and G. Parthasarathy.
On July 17 was launched Beyond the Lost Decade - a timely report from
the Australia India Institutes Public Perception & Policy Change Taskforce
on the Australia India relationship and the way forward.
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 9
Assam on the brink of ethnic meltdown
By Rekha Bhattacharjee
Two people dead as Assam
protests in Mumbai turn violent.
T
he media reports about the
spiralling conflict in Assam
continue to trickle in with
sickening consistency. The malaise
of communal disharmony between
indigenous Assamese people and
various ethnic immigrant groups
from Bangladesh is now also
threatening to tear the social fabric
in distant parts of India.
Even as some socio-religious
organizations and individuals take
on themselves to address the ethnic
conflicts in distant lands, Assam
continues to sit on a volcano which
may be on the verge of an
unprecedented eruption.
Decades of neglect, ill-devised
social engineering and giving petty
political gains priority over the
national interests has pushed
Assam to the brink of a conflict
which now threatens to scorch
other parts of India too.
Even as the violence between
the indigenous Bodos and the so-
called Bangaldeshis continues to
simmer, allegations of mayhem by
some immigrant groups over the
gory Assam events are finding
mention in the national media with
increasing frequency. Almost 100
people have perished in the vio-
lence triggered by the brutal lynch-
ing of four Bodo youths allegedly
by enraged illegal setters in Joypur
village in Kokrajhar which is one
of the Bodoland Territorial
Autonomous Districts (BTAD).
How did we land in this high-
ly-disturbing quagmire which is
marked by not one but various
ethno-communal discords? To find
one universally accepted answer to
this complex query would be next
to the impossible as various inter-
est groups have myriad of answers
pointing towards totally opposite
direction.
But one issue every pundit
commenting on Assam would
agree is that there has been a mass
movement of migrants from the
nearby (and largely impoverished)
Bangladesh with whom Assam
shares international border.
Large scale illegal migration
from Bangladesh over several
decades has been altering the
demographic complexion of this
State, Lt Gen S K Sinha the for-
mer Governor of Assam had
warned in a report sent to the
President of India in November
1998.
It poses a grave threat both to
the identity of the Assamese people
and to our national security, the
respected Army veteran wrote in
his typical, no non-sense manner.
Successive Governments at
the Centre and in the State have
not adequately met this challenge,
Lt Gen Sinha says in his frequently
quoted controversial report.
Controversial, as there is a
school of the so-called secular
intellectuals who want the problem
to be seen from an entirely differ-
ent prism where anyone using the
phrase illegal immigrants in
Assams context runs the risk of
being labelled a die-hard Hindu
fascist.
A number of commentators
supporting the cause of Bengali-
speaking migrants have jumped
into the debate.
To make matters worse, lead-
ers of the Bodo community, large
sections of mainstream Assamese
society, and a section of the media
and the political class took it upon
themselves to allege and prove that
the responsibility for this human
tragedy lies squarely on illegal
Bangladeshi migrants and that the
undifferentiated masses inhabiting
western Assam are
Bangladeshis, Banajit Hussain
wrote in an op-ed piece in a
Chennai-based national daily
recently.
However, in the prevailing
atmosphere of jingoism and xeno-
phobia, it is not enough to just
state that migration of East Bengali
peasants in the early decades of the
20th century is a well documented
historical fact, the academic fur-
ther wrote in his write-up.
Not many among the native
Assamese population would, how-
ever, concur with Banajit
Hussains arguably flawed narra-
tive. They blame the myopic
policies of the post-1947 Congress
governments and also Assams first
Premier/Chief Minister Sir Syed
Mohammed Sadullah for bringing
in Bengali farmers en masse as a
part of his Grow more campaign
in the pre-Partition days. The
British did nothing to stop such
social-engineering which is now
manifesting itself in the shape of
social discontent.
It is widely believed and
accepted that to expedite the inde-
pendence of India Pandit Nehru
was willing to part with Assam to
Pakistan but for the opposition by
Assams first Independence chief
minister Gopinath Bardoloi active-
ly assisted by dedicated
Congressmen who appealed to
Gandhiji.
The apathy shown by PM
Nehru continues to be the corner-
stone of the ruling Congress
Partys Assam policy to date. The
critics of the Congress role in set-
tling Bangladeshi migrants in
Assam often allege that India has
to be the only country in the world
which not only allows mass infil-
tration by foreigners but also helps
in legalising their residency status.
The changing demographic sta-
tus of the districts close to the
Bangladesh border, support the
Assamese argument about the
Congress collusion. Even though
religion based figures from 2011
Census are not available yet, six of
such Assam districts are already
Muslim majority with other four
likely to be declared minority dom-
inated when religion based Census
figures become available.
In the raging debate over ille-
gal immigration, Congress has
stood steadfast in its support for
Bangladeshi migrants. The current
ruling party not only brought in
the Illegal Migrants Determination
Tribunals (IMDT) Act in 1983 to
determine the residency status of
any person suspected of being an
illegal immigrant. The Act, which
is blamed for actually impeding the
deportation of infiltrators from
Assam, was struck down by
Supreme Court in 2005.
During 22 years of dubious
existence of the IMDT Act, less
than 1,500 illegal Bangladeshis
were actually deported from
Assam while West Bengal, where
Foreigners Act was in operation,
deported 489,046 illegal migrants
between 1983 and 1998.
The apex court was scathing in
its verdict to declare the IMDT
Act as against the Constitution. It
also held the Act responsible for
actually made it possible for illegal
migrants from Bangladesh to con-
tinue to live in Assam. The illegal
Bangladeshis also affected, the
Supreme Court noted, the lan-
guage, script and culture of the
local people.
The law had encouraged mas-
sive illegal migration from
Bangladesh to Assam, said the
Supreme Court.
Continued on page 32
Independence Day - a time to celebrate
By Rekha Bhattacharjee
I
ndias 65th Independence Day
will be celebrated with flag-
hoisting ceremonies in
Canberra at the Indian High
Commissioners residence and that
of Consul Generals in Sydney,
Melbourne and Perth.
Hoisting of the Tri Colour and
singing of the National Anthem
followed by the reading of the
President of Indias speech, cultur-
al items followed by a morning tea
draws a number of people in spite
of being a working day.
In India, celebrating freedom
has children dressed in tri colour
hues. The Prime Minister inspects
the guard of honour outside Red
Fort before delivering the tradi-
tional speech on Independence
Day from Red Fort, New Delhi.
We are reminded of our first
Prime Minister Pandit Nehrus
words that
India will be what we are;
our thoughts and actions will
shape her. All of us talk of India
and all of us demand many things
from India. What do we give her
in return? India will ultimately
give us what we give of love and
service and productive and cre-
ative work.
We the Diaspora should strive
to be a source of pride for India.
The 20 Million and more per-
sons of Indian origin in 136 coun-
tries have strong bonds of solidari-
ty. In India, this is being celebrat-
ed by Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
each year on the 9th January.
We are proud of Indias
vibrant democracy and the
resilience of our democratic insti-
tutions.
Indians in Australia are proud
of India-Australia trade and people
to people ties. Australian multicul-
turalism is built on the ability for
us to maintain our cultural links
and at the same time participate
fully in the wider Australian com-
munity.
Indian community in Australia
consists of highly skilled profes-
sionals who have become very
successful in their chosen careers.
We contribute much to the rich
diversity of the nation.
The history of Indian
Immigration to Australia can be
traced back to 1800s.
In the states of Australia,
Indian community continues to
make great contributions in the
areas of Public Service,
Education, Science, Engineering,
Medicine and arts.
In Queensland, Indian links go
back to the European settlement
days. The Indian people have
made great contribution to the
development of tropical agriculture
in Queensland over many years.
The contribution made by
Indians in Australia have been
important across the whole spec-
trum of economic activity in this
country - just as Australias cul-
ture has been enriched by contri-
butions from one of the worlds
oldest civilizations.
Indians in Australia are
proud of India-
Australia trade and
people to people
ties. Australian
multiculturalism is
built on the ability for
us to maintain our cul-
tural links and at the
same time
participate fully in
the wider Australian
community.
The Third Eye by Rekha Bhattacharjee
Analysis
Decades of neglect, ill-devised social engineering and giving petty
political gains priority over the national interests has pushed
Assam to the brink of a conflict which now threatens to
scorch other parts of India too.
10 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
India
PM moans lack of consensus, vows to fight corruption
New Delhi: India's economic
growth has been hurt due to lack
of political consensus on many
issues, Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh declared Wednesday.
Addressing the nation on
India's 66th Independence Day,
Manmohan Singh also vowed to
battle corruption while ensuring
that sincere officials were not
affected by baseless allegations of
wrongdoing.
In a speech directed primarily
at the domestic audience, the
prime minister -- making his ninth
speech from the Red Fort -- made
no reference to Pakistan or any
other country.
The prime minister said India
was unable to create the environ-
ment for rapid economic growth
"because of a lack of political con-
sensus on many issues".
"Time has now come to view
the issues which affect our devel-
opment processes as matters of
national security."
The economist-turned-politi-
cian, who became prime minister
in May 2004, did not dwell on the
issues that were eluding a political
consensus.
Again, without elaborating, he
referred to "domestic develop-
ments which are hindering our
economic growth".
Despite 20 years of widely
acclaimed economic reforms, the
political establishment is still
divided on certain growth issues.
In recent times, the government
has faced flak from the opposition
on allowing foreign direct invest-
ment in retail trade, strongly
favoured by the US.
Speaking a day after yoga guru
Baba Ramdev ended his fast
against corruption and black
money, the prime minister said his
government would take steps to
battle corruption.
"We will continue our efforts
to bring more transparency and
accountability in the work of pub-
lic servants and to reduce corrup-
tion," he said, reading out a pre-
pared speech in Hindi from a bul-
let proof cubicle.
"But we will also take care that
those measures do not result in a
situation in which the morale of
public functionaries... gets affect-
ed because of baseless allegations
and unnecessary litigation."
He hoped that the Rajya Sabha
would soon pass the Lokpal and
Lokayukta bills already cleared by
the Lok Sabha.
India, he said, cannot escape
the global economic crisis. But the
country's GDP growth would still
be "a little better" than last year's
6.5 percent.
The 12th Five Year Plan
would lay down measures to
increase the economic growth rate
from 6.5 to 9 percent in the last
year of the Plan, he added.
Manmohan Singh, however,
warned that controlling inflation
would had become tougher
because of this year's poor mon-
soon.
But this would not lead to
problems in foodgrains availability
as "we have a big stock of food-
grains".
"This period of difficulties will
not last long", he added.
In a reference to Assam, where
ethnic violence claimed over 70
lives, he said authorities were
doing everything possible to pro-
vide relief to everyone.
Manmohan Singh also outlined
his government's successes.
He said almost all villages had
been electrified, and the govern-
ment's target was to provide elec-
tricity to every household in India
in the next five years.
The government was also for-
mulating a scheme to give away
free medicines through govern-
ment hospitals and health centres,
he said.
Over the next five years, eight
crore Indians will be taught skill
development by a specialised
agency to cope with the needs of
an expanding economy, he added.
Half the rural households today
have bank accounts, he pointed
out. "It will be our endeavour to
ensure tha all households benefit
from bank accounts in the next
two years."
The prime minister also called
for speedy infrastructure develop-
ment, and said the planned Indian
mission to Mars "will be a huge
step for us in the area of science
and technology".
While lauding the improvement
in situation in Jammu and Kashmir
and the falling violence in India's
northeast, he said that Maoists
remained a major issue of con-
cern.
"Communal harmony has to be
maintained at all costs... The inci-
dents which occurred in Pune in
the beginning of this month point
to the need for much more work
to be done in the area of national
security."
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh giving his Independence Day
address to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort in Delhi
Disbanding Team Anna was
collective decision, say members
New Delhi: While some of its
members appeared perplexed over
the disbanding of Team Anna, an
official statement of the group
Monday said the decision was taken
keeping members "in loop".
"After meeting some of the
core committee members and dis-
cussing with others, Anna Hazare
disbanded his core committee today
(Monday)," an official statement
from the spokesperson of the now
disbanded team said.
The statement said that forma-
tion of a "preparatory committee"
is under way for the next phase of
the movement.
"The committee was formed to
negotiate Lokpal bill with the gov-
ernment. Since the movement for
Lokpal has now become a move-
ment for total revolution, the core
committee met its focused responsi-
bility. In order to prepare for the
next phase of the movement, a
preparatory committee is under
way." "This would be very inclu-
sive. It would include people with
mass base and representing various
sections and movements. Names
are yet being discussed. This com-
mittee would only prepare a plan
for the next phase of the move-
ment," the statement said.
Team member Kiran Bedi in
her comment on Twitter said,
"Read Anna's blog. Do not know
what all it means? For we all had
very useful preparatory meeting
with Annaji wherein he gave useful
guidance!"
Team member Santosh Hegde,
former Supreme Court judge and
ex-Team Anna member, mean-
while, told a news channel that he
was surprised by the decision to
disband the group.
"I was against the political
move... If at all it his decision to
go in for a political party, he must
have decided to end the group."
Anna Hazare, in his blog
announced disbanding Team Anna,
and also warned team members that
the political party that was to be
formed should not become like
other existing parties, with money
and power as its aim.
While disbanding Team Anna, Anna Hazare hinted
at forming a political party
Ramdev ends fast with chants of 'Congress hatao'
New Delhi: Raising the political
temperature, yoga guru Baba
Ramdev on August 14 accused
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of
shielding the corrupt and asked peo-
ple not to vote for the Congress in
the 2014 general elections as he
ended his five-day fast against cor-
ruption and black money.
He, however, made it clear that
the anti-graft stir will continue and
he was not going back defeated.
Ramdev broke his fast with lime
juice given to him by two children.
"I am ending the fast but the agi-
tation will go on till our demands are
met," Ramdev told a massive gather-
ing at the Ambedkar Stadium in cen-
tral Delhi where he and his support-
ers spent the night after police
detained them Monday while march-
ing to parliament.
"We will continue to fight for
our rights, for bringing back black
money," the yoga guru told his sup-
porters before flying back to
Haridwar where he runs a yoga cen-
tre. Delhi Police had appealed to
Ramdev and the crowds to vacate
the stadium due to security reasons
ahead of Independence Day celebra-
tions.
However, before leaving the cap-
ital, Ramdev, in a politically-laced
speech, lambasted the prime minister
and the Congress-led UPA govern-
ment and sought to rally the crowd
around the slogan of "Congress
hatao, desh bachao".
"He (Manmohan Singh) should
show political will and honesty and
if he does not show it, he will be
deemed as corrupt. If he can't
remain politically honest, then he
should leave the post," Ramdev said
in his speech that lasted an hour.
Holding the Congress responsible
for price rise and poverty, Ramdev
asked people not to vote for the
"most corrupt party". Not even one
Congress member deserved to be
elected in the 2014 general elections,
he said. Ramdev's remarks evoked a
sharp reaction from the government
and the Congress.
In an oblique critique of the
methods used by Team Anna and
Baba Ramdev, Pranab Mukherjee
warned Tuesday in his first public
speech as India's new president that
anger against corruption was legiti-
mate but there will be chaos if street
protests become endemic.
Congress spokesperson Manish
Tewari said the government had
been spelling out its steps to tackle
black money for the past few years
and it would be wrong to accuse it
of inaction.
US downplays Manmohan Singh's visit to Iran
Washington: Downplaying the significance of Indian
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's upcoming visit to
western sanctions hit Iran, the US has hoped he would
convey to Tehran the importance of meeting its interna-
tional obligations.
"We would hope, as we always do when our partners
and allies are involved in any kind of intersection with
Iran, that the larger points are made about the impor-
tance of Iran coming back into compliance with its inter-
national obligations," State Department spokesperson
Victoria Nuland told reporters.
Tehran could do so "using the opportunity that the P-
5+1 (five permanent members of the UN Security
Council plus Germany engaged in diplomatic efforts with
Iran) has offered for diplomacy to actually make real
progress", she suggested when asked about Manmohan
Singh's trip to Iran Aug 28 to attend the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) summit.
The visitors to Iran could "also express concerns
about the other alarming trends that we've seen with
regard to Iran, including its support for terror", she said
generalising her comments.
Asked if the US was not troubled about the fact of
Manmohan Singh's visit to Tehran to attend the NAM
summit, Nuland again downplayed the meeting suggest-
ing it may just fizzle out.
Manmohan Singh's visit to Iran, the first by an
Indian prime minister in over a decade since Atal Bihari
Vajpayee's trip in 2001, is considered significant as it
would underline New Delhi's strategic intent to deepen
ties with sanctions-hit Tehran in the face of US pres-
sures.
Baba Ramdev is trying to fill the
vacuum left by disbanding of
Team Anna
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 11
Worshippers return to Wisconsin gurdwara
Washington: A week after a gunman killed six
people in a Wisconsin gurdwara, mourners
streamed into its prayer hall, bowing before the
Holy Book, the Guru Granth Sahib, for the
temple's first official service.
Outside, members raised the American flag
from half-staff and hoisted a new Sikh flag in
an elaborate ritual surrounded by hundreds of
people who had come from around the world in
a show of solidarity.
Sunday's service came near the close of a
weeklong outpouring of sorrow and support for
the Sikh community and an emotional funeral
service August 10 for all six victims that filled
the Oak Creek High School gymnasium to over-
flowing.
The six were killed August 5 when a white
supremacist shooter opened gunfire at the gurd-
wara near Milwaukee. The gunman who per-
ished too was identified as Wade Michael Page,
a 40-year-old army veteran with reported links
to the white supremacist movement.
Besides the policeman who took 9 bullets on
his body before another officer tackled the gun-
man, another hero identified is Satwant Singh
Kaleka, the president of the assaulted gurdwara.
He stood up to the rampaging white supremacist
with a knife and fought to the very end and suf-
fered gunshot wounds while trying to take down
the gunman.
While the motive of the shooter is not clear,
it is certainly a hate crime and the US law
authorities are investigating it as a domestic ter-
rorism.
Sikhs in America have been a victim of
mistaken identity (as Muslims) since 9/11
because of their turbans and long beards. The
community has faced more than 700 attacks or
bias-related incidents since then. The first per-
son murdered after the 9/11 attacks was a Sikh,
a gas station owner in Mesa, Arizona, named
Balbir Singh Sodhi, who was shot five times by
an assailant.
Estimates of the number of Sikhs living in
America range from 200,000 to 500,000. Many
left their homes in the agricultural Punjab
province and arrived first in the West and
Pacific Northwest in the late 1800s.
The controversial and lax gun laws in the
US have led to huge number of killings routine-
ly and occasionally a mass killing like this one
or a month ago at a theatre showing the latest
Batman film in Aurora, Colorado, which took
the lives of 12 people and injured many more.
Satwant Singh Kaleka, president of the gurdwara (right) near Milwaukee, who stood
up to the rampaging white supremacist with a knife and died a hero.
Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh passes away
Chennai: Union minister and
former Maharashtra chief min-
ister Vilasrao Deshmukh died
here Aug 14 after a prolonged
illness. He was 67.
Deshmukh passed away
around 2 p.m., sources at the
Global Hospital said.
Deshmukh was awaiting liver
and kidney transplants. His
family members, including his three sons
(one of them being Bollywood
actor Riteish Deshmukh), were
by his side when he breathed
his last.
Deshmukh, who was union
science and technology minis-
ter, was rushed to Chennai
from Mumbai on Aug 6. He
had been in the ICU since. On
July 19, Deshmukh was in New
Delhi for the presidential election.
Vilasrao Deshmukh
India
When Haryanas home minister
turned fugitive
Chandigarh: Till earlier this week, he was
Haryana's powerful minister in-charge of
home affairs with the entire police force at
his beck and call. In a matter of just three
days, Gopal Kanda became a fugitive him-
self, running away from the law.
But the suicide by 23-year-old Geetika
Sharma, a former flight attendant of his now-
defunct MDLR airlines, in Delhi in early
August last week was the game-changer. She
named Kanda in her suicide note and the
Sirsa legislator was stripped of his portfolio.
Always a controversial figure, his ascent
from a school drop-out and petty business-
man to one of the richest and most influential
people in Haryana's politics - all within a
span of just two decades - shows how Kanda
used the system for his own gains.
A billionaire politician now, Kanda's pen-
chant for high life could be seen from his
sprawling fort-like farmhouse on the outskirts
of Sirsa town and touted to be worth Rs.100
crore, as well as other properties in Gurgaon
and nearby places. Added to that were his
flashy businesses - an airline, casino and
hotels.
On the run from Delhi Police after
Geetika committed suicide last week in her
Delhi apartment and named him and another
executive, Aruna Chadha, as her tormentors
who drove her to commit suicide, Kanda has
always managed to be a newsmaker for all
the wrong reasons.
When Hooda, compelled to take the sup-
port of independent legislators to come back
to power in Haryana in October 2009, decid-
ed to induct Kanda as a minister in his gov-
ernment, it was a known fact that Kanda had
criminal cases pending against him.
Geetika Sharma named Gopal Kanda in
her suicide note
Indian rush to contest
council elections
By Neena Badhwar
L
ocal Council Elections have
become a hot battleground for
contestants from the Indian
subcontinent, seemingly in their new
incarnation. More than twenty candi-
dates are in the arena, some propped
by major parties in a vote dividing
strategy or to attract the migrant vote
while there are several others contest-
ing the election on their own as inde-
pendents from various councils.
The sudden Indian interest in poli-
tics, albeit at the lowest rung, is a wel-
come sign that the community is now
maturing and is not merely content
being in stupor of the bread and butter
issues of survival.
They have now graduated from
local community politics to the wider
multicultural issues, realizing fully
well that standing on the sidelines
alone is not good enough for the
growth of the community.
There are 152 councils in NSW
and elections are being conducted in
150 among them. Of these, 136 are
being conducted by the Electoral
Commission. There are 3791 candi-
dates in all standing in the elections
with 4.7 million eligible voters on the
electoral roll who must vote to elect
their favorite candidate and put them
in the local council office as council-
lors or even for the top job as their
mayor. The candidates must be
enrolled for the council area or the
ward they represent. And they should
have two nominators to nominate
them to go through the electoral
process of standing in the elections.
While there are large isolated areas
in the west which need not be man-
aged by Councils, in Sydney there is
plethora of issues like local roads and
parks, libraries and developments that
have to be managed by the local
Shires. The issues affect the residents
at the grass root level and oftentimes
are inflamed by conflicting interests
that need to be resolved for the over-
all benefit of the community.
The councils seem to function still
in old archaic modes of providing for
the services without realizing the
changing landscape and the newly
arrived migrant communities that are
growing and have different set of
needs than what is currently available.
The Indian Down Under talked to
some of the candidates who have been
working for months doing the rounds
at various community events to woo
the voters. Many among them are
young, vibrant, energetic and willing
to take the plunge.
Beth Shalini Perera
Beth Shalini Perera, who, inciden-
tally, used to be one of TIDUs youth
writers, is contesting for Holroyd
council E Ward and represents the
Multi-Cultural Unity Party. I am
looking forward to injecting energy
and my unrelenting dedication into the
community which is quite sizeable in
number being almost 20 per cent in
and around Westmead, South
Wentworthville, Merrylands,
Granville, Mays Hill and Holroyd
area, says Shalini.
Most of these voters are in the 25
39 years age bracket with young
families. So their issues are good
childcare facilities, car parking around
train stations and I sincerely want to
support small local business. But
above all I have listened to concerns
of personal safety by these people and
that is my major concern too. I have
done a lot of work and it has been
quite exhausting for the last one month
when I have gone door to door and
shop to shop talking to people and
finding out what they would want
from me. Luckily, I have very sup-
portive husband in Ritchie Perera and
it is quite exciting to put in my worth
in helping to improve the quality of
life of my people in my electorate,
she says.
Shalini was born in Fiji and came
to Australia with her Indian parents
when she was one month old. She is
now married to Ritchie Perera of Sri
Lankan origin and understands the
multiracial community structure in the
area.
The only way for us to move for-
ward is when we all work together and
aim as one community to achieve and
move forward regardless of race,
colour or religion. We all came here
for better life and we must work and
aim for it by contributing to the socie-
ty in ways that benefit us all as one,
she says.
Shalini has done a degree in
Communications and works for
Ausgrid and has been involved in
charity activities for Red Cross,
Father Rileys Youth off the streets,
Cancer Council, I-India Project and
World Wild Life Organisation.
Gurdeep Singh
Gurdeep Singh is running as a
Liberal candidate from Ward B of
the Hornsby Shire Council.
He runs a Civil Engineering com-
pany in the Shire and likes helping
people as a service provider.
I would like to diversify into a
different way of serving the communi-
ty as a great supporter of Liberal poli-
cies. We need to be transparent and
accountable and aim to help improve
amenities, he says.
Specifically for the Indian com-
munity I would like the recently set up
migrant Resource Centre to contribute
more to the multicultural communities
and their related needs. As a councilor
I will make sure that more funds are
allocated and provided for the senior
citizens of the Indian community so
that they can appropriately spend time
and engage in meaningful activities
for a healthy old age, says Gurdeep.
Dilip Chopra
Dilip Chopra has been a pioneer in
the Indian community having served
as a Councillor in the Hornsby Shire
in the last term. He is running for the
coveted job again, seeking reelection
as a candidate for the Liberal party
from Ward C.
I have always been an advocate of
multiculturalism and community
togetherness. As a former Vice-
President of the UIA I have strived to
promote the importance of Indian
Australians and their contribution to
the area. While serving the council
with dignity and serving the shire in
different sectors such as aged care and
disability I have always spoken up for
my community in our shire meet-
ings, Dilip says.
Liverpool is one area which has
strong Indian presence in terms of
people and a strong Indian business
community with shops and businesses
dealing in Indian clothes, wares, food
and spices. People from all over
Sydney come to shop in Liverpool as
it has turned into a Little India of the
west. There are two candidates of
Indian descent from this area.
Charisma Kaliyanda
Young Charisma Kaliyanda repre-
sents the Liverpool Labor team. She
feels that the Indian community is an
integral part of Liverpool. We feel
that the Council should reflect the
diversity of the community it repre-
sents. Our team seeks to do so and we
have two candidates of Indian descent,
myself and Rajesh Kumar.
Our main aim, if elected to the
Council, will be to bring local govern-
Community
12 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Community
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 13
ment back to the community. We need
to keep services such as childcare,
libraries and parks in public hands so
that they can be accessed and enjoyed
by everyone. We believe that it is in
the best interests of the wider
Liverpool community to have quality
services that are affordable and acces-
sible. The Liverpool Labor team also
wants to return the focus of the
Council to traditional local govern-
ment functions such as road mainte-
nance, town planning and waste dis-
posal, Charisma says.
Balaji Venkataraghvan is on Labor
Party ticket standing from the East
Holroyd City Council from the East
ward that covers areas of Merrylands,
Merrylands West, Mayshill,
Parramatta, Westmead,
Wentworthville and South
Wentworthville. He is originally
from Bangalore but of Tamil back-
ground.
He is an active community leader
who is confident, ambitious, pro-
active with energetic outlook and is
passionate for the arts, the film and
cultural activities. He also strongly
believes in advancing the cause of the
disadvantaged people.
"I am extremely concerned about
over development with Holroyd City
Council without adequate infrastruc-
ture. There has been rapid change in
the structure of the population within
the Holroyd City Council region and
this rapid change has not reflected in
change of service for these people,
he says.
Susai Benjamin
Labor Candidate Susai Benjamin is
standing from Ward 3, Blacktown
City Council.
He is a well-known community
leader, a solicitor and an advocate for
the people in the Blacktown area.
Since his arrival in Australia from
India in 1987, Susai has been working
for the community and planned the
establishment of Toongabbie Legal
Centre Inc (TLC) in 2007.
He brings nearly 25 years experi-
ence as a NSW public servant. Over
the years, he has served as an
Executive Committee member of the
Ethnic Communities Council of NSW
and as a Board member of Migrant
Resource Centres in Blacktown and
Parramatta. He also served as the
Board member and later the President
of Multicultural Arts Alliance of
NSW.
Raj Datta
Raj Datta is the Labor Party leader
from Strathfield. He has been work-
ing hard for the last six months walk-
ing the Strathfield streets form door to
door. Raj is running on the leading
ticket of Labor for the Mayoral posi-
tion.
I have practically met every resi-
dent of Strathfield. The Labor team
will work for all.
We will not just work for the cho-
sen few but each and every resident in
all the nooks, corners and the streets
of Strathfield.
We want to provide a clean, effi-
cient, effective local government
based on common obligations, com-
mon purpose, loyalties and common
destiny.
We aim to deliver a better commu-
nity space, local services and facili-
ties, transparency, integrity and com-
munity empowerment. We will deliv-
er improved focus on public safety
and accountability, says Raj.
The Indian subcontinent communi-
ty is close to 10 per cent of the total
population in Strathfield area. His
message to the community is: Dont
vote for a party which is out to exploit
the Indian vote.
Rajiv Bhandula
Rajiv Bhandula is standing as a
Liberal candidate from Strathfield
Local Council.
Says Rajiv, I could see a signifi-
cant growth in Strathfield of people of
Indian heritage.
Consequently it requires an appro-
priate representation for our commu-
nity in the council.
We have this active action plan
Local for Locals a program under
which we encourage street based
events so that the new residents can
mix with the old residents.
Other major issues are the exten-
sion of M4, work to eliminate traffic
congestion in Strathfield and also
stopping the current ACU approved
plan.
Neria Nidea-Soliman,
Neria Nidea-Soliman, is of
Philipino origin and has similar
visions of a multicultural community
as her Indian counterparts. She is run-
ning from Ward 5 Blacktown
Council. Her slogan is to listen to the
concerns of the people.
Says Neria, Ward 5 needs
change. It is looking for ethnic repre-
sentation. It is looking for new ideas
and committed people who can deliv-
er. My slogan is Neria Live and I
am always there to listen and deliv-
er.
Among other candidates in the
Council elections are: Rajiv Dixit
from Burwood, young Aisha Amjad
from Pakistan from the Hills Shire
(North Ward), Esha Narayan (The
Greens) and Rajesh Kumar (Labor)
from Liverpool South, Sajesh
Narayan (The Greens) from Liverpool
North, Seema Garg (I) from
Bankstown North, Varun Nayak (I)
from Mount Colah, Satish Kumar
(Labor) from Blacktown Ward 3 and
the Desi team of John Niven,
Sukhwant Singh Sidhu and Vidya Rao
from Parramatta Arthur Phillip Ward.
As the Indian subcontinent com-
munity is one of the fastest growing
migrant communities in Australia, it
is a welcome sign that there is aware-
ness now to represent the community
needs.
And who is better to understand
those needs than the one who can
speak the same language.
Good luck to all!
Group photo of Labor Team Liverpool
Wendy Waller, runinng for Mayor
Liverpool Council
Raj Datta, first Indian running
forMayor from Strathfield on
Labor ticket.
14 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Community
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 15
By Dr Shyam Bhati
E
very year we ritually gather
to pay obeisance to independ-
ence heroes of yesteryears
who lost their lives in winning free-
dom from British rule. True, they
were great heroes and the sacrifices
they made for Indias independence
were immense and ultimate. They
deserve to be remembered and as
Indians, back home or abroad, we
all need to pay respect to their
heroism.
But how?
Will those heroes in their heav-
enly abode be happy if we ritually
lit lamps, recited Jan Gan Man
and replayed Nehrus famous
speech Tryst with destiny without
understanding a bit what it means to
be a person of Indian origin in
Australia?
I asked a young man after one of
these functions to explain what he
thought of current Indian
Independence Day function that he
had just attended in one of the nice-
ly decorated halls. Oh uncle, I did
not get you? Nice dresses, mixed
with loud Bollywood tunes and all
dance numbers of little kids being
groomed as future stage artists by
their mothers, who wanted them to
see on stage and get photographed
for family album. Is it not interest-
ing.
I asked him again what he
thought of the British period or
modern India, living in Australia
with his parents who probably had
immigrated twenty years back. His
reply was: Who cares. I am in
Australia now and thats what mat-
ters to me.
Exactly who cares what hap-
pened sixty five years ago if thats
not relevant any more to the context
in which we live our everyday life.
This is not an affront to all the brave
soldiers of independence move-
ment, Quit India movement and all
the satyagraha that were done prior
to 1947 in India.
But the question is what the
young men, women and we as expa-
triate Australians of Indian origin
make of their sacrifices in 2012 liv-
ing in Australia. Is performing all
these rituals and routinely remem-
bering them enough? Or we just
want to pat our back and say, oh we
are great Indians because we cele-
brated another Independence Day in
a land away from home.
Come on, get real, guys.
Independence Day celebration is not
a ritual we do and forget till the next
one comes along.
In one of the functions a rather
vocal lady told me, history is impor-
tant. Of course history is important
but in what way. Just to remember
and forget it later or to evaluate
what we have done so far and what
we could possibly do in future.
History is history. It is past and past
is relevant if we can take something
from the past and improve our pres-
ent and possibly formulate a strate-
gy for future.
It is not history but the context
in which we use history to under-
stand the present is important. And
that context cannot be understood if
we just pay lip service or may be
Bollywood service to martyrs of
freedom struggle. Certainly it is an
occasion to get dressed in the best of
costumes with latest fads being
exhibited in their full splendour.
Girls and women like to get good
hairdos, nails, may be make over,
buy heavy chhammak challo sarees
from George Street in Liverpool
and get their latest ornaments on
display to match their dresses. Guys
like to wear their latest Kurtas and
pyjamas to look Indian and wear
Hindi accent in Aussie slang. And
we all offer our dance steps on
Sheila ki Jawani and Munni bad-
nam hui to our dead heroes.
What a nice offering of colour
and latka jhatka. Aha maza aa gaya
bhai bada kya achha laga humaara
program aapko. The best ever till
the next one, when may be Sheila
will be substituted by Jalebi bai or
Chhanno or who knows another
Anarkali will leave Salim ki gali and
come to Australia.
One of the important ways in
which the Independence Day is cel-
ebrated is to indulge in kickboxing
the British who occupied India after
1857 particularly. British bashing is
still our favourite pastime because
they occupied the Sone ki chidiya
Mother India and pushed it down
the poverty line.
Yeah yeah, I am not a fan of the
British. They did horrible things.
They destroyed Indian cottage
industries, killed many innocent
people to sustain their empire, put
in place an education system which
killed our Indianness and introduced
the babugiri which is still manifest
itself in IASs and bureaucracy that
we have endured in last 65 years or
so.
Clearly, what can one expect
from a colonial power. They came
with an objective to rule India and
exploit its resources to their benefit.
They were very successful in their
mission. Our people helped them.
The rajas and the nawabs of riyasats
and jagirs sought British help to set-
tle their old scores and ultimately
ended up being part of the Darbar
Raj of the queen of England HH
Queen Victoria. Who is to be
blamed for that? The Rajas, the
Nawabs or the British?
So why dont we recall the
treachery of some of our own peo-
ple who directly or indirectly helped
British to establish their Raj in India
and learn some lessons there. Oh
thats not convenient. How can we
blame ourselves when we are cele-
brating Independence Day. May be,
some sceptics say. We are great
Indian patriots. We remember only
good things about Indians and only
bad things the British did.
Coming to the British, we only
recall what evil they did to India. I
mean the atrocities in Jalianwala
Bagh, Quit India Movement, Salt
March and after that the partition of
India. I will come to the partition a
bit later. But we forget convenient-
ly what good the British did to
India. But for the British we would
not be a single country but many
riyasats or rajwadas or nawabs
jagirs.
People in India would still be
ruled by the rajahs and the mahara-
jas whose characteristics were
described by writers like Diwan
Jarmani Das in his book. So we got
a unified country which has been
ruled by a democratically elected
parliament and sustaining multi-
party system.
No one celebrates Indian elec-
tion commission, which is doing the
best work in the world to keep the
worlds biggest democracy going
strong in spite of all its weaknesses.
British did give India a system of
law and put in place a commercial
system which gave impetus to Tatas
and Birlas in their enterprise. We
just ignore that. If Indian laws are
still lagging behind the world it is
because we cant agree on what pol-
icy direction India should take and
how we should go about reforming
our market regulation? Do we adopt
Lalus way or go by what business
needs for growth and development.
Certainly the British did not
foresee that democracy could result
in having more than 25 percent of
legislators with criminal back-
ground, but neither did the constitu-
tional experts who drafted the great
document.
Another charge on the British is
that they created Hindu-Muslim
rivalry and were instrumental in the
partition of India. Yes, the British
did have ulterior motive in partition
of India, but so did our leaders of
the time who were desperate to
become president and prime minis-
ters of the sovereign states.
Poor Bapuji! He died for the
sake of Hindu Muslim unity but we
still indulge in communal riots.
Immediately after independence
more than one million people lost
their lives in partition riots. If the
British are to be blamed for that, so
too our power hungry leaders. But
no one blames them. We are
Indians, how can we blame our own
when the British are there for the
bashing?
How many times we have had
communal riots after independence.
Does anyone remember what hap-
pened in Ahmedabad in 1969, in
Moradabad in 1979-80, in Delhi in
1984, in Meerut in 1987, in
Bhagalpur in 1989, Mumbai in 1992
or Gujarat in 2002? Thousands died
in communal riots during these peri-
ods and the British were nowhere
near those places. So who do we
blame for that?
Well, it was a culture engi-
neered by the British which our
politicians followed to a tee to sus-
tain power. But we are patriotic
Indians. Bharat desh has always
been mahan in our eyes. We cant
blame ourselves can we?
Ok, may be I have strayed from
my main issue of what we can make
of our Indian heritage in Australia
where we live now. Australia is our
adopted country. Why did we come
here? May be to join a family mem-
ber who was already here or may be
as an economic migrant in search of
better prospects or may be just
strayed into the country as tourist
and liked it so much that decided to
stay here or may be came from Fiji
or Kenya or Uganda after the polit-
ical conditions made it hard for us
to stay there.
Whatever may be the motive or
the reason for coming here, the fact
is that we are in Australia and living
as Indo Australians. Certainly we
are proud of our heritage and past,
but we cant live with our heritage
forever when the world around us is
moving so fast. Even the Indians in
India have moved on with globalisa-
tion and liberalisation while here we
stick on to the same old Indian value
beliefs and system of the old India.
Or, perhaps, we get emotional
and nostalgic on patriotic days about
our Mother India and our
Indianness erupts. Thats fine by
me. But how do we deal with that?
Should we try to know the differ-
ence between where we were and
consider ourselves somewhat lucky
to be in a country where no street
riots takes place ever, no trains
catch fires, not many people die in
road accidents at the hourly rate,
everyone gets vaccinated, education
is compulsory and not just in name
but in deed as well and there is a
potent social security system which
can take care of people in need.
Or, do we just keep on playing
on our nostalgia and keep on
singing and dancing desh bhakti
songs. We must move on and while
celebrating our heritage, our cul-
ture, look at ways how best we can
contribute as NRIs in a constructive
manner with our expertise back
home to improve the failing infra-
structure and help start a movement
to introduce into the citizens of
India a sense of responsibility of the
country and not just be corrupt and
selfish amassing wealth and wasting
it.
India has come into untold
wealth yet it is fritting it away with-
out any remorse as our Indian politi-
cians flaunt garlands made of crores
of rupees. There should be change
of awareness at the grass root level
which should form into a movement
of sorts to lift the country from a
selfish mentality to a nation that is
proud not only of its riches but how
it spends in building a proud nation
with much better amenities, roads
and other infrastructures.
One only has to look to China to
see how it is building its cities. Or
even countries such as Thailand and
Korea have better roads, trains and
highways and they made all those
improvements decades ago.
While Mukesh Ambani is in the
Forbes rich list does the Reliance
boss care about his Mumbai which
has gone to the dogs while he builds
himself a two billion nine-storey
home.
For the mother country our feel-
ings and emotions are intact and
will remain probably that way till
we die. But that is not going to help
us or our children or the mother
country in anyway.
May be we need to develop a
perspective which will paint a real-
istic picture of India in our kids and
not feed them with its Sone ki
chidiya illusion. Let us tell them
India is a vast country with vast
problems, nothing like the place
they live in. There are ultra rich like
Ambanis and Birlas but unfortunate-
ly 40 per cent of the population lives
below poverty line. There are prob-
lems of corruption, population,
health, caste system, dowry system,
education and economic problems
as well.
Like every country India is deal-
ing with these problems within a
democratic framework like its next
door neighbours. Past 65 years or
so have compounded these prob-
lems in many ways but particularly
through population growth.
Of course kids have all the
means to check this information if
they are willing and eager to learn
else they may be content to visit
India for fun or family and may be
cheap shopping. May be as a com-
munity we can formulate a strategy
to help in pockets where we can
possibly do and some of us are
doing it very well, Hats off to them
and their commitment.
It is people with this kind of
passion who need to be celebrated
and honoured on Independence
Day.
As a community we need to cel-
ebrate our contribution to Australia
in various fields and to India, in
holding its head high as expatriate
Indians. But let us get real, we cant
sustain this notion of British bashing
for long. Its time to give it up. Let
India and Indians own responsibility
for what they did in last 65 years
and what they will do to themselves
in future. Not forgetting ever that
we also owe it to our adoptive coun-
try which is Australia and try to be
good citizens who contribute in a
positive way.
Thats a healthy tribute to our
dead heroes of Independence.
Indias Independence Day, a time to introspect
We must move on and while celebrating our heritage, our culture, look at ways how best we as NRIs can contribute
our expertise back home to improve the failing infrastructure and help start a movement to introduce into Indians a
sense of responsibility of the country and not just be corrupt and selfish amassing wealth and wasting it.
16 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Bollywood
By Neeru Saluja
G
irls swoon when they flex their mus-
cles on the reel screen. But when they
flex their muscles in real life, they
call for big trouble! The macho men of
Bollywood have often mixed their on screen
persona with real life situations. The heroes
and police come face to face, but unfortu-
nately their heroism is not applauded by
whistles here.
Bollywood celebrities have often come
under the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
While some of them are just involved in scuf-
fles with the media, others have been
engaged in serious police cases. Though they
believe they can get away with their celebri-
ty attitude, when it comes to crime, no one is
spared.
Here we profile the top five Bollywood
brats:
Bollywoods
Fight Club
Girls swoon when these Bollywood brats
flex their muscles on the reel screen. But
when they flex their muscles in real life,
they call for big trouble!
Salman Khan
S
alman Khan is the
King of Bollywoods
Fight Club. Year
after year, he has been sur-
rounded by controversies
and is not ashamed of his
stature. In 1998, he was
awarded a jail term for his
involvement in the 1998
black bucks killing case. In
2002, he was arrested for
rash and negligent driving
when he killed one person
and injured three. In 2008,
he fought with Shah Rukh
Khan at Katrina Kaifs
birthday. In 2010 a case
was filed against Salman
over vulgarity of content in
a reality show 'Bigg Boss'
hosted by him.
He also has a history of
physical abuse with his ex-
girlfriends.
After their break-up,
Aishwarya Rai accused
him of physically assault-
ing her. He also allegedly
beat up Somy Ali in a hotel
and threw cold drink on
her. Another rumour is he
slapped Katrina Kaif in his
van.
Fardeen Khan
P
oor Fardeen Khan.
Apart from being
Feroze Khans son
and a few mediocre films,
he has nothing much to
his credit.
Except being caught
with cocaine in 2001. He
was charged by a special
Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances
Act Court, but pleaded
not guilty for the charge.
After ten years in 2011,
he heaved a sigh of relief
when the court dropped
the charge of possession
and decided to try him for
only attempting to buy
cocaine.
Saif Ali Khan
T
he Nawab of
Pataudi, unfortunate-
ly, doesnt have a
very noble past. In 1998, he
was charged with poaching
two blackbucks in Kankani
during the filming of 'Hum
Saath Saath Hain' along
with co-stars Salman Khan,
Tabu, Sonali Bendre and
Neelam. Though the
charges were finally
dropped, the case made
headlines for a very long
time. In late February this
year, he assaulted an NRI
from South Africa at a hotel
in Mumbai while dining
with friends. Saif managed
to break the mans nose and
filed a counter complaint
against the NRI business-
man.
Shah Rukh Khan
T
he King of Khans -
Shah Rukh Khan
may have con-
quered Bollywood but he
has not been able to con-
trol his temper. He has
been in the news a lot
recently for his temper
tantrums. He has always
been in war with fellow
Khan, Salman.
Earlier this year, he
assaulted Farah Khans
husband Shirish Kunder at
a party after he mocked
his film (Ra.One). Then in
May he got into a scuffle
with the security guards of
the Mumbai Cricket
Association who were try-
ing to stop him from
entering Wankhede
Stadium after an IPL
match. SRKs verdict was
the security guards were
mishandling his daughter
and her friends. The result
SRK has been banned
from entering the stadium
for five years. His team,
Kolkata Knight Riders,
won the IPL 5 champi-
onship though!
Sanjay Dutt
S
anjay Baba is
Bollywoods young
star trouble. After his
mother Nargis death in
1981, he admitted to his
drug addiction and was sent
to rehab in US. He was first
arrested in 1982 with 357
gm of cocaine and was sen-
tenced to 17 months impris-
onment.
In the 1993 Mumbai
bomb blast case, he was
jailed for illegal possession
of weapon and links with
the underworld. His drug
addiction past gave way to
his filmi future.
He spent 16 weeks in
jail until he was granted bail
by the Supreme Court.
From 2006 to 2008, he
spent seven months in dif-
ferent jails. In 2010, he was
denied a US visa because of
his conviction under the
Terrorist and Disruptive
Activities Act.
Bollywood
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 17
By Neeru Saluja
H
e is the poor little rich
man of Bollywood. An
ordinary lad of Delhi is
now one of the worlds richest
man in the entertainment indus-
try. The King of Bollywood,
Shah Rukh Khan is listed in the
Forbes list and has an estimated
net worth of $540 Million (INR
25 billion).
With just 70 films in his
career, he is the richest actor of
Bollywood. Apart from films,
he owns production companies,
Red Chillies Entertainment and
Dreamz Unlimited, and also
co-owns IPL Cricket team
Kolkata Knight Riders. His
vast fortune includes several
luxury cars, homes in Mumbai,
Dubai, London and several real
estate investments.
Mumbai is one of the
worlds top 10 centres of com-
merce in terms of global finan-
cial flow. Amongst the richest
in the city, Bollywood celebri-
ties are swimming in cash.
Actors like Amitabh Bachchan,
Aamir Khan, Salman Khan,
Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar
and actresses like Aishwarya
Rai, Kareena Kapoor and
Vidya Balan are amongst the
most expensive and richest
celebrities.
Gone are the days when
only films brought in money.
Todays stars have huge
endorsement deals, TV show
earnings, movies overseas
rights and investments. Hrithik
Roshan is promoting the
biggest brands, Akshay Kumar
is a craze in overseas markets,
Aamir Khan and SRK demand
Rs 5-10 crore per film, while
Salman Khan is said to have
been paid 90 crores for the first
episode of his popular show
Dus ka Dum.
The heroines are no less in
their assets. Despite being crit-
icised for being overweight,
Aishwarya Rai has signed a 10
crore endorsement deal with an
Indian jewellery brand. She is
in no hurry to return to films
because she knows her value on
return. After getting married
into the Bachchan family, their
performances and appearances
have become a lucrative deal.
Kareena Kapoor and Vidya
Balan are being termed as the
new hero of the Indian cine-
ma, delivering hit after hit and
being paid at par with their
male counterparts.
But not long ago, the film
personalities who lived rich
lifestyles in their heydey have
had an insecure future. The
best example is of Bollywoods
superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
The angry young man became
the greatest superstar in
Bollywood for a decade in the
70s. But the 90s werent the
best time of his life. After an
injury in filming, a stint in pol-
itics, a few hits and lots of flop
movies, he set up the Amitabh
Bachchan Corporation Ltd
(ABCL) in 1996 which eventu-
ally collapsed financially and
operationally after being the
sponsor of the 1996 Miss
World pageant in Bangalore.
This was the greatest slump of
his career, he lost millions and
the company was declared
failed. The Bombay High
Court restrained Bachchan
from selling off his bungalow
and two flats till the pending
loan recovery cases of Canara
Bank were disposed of. Not to
be believed in those days, but
he recovered from his slump
and rose to fame once again
after becoming the TV host of
the famous quiz show Kaun
Banega Crorepati.
But all havent been as
lucky as Amitabh Bachchan,
who even approaching 70 still
reigns the industry. There have
been a few who have died pen-
niless towards the end of their
careers. The superstar of 50s
and 60s Bharat Bhushan always
acted with top heroines like
Meena Kumari, Madhubala,
Nutan, but at the end of his
career he struggled even to get
miniscule roles. He once
owned the poshest bungalows
of Mumbai, but had to move to
a chawl in the slums of
Mumbai. He died penniless
while requesting an auto-rick-
shaw driver to take him to hos-
pital. Khan Mastana,
Mohammed Rafis co-singer in
the immortal patriotic song
Watan ki Raah Mein Watan ke
Naujawan Shaheed Ho died a
beggar at the Haji Ali Dargah.
When actress Vimmi died,
there was no one to even claim
her body at the hospital and it is
said Meena Kumaris bungalow
had to be auctioned to pay for
her pending medical bills when
she passed away. Glamorous
actress Parveen Babi, known
for her western looks and hour-
glass figure, lay dead for sever-
al days in her flat.
Though Mumbai is the city
of light and dark, it seems as if
Bollywood glitz and the latest
rich list will always outshine
the glum. If they cant flex
their muscles on the silver
screen, they can always show
off crocodile tears on the small
screen. If they become fat to
walk the ramp, they can always
sell noodles for kids on televi-
sion. If they cant own a gym,
they can own a cricket team.
Last but not the least, they can
retire after marrying a rich
businessman. If you sing the
right tune here, you have hit
the jackpot!
Bollywood stars are swimming in cash.
But the entertainment nagri in the past has
proved a fickle muse to the earlier
generations of stars.
Shah Rukh Khan: Forbes estimates his net worth at Rs 25 billion.
Hrithik Roshan is endorsing biggest brands, another source of big money besides movies.
Aishwarya
Rai: Despite
being
criticised for
being
overweight
after
childbirth,
Aishwarya
Rai has
signed a 10
crore
endorsement
deal with a
jewellery
brand.
Bharat Bhushan: He romanced top heroines of his time,
but died penniless while requesting an auto-rickshaw
driver to take him to hospital.
Vimmi: When this actress died, there was no one to even
claim her body at the hospital.
Meena Kumari: Her bungalow had to be
auctioned to pay for her pending medical bills
when she passed away.
Bollywoods rich brigade
18 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Bollywood
By Ritu Ghai
E
legance and history walk
hand in hand in the
intriguing models of these
Vintage cars that have an entire
era attached to it. And as the
passion for these rare models
gets converted into a craze, con-
noisseurs spend more money and
time to restore these treasure
pieces into its most original
form. The result always invokes
awe and adoration in the eye of
the owner and the admirer.
A rich tapestry of history
runs throughout India with over
3500 vintage and classic cars
from the 1930s to 1960s,
owned by businessmen and
scions of royal families of India.
And the colourful land of
Rajasthan enchants many with
its collection of classic wheels.
History is witness to the fact
that the introduction of automo-
biles in India, around 50 years
before independence, brought
about a special touch to the rich
and the famous. The thrill and
the passion towards these four
wheeled discovery led to many
people emptying their coffers to
acquire the most unique and
grand vehicles such as
Mercedes, Bentleys, Jaguars,
which soon became a symbol of
power, status and royalty.
It is also known that one out
of every four Rolls Royce built
in the pre-Independence era was
imported to India. Maharaja of
Gwalior, Maharaja of Indore,
Patiala and Rajasthan during the
Raj developed a penchant for
cars and this led to an upsurge in
the British automobile industry
in a big way then.
Connoisseurs and
Collectors
Even today the elusive image
of these veteran owners lurks
behind the vintage cars passed
on to their heirs.
Vikram Singh of
Rajasthan owns the Mercedes
290 (1936), Jaguar Mark V and
II, XK 120, Triumph, Bentley.
Lakshmi Raman swears
by his Rolls Royce wraith,
Jaguar mark IV s type, mark 10,
Buick 8, Chrysler Windsor.
Dhananjai Singh
Khimsar stands proud with mg
tc, Rolls Royce, Jaguar mark V
and II while Vikram Aditya
Singh owns Masuda, Jaguar
mark IV, Buick 8, Impala.
Executive Director of the
Clarks Group of Hotels, Apurva
Kumar, has an exotic collection
of Ferrari 304 and Saurav
Kakkar, the icon of the Telecom
Industry in Rajasthan, boasts
with his Ford model 210 Ply
Mount. Adding grace to the fleet
of royal cars is the 76th custodi-
an of the House of Mewar, His
Highness, Shreeji Arvind Singh
Mewar of Udaipur with his
grand collection of vintage cars
housed at the former Mewar
state Motor Garage within the
grounds of Grand Hotel.
Feasting our eyes further are
some of the biggest collectors of
Vintage cars - Pranlal Bhogilal
of Ahmedabad, Vijay Mallaya,
Sharad Shanghi ofIndore and
Lakshmi Raman who feels that
India is rich in heritage with not
only the buildings but the royal
cars as well.
Further enhancing the
Vintage grandeur are Shatrunjai
Singh Chundawat of Deogarh
district in Rajasthan who own a
small 16 horse power Sunbeam
Talbot (the same model that
Lord Mount Batten was last seen
in Shimla before partition of
India ) Jaguar S Type (previous-
ly owned by famous actress
Waheeda Rehman) and a Mark
IV Jaguar. Highlighting the age,
grace, lines and curves of his
cars, Shatrunjai Singh feels that
restoration of the cars is an
important attribute of vintage
cars and the effort that convert a
piece of junk into a gleaming
masterpiece is inexplicable.
Return of an era...
In the early days, special
coach builders and designers
were commissioned to carry out
lavish specifications that
appealed to the owner of the car.
The spirit continues to live and
grow as the ancient beauties
from the 1930s to the 1970s
are being worked upon and
restored into the form in which
they first rolled out of the show-
room. Their proud owners woo
them with a passion that refuses
to curb. Further Vintage car
shows and rallies showcase
models like Austin Seven, origi-
nal Morris Minor, Buicks,
Lagondas, Chryslers, Pontiacs,
Chevrolets, Bentleys, Mercedes
and Jaguars to command atten-
tion of admirers that range from
celebrities to people of promi-
nence.
The sheer excitement of get-
ting the car restored, reliving the
mystic of an era gone by and
then displaying them is a nostal-
gic experience. And there are
many people behind this onerous
yet interesting task.
Seamlessly blending the
intriguing models with stylish
sensibilities is Vikram Singh
who started this trend that soon
became a craze. Highlighting the
social objective of these cars, he
states, It gives employment to
skilled craftsmen, creates wealth
for the nation and a database for
future automobile engineers".
Echoing his views is
Shatrunjai Singh talking about
restoration of these cars being an
occupation for people who love
and understand cars - the denter,
the carburettor mechanic, the
speedometer repairer, the buick
horn tuner, the crank shaft spe-
cialist, the upholstery man, the
suspension specialist and others.
These people may not be
trained professionals but are
skilled persons chasing a pas-
sion. For example, 80 year-old-
Abdul Bhai who tunes old cars,
Hamid Bhai who dents or Nalin
Bhai who adds coils springs to
an old car. They all are skilled
and trained by important restor-
ers such as Satish Jangid of
United Restoration on Ajmer
road, Bhupender Bhai or Tutu
Dhawan. May god bless these
Restorers of ours, laughs
Shatrunjai Singh while beaming
with joy over the future of these
old beauties being secure in such
capable hands. Rajasthan is
sprinkled with royalty all over
and coupled with a rust free and
dry climate, makes it a perfect
place for such a work.
But restoration requires lot of
efforts. Its not easy to get spare
parts and these have to be hunt-
ed from all over India or import-
ed from US and many times
even fabricate the part if the
restorers are unable to get them
from anywhere. Its like actually
living that phase. After this
comes, from the study of the
car's history, its original shape
which is done from books or if
one can grab the cars manual.
Therein starts months and
months of work to finally get the
treasured piece looking brand
new without loosing its original
look. The restorer has to take
care not to overdo things and try
best to restore the cars to their
original glory.
Vintage cars are not about
cars alone. Its about sentiments
and respecting the past. An art
form that symbolizes the glam-
our of a mystic era and still
hides in itself many untold tales
and an incredible past.
India is home to Vintage Cars
Bentley 6 unrestored
Lakshmi Raman with Jaguar Mark 6
Bollywood
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 19
By Ritu Ghai
W
hat made Rajesh
Khanna so popular? He
was not very tall, defi-
nitely not slim and certainly not
the essential hero material. But
women drooled over him and men
envied him, producers lined up to
sign him and fans went in frenzy
when he turned his face in the
famed angle and raised his hand
in his trademark style.
Rajesh Khanna had that spe-
cial something that is hard to
define and even harder to forget.
Charisma undefined, acting
prowess unsurpassed and his song
numbers unparalleled, Kaka, as
he was fondly called, captured the
hearts of people with his youthful
effervescence and , his songs, his
extraordinary energy and never-
say-die-spirit.
As the crowd swelled in num-
bers to bid adieu to their favourite
actor the other day, it didnt take
long for even the new generation
to realize what a true blue super-
star he was.
Even the mortal remains of
Rajesh Khanna in the glass casket
attracted a mammoth crowd, who
followed their cherished hero on
his last journey from his home
Aashirwad in Carter Road,
Mumbai to Paramhans crematori-
um in Vile Parle. Braving the
rains, celebrities and people ush-
ered in to pay respects to the
departed soul.
His daughter, son-in-law,
grandson and wife, Dimple, trav-
elled on the cavalcade that carried
him. Rajesh Khanna was a
Superstar and died a Superstar.
Despite the major setbacks in
his personal life or even when his
career whittled down in the late
70s and 80s, he never lost the
twinkle in his eyes or the mischief
in his smile.
Born as Jatin Khanna in
Amritsar on Dec 29, 1942, he
was adopted and raised by a
wealthy couple related to his bio-
logical parents. He attended St
Sebastians Goan High School in
Girgaon and went to Kishinchand
College where he was very active
in theatre. Even at that time he
was aware of his talent but
unaware of where it would take
him one day.
The makings of a great artist
were first recognized when he
won the All-India Talent contest
in 1965 from among 10,000 par-
ticipants. His first released film
was Chetan Anands Aakhri
Khat in 1966. After a few of his
first films bombed, his first break
as a hero came in Raaz. Then
there was no stopping after that
and post Aradhna in 1969, this
man was the chosen one to give
box-office 15 consecutive hits
between 1969 and 1972, a record
still unbeaten.
Success followed more suc-
cess and directors actually made
films with him in mind. Even
though he was known for being
excessively late on shooting loca-
tions and also buttonholed as an
arrogant person, Rajesh Khanna
created magic with his acting and
onscreen chemistry with Mumtaj,
Asha Parekh, Sharmila Tagore,
Tanuja and Rakhee.
Who can forget Rajesh
Khanna in the open jeep and woo-
ing the coyish Sharmila Tagore
travelling in the toy train crossing
Batasia Loop. The song, Mere
sapnon ki rani kab aayegi tu
from Aradhana still resonates in
the hills of Darjeeling.
Tinsel town is awash with
many more sparkling songs sung
by Kishore Kumar and directed
by R.D. Burman but given a face
by Rajesh Khanna and his on-
screen heroines. People still
break into a dance as they watch
Khanna and Mumtaj singing Jai
Jai Shiv Shankar and lovers
douse themselves in the eyes of
their beloved as they hum the
irresistible romantic number
Pyaar diwana hota hai filmed
on him and Asha Parekh. Rajesh
Khanna was a hero whether on a
jeep or walking away singing
Zindagi, kaise hai paheli
haaye...
Rising popularity led to mob
hysteria when he looked into the
eyes of his heroines endearingly
and spoke unforgettable dialogues
like, Pushpa, I hate tears.
Women fans actually wrote him
love letters in blood and even
married his photographs.
His mannerism became his
trademark style, his clothes a
fashion statement in an era when
brand names and designer wear
was not known.
1973 brought wedding bells
and the super-star married 16-
year-old Dimple Kapadia in 1973
during the peak of his career. But
the actor, known for his onscreen
chemistry with heroines, could
not do much to save his off-screen
chemistry with his wife and after
many years of marriage and two
lovely daughters, they parted
ways in 1982. His last block-
buster hit was Avatar in 1983.
His songs, boy-next-door-
looks, endearing smile, lovable
style and revered movies made
him popular with countless fans
who had never ever seen him in
real life. And to the lucky few
who had the chance to meet him,
see him or even touch him, he
was eternal. Almost like an
immortal being who just could not
die.
The morning of 18th July,
2012 came as a rude shock to
many and all his songs played
repeatedly on TV and radio, as if
cajoling people to accept his death
and envelop him in their hearts.
Indeed
Subaah aate hai;
raat jaate hai;
waqt chalta hi rehta hai rukta
nahi
ek pal me ye aage nikal jaata
hai
aadmi theek se dekh paata
nahin
aur parde pe manzar badal
jaata ha hain jo .
Anand mara nahi! Anand marte nahi
For thousands of fans his journey has ended but for Rajesh Khanna, I believe the journey has begun. The
superstar has left for the heavens to make his mark up there. And knowing him, he is sure to bring a new
tapestry in the holy abode. He will continue to enthrall his new audience with the same vigour and this
time without the pain of illness or the fear of death. Rajesh Khanna has become Amar and for his mil-
lions of fans on earth he has left Amar Prem in their hearts.
Rajesh Khanna made a hit pair with Sharmila Tagore, but mar-
ried Dimple Kapadia, the Bobby star when she was just 16.
R
ajesh Khanna gave popu-
lar writer duo Salim Khan
and Javed Akhtar their
first break as screenwriters in his
famous film Haathi Mere Saathi.
His present home
'Aashirwad' was earlier called
'Dimple'. He bought this home
from late actor Rajendra Kumar.
Rajesh Khanna had done
180 films in 40 years from 1966-
2011.
When Rajesh Khanna was
at the zenith of his career, a text-
book prescribed by Mumbai
University contained an essay on
him titled 'The Charisma of
Rajesh Khanna'.
He holds the record for
grabbing the maximum number
of Best actor award in Bengal
Film Journalist Association
Awards (4 awards) and most
number of nominations in BFJA
awards (25 nominations) for Best
Actor. He won Filmfare Best
Actor Award thrice and was
nominated 14 times.
First Bollywood Superstar
20 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Religion
By K. Raman
Vina Venkatesha Nanatho Nanatha,
Sada Venkatesam smarami smarami,
Hare Venkatesam prasida prasida
priyam Venkatesam Prayacha prayacha.
T
emples are treasure houses of Bhakti
and divinity. Most of these shrines are
treasured masses of wealth, some
among them madly hoarding extreme
amounts of cash, gold and land holdings. Just
like the Vatican and other religious institu-
tions, a handful of Indian temples are rich
beyond comprehension; among them,
Tirupathi (Kali Yuga Vaikuntam), which is
one of the richest shrines worth a mind bog-
gling one lakh crores of Indian rupees
(Rs.1,00000,00,000,000).
One thousand and nine hundred years ago
the ruling Pallava king sang the praise of
Lord Venkateswara with no inkling then that
many centuries later the temple he construct-
ed would attain such magnificent stature,
both in sanctity and wealth.
Vishnu is Shankh, Chakra Gadha Pani,
but the hearsay is that the main Tirupathi
Swamy idol has neither conch nor Sudarshan
Chakram, except for a Copper replica conch,
Chakra attached to his hands. His feet are not
visible; they are sunken in the ground.
In the early hours of each morning, oil is
smeared on the location of his feet and skil-
fully covered with a cloth and a Kavacham.
There is a slight damage to his chin which,
too, is covered by the application of cam-
phor. So is the dominant bulging on his fore-
head which is covered by the Namam.
It is a practice here that the Nirmalyam is
thrown into a well and is not given to devo-
tees. Priests in charge of the worships are of
Vikhanasa origin and not Sri Vaishnavites.
The main gopuram/dome is copper based on
which gold sheet is fixed. Most of the wor-
shipping paraphernalia as well as the Utsava
moorthy (Kautuka Bera) are made of sterling
Silver. Surprisingly, hardly anything is done
on the main deity (Dhruva Bera) as pooja,
whereas Kautuka Bera gets all the attention.
Total income of this shrine on an average
per year is over five billion Indian Rupees.
After meeting all expenses and commitments
which include huge payouts to charities, edu-
cational institutions, hospitals etc, the net
money that goes to the bank as savings
exceeds 40-50 million Indian Rupees.
The deity box, commonly known as
Hundi, receives 25 million rupees per day
from devotees who visit the shrine. The col-
lection is not only in Indian rupees but in
many currencies of the world, varieties of
coins, precious jewellery, gold and silver
biscuits and many one kilo bricks of gold.
This is a daily occurrence.
Sorting and evaluating the collection is
the job of a group of expert counting staff
who tirelessly work day in and day out.
There are occasions when the Hundi over-
flows.
25,000 pilgrims visit the shrine daily,
while on special days the visitor numbers go
upward of 100,000. Tirupathis local popula-
tion is 24,643 (2011 census), so a lions
share of the visitors come from many corners
of the earth. The jewellery possession of the
Lord is worth of 250 Crores of rupees and
his entire ornaments gold content weighs a
modest 640 kilos. The temple Dome
(Vimana) known as Ananda Nilayam is
covered with thick hammered solid gold
sheets.
A precious offering made to the lord is
sacrificing ones own crown hair. Pilgrims
tonsure their hair, the daily collection of
which is a princely quantity of one tonne hair
of various hues and textures. This offering is
done as an act symbolic of renouncing the
built up self-ego.
Early in the piece the crown hair was
shaved off free by a team of barbers, but now
they charge a fee for the shaving job. The
hair collection is auctioned every two months
and the income from this source is 30 million
rupees. Most of the hair is used to make hair
wigs (toupee) crafted in India, Singapore,
Hong Kong and Middle East. This is a big
flourishing business, the income shared by
varying business houses involved.
Recently, I heard that the vital ingredient
used in making bread for our daily consump-
tion is called 'L Cysteine'. This is a dough
(bread, chapati, Nan, Parantha etc) condi-
tioner as well as a facilitator to get an extend-
ed shelf life for the bread manufactured. This
chemical in question used to be extracted
from the feathers of duck, chicken and other
feathered creatures. Now the extraction of
the L Cysteinechemical is done from
human hair, the main supplier of the raw
material is the temple of Tirupathi.
On the charity side the temple finances
the running of many schools, Veda
Pathshalas, orphanages,
hospitals, refuges and many
other noble institutions. In
the temple Bhojana Shala
the catering section cooks
and feeds (Anna danam) on
an average of 30,000 visi-
tors daily (15,000 each mid-
day and night). These meals
are steam cooked from solar
power and in the process
save 17 lakhs Rupees per
year and, most importantly,
avoids atmospheric pollu-
tion.
Tirupathi Laddu,
Srivari Laddu, is world
famous. The word Laddu
originated from the Sanskrit
word Ladduka (small
ball). At the temple premis-
es 1.25 lakhs of Laddus are
made daily. It currently
weighs 178 grams each (lit-
tle more than the size of a
golf ball), while it used to be
725 grams each in weight
(size of an Ostrich egg) dur-
ing an era not that far back.
The shortage in supply and increased demand
for Laddus flourished black market trade of
Laddus when each delicious gold ball was
sold for Rs.50. Even the black market supply
in not keeping up with the demand.
One Laddu is given free to each devotee
and every devotee can buy two additional
Laddus (Rs 25 for small Laddu, and Rs 100
for the large version). Annual Laddu revenue
is 11 million rupees. Super large Laddu
known as Kalyana Laddu weighs 500
grams. They even made 32 kilo Lalddu on
special occasions. Tirupathi Laddu tradition
goes back to 300 years. Archakas make the
Laddus in a special kitchen called Potu.
They use 5000 kilos of besan flour,
10,000 kilos of white sugar, 600 kilos of
cashew nuts, 150 kilos of cardamom, 300
litres ghee, 400 kilos of sugar candy and 540
kilos of raisins. Plans are now afoot by the
Devasthanam Administration to patent the
unique Laddu to stop counterfeits interfering
in its trade.
The lords vigraha is Swayambhu (self-
evolved), stands six feet tall, of black
Granite-like stone. It is the most ornamented
deity of places of worship. The prominent
V mark ornamenting the Lords forehead
(caste mark of Vishnavites) is made of pow-
dered and moistened camphor. You may see
that his eye balls to a large extent are covered
with this characteristic marking. This is done
on purpose - to avoid getting everything
scorched in his gaze.
The Lord has numerous crowns to adorn
for various occasions. Of these, the one
made in Antwerp is incidentally the most
expensive single jewellery of the world, put-
ting in shade others, including the crown of
the British Royalty. The eye catching, big,
flawless solitaire three inches diameter emer-
ald which forms a part of the necklace is one
of its kinds. He wears this ornament perma-
nently around his neck.
The dominant forehead marking of the
lord is called Namam. It is a common term
used in Tamil, Namam podal, when one
swindles another.
The army of employees who work for the
temple is a battalion of 17,000 individuals.
The temple is Swayambhu sthala (self-
evolved) and it is said that the Beeja of the
temple was laid by Aadi Shankara. It is the
Beeja that attracts pilgrims like a magical
wand. For all abhishekas water coming from
Akasha Ganga water fall, situated five
kilometers from the temple, is used because
it is believed to be Mother Ganga falling
from the Sky (Akasha).
Let me conclude this with a story involv-
ing the Lord. As we are viciously entrapped
by the dreaded credit card, the lord is in a
tight situation too. To marry his consort, he
had to borrow a huge amount of money from
Kubera, the lord of wealth, to meet the
dowry commitments. Dowry was rampant
and uncontrolled then. Even though the Lord
knew that the exorbitant interest rate was
hard to pay on a regular basis, he agreed to
the terms set up by Kubera.
Once in a year a ceremony is held here
wherein the descendants of Kubera, arrive to
collect at least part of the interest money
accrued over the year. Prior to the ceremony
the deity is imprisoned behind gold bars,
even his legs are tied up with a gold chain to
avoid escape. To bail out the lord from such
a pathetic situation the large number of pil-
grims present there pitch in and pour out
huge chunks of money, so goes the belief.
This goes on year after year. Still the lord is
in a hopeless situation with no end of debt in
immediate sight.
There are corruptions of kinds rampant in
this house of Lord too, including the infa-
mous disappearance of the lords 300 gold
coins, in which case people allegedly pointed
their fingers to a prominent priest, named
Dollar Seshadri, who incidentally stands till
this day next to the lord, bathes, decorates
and even feeds prasadams to him.
Who will not lick the fingers if one could
put them in a honey pot. Can we attribute it
to the distorted rules of Kali Yuga?
Tirupathi Balaji is in the Worlds
Richest Gods list
The presiding deity Lord Venkateswara, or Balaji.
The main goupram of the temple in Tirumala, near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
Community
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 21
By Manju Mittal
Bollywood has lost one of the
most iconic and legendary actor
of the big screen Rajesh Khanna.
Super star Rajesh Khanna will
not be forgotten for his unique
and iconic contribution to
Bollywood. The best tribute
which can be given to him is cel-
ebrate is death as he celebrated
his life.
Yeh sham mastani was
organised by Arun Nanda and
supported by Voice of India
Monica Geet Mala on August 4
in Sydney. It was a balmy and
melodious evening for listeners.
Show had started on time. Ajay
Bajaj paid heartfelt tribute to
Rajesh Khanna and introduced
MC Shailja Chandra to the audi-
ence. Charming Shailja dressed
in black top and red trousers in
1960s style like Rajesh
Khannas one of the heroines.
Shailja welcomed the audience
with local artists: Dharmender
Singh, Arun Nanda, Dr. Reena
Mehta, Suhas Mahajan, Meena
Mahanty Kumar and Riaz Shah.
The show started with the song
Yeh Sham Mastani by
Dharmender Singh, he enter-
tained the audience with his
beautiful song, a singer of his
vocal talent definitely satisfies all
our musical cravings. Arun
Nanda surprised & delighted the
audience when he sang Zindgi k
safar mein gujar, his melodic
voice touched the heart of the
audience. He sang another hit
song Yeh jo mohabbat hai,
he was at his best and audience
could relate with that & relive
the magic moments of the 60s.
Dr. Reena Mehta ( Asha of
Sydney) has over years of expe-
rience as lead singer, she has per-
formed at different venues, pri-
vate functions and various organ-
isations. Reena sang hit number
hume tumse pyar kitna from
Kudrat. Suhas Mahajan has spent
years in Sydney singing on stage
entertaining us with his versatile
voice. His beautiful song Yeh
sham kuch ajeeb was just amaz-
ing. Meena Mahanty Kumar stole
everyones heart by singing solo
Jiya jaye naa and duet
Gunguna rahe hai ..! Riaz shah
entertained us with two beautiful
Rafi songs.
My favourite moment was
when Dharmender Singh brought
his young son Tanuj Singh on
stage and had him sing O mere
dil ke chain, he has an amazing,
energetic voice, his voice is a
blessing. The audience applause
helped the entire participants to
give their best to make this trib-
ute a special one. The way all
singers performed it shows their
hard work and truthfulness for
their work. Singer did great jus-
tice by singing for more than 3
hours. I was impressed by Ritu
Bhamras poetic creative inter-
ludes, a compere has the uncanny
ability of keeping the audience
engaged and Ritu is good.
Whole event was conducted
gracefully by Shailja Chandra
who kept all entertained and her
video presentation on Rajesh
Khannas life was superb and one
could see a lot of labour had
gone into putting together the
highlights from the life of Rajesh
Khanna and our favourite scenes
and songs of his movies. In the
end Madan Lachha played guitar
and made audience sing along as
they clapped and eagerly partici-
pated. Rajesh Khanna truly was
there and relived him in our own
special way
Organisers of the event Arun
Nanda, Shailja Chandra and
Manbir Kohli have done excel-
lent job by doing overall man-
agement making the whole event
well disciplined. Lighting &
Sound effect were great. The
stage decorated by Ratna was
very impressive. The delicious
catering was looked after by
Mehra da dhaba topped up with
kheer and gulab jamuns. Rajesh
lived like a king and left like a
king and the food laid to us also
was quite a royalty all paid for
by the organisers. I had an amaz-
ing time from the beginning to
the end. Whoever was there that
night was lucky to be a witness
to an entertaining event. It was
an amazing tribute to an era of
the great Rajesh Khanna and we
all come from that.
Sydney pays tribute to the great Rajesh Khanna in...
Yeh Sham Mastani
Reena Mehta and Arun Nanda sang a romantic duet
Sydneys Dharmender brings Rajesh to life with his Yes Shaam Mastani
Congratulations !
To Qiana Irani and Meher Karai who tied the
knot on August 11 in a traditional Parsi
Wedding at The Hills Lodge in Castle Hill.
If you would have a good wife,
marry one who has been a good
daughter.
Thomas Fuller
22 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
On the Occasion of Hindi Divas
Australian Hindi Committee (AHC)
IABBV Hindi School and
ILASA (Indian literary and art society of Australia)
Present
Childrens Photo-Essay Competition for students in yrs 6-12
The topic for this competition is Person who I admire the Most. Children are to submit a collage (consisting of 2-5 images) and write an original short essay
(125-200 words) based on the given topic in Hindi.
Participants will be able to use photographs, images, pictures, drawings and artworks. The collage and essay must reflect a childs view of the person they admire
and demonstrate creativity and effort. Please see criteria and instructions for entry below. Top three entries will receive a prize.
Criteria: Submission format: A4 page for photo collage, A4 page for essay
A4 cover page with contact information: name, grade, age, school, phone number, email address, postal address.
Photo collage: Two to five photos, images or graphics Essay: 125-200 words
Please encourage all to participate. There will be a panel of judges for both competitions. Entries will close on 7 September 2012.
We request all Hindi speakers / supporters / teachers / schools / students to join in the celebrations and present a united face to promote India's national language
Hindi. We would like to extend our deep gratitude to the Consulate General of India, Sydney for supporting this event. We also acknowledge the continued support
of Australian Hindi Committee, The Hindu Council of Australia, United India Associations, Australia India Business Council, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Australian
Hindi Indian Association, Hindi Samaj and various other individuals and associations Australia wide; All Hindi Schools and Print, Radio and Television Media.
For further information please contact:
For Essay Competition contact: Santram Bajaj (AHIA): 0414 553 739 and Abhishek Sood (IABBV): 0411 653 618
For Childrens Hindi poetry recitation competition contact: Tara Chand Sharma (AHC): 0409 981 355; Mala Mehta, OAM (IABBV): 0412 283 677;
Gunjan Tripathi Hindi Samaj: 0413 886 527; Sanjeev Bhakri Hindu Council of Australia 0414 971 122
For Kavi Sammelan and for participating in the Hindi Skits contact: Rekha Rajvanshi (ILASA): 0403 116 301
Sponsorship
or Donation to recover
the cost of the program will be
greatly appreciated.
Hindi Mela ( e )
Over two days - September 15 & 16, 2012 - At two venues:
Sat 15 September 2012
1. 4.30 to 7.30 pm Epping Leisure and Learning Centre, 1 Chambers Court, Epping NSW 2121
Kavi Sammelan Kavi Ke Udgaar Sangeet Ki Jhankaar by ILASA
(If you are a Hindi writer or a poet you are invited to participate in the Kavi Sammelan)
Sun 16 September 2012 :
IABBV Hindi School, Thornleigh West Public School, Giblett Ave, Thornleigh NSW 2120
1. 10.00am-11am Student Session display of students work and resources
2. 11am -12.00pm Childrens Hindi poetry recitation competition
1st group of children Year1 - 4; 2nd group of children Year 5 - 7; 3rd group of children Year 8 - 12
Anybody can participate. Entries will close on 7 September 2012
3. 12pm - 1.00 pm Light Snacks
4. 1pm-3pm Hindi Skits and cultural program
Contact:
Mala Mehta
0412 283 677
Rekha Rajvanshi
0403 116 301
Community
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 23
Baltarang 2012 A Fund
Raiser Event by Ekal Vidyalaya
Foundation Australia
Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation
Australia (EKAL) is organizing a
fund raising event, Baltarang
2012 on 7th October 2012 at
Bowman Hall, Blacktown,
Sydney. It is going to be a fun-
filled evening of dances, dramas
and songs performed by young
local artists, and choreographed
by top Sydney dance schools and
choreographers. All proceeds of
the function will go towards edu-
cating poor children in rural and
tribal parts of India.
EKAL is one of seven overseas
chapters of parent NGO, Ekal
Vidyalaya Foundation, in India.
This is a unique concept bringing
informal education to the poor
children in tribal and remote vil-
lages by providing free, non-for-
mal education. The concept is
single teacher schools with what-
ever accommodation and facili-
ties can be provided by the local
community. Each school pro-
vides basic education in reading
& writing, simple arithmetic,
hygiene and moral values to
around 25 children who other-
wise would most probably be left
illiterate for their lives. Ekal
India is now running over 38,000
such schools, with the overall
aim of increasing the number to
100,000.
With a humble beginning of 30
schools sponsored in 2004, the
local organization has by now
attracted enough donors to spon-
sor more than 500 schools.
Sponsorship of a school for one
year costs a very reasonable
amount of $480. Smaller dona-
tions can also be made, including
sponsoring half a school.
EKAL is a registered charity
with the Australian Tax Office
and has been granted the
Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR)
status. All donations are hence
fully tax deductible. More
details about EKAL can be found
at www.ekal.org.au. Or please
contact Devendra Gupta at 0411
597949 or Jay Shah at 0438 621
590.
Ekal targets for 500 schools and more
24 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Community
By K. Raman
M
odern day music enthusiasts may
not be that familiar with Suman
(Hemady) Kalyanpur and her
music. She was born in Dhaka,
Bangladesh, in 1937. When she turned six,
her family migrated to Mumbai, seeking
music learning opportunities for Suman and
ultimately moving her into a singing career.
Suman learned classical Hindustani
music and became proficient in it. Though
she was a highly successful musician, in the
later stages of her career, she lived prima-
rily as a housewife to Ramanand
Kalyanpur.
In spite of abundant God-given talents,
she was a victim of the dirty politics in film
music world. Experts of Hindi film music
found it hard to differentiate between the
voices of Lataji and Sumanji. They both
had sweet voices, perfection in singing
style and similarity of tonal quality but suc-
cess-wise, Lata ran way ahead of Suman
with an ever widening gap as years pro-
gressed.
Talents cannot be judged by the popular
press verdicts and money earned from the
trade. Suman is an introvert, easy going
and not keen to seek fame and publicity.
She sang for her own pleasure and was not
in the camps of music directors. That itself
made her an unusual musician not fit for the
cut throat dirty politics inherent in Hindi
film music career. She never deviated from
her resolve of non- involvement all through
her career.
Of the many talent scouts who spotted
her musical gift, Talat Mehmood was the
very first person in that honour list. He
heard her sing in a musical show, was high-
ly impressed of her singing ability and rec-
ommended her to HMV, the recording
company he was associated with. In 1954,
just aged 17, she recorded her first song
Koi pukaree dheere se tuje for the film
Mangu.
Her big break came with "Na Tum
Hamen Jano" (Baat Ek Raat Ki, 1962) com-
posed by the redoubtable SD Burman.
Ironically, people thought it was rendered
by Lata Mangeshkar but were all pleasant-
ly surprised when they discovered the truth.
One of her most famous songs, "Aajkal
Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche" from
Brahmachari too is usually thought to be
sung by Lata, which is of course not true.
The confusion results from the fact that the
quality of her voice is similar to Lata's at
times.
Suman started getting regular singing
assignments from 1960 onwards, when
Lata was right up there at the zenith then.
Miyan Bibi Razi (1960), Dil Ek Mandir
(1963), Dil Hi to Hai (1963), Jahan Ara
(1964), Shagoon (1964), Sanj Aur Sawera
(1964), Noorjahan (1967), Saathi (1968),
Pakeezah (1971) etc were her successful
film assignments to start with. Though she
sang under the direction of the then famous
and successful music directors, it was
Shankar Jaikishan and Roshan who made
use of her talents to the optimum.
She recorded songs in many Indian lan-
guages and predominantly in Marathi,
Hindi, Gujarati, Assamese, Rajasthani,
Bengali, Oriya and Punjabi.
Even though Lata was her major oppo-
nent, Suman regarded her highly and the
respect was mutual. Suman recorded duets
with Lataji in Kabhi Aaaj Kabhi Kal Kabhi
parson with the music director Hemant
Kumar. She recorded duets with Rafi,
Mukesh, Hemant Kumar, Talat
Mohammad and Manna Dey. Some of the
famous Rafi-Suman duets are: Chand taka-
ta hai idhar, Parabthon ke pedon par,
Ajahuna aye balama, Tumne pukara aur
ham chale aye, Bad muddat ke yeh ghadi
ayee,Tujko dilbari ki kasam, Chand Tukda
hai idhar, etc. Phoolwa ban mahke was a
famous song she sang with Geeta Dutt.
It is well known that Suman did not
receive the due recognition for the talents
she possessed. Maharastras then Deputy
Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal once said
that Suman was sidelined by the industry
despite her immensely proved singing
skills. He made this comment while speak-
ing at the Lata Mangeshkar Award function
in 2009 when Suman Kalyanpur was
awarded that gong. Her rendition of the
song Haal-e-dil unko sunana tha sunaya na
gaya in the film Fariyad (1964) was a
classic. She never challenged any of the top
singers of her time or pulled strings to top-
ple others to gain advantage.
Comparisons between two gifted people
are not appropriate but between Lata and
Suman, the former is miles ahead of Suman
in popularity, money earned and recogni-
tions received. With seven Filmfare awards
Lata is way ahead of Suman. Moreover,
from 1969 onwards Lata opted out of
Filmfare award nomination because it
became a monotonous one singer race.
Latas recognitions list is long - Bharat
Ratna, three National awards, Dada Sahib
Phalke award, the French knight hood
(Legion dhonneur), Doctorates from 11
prestigious universities of the world,
Asthana Vidushi of Tirupathi, citizen
(Honorary) of the United States etc. In
comparison, in Sumans case, she has the
Lata Mangeshkar Award (Maharastra
Government 2002) and the Sur Sangam
award.
Suman Kalyanpur was never a tough
fighter in the mould of Lata, Asha or the
other big wigs. Being a gentle person with
no bad bones in her she always was a true
singer of class and a stickler of her believed
principles.
Suman Kalyanpur -- as sweet as
Lata but not as celebrated
Na Tum Hamein Jano, Sumans first big break as a
singer in Hindi films, was thought to be rendered by Lata
Mangeshkar. Her most famous song, "Aajkal Tere Mere
Pyaar Ke Charche" from Brahmachari too is usually
erroneously thought to be sung by Lata. The confusion
results from the fact that the quality of her voice is
similar to Lata's at times.
"Na Tum Hamen Jano" (Baat Ek
Raat Ki)
"Chhodo, Chhodo Mori Baiyann"
(Miya Biwi Razi)
"Dil Gham Se Jal Raha" (Shama)
"Yun Hi Dil Ne Chaha Tha" (Dil
Hi To Hai)
"Bujha Diye Hain" (Shagoon)
"Mere Sang Ga" (Janwar)
"Mere Mehboob Na Ja" (Noor
Mahal)
"Tum Agar Aa Sako To"' &
"Zindagi Doob Gai Dard Ke Toofano
Mein" (Ek Sal Pehle)
"Jo Ham Pe Guzarti Hai"
(Mohabbat Isko Kehten Hain)
"Sharabi Sharabi Yeh Sawan Ka
Mausam" (Noor Jehan)
"Behena Ne Bhai Ki Kalai Main"
(Resham Ki Dori), for which she was
nominated for the Filmfare Best Female
Playback Award in 1975.
Kalyanpur's popular songs
The author with Suman Kalyanpur.
Community
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 25
A houseful of IITians got
together at the Ernst & Young
Building on August 2 to attend a
panel discussion on The Future
of Outsourcing and Offshoring in
Australia. Interest was high as
Australia is a services intense
economy affected by structural
changes driven by rapid globali-
sation of service delivery chains
of major corporations.
The event was presented by
Pradeep Khanna, CEO Global
Mindset & Chairperson Branding
IITAA (IITian Association of
Australia) as the first event in the
launch of a series Integrating
Australia with Asia series.
The European sovereign and
financial crisis has been going on
in slow motion for some time
now. The resultant doom and
gloom media coverage has made
us extremely cost conscious.
Everyday we read about closures,
local job losses, outsourcing and
offshoring. We are confused as
our leaders tell us economically
we were one of the best perform-
ing countries in the world.
As consumers, we are delighted
at lower online prices due to
strong A$ and rising online avail-
ability. However, as employees,
we worry about our jobs and
incomes to meet our expenses. At
the same time our corporations
are facing severe cost pressures
in the current macroeconomic
environment. Yes, there are
strong feelings about outsourcing
and offshoring.
The question foremost in the
mind of people attending the
event was what was the right
balance between lower prices and
maintaining jobs in a globalised
economy?
Perhaps the most emotive ques-
tion discussed that day was the
moral responsibility of the out-
sourcing vendors towards the
redundant labour services?
While there were a range of
responses from the panel, the
answer was best summed by
Pradeep Khanna in his interview
with ABC TVs Ticky Fullerton
We as Australians have to focus
on higher-end skills now. And
that is where, when we look at
the emerging opportunities in this
year, we need to be positioning
ourselves for high technology,
biotech areas. So we need to be
moving up the ladder.
There were two panels with the
first one representing Industry
and consisting of Ross McKenzie
(Executive Director, Global
Services Delivery, Westpac),
David Fincher (Partner, Ernst &
Young), Vijay Gopal (Strategic
Engagement Executive, IBM
GPS, Growth Markets), Venki
Prathivadi (Head, Mahindra
Satyam, A/NZ) and Samit
Chandra (Head of Architecture
FSS A/NZ and S Asia, Infosys).
The second panel was from
Academia and Government and
was represented by Prof Aditya
Ghose (University of
Wollongong), Prof Eng Chew
(University of Technology,
Sydney) and Prof Oscar
Hauptman (University of Western
Sydney) and Vivek Kumar
(Deputy Consul General of India
in Sydney).
The event was also attended by
Emmanuel Nino Ang (Philippines
Special Trade
Representative/Consul
(Commercial)), Philippines
Consul Marford Angeles (repre-
senting Philippines Consul
General Anne Jalando-On Louis)
and Marviana Siregar
(Indonesian Vice Consul General)
IITians discuss outsourcing future
Left to Right (sitting) David Fincher (Ernst & Young), Vijay Gopal (IBM, IITian), Pradeep Khanna (GLOBAL MINDSET & IITAA,
IITian), Ross McKenzie (Westpac)
Left to Right (standing) Samit Chandra (Infosys, IITian), Prof Oscar Hauptman (UWS), Prof Aditya Ghose (UoW), Venki Prathivadi
(MSat, IITian), Prof Eng Chew (UTS), Vivek Kumar (Indian Deputy Consul General, IITian)
IITians association
of Australia
Become a Member
Contact:
Sundar Siva
Secretary IITAA
Mob 0422 781 262
www.iitaa.org.au
26 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 27
28 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Community
Ash, even in wax, will do
Madame Tussauds opened in Sydney's Darling Harbour in
April, the 14th edition of the house of all things wax and its
first Down Under. The Bollywood section with five star figures
will be on display from August to October this year.
By Neena Badhwar
T
wentieth century produced
many inspirational leaders,
revolutionaries, fighters of
human rights, many great people
who devoted their life in serving
the humanity to bring down the
suffering of the down trodden, the
destitute of our society. There are
a few who come directly to mind -
Florence Nightingale who walked
with a candle in her hand attending
to the wounded soldiers of the war,
Nelson Mandela who fought
against apartheid in South Africa,
Mahatma Gandhi whose exempla-
ry life was spent in non-violent
struggle to free India from the
colonial rule, Dalai Lama in India
fighting to free his homeland Tibet
and Mother Teresa who picked up
the sick and the poor people from
the streets of Calcutta to help them
give the dignity they deserved.
I missed the opportunity to
meet Gandhi as I was born much
after Gandhis demise in 1948, but
I had the opportunity to meet the
Dalai Lama in person in Sydney
from up close and Mother Teresa
in a plane journey when I was able
to spot her sitting simply in the
economy class. My unfulfilled
third wish, having lost out on
Gandhi, has always been to see
Nelson Mandela.
Recently, I had the opportunity
to see Nelson Mandela, not in flesh
and bones, I should add, but close
and life-like at Madame Tussauds
in Sydney. Here, one is privy to
these icons from up close and even
able to observe them and feel
inspired being in their company
and learn about the stories of their
lives.
Gandhi, Obama, the Queen,
Mandela, Dalai Lama, Florence
Nightingale, Mary McKillop are
housed in one such section of
Madame Tussauds museum of wax
figures where one can spend time
and get pictures with them. The
figures are so very life-like that
even the fine lines, features, wrin-
kles and veins show on models
who look unbelievably real. Their
eyes, the expression of the face is
something to admire about in this
unique art of making wax figures.
Zoe Walton, the studio manag-
er at Sydneys Madame Tussauds ,
who came from London to set up
the museum in Darling Harbour,
says, Over 800 hours of work
goes into creating a life like figure
by over 60 artists which include
photographers, sculptors, stylists,
hair, eye and dentures artists as
they work to bring life like expres-
sion on the sculpture.
Marie Tussaud, popularly
known as Madame Tussaud, learnt
the art of making wax figures from
a French physician Dr Phillippe
Curtius in the 1700s when he made
these figures to teach anatomy to
medical students. Maries mother
was his housekeeper and she went
to live in Dr Curtius house as a
child and the doctor saw the talent
in the child. As Marie grew she
became known for her art when the
French royal family used her for
sculpting their figures as it was a
time when even photography had
not yet been developed.
Marie Tussaud went on to
make wax figures of some for the
famous people of her era like
Voltaire and Benjamin Franklin,
including some of the revolutions
most infamous dead like Louis
XVI and Marie Antoinette and was
employed to make death masks of
the victims of the guillotine during
the French revolution. She was
invited to London to exhibit her
works as she went around on a
travelling tour and finally estab-
lished a museum in Baker Street.
Current Madame Tussauds in
London has a house studio where
all the artists are based who make
wax figures which are transported
to Madame Tussauds museums all
round the world.
Besides going through various
sections and seeing figures of
important Australians that include
Ned Kelly, Mabo, Shane Warne,
Bob Hawke and many more from
around the world, Tussauds has
brought out a section on
Bollywood stars the heart throbs
of millions of Indians and fans
from overseas.
The five Bollywood stars
include Amitabh Bachchan, Shah
Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai,
Kareena Kapoor and Hrithik
Roshan. The Bollywood section
will be on display from August to
October this year and is quite inter-
active as people not only can enjoy
being with their Bollywood heroes,
they also can, if they like, wear
some shiny Bollywood gear, saris,
achkan, caps and get their pictures
taken with their idols with popular
Bollywood music playing in the
background.
All these people at some point
in their life agreed to sit for the
sculpting, getting hundreds of pic-
tures taken from all angles, meas-
urements of their face and body,
the position and pose to achieve
that real effect. One look at the
final outcome figure and the
response is just mind blowingly
real.
Says Zoe, The skin colour is
really important to match for
which oil paints mixed in bees wax
are applied, putting in layers after
layers as moles, veins and other
fine details are included, matching
in real sunlight dozens of times by
the skin artists.
The sculpting process is quite
labour intensive. The eyes, the
color of the iris is all taken into
account and made by special eye
makers who spend weeks in getting
the details right.
Even the hair is matched and
then inserted in the head and body
one by one. The streaks, the hair
colour are all done diligently by
the stylist not to talk of the gar-
ments worn by the statue when
some of them are donated by the
person.
To start with they make a
metal frame of the body and put
clay on top and the clay artist cre-
ates a mould out of it once the per-
fect expression is achieved. The
mould is made up of fiber glass in
which bees wax is poured layer by
layer and the wax is put on the top
leaving the cavity in the head
through which the eyes and teeth
are inserted finally.
The older the person more
real is the expression with creases,
wrinkles in the face making the
sculpture look more real, says
Zoe. While Shah Rukh Khan looks
quite real, Amitabh Bachchan
looks too young as he was modeled
in 2000 when he was visiting
London. However, the artists have
made sure he has the famous white
beard and the grey streaks in his
hair to make him look older.
Kareena and Aishwarya look
stunningly beautiful while Hrithik
with his muscles and biceps with
his six fingers on one hand looks a
hunk and is a great favourite of the
visitors. One does not have to han-
ker for a picture with their
favourite Bollywood star any more
as Madame Tussauds have now
made it possible for all to have an
enjoyable, interactive, educational
and inspiring tour through this
unique museum a one of its own
kind.
Rubbing shoulders with
Captain Cook, Sir Donald
Bradman, Albert Einstein, Nicole
Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Johnny
Depp and Lady Gaga all under one
roof is something everyone must
experience.
The Bollywood exhibition was
opened on August 3 with dancers
from Nupur Group,
Road2Bollywood Academy and in
the presence of the Indian Consul
General Arun Kumar Goel.
Sydney CG Arun Kumar Goel posing with wax models of Aishwarya
Rai and Kareena Kapoor.
Amitabh Bachchan and dancers at the Sydney attraction.
Zoe Walton, the studio manager at Sydneys Madame Tussauds,
posing with the Shah Rukh figure
Community
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 29
Common cold and influenza viruses
Virologist Kersi Meher-Homji sneezes as he types
S
tand up those readers of The
Indian Down Under who
have not suffered from the
above symptoms this freezing
Aussie winter? I cant see anyone
standing, so I presume all of you
had common cold with some of
you shaking hands and shivering
with fever due to the dreaded
influenza, popularly (or unpopu-
larly?) known as the flu.
Our world is not shrinking but
our known enemies are. In prehis-
toric times our enemies were huge
dinosaurs, dragons and other
monsters. Since then they have
shrunk in size, from worms to
parasites to fungi to bacteria to
viruses. Viruses are so small
(1/100,000 to 1/3,000 of a mil-
limetre) that they cannot be visu-
alised under a microscope. You
need an electron microscope to
have a glimpse of your sophisti-
cated and nasty torturers.
But what viruses lack in size
they make up in their ability to
make you miserable. There are
over 300 types. Some especially
the influenza group are slippery
customers. They mutate so fast
that Virologists have to make new
types of vaccine every few years
to protect you.
And viruses laugh at antibi-
otics. Give us more, we love
them, they seem to say! Being
strictly intracellular parasites,
they multiply only within living
cells. For an antibiotic to kill
them, it will have to enter and
possibly kill the host cells thus
making the cure worse than the
disease.
Common cold is more of a
nuisance value than dangerous.
But influenza can be a killer. The
1918 flu epidemic killed millions.
Even the mention of names such
as Asian flu, bird flu, swine flu
make us shiver as the mortality
rate is high and widespread, espe-
cially when it reaches the pan-
demic (world-wide epidemic) sta-
tus.
The worst aspect of flu is that
it can occasionally lead to pneu-
monia, either direct viral pneumo-
nia or secondary bacterial pneu-
monia, even for persons who are
usually very healthy. In particular
it is a warning sign if a child (or
presumably an adult) seems to be
getting better and then relapses
with a high fever as this may lead
to bacterial pneumonia. Another
warning sign is when the person
starts to have trouble breathing.
New England Journal of
Medicine stated in 2009 that it is
difficult to tell bacterial from viral
pneumonia and recommended that
patients with influenza who show
signs of pneumonia be treated
with both antiviral agents and
antibiotics.
Typically, influenza is trans-
mitted through the air by coughs
or sneezes, creating aerosols con-
taining the virus. It can also be
transmitted by direct contact with
bird droppings, nasal secretions
or through contact with contami-
nated surfaces. Airborne aerosols
have been believed to cause most
infections, although which means
of transmission is commoner is
not clear. Influenza viruses can be
inactivated by sunlight and deter-
gents. As the virus can be inacti-
vated by soap, frequent hand
washing reduces the risk of infec-
tion.
Influenza spreads around the
world in seasonal epidemics,
resulting in the deaths of about
&10000000000250000000000250
,000 people every year, up to mil-
lions in some pandemic years. On
average 41,400 people died each
year in the United States between
1979 and 2001 from influenza. In
2010, the Centre for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) in
the US changed the way it reports
the 30 year estimates for deaths.
Now they are reported as a range
from a low of about 3,300 deaths
to a high of 49,000 per year.
Three influenza pandemics
occurred in the 20th century and
killed tens of millions of people
with each of these pandemics
being caused by the appearance of
a new strain of the virus in
humans. Often, these new strains
appear when an existing flu virus
spreads to humans from other ani-
mal species, or when an existing
human strain picks up new genes
from a virus that usually infects
only birds or pigs.
An avian strain named H5N1
raised the concern of a new
influenza pandemic, after it
emerged in Asia in the 1990s but
it has not evolved to a form that
spreads easily between people. In
April 2009 a novel flu strain
evolved that combined genes from
human, pig, and bird flu, initially
dubbed "swine flu" and also
known as influenza A/H1N1.
This had emerged in Mexico, the
United States and several other
nations.
The World Health
Organisation (WHO) officially
declared the outbreak to be a pan-
demic on 11 June 2009. WHO's
declaration of a pandemic level 6
was an indication of spread, not
severity, the strain actually having
a lower mortality rate than other
influenza outbreaks.
Vaccinations against influenza
are usually made available to peo-
ple in developed countries, espe-
cially to children and elderly and
for those having serious health
problems. Farmed poultry is often
vaccinated to avoid decimation of
the flocks.
The most common human vac-
cine is the Trivalent Influenza
Vaccine (TIV) that contains puri-
fied and inactivated antigens
against three viral strains.
Typically, this vaccine
includes material from two
influenza A virus subtypes and
one influenza B virus strain.
The TIV carries no risk of
transmitting the disease and it has
very low reactivity. A vaccine
formulated for one year may be
ineffective the following year,
since the influenza virus evolves
rapidly and new strains quickly
replace the older ones. Antiviral
drugs such as Tamiflu have been
used to treat influenza. However,
their effectiveness is difficult to
assess due to much of the data
remains unpublished.
Symptoms of influenza can
start quite suddenly one to two
days after infection. Usually the
first symptoms are chills or a
chilly sensation but fever is also
common early in the infection,
with body temperatures ranging
from 38-39 C (100-103 F).
Many people are so ill that they
are confined to bed for several
days, with aches and pains
throughout their bodies, which
are worse in their backs and legs.
Other symptoms of flu are cough,
nasal congestion, body aches,
tiredness, headache, sore throat,
watery and red eyes and occasion-
ally gastrointestinal symptoms
(diarrhoea) especially among
children infected with influenza
B.
It is often difficult to distin-
guish between the common cold
and influenza in the early stages
of infections, but the latter can be
identified by high fever with a
sudden onset and extreme fatigue.
Diarrhoea is not normally a symp-
tom of influenza in adults,
although it has been seen in some
human cases of the H5N1 bird
flu.
To avoid these tortures, visit
your general practitioner next
April and get yourself vaccinated
with the then current strains of
influenza vaccine and hit the
sneaky flu virus for a six!
Typically, influenza is transmitted through the air by coughs or
sneezes, creating aerosols containing the virus. It can also be
transmitted by direct contact with bird droppings,
nasal secretions or through contact with contaminated surfaces.
What viruses lack in size they make up in their ability to make you
miserable. There are over 300 types. Some especially the influenza
group are slippery customers. They mutate so fast that Virologists
have to make new types of vaccine every few years to protect you.
I am at the moment deaf in the
ears, hoarse in the throat, red in
the nose, green in the gills, damp
in the eyes, twitchy in the joints
and fractious in temper from a
most intolerable and oppressive
cold
- Charles Dickens
30 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 31
32 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Finance
By Kaushik Prakash
T
he UPA government lost
its most prominent and one
of the most senior mem-
bers when Pranab Mukherjee was
elevated to the office of President
of India, last month. Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh, who
shepherded India through its glo-
rious years of liberalization dur-
ing the early 1990s, held the port-
folio till Aug 2, when P
Chidambaram was re-appointed
Finance Minister. Sushil Kumar
Shinde now handles the Home
Affairs portfolio held by Mr.
Chidambaram. The Prime
Minister regards Mr.
Chidambaram as a visionary who
shares his views on Indias eco-
nomic standing among G20
nations.
Mr. Chidambaram, 67, a
prominent lawyer and a graduate
from the prestigious Harvard
Business School, is a seven time
MP from Sivaganga constituency
in Tamil Nadu. This will be the
fourth time that he is donning the
all-important role of Finance
Minister of the worlds largest
and fastest growing democracy.
At a time when Indias dream
run at the world stage in terms of
GDP growth is sinking at an
alarming rate, it would take all of
Mr. Chidambarams experience
in the high office to set sail the
much needed lifeboat for our
economy, said Dr. Rajnish
Sinha, professor of international
macroeconomics at Mahatma
Gandhi University, Cochin.
The nation has reacted posi-
tively to this new appointment of
an experienced hand in the North
Block of New Delhi. Mr.
Chidambaram is credited at hav-
ing presented the nations dream
budget in 1997-98. This budget
largely brought down income tax
rates, removed archaic govern-
ment surcharges that were hinder-
ing economic growth, and
reduced corporate tax rates. He
has also closely worked with the
Prime Minister on the previous
six budgets he delivered during
his stints as Finance Minister.
Chidambaram is a disciplinarian
and would never defy any deci-
sion taken by the prime minister
on budget proposals," opined an
official from the finance ministry.
All this comes at a time when
Mr. Chidambaram has been
under serious scrutiny on several
issues and the opposition parties
looking for any avenue to malign
him. Some of the controversies
surrounding him include the 2009
general election vote count fraud,
2G spectrum scam and Aircel-
Maxis deal.
A senior colleague in the
finance ministry said, Mr.
Chidambaram is passionate about
expenditure control, tax reforms
and realising revenues. Regaining
fiscal control will be his top pri-
ority. Dr. Sinha said, the man
who shielded India from slipping
into economic crisis during the
global markets meltdown in
2008, will have to yet again
weave a magic web that will insu-
late the nation from volatility.
One of the major challenges
he faces is the apprehension
expressed by foreign institutional
investors (FIIs) while investing in
India. Most of this perception
resulted from rating agencies
Standard & Poor and Fitch Group
which downgraded Indias invest-
ment rating from stable to nega-
tive citing, "heightened risks that
India's medium- to long-term
growth potential will gradually
deteriorate if further structural
reforms are not hastened". For
the country to reach its 9% GDP
growth once again, it is impera-
tive that foreign investors change
their perception.
One aspect that would help
change this perception is quick
resolution of General Anti
Avoidance Rules (GAAR), which
prevents all Indian companies and
individuals from routing invest-
ments from foreign investors
through Mauritius or other tax
havens like the Cayman Islands,
Monaco etc. This is a round about
system used to avoid taxes. The
general sentiment in the industry
is that such laws only hinder for-
eign investments and must be
dropped.
The other pressing issue that
needs his attention is the declining
value of the rupee in spite of
falling crude oil prices. The value
of the rupee has fallen from
`44.61/USD in April 2011 to
`57.15/USD in June 2012. Steps
need to be taken to bring down
the nations current account
deficit (CAD) and fiscal deficit.
With weak monsoon rains,
35% below average, directly
impacting the economic and agri-
cultural growth, Mr.
Chidambaram will have to pro-
vide sops to the farming sector,
which is one of the largest con-
tributors to the countrys GDP.
He would also need to give a fil-
lip to the industrial output index
(IIP), which has constantly
declined in the recent months and
stands at a current 3.5%.
Exports, another major contribu-
tor to Indias GDP, is yet another
area that needs to pick up before
the rupee value can start rising in
the international markets.
The general economic climate
in India is that of ambiguity laced
with creeping pessimism. The
new Finance Minister, who is not
new to challenges of the current
nature, will need to steer India
back on its path of growth. For
the UPA 2 to come back to power
in 2014 the nation needs to be
well on its path of 9% GDP
growth. This needs to be coupled
with creating a favorable climate
for FIIs to channel their funds
into the much needed infrastruc-
ture development of the nation
which would automatically boost
exports and arrest the slide of the
rupee.
Trying times for Chidambaram for the 4th time
Tips to save tax
Tax rates 2011-12
The following rates apply from 1 July 2011.
At a time when
Indias dream run at
the world stage in
terms of GDP
growth is sinking at
an alarming rate, it
would take all of
Mr. Chidambarams
experience in the
high office to set
sail the much need-
ed lifeboat for our
economy.
Continued from page 9
There can be no manner of doubt that
Assam is facing external aggression and
internal disturbance because of large-scale
illegal immigration from Bangladesh, the
judges noted.
Such clear, unambiguous castigations
have little impact on the Congress think-
tank is evident from the fact that various
other courts have come down heavily on
Congress for enacting legislations to facili-
tate settlement of illegal immigrants in
Assam.
One of the most scathing judicial cri-
tique of government handling of illegal
migrants issue came in July 2008 from
Guwahati High Court. The High Court
bench did not mince words in a case
involving 61 illegal migrants. In a land-
mark verdict, the High Court opined:
Large number of Bangladeshis in the
state now play a major role in electing the
representatives both to the Legislative
Assembly and Parliament and consequent-
ly, in the decision-making process towards
building the nation. The gravity of the
illegal migrants (kingmakers as per the
High Court verdict) became evident as one
of the accused held a Pakistan passport
and had contested the State Assembly
election in 1996.
The fact that Congress would not do
anything to dislodge the entrenched illegal
migrants (and thus endanger its immediate
electoral alliances) is evident from a
recent refusal by the Union Government to
delete names of 40 lakh doubtful voters on
the basis of their religious or linguistic
profile as it would be unconstitutional.
The Centre was responding to an affi-
davit filed in Supreme Court by a NGO
Assam Public Works alleging that that the
names of over 4 million illegal migrants
from Bangladesh figure on the electoral
lists and they should be disfranchised and
deported.
Any so called abnormal growth, in
the electoral rolls does not imply that the
rolls contain the names of illegal
Bangladeshi immigrants and the contention
made regarding presence of illegal
Bangladesh migrants in the electoral rolls
is completely presumptuous, the Centre
asserted in the response to the Supreme
Court.
While it would have been much easier
dismissing fact-based apprehensions of the
NGO, the Congress-led Union
Government would find it harder explain-
ing various acts of vandalism committed
by allegedly by Bangaldeshi lumpen.
Rekha Bhattacharjee can be contacted
at vijay@hotkey.net.au
H
ere are a few items that people can
consider as deductions. These
deductions are quite common yet
often overlooked by people looking to
save on tax. Read below for the easiest tax
deductions;
1. Work related expenses. Travel,
eating, accommodation keep those
receipts.
2. Self-education. Books on topics
you work in. E.g. marketing books and
courses.
3. Travel expenses
4. Gifts and donations are tax
deductable. Making a decent donation at
the end of each year to a charity can help
you get into a lower tax bracket.
5. You can claim the depreciation
in your assets. E.g.; your laptop, your car
etc.
6. Claim any losses you made in
investments to avoid capital gains tax.
7. Get private health care insurance
to save on Medicare levy.
8. Make prompt payments of ATO
dues to avoid interest charges and penal-
ties
9. Income protection insurance can
be deducted as a work-related expense
10. Consider salary packaging items
rather than purchasing them yourself
Taxable income Tax on this income
0 - $6,000 Nil
$6,001 - $37,000 15c for each $1 over $6,000
$37,001 - $80,000 $4,650 plus 30c for each $1 over $37,000
$80,001 - $180,000 $17,550 plus 37c for each $1 over $80,000
$180,001 and over $54,550 plus 45c for each $1 over $180,000
Kaushik
Prakash has
an MBA in
finance from
the University
of
Massachusetts,
and is from
Bangalore. A
former banker, he reports in
global insights in finance,
business and economics.
P. Chidambaram has been shifted from Home to head
Finance Ministry by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after
Pranab Mukherjee was elected President.
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 33
34 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Community
Find the Dynamic You was the
main message as Hindu Youth
Australia (HYA) encouraged youth
to explore their identity and furnish
their understanding of Hindu
Dharma. The current HYA team,
filled with many new faces,
showed great initiative and amaz-
ing leadership in preserving, pro-
moting and propagating Hindu
Dharma within Australia. It was
this youthful combination and
enthusiasm that sparked a series of
eye-opening presentations and
insightful workshops at the 3rd
Australian Hindu Youth Conference
held on Sunday 5th August 2012.
Over 120 delegates attended this
landmark event, portrayed to be
one of the most unique youth
events conducted in Australia. In
his congratulatory message, Hon
Victor Dominello MP praised
Hindu Youth Australias efforts and
stated that the activities of HYA
and the annual conference ensure
that Hindu Australians will have a
strong foundation in spiritual val-
ues and become fine adult citizens
of Australia.
The conference commenced with
traditional Vedic Chanting, Ganesh
Pooja and the honoring of the local
Aboriginal tribe. Dr. Geoff Lee
MP, Shri Viraja Krishnadasa and
Dr. Jennifer Cover provided inspi-
rational addresses praising the
dynamic nature of Hindu youth in
Australia. HYA coordinator Arjun
Nidigallu was the main keynote
speaker at the conference and his
topic was on Hindu Renaissance.
Arjun approached this topic from
many interesting viewpoints before
admitting that Hindu dharma
doesnt require rebirth, its been
alive and well for 150 thousand
years, but rather its OUR rebirth in
Hindu Dharma that is required.
Arjun also introduced a why,
what, how model and correlated
these concepts to each aspect of the
conference. He requested the
youth to focus more on the why
aspect of Hindu Dharma as this
would improve our understanding
as Hindus. He also noted that all
answers lie in our Dharma and
mentioned the very reason of
HYAs existence is to promote,
propagate and preserve our
Dharma.
The post morning tea session
concentrated on science and cul-
ture. Aravind Srinivasan used a
practical metaphor to describe the
concept of Pooja. He equated
the act of performing a pooja with
that of inviting a friend over and
thus went on to explore when, why,
how and the benefits of doing a
pooja. Sushyanth Subramaniam
complemented this session with his
presentation on Temples.
Aligning with the keynote presen-
tation, Sushyanth primarily focused
on the why element during his
delivery. With step-by-step reason-
ing, he justified why we should all
go to a temple out of interest rather
than being forced.
In the post lunch session, three
parallel workshops were construct-
ed to reflect the practical nature of
Hindu Dharma and delegates were
required to attend all workshops
one by one.
Body, Mind and Soul A U M
Meditation: Yogacharya
Devidasanji took the participants
on a spiritual journey through his
meditation and pranayama work-
shop. He demonstrated the concept
of pranayama and explained the 7
spiritual chakras in the body which
are ignited when any such deep
meditation is performed. With the
aid of Devidasanji, the participants
then performed stage-by-stage
meditation. Participants were
asked to chant the OM mantra and
focus on their breathing throughout
various parts of the body. Many
participants commented on the pos-
itive energy that emanated during
and after performing the medita-
tion.
The art of Public Speaking and
voice projection: Mrs. Vandana
Anand facilitated an exciting ses-
sion on the art of public speaking.
The session was an eye-opener for
many high school and university
students, as she stressed the impor-
tance of speech and voice projec-
tion for everyday activities.
Vandana talked about the basic
framework for public speech and
then interactively pointed out the
positive effects of tone, clarity,
expression, gestures and body posi-
tion when delivering messages to
an audience. As an exercise, she
split the participants into smaller
groups and asked them to present
short speeches. All participants
gave each other feedback making
this a very potent learning exercise.
Improve your mental arith-
metic Vedic Mathematics:
Anusha Nidigallu conducted a
thought-provoking workshop on
improving mental arithmetic. She
explained several mathematical
concepts drawn from Vedic Sutras
and then illustrated these concepts
with examples. Some of the con-
cepts included finding compli-
ments, multiplication by 11 and
division by 19. The workshop was
highly interactive, engaging and
very enjoyable. Many of the par-
ticipants in the feedback form
acknowledged the relevance and
importance of mental arithmetic in
their daily lives.
The final session incorporated the
core principles of our dharma,
social service and provided a for-
mal round up to the conference.
HYA Coordinator Krishna
Ramarathinam delivered an enter-
prising presentation on Why
Sanskrit. The segment com-
menced with a short Sanskrit skit
in which Krishna demonstrated the
present day spoken Samskrutam
language. With the aid of some
activities, he then went on to
explore the language history, its
contributions towards Hindu
Dharma, the influences on other
languages, the spiritual benefits,
the scientific benefits and linguistic
benefits. In his concluding state-
ment, Krishna reiterated Sanskrit
as the underlying foundation for
every aspect in our Dharma and
urged participants to learn the
Language of the Gods (Deva
Bhaashyam).
Kailash Satyanarayan opted for
an emotional approach to his
inspiring presentation on Social
Service. Commencing with a
heartfelt personal story, Kailash
brought the audience to tears as he
revealed some shocking statistics in
todays world. He then explained
his idolized version of A perfect
world A perfect family and
cried out for help in making this
dream come true Vasudheiva
Kutumbakam The World is one
big family.
After an emotional journey, HYA
event managers Pavan Raju and
Manikkam Iyer rapped up the con-
ference with a detailed summary.
Pavan requested participants to
focus on the Why Hindu Dharma
aspect in order for us to achieve a
better understanding of our
Dharma. And this better under-
standing is what makes us dynam-
ic Hindus.
Hindu Youth Australia is a not
for profit organization and is the
affiliated wing of Vishva Hindu
Parishad Australia Incorporated.
Please visit
www.hinduyouth.com.au for more
information.
Hindu Youth Australia members:
Krishna Ramarathinam, Arjun
Nidigallu, Aruna
Gandhimathinathan, Rohith
Kuntumalla, Pavan Raju,
Manikkam Iyer, Sushyanth
Subramaniam, Kailash
Satyanarayan, Pooja Sashi, Jaya
Teyjas and Aditi Chaudhari
Finding the dynamic you with HYA
Raj Kumari Bajaj
(28 December 1942 7 July
2012)
Raj Bajaj, wife of TIDU writer,
Editor of Sandesh and President of
Australian Hindi Indian
Association (AHIA) Mr. Santram
Bajaj unexpectedly passed away
on July 7 as a result of complica-
tions that arose out of a minor rou-
tine procedure of getting a stent
put in the arm artery. The family is
still shell-shocked as the cruel
hands of destiny have left not only
the close ones but the Indian com-
munity as a whole very sad, people
who always received special treat-
ment by Raj that of a loving and a
close family member. To Raj the
community was one big family as
she was always the silent force
behind her husband when the
AHIA Senior wing was set up.
Food cooked and served with love
and all other volunteering work for
the organization was done quietly
yet smilingly by her and her group
of friends. These ladies including
Raj were recognised a couple of
years ago when they were awarded
the State Volunteers Awards for
their untiring work. A Beautiful
lady not only outwardly, Raj was a
soft spoken, always welcoming,
compassionate and a beautiful per-
son on the inside. She was an
excellent housewife, mother and a
grandmother who guided her chil-
dren as a devoted parent yet was a
great friend and a confidante. She
loved gardening and always dis-
tributed orchids and was referred
to as the Orchid Lady by friends
and the community. She would
generously distribute fruits and
other crops from her vege patch on
which she worked diligently every
day.
There was an old time charm
and care and concern in her char-
acter and as her husband of fifty
years Santram put it at her funeral
ceremony which was attended by a
huge number of friends, A wife
like Raj, they dont make any
more.
Raj Bajaj will be sorely missed
by all by those who knew her
closely or even those who had a
small encounter and knew her
faintly. Her smiling, kind face left
impression on everyone who came
across her.
Hindi
``- =- = = t o :| o tr|
| - + =|t +|t-|t = :o =| o|
r - =| =| =t =- = -| -| +|
=|r+| |, +t + - n | =| =t+ =|
=||| +r| r - t| | = = =|-| r
r -+ =| =| , |= - = - | |
=| -|t+ =|+| r r +| - =t r|
+r| ==+|, r +| -|+ =| =|-
r - t| =|- +| =|-| =| += =
+ t|+ nt|t = |+=| =t -|+ =|
= + =t+ =| r , += = -| - =|+
``
- =| =| =++| - ++| =|
|=+| =| =t =|| r| | |= - t|
=|-+| -| + = r| |
``r + - + +| =t ||
;++| =+ |= + = | |
+r| =| =| |= - t| +| r| |`` - +
-| + =| =| -+ =| + =|,``- t| +|
|+| r| +=| : | + - + !``
``- + -r|t :o =| =-n+| r ,
+t - t| | -=- |t | r ``
``- t = -|| +| r| ==+| r ``
``+ - +r| =-n| , ;= =- + -
:o| r| , -= - r| - | =; -|t
-= - =| =|+| r - =| | =| |
-|+| +t -=| +r| =t+| | - n
|+ |, +t|, =||- =| t + =|+
|=+ |=+ +|-| = - |+ r - =-
=r +| r , +| |= - n ++| r , =-
+-r =-=|; =| ++| =+| r +| -
n| + r| =|+ r
- n -=| ++ r|t| ,
=|+ =-||| +t | =|+| r =| - :|
- tr-| = -- -|t| -|= - --=|
=| t -||| =| -|t + r -=| - n
++ +|=+ = +n - = t +|+| n|r|
|:= t| +t | =|+| r =| - +|r
|+r | | +t | || =| -| =|t
=t+ r -r |-= =|+ r |=
|= |+ - ++ =| =|+ - = ++ =|
=|-| |+=|+ =- =|= | +| ++
=| +| r| == |
`` |=+ + - | = | | =| ;++|
t o | +| =| : +| r| ``
``- t r| - r| +| - ;-r |= +
= | | +r| =| : , +t r +| ; --t
+ =++ r| - to| =| r ``
- t| r r- n| =| |nn t-+| r |=
- + t| +=-| =t |= ;= =|-|
=| +|- - t| = =| - r , +t + |=t |
=| + =| -+| r| r| =|+| r
- n +t =|- =| -| n | +| -+ r
+ -r +| | r| |, |= -|t =- + -
r-|; =r| = - ==t =t tr =| t
-|-|t r| - =t| =++ n|
- -+|=| , | +| =| |``
``r| , -r =|t =| +r r| =|
| |= |+ t = - + - = -+ =|
=r| = = + = == - = |= :| +t =|
c c+| + :| | =| t += + =r| | |=
- n `r| = =` r| tr| r
``r- + |=:+| - =|+ = +|t-|t
=| = |=+ =t || r , |- = |
|t+| +t - | - r ``, | =| - n
-+|| =| tr| | +t + - n = = | =|
--= = +r| r| tr| | |= - -t+ =|
tr| r - n -r =- ==|- tr|
| =-+ r + |= -t+ = +r ; =|+
=| =++ =|-+ =| + t| +--|t =|-+
=|+ +| r , +t - t =| +| | =|
= = | +r| r| tr| |
- + =| |nn | =| |= =| = ,
= = =- - -|-| = | - +-=
-|| :|+ +t += +t |- :| | |
=- - + --=| =| `r| - -= ` +
=t+ +t :| | |, | |=t =- - +
=++ : =+ =| McDonald =
- t +r| ||| | | = r| =;
-|+| = -|t - =| =| |, +t + = =
| +| +r| | =| tr| |, +| +|
- -t +r| tr| r | r :| =t
-+ -| tr| r | r , = -+ +
=r| = =| |==| + =|=| |t+| +t
=|+ =| | -|+ =r | |,
|=+ - + += | =| = = | =t+ =
t| = || | =| t |=t |=:+|
|t+| +t - + = : r| + r|
``+ t|- |:=`` =-t =| =| t =-
= +r - n ++|t| | =| t =||
=-++| - t + =+ +t |=
- t =|-|+ =| +| r| |, +-r| +
-= = =r| |,``+ -r =|-|+ =|
+ :| r , =|+ =|+ =| |== =||= ,
=|-|+ =| +r| -r =+t =| +r|
=|+|, =|+ = t -|| =| ||
=| |`` =--+| = -|rt - t
+|t-|t = =- =- |t| |= +| -
o : - n = -|| - -t| |
o t, =--+| - =|t - |=
=| t -|+ =| = +| = =- =|=
=|= |``
`` o|, =- + - | -|+ =|
r| `= |:` tr r| , | = = r|
=|+| +| =- - n r| ||| + -
+| -|t -|t =++| |- = = =t tr|
| |= =r| -+| + =t - = ``
- t| =|- r| | =| r |= - n r- n|
=- =| =|t r| |-+| r r| , =|
=|t |rt = = |==| r |++
=| - =|= +| | - t| --|
=-- =t + r
=- =; | -|+ =| | ;
+=|=| = + =|=t - n - |+ r
=| t =r+ r |= +-r +=| =|=
+||= +-r ;= +| :| = = =|t| |-
+t + - - -= r , - ++ = :o = o
:o| r| =|+| r , - n ++ +t -+
+t= | =|+| r |=+ - ++ =
| = = +r| =t +|+| =- =| t
-|+ +| +r = r| |+| |t+ r| +| r ,
- n +| = - -|+ =| r| =|||
=| +|+ =t+| r| +| r =- + -
=++| - -+| =| r| | , + -
=++ t = ;++| t -| =-++|
- +| =| =-|= + -r|t t = +|=
r| =- = |-|| |-+ | ``
``r| +| t| +| r |= r- | r
-+| + =t+ +| =|= - t| =| |+|
=|-+ r| +| ``
``|=t -+ =| = tr r| ! r + -r-
|t r| - +r| |, =| =| - +
=r| +| |= =- =| t -|+ |+| |t+
| - +| -r| , +r r| ; + =|t =t
tr| |``
``|=t +| +r| r- , -|+ +=
=t+ =| =- ||``
``-|+ =t+ - + -r +=|=
r| +|, +-r | r| +|, =| - +r| =|r+|
| - =- | =|-| =| + =|+|
r , - t| =| |nn r| +| r |= += + t|
=|t =| t -|+ == - t| -|+| , +|
+ - =- ;= = =| -|+ | =| t
`+| - ` r| + =| =| |nn =t| ``
``= = +| - r| ==+| r + - +
+| - t| =- = = =|+ || r - rt
-|- - + t| +tr = += +t |+ t |
- n +| c = =| += -+|+| +r|
=|+|``
``+| + - = - =++ --| =
| r =- =r tr r| ``
``+r| , + - ;++| ==| t = = r|
==+| r| r- +| |= =t =| =|+
=| + : = =| | =| =| =| | + |
|= r- |= =t = = r| ``
`` =t| =++ =|t| =| t + =t -|
=t o| +| ++| = =| | |= =| t
|=++ | | =| r| |-|+ - r - +|
r| =|r | |= =- + - += =|
=|-| =| n| |+ = | | +|
=t| ``
``=-=| r =| + - -|t -|t
=|-| =| -|+ =t tr| r| , =
= -| - ;= =| -r- r| =
= r ``
``=| + -+ r =| t =| + =r|, -
;= n n - +r| + :+| r =- + -r-
|t| =|+=| -|-| r + -r|t - =
=+ =|t + -r|t| =|-|| =| | -+|
r +| |==| =t = =+ =|t -
`: -=: `| ` =|-|+` =| ; + =|t
=t+| r , - +| -= +-r ++ = |=--
(++) = |+=|+ =| =|- =t+|
r ``
``- | =| =| = =|+| r ,
|=t | - =| ; = ;| +r| =t+|, - t
| `-|= | :` |= =++| r -
=++| =|- + t| + = =| =t+|
r = = = =++| |=t+ |-+| |==|
|- = |+| = =- n| =|
+| r r| |= +-r =++| =++| -|t|
=| ; + =|t =t+| + :+| r , =-|= -
+| |+ t|+ =| | +t-|r +r| =t+|
| - =|- =|= = + == +| |+|
t= =| =| | -|+ +| | | =|
= = = +| ``
``- |= =-=|; r , |=t | |
- n -|++ = -t|+ r -|+ =|
|==| + o| +r| r |=t | | +=
= =| + =-|| =| =| =t
|+ t|+ | +| =t+ tr+ r =| t - n
== + =-n =t - n = t |+ r ``
``+| + - ;= =| -|+ =| -|
tr| r| ``
``-|+ - =| +r| r , - +| o
; --t = r| =| n - tr =t =|-
=t+| r -|+ = -+| | |+-
+| -|+ o | +r| +| :+ =-
| -r ; =|+ -+ =t t+| +t =|+
r , = + - +-r | + - r| =|+|
r
+
=+ t|- -=|=
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 35
36 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Childrens Corner
Children's Corner
By Esther
Chaudhry-Lyons
I
ndia's Independence Day is
celebrated on August 15 to
commemorate its independ-
ence from British rule and its
birth as a sovereign nation on that
day in 1947. The day is a national
holiday in India. All over the
country, flag-hoisting ceremonies
are conducted by the local admin-
istration in attendance. The main
event takes place in New Delhi,
where the Prime Minister hoists
the National Flag at the Red Fort
and delivers a nationally televised
speech from its ramparts. In his
speech, he highlights the achieve-
ments of his government during
the past year, raises important
issues and gives a call for further
development. The Prime Minister
also pays his tribute to leaders of
the freedom struggle. A colourful
pageant showcasing Indias cultur-
al diversity, symbolic depictions
of the countrys advances in sci-
ence and technology, and a joint
display of Indias military capabil-
ities by the armed forces are an
essential part of the Independence
Day celebrations.
India since independence
India is a Union of 28 States
and 7 Union Territories. Each
state has its own government with
a Governor as the figurehead,
while each Union Territory is
administered directly by the
President through an administrator
appointed by him.
Languages of India
India has two national lan-
guages for central administrative
purposes: Hindi and English.
Hindi is the national, official, and
main link language of India.
English is an associate official
language. The Indian Constitution
also officially approves twenty-
two regional languages for official
purposes.
There are over 350 languages
spoken and written in India.
Every state has its own language
and dialects.
Why India has four names?
India, Bharat, Hindustan and
Aryavrat
India=The British gave this
name
Bharat=He was son of
Shakuntla, wife of king Dushyant.
India was named after Bharat.
Hindustan=from Indu to
hindu to Hindustan or Hindustani,
all started from the Indus river,
on the bank of which people liv-
ing used to be called Indu or
Hindu.
Aryavrat=This name is due to
the Aryans who entered this coun-
try, ruled it, settled here, mixed
with the local people, made rela-
tion with them.
The Republic of India has two
principal short names, in both
official and popular English
usage, each of which is historical-
ly significant. All originally desig-
nated a single entity comprising
all the modern nations of the
Indian subcontinent. These names
are India and Bharat. The first
Article of the Constitution of
India states that "India, that is
Bharat, shall be a union of
states." Thus, India and Bharat
are equally official short names
for the Republic of India. Indians
commonly refer to their country
as Bharat, India depending on the
context and language of conversa-
tion.
INDEPENDENCE
DAY 15TH AUGUST
The Mice That Ate Iron
O
nce upon a time, there
was a rich merchant
called Naduk. But times
were bad and his business was
suffering. He decided to leave
the city and find his fortune in a
new place. He sold off all his
possessions and paid off his
debts. All that he had left was a
heavy iron beam. Naduk went
to say goodbye to his friend
Lakshman, and requested him to
keep the beam for him till he
returned. Lakshman promised to
look after it for him.
For many years, Naduk
travel led far and wide, building
his fortune. Luck was with him,
for he became rich once again.
He returned home and bought a
new house and started his busi-
ness again.
He went to visit his friend
Lakshman who greeted him
warmly. After a while, Naduk
asked him to return his beam.
Lakshman knew that the beam
would fetch him good money so
he was loath to return it. So he
told Naduk that he had kept his
beam in the store-room and the
mice ate it.
Naduk did not seem to
mind. He asked Lakshman to
send his son home with him so
that he could hand over a gift
that he had bought for him. So
Lakshman sent his son Ramu
with Naduk.
Naduk locked up Ramu in a
cellar in his house. By nightfall,
Lakshamn was worried and
came to ask about the where-
abouts of his son. Naduk replied
that on the way to his house, a
hawk swooped down and car-
ried the boy off. Lakshman
accused Naduk of lying. He
insisted that a hawk could not
carry off a fifteen-year-old boy.
A big fight ensued and the
matter was taken to court. When
the magistrate heard
Lakshman's side of the story, he
ordered Naduk to return the boy
to his father. But Naduk insisted
that a hawk carried off the boy.
The magistrate asked him how it
was possible. He replied that if
a huge iron beam can be eaten
by mice, then a boy could defi-
nitely be carried off by a hawk.
Naduk related the whole
story. Everyone in the court-
room burst out laughing. The
magistrate then ordered
Lakshman to return the iron
beam to Naduk and that Naduk
return Lakshman's son to him.
The National Anthem of India
T
he Indian National
anthem, originally
composed in Bengali
by Rabindranath Tagore, was
adopted in its Hindi version
by the Constituent Assembly
as the National Anthem of
India on 24 January 1950. It
was first sung on 27
December 1911 at the
Calcutta session of the Indian
National Congress. The com-
plete song consists of five
stanzas. Playing time of full
version of the National
Anthem is approximately 52
seconds. The lyrics were ren-
dered into English by
Rabindranath Tagore himself.
Here is it in Roman.
Jana gana mana adhi
naayaka jaya hai!
Bhaarat bhaagya vidhaata
Punjab Sindh Gujarat
Maraatha,
Dravid Utkala Bangaa.
Vindhya Himachala
Yamuna Ganga,
Uchhala jaladhi taranga.
Tava shubh naame jaage,
Tava shubh aashish
maage,
Gahe tava jaya-gaatha.
Jana-gana-mangaladaya-
ka jaya hai!
Bharat bhagya vidhata.
Jaya hai! Jaya hai! Jaya
hai!
Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya hai!
English Translation
"Thou art the ruler of the
minds of all people,
dispenser of India's des-
tiny.
The name rouses the
hearts of Punjab, Sind,
Gujarat and Maratha,
of the Dravid and Orissa
and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the
Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of
the Yamuna and Ganga
and is chanted by the
waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy bless-
ings and sing thy praise.
The salvation of all people
is in thy hand,
thou dispenser of India's
destiny.
Victory, victory, victory
to thee."
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 37
Right and wrong of alterations
S
eneca (4BC-65AD) was born
in Spain. A philosopher,
writer of essays, letters and
tragedies,
he also
advised
Nero. He
was caught
up in many
conspira-
cies during
this period
and was
accused of
plotting to kill Nero. He had for-
ward thinking views on health and
food and has been credited for his
ideas on anger and emotions.
Here are some of Senecas
thoughts:
* Be not hasty with praise or
blame: speak always as though
you were giving evidence before
the judgment seat of the gods.
* Be silent as to the services
you have rendered but speak of
the favours you have received.
* Consult your friend on all
things, especially on those with
respect to yourself.
His council may then be useful
where your own self-love might
impair your judgment.
* Dangerous is wrath con-
cealed. Hatred proclaimed doth
lose its chance of wrecking
vengeance.
* Enjoy present pleasures in
such a way as not to injure future
ones.
* It is not because things are
difficult that we do not dare; it is
because we do not dare that they
are difficult.
* He who is your friend loves
you, but he who loves you is not
always your friend. Thus friend-
ship always benefits, but love
sometimes injures.
* If we desire to judge all
things justly, we must first per-
suade ourselves that none of us are
without sin.
* It is easier to exclude harm-
ful passions than to rule them, and
to deny them admittance than to
control them after they have been
admitted.
* It is a denial of justice not to
stretch out a helping hand to the
fallen; that is the common right of
humanity.
* It should be our care not to
live a long life but a satisfactory
one.
* Whom they have injured
they also hate.
* If a man does not know what
port he is steering, no wind is
favorable to him.
* I do not distinguish by the
eye, but by the mind which is the
proper judge.
* If virtue precedes our every
step then life will be safe.
* A benefit consists not in that
which is done or given, but in the
intention of the giver or doer.
* It is not the man who has lit-
tle, but he who desires more that
is poor.
* It is his fault if he be
ungrateful but it is mine if I do
not give.
* To find one thankful man, I
will oblige a great many that are
not so.
* I had rather never received a
kindness than never bestow one.
* Not to return a benefit is a
greater sin but not to confer one is
greater.
Noble Thoughts by Seneca
Inner Space
By Faith Harper
M
ost readymade hous-
es and housing
schemes in Australia
are built on land that is rectan-
gle and square in shape. Such
land forms are favourable in
Vasthu Sastra.
However, the problem aris-
es when the property owner
makes alterations on the built-
up area or land via renovation
to match their convenience
and comfort without taking
into account the effects of the
changes on the environment
and the dweller.
Some extensions are
favourable and some are not,
depending on which sector of
the plot is extended or cut.
For example, if the north-east
corner of the land is cut, it
will affect the family growth
and ancestry and it is regarded
as inauspicious.
This is because if north-
east is cut, the dweller is pre-
venting positive energy from
flowing into the property.
But if north-east has an
extension, in Vasthu it is
viewed as favourable as it
brings prosperity to the
dweller. This is because the
extension allows more positive
flow of energy into the plot.
North-east is given a lot of
importance in Vasthu because
the cosmic rays hit the earth at
north-east corner of the earth.
Each plot or piece of land
is viewed as a miniature earth
and the north-east sector acts
as an antenna in receiving the
energy waves. Due to this, it
is important that the structure
should be properly oriented
and designed in such a way as
to acquire the maximum bene-
fits of nature energy.
The recommended things
to do to allow more positive
energy to flow into a proper-
ty, the owner should ensure
the north-east sector conform
to the following:
Open the North-east
Extend the North-east
Depress the North-east
To store the positive ener-
gy that has flowed into the
property, the dweller should:
Close the south-west
Ensure south-west is
right angle and it is not cut or
depressed
Elevate the south-west
Rectification should be car-
ried out when a land is not
square or rectangular in shape
and this can be done by aban-
doning small areas that is pro-
truding in the unfavourable
sector of the land. It is rec-
ommended that the small
extended areas should be sold
or given to charitable groups.
If this is not possible, a
compound wall should be built
along the corrected border and
the excess piece of land
should not be used by the
property owner for any pur-
pose.
Vasthu recommends that an
ideal house should have some
space between each other so
that the dweller enjoys smooth
flow of cosmic energy, venti-
lation and light.
However, it is difficult to
find such space in most major
housing schemes now where
rows of terrace houses are
built owing to the lack of
space in prime areas and for
economic reasons. When
choosing such properties, a
dweller should make sure to
avoid units that face the T-
junction which is inauspicious
as it brings financial and
health problems to the
dweller.
T. Selva is the author of
the bestseller book titled
Vasthu Sastra Guide. To get a
copy, contact Devi at
0412623017. He will be in
Darwin to present Vasthu
Sastra talks from Sept 26-29.
He can be contacted at tsel-
vas@pd.jaring.my Website:
www.vasthusastra.com
VasthuSastra
By T. Selva
Body-Mind-Spirit
It is his fault if he be ungrateful but it is mine if I do not give.
Square and rectangle shapes are good, irregular shapes not so. Extension of land in NW not favorurable.
38 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Santram's Grey Page
T
he month of August has been com-
paratively cooler and there are lots
of people suffering from the usual
sneezing and cough. There is a risk of
catching bugs from the fellow passengers in
the public transport. Low humidity in cool-
er months also means viruses stay in the air
longer and are more easily picked up.
For us seniors, we need to take extra
precautions, particularly in the windy con-
ditions as they are prevalent these days.
Avoid exposure to cold weather sip warm.
Do what you can to keep warm; bundle
up from head to toe in several layers, pre-
heat the car before getting into it and make
sure your home is kept warm.
Other suggestions: Sleep under an elec-
tric blanket, warm clothing in the dryer
before dressing and drink warm or hot
drinks, such as coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
If you have any of the conditions like
Diabetes, Heart disease, Lung condition, it
is advisable to have the flu vaccine. In most
of these cases it is free. Please see your
doctor.
Protect your joint' assets
One of the biggest victims from the
wear and tear of our daily lives is our
knees. Apart from bearing the burden of
our weight, the knees also take the brunt of
an aging body. Some tips to protect your
most important 'joint' assets!
It's the largest joint in the human body.
It helps you stay active, flexible and plays
an essential role in facilitating movement.
Know your knees:
The knee is a joint that is protected by
cartilage -- a soft, flexible, connective tis-
sue that is not as hard as bone, but harder
than muscle. It forms a protective cover
and links the two major bones of the leg.
Any damage to this cartilage can be painful
and irreversible unless surgery is involved.
Aging and Arthritis:
"The health of your knee cartilage can
be affected by many factors," says Dr
Srinivas J.V., senior orthopaedic surgeon,
Fortis Hospital, Bangalore. "In osteoarthri-
tis, the knee cartilage is completely worn
out, until bone rubs against bone. It's a
result of a slow process of degeneration,
either due to an overactive lifestyle or
severe lack of calcium in the body.
In most cases, damage to the knee car-
tilage is due to the natural process of aging.
But there are ways you can protect yourself
against the pain and avoid making the dam-
age worse. "First of all, it's important to
maintain an ideal body weight. Being over-
weight or obese will only put more pressure
on your knees," says Dr Srinivas.
"Exercising regularly will also help
your joints stay mobile and flexible. Timely
diagnosis and the control of diseases like
diabetes and hypothyroidism are important
too, because if these diseases run rampant
in the body, it could affect healthy carti-
lage."
Take precautions:
If you're already experiencing pain, Dr
Srinivas emphasizes the need to take pre-
cautions. "Don't make knee pain worse by
climbing the stairs or sitting cross-legged
on the floor. Always sit on chairs or a
raised surface until the pain recedes," he
says. "Avoid walking on hard gravelly sur-
faces and performing strenuous exercises
when there is pain. Rest is the best reme-
dy." In the long-term, switching to low
impact activities such as swimming and
walking (with less pressure on the joints) is
a good idea.
Surgical Options:
For people with advanced osteoarthritis,
there is now relief. Knee replacement sur-
gery is fast becoming a common procedure.
Remember, caring for your knees is a
lifelong process. After all, it's thanks to
this joint that we have the ease and freedom
of mobility.
Stress and worry could promote
Alzheimers
Elderly people with few worries and lit-
tle stress are probably better protected
against the progress of Alzheimers disease
than their peers who are under psychologi-
cal pressure.
While stress alone is not capable of
causing Alzheimers, it can promote the
kind of brain degeneration that leads to
symptoms of dementia, according to
Argentine researchers attending a recent
congress of the European Neurological
Society in Prague.
Alzheimers is said to be the most com-
mon form of dementia in the world, with
the risk factors found to be age, high blood
pressure, diabetes, and physical and mental
idleness.
But short term stress can be good for
immune system?
Short-term stress, the fight-or-flight
response, a mobilisation of bodily
resources lasting minutes or hours in
response to immediate threats -- stimulates
immune system, said Firdaus Dhabhar,
associate professor of psychiatry and
behavioural sciences and member of the
Stanford University.
And that's a good thing. The immune
system is crucial for wound healing and
preventing or fighting infection, and both
wounds and infections are common risks
during chases, escapes and combat.
Investigators were able to show that the
massive redistribution of immune cells
throughout the body was orchestrated by
three hormones released by the adrenal
glands, in different amounts and at different
times, in response to the stress-inducing
event. These hormones are the brain's call-
to-arms to the rest of the body, Dhabhar
said. "Mother Nature gave us the fight-or-
flight stress response to help us, not to kill
us," said Dhabhar.
Eating ones way to a fresh complexion
How about berries instead of Botox,
tomatoes instead of day cream, carrots
instead of make-up? Many foods are beau-
ty aids that make expensive creams and
treatments unnecessary.
Their effects are not immediate,
though.
Foods arent medications that work
overnight, noted Hans Lauber, a nutrition
expert and author from Munich.
Meat, sausage or other animal foods
are wrinkle accelerators.
But there are dietary counterweights:
Berries have a strong protective effect
against free radicals; that is, theyve got a
lot of antioxidants.
Spinach, cucumbers, Broccoli are also
highly beneficial food, he said, with an
almost medicinal effect like many other
green vegetables, which alleviate minor
inflammations and thus make for a fresh
complexion and healthy skin.
The carotenoids in tomatoes and carrots
not only delay skin ageing but also protect
against the sun. What is more, eating car-
rots results in a fresh-looking complexion.
Everyday Heart Health Tips
If you're not convinced about the need
to develop an exercise program for your
life, you can at least try following some of
these tips in your everyday routine. Take
advantage of any opportunity for exercise.
Try some today.
Take the stairs instead of an eleva-
tor or escalator. Just start with one flight.
Soon, you'll be ready for two.
Park your car at the far end of the
parking lot. The short walk to and from the
store or school helps your heart.
If you ride a bus or subway, get off
a stop before your destination. Walk the
rest of the way.
If you can, spend a few minutes of
your lunch break taking a stroll, it should
help you stay awake after lunch.
Think of housework as an extra
chance to exercise. Vacuuming briskly can
be a real workout.
Mowing the lawn, pulling weeds,
and raking leaves are chores that can be
done by you as a chance to exercise.
If you have a dog, think of the dog
as an exercise machine with fur. A brisk
walk with the dog is good for both of your
hearts. Make it a part of your daily routine.
If you have a family, schedule an
after-dinner walk. Make it quality time.
Don't eat anything when really hungry
Watch what you eat when really hun-
gry. It's in our basic nature to reach for a
large portion when hungry. It's never easy
to resist that third serving of pizza even if
you are bursting out of your seams. The
guilt always strikes after the damage is
done. Know the signs of hunger, the cues
for stress eating, and what triggers your
cravings to tame yourself when hunger
strikes.
Firstly, understand your body clock.
Know the difference between actual hunger
and stomach contractions. Is it hunger or
thirst?
Sometimes your body can send off sig-
nals to the brain that you are hungry. This
is because food has lots of fluid contained
within it.
- Skipping breakfast is a sin. Don't skip
breakfast, or you'll be starving and cranky
by mid-morning. A breakfast with complex
carbs and low fat protein will help stave off
snack attacks.
- Plan ahead. Make sure that you have
low calorie snacks and drinks with you.
Take note of what times of day you become
hungry and plan your meals and snacks
accordingly. If you always cave in around
4 pm, schedule a snack for 3.30 and drink
a big glass of water, too.
- Your body requires a certain amount
of fat. Choose healthy fats, like olive oil.
Mediterranean people include a lot of olive
oil in their cooking and they have famously
low rates of obesity and heart disease.
- Do not take drastic steps. Cutting your
calories too drastically will make your
metabolism slow down and cause you to be
plagued with hunger all of the time.
- Eat volumes of low-cal food.
Broccoli, cauliflower and veggie salads will
fill you up and help stave off hunger.
- Stay away from sugary snacks and
simple carbohydrates like sticky buns, cake
and donuts. If you eat them your blood
sugar will soar, and then crash and you'll
find yourself irritable, jittery and famished.
- Eat sufficient protein. Scientific stud-
ies show that protein leaves people feeling
full longer than carbohydrates.
To keep those hunger pangs at bay, dis-
tract yourself and divert your mind from
food by getting involved in a task or a
hobby you enjoy doing the most.
(Disclaimer: The Health tips in the
article are taken from various well estab-
lished and reliable sources and are given
to you in good faith. However, readers are
reminded to take care and consult their
doctor if not sure, as no responsibility can
be accepted by the writer of this column or
The Indian Down Under).
Just for Seniors
By Santram Bajaj
HUMOUR
Health & Well-being
Doctor: Madam, your husband needs rest
and peace, so here are some sleeping pills.
Wife: Doc, when should I give them to
him?
Doctor: They are for you.
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 39
40 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 41
42 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Dr. Anil Kontham
Dental Surgeon
Now at two locations!
Services include:
General Dentistry Teeth Whitening
Cosmetic dentistry Dentures/Partial/Full
Crown and Bridge Root Canal Treatment
Total Sterlisation Wisdom Teeth Removals
Gum Infection
Free Dental Treatment under Medicare*
(*For patients with chronic medical condition.
some limits apply)
ON SITE PROCESSING OF HEALTH FUNDS
EFTPOS AVAILABLE
Suite 1B, 1st Floor
40 Panmure St
Rouse Hill NSW 2155
(02 ) 8814 5255
Suite 1, Level 1
38-40 Geroge St
Parramatta NSW 2150
(02) 9635 9525
0449 111 111
Free Quotes!
Call Pappu!!
Jaswinder Singh Bhogal !!!
0449 111 111
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 43
44 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Columns
Every happy occasion is a time for a
hearty feast. However, with a view to avoid
gaining weight, it is prudent to try baking
rather than deep frying where appropriate.
The important point to remember with
the baked dishes is that they need to be
served fairly straight after baking to present
best flavors and taste. I like to share some of
such recipes with my readers.
Crispy Baked Biryani
Ingredients for Base
1 cup basmati rice
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon juice
6 cups of water
Ingredients for Masala
3 tabs oil
2 onions chopped
2 Tomatoes chopped
cup frozen peas
1 carrot shredded
roasted bread croutons
tsp turmeric powder
tsp red chili powder
tsp green cardamom powder
Salt to taste
Wash the rice under flowing water.
Drain the excess water. Place 6 cups of wa-
ter in a pan. Add rice, bay leaves, salt and
lemon juice and boil till the rice are done.
Remove from heat and drain out the excess
water and keep the rice aside to cool.
Heat oil in a fry pan. Add the onions and
saut till colour changes. Then add the toma-
toes, frozen peas, grated carrot and cook for
3 to 5 minutes so that the vegetables are
cooked to a tender stage. Then add the crou-
tons, turmeric powder, red chili powder,
green cardamom powder and salt. Mix well
and slow the heat. Once the oil starts to sep-
arate, then add the natural yoghurt paste and
cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Now add
the rice and fold gently to mix in the masala
and the rice. Place in a baking dish, cover
with aluminium foil; and cook in a moder-
ately pre-heated oven (about 180 degrees).
The rice should be done in 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve hot.
Baked Beans in Potato Nests
Ingredients
2 cups of cooked red kidney beans
2 tabs olive oil
1 tabs tomato paste
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 green chili finely chopped
6 boiled and mashed potatoes
1 tabs butter
cup milk
250 grams grated Mozzarella Cheese
Salt to taste
Heat oil in a heavy base pan. Add ginger
garlic paste, tomato paste and green chili.
Cook till the oil starts to separate out. Add
the beans and cook till they are dry and
crispy.
Mix the mashed potatoes with butter so
that the mixture is without any lumps. Now
oil a medium sized baking dish and spread
the mashed potatoes as inch thick base and
also covering the walls of the baking dish.
Brush the milk on to the potatoes surfaces.
Bake in a pre heated oven for about 10 min-
utes so that the shell is cooked. Now add the
cooked beans and cover by sprinkling the
shredded cheese. Grill for 4 to 6 minutes so
that the cheese is starting to brown.
Serve with mango chutney.
Potato Nabab Surprise
Ingredients
6 medium to large potatoes
cup home made paneer
3 tabs roasted mixed nuts, coarsely
ground
1 tabs oil
cup fresh coriander leaves finely
chopped
1 green chili finely chopped
tsp garam masala
cup milk with 1 tsp butter warmed
for brushing
Salt to taste
Boil the potatoes so that they are cooked
tender. Cut off inch off one end of the po-
tato and keep aside. Do not discard this end
as it will be used again. Now scoop out the
inside of the potato to leave a thin shell.
Heat oil and add the green chili and cook
till it is fried. Then add the paneer, garam
masala and salt. Cook for about 4 to 5 min-
utes. Remove from heat. Now mix in the
nuts and coriander leaves to make the filling.
Now peel off the potato shell. Place the fill-
ing inside the shell and then close off with
the inch side of the potato cut initially us-
ing tooth pick/s. Now peel off the end of po-
tato as well.
Place these filled potatoes in a baking
dish. Brush with butter and milk mixture and
bake till golden brown. Serve with tomato
chutney.
Tomato Cups
Ingredients
6 large tomatoes
100 gms mushrooms sliced finely
2 tabs oil
cup cooked basmati rice
2 tsp butter
Freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste
For garnishing
8 to 10 mint leaves washed and finely
chopped
Cut a slice of the top of each tomato.
Scoop out the seeds, pulp and the juice.
Heat oil and add the sliced mushrooms
and cook till the mushrooms are cooked.
Now add the scooped tomato juice and pulp
and cook for another 3 minutes. Then add
the cooked rice, freshly ground pepper and
salt and mix well.
Place this filling inside the tomato shells
and then close off with the removed slice us-
ing tooth pick/s.
Place these filled tomatoes in a baking
dish. Brush with olive oil. Place in a pre-
heated oven at 180 degrees and bake till
tomatoes are cooked.
Garnish with mint leaves, serve hot
with raita.
Tandoori Prantha
Ingredients
3 cups atta flour
1 cup water
tsp salt
3 tabs butter
Make a soft dough with the atta flour,
salt and water. Keep aside covering with a
moist cotton kitchen towel.
Divide the dough into 10 equal portions.
Make a ball of each portion and roll out in
the shape of a disk about 6 inches in diame-
ter. Apply a thin layer of butter. Now fold
the disk over to make a semi circle. Apply
some more butter to the top. Now fold again
to make a quarter circle. Now roll out this
into a round disk again about 6 inches in di-
ameter. Grill for a few minutes till it starts to
cook. Turn over and cook the other side.
Keep in a hot case lined with a cotton cloth.
Repeat for all portions.
Apply butter on top and serve with pota-
to curry and raita.
By Priya Kaushik
T
he image of Indian beauty a
few decades ago was the vil-
lage belle with chiseled fea-
tures, in tight ghagra choli walking
the green fields and her picture fas-
cinated every one as calendar artists
depicted the perfect hour glass fig-
ure with perfect features in calen-
dars which hung in every home.
This image was copied by the film
world as story writers weaved their
stories and scripted this village belle
and lo and behold a Mala Sinha, or
a Waheeda Rahman or a Mumtaz
turned into that buxom village belle
while trying to speak local dialect to
their heroes in Indian films.
And then came the nineties, an
era of Miss World and Miss Uni-
verse as Aishwaryas and Sushmitas
won world beauty titles and changed
the concept of Indian beauty forev-
er. Millions of Indian girls copied
these iconic beauties and the shy vil-
lage beauty turned into a modern,
young and hip girl challenging the
global image of beauty. The old
concept of Indian beauty went out of
the window. No more she is the qui-
et, the subservient Indian woman ,
so shy to utter even a word. No
more that innocent wide-eyed look
as Indian men fell under her charm
and the way she conveyed through
her eyes. Even the Indian goddesses
have been depicted in similar fash-
ion. One only has to see a Goddess
Lakshmi or a Durga to see the con-
cept of beauty ingrained in us in the
similar fashion. While the Indian
nose ring may have become a fad
worldwide, the Indian woman
moved slowly and sure footedly
aligning herself with the global
trend and concept of beauty.
The definition of beauty defi-
nitely changed over the years and
will keep changing, but what con-
tributes to the idea of beauty in mod-
ern times?
Culture, values, ideas and
norms have always played an im-
portant role in the construction of an
image of a beautiful Indian woman.
But, the world today is moving to-
wards globalization and so is the
idea of beauty. The business of
beauty is borderless and so is the un-
derstanding of it today. Indian
women today are more than a pa-
tivrata or a Bharat mata or any
other stereotyped image cast on
them. Some try to break through the
general idea of beauty and one such
drive was the Dove campaign for
Real Beauty. Women of India are
daring enough to experiment and
transform for the sake of beauty to
achieve for themselves that aura of
modern confidence and sense of
beauty.
According to a poll 27 per cent
of women admit the biggest pressure
to be beautiful actually comes from
themselves. To top this up, images
of women in the media leave a deep
imprint upon womens self-percep-
tion. Society (19 per cent) and the
media (13 per cent) were next on the
list of top beauty pressures, but just
five per cent of women feel pressure
from friends, family and partners,
the Telegraph reported. Being loved
(72 per cent) was the biggest confi-
dence booster for women, followed
by having a strong relationship or
marriage (53 per cent), liking how
you look in the mirror (35 per cent),
being in good physical shape (33 per
cent), and taking good care of your-
self (31 per cent). (Times of India,
Dove Real beauty campaign April
2012)
The fashion, cosmetics and plas-
tic surgery industries are thriving
with preoccupation with physical
appearance. Indian aesthetic surgery
industry is the 5th largest in the
world with an estimated $25 million
in revenue annually.
To take the pressure off ones
mind is very important and helps
improve the attitude towards one-
self in day-to-day life. It might also
be a good idea to remember its all
in the head.
Image of beauty in todays world
Baking Delights
By Promila Gupta
The definition of beauty has definitely changed over the years and will
keep changing. What does this painting remind you of?
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 45
46 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Body-Mind-Spirit
By Swami Atmeshananda
A
king was seated in his
court with his courtiers. A
magician arrived and
begged the king for permission to
display some of his tricks. The
king agreed. The magician threw
up a thin rope above. The rope
went up and remained suspended
in the air without any support.
The magician said to the king
that his rope had reached the king-
dom of the demigods, and that a
demigod was coming down to
fight with him with a huge army.
He, therefore, offered to go up
and fight them. He then climbed
up the thin rope into the sky and
disappeared.
Shortly, the king and the
courtiers heard piercing sounds of
battle-cries and of swords clash-
ing. Within no time, the hands,
feet, and the body of the magician
fell on the ground. Exactly at this
juncture, the magicians wife came
running into the court and, looking
at the fallen, mutilated body of her
husband, began to weep.
Surprisingly, she begged the King
to prepare a funeral pyre made of
wood right in the middle of the
court so that she may, according to
the tradition in those days, immo-
late herself with the dead body of
her husband.
The king ordered that the pyre
be organised and, in full view of
everyone present in the court, the
wife of the magician got herself
burned along with her husband.
The court was filled with sadness
and everyone sat there not know-
ing what to do next.
Shortly after this, the magician
came down the rope. He bowed
low at the feet of the king and,
strangely enough, enquired the
king about his wife. The king nar-
rated what happened, but the
magician pretended not to believe.
He called aloud to his wife, and lo
and behold, his wife appeared
before everyone as if from
nowhere!
The above story helps us
understand an important tenet of
the Advaita Vedanta philosophy.
This philosophy posits Maya as
the bewitching power of Reality
Brahman, which performs a two
fold function that of veiling
Reality and projecting something
else in its place which is not real in
the absolute sense. The natures of
Mayas actions are like the feats of
the magician. Her acts have no
support, like the rope hanging
from mid-sky. Upon the support-
less rope, the curious display of
the magician was enacted - the bat-
tle, the death of the magician, his
wife burning herself, and yet both
the husband and the wife were, in
fact, alive. Nothing really hap-
pened.
There is birth, decay, death,
change, formation and deforma-
tion, and phenomenal transforma-
tion. But, in fact, nothing hap-
pens; all is an illusory appearance.
Only the Absolute exists in its
eternal, majestic glory. The
appearances are an outcome of
delusion. Maya clothes our divine
nature with an ill-fitting garment -
the puny ego or unripe ego.
Again, it is Maya that covers
Brahman with this world illusion
which we mistake for reality.
Swami Vivekananda says: We
are deceived by poverty; we
become wealthy and are deceived
with wealth. We are ignorant. We
read and learn and are deceived
with knowledge. No one is ever
satisfied. This is the cause of mis-
ery, but it is also the cause of all
blessing.
Struggle is intrinsic in life
both to the worldly and to the spir-
itual but what differentiates a
worldly person and a spiritual per-
son is this: a spiritual person seeks
freedom from the world whereas
the worldly person seeks freedom
to enjoy life.
To clarify the above statement,
I will quote an interesting
encounter that took place between
Swami Vivekananda and Robert
Ingersoll, an agnostic and power-
ful orator of America. One day,
during the course of conversation,
Ingersoll told the Swami: 'I
believe in making the most of this
world, in squeezing the orange
dry, because this world is all we
are sure of.' He would have noth-
ing to do with God, soul, or here-
after, which he considered as
meaningless jargon.
'I know a better way to
squeeze the orange of this world
than you do,' the Swami replied,
'and I get more out of it. I know I
cannot die, so I am not in a hurry.
I know that there is no fear, so I
enjoy the squeezing. I have no
duty, no bondage of wife and chil-
dren and property, so I can love all
men and women. Everyone is God
to me. Think of the joy of loving
man as God! Squeeze your orange
my way, and you will get every
single drop!'
The goal of human birth is,
according to Hinduism, liberation
(mukti or moksha). In the words
of Swami Vivekananda it is to
realize divinity within. True hap-
piness is only to be achieved when
we cross the boundaries created by
the puny egoistic self, when we
outgrow the limitations caused by
the misunderstandings about our
true nature.
It is the longing for liberation
that makes even love for God
meaningful. God is commonly
described as the embodiment of
perfection, beauty, love and happi-
ness. But then, why is it so diffi-
cult to realize Him, to seek Him
and even to have faith in Him?
Lack of freedom is the only diffi-
culty.
Liberation as the ultimate goal
of life is one of the most funda-
mental characteristics of the Indian
religious tradition. Hinduism has
the unique distinction of insisting
on direct immediate ('mystic')
experience of the transcendental
Self or Atman as the only means
of obtaining mukti or liberation.
That is to say we can be freed
from the cycle of births and deaths
and achieve total emancipation
even in this very life.
The three distinctive features
of the Hindu conception of salva-
tion are:
1. freedom from bondage;
2. experience as pure being;
3. direct transcendental experi-
ence as the ultimate means of sal-
vation.
The two major concepts of lib-
eration are:
a) Mukti Through meditation
on and devotion to the Deity it is
possible to attain cosmic con-
sciousness and to reach the world
of Personal God after death. This
in itself is a liberated state; the
type of freedom promised by
Ramanuja, Madhva and other
teachers of dualism, known vari-
ously as jivan mukti and videha
mukti.
b) Moksha Spiritual freedom
is liberation form the past, the
present and the future. This is the
highest view held by Advaita
Vedanta. According to this school,
moksha is the restoration of the
self to its true state of non-differ-
entiation from Brahman, the
Supreme Self. In this state of non-
duality there is no difference
between the subject and the object
or between qualities and the quali-
fied.
What is really important is to
introduce an element of freedom
into our day-to-day life. How long
will we live as slaves to lust and
greed and hate and fear? Some day
we must become free. If so, why
not now?
We are so much accustomed to
living in bondage that we do not
really desire or strive for freedom.
Bondage works on individual,
family, society and other levels
I am indispensable feeling is a
bondage. We have to outgrow
such feelings.
Goal-orientation, a clear-cut
philosophy of life, a definite rou-
tine, study of scriptures, medita-
tion, japa and encountering the
ego at fixed times are very power-
ful aids in bringing about a trans-
formation within ourselves. When
the mind is stable and calm, it
becomes easier to understand and
deal with the sources of bondage
which are hidden in the depths of
consciousness.
The chief bonds of the soul are
two: egoism and samskaras (accu-
mulated tendencies). Egoism is the
identification of the Self with
instinctual drives and images
which are produced by samskaras-
the latent impressions in the mind
of past experiences and actions.
The first step in the attainment of
inner freedom is to prevent bad
samskaras from producing bad
impulses like lust, greed and
hatred etc.
This can be achieved by
acquiring good samskaras through
virtuous actions. Good samskaras
keep bad samskaras under control
and, when this happens, a person
attains what is called 'moral
freedom'.
Quest for freedom a Hindu
perspective
We are so much
accustomed to living in
bondage that we do not
really desire or strive for
freedom. Bondage works on
individual, family, society
and other levels I am
indispensable feeling is
a bondage. We have to
outgrow such feelings.
The appearances are an outcome of delusion. Maya clothes our
divine nature with an ill-fitting garment - the puny ego or unripe
ego. Again, it is Maya that covers Brahman with this world illusion
which we mistake for reality.
Body-Mind-Spirit
August - September 2012 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 47
By Kanaka Ramakrishna
There is no greater mistake
than following desire;
There is no greater disaster
than forgetting contentment.
Contentment is the natural
wealth while luxury is artificial
poverty, said the wise Socrates.
I
n modern life something has
taken away contentment from
peoples mind and has brought
the worst kind of impoverishment.
In many cultures today in the mod-
ern world, people are taught from
an early age to be ambitious, set
goals and strive for success. But
these goals and desires are only for
material success, which are flawed
from the beginning.
Desire for high achievement
does not lead to contentment, but it
is a primary obstruction to content-
ment. Still we lead a life in pursuit
of desire, thinking that we would be
happy by fulfilling our desire. We
let most of our life slipping away
worrying about the things we do not
have and forgetting or not appreci-
ating what we do have.
When we follow a desire and
fulfil it, our wants go to the next
desire to reach and this pursuit of
desires go on never ending, like
adding fuel to the fire. The lack of
contentment sparks the flames of
desire, but we should make con-
tentment our greatest desire. Only
our needs satisfy our real require-
ments where as, there is no end for
our wants. This is the greatest mis-
take we commit in our life. We for-
get how to be content.
Poverty and richness are in real-
ity attitudes of mind. There is no
physical measure to penury and
wealth. Contentment is a philoso-
phers stone, which turns all it
touches into gold. A natural result
of contentment is a warm feeling of
appreciation and gratitude for all
that has been given to us. It is more
often found in humble cottages than
in luxurious mansions.
There is an interesting story of a
man who according to social stan-
dards was quite poor. He wore sim-
ple clothes, ate simple food, did his
days work to his satisfaction,
never agitated for more money and
never worried for things he did not
have. One day he happened to be in
the company of a famous million-
aire of the neighbouring city,
whose distinction was that he grew
richer year by year. But he was
very avaricious and always looked
about for ways and means to accu-
mulate wealth and was ever in a
fever and fret to earn more and
more money.
Looking at the rich and proud
millionaire, the poor man said, Do
you know I am richer than you
are? The rich man got angry and
shouted, you talk like a mad man.
Tell me why you say that. The
poor man said boldly, Because I
have got as much money as I want
and you havent got as much as you
want. So you want to possess more
and more.
Happiness cant be boiled to one
thing; it is the sum of many choices
appreciating what we have, main-
taining optimistic outlook, feeling
sense of purpose and living in the
present. Thoughts and actions can
influence our level of happiness.
Contentment and happiness are two
sides of the same coin. Happiness is
never found anywhere in the world,
but it is always within us, the eter-
nal Bliss (Satchitananda).
There is another story too,
which teaches us a lesson about the
true value of wealth. A rich land-
lord, who rolled in wealth, wanted
others to admire his richness by
wearing expensive diamonds and
gem studded ornaments, the sign of
affluence and showed off whenever
he went out. One day he was walk-
ing slowly with a proud air and a
self-conscious look wearing all his
jewels and ornaments.
A pedestrian came near him and
gazed at him, went around him and
again looked at him, studying with
an effort, as it were, the brilliance
of his diamond ear-rings and the
sparkle of his ornaments. Then he
said, I thank you for your generos-
ity and I am very grateful to you for
your munificence. The walking
wealth did not understand and
asked, Why do you thank me?
What for? The pedestrian replied,
For this bountiful gift of orna-
ments and jewels. The rich man
asked, what gift do you speak of?
I have not given away any of my
jewels nor do I mean to give you
any. The pedestrian said, I do not
want and I will not accept any of
your ornaments. But you have let
me gaze at their brilliance and their
sparkle. That is all that you too do
with them. You too only look at
them again and again. And more
than anything else, I could look at
them without the worry of looking
after their safety, which worry
imposes a constant strain on you.
The jewels have done more to me
than they ever do to you.
A wise old saying points out that
contentment and satisfaction with
ones own lot is a mans supreme
treasure. Providence has allotted to
us our position in life according to
our needs.
When someone remarked to a
sage that lifes great blessing was to
possess and own what one wished
for, the sage replied that it was a
greater blessing not to wish for
what one did not possess and one
did not own.
The Buddha said that health is
the greatest of gifts, contentment is
the greatest wealth, trust is the best
relationship, and Nirvana is the
highest happiness.
Regarding the glory of content-
ment, one of the Hitopadesha vers-
es says, Contentment is like nec-
tar. Those with a becalmed mind
are satisfied with that nectar and
they enjoy supreme bliss. This bliss
is not experienced by men who are
greedy for wealth and keep running
about restlessly in search of it, from
here to there and from there to
here.
Many people associate money
with happiness. But there is no rela-
tionship between money and happi-
ness and money has little impact on
happiness. He who is not content
with what he already has got,
would never be content with what
he would like to have. Contentment
is a state of being satisfied with
whatever we have, and is associat-
ed with happiness. Main pursuit for
happiness lies in the ideal of plain
living and high thinking. If we
learn to rejoice the way things are
and when we realize there is noth-
ing lacking in us, the whole world
will be ours.
Gautama Buddha taught that
desire is the root cause of all suf-
ferings. The best way to live in this
world is, not to encourage the mul-
tiplication of desires and be satis-
fied with whatever we have been
given by God.
Lifes fulfilment comes from
not enjoying so many luxuries and
so many sensual pleasures but by
giving up chasing after them by
which we will gain supreme bliss
and contentment. Our responsibility
lies in taking care of the invaluable
possession that God has already
gifted us by his Grace and lead a
happy and contented life.
Contentment is a
state of being
satisfied with
whatever we
have, and is
associated with
happiness. Main
pursuit for
happiness lies in
the ideal of plain
living and high
thinking.
G
I
F
T
O
F
C
O
N
T
E
N
T
M
E
N
T
When we follow a desire and fulfil it, our wants go to the next desire to
reach and this pursuit of desires go on never ending, like adding fuel to the
fire. The lack of contentment sparks the flames of desire, but we should
make contentment our greatest desire.
48 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER August - September 2012
Body-Mind-Spirit
By Anil Sharma