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Page 8: Karam Ramrakha on President Trump and his plan to make America great again
Page 9: Rekha Bhatta on whether Trump presidency will alter India-US-Australia trilateral relations
Page 13: Manju Mittal visits Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra in New Delhi
Page 16: Is the Indian dowry custom coming to Australia
Page 17: Nitasha Bhatia on domestic violence in the community
Page 19: Neeru Saluja interviews Saroo Brierly on whom the movie Lion is based
Page 23: Indian scientists in Australia
Page 26: Hand Mudras can help you with health, mental concentration and more
Page 28: Watch your words: Do words we speak impact our spiritual growth Saroo Brierly Dr. Dharmica Mistry Salman Khan
Page 29: Vijay Badhwar studies various options for Indian seniors in age care The real Lion NSW Young Woman of on the way down under
the Year 2016

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Editorial/Advertising Enquiries: 02 9875 2713
Postal Address: PO Box 99, Thornleigh NSW 2120.
Email: indiandownunder@gmail.com
Website: www.indiandownunder.com.au
EDITORIAL
Principal Editor: Vijay Badhwar
Associate Editor: Neena Badhwar
North America : Parveen Chopra
Sports Editor: Kersi Meher-Homji
Delhi Reporter: Ritu Ghai
WRITERS
Third Eye: Rekha Bhattacharjee
Political Columns: Cyprian Fernanades,
Karam Ramrakha
Bollywood: Neeru Saluja
Films and Art: Neeru Saluja, Abhishek Sood,
Sumi Krishnan, Devaki Parthasarthy,
Neena Badhwar, Rekha Rajvanshi,
Manju Mittal
Body-Mind-Spirit: Dr Sunder Das, Kanaka
Ramakrishna, Faith Harper, T Selva
Sport: Kersi Meher-Homji, Gaurav Joshi
Fiji Diary: Karam Ramrakha
Cookery: Promila Gupta
Children Section: Esther Chaudhary-Lyons
Classical Music: Sumi Krishnan, Kris Raman,
Lokesh Varma
Travel : Vijay Badhwar, Kris Raman
Humour: Melvin Durai, Santram Bajaj
Seniors Column: Santram Bajaj
Beauty: Devaki Parthasarthy, Ritu Ghai,
Akvir Kaur
Community: Neena Badhwar,
Kersi Meher-Homji,
Vijay Badhwar, Sumi Krishnan, Neeru Saluja,
Savitha Narayan, Manju Mittal
Photographers: Raj Suri and Jordan Anjaiya
Graphic Design: Dhiraj Kumar Showaan,
Nayanesh Gandhi, Dinesh Verma, Bharat
Bhushan Chopra/Bhagwati Multimedia
With such outcomes losing
faith in elections is natural
President Trumps avowed policies are bad for America and
bad for the world.
ts easy to divide than to unite, preach than to do the deed.
I There is plenty of the former in Donald Trumps pre and
post election rhetoric and in its wrinkled out version in the
45th American Presidents inaugural address. What a contrast
it is from President Obamas farewell address!
The world is moving towards the right, extremism drifting
away from the median, so that Angela Merkel is called
wrong for accepting the stranded refugees. And erecting con-
crete walls of division is called the right thing to do! The
Trump kind of rhetoric sounds good to the general public, hits
their emotional chords and attracts votes in the name of
nationalism, race and religion. The new US President says,
...when America is united, its totally unstoppable (to
become great again), but himself creates religious and racial
divides, speaks of alleviating poverty but himself creates
empires and aims to dismantle healthcare accessibility for the
bottom rung, cant bear a shred of criticism himself but mocks
the dignity of women and the handicapped.
The trade agreements Mr Trump is trumpeting to demolish
-- because ... we have enriched foreign industry on the cost
of our own and to reinvigorate factories scattered like tomb-
stones -- may do the exact opposite by making goods expen-
sive in America and killing the industries set up by Americans
overseas. Countries like China will not shirk away from the
opportunity to fill the void by creating business alliances with
Europe and Australia.
Its a crying shame that the new world order some thinking
leaders have tried to create over many decades, especially
President Obama who gave voice to the black community in
America, will be so easily undone by the racial divide that is
raising its ugly head under President Trump.
We do wish that President Trump confounds us all and suc-
ceeds in making America great again as hes done with the
polls and crushing the role of all powerful media. It was
January-February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 7
Editor's Letter
Parkash Singh Badal is 89, yet is not ready to let even his
own son, Sukhbir, become CM if Akali Dal wins in Punjab.
unimaginable until a few months ago that a few tweeted words
could win over thousands of adversarial words in the media
that exposed his true character.
he US election is a reminder how low politics has
T
stooped, not any less in India where electioneering is
in full swing in five states of Punjab (4 February),
Goa (4 February), Uttarakhand (15 February), Uttar Pradesh
(11 February 8 March), and Manipur (4-8 March). There,
the choice is not between honesty and corruption, neither an
election based on issues in regards to upliftment of the poor,
but more based on race and religion, exploited to the hilt by
established dynasties and those who are the loudest.
There has already been so much melodrama in UP as father
Mulayam Singh and Australian-educated son Akhilesh Yadav
wrangled over Samajwadi Party (SP) control and party symbol
and then compromised, rendering in vain all the commotion.
There is not much choice between Akhileshs SP and
Mayawatis BSP and a run-down Congress thats rather look-
ing for alliances. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may make
some inroads but is not expected to form a government in its
own right largely due to division along religious lines.
In Punjab the ruling Akali Dal is tainted with allegations of
widespread corruption and its inability to curb drug use in the
state. BJPs alliance with the Akali Dal gives it only a stand-
ing room in the state but sullies the clean image PM Modi
provides the party. Congress could have been wrested back the
state riding the anti-incumbency factor after Akalis held on to
power for 10 years, but Kejriwals Aam Aadmi Party is giv-
ing rise to triangular contests for every seat. The Akali Dal
chief and Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, is pushing 90
but glued to the leadership. He should take a leaf out from
former NSW Premier Mike Baird who resigned from politics
at his peak, aged 48.
Comment
Suspense as Trump takes the reins
By Karam Ramrakha
rust me I am Trump
T catchphrase won billion-
aire salesman Donald
Trump the American presidency,
edging out veteran and favourite
Hillary Clintons bid to the White
House. Did the people realise they
were being conned.
On 20 January, 2017 a deeply
divided America was set to see
Trump become its President, as
leader of the greatest nation since
Babylon and be acknowledged as
the most powerful person in the
World. That despite Hillary
Clinton painting Trump as a liar,
a cheat, a tax evader who, him-
self, boasted of exploiting women
sexually. Trump defied all odds,
even while attacking Muslims and
Mexican immigrants.
There is some complacency in
America about its Presidency,
albeit there are hopes that checks
and balances will keep Trump
straight and true and that his mis-
sion to make America Great
again is accomplished.
Oddly, Indian PM Narendra
Modi espoused Trump as Clinton
Book Review
by Vijay Badhwar
yprian Fernandes is a
C story-teller, an excellent
story-teller. He has such
a flow in telling a tale that it can
be only termed as gifted. And
being a journalist, the gift has
embellished his skills in choos-
ing the right words, the context
and the narrative.
Cyprian is no stranger to
The Indian Down Under; in
fact it his baby that he nurtured
in its infancy for more than a
decade. And working with him
late at nights, it was his stories
of his earlier days in Africa
Kenya, Uganda and then UK -
that made the hard work inter-
esting. The stories then came as
anecdotes, about his Goan
friends and families, about a
bloody Mau Mau rebellion (that
I understood only vaguely) and
informal and very friendly
meetings with Idi Amin (Idi
Amin!, my eyes used to widen)
but only a fleeting discussion
about his family, especially his
mother, whom I met a few
times, and now I realise after
reading his autobiographical
book, Yesterday in Paradise,
how accurately Cyprian
describes her - a walking
skeleton...but her eyes, little
round balls of dynamite waiting
8 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January-February 2017
Donald Trump taking the oath of office in Washington DC, January 20, 2017.
was seen as anti-India and pro
Pakistan. China has yet to reveal
its hand but it brooks no compro-
mises as Nehru (Hindi-Chini Bhai
Bhai) discovered.
Russia waits in the wings to
see if Trump would help to dis-
mantle NATO. Europe is paral-
ysed by Brexit and influx of
Goan treatise in paradise
to explode. Thats the hall- into a blog when Cyprian found
mark of a class writer that
Cyprian is.
From those often related
anecdotes, the stories turned
refugees. The prestigious Time
magazine has made Trump the
man of 2016 but with a caution
that he leads a divided nation.
Trump sits astride a large land
mass. USA sees South America as
its own stomping ground. But
today the South is in turmoil. And
the Great Mexican Wall which
own safety and that of his fam-
time after his retirement from
The Sydney Morning Herald
and then St George &
Sutherland Shire Leader. The
Trump says he will build will iso-
late USA.
Estimates claim more than 10
million illegals flourish in USA
doing work Americans do not
want to do. Even Barack Obama
was unable to tackle this issue
head on. We forget today that
America was seen as the Ultimate
blog created a lot of interest,
especially among the Goan
community, when the story of a
Catholic priest in Eastleigh, Fr
Hannan, spread from the cloud.
Yesterday in Paradise is set
in Eastleigh of the 50s, recent-
ly brought to ISIS notoriety in
the Hollywood movie Eyes in
the Sky. It is no longer the par-
adise Cyprian describes but
accurate to a tee of a shanty
town where life seems to have
been still for the last seven
decades, except, of course, for
the extremism part.
Cyprians early childhood is
no less a movie material than of
the likes of Slumdog
Millionaire a childhood
replete with struggles, then a
teenagers desperate push into
the world of big journalism,
finally a successful adulthood
full of intrigue and drama when
the politics in East Africa was
in the making, rubbing shoul-
ders with the likes of Pio Gama
Pinto and Dr Mungai and on
first name terms with Milton
Obote and Idi Amin.
He had to abandon the high
life of journalism at the peak of
his career, concerned for his
ily, to settle first in the UK and
then, finally, in Australia. Also
a gifted speaker, Cyprian had
the rare honour to welcome
Refuge in the World and even
today the Statute of Liberty car-
ries this message, Give me your
tired, your poor, your huddled
masses yearning to breathe free.
Yes, we saw America as a last
bastion of hope and human rights
and democracy but Trump will
seal its borders. On the other
hand, we must hearken to
"Mother" Angela Merkel who
tried to welcome refugees with
open arms and also graced Time
Magazine as the Person of the
Year. While the world hopes that
solutions will fall into place, it is
a xenophobic world full of divi-
sions and distrusts with easy
access to arms and people ready
to do violence. We can only
watch and pray.
As for my native Fiji, I see it
in the doldrums today. Its Prime
Minister beckons all who "fled"
Fiji to return home but with little
success. Growth is stagnant and
there is still control of media and
assembly and at least two politi-
cians have been ousted from their
parliamentary posts.
I wish TIDU readers the best
for 2017.
Indias Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi when he visited
Australia in 1986.
Yesterday in Paradise pro-
vides astute insight into African
geopolitics and could easily
have been expanded for a wider
audience who are struggling to
find an answer: why a land so
full of riches is continuously
plundered, ridden with poverty
and corruption, where life is
treated as being subhuman, God
forsaken from times immemori-
al and without a rainbow in
sight. Only a journalist like
Cyprian Fernandes who has the
advantage in growing up in that
environment can provide some
clues to the riddle.
At a recent writers festival
in Goa, Cyprian was feted for
his book and widely inter-
viewed by the Indian media.
The interest was so much that
now there is also an Indian edi-
tion. The Goan community, in
Australia and overseas, will
relate to Cyprians book for
sure and feel proud that they
are now connected through this
work, many of the memories
coming alive through some rare
photographs.
Yesterday in Paradise,
Australian edition, is published
by Balboa Press and can be
ordered through Balboa Press
or skipfer@live.com.au
 Column

The Third Eye By Rekha Bhattacharjee

Trump shadow over India-US-Australia trilateral relations?

ith Donald Trump as the
If the US downgrades alliance with Canberra significantly,
there is a likelihood that Australia could seek closer ties
with its largest trading partner, China. If this happens,
Indias burgeoning diplomatic and trade ties with
Australia could also come under severe strain.
undoubtedly the most powerful tial counterweight to China. Dhruva Jaishankar, a Fellow for can bury the Quadrilateral Security

W 45th President of the

United States, it would
be worthwhile to ponder over the
question whether Trump presidency
would alter the India-US-Australia
trilateral relations.
It is an indisputable fact that the
US is a vital strategic ally to
Australia. The depth of the collabo-
ration between the two Pacific Rim
countries can be evidenced in vari-
ous spheres like foreign policy and
national security.
Australian defence policy is
basically driven by the Australia,
New Zealand, United States
Security Alliance (ANZUS). The
ties between the two English-speak-
ing democracies have been so
strong that Australia is often derid-
ed as the Deputy Sheriff of the US
in the region.
All this could undergo drastic
makeover once Donald Trump takes
over as the 45th President of
country on our planet. If the US
downgrades alliance with Canberra
significantly, there is a likelihood
that Australia could seek closer ties
with its largest trading partner
China.
If this happens, Indias bur-
geoning diplomatic and trade ties
with Australia could also come
under severe strain. In the worst
case scenario, there is a possibility
that Donald Trumps presidency
can negatively impact the supply of
uranium by Australia to India.
Similarly, various multilateral dia-
logues involving Australia, India
and the US could also be scrapped
or downgraded.
It would be relevant to mention
here that the upswing in the Indo-
Australian bilateral ties can be
traced back to the early 2000s when
the US policy-makers looking to
maintain US dominance in Asia
started considering India as a poten-
If the leaked US diplomatic
cables (published by WikiLeaks)
are to be believed, the US cajoled
former prime minister John Howard
to change the hard stance on India.
The US push came after President
George Bush and PM Vajpayee
signed what is known as the Next
Steps in Strategic Partnership
(NSSP) agreement in 2004. In
March 2006, PM John Howard
signed six bilateral agreements in
India. These pacts included a mem-
orandum of understanding on
defence co-operation.
Foreign affairs experts believe
that, if pushed too hard by the US,
Australia is likely to have a serious
look at strengthening its relations
with the Asian powerhouse China.
There is already pressure from
the Australian business community
on Canberra to move away from the
United States-centric foreign,
defence and trade policies.
Foreign Policy at the Brookings
Institution India Center in New
Delhi, recently commented:
there is an evident tension
between Australias strategic estab-
lishment (largely confined to a bub-
ble in Canberra) and the business
community. For some, Chinas
importance as a trade partner and
immigration trends point to a recal-
ibration of its international relations
away from the United States and the
West, and there are certainly some
such pressures from Australian
business. These tensions would
have exacerbated in the recent
months as Mr Trump unveiled his
vision to Make America Great
Again. The concerns over Donald
Trumps threat to scrap trans-
Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal
and ANZUS continue to occupy a
significant space in the public dia-
logue down under.
Donald Trumps foreign policy
Dialogue (QSD) which was started
as an informal strategic dialogue
between the United States, Japan,
Australia and India in 2007. It
could also have negative impact on
the high-level trilateral dialogue
between India, Japan and Australia.
The allies are definitely experi-
encing pangs of uncertainty about
the global outlook Trump may have
during the initial stage of his presi-
dency. Australian mandarins may
have developed jitters after Stephen
Moore, senior economic adviser to
president-elect Donald Trump
dropped a bombshell when he told
BBC radio recently that dramatic
tax cuts are the single most impor-
tant thing for our country right
now. Australian business analysts
are worried that such tax cuts would
plunge Australian economy into a
crisis.
Rekha Bhattacharjee can be
contacted at vijay@hotkey.net.au

Impediments galore but Indians keep Australian dream alive

Racism and lack of opportunities are often cited as two primary reasons which make most of the Indo-Australians
wonder whether Australian ethos of the Fair go is meant only for the majority Anglo-Saxon community.
By Rekha Bhattacharjee in the prime employment age (25 to 34- to mention here that the Indian connection
years-old) group. with Australia goes thousands of years
ndian community in Australia is grow- According to a 2013 ABS report, Indian back. According to a research made by

I ing rapidly. The increase in numbers is

complemented with an increase in the
average income of the Indian Diaspora set-
tled down under. The presence of Indian
migrants in Australia is most noticeable in
the annual tax figures. According to an
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) report
released recently, Indian taxpayers generat-
ed a whopping $7.9 billion in total in the
financial year 2011-12.
According to the aforementioned ABS
report, the Indian migrant taxpayers were
number two on the tax generators list as
they were marginally behind the taxpayers
from the United Kingdom.
What these figures are telling us is that
the Indian community seems to be in a rush
to realise its Australian dream.
Undoubtedly, there are a number of imped-
iments which slows down this chase but the
Diaspora members are well on their way to
be counted first among the equals in this
reasonably prosperous country. Racism and
lack of opportunities are often cited as two
primary reasons which make most of the
Indo-Australians wonder whether
Australian ethos of the Fair go is meant
only for the majority Anglo-Saxon commu-
The number of permanent settlers
arriving monthly in Australia from
India since 1991.
nity. A rude reminder came recently as a
Brisbane bus driver Manmeet Alisher was
burnt alive by an Australian of European
descent for, apparently, no reason. Some of
the community members have blamed
racism for the unprovoked attack. There is
no sign whatsoever to suggest that such
tragedies would discourage skilled Indians
from boarding the flights to the Australian
destinations.
While there has been a spike in the
Indian arrivals after 2005, a large compo-
nent of the Diaspora living in Australia
consists of international students. The
Indian taxpayers are overwhelmingly male
and 40 per cent of them are reported to be
migration increased dramatically from
2006 to 2011. Around 53 per cent of the
Indian skilled migrants have arrived in
Australia after 2005.
To give an idea about the community
size in Australia, according to 2011 census,
about 300,000 Australians were born in
India and there were nearly 400,000
responses for Indian ancestry (largest group
consisting of Indo-Fijians). In 2011-12
Indians were the largest source of perma-
nent migration (15.7 per cent of the total
migration programme) to Australia.
The social scene in Australia, which
promotes multiculturalism as an official
policy, is also changing gradually. A visi-
ble change can be noticed in the outer sub-
urbs in Sydney and Melbourne. Hindu and
Sikh temples in suburbs Parklea, Revesby,
Rosehill, Turramurra and Mays Hill in
Sydney and Craigieburn, Carrum Downs,
Deer Park, etc in Melbourne are few of
these religious shrines which cater to the
increasing number of Diaspora.
Australian policymakers maybe paying
tributes to the taxpayers from India for
making significant contribution to the
Australian exchequer. It would be relevant
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary
Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, the
Indian DNA reached the Aboriginal popu-
lation in Australia 141 generations ago. It is
believed that the Indian migrants settled in
Australia roughly 4,000 years back i.e.
much before Captain Cook located the east
coast (New South Wales Sydney) in
1770.
The first group of Indians to arrive in
Australia governed by the British roughly
three decades after Captain Cooks well-
celebrated discovery of Australia, was that
of convict labourers sent by British colonial
masters in the years 1800-1816.
The last four decades of the 19th centu-
ry witnessed a large number of Punjabis
settling on the eastern coast of Australia. A
large number of the early generation
Punjabis settled near Woolgoolga were
recruited as labourers. The hardworking
migrants were also used to run camel
trains. From running camel trains to driv-
ing luxury cars, the Indian community has
definitely come a long way in their chase of
the Australian dream.
Rekha Bhattacharjee can be contacted
at vijay@hotkey.net.au

January-February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 9

India
Modi asks NRIs to first develop India
Bengaluru: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on January 8
urged the Indian diaspora to first
develop India by investing and
contributing its expertise in the
land of its origin.
"To me, FDI means First
Develop India through Foreign
Direct Investment, whose norms
have been fully liberalized for
NRIs and PIOs and made on par
with domestic firms for availing
same benefits," Modi told the14th
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here.
Inaugurating the 3-day mega
event, Modi exhorted the diaspora
PM Modi along with the Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa
to participate in the governments and the Surinam Vice President Michel Ashwin Satyandre Adhin
flagship programs like Digital and other dignitaries at the inauguration of the PBD-2017
India, Make In India, Start-up
India, Swachh Bharat and Clean
Ganga for the countrys all-round Costa and Indian-born US diplo-
development. mat Nisha Desai Biswal were
Indian-origin Portugal Prime among the 30 PBD awardees.
Minister Antonio Luis Santos da This time, PBD was also cele-
Australia educated UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav releasing the party manifesto.
SP-Congress forge
alliance for UP polls
Lucknow: At a joint press conference here
on January 22, leaders of Samajwadi Party
and Congress said that the two will contest
the upcoming UP assembly polls together. SP
will contest 298 of the 403 seats and
Congress the remaining 105.
UP PCC chief Raj Babbar hoped the SP-
Congress alliance will reap a bumper elec-
toral harvest in the state and fulfil aspirations
of all sections of the society.
He said a Common Minimum Programme
will be drafted within a week.
Talks between top Congress and SP lead-
ers had been going on for the last several
days but an announcement got delayed as the
two parties refused to scale down their
demand for the number of seats each would
contest.Sources said the alliance materialised
after Congress president Sonia Gandhi inter-
vened.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had ini-
tially offered 100 seats to Congress but they
demanded 120.
The Congress was also learnt to have
been demanding that its candidates should be
fielded in Amethi and Rae Bareli segments of
the Lok Sabha constituencies represented by
10 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January-February 2017
in Bengaluru on Jan 8.
brated worldwide by the Indian
Embassies and Consulates with
participation of the members of
the Indian Community.
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. It was not
immediately known to what extent the SP had
accommodated Congress' demand.
The Congress was also keen to include
Ajit Singh-led RLD in the alliance, which the
Samajwadi Party did not want.
The SP had maintained it will have no
truck with RLD and, if Congress wanted, it
could give its share of seats to Ajit Singhs
party.
SP vice-president Kironmoy Nanda said
after the alliance with Congress, We will get
an absolute majority in the state and Akhilesh
will become chief minister again."
In the 2012 Assembly polls, SP had won
224 seats with a vote share of 29.3 per cent,
while Congress had bagged 28 seats with an
11.7 per cent vote share. A party or alliance
which garners 40 per cent of the votes will
sweep the polls.
Mulayam Siungh Yadav, SP patriarch
and his Chief Minister son Akhilesh Yadav
have been in a feud for long for control of the
ruling party. Finally, Akhilesh has wrested
the SP chief's post from his father and got its
'bicycle' symbol from the Election
Commission.
Dr Harinath lone PBD awardee
from Australia
ydney based Dr.
S Gorur Krishna
Harinath was honored
with PBD Samman for
Community Service at PBD
2017. He is the first person
of Indian origin to become a
Director of Cricket
Australia (2004), and is also
the chairman of the
strongest state cricket asso-
ciation Cricket New South
Wales (NSW) and currently chair-
man of Multicutltural Advisory
Council.
Of Kannadiga origin who
moved to Australia 45 years ago,
Dr. Harinath, 73, was awarded
the OAM in the Queens
Punjab polls: No
cake-walk for Badals
Chandigarh: With the Punjab assembly polls
turning into a three-horse race for the first
time, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and
his son and deputy, Sukhbir Singh Badal, face
the most serious electoral challenge of their
careers. Unlike on earlier occasions, when the
contest was a straight fight between the
Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine and the
Congress, the emergence of the Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) on Punjab's political scene has
spiced up the poll scenario, with three-cor-
nered contests on most seats.
And to make things tough for the ruling
Akali Dal, the Congress and the AAP have
fielded strong candidates against the Badals.
Thus, for the first time in Punjab's political
history, the February 4 assembly election will
witness the biggest political fight for the Lambi
assembly seat -- hitherto the elder Badal's
pocket borough -- with Punjab Congress presi-
dent Amarinder Singh, a former Chief Minister
(2002-2007), throwing down the gauntlet.
Badal, 89, has been representing the seat since
1997."I am contesting from Lambi as I want to
teach a lesson to those who have looted and
ruined Punjab. I will make a man out of him
(Badal)," said Amarinder Singh, who turns 75
in March and has announced that this is the last
election of his political life.
However, playing it safe, Amarinder Singh
Birthday Honours for services to
cricket and to the community in
2009. A doctor in sports medicine,
he has been actively associated
with cricket since 1977 and is a
familiar face to all Indian touring
teams since Bishen Bedis team
visited in 1977-78.
Union minister
Arun Jaitley
and Punjab
Chief Minister
Parkash Singh
Badal:
the ruling
Akali-BJP
alliance is
hobbled by
anti-
incumbency
factor.
is also contesting his home seat of Patiala-
Urban.
The Akali Dal has tried to spice up the con-
test for this seat by fielding Gen J.J. Singh, the
first Sikh chief of the Indian Army and former
Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.
It was the AAP which first upped the ante
on the Lambi seat by fielding Delhi lawmaker
Jarnail Singh, who came into the limelight for
throwing a shoe at the then Union Home
Minister, P. Chidambaram, in Delhi in 2009,
to take on Badal senior.
Lambi falls in the Malout subdivision of
Muktsar district of southwest Punjab. It is part
of the Bathinda parliamentary constituency
which is represented in the Lok Sabha by
Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat
Badal (Sukhbir Badal's wife and the Chief
Minister's daughter-in-law). Badal village,
where the Chief Minister hails from, is part of
this constituency.The AAP has made the elec-
tion for the Jalalabad assembly seat, held by
Sukhbir Badal, interesting this time by fielding
sitting Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur, comedi-
an-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann.
The Congress has stirred the pot further by
fielding Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu for
the seat.However, both Mann and Bittu are
playing it safe as both will continue to remain
MPs even if they lose against Sukhbir Badal.

At the peak of his success,
Mike Baird quits politics
By Vijay Badhwar
Sydney: NSW Premier Mike Baird made a
shock announcement to resign from politics on
January 19 in a hurriedly convened media con-
ference. Deputy Leader of the NSW Liberal
Party and Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian will
act as premier until the new leader is elected
in a ballot.
It was an emotional departure for Mr Baird
who has been one of the best premiers for
NSW. With him at the helm, NSW has come
a long way with lowest unemployment rate,
development that is envy of other states and
excellent leadership. He was very much loved,
especially by the younger generation, as he
loved social media. Mr Bairds Facebook post,
when he fell from stairs and hurt his back,
flooded with likes, his followers charmed with
his unpretentious common touch.
Leadership was virtually thrust upon Mike
Baird at the sudden resignation of Barry
OFarrell. But he stepped up to ride the chal-
lenge, took decisions which, he said, were
sometimes unpopular but benefitted the peo-
ple. He was against the concept of career
politicians and urged more people to have a
similar DNA to serve and join the stream of
public service.
Mr Baird took the opportunity to privatise
electricity when the Opposition was in com-
plete disarray and took upon himself the task
of rebuilding infrastructure in the state when it
was badly needed. As nearly 40 per cent of
new migrants settle in NSW, the state badly
needed respite from road congestions and
demands for lot more new accommodation.
These projects, under the theme Rebuild
Aus govt asks citizens visiting
India to use e-payments
Melbourne: Australian government has
advised its citizens travelling to India to
ensure their trip is planned in such a way so
as not to depend on the availability of cash,
claiming that some visitors are facing diffi-
culties in exchanging 100 dollar notes in
India after demonetisation.
In the latest advisory issued recently,
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(DFAT) said, "Indian authorities have
replaced withdrawn 500 and 1,000 rupee
notes with new 500 and 2,000 notes slowly
entering circulation."
"Withdrawals from ATMs are subject to
a daily limit of 4,500 rupees (around 90
Australian dollars), which applies to interna-
tional bank cards. Expect queues and cash
shortages at ATMs and note that many
NEWS
NSW Premier Mike Baird has
resigned his post.
NSW, have raised a lot of controversy but
will be a hallmark of Mr Bairds career.
Last year, some decisions were setbacks in
Mr Bairds immense popularity backflip on
banning Greyhound racing, amalgamation of
councils and lock out laws. He was probably
misplaced to have overlooked the affect on
peoples livelihoods dependent on Greyhound
racing but his other decisions were bold and
rational to reduce rort and crime.
Mr Baird would have befitted as
Australias prime minister; its a loss that he is
leaving politics altogether, probably for per-
sonal reasons to look after an ailing mother,
father and a sister. Only he will know the pres-
sures on him. Poll numbers forecast Ms
Berejiklian to be the next NSW Premier. She
is hard working and a testament to the success
of multiculturalism in Australia, being of
Armenian background. But to fit Mr Bairds
shoes of charm, it may be a hard task for her.
Demonetisation is
defended by
Indian government
as a little pain
for future gain.
ATMs will not accept cards issued by foreign
banks. Foreigners are permitted to exchange
foreign currency up to 5,000 rupees (around
100 Australian dollars) per week at banks
and foreign exchange bureaus."It advised
travellers to use electronic payments such as
bank and credit cards wherever possible.
"Due to the ongoing uncertainty of
obtaining cash, ensure your trip is planned in
such a way so as not to depend on the avail-
ability of cash," it said.
"Be aware that some travellers have
reported difficulties in exchanging 100 dollar
notes for local currency in India," it also
said.However, the overall advisory of exer-
cising high degree of caution while travelling
to India was kept unchanged for the
travellers.
January-February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 11
India

Modi's schemes find The controversial Jallikattu held

in Tamil Nadu, claims 2 lives
place in 68th Republic Chennai: Jallikattu,
a popular bull tam-

Day tableaux ing sport, was on

January 22 held in
parts of Tamil Nadu
with tens of thou-
New Delhi:
sands taking part
Developmental and
but two participants
social schemes -
were killed and sev-
including Goods and
eral injured at one
Services Tax (GST)
event.
and Beti Bachao, Beti
The sport was
Padhao - of the
held at Pudukottai,
Narendra Modi-led
Trichy and
government will be
Ramanathapuram
showcased through
districts while bul-
tableaux at the 68th
lock cart races were The Supreme Court has banned traditional sport but the Tamil
Republic Day parade
organised in Nadu government allowed it through an amendment to the cruelty
here this year. to animals act despite protests in the state.
Coimbatore and
The Central Board
Theni, officials said. The events were held Minister Narendra Modi had promised to
of Excise and Customs
after week-long state-wide protests by stu- assist his government in its efforts to hold
(CBEC) chose Goods
dents and youths and followed the promulga- Jallikattu.
and Services Tax The government will on Monday place in
There was much criticism when it was reported that Prime tion of an ordinance by the Tamil Nadu gov-
(GST) as their tableau
Minister Narendra Modi has replaced Mahatma Gandhi in ernment amending the Prevention of Cruelty the assembly a bill for holding Jallikattu. It is
theme.
the 2017 wall calendar and table diary published by the to Animals Act to hold Jallikatttu. The sport expected to pass with majority support.
The Housing for All Meanwhile, the massive youth protest in
Khadi Village Industries Commission. The cover photo of was banned by the Supreme Court in May
scheme, launched in
the calendar and diary showed Modi weaving khadi on a 2014. At Pudukottai, two bull valuters were Chennai's Marina Beach entered its seventh
2015 by the Ministry of
large charkha' in the same classic pose as Gandhi. severely injured and died on the way to a hos- day on Sunday. Some young people fainted at
Housing and Urban
pital, police said. Several other people were the venue owing to severe sun. The protest
Poverty Alleviation, will also be part of focusing on the concept of "Green India, that started with a handful of a people on
Clean India", while the Ministry of Skill injured in the incident.
the tableaux.
The sport involves young men latching on January 17 morning is now attracting lakhs.
Social awareness programmes, like Development and Entrepreneurship`s DMK leader M.K. Stalin urged
to the hump of bulls. One who manages to
the `Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao` initia- tableau will have "Transforming India
stay put even after the animal makes three Panneerselvam to explain to the demonstra-
tive, will be showcased through through Skill Development" as its theme. tors the steps the government will take so that
The tableau of the Council of jumps is declared a winner.
Haryana`s tableau.
At times, the participants are thrown off there will not be any more legal impediments
The state, which recently drew much Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
the back of bulls or get gored by the animal. for the conduct of Jallikatttu.
attention on account of its women will showcase its contribution to scientif- The Supreme Court in 2014 banned
It was not clear how the deaths occurred in
sportspersons, particularly in the field of ic development in the country. Jallikattu, saying that bulls cannot be used as
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Pudukottai.
wrestling, will showcase their achieve-
Medium Enterprise (MSME) has chosen Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who performing animals including in bullock cart
ments through the tableau.
took office after the death of J. Jayalalitha, races. Since then, people have been urging
The Central Public Works `Khadi India` theme to highlight the
said, "Jallikattu cannot be stopped by any- the central government to take steps to allow
Department`s (CPWD) tableau will be importance of the fabric.
body," Panneerselvam added. He said Prime the sport.

Dr. Rajiv Shah named president India's first Madame Tussauds

of Rockefeller Foundation to open in Delhi
New York: The poverty. As the next presi-
Rockefeller Foundation dent of The Rockefeller
recently announced the Foundation, Shah brings
selection of Dr. Rajiv Shah, with him extensive experi-
the former Administrator of ence in foreign affairs,
the United States Agency global health, global devel-
for International opment and humanitarian
Development (USAID), response. His experience as
and current member of The an investor in the private
Rockefeller Foundation sector, as the founder of
Board of Trustees, as its Latitude Capital, also gives
13th president. Shah is best Dr. Shah the perspective
known for elevating inter- and experience required to
national development in forge durable private-public
foreign policy, delivering partnerships.
results through public-pri- In addition to his work
Dr. Rajiv Shah is former
vate partnerships and the abroad, Shah created the
administrator of USAID
respect he earned working National Institute for Food
with counterpart governments from and Agriculture and served as Chief Scientist
The first India branch of the museum will be in the capital New Delhi.
Afghanistan to Central America and with at the US Department of Agriculture and has
bipartisan leaders in the US Congress. previously served on the boards of the Seattle New Delhi: World famous wax museum The museum, renowned for the creation
As head of USAID, Dr. Shah led the Public Library and the Seattle Community Madame Tussauds is set to debut in India in of detailed and lifelike wax figures, will
response to some of the greatest humanitari- Colleges. He comes to the presidency with June, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, house statues of prominent figures from the
an crises of our time, including the devastat- knowledge of The Rockefeller Foundation Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and world of sports, Bollywood, politics, et al.
ing earthquake in Haiti in 2010 and the Ebola and its operations, having served on the American pop star Lady Gaga's statues as This is the 23rd branch of Madame
outbreak in West Africa in 2014. Those Board of Trustees since March of 2015. some of the star attractions. "Madame Tussauds across the world.
efforts and his work to transform and revital- At 43, Shah will be the youngest and first- Tussauds will open doors in June this year," Indian celebrities like Aishwarya Rai,
ize USAID earned him bipartisan accolades ever Indian-American to serve as president of Anshul Jain, General Manager and Director Kareena Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik
and support. In 2014, Dr. Shah delivered the the foundation. Shah will start in his new role of Merlin Entertainment Pvt Ltd, said here Roshan and Salman Khan, apart from Modi,
keynote address at the National Prayer on March 1st , succeeding Dr. Judith Rodin recently at a press conference. are some of the names who already have
Breakfast to advance the idea that the United who has served as president for nearly twelve The first India branch of the museum will their statues in international branches of
States could lead the world to end extreme years. be in the capital New Delhi. Madame Tussauds.

12 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January-February 2017


Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra
welcomes NRIs in Delhi
By Manju Mittal
had the pleasure of visiting
I Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in
Chanakya Puri in New Delhi
on December 16, 2016 during my
recent trip to India. I spent an
engrossing half day at PBK and the
whole experience was quite over-
whelming and a visit to be cher-
ished. On the occasion of Gandhi
Jayanti last October, the Hon
Prime Minister of India, Mr
Narendra Modi inaugurated the
Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New
Delhi and dedicated it to the Indian
diaspora worldwide. Mr Modi said
at the inauguration, PBK is a trib-
ute to the overseas Indian commu-
nity; and commemorates their
migration to various parts of the
world, the challenges they faced
abroad, their achievements and
contributions. Over time, the
Kendra is expected to develop into
a hub of activities for sustainable,
symbiotic and mutually rewarding
economic, social and cultural
engagement between India and its
Diaspora.
Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra is
located at the heart of the capital
on Dr. Rizal Marg, Chanakyapuri.
The Kendra will also house the
autonomous bodies India Centre
for Migration, a think-tank work-
ing on issues pertaining to Indian
migrant workers, and the India
Development Foundation for
Overseas Indians, a not-for-profit
trust promoting contributions to
flagship programmes in India. The
Library in PBK is a valuable
repository of material about the
Indian diaspora including books
written by overseas Indians in dif-
ferent languages. With an empha-
sis on digital material, the library
will provide access to online jour-
nals and prestigious library
resources.
The Indian diaspora, which is
spread across 150 countries, can
now visit this place in the posh
enclave of the capital and even stay
at a new "home" in New Delhi
when they visit India. The PBK is
a sparkling tribute to the overseas
Indian community and is a monu-
ment to their migration and suc-
cess. While visiting this centres
exhibition and library, overseas
Indians can experience the chal-
lenges they faced abroad, their
achievements and contributions.
The Kendra is spread over
9,800 square meters and is a pre-
mier convention centre showcasing
the rich cultural heritage of Indian
diaspora from different parts of the
world. It is equipped to host a wide
range of activities such as meet-
ings, seminars, conferences and
cultural events to facilitate
exchange of ideas involving dias-
Community
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra last October.
pora. They can enjoy a meal at a
smart restaurant and even spend a
night in one of the 24 guest rooms.
PBK plans to run short term cours-
es and orientation programmes for
the NRI youth.
Draped in Indian art and cul-
ture, the centre welcomes you with
a huge colourful mural at the
The atrium of
entrance showing birds of many
the Kendra has
countries where Indians have
a meditative
migrated. Every open space show-
Zen garden
cases displays of paintings, statues
with a huge
and artefacts from every state and
globe topped by
corner of India. The atrium has a
a yoga figure in
meditative Zen garden with a huge
lotus pose
globe topped by a yoga figure in
celebrating
lotus pose celebrating Indias con-
Indias
tribution to global yoga move-
contribution to
ment. Visible from all sides with
global yoga
more figures, the globe projects
movement.
the worldwide Indian diaspora,
estimated at 25 to 30 million.
A highlight is a modern muse-
um on Mahatma Gandhi, the most
famous overseas Indian to return
home and fight for Indias free-
dom. No wonder, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi inaugurated it on
October 2, 2016 on Mahatma
Gandhis birthday. Pravasi
Bharatiya Kendra impresses one
with its Gandhi museum about
Gandhis life, which also displays
a lot of photographs of Gandhiji The Kendra is situated in the
posh diplomatic enclave of
and the freedom struggle. It sure is
a first home for NRIs that deserves Chankayapuri and is a premier
convention centre showcasing
a visit when they land in New
Delhi before they actually visit the rich cultural heritage of
Indian diaspora, estimated to
their family home in India.
be 25-30 million strong.
Address: Rizal Marg, Visiting NRIs can enjoy a meal
Chanakyapuri, New Delhi at a smart restaurant there and
even spend a night in one of
110021, India
the 24 guest rooms.
Phone: +91 11 2415 6403
Hours: Monday to Saturday:
9-5pm
January-February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 13
14 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January - February 2017
January - February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 15
Community
At times the boys have paid so much money having come on student visas
that they are under financial burden and make demands on the girls and
their families for money. Exploitation and abuse follow in many cases.
By Neena Badhwar
vil habits propagate fast.
E From India, the bane of
dowry is now spreading
Down Under.
Not altogether an unworthy
custom originating in ancient
India, dowry was a gesture of
goodwill that parents practised in a
tradition that honoured women as
goddesses, in an act of giving and
never taking anything away from
them. Our traditional parents fol-
lowed the custom sometimes to
extremes asking for a glass of
water from the neighbours rather
than drinking from the tap in their
daughters house when visiting
them.
The custom evolved, especially
at the time of weddings, then dis-
oriented and sometimes distorted
from an act of giving to a deal of
business, from a gesture of helping
a departing daughter to set up a
household into an arm-twisting
exercise by bridegrooms family to
extort unholy reparations for edu-
cational expenses on the boy and
the like. Dowry also, perhaps,
compensated the women who were
not usually entitled to inheritance
and property rights from their par-
ents.
The custom of dowry applies to
all castes, religions and regions in
India. Among Hindus, Sikhs,
Muslims or Christians, girls are
expected to bring a dowry of some
sort. At times the boys family
makes extreme demands on girls
parents who are sometimes forced
to take loans.
In the male-dominated society
of India, dowry custom does not
stop at wedding but continues with
mans family commanding and
demanding more and more for
years on end. On festivals, birth of
a child and even at deaths, girls
parents are expected to pay around
various ceremonies. Dowry has
become such a burden on girls
parents that it even leads to the ter-
rible practice of female foeticide
because parents feel that a girl
child is going to be a liability for
ever.
In India, in 2012, there were
approximately 8,233 dowry related
deaths. In 1961, the Indian govern-
ment made dowry practices a crim-
inal offence when it created the
Dowry Prohibition Act. This was
amended in 1984 and then again in
16 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January-February 2017
1986. The Act does not seem to
have helped since dowry related
bride burning deaths are common
in India even today. Rather, the
demands have increased as more
Indians prescribe to greed and
aspire to become rich quick.
The abuse is now emotional as
well as physical which drives many
to take the extreme step to even
commit suicide. Many dowry
deaths are blamed on women: oh,
she threw kerosene on herself and
set herself aflame. There have
been some suspicious deaths in the
kitchen as well from burnings from
gas stoves.
This social vice is compounded
by rich parents showering more
and more on their daughters to
show off their newly acquired
wealth. Even though the govern-
ment has banned dowry and made
it illegal, people take truckloads of
household furniture and white
goods and deliver it stealthily
before or after the actual wedding
day so that they dont get caught.
Lately in Australia, there have
been lavish weddings and one won-
ders whether the dowry custom is
slowly finding its roots here. Many
newly arrived migrants are under
financial pressure as they settle in
the new country. At times the boys
have paid so much money having
come on student visas to study that
they are under financial burden and
make demands on the girls and
their families for money. They
often say that they want to set up a
business or pay off a study loan.
This normally goes hand in hand
with abuse and exploitation of their
spouse.
One domestic violence case
that came to light was of a girl,
Gita (name changed), that she ask
her parents $50,000 so that her
husband could invest in a business
that he was intending to do. When
the girl refused she was emotional-
ly abused so much so that she got
seriously sick. If it was not for her
mother who insisted to see her and
wanted to find out why her other-
wise healthy, happy daughter had
suddenly fallen sick, the emotional
exploitation would not have been
exposed. Gitas mother took a bold
decision and decided to take her
daughter home and file for a
divorce.
In another case, the son was so
much under his mothers thumb
that he would not take any deci-
sions in favour of his wife and the
child. The wife told TIDU, The
family had claimed that my hus-
band had a post graduate qualifica-
tion but when I came here I found
he was driving a taxi. That was
also ok but the family, on my very
first night of arrival, went through
my suitcase to see what I had
brought. I was taunted all the time
that I devour rotis all day and do
nothing.
Another case is of a girl who is
now separated. She said, My hus-
band used to ask huge sums like
$20,000, sometimes more, by say-
ing that he wanted to buy a car.
Where could my parents in India
afford since one Australian dollar
is close to 50 rupees. My parents
could spend on my wedding by
taking a loan of five lakh rupees
and there he was making new
demands now for a car. My par-
ents are not that rich they would
have to sell their house in India to
fulfil his demands. When I
refused, he started to torture me
and beat me. I had nowhere to turn
to since I was new in the country.
Not every marriage story is sad
like the cases quoted above. Some
would be couples, who are brought
up in Aussie culture and way of
thinking, detest the dowry custom
and its misuse. They have been
brought up with a new mindset,
thus shaking off these age old cus-
toms which turned into abhorrent
acts of a society against women.
There have been weddings here
where girls and boys have shared
their wedding expenses. They take
their time, save and plan their life
together and dont even involve
parents in their decisions when
they marry.
Girls parents still want to
spend money lavishly saying that
they want their daughters to be
happy but young girls and boys
brought up here think otherwise.
They do not want parents to over-
spend and instead may ask for help
in financing the house when they
plan to buy, that is if the parents
want to. What the parents can
happily afford rather than putting
them in any kind of financial pres-
sure, said one couple.
We cut down the guest list
that my parents had made, wanting
to invite the whole of the town and
anyone they knew, said one girl.
I cut down the list of invitees by
half, thus saving a lot. My husband
agreed fully with it and we saved a
lot of money for our parents.
I did not want gold even
which most Indian parents want to
give to their daughters. I said to
mum why waste on gold jewellery,
which I was not even going to
wear. And even the saris. Mum
wanted to buy the way when she
had married - around two dozen of
those saris. I said I only wanted
two saris meant for the wedding
celebration that I was to wear and
thats that.
In the end, everyone was
happy and we enjoyed the wedding
and the functions a lot. There was
no pressure on anyone, she said.
Dr. Manjula OConnor, a psy-
chiatrist and head of the
Australasian Centre for Human
Rights and Health in Melbourne
who has data of 1,000 domestic
violence cases, says, There are
many cases where domestic vio-
lence occurred due to financial
demands not being met by the girls
and their families.
There was a petition tabled in
Victorian parliament during Ted
Baillieus time that word dowry
be added as a form of economic
abuse under the Family Violence
Protection Act 2008. This was
done in 2014 and followed up in
2015 again.
We put in a submission to the
Royal Commission that dowry
related cases were at least 50 per
cent of domestic violence cases;
hence dowry be added as one of
the causes as part of the Domestic
Violence Act. Luckily, the Royal
Commission accepted our submis-
sion and Daniel Andrews govern-
ment gave a public commitment
that they would agree 100 per cent
with the Royal Commissions rec-
ommendations, Manjula says.
She adds, Dowry is just not
an Indian problem but also of
women from Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh and Pakistan. The
problem does not exist alone as it
is coupled with physical as well as
emotional abuse. Its practice must
stop. We are holding a national
conference so that other states also
join in our struggle to fight dowry
related domestic violence. We try
to encourage people in such cir-
cumstances to get in touch with
police, refer to their GP, lawyer
and to get in touch with domestic
violence service.
In Sydney, Harman Foundation
also looks after domestic violence
cases and says that in some cases
dowry demands have been made.
These girls are so scared that
at times they just want to make up
at any cost even after we have
helped them live separately and
become independent. They feel,
being Indian and also for the sake
of their children, women want to
make up with the husband, says
Harinder Kaur.
Dr. Manjula OConnor, a
psychiatrist in Melbourne who
has data of 1,000 domestic
violence cases, says that domestic
violence usually occurs after
financial demands are not met by
the girls and their families.
 Community

Its time to stand up

to domestic violence
For Indian migrant women the issue of domestic violence is even more complex.
Challenges like language barriers, lack of family support and a limited knowledge of
Australian laws make leaving an abusive relationship much more difficult.
By Nitasha Bhatia because they carry the family enough. We need more men, with
Tasmin Bahar, dead. name whereas girls are often the courage, with the strength,
asmin Bahar who had viewed as added expenses. This with the moral integrity to break

T recently separated from

Dave Pillay, her partner of
six years, told relatives she was
notion of patriarchy has led to
widespread practice of sex-selec-
tion abortions within India, where
our complicit silence and challenge
each other and stand with women
and not against them.
starting to get her life back on parents are choosing to abort their For a real change to take place
track. On Fathers Day, she took unborn children simply because within our community there is a
her three-year-old daughter to they are female. need for a major paradigm shift
spend time with her dad. Dowry payments are another regarding women and violence.
However, the decision to visit her manifestation of the patriarchal Domestic violence is as much an
former partners house ultimately structure in India. Ravinder issue for men as it is for women.
proved fatal. Tasmin and Dave Thiara, a British Academic from It can start from as little as
were both found dead in the bath- the University of Warwick who standing up against someone mak-
room, according to police, Tasmin specialises in gender, race and vio- ing degrading comments against
by strangulation and Dave who lence, has found links between women or choosing to sign the
hung himself. dowry and domestic violence. petition to ban dowry in Australia.
Another case in March last Recently, in Australia there Ultimately the aim is to show
year is of Manjinder Ghuman, a have been reports of a growing that women should be treated with
beloved member of the number of incidents of dowry the respect, dignity and love they
Gordonvale community just north related violence. Kittu Randhawa, deserve.
of Cairns. Her husband, from an external Western System the founder of the Indian Crisis Instead of being a bystander to
Balwinder Ghuman, available through a range of and Support Agency (ICSA) in the violence within our communi-
allegedly stabbed her government funded servic- Sydney, expresses her dismay at ty, leading by example is one way
to death in a fit of es. Essentially, migrant the practice of dowry-giving. we can take a stand.
rage after an women find themselves Indian men with Australian per- Before another tragic event
argument over isolated and vulnera- manent residency demand exorbi- occurs in our community, fathers,
his heavy ble making it diffi- tant amounts of money from their sons, husbands, boyfriends, grand-
drinking cult to escape an brides family. In many situations, fathers, I urge you to think about
habit. He is abusive situation. it is not uncommon for a bride to what you can do.
also alleged The desire to pay for an Australian husband, For women experiencing
to have control one's only to become the victim of abuse Domestic Violence, Amrit urges
stabbed his partner appears to and exploitation when she you to seek help and look into
father-in- be the common arrives. Kittu is currently leading accessing professional counselling
law who thread amongst a campaign on behalf of the ICSA and mediation services to prevent
came in aid most domestic vio- calling for legislative changes to the situation from worsening. It's
of his daugh- lence incidents. In protect victims of dowry abuse. always better to take a prevention
ter. In many cases, control From dowry abuse to domes- approach.
Australia, is not only exercised tic-violence, a common thread As a community it is possible
women are three through physical vio- holds -- the belief that women are for us to create a change and pre-
times more likely lence but also emotional, allowed to be mistreated, exploited vent another Indian woman
than men to experi- Parwinder Kaur, sexual, psychological and and assaulted. becoming a statistic.
ence domestic assault was killed in 2013. financial abuse. Jason Katz, a prominent anti- For help or information
inflicted by an intimate part- A notable display of domi- sexist activist, has talked about a regarding domestic violence, call
ner. atic nance and control was evident in way we can potentially address this the Sexual Assault, Domestic
And, on average, a woman will approach to the case of Nikita Chawla, a 23- issue. There are so many men Family Violence Counselling
endure thirty-five assaults before erode their confidence, independ- year-old aspiring dancer who was who care deeply about these Service on 1800 737 732, or visit
she makes her first complaint. ence and social networks. murdered by her husband last issues, but caring deeply is not 1800respect.org.au
The cases of Tasmin and Eventually the women lose their year. It was revealed at the court
Manjinder were no different, with ability and confidence to make hearing that Nikitas husband,
both women enduring a history of decisions for themselves and con- Parminder Singh, had murdered
physical and emotional abuse at the tinue to live with the abuse. her in an act of vengeance after
hands of their partners. Why did For Indian migrant women the suspicion she was cheating on him.
the victims choose to endure this issue of domestic violence is even Singhs actions were described by
abuse? more complex. Factors like lan- the court justice as an exercise of
Why do countless other women guage barriers, lack of family sup- control to ensure that she did not
stay in similar abusive relation- port and a limited knowledge of share her life with anyone else.
ships? Australian laws make leaving an Dr Manjula OConnor, a
Amrit Varsha, a community abusive relationship much more Melbourne based psychiatrist and
educator on the issue of domestic difficult. a campaigner for human rights,
and family violence from Granville Amrit says, Traditionally, suggests that the male patriarchal
TAFE, says that in most domestic Indian women have relied solely system, which is still going on in
violence incidents women will on immediate and extended family [India] is largely responsible for
make multiple attempts to leave for support on family relationship violent incidents in our communi-
before they finally decide to leave issues. If that fails, they will seek ty. In our culture there still exists
for good. They fall prey to perpe- support from close friends. They undertones of male dominance. Manjinder Ghuman, dead.
trators who use a planned, system- are not accustomed to seeking help From birth, boys are venerated

January-February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 17

Community
Ambedkar, the architect of Indian constitution
This Republic Day, let us remember the fiery pioneer of
Dalit awakening who ended up drafting perhaps the
best written constitution in the world.
l By Sanjeev Raja
abasahib Ambedkar did a lot for the
B untouchables. But it seems he was
unable to read into the minds of
humans and the greed that drives them.
While achieving his life-long goal to uplift
the lower castes that had been downtrodden
for centuries, the institution of reservations
for them in the Indian constitution, now at
more than 48 per cent, has caused contro-
versies that plague the nation today.
Reservations being an attractive option in a
not so abundant society, more and more
castes today fight to join the bandwagon.
Ambedkar also achieved his vow not to die
as a Hindu as he converted to Buddhism just
two months prior to his death.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AND
EARLY INFLUENCES
Bhimrao Ambedkar was born in Mhow,
in western Madhya Pradesh, in 1891 into
the untouchable Mahar caste. His father
was in the British Army. In school, Bhim
tasted the bitter reality of life as he had to sit
on the floor in one corner in the classroom.
Teachers would not touch his notebooks. He
could only drink water if someone else
poured water into his mouth. Once Bhim,
when he drank from the public reservoir,
was beaten by the higher caste Hindus. He
realized this was the plight of anyone born
untouchable. K.A. Keluskar, an assistant
teacher at the Wilson High School, intro-
duced him to the teachings of Buddha that
would later influence him into converting to
Buddhism.
PROTESTING AGAINST
UNTOUCHABILITY
A brilliant student, Ambedkar earned
doctorates from both Columbia University
and the London School of Economics. After
his education, the Maharaja of Baroda
appointed him as his Military Secretary but
no one would take orders from an untouch-
able Mahar. He could not even get lodging
and not even the prime minister appointed
by the Maharaja for the task could help him
find a place to live.
Ambedkar returned to Bombay in
November 1917. With the help of Shahu
Maharaj of Kolhapur, a sympathizer of the
cause for the upliftment of the depressed
classes, he started a fortnightly newspaper,
the Mooknayak (Leader of the Dumb) in
1920. In July 1924, Ambedkar founded the
Bahishkrut Hitkaraini Sabha, aimed at
scrapping the caste system from the Hindu
religion. Soon he became a father-figure to
the poor and downtrodden and was respect-
fully called Babasaheb.
In March 1927, attendees at a confer-
ence of the depressed classes held at Mahad
decided to implement the resolution passed
four years earlier to open public places to all
regardless of religion, caste or creed by
drinking from the Chavdar Taley (Sweet-
water Tank). They walked to the tank and
drank its water. Higher caste Hindus
18 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January-February 2017
attacked them.
DESPERATE AND
CONTROVERSIAL APPROACH
In 1929, Ambedkar made the controver-
sial decision to co-operate with the all-
British Simon Commission which was to
look into setting up a responsible Indian
government in India. The Congress decided
to boycott the Commission and drafted its
own version of a constitution for free India.
The Congress version made no provisions
for the depressed classes. Ambedkar
became more sceptical of the Congress's
commitment to safeguard their rights. He
pressed for a separate electorate for the
depressed classes.
When a separate electorate was
announced for the depressed classes,
Gandhiji went on a fast unto death against
this decision. Leaders rushed to Dr.
Ambedkar to drop his demand but he held
fast and did not buckle under the immense
pressure. Finally, on September 24, 1932
Ambedkar and Gandhiji signed the Poona
Pact. According to the pact the separate
electorate demand was replaced with special
concessions like reserved seats in the
regional legislative assemblies and Central
Council of States.
On October 13, 1935, at a conference at
Nasik, Dr. Ambedkar reviewed the progress
made on the condition of the untouchables
in the decade since he had started his agita-
tion. Ambedkar declared that their efforts
had not borne the kind of results he had
expected. He then made his dramatic appeal
to the untouchables, encouraging them to
forsake the Hindu religion and convert to a
religion where they would be treated with
equality. The nation was shocked.
The British Government agreed to hold
elections at the provincial level in 1937. The
Congress, Muslim League and Hindu
Mahasabha started gearing up for the elec-
tions. Dr. Ambedkar set up the Independent
Labor Party in August 1936 to contest the
elections in the Bombay province. On
February 17, 1937, Ambedkar and many of
his candidates won this with a thumping
majority.
ARCHITECT OF THE INDIAN
CONSTITUTION
The Indian constitution was drafted and
presented to the assembly in February 1948.
It was unique in several ways:
1. It is only one of the few written constitu
tions
2. It is comprehensive yet written in a very
careful language
3. It is flexible yet having sufficient rigidity
to prevent evil intentions
4. It is built to include amendments in future
as required by time
After three readings before the con-
stituent assembly, the draft constitution was
finally ratified on November 26, 1949. It
had 395 Articles and 8 Schedules. It would
formally be adopted by the nation on
January 26, 1950.
In his speech after the ratification,
Babasahib Ambedkar made a fervent appeal
to all Indians to support equality, which is
very pertinent today in a nation where caste
and religion-based politics is rampant.
How long shall we continue to deny equal-
ity in our social and economic life? If we
continue to deny it for long, we will only
put our political democracy in peril. We
must remove this contradiction at the earli-
est possible moment or else those who suf-
fer from inequality will blow up the struc-
ture of political democracy which this
Assembly has so laboriously built up, he
said.
GANDHI VERSUS AMBEDKAR
In the second Round Table Conference
that began in London in September 1931,
Mahatma Gandhi made an argument in
favour of seeing the Indian National
Congress as the sole representative of the
Indian people, since it had members of
Hindu and Muslim religions in its party in
high positions. It also had members of the
depressed classes as well as two of its pres-
idents were women Sarojini Naidu, the
Nightingale of India, and Annie Besant.
Ambedkar showed his far-sighted view
of nationhood in the conference when he
took on the Indian Princes, stating that in a
free and democratic India there was no place
for the princes.
Ambedkar also had several arguments
with Gandhi about the representation of the
depressed classes. Ambedkar made it very
clear to the Conference Chairman, Mr
Radcliffe, that he would not allow the Indian
National Congress to hijack or undermine
the rights and demands of the depressed
classes.
Gandhi went on a fast unto death asking
the British to repeal this recommendation of
separate electorates. He was promptly put in
jail!
Ambedkar visited Gandhi in jail and was
moved by his pitiful health situation.
Ambedkar acceded and agreed to institute
instead a reservation of 148 seats for the
depressed classes in the provincial assem-
blies and also 10 per cent of the Hindu seats
from British India in the Central Assembly.
This tug-of-war between the two men went
on for quite a while with Gandhi often
threatening fasts unto death when it suited
him to bend others to his will.
AMBEDKAR AND BUDDHISM
On May 24 1956, Ambedkar formally
announced in Bombay that he would become
a Buddhist. Ambedkar organized and
presided over the Depressed Classes
Conference. He stated that Buddhism was a
religion that promoted equality.
On October 14, 1956, Ambedkar came
to Nagpur to formally convert to Buddhism.
With 500,000 people in attendance, Dr.
Ambedkar and his wife accepted Buddhism.
Within a few months of this momentous
event, Ambedkar passed away in his sleep
in the early morning of December 6, 1956.
He was 65-years-old. He had often said: I
solemnly assure you that I will not die as a
Hindu.
A mural
depicting
Balasaheb
Ambedkar
handing over a
copy of the
Indian
constitution he
drafted to the
then President
Rajendra
Prasad as
Nehru, Patel,
Rajagopalachari
and Azad
look on.

Im destinys child
Exclusive interview with the real-life Lion Saroo Brierley
By Neeru Saluja
n India, around 80,000 chil-
I dren go missing every year.
Most may never be found. In
1987, five-year old Saroo
found himself lost in the slums
of Kolkata. But luck favoured
him as he was adopted by
Hobart couple John and Sue
Brierley and grew up in
Tasmania.
Saroo grows up as a mid-
dle class Australian, fond of
sailing and cricket. But
the memories of his
childhood haunt him.
His yearning to find a
connection to his past
consumes his life.
Twenty-five years
later, using his child-
hood memories and
Google Earth, he
manages to track
down his home town
and his birth mother.
The film Lion is Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman both wanted to play the roles they finally bagged in the
based on Saroos
incredible journey of
finding his family against all odds.
This emotional story has captivat-
ed the hearts of millions across the
world. Starring Dev Patel (as
Saroo) and Nicole Kidman in the
most memorable roles of their
career, armed with Golden Globe
nominations and a strong con-
tender for the Oscars, Lion will
make you cry.
Thanks to Transmission Films
which is releasing the film across
Australia on January 19, we had a
one-on-one conversation with the
real life hero Saroo Brierley while
he is promoting the film.
As he tells Sydney on the
opening day of Lion how he has
cried every time watching the
film, Saroo never imagined his
story will suddenly grab the atten-
tion of the world. I feel ecstatic
that this has happened to me. I
Saroo Brierley posing with Dev Patel and Sunny Pawar,
who play him in the movie Lion.
movie, a strong contender for Oscar..
never thought in my wildest
dream that my story would
become a worldwide phenome-
non. This is so surreal. The great
thing about the film is that it has a
positive side. Everyone I know is
enchanted after watching this
film. The audience get something
out of the film whichever stage of
life they are in. I feel happy as
there are many people who are
depressed and living under a shad-
ow. The amount of emails I have
been getting from people thanking
me for sharing my story and how
it has helped open their eyes
makes me feel very satisfied.
The statistics of missing chil-
dren in India is increasing year by
year. So are there more stories out
there which have been untold that
Saroo has come across? Yes,
there have been many people out
there who have shared their sto-
ries with me, not just from India,
their self-discovery and looking
for a closure. After watching the
film and reading the book they
have felt empowered to talk about
their stories. These people come
from all over the world and are
going on a quest to find their long
lost loved ones.
The film is based on his book
Lion A Long Way Home.
Saroo never thought his book
would lead into a movie. So how
did the series of events unfold a
few years ago? The concept of
the book came in May 2011 when
I was approached by a publishing
company. It was the same year
that I found Google Earth and it
took me a year to find my home
and get permission from my fam-
ily to go to my hometown. It also
gave me a chance to save some
money! In February 2012 I ven-
Nicole Kidman and Sunny Pawar in a scene from the movie.
January-February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 19
Adopted by a Hobart couple when he was a child, Saroo
Brierley went to India in 2012 and found his mother.
tured into India, this
was my first time
back to India since I
left in 1987. Going
back to my home coun-
try after 25 years
brought a lot of ups and
downs, electrons and neutrons
running crazy in my brain. I
had decided to embark on this
journey on my own.
On a Sunday I landed in
Khandwa, the town looked unfa-
miliar but I asked the taxi driver
to go to the train station and
before I knew I was walking
towards the street in Ganesh Talai
where I lived and there I was
standing outside the door of my
home where I was born. Within a
few minutes I was face to face
with my mum after 25 years. With
tears coming down our eyes, we
met which was the most pivotal
moment of my life.
Saroo has relived this moment
every time he visits his family
back home. Ive spent my whole
life looking for my family. I have
visited them 14 times in the past
four years. Its easier on my
mums mind rather than seeing
Bollywood
her once a year. I have also visit-
ed my orphanage and met Mrs.
Sood a few times. Im very fortu-
nate to think I have a third moth-
er there.
He is also full of praise for the
lead characters of the film: Both
Dev Patel and Nicole have done
an amazing job. The work they
have put in is above heads and
shoulders. I dont think there is
anyone better, and they wanted
the role which is even better.
They both told their managers to
get this film for them and not
come back without getting the
film!
Finding his mother has
changed Saroos life. His grieving
loss and search has come to an
end. His memories that led to his
home are a part of his identity. If
I forgot everything I would have
lost my identity. Being an adoptee
we are a destinys child.
An uplifting story of Saroos
determination and unwavering
faith, Lion will touch the hearts
of every Indian living in
Australia. The film is showing in
cinemas all across Australia from
19 January onward.
Bollywood
Raman Raghav 2.0 (titled Psycho
Raman for foreign audiences) has made
the director Anurag Kashyap a favourite
guest for festivals Down Under.
By Neeru Saluja
irector Anurag Kashyap
D never fails to create waves
in the film industry. Be it
his passion to make films, the end-
less fight against the censor board
or his cameo acting appearances.
He always fights for change in cin-
ema and is a fearless and inde-
pendent filmmaker. And thats
why a conversation with him is
candid, intellectual and unconven-
tional.
Thanks to Mercury Cinema in
Adelaide, we engaged in a long
conversation with him in between
his visits to Australia for film fes-
tivals showcasing his latest film
Psycho Raman (Raman Raghav
2.0). With an undying love for
Australia and a wish to go diving
in the Great Barrier Reef, Anurag
starts talking about the film that
has made him a favourite guest for
festivals down under.
Psycho Raman is a film about
exploring the nature of humans
within the Indian society when the
world is becoming so extreme
wing, fundamental and hyper-sen-
sitive. For the plot, I have used a
serial killer and an unrequited love
story between two men. Crime has
always fascinated me. I love the
human aspect of crime. Im happy
to show my film in Australia, its a
big honour as I havent shown
many films here.
Before Psycho Raman, Anurag
made the magnum opus Bombay
Velvet which failed miserably at
the box office. Its said that the
failure of this prompted him to
make the crime thriller Psycho
Raman. Confirms Anurag, This
is absolutely true. I couldnt recov-
er the money from Bombay Velvet
because of the failure. So I took a
take on it and made my next film.
Commercial success or failure
has never affected his urge to make
films. Last year, he fought a tiring
battle for Udta Punjab with the
censorship board. His first crime
film Paanch never saw the light
due to the censor cuts. So is it a
never ending fight? The censor-
ships in India is not consistent. It
basically depends on who sits to
20 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January-February 2017
I want my audience to be
provoked and disturbed:
Anurag Kashyap
chair the committee. The fight is
endless. I have had more battles
than this one, but this time the
fight was more voracious, tells
Anurag.
So do you call yourself a fight-
er? I would rather call myself a
survivor! I want to stand up for my
fundamental right that has been
given to me. I understand my
rights and who doesnt, I dont
want them to interpret them for
me.
And this is the reason why
Anurag still rules since his strug-
gling Paanch days. How would
you define your journey, struggle
and your biggest challenges? Its
been a fun and an emotional roller- Kashyap says he loved working with Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Raman Raghav 2.0 about a serial killer.
coaster ride! Challenges are Hes a brilliant actor. He completely gets into (the skin of) a character.
always there. The most difficult
challenge is what lies ahead. I kind of character. Amongst bold statements, Anurag has international film festivals. In
dont like going to the past. I actresses, Radhika Apte is bril- always been termed controversial. India it takes time. It took four
wouldnt wish for another life. I liant. You have named your To this he declares, Speaking the years for India to accept Gangs of
wouldnt have been another per- favourite actors, but which are the truth makes you controversial. I Wasseypur. They wait for the star
son. Struggle is in the head. If you films that are close to your heart? dont think I have done anything rating of the film.
want privilege you need to strug- Gulaal and Ugly. Both were very controversial. I always stand up Last but not the least, what
gle. Its all about the choices you emotional experiences. Gulaal for what I believe in. message would you like to give
make and the consequences you took 8 years to make. It was an You have always believed in with your upcoming films? I
have to face. I cant blame it on emotional ride. There was always modern cinema. Do you see the dont believe films should give a
others. I have always been ready an uncertainty if the film will see film industry changing? People message. I want the audience to be
for the consequences that I had to the light. Ugly was about a child are more accepting now. That kind disturbed and provoked, I want the
face because of my decisions in and that was the reason why I of cinema always existed. There is film to live with them, says
life. made the film. Be it his films or always an immediate reaction at Anurag.
With this tumultuous ride,
Anurag has dabbled not only as a
director, but a writer, actor and
producer. But he enjoys writing
the most. Acting is not my cup of
tea. I enjoy writing the most. I can
write anywhere. I write with my
hand. I dont type. I just lock
myself in the room. I like to write
my own scripts and know aspects
of my film.
With films, I go very much
by instinct. If I feel strongly about
anything I go forward with it. Im
a very organic person. If I dont
relate to a film, I wont do it. My
script decides the actor, says
Anurag.
Talking about actors, you have
mentioned that while making
Raghav Raman, you loved work-
ing with Nawazuddin Siddiqui? I
loved working with him. Hes a
brilliant actor. He completely gets
into a character and has the most His vicious villains role in Sonakshi Sinha starrer Akira was appreciated,
expressive eyes. He fits in any but Anurag Kashyap says, Acting is not my cup of tea.
 Community

Performance in Higher School Certificate (HSC) examinations sets the direction for life, a path for
higher studies and a career one wants to follow. Indian children are exceptional in the sense that they
take studies seriously and aim high. They are a delight to talk to and an inspiration to the next lot of
HSC students in every way, not only for their hard work, but also ingenuity and insight into the subtle
tricks and advice they are able to impart to future students.
TIDU talked to some of the top achievers who made the community proud
when HSC results arrived early this year. By Neena Badhwar

Rohan Krishnaswamy is Rishabh Malhotra only

on cloud nine being one of came a year ago from India
the top 30 students from before he was admitted in
more than 65,000 who year 12. He joined Epping
attempted HSC 2016 in Boys High where the school
NSW. He has scored an told him that there was a
ATAR rank of 99.95. He whole lot of syllabus he had
exclaims, This is it. This is to cover from year 11 before
the top most score and I was they could consider him
pleasantly surprised by my competent enough to attempt
results. his HSC.
There is no ATAR of a I was there for a week to
100 because a rank of 100 get admission when they
means you have beaten 100 gave me the books on each
per cent of your fellow stu- subject and asked me to Rishabh Malhotra topped in Hindi Continuers
dents, including yourself. cover the syllabus. I was on
This James Ruse Agriculture Rohan Krishnaswamy honoured by my flight back to India looking at all the books. Soon I came back and during the summer
High school student says, Education Minister Adrian Piccoli holidays I went through the whole year-11 course.
Although everything is The school was happy, especially my Deputy Principal, Mr Ian Lowcock, who helped
good about the school, theres only one thing bad, which is its stressful environment due me tremendously. I knew a lot already and could see that I could cover it all and caught
to too much competition amongst its students. up soon with the rest of the students.
Too much competition or not, Rohan has managed to score high band sixes in all his I was allocated a buddy who introduced me to a few friends who, all through my year
subjects such as Extension 2 Maths, Advanced English, Physics and Chemistry while top- 12, helped and have now become my life-long friends.
ping in Chemistry in the state. Yes, I did have stressful moments as I did not understand the HSC and the ATAR sys-
He says it was his favourite subject. He says his older sister helped him in the subject tem. In India I was always achieving above 90 percent in all my subjects. But here I slipped
while his younger sister who is only in year one was a relief to be with when he played down to between 60 and 70 per cent, which was a worry.
with her. Rohan found HSC quite stressful and says he relied on a lot of extracurricular Rishabh scored a high 98 in Hindi, topping the state, 87 in Economics, 87 in 2U Maths,
activities such as music. He played guitar all the way through his HSC and also joined an 87 in Business Studies and 82 in General English.
amateur band towards the end of his term. English was difficult because I did not know the art of essay and creative writing but
What he found helpful was doing a bit of work every day and never ever procrastinat- I took help from everywhere, got tuition, attended HSC seminars and BOSTES website.
ing. He has made his family and school proud being among the top 30 students in the state. Also I talked a lot to the tutors. Everything helped. My parents were very supportive and
Rohan has decided to do medicine and would like to be employed, once he has finished when I had doubts creeping up with my results, they never put any pressure on me. They
his studies, in rural areas which he says have a desperate shortage of doctors. said not to worry. Hindi was my favourite and IABBV school teachers again were very
helpful and gave us lots of past papers to practice, Rishab says.
Kabir Agrawal of Sydney To move to a new country and not only learn its ways but also finish year 11 during
Boys High School has scored summer holidays and catch up with the rest of his year 12 class and achieve a first in state
an ATAR of 99.70 and is in Hindi, Rishab Malhotra inspires us all. Rishab plans to study Finance/Marketing from
really happy about it. Armed UNSW.
with this high rank Kabir
says he is able to get into the Payal Parikh topped in the state in Indonesian
course of his choice, which Extension and when contacted by the Board of
is Actuarial Studies. studies, Payal says, she was surprised as she
Developing complex did not expect such high achievement. It was
models and analysing risks the best phone call Payal got.
in financial markets would Payal achieved high band six in her Maths
be an interesting line of subjects, Band 6 in Indonesian continuers, and
study, says this Maths high band 5 in Advanced English and
whizz-kid who aced in his Kabir Agrawal with parents Economics. Payal has decided to take up Civil
Maths Extension 1, getting Engineering at the university. She says it has
100 marks and in Maths Extension 2, a high 99. His Maths performance also put him in good career prospects as there is a lot of new
the top state rank at number 10. construction going on and also because Maths
And its not as if Kabir didnt do well in his other subjects. He got above 90 marks in and Physics have always been her favourite.
all the subjects with 92 in Advanced English, 91 in Physics, 93 in Chemistry and 92 in And how did she decide to take up
Economics. How did he spend his time studying when HSC is so full on with exams, assign- Indonesian.
ments? I am a morning guy. So, I always got up at 5 am in the morning and studied for It was all by accident. I took it in year 7
1-2 hours before going to the school. Kabir also is an all-rounder as he amassed a whole and then having done for four year I got
lot of awards during his school years a High distinction in Maths competition 2015, a addicted to it. And did she have any stressful
Sydney Boys high Trophy for an all-round achievement as a student, Lennie Basser Award moments? Yes it was a bit scary at times.
for Scientific initiative 2016 and many more. Pressure can get to you. I did lots of walking, Payal Parikh topped in
About the school that is ranked number 7 this year, Kabir says, Its a great school real- listening to music, watching movies. You just Indonesian Extension
ly. And the family, how did they react about his achievement? have to push through and keep working, says
Payal.

January-February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 21

Bollywood
By Neeru Saluja
3-year-old Sukhmani Khaira
2 stands confident yet calm as
she wins the title of Miss India
Australia 2016. A perfect mix of
beauty and brains, she is all set to
fulfil her dream of joining the film
industry and follow the footsteps of
her sister, Punjabi actress Japji
Khaira.
To fulfil this dream, her mentor
Raj Suri is working equally hard as
they went to compete in the interna-
tional pageant Miss India
Worldwide. Founded in 2001 by
Raj Suri, Miss India Australia is the
first such beauty pageant. Aiming to
infuse confidence and belief through
auditions and self-image work-
shops, Raj has given a voice and
platform to young Australian
women of Indian origin to positive-
ly contribute to the society. The for-
mer Miss India Australia winners
include actresses Vimala Raman,
Pallavi Sharda and Ankita Ghazan.
Sukhmani spoke to TIDU.
Exceprts:
Congratulations Sukhmani on
being crowned Miss India
Australia 2016. What inspired
you to enter the contest?
I wanted to create a change in
the local community with the poten-
tial to reach a global audience in
order to contribute to pressing
issues in our society. I am co-
founder in a charity organisation
"International Humanitarian
Federation" which sets up free med-
ical treatment camps around north
India. I saw the Miss India
Australia competition as an oppor-
tunity to get out of my comfort zone
and as a platform which would help
me make a positive impact on other
people's lives. I also wanted to help
inspire other girls and women to
Neekita Naidu: Miss Supermodel Universe
By Neeru Saluja
he dusky and svelte beauty
T clearly stood out as the win-
ner at Miss India Australia,
but it was her positivity and confi-
dence that made her win the title of
Miss Supermodel Universe in
Bulgaria. With a months prepara-
tion, many sleepless nights and
mentoring from her coach Reena
Koak, director of Miss India
Australia Corporation, Neekita
Naidu nailed the competition.
With Reenas vision of not
going home empty-handed as her
motivation, Neekitas confidence
and go to attitude impressed the
judges on day two itself as she won
Miss Best Body at a fashion show
held in Sofia.
Following is an exclusive inter-
view with the beauty queen who also
juggles a full-time job as a Product
Coordinator at Flight Centre.
How was the experience repre-
senting your country at an inter-
national pageant? Was the com-
22 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January-February 2017
feel secure within themselves and
their inner beauty which counts.
And I knew about the various doors
of opportunities Miss India
Australia would open for me to pur-
sue in Bollywood, fashion or mod-
elling.
How was it like competing in Miss
India Worldwide in New Jersey?
This pageant was an experience
I will cherish for life as I got an
opportunity to represent Australia
on an international platform. This
year was the 25th anniversary of the
worldwide pageant, which made it
even more special for me to be part
of it. There were participants from
30 different countries. We got the
opportunity to be trained in chore-
ography by well-known personali-
ties from Mumbai like Sandip
Soparrkar and were trained on our
catwalk by supermodel Alesia Raut.
We were judged by the ever so
lovely Bollywood actress
Meenakshi Seshadri and Tia
Sharma. There was a talent round in
which I presented a monologue on
women empowerment - The Girl
Child. We had an Indian Round as
well as Evening Gown Round. We
also had the pleasure of touring
around New York City.
There are many beauty pageants
happening amongst the Indian
community in Sydney. What is
unique about Miss India
brushed up on my catwalk skills
just being confident on the stage
What would you describe as your
petition tough?
The experience was overwhelm-
ing. Growing up I always dreamt of
representing my country. I always
wanted to feel proud as it is a big
responsibility of being an ambassa-
dor of a country. There is a patriot-
Australia?
Raj Suri's Miss
India Australia is over 15 years
old. This is a renowned platform.
His mentorship, knowledge and
experience have polished success-
ful Indian Australian women like
Ankita Ghazan, who acted in
Heroine with Kareena Kapoor,
Pallavi Sharda who starred in
Besharam opposite Ranbir
Kapoor and Vimala Raman who
has done over 50 South Indian
films. Once you win Miss India
Australia you are not just a title
holder but also a role model
for people, especially women
of all ages. You have a num-
ber of opportunities which can
open in modelling and acting.
I have learnt so many things
from the Miss India Australia
auditions like how to walk, how to
give that perfect pose, maintain pos-
tures, poise and how to carry
myself in a way that I never had.
Also, my level of confidence and
self-belief increased because I had
never participated in any pageant
before.
Like Vimala Raman and Pallavi
Sharda before you, do you wish to
join the film industry?
These two and my sister Japji
Khaira are all successful actresses
in the film industry. I do wish too as
its always been a dream of mine to
ic feel about it.
The competition was definitely
tough. All the contestants were
highly skilled and professional
models. I went and gave my best
shot. I also enjoyed the experience
and kept my focus.
How did you practice and pre-
pare as you had only a month?
Honestly it went so fast that I
did not even have time to practice.
However, we had some late night
sessions between me and the direc-
tor of Miss India Australia as we
discussed our pros and cons and
give us the platform and supporting
after dinners in Sofia. The rest was
along with all the mentors associat-
and flaunting what you had.
What is your day job and how do
asset when you competed with
other participants?
I am proud to say my biggest
asset was two things that never ever
gave me confidence till date: my
dark skin and my petite figure
which made me really stand out.
The key is to always have a smile
and never let negative energy get to
be on the big screen. I'm currently
undergoing intense industry work-
shops with Raj Suri and Karigar
Australia company where I'm being
trained and mentored and working
on polishing my talent to prepare
me for potential future opportunities
in Bollywood and modelling.
How would you like to become a
role model for Indian women?
I feel honoured as Miss India
Australia to be able to inspire other
women to fulfil their dreams, big or
small. We, as women, have been
you. I also got along really well
with the makeup artists, the design-
ers and judges with my loving out-
going attitude. At the end of the day
it all counts.
Whom would you call your men-
tors and pillars of strength during
this time?
My little sister and my cousin
are my biggest fans and supporters
who go crazy for my every achieve-
ment and have supported my jour-
ney. Also to the Miss India
Australia Co-operation director
Reena Koak for working hard to
Any message for aspiring women?
us and mentoring us throughout
faith in your capabilities and work
ed with the Co-operation.
should surely enjoy yourself and
you keep fit?
I work as a fulltime product co-
ordinator for Flight Centre at the
Head Office. Being in the travel
industry, ever since I stepped into
the professional scene, it has always
been my passion to be a career ori-
ented independent woman, which I
always will be. On fitness, I am
gifted with so many virtues as car-
ers, nurturers, givers that some-
times we second guess ourselves
when it comes to fulfilling our own
dream. The key message I would
hope any woman or girl would take
from my experience is to not be
afraid of chasing their dreams and
living life to the fullest, irrespective
of how impossible it may seem right
now. Just get started and don't be
afraid to step out of your comfort
zone because that's where the magic
happens.
lucky that I have been blessed with
the perfect genes and have very
high metabolism and do not even
need to work out. Every now and
then I try to eat healthy but I am not
a fan of sweets anyway which
helps.
After winning the title, what are
your future plans?
For now I am focusing on what
comes my way. I like to live in the
moment and focus on one thing at a
time. I guess you will have to wait
and see what the next journey is for
me.
Just believe in yourself, have
hard to achieve your dreams. You
have a passion for it and when you
do come on board the journey,
leave all negativity outside the door.
You are there to win for yourself
and motivate yourself. It is always
not about winning. Personally, I
think it is about what you can learn
and from there what you can
improve on to make yourself better.

Indian scientists make Australia
an innovative country
Prof Veena Sahajwalla
By Neena Badhwar
ndian academics, wherever they have
I settled in the world, have contributed
through their innovative work in the
fields of science, engineering and research.
Quietly, they have transformed the society,
at times recognised, working in labs using
ingenuous ways and techniques to make life
better in the 21st century.
Few names come to mind, prominent
among them, Professor Veena
Sahajwalla who has been focussing on
turning waste from plastic and glass using
high temperatures.
Dr Anoop Kumar Arya has invented a new
type of footing called Soil Anchor Footing
which can be used to support steel or con-
crete columns, walls, light posts, sign posts,
electrical substation equipment, pipe sup-
port, railway infrastructure, light industrial
infrastructure etc.
Dr Arya has filed patent applications in
Australia, USA and India for this light-
weight footing that requires minimum exca-
vation and soil disposal and is quite eco-
nomical.
Dr Sharath Sriram, Associate
Professor at RMIT, has developed nanoscale
electronic memories. His team has demon-
strated memory cells, down to the size of a
few nanometres that store multiple informa-
tion states like a drummer switch, rather
than the conventional on/off switch.
Rahul Das is another engineer with his
work on immersive asset capture which uses
a 360-degree camera to take pictures of an
area which then integrates the images and a
geo-positional signature to create a database
of images that can be located on a map. This
allows the users to be immersed in a 360-
degree overview of the area even when off
site. The system is beneficial for planning
and sharing with people on site, in central
engineering teams, vendors and contractors.
Dr Dharmica Mistry, Young Women
of the Year 2016, is BCAL (Breast Cancer
Associated Lipids) Resources chief scientist.
While working in a small start-up com-
pany, Dharmica used her own hair as a neg-
ative control. She noticed a feature which
they had been seeing on hair from women
with breast cancer. She just had to go get
her breast checked up. Lucky for her as she
was given an all clear.
But she put her thinking cap on as she
remembered that she put olive oil in her hair
every week. So she brought olive oil and
smeared her hair in it and then x-rayed it
Dr Anoop Kumar Arya
David Nayagam
again. We realised it was the lipid that
caused the feature. If it could be seen on hair
then it could be found in blood, she says.
BCAL diagnostics, a company especial-
ly created for her, is now completing a 100-
patient blind study, to reaffirm its results.
Hopefully, the BCAL blood test can enter
the market, she says.
David Nayagam and his team are
working on a bionic eye to help visually-
impaired people. The research is supported
by a consortium of Bionic Institute, the
Centre for Eye Research, Data61 and the
universities of Melbourne and UNSW.
Nayagams team comprises of people
from a range of fields that include ophthal-
mology, electrical engineering, neuro-
science and materials science. The devices
being developed are aimed at those with
retinitis pigmentosa a group of inherited
disorders that eventually lead to loss of
vision and age-related macular degenera-
tion.
Queensland Fresh Scientist Peoples
Award winner Sohinee Sarkar finds how
to disarm the superbugs causing the urinary
tract infections that can no longer be treated
with antibiotics.
My research has devised a strategy to
stop the superbugs by identifying their
essential weapons so they can be blocked
and left harmless, says Dr Sohinee Sarkar,
a postdoctoral researcher at the Queensland
University of Technologys Institute of
Health and Biomedical Innovation.
In this way, we can treat the infection
without using antibiotics that can create
more and more resistant bacteria, Sohinee
says. The work of these scientists is helping
society and has the potential for patents.
Some of the scientists are being support-
ed by bilateral research that is being pro-
Dr Sharath Sriram
Sohinee Sarkar
moted by both Australia and India.
Four Australian scientists will be travel-
ling to India in 2017 to undertake ground-
breaking research at some of Indias leading
research institutions.
The researchers will investigate new
superconductors for use in experimental
fusion power generators, new ways of iden-
tifying bacteria developing resistance to
antibiotic medications, the way in which
black rats spread disease in different parts of
India, and the effect of music on the recov-
ery of patients with heart failure.
The Australia-India Strategic Research
Fund Fellows have been selected by the
Australian Academy of Science from a com-
petitive field of applicants and will receive
$88,000 from the Australian Government to
undertake their research.
The president of the Australian
Academy of Science, Professor Andrew
Holmes, says that the fellowships are an
important component of Australias engage-
ment with global scientific enterprise and
serve to strengthen existing ties between
researchers in Australia and India, the
worlds second-most populous country and
an emerging scientific superpower.
Dr Mohammed Shahriar Hossain
(University of Wollongong) will investigate
with the Institute for Plasma Research
superconductors for low-cost fusion power
for a sustainable future.
Dr Vicki Thomson (University of
Adelaide) will work with the Tata Institute
of Fundamental Research to study the dis-
ease risk from black rat species in India.
Dr Samia Toukhsati (Austin Health,
Vic) will research the effect of relaxing
music on the autonomic nervous system in
heart failure patients, with Manipal
University and Kasturba Medical College
January-February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 23
Community
Dr Dharmica Mistry
Yash Arora
and Hospital.
And Dr Mike Williams (CSIRO Land
and Water, SA), in association with the
Indian Institute of Chemical Technology,
will look at identifying antibiotic and antimi-
crobial resistance in the Moosi River near
Hyderabad using chemical and biochemical
markers. The Australia-India Strategic
Research Fund is Australias largest fund
dedicated to bilateral research with any
country and is one of Indias largest sources
of support for international science. A recip-
rocal fellowships scheme funded by the
Indian Government will support Indian sci-
entists to visit Australia from early 2017.
The youngest in the line-up is 14-year-
old Yash Arora who did a study of the dete-
rioration of drinking water quality in the
Gold Coast region. Yash Arora is one of the
finalists in BHP Billiton Science and
Engineering Awards 2016.
Interested in a report on the degradation
of water quality in Tasmanias supply, Yash
turned his attention to water quality closer to
home. He investigated two water treatment
plants and conducted six trials of 14 differ-
ent places for indicators including pH, dis-
solved oxygen, turbidity and concentration
of iron. His results showed minor deteriora-
tion in some parameters, but the overall
quality of the water was fit for human con-
sumption.
Yashs data can help the Gold Coast City
Council in planning a system of regular
sampling and identifying locations for
improving their water distribution system.
Indian minds are sharp and are con-
tributing positively to the country they have
adopted. Not just the parents, young chil-
dren of Indian heritage are equally conspic-
uous among the lot. Young Yash Arora is a
shining testamont.
Community

AIBC first all women delegation pitches

Australia to Vibrant Gujarat
ustralia India Business Council

A (AIBC), the peak body facilitating bi-

lateral trade and investment between
Australia and India, has capped off a success-
ful year in enhancing the bilateral relation-
ship, and revealed a packed calendar of
events for 2017 beginning with the recently-
concluded business delegation to the biennial
Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2017, and continuing
with an official welcome for Dr Ajay M
Gondane, the new High Commissioner of
India to Australia, as well as the first-of-its-
kind AIBC Women in Business delegation to
India later this year.
During the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, the
30-strong AIBC delegation met with the Chief
Minister of Gujarat, Shri Vijaybhai R.
Rupani, who expressed a keen interest in
understanding the delegates interests and
assured attendees of the Gujarat
Governments full support.
Commenting on the success of the delega-
tion, AIBC National Vice Chair and delega-
tion leader Dr Jim Varghese said, The
Australia India Business Council is proud to
once again partner with Vibrant Gujarat for
the biennial Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2017 as
part of our commitment to providing our
AIBC members with the best business oppor-
tunities to develop valuable partnerships with
business, government, and industry in India.
AIBC is honoured and grateful for the strong
indication of support from Gujarat
Government. This is a platform for business-
es and influencers to come together to explore
some of the current global opportunities.
Ms Sheba Nandkeolyar, National Chair,
AIBC attended the Summit in her capacity as
a Board member of the Australian
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trades
(DFAT) Australia-India Council. Ms
Nandkeolyar said, Both India and Australia
are more openly looking at this corridor of
opportunities and I am certain Vibrant
Gujarat is a great foundation to start. The
Summit is indeed an amazing world platform
to interact with key policy-makers, industry
The AIBC delegation with Indian officials at the biennial Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2017 held in Ahmedabad in early January
leaders, global thought leaders, regulators
and renowned academicians from India,
Australia and all over the world. This initia-
tive is a valuable means to initiate and foster
bilateral relationships between stakeholders
through B2B and B2G meetings.
AIBC delegates diverse business interests
included education, skills development, min-
ing, pharmaceuticals, fertilisers, toxicology,
financial services, digital products and servic-
es, and manufacturing.
The AFRAIBC National Conference on
Engaging with India was a highly successful
AIBC event held in 2016, in which collabora-
tion was seen between high-level stakeholders
from the government, industry and business
councils. The event promoted solutions for
better engagement with India, and benefitted
Australian and Indian interests. AIBC has a
yearlong 2017 program planned with leading
and hosting bilateral business delegations and
ministerial round tables, conferences and
seminars on resources, mining, education,
ICT among others, seminars on implications
of India Budget, GST and Australian
Financial End of Year updates. This is in
addition to the Annual Addresses by every
AIBC State Chapter planned in conjunction
with Indias Independence Day - August
2017. Ms Nandkeolyar said: The New Year
2017 presents a number of opportunities for Welcoming Indias envoy
everyone involved. I am optimistic, and in Canberra
AIBC is planning even more events, delega-
ew Indian High Commissioner to
tions and chances for Indian and Australian
relations to strengthen immensely. One such
N Australia, Dr Ajay M Gondane, will
be welcomed by AIBC business
key event that AIBC will lead is the AIBC leaders at an event in Sydney
Women in Business Chapter delega- with a high profile guest
tion of women business leaders to list of senior local, state
India in 2017. The high-profile and national govern-
delegation of Indian and ment, business and
Australian women in the bilater- community leaders in
al business and trade relation- the Australia-India
ship will be the first of its kind. business communi-
AIBC has active chapters in ty.Dr Gondane joined
New South Wales, Victoria, the Indian Foreign
Australian Capital Territory, Service in 1985. He
South Australia, Western Australia worked in various capac-
and Queensland with a full range of ities in the Indian
State programs. AIBC National Embassies and Consulates
works closely with the Australian Dr Ajay M Gondane has including in Damascus,
Baghdad, Vienna,
and Indian Governments at the replaced Naveedp Suri as
Indias High Ankara and New York.
Federal level, DFAT, the High
He was High
Commissions of India and Australia Commissioner to Australia
Commissioner of India
and Austrade. The State Chapters are fully to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
supportive of their respective State and Vanuatu.He has replaced Navdeep
Governments and Consulate General of India Suri, who has been appointed India's new
offices for promoting bilateral business envoy to United Arab Emirates.
engagement with India, added Nandkeolyar.

Avijit Sarkars book fetches $13,200 for Cancer Council

By Neena Badhwar puppeteer of Sydney, Avijit he answered.
Sarkar, fetched $13,200 for This is just his first book which
hat a turn of events it Cancer Council, represented by is based on, he says, there are

W was! Amazing real-

ly. A book of 14
short stories by Avijit Sarkar
that was launched on January
15 to a hall full of community
members in the presence of
selected guests, surprised all
when its first copy auction went to
the highest bidder Munish Verma
who put his hand up to bid at
$6,100. Dr. Darshan Sachdev who
acted as the auctioneer, had at the
beginning of the auction committed
himself that he would match the
bid. And thats not all when one of
the middle bidders who had upped
the auction to a $1000, Pratibha
Bhanushali said she would still
contribute her $1000 on top.
A multitalented personality, Avijit Sarkar with his family at the event
launching his first book, A Turn if Events (inset).
So all up, the first book titled
"A Turn of Events' by this multi-
Hindi broadcaster Kumud Merani,
talented musician, singer, compos-
er, writer, poet, painter, magician,
Kate Jesus who talked about all the
good work they do with help from
such supporters. Plus there was the
funds generated by the book sales
at the event. Avijit is a dedicated
supporter of cancer research by the
Cancer Council and donates pro-
ceeds to the council the whole year
round. This he has been doing for
the last ten years.
Avijit is quiet on the surface
but a very active, industrious per-
son who said in his interview, at
the launch, with SBS executive
when she asked how does he do it,
Twenty four hours in a day can
be very long. One has to make sac-
rifices and sleep is one of them,
stories all around you. You
observe people, how they talk,
move.
These are social stories about
migrants, some when they started
from India. And each story ends in
a way that youd never ever
expect.
There is a story that deals
with domestic violence as well.
Avijit said he is working on
four more books which he has
been doing for some time now.
The book A Turn of Events
was launched by Avijit, his daugh-
ter Annie, her husband and two
children along with Avijits wife
Palu as he got a standing applause
from everyone.

24 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January-February 2017

 Community

It will feature an all-men cast, some dressed as

women in the classic fairy tale performance

The play is produced by Sydney-based Trikone Australasia. It will have

8 Bollywood style dance performances.

What could be more entertaining than
Cinderella on stage?
Get ready for a queer all-male
Bollywood twist called Sunderella, and be
dazzled as a sea of sequins and saris, bindis
and bangles descends on Sydneys PACT
Centre for Emerging Artists, as part of the
38th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
festival in February 2017.
Set in 18th century British India,
Sunderella features a cast of 15 men half
of them dressed as women in splendid
costumes and jewellery. The play is pro-
duced by Sydney-based Trikone Australasia
and promises a night of endless entertain-
ment, with all the cornerstones of
Bollywood comic characters, dramatic
scenes, foot-tapping music, a heartrending
love story and, of course, sweeping dance
performances.
This production is unlike anything
Sydney or Mardi Gras has ever seen
before, says the plays director Bali
Padda. It is a classic fairy tale, but not as
you know it.
Who can, after all, resist the draw of
Bollywood drags? There are plenty of
drag shows in Sydney particularly during
Mardi Gras, says the plays scriptwriter
Kunal Mirchandani. But theres something
unique and incredibly attractive about this
show, which will feature a bunch of men
from diverse backgrounds in glamorous
female roles.
So expect Sydney-based men from
backgrounds as diverse as Indian,
Bangladeshi, Fijian, Filipino, Middle
Eastern, Chinese even Caribbean play the
roles of classic Cinderella characters the
evil stepmother, the vicious but ridiculously
comic stepsisters, the dashing prince and,
of course, the effervescent and intriguing
Sunderella.
No Bollywood play, however, would be
The show will feature a bunch of men from diverse
backgrounds in glamorous female roles.
complete without foot-tapping music and previously produced sell-out Mardi Gras
sweeping dance performances. And on that shows such as In the Space Between (2011)
front Mirchandani is delighted to confirm: and The Last Chai (2013). And it is also
There are eight high-energy dance per- the organiser of the famous Sydney-based
formances sprinkled throughout the show. annual queer Bollywood parties, Bar
Each of them features dazzling costumes Bombay
and jewellery itll be an explosion of (facebook.com/BarBombaySydney).
colour and so much culture on stage. When: Feb 17, 18, 24 & 25 at 8pm;
The play is produced by Trikone Feb 19 & 26 at 6pm,
Australasia (trikone.org.au) a Sydney- Where: PACT Centre for Emerging
based not-for-profit social-support group Artists, 107 Railway Parade,
for LGBTIQ folks of South-Asian back- Erskineville.
ground living in Australia. Trikone has More info: sunderella.com.au

Happy Birthday, Dr. Verma

r. Shiv Verma celebrated his they had come across in life. There

D 90th birthday with his wife

Shanti and extended family
and friends in December. One of the
early settlers, Dr Verma coached some
high profile doctors in Sydney, includ-
ing Dr Prabhat Sinha, Dr Tiwari and
others.
They all fondly remembered him as
a pharmacology professor in Bhopal, a
guide and one of the gentlest person
were many tales shared with Dr
Vermas children and grandchildren,
how the life was in the past when
there were only a few Indian families
in the 1970s and the establishment of
the first Hindu temple in Sydney, Sri
Mandir. It was an interesting get
together as many old faces from the
past got to see each other to reminisce
the old times.

Dr. Shiv Verma coached some high profile doctors in Sydney

January-February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 25

Body Mind Spirit
Try the Mudras for health benefit
udras are a non-verbal mode of
M communication and self-expres-
sion, consisting of hand gestures
and finger-postures. These are symbolic
sign based finger patterns, which, without
the spoken word, nonetheless retain its effi-
cacy. Mudras are used to evoke in the mind
ideas symbolizing divine powers or the
deities themselves.
The composition of a mudra is based on
certain movements of the fingers constitut-
ing a highly stylized form of body or hand
language. A mudra is an external expression
of 'inner resolve', suggesting that such non-
verbal communications can be more power-
ful than the spoken word.
Mudras can regulate the five elements of
the body
The universe is composed of five ele-
ments according to Hindu thought - earth,
air, water, fire, and ether. Similarly, our
body is also a union of five elements which
is represented by our five fingers. Hand
mudras regulate these five elements in our
body.
The fingers representing the five ele-
ments are: Thumb for Fire; Index (Jupiter
finger) for Air, Middle (Saturn finger) for
Ether or Space; Ring (Sun finger) for Earth;
Pinky (Mercury finger) for Water.
Mudras, in general, are actions of hands
and fingers that can be performed at any
time in any way, like sitting, standing, walk-
ing or travelling. So there's no need to
devote a special time to perform a mudra,
but the maximum benefit is by doing it in
sitting posture, especially in Sukhasana
(easy pose), vajrasana, or padmasana. If you
have constraints of time you can even per-
form them in installments.
In the initial phase mudras should be
performed for at least 10 minutes and then
can be extended to 30 minutes to one hour.
Mudras are very powerful. If practiced reg-
ularly, there can be health benefits.
Gyan Mudra
(Mudra of Knowledge)
Method: Touch the tip of the thumb to the
tip of the index finger, with the other three
fingers stretched out.
Specialty: A mudra that enhances knowl-
edge. The tip of thumb correlates to the pitu-
itary and endocrine glands. When you press
these centers with the index finger, the two
glands work actively.
Benefits:
4Increases memory power and sharp-
ens the brain
4Enhances concentration and prevents
Insomnia
4When practiced regularly, it will
relieve psychological disorders like hysteria,
anger and depression.
Prithvi Mudra
(Mudra of Earth)
Method: Tip of the ring finger touches the
tip of the thumb with the other three fin-
26 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January-February 2017
gers stretched out.
Specialty: Reduces physical weaknesses.
Benefits:
4Helps to increase weight for weak
life-force people
4Improves the complexion of skin and
makes the skin glow
4Promotes body functionality
Varuna Mudra (Mudra of Water)
Method: Tip of little finger touches the tip
of thumb with the other three fingers
stretched out.
Specialty: Balances the water content and
prevents all diseases which come due to lack
of water.
Benefits:
4Retains clarity in blood by balancing
water content in the body
4Prevents the pain of Gastroenteritis
and Muscle Shrinkage
Vayu Mudra (Mudra of Air)
Method: Keep the index finger on the base
of the thumb and press with the thumb keep-
ing the other three fingers straight.
Specialty: Prevents diseases that occur due
to imbalances in the air.
Time duration: The practice of this mudra
for 45 minutes reduces the severity of dis-
ease in 12 to 24 hours. For better results
practice for 40-60 days.
Benefits:
4Relieves Rheumatism, Arthritis,
Gout, Parkinson's disease and paralysis
4Useful for Cervical Spondilytis, paral-
ysis of the face, and pressure on nerves in
neck
4Relieves gas pressure in the stomach
Shunya Mudra (Mudra of
Emptiness)
Method: Keep the middle finger at the
mount of Venus and press with the thumb.
Specialty: Reduces the dullness in the body.
Time duration: One can practice this for 40
to 60 minutes daily until relieved.
Benefits:
4Relieves an earache within 4 or 5
minutes
4Useful for the deaf and mentally chal-
lenged (See Disease/Mudra list.)
Surya Mudra (Mudra of the Sun)
Method: Bend the ring finger and press it
with thumb.
Specialty: Correlates to the thyroid gland.
Time duration: Practice twice daily for 5 to
15 minutes.
Benefits:
4Reduces cholesterol in body and helps
in reducing weight
4Reduces anxiety
4Corrects or relieves indigestion (See
Disease/Mudra list.)
Prana Mudra (Mudra of Life)
Method: Bend ring finger and little finger
and touch the tip of thumb with their tips
keeping the remaining two fingers stretched.
Specialty: As it is the mudra of life, this
improves the life force. The weak become
strong. Reduces clumps in blood vessels.
Practiced regularly this promotes physical
activity.
Benefits:
4Improves immunity
4Improves the power of the eyes and
reduces eye related issues
4Relieves vitamin deficiency and
fatigue
Apana Mudra (Mudra of Digestion)
Method: The tips of middle finger and ring
finger touch the tip of thumb while the other
two fingers are stretched out.
Specialty: Plays an important role in our
health as it regulates the excretory system,
health and wellness being absolutely depen-
dant on the rapid removal of systemic waste.
Toxicity can be mitigated if removed from
the body rapidly.
Time duration: Practice daily for 45 min-
utes, but practicing for longer period yields
more benefits.
Benefits:
4Regulates diabetes
4Relieves constipation and piles
4Helps establish regular excretion of
solid waste
Apana Vayu Mudra
(Mudra of the Heart)
Method: The tips of the middle finger and
ring finger touch the tip of thumb, while the
index finger touches the base of thumb and
the little finger is stretched out.
Specialty: Benefits the heart reducing the
risk of an attack and also lowering the gas
content in body.
Time duration: Practice as many times as
you can. Heart patients and BP patients can
practice twice for 15 minutes daily for bet-
ter results.
Benefits:
4Strengthens the heart and regularizes
palpitation
4Regulates excretory system
4Relieves gastric issues
Linga Mudra (Mudra of Heat)
Method: Interlock the fingers of both hands
and keep the thumb of the left hand vertical-
ly straight and encircle it with the thumb and
the index finger of the right hand.
Specialty: Generates heat in the body. Take
milk, ghee, more water and fruit juices in
addition to the practice of this mudra for
many benefits.
Time duration: Practice any time. But do
not over-practice as it produces heat in the
body. It can cause excessive sweating even
in winter.
Benefits:
4Stops production of phlegm and gives
power to lungs
4Relieves severe cold and bronchial
infections
4Invigorates the body
In general, Prayer Pose is for Cerebral
Equilibrium.
To remain healthy and free from any ill-
ness or disease, a balance is required among
the five elements. The coordination of the
five elements controls the internal glands of
the body parts, and their physiological func-
tions. There are particularly dormant ener-
gies within the body which get activated
using these mudras thus making us healthy
and fit. But these should not be construed to
replace an educated medical advice if there
are particular symptoms of a disease.
Hindi Humour

225 years old Ghantwala Sweets Seventh generation

Sushant Jain with wife Sonia

January - February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 27

Body Mind Spirit
By Suma Varughese
ot only do words deter-
N mine our destiny and
that of the world, but
they also have a tremendous
impact on our spiritual growth.
Words make our world.
They shape who we are and how
we see life. They shape our
response to situations and people
and form our destiny. The
words we use today become the
life we live tomorrow.
The power of words is large-
ly drawn from the fact that they
express our thoughts. And
thoughts create our life.
Here is what the Buddha said
in the first verse of the
Dhammapada:
Our life is shaped by our
mind; we become what we
think. Suffering follows an evil
thought as the wheels of a cart
follow the oxen that draw it.
Our life is shaped by our
mind; we become what we
think. Joy follows a pure
thought like a shadow that never
leaves.
Our thoughts influence our
feelings, and physical sensa-
tions. They coalesce into habits
and behaviour patterns, become
what we think is our personality,
and eventually determine our
destiny.
WORD TRAPS
The language we use is also
an unconscious indication of our
personality. When we feel pow-
erful, we naturally employ kinds
of I statements. When we feel
less powerful or fear that our
power will create conflict, we
tend to water down our words,
by saying I dont know or I that follows these two words
am not sure.
The nadir, of course is I
cant, a strong statement of vic-
timisation, implying that circum-
stances outside of your control
are running things, and you have
no power to change them.
Change I cant to I wont.
Similarly, free yourself of terms
like I had to, I should do mative power of words, the
I must, and use I choose to Indian tradition has long advo-
and I could. Moving from
should to could reduces the and holy words, a practice
pressure.
At her workshops,
Sampoorna offers an invaluable
insight, Every time you use the
word, but you are negating all
that came before it. Can you
say, and instead? Instead of
saying You are hard working
and intelligent but careless, you
could say, You are hardwork-
ing and intelligent and you could
be more careful.
A word that stymies most of
us is I want.
Want is a powerless word
because it comes from a resist-
ance to what is our present reali-
ty. I really want to lose
weight means that we do not
like our present weight. I really
28 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January-February 2017
want more money means we do
not like our present financial sit-
uation. So the message we actu-
ally send the universe is that of
resistance. What we resist, per-
sists. So we will stay stuck in
wantingness.
Instead, what if we were to
use the word I intend? I
intend to lose weight. I intend
to make more money. Intention
comes from an inner decision to
do something about it and is
therefore powerful.
Probably the most destructive
word when used to admonish
ourselves and others is the word,
No. It invalidates and annuls
us and banks our energies.
When children hear too many
Nos, they either lose confi-
dence and shrivel up, or turn
rebellious and destructive.
Watch your Nos .
Many thinkers have also
talked about the seminal power
of the words, I am. Anything
becomes the person I am.
Therefore if we habitually
say, I am lazy, I am fat, I
am no good that is exactly
what we will become.
THE PATH OF
THE WORD sound. The experiments that
Deeply aware of the transfor-
cated the chanting of mantras
called Japa. From single words
like Om to phrases such as
Om namah Shivaya or Hare
Krishna Hare Rama, to the
chanting of mantras like the
Gayatri mantra or the
Mahamrityunjaya mantra (to
ward off death), Japa is recog-
nised as one of the most popular
ways to self-transformation.
Today in modern times, we
also have affirmations, which
are statements of positive intent.
French psychologist, Emile
Coues affirmation, advocated as
far back as in the early 20th cen-
tury, is still one of the best in
that genre, and goes: Every
day in every way, I am getting
better and better. Louise L
Hay, author of the iconic, You
Can Heal Your Life, is undoubt-
edly the queen of affirmations,
and you will find innumerable
powerful statements in her web-
site. www.louisehay.com.
Japa and affirmations seed
our consciousness with positive
thoughts. These, in turn, coun-
teract the impact of thousands
and thousands of unconscious
negative thoughts we sow into
our consciousness. Our default
state is that of resistance. Maybe
it is hot or cold. Maybe you
have a headache, or you dont
like your dinner. Maybe you are
hungry, sleepy. Maybe you had
a fight with your spouse that still
troubles you. Watch your
thoughts and the sensations in
the body and see how much
unease you experience ongoing-
ly. The constant recitation of
japa or an affirmation helps to
reduce the impact of these nega-
tive thoughts and slowly shift the
quality of our consciousness.
SCIENTIFIC PROOF
The ancients have always from the qualities or states of
maintained that words, or sound
which is the vibration of words,
have creative power and that the
Universe was created through
reconstructed to: I have a sick-
Japanese scientist Masoro Emoto
conducted, bear this out with
stunning clarity. Emoto took a
sample of water, said some neg-
ative words over it, and froze it.
He then breathed a prayer over
another sample and froze it too.
The water crystals formed from
the sample with negative words
were unformed and incoherent.
The crystals formed over the
sample with the prayer were
beautiful and perfectly formed.
When you consider that 70 per
cent of the human body is made
of water, we can imagine the
powerful effect words have not
just on the mind but on our body
as well.
Biologist Bruce Lipton,
author of the pathbreaking book,
The Biology of Belief, arrived at
the same conclusion through a
different path. While cloning
stem cells he put them into three
different petri dishes, and the ego self.
immersed each in a different
culture medium. In one dish MAKING MAGIC
they changed into bones, in
another into muscles and the
third into fat. Making a startling
In time, as our consciousness
levels rise, the words we use
will automatically change. And
intuitive leap, he understood that even the same words will
the cells are influenced not by emanate a different vibration.
the genes, as earlier understood, The essential nature of the
but by the environment in which Higher Self is softness. And the
they are, because the genes had essential nature of the ego self is
remained the same and the only hardness. The more we identify
difference was the culture medi- with our Higher Self, the softer
um, or the environment in which our words, and the softer our
they were placed. vibrations. People around us
Its implication for the human experience a sense of being
being is powerful. It means that soothed, understood and appreci-
the blood, which is the equiva- ated not just from the words
lent of the culture medium for spoken but by our very pres-
the 50 trillions cells of the ence. Such a person does not
human body, can influence the have to think of the right thing
cells either negatively or posi- to do. He will just do it.
tively, through the chemicals it The more we empty our-
carries within it. And chemicals selves of our ego, the more
are secreted by our thoughts and available we become to the
feelings. other, or to life itself. At that
point, we can create magic with
LANGUAGE AND our words, both within ourselves
SPIRITUALITY and without.
Within ourselves, a depleted
As we move along the path, ego enables us to fuse our will
our awareness increases until we with our intent to such an extent
perceive that the person we that our very words manifest
think we are is nothing but con- what we want. This is the power
ditioning, a construct made of of sankalpa. If we say we are
all the thoughts we have thought going to lose weight, there is
of, and that our True Self is simply no room for anything but
something else; the only way to loss of weight. The mind with
access our True Self is to dis- its fears, desires and doubts does
mantle our false or ego self. not obtrude. If we decide to
Language has a role to play in serve the poor by starting an
dissociation. We can learn to use NGO, we will do it without fur-
language to detach from any ther ado. Mahatma Gandhi was
aspects of our personality such travelling in a train in South
as physical sensations, thoughts Africa, when he was given a
or feelings. copy of John Ruskins Unto this
For instance, we often say, Last. Fired by this treatise on
I am angry, I am scared, I the dignity of labour Gandhi got
am jealous. Can we instead off the train and established
say, I feel anger, or fear or Phoenix Farm in 40 hectares of
jealousy?
Similarly, we need to detach
land near Durban, where he
published the periodical, Indian
Opinion.
mind we identify with: I am When it comes to dealing
lazy, can be reconstructed to, with others, we will be able to
Sometimes I defer doing
things. I am sick, can be
exert singular influence on them
because we are free of their
influence. No matter how nega-
ness. tive the other may be, we will
We need to dissociate our- be able to transcend it, and
selves even from positive identi- instead emanate our own positiv-
ties: I am charitable, can be ity towards them until it trans-
shifted to I do acts of charity. forms them. Sages and great
We need to dissociate our- men have been able to transform
selves from our actions as well. even hardened criminals simply
Who we are is whole, perfect by virtue of their own inner
and complete. What we think, power, and faith in the other.
say or do is often flawed, The Buddhas conversion of
destructive or hurtful. Can we, Angulimala, Jesus Christs con-
however, distinguish between version of the prostitute Mary
the deed and the doer? We may Magdalene, have all gone down
do bad things, but that does not in legend and are of lasting
make us bad. If we can separate inspiration to mankind. At this
our pristine Higher Self from the stage, we are alchemists, able to
stuff that we routinely do, we routinely convert negativity into
would find it easier to access positivity.
our true Self. But this is about as far as
This is a discipline we need words will take us on our spiri-
to practice most of all with our tual journey. Eventually, we will
children. Calling children bad, come to a space where words
stupid or useless not just dam- will not accompany us anymore.
ages their self-esteem deeply, Only silence can.
but reinforces their identity with Courtesy: Life Positive Magazine

Old age is catching up, so plan
Seniors needing aged care can opt for it on a self-funded basis or through income-
tested government subsidised home care packages. From February this year, the seniors
who avail the service will receive the funding directly from the Government so that they
can themselves choose the provider and also vary the care to suit their requirements.
By Vijay Badhwar
& Kanwaljit Kanwar
ow is the time that the community
N starts a serious conversation about
the seniors: where and how they
will spend their later lives, the care they may
need and the options there are so that they
are relatively in a conducive environment
despite the limitations of a distant land and
culture. So far we have buried our heads in
the sand in the vain hope that our traditions
will ensure the required support to our eld-
ers, unmindful of the circumstances and the
pressures on our younger generation.
Already the Australian society is over-
whelmed by the skewed need for more serv-
ices for the elder generation -- currently
more than two million who are 70 and over.
From the Indian community, although rela-
tively young, early migrants from the sub-
continent are gradually crossing the line,
multiplying as well, thanks to the family
reunion programme. There are already a siz-
able number of Indian seniors who are in
dire need of services, estimated to be more
than 25,000.
While the other migrant communities are
far ahead in their planning for their seniors,
the Indian community lags behind, limited to
only a few motley groups who meet for a
few hours a week for a yoga class and a
lunch get together may be which, in itself,
is worth its weight in gold, but does not
extend itself to permanent or semi-perma-
nent aged care.
Estimates are that by 2050 there will be
3.5 million seniors needing a range of serv-
ices to be provided on self-funded basis or
through income-tested government sub-
sidised home care packages. They will be
assessed for the level of care they will need
by health care professionals from the Aged
Care Assessment Team (ACAT). This can
be arranged through website
myagedcare.gov.au.
The level of home care ranges from low
level (levels 1-2) to high care (levels 3-4)
and includes domestic (cleaning, gardening
etc) and personal, transport, shopping and
medical services. The government funding
starts at $7,822 per annum to $47,567 per
annum depending on the level of care
required. The recipients have to make co-
payments that are capped.
From February this year, the seniors who
avail the service will receive the funding
directly from the Government so that they
can themselves choose the provider and also
vary the care to suit their requirements. It
gives them flexibility to opt for better care
by making additional payments.
The residential aged care in a nursing
home, however, is a topic of concern for
Indian seniors as they leave their familiar
environment and are compelled to change
their food habits and daily routines due to
lack of a culturally conducive setup. An aged
care facility becomes necessary as the level
of care they may need for mental support as
well as personal hygiene may become
impractical to be provisioned by the family.
Their cultural thinking, too, to leave
Seniors at Indian Hornsby Group
something behind for their family comes in
direct conflict with government planning that
envisages drawing down from assets to pro-
vide for aged care. This, frequently, causes
much heartache to families who are forced to
put their assets on fire sale to pay for upfront
deposits for entry into nursing homes.
Estimates are that approximately 45 per-
cent of people more than 70 years old will
use aged care services sometimes in their
future. The basic accommodation deposits
(refundable in part at the end of stay) vary
depending on the standard and level of care
facility and can be anything ranging from
$450,000 to $950,000. People who do not
own assets, for example, a property, are
exempt from having to make a deposit.
The Government is generous towards
aged care providers, allowing them a deem-
ing rate of interest they can charge their
clients an exorbitant 6.28 per cent current-
ly - in case they choose not to dispose of
their assets to make the asking deposit. This
is charged as a monthly payment on the
amount the homes ask for as a deposit for the
period of stay. As an example, if a nursing
home asks for an initial $500,000 deposit,
the client will be charged an approximate
amount of $31,400 per year on top of other
costs if they opt not to make the deposit.
These costs may vary for different aged care
facilities.
In Aged care four types of payments or
deposit may be required:
Basic daily fee 85% of single age pen-
sion adjusted twice a year. It covers basic
accommodation, meals and laundry but not
medication. This is the only payment
required if there are no other assets and/or
income.
Daily Accommodation Payment (DAP)
It can either be bond money or interest cur-
rently around 5.76% for new residents, set
quarterly:
8 No accommodation costs: if income and
assets are below a certain amount, the
Australian Government will pay the
accommodation costs
8 An accommodation contribution: if you
are required to pay part of the cost of
your accommodation, the Australian
Seniors at Indian Welfare Association meeting
Seniors at Sri Omcare Pennant Hills group celebrating Diwali
Government will pay the rest
8 An accommodation payment: if you are
required to pay for the full cost of your
accommodation, which varies according
to the facility
Any assets disposed of or gifts made in
the previous five years are still counted
towards the calculation of the payments.
Means Tested care fee is an additional
contribution towards the cost of care that
some people may be required to pay. The
Department of Human Services will work
out if you are required to pay this fee based
on an assessment of your income and assets,
and will advise you of the amount.
For a member of a couple, half of the
combined income and assets are considered
in determining the means-tested care fee,
regardless of which partner earns the income
or owns the asset. The most someone can be
asked to pay in means-tested care fees in a
year is capped at $26,041.09 per annum and
lifetime cap of $62,498.66 currently.
There are extra fees for a higher standard
of accommodation or additional services.
These vary from home to home and are
negotiated between the provider and resi-
dents. Typically they range between $45 per
day upwards ($16,000 plus per annum).
January-February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 29
Seniors
Then there is additional daily contribution
towards cost of care which some people have
to pay for as well as if they opt for hotel-like
services to increase their level of comfort
a bigger room, choice of menu and recre-
ational activities.
A few young seniors from the Indian
community have already bought with other
couples into independent units in aged care
facilities in Normanhurst, Epping and Dural.
They are quite satisfied with their move as
they have company of their friends and their
everyday chores are cared for.
Those who are enamoured by Hollywood
movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
may consider to spend their years away from
western loneliness in a familiar environment
as there are a variety of facilities in India that
specially cater to NRI needs. These do not
demand huge upfront deposits and are rela-
tively affordable with charges around $750 a
month for accommodation and basic food
that can be easily covered by Australian pen-
sion (check from The Department of Human
Services for eligibility criteria).
Of course, it is a big decision to make as
a part of you is left behind, in some cases,
the family, and in others, family-like friend-
ships.
Santram's Grey Page

Wish all the readers of this column a very Healthy and Prosperous New Year. Of course, this bring us one year
closer to the Creator. But let us not worry about that and try to age gracefully and enjoy the rest of it.

By Santram Bajaj
TOP TIPS FOR
AGEING WELL
The great news is there's much you can
do to enhance your complete physical, mental
and social well-being in later life, says the
University of Melbourne's Associate
Professor Briony Dow, who is also director of
health promotion for the National Ageing
Research Institute.
Here are Prof Dow's top tips to maximise
your chances of ageing well.
HEALTH & WELL-BEING
stress and depression. Positive people are also
more likely to engage in behaviours that keep
them physically healthy like eating well and
exercising.
LIVING NEAR HEAVY
TRAFFIC INCREASES RISKS
OF DEMENTIA
A study in The Lancet medical journal
found that people who lived within 50 metres
of high-traffic roads had a 7 per cent higher
chance of developing dementia compared to
those who lived more than 300 metres away
from busy roadways.
Air pollutants can get into the blood
stream and lead to inflammation, which is
linked with cardiovascular disease and possi-
bly other conditions such as diabetes.
Dementia is caused by brain diseases, most
commonly Alzheimers disease, which results
people do recover and lead healthy, produc-
tive and satisfying lives.
Myth: People with a mental illness can
pull themselves out of it.
Fact: A mental illness is not caused by
personal weakness and is not cured by per-
sonal strength.
Myth: People with a mental illness are
violent.
Fact: People with a mental illness are no
more violent or dangerous than the rest of the
population. People with a mental illness are
more likely to harm themselves or to be
harmed than they are to hurt other people.
Myth: People with a mental illness should
be kept in hospital.
Fact: With appropriate treatment and sup-
port, people with mental illness can live suc-
cessfully in the community. In fact, the
majority of people with a mental illness live
independently in the community.
cholesterol, lupus and myocardial infarction
'PASSIVE SMOKING MAY
GIVE KIDS OSTEOPOROSIS'
Don't mistake your child's backache, pain
in legs or feet as a sign of growing up. A
number of such children could be suffering
from osteoporosis, a problem known to cause
weakening of bones with age.
"The problem is known as secondary juve-
nile osteoporosis," said Dr Ajai Singh, head
of paediatric orthopaedic department, King
George's Medical University.
Juvenile osteoporosis can either be genetic
or secondary. "The secondary may be an out-
come of exposure to passive smoking or lead
which is commonly used in car or inverter
batteries," he said. Dr Singh pointed that the
cases often went unnoticed or unreported fol-
lowing absence of a proper protocol.
To avoid the problem, he said, children

1. Keep physically active

This means aiming for at least a good half
hour to an hour of moderate intensity physical
activity every day, where you're working
hard enough to get a bit puffed but you can
still talk.
It doesn't have to be formal exercise: gar-
dening, housework or walking to the shops all
count. Some stretching exercises or yoga are
also important for flexibility "so you can keep
doing what you want to do," Dow says. This
reduces your risk of a wide range of diseases
but especially heart disease, our biggest
killer. It can also help mental health problems
like anxiety and depression.
Physical activity is the most important
thing.
2. Don't smoke
"If you're a smoker, you need to stop
smoking and the message is: it's never too
late to do it," Dow says.
Smoking is a risk factor for all the chronic
diseases, including the ones that affect your
brain [Alzheimer's disease and other forms of
dementia].
3. Be socially active
in the loss of brain cells and affects memory,
thinking, behaviour, navigational and spatial
abilities and the ability to perform everyday
activities. The incurable condition is a leading
cause of disability and dependency, and is
starting to overtake heart disease as a cause of
death in some developed countries.
COMMON MYTHS ABOUT
MENTAL ILLNESS
Myth: Mental illness only affects a few
people.
Fact: Mental illness is common. One in
five Australians will experience a mental ill-
ness. It affects people of all ages, educational
and income levels and cultures.
Myth: Mental illness is caused by a per-
sonal weakness.
Fact: A mental illness is not a character
flaw. It is caused by genetic, biological, social
and environmental factors. Seeking and
accepting help is a sign of strength.
Myth: People with a mental illness never
get better.
Fact: With the right kind of help, most
THE BEST BUDDY OF
HEART: VITAMIN D AND
ATORVASTATIN
Atorvastatin and vitamin D have an inter-
esting, and still not completely understood
relationship. (Atorvastatin is a cholesterol-
lowering medication that blocks the produc-
tion of cholesterol). In some reports, it has
been suggested that Atorvastatin use can actu-
ally increase, or contribute to, an increased
vitamin D status. Also, results from various
studies have shown that both the effectiveness
of atorvastatin and outcomes related to ator-
vastatin use are improved by vitamin D.
Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for
osteoporosis and other chronic diseases,
including type 1 diabetes, hypertension, meta-
bolic syndrome, and ischemic heart disease.
Results demonstrated that vitamin D
reduced the levels of LDL cholesterol only
among those taking atorvastatin. A sufficient
amount of vitamin D is important for good
bone and cardiac health. Vitamin D has syn-
ergistic effect with atorvastatin for lowering
should be given adequate amount of calcium
and vitamin-D to keep bones in good health.
Calcium is effective only in presence of ade-
quate vitamin-D. Regular exercises, balanced
diet and proper exposure to sun is also need-
ed, he said.
HUMOUR
Good news for people with
old 500 / 1000 rupee notes
You can deposit them without limit, even
after all the deadlines, in the following Banks
at any time without questions being asked.
1. Banks of Ganga ji
2.Banks of Jamuna ji
3. Or Banks of any Indian river near you.
Disclaimer
The remedies and tips have been taken from
reliable resources like Newspapers. If in
doubt, please consult your doctor as no
responsibility, whatsoever of the accuracy or
otherwise can be accepted by The Indian
Down Under or the writer of this column.

What is stigma?
How can we challenge stig-
If you're socially isolated, it's equivalent ma?
to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. We all have a role in creating
Some evidence suggests loneliness can a mentally healthy community
increase your risk of premature death by as they are seen as part of a depression was a sign of that supports recovery and
much as 30 per cent. stereotyped group. Negative personal weakness and social inclusion and reduces
It may be that increased stress hormones attitudes create prejudice would not employ a person discrimination.
increase the risk of heart disease, but social which leads to negative with depression, and Simple ways to help include:
actions and discrimination. around a third would not
activity is also likely to be a form of mental 4 learn and share the facts
stimulation that's good for ageing brains. Stigma brings experiences vote for a politician with about mental health and ill-
and feelings of: depression. ness
4. Eat well and limit the booze
4 42% thought people with 4 get to know people with
Eating well has a significant role to play in Shame, blame, hopeless- depression were unpre-
warding off chronic diseases like heart dis- personal experiences of
ness, distress, misrepresenta- dictable mental illness
ease, diabetes, and even some cancers. tion in the media, reluctance 4 one in 5 said that if they 4 don't label or judge people
As well, limit your alcohol intake. to seek and/or accept neces- had depression they would
Australia's current drinking guidelines recom- with a mental illness, treat
sary help. not tell anyone them with respect and dig-
mend no more than two standard drinks a day. Families are also affected 4 nearly 2 in 3 people sur- nity as you would anyone
5. Keep your brain active by stigma, leading to a lack veyed thought people with else
While there has been much emphasis on of support. schizophrenia were unpre-
crosswords and Sudoku puzzles to boost your 4 dont discriminate when it
For mental health profes- dictable and a quarter felt comes to participation,
brain, other activities you could do include sionals, stigma means that that they were dangerous. housing and employment.
taking up a second language, pursuing a they themselves are seen as Talk openly of your own
course of study, reading widely or learning a hree out of four people abnormal, corrupt or evil, Some groups are subjected to
musical instrument.
6. Have an optimistic outlook
Are you a glass half empty or glass half
T with a mental illness
report that they have
experienced stigma. Stigma is
and psychiatric treatments are
often viewed with suspicion
and horror.
A 2006 Australian study
multiple types of stigma and
discrimination at the same
time, such as people with an
experience of mental ill-
ness. The more hidden
mental illness remains, the
more people continue to
full person? Research has found optimists are a mark of disgrace that sets a intellectual disability or those believe that it is shameful
more willing to adapt and actively participate person apart. When a person found that: from a cultural or ethnic and needs to be concealed.
in seeking solutions to problems and because is labelled by their illness 4 nearly 1 in 4 of people felt minority.
they feel less hopelessness, they have less

30 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January-February 2017

 Cookery

By Neena Badhwar

M
ythili Raman, an Indian senior in
Sydney and a respected member
of Sri Om Care group, who lives
in Hornsby, sometimes feeds the group at
Mythilis Idli, Sambar and
Pennant Hills with delicious idlis, sambar
and coconut chutney. This one time, the
group of over 40 people devoured the pip-
ing hot, soft white idlis, which Mythili
said, she got up at 4.30 am to make.
Coconut Chutney recipes
Naturally one wants to know the age-old
recipes that she knows and how she has
been making delicious south Indian delica-
cies favourite of all Indians no matter Although it
where they go. was an Idli,
The Indian Down Under has a lot of Sambar and
reverence for women who have migrated Coconut
here and brought with them their special Chutney day at
cuisine and its art. It is not that they came Sri Om Care
laden with books, the recipes were in their group, Mythili
memories as part of the cooking tradition with her deft
of the country they came from. This has hands showed
helped enrich Australia making it a nation how to make
which offers variety of multicultural food Dosa and
wherever one goes. Uttapam also.
Mythilis cooking is simple and deli-
cious. Starting from snacks she offers you
with love the tray that is decorated with
Murrukku, peanuts, sweets such as
almond and Pista Barfi and also sesame
laddus.
She says she never buys snacks from
shops, making them at home herself.
Mythili lives with her son and daughter-in- Mythili says
law and says that she finds her Sydney she never buys
home very convenient to shops and trains snacks like
whereas at her other sons place in Murrukku
America, same amenities are not close by from shops,
and she feels isolated. It is important that making them
children keep their elders in mind that they at home
too need a life to socialise, meet and spend herself.
time with friends. Mythili also shows all
the knitted squares she makes for a chari-
ty at the local library every Thursday.
Here we give some easy recipes from
Mythili Raman:

IDLI
Ingredient for the Idli batter
4Boiled rice 3 glass full
4Raw rice Ponni rice 1 Glass full
4Urad dhal 1 and half glass full
Mythili also
4Quarter teaspoon of methi seeds
showed the
Method
knitted squares
Soak both kind of rice in cold water in
she makes for
the morning. Soak Urad dhal and methi
a charity at
seeds at mid-day. Grind rice after six
the local
hours to a smooth paste in grinder-mixi.
library every
Grind Urad Dhal separately in the
week.
evening. Mix the two batters. Leave the
batter for fermentation in the oven
overnight. Next morning the batter would
have swelled to double its size. Stir it well
with a fork or wooden spoon.
Oil Idli trays and pour a ladle of the bat-
ter into each tray and steam in an Idli
steamer for 10-12 minutes. They should Mythili Ramans cooking is
come out all fluffy and ready to be eaten simple yet delicious.
with coconut chutney and sambar.
Mythili says this batter is also good for
dosas, one should just dilute the batter a
4Turmeric teaspoon
41 cup chopped mixed vegetables
4Sambar Powder
4Salt and chilli powder to taste
Coconut Chutney
bit, add a pinch of salt and make dosas on drumsticks, okra, carrots, egg plant, Method Take chopped coconut in a small food
a non-stick dosa tawa. French beans, cauliflower, turnips, cap- Boil Toor daal after nicely washing it in processor or grinder.
Oil the tawa and spread dosa and add sicum, pumpkin pressure cooker with turmeric and salt. Grind it to make a medium coarse paste
potato mixture of boiled potato fried in oil 4Green chillies 2 Keep aside. and transfer to a plate.
splattered with mustard seeds, hing, haldi, 4Dry Red chillies 2 broken in In a fry pan, add two table spoon of oil, Add green chillies, roasted chana dal
dry chillies and curry leaves mixed with threes add asafoetida and mustard seeds till they and ginger
salt and chillies to taste. This potato mix- 4Curry Leaves 20 splatter, add dry red chillies and curry Grind them to a smooth powder.
ture is used as a filling for the dosa. Once 4I medium onion cut in thick pieces leaves. Then add chopped onion till cara- Add crushed coconut, curd, lemon
the dosa is ready it is served with Sambar 4A pinch of Asafoetida malised and add chopped tomato and till it juice, salt and 1/2 cup water.
and coconut chutney. 4A Teaspoon of mustard seeds is cooked then add vegetables and cook in Although it was an Idli, Sambar and
42 Tablespoons of coriander leaves medium heat covered by adding turmeric, Chutney day, Mythili with her deft hands
Sambar chopped salt, chilli powder and sambar powder. showed how to make Dosa and Uttapam
41 Red Tomato chopped In the end add tamarind paste. Add also. She is one talented lady who has set-
Ingredients
4Tamarind seedless soaked in water these cooked vegetables to the cooked daal tled in Sydney and is a pride of Sri Om
4Toor Daal 1/3 cup for a couple of hours and serve with chopped coriander. Care group.

January-February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 31

Columns

Let go and start fresh in 2017
VasthuSastra
By T. Selva
his is the best time of the
individuals peace of mind.
Facing fact helps us to maintain
inner peace which is the core of
happiness. Children are the best
examples of being liberated from
the past and future.
I adore spending time with chil-
dren because they are the excellent
living beings of happiness. They
are full of cheer, love and energy
because they are free from implica-
tions of what has already occurred.
Children are only keen on the pres-
ent like what are they going to do
now and what had happened seems
Such qualms become more
Tips on inner cleansing
l Find a quiet spot or sacred
space in your house.
l Sit comfortably on the floor
or chair facing east.
l Close your eyes and drop
your shoulders and take a
deep breath.
l Hold on to your breath for a
few seconds.
l During this process gather all
the impurities inside you and
exhale forcefully.
l During your exhalation,
sion when we think about the

T
year for us to drop the past
and make a fresh start for
2017.
In the New Year it is vital that
we prepare our resolutions and
plans so that we are able to give
ourselves a chance to move for-
ward and not dwell in the past.
Many people spend most of
their time worrying about what had
happened rather than living in the
present and preparing for the fresh
year. We should register in our
minds that our past is a memory
and the future is our potential and
offers opportunities. We cannot
undo what has happened and we
should prevent previous mistakes
and unpleasant issues from replay-
ing in our mind because it pushes
us backward, makes us depressed,
weak, hopeless and unhappy.
Some people are gloomy most
of the time owing to accumulation
of their past which is harmful to
their health because it affects the
meaningless.
One of the biggest challenges in
the lives of many people is being
unable to erase or let go of the
bygone errors, which acts more
current than their present, thus out-
shining their accomplishments.
Our unpleasant past retards our
thinking power, makes us weary,
drains our energy, suppresses our
happiness and makes us dull and
withdrawn.
It is important that we focus on
our present and the goodness of our
daily life because this naturally
pushes the past out of our minds.
But when this happens, there is
another category of people who
start worrying about the future.
Their issues are will our children
do well in their studies, will they
be successful, will I be able to sup-
port their education, will I be
healthy, will I get promoted, will I
get married, and their fears go on
and on.
prevalent in some families whenev-
er a new year begins because they
are unsure of what lies ahead. The
sad side of such people is that they
self-inflict their emotions with wor-
ries, concerns and negative
thoughts of the future and postpone
happiness, resulting in them being
miserable most of the time.
Our life is not meant to be a
suffering and we should not
become a victim to our foul
thoughts because we are all born
with only near perfection and not
total perfection. There will always
be mistakes, obstacles and bumps
in life but one should view them as
subtle messages from the universal
forces to pick up the pieces and
learn from the experiences.
Our problems will only resolve
when we realise happiness in our
present attitude and not on future
condition. Learn to live in the pres-
ent and not to live in the time that
is absent because it only causes ten-
unknown.
The current time is the only
opportunity for us to share our hap-
piness and we must not waste it or
rethink about yesterday and ponder
about tomorrow.
Our future excites us with
unsure hopes and endless uncer-
tainties and there is no better time
than now to be happy.
We should shut the doors of
our past and free our mind from
our indefinite future and concen-
trate on our current work efficient-
ly. One excellent declaration to
make for the fresh year would be to
exercise gentleness and positivity
because having such attitudes
would make your mind happy even
under challenging circumstances.
Those who are adaptable to diffi-
cult situations will be able to view
weakness as a learning process and
ward off anger by being pleasant
and gentle. Do not hold on to your
pain or hurt but let it go because
imagine that all your negativ-
ity and past is flushed out.
l Do the breathing out exercise
several times until you get a
feel of ease inside you.
l Next, inhale fresh air a few
times and start a new life.
Exterior cleansing
Take some salt and rub your
soles with it. Dispose of the salt.
Next, take another scoop of salt
and dissolve it in a pail of warm
water. Bathe with the water. Do
this once or twice a week. This
process will reduce your tension
and enhance your aura.
hanging on to it makes the pain last
longer thus causing greater damage
to yourself.
Dr T. Selva is the author of the
bestseller book Vasthu Sastra
Guide. To get a copy contact Devi
at 0412623017. He can be contact-
ed at drtselvas@gmail.com
Websites: www.vasthushop.com &
www.vasthusastra.com

THE HUMOR OF MELVIN DURAI

HOW TO SURVIVE A TRUMP PRESIDENCY

n January 20, 2017, Donald J.
America's healthcare system.)
2. Buy a virtual reality headset.
Companies such as Samsung and Sony
have developed a variety of virtual reality
headsets. For a few hundred dollars, you
may be able to find one that allows you to
live in a virtual reality in which men who
grope women are not elected president.
Better yet, find a virtual reality in which
countries such as India, Sri Lanka,

O Trump will be sworn in as the 45th

president of the United States. If
you are one of the 63 million Americans
who voted for Hillary Clinton, you are
probably wondering how you will possibly
survive the next four years. It won't be
easy, but here are some options to
consider:
1. Move to Canada.
Some Americans are certainly considering
a move to the North, partly because Justin
Trudeau's Liberal Party is in power in
Canada and partly because you can find an
abundant supply of American beer there.
But immigrating to Canada legally can be
tricky and may take a few years. The best
thing to do is visit Canada, find
Conservatives who look like you and ask
them if they'd like to trade identities. They
move here, you move there problem
solved. (Just don't tell them about
Bangladesh and Pakistan can say to
America: "Congratulations! After 240
years, you finally gave a woman a chance
to lead your country. Welcome to the
Civilized World!"
3. Don't force yourself to say
"President Trump."
If you're having trouble saying it, that's
okay. Nobody is putting a gun to your
head, at least not yet. America has free-
dom of speech, after all. You can call him
President Butt, if you wish. But if you
don't want to offend your Trump-support-
ing friends, just say "President Rump". It
will sound just like "President Trump," but
you'll know what you mean.
4. Reminisce about the Bush years.
George W. Bush seemed terrible at the
time, and he led America into the Iraq
War, but he seems like such a lovable
character in retrospect. Take a few minutes
during the next four years to write a letter
to Bush: Dear George, we thought you
were terrible, but we didn't realize how
"terrible" terrible could be. Please save us!
You invaded Iraq and got rid of Saddam
Hussein. Can you do the same over here?
5. Tear down some walls.
Donald Trump has pledged to build a wall
between America and Mexico, but it's the
invisible walls that are more harmful, the
walls that Trump is erecting between peo-
ple of different religions and races. Those
walls need to be torn down and each of us
can help do it.
Please go out of your way to promote and
celebrate diversity. Make sure you partici-
pate when your community organizes its
annual "Hug a Muslim" day. And don't
stay silent if the Trump Administration dis-
criminates against Mexican immigrants.
Grab a Mexican-American friend by the
hand and hit the streets in protest. (Just
don't do any hugging or grabbing without
permission unless you plan to run for
president.)

32 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January-February 2017

Matrimonials
1. Mat 23012017PG. Alliance is invited for an
Adelaide-based, Australian-born 30 year old, 51
fair, beautiful, soft spoken, non-smoker, non-drinker
Punjabi Ramgharia girl with strong family values.
The girl is a lawyer working in an Australian Federal
Government Organisation and is settled in Australia
with family for the past 31 years. Caste no bar.
Professional match preferred from Australian
Citizen or PR Status. Email photo and details
Phulwindergrover@yahoo.com
2. Mat28082016AS. Suitable match for our
son, Australian Citizen, B.Com., LLB, LLM, 59,
age 31, lawyer in a multi-national law firm in
Sydney. Seeking preferably local Sydney girl, pro-
fessionally qualified, age 26-31 years and career-ori-
ented girl from Hindu family. Please reply to:
bhel101@hotmail.com
3. Mat28082016RM. Looking for a suitable
well qualified match for Punjabi khatri boy born Jan
1990 5'11" tall fair working as chartered accountant
in a very reputed company as senior accountant in
Sydney. Australian citizen.
4. Mat28082016SV. We invite a suitable match
for our daughter, 164 cm tall, 33 years this Sept,
Chemical Engineer from Uni of Q. Belongs to a
well-settled and respected Hindu family in Australia
since 1970. Comfortable in both Indian and
Australian cultures, speaks good Hindi. Looking
for boys from similar background, medico, dentist,
IT professionals or in a good business, non-veg,
non-smokers are welcome to respond with a photo
to matrimony283@gmail.com
5. Mat16052016MM. Match for my daughter
Hindu Gujarati Australian born brought up vegetar-
ian well cultured 28 year old girl, beautiful, fair, tall
5.7, educated completed Diploma in Paralegal and
also Completed Bachelor of Business and Currently
Studying Bachelor of Law - University of Western
Sydney Rose Hill Part time while working full time
with Department of Immigration. Looking for a
Hindu, fair, tall and handsome, vegetarian non
smoker and non drinker preferred, 5.10ft to 6 ft. tall
highly educated please contact by email - krish-
nagopee9@gmail.com
6. Mat170616MS. Looking for a suitable match
for boy, 39 year old, 5 8 tall, divorcee. Running an
Australian Grill restaurant. Hindu, educated, good
traditional values would like a girl from Australia
with similar values and traditions. Divorcees can
apply. Belongs to well settled family with grandpar-
ents and uncles living in Sydney. Write to: The
Indian Down Under, PO Box 99, Thornleigh NSW
2120 quoting Mat no.: Mat170616MS.
7. Mat140616DH. Qualified professional
match for Bengali boy, Australian citizen, 31, 510,
Master in Finance, FRM, Manager in a leading
bank. Girl should be Hindu, 23 28 years, slim, pro-
fessionally qualified, Australian Citizen or PR.
Please send details to vidhu7612@gmail.com
Monika Geetmala
Sundays - 10am - 3pm
89.7fm Eastside Radio
or
Tune into:
www.eastside.org
Nonstop entertainment at home, in
car, on your computer or radio...
Janaury - February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 33
34 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER Janaury - February 2017

India thrash Kiwis, thanks to Ashwin magic
nother sensational spinning spell
A by Ravichandran Ashwin and
another facile win for India! With
Ashwin capturing 13 wickets (plus affect-
ing two run outs) India won the third Test
against New Zealand in Indore by a huge
margin of 321 runs.
Thus India won the series 3-0 follow-
ing her 197 runs victory at Kanpur and
178 runs win at Kolkata. A clean sweep, a
whitewash, a blankety-blank!
After taking 6 for 81 and 7 for 59 in
the final Test in Indore and 27 wickets at
an average of 17.77 in the three-Test
series, Ashwin was both the Man of the
Match and the Man of the Series. It was
Ashwins seventh Match of the Series in
14 Test series, an achievement to be proud
about.
He is currently ranked worlds no.1
Test bowler.
India is also comfortably the number
one Test nation with 115 points followed
by Pakistan (111) and Australia and
England joint third with 108 points each.
Ashwin was not the only hero. His
lethal partner in spin, the left-handed
Ravindra Jadeja, also made 14 dismissals.
But whereas the Kiwi bats toppled, the
Indian batsmen made hay when the sun
shone on same pitches. So no one can
complain about the home teams pitch
preparation.
Three Indians topped
300 runs in the series;
Cheteshwar Pujara 373
runs at 74.60, Ajinkya
Rahane 347 at 69.40 and
skipper Virat Kohli 309 at
51.50. On the other hand, only
one New Zealander could reach
200 runs in the series - Luke
Ronchi 200 at 33.33. Indias wicket-
keeper Wriddhiman Saha had the high-
est batting average, 112.00.
Now to the final Test in Indore where
the century drought was broken with
vengeance: Kohli won the toss for the
third time in this series and decided to bat.
So far his batting form was disappointing
but he came back with a bang scoring 211
runs. With Rahane (188 not out) he added
365 runs for the fourth wicket.
Call it a run a day for one calendar
year!
India declared at 5 for 557. New
Zealand opening batsmen Martin Guptill
(72 run out) and Tom Latham (53) started
fluently and put on 118 runs for the first
wicket. But the rest collapsed to the spin
kings Ashwin and Jadeja and were bowled
out for 299, a deficit of 258 runs.
Instead of enforcing the follow-on,
Kohli decided to bat again and declared at
3 for 216 (Gautam Gambhir 50 and Pujara
101 not out) setting the visitors an astro-
nomical 475 runs to win.
They were spun out for 153 (Ashwin 7
for 59) and India won the match by 321
runs and the series 3-0.
In this Test India totalled 773 for the
loss of eight wickets (96.62 per batsman)
while touring New Zealanders made 452
runs for 20 wickets (22.60 per batsman).
Excluding extras it comes to 94.62 per bat
for India and 21.60 per bat for the Kiwis.
The Indore win was Indias 12th in 13
consecutive home Tests. May Kohlis cap-
taincy reign supreme and gain more tri-
umphs for India home and away.
This was the first ever Test staged in
Indore and the most heartening aspect of
India have displaced Pakistan as the No. 1-ranked Test team following their 178-run win against New Zealand in the second Test in Kolkata,
which gave them an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series. India had begun the three-match series trailing Pakistan (111) by one point.
Ravichandran Ashwin was man of the
series with a total haul of 27 wickets.
the match was that over 20,000 spectators
turned up for each day. So Test matches
are not dying in India as many including
me have been predicting. Below are the
match descriptions of the first two Tests
which India won convincingly.
First Test in Kanpur
India celebrated her 500th Test match
by beating New Zealand by 197 runs. It
was Indias 130th Test win since they
played their first Test way back in 1932.
It was a convincing victory as Indian
spinners R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja
baffled the Kiwi bats in both innings with
their wonderful control and turn of the
ball.
The pitch did help them but it also
assisted the New Zealand spinners. The
pitch was by no means unplayable as ten
batsmen (six from India and four from
NZ) scored more than 50 runs each.
Winning the toss, India scored 318
runs, Murali Vijay 65 and Cheteshwar
Pujara 62 adding 112 runs for the second
wicket. Ashwin (40) and Jadeja (42 not
out) also shone with the bat.
The Kiwis started promis-
ingly and were one for159
at one stage, Tom Latham
(58) and skipper Kane
Williamson (75) adding 124
fluent runs. But later on, the
rampaging Ravis bamboozled
the rest as they lost their last
five wickets for seven runs and
were spun out for 262, trailing India
by 56 runs.
Ravi Jadeja captured 5-73 and Ravi
Ashwin 4-93.
Vijay (76) and Pujara (78) showed that
there was nothing sinister about the pitch
as they added 124 for the second wick-
et. With Ajinkya Rahane (40), Rohit
Sharma (68 not out) and Jadeja (50 not
out) batting with ease, India declared at 5
for 377.
This set NZ a near impossible 434 runs
to win, a target never achieved in the 139
years of Test cricket.
They started pathetically losing their
opening batsmen for three runs and their
first four wickets fell for 56, thanks to the
Ravi magic. Just when everything seemed
lost for them Luke Ronchi (80) and baby-
faced Mitchell Santner (71) added 102 for
the fifth wicket.
But medium-pacer Mohammad Shami
and the spinning Ravis dismissed their last
four wickets for 42 and India was tri-
umphant by 197 runs. Off-spinner Ashwin
took 6-132 for a 10-wicket haul. It was his
19th 5 wickets per innings. More credit to
him as he bowled in the second innings
with a callus in the middle finger of his
bowling hand.
Ashwin became the second quickest to
take 200 wickets in Test history, in only
37 Tests. Australias Clarrie Grimmett
had done so in 36 Tests way back in 1935.
January-February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 35
The Kersi Meher-Homji Column
But the Man of the Match was left-arm
spinner Jadeja for his all-round excellence.
He scored 42 and 50 runs without getting
dismissed and took 5-73 and 1-58. At the
presentation he said, Very happy. Just
preparing to do my work with the bat as
well.
Second Test in Kolkata
It was a triple triumph for India. They
won by 178 runs to clinch the series 2-0.
This enabled them to regain their No. 1
Test ranking, overtaking Pakistan.
Winning the toss, India scored 316,
Cheteshwar Pujara 87, Ajinkya Rahane 77
and wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman
Saha 54 not out.
Fast medium bowler Bhuvneshwar
Kumar bowled splendidly to capture 5-78
and New Zealand was bowled out for 204
to trail India by 112 runs. The only resist-
ance came from the Kiwi spinner Jeetan
Patel who made 47.
On a pitch favourable to seam and
swing, India lost her first four wickets for
43 but were rescued by skipper Virat
Kohli (45), a dashing Rohit Sharma (82
with two sixes and 9 fours) and Saha (a
sedate 54 not out). India totalled 263.
Set a big win target of 376, NZ started
promisingly and was 1-104 at one stage,
opening batsman Tom Lathan scoring a
resolute 74. But once he was dismissed the
rest collapsed in a heap as seamer
Mohammad Shami and spinners Ashwin
and Jadeja took three wickets each.
For his two unbeaten fifties and superb
wicket-keeping, Saha was adjudged Man
of the Match.
India won comfortably by 178 runs to
lead 2-0. This was Indias 501st Test
match and 250th in India. Both landmarks
(500th at Kanpur) were celebrated with
convincing victories.And this Test was not
played on a spinners paradise, so more
credit to India.
The Kersi Meher-Homji column

Mishra, Kohli bring in Diwali

Will it be Tendulkar by trouncing Kiwis
eg-spinner Amit Mishra and other

against Waugh again? L Indian bowlers cast spells on Kiwi

batsmen as they won the ODI series
3-2 at the picturesque Visakhapatnam.
In reply to Indias 6 for 269 (Rohit
Sharma 70, Virat Kohli 65), New
ndias icon Sachin

I Tendulkar and Australias

legend Steve Waugh dom-
inated international cricket for
more than two decades.
Will the next decade be
ruled by the same names?
Their teenage sons Arjun
Tendulkar and Austin Waugh
are already knocking on doors
with eye-catching perform-
ances in junior cricket.
Arjun Tendulkar seems to
follow in his father's fabulous
footsteps after he blasted a
century recently. He top-
scored for the Sunil Gavaskar
XI against the Rohit Sharma
XI in the Mumbai Cricket
Association under-16 Payyade
Trophy, scoring 106 out of
218 at the venue named after
his father, the Sachin
Tendulkar Gymkhana
Grounds.
The 16-year-old, who has
the eyes of one billion people
watching his every move on a
cricket field, also smashed
118 from only 42 balls last
September.
The sons also rise: Arjun Tendulkar and Austin Waugh (right)
Unlike dad Sachin, Arjun
bats left-handed and is a left-
arm seam bowler.
Last month, Austin
Waugh top-scored for Metro
NSW by scoring an unbeaten
century in the final of the
national under-17 cricket
championships. He belted 122
from 136 balls, hitting four
fours and four sixes, in the
one-day final against
Queensland juniors.
Waugh scintillated in this
championship and was the
leading run scorer for NSW
Zealanders started promisingly and were 2
for 63. Then Mishra struck violent blows
and the tourists lost eight wickets for a
measly 16 runs to lose by 190 runs.
Magical Mishra captured 5 for 18 and
was made Man of the Match and Man of the
Series. The Kiwis were shot out for 79 runs
in only 23.1 overs, their shortest ODI
innings ever.
The interesting sidelight of the match was
that Indian players had printed the name of
their mothers on the back of their shirts;
Purnima for Rohit Sharma, Sujata for
Ajinkya Rahane, Saroj for Kohli,
Chanderkali for Mishra... The series was
locked two-all before the decider in
Visakhapatnam. Kohli was outstanding with
the bat as he amassed 358 runs in the series
at a century average (119.33), highest score
154 not out and three other fifties. Next best
was Tom Latham, 244 runs at 61.00, top
score an unbeaten 79. Man of the Series
Mishra took 15 wickets at 14.33. Next best
Metro at the championships,
was another Indian, Umesh Yadav, 8 wick-
scoring 372 runs at an average
ets at 29.50. For India to win the series
of 74.4. To quote Peter
without their ace spinners Ravi Ashwin and
FitzSimons in The Sydney
Ravi Jadeja was indeed creditable. But India
Morning Herald: On his cur-
had an ideal replacement in Amit Mishra,
rent trajectory, in about five
aged 33. Whenever there is an opportunity,
years, Steve will be known as
I give more than 100 percent, he said at the
father of Austin Waugh.
presentation of awards.

Cricket Confluence a rare exhibition

Willbur wins prestigious
awards in bodybuilding
If cricket is
religion for
India,
Sachin
Tendulkar
has been
God -- a
painting at
Cricket
Connect
Exhibition.

Indian Australian Willbur Colaco

s a part of Confluence - Festival bond that Australia and India share. Mr. century. There are posters galore which

A
resident of Adelaide, Willbur Colaco is an
entrepreneur. He is founder and CEO of
Universal Laws and is passionate about
A of India in Australia, Cricket
Connect Exhibition was official-
ly inaugurated at Arthur Morris Room,
OFarrell narrated anecdotes concerning
Australian greats Sir Donald Bradman
and Arthur Morris. A decade ago when
depict Australias first unofficial tour of
India in 1935-36 and in 1945, Indias
first official tour to Australia in 1947-48
the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Morris was asked whether he scored any and all subsequent tours; Australia in
transforming peoples lives health, wealth and
October. runs when the legendary Bradman was India and India in Australia covering
relationship through Rudraksha science. He is
Among the VIPs present were the out for a duck in his final Test innings in over 70 years.
also a motivating speaker.
Consul General of India B. London in 1948, he modestly replied I Of course, Don Bradman and Sachin
Apart from these he is also a bodybuilder of
Vanlalvawna, former NSW Premier scored 196, but very few remember that. Tendulkar dominate the limelight but
note. Recently, after a gruelling 18-weeks body
Barry OFarrell, representatives from Everyone remembers Bradmans zero! other legends like Vijay Hazare, Vinoo
transformation challenge, he competed in the South
the Bradman Museum, Bowral, Maurice Also remembered with nostalgia was Mankad, Keith Miller, Ray Lindwall,
Australian Bodybuilding and Physique
Newman, former Test cricketers Indian cricket teams pioneering visit to Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, the Waugh
Championships in different categories. He became
(Australian fast bowler Michael Australia in 1947-48 under the captaincy twins, the spin trio of Bedi-Prasanna-
the only Indo-Australian to compete and finish
Kasprowicz and Englands spinner of Lala Amarnath. It was in the match Chandra, Mark Taylor, Rahul Dravid,
among top three in all the competitions as listed
Monty Panesar), Neville Roach, Mala against NSW at the SCG that Bradman Anil Kumble, Shane Warne, Ricky
below:
Mehta, Vinod Bahade, Vijay Kumar, scored his 100th first-class century. Ponting, Glenn McGrath, Virat Kohli
4International Natural Bodybuilding
Saba Abdi and Raj Dutta, among other The highlight of this Cricket and many others also get exposure.
Association.
dignitaries. Confluence is the Cricket Connects Not forgotten are the Parsi cricketers
4World Fitness Federation / National Amateur
All the speakers including Barry exhibition. It draws on a range of who first toured England in 1886, forty
Bodybuilders Association.
OFarrell and Michael Kasprowicz rem- archival sources and photographs curat- six years before India played her first
4Australian Natural Bodybuilding.
inisced about their time in India where ed to showcase the bilateral cricketing ever Test, also in England.
His victories should be an inspiration to many
cricket is more than a sport, no less than relationship between India and It was a never to be missed exhibi-
other Indians across Australia who want to improve
a religion. Cricket remains an enviable Australia. It goes back to the late 19th tion.
their health and fitness.

36 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January-February 2017

 The Kersi Meher-Homji Column

England in India: ODIs

India win ODI series 2-1 The magnificent Kohli-

t was cricket at its best. The

I third ODI in Kolkata

January 22 went down to the
wire and in the end it was England
on Jadhav partnership clinch
who won by five runs. India failed
to chase down the target of 322
sensational win in Pune
ndia snatched victory from their face Kohli attacked with

runs. Kedar Jadhavs superb knock
of 90 off 75 balls goes in vain. He
stitched a 104-run stand with
Hardik Pandya for the sixth wicket
but could not take India across the
line. Chris Woakes defended the 16
runs in the final over. Earlier,
England posted 321/7 in the first
innings with help of fifties from
Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Ben
Stokes. Hardik Pandya picked up
three wickets for India
Virat Kohli collected the trophy
and handed it over to the boys. He
remarked, Its been a series of lot
of positives for us. The team has
shown a lot of character and it was
a great demo for us as far as
Champions Trophy is concerned.
Kedar Jadhav is a brilliant find for
us. Yuvraj and Dhoni batting up the
I
the jaws of defeat in the
first One Day International
against England at Pune on
15th January.
Virat Kohli captaining
India won the toss and decided
to field. He must have regret-
ted the decision as England
smashed 7 for 350 in 50 overs,
a run rate of 7 per over. Jason
Roy, Joe Root and Ben Stokes
Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh smashed centuries in the 2nd ODI to take made valuable and fast fifties.
India to an unbeatable 2-0 win The last 106 runs came in only
order and performing. And great to Earlier in the 2nd ODI in eight overs, a fantastic run
see Hardik Pandya do what he did Cuttack on January 19, Yuvraj rate of 13.
in this series Singhs maiden 150 and MS Indian batsmen floundered
Kedar Jadhav was declared the Dhonis 134 helped India achieve in their reply losing four of
man-of-the-series for his 232 runs a 15-run win against England to their batsmen for only 63.
in the series. He has been the real take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the With defeat staring in
find for India in this series. series.
gusto. He found an able and
even more aggressive partner
in Kedar Jadhav and they
added 200 runs for the fifth
wicket off 147 balls and India
reached their winning target
with 11 balls remaining.
Kohli belted 122 runs with
eight fours and five sixes at a
strike rate of 116.19. Jadhav
was even more aggressive,
smashing 12 fours, four sixes
at an exhilarating SR of
157.89 and was adjudged Man
of the Match.
Said Kohli on Jadhavs
fireworks, His hundred is
one of the best calculated
innings Ive seen.

Test Series

India playing India trounce England 4-0

brilliant performance

England in Mumbai A by Ravindra Jadeja on

the final day of the fifth
Test against England led India

evokes nostalgia to an innings and 75-run win.

The win gave India a 4-0 series
win. Jadeja took seven wickets
s India under the Vinoo Mankad taking 4 for in the second innings and 10 in

A dynamic skipper
Virat Kohli got
ready to play the fourth
Test against England in
Mumbai, I remembered the
December 1951Test I had
watched between India and
England in Bombay (now
Mumbai). A Test in
Mumbai makes me feel
nostalgic. I fondly remem-
ber the first ever Test I had
ever seen. And it was at
Brabourne Stadium.
Cant believe that it was
65 years ago, and I remem-
ber it as if it was yesterday!
Are you ready for some
nostalgia?
Indias captain Vijay
Hazare won the toss and
decided to bat. Opening
batsman Pankaj Roy (140
runs) and Hazare (155 run
out) added 187 runs for the
third wicket and India
declared at 9 for 485. It
was Hazares second centu-
ry in two Tests, having hit
164 not out in the previous
Test in Delhi.
No wonder Hazare
became my hero then and
still remains my hero num-
ber one.
With tall Tom
Graveney hitting an elegant
175, England replied with
456, spinning all-rounder
91. I still remember
Mankad dropping
Graveney when he was on
99. A 12 year-old Kersi
was devastated!
The Test was eventually
drawn but a cricket lover
was born.
Now to the current
series which India leads 2-0
with two Tests to go. After
the first Test at Rajkot was
drawn, India won the sec-
ond Test at Visakhapatnam
by 246 runs and the third
Test at Mohali by eight
wickets to convincingly
lead the series 2-0.
Kohli is the highest run-
scorer, 405 runs at a fan-
tastic average of 101.25
(with one century and two
fifties). He is followed by
Cheteshwar Pujara, 338
runs at 56.33 with two cen-
turies and one fifty. Then
comes Englands Joe Root,
299 runs at 49.83 with one
century and two fifties.
Englands leg-spinner
Adil Rashid is the leading
wicket-taker, 18 wickets at
28.66 followed by Indias
off-spinner Ravi Ashwin,
15 wickets at 31.53.
Ashwin is the all-
rounder of the current
series having also amassed
239 runs at 47.80.
the match, his first 10-wicket
haul in a Test, as India bowled
out England for 207 in the sec-
ond. India have now been
unbeaten in 18 Tests and this is
a new record for the team.
They are just
6 wins
b e h i n d
equalling the
record of
West Indies,
who went
unbeaten for
24 Tests.
A thumping victory by India over England at Vizag
he three musketeers of Indian cricket skipper Virat
T Kohli, stylish batsman Cheteshwar Pujara and off-
spinner Ravi Ashwin have ensured that India keep
winning Test matches and retain their number one Test rank-
ing. Kohli is making strong claims that he is the best captain
/ batsman India has produced in her 84 history of Test crick-
et.
After the first Test at Rajkot was drawn, India won the
second Test in Visakhapatnam by a huge margin of 246 runs
to lead 1-0 in the five Test series. This is their second high-
est Test victory over England. They had won by 279 runs at
Headingley, Leeds in 1986.
It was heartening to watch four England-born Muslim
players in the England side; all-rounder Moeen Ali, leg-spin-
ner Adil Rashid, 19 year-old opening batsman Haseeb
Hameed and slow left-arm spinner Zafar Ansari.
India amassed 455 runs thanks to a 226 run stand for the
third wicket by Pujara (119) and Kohli (167). Ashwin also
chimed in with 58 and debutant Jayant Yadav 35.
Then Ashwin captured 5 for 67 and England was bowled
Ravindra The winning
Jadeja had India Test team
his first with the trophy
10-wicket
haul in the
5th Test.
out for 255 to trail India by 200 runs.
Now the pitch was taking spin and Englands leg-spinner
Rashid and tall quickie Stuart Broad took four wickets each
and India struggled to 204. Kohli was the only batsman to bat
with confidence.
Needing a near impossible 405 runs to win, England
defended as if their life depended on it. But once their open-
ing batsman and captain Alastair Cook and elegant batsman
Joe Root were dismissed, England was all out for 158 to lose
by 246 runs. Ashwin and newcomer Jayant Yadav were the
destroyers taking three wickets each.
For scoring 167 and 81 runs, Kohli was adjudged Man of
the Match.
Pujara has an achievement to cherish. So far he has
scored centuries in three successive Tests; against New
Zealand at Indore and against England at Rajkot and
Visakhapatnam. Many have achieved this, Don Bradman
leading with centuries in six successive Tests many decades
ago. What makes Pujaras achievement unique is that these
three venues were staging their first Tests.

January-February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 37

 Vipassana
Meditation
as taught by S.N.Goenka

A Special 10-Day Hindi-English

Vipassana Meditation Course
For the Indian-Subcontinent Community
starting on March 15, 2017
(Multilingual Facilities Available)
at Vipassana Meditation Centre, Blackheath NSW
(Volunteers urgently needed)

For More Info on Vipassana Visit: http://www.bhumi.dhamma.org/

For Open Day Transport or other enquiries, or
for volunteer services
call:
Sumi on 0405 131 569
or Pratik 0425 391 121
Vipassana Meditation is a practical technique which enables one to
lead a more positive, balanced and happy life. It is non-sectarian,
scientific, result-oriented technique of self-observation.
- S.N. Goenka

38 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER January - February 2017

January - February 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 39
40 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER January - February 2017