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54-55-56-57 World Cup 2011 Cricket

Coverage

8 Exclusive interview with Premier O’Farrell on

Auburn Temple attacks and Hindi language

34 Spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba passes

away

On the way Down Under

Roopa Pemmaraju showcases her Royal Edition collection of Resortwear at Rosemount Australian Sydney Writers Festival guests Sonia Faleiro, Fatima
Fashion Week ...Page 17 Bhutto (47) and Syndey Music Festival’s Unni Krishnan(5)

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May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 03
04 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER May 2011
May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 05
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Principal Editor: Vijay Badhwar
Associate Editor: Neena Badhwar
North America : Parveen Chopra
Correspondent
Sports Editor: Kersi Meher-Homji
Delhi Reporter: Ritu Ghai
WRITERS
Third Eye: Rekha Bhattacharjee
Political Columns: Karam Ramrakha, Mallika
Ganesan
Films and Art: Neeru Saluja, Abhishek Sood, Monica
Daswani, Sumi Krishnan, Devaki Parthasarthy, Neena
Badhwar, Rekha Rajvanshi
Body-Mind-Spirit: Dr Sunder Das, Kanaka
Ramakrishna, Faith Harper, T Selva, Dilip Mahanty
Sport: Kersi Meher-Homji, Dilip Mahanty
Fiji Diary: Karam Ramrakha
Cookery: Promila Gupta
Children Section: Esther Chudhary-Lyons
Classical Music: Sumi Krishnan, Kris Raman,
Lokesh Varma
Travel: Vijay Badhwar, Kris Raman
Humour: Melvin Durai, Santram Bajaj
Seniors Column: Santram Bajaj
Beauty: Devaki Parthasarthy
Community: Neena Badhwar, Kersi Meher-Homji,
Vijay Badhwar, Sumi Krishnan, Neeru Saluja, Savitha
Narayan
Photographers: Neelesh Kale, Raj Suri and Jordan
Anjaiya
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Thorhleigh NSW 2120
People’s power is on the rise
t is still early for the Liberal
I Government, which stormed in the
March elections with an unprecedented
Sri Mandir at Auburn exterior (above)
and view after the attack.
win, to outline its major policies – whether
it will take a razor to public service,
realign transport infrastructure or re-plan
the urban sprawl. While the voters hold
their expectations high for a change,
besides minor tweaking, all factors consid-
ered, there is usually not much in terms of
major change in direction. There is, how-
ever, reassurance for the Indian community
as reflected in the interview response to
The Indian Down Under by Premier
O’Farrell that all major programmes for
the community will be maintained and the
law and order situation regarding the Sri
Mandir at Auburn “is something that
myself and Minister Dominello feel very
strongly about and will be an ongoing
focus for my Government”.
There was a setback for Hindi language
in Australia as it was ignored in the nation-
al curriculum as a school subject by the
Australian Curriculum Assessment and
Reporting Authority (ACARA). There was
an Australia-wide movement by Hindi
speaking people represented by Hindi asso-
ciations and various schools who filed a
submission report to ACARA to include
Hindi into its draft shape paper. It is ironi-
cal that languages such as Spanish and
Arabic have been considered whereas
Hindi, as one of the most spoken lan-
guages in the world, has been totally over-
looked. Elsewhere in the world, people
who cannot bring about a change demo-
cratically are being empowered by new
technology, Twitter and Facebook, SMSs
bringing them together in mass protests
and direct action against alleged tyrant
regimes in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Ivory
Coast, Syria, and spreading. It is emer-
gence of a new world order, redefining the
‘sovereignty’ of a nation, although it is
hard to digest the only altruistic line for-
warded by the nations of the likes of
United Kingdom and France whose past is
tainted with similar overtures as they
usurped power in the Middle East, Asia
and Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries.
till early times to foresee if technolo-
S gy is churning the ocean for a chari-
table distribution of the nectar in the
Anna Hazare galvanized a nation with
is anti-corruption crusade, forcing the
government to move on the Lokpal
(ombudsman) bill.
Middle East, but as far as recent events in
India to bring about people’s action against
corruption are concerned, it’s more than a
welcome tool. Led by a septuagenarian
Gandhian Anna Hazare, it has brought a
recalcitrant Indian Government to its knees
to gazette all demands listed in Jan Lokpal
Bill, an amended people’s version of the
Lok Pal bill initiated 46 years ago and still
languishing in the corridors of power after
being put to parliament eight times. The
corruption in India is so seeped in every
nook and corner of the government fabric
that it is hurting everyone in all day to day
activities. Corruption has become a way of
life; the foreign accounts to channel cor-
rupt money have become so popular that
the Swiss banks have set shop in India
itself to save the hassle.
Anna Hazare wrote to the PM (who
earlier refused to see him) that lots of
scams came up, but no corrupt bureaucrats
and politicians were punished as people
investigating were appointed by those
involved in the scams. The new bill will
be drafted by a 10-member committee with
five members constituted from public
domain. It has a deadline to pass through
the parliament by August 15 this year
which is not as open-ended to go for
another 46 years! The Jan Lokpal Bill
removes the requirement that it could only
be initiated by speaker of the Lower or
Upper Houses (and hence would benefit
the ruling party). The proposed bill also
requires that the corrupt money will be
returned to the public rather than the
offender getting away with the loot. All
the five nominees of the civil society,
April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 7
Editor's Letter
Kanimozhi, Karunanidhi’s daughter,
has been implicated in the 2G scam.
Anna Hazare, N. Santosh Hegde, Shanti
Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, and Arvind
Kejriwal are well-respected public repre-
sentatives.
Meanwhile, action against corruption
contiues to hit the high and mighty. Suresh
Kalmadi, who oversaw the graft-tainted
and disastrously managed Commonwealth
Games held in Delhi last year, was
remanded in police custody on charges of
cheating, conspiracy and corruption related
to tenders for timekeeping equipment
worth millions of dollars. He was also sus-
pended by the Congress party, of which he
was a senior member.
The same day as Kalmadi’s arrest about
two weeks ago, another high-flying politi-
cian was charged with corruption: Member
of Parliament Kanimozhi Karunanidhi.
Kanimozhi, who goes by one name, is the
daughter of the chief minister of Tamil
Nadu and a member of one of the most
influential political families in a country
where dynasties still play a critical role.
She is charged for her role in the ongoing
drama of India’s mobile phone licence sale
scandal, which cost the country an estimat-
ed $39 billion, not including millions of
dollars in bribes that Kanimozhi is alleged
to have helped funnel to private companies
through her close relationship with the
then-telecommunications minister,
Andimuthu Raja.
ongratulations to India for winning
C
the Cricket World Cup. Now it is
truly at the top with both the titles
– Test and One-day Internationals – in its
kitty. It has been a successful rebuilding of
the team since the infamous Sydney Test of
2008. Rarely does a single event have such
an impact – the Indian team scaling new
heights with a youthful confidence, and, on
the other hand, a team that had dominated
the world scene for more than a decade
losing its way so completely.
Interview
Premier is all ears to Indian community issues
By Neena Badhwar
aving swept to power in
H NSW in an unprecedent-
ed rebuff to the long
reign by Labor, the new Premier
Barry O’Farrell has an unenvi-
able task ahead of maintaining
the faith the electorate has
entrusted in him. There has been
a shift in voting preferences not
only by the mainstream public
but also by the ethnic communi-
ties whose support is conspicuous
in Liberal wins in Parramatta and
Strathfield among many others
throughout the State. The Indian
Down Under asked the premier
some questions relevant to the
multicultural NSW landscape.
Q. Mr O’Farrell, we con-
gratulate you on becoming the
premier of NSW – a state which
is vibrant due to its multicultural
mix. They have all supported
you whole heartedly to bring
about the change. Would you
like to comment on your win?
Premier Barry O’Farrell:
Thank you very much. There is
no doubt the record vote for the
Liberal and National Parties
included strong support from the
State’s ethnic communities. It is
heartening to see so many of
those culturally diverse seats in
western Sydney have been won
by the Liberal Party for the first
time - we are determined not to
let them down.
Q. Who in your team is look-
ing after the portfolio for ethnic
Australia launches Hindi website for Indian students
n a first by any foreign gov-
I ernment, Australia on April 15
launched a website in Hindi in
New Delhi aimed at providing
better information access to fami-
lies of prospective Indian students
in Victoria.
The Hindi version of 'Study
Melbourne' portal:
http://www.studymelbourne.vic.g
ov.au/hindi was launched by visit-
ing Victorian minister Louise
Asher, who is leading a 60-mem-
ber business delegation on her
first trip abroad after the forma-
tion of a new government there.
"It is the world's first web-
site of a foreign government in
Hindi. Though knowledge of
English is imperative for students
there, the website aims to provide
information to the families and
parents of those students in their
mother tongue. "It will help them
in better understanding of facili-
ties and prospects in Victorian
universities," Asher, minister for
innovation said while launching
the portal. On attacks on Indian
students in Victoria, she said, "I
agree we have some problems in
Victoria. We are embarrassed, but
the new government is addressing
these issues. It is an important
8 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011
Barry O'Farrell, of Liberal party,
is new NSW Premier
communities and their issues?
O’Farrell: Victor Dominello
is the Minister for Citizenship
and Communities. Victor has
been a first class local member
for the people of Ryde and he
will be an excellent Minister for,
and advocate on behalf of, ethnic
communities in NSW.
Q. Indian communities are
facing some serious issues – one
very serious incident is a shoot-
ing attack on a Hindu temple in
Auburn. There have been ongo-
ing attacks at the premises,
stones being thrown at windows,
also eggs and rubbish, money
stolen from its donation box,
and abuse and obscenities
hurled. But the law and order
agencies have failed to curb the
miscreants. The local MP
Barbara Perry in the previous
government had a meeting with
the concerned Indian community
and the temple held an open day
in January for the locals, but to
Australian Hindi website to woo Indian students
part of our focus in governance...
we are not only concerned about
students but whole community."
She also noted that a 24X7
student case service has been set
up to help Indians in Victoria.
Asher also pitched in for stronger
ties between Victorian universities
and Indian institutions. Indians
makes up the second largest group
of foreign students in Victoria
behind China. In 2010, there were
approximately 46,000 Indian stu-
dent enrolments in courses in
Victoria, she said.
On India-Victoria trade rela-
no avail. What are you going to
do about this severe law and
order problem for the temple
and its followers who include
families with young children.
They have been coming to this
temple for the last 34 years.
O’Farrell: These incidents
are obviously very frightening
and I am concerned about what is
happening. I have confidence in
the local police who are investi-
gating these incidents and when
the perpetrators are caught, I
have no doubt the police will
throw the full force of the law at
them. In regards to promoting
harmony in our society, that is
something that myself and
Minister Dominello feel very
strongly about and will be an
ongoing focus for my
Government.
Q. It is important that this
problem is nipped in the bud
and does not turn into a big
issue like the one concerning
Indian students. That affected
education industry in Australia
quite badly and strained rela-
tions between India and
Australia.
O’Farrell: Absolutely. India
and Australia have a very strong
relationship and that is something
I want to foster in NSW for the
cultural and economic opportuni-
ties it presents. Readers of The
Indian Down Under know how
strengthening relations with India
are a key element of my plan to
make NSW number one again. In
February last year I led a delega-
tion to Mumbai where I met with
tionship, Asher said the serious-
ness of her government in this
regard is evident as they chose
India as a destination for a senior
minister's first foreign trip after
assuming office. She said the
"Trade mission to India represents
the very best of Victoria's capa-
bilities in automotive, sustainable
urban design, aviation, clean tech,
food and beverages and ICT."
"Through this visit and other
activities planned as part of our
trade engagement programme for
India, we look forward to signifi-
cantly boosting partnerships with
senior government officials and
business leaders and I plan to
return to India later this year to
promote greater trade and invest-
ment in NSW.
Q. Australian Curriculum,
Assessment and Reporting
Authority (ACARA) is responsi-
ble for a national curriculum
from kindergarten to Year 12
and has come up with a draft
shape paper for introducing lan-
guages into national curriculum
in four stages. Chinese, Italian,
French, German, Indonesian,
Japanese, Korean, Spanish,
Arabic, Greek, Vietnamese lan-
guages are in the proposed
stages of developing while Hindi
has been overlooked. Although
ACARA is working towards a
national initiative to introduce
languages into school curricu-
lum, what kind of support we
can expect from your govern-
ment to help us get Hindi into
ACARA’s Shape of the
Australian Curriculum:
Languages. Hindi speaking
community is growing in
Australia at a fast pace with
number of migrants from India
ranked third among the total
intake. Hindi being among the
top ten languages spoken in
NSW and Australia, it is impor-
tant that it is introduced as a
language subject along with
other languages which have
been considered in the draft
shape paper.
O’Farrell: I believe there is
merit in the Indian communities’
campaign. There are strong cul-
Rita Tandon, Senior Manager Special Events for Amway India with
Victorian minister Louise Asher in Melbourne
India -- the most exciting econom-
ic powerhouse," she said.
Leading Indian firms
Mahindra and Mahindra, Infosys
and the Wadhawan Group, as well
as nine of India's top 15 informa-
tion and communications technol-
ogy companies, have presence in
Victoria. Speaking at the launch,
Australian High Commissioner
Peter Varghese said, "We have
high ambition with our relation-
ship with India. We want to
develop strong strategic and eco-
nomic ties... strong educational
ties will bring better understand-
tural and economic ties between
our two nations and we should be
giving more young people the
opportunity to learn Hindi. With
the emergence of India as an eco-
nomic power that can only help
Australia in the long term. NSW
alone cannot change the national
curriculum; so it’s something my
Minister for Education Adrian
Piccoli will have to discuss with
his federal and state colleagues.
Q. Before the election TIDU
asked you whether you would
help the Indian community to
establish a centre and a piece of
land. You had asked for a pro-
posal from the community if you
came into power. When would
you be able to give us time so
that we can discuss such a pro-
posal? Or can you suggest who
should we contact and meet on
your behalf about this issue?
O’Farrell: Minister
Dominello would be the appro-
priate person.
Q. Diwali at Parliament
House (which has become an
annual event for the Indian
community), Parramasala (a
multicultural Art Festival in
Parramatta started last year) and
a cultural grant to UIA (an
umbrella Indian organization
which holds Friendship Fair in
August) – can the Indian com-
munity expect all these to con-
tinue with assistance from your
government on an ongoing basis?
O’Farrell: The Government
will provide ongoing support to
these important events for the
Indian community.
ing between the two nations."
In March this year Melbourne
successfully bid to host Amway
India’s coveted Leadership
Seminar for more than 4,000 dele-
gates in Melbourne in 2012, an
event that would generate an esti-
mated $20.98 million for Victoria.
Rita Tandon, Senior Manager ,
Special Events, for Amway India,
said Melbourne’s impressive
infrastructure and unique range of
attractions and activities had
played a major role in finalising
the decision to host the group in
Melbourne.

India shining in Australian context
By Rekha Bhattacharjee
hile Australia’s key
W strategists are working
furiously to stay in step
with the phenomenal growth of
India, majority of everyday
Australians seem to be oblivious to
the growth story unfolding right in
our neighbourhood.
Strangely, those incognizant to
the rapid rise and increasing
sophistication of the Indian econo-
my also include many members of
the Indian Diaspora settled Down
Under in the last few decades or
more.For the uninitiated, India is
Australia’s third largest export
market up from a distant 12th posi-
tion six years back.
To convert this in simple num-
bers, the merchandise trade
(including services) between India
and Australia has reached $22.40
billion in 2010. Indo-Australian
trade was just $6.54 billion in
2004.Even as the Resources sector
can hardly conceal its collective
glee, for most of the Australians,
India continues to be a quintessen-
tial third world country debilitated
by poverty, social inequality, lack
of infrastructure, poor education
and health levels, dismal growth
rates, etc
.While India is far from being
included as an equal among the so-
called developed countries, the
emergence of the South Asian
country as strong economic force
cannot be dismissed as a figment
of some Indophile romantic’s
imagination.The near double-digit
growth in India’s GDP in the past
decade or so has translated into an
unprecedented, upward trajectory
where even Australian economy is
reaping bonanza year after year.
The hike in the prices of
Australian commodities is attrib-
uted primarily to two Asian eco-
nomic giants - China and
India.Australian economy has man-
aged to weather global downturn in
a resilient manner, thanks to
export of resources to the above-
mentioned Asian countries.To give
readers some idea about the rise
and rise of India after the clichéd
Dhoni is most influential Indian in Time magazine’s list
ndian cricket captain
I Mahendra Singh Dhoni has
been ranked above any
other Indian and even US
President Barack Obama and
football player Lionel Messi
follow behind him in Time
magazine’s 2011 list of 100
most influential people.
Dhoni occupied the 52nd
position and is the only Indian
sportsman making it to the
coveted list. ‘Captain fantas-
tic’ as described by the maga-
zine, is the only Indian sports-
man, besides Sachin
The Third Eye
‘liberalisation’ drive in the early
1990s, India’s Gross Domestic
Product based on purchasing-
power-parity (PPP) per capita
GDP has increased from near
US$900 in 1990 to approximately
US$3300 in 2010
.As far as overall figures are
concerned, Indian GDP has
increased from US$413 billion in
2000 to US$1121 billion last year
or nearly 270 per cent increase
based on 2010 figures.What frus-
trates an economic strategist is the
fact that the growth in the Indian
economy has been haphazard.
While some services sectors have
developed tremendously, India lags
far behind in sectors like agricul-
ture and manufacturing
.To give an idea about the rela-
tive progress in telecommunication
as observed by The Sydney
Morning Herald’s New Delhi cor-
respondent Matt Wade, there were
234 million Indian mobile phone
subscribers in 2007. The number
more than doubled in just two
years crossing 500 million sub-
scribers landmark.
The number of mobile sub-
scribers is estimated to be above
770 million as I write this arti-
cle.“Last November, 23 million
new subscribers were added - more
than the population of Australia in
30 days,” writes Matt Wade in an
article.To quote more feel-good
forecasts from McKinsey Global
Institute, by 2030 Indian GDP
would have multiplied by five
times; the net increase in working
by Rekha Bhattacharjee
age population be 270 million peo-
ple; 91 million urban households
will be middle class; US$1.2 tril-
lion capital investment would be
required to meet projected demand
just in Indian cities; 700-900 mil-
lion square meters of commercial
and residential space would be
needed to be built; 2.5 billion
metres of roads would be required
to be paved; 7,400 kilometers of
metro train will need to be con-
structed, etc
.If India can maintain such
mind-boggling growth for the next
decade and a half, she would man-
age to exceed economic historians’
forecast that India, along with her
northern neighbour China, would
contribute one third of the global
income.To revisit global economic
history, India and China were con-
tributing an astounding one half the
global income in the first two
decades of the 19thcentury but this
humongous contribution dived
down to dismal one tenth by the
middle of the last century.It is not
surprising that Indian growth is
often discussed along with China
but there are too many factors
which make these two stories very
different. But the economists and
commentators would never cease
comparing the two most populous
countries in the world due to their
geographical location.
China, Australia’s numero uno
trading partner, is far ahead of
India if one looks at the economic
graphs.''The footprints of the
Chinese dragon are still much big-
MS Dhoni (left) and Mukesh
Ambani (above) : 52nd and 61st
most influential in the world
ger than the footprints of the
Indian elephant on the world econ-
omy,” one the top economist asso-
ciated with the Lowy Institute,
Mark Thirlwell, said recently.Even
as India surges upwards in eco-
nomic growth, her development is
impeded by a number of geo-politi-
cal issues including national securi-
ty. India, unlike her European
Union counterparts, cannot afford
to let her guard down even briefly
as she shares thousands of kilome-
ters of borders with two hostile
nuclear powers China and
Pakistan.India, which has been to
war with China (1962) and
Pakistan (1948, 1965 and 1971)
has to invest heavily into defence
to survive in arguably the most
volatile neighbourhood in the
world.
Indian spending on defence
hovers around a figure less than 3
per cent of the GDP. In compari-
son, China spends 7 percent of the
GDP and the Pakistan has to keep
aside 5 per cent of her GDP for
national security purposes.The
change in world order due to grad-
ual decrease in the US influence
along with rise of China and India
as economic powerhouses in the
Asia-Pacific reason has also led to
a realization among the Australian
strategy gurus for the need to re-
align.“As American strategic and
economic power relatively dimin-
ishes in the region because of
China’s and India’s growth,
Australia would have to adjust its
policies to these changes,” John
Tendulkar, to have made it to
the elite list.
The other Indians finding
their way through are Mukesh
Ambani who took the 61st
spot, neuroscientist V S
Ramachandran who was
ranked 79, Azim Premji (88)
and activist Aruna Roy (89).
"Dhoni doesn't just lead a
cricket team; he's also India's
captain of hope.
And he didn't just win
India the World Cup; he also
taught India how to win," the
magazine stated.
April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 9
Comment
McCarthy, chairman of the
Australia-India Council was quoted
by media recently.It has to be said
that China, being the top trading
partner, should continue to be the
primary object of Australian strate-
gists’ focus. But the Australian
economists should also keep in
mind that our trade balance with
the third largest trading partner
India is very lucrative.
So India should not be allowed
to be far from our strategists’
drawing boards.India provides
very rosy balance to trade which is
a whopping 14.4 billion dollars in
Australia’s favour even though
Australia's total merchandise trade
(exports plus imports) with the
South Asian country was less than
a quarter of the two-way trade
between China and Australia in
2009-10. Australia’s trade surplus
from India is second only to that
from Japan.While it’s a win-win
situation for Australia, the situation
for the Indian poor is not very
rosy. India may have become
world’s fourth largest economy (on
a Purchasing Power Parity calcula-
tion), the GDP Per Capita figures
for India are dismal.According to
the International Monetary Fund
estimates published late last year in
‘World Economic Outlook’ GDP
per capita in India in 2009 of
US$1,031. This compares to
US$3,734 in China and approxi-
mately US$45,000 in Australia and
the US.No wonder most of the
pundits consider India to be a rich
country inhabited by poor.
The top position was occu-
pied by Wael Ghonim, the
Google executive who became
the 'spokesman for a revolu-
tion' in Egypt.Obama was
ranked 86th, followed by foot-
ball player Lionel Messi at the
87th position.Also making it
to the list are Facebook
founder Mark Zuckerberg
ranked sixth, while WikiLeaks
founder Julian Assange occu-
pied the ninth
position.Pakistani spy chief
Ahmed Shuja Pasha has been
ranked 17th.
India

China, Russia support India's UNSC 'aspirations'

Sanya, China: China and Russia
on April 14 joined fellow leaders
of the five fastest growing eco-
nomic powers in calling for com-
prehensive UN reforms and sup-
ported the "aspirations" of India,
Brazil and South Africa for a per-
manent place in the Security
Council.
The two permanent UNSC
members - China and Russia - in a
joint statement of the BRICS
grouping, said they "support their
(India, Brazil and South Africa)
aspiration to play a greater role in
the UN".
But does this translate into sup-
port for their bids for a permanent
UNSC seat?
"It is an endorsement of our
views on candidature and UN
reforms," secretary, economic
relations, in the ministry of exter-
nal affairs Manbir Singh said
when asked if it signaled backing
for India's bid.
"This is a consensus statement.
This (joint) statement is satisfacto-
ry as far as we are concerned,"
Manbir Singh told Indian journal-
ists later.
India, Brazil and South Africa
are in the Security Council but as
non-permanent members for a
period of two years after their
election in January. They are
seeking more permanent represen-
tation in view of their growing
global influence.
The BRICS countries together
represent more than 40 percent of
the world's population and 20 per-
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh with China’s President, Mr Hu cent of the global Gross Domestic
Jintao, on the sidelines of BRICS Summit at Sanya, Hainan, China Product (GDP). The fastest
on April 14. China’s support will ensure a permanent seat for India emerging economies are projected
on the Security Council. to contribute 48 percent to the
global economy in the next
decade.
The statement, also called the
Sanya declaration, was signed by
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and presidents Hu Jintao of
China, Brazil's Dilma Rousseff,
Russia's Dmitry Medvedev and
South Africa's Jacob Zuma.
It reaffirmed "the need for a
comprehensive reform of the UN,
including its Security Council to
make it more effective, efficient
and representative, so that it can
deal with today's global chal-
lenges more successfully".
"China and Russia reiterate the
importance they attach to the sta-
tus of India, Brazil and South
Africa in international affairs, and
understand and support their aspi-
ration to play a greater role in the
UN."

State elections results Anna Hazare's anti-graft crusade

in mid May
New Delhi: State assembly elec-
tions are being been held in a
staggered way in West Bengal,
Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and
Puducherry. The results expect-
ed by May 18 will show if the
communist rule will end in West
Bengal after decades, put to end
by the feisty Mamta Banerjee,
railways minister and head of
Trinamool Congress, which is
allying with Congress. And,
whether Karunanidhi’s DMK in
alliance with the Congress will
be defeated at the hustings and
Jayalalitha’s reign starts
again.However, commentators
are unanimous on the fact that
this round of state elections is
without any serious issue. “The
overriding feature of the cam-
paign so far has been one of
unrelenting negativity,”
Hindustan Times noted while
noting that “In the background
in all these states are vague
promises of bringing about
development, though quite how
and when are not spelt out.
A high voter turnout --85.2 % in
Puducherry, 75.2 % in Tamil
Nadu and 74.4 % in Kerala- is
an encouraging sign for India’s
robust democracy.
galvanized a nation
New Delhi: As the fast-unto-death
by Gandhian social activist Anna
Hazare galvanized a whole nation,
the UPA government bowed and
agreed to a joint committee with
the civil society to draft an anti-
corruption ombudsman bill
demanded by the activists.
The agitation for the (Jan
Lokpal Bill) to fight corruption
and Hazare's unrelenting stance on
the issue forced the government to
agree for a dialogue and form a
panel with 50 percent representa-
tion by the civil society.
However, the government only
agreed to issue a letter with the
commitment but not any formal
notification even as Congress chief
Sonia Gandhi urged Hazare to give
up his hunger strike.
Social activists like Arvind
Kejriwal and Swami Agnivesh and
Kiran Bedi as wel as many in
Bollywood supported Hazare’s
crusade.
Sonia Gandhi said Anna's
views will receive 'full attention'
of the UPA government.
"There can be no two views on
the urgent necessity of combating
graft and corruption in public
life,” Gandhi said in a statement.
Hazare said Sonia should
ensure that the law is quickly
drafted and implemented.
The movement spread all
across India. People in Mumbai,
Kolkata, Bangalore and
Ahmedabad among many other
cities expressed solidarity with
street meetings and fasts. People
sporting "I am Anna Hazare" plac-
ards marched in processions and
shouted slogans.
Forty-two years in waiting, the
Jan Lokpal Bill is touted to be
India’s de facto weapon against
graft. A Lokpal means an ombuds-
man to root out corruption at high
places in the Indian polity.

Needed, ‘triangle of tranquillity’ to contain China

Sydney: Australia, South Africa and India
should form a “triangle of tranquillity”
through increased strategic and economic
cooperation to counter China’s advances in the
Indian Ocean region, said Chandan Mitra, MP
and Editor of The Pioneer, while delivering
the keynote address at the `Australia-India
2020 International Forum’ at University of
Sydney.
Mitra said, “India’s strategic ethos should
ensure important friends like Australia and
South Africa are part of this process for
greater development of the Indian Ocean
region. The region has become ripe for geo-
strategic competition due to the presence of
mutually distrustful littorals, which has pre-
vented the creation of appropriate security
architecture despite similar priorities and a
common interest in maritime operations.”
Emphasising India’s concern over China’s
‘string of pearls’ strategy — the establishment
of ports and naval bases in close proximity to
shipping lanes and oil supply routes across the
Indian Ocean — Mitra said this strategy had
significantly expanded China’s strategic depth
in India’s backyard.
This includes the Gwadar port in Pakistan,
naval bases in Burma, electronic intelligence
gathering facilities on islands in the Bay of
Bengal, funding the construction of a canal
across the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, a military
agreement with Cambodia and building up of
forces in the South China Sea.The Indian
Ocean region is also of vital strategic impor-
tance for Australia, yet it has substantially
under-appreciated it. “As American strategic
and economic power relatively diminishes in
the region because of China’s and India’s
growth, Australia would have to adjust its
policies to these changes,” said John
McCarthy, chairman of the Australia-India
Council.
In recent years, Australia-India bilateral
relations have come under strain due to attacks
on Indian students in Australia. Prof John
Hearn, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International)
said, “Sydney University is looking to increase
the flow of staff and students between the two
countries and to improve Australia’s reputa-
tion as a destination for Indian students.”
The University, which enrolls a large num-
ber of overseas Indians students, has had a
long history of collaborative research with pre-
mier Indian institutes. It is further strengthen-
ing research partnerships across a wide spec-
trum of disciplines from health and agriculture
to IT and engineering.
Another irksome issue has been Australia’s
refusal to export uranium to India for its civil-
ian nuclear programme. The Labour Party pol-
icy demands that uranium be sold only to
countries that have signed the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
“It doesn’t make sense not to sell uranium
to India, especially after the US-India nuclear
deal. We must get past it sooner than later,”
said McCarthy, who has served as Australia’s
High Commissioner to India.
Following the 2008 India-US Civil
Nuclear Agreement, India plans to significant-
ly upgrade its nuclear power programme and
locate at least 40 more N-reactors over the
next 10 years that will generate power to meet
20 per cent of India’s energy needs by 2050.
Australia has 40 per cent of the world’s
known uranium reserves. It is India’s sixth
largest trading partner and India is Australia’s
fifth largest. India’s ranking among Australia’s
export destinations has risen from 12th to
fourth between 2003-04 and 2009-10.
From A$ 6.54 billion in 2003-04, trade in
goods and services between India and
Australia reached A$ 22.40 billion in 2009-10.
“We can’t afford not to be in India”, said
Mark Pierce, Assistant Secretary, South &
Central Asia Branch, Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade.
“While the economic aspect is phenome-
nally important in this bilateral relationship,
the focus should also be on building close peo-
(From left) Neville Roach, John McCarthy,
Chandan Mitra and John Hearn at the
University of Sydney’s `Australia-India
2020 International Forum’
ple-to-people linkages and winning hearts and
minds,” said Neville Roach, Member of the
Indian Prime Minister’s Global Advisory
Council of Overseas Indians.
He called for Hindi and other regional
Indian languages to be included in the
Australian school curriculum, emphasising the
importance of language in understanding a
country.
The forum, which attracted academicians,
students, diplomats, business and government
executives, and members from the growing
Indian diaspora, also included a series of
round table meetings on areas of joint interest:
Food security, capacity-building in business,
public health partnerships and science educa-
tion.© Neena Bhandari, first published on
April 14, 2011 in The Pioneer.

10 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011

May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 11
India
Analysis
The next government and future of Assam
By Rekha Bhattacharjee the ruling Congress government in Assam is Congress and AGP to form an Angela
now toying with the option of forming a coali- Merkel/Gerhard Schroeder type of coalition
n 13 May 2011 we will have State tion with AIUDF. after the next elections. Or are Assam politi-

O election results. The predictions are

for a ‘hung Assembly’ in Assam, an
area that since 1947 bordered on East
Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The partition of
India resulted in perhaps the largest transmi-
gration in world history with refugees travel-
ling in both directions. Bengal and Assam
received theirs.
Worse still, West Pakistan’s genocidal
invasion of East Pakistan in 1971 repeated this
phenomenon as it drove millions of
Bangladeshi refugees into West Bengal and
Assam. Many remain there to this day. Today
many question the future of India’s North
East, mainly Assam.
The Government of India, always anxious
to keep a lid on communal and other tensions,
decreed that all persons in India as on 19 July
1948 be deemed citizens. One man, one vote
is a powerful political mantra. It has been said
that a politician is a person who has his eyes
on the next election, while a statesman is one
who has his eyes on future. Along India’s
unprotected and largely unfenced North East
some 20 million Bangladeshis have infiltrated
into the country.
The Government of India eyed this vote
bank and passed the Illegal Migrants
(Determination of Tribunals) Act which pro-
vides that anyone settled in Assam before 25
March 1971 is deemed to be a citizen. The cut-
off date of 19 July 1948 remains for the rest of
India. Worse still, under the IM(DT), the onus
is on the complainant (accuser) to prove that a
person was not in India on 25 March 1971.
The IM(DT) thus bypassed the Foreigners
Act, which placed the onus on the alleged res-
ident rather than a complainant. As illegal
migrants poured in unchecked and diluted the
demographic structure of Assam, protests fol-
lowed. The Assam Gana Parishad (AGP) chal-
lenged the IM(DT) in the Supreme Court
which struck it down on 12 July 2005, after 20
long years.
Influential minority leaders of Assam have
now formed a new party, the Assam United
Democratic Front, now named All India
United Democratic Front (AIUDF) to protect
the illegal migrants who continue to pour in
unabated and unchecked and now form a
majority in at least five districts of lower
Asom. Politics makes strange bedfellows, and
The Centre under Manmohan Singh and
Sonia Gandhi has now amended the Foreigners
Act so that claims are referred to a tribunal
where Smt Gandhi assured a rally while cam-
paigning in Assam that a hearing would be
held before a person is declared a foreigner.
Ironically genuine citizens are at risk. The BJP
has condemned these maneuvers.
What then is the result of rather tardy elec-
tioneering? First and foremost, it compromis-
es national security if foreigners can march in
unchecked. But there are greater implications.
Bangladesh has always had its eyes on Assam
as a future annexation. A few years ago, a del-
egation of intellectuals from Bangladesh to
China declared that Assam will one day
become part of Greater Bangladesh. The
Congress seems oblivious to such a danger,
or, if it does, it ignores that danger for short
term political gain.
The history of India after Prithviraj shows
how such short term alliances have wreaked
havoc on the unity of India, and the integrity
of its borders. How can this disaster be avert-
ed? The ball is now in the court of the students
and the people of Assam. It is for AASU and
the educated to take up cudgels on behalf of
the genuine and indigenous people with rallies,
pamphlets and bulletins. The unemployed peo-
ple in Assam must realise as they are the ones
who are suffering while illegal migrants
become entrenched and take up their jobs.
But what will prevent the major parties –
cians that bitterly divided that they would give
Asom away to Bangladesh rather than form a
coalition? A leaf can be taken out of strife torn
Kashmir where a Common Minimum
Programme has been formed by the People’s
Democratic Party-Congress Alliance
(PDP/CA). Surely, Assam Assembly could
follow suit. The aim in Kashmir is to protect
persons who have been victims of militancy
and one poignant aim has been to secure the
return of Kashmiri Pandits to their homes.
How Assam will fare and whether it will
fall into Greater Bangladesh within a decade is
a matter of concern for all those who cherish
the integrity of India and who wish to keep
democratic values alive in the great country. It
is time for the whole of Assam to act, and act
quickly.
The Congress ‘high command’ should
apply what Sonia has been saying during her
poll campaign last time in 2006 “Unlike the
Opposition Parties, Congress Party had ideol-
ogy, policy, ideals, principles and culture.
Politics cannot be done through double stan-
dards.” The supreme sacrifice will be if Sonia
Gandhi can take that decision for Congress to
sit in Opposition rather than join hands with
AIUDF. But if it can bring about a Common
Minimum Programme like Kashmir with AGP
- with one stroke the government will be able
to diminish infiltration and insurgency, create
employment, paving the way for development
and prosperity in the State.

Pakistan nudges Afghans closer to China Kamath to succeed

Kabul: With Afghan discussions under way about the
future involvement of the US in the ravaged country and
the prospect of long-term military bases, the Pakistani
government has urged Kabul to distance itself from the
West and tie its future more tightly to that of China and
Pakistan, according to the New York Times.During a
landmark April 16 meeting between the leaders of
Afghanistan and Pakistan here, for which the most pow-
erful figures in the Pakistani government flew to Kabul,
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani suggested that
Afghanistan needed to look to China, a power in ascen-
dance, rather than hew closely to the US.
''There was a mention of China in the meeting,
China as a country, as an emerging economic power,
and that maybe we should reach out to a new global eco-
nomic power,'' said an Afghan official knowledgeable
about the meeting. ''And there was the suggestion that
Afghanistan and Pakistan should strengthen relations.
''Though Pakistan has denied moving away from its
Murthy at Infosys
alliance with Washington, the focus on China makes
sense because it is a great power that would be accept- Bangalore: High profile
able to Afghanistan as an ally in ways that Russia never banker K.V. Kamath will be
could be because of its history as a hated occupier of the new chairman of India’s
Afghanistan during the 1980s. And, from the Pakistani IT bellwether Infosys, becom-
point of view, China provides a counterbalance to India, ing the first non-founder to
its archenemy.Pakitan said in a statement that a trilater- head the country’s second
al meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United largest software exporter bat-
States was scheduled to be held in Islamabad, the tling to boost revenues in a
Pakistani capital in May with the purpose of having ''s- recession-hit global economy.
trategic coherence and clarity.'' Rejigging the top leader-
ship in the 30-year-old com-

Roemer quits after failed Pilots strike

aircraft deal
Kolkata: US Ambassador to
India Timothy Roemer is to quit
his post in June for "personal rea-
sons" and "family considera-
tions", the announcement coming
one day after India ended negoti-
ations with American companies
in a $10 billion contract to supply
126 fighter jets for the Indian Air
Force.
Lockheed Maritn’s F-16 and
Boeing’s 18 Super Hornet deals
were rejected. Indian officials
have stated in private conversa-
tion that they prefer France’s
Dassault Aviation and a four-
nation European consortium, the
European Aeronautic Defence
US ambassador to India,
Timothy Roemer
and Space Company (EADS) is
in the final round of discussions.
pany, the Infosys
Technologies board also
named one of the founders
hits Air India and present CEO and MD S.
Gopalakrishnan as the execu-
tive co-chairman.
Another founder, S.D.
New Delh: Air India's domestic opera-
Shibulal, now COO, will suc-
tions came to a virtual halt on the fifth
day of the pilots strike Sunday with no ceed Gopalakrishnan.
solution in sight to break the stalemate All the appointments will
and all eyes were now on the Delhi high be effective Aug 21, the day
court which will take up criminal pro- the iconic N.R. Narayana
ceedings against the agitators Monday. Murthy, who founded the
An airline spokesman said nearly company, retires as chairman
90% of the domestic operations were hit. at age 65. His association with
Only 40 of the 320 daily flights were the company, however, will
operated. The national carrier said it has continue as he has been cho-
planned the same curtailed service for the sen chairman emeritus.
next week. Announcing the revamp in
The primary demands of the protest- the leadership, Murthy told
ing pilots are pay parity and an inquiry reporters here “Vaman
against corruption and mismanagement in (Kamath) is, in my opinion,
the Air India administration.
Celebrated banker
K.V. Kamath
one of the finest corporate
leaders of modern India. Kris
(Gopalakrishnan) demonstrat-
ed high-class performance
during testing times for the
industry and the company.”
Kamath, best known for
turning the ICICI (Industrial
Credit and Investment
Corporation of India) into
India’s largest private bank, is
also an engineer with a MBA
from the prestigious IIM-
Ahmedabad.

12 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011


It’s right time for Coalition to invest in women
By Rekha Bhattacharjee
s we celebrate the Global
A Centenary
International
of the
Women’s
Day (IWD), the thoughts go back
to those brave and visionary souls
who fought against all adversities
to get women franchised.
The fight to get dignity for
women, and to end inequality and
oppression in various male-domi-
nated spheres, has not abated since
suffragettes took up the cudgels
(and won) in 1911.But the rights
won with such vigorous struggle
seem to have gone to waste if we
look at the participation of women
in politics all over the globe.
Results of 2011 Elections for
NSW Parliament would make
aforementioned women liberation
activist turn in her grave with
despair.
If one were to use NSW
Parliament elections as a criterion,
it would be noted with utter sad-
ness that the participation of
women in politics in Australia’s
Premier State is on
decline.“Women now hold fewer
positions in the lower house than
they have for 12 years and for the
first time in decades the number of
women elected to the Legislative
Assembly has gone backwards,”
said Professor Louise Chappell of
NSW University School of Social
Science. From 28 percent of lower
house seats earlier, the number of
women Parliamentarians has
dropped to 20 percent – yet , there
is a wider acceptance that women
are the key to growth and all that
follows from that in terms of
equality in workforce, in decision
making , in public and private
life.Another disturbing trend is
noticed if one looks at the repre-
sentation of women in the
Conservative ranks in NSW.
Accepting Labor annihilation
in NSW after sixteen years, it still
managed to hold 40 percent of
female representation in the lower
house. The power of Coalition
Julia Gillard
Dr Carmen Lawrence.
landslide has given women a mere
11 out of the 67 confirmed seats.
It was much worse in 2007
elections as Liberal-led Coalition
managed to return just five women
Parliamentarians. The latest
results are equally dismal as far
women representation is con-
cerned - a most unimpressive
improvement!This drop in
Parliamentary seats holds NSW on
par with Cambodia and
Malawi!Chairman Mao statement,
“Chinese women hold up half the
sky,” still holds true. Women
make up just over 50 percent of
the population of NSW and
deserve to have their voices heard
equally with men. Issues such as
abortion and birth control, on
broader concepts of family, mater-
nity leave, equal pay, domestic
violence, childcare provisions are
few of the issues that concern
women politicians universally and
with sufficient numbers can use
their influence to the shape policy
of their respective parties.
Looking back in Australian
politics, in 1992 Dr Carman
Lawrence became the Premier of
Western Australia. She was high-
lighted as the choice to clean up
the mess in WA - marked the
watershed in Australian politics as
a start of the ascendancy of its
feminization.Dr Lawrence later
became the Federal Minister for
Health leading the Australian del-
egation to the United Nations
World Conference on Women in
Beijing. In an exclusive media
interview this writer had with her
just after the Beijing Conference
in 1995, Dr Lawrence had empha-
sized the need for conducting a
‘head hunt’ to get women in very
important positions in political
parties.
She had said, “it’s not simply a
passive role, but, going out there
recruiting young women, educat-
ing them to a party and political
process and assisting them to get
seats”.Australian Labor party has
been adopting a range of strategies
Kristina Keneally
Judy Moylan
to do that including the case of
increasing the number of seats in
Parliament through the imposition
of a set of targets after the 2000
elections. ‘Head-hunting’ and get-
ting them up and running in polit-
ical parties too, Labor patriarchs
should be lauded for reaching their
noble goals in some instances.The
Liberal and National parties had
an ideal situation in this election to
advance the position of Women in
NSW Parliament. For long, liber-
als have been aware of the certain-
ty of winning Government. They
had ample time to choose strong
female candidates.For long the
Coalition parties have rejected the
use of quotas to increase the num-
ber of female MPs – suggesting
that they work on merit.
With today’s women across
society being better educated, pro-
fessional and competent, Liberal
argument that women are not mer-
itorious is no longer sustainable
and is also an affront to more than
half of Australia’s population.The
April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 13
Women in Politics
Conservative politicians in the
Coalition are falling far short of
being aware of competent women
who could excel in leadership
roles. Head hunting and getting
them up and running in these
important positions not only in
Boards and Committees but the
same is required in the Coalition
political parties.Where Labor is
ahead in someway is in reserving
not particular seats but a certain
percentage of positions – which is
a significant step forward where as
the Opponents are still wishing
into the future model to rely on.
One may also call it smart pol-
itics as women electorate always
have a soft corner for candidates
from the fairer sex.It is 100 years
since the first International
Women’s Day event was run when
more than one million women and
men attended rallies in
1911.Closer home, the 2011 NSW
election result for Women is
depressive. Today women can
argue – far from progress, in some
respects women have moved or
have been pushed backwards with
Conservatives recapturing the con-
trol of NSW Parliament.A decade
ago a Human Development Report
clearly demonstrated that the eco-
nomic returns on investing in
Women’s education are compara-
ble to those for men.
The social returns from edu-
cating women far exceed those for
men. It pays to invest in women.
This holds true in rich and poor
countries alike.With the massive
mandate in NSW Parliament,
Coalition is here to stay. It is an
ideal time for the coalition parties
to introduce reforms so that in the
future we can see women politi-
cians on both sides of politics
change the role of women in the
community, that they are better
educated and fully participating in
the political and business life, and
are able to insist on a quality of
life that is sometimes overlooked
in the race for profits.
Interview

TINY YET DAZZLING

This person is like the mythical tiny Tom Thumb, standing just two feet ten inch-
es tall, a brilliant actor, academically highly successful with degrees to boast,
liked by one and all and his name appears in the very selective Guinness Book of
Records. The author met Ajay Kumar, popularly known as ‘Unda Pakru’
(the name of the character he played in his maiden Malayalam film
which became a household name), in Kerala.
By K Raman me; it is like the climb of
Sabari hill”. But, for his con-
“I am 2’10” tall and venience, he has lowered the
many glorify me as a locations of power switch,
miniature dynamo. So be water tap and wash basin.
It was a far cry for him to
it. When I meet people drive his small car, which he
they react differently. finally gave up. He could not
Some look astounded, hold the steering wheel and
some look joyful, some reach the clutch and brake.
see me as an object of cu- Now he is driven either by his
riosity, some display a wife or a driver.
He is not offended by me-
sympathetic look, while dia and general public calling
some can’t believe their him Unda Pakru, a name he
eyes that there is a per- inherited from his successful
son like me living on film Ambili Ammaman. He
earth.” survives smartly in this cruel
world because he is self-dep-
eeting a Guinness recatory, even laughing pas-

M Record holder may

not be a common
occurrence. At least it was my
first opportunity to meet one
such person.
This person is like the
mythical tiny Tom Thumb,
standing just two feet ten
inches tall, a brilliant actor,
academically highly success-
ful with degrees to boast
about, liked by one and all
and his name appears in the
very selective Guinness Book
of Records.
Aged 27, his name is Ajay
Kumar, but he is popularly
known as ‘Unda Pakru’ (the
name of the character he
played in his maiden film
which became a household
name). He is an Economics
graduate and is qualified in
Computer Applications tech-
nology.
I had the honour to meet
and talk to him while on my
recent sojourn in my home
state of Kerala. Ajay is quick
witted with an impeccable
Malayala ‘Bhasha shaili’
(brilliant command over lan-
guage) and English. He made
into the Guinness Book of
world records by his portray-
al as the hero in the 2005 film
“Albhutha dweep”, directed
by Vinayan. He won the Ker-
The author lifting the tiny giant , Ajay Kumar.
ala Film Jury award in the
same year.
Vamanapuri is a kingdom
of small statured people in
which he portrayed the role of
Prince Gajendran, heir appar-
ent to the kingdom’s throne.
Though the male inhabitants
of the island, numbering 300,
were small statured, women
population was stunningly
beautiful and of normal phys-
ical structure.
In the film, Ajay held his
own against his seasoned co-
actors of the film like Jagathy,
Jagadeesh and up and coming
Prithviraj. His role was chal-
lenging which Ajay acted bril-
liantly.
He is thriving well in the
cut-throat film industry for
the past 13 years and has done
over fifty films. According to
him, “I am small in size, but
I have talent in acting and can
work like a normal man.”
His early life was tinted
with endless struggles. He be-
lieves he was a normal boy to
start with. His growth was ar-
rested by a wrong injection he
received in infancy, but
medicos do not endorse this
view.
Year 2005 was very spe-
cial for Ajay. Apart from pro-
fessional success, which
paved the way for him to get
into the Guinness book of
records, he got married to
Gayatri, a good looking five
feet one inch tall smart lady
with a caring, loving and
down to earth disposition.
“We had a traditional
arranged marriage with a girl
of normal height which was
my long-standing dream. My
young daughter born in later
years is like any normal child.
She is like her mother and I
am happy,” Ajay says.
He named his daughter
Deepthakeerthi because she
was born on November 4, on
Uthradam star on Skan-
dasashti day. She is affection-
ately called as Deethu. He
found this name from the
book ‘Shabdarthaavali’, a gift
he received from his teachers
when he scored top marks in
Malayalam in tenth standard.
Ajay’s marriage was cele-
brated with extensive televi-
sion coverage and newspapers
announced the happy tidings
with headlines like “Little ac-
tor finds his tall princess”.
Though Ajay is the proud
son of Kerala, writers use the
adjective of ‘Tiny’ in every
sentence they write about
him. In one instance, Ajay
said, that only very few peo-
ple know his real name of
Ajay Kumar, whereas just the
mention of Pakru or Unda
Pakru instantly connects the
listeners to him.
Ajay bought a readymade
house, which, he says, “has
normal steps but too big for
me. The effort to climb up is
mammoth, akin to the
‘Bhageeratha prayatnam’ for
sively at any unpleasant
words spoken about him.
Since becoming a ‘Guin-
ness family member’, Mam-
mootty began calling him
‘Guinnese’ and the name
Unda Pakru is slowly waning
away and soon will be a thing
of the past.
“People generally laugh
when they see me. When I
visited my recently dead
friend’s house, I heard people
crying all over. The moment I
appeared, all the mourners,
which included my dead
friend’s mother, began laugh-
ing. This upset me and from
that day I never go to a
mourning house,” Ajay says.
Ajay has proved that it is
not the macho physical image
that makes a hero; it is the
artistry in portrayal of appeal-
ing roles that makes one stand
tall in film hero stakes. In the
same cadre of Mammootty in
‘Nayarsaab’ and Mohanlal in
‘Aaram Thampuran’, Ajay,
too, negotiated the swash-
buckling role in ‘Albhutha
Dweep’ with equal aplomb
and versatility.
Ajay is the darling of all
Keralites; still we should
know that he is one of the
11,579 short-statured people
of Kerala alone. You are an
ornament to the film industry.

14 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011


An
exciting new era for Indo-Oz
film ventures
By Neena Badhwar
n Australian Film Initiative's first
A event in India (AAFI - March 26-27)
ended on a high note as famous Indian
media house Viacom 18 Motion Pictures be-
came the first Indian film corporate to tap into
Australian film industry with director Abhinav
Kashyap's next film tentatively titled Project
18.
Australia's ace director Bill Bennett (Kiss
or Kill fame) announced his next thriller to be
shot completely in India. He will produce his
film with Anupam Sharma, Sydney based film
maker and Australia's leading expert on Indi-
an cinema.
The announcements were made at a lunch
hosted by AAFI with the Australian Consul
General as the chief guest supporting these im-
portant developments between Indian and Aus-
tralian film industries and welcoming Via-
com18 Motion Picture's decision to partner
with the Australian film company.
At the end of the inaugural Australian Film
Festival and Film Seminars, Viacom 18 Mo-
tion Pictures announced that through Abhi-
nav's film it will formally start collaborations
with Australia with long term aims to utilize
funding and grants from Australia and invest-
ment into Indo Australian projects.
AAFI's objective by supporting these two
pioneering announcements is to provide
growth impetus to film trade between the two
great countries and provide both film makers
the best facilities in either country.
The 2010 blockbuster hit director of the
movie 'Dabangg', Abhinav said about the
news, "I am extremely delighted and honoured
that my Project 18 is being shot in Australia
which provides me rich spectrum of locations,
crew, and other benefits. Cinema has a huge
potential, I am sure with Project 18 we will
strike a chord. Indian cinema is diverse and
rich in its own way to collaborate with anoth-
er country to encourage knowledge and pro-
“I am just thrilled with the
debut response as Dabanng
director Abhinav Kashyap
directs his film in Australia
and Kiss or Kill director Bill
Bennett works on a film to be
entirely shot in India.”
--Anupam Sharma
mote harmony. It is a commendable initiative
which will be a huge milestone in Indian cine-
ma."
The Australian Film Festival took place at
Cinemax, Versova Mumbai as part of the
FRAMES 2011. The screenings showcased a
retrospective on the Australian director Bill
Bennett and some of the best movies made by
the Australian film fraternity. The initiative
being a brainchild of Sydney based film mak-
er Anupam Sharma (Festival Director), Peter
Castaldi (Renowned Film Critic & Festival Di-
rector), Shahnaab Alam (Film Industry Advi-
sor) and Bill Bennett (Ace international) and
was able to rope in Media House "Viacom 18"
with Cinemax being the screening partner.
Australian Film Festival of India (AFFI) -
a two-day festival organized by Australian
Film Initiative, a recognized body, featured 20
films including Paperback Hero starring Hugh
Jackman and Bennett's cult Kiss or Kill among
others.
AAFI went to India with a vision to pro-
mote Australian and Indian film collabora-
tions. Says Anupam Sharma of Temple Films
and Festival Director, AAFI, "The initiative
started with a single idea of Cinema Sharing
Responsibilities between countries and India is
our first Initiative solely due to its ever-grow-
ing popularity, wide reach and common emo-
tional ties towards cinema. The festival gave
the Indian audience a glimpse of our cinemat-
ic sensibilities, a land where cinema plays a
pivotal role."
"I am extremely thrilled with the response
and sure that we Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
on board will help start a new vibrant chapter
in Indo Australian film links."
Mr. Vikram Malhotra, COO Viacom 18
Motion Pictures said, "Viacom18 Motion Pic-
tures is proud to partner with Temple in de-
veloping cooperation between India and Aus-
tralia in the film production sphere. We are de-
lighted that our forthcoming film, directed by
the talented Abhinav Kashyap, will benefit
from an extremely film friendly Australia. I
am confident that Abhinav, who set the box of-
fice ablaze with his first film in 2010, will cre-
ate a worthy film that will win the hearts of
millions of fans in both countries. I look for-
ward to working closely with AAFI in the
course of developing stronger links with Aus-
tralia."
Festival Co Director and Veteran film crit-
ic Peter Castaldi said, "I am excited at the de-
velopments after the first festival which has
opened up new distribution avenues and in-
creased benefits for both films. This is more
than what I had expected from the first film
festival and our initiative".
Director Bill Bennett said about AFFI and
India, "It’s an honour that the films that me
and my crew have made are being viewed by
the Indian audiences; India is a diverse nation
even on the cinematic front with choices vary-
ing from person to person yet the audiences of
India are matured with cinematic sensibilities.
Therefore I am excited about the festival which
has led the way for a full-fledged partnership
between the two nations."
While talking to TIDU, Bill Bennett said
about India, Indian cinema and his long await-
ed first trip to India which culminated after
many years of uncertainty as a youth, "Final-
ly I went to India four years ago for a holiday.
I saw a famous movie of I think actor Amitabh
Bachchan and enjoyed samosa and chai. It was
a wonderful cultural experience."
Bill who is planning to shoot a cross cul-
tural film on an Indian theme, said, "The two
industries are quite similar though a cultural
gap between the two exists. If I need to work
April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 15
Bollywood
(top) Peter Castaldi, Deborah Lee Furness,
Hugh Jackman and Anupam Sharma in
Mumbai and (bottom): Director Bill Bennett
in India I need to work in a different kind of
way."
About India he said, "I went to Udaipur
with my wife on our 25th wedding anniversary
as 'Lonely Planet' had mentioned that it is the
most romantic place in the world. We were
there during the monsoons in July at Lake
Palace. To be in Rajasthan can be a very sen-
sual experience."
"I must say as a teen I was a bit intimidat-
ed by India as backpackers from the region
told me stories of getting sick and getting
robbed and I had this inbuilt fear in me. When
I went there first time I kept everything pad-
locked but I found Indian people to be the most
honest and friendly people. My wife and I did
some shopping in Jaipur, which we accidently
dropped from the autorickshaw we were trav-
elling in. A motorbike driver not only picked
up the bag and drove beside us to give it back,
he even refused any reward. That would nev-
er happen in Australia."
Regarding a co-production between India
and Australia, says Bill, "Anupam and I are
working on a film on 'honour killing' - based
on a true story. We are still looking at finan-
cial strategies and most probably it will be shot
in Punjab."
AFFI has surely set a new era in film links
between India and Australia with Australia's
handsome X-Men actor Hugh Jackman and his
wife Deborrah Lee Furness visiting the event
creating a sort of hysteria for the film lovers.
Though they both wanted to visit Dhobi Ghat
and Kamatipura in Mumbai before they left for
Jaipur.
Community

Holi Hullad’s colours for a good cause

enjoyed as the chefs of Parravilla turned

H
oli Hullad, a charity function at them into freshly fried paneer pakoras.
Parravilla Function Centre on The evening’s proceeds collected funds for
March 25 was an excellent gather- two charitable causes – the Queensland
ing with a hall decorated in pink, blue and Flood Relief and a Rickshaw Giveaway
golden hues. The program was organised project conducted by Delhi University stu-
by poet Rekha Rajvanshi and was spon- dents pledging 200 new rickshaws to
sored by the Indian Down Under and Rickshawallas operating in the University
Sharma’s Kitchen. It was supported by area. Sydney-siders were quite generous in
Best & Less Travels, Parravilla Function donating 15 rickshaws for the worthwhile
Lounge and Sydney Sakhi Sangam. cause.
Bipen Sharma of Sharma’s Kitchen, People who donated rickshaws include:
Mala Mehta of Indo-Aus Bal Bharati Hindi Chandru Tolani, Kamal Athwal, Percy
School and Chandru Tolani’s mother light- Vij, Sheba Nandkeolyar of Multicall, Mala
ed the ceremonial lamp to an auspicious Mehta, Madhu Chaudhary, Sanjay
start and then Astha Rajvanshi, an upcom- Deshwal, Ajay Raj, Joginder Lamba, The
ing Kathak dancer, presented a classical Indian down Under and Lalit Anand.
dance ‘Tarana’ for the occasion. Avijit Holi Hullad has been added as another
Sarkar’s students Will and Geetanjali sang successful social event in Sydney diary as
two popular songs, which were thoroughly it delivered its promise of spreading the Usha, Jatiner, Kulwinder, Nidhi, Nishma, Harbhajan and Meena Chugh, Neelkamal
enjoyed by the audience. Dholi Sunny’s colours of joy in people’s life. enjoying a drink and the Holi spirit
Dhol warmed up the evening as people
mixed and mingled in the inviting atmos-
phere. Thandai, a drink traditionally
served on Holi, was also being enjoyed.
Many singers pelted favourite numbers
from the golden era of Hindi film music to
the latest film songs. A newly arrived
singer from New Zealand, Chitra, sang
‘barish ka bosa hai’ which was adored by
everybody, while Riaz Shah reverberated
the hall with his ‘O Dunia Ke Rakhwale’.
A young and upcoming Bollywood play-
back singer, Ankita Sachdev, sang ‘Lag ja
gale’ beautifully. This Sydney starlet
arrived fresh from Mumbai, where she is
currently based, after her song for A R
Rahman’s film Raavan, and having earlier
sung ‘Jana Gana Mana’ in Krazzy 4. She
was welcomed with open arms by all, with
many fans mesmerized by her song deliv- Students of Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University rally for a good cause
ery. for rickshawallas.
The evening was a success as people
enjoyed various styles of dancing from
Kathak, Dandiya and Bollywood. Dancers
from Ruchi Sanghi Dance School included
Astha Rajvanshi, Cheryl Khurana, Natasha
Handa and Anika Misra, who danced to an
old favourite ‘Tumko Piya dil Diya’ and
‘Holi’ from Mangal Pandey. Purvi Desai
choreographed a beautiful Gujrati folk
dance for the show, which was a mix of
Dandiya and contemporary dance. Akshita
Mohan entertained the audience to a siz-
zling Bollywood number.
It was an interactive evening with the
audience participating in a Bollywood triv-
ia quiz presented by well-known singer
Vinod Rajput and upcoming starlet Divya
Dhingra. Vinod Rajput’s group ‘Band
Divya Dhingra with Rekha Rajvanshi and Nandini Thadani Tilak welcome in the spirit of Holi
Baja’ performed some excellent numbers.
Sunanda’s Holi Thumri was a masterpiece
of classical singing and she sang ‘Thandi
Hawayein’. Rekha Rajvanshi, Ajoy Ghosh
and Divya Dhingra engaged the audience
as MCs, whilst Richard Singh of
Saraswani Orchestra provided the music.
There were plenty of prizes to be won
including two tickets to the upcoming
Jagjit Singh concert, a Taronga Zoo fami-
ly pass, dinner for two at 3 restaurants and
a camera by Phoenix World Travel. The
Indian Down Under donated beautiful
flower bouquets for all the people who par-
ticipated in the event wholeheartedly.
Holi Hullad was a night of pure enter-
tainment along with scrumptious food,
wine and piping hot Jalebis cooked by
Chhindi. Sharma’s Kitchen donated their
famous paneer, which the guests heartily Astha Rajvanshi with Mala Mehta Happy Holi!

16 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011


A chat with chirpy Chawla
By Neeru Saluja
uhi Chawla may not be doing the same
J bubbly roles but she still retains her title
'Chirpy Chawla'. The ex-Miss India
who shot to fame with her debut romantic
film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, became one
of the top leading Bollywood actress in the
90's. While her vivacious screen presence
still remains intact, Juhi is one actress who
has matured in her roles with age.
In Sydney for the premiere of her latest
film 'I Am', Juhi Chawla gave an exclusive
interview to the Indian Down Under.
Dressed in a black T-shirt (that read 'I Am')
and beige trousers, she looked every inch a
glamorous actress. We got talking to the
Scorpion beauty about her career, family and
her latest ventures...
Welcome to Sydney Juhi. Let's start with
your latest film 'I Am', that has brought you
here today.
Thanks, I've been to Sydney to perform
for concerts before but this time it's a total
different reason. I'm here to promote my
film 'I Am'. This is my third film with di-
rector Onir, after My Brother Nikhil and Bas
Ek Pal. Both of the films were made on shoe-
string budgets, and I took up these films be-
cause I liked the script, Onir had confidence
in me and above all, I had already worked
with Sanjay Suri in Jhankaar Beats. But this
time Onir approached me with a different
concept. He said now you have to finance my
next film!
“As always, I loved the script and es-
sayed a small role in the film. Working with
Onir is always performing the role with ease.
The atmosphere was full of enthusiasm and
we had a lovely cast of actors. This film is
based on short stories and I play the role of
Megha who goes to Kashmir to meet her
childhood friend played by Manisha Koirala.
Roopa showcases her ‘Royal
Edition’ of swimwear at RAFW
oopa Pemmaraju who made her
R debut and landmark in Rose-
mount Australian Fashion week
last year is showcasing again in the pres-
tigious group of Swim and Resortwear
in 2011 RAFW.
Roopa, referred to as the ‘Kaftan
Queen of India’, is presenting the ‘Roy-
al Edition’ of her collection, the only In-
dian designer featured at RAFW, to be
held in Sydney from May 2-6, 2011.
Roopa, who creates her own prints,
cites many and varied influences. She is
enthused by unexpected colour combi-
nations, ancient Indian lifestyles, the
golden era of painting and architecture,
and by nature. Based in Melbourne, she
travels to India frequently where in Ban-
galore she maintains her studio and a
team of 24 to ensure quality and exact
specifications.
RAFW has positioned itself as the
distinct destination in the Asia Pacific
region for designers to present their col-
lections to the world’s influential buy-
ers, media and key industry representa-
tives. Roopa’s collection at the RAFW is
Juhi Chawla visited Sydney and Melbourne for the premier of her movie 'I Am'. She is seen creating Bollywood glamour with local girls.
Megha goes to Kashmir with a lot of misgiv-
ings, anger and feeling of betrayal.
Besides an actress, you have also been
Miss India, run a production house and
own a cricket team. Tell us more about your
fantastic journey.
Before becoming Miss India I was like
any college girl having fun with friends.
Then I participated in the Miss India contest
and after winning the crown got a chance in
movies. I accepted my first movie Sultanat
and I still remember my friends asking me
about the good looking Karan Kapoor. I told
them I'm too shy to talk to him! Then QSQT
was released which was a super hit.
During my journey, I was lucky enough
to work with both the Khans. With Aamir it
was a very special relationship; we started
Roopa Pemmaraju’s resortwear
collection from 2010 RFAW
Bollywood
our career together and had no formalities, it have brought your tanpura with you to Aus-
was just like college friends. Aamir goes into tralia.
the depth of his character. Shah Rukh started Yes, you are right (smiles). I'm trained in
his career with me. Shahrukh used to make music and classical dance. When I was a kid I
me laugh, he's very well read and informed. used to run away from my dance classes nev-
We both started off a production house also. er knowing that they will help me in future!
In your long career span, you have es- Besides your passion for music, how do
sayed all kind of roles. What difference do you do the family-work balance?
you feel from the last decade? Just the way you do it! My husband Jai is
Gosh, it's been 23 years since I have been looking after the kids right now and they are
acting! Every decade is different. In the 80's on a ski holiday. Both Jhanvi and Arjun are
and 90s there were a lot of South Indian cho- lovely kids. Jhanvi is very bright, she topped
reographers; so the dancing style was full of her class and is an avid reader. Arjun is all
jhatkas and matkas. There was also a lot of rounder and loves to play cricket. It's like a
great music, music was very big in those jigsaw puzzle, every day I figure out how to
days. Now also it's not that bad, there is a put the pieces together. I plan my day and
mix of Sufi, rap and global sounds. somehow the pieces are placed in the right
Talking about music, I've heard that you place every day!
sure going to make waves with her
unique signature of exquisite fabrics of
soft cotton, flowing chiffon, textured
crepe and luxuriant silk on which Roopa
embosses her own stunning prints, elab-
orate hand beading adorning ornate
stones creating free flowing fabrics and
feminine silhouettes.
While last year Roopa presented
‘Beach Goddesses’, for her ‘Royal Edi-
tion’ says Roopa, “I drew inspiration
from Nizams of Hyderabad who were
the patrons of literature, art and culture,
jewellery and architecture. The opulent
style of their sovereigns is interpreted in
heavily embellished free-flowing re-
sortwear, kaftans, separates and
swimwear. I am sure it will impress the
beach-loving Australian market and also
worldwide.”
Roopa has created a swimwear fash-
ion this year which is simple, elegant yet
has the glamour that has a royal bearing.
Do keep an eye on Roopa Pemmaraju’s
collection at RFAW in May and refer to
her website:
www.roopapemmaraju.com
April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 17
18 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER May 2011
 Community

Work dedication is in Dave’ genes

By Vijay Badhwar who meet regularly. Even the oper- the Medicare levy that we pay. A
ating theatre used to be a meeting number of tests that we do are driv-
hree secretaries are barely point for us siblings as my father en by the consumers and occasion-

T coping at the Campbelltown

surgery for Dave’ brothers.
The central desk is the hub of
all activity – the secretaries on the
phone, issuing payment invoices,
fixing up appointments, announc-
ing names of the next lucky person
to be seen by the docs, accompany-
ing the patients for their appoint-
ment. At the background some-
where, there is also a continuous
tape running that has engaged sev-
eral people in the loop: press three
if you want to see Dr Jaykar Dave’.
The spacious waiting room is
packed with patients on crutches,
children accompanied by mothers,
and the elderly. There are maga-
zines and newspapers scattered on
the sofas but most of the waiting
people are looking outside the win-
dows on the newly constructed
geometry of tiled roofs that have
sprawled around the Campbelltown
Hospital, waiting for their name to
be called.
Dave’ brothers represent the
best of two worlds – among the An-
glo-Saxons ‘Dave’ is easily pro-
nounced; and among the Indian
community they are well known as
the ‘Daave’ doctor’ family from
Gujarat – two Orthopaedic surgeon
brothers, a doctor sister and a well-
known doctor father. But they are
also loved by the community for
their endearing informality: “Come
any time, day or night, if I have any
problem with my knees,” says Sar-
la Ben at the Vedanta Centre when
she hears the Dave’ name.
As a first-hand experience Dr
Jaykar Dave’ creates that typical
Adnana Mallik, Kumud and Pip Moore
prescient Indian connection with doctors with very humble begin-
the patient that goes beyond the nings. My father is pivotal in
limitless tests and diagnostics the changing bearing of this family. He
western system is inundated with. tells of stories of extreme hardship,
Between the two brothers they coming from a family of shopkeep-
carry out more than 700 joint oper- ers and subsistence farmers, of not
ations in a year, and “rarely an op- knowing where the next meal was
eration goes wrong”, says Dr to come from. Yet, he studied un-
Jaykar Dave’. “The chances of de- der the lamp post in India with a fo-
veloping a serious complication is cused aim of becoming a doctor
more remote than having a car ac- and then a specialist. And my
cident,” he says reassuringly. mother, too, who recognised the
Dr Jay Dave’ is an associate value of education, keeping us
lecturer with the UNSW and UWS awake, making cups of tea and gen-
and a Visiting Medical Officer tly waking us up when we nodded
(VMO) of three very busy public off. My father single-handedly sent
hospitals and two private hospitals. my uncles, aunts and my cousins
He also trains young surgeons, res- through university. His legacy now
idents and medical students in Syd- lives with my son and both my
ney. nieces going through medical
TIDU: Is this in the genes that school in Australia.
medical profession runs through We are a close knit and large
your family? family in Australia - close to 40
Dr Dave’: We are a family of family members living in Sydney,
used to give the anaesthetic, my sis-
ter, the assistant doctor, and my
brother may be the co-surgeon.
People dread to invite us, making
jokes that we’ll need to hire a bus.
TIDU: Any difference between
the Indian way of treating patients
compared to the heavily loaded di-
agnostic reliance in the western
countries?
In Australia, we need to have
proper informed consent and carry
out all relevant investigations prior
to any surgical procedures. Occa-
sionally, some of these tests and re-
calls are done as “defensive medi-
cine” due to the legal requirements.
My experiences with treating pa-
tients from the Indian subcontinent
vary as to how long they have been
in Australia and their ages. The re-
cent arrivals are often unsure of
how the system works and often
make a detailed discussion about
their condition before consenting to
any procedure. The older age
groups are a treat as I often con-
verse with them in Hindi or Gu-
jarati and often talk about their life
journey and views. Wish I had
more time for this.
TIDU: Can the Australian
medical system be improved by
more efficient measures as it’s
creaking at its seams with more
stresses in the future from an in-
creased aged population?
There are a number of areas
that can be improved. We spend
approximately 10 percent of our
GDP on health and it is increasing
every year. If we go along this path
it will become unsustainable with
ally such tests are repeated fre-
quently for the same patient. The
pricing of equivalent products
(same manufacturer and product) is
3 to 4 times than the price in India.
We will need to spend more on
wellness programmes and mental
health before patients need expen-
sive hospital services.
TIDU: I understand that in
spite of your busy schedule at the
medical practice, you find time to
be in the Army Reserves and also
committed to the Indian communi-
ty through Gujarati Brahman
Samaj. What’s your involvement
in the Samaj like?
I am the chairperson of the
strategic planning committee of the
Brahman Samaj. Our objective is to
first and foremost understand our
roots and our religion and to spread
it to our interested members. It is
open to anyone who would like to
join. Secondly, we want to spread
goodwill to all other people doing
charitable work, helping other
communities in need. We help new
arrivals in their hour of need, visit
the sick in hospital and provide
counselling where needed.
I also travel frequently to the
Indian subcontinent to facilitate
teaching to young surgeons. I will
be going to Ahmedabad in April to
run a cadaver course in hip and
knee replacements for the benefit of
local surgeons. A successful sur-
geon, loving family man, and ded-
icated both to inherited as well as
adopted lands, Dr Jaykar Dave’
sets a fine example for the Indian
community in Australia.

After ‘East is East’, now comes ‘West is West’

By Neena Badhwar challenge as directing a comedy can be
very difficult. Om Puri is the most digni-
ovie producer Leslee Udwin fied actor and a human being who works

M visited Sydney to promote her

latest movie ‘West is West’,
which premiered at the IFF 2011. At
Sydney screening Leslee Udwin attended
a Q&A session. A sequel to ‘East is
East’, about ‘West is West’, said Leslee,
“It shares its characters with the earlier
film though each has a complete story in
itself that one can even watch them in re-
verse.”
She told the audience that she had at-
tended a play-reading about this real life
character in an Irish Club which was an
autobiographical piece of work.
“I fell in love with it as it was actual-
ly my own story of a Pakistani shop own-
er and his seven children married to a
white working class woman. George
Khan was 100 per cent my father al-
though he is Jewish. I felt after seeing the
play that it was all utterly universal – how
we live and how we want to improve our
lives.”
Talking about ‘East is East’, said
Leslee, “It was a battle getting the film
funded and to get it on multiplexes as
everyone said it will only play in
14 year old Aqib Khan as Sajjid
Southall. But it went on to make 10.4 mil-
lion pounds in UK alone.”
“It broke the mould and paved the
way for others like it. We are now giving
some big movies run for their money they
spend on advertising and marketing. In-
dian people love cinema. It is in their
heart.”
About ‘West is West’, Leslee said,
“The movie was made in Punjab though
Leslee Udwin
set in Pakistan. The insurer would not al-
low us to make it in Pakistan. We shot the
movie straight in five weeks.”
‘West is West’ is a movie plot with
comedy, yet touches some emotional mo-
ments between two women who had
married Khan – the Pakistani wife he left
behind many years before and the white
woman he married in UK, says Leslee,
“Process of choosing a director was a
towards making the film better. People in
the movie are a family to me now. We
wanted to keep the integrity of the script
and organic quality intact. And we did
not want the sequel to repeat itself which
is usually the case with sequels. I hardly
slept for 3 hours every night for 8 months
and barely saw my children for 19 days
while making the movie.”
Story of ‘West is West’ is about the
claustrophobic and dysfunctional Khan
family and its struggle for survival. Sajid,
the youngest Khan, the runt of the litter,
is deep in pubescent crisis under heavy
assault both from his father's tyrannical
insistence on Pakistani tradition, and
from the fierce bullies in the schoolyard.
So, in a last, desperate attempt to 'sort
him out', his father decides to pack him
off to Mrs Khan No 1 and family in the
Punjab, the wife and daughters he had
abandoned 35 years earlier. It is not long
before Ella Khan (Mrs Khan No. 2) with
a small entourage from Salford, England,
swiftly follows to sort out the mess, past
and present. A must see for all when it ar-
rives on cinemas in Australia!

April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 19

Community
Australian
Indian
community
fights for
Hindi
By Neena Badhwar
ustralian Hindi speaking
A
community is up in arms
about Hindi language not
being included by ACARA
(Australian Curriculum
Assessment and Reporting
Authority) in its draft shape paper
for developing national language
curriculum having included lan-
guages such as Chinese, Italian,
French, Indonesian, Japanese,
Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Modern
Greek and Vietnamese which
have been considered in its four-
stage development of the national
language curriculum plan. There
is no mention of Hindi anywhere
which as a language is making a
strong presence in Australia with
2006 Census data that there are
70,000 Hindi-speakers in
Australia. 2011 Census in
August this year may even double
or triple the speakers of Hindi.
Although the ACARA has
sought consultations from various
communities to finally revise it
before it is published as the
‘Shape of Australian Curriculum:
Languages’, yet the exclusion of
Hindi compared to Spanish and
Arabic, which have been consid-
ered because they are languages
of global importance, defies logic
and shows how out of touch the
authority is with current global
language trends.
This language shape paper’s
key considerations are: Australian
Curriculum: Languages to enable
all students to engage in learning
a language in addition to English;
provide a common conceptualiza-
tion of the languages area and
common terminology that can be
used as a frame of reference for
all languages in Australian educa-
tion, develop language-specific
curricula and enable students to
achieve designated standards in
the active use of the target lan-
guage based on indicative hours
of study for primary, junior and
secondary phases of schooling.
Other useful aims of language
learning being intercultural
understanding, information and
20 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011
technology skills, creative and
critical thinking and knowledge
of ethical behavior when dealing
with diverse language groups.
Also aspects such as cross cultur-
al engagement with Asia and
learning their cultures with a
global socio-economic endeavours
for a sustainable environment that
fosters biodiversity have been
outlined in the draft shape paper.
To submit a comprehensive
submission report by April 7 an
Australian Hindi Committee-
Sammithi (AHC) was formed in
March that included United
Indian Association, Hindu
Council of Australia, Hindi
Samaj Sydney, Australian Hindi
Indian Association, Indo-Aus Bal
Bharati School Thornleigh in
NSW; Federation of Indian
Association, Australian India
Society and Hindi Niketan in
Victoria; Federation of Indian
Communities of Queensland and
Hindustani Language School,
QLD; South Australia and
Tasmania, WA. Individual com-
munity members also sent their
signed petitions from all the
states as Facebook became anoth-
er medium to spread the word.
Members of the AHC felt
that this oversight was unfair and
that ACARA had not considered
the growing global importance of
Hindi being the second most spo-
ken language of the world at 550
million people, growing trade
between India and Australia and
had overlooked a whole lot of
activity in local universities with
programmes on India such as
India Forum running at Sydney
Uni and UTS and a chair on
Indian Studies at Macquarie with
the Department of Education
NSW having introduced ‘India
Calling’ programme to promote
Hindi, Culture Studies on India
through seven NSW schools.
Neither had ACARA looked at
the figures from Census that
Hindi was now in the top 10 lan-
guages spoken in Australia with
skilled migration providing work-
ers from India as the second
highest after Britain.
From Left: Tara Chand Sharma, Coordinator, Australian Hindi Committee; June Perera, MP, Cranbourne, Victoria;
Mala Mehta, OAM, Co-ordinator IABBBV Hindi School and Dinesh Srivastava, founder Hindi Niketan, Victoria
AHC not only gave a compre-
hensive submission by April 7,
but it also sought support from
Indian organizations from all over
Australia encouraging all to sub-
mit their own reports as well.
There was fervent activity and
urgency since the submission
deadline of April 7 set the ball in
motion from all who are passion-
ately involved in the promotion
of Hindi through Hindi schools,
art & literary organizations and
Hindi lovers.
Says the AHC Co-Ordinator
Tarachand Sharma, “It was a
huge effort by all involved with
Jagadish Chawla writing the orig-
inal draft which was polished
with lots of input and data from
various members of AHC.
Interesting data came up and it
was a revelation how far we have
come as a community in
Australia. AHC aims to get Hindi
into national curriculum develop-
ment plan. It also shows that we
are an aware group and can con-
nect with each other for causes
not just of Hindi but other issues
too.”“We don’t ask much as
Indians have a habit of not asking
and hence do not get what we
deserve. This ACARA submis-
sion helped form an active team
that was united not only in NSW
but whole of Australia.” said
Sharma.
“The urgency was to meet the
deadline and also to increase
awareness through media – print,
radio and TV for Hindi to get its
rightful place as a language sub-
ject in the national school cur-
riculum.
“In the end we were able to
get as many as 60 organizations
who signed up their support with
us from all over Australia.
“Now we wait for ACARA to
respond positively otherwise we
will take the matter with higher
ups in the government and we are
serious.”
Mr. Dinesh Srivastava,
founder of Hindi Niketan,
Victoria and a well known Hindi
activist, gave some salient points
to support the cause:
1. Knowledge of Hindi
will help Australia in trade with
India. With India’s growth as a
powerful economy, it assumes
greater significance for future.
2. Hindi is currently
taught as a community language
and has demonstrated community
support in terms of capability for
curriculum development teaching,
exam setting, marking etc.
3. Knowledge of Hindi
will help migrants and interna-
tional students from India to
adjust better in Australia and will
help improve understanding
between the two countries.
4. Hindi has a rich litera-
ture and contributes significantly
to various aspects of life includ-
ing spirituality, music, entertain-
ment. Interest in Bollywood and
Indian cooking has been growing
enormously in Australia in the
last few years.
5. Knowledge of Hindi
will help Australia not only in its
dealing with India and Fiji but
would also help with security
matters as spoken Hindi is similar
to spoken Urdu, national lan-
guage of Pakistan. After
Manadarin, it is the second most
spoken language of the world.
Mrs. Mala Mehta, OAM, a
socialite and a passionate Hindi
activist who runs Indo-Aus Bal
Bharati Hindi School since 1987,
said, “We have shouldered Hindi
teaching through community
Sunday schools just for the sheer
love of our national language and
also with the aim of leaving a
language heritage for our kids.”
But frustrated with the author-
ity having overlooked Hindi, she
adds, “How long the Sunday
schools can support Hindi teach-
ing through volunteering due to
lack of funds. We are lucky that
after a long time the NSW gov-
ernment under Labour increased
per child subsidy from $60 to
$120 in community languages.
Otherwise it was hard for me to
support a school of around 200
students who turn up every
Sunday in school term. Payment
to teachers, resources, lesson
plans, photocopying material,
books, learning aids and other
activities need a lot of funds,
more than what the government
offers. It was again due to our
concerted efforts that Hindi was
included in Board of Education’s
Saturday language schools which
operate through 16 centres though
Hindi has been taken up in three
of these. It depends greatly on the
interest from the community who
should use SSCL Hindi teaching
facility which is free with teach-
ers teaching from year 7-12.”
Said Mehta, who submitted
her own individual report, “I am
sure if people come together we
can achieve and have Hindi get
its rightful place and be in the
radar of language policy with
state and federal governments.”
In Melbourne, another Hindi
activist Manoj Kumar approached
local MP Jude Perera, member
from Cranbourne, to raise the
issue of Hindi in Victorian parlia-
ment. He asked the question from
the Minister of Education Mr.
Dixon, who said, “I think Hindi
is a very important language, and
as far as Victoria is concerned I
have some say in that matter. I
encourage the community to push
for that. It would do a great serv-
ice to the young children in
Victoria, whether they are Hindi
speakers themselves or wish to
take on that extra language.”The
Minister added: “All is not lost…
because they (the community)
have until Thursday, 7 April,
when there is a consultation
process regarding the languages
being nominated as the first
tranche of languages for the
national curriculum. Hindi is
obviously not one of those, but
there is an opportunity for them
to do that, and I encourage them
to do so.”It seems there is a great
enthusiasm and an Australia-wide
movement among all actively
seeking Hindi to be included in
the national curriculum. There
are enough qualified teachers,
Hindi curricula set by Hindi
teams of teachers in Victoria and
NSW, Hindi examiners and exam
setters and aids and resources that
are already in use in various
Hindi schools where close to
1000 students are learning Hindi.
Armed with all the work that has
been done for Hindi in the last 25
years there is no doubt that Hindi
will get its due place in the
national language curriculum
development plan.NSW Premier
Barry O’Farrell told TIDU, “I
believe there is merit in the
Indian communities’ campaign.
There are strong cultural and eco-
nomic ties between our two
nations and we should be giving
more young people the opportuni-
ty to learn Hindi. With the emer-
gence of India as an economic
power that can only help
Australia in the long term. NSW
alone cannot change the national
curriculum; so it’s something my
Minister for Education Adrian
Piccoli will have to discuss with
his federal and state col-
leagues.”Sums up Pandit Paras
Ram Maharaj, editor of the first
Hindi paper in Australia, Hindi
Samachar Patrika, who has taken
up the issue with local MPs, “Ab
Hindi ko hum iski jagah dilwa
kar hi rahenge.”

Dr Ranjana’s book in Premier’s Literary Award shortlist
By Neena Badhwar
r. Ranjana Srivastava, a
D young oncologist living
in Melbourne, has been
shortlisted for 2011 NSW Pre-
mier’s Literary Awards – the
Douglas Stewart Prize for non-
fiction for her book ‘Tell Me
the Truth – Conversations with
my patients about life and
death’. Final winner will be an-
nounced during the Sydney
Writers’ Festival on May 16 at
the Sydney Opera House. Ran-
jana was educated in India, UK,
US and Australia. She graduat-
ed from Monash University
with a first-class honours degree
and several awards in medicine.
Ranjana’s writing has been pub-
lished worldwide, including in
Time magazine and The Week,
and in medical journals such as
The New England Journal of
Medicine, Lancet, Journal of
the American Medical Associa-
tion and Journal of Hospice and
Palliative Care Management. In
2008 her story ‘Ode to a Pa-
tient’ won the Cancer Council
Victoria Arts Award for out-
standing writing. She lives in
Melbourne with her husband
and three young children.
Dr. Ranjana Srivastava
TIDU talked to Ranjana
about her book ‘Tell Me the
Truth’ which recounts her expe-
rience and stories of cancer pa-
tients she treated. Not only has
Ranjana written about dilem-
mas, heartaches and stories of
bravery, poise and stoicism of
people faced with cancer, she
has also given a true insight into
the moral dilemmas and internal
battles that doctors face, which
leave a deep impact on them
than the normal day-to-day life
they lead. Ranjana has poured
her feelings in the book not just
from patients’ angle but the doc-
tors’ too.
Here are some excerpts of
what Ranjana told TIDU of her
thoughtful piece of work of
what an oncologist goes
through: A bit of an emotional
roller coaster ride for all in-
volved, was the journey of writ-
ing the book… Tough having to
live all over again things,
episodes that she would want to
forget once they are over. Ran-
jana added, “I think that observ-
ing the journey of cancer can be
enlightening. It is quite remark-
able what patients and their
loved ones go through. The pa-
tients that I have written about
have stayed in my mind - I felt
as if writing about them was a
way of paying tribute to their
spirit.”
During her work with cancer
patients, Ranjana wrote how she
lost her twins half way through
her pregnancy and the irony of
it all. Says she, “It was a
poignant time. The terrible jux-
taposition of life and death
could not have been made more
real.”
And what about reversal of
roles: when doctor becomes a
patient? Or faces situations of
child being sick and how one
badly needs assurance as she
found herself when her daughter
was critically ill. Says Ranjana
philosophically, “Ultimately,
we are all human beings and we
all carry the same vulnerabilities
and fears. We all want empathy
and compassion, no matter
where we have come from. This
is something I have observed
very closely in my work.”
For Ranjana the aim is not
April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 21
Literature
the research papers, not the aca-
demic accolades but only to be a
good doctor to which she says,
“A good doctor recognizes that
medicine is equal parts art and
science and never stops striving
to get the balance right,”
Adding, “I have tried to let the
experience change me in a posi-
tive way. Any doctor who has
had the opportunity to be patient
comes away touched by vulnera-
bility and fear. It is an act of re-
markable faith to entrust your
well-being to others. Nowhere
is this better reflected than when
dealing with cancer patients.”
About the nomination for the
award, she said, “I am humbled
and honoured at the recognition.
Writing the book was a wonder-
ful experience and being short-
listed for such a prestigious
prize is the icing on the cake.
What I hope most is that pa-
tients faced with cancer as well
as their loved ones feel reas-
sured by the message of hope
and compassion in the stories.”
(‘Tell Me the Truth – Con-
versations with my patients
about life and death’ by Ranjana
Srivastava is published by Pen-
guin A ustralia and is available
at bookstores for $32.95)
Bollywood

Thank God I'm an actress!

- Vidya Balan
ful opportunity to work closely
By Neeru Saluja with seasoned actors like
Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt,
he last time I saw Vidya Mithun Da and Naseeruddin
looks on screen. Without any ar-
tificial airs, she starts telling us
about her journey.
“It's wonderful to come back

T Balan was in 2007 was

while she was shooting
for Heyy Baby. It was like mag-
ic recreated – the same warm
and generous eyes, laughing
smile and graceful demeanor
that makes her look like the girl
next door.
The only difference has been
how she has proved herself to be
a versatile actress since then. Be
it the dignified Lolita of Parinee-
ta (her debut film), the vivacious
RJ Jhanavi of Lage Raho Munna
Bhai, Avni from the spooky
comedy Bhool Bhulaiya, the sin-
gle mother from Paa, the femme
fatale of Ishqiya or the Sabrina
Lal from No One Killed Jessica,
Vidya Balan is one of the most
sought after actresses of Bolly-
wood. She has had the wonder-
Shah. With a drive to do some-
thing different every time, she
has essayed each role beyond ex-
pectations, and that too within a
short span.
Vidya was in Sydney recent-
ly for the Indian Film Festival
2011 – Bollywood and Beyond,
organised by Mind Blowing
Films. For the festival, they also
held competition for short docu-
mentaries. This was won by a
documentary from India,
Ganesh Mumbaikar, directed by
Colin D’cunha with cinematog-
raphy by young and talented
Sydney lad Kush Badhwar. The
documentary was shown before
all feature films at the festival.
Vidya Balan, dressed in an
elegant Sabyasachi saree, looked
as fresh and beautiful as she
to Sydney. I came here in 2007
for the shooting of Heyy Babyy.
Six years of my career in films
has been fulfilling so far, I have
had good fortune, played diverse
characters, worked with won-
derful actors, travelled the world
and of course received a few
brickbats during my journey,”
says Vidya.
When talking about diverse
characters in Bollywood, Vidya
definitely fits the bill. Who
could imagine she could play a
femme fatale as she did in
Ishqiya? Vidya laughs, “Ishqiya
was a sudden change of image.
It just blacked out! Every actor
in India develops a certain image
within time, but as an actor I
don't want an image.”
So, does she relate herself to

Pallavi Sharda in a new

film role
Vidya Balan was in Sydney recently for the Indian Film
Festival 2011 – Bollywood and Beyond.
any role? “Now that's a difficult posed to everything, there was
question. I'm a bit of Krishna never any restriction. We are
from Ishqiya, a bit of Sabrina rooted, but not conservative. We
fter getting critical acclaim

A for her role as a simple vil-

lage dance teacher in Dus
Tola, Melbourne’s Pallavi Sharda
has been offered a very different
role, that of a savvy city girl.
Pallavi will play a lead role in a
romantic comedy titled “Love,
Break Ups, Zindagi”, with Dia
Mirza and Zayed Khan. This movie
is being produced by "Born Free"
productions, launched by Dia Mirza,
Zayed Khan, and Sahil Sangha. The
movie will be directed by Sahil
Sangha as his directorial debut.
After her cameo as a Muslim girl
opposite Shah Rukh Khan in “My
Name is Khan”, New York art stu-
dent in “It’s All Been Arranged”,
major role as a dance teacher in
“Dus Tola” opposite Manoj Bajpai,
this new role provides Pallavi the op-
portunity to show her acting variety
and talent as a modern city girl.
While working on her acting and
modeling assignments in Mumbai
for the last couple of years, Pallavi
also completed her double degree
from Melbourne University, Bache-
lor of Laws with Honors, and Bach-
elor of Arts in Media in Communi-
cations.
Currently, Pallavi is visiting
Melbourne; apart from meeting fam-
ily and friends she aims to build a
stronger relationship between India
and Australia, in particular between
Victoria and Indian film industry.
from No One Killed Jessica, a
bit of Lolita from Parineeta... I
think that's me!”
Accompanied by Raj Kumar
Gupta, director of the film 'No
One Killed Jessica', Vidya tells
more about her latest film,
which opened the film festival.
“Raj Kumar hardly wrote any
lines for me, despite that it was
a very gripping role. The film
shows how my character’s jour-
ney transformed and how at one
point the media and country was
backing her.
“And above all, we had a
great time on the sets. Me and
Rani got along very well. De-
spite the fact that the film had
two female characters with
meaty roles, Raj Kumar bal-
anced them well and there were
no ego clashes. He actually had
a tough time handling us as we
were having such a good time
while shooting. Even till the last
day we were playing pranks on
Raj!”
Vidya is one of those actress-
es who, without any godfather,
have made it big in films. Com-
ing from a typical South Indian
family, how was it to cross those
The Melbourne born Pallavi’s next is a lead role in a romantic barriers?
comedy titled ‘Love, Break Ups, Zindagi’, with Dia Mirza Vidya sums up: “Born and
and Zayed Khan. brought up in Mumbai, I was ex-
got a lot of education, and al-
ways had support. Initially my
mum was worried, but when she
came along with me on the sets
she accepted and thought that
her daughter will take care of
herself”.
Not many know but despite
being a Tamil-Malayali, Vidya
is also fluent in Bengali and has
appeared in a Bengali film Bha-
lo Theko. Even her debut film
Parineeta was based in Bengal.
“I can't explain my fascination
with Bengal. In Kolkata, I feel at
home. I know nursery rhymes in
Bengali, I just love everything
and anything Bengali. It's funny
how being a Malayali, I'm more
fascinated by Bengali culture!”
This keen actor has been rec-
ognized more for acting than just
a pretty face – winner of Film-
fare’s Award for Best Actress
for her role as a single mother of
a child suffering from Progeria
in R Balki’s Paa and her latest
NDTV’s Actor of the Year – Fe-
male 2011.
We ask the obvious - if not
an actress, what would Vidya
be?
“Thank God I'm an actress!
The schizophrenic in me would
have otherwise unleashed in var-
ious ways!”

22 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011

 Community

New UIA chief to continue ‘good’ community work

have, but the smiles and happiness
nited Indian Association’s that the crowd showed that day

U (UIA) newly elected pres-

ident Amarinder Bajwa
talks to TIDU about his aspira-
tions for the umbrella organiza-
tion. With claims that UIA repre-
sents 20 regional associations and
has a huge membership that works
and strives to build an organisa-
tion that is united to help achieve
common goals in a harmonious
and cooperative manner for the
Indian community, Amarinder
Baweja responds to questions
from The Indian Down Under:
Q. Can you tell us about
yourself and your committee’s
plan in the coming year?
Amarinder Bajwa : I am an
entrepreneur, run a small business
and driven by the passion and
commitment to serve my commu-
nity. I do not claim to be perfect
but I try to do my best for my
family and for the community.My
committee is committed to partici-
pate and cooperate with all and to
take up challenges that face our
communities. We intend to serve
all and serve with our best efforts
in bringing harmony and help the
communities assimilate with main-
stream Australia. We plan to exe-
cute programs and undertake ac-
tivities that would help to develop
skills and resources to deal with
community problems and aspira-
tions.
Q. Since its institution in
1994, what milestones UIA
achieved being the umbrella or-
ganisation of the Indian commu-
nity in NSW?
Bajwa : UIA, in its journey
since 1994, has successfully
Newly elected UIA President
Amarinder Bajwa
strived to bring the communities
together with participation from
each and every group representing
Indian diaspora. UIA has endeav-
oured to deliver community har-
mony, raise concerns of the com-
munities to highest levels of state
and federal governments. It has
achieved its share of success in
fighting for the rights of students,
communities and promoted cul-
ture, heritage and community har-
mony. It has helped individuals,
raised funds to address unfortu-
nate incidents and natural calami-
ties in Australia. It’s the social
fabric working at its best, cooper-
atively and helping communities.
Q. UIA has been trying to
find a permanent place of its own
- an Indian community centre.
What's the progress in this area?
Bajwa : UIA has been work-
ing on this issue for the last cou-
ple of years now, but this involves
big investments and resources. An
Team UIA 2011 comprising Amarinder Bajwa (president), John
Niven (vice president), Ranga Rajan (secretary), Prakash Rao (joint
secretary), Debasish Chakarbati (treasurer), Gunjan Tripathi (joint
treasurer) and Vijay Halagali (public officer)
Indian Community Centre is a tar-
get and we are pursuing it with
the government of the day. Also
I’d like to reiterate that UIA is
run by volunteers and any help
from the government and NGOs
towards reaching our goals be-
comes important.
Q. Although UIA is doing a
lot of good work, there is some
criticism that the organisation’s
constitution allows undemocratic
representation by some individu-
als who allegedly represent self-
serving associations. Comment?
Bajwa : UIA’s framework is
very democratic. The organisation
has passed the testing times many
times and it has come out with
flying colours. I understand that
there may be some people that
may have different way of think-
ing but that’s acceptable in
democracy. Me and my team are
committed to build bridges.
Q. The news went around
that singer Mika Singh who came
for the UIA Friendship Fair last
year cost UIA $33,000. Don't
you think that this money could
have been better used for the
community or the centre the com-
munity needs. We could have
used some seasoned local singers
who are equally good for much
less and encouraged them. The
community feels that $100,000 in
the association account from the
two consecutive year grants given
by the past state Labor govern-
ment has been wasted?
Bajwa : Mika Singh’s per-
formance was a star attraction last
year that connected UIA with its
younger diaspora. We cannot put
a dollar value to the sentiments
and love of the music/heritage and
euphoria that this performance
created. Everyone enjoyed the
performance. Could we have
saved that money and dumped
into our banks – yes, we could
was priceless. UIA is for its peo-
ple and community.We assure you
and your readers that we shall
leave no stone unturned to achieve
our goals including community
needs. Every UIA function/ Semi-
nar/ Forum carries performances
by local talent including many
performances on India Australia
Friendship Fair.
Q. What promises has UIA
been able to get from the current
Liberal government considering
the Indian vote swung the recent
elections in some of the seats?
Bajwa : It is still early days of
the Liberal Government. UIA has
started engaging the new team un-
der Premier Barry O’ Farrell. We
sincerely hope that our engage-
ment with the Liberal Government
would bring lot better outcomes
for our community. We look for-
ward to work closely with Geoff
Lee from Parramatta, Premier
Barry O Farrell and all others and
engage them for our community
development projects.
Q. What are the current is-
sues and concerns for the Indian
community UIA will be focusing
on?
Bajwa : The Indian communi-
ty is highly regarded as well as
highly respected community in
Australia. UIA is engaging vari-
ous agencies, governments, NGOs
and individuals to undertake skills
trainings, seminars on women is-
sues, help for students, offer per-
sonality development and provide
resources as required for every-
one. UIA is committed to provide
best outcome for the Indian com-
munity.

A refined arangetram performance

hananai, had a captivating ragam, an intoxi-
By Ponmanai Kulasingam cating theme and a complex tala. Sakthi
(Sangitha Siromani, Madras competently assimilated the rhythm of this
University, India) tala.The next item by C.V.Chandrasekhar
was unique and captivating. Lord Muruga’s
or a Narthaki (dancer) a guru who is peacock was vividly portrayed by Sakthi.
guru), was an experience in itself. Every
piece was injected with the required bhava
to inspire Sakthi to portray the bhavas
clearly. Sri Murali Kumar’s violin accom-
paniment added so much splendour and
depth, keeping the audience enraptured.

F able to encourage, guide and be able

to communicate the depth of his
knowledge of this traditional art form is a
All the steps and hand movements were
synchronised so beautifully by Sakthi that
one could easily imagine the peacock danc-
ing around oblivious of onlookers.In the
The inclusion of the veena as an accompa-
niment, played by Smt Jayalakshmi Sekhar,
gave an ethereal atmosphere to Sakthi’s
performance. The flautist Sri Ramani Thia-
gift. Sakthi Ravitharan is blessed in that
both of her gurus, Dr Chandrabhanu and item Rara Rajeeva Lochana the dance com- garajan’s contribution proved him worthy
Ambika Docherty, are dedicated teachers. position by the guru, Adyar K Lakshman, of the title “Venu Gana Ratna”.
Dr Chandrabhanu ensures that his students and the contribution by the sishya were ex- The mridangist, Sri Balasri Rasiah, sup-
are perfect in their rhythmic understanding, tremely captivating. ported Sakthi’s rhythmic perfection. All the
and Sakthi’s display of talam strength dur- The next item, Enneramum, was a com- complex jatis were clearly spelt out, so that
ing her bharata-natya arangetram proved it. plete change in bhava. Being young and dy- Sakthi’s feet had no difficulty in synchro-
The first piece Trishakthi Vanthanam in namic one wouldn’t expect Sakthi to do jus- nising, making them a pleasure to
talamalika included rather difficult talas tice to such a heavy theme. However Sakthi follow.Sakthi’s focus and all the hard work
like Kanda Chappu, yet Sakthi performed it portrayed Nandanar’s devotion and heart- involved in presenting such an intricate and
with ease. It was not only a compliment to felt imploring with commendable fine presentation are certainly worthy of
Sakthi but to her guru as well.Rukmani insight.To add finesse and a crescendo to a praise.
Devi’s composition of Sarasijakshulu never joyous pure display of Sakthi’s ability to Young as she is, her concentration and
loses its lustre. Sakthi showed that the inno- perform, the Thillana in Chandrakauns and devotion without any distraction are evident
cent young girl that she is could immerse complicated talas crowned the perform- and admirable. Sakthi is blessed with multi-
herself into the depth of the piece with sin- ance. The guru’s choice of Thillana with a faceted talents (she plays flute, violin,
cerity.In the Hamsanandi Jethiswaram Sak- combination of talas gave Sakthi another veena and piano at an advanced level), and
thi used the opportunity in full to display opportunity to display her rhythmic ability. completed her carnatic vocal arangetram in
her technical ability to do justice to the jatis The choreography guided the dancer to her 2010. With all this she has been able to
and tala korvais incorporated very cleverly capacity.Listening to the musicians, led by dedicate herself and work so hard to pres-
Sakthi Ravitharan - the mellifluous voice of Smt Shobha Sekhar ent a very refined bharata-natya arangetram
in this piece.
a superb debut performance (who is Sakthi’s carnatic music and veena performance, and is to be congratulated.
The next item, Varnam Madhavan Mo-

April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 23

Bollywood

Jagjit re-invents the ghazal concert

by Lokesh Varma

he Father of Ghazals,

T Jagjit Singh, has done it

again! The man who re-in-
vigorated the ghazal almost
overnight has pulled out another
master stroke, this time re-invent-
ing the ghazal concert.
Concert-goers were expecting
an ageing legend trying to go Be-
yond Time. Die-hard fans had
heard about his 70th Birthday
tour celebrations and had to be
there, for maybe one last Face to
Face time. And me, having spo-
ken to the legend earlier, was also
primed for a big-hearted perform-
ance, that included some of his
golden hits (which audiences still
demand) with some of his recent,
more modern music. “Definitely,
no bhajans this time,” he had
stressed to the Indian Down Un-
der on the phone.
I had asked him the obvious
question that plagues winners.
Having scaled all the musical
heights, did he ever feel that he
had been there, done that. What
still motivated Jagjit Singh? Did
he not say that on some days he
feels he has done so much, does
not feel the need to do much
more.
After what seemed a long
pause, he ventured, “My music -
it is my life and keeps me going.
I spend all my time immersed in
riyaz, in the literature, with musi-
cians. I feel that whatever you
have done, you can do something
better. Let’s try for that.”
Turned out, his riyaaz had
kept him alive also and kept his
reputation alive in his 70th year.
Jagjit's favourite movie is
Mughal-e-Azam. This, he finally
confessed after a few minutes of
well-rounded diplomacy. And it
seemed he had borrowed a couple
of pages from the evergreen hit
movie.
For the Sydney concert, Jagjit
sung more closer than ever before
to his classical roots. But it was
Jagjit Singh celebrates his concert with Sydneysiders
the modern and western notes
from his musicians that made the
evening rise above the normal
ghazal concert. The flute, the
tabla, guitar and the violin all
sounded really well. Their spirit-
ed sawal-jawabs were not just
beautifully strewn throughout the
night but were performed su-
perbly and with full rigour.
The acoustics in the refur-
bished Sydney Town Hall did not
let up. The décor and the lights
were just right for the discerning
Padma Bhushan awardee Jagjit.
And the Sydney audience was
one of the most well-behaved in
recent memory. In this regard,
mention must be made of the or-
ganiser, Vijay Jogia, who, being
a performer himself, had been
able to understand another per-
former and his requirements.
The evening started with
Jagjit singing a variant of thuk
rayo ya pyar karo, mein 70 ka
hunh, jo chaho mere yaar karo,
mein nashen mein hunh. The
opening verses of this foot-tap-
ping ghazal made me feel com-
fortable that this was going to be
another sublime performance by
Jagjit Singh. The rigorous riyaz
he had been doing had definitely
strengthened the vocal chords.
The sounds of young Ustad
Tarikh, the very talented flute
player, also set the scene for
many years with his magic. Abhi-
nav Upadhaya on the tabla and
Deepak Pandit on the violin were
the other recognisable faces.
Even though Jagjit did not say
it, Arth must be his second most
favourite movie. And I daresay,
it's up there with the Sydney au-
dience too. He sung two numbers
jhuki jhuki si nazaar bekraar hai
ke nahin, duba duba sa sahi, pyar
hai ke nahin and tum itna jo
muskura rahe ho, kya ghum hai jo
chhipa rahe ho.
Although hailing from a Pun-
jabi background, Jagjit's diction
and command of Urdu, Hindi and
Punjabi is superb. This was evi-
dent when he went onto Shiv Ku-
mar Batalvi's beautiful yet haunt-
ing, meinu tera shabab lai baitha,
rang gora ghulab lai baitha.
His joke about the married
couple who re-visited their hon-
eymoon resort was funny. The
wife remarks that the same two
birds, a parrot and a mynah, are
on their balcony as five years'
ago. The husband responds and
says that the parrot is the same
but it's another mynah!
He followed this with a ghaz-
al from Unique album with a
great rendition of a younger and
Vinay Chopra with the prized CD that he bought for $2500 with
funds to go for Queensland Flood Relief
older voice in aag ka kya hai, pal
do pal mein lagti hai, bhujte bhu-
jte zamaana lagta hai. And to cap
off a superb first half, it was the
foot-tapping and very popular
chand bhi dekha, phool bhi
dekha, baadal bijli titli jugnu, koi
nahin hai aisa, tera husn hai jaisa,
tera husn hai jaisa.”
After the interval, the maestro
did not slow down. The ever pop-
ular (and certainly demanded by
audiences of all ages) kagaz ki
kashti and baat niklegi to phir
door talak jayeegi was followed
with the echoing sadness of koi
faryaad. Perhaps the best ghazal
of the evening, the faryaad (re-
quest) and the pain came through
very vividly and very clearly.
The tempo changed rapidly
after this when Jagjit decided the
audience had to sing along. Your
correspondent despite having at-
tended many Jagjit concerts here
and in India, has seen this happen
only once. The word is that he
judges the audience in the very
first song of the evening. “Are
they afficiandos? Or a formal
group. The audience's knowledge
of ghazal determines his ap-
proach.”
The Sydney audience must
have impressed him enough for
the roles to reverse for Sath-
Sath's zindagi dhoop tum ghana
saya and a few lyrics from hoton
se cho loo tum, mera geet amar
kar do. His musicians accompa-
nying sawal-jawab for this num-
ber was also fast, energetic and
very entertaining.
The end of the concert was
characterised by Punjabi tappas
which culminated in the audience
doing some bhangra moves.
In the end, it is fair to say that
Jagjit made music, created waves
and caused stars to twinkle. Four
decades ago, he took the humble
ghazal and made it more ear-
friendly and melodious by adding
different sounds of sitar, dhol, pi-
ano and the guitar. But this night,
he made the ghazal concert sit
very pretty indeed in Sydney.
And in the process, he even
brought a smile to Queensland
victims by auctioning his 70th
Birthday Shukrana Collection of
music for $2500. A great Jagjit
Singh fan Vinay Chopra opened
his heart and wallet for the great
cause and came on stage to pick
up the CD from the guru of ghaz-
als.
Now, as Jagjit Singh moves
onto Paris and London for the re-
mainder of his70th birthday con-
certs, we can only say in bated
breath, mukarur

Award winning docu has Sydney connection

documentary, ‘Mumbaikar build muscles like the great hero and ac- god who eradicates all obstacles.

A Ganesh’, awarded the Western

Union Short film Prize 2011 at the
‘Bollywood and Beyond’ festival in Aus-
tralia in March, was screened along with
major Bollywood films ‘West is West’,
‘No One Killed Jessica’ and ‘I Am’, in the
presence of guests such as Leslie Udwin,
Vidya Balan and Juhi Chawla who had
come to Sydney for the screening of their
films.
What has ‘Mumbaikar Ganesh’ got to
do with feature film ‘Dabbang’? Its main
character Jai Ganesh is not only a com-
mon man of the Mumbai streets, he also
has dreams to become a camera person
while in love with the heroine of Dab-
bang. He idolizes Salman Khan to the
point of going to gym, working out to
tually chats on the internet with a couple
of girls by pasting the hero’s picture in-
stead of his own.
While Kush was not present in Syd-
ney, he told IANS, “Acknowledgment of
'Mumbaikar Ganesh' means a lot to me as
Ganesh is crazy, hilarious, thoughtful, I am able to share my work with family
a true diehard Mumbai survivor whose and friends in Australia through this festi-
character is brought to life by Sydney boy, val. Kush, born and brought up in Syd-
Kush Badhwar, cinematographer. The ney, now works from Mumbai on presti-
movie is directed by Colin D'Cunha with gious arts photography and cinematogra-
music by Jitwam Sinha. They had a great phy assignments.
time putting the ideas together to come up Mumbaikar Ganesh is also the winner
with a crisp, short film with which any of dimensions, Mumbai Film Festival
young aspiring youth can empathise. 2010.
Mumbaikar Ganesh is the story about The documentary was also screened
two Ganeshs from Mumbai. A young recently at the Indian Film Festival of Los
man, Jai Arjun Ganesh who speaks about Angeles (IFFLA) April 12-17, 2011.
his childhood in Mumbai and his ambi-
tions for the future while he participates in Kush Badhwar, cinematographer of
the festival of Lord Ganesh – the beloved Ganesh Mumbaikar

24 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011


Potent intellect, pure mind, and peerless
action is Vedanta
f you consider Vedanta outdat-
I ed, you could be the loser.
Vedanta is a systematic knowl-
edge of life and living, universally
applicable, inevitable in your chal-
lenging world. While all other
subjects deal with world, Vedanta
deals with you. It advances mate-
rial prosperity, mental peace and
spiritual evolution. Based on rea-
son and logic, Vedanta appeals to
lovers of truth, free from distinc-
tions, just as science or mathemat-
ics.
Of all living beings, only a
human has the choice of action.
Other beings tread a programmed
life. Your life is an effect of your
choices. For right choice, you
require right knowledge of life. If
choices are proper, you are happy.
If imprudent, life is contaminated
with stress, strain and physical ail-
ment. Vedanta addresses your
inner personality, mind and intel-
lect.
Mind is a mere storehouse of
emotions, feelings, impulses,
desires, likes and dislikes whereas
the intellect is the faculty of think-
ing and decision making. It mat-
ters what propels your action in
life - mind or intellect. Mind with-
out direction, disregards conse-
quences and always craves for
instant pleasures. To manage the
mind you require a strong intel-
lect. If the intellect is weak, then
the mind’s desires overpower you
to perform detrimental actions.
You suffer the consequences just
as the mind overpowers the intel-
lect of a diabetic patient who help-
lessly consumes sweets and suf-
fers.
India’s own Renaissance Man
Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary to be celebrated in Sydney in early May.
By Asim Das
abindranath Tagore (1861-
R 1941), the first non-
European who was award-
ed the Nobel Prize for Literature
in 1913, was a poet, novelist,
music composer, playwright,
painter, philosopher and educa-
tionist who reshaped Bengali lit-
erature and music. He advocated
universal humanity and spirituali-
ty through his writings of over
3000 poems and songs. For the
world he became the voice of
India's spiritual heritage; and for
India, especially for Bengal, he
became a great living institution.
Two of his songs have since
become national anthems of India
and Bangladesh.
Bengali Association of NSW
is celebrating this special occa-
sion in Sydney in association with
To manage the mind you require
a strong intellect. If the intellect is
weak, then the mind’s desires
overpower you to perform
detrimental actions. You suffer
the consequences just as the
mind overpowers the intellect of a
diabetic patient who helplessly
consumes sweets and suffers.
prise, the world economy plum-
mets. In relationships, mind’s
likes and dislikes create strong
expectations. You disregard part-
ner’s interest and demand your
catering alone. This causes sore-
ness in relationship, even divorce.
People are uncomfortable facing
real faces. Internet chat clubs are
houseful and people remain con-
tent interacting on Facebook!
Scholastic education makes
you intelligent in the chosen field.
It doesn’t build the intellect.
Intelligence could help you earn a
living but you require an intellect
to live life. Just as physical exer-
cises build body muscles, study
Sunandaji: daughter-disciple of eminent Vedantin, Swami and reflection on Vedanta
Parthasarathy, she has dedicated her life to the propagation strengthens your intellect.
of Vedanta philosophy. Vedanta contains the time tested
An ungoverned mind retards drops. You seek excuse and truths of life. Its knowledge helps
progress. It slips into the past and escape. Look forward to week- you lead a meaningful life with
future constantly, unavailable in ends and vacations. Voluntary perfect balance. Your body, mind
present. You lose concentration, retirement has become a fashion and intellect seamlessly function
turn inconsistent. Productivity amongst the early 40s. No sur- in life. A potent intellect, pure
For the world he became the voice of India's spiritual heritage; and for India, especially for Bengal, he
became a great living institution.
April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 25
Community
mind and peerless action is
Vedanta.
Sunandaji is the daughter-dis-
ciple of internationally eminent
Vedantin, Swami Parthasarathy.
A dynamic orator, Sunandaji, has
been teaching Vedanta for over
three decades. Dedicating her life
to the propagation of Vedanta phi-
losophy, Sunandaji has addressed
diverse audiences across four con-
tinents. Her clear and powerful
presentation of ancient wisdom in
contemporary thought has been
acclaimed by prestigious organiza-
tions including the Young
Presidents Organization and many
leading universities around the
world. Sunandaji will deliver a
two-evening lecture on ‘the twen-
ty great human values’ in Sydney
on May 06 & 07, 2011.
For more information please
mail harini@vedantaworld.org or
call 0420 389 391.
the Faculty of Arts, Macquarie
University, Consulate General of
India, Sydney supported by
United Indian Association and
other cultural organisations.
Various performances will show-
case Tagore’s creations in the
form of poetry, music, dance,
film and discussions through the
weekend. Tagore’s books and
Indian food will be available for
purchase.
The anniversary celebration
will be held at Macquarie Theatre
(Bldg. W5B) and Price Theatre
(Bldg. W5A), Macquarie
University, North Ryde, on
Saturday, 7 May (4pm-10pm) and
Sunday, 8 May (11am-7pm).
For full program details,
visit the Bengali Association of
NSW website
www.bansw.org.au.
Community

By Alicia Rankine
Rhythm in melody by the entire ensemble of instru-
mental, vocal and dance.
he pulsating rhythms of the Cheryl has 10 years of training

T inaugural performance of
CK Performing Arts remain
with the audience long after they
leave the hall, and colourful
melodies continue to echo for
days.
These are the resounding
effects of Cheryl Khurana's first
production, "Rhythm in Melody",
March 11 at the Pioneer Centre,
Castle Grand, touching an audi-
ence of 400 people.
CK Performing Arts has been
formed to provide entertainment of
Indian Culture. Founded by
Cheryl, its shows combine live
instrumentals, vocals, and dance
brought together in productions
joyfully. Cheryl came from India
to Australia at age 5, and is
strongly connected to both cul-
tures. The universal nature of the
arts has bridged the two cultures
for her personally, and her show
had the same unifying effect on a
wider scale. For the older genera-
tion, the show induced nostalgia of
life in India, but for younger audi-
ence, the authentic and evocative
performances almost create memo-
ries of India.
Kakoli Mukherjee, Jagpreet Grover and Bulla Singh Gujraan moved
the audience with their performance
CK’s performers are talented,
versatile, and enthusiastic about
their culture. The musicians,
Sangeet Mishra on the Sarangi and
Maharshi Raval on the Tabla, pro-
vided an intoxicating introduction
to our journey with a jugalbandi.
The ethereal voices of Jagpreet
Grover, Aparna Nagashayana and
Parth Upadhyay led by 'kokila'
Kakoli Mukherjee joined them to
elevate the atmosphere and moving
the audience towards the show's
climax. Soon, the classical dancers
along with Aswhin Nair (Violin),
Haresh Nair (Guitar), Janakan
Suthanthiraraj (Mridangam),
Brindha Packianathan(Keyboard)
and Bulla Gujraan (Tabla) joined
the ensemble. The dancing culmi-
nated with Kuchipudi by Sampreeti
Malladi and Kathak by Cheryl,
whose almost surreal movements
were entrancing.
In the second half, fresh
young talent was showcased.
Cheryl Khurana
Students of the Ruchi Sanghi
Dance School; Michelle Khurana,
Ananya Deshpande, Niharika
Sanghi and Gargi Nagashayana,
demonstrated a captivating techni-
cal Kathak item and an invocation
to Lord Ganesha. A high point
was the Qawali by Jagpreet
Grover, which had the audience
clapping to the energetic rhythm.
As the night turned to Bollywood
flair, the hall buzzed with energy,
concluding with a vibrant medley
in Kathak and Indian folk dance
under the guidance of her guru
Ruchi Sanghi. She has also trained
in Flamenco and Indian classical
music, and at age 16 won Gold for
International Dance at the
Diamond Anniversary of the pres-
tigious Sydney Eisteddfod. The
professionalism of her first pro-
duction bides well for the future of
this bright new company. In a
touching speech, Cheryl displayed
her passion for the arts.
Prestigious guest Parramatta
MP Julie Owens provided a simi-
larly heartfelt speech, praising the
dedication of the new young tal-
ent. Recalling the beginning of her
career working in events manage-
ment, she highlighted the difficulty
of staging such a show. Owens
praised CK as an exemplar of the
importance of showcasing the
diverse array of talent in
Australia. In a country that cele-
brates multiculturalism, but some-
times loses its way among cultural
misunderstandings, providing such
an enthusiastic show has the possi-
bility to bridge the gap and bring
people together.

26 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011


Download a software for your soul
By Neena Badhwar
r. RS Muthukrishnan, a well
D known Sydney doctor, motiva-
tional speaker and trainer of
hypnosis, having trained GPs all across
Australia has compiled an impressive
book on hypnosis and mind power ti-
tled ‘Software for Your Soul’.Says Dr
Muthu in his book, “During my practice
I was able to achieve tremendous results
when I used Hypnosis on my patients
while treating them. There was a huge
difference in how people responded to
my treatment with or without Hypnosis.
”Talking about his early college days
when Dr Muthu was introduced to this
powerful clinical tool to shake off a
painful experience when his girlfriend
left him and he could not get rid of the
vacuum left behind. “I did everything
possible and positive to fight the pain
but was only able to rid off the scar
when I did a self-hypnosis session. Hyp-
nosis is the most powerful tool to heal
the heart wrenching pain of unrequited
love and many marital and relationship
problems.
“And having practiced Hypnosis in
Australia for the last 30 years I simply
treat patients by ‘suggesting away’ their
problems. Diehard smokers stop smok-
ing; alcoholics give up their drinking;
drug addicts have walked out of my
practice having kicked away their addic-
tion after years of trying various av-
enues. Migraines, fears, phobias, in-
somnia, gambling, weight loss – you
name it and I have treated them success-
fully and many patients across Aus-
tralia have benefited by this unique
modality of treatment. It not only gave
me a clinically proven tool to apply in
my practice along with conventional
medicine, but I have also been able to
teach and train practitioners all over
Australia who now practise my tech-
niques and swear by the magical bene-
fits of Hypnosis.”When asked whether
Hypnosis carries a stigma and whether
people feel intimidated by it that they
may be subjected to “hypnotism” like
the magicians do to people during a
stage performance, says Dr. Muthu,
“Surprisingly the general Australian
public is very well-informed as to the
efficacy and benefits of hypnosis, so
they readily accept hypnosis when of-
fered, particularly from a medical prac-
titioner. Unfortunately many medical
practitioners and psychologists them-
selves are quite unaware of this power-
ful modality of treatment. It is true,
stage hypnosis is quite daunting, but
those subjects who would do all sorts of
silly and outlandish acts on stage are
‘willing subjects’. Nobody can hypno-
tise you and make you do anything un-
acceptable or unethical to you. You nev-
er lose control under hypnosis. That
happens only in movies and
novels!”How can his book on Hypnosis
‘Software for Your Soul’ help when
there are hundreds of other self-help
books available on the market and the
success of Rhonda Byrne’s ‘The Secret’
and the famous American documentary
‘What the BLEEP Do We Know!?’ have
made millions, Dr Muthu answers, “I'm
Dr. RS Muthukrishnan, and his book
glad you raise that question, because
that is the central theme of ‘Software for
Your Soul’. From the Bible to the Bha-
gavad Gita, from ‘What the Bleeps do
we know’ to ‘The Secret’, the common
message is that ‘what you think is what
you become, your thoughts create your
realities. Therefore think positive’.
Even with all those the world has not
become a utopia as yet. Positive think-
ing alone doesn't make you do what you
need to do. Ask any smoker, any drug
addict, any underperforming student –
they all think positive and yet cannot
get rid of their habits. Habits are addic-
tions, you cannot change addictions by
advice, they need to be reprogrammed
at the subconscious level. In fact, life it-
self is a big bundle of many good and
bad addictions. Any change can happen
only at the subconscious level. Hypnosis
works as an operating system to connect
your positive thinking into your subcon-
scious which is the powerhouse for posi-
tive change and the change happens in-
stantly. That is why the habit of smok-
ing or a spider phobia can be eradicated
in one session of hypnotherapy. Soft-
ware for your soul does not advise you
to change, it just changes you! It may
well be on the way to make its millions!
“I am not interested in people’s past.
It may come up during our consult but
for me life starts here and now and so
does my therapy. I do not believe in let-
ting my patients continue to wallow up
in their own miseries and bad memories
of the past – I change the direction of
their thinking straight into their future
and life suddenly becomes brighter than
ever,” says Dr Muthu.What about when
people wonder, ‘Why do bad things
happen to good people?’
“I say it’s only because there is often
a shadow of negativity around the halo
of positive thinking. The glow of posi-
tive thinking does not always preclude
habitually or inherently coexisting shad-
ows of negativity. You cannot expect
something positive when your personali-
ty is shrieking of grief, negative belief
and whole outlook of a loser. You may
not know but people sense it.
”Dr. Muthu has combined his Indian
philosophy and belief system of the con-
cept ‘I am God’ or ‘Aham Brahmasmi’
– I Am That – a Vedic Hindu doctrine
and explains the principle that the uni-
versal energy is the same as individual
energy stressing that, “There is no dif-
ference between you and God. There is
only one Quantum field or the universal
field that manifests in us all. I can say
with confidence that whatever is possi-
ble for God is also possible for you. The
infinite power of divinity is within you.
With the help of Hypnosis I am able to
help you to achieve that possibility by
making an inroad into your subcon-
scious and put the seed of positive
thoughts that you are the master of your
will – not just any but the Divine
will.”“Software to Your Soul not only
can help germinate the seed, it also
helps you achieve your dreams and live
the life you want.
You want money, you have the abil-
ity to get it only by embedding positive
thoughts into your psyche, into your
each cell of the body making you the
winner all the way – here and now. Not
in the near future or when you retire or
when you win a lottery but with this tool
of Hypnosis that I have tried to sum up
in the book with many wonderful and
dramatic results that have changed peo-
ple’s lives in my lifetime of practice,”
says Dr Muthu with confidence that
comes from practicing Hypnosis on
himself too not just on his patients.And
what if the hard drive is wrong, the
Software for Your Soul may not work,
asks TIDU.
“The hardware in this analogy is the
intact cognitive ability. Only when the
cognitive function is impaired as in the
case of many psychoses – bipolar, psy-
chotic depression, schizophrenia etc
software definitely doesn't work. For
hypnosis to work you should be able to
communicate with the patient. Tradi-
tionally these patients are dismissed as
not suitable for hypnotherapy.
But my strategy is to treat them
medically with pharmacotherapy first,
and when certain level of rapport and
communication are established and cog-
nitive function returns to normalcy then
April-May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 27
Community
introduce hypnosis.
It works beautifully. It obviates the
necessity of long-term drug therapy and
the chances of relapse. Schizophrenics
are very good example for this method
of treatment – after initial drug therapy
and subsequent hypnotherapy many of
them regain full cognitive of function
and assume the normal activities, what-
ever may be their field of expertise,
they can return to normal function. Of
course, early diagnosis, drug therapy
and early intervention with hypnosis are
important and other conditions also do
apply.
“ The book Software for Your Soul
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28 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER May 2011

May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 29
30 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER May 2011

Beautiful retreat discovers the
spirituality within
n Easter weekend retreat every year
A organized by the Vedanta Centre,
Sydney is probably the most relaxed
way to spend the holidays and also to reflect
and discover the spirituality within. The
Satyananda Ashram nestled among Mangrove
Mountains provides a rainforest setting to calm
the nerves, the cascading of rain drops through
tall trees and gurgling of water through
streams creating a heavenly music to the
accompaniment of singing by birds in the
background. There is also a visual panorama
of greenery of trees punctuated by golden yel-
low of maple leaves which recede gradually
into misty clouds. Closer are flowers of many
hues - some mellow and the others which stand
out to draw attention towards themselves.
There are leisurely walks along the
Mangrove River or tough ones along a steep
climb towards a mountain cave for the more
adventurous. One could also choose to sit out-
doors and discuss life with Kamleshji Maharaj
or listen to tales by Swami Damodaranandji.
The discussions are enlightening as these
meander through science with Kamleshji
Maharaj emphasizing the spirituality beyond
the logic of science.
The devotees are from all around the
world, a family Swami Sridharananda has cre-
ated. They are from Sydney, Gold Coast,
Adelaide, America and Canada who have
come to listen to him on ‘Dhyana yoga –
Essential Teachings from chapter six of
Bhagavad Gita’.
“We must work out a methodology to cre-
ate new ‘Vrittis’ with a commitment to Divine
because we, ourselves, have the divinity with-
in. With this indomitable will we must bring a
change in our character,” says Swamiji as he
gives five lectures on the topic of ‘Dhyana’.
Devotees listen to every word Swamiji
speaks and make notes for future reference.
“Our goal should be ‘to cogitate’ since only by
cogitating we could change the course of our
lives. We all live, eat, enjoy and be merry.
Everyone does that but to create awareness of
Pic Top: Devotees with Swami Atmeshananda, Sridharananda,Damodarananda and the divine within us we must use all the facul-
Chandrashekhrananda at the Vedanta retreat. Left top: Swami Chandrashekhrananda chat- ties of yoga - Gyana, Karma, Bhakti and Raja
ting about life and its mysteries. Left middle: Premalata relaxing with ashram devotees. Left Yoga and use all our senses.
bottom: Sitting at the feet of Swami Damodranandaji. Right middle: Swami Sridharananda This will create a deep urge
with disciples. Bottom right: Chandra Thakkar - a true Karamayogi sweeping the floor. (Mumuktthushuttam) to improve the quality of
April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 31
Community
life only then can we live in the Divine all the
time,” he says.
He says that Raja yoga was the king of all
yogas because it dealt with the mind.
“Controlling the mind is the hardest. We need
‘manana’ (cogitation) to achieve the control of
the mind and thus create new experiences –
new ‘vrittis’ through our indomitable will
power so that we could change our lives in a
profound manner right here and now and
achieve total absorption in the divine within.”
Swamiji’s talks are interspersed with
morning mantra chanting guided by Swami
Atmeshanand ji, which starts with all the devo-
tees chanting ‘Om’ several times, resonating
the vibrations of the tranquil surrounds of the
ashram in the early hours of the morning.
There are also joint sittings with Satyananda
disciples when the large group of nearly 150
devotees sing bhajans, participate in Yoga
Nidra sessions, havan and chanting of Shanti,
Mahmritujaya and Gayatri mantras. Swami
Damodranandaji tells stories of Swami
Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda and
also about his own life how he decided to be a
monk when he was hardly a teenager. Swamiji
has a keen sense of humour with which he
describes how he developed a deep desire to
meet Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi when he
read a pictorial story about the ‘living saint’ in
his university days.
“Right there and then I decided I don’t
want to do anything else but live a life at the
feet of a divine being,” he says.
There was a great energy amongst all as
everyone volunteered their service – in the
kitchen, in the hall, in cleaning the place while
living for three days in a spiritually uplifting
environment away from all the chaos. Fresh
air and bird noises woke every morning as
people walked and ventured around in silence
trying to connect to stillness within.
The ashram volunteers were truly hos-
pitable and karmic in their approach as they
smiled, cooked and cared for the retreaters.
One could see them doing their karma dili-
gently, chanting mantras as they carried on
with their duties in silence. Mangrove
Mountain Satynanada Ashram is definitely a
great place to relax and discover the spiritual-
ity within.
32 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER May 2011
May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 33
Homage
Hyderabad: Iconic spiritual
leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba passed
away at Puttaparthi in Andra
Pradesh, on April 24, leaving be-
hind millions of mourning devo-
tees in India and abroad, and a
sprawling system of educational,
medical and philanthropic servic-
es that has huge resources at its
command. He was 85.
He had bravely battled com-
plications of the heart, lung and
kidney for four weeks. The end
came at 7.40 a.m., after 28 days
of intense anxiety among his fol-
lowers and frenetic activity by
doctors of the Sathya Sai Institute
With Sai Baba
gone, Puttaparthi
faces uncertainty
Puttaparthi: A sense of uncer-
tainty looms large among peo-
ple over the future of this town
following the demise of Sathya
Sai Baba, who transformed this
once remote and faceless vil-
lage into a thriving pilgrim
centre.
From petty traders and ho-
tel owners to real estate devel-
opers, everyone seems appre-
hensive. They are not sure if
the town will continue to at-
tract the number of pilgrims it
used to when Sai Baba was
alive. Hundreds of thousands
of pilgrims from all over the
country and even abroad used
to flock for Sai Baba's 'dar-
shan' every year. The number
would swell on occasions like
the godman's birthday and fes-
tivals.
"We don’t know what will
happen now. The business may
not be the same as it used to be
earlier," said M. Raj Kumar,
who runs a grocery shop.
With about 25,000 resi-
dents, Puttaparthy was once
unknown to the outside world
and lacked even basic ameni-
ties. Sai Baba, who was born
34 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011
Passing of a Godman
Police place India's national flag on a glass coffin containing the body of Sathya Sai Baba during his
here in 1926 and claimed at
age 14 that he was an avatar of
god, put it on the pilgrim map
by building his ashram Prshan-
ti Nilayam.
Many eminent pilgrims, in-
cluding retired bureaucrats,
police officers, judges and
their family members, settled
down in the town to remain
close to the man they consid-
ered god.
The Sri Sathya Sai Central
Trust , formed by Sai Baba in
1972, ran schools, a universi-
ty, a super speciality hospital
and other institutions, provid-
ing free education and medical
treatment.
Some traders are hopeful
that devotees will keep throng-
ing Prashanti Nilayam to pray
at Sai Baba's samadhi. The Sai
Central Trust plans to build a
grand temple and install a stat-
ue of the godman.
It is also in the process of
evolving the rituals to be con-
ducted there. The locals, in-
cluding traders, are in talks
with the Trust on how to cele-
brate occasions like Sai Baba's
birth anniversary.
funeral on April 27.
Succession war hots up
for Sai Trust
Puttaparthi: After Sathya Sai Baba
passed away, a fresh round of in-
tense speculation broke out over his
potential successor. His personal as-
sistant, Satyajit, and nephew, RJ
Ratnakar, are being viewed as the
leading contenders to head the Sri
Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSSCT),
chaired by Sai Baba when he was
alive.
The trust, which runs a railway
station and an airport in this pilgrim
town, is believed to have assets
worth Rs 40,000 crore.
A relative of Sai Baba said,
"Satyajit and Ratnakar are the two
candidates who could head the trust.
The trustees are also not averse to
this."
Satyajit, 33, a post-graduate in
business administration, is associat-
ed with Sai Baba since the age of five
and had exclusive access to him at
the hospital where he was being
treated since March 28.
Sai Baba indicated last year that
Satyajit should be part of the trust.
Ratnakar, 39, a cable network
“A leader who inspired millions”
New Delhi: The Vice-President,
the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Prime
Minister, the Leader of the Opposi-
tion and the Congress president
were among those who condoled
the death of Sathya Sai Baba.
In his message, Vice-President
Hamid Ansari said the Baba's mes-
sage of love should be the guiding
light in this trying hour.
Expressing “deep and profound
sadness” over the death of the 86-
year-old Baba, the Prime Minister
said he was a spiritual leader who
inspired millions to lead a moral
and meaningful life even as they
followed the religion of their
choice.
“Sri Sathya Sai Baba, as a
preacher of the highest human val-
ues, was an iconic figure for over
five decades. He endeared himself
to the people through various insti-
RJ Ratnakar, Swami's nephew and trustee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Central Trust, performing the last rites of Baba.
operator and a petrol pump dealer,
found place in the trust in 2005 after
his father, Janakiramaiah's death.
Sai Baba is known to have earli-
er thwarted attempts by his relatives
to participate in the trust's activities.
The state government has
of Higher Medical Sciences
(SSIHMS).
A few hours later, the body
was shifted to the Sai Kulwant
Hall in Prashanthi Nilayam. The
mortal remains were kept in this
huge and ornately decorated hall.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Min-
ister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy,
who flew into Puttaparthi along
with Governor E.S.L.
Narasimhan, declared State
mourning for four days and a
holiday in Anantapur district on
April 27. He said Sai Baba would
be given State honors at the fu-
neral.
steered clear of the succession row
so far. Andhra Pradesh chief minis-
ter Kiran Kumar Reddy announced
that his government will not interfere
in the working of the trust. Baba
Ramdev also advised government
not to interfere.
tutions, with headquarters at
Prashanthi Nilayam, that promoted
egalitarian values, education and
public health,” Dr. Singh said.
Congress president Sonia
Gandhi said the news greatly pained
her. “He was a spiritual person in
whom lakhs of people had faith. In
his lifetime, he inspired the people
of this country and those abroad to-
wards spiritualism and religion,”
she said in her condolence message.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader
L.K. Advani and Nitin Gadkari, in
separate messages, expressed their
grief and sorrow at the passing
away of the Baba.
Sachin Tendulkar, an ardent Baba
devotee, was in tears while paying
his last respects to his
spiritual guru.
 ACARD

Karam C. Ramrakha
advises his clients that
he is still in active practice but is now with
Macquarie Legal Lawyers
who operate from
Level 11, 3 Spring Street Sydney 2000
(just behind Australia Square).
The new phone number is (02) 92352500.
Kirath C. Ramrakha is also with this firm as a
Senior Associate. This firm handles conveyancing,com-
mercial work, and litigation of all types and level. We
refer immigration but can handle immigration appeals.

May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 35

Community

Farewell, Vinay Verma Solemnity tinged

with humour
Kersi Meher-Homji pays tribute to a fellow journalist and a friend
he passing away of a dear the top of India's fabled batting And he was spot on as Vinay was

T friend is always sad. But

when you share with him a
passion, it is tragic.
Although Vinay and I knew
each other for only two years, it
seems we have been friends for-
ever. It was a unique friendship
as we not only discussed cricket,
our passion, but everything under
the sun.
Only three days before his
passing he gave me lift home
after a cricket society meeting.
When I waved goodbye to him, I
had no idea that this was to be
my final goodbye to him.
We rarely called each other
by our first name. He often
called me Nostradamus as once I
had correctly and by a fluke pre-
dicted that Ricky Ponting will
score centuries in both innings in
a Sydney Test.
I called him Cardus after
Neville Cardus, the greatest
cricket writer of all time. I also
coined a new phrase Vinayism to
describe his colourful metaphors.
Two examples: Michael Clarke
is impersonating superman Clark
Kent but is reluctant to don the
cape and tights.
Virender Sehwag is cricket's
original BASE jumper. It is not a
great flight of imagination to pic-
ture him as the stuntman jumping
off the Eiffel Tower in the James
Bond movie A View to Kill. At
line-up he has an open licence to
thrill.
Vinay will be remembered for
writing and editing Seriously
Cricket Chronicles for which
Mike Coward is a regular con-
tributor, Inside Cricket, Adelaide
Advertiser, international sports
magazines and most of all for his
learned and hard-hitting columns
on the Roar website.
He admired Test greats but
did not kow-tow them. When
England’s Test great Kevin
Pietersen showed hesitancy in
being interviewed, Vinay told
him over the phone, “I won’t ask
you questions on who you slept
with but as to how you developed
your cover-drive!” Pietersen
laughed, relented and the inter-
view went on for hours in a
Sydney hotel.
His chat with Sehwag in India
last November went so long that
VVS Laxman had to remind
Sehwag repeatedly that his dinner
was getting cold.
Vinay’s proudest moment was
meeting Sir Donald Bradman in
an Adelaide restaurant a few
decades ago. After hesitation he
approached the great Don. To his
delight Bradman asked him to
join him for a glass of wine.
Bradman asked him, “Show
me your hands, young man. Ha,
you have got to be a spinner.”
an off-spinner. Bradman readily
autographed Vinay’s visiting
card. “This for me was like an
audience with the God,” Vinay
recalled.
There is a postscript to this
story. Vinay always carried that
autographed card in his pocket
and one day as he was walking
along a beach in
Goa he met a close
elderly friend who
was his mentor. He
regretted never
meeting Bradman so
what does Vinay
do? Present him his
most prized posses-
sion, the signed
card, to the old
man.
He was so over-
whelmed he thanked
Vinay and said, “I
will now die a happy man.”
For this noble gesture Vinay
must have died a happy man too,
watching World Cup cricket on
television. Right now, I can
imagine him having a glass of
wine with Sir Donald up above,
taking his autograph and passing
it on to someone less fortunate.
May Vinay’s noble soul rest
in peace! My condolences to his
wife Patricia, son Paul (a noted
musician), daughter Laura and
family. Farewell, my friend.
Another friend, Bruce (Sheek), writes
about Vinay’s funeral
inay's funeral was natu- on The Roar.
V rally a solemn occasion,
but it was interspersed
with some fine humour.
Kersi also spoke beautifully,
and with humour, of Vinay's
unique pattern of metaphors, his
Besides Vinay’s "Vinayisms", which many of us
wife Patricia, son came to love.
Paul 39 and daughter His sister-in-law gave an
Laura 24, a real insight into Vinay for those of us
beauty, he had a who didn't know him well. He
large extended fami- was an excellent dancer in his
ly. He was much youth, winning a twist competi-
loved and will be tion in Calcutta. It's believed
deeply missed. being double-jointed helped. He
Talking to Jason came to Australia following his
(King), Vinay's love for a woman (his future
nephew and a fellow wife) in 1970, and stayed here.
Roarer, that Vinay He joined a medical school in
had gone far too India, but left after just year.
young at 62, Jason And he completed his Masters of
replied it wasn't entirely surpris- Economics part-time. He was
ing since Vinay didn't deny one heck of a talented guy.
himself in life with good compa- Apparently Vinay wasn't
ny, good food, good drink and technologically proficient (me
perhaps most damning of all, neither). According to his sister-
four and a half packets of ciga- n-law, Vinay once commented he
rettes a day. loved Google, but hated the
Mike Coward spoke glowing- internet. This naturally drew a
ly of Vinay's love for cricket, round of laughs.
and his late maturity as a cricket I think Vinay would have
writer of note. Sad he should be liked his funeral service - the
taken from us just as he was in right mix of a sense of loss, the
'the zone'. Mike also drew from awe of his genius with an ele-
Geoff Lemon's recent fine tribute ment of humour thrown in.

Cosmic journey continues for Bikram Sharma

he Indian community on the He made many friends from the Indian ney in pursuit of his final destination,”

T upper north shore, especially sen-

iors, knew Shri Bikram Datt
Sharma well. Mr Sharma passed away
community and missed them after going
back to India due to ill health. Mr
Sharma always wanted to revisit
in Faridabad, India, on January 11 earli- Australia if his health permitted him.
er this year. All his family was with Tejasvi Sharma remembers his father
him, including his son from Australia, lovingly, reflecting on the journey of
Tejasvi Sharma, who only wished that life and death as a cosmic ride. “It is a
he could speak to him in his last more profound realisation when you
moments, but, “alas, Papa ji did not lose someone who had been close to
know of it as he was in coma”, he said. you. So, I am not being different from
Mr Bikram Sharma was 85 years old. others. But the more I think about him,
Mr Bikram Sharma spent his 18 the surer I get that he did not leave us.
years in Australia during 1987-2005, a The only thing Papa ji changed was his
stay that he remembered very fondly. mode of transport to continue his jour-
Tejasvi says.Mr Bikram Sharma was a
self-made man who did his learning
while working.
He gave good values to his six chil-
dren: love, dedication to duty and sacri-
fice whenever it was required to achieve
spiritual goal. He led by example.
Everyone, who knew him, remembers
Mr Sharma for his good actions towards
one and all.
Let us pray for the peace of the
departed soul and wish that it will con-
tinue its journey wherever it has been
destined for.

Tribute to Leelamony Pillai

(1947 - 2010)
eelamony Pillai was born in many extracurricular activi- younger people from Kerala to

L on 24 January 1947 in
Kerala and was the eldest
among eight siblings – five sis-
ters and three brothers. She
moved to Australia in 1974 with
her husband Dr.Parameswaran
Pillai.
Right from primary school
she excelled in her academic
studies and was a lead performer
ties. A passionate interest in
writing, debating , acting and
the arts. She was dux of at
Maharaja college and earned a
merit scholarship to do her
Masters degree. In recent years
she along with a small group of
friends began a publication
called Kerala Nadam aimed at
encouraging both older and
express themselves through writ-
ing in English and Malayalam.
Despite medical illnesses and
long suffering for many years
she defied death by the sheer
strength of her will power. She
made countless friends and will
be remembered with pride. She
is succeeded by her two childen,
Hari and Sonya. Leelamoni Pillai, her grandon and husband Dr. Pillai

36 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011

 Children’s Corner

By Esther
Chaudhry-Lyons Children's Corner
Easter
forum for reviving human bonds. India clashed with
the visiting Pakistan team in 1952 initiating a new
intense sporting rivalry between the newly-formed
neighbours. Unlike India, Pakistan managed to record
their first ever win within a mere two years in 1954.
aster commemorates the

E
As India and Pakistan went to war in 1960, cricket
matches were suspended. It was just the beginning of a resurrection (return to
series of suspensions to come. life) of Jesus Christ fol-
Pakistan still remains the only team to beat lowing his death by crucifixion.
England in their first ever tour to the cricket’s birth It is the most significant event
place. While Pakistan’s initial pioneering era seemed of the Christian calendar.
to be diminished during 1960’s, India saw the emer- On Good Friday, Jesus
gence of new talent in the form of Bedi, Chandrasekar, Christ was executed by cruci-
o one knows when or where cricket began but

N there is a body of evidence, much of it circum-

stantial, that strongly suggests the game was
devised during Saxon or Norman times by children liv-
Prasanna and Pataudi.
Sunil Gavaskar dominated the batting in world
cricket during the 1970s.
India surprised all the cricketing nations by defeat-
fixion. His body was taken
down from the cross, and
buried in a cave. The tomb was
guarded and an enormous stone has come out of aggression. It
ing in the Weald, an area of dense woodlands and was put over the entrance, so is also a time for thinking about
clearings in south-east England that lies across Kent that no-one could steal the suffering, injustice and hard-
and Sussex. In medieval times, the Weald was populat- body. On the following Sunday, ship. During Good Friday serv-
ed by small farming and metal-working communities. some women visited the grave ices Christians meditate on
It is generally believed that cricket survived as a and found that the stone had Jesus's suffering and on his
children's game for many centuries before it was been moved, and that the tomb words spoken from the cross:
increasingly taken up by adults around the beginning of was empty. Jesus himself was 'Father, forgive them; for they
the 17th century. Playing on sheep-grazed land or in seen that day, and for days do not know what they are
clearings, the original implements may have been a afterwards by many people. His doing.'
matted lump of sheep’s wool (or even a stone or a followers realised that God had In Australia, the Easter
small lump of wood) as the ball; a stick or a crook or raised Jesus from the dead. Show is an important feature of
another farm tool as the bat; and a stool or a tree Easter celebrates the prom- Easter celebration. Good Friday
stump or a gate (e.g., a wicket gate) as the wicket. ing the mighty West Indies in the 1983 World Cup ise of life in the face of death. is celebrated this year on
A number of words are thought to be possible held in England. Winning the World Cup raised Easter celebrations also reflect Friday, April 22, and Easter on
sources for the term "cricket". It is likely that the ter- India’s interest in the game to a new level. on peace and forgiveness which Sunday, April 24.
minology of cricket was based on words in use in Money flowed into the game from many spheres of
south east England at the time and, given trade connec- the marketing world. For example, television and other
tions with the County of Flanders, especially in the broadcast rights, also advertising. For the first time,
15th century when it belonged to the Duchy of there emerged a competition to broadcast matches that
Burgundy, many Middle Dutch words found their way involved India. The new era of India’s cricket saw the
into southern English dialects. The entire history of emergence of the genius Sachin Tendulkar, who made
cricket in India and the sub-continent as a whole is his Test debut at sixteen. Great Don Bradman once
based on the existence and development of the British described him as his modern incarnation. Tendulkar is
Raj via the East India Company. regarded in India not as a mere cricketer but as a gift
In 1721, the first definite reference to cricket being from the heaven.
played anywhere in the sub-continent is a report of Pakistan went onto claim the world title in 1992.
English sailors of the East India Company playing a The 1980s saw the emergence of another cricket rival
game at Cambay, near Baroda. The Calcutta Cricket from the sub-continent- Sri Lanka. Despite taking four
and Football Club is known to be in existence by

RAM NAVAMI
years to win the first Test match, Sri Lanka, too went
1792, but was possibly founded more than a decade on to claim the world title in 1996. On an island rav-
earlier. In 1799, another club was formed at aged by civil war, cricket is a common bond for all
Seringapatam in south India after the successful British races and religions. Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan
siege and the defeat of Tippu Sultan. is the world's leading Test match wicket-taker.
The game of cricket spread to African and Asian Ramnavami - Birthday of come true for Dasharath as the
Bangaldesh's defeat of Pakistan was one of the
countries with the rapid expansion of the British Rama (April 12, 2011) lack of an heir was a big trou-
biggest upsets in 1999 World Cup.
Empire. There is no place other than the sub-continent, ble for him even long after his
Bangladesh joined the "elite club" within eighteen
am Navami is celebrated marriage.
at the moment, where cricket is so successful in terms
of the number of admirers as well as in commercial
terms.
India & Pakistan are the leading cricketing rivals in
month of that famous win although some believe it was
premature.
India has won the 2011 Cricket World Cup by 6
wickets over Sri Lanka. MS Dhoni crushed a six on
R with great zeal by
Hindus all over the
world. It is a festival that cele-
On Ramnavami, devotees of
Lord Ram also keep a whole
day fast and sing Ram bhajans
the Sub-Continent. brates the birth of Lord Rama. throughout the day. They make
the final ball to complete the chase for the Indians,
The first match in India was recorded in 1721 Lord Rama, the son of King this festival a vibrant and gusty
who overcame a 274-run inning by their opponent,
when a group of sailors gathered to play in Western Dasharath and Queen Kaushalya affair. People on this day also
despite losing their first two batsmen (including "the
India. Within nearly three centuries cricket is India's is regarded as the avatara present gifts to each other and
master" Sachin Tendulkar) in the opening overs. The
most popular sport and celebrity cricketers are amongst (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu, exchange good wishes.
partnership between Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir led
the wealthiest members of Indian society! one of the supreme Hindu Ram Navami best Wishes to
the comeback, as both came just shy of 188 runs
Cricket is one of the few aspects of Indian life that deities. all.
between them.
unites the whole country. According to
India became the sixth member of the “elite club” the Indian epic,
alongside England, Australia, South Africa, the West Ram was born
Indies and New Zealand in June 1932. India’s inaugu- after a lot of
ral match with England at Lords attracted 24,000 prayers and
strong crowds which included the King of England, yagya (holy bon-
who was also then the Emperor of India. Many believe fire) and as he
it encouraged the concept of nationhood for the Indians was born as the
and proved to be a turning point in India’s struggle for royal inheritor of
independence. India had to wait until 1952 to record its Ayodhya, his
first ever Test victory. India beat England by an birth day was a
innings in Madras. It was in the same year that joyous occasion
Pakistan gained Test status. in Ayodhya. It
Once again cricket proved its importance as a was very much
like a dream

April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 37

38 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER May 2011
May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 39
40 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER May 2011
 Columns
Look Good and Feel Great Naturally

Healing the Sole

By Devaki Parthasarathy * 3 tablespoons cooking salt
In a bowl of hot water, soak the feet for 20
“The human foot is a masterpiece of minutes.
engineering and a work of art.” Soothing Footbath
--Leonardo de Vinci To relax while you cleanse, mix
*1/8 teaspoon menthol crystals
s I pondered over the myriad of things *4 tablespoons powdered alum
skin! Gentle does it. It's the almond oil part of
the nut that does the work. Rinse off in warm
water and dry your feet thoroughly with a soft
towel.
You could refrigerate any mixture left
over, though the shelf life is about a week.
Massaging

A I wanted to talk about, I thought about

the feet. I came back from work yes-
terday and said, "My feet are killing me!!!"
Empathise with that phrase? How many times
have you wished you could just "put your feet
up"?
Our lifestyles are such that they require us
to take care of our appearance, the clothes, the
face, the accessories but we all tend to forget
our trusted friends, the feet - the two pals that
carry our weight around, move us from place
to place. As a matter of fact, since man has
started using his feet to walk and stand, much
of the workload from the hands has moved to
the feet. And these trusted feet of ours stand us
in good stead for many, many years and re-
quire little or no care.
Remember when you were younger, the
carefree days when you ran around bare feet
on gravel? When you walked lazily on the
sand? When early in the morning you walked?
There are a number of different ways to
work the soles of your feet, including walking
barefoot on the early morning dew laden
grass. Well, believe it or not, that’s apparent-
ly what the doctor ordered exactly. Apparent-
ly, the feet are home to literally thousands of
nerve endings and almost seventy acupuncture
points (which is probably why foot reflexolo-
gy is so effective). So by simply walking bare
feet on gravel, for instance, we land up mas-
saging and stimulating specific areas on the
soles of our feet, which provide general sup-
port for our entire body, improve sleep pat-
terns, increase physical and mental wellbeing.
I have always maintained that there is great
value in spending time on ourselves before we
dedicate our lives to our families, work and
society in general. By taking responsibility for
our own health and taking time every day to
connect with our body, we can not only assist
our body in letting go of stress and dysfunc-
tion, but we can also continue to support an
ongoing sense of wellness and vitality.
Whether we are able to spend just a few min-
utes a day or once every few days our efforts
are never wasted.
Here are a few ideas I've gleaned from
web sources and books on general foot care
and reflexology tips. Stuff to help your feet
with softer and smoother skin, sweat control
and a little pampering too! They're all home
made and all natural. But remember, just be-
fore you rush off to indulge, if you have any
issues with your feet, it is always a good idea
to check with your health professional first.
Cleansing
A lean foot makes the feet moist and
porous and capable of accepting more treat-
ment. Hence it is always a good idea to start
any foot care regime with a thorough clean.
Here are three different kinds of cleanse. Try
all and see which you like best or better still
alternating between the three keep the feet
guessing.
Rejuvenating Footbath
For tired and aching feet try mixing
*3 tablespoons Epsom salts
* 2 tablespoons bicarbonate of soda
* 3 drops rosemary oil
*8 tablespoons boric acid
*10 tablespoons magnesium sulphate (Ep-
som Salts*)
Add one teaspoon of this mixture to a gal-
lon of very warm water. Soak as desired. The
dry mixture has a lengthy shelf life.
Smoothing Footbath
This magic mix can make the skin of your
feet smooth and beautiful.
Ingredients:
*1 cup lemon juice
*2 tablespoons olive oil
*1/4 cup of milk
*cinnamon for fragrance
*Water (temperature and amount are not
important)
Exfoliating
Exfoliating the feet makes the feet look
fresh, getting rid of dead cells on the top and
keeping the sole soft and supple so as to not al-
low cracks in extreme weathers. Regular ex-
foliating helps eliminate foot odours and keep
the feet looking good and feeling great. The
easiest recipe to get rid of those dead cells is
to mix together to form a rough paste.
*8 strawberries
*2 tablespoons of olive or safflower oil
*1 teaspoon of kosher salt (coarse, non
iodized salt)
*1/2 teaspoon of finely chopped almonds
Remember, don't over blend it. It is im-
portant to keep it coarse! It is easy to over
blend as strawberries have a lot of water in
them. It will just make the paste too watery.
Massage the paste onto your feet circling
clockwise and then anticlockwise for 10 min-
utes. Be careful with your massaging here.
You don't want to grind almond bits into your
The most important part of any foot
regime is the massaging. A thorough cleaning
and exfoliating helps the foot become soft and
porous and allows for greater absorption of
massage oils and the effects of the massage last
longer. It’s a good idea to use a homemade lo-
tion to avoid putting harmful chemicals into a
fresh and pure skin. An easy to make lotion
that can be worked into your feet, and not
washed off is
A Relaxing Foot LotionIngredients:
*1 tablespoon almond oil
*1 tablespoon olive oil
*1 teaspoon wheat germ oil
*12 drops of essence of eucalyptus oil or
fragrance oil Place all of these ingredients in a
dark coloured bottle and shake it well. Rub it
into your feet and heels whenever you feel you
need it.
Massage routine on a daily basis
Although it is wonderful to work with an
experienced foot reflexologist whenever possi-
ble, we can also develop a practice of treating
ourselves to a self-reflexology treatment if we
take some time for this purpose before we be-
gin our day or in the evening to relax before go-
ing to bed. Follow these easy steps to give your
feet the much needed massage
1.Begin with loosening up your ankles –
rotate each foot clockwise then anticlockwise
about ten times.
2. Pinch the end of your toes, which can in-
crease circulation and drainage in your sinuses
and stimulate your pituitary and pineal glands.
3 Massage the ball of your foot, the arch,
and the heel. If you find that an area is tender,
it may indicate some distress or dysfunction oc-
curring in the corresponding area of the body.

Bring variety to the table

Cutlets till golden brown and drain
on absorbent paper. Serve hot with
green coriander chutney.
By Promila Gupta BABY UTTAPAM
ariety is the spice of life. It Ingredients
(griddle) or a non-stick pan. Put
two drops of oil and wipe the tawa
clean with a wet muslin cloth. Add
a tablespoon of butter to the tawa
and pour half a ladleful of batter
and spread it into a three inch
 A pinch of Asafoetida
 ¼ cup Fresh coriander
leaves, chopped
Method
Heat one tablespoon olive oil

V is truer of food. With so

many types of cuisine
accessible, there is no need to stick skin
 2 cups Rice
 1 cup split black gram with

to staples of roti-dal-sabzi. You
can always mix-n-match and
experiment yourself. Here are a
few recipes to get you started.
ALOO PANEER CUTLETS
Ingredients
 2 Potatoes, boiled and
mashed
 200 gm Paneer, grated
 1 tsp Raisins
 tsp Oil + to shallow fry
 1 Onion chopped
 3 chopped Green chillies
 ½ cup Fresh coriander
leaves, chopped
 1 tsp Garam masala pow-
der
 Salt to taste
 4 tabs Plain flour (maida)
 ½ tsp Black peppercorns,
powdered
 1 cup Corn flakes, crushed
Method
Soak raisins in warm water for
some time before use. Drain well.
Heat one tablespoon of oil in a fry-
ing pan and sauté chopped onion
till translucent. Remove. Mix
together paneer, potatoes, red
chillies, onion, green chillies,
coriander leaves, garam masala
powder, salt and raisins. Make
cylindrical shaped Cutlets one inch
thick and two inches long. Make a
thin batter of refined flour, salt,
pepper powder and water. Dip the
Cutlets in this batter and roll in
crushed cornflakes. Keep the
Cutlets in the refrigerator for an
hour or more. Heat sufficient oil
in a kadai and shallow-fry the
 Salt to taste
 ½ cup Butter
 2 Onions, chopped
 2 Tomatoes, chopped
deseeded
 1 Green capsicums,
chopped deseeded
 2 Green chillies, chopped
 ½ cup Cheese, grated
Method
Soak rice in six cups and urad
dal in four cups of water separate-
ly overnight. Drain and grind them
separately, using a little water, to
a smooth paste. Mix them in a
shallow vessel. Cover and keep the
batter to ferment for a minimum of
six to eight hours in a warm place.
Take required quantity of batter in
a bowl, add salt and sufficient
water to get the desired consisten-
cy and mix well. Heat a thick tawa
round. Make as many as would fit
on the tawa. Sprinkle each with a
topping of your choice and cook
on low heat for three to five min-
utes. Flip side and cook further, if
desired. Serve hot.
BESAN METHI POODA WITH
CHEESE
Ingredients
 2 cups Gram flour (besan)
 1 cup Fresh fenugreek
leaves (methi), chopped
 2-1/2 cups Cottage cheese
(paneer), grated
 1 tabs Olive oil +shallow
fry
 2 Onion , chopped
 8 Mushrooms, sliced
 Salt to taste
 ¼ tsp Black pepper powder
 ¼ tsp Soda bicarbonate
 1 tsp Red chilli powder
 1 tsp Carom seeds (ajwain)
in a kadai (wok) and sauté onions
till translucent. Add methi and
cook for another minute. Add
mushrooms and sauté on high heat
for a minute. Add salt and black
pepper powder.
Let cool and mix in cottage
cheese. Set aside. In a bowl mix
together gram flour, soda bicar-
bonate, salt, red chilli powder,
carom seeds, asafoetida, coriander
leaves and sufficient water to make
a batter of pouring consistency.
Whisk well to ensure there are no
lumps.
Heat a pan, drizzle a few
drops of olive oil, pour a ladle full
of batter into the pan and spread it
evenly and thinly using the back of
the ladle. Cook the poora on both
sides, using a little more olive oil,
till golden brown. Place a portion
of the stuffing on one side of the
poora, fold the other side over it
and serve immediately.

April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 41

42 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER May 2011
May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 43
Body- Mind-Spirit
here are three kinds of
T givers in the world: the
stone, the sponge and the
honeycomb. To get anything out of
a stone, you must hammer it; even
then it only yields chips and
sparks. To make a sponge part
with the water it holds, you must
squeeze it. The harder you squeeze
the more you get. Then there is the
honeycomb, from which sweetness
overflows. This unattributed say-
ing beautifully sums up how we
humans abounding with attach-
ment, and fraught with emotion,
share what we consider our own.
Enculturation
As Indians, we sometimes
eagerly incorporate the seemingly
progressive culture of the West. If
we look deeper into the hearts of
Western societies we find a large
number of people in search of
higher meaning. As we preoccupy
ourselves with their ways, the
West in turn is looking East in
search for answers.
Today, as societies converge
across the world and we witness
the emergence of a global village,
people have increasingly adopted
many western cultural norms as
their own. While there are merits
in this approach, we still need to
exercise caution before discarding
values that are tried, true, and
wholeheartedly Indian. Granted, it
can be hard to appreciate Indian
ways as we live and deal with the
consequent inconveniences of our
large population. Yet, the truth
remains that we in India inherently
know how to live as one holistic
society.
It follows logic. We have lim-
ited space and limited resources,
yet we grow and prosper. We
make do, and while we dream of a
better life, we sleep restfully and
remember to be grateful for what
we have. Sure, we have moments
when we play the stone or the
sponge, but the sum of our efforts
makes our nation a giant honey-
comb.
Sharing in the West
In the West, there is a clear
distinction between sharing and
giving. Owing to the fact that there
is usually enough for everyone, the
need for sharing is often a matter
of increasing a person’s access to
variety. Giving, on the other hand,
is when you make a gift of some-
thing you have, ideally without
anticipating anything in return, and
mostly to those who have lesser.
The structure of Western soci-
eties is such that natural situations
that warrant sharing do not present
themselves frequently. Hence, par-
ents often need to create scenarios
in order to teach their children how
to share. Developmental psycholo-
gists advise parents to inform their
children that sharing makes for
more amicable playtime, that play-
ing with a friend’s toy means that
you, in all fairness, need to let
your friend play with your own
44 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011
Sharing is Caring
toys. They also suggest that chil-
dren be allowed to display some
amount of possessiveness in the
interest of healthy parent-child
relationships, lest the child associ-
ate the negative feelings accompa-
nying forced sharing with the par-
ent.
No doubt, in a consumer-based
economy the idea of sharing is not
in the interest of the nation at
large. When people mostly lead
individualistic lifestyles sharing is
also not preferred. Given the ready
access each person has to goods,
sharing is not even necessary.
Thus, having neither need nor
inclination to perform these acts of
giving and taking, the West has
cultivated a society where people
can live independently of each
other.
Since man is a social animal, it
is no surprise that over time this
lifestyle begins to affect a person.
As they grapple with feelings of
loneliness and isolation, some peo-
ple seek out others with the same
set of beliefs and ideals. United in
their sense of purpose, there are
groups of people in America, who
are starting to recreate the old
ways into their modernised lives.
They group together and settle as a
mutually adopted family. This has
lead to an increase in the number
of co-operative housing ventures in
the US.
The American co-op comprises
a number of unrelated families
sharing a big house, usually locat-
ed in a city. This shared residence
allows them to simulate the effects
of the proverbial “village” and
offers their families the opportuni-
Food for the soul: Children dip into each other's lunch boxes
ty to interact with each other
everyday. They work together in
organising the household, its main-
tenance and upkeep, and also make
decisions together. Some co-opera-
tives share a common purpose
which unites every resident who is
a part of it. However, it is not
uncommon for co-operatives to
form with the mere intention of
economic benefits.
While co-ops have been known
to emerge spontaneously, others
are formed when families come
together with a specific purpose
they hope to achieve together. The
Stone Soup Co-op in Chicago,
Illinois, for instance, has been
formed by a group of families who
believe in social justice and joy. At
any point in time, there are about
eight people and their pets, living
together and sharing the rent, the
kitchen, appliances, food, and util-
ity expenses together. If a vacancy
should arise at this co-op as mem-
bers move out, the current resi-
dents meet new tenants and collec-
tively decide on who is fit to move
into their little community.
Larger groups who come
together are called intentional
communities and ecovillages.
These usually differ from co-ops
by having multiple houses for indi-
vidual families but often maintain-
ing shared spaces. They share veg-
etable gardens and wells, and even
groceries or other household
expenses. Many communities
often pool their resources and
install solar heating panels and
make other environment-friendly
modifications to their residences, a
task that would prove too expen-
When we share, we break out of
the boundaries of our ego and
recognise the humanity of the
other. Sharing breeds
inter-dependence, happiness
and harmony. For a planet
with limited resources,
sharing is the way forward.
sive for one family to shoulder on
their own. Given the increased
requirement for space, intentional
communities and ecovillages are
generally found in suburbs outside
of cities.
Although co-operative living is
in essence a reversion to the gold-
en days of yore, the masses view it
as an alternative lifestyle. The
main factor contributing to this
stereotype is that these communes
imply communal ownership of
property, restriction on personal
space, and increased social respon-
sibility as resources are shared. In
other words, it is very much like
our own co-operative housing soci-
eties, where altruistic actions make
for a happier building which feels
like home and increases our sense
of security.
In retrospect, it seems like the
West went around in a circle, only
to find peace in how things were
when people looked out for each
other. As they realised the hollow-
ness of life when objects replace
real-life experiences, some of them
reverted to seeking out what really
brought them joy. Our culture in
India is evolving with our growing
economy; we could save ourselves
the trouble of taking a U-turn by
becoming aware of our inherent
virtues and maintaining our tradi-
tions of kinship and camaraderie.
Sharing and technology
Technology has done wonder-
ful things to assist sharing knowl-
edge, news, and information. We
can now stay connected with any-
one in the world through email,
Twitter, and Facebook. Yet being
constantly connected sometimes
makes us disconnected. Our
phones and laptops make us obliv-
ious of our surroundings. As we
bring e-readers and iPods into our
lives, they replace other more
social habits. We lose the tradition
of lending and borrowing books.
Our iPods prevent us from hearing
a friend call out from across the
street. As we develop relationships
through inanimate objects we have
less time for human interaction and
the comfort it brings. Hence, while
we bring in the new, we need to
preserve and reincorporate the best
of the old.
Growing up sharing
Children in India grow up
sharing. They may learn this from
observing their parents who readi-
ly give what is their own. Some
parents create opportunities for
their children to bond with each
other by sharing, while others,
limited by available resources,
have no option but to share. Be it
by reasoning, reprimand, or
resolve, children in India grow up
knowing that for the best to come
to them, they must share the best
they have.
To cite an example from
almost three decades ago, when
residents of a building huddled
around a television to watch the
Ramayan and Chaaya Geet; even if
the mother might have deliberated
over mopping the floor after the
mob departed, and the father
reseated himself on a stool,
respectfully renouncing his easy-
chair for the building patriarch, the
children of that era only remember
the camaraderie and fun. These
events made our generation equate
sharing with moments of pure hap-
piness.
Sharing the intangible
Dwelling deeper into sharing
takes us beyond material objects.
Everyday, we share assets that
cannot be seen or touched; like
knowledge, feelings, and even
vibes.
Be it out of concern or curios-
ity, in India we always find some-
one who asks us, “Is something
wrong?” On sharing our prob-
lems, we find people who go to
great lengths to help. Joys are
shared with neighbours and
friends coming together to cele-
brate weddings, festivals, and the
achievements of their children. As
we quicken the pace of our lives to
catch up with the west, we must
remember to slow down to cele-
brate or help, for this has always
been our way.
Most of us live ordinary lives
because we fail to realise we are
capable of leading extraordinary
ones. Each of us has in our arsenal
the noblest of virtues like love,
compassion, kindness, and empa-
thy, virtues that might lie latent
until we open our hearts to those
around us. The opportunities for
making a difference in the world
are endless; all we need to do is
share when we can.
Continued on page 45.....
 Body-Mind-Spirit

Sharing is Caring
Continued from page No. 44
The cycle of endless kindness
It is easy to give something
when you have plenty, but when
you give from the little you have,
you perform a great act of kind-
ness. In India, sharing has always
been synonymous with giving. We
know when we share that we may
be left with lesser than we need,
and yet we give whatever we can,
whenever we can. We often even
do it unknowingly, like when we
squeeze in closer on a local train
to accommodate a fourth person
on a seat meant for three. It is in
our ways and in the air we
breathe. Let me tell you a story
which to me has epitomised shar-
ing in the truest sense.
The lady on the train
When returning home late one
night, I was gifted the chance to
witness a random act of kindness.
The hustle at the train station had
quieted, as I got on the 10.40 pm
Andheri local at Churchgate. I sat
by the window, waiting for the
horn to signal departure, when a
lady got on the train and sat in the
seat facing my own. She had three
bulky bags with her and in the
palm of one hand was a small
newspaper bundle with soaked
spots of grease. Her weariness
was evident in the sigh she let
escape as she plonked down on the
seat before me. We smiled at each
other, sharing both our exhaustion
and the relief of knowing we were
finally headed home. Just as she
arranged her bags on the seat next
to her, and unfolded the creased
newspaper packet, a little boy
came in begging for alms.
Knowing she had something ready
to offer, he went up to her and
tapped her knee.
She looked at him and for a
fraction of a second her tired eyes
"Talent is always conscious of
its own abundance, and does
not object to sharing."--
Solzenythyn
flashed with annoyance before she
set her lips in a faint smile and
broke her vada-pav in two. The
little boy took the half she offered
him and got off the train which
had just begun to pull out of the
station. Being aware of the fact
that I was watching her intently,
she looked at me again and smiled.
"In the sweetness of friendship
letthere be laughter, andsharing
of pleasures. For in the dew of
little things the heart finds its
morning and is refreshed”.--
Khalil Gibran
“At least, I can enjoy half of it in
peace,” she said. The depth of her
words never left me. Indeed, if
you have known hunger or thirst
you will recognise it in another
living being. This is the very wis-
dom which compels the homeless
on our streets to share their food
with the animals who live beside
them. Without a roof over their
head, they allow stray dogs to
snuggle up beside them on their
chadars on cold winter nights. It
makes our stomachs fuller, our
sleep sweeter, and ignites a warm-
ing flame in our hearts because we
know from experience that a little
discomfort shared is better than
nothing shared at all.
Through the transcendent laws
which govern such acts, pain
shared somehow decreases while
joy shared multiplies. The lady
probably received more blessings
than the little boy who was gifted
a meal. For while he ventured to
ask, she exercised benevolence
with the little she had.
The earth isn’t a commodity,
nor is it an inheritance we can
squander. It is our home, and
meant to be shared with genera-
tions to come. Although we have
been gifted limited resources, we
are also blessed with the capacity
to be boundless in our acts of giv-
ing. To ensure we have a future
worth sharing, we must share
what we have today.

Dalai Lama - Many faiths, one truth

by Tenzin Gyatso HH The Dalai Lama sheltered lepers, who were otherwise
shunned. When I received my Nobel
inding common ground among Peace Prize, I donated to his colony.

F faiths can help us bridge needless

divides, at a time when unified
action is more crucial than ever
When I was a boy in Tibet, I felt that
my own Buddhist religion must be the
best, and that other faiths were somehow
inferior. Now I see how naïve I was, and
how dangerous the extremes of religious
intolerance can be today.
Though intolerance may be as old as
religion itself, we still see vigorous signs
of its virulence. In Europe, there are
intense debates about newcomers wearing
veils, or wanting to erect minarets, and
episodes of violence against Muslim
immigrants. Radical atheists issue blanket
condemnations of those who hold reli-
gious beliefs. In the Middle East, hatred
of those who adhere to a different faith,
fan the flames of war.
Such tensions are likely to increase as
the world becomes more inter-connected
and cultures, people, and religions
become ever more entwined. The pressure
created tests more than our tolerance – it
demands that we promote peaceful co-
existence, and understanding, across
boundaries.
Granted, every religion has a sense of
exclusivity as part of its core identity.
Even so, there is genuine potential for
mutual understanding. While faithful to
one’s own tradition, one can respect,
admire, and appreciate, other traditions.
An early revelation for me was my
meeting with the Trappist monk, Thomas
Merton, in India shortly before his pre-
mature death in 1968. Merton told me he
could be perfectly faithful to Christianity,
yet learn in depth from other religions like
Buddhism. The same is true of me, an
ardent Buddhist; learning from the
world’s other great religions.
A main point in my discussion with
The Dalai lama has relinquished his political responsibilities
Merton was how central compassion was
to the message of both Christianity and
Buddhism. In my readings of the New
Testament, I find myself inspired by acts
of compassion of Jesus. His miracle of the
loaves and fish, his healing, and his teach-
ing, are all motivated by the desire to
relieve suffering.
I am a firm believer in the power of
personal contact to bridge differences, so
I have long been drawn to dialogues with
people of other religious outlooks. The
focus on compassion, which Merton and I
observed in our two religions, strikes me
as a strong unifying thread among all the
major faiths, and these days, we need to
highlight what unifies us.
Take Judaism, for instance. I first vis-
ited a synagogue in Cochin, India, in
1965, and have met many rabbis over the
years. I remember vividly the rabbi in the
Netherlands who told me about the
Holocaust, with such intensity, that we
were both in tears. I have learnt how the
Talmud and the Bible repeat the theme of
compassion, as in the passage in Leviticus
that admonishes, “Love your neighbour as
yourself.”
In my many encounters with Hindu
scholars in India, I have come to see the
centrality of selfless compassion in
Hinduism too – as expressed, for instance,
in the Bhagavad Gita, which praises those
who “delight in the welfare of all beings”.
I am moved by the ways this value has
been expressed in the life of great beings
like Mahatma Gandhi, or the lesser-
known Baba Amte, who founded a leper
colony not far from a Tibetan settlement
in Maharashtra in India. There he fed and
Compassion is equally important in
Islam, and recognising that has become
crucial in the years since Sept. 11, espe-
cially in answering those who paint Islam
as a militant faith. On the first anniversary
of 9/11, I spoke at the National Cathedral
in Washington, pleading that we should
not blindly follow the lead of some in the
news media, and let the violent acts of a
few individuals, define an entire religion.
Let me tell you about the Islam I
know. Tibet has had an Islamic communi-
ty for around 400 years, although my
richest contacts with Islam have been in
India, which has the world’s second-
largest Muslim population. An imam in
Ladakh once told me that a true Muslim
should love and respect all of Allah’s
creatures. And in my understanding,
Islam enshrines compassion as a core spir-
itual principle, reflected in the very name
of God, the ‘compassionate and merciful',
that appears at the beginning of virtually
each chapter of the Koran.
Finding common ground among faiths
can help us bridge needless divides, at a
time when unified action is more crucial
than ever. As a species, we must embrace
the oneness of humanity as we face glob-
al issues like pandemics, economic crisis,
and ecological disaster. At that scale, our
response must be as one.
Harmony among the major faiths has
become an essential ingredient of peaceful
co-existence in our world. From this per-
spective, mutual understanding among
these traditions is not merely the business
of religious believers – it matters for the
welfare of humanity as a whole.
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama,
is the author, most recently, of Toward a
True Kinship of Faiths: How the World’s
Religions Can Come Together.Courtesy:
The New York Times

April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 45

Honor

Siddhartha Mukherjee wins Pulitzer for his cancer book

iddhartha Mukherjee, a Delhi-born

S cancer specialist doctor won the 2011

Pulitzer Prize in general non-fiction
category and became the fourth person of In-
dian origin to get the honour.
The Pulitzer Prize is an American award
for achievements in newspaper and online
journalism, literature and musical composi-
tion. The prize was established by Hungari-
an-American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and
is administered by Columbia University in
New York.
Mukherjee's book 'The Emperor of All
Maladies: A Biography of Cancer' was also
listed in "The 10 Best Books of 2010" by
The New York Times and the "Top 10 Non-
fiction Books" by The Time magazine. He is
also listed on Time's "100 Most Influential
People" list this year.
Mukherjee is currently serving as Assis-
tant Professor of Medicine at Columbia Uni-
versity in New York City. He is also a staff
cancer physician at Columbia University
Medical Center.
Before Siddhartha Mukherjee, other
Siddhartha Mukherjee, and title page of his
three persons of Indian origin who bagged
award winning book
the Pulitzer have been: Gobind Behari Lal
who in 1937 won the Pulitzer in the Report- about the history and future of cancer. I was life so fully that it was like about someone, vinced Richard Nixon to force the nation to
ing category for his coverage of science at inspired by a woman being treated for a kind an alter personality, an illness that has a psy- launch a war on cancer. We know so much
the tercentenary of Harvard University when of stomach cancer when she asked - where che, a behaviour, a pattern of existing. We more about cancer now than even a decade
he was working for Universal Service; are we going? I could not answer personally meet two characters who sort of thread the ago that cancer is not caused by exogenous
Jhumpa Lahiri for fiction for her collection nor direct her to any book, a magazine or a book together. One is Sidney Farber - a events but by the disregulation of endoge-
of short stories "Interpreter of Maladies" and website that would answer her questions in a pathologist who stumbled upon a vitamin nous genes. It is a long historical battle that
journalist-writer of Indian origin Geeta most longitudinal, most complex sense that analog while performing autopsies that be- will continue for many years using every sin-
Anand. where are we going, what happens next." came a chemotherapeutic drug and a collab- gle force that we have that will cure cancer
Says Siddhartha about his book, "It's "Cancer is a disease that envelopes our orator Mary Lasker - a socialite who con- or find a way to control it."

46 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011


By K. Raman
s one who appreciates the finer
A things in life, I fully soaked up the
masterly display of divine dancing
of Shobana. If dance is the finest of all
expressive fine arts, it was what we
enjoyed on March 6 at Riverside Theatre
where Shobana performed a brilliant
Bharathanatyam recital in front of a sell-
out house. We in Sydney were seeing her
perform after a lapse of 17 years. During
this big gap nothing had gone astray, rather
only some remarkable enhancement has
taken place in her dancing.
She remains fit; her movements are
precise and effortless to the onlookers.She
presented six items and danced to pre-
recorded music sung by various elite
singers of Carnatic field. She danced per-
fectly synchronized to the music and it
went well in clockwork precision. The for-
mat of the dance was not conventional, but
it was a refreshing mix, pleasant to see.
Her repertoire consisted of:Mallari in
Gambheera Natai, a pure version of temple
dance, followed by Jananni, a Keerthanam
piece dedicated to Goddess Devi. This was
followed by Varnam, a stuthi on Goddess
Kali.
A Sringara bhava piece followed by a
Sydney Writers’ Festival presents ‘Power’ as theme
ydney Writers’ Festival has an
S impressive line up of literary events
and writers with the brightest minds
in the worlds of literature, politics, sci-
ence, economics, criticism and journalism
confirmed to appear in Sydney between 16
and 22 May. Sydney Writers’ Festival
(SWF) this year uses the theme ‘power’.
Power in its many incarnations … the
power of the writer to shape the world with
words, the awesome forces of nature under
pressure, the power of the individual to
effect global change and the constantly
shifting nature of power itself: who’s got
it, and why, and how technology is forcing
a shift.
The Opening Address (event number 7)
will be given by Fatima Bhutto, writer and
scion of the famous political family of
Pakistan. Fatima is the granddaughter of
former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto, the niece of former Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto, and daughter of Murtaza
Bhutto.
She came to fame after the appearance
of her first book, a collection of poems,
titled Whispers of the Desert. She received
notable coverage for her second book,8:50
a.m. 8 October 2005. She is active in
Pakistan's socio-political arena, supporting
her mother Ghinwa Bhutto’s party the
Pakistan Peoples Party (Shaheed Bhutto)
but has no desire to run for political office.
She believes in democracy and not
birthright politics. Her latest book is Songs
of Blood and Sword: A Daughter's
Memoir, which is a biography of the
Bhutto family, mainly the political account
of her father Mir Murtaza Bhutto.
At SWF Fatima will talk about
Pakistan, a nation ‘on the verge of a nerv-
ous breakdown’. This year’s stellar inter-
national line-up includes 2010 Man Booker
Prize winner Howard Jacobson and
acclaimed literary writer David Mitchell
The Arts
Shobana dazzles she displayed in her Abhinaya, bhava,
agility in movements and impeccable laya
vidwath. She cemented all these with
Manodharma, creativity and originality.
There are no words in me to compliment
Shobana for her athleticism in jumps and
spins.
She struck many a chiseled pose in the
process of dancing.The planning and orga-
nizational efforts of Soorya
Krishnamoorthy and Sudhir Das of the
Sydney chapter of Soorya deserve a special
mention. An impeccable light and sound
component, a houseful of appreciative
audience, and immaculate dancing all col-
lectively made the show a visual treat.
The second half of the show involved
a 14 minute Bharathanatyam recital by the
up and coming Savitha Shastry. She did
Nrithyopaharam, a Ninda sthuthi on Siva
and Shakthi. She concluded the show danc-
ing to a Marathi piece “Rusali Radha
The author with the dancer Shobana Rusali Madhava”.
number “Vishama karan", which brought classical dancing. Overall, she danced 90 Savitha is a gifted dancer in the con-
out a standing ovation from the apprecia- minutes straight. Ours was the third show ventional mould.Swetha Das, the young
tive audience. after Perth and Melbourne, three succes- M.C., did her part very well. It was
The final item was Dashavatharam. sive nights of straight dancing. Any dancer refreshing to see the presenter uttering
Before presenting each item Shobana can be proud of fulfilling such a tightly Sanskrit and Tamil words without any mis-
explained the item and displayed her lan- packed itinerary, with lengthy travels at pronunciation. For a change the show
guage skill and discursive capacity. She nights and lack of sleep. began dot on the scheduled time of 6.30
briefly talked about the technical side of What impressed me was the perfection p.m. Well done!
Fatima Bhutto from the famous Pakistani political famlily will give Award-winning Indian journalist Sonia Faleiro will speak on
the opening address. the tough lives led by Mumbai’s bar girls
and many other distinguished writers. The Finkler Question, 69; The Thousand Styles rently lives in San Francisco. Her event is
Festival continues last year’s tradition of of David Mitchell, Event 109).Robert supported by the Australia-India Council.
presenting provocative political events, Manne, Waleed Aly and George Another highlight includes Who’s
with this year’s line-up including David Megalogenis discuss options on how we Afraid of WikiLeaks? (Event 136):
Hicks, John Howard, Senator John can come up with a humane, compassion- Suelette Dreyfuss, Guy Rundle, Barbara
Faulkner, Lindsay Tanner, Bob Carr, Alan ate and fair set of policies on asylum seek- Gunnell, Andrew Fowler and Robert
Ramsay, Barrie Cassidy, George ers. (For Those Who’ve Come Across the Manne dissect the influences of the Julian
Megalogenis, Rodney Cavalier, Lenore Sea, Event 43).Award-winning Indian Assange myth and examine the role of
Taylor and Bob Ellis.Howard Jacobson journalist Sonia Faleiro on the tough lives WikiLeaks in our democracy.
will talk about his Man Booker Prize win led by Mumbai’s bar girls (Beautiful And 2011 is the year of prizes with
for The Finkler Question in conversation Thing, Event 122). Sonia Faleiro is the Melbourne’s Dr Ranjana Srivastava short-
with Man Booker International Prize author of ‘Beautiful Thing: Portrait of a listed for her book ‘Tell me the Truth’ for
Judges’ Chair Rick Gekoski, and David Bombay Bar Dancer’. She is the author of Premier’s Literary Awards in the non-fic-
Mitchell will be talking to Geordie a novel, ‘GirL’, and is a contributing edi- tion category. More than half of the
Williamson about his latest novel, The tor at Vogue India. She was born in India, Sydney Writers’ Festival events are free.
Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (The studied in the United Kingdom and cur- Visit: www.swf.org.au and book a spot.
April May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 47
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There’s no Rama without Sita
The character of Sita is the most fundamental ideal to the cultural consciousness of
India. She is the epitome of purity and virtue. Her life is apparently conceived as
that of suffering, docile, meek, subjected to and oppressed by circumstances. But a
deeper study would reveal that she was not always docile and yielding.
By Kanaka Ramakrishna
amayana, the most ancient and popu-
R lar epic, is the encyclopaedia of the
ancient Indian life and wisdom por-
traying an ideal civilization. It has been the
cherished heritage of the whole Hindu world
for the last several thousand years and forms
the basis of their thoughts and of their moral
and ethical values. Ramayana depicts the life
of Rama and Sita, the ideals of the Hindus.
“Sita is the idealised India. There is no
other pauranika story that has so permeated
the whole nation, so entered into its very life
and has so tingled in every drop of blood of
the race as this ideal of Sita … The Hindus
never think of Rama without remembering
Sita,” wrote Swami Vivekananda.
The character of Sita is the most funda-
mental ideal to the cultural consciousness of
India. She is the epitome of purity and
virtue. Her life is apparently conceived as
that of suffering, docile, meek, subjected to
and oppressed by circumstances.
The deeper study of her life as depicted
in the Ramayana would reveal that she was
not always docile and yielding. She was
strong, smart, brilliant, gentle and graceful.
She spoke up when needed. She could force
her will if it was proper. When there was
suffering, she accepted it voluntarily, even
to the extent of her remorse. If there was
Dharma to be upheld, she did it more strik-
ingly than Rama did.
Perhaps no woman in the epic literature
can come to the stature of Sita as portrayed
by Valmiki. Her matchless beauty, tender-
ness of emotion, kindness to a fault, sincer-
ity, faithfulness, brilliant intellect and wis-
dom, extraordinary courage, endurance be-
yond human limits – all these traits found a
harmonious place in her. Though victimised
and oppressed, her extraordinary strength
and power, which originated from truth, pu-
rity and chastity, showed best in times of ad-
versity.
Sita wanted to accompany the banished
Rama to the forest. Rama tried to convince
her to stay in the palace, saying the life in
the forest would be very difficult for her.
Sita boldly but lovingly said, “ If you start
for the most impenetrable of forests even to-
day, I will lead the way, crushing the grass
and thorns in front.”
As the constant companion of Rama, she
lived in the forest happily. The sight of the
golden deer which she wanted to have, made
Rama to chase it for her. When Maricha
called out for help in Rama’s voice, she
wanted Lakshmana to go and help Rama.
But Lakshmana was convinced that Rama
was not in trouble and he refused to go to
help him as he was obeying Rama’s instruc-
tion to protect Sita.
Sita pleaded him first and again told him
to go and help Rama, but he did not budge.
Out of her love and obsession for Rama’s
safety, she breathed fire and brimstone in
what she told Lakshmana. Later, she mag-
nanimously repented for her excessive out-
burst of emotion at a time of too much men-
tal anguish. Making amends for the cruel
words she used against Lakshmana, she sent
words through Hanuman: “Sita sends very
solicitous enquiries about Lakshmana, who
is very gentle, pure, competent and entirely
dear to Rama.”
Sorrows do not come in singles, but in
battalions. Sita’s abduction by Ravana and
her captivity in Lanka were the days of un-
bearable kind of misery and suffering. Yet,
she showed amazing strength and character.
After Ravana’s death, when she was freed
and brought to her husband Rama, he re-
fused to accept her. She had to undergo the
ordeal of fire, Agnipariksha, to prove her
chastity and she came out unscathed.
The God of fire not only responded to
her prayers, but also gave a testimony of her
chastity. He told Rama, “Sita is sinless and
pure of heart. Please accept her.” It is only
after this proof Rama accepted her. The
coronation of Rama appeared to have
brought an end to her trials and tribulations
and looked like her happy days were ahead.
But it was only for a brief period.
After the coronation, Rama and Sita
lived in Ayodhya happily for some time.
Nothing was wanting to keep their cup of joy
full to the brim. Meanwhile, Sita had be-
come pregnant. Rama wanted to please his
pregnant wife by satisfying any desire she
might have had in her mind. Sita had only
one desire; to visit the holy hermitages of the
Rishis residing on the banks of the Ganga
and pay her respects to them.
Events happened soon which brought an
abrupt end of their happy life. A tragic and
an unending suffering was in store for Sita
on this earth. Being a dutiful king and car-
ing for the welfare of his people, Rama one
day asked one of his counsellors to find out
and report to him the opinions and feelings
of his subjects regarding him as a king of the
people.
For most of the citizens Rama was Dhar-
ma incarnate, but the kingdom was not with-
out a few people who judged even Rama’s
actions. They not only whispered about
Rama’s errors and wrongs but also spoke
openly in public places. They thought the
most unbecoming thing Rama did was taking
Sita back to him.
Rama was grieved. He sent for his broth-
ers who saw him in tears. They soon learnt
the cause of his grief. Rama himself was in
no doubt about Sita’s purity. He had not for-
gotten that he had her chastity tested by god
Agni before she joined him. But he was a
king whose Raja Dharma was first and fore-
most to him. He could not bear the censure
of his people.
The highly sensitive and dutiful Rama
decided to abandon and banish Sita from his
Kingdom. He ordered Lakshmana to take
out Sita in a chariot the very next morning
and leave her alone in the forest near the
hermitage of sage Valmiki. What an irony
that Sita had asked just a few days back to be
taken to the forest to visit the sages! What a
way of fulfilling the desire of the pregnant
woman Sita, who was carrying his progeny!
Lakshmana broke the news of her ban-
ishment and told her that he was only car-
rying out the command of the King Rama.
Hearing this heart-breaking news, Sita said,
“O Lakshmana, really the creator created
this body of mine to experience sorrow.”
She did not blame Rama or anybody else
though extremely hurt and pained, she
blamed herself for being born as a woman.
However pure and perfect she was, Sita
could not escape the calumny. The most un-
deserved calumny was acted upon her by her
husband, her very own soul mate, Rama.
The outcome of the whole thing was a great
tragedy, too deep for tears.
But chance and circumstances were
kinder to her than the King and the slander.
Sage Valmiki saw the exiled Sita, warmly
welcomed and accommodated her in his her-
mitage.
Sita soon gave birth to twins in the her-
mitage of Valmiki. The boys were named
Kusa and Lava. As a single mother, Sita
raised her children with the help of the
April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 49
Body Mind Spirit
women of the ashram and moved on with
her life. Valmiki brought up the two boys in
the best manner possible. He composed the
Ramayana and taught them to sing melodi-
ously.
Meanwhile, Rama had decided to per-
form an Aswamedha sacrifice. A huge gath-
ering had assembled to watch the sacrifice.
Valmiki, with his two disciples, Kusa and
Lava also attended.
The sage took advantage of the occasion
of the sacrifice and made the boys recite the
epic of the Ramayana. He instructed them
not to accept any monetary reward and to in-
troduce themselves only as the disciples of
Valmiki. Rama, along with several others
listened to the recital of his own story.
Pleased with their melodious recital, he or-
dered the award of 1800 gold coins to the
boys, who of course declined to accept it.
The people noticed the remarkable resem-
blance between Rama and the boys. Only
their bark clothes and clotted hair suggested
their forest dwelling.
Listening to the story of his own life in-
duced Rama to think of taking back Sita. But
the king in him demanded that Sita should
solemnly make an affirmation of her purity
and provide satisfactory proof of it publicly
in an assembly.
Valmiki agreed to this and things
seemed to be shaping towards a happy end-
ing. The assembly met where many sages at-
tended on the invitation of the king. There
was a vast gathering of people belonging to
all walks of life. Curiosity was writ on every
face.
Valmiki entered the assembly, followed
by Sita behind him with downcast look, fold-
ed palms, tear-filled eyes and her heart set
on Rama. Valmiki, speaking with the weight
of long and hard penance, assured the vast
gathering headed by Rama, that Sita was
pure and chaste; her character was blameless
and she always held her husband as her god
and Kusa and Lava were Rama’s own sons.
Rama replied that though personally he was
convinced of Sita’s virtue and chastity, he
would like her to give a sure evidence of her
purity to the public.
Sita, clothed in ascetic dress, with fold-
ed hands, pitiful eyes and bent down head,
spoke her swan song:
“In as much as I have with my mind nev-
er thought of any one other than Rama, may
Mother Earth give me an asylum!
“In as much as I adore Rama, by
thought, word and deed, may Mother Earth
give me an asylum!
“If I have spoken the truth declaring that
I know none other than Rama, may Mother
Earth give me an asylum!”
Hardly had Sita sworn and prayed, the
earth opened, a throne came up and carried
her down and away. Mother Earth warmly
received her daughter into her bosom in the
underworld.
Thus ended the mortal journey of Sita.
But was this the end? Let us listen to the
assurance of Swami Vivekananda: “Sita has
gone to the very vitals of our race. She is
there in the blood of every Hindu man and
woman; we are all the children of Sita.”
Sita is immortal.
Columns
Fiji, an international enigma
By Karam C. Ramrakha
Karam C. Ramrakha, a long time
lawyer, writer and columnist, uses his expert
knowledge of Fiji with his 16 years as a Fiji
MP (1966-1982) to assess the current situa-
tion in Fiji. He can be contacted on phone
(02) 98082760, fax (02) 8025014, mobile
0434 986 123 or his email address kcram-
rakha@optusnet.com.au
ed China (has there ever been another
R one?) watches nervously as there are
widespread demonstrations in the
Arab and other worlds against dictatorships
and corrupt governments. People's Power a
la the French Revolution is causing jitters in
many palaces and castle like strongholds
with which ‘absolute authority’ clothes itself.
As our PM wings her way to China, there is
widespread arrest of dissidents (the defini-
tion is arbitrary and left to the untrained dis-
cretion of the enforcing authority).
Fiji, which looms so large in our part of
the world, is quiet and recent information
from Fiji reveals that few are challenging
Frank Bainimarama's authoritarian rule.
What makes Fiji so unique is that Frank has
ruled since late December 2006 and there is
no sign of dissent or discord against his rule
in Fiji.
High born Chief Epeli Nailatikau, who
happens to have said of Rabuka's coup in
1987 - "I abhor coups", has thrown his lot
with Frank and grace the office of President
in his Interim Rule.
What gives? Frank has dismantled the
Great Council of Chiefs, that powerful body
with which the British created to entrench
their rule of the Fijians in Fiji. He has chal-
lenged Fiji's lawyers, all 440 of them
including a large number of taukei or indige-
nous Fijians, by dismantling the statutory
Facing up to an addiction
he 76-year-old woman walked down
T
the hallway of Clearview Addictions
Clinic, searching for the right depart-
ment. She passed signs for the “Heroin
Addiction Department (HAD)”, the
“Smoking Addiction Department (SAD)” and
the “Bingo Addiction Department (BAD)”.
Then she spotted the department she was
looking for: “Facebook Addiction
Department (FAD)”.
It was the busiest department in the clin-
ic, with about three dozen people filling the
waiting room, most of them staring blankly
into their Blackberries and iPhones. A mid-
dle-aged man with unkempt hair was pacing
the room, muttering, “I need to milk my
cows. I need to milk my cows."
A twenty-something man was prone on
the floor, his face buried in his hands, while
a curly-haired woman comforted him.
50 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011
authority of Fiji Law Society.
Frank Bainimarama has refused to let the
Methodist Church, the most powerful body
which was largely responsible for Rabuka's
1987 coup and which commands blind sup-
port of a majority of the indigenous Fijian,
hold meetings and paralysed its convention.
You would expect that the indigenous
Fijians would march down the streets of
Suva as they did in 1968 (against the elected
Indians) or 1987 (in support of Rabuka's
coups) or 2000 (in support of the Speight
Saga). But nothing is happening.
Yes, life has become hard in a sense for
Frank. The EEC has withdrawn aid, the
sugar industry is on the point of collapse.
No new jobs are being created and the coun-
try is now heavily dependent on tourism as
its chief money earner. The economist Mr
Bhiman Prasad, a university academic who
once briefly held the Presidency of the now
defunct National Federation Party, predicts
doom and gloom but no one locally seems to
be listening to him.
The Australian Government, with its
"Sit, Fido" mentality on all matters Pacific
and used to be wielding the Big Stick all
these years, is furious. The Americans now
cautiously advocate a kinder approach to Fiji
fearing that Frank will take it on an Asian
journey to China and India. That would be
anathema to the West.
And what of the people in Fiji? The
Indians (those who still remain either by
choice or unable to migrate) are happy. For
the first time Frank has decreed that they
can call everyone, including themselves,
"Fijians". Once that was anathema to the
Ruling Whites and the indigenous who saw
us eternally as Vulagis or Guests. The
Indians are told they are equal and will
have, in the 2014 elections which Frank will
hold, "One Man, One Vote, One Value” - a
THE HUMOR OF MELVIN DURAI
“Don’t worry. It’ll be all right.”
“I just don’t understand it. I thought my
update was LOL-worthy, but none of my
friends even clicked the ‘like’ button.”
“How long has it been?”
“Almost five minutes. That’s like five
months in the real world.”
The 76-year-old woman waited until her
name was called, then followed the recep-
tionist into the office of Alfred Zulu,
Facebook Addiction Counselor.
“Please have a seat, Edna,” he said with
a warm smile. “And tell me how it all start-
ed.”
“Well, it’s all my grandson’s fault. He
sent me an invitation to join Facebook. I had
never heard of Facebook before, but I
thought it was something for me, because I
usually have my face in a book.”
“How soon were you hooked?”
“Faster than you can say ‘create a pro-
file’. I found myself on Facebook at least
eight times each day –- and more times at
night. Sometimes I’d wake up in the middle
of the night to check it, just in case there
was an update from one of my new friends
in India. My husband didn’t like that. He
said that friendship is a precious thing and
should never be outsourced.”
“What do you like most about
Facebook?”
“It makes me feel like I have a life. In
the real world, I have only five or six
friends, but on Facebook, I have 674. I’m
concept we urged since 1929. That a Fijian
ruler will hand it down without any urgings
is real news.
Besides, Frank has abolished all forms of
discrimination…no preferred treatments of
any race. What else could we Indians want.
And Parliament? An elected democracy?
Elected MPs to safeguard our interests?
Oddly enough, no one seems to care any
more in Fiji.
With a new State Government in New
South Wales, it is high time we, Indians,
knocked on the doors of our parliamentari-
ans and asked for all restrictions, including
aid, travel and political, to be lifted against
Fiji? We will meet stiff resistance but it
would be good to have Fiji people stage a
demonstration.
Will Australia's attitude to Fiji change?
Not likely, if, what I call, "The Strange
Julian Moti Affair" is any guide. Julian is
one of the hottest legal brains, and once a
kid genius, to come out of Fiji. He has held
posts and lectured at Delhi's prestigious
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and
Bond University. In the distant past he was
charged with sexual assault or rape of a
minor in Vanuatu. Those trumped up
charges were thrown out not only by the
local magistrate but by a court of appeal
which included Fiji's then Chief Justice.
However, because of the weak nature of the
case there was no "autrefois acquit" or for-
mal acquittal.
Moti established law offices in Papua
New Guinea and the Solomons. He became
a force and in 2004 Australia reacted when it
appeared Moti would become Attorney
General of the Solomons. Why? Because
Moti opposed Australia's $800 million aid to
the Solomons (RAMSI, as it is called) which
he saw was a cynical financial exercise being
used to establish a neo colonial hold on the
even friends with Juan Carlos Montoya.”
“Who’s he?”
“I don’t know, but he’s got 4,000
friends, so he must be famous.”
“Facebook has helped you make some
connections, I see.”
“Oh yes. I’ve even connected with some
of the gals from high school –- I still call
them ‘gals.’ I hadn’t heard from some of
them in ages, so it was exciting to look at
their profiles and figure out who’s retired,
who’s still working, and who’s had some
work done. I love browsing their photos and
reading their updates. I know where they’ve
been on vacation, which movies they’ve
watched, and whether they hang their toilet
paper over or under. I’ve also been playing a
game with some of them.”
“Let me guess. Farmville?"
“No, Mafia Wars. I’m a Hitman. No one
messes with Edna.”
“Wouldn’t you rather meet some of your
friends in person?”
“No, not really. It’s so much easier on
Facebook. We don’t need to gussy ourselves
up. We don’t need to take baths or wear per-
fume or use mouthwash. That’s the best
thing about Facebook –- you can’t smell any-
one. Everyone is attractive, because every-
one has picked a good profile pic. One of the
gals is using a profile pic that was taken, I’m
pretty certain, during the Eisenhower
Administration.”
“What pic are you using?”
Solomons. Most of that money did not reach
the ground: much of it came back to
Australia in highly inflated salaries.
So the then Australian Ambassador to
the Solomons tried to revive the sexual
assault charge on Moti. However, when
Moti did not get the post, the charges were
dropped. However, some three years ago,
Moti did become AG of the Solomons. Here
they were: Howard, Ruddock, Downer bay-
ing for his blood. The media painted him as
an absconding scoundrel. His passport was
cancelled, which was shown on TV (Privacy
Rights, forget it). He was kidnapped in the
Solomons, brought to Queensland and incar-
cerated in the notorious Brisbane Watch
House.
He got bail and after painfully slow
response he has dredged, at great cost to
himself, how the Australian Federal Police
obtained further statements from the "vic-
tim", gave her and her family to boot large
sums of money for their alleged maintenance
and upkeep.
Justice Mullins of the Queensland High
Court stayed prosecution saying the pay-
ments to the victim tainted her evidence to
the extent that Moti could not get a fair trial.
The Queensland Court of Appeal disagreed
but recently Moti has won the right to appeal
to our High Court of Australia.
The local media, which gleefully report-
ed the pursuit of Moti as he was brought to
Queensland, has not reported what tran-
spired in the High Court of Australia. But
the father of the victim died recently and
made a deathbed confession that the charges
against Moti were false and the family was
hounded by the Australian Federal Police
and the authorities to give evidence against
Moti. The victim, meantime, has left our
shores and it is therefore dubious she will
return to give evidence.
“Well, I spent five hours searching for a
profile pic, but couldn’t find one I really
liked. So I decided to visit the local beauty
salon.”
“To make yourself look prettier?”
“No, to take a pic of one of the young
ladies there. That’s what I’m using.”
“Didn’t your friends notice that you look
different?”
“Some of them did, but I just told them
I’ve been doing lots of yoga.”
“When did you realize that your
Facebooking might be a problem?”
“I realized it last Sunday night, when I
was on Facebook and saw a message on my
wall from my husband: ‘I moved out of the
house five days ago. Just thought you should
know.”
“What did you do?”
“What else? I unfriended him of course!”
 Body-Mind-Spirit

Vasthu way to cleanse home

negative energy that might be on you that
Some cultures use day. Normally after a shower, you should
feel much lighter and more ready to connect
candles, sage, bells, to the energy of your house.
camphor and Dress in clean, comfortable clothes and
remove all jewellery. Ideally, work with bare
scented oil in the feet.
Some cultures use candles, sage, bells,
VasthuSastra cleansing. I find that camphor and scented oil in the cleansing. I
incense from find that incense from sandalwood and frank-
By T. Selva incense is one of the most powerful agents to
sandalwood and eliminate harmful energy.
frankincense is one In Vasthu, fire energy should be invoked
eeping your house clean is not because our (human) energy field is magnetic

K enough. You need to get rid of the

negative energy lurking around.
We clean our houses physically, but how
many of us are actually cleansing the energy
within our home?
Failure to remove negative and stale
energy trapped in a dwelling or work space
can be harmful because the structure will
become a sick building.
In such homes, the occupants will fall ill
frequently, feel dull and lethargic, and expe-
rience sleep disorders.
In the case of an office, there will be an
increase in employees reporting sick or being
disunited, and bizarre occurrences, like hys-
teria.
Vasthu Sastra recommends that one car-
ries out energy space cleansing during the
period when the full moon wanes, to when
the new moon emerges.
Before you embark on space cleansing,
make sure you are relaxed, feeling good and
ready to perform the therapy.
Cleansing the space hurriedly and hap-
hazardly will not give you the desired
results.
Women should not do it during their
periods, or if they are expecting, because
then their energy will be focused elsewhere.
It is encouraged that you switch off appli-
ances like the radio, television and mobile
phones so that you will not be distracted.
Switching off the air-conditioner and fan
also makes the process easier.
Children who are very sensitive to shifts
in energy are advised not to be present dur-
ing the process.
Food and drinks should be sealed and put
away because space cleansing stirs up stag-
nant energy, and exposed food can absorb
the negative energy.
The different cultures have their own
space cleansing methods but there various
similarities.
If you have pets, watch how they behave,
particularly where they sit or sleep, prior to
your energy clearing.
In Russia, nobody will enter a new house
before the cat does because the Russians
believe the creature has a unique ability to
sense negative energy and to feed on it. They
of the most powerful
agents to eliminate
harmful energy.
will watch carefully to see where the crea-
ture lies down first and would never think of
placing their bed or sofa on that spot.
Dogs, on their other hand, are drawn to
areas with a cluster of positive energy. So
your dog’s favourite spot could be a good
place for activities, or a corner to spend a lot
of your time.
Once you have identified a cat spot,
spend more time cleansing that area to get
rid of the bad energy.
In Vasthu, in the olden times, as long as
an individual allows a cow to walk into a
new house first, all negative issues will be
flushed away because the cow is considered
a powerful sacred animal.
Salt bath
Before performing space cleansing, pre-
pare yourself by having a sea salt rub, and
bathe with sandalwood paste to strengthen
your aura.
Salt helps to absorb and neutralise any
in nature, and fire energy can easily enter
our electromagnetic field and cleanse it.
Start from the front door and walk clock-
wise; finish at the point you started. If you
are using incense, allow time for the smoke
to rise up to the door and window frames,
ceiling and corners.
Alternatively take salt and place it in the
four corners of the “sick” room and sprinkle
sea water on it.
After the salt has been placed on the
floor for a day, get a broom that is used only
for your cleansing therapy and sweep it up.
Then discard the salt in the toilet.
This exercise can be carried out regularly
or whenever you feel something is not right
in the positive energy flow in the house. It is
recommended that you take a bath after each
cleansing.
Remember that once you have purified
the energy of your house, you will need to
stablise the fresh energy. This can be done
by performing a prayer following whatever
faith you belong to.
T. Selva is the author of the best selling
book titled V asthu Sastra Guide. He can be
contacted at tselvas@pd.jaring.my W ebsite:
www.vasthusastra.com

DEATH IN BALI
why so many had to come.
They took photos, asked
questions and finger printed
Inner Space mother.
I was not happy with all the
By Faith Harper black ink left on her fingers so
I made a point of getting tea
hree gasps and my moth-
for 30 minutes. When it was
time she was sprinkled with
young yellow coconut water.
The doors opened and we
rolled her into the crematorium
I lit the torch and in she
went.

T
er passed away at 1pm on
March 23, 2011.
Myself, a friend and the
housekeeper were at her side.
Mother had a look of mild
surprise on her face when she
realised that this was it.
We three looked at each
other with disbelief. She went
so fast and silently.
The girls went off to buy
items for offerings plus new
sarongs and a woven mat.
I closed Mama’s eyes and
mouth and kissed her tenderly
on her forehead. I held her
hand until they returned.
Ari and Montini made
offerings. We then undressed
mother and washed her with
great care.
We put her in new clothes.
We then lifted her onto the mat
which was then placed on a sin-
gle mattress.
Ari, Montini, Winder and
myself then lifted her into the
open pavilion.
tree oil and wiping her fingers Less than one hour later all
clean. that remained was a handful of
I then laced her fingers ashes.
together and rested her hands Again young coconut water
on her chest. was sprinkled on her.
I then carefully covered her Very ceremonially a white
with the sarongs. cloth was laid out on a table.
That night I was told she A terracotta pot was placed
appeared on Bali TV. No per- on it and that was surrounded
mission given or asked for. by rose petals.
Not sure if Hindu beliefs are correct but I am going with mother’s The police left after 2 hours. Gently mother’s ashes were
last wishes. There she sits in the corner of my bedroom and Then many friends and villagers put into the pot along with
each day I place a flower on her and say thank you. came into the garden to pay money and then the lid.
She was then covered by the After two hours I asked all their respects. The white cloth was then
new sarongs. There she lay sur- to leave. I then sat with mother At 4pm the ambulance tied around her.
rounded by nature and beauty. from 4pm until 10am the next arrived to take mother to the The Balinese believe that
I called my friends in from morning. crematorium. it’s essential to scatter the loved
next door and along with my By then she had turned cold By 5.30pm all the well one’s remains on the ocean or
staff we paid our last respects and heavy. I am glad we had wishers had arrived there also. the soul will not be at peace.
to mother. that time together and that her She was placed with great My mother’s request to me
The girls blessed her with life force had a chance to depart love and care onto a table with was that I keep her ashes with
holy water, lit incense and fully. her head pointing to the me always.
recited mantras. At 10am the next day I entrance of the burning place. Not sure if Hindu beliefs are
I recalled mother’s sense of started the round of phone calls Balinese music played in the correct but I am going with
humour throughout her 88 years to the doctor, consulate, head of background. She was then cov- mother’s last wishes.
and how she loved to dance and the village and of course the ered with rose petals and There she sits in the corner
laugh. police. incense filled the air. I kissed of my bedroom and each day I
I kissed her again and said By noon my house was her again. Mantras and prayers place a flower on her and say
farewell. crawling with police. Not sure were recited. We sat at her feet thank you.

April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 51

Santram's Grey Page
By Santram Bajaj
he prices, particularly of fruits and
T vegetables, are skyrocketing. The
usual excuse is the devastating
floods and cyclone Yasi in Queensland.
Pensioners and low income people are
the most affected. Certain items are going
off their buying list. Banana is one such
item, selling at around $12-$15/kg or
$2.50 for one banana - the cost of a pen-
sioner’s travel ticket. (I remember last time
the banana prices went through the roof
was about five years ago and that, too, was
as a result of another cyclone Larry.)
It looks like only the rich will be able to
afford this common man’s fruit.
Centrelink may be tempted to use
‘Banana test’ for the people to qualify for
pensions. It could go like this: if you eat
one banana a day, you lose 10% of your
entitlement and 10 bananas a fortnight
should make you a non-pensioner.
To enforce the ruling, Centrelink can
introduce ‘RBT’ - Random Banana Testing
mobile buses, that can stop any elderly per-
son with a bag and search it.
Furthermore, State Governments could
introduce ‘Banana coupons’ for the people
who are ‘addicted’ to banana eating, to be
issued on doctors’ recommendation only.
Jokes aside, there should be some con-
trol over price rises as the pension increas-
es announced recently have already been
‘eaten up’.
The government had announced that
from 20 March, age, disability and carer
pensioners and veterans’ income support
recipients will receive an extra $13.20
(equal to the cost of a barbecue chicken) a
fortnight for singles on the maximum rate,
and $19.80 a fortnight for couples com-
bined on the maximum rate. These increas-
es are not good enough to cover the rise in
grocery prices, water and electricity.
Health & Well-being
Relieve yourself of sinus
pressure
Change of weather can take a toll on
everyone. It's the ideal condition for one to
catch a chill and block the sinuses. Here's
what you can do to keep your sinuses
relieved.
1. Steam: Pour boiled water into a
large bowl and add a cut, raw onion. Place
a towel over your head and the bowl, cre-
ating a tent. Breathe in the steam deeply for
15 minutes. The vapours help open sinus
passageways, relieving pressure.
2. Oil respite: Use the hot water and
tent method above, but add three to four
drops of eucalyptus oil instead of the
onion. Eucalyptus has been used for cen-
turies to open respiratory passageways.
3. Ward off infection: Add three drops
52 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011
Just for Seniors
of tea tree oil to the hot water if sinus pres-
sure is from a bacterial or viral infection.
According to the Mayo Clinic, tea tree oil
has been used in many cultures for cen-
turies and is believed to have antimicrobial
and antiseptic properties. While there is
evidence to support these theories, the clin-
ic advises that more conclusive studies are
needed.
4. A dash of spice: Add spicy peppers
or cayenne to your foods. Cayenne con-
tains capsaicin, which relieves the inflam-
mation that can cause sinus pressure and
improves circulation to painful areas.
Sprinkle cayenne pepper on chilli or burg-
ers, or add some fresh hot peppers to a
salad.
5. Massage power: Massage is a pow-
erful way to overcome sinus pressure.
Press the index fingers above the middle of
your eyebrows and massage the area in
small, circular motions for 15 seconds.
Move the fingers to the area between the
eyebrows and massage. Repeat as often as
necessary. This is a technique of acupres-
sure, which is a popular alternative to all
the other medicinal treatments.
Diet—do’s and don'ts for
senior citizens
As you age, your needs for nutrition
increase. Your body is in a degenerative
mode. Growth of cells and tissues is slow
but repairing of tissues is at a higher rate.
You suffer from low immunity, poor
digestion, weak bones and muscles and
fatigue. Activity of the body reduces and
you may be a victim of metabolic disorders
like diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, high
blood pressure or high cholesterol, etc. All
this does not mean that you have to eat
less. Eating right becomes more important
than eating less.
Requirement of vitamins, proteins,
minerals, fluids and carbohydrates changes
in old age. And all these nutrients have to
be packaged in easy-to-digest and easy-to-
absorb, small frequent meals which are
spread out and spaced well over the entire
day.
Ageing is a process which is associated
with a lot of free radical release in the
body. It is also called as oxidation of cells.
Weak muscles, greying and falling of hair,
reduced skin tone, susceptibility to colds
and coughs and lack of energy are symp-
toms of oxidation. Vitamins like vitamin E,
C, A and some minerals are essential in
right quantities to reduce the ill-effects of
free radicals in the body.
At times, food becomes very important
during old age as that is the time when you
can spend some time with the rest of the
members of the family. Women especially
should be very careful about their diet in
old age. Due to menopause, the ability to
absorb calcium reduces and they may get
weakness in joints and susceptibility to
fractures very easily. Cooked food should
be soft and easy to chew, in case there have
been teeth extractions or dentures.
Tips to right eating in
old age
- Add plenty of natural colours to your
diet. Two to three meals of seasonal fruits
will work as antioxidants and prevent con-
stipation.
- Egg whites are a good source of pro-
tein important for repair of worn out cells
and tissues. For vegetarians, paneer made
from low-fat milk is good substitute.
- Use of mustard oil or olive oil is a
good cooking medium as both prevent high
cholesterol and improve good cholesterol
in the blood.
- Six to seven small meals in a day aid
digestion, absorption and prevent fatigue.
- Vegetables soups without cream and
thickening agents are a healthy meal to be
taken as a supper.
- Always leave your home with a small
healthy snack in your bag to avoid eating
out.
- Avoid processed foods with artificial
colours and preservatives.
- Potassium-rich foods like cumin
seeds (zeera), sweet limes, fenugreek seeds
(methi) and coconut water are good for
muscular flexibility, prevent water reten-
tion and swellings. They also contribute to
maintain blood pressure.
- For a high dose of nutrition, add curd
to the dough for rotis to improve the bio-
logical value of the cereal, and to keep
them soft.
- Oats porridge is an excellent break-
fast for seniors.
- Drink about 15 glasses of water in a
day to prevent dehydration. In old age,
muscle density reduces and susceptibility
to dehydration is always very high, espe-
cially in summer.
- Do not overcook the food to make it
soft as by doing so one destroys vital nutri-
ents. Instead, select foods which need less
time to cook.
- Also, exercise regularly, stretch and
do yoga to ensure absorption of nutrients
well.
In case you suffer from any medical
disorder, consult a professional nutrition
consultant for your individual requirement.
Sleeping with lights
on?..... Not a good idea
Sleeping with the lights on could leave
you with a nasty hangover the next day, a
new study says. Researchers have warned
that the glow emitted by a TV or the reas-
suring presence of a night-light such as a
lamp or table light could actually impact on
mental health. It is the latest in a long line
of warnings about the potential dangers of
disrupting the body's natural sleep-wake
cycle, reports the Daily Mail.
Sadly enough the ill-effects of the lights
at night doesn’t end here. Studies have also
shown that working in night shifts can
increase breast cancer risk. Last month, a
study linked night-time light with weight
gain, which surely is a major concern for
many. Researchers from Ohio State
University in US looked at the effects of
exposing rodents to dim light during their
sleeping hours. At the equivalent of having
a TV switched on in a darkened room, the
lamp used was not bright, but it was
enough to affect the animals’ behaviour.
Those exposed to the dim light showed
more symptoms of depression compared to
the hamsters in the standard light-dark
cycle. Further tests showed differences in
the structure of a brain region called the
hippocampus. Researcher Tracy Bedrosian
from Ohio State University said: “The hip-
pocampus plays a key role in depressive
disorders, so finding changes there is sig-
nificant. Even dim light at night is suffi-
cient to provoke depressive behaviour,”
Bedrosian's colleague neuroscientist Randy
Nelson said.
Garlic could help treat
hypertension
A new study has suggested that garlic
may be useful in addition to medication to
treat high blood pressure.
Garlic supplements have previously
been shown to lower cholesterol and
reduce high blood pressure in those with
untreated hypertension.
In the latest study, researchers from the
University of Adelaide looked at the effects
of four capsules a day of a supplement
known as aged garlic for 12 weeks. They
found systolic blood pressure was around
10mmHg lower in the group given garlic
compared with those given a placebo.
“Garlic supplements have been associ-
ated with a blood pressure lowering effect
of clinical significance in patients with
untreated hypertension,” the BBC quoted
researcher Karin Ried as saying.
"Our trial, however, is the first to
assess the effect, tolerability and accept-
ability of aged garlic extract as an addi-
tional treatment to existing antihyperten-
sive medication in patients with treated, but
uncontrolled, hypertension," Ried said.
(Experts say garlic supplements should
only be used after seeking medical advice
as garlic can thin the blood or interact with
some medicines.)
(Disclaimer: The Health tips in the arti-
cle are taken from various well established
and reliable sources and are given to you in
good faith. However, readers are reminded
to take care and consult their doctor if not
sure, as no responsibility can be accepted
by the writer of this column or The Indian
Down Under).
HUMOUR
Best Consultant
Doctor Simon is known throughout
London as one of the best consultants on
arthritis. He always has a waiting room full
of people who need his advice and special-
ist treatment.
One day, an elderly lady slowly strug-
gles into his waiting room. She is com-
pletely bent over and leans heavily on her
walking stick. A chair is found for her.
Eventually, her turn comes to go into
Doctor Simon’s office.
15 minutes later, to everyone’s sur-
prise, she comes briskly out of his room
walking almost upright. She is holding her
head high and has a smile on her face.
A woman in the waiting room says,
"It's unbelievable, a miracle even. You
walk in bent in half and now you walk out
erect. What a fantastic doctor he is. Tell
me, what did Doctor Simon do to you?"
"Miracle, he just gave me a longer
walking stick."

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Jn Ce mral ;ü=w˜fUh! bi=tl bü bt;b
At dgt simu rfUme fUe bti; ntu dRo ntu>
˜tudtü fUtu btr˜kdt bü htJK l\sh ytlu
˜dt, htbtgK WÖxe ntu;e r=FtRo =ulu
˜de>
nbtht Ce bl fUwA rJra˜; ntu WXt
ytih ytâFü ctuS˜ me ntulu ˜dé >
rVUh l stlu ¢gt ýyt bia fUt h¥F
ne c=˜t ýyt vtgt > bi=tl bü xebü ne
c=˜e vtRok> mc rb¢m xtRov fUe y:to;
fURo =uNtü fUu rF˜t\ze =tu xebtü bü cxu ýY
:u>
Hindi Humour
rf{UfUux fUt bntCth; ... mk; htb csts
W"h nhCsl rmnk fUtu dwômt yt fUt˜btze (fUtpbJiÖ: duö\s rJÏgt;) ni , stu ;wöntht Ftm ôxtRoj ni, rsm bü
dgt ytih bi=tl bu yt Dwmu ytih fUtVUe ytih Wl fUu mt: htst (2G) Dtuxt˜u fUu cixTôbil fUtu v;t lné a˜;t rfU ctp˜
dbtodbeo ntu dRo > fUË;tl "tule fUtu Ctd bwrFgt =ti\zu a˜u yt hnu nî ytih Wl fUu rfU"h xhl ˜ude>OO
fUh ytlt v\zt cea catJ fUu r˜gu> veAu dtk"e xtuve vnlu YfU YfU Atuxu mu btu=e bwh˜e fUu =qmhu ctp˜ vh stu Wm
IICßse, ¢gt ;wb lu rVUh mu ;tu \fU= fUt yt=be Wl fUtu vf\zlu fUe fUt I=qmhtO :t, vh LBW ntu dgu>
rfUme fUtu IbkfUeO lné fUn r=gt?OO fUturNN bü c\ze ;u\se mu yt hnt ni> rVUÖb yrCluºte bt"whe =eG; -
IIlné, gth btne, bî lu ;tu Jne Ibtâ IInb ;wönthu mt: nî yàltOO, ôxurzgb I"fU "fU d˜oO bi=tl bu W;he ctQr˜kd
fUeO fUnt :t> bu ciXu ˜tud \stuh \stuh mu ctu˜ hnu fUhlu ytih YfU =b fURo ˜tud IytQxO ntu
IIyhu! ¢gt d\sc fUh r=gt, stl;u nî,IIvfU\ztu, bthtu - C{³tath lné a˜udt> dgu> ytih Jn IfUsht hu, fUsht hu, buhu
lné Jn Rm fUt ym˜e b;˜c mbS;u ˜tu¢vt˜ fUbuxe atrngu>OO fUthu fUthu liltO dtlu ˜de, rsm vh
niOO gn yàlt n\sthu :u, stu dtk"e se fUu NeD{ ne YuNJogt htY cåal lu ytfUh
IIvh bî rfUme mu zh;t lné nqâ OO ôÀgtd{n fUu Åtht Cth; bü C{³tath fUu Wmu =ww;fUtht rfU IIgn ;tu buhu fUthu fUthu
Rm a¢fUh bü fUtVUe W:˜ vw:˜ rJh¥° ˜tufUvt˜(Ombudsman) fUe liltü fUe ct; ntu hne ni, Ctd gnât mu!OO
ba dRo ytih fUwA mbS bü lnek ytgt àgwr¢; atn;u nî ytih mhfUth Rm ct; ytôx[ur˜gt fUu Ponting W;hu bi=tl
rfU fUtil rfUm fUe ytuh ni> fUtu ylmwlt fUh hne ni > IInb CqF bü ytih Wànü Ce Idtu˜zl zT¢fUO ne
=uFt ;tu f{Ue\s vh yrb;tC cåal n\z;t˜ fUhüdu, Atu\zudü lnéOO> lmec ýyt, rsm vh Wmu R;lt dwômt
yvlt cÖ˜t Dwbt hnu ni nî ytih mt: bü Nh= vJth Wànü "bfUt hnu ytgt rfU umpire fUtu dtr˜gtâ rlfUt˜;u ýY
dt Ce hnu nî, II=u Dwbt fUuOO, ytih :u,IIstytu stu fUhlt ni fUh ˜tu> gn Jtrvm virJr˜gl ˜tix dgu ytih st;u ne
ytih rVUh cý; ne htuafU ytih ctQ˜h ni mturlgt dtk"e> rf{UfUux fUt bi=tl ni, gntâ ;wönthe =t˜ z[urmkd Áb bü ˜de xeJe fUtu ;tu\z r=gt,
yltuFt bia =uFlu fUtu rb˜t> ytRogu mturlgt se lu yvle mt\ze fUt vÖ˜q lné d˜ude, Ctdtu gntâ mu, rclt rx¢x rsm fUe ytJt\s mc fUtu mwltRo =e>
ytv Ce =uFü ...... XefU rfUgt ytih yrb; se lu yvle ntu, vwr˜m fUu nJt˜u fUh =üduOO> rVUh Cd=\z me ba st;e ni ¢gtürfU
=uFt ;tu cirxkd fUh :u Cth; fUu ôVUu= =t\Ze vh nt: VUuht> mturlgt se lu IIc=be\se fUhlu fUe \sÁh; lné ni> yatlfU \stuhtü fUe ctrhN Nwh¥ ntu st;e
Œ"tl bkºte e blbtunl rmnk ytih ctQ˜h ni ytih d{tQkz :tu\ze me =uh bü YfU l=e
:u vtrfUô;tl fUu ht³[vr; \sh=the> bü c=˜ st;t ni rsm bü rfUë;gtâ ;ih;e
blbtunl rmnk se lu vn˜e ne ctp˜ vh l\sh yt;e nî >
AT¢fUt =u btht ytih athtü ytuh mu ;tr˜gtü ytih ;tu ytih vÀ:h ;fU ;ih;u l\sh
ytih merxgtü fUe ytJ\stü mu bwöcRo fUt yt;u nî> l=e mbwà=h fUt ytfUth ˜u ˜u;e
bi=tl dqks WXt> =qmhe dü= IctQkmhO fUu ni rsm vh YfU cý; c\zt vw˜ r=FtRo
Áv bü ytRo > blbtunl se \sht =ulu ˜d;t ni>
˜\zF\ztgu ytih \sh=the mtrnc bwôfUhtgu IImtdh vh mu;w cl dgt ni, yc
> ;emhe ctp˜ \sht "ebe :e ytih blb- ˜kfUt vh rJsg v;tfUt ˜nhtlu fUt mbg
tunl rmnk :tu\zt IfUkÜgq\sO ntu dgu ytih yt dgt niOO> ˜GbK fUtu ykd= fUn hnu
\sh=the mtrnc lu LBW fUe yve˜ fUh nî>
=e stu umpire lu lné btle> ati:e ctp˜ vh W"h nlwbtl CdJtl htb fUu vtm
blbtunl se lu hl ˜ule atne ytih Ctdu yt nt: stu\z Œt:olt fUh hnu nî,IIar˜gu
vhk;w =qmhe ytuh fUu cÖ˜uct\s yzJtle ŒCw, ar˜gu vn˜t ;eh a˜tRogu, stu mu;w
se lu Wànü Jtrvm Cus r=gt ˜urfUl vn˜t dü= fUwA Rm ;hn mu Ispin' rfUgt rf{UfUux fUe "tîm b; =tu, nb Ce stl;u fUu Wm vth výka fUh htJK fUtu au;tJle
Dwxltü lu mt: lné r=gt ytih Ju Ihl rfU cåal se ¢˜el ctQÖz nî > rf{UfUux fUu bnth:e rJsg n\sthu fUt =u mfUuOO
ytQxO ntu dgu> mthu VUe˜zTo\s FwNe mu ntu dgu>... Œk;w Iltu ctp˜O, umpire ltb gt= ni lt! ytih ;wb nbthe r˜ôx ytih CdJtl yvlt "lwM WXt,
YfU =qmhu fUu d˜u rb˜ hnu :u> raÖ˜tgt ytih Rm ;hn mu yrb;tC fUtu vh ntu, Ægtl hnu! OO> ;hfUN bü mu ctK rlfUt˜ rNJse fUtu
yzJtle se fUt mt: =ulu ytgu life line rb˜ dRo> Rm mu vn˜u rfU ct; ytdu c\Z;e ŒKtb fUh Wmu Qvh fUe ytuh Atu\z =u;u
Cth; fUu gtud dwh¥ ôJtbe htb =uJ, yvlu IInt nt ! fUtil cludt ylwvb Fuh ytih Nctlt yt\sbe bi=tl nî ytih mthe ctlh mult vqhu \stuh mu
˜nht;u ýY ct˜tü ytih abfU;e ýRo =t\Ze fUhtu\zvtr;?OO, yrb;tC \stuh \stuh mu mu yàlt n\sthu fUtu ˜u fUh a˜u dgu> raÖ˜t;e ni,IIsg ntu, sg ntu, ¢gt
fUu mt:> nkmlu jdu, IIyCe =tu ˜tRoVU ˜tRl ytih yburhfUl ht³[vr; ytuctbt , rnÖ˜he rmfUmh btht ni!OO
sh=the lu Wànü c\ze D]Kt mu =uFt cae nîOO r¢˜lxl fUu mt:, YfU xîfU vh mJth ......ytih nbthe lé= xqx st;e ni
ytih Fqc ;u\s dü= VUîfUe stu Wl fUe =t\Ze yrb;tC fUe nkme Wm Ntuh bü =c dætVUe fUt veAt fUh hnu nî > IIAtu\züdu > "tule fUu A¢fUu fUu mt: ne e ˜kfUt
fUtu Aq;e ýRo rlfU˜ dRo> ctct htö=uJ lu fUh hn dRo stu pavillion fUe ytuh mu WXt lné, IyburhfUt R\s d{uxI- nb lu mætb fUtu nht fUh Cth;eg rF˜t\ze bia se;lu
fUvt˜ Ctr; fUe, =tu YfU ˜öcu mtkm :t > ýômul ytih bwcthfU simu XefU fUh r=gu, fUe FwrNgtâ blt hnu ntu;u nî> mral
r˜gu ytih yd˜e dü= fUtu VUum fUhlu fUu IIbî Ce Fu˜qkdt, yc buhe cthe niOO, ;wb rfUm Fu; fUe bq˜e ntuOO ;ü=w˜fUh fUtu =qmhu rF˜tr\zgtü lu fUk"tü vh
r˜gu ;igth ntu dgu> sch=ô;e bi=tl bü yvlt cÖ˜t WXtgu yövtgh ytih mi¢gturhxe Wànü htufUlu WXtgt ýyt ni ytih Cth;eg ;hkdt
ytuJh fUe ytrFhe dü= vh htb Dwmu yt hnu :u ˜t˜q vÞmt= gt=J ytih bü cucm nî > Ju :tu\ze =uh ct= Fw= ne ˜nht;u ýY bi=tl fUu a¢fUh ˜dt hnu nî>
=uJse lu atifUt ˜dtlu fUe fUturNN fUe Wl fUu veAu Wl fUe ceJe htc\ze =uJe bi=tl mu ctnh a˜u st;u nî> ytr;ëct\se mu ytmbtl abfU hnt ni
vhk;w aqfU dgu ytih ctp˜ WA˜ fUh Wl Wànü htufU;e ýRo fUn hne :é Fu˜ rVUh Nwh¥ ntu awfUt :t ytih ytih ˜tudtü fUu Ntuh bü fUwA Ce mwltRo lné
fUu c˜tü bü st yxfUe, stu umpire lu ytfUh IIlt stytu m©gtâ Aw\zt fUu c©gtâ, dwsht; fUu bwÏg bkºte lhüŠ btu=e =u hnt>
rlfUt˜e> Rm cea \sh=the mtrnc lu \fUôb ;wönthe bî htu v\zqkdeOO cÖ˜uct\se fUh hnu :u > e˜kfUt fUu bwh˜e bi=tl bü athtü ytuh FwNe fUt bnti˜
Ihead before wicket' fUe yve˜ fUh =e, vhk;w Ju lné h¥fUu ytih mturlgt se fUu lu dü= VUîfUe ytih btu=e se lu Irm¢mhO ni.. 28 JMo fUu ct= Cth; YfU cth rVUh
stu third umpire fUu vtm výkae> ¢gtürfU ytdu rd\zrd\ztlu ˜du rfU II˘es, nbü XtufU r=gt> World Cup se; vtgt ni, rsm fUe x[tpVUe
rf{UfUux bü Yumt fUtuRo Á˜ lné :t, Rm Ce bti\fUt =ersgu l bizb!OO IIbwh˜e, =qmht VUîfUtuOO, "tule lu fUtu mc ˘ugh aqb hnu nî >
r˜gu Iltpx ytQxO r=gu dgu ôJtbe se> vhk;w mturlgt se lu Wànü fUtuRo Dtm m˜tn =e > ytih nbuk bia rVh mu ydju r=l
˜urfUl sh=the mtrnc fUtu gn mc lné zt˜e ytih cuathu yvlt mt bwân ˜u IIyhu Jne ;tu fUhlu st hnt nqâ , =uFlt vz\t vh nb Rm cth vqhe ;hn
yåAt lné ˜dt ytih Ju dtr˜gtü vu W;h fUh hn dgu> yCe U;tu YfU ne ýyt niOO bwh˜e ctu˜t> stdu nwY :u>
ytgu > bi=tl fUu =qmhu rfUlthu mu mwhuN IIyhu, buht b;˜c =qmhu I=qmhtI mu
May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 53
Dilip Mahanty Column
‘Midas’ Dhoni strikes World Cup gold
Under the talismanic Dhoni’s captaincy India had already become the No 1 Test team. Even the
inaugural 20-20 World Cup was won by India under Dhoni’s stewardship. He has also brought home
the most coveted cricket crown—the World Cup. For himself, too, he is making an estimated
$20 million a year through corporate endorsements, more than Tendulkar.
By Dilip Mahanty
ndia’s triumph in the World
I Cup had many contributors -
the ‘never say die’ team spir-
it; a batting line up which con-
tributed consistently; a relatively
weak bowling attack which per-
formed beyond expectation at
crunch times; an erstwhile lethar-
gic fielding unit which took
wings in the elimination rounds;
a coach who instilled self belief,
and a captain with a golden
touch, who led from the front!
India scored five centuries in
the tournament led by the incom-
parable Sachin Tendulkar, two,
and followed by Sehwag, Kohli
and Yuvraj with one each.
Gambhir did not score a century
but helped solidify the team
cause with four half centuries. A
total of five centuries and 13 half
centuries were scored by the
Indian batsmen. Though the bat-
ting stumbled on occasions, espe-
cially when it imploded during
batting power plays, on the
whole it remained consistent.
With seven batsmen, India had
the strongest batting line up in
the tournament and the results
showed.
The bowling attack was heav-
ily Zaheer-centric. Harbhajan
disappointed as a wicket taker.
Ashwin was good whenever
offered a chance but was strange-
ly ignored for most of the tourna-
ment. Munaf Patel and Nehra
Raina brought new energy to the team not only through his own
fielding but also egging other fielders to lift their game.
54 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011
performed sporadically.
Sreesanth and Chawla were not
disciplined.
The surprise package in the
attack was Yuvraj Singh. With
clever variation and subtle
changes in pace he lured many of
the unsuspecting batsmen to their
doom. He ended up with 15
wickets, just behind Zaheer who
topped the wicket tally of 21 for
the tournament along side Afridi.
Zaheer was the “go to” man for
India whenever situation was
becoming grave. His late swing -
both traditional as well as
reverse, change of angle and
pace had most batsmen worried.
He is easily the best swing
bowler in the world today.
India’s fielding was always a
handicap and it showed in the
qualifying rounds when some
fielders were “escorting the balls
to the boundary”. It became a
major worry as fielders like
Nehra, Munaf, Zaheer and
Harbhajan conceded easy ones
and twos through their inability
to chase or intercept.
Whenever India’s best field-
er, Raina, came into the field as
a substitute, he could not remain
there indefinitely. However,
when Raina replaced Yusuf
Pathan, who had a modest tour-
nament, in the elimination
rounds, the fielding standard was
raised considerably. Raina and
Kohli cut off singles on either
side of the wicket and helped by
Yuvraj in the gully area and
Tendulkar in the outfield the
fielding perked up.
Seeing the 38 years old
Tendulkar haring around the
boundary like a teenager, the
‘slow coaches’ in the side were
shamed into alacrity. Even they
started running desperately and
cutting off runs.
Raina brought new energy to
the team not only through his
own fielding but also egging
other fielders to lift their game.
Raina also contributed two nerve-
less innings to beat Australia and
Pakistan in the elimination
rounds at a time when Indian bat-
ting was floundering.
Gary Kirsten, the coach, has
played a major role in instilling
self-belief and confidence in the
team. During his time India has
peaked in 20-20s, in Tests and
now in the ODIs. His effort has
been tireless and his quiet, unob-
trusive manner has had a calming
effect on a team full of egos and
volatility. His painstaking meth-
ods to correct technical faults, his
‘one on one’ interaction with the
players, his behind the scene
approach and his genuine interest
in the players’ progress endeared
him to the whole team.
Earlier, Greg Chappell, with
his authoritative approach, had
put off most of the players.
Kirsten, on the other hand,
forged a strong unified unit
through deep understanding of
the players’ individual needs.
India was reluctant to let go of
him when his contract ended.
However, equal credit for
India’s success goes to its talis-
manic captain MS Dhoni whose
Midas touch ensured World Cup
victory. Under Dhoni’s captaincy Skipper Dhoni, sporting a new shaved head look, posing with the
India had already become the No World Cup trophy at Gateway of India in Mumbai.
1 Test team. Even the inaugural
20-20 World Cup was won by the tournament. In spite of all Ashwin and selecting the way-
India under Dhoni’s stewardship. this, he remained calm and led ward Sreesanth he did not let that
In this tournament, Dhoni did the team to success mostly on affect him. In a master stroke of
make a few mistakes in selection ‘gut feeling’. He seemed to have leading by example, he promoted
of players and through constant an instinctive knack for bringing himself above Yuvraj against Sri
changes in batting order. His in successful bowling changes Lanka and went about methodi-
insistence on playing Chawla ini- when they were needed. cally whittling down the sizeable
tially instead of Ashwin attracted Dhoni did not follow any of total of 274 with Gambhir as
criticism. So did his pushing the established norms used by partner. In an intelligent blend of
Yusuf up the batting order and other captains. He trusted his quick singles and twos in the ini-
Kohli lower down. His own bat- own instincts. In the final, while tial stages and power hitting
ting form deserted him most of being criticized for ignoring towards the end he silenced crit-
ics who were clamouring for his
head. He drove India home with
a mighty six!
Who would have thought that
a young railway ticket collector
at Kharagpur station eight years
ago would rise to the helm of
Indian cricket and lead it to the
very top? Who would have
thought this lad, of humble back-
ground, from a town called
Ranchi, would become the rich-
est and the most sought after
cricketer in the world? Who
could have imagined him making
an estimated $20 million a year
through corporate endorsements
which even the great iconic
Tendulkar can’t match?
Yes, Dhoni does have the
Gary Kirsten, the Indian coach, has played a major role in instilling Midas touch! May India prosper
self-belief and confidence in the team. During his time India has for a long time under his
peaked in 20-20s, in Tests and now in the ODIs. captaincy!
 The Kersi Meher-Homji Column

It was a triple crown for India: winning the World Cup after 28 years, Dhoni winning Man of the Match and Yuvraj Singh adjudged Player of the World Cup.

Indians delirious with joy as Dhoni lifts the World Cup

kipper, ‘keeper’ and batsman MS Dhoni knock-out phase, then the reigning champions and1992 but without winning the Cup), no 53.55 in 9 games) was second highest run-get-

S smacking a six off Sri Lanka’s Nuwan

Kalusekara to win the World Cup for
India will remain tattooed on my mind as long
as I live. The scenes of celebration that fol-
lowed, especially the victorious team India
lifting legendary Sachin Tendulkar to take a
lap of honour was stuff dreams are made of.
It was a triple crown for India: winning
the World Cup after 28 years, Dhoni winning
Man of the Match and Yuvraj Singh adjudged
Player of the World Cup.
In many ways the 10th ICC Cricket World
Cup held in the Indian sub-continent this year
was most enjoyable with high octane on-field
performances, shock results, a fabulous tie,
two hat-tricks and no major controversies. All
this was climaxed by the best team winning.
Even the minnows had their day with
Ireland defeating England as Kevin O’Brien
hit the fastest century (113 runs off 63 balls
with 13 fours and 6 sixes) and Netherland’s
Ryan ten Doeschate scoring a quickfire 119,
also against England. Poor mother England!
In earlier rounds in both Groups A and B,
topsy-turvy results coloured the Cup. In
Group A, Australia beat New Zealand who
beat Pakistan who beat Australia. And in
Group B, England beat South Africa who beat
India who beat Bangladesh who beat England.
India had to clear major obstacles in the
Australia in the quarter final and arch enemies
and in-form Pakistan in the semi final. India
overcame these challenges with ease, thanks
to better all-round performances, self belief
and “generosity” of Pakistani fielders who
gave Tendulkar four lives.
The two strongest teams in the 2011
World Cup -- Sri Lanka and India -- locked
horns with each other in the most watched and
fluctuating Final.
Each team had earlier played eight match-
es, winning six and losing one -- India losing
to South Africa and Sri Lanka to Pakistan.
India tied with England and Sri Lanka’s
match against Australia was rained off. So
each team had won 6 of the 7 games complet-
ed, a win percent of 85.71.
Also, it was for the first time that two
teams from Asia -- India and Sri Lanka -- met
in a World Cup Final.
Each country had won the CWC once
(India in 1983, Sri Lanka in 1996) and
entered the Final three times (India in 1983,
2003 and 2011; Sri Lanka in 1996, 2007 and
2011). Apart from Australia entering the
Final six times (in 1975, 1987, 1996, 1999,
2003 and 2007, winning in 1987, 1999, 2003
and 2007), West Indies storming in the Final
thrice (1975, 1979 and 1983, winning the first
two) and England three times in 1979, 1987
other country had entered the Final three
times. The Final in Mumbai attracted 50,000
spectators and had a global TV audience of
close to half a billion.
Mahela Jayawardene’s magnificent centu-
ry gave Sri Lankans some hope. Then the fall
of Virender Sehwag and Tendulkar cheaply
gave Sri Lanka the upper-hand. But watched
on TV by most Indians and Sri Lankans in
Australia till 4 am on April 3, Gautam
Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Dhoni and Yuvraj
Singh, first slowly then surely, took India to
a marvellous and well-deserved victory.
Although Tendulkar’s globally anticipat-
ed100th international century did not eventu-
ate in the Final, he is still way ahead of oth-
ers. Against his 99 hundreds in 629 interna-
tionals, Australia’s Ricky Ponting has 69 cen-
turies in 511 internationals to his name; a
whopping 30 tons behind.
In these internationals, Sachin has aggre-
gated 32,803 runs at 49.78, Ricky coming
next with 25,651 runs at 47.24.
In the history of CWC, Sachin is the only
one to top 2000 runs, smacking 2278 runs at
56.95 in 45 matches. Ricky is second best but
over 500 runs behind (1743 runs at 45.86 in
46 matches). The two are top century makers;
Sachin with 6 and Ricky 5.
In the 2011 World Cup, Sachin (482 at
ter, being18 runs behind Sri Lankan opener
Tillekeratne Dilshan (500 at 62.50 also in 9
games). Sri Lanka’s captain Kumar
Sangakkara was the third highest (465 at
93.00 also in 9 matches) followed by
England’s Jonathan Trott (422 at 60.28 in 7).
Player of the 2011 World Cup Yuvraj
Singh scored 362 runs at 90.50 and took 15
wickets at 25.13 in 9 matches, becoming the
only one to amass 300 runs and take 15 wick-
ets in the same CWC. [Yuvraj is featured
elsewhere on the Sports page.]
Cricket’s controversial legend Muttiah
Muralitharan bid farewell to international
cricket in the Final. The only bowler to trou-
ble Tendulkar, Muralitharan took 68 wickets
at 19.63 in 40 World Cup matches, second
only to Australian great Glenn McGrath’s
record of 71 scalps at 18.19 in 39.
Murali’s 1334 wickets in 483 internation-
als will perhaps never be broken. He holds
records in both Tests (only one to capture 800
wickets) and in one-day internationals, 534.
The only other bowler to top 500 ODI wick-
ets is Pakistan’s Wasim Akram (502).
So statistically, Tendulkar and Murali
hold almost all records in international crick-
et. What contrasting characters; controversy-
free Tendulkar and highly controversial
Murali.

Indians all over the world celebrated the historic triumph of the Men in Blue soon
Sachin Tendulkar gets a victory lap around his home ground, Wankhede Stadium after the match ended with a glorious six by Dhoni. This picture is from Jackson
in Mumbai. His teammates dedicated the World Cup to the Little Master. Heights, a South Asian conclave in New York.

April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 55

The Kersi Meher-Homji Column
Yuvi the savior and match winner
efore February this year
B India’s left-handed all-
rounder Yuvraj Singh
was known as a hit or miss phe-
nomenon. Often he flattered to
deceive throwing away his wick-
et when well set and take a few
wickets here and there. His big
claim to fame was smashing
England’s fast bowler Stuart
Broad for six sixes in an over in
the 2007 ICC World Twenty20
at Durban.
But the 2011 World Cup has
matured the ebullient Yuvraj
into a solid rock -- both a match-
savior and a match-winner. India
owes her entry into the Final and
subsequent victory more to him
than the dare-devilry of Virender
Sehwag, the classical stroke-play
of Sachin Tendulkar, Gautum
Gambhir and the swings of
Zaheer Khan. For Yuvraj was
here, there and everywhere,
winning four Man-of-the-Match
(MoM) awards from the first
seven matches, including in the
vital Quarter Final clash against
reigning champion Australia last
month.
He has become the third
player to be adjudged MoM four
times in a single World Cup,
he recent World Cup
T shares one striking similar-
ity with the inaugural
World Cup in 1975.
Both busted with the brother-
hood of cricket. In the 1975 WC
in England, three pairs and a trio
of brothers represented their
countries.
They were Ian and Greg
Chappell from Australia,
Mushtaq and Sadiq Mohammad
from Pakistan, Hedley and Geoff
Howard from New Zealand and
Barry, Dayle and Richard Hadlee
also from New Zealand.
There were six sets of broth-
ers in the 2011 World Cup:
David and Mike Hussey from
Australia, Nathan and Brendon
McCullum from New Zealand,
Kamran and Umar Akmal from
Pakistan, Niall and Kevin
O’Brien from Ireland, Collins
and David Obuya from Kenya
and James and Shem Ngoche,
also from Kenya.
One of the most talked about
personality of the recent WC was
Ireland’s dashing all-rounder
Kevin O’Brien.
When England amassed 327
against minnows Ireland last
month, there remained only three
certainties in life: death, taxation
and a huge win for England. But
Kevin O’Brien had not read the
script.
He came to bat with the score
at 5-111, with Ireland needing
217 more runs for an impossible
win against the Ashes holders.
56 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER April - May 2011
joining Aravinda de Silva (Sri
Lanka) in 1996 and Lance
Klusener (South Africa) in 1999.
Also, Yuvraj has become the
fourth player to perform the
double of 300 runs and 10 wick-
ets in a single CWC.
The other three are India’s
Kapil Dev (303 runs at 60.60
and 12 wickets at 20.42 in 8
matches in England, 1983),
Zimbabwe’s Neil Johnson (367
runs at 52.43 and 12 wickets at
19.42 also in 8 matches in
England, 1999) and Sri Lanka’s
Sanath Jayasuriya (321 runs at
40.13 and 10 wickets at 31.50 in
10 matches in South Africa,
2003).
In nine matches in this
World Cup, Yuvraj scored 362
runs at 90.50 and took 15 wick-
ets at 25.13 to become the only
player to make 350 runs and
grab 15 wickets in a single
World Cup.
He has recorded useful
scores while chasing the winning
target in World Cup history. He
is yet to be dismissed while
Yuvraj Singh holding aloft the Man of the Series trophy. India owes chasing successfully at the CWC
her entry into the Final and subsequent victory more to him than the in five matches. Here are his
dare-devilry of Virender Sehwag, the classical stroke-play of Sachin unbeaten scores while on the
Tendulkar, Gautum Gambhir and the swings of Zaheer Khan.
victory trail:
Brotherhood of two World Cups
In the World Cup of 1975 and of 2011, quite a few pairs of brothers Brothers Kamran and Umar
were seen in action. But the greatest brotherhood of cricket was Akmal from Pakistan both
demonstrated during the India-Pakistan semi-final in Mohali when played in the World Cup 2011
India’s and Pakistan’s Prime Ministers—Manmohan Singh and in the subcontinent representing
Yousaf Raza Gilani-- sat together. their country.
Throwing caution to the wind His father Brendan was also a McCullum are familiar names to
he hit 113 runs off 63 balls first-class cricketer. Australians.
(strike-rate 179.36) belting 13 Niall, Kevin's elder brother, Butter-fingered and contro-
fours and 6 sixes, reaching his is a left-handed wicket-keeper versial wicket-keeper batsman
ton in 50 balls – the fastest centu- batsman. In their next match Kamran was accused of deliber-
ry in World Cup. And Ireland against India, Niall scored 46 and ately dropping catches in the
won by 3 wickets with 5 balls to added 113 runs with skipper January 2010 Sydney Test.
spare to create a mega upset. William Porterfield for the third Younger brother Umar Akmal is
Kevin said, "Yes, the innings wicket after Ireland was 2-9. a talented batsman.
was a bit of a surprise to me About his future plans Kevin Brendon McCullum is a
because it's not every day you hit says, "Niall and I are open to dashing wicket-keeper batsman
100 off 50 balls… We had a few offers from English county teams who shot to fame with a blistering
beers and a few glasses of cham- even though England is consid- unbeaten 158 (off 73 balls with
pagne to celebrate.” ered the oldest enemy of the 13 sixes and 10 fours) in the first
Nicknamed `Paddy', strong- Irish" ever IPL match in 2008 for the
ly-built Kevin played for Kent Pakistani brothers Kamran Kolkata Knight Riders. The elder
and Nottinghamshire in the and Umar Akmal and New brother Nathan is less known.
English county championship. Zealanders Brendon and Nathan Now to the other brothers of
50 runs off 53 balls (SR
94.33) against Pakistan at
Centurion and 58 off 64 (SR
90.62) vs. Kenya at Cape Town,
both in 2003; and now in 2011,
50 off 75 balls (SR 66.66) vs.
Ireland at Bangaluru, 51 off 73
balls (SR 69.86) vs. Netherland
at Delhi and 57 off 65 balls (SR
87.69) in the do-or-die Quarter
Final against Australia at
Ahmedabad last month.
Here are Yuvraj’s all-round
efforts (50 runs and 2 wickets) in
the current CWC:
50 not out and 5-31 vs.
Ireland at Bangluru, 51 not out
and 2-43 vs. Netherlands at
Delhi, 113 and 2-48 vs. West
Indies at Chennai and 57 not out
and 2-44 vs. Australia at
Ahmedabad.
Unknown to many, Yuvraj
is the only cricketer to accom-
plish the all-round double of
fifty runs and two wickets in a
match four times in one compe-
tition in the 36 year history of
CWC.
Also, he is the only all-
rounder to register a fifty and
capture five wickets in the same
World Cup match (vs. Ireland
this year).
the 2011 WC. The Obuya broth-
ers, Collins and David have been
playing for Kenya in World Cups
since 2003. As a leg-spinning all-
rounder, Collins Obuya did well
in the 2003 World Cup. He
gained a contract with
Warwickshire but soon after, his
game fell apart
The Ngoche brothers, James
and Shem, were also in the Kenya
squad to add to the Obuya broth-
erhood.
Considered a promising off
spinner, James Ngoche is on a
learning trip in the World Cup.
Younger brother Shem is known
for his economy rate.
Other brothers Nehemiah and
Lameck and sisters Margaret and
Mary have also represented
Kenya.
But the greatest brotherhood
of cricket was demonstrated dur-
ing the India-Pakistan semi-final
when India’s and Pakistan’s
Prime Ministers sat together.
To me this was the highlight
of the 2011 World Cup. Even
brilliant batting of Virender
Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar,
Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar
Sangakkara and Ross Taylor, the
gritty century by Ricky Ponting
in his last match as Australian
captain, the all-round excellence
of Yuvraj Singh, splendid spin-
ning by Shahid Afridi and seam-
ing by Zaheer Khan paled in
comparison.
If cricket can unite enemies,
what more do we want?
 The Kersi Meher-Homji Column

Will umpires be extinct by 2020?

re umpires on their way out? to a delivery that had hit him outside the Silva went back to Oxenford. In the end,

A Will they be redundant by 2020?

They count six balls efficiently.
They give correct decisions over 90 per-
cent of the time but the players go for
referrals, just in case.
It slows down the game although
spectators enjoy repeated replays with
the new-fangled technologies strutting
their stuff. But for how long will we see
such interruptions?
Referrals are for rank bad decisions.
But batsmen and bowlers/fielders put
their fingers under the arms of their other
hand demanding a “review” almost
every time a decision goes against them.
So will a day come when every deci-
sion will be answered by technology?
Will human umpires be replaced by
robots armed with all technologies with
replays from every angle: hawkeye,
snicko-meter, hotspot; you name it?
Umpiring in the recent World Cup
ran into controversy with Ireland captain
William Porterfield strongly criticising
umpire Asoka de Silva’s decision to give
Gary Wilson out lbw despite replays
showing the batsman had offered a shot
Referrals are for rank bad decisions.
But batsmen and bowlers/fielders put
their fingers under the arms of their
other hand demanding a “review” almost
every time a decision goes against them.
line.
Porterfield’s comments came after a
match when the decision according to
him cost Ireland the crucial match.
“I am still trying to understand it
myself. The feedback we have got so far
is that the ball hit Wilson outside the line
and the umpire judged him [to be] not
playing a shot. I don’t know how many
people agree with that,” Porterfield said
after Ireland’s 44-run loss to the West
Indies.
The ball in question, delivered by
West Indies captain Darren Sammy,
pitched outside the off stump and cut in
to hit the outside of Wilson’s front pad.
Wilson was trying to nudge it but failed.
The umpire thought he was offering no
shot and raised his finger instantly. A
surprised Wilson asked for a review.
Third umpire Bruce Oxenford told de
Silva that the ball had hit outside off and
would, according to Hawkeye, go on to
hit the outside of the off stump.
Disappointed and confused, Wilson
asked de Silva to refer the review this
time. It bordered on the comical, as de
de Silva stuck to his stand. Wilson
charged off, furiously shaking his head.
Asked if the Umpire Decision Review
System (UDRS) was proving to be a nui-
sance rather than a help, Porterfield
remarked that he would not blame the
reviews per se.
“I would like to say it was working
but if you get a decision like that then I
don’t know. When you have all the tech-
nology, it is supposed to eradicate the
mistakes and for me that did not happen
this time.”
The Irish eyes were not smiling but
what can an umpire do? A few decades
ago players complained that umpires had
home team bias. So neutral umpires were
introduced.
Then came TV umpire equipped with
modern technologies to help out in tricky
decisions and finally the UDRS. But has
it helped?
The questions are: Who would like to
be an umpire? Will there be umpires by
2020? Will two fully programmed on-
field robots do the trick? Will science
fiction overcome player friction?

Sporting greats recall their World Cup

magic moments
TIDU’s Kersi Meher-Homji was there
t was a privilege to be invited
I for a Nite of Nites where
famous sportsmen told their
inspiring stories to renowned
journalist and author Peter
FitzSimons.
Sponsored by Johnnie
Walker, invited guests were
taken on an exhilarating journey
into the lives of three of
Australia’s most inspirational
men: cricket legend Steve
Waugh, former Olympian and
gold medalist Grant Hackett and
renowned explorer and former
Australian of the Year, Tim
Cope. They shared their most
intimate stories and experiences
with 300 of Sydney’s elite.
Held at Carriageworks in
Redfern, Sydney, FitzSimons
hosted the live event, where he
unveiled the sporting giants’ sto-
ries of personal progress, adver-
sity and determination, giving the
audience the opportunity to hear
some lesser known tales.
Facilitated by the attractive
Australian model and TV person-
ality, Erika Heynatz, the event
also featured an interactive digi-
tal forum where members of the
audience were able to tweet ques-
tions live to the sporting giants on
the night.
Grant Hackett’s happiest
moment was not winning
Olympic gold medals but the first
day he retired when he did not
have to wake up at 6 am for train-
When asked about his heroes, Steve Waugh did not mention a
cricketer or a sportsman, but Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela.
ing!
Steve Waugh recalled with
emotion his last ball century in
the January 2003 Sydney Test
against England. When
FitzSimons asked about his
heroes, he did not mention a
cricketer or a sportsman but
Mother Teresa and Nelson
Mandela.
Steve added that his real
inspiration was a 9 year-old boy
who kept smiling despite receiv-
ing blood transfusions almost
every week, just for survival. He
embodied the “Never say die”
spirit.
Before leaving for home, I
asked Steve to name the bowler
he found most difficult to face.
Pat came the answer, “The West
Indian fast bowler Curtly
Ambrose. He was fast, ferocious
and not funny!”
Cricket 2011
W hat an achievement, what a tremendous victory,
A fter twenty-eight years, India’s name is record-
ed for the second time in W orld Cup’s history.
Crossing many hurdles, with perseverance and
will power,
Keeping spectators glued to their seats and
applauding till the last hour.
Exemplary team work, displayed by every mem-
ber of the team,
“W in for India”, was their goal and their ultimate
dream!
Seems divine intervention paved the way for their
triumphant success,
W hilst fireworks, emotional tears, and cheers fol-
lowed their progress.
Sachin Tendulkar, already famous for his ninety-
nine centuries, score,
Mahendra S. Dhoni, their captain, steered their
sinking ship to the fore.
Gautam Gambhir and Y uvraj Singh added to the
points, the score accelerating,
The anxious moments finally ended with India,
winning.
Mumbai appeared to be celebrating NEW
Y EA R’S EV E where night never came,
But a new dawn of fresh hopes, and new horizons
of fame.
Celebrations continue to mark this memorable
event,
Miraculous win, the product of hard work and
blessings God sent.
--Jogmaya Narpatsingh

April - May 2011 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER 57

58 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER May 2011