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The Indian Down Under POBox 99 Thornleigh NSW2120 Ph (02) 9875 2713 Mobile: 0414 155 402 Email: indiandownunder@gmail.com
02 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October - November 2017
October - November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 03
04 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October - November 2017
October - November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 05
06 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October - November 2017
 Editor's Letter

Indias resilience is legendary

Editorial/Advertising Enquiries: 02 9875 2713
Postal Address: PO Box 99, Thornleigh NSW 2120.
Email: indiandownunder@gmail.com
Website: www.indiandownunder.com.au
EDITORIAL
Principal Editor: Vijay Badhwar
Associate Editor: Neena Badhwar
North America : Parveen Chopra
T
he Australian Marriage Law
postal survey to change the
existing law or not is an
unnecessary and a wasteful exercise
for the nation (costing some $110 M)
that could have been handled by our
parliamentary system if Prime
Minister Malcolm Turnbull had the
ticker. But he did not want to shoulder
the responsibility (which the Labor
manoeuvred for) for which he would
have been blamed by one or the other
faction. We should also spare a
thought for the PM that he virtually
runs a minority Government, albeit
with a majority of one, with so many
MPs mired in citizenship imbroglio
and also with Tony Abbott breathing
down his neck.
Former PM Tony Abbott at least
has the resolve (although for some
reason even he has silly ideas like
Knights and Dames) but Turnbull is
just not firm: be it the climate change
or education funding among his many
infirmities dealing with his party con-
servatives. As a leader, he must give
direction to his people when, in his
opinion, the issues are principled,
even though not with a clear blessing
of the majority. Going for the public
opinion, the marriage equality debate
may be doomed for failure as his earli-
er Republican Plebiscite as a large
silent majority does not like change in
conservative Australia.

T
Sports Editor: Kersi Meher-Homji he Australian scenario is, however, calm in comparison
to India where there is non-stop drama children
Delhi Reporter: Ritu Ghai dying in hospital due to non-sup-
ply of oxygen, a goon of a baba
WRITERS
leading his followers on a
killing spree before being
How
Third Eye: Rekha Bhattacharjee jailed, anarchical show in do you
Political Columns: Cyprian Fernanades, Tamil Nadu parliament.
Karam Ramrakha
The list is long. How can reconcile this:
this go on and India still
Bollywood: Neeru Saluja managing to do well at in a country that just
the BRICS conference
Films and Art: Neeru Saluja, Abhishek Sood,
to expose Pakistan, or launched a new bullet
Sumi Krishnan, Devaki Parthasarthy, partnering with Japan
Neena Badhwar, Rekha Rajvanshi, to start the Ahmedabad- train project, children
Manju Mittal
Mumbai Shinkansen
(bullet train) project. die in a hospital due
Body-Mind-Spirit: Dr Sunder Das, Kanaka
Ramakrishna, Faith Harper, T Selva
India is a resilient coun-
try, a pradox.
to non-supply ridding Lalu Yadav family from the Bihar throne.

Sport: Kersi Meher-Homji, Gaurav Joshi

Fiji Diary: Karam Ramrakha
Cookery: Promila Gupta
Children Section: Esther Chaudhary-Lyons
Classical Music: Sumi Krishnan, Kris Raman,
Lokesh Varma
Travel : Vijay Badhwar, Kris Raman
Humour: Melvin Durai, Santram Bajaj
Seniors Column: Santram Bajaj
Beauty: Devaki Parthasarthy, Ritu Ghai,
Akvir Kaur
Community: Neena Badhwar,
Kersi Meher-Homji,
Vijay Badhwar, Sumi Krishnan, Neeru Saluja,
Savitha Narayan, Manju Mittal
Photographers: Raj Suri and Jordan Anjaiya
Graphic Design: Dhiraj Kumar Showaan,
Nayanesh Gandhi, Dinesh Verma, Bharat
Bhushan Chopra/Bhagwati Multimedia
According to reports
from India, more than 600
of oxygen. The scenes are ugly as there are many splinter groups
formed within the AIADMK and Shashikala able to pull
skeletons have been recovered at the strings from her gaol. They do not seem to be fighting
the Dera of Gurmeet Ram Rahim for a cause or to serve general public, but for quick gains.
Singh at Sirsa. His followers say that the DMK waiting in the wings are no saints either.
skeletons belonged to persons who wished for moksha from Festive season is upon us; so, lets rejoice. Very Happy
life! What ignorance! Navratris, Dussehra and Deepavali from all of us at The
They should instead have wished for moksha from such Indian Down Under.
unreligious preaching which
has trammelled many a soci-
eties since time immemorial.
There is self-interest of rogue
gurus and swamis who, in
the name of God, cast that
spell of fear in unsuspecting
public. The politicians, too,
are to blame for the symbiot-
ic relationship they develop
with the con gurus to cash on
their vote bank.
The high drama in Tamil
Nadu politics, according to
political observers, is
fomented by the Bharatiya
Janata Partys overzeal after
their justifiable success in

October- November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 7

Comment

Ungodly conduct of fake godmen

! By Vijay Badhwar

T
hey are self-appointed
representatives of God,
claim miracle powers,
live a life of luxury, command
followers, some control harems,
but all are rich and powerful
truly what a misguided human
would see in the image of a god.
O pity, pity, gentle heaven,
pity!
Those innocent, gullible,
unsuspecting souls!
Those 30 killed, injured and
ruined recently due to that self- The flamboyant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singhs
appointed God representative conviction on rape charges led to law and order
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Some of those in the list of 14 fake godmen circulated by the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara situation in Haryana and Punjab, in which
There are many more like Parishad, the apex body of saints and seers in India. about 30 people were killed.
him, not only in India, but
throughout the world, all prolif- aka. Vivekanand Jha, Nirmal in Haryana sentencing Dera as the city life came to a stand- nificant political clout as he
erating and profiting in the name Baba, Ichchadhari Bheemanand, Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram still and the local residents wor- claimed a large vote bank. The
of God. Aseemanand, Om Namah Shivay Rahim to 20 years in prison for ried about their lives and proper- political parties on either side of
Now, the Akhil Bharatiya aka Avdhoot Baba Shivananda, the rape of two of his former dis- ty. the fence traded his influence
Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the Rampal, Acharya Kushmuni, ciples. The Government imposed with backdoor facilitations as
apex body of saints and seers in Malkhan Singh and Brihaspati The verdict sparked violence two-day curfew in Sirsa to allow well as cash donations.
India, has released a list of 14 Giri. across Haryana and Punjab in search of the convicted rapists It is indeed mind boggling
fake godmen after its special Asaram Bapu, Narain Sai, which 30 people were killed and 700-acre ashram. The police dis- how thousands of his followers,
meeting held in Allahabad on Ram Pal and Gurmeet Ram many injured. The Indian covered a tunnel that allowed some probably even in Australia
September 10. Rahim are already in jail on var- Government had to call in army unhindered and secret access to (as his adopted daughter/friend
The list of what the ABAP ious charges that include rape when the state governments womens living areas including Honeypreet was reported in
calls fraudsters: Asaram Bapu, and murder. The action by inaction led to large scale vio- minors. There is also specula- Indian media preparing to come
his son Narain Sai, Radhey Maa ABAP which, its head Mahant lence in Panchkula. The rampage tion that from a hospital in the to Australia), were conned by a
aka Sukhwinder Kaur, Narendra Giri says, is to save the by Gurmeet Singh followers premises there was illegal trade jet-setting rock star, actor, fraud-
Sachchidanand Giri, Gurmeet saints from disgrace, comes resulted in burning of cars and of human organs. ster to lead them on a divine
Singh Ram Rahim, Om Baba close on the heels of a CBI court buses and widespread disruption Gurmeet Singh exercised sig- journey.

Fiji election next year will be close

! By Karam Ramrakha selves Fijian and thus break down racial
divisions. But deep down, as with

D
onald Trump wants to build a
wall on the Mexican border and
Pauline Hanson preaches
migrants do not blend into our existing
ways or conform to our expectations and
standards. This debate has been going on
forever.
In 1901, Australia promulgated The
Immigration (Restriction) Act to pre-
serve what it saw Australia as a White
Country. Similar to a university-level
language test for Australian citizenship
proposed now, criteria for exclusion then
was a Dictation Test in 50 words in any
European language. In 1934, an Egon
Kisch brought White Australia and its
Dictation Test into ridicule by passing
tests in several European languages.
As that White Bubble would per-
force bust after World War II due to
Australia's desperate Populate or
Perish wont, today, Australia can boast
a truly multiracial country, thanks to its
emphasis on skills and shortage of avail-
able workers resulting in Section 457
visas.
As usual and even today, most
"Lucky Australians", as Professor
Donald Horne termed them, would
refrain from dirty unwanted work and,
in particular, shift work. Migrants and
students fill this void, prepared to out-
work, underlive and accept underpay-
Mahendra Pal Chaudhury, leader of the Fiji Labour Party, has formed an alliance with
Sitiveni Rabuka, "reformed and penitent" 1987 coup leader, to challenge Prime Minister
Frank Bainimarama (right) in the 2018 elections.
ment. Witness the 7-Eleven underpay-
ments, and recurring exploitation of
workers in restaurants and service indus-
tries, even in prostitution.
Just as when my forefathers from
India were recruited under bogus
Indenture documents and shipped to
colonies, Capital - that brutal beast --
will find ways to exploit our human race.
Donald Trumps country has 14 mil-
lion plus illegals or people without docu-
mentation. They prop the US economy
but Mr Trump has demonised them.
On to Fiji and the election there next
year. Fiji may be a little dot on the
World Map but it somehow seems to
loom large internationally and particular-
ly in the Pacific. This despite countries
like Papua New Guinea, Solomon
Islands, Vanuatu Tonga and Samoa. I
exclude Tahiti and New Caledonia,
which are technically part of France. I
have always maintained Fiji's superior
position owes greatly to its Indian popu-
lations labour and toil that established a
sugar industry beside contribution to
industry, education and commerce.
Well, in the elections next year, nei-
ther of the main parties is expected to
win outright.
Frank Vorege Bainimarama is credit-
ed with abolishing racial seats, racial
voting and bringing in a long overdue
common roll with one man, one vote and
one value. Frank's other outstanding
achievement was in giving all of Fiji a
common name, namely "Fijian".
Prime Minister Bainimarama has
sought to provide an equal playing field
by allowing all persons to call them-
Maoris and our Aborigines, the desire
for a total return of the country to its
original inhabitants with full sovereignty
still lingers. Speech and print is careful-
ly monitored and the military remains
the largest single force. The Army is
99.99 per cent indigenous while they
dominate the police force and civil serv-
ice by almost two thirds.
Mahendra Pal Chaudhury currently
leads the Fiji Labour Party despite his
criminal conviction and heaving fine on
some convoluted criminal charges.
Sitiveni Rabuka, "reformed and peni-
tent" 1987 coup leader, has formed an
alliance with Chaudhry to challenge
Frank in 2018.
Prime Minister Bainimarama has
shrewdly brought in road structures and
introduced coin operated electric lighting
in remote villages. Tourism keeps the
economy afloat.
Frank rides the international waves
and during the United Nations
Conference of the Sea, he graced the
occasion with a Fijian meke with beauti-
ful young ladies to boot. He spoke of the
danger to the sea, citing over-fishing,
pollution and climate change which are
destroying our ocean resources.
But the unrest at home continues,
even murmurings of defections. I predict
a close election in 2018.

8 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October-November 2017

 Column

The Third Eye By Rekha Bhattacharjee

Chinese students flex muscle

in Australia over Doklam
W
hile the international
community is taking a
collective sigh of relief
over the proposed withdrawal of
forces by India and China from
Doklam, concerns are being raised
over the way China is using her
proxies in Australia to flex its mus-
cle. "The challenge for [Australia]
is, how do we cope with the fact
that our single biggest customer is
instructing students and teachers to
have red hot patriotic sentiment
when they are in Australia," John
Garnaut, a former adviser to Prime
Minister Malcolm Turnbull, said.
The senior Australian bureau-
crat seems to be referring to a
recent incident in which a
University of Sydney Information
Technology lecturer was forced to
issue a public apology after Chinese
international students expressed
outrage by his use of a map show-
ing Chinese claimed territory as
part of India.
A Wechat account run by
Chinese students' group, aptly-
named Australian Red Scarf, posted
an article demanding that the map
be removed.
The timing of the demand sur-
prised many as the map was used as
lecture material 18-months back by
the concerned University of Sydney
lecturer. It is believed that the Indo-
Chinese border spat at Doklam pro-
voked the protest by the Chinese
students' social media group.
The fact that the senior IT lec-
Map showing the disputed area
which created protracted tension
between India and China.
turer Khimji Vaghjiani is of Indian
origin seems to have instigated the
complaint about the map down-
loaded from the internet.
The disturbing incident came
after a bizarre protest staged by a
Sydney-based Chinese automobile
group as they drove in their luxury
cars in front of the Indian Consulate
General on the 70th anniversary of
India's independence.
Bentleys, Lamborghinis,
BMWs, Audis and Maseratis were
reportedly among the 10 luxury cars
which joined the parade represent-
ing a Communist country's view-
point.
"Anyone who offends China
will be killed no matter how far the
target is," read one of the slogans
painted on one of the luxury cars.
It is this unveiled aggression
precisely which is worrying the aca-
demics and political commentators
Down Under.
In the past month or so, at least
Chinese students took out a car rally in Sydney, culminating in front
of the Indian consulate, to protest against India's stand at Doklam.
(Photo courtesy SBS).
three similar incidents in different
Australian universities have also
been reported. The recent assertive-
ness of the Chinese students is
being linked to instructions, report-
edly, emitting from Beijing.
"One of [Chinese President] Xi
Jinping's objectives has been to
ensure that the party can project its
interests into the world, including
following Chinese people wherever
they go," John Garnaut said in his
speech at The Australian Financial
Review's Higher Education
Summit.
According to John Garnaut,
President Xi of China is relying on
the United Front Work Department
to exert influence abroad.
"It's got a large presence in
Australia which is not sufficiently
understood," John Garnaut was
quoted by the Australian Financial
Review in an article headlined:
"Beijing is stirring up 'red hot patri-
otism' among Chinese students on
Australian campuses".
John Garnaut is not the only one
raising concerns over the large
presence of the Chinese expats and
international students and the way
they are pushing Chinas agenda in
Australia.
Senior journalist Andrew Bolt
has already expressed his dismay at
the way the Chinese expats and stu-
dents show their aggressive stance
while pushing their nationalism in
Australia. "More than 1,200,000
Australians have Chinese ancestry,"
Andrew Bolt wrote in his regular
column in Herald Sun.
"This is a security risk as China
asserts its power - both in foreign
affairs and over Chinese at home,
including relatives of those here,"
he added while highlighting all of
the recent incidents where Chinese
students have grouped and forced
the university lecturers to make
changes to their lecture material or
instructions.
The targeting of Khimji
Vaghjiani prompted an intervention
by High Commissioner of India to
Australia, Ajay M. Gondane. The
Indian diplomat urged Australian
universities to protect the right to
freedom of expression in the wake
of the map incident.
I could only say that we sup-
port freedom of expression. These
groups should be [promoting] inter-
cultural harmony in the multicultur-
al context in Australia, Ajay M.
Gondane told The Australian news-
paper.
It is a free country accepting
all sorts of opinions Those
groups displaying [uncivilised]
behaviour should restrain them-
selves," Indian High Commissioner
added.
Rekha Bhattacharjee can be
contacted at
vijaybhatta56@gmail.com

SBS India map creates

community furore
Communication, Mitch Fifield.

A
map of India with Jammu &
Kashmir shown as a disputed
territory by SBS on the occasion
of Indias 70thIndependence Day, and
not the map used by the Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT),
riled the Indian community in
Australia.
The Overseas Friends of BJP
(OFBJP) Australia took it upon them-
selves to protest to SBS in regard to
their biased Indian coverage, also
repeated several times in the past.
In their response, SBS Acting
Executive Producer, Steve Wilson,
maintained that the map showed
Kashmir as a disputed territory and, as
Wrong map used by SBS
video news report
a news organization, it is not our role to
take a particular side in disputes. He
further invited the representation to
make a complaint to the SBS
Ombudsman if they were not satisfied
with his response.
Corrected map of India now
used in the video report
The OFBJP considered this response
unsatisfactory and called for a meeting
of Indian community leaders in Sydney
on August 19. A committee of ten mem-
bers was formed to enrol community
support and approach the Minister of
According to OFBJP Australia pres-
ident, Balesh Singh Dhankad, the com-
munity response was overwhelming
with more than 5000 members joining in
the email protest that was forwarded to
the Minister.
Mr Dhankad cited several controver-
sial areas internationally, including
Tibet, which SBS does not care to show
as disputed. Then, why Kashmir, partic-
ularly, he said. He also quoted several
SBS news in the past that had bias
against India.
Although there is no official
response, Mr Dhankad says that the
Indian map now used by SBS follows
the DFAT version.

October- November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 9

India

Modi govt to announce stimulus Sitharaman defence minister

package to spur economy in Modi cabinet reshuffle
New Delhi: The govern-
ment may soon unveil a New Delhi: Nirmala Sitharaman was pro-
package of measures to moted and appointed as India's Defence
speed up growth, gener- Minister even as Prime Minister Narendra
ate employment, lift Modi elevated three others to the Cabinet
exports and step up minister level and brought in nine new
investment in infrastruc- faces, including four former bureaucrats,
ture. A broad framework in a reshuffle of his ministry based on per-
to boost the economy was formance.
discussed in a meeting of Power Minister Piyush Goyal got the
ministers and officials railways portfolio, from which Suresh
chaired by finance minis- Prabhu was shifted to Commerce and
ter Arun Jaitley in mid Industry that was with Sitharaman. Prabhu
September as the govern- had offered to quit after a major rail acci-
FM Arun Jaitley with PM Narendra Modi: dent in Uttar Pradesh in August. All min-
ment grappled with a demonetisation and GST implementation have been
slump in growth. isters were administered the oath of office
factors in slump in growth by President Ram Nath Kovind at the
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi will take a final decision needs to be addressed appropriately. Rashtrapati Bhavan.
on the measures, according to people with Finance minister Jaitley is expected to Sitharaman became the second woman
knowledge of the deliberations. We may consult other ministries before preparing a to head the Defence Ministry after Indira Nirmala Sitharaman became the second
need to take some specific, targeted detailed plan that will be presented to the Gandhi when she was Prime Minister. woman to head the Defence Ministry
steps... It's not as if there is a course cor- prime minister. The plan is expected to The Defence Ministry was so far with after Indira Gandhi when she was PM.
rection, a government official said. examine the reasons for the slowdown and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
There has been concern in government the measures that can be taken to acceler- In the third reshuffle of the ministry in Mahendra Nath Pandey.
circles over growth slumping to a three- ate growth. three years, Nitin Gadkari, who held Road Among the four bureaucrats inducted
year low of 5.7% in the April-June quar- The Confederation of Indian Industry Transport and Highways and Shipping, into the government, former Home
ter with disruption due to the rollout of (CII) called for a 100 basis point reduction also got the Water Resources, River Secretary R K Singh got Power and New
goods and services tax (GST) and linger- in interest rates to inject huge growth Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Renewable Energy, while former
ing impact of demonetisation being the impulse and urged the Centre and states Ministry that was taken away from Uma diplomat Hardeep Puri secured Housing
primary cause. A rise in the current to ensure that public capital investment Bharti. Six ministers resigned ahead of the and Urban Affairs. "Demolition Man" KJ
account deficit and inflation has added to remains elevated even as it pointed to a reshuffle: Kalraj Mishra, Rajiv Pratap Alphons has been made MOS with inde-
worries. Some economists have argued rebound in many sectors. A basis point is Rudy and Bandaru Dattatreya, Faggan pendent charge in Tourism and
that the decline is structural in nature and 0.01percentage point. Singh Kalaste, Sanjeev Balyan, and Electronics and IT ministries.

Demonetisation
scam of
Rahuls US takeaways positive;
century: rejuvenating Congress still a task
Congress Comment by Mayank Chhaya are of no consequence to him in his
larger political strategy back in

New Delhi: Terming demon-
etisation as the "scam of the
century", the Congress recent-
ly said Prime Minister
Narendra Modi will go down
in India's history alongside
Muhammed bin Tughlaq for
the "gross misadventure" and
demanded that he quit office.
"No wonder that former
PM Manmohan Singh called it
organised loot and legalised
plunder. Rahul Gandhi had
demanded an investigation in
the demonestisation scam, lay-
ers of which have now been
unveiled by the RBI annual
report," said Congress
spokesperson Randeep Singh
Surjewala during a seminar on
"Demonetization and its dev-
astating effect on the economy
and society".
Surjewala also said: "GDP
data released reflects a decline
from 9.2 to 5.7 per cent and
the picture of colossal eco-
nomic pilferage of India's
economy is writ large. This
itself means a loss of over Rs
3 lakh crore to the economy
for which PM is solely
responsible."
T
wo weeks of a well-orches-
trated tour of the US may not
be enough to determine
whether Congress Vice President
Rahul Gandhi is a reflective and
seriously analytical politician, as his
supporters insist, or a privileged
nincompoop, as social media so
churlishly characterises him.
However, what it appears to
have done somewhat successfully is
lend him some sheen for the urban
constituencies that have been miss-
ing in his public engagements in
India. At the very least, the tour
helped him reboot even though it
remains to be seen if all apps fire up
subsequently.
His visits to San Francisco, Los
Angeles, Washington, D.C.,
Princeton and New York exposed
him to a diversity of opinion makers
but, put together, the audiences
were no more than 5,000 people.
While the numbers do not necessar-
ily tell the whole story, what they do
say was that the attendees were
mainly props to transmit a more
credible message back home, where
his voice is either instantly derided
by a frenzied social media trolling
culture, or ignored altogether.
Unfortunately for Gandhi, the
people with whom he interacted with
sobriety and substance to the
pleasant surprise of many of them
India. Even his much-emphasised
message to the 21st century NRIs of
Indias independence movement
being propelled by the early 20th
century NRIs such as Mohandas
Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru,
Ambedkar and Vallabhbhai Patel,
had only limited resonance.
His first public speech, at the
University of California-Berkeley,
did make some news in India
because of Gandhis clarity of pur-
pose on subjects such as the rate of
growth versus very low job cre-
ation, and the countrys syncretic
culture coming under a serious
strain by divisive political forces.
Ironically, what made most news
was his rather glib dismissal of
dynastic politics, saying that had
become the way things are done in
India even in professions beyond
politics.
From all available accounts, his
interactions with the mainstream
political and policy communities in
Washington left most of them rather
impressed by his understated but
substantive style. The image of
Gandhi within these fraternities has
been one of an absentee politician
riding his family name. However,
the Washington meetings seemed to
have changed that uncharitable point
of view.
Perhaps the most extensive poli-
Congress party Vice President Rahul Gandhi speaking at a public
meeting in New York: During his US tour, he has finally said that he
is ready to be his partys PM candidate in 2019 elections..
cy-focused engagement that he had olds serious side outside the relent-
was in front of some 200 students at less ridicule he faces in India may
Princeton University where he dis- help him personally in attending to
played a grasp of broader economic, the Congress Partys decline with
political, cultural and social trends. renewed vigour. However, the scale
His central point was about the need of the partys disaffection is so great
to create large-scale jobs as a vehi- that its rejuvenation is unlikely to
cle to impart a broader vision to come via Berkeley or Princeton, but
Indias increasingly frustrated popu- through his unfailing engagement
lation. across the length and breadth of
One recurring feature of his India.
interactions was Indias reputation The role that the NRIs could
as a tolerant and harmonious culture play in boosting Gandhis prospects
having suffered a major setback in as a credible rival to Prime Minister
recent months. He said he was asked Narendra Modi is rather limited, but
throughout his tour what had gone to the extent their positive attention
wrong with the country and his can lift his personal spirits in a way
response was to speak of a divisive he can achieve that goal, the tour
politics. could be particularly useful.
The showcasing of the 47-year- Source: IANS

10 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October-November 2017

 NEWS

At UN, India slams

Pakistan as terroristan
United Nations: In a sharp escalation of its
attack, India slammed Pakistan at the UN for
its support to terrorism, calling it terroris-
tan In its short history, Pakistan has
become a geography synonymous with ter-
ror, Eenam Gambhir, First Secretary in
Indias Permanent Mission to the UN, said
on Thursday exercising Indias right of reply
after Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid
Abbasis virulent attack that the struggle of
the people in Kashmir was being brutally
suppressed by India.
Pakistans contribution to the globalisa-
tion of terror is unparalleled, she declared.
The quest for land of pure has actually pro-
duced a land of pure terror.
Pakistan is now Terroristan with a
flourishing industry producing and exporting
global terrorism, Gambhir added.
In his speech, Abbasi warned of the pos-
sibility of a dangerous escalation in the
subcontinent and clamoured for intervention
by the global organisation.
Accusing New Delhi of frequently violat-
ing the ceasefire along LoC in Kashmir, he
said that if India does venture across the
LoC, or acts upon its doctrine of limited
war against Pakistan, it will evoke a strong
and matching response.
The international community must act
decisively to prevent the situation from a dan-
gerous escalation, he said.
Abbasi also admitted that Pakistans
nuclear arsenal is directed against India.
Confronted by a hostile and increasing-
ly militarized neighbour, Pakistan has been
obliged to maintain the capability for credible
deterrence, he said. Our strategic assets
are vital to deter oft-threatened aggression.
Abbasi spent almost a third of his General
Assembly address of about 12 minutes attack-
ing India. Lampooning Abbasis claim of
fighting terrorism, she said: This is a coun-
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj met the US Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson on Sept. 22, 2017, in New
York on the sidelines of UNGA session
to discuss how the two countries can
jointly fight terrorism and promote secu-
rity in the Indo-Pacific region.
try whose counter-terrorism policy is to
mainstream and upstream terrorism by either
providing safe haven to global terror leaders
in it military towns or protecting them with
political careers.
It is extraordinary that the state which
protected (former Al Qaeda leader) Osama
bin Laden and sheltered Mullah Omar should
have the gumption to play the victim.
By now all Pakistans neighbours are
painfully aware of these tactics of creating
narratives based on distortions, deception and
deceit, the diplomat said. She also said that
the current state of Pakistan could be gauged
from the fact that Hafiz Saeed, leader of the
UN-designated terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-
Taiba, was now seeking to be legitimised as
a leader of a political party.
Stating that nothing can justify Pakistans
avaricious efforts to covet territories of its
neighbours, Gambhir said: In so far as India
is concerned, Pakistan must understand that
the state of Jammu and Kashmir is and will
always remain an integral part of India.

Musharraf blames Zardari

for Benazir Bhutto's killing
Islamabad: Former Pakistan President
Pervez Musharraf has accused Peoples
Party of Pakistan leader Asif Ali Zardari of
"having the most to gain from Benazir
Bhutto`s murder" in a video posted on his
official Facebook page. The video came
days after he was accused of being involved
in the murder. "Asif Ali Zardari is respon-
sible for the Bhutto family`s demise and is
involved in the deaths of Benazir and
Murtaza Bhutto," he said in a startling
address directed at the three Bhutto-Zardari
children, the Bhutto family and the people
of Sindh.
Asif Ali Zardari, who later became
"Every time there is a murder, the first
Pakistan President, had the most to
thing that needs to be seen is who has the
gain from his wife Benazirs demise,
most to gain from the death. In this case, I
argues General Musharraf.
had everything to lose as I was in power and
the murder put my government in a difficult murder."
situation," the former military chief said. Musharraf went on to add: "The evi-
"There was just one person that had dence is clear that Baitullah Mehsud and his
everything to gain from Benazir`s assassi- people were involved in the murder, but
nation and that was Asif Ali Zardari," he who had asked them to target Benazir
added, proceeding into what he termed as Bhutto - it could not have been me, the
his analysis of the case. group hated me and the feeling was mutu-
He added: "Zardari was in power for al." "It is a known fact that I wanted
five years, why did he not look into the Mehsud dead and so did the government of
case, why was the investigation not active - Pakistan, after his group had attempted to
because he was involved in Benazir`s kill me," Musharraf argued.

October-November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 11

INTERVIEW
Shashi Tharoor: Cook did not discover
Australia, just as Columbus didnt America
! By Sudha Kumar
O
n his recent visit to Sydney, Dr
Shashi Tharoor, former UN
Diplomat, author, politician and
proud father, shared some of his thoughts
with me on a range of issues. The issues
ranged from his desire to make a differ-
ence, his central animating principle in
all aspects of his life, his ancestral home
in Kerala, his belief that his sons are bet-
ter writers than him, to religion and mar-
riage equality in Indian society, and the
concept of identity and belonging.
Shashi was most forthcoming.
To converse with a person who uses
the power of intellect, vocabulary and
conviction in his expression, it was indeed
a privilege and a delight.
Excerpts from the interview:
Sudha Kumar: Australia is re-evalu-
ating the celebration of Australia Day
(Captain Cooks landing). Can events
like Colonial racism that have caused
trans-generational trauma be corrected?
Shashi Tharoor: To begin with,
Australia was already discovered by peo-
ple living here. So Cook didnt discover
Australia, just as Columbus didnt discov-
er America as there were people living
there already.
All this is a reflection of the inade-
quate frame of reference of those times,
when a Europe- centred world view was
all that people were relying on.
Secondly, even if it is not called a day
of discovery of Australia, clearly it was a
momentous occasion because in the wake
of Cook came all these people who trans-
formed this country. Today, Australia is
an overwhelmingly non-indigenous coun-
try. The experience of indigenous people
has included near genocide in many cases,
deaths, suffering, children being taken
away from parents and range of human
rights issues which perhaps at that time
was not fully realised as a wrong doing.
Every generation seems to act in its own
framework of reference.
Today, it is too late to undo the dam-
age. The dead cannot be brought back and
childhood cannot be given back. But at the
same time an acknowledgement of the
wrong done, an apology and an atonement
would be fitting. And I am glad to see that
Australian Prime Ministers and leading
politicians have felt possible to stand up
and say this.
SK: Your thoughts on marriage
equality (same sex marriage).
Shashi Tharoor: Well, in India, we
are far behind in that debate. We are at a
point where we need to decriminalise
behaviour between consenting adults, and
I have been an advocate of that.
Whether that decriminalisation should
lead to marriage rights, is a separate
debate we havent yet had. In my own
view, I dont see any particular difficulty
with that. However, I am not prepared to
open that can of worms until our country
has taken the first step.
The truth is that ours is, in many
respects, a society that has been made
more conservative by Muslim and British
rule. The old Hindu society was much
12 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October- November 2017
e SK: As per 2016 Australian census,
Shashi Tharoor gave lecture titled Inglorious Empir
at Antidote festival in Sydne y Opera House the proportion of people who reported
"no religion" increased to 30% and was
higher than Catholics at 23% (who until
then were the highest). Considering the
current socio-political atmosphere in
India, do you think Indians should cam-
paign for a "no religion" policy?
Shashi Tharoor: It is difficult.
Religion is far too deeply immersed in
Indian society and cultural experience. It
is caught up in notions of culture, authen-
ticity, rootedness the rhythms of Indian
life often are around religious festivals.
There is nothing more important than
the Durga Puja for people of Kolkata. And
nothing more important than Onam for
Keralites, though most admit that Onam is
a more secular festival, but of religious
origins, everyone owns it today.
But having said all of this, what is
striking is that even officially-atheist polit-
ical parties like the Communist parties
compete with each other to construct the
most lavish puja pandals. And that in a
sense should make no sense, except that it
does!
An For them it is going beyond. Whether
more liberal and inclu- History! You got you believe in the Goddess or not, it is
sive and accepting of acknowledge- busy with part of your cultural identity as a Bengali.
different forms of ment of the wrong done Science and It connects them with the people, and con-
behaviours, as we Math wanting nects people with that cultural badge of
can see from our to the indigenous people of to be honour of being a Bengali. So, privately,
own temple sculp- Australia, an apology and an Engineers they may not bother to pray, but Durga,
tures, carvings. atonement would be fitting. and Doctors! all the rituals associated with her and the
But having got to I was one whole occasion is of great importance to
a point where the And I am glad to see that of the freaks them.
British have Australian Prime Ministers and who was So, we can appreciate that the place of
shaped a lot of con- leading politicians have felt obsessed with religion in our society cannot be wished
temporary attitudes, History but away.
we may have to take possible to stand up and jokes apart And, also, that somehow through edu-
things one step at a say this. We never cation you create more atheists and agnos-
time. made a big deal out tics is not necessarily true, and many edu-
Certainly, after the
-Shashi Tharoor of it. We (Indians)
cated people are devout believers not only
Supreme Courts recent ruling are from a forgive and in religion, but often in Godmen and spir-
of the right to privacy, Section 377 forget culture; even our offi- itual leaders.
which criminalises homosexual relation- cial education system didnt want to make We saw this extraordinary uprising
ships will not survive judicial scrutiny. a big deal of it. about this rapist Baba, and the question
We hailed our freedom fighters as that comes up is, if people are willing to
SK: The young should know their heroes, but didnt demonise the ones they behave like this over a person, who in
past. How else will they know where they fought against. Continued on page 13
are going? It is all about Identity and
belonging isnt it? Tharoor with Ben Doherty (of The Guardian)
Shashi Tharoor: No, it is more than at Antidote festival, Sydney on September 3.
that. Identity does not change, but belong-
ing does.
One can move from India to Australia
or America but ethnically you are still
who you are. You cannot deny the past.
Similarly, one needs to have a conscious-
ness of historical facts.
There is a reason why the world is the
way it is today. It is because of what hap-
pened before. Being aware of it to my
mind is important.
It goes beyond questions of belonging
or allegiance.
SK: Thanks to your eloquent Oxford
Union debate followed by your books, in
the recent past many Indians have
become aware of their colonial past. I
have read An era of Darkness-The
British Empire in India and realised that
even the educated never knew. Is it fair
to ask WHY?
Shashi Tharoor: Well, obviously
many of you didnt pay attention in
 INTERVIEW

Continued from page 12

many ways seems unworthy of
their respect, then what more can
one ask for when it comes to
more serious issues involving
religion.
But for no-religion to be a
bigger answer than the biggest
faith is truly astonishing. Would
not be true in US or UK.

SK: Considering your depth

and breadth of cumulative
knowledge and experience, what
is the most important contribu-
tor to the fabric of a robust
thriving human society?
Shashi Tharoor: RESPECT
for others.
Ultimately, thats what makes
a society work. If you respect
others for who they are, let them
be who they, dont try and
encroach their space, dont chal-
lenge them all the time, then you
have a functioning society. That
has been the greatest strengths of
India, of Hinduism, in the past.
A notion of acceptance, not
toleration.
Tolerance is slightly For
patronising. It assumes I a robust thriving
know the truth, you are Tharoor at Sydney Malayalee Associations Onam celebrations
in error, but Ill allow
human society?
you to be in error. Acceptance not tolerance. child, like many other chil- But as we grew older we ily is five generations in one pic-
Whereas acceptance Tolerance is slightly patronising. dren growing in the city, we realised the charm of it. ture - a rare one!
were dragged back to the It didnt exactly have the Connections can be pre-
goes beyond toler- It assumes I know the truth, you
ance- it says I family village by parents. same association for us because served. I feel confident even for
are in error, but Ill allow you to be in My sisters and I resented it our parents had grown up in this half American baby thats
believe I have the
error. Whereas acceptance goes initially and I used to joke those places. We had not grown my nieces daughter - she is
truth, you believe
you have the truth. I beyond tolerance- it says I believe I to my father this migration up there, only visited, and as we going to be brought up conscious
will respect your have the truth, you believe you south is strictly for the grew up we began to realise the of the fact that she has a part of
birds. charm of it and made a consider- her heritage in that old tharavad
truth; you respect my have the truth. I will respect
truth. My ancestral tharavad able effort to go back every year (ancestral home).
your truth; you respect my (ancestral) home in the early to see the extended family
And that is where
truth. 60s had many privations, there cousins, uncles, aunts, and my SK: Thank you Dr Tharoor
India used to be the
strongest. Today we have peo- -Shashi Tharoor was no electricity, no indoor grandmother who -- bless her for your time and thoughts.
ple who are sadly moving away. plumbing, we had to bathe out of soul -- lived to a ripe old age of Happy Onam!
great
buckets, toilets were in outhous- 97. And my sisters in particular Shashi Tharoor: Thank you.
deal of
SK: Nehru described India reverence and respect for what es, we brushed our teeth and spat were able to transmit that down Wishing you a Very Happy
as a palimpsest- a work of art he accomplished, but I would into the paddy fields outside the to the generations. One of the Onam and All the best.
that is the result of contributions have so many questions to ask house porch a very different most precious photos in the fam-
by many added on over an him. experience.
extended period of time. Would First of all, about how he felt Sudha Kumars family posing with fellow
you give a space in that about Nelson Mandela saying Keralite Shashi Tharoor
palimpsest to the British? Why? non-violence was not useful in
Or Why not? the struggle against Apartheid,
Shashi Tharoor: Yes, defi- about Indias military strength,
nitely. how we brought justice to
They are all part of our histo- Bangladesh by going to war
ry. They lasted two hundred against Pakistan, how he feels
years. And those two hundred about his techniques like hunger
years are more recent than two strikes being used by politicians
hundred and fifty years of for lesser purposes. About the
Mughals or empires that came corruption that has invaded our
before them. Those two hundred society at all levels...And our
years are relevant to us today and politics and our economics
I would say as far as the British I think hed have a lot of
are concerned, its relevant on things to say too or.
very many things - the sports we He may just turn around and
play, the language we speak, the say, Sorry it is my day-of-
beverage we drink at 4 in the silence!
evening. All these things bear a
British impress, and some would SK: Your ancestral home
argue that even in our criticisms and roots are in Elavancherry,
of the British, we use British Palakkad, Kerala. Life has
forms of learning, reasoning and taken you through many routes
argument as well as language to around the globe. How rooted
challenge themselves. are you to your roots?
So why not? Shashi Tharoor: Aah but
those are different spellings of
SK: If you found yourself roots ..(laughs).. my roots in
stuck in an elevator with Kerala are r-o-o-t-s, when you
Mahatma Gandhiwhat would speak of my routes around the
you say to the great soul? globe that is r-o-u-t-e-s ..
Shashi Tharoor: (Laughs) (laughs)
Obviously, I would express a It is curious when I was a

October- November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 13

TIDU AT 30

Citation for The Indian

Kersi MeherHomji remembers Down Under

I Neena Badhwar, TIDU Associate Editor, with

was working at the Sydney
University in 1987 when I NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian at Premiers
received a phone call from Multicultural Media (PMM) Awards 2017.
a lady I did not know. She
told me about her idea to start
a monthly paper with news
and features on India/Asia and
Australia. She wanted me to
write a monthly column on
Sports.
I liked that voice and the
idea as there was no such pub-
lication in Australia. I said a
big yes instantly. The rest is
history. That voice was Neena
Badhwars and the paper is
The Indian Down Under, lov-
ingly known as TIDU.
This was the start of a new
friendship with Neena, her
husband Vijay and children
Prerna (Kiwi), Kush and
Ankur.
It also brought me in con-
tact with Cyprian Fernandes, a
respected writer on all topics,
and with many other contribu-
tors of TIDU.
TIDU team past & present
I have preserved all the The team of writers, TIDU and recently we have added
issues of TIDU from June remembers fondly are K.V. to our team Aradhana
1987 till now and I am proud the 10th, 20th and 25th year Pradeep, Sumitra Pradeep, Bhatt, Satish Rai and Sudha
to say that I have contributed I have preserved all the celebrations. Kersi Meher-Homji, Rani Kumar. Without the photog-
to each issue. Even a heart issues of TIDU from June In early days when e-mails Narpatsingh, Shreena raphers support stories
attack and triple bypass sur- 1987 till now and I am were new to me, I would hand Hronsky, Nisha Bhasin, Late would look mundane Raj
gery could not prevent me proud to say that I have over the columns to the Dr. Sunder Das, Kanaka Suri, Jordan Anjaiya, Hemu
from contributing my sports contributed to each Badhwar residence and enjoy Ramakrishnan, Urmil Sethi, Negi and Rajesh Kumar
column (mostly on cricket). issue. Even a heart attack Neenas delicious meals and Sumegha Agarwal, Maya have been most helpful.
During those health crises for and triple bypass surgery Vijays snacks. Narpatsingh, Faith Harper, Graphic Designer Nayanesh
me, I would dictate my could not prevent me Now TIDU is 30 years old Dr. T. Selva, Karam Gandhi, Bharat Bhushan
columns to my wife Villie who from contributing my and has an active son, on- Ramrakha, Rekha Bhatta, Chopra and Dhiraj Kumar
would fax these to TIDU. sports column line-TIDU, which appears Sumi Krishnan, Vish have been working on TIDU
My first sports column fea- (mostly on cricket). every day with topical news Viswanthan, Ritu Ghai, backstage as it takes a round
tured Sunil Gavaskar scaling and feature stories hot off the Promila Gupta, Abhishek of the world these days with
Everest of Test cricket by Indians performing well in press. Sood, Esther Chaudhary- stories collected for Indian
becoming the first in the world table tennis, golf and cricket in May both TIDU and Lyons, Pallavi Sinha, Prerna readership down under, then
to score 10,000 runs in Test Sydney. My friendship with online-TIDU survive for a Jones, Melvin Durai, to New York to associate edi-
matches. At that time no one the Badhwars has blossomed long time, giving us news and Santram Bajaj, Kris Raman, tor Parveen Chopra, then
had even scored 9,000 Test over the years; they are more insights of whats happening in Gaurav Joshi, Savitha Delhi for setting with fin-
runs. The column also includ- like family than just friends. I India, Australia and rest of the Narayan, Rekha Rajvanshi, ished product back in
ed Indias clean sweep in have attended all the milestone world. Neeru Saluja, Manju Mittal Sydney for printing.
chess in Doha (Qatar) and events of TIDU: the launch, Continued on page 15

14 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October- November 2017


! By Cyprian Fernandes
O TIDU 30 years
NLY one person is truly
responsible: first for the
vision of publishing an
Indian newspaper in English
(with a little vernacular thrown
in) and secondly for maintaining
publication for the past 30 years.
Neena Badhwar.
Once in a while, life creates peo-
ple who have an idea and see it
through to creation or establishment.
Mostly among these select group of
people are scientists, medical luminar-
ies, architects, painters, engineers of
all sorts, all of those people who fill
our history books for having done
great things, found the greatest medical
cures, advanced education techniques,
taken us to the moon and into orbit,
introduced the world to the digital rev-
olution (although I am not yet sure that
is a completely good thing). They all
had an idea and followed it through.
In much smaller way, in everyday
life, there are millions of people all
around the world, who identify a
human need, however small in magni-
tude and follow it through. Neena
Badhwar falls in this latter category.
She saw a community need and
although she did not have the skills or
the money, she set about achieving it.
She had no idea what was involved in
journalism, advertising, printing, pho-
tography or all the other hundreds of
skills that go into publishing a newspa-
per. Brilliant.
Along the way, she always had two
people by her side: her husband, Vijay
Badhwar, an accomplished engineer
working in Sydney in the highest strata
of his profession and Kersi Meher-
Homji, a sports lover of the most dedi-
cated kind, a scientist for whom work-
ing with sports data was simply work
and a sportswriter whose work graced
the pages of the likes of the Sydney
Morning Herald. Being an Indian
Nitasha Bhatia and Neena Badhwar, finalists
of PMM Awards, holding TIDU Principal
Editor Vijay Badhwar's winning trophy.
of dedication
Parsi, cricket runs
in his blood.
Both men are blessed with the
greatest amount of quiet patience and
have the capacity to work outside lifes
boxes. In Vijays case, completely out-
side his chosen profession. Naturally,
Neena had to rope in her two sons,
Kush and Ankur who must have won-
dered Mum what have you done
now? Fortunately, both were good
with new technology, especially
Ankur.
In 1979, when my family migrated
to Australia from the UK after I was
hired by the Sydney Morning Herald in
London, there was one spice shop: Eze
Moses in Bondi. In 1987, when the
Indian Down Under was first pub-
lished, there were just a few Indian
owned spice
shops to
cater for
the
TIDU AT 30
growing professional and
legal migrants. Indian Government
promotional offices, such as the India
Tourist Office and the Tea Board, and
local spice shops were the main source
of meagre revenue for this Australian-
Indian publication.
However, to get any money out of
a spiceshopwallah or a restaurantwallah
is often like getting blood out of a
stone. But Neenas tenacity, arm-twist-
ing, begging and her never-give-up
manner usually won the day. As credit
was the mainstay of the relationship,
our advertisers built up huge debts
which may even exist to this day.
The trinity of the Indian Consul
General in Sydney, V.B. Soni, Tea
Board Director, D.R. Karthikeyan and
Tourist Office Director Hemant Gupte
were the encouragement behind the
venture once they knew the first
Indian newspaper from Sydney
was possible. The late Allan
Fernandes (an outstanding
advertising executive from
India), Tourist Office
Director Shanker Dhar and
Joe Gomes, who designed
the masthead Bringing
Australia closer to India,
were always ready to help.
Prominent amongst the
first Indian restaurants in
Sydney was Surjit Singhs
family. First his elder brother,
Amar Gujral, opened a restaurant
in the city which did well for many
years, then Surjit followed him with a
restaurant in Strathfield. You would
see this turbaned guy standing outside
a restaurant saying hello to every-
one. I asked him one day why he did
that. He said: When they come into
my restaurant, they will see a familiar
face.
Neena took care of the most impor-
tant job: Advertising. She also did a lot
of writing about local Indian stories.
Our coverage of Indians in NSW and
elsewhere was a thing that won us a lot
of readers and supporters. The Indian
Down Under was there not only in the
major cities but also in the remote cor-
ners of Australia Woolgoolga, for a function in Perth or Darwin for
Wagga Wagga, Mareeba, Broken Hill, no monetary benefit. But she would
Tasmania, thanks to her zeal. As she continue to do it just for her own satis-
mailed the newspaper, she remembered faction and love for literary work.
hundreds of subscribers and their post- Kersi looked after the sports page.
codes, sometimes even visiting them if He is a very clean writer and requires
the family went on a holiday through very little editorial help. He is after all
the area. a scientist and precision is his game.
Neena had a mothers love for the The business section was covered
Indian Down Under. Many a times it by finance guru Manmohan Singh who
would make no business sense but she regularly appeared on Hong Kong TV
would continue to go miles to deliver as an expert on global markets.
20 copies of the newspaper to a distant Serendipitously, in those days, a
shop or courier bundles of newspapers Continued on page 16
October- November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 15
TIDU AT 30
Continued from page 15
young journalist from India, Parveen
Chopra, was visiting Australia and he
decided to extend his stay in
Melbourne. He took over the charge of
the Melbourne section covering all cul-
tural events and liaison with the com-
munity. The relationship was so suc-
cessful that even after his own launch of
a prestigious magazine from India, Life
Positive, and later, after he settled in
USA, Parveen continues to this day to
be associated with The Indian Down
Under.
Vijay and I looked after putting the
paper to bed (in journalistic language
meaning getting the finished article on
the presses). Vijay also did
a lot of the writing on
both Indian and
Australian affairs.
Thing about
Vijay is that it
seems he has
been blessed with
the largest portion
of karmic
patience. He is also
almost the most silent
persuader. I am just the
opposite, gung ho, publish and be
damned, expose, expose Vijay would
gently steer me to his way of thinking,
which I put down to the Indian way
of doing things. After all, I was only
doing this gig for a month or two and I
would be gone as soon as it got its baby
legs. Stayed 14 years I think.
I first got to know about the planned
paper when a friend of Neenas got me
to come and see what they were doing.
I spent just a few minutes and told
myself that I would be mad to get
involved. At the time, I held a reason-
ably high position with the SMHs Good
Weekend magazine which I help found
as Chief Copy Editor with the Editor
Valerie Lawson. At the SMH, The
Australian, St George and Sutherland
Shire Leader I had luxury of working
with tailor-made digital publishing sys-
Neena Badhwar with Minister for Multiculturalism
Ray Williams at PMM Awards
16 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October- November 2017
The Indian Down Under
has traversed a long
journey with the Indian
community in Australia
- a symbiotic relationship
which has witnessed the
growth of the community
as well as of the many
publications that have
since come into being.
Now possible to be instant
and on-line, in keeping up
with the times, the journey
continues.
tems. What was planned for TIDU
would take newspaper publication back
a couple of centuries. I could not handle
that. I remember I gave them some
advice and walked away, and glad to
have done just that.
A few weeks after the first issue was
published, Vijay came to visit me. I
cant remember exactly what transpired
but he convinced me to lend them a
hand for a little while. I would lay out
the paper, edit the stories, Vijay would
look at the editorials in addition to all
the other things he had to do.
One of the printers who helped us
with the earliest editions was a
Vietnamese publication house, Viet
Luan, and even though English was not
their first language they did do a fair
job in typesetting the paper. This was
done on IBM golf ball typewriter on
strips of paper which was then
cut and fashioned according to
the layout. If there were any cor-
rections, then these had to be
done letter by letter. Sometimes,
we would be there until 7 in the
morning and then go on to our
respective jobs. It was a long and
arduous process, but we came
through. After that Neena would
take the finished paper to the
printers and, sometimes, on the
same evening, both her and Vijay
would personally distribute the
paper.
Many years later with the
advent of PageMaker for laying
out the paper digitally
at home, life
became much
easier but we
rarely fin-
ished before
4 or 5 in the
morning.
We tried
to produce a
quality news-
paper by
Australian and
British standards and although we
may have fallen a little short, it
was on that just little Indian bit.
We adhered to the best standards
of integrity and honesty, similar
to the ones I had to adhere to at
the SMH and The Australian.
The standards we lived by
those early pioneering days con-
tinue today.
The Indian Down Under has
traversed a long journey with the
Indian community in Australia - a
symbiotic relationship which has
witnessed the growth of the com-
munity as well as of the many
publications that have since come
into being. Now possible to be
instant and on-line, in keeping up
with the times, the journey
continues.
 Community

From Delhi to Delhi Road

The recent addition of Lotus Pavillion at the Macquarie Park
Crematorium, aided by Governments contribution of $2 million,
has added to the sanctity of Hindu rituals.
! By Neena Badhwar

S
adly, nowadays we are frequenting
Delhi Road (North Ryde) more often.
Hard to accept, but this is a fact of life,
rather its end.
Since the early seventies, the journey has
been long and arduous when we did not
know how and who could perform the last
rites (Mr Shiva Bhatt, a teacher by profes-
sion, was a grace from God to perform the
earlier rites. His readings from Bhagwad
Gita with English translation provided much
solace to many a grieving communion. May
his soul rest in peace, he passed away on 9th
September this year).
When it comes to death and last rites,
when the desperate and mourning family
want to send away their near and dear ones
properly, giving them decent last rites and a
funeral, one finds the families at a loss.
Many a times they have shown frustration as
proper last rites and rituals cant be con-
ducted, for one cannot find either priests or Alandkar, who passed away on 29 August, Athreiya, are elated at this great achieve- Pandit Rami Sivan
even a place where one can conduct proper was cremated the next day at Lotus ment. There was a great need for a place, conducting the rituals
Hindu rituals. The same dilemma presents Pavillion. says Pandit Ramchandra, who is also a
for people of Buddhist, Sikh or Jain faiths. It was the first Hindu ceremony that took member on the National Religious Forum our cause. We asked the Hindu Council of
Now there are many Indian seniors, not place at the newly-constructed facility, a and helped set up the Australian Council of Australia but they did not understand what
only from the early migrants but also unique experience such that the communion Hindu Clergies. It has been a long journey we were talking about. It has been a long-
enjoined by recently arrived elders under the was appreciated to be more authentic than and our struggle to convince this idea that fought battle that started in 1988.
family reunion programme. As well, there the church-like atmosphere. we also need a place where we can conduct We approached temples, but there is
are a number of Hindu priests who perform Pandit Rami Sivan, from the Australian proper rituals as there are now 400,000 politics everywhere. We wanted everyone to
the prescribed rites. Council of Hindu Clergy, said the pavilion Hindus in Australia, he said. be inclusive in this project but there was
The recent addition of Lotus Pavillion at would be an invaluable asset to Australias Many people come to us and talk of very little support. It is a fact of life, the ulti-
the Macquarie Park Crematorium, aided by expanding South Asian Dharma communi- frustrating times in India when they go to mate truth is that we all die, says Pandit
Governments contribution of two million ties. He said, Since we only cremate our Prayag or Hardwar to disperse ashes of their Ramchandra.
dollars, has added to the sanctity of Hindu deceased we do not require land for burial, loved ones, says Ram Chandra. Thanks to the Australian Clergy of
rituals. Outdoor, but sheltered, it is elegant- but we find existing chapels are not suitable They fight, haggle and blackmail you Hindu Faith and the persistent efforts of
ly designed with landscaped gardens and a for our rituals. We believe this is the only with rituals not even conducted properly. these two priests who finally convinced the
water pond for the pre-cremation ceremony. pavilion of its kind in the Southern People have come back very upset with such government and other authorities on behalf
It is also available to the wider community Hemisphere that will allow Hindu priests bad stories from there, he says. of Hindus that the Indian community now
for services of their choice. The pavilion has and family members of the deceased to carry We thought we will create something has the Lotus Pavillion, a place they can
space for 120 people seated, together with out last rites at their own pace and in the way here so that funeral and last rites for Hindus relate to, with all the amenities, sound sys-
additional standing capacity. Hindu scriptures prescribe. can be conducted in a decent manner. tem, TV and audio visual, even with its own
Much loved Sydney artist, Ramesh Priests, Pandit Rami and Pandit Luckily, this crematorium supported us in private entrance.

Pandit Ram Chandra Athreiya

October- November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 17

Bollywood
I want to tell a story through my films
In India, there is Bollywood and there is cinema. I want to do cinema and that is
where I see myself progressing, affirms Australian Indian actor KABIR SINGH, who
plays an intense role in One Less God based on the Mumbai terror attacks.
! By Neeru Saluja
A
t first glance, Kabir Singh fits the
bill of the next Bollywood star. Hes
young, tall, handsome and carries
the charisma of an actor. But when you get
talking to him, an intelligent man is unrav-
elled who is not interested in becoming the
next Ranveer Singh. He has become an
actor with one sole purpose to do mean-
ingful cinema and tell stories.
Australian Indian actor Kabir Singh is
currently in Sydney promoting his latest film
One Less God. Based on the Mumbai ter-
ror attacks, its an Australian film directed
by Liam Worthington with an Australian
cast. Shot in Nepal and Australia, the film
has won the top awards at the Dances with
Films Festival in LA and is shortlisted for
the Australian Academy of Cinema and
Television Arts (AACTA) awards.
Kabir Singh plays the supporting lead
actor and has been nominated for the best
supporting actor for AACTA awards. In a
lengthy and insightful conversation, we
come to know more about the actor who has
played a very intense role at the young age
of 25.
Congratulations Kabir for being
nominated as a supporting lead actor
for the prestigious AACTA Awards.
Tell us more about your role and
how did you get into the skin of the
character, as the story was from
your homeland?
Thank you. One Less God
has been a long journey but totally
worth it. The Australian premiere
is happening in October at the
Byron Bay Festival and the film is
releasing Australia-wide in
November. Im the supporting lead
and play a fictional version of
Kasab.
I remember watching the attacks
on television in Australia with my
parents. It wasnt something random,
it was a strategized attack. When this
story came to me through Liam, I knew
that this is something I want to do. We
had tears in our eyes when he heard the
story. As an actor I always aim to get in
the skin of the character. I did a lot of
research, read about the organisation
involved in the attacks. The director had
explained to us very early that he did not
want to antagonise the villain. It was a very
difficult and challenging role for me. My
research helped me prepare for my charac-
ter. I shaved my head and kept a clean-
shaven look. I also did some rigorous train-
ing and found training for martial arts camp
the hardest. I went through the transforma-
tion of the boy to a man, which happens in
reality. The brains are mush and they brain-
wash them as propaganda is injected in their
brains.
As the role was intense, did you feel
that this experience was daunting and
emotionally draining?
Yes, definitely. My family knows when
I need my space, so they did that when I
18 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October- November 2017
in g h p lays fic
Kabir S e Pakistani ter
o f th
version in One Less G
Kasa b
need-
ed it. The
director did
everything possible to push me to the
extreme. I remember on the last days for the
shooting where we had to shoot a crucial
scene, after that scene I couldnt stop cry-
ing.
In your last two films One Less God
and Shambala, you play the roles of an
antagonist. Do you have the fear of being
stereotyped?
Im open to all kinds of cinema. The
next film Im doing is an Australian film by
a South Indian director, a horror film. When
I was working in Australia, I was getting
stereotyped. The Indian guy in that, the taxi
driver, etc. I have come back to Australia as
our country has started waking up and
tional
rorist
o .
d
breaking out of the box. Its still a
small market but the vibe is get-
ting better.
So, does that mean you
are also open to Bollywood
films?
I cant visualise myself
in Bollywood films. I
dont care too much
about Bollywood. Its a
booming industry. In
India, there is Bollywood
and there is cinema. I
want to do cinema and
that is where I see myself
progressing. I take my art
and telling stories very
seriously. If Im a part of
the film, it needs to tell a
story. Shah Rukh Khan and
Salman Khans last films were
a flop. The Indian audiences
are waking up to this changing
movement. Many recent Indian
films are going to international film
festivals. Im not interested in commer-
cial Bollywood. Cinema is a medium to
tell stories and if we dont utilise it, then we
are wasting its potential.
To get that break in cinema, did you
find it difficult? What kind of challenges
and barriers did you face as a newcomer?
Being in Bollywood is a different ball
game. It was a whole new world with its
own set of rules. In India, you hear about an
audition and there are 300 people waiting. It
can be very nerve wracking where you are
treated like cattle. Eventually you have to
get past that phase and make contacts.
People do recognise your talent.
We have heard that you have been act-
ing since your childhood! Your Mom is
also an actress. Is it in the genes?
I have been acting since the age of four.
Its in my genes from my Mom. She has
always pushed me. When I was in Delhi
Public School, she pushed me to take part in
Ramayana every year and I hated wearing
those itchy beards! Saying that, I always
enjoyed the experience. I clearly remember
performing for underprivileged children and
bringing smiles on their faces. I was around
6 years old, and never looked back since
then. I continued drama in high school,
enrolled in a university but my focus was
always on acting. I deferred from university
and enrolled myself into an acting school.
So whats next in the space of acting?
I was shooting for a film Shambala
which is written and directed by Summer
Nicks and I play a mountain man from
Pakistan. Im a horse riding champion. Its
the story about a plane crash that happens in
the mountain and how the plot unfolds. I
was herding everyday, talking to the farmers
and living with the cows and goats in the
mountains. The process of building a char-
acter is something what I enjoy. I leave
Kabir Singh and then get into the character.
And also that Australian film by a South
Indian director.
Kabir, what message would you like to
give to upcoming Aussie Indian actors?
Dont have any fear. You have to live
your own life. Respect your parents but you
have to break out of the norm. Believe in
yourself. There will be times when you have
doubt, but at the end of the day you have to
keep going. Have something to strive for. If
work doesnt come to you, make your own
content. Besides acting, I also write and Im
working on my production house to provide
a platform to upcoming talent.
On a closing note, Kabir would like
every Indian to watch his film. One Less
God is releasing in Australia in November
and I urge all Indians to support Australian
cinema. Support local cinema, this is a film
close to home.

By Neeru Saluja
S
hes known for her light comedy
films. But this time director Gurinder
Chadha depicts the most decisive
moment in Indias history the partition.
After making a breakthrough with her
film Bend It Like Beckham fifteen years
ago, the director has now taken a leaf from
her own family history to make the film
Viceroys House. film on partition?
The last Viceroy of India, Lord
Mountbatten, and his family live upstairs in
what is now Rashtrapati Bhavan while their
500 Hindu, Sikh and Muslim servants live
downstairs. The films story depicts the
suffering and loss of life during the parti-
tion while interweaving that with a series
of events at the Viceroys house.
As the politicians Jinnah, Nehru and
Gandhi consult, bicker with each other and
stand their respective ground, the film
unrav-
els what
could be
a possible
motive behind the par-
tition.
While promoting the film in Australia,
director Gurinder Chadha took out time for
an exclusive interview to talk to The Indian
Down Under about why the film is close to
her heart, how she developed the story and
her experience of working with late Om
Puri.
Your latest film Viceroys House is a
big step away from your light comedy
films. What was the turning point in
your life that made you decide to make a
have woven a love story in it. Was the
Gurinder Chadha: About 11 years ago
I did an episode of the BBC series Who
do you think you are. I went to my ances-
tral homeland for the first time with my
uncle, Balwant Chadha, who lives in
Sydney, and we went to Jhelum to find my
grandfathers house. In the program, we go
from Kenya to India and then to Pakistan.
Initially, I was hesitant to go to Pakistan,
but the welcome was outstanding. They
welcomed me with flower petals and called
me their daughter. When we found the
house, there were several families who
were refugees. That was the turning point
when I decided I need to make a film on
partition, but it needed to be different.
You have chosen a stellar cast for
your film with Huma Qureshi, Manish
Dayal, Gillian Anderson giving great
performances. How did you go about
your casting for a film set in 1947?
Gurinder Chadha: I enjoy casting and
approached the actors who were right for
the roles. Ive seen Manish Dayal in the
film Hundred Foot Journey and have
been following him since then. Huma
Qureshi did really well in the audition and
I liked her a lot. All the actors were amaz-
ing, most of them being British actors.
Partition is a serious topic but you
showed the intimacy and sharing glances.
love story to balance the sensitivity of
the issue?
Gurinder Chadha: If you are making
a film on divisions, having a love story
always helps to focus on the divisions. The
idea was to look at the politics but also
show how the political decisions and nego-
tiations affect the couple, one being a
Hindu and the other being a Muslim. I
wanted to balance out the politics with the
love story.
October-November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER
Bollywood
The Bend it
Like
Beckham
director
was in
Australia to
promote
her new
film on
Indias
partition.
Was it a deliberate attempt to show
Lord Mountbatten in a sympathetic
light?
Gurinder Chadha: I think that the his-
tory that we have been told is to blame him
for the partition. We found evidence that it
was already planned before he arrived on
the scene. I wanted the audience to
empathise with him as a human being but
saying that he was culpable of changing the
partition date and couldnt get out of the
blame.
You have subtly shown the intimacy
of Nehru and Lady Edwina Mountbatten
through one scene. Did you ever think
about expanding the notion?
Gurinder Chadha: Whether they had
an affair or not, we arent sure. But we
knew they were very close. That is why I
But I didnt want to go beyond that as it
would then steal the main plot, which is
partition.
Being a British Indian, did you con-
sider balancing the sentiments of both
countries while making this film?
Gurinder Chadha: Of course. Im as
much British as Im Indian. I made sure I
made a well-balanced film and satisfied the
varied audiences, be it Indian, British or
Pakistani.
What was your experience working
with late Om Puri, considering this was
his last film?
Gurinder Chadha: Its a tragedy that
Om Puri passed away before watching the
film. But he was in Gandhi 30 years ago
and that was the last film made on parti-
tion. He was excited to get the script from
a Punjabi director, that is me. He was very
concerned about the relations between
India and Pakistan, particularly in his
series of tweets before he passed away. His
last dialogue in the movie is a goodbye
scene and is befitting to be his farewell.
We have also heard that you are
making a Bend it like Beckham 2? Were
you like Jassi while growing up?
Gurinder Chadha: I dont know where
these rumours have come from! I have no
plans as yet to make a part two. I was like
Jassi growing up. Bend it like Beckham is
about me and my dad. As a director,
somewhere along the line, your story does
influence your film and it is semi-autobio-
graphical.

Nick Brown a man of many parts
now plays for the little audience
By Neeru Saluja
W
hen it comes to diversi-
ty on Australian televi-
sion, Aussie-Indian
actor Nicholas Brown always
makes us proud. From playing
the lead role in the TV series The
Cooks in 2004, appearing on the
popular TV series Home and
Away, Packed to the Rafters,
Underbelly and many more TV
credits, Nicholas is now selected
as an ABC Kids Play School pre-
senter.
As he has returned to
Australia after making his foray
in Bollywood, the baddie from
the film Kites has many aces up
his sleeve. The NIDA graduate
from Australia is not only an
actor, but a writer, singer, song-
writer and screenwriter. In an
exclusive interview with this
handsome and multi-talented
actor, we talk about his latest gig
at Play School, his upcoming
Bollywood films, theatre and dis-
cover his passion for writing chil-
drens stories.
As a presenter for Play
School, Nicholas has become the
multicultural face for the young
citizens of our country. And this
was something that he was always
keen on. This is actually the
fourth time I auditioned for Play
School. I auditioned once when I
was 21, then 28 and then three
years ago. My agent called me
and I got lucky the fourth time.
The timing was right as I'm a lit-
tle older and wiser.
Im the first Indian man to be
on Play School which is a great
honour. Obviously there is no
reference to my brown skin
on the show but the fact
that young kids will be
seeing another
brown face is so
inspiring. When I
was little I saw
no brown faces
on television
and I hope this
inspires others.
Play School and
the ABC have
always wel-
comed diversity
with open arms by
having multicultur-
al presenters. Its
important for kids to
see this diversity, says
Nicholas.
Play School
at ABC also Nick Brown first came into limelight as the baddie in
gives Nicholas Hrithik Roshan starrer Kites. But a multifacted man,
the time to pur- he wrote and acted in his play Lighten Up last year,
sue his other acting projects. He
is shooting for the hospital series
Harrow for ABC International
and is also cast in the comedy
series The Let Down. He is also
playing the role of cricketer
Rahul Dravid in a play about the
transgender writer and cricket
commentator Cate McGregor.
Side by side, his creative pen also
keeps flowing, narrating
Australian Indian stories. While
he wrote and acted in his play
Lighten Up last year, he recent-
ly wrote a play called Tantra 2.
Its an Australian Indian play
and a love story where the pro-
tagonist travels back to India to
connect with his theatrical ances-
try. It's quite a controversial
story as it involves spirituality,
religion and sex! declares
Nicholas.
The busy actor is also looking
forward to his upcoming
Bollywood films, Prattichayya,
a horror film, and Sedition, a
spy thriller. And if you think that
he is playing the villain again,
you got it wrong. For the first
time in a Bollywood film, Im
playing the sweet good husband
that gets tricked and betrayed. Its
based on Agatha Christie book
The Mousetrap. It was a nice
change to play the good guy!
chuckles Nicholas.
His last major Bollywood film
was Kites starring Hrithik
Roshan, which suddenly brought
him in the limelight in Bollywood
for various reasons. Kites was
my first big Bollywood experi-
ence. It was nerve wracking and
terrifying but a great role to sink
m y
a great father and an amazing
actor. He loved Suzanne very
After acting in movies and TV serials, Nicholas Brown will now be seen as a presenter
in ABC Kids Play School, the first brown face there.
teeth into. It was a great learning
experience. I was very young, I
was only 28 then. I was nervous
before the film was released as all
eyes were on me. My life had
suddenly changed. I was partying
with Bollywood celebrities, walk-
ing red carpets and being asked
questions about Hrithik and
Barbara Mori. There was a media
storm. There was a lot of pressure
for Kites to be this big crossover
film. We had lot of weight on our
shoulders, recounts Nicholas.
While Kites created a storm
with news on Hrithik and
Barbara, Nicholas' on-screen
sister, actress Kangana
Ranaut is spilling the
beans on her alleged
affair with Hrithik in
explosive interviews.
We had to ask
Nicholas his thoughts
about it as he worked
closely with both the
actors during the
shooting and promo-
tion of the film. I
think Kangana is an
incredibly brave actor
and a courageous
woman.
Hrithik is a wonderful man,
much when I first met
him. They were child-
hood sweethearts and
had been together for a
October-November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 19
long time. People change as they
get older and sometimes things
dont work out. I respect them
both for deciding to move on,
says Nicholas.
Nicholas was also one of the
actors in the Aussie Indian film
UnIndian which became the talk
of the town two years ago. He
had a great experience shooting
the film in his hometown and act-
ing with a few friends.
Tannishtha (Chatterjee) is a
superb actress. I have a lot of
respect for the type of films she is
doing - marvellous indie films.
Pallavi Sharda is one of my best
friends and we love working
together. We first met 8-9 years
ago in Mumbai and have a com-
mon understanding as we started
our career together in Mumbai
and we both are Australian. We
both have experienced large scale
Indian films and independent
films. Anupam Sharma is always
creating important, interesting
content and Brett Lee is a leg-
end, says Nicholas.
Nicholas has also been fortu-
nate enough to work both in
Australian and Indian film indus-
tries. What difference do you see
and what can both the industries
learn from each other?
There is a lot of spontaneity
in India and thats why many
things are fresh and original. In
Australia it takes a lot of time to
Bollywood
develop a script. While in India
suddenly a film is shot even
though the script is not ready.
When I'm in India, I always ask a
script and I get a 'narration'
instead. You'll get the script on
the day of the shoot often. While
in Australia or America it will
never happen like that. Thats
what we can learn from
Bollywood to be more sponta-
neous and take risks. Indians can
perhaps learn to be more organ-
ised and ordered like in Australia.
Saying that, I love working in
both the industries and can adapt
to both styles.
While Nicholas has been act-
ing for many years, he is also
chasing his writing dream. I get
a lot of satisfaction from writing.
As an actor, you're often told
what to do but as a writer you are
the boss. Therefore, I am writing
two childrens books based on the
Aussie Indian experience.
Everything that I create celebrates
diversity in one way or another.
I have always worked
towards creating a diverse indus-
try. Things have really changed
since I started my career. With
artists like Pallavi Sharda, Arka
Das, Kabir Singh, Sharon Johal,
Bali Padda, Sheila Jayadev,
Shakthi Sivanathan and Mithila
Gupta we are all now a small
family. The future is very bright
for the upcoming Aussie Indian
talent in this industry.
Bollywood

TIDU landed an exclusive

interview with the music icon

By Manju Mittal

I
magine the nightingale of India Lata
Mangeshkar, herself, on the other end
of your phone line, her melodious voice
ringing in your ear. Your whole life will be
fulfilled, a never to forget experience.
After trying for an interview with the
legend for almost three months, fate finally
knocked on my door. I was overjoyed
when she agreed to do a telephonic inter-
view on March 16 this year when I called
her at her residence in Mumbai.
It was a breathless moment. Time stood
still with the legendary voice: Namaskar
Kaisi hai aap, as my receiver came alive.
Oh, my God, she is there at the other
end of the line! I quickly got over my
goose-bumps and got into the conversation
straight away.
Lata Mangeshkar is a living legend of
Bollywood playback singing. The melody
queen or Malika-e-Tarranum, as we refer
to her in her honour among infinite others
sobriquets, has ruled our hearts for more
than five decades. And she still does, defy-
ing all gravity. Lata has sung for heroines from Madhubala to Preity Zinta.
Fondly addressed as Lata didi by the
Hindi Cinema -- and some 50,000 songs

Mumbai fraternity and dubbed as the
Nightingale of India, Lata is a name that
makes us think and feel music, that creates
a nostalgia among all of us, young and old.
I have always wanted to write about
(still more to come!). In 1974, she was list-
ed in the Guinness Book of Records for her
25,000 songs she had recorded until then.
Lata ji has been awarded the Bharat
!
I think playback singing has a lot to do with voice acting. I
would suggest to all the youngsters to understand the character,
situation and the story behind the songs. That is when you can add

Lata didis musical journey so that todays
generation would also come to know about
Indian music and how it has evolved
through the ages.
Latas voice weaves a magic that casts a
spell over her listeners all over the world.
They identify with her and her contribution
to Indian music. She is a synonym for
music and melody.
Hailing from Indore, Madhya Pradesh,
Lata Mangeshkar has been singing profes-
sionally from the age of 13. She has lent
her voice to four generations of heroines
an unparalleled and iconic phenomenon of
Ratna, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan,
Dadasaheb Phalke award and multiple other
national film awards.
We had a heart to heart conversation.
Lata didi blissfully regaled me in her can-
did interview - about her singing career,
her interests and much more:
What is the biggest difference
between music now and when you began
your career in singing many years ago?
What do you have to say about todays
songs?
Lata Mangeshkar: There is a big differ-
ence between what I sang earlier and what
soul to the rendition which, I think, is missing in todays music.
is being made now. I am not saying this
contemporary music is bad but there are
too many beats.
The Sur (notes) and Kavita (Poetry) are
also not as good. Everything is different
and fairly strange today as compared to the
golden days. New songs dont last for long
in our minds. Many mainstream songs
made nowadays are meaningless. The earli-
er songs had a lot of meaning. Lyrics made
sense and tunes had more melody. I feel
they were composed from the heart. Older
"
songs are classics and have lived on forev-
er. I remember with musicians like Madan
Mohan, SD Burman, Jaidev, Salil
Chowdhary, we would sit and rehearse one
song for days and this was when there
were 8-9 songs in every film. That
sense of camaraderie is denied to todays
singers.
Lata didi, you were very selective
with your songs. Tell us more about it.
Lata Mangeshkar: Songs in those days
were very good songs, so there was no

20 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October- November 2017


question of choosing. Yet, com-
posers always kept my preferences
in mind, what I was comfortable
with, the lyrics and the tunes.
They always gave me songs that
kept my voice and skills in mind. I
always made sure the words were
not cheap and also the tune was
within my comfort zone. I am
meant for softer, romantic songs. I
just couldnt connect with cabaret
kind of songs.
You have sung for so many
actresses from Madhubala to the
new generation of actresses. How
do you feel?
Lata Mangeshkar : I feel
good that I have lent my voice to
four generations of heroines and I
must say they have done justice to
my songs.
Lata didi, Ae mere watan ke
logo is a song that brought tears
to our late Prime Minister
Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehrus eyes
in 1962. How was the experi-
ence?
Lata Mangeshkar: Initially, I
did not know Ae mere watan ke
logo will become so popular
when I sang the song as part of
Republic Day celebrations in front
of Pandit Nehru 53 years ago. He
was very sad over the India-China
war and he looked downcast. I had
not imagined that my song will
acquire an iconic status and
become hugely popular in the
country and also abroad. The song
was composed by C.
Ramachandra, in honour of Indian
Hindi Divas celebrates Hindi language in Sydney
By Neena Badhwar
H
indi Divas is celebrated
worldwide on September
14, an initiative by the
Indian government to promote and
propagate Hindi language.
September 14 is an important date
in Indias history as in 1949 Hindi,
with its Devnagri script, was offi-
cially adopted as the official lan-
guage of India.
On September 16, Sydney cel-
ebrated Hindi Divas at the
Consulate General of India along
with ILASA (Indian Literary and
Art Association of Australia) and
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
Many guests including Hon.
Jody McKay, Dr. Harinath,
Chairperson Multicultural NSW,
Hindu Council of Australia
President Nihal Agar, community
members, Hindi school principals,
teachers and local Hindi writers
graced the occasion. Hindi lan-
guage was the flavour of the after-
noon as Indian Consul Mr. S.K.
Verma informed the audience that
the Consulate plans to provide a
qualified Hindi teacher to resume
Hindi classes at the premises. He
added that if any Hindi schools
need any form of help in terms of
teaching as well as resources, the
Consulate is too happy to provide.
Rekha Rajvanshi, writer and
co-ordinator ILASA, sang a spe-
Latas Ae Mere Vatan ke Logo brought tears to Pt Nehrus eyes.
soldiers who had lost their lives in
the 1962 war with China.
Whats the secret of your
magnificent soulful voice?
Lata Mangeshkar: (Laughs)
My voice is a gift from God and
my parents. Their love and respect
is my biggest reward. God has
given me more than I deserve. It
is my parents blessings and Gods
kindness. I always say whatever
skills I have imbibed are Gods
gift. Whether it was Pyar kiya
to darna kya from Mughal-e-
Azam or Lag ja gale or
Baahon mein chale aao, your
renditions have touched genera-
cial poem she wrote on the day
Aao Hindi ki sajaaye alpana and
the session proceeded to discuss
the work being done to promote
Hindi in Sydney.
Gayatri Singh, a Hindi aca-
demic and school principal from
Kanpur in India, was the keynote
speaker. In her insightful talk, she
pointed to all the worthwhile work
and research being done on Hindi
while quoting the works of many
Hindi scholars from abroad includ-
ing countries such as Russia, Japan
and Germany.
Teachers Archana Chaudhary,
Kulwinder Kaur, Mritunjay Kumar
spoke about their experiences of
teaching Hindi. Mala Mehta talked
about her IABBV Hindi School
where kids are taught Hindi to
such a level that around 50-60
children can recite poems either
written by themselves or even of
well known Indian poets on the
schools Hindi Divas Day. Akash
Prasad gave an audiovisual presen-
tation of his Green Valley Hindi
School where children are not only
taught Hindi but Indian music and
musical instruments as well. He
showed children playing tabla for
the preparation of Diwali event at
his school. Gunjan Tripathi said
that emphasis at her school in
Girraveen was on the normal day-
to-day Hindi armed with which the
children when in India can at least
tions of music lovers. Lata didi,
tell us about your favourite
song?
Lata Mangeshkar: It is a dif-
ficult thing to do, and an equally
difficult question (laughs). I cant
recollect my favourites very easi-
ly. I must say all songs are close
to my heart. In those days, apart
from having great musicians, we
had amazing songwriters. Thats
why old songs are evergreen.
Music in those days used to be
very important. Mujhe Naushad ji
ke gaane, kucch Salil Chowdhary
ji ke, kucch Shankar Jaikishan ji
ke hain, Kucch Madan Mohan ji
Dignitaries and guests were joined by community members, Hindi school principals,
teachers and local Hindi writers at the event.
converse with their grandparents
and family. Sudesh Verma said
that students keenly wait for her
Hindi class on Sundays.
David Townsend, a Hindi stu-
dent of Rekha Rajvanshi at Sydney
university skillfully conducted the
first session. Young Sanghmitra
spoke about Hindi films and her
work there with Pallavi Sinha who
said she learnt Hindi at home
because in her school days Hindi
schools were not around.
October-November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 21
ke hain, Jaidev ji ke, ek gaana
kehna mushkil hai. Rafi saab,
Kishore da, Manna De, Mukesh,
Asha they were all so inspiring
and motivating, they had their own
style. We all learnt while we
worked.
Other than music, what are
your interests?
Lata Mangeshkar: I love
reading books and clicking pic-
tures. Though photography is my
passion, nowadays I have stopped
clicking pictures because I do not
understand the functioning of a
digital camera. I dont like colour
pictures. I used to like my old
The third segment had poets
and writers of Sydney reciting
their poems. Praise of Hindi lan-
guage, its scientific basis, its rich
expression was all evident from
the sentiments in the poems.
Bhavna Kunwars poem Bhavnaon
ko behne do was well received.
Kunwar Manish Rana Rasik is
another young man whose poem
on the universal sentiment that is
love was well received. Santram
Bajajs humour piece in Hindi
Bollywood
black and white camera.
What advice would you like
to give to young singers?
Lata Mangeshkar: I think
playback singing has a lot to do
with voice acting. I would suggest
to all the youngsters to understand
the character, situation and the
story behind the songs. That is
when you can add soul to the ren-
dition which, I think, is missing in
todays music.
They must learn classical
music and they must not get car-
ried away by overnight success.
Humility is the key to longevity.
Spare some time to understand
Indian classical music. I keep
telling singers of today that it is
very important to have knowledge
of classical music first. Otherwise,
you are just singing for the sake of
singing.
What is your message to your
fans in Australia?
Lata Mangeshkar: Always
respect your parents, elders, guru
(teacher), do not forget your moth-
erland India. Main aap sabki
bahut shukar guzaar hun (I am
thankful to all of you) and I am
happy that even today you all have
kept me in your hearts. The love
that I have received from my well-
wishers and fans, Yeh bhagwan
ki kripa hai mujh par (its all by
Gods grace) that I still continue to
get this kind of affection. I request
everyone, Love each other, care
for each other, live with peace and
harmony so you can make the
world more beautiful.
Kaan ki Safai generated laughs.
Last year when Hindi confer-
ence was held at Sydney university
the literature segment was towards
the end and fell short of time.
Same was the case this time as
poets were exceptional but the
schedule was tight. It would be a
good idea that an exclusive session
or an afternoon is devoted fully to
literature so that we can hear all
those creative compositions of
local writers.
Community
Premier honours language teachers
Quarter of a Century Language Teaching Awards were conferred on
Meenakshi Srinivasan for Sanskrit, Shayami Karunaweera for Singhalese,
Malini Somaskanthan for Tamil and Mala Mehta for teaching Hindi language.
! By Neena Badhwar
D
r Meenakshi Srinivasan received an award for
teaching Sanskrit language in Sydney for 25 years.
She also teaches Hindi to adults at Sydney
Universitys Centre for Continuing Education. Of the
31,000 students learning a community language in NSW,
about 9 per cent, that is around 2,700 students, learn one of
the Indian community language such as Tamil, Punjabi,
Bengali, Hindi, Sanskrit, Marathi, Urdu, Malayalam,
Telugu or Kannada. There are Nepali and Tibetan schools
as well catering to about 200 students.
DR MEENAKSHI SRINIVASAN
FOR SANSKRIT
Thrilled at the honour which was conferred on her at the
Federation of Community Languages Annual Dinner by the
NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, Meenakshi explains
many other benefits of language learning.
Learning a second language has proven to be beneficial
for brain development in children and young adults.
Learning the language of their parents helps these
Australian born children to develop a better bond with their
parents and their relatives and also gain easy understanding
of their cultural heritage, customs and beliefs. In the case of
Indian languages, it is beneficial to learn them because it
might result in better job and business opportunities in an
increasingly globalised world.
She compares language learning to Vaak yoga and how
it affects the physiology of vocal cords and the correct pro-
nunciation assists in better training of the mind and body.
The varied levels of slokas have different effects on the
personality. For example, those who are able to recite Sri
Shankaracharya's slokas will have a calming effect.
As Sanskrit is the root of various Indian languages and
also many other languages that are spoken today around the
world, it is essential to learn Sanskrit to understand the root
of these modern day languages. Besides being able to under-
stand an array of historic texts, it can explain why words
may have similar roots and pronunciations in different lan-
guages, Meenakshi says.
MALINI SOMASKANTHAN
FOR TAMIL
Malini Somaskanthan has taught Tamil language at
Homebush Tamil Study Centre for 27 long years, and is still
teaching.
22 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October- November 2017
She says, I was pleased to receive from the Premier the
Quarter of a Century Community Language Teacher
Award for teaching Tamil. I am grateful to the Federation
of Community Language Schools for nominating me for this
award. These awards provide much needed encouragement
for community language school education in Australia. It
can be difficult to show our children our culture and our
identity being so far away from our homeland. Community
language schools serve as a medium to connect our children
to our traditions.
MALA MEHTA FOR HINDI
Mrs Mala Mehta who has been running the IABBV
Hindi School in Thornleigh for the last 30 years was also
ecstatic at receiving an award for teaching Hindi language.
From Mala Aunty, she is now called Mala Nani by the
little ones, she said. There are many teachers who have
spent their valuable Sundays in helping pass their mother
tongues to the community children who were practically
dragged out of their beds on weekends by their parents.
Teaching a community language is not easy in a mono-
culture where English is dominant as the spoken language.
So, the kids protest. But the rewards are there to see as chil-
dren who have now grown into young adults can converse
with their extended family when they visit back home and
able to better understand the culture of their forefathers
land. They are also able to use their bilingual capability to
advantage in their respective careers.
Thanks to these committed teachers who have spent
their life time in such noble community activity.
SHAYAMI KARUNAWEERA
FOR SINHALESE
Shayami Karunaweera was delighted to receive an
award for teaching Sinhalese language for 25 years.
I arrived in Australia with my husband and three
daughters in September 1988. I am now retired after work-
ing for 20 years at the Western Sydney University. It was
not an easy start for us, like with most immigrants. My hus-
band and myself worked hard whilst still raising three
daughters.
When we find fellow Sri Lankans, we find such com-
fort in meeting and sharing our love for our country - this
is how the idea of Sinhala School started. A community that
would allow us to still celebrate our language and culture all
the while educating our children to do the same, Shayami
said.
It is not always easy for anyone to dedicate their time
every Sunday whilst still working full time and also main-
taining family life. I started teaching in 1992 and at that
time my daughters were still quite young. I believe that you
must have a passion for your language and country to have
the ability to teach for so long. When you leave a place
where you have grown up and spent most of your life, your
heart is always there this is part of what allowed me to
continue teaching.
The two and half hours that I spend each Sunday at
Sinhalese school would take me to another world, one
where I am able to expand the minds of young children,
broaden their horizons about their background, culture and
the traditions that we follow.
Parents also have to give up part of their Sundays so
that their children can learn outside their normal school
hours. This is to be admired. Also because of our Sinhala
school, I have had so much support from our community,
whether it be a lift to our local temple or even taking my
husband to a doctors appointment, she says.
I strongly believe that learning your language is so
important especially for children who have grown up in a
different country. This teaches them about their background
and gives them their cultural identity. Growing up in
Australia it allows our children to explore so many different
cultures - we have a distinct advantage living in this beauti-
ful country and still be able to learn about our heritage,
Shayami Karunaweera says.
 Community

Meat and Livestock Australia

stooped low to advertise
lamb through gods from
various religions sitting
around a table, including
Lord Ganesh, raising a toast
with lamb. Protests by
infuriated Hindus have so
far not brought result.

! By Vijay Badhwar ducer members, delivers research, devel- September, advised that the complaint was September in all major cities of Australia to
opment and marketing services to not upheld by the Board. protest against the Bureau decision.

P
robably fearful of the Islamic back- Australias cattle, sheep and goat produc- A people gathering was scheduled on 24
lash, Meat and Livestock Australia ers, according to their company profile.
(MLA) Lamb Ad video does with an The offensive adver-
apology from Prophet Mohammad, but tising has caused inter-
bankrupt of clever ideas and understanding national uproar as
of religious sensitivities, they stoop low to president of Universal
advertise lamb through gods from various Society of Hinduism,
religions sitting around a table, including Rajan Zed, called in a
Lord Ganesh raising a toast with lamb. statement from Nevada
In a meeting organized by Dr Yadu (USA) for strong action
Singh on 11 September at the Multicultural against MLA.
NSW Offices in Parramatta, Indian commu- On September 12,
nity representatives met with the Minister Ms Julia Finn MP, State
for Multiculturalism, Ray Williams, and Member for Granville
Chair of Multicultural NSW, Dr Harry gave notice of a motion
Harinath to express their displeasure with which may be debated in
the offensive video. NSW Parliament calling
Lord Ganesh is one of the most revered on MLA to withdraw the
deities of Hinduism and is invoked at the ad and apologise unre-
beginning of every religious activity among servedly.
Hindus. Associating Lord Ganesh with meat Senior Greek
and alcohol is inappropriate, incorrect, Orthodox Christian Priest
offensive and hurtful, they said. It generates Stephen R. Karcher,
a bad image of Australia, which, otherwise, Buddhist Priest Matthew
is a successful example of multiculturalism. T. Fisher and well-known
The Minister agreed that the community Jewish Rabbi in Nevada-
was offended and agitated. He agreed to California Elizabeth Webb
write a letter to the Meat and Livestock Beyer also
Australia (MLA) and to the Federal denounced
Government authorities, seeking remedial lamb market-
action. ing using reli-
The High Commission of India, gious figures
Canberra, taking note of the protests of which, they
Indian community in Australia, have made a said, trivial-
demarche to the Department of Foreign ized various
Affairs and Trade, Department of religious fig-
Communication and Arts and Department of ures.
Agriculture bringing to their notice an offen- A complaint
sive advertisement by MLA that hurt the was sent to
religious sentiments of the Indian communi- Advertising
ty. Standards
An MLA media release said, The new Bureau by Sai
integrated campaign continues with the Paravastu of
theme that Lamb is the dish that brings Willoughby to
everyone together, with the creative content stop the adver-
for online, social and TV showing the Gods, tisement that hurt
Goddesses and Prophets of different faiths Hindu sentiment.
and beliefs coming together over Lamb at a The Bureau, in a
modern day spring barbecue. letter to Sai
MLA, with about 50,000 livestock pro- Paravastu on 18

October- November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 23

Community
One of Indias most revered classical dance maestros, Pt Rajendra Gangani,
is coming to Sydney not only for a live performance, but also to hold an
intensive six-day Kathak workshop. AKASH ARORA has the low down.
S
ydneys premier Indian cultural
school, Swastik Institute of Dance
has scored a real coup. It has man-
aged to convince one of Indias most
revered classical dance performers, Pandit
Rajendra Gangani, to stage a dazzling
Kathak concert at Parramattas Riverside
Theatre on 28th October. Not only that
Swastik has convinced Pandit Gangani to
host an intensive six-day Kathak work-
shop for students of this timeless art form
in Sydney.
Now, Pt Gangani is a seriously sought-
after talent in India. He is not only the
recipient of the 2003 Sangeet Natak
Akademi Award (the then President of
India, APJ Abdul Kalam, himself hon-
oured Pandit Gangani with the highest
award for contribution to Indian perform-
ing arts), but he is also considered one of
the strongest exponents of this dance form
world-wide.
One of the most crucial reasons why
despite his busy schedule Pandit
Gangani has agreed to travel to Sydney all
the way from India is because he wants to
give Australians the opportunity to experi-
ence the beauty of Kathak, says Sumati
Nagpal, the artistic director of Swastik
Institute of Dance.
While there is no dearth of Indian con-
certs and live shows in Sydney, Pandit
Ganganis performance is unique, in that
its entirely dedicated to Kathak. Our
show, Kathak Darpan, is all about this
classical dance form. Its a rare opportu-
nity for people living in Sydney to experi-
ence the full, true and unadulterated might
of Kathak, adds Nagpal.
The workshop will be held in the week
leading up to the performance at Swastik
Institute of Dance from 22-27 October.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
for people living in Sydney to learn from
such a world-renowned artist. And once
again, its not about Swastik, its about the
art form. This six-day workshop is open
to everyone to all schools and not just
Swastik. Anyone can be part of this work-
shop and learn from it because, at the end
of the day, this whole project is about
Kathak only, says Nagpal.
Ahead of his arrival in Sydney, Pandit
Gangani spoke to us about the show and
the workshop. Excerpts:
Is it true that you cancelled a show in
Ujjain so you can come for Kathak
Darpan in Sydney?
I didnt cancel it, but, yes, I was meant
to perform in Ujjain and the dates clashed
with the timing Swastik had in mind for
this show. So I asked the organisers in
Ujjain if there was any room to re-sched-
ule and there was. So here I am perform-
ing at both the shows.
Tell us a little about your show in
Sydney.
24 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October- November 2017
Draupadi cheer haran to the harmless
ngani will hold
Pandit Rajendra Ga light-hearted flirting between Radha and
k wo rkshop from
the six-day Katha Krishna on the banks of Yamuna.
at Sw as tik Institute
22-27 October
Park, while his
of Dance in Harris So is the show quite spiritual in
rpan, will be
live show, Kathak Da nature?
Theatre in
staged at Riverside I wouldnt say its spiritual I would
tober. For
Parramatta on 28 Oc say its just Kathak. Traditionally, this
04 02 551 841,
more details, call dance form has taken a lot of inspiration
04 31 60 2 843.
0411 817 678 or from Indian mythology. So this show will
encapsulate a lot of that. For instance, one
of the other segments is based on the life
and shlokas of Lord Shiva. But its not all
religious. The Teen Taal segment of the
show, for instance, is all technique-based
all about twirls and footwork and sharp-
ness and fluidity and precision and grace.
Its all about Kathak in its truest form.
Tell us a little about the workshop
youll be conducting for Swastik.
Im really excited about that. Because
thats one thing I havent done in Australia
teach Kathak. This art form is really
close to my heart and nothing gives me
more pleasure than sharing it. And to
share it with people based outside India is
a wonderful opportunity. I have created
the curriculum in such a way that every-
one and anyone whos interested in
Kathak can be part of these workshops
and learn from them. To really gain for
this workshop you will need to be an inter-
mediate or advanced student but that is
the only requirement. Beyond that nothing
else matters. It does not matter how young
or old you are. It does not matter how
long you have learnt Kathak for one
year or 10 years. Everyone and anyone
with a base in Kathak can gain from these
workshops.
Youre quite traditional in your
approach. How do you feel about young
performers who are giving Kathak a
modern, almost Bollywood twist, and
becoming YouTube stars?
I get that question all the time. And I
always use the river and canal analogy.
Kathak is the river. And these dancers are
canals. If you want to move the rivers
water you need the canals. If you want to
communicate the depth and beauty of
Kathak to the new generation, you need
these dancers. As long as their art has a
strong connection to the original as long
as the water in the canals is the water from
the river I have absolutely no objection
to it. Art, like water, is fluid. It moves, it
evolves. And thats perfectly fine. As long
Kathak is such a diverse dance form Yes, its completely steeped in the cul- as it does not lose its purpose and essence.
it can be gracefully slow and furiously ture and tradition of India. One of the seg-
fast. It can have mesmerizing twirls and ments in the show is called Gatbhao. In The six-day Kathak workshop takes
precise footwork. It can be sharp and it this segment the dancers tell stories but place from 22-27 October at Swastik
can be fluid. And what I love about they dont use any words they only use Institute of Dance in Harris Park, while
Kathak Darpan is that it showcases all expressions. And the stories are taken the show, Kathak Darpan, will be staged
these different aspects of the dance form. from some of Indias most revered mytho- at Riverside Theatre in Parramatta on 28
logical epics. Different emotions are tack- October. For more details, call 0402 551
Is it a traditional performance? led, ranging from the terrifying scene of 841, 0411 817 678 or 0431 602 843.

Minister Alex Hawke posing with community members
The Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection,
Alex Hawke, answered immigration related queries at a session
organised by Federation of Indian Associations, NSW
By Neena Badhwar
T
he Assistant Minister for Immigration
and Border Protection, Alex Hawke,
apprised the Indian community on
September 20 at the Madison Function
Centre, Dural, about the Governments
immigration policy in a Q&A session organ-
ised by the Federation of Indian
Associations NSW (FIAN).
The Minister gave details about short
term temporary visas for parents for which
the community has been keenly looking for.
Now, temporary visas for parents for a
period of three years (at $5,000) or five
years ($10,000) are available besides the
$47,000 per parent contributory visa.
The government is concentrating on
economic, student and online visa reforms
in tourist, business, family migration and
trade categories. More security, more bor-
der protection besides drug trafficking, illic-
it foods are some of the challenges the gov-
ernment faces.
Our migration system is the best. Even
President Trump said he would like US to
follow the Australian system as we gave
high priority to integrity and quality. We
continue to set high standards to the man-
agement of people.
Immigration is the most litigated
department as it has more than 200 lawyers
with legal challenges from refugees, asylum
seekers and others. We must get the laws
right and their proper implementation is
important. We are polishing Visa 457
scheme so that temporary long stay work
visas for genuine skilled shortage are in
place, Mr Hawke said.
He also said that citizenship pathways
stayed the same and people needed to show
evidence of work, integration, right English
skills, family values and allegiance to
Australia. The Minister said the migration
Minister Alex Hawke and Dr. Yadu Singh,
FIAN President, at the Q & A Session
program allowed 190,000 migrants every
year from which two-thirds are skilled
migrants and one third comprise refugees,
parents and asylum seekers.
Mr Hawke clarified that students were
allowed to come to Australia to study and
that studying was not a pathway to getting
visa. Students can study and then they must
go back, he said.
Questions were invited from the floor,
moderated by FIAN President, Dr Yadu
Singh.
Dave Passi asked about visitor visas and
why people had to wait long when, some-
times, the situation could be urgent - for
example - sickness, death or perhaps a fam-
ily event.
The Minister said that the volume of
applications from India was quite high but
insisted that online lodgement of visas was a
big success. Genuine application and
integrity issues delayed things: If one per-
son does anything wrong, it makes it diffi-
cult for the next applicant. But I must say
that tourist visas are going well with India.
We want your feedback if youve had
bad experience, he said.
Another question was about English Test
for Citizenship as older people might not
know English.
We have exempted children under the
age of 16 years and people over 60 who do
not have to sit for the test. You cannot
expect older people to come and learn a lan-
guage. He assured it was in the Bill which
was before the parliament.
The Minister said that parents could cost
up to $400,000 on the health care system.
We are not able to provide for all the peo-
ple who may want to bring their parents.
Young people can have older parents and the
cost can go up a lot. The Government is
trying to work out the health insurance for
older people, he said.
Mr Hawke said that the government was
regulating migration agents. Some can
October- November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 25
Community
charge more but good advice should come at
a reasonable price.
We have quite a robust process on
immigration with counter checks and back-
ground checks on Visa 457, he said.
Jagdish Chawla brought to notice the
dilemma the temple priests face as they did
not comply with Governments requirement
of five years training for priesthood.
According to him, Indian priests came from
a lineage training, from father to son or are
trained by a guru.
Alex Hawke said that the government
was trying to understand the cultural tradi-
tions and practices in such cases. Bring
those cases to our attention and we will look
into them, he said.
A case from Perth of 450 students whose
visas were cancelled due to collapse of a
training college was brought to Ministers
notice. We want to know those dodgy
operators, we want to shut down those peo-
ple, he said, adding that the Government
was trying to improve the VET system, edu-
cation colleges and TAFE colleges.
Another question was about IELTS
exam which costed a lot. People had com-
pleted a university degree, yet had to prove
that their English language was good all
over again with the exam. If you failed in
one, you would need to sit in the exam all
over again. Everyone clapped because the
questioner wanted to know whether it was
simply a money-making exercise.
The Minister insisted that, Currently
there is 72 per cent success rate in IELTS
exam and the exam is not too hard.
It was a successful session and the min-
ister patiently answered each and every
query. There were some who praised the
Minister to have taken time to explain
everything.
Delicious food was provided by Ajays
Maya Da Dhaba.
Community

! By Neena Badhwar

T
he South Asian Australian
Association (SAAA) Hindi School
at Kogarah teems with children and
teachers every Sunday. Green Valley
School of Language & Art in the South-
West of Sydney catering to Liverpool and
Fairfield regions is similarly full of chil-
dren and their parents who are keen that
they learn the language.
Mritunjay Singh, on his own initiative
and cost, printed 5,000 flyers, stood at
Kogarah Public School gate to distribute
the flyers and to drop in letter boxes
around the area to raise awareness for
Hindi.
That was in 2015 and just in a matter
of three years the SAAA Hindi School has
grown with enrolment of 90 students and
15 teachers along with a team of volunteer
parents who are always ready with a cup
of tea from the kitchen.
It has been a lot of hard work and
labour of love for Mritunjay Singh, the
Co-Founder Co-ordinator of the school.
He is a full-time Maths teacher at the St.
George Girls High.
It took some convincing the Kogarah Mritunjay Singh with a student on SAAA Hindi Schools India Day function
Public School Principal, Ms Betty Romeo,
for using the classrooms, which have now tle ones to remember and recite these them where they may be making mis- Indian Consulate with his students prepar-
grown to eight classes from two when the poems. The older children are preparing takes, he says. ing for a Diwali tabla performance as he
school started. Not only that, he went the song Mera joota hai Japani, phir bhi SAAA Hindi School is planning a big himself plays the harmonium with them.
ahead and canvassed for Hindi to be dil hai Hindustani whereas the little ones Diwali event on October 14 for which the Comprising many dedicated teachers,
taught in regular school hours. have been learning to sing Jungle Jungle school students have prepared cultural a Hindi Association of NSW was launched
Mritunjay met local MPs, both state Baat Chali Hai Pata Chala Hai, Chaddhi items to put up a showcase for the com- by Mritunjay at the Consulate on
and federal, and got letters of support Pehen Ke Phool Khila Hai a kids poem munity who will come and see for them- September 16.
from them. He even contacted community by the poet Gulzar, he says. selves the proud achievement this school Mritunjay Singh is charged about the
leaders and people involved in Hindi According to Mritunjay, the schools has made in a short span of three years. Hindi Association of NSW as he says that
schools to support his cause. success is because of Dance, Music and The Green Valley School of Language many people have come on board so that,
Talking about his Sunday school Yoga which are also taught besides the & Art in the South-West of Sydney has we can have a stronger platform for the
Mritunjay has left the responsibility to language teaching. We have tried to been running for the last 23 years. One newly arrived Indian migrants to get serv-
teachers and parents in running the engage parents in our activities. We have student of this school was Akash Prasad ices they need to settle here in Australia.
school, himself teaching nursery rhymes parents who help teachers in the class, who has now become its teacher. He says the AGM of the association
and poems to the Hindi kindergarten help marking students work as well as sit- Akashs dedication is simply com- will happen in October when the office
class. ting down with children to guide them mendable. He recently showed an audio- bearers for the association will be
It takes about 2-3 months for the lit- with their work and give suggestions to visual presentation at Hindi Divas at the announced.

Students learning Hindi and much more at SAAA Hindi School Students celebrating Indias Independence Day

26 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October- November 2017

October - November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 27
Santram's Grey Page
By Santram Bajaj
T
his column has been mainly concen-
trating on topics on health and bring-
ing tips to keep healthy, from various
publications of repute. We have tried to
avoid the so called experts on the
Facebook or general internet pages.
Hopefully we have been able to help some in
one way or the other.
Health and Wellbeing
It looks like theflu season is taking a
permanent hold in Australia. The dry winter
has been followed by very windy conditions
We are not talking of the ordinary cough and
cold, which is a discomfort of a few days,
but of the more sinister epidemic, which can
cause severe illness. Hope, you remember
those dreaded Hong Kong or bird flues.
It is the time to go for your flu vaccine,
if you have not done so far. The people at
risk are older people over 65, pregnant
women and children. The vaccine is free in
most cases. Please check with your G.P.
A bit more about the flu:
Influenza (Flu)
Influenza (flu) is a highly contagious
viral infection that spreads easily from per-
son to person through coughing, sneezing
and close contact.
Unlike a cold, symptoms such as fever,
sore throat and muscle aches develop sud-
denly with flu and last about a week. In some
cases, severe illness and complications such
as pneumonia and bronchitis can develop,
which can result in hospitalisation and even
death. The flu can also make some existing
medical conditions worse.
The flu virus can be especially dangerous
for elderly people, pregnant women,
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
and very young children, as well as for peo-
ple with underlying medical conditions.
Causes
Three different types of influenza viruses
infect humans: influenza A, B and C. Only
influenza A and B cause major outbreaks and
severe disease, and these types are included
in seasonal influenza vaccines. Influenza
spreads from person to person through the
air by coughing or sneezing, or by direct
contact with the virus on hard surfaces or
peoples hands. The flu usually differs from
a cold as symptoms develop suddenly, and
can lead to complications such as chest infec-
tions and pneumonia particularly among
the elderly and young children.
Symptoms
Flu symptoms tend to develop abruptly
one to three days after infection, and can
include: tiredness, high fever, chills,
headache, coughing, sneezing, runny noses,
poor appetite, and muscle aches. Most peo-
ple who get the flu will suffer from mild ill-
ness and will recover in around four weeks.
However, some people can develop more
severe health problems, including pneumo-
nia, bronchitis, chest and sinus infections,
heart, blood system or liver complications,
which can lead to hospitalisation and even
death.
Prevention
Annual vaccination is the best way of
preventing the flu and any associated illness.
You should get the flu shot every year
because the flu virus is constantly changing.
Every year, the flu vaccine changes too, so
28 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October-November 2017
it protects against the flu strains which are
most likely to be around during that winter.
There is now evidence that the effective-
ness of the influenza vaccine wanes over
time and its important be protected when the
flu is most common, around August. Ask
your doctor for advice on the best time to
receive your vaccination.
The 2017 flu shot is available since April
from GP surgeries and other immunisation
providers.
The flu vaccine is recommended for
everyone from six months of age, but is
available free under the National
Immunisation Program for people who face
a high risk from influenza and its complica-
tions.
Old age, Heart and Brain
and Dementia
Old age is accompanied by declining
body functions, such as a failing heart, and
very often, a compromised brain. Dementia,
a condition in which a person may struggle
with normal day-to-day activities as a result
of declining memory and brain function, is
common in the elderly.
While consumption of meat, sweets, and
high-fat dairy products that characterise a
Western diet, significantly increases the risk
of Alzheimer's disease, traditional Indian,
which is basically vegetarian diet ,is associ-
ated with reduced risk of the most common
form of dementia, says a study. Fruits, veg-
etables, grains, low-fat dairy products,
legumes, and fish are associated with
reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Heart disease results in vascular insuffi-
ciency which has potential to impair func-
tions in other organs including brain. What
keeps the heart healthy can also keep the
brain functioning adequately. This associa-
tion is possibly due to the fact that healthy
Nine foods that tackle inflammation
T
he majority of serious progressive
diseases hassling the Western
world are in one way or another
caused by chronic inflammation. This
includes arthritis, type 2 diabetes, cardio-
vascular disease and more. The good
news is that its relatively easy to manage
chronic inflammation just through diet and
small lifestyle changes. And when inflam-
mation is dealt with, it reverses the pro-
gressive illnesses caused by it.
1. Fatty fish
Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines
are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids
that reduce inflammation. If you dont
like eating fish, consider taking fish oil
supplements.
2. Whole grains
They are a good source of fibre and
are low in sugar and are ideal for reduc-
ing inflammation.
3.Green leafy vegetables
Spinach, kale, collard greens and
broccoli are already praised for their
health benefits. The high Vitamin E con-
tent in them helps protect the body from
inflammation-causing substances like
cytokines.
4. Nuts
Nuts, especially almonds and walnuts,
are packed full of antioxidants that help
reduce inflammation. Almonds contain
high levels of Vitamin E, calcium and
fibre, while walnuts are rich in a type of
omega-3 fatty acid called alpha linolenic
acid.
5. Soy
Soy and soy products are a rich source
of isoflavones, which lower the levels of
arteries and veins ensure a constant supply of
oxygen to and removal of toxic wastes from
the brain. Improving blood circulation in the
body can have long-ranging effects on the
whole body.
The brain is greatly benefited by a
healthy heart, and taking good care of your
heart will ensure that your brain stays
healthy for longer.
Loneliness and isolation
Loneliness and isolation appear to be
destructive to the heart. They have been
known to increase the risk of early mortali-
ty, alter immune system and cause illnesses,
the psychological outcomes of which are low
self-esteem and depression.
The depression leads to heart disease.
The connection between depression and
heart diseases is incredibly irrefutable.
It is no wonder then that feelings of iso-
lation and loneliness easily give way to
depression and finally to heart disease. Keep
yourself, socially active. Visit friends; go to
temple, Gurudwara or any religious place
(even if you dont believe in God!). This
way you can kill your loneliness. In addi-
tion to being socially involved, getting treat-
ed at the right time for depression seems to
be the mantra.
Meditation has been found to be of
immense help in reducing the feeling of
loneliness and depression.
ELDER ABUSE
What is Elder Abuse?
'Elder abuse can be defined as a single,
or repeated act, or lack of appropriate
action, occurring within any relationship
where there is an expectation of trust which
causes harm or distress to an older person.
Elder abuse can take various forms such as
physical, psychological or emotional, sexual
and financial abuse. It can also be the result
of intentional or unintentional neglect.
C-reactive proteins in the body and thus
reduce the chances of inflammation.
Avoid processed soy as the additives and
preservatives in it will destroy the bene-
fits. Consume tofu, soy milk and
edamame (boiled soya beans), for maxi-
mum benefits.
6. Beetroot
Beetroots are packed full of fibre,
Vitamin C and antioxidants and are known
for its blood pressure-lowering properties
as well as reducing inflammation.
7. Onions
Onions are not just remarkably great
at boosting the flavour of food; they are
also very good for keeping inflammation
at bay. Onions contain several anti-inflam-
We have the tendency to hide this kind
of abuse for fear of
bringing shame
to the family or
loss of face
or loss of self
respect per-
sonally. But
t h e
Government
has estab-
lished The
NSW Elder Abuse
Helpline & Resource
Unit, as part of the NSW Ageing Strategy to
help intervene and prevent incidences of
elder abuse. The Unit can be contacted on
1800 628 221 by anyone, if they suspect
elder abuse is occurring.
HUMOUR
A small boy parks his bicycle near the
Parliament house and walks on. A police con-
stable stops him and asks him, Dont you
know, many MPs, cabinet ministers and
politicians and other VIPs pass from here?
The boy replied innocently, Dont worry
sir, I have put a big chain and locked my
bicycle.
Disclaimer
The Health tips and information in the
article are taken from various well estab-
lished and reliable sources and are given
to you in good faith. However, readers
are reminded to take care and consult
their doctor if not sure, as no responsibil-
ity can be accepted by the writer of this
column or The Indian Down Under).
matory substances like quercetin and
allicin that break down to form sulfonic
acid that, in turn, fight free radicals.
8. Garlic
It might have a strong smell, but thats
no reason to stay away from this healthy
vegetable! Garlic has many compounds
that work in the same way as non steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs and shuts down
the inflammation molecular pathway.
9. Berries
Almost all types of berries are good
for fighting inflammation, especially the
bright red-coloured berries like raspber-
ries and strawberries which contain anti-
inflammatory compounds. called antho-
cyanin.

Passion is the petrol that keeps the engine of your life running. Its powerful
energy is the secret behind success, achievement, and a joyous life.
! By Suma Varughese
T
ulsidas, the poet saint who
wrote the
Rancharitramanas, was full
of lust for his wife, Buddhimati.
So much so that when she went to
her parents house for a holiday,
he followed her there late at night.
It was a wild and stormy night and
Tulsidas had to battle a raging
river in spate which he did by the
power of his passion. When he
reached her home, he mistook a
snake for a creeper and used its
power to hoist himself into her
room. The shocked Buddhimati
looked at her dripping wet and
panting husband and said reprov-
ingly, If you had half the passion
for God that you have for this mor-
tal body of mine which will soon
fall prey to worms, you would
surely attain enlightenment.
Stunned to the core of his being
by the truth of what she said,
Tulsidas turned on his heels and
left her; he spent the next 14 years
in sanyas, passionately immersed
in his love for Lord Ram.
A question of passion
Not everyone can boast of pas-
sion. Wasnt it Thoreau who said
that the mass of men lead lives of
quiet desperation?
Even if our lives dont embody
quiet desperation, how many of us
can claim they embody passion?
How many of us are afire with love
of life every moment of the day?
How many of us pour ourselves
into everything we do? How many
of us are consumed by a project, a
person or a cause?
Lets face it, most of us just go
through the motions, simply cop-
ing with the mountain of chores,
duties and responsibilities we have
to juggle every day, before we
crash exhausted into bed. But that
does not mean that passion is
denied us in this lifetime. We too
can lead a life of joy and brio; of
passionate purpose that infuses our
life with meaning and makes each
moment a deep experience.
What is passion?
To start with the basics. What
is passion? Passion is the power
that drives us long after our energy
forsakes us. It is what takes us
back to the drawing board time and
time again, until we finally have it
right. It is what enables us to prop
up our drooping eyes, straighten
our slumping form and continue
labouring into the night long after
exhaustion has rung in. It is what
enables us to climb mountains, dis-
cover continents, uncover the
secrets of life and create enduring
works of art.
The script of excellence is writ-
ten with the ink of passion. With
passion as our partner, sooner or
later success will be ours. Passion
is the petrol that runs the engines
of our lives. Without passion our
lives sooner or later judder to a
halt, or chug along lackadaisically.
Among the millions of gifts life
showers us with, passion is one of
the choicest. Joseph Campbell
rightly says, Passion will move
men beyond themselves, beyond
their shortcomings, beyond their
failure.
The reason why passion is such
a power is that it is sourced in
desire, and each of us is given the
energy we need to attain any desire
we may feel. Desire comes with an
inbuilt energy pack. For instance,
if a desire for a pizza consumes us
and we have the money to pay for
it, most of us will immediately call
for it, or if we cannot get through,
send someone to collect it, or if
that fails and depending on how
strong our desire is, we will go to
the outlet ourselves. If we live
beyond the reach of pizza, we will
get around to making it. The same
is true for a movie we want to see,
or a book we want to read. And if
we want to meet a lover, nothing
on earth can stop us.
Passion generates
energy
When his desire for his wife
became converted to desire for lib-
eration, Tulsidass energy pack
magnified in proportion.
Thus, when we live life pas-
sionately we have at our disposal
an endless supply of energy,
because the more energy we use to
achieve our purpose passionately,
the more becomes available to us.
We tap into an inexhaustible
source.
Acquiring passion
So how does one acquire pas-
sion? Or stoke its embers into a
constant steady flame?
The foundation for passion as
for any good quality is set in child-
hood. In his book, The Road Less
Travelled, Scott L Peck, says that
it is the love that parents give chil-
dren in childhood that enables
them to develop the self-esteem
that is essential for living. He says,
When children have learned
through the love of their parents to
feel valuable, it is almost impossi-
ble for the vicissitudes of adult-
hood to destroy their spirit.
A sense of being valuable gives
us clear access to the energy flow-
ing within us, which can otherwise
get blocked by self-doubt, fear,
anxiety and negative circum-
stances.
But even if we have been
deprived of self-esteem in child-
October-November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 29
hood, we can still find our way to
passion, for life itself often aston-
ishingly makes us whole.
Another factor that can dissi-
pate passion is our disproportion-
ate attention to only those areas of
our lives that drive our passion. If
our passion is solely focussed on
work and we ignore other aspects,
our lives will topple into misery,
and we will eventually squander
our passion.
The spiritual outlook
Mostly passion dies because
our default approach to life is not
guaranteed to keep it going. What
do you do when you cant get the
work of your dreams no matter
how many doors you knock at?
What do you do when surrounded
by people who put you down and
emotionally abuse you? What do
you do when your sweetheart jilts
you and takes along your passion
for life with them? How do you
make sure passion flows through
all areas of your life?
Only the capacity to work on
ourselves, the willingness to
change and grow, and an access to
the higher truths can enable us to
lead an ongoingly passionate life.
A life where we are passionate
about everything, not just one
thing. A life that enables us to pay
attention and focus on the smallest
task. A life that enables us to tend
to the flame ongoingly. In other
words, a life attuned to spiritual
growth.
Spirituality is really the journey
of eliminating our false self and
finding our true self. This means
eliminating all the negative feel-
ings that characterise our ego self
and reclaiming our true nature of
peace, love, joy, compassion and
yes, passion.
The more we work on our-
Body Mind Spirit
selves, the less vulnerable we will
be to outside forces that can damp-
en and destroy our passion.
Neither failures, nor societal pres-
sure, not discouragement or
depression can affect us for too
long. Through paying loving atten-
tion to all that arises, we learn to
dissipate these forces and reclaim
our true heritage of enthusiasm,
confidence and commitment.
And eventually we reach a
stage when there truly is nothing
between us and life. A moment
when the shadows of the past and
future dissipate and disappear. We
are left in full possession of the
moment, to relish it, to squeeze
every bit of juice out of it and to
slurp it up. Joy, passion and love
surge out of us and encompass all
that we do. Everything, even the
most mundane act such as brushing
our teeth or bathing becomes
deeply enjoyable, a memorable
moment. It is then that we know
what it is to truly live, to be what
the sages call us: amrutasya putra-
ha (children of immortality).
Osho describes this state of
mind beautifully, Death is a con-
stant reminder that, I can come
any moment. Be prepared. And
what is the preparation? The
preparation is: live life so totally,
so intensely, be so aflame with it
that when death comes there is no
complaint, there is no grudge. You
are absolutely ready because you
have lived life so totally, you have
known all its mysteries there is
no point in living anymore. Death
has come exactly at the right time,
when you may have thought to die
yourself. I call that death perfect
which comes at the moment when
you yourself may have thought, It
is enough.
What more can we say?
Courtesy: Life Positive Magazine
Travel
Heaven
across the
Tasman
! By Vijay Badhwar
I
f a trip to Rocky Mountains
seems too distant, try neigh-
bouring New Zealand for an
equally beautiful landscape. If
even New Zealand seems far
away, or just for the sake of saving
the hassle of international travel,
just go to Tasmania and you will
be similarly entranced with its
lakes, waterfalls and spectacular
mountains.
If the recently stuck label on
Jetstar by consumer watchdog
Choice as the worlds worst air-
line does not worry you (what the
heck, its less than two hours fly-
ing time!), for $79 you are across
the Tasman, sans jetlag, sans lan-
guage barrier, sans currency has-
sles. Immediately after landing,
our first experience with the fresh-
ness in the zephyr is heavenly.
Past Launceston Airport, as we are
driven to the rental car pickup yard
by its manager speaking in heavily
rolled Oustraalian (who makes us
feel absolutely at home being from
Punjab), there is that stillness of
farms, far far away from the mad-
dening crowds of Sydney.
There are six of us - Badhwars,
Joses and Goplanis who have
opted to try farm stay this time. As
we would experience later, these
are not corrugated iron stables they
offer in the market for short stay
but grand mansions with panelled
interiors and hardwood roof beams
with mortised joints of near sculp-
tural quality.
There are many choices for
stay after the school holidays in
beautiful Tamar Valley and also
close to Launceston
30 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October-November 2017
Airport in Evandale that a friend
Kirit Ruparelia had recommended.
We take the latter option and not
disappointed to stay in the tiny her-
itage township.
Next day we are on the move,
first for a drive along Tamar River
and then a short walk in the
Cataract Gorge Reserve, skipping
the oft-recommended Tamar
Valley wine route due to paucity of
time.
A large part of the drive
towards Devonport and Penguin is The incredible Cradle Mountain
along the picturesque north coast
of Tasmania but there are no pen-
guins to be seen around the town
bearing the name. A small colony
of penguins, however, can be seen
around Ulverstone around dusk but
keep a careful watch for the sign to
come off the highway.
The world heritage-listed
Cradle Mountains is one of the
most visited places not only in
Tasmania but throughout
Australia. Therefore, accommoda-
tion at the park is always at a pre-
mium and hard to come by unless
booked well in advance. Peppers
Cradle Mountain Lodge is one of
the top 10 extraordinary places to
stay according to Lonely Planet
guide. Outside the park, there is
affordable accommodation in Mole
Creek and Sheffield within a 90- Penal colony on Sarah Island
minutes picturesque drive.
Cars are not allowed beyond other national parks the Cradle Mountain is unpre- settlement of Sarah Island.
the visitor centre at Cradle in Tasmania. dictable and it can be very cold and Although Australia is replete with
Mountain. There are shuttle buses There are short and gentle miserable; so, going prepared with heritage prisons and settlements, a
every fifteen minutes to take visi- walks of 30-minute duration to rain gear and warm jackets is solo enactment of the harsh reali-
tors to and fro between the visitor tough walks to the mountain peak always recommended. ties of life at the island makes it a
centre and various walks. It also of eight-hour duration. The gentle Along the west coast from worthwhile experience articulated
requires a permit for park entry walks are boardwalks to protect Strahan there are day cruises for with a relaxing day at the cruise
that costs $60 per car and is valid the flora and fauna and are magical Franklin-Gordon Rivers that also with sumptuous lunch.
for eight weeks including visits to for the senses like the Enchanted include short walks in the rainfor- It would be a sin to go to
Walk. The weather at est, as well as a visit to the penal Tassie and not visit the Nelson
Falls. Off the Lyell Highway
between Queenstown and Derwent
Bridge it is a short boardwalk of
700 metres to the Fall. The Sun
rays filtering through the rainfor-
est create a surreal scene; a variety
of ferns draw a magical foliage to
the accompaniment of the sound of
running water. The stepped water
fall glistens in the sun rays from
behind; the haze of water vapours
blocks the remaining background
to highlight only the falls. Its an
amazing scene making the posters
all around Tasmania - at Visitor
Centres and at the airports, and
now you can see it in real.
There are many other walks in
the Franklin-Gordon National Park
accessed from the highway. A
lover of nature can spend days
Hells Gate Lighthouse Straha Continued on page 31
n

Continued from page 30
exploring the natural beauty.
On the way to Hobart we had
the best stay at a farmhouse at
Sassafras Springs an hours drive
before the biggest city in
Tasmania. With the background of
hills at a distance and rolling
farms, it was natural living in the
real baskets provided to collect
eggs, vegetables patches marked to
collect your own greens, apple and
Farmhouse stay with friends Jose and Harry Gopalani in Launceston
plum orchards and so sparkling-
ly clean that we all wished that we
had a longer stay there.
Hobart has plenty to offer
markets, eating places, nature
walks and short cruises. A drive to
Mt Wellington offers a birds eye
view from the mountain top. Then
it has MONA (Museum of Old and
New Art) that has placed the city
on the map of art lovers through-
out the world. Architect Fender
Travel
Wine Glass Bay
if you are a selfie fan. Tasmania is its coast, that an everlasting scene
Katsalidis has truly created a land- a visitors paradise. There are so on the memory canvas is etched.
mark, albeit not quite in the ranks many places truly worthy of men- For places to visit, a publication -
of Bilbao and Guggenheim, but tion outside the few mentioned, for 60 Great Short Walks - makes an
close, especially its entry. Its con- example, its infamous Port Arthur excellent tourist guide.
tents, however, attract widely and many islands and bays around
ranging opinions.
Tasmanias east coast is equal-
ly spell-binding Freycinet,
Bicheno and a great visitor attrac-
tion, Wine Glass Bay. The latter is
a fair hike up the mountain but
worth going up the top, especially
Inside
the farm house
in Launceston
October-November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 31
Columns

How to get good sleep for well-being

Dos and donts for a good sleep
! The Indian science of longevity called Ayurveda recommends that
we should sleep three hours after sunset and wake up two hours
before sunrise.
! Those who want to enjoy the pleasures of the world and relaxation
should sleep on their left side and those sleeping on the right side
will gain from sensuousness.
! Take oil bath twice a week to ease your muscles and reduce tension.
! Drink some milk 30 minutes before you go to bed and you will be
VasthuSastra assured of uninterrupted sleep.
! Meditation before sleeping is encouraged to calm the mind.
By T. Selva ! Dwellers are discouraged from sleeping on their back because it
does not harmonise the body, mind and spirit. Such a position will

O
ne of the biggest challenge
of almost every individual is
getting a quality sleep every
night. Most of us go to bed but how
many of us really get a decent
snooze?
Getting an adequate number of
hours of slumber is important for
our body, mind and spirit; and this
regime is required throughout our
life. According to Vasthu Sastra the
location and direction we snooze can
determine our mood, energy, think-
ing power, health and happiness
when we wake up.
At a recent conference on
Vasthu Sastra and astrology in
Delhi, India, I participated in, the
need to clock in adequate hours of
sleep was discussed actively by
practitioners applying ancient sci-
ences because it is directly related to
health and well-being of everyone.
Vasthu experts spoke about the
importance of location and sleeping
directions while astrologers showed
how planets like Moon, Mars,
Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune could
influence our nap.
In the Indian science of architec-
ture, the location where an individ-
ual sleep is vital and this is based on
the five elements fire, water, air,
earth and ether.
If you are a hyper active person
and have issues with anger you
should avoid sleeping in the south-
east, which is the fire quadrant.
The recommended space should
be north-east, northwest, south-
west, east, west and south.
Any person having air related
issues like gassy, feeling full or hav-
ing indigestion should stay away
from sleeping in the air corner of
north-west.
He or she should occupy south,
south-west, south-east, north, south
and east.
If you are suffering from insom-
nia and mood problems, stay away
from the north-east quadrant.
South, west, north and east
quadrants should be ideal locations
to deal with your issues.
Next the direction you sleep is
equally significant because the
wrong direction could lead you to
having bad dreams, waking up feel-
ing fatigue, having a restless night
or disturbed sleep.
Totally avoid sleeping with your
head towards the north and legs
towards the south.
In this position, your energy will
be drained out of your body.
This direction is harmful to
health and could lead to you having
nightmare, stress, sleeping disorder
and frequently falling sick.
The recommended directions are
placing your head towards the west,
east or south. Placing your head in
the sub directions of north-east,
north-west, south-west and south-
promote diseases, reduce body energy level and lead to illness.
Sleeping on the stomach should be avoided because it will obstruct
your breathing pattern.
! Switch off smart phone and electronic gadgets
Things you should avoid before bedtime
! Dont take your work to bed
! Avoid arguments before sleep
! No alcohol before hitting bed
! Avoid sleeping with your pet dog or cat
! Stay away from caffeinated drinks
! Keep away from spicy food
! No smoking
east are allowed. Certain planets after you close your eyes and rest in
also determine our sleep. If you are bed if you are under the influence of
going through strong presence of Neptune. You will make up having
moon in your astrological chart you low esteem, feeling lethargic and
are likely to experience emotional stressful.
swings and unwanted thoughts when Dr T. Selva is the author of the
you go to bed. You may have an bestseller Vasthu Sastra Guide book
interrupted sleep or some nights and the first disciple of 7th-genera-
without sleep if you are undergoing tion Vasthu Sastra master Yuvaraj
Uranus influence. Sowma from Chennai, India. His
Those undergoing the Saturn master and he will be visiting
period in their birth chart should Sydney from July 6 to 10. For an
exercise extra care and practise appointment call Devi at
good sleep habits or your sleep can 0412623017. He can be reached at
be in disarray. You are highly drtselvas@gmail.com Website:
unlikely to have a blissful sleep even www.vasthusastra.com

THE HUMOR OF MELVIN DURAI

Nothing excites me like our solar energy potential

imagine how much cooking you need to have more electric cars on prices! That's why I'm excited
can do. the road, and after that, we can about Professor Raman's
According to a Press Trust of figure out how to recharge them research."
India report, Goyal also stated that using solar energy. By then, of First driver: "What is he
the country has immense solar course, the free market will figure doing?"
potential, as much as 748 GW. I out a way to make sure that solar Second driver: "Professor
wasn't sure what GW stands for, energy isn't free. And the govern- Raman is developing cutting-edge
but Conway confirmed that it ment will jump in and make sure technology that will allow us to
stands for "good wives". A good we pay a solar tax. Because our generate energy from the moon.

I
ndia's Minister of New and
Renewable Energy Piyush
Goyal recently told the Rajya
Sabha that the country added
5,525 MW of solar power genera-
tion capacity in the last fiscal year
and now boasts a total of 12,288
MW.
I wasn't sure exactly what MW
stands for, so I checked with
Kellyanne Conway, Donald
Trump's adviser, and she told me
that it stands for "microwaves". In
other words, India currently pro-
duces enough solar energy to
operate 12,288 microwaves non-
stop. Isn't that exciting? Just
wife is someone who is able to do
all the household tasks cooking,
cleaning and washing on solar
power alone. When her husband
comes home and finds out how
well she used solar energy, he
pats her on her back and says,
"That's a good wife!"
I know what you're thinking:
Shouldn't we also be measuring
solar power in GH (good hus-
bands)? After all, there are many
men who either stay at home and
perform household tasks or at
least help their wives with some
of the tasks. The problem is that
GH is already being used as a
measurement of sound frequency.
It measures how far a sound wave
travels before a good husband
yells, "Turn it off! I'm trying to
watch cricket!" I'm very excited
about the future of solar energy.
We should be using as much
renewable energy as we can.
That's why I'm really eager to get
involved and help promote the
solar industry, whether it means
buying solar panels or appearing
on panels about solar energy. I
don't know if it will happen in my
lifetime, but I'm looking forward
to solar-powered cars. First, we
cars won't be able to generate
enough solar energy by them-
selves, we'll have to go to solar
pump stations, where solar energy
that was collected through solar
farms will be "pumped" into our
cars. On cloudy or cold days,
when there's little sunlight, we'll
complain about rising solar prices.
Some of us will yearn for the
good old days when we had cars
that ran on gas.
First driver: "At least in the
old days, we didn't have to pay
more whenever it rained."
Second driver: "I'm tired of
solar energy and these fluctuating
Lunar energy is the future! You
can get it day and night."
First driver: "Don't be a
lunatic!"
While solar-powered cars may
be a few decades away, solar-
powered homes may be just
around the corner for many peo-
ple. Companies like Tesla are
developing building materials that
harness solar energy. A home that
generates its own energy is a won-
derful thing. I hope I can own one
by the time I retire, so I can save
lots of money. Some old folks
move in with their son I'd rather
depend on the sun.

32 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October-November 2017

Matrimonials
Mat16052016MM. Match for my daughter
Hindu Gujarati Australian born brought up vegetar-
ian well cultured 28 year old girl, beautiful, fair, tall
5.7, educated completed Diploma in Paralegal and
also Completed Bachelor of Business and Currently
Studying Bachelor of Law - University of Western
Sydney Rose Hill Part time while working full time
with Department of Immigration. Looking for a
Hindu, fair, tall and handsome, vegetarian non
smoker and non drinker preferred, 5.10ft to 6 ft. tall
highly educated please contact by email - krish-
nagopee9@gmail.com
Mat170616MS. Looking for a suitable match
for boy, 39 year old, 5 8 tall, divorcee. Running an
Australian Grill restaurant. Hindu, educated, good
traditional values would like a girl from Australia
with similar values and traditions. Divorcees can
apply. Belongs to well settled family with grandpar-
ents and uncles living in Sydney. Write to: The
Indian Down Under, PO Box 99, Thornleigh NSW
2120 quoting Mat no.: Mat170616MS.
Mat140616DH. Qualified professional match
for Bengali boy, Australian citizen, 31, 510,
Master in Finance, FRM, Manager in a leading
bank. Girl should be Hindu, 23 28 years, slim, pro-
fessionally qualified, Australian Citizen or PR.
Please send details to vidhu7612@gmail.com
Mat190616SG. Suitable alliance sought from
girls 28-30 for a boy 33 years, 511tall, finishing
MBBS internship at the end of this year. Family
well settled in Australia, Hindu and believes in
Indian tradition and well versed in western ways.
Girls from similar academic background, preferably
from families living in Australia with similar beliefs
and respect for Indian culture. Write to; The Indian
Down Under PO Box 99 Thornleigh NSW 2120
quoting Mat No.: Mat190616SG
Mat200616VG. Suitable matrimonial alliance
sought from boys 30-34 years for a 56 tall doctor
girl, specialising currently. Belongs to well settled
Hindu family and is comfortable with both in Indian
as well as western culture. Local boys from similar
family background, doctor, lawyer or IT profession-
al are welcome. Write to The Indian Down Under
PO Box 99 Thornleigh and quoting Mat No.:
Mat200616VG.
R.I.P. Raghubir Singh
Assemblies on Indian national days will
miss the presence of one of the foremost
Indophiles, Raghubir Singh, who passed away
after a prolonged illness on 28 July, aged 89. He
was formerly the director of India Tourist Office
in Sydney, later deciding to settle in Australia.
The Singh family arrived in Australia in
1978 when only a few people of Indian back-
ground lived in Sydney. The Indian officials
then dominated the scene from the Consulate,
Tourism, Tea Board, State Trading Corporation,
Indian Reassurance etc. Everyone knew each
other and found solace in each other company
having left their families and friends back in
India. Their love was special, not missing a
weekend without each others company.
The Singh family was untouched by west-
ern formalities which they more than compen-
sated for with their simple love and affection.
They used to hold regular get togethers for
politicians and officials visiting from India and
Monika Geetmala
Sundays - 10am - 3pm
89.7fm Eastside Radio
or
Tune into:
www.eastside.org
Nonstop entertainment at home, in
car, on your computer or radio...
October - November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 33
the whole community was invited.
Deciding to settle in Australia after retire-
ment from the Indian service, Raghubir Singh
devoted his time to settle his now grown up
family. He made sure and felt proud that every-
one was well-settled under his umbrella in the
traditional India way. He compiled his achieve-
ments in a book form describing his earlier vil-
lage days, continuing education alongside his
working life and reaching a highly ranked posi-
tion of a director at India Tourism. At their 50th
marriage anniversary celebrations, he felt con-
tent that as an elder he had looked after his fam-
ily well.
Raghubir Singh will be missed for his love
of India, his concern over political directions
sometimes Indian politicians were taking and
his deep insight of Indian politics. He is sur-
vived by his wife, Bimla, four sons, two daugh-
ters and grandchildren. A life well lived.
May his soul rest in peace.
34 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October - November 2017
 The Kersi Meher-Homji Column

India hope to rise as No. 1 in ODIs

The duel between Virat Kohli and Steven
Smith will ignite the series. India (3-0) at the
time of going to press) will need to win
the series 4-1 to leapfrog South Africa to
the title of the top team in ODIs

I
ndia is currently ranked number one in
Test cricket. A convincing victory in
the current One-Day International
(ODI) series against Australia will see her
reach top-ranking in ODIs as well.
Currently South Africa is ranked No. 1
with 119 points. Australia and India are
joint No. 2 with 117 points each.
Whoever wins this 5-match series will
leapfrog South Africa to the title of the top
team in ODIs as long as the margin of vic-
tory is 4-1. A 3-2 win margin will leave
the winner in second place and relegate
the loser to third. With this possibility in
sight and two extremely combative cap-
tains Steve Smith and Virat Kohli in
charge, one can be sure that the teams will
fight till the last drop of blood in their
body.
India started well leading the series 1-
0 after a thrilling 26 run victory by
Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method in the
first ODI in Chennai.
India started disastrously losing 3 for
11. Kohli was caught spectacularly by
Glenn Maxwell for a duck. Nathan
Coulter-Nile captured all three scalps. The
slide continued and India looked sure los-
ers at 5 for 87. Then a magnificent 118
run partnership between Hardik Pandya
(83 sensational runs with five fours and
five towering sixes three in a row off
spinner Adam Zampa) and MS Dhoni
Indias squad for the
ODIs in India
Captain Virat Kohli, openers Rohit
Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan* and Lokesh
Rahul, wicket-keeper batsman MS
Dhoni, middle order batsmen Ajinkya
Rahane and Manish Pande, all-
rounders Hardik Pandya and Kedar
Jadhav, spinners Kuldeep Yadav (slow
left-arm Chinaman), Axar Patel# (slow
left-arm orthodox) and Yuzvendra
Chahal (leg-spinner) and speedsters
Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav.
*Dhawan was out of the squad for the
first three ODIs to look after his sick
wife.
#Ravindra Jadeja replaced injured
Axar Patel in the squad for the first
few matches
Indian selectors have erred in resting
the experienced Ashwin.
7-94 and 6-60 in Chittagong, the Test
Australia won.
He became only the second overseas
bowler to capture 13 wickets in a Test in
Asia. The first one was Englands leg-
endary all-rounder Ian Botham. In the
Golden Jubilee Test against India in
Australias squad for the
ODIs in India
Captain Steve Smith, vice-captain and
opening batsman David Warner, dash-
ing opener Aaron Finch*, wicket-keep-
er Matthew Wade, middle order bat
Marcus Stoinis, sort of all-rounders
Hilton Cartwright, Glenn Maxwell,
James Faulkner and Travis Head, fast
bowlers Josh Hazlewood, Pat
Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile and
spinners Ashton Agar and Adam
Zampa.
*Because of injury, Finch is replaced
by Peter Handscomb for the first three
ODIs.
Mumbai in February 1980, fast-medium
Botham had taken 6-58 and 7-48 besides
scoring 114 as England won by 10 wick-
ets. Before Lyon, no Australian bowler
had taken 13 wickets in a Test in Asia. He
also took three consecutive five-fors
against Bangladesh.
And his reward? Being dropped from
both the ODI and T20I squads for India
where spins the thing!
Economy rates are more important
than averages in ODIs and T20s, you
might say. My quick answer: Lyons
Here is the programme of ODIs and
Twenty20 Internationals (T20I)
between India and Australia in India
Fixtures for five ODIs
1st ODI at Chennai on September 17.
2nd ODI at Kolkata on September 21.
3rd ODI at Indore on September 24.
4th ODI at Bengaluru on September 28.
5th ODI at Nagpur October 1.
Fixtures for three T20Is
1st T20I at Ranchi on October 7.
2nd T20I at Guwahati on October 10.
3rd T20I at Hyderabad on October 13.
It may be remembered that Kohlis
form had slumped against Australia in
the Test series earlier in the year. Will
he spring back to his best in the next
few weeks against his favourite
opponents?
The duel between him and Steven
Smith will ignite the series.
economy rate in those two Tests was 2.35.
That is, he conceded a measly 2.35 runs
per over. Australia will surely miss Lyon.

Kuldeep bags hat-trick as

(79), India managed a respectable 7 for
281.
Then came rains and Australias win
target became 164 runs in 21 overs by

India go up 2-0 on Aussies

D/L method. Apart from Maxwell (39
high rise runs with three fours and four
sixes at an amazing strike rate of 216.66)
others flopped to the wrist spin of
Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav

C
and could score only 9 for 137 to lose by hinaman Kuldeep
26 runs. Yadav bagged a
For his spectacular 83 runs and 2 for hat-trick as India
33 spell, Pandya was adjudged Man of the rode a dominant bowling
Match. performance to bowl out
Earlier, under Virat Kohli India had Australia for 202 and win
performed magnificently in Sri Lanka the second ODI by 50 runs
winning all nine internationals; all three at the Eden Gardens here
Tests, all five ODIs and one T20I. And on Thursday.
seven out of these nine internationals were In three successive
won by India by huge margins. So no deliveries, Kuldeep (3/54)
wonder India is feeling on top of the took the wickets of
world. Mathew Wade, Ashton
Australia, on the other hand, had a Agar and Pat Cummins in
tough two-Test series in Bangladesh, los- the 33rd over to become
ing the first Test by 20 runs and winning the second bowler in limit-
the next by seven wickets to draw the ed overs cricket to script a
series one-all. hat-trick at this venue and
The selection of the Australian squad only the third Indian to
had one notable omission. Off-spinner record the rare feat in 50
Nathan Lyon broke many records in overs cricket.
Bangladesh recently and along with open- Earlier, India posted
ing batsman David Warner was behind 252 riding Virat Kohli's
Australia squaring the series. 92 and Ajinkya Rahane's
Like Indian spinners, Lyon opened the 55.
attack for Australia in the second Test in With that India now led
Chittagong. He took 22 wickets at 14.31 the five-match series 2-0.
in the two-Test series; 3-79 and 6-82 in Kuldeep Yadav was ecstatic getting three wickets in 3 balls.
the Dhaka (Mirpur) Test and an amazing

October- November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 35

The Kersi Meher-Homji column

Bravo Kohli and Team India for

whitewash victories over Sri Lanka
I
ndia under Virat Kohli grinded Sri
Lanka to dust in all nine internation-
als played in Sri Lanka; winning the
Test series 3-0, the One Day
International (ODI) series 5-0 and the
only Twenty20 international (T20I).
And it was not just winning those
matches; it was the margin of victories
which is staggering. Just have a look at
the results and marvel:
India won the first Test by 304 runs,
the second by an innings and 53 runs
and the third by an innings and 171
runs.
India won the first ODI by nine wick-
ets, the second by three wickets, the
third by six wickets, the fourth by 168
runs and the fifth by six wickets.
One might say that apart from the
second and third ODIs, India won the
other seven internationals unopposed.
Crushing victories!
Let me detail the fifth and final ODI
which concluded in early September.
With Lahiru Thirimanne (67 runs) and
Angelo Mathews (55) adding 122 runs
for the fourth wicket, Sri Lanka started
well for once. But then Indias pacemen
Bhuvneshwar Kumar taking 5 for 42 and
Jasprit Bumrah 2 for 45, the host team
was dismissed for 238.
India lost 2 for 29 but then skipper
Kohli (110 not out) and Kedar Jadav
(63) got together and India won by 6
wickets and the series 5-0. It was for the
first time that Sri Lanka had suffered a nka
whitewash (losing all matches) in a bilat- wh o wa s M an of Series against Sri La al
ra h
eral ODI series at home. ra t Ko hl i co m m ending Jasprit Bum lf re ac he d a m ile stone during the fin
Skipper Vi ries. Kohli him se
Bhuvneshwar was adjudged the Man et s in 5-match ODI se s.
for pi ck in g up 15 wi ck only 186 ODI inning
of the Match and Bumrah the Man of the ODI: 10,000 runs in
ODI Series.

Statistical highlights of ODIs

D
uring the final ODI, Kohli
reached the milestone of
10,000 runs in only 186
innings, the fastest in ODI history.
Sachin Tendulkar had taken 267
innings and Australias Ricky Ponting
349 innings to reach this milestone.
! Kohlis unbeaten 110 in the ODI
was his 30th ODI century. Only
Tendulkar has registered more
ODI hundreds, 49. Kohli shares
the second place with Ponting.
! MS Dhomi became the first wick-
et-keeper to make 100 stumpings
in ODIs. It was his 301st ODI.
The previous record holder was
Sri Lankas Kumara Sangakkara,
99 stumpings in 404 ODIs.
India pace bowler ! After the stunning 5-0 victory in
Jasprit Bumrah
September, a smiling Kohli said,
Its quite amazing to have won
the series 5-0. We always thought
the shorter format is going to be
much more challenging. The
youngsters and the spunk on the
field have worked for us. All
round, its been a complete series
for us. Weve been playing some
good cricket. We didnt win three
games in the shorter format before
this, and now we have six in a
row including the West Indies
series.
! Man of the ODI series Bumrah
was over the moon. Its always a
dream to play Test cricket but Ill
wait for my chance. It was my
first visit to Sri Lanka and Im
glad I did well. I was focussing on
my preparation, I had time to rest
and it makes you hungry. Its
been a long journey with Malinga
and Ive learnt a lot. I just want to
learn and become a better
bowler.
! India also triumphed in the only
T20I by a big margin. Sri Lanka
batted briskly to knock up 7 for
170 in 20 overs. Dilshan
Munaweera hit 53 and Indias leg-
break and googly bowler
Yuzvendra Chahal took 3 for 43.
! The confident India had no prob-
lem overtaking the score by mak-
ing 3 for 174 to win by seven
wickets. Man of the Match Kohli
top-scored with 82 and newcomer
Manish Pande hit an unbeaten 51.
Another international and another
facile win!

36 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October- November 2017

 The Kersi Meher-Homji Column

God forbid if overseas citizenship

criteria were applied to cricketers
! By Kersi Meher-Homji

I
ts a funny world we live in.
There are so many life-threat-
ening and vitally important
issues in this world today; a
World War III in the looming,
terrorism, domestic violence,
poor getting poorer, climate
change, education, housing, trans-
port And what do our politicians
think about? A national plebiscite
on same sex marriage and
Whether overseas-born or those
with dual citizenship can hold
positions in Australian parliament.
Fortunately, such narrow-
mindedness attitude on dual citi-
zenship has not engulfed sports in
Australia.

OVERSEASBORN
AUSSIE TEST
CRICKETERS

F our overseas-born cricketers

played for Australia in the
January 2017 Sydney Test against
Bransby Cooper, born in Dacca, in British India in 1844

Pakistan. They are batsman

Usman Khawaja (born in
Pakistan), spinner Stephen
OKeefe (Malaysia), opening bats-
man Matt Renshaw (England) and
debutant all-rounder Hilton
Cartwright (Zimbabwe).
Khawaja and Renshaw are
currently playing in the Test
series against Bangladesh in
Dhaka. Cartwright, became the
440th cricketer and the 25th over-
seas-born to play for Australia.
This research involves only male
cricketers. Australias first-ever
Test XI, who played England at
the MCG in 1877, featured six
players who were born overseas.
They were the English-born quar-
tet of Charles Bannerman, John
Hodges, Tom Kendall and
William Midwinter, along with
Tom Horan (born in Ireland) and
Bransby Cooper (India).
Below is a list of 25 Australian
Neville Charsley Tuffnell, British cricketer and
army officer born in 1887 in Simla, India
C harles Bannerman played the
first ball in Test cricket on 15
March 1877, scored the first run
(off the second ball) and went on
to record the first Test century.
His domination in that innings
(165 retired hurt out of
Australias total of 245, works out
at 67.35 percent) remains a Test
record, even after 140 years. His
younger brother, the stodgy Alec
Bannerman, was born in
Paddington, Sydney.
Scotland-born Archie Jackson,
a contemporary of Don Bradman,
was an elegant batsman but died
aged 23. While lying in hospital
on what was to be his death-bed
he got married. Knowledgeable
critics opined that Jackson was as
talented as Bradman and as ele-
gant as Vic Trumper. What a
tragedy that he died so young!
K.S. Ranjitsinhji (Ranji), played for India as well as England
Billy Midwinter also played
for England and Kepler Wessels
for South Africa. After scoring
1761 runs for Australia at an
average of 42.95 in 24 Tests from
1982-83 to 1985-86 with four

Test cricketers born overseas.

ENGLAND (11): Charles
Bannerman, John Hodges, Tom
Kendall, William Midwinter,
Percy McDonnell, William
Cooper, Henry Musgrove,
Hanson Sammy Carter, Tony
Dell, Andrew Symonds and
Matt Renshaw.
SCOTLAND (1): Archie
Jackson.
IRELAND (2): Tom Horan,
Tom Kelly.
SOUTH AFRICA (1): Kepler
Wessels.
NEW ZEALAND (3): Tom
hundreds, South Africa-born left-
handed bat Wessels played 16
Tests for his country of birth
Groube, Clarrie Grimmett and
making 1027 runs at 38.03 in 16
Brendon Julian.
Tests from 1991-92 to 1994 hit-
INDIA (2): Bransby Cooper*
ting two centuries (highest score
and Rex Sellers.
118). When will Australia include
SRI LANKA (1): Dav Whatmore.
an Indian in their Test line-up? In
PAKISTAN (1): Usman
womens cricket, however, Pune-
Khawaja.
born Lisa Sthalekar has captained
PORTUGAL (1): Moises
Australia in Test cricket. Recently
Henriques.
Singapore-born Meg Lannings has
MALAYSIA (1): Stephen
also captained Australia.
OKeefe.
Unlike in politics, open-mind-
ZIMBABWE (1): Hilton
edness exists in cricket in
Cartwright.
Australia. May it continue!
Barnsby Cooper was born in
Dhaka, now in Bangladesh. Nawab of Pataudi Sr, played for England
Continued on page 38

October- November 2017 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER 37

Sports
Matt Renshaw, born in England is an Australian cricketer
Continued from page 12
OVERSEASBORN
CRICKETERS WHO PLAYED
TESTS FOR ENGLAND AND
FOR INDIA
B esides overseas-born Australian Test
cricketers, there is a large number of
overseas-born cricketers who played Test
matches for England and India.
Did you know that 16 India-born
cricketers played for England?
They are K.S. Ranjitsinhji (Ranji),
Edward Wynyard, Richard Young,
Neville Tufnell, Douglas Jardine, K.S.
Duleepsinhji (Duleep), Nawab of
Pataudi, Sr., Errol Holmes, Norman
Mitchell-Innes, George Emmett, Colin
Cowdrey, John Jameson, Bob Woolmer,
Robin Jackman, Nasser Hussain, and
Minal Patel. Of these, Ranji, Duleep,
Nawab of Pataudi Sr, S. Jardine and
Cowdrey are legendary. The first three
represented England as India played her
inaugural Test match much later, in 1932.
Nawab of Pataudi subsequently played for
India, captaining her on the tour of
England in 1946.
In all, 61 overseas-born players from
15 countries including unlikely places
like Peru, Hong Kong, Italy, Germany,
Denmark, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia and
Papua New Guinea have played Test
cricket for England. (Those born in
Scotland, Wales and Ireland are not
included in this list, for example Wales-
born reverse-swing quickie Simon Jones).
AUSTRALIA: Billy Murdoch, John
Ferris, Sammy Woods, Albert Trott,
Gubby Allen, Adam Hollioake, Ben
Hollioake, Jason Gallian, Tim Ambrose.
30
38 THEINDIANDOWNUNDER October- November 2017
Derek Pringle, born in Kenya has played for India as well as England
SOUTH AFRICA: Basil DOliviera,
Tony Greig, Ian Greig, Allan Lamb,
Chris Smith, Robin Smith, Andrew
Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Ian
Trott.
WEST INDIES: Lord Harris, Pelham
Warner, Roland Butcher, Norman
Cowans, Wilf Slack, Gladstone Small,
Phillip DeFreitas, Devon Malcolm, Chris
Lewis, Neil Williams, Joseph Benjamin.
NEW ZEALAND: Andy Caddick.
Dav Whatmore, born in Sri Lanka played for Australia
INDIA: See the list above.
PAKISTAN: Usman Afzaal, Owais
Shah.
ZIMBABWE (formerly Rhodesia):
Graeme Hick, Paul Parker.
KENYA: Derek Pringle.
ZAMBIA: Phil Edmonds, Neil
Radford.
GERMANY: Donald Carr, Paul
Terry.
ITALY: Ted Dexter.
PERU: Freddie Brown.
HONG KONG: Dermot Reeve.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Geraint
Jones.
DENMARK: Amjad Khan.
Incredibly, seven overseas-born crick-
eters from five countries represented
England in the first Test against New
Zealand at Christchurch in January 1992.
They were Hick (born in Zimbabwe),
Lamb and Robin Smith (South Africa),
Pringle (Kenya), Lewis and DeFreitas
(West Indies) and debutant Reeve (Hong
Kong).
Only four were homegrown
Englishmen skipper Graham Gooch,
Alec Stewart, R.C. (Jack) Russell and
Phil Tufnell.
England triumphed by an innings, and
retaining the same team for the next Test
in Auckland, won by 168 runs.
And below is the list of overseas
born cricketers of India
Salim Durani, Kabul, Afghanistan
Ashok Gandotra, Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil
Lall Singh, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya
(now Malaysia)
RR Robin Singh, Princes Town,
Trinidad, West Indies.
It may be added that Lala Amarnath,
Amir Elahi, Dilawar Hussain, Gul
Mahomed, Abdul Hafeez Kardar and Man
Mohan Sood were born in Lahore (now in
Pakistan), Jahangir Irani, Gogumal
Kishandchand, Pananmal Punjabi and
Gulabrai S Ramchand were born in
Karachi (now in Pakistan) and Probir Sen
in Comilla (now in Bangladesh).
Abdul Hafeez Kardar later played and
captained Pakistan. Also Gul Mahomed
later played for Pakistan. Nobody both-
ered about dual citizenship those days!
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40 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER October - November 2017