August 2022 edition of Desi Australia Digital Magazine

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NEWS I HEALTH I COMMUNITY NEWS I FESTIVALS I ENTERTAINMENT I TRAVEL AUGUST 2022 NEWS I HEALTH I FASHION I FESTIVALS I YOGA I ENTERTAINMENT I LIFE STYLE

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Download Our App AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com 4 ADVERTISEMENT From Chris Minns and your State Labor MP’s We wish you and your family a joyful IndependenceIndianDay! Chris Minns MP NSW Labor Leader Member for Kogarah P 9587 9684 Authorised by Chris Minns, Steve Kamper, Daniel Mookhey, Julia Finn, Stephen Bali, Hugh McDermott, Jason Li, Sophie Cotsis, Edmond Atalla, Michael Daley, Marjorie O’Neill, Paul Scully, and Guy Zangari. Funded using Parliamentary Entitlements. independence Steve Kamper MP Member for Rockdale Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism P 9597 1414 Daniel Mookhey MLC Member of the Legislative Council P 9230 2736 Julia Finn MP Member for Granville P 9637 1656 Stephen Bali MP Member for Blacktown P 9671 5222 Hugh McDermott MP Member for Prospect P 9756 Michael4766Daley MP Member for Maroubra P 9349 6440 Marjorie O’Neill MP Member for Coogee P 9398 1822 Paul Scully MP Member for Wollongong P 4226 5700 Guy Zangari MP Member for Fairfield P 9726 9323 Jason Li MP Member for Strathfield P 9747 1711 Sophie Cotsis MP Member for Canterbury P 9718 1234 Edmond Atalla MP Member for Mount Druitt P 9625 6770 Happy IndianDay! Advertisement

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08 NSW office in Mumbai open for business 24 Sri Om’s Road Map event night cum Award night 20 Disable is Able Pageant 10 30 Share’s Christmas in July Opportunity to re-connect, reengage, be inspired and enjoy friendship CONTENTS 23 2118 2612Raksha Bandhan :A Bittersweet Relationship of a sister and a brother

Hello Everyone, This year Indian’s around the globe are celebrating the 75 Glorious Year’s of India’ Independence and we will witness the Indian flag raising ceremony and celebrations in many cities across Australia. This momentous occa sion is a celebration of the hopes and aspirations of over 1.3 billion Indians and our diverse Indian diaspora with a vast foot print in different parts of the world. The month of August also celebrates the sweet and bitter relationship of brother and sister and In dian’s celebrate it as Rak sha Bandan. In this edition we have tried to connect with the events, stories and cel ebrations across the major cities of Australia. If you have a story that you want to reach to the wider com munity then please send us an email on info@DesiAus tralia.com Stay safe and stay “KeepingDesiAustralia.comhealthy.youconnected” Arti Banga Editor-in-Chief Disclaimer: All rights reserved. Do not re-use any content and photo from Desi Australia without the prior written permission from the editor. All the material published in Desi Australia, including articles, features, fillers, advertisements, and all other contents, are published in good faith, and the editor or the Desi Australia magazine cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions. All material is published on the understanding that it is copyright free, and Desi Australia accepts no liability for any subsequent copyright issues. We also cannot accept responsibility for and do not endorse views expressed by the contributors. Address: Desi Australia Pty Ltd PO Box 102, Casula, NSW 2170 Email : Mob:info@DesiAustralia.com0433121339PUBLISHERDesi Media Group (Desi Australia Pty Ltd) WesternSalesEditor-in-chiefArtiBangaNSWEditor:HarmohanWaliaandMarketing:DimpleDeezVictoriaEditor:DaljeetBakshiQueenslandEditor:PriyaSinghACTEditor:RajniGhaiMalhotraAustraliaEditor:AnkitaTandonSouthAustraliaEditor:DaljeetBakshiDesignerRaviMathur

In 2020-21 India was NSW’s third-largest source of international students, sixth largest source of tourists and 11th largest two-way trading partner, with two-way merchandise trade reaching $4.6 billion.

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NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet today offi cially opened the new Mumbai office solidify ing the state’s on-the-ground presence aimed at promoting NSW exports, boosting investment and welcoming Indian students and tourists back to the “Ourstate.strong relationship with India is under pinned by shared values and interests, and today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter of trade and investment relations between India and NSW,” Mr Perrottet said. “India is a key Indo-Pacific partner to Australia and an economic juggernaut. NSW is proud to partner with India’s government and business community to drive greater prosperity for the people of our two nations.”

Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade Stuart Ayres said the office will work to deliver direct benefits for NSW by attracting Indian investments in NSW, helping boost business op portunities to benefit the local economy.

“Increasing NSW’s trade presence here will ensure our state is front of mind as India contin ues its economic rise. Today we open up a world of trade and investment opportunities for NSW businesses and workers.”

Trade between India and NSW is set to increase with the official opening of the NSW Government Office in Mumbai.

Australia News

NSW office in Mumbai open for business

NSW businesses seeking trade and investment opportunities with emerging economic powerhouse India, will have the benefit of a dedicated NSW trade and investment hub, with the opening of the NSW Government Office Mumbai in the thriving city’s Bandra Kurla Complex business precinct.

“India is NSW’s most important business part ner, with significant export opportunities across a range of sectors including food and beverage, education and edtech, health and medtech and technology,” Mr Ayres said.

“We have been working closely with our local businesses to support their export and expansion to India and these efforts will be boosted by the

Australia News AUGUST I 2022 opening of the Mumbai office.”

To boost awareness of Investment NSW’s presence in India, a new strategic marketing campaign is now live, operating across digital platforms including LinkedIn and in print in India’s leading daily newspaper The Economic Times.Vish Padmanabhan, NSW’s Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner to India and the Middle East, said his team will help NSW businesses take advantage of the new Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA) bilateral trade agreement.“I’mhonoured and excited to lead this office and team during a time of great oppor tunity for the state. NSW is eager to grow its trade and investment with India under the AI-ECTA agreement – an interim step to wards a full free trade agreement, which will benefit our food and agribusiness, mines and minerals, technology and education sectors

/CityofRyde www.ryde.nsw.gov.au Customer Service Centre 1 Pope Street, Ryde (within Top Ryde City shopping centre) P: 9952 8222 E: cityofryde@ryde.nsw.gov.au 76 IndianCommemoratingththeIndependenceDayClrJordanLane CITY OF RYDE MAYOR Clr Shweta Deshpande CITY OF RYDE

Raksha Bandhan is celebrated in India. On this occasion sisters tie a thread popularly known as Rakhi on their brother’s wrist. This thread symbolizes protection of the the and care of a sister. This festival majorly falls on the last day of Hindu Lunar calender which mostly in the month of August. In Sanskrit Raksha Bandhan means The bond of protection and care. This festival is rooted in Hindu Culture but is not limited till Hindus and Sikhs and is also celebrated by the Buddhists of Nepal. And is also performed by Christians from past few Traditionalyears. Esteem:Different regions have different accreditation about this beautiful festival. Some are as follows:Maharashtra, it is known as Narali Poornima also called the coconut day. On this day the people of this region worship Lord Varuna and offer coco nut to the sea to seek blessing of the Lord. And then the sisters tie Rakhi to their Nepal,brothers.itisknown as Janai Poorni ma or Rishitarpani and is performed by both Hindus and Buddhists. North India, you can see the sky full of colourful kites on this day and the sisters trying Rakhis on their brothers wrists.Orissa, it is known as Jhulan Purnima and the people here andLordworshipKrishna

Raksha Bandhan :A Bittersweet Relationship of a sister and a brother

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Festivals

There are numerous incidents and various stories related to Raksha Bandhan.Rakhiis performed by many people all around the world. It is considered as a secular festival and is bounded till blood relations. It is a physical symbol of emotions. The emotion is love, affection and care. “Our Siblings. They resemble us enough to make all their differences confusing, no matter what we choose to make of this, we are cast in relation to them our whole lives long.” – Susan Scarf Merrell Festivals

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and History:Raksha Bandhan has a special men tions at various points in the Indian mythology and history:Creation of Santoshi Maa:- it is said that once on the occasion Rakhi the son of Lord Ganesha I.e. Shubha and Labha told him that they also want a sister who can tie them a rakhi so the Lord cre ated Santoshi Maa from the divine flames of his wives Rid dhi and Siddhi. Lord Krishna And Draupadi:once Lord Krishna was fetching sugarcanes and in this process his finger got hurt and started bleeding as Draupadi was present there she quickly went to Krishna and tied his finger with a piece of her saree so that the bleeding stops. In return to this Krishna promised her that he would always help her whenever she will need help. Then Krishna helped Daupadi during her disrobe, making her saree neverending. Hence saving her from embarrassment and giving her protection when she needed it the most.Arvind Pal Singh Mandair intro duced the term rakhi as a protection to farmers from the Mughals and Af ghans in exchange of sharing a small cut from their produce.

Rani Karnavati sent a rakhi to emperor Humayun requesting him to help and sought protection from Ba hadur Shah. Humayun accepted the rakhi and sent his troops to Chittor for Rani’s help.

Radha on this day then sisters tie rakhi to their brothers for their Mythologyprotection.

Cover Story A Very

On the eve of Independence, 75 years ago when Jawaha rlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, delivered his famous Tryst with Destiny speech, I wonder if he had envisaged the India of today. While we generally quote his lines about India awakening to freedom while the world sleeps; I would like to quote these lines as they are as relevant, if not more, today as they were in 1947, “And so we have to labour and to work, and to work hard, to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world, for all the nations and peoples are too closely knit together today for any one of them to imagine that it can live apart. Peace is said to be indivisible, so is freedom, so is prosperity now, and also is disaster in this one world that can no longer be split into isolated fragments”. I am a proud Indian Australian. And despite everything sceptics may say, I revel in the richness of my culture and my heritage. The Indianness in me is so deep rooted that even today, 19 years after having left the country, the thought about the country and her people warm my heart. And the Indian National Anthem gives me goosebumps. India has been on a rollercoaster ride since 15 August 1947. For a country who is 75 years young we have achieved mile stones despite all odds. When the British left India, tattered, torn and crippling, they had thought that the country would continue to crumble and fall and fail. But we picked ourselves up, dusted off the mire of bondage that had not suc ceeded in damaging our spirits and got to the task of nation building. Over the last 75 years we used our unique cultural diversity and strong civilizational roots to create a brand that is well respected and a force to reckon with today. No other colonised country has made the strides we have and the credit of this goes to the people of India and their re silience. Our growth is an example and inspiration to the rest of the world.

India’s contribution to the world has not been mean by any standards. Apart from the Indian intelligentsia who hold key positions in various parts of the globe, the post-independence journey includes expansions in diverse fields like agriculture, space and nuclear technology, aryurveda and naturopathy, IT and biotechnology to name but a few. I am not a politically inclined person. For me it is not the party in power, but the core group of people elected by the DiamondSpecialJubilee

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By: Poornima Menon

Download Our App AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com 13 Cover Story about India’s move towards self-sustain ability, India’s move towards an “Aat manirbhar Bharat”. It gave me great joy to hear and read about “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”. An initiative of the Govern ment of India, this grand festival not only celebrates and commemorates 75 years of our independence, but also pays tribute to the glorious history of our peo ple, our culture and our many achieve ments. This Mahotsav is a dedication to the people of India to have brought her thus far in her journey towards progres sion through their sheer grit and will to succeed and hold within them the power and potential to move her into the next phase of her growth. I have seen a number of small yet significant changes, especially the general cleanliness across most states in the country. The paid public toilets have made a massive difference. This has made travelling to different parts of the country less cumbersome. My last visit to India was in 2019. The cleanliness on the railway platforms in general and the filth-free roads were indeed some pleasant sights. It showed a shift in the mindset of the common man which is a

Download Our App AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com 14 colossal change. The path to transfor mation and growth has to happen at the grassroots level. While India was can tering towards successful change a few stumbling blocks were thrown her way from within the country and also from across the border. But she manoeuvred through these with deftness that is only seen in someone who is keen to move forward, and not be pulled back. As part of the Independence Day 2022 celebrations, on Saturday, 6th August, the High Commissioner of In dia to Australia, Ambassador Manpreet Vohra invited the Indian veterans in Australia to a lunch at the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra. It was a great meet and greet occasion with nearly 70 people in attendance. The contributions of the Indian Armed Forces in protecting not just the borders of the nation but her integrity too were remembered. There were officers who had served in both the Indian and Australian Armed Forces. The High Commissioner spoke about his personal connections with the Armed Forces and lauded the families who stood beside the men when they were called to duty. The families of the officers and their men in the Armed Forces have a huge role to play in this equation. It was a very well spent after noon, and the veterans lauded the High Commissioner for this initiative. Today India’s opinions matter and make a difference on the global stage. From a country ruled by kings and emperors to becoming a British colony to evolving into a nation that is playing an increasingly important role in world politics, India has come a long way in the past 75 years. The story of her impressive growth is inspira tional. May my country of birth, my moth erland continue to blossom and prosper. It is extremely heartening to see increasing bilateral relationships between India and Australia. May these two countries continue to collaborate, grow and thrive complement each other’s strengths. A very happy 76th Independence Day to all my fellow Indians and Indian Australians. Jai Hind! Cover Story

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“This motion is not merely a symbolic gesture – it is a starting point in our push for realistic and practical steps to protect local residents and com munities from the brunt of the consequences that stem from ongoing climate change.”

Anneliese Alexander, a Liverpool resident who organised a petition calling on Liverpool Council to declare a climate emergency, spoke at the council meeting. “Solutions to this enormous problem are going to come from both individual, incremental change, as well as policy change at all levels of government. Declaring a climate emergency is not just virtue signalling, not if you don’t let it be. We cannot afford for the crisis to get worse,” she said.

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The Declaration, brought to Council by a motion from Councillor Kaliyanda, was passed unanimously.

In passing the motion, Liverpool joins over 100 Australian local government areas, and almost 3000 jurisdictions across 38 countries, in declaring a climate emergency and calling for immediate action on climate change. Councillor Kaliyanda said that the push to declare the emer gency came from seeing the effects of climate inaction on local residents.

Community News | Sydney

“In Liverpool alone, we’ve had at least 4 floods in 3 years; prior to that we had catastroph ic bushfires. This is no longer a warning – it is a real and present danger and it requires collective action from all levels of government and our community,” Councillor Kaliyanda said. The declaration of a climate emergency fol lows the development of Liverpool Council’s Climate Change Policy and Action Plan, which went out for exhibition in May. “With both a Plan and Declaration of a Climate Emergency now in place, Liverpool Council is leading our community and our region. We are focusing on practical action and ensuring we engage with residents, businesses and other organisations to help them implement meas ures to reduce our impact on the environment,” explained Councillor Kaliyanda.

Liverpool Council has now declared a climate emergency, with local Labor councillor Charishma Kaliyanda leading the charge on pursuing practical climate action at a local government level.

Liverpool Declares Climate Emergency, with Cr Kaliyanda leading the charge for climate action

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Download Our App AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com 20 Community News | Sydney Disable is Able Pageant Bringing together people of diverse cultures, languages and backgrounds and to foster the feelings of acceptance and belonging Road2Bollywood organised the event Disable is Able Pageant/Miss Teen Worldwide and Dinning in the Dark event. The aim of the event was also to improve mental health and create a vibrant, solid and connected society. It was a sold out event and was attended by community leaders, parliamentarians.

WaliaHarmohan:creditPhoto

From spicy street food, to beating drums and colourful dance, the tastes, sounds and spirit of South Asia are set to be celebrated across Parramatta as the City marks 75 years of Indian independence. On Monday 15 August, City of Parramatta Council will host a flag raising ceremony at Jubilee Park in Parramatta’s CBD, with Lord Mayor Cr Donna Davis to be joined by the Consul-General of India, Manish Gupta for the special event. Cr Davis said the City of Parramatta is home to the largest popula tion of Indian and South Asian people in Australia, with more than 29,000 residents identifying India as their country of birth in the 2021

Asian communities are an integral part of our City,” Cr Davis said. “This year is a special one for our Indian community with it being 75 years since India’s independence. The event allows our communi ties to connect with their homeland and embrace the traditions of their Indian culture. We are proud to fly the Indian national flag to mark this momentous occasion.”

“I encourage everyone to come along and celebrate the rich herit age, culture and warmth of our dynamic Indian communities,” Cr Davis said. Tastes, sounds and spirit of India alive across the City of Parramatta

Cr Donna Davis Lord Mayor City of Parramatta 126 Church Street, Parramatta | PO Box 32, Parramatta NSW 2124 P 02 9806 5050 | E council@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au

Council’s Parramatta’s Heritage and Visitor Centre has also created an Indian Independence Day online experience which features photos and local stories. Free video resources on the history of Indian Inde pendence Day are also available through City of Parramatta Libraries.

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On behalf of the City of Parramatta, I extend my best wishes to everyone celebrating Indian Independence Day. Congratulations on achieving 75 years of Indian Independence The City of Parramatta proudly celebrates the valuable contributions of the Indian diaspora to our City 9:08 pm

COPAT_IND_QPC_05.indd 2 3/8/22

cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au City of Parramatta is hosting a Flag Raising Ceremony on Monday 15 August at Jubilee Park, Parramatta from 12:30pm –1:30pm. INDIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY

From 12 August, Council will switch on an electrifying lighting installation through Harris Park and along the banks of the Parramatta River as part of a six-month program supporting local South Asian businesses and culture. Marion Street will feature two decorated arch es while an array of colourful lights will illuminate Parramatta River from the Ferry Terminal to Lennox Bridge until October 30. Extra elements will be added to transform the foreshore for Diwali celebra tions, including a run of flags with peacocks and elephant motifs and a series of lighting installations on the Barry Wilde Bridge.

In the lead up to Indian Independence Day, Riverside Theatres will be hosting two ticketed events – Spicy Fusion, a colourful blend of dance and music, and Indian musical Simha the King. The festival also features a free event in Prince Alfred Square with live music, food, dance, rides and family fun on Sunday 7 August.

Census.“OurSouth

Community News | Sydney

HAPPY

Ghazal track ‘Dar Jiska Satata Sydney based Srijani

Australia based Indian talent is making waves, reaching new milestones and above all creating a path of oppor tunities for the local talent in Australia as well as in overseas. A very soothing ghazal Dar Jiska Satata hai was released in the prestigious Khazana Ghazal festival in Mumbai on 30th July by Shri Pankaj Udhas ji

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Community News | Sydney

Sudeep Banerji Anup Jalota Hari Haran and Rekha Bhardwaj. The Ghazal is sung by Srijani Ghosh The song has been composed by Sudeep Banerji and is written by Aalok Shrivastav. This year

Sudeep Banerji got the best Ghazal Award both as singer and composer for the Ghazal Noor written by Aalok SrivatavSirjani is a well know singer in Aus tralia and is now making news in India as well .

Reflection... a, musical journey released at Khazana 2022 By: Daljeet Bakshi

Srijani is a reputed music guru in Sydney. She has performed at various venues across India & Australia, with over 100 concerts to her credit. Reflection is a soft romantic Ghazal which talks about passionate and unconditional love, heart break, letting go and moving on in life. The amazing soundtrack done by the best of musi cians in Mumbai at Lata Mangeshkar and Hariharan’s studio It was released in Khazana 2022 final day on 30th July, a musical journey of 8 hours of non stop ghazals in The Regal room, The Trident, Nariman Point Mumbai.

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2022 festival in Mumbai.

She has taken Hindustani classical vo cal training from Guru Imam Ghulam of Allahabad (Prayag Gharana), lessons in bhajan and thumri from Esha Bondopad hyay (Kolkata) of Luckhnow Gharana, training in light vocals from Debasis Bannerjee in Kolkata and is currently taking vocal training under Shri Gautam Ghosal and Pt Parthasarathi Desikan (Patiyala Gharana) in pure classical.

Satata He....’ by Srijani Ghosh.

An impressive event of Sri Om Care was held at Madison Function Centre Dural on 31 July in the presence of Sri Om Adisakthiyendra Swamigal, Chairperson of Sri Om Care .

Sri Om’s Road Map event night cum Award night

By: Harmohan Walia

Hon. Mark Coure MP, Minister for Multiculturalism & Seniors, where future Road Map for Seniors was explained and the next step in Sri Om Care was introduced. Also, services of volunteers were acknowledged. Sri Om Care is part of Sri Om Foundation and was initiated in October 2006 and was formally launched in August 2007 at Blacktown. The main concept has been derived from the principles given by Sri Om Adi Sakthiyendra Swamigal. These concepts have been adapted

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INDEPENDENCEHAPPY

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WaliaHarmohan:creditPhoto Mag Corner from the parent organisation, Sri Om Adi Sakthi Ashram which is located in the South of India and has branches in New Zealand, Fiji, Canada and in Australia (Clarence, NSW). The concept was a manifestaion of Swamiji’s simple philoso phy – “Humanity leads Divinity, Divinity leads to Unity”. The notion conveys the message that GOD is there in every living being. In serving society, we are serving GOD. In doing so, we are all living as one. Mayor Ned Mannoun www.liverpool.nsw.gov.au#lovelivo DAY

Download Our App AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com 26AUGUST I 2021 www.DesiAustralia.com Entertainment Arjit Singh’s global appeal creates magic Down Under When you talk about Bollywood and Indian Cinema, it is not just the acting on screen, but also the music attached to those films that makes it legendary and memorable.

I had the wonderful opportunity of talking to the man who made this colossal event in Sydney, possible – the founder of Heart and Soul Productions, Arun Nanda. Speaking about his experience of witnessing a history defining number of 9000 people in the audi ence, Nanda said, “It was a first-time experi ence for me hosting such a big audience. I was a little nervous but excited as well. I was very concerned about their safety, but I wanted to

In every concert, it is the fans that make the event all the more special. Jazeel Mistry shed light on Arijit Singh’s global appeal, as he said “the crowd and the frenzy was unbeliev able. Arijit has performed in Australia before, but never at this level. He’s currently the number one voice in India and so many of his tracks have become household favorites across the NRI audiences in the world.” With the pandemic halting every possible event for the last 2 years, Sydney needed something special, to get itself back on track. Mistry also added, “Sydney got its much-needed boost through Arijit’s voice. And for that to happen, we needed someone of Arijit Singh’s caliber, to grace the occasion. It was the first ever Bollywood musical show at the ICC Aware Super Theatre. And according to me, this was Arijit’s finest performance, even by his stand ards. I’d also like to congratulate and give a huge shoutout to the main man, Arun Nanda, for putting together a concert that Sydney will not forget for a long time.”

By: Zoran Saher

AUGUST I 2021 Entertainment

Speaking about legendary voices, India’s current biggest sensation, Arijit Singh, graced his presence in Australia by performing two mega hit shows in Sydney and Melbourne. The Sydney show took place at ICC’s Aware Super Theatre at Darling Harbour, witnessing a record-breaking 9000 people in audience. Arijit Singh has been doing live perfor mances ever since he rose to stardom and colossal global popularity, as his every song resonates with a personal memory and an emotion. It is needless to even say that when Arijit Singh sings, he takes you on a soulful journey like no other. The Sydney concert was helmed and promoted by Arun Nanda under his production company – Heart and Soul Productions. Nanda has been responsible for bringing some of the biggest artists to Sydney over the years, but Arijit Singh live in concert, is the biggest by any standards. The MC’s and presenters for the night were Jazeel Mistry, Dimple Shah Doshi and Sheila Dhillon. As the gates to the breathtaking ICC theatre opened well in advance before the show, the presenters kept the audiences engaged by exchanging fun banter relating to Arijit Singh most celebrated tracks over the years. I spoke with Jazeel Mistry, one of the lead presenters for the show, about his experience of working on a production of this scale. He said “this is probably one of the biggest musical shows I’ve ever been a part of. The magnitude of the production was never seen before. Bringing Arijit Singh to Australia was one of the most expensive stage productions ever in Sydney. His crew members and artists from his team are not just normal general musicians. Each of them were unique and world class, that you don’t see in every day Bollywood.”

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AUGUST I 2021 www.DesiAustralia.com IclickBalzCredit:Photo Entertainment

The format for the Arijit Singh show had a creative spin to it. For the first time, the crowd were treated to some of the most talented local artists, at the entrance of the ICC venue. Arun Nanda elaborated by saying, “this time, I de cided to do something different and came up with the idea of having a pre-show concert at the venue. And, it turned out to be a real hit as well. We had some of the finest talents in Aus tralia, such as - Joy, Mayank, Sanket, Ami and Ruhani performing to some of Arijit’s well known hits.” Unlike many other concerts that have taken place in Sydney so far, this was the first of its kind with regards to its lavish and grand stage production value. Arijit Singh’s concerts have always adopted digital screens, high end lighting and confetti. His show in Sydney was no different. Arun Nanda added, “I really wanted this show to be spectacu lar and I was committed to bring the latest technology in the entertainment industry on stage that day. It took almost two days to set up everything, thanks to the hard work of 60 technicians. Australian has never experienced these effects before, and although it was very expensive, I believe it was worth it.”

Fans of Arijit Singh across Australia, deserved the kind of night that they could take back and cherish for a long time to come.

There is no doubt that the last 2 years has dimmed one’s overall morale due to the pan demic. However, a show of this stature, made it worth the wait for all those who witnessed it live. Arun Nanda said, “Audience’s response is the most important in the success of any show. We were blessed that we could bring happiness on each and every face that day. It was a long journey for this epic show, as the work began in 2019. However, it took this long to happen only because of the consequences that Covid brought along. From day one, I was clear what I wanted and developed my team accordingly. This show is an example of what great team work can achieve. There were a few obstacles, but with a great team I was able to resolve those issues well. From the bottom of my heart & soul I thank our esteemed audience, sponsors and supporters.

I ensure everyone, that I promise to deliver similar productions in the future as well.”

make sure that they got great value for their time and money.”

The night began with Arijit Singh singing Tum Hi Ho from Aashiqui 2, which is also the song that made him an overnight success story in 2013. It was a perfect way to kickstart things, as he went on to sing his favorite hits like Janam Janam, Samjhawan, Agar Tum Saath Ho, Kesariya, Hawayein, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, and ofcourse, Channa Mereya to end the night. It was a night that put Sydney in a trance of its own. There have been many artists that have come and gone, but Arijit Singh is a per former in its truest sense. Not only because he’s blessed with a golden voice, but because when Arijit Singh sings, it makes you want to cry, smile and just keep feeling something so deep, endlessly.

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SHARE’S CHRISTMAS Opportunity to re-connect, re-engage, be inspired and

How SHARE is Reconnecting Seniors this Christmas in July. SHARE is proud to hold its Annual Christ mas in July, this marks half year celebrations, the event gives SHARE supporters and in particular participants something different to look forward to, it promotes social connec tion, culture, encouragement and supports people to get out of their homes which is good for their body and mind. COVID-19 restrictions impacted many families’ particularly older and vulnerable seniors in the community who continue to experience high levels of isolation, stress and loneliness as a result. This event is part of SHARE’s work in providing holistic care whilst empowering seniors to maintain good health, feel and look great with confidence. With a sold out event many wore their loudest Christmas jumper, wrapped in bright coats to keep winter chill at bay joined for a Christmas cheer, the venue sparkled with plenty of festive decorations reminiscent of the white Christmas, and celebrations centred around a sumptuous feast, a three course traditional Christmas-themed feast with all the trimmings was served! A visit from Santa certainly brought the room alive and everyone was swinging to favourite Christmas songs with live bush band along with many other Australian songs to sing along, dance , and some played instruments on the stage , Schools Kids from AP Performers in Hurstville entertained the audience and our own instructor Norma gave a quick demonstra tion of Zumba.

The much anticipated SHARE’s annual event was held on Friday 29th July after almost three years of hiatus due to COVID with much fanfare to delight all at The Club York 95-99 York St, Sydney

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SHARE makes a real difference in people’s life, particularly to older and people living in isolation, feeling anxious or are suffering fromSHARE’sdepression.slogan for 35 years has been “Move It OR Lose It”, SHARE encourages learn for life and is building healthier and stronger communities.

The event was attended by community leaders dignitaries and parliamentarians. Ms Peggy Giakoumelos from SBS News was the MC for the event.

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SHARE participants were thrilled to have this event in the City and be with over 200 guests, “Christmas in July “gave them an op portunity to re-connect, re-engage, be inspired and enjoy friendship, laughter, make new friends and simply have fun and who could forget the race to win a raffle prize or two. People from various multicultural back grounds joined in this celebration, food and dance remain a universal language – a way to overcome language barriers and boost social connection.SHAREis an award winning and leading not-for-profit in the health promotion sec tor. It provides general well-being exercise, specialised and compassionate mental health programs for individuals and groups in our community through qualified instructors. Classes are conducted in non-threatening community settings and are flexible, targeted, caring and person centred for people over 55 to help them maintain their health and fitness levels so that they can enjoy all aspects of their life.

IN JULY and enjoy friendship

“We received many positive feedback and we feel our mission is accomplished said Adrian Prakash.

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Signs And Indications Of Hormonal Ir regularities 4Weight accretion 4Sudden weight decline 4A mound of fat between the joints 4Lassitude 4Muscle deficiency 4Prolonged or reduced heart rate 4Sweating 4Frequent urination 4Increased thirst/hunger 4Decreased sex drive 4Constipation 4Thinning hair 4Puffy or rounded face 4Pink or purple stretch marks But to be precise, these traits are all nonspe cific and having them doesn’t fundamentally Lifestyle Why You Should Consider Exercise An Alternative To Medicine CobraBhujangasana/Pose

Are

People say you should treat your body like a temple, and we at PV Academy do believe the same. Our bodies have several organs and functions we need to take care of regularly to lead a healthy life. As women, a lot of us do want to look good, stay in shape and retain the youthfulness that our bodies once project ed when we were 20. But unfortunately, some of us do tend to get hormonal imbalances when we are on the journey of growing up. Hormones are our body’s compound car riers. Created in the endocrine glands, these incredible substitute compounds move around your transmission system directing tissues and glands. They help in regulating a substan tial lot of your body’s vital cycles, including ingestion and dispersion. So What Hormonal Imbalances? A person with hormonal imbalances has ei ther an extreme or little amount of a particular hormone.

Setubandhasana/BridgePose GarlandMalasana/Pose

Sasangasana/RabbitPoseUstrasana/CamelPose

Download Our App AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com 33 Lifestyle Exercise As Medicine mean that you have a hormonal imbalance. But all of these can be tackled with posi tive shifts in our lifestyle. Even tiny shifts can possess positive results all through your whole body. And one such simple shift is regular exercise. What Exercise Should We Do To Help Ourselves? To be honest, modern medicine has come a long way to help us with our hormonal imbal ances. An overview released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine zeroed in on who uti lized integral and elective medication (CAM), what was utilized, and why it was utilized in the United States by grown-ups age 18 years and above during 2002. As indicated by this study, Yoga was the fifth most usually utilized CAM treatment (2.8%) in the United States during 2002. Yoga is surveyed as a brain-body reconciliation that is appropriated to abbreviate the wellbeing consequences of summed up tension. Yoga is trusted to calm the neural system and stabilise the body, mind, and soul. Asanas You Should Try To Regulate Your Hormones And Keep Fit We recognize customary and contempo rary medication can mend actual infections and lighten mental problems. We addition ally recognize customary and contemporary medication is less viable than correlative practices. For example, yoga treatment recuperating the enthusiastic, scholarly, and regular layers of our human experience. By practising the discipline of yoga and applying its all-encompassing model of wellbeing, our natural way to unrivalled health can and will become a show. So, to take care of your body you need to take time out for physical activities. Go running, find that jump rope you liked so much or go out for a spin on your bicycle. And we would for sure ask you to practice the aforementioned asanas for balancing your hormones.

Bringing together powerful and diverse Afghan voices, Twenty Years: The War in Afghanistan explores the legacy of war and the future of Afghanistan through the eyes of artists and journalists. The exhibition will run from 2nd Aug to 3rd Sep 2022 and features internationally renowned artist and Blacktown resident, Khadim Ali, and new multimedia artworks by Afghan-Australian artist, Elyas Alavi Melbourne-based street-artist Tia Kasam balis’ drawings are a series of portraits of people connected to the Afghan War both in Australia and Afghanistan. London-based Afghan artist, Orna Kazimi, presents a striking animation and a free zine that visi tors can take home.

Afghan photo-journalist, Najiba Noori, shares a series of images capturing the complex ebbs and flows of life, death and migration in recent years. Journalist Antony Loewenstein shares behind the scenes clips from his documentary and journalistic work as well as photos from his visits to Afghani stan. A specially commissioned short film commenting on the legacy of the war has been made by two, anonymous female Afghan-Australian artists. The exhibition has been curated by Antony Loewenstein and Alana Hunt with curatorial advice from Nur Shkembi. The program of talks and gatherings has been curated and produced by Maryam Zahid, Director of Afghan Women on the Move. Maryam invites visitors to enjoy Afghan tea and sweets during these public events.

Twenty Years: The War in Afghanistan Exhibition launched at The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre, Blacktown By: Harmohan Walia WaliaHarmohan:creditPhoto

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Message from the Mayor of Blacktown City Councillor Tony Bleasdale OAM Mayor of Blacktown City Advertisement

I wish you all the best for ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ leading to a year of celebrating India’s 75th anniversary of independence. And we look forward to many more years of active collaboration with the Indian Consul and Consulate staff.

It is my great privilege to extend the warmest of greetings on behalf of Blacktown City Council on the occasion of India’s 75th year of independence.

Indian Independence Day

It is a time of celebration of the hopes and aspirations for over 1.3 billion Indians and especially our Indian communities here in the City of Blacktown and across Australia. We are so proud of the very deep and strong links Blacktown City has with India.

More than 25-thousand Blacktown residents were born in India and more than 38-thousand have Indian heritage.

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Australia News International Honour

“In the 1950’s I went to school across the road from this presidential Palace when I witnessed the struggle for inde pendence, for the right of a people to be masters of their own destiny and to prac tice their own culture and language. That has guided me throughout my life, to support the basic human right of people to freely practice their language, religion andMrculture.”Kerkyasharian went on to say that the honour he had received: “Recognises the contribution of all those I’ve worked with over those years”.

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The former long-standing leader of NSW’s major multicultural agencies, Stepan Kerkyashar ian, has been awarded the Medal of Outsanding Contribution, by the President of Cyprus. The medal was presented on 28 July in Nicosia at the World Conference of the Cyprus Diaspora by the President of the Republic, His Excellency Mr Nicos Anastasiades Awarding the medal to Mr Kerkyasharian AO, Hon.D.Litt, who was born and raised in Cyrpus, the President’s Citation said: “You make us in Cyprus feel extremely proud of you”.

It continued: “You have worked tire lessly, with perseverance and determina tion and you have achieved an important career path, as an outstanding leader, recognised for your pivotal role in foster ing multiculturalism in Australia. “You have championed debate and policy change to improve the well-being of under-represented communities on is sues like religious practices, immigration law, refugee settlement, migrant qualifi cations and community relationships thus becoming a major influence in shaping community harmony. “Through your work, your exceptional achievements, the core values and princi ples that you exemplify as a person, and most notably your long-standing contribu tion to the Cypriot Community in Australia, you became a pioneer in giving migrant voices a national platform”, he said. Speaking from Nicosia , Mr Kerkyash arian who was the foundation Head of the Special Braodcasting Service’s Radio Division from 1979 to 1988 and Chair of the NSW Community Relations Commission (formerly Ethnic Affairs Commission) from 1989 to 2014 said, “It is a privilege and at the same time greatly humbling to be honoured by the country, the people and the President of the country which has given me life and which opened its arms and accepted my orphaned parents who had survived the Armenian Genocide.”

“I was very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to make a contribution to the development of our great multicultural society which is today not only a reality but is accurately reflected in the new Parliament in Canberra.Michael Christodoulou, President of the Federation of Cypriot Communities of Ausralia and New Zealand said today: “We are deeply honored that one of ours has been recognised in his birthplace with this rare acknowledgment of his interna tionalPresentachievements”.attheawarding Ceremony was the High Commissioner of Australia to Cyprus, Ms Fiona McKergow who con gratulated Mr Kerkyasharian on behalf of The Australian Government. for former Multicultural Chief

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(source RSB SA ) Community News | Adelaide

Everyday RSB team of experts teach children like Amaaya how to use a range of aids and techniques to perform everyday activities, like learning, going out, using public transport, shopping, and playing with friends.There are only about 100 other children throughout Australia with the same condi tion. In the past, there were no viable treat ment options, but recent advances in gene therapies are giving children like Amaaya and their families hope for a different future. Her father Gags is passionately fighting for fair access to clinical trials and for all Australian children to receive this life changing gene therapy once it is avail able.“Since Amaaya was diagnosed, I have been fighting to learn all I can about her condition, to know the options for restoring her sight and opening new opportunities for her. We’ve been to the US, I keep in touch with leading global researchers, and I won’t stop fighting for my little girl,” said Gags Bedi. “In the past few year’s medical teams in Philadelphia and the Netherlands have made huge progress and gene therapies for inherited eye conditions causing blindness which are now in clinical trials. Similar genetic conditions in the US can already be treated with gene therapies, with incredible success,” he said. With his daughter’s eyesight deteriorating, Gags is hopeful that Amaaya can receive gene therapy in time to restore her eyesight, but he says Australian governments and medical providers should be doing more to remain at the forefront of the latest technol ogies and treatments. “Gene therapies are expensive, and they take time to administer, but the impacts are life changing because they fix the genes that cause the blindness. I am calling for our new State Government to listen and work Amaaya receives regular support from Royal Society for the Blind SA (RSB) to help bolster her independence and make best use of the very small amount of sight she still has. RSB offers services and sup port to more than 8,000 South Australians who are blind or experiencing low vision, and according to RSB Executive Director, more needs to be done to invest in preventa tive and life changing therapies. “We know that gene therapy is expensive, and in the US it costs nearly $1m for this treatment. But we also know that children like Amaaya deserve the opportunity to have their sight restored, and we are working with the Bedi family to ensure Amaaya has access to Australian clinical trials as soon as they are available,” Damian said.

Children with low vision or no sight like Amaaya, rely on Royal Society for the Blind SA essential services. Gags Bedi is passionately fighting for fair access to clinical trials and for all Australian children to receive this life changing gene therapy once it is available.

Amaaya Bedi is a resident of Adelaide South Australia. She loves going to school, spend ing time with her friends. But Amaaya is unique. When she was just 18 months old, she was diagnosed with Leber’s congenital amaurosis, an inherited eye disease which progressively causes blind ness due to abnormal photoreceptor cells. Amaaya has a form of the disease caused by the absence of the CRB1 gene despite no family history of the disease.

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“The thought of my daughter being able to see her little sister, to be able to read, to choose her own future, is what gives me strength to keep fighting. I just want the best future for her,” said Gags.

By: Daljeet Bakshi

All we are trying to do is spreading aware ness regarding this rare eye condition, get in touch with other suffering families all over Australia and if she can access the Clinical Trials (Treatment)whenever they occur in Philadelphia(USA) or Netherlands(Europe), cause there is nothing available in Australia at the moment.

Leber’s congenital amaurosis

39 H pp 76th Ind y M E M B E R O F T H E L E G I S L A T I V E C O U N C I L P A R L I A M E N T O F S O U T H A U S T R A L I A (T) 8237 9408 (W) www.jinglee.com.au THE HONOURABLE JING LEE MLC Australia and India have always shared a special bond that strengthens our bilateral relationship Sincere thanks to the Indian Community for your wonderful contributions to South Australia On this significant 75 years milestone, I wish everyone good health, prosperity and a joyful celebration of India's 76th Independence Day! Advertisement

Download Our App AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com 40 Most of us have been fortunate to be born in a free country. However, regardless of our genera tion or physical location, we celebrate our Independence with gratitude. Some may hang a flag, search for good quotes/pictures to post (been there done that), cook (the situation since morning at our individual headquarters) or just remi nisce. But whatever we do our emotions of patriotism bring us together today. Wait! Wait! While we have, you all here…Together, lets pray for our Motherland to:have the STRENGTH to overcome hardship maintain its PEACE and, always GROW above all. Happy Independence Day from one proud Indian to another. Jai Hind! To make it more fun we did a High Tea with tri colour theme too.. We wanted to keep it as simple as we could, but our taste buds never let us get away with simple flavors. So here it is : Tricolour kheer- made with khush fla vor (green) and saffron flavor ( orange) Sandwiches , muffins,Pistachio, orange and vanilla macaroons, Masala Tea, Saf fron Coffee Shot( it’s an Arabic flavor) Our Amazing followers were given the challenge to post their photos: Shar ing some of their photos too Thank You Cheryl and Deepti, Seema for accepting this..We hope these meals brighten up your day too! We are Rassasyfied... Until next time ... WatdoyouMeal Team Receipe

Download Our App AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com 41 Have you been thinking about building a brand new home? Then it’s time to visit HomeWorld. ✔ First step – go to homeworld.com.au ✔ See what homes are on display across 5 locations. ✔ Create your favourites list. ✔ Take a drive to one of the HomeWorld villages. ✔ Step inside and explore the display homes. ✔ Ask questions to the Builder’s sales teams on site. There really is no easier way to find the perfect new home design for your lifestyle, and to get ideas, inspiration and information. Designs on display include Single Storey, Double Storey, Granny Flats, Duplex, Sloping Block, Custom design and so much more. Open 7 day a week, from 10am 5pm. BOX HILL · MARSDEN PARK · LEPPINGTON · NEW THORNTON OPEN TO PREVIEW · WARNERVALE HomeWorld.com.au @ homeworldaustraliahomeworldaus From our homes to yours...our best wishes to the Indian Community celebrating Independence Day! Advertisement

By: Rajni Ghai Malhotra

Painting Canberra’s Landscape

Fiona, you have led the school in the past eight and half years, to numerous achievements and through two extremely challenging COVID years. Please share a bit about your journey with our readers.

Fiona Godfrey, Principal,

Community News | Canberra

Fiona is a dynamic leader in the field of primary and secondary educa tion, having served in the Educa tion sector for over 30 years. She is recipient of 2011 South Australia Award, Community and Government for her strategic leadership and business skills. Fiona is the Principal of Radford College - a co-educational, non-selective, Anglican independent day school boasting a reputation for excellence in academics and co-curricular activities and a strong connected community of over 2100 students and staff.

My journey with Radford began eight and a half years ago, with a previous role of Principal at a girls’ school in Adelaide, and I had, in the years leading up to Principalship, taken on more senior roles in schools. How ever, I had not intended that I would remain in schools. In fact, at about 30 years of age (after my second child), I came to a juncture in my life where I felt I had come as far as I could in education and thought of examining other career Interestingly,options.atabout that same time, I was unexpectedly called to the Principal’s office and he talked to me about where I saw myself going, suggesting that I had the makings of being a Principal. I had not before imagined that I would be considered for such roles. But it was him that really gave me the confidence and projection to go forward. Eventually I took on my first Principalship in Adelaide and then I had the opportunity to come over to Canberra and take on the Radford principal ship. I have loved every single day of being in this role, it’s just such a dynamic role to be in - always different. Certainly, as you mentioned before, COVID has brought lots of challenges. Indeed, they have been two very turbulent years, not only for us here at Radford, but even in the larger and wider community, and I think it has caused us all to re-examine what are the re ally important things in life and to imagine a world which is far more adaptable than it was previously. Being Principal of Radford is, undoubtedly, a demanding role. How do you keep a balance between the many demands of your role as Principal and personal, social life? Well, I strongly believe that to make it hap pen, you’ve got to be a goal-setter, you’ve got to either physically or mentally make lists for yourself (and I certainly do both) and keep a positive mindset.

I make time for myself every day and for me that is exercise in the mornings. My ex ercise time gives me the opportunity to clear my head and plan my day. I use this time to think about how I would tailor a difficult con versation (if I’ve got to have those difficult conversations), or plan my writing if I need to write an article for a Bulletin piece or for any of the magazines etc, (that we produce in the College), think about what I’d be saying to students in assembly or any other speeches that I might need to make. Those few minutes to myself really do clear my mind and I come back feeling ready to cope with the day. From there, the progres sion through the day just happens and it’s always many and very different things that

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I think success has many aspects, but probably the most important aspect is human relations. The joy, sense of involvement and sense of being part of a community within an organization is a very important part of being successful. I also believe that people need to be able to relate to you as a person. As a leader, you should be able to make that connection between you as the leader of the organization and the organization’s values. It’s absolutely important that everyone is known, understood and supported when they have difficulties (and we know that everyone has difficulties at some stage). So, if I had to identify one thing, it would be those human relations which are so important for success.

You present an inspiring story of leadership and success - you are the first female Principal of Radford College and were recipient of the 2011 South Australia Busi ness Woman of the Year, Community and Government Award. What is your success mantra?

You’re passionate about science, having been a student of science yourself. What are your thoughts on encouraging students in STEM? And how do you and Radford support your students in that? Certainly, I’m a strong advocate for students taking STEM subjects. I love the opportunity to really challenge yourself and to work through problems. Maths and science were my favourite subjects at school so I went down the STEM pathway and followed that with a science degree. I value the opportunities that STEM subjects can provide to students. Besides giving them a myriad of pathways, they also encourage students to think about creativity and problem solving, which can be used in later life for other purposes. STEM opens up a range of opportunities for students at tertiary studies.

To encourage students to continue in those subjects, particularly the girls because there has historically been a tendency for them not to choose math science subjects, is to empha sise that there is no gender bias in subjects. It’s really what you are, where your passion lies, what you’re good at, and what you know, that you need to have when you finish school. It is about having meaningful conversations - so we often talk in those terms for students, encourage students who we feel should continue with those subjects, talk about where that can get students in terms of their career pathway. These are things they often don’t necessarily think about when they are faced with subject selection. But we need to take them on that journey to try and get them to see beyond those next couple of years.

Landscape - Women in Leadership Principal, Radford College

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I end up having to do. And I can say that no two days are ever the same. They’re always throwing up lots of challenges, but I think of challenges as positive things. You’ve got to have that positive mindset in the way that you approach things. So, my exercise coupled with making lots of to-do lists, adopting a positive mindset into the role that you’re doing - collectively these strategies are extremely helpful in getting me through some very busy days and some challenging times.

CollegeRadford:CourtesyPhoto

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Community News | Canberra

Fifth Royal Punjabi Dinner 2022, What a showstopper royal evening it was! The Canberra Punjabi Sports and Cultural Association (CPSCA) organised its 5th annual signature event ‘the Royal Punjabi Dinner’ on 23 July 2022 at Thoroughbred Park Lyneham ACT, after a two year covid-enforced hiatus. The cultural program involved local Canberran talent followed by renowned Punjabi singer Ms Kaur B, live in concert. The houseful event was enjoyed by over 550 guests. The dignitaries included High Commissioner of India to Australia HE Mr Manpreet Vohra, Ms Christine Murray representing the ACT Multi cultural Minister Ms Tara Cheyne (in COVID isolation), Mrs and Mr Narendra Rana (Counsellor, India), Mrs and Mr Harjit Singh (2nd Secretary, India), distinguished community leaders and representatives of Donate Life ACT.

The stage burst into electric bhangra energy with awesome performance from youngsters (age 10-14 years): Alisha, Arman, Ishveer, Japjit, Jasleen, Neil, Nimrat, Prabhnoor, and Ranveer from the Canberra Bhangra group,

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The stage was anchored by Can berra’s own Mr Taj Sidhu (singer/poet/ actor/model) and Dr Sunita S Dhindsa (community leader/public speaker/ poet/write). The cultural program start ed with Punjab’s cultural folk dance performed by Amanpreet and Amneet, followed by bhangra performed by mother and sons team: Kuldeep, Ish veer and Ranveer. This was followed by a performance by Mankirat and bhangra mix by mum,dad and daughter team: Ravneet, Tejinder and Joban. Kamal sang a famous folk song.

Download Our App AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com 47 2022, with Kaur B Live in Concert

CPSCA organises annual tree plant ing at the Guru Ka Bagh Belconnen ACT at Guru Nanak Dev ji’s birthday, felicitates visiting Punjabi artists, conducts and engages in multicultural community activities, liaises with the Act government, High Commis sion of India, federal government and advocates on community related issues including culturally appropriate aged care facilities, large community hall, fully resourced hospital and health services.Congratulations to the CPSCA team: Mr Amardeep Singh, Mr Amarjeet Judge, Mr Iqbal Deol, Mr Jatinder Majithia, Mr Naninder Khatra, Mr Paramdeep Nrain, Mr Rattesh Gum ber, Mr Sumandeep Dhillon, Dr Sunita S Dhindsa and Dr Surjit Kang led by Dr Harjinder Dhindsa, for a super suc cessful event.

Community News | Canberra

The cultural program concluded with brilliant colourful giddha by Aman preet, Amneet, Gagandeep, Hardeep, Manpreet, Navpreet, Parwinder, Ramanjit, Sumandeep, and children Lagan and Shabd, from the group Maan Mattiyan Muteyara, coached by Amanpreet Kaur Sohi.

CPSCAandMalhotraGhaiRajni:CreditsPhoto

A delicious 3-course hot Punjabi dinner was cooked and served by Canberra’s young entrepreneurs, Rajeev Khullar, Sandeep Singh and Ashwinder Singh (Florey Pantry, In dian Town and Dawat-e-Punjab). The stage, venue setup and lighting were by the Star Party Hire Mt Druitt NSW; decorations by Govinda Events and Decorations; DJ and sound by DJ Teji Pty Ltd; photography/video by Bally Sohal; and security by Core Facilities.

Sponsors of the event were 3T Consulting and Arvensys Group, Agam Group, Capital Green Solar, Capital In fracomms, Capital Solar Energy, Conder Dental Centre, Confidence Real Estate, Core Facilities, Expert Education, G 24/7 Security Services, Indian Town, IT Alliance, JB Slabs, Punjab Homes, Taz Building Group, Town Residential, an ACTThisGovernment.year,CPSCA is supporting Donate Life, and at the event, raised awareness on the importance of organ and tissue donation to save lives and encouraged people to register as a donor. CPSCA also raised awareness about the importance of learning Pun jabi and speaking in Punjabi at home.

coached by Mr Jagjit Singh.

CPSCA has announced restarting of the Khed Mela (sports festival) in October and a new initiative called Punjabi Satth for Punjabi poetry.

The cultural program was followed by the famous singer Kaur B taking to the stage, keeping the audience on their feet with her electrifying perfor mance for almost two hours.

Celebrate yourself

The most meaningful relationship is the one that we have with ourselves. How would you rate your relationship with yourself? Is it authentic and ac cepting or is it filled with self-doubt and insecurity? Take an honest look at yourself. Note your strengths and areas of improvement in a mindful, non-judgemental manner. Make a ‘gratitude list’ for what you believe are your key strengths and a list of ‘works in progress’ for areas of growth. Read your list daily and update as you go. Allow yourself to feel tuned in and more authentic about your personality.

When was the last time you patted yourself on the back for a job well done or situation well handled? Just like you would cheer for a friend, practice cheering for yourself. It could be a small achievement such as completing a simple task that you have been procrastinating or a more significant achievement at work. It takes as much courage to appreciate your qualities as it does to accept your imperfections, do you have it in you to do so? Look after yourself Self-care, in its simplest form, refers to our abil ity to care for ourselves and function effectively while meeting multiple challenges with a sense of energy, vitality and confidence. Practice a routine of self-care that includes quality sleep, healthy diet, exercise and mindful ness. It is important to practice self – awareness to recognise triggers and pacifiers that affect your thoughts. Cultivate positive habits and mindset, surround yourself with positive people and indulge in activities that help you feel authentic. There YouGo! Being kind and accepting of your self is a powerful act of self-compassion towards leading to a happier, healthier you. In the words of Robyn Conley Downs, ‘Growth and being gentle with yourself are not opposites, they are actually one and the same’. Yours mindfully, Rajni Follow Rajni on @YogaWithRajniFacebook

By: Rajni Ghai Malhotra

Why is it important to be kind to yourself? Have you ever been angry with yourself for something that you did or didn’t do? Or lost patience with yourself? Or beat yourself up over something gone wrong? If yes, you are in the same boat as most others. It is easy to be tough on yourself. But there is a better way – to practice selfcompassion by choosing kindness towards yourself. Self-compassion is the ability to take responsi bility without blaming or criticising yourself – a mindful acceptance of yourself which allows you to treat yourself with warmth and patience over harsh ness and temper. Kindness is inextricably related to a positive, proactive growth mindset - you are more likely to learn positively if you treat yourself with kindness and compassion. Here are some tips on how to be kinder to yourself. Change the dialogue within Become mindful of your inner dialogue. How do you speak to yourself? How do you feel about yourself? Are you harsh in judging your words and actions, for things you said or didn’t say or something that you did or didn’t do? How we talk or think about ourselves directly impacts our confidence and behaviour. Dr Kristin Neff, Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin, describes self-compassion as the capacity to give ourselves the same kindness and care that we’d give to a good friend. So, the next time you sense yourself being critical of your words or actions, pause and ask yourself ‘Would I ever say that to a friend?’ When a friend comes to you with a problem you would strive to comfort them, show them the silver lining, help them accept the situa tion with kindness. That is the kind of courtesy and compassion you must cultivate towards yourself.

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Befriend yourself

YouGo with Rajni-Let’s Be Mindful Series Being Kind to Yourself

Overseas Indian Affairs (OIA) Division of Ministry of External Affairs, Govern ment of India has launched the first three editions of Know India Program (KIP) for the FY 2022-23 and is inviting applications from the Indian diaspora youth. The objective of KIP is to connect diaspora youth to their indige nous roots and acquaint them with India’s latest transformational achievements. The three-week orientation programme would promote awareness among differ ent facets of life in India and the progress made by the country in various fields for example economic, industrial, education, science & technology, communication & information technology, culture etc. For more information on registration, last date and other details, please visit https://kip.gov.in/: India Programme-Ministry of External Affairs, India

Community News | Canberra

Know

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Talking about my mum and her sisters, they were from three different decades. The elder one was old fashioned and con servative, wore only nine-yard sarees and had her hair tied up in a bun. She used to wear gold jewelry from the nose ring to the toe rings. My mum was modern, well educated, friendly and could interact with anyone. She wore few pieces of jewelry, a six-yard saree with a long-braided hair. She was an avid reader and outgoing by nature. I can proudly say that I have inherited people’s skills from my mum. The youngest of the lot was different in many ways. She wore sleeveless blouses and had a bob cut which was not very common in 70’s. I learnt sewing, knitting, drawing, painting, art, and craft from my mum and her elder sister, while the saree love was inherited from the younger one. My uncles’ wives were also fond of beautiful sarees, while one had a silk col lection, the other had a one cotton. I grew up admiring and observing these ladies and learnt most skills from them. I stepped out of this family circle when I joined Uni. Here, though I came across different types of dresses, I was always attracted to sarees even in my teens. My life changed with the sudden demise of my father when I was in my second year of Uni. This affected my mother’s health, though she had a supportive family and was very well looked after by her brother and his wife. As it happens in the life of most young ladies, I was married off when my family found the right match for me. From Mumbai, I moved to Dubai, a city of gold and sarees. Soon I was blessed with a boy and a girl. In 1994 we moved to New Zealand. With my kids had grown older and I had a lucrative job in the National Bank. I was financial independent, and I decided to enter the property market as an investor. This move continues to keep me financially secure even today. From my husband I also learnt about stock market investment and trading in the Indian and the USA mar kets. I thoroughly enjoyed forex trading. While in Dubai my friends introduced me to stone jewelry to match my sarees. Soon collecting sarees and matching them with stone jewelry became my passion. In NZ , a friend introduced me to different weaves and types of sarees from India and my saree collection that had started in Dubai, further grew in NZ. After quitting my full-time work, I went back to explor ing the skills I had learnt during my teenage years. Later I learnt learn quilling and 3D origami and did some quilling projects and origami models for fun. It was around this time that I started working on making my own jewelry. My family and friends saw there was a potential and encouraged me to start a Facebook page and I had a few exhibi tions too. The response was very good. After my move to Sydney in 2020, I have continued with my passion for making jewelry and have participated in a few exhibitions too. My creatiions were well received. A well-crafted piece of jewelry can add an extra layer of dimension to any outfit, be it ethnic or modern. Here in Sydney, I connected with other likeminded lovers of sarees through the Saree Club. Soon my Saree Sakhis became big fans of my jewelry and started ordering customized pieces to match their sarees. My jewelry designs are contemporary as well as ethnic. I make jewelry for all occasions and age groups. The pieces can be easily customized to suit your style and needs. If you are interested in getting a unique piece of jewelry made check out my Facebook page, “ M’s handmade jewellery and crafts”. experiences By Meena Patke

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Life

My StoryMy Journey Through Life

Having grown up in Mumbai as a typical Maharashtrian middle class girl I was naturally exposed to differ ent cultures of India. However not being in the internet era I could only interact one on one with cousins, aunts, friends, andMyneighbors.motherhad two sisters and six brothers. In my impressionable age, I always looked up to my mother, my aunts and my uncles’ wives. Since I was a little girl, I used to keenly observe their man nerisms and used to admire their sarees.

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Adakar Legendary Chughtai’s Tales in Sydney Dozakh and Mughal Bachcha, two dramatic theatre productions of works by Padmashree Award winning HindiUrdu writer and novelist Ismat Chughtai, were staged at NIDA on June 26, 2022.

By: Rekha Rajvanshi

Download Our App AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com 52 The plays were scheduled to be performed last year, but Covid-19 situation caused two postpone ments that collectively lasted more than a year. Three performances were sched uled because of the high level of interest in these plays among theatregoers. Produced by the Adakar Theatre and Cultural Group, these plays brought back nostalgic memories of bygoneNaulasiera.and Umdah Khanam (Saba Zaidi and Suparna Mallick), two elderly women living in a small house with two charpoys and the most basic amenities, were introduced in the first drama, Dozakh. They seek solace and happiness in one another’s companionship from their miserable existence must accept the fact that they cannot live together or apart and must deal with the repercussions when one of them must depart. The women desperately strive to interact with everyone that visits their home because Arts & Culture

Showcased

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they are lonely and bored. One day a boy (Abhishek Gupta) wanders into their home looking for his ball, both make an effort to converse with him. Their life takes a dramatic turn when Hussan Ara (Aditi Dey) enters their life and convinces Umdah to come and live with her. Umdah initially gets excited but soon she gets to know of Hussun Ara’s selfish intentions. She also realizes that the move will separate her from Naulasi and she refuses to Bestgo. actors from the Indian diaspora in Sydney – Saba, Suparna, and Akshat, along with Aditi, Nisha Thacker, and young Abhishek, gave excellent perfor mances in their respective roles. Sets and props were meticulously created, taking into account even the smallest elements of the Mughal era. Senior citizens in the audience, in particular, were able to iden tify with the Dozakh women’s feelings of boredom and loneliness. After a 20-minute intermission, the second play, Mughal Bachcha, was performed. Ismat Chughtai (Aparna Tijoriwala) turned the pages of her book to tell Ismat’s story as the lights were turned on the lovely sets, the eerie sound of qawwali ‘Khwaja Salim Chishti’ surrounded the imaginative world of Mughal Bachcha, and it transported the audience into a world they had been waiting to inhabit for the previous 14 months. Amid the declining splendour of Mughal civilisation, Mughal Bachcha tells the narrative of the complex, egotistic, darkskinned Kaale Mian (Akshat Gupta) and the proud, fair, beautiful Gori Bi (young Gori Bi, Zara Khan, and old Gori Bi, Abida Malik). The performance described how Kaale Mian’s ego prevented him from re moving the veil from his young bride Gori Bi twice, and a third time even as he lay dy ing. As a result, he left without seeing Gori Bi’s face. Gori Bi, who spent years married but was unable to coexist with Kaale Mian as his wife, was able to gain sympathy from theOtheraudience.actors in the play were Saral Somaiya, Ananya Dixit, Smarajit (Bapi) Dey, who portrayed minor but crucial roles. The actors’ ability to flip quickly between moods and characters during the perfor mance received a lot of acclaim from the audience.DanishIqbal adapted Mughal Bachcha, and Saba Zaidi Abdi skilfully directed both pieces. The creative team behind this successful pro duction included; Samarjit Dey – production and ticketing, Dhruv Jyoti Gosh – art direc tion and lighting, Sumathi Krishnan – music, Sandhya Bose – makeup and costumes, Sunil Kumar and Tushar Bose – sound, and Saral Somaiya – stage management, Naseem Khan – graphics and photography. Saba after the play, commented on social media. ‘Three houseful shows at NIDA this weekend reaffirmed our faith in to live theatre. I am at a loss of words to thank the wonderful, responsive and appreciative audi ence, who patiently waited for one year and eventually made our shows a success.’ Syd ney audience, including Consul General of India Mr Manish Gupta applauded the efforts made by the Adakar Theatre Group.

LegendarySydneyIsmat

WaliaHarmohan:creditPhoto

Ek Garam Chai ki Pyali Ho

Community News | Melbourne

Yummy snacks like pakora and vadas, eggless cakes, maska buns to go with your chai are all available at your nearest Drop out Chaiwallah shop. Chai in a takeaway biscuit edible cup is a great sustainable idea. They also use kullad – traditional mud cups or chai in a glass cup just like desi hawker style tea stalls from your Chai walaTheirbhaiya.chai’s are made from naturally sourced ingredients, served in 8 flavours –Classic cutting chai, Cardamon Chai, Masala Chai, Ginger Chai, Lemon Grass Chai, Saf fron Chai and one is their own Mystery Chai. They also offer a wide range of quick bites hand-selected to complement whichever deli cious chai you’re interested in experiencing. Drop out Chaiwala sources its tea from India in form of loose crushed tea. With three stores around Melbourne and surrounds, don’t forget to check their offerings at dropoutchai wala.com. Much luck to these chaipreneurs!!

By: Poonam Naik

Download Our App AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com 54 Tea or simply said Chai is integral to our cultural fabric just as coffee is to Australia now. Life revolves around chai. Back home, tea is getting more exquisite and exotic with new tea driven cafes like MBA Chaiwala. Inspired Down Under and you get Dropout Chaiwala. From international students to entrepreneurs in the making, the humble unassuming chai is surely getting a makeover to another level.

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By: Daljeet Bakshi

News | Adelaide

Because of continuing efforts by the driving force of Khazana Padam Sri Pan kaj Udhas and supporting team of singers and musicians, Khazana is on continuing journey as marvellous event. Leading most sought-after Ghazal singer and composer Sudeep Banerji has composed the khazana this song. Prior to the event Khazana Ghazal Festival press conference held at the Trident (Oberoi) Mumbai, was attended by Senior Vice President Trident, Shri Community

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After previous few years of virtual festival, KHAZANA a ghazal festival was live again in the Regal Room , The Trident , Nariman point , Mumbai . Khazana family paid humble Tribute to dearest Maa Saraswasti Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar ji. Lata mangeshkar ji has a huge contri bution in popularising ghazals through films and Khazana is way of thanking her and celebrating her music life and legacy it was full of capacity and sold out on both the days receiving overwhelming response from the music lovers. Khazana a festival of Ghazals on 29th and 30th July presented by The Oberoi, Mumbai and Union Bank of India in aid of CPAA INDIA (Cancer Patients Aid Association) and Parents Association Thalassaemic Unit Trust - PATUT, The Oberoi and Union Bank of India and other sponsors extended their unconditional support.

Khazana - A festival of Ghazals, Mumbai 2 evenings of soothing musical journey of outstanding Ghazals.

Download Our App AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com 57 Community News | Adelaide Vyankatesh from Union Bank Of India, Neeraj Roy CEO Hungama Digital , Shri Pankaj Udhas and fellow artists Shri Anup Jalota , Ghansham , S Vas wani, Sudeep Banerji ,Rekha Bhardwaj ,Priyanka Barve , Pratibha Singh Baghel , Pooja Gaitonde , Runa Rizvi , Vishal Dhumal and Ojas Yogesh Adhiya. Rohini from Radio Nasha hosted the event so gracefully.TheBiggest Khazana Festival of Ghaz als line up of artists for 2 days was Shri Pankaj Udhas , Shri Anup Jalota ,Shri Hariharan ,Rekha Bhardwaj ,Pooja Gaitonde Priyanka Barve, Priyanka Prat ibha Singh Baghel ,Rahul Deshpande, Shivani Vaswani , Ghansham ,S Vaswani ,Runaa Rizvii ,Shivamani ,Talat Aziz and Vishal Bhardwaj Aalok Shrivastav Nayaab Udhas and the lovely musi cians Ojas Yogesh Adhiya, Sanjoy Das , Manas Kumar, Ninad Mulaokar, Vishal Dhumal ,Nirmal Pawar, Bernard ,Vaz Ashish Choubey on Sound Bimal Joshi Stage design , Vaibhav Patil Ginger PR. Rakshanda Khan and Madiha Khan were the host of the event. Those who attended the event were full in flow of enjoying the mesmerizing mu sical journey of Ghazals and surely will be waiting for more in the next year.

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Opera Miss/Mrs India Worldwide 2022 was held in Sydney on 10th July at Windsor Function centre Sydney under the guidance & mentorship of Anuj Kulshrestha Director of Hindi Gaurav & Opera Events - & The Director of opera Events & Yoga guru-Swechha Kulshrestha.

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Opera Events brings all the fairies to Sydney

The event was 3 days long with first 2 days of training & grooming sessions like -art of ramp walking, yoga session. The sessions were also facilitated by NSW POLICE in order to make women more empower along with talent round. The gala day started with the lamp lighting by the chief guests1. Mrs Nimeesha Gupta 2. Rohit Pathak 3. Ritesh Duggal 4. Minu Sharma 5. Deputy Lord Mayor of Parramatta Sa meer Pandey along with Anuj Kulshrestha & Sweccha Kulshrestha

The curtain raiser started with Ethnic round followed by sports round, western gown & questions answers round. The fashion show was also organized along with lots of dance & singing perfor mances.Thecontestants & models were trained by Jo Shetty & Brinda Pandya. Teena Bhard waj. The show was emceed by Kangan sharma.After the tough competition The crown was given to the Sneha ChandrashekharMrs India Worldwide 2022. Ramanpreet Sandhu- Miss India Worldwide 2022 Isha Khera- Mrs India Global 2022 Ekampreet Kaur- Miss India worldwide 2022 Jury Members were- Ajit Vastyan, Nimeesha Gupta, Rohit Pathak, Dimple Doshi, Dr Neeraj Duggal, Divya Flora, Nidhi Malhotra, Harvi Chugh, Sanjiv Bhalla. The event was attended by dignitaries and the members of Indian Australia community.

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SpiceFest- A unique day and festival experience

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Community News | Sydney

Friends of India Australia’s (FOIA) SpiceFest was held on Sunday August 7, 2022, and was attended by dignitaries including Federal Minister for Climate Change Hon. Chris Bowen, NSW Minister for Multiculturalism Hon. Mark Coure and NSW Minister for Cor rections Hon. Geoff Lee among others. SpiceFest commenced with the Austral ian Air League marching in their sharp blue uniform playing band music. The Aboriginal smoking ceremony was the first stage pro gram. Only fitting for Australia’s First Nation to inaugurate the event as it always was and always will be Aboriginal land. As the Aboriginal dance concluded all the dignitar ies ascended the stage. They were welcomed by FOIA president Mrs Viji Sampathkumar whilst at the backstage FOIA vice president Mrs Rajani Nayak was ensuring smooth transition in the background. The event commenced with acknowledging the Dharug people, the traditional owners, and custodians ofOnParramatta.thestage all the dignitaries lit two giant lamps. Australian and Indian National an thems were sung by several FOIA youth vol unteers, the latter in acknowledgment of the 75th year of Indian Independence. Councillor Charishma Kaliyanda of Liverpool delivered the FOIA welcome address and concluded with Councillor Sandhya Reddy’s vote of thanks in her trademark cheerful manner. All the dignitaries were felicitated with a shawl, sweet box, and a plant. A symbol of growing together.Oncedignitaries dispersed, Shivagarjana’s drums resonated through the park. Their characteristic white outfit with saffron sash and their rhythmic movements as they beat the drums truly launched SpiceFest. Crowd started to build. Then children took over in the circus workshop, learning to juggle, hula hoops and other skills. Colourful costumes of dancers of various nations decorated the stage who were intro duced by MC Chilly Philly. Chilli eating competition saw twelve

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The Ettinghausen’s Jazz routine was stunning, transporting the audience to the 1920s. After the intermission Movement Nation’s hip hop and IMI’s Kpop con trasted the former’s staccato movement with the latter’s flowy ones. Phoenix Latin dancing brought Samba to Riverside rows of seating. They even threw in a lesson in salsa moves. Bollywood Dance School Australia numbers were full of energy. The various acts were threaded like strings of pearls by MCs Nick Fury and Saloni. The frenetic energy of SpiceFest transmitted from the stage to everyone’s beating heart and scintillating spirit. FOIA volunteers worked diligently for over ten weeks, and they poured their passion for uniting people from all walks of life into SpiceFest. Investment NSW planted the CBD Revitalisation seed, FOIA nurtured it and cultivated the SpiceFest tree, a symbol for the diverse communities to grow together, a platform for a community event to tackle climate change in a positive manner. In FOIA they Engage, Educate and Entertain!

WaliaHarmohanCreditPhoto

and night experience competitors from seasoned chilli chomping champions to young newbies. The com petitors wore gloves because those chillies were so HOT they could BURN.. St John’s ambulance and ice cream van were nearby in case of chilli casualties. Chilli competition reminded us how not to react no matter how sizzling one’s life becomes, or their tongues become.Thelion dance contrasted the softness of the dance with curt movements even the lion’s eyelid movements were choreographed. Children received the opportunity to catch what came out the lion’s mouth. Interactivity was key throughout the event as it capitalised on the audience’s attention. Likewise, MC Wayne with his sidekicks, his words, Amogh and Medha involved them wherever possible. Before twilight the 200 plants had found new homes.Theoutdoor stage performers became exquisitely spicy with belly dancing getting standing ovation. The night culminated with Brazilian samba with a lot of wiggling and jiggling in vibrant bird-like costumes. Liter ally jaw-dropping. Drawing crowds of people from eat street. There were a sea of faces outnumbering the seats. Both the morning show Simha: The Lion King musical and the evening dance showcase Spicy Fusion at the Riverside were nearly sold out. Janaki Easwar the youngest contestant from last year’s Voice, sang in Korean, sang a Billy Eilish song and her very own song. Her talent knew no bounds.InSpicy Fusion the audience’s hands and bodies became percussive instruments thanks to Girls on Tap and Lucky African dance. The turning Kathak dancer’s Jugalbundhi and capturing Arjuna’s dilemma as he faces his kith and kin in the war demonstrated Ruchi Sanghi’s range from fluid movements to dramatic emotional landscapes.

Community News | Sydney

AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com

The streets of Sydney vibrated with humanitarian appeal!

Thousands of refugees and support ers are expected to converge at Sydney Town Hall. Asylum seekers & supporters marched from Sydney Town hall to Hyde Park. The rally called on the new Labor government to convert Tempo rary Protection Visas and SHEVs to permanent ones immediately, after refugees have spent up to ten years without family, and having their children miss out on university, 2pm, Sunday 24 July 2022. Boats being sent back and off shore detentions need to end for good.

19 July set the stage for the Coalition’s Operation Sovereign Borders and was the beginning of nine long years of abuse and demonisation of refugees and people seeking asylum.Theend of the Morrison government has left over 19,000 refugees on Temporary Protec tion Visas and SHEVs; people who worked during the pandemic are separated from their families, denied the right to travel, and their children denied tertiary education. Labor has promised they will all be granted permanent visas – but they are still waiting to hear when and how that is going to happen.

The rally is part of national protests to mark the ninth anniversary of 19 July 2013, when Kevin Rudd declared Pacific Solution II and that asylum seekers who arrived by boat would be sent to Manus Island and Nauru and never allowed to settle permanently in Australia.

Thousands of others are on bridging visas

Desi News

The opening speech was delivered by Hon Senator David Shoebridge (Greens NSW), with more speeches after from Ian Rintoul Refugee Action Coalition, Ramisyar (Ramsi) Sabanayasam Medevac refugee from PNG, Ali Nayyef Australian Refugees in Limbo, Md Abdullah Yousuf, Bangladeshi Refugees of Australia Inc chief advisor, Renuga Inpaku mar Tamil Refugee Council, Cian Galea Vice President, Australian Young Labor.

This report was provided by: Md Abdullah Yousuf (Editor in Chief Suprovat Sydney)

Desi News AUGUST I 2022

“We can look after ourselves; we just need permanent resettlement…A permanent visa that is it, that is all.”

Md Abdullah Yousuf, Bangladeshi refugee chief advisor said, “Our refugee brothers & sisters did not come here for holiday. The gov ernment of Bangladesh is targeting students, businessmen and opposing politicians, as well as enforcing their disappearances, extra judicial killing them. That’s why they are unable to stay there. The current government of Bangladesh oppresses innocent people, so they have no choice but to run way from the country. When they came to Australia in order to save their lives, the Australian government continues to play with them. It is time to see what the current government done. Bangla deshi Refugees are suffering from their own High commission and consulate. They are government servants but treating refuges like animals. Refugees need to be treated as equals and fairly like others. He urged and requested the Australian government: Please give them (Refugees and Asylum seekers) a chance, ac cept them as a Permanent visa holder and give them the opportunity to contribute to the com munity, shoulder to shoulder in society. “All the refugees are very tired. After ten years, they have waited enough.”

Bangladeshi Refugees of Australia Incorpo rated (BRA) arranged excellent large Banners and T-shirts, as well as some colourful play cards which attracted a lot of the audience. Suprovat Sydney, the only Bangladeshi Newspaper in Australia (www.suprovatsydney. com.au), were the Media Partner of the events.

“When he was elected Anthony Albanese declared that ‘no-one would be left behind’. But refugees and asylum seekers are being left behind,” said refugee leader Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coali tion, “Some of the punitive conditions im posed by the Morrison government could be changed with a flick of the Minister’s wrist. “The people left behind in Nauru and PNG could be brought to Australia immediately.

More than 500 of the people who were exiled offshore will not have a permanent future un less Labor grants them a permanent future.”

appeal!vibrated that have to be renewed every six months. Afghanistan is firmly in the grip of the Taliban and crisis has paralysed Sri Lanka. Thousands of people from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan who can never return to their countries are victims of the fast-track processing system that has rejected their protection claims.

Thanus, a Tamil refugee brought to Australia from PNG under the Medevac laws, said “…July 19 policy has destroyed our lives & continues to make us suffer… this Govern ment could change one or two words in this visa, just to let us study, to travel, but there has been no change.

Around 200 Bangladeshis joined and took a vital role on the rally. Entire events organised by a senior Refugee leader Ian Rintoul (Refugee Action Coalition).

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Download Our App AUGUST I 2022 www.DesiAustralia.com 70 Our best wishes to Indian Community celebrating Independence Day! Advertisement

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