Desi Australia Magazine April 2021

APRIL 2021

AUSTRALIa’S MOST POPULAR SOURCE OF SOUTH ASIAN MEDIA

“Keeping you connected”

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NEWS I TALENT I HEALTH I TECHNOLOGY I FESTIVALS I RECIPE I YOGA

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WHAT’S INSIDE 11

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Awareness 12 Autism: is the way forward to outgoing High 16 Farewell Commissioner of India HE Mr Gitesh Sarma

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union of individual 19 Yoga-the and universal consciousness

18 areMarriages nurtured on Earth 20 GAMING the right way!!!

22 Sydney’s Sar-ee-torial Splendour Tips 24 Styling

by Abbey Singh Anniversary 26 125th Of A Hero & My Grandma Gajomoti’s Gold Bangle

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Happy

Hello everyone, Welcome to the month of April, which marks the beginning of New Year in India. The local communities from different states of India celebrated the new year in their own traditional way but the essence remained the same.

Easter this year was celebrated with

great enthusiasm and many had the opportunity to attend the Royal Easter show. April also marks the World Autism awareness day, recognising and spreading the awareness for the rights of people with autism.

Arti Banga

Editor-in-Chief

We hope you enjoy reading this edition as we bring to you the mix of stories and talent DesiAustralia.com “Keeping you connected”

PUBLISHER

Sales and Marketing:

ACT Editor:

Desi Media Group

Dimple Deez

Rajni Ghai Malhotra

(Desi Australia Pty Ltd)

Victoria Editor:

Western Australia Editor:

Editor-in-chief

Daljeet Bakshi

Ankita Tandon

Arti Banga

Editor:

South Australia Editor:

NSW Editor:

Priya Singh

Harmohan Walia

Daljeet Bakshi

Address: Desi Australia Pty Ltd

PO Box 102, Casula, NSW 2170 • Email : info@DesiAustralia.com

Mob: 0433121339

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.

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Festival

Festivals of April By: Vanshna Singh

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any significant festivals are held in April, usually to mark the spring season and include Easter, Vaisakhi and Bohag Bihu. These festivals all mark a new beginning, but let’s find out the significance of each festival in our community.

Vaisakhi Vaisakhi is known as the harvesting festival in Sikhism. Heavily celebrated in Punjab, over the years it has become Sikhism’s most popular festival. To celebrate this occasion, people visit Gudwaras to pray and watch music processions, known as kirtans. But it wasn’t always known as a harvesting festival.

The history originates back to 1699, when Guru Gobind Singh enlisted this festival to be an event that blesses Sikh families on to the path of soldier saints- also known as Khalsa Panth. Ideally this is known as Baptism.

Further into this story, the Guru challenges 5 Sikh men (the Panj Pyare) to give up their lives, who then came to be known as the first members of Khalsa. This festival usually falls 13 -14 April.

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The significance of this festival is to ideally commemorate the representation of rebirth and sacrifice of the Panj Pyare. The colours of Vaisakhi are yellow and orange, and during the celebration many of the Gudwaras and people are dressed in these colours. The colours also symbolise the joyful celebration.

Sikhism, being a religion practised worldwide, hold large music processions all

bath and adorning themselves in new clothing.

They then conduct a special prayer in the Gurdwara and after the worship, Melas are organised where prasad is eaten, people singing kirtans and dancing to tradi-

over the world gracefully signing Kirtans.

How is it celebrated?

On the day of Vaisakhi in Punjab, Sikhs start the routine early by taking a APRIL I 2021

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Festival

tional bhangra music.

Easter

One of the most known April festivals is Easter. It is celebrated by the Christian community and signifies the resurrection of Jesus.

This festival is celebrated worldwide and in most Christian countries a public holiday is given (Good Friday).

Often families gather together and celebrate this joyful occasion through Easter egg hunts and family dinner.

How is it celebrated?

Easter is also known as the final day of lent, where people end their fasts. To commemorate such events many people, go to Church services. Most of these services are adorned with flowers to represent life. The priest is also wearing their best robes. Also, candles are lit as they signify how Jesus fought evil for his followers. Past the services, Christians also enjoy spending time with their families, by hosting an egg hunt as well as simply eating together.

are marking the season of spring, just like Bohag Bihu. This festival marks the sowing season and is celebrated by the North Eastern parts of India (Nepal, Punjab, Bengal, etc.). Ideally, this is celebrated for seven days as the farmers prepare the field for

How is it celebrated?

Each day something new is worshipped to help farms prosper. Also, with the help of music, devotees (mostly women) dance to the bihu dance. There are many different instruments used including the flute and an instrument made from a buffalo horn, to encourage fertility through these dances.

It’s interesting to see many different festivals celebrating the harvesting season or the mark of a new season, for example Japan celebrates their cherry blossoms, whereas Punjab celebrates their sowing season Spring ideally marks the cycle of new life in a plant and this culture of spring festivals prevails in all religions, cultures and regions of the world.

Bohag Bihu As mentioned, most of these festivals

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farming purposes.

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Australia News

Developing the next National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children

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he Morrison Government has opened public consultation on the next National Plan to reduce family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia.

From tonight, all Australians can add their views and voices to the consultation via an online questionnaire, available on the Engage website.

Women who have experienced violence, family safety advocates, service providers and other stakeholders will also be invited to take part in a two-day National Women’s Safety Summit to be held on 29 and 30 July.

The Summit was agreed as part of the establishment of the Taskforce on Women’s Safety in December last year.

The summit will include keynote addresses, panel discussions and workshops focused on issues affecting women’s safety as well as a series of roundtables that will contribute insights and help determine priorities for the next National Plan.

These roundtables will focus on issues including prevention of violence and sexual violence, online abuse, coercive control, policing and justice systems, respectful relationships, frontline service responses and violence experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Download Our App

the National Women’s Safety Summit is vital to build on the existing National Plan in a way that addresses evolving issues and protects women and children from the scourge of family, domestic and sexual violence.

“Respect, dignity, choice, equality of opportunity and justice are fundamental to the safety of women in our country,” the Prime Minister said.

“This Summit will further elevate the important national discussion we are having about women’s safety and ensure that we bring all people along with us as we develop the next National Plan,” the Prime Minister said.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women Senator Marise Payne said consultation was vital to develop the successor to the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010–2022 (the National Plan) “A new National Plan will start in 2022, providing an updated and forwardlooking blueprint for preventing violence against women in Australia,” Minister Payne said.

“We want to hear from all parts of the community to make sure the next National Plan draws on the best and most wide-ranging ideas. We intend to build a shared framework as we work together to reduce and prevent violence against women and children.

“Consultation will involve listening to the diverse experiences of people affected by violence, including from regional, APRIL I 2021

rural and remote areas, Indigenous communities, LGBTQIA+ communities, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and people with disability.”

Minister for Families and Social Services and Minister for Women’s Safety Anne Ruston said people would be able to share their personal experiences in seeking and accessing support services, and will have the opportunity to make suggestions for targeted prevention and response measures.

“Importantly, we want to hear your views on what has been done well to date, what could be improved, and any new and emerging issues that should be prioritised in the next National Plan,” Minister Ruston said.

“We will also be consulting through virtual workshops and a National Plan Advisory Group, with key stakeholders from each state and territory. This will help us consult widely across a range of disciplines, including health, community services, legal services, housing, and children and family services.”

For more information and details about how to participate in the consultation, visit engage.dss.gov.au. Public consultation through this forum is open until 31 July 2021.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call

1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. www.DesiAustralia.com

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Australia News

Australia’s next Consul-General in Chennai:

Sarah Kirlew

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s. Kirlew is a career officer with the department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She previously served overseas in Beijing, New Delhi and Cairo. Ms.Kirlew holds a Master of Public Policy and Management from the University of London and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney. In an official statement, Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne thanked outgoing ConsulGeneral Susan Grace for her contributions to advancing Australia’s interests in Chennai since 2018.

of Australian universities tying up the best academics in the state and also supporting the alliance to develop joint research and development schemes. Alliance with the University of Curtin to set-up a university center of excellence focused on mining in alliance with Australian government in Visakhapatnam, said an official.

Mr. Farewell and others enlightened about financing,

exploring funding and advantage recycling where government benefits can be broken for a win-win partnership. Southern India includes some of India’s fastest growing and most economically advanced cities and regions offering a range of opportunities for Australian business. It is home to India’s zestful innovation, start-up and technology sectors, a valued source of students and tourists to Australia and where many Indian-Australians draw their forefathers.

Australian high commissioner calls on AP chief minister.

The Consul-General in Chennai is located on India’s Indian Ocean coastline and plays a key role in pursuing Australia’s strategic, trade and investment interests in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and the Union territories of Puducherry, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Their consular officers in Chennai have been central to the department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s support for Australians searching to return during Covid-19 with five flights facilitated from Chennai alone since 23 October, 2020.

The commission met Chief Minister Reddy late on Tuesday also thought upon the possibilities of collaboration in education and skill development. They discussed the possibility Download Our App

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Mag Corner

Autism: Awareness is the way forward eople say ‘drive away the blues’ but for me blue is beautiful, blue is the colour of the sky, blue is the colour of the ocean, blues is my favourite kind of music. There is something about this colour that just casts a spell over me.

So, it’s not surprising that should someone take a quick glance at my wardrobe, the dominating colour would be the 24 shades of the blue colour palette.

Today is a very important day for me as a teacher. When I began my teaching career almost three decades ago there wasn’t a lot awareness of the spectrum of challenges that our learners faced except dyslexia. In my first year of teaching I had a young man in my Year 10 who caught my attention in the first few days of the term ( remember the days of 50 students in your class!). No, he wasn’t boisterous or mischievous or physical or rude in speech.

It was something so different to anything I had ever noticed in somebody before: he didn’t make eye contact even when one was speaking with him directly, he had a very different gait, he had a clearly defined space around him and nobody violated it. There was certainly no slapdashing in his manner of doing things or backslapping that is so much a part of the teenage boy behaviour.

As you are reading this you are immediately able to recognise these as signs of Autism but I wasn’t able to then. I just knew he was different. I observed that he had no friends

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My interest was certainly piqued and I went digging and got to know that he had been in this class since Kindy and that it had been very different in Years 7 & 8. It was only in Year 9 when his uncle who was a psychiatrist in the U.K. came visiting and he immediately spotted that his nephew was on the spectrum.

He contacted the school, ran a sort of session.

He obviously was a convincing speaker, as he was able to cut through their teenage haze and connect with their caring side and that’s how the change was affected. I then contacted the parents and it was an immensely moving experience for me as a 21 year old to see the bewilderment in these parents who were grappling with the societal and expectations of self from their only child. Well, he was an able child and got a decent grade in Year 10 boards but then we heard the family had moved to the U.K.

I don’t stake claims on doing anything earthshattering in this field as the Special educators do but I try to do my bit by keeping abreast with the research that comes through.

Am in awe of the parents and siblings of these children who are the heroes who do everything they can for them.

To all parents, I say celebrate your children whatever their academic prowess. Remember it’s the person you need to love and nurture.

If we are able to bring up caring, compassionate and honest young people, rest will fall in it’s place!

I don’t know what happened to him but he has remained in my memory and I have often wondered how he’s travelling in life, what pathways did he take to get wherever he is now, what’s his journey been thus far...

Since I moved to Australia, I’ve taught a fair few children with autism and have been glad for all the support and training available here to teach these differently abled students.

Pleased to report they are happy doing what they wanted to do from a techno geek designing sets with Fox Studios to running Medieval Battles!

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Photo Credit: Jyoti Sharma

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By: Preeti Gupta

and he wasn’t particularly a cheerful lad himself! However, what interested me more was the other student’s behaviour with him.

You would expect that I’m going to talk about how they teased him, shunned him or even targeted him but NO, none of that occurred.

In fact, it was quite the contrary...they kept a respectful distance from him and his things, never violated his space, were always helpful if he seemed stuck, would look out for him.

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Mag Corner

Indian community at the forefront of providing help at recent rain bomb

By Poonam Naik

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he rain bomb that gave NSW 8 to 10 days of continuous downpour.

Rivers swelled up and broke banks.

Flooding happened everywhere.

Warragamba dam was overspilling in Western Sydney. The whole NSW was flooded – even the drought prone areas got their share of downpour.

The flooding is usually common in Mid North Coast of NSW from recent rains, but Penrith Hawkesbury flooding has happened since 1961. The Warragamba dam spilled over, draining in Nepean river. The Nepean river broke banks and various parts of Western Penrith got flooded. Downstream flowing towards Richmond and Windsor joining the Hawkesbury river. Most of western Sydney suburbs like Sackville, Ebenezer, Richmond, Windsor, Colo, and Wiseman’s Ferry got submerged in mud trenches of Hawkesbury river.

Most of these suburbs like Agnes Bank, Londonderry, Richmond and beyond are built on flood zone and were previously agricultural acreage farms, stud farms and turf farms.

Besides homes and farms flooded – many commercial areas around Richmond and Windsor got affected. Windsor is home to some lovely cafes and restaurants and antique shops. Londonderry has my favourite authentic wood fired pizza place. Parkview pizza place is run by some Italian women and their pizza crust just melts in the mouth. Ebenezer on banks of Hawkesbury river has a beautiful church café known for its softest scones. The winding road further leads to Australiana Pioneer Village. The open-Air Museum is set on 28 acres of beautiful riverfront picnic grounds at Wilberforce NSW. Their buildings are local ones saved from demolition and re-sited to form an 1800s Australian Village.

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You can do the mini train rides or feed the farm animals as well over here. And most Sydneysiders have enjoyed an all-long day picnic at Wiseman’s ferry and mandarin fruit picking at Ford’s farm.

It was heart wrenching to see scenes of flooding in areas you have beautiful memories associated with. Containers floating, debris of all sorts floating among other things. Horses pulled out from mud slush and flood waters. A lot of farm animals like sheep, dogs, pigs, and chooks were rescued. A Pakistani man lost his life as he was trying to negotiate his way to work when rising flood waters caught his car out. A gentle but strong reminder never to try to drive through flood waters.

Two weather systems collided – one from the inbound western NSW and the other from the seaside. The rain bomb lashed and pelted almost a year’s average in 3-4 days. El Nino weather pattern was predicted for this year for Australian East Coast. This generally brings in heavy rainfall and cloud development. But who saw the rain bomb coming?

There have been political decisions about raising the dam height of Warragamba Dam since years to avoid the current flood situation. Environmentalists are against raising dam levels due to backwater damaging the world heritage listed Blue Mountains. Building a house on a flood plain or flood zone is an uneasy and uncanny question for many.

Accurate weather predictions and pre warnings are still largely missing from the weather forecasts in Australia. The weather predictions and forecasts are way too precise in US. APRIL I 2021

As usual, the Indian community was at the forefront of providing help. Many SES volunteers of Indian origin pitched in help at this hour of rescue. Sydney-based Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchenette prepared and distributed food for SES volunteers and residents in flood-affected areas. While Turban 4 Australia airlifted supplies of groceries and personal care like nappies, toilet rolls etc to affected resident in the Hawkesbury area. The Hindu Council of Australia has also chipped in with a washing machine and dryer for SES volunteers besides food. A lot of Indian families from Sydney have come forward to offer accommodation and food through social media.

The rivers have started receding and the dam has stopped spilling water now. The mud clean up continues and insurance claims have already run in millions. This whole area got affected last year even in bushfires. So, for wherever you are living, ensure you have your own family’s evacuation plan ready to get out safely in face of calamities and disasters. www.DesiAustralia.com

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Community News | Sydney

Harmony Week celeb

by Sydney Community

Sydney Community Group is a not for profit registered Inc with a team of dedicated women v and has been supporting local community activities covering various sub

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armony Week is celebrated to recognise diversity and inclusion activities that take place during the entire week.

Harmony Week includes 21 March, which is the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It is a time to celebrate Australian Download Our App

multiculturalism, and the successful integration of migrants into our community. Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and we should celebrate this and work to maintain it. Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or APRIL I 2021

linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values.

TeamSCG kick started the Harmony Week by joining the most awaiting event of the Year Premier’s Harmony Dinner.

It was represented by the supporters of TeamSCG and highlighted the spirit of www.DesiAustralia.com

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Community News | Sydney

bration ty Group

volunteers working in various fields burbs in Sydney

Harmony. TeamSCG also participated in the Holi Festival celebrated by Hindu Council of Australia, to highlight the inclusiveness of all festival and cultures.

With this thought of inclusiveness in mind, TeamSCG took an initiative to share the Harmony Day messages from various people in the Community. Our supporters list are not only spread across Australia but from Japan and Newzealand.

Hornsby Shire Council’s Honourable Mayor Philip Ruddock, AO accepted our humble request and shared his thoughts on Harmony Day in this Multicultural land. Other notable Harmony Day messages came from Councillor Charishma Kaliyanda ,Liverpool City Council, Elfa Moraitakis CEO, Sydwest Multicultural Services, Melissa Monteiro CEO, Community Resource Migrant Resource Centre, and Arti Banga, Desi Australia Magazine.

Other notable supporters who shared the messages are • M ittu Gopalan, Freedman and Gopalan Solicitors • H amsa Venkat, Guru Samskriti School of Dance • M anjula Viswanath Venkat, Guru Rasika Dance Academy • R uchi Sanghi, Guru Ruchi Sanghi Dance Company • B harathi Rengarajan, HCA Women’s Download Our App

Wing G ayathri Gesan, NSW Health Prema Krishnan, Vision 2020 Poornima Menon, Five Pleats Dr. Nargis Banu, Voice of Bangladesh Yelda Chembarika, Motgage Biz Solutions • Roshini Vee, Cumberland District Mums • S heeja Nandakumar, Sangmitra-Sydmal • E mie Roy, The Stories Untold • S arita Ram Menon, Mrs United Nations World • N eelam Tamang, Bakers delight Cherrybrook • D r. Kanan Shah, Guru NIPA-Nartan Institute of Performing Arts • J uhi Bhavsar, Nrityam Dance Studio • M s Jane Li, Women Entrepreneur and Community Representative • A nne Kenyon, Hornsby Chamber of Commerce • Yoko Matsushita, Classical Dancer from Japan • R obert Waller, Australian Community Inspired Association • P urushothaman, NewZealand • • • • •

Our Sponsors • Yogesh Sodal CEO, LeafnRoot • S reeni Pillamarri JP CEO ,SoftLabs Pty Ltd APRIL I 2021

Though all our supporters come from different Nationality, Background, Ethnicity and Culture but at the end of the day they all highlighted the one Australian Value of “Inclusiveness and Belongingness” Apart from that we had overwhelming messages from our TeamSCG volunteers who always embrace the Australian values and inspire the Community with their valuable effort. TeamSCG works within the community with one motto “Inspire and Integrate with the mainstream community” Our great Supporter of TeamSCG Sreeni Pillamarri JP, also shared his message as “Harmony means to be Social, Cohesive, Diversity, Respecting and holding each other” Message from TeamSCG President Indu Harikrishna “Accept, Appreciate, Respect and be inclusive of all beliefs and culture enlightening the Humanity” highlighted the spirit of oneness even though we are part of different culture and diversity.

It was a great week of celebration where the theme “Everyone Belongs” were highlighted!!! www.DesiAustralia.com

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Community News | Canberra

Farewell to outgoing High Commissioner of India HE Mr Gitesh Sarma

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By: Rajni Ghai Malhotra

he High Commission of India hosted a farewell reception in honour of the outgoing High Commissioner of India to Australia, HE Mr Gitesh Sarma who retired on 31 March 2021 after 35 years of service. Members of the community, leaders of various community organisations and friends of the Mission were in attendance to bid a fond farewell to Mrs and Mr Gitesh Sarma.

Photo Credit: Rajni Ghai Malhotra

HE Mr Gitesh Sarma addressed the gathering followed by Mrs Ratnamala Sarma and Mr P S Karthigeyan, Deputy High Commissioner of India (currently Acting High Commissioner of India). Also adding their personal messages and words of farewell were Mrs Archana Singh Counsellor (Qld), Mr Kanti Jinna OAM, Dr Sunita Dhindsa President FINACT) and Mr Amardeep Singh.

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Talent

Harmony Day is for us to share Smiling faces everywhere We may look different but deep down we’re all the same No matter who you are no matter what your name It doesn’t matter – the colour of your skin Who loses or who wins It is us, we created the drama and the war But now, together, let us soar We are all different but still the same Here to live in peace we all came We will not judge in the way we connect So together we can grow in harmony and respect!

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Composed by Anya Malhotra (Year 6) for Harmony Day 2021

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Photo Credit: Alexandra (Pixabay)

Different, yet same

Life Experiences

Marriages are nurtured on Earth Yamini Hemnath life, apart from Bollywood movies. It kept me going right through my childhood, teenage years into my adulthood. And yes, I also did marry the first prospective groom. Why did I marry? Because I liked his parents (I had met them before I met him), they liked me and seemed affectionate and the boy, he was fine.

But most importantly, I got married because I wanted to!

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arriages they say are made in Heaven, but people on Earth need to nurture and maintain it.

From childhood, society and the passed on culture have made it appear as the ultimate end goal of a person, especially for a woman.

Life for me is now distinctly phased out and the current phase is radically different from the one I was in before. For the first 16 years of my marriage, I had a set routine. I didn’t get to think much, or rather didn’t pause to think much. I took care of the home and the kids. My hubby was heavily involved in his profession as he was in the defence forces. I remained the primary caregiver and relentlessly continued with my career across

various transfers.

And then I paused to think … I needed to retrospect and find a place for ‘ME’ within my family. I needed to learn, to grow, to err, to fall, to laugh and then learn again. 2020 gave me ample time to do what I needed. I finally started writing, writing for myself, writing for my kids and writing as it made me feel good. I experimented with my cooking and the interest grew in tandem with my interest in photography. I am still not sure if I cook to eat or cook because I want to click. It really doesn’t matter as both make me happy. And as I reflect and revisit, I know going forward I want to be able to inspire my kids to have their priorities while maintaining the required balance and most importantly I want to be able to find a meaning in marriage and family.

If you are married , you are successful ... If you are married at the right time (yes it has to be before others of similar age), you are successful...

If you are unmarried, you are doomed, there is something wrong with you ... If you are unmarried, probably you have misplaced priorities and even character ...

If you are divorced, you are a loser… If you are divorced, there is something wrong with you ….

From the time I could decipher things, I have seen failed marriages. Some sticking on for the sake of the society, others miserable with dowry threats and separation, empty marriages, marriages of convenience! So, what did I infer? That I needed to get married ...

However, what was passed on to me were lessons from each of those failed marriages.

There were the studies that would take me through life, the independence and a job that would be indispensable, the affectionate in-laws who would make a difference and the mother’s focus on her kids, which is the ultimate virtue. Study I surely did and was great at it. Studies was my only energiser in Download Our App

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18

Yoga

Yoga-the union of individual and universal consciousness

is physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually fit. This is possible only when we practice yoga. Yoga is the union of individual consciousness and universal consciousness.

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handra Bhatt has been practicing yoga for the last 20 years due to health conscious and his passion for yoga.

During the lockdown period he thought to change this passion into a profession by doing 200 hours of online Yoga Protocol Instructor course from the Ministry of Ayush Govt of India New Delhi. As per WHO, a person is called healthy if he

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Testament of following yoga is evident in Dwapar yug as Arjun and in Kaliyug as Baba Ramdev.

Arjun who was not ready to fight the war but finally won the battle of Mahabharat after having Yoga lessons from Lord Krishna.

Everyone knows about Baba Ramdev how yoga has transformed people’s lives when it comes to health.

Even modern science has accepted yoga is

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best practice to remain healthy physically, mentally,emotionally and spiritually.

Please contact Chandra for individual and Group Yoga classes.

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19

Technology

Image credit: JW Computers

School holidays have begun and there is only one question every kid is asking… What am I going to do for the next 6 weeks?

GAMING THE RIGHT WAY!!!

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hope I am right about this as surely this is the story in my household. Kids being Kids they will end up sitting in front of their favourite technology. It is most likely going to be a computer or a gaming machine such as XBOX or a PlayStation console.

We all know gaming is a very big industry and sales of Xbox and PlayStation have skyrocketed in the past couple of years. There are bigger and better gaming consoles coming out with massive processing power and the ability to handle lifelike graphics.

Well, we all have the option of buy-

ing gaming consoles but what are our other choices?

The good news is you do not have to settle with any gaming consoles and instead you can custom build your gaming powerhouse which might be a lot more powerful than any gaming console. If you are not one of the tech savvy people than there is nothing to worry as there are many large brand names who are promoting their prebuilt gaming setups with very high specification which can also be customised by anyone.

Yes, you heard it right… The next trend is the massive Gaming PC’s

By: Sarang Vengurlekar

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Technology

Image credit: Alienware

which are built with separate high-end components to provide a setup to run anything to your desire.

Only the best Gaming PCs can offer you that smooth, immersive experience of your gaming dreams. Most of the gamers are after the true to life graphics which means spending money for the 4K gaming setup is what will satisfy the pro gamers, and many know that PC games can be incredibly graphics intensive.

Many home PC’s are meant to do your normal everyday stuff like playing YouTube, using Microsoft Office or just browsing the internet but they are not meant to run high intensive games as they will normally be faced by high latency and stuttering. This is the reason why it is important to get a PC with best processors, best graphics cards and the best monitors. You will also want to invest in the best gaming keyboard and Mouse to ensure you have the fastest clicks during the play.

If you are not sure about which monitor to get then read my monitor reviews article a while ago which explained the types of monitors and what will fit certain scenarios.

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Let’s start with the processor. The most popular CPU’s are made by Intel followed by AMD. They both are very well placed in the Gaming Industry and surely comes down to personal preference. In some instances, I have seen AMD’s performing better due to it’s new design and the ability to overclock.

There is a war out there when it comes to AMD and Intel processors as both of them are competing with each other to come out with the best. Well clearly the winners are people like us, this can greatly benefit our setup as the extra processing power will always enhance the performance of the gaming pc. Second most important aspect to take into consideration is the graphics card. This is what will drive your big expensive monitor, and this is what will provide a realistic feel for your games.

Do not compromise on any specs if you are in the market to build your own gaming PC’s. A good graphics card with a good amount of memory will prove to be an asset in many ways.

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21

Stories by Saree Sisterhood

By: Preeti Gupta

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Sydney’s “Travel is the best form of education.” This has been very true in my case. I grew up on military bases across India. The frequent moves meant we built a cultural connection to the various states we lived in.

Due to these postings, my mother has an eclectic Saree collection and as a child I would accompany her to all these weavers in the villages. It was the 70s & 80s. Life was slow paced and idyllic. People were generous with their time and mum an inquisitive buyer. She always asked questions of the weavers, spurred by her interest and knowledge they would indulge her by giving us a guided tour of the many looms.

My love affair with handloom started then. It’s been a five decade long one.

Moved to Oz about two decades ago. Little did I know that a chance meeting with Shirley Jacob and Poornima Menon on a charity cruise would lead to us co-founding the Saree Enthusiasts group on Facebook for the ladies in Australia to bond over their six yards of fabric.

Beyond that, the group has also evolved into

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e e r a

an educational platform about India’s numerous crafts and weaves. For us the “saree sisterhood” is an essential support system not only to stay connected to one’s roots but beyond that to lay down new roots in a foreign land and invite the wider community into our ‘fold’! The reference here is not only to the ease with which the saree has enabled South Asian women to come together on the premise of saree appreciation but with the more serious intention of their emotional well-being and regaining a sense of personal freedom.

We believe that in the context of diasporic communities, a commercial element can actually be a good thing. This is because it provides an opportunity for women to develop their entrepreneurial skills and support each other’s initiatives as well as charitable causes. We have supported the Pink Saree initiative that raise funds to help create an awareness of breast cancer amongst the South-East Asian women and ICSA ( Indian Sub-Continent Crisis and Support Agency) provides support to women who have suffered from domestic abuse in migrant communities.

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Photo Credit: Jyoti Sharma

Stories by Saree Sisterhood

Splendour

To an outsider, it might seem as a light-hearted attempt at connecting. It is only by being an insider do you come to realise the true value of this forum. This goes beyond the narcissistic appeal of social media and upholding of tradition that most people observe. Insiders agree that for many the group has been a lifeline, a confidant in time of need, a format for empowerment, or at the very least a mirror that always smiles back.

Sarees have been an integral part of an Indian woman’s life story. The endeavour is to ensure that the Saree continues to hold that pride of place in the future of an Indian woman’s life tapestry no matter which place she calls home.

The photos track my journey; starting with my mum and myself in our favourite Tussar sarees, I’m in a beautiful black silk with stunning Kashmiri embroidery from a student of mine from the 90s, the troika in Himroo, Baluchari and an Ahmedabad cotton with kutch embroidery, wearing my red gharchola and haldi-kumkum Odisha silk are my colleagues and friends.

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It’s not been a smooth sailing all the way though!

My Saree connection snapped in Nov, 2001 after an almost fatal car accident, which resulted in ‘smashed to smithereens’ elbow. However, I re-connected with my sarees again after a hiatus and started wearing it to the School I teach. I have sarees in my cupboard at work, which I quickly wear with my kurtas whenever I feel like. I revel in the sarees, as each Saree of mine has a story; a story about my three graduation ceremonies, school/college farewells, performing in plays, family and friends’ weddings, my own wedding... the list goes on. The most beautiful moments have been when a student wanted to wear a Saree for the Year 12 Formal or when a colleague not only came for the Annual Saree Meet but ensured she got her friends along for the next two gatherings.

My identity as an Australian with an Indian cultural heritage is in some ways defined by my comfort level in my ‘own’ skin. I have a strong sense of self and since I landed here almost two decades ago, I have always worn the Indian Ethnic wear, as at this stage of my life I find it most elegant and it reflects me. Unabashedly me!

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Fashion

2018

Styling Tips

by Abbey Singh

Tip 1 When wearing sequence say NO to jewellery Let the dress do talking and no curls as it can get messy ..keep it simple, sleek n chic.

Tip 2 Repeating clothes only means its yours n you OWN them.

However improvise them with different hair n accessories. #happystyling #happyeaster Outfit by Bhavna Hemnani.

2021

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Receipe

Pistachio amaretti cookies 41/4 tsp salt 4 For coating, caster sugar and 1 packet almond flakes Let me walk you through it…

4Preheat the oven to 150C. 4Line your try with baking paper 4 Place the pistachios with ground almonds and salt into a food processor and pulse until the pistachios are finely ground. Add the mixture into a large bowl and mix through half of the sugar.

4 In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until foamy then slowly add the remaining sugar whisking until the meringue is in stiff peaks. Working in two additions add the meringue to the almond mixture along with the vanilla.

4 Once fully combined use a spoon to form the cookies, dropping first into a small bowl of caster sugar, tossing to coat fully then into the almond flakes.

Place the cookies onto the prepared baking trays, a few centimetres apart and then bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully before enjoying.

4 Cookies can be kept at room temperature in an airtight bag or container, for up to 5 days.

4 I enjoyed them with a nice cup of coffee…

4 Let us know if you’d try making these Italian Pistachio Cookies for yourself!

P

istachio Amaretti are a twist on the traditional Italian amaretti cookies, but with the addition of pistachios.

Coming back to the recipe, if you love a nice chewy cookie, then you’ll love these!

They taste like a Macaron but are much Download Our App

easier to prepare. You can literally prepare a batch ready for the oven within a few minutes.

Your shopping list: 43 egg whites 41 cup caster sugar 42 and ¼ cups ground almonds 41 cup pistachios 41 tsp vanilla extract APRIL I 2021

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Mag Corner

125th Anniversary Of A Hero & My Grandma Gajomoti’s Gold Bangle

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By: Indranil Halder

n the summer night of 1980s, I heard about Subash Chandra Bose.

The story teller was no one other than Gajomoti Halder, matriarch of our large patrilineal joint family and my grand mother. She lived in the Indian state of West Bengal. She believed in one and only son of the soil: Subash Chandra Bose or SC Bose, also known as Netaji.

For her, he was a True Warrior. A warrior who fought for United India and her freedom but couldn’t stop the structured killings, bloodiest communal violence and torturing of women in mid-October of 1946. She loved how Subash Chandra Bose never sent apologies to British Raj for his courageous endeavour in attaining freedom. During this time, the word freedom did not have much relevance for British Raj who was busy extracting many trillions of dollars from India just like past foreign invaders who came, ruled, stayed or left India.

Today in early 2021, after a long silence on the contributions of Subash Chandra Bose , Indian President Kovind unveiled his portrait at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi to mark the beginning of a year long celebrations to commemorate his 125th birth anniversary. At the same time Indian Prime Minister (PM) Modi visited the legend’s home city of Kolkata to pay his respect.

Indian Union Ministry of Culture had also decided to rename Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti as ‘Parakram Diwas’ that was celebrated on January 23. Recently, Indian Download Our App

Book prime minister Mr Modi continues the government’s effort to revive the legacy of Subash Chandra Bose and said, “The India of today will not forget the people who APRIL I 2021

in the name of writing history have done a disservice to the people who (Subhash Chandra Bose) shaped history. India of today is making the amendments now.” www.DesiAustralia.com

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Mag Corner

Lakshmi headed the women’s organisation and S A Ayer headed of publicity and propaganda wing.

These are some of the many achievements which fascinated my grandma Gajomoti too. She knew he had the courage to bring freedom to her motherland, United India. She never want her country to be divided recklessly.Her love for Subash Chandra Bose’s patriotism was so great that she learnt to love her country even more.

Netaji with Indian National Army soldiers

Netaji & Times Cover

In Australia, the Indian High Commission in Canberra also paid tributes to revolutionary founder of Azad Hind Fauj & charismatic freedom fighter Netaji Subash Chandra Bose on social media.

According to Supria Guha’s Facebook update , on 23/01, NRI Rising Club celebrated India’s jackbooted hero Subash Chandra Bose’s birthday in Kings Park War Memorial Garden in Western Australia . They picked up this special occasion as their first celebration since their incorporation. This is the very first time, I have ever heard about any Australian celebrations of this great man.

recovered in Australian New Guinea too.

And I cannot be more proud of Australia’s role in looking after those Indian soldiers before they headed home.

In 1943. 4th November, Subash Chandra Bose met the Japanese Emperor, as royal guest at the palace and representatives from China, Manchuria, Thailand, Philippines and Burma were also present. Subash Chandra Bose wrote an article titled ‘Free India and her Problems’ which was first published in the German periodical Wille und Macht in August 1942 and reprinted in Azad Hind, the official publication of the Free India Centre in Berlin.

Who was Subash Chandra Bose?

In 1938, Kolkata was the Indian city, where Indian Chamber of Commerce has had the privilege of hosting an afternoon party. It was a very special event. It was for a special guest and his name was with Subash Chandra Bose. His pioneering thoughts for freedom of India, still echos through the corridors of Indian Chamber of Commerce.

He was a top left-winger in Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s All-India National Congress, twice Party President and persistent threat to Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership. He was sentenced eleven times to British jails but escaped British India.

He was supported by the Axis powers of Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany, the Italian Social Republic, and their allies.

In 1942, Subash Chandra Bose was know to Australia, according to Dr Peter Stanley who wrote about Indian National Army on “Great in adversity”: Indian prisoners of war in New Guinea. Just as S. Woodburn Kirby’s British official history, “The war against Japan”, highlighted Indian National Army with details of Indians held in Hong Kong, Burma, Singapore, Malaya, Sumatra and British and Dutch Borneo. At the end of the war nearly 6,000 Indians were Download Our App

Being considered the first Prime Minister of India, when the provisional government was also formed in the Japaneseoccupied Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, Subash Chandra Bose was the commander of Indian National Army( INA) which comprising prisoners of war and formed on foreign soil fight for India’s freedom. He also formed Azad Hind Government and the Azad Hind Bank. Incorporated females in Indian National Army which included Captain APRIL I 2021

During grandma Gajomati’s lifetime, Subash Chandra Bose’s international stature was high. In March, 1938, his garlanded picture in international magazine, Time, ran a caption quoting from his speech “Britain has ruined India economically, politically, culturally and spiritually”.

The story, titled ‘Chariot of Freedom’ had a description of his arrival at the Indian National Congress venue for the Congress.

The story conceded stating “Among the slick, top handful of Congress politicians, most of them obviously enjoying the incense of power and prestige, Subhas Bose stands out”.

Time magazine also mentioned later on, that after Netaji fled to Germany in 1941 in disguise. It wrote , ‘India : Bose goes’: The story of Bose’s sudden disappearance was a shock to British Raj and a matter of pride for Indians like my grandma Gajomoti. According to author Barbara and Thomas Metcalf ( ‘A Concise History of Modern India’, 2012), “Subash Chandra Bose had a romantic saga, coupled with his defiant nationalism, made Bose a nearmythic figure in Bengal and India.”

RN Tagore, the only non European Nobel laureate( Literature ) from Asia at the time, wrote his last short story in June 1941 ( he died in Aug 1941). In his story, Tagore described the journey of a lonely freedom fighter across Afghanistan, in disguise. Titled ‘Badnaam’. A homage to this great rebel.

The story that grandma Gajomoti loved too as she like many Indians were anxiously hoping for freedom from British Raj oppression.

It is an irony even then, Subash Chandra Bose is mostly known to international or local air traveller arriving in Kolkata air www.DesiAustralia.com

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Mag Corner

port which is named after him. He is not globally as recognised as Amar Bose, founder of Bose Speaker or Satyendra Nath Bose, who developed BoseEinstein theory which characterises the elementary particles. But during 1941, International headlines stated, Subash Chandra Bose was beyond British grasp.

Women & Indian National Army gold: By this time, India’s Council of State announced officially that he “has gone over to the enemy” and signed an Axis pact inviting India’s invasion. Guessed the Council: He is probably already in Berlin or Rome. Netaji carried on his final voyage a large collection of a large collection of gold jewellery which included women-earrings, nose studs and necklaces.

Freedom did not come for free.

To bring freedom to India, donations were collected from house holds in Bengal, which lead my grandma Gajomoti donating her gold bangle for the country she loved. Just like my grand mother and many other women, Saraswati Rajamani, was one of the daughter of the richest Indians in Rangoon, Myanmar who also happen to own a goldmine, also donated her jewellery to Indian National Army.

Her aim was to fight British Raj oppression and also to help sustain recruitment of both male and female volunteers. It is incredibly to learn from historical evidences that most of such donations were made by women in gold and jewellery across India, Myanmar, Malay and Singapore. To these women, jewellery was a valuable asset, thousands of year old Indian heritage and made them look extraordinarily beautiful. But they were happy to part with their jewellery to bring freedom for United India.

After 1942, to get rid of British Raj in India and bring freedom, Indian National Army drew ex- prisoners and thousands of civilian volunteers from the Indian expatriate population in Burma (now Myanmar), Malaya (present-day Malaysia), Singapore and India. Subash Chandra Bose quickly set up Azad Hind Government which handled the Azad Hind Bank. It was stated that according to Indian National Army comrade Debnath Das, ‘while leaving Rangoon, Download Our App

Netaji with Indian National Army

Netaji with Women soldiers Bose withdrew treasure valued at around Rs 1 crore, consisting mostly donated gold bars and jewellery, from Azad Hind Bank’ . He also called for women to be part of his regiment. The author of Women at War: Subhas Chandra Bose and the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, Vera Hildebrand, HarperCollins India mentioned that , “Bose called for every ablebodied Indian to enlist in the INA and concluded with a stunning demand: “I want also a unit of brave Indian women to form a ‘Death-defying Regiment’ who will wield the sword, which the brave Rani of Jhansi wielded in India’s First War of Independence in 1857.”

Indian women played a significant role in the journey for India’s freedom which was chalked out by Subash Chandra Bose. Unfortunately neither these women, nor their stories of APRIL I 2021

jewellery donations or arm freedom were recognised by Indian government.

Communists, Congressmen, Leftists, Marxists, Nehruvian and Secularists – the people who dominated India’s history never gave these women their due respect or investigated the fund created from the donation of their jewellery. As an female academic , short-story writer, and voices of Bengali literature Nabaneeta Dev Sen said, “ The Kind of history we write, is what historians won’t write about. That which is not seen in the historical novels written by men is written by us.“ Nabaneeta was correct as the few Indian National Army women who survived were reluctantly forgotten by their own government in India. They are not remembered like Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi or Rani Chennamma of Karnataka or Tuluva queen Abbakka Chowta of Ullal (present day www.DesiAustralia.com

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Mag Corner

of the political situation (better than many Indian politicians at the time), highlighted the community support for Subash Chandra Bose( in India and South Asia)and upheld the eternal truth, that traders cannot be rulers. It is definitely, time to start celebrating the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Australia with grandeur and enthusiasm.

The celebration continues with a poem dedicated to Subash Chandra Bose by Prof Edward Farley Oaten Tunbridge Wells, UK , that he wrote:

GrandMa Gojomoti with brother & Me Mangaluru) or Rani Jindan Kaur of Punjab in Indian history books.

Sadly, their contributions to Indian independence have been significantly marginalised and trivialised. They were never invited by Indian government until 2019 to participate in Republic day Parade in Delhi for their active armed freedom struggle. Their private jewellery donation only remained word of mouth stories and their enormous Azad Hind Bank fund worth approximately Rs 80,000 crore ($14 million Australian dollars today)from India, Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore in 1942-1946.

It remained missing. The gold that was raised is often compared to the mysteriDownload Our App

ous Nazi gold train in Poland to the legend of El Dorado in South America as mentioned by Purabi Roy, author of the book Netaji: Rediscovered.

It is surprising that no one had located the fund. The fund, when found can utilised for the development and welfare of women in India, Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore by governments and international organisations.

What makes me proud about my grandma Gajomoti was her action to donate her gold Bangla for the freedom of her mother land India or Bharat (as she would refer)to the son of soil and her hero Subash Chandra Bose. To me, her donation represents her understanding APRIL I 2021

Did I once suffer, Subhas, at your hands?

Your patriot heart is stilled, I would forget!

Let me recall but this, that while as yet The Majesty that you once challenged in your land Was mighty; Icarus-like your courage planned To mount the skies, and storm in battle set The ramparts of High Heaven, to claim the debt Of freedom owed, on plain and rude demand.

High Heaven yielded, but in dignity Like Icarus, you sped towards the sea.

Your wings were melted from you by the sun, The genial patriot fire, that brightly glowed In India’s mighty heart, and flamed and flowed Forth from her Army’s thousand victories won! www.DesiAustralia.com

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Mag Corner

My Top FIVE reads from Summer of 2020-2021

By: Preeti Gupta

Apeirogon by Colum McCann Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2020, shortlisted for Dublin Literary Festival 2021. Absolutely loved this book, as Colum McCann’s style of writing is compelling! I have taught his short stories and have enjoyed it.

Weaving in and out through events, history and lives makes reading it so enlightening. His way of dropping a fact or a thought into a paragraphmakes one stop and wonder only to find full explanation a few paragraphs later. The story is divided into 1001 chapters like the stories of the Arabian Nights. The beauty is the brevity of these chapters; most of these are only a sentence or two!

Rami, an Israeli and Bassam a Palestinian born as sworn mortal enemies are central to the story and it is a true one. Their unlikely friendship grew from a shared grief for their young daughters, both casualties of war. Rami asks “What could cause someone to be that angry, that mad, that desperate, that hopeless, that stupid, that pathetic, that he is willing to blow himself up alongside a girl, not even 14 years old?” Rami and

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Bassam use their pain as a weapon to diffuse conflict. Language is the sharpest weapon. Sadly, words alone do not suffice. It is disastrous to discover the humanity of your enemy, his nobility, because then he is not your enemy anymore. Do not negate the possibility of living alongside each. Allow the opportunities to get along. The first, easiest and worst response is revenge. Inclusivity, moderation to end the endless cycle of sorrow takes courage. There is much to learn and mull over in this narrative of sorrow, history, justice and artistry.

Anything is possible, even the seemingly impossible!

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A Burning by Megha Majumdar This novel for me was like being on a roller coaster ride of emotions.

The author demonstrates a unique ability to capture the vast scope of a tumultuous society by attending to the hopes and fears of people who are marginalised in societies such as ours in India. The novel has three distinct characters but they are entwined in each other’s lives and individually these characters are quaint, charming and stereotypical but when shove comes to push they go into survival of the fittest mode. Loved the vernacular reflected in the subversion of the tenses to matcg the translation method used by ESL. I found myself reading it in that accent and flow! It shows

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Mag Corner

how we are capable of the good, bad and the ugly at the same time.

Captures this complexity of the human nature through the inconsistencies and the paradoxes in the human behaviour.

The effect is transporting, often thrilling, finally harrowing.

There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job

by Kikuko Tsumura ( Translated by Polly Barton)

amusing and/or informative facts to be placed on packets of crackers. It is a compelling work of fiction that has a tonne of social commentary gems, lyrical prose and an eccentric and relatable central protagonist.

erations want to know what it was like to live through the nightmare of 2020, this is the novel they will reach for.

My Salinger Years by Joanna Rakoff

The whole story has an inexplicable rawness about it and is only found in Japanese writing and only that of the highest calibre. It is a tale of belonging, modern life, and identity, finding yourself and discovering your purpose and although humorous. It is both, poignant and profoundly charming.

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

A ‘black humour’ kind of magic realism that moves deftly between moments of irreverence and solemnity.

It is award-winning writer Tsumura’s first novel to be translated into English and was very reminiscent of my favourite writer Haruki Murakami in the way it is ethereal, otherworldly as well as enchanting meditation on all aspects of our working lives. This is a quirky Japanese novel about a mysterious and peculiar 36-year-old unmarried and unnamed woman who has suffered burnout from her stressful job and has gone back home to live with her parents for the time being.

The book is divided in five sections, each one focusing on a different job, such as a surveillance job, recording ads for a bus company and to find

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Though written before the Covid crisis, it taps brilliantly into the feeling of generalised panic that has attached itself to the virus and seems to mingle fears about the climate, inequity, racism and our over-reliance on technology. As you read, a new voice interjects, an omniscient narrator who begins to allow us gradual access to the terrifying events taking place across America.

It is an extraordinary book, at once smart, gripping and hallucinatory. I strongly believe that when future gen-

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This is a memoir about literary New York in the late nineties, a predigital world on the cusp of vanishing.

Nuanced and funny. After leaving graduate school to pursue her dream of becoming a poet, Joanna Rakoff takes a job as assistant to the storied literary agent for J. D. Salinger. Precariously balanced between poverty and glamour, she spends her days in a plush, wood-panelled office, where dictaphones and typewriters still rule the roost and agents doze after threemartini lunches. However, her home is a total contrast as the threadbare Brooklyn apartment and her socialist boyfriend. She is assigned the task of processing Salinger’s voluminous fan mail, but as she reads the heart-wrenching letters from around the world, she becomes reluctant to send the agency’s formal response and impulsively begins writing back.

The results are both humorous and moving, as Rakoff, while acting as the great writer’s voice, begins to discover her own.

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Community News

The late. Dr Amarjit Singh More OAM awarded Top Honours by NSW Premier community leader who volunteered in various roles.”

“I pass on my sincere condolences to Dr More’s family and the entire Woolgoolga community following his passing”.

Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh said Dr More was a beloved member of the Woolgoolga community and Sikh Australian community in NSW.

T

he NSW Government has posthumously recognised the exceptional service of an Australian Sikh medical practitioner and community leader following his passing.

Dr Amarjit Singh More OAM was

posthumously inducted into the Premier’s Multicultural Honour Roll.

Minister for Multiculturalism Geoff Lee said Dr More tirelessly served the local community for decades.

“Dr More was an incredibly active

“He was a GP to four generations of my family and many other families like ours in the Woolgoolga community,” Mr Singh said.

“His practice manager told me that Dr More had nearly 20,000 patients, such was his work ethic and love of the job.”

“Dr More was a community-minded man who gave his time and considerable intellect to many causes, most notably to the building of the new First Sikh temple building, which opened early 2019.”

Photo Credit: Coffscoastadvocate.com

Dr More OAM’s son Ashley More said his father had left a lasting legacy in NSW and he was honoured that he had been posthumously recognised by the NSW Government.

“My father has left a huge legacy behind him. We are overwhelmed at his recognition through the Premier’s Multicultural Honour Roll,” Mr More said.

Premier’s Harmony Awards © Salty Dingo 2021 CG – Ashley More accepting the award on behalf of his father the late Dr Amarjit Singh OAM Download Our App

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“We could not be more proud that his legacy will continue to live on in our community.”

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