27 minute read
‘The Rahat Project’: A 20-year-long musical journey
“Rahat” CD was released in the NSW parliament on Tuesday 17th May 2022 joined by several members of the NSW Parliament, distinguished community leaders, VIPs and creative artists of the Rahat project. The event included a few short speeches on community social cohesion, short video clips of the VIPs (including the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi) about this project, and an acknowledgement of the creative artists.
The youngest speaker at the event was Ashar Hasnain Zaheer, a 10-year-old boy from Western Sydney, who spoke about the importance of Peace & Harmony and appealed to everyone including leaders and guests to invest their time and efforts into creating a vibrant, colourful and safe future for the next generation. He mentioned that children want to see more schools, playgrounds, parks and art centres where they can thrive and realise their talents. Guns and wars should only belong in history books.
The “Rahat” project is produced by WAACI (We Australians are Creative Inc), a not for profit Australian organisation, networking Creativity in Australia.
WAACI believes that Creativity has no boundaries, limitations, nationalities, religions, colour or racial differences or any other barriers that humans erect around
themselves. Creativity is a gift to humankind to express the feelings of joy and sorrow experienced by humanity and our society. In WAACI, we share and network creativity with established as well as new artists. Another aspect of WAACI is to promote peace and harmony by way of networking creative concepts. With the above spirit and thought, WAACI has arranged the production of the unique Ghazal album “Rahat” featuring the poetry of Mr Om Krishan Rahat, a senior Urdu/Hindi poet in Australia who passed away in 2018 in Western Sydney.
“Rahat” is a digital quality Australian album recorded and produced in Australia, which includes the most popular and melodious voices of Australian talents. Rahat is a noncommercial project reflecting the essence of community social cohesion.
“Rahat” is an Australian initiative and has been dedicated to enhancing Community Social Cohesion, Peace & Harmony. There were close to 65 creative artists, who contributed to this project. This project has been produced in collaboration with creative artists of ethnicities from Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Spain, Fiji, UK, Malaysia, Spain and Cambodia. “Rahat” CD comprises 2 CDs and contains a 28-page booklet which elaborates information on WAACI, profiles of poet Rahat and artists and seven poetry tracks written in Hindi and Urdu supported by an English summary (gist) of 7 music tracks.
Crowning Glory
By Rashmi Kataria
Confidence is your Crowning Glory; it is the state of being clear headed. It boosts one’s energy within oneself. In my previous article I mentioned, as is our confidence so is our capacity and it is one of the most beautiful attire one can dawn. Selfassurance is another word for confidence.
Let’s see some rules for sustaining confidence:
1. Self-Acceptance: A person cannot be comfortable without one’s own approval and the worst loneliness is not being comfortable with oneself. Embrace your all positive and negative attributes. Accept the person who you are. You yourself deserve your love and affection the most. Pamper yourself and fall in love with yourself. 2. Work on your strengths: You are the captain of your ship in the journey of your life. Your strengths are like the sail of the ship which gives you momentum to move and grow in your life. Struggles help to identify and develop strengths. Your strengths are your assets and every one of you has it. 3. Know your weaknesses: Identify and address your weaknesses. Its always good to know your weakness, so that we can take care of the leaks in our ship. Every individual has weakness, confident people know their weaknesses and never shy away from accepting it and having a laugh about it.
4. Accountability: It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable. Accountability justifies one’s intentions. Accountability leads to self-dependence and assures 100% done rate of any task or action. There is no blame game and everything is on you. This leads to a beautiful confidence built and boost.
Diversity & Inclusion Advocate, Saroni Roy perpetuates Body Diversity on 2022 Starry Sari Night Runway
The South Asian-Australian Actor & Model Saroni Roy symbolised body diversity & inclusion on the 2022 Starry Sari Night Runway Showcase by Faces of FOMA
Sydney, 29th May, 2022 – Diversity & Inclusion advocate, Indian-Australian Actor & Model Saroni Roy joined the Faces of FOMA Runway Showcase at the ‘2022 Starry Sari Night – Experience South Asia in the South West’ by Liverpool City Council, held from the 20th May 2022 – 22nd May 2022, promoting Body Diversity at Australia’s biggest South Asian Cultural Showcase, celebrating Australia’s incredible South Asian couturiers.
The Faces of FOMA (Fabrics of Multicultural Australia), an initiative by Sonia Sadiq Gandhi, featured an ensemble of prolific models from across Sydney donning original designs from the local South Asian fashion designer boutiques & shops that populate George Street aka Sari Street in Liverpool City, NSW.
As Ms India Australia Goodwill Ambassador and a Body-activist, Saroni is the first Indian-origin brand ambassador for world’s leading body-confidence brand for women, Nancy Ganz and has been redefining the narrow ideals of beauty in the Fashion and Entertainment industry with her Diversity & Inclusion campaigns.
Representing Body Diversity & Disabled Models, Saroni highlights, “it’s imperative to perpetuate Body Diversity in the business of fashion. As a South Asianorigin actor & model, cancer-survivor, facing multiple invisible disabilities like endometriosis, femoral tumour, essential thrombocythemia, crippling pain in my leg, to name a few, having faced bullying and body-shaming, walking the Faces of FOMA Starry Sari Night Runway was truly empowering and inclusive.”
Showcasing fine South Asian Couture, Saroni mesmerised the multi-cultural audience with her winning smile, dressed in luxurious sharaaras, lehengas and jewellery, sashaying to the beats of Bollywood Lounge & EDM on the Faces of FOMA Starry Sari Night runway.
Starry Sari Night encapsulated sights, sounds, colours and flavours of South Asia, with live performances by pop sensation Pav Dharia, Hip Hop artist L-Fresh The LION, contemporary R&B singer Lara D, Punjabi Australian singer and dancer Parvyn, The Voice contestant, Janaki Easwar, and South Asian Fusion Arts dance company Bindi Bosses. While Council’s official Beverage Partner, Archie Rose Distilling Co., mixed delectable cocktail and mocktail concoctions, Australia’s favourite gelato, Messina dished out special Starry Sari Night creations, inspired by South Asian flavours.
The hand that rocks the cradle
By: Poornima Menon
This journey together and the relation between the mother and her child begins from the womb and the first real experience happens with that first ‘kick’. Your mother is your first cook, your first groomer, your first stylist, your first teacher and mentor, your first playmate, your first best friend and your first confidante. You are yourself when you are around her and as you grow, she steps aside and watches from the sidelines, revelling in your achievements and glory, always there to catch you whenever you stumble. And slowly yet surely, with a heavy heart she lets you go as you start creating your own space in this world and continue on your individual journey using all the tools she has provided you with.
It goes without saying that mothers are to be celebrated every day. However, ‘Mother’s Day’ gives everyone the opportunity to do something special for their mothers. While she is showered with tangible gifts, all she looks forward to is your presence, your company, a nice tight hug, or a phone call if you are miles away. I spoke with my sakhis from the Saree Club and posed them with five questions. This is what some of them had to say,
What is the one thing you have learnt from your mother that you have imbibed in your life and helped you in raising your kid/s?
Sneha: My mum taught me from a very young age to be independent and self-sufficient. When I got married, many people gave me advice, but my parents only said a couple of things that will remain with me for life. My mum said, “Never give up your independence, including financial independence.”
Sanjyot: My first Guru is my mother. The best thing I have learnt from my mother is the discipline to wake up early in the morning and have a productive morning routine. I believe this has been the key skill that has helped me balance motherhood, career and all other obligations throughout my life. Ratandeep: My mom taught me to always work hard in whatever I do and take pride in the work that I do and know that I have done my best. I learned this from the way she lived her life. She always went above and beyond both in her personal and professional lives.
What is the one thing you have seen that you have changed in your journey thus far as a mother?
Sneha: The birth of my second child changed my journey as a mother significantly. You don’t understand until you have a second child that parenting is not the same for each child. Each child is different and for their unique personality to flourish you cannot take the same approach with both children. Sanjyot: I am trying to transition from the role of a mother to a more neutral role. Ratandeep: I have become more patient.
How have you welcomed motherhood? Do you recall that first feeling when you held your first born in your arms?
Sneha: My first words when my first child was born were “what is it?” and the words, “A girl” filled my heart with immense joy. Every day since has been a journey of self-discovery, learning, and love. Sanjyot: I welcomed motherhood, but I was not trained for the job. I was overwhelmed with happiness when I held my first born in my arms for the first time but was uncertain whether I would be able to raise this precious life and be a good mother. Ratandeep: When I first held my daughter in my arm, I felt complete. It was the most amazing feeling I ever had.
The hand that rocks the cradle
One interesting incident from your journey?
Sneha: I have loved and learnt a lot through my journey as a mother. The most interesting incident for me through this time is observing the love for a grandchild and lengths my father went to, to get his older granddaughter, Sahana (then 2 years old) the fruit of her choice. This incident really did open up my eyes to the bond, which I unfortunately could not share as much of as my grandparents passed away when I was young. Sanjyot: It has been interesting to be in the role of a child (to my mother) and now see my own children as adults. It has given me great sense of understanding and empathy for how my mother may have felt raising me. Ratandeep: There are many wonderful memories but the one cute little memory that stands out is how my daughter would smile and point the spoon towards my mouth asking me to eat, every time I tried to feed her.
What do you want for your children?
Sneha: I want both my children to be happy and filled with joy. I want them to always smile and bring smiles to other people’s faces. Sanjyot: I would like my children to be responsible human beings and contribute well to society. Ratandeep: I want my daughter to be a good human being, always help others and have a healthy and happy life.
Abhilasha remembers her mother very fondly as she remarks, “My beautiful mom was that special person who spread her warmth to anyone she met. I was amazed at her kind heartedness and her ability to treat everyone with so much love and respect. My mom always reminded her four children that our greatest strength lies within us. No matter what the circumstance, she always had this beautiful smile on her calm face. Even though she left us 13 years ago to join the angels in heaven, she always reminds me that I am strong, and my true strength lies within me. This advice has helped me face any situation in my life with confidence and a trust that I’m going to be fine no matter what. As a mom myself, I hope to pass this advice to my children as well.”
Pooja’s mum taught her the importance of hard work and to stand up for herself and speak up when others are wrong. Speaking about her mother, she said, “My mother always maintained a balanced approach during trying times. And so, whenever I am faced with life’s challenges, this learning has given me the strength to walk through the problems. I knew I would be a good mum and prayed that I could pass on to my children what I had received as a child from my parents. All I want for my children is for them to be themselves”. “Staying true to oneself is the best thing we can do for ourselves and we should teach our children the same”, she continued.
Motherhood is precious and more precious are the life lessons we learn from our mothers that we can pass on to our children. It is the most valuable keepsake.
BALJEET KAUR
is the first Indian climber to summit four of the world’s highest peaks in a single season
Baljeet Kaur: Who Is She?
The 27-year-old Himachal Pradesh woman made history when she became the first Indian woman to climb four 8,000-meter peaks in less than a month.
Mt Everest (May 22), Mt Annapurna (April 28), Mt Kanchenjunga (May 12), and Mt Lhotse (May 12) are the four mountain peaks she has conquered (May 23)
Since childhood, Baljeet has been fascinated by mountains. She would even climb small hills near her village Panjrol in Kandhaghat tehsil of Himachal’s Solan district.
Her mother Shanti Devi was quite sure that she would accomplish something huge in the field of mountaineering.
Meri beti ne jo kar dikhaya hai, woh toh hamare liye sabse uncha kam hai (Our daughter’s feat is the highest honour for us),” said Shanti Devi
She has three siblings and all of them would help the mother in managing the farm work. Her father Amrik Singh was working as a bus driver with Himachal Road Transport Corporation
She pursued her studies in the Government Senior Secondary School at Mamligh, a neighbouring village. That’s where she enrolled herself with the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and that’s when her tryst with mountaineering started.
Her mother is hopeful that her story will inspire girls all over the country to dream big. In an interview, she revealed that she had to sell some of her gold ornaments to support her. She also ran a crowd funding campaign to support her dream.
Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) president Harshwanti Bisht also congratulated her. He said, “Such a feat is highly positive for the women mountaineering in India. More and more Indian women climbers are breaking and setting new records, which in turn are encouraging more talent to come forward,” said Bisht.
She is also the first Indian female mountaineer to successfully climb the 8,167-m high Mt Dhaulagiri.
How This Indian American Won the 2022 Spelling Bee in 21 Words in 90 Seconds
Harini Logan, a child of Indian descent, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2022 on Thursday.
The Texas Class 8 kid won the tournament by properly spelling more words in a spell-off, the Bee’s first since its founding in 1925.
Ms Logan defeated Vikram Raju, another Indian-origin student in Denver’s year 7.
The Spelling Bee had its difficult moments, according to USA Today, when both participants failed to correctly spell two words in a row between Rounds 13 and 18. moment when she was ousted in the finals, according to the New York Times.
The judges, however, later concluded that her definition of the word pullulation was permissible.
According to the New York Times, this was Ms Logan’s fourth and final appearance in the Bee, and she described the victory as “surreal.”
After the three-hour competition, Vikram Raju, 12, stood with his head bent.
The game has previously been dominated by Indian Americans, but last year, 14-year-old Zaila Avantgarde became the first African-American participant to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The National Bee is as much a nerd spelling competition as it is a high-profile, high-pressure endurance test, and spellers spend months preparing for it.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Bee was cancelled in 2020 for the first time since World War II.
According to the source, this prompted the judges to chose a spell-off, which is a 90-second round in which contestants must accurately spell as many words as possible.
Ms Logan properly spelt 21 words while her opponent only managed 15, resulting in her victory.
Ms Logan, 14, had a heart-stopping
However, when host LeVar Burton asked if he will return to the Bee next year, he responded with a resounding “yes.”
In 2019, however, there were eight co-champions, with seven of them being Indian Americans.
T20 Cricket tournament retakes in Winter
With the summer cricket season all but over, Sharjeel Siddiqui decided to organise a winter cricket tournament for young cricketers who didn’t get a chance to play due to almost all games were washed out last summer season.
The T20 Junior Winter Cricket Tournament, a first for the Fairfield Liverpool Cricket Association, began over the weekend with around 100 children competing in under-12s, under-13s, and under-14s divisions.
The games were played on Saturdays at Amalfi Park and Brownes Farm Reserve.
“Overall, the T20 winter competition was organised with the incentive to give kids the opportunity to continue playing in matches, regularly maintain exercise and make up for what was lost in the summer season,” said Sharjeel, who is the organiser of the competition along with committee members Peter Moore (president and secretary FLCA), Salim Khatri, Syed Jafar and Kashif Khan.
Round 1 results:
Under-12s: Hoxton Park Tigers Blue 4-102 def Western Tigers 3-97, Western
T20 Cricket tournament retakes in Winter
Sydney Warriors 1-137 def Western Tigers 2-136. Under-13s: Mighty Magpies 4-99 def Hoxton Park Tigers Orange 6-97, Mighty Magpies 6-158 def Team Rising Stars 115.
Under-14s: South West Champions 4-74 def Western Sydney Kings 2-72, Northern Raiders 3-255 def Western Super Kings 115.
The awards night function was the cherry on the cake as it recognized the dedication and perseverance of young players.
The event was attended by local MPs, community leaders and dignitaries.
Nathan Hagarty the Councillor for Liverpool said since our local federal MP Anne Stantley has been reelected we will push to put some funding towards some more cricket pitches in her electorate.
An Evening of Wonderment and Nostalgia
By: Poornima Menon
It is difficult to pin point if the songs in his movies made the movies famous or if it is the movies that made the songs famous or it could be both. Whatever
the case, all Yash Chopra movies have their own usp. All his heroines were beautiful and received special treatment. On Friday 3rd June, 2022 a packed Pioneer Theatre witnessed the celebration of this legendary film maker and the credit for this goes to Manju Mittal and her team of very talented singers and musicians.
‘Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein’ was indeed a fitting tribute to Yash Chopra. It was a well thought out string of beautiful melodies from Yash Raj Films. Though one evening can not encompass the plethora of songs from the Yash Chopra repertoire, the evening definitely served us a beautiful slice. There was nostalgia and a whole lot of fun.
It was a perfect evening out with ten members from my saree tribe. We turned up in our chiffons, occupied almost an entire row, sang and moved along like a tribe would, danced and grooved and soon were transported back to our college days. Yash Chopra songs have that effect on you. Enchanting music has the potential to take you back in time and it is not a understatement when I say ‘We were all lost in those magical melodies’.
A huge round of applause to the talented
An Evening of Wonderment and Nostalgia
team that graced the stage and made this happen. Sydney is very proud of its local artists. Thank you Heena Sachdeva, Vikas Kolar, Ruchi Lange, Ruhani Dhillon and Dilip Bhave for the beautiful renditions. And the very talented musicians complemented the singers very well. The emceeing by Kartik Mohandas was impeccable as always.
From the very first song to the last medley, music loving Sydneysiders and Yash Chopra fans who had travelled from Wollongong and New Castle remained enthralled.There were whistles and standing ovations and the audience repeatedly continued to ask for more. Congratulations to Manju Mittal on a very successful event that was thoroughly enjoyed by every person in the hall. It was indeed a well spent Friday evening and a complete paisa vasool’ show.
Bollywood Bash 2.0- Disco Deewane
Presented by myloanpaysme in partnership with Dr Mike Hamidi Bollywood Bash 2.0- Disco Deewane was a great mix of Bollywood performances, Fashion show, Birthday celebrations along with Super extensive variety of food stalls followed by open dance floor
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea-A Collective effort by the community
By: Vaibhavi Joshi
When you are doing something with a soft heart & your intention is pure then the outcome is incredibly generous. “Cancer” is one such word where we have strong emotions attached & hence every year, I participate in Cancer Council - Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea.
“Let’s Stop Talking about “Battling Cancer”: Yes you read it right. If you want to bring a change in the society then first start from yourself and I decided to change myself first for how I use these metaphors…Have I confused you ?? If yes then my humble request to spend your 5 min & read this carefully till the end.
To bring this change within the society, for the first time I hosted “Live Afternoon Tea” to support this awareness campaign. Being a responsible citizen, I support “Biggest Morning Tea” by Cancer Council NSW every year but this time I decided to host one. & my family as more than 50 people gathered at my place to support this charity event & together we have raised more than $2000 for Cancer Council.
I am extremely proud to say that my parents who are an overseas visitor also decided to support this noble cause via this local charity event that happens every year in the months of May & June. With the blessings of god & my parents we could also contribute from our side which I really feel some Drops in the Ocean.
It’s always about taking a first little step and you have won half the battle there. It’s all about taking an initiative and you will witness that how you are achieving your targets magically. If your intention is pure then people will keep supporting you until the end. We have strong emotions attached to this word “Cancer” as we have lost our loved ones.
The moment I decided to host this afternoon tea to raise funds for Cancer Patients, my dad Bharat Kumar Joshi immediately decided to support & mentioned to me that he will make live Indian tea (healthy one with ginger & mint) for everyone. My mum Rashmi Joshi who is always a by default supporter no matter what I do, took the entire responsibilities for arranging & taking care of little things that we often tend to forget. She is the real force behind my strengths.
My little daughter Shanvi who is already doing a fantastic work by herself in raising funds for Cancer Council in her school last week & also continuing this week too. She was very excited to help me & decided to take care of posters, decorations and making a handmade donation box.
My husband Phani Kumar who is my rock solid support was the first one to encourage me to do something for the Cancer patients as he works in the RPA – Cancer Hospital. He is someone who is always a STAR behind the scene. He is the biggest source of inspiration for me & without his support, I couldn’t have arranged this. He couldn’t attend due to work commitments however he made all the possible efforts so that entire event can run smoothly.
We hosted our first ever Australia’s Afternoon Tea for Cancer Council last Sunday on 5th June between 3-5 PM. Bunch of ladies got so much of savoury items, home cooked snacks & much more. We had stalls of Panipuri & Chat items too & that was the most rocking part of the entire event. My Dad’s Indian tea was the highlights of this event as people had it 2-3 times.
When you have blessings from your parents & full support from your family, you always succeed in whatever you aretrying to achieve. Together we could achieve the target 7 times higher than I thought. I had a small target of $300 initially but with the help of everyone, together we have raised more than $2000. Bunch
of people got the prizes for hitting $500, $1000 and $1500 milestones too.
My daughter is still raising funds this week in her school too. My heartfelt thanks to all the supporters for their genuine efforts in making this happen. So many individuals, women entrepreneurs, community leaders & business owners came on board to contribute for this noble cause in support of Cancer Council NSW.
So coming to the point, why did I say in the beginning that Let’s Stop Talking about “Battling Cancer” ?? Cancer is not a war. It’s not a battle to be won. Cancer is a disease that plays by its own rules and does not always respond the way it is supposed to.
It is unfair to call a diagnosis and the treatment plan a fight. This indicates that when the cancer does what cancer often does, and the patient either succumbs to the illness or to complications from the disease or treatment, he or she did not fight hard enough, or has given up. This type of rhetoric can be damaging to patients, their families and their caregivers. If a patient sees cancer treatment as a battle that must be fought, they can feel they have not done enough if the treatment does not work, or if they cannot tolerate the side effects of treatment.
Some patients feel using fighting and battle terminology helps them galvanize themselves and gain a sense of playing an active part in their treatment and taking some control against the disease. However, when others place the impetus to “fight” and “beat” cancer on the patient, an already emotionally and physically exhausting process can be made even difficult.
Recently, a 35-year-old woman with breast cancer shared with me that she had stopped attending family functions. The constant “war analogies” made her feel like she wasn’t doing enough to “fight” when she was trying to survive and thrive while enjoying her life with her young children and undergoing treatment.
By talking about beating cancer and fighting cancer, it can give the impression that the patient is not trying hard enough to get better, and that is why the cancer is “winning.” Recent study suggests, “Battle metaphors could have a negative impact on how individuals think about cancer, and those thoughts could undermine people’s intentions to engage in healthy behaviors.”
These battle metaphors also resulted in people being more fatalistic. Battle metaphors can put a great deal of pressure on the newly diagnosed patient. Individuals describe feelings of letting friends and family down when they are not seen as constantly “fighting the cancer.”
Unfortunately, cancer is not an opponent that can stomped out by sheer will, determination or persistence. Battle metaphors can easily be removed from our discussions—unless that is the patient’s preference.
Not many people would say a patient was fighting a battle against a stroke or a heart attack, so putting such massive responsibility on a patient newly diagnosed with cancer is a losing proposition.
