A HALLMARK PRODUCT
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 04 | February 2015
T: (08) 89819111 Ext: 111 • 3/60 Mcminn St. Darwin 0800 PO Box 3924 Darwin NT 0801 www.facebook.com/namasteynt
www.namasteynt.com.au
Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
Features 6
Main Feature Valentine’s day Special memories from a few Darwin couples.
10
Special Story With the new school year many kids are making their first steps with lot of enthusiasm. This article explores how you can help to give them a great start.
12
Migrant Stories - True Darwinian An ex UN journalist from Zambia narrates her story of how a transit location became a permanent residence for her.
14
Unfolding Uniqueness Series Thoughts that help you to find your unique space in the world.
16
Travel Tales Ayers rock, also known as Uluru is a large rock formation in central Australia. It attracts lots of tourists as well as locals every year. The journey through the desert can be more enjoyable if there is a group.
22
My First Few Days In Australia A little girl who migrated with her family from Ireland tells us about her first impression of Australia, particularly Darwin.
26
Health - Ebola Story of one of the most deadly viruses that made world news in last couple of years.
3
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
4
Our Mnemonic
Publisher: Hallmark Computer Pty Ltd. Editor: Neethi Ashok Creative Head: Boben Mammen Graphic Design: Hallmark Designs ©2015 Namastey NT magazine is published monthly for Hallmark. All rights reserved. Points of view expressed do not necessarily represent those of Namastey NT. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject all advertising matter. The publisher assumes no liability for return or safety of unsolicited art, photographs or manuscripts. Mandate and Mission of Namastey NT Namastey NT, published for members Indian Sub continent and South East Asians living in Northern Territory and the larger community as a continuing education service to keep them informed of trends and issues all across Northern Territory and beyond. The magazine is a forum for discussion, a place for news, and a source of ideas for the development and improvement of the community in the region. Specifically, Namastey NT publishes articles on topics relevant to the South east Asian Community. The magazine also publishes a wide range of columns and features with information and commentary of interest across a broad range of divisions and readers. All materials submitted for inclusion in Namastey NT are subject to editing for consistency, length, and style. In the event that significant changes result from editing decisions, the submitting author(s) will be contacted for review and approval.
How to Submit Your Article or Idea Namastey NT welcomes submissions and queries of articles to be included in the magazine. If you’ve already written the article, please feel free to submit it at any time. We are also happy to hear from you if you’re about to start your article, or you have an idea for one and are wondering whether Namastey NT might be interested. Send all articles and ideas to the Editor of Namastey NT: Neethi Ashok Email: neethi@hallmark.com.au Naamastey NT features short articles (~400 to 750 words) written in a conversational tone (i.e. accessible to a broad audience). If you have an article or an idea that is substantially longer or shorter than this — shorter than 400 words or as long as 1,500 words — please contact the editors before submitting it. Photographs, illustrations, or other graphics are encouraged where they augment the article. Submit your finished article in electronic format (preferably Word or RTF) as a simple attachment to email. It should be in Times New Roman, 12-point, single-spaced throughout, and with no fancy formatting. Photographs and illustrations should be sent as separate files/documents and not imbedded in the text document. Please also provide a brief bio, including at least your current job title and institutional affiliation (or other preferred identifying information) as well as complete contact information at the end of your article.
Copyright, Permissions, Deposit, and Republication Namastey NT is an open access publication. Unless otherwise specified, all articles comply with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. For photos that contain a recognized individual, or a recognizable portion of an individual, authors should secure the individual’s permission in writing for use of the photo in Namastey NT. Photos taken at public events or news events, or crowd shots taken in a public place, do not require permission from the subjects. Please ensure that any photographs or illustrative material are compliant with the Creative Commons license. If you wish your submission (text, photograph, illustrative material) to be covered under a different license, please contact the Editor-in-Chief. Open Shelf generally does not publish articles that have been published elsewhere, except under unusual circumstances. Photographs and Illustrations Please supply photographs and illustrations as attachments to email. Photos must be saved as a TIFF, JPEG, or EPS, and in colour with a good tonal range. Please identify the subject, activity, place, and other relevant details shown in the photo, and provide a brief text for a caption. The same applies to other illustrative material such as drawings, prints, graphs, charts, etc. All submitted material is subject to editing.
Publication Schedule Namastey NT publishes on a continuous schedule with new material being published every month. Submissions are accepted any time throughout the year.
Contributors Padmaja is a Dental surgeon from India and holds a Masters in Sustainable development and advanced diploma in Dental Hygiene. She was a globe trotter from childhood - lived and worked in many countries before moving to Australia in 2009. She enjoys multi-linguistic movies, music and gardening. Currently she is practicing as dental hygienist and is passionate about dental health.
Rachita Jain is a teacher who has worked in over ten schools in NT. She is a proud mum of two little girls. After completing her Master in Education, she became passionate about enhancing a holistic development of young minds, bodies and souls. She currently works at The Essington School Darwin and manages a business as well.
Sojin is the former Head of Training and Development, Insight Avenue, India and at present the Store Manager of BWS, Nightcliff. He is a motivating and challenging persuader who speaks and writes from heart and influences others willingly to follow. He has conducted many training workshops and motivational speeches in India and Europe.
Chondur is living in Darwin since 1994. He enjoys cooking vegetarian dishes, travelling, spending time with nature and his family and friends. His most favourite places in NT are Gunlom, Uluru and Douglas Hot Springs. He works in NT government and believes that one can lead a happy life by being simple, supportive and spiritually oriented.
www.namasteynt.com.au
Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
5
From the Editor Dear Readers, I often wonder, ‘What is wrong with the first month of every year?’ Before we can get used to writing the New Year’s digits without being reminded by someone that it has already changed, January is pretty much gone. Here in Darwin we wait in anticipation for February, the month of rains and winds. We know of its arrival well in advance through all the Valentine’s Day specials from various retailers and restaurants. Moreover, it is also the month when many people can declare their love by offering a Valentine’s Day gift or booking a dinner at a restaurant. In this edition, we were able to talk to a few local couples, for whom Darwin has played a vital role in bringing them together forever. Out of all the emotions, romantic love is perhaps the sweetest and the most painful feeling. Great poets and artists have described and expressed what they think about love in various forms. Great movies have been made in so many languages and in many different places on earth portraying love stories, and yet, it is a theme that never stops to be new! Imagine the movie ‘Titanic’ without Rose and Jack! Even in cartoons or animation movies, it is still an essential ingredient that no one can forget to include. In most instances, love really transforms people and brings out the best in them – being in love inspires ordinary people who have never written a single line of poetry or prose to write the best poem or letter for their beloved, they may wait for long hours just to meet someone who is so special, they may leave their parents and all the friends they have grown with just to be with the person whom they love, suddenly they may find meaning in whatever they see around them and everything starts to appear so magical . The list goes on and on when one tries to impress the other half with the best they can imagine. Would there be any other feeling that is more powerful and true than love? One mystery about love is, it is unplanned, transient and just happens. No matter how it happens, the experience would be similar. This Valentine’s day, we wish a wonderful day to all our readers who are connected by love- either discovering its wonders or cherishing the glorious moments of the past. We live in an era where violence and atrocities caused by hatred are increasing. I think celebrating a day like Valentine’s day is definitely a positive sign that there is still room for love and peace in the world. Neethi Ashok
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
6 Main Feature
My Valentine Alex & Rani Love according to me is Sacrifice - To give something without expectation and unconditional. When two strangers meet and walk as one in the path of life, each of them give-up so many things just to please the other person, which is sacrifice and this happens just because they love each other and do not want to lose their company. To some, love happens at first site and to some it happens over a period of time. To me it was definitely not love at first sight. It developed as casual friends, then serious friend, then best friends, and then best of life mates. I remember those days when I was working for a machinery manufacturing company in India heading the marketing division. I was looking after the sales of the entire south India. For a very short time I was posted to Coimbatore (a city in the South Indian state of Tamilnadu) branch. The branch manager there had to go on a long leave of three months to visit his parents living overseas. I was asked to act in his place for that period.
As I was new to the place, heading the branch, I had to constantly contact the regional office for various issues. All the time I had to go through the reception. One day, while chatting and introducing myself to the receptionist, I realised that her birth day was on 27 September. It was my lucky number as well because my birthday was on the 27th February. I was excited to meet someone with the same date of birth and offered to celebrate the meeting and friendship. Over the weeks our friendship became stronger and stronger, we started to miss each other every day, and then every hour and then every minute and every moment! We became fond of each other and very hesitantly I proposed and asked her if she could be my valentine. In her
heart of hearts she was willing and agreed. But we had to wait for a year to the get the approval of our elders as we came from different religions. That period of one year brought us closer to each other the saying goes, “Distance creates love.� Like the climax of most romantic Indian movies, our love ended up in a happy marriage. All that we learnt in that period of one year was, understanding, sacrifices, respect for each other and valuing each other’s tradition and cultures. Alex Mohan.
www.namasteynt.com.au
Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
7
Valentine’s Day Special Feature
Valentines Who Met & Married While In Darwin. Valentines Day is the day on which many couples around the world share their love for each other. We met up with some local couple and heard the stories of how they met.
Bency & Minil
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
8 Bency & Minil We met in 2009 during a DMA Christmas programme. When Minil sung the song “mere sapnon ki rani...” (A popular Hindi song that where the boy is wondering when will the girl of his dreams will appear) I was in the audience and we noticed each other. As the time progressed we became good friends and slowly friendship turned in to love. We got married in 2012 April. Now we are happy with God’s little precious gift, our princess Abiah. Like life, marriage changes with time. It grows and expands. When we fell in love, life was more carefree with less responsibility. We
Lijo Thomas & Dimple Boby. Lijo and Dimple met in Brisbane
had time to learn about each other. It was a time when we embraced more risk and embarked on new adventures. We had time to watch each other grow. Gradually, we grew closer and closer, learning what makes the other tick. We learned truly important things for our life compassion and understanding. We learned how to care for each other’s feelings
We feel very lucky to have each other in our life .We cherish the memories of yesterdays and our present life. I can’t wait to fill all the pockets in my heart reserved for the amazing man I married! “Happy Valentine’s Day!” By Bency Minil
Life is more than a marriage certificate that makes a union legal- it’s about family and working together as a team, it’s about respecting each other and brining the best of us to a marriage
in 2010 and are currently living in Darwin. It is amazing that in their native place in India, their families are only 50kms apart, but they met thousands of kilometres away in Australia.
They got married and now this family is blessed with a baby boy “Donal Tom Lijo” on November 2014. Congratulations to proud parents!
www.namasteynt.com.au
Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
Vijo & Anju
This photo is from their first Valentine’s Day together (2009). Anju and Vijo met each other in New Zealand and fell in love. They
both love travelling. Since they were kids, Australia was always a dream place to be. They moved to Darwin four years ago and both of them work at the Royal
Darwin Hospital. They got married a couple of years ago, and are expecting a ‘little one’ by midyear.
Alby & Rani Alby and Rani met briefly in 2008 in Kerala, India. Then Rani moved to Brisbane and Alby to The United Kingdom for their studies. Being good friends in deferent continents, they kept in touch and met again in Darwin. Their long term friendship developed into wedding in 2013.
9
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
10
By Rachita Jain
Giving Your Child A Good Start To The School Year GIVING YOUR CHILD A GOOD START TO THE SCHOOL YEAR With the fresh smell of new books, shoes, uniforms and bag the first few weeks of a new school year can be very exciting for students, teachers and parents alike. Although, as many of us may have experienced, it takes a little more than new accessories to ensure that our children have the best start to their academic year.
STARTING SCHOOL: Transitions are an integral part of life. We all move houses, change jobs or change friendship groups. Feeling a bit anxious about the change is natural. Whether your child is returning to the same school or starting at a new one, they are likely to encounter some form of anxiety in the first few weeks of school. You can help by talking positively about the new teacher and classmates and pointing out the good things about their new class. Also, this is a good time to revise school rules and go through the new class rules.
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT: Encourage your child to explore, be curious, come up with questions and investigate how things work. As parents, we should talk about the importance of trying and persisting, not just doing well and winning.
EMOTIONAL WELLBEING AND SOCIAL SKILLS: It is a well known fact that resilient children are more likely to do well in education and enjoy their life. A good way of bringing up resilient kids is to lead by example and show
www.namasteynt.com.au
Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
11
your child how you manage, talk about and cope with your own feelings. It is also worthwhile to help them understand and enjoy the differences between our friends and us. I sometimes let my children lead us in the library or on an evening walk to the park. They also take turns with me ‘working’ on a computer. For every article I type, they have created their own word documents. This helps them develop self – management and planning skills and parenting does not end up being a power struggle. LITERACY AND NUMERACY: Education has no boundaries. It is not something that is confined at school between 8 am and 3 pm. Having taught hundreds of students, I have noticed that most of them bring their interest in learning from home. Parents who themselves like to read for leisure or write letters
to family often bring up children interested in literacy. When you involve your child in using manuals for home maintenance, they see the real life application of numeracy, literacy and problem solving skills. COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR CHILD: When your child talks to you, listen with your eyes, ears and body. The trust that will be formed as a result of this is a saving that you can draw on when you need them to listen to you. Encourage them for their small successes. This will boost their self esteem and they will strive to work harder.
HOME-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP: Communicating with your child’s school regularly has an immense positive impact on their success at school. Value the extra efforts the teacher makes to support your
child. If your child is going through a distressing time, for example, a lost pet or a death in family, informing the teacher and school is helpful. Co-operation with the teacher is extremely important in the instance of bullying at school. PROBLEMS AT SCHOOL: Despite everyone’s best efforts, problems can arise at school. It is crucial to stay positive yourself so that your child doesn’t feel worse about the situation. Let your child knows that problems can usually be worked through. Encourage them to tell you about their feelings, good or bad. Keep in contact with the teacher and talk about ways to help. If you are in-charge of conflict resolution, make sure that you listen to all points of view at try to find a ‘winwin’ solution. Keep smiling and have fun!
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015
12 Migrant Stories PAGE
By Neethi Ashok
True Darwinian In this issue we like to introduce a special lady from Zambia, Ms Mahongo Fumbelo. Mahongo first came to Darwin on her way to East Timor to work with UN. She is a journalist, professional trainer and is a motivational speaker. She lives in Darwin with her husband their two young children. Her company ‘Born to Win consulting is a professional development and training business. Mahongo is also a certified trainer and her motivational speaking and training is based on the Zig Ziglar (an American author, salesman and motivational speaker) philosophy. She usually gets hired as a keynote/motivational speaker by various organisations and clubs. Recently she partnered with Charles Darwin University short courses and they have added one of her courses, ‘Building the Best You’ to their list.
• When did you arrive in Australia and how would you describe your journey from Zambia to Darwin?
It is a long story. I had a few short stints in Darwin before I migrated. I first came to Darwin in 1999 on my way to East Timor to work for the United Nations. There was a conflict in East Timor due to Indonesia’s occupation of the Island. My mother was very concerned for my safety. But going to such places was already part of my adventure. So I went there via Darwin. But after the referendum which favoured the East Timorese quest to be independent there was further violence on the Island and The UN evacuated its entire staff to Darwin.
So I then went back to Zambia, got married. Three months later, the UN called me back to East Timor. My husband was very supportive as he had always wanted me to pursue my career. So we went back to East Timor. Again, I came to Darwin in 2003 and 2006 to deliver my children as I needed specialist medical attention. Unfortunately, after my second son was born in 2006, I couldn’t go back with two little children to East Timor. As I didn’t have any work rights in Australia, I was a stay at home mum for a while. Just before my Visa was expired, a lady from Anglicare asked if I could do some training for newly arrived migrants in CDU. My friend did the baby sitting for me and was in another room nearby.
www.namasteynt.com.au
Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
13
During one of my sessions, my two and half year old son ran into the classroom and held onto my skirt while I was still doing the training. I convinced him to go back to the babysitter. In spite of all that, Anglicare later asked me if I wanted to apply for a position. Unfortunately their organisation couldn’t employee as a sponsored skilled migrant. But there was another training organisation looking for a trainer and they later hired me on a 745 visa. I had to however fly back to Zambia until my off shore visa was granted. So after 9 years since my first visit to Darwin, I returned in 2008 to work in my first job in Australia as a Vocational Education and Training Lecturer. • How much do you think your upbringing in Africa/childhood, cultural elements helped in your success here? My father always encouraged me to dare to dream big. He used to cheer me on when I achieved something. My parents were both very hard working people and taught me the importance of a good work ethic. They instilled resilience in me. They taught me to respect other people regardless of where they came from. My parents were also firm believers in the importance of discipline as one of the keys to success. These values I learned from my parents continue to influence my decisions in life. • What was your dream as a child? My first choice was to be a lawyer. I later wanted to be a journalist. My belief in the importance of community was very strong- I regularly volunteered to help disadvantaged people, encouraged other people to achieve their dreams, was always curious, had a keen interest in other people and felt a natural connection with the community.
• What do you think of being in Darwin?
• Do you have any personal Heroes?
Laid back life in Darwin is good. You can wear anything and go anywhere and no one cares. When my mum came to visit me she had a bit of shock when I was going out wearing a T-shirt that was not ironed.
Yes! Zig Ziglar is one of them and the other is Oprah Winfrey and Nelson Mandela. When I read about the struggles they went through, I tell myself that if they can do it, I can too.
• It is very different running a business of your own vs. Working for someone. Could you share your experience in managing that transition? There is a big difference for sure. I am still working in my old job on a part time basis. When I get back home I have to wear my small business heart and juggle the business, being a mum and being a student. My day starts at 4.30am and ends at midnight for at least five days of the week. It’s not easy to run your own business but it is rewarding particularly when you help other people become the best they can be. Business requires strategic planning, aggressive marketing and great passion. You have to work with a positive mindset each day. I enjoy every aspect of my business including the setbacks as they are my stepping stones to where I want to go. • When you work in Australia, especially in training industry - you may have to integrate with Local taste. How did you go about it? Since I was working with UN, it was always a global environment and I learned how to work across different cultures. I learn very quickly and love helping people. People don’t care that much about culture if they know that you have a culture of love, kindness, forgiveness and a non-judgmental approach. I have helped a number of people with writing resumes, preparing for job interviews and getting work.
• What have you witnessed in Darwin population and how do you see in Darwin in 5 years time? Darwin has a lot of potential. We just need to be prepared to grab it. Just think of the Oil and Gas investment that is happening at the moment and the other developments in Darwin. I encourage people to great training and up skill to be ready for the opportunities. • Would you like to give any messages to the youngsters in the migrant community? Have a dream and a goal. You have what it takes to be the best person you can be! Mahongo is a very driven person and through her training and motivational speeches she helps a lot of people. She is a perfect example of what she teaches. We thank her for sharing her story and wish her all the very best in her career and life. I also hope that people like her inspire others who want to make a change in life.
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
14
By Sojin Sebastian
Did you say, “ I LOVE YOU?”
‘I love you’ - Without any doubt, we can say that, is the most powerful sentence in this world that has got the transformational power. We are waiting to hear this sentence from our loved ones and some times, from any one. On the other hand, the most difficult sentence as well to hear in a sincere way with all its meaning. The urge to be loved lies in each one of us. Every time when I watch “Guess how much I love you “ with my children, I am thinking about the efforts the Little and Big Nutbrown Hares are putting to express their love for each other. But at the same time when I sing that to myself it gives me more momentum to leap forward. Why is that so important to say ‘I Love You’ to yourself in a very personal way? One day a student came to me and bagged me with his negative feelings, complaints and frustrations. He was telling me he is not smart; no one loves him; he can’t succeed in his life and so on. I listened to him
until the volcanic effect finished. I gently asked him did you say ‘I love you, today? He said no and questioned me why should he if no one loved him. I asked him to close his eyes and repeat ‘I Love You’ to himself. He burst out again, but this time with tears. He started to celebrate his uniqueness and live his life on that moment onwards. We will think it is so easy to say I love you to yourself. Sometimes the most easy tasks are also the most difficult ones to do. Do you love yourself as you are? You can find a thousand reasons to say no. But think for a moment, “if you do not love yourself as you are, who else could do that?” We are not ready to slash our ego and it stands as the main hindrance to accept ourselves as we are. Most of the times we are not ready to admit our mistakes and hence hesitant to self forgive. We were all created with imperfections, so be gentle and kind to you. In the journey to perfection we need to accept, forgive and appreciate self and that will help us to say “I Love
You” to ourselves all the time. We will feel more beautiful and everything else will fall in line when we start to love ourselves. Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s film Ikiru (To Live) the hero sings a song ‘Fall in love maidens fall in love (with me) today, because there will be no tomorrow’. As the hero sings, audience also fall in love with themselves. Now, look in the mirror and fall in love with the reflection that God created. You are a unique creation with enormous capabilities. By loving yourself you are taking the responsibility of yourself completely. Be your valentine on this Valentine’s day and celebrate the Valentine’s Day in its true spirit. Be changed and change lives through I Love You. Self Help Action: Look in to the mirror today and say I love you. Resound it again and again.
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015
16 Special Story PAGE
By R.Chondur
Our memorable trip to
Uluru Part 1
By R.Chondur Has your family ever dreamed of travelling around the Northern Territory? Have they wanted to see what the outback is really like? Perhaps they have seen pictures of the Devils Marbles, heard tales of historic pubs such as Burrow creek and read about Tennant Creek’s Battery Hill Mining Centre and the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Cultural Centre.Maybe they have never been inside a cave and seen stalagmites and stalcites like are found in the Mataranka Cutta Cutta Caves. And who would resist seriously wanting to experience Uluru after seeing many coloured photos of it? If you have found your dreams of touring the Territory unrealized due
to worries about the time required, having to take small children in your family with you, affordable accommodation, cooking as well purchasing meals and overall cost why not do what we did? Join three other families and share responsibilities!
and toilet facilities. Eight days on the road , with so many people we might be exhausted, so we decided to return from Alice Springs to Darwin on the Ghan. We had heard so many interesting stories from friends who had travelled on the Ghan.
In just eight days at a cost of 80$/ per person per day, we were easily able to comfortably visit all the above places and quite a few more on the way. How did we do it ? We started planning in January 2011. First we decided to go during the April School holidays so that all the children could come. We prebooked campsites. Two campervans were hired. Each was equipped to sleep six people. Both had a large kitchenette plus separate shower
Planning The planning for our trip started three months before. On 23rd January, 2011 we gathered at one of the friends place for the dinner. While we met at his house I saw a photo of Uluru hanging on a wall. A moment after I saw a photo at my friend place, I felt myself stoutly to see the Uluru in real. Later in that night, I couldn’t resist asking my friends to plan for a group trip to Uluru along with families. Many
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
18
of my friends were also thinking for a long-time to travel around NT, but it remained with them as a long-outstanding dream. Even though I have grownup children, the rest of my friends had one or two small children aged 6 to 12 years and most of them felt that it was very difficult to travel for a long distance with kids. Also they didn’t feel enough confidence themselves for a long drive in outback Australia. As we started talking about our proposed trip to Uluru, children quietly snooped our conversations and suddenly started jumping around their parents with one big voice “let’s go, let’s go”. Eventually on that night, we spent rest of our dinner session talking about Uluru trip seriously and in actual fact everyone were interested to travel as a group, but not sure how it all work out. At this stage it was only an idea and finally our conversation ended by taking up individual responsibility to search for more details on three aspects of our journey: (a) mode of transport and costing; (b) what places to see on the way, where
to stop, where to sleep and most importantly, (c)what to feed during the trip for all members who have had varied food choices. On that night every one left with bit of excitement and some level of uncertainty about our trip. As a group, I was fully confident that each one of us has had an ability to contribute with best of their skills and knowledge to make our memorable trip to Uluru. As decided, we met with our families again on 10 February 2011 to assess various travel options, costing and seek an expression of interest from all our friends and their families. This day was one of the important day for all of us, as we unanimously agreed for our travel trip to Uluru by hiring two six birth campervans to travel from Darwin-Uluru-Alice Springs and drop off at Alice Springs and returning back to Darwin by Ghan – the railroad that runs from Adelaide to Darwin. Collectively we set our travel date on 19th April 2011, coincided with the NT school holidays. Two weeks after our second meeting, we have finalised our travel plan and prepared a list of
all required items for the eight days trip including food, drinks, lighting, toiletries, and other essential items. The budget for the entire trip was prepared and agreed to share jointly of about $80 per person per day for the entire trip. We also nominated one person to manage the trip expenditure and all bookings, one person to manage the vehicles operation, one person to coordinate the food supply and cooking, one person to supervise children and their activities and rest of them to help out in setting up the place and cleaning and reloading. In the, end we booked two campervans from Maui Motor home rentals, return tickets by Ghan, powered campsites at four locations, and accommodation at two locations. On Saturday, 17 April 2011, just two days prior to our Journey, we went to the local Maui office to inspect the campervans parked at Winnellie. Everyone was happy with campervans- they came with well built interior settings with four seats at back end and two at
www.namasteynt.com.au
Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
19
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
20 front including driver seat. The van was also well equipped with foldable beds to sleep for six, a small gas stove, cook top, a fridge, a microwave, and kitchenettes, washing sick, cupboards and a separate toilet cum shower facilities. We all felt that it was our best choice to travel with group of families and children.
parked our campervans next to each other in pre-booked campsites. As men started organising outdoor settings by spreading chairs, lighting and door mats, the ladies were organising the dinner for all us. After a glass of wine, yummy food and nice company sitting under moon light, the first night of our trip ended with a good night sleep.
Day 1-Tuesday, 19 April 2011 Our Journey began late in the afternoon at 4.00 pm after a few of our friends returned back from work. We had purchased all required groceries and essentials. Two campervans were loaded with enough food, water, clothes, and all essential items and pre-cooked food in the fridge for first two days. Kids were all excited as it was their first trip by campervan with family and friends. As planned, we reached our first destination “Hays Creek” after we travelled about 160 km south of Darwin. We reached just in time to take a glimpse of beautiful sunset at backend of green vegetation on hill sides. Before sunset, we
Day 2-Wednesday, 20 April 2011 Early in the morning when the birds are singing and the day was just starting, listening to the sounds birds enjoying the chorus surrounded by beautiful mountains and lush green vegetation. As morning started, we packed and tied up our camping area. Meanwhile kids and ladies went for a short walk and men started cooking sausage, egg toast and coffee for the breakfast. After our breakfast, we left Hays Creek at 9.00am, travelled towards Katherine, about 150 Km on Stuart High Way. At Katherine we briefly stoped to pick up a few fresh groceries and water and a coffee at Coffee Club. After
an hour stop at Katherine, we started travelling towards Elliot, 420 km from Katherine. On the way, 30km away from Katherine we visited the Mataranka Cutta Cutta caves, a very special place to see the formation of stalactites and stalagmites. The stalactites are the geological formation that hangs from the ceilings of the caves, while stalagmites look like they’re emerging from ground facing towards stalactites. These formations may take thousands of years to form and come with different colours and structures. After we finished our lunch at Cutta Cutta caves picnic area, we drove to Mataranka, a small town on Sturt High Way for a brief stopover. We extended our journey further south on Stuart High Way, seeing variation in the landscapes, from tropical vegetation meld into semi-arid environs, from big flowing rivers to dry rivers. We took an easy drive all along by taking turns in driving between two men drivers and rest of the time spending fun time with rest of family sitting at back end of
www.namasteynt.com.au
Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
21 the campervan. We finally reached Elliott just after sunset. In our original plan we didn’t anticipate to stay at Elliott, since we were running late and all of us felt fatigue after a long journey, we decided to take up available accommodation at the back end of the Elliott pub. The place was very basic with minimum facilities but sufficient to have a shower and sleep for four and place to park our campervans in a secured area. We had our dinner and went to sleep. Day 3- 21 Thursday April 2010 After the breakfast, we loaded all equipments back to van and filled up fuel tanks for both vans and left Elliot at 9.30 AM to our new destination “Wauchope”, a roadhouse on Stuart High Way, situated 370 km from Elliott and about 115 km south of Tennant Creek. On our journey, we briefly stopped over at Tennant Creek to pick up some lunch and fill up the fuel. After our brief lunch we visited two sightseeing places in Tennant Creek: the first one was “Battery Hill Mining Centre”, an old mining site and museum, definitely worth to see all old remnants. The second place was “Nyinkka Nyunyu Art & Cultural Centre”, a best place to learn about Indigenous people culture and heritage, definitely not to be missed if you are travelling through Tennant Creek. After having a coffee at cultural centre we started travelling towards one of the outback miracles, “Devils Marbles”, a well worth to visit to experience the beauty of glowing rock colours that changes during the sunset. Devils Marbles is a collection of large rounded granite boulders, many of which are perilously balanced on top of another. We took some of the most spectacular photos, one with dancing poses of our ladies and other one romanticising couple pose was the best ones. (I have even done a painting which resembles a photo taken from that place). After having a tea and snacks at picnic area, we went to Wauchope hotel situated on Stuart High Way, just 8kms from the Devils Marbles. After having a hot shower and refreshing cold beer
at the pub, we had the hot dinner prepared by our special ladies. Thus our day-3 ended up with relaxed good night sleep. Day 4- 22 Friday April 2010 As planned, we started our day at 8.30 AM to our next destination “Erlunda”, about 600 km on Stuart High Way. This time, my friend’s wife driven for few hours, gave a bit of relief for men, who enjoyed for a while sitting with kids and playing games. After a while, we stopped for few minutes at “Burrow Creek”, a tiny settlement, with outback pub was built in 1926. At this historic pub the beer is still stored in the original underground cellar. We came across another interesting place on Stuart High Way was “Central Mount Stuart”, this place is the approximate geographical centre of Australia, named after an explorer, John McDouall Stuart in 1860. It is worthwhile place to stopover at this historical place after a long journey. At this place we had our lunch and Kids had bit of fun before heading towards Alice Springs. On the way we
drove through a small town called “Aileron”, to capture a glimpse of a historical roadhouse and a 17m sculpture of Charlie Portpot, a local rain maker. Around 3 PM, we travelled through Alice Springs Town. After a long drive we arrived to Erlunda Caravan Park at 7.30PM, just after sunset. The camp ground was jam packed with lots of campervans and overnight stayers. It reminds me that if we hadn’t booked earlier, it was impossible to get a spot in the campsite. After our dinner we sat in an open place glazing the millions of stars. Finally, we all went to bed before midnight. By then covered around 1700 kms and seen so many interesting places on our way. Would the team face any new challenges as they go towards Uluru? What would be their feeling when they finally reach that iconic place in the centre of Australia? Please wait for the next edition to know.
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
22
By Besna Maria Tom
My First Few Days In Australia
It was quite funny when I arrived in Australia in an October. You see, my family and I had lived in Ireland where it was freezing cold all the time, including summer. We had actually quite expected it to be cold in Australia as well. So we were all wearing full-sleeve, thick cotton tops and pants. Later did we realize that the climate here was boiling! Walking through the airport was a totally different experience for me. Indigenous art covered the walls entirely. It was almost like walking through a bushy forest with all sorts of different animals including the platypus that we had never really seen. After a quick look around, we went outside to wait for a friend that lived in Darwin and already had his house all set for us. The next few days, my sleep didn’t go very well. Morning in Ireland is night in Australia. I was wide awake for most of the night and when I could finally get some sleep, it was 11 O’clock in the morning. Unlike in Ireland, the rain
in Australia is extremely beautiful. The sound of it is so interesting that it starts with a slow drizzling sound and progress to a heavy boom-boom!ß The lifestyle of Australia in Darwin is fantastic. In Ireland, I had to wear five layers of hot clothing to keep me warm each day. In Australia however, I can wear nice cool clothes. My mum and dad can wear their cultural clothing without having to put hundreds of layers on top. Eating the lovely mangoes is just another amazing experience that my family and I can enjoy in Darwin. It is truly wonderful. So adding everything up, the beautiful artwork, the fascinating rain and the comfortable lifestyle, I am very lucky to live in a beautiful environment like Australia.
www.namasteynt.com.au
Issue 03 | January 2015
Community News
MCNT MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS MCNT Membership Renewals and Those who wish to renew their MCNT membership, please contact Savita at admin@mcnt.org.au Please note membership fees for 201415 only: Organisations $5; Individuals $1. VOLUNTEER TUTORS NEEDED FOR HOMEWORK CLUB The homework club runs on Wednesday and Thursday 4-6pm during school terms in 2015. The program is fun and a rewarding way to volunteer your time to gain valuable cross cultural experience as well as assisting disadvantaged young people with their schooling. Anyone who loves to work with young people are welcome to join. No experience needed. For more information contact Mary Kukua 89459122 or 0469802832 or spg@mcnt.org.au MALAK ONLINE TV Darwin Community Arts is producing informative online video program and are looking for the Volunteers for Malak Online TV multilingual program presenters for their first Episode of Malak Online TV which will be uploaded on www.malak.org.au from January 2015. If you are a performing artist, singer or dancer of the community and want to showcase your talent then send your expression of interest ASAP on http://www.malak. org.au/malakonlinetv/. For Further information contact Oli Dubsky on 89457347 and Nitesh raj Pant on niteshrajpant@gmail.com. PARENT SUPPORT GROUP A relaxed monthly group for parents from diverse background meet every 4 weeks at MCNT Community Room Malak. Share stories, hear speakers, strengthen your craft, sporting skills and go on outing. Transport available to families who don’t have their on. Interpreters can be booked in your language. For further information contact Lynne Fisher 89459122, Rebecca Lowe 89234999 or Gail Price 9853311
PAGE
23
PASSPORT TO DRIVE PROGRAM 2014 Passport to Drive Program opened on 1 July 2014 for permanent residents who arrived in Australia within last five years under Humanitarian entrants; Family stream migrants with Low English proficiency; dependants skilled migrants in rural and regional area; selected temporary residents (prospective marriage, provisional spouse, and provisional interdependency visa holders and their dependants) in rural and regional areas and who have low proficiency. The project period is from 1 July to 28 February, 2015. For further information contact Nitesh @8945 9122 or driving@mcnt.org.au
MCNT HOMEWORK CLUB The homework club will runs on Wednesday and Thursday 4.00 to 6.00pm during the school term in 2015 to provide young people (middle and high school age, from newly arrived refugee and non-English speaking backgrounds) with assistance with their homework and school studies. For further information Contact Mary Kukua 89459122 or 0469802832 or sgp@mcnt.org.au INDONESIAN CLASSES Selamat. Want to travel to Bali for weekend? How about trying to learn some basic words of the language to try to break the ice. The Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia are offering free language classes at Indonesian Consulate. For more information contact Jherry/Hesti on 89430208 or matahelumual@indoconsdarwin. org.au. Website www.kemlu.go.id/ darwin. Facebook www.facebook. com/konsulatrint ENGLISH CLASSES English for everyday living are held each Monday 9am to 12pm at the meeting room Casuarina Library by the Happy Migrant learning Centre. Sessions are open from beginners to advanced levels. All are welcome. For further information contact Cecilia (Co-ordinator) 89273108
HINDI CLASSES Free Hindi language classes are scheduled each Saturday to commence from 2-3 pm at Alawa primarySchool during School Terms only (entrance from Pett St. Alawa) room 4. For more information contact Sumesh Dhir 0414663075 URDU CLASSES Free Urdu language classes are scheduled each Sunday to commence from 11 am to 1 pm at Alawa primary School During School terms only(entrance from Pett St. Alawa) room 3. For more information contact Farah Sattar 0432240362 MY SISTERS’KITCHEN (Darwin Community Arts Project) MSK is a weekly program held each Monday at Chambers Crescent Theatre in Malak Shopping Centre from 4.30-6.30pm. Women and children from all walks of life come together to share cooking skills and some great stories about their experience. 2014 also brought added skills like sewing, screen printing, painting and new recipes to cook and learn. Transport is available. For more information contact Meri on 8945 7347 or msk@darwincommunityarts.org.au.
www.namasteynt.com.au
Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
25 TELECENTRO (Darwin Community Arts Project) Telecentro is a free community computer lab with broadband Internet access and technical support. Facility has 12+ computers for social and job networking with word processing, web browsing and online service to ATO, Department of Human Services, Department of Immigration, VEVO, etc. All welcome, however clients like SGP and related migrant communities are priority target groups. Open between 2-4pm each weekday at Chamber Crescent Community Arts Malak. Contact Jim McDougall at 89457347 for more info. SKILLED MIGRATION OR 457 VISA HOLDERS The MCNT provides general information assistance for skilled migration and 457 visa holders. Workshops focusing on employment, financial management and other forms of assistance aimed at benefitting these Visa holders and other community members. Contact Ron Mitchell for more information at 89459122 or ron.mitchell@mcnt.org.au INDONESIAN STORYTIME Enjoy a bilingual Storytime session each month for Indonesian and non Indonesian speaking families. This fun multicultural activity for you and your child– suitable for 0-5 years is fun way to get know to your neighbouring people. Sessions are held at 10am on last Friday each Month at Darwin City Library. For more information contact Frances Brougham on 89305235 BOLLYWOOD DANCE ACADMEY Bollywood Dance Academy motto is anybody can dance and provides free dance classes each Saturday at MCNT community Room Malak. For more information contact 0450990710 or Bollywood. bda@gmail.com or facebook. com/b.d.a.darwin NamsteyNT
NamasteyNT is looking for interesting articles and stories from vibrant migrant community in Darwin, Please visit NamsteyNT Facebook page with the link below and click Like. This will enable regular NamasteyNT news to appear on your own Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/namasteynt Please write your thoughts and enquiries to mag@hallmark.com.au
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015
26 Health PAGE
By Padmaja Damodaran
The Story of Ebola in Our Time Subsequently there have been periodic outbreaks that start and stop unpredictably; with mysteries about where the virus hides, how the infection starts and how it is spread. The gruesome descriptions of bleeding from eyes, nose, mouth and other orifices have given its notoriety; aptly fitting ‘the masque of the red death.’
‘No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous’ – Edgar Allan Poe The Masque of the Red Death. 1842. This sentence from a play long ago best describes the ongoing epidemic of Ebola virus infection in our time. On December 2nd, 2013 in the village of Meliandou in Guinea, 2 year old Emile suddenly developed fever, vomiting with black colored stools. He was taken to the local hospital in Gueckedou and died within 4 days. Within three weeks so did his 3 year old sister, mother and grandmother. By late March, 2014 this mysterious illness had spread to neighboring villages among close relatives, friends and health care workers and 56 people died. The illness was identified as Ebola Virus Disease by Doctors Without Borders.
The illness spread quickly to the rest of Guinea and the neighboring countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone, resulting in the largest such outbreak in human history. It subsequently spread in limited numbers to the United States of America, Spain, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal. As of December, 2014 there have been over 18,000 cases with nearly 7000 deaths, although it is felt that the true numbers maybe two to three times higher. Ebola Virus Disease was discovered in September of 1976, when a mysterious disease killed over 300 people in and around the village of Yambuku in the now Democratic Republic of Congo. It was characterized by the sudden onset of fever, body aches, headaches, bloody vomiting and diarrhea with rapid progression to death with a mortality rate of near 90%.
Scientific work in the past few decades has improved our knowledge of this virus and how the disease spreads. Fruit bats do not appear to get ill from this virus and are thought to be the silent carriers of this virus. They infect chimpanzees, gorillas, apes and forest antelopes which do get sick and die. Humans initially contract the illness by butchering and eating dead wild animals; primarily chimpanzees, gorillas and bats. In fact 9/13 outbreaks have been associated with human and great ape interactions. The virus has not been isolated from rats, mice, mosquitoes, flies, fleas, bed bugs, ticks etc. After the initial infection of one or a few individuals, subsequent human cases occur primarily by direct contact with blood, vomit, urine, feces or sweat from the skin of an infected individual. The virus is found in saliva, tears, semen and vaginal secretions as well. It can potentially be transmitted in droplets of secretions within 3 feet. Transmission can occur in medical facilities due to contaminated needles that are reused, from lack of protective equipment when dealing with body fluids etc. Contact with dead remains during traditional funeral services is also a common
www.namasteynt.com.au
Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
27
method of transmission of the virus. It only takes 1-2 virus particles to cause the infection. The time from exposure to developing symptoms is about 7-10 days but can range from 2- 21 days. The virus initially fools the immune system and prevents the body from mounting a response. Once the virus is widely spread, the immune system gets activated, but gets put into overdrive which tragically causes more damage resulting in failure of multiple organ systems like the lung, liver, kidney etc to fail. The symptoms of this illness are sudden onset of fever, body aches, headaches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hiccups. Over the course of a week it progresses and patients develop shortness of breath, confusion, low urine output and shock leading to death. During the current outbreak, bleeding, the most feared sign is seen in less than 10% of individuals. The currently available treatments are mostly supportive; with aggressive use of fluids to treat dehydration and replacement of electrolytes and minerals. The blood of patients who survive the illness contains proteins that can kill the virus and has been transfused with success. ZMapp is an
artificial compound that has similar proteins that can kill the virus and has been used as well with some success. Experimental Anti-viral antibiotics that kill the flu virus have shown some promise and are being studied for treatment of Ebola Virus Disease. Currently about 3 vaccine trials are underway to assess safety and efficacy. This outbreak has been more sustained and involving large numbers for a variety of reasons; the initial outbreak occurred in the border region of three countries where a single ethnic tribe travels back and forth with little regard for political boundaries, there are roads that allow people to travel more quickly to many villages and towns with large populations, lack of recognition of the illness as being due to Ebola virus due to lack of prior outbreaks in this region, inadequate public health capabilities to deal with a contagious disease, stigma and superstitions that led to ill individuals to not seek help and spread the illness, traditional healing and funeral practices that led to spread of the virus etc. Health care workers have borne an inordinate share of the burden of this illness and account for nearly 25% of cases with death rates of 50%. In many ways this takes us to the original
1976 outbreak Yambuku where 13 out of 17 health care workers became ill and 11 died, resulting in the closure of Yambuku Mission Hospital. That bucolic village of Yambuku is located close to a meandering ribbon like river, the name of which is Ebola, from which the virus and this horrific disease derives its name.
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
28 Ayurvedic Wisdom Why Your Belly Needs a Routine.
Movie Review By Uday Alexander
The whole body loves routine, belly included. It does its best digestive work when you eat your meals around the same time everyday. Eating lunch at 11 am on some days and 3 pm on others, for example, is a bad habit that needs to be kicked by people who want to feel physically well. (That’s all of us, no?) All the kale, green juices and ginger tea in the world can’t make up for unhealthy eating habits like scattered meals. Good digestion depends on both wholesome food and the way it’s taken in. If your belly knows what hour to expect food, it can prepare itself by firing up the process of digestion before you’ve even taken your first bite. It lights up its digestive fire (agni in Ayurvedic lingo), prepares digestive enzymes, and in turn you feel hungry. Ayurveda teaches us that we should only eat when we’re hungry, so regular mealtimes create a ongoing healthy digestive cycle. Eating around the same time everyday also ensures that your body has enough time to finish digesting one meal before it’s loaded with the next. As a result you feel light and refreshed after meals instead of heavy and weighed down. Most people normally don’t think twice about digestion unless they’re chronically uncomfortable with gas, bloating, diarrhea, acidity, cramps or constipation. Even then they might ignore the body’s plea for dietary caution. Left untreated, indigestion will cause food to purify in the gut no matter how wholesome the meal. Putrefied food becomes toxins, and toxic accumulation will eventually lead to dis-ease if ignored. Hence the importance of all of Ayurveda’s dietary “rules”. I know that many of you will cringe at the idea of a mealtime routine. I used to do the same; avoiding any kind of routine like the plague. So fearful that routine would stifle my personal freedom, I quit my 9-to-5 and became a carefree vagabond, living each day (sleeping, food, lifestyle) entirely different from the next. My recklessness eventually caught up to me and my belly cried out in despair with gas, bloating, embarrassingly noisy digestion, fullness, and totally unsatisfying poos (no use beating around the bush). I’ve found, though, that instilling a mealtime routine actually gives me freedom. By supporting my digestion with Ayurveda’s dietary guidelines, I’m no longer enslaved by the discomfort of a funny tummy. I’m properly hungry at breakfast time, hungry at lunchtime, and hungry at dinnertime– an underrated sensation. I enjoy anything and everything so much better now that I feel physically well. You can feel this way too. Your digestion should be seamless: comfortable, without noise, and resulting in the feeling of lightness. A mealtime routine will definitely help. If you’re in the habit of eating whenever, it can take some adjustment to fall into the rhythm of an eating schedule. Here are a few tips to ease the process. Breakfast: Have something light to digest and warm within an hour or two of waking up. Some body types do best with hearty foods like oatmeal, while others function better with fresh fruit. Lunch: Make lunch your biggest meal of the day as digestion is at its strongest. 12pm-1pm is an ideal lunchtime, but if your work schedule deems otherwise, still aim to make this your biggest meal. This is a good time to eat proteins and other heavier-to-digest foods. Dinner: The power of digestion is less in the evening, so make dinner light and warm. Eating between 6pm and 7pm gives the body enough time to digest before that ideal early bedtime. Snacking: Over-snacking is the demise of the mealtime routine. As you adjust, try limiting snacks to light foods like fresh fruit, cooked vegetables or a few soaked almonds between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner so that you don’t spoil your appetite for the main meals. You might find that you can eventually do away with a morning snack. Either way, keep on a schedule with snacking, too, eating at the same time each day. Let this process evolve over the course of several weeks. Your body will eventually adjust, making for a relieved belly.
The Imitation Game is the sad but true story of Alan Turing, the man who invented the computer. Turing was a genius mathematician who helped win World War II for the Allies by inventing a Nazi code breaking machine. His brilliant efforts cut down the war by at least 2 whole years saving thousands of lives. His story is told through the use of flashbacks within flashbacks which can be confusing if you aren’t paying attention. The story starts of in 1951 after a break-in at Turing’s house brings police officers to the scene. They get a bit suspicious as Turing tells them he is fine and that they can go away because there is no problem. One officer finds everything about the case odd and so brings Turing in for investigation. Turing starts the movie off by revealing that he worked in Bletchley Park for MI6 the British Secret Service and was involved in cracking the German codes that were being intercepted. So far though, they were going nowhere, since the Germans were using a special device called Enigma that changed its code every day at midnight, rendering all work that had been done through the day useless. As Alan is slowly introduced, he is shown to be a naïve young man who has trouble working with others. The film goes on to show his achievements but when the interrogation ends the outcome of the movie will shock you to the core. All in all the film is very entertaining but is very solemn and so if you enjoy very upbeat films then this is not for you. In saying that though the film does have its occasional humour which can give you a bit of a laugh. I recommend this film for technology enthusiasts who want to learn more about the “Father of the Computer”, as well as lovers of a good film. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
30
Recipes
By Sailaja Damodaran
Salad Rice Paper Rolls
Serves : 2 Making Time ~ 5 minutes Ingredients Grilled chicken strips - 4 pieces (You can use frozen, thaw & cut them into thin strips) Carrots cut into thin strips - a handful Cucumber cut into thin strips - a handful Bell pepper / Capsicum cut into strips - a handful ( Yellow & green colour bell peppers will make it more colourful) Chopped olives - 6 Mashed avocado - 1/2 Salt & Pepper to taste Lime juice - 1 tsp Lettuce leaves -2 Rice paper sheets - 2
towel or on a clean cloth. Place a lettuce leaf on the rice paper sheet then spread some mashed avocado mixture. Now arrange the vegetables on top. Sprinkle some salt & pepper to taste. Gently fold the bottom of each rice sheet over the filling then fold in ends & roll into tight cylinder. (Check the above picture for reference ) Cut each rolls diagonally & serve them with any sauce your kids love to eat with. Note: a) Choose your own fillings like chopped boiled eggs,grilled shrimp,beans,rice,pasta etc. b) Use your imagination to create your own rolls to impress your kids. Have fun!
Method Cut the vegetables into strips, wash the lettuce leaves & pat them dry. Remove the avocado from the peel & mash them. Add the lime juice, salt & pepper, mix well till combined. Fill some warm water in a wide bowl or plate. Dip a rice paper sheet into the warm water for 15 seconds or till soft. Remove & lay them on a wooden cutting board/paper
About the author Sailaja Damodaran is passionate about food and she writes a recipe almost every day. She started her website www.sailajakitchen. org as her hobby for all food lovers. All recipes are made in her style. You can alter the ingredients according to your taste if you want. Hope all of you will enjoy trying out my recipes & leave your valuable comments! She has dedicated her site to a social cause - Eradication of blindness. For more details and donations please visit Sankara Eye Foundation website.
www.namasteynt.com.au Issue 03 | January 2015 PAGE
32