SAT May issue 2017

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CELEBRATING 14TH YEAR OF PUBLICATION

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READ INSIDE

South Asia Times Vol.14 I No. 10 I MAY 2017 I FREE s o u t hasiatim es.com .au Editor: Neeraj Nanda

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EDIT PAGE PG3 MAIN STORY PG 4 COMMUNITY PG 5 SOUTH ASIA PG 14 HINDI PUSHP PGS 30-31 MUSINGS PG 33 FOCUS PG 38

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Premier Daniel Andrews Joins World Leaders For OBOR Forum in Beijing Read on page 4

Cybercrime explained, protection ways & whom to contact if you’re a victim

Read on page 12

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EDITORIAL page

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SAT

South Asia Times

PUBLISHER/EDITOR Neeraj Nanda M: 0421 677 082 satimes@gmail.com

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OBOR: Is India Staring at Regional Isolation?

EDITOR (Hindi Pushp) Dr. Dinesh Srivastava dsrivastava@optusnet.com.au

SAT NEWS BUREAU/Australia (Melbourne) Neeraj Nanda satimes@gmail.com

SAT NEWS BUREAU/South Asia (New Delhi, India) RAJIV SHARMA rajeev.anchor@gmail.com PRASHAT TANDON news.prashant@gmail.com

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hinese President Xi Jinping whole inaugurating the high profile Belt and Road Forum in Beijing today said, in what can be taken as a direct rejoinder to the Indian justification for boycotting the initiative, “all countries should respect each other’s sovereignty, dignity and territorial integrity, each other’s development paths and social systems, and each other’s core interests and major concerns.”

India had in a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs maintained, “no country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

And further, “Connectivity projects must be pursued in a manner that respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

In a response that was not lost on the world, President Xi made it clear that sovereignty and integrity was not a one way process.

In recent weeks relations between China and India have dipped considerably, with Beijing raising its claim to Arunachal Pradesh again after a gap of several years.

This was after the visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh, that created public hostility between the two neighbours.

Without referring to India President Xi said, “all countries should respect each other’s sovereignty, dignity and territorial integrity, each other’s development paths and social systems, and each other’s core interests and major concerns.” And in the process made it apparent

that China has given up on wooing India to join the initiative and was now going full steam ahead without New Delhi on board. “Get Lost” seemed to be the message as senior diplomat MK Bhadrakumar said.

It is not clear to anyone what India hopes to gain from this position. More so, as event the United States changed its position as late as Thursday to attend the inauguration. This comes in the wake of articles and advise from American think tanks that Washington would do well to be part of this initiative, albeit a watchful part. US President Donald Trump deputing his special assistant and senior director for Asia at the National Security Council, Matt Pottinger.

All South Asian countries attended the meeting with Pakistan and Sri Lanka being represented by their heads of government and state respectively. Russia’s Vladamir Putin was present as was Turkey’s Erdogan amongst others. Asia was well represented, with India

standing out alone in the block as it were. By not even deputing a delegation New Delhi has made it clear that it is not interested, instead of using the more diplomatic route and keeping at least a couple of fingers and toes between the door to prevent it from closing. Diplomacy is about opening doors, not shutting these tight through what seems to be little more than ego and petulance at this stage.

China is not interested in war and conflict, as it is focusing on building a sound economic ladder upwards. Its importance was realised by successive Prime Ministers from Rajiv Gandhi onwards, with BJPs Atal Bihar Vajpayee taking concrete measures to institutionalise dialogue on the sensitive border issues, and keep relations on an even keel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first PM to actually rock the boat, with applause of course from the ageing and retired establishment that lives in the past, and what is now referred to generally as the

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‘nationalist’ lobby. Relations with China have moved out from the realm of ‘so so’ to ‘rocky’ for no reason at all.

This black and white approach is old hat, and cannot work in a world ruled by diplomatic nuances as reflected in the US position on OBOR now. Making an enemy of China at this stage will prove to be very negative, a fact realised by former NSA Brajesh Mishra when he cleared the way for Vajpayee’s visit and ensured the institutionalisation of a dialogue that not only had Sikkim disappearing from the Chinese map, but also kept Arunachal out of the public discourse for long years. PM Modi and his team should draw lessons from the BJPs earlier government, instead of following halfbaked policies based on advise pouring out of Delhi’s incestuous drawing rooms and corridors of power.

There seems to be little more strategic reasoning behind the decision to keep out of OBOR than that.

—Source: The Citizen, 14 May 2017.

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MAIN STORY

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Premier Daniel Andrews joins world leaders in Beijing

By SAT News Desk

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eijing, 15 May: Premier Daniel Andrews joined more than 90 world leaders in Beijing for the prestigious Belt and Road Forum,marking the beginning of his official visit to China and Hong Kong.

An initiative of President Xi Jinping, Belt and Road is China’s vision for working with participating countries tostrengthen economic and social linkages, a key driver of Victoria’s China Strategy, Partnerships for Prosperity.

Opened by President Xi Jinping on Sunday, the forum hosted the United Nations SecretaryGeneral AntonioGuterres and President of the World Bank Jim Yong Kin, as well as the heads of state from countries includingArgentina, Italy, Greece, Russia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The Premier is the only Australian State leader to be invited to the Belt and Road Forum.

“Participating in a key international panel discussion, the

Premier highlighted Victoria’s leadership andachievements in its engagement with China and promoted the state’s infrastructure, transport and investmentagenda,

“says a media release form the Premiers office.

Premier Daniel Andrews says, “I was honoured to represent Victoria at this extraordinary meeting of global leaders – promoting

our state’s leadership in infrastructure to the world.”

“As our biggest trading partner, China is vital to our state’s economic success – and with each visit here we continue to strengthen

EXHIBITION

Buddha’s Smile M

elbourne, 10 May: From the tranquil smile of an enlightened icon to the widely recognisable laughing Buddha, nine iterations and cultural interpretations of Buddha from throughout Asia will be presented in Buddha’s Smile, opening soon in the Asian Art temporary exhibitions gallery at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) International. * The exhibition will focus on that silent yet powerful act of transmission of Buddhist philosophy.

Spanning more than 1000 years, the exhibition presents Buddhist principles and Zen philosophy in a fresh context through a display of contemporary art and antiquities, including textiles, paintings, prints, devotional objects, sculptures and scripts from the NGV Collection.

Buddha’s smile also features new and never-before-seen acquisitions, as well as select works from private collections.

‘Buddha’s Smile offers a renewed perspective on the symbolic and diverse incarnations of Buddhist art throughout Asian history. This exhibition elucidates the various historical narratives of Buddhist philosophies in a contemporary presentation,’ said Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV. On entry to the exhibition, visitors are greeted by a large-

scalecontemporary photographic portrait of the Laughing Buddha

by Chinese-Australian artist Liu Xiaoxian. Paired with a Qing dynasty miniature porcelain figurine of Budai the Laughing Buddha, this dramatic contrast in scale and era presents the popular Chinese Buddhist deity of wealth, happiness and good fortune in a new light.

The exhibition will also explore the founder of Zen Buddhism and travelling monk Bodhidharma’s much fabled story, through a grouping of contemporary Korean ceramics, historical Qing dynasty porcelain, historical Japanese scrolls, and a recent acquisition of prominent Japanese artist Takashi Murakami’s print Daruma the Great.

Buddha’s Smile will explore other Buddhist incarnations including JizoBosatsu, who, akin to a modern day saint, was a spiritual incarnation of Buddha who looked after the souls of departed children; Amida Buddha, famous in Japan as Buddha of Limitless Life who presided over a heavenly paradise; and Guanyin, known as the one who hears sounds, who remains a popular image of worship in Chinese Buddhist temples. *NGV, 180 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne Vic 3006 | 2 June – 8 October 2017 | Free Entry —Source: NGV, Melbourne www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

our relationship and grow opportunities for jobs and investment.”

During the four-day trip, the Premier met investors and senior government officials to explore key trade and investment opportunities that will generate new jobs in Victoria.

Victoria’s world-class capabilities in education, health and biotechnology, environmental services, design andadvanced manufacturing enable our State to support China meet the demands of a growing middle class, whilegenerating exciting new growth opportunities in Victoria.

The Premier also opened a Forum on Public Private Partnerships (PPP) between the National Development andReform Commission (NDRC) and senior Victorian government officials and industry representatives.

China is Victoria’s largest two-way trading partner, worth more than $20 billion and accounting for almost aquarter of the state’s total food and fibre export market.

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Adani’s Carmichael Coal project a house of cards: Report

By SAT News Desk

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elbourne, April 24: The proposed Carmichael Coal project in Queensland by India’s Adani group has once again come under the cloud with a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) saying “Mounting debt across the Adani Group suggests that the Indian conglomerate’s Carmichael mine proposal for northeast Australia has become an increasingly precarious house of cards.”

The report— “Adani: Remote Prospect: Carmichael Status Update 2017”—notes that Adani Enterprise Ltd.’s equity market capitalization has declined from over US$10 billion in 2015 to $1.9 billion today. Relative to net debt estimated at $2.5 billion, this capitalization is wholly insufficient to underwrite even the reduced $5 billion total project cost for Carmichael.

“Adani’s proposal has all the fundamentals of a feckless entrepreneurial scheme reminiscent of those last seen in Australia in the 1980s,” said

Tim Buckley, Director of Energy Research at IEEFA and lead author of the report.

“Absent massive taxpayer subsidies, no independent investor would give the proposal a second glace given its strategic and financial predicament, particularly set against a rapidly declining market for seaborne thermal coal.”

“The leveraged nature of Adani Enterprises, which controls the Carmichael project, is mirrored across the whole Adani Group,” a IEEFA media release says.

The media release says, “Since early 2015, the Adani group has seen estimated net indebtedness rise by US$3 billion to $15.9 billion. Adani Power alone, mooted as the key off-taker for the Carmichael coal, has net debt of US$7.6bn, and its auditors qualified their most recent review of the company with notes on a

material weakness in financial controls. Adani Power, then, is an unbankable off-taker.”

The report describes how the Adani Group currently has a pipeline of US$30 billion of mostly greenfield projects in India in addition to Carmichael, including $10 billion or

more in renewable energy proposals plus proposed diversifications into new business areas as various as defense systems and copper smelting.

“Gautam Adani is an ambitious businessman with a broad range of proposals on the table at any one time.

Since the purchase of Carmichael in 2010, the forward market value of its coal has declined 50% and thermal coal imports in India are down double digits in line with the government’s stated policy to nearly cease imports entirely by the end of this decade,” Buckley said. “Adani took a calculated business risk on this speculative project in 2010 but the world has changed since then. No longer strategically aligned nor financially robust, today it is less a gamble, more a shot in the dark.”

India’s energy transformation is one of the main drivers of the structural

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decline of the seaborne the thermal coal that has emerged since 2014.

“India’s government commitment to ending thermal coal imports and its ambitious target of 275GW of renewable energy installations by 2027 is among the forces eating away at the rationale of the Carmichael project.

Record-breaking auctions in India for both solar and wind energy have driven down renewables costs to new lows.

Both are now cheaper than new coal in India.”

As a result, coal imports have dropped 22-25 percent year on year over the past two months. Meanwhile, Adani’s Indian renewables and transmission businesses are well aligned with government plans for rapid costcompetitive renewable energy expansion and the provision of electricity to its population.

“Private capital has already vacated the playing field,” Buckley said. “Australian and Indian taxpayers have become the only potential sources of funding, but it should be clear that Carmichael has never looked like more of a stranded asset than it does today.”

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COMMUNITY

Melbourne Durbar

VICTORIAN BUDGET 2017-18

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he Victorian Budget 2017-2018 was presented on 3 May 2017. To get all information on priorities of creating jobs, getting home safer and sooner, a first rate education for every child, historic action on family violence etc. etc. at: www.budget.vic.gov.au/budgetpapers.

Photos below are from the media briefing of the budget at the Victorian Parliament.

DIRECTOR GURINDER CHADHA IN TOWN

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ritish-Indian Director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham &Bhaji On The Beach) was in Melbourne to promote her new Indian partition epic ‘Viceroy’s House’. The movie was shown at the Rivoli and there was a Q-A session. (Read interview with her on page….)

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By Desi Oz

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community

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Melbourne Durbar

By Desi Oz

13th WORLD KANNADA CULTURAL CONVENTION

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he 13th World Kannada Convention was held in Melbourne at the Kingston Hall on 13 May 2017 and was attended by prominent artists, delegates from India and the local community.

‘SUCCHI SAANJH’ STAGED

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social Punjabi play with Anita Devgan, Hardeep Gill and others was staged at the Drum Theatre, Dandenong on 14 May 2017. The topic of the play was perils faced by a family as a consequence of migrating to another country.

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community

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Adani loan plan splits union movement

By SAT News Desk

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elbourne, 9 May: The opposition to Adani Australia getting a $ 900 million concessional loan for the proposed rail link to the Carmichael coal mine in Queensland is growing though local unions are supporting the loan. The heat now has been generated by the Australian workers peak body, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Secretary Sally McManus opposing the loan.

“We support jobs in regional Australia, we think this is a priority, but we do have a list of concerns about this particular project,” Sally told ABC’s Radio Nation and quoted by The Australian.

“We don’t support the loan to the company, we think it should stand on its own two feet.”

McManus added that workers’ conditions should be protected if the mine went

ahead and declined support for the mine even without a concessional loan, declaring there were other concerns that needed to be addressed, reports The Australian.

Earlier, the South Australian branch of the Australian Workers Union, reports The Australian, has no in-principle objections to taxpayers underwriting the 400km link connecting the Adani mine in Queensland Galilee basin with a coal port at Abbot Point.

The controversial Adani coal project which has overcome many legal challenges remains a headline catching news in the Australian media. The pressure of the environment movement against coal project is immense. A recent report in the Australian Financial Review quoting the Australian Conservation Foundation says the Directors of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (they have to give the loan) are

We do not support the loan to the company, we think it should stand on its own two feet. likely to be in breach of their duties if they approve the loan face legal action if they make this investment decision.

ACTU Secretary Sally McManus

Sangeet Sandhya Open forum for music lovers – classical, semi-classical & film music

Saturday 4/02/17 - Shubhangi Pandey Saturday 1/04/17 - Gurmit Sahni Tuesday 3/06/17 - Thai Group Saturday 5/08/17 - Satyendra Mishra Saturday 7/10/17 - Saurabh Mishra Saturday 2/12/17 - Yusuf Sultan

Swar Sandhya Open forum for music lovers; Karaoke – Popular Indian Music Bring your own music, perform and enjoy

Saturday 7/1/17 Saturday 6/5/17 Saturday 2/9/17

Saturday 4/3/17 Saturday 1/7/17 Monday 4/11/17

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Cybercrime explained, protection ways & whom to contact if you’re a victim

By SAT News Desk

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ecently, SAT attended the meeting of the Victoria Police Multicultural Media Reference Group where Detective Inspector Jamie Jack (Victoria Police E-Crime Squad) gave a detailed presentation on cybercrime.

It was revealing and here are general points which emerged and how one can protect oneself.

—Editor GENERAL POINTS 4Cybercrime is unique as its borderless (international) and doesn’t discriminate.

4Cybercrime is directed at computers or other devices andwhere computers or other devices are integral to the offence.

4Victims are often caught out because they are vulnerable through a lack of knowledge.

4There are many types of cybercrime including unexpected inheritance, unexpected winnings, fake charities, dating romance scams, buying or selling scams, identity theft etc.

4The majority of scams

and cybercrimes are conducted over the phone.

4It’s easy to protect yourself if you’re aware and alert.

4Victims are more commonly older and are targeted because they are vulnerable (limited knowledge or unfamiliar with processes).

4Scamwatch is run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). It provides information to consumers and small businesses about how to recognise, avoid and report scams. www. scamwatch.gov.au 4ACORN is the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network – a national policing initiative of the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments. It is a national online system that allows the public to securely report instances of cybercrime. www.acorn.gov.au TIPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF 4Scams target everyone.

4Be alert and aware.

4If you’re not sure, STOP, check it, double check it and get trusted advice.

4Know who you are

dealing with.

4Do not open suspicious texts, pop-up windows or emails.

4Don’t disclose personal details.

4Secure your devices – secure passwords, update security software, back up content.

4Ensure private security settings on social media.

4Beware of money or details requests.

4Online shopping – use trusted brands and websites.

4If you’re not sure, STOP, check it, double check it and get trusted advice.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE A VICTIM OF A SCAM 4If you have lost money through a financial scam, contact your financial institution and stop spending the money straight away.

4Change your passwords on your devices.

4Run security checks on your devices regularly.

4Close all unauthorised / fraudulent/ breached accounts.

4Do not respond to online scams or fraud.

Delete it.

Who to contact and when?

4ACORN: 4For common types of cybercrime include hacking, scams, fraud, identity theft, attacks on computer systems and illegal or prohibited online content.

4SCAM WATCH: 4For scams including

www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

receiving unexpected money, unexpected winnings, fake charities, dating/romance scams, buying/selling scams, attempts to gain personal information, threats and extortion.

4If you’re a victim of fraud or theft, you can contact your local police to make a report.

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southSouth asia times 13 Asia Times

Closure of Slaughter Houses in U.P.

By Rashid Sultan

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top Cow slaughter’ – This has been an important element of BJP’s manifesto since the inception of the party, even in their previous avatar as Jan Sangh.

Most Indian states have banned cow slaughter for ages except West Bengal, Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir. Is it to do for their tolerance or economic reasons?

Before we go further, one thing needs to be cleared.

Cow’s meat is beef, while buffalo’s meat is buffalo meat and it is not beef.

Since Independence, we have been using the wrong terminology confusing beef with buffalo’s meat. And our politicians are mainly to be blamed for calling buffalo’s meat as beef. Unfortunately, our media too has been complicit in the spread of this disinformation. So much so that a Hindu voter is made to believe that cows are being slaughtered to cater to Muslim’s hunger, while the truth is it is buffalo meat which is being

consumed.

Buffalo meat is the cheapest source of protein for both Muslims and Dalits.

You will not find many parallels in the civilised world where state decides what you eat or what you cannot. In the times of Mughals, the pork was consumed in India, though, Haram in Islamic law . Not very long ago, when the import of beef was banned in Goa, the BJP-ruled state, the masses ( majority Hindus) stood up in revolt as they have always loved their beef. And it is now available, once again, for them . “It’s politics, stupid!”( with apologies to Bill Clinton).

So what we are left with cow- meet banned?

Mutton,lamb, chicken, pork and buffalo meat. Muslims and the dalits, being the poorest consumers in the country, eat buffalo meat .Though, I know from first -hand quarters, some Hindus, high or low cast, indulge in buffalo meat due to its taste and flavour. I recall a late friend of mine, of highest caste

of Brahmins, K.K.Shukla( the famous screenwriter of Bollywood) telling me,” Rashid, when I have decided to eat meat, it does not matter to me whether it is goat, sheep, cow or buffalo or pork .”

India is the highest producer of buffalo meat in the world as also the highest exporter of it. The net worth of this particular meat, annually, is around Rs 28lakh crores.

U.P accounts almost 50% of the share, followed by Andhra Pradesh , and West Bengal . There are roughly 25 lakh people employed directly or indirectly in this trade in U.P and the overwhelming number of employees, in this industry, are Hindus. Yes, these export houses, mostly, are owned by Muslims , mostly, not all, some are owned

by Hindus and Jains ( find funny?) These, exporting slaughter houses send every kg of the meat overseasMiddle East, Southeast and North Asia, nothing for the domestic consumption, undergovernment regulations and directives.

Let us also have a look at the livestock census.

The population of buffalos has increased from189.96 lakh in 1997 to 306.25 lakh in 2012. The number of shebuffalos from 141.09 in 1997 to 257.11 lakh in the same period.

Who are these people ( read farmers ) who are investing in this trade? They are mainly Hindus and are trying to complement their meagre income.

The buffalo meat for domestic consumption originates in cities, towns and villages in slaughter houses regulated by civic authoritiesmunicipal corporations, municipal committees, and other govt. bodies. These bodies appoint doctors and other healthcare professionals to monitor that no diseased or underage animal is slaughtered. It is only when they have certified, petty retailers, our roadside meat shops, are allowed to bring the carcasses into their shops, is then, cut into pieces and it iswhere we go and buy our

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requirementwhich, be it, buffalo meat, mutton or pork.

There are some petty butchers, of course, who slaughter the animal in their shops to avoid govt. fees and to and froing from the city’s slaughter house.

This has been the practice for at least 200 years all over the country, from British times.

So what has changed?

Why, all of a sudden, this hue and cry of illegal slaughter houses. Slaughter houses for export are strictly monitored by pollution control officers, health departments and export promotion officials and also by importers in foreign countries who regularly visit the facilities to ensure that the product conforms to their laws.

That leaves us with only the domestic slaughter houses which are governed and regulated by the municipal authorities, as I have said above. Also, the law allows to slaughter bulls which are more than 15 years old or of unhealthy breed.

CONTD. ON PG 33

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SOUTH ASIA

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Countering Maoist insurgency or playing blind man's buff?

By Lt. General P. C. Katoch*

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HANDIGARH: There is much political activity after the Maoist ambush at Sukma on April 24 that killed 24 CRPF and injured seven.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister chairing a meeting on May 5, directed setting up unified commands in every Maoistaffected district (what were we doing all these years?) and joint training centres in Sukma and Bijapur districts.

He also proclaimed “soon Maoism will be wiped out with joint efforts", echoing P Chidambaram, former Union Home Minister (now heading the Parliamentary Committee for Internal Security), who had stated in 2010 that the Maoist problem will be resolved within the next 2-3 years. It is now 2017.

Such rhetoric shows a complete lack of understanding of the sociopolitical nature of the problem, compounded by political machinations for prolonging, and not ending insurgencies.

There is little understanding that the military solution is not the key to resolve insurgencies.

Counter-insurgency requires a synergized response simultaneously at the socio-political, moral and physical planes, population being the centre of gravity.

The State has a major role to play through quality administration including providing the common person access to the law.

The reverse appears to be happening on the ground.

Why have Maoists-affected States not implemented Article 5 and 9 of the Constitution in letter and spirit to address part of the Maoist grievances? How effective are the welfare schemes amidst deep-rooted corruption?

Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh publicly asked his administration last month not to take “commissions” for one year. In a seminar on Maoists in New Delhi two years ago with foreigners in the audience, former IG Prisons, Chhattisgarh said that hundreds of ‘suspected’ Maoists have been jailed for months, years without trial, and he had written to the CM listing out names of those who should be released, but received no response.

The latest public exposure is by VarshaDongre, Deputy Jailer, Raipur Central Jail, last month, describing horrific conditions in Bastar, police torture and tribals divested of their lands under cover of Project Tiger. "I am a witness to the torture of minor tribal girls ... In police stations ….. stripped and tortured girls as old as 14 and 16 ... given electric shock on their hands and breasts. I have seen the marks ... was horrified ... have given directions for their treatment", he said.

Predictably an inquiry has been instituted against Dongre and suspension, transfer, even an accident may follow.(News just received that VarshaDonge has been suspended) But does the public know that the Maoists ambush in Sukma on April 24 included six women-Maoists cadres who systematically castrated the 24 CRPF men killed, described in the media as “mutilation” and castigating the Maoists barbarity?

Could this be linked to the Chhattisgarh High Court admitting on February 8, 2017, a criminal writ petition for alleged gang rape and assault of 28 Adivasi women by the police in Chinnagelur and Peddagelur in the Bijapur district, and NHRC finding allegations of rape and assault by the police on 16 women to be prima facie true?

Apparently, there is no resolve to effectively deal with the issue; low-level politicians enjoy Maoist support to get elected and remain in power, and these MLAs provide the political edifice on which the CM presides.

Insurgency has become a lucrative industry where everyone makes money. The centre pours in enormous amounts of funds, and there is little accountability.

Security forces are pawns in the game where their numbers killed or maimed don’t matter after the ceremonials and brief media attention is over.

Maoists revel in their links with Pakistan and with indigenous terrorist organizations, while their over-ground support base in metros like Delhi is growing.

Training of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) particularly CRPF is atrocious, though they grieve their senior posts are held

by IPS officers, who do not

ensure that the paramilitary forces are well equipped, trained and manned. And since IPS officers never accompany their command in operations, the CRPF officers too don’t do so.

The April 24 Sukma ambush was after the Maoists had clearly observed the daily routine of the CRPF column; all SI, ASI, Head Constables, Constables collecting for lunch without protection. When the firing commenced, the remaining personnel of the 99-strong column instead of going for a counter ambush drill, ran back to their posts leaving their dead and wounded behind.

Maoists looted 22 weapons including 19 assault rifles and three LMGs, five radio sets, assortment of ammunition, all bullet proof jackets and other equipment, even removing the shoes and socks from the dead.

On March 11, Maoists similarly attacked another 110-strong CRPF column at Bheji (Sukma) killing 11, injuring five, again with balance column running back. Maoists looted 10 assault rifles, one LMG, one 51mm mortar, one UBGL, two radio sets and assorted ammunition. The bodies were ‘mutilated’ and boobytrapped.

In both cases no CRPF officer was accompanying these large columns and the combined loot is enough to restart insurgency in Tripura.

Obviously, no lessons were learnt from the April 2010 Maoists attack in Dantewada where 76 CRPF personnel were massacred and all their arms, ammunition and equipment looted.

There is a complete void of junior leadership, motivation, and training in the CRPF. In training establishments set up by CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces), emphasis is more on demonstrations and press coverage, other than the Counter Terrorism & Jungle Warfare College, Kanker, Chhattisgarh commanded by a veteran Army Brigadier.

CAPF that has gone through training at the latter college have performed far better in operations. Additionally, CAPF undergo pre-induction training in sub-unit / unit lots but individuals posted to units in the Maoist belt are sent directly without preinduction training.

This also includes an annual turnover of some 2530 percent of the two CRPF units positioned in the Maoist belt on a semi-permanent basis. Combat training needs to be very seriously looked into and must also be the focus for the two new training centres proposed by Raman Singh.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is chairing a meeting at New Delhi on May 8 for reviewing the antiMaoist strategy. There is talk in the media about pulling out more CAPF units from West Bengal, which may leave a gap to be activated when required.

Wonder if it is appreciated that Chhattisgarh today has 67 CAPF units (18 x CAF, 27 x CRPF, 8 x BSF, 8 x ITBP, 4 x Cobra, 2 x SSB) besides 11 Coy STF, in addition to 409 police stations and 113 Choukis. 67 x CAPF units translates to some 7 plus Army Infantry Divisions.

But certainly such force

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There is little understanding that the military solution is not the key to resolve insurgencies.

Counter-insurgency requires a synergized response simultaneously at the socio-political, moral and physical planes, population being the centre of gravity. is not sufficient when all officers are on a picnic. Take the 74 Battalion CRPF that was involved in the recent Sukma ambush. The Battalion HQ is located at Dornapal with Battalion HQ of another two units, while companies of 74 Battalion CRPF are located 60-90 kms to the West. Why aren’t the HQ with their companies; officer sahibs in towns and jawans leaderless in the wilderness?

No area of responsibility is allotted to any CRPF unit.

And this has been going on for years, naturally with such large forces placed under the command of the DGP Chhattisgarh. Is the DGP of a State proficient enough to plan and handle the strategy to be adopted with such massive forces?

Ironically, MHA that should have taken direct control with the Maoists spanning multiple states is only dishing out CAPF units, which entails no accountability.

Unless these issues are addressed holistically, the Maoist insurgency will keep growing and expanding.

The overall strength of the CAPF and police forces is larger than the military. It is about time they be made to perform and the MHA take direct charge of the Maoist insurgency. *Lt General P.C.Katoch (retired) is a veteran officer of the Special Forces.

—Source: The Citizen, May 7, 2017.

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A protest in Karachi over the lynching of Mashal Khan

K

ARACHI, May 5 2017 (IPS) - Aimal Khan, 27, an airman in Pakistan’s Air Force, warns the country will end up in the throes of mayhem if the state does not do something about the abuse of the blasphemy laws.

“People will use it to settle personal scores,” he said.

He should know. His younger brother, Mashal Khan, 25, was brutally killed by a mob roused to a frenzy by allegations he had committed blasphemy. “They became the judge, the jury and the executioner,” Aimal said.

Studying at the Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (KPK), Khan was known for speaking out against corruption and injustices prevalent in society. On April 13, he was shot, stripped and not satisfied with that, the mob then beat up his corpse as shown in the graphic video footage.

The police investigation following his killing, however, found no evidence he had committed blasphemy.

The government has

since arrested 47 of the 49 accused.

Political activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir told IPS that the country’s blasphemy laws are not just used by the land mafia to evict people, but often for raising funds and recruiting members by rogue organisations. “The social media has become a more potent tool where one fake account with just one blasphemous tweet can kill someone,” he said alluding to the fake account created in the name of Mashal Khan to falsely establish he’d committed blasphemy.

According to opposition leader Syed Khursheed Shah, since 1990, 65 people have been killed on allegations of committing blasphemy and no one was executed for the crimes.

A month later, Aimal says the family continues to receive phone calls expressing condolences from all across Pakistan. Ordinary people to celebrities and even politicians have visited their home to offer comfort.

“After my brother’s murder, we thought humanity had fled from this country, but I tell you, it’s

quite the opposite. We have been given unconditional support,” Aimal said, his voice filled with emotion, over the phone from his village Zaida in Swabi district, KPK. He hopes his family’s loss can open the door to a meaningful debate on reviewing the infamous laws.

Aimal’s sentiments are echoed by Reema Omer of the International Commission of Jurists. “If Mashal’s most tragic killing could revive the debate and lead to blasphemy reform, that would be a fitting tribute to his bravery and courage,” she told IPS. “The law should have been reviewed and reformed a long time ago. These incidents are latest but not the first,” pointed out Nasir. While exploitation of these laws can be corrected through procedural reforms, he said what was innately wrong was that they are in violation of Hanafi jurisprudence [followed in Pakistan] which gives no death penalty to nonMuslims for blasphemy but Pakistani law does.

Asia Bibi, a Christian,

"It's pretty obvious that religious passions are easily ignited because day in and day out all we hear about is religious sermonizing in one form or the other."

—Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy has been on death row for the last seven years.

International Christian Concern has termed her case one of the most “controversial” and best examples of the abuse of blasphemy laws.

While a complete scrapping of the law is unlikely, many see this as an opportunity to revive a debate. In 1986, to ‘Islamise’ the country, Pakistan’s then leader General Mohammad Zia ulHaq enacted these laws.

But anyone who has tried to even tried to open debate has either been censured or silenced.

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In 2011, SalmaanTaseer, the then governor of Punjab, was assassinated for supporting Asia Bibi, accused of blasphemy. His murder was followed by that of Shahbaz Bhatti, a minister who had talked of misuse of the laws.

JamiatUlema-eIslam (Fazal) chief MaulanaFazalurRehman, enjoying a huge following in the KPK, while condemning Khan’s lynching, said he was well aware that liberal forces would use this incident and call for amendment in the laws, but warned that no one would be allowed to touch it.

Contd. on pg 16

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A protest in Karachi over the lynching of Mashal Khan.

Photo: Abida Ali/IPS

A protest in Karachi over the lynching of Mashal Khan Contd. from pg 15 “For a few days when there was such an outcry it was felt the time for a critical review of the blasphemy laws had arrived,” said I.A. Rehman, noted rights activist, speaking to IPS. “The clerics were on the defensive.”

This euphoria was shortlived.

Rehman said the lawmakers belonging to religious parties disowned the resolution in the assembly which they had earlier backed.

In fact, soon after Mashal’s lynching, the legislative assembly of Pakistanadministered Pakistan passed two resolutions regarding the finality of Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and respect of his family and companions.

The resolution also stated that if Ahmadis (declared non-Muslims by the constitution of Pakistan) claim themselves to be Muslims, they should be charged with blasphemy.

He has little hope in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who himself narrowly survived ouster and was saved by a supreme court verdict last month, after the opposition had taken him to court on charges of corruption.

“It [ruling Pakistan Muslim League — PML-N] will not take on the clerics at this stage,” Rehman said, lamenting: “The chance of doing something about blasphemy will again be missed.” But then he never had much hope attached to Sharif in the first place. “The PML-N is an accomplice to orthodoxy therefore there is no hope of a change for the better.”

Following the killing of Khan, in another part of Pakistan, a man was shot dead by his three sisters. He was accused of blasphemy in 2004 and the sisters in their confessional statement said they were incited by the imam of their neighbourhood mosque.

The same day a mob attacked a man after Friday prayers in northern Pakistan

town of Chitral, and was saved in time by the mosque imam and the police officers who intervened and rescued him. The man was mentally ill and was on his way to Islamabad for treatment.

“It’s not the law, it’s the people, a people that have gone berserk,” said eminent educationist, Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, who teaches physics at universities in Islamabad and Lahore.

That is why he insists on teaching Occam’s Razor in his classes. “It’s a metaphor for parsimony of assumptions. Start with the obvious, if that doesn’t work then assume that something more complicated is involved,” he explained, adding: “In this [lynching] particular case, it’s pretty obvious that religious passions are easily ignited because day in and day out all we hear about is religious sermonizing in one form or the other.”

But Omer thinks otherwise. “Killings in the name of blasphemy and mob violence after

blasphemy allegations cannot be separated from the law and its mandatory death punishment; the impunity – even patronage – enjoyed by perpetrators in the past; and the state’s use of blasphemy to clamp down on dissenting/critical voices,” she said.

Recalling the climate just before Khan’s killing, she said there was renewed movement by various state institutions condemning ‘blasphemers; calling blasphemy ‘an act of terrorism; and urging people to report blasphemy so strict action could be taken against them.

Nasir, too, believed that when the parliament associates the death penalty with a crime it “does trickle down into society, socially and politically”. He gave the example of the arrest of three people for desecrating a Hindu temple and tried under section 295A (of blasphemy laws) which does not carry death penalty but shows clearly that blasphemy against other

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religions does not create a “huge social or political uproar”.

In addition, Omer said, the existence of the blasphemy laws in their current form gives a certain “cloak of legality” to such calls. “Which is why we shouldn’t lose sight of the connection between the existence of the blasphemy laws and the kind of violence we saw in Mardan, in Chitral, and before that in KotRadhaKishan and other cases,” she said.

A large number of people accused of blasphemy, or even convicted of blasphemy by trial courts for defiling the Holy Quran, suffer from mental illnesses, said Omer. “This too is a common thread in how blasphemy laws play out in practice,” she said.”This is a damning indictment of the prosecution and police, who allow these cases to continue despite the fact that the accused do not have the requisite capacity to commit a crime.”

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How Not To Talk to India

By Sherry Rehman*

I

SLAMABAD: Starting from the premise that constructive dialogue is the first step towards untangling a history of vexed relations between two nuclear neighbours, every government that has made any headway on this track has done so by first working the base at home, its politics and its message.

There can be no dispute about the need for peace in the region, nor should there be any brakes on the institutional search for pathways, government or non-official, that foster sustained talks between Pakistan and India.

The recent furore in parliament about the Jindal-Sharif meeting is a case in point of poor tactics, or how not to talk. First, this case will bog down the public conversation in issues that help no government in its search for rational space between Delhi and Islamabad. Second, with due apologies to all involved, it ignores the legitimacy of the messenger. There is no dispute about the saliency of diplomacy as a quiet craft that needs the space to air ideas and test limits.

In fact, the state of play between India and Pakistan desperately requires a credible back channel. Because back-channel diplomacy is often used profitably by governments in taking forward complex possibilities before they are brought on board for a public push, it is important they are conducted with credibility on both sides. If not, they land the process in flames.

Both Pakistan and India have used back-channel interlocutors in the past, but both have been institutionally appointed savants, such as Satish Lambah and Shehryar Khan, with long years of Foreign Office experience behind them, and the trust of their policy establishments. This is not to be confused with track-two diplomacy, used principally to engage between two or three countries for building confidence, exploring options, and creating knowledge about each other in stressful times. In an optimal climate, such dialogues even become invaluable in creating important constituencies for peace.

Yet even for this process which many of us invest time in, we try to keep major political parties in the loop, so that strategic conversations and the exploration of do-able options are not conducted in some policy airlock away from public stakeholders.

When members of parliament read about a Pakistan government’s intent from Indian journalists who write about Jindal and his role as a back channel between India and Pakistan, why do we signal disquiet over this?

Because back channels are useful only when the government employing them appoints one from each side, not a private business friend who obviously owes more loyalty to his country of nationality. Rumours about Jindal’s role in scuttling ripe transit-trade talks before Modi was elected don’t add

The peril of ignoring strategic context, politics or tactics is obvious. History has taught us that the substance of talks with India is as important as the optics — the way they are seen to be held, and by whom.

comfort to the process.

Those who ignore the politics of talks with India dismiss democracy as a gratuitous parlour game. They dismiss grassroots political parties in Azad Kashmir, as did Musharraf, and they ignore the importance of institutional process, as well as its public message. They make the same mistake Sharif is making on disregarding the power of building consensus, let alone looping in its beleaguered Foreign Office. This puts not only good intent at risk, but also strategic outcomes. Such serial mishandling is made even more poignant because while nay-sayers will say no, locking the mainstream political buy-in for talks, certainly from Pakistan is not impossible.

As a member of the leading opposition party in parliament, the PPP, I recall spurring Nawaz Sharif to accept Modi’s invitation to his inaugural on Twitter. This was no random personal statement. It was the outcome of a discussion within the party leadership about the opportunities that we hoped had arisen from a change of government in New Delhi. But most of us who consistently favour negotiations over hard stalemates were disappointed by the rush away from reason in New Delhi when all acts of terror in India were laid at Pakistan’s door.

Meanwhile, the government did Pakistan no favours by betting on silence as a tactic. When for the Pathankot attack, for instance, the Indian NIA quietly cleared Pakistan of involvement, there was silence.

Explaining Pakistan, or its noncomplicity in terror, was the job of Pakistan’s foreign minister, who of course did not exist except in the PM’s

overstretched portfolio. But instead of advancing Pakistan’s case, and setting terms for a sustained dialogue, we saw silence.

In another layer of historical context, when Narendra Modi, swooped into the Sharif estate in Raiwind, none of us called Nawaz Sharif a traitor because we felt an elected PM must be given the confidence he deserves. Perhaps he was quietly building a foundation for sustained dialogue in private huddles with key officials, we said. But the encounter did nothing but burnish Modi’s credentials abroad, while our Foreign Office had to shrug off the much-hyped encounter as private.

In a polarised political climate where civil-military relations are already strained, and where a special assistant on foreign affairs has been made the scapegoat along with others for a PM House that functions only by close cabal, consistent nontransparency only adds to tensions and questions. For those of us who don’t subscribe to the conspiracytheory school of politics, the issue is not that the Jindal meeting was setting the stage for another high-level one in June. There is no cavil about talks with India, in fact quite the opposite.

The issue is its public message of high-level insider-opacity. If Jindal had an important message for a potential Astana sideline, he should have met Sartaj Aziz quietly. That may have been a real back channel, not publicly at PM House in Islamabad. If Modi was serious, he could have urged his NSA to start talking to our’s, plan for the worst, and leverage for the best.

So let’s not embed the optics of a Jindal-type meeting in a conversation about the importance of India-Pakistan

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talks. Those must go on or resume at all levels, but India too has to signal that formally. Given recent events, the summer is likely to see more human rights abuses in Kashmir after local polls in which only seven per cent of Kashmiris turned out to vote, a low not seen in 27 years. In this vitiated climate, it would be unwise to burden a potential Nawaz-Modi meeting either in Astana or in New York, with the unrealistic expectations of a dramatic reset. In public view, Modi’s government has become hostage to its own hardline rhetoric to talk on any terms but its own, so the PM might use his time better at home explaining what kind of case he will make for Pakistan abroad after skipping the Kalbhushan word at the last UNGA. The peril of ignoring strategic context, politics or tactics is obvious.

History has taught us that the substance of talks with India is as important as the optics — the way they are seen to be held, and by whom. In the end, there are three ways official talks with India will never sustain. One, when they are done under public pressure to link all talks to impossible pre-conditions. Two, the Musharraf way, in which creative solutions on Kashmir are conducted so ineptly in total lockdown that they backfire on the ground when publicly floated. Three, today the Nawaz Sharif way, all on his own, losing the mainstream political consensus for peace with India by studiously ignoring its politics in Pakistan.

Not only do such talks end in tears, but more importantly, they reverse crucial gains made earlier. *Shehrbano "Sherry" Rehman, MP, is a Pakistani liberal politician, journalist and diplomat who serves as the Senator from Sindh, in office since 2015. Previously she served as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States between 2011 and 2013.

—Source: The Citizen, May 12, 2017.

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Commoners Against Rape In Bangladesh

By Farooque Chowdhury*

d

ays ago, an incident of a rape came out to public light. The victims were two university-students. The incident occurred weeks ago in the capital city of Dhaka.

But, the victims dared not to lodge any complaint with the concerned authority as the perpetrators were from rich families. There were complaints of negligence on the part of an official supposed to take action.

But the media instantly took up the issue, and tried its best to bring to light the entire series of incidents: the powerful “game” with honour of the ordinary, the threat to hush the act of “bravery”, the ploy to not record it officially. The Dhaka press, electronic media and online news outlets are full with reports for the last few days on the developments of the incident. A few of the press reports cited powerful utterances of the powerful son of the rich person: “I’ll hack you to death and make the pieces vanish”, a threat to the victims; “my father will spend a billion Taka [Bangladesh currency, about 80 Taka equals to a US dollar] to hush the incident”. (DainikIttefaq, a leading Bangla daily from Dhaka, May 13, 2017) At the very onset of the developments, commoners raised their voices over internet-based social media network (ISM). There were hundreds of chidings, laments, condemnations, rejections, protests and demands. The commoners were questioning the powerful, the powerful hands of the powerful, the tricky hands of the rich.

They were connecting the heinous act and the wealthy.

Their questionings spanned from individual rich to the system. They were expressing scepticism about the possibility of proper delivery of fairness.

Within days, the concerned agency had to jump into action, form more than one investigation committees, send a concerned official on leave, apprehend two of the five absconding “brave boys” from a north-eastern city, a few hundred miles from Dhaka.

At the same time, organizations and alliances including a few student

organizations and the GanaJaagaran Mancha organized protest meetings, stand-ins and protest-march at city centres. A few of the slogans in the mobilizations questioned the state, the administration and the society. The voice of the commoners’, yet subdued and unorganized, was felt around.

The violation-incident was preceded and followed by similar incidents around the country. The Dhakanews-media carries these reports. As for example, in a district near Dhaka, a farm-labourer committed suicide as he failed to found any sympathetic ear to the incident of his young daughter’s dishonour.

An “amazing” aspect within these series of incidents is the “strange” silence” of political parties claiming to be progressive, to be pro-people, to be pro-poor! Probably, these organizations did not consider the incident as part of political question.

Probably, the issues of safety and honour of citizens are “not” political issues to these organizations. Probably, the issues are to be taken care of by organizations active with social issues, NGO, the organizations pushed by their donors to fill-in political vacuum created by many political non-activities

of apparently progressive political organizations, other petty-organizations, and by the so-called civil society, the individuals having no constituency and posing as conscience of the nation. Probably, the apparently progressive political organizations are busy with mechanism of coming-electionequation (?). Probably, it’s beyond comprehension of commoners who find “strange” silence on the part of pro-poor, pro-people, pro-radical change appearing political organizations on major and fundamental issues of life, of economy, society and politics. In this time, traders’ organizations raise and debate aspects related to VAT while it’s difficult to find any serious discussion on the issue by the propeople, pro-poor appearing political organizations (PPP). Examples of similar inactivity by the PPPs are abounding.

But, the signals the society is trying to convey are significant. Politicians and political scientists will look into these, no doubt.

Any politician standing for status quo will get annoyed with these signals while any politician standing for radical change will get engaged with serious, persistent and consistent political activities with the

aim of reaching the people, with the aim of creating secure and honorable people’s space that helps organizing democratic movement.

Rene Dumont, the famous economist from France, was invited to Bangladesh after the country attained independence. He was requested to propose a few ideas about reconstruction of Bangladesh, a country burned, ravaged, destroyed by the occupying forces from Pakistan. One of his observations for a building up a Sonar Baanglaa, a prosperous Bengal, was: Ensure women’s safe atmosphere for fearless, unhindered movement with full honor.

Today, women constitute a major part of labor force in the country. They are not engaged just with the garments sector; their presence is felt in construction, skin and hide, recycling, and agricultural sectors also. A major portion of micro credit (MC) debtors are women while capital invested through MC is mainly in the areas of artisanal and cottage industries; and commodities produced by the MC debtors mainly reach local markets.

Anyone can easily draw a few conclusions based on these aspects, which are important indicators.

These aspects are related

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to capital, market, their development, relations these establish, and development in the society.

Anyone can put the issue of women within this perspective, and, can find out the importance of the issue. Safety of women is not only an issue related to labor, but to capital also.

These are known to all, especially to the PPPs. And, all after these, the issue of women’s honor is left to others by the PPPs. It’s really, a time-“unknown”, when the politically unorganized citizens active in the internet-based social media network easily are connecting the issues of dishonor of women and the rich but the PPPs find no class issue on the question, when millions of poorwomen, women industrial workers walk to and fro their workplaces at early-dawn, after dusk, even, at places, at near-mid-night. Is the time beyond comprehension of ordinary citizens? Time will answer the question. *Farooque Chowdhury, writing from Dhaka, authored/edited no other books in English till today other than the following books: Micro Credit: Myth Manufactured (ed.), The Age of Crisis, and What Next?

The Great Financial Crisis (ed.).

—Source: Counter Currents, May 13, 2017

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interview

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EXCLUSIVE SAT INTERVIEW

‘Tubelight’ gives the message of peace: Salman Khan

By Neeraj Nanda

B

ollywood Sultan Salman Khan was recently in Melbourne for the Dabangg tour and I caught up with him at the Crown Towers in his exclusive suite just before he was about to leave for the stage performance at the Rod Lever Arena. A sober and composed Salman Khan talked to me about his new movie ‘Tubelight’ (RELEASING ON 23 JUNE, 2017) and a bit about ‘Tiger Zinda Hi’.

Excerpts from the interview: Q: Why the name ‘Tubelight’?

A: He is a simple character amongst all kinds of kids. He is the first one to get it. He is different from others. That’s how ‘Tubelight’ comes in. All other kids tease him as ‘Tubelight’.

Q: But an English name for a Hindi movie?

A: ‘Tubelight’ is a down version of Tubelight. Everyone uses this word.

Like, ‘Yeh Tubelight Jalao’ (Switch on the Tubelight).

Q: Tell me about your character in ‘Tubelight’?

A: It’s a simple character. Much more simple than the one in Bharangi Bhaijan.

He grows as sympathy grows for him.

He gets what he wants to achieve.

Everything then starts working.

Q: Are you an army man in the movie?

A: No, I am not able to join the Army, but my brother (Arbaz Khan) is able to.

So, one brother is on the front and the other is not.

Q: Tell me something about the Chinese actress in the movie?

A: The movie needed a Chinese girl and we got Zhu Zhu. This was because the background of the movie is the SinoIndian conflict.

Q: How does she score in the movie?

A: Very well.

Q: How was she able to speak Hindi dialogues?

A: Every line she spoke in Hindi she understood. She first learned to read them in English and then it was easy to speak in Hindi.

Q: What is the message of ‘Tubelight’?

A: ‘Yakeen karna chaiyae kisi bhi cheez main’. (Believe in anything you want to achieve).

Q: Is it a message of peace?

A: Yes, it is.

Q: Tell me something about ‘Tiger Zinda Hi’?

A: It’s a sequel of ‘Ek Tha Tiger’. (Does not reveal much) Q: Which means a RAW agent and so on.

A: That’s it. That’s it.

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southSouth asia times 21 Asia Times

The Power of Facebook Marketing for Small Businesses – Part 1 custom audience features and different types of ads, be it lead ads, website traffic ads, video engagement ads, store visits ads are all powerful mechanisms to draw prospects to your business. Just be patient.

By Shriram Iyer

l

et’s look at a fact.

According to a social media report published in 2016, almost 69% of Australians have a Facebook account.

That is well over 15 million Australian users who spend a significant bulk of their time on Facebook.

There are many businesses who have used Facebook the right way and have succeeded in generating a significant ROI. But then again, I personally know many businesses who do not have any faith in Facebook as an advertising channel. The reason?

Because they simply don’t use it the right way. To understand the power of Facebook you need to

understand two very key principles:The Sales Funnel (a.k.a Customer Buying Stages) and Re-Marketing (a.k.a Re-Targeting) So, can Facebook be used to help a business grow?

Yes, it can. Facebook is a very strong tool when it comes to both customer acquisition and customer retention.

Customer Acquisition Let us get one thing straight. Facebook is NOT Google. They are the chalk

and cheese of the digital world. When you look at it from a sales funnel perspective, it becomes very clear that leads need to be nurtured along the way. Facebook is wellsuited for this purpose.

With Google, a customer is further down the sales funnel, almost ready to buy. So when a business attempts to acquire new customers using Facebook, they have to adopt a ‘non search-engine’ mindset.

The targeting options, the

Customer Retention The old cliché that it is cheaper to retain a customer than to acquire a new one, is often used. Well, Facebook makes it easy to load custom audiences and market to them. Using custom audiences, makes ads more relevant and as a result everything else, cheaper, increasing your ROI. Referral programs, rewards programs, you name it, can be run on Facebook. It is a far stronger option than email, which has been notorious for their low conversion rates.

So, why is it essential that a small business invest both their time and money into Facebook?

Well for one, unlike most other advertising mediums, Facebook news-feed ads are non-disruptive. Consumes don’t find it irritating and

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this is a big deal.

Businesses often struggle to choose anadvertising mediumthat offer a decent attention span.Well, look no further. Facebook doesn’t really have that problem, because of the amount of time users spend on Facebook, consuming everything. Australian consumers spend almost 13 hours per week on Facebook!

Also, smartphones have made it possible to consume Facebook everywhere – the home, the workplace, the gym, public transport and yes, the toilets too! So there, you have your customers, both existing and future, fully covered no matter what!

So, now what?

Call Me. Running a small business is hard work. Let’s make it slightly easier for you. Call me on 0424 287 904 and we can organise for a FREE strategy session where we can talk through your goals.

And if Facebook marketing is a good fit, we can talk further. No sweat, either way. Coffee is on me!

south asia 22 South Asia Timestimes

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Viceroy’s House is my interpretation of India’s partition in 1947: Gurinder Chadha British Historian E. H. Carr wrote: “History means interpretation.” The 300-years of colonial history and the British rule in India has been a much written and debated subject. Director Gurinder Chadha delves into this rather contentious subject with her movie ‘Viceroy’s House’ dealing with the final months of the Empire leading to the birth of two nations- India and Pakistan. For six months in 1947, Lord Mountbatten, British India’s last Viceroy, is charged with handing India back to its people. The happenings in Viceroy’s house both political (politicians wrangling over issues) and social (within the staff ) go on as the country is hit by unprecedented violence and mass migration. A love story with the young lovers caught up in the vortex of the partition drama, runs parallel to these developments. The story is personal to Gurinder Chadha, whose own family was engulfed in the tragic evets as the British Raj came to an end.

By Neeraj Nanda

has everything and never experienced what others did. A Muslim girl wrote in the Huntington Post that by attacking the film all British Asians have been attacked.

It’s good the movie has created a debate. Fatima herself felt bad as a lot of people called her review bad journalism. The film she describes is not the film that most people feel it is.

This is a British-Indian film. A Pakistani would have made a different film. An Indian from India would have made a different film.

A White person would have made a different film.

Anyone can make a film with their own interpretation.

This movie is my interpretation as a BritishIndian woman. My version of what happened. I am what I am. Indians will say differently and Pakistanis will say it differently.

G

urinder Chadha, was in Melbourne to promote the movie (releasing here on 18 May 2017) and I caught up with her at the 3AW building.

Excerpts from the interview: Q: How challenging was the ‘partition’ subject as you researched the script?

A: Very challenging.

Because it is also personal and a sad subject. Sad for Punjabis and Bengalis as these states were divided.

But the story needed to be told. This is the shadow of it. A lots of old people who were there then. I wanted to do it before the generation is lost. So that they could feel their stories are told.

Q: Any hurdles in the scripting?

A: Yes, the biggest problem was how to show the violence. I did not want to stir up communal feelings. This was a big issue for me. I saw the archives to show the right things.

Q: How much time the scripting took?

A: It took five years.

Q: This August it will be 70 years since partition. But the issues are still the same. Religious intolerance continues.

A: Well, I feel this is what the politicians do and that is what the film shows. It’s easy to divide and rule us. It is an effective way of controlling problems between people.

Focus shifts and there is distraction from the real business of the government.

Whenever anyone uses hate you can be sure they are using it to detract from real issues.

Q: The relationship between a Hindu and a Muslim runs parallel with the partition

drama. What are you trying to convey?

A: I wanted the film as history as well as entertaining for the audience. I wanted to set a love story that allows you to tell those stories of division with the emotional sets where the lovers are deciding what to do.

Q: The film mentions about those top secret documents about partition. Are you saying the British had already decided to split India?

A: Yes. But I don’t want to elaborate the documents.

I encourage the people to see the movie. What I have done is to base the movie on secret British documents that go back to 1945 telling a different story what officially happened as compared to the stories normally we have been told. And it is interesting and important because it tells the partition from a British-Indian perspective.

Therefore, every Indian is interested in the history and story of partition. People should go to see the movie

to see what is uncovered in the end.

Q: You admit your own family’s partition experience inspired the film. There was so much tragedy and pain. How could you overcome this and give a positive message in the film?

A: It’s very hard. I didn’t watch the movie. I get upset.

I came towards the end of the movie and watched it.

One just has to be strong and we have to move on.

Three wars have been fought between India and Pakistan. This is rooted in partition. This movie has generated debate and people talking about it.

Q: So, the two-nation theory that Hindus and Muslims are different nations is no good.

A: There are more Muslims in India than Pakistan.

Q: A million died in the riots and millions were uprooted and became refugees. What is the message for

today’s world where again millions have been crossing borders?

A: I agree. People are moved and touched by this movie because it highlights the events that happened 70 years back and are not different from what is happening today. Hope there is an impact and the refugee experience is humanised.

Q: Would you make a movie on this subject?

A: Maybe, depends on the script.

Q: Fatima Bhutto in her review says your movie is a colonial version and misrepresents historical reality.

What do you say?

A: I replied to her in the Guardian. She misrepresented the film.

She is a politician and sees the film as anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan. But lots of Pakistani people said she feels different from what we see. She is from an elite Pakistani family who never lost their lands etc. and nothing of theirs was touched during the partition. She

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Q: So, we can say this is Gurinder Chadha’s interpretation of partition?

A: Yes, it is. of course, this is my film.

Q: The Indian Censor Board is quite strict these days and liberal in demanding cuts?

A: They have passed the movie with no cuts.

Q: Would you agree while we blame the British and the politicians for the tragedy, our own roles also need to be examined. Are we also responsible?

A: You have to answer that. I made my film. It’s for others to look at their own situation. I made it with historical facts as I see them.

Q: Tell me about your upcoming TV serial on British India?

A: I have a TV company that makes programs. We plan to make a serial on British Raj starting 1800 and build up the story of India’s first war of independence in 1857.

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southSouth asia times 23 Asia Times

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south asia View from New Delhi 24 South Asia Timestimes

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‘December Revolution’ of India wants people asking for more

BY AMITABH SRIVASTAVA

A

23 year old girl travelling with a companion after watching ‘The Life of Pi’ was brutalized and gang raped on a cold winter night on December 16,2012 by six men in a public transport bus in New Delhi and thrown out of the bus stark naked.

The news of the bestiality flashed across newspapers and TV channels suddenly galvanized the youth of the country as never before. The Government of the day was surprised at the spontaneous demonstrations and candle marches demanding justice and death for the perpetrators of the heinous crime all across the country.

For those cynics like us who had dismissed such demonstrations as a passing phase, it was indeed a pleasant surprise to find school children, college youths including girls reaching Jantar Mantar and the Boat Club lawns near India Gate, braving the lathicharge and water cannons that are the usual weapons the police uses to disperse unlawful assembly.

The reach of the electronic media suddenly looked like a boon as scenes of girls getting under the police vehicles to puncture them on a chilly Sunday morning inspired more to join this sudden upsurge of protest.

The impact of this movement was so powerful that instead of supporting a clampdown on these demonstrations the then Chief Justice of India came out with a statement that if he had a daughter he would have liked her to join this protest.

That was five years ago.

On May 5,2017 when the Supreme Court Apex Court comprising Justice Deepak Misra, Ashok Bhushan and R Banumathi read out the judgment putting its stamp of approval on the death penalty for the four convicts Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Kumar Singh who had already been

handed death by the High Court and a lower court the visitors in the court forgot the decorum and burst into applause.

Of the six convicts the driver of the bus Ram Singh had committee d suicide in Tihar jail while the sixth, who was a minor is out since 2015 after completing a three-year reformation as prescribed under the Juvenile Justice Act 2000.

Having witnessed the roller coaster the case has taken and with it the hopes and agonies of not just Asha Devi and Badrinath the parents of Jyoti Singh, one can only say that ultimately it was the process of justice that brought relief to the soul of the girl who had said in her dying declaration that she wanted all of them to be hanged.

Terming the case as ‘rarest of rare’ in view of a clamour for abolition of the death penalty the Judges minced no words. They said, “it is necessary to state here that in the instant case , the brutal, barbaric and diabolic nature of the crime …the devilish manner in which they played with her identity and dignity is humanly inconceivable.”

It further goes on to say, “The appetite for sex, the hunger for violence, the position of the empowered and the attitude of perversity, to say the least are bound to are bound to shock the collective conscience which knows what to do.”

However there is a large section of opinion including the parents of Jyoti Singh

who are not satisfied. They want the minor who was let off since the age of minors then was 18 to be hanged for justice to be indeed complete.

One fall out of the Nirbhaya incident was that the Centre set up a committee headed

by Justice J S Verma to suggest updating the Criminal Amendment Law. The committee of experts working over-time completed its task in one month because Justice Verma wanted this law to be enacted immediately.

The report which has since become law known as Criminal Amendment Law 2013 has changed the definition of sexual assault. It has also included trafficking as a criminal offence which had so far been left out for some strange reasons.

However reducing the age of juveniles from 18 to 16 is a very controversial issue.

The barbarity of the cruelty on Nirbhaya had led to this clamor for reducing the age of juveniles because one of them was only 17 at that time. But even the Justice J S Verma committee had ruled it out saying that there were sufficient laws to deal with such delinquents.

The Modi government which came to power in 2014 set up a Parliamentary Standing Committee to study this issue. The committee headed by J P Nadda comprising 21 Lok Sabha and 11 Rajya Sabha members submitted a 70page report to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on

February 25,2015 on the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill 2014.

The Committee held extensive deliberations on the Bill with the stakeholders which included Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, representatives of various organizations like TulirCentre for the Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse, Indian Alliance for Child Rights, Save the Children, Butterflies, Centre for Child and the Law and Prayas.

The committee notes in its report, “The representative of PRAYAS submitted before the Committee that the underlying principle of the existing juvenile justice system in the country was to keep a separate system of law and justice for the juveniles. This system provided for care and protection to homeless, working, shelter-less and very poor children in the country, thus covering 95 per cent of children in need of care and protection.

It was only less than 5 per cent children who commit crimes and come under juvenile system...

It was emphasized that the problem lied not with the law but its implementation.”

It is important to mention that the Standing Committee agreed with most of these points. It says• Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 was a

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very sound, progressive piece of legislation, reformatory in nature, only needed strengthening • National Crime Records Bureau data should be viewed with circumspection, as it does not reflect disposal of cases • Number of crimes committed by children between 2012-13 just 1.2 per cent of a population of 472 million children which is miniscule, a good number of offences committed by children are sexual offences which were love affairs and elopement cases • Research has shown that adolescence is a particular age where brain has not fully developed • Children are more amenable to reforms (Page 22 of the report) The Prayas experience is significant as it has been running the Prayas Observation Home for Boys at Ferozeshah Kotla since 1997, a unique experiment in delivering juvenile justice where the entire responsibility is shouldered by an NGO. Unlike the general hostility towards the juveniles in society Mr.Amod Kanth, General Secretary Prayas reveals that majority of juveniles who have gone through this home (12000 so far) have not turned back to crime. Recently the Home has had an artistic makeover with two artistes Anil Kumar and Sapna who specialize in Katran Art have painted the Home in beautiful morals.

CONTD. ON PG 25

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‘December Revolution’...

CONTD. FROM PG 24

And yet, over-ruling the unanimous report of its own parliamentarians the Cabinet Committee of Modi announced that the age of juveniles is being reduced from 18 to 16 if they are found indulging in heinous crimes which has not gone down too well with the civil society which in any case is fighting for abolition of death penalty in toto as per the pattern worldwide.

Yet another problem with fast delivery of justice in India is the slow rate of conviction. In 2013 there were 1,636 cases of which 1,343 were on trial. In 2014 the number went up to 2,166 of which 1,682 were on trial and in 2015 the number of cases went up to 2,199 of which 1,609 were on trial.

To cope with this backlog fast-track courts were set up in 2000 to speed up the delivery of justice. They were established for a limited period but by 2011, the 1,734 fast-track courts across the country had more or less wound up.

But the 16 December 2012 incident changed everything and fast-track courts got a new lease of life.

But is fast track the

answer to the problem?

There are differing views on this because many feel that justice should be fast not on fast-track. To ensure that there is no miscarriage of justice the fast track judgments are subject to revisions and re-examination by the higher courts.

For instance, in the Nirbhaya case the fast court had delivered its decision in 10 months but the lawyers of the accused went to High Court and Supreme Court and dragged the case for five years. Even now they

have the option for a review petition, a curative petition and finally the plea for mercy with the President of India.

Other cases where the fast track has really delivered fast are – 1. August 2013 Shakti Mills case -A reporter with a photographer were beaten up and the reporter raped.

In 7 months the court awarded death to 3 accused, life to one and a minor sent to reform home. The case is pending before Bombay

High Court 2. December 5,2014- Uber driver Shiv Kumar Yadav raped a passenger in his taxi. Here the prosecution completed recording of evidence as part of the fasttrack trial in just 17 days.

The prosecution had cited 44 witnesses in the chargesheet but examined only 28 and dropped 16 saying they were not relevant.

3. November 2010, Delhi BPO rape case- Five culprits awarded life for abducting

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and raping the girl and fine of Rs.50,000 each. Matter before Delhi High Court.

Pratiksha Baxi’s (JNU Associate Professor) book, Public Secrets of Law: Rape Trials in India, mentions a case where the fast-track court held the accused guilty of crimes including rape within just six months.

But it turned out that the accused was not provided a legal aid lawyer, despite petitioning the court that he could not afford a lawyer.

Another important point that might be lost in this cacophony for justice is that those delivering justice on fast-track courts are not too sensitive to rape victims either. The verdict of one such judge was overturned

by Delhi High Court, which ordered that he be made to attend the gendersensitization programme conducted by the National Judicial Academy. An extract from his judgment quoted by the Judge reads: "Girls are morally and socially bound not to indulge in sexual intercourse before a proper marriage and if they do so, it would be to their peril and they cannot be heard to cry later on that it was rape.”

south asia 26 South Asia Timestimes

BUSINESS

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Australia’s Own Spirit Honoured Internationally by The 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Awards

By Neeraj Nanda

a

ustralia’s own spirit, Vantage Australia, has just been awarded the silver medal in this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC). More than 2,100 spirits were judged this year, the largest number of entries in the competition’s 17-year history with Vantage Australia taking home the silver medal in this year’s awards.

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2017 silver medal demonstrates that Vantage Australia is among the finest in the spirits industry, awarded for its ability to show refinement and finesse.

Vantage Australia was recognised for its multi-layered complexity, the smooth yet peppery mixture is made up of Australian botanicals, lemon myrtle, Tasmanian mountain pepper berries with a hint of mandarin oil from Australian produced imperial mandarins. Complimented with zesty citrus notes, this unique premium Australian tipple has the ability to cut across traditional spirit genres, making it the perfect base for most mixers while also giving life to old classics, with an Australian twist.

Riding on its 2016 success, where Vantage Australia won Best Innovation-Best in Class 2016 from the Australian Drinks Awards, the Aussie spirit was recognised for strong performance across key measures, including purchase intention, excitement, and relevance. Vantage Australia was honoured with this prize for having the highest level of uniqueness, reflected through its inspiration of Australian native flora. The complex flavour comes from only using natural bushfoods to create a blend that blurs the lines between sweet and dry, giving this multi-layered spirit the uniqueness that it has been nationally and now internationally, recognised for.

Vantage Australia continues to go from strength to strength and this year was also named as the official spirit of the 2017 TV Week Logie Awards. Vantage Australia’s debuted its signature cocktail, The Spirit of Melbourne to honour the stars at Australian television’s night of nights.

“We are honoured by the international award Vantage Australia has received from the highly competitive San Francisco World Spirits Competition and now having been involved with this year’s TV Week Logie Awards, we appreciate the overwhelming domestic and international support our Australian owned and produced spirit has received,” – Bill Hargitay, Vantage Australia Owner.

As the official spirit sponsor of the TV Week Logie Awards, Vantage Australia was sampled by over 500 of the best in the entertainment industry.

Where to from here, Vantage Australia continues to reach new heights with an invitation to participate in the upcoming TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference which gathers together the region’s entire duty free and travel retail industry to showcase the hundreds of premium products available as well as creating an environment for networking, sharing knowledge and doing business.

While England has gin, Spain has sangria, Mexico has tequila and Russia has vodka, Australia is yet to put its own signature spirit on the map, until now. Always the forward thinker, Hargitay set his sights on developing and manufacturing a new uniquely Australian spirit product that would tap into a relatively untouched market. Targeting the duty free

industry, Vantage has encouraged growth in this sector, while promoting Australian products to overseas markets and as a result has gained the attention of the Asia Pacific duty free and travel retail industry conference.

For more information of Australia’s most talked about spirit please visit: www. spiritofanation.com.

www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

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south asia 28 South Asia Timestimes

FINANCE

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Do You Trauma Insurance?

BY Balki Balakrishnan

A

typical family should have these five types of insurance covers – Life & Terminal Illness (TI), Total & Permanent Disability (TPD), Trauma (Critical Illness), Income Protection and Child Trauma covers.

In the March 2017 edition of this newspaper we explored the features of Disability Insurance (TPD).

This article looks at Trauma Insurance (Critical Illness)cover to help you understand what you should be mindful of in regards to this cover.

Trauma Insurance is an insurance policy that pays a lump sum if you suffer a trauma illness or injury such as stroke, heart attack, cancer or head trauma regardless of whether you are prevented from working or not. In this respect Trauma insurance is different to Disability (TPD) and Income Protection covers.

We hear about people suffering from life-style related diseases and insurance statistics confirm that more and more of us are exposed to trauma illnesses. Cardiovascular disease was the main cause of 480,548 hospitalizations in 2013/14, which is one Australian every minute.

(Source: https://www. heartfoundation.org.au/ about-us/what-we-do/heartdisease-in-australia).

On the bright side, advances in medicine has improved the survival rates.

Though this is good news for trauma survivors, what about the financial impact of such an occurrence?65% of stroke survivors suffer a disability which impedes

their ability to carry out daily living activities unassisted. (Source: https:// strokefoundation.org.au/ About-Stroke/Facts-andfigures-about-stroke).

Assuming you were unable to work because of a trauma event, how long do you think you can survive on zero income before you need to sell your assets? The fact is a significant portion of working Australians could only survive less than one month without their income before needing to sell their assets (Source: Zurich Misinsurance Whitepaper February 2014). We really don’t want to be in this situation.

Common misconceptions about Trauma cover are that “I will receive disability pension” and “I have

privatehealth insurance”.

But the reality is that only about 15% of claimants are granted disability pension (Source: http://www.abc. net.au/news/2016-06-24/ rule-change-leads-to-plungein-disability-pensionclaims/7538070) and it is also very narrowly defined such that the outcome may not be fit for your purpose.

Private health insurance only pays hospital expenses and not medication, rehabilitation and most importantly doesn’t replace lost income.

Another common myth is that insurance companies will not pay at the time of claims. In the year 2015 alone main stream insurance companies had paid 710 million dollars on Trauma claims (Source: theriskstore. com.au) Trauma cover cannot

be organized within your super environment similar to Life & Total & Permanent Disability (TPD) covers.

The premium has to be paid from your cash flow.

However, you can purchase Trauma cover linked to your Life policy to minimize the premium compared to a standalone Trauma cover arrangement.

Depending on the insurer, you may be offered a basic cover and extra cover which would entail more premium. Typically a basic cover will cover you for most of the Trauma conditions especially the top 5 trauma conditions.

You should also look into opting for Life cover buyback when Trauma cover is linked to your Life cover.

When a claim is paid on a Trauma event the Life cover is reduced by the amount

paid out on a trauma event in a linked policy. Ideally you would like to maintain the Life cover to the original amount and this Life buyback option at an extra cost enables you to do just that. You may also look at reinstating the Trauma cover after a claim on a trauma event had been paid.

Trauma cover is a complex type of insurance and needs to be considered with other types of insurance covers you might have. You must consult a Financial Advisor who will educate you, discuss with you and ultimately implement a solution that is appropriate to your circumstances, needs and your budget. It is important that you get this cover correct the first time to avoid unpleasant surprises at the time of claim...

The trustee of COMMUNITY FINANCIAL SERVICES Unit Trust ACN 155 048 132 is an Authorised Representative and Credit Representative of AMP Financial Planning Pty Limited, Australian Financial Services Licensee and Australian Credit Licensee.

Balki Balakrishnan

Financial Advisor Authorised Representative & Credit Representative M: 0419 506 560

This article contains information that is general in nature. It does not take into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person. You need to consider your financial situation and needs before making any decisions based on this information. If you decide to purchase or vary a financial product, your financial adviser, Community Financial Services Pty Ltd and other companies within the AMP Group may receive fees and other benefits.

The fees will be a dollar amount and/or a percentage of either the premium you pay or the value of your investment.

Please contact us at 0419 506 560 if you want more information. www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

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quick community guide Radio GUIDE

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11 pm to 1 am urdu Sydney 97.7 FM & SBS Radio24/7 2 Radio stations Melbourne FM & SBS Radio (Subscription) 2 Indian Link93.1 Radio Wednesday & Sunday 18000 15 8 47 6-7 PM Radio Santa Banta (Internet) Santabanta.com.au WORLD NEWS AUSTRALIA RADIO SydneyJhankar 1107AM88.6 & SBSFM; Radio 1 Thursday; 8 to Radio Every Melbourne 1224AM & SBS Radio 1 10 pm; Contact: 94668900 or 0411247320 or Monday & Friday 9404 2111 6-7 am & 6-7 PM

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PLACES OF WORSHIP HINDU Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple 57 Boundary Rd, Carrum Downs, Melbourne, Vic 3201, Ph: 03 9782 0878; Fax: 03 9782 0001 Website: www.hsvshivavishnu.org.au Sri Vakratunda Vinayaka Temple 1292 - 1294, The Mountain Highway, The Basin, Vic 3154, Ph: 03 9792 1835 Melbourne Murugan Temple 17-19 Knight Ave., Sunshine VIC 3020 Ph: 03 9310 9026 Durga Temple (Durga Bhajan Mandali) Neales Road, Rockbank, Vic 3335 Ph: 03 9747 1628 or Mobile: 0401 333 738 Hare Krishna (ISKCON) Temple 197 Danks Street, Middle Park Vic 3206 Ph: (03) 9699 5122 Email: 100237.354@compuserve.com Hare Krishna New Nandagram Rural Community Oak Hill, Dean’s Marsh Rd., Bambra VIC 3241, Ph: (052) 887383 Fax: (052) 887309 Kundrathu Kumaran Temple 139 Gray Court, ROCKBANK Victoria 3335 Ph: 03-9747 1135 or M: 0450 979 023 http://www.kumarantemple.org.au/

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SHEPPARTON Gurdwara Sahib Shepparton 240 Doyles Road, Shepparton VICTORIA 3603 PH: (03) 5821 9309

JAIN Melbourne Shwetambar Jain Sangh Inc 3 Rice Street, Moorabbin, Vic - 3189, Australia. Phone: +61 3 9555 2439 info@melbournejainsangh.org http://www.melbournejainsangh.org

Melbourne West Mosque 66-68 Jeffcott Street, Melbourne Ph: 03 9328 2067

Indian Consulate Address: 344, St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia P.O. Box No: 33247 Domain LPO Vic 3004 Consular Enquiries: +61-3-9682 5800 (9.30am-12.30noon only) General Enquiries (other than Consular): +61-3- 9682 7836 Fax No:+ 61-3- 9696 8251 Email: consular@cgimelb.org Web site: www.cgimelb.org

Broadmeadows Mosque 45-55 King Street, Broadmeadows Ph 03 9359 0054 Islamic Call Society 19 Michael Street, Brunswick Ph: 03 9387 7100 Islamic Centre of Australia 660 Sydney Road, Brunswick Ph 03 9385 8423

Indian Consulate Consular services are handled by VFS Global Visa / Passport / PCC / IDLV / PIO / OCI services contact VFS +61 2 8223 9909.

Address: Part 4 Suite, Level 12, 55 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 Site : www.vfsglobal.com/india/australia/

Australian Islamic Cultural Centre 46-48 Mason Street, Campbellfield Ph: 03 9309 7605 Coburg ISNA Mosque 995 Sydney Road, Coburg North

Services handled by Indian Consulate Melbourne itself: OCI Misc. services, Registration of Birth, Birth Certificate, Renunciation of Indian Citizenship, Surrender of Indian Passport, New Passport Details on PIO, Transfer of Valid Visas, Marriage Certificate, Affidavit for Applying Child’s Passport in India, Documents Attestation.)

Coburg Mosque (Fatih Mosque) 31 Nicholson Street, Coburg Ph 03 9386 5324 Deer Park Mosque 283 Station Road, Deer Park Ph 03 9310 8811 United Migrant Muslim Assn.

72 George Road, Doncaster Ph 03 9842 6491, Footscray West Mosque 294 Essex Street, Footscray

SIKH

Heidelberg Mosque Corner Lloyd & Elloits Streets, West Heidelberg

CRAIGIEBURN Sri Guru Singh Sabha 344 Hume Highway, Craigieburn VICTORIA 3164 (see map), Ph: (03) 9305 6511 KEYSBOROUGH Gurdwara Sri Guru Granth Sahib 198 -206 Perry Road, Keysborough VICTORIA 3073 (see map) LYNBROOK Nanaksar Taath, 430 Evans Road, Lynbrook VICTORIA 3975, (03) 9799 1081 HOPPERS CROSSING Sri Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha 417 Sayers Road, Hoppers Crossing VICTORIA 3029, Ph: (03) 9749 2639 WERRIBEE Gurdwara Sahib Werribee 560 Davis Road, Tarneit VICTORIA 3029 PH: (03) 8015 4707

Gas escape...........................................

132 771 Poisons information........................

13 11 26 Maternal and Child Line................

13 22 29 Parentline...........................................

13 22 89 Kids Help Line.........................

1800 551 800 Lifeline (provides confidential telephone counselling).................

13 11 14 Suicide Help Line....................

1300 651 251 Animal Emergencies..................

9224 2222

INDIAN CONSULATE

MUSLIM

Sankat Mochan Temple 1289 A North Road. Huntingdale Morning: 10.30 am – 12.30 pm daily Evening: 4:30 pm – 8.00 pm daily Site: http: www.sankatmochan.org.au Contact: 0427 274 462

BLACKBURN Sri Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha 127 Whitehorse Road, Blackburn VICTORIA 3130, Ph: (03) 9894 1800

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Glenroy Musala 1st Floor, 92 Wheatsheaf Road, Glenroy

Islamic College of Victoria (Mosque) 201 Sayers Road, Hoppers Crossing Ph 03 9369 6010 Huntingdale Mosque 320-324 Huntingdale Road, Huntingdale Ph 03 9543 8037 Al Nur Mosque 34-36 Studley Street, Maidstone

HIGH COMMISSION FOR PAKISTAN,CANBERRA

Meadow Heights Mosque Hudson Circuit, Meadow Heights

4 Timbarra Crescent, O’Malley ACT 2606 (Australia), Tel: 61-2-62901676, 61-2-62901676, 62902769, 62901879 & 62901031, Fax: 61-262901073 Email: parepcanberra@internode. on.net, Postal Address: PO Box 684, Mawson ACT 2607 (Australia)

Springvale Mosque 68 Garnworthy Street, Springvale

EMERGENCY CONTACTS EMERGENCY CONTACTS Police, Fire & Abulance ........................

Victoria State Emergency Service (SES).......................................

Traffic hazards and freeway conditions..........................

Student Welfare Officer in the Indian Consulate Melbourne Consulate General of India, Melbourne Address: 344, St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC – 3000 Phone: 03-96826203 Fax: 03-96968251 Email: cgo@cgimelb.org Website: www.cgimelb.orgExternal website that opens in a new window Contact person for Students welfare: Mr. Nirmal K. Chawdhary Designation: Deputy Consul General Mobile: 0430020828

000 132 500 13 11 70

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Sri Lanka Consulate 32A Brunswick Street ,Walkerville 5081 Melbourne , Phone: 9898-6760, 9248-1228 Email: rodney@techno.net.au

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quick community guide

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VIEW POINT

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contd from previous page Bangladesh High Commission, Canberra 43, Culgoa Circuit, O’Malley, ACT-2606 Canberra, Australia, Ph: (61-2) 6290-0511, (61-2) 6290-0522, (61-2)6290-0533 (Auto hunting).

Fax : (61-2) 6290-0544 E-Mail :hoc@bhcanberra.com

Consulate of Nepal, Melbourne Email: cyonzon@nepalconsulate.net.au Level 7, 28-32 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Ph: (03) 9650 8338 Email: info@nepalconsulate.net.au

TV GUIDE SBS1 – Daily NDTV News - 11:05 am - Monday to Saturday. (From New Delhi, India).

Urdu news SBS1 - PTV News – 9.30 am - Every Sunday – (From Pakistan).

SOUTH ASIAN Garments Roshan’s Fashions 68-71 Foster Street, Dandenong, Vic 3175 Ph: (03) 9792 5688 Raj Rani Creations 83-A Foster Street, Dandenong, Vic 3175 Ph: (03) 9794 9398 desi estyle 76 Foster St., Dandenong 3175 (03) 87744853; 0413707685 Heritage India 54-56 Foster Street, Dandenong, Vic 3175, Ph: (03) 9791 9227 Site: heritageindia.net.au

Travel Agents Gaura Travels 1300 FLY INDIA or 1300 359 463 info@gauratravel.com.au Travel House 284 Clayton Road, Clayton 3168 Ph: (03) 95435123, Mobile: 0425803071 mail@travelhouse.com.au

lAWYERS

MLG Lawyers Ronny Randhawa 144 Sydney Road, Coburg Vic Ph 9386 0204 & 138 Walker Street, Dandenong Vic Ph: 9793 9917 Mobile : 0402 256 712 Vera Lawyers Kusum Vaghela Level 1, Suite 2, 373 Lonsdale Street, Dandenong Vic, Mobile: 0433 827 124

Jewellery Bhadra Laxman Jewellers 22ct Gold Jewellery / Silver Pooja (03) 9846 7661

musings

Closure of Slaughter Houses in U.P. CONTD. FROM PG 13 A common man needs his protein and the govt. needs revenue and foreign exchange.

Now we come back to where we started. At the stroke of a pen, the first executive order by the new chief minister Yogi Adityanath( a la Donald Trump ) says ‘ cow slaughter banned’.

But it stands being banned since 1947. What’s the point?

The civil service got the clue and, in their overzealousness, closed all roadside meat shops as well as licensed exporting slaughter houses ( abattoirs ). There was no mutton or buffalo meat throughout the state from the next day.

So much so the cattle being transported from villages to towns – buffalos and goats- were stopped on the highways by Hindutwa vigilantes, drivers beaten, trucks being blazed and cattle allowed to escape.

The iconic eateriesTundeKabaabi, IdrisWaheed and Rahim’s closed their businesses due to unavailability of both mutton and buffalo meat.

DVDs, Music CDs & Film Stuff Baba Home Entertainment 52C Foster St., Dandenong 3175, (03) 97067252

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The common man?Went without them for weeks.

Small solace that they ate fish and chicken, but, for how long?

Till the time of writing, most of legal, lawful and licenced exporting abattoirs and roadside mutton shops are lying closed. Buffalo’s meat shops- no way!

One question! For every meat shop in the country, there are hundred vegetable shops- in open vegetable markets, thelas on the roadsides and roaming in the mohallas. They are not required any licences whatsoever. Don’t vegetables cause food poisoning? Don’t they become toxic?

In the end, I would like to quote Mr Anand Singh Bisht, 85 year-old father of Yogi Adityanath.

“I do try and tell Adityanath to keep check on his speeches but, he follows his own mind. I hope that he follows the BJP’s agenda of ‘ SabkaSaathSabkaVikaas’.

This is also my advice that he should also follow the BJP’s agenda which is inclusive of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians, the rich and the poor”

south asia 34 South Asia Timestimes SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL

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Four Indian films amongst 288 movies up for grabs at the Sydney Film Festival 2017

By SAT News Desk The Sydney Film Festival comes to Sydney, 7-18 June 2017 for 12 nights of inspiring and entertaining premiers, talks and parties. About 288 movies from 59 countries will be screened including 4 Indian movies with an array of themes. Read below related information and previews of the Indian movies. One can access all information about the festival at www. sff.org.au or call Box Office on 1300 733 733 or hit the festival pages on Facebook or Twitter.

An Insignificant Man

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captivating portrait of political leader Arvind Kejriwal, aka ‘The Bernie Sanders of India', filmed over one extremely eventful year as he seeks to disrupt Indian politics.

Director KhushbooRanka, Vinay Shukla; Country India; Runtime 96 mins; Language Hindi with English subtitles; Original Title UdegiDhool; Classification 15+; Year 2016; Screenwriter KhushbooRanka, Vinay Shukla; Producer Anand Gandhi, RuchiBhimani; Cinematographer KhushbooRanka, Vinay Shukla, Vinay Rohira; Editor AbhinavTyagi, Manan Bhat; Cast Arvind Kejriwal, Yogendra Yadav, Santosh Koli& Company Credits Production Company: Memesys Culture Lab. Fed up with the blatant

corruption he encountered daily, former bureaucrat Kejriwal took the extraordinary step of forming a new political movement, the Common Man's Party (AAP) in 2012. In a country where two parties held sway, this radical upstart seemed unlikely to shake the status quo – but there are no guarantees in politics these days. The directors follow the AAP leader on his grassroots campaign trail, filming rallies, party meetings and an eventual hunger strike. It's a rollercoaster ride with rival politicians and media spinning the truth every which way. A fascinating document of India's political climate, the film echoes themes seen elsewhere in the festival such as in The Giant is Falling.

Hotel Salvation (Mukti Bhawan)

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n old man drags his busy son to Varanasi so that he may die and attain salvation there in a comedy about death that, at heart, is a delightful, poignant celebration of life.

Director Shubhashish Bhutiani; Country India; Runtime 99 mins; Language Hindi with English subtitles;

Original Title Mukti Bhawan; Classification 15+; Year 2016; Screenwriter ShubhashishBhutiani, AsadHussain; Producer Sanjay Bhutiani, Sajida Sharma, ShubhashishBhutiani; Cinematographer Michael McSweeney, David Huwiler; Editor Manas Mittal; Cast Adil Hussain, LalitBehl, Geetanjali

Kulkarni & Company Credits World Sales: C International Sales Daya Kumar (LalitBehl) believes that his end is near, so he tells his family that he wishes to die in the holy city of Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges. The stubborn old man drags along his reluctant adult son Rajiv (Adil Hussain) and

they check into the Hotel Salvation, where people come to die. But once there, Daya gets his lust for life back, making new friends with the other "dying" residents. Daya and Rajiv are forced to reconnect – both to each other and to the world around them.

Described as an "arthouse take on the Best Exotic

www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

Marigold Hotel", Hotel Salvation is a wonderfully accomplished film that captures the vibrancy and strangeness of Varanasi with gentle humour. It was awarded the UNESCO Prize at Venice for the film that best represents the values of peace and human rights.

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asia times SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL southSouth 35 Asia Times

Newton

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n this absurdist comedy about the perils of democracy, a dutiful voting official tries against all odds to conduct a free and fair election deep in the Indian jungle.

Director Amit V Masurkar; Country India; Runtime 106 mins; Language Hindi and Gondi with English subtitles; Classification 15+; Year 2017; Screenwriter MayankTewari, Amit V Masurkar; Producer Manish Mundra, PramilaMundra; Cinematographer Swapnil S Sonawane; Editor Shweta Venkat; Cast Rajkummer Rao & Company Credits Festivals: Pascale Ramonda.

As India prepares for a general

Sexy Durga

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election with nine million polling booths and over 800 million voters – the world's largest democracy – the principled clerk Newton Kumar (Rajkummar Rao) is entrusted to conduct voting in a remote jungle village. He is challenged by extreme Maoist guerrillas determined to stop the election process, security forces who couldn't care less about the outcome either way, and a local populace hardly infected with the spirit of democracy.

Newton is thwarted at every turn.

In this superb, absurdist comedy, director Amit V Masurkar succeeds in interrogating the difference between the rhetoric and reality of democracy.

ith an improvised narrative and dialogue Sexy Durga cleverly contrasts the worship of goddesses with the treatment of women in Indian culture. Winner of the Rotterdam Tiger Award.

Director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan; Country India; Runtime 85 mins; Language Malayalam and Hindi with English subtitles; Classification 18+; Year 2016; Screenwriter Sanal Kumar Sasidharan; Producer Shaji Mathew; Cinematographer Prathap Joseph; Editor Sanal Kumar Sasidharan; Cast Rajshri Deshpande, Kannan Nair, Vishnu Vedh Company Credits;Distributor: Daricheh Cinema.

A woman, Durga, and man, Kabeer, are on the run, eager to catch a

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train out of Kerala. Two men offer them a ride to the train station, but what initially appears to be an act of kindness quickly turns nasty. Over the course of this long night, Durga will encounter a cross-section of male society, with little comfort on offer. Sasidharan juxtaposes this menacing tale with footage of a ritual involving the piercing of the skin and walking on hot coals, in devotion to Kali, a manifestation of the Goddess Durga. Sexy Durga is a powerful, chilling film that recalls the work of Michael Haneke in its claustrophobic air of menace.

—Compiled by South Asia Times (SAT) News Desk with information from the Sydney Film Festival 2017.

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cinema

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The Black Prince: The Last King of Punjab

BY SAT News Desk

M

elbourne, 10 May: Cinema viewers across the globe will be treated to a historic biopic on the poignant life story of the last King of Punjab – Maharaja Duleep Singh – also known as THE BLACK PRINCE, will now release in cinemas on 21 st July 2017 as it expands its international release across new territories.

Produced by Brillstein Entertainment Partners (Academy Award winning film

Director Kavi Raaz

12 Years A Slave), THE BLACK PRINCE, a period drama written and directed by Hollywood filmmaker KaviRaz and filmed widely across the UK and India, carefully captures the tragic, yet fascinating true story and legacy of Maharajah Duleep Singh, providing a visual narrative of one of India’s most noble kings, and his fragile relationship with, Queen Victoria, who was Godmother to his children.

Acclaimed singer-poet Satinder Sartaaj marks his acting debut in THE BLACK PRINCE, essaying the character of Maharajah Duleep Singh with eloquence. He is joined by an the esteemed cast of acting stalwarts including Jason Flemyng (Lock, Stock and Two

Smoking Barrels, Snatch) as Dr. Login, the foster parent for the Maharajah, English stage, screen actress Amanda Root (The Iron Lady), who portrays the bold role of Queen Victoria; and veteran actress ShabanaAzmi (City of Joy) as Rani Jindan, the exiled King’s mother. The film also features Keith Duffy, David Essex OBE, Canadian actor Rup Magon and Sophie Stevens in supporting roles.

Photo:Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

As the last King of Punjab, THE BLACK PRINCE chronicles Maharajah Duleep Singh's lifelong struggle and daring journey of self-discovery in order to reclaim his identity, his

faith, and the Kingdom that was rightfully his. This ultimately leads him to meet his mother after 13 years of her being in exile. THE BLACK PRINCE spotlights Queen Victoria’s cordial relationship with Maharajah Duleep Singh, as he begins adjusting and embracing the English culture he was drawn to at the age of 15. The film also sheds light into his upbringing as an aristocrat in the UK who converts to Christianity under the influence of his foster parents, but later longs to return to his Kingdom, mother, and roots.

His character, as it evolves is torn between two contrasting cultures – his royal ancestry from the Kingdom of Punjab as its last King, set against his

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upbringing in the UK as he embarks on a new journey of exile, away from his mother.

THE BLACK PRINCE is also poised to create a wave of intrigue in India and the UK as the story touches upon the historically significant and priceless Kohinoor diamond, which was purportedly gifted by a young 13-year- old Maharajah Duleep Singh to Queen Victoria in a ceremony held in 1850, at Buckingham Palace, London.

The Black Prince releases internationally in cinemas on 21 st July 2017.

Website: www. theblackprince.com —The report is based on media release released by the Sterling Media, London.

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FOCUS

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New study: low carbohydrate, high fat diets can impair exercise performance

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espite testimonials from some highprofile athletes and sports science professionals promoting the benefits of adopting a low carb high fat diet for endurance performance, new research from Mary Mackillop Institute for Health Research at Australian Catholic University and the Australian Institute of Sport, has revealed that a high fat, low carb diet can actually impair the performance of elite athletes.

Professor Louise Burke, Head of Sports Nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport and Professorial Fellow at the Mary Mackillop Institute for Health Research, studied the performance of elite male race walkers, including a seven-time Olympic and World Championship medallist, over a threeweek period of intensified training.

The study was the first of its kind to examine the effect of a low carbohydrate, high-fat diet

(LCHF) on metabolism and performance over the range of intensities at which endurance athletes train and compete.

In a crucial finding for competitive athletes and sports scientists, the study not only demonstrated how carbohydrates can improve exercise performance, it revealed that a LCHF diet can cause increased oxygen demand during exercise, reducing the efficiency by which athletes transfer metabolic power to

mechanical power.

Professor Louise Burke said although it is clear that LCHF diets can increase the muscle’s ability to use fat as a fuel source, there was a lack of evidence to suggest that this improved sports performance, at least in endurance events in

which there is still a need to work at high intensities, either for sustained periods or for the critical phases that determine competition success.

“Despite historical research confirming the benefit of strategies that promote carbohydrate as an exercise fuel, today’s published and social media tend to focus on popular theory about the benefits of switching the muscle’s fuel preference to its relatively greater stores of body fat.

“Contrary to popular belief that dropping carbs can help athletes to excel,

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our research found that athletes who consumed carbohydrate-targeted diets made performance gains after the training block, whereas the group who consumed the LCHF diet failed to improve their race times even though they had also become more aerobically fit. While it’s clear a LCHF diet can change the muscle’s fuel use, the findings reiterate that further research is required to fully understand the extent to which LCHF can impact sports performance,” she said.

—Source: Australian Sports Commission, 11 May, 2017.

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southSouth asia times 39 Asia Times

Oz Cricketers reject Cricket Australia’s new pay and conditions proposal

BY SAT News Desk

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elbourne, 28 April: The Australian Cricket Association (ACA) on behalf of Australian cricketers today rejected Cricket Australia’s (CA) pay and conditions proposal given last month. The ACA says, “…that CA’s proposal is a ‘win’ for cricket administrators but a ‘loss’ for cricket.”

CA’s Chief Executive Officer, James Sutherland, said he was disappointed that the Australian Cricketers’ Association had chosen not to progress discussions on CA’s offer but hopes the new five-year-deal will be completed by the 30 June deadline.

A media statement posted on ACA website says the CA’s proposal is a loss for cricket because it: 4Misunderstands a fundamental truth about cricket: cricket is for the fans and the players are the gateway to the fans;

4Would end the successful 20-year partnership with the players; a partnership that allows the players to share in the ‘ups and downs’ of the games and its revenue, and allows for the fluctuations in media rights cycles; 4Denies female cricketers the opportunity to share in the games’ revenue thus compromising CA’s otherwise positive response to the ACA’s calls for gender equity, which have been welcomed by the ACA; 4Disrespects the value of domestic cricketers and the role they play in Australian cricket; 4Fails to fully disclose sufficient financial information requested by the ACA; 4Fails to allocate with transparency or certainty the independently forecasted $2.6 billion which is expected to enter that game over the next five years; 4Makes an artificially inflated offer to the players by including both income the players have

already earned (called the Adjustment Ledger) and CA’s (and its Associations) payroll tax obligations; 4Continues to short change desperately needed grassroots investment currently at only 12% of revenue; 4Reduces the share of Australian Cricket Revenue (ACR) available to the players and their programs in real terms; 4Creates large scale confusion for domestic players still on multi-year revenue-sharing contracts;

4Creates inequity amongst the playing groups.

It is unfair for CA to create a situation, via its offer, that some players playing in a domestic team enjoy revenue share and other do not; 4Fails to bridge the trust gap with the players that was created by CA which, amongst other things, shared zero per cent of digital revenue with the players; and 4Maintains the threat to remove the ACA’s funding and payments and hence the

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critical programs that the ACA provides.

These factors, the ACA says, renders CA’s offer unacceptable to male, female, international and domestic players in Australia.

Meanwhile, Mr Sutherland said he remained confident of concluding a deal with the players.

“We have eight weeks to conclude a deal. We have always said that the two parties agree on more than they disagree. There has been an offer on the table for nearly six weeks, and once the players look at the detail we are confident they will agree that it is a fair deal for all and they can get on with playing the game.

“We want to resolve this for them, so they can look forward to a fantastic summer of cricket.’’

Details of CA’s remuneration and benefits proposal to the ACA are available at - http:// www.cricketaustralia. com.au/media/mediareleases/cricket-australiamakes-landmark-offer-toplayers/2017-03-2.

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