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Vol.14 I No. 2 I SEPTEMBER 2016 I FREE s o u t hasiatim es.com .au Editor: Neeraj Nanda
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EDITORIAL
Victoria local Council elections minus ‘Howto-Vote’ cards
By SAT News Desk
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ocal Council elections in Victoria will take place next month. According to the AEC media guide, “Victoria’s 2016 local council elections will be our State’s largest single election program. Around 4.5 million enrolled voters and 2,000 candidates will participate in 260 individual elections across 78 councils.” There are numerous candidates across all the Councils and many South Asian candidates also seem to be contesting. One issue that has cropped up and being widely discussed is the scrapping of ‘HowTo-Vote’ cards. According to the story in the Leader Community News (September 2), “Changes to postal ballot packs could make council elections fairer by making it harder for hopefuls relying on dummy candidates to get votes.State politicians last week voted to ban how-to-vote cards in postal ballot packs. The move was sought by the Liberals and backed by the Nationals and Greens.Labor voted to keep the cards in the packs earlier this year, saying removing them would increase informal voting. The change will mean that election candidates who plan to use dummies will have to spend more money sending their preference information to voters or pay to mail out brochures for dummy candidates running on their behalf.” Some communities and candidates feel this change will alter the playing field as there will be less information for the voters on the voter packs. And their chances of getting elected have diminished. But others are of the opinion that now there will be more transparency or it will stop the manipulation of the electoral process. Anyway, the elections take place on the fourth Saturday in October, every four years. The last general
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elections were held in 2012. All 78 local councils undergoing elections during October will have a dedicated page on the VEC website, with information on enrolment, voting, nominations and results as they become available. Official results declarations will take place between Monday 31 October and Friday 4 November. Counting and results timelines for individual councils will be available following the close of nominations. Councils choose to conduct their election by postal or attendance voting. In 2016, 72 of the 78 councils undergoing a general election will be holding postal elections, including all non-metropolitan councils. Six metropolitan councils will be holding attendance elections: 4Banyule City Council 4Greater Dandenong City Council 4Knox City Council 4Moreland City Council 4Port Phillip City Council 4Yarra City Council Greater Geelong City Council is not having a general election this October. The next general election for Greater Geelong City Council is currently scheduled for October 2017. Melbourne City Council elections are different from the other Victorian council elections, due to provisions in the City of Melbourne Act 2001—please see Appendix 2. Postal elections Elections conducted entirely by post were first used in Victorian council elections in 1996. Generally, postal elections have higher voter turnout rates and lower informal voting rates compared to attendance elections. The average voter turnout rate in the 2012 council elections conducted by post was 72.53%, with an average informality rate of 4.65%. Contd. on pg 4 www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082
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Maharishi School: Education with meditation
By SAT Correspondent
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Melbourne: After a rather long drive from home, I reached the Maharishi School, Reservoir and was welcomed by Suzi Haynes, Administration Manager. She then introduced me to the new Principal of the school, Steve Charisis. He has according to the school website, “30 years of experience in the education sector”. “Our school went through a particularly difficult period in 2015 and we have worked hard to address a range of matters raised within the school community at that time. We are committed to continue our regeneration under the newly-developed Action Plan that focuses on addressing all areas of operations that define a great school,” says the school website. The school looks spacious, with a range of facilities including new classrooms, library and recently-developed grassed playing area. The environment is clean and calm. I could hear and see a few students moving around. It has 45 students at present and can accommodate up to 120 students from Prep to Year 6. The school currently provides a comprehensive curriculum based on AusVELS and in 2017 will be making the transition to the newly-introduced Foundation (Prep) - Year 10 Victorian Curriculum. Complementing the core learning areas. It also provides specialised instruction in Science, Music, Art, Physical Education and Auslan (Australian sign language).
Principal Steve Charisis The ‘Maharishi’ word in the school’s name comes from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi famous the world over for his ‘Transcendental Meditation’(TM), which Google says is “a technique for detaching oneself from anxiety and promoting harmony and selfrealization by meditation, repetition of a mantra, and other yogic practices, promulgated by an international organization founded by the Indian Guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi”. So, how much TM is practised in the school, I ask. “Twice a day. Ten minutes in the morning and another ten minutes in the afternoon, replied Suzi. Mr Charisis said, “The students love TM and it has become an important part of their life.” “The school has a lovely
environment and the style of learning is based on holistic approaches to life”, he said. Why do people want their kids in this school? I askedMr Charisis. “People come to this school to enjoy the benefits of meditation together withour approach to nurturing and celebrating every child as an individual,” he replied. On benefits of TM, Mr Charisissaid, “It reduces stress and anyone can use it as it as a skill for good health and happiness.” He admits TM is ‘not his background’ but it has brought him benefits. “It helps to delve deeply into consciousness, giving clarity of thinking.” The school’s students are from 12 different cultural backgrounds and blend
happily with each other across all year levels. It is like a family environment watching them playing and working together. “The school has a broad curriculum. It also has sports, drama, music, a school choir and many other extra-curricular
activities,”said Mr Charisis. The Maharishi School is situated at 2-6 Dundee Street, Reservoir, Victoria 3073; PO Box 81 Bundoora, Victoria 3083; Tel: (03) 9462 2888; Website: www. maharishischool.vic. edu.au Email: office@ maharishischool.vic.edu.au
Victoria local Council elections minus... Contd. from pg 3 To vote in a postal election, voters: 4confirm they are enrolled on the voters’ roll 4receive a ballot pack in the mail with voting instructions, candidate information, a ballot paper, ballot paper envelope and a reply paid envelope for returning the ballot paper 4complete the ballot paper by numbering all the boxes in order of their preference
4insert the completed ballot paper into the ballot paper envelope, which is then inserted into a preaddressed reply-paid envelope 4mail or hand-deliver the completed ballot material by 6.00 pm Friday 21 October. Voting in attendance elections All enrolled voters in contested attendance elections will be mailed an EasyVote letter on Friday 23 September with information
on voting options and locations. Voters can also access an interactive map of early and election day voting centres on the VEC website. Election day voting centres across the six councils with attendance voting will be open from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm Saturday 22 October. The accessibility standards of voting centres are a high priority for the VEC—advertising and the VEC website will detail
the accessibility ratings of all early and election day voting centres. Failure to vote Compulsory voting enforcement, including the prosecution of nonvoters, is now a mandatory requirement under the Local Government Act 1989. The VEC will commence a compulsory voting enforcement program in early January 2017, with the distribution of apparent failure-to-vote notices to all
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voters who appear to have failed to vote and are not automatically exempt. For the October council elections, the fine for not voting is $78.00 (half a penalty unit). If a person fails to respond to a notice for failing to vote, the VEC is responsible for pursuing the matter through the courts. This responsibility has previously sat with councils. For complete information on Council elections go to – www.vec.vic.gov.au
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Maharishi School An Independent Primary School
Small class sizes Diverse School Community Promotes growth in Health, Happiness and Academic Success Consciousness-Based Education fully integrated with AusVELS Transcendental Meditation Maharishi Ayurveda Individual and Accelerated Learning Program NAPLAN results above State average ces a l P ited ea r y t L im s t mo a e l ab avail s level
Call Enrolment Office to book a Tour Ph: 9462 2888 Email: office@maharishischool.vic.edu.au 2-6 Dundee Street, Reservoir 3079 www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082
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Council taskforce to advance Indian cultural precinct in Dandenong
By SAT News Desk
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Melbourne, 31 August: A new taskforce is being established in the City of Greater Dandenong to help drive and promote Indian culture in Melbourne.Last year the Daniel Andrews led State Government announced Victoria’s first-ever Indian Cultural Precinct would be based in Dandenong. The Indian Precinct announcement was preceded by a protected movement by the Little India traders in Dandenong’s Foster Street to protect their livelihood against threats to Little India by the Revitalize
Central Dandenong Plan. The stir supported by the Indian and South Asian communities attracted media attention and debate culminating into the Premier Daniel Andrews announcement of the first Indian Precinct in Dandenong from the Federation Square. The Council will receive $500,000 from the State Government’s Cultural Precinct Fund to develop the precinct.Greater Dandenong Mayor HeangTak said the taskforce was the next step in growing and celebrating the thriving Indian community in Melbourne’s south-east. He said the aim of the taskforce was to create a
shared community lead vision for the precinct. “More than 85,000 people of Indian origin live within 20km of Dandenong’s Little India Precinct and more than 17,000 people from the Indian subcontinent choose to call the City of Greater Dandenong home. “MayorTak said. “The aim of this taskforce is to provide advice and strategic input to Greater Dandenong Council about the precinct moving forward.
“If you are a voice for Indian communities in Melbourne’s south-east and are passionate about helping grown and develop the Indian Cultural Precinct in Dandenong then we want to hear from you.” The Indian Cultural Precinct Taskforce will include representatives from a variety of areas including business, faith leaders, community, festival and events and youth. The taskforce will also include representatives
from the Department of Premier and Cabinet (Office of Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship), Places Victoria and the City of Greater Dandenong. Nominations for the taskforce open on Monday, 5 September and close on Monday, 26 September. For more information or to submit a nomination form go to www. greaterdandenong. com/littleindia or email business@cgd.vic.gov.au or call 8571 1000.
Prof. Deep Saini joins as the VC of University of Canberra By SAT News Desk
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elbourne, 2 Sept.: An alumnus of Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, Prof. Saini takes charge of the University of Canberra as vice-chancellor on September 1. His appointment was confirmed in March this year when he was the vicepresident of the University of Toronto in Canada. Prof. Saini is an eminent plant physiologist who holds a doctorate from the University of Adelaide. He has also done a brief stint with CSIRO in Canberra earlier in the year 2000. Soon after his
appointment was confirmed, Prof. Saini told SBS Punjabi that he had many different feelings. "There are many diverse feelings, but when I first came to Australia it was as a student, and now I am coming here as the vicechancellor of a university. So that's the dominant feeling at the moment.. and it's a very good feeling." "As far as coming back to Australia is concerned, it feels like returning to my home. I have spent a very beautiful time in Australia. and the memories are still fresh in my mind," he said. —Source including the picture: SBS Punjabi
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Chinese, Indians among top visitors to Australia By SAT News Desk
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elbourne: A record 7.2 million international visitors arrived in Australia in the year to June 2016, an increase of 10 per cent. The International Visitor Survey, produced by Tourism Research Australia, for the 2015-16 financial year, shows Australia’s tourism industry continues to register strong growth and attract record numbers of international visitors. Australia's tourism industry is currently growing three times as fast as the rest of the Australian economy. International tourists spent $38.1 billion
CONFLUENCE FESTIVAL OF INDIA – MELBOURNE PROGRAM By SAT News Desk
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elbourne: For music lovers, the infectious, happy tones of India's most popular folk band, the Raghu Dixit Project, and a vocal blend of Sufism and gospel by SonamKalra are both on show. The classical Hindustani instruments of the tabla and sarod will be showcased by two of the country's most pre-eminent players and an exhibition of vintage Hindustani musical instruments highlights a curious cultural link that was forged between Calcutta and Melbourne in the nineteenth century. There will also be an exhibition of cartoons by one of India's most well-known political cartoonists, AjitNinan in collaboration with Mark Knight, political cartoonist, Sydney Herald Sun. Melbourne will also host two performances of India's most ancient dance form – Odissi as well as the mythology based dancedramas of The Kalakshetra Foundation and the energetic, acrobatic dance of Pung Cholom. A Hindi rendition of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night offers something new and different and one of Melbourne's hottest beat poets, Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa, is returning to the stage after her smash hit performance on Australia's Got Talent earlier in the year. Finally, the Ishara International Puppet Trust, one of India’s leading contemporary puppet theatres, will showcase the multifaceted traditions and techniques of puppetry in
India and the world. “The Festival of India in Australia contains several projects, performances and workshops that include both traditional and contemporary arts and provides a merge of Indian creativity which has been exposed globally. We hope that people will enjoy and participate in this six week long cultural Fest and indulge in the delights that this team of internationally renowned artistes have to offer. We have only one message to convey Enjoy, Immerse & Get Inspired” Manika Jain, Consul General of India in Melbourne. Melbourne Events: Exhibition by Architect Bijoy Jain - 9th-22nd October 4-6pm, RMIT University, Melbourne The Raghu Dixit Project 14th September 6:30-7:30pm, Main Square, Federation Square PiyaBehrupiya - 20th September 6:30pm, Deakin Edge, Federation Square Adrian Mcneil (Rasa Duende) - 20th September 1:10pm, Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music Auditorium Monash SonamKalra and the Sufi Gospel Project - 21st
September 6:30 pm, Elizabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre AjitNinan Exhibition: http://confluencefoi.com/ event/ajit-ninan/ PungCholom - 30th September 6:30pm, Deakin Edge, Federation Square Adrian Mcneil&Aneesh Pradhan – Concert - 1st October 7 pm, Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music Auditorium Monash Exhibition of Vintage Hindustani Musical Instruments - 1st- 2nd October 3-6pm, Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music Auditorium Monash Foyer, Monash University Exhibition by Architect Bijoy Jain - 5th October 2016 -18th February 2017 9am -10pm, Victoria Gardens Transposition Puppet Performance: www. confluence.com Jadoo: Street Magic from India - 25th October 6pm, Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library of Victoria & 27th October 6pm, MPavilion Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa - 29th October 6:30 pm, Deakin Edge, Federation Square JatayuMoksham - 29th & 30th October 2:30pm, Drama Theatre, Monash University.
in the financial year, an increase of 14 per cent or $4.7 billion over the year. Thirteen of Australia's top 20 tourism markets saw record visitor arrivals during the year, including New Zealand, China, the United States, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Germany and Switzerland. While Australia's tourism industry continues to grow, some figures in this report highlight the need for government and industry to remain focused on attracting highyielding tourists. Spending by Chinese tourists, for example, increased by one per cent between the June 2015 and June 2016
quarters, compared to a 21 per cent increase between the March 2015 and March 2016 quarters. The number of backpacker visitors to Australia increased by 2.4 per cent over the year, with mixed results among the states and territories. An additional 14,000 backpacker visitors came to Australia compared to the year prior. While backpacker visitors to the Northern Territory, Queensland and Victoria decreased, Tasmania and the ACT both recorded an increase in visitors exceeding 10 per cent. The International Visitor Survey is available on the Tourism Research Australia website: www.tra.gov.au
New Oz ConsulGeneral in Mumbai
By SAT News Desk
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elbourne 19 August: Mr. Tony Huber has been appointed as the Australia's next Consul-General in Mumbai, says a media release from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, The Hon Julie Bishop MP. Mr. Huber is an experienced career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). He has served overseas as Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner, Ottawa and First Secretary, New Delhi. In Canberra, Mr. Huber was Director of the India Economic Section. He has also served as Director, Pacific Bilateral Section and Regional Trade Policy Section. Mr. Huber holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Canberra
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and a Graduate Diploma in Foreign Affairs and Trade from the Australian National University. Mr. Huber is expected to take up his appointment in August 2016. The Minister says, “I thank outgoing ConsulGeneral Mark Pierce for his contribution to advancing Australia’s interests in Mumbai since 2013.” India is one of Australia’s most significant partners in the IndoPacific region. It is Australia’s 10th largest trading partner and the fifth-largest export market, with two-way investment worth over $20 billion. The Consulate-General in Mumbai plays a key role in furthering Australia's trade, commercial and investment interests in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa, and in India more broadly. —SAT News Service.
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More support for family violence victims SAT News Desk
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elbourne, 6 September: Victims of family violence who suffer financially at the hands of perpetrators will have access to new speciallytrained financial counsellors, thanks to a $1.75 million investment by the Andrews Labor Government. Financial abuse is a form of family violence. Perpetrators often take full control of their victim’s savings andspending, rendering them financially dependent. It can contribute to victims being trapped in abusive relationships. Minister for Consumer Affairs Marlene Kairouz announced today recruitment and training
was underway forfinancial counsellors, specialising in financial abuse, who will be placed in agencies across Victoria. The financial counsellors will help those in abusive relationships by negotiating with creditors and debt collectors,helping to protect assets from repossession and helping victims access financial hardship programs. Minister Marlene Kairouz says, “Family violence takes many forms. These ground breaking initiatives targeting financial abuse will go a long way to helping victims and those at risk.” “This is an Australian first. Financial counsellors specifically helping victims of family violence or financial abuse isa key response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission, he says.”
The funding will be used to employ 10 new, full time family violence financial counsellors and provide financialabuse training for all Victorian financial counsellors. It will also help industry – including utilities, telecommunications and finance – develop guidelines to respond tofamily violence and financial abuse. This new funding is in addition to the $7.8 million provided by the Andrews Labor Government for the FinancialCounselling Program run by Consumer Affairs Victoria. These initiatives align with recommendations of the Royal Commission into Family Violence , says a state government media release.
—SAT News Service
5 must-dos for footy fans
SAT News Desk
Northern Hotel, Lord Newry Hotel and North Fitzroy Arms.
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very year in September, Australian Football League (AFL, or footy) fans become flushed with finals-fever induced sweats (of the good variety) and Melbourne, as the capital of Australia’s much-loved sport, is the place to be. The holy sporting mecca, aka the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is handily located on the fringe of the city, making it easy to soak up all the atmosphere and excitement that September, and early October, inevitably bring to the city. Here are some of the best ways to get amongst the action:
The sportiest walk in Australia: The MCG and surrounds Australia’s biggest sporting stadium, the MCG offers much to enjoy, whether or not a game is being played on the wellgroomed ground. Footy fans can pick up one of the best kebabs in Australia at George Calombaris’ Gazi and depart the city for the 15 minute walk over William Barak Bridge. From its lofty heights, a glance back shows off a spectacular city skyline (the perfect photo opportunity), a glance down leads to the famous blue courts of Melbourne Park (home of the Australian Open), and a glance sideways presents
Grand Final Week shenanigans There is a bunch of fun stuff happening for footy fans and families during the biggest week of the year, mostly centred around the MCG. Check out the Toyota AFL Grand Final Live Site from Wednesday to Saturday featuring a kids zone, stage activities and player appearances, eat great food at the Lifestyle Taste of Football, and find a good spot to cheer on the Grand Final Parade game eve (also a public holiday) between Old Treasury Building and the MCG live site.
the famous MCG cricket nets. Back on ground level, the concourse is lined with statues of Aussie sporting legends from the footy and cricket world. Entry through Gate 3 leads to the National Sports Museum where visitors can learn about all things great and good in Australia’s sporting history or join an MCG tour – or do both. After all, too much sport is never enough. Richmond, Fitzroy, Carlton and Collingwood: more than just footy clubs The inner city suburbs behind some of the country’s biggest footy
clubs are destinations in themselves and are well worth exploring. Each has its own unique colourful character – much like the clubs’ players themselves. Originally working class, these areas are now home to some of the best cafes, bars, boutiques and restaurants in town as well as a high street deserving of at least a couple of hours of wandering. Swan Street in Richmond, Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, Lygon Street in Carlton and Smith Street in Collingwood are all good places to start. The side streets are worth checking out too – world class street art and cool cafes abound.
A pot and a parma in a classic Melbourne pub They are as rare these days as 100-goal-kicking full forwards, but good, old fashioned pubs with unfussy beers (along with one or two craft varieties) on tap, plate-sized parmas, footy memorabilia on the wall and locals who can talk in misty-eyed detail about that one and only St Kilda premiership are gems that are definitely worth seeking out. Some of the best spots to soak up the laid back local vibe include: The London Tavern, The Standard Hotel, The Napier Hotel, Union Bar, Great
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Post-match recovery The perfect opportunity to refuel and debrief after the finals frenzy – and to read the newspapers’ front-to-back analysis – is over Melbourne’s favourite meal, brunch. Cafes such as Hardware Societe, Cumulus Inc and Manchester Press are all top picks to start the day. For famously good Melbourne coffee, Market Lane, Dukes and Industry Beans all serve a brew that is guaranteed to put the pep back in any step. Those too weary to seek out a map or a review can rest assured, it is almost impossible to find a bad brunch or coffee in and around the city. Source: Pieces Of Victoria, 6 September - http://www. visitvictoria.com
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Aneesh Pradhan traces the long journey of Hindustani music
By SAT News Desk
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elbourne, 27 August: Tracing the journey of ‘Hindustani Music’ from its origins during the courtesans and hereditary days to the modern times was the subject of a public lecture which Dr. Aneesh Pradhan, ICCR Chair in Indian Studies at the Monash Asia Institute, gave at the Indian Consulate in Melbourne. Aneesh started off with the 1990s opening up of the Indian economy, rise of Indi pop, multiple TV channels, internet and so on. Now musicians have to rely on the internet and “it is not a very good situation”, he says. So, is it a new phenomenon? No,
it is not, he says, as the hereditary musicians in the early years had more challenges as princely patronage took a back seat and those in Goa shifted to Bombay. Aneesh also described how music clubs and schools like Gandarva Mahavidhalaya were setup in 1908 and the journey continued. Many could not manage without Gurus when shifting from one style to another. There was a lively Q-A session where Aneesh answered many questions. The lecture held as part of the Confluence Festival of India in Australia was supported by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Monash Asia Institute.
FREE EVENT SUNDAY OCTOBER 2 11AM-4PM ENTRY VIA GATE 2, MCG
open day
A great day out for everyone packed with activites including: • Melbourne Stars cricket clinics. • Kick-to-kick on the hallowed turf. • Visit areas normally off-limits to the public. • Photos with the Cricket World Cup. • National Sports Museum entry only $5!
Pre-register online at
mcg.org.au/openday and you could WIN a signed Melbourne Stars print!
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IFFM-2016
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IFFM-2016:
Bollywood radiance enlightens Melbourne
By Neeraj Nanda
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elbourne: The world’s most liveable city, is no doubt, a potpourri of everything in the world. Melbourne, with its vast multicultural and diverse atmosphere (forget the TV news) laced with migrants from all over the world, was a fit and hit for the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne – 2016, in its fifth year led by themaverick Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange. Under the shadow of last year’s Big-B (Amitabh Bachchan) presence, this year was no less a spectacle dazzling with Rishi Kapoor, Fawad Khan, Anurag Kashyap, Vidya Balan, Richa Chadha, Radhika Apte, Leena Yadav, Sonam Kapoor, Simi Garewal, Shakun Batra and Malika Arora Khan. The festival’s motto – Women’s empowerment was reflected in the opening film directed by Leena Yadav ‘Parched’ and the closing night movie ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ directed by Pan Nalin. The Westpac Awards Night and Empowerment Concert (12 August) at the Melbourne Recital Centre had all the filmy glitter but it was Fawad Khan (Kapoor
& Sons) who stole the show. He seems to be having a massive following here cutting across nationalities and groups. Rishi Kapoor’s rather emotional speech and his former actress wife Neetu Kapoor nee Singh joining him on the stage set the stage for a nostalgic sight, having worked together in 14 movies. The awards went to – Kapoor and Sons (Best film), Parched (Best Indie film), Leena Yadav (Best Director for Parched), Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Best actor for
Raman Raghav 2.0), Sonam Kapoor (Best actress for Neerja) and Rishi Kapoor (Life time achievement award). The Indian flag hoisting by Rishi Kapoor at the Federation Square (13 August) to celebrate India’s Independence Day was continuing a tradition started last year by Anil Kapoor. The difference this year was that it was also seen in Dandenong’s Harmony Square through live feed on a big screen. Those assembled at
Harmony Square and Federation Square could see each other on big screens. This was followed by three live movies Bend It Like Beckham, Amdavad ma Famous and New Girl in Class at the Harmony Square. Another three movies Angrej (Punjabi) with Punjabi singer and actor Amrinder Singh present, Ottaal (Malayalam) and Buddha in a Traffic Jam (Hindi-English) at the Drum Theatre, Dandenong. The Masterclass with fresh from ‘Udta Punjab’
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controversy Anurag Kashyap in St. Kilda was lively with Anurag admitting that he did not like the social media because it was now badly manipulated. He also expressed his unhappiness at the rise of religious fundamentalism all over the world. In his typical style he explained the sources of his movies to be stuff which normally are hidden or people do not want to talk. In between the festival came the Brand Ambassador Vidya Balan who admits of ‘a love affair with Melbourne’ and was honoured at the Parliament House by Hon. Luke Donnellan, Minister for Roads, Roads Safety and Ports, the IFFM Gold Medal for her contributions to cinema and interest in social issues. In her address she detailed her nostalgic journey becoming the Festival’s Brand Ambassador for a year and then continuing with it year after year. The Bollywood legend was honoured by Hon. Luke Donnellan, Minister for Roads, Roads Safety and Ports, the IFFM Gold Medal for her contributions to cinema and interest in social issues. Contd. on pg 14
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Contd. from pg 12 With a special focus on this year’s theme of “Female Empowerment”, IFFM brought to Melbourne new and classic films from India and the subcontinent, with a special selection of films, panels and roundtable discussions based around the theme. The festival theme was explored in a number of critically lauded features and documentaries across six program streams, including the opening and closing night films Parched and Angry Indian Goddesses, as well as a roundtable discussion with critic Rajeev Masand exploring ‘Wild Women in Cinema’, and ‘In Conversation’ events: Richa Chadda on ‘Bollywood and Body Positivity’. Pan Nalin’sAngry Indian Goddesses has women who do not accept suppression and are freedom and fun loving. This 21st-century saga based in beautiful Goa is a slap on the face of gender orthodoxy. Two women getting married (to each other) amidst a fun loving episode derailed into a tragedy speaks for itself. In their own space, these women in different professions speak out their hearts and have the spirit ('Durga lives within every
women') which acts in the face of a tough situation. It was a treat on the closing night of the festival. Academy Award‐ winning Pakistani director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy's films were honoured with a special focus in the Masterstroke section. The Festival presented a full retrospective of her documentaries, including the Victorian premiere of A Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers, which follows 160 predominantly Muslim Bangladeshi policewomen on a difficult mission overseas, and her Oscar-winning short films about issues facing Pakistani women: A Girl In The River: The Price of Forgiveness, exploring contemporary honour killings, and Saving Face, about the horrendous practice of acid attacks. Other highlights of the festival included the Australian premiere of Ashutosh Gowariker’s epic adventure-romance Mohenjodaro starring Hrithik Roshan and Pooja Hedge in the lead roles, set in the ancient city of Mohenjodaro in the era of the Indus Valley civilization; and the Australian premiere of Anu Menon’s comedy drama Waiting, about the relationship between two people from very different
IFFM-2016
walks of life who befriend one another in hospital. The ‘Hurrah Bollywood’ program featured the best mainstream Hindi cinema from the last twelve months including IFFM Award Best Film nominees, Neerja by Ram Madhvani, and Kapoor and Sons starring Rishi Kapoor; ‘Beyond Bollywood’ presented art house and cinema in regional Indian languages, with programmed highlights including the Pakistani biographical drama Manto, about the life of Indo-Pakistani writer Sadat Hasan Manto; and the box office and the critical hit Aligarh, directed by Hansel Mehta. The festival also had two locally made movies, writer and director Gurmeet Saran’s, The Hidden Truth, which highlights the problem of domestic violence in the Indian community anddirector Girish Makwana’s The Colour of Darkness, which had its premier during the festival. The Colour of Darkness, which I saw, is an expose of racism in the name of caste or ethnicity anywhere. A love story in Melbourne amidst social tension of alleged racial attacks on Indian students and Dalit caste oppression in India makes the movie a tale of
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events that happen and we know but would rather keep quite. Makwana's take on the subject ignites debate and introspection. Those who ignore it do it at their own peril. The message- when you raise voice against oppression, start it from your own home. After all, the effects of oppression or discrimination are the same anywhere. ‘The Subcontinent’ features films from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal, including the
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banned Bangladeshi feature Under Construction, which revolves around a woman’s struggle to reclaim her identity and sexuality; Pakistani drama Moor written and directed by Jami, about a troubled station master, and Among the Believers, a documentary that examines the increasing political and religious turmoil in Pakistan since the War on Terror. ‘Film India World’ had Amrita Dasgupta’s awardwinning The New Girl in Class, which looks at the possibility of mainstream education for Indian children with autism; while the IFFM Documentary stream features For The Love of A Man, exploring the madness of South Indian fandom as a former bus driver becomes a living legend. With about 50 movies from India and the subcontinent, the IFFM 2016 with all the glitter and gloss was a serious and effective effort to display the diversity of Indian cinema and the issues related to it. In a way, much beyond the mainstream Bollywood. The success of this festival can rightly be credited to the festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange and her talented team, laced with positive people’s response.
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Vidya Balan praises IFFM for moving beyond movies
By Neeraj Nanda
M
Melbourne, 19 August: IFFM2016 Brand Ambassador Vidya Balan is impressed with the iconic festival taking up issues beyond films. Speaking today at a function at the Victorian Parliament she said, “I am grateful and honoured to be at the Parliament of Victoria promoting the film festival’s core values of the diversity and inclusiveness.”
Praising the festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange’s initiative of moving beyond films, Vidya Balan said, “breaking down walls and boundaries with the La Trobe University’s project of students taking part in a new effort to help children with special needs in India and the good work being done by the Royal Children’s Hospital is basically breaking barriers in the minds of the people.” “People do not know how to handle children with
special needs and the need of the hour was to treat people as people,” she said. “The La Trobe University’s initiative was an icing on the cake,” she commented. LOVE AFFAIR WITH MELBOURNE About her being the Brand Ambassador of the film festival, Vidya Balan says, “The journey of the past five years has been so wonderful. I come back here year after year and go back with memories cherished for ever.” “When Mitu first asked me to be the Brand Ambassador of the festival, I thought it will be a one off, but next year again she came to
me and then continued to ask me to remain in the position year after year and that kicked off my love affair with Melbourne,” she nostalgically says. AWARD FOR VIDYA The Bollywood legend was honoured by Hon. Luke Donnellan, Minister for Roads, Roads Safety and Ports, the IFFM Gold Medal for her contributions to cinema and interest in social issues. A large number of festival organisers, parliament MPs and officials, Indian Consul in Melbourne Manika Jain, Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick and others were present at the function. —SAT News Service
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The journey of the past five years has been so wonderful. I come back here year after year and go back with memories cherished for ever.
south asia 16 LETTER FROM SYDNEY South Asia Timestimes
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Informative ODISSI performance and demo by Guru Alpana By Ashok Kumar
S
ydney, Aug 30: The Indian Consulate in Sydney organised at Indian Cultural Centre an evening of Odissi performance, workshop and lecture-cum-demonstration by well-known exponent of the dance form Guru AlpanaNayak, trained at the renowned NrutyaSangeet Kala Mandir, Balasore. She was conferred the title of Guru by SWID, Bangladesh in 2010 and the Usha Rani Samman by her alma-mater NrutyaSangeet Kala Mandir, Balasore in 2012. She was also conferred the Vishishtha Odia Samman by Jatiya Odia Sammilani, Delhi in 2015. Giving her introduction, acting Consul General, Dr. Vinod Bahade said Guru AlpanaNayak is a graded artist with Doordarshan, an empanelled artist of Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and a recipient of fellowship from the Ministry of Culture, Govt. Of India. She has performed at the major festivals in India and overseas noteworthy among them are Festival of Khajuraho, Elephanta Festival, KalidasSamaroha, Virasat Festival, International Odissi Festival, Sindhu Darshan-Ladakh,SankatMochan festival-Varanasi, Island FestivalPort Blair and the Mahabalipuram
Dance Festival. Besides, she has [erformed in England, Japan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka Thailand and Mongolia. Guru Alpana said this was her first visit to Australia and informed the select and knowledgeable audience that Odissi was declared a classical dance in 1953 and she started learning it at a very young age and by the time she graduated from the Nrutya Kendra she was
only 19. Since then she has been giving perormances in India and overseas, earning various titles. Before she began her performance, she apprised the audience that Odishi or Odissi commences with ‘Mangalaacharna’ that has five distinct acts beginning with ‘Pushpanjali- in which the dancer offers flowers, seeks to make space sacred and ready for dance. This is followed by ‘BhoomiPranam’ or obesience to mother earth or seeking permission to dance on her and seeking forgiveness for inadvertently hurting her while dancing on her. This is also described as an equivalent to Arangetram in Bharatnatyam. Then is the ‘Deva Pranam’ in which the dancers offer their body, mind and soul to the divine through prayer and seek blessing to perform to the best of one’s ability. Sabha Pranam is meant to seek forgiveness from the audience for any mistakes while performing. While performing ‘Mangalaacharna’ Guru Alpana offered prayer to Goddess Saraswati who has been depicted as “Jagat Jannani”– the mother of the whole world, “VakVilassini” Goddess of Speech, “SangetRasike”– the great lover of music and “Kalyani” the doer of Good. The shlokas like ManikayaVeenaMuplaLayanti are written by Mahakavi Kalidasa. Giving the performance, her next act was BasantPallavi. She explained that Pallavi is a traditional prt of the Odishi repertoire which showcases the dancer’s ability to perform ‘pure dance’ form. The movements in ths form are extremely graceful and lyrical. Guru Alpana went on to explain literal meaning of the word Pallavi– derived from Sanskrit word Pallava meaning shoot. The dance depicts the growth of a plant from a shoot to bud and then glorious flower. Noteworthy are the beats, footwork and body movements. This was followed by ‘abhinaya’ considered to be the most important act of Odishi. This form is also known as an ‘expressional’ act where a story is conveyed through hand gestures or hasta mudras and drishtibhedas or eye movements.
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The last act was ‘mokshya’ or the dancer giving herself completely to the dance or divine. Before performing this form, she narrated an incident that once while performing she got so immersed in the dance that she forgot that her back was facing the audience and when the dance was over she was berated by her gurus but very well appreciated by the audience. Such was the level of performance. Coming back to the performance of the evening, the dancer dances with the hope of meeting the almighty, through the movements of her feet, mudras of her hands and through a singular focus of bringing body with her mind. The dance moves on to a crescendo, that is trilling to both eyes and ear. With the cosmic sound of ‘Om’ the dance dissolves into nothingness. Guru Alpana is also associated with A.L.P.A.N.A (Association for Learning Performing Arts and Normativ Actions) set up in East Delhi with the objectives of working towards the growth, promotion of visual and performing arts, holistic human development through multidiciplinary frameworks and paradigms, empowerment of differently abled persons, teah8ng and training throigh workshops, exchange programmes and publications. A.L.P.A.N.A has made significant contribution in spreading awareness about rich cultural heritage of India, especially Odishi dance, Hindustani vocal and instrumental music. Under the programme Indradhanush(rainbow) A.L.P.A.N.A organises different dance and music events, presented by budding classical dancers trained by Guru Alpana. The students of A.L.P.A.N.A had a rare privilege of performing before the then President Dr. A. P.J Abdul Kalam in 2006 and also had the honour of performing at the National Awards Distribution Ceremony oranised by the Department of Disability Affairs, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment at VigyanBhawan in 2013 attended by President Pranab Mukherjee.
I will also be paying heed to certain other aspects such as Community Facilities and Educational programs, which have the potential of helping us grow as a more progressive neighbourhood.
If given the chance to serve the Aitken Ward, it will be my sincere endeavour to bring about these changes, in the most efficient manner possible, so that they pave way for our area towards becoming as an opulent suburb of Melbourne.
As a man who has lived in the community for quite some time now, I understand that our community is in dire need of certain changes, especially with respect to the infrastructural requirements and community safety that must be brought about sooner rather than later.
My coMMitMent
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Authorised by: Maninderjit Singh, 24 Black Wattle Rd, Craigieburn VIC 3064
0450 862 827
FIR S D R O W N I LE B M U H
N O I T C M IN A
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/nickgargforaitken nickgarg1@outlook.com
I sincerely seek your support for getting elected as the Counsellor for Aitken. Now that you know me, and have a fair idea of my past achievements, I hope that I’ll have your complete support as a true local, a hardworking man and a passionate community member!
It is with the grace of God, and with the co-operation of some selfless volunteers, that I have been running The Gurukul Inc., a non-profit organisation for the last one year, where we run weekly community language classes for kids, Yoga, health classes and a Senior Citizens engagement group. I am actively involved in the community as a member of the Craigieburn Residents Association and as the executive member of the Neighbourhood Watch, Craigieburn.
I am Narinder Garg (Nick), resident of Craigieburn from the last 8 years. A quintessentially family man, I am in my early 40s. With a doting wife, and two beautiful children, born and raised in Australia. I would never be able to thank my stars enough for the love and care that I’m surrounded with. One more aspect that I am blessed with abundance of energy. That combined with my passion for work and welfare of my community has often led me to take the path less trodden and thankfully so!
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IFFM-2016
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Feel good movies do not make the world a better place: Anurag Kashyap
By Neeraj Nanda
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elbourne, 14 August: Controversial Indian film maker, Anurag Kashyap has said social mediais manipulated and controlled by those who control our lives. Anurag was speaking during amaster class with the media and film buffs during the ongoing International
Film Festivalof Melbourne 2016 (IFFM-2016). The veteran and vocal filmmaker, whose ‘Udta Punjab’ recently faced the wrath of the Indian film censors, was candid and answered questions in a local café near the popular St. Kilda beach on a variety of subjects affecting the Indian film industry, religious fundamentalism and new technologies.
Anurag Kashyap, who is famous for making new wave cinema in Bollywood, like Dev D (2009), Udaan (2010), Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 (2012) and The Lunchbox (2013), says “Feel good movies do not make the world a better place.” Anurag’s Udta Punjab which quickly found its way to the internet once he won the case against the Indian censors, remains one of the
most downloaded movie in recent times despite it doing well on the box office. “It was a different type of case as the censor people called us and wanted to cut so and so scenes, dialogues, names etc. but gave nothing in written so as to avoid a challenge. “It was because of the coming elections in Punjab, the censor was playing a game with us,” he said.
The director who also acts in a coming movie ‘Akira’, feels concerned about religious intolerance. “There is so much religious insecurity in the country and fundamentalism has spread all over the world,” he said. About himself as a film maker, he says, “I am not good at anything else. I write my scripts by hand while travelling.” Answering to a question on piracy and new technologies by SAT, Anurag said, “People in the film industry download movies themselves and complain about piracy. They download 60-70 percent of the movies. How can they fight piracy?”. Anurag disclosed he was ready to start shooting a horror movie with Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Gangs of Wasseypur Part 1 and Part 2) and Radhika Apte (Parched). —SAT News Service
Wyndham Eid Fest on 17 September
W
yndham Eid Festival Inc. presents 2nd Annual Multicultural and complete family-event at the Presidents Park, McGrath Road in Wyndham Vale on 17th September 2016 from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. Wyndham Eid Festival is a Multicultural Festival celebrating Muslim’s Eid (Day of Festivities). Eid Festival is a combination of Muslim community celebrations, festivities and sharing with others theReligious and Cultural values of Love, Peace, Respect and Harmony. Wyndham Eid Festival involves local communities, businesses and promote the Rich Cultural values of Local Residents from WyndhamCity. The local communities involved in this mega event are Australian, Bangladeshi, Indian,Indonesian, Ethiopian, Fijian, Lebanese, Malaysian, Pakistanis, Sri Lankan, Somalian, and Sudanese. The FREE ENTRY event will have Quiz Competition on Islamic history, Australian history and Cultural Performances from young & talented future role models. The amazing www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082
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event will have Delicious Food stalls, Colourful Clothing stalls, Henna, Face-painting and Amusement Fun Rides forall the family members and also includes Camel Ride, HorseRide and FIREWORKS. The following committee members were elected for 2016 Wyndham Eid Festival Inc: Rifai A.Raheem as President Nasser Haddara as Vice-President and Mujeeb Syed as Secretary Jamal Mohammed as Treasurer.
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musings
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Far Right is now reigning supreme
There was a time when we had Enoch Powell in England with his extreme far right views. He was not even worth our laughter. Soon, he was gone without leaving a trace, as we thought, then. But, again, as the saying goes” kharbooze ko dekhkar karbooza rang pakadta hai’, the sickness had caught across the English Channel and we had the spectacle of Jean Marie Le Pen, forming National Front in France, with hisbizarre and extremist views on anything under the sun. By Rashid Sultan
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t that time we considered him part of the lunatic fringe;like when we get strange diseases and ailments overwhich we have no control,welearn to live with them. His charisma also faded with time andpeople, like me, heaved a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, this comfort zone was shortlived and there came Geert Wilders,arising from the desolate wilderness of the Netherlands, on stage, and began his sermons on far right ideas including immigration and spread Islamophobia in the community.No wonder, the highly despicable cartoons of the holy prophet started appearing in the media and this further antagonised the Muslims all over the world against the West. This also paved the path for another rightist in the form of Marine le Pen, daughter of Jean Marie Le Pen. She vowed to take her father’s torch, further. So much so, she is already being discussed, seriously, for the next French presidency. My God! Yes,so much clout has, now, gathered, particularly, in the prosperous West that it manifested, recently,in the Great Britainopting Brexit or ‘Europe-ectomy’with a tiny majority of mainly Britain’s white, elderly and seniors. The young favourable to remain in Europe never voted. And what about when Scotland and Northern Ireland decide to stick to European Union? So what will the Great Britain be left with? ‘A little England’, a third world- power,asforecast by a former Indian Prime Minister, Inder Kumar Gujral, two decades ago. The fever continues to rage and so across the Atlantic, Mr Donald Trump has, finally, blown the bugle and is going for the US presidency. The tycoonnow- turned cartoon. He, single- handedly has made the US, laughing stock in the civilised world by promising to build a wall around
Mexico(also promising to make Mexico pay for the cost) and banning all Muslims entering the United States of America. Not a day goes by when he is not insulting the grieving mother of a Muslim soldier died in action for America, in Iraq, or telling the mother of an infant to ‘to get the hell out of here’ from his rallies and thus alienating and humiliating not only the fair-minded citizens but the Republican leadership as well. There are rumours around that the leadership may not approve funding for his campaign. Poor guys! They can neither swallow him nor throw-up him (vomit). It’s too late and the whole nation, now, has to live with the monster and his wild hateful and bizarre utterances. The whole world is aghast with views of a person who, one day, could become the leader of the free world. Why go far? In our own courtyard we have now our grand dame, Pauline Hanson of the fish and chips’ fame (4 Senate seats) spewing poison and hatred against immigrants and Muslims. Ironically, she, herself, is an offspring of immigrants. The human memory, indeed, is short. The lunatic fringe is now mainstream. What has happened for this metamorphosis? The political pundits have scaled down to two reasons for this phenomenonGlobalisation and Immigration- gone- too wild. It’s for everybody to see that all over Europe and the United States, the white, male and uneducated blue collar worker is suffering. There is no job for him, particularly, in the manufacturing sphere because nothing is now made onshore. The cars, the I phones, the footwear, the textiles, the IT et al have been outsourced. Who
doesn’t get a call on behalf of telcos and gas, electricity and other utility companies? It’s not always promotional. Even a tiny enquiry goes to Philippines or India. And what do you think was behind the recent Brexit or ‘Europe-ectomy’ for Great Britain or the rise of Donald Trump? The Great Greed in the garb of Globalisation. The big business has
realised that they can make big- time money by giving a pittance to overseas workers and increasing their profit and satisfying their shareholders. Naturally, the queues at the dole counters in the Westare lengthening. The Globalisation has made rich the richer, but, the profits have not dribbled to the lower rung of the ladder, as Reagan used to claim. The eminent economist Kenneth Galbraith and a former US ambassador to India, addressing our post graduate convocation, in Kanpur, six decades ago, told us that the day was not far when the whole world would be ruled not by elected leaders but, a few multinationals. How prophetic! Just two examples: In Australia, the top 10 wealthiest people’s wealth equates to wealth of 4 million Australians;and the richest 500 people in the world
own the entire wealth of the planet. This greed, obviously has brought inequality but,our politicians, specially,are not complaining about this. After all it, ultimately, gets down to the undeclared, hidden donations to the political party. The news is roaming that Hillary Clinton used to charge $US 225,000 for a speech at Wall Street lunches. On the other hand, in the name of Globalisation, the poor and underdeveloped countries are only being thrown the rotten and stale bread crumbs for making consumables for the West. The T shirts and shirts, being made in Bangladesh, are being retailed at $5 and $10 in Australia. Has anybody thought how much the sweat shop workers, out there, are getting paid? A Dollar or 50 cents? And the collapsed and burnt-out factories?They are the collateral damage for this cheap trade. Yes, of course,we have been told to ignore collateral damage in the wars against Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria where hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians- men, women and children have been killed, so why not a few hundreds in Bangladesh? Now, immigration. Let’s talk about some more prosperous countries. USA comes to mind, first. The largest economy and the most powerful nation on earth. Where would it be were it not the most opendoor country since world war II? It has been attracting academics, scientists, entrepreneurs, even athletes from around the world. The discoveries, innovations and skills from immigrants have enriched this country by leaps and bounds like no other place. The largest numbers of Nobel prizes have been awarded to the US academics since world
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war II. And, who are these academics? A very large number of them are from overseas, like so many tennis players. Australia. Until world war II (white Australia days) it was a secluded place. But no sooner did it open doors in the 50s and 60s that it began competing with the prosperous west. Great Britain. After the fall of British Empire it had become a nation ‘which also ran’. But the waves of migrants from its former colonies, changed its fortunes overnight. Germany. The immigrants from Turkey have made it the 3rd largest economy in the world. And it goes on and on. Why? Immigrants, including refugees, work harder than the locals. They also work the most manual and menial jobs which locals don’t want to do. We have seen Punjabi women cleaning at the Heathrow airport, Tamil men at the Changi and Algerians at the De Gaulle, while the locals stand at the queue in social security offices to claim unemployment benefits. The birth rate in prosperous western countries is falling for last 100 years. Who will pay for the ageing populations and their welfare if not for migrants. Migranta enhance the economy by paying taxes and indirectly contributing to increase in infrastructure by way of housing and spending on goods and services. One out of 4 Australians was born overseas. Half of Australians have at least one parent born overseas. It is in the interest of the western world to take immigrants to maintain their standards of living. It is glaringly obvious but the short sighted populist leaders shirk from reflecting on this truth. It is votes, stupid. The National Health Service of the UK will come to standstill were it not for doctors from South Asia. The Silicon Valley would be a financial desert if not for migrants.
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VIEWPOINT
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How can there be an Indian Lincoln Mr. Udit Raj? By Ram Punyani
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alit activist and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of parliament in the Lok Sabha, Udit Raj, in his recent article in the Indian Express titled” ‘Where is The Indian Lincoln" highlights some pertinent questions and brings forth the issue of the caste related atrocities. But he goes on to hide things which are more crucial to the process of caste annihilation. He is on the dot when he says that atrocities against Dalits are due to a mindset which regards them inferior. While this explains how such acts have been taking place earlier as well as now, he undermines the fact that this mindset is due to a political ideology which upholds the caste system in a subtle way. What he hides is the fact that such atrocities have gone up during past two years. What he does not state is that the Jhajjar violence in Haryana was legitimised by late Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Acharya Giriraj Kishore, who belonged to UditRaj’s political family called SanghParivar. It is true that many countries in Europe could do away with birth based hierarchy of class and gender due to industrial revolution ushering in a journey towards substantive democracy. India could not achieve such a desirable goal due to the objective restraints imposed by the colonial rule. The industrial revolutions of the West did away with the feudal classes along with their feudal mindset which was justifying the birthbased hierarchies. In India due to the colonial rule, we have seen the birth of modern institutions along with the foundation of modern society. The foundation and the growth of Indian nationalism did aspire for the formal equality of all irrespective of caste, religion and gender. Colonial masters in India were least interested in doing away with feudal powers. ‘Feudal-Clergy’ nexus persisted and gave rise to nationalism in the name of religion. Both Muslim nationalism and Hindu nationalism thrived. The pace of change in colonies is not comparable to the other places where the industrial class along with workers and women
combine overthrows the social and political alliance of the feudal-clergy combine. So in colonies the process of secularization remains arrested and in post colonial societies the feudal mindset persists with the patronage of the certain sections of society. In these societies the meaning of the word revolution has to be restricted to social transformation. The day to day efforts for social transformation are the revolutionary steps in that sense. India had its own trajectory. Starting with JotiraoPhule, the Dalits started a slow and long journey towards equality. The journey for women’s equality begins with SavitribaiPhule. These streams are totally opposed by the conservative religious elements. These conservatives later crystallize themselves as Muslim League on one side and Hindu Mahasabha-RSS on the other. The march of Indian nationalism accommodates Ambedkar in some form. While he struggles for social democracy through means of temple entry (KalaramMandir), access to public spaces (ChavdarTalao), he goes on to support the burning of Manusmriti and states his resolve for the social equality. We can’t be mechanistic in understanding revolution in diverse societies. These steps like those of Jotirao, Saviritibai and
Ambedkar, Periyar are revolutionary. These are hesitantly supported by Indian nationalism and totally opposed by Hindu nationalism. Gandhi, a symbol of Indian nationalism, did his best to oppose untouchability, while his stand on reserved constituency can be questioned. Nehru, the architect of modern India, later oversees Ambedkar formulate a Constitution which not only gives formal equality to all but also affirmative reservations to the Dalits. Nehru’s attempt to bring in reforms like the Hindu Code bill are sabotaged by conservatives within his party and conservatives and Hindu nationalists outside his party. The persistence of subordination of Dalits is mainly due to the persistence of mindset of Hindu nationalism, which even had opposed the Indian Constitution when it was being formed. The Hindu nationalists have been strong opponents of reservations all through; this is what led to anti Dalit riots in Ahmedabad in 1981 and the anti OBC violence again in Ahmedabad in 1986. The Hindu nationalist BJP intensified its Ram Temple movement in the wake of Mandal Commission implementation. Udit Raj is right that those perpetrating crimes have not been punished, but that again is due to the prevalent mindset, which has its roots in Hindutva ideology, which
spills beyond the parties and organisations working for a Hindu Rashtra (nation) directly. While longing for revolution is good, ignoring the revolutionary changes at slow speed is disastrous and the likes of Udit Raj sitting in the lap of the BJP, which has been the vehicle of counter revolution as far as social changes are concerned, is a big setback to the process of social change. Since BJP is the political arm of RSS, which aspires for a Hindu nation, Hindutva via Hindu nationalism, Raj is contributing precisely to the processes which are hampering the transition of caste equations towards those of equality. If he wakes up to realise as to how mindsets are formed, he will realise that among other things his party has been transforming national institutions towards the values which will promote an anti-Dalit mindset. Just one example from many such incidents is the one where the BJP has appointed one Sudarshan Rao as head of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR). Rao argues that the caste system had no problems and nobody had complaints against that. RSS, BJP’s ideological patron, goes on to say that all castes were equal and problems came in due to the invasion of Muslim kings! All this is putting the wool in the eyes of society to perpetuate the ideology which is inherently castiest and leads to the
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Colonial masters in India were least interested in doing away with feudal powers. ‘Feudal-Clergy’ nexus persisted and gave rise to nationalism in the name of religion. Both Muslim nationalism and Hindu nationalism thrived. strengthening of mindset which looks down upon Dalits. So a RohithVemula or a Una violence happens. If Indian Nationalist movement was a mini revolution, the present politics being unfolded by Hindu nationalism is a counter revolution, duly supported by the likes of Udit Raj. And lastly, if one concedes that there has been no Lincoln in India, one can also look forward to the post RohithVemula-Una upsurge of youth, Dalits and non-Dalits, which is going in the direction of caste annihilation! —August 27, 2016.
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False promises: Avoid ‘miracle’ Rice and just eat a Carrot
TRANSCEND Member Prof. Vandana Shiva is a physicist, ecofeminist, philosopher, activist, and author of more than 20 books and 500 papers. She is the founder of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, and has campaigned for biodiversity, conservation and farmers’ rights, winning the Right Livelihood Award [Alternative Nobel Prize] in 1993. She is executive director of the Navdanya Trust. By Dr.Vandana Shiva
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EW DELHI, Aug 10 2016 (IPS) Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution, died on September 9, 2009. Alfred G. Gilman died on December 23, 2015. Both were Nobel laureates and now both dead. Gilman was a signatory to a recent letter condemning Greenpeace and its opposition to genetic engineering. How many Nobel laureates does it take to write a letter? Easily ascertained — the dead Gilman and 106 others were enlisted in “supporting GMOs and golden rice”. Correct answer — 107, dead or alive. The laureates were rounded up by Val Giddings (senior fellow, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation), Jon Entine (author of Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People) and Jay Byrne (former head of corporate communications, Monsanto). Real people don’t have the luxury of getting Nobel laureates to write 1/107th of a letter, “chosen” folk do. Evidently. Cornell University is a “chosen” institution – central to genetically modified public relations. The Cornell Alliance of Science is funded by Bill Gates, just like the failed golden rice experiment. The Nobel laureates accuse Greenpeace of killing millions by delaying ghost rice — something the biotech industry accuses me of doing, for the same reason. Unlike golden rice — whose failure to launch is the industry’s own failure, the opposition to genetic engineering (and hence golden rice) is very real and successful. As Glenn Stone, a rice scientist at Washington
University, states: “The simple fact is that after 24 years of research and breeding, golden rice is still years away from being ready for release.” It is Borlaug’s Green Revolution monocultures that contributed to malnutrition by destroying biodiversity, which destroys the diversity of nutrients we need to be healthy. As Navdanya research has shown, biodiversity produces more food and nutrition per acre. Borlaug’s ghost is still shaping the industrial agriculture “miracles” based on monocultures of the mind and spin in place of science. It is now more than 20 years since the “miracle” golden rice began to be promoted as the excuse to allow patents on life. The last time golden rice was resurrected when Patrick Moore of Allow Golden Rice Now was sent to Asia to push the failed promise. Women of the world organised and
responded to Moore — Diverse Women for Diversity issued a declaration on International Women’s Day in 2015 titled Women and Biodiversity Feed the World, not Corporations and GMOs. Golden rice is genetically engineered rice with two genes from a daffodil and one gene from a bacterium. The resulting GMO rice is said to have a yellow colouring, which is supposed to increase beta-carotene – a precursor of Vitamin A. It has been offered as a potential miracle cure for Vitamin A deficiency for 20 years.
But golden rice is a false miracle. It is a disease of nutritionally empty monocultures offered as a cure for nutritional deficiency. In fact, golden rice, if successful, will be 400 per cent less efficient in providing Vitamin A than the biodiversity alternatives that women have to offer. To get your daily requirement of Vitamin A, all you need to eat is one of the following: Two tablespoons of spinach or cholai (amaranth) leaves or radish leaves Four tablespoons of mustard or bathua leaves One tablespoon of coriander chutney One-and-a-half tablespoon of mint chutney One carrot One mango So, if you want to be four times more efficient than 107 Nobel laureates, just eat a carrot! Not only do these indigenous alternatives based on women’s knowledge provide more Vitamin A than golden rice ever will, and at a lower cost, but also provide multiple other nutrients. Our critique of golden rice is that even if it is developed, it will be inferior to the alternatives women have in their hands and minds. Women are being blocked from growing biodiversity and spreading their knowledge to address malnutrition, by rich and powerful men and their corporations who are blind to the richness of the earth and our cultures. Through their monoculture of the mind, they keep imposing monocultures of failed technologies, blocking the potential of abundance and nourishment. As I wrote in 2000, blindness to biodiversity and women’s knowledge is a blind
approach to blindness prevention. Grain.org concluded in Grains of delusion: Golden rice seen from the ground, way back in 2001: “The best chance of success in fighting Vitamin A deficiency and malnutrition is to better use the inexpensive and nutritious foods already available, and in diversifying food production systems in the fields and in the household. The euphoria created by the Green Revolution greatly stifled research to develop and promote these efforts, and the introduction of golden rice will further compromise them. Golden rice is merely a marketing event. But international and national research agendas will be taken by it.” The Giddings-Entine-Byrne Nobel PR stunt was timed to coincide with the US Senate vote on the Dark Act — the denial to Americans of the right to know what they eat. With two decades of the GMO experiment failing to control pests and weeds, creating super pests and super weeds instead, there is now an attempt to push through the “next generation” of GMOs — such as “gene drives” for exterminating nutrient-rich species like the amaranth. Amaranth, a weed to the 107 Nobel laureates, is a richer source of Vitamin A than golden rice has promised it will be, when it grows up. The laureates would have us round up all the Vitamin A we already
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have in abundance, create deficiencies by exterminating it with RoundUp, and provide golden rice to alleviate the absence of Vitamin A. Mr. Gates is also supporting this failed miracle, as well as the failed communication through the Cornell Alliance for Science. He also funds the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and Harvest Plus, the corporate alliance for biofortification. The corporate-controlled World Food Prize for 2016 has been announced for “Biofortification”. Scientists funded by Mr Gates have been given the prize for inventing an orange sweet potato. But the Maori in New Zealand had developed kumara, orange (beauregard) sweet potato, centuries ago. Mr. Gates is also funding the biopiracy research of James Dale of Queensland, who took the Vitamin A-rich indigenous bananas of Micronesia and declared them to be his invention. The bio piracy of people’s biodiversity and indigenous knowledge is what Mr Gates is funding. The Gates fortification or Nobel fortification, will not nourish people. Fraud is not food. DrVandana Shiva’s article was published in Go to Original – vandanashiva. com — Source: TRANSCEND Media Service. The statements and views mentioned in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IPS.
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South Asian, Chinese migrant workers in Mauritius “live like animals and are helpless” By Nasseem Ackbarally
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ORT LOUIS, Aug 29 2016 (IPS) They come from Bangladesh, China, India and Madagascar, mainly to run the machines in the textile industry here. But they do all kinds of other jobs too, from masons to bakers, house cleaners and gardeners. For the eight consecutive year in 2016, the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report ranked Mauritius first among African economies, and its GDP per capita was over 16,820 dollars, one of the highest in Africa. But there is a darker side to the success of this upper middle income island nation in the Indian Ocean, situated about 2,000 kilometers off the southeast coast of the African continent. “Living like animals” Local enterprises rely on foreign workers because Mauritians are increasingly reluctant to work long hours under difficult conditions. But these foreigners live in very poor conditions and in many cases, in human indignity. Thirty-six-year-old Bangladeshi Maqbool* left his wife and two children back home in Dhaka two years ago and came to work in the manufacturing sector in Mauritius, hoping to earn enough money to offer a decent life to his family. “I paid 150,000 takkas (about 2,000 dollars) to an agent who got me this job. I was supposed to get 675 dollars a month, which represents a huge amount in my country, and I was ready for any sacrifice to earn it,” he said. To his bitter disappointment, he earns only about half of that. Foreign workers all have such stories to tell. They take loans or sell the family’s lands or jewelry to pay for their travel to Mauritius. “The island is very beautiful but there is no money here. I run short of money every month after paying for my own expenses. I send some to the family every three months and I save nothing,” adds Massood*. Both men are frustrated as they have to leave the island in a couple of months and they have yet to save any money to take back home.
Running away from poverty Poverty, unemployment and the rising costs of living in their home countries force thousands of Bangladeshis, Chinese, Indians and also Malagasy people to look for jobs abroad. About 40,000 of them already work in the manufacturing sector, the construction industry, hotels, transport and also in the seafood hub. They start work very early in the morning and finish up very late at night. They are forced to do overtime and do not earn more than a 150 dollars a month. A local welfare officer from a well-known textile enterprise confirms under condition of anonymity that the foreigners work night and day with little time for rest and live and sleep in unhygienic dormitories with just a cupboard and a thin mattress full of fleas and bugs. “I feel sorry for them. They live like animals and are helpless. They accept things as they are,” he told IPS. Those who resist or cause trouble on their worksites are sent back home. Hundreds of them faced this fate last year after they took to the streets demanding better wages and protesting against their working conditions. Even though, says trade unionist Feisal Ally Beegun, these migrants are exemplary workers. Still, some of them claim they are happy. “Please sir, tell them to give me more
work and more money, no fuss about it,” one Bangladeshi worker pleaded with IPS, while others working at the CompagnieMauricienne du Textile (CMT), which employs a few thousand expatriates, ran away upon seeing journalists. A security guard posted at the gate of this factory in Phoenix, in the centre of the island, revealed that the foreigners have had so many problems with their employer and the police last year that they now refuse to talk to the media. Source of irritation The antipathy of the locals for the textile and manufacturing sector and for low-paid jobs has resulted in the import of labour to keep the wheels of the island’s industry turning. They were first brought in 1992 as a temporary measure as the industry moved from labourintensive to capital-intensive manufacture. Twenty-five years later, they are still here and the government believes they add value to the island’s economy by helping the factories deliver on time and also help in keeping the locals’ jobs. Trade unionist ReeazChuttoo begs to disagree. “The government argues that foreigners are hired because the locals refuse the jobs. The truth is the government itself discourages the locals by introducing a four-month short-term
contract, for example, in the construction sector, which the Mauritians refuse. In the seafood hub, foreigners are hired only for the night shift because no local does it. “So the locals prefer to hawk cheap imported goods on the street rather than working long and late hours, even if they have to run from the police,” he says. Chuttoo warns that a social explosion is in the making, with high unemployment, too many foreign workers and not enough jobs for the locals. “Mauritius is already invaded by a feeling of xenophobia and racism towards foreign workers,” he adds. JaynarainMathurah, director at the Special Expatriate Unit of the Labour and Industrial Relations Ministry, brushes aside these allegations, arguing that foreign workers enjoy the same working conditions as the locals. “We do not discriminate between them. The free zone manufacturing sector is governed by a remuneration order that is applied to all. Above this, there is a Special Migrant Workers Unit that take care of these migrants and it intervenes very fast with the employers when a problem arises,” he told IPS. He believes the foreigners are well treated but agrees that “seeing their number, it happens that we are unable to visit them as often as we would have liked.” “We believe they are well-
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“The government argues that foreigners are hired because the locals refuse the jobs. The truth is the government itself discourages the locals by introducing a four-month shortterm contract, for example, in the construction sector." -- Trade unionist Reeaz Chuttoo “Living like animals” off regarding their wages and their working and living conditions. Apart from their wages, they also get accommodation, food and transport,” he added. According to him, lowpaid jobs are common in developing countries where the free zone manufacturing sector has been introduced in a bid to create jobs. Investors are always looking for cheap and skilled labour and right now many enterprises in Mauritius plan to expand their activities and they need skilled labour. “Where do I get them?” shouts a manager at Firemount Textiles in northern Mauritius. Foreign workers will not stop coming to this island anytime soon, as they are needed to support its economic development in the absence of locals. They are now expected to increase in the agriculture and the ICT sectors. *Names changed to protect their identities. - Heading changed.
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CINEMA
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Helen: A million fantasies… By Jerry Pinto
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ongratulations on 5th Century score! Hazel-Eyed-ChicSleek-Gorgeously glamorous twinkle toed Charmer of the Silver Screen incidentally has finished the 500th film of her career in Dil Daulat Duniya. Perhaps it is a record all over the world for any film artiste.” – Publicity material for the film Dil Daulat Duniya (1972), quoted in James Ivory’s film Helen, Queen of the Nautch Girls. Helen Khan nee Richardson, who came to be simply known as Helen, the H-Bomb of Hindi cinema, was born on July 14, 1938 or 1939. (The year is uncertain since it varies from telling to telling.). Her mother was Marlene, a half-Spanish halfBurmese woman who married a Frenchman. After his death, Marlene married again, a British officer this time whose name Helen took, becoming Helen Richardson. The family was stationed in Rangoon and when the Axis powers attacked in the Second World War, the Richardsons were stranded. Marlene and her children began the long and murderous walk from Rangoon to Assam. For weeks, Helen told Filmfare in 1964, they trekked alternately through wilderness and ‘hundreds of villages’, surviving on the generosity of people, for they were penniless, with no food and few clothes. Occasionally, they met British soldiers who provided them with transport, found them refuge, “treated our blistered feet and bruised bodies and fed us.” By the time they reached Dibrugarh in Assam, their group had been reduced to half. Some had fallen ill and been left behind, some had died of starvation and disease. Marlene miscarried along the way. The survivors were admitted to the Dibrugarh hospital for treatment. “Mother and I had been virtually reduced to skeletons and my brother’s condition was critical. We spent two months in hospital. When we recovered, we moved to Calcutta.” From Calcutta (now Kolkata), the family wandered a little, moving to Hyderabad and then Deolali (in northern Maharashtra) before coming to settle in Mumbai in 1947. For a few years she went to school, but then when she was 12 or 13, fate intervened. Her mother played bridge with Cuckoo, a dancer who was already making waves in Hindi film. Cuckoo suggested that Helen might have a career in the studios and encouraged by the cane in her mother’s hand, Helen
began to learn to dance with a certain Ratti Bapu who taught her Manipuri dancing. She was a chorus dancer for years until her first solo dance in K Amarnath’s Alif Laila. Then she came to the notice of a man who would have a lasting impact on her life. Perhaps PN Arora had seen her in Alif Laila; but it is more likely that he spotted her in the Madhubala-Shammi Kapoor starrer Rail ka Dibba (1953), made under his own banner, All India Pictures. Arora produced and directed a series of B-grade films, including the aforementioned Hoore-Arab (1955), Neelofar (1957), Khazanchi (1958), Sindbad, Alibaba & Alladin (1965) and the SadhanaRajesh Khanna starrer Dil Daulat Duniya (1972), all of which starred Helen, none of which left any particular mark on film history. It is difficult at this remove to tell exactly what impact Hoor-e-Arab had on Helen’s career. She would have to dance her way through several films until she got to her first hit song-anddance number in Baarish (1957), Mr John, Baba Khan ya Lala Roshandaan Jo Bhi Dekhe Mera Jalwa Ho Jaaye Qurbaan. After establishing that she is a femme fatale, that she has great power over the men who dance with her – she had only to point at them for them to fall over and wave their legs in the air like so many dying cockroaches – she vanishes from the film. The basic outline of the Helen figure was born. But within this outline, Hindi cinema found many uses for Helen. Since she was an outsider in almost every sense – by name, by national origin, by heredity – she could be anyone. And so a
million fantasies were pinned on to one single form. She could be an Italian countess (Prince (1969)) or a German one (Ek Se BadhkarEk (1976)) or an Anglo-Indian golddigger (Gumnaam (1965)) or a tribal (Baadal) or an aboriginal Maharashtrian Koli fisherwoman (Inkaar (1977)) or a Chinese woman (Howrah Bridge (1958)) or a Roman Catholic Jenny (ImaanDharam (1977)).
And so it was that a ‘white woman’ (she was perceived to be one at any rate) entered a world dominated by North Indian men who had very definite notions about how women should look and behave onscreen and she managed to redefine those requirements. For Helen was no ordinary phenomenon, no flash in the pan of male lust. As a dancer, she should have had a short shelf life. Younger women with firmer flesh and deeper cleavages should have usurped her position. It isn’t as if they didn’t try. Without thinking too much, I can name Padma Khanna, ArunaIrani, KomillaWirk, Jayshree T, Meena T and Bindu. They came, they were seen in hot pants and bikinis
and without body stockings, and time conquered them all. But from Shabistan (1951) to Bulundi (1981), Helen was dancing. She was there while the studio mastodons were shivering in their Ice Age as the cold stars rose in the film sky; she was there when the triumvirate of Raj Kapoor-Dev Anand-Dilip Kumar dominated the box office; she sashayed through much of the Bachchan era, even if I have argued that he had much to do with the diminution of her persona. This means that Helen defied the rules of gender. It is a truism that Hindi commercial cinema has no place for the mature woman. Women must either excite the front-benchers with their youth or bring tears to their eyes portraying suffering maternity. Men play by other rules. Jeetendra, for instance, has danced his way through four generations of heroines. Amitabh Bachchan played Raakhee’s younger brother-in-law (Reshmaaur Shera (1971)), then her lover (Kabhi Kabhie (1976), Muqaddarka Sikandar (1978), Jurmaana (1979), Barsaat Ki EkRaat (1981), Bemisaal (1982)) before turning into her cinematic son (Shakti (1982)). But Helen? She vamped three generations of men, Prithviraj Kapoor (HarishchandraTaramati), Raj Kapoor (Anari (1959)) and Rishi Kapoor (Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan (1977)). That’s a sublime feat of gender reversal, even if by the end of it her admirers wanted to avert their eyes from the ageing coquette. Could she act? Bollywood does not require naturalistic acting, it needs a certain kind of performance. This allows for everything from Dilip
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Kumar’s determined attempts to construct a realism out of the unreal elements of Urdu diction and other-worldly elegance to Rajesh Khanna’s deliberate referencing of himself. Somewhere in the middle lay Helen, competently wincing and grimacing when she was called upon to wince and grimace, laying it on thick with her three-syllable ‘darling’s and her coquettish ‘Oh-fo’s, and yet allowing a space for invention, a space in which her male audiences could reconstruct her into a fantasy and her female audiences could identify with her glorious and free feminity. This is probably the secret of her success as a dancer. There were many who danced and many who could dance as gracefully or who could stay in step as perfectly. Indian classical traditions are strict taskmasters and without knowing it, they have laid the foundation for hundreds of Hindi commercial cinema’s best dancers. Helen did not have much classical training. I found no other references to Ratti Bapu in the three years that I researched my book on Helen. But this probably worked in her favour. She brought no pre-suppositions to her dancing. Her body was an instrument that came to each dance anew and in each dance she entered the idiom as thoroughly as if she had been trained in its nuances. Whether it was the complex footwork of kathak or a freeform re-invented disco, Helen danced them all. She was one of the few dancers who was routinely pitched against the industry’s most talented dancers. She would take on Waheeda Rehman in Baazi (1968) and Vyjayantimala in Prince. Of course, she would lose these on-screen competitions. She was supposed to lose. She was the bad girl, after all. But then Helen managed to break with that tradition too, the one that says bad girls may have all the fun but they die unhappy and alone. Helen reinvented herself, after her marriage to writer Salim Khan, and became an icon, a grandmother figure in love with life, the kind who could still bring a smile of memory when the old Helen surfaces for a few moments in the middle of her maternal and grand-maternal characters (Akayla (1991) and Mohabbatein (2000), for example). It is a smile of affection as much as it is a smile of nostalgia. We all loved Helen and we were proved that our love was not misplaced. Growing old gracefully is not something every coquette can do. Helen managed. Superbly. Source: Upperstall
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