SAT July 2015 by South Asia Times

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CELEBRATING 12th YEAR OF PUBLICATION

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South Asia Times Vol.12 I No. 12 I JULY 2015 I FREE s o u t hasiatim es.com .au Editor: Neeraj Nanda

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GUEST EDITORIAL

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Nepal : ‘ Do no harm’ policy for ‘Building back better’

The deadly earthquake in Nepal on April 25 this year saw the international community rush humanitarian and other aid for the Himalayan landlocked country. Massive aid was sent by Australians and Nepalese origin Australians to the country. But Nepal is also burdened by massive debt to foreign lenders of about 3.8 billion dollars, according to the World Bank. This prevents ‘building back better’. ARUN DUTT of Inter Press Service discusses the post earthquake issues now facing Nepal. —EDITOR

NITED NATIONS: As Nepal’s monsoon rains approach, some humanitarian aid remains tied up in the capital Kathmandu and there are concerns that a rush to build shelters could lead to the same shoddy construction that collapsed during the Apr. 25 earthquake, a U.N. official said. John Ging, Operations Director of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), briefed the press about his three days spent in Nepal reviewing the state of the humanitarian situation, response and reconstruction two months after the 7.3 magnitude earthquake. “In the urgency to rebuild, and in the impoverishment that is there, we have to be alert to the real danger of there being a ‘build back worse’ rather than a ‘build back better’,” Ging insisted. So far, an appeal for 422 million dollars has only been 46 percent funded, he said. “We hope to see that mobilised very quickly because people cannot stand in the rain.” The disaster affected around eight million people – almost one-third of the population of the country – resulting in extreme devastation, with 2.2 million people losing their homes. Moreover, an estimated

1.5 million children have been directly affected by the impact of the earthquake on Nepal’s education system, with one million children now without a permanent classroom, Jamie McGoldrick, U.N. Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Nepal, told IPS. Tej Thapa, South Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, told IPS they have been hearing stories of minority communities having greater trouble accessing aid and have received some anecdotal evidence of problems of LGBTI communities accessing aid. “Humanitarian and other groups have adopted a ‘do no harm’ principle, where aid is distributed evenly to all communities but separately – physically separately,” added Thapa. “The Dalits queue up in a different line from the high castes.” This separation confirms the deeply rooted caste system in Nepal which results in human rights abuses towards lower castes, and if not addressed in the Constitution it may prevent the goal of “building back better”, which Ging stated is strongly encouraged in humanitarian efforts. The hurried drafting Nepal’s Constitution could also be an

impeding factor to this goal, as it has been predicted to result in further human rights issues. The Preliminary Draft of the Constitution was approved by Nepal’s Constituent Assembly Jul. 7 although it was due to be completed in 2012. “The draft as it stands is regressive, particularly on women’s rights, minority rights, identity rights, and press freedoms,” Thapa told IPS. “The current political position seems to be to move ahead with this constitution regardless, and hope that laws and practice will sort out the problems over the years, which is deeply worrying.” “The constitution is the supreme law of the land and if rights are not protected through that document then there is little reason to believe there will be any further political will to amend the problems,” says Thapa. “The U.N. stands ready to provide any technical assistance required to ensure compliance of the constitution with the international human rights instruments to which Nepal is a party,” says McGoldrick. Despite these legal factors, U.N. officials assert that Nepalese communities are working together to assure the people in most need are prioritised and nobody is left behind.

“I commend local authorities and local organisations for their show of true humanity in the face of devastation, that made no distinction between any people,” Ging said. “From the outset of the disaster response, Nepalese people, as first responders, were helping each other regardless of gender or other considerations,” McGoldrick affirmed, “Most notably, youth took a lead role in coordinating and delivering aid. Also, family members, friends, neighbours, business owners etc., all recognised their role to play in helping their fellow citizens.” U.N. officials also insist that international humanitarian aid is being distributed evenly among communities. “The U.N., through the UNDAF, has conducted a thorough analysis of the most vulnerable groups in Nepal and addressed inclusion as a main tenet of its programming. This approach is continuing with the relief and recovery work,” McGoldrick explained. “Aid is delivered based solely on need and in an equitable and principled manner. Moreover, all humanitarian programming was designed keeping in mind specific needs of vulnerable groups such as women, children, elderly and/or minorities; so as

to ensure the aid is provided to them in an equitable and apolitical manner.” Another preventative factor to ‘building back better’ could be Nepal’s massive debt to foreign lenders of about 3.8 billion dollars, according to the most recent World Bank numbers. While the earthquake and its aftershocks caused damage amounting to about 10 billion dollars – about one-third of the country’s total economy, the country’s creditors have not agreed on a debt-relief settlement. Nepal will not receive debt relief from the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust as it does not “fulfill the criteria of the fund”, says McGoldrick. Nepal, one of the world’s least developed countries (LDCs), had a projected goal of 6.7 billion dollars for the next phase of rehabilitation and reconstruction of the destroyed infrastructure and services, and received 4.4 billion dollars in pledges at an international donor conference in Kathmandu two weeks ago, although that remains to be delivered. “We still have a significant shortfall in our humanitarian appeal and we are asking member-states to redouble their effort,” Ging said. —Edited by Kitty Stapp

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Movie feast at Indian Film Festival Melbourne – 2015 By Neeraj Nanda

elbourne, 1 July: The best of Bollywood mainstream and art house cinema is all set to hit the silver screen. The Indian Film Festival Melbourne – 2015 (IFFM2015), August 14 to 27 will screen around 45 movies including ‘Unfreedom’, a film on lesbian love and terrorism, banned by the Indian censors. The celluloid feast includes mainstream hits Piku and Haider. The festival program was released at a media conference by Indian Consul General, Manika Jain at the Indian Consulate Hall. Addressing the gathering she said, “The festival has become a prominent brand name in Australia.” The festival kicks off with ‘Umrika’ on 14 August followed by the raising of the tricolour at Federation Square and the Telstra Bollywood Dance Competition. The 14-day festival will screen across four Melbourne venues, has India’s biggest film stars and directors as special guests including Anil Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Rajkumar

Hirani, Nagesh Kuknnor and Kangna Ranaut. Pakistan’s Fawad Khan also joins them as a festival guest. Festival segments Hurrah, Beyond Bollywood, Films from the Subcontinent, Girl Power, Film India World and Master Stroke bring a unforgettable list of movies. The Master Stroke section showcases Satyajit Ray’s digitally remastered classics Charulata and Nayak. Another highlight of the festival will be the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards (IFFM Awards), the first Indian cinema awards of their kind in Australia.

A jury panel of Indian and Australian film legends and experts featuring Simi Garewal, Rajeev Masand, Andrew Anastasios, Jill Bilcock, and Nikhil Advani will honour winners in the categories of Best Film, Best Performance, Best Director and Best Independent Film. Together with the recipient of the People’s Choice Award (Anil Kapoor gets this year’s award), the winners will be announced at a red carpet gala event on 15 August in the Great Hall of the National Gallery of Victoria with a host of

Indian stars and industry leaders in attendance. “The awards will be accompanied by a glamorous fashion show as iconic Indian designer Anamika Khanna and her Australian counterparts showcase a unique collection presented by Australian models, celebrities, Bollywood stars and guests from various walks of life. Many of the garments will be auctioned off during the evening with all proceeds going to The Royal Children’s Hospital in an exciting new partnership, “says a festival media

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release. In her remarks, festival director, Mitu Bhowmick Lange said, “The film selection process was the hardest but we have tried to have something for everyone in the festival.” The festival will wrap up on 27 August with the political thriller Phantom, an Indian counter-terrorism drama film starring Saif Ali Khan & Katrina Kaif about post-26/11 attacks in Mumbai, and global terrorism and directed by Kabir Khan. —SAT News Service IFFM-2015 guide on page 6

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Om Music Group’s musical tribute to Jeetendra By Agil Raja

elbourne, 12 June: A musical tribute was paid to Bollywood jumping Jack Jeetendra with great enthusiasm. The event organized by the Om Music Group at the D’ Asian Restaurant was filled with music lovers to enjoy the musical show. The group presented a colorful variety of songs which included some of the famous songs picturised on Jeetendra such as “Chandi ki Deewar Na Todi (Kunal)” , “Kitnaa pyaara wadaa (Mandy & Amitabh)”, “Naam gum jaayega (Priya and Amitabh)”, “Tere Khayalon Mein Hum (Neela)” and many more. The audience enjoyed the renditions of Neela, Mandy, Priya, Kunal and Amitabh along with the guest singers Sanjay, Lalit and Tilaka. Sanjay a real estate professional is a fantastic singer and has been active in the Melbourne music scene for more than 15 years. His songs “Aane Se Uske Aaye Bahaar” and “Haal Kya Hai Dilon Ka” were instant hits of the evening.

Lalit and Tilaka despite their varied cultural background (Sri Lanka) and language (Sinhalese), sang Hindi songs so well that it reinforced the truth that music indeed is the universal language of mankind. On special request from the audience some the hit songs of the evening were presented live by immensely talented musicians Rohit, Kunal and Vishal who accompanied Amitabh on the songs Musaafir Hoon Yaaron, O Maajhi Re Apna Kinara, Khush Raho Har Khushi Hai Tumhaare Liye and a few more. It was commendable to

see the commitment of artists who kept on entertaining the audience even during the break and some of the most beautiful numbers of the evening such as “Rukh se Zara Naqaab Utha Do”, “Ghum Uthaane Ke Liye Main to Jiye Jaaoonga” and “Mast Bahaaron Ka Main Aashiq” enthralled the audience as they were waiting for their turn on the buffet table. Vigyan the emcee of the evening effectively managed the whole show and kept the giggles of the house up with his witty comments, jokes and poetries. The Om Music Group

thanked all the media partners, supporters and sponsors for their encouragement and help in making these monthly tribute shows popular. What is being provided by Om Music Group in these monthly events is an atmosphere which works on people in a subliminal way where there is music in the air and the silence of the stars. Where words leave off, music begins. The upcoming show on 10th July will be a tribute to the legendary showman Raj Kapoor and his voice the singing legend Mukesh. —SAT News Service

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The group presented a colorful variety of songs which included some of the famous songs picturised on Jeetendra such as “Chandi ki Deewar Na Todi (Kunal)”.

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IFFM-2015-SAT Guide

Friday 14 August – Thursday 27 August Indian Film Festival of Melbourne - Hurrah Bollywood! - Beyond Bollywood - From The Subcontinent - Girl Power -Film India World - Master Stroke Festival Locations - Hoyts Melbourne Central, Hoyts Highpoint, Federation Square, National Gallery of Victoria. IFFM Opening Night - Friday 14 August - Hoyts Melbourne Central IFFM Awards Night- Saturday 15 August - National Gallery of Victoria Telstra Bollywood Dance Competition - Saturday 15 August Federation Square Bookings and program information - www.iffm.com.au BY SAT News Desk

he Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), the southern hemisphere's greatest annual celebration of Indian cinema, takes places from 14 to 27 August. With “Equality” as its unifying theme, this year’s festival explores the richness of contemporary Indian cinema across seven programme streams, featuring films spanning Bollywood to art house and documentaries, as well as hosting the second edition of the annual Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards. The 14-day festival presents a world-class program overflowing with gala events, master classes with India’s leading film figures, and over 45 films screening across four Melbourne venues. SPECIAL GUESTS The festival is delighted to announce a number of India’s biggest stars as special guests for 2014. The stellar list features Anil Kapoor, who over the last 30 years has established himself as one of Bollywood’s pre-eminent actors and made his Hollywood debut as the quiz show host in the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire. Mr Kapoor will attend the festival along with his daughter, the celebrated actress and media personality Sonam Kapoor. Other VIPs include Rajkumar Hirani, director of PK, the highest-grossing Indian film of all time and a highlight of this year’s Hurrah section; screen legend Simi Garewal, aka The Lady in White; Bollywood heartthrob Imran Khan; Shonali Bose, director of Margarita With A Straw; Nagesh Kukunoor and Elahé Hiptoola, director and producer of Dhanak, which scooped The Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for the best feature length film at the Berlin Film Festival this year; Indian National Award 2015 winning director, Srijit and multi-award winning actress Kangana Ranaut, as well as Pakistani superstar Fawad Khan. On the occasion of the IFFM Awards fashion show, the festival is honoured to also welcome two of India’s leading fashion designers, Anamika Khanna and Gaurav Gupta. IFFM AWARDS IFFM is proud to once again host the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards (IFFM Awards), the first Indian cinema awards of their kind in Australia. A jury panel of Indian

and Australian film legends and experts featuring Simi Garewal, Rajeev Masand, Andrew Anastasios, Jill Bilcock, and Nikhil Advani will honour winners in the categories of Best Film, Best Performance, Best Director and Best Independent Film. Together with the recipient of the People’s Choice Award, the winners will be announced at a red carpet gala event on 15 August in the Great Hall of the National Gallery of Victoria with a host of Indian stars and industry leaders in attendance. FASHION SHOW The awards will be accompanied by a glamorous fashion show as iconic Indian designer Anamika Khanna and her Australian counterparts showcase a unique collection presented by Australian models, celebrities, Bollywood stars and guests from various walks of life. Many of the garments will be auctioned off during the evening with all proceeds going to The Royal Children’s Hospital in an exciting new partnership. OPENING FILM IFFM kicks off on 14 August with Umrika, which won the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival for illuminating cultural divides through its portrayal of a young Indian boy’s mythologising of America. “We are really delighted to open the festival with a screening of this most cherished film,” said festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange. AUG 15 PROG. The opening weekend coincides with the Indian Independence Day

on August 15 and the festival is thrilled to commemorate this important event through ceremony, dance, fashion and the recognition of excellence in India’s film culture. Daytime celebrations will include the raising of the Indian flag at Federation Square, followed by the Telstra Bollywood Dance Competition judged by a panel of festival guests, leading into the evening celebrations at the National Gallery of Victoria. EQUALITY THEME With a special focus on this year’s theme of “Equality”, IFFM presents five dynamic programme streams of new and classic films from India and the subcontinent. Festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange said, “Indian filmmakers – from independent short film makers to our most powerful directors – turn their gaze to issues of freedom and equality in the contemporary world and celebrate the diversity that defines us all.” The ‘Equality’ theme is explored in a number of critically lauded features and documentaries. Prominent examples include Naanu Avanalla…Avalu (I Am Not He…She), which focuses on a day in the life of a transgender; Unfreedom, a film banned in India for its frank depiction of a lesbian relationship; Tell Me A Story depicting four stories about life in Bombay as a gay man; the award winning documentary Newborns, about women who survived acid attacks; and the runaway hit PK, a film that broke box office records while polarising Indian audiences through its courageous and bold discussions of religion and religiosity.

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Hurrah Bollywood The section ‘Hurrah Bollywood!’ features the best mainstream Hindi cinema from the last twelve months, featuring such hits as Haider, a modern re-telling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the recipient of numerous domestic and international awards; and Piku, whose truthful portrait of a female protagonist navigating modern Indian society was a huge commercial as well as critical success. Beyond Bollywood ‘Beyond Bollywood’ presents art house and cinema in regional Indian languages, with programme highlights including the multi-award winning Tamil drama Kaaka Muttai, in which two slum children’s dream of trying pizza for the first time serves as an allegory for class inequality; and the box office and critical hit Goli Soda, which follows the adventures of four Tamil boys working and living in a market and was hailed for its reinvention of the Masala genre. ‘Films From THE SUBCONTINENT The Subcontinent’ focuses on films from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal, such as; Burka Avenger, the extremely popular Pakistani animated TV series about a young masked heroine fighting the Taliban (three episodes will be shown together as a single feature). GIRL POWER Girl Power’ features films celebrating female characters; ‘Film India World’ focuses on Indian films that cross international borders;. MASTER STROKE ‘Master Stroke’ showcases some of the greatest classics from India’s rich cinematic history including screenings of Satyajit Ray’s digitally remastered classics Charulata and Nayak; the documentaries The Kingdom of Nek Chand and Calcutta from iconic Australian filmmaker Paul Cox exploring his love of India and three classics from much loved actor Anil Kapoor, special guest of the 2015 Festival. CLOSING FILM As its closing film, IFFM is delighted to host the world premiere of the political thriller Phantom. www.iffm. com.au Facebook : www.facebook.com/IndianFilmFestivalOfMelbourne • Twitter twitter.com/IFFMelb —SAT News Service.

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Australia-India Naval exercise in September : Navdeep Suri By SAT news Desk

elbourne: India and Australia have decided to hold joint naval exercise which will be held in September this year in the Eastern Fleet exercise areas off the east coast of India. This was disclosed by the Indian High Commissioner, Mr. Navdeep Suri, addressing an Indian community gathering here organised by the Confederation of Australian Indian Association to welcome him to Australia. Earlier, two Indian Navy ships Satpura and Kamorta conducting training and security patrols while transiting the Indian Ocean and arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia on 4 June on a goodwill visit. The ships were made open to the public on 6 June. The ‘Navy Daily’ reports the Australian Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Tim Barrett said the exercise was a significant step forward in the bilateral relationship

Mr. Navdeep Suri was addressing an Indian community gathering here organised by the Confederation of Australian Indian Association to welcome him to Australia. Indian Navy Ships Satpura and Kamorta, alongside in Fremantle, Western Australia and reflected the maturing defence relationships of both countries, lead by their respective navies. “As one of our highly valued security partners we welcome the visit by Vice Admiral Soni, Rear Admiral Singh, and the officers and

sailors of Indian Navy Ships Satpura and Kamorta, as we continue to strengthen close bond between the navies of India and Australia,” Vice Admiral Barrett said. “As the Chairman of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium I cannot

emphasise enough the importance of this type of bilateral interaction. “It is important to regional security that we take every opportunity to engage with our neighbours in training activities and exchanges to further strengthen

India is Australia’s main migrant source By Neeraj Nanda

elbourne, 19 June: India has emerged as the main source of migrants to Australia in 2013-14. Australia’s Migration Trends 2013–14 report released recently says almost 40,000 Indian nationals migrated to Australia in this period. In the same year almost 30,000 people born in India became Australian citizens. A total of 207,900 migrants settled permanently in Australia from all countries in the same period. The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton said, in a media release, the report contains a wealth of information about the current trends in migration. “The report provides a rich and valuable source of information on how immigration is shaping our nation,” Mr Dutton said. Australia granted 290,000

student visas in 2013-14 – the highest number since the Global Financial Crises. “This is proof Australia’s Student Visa Programme continues to remain strong and appealing to the overseas market and keeps its place as one of Australia’s major

export earners,” Mr Dutton said. The report provides insights on global economic trends. Tourist numbers from China increased by almost a quarter in 2013–14 reflecting its large and growing middle class

In 2013–14, the permanent Migration Programme delivered almost 128,600 places under the Skill stream and just over 61,000 places through the Family stream, says the media release from Mr. Peter Dutton’s office. “Permanent migration

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our cooperation and understanding,” he said. The INS Satpura is a Shivalik-class stealth multirole frigate built for the Indian Navy and commissioned on 20 August 2011. The INS Kamorta, the first of four anti-submarine Kamorta-class stealth corvette, was commissioned on 12 July 2014.

This is proof Australia’s Student Visa Programme continues to remain strong and appealing to the overseas market and keeps its place as one of Australia’s major export earners. remains a pillar of Australia’s migration programmes providing social and economic benefits through its skilled worker and family reunion programmes,” Mr Dutton said. The report is available on the Department of Immigration and Border Protection website: www. immi.gov.au. —SAT News Service

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‘Project Everyone’ against poverty, inequalities & climate change By SAT News Desk

annes: 24 June 2015 – In September 2015, at the United Nations, New York, 193 world leaders will adopt a series of ambitious goals to end extreme poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change for everyone by 2030. The Global Goals campaign is a global collaborative effort to ensure that these Goals are world famous and that they are successfully acted upon. Project Everyone, founded by Richard Curtis, aims to make the Global Goals the most famous Goals on the planet by sharing them with 7 billion people in 7 days from the moment they are adopted. The more people that know about the Goals, the more people will work to ensure global leaders drive change and the more young people will be inspired to join a new generation of Global Citizens. Richard Curtis is today calling on the media community in Cannes to join the Founding Team to help get the Goals to everyone on the planet. He said, “I would love everyone to get behind the mission to make the Goals famous. We are

The Global Goals campaign is a global collaborative effort to ensure that these Goals are world famous and that they are successfully acted upon.

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Freida Pinto and Richard Curtis. Photo: ProjectEveryone targeting every website and billboard, every TV and radio station, every cinema, every community, every school and every mobile phone network with the task of carrying a simple message about the Goals for the 7 days after they are launched”. One of the first members of the team, The Global Cinema

Advertising Association, SAWA, unveiled plans today for the First Ever Global Cinema Ad Campaign. Thanks to SAWA members, the ad #WEHAVEAPLAN will be screened in more than 30 countries across the world. Freida Pinto and Chiwetel Ejiofor joined Richard Curtis and creator of the ad Sir John

Hegarty on stage at the SAWA seminar to share their views on how cinema can be a powerful medium in driving social change. The Founding Team of Project Everyone includes, Aviva, Getty Images, Pearson, Standard Chartered and Unilever who have all helped to make the campaign possible,

along with action/2015, Akshaya Patra, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Global Citizen, Google, Huffington Post, ONE, Penguin Random House, Save the Children, SAWA, UNDP, UN Foundation, UNICEF, Universal South Africa, Virgin, Vodafone Foundation, WeTransfer and Wikipedia. —SAT News Service

New Skilled Occupations List Australia observes to boost China-India migration International Yoga Day By SAT News Desk

By our community reporter

o give a boost to skilled migration, the Australian government has revamped its SOL which details the professions under which potential migrants can come and work in Australia. New skilled migrants from China and India are likely to benefit from the new list. The 2015-16 Skilled Occupations List (SOL) has been released on 2nd July by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. The SOL identifies occupations that would benefit from independent skilled migration for the purpose of meeting the medium to long term skill needs of the Australian economy, where such needs may not be more appropriately met by sponsored migration programs or upskilling Australians. The Immigration Department website says, “You must nominate an occupation from the Skilled Occupations List

(SOL) if you are applying for an Independent or Family Sponsored Points Tested visa or Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) – Graduate Work Stream.” “Applicants who require a skills assessment as part of their visa application must contact a relevant assessing authority directly to obtain a skill assessment. The assessing authority will provide all necessary applications forms and associated information relating to the assessment, it says. An annual consultation process was undertaken to gather evidence and information provided in submissions by industry, employee representatives,

trade and professional organisations, and other stakeholders. Consultation on the 2015-16 SOL ran from 13 October 2014 to 14 November 2014. In order to provide transparency, all non-confidential submissions received are published and made publically available. 127 submissions were received in response to this consultation. Of these, 3 were confidential. Nonconfidential submissions are available in the Immigration department website. The new SOL can be accessed at - http:// education.gov.au/ news/2015-16-skilledoccupations-list.

elbourne, 21 June: The inaugural International Day of Yoga was observed in Australia today with events spread across the country. Among others Yoga events were held in Victoria, NSW and Canberra. The event here was organised by the Indian Consulate at the Springers Leisure Centre attracting yoga practioners, enthusiasts, invited VIPs, and the local community. The message of Australian PM Tony Abbott was read by the Indian Consul in Melbourne Manika Jain. In his message he said, “Yoga’s universal and growing popularity demonstrates its appeal to people of all walks of life, and its great potential to foster better health among individuals and populations around the

world.” Several MPs including Victoria's speaker Telmo Languiller, Inga Peulich, Anthony Byrne attended the ceremony by lighting the lamp here in the presence of Indian consul general of Melbourne Manika Jain. "It is a matter of great pride and pleasure that UN has declared observation of June 21 every year as International Yoga Day," Jain said. A documentary on yoga was also screened followed by Video message from the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his message Mr. Modi greeted the people around the world, on the

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1st International Day of Yoga. "Let’s pledge to make Yoga an integral part of our daily lives,” he said. Meanwhile, the Art of Living, Melbourne in a media release says it organised the International Day of Yoga at the Moonee Valley Race Course in which about 250 including many VIPs participated in it. “The poses worked a miracle, bringing awareness to the breath, warming up the spine and the body with an hour of stretching the familiar and the not so familiar muscles, it felt good – like a hot tea soothing a sore throat,” says the media release. —SAT News Service

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Victorian govt. announces public consultation for Indian cultural precinct By SAT News Desk

elbourne, 25 June: The Daniel Andrews government in Victoria has initiated public consultations by inviting individuals and organisations to three ‘public meetings’ to decide the location of the Indian Cultural Precinct for which it committed $ 500,000 at the last Diwali function at Federation Square. Earlier, during the previous Coalition government Dandenong’s ‘Little India’ traders had agitated long against the Places Victoria policies which they said were destroying business and businesses in Little India (Foster Street, Dandenong). The agitation took a decisive turn with a massive Little India traders and community demonstration outside the Victorian Parliament. The well attended rally was addressed by many Labor leaders and the issue raised by Mr. Jude Pareira, Labor MP in the Parliament. The Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Robin Scott, is inviting interested organisations and individuals to attend public meetings to discuss the possible location and ideas for the precinct. “The public meetings are a unique opportunity to help shape a significant cultural precinct in Melbourne, says a media release from the office of Mr. Robin Scott. Mr. Scott said, “We look forward to hearing from community members

regarding their suggestions for the location of the cultural precinct. “ “The Indian Cultural Precinct will recognise the important contribution the Indian community makes to Victoria and will be a place to hold festivals, a hub to support business, a drawcard for tourism, and a meeting place for the entire community,” the Minister said. The media release says the meetings will be held in the following locations: - Dandenong Thursday 23 July, 6pm – 7.30pm (Committee Room, Drum Theatre, Corner of Lonsdale and Walker Streets, Dandenong) - Werribee Monday 3 August, 6pm – 7.30pm (Wyndham Community and Education Centre, 3 Princess Highway, Werribee) - Melbourne CBD Tuesday 4 August, 6pm – 7.30pm (Department of Premier and Cabinet, 1 MacArthur Place, East Melbourne) Anyone interested in attending these meetings needs to email omac@dpc. vic.gov.au or call the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship on 9651 0628 before Tuesday 21 July if you would like to attend. “Alternatively, written submissions can be made by emailing omac@dpc.vic.gov. au. Submissions are due by midnight Tuesday 4 August 2015,” the media release says. For more information about the Indian Cultural Precinct one can also visit www. multicultural.vic.gov.au —SAT News Service

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Consultation to improve overseas student’s services

By SAT News Desk

elbourne, 8 July: The government has initiated a consultation process to induce improvements and streamline the international education sector. The Minister for Education and Training, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, has foreshadowed improvements to reduce red tape and strengthen international education. “The Australian Government has released drafts of the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Amendment Bills 2015 for public consultation,” a media release says. “The proposals in these Bills simplify and streamline the regulation of international education. They follow extensive consultations with stakeholders on ways to improve the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) framework,” Mr Pyne said. “This is a significant step

in ensuring the legislative framework for international education is contemporary, and that red tape is reduced, so that Australia’s education institutions can focus on their core business and be even more competitive.” International education is Australia’s fourth largest export industry, earning $17.6 billion last year, and supporting over 130,000 jobs around Australia. The ESOS framework protects the interests of international students and plays a central role in ensuring Australia’s education institutions provide them with an outstanding student experience. The proposed improvements to the ESOS framework include: • reducing complexity in the current Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 by streamlining quality assurance processes • reducing reporting

Australia commits $ 167.5 m for UN World Food Programme By SAT News Desk

elbourne, 6 July: Australia has committed $ 167.5 million funding over four years for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to fight hunger in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. WFP is one of Australia’s best performing humanitarian partners, providing food assistance to 80 million people in 82 countries in 2014. Australia and WFP have recently worked in partnership

to provide urgent food assistance following the earthquakes in Nepal and Tropical Cyclone Pam in

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Vanuatu. The funding will include flexibility for WFP to respond rapidly to emergencies. It

will also include support for school feeding programs to encourage school enrolment and retention, particularly for girls, in the Indo-Pacific. Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Julie Bishop MP said, “I look forward to Australia and WFP continuing to work together to save lives, improve humanitarian action, and fight the impact of food shortages in the Indo-Pacific.” Australia and the WFP will also work together to develop innovative solutions to humanitarian challenges. A WFP innovation expert

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requirements identified by education institutions as duplicative and costly. Mr Pyne said that the Government’s mission to cut red tape was clear, but it would be done in partnership with the international education sector and while fully protecting students. “That’s why we are releasing the Bills and seeking further advice from stakeholders. We are determined to get the policy settings right. “The proposed changes will maintain the quality of Australia’s international education institutions and make the legislative framework clearer,” Mr Pyne said. Submissions are open until Friday, 7 August 2015. For further information, visit https://submissions.education. gov.au/forms/Exposure-draftsof-Education-Services-forOverseas-Students-Bills/pages/ form —SAT News Service

will be seconded to DFAT’s innovation change to help identify, trial and scaleup new approaches to the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the Indo-Pacific. “The partnership focuses on improving disaster preparedness in the Pacific and a greater role for women in humanitarian preparedness and response. This issue has been a focus of discussions at the World Humanitarian Summit Pacific Consultations in Auckland, “says a media release from the Foreign Minister’s office. —SAT News Service

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E: info@pfgmoneymortgage.com.au

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to discussion forum and provided a great opportunity to participants to interact and ask question to the speakers. Family and intergenerational conflicts are natural in families of all cultural backgrounds but has become an emerging issue in the migrant communities from the South Asia region. So the focus of this seminar was on: Is this a common issue for all the migrant communities of this region or a particular

today’s seminar and will endeavour to work with communities organizations and Victoria Government to help address this issue in every possible way at every level and thanked all those present. The program included live cultural performance by talented youth artists and was attended by over 120 people from different communities. SACLG provided certificates of appreciation to a few volunteer youths Ms Tania Jay, Ms Preeeti Daha, Ms Tanvi Mor and Mr Puneet Gulati and to two new youth executive team members including Dr Sonia Cheema. SACLG is a non-religious, non-political, not for profit organization with the goal to works as a conduit between Australia and the South Asia region to help establish a strong linkage to promote greater understanding between South Asian cultures and Australian way of life and advocate harmony, unity and peace. — Supplied.

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SACLG seminar focuses on intergenerational conflicts

By SAT News Desk

elbourne, 26 June: A dinner seminar on the theme topic “Family and Intergenerational conflicts in South Asian Migrants Community” was organized by South Asian Community Link Group-Australiasia (SACLG) on June 24, 2015 at the Estonia Hall, Brunswick West. The seminar was addressed by prominent speakers working in this field. Speakers Dr Irene Bouzo, “A case study of a displaced community” and discussed nine ways of thinking about adaptation in migration. She said that she is looking forward to work with the focus youth groups and SACLG in coming days. Mr. Umesh Chandra J.P highlighted the practical issues of new migrates, students, young generations and families facing real challenges living in Australia. Mr and Mrs. Raizada shared their experiences working with the communities and highlighted that involving youth in every decision

making process and recognising their potential and listening to them is the key to address these challenges. Mr. Ajit Chauhan, a Chairperson/cofounder of Oorja Foundation discussed various perceptions and issues about the youth and suggested that youth think differently and we need to know them better. Following the presentations, the seminar was open

community from this region better than others and is the migrant communities are more adaptable than a decade earlier and what are the main attributing factors for this difference and also is the intergenerational and family conflicts are on the rise and what are the new policy. Dr Raju Adhikari, SACLG President said that SACLG has a major role to play and will take seriously the recommendations of the

BOOK REVIEW

Falang English Dictionary: Prepared with passion

By Neeraj Nanda

elbourne: In the digital age, looking for a word’s meaning is easily done by searching it through Google. The old-style

dictionary though bulky in weight and effort still remains, for many, a way of life. A Nepalese origin journalist, Shiva Neupane, has recently published the first edition of a 310 pages English

dictionary called the ‘Falang English Dictionary’. Its first word sounds unusual but has an emotional touch. ‘Falang’ is the name of Shiva’s village in the Syangja district of Nepal. Shiva now lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Shiva compiled the dictionary with great passion and has over 100,000 words with definitions and usages. A glance of the pages reveals that lots of common use words find place in the dictionary. Every word’s grammatical personality is written next to it. For example, ‘diploma’ is noun and ‘hesitate’ is a verb. The dictionary will be handy for those looking for common words with meanings and usages. Shiva, in 2005, wrote an anthology of English poems “My Waves” and in 2012 published a novel “In Pursuit of Utopian Life in Australia”. Again in 2013 he wrote a www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9095 6220, 0421 677 082

A Nepalese origin journalist, Shiva Neupane, has recently published the first edition of a 310 pages English dictionary called the ‘Falang English Dictionary’. collection of poems “The Elixir of My Voice”. As a journalist, Shiva is a columnist of the ‘Nepali Times’ published in Australia. He also makes regular contributions in different media outlets. His passion for journalism is endless. The “Falang English Dictionary” has been published by the Jayakali Prakashan, Gongabu, Kathmandu, Nepal. It costs Rs 250 there. —SAT News Service.

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Gurukul inaugural opens many paths

By our community reporter

elbourne, 11 July: ‘Gurukul’ is a Sanskrit word which means a school, residential in nature, with ‘shishya’ (pupils) living near the guru, often within the same premises. Its incarnation here is the idea of Mrs. & Mr. Narendra Garg, to connect children with their language

and culture. Plus, Yoga and activity for seniors is also planned. The inauguration of ‘Gurukul’ (though not residential) was done by Mr. Nirmal Kumar, Head of Chancery, Indian Consulate by lighting a lamp. In his address, Mr. Nirmal Kumar, commended the Garg family and team for the much needed initiative. The gathering was also addressed by Mr. Narendra

Garg, Mrs. Garg, Mr. Manoj Kumar, Kaushiliya Vaghela (MC) among others. The welcome speeches were given by Mr. Narendra Garg and Mrs. Garg introduced the concepts in action at ‘Gurukul’. The national anthems of Australia and India were sung by a group of ‘Gurukul’ students and an interactive Hindi quiz was conducted by teachers in which all those gathered participated.

Chocolates were given away as prizes. A few seniors also addressed the gathering explaining their experiences in Australia and the need to start programs for seniors also. The event was attended by a large number of people of Indian, Bangladeshi and Nepalese origin. The atmosphere was cordial and intensely multicultural. People came in colourful traditional outfits and no one missed the opportunity of networking. Those who sponsored the event included South Asia Times (SAT), Ambarsari Dhaba, Koonj, Barry Plant (Gordon Garg), My Wealth Manager, Chandigarh Hair & Beauty, aucam and kreatives.

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Its incarnation here is the idea of Mrs. & Mr. Narendra Garg, to connect children with their language and culture. Plus, Yoga and activity for seniors is also planned. For information call: Narendra Garg at - 0431 123 045 —SAT News Service

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COMMUNITY

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Tarneit, Wyndham Vale in Regional Rail Link By our community reporter

elbourne: Residents in the Wyndham area have welcomed the opening of the $ 3.65 billion Regional Rail Link which is now complete. The final section of the project through Tarneit and Wyndham Vale will open to commuters next Sunday, June 21. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews joined Parliamentary colleagues, project representatives and local government officials today on the first passenger train service along the new dedicated regional tracks through Melbourne's west. Mr Truss said Regional Rail Link removed major bottlenecks in Victoria's rail network and significantly increased capacity for passengers in Melbourne's west and Victoria's major regional centres of Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo. “The Regional Rail Link has expanded Victoria's rail network by laying 50 kilometres of dedicated dual track and 40 kilometres of single track from West Werribee through to Southern Cross Station,” Mr Truss said. “The completion of this project has seen regional rail services separated from metropolitan rail services,

providing additional capacity for passengers across the rail network. “It has also provided an economic boost for Victoria, with an injection of $1 billion annually into the Victorian economy during construction and the creation of 3,500 construction jobs.” Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews said commuters will be able to spend more time at home and less time waiting for transport with trains running every 10 minutes for Geelong commuters throughout peak periods. “Regional Rail Link transforms our train network, delivering more frequent, reliable trains to Melbourne's booming west and Victoria's major regional centres,” Mr Andrews said. “Regional Rail Link is one of the most important projects in Victoria's history and a great example of what can be achieved when Federal and State Governments work together to deliver major public transport infrastructure." Victorian Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan said it was exciting to catch the first passenger service on the new tracks and acknowledged the hard work of all involved. “This is the culmination of seven years of hard work by 15,000 engineers, designers and builders,” Mrs Allan said. “Regional Rail Link proves how important investing in public transport

infrastructure is to jobs, our economy and our future. We're getting on with it, building Melbourne Metro and removing 50 of our worst level crossings” Talking to SAT, Mr. Intaj Khan, Wyndham Councillor said, “I welcome the new train station and thank the federal and state governments for completing the project one year before schedule and within the stipulated budget.” The Regional Rail Link is the state's first new major rail line in 80 years and has been delivered ahead of schedule and under budget. The project has delivered: 90 kilometres of new track, five new or upgraded stations, 13 grade separations, two level crossing removals, and

improvements to cycling and civic infrastructure across Melbourne's west The project was jointly funded with the Australian Government investing $2.7 billion and the Victorian Government contributing

$931 million. —SAT News Service Local, regional and national politicians joined Victoria's Minister of Public Transport Jacinta Allan on the special train to mark the opening of the Regional Rail Link on June 14.

Australia suspends Maggie noodles import from India By SAT News Desk

Melbourne: Australia has suspended the import of Maggie noodles from India. The country’s Department of Agriculture has in a holding order on 11 June temporarily taken the step against this product manufactured by Nestle India. The issue has been hitting the headlines in India and put the food multinational Nestle in a tight spot. Maggie noodles made in India are available mainly in Indian/South Asian stores in Australia and have many verities different from other Maggie products in Australia. “The purpose of this notice is to advise that the department has applied a holding order to Maggie brand noodles (Maggie noodles) from India. “This is a precautionary measure in response to reports of levels of lead that are potentially non-compliant with the permis-

sible levels in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code),” Australian Department of Agriculture said in the

notice. “Under the holding order, each consignment will be held in a place to be approved by an authorised officer until it has

been inspected, or inspected and analysed, in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Imported Food Inspection

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Scheme,” it said. The Department of Agriculture “will inspect and test consignments for the presence of lead and compliance with Standard 1.4.1 of the Code. According to a PTI report, “On June 5, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had banned Maggie directing Nestle to immediately withdraw and recall all nine variants of Maggie instant noodles from market. Nestle India has also recalled the product from the market. “ “ Nestle has challenged the ban order before the Bombay High Court, which on June 12 declined to give any interim relief over ban of Maggie noodles. The court has scheduled the next hearing for June 30 and has FSSAI and the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to file affidavits within two weeks over concerns raised by Nestle.,” the PTI report says. —SAT News Service

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‘Subcontinent Friends of Labor’ (SFOL) meet-greet a big success By SAT Community reporter

elbourne: The Subcontinent Friends of Labor (SCFOL) organised a largely attended meet-greet function on 4 July, 2015 at the Civic & Functions Centre, Werribee. The event was an effort to unite and organise members and supporters of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in Victoria who originate from the Indian Subcontinent namely from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan. The revamped SCFOL committee and well wishers were introduced to the gathering via a power point presentation and in person. Those who addressed the gathering included Jude Periera, MP, Guri Singh, Manoj Kumar, Mustafa ,Intaj Khan, Kaushaliya Vaghela, Neeraj Nanda, Dr. Imram Sayed, Sofie Ismail and Deepak Vinayak. In his address, Jude Pereira MP said, “The SCFOL was a commendable effort and a right step by subcontinent people to involve themselves in mainstream Australian

politics.” “I encourage ALP supporters to become members so they can participate and have a feel of the internal politics in the ALP,” he said. Whyandam Councillor Intaj Khan said he was happy that the subcontinent Labor supporters have come together to make their presence felt in the party and Australian society. Manoj Kumar felt the SCFOL was a platform to move forward for our own common good and assimilate in mainstream Australia. “The big void of subcontinent people not in Australian politics and social

life can be filled up by SCFOL activities,” he said. A large number of those present became members of the SCFOL pledging loyalty to the Labor cause. The event also had a break for those breaking their Ramzan fast and a networking session with snacks in the end was sponsored by Councillor Intaj Khan. The following SCFOL committee members were announced: Patron: Hon. Jude Perera MP (Victorian State MP for Cranbourne) Committee: Manoj Kumar –

Chairperson, Guri Singh – President, Kaushaliya Vaghela – Secretary,Cr. Chandra Daya Bamunusinghe JP – Asst Secretary, Mustafa Hasan Yusuf – Treasurer & Narinder Garg – Asst. Treasurer. Vice Presidents: Harbhajan Singh Kaira ( East), Harpreet Marwaha ( West) & Satnam Pabla ( North) Advisors: Cr.Tim Singh, Cr.Intaz Khan, Cr. Oscar Lobo, Dr. Sharif As –Saber, Deepak Vinayak JP,Aakash Kumar,Bom Yonzon, Anand Serome & Satinder Chawala. Community Representatives/Our Country Ambassadors: Dr. Shahbazz Chowdhury ( Pakistani Community),

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Dr. Sharif Al Saber (Bangladesi community), Dr. Dor Aschna ( Afgani Community),Bandu Dissanayake ( Sri Lankan Community), Ranjan Srivastav/ Durga Acharya ( Nepalese Community ), Parsu Sharma ( Bhutanese Community) & Kuljeet Dhillion/Dr. Mantokh Singh (Indian Community) Women Advisory Committee: Dr. Sonia Singh, Mrs Priya Bedi, Ms Lubna Kamal Youth Advisory committee: Varnan Ganesh, Niru Tripathy, Puneet Gulati, and Asharaful Alam, Media Advisor: Neeraj Nanda. —SAT News Service.

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Judiciary in times of brute majority By Abhik Chimni

EW DELHI : Recent elections have seen the formation of governments with unprecedented majorities. The BJP at the Centre got the highest number of seats since 1984, while the AAP swept to power in the Delhi assembly leaving just three seats for the opposition. History suggests that governments with brute majority have often exercised unrestrained political will. The Indian constitution wisely subscribes to the doctrine of separation of powers. Reflecting this doctrine, the Judiciary has a special place to play in our democracy. In the last one year there has been undermining of the courts legitimacy to decide on issues of national importance. To understand the significance of an independent judiciary we need to go back to three historic decisions of the Supreme Court of India, two in 1970 the Bank Nationalization and the Privy Purses Judgments and one in 1985, the Shah Bano case. The Supreme Court on 10.02.1970 struck down the ordinance nationalizing banks and on 06.09.1970 the Court found de-recognition of the princes by a presidential order unconstitutional. These decisions of the Court forced the second nationalization ordinance to remove the provision forbidding private banks from continuing banking business and also specified compensation for the banks. Similarly a constitutional amendment had to be passed to change the status of prince’s privy in India. These judgments did not contemplate on issue of policy but fulfilled the Judiciary’s duty of testing the ordinance and presidential order on constitutional law. What made these decisions remarkable was that these decisions were made when the popularity of a Congress party committed to socialist principles was extraordinary. Only a few months later in 1971 the Indira Gandhi led Government came to power with 350 out of 520 seats in parliament! Similarly In 1985 the Shah Bano

judgment recognized the right of alimony for a Muslim woman, a verdict later diluted through Legislation by a majority Government. The Court has made clear that the Union cannot take away liberties guaranteed by the constitution nor can the legislature and executive function contrary to the separation of powers. The Supreme Court through Kesavanand Bharti case sought to protect the Fundamental Rights from even the Parliament. Our constitutional scheme recognizes the role of the Supreme Court as the final interpreter of the constitution. In recent times , It was the Supreme Court which struck down the policy of coal allocation, cancelled telecom licenses, nullified section 6A of DPSE ACT 1946 increasing the independence of CBI, brought in concept of “institutional integrity” in appointment of CVC etc. Common to these judicial decisions and to the public debates that followed is the issue of “corruption”- the very plank on which BJP contested the election. However now, with 283 seats it is no surprise that the National Judicial Accountability Commission (NJAC) bill has been passed. The current Government has been hostile to any criticism against the bill. The Attorney General during the hearing stated, “Adjudicate as you please but the collegium

system is buried and the Parliament will re-legislate even if constitutional amendment is struck down”. The message is clear. Appointment of Judges will now have to face scrutiny of the political class. Does this imply that political interference was impossible sans the NJAC? Unlikely, if we recall what happened when prominent lawyer Gopal Subhramanium was chosen by the Supreme Court collegium to be elevated as a judge of the Apex Court. What the NJAC perhaps ensures is institutional intervention by the executive. The Prime Minister has recently stated that activists are a problem and the Court must not be influenced by their concerns. This came soon after activist Teesta Setalvad was given anticipatory bail by the Supreme Court and the High Court of Delhi had to strike down orders of the Government in the blocking of Green Peace funds to protect the individual’s constitutional guarantee of free speech and movement. HRD Ministry’s ‘indirect’ role in banning a discussion group of students shows scant regard for free speech rights. The Central Government’s much touted commitment to transparency and independence of institutions also seems open to question with the delay in the appointment of a Chief Information Commissioner. This has led in the last 8

months to 38,000 pending cases and an undermining of the Right to Information Act. The Delhi High Court has now asked the Centre to explain this inordinate delay. A majority in the Delhi Assembly has also led to brazen unconstitutional acts such as issuing a circular which would leave the media open for defamation if they are to criticize the ruling government, to promote vigilante politics such as the video recording of incidents and using it as prima facie evidence for arresting persons. There is an advocacy of kangaroo courts rather than a court of law with due process. Ideologies that govern political power have changed as social movements challenge extant caste, class and gender relations. It is the constitution that provides a permanent guarantee of certain liberties known as Fundamental Rights. The Judiciary will continue to protect, interpret, and broaden these rights both through private litigation, which may require protection of shareholders rights from the executive or the wrongful dispossession of property by the state. As also through tools such as public interest litigation to nullify unconstitutional state action such as abolishing Salwa Judum; protecting free speech through striking down provisions such as 66A of the IT Act or directing

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Ideologies that govern political power have changed as social movements challenge extant caste, class and gender relations. It is the constitution that provides a permanent guarantee of certain liberties known as Fundamental Rights. the abolition of manual scavenging practiced by authorities of the State such as the Railways. To ensure that majority Governments do not undermine legitimate criticism by the Courts and Media it is imperative to hold up the principle of separation of powers, central to checks and balances of any functioning democracy. (Chimni is an Advocate at the Supreme Court of India, New Delhi). —TheCitizen

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Bangladeshi migrants risk high seas and smugglers to escape poverty By Naimul Haq

EKNAF, Bangladesh, Jun 30 2015 (IPS) - Though he is only 16 years old, Mohammad Yasin has been through hell and back. He recently survived a hazardous journey by sea, crammed into the cargo-hold of a rudimentary boat along with 115 others. For 45 days they bobbed about on the Indian Ocean somewhere between their native Bangladesh and their destination, Malaysia, with scarcely any food, no water and little hope of making it to shore alive. Midway through the ordeal, Yasin watched one of his fellow travelers die of starvation, a fate that very nearly claimed him as well. The young man, who hails from a poor cobbler’s family in Teknaf, located on the southernmost tip of Bangladesh’s coastal district of Cox’s Bazaar, broke down in tears as he narrated the tale, putting a human face to the story of a major exodus of migrants and political refugees in Southeast Asia that has rights groups as well as the United Nations up in arms. 45 days of torture Yasin tells IPS it all began when a group of men from the neighbouring Bandarban district promised to take him, and five others from Teknaf village, to Malaysia in search of work. With an 80-dollar monthly salary and a family of four to look after, including a sick father, Yasin believed Malaysia to be a ‘dream destination’ where he would earn enough to provide for his loved ones. “The men told us we would not have to pay anything now, but that they would later ‘deduct’ 2,600 dollars from each of us once we got jobs in Malaysia,” recounted the frail youth. “On a sunny morning around the last week of April we were taken along with a larger group of men and women to the deserted island of Shah Porir Dwip, where we boarded a large wooden boat later that same evening.” A little while into the journey on the Bay of Bengal, at the Chaungthar port located in the city of Pathein in southern Myanmar, a group of Rohingya Muslims joined the party. This ethnic minority has long faced religious persecution in Myanmar and now contributes hugely to the movement of human beings around this

Aspiring migrants abandoned by traffickers on the open ocean, were recently rescued by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and reunited with their families in Bangladesh. Photo : Abdur Rahman/IPS region. Together with the 10 organisers of the voyage, who turned out to be traffickers, the group numbered close to 130 people. Just how they would reach their destination, or when, none of the passengers knew. Their lives were entirely in the hands of the boat’s crew. “Horror unfolded as we sailed,” recalled Mohammad Ripon, who also joined the journey at the behest of traffickers from the central Bangladeshi district of Narayanganj. “Supplies were scarce and food and water was rationed every three days. Many of us vomited as the boat negotiated the mighty waves,” he told IPS. During the day the crew opened the hatch of the cargo vessel to let in the blistering sun. At night it was kept shut, leaving the passengers to freeze. No one could sleep; the shrieks and cries of sick and frightened passengers kept the entire company awake all night long. From time to time, the boat stalled on the choppy waters, “probably to change crews”, the passengers told IPS. But no one knew for sure, and none dared ask for risk of being physically abused or thrown overboard. By this time, their captors had already beaten a number of the passengers for asking too many questions. After nearly a month and a half of this torture, the Bangladesh Coast Guard steered the boat in to Saint Martin’s island, off the coast of Cox’s Bazar – very close to where the hopeful immigrants had begun their journey. It was not until the malnourished passengers

emerged, with sunken eyes and protruding ribs, that they realised the crew had long since abandoned the ship. Traffickers exploiting poverty Though their dreams were dashed, this group is one of the lucky ones; they escaped with their lives, their possessions and their money. For too many others, these illicit journeys result in being robbed, pitched overboard or even buried in mass graves by networks of smugglers and traffickers who are making a killing by exploiting economically desperate and politically marginalised communities in Southeast Asia. According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, an estimated 88,000 people – mostly poor Bangladeshis and internally displaced Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar – attempted to cross the borders into Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia in a 15-month period. This includes 63,000 people between January and December of 2014 and an additional 25,000 in the first quarter of this year. Of these, an estimated 300 people died at sea in the first quarter of 2015. Since October 2014, 620 people have lost their lives during hazardous, unplanned maritime journeys on the Bay of Bengal. To make matters worse, the discovery of trafficking rings has prompted governments in the region – particularly Thai and Malaysian authorities – to crack down on irregular arrivals, refusing to allow ships to dock and sometimes going so far as to tow boatloads of people back out to sea despite the presence

of desperate and starving people on-board. Aspiring migrants from Bangladesh are fleeing poverty and unemployment in this country of close to 157 million people, 31 percent of whom live below the poverty line. Data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) suggests that the unemployment rate is 4.53 percent, putting the number of out-of-work people here at close to 6.7 million. Mohammad Hasan, 34, is one of many who dreamed of a more prosperous life in a different country. A tall, dark welder from Boliadangi, a village in the northwestern Thakurgaon district, he told IPS, “I sold my ancestral land to travel to Malaysia where I hoped to get a welding job in a construction company, because my earnings were not enough to support my six-member family.” At the time, he was earning less than 100 dollars a month. Feeding seven people on 1,200 Bangladeshi taka (about 15 dollars) a day is no easy task. Desperate, he put his life in the hands of traffickers and set out for the Malaysian coast. Earlier this year, abandoned by those who had promised them safe passage, he and close to 100 other men were discovered drifting off the coast of Thailand. Fortunately, all of them survived, but the money they paid for the journey was lost. Forty-one-year-old Kawser Ali from Gangachara, a village in the northern Rangpur District, had a similar tale. He says he made a break for foreign shores because his earnings as a farmer simply weren’t enough to put

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enough food on the table to keep his eight-member family, including his in-laws, alive. Millions of people here share his woes: between 60 and 70 percent of Bangladesh’s population relies on agriculture for a livelihood, and the vast majority of them struggle to make ends meet. Thus it should come as no surprise that Kawser was recently found deep within a forest in Thailand where he and some 50 others had been led by traffickers and abandoned to their own fate. He told IPS that most of his companions along the journey were marginal farmers, like himself. “We have no fixed income, and can never earn enough to improve our economic condition. I would like to see my son go to a better school, or take my wife to market on a motorbike.” It is these humble aspirations – together with tales from friends and neighbours who have made the transition successfully – that have led scores of people Kawser to the coast, to board unsafe vessels and put themselves at the mercy of the sea and smugglers in exchange for a chance to make a better life. Aninda Dutta, a programme associate for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Bangladesh, told IPS, “In Bangladesh, there is a strong link between migration and smuggling, in which a journey that starts through economic motivations may end up as a trafficking case because of the circumstances.” These ‘circumstances’ include extortionate fees paid to so-called agents, essentially rings of smugglers and human traffickers; beatings and other forms of intimidation and abuse – including sexual abuse – during the journey; theft of all their possessions while at sea; or abandonment, penniless, in various locations – primarily Thailand or Malaysia – where they are subject to the ire of immigration authorities. In a bid to nip the epidemic in the bud, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) recently set up more checkpoints to increase vigilance, and proposed that the government tighten regulations regarding the registering of boats. But until the government tackles the underlying problem of abject poverty, it is unlikely that they will see an end to the exodus any time soon. —Edited by Kanya D’Almeida

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Public Distribution System corruption hurts the poor By Neeta Lal

EW DELHI, Jul 1 2015 (IPS) - Chottey Lal, 43, a daily wage labourer at a construction site in NOIDA, a township in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is a beleaguered man. After a gruelling 12-hour daily shift at the dusty location, he and his wife Subha make barely enough to feed a family of seven. Nor is the couple ever able to procure the subsidized rations they are legally entitled to, under a government law, from their local fair price shop. “Whenever we go to the outlet, we’re shooed away by the grocer saying stocks have run out. We end up buying expensive food from the market, which isn’t enough to feed the entire family. Everybody knows the shopkeeper is profiteering from selling grain on the black market. But what can we, the poor, do? We’ve complained at the local police station also, but no action has been taken against the vendor,” Lal told IPS. Savirti, 50, and Kamla, 39, have a worse tale to share. Both women, who are widows and live with their married sons, are dependent on their families for food and a roof over their heads. However, they have been reduced to beggary as the family income is meagre and the grain rations they receive from the fair price shops are barely enough to feed half the family. “I usually disappear at meal times from home, as it’s heartwrenching to see so many people parcel out so little food among themselves. I now beg for food, though I live with my sons,” Savitri told IPS. Kamla similarly feels she “eats better outside the home than inside” due to strangers’ kindness. Engulfed in corruption, leakages and inefficiency, India’s public food distribution system (PDS) – a network of about 60,000 fair price shops around this country of 1.2 billion people – is depriving millions of poor people of the food grain they are entitled to under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Essential commodities like rice, wheat, sugar, and kerosene are supposed to be supplied to the public through this network at a fraction of the market rates. The NFSA aims to sustain two-thirds of the country’s population by providing 35 kg of subsidised food grains per person per month at one to three rupees (0.01 to 0.04 dollars) per kilo. However, only 11 states and Union Territories (UTs) have so far implemented the law, which was passed by Parliament in September 2013. The rest of

With a network of 60,000 ration shops, India’s public food distribution system is mired in corruption and inefficiency, leaving millions starving while tonnes of grain rot in storage.Photo: Neeta Lal/IPS the 25 states or UTs have not implemented it yet. To make matters worse, national surveys have highlighted how millions of tonnes of grain are siphoned off from the distribution system by unscrupulous merchants. They sell this loot in the open market at high profits, or export it in collusion with corrupt officials from the staterun Food Corporation of India. Much of the food from the PDS is also diverted to neighbouring countries like Nepal, Burma, Bangladesh and Singapore. A government study done in Uttar Pradesh found that numerous, competing agencies, poor coordination and low administrative accountability have combined to cripple the delivery mechanism. The Justice D. P. Wadhwa Committee, which was tasked by the Supreme Court of India with monitoring its orders in a public interest litigation case on the right to food in 2006, recently came out with a damning indictment of the PDS. Investigating irregularities in the chain’s distribution, the committee revealed that 80 percent of the corruption in distribution happens even before supplies reach the ration shops. Worse, nearly 60 percent of the food that is channeled through the public distribution system is either wasted or siphoned off in transit. “What reaches the poor beneficiaries is often not even fit for consumption,” explains food expert Devinder Sharma who helms the New Delhibased collective, Forum for Biotechnology & Food Security.

This rampant and systemic abuse in the delivery chain augurs ill for a country like India, home to 194.6 million undernourished people, the highest in the world, according to the recent annual report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. The report states that the numbers translate as over 15 percent of the country’s population, exceeding China in both absolute numbers and the proportion of malnourished people in the country. “Higher economic growth has not been fully translated into higher food consumption, let alone better diets overall, suggesting that the poor and hungry may have failed to benefit much from overall growth,” says the 2015 State of Food Insecurity in the World about India. Close to 1.3 million children die every year in India because of malnutrition, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The prevalence of underweight children in India is among the highest in the world, and is nearly double that of sub-Saharan Africa, with dire consequences for mobility, mortality, productivity and economic growth, states the WHO. In a bid to tackle the problem of chronic hunger, the Shanta Kumar Committee, tasked with a review of the PDS in India, submitted a report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year, recommending a gradual phasing out of the PDS and a move to cash transfers. The proposed cash transfer, according to the committee,

will whittle down poor beneficiaries’ reliance on PDS ration shops. Some experts have buttressed this idea with the argument that dismantling the food procurement system, by providing coupons or food entitlements in the form of cash to the beneficiaries and allowing them to buy their own quota from the market, is a far more foolproof system. The belief is that if the people are given the subsidy directly, both the government and the consumers will benefit. Each year India’s granaries burst with bumper harvests of wheat and rice, but the grain is either pilfered by middlemen or allowed to rot in the rain while millions starve. The government also incurs a huge expenditure on the food grains it supplies through the system. The leakage of food grains supplied to the PDS is as high as 48 percent, say surveys, and the buffer stocks it maintains are often far above the requirement, leading to huge costs on maintenance. Ironically, the PDS is one of the largest programmes in India aimed at social welfare of the poor. Renowned economist Jean Drèze has argued that the impact on poverty reduction can be considerable if the PDS works efficiently. Currently, close to 23 percent of India’s people live on less than 1.25 dollars a day – an arbitrary line that the Asian Development recently found to be an inadequate measure of poverty, suggesting that a line of 1.51 dollars would better reflect the sum required to keep a person at a minimum standard of existence.

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I usually disappear at meal times from home, as it’s heartwrenching to see so many people parcel out so little food among themselves. I now beg for food, though I live with my sons." -- Savirti, a 50-year-old woman Regardless of how extreme poverty is measured, it is clear that millions in this country are at, or very close, to, the point of starvation every single day. Experts like Dr. Ravi Khetrapal, an agricultural scientist formerly with the Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies, believe the PDS to be an essential component of Indian society because the prevailing market prices for essential commodities are beyond the reach of the downtrodden. “If the poor don’t access this network, they will starve to death,” he told IPS. “The network can play a more meaningful role if it is streamlined to ensure micro-level success and availability of food grains for all poor households.” India has an impressive list of programmes to fight hunger, and the budget allocation for these is increased every year, and yet the poor go hungry. In fact, according to U.N. data, the number of impoverished people in the country is increasing with every passing year. The answer does not lie in dismantling the PDS system, but reforming the world’s largest food delivery system to cleanse it of corruption, and make it more effective. “This is certainly possible, but given the extent of political meddling – from the allotment of ration shops to transportation of grains – it has never been attempted in earnest. We need to build a system that ensures food for all at all times. This is what constitutes inclusive growth. A hungry population is a great economic loss,” Sharma told IPS. —Edited by Kanya D’Almeida

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Entertainment

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Labour Of Love:

The Mesmerising power of silence By Shoma A. Chatterji

e live in a world spilling over with the spoken word – simple sentences, biting satire, delightful punning, boring jokes, cheerful camaraderie, ornamental poetry, bitter quarrels, cellphone threats and romantic whisperings. In this world, silence can work wonders with our lives but we do not realise it because we have lost the art of listening to ‘silence.’ Within this wordy world therefore, a film minus dialogue may create uncertainty of what the silence is all about. Once you watch the very young Adityavikram Sengupta’s debut film Labour of Love (Asha Jaoar Majhe in Bengali), you realise how a film without dialogue can transport you to a different world altogether. Sengupta studied Graphic Design at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. He later worked at Channel V for three years making promotional films. He then began working on his own project, painting and exhibiting his art works and eventually began to freelance as an ad filmmaker and animator to earn a living. His wife Jonaki Bhattacharya and he decided to make his first film. “I wanted to venture into films because I felt my artistic training – graphic design, painting, etc are intricately linked to cinema which is a rich visual medium which challenges one to toy around with the form and content.” Labour of Love premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and won FEDEORA Award for Best Film by a Debut Director and two National Awards (Best Film by a Debut director and Best Sound Design). In May this year, the film won three major awards for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay at the 15th

Edition of the New York Indian Film Festival. The film was the sole Indian entry in the Cinema International section of the 20th KIFF. Further, it won the Special Mention Award in the New Horizons Section of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in 2014. The film is slated for theatrical release in India on June 26 at Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. Labour of Love is the story of two individuals, a young husband and his wife who live in a dilapidated bylane in Kolkata. The husband works in a printing press while the wife is employed in a bagmanufacturing factory. Their work schedules are such that they though they share their lives, they hardly meet every day. The husband works in the night shift while the wife works in the day shift. The housework is democratically distributed between themselves. The husband does the cooking, the washing, the tiffin, the drying of the clothes and everything else when the wife is at work. The wife finishes off her chores when he is away. The small pockets of time they have together is perhaps when they have a common holiday or between their work schedules when one comes home and the other is ready to step out. Labour of Love Sengupta has stripped them of proper names perhaps to present them as a microcosm of any young working couple from the lower rungs of the middleclass living in contemporary Kolkata. The minute detailing of mundane household chores also subtly suggest the dilapidated home they reside in where their washing has to be put out to dry on a rope strung across what appears to be a common balcony. The

wife captured by the camera from behind as she walks out of the dingy lane to her work place is another example of the director’s attention to detailing. The lack of dialogue expands the horizons of the subject– how a young couple, trapped in the midst of heightening recession, manages to extract the juice of happiness within this limiting world. The story would appeal to audiences across the globe because the recession has affected all

working families struggling against price-rise of essential commodities, rising rate of unemployment and other financial constraints. Small ribbons of news flash across the bottom of the screen frame spelling out the financial realities. The narrative has two layers – one is the story of the husband and wife and the other captures the larger picture of society within which they are eking out a difficult life without losing hope and their love for each other which makes words redundant. “The decision to make the film without dialogue was not a designed construct. It was organic and evolved as we, as a team, got increasingly involved with the film during making it. There was a sequence with dialogue but the film developed a life of its own, stripping the

need for dialogue and we felt we should not disturb it in any way,” says Adityavikram who has made the film on a shoe-string budget produced by his wife Jonaki Bhattacharya under the banner of For Films. “Later, Sanjai Shah who produced Miss Lovely stepped after the first edit stage. “Sanjai was working with NFDC and he extended help with the sales, distribution and film festival participation strategies,” he adds. But if the film has no dialogue, why does he call it a Bengali film? “It is a Bengali film though there is no articulated language through dialogue. The setting is in the crumbling segments of Kolkata featuring two Bengali characters getting crushed in the recession, their lives as if hanging in limbo. Culturally, ethnically, visually, the film is Bengali. I am a Bengali and I identify more closely with the Bengali identity than with any other,” says Adityavikram. The Power of Silence “You cannot call it a silent film in the common sense understanding of the term. There is a lot of ambient sound such as voices floating in from outside, old songs playing on a radio, sounds of traffic outside. If you remember Pushpak, it had no dialogue but there were sound effects. My film does not leave space for dialogue. I also want my audience to participate in the film by trying to comprehend, guess, and understand the interaction between the two characters through the film. I know that members of the audience will be able to identify with the characters. In other words, I did not wish my characters to impose on the audience,” says Sengupta. About the power of silence,

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he says, “I have seen that communication between people in love can be done without the use of words. We see and read about it everywhere but are not conscious about it. I have tried to create expressions of love through mundane things in life. Did my mother actually demonstrate how much she loved me every day? It came across through small actions and behaviour showing how much thought and care went behind each action, all achieved without the use of a single word. . I want my audience to see how love can be expressed by two people without having to speak at all.” Ritwik Chakraborty, a noted actor of Bengali cinema known for his amazing range of performances, has played the husband while the wife has been portrayed by debutant actress Basabdatta Chatterjee. Says Sengupta, “I had seen some of Ritwik’s films and found him to be very grounded, unassuming and natural. He has done great work and he suited the character to a tee. My wife Jonaki had seen Basabdatta a long time ago in a television serial and we looked for her. Basabdatta has done an excellent job.” The graphics flashing as ribbons at the bottom of the frame must be taken as the backdrop of the couple's love story throwing forth the message that happiness is a state of mind and those who wish to take advantage of small fragments of time, can extract that happiness like drops of precious diamonds denied to them for reasons of pure survival. Unless the viewer reads the film along with the graphics, the film might not make much sense except for its tender and moving love story. - TheCitizen Photo : International Film Festival Rotterdam

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‘Force of Destiny’ set in India is MIFF 2015 opening night gala film

"A moving and compassionate exploration of the human condition. One of Paul Cox’s most personal and emotional films. David Wenham gives an exceptional performance." – David Stratton

By SAT News Desk

aul Cox’s Force of Destiny set in India is MIFF 2015 opening night gala film. The movie stars David Wenham, Shahana Goswami, Jacqueline McKenzie, Hannah Frederricksen ,Terry Norris, Seema Biswas, and Mohan Agashe among others. Revered Australian auteur and MIFF regular Paul Cox (Human Touch, MIFF 2004; Innocence, MIFF 2000) had a second chance at life when he received a liver transplant on Christmas Day 2009. This experience profoundly affected him and Force of Destiny, the first film in this new phase of his life, is in many ways an outpouring of his renewed love for humanity. Highly autobiographical, Force of Destiny (Australia-India 2015) is a moving love story with a sumptuous aesthetic. David Wenham (working with Cox again for the first

time since Molokai: The Story of Father Damien, MIFF 2000) stars as Robert, a renowned sculptor who is diagnosed with cancer of the liver. While reeling from this news he meets Maya, an Indian marine biologist who comes from a different world, a different reality. Robert’s nightmares and passion for Maya intensify as he confronts the agony and ecstasy of finding a love that has evaded him his entire life just as his body is about to be taken from him. New hope comes

when he’s placed on the transplant waiting list. Filmed in Melbourne and India, Force of Destiny is another screen gem from this beloved director, invested with the poignancy of an almost-true story. The MIFF 2015 will be on from July 30 to August 16. Full details of the festival can be accessed at miff.com.au. Tickets are now on sale for the Opening Night Gala on the Arts Centre Melbourne website http://artscentremelbourne. com.au/

Unfreedom (Dagh Ujala): A society torn apart by political, religious, and sexual turmoil Director: Raj Amit Kumar; Writers: Damon J. Taylor (screenplay), Raj Amit Kumar (screenplay); Stars: Victor Banerjee, Adil Hussain, Bhanu Uday; Duration: 102 minutes; 2015 By SAT News Desk

NFREEDOM (Dagh Ujala) is an urgent contemporary thriller about a society torn apart by political, religious, and sexual turmoil. Shifting between New York and New Delhi, the film juxtaposes two powerful and unflinching stories about religious fundamentalism and intolerance, one of which follows a Muslim terrorist attempting to silence a liberal Muslim scholar, while the other is about a young woman who defies her devout father and escapes an arranged marriage because she is secretly embroiled in a taboo lesbian romance. In this searing portrait of the polarized world we live in, all four characters go to their absolute limit—and beyond—in their struggle to defend their deeply-held and conflicting viewpoints on freedom, faith, family and love.

DIRECTOR'S NOTE The idea behind Unfreedom came from the

desire to express the lack of freedom in the socioeconomic structure of our contemporary times. A profound piece of poetry, Ye dagh dagh ujala, written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz inspired this expression. The root of these lying in a society based on capitalism, patriarchy and its interrelationship with religion and violence, I chose the identities of Muslims and homosexuals in two distinct geographies. In a world where mass extermination and discrimination happens in the name of 'identity', Unfreedom shows that people who are considered as belonging to a certain

identity are all unique in their approaches towards the most pressing issues of their life. The film examines the struggle of different individuals against violent prejudices - all seeking their own road to what they believe could set them free. ABOUT THE DIRECTOR Raj Amit Kumar is the founder of the Dark Frames consortium (69 Productions, Dark Frames & One Friday Films). He graduated in Masters of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies from City University of New York (CUNY) in 2006 and finished his Ph.D coursework in the same subject at Southern

Illinois University (SIUC) before beginning work on Unfreedom. A media academic, teacher, and writer, he has taught cinema theory and history at both his alma maters, CUNY and SIUC (2005 - 2009), and his writings and research papers have been published

www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9095 6220, 0421 677 082

and presented at various conferences. He has written the story, co-written the screenplay and is the producer and director of the film Unfreedom. Banned in India, the movie was released in the US last month. Source: Unfreedom site

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UnINDIAN: Cross cultural romantic comedy to open on Oct. 15 By SAT News Desk

elbourne, 9 July : unINDIAN, one of the most anticipated Australian film releases of the year, will open at cinemas across the country on October 15.The cross-cultural comedy, starring Brett Lee and Tannishtha Chatterjee, and directed by Anupam Sharma, was filmed in Sydney last summer and is the first production of the Australia India Film

Fund (AIFF). unINDIAN is an Australian romantic comedy with a little spice and a lot of heart! It follows the chequered path of Aussie bloke Will as he attempts to woo the gorgeous Indian woman Meera who lives in Sydney with her daughter. Alongside the cricket superstar Lee and internationally acclaimed actress Tannishtha Chatterjee (Bhopal: A Prayer of Rain, Siddharth, Brick Lane), the film’s illustrious

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

Saturday 4/04/15 - Aditi Gadre and Shoaib Safi Saturday 6/06/15 - Nicholas Buff and Sri Ram Aiyyer Tuesday 4/08/15 - Ustad Aminul Huque and Amitabh Singh Chauhan Saturday 3/10/15 - Radhey Shyam Gupta and Robyn Kerr Saturday 5/12/15 - Madhuri Kamtikar and Shoaib Safi

Swar Sandhya

support cast includes John Howard, Tiriel Mora, Maya Sathimoorthy, Arka Das, Sarah Roberts, Adam Dunn, Nicholas Brown, Kumu Merani, Bollywood stars Supriyaji Pathak Kapur and Akash Kurana, and our own Bollywood Queen, Pallavi Sharda. Talking to SAT, Anupam Sharma said, “It is a tongue in cheek look at cross cultural relationship in modern Australia where love wins and stigma attached are useless.” “It is a film which is about our community in Australia. A cross cultural romance and presents a diverse face of real Australia. This is more than a film ...it is a statement from Indian community. It is a romantic comedy ...so no messages,” he said. unINDIAN is being released in Australia by the highly successful specialist distributor Friends India Entertaainment (FIE), with distribution consultant Tait Brady working alongside FIE’s Vvikas Paul on the release. Former Screen Australia executive Kathleen Drumm is consulting to the producers on the international distribution strategy and Tracey Mair’s TM Publicity will manage the Australian publicity and promotions campaign.

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

Saturday 3/1/15 Saturday 2/5/15 Saturday 5/9/15

Saturday 7/3/15 Saturday 4/7/15 Monday 7/11/15

Venue: Waverly Meadows Primary School,

Time: 8.00pm

Columbia Drive, Wheelers Hill Free Entry, with ample parking, Free tea, coﬀee and biscuits Contact: Phone- 0402 074 278 or 0407 559 113 email- sangeetswarsandhya@gmail.com www.facebook.com/sangeetsandhya

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“unINDIAN is a hugely entertaining film and we know audiences across Australia are going to fall in love with its wonderful cast of characters, including Brett Lee in his first starring role. It’s set to be a real breakthrough release in this country for a cross-cultural film that speaks to the mainstream Australian audience, and we will be backing it with a huge marketing and publicity campaign that will see the film on more than 80 screens nationally from October 15,” Tait Brady said. “Presented by Devendra Gupta and directed by Anupam Sharma, unINDIAN was written by Thushy Sathi, produced by Anupam Sharma and Lisa Duff (Last Cab To Darwin), executive produced by Devendra Gupta and Chandru Tolani, filmed by Martin McGrath ACS (Muriel’s Wedding, Killing Time) and edited by Academy Award® nominated Marcus D’Arcy (Lorenzo’s Oil, Babe), with support from Screen Australia, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, as well as UNSW Australia (the University of New South Wales), Guvera Music and Cochlear Ltd, “ says a media release. —SAT News Service.

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Experts brainstormed to tackle Delhi Air pollution

ew Delhi, 20 June: The Indian Association for Air Pollution Control (IAAPC) Delhi Chapter organised a full day seminar “A conclave on Delhi Air Quality” on 20th June 2015 at National Science Academy (INSA) Delhi. The purpose of the seminar was to invite national as well as international experts of air pollution measurement & control to discuss the issues of Delhi air pollutions and options to formulate short-term as well as long-term policy and solutions to improve the national capital's air quality. The discussion was all around the main focus “Delhi has become one of the highest polluted city the world” what could be next? There were many prominent and eminent experts and scientists attended the conclave and gave their views on the issues. Some of experts were Prof. J.M Dave – Air quality expert in India Dr. B. Sengupta - Ex-member Secretary of CPCB Prof Mukesh Sharma – IIT Kanpur Dr.M.P. George – Scientist of DPCC Manoj Kumar – Int. Business Manager of Ecotech Australia Sagar Dhara – Social Scientist Dhunu Roy – Social Scientist Around 150 people attended the conclave including academicians and scientists from renowned institutions as well as professionals from CPCB, researchers, Govt. officials, media personnel, industries personnel etc. Many Experts put their opinion forward to take short term & long-term actions. Social Scientist Shunu Roy said “More people in Delhi should opt for neighbourhood schools to reduce trip distance frequency. In fact, neighbourhood schools can save 25 million litres of diesel costing Rs.160 crore," Mukesh Sharma, architect of air quality index, recently launched

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by the government of India, blamed the multiplicity of authorities for lack of any action to curb pollution in Delhi. He also said "Various ministries playing a role in tackling this problem is making it difficult. The ministry of environment is responsible for tracking and monitoring pollution; the ministry of health is supposed to give evidence of mortality and based on that evidence, the ministry of transport and industry is responsible for taking action on vehicular traffic," He further said that there was an urgent need to improve Delhi's mass transit system so that people prefer to use it over their own vehicles. Presenting in the seminar, Manoj Kumar of Ecotech Australia raised the concern to focus more on operation and maintenance of air pollution monitoring equipment to get accurate data and allocate more attention towards this part of pollution monitoring. He also raised concern over higher values of PM2.5 in the city associated with the health impact of the people. The ex-member secretary of CPCB, Dr. B. Sengupta said "The most extreme example is New Delhi, which has the world's highest annual average concentration of small airborne particles -higher than major Chinese cities. The industries in Delhi are not the main culprits. The density of vehicles in the city is much higher than in other cities - the number of vehicles here is almost equal to the other top three metros combined. Also, a large number of people transit through Delhi from other states in cars and trucks," Finally, IAAPC will submit a "Practical Action Plan" to the Delhi government and the union environment ministry as the conclusion of the session. www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9095 6220, 0421 677 082

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Business

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Australia-India CEO Forum: Emphasis on skill development

ew Delhi, 23 June: The revitalised AustraliaIndia CEO Forum met in New Delhi on 23 June 2015. After a meeting of the CEOs and Government officials from both sides, the Australian Minister for Trade and Investment, Mr Andrew Robb, joined the meeting and was briefed on the outcomes by the Forum co-chairs, Mr Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, and Mr Sam Walsh, Chief Executive of the Rio Tinto Group. Today’s Forum focused on identifying opportunities for and removing barriers to greater cooperation and economic partnership between Indian and Australian businesses. There was broad based recognition among the Forum’s membership of the significant complementarities in the strengths of the two countries, and a strong desire to harness these towards substantially enhancing bilateral trade and investment. The Forum reaffirmed the importance of a high quality, mutually beneficial AustraliaIndia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in driving this and called on both Governments to be bold and ambitious in their approach to the CECA. All members expressed strong support for the conclusion of negotiations by the end of 2015, as agreed by the Indian and Australian Prime Ministers. Mr Walsh said: “We are confident that the respective strengths of our two economies provide a solid base for an ambitious CECA that can deliver new market opportunities, enhance ways to do business, help drive growth, create new jobs and generate greater prosperity for India and Australia. We also welcome the prospect that the CECA outcomes will enable

Chandrajit Banerjee (Director General of Confederation of Indian Industry), Gautam Adani (Chairman of the Adani Group), Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb and Sam Walsh (Rio Tinto CEO) at the Australia-India CEO Forum. Photo: Australian Minister for Trade & Investment site.

Australian Minister for Trade and Investment, Mr Andrew Rob, addressing the Australia-India CEO Forum, New Delhi. Photo: Andrew Robb Twitter account.

access to cheaper inputs and new technologies, and foster competition, investment and innovation in both countries.” Mr Adani said: “We recognise that the resources sector remains central to development in both countries, and that competitively priced stable supplies of Australian minerals and resources contribute to India’s energy security. Cooperation between the two countries through such complementary strengths will enhance two-way investment and timely government approvals in this sector can play a strong role in facilitating this. We welcome our Governments’ commitment to closer cooperation on issues regarding mining, particularly in skills development and innovation, including a joint commitment to supporting the Indian School of Mines in Jharkhand.” Member CEOs highlighted the importance of investment in generating employment and economic growth. They

noted the mutual gains that can be delivered by appropriately configured private-public partnerships in infrastructure development. Indian investors would welcome greater support from Australian banks to invest in Australia and in India. India’s future growth relies on a skilled workforce education and on-going skills development will be critical to this. Australian industry stands ready to support India in skilling its young people to become active contributors to India’s economy. The Forum welcomed the Australian and Indian governments’ commitment to increase cooperation across schooling, higher education and the vocational education sectors. They also welcomed work regarding mutual recognition of qualification and natural movement of people – to encourage skilled labour mobility between our two countries. Member CEOs noted that the Indian 2015 Union Budget

encouraged expedited investment approval processes in both India and Australia. The CEOs welcomed the Indian Government’s introduction of legislation to support a single GST and its increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) caps in the insurance, defence and railways sectors, urging all levels of government to embrace and implement economic and regulatory reforms. They underscored the importance of certainty, predictability and timeliness in regulation and administration. The CEOs also noted significant opportunities for tariff reductions in boosting bilateral trade and investment. The Forum members agree that institutional investment has a vital role to play in facilitating infrastructure development in both countries and welcome the Indian Government 2015 Union Budget commitment to increased government spending and a new National Investment and Infrastructure Fund to leverage private finance using government capital. Members

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included commitment to financial inclusion, which the Forum welcomed as an opportunity for mutual cooperation in the development of India’s banking and insurance sectors. The Forum welcomed and expressed their appreciation for the continued high level political support from the Indian and Australian Governments including our engagement with Prime Ministers. Mr Robb said that Prime Minister Modi had highlighted the potential between Australia and India in his speech to the Australian Parliament in November when he mentioned that in all key priorities for his government he visualised Australia as a natural partner. "Whether it is in energy or food security, education and skills, infrastructure or health Australia has world class capabilities, just as India can offer skills to Australia in a growing range of areas such as IT, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals. A win-win CECA will allow both countries to make the most of these opportunities, which at the end, means growth and jobs in India and Australia.” Mr Robb thanked and commended the work and focus of the new CEO Forum, saying that at the end of the day it was business to business links that would create new horizons for trade and investment between India and Australia. "We have got off to a flying start today and with the quality of CEOs on both sides, the sky is the limit." The members agreed for the Forum to meet on a bi-annual basis and look to hold its next meeting in December 2015. - Australia-India CEO Forum Co-Chairs Joint Statement, New Delhi, June 23, 2015 Source: Australian High Commission, New Delhi.

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हिन्दी-अँग्रेज़ी और उच्च शिक्षा

भारतीय स्वतंत्रता आन्दोलन के दौरान, हिन्दी का प्रचार-प्रसार इस आन्दोलन का एक प्रमुख भाग था| स्वतंत्रता प्राप्ति के पश्चात, कुछ समय तक हिन्दी तथा अन्य भारतीय भाषाओँ में वैज्ञानिक तथा तकनीकी शब्दावलियाँ बनाने पर काफ़ी काम किया गया| परन्तु थोड़े ही समय में भारतीय भाषाओँ के समर्थकों के आपसी विवाद के कारण, सर्वत्र अँग्रेज़ी भाषा का प्रभुत्व छा गया और उच्च शिक्षा के लिए अँग्रेज़ी का ज्ञान अनिवार्य हो गया| यह सर्वविदित है कि विदेशी भाषा की तुलना में मातृभाषा के माध्यम से कुछ भी सीखना अधिक आसान होता है और मौलिक विचार मातृभाषा में कहीं अधिक आसानी से आते हैं | चीन, जापान, फ़्रांस, जर्मनी आदि देशों में विद्यार्थी उच्च से उच्च शैक्षिक योग्यता अपनी मातृभाषा के माध्यम से प्राप्त कर सकते हैं पर भारत में ऐसा करना दरू ु ह है | यही कारण है कि हर साल गाँवों से उच्च शिक्षा प्राप्त करने शहर आये कई विद्यार्थी अच्छी अँग्रेज़ी न आने के कारण आत्महत्या तक करने पर मज़बूर हो जाते हैं और दलित वर्ग के कुछ लोग ‘अँग्रेज़ी माता’ का मंदिर बनवाने पर विवश हो गए हैं क्योंकि भारत में बिना अँग्रेज़ी के ज्ञान के शैक्षिक, आर्थिक व सामाजिक प्रगति असंभव दिखती है क्या यह उचित है ? इस सम्बन्ध में अपने विचार लिखिये गा| इस महीने , असाढ़-पूजा, गुरु-पूर्णिमा के अतिरिक्त ईद का त्योहार भी है | इन त्योहारों के लिए पाठकों को शुभ-कामनायें व ईद मुबारक़| ‘हिं दी-पुष्प’ के इस अंक के ‘काव्य-कंु ज’ स्तम्भ में विविध विषयों पर कवितायेँ हैं | साथ में , गीता सामवेद तथा ९ उपनिषदों की हिन्दी अनुवादिका, डॉ. मृदल ु कीर्ति का एक ले ख है और ‘अमृत वृद्धाश्रम’ नामक कहानी का सातवाँ भाग है | इसके अतिरिक्त, ‘संक्षिप्त समाचार’, ‘अब हँ सने की बारी है ’, ‘महत्वपूर्ण तिथियाँ’ व ‘सूचनाएँ’ स्तम्भ भी हैं | लिखियेगा कि आपको यह अंक कैसा लगा। —दिनेश श्रीवास्तव

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शक्ति के आँगन में ...

-डॉ. मृदल ु कीर्ति, अमरे िका

शक्ति के आँगन में तुलसी दीप चौबारे में बारो ज्ञान की इस अलसुबह में, आरती का स्वर उबारो, अब उठो कंु ठा बुहारो। रात की अब तह बना दो, विगत को चादर उढ़ा दो, प्रात: की गाओ प्रभाती, उदित रवि को जल चढ़ा दो। अब उठो कंु ठा बुहारो। विगत से बस सीख लेकर, सत्य परिपाटी बना दो, ज्ञान की इस शृंखला में, गीत नव नूतन उचारो। अब उठो कंु ठा बुहारो।

अरुणिमा आते ही देखो , विहं ग वृन्द उड़ान भरते, शक्ति पंखों में समेटे , नाप लेते दिशा चारों . अब उठो कंु ठा बुहारो। प्रगति कोई उच्च साधो, मुट्ठियों में लक्ष्य बाँधो , मन को अर्जुन सा बना कर, तीव्र गति सा तीर मारो। अब उठो कंु ठा बुहारो। उदित रवि को सर नवा लो, प्रकृ ति को गुरुवर बनालो, प्रकृ ति के कण- तृण सकल, महिम अति आरती उतारो। अब उठो कंु ठा बुहारो।

भारतीय योग-विज्ञान(विश्व एवं प्रकृ ति के साथ एकता)

-लक्ष्मीदत्त नौटियाल (हरिद्वार)

पातंजलि के योग शास्त्र ने, कौटिल्य के नीति शास्त्र ने, हमें अभयशील बनाया है

मानवता का पोषक, ज्ञान, शक्ति, सम्पदा वाला ज्योतिर्मय भारत देश निराला है ,

विश्व धर्म-संसद में, ज्ञान-पताका फहरा कर, जिस संत ने विश्व को ललकारा था, शून्य अवधि के संबोधन में, भारत के उसी संत ने विश्व चकित कर डाला था,

होठों पर था उसके, जय हिन्द का नारा, हे महापुरुष शत-शत नमन करे यह राष्ट्र तुम्हारा| भारतीय संस्कृति की पुरातन विरासत , योग ने विश्व पटल पर भारत का परचम फहराया,

भारत का मिशन बना २१ जून अब, ‘विश्व योग दिवस’ कहलाया,

चित्त, मन, वृत्ति को एकाग्र, जागृत करे यह, तन, मन के सभी विकार मिटाता,

सरल, सहज, सजग करे , गुणवान, शीलवान बनाता, चेतन शक्ति भी है यह लाता,

जरा, मृत्यु, रोग, व्याधि में यह भयमुक्त भी है करता, और साहस बल भी है देता,

जीवन जीने की कला सिखलाता, तनाव, उद्वे ग, अहं कार, बैर-भाव भी है योग मिटाता| भारतीय संस्कृति का योग है दर्पण, है यह भारत के जन-जन का जीवन दर्शन,

भारत विश्व गुरु बना तभी से, जब सहस्त्रों वर्ष पहले भी था भारत विश्व का आकर्षण, दयाभाव , क्षमाभाव, और समभाव भी लाता योग ही, मंगल और दिव्य अनुभूति भी है देता,

सामाजिक हित चिंतन का हल भी योग ही करता, तन-मन के सब कलुष हटाता,

लोभ, मोह, क्रोध भय हटाता,योग ही, बुद्धि, आत्मा, तन को भी है संतुलित करता,

शारीरिक, आध्यात्मिक, शक्ति का स्रोत योग ही आत्मिक, सार्वकालिक शक्ति योग ही देता|

अल्वैरुनी और बादशाह अक़बर ने, इसी भारतीय योग को था अपनाया,

फिर जाति, धर्म, पंथ, संप्रदाय शब्द की जगह कहाँ, यह तो वैश्विक क्षितिज में मान्यता पाया,

प्राणायाम, ध्यान, संकल्प, समापन, चित्त, वृत्ति, निरोध, शांति इसकी परिभाषा,

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संगीत, राग, लय, तन, मन, वचन, कर्म और वसुधैव कुटु म्बकम ् ही है योग की भाषा,

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राम, कृ ष्ण, पैगम्बर साहेब, मसीह ने, जीवन जीने की कला भी सिखलाई, संशय नहीं जरा भी इसमें, तभी तो बने हैं उनके करोड़ों अनुयायी|

योग ने राजपथों को योगपथों में बदला, मानव को मानवता के जीवनपथ पर मोड़ा,

जाति, धर्म का बंधन तोड़ लबादा धर्म का त्यागा, मानस का मानस से रिश्ता जोड़ा,

जन-जन को है योग जोड़ता, संभव, प्रेमभाव से जड़ चेतन की सेवा करता,

योग नहीं किसी देश, धर्म, संप्रदाय, जाति का, अनुपम स्वरूप ज्ञान सम्पदा भारत का|

रूह में लपेट कर धुआ-ँ धुआँ हो रहा श्मशान की ओर पर पालकी में बैठी दल ु ्हन अपने आँचल में सपने संजोये मृगनयनों से अपने पुरुष को निहारती एक बर्फ़ीली आँधी से अनजान रसवंती उमंगों से भरी पपीहे की ओर इशारा करती खो गई घुमड़ती घटाओं में| जब कि मलमल के रेशों के भीतर छुपी जर्जर खटिया में फँसती कोमल त्वचा अभ्यस्त हो गई पीड़ा के लिये

स्वच्छता अभियान

-डॉ. कौशल किशोर श्रीवास्तव, मेल्बर्न

मैंने सुना है सात समुंदर पार से प्रधान मंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी का हुंकार और व्यापक जनता का तात्कालिक उद्गार, गाँव गाँव और शहर शहर में चल पड़ा है स्वच्छ भारत का महा अभियान जो है स्वस्थ जीवन की मज़बूत पतवार| इसकी झोली में शामिल हैं नदियों की सफाई, प्रदष ू ण का निवारण, वातावरण का संरक्षण, वृक्षारोपण, और इनके प्रति व्यापक जन-जागरण| जब गंगा नदी के पारदर्शी जल में दिखेगी प्राचीन वाराणसी की तस्वीर और होगी इसकी सँकरी गलियों की धुलाई, तो स्वच्छता को मिलेगी नयी ज़िन्दगी और दरू -दरू तक फैलेगी यह कहानी| स्वच्छ जल के फैलाव में फिर से दिखेगा त्रिवेणी का संगम गंगा, यमुना और सरस्वती का मिलन, जिसकी बहती धारा में है अमृत का वरदान जो हमें देता है आरोग्य दान| जब साफ़-सुथरे गाँवों में दिखेंगे हरे -भरे वृक्ष और सरोवरों में खिलेंगे कमल के फूल, तब स्वतः बजेगी कृ ष्ण की बाँसरु ी और नाचेगी गोपियों के साथ राधा, स्वस्थ समाज में आयेगी लक्ष्मी की डोली और होगी प्रदष ू ण की विदाई| यह अभियान शुरू होगा घर से शौचालयों के निर्माण से, विद्यालय और बाज़ारों से| फिर यह फैलेगा भारत के आँचल में दनि ु या के कोने-कोने में|

-हरिहर झा, मेलबर्न पर यह छलावा... आस्था को हिलाती प्यार में बनावटी आतुरता और इसके रेशमी स्वप्नों से निकलते काँटे हो गये असहनीय! हृदय की व्यथा और तन्हाई को डु बोती रही आँसओ ु ं में इधर वेदना बहा ले गई दिल की हसरतें|

www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9095 6220, 0421 677 082

फिर युग की आँधी में उड़ती कलम ने श्मशान की आग को केवल स्थान्तरित किया बुझाया नहीं...| ताप अपनी रूह में लपेट कर सफल हो सकी वह ग़ज़ब की हिम्मत! चुकाई भारी कीमत श्मशान की आग को रूह में लपेट कर सफल हो सकी वह!

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southSouth asia times 31 Asia Times

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अमृत वृद्धाश्रम (भाग 7)

—विजय कुमार, है दराबाद

(पिछ्ले अंक में आपने पढ़ा कि अमृत वृद्धाश्रम से जुड़े पुराने अस्पताल में काम करने वाली नर्स शान्ति का फ़ोन आने पर ईश्वर उसे वृद्धाश्रम लेने गया| शांति ने ईश्वर को बताया कि उसके पति की मृत्यु के बाद उसे अपनी बेटी सहित घर से निकाल दिया गया था| तब उसने एक ईसाई अस्पताल में नौकरी शुरू की थी| अब उसकी बेटी के मर जाने के बाद उसका इस दनि ु या में और कोई नहीं था, इसलिए वह अपने अंतिम दिन अमृत वृद्धाश्रम में बिताना चाहती थी परन्तु वहाँ जाने के पहले अंतिम बार अपना पुराना घर दे खना चाहती थी| ईश्वर उसका पुराना घर दिखाने ले गया| लीजिये अब आगे की कहानी पढ़िए-सम्पादक)

मैंने चुपचाप शांति दीदी को उसके घर के पास रोका। वह बहुत दे र तक कार में बैठकर उसे दे खती रही और रोती रही, फिर उसने धीरे से कहो, 'चलो चलते हैं ।' मैं उसे अमृत वृद्धाश्रम ले आया| तब से वह यहीं पर रहती है और इसी आश्रम का एक हिस्सा है । और मेरी तरह सबकी सेवा करती है ।

एक कसक़ सी दिल में उठती थी कि, काश, उस वक़्त, अमृतजी का बेटा, गौतम यहाँ रुक गया होता, या पढ़ाई पूरी करके यहीं बस गया होता तो वह अस्पताल कभी भी बंद नहीं होता। ख़ैर विधि का विधान जो भी हो।

||| आज |||

आज सुबह मैं थोड़ा जल्दी उठ गया हूँ। कुछ अच्छा नहीं लग रहा है । शायद उम्र का इसी तरह की कहानियों और किस्सों से असर है । पता नहीं मेरी उम्र कितनी हो गयी भरा हुआ है ये अमृत वृद्धाश्रम। लेकिन एक है , आजकल कुछ याद भी नहीं रहता। भारद्वाज बात यहाँ बहुत अच्छी है , लोग यहाँ आकर जी ने आकर मुझे दे खा और कहा, 'ईश्वर शायद अपने दःु ख भूल जाते हैं और सब एक ही तुम्हारी तबियत ख़राब है , तुम आराम कर लो। परिवार का हिस्सा बनकर रहते हैं । मेरे परिवार मैंने कहा' जी कुछ नहीं, थोड़ी सी हरारत है का, हाँ, यह मेरा ही तो परिवार है एक बड़ा शायद उम्र थक रही है ।' सा भरा हुआ परिवार। मेरा अपना तो कोई है इतने में एक कार आकर रुकी। हम दोनों नहीं, लेकिन ये सभी अब मेरे अपने ही बन ने पलटकर दरवाजे की ओर दे खा। कार से गए हैं । यह तो परमात्मा की ही कृ पा थी कि अचानक एक आवाज़ आई, 'ईश्वर काका !' अमृतलाल जी, भारद्वाज जी और हम सब की मेरे लिए यह एक नया संबोधन था। सब मुझे सोच एक जैसी थी जिसके आधार पर इस चौकीदार ही कहकर पुकारते थे। बाहर की सपने को हम लोगों ने कार्यान्वित किया| यहाँ दनि ु या में किसी को मेरा असली नाम पता हर धर्म के लोग रहते हैं और यहाँ हर त्योहार नहीं था। हम दोनों ने ग़ौर से दे खा। कार का भी मनाया जाता है । बस जीवन के अंतिम दरवाजा खुला और एक सुखद आश्चर्य की तरह दिनों में सभी खुश रहें यही हम सबकी एक अमृतलाल जी का बेटा गौतम, एक नौजवान निरंतर कोशिश रहती है । के साथ उतरा। मुझे बहुत अच्छा लगा, मैंने बस एक कमी है , और वह है – अस्पताल भारद्वाज जी से कहा, 'आज सूरज हमारे आँगन की सेवाएँ, उसके लिए हमें दस में उगा है , ज़रुर यह सूरज होगा।अमृत जी ू रे अस्पतालों पर निर्भर रहना पड़ता था। अब सभी बूढ़े थे। का पोता। 'पास आकर गौतम ने कहा' हाँ, सो हमेशा कोई न कोई बीमार ही रहता था। ईश्वर ये सूरज है । हमारा सूरज, आप का सूरज, अक्सर हमें किसी न किसी को अस्पताल ले हम सब का सूरज। 'सूरज ने मेरे पास आकर जाना पड़ता था। आश्रम के पास एक एम्बुलेंस मेरे पैर छुए तो मेरी आँखें छलक गयीं, पहली थी और शांति दीदी थोड़ा बहुत प्राथमिक बार किसी ने मेरे पैर छुए थे। मेरे हाथ काँपते उपचार कर लेती थी, पर बहुधा अस्पताल हुए आशीर्वाद दे ने के लिए उठ गए। जाना पड़ जाता था। अक् ़सर ऐसे मौक़ों पर (क्रमशः)

||| अब |||

s'i=Pt sm;c;r प्रो. रामदास चौधरी का निधन

अमेरिका के ओसवेगो नगर के निवासी, प्रो. रामदास चौधरी का २२ जून, २०१५ को निधन हो गया| उत्तरप्रदे श के इटावा जिले के भूलपुर गाँव में १९२७ में जन्मे, प्रोफ़ेसर चौधरी भौतिक शास्त्र विशेषज्ञ थे, जिन्होंने लम्बे समय तक ओसवेगो विश्विद्यालय में भौतिक शास्त्र पढ़ाया परन्तु वे अपनी जन्मभूमि को कभी नहीं भूले| उन्होंने अपने जन्मस्थान, भूलपुर गाँव में, ‘किसान

मिडिल स्कू ल’ की स्थापना की और उसे इं टर कालेज बनवाया| इसके लिए उन्होंने अपनी जेब से १ लाख डालर का अनुदान दिया| उन्हें हिन्दी से बहुत प्रेम था| हिन्दी के प्रचार-प्रसार के लिए उन्होंने अमेरिका में ‘विश्व हिन्दी विन्यास’ संगठन की स्थापना की और विज्ञान को लोकप्रिय बनाने के लिए उन्होंने ‘विज्ञान-प्रकाश’ नामक पत्रिका का प्रकाशन आरम्भ किया| उन्होंने भारतीय

रसोई घर से राष्ट्रपति भवन तक की यात्रा

(डॉ मृदल ु कीर्ति ने कई धार्मिक ग्रंथों का संस्कृत से हिं दी में पद्यानुवाद किया है | इनमें सामवेद, नौ उपनिषद और भगवद्गीता का ब्रजभाषा में पद्यानुवाद भी सम्मिलित हैं | उनकी कृ तियों के लिए उन्हें दो बार भारत के राष्ट्रपति भवन में बुला कर सम्मानित भी किया जा चुका है और उन्हें कई अन्य सम्मान भी प्राप्त हो चुके हैं | डॉ. कीर्ति का कहना है कि वे मुख्यतया एक गृहिणी हैं और उन्होंने अधिकांश अनुवाद अपने घर के रसोईघर में किये हैं | प्रस्तुत लेख में वे रसोईघर से राष्ट्रपति भवन तक की अपनी यात्रा पर प्रकाश डाल रही हैं –सम्पादक)

मेरे माता -पिता बहुत विद्वान और सत्यनिष्ठ थे। मेरे पिता आयुर्द वे ाचार्य थे और डाक्टरी की पढ़ाई संस्कृत में की थी, माँ को पूरी गीता कंठस्थ थी। नियमित संध्या-ध्यान में मेरे लिए किसी व्यवधान का बहाना बनान संभव नहीं होता था| बारह वर्ष की उम्र में मुझे सत्यार्थ प्रकाश और ऋग्वेद भाष्य भूमिका पढ़नी पड़ती थी। पढ़नी पड़ती थी इसलिए, क्योंकि दोपहर तीन बजे से पाँच बजे तक मेरे माता-पिता का स्वाध्याय का नियमित समय था उसमें बेमन से मुझे बैठना पड़ता था। तब मेरी माँ ने जो कहा वह अमिट और चरितार्थ भी हो गया। मेरे ऊबने पर माँ ने कहा –तुलसी अपने राम को हीज भजो खीज; भूमि पड़े उपजेंगें ही उलटे सीधे बीज। मुझे पढ़ने में सदा से ही बेहद रुचि रही है जब कि मुझे बचपन से स्नातकीय स्तर तक कभी कोई स्कू ल या कॉलेज नहीं मिला जैसे आज बड़े गर्व से लोग कहते हैं कि मैं तो अमुक-अमुक प्रतिष्ठित संस्थानों में पढ़ी हूँ। मैंने सारी पढ़ाई प्राइवेट विद्यार्थी की तरह से की है , राजनीतिशास्त्र में एम. ए. शादी के बाद किया और वेदों पर शोध तब किया जब मेरा बेटा हाई स्कू ल में था। मैं न तो कोई लेखिका थी न ही मेरी कोई पुस्तक कहीं छपी थी केवल एक गृहिणी के कर्तव्यों का संवहन कर रही थी। अधिकतर अनुवाद रसोई में काम करते हुए ही किये| मूल मन्त्रों को अनेकों बार पढ़कर मन्त्र के भावार्थ और पदार्थ को आत्मसात कर भोजन बनाने-बनाते - जैसे ही वे मंत्र

विज्ञान के इतिहास पर हिन्दी में एक लेखश्रृंखला लिखी जो बाद में नेशनल बुक ट्रस्ट दिल्ली द्वारा एक पुस्तक के रूप में प्रकाशित की गयी| उनके निधन पर ‘विश्व हिन्दी विन्यास’ की पत्रिका ‘हिन्दीजगत’ एक विशेषांक निकल रही है | उनके दे हांत से विश्व ने एक वैज्ञानिक, हिन्दी विज्ञान-लेखक, शिक्षाविद् तथा कर्मठ हिन्दी सेवक खो दिया है |

काव्यबद्ध होते – उन्हें लिख लेती थी। दिन पर दिन मुझे आध्यात्मिक आनंद आने लगा। फिर तो यह अनुवाद जैसे मेरा स्वभाव सा बन गया। एक अजीब सी मादकता में रहने लगी। अनुवाद की गति भी बढ़ने लगी। कोई अंतश्चेतना संवाहित होने लगी। इस तरह सम्पूर्ण सामवेद का चौपाई छं द में अनुवाद पूरा हुआ। वेदों पर शोध के अनन्तर दयानंद संस्थान से प्रकाशित चारों वेदों का भाष्य लिखना मेरा उत्तरदायित्व था। इसी संस्थान से सामवेद का काव्यानुवाद छापने का आग्रह किया तो पूज्य राकेश रानी जी ने स्वीकृ ति का एक पोस्ट कार्ड भेजा। उस कार्ड को पाकर में कितना आनंदित हुई थी इसकी अनुभूति मुझे आज भी होती है । शोध के अनन्तर एक वेद मन्त्र पर मेरा चित्त अटक गया। उस मन्त्र में कहा गया था कि राजा का कर्तव्य है कि 'संस्कृति शिक्षा और ज्ञान का विकास करने वाले साहित्य को प्रोत्साहन दे और विकसित करने की सुविधा दे '| मुझे लगा वेद भी तो राष्ट्रीय महत्त्व के विषय हैं --बस अब तो आकाश छूने से कम मुझे कुछ भी स्वीकार नहीं था। पंखों में परिस्थितियों के पत्थर थे किन्तु लक्ष्य आकाश का था। तब तो कम्प्यूटर भी नहीं थे, बस जगह-जगह पत्राचार और फ़ोन करती थी। परिवार के मुख्य सदस्य भी न तो उदारमना थे, न सहयोगी और न ही इस काम का महत्व समझते थे। बीधते वाक्यों को भी सहने की शक्ति चाहिए थी और संपादक भी तरहतरह की शर्ते रखते थे आदि-आदि।

mhTvpU,R itiqy;\

इस सम्बन्ध में अधिक जानकारी के लिए, निम्न वेबसाइट दे खिये - www.anhadkriti.com/images/ KUU/certificates/harihar-jha. png और हरिहर जी की रचानाओं के बारे में जाने के लिए निम्न वेबसाइट दे खिये - http://www.anhadkriti.com/ harihar-jha-unkee-kalam-ke-baare-mein

२ जुलाई (असाढ़ पूजा-दिवस), १7 जुलाई (जमात-अलविदा), १८ जुलाई (ईद, जगन्नाथ रथ-यात्रा), 31 जुलाई (गुरू–पूर्णिमा), २९ अगस्त (रक्षा-बंधन)|

sUcn;E\

३ जून, २०१५ को विक्टोरिया के शिक्षा विभाग द्वारा मेलबर्न के ‘कन्वेंशन व एक्ज़ीबीशन सेंटर’ में आयोजित एक समारोह में ‘विक्टोरियन स्कू ल ऑफ़ लैंग्वेजेज़’ के ग्लेन वेवर्ली से गत वर्ष १२वीं कक्षा की वी.सी.ई. हिन्दी परीक्षा में सर्वोच्च स्थान प्राप्त करने वाली छात्रा, प्रिशा दाद ू को ‘प्रीमियर्स अवार्ड’ प्रदान किया| साथ के चित्र

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बस इस सूक्त को आधार बना कर श्री वीरे न्द्र वर्मा जी (लोकसभा सदस्य कालान्तर गवर्नर पंजाब ,शिमला ) से अनुरोध किया। उन्हीं के सहयोग और प्रयास से इस राष्ट्रीय महत्त्व के ग्रन्थ का विमोचन १९८८ में तत्कालीन भारतीय राष्ट्रपति, श्री रामास्वामी वेंकटरमण के द्वारा किया गया। इस तरह यह काव्यात्मक, आध्यात्मिक यात्रा रसोई से आरम्भ हुई और राष्ट्रपति भवन तक गयी। सामवेद के बाद नौ प्रमुख उपनिषदों का अनुवाद ‘हरगीतिका’ छं द में किया जिसका विमोचन राष्ट्रपति डॉ शंकर दयाल शर्मा ने किया। इस प्रकार रसोईघर से राष्ट्रपति भवन तक जाने का मुझे दो बार सौभाग्य प्राप्त हुआ। परन्तु उसके बाद भी यात्रा रुकी नहीं। उसके बाद भगवद्गीता का अनुवाद सवैया छं द में ब्रज भाषा में किया जिसका विमोचन तत्कालीन प्रधानमंत्री श्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी ने किया। अष्टावक्र गीता का अनुवाद गीतिका छं द में किया। 'पातंजलि योग दर्शन' का मेरा काव्यानुवाद विश्व का प्रथम काव्यानुवाद है । इसका विमोचन ह्यूस्टन (अमेरिका) में स्वामी रामदे व ने किया। योग-दर्शन का भी चौपाई छं द में अनुवाद किया है । इसकी गायन में सी.डी. भी बन चुकी है । शंकराचार्य के प्रमुख स्तुति स्तोत्र साहित्य का विभिन्न छं दों में अनुवाद हो चुका है जिसे 'ज्योतिर्मठ ' बद्रिकाश्रम के शंकराचार्य ने स्वयं ही प्रकाशित किया। इस समय विवेक चूड़ामणि का काव्यानुवाद चल रहा है । वैदिक संध्या, आध्यात्मिक गद्य काव्य और अनेकों दार्शनिक लेख अंतर्राष्ट्रीय पत्र पत्रिकाओं में प्रकाशित हुए| परब्रह्म की कृ पा से यह यात्रा अपने कई पड़ावों को पार करती हुई आज तक चल रही है ।

‘विक्टोरियन स्कू ल ऑफ़ लैंग्वेजेज़’ की हिन्दी कक्षाओं में प्रवेश के लिए आवेदन

वी.एस.एल. के निम्न केन्द्रों में ‘प्रेप’ से ले कर कक्षा १२ तक हिन्दी की शिक्षा दी जा रही है - सनशाईन, ब्लैकबर्न, ग्लेन वेवर्ली, एपिंग, डैं डेनांग, बरविक, शेपर्टन, मिल्डू रा| इन सभी केन्द्रों में, जुलाई से आरम्भ होने वाली कक्षाओं, विशेषकर, कक्षा ११ की यूनिट में प्रवेश के लिए आवेदन आमंत्रित हैं | अधिक जानकारी के लिए सम्बंधित केंद्र के एरिया

मेलबर्न के हिन्दी कवि, हरिहर झा को मिला हिन्दी विद्यार्थी, प्रिशा दाद ू को काव्य-प्रतिष्ठा सम्मान रचित कविता मिला ‘प्रीमियर्स अवार्ड’ राशि (३१०० रु) भेंट की जाएगी। अनहद कृ ति के प्रथम

हिन्दी साहित्यिक ऊर्जायन काव्य-उन्मेष-उत्सव-स्पर्धा २०१४-१५ के अंतर्गत मेलबर्न के हिन्दी कवि, हरिहर झा की कविता ‘रूह में लपेट कर’ को छं द मुक्त कविता की श्रेणी में काव्य-प्रतिष्ठा सम्मान २०१४-१५ प्रदान किया गया है | इसके लिए उन्हें प्रशस्ति-पत्र तथा सम्मानजनक मानदे य

-डॉ. मृदल ु कीर्ति, अमेरिका

में, मध्य में बायीं और वी.एस.एल. के प्रधानाध्यापक, फ्रैंक मर्लिनो तथा हिन्दी अध्यापिका व संयोजिका, श्रीमती मंजीत ठे ठी, मध्य में प्रिशा दाद ू तथा उनके माता-पिता और दायीं और अंत में ग्लेन वेवर्ली केंद्र की ‘एरिया मैनेजर’ कोनी ब्रैम्बल हैं | इस अवसर पर ८५ विषयों में २७९ विद्यार्थियों को उच्च अंक प्राप्त करने के लिए सम्मानित किया गया|

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मैनजेर या वी.एस.एल. के मुख्य कार्यालय से (०३) ९४७४ ०५०० सम्पर्क कीजिये अथवा निम्न वेबसाइट दे खिये - https://www.vsl.vic.edu.au

ab h\sne kI b;rI hw

कुछ हिन्दी गीत और उनके डॉक्टरी मतलब

जिया जले, जान जले, रात भर धुआँ जले (बुखार) सुहानी रात ढल चुकी, न जाने तुम कब आओगे (कब्ज़) तुझे याद न मेरी आई, किसी से अब क्या कहना (मानसिक रोग/ इल्ज़ाइमर्स) टिप-टिप बरसा पानी, पानी ने आग लगायी (मूत्रीय संक्रमण/यू.टी. आई.) हाय रे हाय नींद नहीं आए.. (अनिद्रा-रोग/इनसोमनिया) छुपाना भी नहीं आता, बताना भी नहीं आता (बवासीर) लगी आज सावन की फिर वह झड़ी है (दस्त) प्रेषक– राकेश सिन्हा, लखनऊ, भारत

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quick community guide Radio GUIDE

www.ekantipur.com/en THE RISING NEPAL: www.nepalnews.com.np

SBS Radio's South Asian

SUNDAY Language Program Hindi..................................9 am to 10 am – 93.1 FM BANGLA Urdu................................10 am to 11 am – 93.1 FM Sydney 97.7 FM & SBS Radio 2 Tamil...............................11 am to 12 pm – 93.1 FM Melbourne 93.1 FM & SB Radio 2 Hindi.................................8 pm to 10 pm – 88.3 FM Monday & Saturday Singhalese.......................8 pm to 11 pm –97.7 FM 6-7 PM GUJARATI MONDA Y Sydney 97.7 FM & SBS Radio 2 Hindi....................................3 to 4 pm – 93.1 FM Melbourne 93.1 FM & SBSPm Radio Bengali...............................4 pm to 5 pm – 93.1 FM Wednesday & Friday 4-5 PM Hindi...................................6 pm to 8 pm – 88.3 FM Indian (Fiji)..................................6 pm to 8 pm 88.3 HINDI Punjabi........................1 1 am to 12 Sydney 97.7 FM & SBS Radio 2 noon 92.3 FM Melbourne 93.1 FM & SB Radio 2

Daily TUESDAY 5 PM Hindi..................................... 6 am to 8 am – 97.7 FM Hindi.................................... 2 pm to 4 pm – 97.7 FM kannada Sydney SBS Radio 3

Melbourne SBS Radio 3 WEDNESDAY Tuesday 3-4 PM Hindi.................................... .6 am to 8 am – 97.7 FM Hindi......................................... 12 to 1 pm – 93.1 FM Nepali Sydney 97.7 FM & SBS1Radio 2 12 pm - 92.3 FM Punjabi............................ 1 am to Melbourne 93.1 FM & SB Radio Hindi................................... .8 pm to 29 pm – 97.7 FM Saturday & Sunday 4-5 PM

THURSDAY PUNJABI Hindi............................... 5.30 am to 7 am – 97.7 FM Sydney 97.7 FM & SBS Radio 2 9 pm – 92.3 FM Tamil.................................... 8 pm to Melbourne 93.1 FM & SB Radio 2 Sinhalese.......................... 1 1 pm to 3 am –92.3 FM Monday & Friday Punjabi............................. 9 pm to 10 pm – 93.1 FM 9-10 PM SINHALESE FRIDAY Sydney 97.7 FM & SBS Radio 2 Indian.................................. .8 Radio am to 29 am – 88.3 FM Melbourne 93.1 FM & SB Monday & Friday

11AM-12 PM SATURDAY Sinhalese............................ 7 am to 8 am – 92.3 FM TAMIL TSydney amil..................................... 12-12.30 97.7 FM & SBS Radio 2 pm – 88.3 FM Indian.................................... am to26 am - 92.3 FM Melbourne 93.1 FM & SB5Radio Monday & Saturday Punjabi.......................................... 12-2 am – 92.3 FM 8-9 PM Indian................................ 9 pm to 10 pm – 92.3 FM Punjabi.................................................. 11 pm to 1 am urdu Sydney 97.7 FM & SBS Radio24/7 2 Radio stations Melbourne FM & SB Radio 2(Subscription) 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 & SB Radio 1 10 pm; Contact: 94668900 or 0411247320 or Monday & Friday 9404 2111 6-7 am & 6-7 PM

South Asian websiteS India TEHELKA – www.tehelka.com OUTLOOK – www.outlookindia.com FRONTLINE- www.flonnet.com THE HINDU: www.hinduonnet.com TIMES OF INDIA: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com HINDUSTAN TIMES: www.hindustantimes.com Pakistan DAWN: www.dawn.com THE FRIDAY TIMES: www.thefridaytimes.com THE NEWS INTERENATIONAL: www.thenews.com.pk Sri Lanka DAILY MIRROR: www.dailymirror.lk DAILY NEWS: www.dailynews.lk THE ISLAND: www.island.lk Nepal THE HIMALAYAN TIMES: www.thehimalayantimes.com KANTIPUR NATIONAL DAILY:

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

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)

Broadmeadows Mosque 45-55 King Street, Broadmeadows Ph 03 9359 0054 Islamic Call Society 19 Michael Street, Brunswick Ph: 03 9387 7100

Sri Lanka Consulate

Islamic Centre of Australia 660 Sydney Road, Brunswick Ph 03 9385 8423

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

Australian Islamic Cultural Centre 46-48 Mason Street, Campbellfield Ph: 03 9309 7605

Bangladesh High Commission, Canberra

Coburg ISNA Mosque 995 Sydney Road, Coburg North

43, Culgoa Circuit, O’Malley, ACT-2606 Canberra, Australia, Ph: (61-2) 6290-0511, (612) 6290-0522, (61-2)6290-0533 (Auto hunting). Fax : (61-2) 6290-0544 E-Mail :hoc@bhcanberra.com

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

Consulate of Nepal, Melbourne

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

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

Glenroy Musala 1st Floor, 92 Wheatsheaf Road, Glenroy

TV News

Islamic College of Victoria (Mosque) 201 Sayers Road, Hoppers Crossing Ph 03 9369 6010

SBS1 – Daily NDTV News - 11 am - Monday to Saturday. (From New Delhi, India). Urdu news SBS1 - PTV News – 9.30 am - Every Sunday – (From Pakistan).

Huntingdale Mosque 320-324 Huntingdale Road, Huntingdale Ph 03 9543 8037

Readymade Garments

Al Nur Mosque 34-36 Studley Street, Maidstone

Roshan’s Fashions 68-71 Foster Street, Dandenong, Vic 3175 Ph: (03) 9792 5688

Meadow Heights Mosque Hudson Circuit, Meadow Heights

Raj Rani Creations 83-A Foster Street, Dandenong, Vic 3175 Ph: (03) 9794 9398

Springvale Mosque 68 Garnworthy Street, Springvale

EMERGENCY CONTACTS EMERGENCY CONTACTS Police, Fire & Abulance ........................ Victoria State Emergency Service (SES)....................................... Traffic hazards and freeway conditions..........................

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

HIGH COMMISSION FOR PAKISTAN,CANBERRA

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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desi estyle 76 Foster St., Dandenong 3175 (03) 87744853; 0413707685 000

132 500 13 11 70

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Heritage India 54-56 Foster Street, Dandenong, Vic 3175, Ph: (03) 9791 9227 Site: heritageindia.net.au

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quick community guide

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contd from previous page DVDs, Music CDs & Film Stuff Baba Home Entertainment 52C Foster St., Dandenong 3175, (03) 97067252 1st Migration PL, Suite 110, Level 1, 672 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn Vic 3122

Travel Agents Gaura Travels 1300 FLY INDIA or 1300 359 463 info@gauratravel.com.au Supa Cheap Travel 381 Burwood Road, Hawthorn 3122 Ph: (03) 98194656; Mobile: 0420201155 info@supacheaptravel.com.au www.supacheaptravel.com.au Mann Travel 329 Clayton Road, Clayton 3168 info@manntravel.com.au www.manntravel.com.au Travel House 284 Clayton Road, Clayton 3168 Ph: (03) 95435123, Mobile: 0425803071 mail@travelhouse.com.au

INDIAN CONSULATE

VIEW POINT

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PHONE NUMBERS Phone Number for General Consular Enquiries(operational only during Consular Working Hours i.e. 0930 hrs to 1230 hrs, Monday to Friday) For PCC and PCC and Driving License Verification enquiries 03- 96825800 02 8223 9908/ 1900 969 969 Email ID for General Consular Enquiries consular@cgimelb.org Visa enquiries: visainfo.inau@vfshelpline.com Passport/Police Clearance Certificate/ Driving License Enquiries passportinfo. inau@vfshelpline.com, OCI/PIO Enquiries ociinfo.inau@vfshelpline.com CONSULAR SERVICES (Passport, Visa, OCI, PIO & Miscellaneous) Please note that all these consular services are handled by VFS Global (Indian Passport and Visa Service Centre) The Consulate General of India in Melbourne will continue to provide to residents of Victoria and Tasmania the following consular services, for which applications would have to be lodged directly with the Consulate: Miscellaneous OCI Services â&#x20AC;˘ Miscellaneous Consular Services (such as attestation of documents, transfer of visas from old to new passport, affidavits, birth certificates, life certificates, certificate required to transport ashes or mortal remains to India etc) IMPORTANT: The Consulate does not accept credit cards, EFTPOS, personal cheques or company cheques. Please send only money orders or bank cheques with applications sent through the post. Cash payments are accepted only at the counter.

(MELBOURNE) Address : 344, St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia , P.O. Box No: 33247 Domain LPO Vic 3004 General phone: +61-3- 96827836 Fax No: + 61-3- 96968251 Web site: www.cgimelb.org

WORKING HOURS General Working Hours 9.00 am to 5.30 pm Monday to Friday, Consular Working Hours 09.30 am to 12.30 pm Monday to Friday, (except on public holidays observed by the consulate)

MLG Lawyers Ronny Randhawa 144 Sydney Road, Coburg Vic Ph 9386 0204 & 138 Walker Street, Dandenong Vic Ph: 9793 9917 Mobile : 0402 256 712

International Students International Student Care Service (ISCS) www.multicultural.vic.gov.au/iscs Ph: 1800 056 449

Vera Lawyers Kusum Vaghela Level 1, Suite 2, 373 Lonsdale Street, Dandenong Vic, Mobile: 0433 827 124

Property FIRST Property PL, Suite 110, Level 1,672 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn Vic 3122

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Sports

Australia Cricket 2015-16 schedule By SAT News Desk

elbourne, 9 July: Cricket Australia today announced the international and domestic schedule of matches for the upcoming 201516 season that will see Australia play host to New Zealand, the West Indies and India Coming off the back of the biggest summer of cricket ever held in Australia, the men’s and women’s international schedules for 2015-16, the Sheffield Shield, Matador BBQs One-Day Cup and Women’s National Cricket League have all been confirmed. The schedules for the KFC Big Bash League and inaugural Women’s Big Bash League will be announced later this week. The Commonwealth Bank Test Series, announced last week, will see Australia take on Trans-Tasman rival New Zealand in Test cricket for the first time since 2011 when the sides tied their two-match series. They will face Australia in Brisbane (5-9 November) and Perth (13-17 November) before an historic daynight Test Match at the Adelaide Oval (27 November – 1 December). Australia will then face the West Indies in Test matches in Hobart (10-14 December), Melbourne (26-30 December) and Sydney (3-7 January). ICC Cricket World Cup semi-finalist India will then travel to Australia in January for the five-match Victoria Bitter Series of One-Day Internationals and three KFC T20 Internationals. The T20 match-up with India includes an Australia Day fixture at the Adelaide Oval and the format’s return to the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) as part of a new-seven year agreement between Cricket Australia, Cricket NSW and the SCG Trust that will see the SCG play host to all international cricket in NSW from this summer. Australia’s in-form women’s team, the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars, will also take on India in three One Day Internationals and Three WT20 Internationals. The ODI series forms part of the ICC Women's Championship, which is key to Australia's campaign to defend their title at the ICC Women's World Cup in England in 2017. The Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars will be looking to retain their place at the top of the ICC Women's Championship points table. The three WT20 international matches will be played as double-headers prior to the men’s matches and will be broadcast live on the Nine Network. All up the season will include more than 200 days of elite cricket action from October to March, covering all formats of the game. This summer’s cricket follows on from the spectacular ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which proved to be a huge success on and off the field. Cricket Australia Executive General Manager of Operations Mike McKenna said: “The ICC Cricket World Cup was the biggest sporting event in our country since the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000,” Mr McKenna said. “Many Australians come from non-cricketing cultures and the World Cup was a great chance for the game to showcase itself and earn new fans from all parts of our increasingly diverse community. “We want to build on this great momentum. Following the World Cup, we are determined that local Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Afghan, Sri Lankan and other overseas-born fans who packed Australia’s grounds with good-humoured noise and colour are able to maintain their passion for cricket as part of their adopted Australian lifestyles. “This summer promises to be another history-making

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2015-16 International and Domestic Schedules

2015-16 International and Domestic Schedules Domestic Schedules

2015-16 International Men’s and Women’s Internationals and Men’s and Women’s Internationals

Commonwealth Bank International Series v India Commonwealth BankWomen’s Women’s International Series v India Men’s and Women’s Internationals T20 T20Internationals Internationals Tues T20 Australia v India Men’s and Tues26 26Jan Jan Women’s Internationals T20 Australia v India Commonwealth Bank Women’s International Series v India Fri T20 Australia v India Fri29 29Jan Jan T20 Australia v India T20 Sun 31 T20 Australia v India Commonwealth Bank Women’s International Series v India SunInternationals 31Jan Jan T20 Australia v India Tues 26 Jan OneInternationals Day Internationals T20 Australia v India One Day Internationals T20 Fri 292 Jan T20 Australia Tues 2Feb Feb ODI Australia v India 26 Jan T20 Australia vv India India Tues ODI Sun Jan T20 Australia vv India Fri29 Feb ODI Australia v India Jan T20 Australia India Fri 5531 Feb ODI One Day Internationals Sun7 7Feb Feb ODI Australia v India 31 Jan T20 Australia v India Sun ODI Tues 2 Feb ODI Australia v India One Day Internationals Commonwealth Bank TestODI Series v NewvZealand Fri 5 Feb Commonwealth Bank Test Series v New Zealand Tues 2 Feb ODI Australia Australia v India India ThursFeb 5 Nov – Mon 9 Nov Australia vIndia New Zealand Sun Australia Fri 57Feb ODIAustralia AustraliavvvNew IndiaZealand Thurs 5 Nov – Mon 9 Nov ODI Fri 13 Nov – Tues 17 Nov

Australia v New Zealand

Sun 7 Feb Australia Fri 13 Nov – Tues 17 Nov vvNew Zealand Thurs 27 Nov – Tue 1 Dec ODIAustralia Australia vIndia New Zealand Commonwealth Bank Test Series v New vZealand Thurs 27 Nov – Tue 1 Dec Australia New Zealand Thurs 5 Nov – Mon 9 Nov Australia vZealand New Zealand Commonwealth Bank Test Series v New Commonwealth Bank Test Series v West Indies Fri 13 Nov – Tues 179Nov Australia New Zealand Thurs Nov – Mon Nov Australia New Zealand Commonwealth Bank Test Series v WestvvIndies Thurs510 Dec – Mon 14 Dec Australia v West Indies Thurs 27 Nov Tue 114 Dec Australia vv New Zealand Sat1326Nov Dec Australia v West Indies Fri – –Tues 1730 Nov New Zealand Thurs 10Dec Dec ––Wed Mon Dec Australia West Indies

Sun26327 Jan – Wed Thurs 71Jan Australia v West Indies Thurs Nov – Tue30 Dec New Zealand Sat Dec Dec Australia v West Indies Commonwealth v WestvIndies Sun 3 Jan – ThursBank 7 JanTest Series Australia West Indies Thurs 10 Dec – Mon 14 Dec Australia v West Indies Victoria Bitter One Day International Series Commonwealth Bank Test Series v West Indies Tues 12 Jan Australia vvvIndia Sat 2610 Dec – Wed 30Day Dec Australia West Thurs Dec – One Mon 14 Dec Australia West Indies Indies Victoria Bitter International Series Fri 15 Jan– Thurs 7 Jan Australia vvIndia Sun 312 Jan Australia Tues Jan– Wed 30 Dec Australia v India Sat 26 Dec Australia v West West Indies Indies Sun 17 Jan Australia v India Fri Australia v India Sun15 3 Jan – Thurs 7 Jan Australia v West Indies Wed 20 Jan Australia v India Victoria Bitter One Day International Sun Jan Australia vSeries India Sat 17 23 Jan Australia v India Tues 12 Australia India Victoria Bitter One Day International Wed 20 Jan Jan Australia vvSeries India Fri 15 Jan Australia v India Tues 12Jan Jan Sat Australia v India KFC23T20 Internationals Sun 17Jan Jan Australia vv India Fri 15 Australia India Tues 26 Jan Australia v India Wed 20 Jan Australia vv India Fri 29 Jan Australia v India KFC T20 Internationals Sun 17 Australia India Men’s and Women’sAustralia Domestic Competitions Sat 23 Jan v India Sun 31 Australia v India Tues 26 Australia v India Wed 20 Jan Sat 23 Jan Fri 29 Jan Australia v India Matador BBQs One-Day Cup KFC 31 T20 Internationals Sun Australia India Mon 5Jan Oct QLD vvTAS Tues 26 Jan Australia v India KFC T20 Internationals Mon 5 Oct NSW v CA XI Fri 2926 Jan Australia India Mon 5 Oct SA v WA Tues Jan Australia vv India Sun 31Jan Australia vv India Wed 7Jan Oct CA XI v VIC Fri 29 Australia India

season for cricket in Australia. Test cricket will be played in every state including an inaugural day/night Test match between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide, a step designed to make following the cricket much easier for fans to attend the game or watch on television. “New Zealand will be out for revenge following the World Cup loss to Australia, while the West Indies will be looking to fight back after its series loss to Australia last month in the Caribbean. “Then there’s the match-up between Australia and India, the world’s top-ranked teams in one-day international cricket through the Victoria Bitter Series.” “These teams met in the semi-final of the World Cup in a match which saw more than 300 million fans watching on Star TV in India, and we want to continue to build a strong rivalry which will be on show throughout the summer.” “We’re also pleased to be bringing more content to the SCG as part as part of a new agreement to host all international cricket in NSW at that ground. The partnership will see international Twenty20 cricket return to the SCG for the first time since 2010, adding to the Test and any One-Day International matches scheduled for Sydney as well,” concluded Mr McKenna. Meanwhile the Sheffield Shield will be taken outside of Australia for the first time with a match between New South Wales and Western Australia to be played in Lincoln, New Zealand. The match will be used to help prepare the Australian Test side for its two matches against the Black Caps in February. New South Wales and South Australia will play a shield match in Coffs Harbour as a tribute to the late Phillip Hughes from 25-28 February. The match is an opportunity for the local community to celebrate Phillip’s life and career alongside his former team mates, while supporting the game he was passionate about. TICKETING INFORMATION The best way for Australian fans to secure tickets to the 2015-16 international seasons is the Australian Cricket Family (ACF). Membership is free and provides priority access and a discount to tickets (compared to pre-purchase and at-the-gate ticket prices). Members of the ACF who live overseas do not receive priority access to tickets. Fans have until 5pm AEST on Tuesday 11 August to register for the ACF and qualify for access to the priority ticketing period and other membership benefits. More information at www.cricket.com.au/acf. —SAT News Service

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Thurs Oct Sun 31 8Jan

Fri 9 Oct Sat 10 Oct Sat 10 Oct Sun 11 Oct Mon 12 Oct Mon 12 Oct Wed 14 Oct Thurs 15 Oct Fri 16 Oct Fri 16 Oct Sat 17 Oct Sun 18 Oct Mon 19 Oct Tues 20 Oct Wed 21 Oct Wed 21 Oct Fri 23 Oct Sun 25 Oct

NSW vv SA Australia India

VIC v QLD WA v NSW CA XI v TAS SA v QLD VIC v WA TAS v NSW SA v TAS WA v CA XI QLD v NSW VIC v SA TAS v WA NSW v VIC QLD v CA XI TAS v VIC CA XI v SA WA v QLD Elimination Final FINAL

Sheffield Shield Tues 27 Oct – Fri 30 Oct Tues 27 Oct – Fri 30 Oct Tues 27 Oct – Fri 30 Oct Fri 6 Nov – Mon 9 Nov Fri 6 Nov – Mon 9 Nov Fri 6 Nov – Mon 9 Nov Sat 14 Nov – Tues 17 Nov Sat 14 Nov – Tues 17 Nov Sat 14 Nov – Tues 17 Nov Fri 27 Nov – Mon 30 Nov Fri 27 Nov – Mon 30 Nov Fri 27 Nov – Mon 30 Nov Sun 6 Dec – Wed 9 Dec Sun 6 Dec – Wed 9 Dec Sun 6 Dec – Wed 9 Dec Wed 3 Feb – Sat 6 Feb Wed 3 Feb – Sat 6 Feb Wed 3 Feb – Sat 6 Feb Sun 14 Feb – Wed 17 Feb Sun 1425 Feb –– Wed Thurs Feb Sun17 28Feb Feb Sun 1425 Feb –– Wed Thurs Feb Sun17 28Feb Feb

SA v NSW (Day/Night Round) VIC v QLD (Day/Night Round) TAS v WA (Day/Night Round) NSW v VIC SA v WA TAS v QLD QLD v SA VIC v WA NSW v TAS WA v VIC TAS v SA NSW v QLD VIC v SA WA v TAS QLD v NSW VIC v TAS NSW v WA SA v QLD WA v NSW QLD vvTAS NSW SA SA vvVIC WA QLD

KFC Big Bash League Thurs 17 Dec – Sun 24 Jan Sun 24 Jan

Schedule to be announced KFC BBL|05 Final

Thurs 25 Feb – Sun 28 Feb Sat 5 Mar – Tues 8 Mar Sat 5 Mar – Tues 8 Mar Sat 5 Mar – Tues 8 Mar Tues 15 Mar – Fri 18 Mar Tues 15 Mar – Fri 18 Mar Tues 15 Mar – Fri 18 Mar Sat 26 Mar – Wed 30 Mar

TAS v VIC TAS v NSW QLD v VIC WA v SA QLD v WA SA v TAS VIC v NSW FINAL

Adelaide OvalOval Adelaide Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne Cricket Ground Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney Cricket Ground Adelaide Oval Melbourne Cricket Manuka Oval Ground Adelaide Oval Manuka Oval Sydney Cricket Ground Blundstone Arena Melbourne Cricket Ground Blundstone Arena Blundstone Arena Sydney Cricket Ground Blundstone Arena Manuka Oval Blundstone Arena Manuka Oval Gabba Blundstone Blundstone Arena Arena Gabba WACA

Blundstone WACA AdelaideArena Oval Adelaide Oval Gabba WACA Gabba Blundstone Arena Adelaide Oval Melbourne Cricket Ground WACA Blundstone Arena SydneyOval Cricket Adelaide Melbourne CricketGround Ground Sydney Cricket Ground Blundstone Arena WACA Cricket Melbourne Blundstone Arena Ground Gabba Sydney Cricket Ground WACA Melbourne Cricket Ground

Melbourne Cricket Ground

Gabba Sydney Cricket Ground Manuka Oval Melbourne CricketGround Ground Sydney Cricket WACA Manuka Oval Gabba WACA Cricket Ground Sydney Melbourne Cricket Ground Gabba Adelaide Oval Manuka Oval Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne Cricket Ground Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney Cricket Ground Adelaide Oval Manuka Oval Sydney Cricket Ground Melbourne Cricket Ground NorthSydney SydneyCricket Oval Ground Adelaide Oval Bankstown Oval Melbourne Cricket Ground Hurstville Oval Oval Adelaide Sydney Cricket Ground Hurstville Oval Melbourne Cricket Ground NorthSydney SydneyCricket Oval Ground Blacktown International Sportspark Blacktown International Sportspark Bankstown Oval North Sydney Oval Blacktown International Sportspark Hurstville Oval Blacktown International Sportspark North Sydney Oval Drummoyne Oval Bankstown Oval Drummoyne Oval North Sydney Oval Drummoyne Oval North Sydney Oval Drummoyne Oval Bankstown Oval Drummoyne Oval North Sydney Oval

Adelaide Oval Melbourne Cricket Ground Blundstone Arena Sydney Cricket Ground Adelaide Oval Blundstone Arena Gabba Melbourne Cricket Ground Sydney Cricket Ground WACA Blundstone Arena Sydney Cricket Ground Melbourne Cricket Ground WACA TBC Melbourne Cricket Ground Lincoln Oval, New Zealand Adelaide Oval WACA Gabba Coffs Harbour Adelaide Oval WACA Blundstone Arena Blundstone Arena Gabba WACA Gabba Gliderol Stadium Melbourne Cricket Ground TBC

TBC TBC

Women’s Big Bash League Sat 5 Dec – Sun 24 Jan Schedule to be announced Sun 24 Jan WBBL|01 Final

TBC TBC

Women’s National Cricket League Fri 9 Oct WA v NSW Fri 9 Oct QLD v VIC Fri 9 Oct ACT v TAS Sat 10 Oct NSW v SA Sat 10 Oct QLD v ACT Sat 10 Oct VIC v TAS Sun 11 Oct WA v SA Mon 12 Oct QLD v TAS Mon 12 Oct ACT v VIC Sat 31 Oct VIC v SA Sat 31 Oct WA v ACT SAT 14 NOV TAS v NSW Sun 1 Nov VIC v WA Sun 1 Nov SA v ACT Sun 1 Nov NSW v QLD Sat 21 Nov TAS v WA Sat 21 Nov SA v QLD Sat 21 Nov ACT v NSW Sun 22 Nov SA v TAS Sun 22 Nov QLD v WA Sun 22 Nov VIC v NSW Sat 28 Nov FINAL

Western Australia Queensland Queensland Western Australia Queensland Queensland Western Australia Queensland Queensland Victoria Victoria Tasmania Victoria Victoria NSW South Australia South Australia ACT/New South Wales South Australia South Australia ACT/New South Wales TBC

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Big economic boost from ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 BY SAT Sports Desk

Melbourne: The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, hosted by Australia and New Zealand during February and March this year, was one the biggest events in the history of both countries and provided a significant boost to the local economies. The findings of an economic impact and benefits analysis carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers show that the tournament generated more than $1.1 billion in direct spending, created the equivalent of 8,320 full time jobs, and generated a total of two million bed nights across the two countries. “Total attendance at tournament matches was 1,016,420, with 295,000 unique international and interstate visitors to Host Cities. Of these, there were 145,000 unique international visitors to Australia and New Zealand providing a huge boost to tourism, with the largest number of overseas visitors coming from Asia, says a Cricket Australia media release. The tournament was watched by more than 1.5 billion people worldwide. In Australia alone, the Cricket World Cup generated more than $785 million in direct spending and

created the equivalent of almost 6000 new jobs across the country. There were 1.49 million bed nights generated with international and interstate visitors spending $520 million alone during their stay. The final was attended by 93,013 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a world-record for the largest ever attendance at a game of cricket.

Cricket World Cup 2015 Chief Executive Officer John Harnden, said the $1.1 billion in direct spending converted into an increase in gross domestic product of $460 million across the two countries. “This was the biggest event in Australia since the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and it has changed cricket in New Zealand forever,” Mr Harnden said. “The Cricket World Cup generated two million bed nights across the two countries and around $855 million in visitor spending which is great for the tourism industries of both countries. “When you consider the TV audience of over 1.5 billion, saturation of coverage across all digital platforms and the mainstream media coverage of the event across the 14 Host Cities, the Cricket World Cup has not only showcased the best of Australia and New Zealand but has enhanced the tournament’s reputation as a major global driver for economic and community benefit.” Cricket Australia Executive General Manager Operations, Mike McKenna said the outstanding success and popularity of the tournament proved that cricket was not only Australia’s most popular sport but a significant contributor to the local economy.

“With a program of Test, ODI and T20 cricket every year, cricket contributes significantly to Australia’s economy,” Mr McKenna said. “The success of the Cricket World Cup in attracting fans from diverse backgrounds and more than 145,000 international visitors has created a fantastic platform for similar or even greater success at the ICC World Twenty20 tournament which will be hosted here in 2020.” Australian Sports Minister Sussan Ley said the Australian and New Zealand Governments had worked closely with the World Cup organisers to ensure the greatest spectacle for sports fans while also maximising the trade and tourism opportunities created by the tournament. “While fierce rivals on the field Australia and New Zealand have a proud tradition of working together to deliver world-class sporting events,” Ms Ley said. “The Cricket World Cup has been an outstanding success across all measures which is highlighted by the contribution it has made to the economies of both countries through trade and tourism as well as the unique benefits of sport diplomacy with key partners and markets around the world.” —SAT News Service

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MUSINGS

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Manto: Torn by partition

By Saira Shah Halim*

olkata: The pity of partition post Independence of 1947, how does one term it as I think aloud, ‘bitter fruit’ or ‘mottled dawn’? How does one sum up the collective consciousness on the verdict of partition I ask myself time and time again when I see LOC’S being crossed, and violence in the name of a border that divides us all ? I was introduced to Saadat Hasan Manto in School - we had a chapter in our Hindi text book titled ‘Tobha Tekh Singh’, though for a child of fifteen reading holds essence and the impact of the story bewilders you. However, in awakened adulthood, and more so ever in one’s thirties, you live and breathe Manto if one is a social or peace activist. Last year, at the Kolkata Literary meet, they had invited my uncle, actor Naseeruddin Shah, to do a dramatized reading on Manto. The audience watched spell bound at his reading on ‘Tobha Tekh Singh’,it was such a jaw dropping moment. From then on my interest grew and I started reading up more on the literary genius whose end was tragic fraught with court cases and trials, defending his works, he died a lonely death torn between India and Pakistan, never once accepting the partition. Our generation was lucky enough not to see the ugliness and witness the tragedy of partition. However, we have seen riots, we have seen the Babri Masjid

demolition, we have seen Gujarat genocide of 2002 and the Muzzafarnagar riots last year and we know how it can be when humanity suffers in the name of God. After reading Manto extensively, I have now come to the conclusion that ‘Manto’ remains the voice of the people who were witness to India’s partition and did not want it. Open up any Manto story be it Odour (bu),Khol do,Sahay,a dutiful daughter the return or Thanda Gosht (colder than ice) one just feels the pathos of partition in one’s bones, colder than ice leaves one’s blood curdled. The best part about Manto was that that he was not preachy about the past yet, the stories are so gripping and engaging, that one just wants to delve into his mind. I still remember his famous quote: “If you cannot bear these stories then the society is unbearable. Who am I to remove the clothes of this society, which itself is naked. I don’t even try to cover it, because it’s not my job, that’s the job of dressmakers” So when ‘Little Thespian’ called up wanting to do something on Manto’s 103rd birth anniversary, I happily agreed to facilitate the event further. I immediately called up my friend Ruchhita Kazaria and she clubbed the event with ‘Aman Ki Asha’ which is a peace initiative drive between India and Pakistan. Uma Jhunjhunwals and SM.Azhar Alam from Little Thespian who are also the finest theatre activists in

the country finalized the venue to be Tripti Mitra Sabhaghar,Paschim Bangla Natya Academy. I then called up my senior from the theatre world, Ashoke Viswanathan three times national award winning director, film maker and actor and Bobby Chakraborty- an eminent Tollywood Actor and social activist, along with Uma Jhunjhunwala, S.M Azhar Alam and Ruchhita Kazaria Manto a Retrospective was ideated. On the day of the performance, the atmosphere was electric and perhaps all of us could sense Manto’s presence in the hall. The evening started with the Aman Ki Asha Anthem – “Nazar mein rehte ho, jab tum nazar nahin aate”, sung by Raahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shankar Mahadevan. Lyrics by Gulzar followed by the Lamp lighting ceremony by Pritha Kejriwal, guest of honour, founder and chief editor Kindle Magazine along with Dr Fuad Halim. senior journalist Geetesh Sharma and SM Azhar Alam. Pritha Kejriwal gave a brief introduction on Manto and a lot of new facets of Manto were revealed. The introduction of Aman Ki Asha, Ghazal recitation on Manto was given by Ruchhita Kazaria, who’s a peace activist – Aman Ki Asha (Indo-Pakistan Peace Project by Times of India and The Jang Group). “Aman Ki Asha is not an NGO and is that platform which is like an umbrella to all the other forces, working towards strengthening relations between India-Pakistan. The

hatred that many people, on both sides of the border, is inherited or acquired hatred. My generation did not witness the partition and I wish, the future generations are oblivious to the history and assume responsibility of fostering peace! Forces like Manto shall ensure that both the countries come together to celebrate as one whole! It is heart warming that we are screening a Pakistani film today – Lazzat-e-Sang; with its first ever screening in India. This is a fantastic effort from Pakistan and it needs to be told and retold in future of how art manages to transcend borders and unite people!” said my Friend Ruchhita Kazaria The evening progressed by dramatized reading of Manto’s short stories by Saira Shah Halim, social activist and eminent theatre personality, in Hindi and English, Ashoke Vishwanathan, National Award Winning Film Maker, and Bobby Chakraborty, social activist and noted Tollywood Actor. Saira's rendition of 'The Dutiful Daughter' was heard by the audience, with their eyes moist, so was her reading on ‘Sahay’ in Hindi-Urdu, Bobby, being a seasoned actor, was seen in his erudite self reading out from ‘Khol Do’ and ‘Tobha Tekh Singh’ - and Ashoke, in his romantic piece, emoted more through his eyes, than his speech with his reading from ‘Missed Call’ The Play; ‘Thanda Ghosht’ by Little Thespian. Actors, S M Azhar Alam and Uma Jhunjhunwala was the highlight of the evening

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as it was a blood curdling performance which left the audience stunned and awed. The evening concluded by showcasing the Screening of the Pakistani Film; ‘Lazzate-Sang’; A Film on Manto. Written by Mudassar Mahmood Naaru and Directed by Muhammad Nazim. Main actors being Zahid Masood, Aliya, Usman, Zoya, Shaan and Waseem Haider. Manto’s role was played by Waseem Haider. It was the first ever screening of a Pakistani film in Calcutta. The evening met with a thunderous response from the audience who left the hall with a new learning of ‘Manto’ who lived the tragedy of two countries torn apart. Doing this event on Manto, Saira is taking a keen interest in reviving Manto’s works which would act as a wonderful peace initiative between India and Pakistan. It is surprising that both the Indian and the Pakistani government s have kept a studied silence on Manto’s works, scrapping Manto from School and College’s syllabi is not only outrageous but a signal of living in denial of a collective past and shared history,which needs to be studied and carried forward to future generations. * Saira Shah Halim is a corporate trainer, a communication consultant, an executive committee member WEBFUNA (West Bengal Federation of United Nations Association) and a social activist who can often be seen on national television channels on pertinent social issues. She resides in Kolkata.

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TECHNOLOGY

Smart phones new tool to capture human rights violations

Some organisations are developing alert applications that journalists, human rights defenders and others can use to send an emergency message (along with GPS coordinates) to their friends and colleagues if they feel in immediate danger. Photo: Johan Larsson/ cc by 2.0 By Thalif Deen

NITED NATIONS, Jun 23 2015 (IPS) - The widespread use of digital technology – including satellite imagery, body cameras and smart phones – is fast becoming a new tool in monitoring and capturing human rights violations worldwide. Singling out the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Summary Executions Christof Heyns says: “We have all seen how the actions of police officers and others who use excessive force are captured on cell phones and lead to action against the perpetrators. Billions of people around the world now carry a powerful weapon to capture such events in their pockets, he said. “The fact that this is well-known can be a significant deterrent to abuses,” Heyns said, in a report to the 29th session of the 47-member Human Rights Council, which began its three-week session in Geneva June 15. Heyns said the hardware and software that produce and transmit information in the digital space can play an increasing role in the protection of all human rights, including the right to life, by reinforcing the role of ‘civilian witnesses’ in documenting rights violations. In his report, Heyns urged the U.N. system and other international human rights bodies to “catch up” with rapidly developing innovations in human rights fact-finding and investigations. “The digital age presents challenges that can only be met through the smart use of digital tools,” he said. Javier El-Hage, General Counsel at the New York-based Human Rights Foundation (HRF), told IPS that HRF can corroborate the special rapporteur’s findings that ICTs, like cellphone cameras or even satellite imagery, play a key role in documenting extrajudicial executions. From democratic societies like Germany or the United States where ‘civilian witnesses’ documenting instances of police brutality and extrajudicial executions create an effective check on law enforcement abuse, to societies under competitive authoritarian regimes like Kazakhstan or Venezuela where witnesses themselves can face extrajudicial execution for filming police brutality, ICTs play a huge role in documenting this egregious type of human rights violation, he said. “Even in North Korea, the world’s most repressive and tightly closed society, satellite imagery has long

helped determine the exact location and population estimates of prison camps, and recently helped uncover a disturbing case of executions by firing squad, where executioners used anti-aircraft machine guns.” In his report, Heyns told the Human Rights Council the hardware and software that produce and transmit information in the digital space can play an increasing role in the protection of all human rights, including the right to life, by reinforcing the role of ‘civilian witnesses’ in documenting rights violations. He said various organisations are developing alert applications that journalists, human rights defenders and others can use to send an emergency message (along with GPS co-ordinates) to their friends and colleagues if they feel in immediate danger. “New information tools can also empower human rights investigations and help to foster accountability where people have lost their lives or were seriously injured,” the Special Rapporteur said. The use of other video technologies, ranging from CCTV cameras to body-worn “cop cams”, can further contribute to filling information gaps. Resources such as satellite imagery to verify such videos, or sometime to show evidence of violations themselves, is also an important dimension, he noted. But despite the many advantages offered by ICTs, Heyns said it would be short-sighted not to see the risks as well. “Those with the power to violate human rights can easily use peoples’ emails and other communications to target them and also to violate their privacy,” he said. The fact that people can use social media to organise spontaneous protests can lead authorities to perceive a threat – and to over-react. Moreover, there is a danger that what is not captured on video is not taken seriously. “We must guard against a mind-set that ‘if it is not digital it did not happen,’” he stressed. El-Hage told IPS his Foundation also agrees with the special rapporteur that ICTs are a double-edged sword because through them governments can “easily access the emails and other communications” of law-abiding citizens, especially political opponents, journalists and human rights defenders, “to target them and violate their privacy.” HRF has recently denounced the cases of targeted surveillance and persecution against pro-democracy activists Hisham Almiraat in Morocco and Waleed Abu AlKhair in Saudi Arabia, and was among the organisations that submitted a white paper to the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression to inform his own report on the way ‘encryption’ and ‘anonymity’ can protect both the rights to privacy and free speech. In his report, Heyns also cautioned that not all communities, and not all parts of the world, are equally connected, and draws special attention to the fact that “the ones that not connected are often in special need of protection.” “There is still a long way to go for all of us to understand fully how we can use these evolving and exciting but in some ways also scary new tools to their best effect,” Heyn said pointing out that not all parts of the international human rights community are fully aware of the power and pitfalls of digital fact-finding. —Edited by Kitty Stapp www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9095 6220, 0421 677 082

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