2018 INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL
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EDITORIAL
PUBLISHER Pawan Luthra EDITOR Rajni Anand Luthra ASSISTANT EDITOR Neha Malude
Free to be free
MELBOURNE COORDINATOR Preeti Jabbal CONTRIBUTORS Gurmeet Kalsi, Ravinder Singh Jabbal, Nury Vittachi, Dhanya Samuel, Chax Poduri, Natasha Jha Bhaskar, Mridula Nath Chakraborty, Minal Khona, Nicola Bailey, Carl Buhariwala ADVERTISING MANAGER Sukesh Thapliyal 0410 578 146 ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Charuta Joshi 02 9279 2004
Indian Link is a fortnightly newspaper published in English. No material, including advertisements designed by Indian Link, may be reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the editor. Opinions carried in Indian Link are those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by Indian Link. All correspondence should be addressed to:
INDIAN LINK MEDIA GROUP Level 24/44 Market St, Sydney 2000 GPO Box 108, Sydney 2001 Ph: 02 9279-2004 Fax: 02 9279-2005 Email: info@indianlink.com.au
BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA
T
he concept of freedom is one that continues to resonate in our modern lives. Many people, even in today’s world, are fighting repressive regimes in a quest for self-determination. Others in supposedly “free” societies are up against invasive new technologies and self-interested governments that they see as curtailing their personal freedoms. On an individual level, we struggle against self-created obstructions in our own minds that keep us from living fully free lives. Identifying these internal and external shackles is the first step towards reclaiming freedom. Freedom is about choice – in our political, economic, religious, social, cultural and personal lives. Freedom stands for equality in societies – such as when there is protection and welfare
as well as acceptance and respect regardless of your skin colour or ethnic background, instead of persecution and discrimination, and denial of access to health, education and housing. Freedom means safety and security in societies - such as when people are free to follow their religious faith and don’t have to flee in leaky boats on long, dangerous journeys to lands that may or may not accept them. Freedom is about personal safety and security – such as when every woman feels safe around her partner, when the honour of our communities does not depend on the virginity of our women, when a 13-year-old girl in Pakistan can go to school without being shot in the head, when a 20-something woman in Delhi can take a bus back home at 8pm without being attacked, when an entertainer seeking work in New York is not abused by those in power, when prime ministers in Australia or New Zealand are not reminded so often that they are women, when female workers earn just as much as their male counterparts. Freedom means having control over
our own bodies, and being able to love and marry who we want, regardless of religious, racial or gender bias. Freedom is being able to speak and live without fear. It allows selfdevelopment and self-improvement. Of course, freedom does not mean everything goes your way, rather that when they don’t, you have available to you the ways and means to redressal. Yet freedom also means being able to express an opposing view or a dissenting ideology without fear of repercussion. Equally, it represents a willingness to allow a range of positions or multiple perspectives, and a readiness to dialogue respectfully. Free societies, it has been said, are built on disagreement, compromise, and tolerance. Freedom negates an “Us vs Them” ideology. In the end, it comes down to that old adage, simple and yet so profound: live and let live. It is a message we need to have another close look at, as we mark the 72nd anniversary of India’s Independence and celebrate its democracy.
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YOUR SAY
FIFA FLASHBACK
COMMUNITY REJOICES AT SASHI’S MASTERCHEF WIN
16-year-old ROHAN GANDHI wrote about visiting Russia with his family to witness the football World Cup 2018. Indian Lad wrote: Your eloquent writing makes the World Cup seem good for once. Sachin Wakhare wrote: Loved the article Indian Link and Rohan!
Sashi Cheliah, who featured on the Indian Link cover in July, won MasterChef Australia. Our Facebook post announcing his win got a terrific response with over 150 shares and 12,000 views. Suryakala Sathyasingan wrote: Congratulations Sashi! Well deserved recognition! Tejpal Kanda wrote: Big news... wow.. made all Indians proud. Well deserved. Barbara Lindsey wrote: Congratulations Sashi, a perfect cook. Well done. Shalini Mahendran wrote: I know! Been watching and cheering him on his food looks amazing.
ABUSING WOMEN, ABUSING POWER
INDIA SCRAPS ‘PERIOD TAX’
Indian Link shared a story on Facebook about India’s landmark decision to scrap tax on sanitary napkins and asked if Australia should follow suit. Jayanthi Vellore wrote: Absolutely, we are all humans, we deserve the same rights, one for all, all for one.
SAY IT AGAIN 8 AUGUST (1) 2018
PAWAN LUTHRA wrote an editorial on the blatant lack of respect towards women by a certain section of the Australian community. Monisha Gupta wrote: I have read your editorial with interest, it is spot on. The problem is that they don’t see the problem. As a society we have become so inured to discrimination, gender stereotypes and domestic violence that it is hard to make people see the wrong in their behaviours and actions. And then there are family members and friends with statements like ‘boys will be boys’.
Queensland with its Great Barrier Reef, its tropical climate, sea and food is similar to Goa like a mini slice of Australia. Ex-MasterChef Australia contestant Sarah Todd on when she first went to Goa
Doesn’t matter whether it is Uruguay, India or Australia. Children have the right to enjoy childhood, to have fun and a chance to fulfil their dreams. It was a huge experience at the Don Bosco Sneha Bhavan in Kochi to remember something we should never forget #CityInIndia Melbourne City FC player Bruno Fornaroli on coaching Indian kids recently
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AUSTRALIA WIDE
Reaching out with food Vishal Vohra’s random act of kindness set a whole pattern of events in motion at this Melbourne business
BY CARL BUHARIWALA
H
ave you ever stopped to wonder how easily we consume three meals a day, with not a worry about whether there’s enough in the fridge or pantry? For some people in the community though, the fear of a shortage of food is always on their mind. Homelessness is a growing community concern in Victoria, with numbers estimated at approximately 22,000 today. For people experiencing this condition, it is a daily battle to survive, and to find appropriate and adequate shelter, food, water and other essential items is not always easy. Craigieburn couple Vishal Vohra and Meetu Arora, together with their business partner Ranvir Singh, are doing their bit to help homeless people eat better and healthier on a daily basis. Since December 2016, they have been welcoming homeless people to eat an adequate meal at their outlet Craigieburn Fish and Chips. The inspiration came to Vishal one day
at work as he observed a homeless person outside, obviously in need. “I approached the gentleman and asked if he would like some hot food. He was taken aback at first but then said yes,” Vohra explained. “I knew that he was hungry. He thanked me for offering a meal.” It was as if something changed for Vishal at that precise moment. “I knew then that my business had to do something for my local community,” he told Indian Link. Since then, Vishal has placed a sign outside his shop to alert homeless people that food is available. “Many customers come into the shop ordering one dimsim or one potato cake, and we have learned that it is these people who are homeless and survive with one single item of food a day.” Approximately 50 homeless people attend the Craigieburn Fish and Chips shop on a weekly basis. There are a couple of regulars. However, Vishal explained that there are many new faces which suggests that homelessness in Craigieburn and surrounding suburbs is a concern. For many, homelessness is a state that is often unplanned. Vishal shared that on one occasion in December 2017, he was approached by a gentleman in his store
Instead of seeing food go to waste, we owe it to our community to share with those struggling to eat
Vishal with wife Meetu
10 AUGUST (1) 2018
Vishal Vohra with Ranvir Singh
who explained that he recently suffered property damage due to a bushfire and had lost his job a week before that. With four kids to feed, he was finding it tough to survive. Vishal opened his door to the gentleman and offered his family food. “I knew I had to help him and his family,” Vishal explained. “What was truly inspirational was that a few months after I had helped the gentleman, he came back to the shop and offered me $50 and his time if I needed any help.” “I was amazed at the respect he showed me and I thanked him for his sincerity,” Vishal recalled. As a business that supports the community, Craigieburn Fish and Chips manages to satisfy its operational requirements and offer food to the homeless community. “We have been in business for four years,” Ranvir explained. “We provide the community with a small offering, and the cost is manageable”. Former local MP Ros Spence wrote to Vishal and his team congratulating them on their efforts to assist the homeless
community with hot and nutritional food. The team is getting used to receiving such notes of congratulations on their efforts in feeding those in need. In a plaza surrounded by a café, a greengrocer and a butcher, Ranvir recommends other businesses to replicate their strategy to provide the homeless community with food. For her part, Meetu encouraged other businesses to join in the community effort. “Instead of seeing food go to waste, there is always something that we can share with those struggling to eat,” she added. Indeed, no act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted. The Craigieburn Fish and Chips shop is no ordinary fish and chip shop. Together with original flavours, the business has definitely embraced the owners’ Indian heritage with an Indian style of cooking. From tandoori fried fish to Indian styled pizza, the restaurant has taken a modern twist on traditional fish and chips. “The community love our spiced versions of fish and chips – it’s definitely a hit with our customers,” Vishal revealed.
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Peter Varghese, Ashok Jacob, Shemara Wikramanayake, Barry O’ Farrell
Photo CEDA
Australia to ignore India economic boom at its peril
A discussion of the recently released economic strategy for India concludes that Australia will miss out if it does not engage India now
BY PAWAN LUTHRA
A
fter what has been described by media as a surprising low key launch by PM Turnbull of a detailed 500-page report charting the path to Australia’s economic engagement with India, CEDA (Committee for Economic Development of Australia), hosted a lunch-time forum in Sydney to further promote the report. The 200-odd attendees represented the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australia India Business Council, the Confederation of Indian Industry, and Indian-Australian businesses. Leading the discussion were former NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell, who is a special envoy for the NSW-India relationship; Peter Varghese, former Secretary, DFAT, who led the development of the India economic strategy; Shemara Wikramanayake, Macquarie Group CEO designate, and Ashok Jacob, Chair, Australia India Council. Preaching largely to the converted, Varghese stressed in his keynote address the importance of Australian businesses engaging with India. “The message I have
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is simple – the transformation of the Indian economy is underway,” he said. “India’s economic progress will be uneven but it is irreversible. Australia needs to drive forward a multidimensional strategy driven at the highest levels of government.” He added, “The risk is that we’re not moving fast enough and Australia might fall behind as other countries accord India a much higher priority, and I believe this is already happening in some areas.” In his report, An Indian Economic Strategy to 2035: Navigating from Potential to Delivery, he targets growth in Australian investment in India to more than $100 billion, up from $10.3 billion today. It calls for a strategic focus on India, and says priority sectors include education, tourism, resources, agribusiness, energy, health, finance and infrastructure. Varghese also stressed on the growing influence of the Indian diaspora in facilitating better economic opportunities and participation at various levels of society. Compared to the professional Indian diaspora in the US, UK, Canada and Singapore though, the Indian diaspora in Australia is yet to achieve similar levels of influence in higher levels of state and federal politics, academia and business, he stressed in his report. He also urged the AIBC to work more closely with corporates rather than focussing more on the diaspora
and presenting a united front for business. Two corporate gurus who contributed to the report also spoke about the opportunities and the pitfalls about doing business with India. Interestingly both Wikramanayake and Jacob, came to the topic of engagement with India from different sides. Wikramanayake said that Macquarie had started slowly, with a stockbroking business in 2004, but now had 1300 staff and managed $3 billion in investments, including in infrastructure such as renewable energy. Macquarie as an investment group has a strong international presence and with the growing weight of money in its pool, India is but a natural home for some of its funds. “From the risk return of GDP growth of 6-7%, India does justify a place in our portfolio,” she said at the CEDA event. “Baby steps is how we started – we were focussed on finding value for our local partners in India and how we could add to India’s economic development.” Jacob’s frustration with the slow
uptake of business opportunities by Australian business was evident. “An ignition switch has to be pressed and someone has to do it. The government needs to do it. No one is expecting a deluge of investment from Australia heading to India,” Jacob said. “But at the moment there’s not even a trickle.” “There isn’t a more explosive structural growth story than India and that’s the reason why the market has to be looked at very closely,” he said, frustrated with the lack of urgency being displayed by Australian corporates. “Any CEO, any board, that does not take a good hard look at India will be asked in 10 years’ time, did you at least look at it, did you visit the place, do you know what your competitors’ markets in India look like?” He went on, “There will be some looking back in a decade’s time. An organisation here may look at it and not invest in it, which is fine, but not looking at it in my view would be a crime.” He could not have brought the point home more strongly.
Any CEO who does not take a good hard look at India will be asked ‘Do you know what your competitors’ markets in India look like?’ AUGUST (1) 2018 13
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Photo: Indian Overseas Congress
Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora
Beyond remittances: A diaspora for development Decoding the Sydney visit of Indian politicians Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora as they attempt to connect to the diaspora. NATASHA JHA BHASKAR reports
I
n less than a year’s time, India will go to the polls at its next parliamentary elections. Understandably, the scramble for power, support and funding has begun. The young turks of the Congress Party, Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora were recently in Sydney to rejuvenate their ties with the Indian diaspora in Australia. The visit of the two leaders was on the invitation of Indian Overseas Congress - a body that seeks to act as a bridge between the Indian National Congress and the diaspora. Both leaders also visited Melbourne and Auckland as part of their ‘reaching out tour’. The stakes are really high for Congress these elections, which was reduced to a mere 44 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha (lower house) elections. The challenges the party faces include the need to regain people’s confidence, galvanising its workers down to the booth level, and nurturing a social base among the farmers, the poor, the Dalits, the minorities and other marginalised sections. Rahul Gandhi, who took over as party chief from his mother Sonia Gandhi in December 2017, has to recast the party’s identity and improve its image, credibility and acceptance, and find funds to take on the cash-rich Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress party presently is in power in only three of the 29 states (Punjab, Mizoram and Puducherry), and shares power with the JD-S in Karnataka, as the BJP has all but displaced it as the dominant pole in Indian politics. Presently, alliance politics seems the only option left for the Congress to take on the BJP as it draws hope from the success of the SP-BSP combine in the 2017 bypolls or the RJD-
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JD(U) mahagathbandhan in Bihar in 2015. So perhaps the obvious question to ask the two young leaders, was, what should the Congress change within itself? Pilot seemed to be of the opinion that its essential strengths in terms of values will continue to see it through. “The Congress’ core beliefs reflect the values it has embodied since the freedom struggle - in particular inclusive growth, social justice, abolition of poverty and the protection of the marginalised. The Congress is the political expression of India’s pluralism and a strong, committed voice for the preservation of secularism.” Deora, however, accepted that the Congress has to learn from the BJP, the art of political communication. “We could emulate their skill in the art of storytelling,” he said. It’s definitely something his party is struggling with. Another salient question, from Abbas Raza Alvi of the Indian Muslim Association of Australia, was about the sectarian issues that are raising their ugly head in India. Both leaders agreed that these developments were counterproductive to progress. “Unfortunately our discussions get circled around mandir, masjid, ghar vapasi today,” Pilot observed. “The focus should be on investment, jobs creation, skill building, agricultural economy, issues that matter to people should be of priority.” Deora added, “Politics is increasingly becoming about persona and personalities and less about issues. Religion, caste and personalities are non-issues aimed at distracting voters from the core issues.” The discussion with the former ministers ranged on issues from mob lynching, challenges to the social fabric,
environment threat and the upcoming Rajasthan elections. Yet, there was nothing that could clearly reflect a strong strategy or vision that Congress has to offer in 2019. Whether the party has really gone through a process of metamorphosis since its loss in 2014, is a question difficult to answer. India is an aspirational country, with a huge youth population. The political and policy narrative on development and growth has changed over years. Is the Congress ready to acknowledge this, and can it really define its position on economic orientation, social safety net and nationalism? Can Rahul Gandhi really overshadow 24X7 politicians like Narendra Modi and Amit Shah? So the question remains, Rahul can hug, but can he deliver?
My takeaways
As a newly arrived migrant, and one who has been working at the forefront of policy issues as an analyst within India’s parliament, my maiden socio-political event in Sydney was an interesting one. I offer some observations here. Events such as these are a reminder that the Indian diaspora wishes to be heard and counted. To an extent they want to be in Parliament too, if given an NRI quota (an interesting point brought to the notice of Pilot and Deora at the event). Why are NRIs still passionate about the politics back home? The first possible explanation for this large investment of time and money is altruistic patriotism - the desire to see the home nation prosper. Also many Indians living overseas today plan to return home in the future, or at least to spend a large part of their time in India.
The second generation of Indians is taking an interest not just because they’re a part of India, but because they want to go back and see there what they see overseas. The diaspora’s understanding of the local economy, government schemes to encourage investment and the economy’s relatively strong growth rate, also mean that many overseas Indians have invested a large amount of their savings in India. Whether that money is in real estate, the stock market, or simply in fixed deposits, the diaspora has a vested interest in India’s economic growth. Politically as well, they have been a strong influence, evident from their role in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, and the state elections of Punjab and Delhi. The diasporans I encountered at the INOC event seemed to be deeply involved emotionally in affairs back home, perhaps turning even more patriotic than when they were in India. For all the money they remit to India, they wish to be valued. Yet with their concerns around dual citizenship, voting rights and parliament quotas, the flavour of elitism was allpervasive in this event. The desire to have the best of both worlds was only too evident. The astute Pilot was quick to catch on to this. “Successive governments have ignored diaspora issues,” he said. “Voting rights for residents abroad will be part of our manifesto. Dual citizenship needs to be discussed too.” It’s a matter of time before New Delhi creates some system for NRIs to vote remotely. But until then, India’s committed diaspora will continue supporting political campaigns back home practically and financially.
AUGUST (1) 2018 15
WHAT’S ON INDEPENDENCE DAY India Day Fair Sat 11 Aug (12.00pm – 8.00pm) Celebrate India’s Independence Day with FIAN, featuring cultural performances, food, kids’ entertainment and fireworks. At Parramatta Park, Pitt St & Macquarie St, Parramatta NSW 2150. Details 0413 375 669. Independence Day celebration Sun 12 Aug (10.30am – 12.30pm) Enjoy stage performances and numerous activities for kids at this Independence Day celebration by SAAA Hindi School Kogarah. At St George Girls High School, Victoria Street, Kogarah 2217. Details 0427 090 724. Independence Day celebrations at Indian Consulate Wed 15 Aug (9.00am – 11.00am) On the occasion of the 72nd Independence Day of the Republic of India, a flag hoisting ceremony will be organised by Consulate General of India in Sydney, followed by colourful performances and light refreshments. At Level 2, 265 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW 2000. Details 02 9223 2702. Independence Day celebration Sun 19 Aug (5.00pm – 7.00pm) Cultural show featuring live band that will perform patriotic songs, dance performances by local artists, indoor activities for kids and a movie night. At Young Street, Parramatta. Details 0417 719 681. KIDS AND YOUTH Know Goa Programme Nov 30 – Dec 14 2018 Designed for students and young professionals in the age group 1828. Participants will visit educational, cultural, historical and industrial sites of interest, and interact with local Goans, elected representatives and government officials. Applications close 15 Aug. Details Consulate General of India (Sydney) 02 9223 2702 MAINSTREAM Tales from the East: India and NSW 27 April – 26 Aug (10.00-4.00pm) Old Government House, Parramatta Park, Parramatta. Details 02 9635 8149. Engaging with the India and what it means for Australia Fri 17 Aug (9.00am – 12.30pm) Gain valuable insights on recent government and private initiatives to promote Australian start-ups and businesses into India; the state of the Indian economy; and an overview of the Virangana Project, an Australian Corporate initiative designed to create a “Knowledge Bridge” between the Australian and Indian women’s start up communities. At Southern Function Room, 456 Kent Street, Town Hall House, Sydney, NSW 2000. Details 1300 176 684.
16 AUGUST (1) 2018
Negotiations and Influence in an Asian Context Thu 23 Aug (9.00am – 5.00pm) A participatory one-day program that combines global perspectives on cross-cultural negotiation with Australian executive insights and reflections from Indian counterparts. At Dexus Place, Level 15, 1 Farrer Place, Sydney, NSW 2000. Details l.clunies@asialinkbusiness.com.au COMMUNITY Kerala Muslim Culture Sat 11 Aug (11.0am – 4.00pm) Australian Malayalee Islamic Association of NSW, in association with National Trust Australia and Old Government House Parramatta, presents an exhibition on Kerala’s Muslim culture at Old Government House Parramatta. Details Hashim 0403 197 347 Ayurveda presentations Wed 15 Aug (6.20pm – 7.30pm) A free series of wellness sessions by Dr. Rama Prasad, titled “naked and well”. On every second Wednesday at Shop 7, 310-330 Oxford St, Bondi Jn. Details 0425 233 426. Kallol 2018 Sat 18 Aug (4.00pm onwards) Gujarati Samaj presents Kallol 2018. At Sydney Bahai Centre, 107 Derby Street, Silverwater NSW 2128. Details 02 9748 1111. Thillana 8 cultural night Sun 19 Aug (5.00pm- 10.00pm) An annual cultural fundraising night organised by Sydney Tamil Manram volunteer team. The aim is to support community projects. At Bowman Hall, 5 Campbell St, Blacktown, NSW 2148. Details 0448 697 948. The Sydney Hills Curry Festival Sun 19 Aug (11.00am – 6.00pm) The Sydney Hills Curry Festival will feature wide variations of “curry” with a twist. This multicultural food and entertainment festival will also feature Live on stage performances, stalls, children’s rides, henna tattoos, giveaways, etc. At Castle Hill Showgrounds, Showground Rd, Castle Hill NSW 2154. Details 1300 338 368. MISC In memory of a beautiful little soul: Blood donation campaign The Sydney-based Kaushik family are commemorating the brief life of their daughter Vanhi (16 April 2013 - 09 July 2015) by asking the community to join them in their blood donation campaign for Red Cross. Vanhi, who fought bravely against leukaemia, would have been 5 this month. The Kaushiks are seeking to raise 116 blood donations, to commemorate her 116 precious weeks with them. Join their campaign ‘Vanhi the Smiling Star’s Red 25’ either by registering online (https:// www.donateblood.com.au/red25) or by calling 131 495. Contact
To add your event email media@indianlink.com.au
Group Coordinators Vishal and Nidhi Kaushik on 0433 823 668 for your suitable time and it will be booked for you under the group name. Volunteer project for education opportunities in India Sun 12 Aug (2.30pm – 5.00pm) A volunteer project, Indian Minority Education Society of Australia, is being launched in Sydney to help underprivileged Muslims in India with education issues. Attend free launch at Himalaya Restaurant, 434 Princess Highway, Rockdale. Details 0411 114 762; www.imesa.org.au Are you an Indian-origin grandparent? An Australian TV channel is developing content that will feature a cast of grandparents performing songs and telling stories for young children. They are seeking a cast member with an Indian heritage – a man or a woman. They are looking for: A tuneful voice – we don’t need a big range necessarily but we do need a tuneful voice. Ability to harmonise is a big plus. A natural mover – someone who moves freely with beat and can pick up simple dance steps quickly A natural connection to the camera – just be themselves and connect with the kids through the camera. A lovely warm smile. A sense of fun and playfulness. This is a paid role and will provide a lovely opportunity for the right person. The cast will be required for filming 1 – 2 days per month and there will also be live touring involved. Auditions are on the week of 13 Aug. Contact Maree Kirkland-Morris at 02 8850 0988 or 0418 882 552. Making you job-ready Sat 25 Aug (11.00am – 5.00pm) New migrant? Mum getting back to work? Get job-ready at seminar on resume preparation, cover letter, networking with local recruiters, interview skills, dress for success, and more. Granville Youth and Community Centre, 3A Memorial Drive, Granville. Details 0437 877 771. Calling Type-2 Diabetes patients Are you an Indian-origin Diabetes (Type-2) sufferer? You might be able to help a research team at the University of Sydney, investigating ways to optimise medicine-taking. If you are aged 18 and over, are on at least one anti-diabetic medication, and live in Sydney, you are invited to participate in an interview on your experiences with the condition. Please call Dr Akram Ahmad on 0424 237 664 or email akram.ahmad@ Sydney.edu.au You will be reimbursed for your time at the end of the interview. STAGE Ilaiyaraaja live concert Sat 11 Aug (6.30pm) Hillsong Convention Centre, 1-5 Solent Circuit Baulkham Hills. Details 0433 211 986.
Rom-com dance drama Sat 12 Aug (5.30pm-9.30pm) UTS Kathambamaalai presents Azhagiye Marry Me, a romantic comedy dance drama, filled with laughter and lots of kadhal and konjam sentiments. Bowman Hall, Campbell St, Blacktown. Details Divya 0411 824 495 Untraveled Euphonies Fri 18 Aug (6.30pm – 9.30pm) First of its kind live music event by POTH Productions. At UNSW Science Theatre Gate 2, High Street, Kensington, NSW 2052. Details 0415 158 552. Soul Sangeet Sat 19 Aug (6.00pm – 9.00pm) Enjoy a soul-stirring performance by Sangeet Mishra, an 8th generation sarangi player from Benares, accompanied by Shivam Rath and Maharshi Raval. Camelot Lounge Marrickville 103 Railway Pde, Marrickville, NSW 2204. SPIRITUAL Spiritual discourse Till Fri 10 Aug (9.00pm) Yo Veda Inc invites everyone to free spiritual discourses by Swami Anubhavananda Saraswati on Ashtavakra Gita (at 62 Bombay Street, Lidcombe), Yoga Vasishtha (Marsden High School, 22a Winbourne Street, West Ryde) and a non-residential weekend retreat on Keno Upanishad (12 Glenroy Av, Middle Cove, Dr Steve & Robyn’s residence). Details 0410 698 650 or 0423 205 210. Sister Shivani Sun 12 Aug (3.00pm-5.00pm) Sister Shivani, world renowned empowerment speaker and practitioner and teacher of Raja Yoga Meditation, will present a lecture, Overcoming Overthinking, at State Theatre. Details shivani.com.au Simran and Meditation Diwan Wed 15 Aug (6.30pm – 8.30pm) Simran and meditation at Gurudwara Turramurra Sikh Temple Sydney, 81 Kissing Point Road, Turramurra, NSW 2074. Details 02 9449 8253. Shri Mahalakshmi puja Sun 19 Aug (8.30 am onwards) Shri Mahalakshmi Pooja is auspicious to be performed during the holy month of Shravan “Aadi’. Mahalakshmi Homam, followed by Mahalakshmi Abhishekam and Alankaram Samuhika Mahalakshmi puja. At Sri Venkateswara Temple, Temple Road, Helensburgh, NSW 2508. Details 1300 626 663. Janmashtami Sun 2 Sept (5.00pm – 8.00pm) Hindu Council of Australia marks Janmashtami at The Ponds High School Hall, via 25 Wentworth St, The Ponds. Features include Ras leela, Dahi handi, Bhajans, Jhanki jhoola, Aarti and kids’ fancy dress. Details 0409 981 355.
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WE WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY INDIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY JODI MCKAY MP Member for Strathfield
NSW Shadow Minister for Transport NSW Shadow Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight Email: strathfield@parliament.nsw.gov.au Phone: 02 9747 1711 Address: Suite 2, 36-38 Victoria St, BURWOOD, NSW 2134
JULIA FINN MP Member for Granville
Email: granville@parliament.nsw.gov.au Phone: 02 9637 1656 Address: 160 Merrylands Road MERRYLANDS NSW 2160
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AUGUST (1) 2018 17
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My sister has a promising future Aditi’s family wanted to know the Navy was a smart career choice. Now Aditi’s joined they’ve discovered her Navy engineering education and training is also recognised by many industries outside of the Australian Defence Force. But that wasn’t the only thing they found out. In fact, the Navy is supportive of all backgrounds, cultures and beliefs.
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Aditi works in one of many diverse roles, with great career advancement opportunities, offering her a rewarding career as a Marine Engineer Officer that makes her family proud.
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Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
2018 INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL
Photo: Ravinder Singh Jabbal
THE
FREEDOM ISSUE
AUGUST 2018
L
iving far from the homeland, Independence Day is a special occasion for us all to mark our Indian identities. We celebrate our democracy and look at how far India has come since 1947. We sing our national anthem, salute the Tricolour and pay tribute to the personalities who fought for the freedom of our future generations. Freedom. When we talk of this on Independence Day, it brings to mind the British Raj and its atrocities, the long-fought campaign for political independence, and the sacrifices of our freedom fighters.
AUGUST 2018
This issue, however, we ask our readers to think beyond the usual and tell us what the word ‘freedom’ means to them in a more personal sense, and how it reflects the way they live their own lives in contemporary times. Responses come from a cross-section of the Indian community in Sydney and Melbourne. Opinions range from escaping societal expectations, being able to worship the god they want, to freedom of sexual choice, and having the liberty to make mistakes and learn from them. Some of these thoughts might mirror your own life, others might be food for thought. Read through, and tell us what freedom might mean to you. Rajni Anand Luthra
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Photo: Nicola Bailey
Liberty at Box Head It was high tide and I knew I’d find them, spines suturing the sea, dolphins duck-diving then surfing the waves in a parallel formation. How is it we become so snared in our lives? Time swallows the insults, the barbs we digest, retract and scar. Yet the same scarp enters me with its eroded beauty, its headland fingering the Pacific, noisy today as a cheerful road. I cannot match the rapid eye of swallows. Mannequin finches spy me from their perch and know my game. I’m brushed by banksias, their waxy leaves sobering my thoughts. Down by the rocks, the foam’s calligraphy sparkles in the sun. Spirited waves grant me tolerance. I cross the green pools, the cunjevoi that fishermen waste. I think of those seagulls in salmon rich waters. One may lose a leg through sheer play—the price of liberty.
MICHELLE CAHILL Poet and writer Freedom for me is about my mind being empty of excessive desires, worries, thoughts, even memories. It can happen through writing or meditating; it is dreaming like the wind.
AUGUST 2018
CHARU MENON Film producer-director
Photo: Chax Poduri
There is a lot of garbled noise in our society – of gender stereotypes, cultural diktats, and our own conditioning and expectations. For me, freedom means that I’ve managed to distil that noise and find a voice that’s mine alone, unique and clear.
AUGUST 2018
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Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
NAEHA LAL Tax lawyer To have the right to make my decisions is my idea of freedom. It’s what makes me independent and self-sufficient. But on a lighter note, freedom means my right to annoy my siblings… and nap whenever I want!
AUGUST 2018
SARNEET KALSI Year 8 student
Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
Freedom is when wings are free to discover the limitless sky.
AUGUST 2018
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Photo: Ravinder Singh Jabbal
SHASHI KOCHHAR Social advocate To me, freedom is to break through our emotional barriers and elevate ourselves to a place where we practise love for all and feel the pain of others more than our own.
AUGUST 2018
Freedom is achieving that unique state of mindfulness where we can truly accept and celebrate diverse people and their perspectives. It’s the panacea for all thought maladies. Are we there yet?
AUGUST 2018
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Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
JAYANT SHARMA Business strategy consultant
Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
PREETI THADANI Senior advocate Freedom, simply put, is our birthright. For me, freedom means being able to choose my life’s paths and make my decisions without societal, government or institutional pressures. But it also means accepting others for who they are and what they say. You have true freedom when you are totally secure within yourself and your surroundings.
AUGUST 2018
To me, freedom is the right for all people (and ideally animals!) to live free of the systemic disadvantages that oppress them. And, yes, it’s in progress still but I would say humankind’s greatest achievement to date is the ability to have developed, prioritised and, in many social structures, institutionalised, compassion. From there, freedom will flow naturally.
AUGUST 2018
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Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
ANEETA MENON Learning and development specialist
Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
VIKRAM (TEDDY) MEHTA Entrepreneur Freedom means more than just living in an independent country. Am I living life on my own terms? Can I say and do what I want? If the answer to these questions is yes, only then can I call it freedom.
AUGUST 2018
GUNIN KHANNA Year 11 student
AUGUST 2018
Photo: Ravinder Singh Jabbal
Freedom to me means being able to learn from the past. It isn’t necessarily about being independent. Since I was 10, my parents have given me the liberty to learn for myself, even if it means failing now and then.
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DEEPTI DABRAL Media & advertising professional My favourite words on freedom come from Chloe Frayne. I want to be a field of wildflowers; constantly claiming new ground. And what is this of freedom, How does this taste like clean air? I’ve learnt that fear can mar freedom. But belief in yourself and your abilities can transform fear into freedom – how great is that?
AUGUST 2018
KUNAL MIRCHANDANI Digital analyst
AUGUST 2018
Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
Can you really be free if you’re not allowed to choose who you love? Some societies still label same-sex relationships as a crime. Unless this cruel label is done away with, I won’t be able to celebrate my so-called freedom.
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Photo: Ravinder Singh Jabbal
RASHI KAPOOR Entrepreneur Freedom to me is to think, speak, write, dress, learn, sleep, dream, dance, laugh, sing, play, move or love without fear or anxiety. Being free is being able to choose without being afraid.
AUGUST 2018
MAINA GORDON Solicitor
Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
We may be living in a “developed” and “modern” society, but there are many of us who still lack freedom in its most basic sense – the choice to go where they want, to marry who they want, or even express themselves without fear. If we have the liberty to make these choices without fear, we are truly free.
AUGUST 2018
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Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
SUBHASHINI CHANNA Clinical coder Although the term “freedom” is laced with traumatic memories of India’s Partition for me, it also signifies the strength to follow your dreams. It’s freedom that empowers you to be fearless in speech, thought and action.
AUGUST 2018
Freedom to me means the ability to live my life to its full potential, to reach my potential and be the architect of a life without barriers. To live with dignity and in harmony with the environment, the community and foster mutual love and respect for all those I interact with.
AUGUST 2018
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Photo: Ravinder Singh Jabbal
ANIL BHATIA Shipping magnate
Photo: Ravinder Singh Jabbal
AJ GILL Defence services member Being truly free means not being forced into anything. It means that I can be my true self and do what I want, no matter which stage of life I’m in. And to never forget that those around me deserve the same.
AUGUST 2018
Being able to think, speak, wear, eat what I want, for example. Or work, which helps me make a difference in equity. That’s what freedom means to me.
AUGUST 2018
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Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
SMITA SHAH Doctor and academic
SANJIV DUBEY Teacher and sports coach
Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
We’ll never understand the meaning of freedom unless we can comprehend the struggle or sacrifices our ancestors made for us to be free. To me, being free, first and foremost means to appreciate that.
AUGUST 2018
Being free, to me, is to be able to love anyone and worship any god or being you choose. You can’t have freedom in a world that restricts love and religion or imposes biases based on caste, gender and economical differences.
AUGUST 2018
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Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
ABBAS RAZA ALVI Marketing consultant
Photo: Gurmeet Kalsi
KARISHAMA SINGH Uni student To me, freedom means having autonomy over my own choices, my actions and my future, irrespective of my ethnicity or gender.
AUGUST 2018
MANISHA CHAUBAL-MENON Senior business executive
AUGUST 2018
Photo: Ravinder Singh Jabbal
In a world where speaking your mind can have terrible consequences, to me, freedom means just being able to think and speak freely. We’re born to be free spirits, not to be chained. Mind you, speaking your mind doesn’t mean that you’re free to hurt others.
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Photo: Gurmeet KalsI
INDER DUA Restaurateur Freedom to me is living life unrestricted and fearlessly, even if it involves breaking rules now and then. Anything less is tantamount to slavery.
AUGUST 2018
CS SRINIVASAN (SRINI) Board Member, Multicultural Arts Victoria
AUGUST 2018
Photo: Ravinder Singh Jabbal
Freedom is the right to lead my life as I choose without hurting others and with responsibility for my actions. To live by my value system, beliefs, intellect and emotions. To live a life that shows empathy and compassion. To speak up against evils such as inequality, prejudice and discrimination.
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NISHAA LAMBA Entrepreneur
Photo: Gurmeet KalsI
Freedom is being able to live in a truly multicultural society where we have the liberty to be ourselves. But it’s a freedom that we must earn, and remember that it comes with great responsibility.
AUGUST 2018
Photo: Ravinder Singh Jabbal
DR. SANDEEP BHAGAT Palliative medicine specialist Freedom is a blessing that allows us to respect and be respected for our civilised thoughts and collective human values without being judged on the basis of colour, gender, religion and political affiliation.
AUGUST 2018
www.indianlink.com.au
Photo: Ravinder Singh Jabbal
TANVI MOR Talent acquisition professional A life without inhibitions or fear is free. If I can live for happiness, fulfilment and growth without fear, I am truly liberated. At the same time, I’m conscious of the fact that being free comes with a responsibility to respect others around me.
AUGUST 2018
Photo: Ravinder Singh Jabbal
ANAND (ANDY) CHAUHAN Property sales consultant Freedom to me, is to be myself, live the way I like to, without the fear of prejudice or being judged.
AUGUST 2018
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Photo: Ravinder Singh Jabbal
GURMIT SAHNI Businessman Freedom to me is the right for individuals to live life on their own terms as long as their actions don’t negatively impact others.
AUGUST 2018
Photo: Ravinder Singh Jabbal
PREETI JABBAL Journalist Freedom to me is to try things, make mistakes, stumble, rise again, keep learning and keep growing. Freedom is the choice to make today better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today. It is to grow through what we go through.
AUGUST 2018
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WISHING THE INDIAN-AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY A VERY HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY. Gladys Berejiklian
Premier of New South Wales Member for Willoughby
Authorised by Gladys Berejiklian MP, Parliament House, Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000.
NATIONAL EDITION
AUGUST (1) 2018 53
OPINION
Keep calm and curry on
Monash University academic traces the many narratives of the term ‘curry’ tied to identity, and the possible origin of the slur ‘curry-muncher’ BY MRIDULA NATH CHAKRABORTY
O
pening Night, Melbourne Comedy Festival 2018. Dilruk Jayasinha’s introductory salvo: This is so exciting. I honestly… Sorry, it’s unbelievable — that I get to do stand-up comedy here at the Palais in Melbourne. Because I… I’m from Sri Lanka! And I used to be an accountant. Yeah. A Sri Lankan accountant!!! So — not just a money cruncher, but a curry-munching money cruncher! Thaaat word … is it back again? For someone who has spent the last 30 years of her life specialising in English literary, postcolonial and cultural studies, I had never encountered it until I arrived in Australia 10 years ago and soon after chanced upon Roanna Gonsalves. Not the real-life, award-winning writer of The Permanent Resident, but (to me, at the time) a little known author of the short story “Curry Muncher.” In Gonsalves’ story, an Indian international student working night shifts as a restaurant waiter is attacked on a Sydney train and viciously beaten up, while repeatedly being called a “curry muncher”. Like the story’s omniscient narrator/fellow-passenger/ onlooker, I was genuinely puzzled as to why that term could or would exist: I wondered how one could possibly munch curry? The way I understood it, curry, being a liquid, could be eaten with rice or one could even drink it as one did rasam and even sambhar. But there was no way one could munch curry as if it were a biscuit. When “Curry Muncher” was published in Eureka Street in June 2009, in the wake of two years of intermittent protests by Indian international students and taxi-drivers against racially-motivated violence in Sydney and Melbourne, you could be forgiven for assuming that the narratorial voice was a thinly-disguised autobiographical riff. In fact, when I wanted to invite Gonsalves to participate at a university roundtable about the racist attacks, the organisers rescinded the invitation when I told them the short story was fictional - the author was not a “real life” victim of the violence. Gonsalves has since steadfastly maintained the right of imagination to animate her fiction and has refused to inhabit the implied authentically-currified authorial body. But it seems that time and
54 AUGUST (1) 2018
time again, stories and identities of the South Asian diaspora get emulsified in the deep pool of curry that Jayasinha too uses to flavour his circular stand-up act.
An invention of the British Empire? Embedded in the slur curry muncher is a long history of racialised stereotyping and name-calling that accrues to bodies presumed to be the primary ingesters of that great culinary equaliser, the curry. The aspersion is collectively cast upon inhabitants of, and diasporic populations tracing their genealogy to, the Indian subcontinent, alternatively known as South Asia. A close kin to the noun is the verb “to curry favour,” also related to “brownnosing”, which refers to the orifice at the other end of the digestive canal that comes into contact with curry. In the hands of creatives like Gonsalves and Jayasinha, such terms are reclaimed and recuperated to make a political statement against hegemonic cultures and hate-groups that use them to essentialise, discriminate against, and terrorise subcontinental brown folk in white settler nations. Notwithstanding the fact that the prefix in question is one of those enduring inventions of the British Empire that no self-respecting subcontinental would own without a thousand caveats attached, “curry” seems to be the lowest-common denominator that unites these disparate peoples who have had their histories defined by European colonisation. Christopher Columbus might have set the action in motion in 1492 when he sallied forth to find the shortest sea-route to the Indies in search of the famed spices that Europe coveted, but really, it is the Brits who can rightfully claim to be the progenitors of the ubiquitous dish called the “curry”. The Wikipedia entry for it traces the word as far back as the 1390s to the French (“cury” from “cuire”, meaning to cook), thence to a mid-17th century Portuguese cookbook, with the “first” English curry recipe recorded in 1747. An entire body of academic scholarship on the subject interprets the meaning of curry as domesticating imperialism, codifying race and transnationalising identity. The eventual spread and sprawl of Anglophone colonisation took the nowpopular creation to all corners of the world. Wherever the English went, taking with them slaves, soldiers, indentured labourers, bureaucrats, factotums, cooks, clerks, coolies and other cogs in the wheels of Empire, so did the curry. Curry might well
say, like that T-shirt, “We are here because you were there!” Thus in lands far away from the Indies, in the Caribbean, East and South Africa, Fiji, Guyana, the Maldives, Mauritius and Suriname, sprang up a cuisine created with local ingredients that was the closest approximation of loved and remembered foods from “back home”. Curry then attaches both to the food and the identity of the people from which it is assumed to have originated, attaining the power of stereotype to achieve its full effect. Like the English language, the capaciousness of the culinary genre grants admission to variegated arrivants, even as the putative “custodians” of the recipes, the peoples from the Indies, are rendered unwelcome in Anglophone collectives. These migrated flocks are forever deemed to be speaking in accents, munching away at their curry, leading to that seemingly curious and innocuous, yet politically offensive and proprietorial, question: “Where are you really from?”
A potent metaphor
Still, it appears that these flotsam and jetsam of Empire’s enterprise are not content with the mulligatawny soups and kedgerees that the British brought back home to ye olde England. Subcontinentals and South Asians stubbornly insist on their “own” versions of rasams and khichuris (cousin to the Egyptian koshari). Therefore, it follows they must possess the secret magic ingredient that will lead to a truly original curry. Paradoxically, “foreign” innovations are treated with suspicion, by the descendants of both the colonisers and the colonised, leading to that dreaded quest for the authentic experience on all quarters. It is this totalising affect and effect of curry that Naben Ruthnum, a Torontonian of Mauritian descent, cavils against in his recent book Curry: Eating, reading and race. Ruthnum contends that in migrantbased, multicultural states and colonialsettler nations, subcontinental/South Asian minorities like him partake of the meaning of curry, in food and in literature, as “the defining elements” of their identity (albeit unwillingly and ambivalently). Curry becomes a way of being contained and corralled by their own communities holding on to the fragile, frayed thread of belonging to that mythically-originary Indies, as well as creatively hybridising the changing face of a dish that has always absorbed influences. Ruthnum is interested in the historically specific self-identifications of subcontinental
diasporas. They devour, in equal amounts of delight, disbelief and disaffection, both the recipes and the curry-novels that narrativise migration journeys. His book is divided into three sections: the executing and eating of; the reading and reflecting about, and the racialising and erasing of identity via the curry. In the first two sections, he makes a convincingly cheeky case against the insistence on the purity of curry-making and charges a polemic against the way curry-novels constantly transmute into conversations about “experience, alienation, authenticity, and belonging”. Matters get really interesting in the third Tarneit residents section, when Ruthnum delves deep into protesting at the why curry continues to provide such a stairs of Parliament potent metaphor for South Asians, forcing a kind of subcontinental solidarity on brown bodies. Such idyllic camaraderie and commensality, however, is not borne out by the entrenched divisions of subcontinental caste, class, gender and arrival stories. For those not-in-the-know of subcontinental stratarchies at your local curry house, it may not matter whether it is paneer, chicken, mutton, beef or fish that goes into your tikka-masala. But to the initiated and adept, it is the hermeneutics of différence unto death that determines their eating practices and politics. Tracing his own ancestry to a V. Ruthnum who arrived in Mauritius in 1886, and having discussed his own contemporary alienation of trying to find comradeship in the “colonial gangbang” of a creolised island nation, Ruthnum concludes: Just as curry doesn’t exactly exist, neither does the diasporic South Asian. If we are attempting to build solidarity out of a shared history, it will never quite mesh, hold true, unless our great-grandparents happened to be from the same time and place… Members of Team Diaspora may have skin of the same general tone, but each has a family history that is likely completely distinct. What Exactly is a Curry? asks Camellia Punjabi in 50 Great Curries of India where the word might mean different things in different regional subcontinental contexts: “kari”, “kadhi”, “kaari”. Mridula Bajlekar’s Curry: fire and spice includes recipes from South East Asia in its remit, while Lizzie Collingham’s Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerers concludes that popular dishes now known as curries are the result of a prolonged history of invasion and fusion of food traditions from Persia to Portugal in the subcontinent. Notwithstanding the indeterminacy and obduracy of the curry to resist definition, discussions around its “roots” continue
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unabated. From unflinching purists to unabashed adulterers, everyone has a position (missionary or otherwise) on the curry; the only constant being that each narrative is tied to identity and its (ab)uses. Even among proponents of un-curry, the attempt to establish bona fide credentials remains an overwhelming ambition. In fact, the more specialised a curry is, the greater appears to be the need of practitioners and purveyors to pin down its ancestry. In the subcontinent, this might take the shape of venerating culinary traditions like the Bengali, the Kashmiri or the Saraswat. Regional subcontinental particularities like the Awadhi, the Mapila and the Parsi are but testament to the enormous trade and traffic in cultures and influences through the millennia. Curries at a remove from the subcontinent have the constant burden placed on them to prove their authenticity, an expectation that sits piously and provocatively on migrant bodies that have swum valiantly onto unknown shores. The buss up shut roti, the bunny chow, the litti chokha give any curry a run for its money, and triumphantly declare their independence against the republic of curry.
Currying on…
Landing in Sydney in 2008 after an 18-hour flight from Edmonton, where I had lived for a decade, I was taken aback by my alarming lack of diasporic angst as the plane almost touched the red-tiled roofs of St Peter’s. Perhaps I was also lulled into a familiar/ familial tropical torpor by the scent of the freesias and frangipani that greeted me everywhere. Nestled in a tiny apartment atop Kantipur Nepali grocery store in Marrickville, I was still half a decade away from its gentrification and burgeoning foodie scene. Instead, my neighbours were a fruit shop run by two hierarchical but loquacious Greek brothers and an unbelievably clean butchery. I was charmed by the Australian language, which left nothing to the imagination as to what might transpire inside those premises: the butchery!
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Nine months on, walking about in this not-yet-not-quite-hip inner-west neighbourhood, I would pass numerous verandahs where grizzled, old Greek men sat playing board games while a tiny, bearded goat munched on grass growing in the cracks between cemented front lawns. I hazarded the guess that, true to old country values, these were being fattened for Easter on the tenderest green tidbits. I also discovered that the butchery would sell you a full baby goat: I only had to convince three of my friends to go in for shares. When I enjoined upon the laconic butcher to give each one of us a leg, the grim, unsmiling character said, without missing a beat on his cleaver: “Goat not have four legs. Cow have four legs.” Somehow that seemed wildly funny on that dazzling day as the four of us stood across from the Uniting Church and hugged our blood-soaked packages to take home and bestow the meat with our own unique benefaction. The deal was that we would invite each other to taste our culinary creations. Among all possible renditions, roast leg of goat, goat ragout, goat chops, goat cutlets, goat shashlik and goat dumplings, it fell to me of course to make the goat curry. Moi, who bristled indignantly whenever anyone asked me what the best place to “eat Indian” was in town: hell, I’d been here only less than a year! Moreover, in a city of such culinary finesse and fusion, where every Shazza, Dazza and Bazza had access to cuisine from Vietnam to Vanuatu, Bangladesh to Beirut, China to Cyprus, why on earth was it assumed that I, fresh off the flight, would know, or even want to know, the best place to “eat Indian”? There was a promiscuity of palate and uppity savoir faire in Sydney that I have come to love, but somehow that would get eclipsed in the quotidian query that presumed that when South Asians went out, we would consume only our own, never the “other”, that our tongues were not urbane enough for the pronunciation of, or experimentation with, other “global” foods, and that the connoisseurship afforded to
aficionados who could differentiate between which wines to pair with “Indian” was not available to us. In this field of alimentary refinement, South Asians could only ever be native informants, never enlightened Arnavor Sati anthropologists even pretentious gourmands. Ten years on, the question never fails to arrive: the push and pull of authenticity laid square at my door to conjure the “most genuine” Indian food possible, a parallel to those other historically amnesiac questions encountered with unfailing regularity, with inimitable rising inflections: “You really speak good English?” and “Will you stay on in ’stralia?” These connections between being called a smelly curry muncher and pigeonholed as the genuine article or authority on “curry” cut deep, but paradoxically they are also a reminder, as Ruthnum puts it, “that there are domestic, comforting aspects to exoticism”. They are a frequent intimation of one’s provisional and privileged place in a settler nation, as well as an incantation that we might know something about that most adaptive, bastardised and chameleon-like dish of Empire, the curry, even as we wag our typhoid-yellow index fingers and wiggle our collective subcontinental heads and insist that it just does not exist. So to go back to that day, when it came down to being objectified as a true blue, genuine cook of goat curry, I had no objections. These were my Australian friends, South Asian and non-South Asian, the ones who had taken me deep into their hearts and homes, and if curry was what they wanted, curry is what I would make them. I invoked my ancient culinary karma and sacred gastronomic inheritance to embark on the journey of the goat via my friend Iman’s Egyptian recipe that called for only onions, garlic and black peppercorns. No mustard oil, no cinnamon or cloves, no turmeric and chili, no cumin and coriander powder, or ginger and garam masala. After all, she, no mean cook herself, had declared with supreme discernment once, when I had painstakingly made Egyptian mahshi from a recipe, that they tasted
absolutely Indian, that anything I made would taste Indian. It is a fact of life I have come to embrace as well, as I go about adding green chillies to my penne pasta and soy sauce to my cauliflower curries. A right royal subcontinental flip to the Descartian dualism: cogito, ergo sum upturned into, “I am, therefore I curry!” At 0.37 seconds in the trailer for the Netflix documentary series, Ugly Delicious, David Chang, the renowned Momofuku chef leading a crusade against purity and piety in food, has a memorable line that all authenti-siasts should adopt as their motto: “It’s when you eat a dish that reminds you of a dish cooked by your mom.” I may improvise, with the right pinch of remembrance and matricidal rejection thrown in, curry is an invention and an inventory of arrival that also asserts its adulthood against that long-lost mother country, tongue and palate. Ruthnum would agree that authenticity talk is uniquely boring and absorbing: the more you try to establish provenance, the more pedantic it becomes, but the conversation around it can be endlessly entertaining. As Helen Rosner, roving food correspondent at The New Yorker concludes, “the great cooks, in Chang’s view, are those who don’t just deploy an ingredient or a technique but feel it, deeply, adopting the food and its history as a fundamental part of who they are.” This then is ultimately what is at the heart of the insistence on curry: the owning and the disavowing of it at the same time, in all its racialized legacies and imperial flavours, in all the ways that it searches for a genesis story and all the wonderful wanton ways in which it leads you astray in the detours of history. Curry as social bonding, curry as story telling, curry as sloganeering, curry as stand-up comedy, curry as the personal, curry as the politics, curry as imagined community — keep calm and long live the curry! This article was originally published on theconversation.com.
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ENTERTAINMENT
cineTALK WHOSE LAND IS IT ANYWAY?
MULK
STARRING Rishi Kapoor, Tapsee Pannu, Manoj Pahwa, Prateik Babbar, Ashutosh Rana, Rajat Kapoor DIRECTOR Anubhav Sinha
HHHHH
Whose land is it anyway? At a time when the Indian Muslim finds himself isolated like never before, Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk serves as a jolting reminder of how far into the darkest recesses of distrust and animosity, terrorism has taken the blame game. First of all, it is very hard to believe that Sinha whose earlier credits include fluff stuff like Tum Bin and Ra.One, has actually created this modern political masterpiece which attempts very successfully to humanise a community that has been demonised by some negative elements. And yet Mulk doesn’t take sides, doesn’t make the Indian Muslim community a portrait of
injured innocence. What it does do – and full-marks to Sinha for writing a script that doesn’t bend backwards to humanise the community under siege – is to lay bare the layers of deception that mars a truly fruitful dialogue between sane rational elements in both the Hindu and Muslim community. When the son (Prateik Babbar) from a Muslim family in the dense bylanes of Varanasi decides to became a so-called jihadi, the ramifications on his family are deep and wounding. It is in portraying the family’s anguish that Sinha emerges with cinema that’s masterly and timely. There comes a time in the taut narrative when the patriarch of the family is asked to choose between home and safety. Rishi Kapoor making that resolute choice reminded me of Balraj Sahni in Garam Hawa. Kapoor has shaped up into that rare actor who can do anything effortlessly.
His portrayal of Murad Ali Mohammad is clenched and compelling. He brings to the character an empathy that never serenades self-pity. But my favourite performances in the film are by Manoj Pahwa as Kapoor’s hounded brother and Rajat Kapoor as a Muslim antiterror police officer who has turned against his own community to cleanse its reputation. Pahwa as the terror-accused father of a jihadi, makes your heart melt with compassion. In the best-written sequence of the film he tells his brother why he always tried to be a good sibling, and never failed to fall short. Also brilliant is the ever-capable Kumud Mishra as the judge presiding over a case that in many ways, changes the way we look at terroraccused families, not to mention court proceedings in our films. Ashutosh Rana and Tapsee Pannu are absolutely brilliant as the prosecutor and defence lawyer.
And when Taapsee takes over the climactic courtroom finale questioning why our society has polarised into “them” and “us”, she proves herself one of the strongest contemporary female actors today. Some moments in this thoughtprocess reforming drama practically gave me goosebumps. When the terrorist-son (Prateik Babbar)’s body is brought home, we hear sounds of his mother’s anguish and panic, as the camera moves through the family home prowling in pursuit of answers to questions that lie too deep for tears. I am not surprised that Evan Mulligan’s camera has captured the splintered cultural conundrum of Varanasi like never before. Mulk is a work that won’t settle for the status quo. It forces us to think and reconsider our value system at a time when cows are valued more than human lives. Subhash K. Jha
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FUN, BUT NOT FUNNY
FANNEY KHAN
STARRING Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao DIRECTOR Atul Manjrekar
HHHHH
Adapted from the 2001 Oscarnominated Belgian film Everybody’s Famous!, Fanney Khan is the story of a father who goes to various lengths to encourage his daughter to become a star singer. Bogged down by middle-class-family pressures, Prashant Kumar aka Fanney
Khan, a wannabe singer-cum-performer gives up his dream of making it big in the entertainment sector. Instead, he dreams of making his daughter into a singing star, just like Baby Singh (Aishwarya) the reigning singing sensation, who he admires. In reality, his daughter Lata, named after the songstress Lata Mangeshkar, is a brat who is pretty mediocre and has faint regard for her father’s emotions. Prashant is a good man, endured by his patient wife Kavita (Divya Dutta) and treasured by his best friend Adhir
(Rajkummar Rao), his co-worker in the factory. Soon after he loses his job in the factory, he is desperate. So, when, by quirk of fate he meets Baby Singh, he spontaneously kidnaps her with the hope that with the ransom money he gets would cut an album for his daughter. He ropes in Adhir in his endeavour. The film works as a satire. But by the time the police spontaneously applaud a man they have every reason to believe is holding a hostage, the film has given
up any shred of plausibility and is simply trying to be a nice comedy. It is nice, but not much of a comedy. The plot borders on being ridiculous and stupid, but is still sweet, likeable and funny. But honestly, it takes time to build the characters to emotionally invest in them. And there is nothing endearing about the protagonist. Also while sitting through the viewing of this film, we are struck by the question, “Is it necessary to become a star?” And by the end, you are reminded, “If you don’t dream, how will you fulfil your dreams?” Anil as Fanney Khan is himself and is relatable. Hze is never out of his comfort zone but at times, he does seem to be a bit over the top. Pihu Sand is extremely talented. In her maiden film, in a tailor-made role, as Fanney Khan’s daughter Lata, she lights up the screen with her inherent energy and delivers a spirited performance, especially in the finale song. Aishwarya as the singer Baby Singh is ravishing. She delivers an energetic and spontaneous performance. She is a treat to watch when she shares screen space with Rajkummar, who is brilliant as Adhir. The songs in the film mesh seamlessly in the narrative and are choreographed with equal competence. Overall, the film offers promises and hopes, but on a false note thus making the narrative incredulous. Troy Ribeiro
AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE KARWAAN
STARRING Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Akash Khurana, Mithila Palkar DIRECTOR Akarsh Khurana RATING Three stars
HHHHH
Focusing more on the journey rather than on the goal, Karwaan is a lighthearted comedy, designed as a road film. So obviously, you have little of the road and more of the comedy which is quirky, subtle and sardonic. So like a typical, mellow and sweet road film, here the main characters leave their home on a road trip, altering their perspective from their everyday lives. They change, grow or improve over the course of their journey. The story written by Bejoy Nambiar, brings to fore the question: how much story does it really offer? While the setup is interesting, the payoffs and character arcs are flat and unimpressive. This is not a story of hitchhikers ready to hit the road. Instead, it is the story of a dutiful son Avinash Raj Purohit (Dulquer Salmaan), who ensures that he performs the last rites of his father after his sudden and untimely death in a road accident while on a pilgrimage in North India. Avinash despised his father
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for not letting him pursue his passion in photography. Now, reluctantly working in the IT sector and based in Bangalore, Avinash goes to collect his father’s remains from the airport’s cargo section along with his friend Shaukat (Irrfan Khan), who owns a garage. Obviously, he gets the vehicle to transport the corpse. But after collecting the body, they realise that there has been a goof-up. To correct the wrong, Avinash along with Shaukat travel to Kochi to exchange the bodies. En route they pick up Tanya from her college, she is the granddaughter of the dead lady whose body Avinash has mistakenly picked up. Their journey yields enlightenment which contains the trio’s own secrets about life and loss and is peppered with moments sans any major conflict, yet it is action-packed, sentimental and hilarious.
The key character who brightens the screen and makes the film momentous is Irrfan Khan. His peculiar one-liners are what keep you in splits. It’s not that his lines are original, but the way he delivers them, the timing, is what makes it unique, preposterous and memorable, ensuring a chuckle after every delivery. Dulquer Salmaan slips into Avinash’s boots with grace and ease. He is the epitome of a good and conscientious boy. Mithila Palkar is natural as the bold and adventurous Tanya.
Amala Akkineni as Tanya’s mother Tahira and Kirti Kharbanda as Avinash’s college friend Rumana, are graceful and have their moments of on-screen glory. Visually the film benefits from the fine work of cinematographer Avinash Arun, who bathes the feature and its characters with glossy naturalistic composition. Overall, Karwaan is a pleasant surprise that unexpectedly ends up entertaining you. Troy Ribeiro
AUGUST (1) 2018 61
MATRIMONIALS SEEKING GROOMS Sister based in Sydney seeks suitable match for 39-year-old/5’5’’ Never married Punjabi Khatri girl. Doctor by profession, vegetarian. Settled in India, but willing to move overseas. Currently in Sydney (on holidays). Caste no bar. Email: guruji2111@gmail.com, Mobile: +61 424 386 040 Seeking professionally qualified settled match for Sydney based, never married Australian citizen, Hindu, Punjabi Khatri 45-year-old, 5’3” slim, fair, attractive girl. She is a postgraduate and is working on a good position in a government organisation. Please send details with photo to Indsyd2016@gmail.com. Seeking a match for Australian citizen, Sydney-based Sikh girl born in 1991, 170cm, qualified chartered accountant, working for Australia’s leading bank. Parents highly educated and well settled in Sydney. Please respond to hs52216a@gmail.com
SEEKING BRIDES Seeking 25-30-yr-old Hindu/Punjabi girl from Australia for our 31 year old Specialist Doctor son 5’9”, born and brought up in Sydney. Please respond gupta_rsr@hotmail. com or call 0414 282 510.Match for boy aged 26, Telugu Brahmin family.
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FORETELL
AUGUST 2018 BY MINAL KHONA Minal Khona has been reading tarot cards for the last two decades. She uses her intuition and connect with the cards mostly to help people.
TAROT
ARIES March 21 - April 19
TAURUS April 20 - May 20
GEMINI May 21 - June 20
CANCER June 21 - July 20
Increased social and business activities and new avenues of fulfilment are on the agenda for you this month. You look for deeper meanings in relationships and might even move home. You might be considering marriage or a live-in arrangement. Creative pursuits interest you but you have to make time for them. A breakthrough at work keeps you busy. If stuck in a rut, do things differently and act on alternatives. A trip proves to be financially rewarding.
A Capricorn type of person might help you out as you focus on employment. It could also mean that you are indecisive like the sign of the goat. Expect good news from someone who cares, or a friend will help you in a sticky situation. If romantically involved, you will feel good about yourself even if the relationship has no future. Good news brightens your spirits; you might even have a little extra money to spend on some retail therapy.
A long term existing condition will change. The focus is partnerships, crossroads in life, and love affairs. A heartfelt desire will be accomplished through someone you meet: you will have a great rapport with and affinity for this person, and they could help change things for the better. There could be unpleasant people and situations at work but they are temporary so don’t burn your bridges just yet. Luck is on your side - let the universe step in to help.
Love life is static and additional responsibilities make you overworked and tired. A plan you come up with is worth executing. Take a short trip to relax and wind down. Apprehensions about finance are unnecessary. More work could be dumped on you. Success is the result of patient and thorough research and a career opportunity comes your way. Go for your goals and don’t accept mediocrity. A new venture will ease tensions and don’t waste time on an impossible relationship.
LEO July 21 - Aug 22
VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22
LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22
SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21
There are delays, but with the promise of success, so relax. Focus on passive rather than active pursuits – feelings, emotion and self-expression. You will feel like something is lacking but don’t know what. You might consider moving in with someone but you won’t do it because it doesn’t feel right. Upper back causes health issues. If there has been a delay in finances, the money will come in shortly. Success comes through a positive change in attitude. Trust your gut instinct.
You are drawn towards values, a way of life and deeper thoughts this month caused by a complete reversal of affairs. Release your problems to a higher power and let God handle everything. An unexpected financial opportunity will come your way, along with repeat clients and increased profits. A new business proposal too could come along. Avoid feelings of martyrdom. A fresh direction will emerge gradually. Take rest when you have to and emotional problems come to an end as well.
Introspection and solitude is what you seek as a pause in progress causes anxiety. You could be facing disappointment in love. Money comes in from another source. Watch out for plagiarism of your ideas. You could be experiencing anxiety. Re-evaluate your position and a new understanding improves a romantic situation. You have what it takes to succeed, you just need someone to help you put it together. That help is coming and new ideas will succeed.
You seek more in your relationship as the romance has no fireworks. The existing pent up pressures and negativity change your perspective and you might want to move on. Change for the better is on the anvil through a friend, lover or business associate. A sudden windfall cheers you up. Expenses are high and though the situation bothering you currently seems bleak, it will resolve itself. Success through litigations and keeping emotions on an even keel is foretold.
SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21
CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19
AQUARIUS Jan 20 - Feb 18
PISCES Feb 19 - March 20
Home, friends, money matters. You could be caught off-guard by a confrontation or a petty argument. New elements enter your life to make your outlook hopeful. You or a loved one – perhaps a pet - could need medical attention. An argument or falling out with a friend or a boss is indicated as you feel underappreciated. You have divine protection when it comes to money. Positive reinforcement leads to success. Stick to those who are supportive of you this month.
It is only through a manifestation of ideas that things can grow. Your thoughts veer towards mortality and spiritual matters. If you have recently broken up, you might get back together. In a strained relationship, keep a distance so the other person respects and values you. Watch out for substance abuse and take care of your heart’s health. A new job is in the offing but you may say no due to an existing health condition. Nurture yourself though the emotional vacuum remains for now.
Negative conditions are temporary and will clear up. Delays, strife, adversity, separations add to your disappointment as you want to see results and are not willing to expend more energy. The unexpected appearance of someone will make things better. Take a break from tensions and work as tears, sadness and physical pain are indicated. Let go and have faith, as any delays are in your favour. Money held up will also come in and a fresh start is indicated.
Assert yourself as you are in an ambitious mode this month. Loosen up a bit if romantically involved. Start a new exercise regime. Personally you may be weighed down with responsibilities; learn to delegate. Home construction or renovation projects keep you busy or you could be moving into a new home. If you get invited to a trip, take it up. A new course of action will change your life. Health issues could be tension headaches or lower back ache.
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BACKCHAT
Freedom from crime
There are safe places everywhere – if you know where to look. BY NURY VITTACHI
F
ive years ago I lived in a housing estate that was so safe that I didn’t even own a front door key. Our only line of defence against evil was a deeply confused dog that barked at family members and gave strangers a friendly licking. (My wife tells me to be kind, since dogs have brains the size of walnuts, but I argue that a walnut would be cheaper and more effective, since you can throw it at people and it never needs its poop picked up. But whatever.) Safe places to live were on my mind after a reader sent in a news report about what is being called “the safest place in the world”. Eibenthal is a village with a little church in the mountains of Romania. Inhabitants hang money in bags on lampposts. The baker passes by, takes the money and leaves food behind. But there are super-safe places everywhere, if you know where to look. India has Shani Shingnapur, a famously low-crime town of 3,000 people in Maharashtra where most houses don’t even have doors, let alone locks. This columnist wrote about it a few years ago when a bank was built there. Townsfolk ordered executives at UCO
Your visit could change your lifestyle A X E YOUR TA X in Burnside JAI HARI IYER M.Com.,M.Ed, PG Dip Pr Mgt, FTIA, CPA
Bank to follow tradition and have no locks on its doors. The bankers thought this was a bit unusual for a bank, but were willing to cooperate. You could imagine the discussion: Townsfolk: “You must follow our tradition and not lock the doors of your bank.” Bankers: “Well, okay. It’s your money.” Townsfolk: “Wait. Maybe we need to talk about this a bit more.” The only grumble came from local police, but they could have taken inspiration from Sark, an island near England which maintained a tiny security presence. In the 1970s it was invaded by France. The invasion fleet consisted of one Frenchman. The defending army consisted of a part-time policeman, who arrested the Frenchman without harming him. As wars go, it was rather sweet. (You can’t say that about a lot of wars.) Even the United States, which the media paints as a land of guns, has super-safe places. Wikipedia says top of the list is Irvine, California, which had 0.8 of a murder in the most recent year counted. How can you have 0.8 of a murder? Did the guy’s hair survive or something? Now here’s the thing: you can create individual safe spots. Over the years, this column has received dozens of news reports about armed robbers who failed because their would-be crimes didn’t fit the ambience. Example: in 2012, a masked man
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entered a bar in the Netherlands and levelled a gun at people inside. Lost in the usual fog of drink and chatter you find in European bars, they ignored him. The whole thing is on YouTube, including the deflated robber’s sad exit. At a bank in Kowloon, Hong Kong, staff told a raider than they were far too busy to
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be robbed. He nodded and left the counter. The whole thing was marvellously civil. Now I am not saying that our generation is creating a crime-free world. Given the propensity of snacks to disappear in this columnist’s house, I can’t even create a crime-free apartment. Who took my walnut?
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