Teams work on clues to find the location of Charity

Friday, November 18 saw the inaugural event of Vishwaas, a not-for-profit
organisation that aims to raise awareness about issues plaguing rural education in India, and provide customised, self-sustainable community solutions at the grass roots level.
Having previously organised the stage productions Gandhi:

The Power of One in 2009 and The Legend of Asoka in 2010 under a different banner, this year,
the members of Vishwaas held an event called Charity Never Dies, an action-packed Trivia Night – but with a little bit of a twist. The night was 007-themed, with attendees coming in their best James Bond attire and volunteers dressed in coordinated and immaculate black, white and red. The event itself was hosted by none other than Mr. Bond and his Secretary, Miss Moneypenny.

The twist was that the audience was unexpectedly taken on a very James Bond like adventure. ‘Charity’ turned out to be the name of a double agent caught up in the schemes of an evil mastermind called E, who had managed to seize
and disappear with highly dangerous nuclear warheads. Teams, or agencies rather, were subsequently tasked with finding Charity and E, so that Charity may never die’, revealing a double pun behind the event’s title. Each team was provided a grid with potential locations. Teams had to work through the grid and eliminate places using a combination of knowledge, wit and luck, until they were able to determine the villain’s final destination.

The event produced a good turnout, the majority of who were young people. Attendees were kept stimulated throughout the night with games, trivia challenges and live music. The food was the stand-out factor, with impeccably well-dressed and well-mannered waiters regularly delivering various platters of delicious chips, dips, fruit punch, samosas and spring rolls, followed by mouth watering gulab jamuns and pedas. As an inaugural event, Charity Never Dies proved to be both enjoyable and successful, and celebrated a great milestone for Vishwaas, which, from its humble beginnings as a university society in 2006, has achieved great
success within a short span of time.

Through the stage productions Gandhi: The Power of One and The Legend of Asoka in 2009 and 2010 respectively, Vishwaas (which is the Hindi word for ’faith’ or ‘belief’) has raised a significant amount for various charities and not-for-profit institutions in India. Further, in December 2010, 18 members of Vishwaas embarked on a 3-week journey across India. Visiting various educational and medical institutions in the rural areas of Bangalore, Aurangabad, Jaipur and Panchkula, the VOM team was able to gain an understanding about the healthcare and education
systems that operate in India, and set the foundations for developing long-term relationships with each of these institutions.

“Ina short span of time, Vishwaas (which is the Hindi word for ‘faith’ or ’belief’) has raised a significant amount for various charities and not-for-profit institutions in India”

As Shankar Vasudevan, President of Vishwaas stated, “Furthering rural education in India is a goal that Vishwaas has been and will continue to work tirelessly towards, liaising with several non-government organisations in different parts of India to tackle problems at a grassroots levels.”

The success of Vishwaas can be attributed to the passion and sincerity of its members, and Charity Never Dies was refreshingly different to a typical trivia night. The creative elements were well received by the audience and
will be one of the critical factors that draws back the audience to attend future events.
For more information about Vishwaas and its events visit www.vishwaas.org.au

Hindi writer and poet Rekha Rajvanshi’s recent work in translating Aboriginal stories into Hindi, has won her high commendation. At this month’s Excellence Awards organised by the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators (AUSIT), the peak industry body for translators and interpreters in Australia, Rekha was announced as first runner-up for her translation of The Dreaming project from English into Hindi.

“I am happy about being acknowledged for my work and I feel personally that it is quite an achievement, but less for me and more for the Hindi language,” she says candidly.

This is the first time since the Awards were instituted nationally in 2007, that a Hindi translator has won at the awards.

Dalia Matar from NSW won the award for translation and subtitling of the SBS Dateline program Iraq’s Deadly Legacy, in Arabic. Nadesan Sundaresan of Victoria also won runner-up at this year’s awards, for a series of interpreting assignments in Tamil, in a detention facility for asylum seekers.

It is a fitting honour for Rekha indeed, considering the time and effort that went into translating from English into Hindi of 13 animation films for children. The Dreaming stories are a renowned series of animated films based on Australian Aboriginal storytelling that have been maintained as a body of knowledge for over 40,000 years. They reveal an amazing array of lore, morals, nature and even the spiritual, through the tales of Indigenous Australians. For Rekha, the six-month task was a challenging one, as she strived to balance between her regular job, family and The Dreaming team, in getting approvals and copy finalised. “It was hard work, viewing the English version DVDs over and over again to catch the nuances of language and make sure that they were appropriately translated for a younger audience,” says Rekha. “It was challenging to work the translation according to each frame to compliment the visual, and still keep the flow of the story smooth. And because the films were targetted towards children, I kept the language as simple as possible. Thanks to a fairly in-depth understanding ofAustralia’s aboriginal heritage, I managed to convey the true meaning of these stories into the Hindi language, a feat of which I am proud.”

Having worked as a History teacher in Sydney for over five years helped Rekha develop not just an interest, but also a healthy respect and understanding for Australia’s past, and in particular, its aboriginal antecedents.

The nomination for the award came from The Dreaming producer Keith Salvat of The Aboriginal Nations Australia, who worked closely with Rekha on the project. “In support of the nomination, I also had to submit references, samples of work, and a write-up about my experiences with The Dreaming. All these were then assessed by a jury who put me among the three finalists for the award,” says Rekha. “I think it’s fitting to thank the reviewers, jury and AUSIT for supporting our profession and acknowledging the work that we do.”

Founded in 1987, AUSIT is a not-for-profit, national professional association representing translators and interpreters across Australia.

Rekha provided the script for the thirteen most popular aboriginal animation films, which appeared in sub-titles and a voice-over.

“It had been my desire since a while to work on translating aboriginal stories and lore into Hindi, and this was the perfect opportunity.”

The Hindi version of the DVD was released on Hindi Divas in September 2011.

Rekha is a great supporter of the language, particularly in commending its use to Indian families here in Australia. “As the Indian national language, it is important to keep up this aspect of one’s heritage,” she says. “Young children learn languages with ease and should be encouraged to do so, in learning either Hindi or any other language. There is an increasing awareness of Hindi here in Australia now, which is very heartening.” Rekha’s command over Hindi goes beyond translating, as she worked as a writer in the Delhi Press magazines and newspapers back in India. On arriving in Sydney ten years ago, she initially found it hard to get a job in the education industry despite a Masters in Education from Delhi University. However, with Hindi as her forte, Rekha began working as an interpreter, and then naturally transitioned into translating, taking on projects in addition to her day job. She has published five books, of which three are collections of her poetry, a hobby that she pursues to this day.

Nor is Rekha a first-time award winner. She was awarded the Outstanding Service in Language Teaching by the Saturday School of Community Languages in 2009 and 2010, in addition to being honoured at the NSW Parliament House in 2010 and by the late President of India Shri Shankar Dayal Sharma in 1996. This enterprising lady is currently co-founder of the Indian Literary and Art Society of Australia (ILASA), a not-for-profit organisation that promotes the cause of Indian literature in Australia through book and art clubs, and youth forums.

And what plans does Rekha have for the future? “I am keen on translating Australia’s history into Hindi, particularly as new migrants arriving here have a limited understanding of the country and its heritage,” she says.

The Madhu and Chelana Desai Gujarati Community Centre has come to life in Granville, Sydney, exclusively dedicated to the Indian community.

Located at 12 Good Street, the centre includes dedicated facilities like the members’ club house and a restaurant called Zayka by Taj, set up on the ground floor. The Community Hall on the first floor has a capacity to accommodate 200 guests for dinner, and can take in 320 people in a conference-type seating style. Management offices, rooms for activities and the library are situated on the second floor.

The Centre can be hired at subsidised rates and is fully furbished and air conditioned on all floors with a public announcement system, dance floors and lights, cold storage facilities and independent bars on the ground and first floors.

The centre began operations on Nov 26, with a grand launch that was attended by about 60 people.

The Madhu and Chelana Desai Gujarati Community Centre is an initiative of a young and vibrant team with innovative ideas and vision, chaired by Dr. Jayant Gokani. Amongst the Management Committee are Harshadbhai Desai, Dr. V. M. Patel, Rushibhai Sheth, Mukund Shah, Dr. Jayant Gokani, Parag Shah, Ravi Pandit, Jignesh Shah, Mukesh Rao and Janak Patel.

Kicking off the launch and placing the new centre in its locational and historical context, attendees were welcomed by the Director and Management Committee Member, Mukund Shah. Mr Shah reminded us that the community centre building is a success story in itself as it is 130 years old and is a heritage listed building. When originally built, it was initially used as a Town Hall for Parramatta, and over the years it was converted to other commercial uses.

Mr Shah also added that the Centre is accessible to people as it is close to public transport and situated in a suburb which is a hub of the Indian community, being close to Indian restaurants and shops at Harris Park.

The Centre intends to create an atmosphere conducive to host functions and activities for members and organisations. Events like exhibitions, engagements, weddings, social get-togethers, prayer meetings, religious discourses, ladies and youth activities etc., can be hosted here. The centre also would cater to providing meals for Gujarati students in the evening, at subsidised rates.

Dr Jayant Gokani, Chairman and Management Committee member specially thanked all the guests and supporters present. “Every year about 25% to 30% of Indian immigrants to Australia hail from Gujarat. The father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi hails from this very state,Gujarat. He is an inspiration to a lot of visionaries like Nelson Mandela. We also derive this drive and inspiration from him and had envisioned to establish this Centre three years ago,” he said.

Addressing the audience, special guest Dr Geoffrey Lee, MP said, “It is a wonderful time to celebrate the opening of a community centre like this, which is up and running. It is a wonderful effort to buy the building and start a restaurant.” He specially thanked Dr Bhaskerbhai Desai for his generous contribution of $200,000 towards the centre.

The top donors who contributed to the centre are Dr Bhaskarbhai Desai, Gujarat Samaj of NSW, Dr V M Patel, Kantibhai Gokani, and Dr Jayant Gokani.

Speaking to Indian Link, Dr Bhaskarbhai Desai said, “We are extremely happy to make this contribution to the centre – this inspiration seemed to come from God and from my heart. We were looking to make a donation and this opportunity to donate to our community seemed perfect. We decided to donate within a minute when we were approached, and it is really a satisfying deed for my wife and myself”.

The Madhu and Chelana Desai Gujarati Community Centre is shaping up to offer exciting programmes open to everyone in the community, and we are already seeing strong interest in the form of senior gatherings, Swadhyay meetings and Bridge Club meetings. For bookings please contact Harshadbhai Desai on 0416 510 549 or emailgujarati.centre@gmail.com

Time, energy, willingness to help, public consciousness, civic sense, moral ethical values… all these go into what motivate volunteers into social work. But perhaps more than these, they have a genuine love for fellow humans.

To a certain degree we all have it in us, but we also have our excuses:  “I am too busy with work”, “My weekends are spent with the children”, “You know it is not easy to have family commitments, a career and to do voluntary work”.  Agreed, volunteering is not easy. Placing the needs of others before your own can never be easy, but there are a chosen few who do it – willingly, regularly and with devotion and commitment.

The Meals on Wheels community service program is one place where you observe volunteers tirelessly working. I frequently visit Hurstville Community Food Services where meals are prepared, packed and taken to homes for the frail aged who are unable to put a meal together for themselves. Under the able management of Nahed Soliman, the Hurstville Community Food Services caters for the needs of frail and elderly in the surrounding region.

The service centre becomes a beehive of activity right from 8am with volunteers starting to cook under the expert supervision of Malia, who has been a Chieftain in  her village.  Following the rules, they adorn a clean apron, a cap and after careful and thorough washing of hands, they start their kitchen chores. Patrick Malia’s efficient assistant guides the volunteers as they go on cheerfully cutting vegetables and getting the ingredients ready to cook.

As we go around the spotless kitchen, we find a corner – Norma’s corner. Norma Palmer is 93 years old and has been a volunteer for over 30 years.  Our hearts lift as Norma greets us with her hearty laugh and her cheerful face. She is decorating beautiful little cakes for the lonely older people and disabled who are restricted to their houses and cannot cook for themselves. Honouring her tireless service, the Hurstville Community Food Services has named the dessert corner ‘Norma’s corner’.

What makes her so committed, particularly taking care to be punctual and regular and adhering to rules of the place?  It is the passion for helping others and doing something useful for the community, and her love for fellow humans.  We can see it in her laughing, cheerful self.

Norma is the inspiration for our RAIN (Resourceful Australian Indian Network) volunteers who work in the kitchen to produce Indian vegetarian meals on a regular basis.  Tara Surti, Sita Subramaniam, Vimu Patel, Radhamani Natarajan, Manjubehn Hirani, Rita Devmurariand Smeeta Samji together with Nisha Hunt assisting them, are the regular volunteers who are there despite their commitments to their own families.

They take turns in cooking, making it a variety of vegetarian delights ranging from Gujarati to South Indian dishes.  They get advice and help from Nahed, the manager of Hurstville Community Food Services and the expert Chef Malia and her assistant Patrick.

The RAIN volunteers (the ‘food team’) have undergone specific training and have been briefed on food safety rules and what they should and shouldn’t use when in the kitchen.

Tara is a grandmother with a family to take care of, who also has the additional responsibility of taking care of her own frail mother.

Sita has a young grandson who she drops off to school in the morning before coming to the kitchen.  Her close friend Vimubehn is there to offer her expertise in cooking Gujarati kadhi and the mouth watering potato and capsicum special – their friendship dates back to their younger days in India.  These two come in on alternate Thursdays cooking for a group of older people and the food is also taken to homes where there are needy Indian elders of disabled.

Radhamani is eighty this year and loves cooking.  She takes pride in cooking south Indian delicacies and this week I think it is tomato rice and avial, a speciality from Kerala with all the vegetables cooked with ground coconut and chilli.

Manjubehn and Nisha are a happy team. They have their own specific treats which range from special Chapathi preparations to potato pohaand chutney specials.  Smeeta is younger with a load of commitments, including taking care of her mother, a growing family of youngsters and managing her own business. Well, she is still there helping out! We hope to find many more youngsters who can come forward to assist us on a regular basis.

Colours Of Australia by Ananya Wakhare

Pint-sized artists Manvi Rastogi and Ananya Sachin Wakhare continue to gobsmack us as they collect laurels and recognition for their original artworks.

Just a few months ago, Indian Link reported on the two six-year-old best friends, who have had their drawings selected to be exhibited at the Armory Gallery in Operation Art – the Premier’s statewide visual arts exhibition for school students from Kindergarten to Year 10. The exhibition was presented in partnership with the NSW Department of Education & Communities and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. Ananya and Manvi both received VIP passes and had a chance to meet NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell.

Since then, the diminutive pair from Haberfield Public School have been busy entering competitions and winning accolades for themselves and their school. Manvi won the 2011 Indian Link Diwali Art Competition for children, and her design was chosen for the publication’s festive greeting cards. Ananya’s entry was highly commended at the same competition.

Helping Others by Manvi Rastogi

More recently, Manvi’s submission in the K-Mart Art of Giving competition for primary schools was judged the NSW winner in the Prep to Year 4 category.  She won a Sony digital camera for herself, and $2500 for her school.

“Manvi’s submission in the K-Mart Art of Giving competition for primary schools was judged the NSW winner in the Prep to Year 4 category.”

The idea behind the competition was to promote discussion amongst students and encourage them to creatively express their ideas about “why helping others is important”.

Speaking to mum Megha Rastogi, we gleaned that a lot of thought had gone into Manvi’s entry, which was an A3 drawing of the earth floating in the night sky, surrounded by children holding hands to show that they care. The medium used was water colours and oil pastels. The painting can be viewed on the Kmart website via the link:http://artofgiving.kmart.com.au/about.jsp

“I had a keen interest in art as a child myself,” revealed Megha, “Which is why I am able to encourage Manvi in her pursuits. However, Manvi came up with the concept for the painting herself and once started, she took just an hour to complete it.”

“Manvi’s talent first came to our attention when she was in kindy and her drawing of a birthday cake was widely commended by her teachers. It even found a place in the school’s e-newsletter,” said Megha.

Asked how Manvi feels about all these achievements at a young age, Megha said, “She doesn’t understand the significance of it all. She enjoys art and we use it as a reward or incentive for doing her work.”

On how Manvi views competing with and sometimes against her best friend Ananya in art competitions, Megha was quick to point out that the two girls might be good friends, but there was no competition between them. “Even though they attend the same art school and often sit side by side, they create their own individual artworks without worrying about the other,” she stated.

Ananya has also been busy, particularly with the 33rd Sister and Friendship City Children’s Art and Calligraphy Exhibition. Her entry illustrating the diversity of Australian landscape was an A3 water colour and oil pastel rendition, depicting the varying topography of our country. The drawing blended a seascape with a desert scene effortlessly in a demonstration of Ananya’s great underlying talent and imagination. Her work was one of 80 selected to be exhibited at theNagoya City Museum in Japan along with artwork by students from Los Angeles, Mexico City, Nanjing, Torino and Nagoya.

“The drawing blended a seascape with a desert scene effortlessly in a demonstration of Ananya’s great underlying talent and imagination.”

Ananya’s dad Sachin Wakhare is understandably very proud of his daughter’s success. He divulged that Ananya is steadily making progress in her artistic pursuits. “Yesterday she started her first acrylic on canvas painting,” he revealed.

“She is currently trying to master shapes,” he said, adding, “We try not to influence her in any way. We believe it is best to let her imagination develop and by doing her own thing she will be able to develop her own style.”

Sachin also revealed that since Ananya’s work has been likened to that of Picasso by friends, he is very excited to learn that some of the work of the great master is currently being exhibited at the Art Gallery of NSW. “I am planning to take Ananya to see the Picasso exhibition, and I think we are really lucky to have this opportunity,” he stated.

Both Ananya and Manvi have intentions of competing in any art competition that comes along in the future, while continuing to improve their skills with lots of practice.

Keep watching this space as we try to chronicle the rise to fame of this talented duo!

Barry O’Farrell and Victor Dominello join the Indian community in Diwali celebrations Photo: Warren Duncan, CRC of NSW

One of the most hassle-free security checks and I am in the NSW Parliament to attend the Deepavali celebrations on 11 Nov. The dash of colour in the foyer, with multicultural guests dressed in colourful ethnic Indian attire comes to me as no surprise, keeping in mind the occasion. But I am certainly taken aback by the ‘under control’ volume from my fellow-Indians. Soft murmurs are all I can hear. “Hmm…well behaved,” I say to myself. After all, one doesn’t have a choice when one’s inside those formidable walls.

Alright, the sofas have already been taken by a few young girls dressed in classical Indian dance attire, who are busy painting each other’s nails and top knuckles with red marker pens (yes, markers now seem to be the modern day replacement of the traditional alta!) The young dancers are gearing up for their first performance at the NSW Parliament, their excitement palpable.

Soon a batch of school children, 36 in all and from varied backgrounds, are led in by their teachers. They are in ethnic Indian attire representing different Indian states, some still adjusting their sarees, some their turbans and some their dupattas. Even the teachers have slipped into the six-yard wonder.  The official programme for the Deepavali 2011 celebrations is preceded by a Bharatnatyam performance on Vande Mataram, followed by Hum hongey kamyaab, a Diwali song and a rocking dance performance by little kids on Jai Ho. Kudos to the teachers and students of IABBV Hindi School and six mainstream participating schools of the “India Calling – Connected Classrooms Concept”. (These included Ashbury Public School, Carlton South Public School, Cronulla Public School, Double Bay Public School, Kogarah Public School and Mascot Public School).

The children are led by a team of skilled teachers, Principals, Dr. Phil Lambert, Regional Director, Department of Education and Communities, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Sydney and Ms Mala Mehta of the IABBV Hindi School in NSW.

The official celebrations take place in the main hall.

As the MC, Dr. Stepan Kerkyasharian, Chair of the Community Relations Commission, makes an important point. “It is a major step forward in multiculturalism in NSW, when the elected government of the state and the Premier of NSW for the first time host the celebration of the most important festival for one of the key communities in our society”.

The Premier Barry O’Farrell begins his speech by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land, and follows it up with an accented ‘Namaste’.

“It is important that we think about hope and optimism, the messages of Deepavali, in Parliament because this should be an optimistic place, this should be about searching for the better angels that exist within all of us,” he says.

The Premier also thanks the Indian Consul General of India in Sydney Mr. Amit Dasgupta, for his contribution. “I make no bones about it, he has influenced me! So our commitment to visit India within the first 12 months should we come to office, owes as much to Amit Dasgupta’s convincing and persuasiveness as it does to the genius of our shadow cabinet sitting around working at how we can seek to grow the state’s economy. I end the term to ensure it becomes an annual event for the Premier of NSW, I end the term to ensure that never again do we take for granted a relationship that dates back so long,” stresses Mr. O’Farrell.

The Premier concludes by highlighting Australia’s unity in diversity. “I thank you all for coming here to remind us of the fact that we are not only a multicultural society, we are a multi-faith society. We have the right to practice different religions in this country and long may that last!” he says to enthusiastic applause.

The speech is followed by a traditional Laxmi Puja that included chanting of Vedic hymns by Hindu priests and the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by the Premier.

Mr. Dasgupta too shows his gratitude to the Premier for “showing his stewardship in organizing this auspicious event as one by the NSW government”. Victor Dominello, Minister for Citizenship and Communities asks those attending “to continue to celebrate your beautiful culture. Because when you celebrate it other people join in that celebration, and that is truly the magic of this country of ours. So thank you for coming, happy Diwali. Dhanya…dhanyavad!”

John Robertson, Leader of the Opposition and Member for Blacktown and Dr Geoff Lee, Member for Parramatta also make their presence felt with their inspiring speeches.

Mr. Raj Datta, Chairperson, Deepavali Festival Committee of NSW is pleased to note how the Diwali celebrations in the NSW Parliament, an initiative started in 2003, has grown in strength and stature. “Since 2003, it has been a function in partnership between the communities of Indian and Indian sub-continental heritage, and the Government of NSW. This year it has gone a step further, as the NSW government has decided to celebrate Diwali in Parliament House as government function,” he says.

The cultural programme starts with an invocation to Lord Ganesha, followed by a classical dance choreographed by Saipriya Rahulan and performances by the Shivam School of Dance. Pallavi Wardan performs a Bharatnatyam number, Indrani Kakoty renders the ghazal Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo, and the Nupur Dance Group grooves to fusion music. The event concludes with the Australian National Anthem performed by Sunanda Sharma, Anahita Surya and Dylan Ahern of the Hindi school programme, while the Indian National Anthem and Vande Mataram are performed by Ankita Sachdev.

Certainly this event reiterates the fact that we live in a united and tolerant society. As Mr. Dutta says, “We need to work together, support each other so that we as a community come across as a community that is not thinking of ‘us’ as Indian, but thinking of ‘us’ as Australian contributing in a positive way using our values and culture to Australia.”

Sure, us Indians living in Australia can take some poetic liberty in re-constructing the famous patriotic song, Saare jahaan se accha Hindustan aur Australia humaara….

It is the Festival of Light after all, so why not spread a bit of radiance around?

That was the idea behind one of the many Diwali Balls the community has seen this season. A small group of socially conscious community women combined the two aims in one as they organised a glamorous Diwali party. They helped raise funds for local charity Dress for Success while fully enjoying the spirit of the festival.

Some 200 like-minded people turned up at the venue Manjit’s Concord Function Centre, and a tidy sum of nearly $6000 was collected.

Amongst the organisers were Sydney ladies Ajinder Gill, Baljit Kamal, Charan Saini, Chitra Randhawa, Harjeet Dhillon, Jasbir Kanga, Kiran Grewal, Kuldip Kaur, Rani Randhawa and Sarjeet Gill.

“The idea was to celebrate Diwali and a group of 10 of us decided to organise the Ball with our families and friends,” Ajinder Gill said to Indian Link.

The night was vibrant, colourful and sparkling, to go with its theme ‘Glamour’.

Dress for Success Sydney is an affiliate of Dress for Success Worldwide based in the USA. It is a registered charity that helps disadvantaged women by providing them with a work wardrobe to start off with. Besides quality professional attire, they also help increase the employability of these women who are starting over, with a network of support and career development tools such as preparation for job interviews. Their stated mission is to “support women experiencing difficulties in achieving self-sufficiency and financial independence”. In their work to improve the employability of disadvantaged women, they have recently been reaching out to an increasing number of Indian women as well, helping to raise self esteem confidence and restore dignity.

Judy Vergison, Secretary and a Director on the board for Dress for Success, said nearly 6% of their clients last year were of Indian background. She shared the true story of a client who had recently arrived in Sydney having immigrated to Australia from India.

“Her husband evicted her from their house, as he had begun a relationship with another woman. She ended up on the streets with nothing and literally only had the clothes she was wearing when she was taken to a local women’s refuge for help. The refuge put her in contact with Dress for Success Sydney. We provided her with casual and western work clothes to help her set up her life again. She was reduced to tears in the Showroom. We call them ‘happy tears’, and these are the tears that many of our clients shed as they see themselves looking so well dressed. They are so appreciative of the caring support our volunteers provide. The client really appreciated we were able to give her a number of pieces of gold jewellery – it was costume but she loved it!”

The evening had a complete Indian touch with a splendid three course Indian menu, desi music and Bollywood dance performances. The MC, Karan Gujral and the DJ(s) Indy, Jimmy and Sonny Saini ensured the night went rolling just as planned. Singers Shobha Ingleshwar and Kevin Nath had the generous crowd grooving to their. Diya Ingleshwar’s dance performance on Munni badnam hui and Sheela ki jawani was a complete burst of energy. With her lively moves she left the crowd with an infectious feeling of wanting more, and certainly there was more!

The fashion show choreographed by Sonia, Neha, Kiran and Charan saw an even bigger dose of glam as the hotties took to the ramp. Models adorning Indian couture garments looked radiant with vibrant colours and floral details, complementing the Indian fashion phenomenon in all its intricacy. On display was the collection from Aavaran Fashions, a high end store for exquisite Indian designer wear.

An auction awaited those with heavy pockets. The exciting prizes included 2 nights’ accommodation at The Star, a painting by Kanwal Gujral, a silk saree from The Saree Shop, and natural health products from 4life. (These were picked up by Brett Patterson, Gurdip Dhillon, Amrit Gill and Rani Randhawa respectively). Other giveaways were prizes for the balloon draw, silent auction, door prizes and presents for children.

Later Just Vergison told Indian Link, “We thank the organisers and the generous attendees for supporting us. The funds will be used to support our general service operational costs which are $80,000 per year – we receive no government funding for this and need to hold fundraising events such as this Ball to cover this major expense which is primarily rent.”

She also acknowledged donations from Astro Real Estate, Harjot Sidhu, Magnamail Pty Ltd, Saranjit Singh, Satwant Singh Calais and Charu Bhatia.

A great night indeed, with everyone dressed for success to support Dress for Success!

Love may be dormant in a young girl. But it expresses itself in a multitude of ways. It gives rise to longing, expectation, anticipation, anxiety, sorrow, anger, disappointment, frustration and what not. It is a force that calms her; but it is also a force that can kill her.  It takes over the girl’s emotional space entirely.

We saw exactly this at the recent bharatanatyam arrangetram (debut) of Priyanka Kulkarni at the NIDA Theatre in late October. A student of Hamsa Venkat, Priyanka (daughter of Ranjana and Mukund Kulkarni) performed with skill and grace, and exhibited clearly that dance is in her very genes.

All the elements were there in the performance: a beautifully expressive face; numbers picked carefully, with none of the repetitious ones usually seen in an arrangetram, the major items being in the Kannada language for a change, and a splendid auditorium meant for exactly such performances with excellent light and sound. Together, these elements filled the audience with an all-out admiration for Priyanka.

As required, there were two aspects to the recital. In the Nritya part Priyanka had to dance for abstract swaras or the beats of the Mridanga (Natuvanga). Here Priyanka had total freedom, it appeared. What an interesting dialogue between the percussion and the dancer! Priyanka demonstrated her skills with clever movements of legs, feet, arms, hands, eyes and head.  A clever mix of choreography saw her stand at one spot and perform with the rest of the body in some sequences, as well as cover the entire length and breadth of the stage in other sequences. Beautifully executed indeed.

In the Abhinya aspect, the dancer has to enact a story. This was a lovely part of Priyanka’s arrangetram. Varnam told the story of the lover of Shiva: Sundareswaranu baraneke?  Then there was the exhibition of women’s gossip and complaints in Javali, Radha’s love for Krishna expressed as fight and the state of Brindavan in Abhang, Menaka’s distraction of Viswamitra’s penance and subsequent surrender on the part of the great sage. Mangala itself was novel being the celebrated Vishnava Janatho.

The rich music of Srivathsa Debur (vocalist from Bangalore) marked the occasion. He had also composed music for two of the items. Then we had the essential Mridangam support from the well known Bala Shankar; Natuvangam was provided by Hamsa Venkat. Balaji Jagannadhan gave the violin accompaniment while Mohan Ayyar was on his synthesiser. Mohan did an admirable job of providing Veena or flute music as required.

It is noteworthy that students of Hamsa Venkat have been refreshing significantly the classical dance scene in our community, constantly pouring in new ideas and new themes.

Avijit Sarkar and Rachana Bhatnagar Photo: Yogendra Bhatnagar

There have been many tributes to ghazal king Jagjit Singh within our own community recently. But of one particular homage, the illustrious singer would have been quietly proud.

Musician Avijit Sarkar and friends organised a tribute to the singer who passed away last month. Just as Jagjit Singh decried the commercialization of music and the westernization of India’s culture, Avijit’s tribute to him was designed to go back to the way ghazals were meant to be sung and heard – in the traditional and intimate setting of the baithak style.

The well-appointed home of Pradeep and Kamini Pandya was redecorated to suit a traditional mehfil, with cushions on the floor and the shama burning away gently in a few spots. Jagjit himself would have been pleased as punch to bring out his harmonium in a setting such as this. But on this occasion, the Jagjit fans had to be content with a close enough version. Sydney’s own Jagjit, Avijit Sarkar, made a humble disclosure: “When paying tribute to a genius, it is best to first acknowledge that you are nothing – then sit down to sing”.

And sing he did, with a playlist that included anyone’s top ten of Jagjit, as well as some lesser known numbers. Having performed in a variety of styles, Avijit has admitted that he is most suited to the ghazal, and that Jagjit Singh has been an unmistakable influence in his evolution as a performer. On this occasion, his moving rendition of the hauntingly beautiful Koi fariyaad proved this appropriately.

For the duets, he was joined by some of our community’s best talents.

Rachana Bhatnagar’s Yeh daulkat bhi le lo with Avijit was memorable: we’ve heard them sing this particular duet innumerable times, each time with just as much enjoyment, and they’ve learnt to perform it with such ease that it very closely mimics the original. Pushpa Jagadish’s Duniya jise jehte hain with Avijit was equally good, the soulful lyrics brought to life beautifully. Pushpa seemed to speak for all gathered when she noted that Jagjit will always be alive in his songs. Other singers such as Indrani and Sadiq offered their bits as well (Sadiq’s rendition of Hum to haim pardes mein was particularly spirited!) And all Jagjit fans present got an opportunity to pay their own melodic obeisance when Avijit asked the audience to join in on Tumko dekha to.

Avijit was accompanied by his trusted troupe of musicians Sadiq Rehmani on guitar, Abhijit Dan on tabla and Parag Tijoriwla on side effects.

Avijit interspersed the performance with tidbits about the singer’s life, such as that he completed a tertiary degree before embarking on an entertainment career; that he created jingles in his early days of struggle; that he showed incredible fortitude to get over the tragedy of his son Vivek’s death in a motor vehicle accident (whereas his wife Chitra never recovered), and that Vivek was a musician himself, dabbling in a genre quite different from his illustrious dad’s.

He also recalled his own meetings with the legendary singer.

As an interesting aside, a sum of $550 was collected that evening, all of which will go towards cancer research. Another aspect of the evening, of which Jagjit Singh would have been proud indeed.

From left: Senator Kate Lundy, Minister for Immigration Chris Bowen, High Commissioner of India Sujatha Singh,and President AIBC (Canberra chapter) Deepak Raj Gupta

The Australia India Business Council (AIBC) Canberra Chapter facilitated an excellent relationship building exercise at the highest level in Government on November 2, at the Australian Parliament House.

Chris Bowen, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, delivering a keynote address entitled “Skilled Migration: Geared for our economic needs”, outlined the reforms the government has undertaken in recent months in relation to its skilled migration program, many of which will have direct relevance to  members of our community.

In his welcome address, the President of AIBC’s Canberra Chapter, Deepak Raj Gupta commented on the opportunities available from developing nations such as India and other countries that have in the past produced an excellent set of skills and skilled migrants, who have helped in shaping many nations, including Australia.

Deloitte, one of sponsors for the event produced an informative document titled “Building the Lucky Country (Business imperatives for a prosperous Australia): Where is your next worker?” Deloitte’s document commented on Australia’s response to skills shortage and how this will impact on its economy and business.  It provided valuable commentary on positive actions that businesses and the Government can take to maintain momentum in the face of a looming national skills shortage.

Sujatha Singh (High Commissioner of India) commented on the excellent Indian work ethics, which mainly contributes to the success of Indian migrants. While talking about her extensive local visits, Mrs Singh commented on the number of Indian doctors she has come across in many hospitals around Australia.  She particularly mentioned Townsville Hospital (which, she said, reminded her of an Indian medical institute), and Alice Springs – where 60-80 percent of doctors and nurses are Indians.  Mrs Singh has also noticed the high number of Indians in public service in Canberra.

In his speech, Minister Chris Bowen comprehensively elaborated on government initiatives in relation to the education sector, skilled migration, latest reforms and addressing short term skills shortages.

Education sector links

In April 2010, Australia and India produced a Joint Ministerial Statement to deepen the cooperative education relationship between the two nations. The Joint Statement has resulted in the establishment of the Australia-India Education Council, the Bureau of Vocational Education and Training Cooperation, the new Australia-India Higher Education Exchange and the Shadowing Faculty Exchange pilot program.

A very comprehensive review of Australia’s student visa system was conducted with extensive consultations throughout the education sector, including a visit to India, as well as to China and Malaysia.  The Government is determined to act on all of the recommendations received, the Minister said, with some modifications and additions.  The reforms have two objectives:

* To enhance the integrity of Australia’s Student visa program; and

* To strengthen the competitiveness of Australia’s international education sector.

The Government is also introducing reforms specifically targeted at post-graduate students, including streamlined processing and enhanced work rights.

Latest reforms

The Government has undertaken some serious reform in relation to its skilled migration program over the past few years, with some further key developments announced for implementation in the year ahead.  Some of the key reforms include:

* rebuilding public confidence in the temporary skilled worker visa, known as the 457 visa;

* introducing flexible State Migration Plans to address the unique skills needs of different regions; and

* overhauling the independent skilled route, by focusing on key occupations and implementing a new points test last July.

The main reason for these reforms is to better enable Australia’s skilled migration program to meet its ongoing and often changing skills needs.  In this year’s Budget, the Minister announced an increase of up to 125,850 places in the skilled migration program for 2011-12, in response to the economic outlook and growth over the year ahead.

Addressing short term skills shortages

The temporary skilled migration program, the 457 visa, remains essential in supporting business and meeting immediate skills gaps.  Indian citizens now make up the second largest group to use the program, after the United Kingdom.  The new $10 million 457 visa centre in Brisbane will make substantial progress in improving 457 visa processing times.  The Government aims to see 457 visas processed within 10 days.

The Minister announced the introduction of a new accreditation scheme for 457 visa sponsors from 7 November 2011, which would recognise businesses with an excellent track record of compliance with workplace and migration laws.  This new scheme will give accredited sponsors access to priority processing for all future nomination and visa applications, which would result in the fastest possible processing times for those businesses. Accredited businesses will also qualify for double the regular sponsorship approval period, from three to six years.

Minister Bowen reiterated the importance of 457 program being responsive to the economic cycle and the provision of a flexible avenue for employers to fill immediate and short-term skill vacancies, while maintaining opportunities and conditions for Australian workers.

Employer Sponsored Visas: The flagship program

To make the permanent skills migration program more responsive to labour market demand, the permanent employer sponsored options have assumed greater significance in the skilled program. The Minister has asked his department to review the employer sponsored category with a view to making it more streamlined, especially when considering the transition from a temporary to a permanent visa.

SkillSelect

SkillSelect has been introduced as the most significant step in the Government’s skilled migration reforms.  This will commence from 1 July 2012 and apply to independent and state sponsored visas.  That’s almost 60 per cent of the Skills program – or around 72,000 visas.  It will be a major change in the way this program is managed.

There are two parts to SkillSelect – an internal process to select migrants and an external database that employers can also use.  The first part of the program is a two-stage process for the Government to select migrants.  Prospective migrants will initially submit their claims for migration through an Expression of Interest.  The Government will then invite people to apply for a visa if the points test identifies that they have the best combination of skills and attributes for Australia.  This will ensure that the limited Skilled Migration Program places are allocated to the best possible candidates.

Of particular interest to business is the SkillSelect external database that will contain information from the Expressions of Interest lodged with the department. This free, searchable database will allow employers to connect with, and if suitable, to sponsor through the Government’s employer sponsored programs, skilled people interested in migrating to Australia.  This is particularly useful for small businesses as it provides easy access to a database of skilled workers making the search easy and recruitment costs low.

Continuing links with India

Minister Bowen, a former Lord Mayor of Fairfield in Sydney, congratulated the AIBC on its 25 years of service, which promoted closer economic and business ties between Australia and India.  He provided a brief description of Australia’s investment of over $407 billion in India in areas such as manufacturing, telecommunications, hotels, minerals and food processing, oil and gas, and in the automotive sector.  Last year two-way trade of goods and services totalled over $22 billion.  India is Australia’s fourth largest export market with import of Indian services totalling $660 million in 2010.  In the same year, Australia exported $3.1 billion worth of services to India, with 84 per cent of those exports in the education sector.  New prospects continue to emerge, in areas like ICT, biotechnology, tourism, health, film, and insurance.  This demonstrates that with such a significant economic relationship for Australia, India features prominently in its skilled migration program. Therefore, skilled migration program needs to reflect responsiveness to Australia’s economic needs.

Neville Roach, Chairman of Emeritus and Vice President of AIBC in his vote of thanks commented that the event stood out as one of the best by AIBC.

Earlier on, Deepak Raj Gupta had acknowledged the support of the sponsors for their continued support.  The evening’s principle sponsor was Tata Consultancy Services, with Silver sponsors being the ACT Government and the High Commission of India.  The national Gold sponsors for AIBC are Stroudgate, ANZ bank, Qantas and Middleton.

It is excellent to see a migrant community working hand in hand with the Government of its host country to ensure a brighter economic future.  This kind of relationship building at the highest level further enhances the community’s respect in the Australian society.