Law students from Sydney embark on a trip to the outback on a crusade for social change

It has been two decades since a landmark ruling overturned Terra Nullius, the legal premise on which Australia’s constitution was originally established. Nevertheless, the nation’s traditional owners continue to be dogged by a wide array of complex issues; the scars of long-term subjugation, incarceration and marginalisation still fester and well-meaning remedial measures by successive governments are yet to narrow the glaring socio-economic disparity.
In a bid to explore the legal and social realities of our First Australians, a group of law students from UNSW undertook an eye-opening journey to Wiradjuri country in central NSW. Working within the framework of Indigenous issues and the law, their enriching, confronting and insightful experiences are the subject of a new documentary, Yindyammara: In Search of Respect.
Directed by Khushaal Vyas and produced by Gilgandra woman Teela Reid, the sensitive but thought provoking documentary is an initiative of the UNSW Law Society. Combining historical context with contemporary issues, Yindyammara follows ten students as they travel around Dubbo, Trangie and Baladoran in search of cultural understanding. Their journey and insights are accompanied by a soundtrack created by Raghav Iyer.

As part of the trip, student volunteers engaged with a range of stakeholders including law enforcement agencies, solicitors, Aboriginal elders, high school students, community groups and service providers on various issues affecting the region. A major focus of the trip was legal education seminars. The sessions related to police powers and criminal law, as well as human rights, public law issues, cyber bullying and harassment.
The packed itinerary also included mentoring programs at Apollo House, Dubbo, which provides a safe environment for young children from low socio-economic backgrounds to escape abuse and violence. The cohort took part in positive modeling initiatives like BroSpeak and SistaSpeak at Trangie Central School that aim to foster resilience and forge a strong sense of identity among youngsters through positive career and lifestyle choices.
“By examining key issues within Australia, Yindyamara seeks to empower students to strive for social justice and effect change through their future endeavours,” Khushaal Vyas told Indian Link. “Peer presentations have greater impact, giving students in urban areas the chance to understand rural ground realities. Our aim is to expose tomorrow’s policy makers to issues confronting modern society. If we are going to claim to be a lucky country, we need to fix problems plaguing our society first. Only then can we become a true world leader.”
A passionate advocate of equal educational opportunities, Vyas strongly believes that not enough has been done to integrate indigenous Australians into modern society. “We haven’t incorporated respect and dignity, rather we have succumbed to stereotypes,” he lamented.
Respect is thus a recurrent theme of the documentary.
For Vyas, who manages the Law Society’s social justice portfolio, the whole experience of working within an Aboriginal community was both heartbreaking and deeply uplifting.

“Over a period of time, we get desensitised by reading voluminous texts on civil and criminal law. Yet, to be actually on the ground and see things first hand, gave the same issues a completely different perspective,” he confessed.
“It was super confronting and no amount of preparation could have softened the blow,” he admitted, candidly.
For the future lawyers, it was a shocking insight into privilege and disadvantage. What particularly moved the crew were sessions with young children at Apollo House. “Their energy and enthusiasm were infectious. Yet it was only when we spoke to social workers that we realised the level of trauma they had encountered. The thought that we would return to a secure home, whereas this child might not, was a sobering influence,” he recalled.

Despite the pain and trauma of a bitter past, Aboriginal elder Frank (Riverbank) Doolan’s powerful message that “aggression only desecrates the land” shows the promise of hope. His poignant message: “Let’s try to understand, we’re all indigenous from somewhere on this earth” is clearly a way forward.

The entire community was also very receptive of the student initiatives.
“A lot of good work is being done by support services, which is often not reported,” Vyas pointed out. The crew were particularly impressed by IPROWD, an initiative for greater indigenous representation in the police force.
Documentary producer Teela Reid’s own story is a shining example of the transformative powers of education. Enrolled in a Juris Doctor program, Reid actively mentors local girls through the Shine Sista Initiative to embrace opportunities.
“Yes, there are drug and alcohol issues. There is violence and incarceration. This is why the word Yindyamarra, which means respect in Waradjuri dialect meant so much to us,” she explained.

The city of Adelaide lights up this Diwali!

Sparkles, spangles and lights fantastic are the sights of Diwali. Friendship, laughter, rich food and even richer sweets are the joys of Diwali. It’s not surprising to see children glowing with awe, the elderly mellowing for the festivities and young people thinking sweet things about each other.

Adelaide Tamil Association Deepavali

Each community prefers to celebrate the season in keeping with their traditions. The Adelaide Tamil Association (ATA), with its fast-growing membership, decided to hold a Deepavali cultural program at the Woodville Town Hall in Adelaide.

If Deepavali is a favourite festival for children then, surely, ATA’s program was one for the little ones. The program was dominated by children performing folk, classical and semi-classical dances. Interestingly, in keeping with the spirit of lights, one dancer’s costume incorporated a belt of large lights on her waist. Although some of the program looked a bit under-done, there is clearly huge and varied artistic talent in the Tamil community. The folk dance depicting leopards was outstanding.

Recently appointed President of ATA, Mrs Kayalvizhi Rajeskar, a solicitor by profession, gave a talk about the empowerment of women. ATA is applying for a large grant for Stronger Families and Stronger Communities. Rajeskar’s aim is to enhance the participation of Tamil women in the social, economic and community life of South Australia.

The occasion was marked by presenting Tamil school children with awards in recognition of their achievements. From the audience reaction to the length of the show, it seemed that quantity did not equate to quality so it felt very pleasant to eventually go out in the open air to watch the kiddies with their sparklers. The children had also made clay lamps (vilakku) which were lit in the evening light. This was followed by a generous meal which wound up the celebrations.

Hindu Council of Australia Diwali Festival

In a brilliant and innovative move, the organisers of the Hindu Council Festival decided to include the Bhutanese, Bangladeshi and Nepali communities to join in these Diwali celebrations sponsored by Indian Link.

With a single stroke, this gesture of inclusiveness gave the event a richer texture and brought together people who stay apart but have much in common. Different features, national costumes and beautiful colourful dresses also made the day one huge fashion parade.

The event was held on Klemzig Reserve and attractively set-up with stalls in a horse-shoe along with a central, large covered seating area and stage. As one would expect, there were food stalls including Nepalese food and specialist ice-creams. Other stalls included one selling Bhutanese and Nepali items. Of interest to ladies were the colourful clothes stalls and Gehna, selling fashion jewellery run by the charming ladies, Sonya and Meenu.

The whole show was managed by the enigmatic MCs Neeraj and Sunaina who kept up their thoroughly professional duet in nice humour and were able to hold the audience together on a hot Adelaide day.
There were just so many lovely dances and a few songs including Maula mere lele meri jaan. The bhangra, so lively, was performed in a variety of ways. The Nepali, Bhutanese and Bangladeshi folk dances were so different and charming. And Bollywood dancing for the young and old – all accompanied by blaring music – had everyone’s eyes glued to the stage. There was also a samosa eating competition whose after-effects will no doubt be felt by the contestants for a few days yet.

What does Diwali mean to you? I asked some of the festival goers. “We light some diyas, celebrate with lots of food, colours, some crackers…the kids get some gifts from us,” said Parminder.
Another comment, this time from a Sikh lady, “We celebrate Diwali because of the release of Guru Hargobindji from prison.” Most other comments centred around a celebration by getting together with family and friends, lighting candles, doing puja and having sweets.

Diwali may well be a story of fact turned to myth turned to religion. For me it is a romantic story. A story of good triumphing over evil. And just imagine lamps being lit at night for mile upon mile to guide Ram and his followers back to Ayodhya. This is what we celebrate.

New community organisation Global Organisation for Indian Family and Youth debuts with a big bash

Out! Out! Howzaat!
Dressed in non-traditional cricket clothes, Indian origin men were seen running across Centenary State School, Jindalee Grounds in Brisbane, on a warm Saturday morning as they engaged in a game of cricket.

This game was part of the ‘Brisbane Mela 2015’ held for the first time in Brisbane by a newbie not-for-profit organisation, the Global Organisation for Indian Family and Youth Incorporated (GOIFY Inc.)
An idea conceived by three friends, Altaf Morkas, Rajesh Radhakrishnan and Vivek Baliga, the event brought Indian origin families and youth together through the same platform.

Speaking to Indian Link, Vivek Baliga, President, GOIFY said, “Our organisation’s goal is bringing diverse cultural Indian families and youth under one roof, helping and providing a certain sense of mateship and friendship.”
He added, “When new immigrant families and youth move to Brisbane, we would like to help them in settling down. Speaking from my own personal experience, when I first moved to Brisbane, I thought it was really difficult to find that certain support and guidance.”
The Brisbane Mela 2015 spanned two days, 31 October and 1 November.

Cricket dominated the first half of Saturday with the team Tigers taking the winning title; the evening was ruled by cultural performances. Dance performances, singing and the foot-tapping sounds of tabla and percussion and world wind instruments wrapped up Day One.

GOIFY’s commitment to preserving Indian culture and heritage spilt into Day Two of the Brisbane Mela.
Mohammed Abuwala, a visitor to the Mela said, “This has been an excellent experience for me and my housemates. We thoroughly enjoyed playing cricket, and participating in the different workshops that were organised.”
And it was good to meet like-minded people, he observed. “People came up and introduced themselves and we got chatting. It was a fun and friendly environment.”
Day Two of the event also saw Silambam, an Indian martial arts technique from Tamil Nadu, presented in a workshop, followed by a Yoga workshop by Isha Foundation.

Kaveri M, another visitor, said, “This has been a relaxed and educative Sunday afternoon, and Upa Yoga has taught me basic everyday exercises to relive me from stress and fatigue.”
Rajesh Radhakrishnan, Secretary, GOIFY said, “This has been our first event, and I am really happy with the response received. We hope to grow bigger and stronger with each passing year.”
 

FICQ Diwali celebrates the festive season with mela magic!

It was a starry night and the heart of Brisbane lit up in welcome, anticipating all the stars that were to descend on it, when the Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland (FICQ) organised the fifth edition of its Diwali Mela at King George Square in October as a prelude to the festive season.
The main attraction of the event was the glittering cultural show which was spectacularly colourful and vibrant. The potpourri of events included Punjabi folk dances by Gurdeep Singh and team, Indian classical dances and a lot of foot tapping Bollywood numbers by Asha Shah and her group followed by Andrea and her troupe from Dance Masala. A fusion of Indian and Persian dance styles had the audience cheering and applauding. Combining that with the aroma from the food stalls and there was a definite festive ambience that usually precedes Diwali.

There were also official ceremonies and, most importantly, at the beginning of the event Aboriginal elder Aunty Delmae Barton welcomed participants in the Acknowledgement of Country. The lighting of the lamp was followed by a welcome address by the President of FICQ, Prof Prasad Yarlagadda. The Premier of Queensland  Anastacia Palaszczuk was conferred with the title of Honorary Indian of the Year. Also in attendance were the Multicultural Affairs Minister Shannon Fentiman and the Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs  Tarnya Smith. The Indian High Commissioner Navdeep Suri said in his message, “Such occasions play an extremely important role in sustaining our great cultural heritage and in ensuring a continued connection between younger members of our community and their unique cultural inheritance.”

Diwali is an ancient festival which is celebrated throughout India in a special way and has often been called the ‘Christmas of India’. That is probably due to the fact that it signifies victory of light over darkness, good over evil and hope over despair. It is also a festival that spreads the message of cultural tolerance and cultural pluralism. Gifts are exchanged and houses are decorated with candles and earthen lamps called diyas. Diwali is also a time when Lakshmi the Goddess of Wealth is worshipped in order to welcome prosperity to the household.

Fireworks and firecrackers light up the night sky, but in the recent years the usage of firecrackers has come down substantially as people have become more aware of the environmental pollution that the firecrackers cause. Diwali is also a time for major shopping such as clothes, home appliances, gold and jewellery.
Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs to mark different historical events, stories or myths. In Hinduism, Diwali is often thought to commemorate the return of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. Another school of thought correlates the return of Pandavas after their exile. The significance of Lakshmi Puja in Diwali is related to the mythological story of how Lakshmi chose Vishnu as her husband consort on the day Diwali falls in the Hindu calendar.

Diwali is celebrated by Sikhs as well. However, the reason for celebration is that on this day Guru Hargobind freed himself from the prison of Gwalior Fort during the times of the Mughal King Jahangir and he arrived at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
Diwali has special significance in Jainism as well. According to the Kalpasutra by Acharya Bhadrabahu, Mahavira, the last of the Tirthankars of this era, attained Nirvana on this day at Pavapuri on 15 October 527 BCE, on Chaturdashi of Kartika. Therefore, Jains celebrate Diwali as a day of remembering Mahavira.
In the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, Diwali is celebrated to mark the slaying of the demon Narakasura by Krishna. In Eastern India, Kali is revered as a slayer of evil.

Diwali as a festival is celebrated by many different ethnic cultures for different reasons but the common theme is victory of good over the evil in all the communities.
As Brisbane’s King George Square was lit up beautifully, it provided a panoramic backdrop to the festivities which went late into the night. The President of FICQ Prof Prasad Yarlagadda spoke with Indian Link and said, “The purpose of organising this function is to bring together all the associations and people in Brisbane and also to inculcate in the younger generation some awareness of the cultural traditions.”

He said FICQ is very careful in choosing the performers and the variety of food stalls and crafts stalls at the mela each year in order to reflect the multicultural nature of India.
Prof Yarlagadda conveyed a Happy Diwali to all our readers, “Enjoy this fabulous festival of lights!”

Premier Mike Baird and his parliamentary colleagues send out their Diwali wishes

Respect is one of the hidden messages of Diwali, where the wider call is for spreading light over darkness. But in all aspects of Hindu culture, the love and regard for our elders is clear.
With a relatively young migrant community, the seniors who have joined their adult children here are challenged to engage themselves in meaningful activities.
The NSW Parliament’s celebration of Diwali turned out to be a wonderful occasion to honour some of our community’s elders who are contributing in their own way.

Dr Hari Harinath, Chair of the Community Relations Commission, congratulated six seniors this year for their work in fields as diverse as literature, community service, mental health, senior care, yoga etc.
NSW Premier Mike Baird presented Vimla Luthra, Dr Hemchandra Rao, Sudha Natarajan, Saroja Srinivasan, Veda Srinivasan and Damodar Sodha each with a token of appreciation.

Earlier Premier Baird addressed the 200-plus gathering in the Special Dining Room of the Parliament House and sent out Diwali wishes to the community.
“Last year’s lighting of the Opera House at Diwali, pictures of which went all over the world, was a proud moment for our government,” he noted.
India’s Consul General Sunjay Sudhir, in possibly his last public address prior to moving back to India, commented on the special joys of being able to celebrate Diwali over an entire month here in Australia, as compared to a single day in India.
Minister for Multiculturalism John Ajaka also conveyed the government’s wishes on Diwali to the Indian community in NSW.

Earlier the dignitaries were received by children from IABBV Hindi School, many of them dressed up as characters from the Ramayana.
The guests also took in a wondrous Annakut display of food offerings, prepared lovingly by BAPS volunteers for the third year in a row for the Parliament House event.
And yes, the Premier was extraordinarily generous with his time as people lined up for photographs and selfies.
 
More pics at facebook.com/IndianLinkAustralia

Community surprised and saddened to see a popular diplomat leave

More than a few eyebrows were raised when NSW Premier Mike Baird told guests at a recent Diwali celebration that he wished his friend Sunjay Sudhir the best in his new posting. There was a hush in the audience and then soft chatter as people turned to each other in disbelief.
In just over 18 months, Consul General Sunjay Sudhir has earned the love and respect of all those he met during his short stint here in Australia.
Most people are surprised – and also saddened – at the news of this announcement, ahead of time, as Sunjay Sudhir had proven to be a good friend of the Indian community during his tenure here.
“While I am sad to leave all my friends here, I am looking forward to my next challenges,” Consul General Sudhir told Indian Link. “In my new posting I will be heading the division which deals in international cooperation in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. This is an important area for India as we need to take care of the energy needs of over 1.2 billion people. The focus will be on hydrocarbons and opportunities to acquire assets abroad to secure supply for India. There will be a number of dialogues which I will be involved in, including those with Australia.”
During his time in Australia, Sudhir was very involved in the G20 Summit in Queensland and then the organisation of the ground realities of Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit here in 2014.

Billed as a historic interaction between the two countries, the PM’s tour, which has since positioned the Australia-India relationship on a strong upward trajectory, was one of his highlights in Australia, Sudhir revealed.

“It was also wonderful to see how the Indian community in Australia rallied together at this time and the excitement in the community,” he said. “I also will always remember fondly the Indian Tourism Week celebrated during Parramasala. It was also satisfying to improve a number of Consulate services for our community during my stay here.”
Sunjay Sudhir’s organisational skills also came to the fore as he organised the first ever boat cruise for the visiting Indian cricket team during their Test series last season. With the then High Commissioner Biren Nanda, the Consul General ensured that for Virat Kohli and his men and their families, it was one of their most memorable overseas government functions.
Consul General Sudhir has also been passionate about promoting trade between India and Australia. “I am pleased to see the strong growth in tourism between the two countries and the increased people-to-people contact which is a good precursor for other bilateral trade opportunities,” he said
With wife Vandana, Sunjay Sudhir was also very welcome in the local Indian community. Family friend Mala Mehta is saddened by their departure but is thankful to both of them for all the help they have given her and her team at IABBV Hindi School.

“It was always a pleasure to have them join us on the various school activities and also, I am proud to call them my friends,” she told Indian Link.
“I must say one of my favourite times with them was a ghazal evening at their home where both joined in the singing. Had they been able to spend more time in Australia, I am confident I could get them on stage for a song,” she added, smiling.
Consul General Sudhir complimented the Indian community in Australia on how well they have settled here. “My strong advice to you all is to stay united, as unity is strength. It is important to have personal ambition but also keep in mind the motto of Rotary International, which is, service before self. There are wonderful examples of a number of individuals doing this and it will be a sign of the strength in the community if more people keep this in mind,” he said.
Consul General Sudhir was well respected by all those who interacted with him – community groups, diplomats and politicians. We wish him and his wife Vandana and their family all the best in their future endeavours.

For the fourth year running, Hindu Council of Australia hosted its pre Diwali celebrations, the Deepavali Mela at Martin Place

For the fourth year running, Hindu Council of Australia hosted its pre Diwali celebrations, the Deepavali Mela at Martin Place. The event on 15 October saw hordes of office workers and professionals take time out of their busy work days to drop by and experience a peek into the colour and magic of the festival of lights.
Over the years, the question for many non-Indian Australians has changed from “What’s Diwali?” to “How can we take part in the celebrations?”
The Hindu Council provides this ‘taster’ event as a precursor to the main Deepavali Mela, this year to be held on Sunday 8 November at Parramatta Park.
With the lunchtime crowd buzzing, restaurant stalls selling delicious Indian fare, such as aromatic samosa chaat and sweet, sticky jalebi, did a roaring trade.

A towering Ravan effigy stood guard over Martin Place plaza as enthusiastic members of the crowd waited to have intricate mehendi patterns painted onto their hands, while others played dress-ups with traditional Indian sarees, kurtas and turbans at the photobooth.
On the main stage, proceedings began with the Australian and Indian national anthems performed by students from North Parramatta Public School. Hindu Council of Australia Chairman Nihal Agar was then joined on stage by special guests including former Australian cricketing great Brett Lee and Bollywood actress Tannishtha Chatterjee for the ceremonial lighting of the diya.
Smiling and proud children in gorgeous traditional costumes performed classical, folk and Bollywood dances followed by live singing routines. An exciting flash mob had young and old breaking out into dance amongst the crowd who happily clapped and cheered along.

Minister for Multiculturalism John Ajaka, Geoff Lee, Member for Parramatta, Matt Kean, Member for Hornsby and Jodi McKay, Member for Strathfield were some of the New South Wales politicians who came down from Parliament on Macquarie Street to join the celebrations, posing for selfies and embracing their tilaks and bindis.

It was an impressive multicultural and inclusive celebration as members of the Jain, Sikh and Buddhist communities were also represented.
A great forerunner to the main event, this year’s Hindu Council Deepavali Mela at Parramatta Park will feature the world-famous Rajasthani Kalbelia group in a spectacular dance performance. There will also be an opportunity for you to see an Indian village hut, immerse yourself in a dedicated spiritual area, participate in an eating competition and take a ride on a ferris wheel. So head to Parramatta, and don’t miss out on the masti!