Home Blog Page 849

With Dalmiya, the era of giants over

By
Indian Link
-
0
Reading Time: 4 minutes

VETURI SRIVATSA pays tribute to Indian cricket administrator Jagmohan Dalmiya

dalmiya.Indian Link
I can’t remember the exact date and place of meeting Jagmohan Dalmiya for the first time, but it was sometime in 1979 when he and his close friend Inderjit Singh Bindra were seen as the new kids on the block on the cricket scene.
The two had shaken the then khalifas of Indian cricket who had a complete sway on the running of the sport for decades. Few could stand up in any meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) where the high-profile politicians and big-time industrialists had a stranglehold.
Bindra and Dalmiya had cricket at heart besides being ambitious and impatient to end the laidback attitude of the czars in the board. In a board where the officials of the state associations only heard the bigwigs in rapt silence, the two were refreshingly daring to question their authority.
Dalmiya had the board’s fudged figures on his fingertips, and Bindra, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, the ability to articulate the duo’s thinking. The awesome twosome was too much to handle for the then board officials. The two gave courage to a couple of other officials to stand up to the bosses and soon a pressure group started taking shape.
Dalmiya proved to be an expert in man management and till the end nobody could understand how he managed and manipulated the numbers. He was so good in election arithmetic. The only time he was checkmated was when Sharad Pawar successfully settled an old score to become the board president, defeating Jaggu Da’s handpicked Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the eldest son of the wily Haryana politician Bansi Lal, as his proxy.
As a test case, Dalmiya-Bindra group put up Wing.Cdr. Shahid Durrani at the very first board meeting they attended in Hyderabad and made sure he defeated the ruling group’s candidate to go as manager of the Indian team to Australia in 1981. That was the beginning of flexing of their muscles in the board. Their ascent and India’s 1983 World Cup win more or less coincided.
That was also the time the then board president N.K.P. Salve felt insulted the way the English board refused to oblige him with a complimentary ticket for a friend of his. He vowed then and there that he would put English board officials in their place and he assigned Dalmiya and Bindra to bring about the coup in the International Cricket Conference (ICC).
For over a decade the two worked with a missionary zeal to bring the World Cup to India twice during that period, ending the veto power of the big two, England and Australia. The boards in the subcontinent now had a voice in Dalmiya who mustered numbers to back him. And the boards prospered and Pakistan and Sri Lanka went on to win the 1992 and 1996 World Cups.
Somewhere down the road, Dalmiya and Bindra fell out around the time the ICC was democratised and was rechristened as the International Cricket Council and Dalmiya became its president. Though in different camps, they remained friends and did not like media referring to them as friends-turned-foes. Bindra always said “we are still friends” and acknowledged Dalmiya’s massive contribution to the growth of Indian cricket.
When Dalmiya was elected BCCI president a second time earlier this year, Bindra wrote an impassioned letter lauding his desire to “clean up the system”, and that his zeal “nostalgically, reminds me of the Jaggu of yore, and gives hope that the old spark will ignite to arrest the decay and mitigate the wrongs wrought on the game of cricket.”
For a good measure he reminded Dalmiya how the two fought stalwarts like M.A. Chidambaram, M. Chinnaswamy, Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad and Sheshrao Wankhede over a discrepancy of a mere Rs.20,000 in the accounts and how the board brought back former Vidarbha association president and noted chartered accountant N.K.P. Salve to check the books and get the accounts passed. Instead, Salve told the bosses to set their house in order.
Salve was soon to become the board president and then the chairman of the organising committee of the 1987 World Cup. Much against the wishes of the ruling group members, he handed over the reins to Dalmiya and Bindra to make a grand success of the first World Cup outside England.
Like Salve, his successor Madhavrao Scindia also defied his ruling group to repose faith in the duo handling the affairs of the 1996 World Cup which made India a cricketing super power.
Dalmiya was ruthless in exercising his new found power as the ICC chief. He could give Bangladesh the Test status much before its time, save bowlers like Shoaib Akhtar suppressing the voices questioning his bowling action, and deal firmly with the Mike Denness issue when he chose to penalise six Indian players, including Sachin Tendulkar, on various counts. Every action of his translated into votes for him. He made even the ICC rich.
The biggest achievement of Dalmiya and Bindra was to end the monopoly of Doordarshan and bring in satellite television and live international sports into the Indian living rooms before the 1996 World Cup, convincing the Supreme Court to allow uplinking of the Hero Cup pictures live. With it, the face of cricket and the board changed and money gushed into its coffers.
Even after being thrown out of the board as well as his domestic turf in Bengal, Dalmiya was not one to give up a fight and throw in the towel. He staged a comeback after being humiliated by the Pawar group with smart businessmen Narayanaswamy Srinivasan and Lalit Modi and Bindra rummaging the books of the board to find alleged irregularities. Some cases he fought in the courts and some others were dropped with equations changing in the board.
When Srinivasan was made the treasurer, Dalmiya had quipped privately: “All those who are baying for my blood do not know what will happen to them once Srinivasan seizes power.” Profound words, though it is a different matter the two later joined hands to balance the power.
There was a time when Dalmiya was riding a tiger and he had to dismount when he realised his game was up. He knew in the board there are no permanent friends or foes, only the permanent interests!
Unfortunately, his health did not permit him to make a fist of his second term which he very badly wanted when he unsuccessfully tried to amend the constitution to allow former presidents to return to power. Srinivasan got it done stealthily, but even he could not enjoy the fruits of it, or so it appears as of now.
With Dalmiya’s death, the era of giants in India’s sports administration is over.
 
IANS

Nepal adopts new constitution

By
Indian Link
-
0
Reading Time: 4 minutes

In an historic step, Nepal adopts a new constitution, the first fully-fledged one in the Himalayan nation since it became a democratic republic in 2008. ANIL GIRI reports

nepal Yadav.Indian Link
Celebrations broke out across the country, as millions of rejoicing people lit lamps and came out on to the streets as Nepal adopted its new constitution.
A federal and secular Nepal, according to the new constitution, will have seven provinces, each with its own legislature. With this, the Interim Constitution was annulled.
President Ram Baran Yadav declared the promulgation of the “Constitution of Nepal – 2072 BS” at a special ceremony at the Constituent Assembly hall in New Baneshwor area of Kathmandu. The year 2072 BS refers to the year in the Bikram Sambat Nepali calendar.
For the constitution’s promulgation, voting was held in the Constituent Assembly. In the 601-seat assembly, 507 lawmakers voted in favour of the constitution while 25 voted against it — as many as 69 members who hail from the southern plains of the Nepal Terai have been boycotting the constitution-making exercise since more than a month.
Madhesi-based political parties and members from the Tharu community walked out of the Constituent Assembly and rejected the constitution, saying their demands were not incorporated in the new document. Under the constitution, 14 districts in the southern plains would be joined with provinces dominated by hill dwellers.
Before announcing the enactment, the head of the state signed five copies of the new constitution.
Addressing the special function, Yadav said the newly promulgated constitution has institutionalised republicanism in the nation.
He hoped that the constitution would lead Nepal to economic development.
The Constituent Assembly hall resounded with applause as Yadav announced the new statute.
Nepal celebration.Indian Link
Hundreds of thousands of people across Nepal lit lamps to celebrate the event. The government declared a holiday on Monday to mark the occasion.
Security personnel were deployed in the capital Kathmandu to maintain law and order as some parties and groups, mainly comprising the Madhesi minority,are opposing the new constitution.
Yadav said the concept of ‘people as the sovereign’ has been established through the new constitution, and called for unity and cooperation of all at this historic moment.
The new constitution has given an opportunity to maintain unity in diversity in the nation and ensure rights of all, he said while addressing the final meeting of the Constituent Assembly.
“The constitution is the common document of all of us to protect our freedom, independence, geographic integrity, and sovereignty in people,” he said.
The Constituent Assembly unanimously endorsed an acknowledgement motion, thanking the president for announcing commencement of the new constitution.
With the promulgation of the new constitution, there will be fresh election to the country’s top posts like that of the president, vice president, prime minister, speaker and deputy speaker of parliament within a month.
Nepal constitution.Indian Link
The Constituent Assembly will stand dissolved and shall be converted into a regular parliament.
The executive rights of the country shall vest with the council of ministers. The president will be a ceremonial head of state.
The preamble of the new constitution says: “Realising a dream cherished by the Nepali people since 65 years, the new constitution will formally take the country towards a federal structure from the existing unitary structure that remained rooted in the country for 240 years.”
The new constitution has taken a departures compared to the Constitution of Nepal-1990 that adopted multi-party democratic system with the monarch as head of state.
The new statute has institutionalised republic in place of monarchy, and federalism in place of unitary system.
It also added proportional representative electoral model and inclusion in decision-making.
The new preamble refers to multi-party democratic system, civic freedom, fundamental rights, voting rights, press freedom and independent judiciary with a commitment for socialism based on the rule of law.
In 2008, the Maoists won the elections to the Constituent Assembly, leading to the abolition of over two centuries of monarchy. But amid squabbling, the assembly failed to draw up a new constitution.
The first Constituent Assembly was dismantled in 2012 with political parties differing over major issues like system of state governance and number of federal units, among others.
The second Constituent Assembly elections were held in 2013 after political parties failed to deliver a new constitution through the first Constituent Assembly.
In a statement, India extended good wishes to the people of Nepal on the promulgation of the much-awaited constitution, and urged that Nepal should resolve through dialogue the issues on which differences remain.
The statement said Indian envoy Ranjit Rae spoke to Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala about India’s concerns regarding the unrest in the border areas.
“Throughout the process of constitution-making in Nepal, India has supported a federal, democratic, republican and inclusive constitution. We note the promulgation in Nepal today of a constitution.
“We are concerned that the situation in several parts of the country bordering India continues to be violent. Our ambassador in Kathmandu has spoken to the prime minister of Nepal in this regard.
“We urge that issues on which there are differences should be resolved through dialogue in an atmosphere free from violence and intimidation, and institutionalised in a manner that would enable broad-based ownership and acceptance.
“This would lay the foundation of harmony, progress and development in Nepal. We extend our best wishes to the people of Nepal,” the statement said.
IANS 

World leaders in the making

By
Farzana Ahmad
-
0
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Sixteen-year-old Xenia Lopes was the sole representative of Australia in the ten-day Global Young Leaders Conference in Europe this year.

Xenia Lopes. Indian Link
Held from 28 June to 7 July, the conference explored what it takes to be a global leader and the issues faced by leaders in the 21st century.
The Year 11 student from Hornsby Girls High School had the opportunity to experience an out-of-classroom educational program where she learned how to develop confidence, independence and competiveness imperative for the role of future leaders.
Xenia was not nominated by anyone; instead, displaying true leadership qualities, she took the initiative and applied for a place in the program herself.
Knowing people who had attended the conference previously sparked her interest and compelled her to try.
“I applied online and in my application I listed my academic skills as well as things that I do outside of school to achieve a well-rounded and balanced educational outcome,” Xenia told Indian Link.
What ensued was an enlightening experience.
“Scholars selected from all around the world came together to collaborate and talk about what is needed to be a global leader,” Xenia explained. “We went to sites and listened to global leaders of today and discussed the challenges they face along with the issues we will be facing as global leaders in the future.”
Summing up her self-funded trip, Xenia recapped, “I flew to Europe by myself. We spent the first few days in Vienna, Austria. Here participants from 80 countries attended workshops on how to develop leadership skills. We visited different sites like the Austrian Parliament, museums and markets.”
The students also travelled to other countries like Czech Republic and Germany.
Some highlights of the tour included meeting keynote speakers and human rights activists, seeing the Berlin Wall and listening to an inspiring talk by the vice president of the European Parliament. The final keynote speaker left a lasting impression on Xenia. “Muhamed Mesic is a diplomat and an environmental lawyer. He grew up as an orphan, and really wanted to see change in the world. He speaks 80 different languages! I was really inspired by him.”
Elaborating on what she brought back from the conference, Xenia said, “I learned a lot about cross cultural communication, being able to see other people’s perspective and being able to work in a team. This experience has enriched me in many ways: it has made me more confident in expressing my views and to seek leadership opportunities in the community.”
It was a valuable exercise in acquiring problem solving skills and learning to make sure that everyone’s opinion is counted.
Xenia Lopes young leader.Indian Link
Xenia used the trip as a residential project for her gold Duke of Edinburgh program for which she wrote a report on her return from the Global Young Leader’s Conference.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is comprised of bronze, silver and gold levels. At each level the participants are expected to demonstrate competency in service, skills, physical recreation and adventure. The gold participants are also expected to complete a residential project.
Looking back, Xenia reminisced, “Our group had the most fun in Berlin as that’s where we got to know each other better and developed lasting friendships.”
Xenia is an all-rounder who loves to both work and play. She maintains an active involvement in her community. In addition to volunteering for St John Ambulance and the Red Cross she has also donated her time to Wahroonga Netball Club. She has been a member of the Australian Air Force Cadets and sings with the Hornsby Academy of Music for recreation.
She would love to attend the GYLC again next year, but given her HSC commitments, might not be able to. Even though she is unsure of her interest in politics at the moment, Xenia is sure she wants to study law at university.
Her message to other students aspiring to attend the conference: “I would recommend it strongly for all students as it is a great experience which allows you to talk to people from many different cultures and from parts of the world which you didn’t even know existed. You get to listen to their take on issues affecting the whole world, you develop your own leadership skills and the program challenges you to broaden your world view.”
GYLC was initiated in 1985 by Envision in the United States. The event aims to bring together and develop leadership qualities in motivated and accomplished students from countries around the world by organising various conferences. The students have a chance to apply for experiences in United States, China or Europe. While many Australian students participated in the American conference, this year Xenia was the only Australian selected for the European experience.

The love boat

By
Indian Link
-
0
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Will it be a romantic cruise or sailing to heartbreak in this latest chick-lit venture from Kiran Manral, asks VIKAS DUTTA

kiran manral.Indian Link

We may already know the destination and outcome of our journey, but our interest is kept engaged by the thrill of what we may find on the voyage. It is the same for the stories we read – we know the protagonist will rarely be unsuccessful in accomplishing the mission/solving the mystery/defeating the villain/saving the world or whatever the end goal is, but the fun is in the details. Romance is no different – true love will succeed but how that happens is what makes for its allure.
It is down this road Kiran Manral takes us in her third book All Aboard (Penguin India). She succeeds in imposing her own inventiveness on the landscape, which is a mix of features familiar and unexpected.
The plot appears simple. Jilted – via e-mail – by her long-time boyfriend days before their marriage, Rhea Khanna is desperate for a change of scene. This would have been difficult for the middle-class, working girl who has spent most of her savings on the wedding preparations, but her aunt, a retired school headmistress, invites her to accompany her on a Mediterranean cruise.
all aboard Kiran Manral.Indian Link
The problem is when they run into Kamal Shahani, an affluent entrepreneur, who turns out to be her aunt’s former student, and is consequently very solicitous of her and Rhea – who finds the proximity of the gorgeous hunk leaves her weak-kneed. It is obvious that a romance will develop, but it is also obvious that there will be obstacles.
And this is where Manral, a journalist-turned-blogger-cum author, displays her skills. First, the cruise setting ensures that there will be a definitive time frame for the issue to be decided (so impatient readers need not fret!) as well as a range of characters and exotic destinations (Venice, Naples) can be factored it to flesh out the story without much problem.
There are the stock elements – old flames, relatives counselling prudence and parents expecting obedience, misunderstandings and misconceptions, self-doubts and the works whichprove the course of true love never runs smooth, but for novelty, there is a drug smuggling racket to add some sparks.
Contributing to the book’s strengths is a sparkling, wittily subversive (from the feminist perspective that is) element in descriptions and dialogue and the deft characterisation – especially of the women who are certainly no-pushovers despite the travails (jilted, divorced with young children) but still display a refreshing resilience in their lives.
once-upon-a-crush Kiran Manral.Indian Link
Rhea is sometimes vulnerable but that is due to circumstances, not to mention it helping to make her an adequate foil to the near perfect hero. Such characters have become a Manral trademark – be it housewife Kanan ‘Kay’ Mehra forced into investigating a homicide in her debut The Reluctant Detective (2012) or career woman Rayna De battling a stagnant job, an unspeakable boss, the terrible 30s and a non-existent love life (until an unapproachable and oblivious prospect joins the office) in Once Upon A Crush (2014).
All Aboard cannot be airily dismissed as “chick-lit” – an ungracious term which we never apply to the Bollywood films we lap up, but one, which in no case, can be used to belittle the author’s efforts. There can be bad chick-lits as there can be bad thrillers or mysteries, but that cannot condemn the entire genre. If you have never indulged, you couldn’t do better than start with this one.

There’s no such thing as a dumb student

By
Mohan Dhall
-
0
Reading Time: 4 minutes

All students, regardless of ability, will benefit from a reimagined approach to education

reimagined approach to education.Indian Link

One of the key challenges for educators is to get rid of “Bell Curve” thinking. “Bell Curve” thinking is evidenced by educators bearing the belief, overt or covert, that in a group of students, there must be a range of abilities from clever to not clever, with most falling within the “average” category. Numerous studies have shown that the expectations of teachers directly affect the performance of students. Creating or accepting a low-expectations classroom environment will lead to students reinforcing the low-expectations mindset.
In order to get rid of low expectations or “Bell Curve” thinking, a class of students must be approached without any preconceptions about their ability. However, overcoming “Bell Curve” thinking can be tricky for educators as sometimes staffroom talk can lead to a characterisation of particular classes as “dumb”, “lazy” or “worse”. It takes courage, independence and inner strength to overcome stereotypes and labels. Therefore, teachers need to walk alone and chalk out their own path to make a genuine difference.

Rethinking the concept of IQ

Recent developments in scientific understanding of brain development have a lot to offer in the field of education in terms of shaping teacher expectations. Such studies have shown psychologists that the conception of IQ (intelligence quotient) or academic ability has to be revised.
As per previous theories, IQ comprised of two components: one mutable or changeable and the other immutable or fixed. It was believed that verbal reasoning was changeable and could be increased, but perceptual reasoning (or how people perceive patterns and visual information) was fixed. However, this distinction between the mutable and immutable elements of IQ is no longer considered a valid characterisation of how the brain functions, which includes thinking or cognitive development. Psychologists and neuro-scientists now believe that each and every aspect of cognition and perception has the capacity to change and develop. Medical studies of nerve growth and the creation of new ‘neural pathways’ are important to our collective understanding of the act of thinking.
IQ reimagining education.Indian Link
By way of example, the medical management of chronic pain can be instructive to educators. Experts in pain management tell us that up to twenty per cent of people experiencing major trauma will also experience chronic pain, which occurs when a person experiences pain even though the physical injury or trauma has healed. It is believed that the brain ‘misreads’ the body and experiences pain because the neural pathways (or electronic impulses) for pain had been activated during injury but had not been turned off after the injury had healed. Chronic pain indicates that the nervous system can misread the physical reality and a person continues to perceive pain without any physiological reason. This means that what had been a physiological problem then becomes a psychological or neural problem even after the physical wound has healed.
Pain experts have found that the overactive nerves have to be re-trained in order to learn to ‘switch off’. That is, other neural pathways or electronic circuits within the body need to be activated in preference to the pain receptors.
In order to do this successfully, doctors recommend three different interventions: cognitive behaviour therapy, movement and meditation. Cognitive behaviour therapy addresses thinking. This intervention is aimed at changing the patient’s thinking so that they are less fearful and think more optimistically. Movement is also prescribed in the management of chronic pain as activity increases blood flow and strengthens the body, thereby increasing the pain threshold. Meditation is recommended because it can improve focus, change thinking and manage the interpretation of sensations.
reimagined approach to education.Indian Link

Intelligence is mutable

The approach to pain management described here can effectively be applied to the field of education in contexts where ability is low, self confidence is hampered or where risk taking is shaped by fear of failure. The idea that the brain can fall into repetitive negative patterns that elicit pain is instructive. The brain can also be trained to fall into accepting characterisations of low ability, of low expectations, of failure and ‘badness’. Neural pathways and patterns of thinking reinforcing negative self-perception can be very destructive. Yet none of this is real. New neural pathways can be activated through insightful educational intervention. The starting point for teachers is, of course, getting rid of the “Bell Curve” thinking, which, like pain, creates limitations.
Limitations need to be questioned. The fields of science and medicine have palpably shown that perception shapes outcome. However, perception can misread the situation and what is ‘imagined’ can seem real. If this occurs, the path to restoration can be a long and difficult one as it requires a lot of time and effort in bringing about change and correcting perception.
reimagining the approach to education.Indian Link
In education, the notion that intelligence is mutable is very important in this regard. The new understanding of neuroplasticity gives hope to students, parents and educators. This is because there is truth in the idea that all students regardless of ability can learn and grow. The same interventions that activate neural pathways for those with chronic pain can be applied to help students to grow as learners. They need a combination of cognitive support to assist in thinking and self-belief and also a variation in the way information and skills are presented – visual, auditory and kinaesthetic (involving movement). The use of stillness to enable deep thinking and reflection is also required.
There is no such thing as a dumb student. Every student can learn to learn more, become more able and seek further growth. What is required is a reimagined approach to education.

Inside the American Dream

By
Indian Link
-
0
Reading Time: 4 minutes

VIRAT NEHRU reviews Prashant Nair’s Umrika, starring Suraj Sharma


Every nation involves itself in some kind of myth-making surrounding its national identity: Australia being the land of the “fair go”, for example. This kind of iconoclastic representation becomes a vital part of how people across the world see a particular nation – not as a geographical territory, but rather as an ethos that simultaneously embodies and re-enforces its iconoclasm.
Indian films and culture have had a fascinating relationship with the national myth-making of the United States. Mainstream Hindi film directors such as Karan Johar have explicitly indulged in American iconoclasm with broad strokes in order to show the “West” to Indian and NRI audiences globally. The allure of the “American Dream” is so attractive for some Indians that the word ‘abroad’ is sometimes used as an implicit reference to the States as opposed to the rest of the world more generally.
Umrika.Indian Link
Amidst this backdrop comes Prashant Nair’s Umrika – a cautionary tale about the dangers of such myth-making and the adverse impact it can have on people’s lives. It is a tightly woven drama that is as bleak as it is funny, asking us to consider what achieving the ever elusive American Dream might cost. And more importantly, is it all truly worth it in the end?
We are introduced to the members of Jitvapur village, who are bidding farewell to Udai (Prateik Babbar) as he makes his perilous journey to Umrika (aka ‘America’). The villagers are excited that at least one of them could escape their repetitive and mundane lifestyle and go on to bigger and better things.
However, as the days pass without any news of Udai’s well-being, his mother becomes increasingly anxious. She runs out in futile expectation for any news of her departed son whenever the postman brings letters. Udai’s younger brother Ramakant (Suraj Sharma) grows up in the shadow of his older brother – someone who has moved on to a better life and forgotten his roots.
But one day, that magical letter does arrive and it changes the whole complexion of the village. Soon, the letters become a regular affair and reading them a ritual for the villagers, as the whole community starts living vicariously through Udai’s letters. After Udai and Ramakant’s father passes away in a freak accident, Ramakant sets off to find his older brother only to discover that all is not as it seems. Will Ramakant be able to find Udai and if so, at what cost?
Umrika film.Indian Link
Umrika is a far cry from the staple mainstream Bollywood fare. The narrative is tightly edited, with a runtime of 98 minutes. There are no extravagant song or dance sequences. And there are no whistle or clap worthy dialogues. If you go in expecting a typical masala film, you will undoubtedly come out disappointed.
This is not a comment against the film but rather about audience expectations. Since the goal of the majority of Indian cinema is still escapism, it is very important to rightfully appreciate how films like Umrika are helping to change that dominant landscape for mainstream Bollywood and Indian cinema broadly.
Suraj Sharma shines as the leading protagonist Ramakant. It is through his eyes that we see the film’s events unfold. He is able to convincingly take the audience on the dangerous expedition of tracking down his brother, showing an understated vulnerability in his performance that makes him endearing. Tony Revolori (of The Grand Budapest Hotel fame) has some crackling lines as Ramakant’s best friend Lalu and is able to keep the humour quotient brimming. Watch him cackle with delight as he asks Ramakant to bring back a “firangan” (foreign girlfriend) from the States as Ramakant departs for his journey.
umrika.Indian Link
Smita Tambe aptly commands the emotional quotient of the film as the matriarch of Udai’s family. Sauraseni Maitra as Radhika – Ramakant’s love interest with whom he is able to share his American Dream and the ordeal of finding his brother – leaves a mark in a limited role. Prateik Babbar delivers a suitably understated performance as Udai, the catalyst for this narrative. Rajesh Tailang is wasted in the role of a postman. However, it is Adil Hussain (Life of Pi, Sunrise) in a memorable cameo who adds the requisite gravitas to the climax of the film as the menacing loan shark cum people smuggler, Patel.
Dustin O’Halloran’s music is well-suited to the tone of the film. Petra Korner’s cinematography is short and sharp, adding visual contrast to life in Jitvapur village verses life in the by-lanes of Mumbai.
Umrika is a unique visual and dramatic experience and ought to be celebrated as such. A solid three and a half stars.
This is an abridged version of a review that appears at fourthreefilm.com

Luscious laddoos

By
Rajni Anand Luthra
-
0
Reading Time: 6 minutes

These sweet round treats can tickle your tastebuds and bring back memories of festive fun… let’s get into some luscious laddoos!

Ganesh ladoo.Indian Link
Don’t we all love the oodles of festive food that we allow ourselves to indulge in to give true credence to the celebrations of our homeland?
Among the variety of savoury and sweet food, the hardest to resist would be the laddoos, sweet round balls of surprising variety, created lovingly with the finest of ingredients. I have childhood memories of Milkmaid coconut laddoos from a TV ad – they looked so easy to make and so delectable – everyone I knew tried making them, even the boys. Laddoos bring a touch of the traditional to one’s festive celebrations that are reminiscent of happy, carefree times.
And so this column is dedicated to laddoos, those old-fashioned favourites that are seeing a resurgence perhaps thanks to comeback star Sridevi, whose beautiful long hands made so many of them in her hit film English Vinglish!

english vinglish sridevi ladoo.Indian Link
 
Rava Laddoo
Growing up in the south of India, rava laddoos were a favourite ‘festival’ delicacy. And because I liked them during non-festival seasons as well, my mum learned how to make them, just for me. I got this simple recipe from her.
1 cup rava (sooji or semolina)
3/4 cup sugar
¾ cup water
3-4 tbsps ghee
3 tbsp cashewnut pieces
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp raisins
Roast the semolina in about 2 tbsp ghee till slightly brown. Fry cashewnuts and raisins separately, both in a little ghee. Drain on absorbent paper.
Mix the water and sugar to make a syrup. Bring to a boil. Keep stirring till a one-string consistency is reached. Lower heat and introduce the semolina. Keep stirring to prevent lumps from forming. Add in cashewnut pieces, raisins and cardamom powder. Mix well and take off heat. Cool till easy to handle. Then grease your palms and roll small handfuls of mixture into balls. Lay out single file to cool fully and harden. Store in an airtight container.

  ladoo-recipe.Indian Link

Doodh Peda
This recipe seems deceptively easy, until you try it. Bet you, you will have to give it at least a couple of gos till you get it right.
2 cups milk powder
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
½ cup milk – sufficient to make a soft dough
½  cup sugar
½ cup water
3 or 4 numbers cardamom, crushed, and roughly powdered pistacchio nuts to decorate.
Mix butter and milk powder, and add milk to make a soft dough. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Take out the dough and crumble it with your fingers breaking all the lumps.
Make sugar syrup of one strand consistency; put in the crumbled dough and keep stirring till it cooks and starts leaving the sides of the pan. Remove from heat.
While still slightly warm, make small balls and flatten slightly into peda shapes. Decorate with cardamom and pista powder on the top.
 
Microwave Doodh Peda
Ok, this is a cheat’s version, but hey, who has the time these days?
1 can condensed milk
1 cup whole milk powder
1 tbsp kewra essence or rose essence
1/4 cup finely chopped pistachio
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Mix together the condensed milk, milk powder, melted butter and the essence in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high for four minutes. Remove and mix thoroughly. Put back in the microwave for another 2 minutes. Stir again and put back in the microwave further if needed – it should all come together in one mass. Remove and let cool briefly. Divide into balls of desired size. Sprinkle each with finely chopped pistachio.
ganesh_laddoo.Indian Link
Quickfix Malai Laddoos
This one is another super-cheat variety, but it does involve a bit of stove-work, if that makes you feel good…
½  cup condensed milk
250 gms paneer (cottage cheese)
2-3 drops kewra essence
¼  tsp yellow colour
Mash paneer well. Add condensed milk and cook on low heat, stirring constantly. Cook till thickened and it all comes together, leaving the sides of the pan. Add essence and remove from flame. Pour onto a plate and let cool somewhat. When still slightly warm, roll into little laddoos. Sprinkle powdered cardamom on top to decorate if you wish.
 
Til Laddoos
This recipe, passed on to me by a friend’s mum, I have yet to try.
1 cup til (sesame seeds)
3/4 cup sugar
¾ cup water
2 tbsps ghee
3 tbsp peanut pieces
3 tbsp pistachio pieces
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp raisins
Roast til seeds in ghee till slightly brown and set aside.
Mix the water and sugar to make a syrup. Bring to a boil. Keep stirring till a one-string consistency is reached. Lower heat and introduce the til seeds. Keep stirring to prevent lumps from forming. Add in peanut and pistachio pieces, raisins and cardamom powder. Mix well and take off heat.
Cool till easy to handle. Then grease your palms and roll small handfuls of mixture into balls. Lay out single file to cool fully and harden. Store in an airtight container. 
 
Chana Dal Pinni
I learnt this traditional delicacy comes from my mother-in-law, a fabulous cook. Pinnis are a winter favourite in Punjab, rich in warmth-producing ingredients. They are supposed to be large in size, but I prefer to make them into small balls. Most Punjabis will find the idea of ‘baby pinnis’ amusing, but I find them healthier (and more graceful!) to eat.
1 kg chana dal
3 ¾ litres milk
750 gms castor sugar
250-300 gms ghee
125 gms khaskhas
125 gms fresh grated coconut
100 gms sultanas or raisins
125 gms phool makhane (optional)
100 gms melon seeds (optional)
100 gms each cashew nuts, almonds and/or any other nuts, chopped.
Wash dal well and soak overnight in about 1 ¼ litres of milk. Grind to a coarse paste.
Put the remaining milk in a heavy-bottomed pan and add khaskhas and coconut. Bring to a boil and then keep stirring on low heat till the milk is completely reduced; cook till mixture is slightly browned. Remove from pan.
Add in the ghee and the ground dal and cook till the raw smell disappears and the dal begins to come together like a halwa. Add the khaskhas-coconut mixture and sugar and cook till well-combined. Add in the nuts and raisins and mix well.
Cool till easy to handle. Then grease your palms and roll small handfuls of mixture into balls. Lay out single file to cool fully and harden. Store in an airtight container.
Badabesankeladoo.Indian Link
Besan Laddoos
Another one I haven’t tried myself, but only because my family will surely turn up their noses at it, but an old-fashioned traditional kind of recipe.
1 cup besan
¾ cup sugar
1/4 cup ghee
3 tbsp cashewnut pieces
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp raisins
1/4 cup milk
Fry cashew nuts and raisins separately, both in a little ghee. Drain on absorbent paper.
Heat the rest of the ghee and add sifted besan and roast till fragrant and slightly golden brown. Introduce sugar and stir continuously.
When mixed in well, add cardamom cashewnut pieces, raisins and cardamom powder. Keep stirring. Now add milk, a little at a time, till it all starts to glisten. When it all comes together as one mass, take off heat.
Cool till easy to handle. Then grease your palms and roll small handfuls of mixture into balls. Lay out single file to cool fully.
Decorate with fresh grated coconut if you like.
 
Coconut Laddoos
This recipe was shared by a close friend Shanti, who gently chided me when I told her I was going to make Milkmaid laddoos like I saw in that childhood TV ad. Grow up, she said, and try the real thing. And then proceeded to tell me she uses evaporated milk instead of boiling real milk down. Ha!
2 1/2 cups fresh grated coconut
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp powdered cardamom
3-4 cardamom pods
2 cups evaporated milk
Put milk in a heavy-bottomed pan and throw in the cardamom pods. Bring to a near boil and add in the sugar. Mix till dissolved and then turn down heat. Introduce coconut. Continue stirring on low heat, till milk all but dries up. When it starts to come away from the sides, put in cardamom powder and continue stirring, but make sure not to dry it up too much. A good way to know if it is done, is to take a small handful and try to shape into a ball. If it sticks to your palms, you need to cook it some more. Take off heat and let cool somewhat. Shape into laddoos while still warm, and allow to cool and harden.

Maha Sinnathamby: The $903 million Gandhigiri man

By
Indian Link
-
0
Reading Time: 7 minutes

RAWEENA RAVAL and RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA on Maha Sinnathamby, the Brisbane-based entrepreneur who cites Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda as his inspirations 

Maha Sinnathamby BRW.indian Link
Photo by Paul Harris.

Failures, they say, are the stepping stones to success.
One of the Brisbane Indian community’s best-loved stalwarts knows this only too well, even though it may be hard to even utter the term failure in the same breath as his name.
Maha Sinnathamby has himself said on manyan occasion,
“I have learnt far, far more from my failures than my successes and I have failed much, much more than I have succeeded.”
And yet, the 75-year-old Maha Sinnathamby is well-known not only to Brisbane’s Indian community, but to the wider mainstream as one of this nation’s leading entrepreneurs.
He was listed 52nd in this year’s BRW 200 Rich List.
Maha Sinnathamby.Indian Link
One of his main claims to fame is that he is the visionary behind the planned city Greater Springfield, just outside of Brisbane.
As the Chairman and Founder of Springfield Land Corporation, Sinnathamby took on the project with a partner nearly twenty years ago, on a stretch of barren land that, in his own words, “nobody wanted to touch”. Today, the 7000-acre parcel of land is home to over 30,000 residents. It is projected the population will increase by more than 100,000 in another twenty years, to see the township become a city about the size of Darwin.
Greater Springfield is hailed as one of the most inspiring development projects in the modern world, and has even been termed the “World’s Best Master Planned Community” by the International Real Estate Federation, FIABCI.
In short, Maha has built a new city from scratch, the tenth largest master-planned community world-wide, and only the second in Australia after Canberra.
In the process, not only has he won awards for its master plan, he has also been hailed for his visionary business philosophy that incorporates much Gandhian thought.
In 2013, he was also featured on the list of 100 Most Influential Indians in the World, the sole entrant from Australia.
Maha Sinnathamby BRW.Indian Link
Maha Sinnathamby’s story is hugely inspiring for us in the Indian community. As a young student at the University of New South Wales in the 1960s, he drove taxis to support himself. His life before was no fairy tale either. He came from a remote fishing village in Malaysia called Ranatau that had no electricity or even running water. Travelling 36kms by road everyday to school, he learnt early on about the absolute importance of good education. That lesson continues to drive him to this day.
“Education is the currency of the future, which cannot be stolen from its owner,” Sinnathamby tells Indian Link. “It is the most fundamental thing that any human being can possess in today’s world; it is a type of currency that one can encash anywhere in the world. At one stage in my life when I had lost everything, someone said to me, ‘Maha, you have lost all your money, your house, your car, what will you do now?’ My reply was that I haven’t lost something that is invaluable and that is still encrypted in my head. Education is vital to succeed in life and to contribute and add value to society. It is the quintessential factor in the success of a nation.”
After finishing at UNSW, Maha found work as a design engineer but moved to Perth to start a property business. In the 1980s, married and with a young family, he shifted base to Queensland. Small residential properties and some commercial projects got him off on the path to building a portfolio of sorts.
There are many stories about how Maha lobbied government departments and ministers to get the Greater Springfield dream off the mark (including one about how all 89 Members of Parliament voted to have some legislation changed to get infrastructure out to the plot).
springfield aerial Maha Sinnathamby.Indian Link
And there are those who had laughed at him earlier, ‘a Malaysian born Sri Lankan migrant and former taxi driver’ with no money but with great visions for a ‘happy city’.
The very same people are probably now parroting one of Maha’s own business mantras: if you believe in something that is right and is legal, then don’t ever give up.
“There is something in human nature, that if you follow this rule and don’t give up, the other side surely will,” Maha observes.
His vision of creating a community “where people can live, learn, work and play” has become a reality.
Only weeks ago, Maha welcomed General Electric’s new state headquarters to Springfield, a $72 million energy-efficient building housing 480 of the company’s 750 Queensland staff, with room for 700 more, a significant investment in GE’s Queensland operations. GE joins the award winning Brookwater Golf and Country Club, Brookwater Golf and Spa Resort, Global Icon, the $85million, 80-bed Mater Private Hospital, Dusit Thani’s, the University of Southern Queensland, Orion Shopping Centre, two train stations – Springfield and Springfield Central, 10 schools, 11 childcare centres, and much more, as the suburb continues to grow. The plan follows Maha’s vision of catering to overall health, wellness and education – allowing the community to live, work, rest and play well.
Is the reason for emphasising these factors that, in today’s society, a sense of community and ‘loving thy neighbour’ is somehow getting lost – whether due to work pressure or other circumstances? In reply, Maha talks about two types of capital.

“There’s human capital, where we are in an environment and value is being added by others; and there’s social capital, where value is being added by society through various interactions. I am proud to state that Greater Springfield has the first Indigenous school in the country. Through this educational facility we want to ensure that these kids are accepted into normal society and not segregated.”

In the Indian community though, the debate is more about public vs private schooling.
“I personally don’t feel that private schooling is necessary,” Maha says. “It is better to be with the tribe rather than a ‘select’ tribe.  Public schooling gives greater exposure and indirectly creates more competition compared to a select number in private schools. However, in society today, there is a market for private schooling and it has its own place. But does it create a ‘class system’? I don’t think so; there will be families who will place importance on education and will sacrifice life’s small luxuries to enable their kids to attend private schooling. I think a person, regardless of background, will succeed given the right attitude, aptitude and determination.”
He might as well be talking about himself with that last thought. Despite a personal net worth estimated at over $903 million, it has never been the acquisition of wealth that drives Maha Sinnathamby. Another of his oft-quoted mantras is: “Chase success and money will follow”, as he firmly believes that chasing money will not develop a person to his full potential.
Maha is heavily committed to uplifting society, his ideas and visions inspired by Mahatma Gandhi whose teachings he follows closely. He has been following Gandhigiri since the age of 22, which you might say, changed his perspective on life. During the course of this interview, he gave many examples of how Gandhigiri had influenced his life but one that struck a chord with his own story of success, was when he said, “Gandhi changed the course of history. He had no money and no army. All he had was self-belief, and the belief that righteousness and truth would win.”
Maha talks passionately about giving back to society through various community outlets. Currently, he holds many leadership positions such as Patron for GOPIO (Global Organisation for People of Indian Origin) and FICQ (Federation of Indian Communities in Qld). He has recently donated generous amounts of land for the building of the Vedanta Centre (Brisbane Chapter) in Springfield Lakes.
Maha Sinnathamby book.Indian Link
“Name one person who has taken it all with him,” he laughs. “Whilst you have the capacity, then it is important to share it. A lot of people have given to me and now it’s my turn to give back. My mother used to say, ‘When you give, your hand is at the top, and when you receive, your hand is at the bottom. Always have the joy of having that hand on top’. You know, the well that you draw water from has plenty more fresh water coming in. The more you share your thoughts with others, and the more you add value to others, the richer you become in your own mind.”
There is no doubt that there is much we can all learn from Maha’s story. His guiding principles in business, particularly, seem to be mentoring other young entrepreneurs as they set out on their own paths. He has himself said many times, “I love having the opportunity to inspire you all to achieve your own greatness and success”. These have been put together in a book entitled Stop Not Till the Goal is Reached, released in 2014. The book, written by Scottish author Karen McCreadie with Sinnathamby’s full co-operation, has been described as ‘part biography, part business guide and part self-help manual’. It lists ten principles for fearless success, and is inspired by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda.
Readers might be tempted to think, Maha has been fortunate to get the right opportunities and become the success that he is today; where are my opportunities?
“Like you, I was also looking for those opportunities too,” Maha reveals. “I kept turning every stone that came my way. Under many stones I turned, there was nothing. Some stones I turned had a snake that came out to bite me. Other stones I turned and put back, even though I found a gold coin underneath. Just keep turning, and you will find what you are looking for.”
Forge your own destiny, seems to be the take-away from the meeting with this inspirational man.
As well, think big, and you will be big.
And of course, pay it forward.
And finally, don’t be afraid of failures.
 
Interview conducted by Raweena Raval 

A daughter remembers

By
Rani Jhala
-
0
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Wife, mum, grandmum, friend, poet, writer: in every role, you left behind a legacy of love

Jogmaya Narpatsingh.Indian Link
Jogmaya Narpatsingh, this was the journey that destiny carved for you.
On 10 August 1936, while the people celebrated Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna and Goddess Jogmaya, you were welcomed into this world at 11.45am, in the eastern Indian state of Orissa. The second child to Pattayet Narsingh Pratap Singh Deo and Pattayetuni Jatan Kumari Devi of Bera, you were the first daughter born into the Dhenkanal family in 18 generations.
After your infancy, you moved to Calcutta and began your education. During WWII your family moved back to Cuttack, Orissa. Conforming to tradition, you left school after Year 5 and from then studied from home, becoming an avid reader. Poetry became the medium through which you expressed yourself best.

Jogmaya Narpatsingh with governess.Indian Link
A young Jogmaya Narpatsingh with her governess

In 1953 you won your first award for your article on Tenzing Norgay. Later, your father donated a challenge trophy in your name to Benji League.
When your brother left home you wrote, “To me, the world seemed to have ceased”. This move not only gave him freedom but also made him instrumental in introducing you to your husband. Thus on 21 Feb 1958 you married R.K.Narpat Singh, youngest son of Maharaj Man Singh of Idar and Rani Anup Kanwar of Karauli and adopted the name he gave you, Maya.
The next twenty seven years were the golden years of your life. In 1959 your first child Karan was born, and shortly thereafter, your daughter, Rani. In 1962, Prithviraj was born, soon after which your husband got posted to Aden. Leaving him with your husband’s eldest brother, you returned to take him back after your fourth child Manjit was born in 1964.
The nomadic life continued over the next 23 years, from Aden to Calcutta, then to Delhi. You joined ladies’ organisations including Zonta and Ikebana and organised the Air India concert in Delhi. But it was the posting to Sydney, Australia in 1972 that first gave you your own identity. From being someone’s daughter or wife or mother, you came to be known for yourself.
After your husband got posted back to India, you became more involved in your spiritual life attending bhajans and helping charities.
In 1980 your dream was realised when your husband accepted another posting to Australia. You returned with your family to the city you had fallen in love with.
However, the wheel of fortune turns constantly and the golden days began their downward turn when your husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Jogmaya as a child.Indian Link
Jogmaya as a child

At that time you welcomed another friend, Saturn, one that would stay with you for the next 19 years and create havoc. When it left you in 2011, you had grown as a person and evolved as a spirit.
In 1989 your husband underwent Thalamotomy. Weeks after this surgery, you lost your dear father.
Greed had raised its ugly head and days after your father’s death, the once unbreakable relationship between a brother and sister was broken forever. A fraudulently obtained signature would make your innocent mother your power-of-attorney holder, and a pawn in a horrifying game of deceit and treachery.
Loss of faith and more betrayals would follow over the next 27 years as more lessons were learnt in this classroom they call ‘life’. While legal cases took their toll in one part of your life, another saw great happiness. You saw each child married and you welcomed your five precious grandchildren.
Then in 2003 Saturn sought its greatest sacrifice, as you bid goodbye to your husband, on 24 February.
Your poetry tells of your greatest pains and your deepest loves. On 9 September, the day your family and friends bid you farewell, you were to receive official recognition for your ‘Long Commitment to the Society of Women Writers’ at the NSW State Library.
Jogmaya Narpatsinghwith husband Mr Narpatsingh.Indian Link
Jogmaya with her husband Mr Narpatsingh

Despite all the curve balls life threw at you, you continued to hit home runs with courage, faith and valour. You bravely fought stroke in 2012. Even with financial restrictions, you continued to fight for justice in the legal arena, adhering to your values of honesty, decency and integrity.
While your brother broke your heart, it was his two daughters who shattered your faith when they filed another fraudulent case in 2009 all the while pretending to seek your help. Sadly it was your own counsels who betrayed you. These betrayals remained your only sorrow.
No person can claim to be perfect; no human can confer that title to another. Yet if any one person has upheld unselfish and unconditional love, it is you, and if there is one thing you have given to all of us in abundance, it is, in your daughter-in-law Antoinette’s words, “your legacy of love”.
Mum, this was your life: a sweet and sour mixture blended to perfection; a colourful painting with just the right amount of grey and black to make it interesting; a song with beautiful notes and the occasional off-key to make it unique.
Khamaghani, Mumma, farewell. You were too good for this world. ‘He’ must have thought so too, for He called you back on the day you were born, Janmashtami.

PM Turnbull and all things Indian

By
Pawan Luthra
-
0
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Just days before Malcolm Turnbull toppled Tony Abbott to become the 29th Prime Minister of Australia, the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties raised serious concerns about the proposal for Australia to sell uranium to India.

Malcolm Turnbull.Indian Link
The report stated that the sale should not go ahead until India sets up an independent nuclear regulator, separates its civil and military nuclear facilities, and allows safety inspections, the multi-party committee recommended.
It added that India should be encouraged to become a party to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Though the Treaties Committee report cautiously favoured selling uranium, its recommendations are certain to raise eyebrows and blood pressure within the Indian government, which has emphatically stated that the issue of signing the CTBT is a sovereign decision for India and should not be linked to the sale of uranium.
It is to be noted that the deal can still be signed off by the Australian government bypassing the Senate, but it is believed that then this decision could be subject to legal challenges.
While this has been playing in the background, there has been a change in leadership in Australia. Tony Abbott, who had formed a close relationship with Indian PM Modi during their various interactions over the past couple of years, now is not in a decision making position. His ‘captain’s calls’ have been publically rejected by PM Turnbull as a way for the government to make policy. The challenge which comes in for the Indian government is whether the new PM will have the strength and fortitude to press ahead with the uranium sale policy first touted by PM Howard, passed by the Labor Party at their annual conference, and further promoted by PM Abbott.
On one hand, Turnbull does have huge political capital, and according to his speeches and blogs, is largely supportive of India. He has a strong understanding of international affairs and can see the economic rise in Asia, largely fuelled by India and China. His early remarks on Free Trade Agreements (FTA) indicate his desire to reposition the Australian economy to take advantage of these emerging economies.
The FTA with China is well progressed and there is frantic work going on with finalising an FTA with India. Considering the economic trajectory which PM Turnbull wants Australia to embark on, one feels the Turnbull led government will continue on the path towards securing the uranium sale to India, in spite of the road bumps recently identified.
For the local Indian Australian community, there was an emerging desire from the former PM Abbott to reach out and connect. With the polls tightening, the migrant vote was becoming more strategic. The former PM Abbott hosted multicultural media at Kirribilli House earlier this month to start the engagement process. However, with early indications of a tidal wave of support for the new Prime Minister Turnbull, the Indian Australian community may not get all the love they may have received under Abbott.
Nevertheless, the Indian Australian community still commands a healthy proportion of votes in the western regions of Sydney and Melbourne. The Liberal Party has made very limited inroads here and this may well be the opportunity for them to capitalise on the growing pro-Liberal trend by working to woo these votes. Yes, elections are a while away, but as they say, no time like the present to start making headway.

1...848849850...1,059Page 849 of 1,059