Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy is heading to India to further the India-Oz partnership

Matthew Guy, Leader of the Opposition in Victoria, is very excited about his upcoming trip to India, scheduled from 13 to 21 November.
Speaking at a pre-Independence Day celebration event held at the Templestowe Bowling Club recently, the former Planning Minister and former Minister for Multicultural Affairs discussed plans and expectations for his much-awaited first trip to India.
The Member for Bulleen said he could not wait to visit the cities, temples, and countryside and is particularly looking forward to the train trip that has been organised for him as part of his jam-packed itinerary in India.
“My trip is to build relationships with a number of key governments in India and explore the options of forming a good business partnership and cultural exchange with an Indian state in the near future,” Mr Guy revealed.
Chairman of the Multicultural Liberal Business Club (MLBC) and the Chair of Confederation of Indian Australian Associations (CIAA), Vasan Srinivasan will be responsible for organising Matthew Guy’s trip to India.
“The visit will be mainly focused on the financial services industry, education, technology, tourism and cultural exchange with a view to learning and understanding how things in India can be of benefit to Victoria,” Srinivasan said.
“We will be meeting a number of Ministers and dignitaries from New Delhi to Chennai, and also ensuring that local media is involved and informed through the entre visit.”
Matthew Guy said he finds Indians to be most welcoming and generous people and one of the most wonderful groups of people he has come across in his public life.
“May there be more and more of migration from India to Australia,” he said, winning brownie points from those present.
According to the Victorian Opposition Leader, the event was not a fundraiser, nor a political function but simply a gathering for everyone to acknowledge Indian Independence Day and its growing significance in Australia.
That may have been the intent, however it was clear that the overarching agenda was promoting the Opposition Leader’s upcoming visit to India.
The rest of the evening was spent with a Q&A series, including many suggestions of places that the Minister should visit during his eight days in the country.
Mr Guy also voiced his wish to develop a sister state relationship somewhere in India.
“We have had a very productive sister state relationship with Jiangsu in China for many years now and it’s time for us to have a similar relationship between the state of Victoria and a state in India,” he said.
Vice Consul of India in Melbourne Anjan Bhaumik congratulated Mr Guy on his decision to engage further with India.
Delivering a message on behalf of the Indian Consul General Manika Jain, Mr Bhaumik said, “It is heartening to see that the engagement between India and Australia has increased substantially in the last few years.”
“New rigor and enthusiasm has been seen in encouraging people to people contact between the two countries,” Mr Bhaumik said, alluding to the high-powered visitations from both countries.
Ambarish Deshmukh kept the proceedings light with his banter.
The audience also appreciated a fabulous Kathak performance by the Manmohini Dance group.
The trio of dancers performed classical dance steps to contemporary music and was delighted to pose for a photo later on with the young Mr Guy.

The evening was not formal in nature and gave business owners, media and community an opportunity to interact easily with the Leader of the Opposition.
Everyone present unanimously extended best wishes to Matthew Guy, bidding him a safe and successful trip.

Bollywood Dance Studio presents its fundraiser concert Bolly Glitz 2015. PUNEET ANAND reports

Just like its name, it was all glamour and shimmer.
Some 100 participants of the Bollywood Dance Studio (BDS) strutted their talent at the dance showcase Bolly Glitz 2015.
Knowing their event was aimed at fund-raising, their jhataks and mataks had some extra pizzazz that evening.


The event, organised by the artistic director of BDS, Maitri Patel, was held at Sacred Hearts College, Sorrento in early September, and was in aid of the Shree Trust and Education Centre for handicapped children in Mumbai.
‘Dance-fitness-fun’ is the motto at BDS and there’s no doubt that their dancers lived up wonderfully to that theme.

The jam-packed audience participated whole-heartedly in the fun and encouraged the dancers on with their cheers and hoots.
The lovely host Shamlee welcomed everyone to Bolly Glitz 2015, and spoke briefly about BDS, which also marked its fourth anniversary at the event. A classic party number performed by the littlest stars at BDS formed the ‘birthday’ number. And then there was no stopping the thumkas! The hot favourite of today Banno tera swagger was performed by swaying girls in shimmering costumes. The gorgeous tiny tots in their Superman outfits brought in the cuteness factor. Then came some stunning performances with a few more rocking numbers from Bollywood. The uncluttered fusion of Hotel California over kathak mudras was simply mesmerizing. Punjabi numbers like Do you know baby and Balle balle je sohneya de rang vekhlo brought foot tapping energy to the dance floor. Even the Australian performers gave the regular Bollywood beauties a run for their money!

On the other side of intermission, Gujarati peppy number marked the blockbuster performance. Adrenaline rushed with Gallan goodiyan as the performers came dancing down the aisles. Selfie mania boomed too. After a few more performances the full and final tribute was paid to show gratitude towards the aim.

BDS deserves a great deal of appreciation for what they have accomplished.
Proud father Gregg Dyson beamed at the performance of his two daughters and said that he will always encourage them in future too. Cristine who came to cheer her friend’s daughter Chloe, said that the little one always has made them feel good but today was something special indeed!

Meenu Dhillon, touring from India, said the enthusiasm of it all transported her straight back home.
Meanwhile dancer Aditi said she was thrilled to have had her moment on stage and be a part of such an event like Bolly Glitz 2015. Jessie and her daughter, who both joined BDS last year, said it was a special day for them.

They all spoke of their guru with respect and admired her exceptional talent.
“Can’t wait to do this all again!” was a comment uttered frequently.
The dancers proved the old adage true, that dancing is like dreaming with your feet.

Brisbane’s Indian community celebrates Janmashtami 2015

Krishna Janmashtami was organised by the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on 5-6 September at the Brisbane Temple in Seventeen Mile Rocks.
Devotees thronged to the temple to get a glimpse of the Krishna idol resplendent in all its finery. Numerous stalls selling food, books, fineries and crafts also added to the jovial mood of the occasion.
There were special activities for children such as face painting, mehendi, and skits as well as chanting, kirtans and bhajans in praise of Krishna for devotees. The supporters came from all walks of life and not only celebrated the birth of Krishna but also the multicultural harmony that is prevalent in Brisbane.

On being asked about the significance of Hinduism in today’s world, Tarnya Smith said, “I have heard about Lord Krishna and today being his birthday it is one of the most important days of the year. I think we have a lot to learn from this particular religion, especially the way that it promotes harmony and peace.”

Devotional music playing in the background added to the whole spirit of the evening, while several addresses informed devotees about Vedic philosophy and the importance of yoga.
Another creative and fun activity entailed going round on a spiral made up of 108 tiles laid on the ground while chanting “hare krishna hare krishna, krishna krishna hare hare; hare rama hare rama, rama rama hare hare”.

The program was followed by a scrumptious feast which offered a variety of vegetarian delicacies such as fried patties, tamarind chutney, cottage cheese and dessert. The event volunteers made it a huge success by taking care of all the logistics, serving food and prasadam, managing parking spaces and answering all queries with a smile on their face and a Hare Krishna on their lips.

Indian Link also spoke to one of the organisers of the event, Sakhi-Rai Das, who informed us that in the past four years that the event has been celebrated at this venue, the number of people attending it has increased tremendously.  We were also told about various community initiatives that ISKCON undertakes such as Food for Life, which provides food to the needy through a network of charitable organisations. Sakhi-Rai also spoke about the positive image that the Hare Krishna movement has in the Australian community. He also feels that the chanting and dancing is the fun part of the ISKCON philosophy and that the society is appreciated by the Australian community because of its peaceful and harmonious outlook.

Adelaide’s Indian community celebrates Indian Independence Day

Of all the national holidays there is something special about Independence Day. There is graveness and glee. The martyrs are remembered and freedom is joyfully celebrated!
And so it was in Adelaide as the Indian community celebrated India’s 69^th Independence Day. Organised by the Indian Australian Association of South Australia, it began with the national anthems of both India and Australia – which was led by children – and the customary speech by the (acting) President of the Association, Rajni Madan. She spoke about India’s history, achievements and about issues facing people of Indian origin in Adelaide.


This was followed by a song by Seema Sreekumar which, while being an expected fare, was far from it. Her rendition of ay mere watan ke logon  had more than a few moist eyes in the audience.

After speeches by the chief guests Dana Wortley MP, Russel Wortley MLC and Jing Lee MLC, the seriously fun business of celebrating independence commenced with music and dancing.


The Odissi invocatory dance by Vithya and Seesha was enchanting. This was followed by a national integration item by children of the Tamil school that truly brought out the secular and multicultural nature of independent India.
Dr Laalithya Kundur’s Kuchipudi number Shiva Tandava Stotram, performed flawlessly, was majestic and fit in beautifully with the gravity of the function.

Then came the exuberance of groups of children or young people performing folk dances or Bollywood numbers! If Mudra Dance Academy performed to Maa tujhe salaam, the Dancing Mist girls danced gracefully to Chaan ke Mohalla!

A group of Punjabi girls presented the Bhangra beautifully and then, the boys performed a very traditional and exuberant Bhangra too!

All in all, the audience enjoyed the singing and dancing tapping their feet or clapping their hands to the beat. And the evening ended with snacks and sweets.

All photos courtesy Akil Madan Photography
 

School student Mansa Sukheja makes quite a mark at international science event, SISC 2015

Mansa Sukheja, a Year 11 student from Aberfoyle Park High School, part of the IGNITE program for students with ‘high intellectual potential’, participated in the Singapore International Science Challenge (SISC) 2015 held recently. The theme for this year’s challenge was Excite! Energise! Electrify! Contestants had to create innovative products showcasing the importance of light to the world.
After a complicated process involving written application and meetings about commitments and expectations, Mansa ended up as one of the top three applicants to participate in SISC 2015. Her team competed against 24 schools from 12 other countries.
Her group’s presentation was inspired by the idea of how different animals view the world with their eyes. “Our research paper, entitled An Examination of Light Transmission Through a Variety of Pupil Shapes Found in Nature was submitted in the Physics category,” Mansa told Indian Link. “Our teacher showed us images of various pupil shapes found in nature and we became interested in how this affected the images seen by animals.”
The project was completed after five months of dedication, hard work and time taken up from free periods, lesson breaks and before/after school hours.
The SISC 2015 kicked off with the research poster challenge, judged by a panel of judges and chief guests. After an impressive lecture, Mansa’s team finished with two gold medals, one in the Physics Category for Research and one for the Overall Best Poster Award.

The students were then split up into teams comprising students from across the world with whom they completed the next challenge – the Creative Communication Challenge. This challenge required a creative presentation using science-related word prompts. Mansa and her team once again impressed the judges with their creativity and won another gold medal in this challenge for Best Creation.
The third challenge, Design and Build, required the students to build a robot using their knowledge of coding, 3D printing and Arduino. Although the robot was made successfully, they did not manage to wow the judges in this round.
Mansa has done her school proud by winning a total of 9 gold medals and 1 silver medal with her group.

“This competition has changed my life around and it is my greatest achievement so far,” an excited Mansa said. “I couldn’t believe it when I received these awards, and the recognition for all the work I put into this project was definitely more than I’d expected. My experience has opened up international opportunities for me and introduced me to a number of areas in science. I have chosen primarily science and maths subjects for next year, which will open up my options for a career.”
In the push to attract more girls towards STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), there’s no doubt Mansa will go on to make her mark. She has already set her sights on a teaching career in science and maths.
Mansa and her team recently had the chance to showcase the results of their innovative project at Tonsley TAFE as part of the National Science Week.
The SISC is hosted every alternate year by the National Junior College of Singapore and Singapore’s Ministry Of Education. It aims to bring together skilled students from around the globe to participate and innovate in the field of science.