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Brr, it’s cold in here

By
Indian Link
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Kashif Harrison
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Check out the INDIAN LINK RADIO crew’s Ice Bucket Challenge experience

 

About the challenge

 

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is an activity involving dumping a bucket of ice over one’s head as well as donating money to and raising awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig‘s disease, or MS (Multiple Sclerosis) in Australia. It was originally started by the non-profit ALS Association in America and has now become a social media phenomenon, promoting awareness and raising funds for causes and charities all over the world.

 

The WHOLE INDIAN LINK RADIO TEAM happily participated in this epic social media trend to spread awareness and advocate state and federal government involvement in the ALS disease in India and Pakistan, as well as raise money for patient care and research.

 

Here are the pics:

Kashif Harrison
Neelam Vasudevan
RJ Raghu
Sagar Mehrotra

Check out some Ice Bucket videos here:

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=780767885299413

A family affair

By
Malli Iyer
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Reading Time: 3 minutes

A young Sydney violinist presents a tribute to her grandmother

There is no dearth of creative ways to express love, strengthen family bonds or show devotion to a family elder. One such occasion, was a recent violin recital, a memorial concert to a departed soul. It was held with considerable pomp and circumstance at the Sydney Bahai Centre. An audience of over 400 was treated to lilting music on the violin by Myuri Kantharajah, who is an up and coming disciple of well-known Sydney based violinist Sri Balaji Jagannadhan.

She was accompanied by Ghanavenothan Retnam, a well reputed flautist from Singapore on the flute, Pallavarajan Nagendran on mridangam and by Dr. Iynkaran Kantharajah, her own brother, on tabla.

The event was orchestrated by Prof. A.S. Kantharajah, a well-known Tamil author who conceived, planned and successfully executed a musical homage to his departed mother Smt. Muthupillai Sinnathamby. He obviously heads a very talented family with budding musical celebrities and what better way to involve them, but in a proud family event.

Whilst Myuri may be a relative newcomer to the concert circuit, her accompanists were high calibre and well on the way to celebrity status.

The proceedings were kicked off by a witty introduction by Espo, who is an outstanding Tamil writer and author. He spoke glowingly of his friendship with Dr. Kantharajah and their long association. Espo seemed to be enjoying his opening speech so much that he extended his assigned 10 minutes by a further 20 minutes and just as the audience got restless, he concluded and allowed the compere to introduce the artists and commence the violin concert.

Myuri’s guru Sri Balaji Jagannadhan gave a crisp and concise summary of how Myuri was one of his hardworking and enthusiastic students. He gave her credit for her dedication and persistence to learn, from a teacher’s point of view. As there were two percussionists, Sri Balaji told the audience to expect an extended session and time allotted to mridangam and tabla.

Myuri started with a Karur Devudu Iyer composed ‘varnam’ Saami nine kori in ragam Sri. Violin and flute performed in tandem, alternating where necessary.

This was followed by Papanasam Sivan’s ‘karunai seivaai’ in Hamsadhwani ragam.

Sri Ghanavenothan Retnam introduced each item and where applicable pointed their position in the ‘melakarta chakram’, the ‘janya’ and linked ragas.

Sudha mayee sudha nidhi composed by Muthiah Bhagavathar in raga Amritavarshini followed by Saint Thyagaraja’s ‘kanda joodumi’ in Vachaspati ragam were rendered competently by the Myuri and Ghanavenothan combine.

The main raga of the evening was then played. Muthiah Bhagavathar’s Ambavaani nannu in Keeravaani ragam was developed elaborately and while the artists played the ragam and swaram well, the percussionists came into their own during the “thani avarthanam” which enabled them to showcase their considerable skills. Just before the 20 minute interval, Smt. Sownthary Ganesan was invited to speak about the literary genius of Dr. A. Kantharajah.  She spoke in chaste Tamil and enlarged  upon his wide ranging travels  throughout his career in Zambia, Kenya, Germany, Japan and Australia, which also culminated in his writing several books that analyse the differences in those cultures. He is not only a professor, a great thinker, a dramatist and a communicator but he fulfilled his responsibilities and never stopped to search for his roots even though he was fully occupied in his adopted country. He was able to see the big picture through a small aperture and meticulously record the events through his writings.

The last hour of the program was composed of mostly light carnatic music which was easy on the ears. It included Niravathi sugadha in Raga Ravichandrika and Manavyalakinchi in Ragam Nalinakanthi, both composed by Saint Thyagaraja.

Towards the end the devotional songs took over.

Vellai thaamarai in Abheri ragam, Enna thavam seidhanai in Kaappi ragam and Kurai onrum illai in a ragamaalika were played in quick succession.

It would be fair to say that this was not a classical violin concert in the orthodox style. There were two percussionists both of whom were highly accomplished; and the violin and flute were synchronised to suit the playing styles of the artists whose playing standards were markedly different. Each was competent and adopted well to the other. It was not a concert to demonstrate the prowess of any player, but to show their devotion and deference to the solemnity of the occasion.

Most of the audience was able to relate to the occasion, and took home some positives, since there was a variety in the entertainment provided.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twenty years later…my Dad was right

By
Sanam Sharma
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Reading Time: 3 minutes

 

Recently I visited someone’s office for a work meeting. I was fifteen minutes early for the meeting so I sat down in the waiting area and browsed through a recent edition of Harvard Business Review that lay on the table. The cover story talked about one common trait that all the creative geniuses of the world shared which made them successful in their respective crafts.

According to that particular study, the mantra to excel at any creative talent is to have a routine. A rigid routine. A discipline to practice and work on a talent. We may be abundantly gifted with something, but if we lack a routine and a discipline to work on that gift, that talent, that intelligence, we are bound to end up with mediocrity.

Reading that write-up in the waiting area took me back to an incident from my childhood.

“How is Sanam in studies?” someone once asked my dad. I was sitting in the living room, across the table next to my dad at the time. I looked towards my father as he prepared to answer the question. I had half a smile on my face, in anticipation.

“Sanam is intelligent, but very careless,” was my dad’s instant response. Honest and to the point.

That half smile vanished in no time from my face as I tried to make sense of that response. I pushed myself hard to focus on the “intelligent” bit he said about me. But somehow, the word “careless” kept dampening any glory I was seeking to extract out of my dad’s remark.

I could sense disappointment in his reply. He obviously had felt let down by my efforts. All of sudden I felt a bit unsettled sitting in that company.  Slightly embarrassed as well, even a tad angry. That visitor and my dad moved on to other topics of discussion soon after that remark about me. However, I did not. I felt my dad’s comment was harsh and hurtful to me. I wanted to protest. Rebel. Challenge his views about me. Get him to amend his remarks (to something more positive and pampering). The moment had passed however and the conversation had moved on.

And now, a decade and a half later, with courtesy to a magazine write-up that I glanced upon in someone’s office, I finally made sense of what my dad meant when he said those words.

He did see a spark in me to label me “intelligent,” but he was pragmatic enough to see through the lack of discipline I had at that time to make any good use of my “intelligence”.

Déjà vu. My dad was urging me to instil some discipline in my life back then. He wanted me to give up the randomness I had in my approach towards studies, life, and my career at that time. He wanted me to stop flirting with my talents and to be more reverent about them and stop taking them for granted. To honour my talents and ambitions with the hard work they rightfully deserved and to stop being distracted and get some focus in my life.

So as it turns out, what my dad said to me years ago in a short crisp statement has finally made perfect sense to me today. He was not being harsh back then nor was he being critical. And like most of the other things that my dad had said to me when I was a kid…he was right.

Two women refs to represent Indian football

By
Indian Link
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Maria Rebello
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Two Indian women referees being selected to officiate at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea may be a cause for celebration as the country embarks on a new phase in professional football

Maria Rebello

Maria Rebello and Uvena Fernandes are the first female referees picked by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to supervise Asian Games matches and they are all too excited about the break they have been given.

“I am overwhelmed, this will be my first match abroad and I’m feeling very excited,” said Fernandes, who only this year received her FIFA certification badge.

“I’m not nervous at all. I have faith in my abilities and I have prepared well, I’m just raring to go,” she added.

For the past five-six years Fernandes has been officiating Subroto Cup matches. While she is a relative new-bee, her partner Rebello has acquired the knack of keeping grown men in check on the field.

Rebello, 42, a former India senior women’s national team captain and a regular referee in the Goa pro-league, became the first woman to oversee I-League and Santosh Trophy matches.

“I’m feeling great. It’s something of a second coming for me, I had participated in the 13th Asian Games in Bangkiok in 1998 as a player and now I’m back at the Games to referee matches. Playing is completely different from officiating, but I’m confident I will do well,” Rebello stated.

“We will have a fitness test before the championship and I’m practising and keeping myself in top shape by refereeing the professional Goan league,” she added.

One of the challenges a referee faces in international tournaments such as this is the language barrier. With 45 nations participating in the Incheon Games, English certainly would not be everyone’s strong suit.??The Indian duo, however, are ready to deal with such issues and have a well thought out plan to overcome these deficiencies.

“I have decided that before every game, I would get myself well versed with a few important words from the two countries that I would be officiating and then there is obviously gesturing with hands,” said Fernandes.

Her more experienced colleague has an even better way of overcoming this challenge.

“Yes, the language barrier would certainly be a challenge, but I have devised plans to address such issues,” said a confident Rebello.??”I feel that sometimes not knowing the language is an advantage because you can ignore all the nonsense the players utter in anger when they are upset,” she added.

However, the remarkable journey for the two, who are leaving for Incheon shortly, hasn’t been easy and both have credited the head of the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) referees department, Gautam Kar, for the boom in the number of women referees.

“A look at the FIFA list of women referees shows only two Indians whereas a tiny West African nation like Benin with a population of less than 10 million, has seven. Many other smaller African nations have also produced more women referees. India has a lot a catching up to do, but the two Indian referees feel things are improving.

“The development of women referees in India is in the best hands. What he [Gautam Kar] has done for it cannot be explained in words. He has been instrumental for us becoming refs. The fact that the U-19 women’s nationals in Cuttack was manned by all-women referees for the first time goes to show what sort of depth there is in the country,” said Rebello.

Fernandes feels that with top-level professional leagues like the Indian Super League (ISL) springing up in the country, it’s only a matter of time before more and more Indian referees get to officiate in international matches and tournaments.

“Professional leagues will give opportunities to young referees, both men and women, to hone their skills. Hopefully, with that experience and exposure we hope to get nominated for bigger tournaments around the world,” Fernandes said.

 

 

A spirit of religious tolerance

By
Emily Itee Dewan
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Amit Mehra
Reading Time: 3 minutes

An exhibition celebrating the many religions of India hints at the essential secularism of Indian society

Amit Mehra

In a country where more than 400 languages are spoken and almost 15 religions co-exist, there’s bound to be an array of festivals. To mark India’s Independence Day on August 15, the Consulate General of India launched a photo exhibition showcasing these diverse festivals, rituals and religions of India. On display were distinguished images by celebrated Indian photographer Amit Mehra.

Many dignitaries graced the occasion and also took part in the flag hoisting ceremony. Those present included Consul General of India in Melbourne, Manika Jain, former Premier of Victoria Ted Baillieu, Arun Sharma of Celebrate India, Ted Gott (Senior Curator, International Art, National Gallery of Victoria), Christine Fyffe (Speaker of the Legislative Assembly) and Matthew Guy (Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Planning), amongst others.

Talking about the relevance of the event, Ms Jain observed, “The exhibition gives a glimpse into the diversity that is India. This was our way of showcasing the various rituals and religions that we have grown up with”.

She hoped that the exhibition would encourage a better understanding of India and its culture.

Mehra’s photos on the walls did all the talking. From a snapshot of a ritual at a shrine in Kashmir to a religious procession carried out by Muslims in Rajasthan, the photographs spoke a thousand words on the cultural vibrancy of India.

One of the photos beautifully captured the spirit of Holi (Festival of Colours) as celebrated in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. A group of people drenched in red basked in the glory of the hue, as the colour seamlessly blended them together. Another was a picture of faith as a young Buddhist monk, draped in red with eyes shut in veneration to God, blew the trumpet to start the morning prayers at Sakya Monastery in Uttranchal. A third celebrated the religion of humanity – a woman, draped in yellow, eagerly fed a flock of pigeons at the Muslim shrine of Hazratbal in Srinagar, Kashmir.

Be it dance, a prayer, music or a festival, Mehra presented a colourful mosaic of Indian religions.

He said on the occasion, “The main objective behind the series is to show India as the largest democracy whose core strength is secularism”.

Ted Gott couldn’t agree more. Calling it a “vibrant and colourful exhibition,” he said, “All of the religious faiths practised in India are fascinating, and this fascinating exhibition serves to illuminate their rich depth and complexity”.

A Jain practice that believes in reverence for all life and the avoidance of injury to all living things has been skilfully captured by Mehra. Young boys with their mouth masked (to avoid the risk of even accidentally swallowing an insect) head for prayers to mark the birth celebration of their god, Lord Mahavira at the Jain temple in Ahemdabad, Gujarat.

As well, in Mehra’s ode to India’s secular spirit, a young man with heavily kohled eyes and nose painted in red, fixes his crown before he heads out to perform Ramlila (a mythological drama) in Delhi. Another image has Christian priests wearing long robes and holding candles, offering prayers during Sunday mass at the Orthodox Syrian Church in New Delhi.

Dwelling further on the topic of religion, one cannot help but notice that the expanding Indian community in Melbourne has paved the way for a rise in the propagation of Indian religions in Melbourne. Religious processions carried out frequently in the city are a testimony to the same.

When asked her opinion, Ms Jain said, “It’s all very relative. To some it might seem propagation but for others it could be a celebration of their religion”.

She further added, “I myself believe in the theory that there’s no one universal truth. Everyone has freedom of speech and expression. What could be right to one could be wrong to another… as long as it’s legal to do what they are doing, it’s all good”.

When asked if there’s any one religion that intrigues her most, Ms Jain said, “I am curious about all religions. All have a similar kind of conduct, only the practices are different. Religion of peace and humanity is what I believe in”.

On left: Consul General of India in Melbourne Manika Jain

 

 

Partying at Parliament

By
Indian Link
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Ravi Bhatia with Members Of Parliament and Guests
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Indian Independence Day is celebrated in Victorian Parliament

Ravi Bhatia with Members Of Parliament and Guests

A cocktail event was recently organised by Ravi Bhatia, Goldy Brar and other Indian business and community leaders, at the Victorian Parliament House to celebrate the 68th anniversary of India’s Independence Day.

Much interest was generated with the unveiling of World Cup 2015 trophy by John Harnden CEO of ICC Cricket, as the guests took turns to be photographed with the prestigious cup.

The event was attended by a large number of dignitaries and Members of Parliament including Louis Asher, Mathew Guy, Bruce Atkinson, Robert Clark, David Davis, Edward O’DonohueNick Wakeling, Inga Peulich, Ted Baillieu, Craig Ondarchie, Telmo Languiller (representing the Leader of the opposition), Luke Donellan,  Brian Tee and many other Liberal and Labor candidates.

Amongst the 150 strong guest list were  Nirmal Chowdhary, the Head of Chancery, Prof. Amitabh Mattoo, Ayesha Bux, Mushfiq Rahman, Osanda Abeywardana and Chin Tan and Chidambaram Srinivasan who represented the Victorian Multicultural Commission.

Inga Peulich, Cabinet Secretary from the Liberal Party, launched the Indian Warriors Football Club to be set up by business leader Mickey Gill with the support of Indian footy players like Dilpreet Singh who was recently awarded the ‘Rising Star 2014’ by the Victorian Amateur Football Association. She also promoted Celebrate India’s unique ‘Indian Essay Competition’ for primary school students of year 5 and 6 in Victoria. The concept was developed by Arun and Jaya Sharma to encourage students to share their experience of Indian culture, discussing similarities and differences between the Indian festival of Diwali and Christmas. The competition ends at 5pm on 15 September 2014 and there are many exciting prizes to be won.

The evening also saw the launch of a new Indian monthly magazine by Bruce Atkinson, President of the Legislative Council and MLC for Eastern Metropolitan Region.

During the course of the evening, guests heard from several speakers who commonly praised the Indian community for their contribution to Victoria and Australia. Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech was quoted with reference to India’s Independence Day and its relevance today.

The evening provided an excellent opportunity to network with businesses, leaders and representatives from the South East Asian communities.  Also present were new candidates for the upcoming Victorian elections including Amita Gill, standing as a Liberal candidate for electoral seat of Bundoor0,a and Gandhi Bevinakoppa, contesting for the seat of Clarinda against Labour’s Hong Lim.

 

Dilpreet Singh, Goldy Brar and Matthew Guy with guest

 

Craig Ondarchie Liberal member for the Northern Metropolitan Region and Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier

 

 

 

 

Mermaid Cavalli

By
Indian Link
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Reading Time: < 1 minute

Stunning Stripes

By
Indian Link
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Reading Time: < 1 minute

Going for gold

By
Indian Link
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0
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Social Scene(iors)

By
George Thakur
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Reading Time: 5 minutes

Lively Independence Day celebrations among the older members of the community

 

Fiji Indian Senior Citizens Association turns 15!
FISCA recently celebrated its fifteenth anniversary with great pomp and show at Bayswater Primary School.To initiate the celebrations, President Liladhar (Jerry) Jeraj welcomed fifty plus members and invited guests to the evening. He praised financial support Victorian Multicultural Commission and City of Knox provided them over the years.
Mrs Satwati Nath, wife of late Sheo Nath, founder of FISCA, presented a brief outline as to how, in the year 1998, FISCA came into being. Satwati created nostalgia when she reminisced about how she and Sheo would attend an Indian Seniors group, were impressed by it, and came up with the idea of opening an association for Fijians of Indian origin as well. Sheo Nath consulted Marjory Lapworth, when both were installed as Honorary Justices of Peace in 1998, and other councillors of the City of Maroondah, and in 1999 formed the association. Treasurer Ram Vilash, 2004 to 2012, related how in 2004 FISCA was registered and became qualified to receive the VMC grants.
FISCA provides entertainment, information, and necessary advice, in a friendly environment. Mr and Mrs Pooran Lal, members since FISCA’s inception, donated $300 toward the costs for the evening. These seniors also sang one of their favourite duets “sau saal pehle mujhe tum se pyyar tha, aaj bhi hai aur kal bhi rahega,” their laptop providing karaoke music. Vikashnee, fifteen, performed a well-rehearsed Bharatnatyam dance.
President since 2005, Jerry thanked members for their support during his tenure and reinforced that no matter how good office bearers may be, member attendance and support are what run associations. FISCA, Jerry sad, is possibly the only senior association in Victoria that celebrates the festivals of all major religions—Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and in 2014, invited a member of the Bahai faith to talk to about their beliefs.
Members sang the Indian anthem, and also the Fijian farewell song – Isa lei. Wine and delicious Indian food, catered by Fiji Café in Dandenong, was served.
For more information, please contact Jerry on ljeraj@optusnet.com.au.

 

 

Remembering and rituals

Indian Seniors Forum celebrated India’s Independence Day at Shirdi Sai Mandir, where members greeted each other and sang India’s national anthem with great enthusiasm. Some senior members reminded the rest of us of the hardships and torture our ancestors suffered when fighting the Quit India war against British occupiers. In their Clayton meeting hall, the Forum celebrated the festival of Raksha Bandhan in which members Vinni Rao, Coomi Patel and other ladies tied sacred threads to the gentlemen’s arms and performed puja. The sacred thread was also tied to the Deputy Mayor of the City of Monash’s arm as he attended the meet, and a puja performed, a ritual that appeared to thrill him quite a bit, and he assured the Forum of all possible support. He also presented a letter of appreciation. For information, please contact Chief Coordinator S. K. Auplish on auplishsk@yahoo.com.au.

 

Songs of yesteryear
Indian Seniors Association West (ISAW) held their Independence Day meeting at Errington Community Centre in St. Albans, which about forty members attended. They enthusiastically sang the Indian anthem and many other patriotic Bollywood songs of yesteryear.
Members related their personal experiences as to what they did before India gained her independence, and particularly described what they did on the day itself.
Home-made food members brought along was happily shared with all, and Indian mithai added gusto to all the fun.
For information, please contact President Arjan Tuli on arjantuli@bigpond.com

 

Twice the fun!

The City of Stonnington meet attracted forty-three attendees; double that of the previous month. Coordinator Jaya Manchikanti expects many more in future meetings since the venture has been announced in Indian Link.
The spirit of the day was typical of Independence Day, with repeats of Jai Hind! Abrar Husain, from Jammu & Kashmir; not-a-senior by a long yard, in his rich voice sang a Manna De patriotic song: “ai mere pyare watan, ai mere ujre chaman, tujh pe dil qurban”.
Coomi Patel, Rupal Desai and Mrs Sharma sang the National Anthem and also: “ai mere watan ke logo, zara aankh men bhar lo paani”, among a few Bollywood patriotic songs.
Dr Nisha Bhatnagar asked members to briefly introduce themselves to the others. While Subramanyam came to Melbourne as student in 1953, went back home, and returned as a permanent citizen, Ravinder Singh, from a village in Punjab where actor Dharmendra originates, has only been here for a few months old. He had many photographs with Dharmendra he shared with us.
Cheese sandwiches, onion pakoras, Indian mithai and fresh fruit was supplied by Shiva restaurant in Hawksburn.

Suggestions have been extended that this as yet un-named group is granted formal recognition as an independent association, which Jaya is presently working on. At the moment, she calls everyone individually to advise them of future meetings. If the new project eventuates, she has her work cut out for her.
Jaya may be contacted at jmanchik@stonnington.vic.gov.au

 

 

Membership moves

Kingston Indian Senior Citizens Association (KISCA) also celebrated India’s Independence Day and chanted Jai Hind. At their Annual General Meeting this month, they elected Ashok Jamini as Vice President, as the elected VP is available no more. Asha Jamini, Ashok’s wife, a highly proficient ex-Secretary, is now a Committee Member.
For some time, ten thousand Indians and Fijian Indians have called the City of Kingston home, while up to fifty thousand may call the City of Dandenong home. If KISCA is to flourish, it needs more members, an eventuality that has more chances of coming alive if the organisation moved to Dandenong, which has been on cards. Since a very small membership attended, the discussion of the change has been postponed until the next meet.

For more information, please call President Barbara Nagaya on 9893 3427.

 

 

A multicultural affair
Indian Senior Citizens Association (ISCA) celebrated Independence Day and Multicultural Day together at Mt. Waverly Youth Centre. President Prem Phakey greeted members on India’s big day, and all sang both India and Australia’s national anthems.
After a few announcements, Dr Phakey briefly spoke about yoga, light exercise, sing-songs and basically the good time members have at their Friday program. He thanked VMC and the City of Monash for generous grants to make such events possible.
Vice President Jasbir Bedi, MC, invited Priya Kulkarni to give us a Bollywood dance. Then came Nakita, Priya’s sister, who also gave a Bollywood dance, and then both of them together.
A Chinese troupe from Jasmine Dance Group, attired in silky costumes, with pre-recorded Chinese folk songs on differing themes performed three Oriental dances. The most enchanting though was when they raided the floor and requested advice and lessons in comparatively vigorous, fast and eye-catching Bollywood dancing. During this period, entrée was served on tables.
Jasbir invited Hon. Alan Griffin, Hon. Michael Gidley, Mr Chin Tan and Cr Stephen Dimopoulos respectively to address members, who all praised ISCA’s program. A few sari attired ladies presented token gifts to the VIP speakers. Mr and Mrs Raizada gifted $900 toward ISCA’s outdoor activities. VMC Chairperson Chin Tan pledged a generous grant for the forthcoming Diwali function.
The dignitaries present were VMC Commissioner Srini Srinivasan, Ms Yang, representing the Honourable Anna Burke, and various MLCs. Veg and non-veg buffet lunch was served.

For more information, please contact President Phakey on prem.phakey@bigpond.com

 

 

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