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Unity, charity and respect

By
Dhanya Samuel
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Reading Time: 3 minutes

International Mandela Day celebrations have been held for the first time in Australia

On a beautiful, sunny morning (yes, a rarity in July), India, South Africa and Australia joined hands together to celebrate the first International Mandela Day in Australia. There could not have been a more profound and insightful way to pay homage to Madiba – the man who fought relentlessly and successfully against apartheid and human discrimination.

The event, held at Rangebank Primary School, Cranbourne, Victoria, was the brainchild of Mr Arun Sharma, Chairman of Celebrate India and Director of Dost – a friend indeed Sharma family charity organisation. Along with his wife, Jaya Sharma (who is also a Director of Dost – a friend indeed), Mr Sharma, the High Commissioner for the Republic of South Africa in Australia, Ms Koleka Mqulwana, and Mr Colin Avery, principal of Rangebank Primary School, came together to organise an event to celebrate freedom, forgiveness and respect for one another, just as Mandela truly desired.

Are you wondering about the India and South Africa connection? To quote Mr Sharma, “On many occasions we have heard Mandela talking about the influence Mahatma Gandhi made on him. Not only did Madiba follow the legacy of non-violence from then on, but also stood against any discrimination – against anyone and brought down the terrible, inhumane system of apartheid in South Africa”.

Ms Mqulwana could not agree more and spoke at length about tolerance and respect for one another to the students, whom she referred to as the ‘honourable guests’ for the day. She also congratulated the efforts of Dr Sharma and Jaya Sharma for bringing together this collaborative venture re-affirming the friendship between these two historic nations.

As an example of the relationship between the two nations, the High Commissioner concluded with a mention of the launch of the BRICS (an organisation comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) 100 billion dollar development bank and an emergency reserve fund designed to ease the domination of the western world on global finances.

Yvonne Chaka Chaka, a South African singer and humanitarian, whom Mandela fondly referred to as ‘Princess of Africa’ and ‘my dear daughter’, was also present at the event. She regaled the students with numerous tales of her time spent with Madiba and held the audience in rapt attention with her quirky sense of humour and glorious singing. The other distinguished guests for the day were Jude Perera, Labor Member for Cranbourne and Maree Nutt, CEO, RESULTS International (Australia).

Messages from the Secretary-General of the United Nations and Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbott, were read out on this special occasion. Mr Sharma then handed over a cheque for $500 to Mr Avery, who accepted the gift and said it was timely assistance for the school to proceed with a new breakfast programme. Two bikes and bike helmets and twenty blankets were also contributed by Dost towards the school’s outreach and community programme.

Mr Sharma mentioned that Rangebank Primary School is the only Australian school that teaches Hindi, as part of its LOTE language program, to all students from Prep to Year 6. This is a very commendable programme which provides an opportunity for Indian students to learn their mother tongue and embrace their native country’s rich legacy.

After the formal proceedings, the dignitaries gathered together at the front of the school to jointly plant a Protea, a native plant of South Africa, to represent the friendship among India, Australia and Mandela’s South Africa.

Finally, it was time for a bit of ‘colourful fun’ as the dignitaries got their palms painted in different colours and proceeded to leave their hand prints on the ‘freedom wall’ of the school – a vibrant illustration of unity in diversity.

The Railway Man

By
Dhanya Samuel
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Reading Time: 3 minutes

For industry leader Ravi Ravitharan, sound business acumen and strong research skills lie behind his success

Ravi Ravitharan, Director of the Institute of Railway Technology (IRT) at Monash University, has recently been awarded the coveted 2014 Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA) Individual Award, in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions to the field of the Australian and international railway industry.

Ravitharan was also awarded the prestigious 2014 Australasian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) Clunies Ross Award for the application of science and technology for the benefit of Australia, which he shared with two of his colleagues at IRT.

A true visionary leader, Ravi Ravitharan began his career in the Australian railway sector at BHP-Melbourne Research Laboratories, one of the pioneering railway research facilities of Australia. He was extensively involved with track, rail management and maintenance research and played a significant role in the development of the Track Design and Maintenance computer model which was developed for Railways of Australia (ROA).

Along with his strong technical and management skills, Ravitharan was part of the senior management team when IRT was established at Monash University in 2000. He has successfully completed several innovative projects during his tenure. His expertise in dealing with ventures involving multicultural aspects and diverse practices did not go unnoticed and soon he rose to the position of the Director of IRT.

Some notable clients in Ravitharan’s vast repertoire include leading international railway organisations such as Singapore MRT, Hong Kong MTR Corporation, Dubai Metro and Taiwan High Speed Railway Corporation.

An exceptional combination of sound business acumen and strong research skills lies behind Ravitharan’s success. He has elevated and strengthened IRT as an unparalleled leader in railway technology. He has chaired several international conferences and has more than 70 publications in leading international journals and research periodicals – he possesses an impressive and inspiring list of accomplishments, achievements and awards that would run for pages.

One of the oldest and largest railway systems of the world, Indian Railways may benefit from some of the technological advancements made by IRT in the future. According to Ravitharan, “the Metro public transport system is the best solution to address the traffic troubles that plague major Indian cities today”.

Since 1983, Ravitharan has been travelling to India regularly and is now working with Indian organisations to support new railway developments. “I am eagerly looking forward to the launch of the Chennai Metro system in 2015,” he said.

Monash University has a collaborative venture with the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai (IITB) which resulted in the creation of a unique joint research facility called the IITB-Monash Research Academy. The aim of this research institution is to develop cutting edge technologies and services in areas of strategic importance to industry, including railways in India.

The Indian Ministry of Railways has set up the Dedicated Freight Corridors Corporation of India (DFCCIL) to develop the infrastructure and technology that is critical to the functioning of the newly developed dedicated freight corridor (DFC).

The Institute of Railway Technology, which supports four of the largest mining railways in the world with their research and technological advancements, along with IITB-Monash Research Academy, will be in a great position to elevate both the passenger and the freight Indian railway systems to a world class level.

The work of Ravi Ravitharan will help provide the Indian public with modern and innovative mass-transit and freight services, which will in turn help fast track the nation’s industrial progress.

Does fruit juice contain meat?

By
Astha Singh
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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Some long life juices have been found to use clarifying agents from meat-based and beef products. They are not suitable for vegetarians and those who choose Halal. ASTHA SINGH reports

Just when we thought we have been eating well and nothing could go wrong with well-labelled food available in Australia, we find out that long life juices are not necessarily vegetarian!

Long life juices in the Golden Circle ambient juice and drink range are blended with flavours such as clear apple juice. This apple juice is prepared using a variety of clarifying agents, one of which is derived from beef, and is therefore not suitable for consumption by vegetarians. Heinz Australia, which owns Golden Circle and the Original Juice Co. confirmed added flavours, including alcohol-based flavours, are used across their juice and drink ranges.

Hindus, Muslims, vegetarians and vegans, have been advised to read the ingredients list carefully on products because not all of the Original Juice Company range will contain such flavours, including ‘Black Label Orange Juice’, ‘White Label Cloudy Apple Juice’ and ‘White Label Orange Juice’. Unfortunately none of the ambient Golden Circle juice range can be considered vegetarian-friendly.

Muslims who choose Halal food should also note that these juices are not necessarily Halal suitable as they are made using either non-halal clarifying agents or contain alcohol-based flavours.

The Hindu Council of Australia released a statement last week advising the community that “none of the long life Golden Circle juice range is suitable for vegetarians”, and said the Council would lobby to ensure companies such as Heinz have proper labelling on their products.

A spokeswoman for Heinz Australia hit back this week saying meat-derived products or alcohol-based products were used only for production and are not present in the final product.

Leaders from across the Hindu faith community and vegetarian societies in Australia, such as Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Australian Vegetarian Society and University of Sydney Vegetarian Society, expressed dismay at learning the news. They believe people who are vegetarian should be made aware of the practice of ‘clarifying’ using animal-derived products.

They also said that there needs to be a more precise labelling system and classification should be made to reflect the use of clarifying agents derived from beef sources.

Speculation has it that other juice companies might work with similar meat-based clarifying agents and more information is yet to emerge.

Commonwealth Games update Day 5

By
Indian Link
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Reading Time: 2 minutes

India has taken a slew of medals over the past few days at the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow including 7 GOLD medals

 

 

Gold

Sanjita Khumukchan: women’s 48 kg weightlifting
Sukhen Dey: men’s 56 kg weightlifting
Abhinav Bindra: men’s 10 metre air rifle shooting
Apurvi Chandela: women’s 10 metre air rifle shooting
Rahi Sarnobat: women’s 25 metre pistol shooting
Satish Sivalingam: men’s 77 kg weightlifting
Jitu Rai: men’s 50 metre pistol shooting

 

Abhinav Bindra wins GOLD in the men’s 10 metre air rifle shooting

Silver

Mirabai Chanu Saikhom: women’s 48 kg weightlifting
Shushila Likmabam: women’s 48 kg judo
Navjot Chana: men’s 60 kg judo
Malaika Goel: women’s 10 metre air pistol shooting
Prakash Nanjappa: men’s 10 metre air pistol shooting
Ayonika Paul: women’s 10 metre air rifle shooting
Anisa Sayyed: women’s 25 metre pistol shooting
Shreyasi Singh: women’s double trap shooting
Ravi Katulu: men’s 77 kg weightlifting
Gurpal Singh: men’s 50 metre pistol shooting
Gagan Narang: men’s 50 metre rifle prone shooting
Vikas Thakur: men’s weightlfting 85kg

 

Satish Sivalingam won GOLD and broke a Commonwealth Games record while compatriot Ravi Katulu took out SILVER in the men’s 77kg weightlifting

Bronze

Ganesh Mali: men’s 56 kg weightlifting
Kalpana Thoudam: women’s 52 kg judo
Santoshi Matsa: women’s 53 kg weightlifting
Rajwinder Kaur: women’s +78 kg judo
Omkar Otari: men’s 69 kg weightlifting
Mohammed Asab: men’s double trap shooting
Punam Yadav: women’s 63 kg weightlifting

Strathfield medical practice wins top accolades

By
Pawan Luthra
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Reading Time: 3 minutes

 

 

Strathfield Plaza Family Medical Practice, owned by one of the Sydney Indian community’s well-established families, the Sinhas, has won top honours at the recent Inner West Business Awards.

With over 9,000 nominations in various categories, the Strathfield-based medical practice took home two trophies. While the silver trophy was achieved in the Best Health Improvement Services Category, they went a step further with a Gold Trophy for Strathfield Business of the Year.

Speaking to Indian Link, proud winner Dr Prabhat Sinha acknowledged that it was on the suggestion of some of his patients and his daughter Pallavi, that they decided to enter their medical practice in the Inner West Business Awards for the first time.

“It has been a very rewarding celebration of a journey taken to reach this pinnacle,” Dr Sinha said after the awards night.

“Indeed it was a very memorable night for us and we feel privileged and deeply humbled to have been bestowed this honour. This is a win for anyone who migrates to Australia, works hard and follows their dreams with passion”.

The awards also reflect the patients’ regard for the doctors at the practice, he added.

Strathfield Plaza Family Medical Practice was launched in 1996 and has now been providing patient care for 18 years.

Drawing on his 37 years of experience as a medical practitioner, Dr Sinha found location to be a key factor.

“There was much room for expansion at Strathfield Plaza, luckily for us. There is access for wheelchair-bound and handicapped patients, so we had the flexibility to expand the medical practice and add more doctors to cater for the needs of the patients”.

The Strathfield Plaza Family Medical Practice has several doctors including a female doctor.

Dr Sinha said, “I have been fortunate to have an excellent team work with me and we are proud about the culture of the practice. It is a very friendly family medical practice where the doctors believe in proactive and preventative care. We like to give extra care and time to the patients. The practice has several multicultural staff members as well, who are all trained to be very courteous and compassionate while being professional in their dealings with the patients”.

The family spirit is clearly evidenced as Dr Sinha’s wife and children work with him.

“It has been good to have my son Dr Piyush Sinha join the practice,” Dr Sinha said. “He started in 2002, initially part-time, but as demand for him increased, making him a very busy General Practitioner, he took on a full time role.”

“My wife Neena has been the Practice Manager right from the beginning and has been looking after the various aspects of the practice including training of the staff. She has been the backbone of the medical practice. Over the years, we have had other allied health service professionals working at the practice like a podiatrist, psychologist and dietician,” Dr Sinha detailed.

“My daughter Pallavi, besides being a lawyer, is also a qualified counsellor and mediator, and provides counselling services at the practice by appointment”.

Dr Sinha added, “We have a very multicultural client base with patients from diverse backgrounds like Anglo-Saxons, Indian sub-continentals, Chinese, Koreans and Europeans. The patient mix at our medical practice is a combination of elderly patients and young families. They have the option to see the doctor of their choice. In fact, I have very old patients, coming from the time I started general practice, and we are now seeing third generation patients. Some of my old patients, who saw Piyush as a child visiting my surgery during its humble beginnings, are now seeing him as a doctor. It gives me great pride to pass the baton on to my son”.

And what about the future?

“Well, my vision is to provide more facilities and professional services by employing more medical and para-medical personnel under one roof, in bigger premises,” Dr Sinha revealed.

“Our practice philosophy is summarised by key terms ‘service’, ‘attitude’, ‘empathy’ and ‘professionalism’”, he finished proudly.

 

Indian scientists develop seedless mangoes

By
Indian Link
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Reading Time: 2 minutes

First came seedless grapes. Now, Indian scientists have developed what could be the ultimate delicacy – a seedless mango which is finely textured and juicy, with a rich, sweet and distinctive flavour when mature.


“We have developed a seedless mango variety from hybrids of mango varieties Ratna and Alphonso,” said V.B. Patel,chairman of the horticulture department at the Bihar Agriculture University(BAU) at Sabour in Bhagalpur district.

Trials of the new variety, named Sindhu, are under way at different locations in the country but the result of the one at BAU suggests it could be suitable for both integrated horticulture and kitchen gardening.

“We are happy and enthuastic as well as confident and hopeful of improving the seedless mango variety,” Patel said.

He said that an average fruit weighs 200 grams and its pulp, which is yellowish in colour, has less fibre than other mango varieties.

He said the trials of the Sindhu variety, originally developed at the regional fruit research station of the Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth at Dapoli in Maharashtra’s Konkan region, has thrown up good fruiting on a three-year-old plant this year. It generally grows in bunch and the fruit matures in the middle of July.

BAU vice chancellor M.L. Choudhary said the university has, on an experimental basis, decided to recreate plants of this variety and make them available to Bihar’s mango growers during the next season.

“The seedless variety also has good export potential. The university would provide quality plants to mango growers in 2015 to explot the export market,” he added.

Patel said our trial has successfully established that seedless mango could be grown in local condition.

According to the National Horticulture Mission (NHM), Bihar ranks third in mango cultivation and covers about 50 percent – a little over 38,000 hectares – of the total fruit area in the state. The produce last year was in the region of 1.5 million tonnes.

Malda, Mallika, Jardaloo, Gulabkhas, Bumbai, Daseri and Chausa are major mango varieties grown in the state.

But, then, no longer will one be able to utter this Indian homily: “Aam khana hai ya gutli gin ni hai” losely translated as “Do you want to eat mangoes or count the seeds” but in reality meaning ‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’.

And, there are many who will lament being denied the pleasure of licking the seed clean of the fruit.

As they say, you just can’t win them all!

Sallu kicks up a storm

By
Indian Link
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Reading Time: 4 minutes

Film: Kick

Starring: Salman Khan, Randeep Hooda, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Jacqueline Fernandez

Director: Sajid Nadiadwala

Rating: Two and a half

Kick toh banta hai, boss! The number of times the word ‘kick’ kicks into this heady cocktail of comedy and action, you’d think there’s no word in the dictionary that gives our hero a greater kick than… well, kick.

So, brace yourself for a hero who likes to get his kick in the unlikeliest ways. And a hero, who is as unpredictable, whimsical, mischievous and intimidating as Salman Khan.

Let’s pause here for a word on the phenomenon named Salman Khan. His stardom defies analysis… as much as his antics on screen. He is what he is. While writing his character in Kick, co-writers Chetan Bhagat, Rajat Arora and Sajid Nadiadwala had to consider Salman’s fan following every step along the way. The script is heedful of but not servile to Salman’s stardom.

This time Salman comes across as far stronger and aggressive than he did in his recent films like Bodyguard and Jai Ho. Salman sinks into the dual role of the prankster Devi and his Robin Hood doppelganger Devil with the smirky relish that only Salman knows how to muster and master. He makes the dual personality not so deep and dark as fun and enjoyable.

The superhero’s mask when it goes on is sure to bring the house down. ‘Debutant’ director (he handles the cast and characters and the plot like a veteran) Sajid Nadiadwala has set the core-action, a cat-and-mouse chase plan featuring the dare… um… Devil hero and a determined cop (Hooda, in command), in the striking ambience of Warsaw. It’s an exhilarating set-up.

The stunts spiral splendidly into a climax. They are of the kind never seen before in Hindi cinema, decidedly superior in execution to what we saw in Krrish 3 and Dhoom 3. Nadiadwala spares no expenses to ensure that his super-hero flick gets going from the first frame. The spectacle is never over-the-top.

Playing the karmic crusader comes easily to Salman Khan who likes to see himself being… well… human in real and on screen. Cleverly, the plot weaves the superstar’s real and reel persona into a precocious pastiche where you never know where the reel Salman ends and where the fictional begins.

While his eyes go moist for suffering children, he also becomes a child on the dance floor cavorting to the sound of Saat samundar paar from Rajiv Rai’s Vishawatma, Nadiadwala’s sly little homage to his deceased wife Divya Bharti on whom the song was originally filmed.

The narrative’s pace never slackens. The crucial crossovers in characterization and continents are achieved without much ado. This can be a problem when we’re in search of consistency in the characterization of other heroes. But not Salman. We expect him to be whimsical and mercurial. And as he jumps personalities, he lives up to his unpredictable image.

The plot is designed as a flashback conversation between Jacqueline Fernandez and Randeep Hooda who could have been strangers in a train if only they were not engaged to get married. On a journey, they both discuss the man who played havoc in their lives without knowing it’s the same character.

Nadiadwala ensures there are enough tailor-made sequences to accentuate Salman’s super-heroic persona. An early encounter in a crowded cafe between our hero and a group of eve-teasers is superbly comic and yet reflective of a largely dormant society that allows evil to flourish. Also deftly done is Salman’s interview with his future father-in-law (Saurabh Shukla, as brilliant as ever) where audiences familiar with Salman’s conduct at press meets, would recognize his wry responses.

This is a film never short of surprises. The mixture of the real and the reel gambols through a maze of confidently executed episodes. Not all of them work, though. The drunken buddy-buddy bonding sequence between Hooda and Salman falls flat as Hooda goes progressively over the top. Hooda is otherwise very much in control over his character and plays off against Salman very effectively. Salman’s scenes with his screen-father Mithun Chakraborty are a scream for all the wrong reasons, mainly because Mithun’s Bengali accent comes in the way of his Punjabi character.

And that brings me to Jacqueline Fernandez who has bravely spoken her own Hindi lines. We will ignore her linguistic efforts and focus on how gorgeous she looks while dancing with and for Salman in Jumme ki raat. This film definitely marks her coming of age.

Admirably, the supporting characters are well written. But if you ask me the biggest hero besides Salman is Ayanka Bose’s cinematography which makes Salman, Warsaw, Mumbai and Jacqueline look fetching without resorting to accessorized illumination.

The colour tones in the frames are eye-catching without going the garish way. In his directorial debut Sajid Nadiadwala has opted for restrain where he could have unleashed a typhoon of spectacle. The film looks and feels right. Kick is super-slick but never in a ‘show-offy’ way. It is an out-and-out Salman vehicle but there’s room for other interesting characters.

I came away with Nawazuddin’s evil laughter ringing in my ears. Not because it’s scary, but so indicative of the world of ferocious comic-book battles that Salman inhabits so casually.

This Eid, go dance with the Devil.

Subhash K. Jha 

 

Commonwealth Games update Day 1

By
Indian Link
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Reading Time: < 1 minute

India is currently #4 on the medal tally with 2 GOLD, 3 SILVER, 2 BRONZE

 

Sanjita Khumukcham wins gold

GOLD

Sanjita Khumukcham Women’s Weightlifting (48 kg)

Sukhen Dey Men’s Weightlifting (clean and jerk)

 

SILVER

Navjot Chana Men’s Judo (60kg)

Shushila Likmabam Women’s Judo (48kg)

Mirabai Chanu Saikhom Women’s Weightlifting (48 kg)

Navjot Chana wins silver

 

BRONZE

Kalpana Thoudam Women’s Judo (52kg)

Ganesh Mali Men’s Weightlifting (clean and jerk)

 

Meanwhile, the Indian women’s hockey team won their Pool A opener against Canada 4-2

Indian shuttlers also started their campaign thrashing Ghana 5-0 in Group B of the mixed team event

Para-powerlifter Sachin Choudhary found himself out of the Games for a positive drug test

A table for five-thousand, please

By
Danielle Mathias
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Reading Time: 4 minutes

Crowds gather for curry and rotis at OzHarvest event in Martin Place

Recently, the Sydney CBD community gathered in Martin Place to share a meal at OzHarvest’s Think.Eat.Save. event. The main meal on offer was a traditional Sikh roti and curry lunch distributed by the National Sikh Council of Australia.

The event united some of the nation’s top chefs, politicians and celebrities to take a stance against wasting food by serving members of the public a free meal made from surplus produce that would have otherwise ended up as landfill.

Vice President of the National Sikh Council, Amarinder Bajwa, praised the unique Think.Eat.Save event as it enabled all people, rich and poor, to come and share a hearty meal together.

“It is a good platform to promote and share the Sikh culture,” he added, saying that volunteers had been working since 2:30am in order to serve 5000 rotis to the public.

The hard work certainly seemed to have paid off as lines at the roti stall never seemed to stop growing.

Ronni Kahn, who was named Australia’s local hero of the year in 2010, founded OzHarvest in November 2004.

After working in event management, Kahn became aware of how much food was being wasted and lobbied for legislative change that allowed surplus food to be donated to charitable organisations.

This is the second year the National Sikh Council partnered with OzHarvest for the event. A number of VIPs were present, including Greens representative Councillor Irene Doutney. She claimed that food wastage in Australia is, “untenable, unethical and unsustainable”.

“OzHarvest gives us the opportunity to turn our thoughts to our own food consumption, and helps us promote a sustainable food culture,” she said.

A panel of food enthusiasts joined the VIPs to discuss food sustainability and ways that regular people can change their attitudes towards throwing away food.

NSW Environment Minister Rob Stokes expressed his concern at the 30 per cent food wastage rate in Australia and compared it to the 900 million people in the world who are starving.

He claimed 70 per cent of the food that is wasted goes to landfill still in its packaging.

“It doesn’t even go to the table,” he said, claiming this is an indictment on Australian values.

Associate Professor Bill Pritchard from the University of Sydney spoke about the world’s “dysfunctional” process of food distribution, which results in under-nourishment in some people and morbid obesity in others.

Alexandra Ijadica, founder of Youth Food Movement, said the issue of food wastage is being raised more often as young people continue the conversation about where food comes from, having eaten from a packet most of their lives.

She promoted the message of ‘Go Buy Ugly’ that encourages people to buy produce from farmer’s markets rather than major supermarkets who reject produce on the basis that it does not look good and therefore will not sell.

Another thought-provoking notion was brought up by ‘sustainability legend’ Joost Bakkar.

“Everyone’s taking vitamin supplements these days yet dumping nutrient-dense foods,” he proclaimed.

“The companies that are making the most money are the vitamin companies yet we don’t even need the stuff in the first place”.

OzHarvest uses 23 refrigerated vehicles across Sydney to transport food and has delivered almost 28 million meals to those less fortunate.

Ronni Kahn told the crowd about a school of 50 children in Sydney who contacted OzHarvest, because they don’t have food to take to school and have minimal meals at home.

“This was not in Cambodia. This was 30 kilometres from here,” she said, “that’s where the rescued food goes”.

OzHarvest is partnered with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the UN Food and Agriculture Program.

“If food waste was a member state of the UN, it would be the third highest carbon emitter,” said UNEP representative Julia Dean. She was highly supportive of the Think.Eat.Save campaign as it draws attention to perfectly edible food “that never makes it from farm to fork”.

After enjoying their roti meal, two women praised the volunteers from the National Sikh Council and OzHarvest. “The food is really lovely…very delicious,” they said. “It is showing people that the food tastes the same, it just doesn’t look the same, and it shouldn’t be going to waste,” they added.

During her address to the large crowd that had gathered at Martin Place, each with a serving of curry and roti in their hands, Ronni Kahn thanked the 200 volunteers who organised and directed the event, and reaffirmed her commitment to making Australia the country that saves food.

“Together we can and must make a difference”.

 

 

 

 

 

India at Glasgow Commonwealth Games

By
Indian Link
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Reading Time: 4 minutes

Medal hopes for India at the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

India will be expecting a lion’s share of medals from shooters, boxers, wrestlers and shuttlers at the 2014 Commonwealth Games starting 23 July, but it will be difficult to match the record medal haul from the last edition at home.

The 2010 Commonwealth Games was marred with allegations of corruption and missed deadlines, but the stupendous success of the Indian athletes and the excellent delivery of the Games made up for all the controversies.

India won an incredible 101 medals and was runner up in the medal tally, when they hosted the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October 2010. Team India won more gold medals than it had ever won before in one Games, taking 38 gold medals when the previous record was 30 at Manchester in 2000.

The Indians are riding high on their historic success at the 2012 London Olympics, where they won a record six medals, including two silver. But sans home advantage, it will be difficult to replicate the success of 2010.

This time around India have a sizeable contingent of 224 athletes, with athletes from 14 sporting disciplines. The largest squad within the Indian contingent comes from athletics. Seven para-athletes and 90 officials, coaches and support staff are also part of the Indian team. The Glasgow Games will have 17 sports and 261 medal events and India will be fielding athletes in all but three disciplines – netball, rugby sevens and triathlon.

The main medal hopes will be from shooting, boxers, wrestlers, badminton and hockey.

In the last two Games, shooters have won the major chunk of medals for India. They won 27 medals, including 16 gold, in Melbourne and 30 medals, including 14 gold medals, in Delhi in 2010.

The shooting team comprises an Olympic champion in Abhinav Bindra and two Olympic medallists in Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar, who will also be India’s flagbearer in the opening ceremony.

Gagan, who won four gold medals in the 2010 Games, however, will not be seen in action in his pet 10m air rifle event, where he won the bronze in the Olympics in 2012. He will be taking part in the 50m 3-position rifle and 50-m prone events.

In badminton, with defending champion Saina Nehwal skipping the event, India will be pinning their hopes on P.V. Sindhu, Parupalli Kashyap and the pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa to repeat their success in badminton.

Despite top seed Saina’s absence from women’s singles, India could still end up victorious in the category, thanks to second seed Sindhu.

This time, Sindhu, ranked four places below Saina at No.11, may breathe a little easier as she contemplates her path to glory.

However, 2010 edition’s bronze medallist Kashyap, who is seeded second, will be eager to break Malaysia’s stranglehold, where they have won every gold in the category since 1990.

Expectations are high also from the women’s doubles defending champions Ashwini and Jwala, who surprised all to clinch the gold four years ago, India’s first yellow metal in the discipline since 1982.

India’s chances of winning a gold in badminton suffered a major jolt as defending champion and World No. 7 Saina Nehwal pulled out of the women’s singles event, due to blisters after last month’s Australian Open.

Saina is now focussing on the World Championships (Aug 25-31) and the Asian Games (Sep 19-29).

India won four medals in badminton in 2010. Besides Saina, the pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won the women’s doubles gold, Parupalli Kashyap won men’s singles bronze, and India also bagged the mixed team silver.

In the past few years, Indian wrestlers have also become a force to be reckoned with, ever since Sushil Kumar won his second Olympic medal, a historic silver, and his buddy Yogeshwar Dutt the bronze in London.

The sport was on the verge of being excluded from the 2012 Olympics and both the Indian wrestlers Sushil and Yogeshwar also had to grapple with new weight categories. The Commonwealth Games are the first major events where both Sushil and Yogeshwar will be fighting it out in their new weight categories.

The onus is also on the boxers, especially on the male boxers, after their disappointing show in London. The saving grace was M.C. Mary Kom’s bronze medal with the introduction of women’s boxing.

India also had a great outing in the track and field in 2010 with discus thrower Krishna Poonia winning the first gold medal in athletics for India in 52 years since Milkha Singh’s triumph at the 1958 Cardiff Games. This time the focus will again be on Krishna and fellow discus thrower Vikas Gowda, who finished an impressive eighth in the London Games.

Last but not the least, the men’s hockey team will be looking to salvage some pride after their disappointing show at the World Cup. The men’s squad settled for the silver in Delhi but also had to endure the ignominy of a 0-8 loss against Australia in the final.

“We want to face Australia in the final,” Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh said while training in Glasgow.

Australia have won all the four golds available in the discipline since its inception at the Games in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur. But the Indian team’s morale is high, especially after beating England 3-2 in a practice match. The expectations are high also fromvice-captain and goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh after his splendid World Cup performance earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Indian women hockey team’s chief coach Neil Hawgood has said that his squad are ready to deliver big results at the Commonwealth Games.

“While the team is young, the kind of play that they showed on the recent Malaysian tour gives me reason to be proud of them and confidence that we will deliver our best performance here,” said Hawgood, referring to the team’s recent exposure tour to Malaysia where they defeated the hosts 6-0 in the series.

Engagement with sport is gradually building up across India, which has begun to look beyond cricket. IPL-style leagues have been launched recently in football, hockey and even kabaddi, and celebrity endorsements have begun to raise not only spectator involvement but also the nurturing and development of elite sportspersons.

The seventy-one-year-old Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan for instance recently announced he has been sponsoring the training and coaching of two female athletes for the Commonwealth and upcoming Asian Games. Ayonika Paul and Pooja Ghatkar (both shooters) are supported by Bachchan as a part of the Medals4India campaign initiated by NGO Olympic Gold Quest.
IANS

 

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