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Giving youth a voice

By
Manan Luthra
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1
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Each year high school students from across NSW gather at Youth Parliament to debate issues affecting Australian society, writes MANAN LUTHRA

Earlier this month, I was fortunate enough to get a chance to attend the YMCA NSW Youth Parliament Program.

The YP program is the strongest promoter of apolitical youth advocacy the state has ever seen. From humble beginnings, with 50 participants 13 years ago, the program has since gone on to draft over a dozen bills into New South Wales legislation.

I was inducted into the Legislative Council (only in its second year of the YP program), joining the first ever committee investigating Indigenous Health.

As part of a small group of five students from all across the state, I studied in-depth the issue of vaccinations for Indigenous youth. Indigenous youth are an at-risk group for certain diseases that do not affect their non-Indigenous peers in the same numbers.

Our committee split into two groups looking at how best to implement additional vaccines. These sides eventually joined either the Government or the Opposition in Parliament.

At the end of our hour-long debate, our report passed almost unanimously – a huge success for us as a whole committee.

‘The decision has been reached, 35 ayes to 3 noes. Therefore, the report tabled to the house has passed in the affirmative’.

Now, our report has been sent on to the NSW government and opposition, and may even be debated in the real parliament!

Early on I had no idea how much I would benefit from the Youth Parliament program. For participants, the ability to debate on issues we are passionate about, in the oldest parliament of Australia, is something special. For the taskies (task force workers), the sight of their ‘children’ growing up and maturing must have more benefits than money can ever buy.

Everyone in the program supports one another because we understand the sensitivity of what we debate. People are filled with passion and desire to make a difference. But most of all, every participant and ‘taskie’ alike has fun.

Being a youth parliamentarian is no easy task. As participants we consider the whole of Australian society, finding issues that we feel need debating. For five months we’re constantly studying new statistics to prove why our problem is a problem. We’re thinking of ways we can tackle these issues – getting petitions signed and talking to local MPs.

In the week-long event this year, 140 Youth Parliamentarians battled the cold 5:30am winter weather to board buses headed for NSW Parliament House. Here, our parliamentary debating skills were tested. It was a verbal battlefront. Ideas were ridiculed, and flaws were pounced on and made into a joke. For young people like us, it was as close to real parliament as we’re going to get.

For some of us, we would’ve thought Year 11 or Year 12 study would deter us from doing this. Sacrificing precious study time for report research is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea!

The most magical thing is, in parliament, we’re not surrounded by study. The HSC does not exist. We’re just there, advocating for solutions that we ourselves have created. We are there to make a change, and we know that we will fight for it until the end of the debate. We’re there to fight for the future, and we won’t go down easily.

The YMCA has a motto for Youth Parliament: It changes everything. As a recent participant, I agree whole-heartedly. I have never been so passionate about such a range of issues before. The opportunity for growth, the environment, and the people and support in the program made it all very worthwhile.

I’m already looking forward to next year!

Flashback: This sixteen-year-old could be the first Indian MP in Australia! | Vega Tamotia

By
Rajni Anand Luthra
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1
Reading Time: 2 minutes

In this flashback to May, 2001 we interview a young Vega Tamotia, now a Bollywood star!

Ask her which are her favourite subjects at school, and Vega Tamotia will say maths and software development & design. Typical high-achieving Indian student, you think, til you hear the rest of her story.

Sport, photography, acting, computers …. Vega is a very busy sixteen-year-old indeed. And a hugely talented one, if you haven’t guessed already.

When not playing one of her favourite sports (tennis, volleyball, soccer, softball, cricket), she is nurturing one of her two pet passions, photography and computers. In between, she squeezes in time for some drama, having done no less than six shows in the past two years.

And that is not all.

The Year 11 student of Randwick Girls High School has just returned from an extended trip to India where she won the lead role in a Doordarshan telefilm in Hindi entitled Bitiya. The hour-long film is a social awareness feature on child marriages.

But in recent weeks, Vega has been preoccupied with an entirely different activity. She has been selected to represent the state of NSW in this year’s Youth Parliament Program (run by the Australian YMCA), in which she will research and prepare a bill to be presented for consideration on the floors of Youth Parliament.

Vega was one of ninety 15 to 18-year-olds all over the country who wrote an essay describing why they should be picked for the program. That first hurdle was easily crossed. Vega is now on the six-member NSW team that will make its way to Melbourne in July to debate a bill seeking optional voting for 16-18 year-olds.

Vega is excited by it all. “The exercise will teach me and others in the program leadership skills, besides public speaking and debating, and of course about parliamentary processes in a democracy,” she says.

To read a review of Vega Tamotia’s latest film click here

To read more about the experience of Youth Parliament click here

Flashback: This sixteen-year-old could be the first Indian MP in Australia! | Vega Tamotia

By
Rajni Anand Luthra
-
1
Reading Time: 2 minutes

In this flashback to May, 2001 we interview a young Vega Tamotia, now a Bollywood star!

Ask her which are her favourite subjects at school, and Vega Tamotia will say maths and software development & design. Typical high-achieving Indian student, you think, til you hear the rest of her story.
Sport, photography, acting, computers …. Vega is a very busy sixteen-year-old indeed. And a hugely talented one, if you haven’t guessed already.
When not playing one of her favourite sports (tennis, volleyball, soccer, softball, cricket), she is nurturing one of her two pet passions, photography and computers. In between, she squeezes in time for some drama, having done no less than six shows in the past two years.
And that is not all.
The Year 11 student of Randwick Girls High School has just returned from an extended trip to India where she won the lead role in a Doordarshan telefilm in Hindi entitled Bitiya. The hour-long film is a social awareness feature on child marriages.
But in recent weeks, Vega has been preoccupied with an entirely different activity. She has been selected to represent the state of NSW in this year’s Youth Parliament Program (run by the Australian YMCA), in which she will research and prepare a bill to be presented for consideration on the floors of Youth Parliament.
Vega was one of ninety 15 to 18-year-olds all over the country who wrote an essay describing why they should be picked for the program. That first hurdle was easily crossed. Vega is now on the six-member NSW team that will make its way to Melbourne in July to debate a bill seeking optional voting for 16-18 year-olds.
Vega is excited by it all. “The exercise will teach me and others in the program leadership skills, besides public speaking and debating, and of course about parliamentary processes in a democracy,” she says.
To read a review of Vega Tamotia’s latest film click here
To read more about the experience of Youth Parliament click here

Moments

By
Indian Link
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0
Reading Time: 4 minutes

A short story by Kushagra Nigam

I looked up just in time to see Sonia pass by with her friends. She looked at me and I smiled but she continued to walk with her friends towards the college gate. There was something about her today that made me turn around and take another look. Under the bright sun, her hair looked shiner than before. Her eyes had a twinkle in them. Her sweet smile made her look more gorgeous than before. I turned around to my friends, biting my lip for the moment, and then spoke. “I’ll see you guys later, got some other work.” I picked up my bag and jogged in her direction. I looked around and saw Sonia walking towards the tram stop. I walked quickly towards her. She realised I was following as I spoke, “Hey!” I greeted. “Hi, Kush”, she replied. I caught my breath and asked, “Is it possible if I could have a quick word with you?” She gazed sideways and replied, “Sure”. She spoke to her friends for a second and we walked away.

Sonia looked at me. There was a moment of silence. That moment our eyes met. Gazing straight at each other, I gathered my thoughts. “I was wondering if you were free this evening. Exams are done. So…“ What’s on your mind?” she folded her arms and asked, with the smile on her face decreasing in size. “Ok. Will you go out with me? For a dinner or something,” I answered, with some confidence on my face and voice. “Are you asking me out for a date?” she questioned. “Hmm-Hmm… That shouldn’t be a problem,” she replied. “How about tomorrow, for lunch?” I asked. She paused for a moment and I added “…dinner??” “Dinner should be alright,” she suggested. “Great! So, tomorrow. Flinders at 6?” She nodded with a smile.

My train reached Flinders Station few minutes before 6pm. As I walked towards the gate, I saw Sonia exiting the station. She was wearing a lovely white dress with small white heels and matching earrings, and looked a stunning simple beauty. I walked out towards her. “Good evening gorgeous,” I greeted. She turned around smiling, realising who it was. “Good Evening, handsome,” she replied and kissed my cheek. “You look beautiful,”  I complimented, looking straight into her eyes, waiting for them to twinkle. And they did. She blushed, “Thank you”. “Let’s go”, I added. We caught the tram to make our way to the restaurant.

The restaurant was outdoors on the beach. . The manager came up to welcome us. “Good evening sir, good evening ma’am”, he spoke in a very soft tone. “Table for two, thanks”, I replied. The manager walked ahead and escorted us to a table. The place felt very soothing. There was a band playing soft music in the corner. Cool wind blew slowly. The candles on every table were lit and looked beautiful. We sat facing each other, feeling the cool air and listening to the waves hit rocks in the distance. “So how’s your day been?” I asked her as we sat. “Pretty good”, she replied. “For most of day I was thinking about you and how it would be…”. “I hope you’ve liked it?” I asked. She responded with a nod accompanied with a smile. “Your smile is really beautiful,” I added. She enlarged it slowly and I continued, “Just like you.”

Soon the starters were served. We continued our talk with the blowing wind and the playing music. “Would you like to dance?” I asked. “Sure,” she replied. I held her hand and we walked towards the dance stage. There were a few other couples dancing but we made ourselves some space. I held her close, placing my hand on her back, around her waist. We slowly move our feet in the rhythm of the instrumental music being played.

The dinner was served soon. We continued talking, discussing various relevant and irrelevant topics. As we walked towards the tram, the rain started. Sonia untied her wet hair and I just stared at her for a long moment.

“You look really beautiful. You should keep your hair untied,” I said. She gave me a shy look and looked away, smiling. “Thanks”, she replied. We made our back to the hostel through the city quietly. Holding hands with her head resting on my shoulder. We did not need words at that moment in time. We were together and that was enough. We reached our campus and, just as we were about to separate and make our way to our dorms, there was that moment.

I felt her hands around my waist, slowly crawling up my back. I saw her eyes lowering towards my lips and then slowly rising to meet my gaze. I felt my heart thumping faster than before. Slowly, I moved my hands and gently placed them on her waist and pulled her a little towards me. She looked up and slowly moved even closer, keeping a tight grip on my back. She removed her sandals and placed her cold, bare feet on top of my feet, giving me a sensation through my whole body. My hands moved up to her thick black hair. Slowly, I leaned back on the wall. Very gently, she moved her hands from my waist, from my waist, up to my chest and finally around my neck. Her face slowly moved so close to me that our noses were touching. Slowly, I moved my right hand and placed it around her warm neck. I could feel her fragrance going into my nose and straight to my mind. Slowly, I felt the tip of her lip on mine for a split second, and then it was apart. I saw her eyelids raising and dropping with shyness. Again, I felt her lips touching mine, but this time, longer, much longer… Slowly, she moved her hands down to my waist and leaned her head on my shoulder. I moved my hands through her hair and closed my eyes feeling the love in that moment.

 

India and Australia experiment man-robot tasks on Mars

By
Indian Link
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0
Photo: Australia in India
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Photo: Australia in India

Indian and Australian space scientists and students are carrying out experiments to compare how well human astronauts and robotic vehicles can work together and perform tasks on Mars.

The experiments that started Friday are being carried out at Flinders Range in South Australia, a rugged environment that simulates the planet Mars.

Acting Australian High Commissioner to India, Bernard Philip, welcomed the innovative collaboration between the two countries.

“Australia and India are developing many collaborative linkages in the exciting field of civil space science,” said Phillip in a recent statement.

“The Mars Research Study: Man vs Machine vs Wild” project, will compare how well human astronauts and robotic vehicles can work together and perform tasks on Mars.

The project will also involve joint research into geology and astrobiology. The Indian Institute of Technology (Bombay) is participating in the study, along with the University of New South Wales, Murdoch University and Macquarie University.

A group of high school teachers will also attend as part of NASA’s Spaceward Bound program to develop classroom teaching materials.

“Geoscience Australia has helped the Indian Space Research Organisation calibrate its satellites, and the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex is tracking India’s satellite Mangalyaan on its voyage to Mars,” Philip said.

“This project will further strengthen this collaboration, bringing together current and future space scientists”.

Australian space industry company Saber Astronautics is managing the project in partnership with Mars Society Australia and Mars Society India, and with funding from the Australia India Council.

The development of joint space science educational programs is one objective of the 2012 bilateral memorandum of understanding between India and Australia concerning cooperation in civil space science, technology and education.

IANS

Read more about Flinders Ranges 

Move over Selfies, it’s Sketchies for SRK!

By
Indian Link
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1
Reading Time: 7 minutes

Move over Selfies, it’s Sketchies for SRK!

It’s a fun way to engage with his fans. And he has more than 8 million of them on Twitter.

We’re talking about Shah Rukh Khan’s recent Twitter obsession. You see, he’s set his fans a bit of homework: to make a sketch of him and send it in. He has been putting them up for open scrutiny, duly numbered, and with a line of analysis or appreciation.

It’s turned into SRK’s very own art exhibition where the art is, er, all about him. There are some fascinating near-professional portraits by obviously experienced painters, some stick drawings by little kids, some comic-book style art, even a hastily created line drawing (made on the back of a notebook page probably on a bus ride).

Some re-create his film posters, some are painstakingly painted versions of his official portraits, and some are pure imaginative works.

But the world’s second-richest actor loves them all!

So minimalist yet so close to likeness. One can do so much with lines when used with passion, he commented on one particular portrait.

On another one: Looks like I’ll have to work out a lot more on the waist… the kamar looks a bit kamra like. But very nice, thanx.

And on one that looks nothing like him, he still had the grace to say: Is this me??!! How did you know I look like this when I wake up!!!

And the gentleman that he is, he remembers to thank each fan for their work.

Looking at all these sketches, he tweeted, I have to declare Selfies are passé. I think it’s ‘Sketchies’ for me from now on.

 

1 million YouTube views for Sunny Leone’s new number

Bollywood ‘Baby Doll’ Sunny Leone’s new song Pink lips is turning out to be a chartbuster. Her fluid moves in the number have already managed to attract over one million views on YouTube ever since it was released on July 2.

The song is composed by Meet Brothers and choreographed by Uma-Gaiti.

The choreographers were under pressure to deliver something bigger and better than Baby doll, Sunny’s previous hit number. The new song is a promotional track for the movie Hate Story 2, which releases July 18.

The Vivek Agnihotri directed film stars newcomers Jay Bhanushali and Surveen Chawla. The makers of the film are claiming currently that it is not an erotic thriller. Which means in Bollywood-speak, that it is one, so come along to the theatres to see it!

 

Lata Mangeshkar treads the Jain path

Recording an album of bhajans and chants for the Jain community, Lata Mangeshkar had to get herself a linguistic teacher to guide her through all the traditional stuff.

Lata says doing album was a special challenge.

“The Jain community felt that their religious teachings and mantras have so far not been properly articulated,” she said. “I am happy and relieved that they think my rendition does justice to their sacred teachings”.

The process was time-taking but for the 84-year-old, it is never too late to learn.

“It wasn’t easy, I can tell you that,” Lata confessed. “But getting the pronunciation and diction absolutely right has always been important for me. Early in my career, I had got myself Sanskrit and Urdu teachers who would come to my recordings at studios to sit and teach me the languages during the breaks”.

“Years later when I recorded the Bhagavad Gita for my brother, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, I hired another Sanskrit teacher to make sure that I got the nuances correct,” she added.

Lata feels it’s very important to be 100 per cent correct in articulating religious and spiritual thoughts.

“Centuries of thoughts go into these teachings. One can’t be careless with religious sentiments. I am happy to learn languages through my singing and to polish up my diction. Every artiste remains a student all their life. I am no exception,” she said.

Great work, Lataji. Hope the young divas in the industry take a leaf from your book.

 

Iftaar hug for SRK, Salman makes headlines

The two leading Khans of Bollywood – Shah Rukh and Salman – hugged each other with warmth as they came face to face at an iftaar party in Mumbai on 6 July.

The date is important, because this is such momentous news.

All is finally well with the world, as Shah Rukh and Salman have made up after years of bitterness! Nobel Peace Prize for the person who held the party that got the two great Khans together!! Now India can go back to solving its minor problems – peace with Pakistan, economic development, eradicating hunger and poverty, stopping violence against women…

We wish the press in India would cool it on the Great Khan Thaw. It was just a bit of Iftaar goodwill. Which happened last year as well, and will no doubt happen next year too.

What say we leave the Khans alone… but not before we try a Caption Contest on the right of this page!
I’m here to stay: Sidharth Malhotra

His success ratio is impressive. Model-turned-actor Sidharth Malhotra, who is currently riding high on Ek Villain, which has minted Rs.77.20 crore in its opening week, is confident he will play a long innings in filmdom.

The 29-year-old was criticised for his inability to dance, or to emote well in his debut film Student of the Year, despite the fact that it passed off with flying colours at the box office, so he has a reason to believe that.

Sidharth feels that with Ek Villain, he has successfully converted the non-believers to believers and that he can’t be easily written off.

“It was a first experience, this kind of box office success,” Sid said recently. “I feel like I’ve reached out to more people with this film than I ever had; so that’s exciting. Now, I feel that I am here to stay. Others are also saying I deserve this place”.

He added, “It’s satisfying to see that I took risks two years ago by choosing a genre and a character like this which is so different from what I’ve done before, and that’s paying off. It could’ve gone wrong. It’s very satisfying as an actor to try something new and see that the audience is liking it”.

The actor played romantic roles in his first two films.

So far, the Delhi boy has had three releases, of which Hasee Toh Phasee is the only film that underperformed.

Tell him he’s won a lot of fans, thanks to his six-foot-plus good looks, and he’ll challenge you.

“We are not just standing and posing, are we? Looks are part and parcel of our job, no doubt, but to go beyond looks was also a challenge to me,” said the actor, who wants to keep reinventing himself.

Sidharth said his latest film”is also an endeavour to turn all the non-believers into believers”.

“People who didn’t see the craft or who weren’t convinced about my craft, Ek Villain is the best answer I could give them,” he said. “The film has opened up a new genre of films and scripts for me. I’m considering a remake of an English film called Warrior. After that is Bhavesh Joshi. I’m not good for love stories alone, you know, there’s also thriller and action!”

Akshay lip-syncs to female voice

If men dressing in woman’s garb wasn’t a trend enough already in Bollywood, here’s Akshay Kumar trying out something new – he lip-syncs to a female voice in the song Johnny Johnny for the film It’s Entertainment.

The song is the first to be released from the album of the film which marks the directorial debut of writers Farhad-Sajid.

Akshay tries to get laughs with lines such as Maine pi nahiii haanji main peela di gayi.

Wonder whether the song will catch on.

On the decision to make playback singer Priya sing for Akshay, the director duo said, “Our song is light-hearted, and everyone is in in high spirits and in a party mood. In a small subtle way, we are showing our support for women’s empowerment”.

What the…?

It’s Entertainment will hit the screens Aug 8.

 

Poor Priyanka

There are some things Bollywood actresses should never do. Like get on Big Brother UK (right, Shilpa Shetty?) or do an AMA on Reddit. AMA stands for Ask Me Anything, but of course you knew that! Anyway, Priyanka Chopra agrees to do this, right, and thinks it will be a breeze just like winning Miss World or acting with SRK or singing with Pitbull.

Poor darling, she had no idea what she let herself in for when she pressed ‘enter’ after typing “It’s your chance to ‘Ask Me Anything’ on AMA reddit! Are you ready? Let’s do this”.

The barrage of questions that came up included queries about her upcoming Mary Kom biopic, but also whether she’s had work done on her face, whether she uses auto-tuning in her songs, and what’s with her accent?

To that last one, she answered, she went to school in the US. The questioner came up with, “Wow, you went to school?” To her credit, she shot back, “Wow, you always been a hater?”, and then stopped answering the questions which came on thick and fast about whether her dad was a pedophile, and why was a road named after him when there were other deserving people.

“I’ll eat my hat if she answers that one,” came one comment.

“I’ll even watch her next movie if she answers,” said another guy.

Which prompted the comment, “No need to go to extremes now!”

Now what we want to know is, when’s Aishwaya Rai going to do an AMA – there’s a couple of curly ones we want to throw her way.

Caption Contest

What’s the chitchat between SRK and Salman Khan here?

Send in your responses to win@indianlink.com.au and win a surprise prize.

LAST ISSUE CAPTION CONTEST WINNING ENTRY

What’s the chitchat between Padmini Kohlapure and niece Sharddha Kapoor?

Shraddha: It’s so cumbersome to wear saris….

Padmini: No, remember my No. 1 fashion tip. Always look like a lady.

Shilpi Chtterjee

Epping NSW

 

Shilpi wins a ticket to new Hindi release Bobby Jasoos

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elope at your own risk

By
Indian Link
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0
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Lekar Hum Deewana Dil

Starring: Armaan Jain, Deeksha Seth

Director Arif Ali

Rating: ***

It’s that old boy-meets-girl thing again. But with a twist. But wait! You know that thing about how the boy and girl don’t know about their true feelings until a series of misadventures verifies what we know all along? The couple that we see squabbling on screen, is made for each other.

Sigh!

The newcomers in new director Arif Ali’s film go the whole hog – pouncing on one another, showering abuses and physical blows in the middle of the Chattisgarh jungles with Maoists for company.

Now where did the Naxals come into the picture, you may well ask. There is even a catchy A.R. Rahman item song in the Naxal jungle where our debutant hero (never short of attention-grabbing gimmicks) shakes a leg with a bombshell singing about Naxals and all.

Really, now. Do we need to dumb down serious political issues in order to get to make a valid point about youngsters today who don’t think twice before breaking a lifelong commitment and who seem to believe life is one non-stop rave party?

Debutant director Arif Ali’s take on young love sets itself apart from the norm by showing the young couple as being truly annoying in their self-absorption. The two debutant actors play the roles of best-buddies-turned-squabbling-lovers with great relish. Deeksha Seth, who plays a Shetty from Karnataka with a brood of cackling, complaining women and men swarming her household, is photogenic and endearing. Armaan Jain is quite the chip off the old Kapoor block. When he emotes, he resembles his uncle Rajiv Kapoor. When he dances, he draws fond recollections of Shammi Kapoor. With his unnaturally red lips and bushy eyebrows, this Kapoor inheritor takes a bit of time to come close to the audience.

But we eventually settle down to watching his character make a fool of himself, falling in and out of love as if matters of the heart were video games.

There is much in the narrative that’s trite and done to death. But there is also an inner conviction to the storytelling. The characters are familiar yet interesting.

The director never sides with the misguided young couple. Instead, the plot bursts their bubble and we watch them squirm in mutual embarrassment as they go from being buddies to bad-ass adversaries.

There’s quite a lot of his brother Imtiaz Ali in this film’s director Arif, especially the penchant to take a Bharat darshan while telling a story. Lekar Hum Deewana Dil doesn’t hesitate in letting the young protagonists make a fool of themselves as they mock all good sense with their chaotic behaviour.

It’s a world which seems strangely at war with Hindi cinema conventions even as the narrative gladly and warmly embraces the oldest formula of letting two friends discover a mutual meeting ground in the midst of fierce war of the ego. But ultimately, it is a satisfying blithe and breezy slice-of-life experience with dialogues and scenes that ring true most of the time.

The film marks the confident debut of its lead pair and director.

Their time starts now.

 

 

 

 

Deeply flawed, fatally self-defeating

By
Indian Link
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0
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Film: Ek Villain

Starring: Siddharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh

Director: Mohit Suri

Rating: **


Siddharth simmers and scorches onscreen with his implosive one-man-against-the-world act. As a loner on a rampage after the love of his life is killed, he brings to the table a certain intensity which unfortunately, in this case, can only go this far and no further.

We are looking at a film that is deeply flawed and fatally self-defeating.

Much was expected from the director after Aashiqui 2. Alas, Suri chooses to wallow in unnecessary and at times prolonged brutality rather than focus on the tender love story between the seething brute and the bubbly babe.

Not that there is anything new to offer in the love story. The silent indignant loner and the gregarious chirpy girl next door… haven’t we seen Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri take those two characters to the acme of perfection in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Mili?

Ek Villain is Mili over-heaped with a maelstrom of mayhem, mostly uncalled-for and sometimes atrociously out of place. The action sometimes borders on the utterly ludicrous. This isn’t the first time the director has seemed to enjoy visualising the exploits of a sadistic serial killer. In Murder 2 as well, the gruesome killings of the serial offender were recorded with an embarrassing backhanded relish.

The killer in Ek Villain is a henpecked husband moonlighting as a guy who believes if life screws you, use a screwdriver to screw other people’s lives.

Providentially, this incoherent serial killer is played by Riteish Deshmukh who interprets the character with more cogency than it demands.

Suri diminishes the brutality by offsetting it with the love story between the criminally-inclined introvert (Siddharth) and the sunshine girl (Shraddha) who insists on telling unfunny jokes. Shraddha’s eyes speak volumes. So unfortunately does her mouth in this film. How I wish our cinema would stop equating volubility with vivacity.

More regrettable are the plot’s mood swings. In spite of the tragic overtones, the love story never quite acquires the wings that you’d expect of a romance between two such good-looking people. In spite of some beautifully enacted moments of fragile passion between the lead pair, it all comes undone in the second-half when Siddharth and Riteish do a farcical face-off replete with the most atrocious dialogue and scenes that make them look like two school boys fighting over who’s larger.

The sinister often makes way for the silly, especially when musician Remo Fernandes shows up as a gangster replete with an accent that is as hard to identify. Even more bizarre is Kamaal R Khan playing what looks a jerk with knee-jerk relish.

However, Shaad Randhawa displays a powerful screen presence as the policeman.

There are many lapses of continuity in the storytelling, all trying to pass off as a stylish non-linear love story told backwards. One of the turning points in the story, when Siddharth’s character befriends his wife’s killer’s little son in a church, is such a wildly improbable shot in the dark, you wonder what the director was thinking!

The film finally falls apart like the shattered pieces of a broken heart.

We expect so much and get so little. That’s life.

 

Top Ten: Haunted prisons of Australia

By
Farzana Ahmad
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2
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Spooky sightings, wailing ghosts and other paranormal activity can be found in old Australian gaols by visitors looking for a scare

 

Prisons are places of oppression, hopelessness and negative vibes. Throw in century-old buildings (many with cemeteries), tales of torture, hangings and executions, and you have a perfect place for ghosts to hang out. Meet the spooks lurking in the top ten haunted prisons of Australia.

 

10. Maitland Gaol, NSW

Situated 160 km north of Sydney, Maitland Gaol was the longest running prison in Australia when it closed in 1998. Apparently, an inmate indulging in the dark arts was once incarcerated here. After forming a pact with the devil, he committed suicide. The guard who cleaned up the mess was later found dead in his bathroom with his wrist slashed. A message scrawled in his blood said that he had to kill himself in order to contain the satanic forces. The cell, with occult graffiti on the walls, remains padlocked to this day. Visitors have seen the ghost of an inmate rocking back and forth in one of the cells. Eerie presences have been felt and sounds of men whispering have been reported.

 

9. Old Hobart Gaol, Tasmania

There are many stories of ghostly activity associated with this gaol which was used to hold male convicts during the 1800s and 1900s. A dense feeling of oppression hangs in the air – as does a noose over a bloodstained execution platform. The horror of the place, steeped in torture and death, is there for anyone to experience during tours organised by the National Trust of Australia which now manages the place.

 

8. Fannie Bay Gaol, NT

This was the main gaol of Darwin for almost a century. Built in 1882, it has its fair share of other worldly presences. Prisoners reported hearing sad moans coming from empty cells, and doors opened and slammed at times when there were no guards around. The gaol ceased operation in 1979 and is now a museum depicting the social histories of the Northern Territory. Visitors have reportedly felt an invisible hand glide over the steel bars and heard sounds of a body being dragged along one of the corridors.

 

7. Boggo Road Gaol, Queensland

Brisbane Gaol or Boggo Road Gaol is famous for its underground solitary confinement cells known as the ‘Black Hole’. It is a heritage listed prison that opened in 1883 and closed in 1989. The gaol is said to be haunted by the tormented soul of an old prison guard who was brutally murdered by two inmates. At night he can be seen walking along the fence outside the cell block with a bunch of keys rattling against his side.

6. Fremantle Prison, WA

Paranormal activity, strange sensations, and weird noises have been reported by visitors to this prison which was built by convicts in 1855. It was a place of incarceration for locally-sentenced prisoners and many were executed for murder and rape. The facility ceased operation in 1991 and is now a public museum managed by the government of Western Australia. Some women have experienced a warm pressure, like a cloud of steam enveloping them, as they toured a cell once occupied by a sexual offender.

 

5. Old Wentworth Gaol, NSW

Completed in 1881, this was the first Australian-designed gaol, planned by colonial architect James Barnett. Visitors claim to have heard ghostly voices and a photograph taken during a tour shows an unexplained white haze which seems to be an apparition of two figures. The gaol closed down in 1927 and was used as extra classroom space for Wentworth Central School until 1963. It is now a popular tourist attraction.

 

4. Old Melbourne Gaol, Victoria

The ghost of Elizabeth Scott, the first woman to be executed at the prison, is believed to still haunt the Old Melbourne Gaol. Paranormal sightings and strange voices have been heard near the cells and a monstrous, ghostly figure has been recorded hovering in doorways. This gaol opened in 1845 and continued to operate until 1924. One of its most notorious inmates was bushranger Ned Kelly. The gaol is now a museum housing prison memorabilia.

 

3. Pentridge Prison, Vic

Built in 1850 in Coburg, this was one of Australia’s most notorious prisons until it closed in 1997. Records show 44 bodies were buried in the prison in an upright position so that they may never rest. Maybe these are the restless spirits that still haunt the place. Prison staff have reported seeing a strange fog that resembles a woman’s silhouette, and one of the guards recently saw the fog while patrolling. His dog shrank back in fright and refuses to go there anymore. Parts of the prison are being converted into residential apartments.

 

2. Adelaide Gaol, SA

In operation from 1841 to 1988, this was the first permanent gaol of South Australia. This is not its only distinction, however, as it is apparently quite a popular stomping ground for spirits of bodies long departed. A young girl has been sighted walking and dissolving through the wall of the guard tower, while the ghost of a man has been seen strolling along the upper walkway. Visitors have reported feeling overwhelming sadness in the rooms used by executioners. Unexplained lights and noises are also part of the Adelaide Gaol haunting.

 

1. Darlinghurst Gaol, Sydney NSW

East Sydney Technical College of TAFE was once Darlinghurst Gaol and Sydneysiders know it is haunted. The gaol closed down in 1914 and the building was handed over to the Department of Education in 1921. The hauntings began soon after. Paranormal activity has often been seen in a classroom and two other rooms where prisoners were kept before execution. Lights come on and doors slam of their own accord. The ghost of an Asian lady lingers – apparently looking for her husband who was a prisoner at the gaol. A teacher claims to have seen the head of a ghost without a body in the toilet and a ghost is said to have followed another teacher home from TAFE.

 

 

Statue of Unity divides a nation

By
Indian Link
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Reading Time: 2 minutes

PM Modi allocates more funds to building a statue than to women’s safety, EUNICE ANDRADA reports.

In a move widely seen as an attempt to break the influence of the rival Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set aside $33 million (2 billion rupees) of government money to help fund the construction of the tallest statue in the world. The “Statue of Unity” will serve as a tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first home minister of post-independence India who was dubbed the “Iron Man” for his contribution to uphold the country’s integrity.

“Every Indian regrets Sardar Patel did not become the first prime minister. Had he been the first prime minister, the country’s fate and face would have been completely different,” Prime Minister Modi said at a public appearance.

This nationalist symbol aims to tower over its architectural rivals all over the world and is set to dwarf the Spring Temple Buddha in China and the Statue of Liberty in New York.

The total cost of the project, estimated at almost $340 million, was initially to be funded by the government of Gujarat and by public donations. The announcement that the federal government would also support the project sparked a furore around the necessity of the large expenditure.

While many believe the statue would be a global tourist attraction and would serve to bolster the economy, critics of the plan commented that this year’s budget allocated more money for the statue than for women’s safety nationwide (1.5 billion rupees) or the education of young girls (1 billion rupees).

The federal government’s financial support has also received backlash on social media, with one Twitter user saying the move would lead to the collapse of the economy.

 

The statue will be built on an island in the Narmada River in western Gujarat state, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was chief minister for more than a decade. The project has enlisted the assistance of Turner Construction, the US-based company behind the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

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