Andhi Daud (Blind Race) is a story of every migrant household in Australia. Yes, we all are running a blind race. There is freedom but constrained to have a free way. This is the struggle many a household are grappling with. This the tradition Indian Australians have brought with them when they migrated to Australia.
If the father is a doctor, his son should also be a doctor, a lawyer’s son will also be a lawyer, an engineer’s child an engineer. The blind race is still on and may continue till somebody realises the real freedom is also important for an individual to have his/her way. Now the families are seeking to reverse this trend even in India. But the Australian society gives preference to individual and not the tradition.
In contrast, there was Sachin Dev Burman, whose son Rahul Dev Burman developed interest in music and became a legend like his father, Kishore Kumar, the famous playback singer’s son Amit followed his father’s footsteps to become a singer. Lal Amarnath, India’s cricket captain made his three sons, Mohinder, Surrinder and Rajinder cricketers who brought laurels to Indian cricket. Rahul, Amit, Mohinder, Surrinder or Rajinder willfully followed their father without any pressure.
The problem starts with Indian Australians when they immigrate with baggage of traditions but refuse to change with times
Andhi Daud, a Vividha Arts, Canberra’s own Performing Arts Group’s presentation revolves around a group of Indian Australian families navigating through the complexities of living between the two worlds or thoughts. Jyotsna Jyoti, weaves a sweet plot to solve this dilemma faced by the Indian Diaspora in Australia and the world over.
All the committed actors played their roles superbly and did not give an impression that they are acting but showed the intensity of the problem as if they themselves were facing. There was sprinkling of lighter moments in the play with Sanjay (Anil George) showed the glimpses of a singing star who would sing his dialogues. His elder brother Vijay (Manish Raj) who was visiting Australia displayed the freedom he had given to his son to choose a career of his choice. The hosts face a peculiar problem with the mother, Rita (Malvika Thakur) insisting that her daughter, Ayushi (Tanvi Nangrani) follows her aunt Renu, to become a doctor whereas the daughter wants to be a journalist.
Jyotsana solves the dilemma with the famous song ” Papa kehte hain bada naam karega, beta hamara aisa kaam karega, magar yeh to koi na jaane ke meri manzil hai kahan” knitting all the thoughts together to forge a happy and musical ending.
Telstra today showcased new mobile plans that allow customers to say alvida to excess data fees in Australia and the first three smartphones to launch on them. The three smartphones are:
The Samsung Galaxy Note9, Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone with a whole new S Pen, their latest processor for remarkably fast downloads and a 4000mah long lasting battery.
The Oppo R15 Pro, with its AI-enhanced camera and 6.28 inch Super Full Screen.
The Telstra Superior, featuring a 6 inch 2k colour screen and dual rear camera.
The new consumer mobile and tablet plans are the first in a series of product innovations Telstra is introducing under its strategy to simplify products, eliminate customer pain points and create all digital experiences.
Telstra GM Product Experience Deven Harrison said “We are really excited by what these new handsets can offer our customers and with a selection of our new plans offering Peace of Mind Data, they will be able use their new smartphones in Australia to stream their favourite Bollywood music and standard definition video, and share moments or pictures with friends, without worrying about incurring excess data charges”.
About Peace of Mind Data
Peace of Mind Data is included on selected new Telstra plans or can be added to other new plans for $10 a month. Once customers reach their included data allowance, Peace of Mind Data kicks in to get through the remainder of the month.
Peace of Mind data is speed capped at 1.5Mbps which is typically suitable for streaming video in standard definition, listening to music, browsing the web and accessing social media. Speeds at times may be lower. Peace of Mind of Data is not suitable for HD video or high speed applications, and means that some webpages, video/social media content and files may take longer to load and may be slowed further during busy periods.
Peace of mind data is for personal use in Australia, and in a smartphone only. FairPlay policy applies.
The speeds you actually receive may vary depending on a range of factors including your device, location, user numbers and download sources.
Telstra’s new mobile and tablet plans are available to customers who want to bring their existing device to Telstra (BYO plans) as well as those looking to lease or own a new smartphone (Lease and MRO plans).
All new mobile phone plans come with unlimited domestic talk, text and MMS to standard Australian numbers plus exclusive extras available to Telstra mobile customers.
Unlimited international calls and texts from Australia to international numbers in 15 destinations (including China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam) are also included on Large, X-Large and Ultimate Mobile Plan and Mobile Lease plans, as well as Medium and Large Mobile BYO plans.
Coinciding with the launch of its new plans, Telstra also introduced a redesigned Telstra 24/7 app making it easier and more intuitive for customers to access and control their services – the first in a number of changes Telstra is making to create an effortless digital experience.
The Oppo R15 Pro and the Telstra Superior are available now. The Samsung Galaxy Note9 will be available from August 24.
Sydney 21 August, 2018: Wonder of Asia, Sri Lanka, a relatively small island of 65,604 Sq. Kms, slightly bigger than Tasmania ( 64,519 Sq.kms) is rich with natural and ancient attraction to suit the most discerning travellers. Marco Polo, when he discovered the island nation in the 13th century remarked,” undoubtedly, it is one of the finest islands.” It is said life begins all around the year in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau in collaboration with Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Sydney organised the official launch of the Travel Industry Exhibition at the Darling Harbour yesterday where the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau delegates showcased unparalleled diversity of the Island nation and the newest travel experiences.
Hon. Mr. Damien Tudehope, Member for Epping in the NSW Parliament, spoke about the scenic beauty of Sri Lanka and suggested that there should be a combined travel package of Sri Lanka and India.
H. E. Mr. Lal Wickrematunge, Consul General of Sri Lanka, welcomed the guests and provided a peep into the rich cultural heritage of Sri Lanka. Mr. Sutheash Balasubramaniam
Managing Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, gave an overview of the major tourist attractions of the country and played the promotional video for the audience. He said Sri Lanka has a rich artistic tradition, with distinct creative forms that encompass music dance and arts. A peacock dance number was presented at the opening ceremony.
Mr. Balasubramaniam said the culturally rich island is home to a number of different religions bringing with them their own traditions, festivals and parades making Sri Lanka a hot spot for tourist and locals alike. Buddhist, Muslims and Hindu celebrations bring a unique flavour of dance, costume and music.
The best time for tourist to visit Sri Lanka is the Sinhala-Tamil new year in April each year, marking the start of a lengthy holiday period. The other opportune time is the new year celebration time. The most common religion in Sri Lanka is Buddhism, who hold their parades according to solar and lunar calendar to commemorate different significant events in life of Buddha’s life. One of the most important Buddhist religious celebrations is Vesak, or the full moon poya day, which commemorates the nativity, enlightenment and passing away of Lord Buddha.
The largest cultural parade in the world, Kandy Esala Perahera in August that showcases the best Sri Lankan dancing, music and domesticated tuskers in the country. Also famous in Sri Lankan culture is Devil Dance which has been practised for centuries to chase away devils and to help patients be cured of their illness. The best bet for tourists is to see performers to depict different characters.
There was a call for tourists to visit Sri Lanka. This was also revealed by Mr. Balasubramaniam that after 15 years Sri Lankan Airlines has resumed its operations. There is provision of e visa as well as visa on arrival for tourist.
Early last month, High Commissioner of India to Australia, Dr. A.M. Gondane met the community leaders in Sydney where everybody boasted of their community service, which is largely non-existent, and insisted that they were proud of India. The High Commissioner in his concluding remarks asked these leaders,” if they have ever pondered on why members from other communities are excelling in various fields, be it community welfare, top positions in banks and administration or even Parliaments but none from our community despite being in large numbers?
True, it’s been seen that community leaders in general lack real community service and look after his/her own interests. Over a decade ago, one community member stood for Federal Election on Labor ticket from Mitchell seat in North West Sydney, but lost. The community backing was not there to support his candidature and he lost the election. While he lost the election, it must also be noted that this seat was not a winnable seat for Labor Party as Mitchell seat is a true Blue Liberal area. People talk about that Labor Party gave this seat to the Indian candidate as a way of a tokenistic approach.
Just recently, a community member passed away and there was a clamour for fund collection without a proper establishing the need for this fund collection. The family members of the deceased conveyed to these leaders that they did not need any money from any source and asked this money to be refunded to the donors. The monies are, reportedly, yet to be refunded.
Some people have joined political party of their choice but are found only to be advancing their business interests or are using the political party in promoting their businesses. Some are even found to using their party events or meetings for their personal benefits. It is a disservice to the community if you sell Visa sponsorships for money and yet claim to be a community leader. It is again a major disservice to the community, if all you do is to fleece money from the vulnerable, and end up being featured in ABC Four Corners, but still claim to be a community leader. Leave alone community work, some people get involved in religious bodies and take benefits from that involvement by indulging in fraudulent activities. This is another example of disservice to the community. Funds raised for PM Modi’s visit to Australia in November 2014 are still unexplained or unpublished. A sad commentary indeed.
However, it’s commendable that several members of the community have been elected to various Councils, but it remains to be seen how many of them can provide selfless service and reach to the next level. Meanwhile, it is reported that in neighbouring states several members of the Indian community are running for State elections. It may be noted that Ms. Mehreen Faruqi is the only person from the Indian subcontinent community who has secured a seat in the New South Wales Upper House, followed by further promotion by the way of becoming a Senator. We need to see some more from the community to emulate her.
Perusing the details of the people who are aspiring to be leaders in the community, not many have shown a selfless image of a true leader, and have also not presented themselves as good communicators.
Unless the political aspirants from Indian community are able to start operating at a higher level of personal performance and are able to win the trust of local Australian community, not just Indian Australian community, it’s hard for them to find a place in Parliament or top positions in administration. Our community needs to learn from other communities if they want to excel in politics. The High Commissioner was right. Unless you shun differences and come to that level which enables you to achieve good outcomes, you can not call yourself a proud Indian.
MELBOURNE, 1 September: The Australian Association of Ayurveda (AAA) has decided to promote the Ayurvedic medical system and medicines in Australia. In a big step the AAA will be with the support of the Indian government and others hold a two days’ conference and exhibition, 1st International Ayush 2018 Conference & Exhibition on 6 and 7 October this year at the RMIT, Bundoora Campus.
At a media interaction at the Thornbury Theatre, AAA President Dr. Santosh Yadav explained that Ayurvedic treatment is accepted as ‘appropriate treatment’ by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and four private health funds provide rebates for it under Naturopathy.
Dr. Yadav also said AAA looks after all registered practitioners and maintains the authenticity of Ayurvedic medicine in Australia. The aim of the Australasian Association of Ayurveda is to maintain the highest possible standard of practice in Ayurvedic Medicine.
It was also revealed that Australia is the only country in the Western world “where the Ayurvedic medicine is accepted by the Department of Health.” It was also disclosed Australia has about 250 Ayurvedic practitioners.
Many Ayurvedic doctors practicing in Australia were present at the media interaction who answered many questions raised.
The International Ayush Australia 2018 – Conference & Exhibition will be held in Melbourne (6-7 October 2018), RMIT University, Bundoora Campus, Melbourne. The conference will be opened by Mr. Shripad Yesso Naik, India’s Minister for Ayush. Many prominent Ayurvedic doctors and Ayush Ministry officials will also be present at the conference. All information can be accessed at – www.ayurved.org.au or www.ayushaustralia.org.
Note: The ideas and concepts in the following article are from the author’s research, understanding and perspectives and there is absolutely no intention to hurt any religious or philosophical sentiments. Readers have the right to agree or disagree as per their understanding. I have also referred to the texts as mythology because facts are proven or calculated truths and fiction is imaginary.
We all adore this eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu as the mischief monger, a divine flute player, a romantic. He can move mountains (literally) and He’s the supreme narrator of the Bhagavad Gita (The song of God). To his staunch devotees he is the “poorna avatar” (complete incarnation) – the most perfect personal manifestation (saguna brahman) of the impersonal divine (nirguna brahman). But is that all there is to him? Do we really understand his metaphoric and philosophical presence in our mythology?
There is a belief and a chance that Krishna’s (or Vishnu’s) stories may have been passed on as an oral tradition. Legends of his avatar may have been conveyed verbally, but also in the forms of music and dance. The now classical form of Indian dance, Kathak, finds its roots in folk culture. Gradually, Kathakaars were invited inside temples where they were taught the Vedas and the Kathas (stories) and philosophies of the avatars of Vishnu, predominantly Krishna avatar. In Sanskrit literature, we learn of his life on earth in instalments – of course, the first being from the Mahabharata and the Harivamsa which serves as an appendix to the epic and narrates his parenting and childhood. The Vishnu Purana elaborates on him being the incarnate of Vishnu; The Bhagavata Purana refers to his association with the Gopikaas (milkmaids) and Jayadeva’s Geet Govind extensively unfolds the existence of Radha. Scholars believe that the Mahabharata reached its written form that we know today approximately 2000 years ago; The Harivamsa 1700 years ago, Vishnu Purana 1500 years ago, Bhagavata Purana 1000 years ago and the Geet Govind around 800 years ago. Since, we would never remember our past lives from that long, these dates are always being open for scrutiny.
As artists and performers, we learn and worship His teachings from the Bhagavata Gita in the form of the beautiful but fierce iconography – The Nataraja. The notions of Karma, very fondly known around the world as “what goes around comes around” and the recycling of the soul in births after births are famous, perhaps objectively. Lord Vishnu is the ultimate performer who descends on earth and enacts what he teaches. In the Ramayana, in a tragic turn of events when Sita and Ram separate, “romance” dies yet they establish foundations of love by choosing never to marry again in that lifetime. Hence, Ram is also known as “eka – patnivrata”(He who is devoted to a single wife), “maryada purushuttom” (the supreme upholder of rules) and “eka – vachani” (He, who always fulfils his promises). However, in his Krishna incarnation, He’s the complete opposite, a “chitt chor” (the stealer of hearts), “maakhan chor” (the imp who steals butter) and the “rann chor” (He, who runs from the battle field, only to live and fight another day). He does the “Raas Leela”(The dance of passion) with his consort Radha – something he couldn’t do in his Ram avatar and definitely doesn’t dedicate himself to one wife; he is now “leela purushottam” (The one who alters rules). From such a perspective, the Mahabharata becomes a continuation of the Ramayana but not its end. He recycles himself birth after birth after birth, just the way humans do. He makes the world his “Rang bhoomi” (the theatre stage) and performs his roles unlike Indra (The deity of heaven) who is always in fighting in the “Rann bhoomi” (battlefield).
When Iravan, the son of Arjuna and Naag princess Ulupi, was required to be sacrificed in the great Kurukshetra war, he put forward a condition that he didn’t want to die a single man. When all women refused to get married fearing their fates after Iravan’s death, Krishna took the form of the alluring Mohini and marries him. After Iravan’s death, Krishna doesn’t go back his original incarnate form till he grieves and performs his duties of a widow. Apologies to sexists, chauvinists and those who have issues with the LGBTQ’s, Krishna is perfectly comfortable with his masculine AND feminine attributes. In fact, the glorious Jagannath Temple (from where the word juggernaut was derived) in Odisha, houses the idol of Krishna with a “nath” (nose ring). In many other temples across India, especially on festivals, Krishna’s statues are dressed up in female attire (Stri-vesha) to remind us that males and females, masculine and feminine are equal halves of humanity and divine and that none is greater than the other. Since, in the Raas – Leela, Krishna is meant to be the male, it is said in the Padma Purana, that when Lord Shiva wanted to participate, He had to take the form of a Gopikaa (milkmaid) and so, even today, he is worshipped in Vrindavana (a town in Mathura district where Krishna spent his childhood days) as Gopeshwar Mahadev. Arjuna and Naradamuni are also said to have taken female forms to participate in the Raas – Leela.
The true beauty of Krishna lies in him being compassionate towards the villains of Mahabharata and Harivamsa. A Gandharva named Dramila disguised himself as Ugrasena, the husband of Queen Padmavati and forced himself upon her, impregnating her. It is this thus believed, in some stories, that Kansa – Krishna’s evil maternal uncle was a rape child neglected by his own mother. Jarasandha, Kansa’s father-in-law was born deformed. Duryodhana was born to a blind father and his mother purposely blindfolded herself in solidarity, thus leaving Duryodhana neglected and unseen by his parents his entire life. However, Krishna doesn’t show an inch of hatred towards either of the villains. In fact, he questions Arjuna in the Bhagavata Gita that who decides what is wrong and what is right? What may be wrong to you, could be right for someone else and vice versa. Thus, wisdom lies in empathy (Dharma) which comes from the understanding that we all are products of our own experiences. Actions cause consequences and consequences cause actions, actions again cause consequences and the cycle, like the Prabha – Mandala of The Nataraja is infinite and cyclical with no ending and no beginning. He reminds us:
With great power comes great responsibility
With responsibility comes knowledge
With knowledge comes understanding
With understanding comes compassion
With compassion comes power
With power comes responsibility
To us mortal humans, Krishna is the divine “maarg darshak” (He, who enlightens the path). We turn to him in our sorrows and our dilemmas because he understands that “Dharam – sankata”(Dilemmas) doesn’t exist between the right and the wrong, it exists between two seemingly perfect options. For example, like the “Lakshman Rekha”(The line etched by Lakshman) metaphorically reveals the dilemma faced by Sita – on the side she stands is the “Patni – Dharma” (Duties of a wife) and on the other side of the line is the “Raj – Dharma” (Duties of a Queen). Krishna recognises the methods of a fickle human mind and so never abandons those who seek him. So when Arjuna requests Krishna to retell the Bhagavata Gita, Krishna knows that Arjuna may not be as engrossed as he was during the war and that as time passes Arjuna may forget the teachings again, yet He recites the Anu- Gita (a less philosophical version of the Bhagavata Gita).
Krishna’s metaphoric and fascinating descent in human world provides us with infinite stories we can learn from to perform our roles in this and in every other lifetime. On a lighter note, the song “Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo” in Mera Naam Joker aptly summarises many of Krishna’s stories for me.
Wishing our readers, a Happy Janamashtmi! May your lives be as smooth as butter!
The Australian Hindi Indian Association (AHIA) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, 1 September, 2018 where it elected new office bearers for the next four years. Amid the confusion , voting was conducted and a new AHIA team was elected that included, five women members, a first in an Indian association.
The new team members are: Mr. Yash Bhasin (President), Mr. Rajendra Channa (Vice-President), Mr. Kali Das Gupta (Secretary), Mr. Vipen Dogra (Treasurer). The Executive Members (All Women) : Ms. Sushma Ahluwalia, Ms. Sudha Ramdev, Ms. Sarita Sachdev, Ms. Meeta Sharma, Ms. Preeti Thadani. The winning team (Group B) polled 99 votes as against 49 for Group A. But, according to the Returning officer (R. O), Mr. Jagdish Dua, quoting attendance sheet, announced a total of 189 members attended. However, he announced that overall 212 people voted, a discrepancy of 23 votes.
While there was confusion about the conduct of voting and some felt that a correct procedure was not followed, Mr. Sukhdev Jaswal of the other camp (Group A) protested but his pleas were drowned in the melee.
The IST correspondent observed Mr. Dua announcing that the total votes counted was 212 while 189 members were present according to the attendance sheets. The Group A did not accept the result on this basis and asked the voting to be declared null and void. The ballot papers were not signed by the Returning Officer, Mr.Jagdish Dua, either.
The IST also observed that the unsigned ballot papers were just distributed instead of being given to members at the time of entry when the attendance was being marked. There seemed to be no control over who was being handed the ballot paper and how many.
Mr Dua put it to the audience whether they would like the voting to be null and void and another date be fixed for the vote. This procedure, according to the Fair Trading rules, is illegal. The supporters of Group B were more vocal and said no to that. Mr Dua based on hand counts declared the result in favour of Group B.
This correspondent also observed that to avoid votes becoming invalid, the R.O. should have demonstrated how to vote procedure as most members were very old or infirm. In its absence members voted as per their understanding. The invalid votes of 68 people (about 1/3 of the total) are far too many.
If the nominations were asked for individual positions and proposers and seconders were also individuals, as was the case for AHIA elections, then how come election was conducted between Group A and Group B? There is no such group election in AHIA constitution, observed many. AHIA constitution says it follows model constitution from Department of NSW Fair Trading, which talks about individual elections of individual positions, not group elections.
The election appeared a one-sided match. The IST sent a questionnaire to Mr. Dua through an email seeking clarifications and set a deadline till 7 Sept 2018 5.00 pm but instead of setting the matter straight for the members, he ignored the email.
Hence, it will be pertinent to ask the R.O. to set the matter straight by following the NSW Fair Trading rules and AHIA Constitution.
Meanwhile, after publication of the news item, Mr. Dua responded to the emails thus: Mr. Dua’s email is copied and pasted.
Dear Mr Ashok Kumar
This is in response to your e-mails and the “Opinion” piece in the Indian Sub-continent Times.
AHIA Executive resolved to appoint me to chair the AGM and to be the Returning Officer for the AHIA elections.
AHIA Elections were conducted in the fair, free and relatively orderly manner.
The election process did not contravene AHIA Constitution in any way.
The declared results of the elections represented the will of the members present at the AGM.
Dr. Nihal Agar and Mr. Balesh Dhankhar with PM Modi in New Delhi in 2015Dr. Nihal Agar with PM Modi in Nov.2014 in SydneyThe IAC F team including Mr. Ramyavaran (second on left of Mr. Modi and Mr. Balesh Dhankhar (Standing) with PM Modi in Sydney in Nov. 2014
By Ashok Kumar
The truth behind existence of the Indian Australian Community Foundation (IACF) has been uncovered by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) documents in possession of The Indian Sub-continent Times (The IST).
The IST wrote in 2016 and again in 2017 regarding IACF, which was formed to organise the rally for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Sydney in November, 2014. The IST sought information whether IACF still exists or has been disbanded after Mr. Modi returned to India and what happened to funds, raised by IACF, using the name of PM Modi.
IACF Director, Dr. Nihal Agar, made an announcement at a public meeting in November 2014 in Sydney that once Mr. Modi leaves Australia, the IACF will be disbanded. Later, Dr. Agar and Mr Balesh Dhankhar visited India under the platform of IACF and met Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi in March 2015, implying that it still exists, despite the public undertaking to disband it.
The IST had emailed IACF office bearers several times, seeking information about its status and funds collected for the Modi rally in Sydney as a number of businesses paid huge sponsorship money to get a ‘darshan’ (a meeting ) of PM Modi but no one answered the emails barring their accountant Mr. Yateender Gupta, who said that under Australian laws he is not supposed to reveal the details except to the clients and asserted on the phone that the IACF has been disbanded. Money was not raised only from the businesses, but was also raised from associations and community members. The IST has the information that one community member paid $250/person for the tickets. Such is the lack of clarity that nobody knows how many community members and associations paid how much money.
ASIC extract of IACF
The IST’s investigation into the matter from ASIC, reveals that the IACF, formed on 14 Oct. 2014, was renewed on 14 Oct. 2017, thereby busting the lies of its supposed disbandonment. The document states the principal place of IACF business as 1/168 Burwood Rd, Burwood, NSW 2134, which, incidentally, happens to be the business address of Mr. Yateender Gupta.
The ASIC document lists Dr. Nihal Agar as the first organisational representative of the IACF. The other representatives listed are Mr. Balesh Dhankhar and Mr. Ramyavaran Ramaswamy. By the way, Mr Balesh Dhankhar has spelt his surname variously in different platforms. In Twitter, his surname is Dhankar, not Dhankhar. The IST wonders why would this be the case. To clarify the matter more, it should be pointed out that Dr Nihal Agar held the Hindu Council of Australia (HCA) President position for about 9 years and continues to be a director of HCA. He is also a founding member of OFBJP Australia. He has recently been made the chief of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) in Sydney by Mr Ramyavaran Ramaswamy, who has been running HSS for years. HSS is Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) overseas branch. Balesh Dhankhar (also called Dhankar) is the President of Overseas Friends of BJP Australia (OFBJP Australia) since its inception in 2013. Mr Dhankhar was briefly the Joint Secretary of HCA during Dr Agar’s tenure as HCA President. OFBJP Australia is a branch of India’s ruling party, BJP.
Community members say that Dr. Agar, who has been awarded an OAM by the Australian Government in 2015, should live up to this title and come out clean on the matter, before it goes further to Australian Government authorities. Since there is no financial report available and IACF leaders refuse to provide any information in this regard, community continues to wonder as to how much money was raised in the name of PM Modi, how much was spent and how much was left, and what happened to the left-over money. IACF was formed on the behest of Mr Ram Madhav, General Secretary of BJP, who visited Sydney prior to Mr Modi’s visit to Australia. Only people from RSS background were given responsibility to organise the Modi Rally in Sydney. Community associations throughout Australia were forced to register with IACF, if their members wanted tickets to attend the Modi Rally in Olympic Park in Sydney.
In the absence of any replies to The IST emails and with total silence about the details of the funds’ management, IACF leaders are creating a serious concern in the Indian Australian community and are doing a major disservice not only to the Indian Australian community, but also to the ruling party of India, BJP and the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, community members say.
India A pulled of a six-wicket win on the final day of the second Test to draw the two-match series 1-1. Having put Australia A under pressure on Monday with a 159-run lead, India were made to toil hard by various Australian partnerships through Tuesday, most excruciatingly those by the lower order. But with about 45 minutes left in the day, India wrapped up the tail and needed to chase down 55 in a maximum of eight overs. Ankit Bawne hit an unbeaten 18-ball 28, managing to squeeze out a win with ten minutes left in the game, writes Varun Shetty from Bangaluru
With Australia employing all ten of their fielders in the deep and banging the ball in short of a length on a slow pitch, India were effectively forced to try and hit sixes, and they didn’t get on till the third over, when KS Bharat whipped a short ball over square leg. He hit a four off his next ball too but his innings ended in the fourth over, with India 25 for 4.
R Samarth, coming in at No. 6, seemed to have brought a message from the dressing room – to use the open gaps to pinch runs. That’s what he and Bawne went about doing, before Bawne swept Tremain for four and followed it with a slice past point to get 16 off the fifth over. With five to get and two overs left, India only had the fading light to battle. Bawne slapped a short ball over midwicket and sealed the win.
Earlier, Travis Head was dropped twice in a short span during the first session – once by Shreyas Iyer, and once by wicketkeeper Bharat – and India felt the effects of that till the lunch interval. Head’s attacking approach brought more and more rewards as the day went on, with the sun coming out and taking away any sting in the wicket. At the other end, Peter Handscomb chose to go the opposite way, dead-batting his way into some kind of form. At one point, Handscomb had played more than 70 balls to score only four runs. He barely played any attacking shots in the opening hour, but when he did decide to free himself up, it was in trademark style, with jumps down the pitch to unsettle lengths, chips over the infield, and deft boundary strokes behind square on both sides.
The pair batted through till lunch, where they were likely informed that Head had made Australia’s Test squad for the UAE and Handscomb hadn’t. Upon return, it was Handcsomb who went on to get fifty, after Head and Marnus Labuschagne – who was also called up for the Tests – were both caught looking to play the flick. Head was caught on the inside edge against Shahbaz Nadeem, and Labuschagne failed to get off the mark for the second time in the match when he got a leading edge to slip looking to flick Deepak Chahar.
At 117 for 4, Australia were 42 behind, but Mitchell Marsh came out blazing, starting his innings off with a string of boundaries, including an imperious slap over mid-on off the Chahar. But he was forced to dig in when Handscomb’s move to attack was halted by Kuldeep Yadav, whose half-tracker was pulled straight to midwicket. In his next over, Kuldeep got a loopy delivery to spin past Ashton Agar’s stride and had him stumped to leave Australia six down with about an hour to go before tea.
The collapse would’ve been given another boost too when Michael Neser skied another Kuldeep half-tracker towards Nadeem at deep midwicket. But the left-arm spinner, tracking backwards a couple of steps, seemed to be caught unaware by the ball’s trajectory. His hurried grab meant he dropped what was a simple take. That seemed to trigger a complete shutdown for Australia, as far as runs went, and both Marsh and Neser played through till tea.
India’s spinners had assistance throughout the day, but in a bid to attack the rough outside the right-hander’s leg stump, Nadeem was largely used in a conservative role. Kuldeep’s spells were scattered across the day, and K Gowtham was contended with rather easily as well.
But when the new ball was taken, it was still the spinners who were trusted with it, and with a more prominent seam, Gowtham got an offbreak to beat Marsh on the inside edge and knocks his stumps back.
Team KPA with HCI Dr. AM GondaneTeam KPA with Honorary CGI, BrisbaneTeam KPA with Honorary CGI, BrisbaneGKPD CANADA team with memorandum
14th Sep is commemorated as Martyr’s day or Balidan Divas
As a mark of respect and commemoration for all the martyrs of religious extermination and genocide in our homeland of Kashmir, Kashmiri Pandits Australia – in Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra – all came together and submitted the same memorandum to Consulate offices – High Commissioner of India, HE Mr. A.M. Gondane (in Canberra) and consular officers in different cities, says a media release by Ash Raina, Executive Member – Global KP Diaspora (GKPD) , and based in Brisbane.
This was an extension of what has been done by the community representatives of team GKPD, across the world – USA, Finland, Germany, UK, Singapore, New Zealand, Africa and India. There was a high decibel – moral, emotional and verbal – support from all the major cities of the world and this was showcased by the support which our petition got Petition of Kashmiri Pandits to Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. In a span of 10 days, the petition managed to collect close to 14,000 signatures, from 50 plus countries.
To put it into perspective, the “aboriginals” of Kashmir, Kashmiri Pandits (Kashmiri Hindus or locally known as Battas), 14th September is observed as Martyrs’ Day since 1990, in memory of Mr. Tikka Lal Taploo, one of the community’s icons, who was assassinated by terrorists in Kashmir (in the state of Jammu And Kashmir, India) in 1989. This was followed by large-scale and selective killings, rape and torture of the community. Nearly 1,500 men, women and children were tortured and killed by inhuman ways, and was used to scare the minority community (which was Battas) and because they represented the idea of India in Kashmir and were the emblems of nationhood. The terrorists and radicals, with support from most of the local majority population, tried violence and scare tactics to frighten the community and create an environment to push them to the wall and throw them out of Kashmir. Kashmiri Pandits have a history and connection with their homeland and they had to leave all of that – ancestral properties, land, religious places, spiritual, cultural and social relics, and their way of life, and have since been living as refugees in their own country.
Some of the slogans which Kashmiri Pandits had to hear through were:
“Ralive, Tschalivie ya Galive” (Convert, Leave or Perish)
“Yahan kya chalega, Nizam-e- Mustafa” (We want to be ruled under Shari’ah)
And the WORST of them all
“Kashir banawon Pakistan, Battaw varaie, Battaneiw saan” (We will turn Kashmir into Pakistan alongwith Kashmiri Pandit women, but without their men folk).
And these slogans were communicated using various methods – by shouting in the mass protests on streets, through loud speakers of mosques, private talks within the neighbours, newspaper advertisements, notices on Pandit homes and selective killings. With that happening in the backdrop, on the fateful morning of 19th Jan 1990, nearly 700000 Kashmiri Pandits left their homeland in the dead of the night, to safer places like Jammu, Udhampur, New Delhi and other Indian cities, with the assumption that they will return after some weeks when the situation has been got under control by the government. But alas, it has been 28 years and counting, and our homeland has gone from bad to worse, with radicalism penetrating through the society.
On 14th Sep, this year, Kashmiri Pandits Australia (KPA) representatives came together and paid homage to the martyrs. They submitted a memorandum to High Commissioner of India, HE Mr. A.M. Gondane, in Canberra, as well as to Honorary Consul in Brisbane, Mrs. Archana Singh and in the consular office in Melbourne, and were given a patient hearing and assurance to pass on our memorandum to higher offices of Prime Minister of India.
New Delhi and adjoining cities, which has the highest concentration of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits, saw the community offering their homage to soldiers and civilians, who sacrificed their lives in Kashmir while fighting the terrorism. Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits came together at Shaheed BK Ganjoo Park at Kalibari Marg and offered floral tributes to the brave souls. Bhajans were recited and tributes were paid to the martyrs.
In New Delhi, a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits also submitted the same memorandum to Mr. Hansraj Ahir, Union Minister of Home (MoS), and addressed to the Prime Minister of India, requesting him for justice to victims of terrorism.
Our memorandum focused on the fact that Kashmiri Pandits must be recognized as a bonafide, stand-alone party in the Kashmir conflict based on our indigenous heritage and the Genocide perpetrated. Government of India was requested to formally engage with the community representatives so that confidence building steps can be initiated which could lead to:
Recognition of the exodus and ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits as Genocide
Making available to the Displaced Kashmiri Pandits all benefits, relief and socio economic, civil and political rights as laid down in the international covenants of internally displaced persons uprooted from their Homeland due to religious and sectarian violence. Upgradation of the proposed State Temple and Shrine bill based on community guidance would be a good step in this direction
Accord recognition to the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community as a legitimate stakeholder in the final solution to the current imbroglio
Kashmiri Pandits sought an institutional, inter-ministerial mechanism to coordinate with the Kashmiri Pandit representatives for the effective implementation of the above-mentioned demands and to deal with any other exigencies or contingent situations. Consideration for setting up of:
Constitutional arrangements for the return and rehabilitation of all seven hundred thousand Displaced Kashmiri Pandits in a separate, single, concentrated Homeland carved out in the Valley of Kashmir.
The Constitution of India along with all associated laws and provisions be allowed to flow freely in the newly created geo-political territory without the shackles of Article 370 or Article 35A.
A high-power Tribunal with constitutional authority to establish which causal factors were responsible for the Genocide of Kashmiri Pandits and bring the perpetrators to justice
An immediate appropriate authority, vested with powers flowing directly from the Centre, to urgently implement suitable measures for protecting the millennia-old social, cultural and religious legacy of Kashmiri Pandits, which otherwise is fast facing obliteration at the hands of a radicalised mindset.
Mustafizur Rahman defended seven runs off the last over against Afghanistan as Bangladesh set up a virtual knockout clash against Pakistan on Wednesday. As impressive as Afghanistan had been in the Asia Cup, they are out of the tournament having failed in their first chase, which was their second straight loss in the Super Fours, reports ESPN.
After conceding two off the first ball, a cramping Mustafizur had Rashid Khan caught and bowled before Samiullah Shenwari and Gulbadin Naib managed only two leg-byes from the last four balls. When Afghanistan needed four of the last ball, Shenwari’s bat flew out of his grip as he swung and missed Mustafizur’s short ball. The key moment in the closing stages was Mohammad Nabi’s dismissal in the penultimate over as he had already struck two fours and two sixes in his 28-ball 38.
While Mustafizur lived up to his billing as one of the best finishers with the ball in the world, it was Mahmudullah‘s timely 74 which got Bangladesh to a competitive 249 for 7 in 50 overs. He earned the Player-of-the-Match award after he also took the crucial wicket of Mohammad Shahzad, and a great catch to dismiss Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan, who had added 78 runs for the fourth wicket with Hashmatullah Shahidi, who reached his third fifty jn a row.
Afghanistan had to recover from a poor start after Ihsanullah fell in the fifth over. Shakib Al Hasan then scored only Bangladesh’s third direct-hit run-out in the last 12 months as Rahmat Shah was caught short after he was sent back by Shahzad in the eighth over.
Similar to Bangladesh, Afghanistan’s third-wicket pair of Shahzad and Shahidi added 63 runs to pull them out of early trouble. Shahzad, who was dropped on 9 when the skier ended up hitting Mohammad Mithun’s head after it slipped through his fingers, faced his usual problem of rotating the strike. He gave away 54 dot balls but still eked out a half-century. Mahmudullah then bowled him with an arm ball as Shahzad backed away to cut the ball, after Afghanistan had gone through without a boundary for the previous 23 balls.
Dhawan and Rohit
In the third match of the super four, India surged past Pakistan modest total of 237 with ease just losing one wicket and that too a runout of Shikhar Dhawan after he scored 114.
India were thoroughly professional and dynamic under their stand-in captain Rohit Sharma. The fast bowlers executed their plan of cramping up the left-hand openers, a leg spinner came on early enough in a data-based decision, Jasprit Bumrah thwarted a Shoaib Malik fifty with four overs of excellent death bowling, and for the second match in a row against Pakistan, Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan almost had a net in the middle to seal an easy win.
The game began with the continuous fascinating examination of Fakhar Zaman. India hardly gave him any room to hit the ball through off side in the first seven overs, giving him just six off 24 balls. Straight bowling has been a weakness for Zaman, but as he showed in the Champions Trophy final last year, he can catch up as the innings progresses. Rohit, though, changed things around just as Zaman would have started to settle down. As early as the eighth over, India had Yuzvendra Chahal on.
Malik, though, got back to scoring runs against India after a spell of eight India matches without a score of 50. Pakistan, for the first time in these two matches, had managed to reach parity. Worst fears were about to come through. The ball did nothing for Pakistan bowlers, and the pitch only quickened up under the lights, making stroke-making even easier.
There was no swing for Mohammad Amir even though the 18-year-old Shaheen Afridi created a little bit of excitement. Soon he was in for the Amir treatment as he drew a catch from Rohit with a slower ball, Imam made it the fourth one dropped off the pacer’s bowling in two games.
Amir was taken out, Hasan Ali struggled with the new ball, Amir came back, Afridi kept trying, but Rohit and Dhawan kept dispatching them all without a bother. Rohit now handled even Shadab Khan easily despite his recent troubles against leg spin. Another catch went down. Amir has now gone 35.4 overs without a wicket in ODIs.
A number of scamsters are operating in the community. Minister for Multiculturalism Ray Williams announced at a Multicultural Media Breakfast Meeting that the NSW Government is working to ensure that all culturally and linguistically diverse consumers and traders know their rights and responsibilities in the State’s dynamic marketplace.
He said multicultural communities represent some of the most vulnerable consumers, as well as some of the hardest working business owners. The scamsters are calling or emailing gullible members of the community seeking money.
“Whether buying or renting a home, making a simple purchase, or running a business, we want to our diverse community understand NSW consumer protection laws that promote trust, and create a fair marketplace,” Mr Williams said.
This year the NSW Government and NSW Fair Trading have introduced reforms that benefit everyone, including cracking down on ticket scalping, extending expiry dates on gift cards to a minimum three years, and making it easier to do business by cutting red tape.
“We also take product safety very seriously, and NSW Fair Trading recently launched an investigation into kohl eyeliners, commonly sold in Indian and Pakistani grocery stores, after three children became sick while using them,” Mr Williams said.
“Testing revealed several kohl eyeliners contained high levels of lead, so public warnings were issued and Fair Trading had them removed from shop shelves.”
Mr Williams highlighted the work being done to protect consumers from scammers who typically target people from non-English speaking backgrounds.
“We know scammers make a living by preying on the vulnerable which is why it is vital that newly arrived residents and emerging communities have access to information and services to stop scammers in their tracks,” Mr Williams said.
For more consumer right information is available in multiple languages, visit www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
A dead-rubber ODI in Dubai suddenly drew interest when MS Dhoni, having given up India’s limited-overs captaincy in January 2017, was handed the reins once again because India rested Rohit Sharma among several others. It burst into life when Mohammad Shahzad – whose hero is Dhoni – smoked a record-equalling century to lead Afghanistan to 252 for 8. It then peaked into an epic thriller when India’s middle order unravelled, leaving them seven to get off the final over, bowled by Rashid Khan, with just one wicket in hand, reports ESPN.
After refusing a single off the first ball, Ravindra Jadeja slog swept the second ball over midwicket. It seemingly hit the ad skirting on the full and had Rohit thinking it was a six in the dressing room, but after several replays TV umpire Rod Tucker ruled it a four. Jadeja then knocked the third ball to square leg for a single, exposing No. 11 Khaleel Ahmed, who was only playing his second ODI. Leaving cover open, Rashid unfurled a googly, which Khaleel inside-edged to short fine leg and hared across to the other end. Then, with one needed off two balls, Jadeja lost his head and flapped a rank half-tracker into the lap of Najibullah Zadran at deep midwicket – the only man in the deep on the leg side. A game of extremely fine margins resulted in the 36th tie in 4046 ODIs.
KL Rahul and Ambati Rayudu had launched India’s reply with a 110-run stand for the first wicket. But the middle order tapered off and two incorrect lbw decisions from umpire Gregory Brathwaite hurt them further. When Dhoni wore an offbreak from part-time spinner Javed Ahmadi on the pads, it seemed to be heading down the leg side, but he was given out for 8. Then, just as Dinesh Karthik was bedding in, he was given out lbw, too, for 44. This was a more glaring error from umpire Brathwaite, with ball-tracking suggesting Mohammad Nabi‘s offbreak would have probably missed an extra set of stumps down leg.
Kedar Jadhav and Manish Pandey, who was playing his first game of the tournament, did not fire either, adding to India’s never-ending middle-order troubles. Rashid, who had spent the first eight overs of the chase off the field because of cramps, ultimately sewed up the match for Afghanistan. Fast bowler Aftab Alam, had also played a vital role in the win, with a six-run penultimate over that was filled with accurate yorkers and excellent fielding, which resulted in the run-outs of Kuldeep Yadav and Siddarth Kaul.
The tie did not seem as likely when Rahul and Rayudu matched each other shot for shot. Rayudu displayed nimble footwork when he stepped out, made room, and scythed Alam for six over point. Rahul, on his part, forayed down the track against his Kings XI Punjab team-mate Mujeeb Ur Rahman and lofted him inside out over cover for six. Both men progressed to fifties, but they fell quickly after that, exposing a middle order that was largely shielded by Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan until Tuesday.
Shahzad had provided the early entertainment with an 88-ball ton. When he reached the landmark, Afghanistan’s score was 131 for 4. This was the joint-lowest team score for when a batsman had got to his hundred in ODIs since 2001
Deepak Chahar, who was making his ODI debut, was brutally helicoptered over the midwicket boundary. Jadeja was swatted away, against the turn, like a fly. Jadhav was slog swept. Khaleel was muscled into a stand where Afghanistan fans were waving their flags vigorously. Shahzad, though, was more circumspect against the left-arm wristspin of Kuldeep, managing only 4 off 13 balls from him.
With Shahzad looking unstoppable against the seamers, Dhoni turned to Jadeja, who struck in his third over to have Ahmadi stumped. He had contributed 5 off 30 balls in a 65-run opening stand. In his next over, Jadeja burst through Rahmat Shah’s defences with a fizzing arm ball.
Kuldeep then dismissed the in-form Hashmatullah Shahidi and captain Asghar Afghan for ducks to leave Afghanistan at 82 for 4. When they reached 100, Shahzad claimed 86, having raised his fifty off 37 balls when Rayudu dropped a catch at mid-off.
He was made to work harder for his second fifty, which he brought up off 51 balls. He copped a blow on his right shoulder on 93 and reviewed successfully after he had been given out caught behind by umpire Anisur Rahman. Chahar then pinged him on his hip with a sharp, short ball. Shahzad moved to 124 off 115 balls before he holed out to long-off.
Chahar had got his maiden ODI wicket when Gulbadin Naib tugged him straight into the lap of deep backward square leg, but Nabi and Najibullah hoisted Afghanistan past 250.
The CIS posterTom Switzer, Rahul Jethi, Manoj Sheoran,Balesh Dhankhar and Sadanand Dhume (Right to Left)
It was intriguing to come across a poster in the email inboxes of many, seeking people’s participation in a political dialogue “Modi, a transformative figure” conducted by the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) with one of the panelists being Mr. Rahul Jethi, mentioned as Director, India Foundation P/L, an apparent pass off as India Foundation formed by Mr. Ram Madhav, national General Secretary of the ruling party of India, the BJP.
The CIS is a public policy research institute in Australia, which is right-leaning. The CIS seeks to encourage and provide independent, fact based practical research and encourage/provoke debate that promotes liberty, the rule of law, free enterprise and an efficient democratic government. Since 1976, it has produced valuable research that has shaped and influenced public policy, as claimed by CIS.
Tom Switzer
The 6 March, 2018 dialogue was participated by Mr. Sadanand Dhume, Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, Manoj Sheoran, National President of the Indian Overseas Congress, Australia, Rahul Jethi, Director of the India Foundation Ltd, and Balesh Singh, President OFBJP Australia, and was moderated by Tom Switzer, an Executive Director of the CIS and a presenter at ABC’s Radio National.
Rahul Jethi is the same person who, as Overseas Friends of BJP Australia (OFBJP Australia) convenor had participated in the welcome dinner in honour of Pakistan’s ex-ISI Chief in Harris Park, Sydney in January 2016, much to the annoyance of the ruling party in India that led to his sacking from his OFBJP Australia position. It is well known that Pakistan’s ISI is behind all the terrorist activities in India and responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent people in Pakistan’s neighbourhood.
The mention of India Foundation raised curiosity. The IST researched the details of India Foundation and found that India Foundation was formed by Mr. Ram Madhav, national General Secretary of BJP and is a prominent non-government organisation (NGO) in India (https://twitter.com/indfoundation www.indiafoundation.in. Its Board of Directors and advisers are prominent political leaders, who are linked with Indian Government and BJP. India’s Government ministers ie Suresh Prabhu, Nirmala Sitharaman, Jayant Sinha and Hardeep Singh Puri, are in its Board of Governors. The ‘about us’ section of Mr. Ram Madhav’s India Foundation website says that it is an independent research centre focussed on the issues, challenges and opportunities of the Indian polity. “Our mission is summarized in three Key words i.e Analysis, Advocacy and Awareness. We analyse the actions of public institutions affecting the lives of common men and women of the nation.”
There’s no mention of Jethi or his India Foundation anywhere in Ram Madhav’s India Foundation website. Digging deep into Google, The IST found no mention of Rahul Jethi’s India Foundation or its activities since its inception anywhere until the meeting moderated by Tom Switzer in March 2018. There is no website, Facebook page or twitter account for Jethi’s India Foundation in Sydney either.
Since Jethi and his India Foundation took part in an activity of public interest, information about Jeth’s entity is a matter of public interest. The IST sought clarifications, through email, from Mr. Jethi and asked the following questions:
Is your India Foundation Ltd. different from Mr. Ram Madhav’s outfit?
Is your India Foundation Ltd. based in Sydney or also operates in India?
Is your India Foundation Ltd.linked or affiliated with India Foundation of Mr. Ram Madhav?
We could not find any website of your India Foundation Ltd on Google.
Why there is no Facebook page of your India Foundation Ltd ?
What are your India Foundation’s activities?
Is your India Foundation formed for people to believe that it’s the same as that of Mr. Ram Madhav’s Foundation?
Who are the other Directors of your India Foundation in addition to yourself?
With no response coming from Mr. Jethi and no clear indication of its objectives, activities and the people associated with it, The IST approached and obtained an extract and info from Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), which details that it was registered on 2 September, 2015.The India Foundation Ltd from ASIC
The community concerns are about why there is secrecy about the reasons of registration of India Foundation by Rahul Jethi. People wonder whether India Foundation P/L has been set up in Australia to give an impression of its connections and relations with the renowned India Foundation entity in India. People wonder whether Jethi’s India Foundation is a brazen attempt to pass off the reputation of Ram Madhav’s India Foundation. Many say that it may also be an attempt by Mr. Jethi to project his clout.
It won’t be out of place to mention that Mr. Jethi was part of the Indian Australian Community Foundation (IACF) team that was involved in the collection of funds from community members and associations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public rally in Sydney on 14 November 2014. It is worth noting that IACF has yet to produce the financial details of the Modi Rally to public, when the money was collected for the rally, using Prime Minister of India’s name. http://www.theistimes.com/deafening-silence-by-iacf-creating-haze-over-funds-for-modi-rally-in-sydney/
Transparency is a great and desirable concept, which people in public space are required to follow and practise. Rahul Jethi too is a public person, operating in public space. Not only it is incumbent on Jethi to publicly explain what his India Foundation is about and why it was formed, but it is equally important for Ram Madhav to quiz Jethi regarding the purposes and agenda of Jethi’s entity. It is unethical and wrong to pass off somebody else’s organisation as your own. It becomes a more serious matter, when the one involved in passing off phenomenon has connections with BJP.
From 120 for 0, they fell to 222 all out, wondering what if for part of the night and what the hell for the rest of it. Bangladesh were winning the Asia Cup… until Kedar Jadhav snatched it away from them… with his part-time offspin. what… the… hell… The pain must cut all the more deeper because they were exceptional with the ball, taking a game that had no business going down the wire all the way to the very last ball, reports ESPN.
Now there is no magic to defending low totals. It’s all about discipline. Mashrafe Mortaza and his boys understood that and simply began targeting the stumps. It was a brilliant move and with the field up – six, sometimes, seven men were saving singles all through the middle overs – the Indian dressing room started to panic.
It all reached a crescendo around the 37th over. MS Dhoni was gone. Rohit Sharma was gone. Shikhar Dhawan was long gone. Jadhav was at the crease, but he was having a lot of trouble with his right hamstring, unable to hit the ball, or get off strike.
The team management had a decision to make – keep the last specialist batsman out there even though he was struggling or bring him back and expose the tail. After initially asking Jadhav to stay calm and bat on, Rohit ended up calling him back. The equation read 56 runs to get off 72 balls.
Ravindra Jadeja knows these situations all too well – and not always for the fondest reasons. However, in this Asia Cup, he has shown that he does have the skill to handle such high-pressure situations, carefully taking India to within 11 runs of the title. But Bangladesh dug deep again and Rubel Hossain found the left-hander’s edge. The 28-year old fast bowler was the heartbeat to an unbelievable comeback. His ten-over spell included 46 dots and two crucial wickets.
There was one last twist in the tale, and at the centre of it was, again, Jadhav. He walked back to the crease in the 48th over and with unreal calm got the rest of the runs in singles. Speaking to the broadcasters after his 23 off 27 balls, he suspected he might have a grade 1 or 2 hamstring tear, but did so with a big smile on his face. He had won the cup for India. Everything else took a back seat including Liton Das. He had made his maiden ODI century, a splendid innings not only for the quality of his strokeplay but also the calculation behind it. He attacked Jasprit Bumrah, stepping out against the fast bowler; not many batsmen try that, no one did in this tournament anyway. He kept sweeping Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja. Spinners hate that shot because it turns a flighted ball outside off stump into boundary-scoring opportunity. He got to his fifty in 33 deliveries and then converted it to a hundred by the 29th over. Everything was going to plan – and a funky one at that considering Bangladesh had promoted Mehidy Hasan to open the batting for the first time in any form of cricket – first-class, List A or T20s – and came away with their best partnership for the first wicket in 27 ODIs.
It is usually at this point that India turn to Jadhav. Hopeless situations are the welcome mat for him. Doing nothing more than bowling straight, he gave India the control they were so desperately searching – and as a bonus took a couple of wickets as well. Mehidy was caught at cover point, trying to force the pace and the mistake consumed Mushfiqur Rahim as well. For a clearer picture of Jadhav’s impact: Bangladesh were 116 for 0 in 20 overs. He came on. Bangladesh slumped to 62 for 5 in the next 20 overs. On a slow pitch, his non-turning, barely bouncing offbreaks are really hard to get away.
Having clawed their way back, India began asserting themselves in the final stages of the innings. It didn’t matter that a centurion was still in the middle. They simply kept him off strike by turning the screws at the other end. Soumya Sarkar felt it the greatest. For the first five overs that he was in the middle, Liton could face only nine balls. Kuldeep eventually got rid of the danger man with a beautiful googly and India’s spinners seemed to have set the course for another straightforward victory. Turns out, such things are becoming rarer each time they play Bangladesh.
A Hindu Council of Australia’s (HCA) novel way to make money from the gullible members of the Indian Australian community is by organising celestial wedding and coronation of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita to get people’s donations. A recent poster says that the HIndu Council of Australia is organising celestial wedding and coronation of Lord Rama with different rituals priced differently, which are as high as $2, 500.00 and $1,116.00.
It is interesting and of special note from the poster that there is no scope or possibility for those devotees to take part in it, if they do not have money. Money can buy many things in Hindu religion, including taking part in celestial wedding. This phenomenon is the continuation of what certain section of Hindus have done from ages to monetise Hindu religious rituals and ceremonies, using a variety of religious processes.
All this is happening when the Australian farmers are fighting severe drought, there’s tsunami hitting the Indonesian shores and Kerala still fighting worst ever floods. No thought is spared for these miseries in Australia and around the world, and HCA is busy filling their coffers. The event is happening on 3rd and 4th November, 2018 during Deepavali organized by HCA in Sydney.
It will be of interest to see whether any donating devotee of celestial wedding also gave money to support the victims of above mentioned calamities.
Money making by HCA in this manner is very odd in view of many devout Hindus, who have a distaste of such monetisation of Hindu rituals and ceremonies.
Minister for Multiculturalism Ray Williams issued a statement condemning the attack on the temple in Regents Park last night, “The NSW Government will not tolerate the desecration of items of cultural and religious significance, which threaten the cohesion of our multicultural communities.
I am appalled at the destruction of more than 30 statues of Hindu Gods and the setting of small fires inside the Barathiye Mandir Temple in Regents Park.
The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government recently strengthened the Crimes Act to protect our diverse communities from individuals who publicly incite or threaten violence against people based on their race or religion and will carry a maximum three-year jail sentence.
I understand police are currently investigating the vandalism and sincerely hope the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
NSW Opposition Leader Mr. Luke Foley condemning the incident, in a statement said, I strongly condemn the cowardly and hateful attack on the Bhartiye Mandir Hindu Temple in Regents Park, this is a crime against peaceful Australians who live their faith and hurt nobody.
I am disgusted at the desecration of more than 30 statues of Hindu Gods, and the setting of small fires throughout the temple.
I stand with the Hindu community in my electorate of Auburn and in NSW, and hope that those who perpetrated this disgraceful attack are brought to justice.
I will always stand up for multicultural communities across NSW who have made an enormous contribution to our state, and will always defend the rights of all communities in this state to freely practice their religious beliefs in freedom and safety.
NSW Police Media Release
Anyone who incites, threatens, or practices violence against people on the basis of race or religion should face the full extent of the law.
According to a police Media Release, investigations are continuing the incident of vandalism in the Temple
Federation of Indian Associations of NSW (FIAN) condemns in the strongest words the desecration and destruction of a place of worship for Hindu community in Sydney. FIAN president, Dr Yadu Singh, has been in touch with the head priest of the temple, Pandit Paras Ram Maharaj and offered support and assistance in getting the culprits brought to the justice. Fian Press Release
The temple in a media release last night said, “A Hindu Temple situated at Regents Park in Sydney Australia has been set on fire and all statues and icons of Indian Godheads have been smashed and left in ruin. They do not know who has done it but it has caused lot of pain and anguish to devotees celebrating the festival NavRatri or nine nights dedicated to worship of God in female form. Popularity of the NavRatri period for Hindus can be compared to popularity of Christmas to Christians but it continues for a period of nine days to worship nine different form of female Shakti or source of power or God manifest as and in this world.
The temple has been there for about twenty years and but for an incident of stone throwing ten years ago, the Fiji Hindu community has not had any problems until now. During the period of nine days, Hindu hold regular Prayer sessions in the evening. When devotees came at 6pm to open the temple on Sunday evening 14th October 2018, they found smoke coming from inside their temple. Upon investigation, they found some people inside and when challenged, the miscreants jumped out of the window and vanished.
The head priest of the temple Pandit Paras Ram Maharaj was in tears on seeing his Gods broken and strewn all over the floor. The Vandals had not only desecrated the God statues and icons but had also shamelessly thrown prayer material around. They had even set the alter on fire. Luckily the fire was quickly brought under control before it could do any further damage to the temple and the building. The temple is visited regularly by about 250 devotees who come from all over Sydney including from places as far away as Penrith.
After serial coup in Fiji, a large number of Fijians of Indian descent had migrated to Australia. About twenty years ago, some of them collected funds while others put their homes on mortgage to raise funds and purchased an old Anglican church building. The devotees were all Hindus and brought their own Hindu icons to install in their new temple. Being an old church building, the building has a typical church architecture with lead glass color tinted windows and a wooden cross which is almost a part of the wall.
Although as owners of the building, they could have removed previous faith symbols, the temple committee decided not to remove or dismantle old christian symbols. They placed their Gods beside these symbols and started their worship in their new temple. There is only one God and different people worship HIM in different forms believe Hindus. So, how could these Hindus show any disrespect for the symbols of God worshiped by HIS earlier and different devotees.
The big worry we have now, said the temple president is to restore the temple building back to its earlier glory. We will rebuild the temple he said with a determination, we are not going to go away, this is our home too. Australia is a very fair society. Australians have given us shelter and freedom to practice our religion. A few miscreants among them can not scare us away. Other committee members had more pressing thoughts and were discussing practical matters like how shall we raise funds to restore our place of worship.
It is time that Australians of all walks of life show their solidarity with these new Australians.
It is time for leaders of all faiths to come in their support and condemn this criminal act by a few vandals who do not represent fair dinkum Australia.
It is time for elected local, state and federal representatives to come and wipe the tears of that young girl and assure her that you are also a valuable part of our society and are free to practice your faith.
Based on true events, “One Less God” is a true independent film by writer/director/producer Lliam Worthington, that was named Best Film at the 2017 Byron Bay Film Festival and received both the Grand Jury Prize – Best Feature and the Industry Choice Award at Los Angeles’ 2017 Dances with Films Festival – the only feature in the twenty-year history of the festival to receive both honours.
The IST had the opportunity to talk to Lliam Worthington, Writer, Producer and Director of the film, over phone.
The IST:It’s well documented incident in history, what aspect from the incident inspired you to make a film on the event and how easy or difficult was it to reconstruct the events?
Lliam: Yes, it is well documented. I wrote the story after visiting Mumbai a few times and meeting the affected people. “We spent years researching and writing, and once we became immersed in the events and the geo-politics, we knew we needed to get beyond the timeline of events that were filling the news cycles. We wanted to get to the heart of the tragedy, and also beyond it – to the people on both ends of the guns.” Large portions of the film’s dialogue was directly inspired by the leaked transcripts of the 2008 siege. Worthington says: “I wanted to craft a story that walks the line between the minefields of demonisation and apologetics, and offer a genuine movement towards greater humanism and compassion. That’s a very difficult path to find, but with all that is taking place in the world, it’s vital that we find ways to help immunise our societies from those who seek to pull us towards either extreme. I think it’s always been one of the duties of the arts, to help us find the road less traveled in our conversations, and I believe that’s what we’ve done. With 166 people killed and over 600 injured and several thousand affected and holed up in hotels and different streets of Mumbai, it was not easy to locate everyone and may be not all were ready to come on the big screen. It was the human angle that really inspired us.”
The IST:As the plot was hatched in Pakistan, did you shoot portions of the film in Pakistan?
Lliam: No, we didn’t want to get into politics though we new that Lashkar had trained the teenagers and after three-four years they came to Mumbai and carried out the shootings. “We have shown the commandos and Police fighting them but weaved a story without depicting Pakistan.”
The IST: How easy or difficult was it to make film in India as compared to US?
Lliam: In the US, we tell the story the budget is announced and we start shooting but in Australia there’s interference by bureaucracy. In India, we didn’t face any such problem.
The Indian Sub-continent Times (IST), on October 17, 2018, had the opportunity to speak with NSW Minister for Multiculturalism, the Hon. Ray Williams at the NSW Parliament House. Following are the excerpts from the interview:
The IST: Just last week, I heard that NSW is not going to take any more immigrants, is it a new policy?.
Ray Williams: Oh No, no, no, no. I ‘ll explain. That is not correct. We welcome migration, with skills on the back of the migration. No body knows better than myself as a Minister for Multiculturalism. What we have at this point of time in NSW sitting in the metropolitan area that we have an increased level of population and what the Premier said in terms of our population that we need to have a discussion with senior leaders in the Federal Government who are the one responsible for migration and in the State government and i am speaking on behalf of all State governments but the conversation should be on how to deal with providing all those services that we do on our level of government on behalf of those people and growth of population, we know that we have a consistent birth rate and we know that we have migration intake and we also have humanitarian refugee programme but all of those add up to overall population. If there are people, at this point of time, sitting in traffic or squeezed in trains or sitting or waiting in hospitals because of growth in population, we need to sit down and discuss that practically how we deal with that. And, one of those conversations may revolve around the benefits for diverse migrants looking at the opportunities available the regional areas. There is nothing wrong with growth, nobody is questioning growth, there is nothing wrong with migration, we welcome migration and we always help and we need that diversity that is broadly across NSW. That might be something we need to do.
As a Minister I have traveled around those regions and I can see diversity spread broadly across NSW. There are some wonderful cities that have their own hospitals and job opportunities if we look at the areas like Wagga, or Bathurst or Dubbo, or Tamworth or off the North Coast. They have their own universities, they their own thriving businesses, their own hospitals. These small towns are more like small cities and added to that they have much cheaper accommodation. A home that costs you over a million dollars in the city may cost under 400,000 dollars in regional areas. To give people choice to look broadly or not looking citicentric in terms of Sydney, it’s there the conversation we need to have and certainly not about stopping migration to our country.
The IST: What are the vision and mission of multicultural NSW?
Ray Williams: Our view in New South Wales is to continue to work together with all communities especially, diverse communities, to ensure that we are supporting them, by doing all whatever we can, provide them a place to live, get them employment so they can sustain themselves . We would ensure that infrastructure is in place so they have roads to move around in the city, have hospitals, to invest in language schools, so that in the communities they have the opportunity to teach their children in their mother tongue , in terms of providing a healthy cultural link through their children, our this approach is for working together with all communities and continue to support them with grants for their cultural festivals and by inviting all those particular priorities, we are breaking down the cultural and religious divide.
The IST: NSW is culturally one of the most diverse states, what do you think are important steps to bring about cohesion in the communities?
Ray Williams: Of course, there are issues involved. I think there are issues that affect all the communities, the demand of infrastructure, primarily NSW government is charged with the responsibility of building roads, building the rail line, building the hospitals and schools. We have to make sure they are invested heavily. We will have a break down in the society if we don’t have that process structured for the community who are here and communities of the future, that is the continual work in progress. There are several specific programmes, especially under the Federal government like the resettlement programmes, we work together with Federal Government to ensure, whether they are new migrant families or refugee families to help them make the smoothest transition in settling in this country. I think if people can feel comfortable and settle quickly they and have the knowledge of English language which is ever so important that will enable them to come better educated and find them relevant skills they need for employment.
The IST: Talking about employment: A new migrant when he comes to Australia faces the challenge of getting employment of his choice what assistance he/she gets from the government?
Ray Williams: A good question. We have the skilled migration programme to Australia where 75 and percent of the migrants who come here have the appropriate skills and financial capacity to support themselves. They come here with financial capacity and skills, whether they are doctors or trades people or whether they are mechanics or whatever background they have but there is one area that is problematic and that is ensuring their skills meet the qualification in Australia. There are programmes to learn English. We have educational programmes where they can re-skill themselves to bring their qualifications up. As an example the doctors, we are always looking for doctors who could work in rural and regional areas. Some times they have to up-skill or the qualification they have from the country of their birth are not up to the Australian standards. There are processes available to equip them with skills and have the jobs open to them. On behalf of the migrant families, we have one of the best education programmes in the world where virtually you can go through your education from kindergarten to complete your university degree at no upfront cost whatsoever, through the public system. The university fees could be offset by the work you do later. You won’t find these opportunities anywhere in the world.
The IST: A closely related question: You had said during the refugee week that the government is planning to advertise to help multicultural media. Is that still open?
Ray Williams: We advertise all the times as do Ministers with other portfolios and the Premier. There are times when we advertise in certain areas where there an opportunity is opening up in areas of high prominence of Chinese people, we advertise in Chinese newspapers, Lebanese newspapers, Muslim newspapers. It depends on events what might be a new hospitals opening up, we do advertise in specific areas. We do keep advertising.
The IST: The community needs cohesion. What are the hurdles coming in the way?
Ray Williams: In terms of Harmony, you mean? We embrace every nationality, we don’t discriminate anyone on the basis of their nationality, gender, religion. Those principles of multiculturalism are enshrined here in the country and were first enshrined in NSW Parliament under the Anti-discrimination Act and then reinforced in 2004 as Multicultural Act for supporting cultural diversity And, I think to highlight our support of the cultural diversity while the recent initiative we undertake to a very important statement of Anti-discrimination Act that being when people use racially motivated language to incite violence which with compliance under section 22 of the Anti-discrimination Act Act and we at the NSW government and Attorney General Mark Speakman took it out of the Anti -discrimination Act and placed it under the Crimes Act as we feel it is a punishable crime as it should be. Anybody regardless of who they are use racially motivated hate speech to incite violence will be punished and can be punished was an appropriate law . There is a message in it do we want people to be locked op ? No we will not lock them up but we want them to be respectful in their language from the highest level in this country to an average person on the street and everyone in between. That is the profound message we at the NSW government embrace that was discussed for a very long time with community and culturally diverse leaders before we came to a consensus that everybody was satisfied that was an appropriate law to be put in place to punish anybody who makes hate speech. It reinforces that we at the government we are going to do everything we can prevent anybody who makes such comments , we promote harmony and social cohesion.
The IST: How liberal are you in giving grants as we have small groups getting together and applying for grants?
Ray Williams: There is a high degree of probing into the grants. If some group applies for grants for first time to conduct a cultural festival they are given but when they come in the following year we ask for report, as to what they have done with the grant, how many people attended the event and how the money was spent. Unless we are satisfied we do not give grants.
Well, Minister, thank you very much for your time.
On average, eligible customers are walking away with more than $500 back in their pockets through the service. Examples of rebates and savings include CTP refunds, Active Kids vouchers and free rego for regular toll users.
Minister for Finance, Services and Property Victor Dominello and Minister for Multiculturalism Ray Williams on Wednesday 24 October, 2018 hosted a press conference at NSW Parliament with multicultural media to ensure all communities are aware of the service.
“The Cost of Living Service has been extremely successful, with over 90 per cent of people who attend an appointment walking away with extra money in their pocket,” Mr Dominello said.
“This initiative really does take Service NSW to the next level. No longer is it just a one-stop shop for transactions and licences, now it’s also a one-stop shop for household savings.”
Mr Williams said: “Customers can access the Cost of Living service by contacting Service NSW with the option of using an interpreter through the National Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and be directed to Service NSW on 13 77 88.”
“By the end of October, Service NSW will have rolled out the Cost of the Living appointment service in more than 60 service centres across NSW, making it easier for families and individuals to potentially save hundreds of dollars.”
To find savings online or to book an appointment with a Cost of Living specialist, customers can select a language translation of the Cost of Living information on the Service NSW website at www.service.nsw.gov.au.
The NSW Government offers a raft of cost of living rebates and savings including the FuelCheck app, public transport concessions, energy rebates and cheaper Green Slips.
Andhi Daud (Blind Race) is a story of every migrant household in Australia. Yes, we all are running a blind race. There is freedom but constrained to have a free way. This is the struggle many a household are grappling with. This the tradition Indian Australians have brought with them when they migrated to Australia.
