By Ashok Kumar

Last weekend, the Chester Hill RSL function Centre resonated with famous Bollywood songs of the yore, of course sung by Great singer Mohammad Rafi. Sydney melody king and Mohd. Rafi “Bhakt” Riaz Shah organised the Rafi nite, he organises the Rafi nite at different places and at different times of the year.

The audience was in for a big surprise as the walls of the hall were adorned by the pictures of famous film stars of the fifties and sixties. Riaz worked very hard to collect these photographs and put them on display. The

photos reignited the memories of their times and music. The beauty of the programme was that there were several singers before Riaz made his entry, who sang Rafi Sahib songs and none was less melodious.

Several female singers made their presence felt, each more melodious than the other but the one who stood alone and suited the most with Riaz was Priya Das, an environmentalist by profession, rendered beautiful duets.

The stars that twinkled on the nite were Manzar Mirza, Waseem  Shah, Shahid Malik, Tariq Mehmood, Latif, Dr. Archana, Razia Sultana and Nitya. Manzar rendered the beautiful song “ Suhaani Raat dhaul chuki” from Dulari. Though Riaz conquered the stage with back to back Rafi melodies, the singer that was a surprise package was Manzar Mirza. The songs were chosen carefully keeping in mind the knowledgeable audience.

Notwithstanding the programme starting a bit late but the audience lapped up the melodious renditions. The best part was the people shed their inhibitions and did shake their legs on the dance floor. Though it was a Rafi nite but it was seemingly, Rafi- Shammi nite as most songs were from Shammi films like Diwana hua badal and din sara guzara tere angana, aasman se aaya farishta and other gems. Sandhya from Woolongong sprinkled anecdotes before each song and rendered a beautiful duet. The event could not have been complete without the hard work of the musicians.

As once famous star Balraj Sahni said there are many singers in Bollywood but none is bigger than Mohammad Rafi and to add to this is that it needs the calibre of Riaz Shah to collect so many singers under one roof to produce such a wonderful event.

The IST News Desk

The 69^th Republic Day was celebrated with great fanfare by all the diplomatic missions the world over. But in Sydney, it was close to be hijacked by the Hindu Council of Australia. The official national event organised by the Consulate General in Sydney, the Republic Day was soon being transformed into a religious event but for the vigil of a few present audiences.

Before the official function could commence, a gentleman ostensibly an official of the Hindu Council of Australia began putting Saffron scarves with Om symbol printed on it, around the neck of gullible audience. When people realised they protested to the acting Consul General Mr. Chandru Appar who immediately stopped him from doing so.

The offices of The IST are flooded with people’s thoughts and complaints as to how the offices of a government representative could be used for religious purposes? A few question come to mind

1. Is the Hindu Council of Australia seeking official patronage for its religious activities?
2. Why did the Indian Consulate in Sydney offer its official platform to the HCA in the first place?
3. Why should HCA use official platform to propagate religion?

Perhaps the HCA believes in grabbing opportunity of canvassing about religion to maximum audience. It may be noted that office of the government representative is not the right platform and the Republic Day event was not the right occasion either. Everybody in one voice deplored the use of official platform.

The Hindu Council is a religious body with a clear cut objective to spread the religion among the masses. There is no scope for it to intrude into official Indian events. Religion shout be kept away from government activities.India has given space to all political ideologies and parties but they all are under the Indian tricolor flag. As overseas Indians also despite our political and other differences we hold high esteem for the Indian flag. R-Day being the national day should not be used to project any ideology or faith. This behavior/act should be condemned.

It would have been more appropriate if the HCA team was holding Indian Tricolour instead of Saffron scarves. That’s what the occasion demanded.

HCA should note that Nation comes before religion.

By Sanghmitra Kumar

As I sat uncomfortably on my unclean seat at the cinemas (yes, there was popcorn everywhere and no I didn’t drop them, they were there from the last session), a thousand thoughts crossed my mind. I wondered in anticipation what Bhansali must have portrayed in the film that caused a hooligan uprising in India. As I looked around at the house full theatre, a timid inner voice said that the movie isn’t going to be that great but it surely captured public sympathy.  

The movie isn’t long as being said by some. 2hours and 44mins is pretty standard for a period film (Jodhaa Akbar was almost 4 hours), however, the film does tend to get a little lethargic and repetitive. The unnecessary cuts are kind of obvious and don’t really help. Above all, knowing how the story is meant to end constantly reminds you of the impending doom and make the two and half hours all the more uneasy.  

Apart from that, Bhansali is a genius. Every shot feels like a masterpiece painting. I’ve always felt that our generation is drifting further and further away from our country’s magnificent history, but the grandeur of Padmaavat’s sets, costumes and par excellence cinematography teleport you back to 1303 AD era of royalty, valour and culture. The entire film, literally, is poetry in motion.  

Deepika Padukone has come a long way from Goliyon ki raas leela Ram Leela in terms of her acting and expressing abilities. She looked ethereal from her first shot to the last and needless to say, there is no other actress in today’s day and time that could’ve played Rani Padmini as gracefully as Deepika.  

Ranveer Singh is a master of his craft. From the cheesy loafer of Band Bajaa Baraat to the Romeo of Ram Leela, to the great Maratha king Bajirao and now to the evil Khilji – this man can be sculpted as his director desires, making him such a delight to watch. As he portrays the barbaric Mughal king drowned in self obsession, lust and greed, a part of you would start hating his onscreen presence. He portrays every nuance, every expression with such finesse.  

Shahid Kapoor was a surprise. When the news of him being cast by Bhansali did the rounds, many of us kept thinking he was a miscast and God knows what such a great director must be thinking. When the trailer came out, I’m sure we never felt as right. Wrong! Never doubt brilliance. Shahid’s portrayal of the principled, confident and dignified Rajput King was at par with the rest of the star cast. In fact, somewhere he made Ranveer’s performance look better. We hated Ranveer’s barbaric Khilji throughout the film because somewhere Shahid’s Ratan Singh melted our hearts for his conviction and integrity.  

Jim Sarbh creeps you out as Khilji’s obsessed rejected lover. Aditi Rao Hydari makes her mark as Mehrunissa. The actors who played Gora Singh and Badal Sonegra were outstanding.  

The climax, especially Rani Padmaavati’s jauhar is so dramatically and magnificently shot that it stays with you for at least a couple of hours, if not days.  

As I walked out of the cinemas, my thoughts turned into questions, I tried answering for myself. Does the film glorify the “sati tradition”?  

To me the answer is a definite no! Many have argued that the queen should’ve “fought back” rather than committing mass suicide. Some say that the film lionizes a social stigma and so the entire basis of the movie is unethical. When you think of it though, as per the poem on which the film is based, Khilji lusted after Padmini. He wanted her as a trophy, not as a wife or a beloved. In such circumstances, should she have submitted herself after the death of her husband to Khilji? Wasn’t jumping into the fire, a strategic move to defeat the enemy? She fought with her mind rather than a sword. 

The question here shouldn’t be whether self immolation is justified, Bhansali, through his craft, has stirred bigger underlying questions of gender inequality. Is this all a woman worth? Is she just a pretty face that should’ve been kept in harems as a mark of achievements back then and in our homes as trophy wives now?  

When Padmini jumped in to fire, she didn’t ask for the future generations to continue pushing women to burn as a mark of tradition. Ramayana doesn’t glorify the agnipariksha. So rather than questioning Bhansali on “glorifying” a custom, shouldn’t we question those who made torturing a woman a custom?  

I do feel, that apart from being politically motivated, the real reason for the Karni Sena to go a rampage is not because they want to protect the honour of their Queen Goddess (because that’s what the film is doing) rather, it is to save the world from watching how a woman’s ability to self sacrifice is at par, if not greater, than a man’s ability to attain veergati.  

Valour is not gender defined and perhaps, it is just this that our country’s patriarchal culture/custom/law and order makers don’t want you to watch.    

    The IS Times Newsdesk

The IS Times was tagged to an SBS Punjabi news item whereby the Supreme Council of Sikh Council of Australia issued a statement banning Indian officials from Sikh temples from using Sikh platforms for officials functions.

In a joint statement on Sunday, 20 Gurudwaras and 15 different Sikh organisations have announced a ban on “government activities” by the representatives of the Indian government in the Gurudwaras and Sikh events. This is ostensibly an anti-India move. Though several people have condemned the move on the social media, it is highly regrettable that having no truck with Indian Government officials would see them permanently stationed in Australia without any Indian visa or OCI cards.

Full SBS report can be seen at https://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/punjabi/en/article/2018/01/30/sikh-temples-australia-ban-indian-officials

In November last year, the Indian High Commissioner Dr. AM Gondane was heckled outside a Melbourne Gurudwara that turned out to be a mudslinging match and nothing more. Some pointed out that reportedly it’s some divisive forces or elements at work who do not want to see India united while some even alleged that the statement comes at the behest of Pakistan ISI. This is a serious matter and Government of India should intervene or ban such divisive people from entering India so that they do not create any problem for the Government.

The Indian High Commission in Canberra rejected the allegations.

“Indian officials outreach to all communities, associations, groups of Indian origin. There is no question of meddling in their affairs,” an official at the Indian High Commission told SBS Punjabi.  “Invitations received by Mission/ Posts are respected and reciprocated.”

The SBS report further says that it is also banning organisations like the Rashtriya Swyamswak Sangh (RSS), Shiv Sena and Vishva Hindu Parishad.

The question comes to mind is that is the move by Sikh bodies triggered by the Hindu Council trying to intrude into the official R-Day function at the Consulate General office in Sydney for showing no respect for a national event?

The IST News Desk:

Heart and Soul Productions redefined entertainment with ‘Guftagu with Gulzar Saab’. Finally, Sydney siders got to experience something classy, educative, and more than just the run of the mill Bollywood glamour on stage. The thinking Indian populace of Sydney who were hungry for meaningful entertainment that would stimulate their thinking and give them an impetus to discern and enjoy, got to a taste of just that. Kudos to Arun Nanda and Rushi Dave for taking the bold step of bringing the legendary Gulzar Saab to Australian shores. The Guftagu was ably curated by the talented Salim Arif, one of the most exciting and popular directors on the Hindi theatre scene.

Gulzar Saab needs no introduction. He is the man who weaves magic with his words and has been doing that for over five decades with élan, style and a delicate intricacy that has become synonymous with his name. His lyrics give voice to so many unheard feelings and touch upon so many facets of our lives. From his first lyrics for the movie Bandhini (1963) to his lyrics in Mirzya (2016). Gulzar Saab has wooed the feelings and stroked the core of all music lovers. His poetry is soul touching, soul searching and at times soul searing too. No one uses words the way he does, and on 27th January 2018 the audience at the Sir John Clancy auditorium got to experience this first hand as the bard himself recited a few of his unpublished and unsung verses! He cajoled the audience with his poetic renditions and slowly carried them to the very edge of ecstasy, that they were left asking for more. It was indeed a surreal experience for all present for he is undoubtedly, the master of words. Gulzar Saab’s play of words as he weaves magic with them is mesmerising; for he does not pen words, he pens emotions.

The humility of the man and his connection with his audience is indeed amazing. It is often a misnomer that geniuses are social recluses. Gulzar is anything but that. His sharpness, his wit and his patience with his admirers is commendable. Every word he spoke and every explanation he gave had a depth of meaning that was simple and coherent. Speaking about the nuances of writing, Gulzar Saab said that similes and metaphors are not be sought from the outside to embellish a piece of writing, they must emanate from within the piece. When asked how he keeps his writing so relevant and in with the times, Gulzar Saab said that he always wrote his lyrics in tune with the script of the story and the character in play. He made it sound so simple! The people who were fortunate enough to see him, hear him and interact with him, will realise that their lives have been enriched at so many levels. Well done, Heart and Soul Productions! Having set quite a benchmark with this show, Heart and Soul Productions will be endeavouring to bring Australian shores more shows of such calibre in the future.

The IST News Desk

Bhartiya Janata Party national president Mr. Amit Shah has stirred the hornet’s nest with his ‘witty’ remarks on making and selling pakodas. Is he evading the real issue of not being able to provide jobs to millions of graduates, MBAs, Engineers and teachers?

No doubt, it’s not a shame to make pakodas but being a graduate, post-graduate or an MBA and forced to sell pakodas is indeed a shame, Mr. Shah. Just today only a B.Ed strangled himself to death with his mother’s saari on not being able to find a job. All the promises of creating jobs have been consigned to the next elections. How many more such suicides you want, Mr. Shah?

Umpteen of broadcasters/anchors have highlighted Government’s failure to provide jobs to the millions of graduate jobless who are being forced to sell pakodas.

At a time when job creation is slow and millions of people are frustrated by their inability to find employment in the formal sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comment in a television interview recently that a person selling pakodas outside the studio of that news channel amounts to employment creation is unfortunate. Sure, the person is productive and is making some money to pay for basic needs. However, more likely than not, he is there not by choice but due to lack of choice. Chances are he would much rather be employed with the TV studio, even serving tea or running errands, that would fetch him a fixed monthly salary than spend long hours on the footpath.

When Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, the opposition jibe of “chaiwala” was transformed into “Chai pe Charcha.” Are we looking forward to “Pakode pe charcha” by Amit Shah?

Taking a cue from Mr. Modi and Mr. Amit Shah will the Australia branch of BJP organise Pakode pe Charcha

The IST News Desk

Haifa day is celebrated on 23 September each year by the Governments of Israel and India. It is an occasion to pay tributes to a large number of Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the battle of Haifa region during the World War-I and nearly 900 are cremated or buried in cemeteries across Israel.

The IS Times came across multiple sources an invitation flyer of the year 2014 from the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. Surprisingly, it did not have any Indian Government official representative’s name and instead had the names of Hindu Council of Australia (HCA), a religious group and OFBJP, a political group belonging to the ruling Indian political party. This invitation has been extended every year after 2014 albeit dropping OFBJP’S name.

The question by several callers to The IST is that when we have Indian government agencies in Australia, why a religious body is representing India and the appropriate representative of the Indian Government should be the Consulates or the High Commissioner as this is an event honouring Indian soldiers who represented India during the World War-I. The most apt representative should be from the Indian Army and in its absence from the Government. A religious body and/or a branch of political party should be avoided as then there would be demand coming from other religious bodies and branches of other political parties.

The event in India is celebrated by the Indian Army to commemorate the fallen Indian heroes. Battle of Haifa was fought towards the end of battle of Nablus during the last months of Sinai and Palestine campaign of the First World War. During the battle of Haifa the Indian 15^th (Imperial service) Cavalry Brigade attacked the rearguard forces of the Ottoman Empire that resulted in the capture of Haifa and Acre.Captain Bahadur Aman Singh Jodha and Dafadar Jor Singh were awarded the Indian Order of Merit (IOM) and Captain Anop Singh and 2 Lt Sagat Singh were awarded the Military Cross (MC) as recognition for their bravery in this battle.

Major Thakur Dalpat Singh MC is known in the annals of history as the Hero of Haifa for his critical role in the battle for Haifa. The action of the Indian troops has been vividly recorded in the Official History of the War- Military operation Egypt and Palestine (volume 2): “No more remarkable cavalry action of its scale was fought in the whole course of the campaign. Machine gun bullets over and over again failed to stop the galloping horses even though many of them succumbed afterwards to their injuries”. This remains the only known incident in military history when a fortified town was captured by cavalry on the gallop. The 15 Imperial service comprised Cavalry regiments from princely states of Jodhpur, Mysore and Hyderabad.

It’s purely a military event and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies should note that HCA is a religious body and does not represent India or Indian Army. It will be inappropriate for HCA to represent the Indian military or the Indian Government agencies.

The IST News Desk

Close on the heels of Alex Bhathal, Greens Federal Candidate for Batman in Melbourne, the byelection  making a sweeping declaration that the a separate nation “Khalistan” should be carved out of India and called for a referendum in 2020, comes another shocking incident in which a convicted Khalistan terrorist succeeded in obtaining invitation to the official reception for visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to India.

Alex Kaur Bhathal reportedly took part in Khalistan event in which she spoke about the referendum and won the support of Radical Sikh population. Alex reportedly believes in multiculturalism while spreading the seeds of separatism. But she appears to not believing in Fair go. Following is the YouTube link https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O-XpGH_FBmM&feature=youtu.be

Social media is agog with the comments on the possibilities of her entering Federal Parliament and fomenting further trouble.  People don’t want her to enter Parliament where she is feared to use Parliament to promote the Khalistan cause in the garb of multiculturalism.

The world will never forget the genocide of Sikhs as well as the bombing by Sikh extremists of Air India plane Kanishka killing 329 people on a flight from Montreal to New Delhi. The mushrooming of Radical Sikhs in the golden temple resulted in heavy fighting. This led to assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her own Sikh bodyguards.  All this doesn’t call for separatism especially from a could be Member of Parliament.

Justin Trudeau, who is on his first bilateral visit to India, landed in the midst of controversy over an invitation extended to Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal for a dinner hosted by Canadian High Commissioner Nadir Patel in Delhi.

Canadian Member of Parliament Randeep S Sarai admitted that he was responsible for extending the invitation to Atwal, and apologized for doing so.

 Atwal, a member of the now-banned International Sikh Youth Federation,was sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to kill the then Punjab cabinet minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu on Vancouver Island in 1986. Atwal later even confessed he was the shooter. (If he began his jail sentence in 1986, and if he served the full term, Atwal would have been released in 2006.)

The Canadian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) quickly cancelled the invite to Atwal when a row erupted over photographs that showed the terrorist alongside Trudeau’s wife Sophie at an event in Mumbai.

The explosion of Air India jet on a flight from Montreal to Delhi and other incidents are well recorded in Canada and Trudeau turned a blind eye to the developments and was caught napping when Atwal incident occurred. And to set the matters right for his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trudeau affirmed that he does not support extremism though he has participated in Sikh meets in Canada. Soon after his election in 2015, Trudeau ignored the earlier incidents and attended a Khalsa Parade in May where many of these militants were feted.

It is well known that Mr. Modi cold shouldered him giving rise to speculation that all was not well as far as Indo-Canadian relations were concerned. Both the leaders reaffirmed their commitment improved bilateral relations with focus on counter-terrorism measures. Going by the events in Canada, the media there nicknamed Trudeau as Justin Singh.

The IST News Desk

Parramasala ( 9-11 March, 2018) at Parramatta is a great event of culture and entertainment. IT is the eighth year which will take place in the heart of Western Sydney. Its slogan “many cultures. One Sydney.” symbolises the great extravaganza.

Its programme is great and varied. The IST has become aware about an element incongruity, however. This is about Hindu Council doing a womens event as part of Parramasala activity in association with Parramasala.  HCA is a religious group, not a group or entity representing any specific culture.

When the world needs less of religions and more of the secularism, Parramasala’s association with HCA is jarring and odd.

Giving a religious colour to each and every event is not acceptable in Parramasala activities. This may not be acceptable to groups from Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Parsis and so on. Any one religion should not be given preference over the other in terms of representation in events within Parramasala.

There are many of expert women organisations who have ably conducted several such events in the past. They would obviously be better partners for such activities in Parramasala.

Parramasala which is jointly owned by Multicultural NSW and City of Parramatta Council, should stay secular not only in thoughts but also in action. It is incumbent on the owners of Parramasala to not look to be favouring any particular religion within a hugely successful Multicultural NSW

. http:\\.www.parramasala.com

By Rekha Rajvanshi

It’s very rare that one gets a peep into the lives of great poets, actors and lyricists and this opportunity was provided by Sai Creative Arts Network in Sydney. On March 8^th 2018, Sydney siders enjoyed watching ‘Kaifi Aur Main’ – a romantic saga of renowned Urdu poet and lyricist Kaifi Azmi and his beloved Shaukat Azmi at the Sir John Clancy Auditorium Australia.

Shaukat’s interaction with Kaifi from her book ‘Yaad Ki Rehguzaar’ was presented theatrically by Javed Akhtar and directed by Ramesh Talwar. Bollywood actress and Kaifi’s daughter Shabana Azmi as Shaukat and Javed as Kaifi recreated Kaifi’s life story interwoven with Kaifi’s songs in Jaswinder Singh’s melodious voice.

The stage opened to a pre independence period of India with black & white old sketch of Kaifi and Shaukat in the middle wall and two simple tables and chairs on one side transporting us back in time.  On the other side was the young ghazal maestro Jaswinder Singh, and his live orchestra team, who periodically gave a musical touch to the show.

The show depicted everything about Kaifi and Shaukat’s 55-year-old romance. Shabana, in beautiful pink saree and Javed dressed in black and white, walked to the stage and took their seats. The play started with the song ‘Meri Aawaz Suno’ from Naunihal written by Kaifi. Shaukat unfolded Kaifi’s life in her writings, which was brilliantly read by Shabana and Javed through dialogue delivery. The romantic saga started from the time when Shaukat met Kaifi as a young girl. Their romance grew with the time until their last day together. Shaukat broke her engagement, left everything for Kaifi and came to Mumbai with her father. She convinced her father to choose Kaifi as her life partner and accepted Kaifi’s communist ideology, values and beliefs. Kaifi, being a progressive writer, gave Shaukat full opportunity to work in radio and theatre, as he writings say ‘Jannat ek aur hai jo mard ke pahloo me nahi, Uth meri jaan mere saath hi chalna hai Tujhe.’

There were moments of sadness when Kaifi was labelled as ‘unlucky’ in his film career and when he was struck with Paralysis and lost sensation in his one hand. In spite of all these setbacks, Kaifi never gave up. He went back to his hometown Mijwan to serve and set up an NGO for girls. He lived there until his death. Shabana revealed brilliantly her mother’s innermost feelings and thoughts about Kaifi, whereas Javed Akhtar kept the audience entertained with his witty rendition of Kaifi. Their story went through a roller coaster of emotions – friendship, romance, love, humour and grief amidst Kaifi’s initial struggling days and challenging circumstances.

Shabana Azmi, with tears in her eyes ended the performance when Kaifi died. Javed Akhtar came forward and recited his poem, “Ajeeb admi tha woh, mohabbaton ka geet tha, baghawaton ka raag tha… woh bandishon se kehta tha, main tumko tod sakta hun, sahoolaton se kehta tha, main tumko chhod sakta hun… hawaon se kehta tha main tumko mod sakta hoon… woh zindagi ko kehta tha main tumhe sajaoonga… ajeeb admi tha woh.”

Audience were enthralled not only by Kaifi’s romantic story and poems, but also his super hit movie songs like ‘Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho’ (Hanste Zakhm), ‘Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo’ (Haqeeqat), ‘Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam’ (Kaagaz Ke Phool) and ‘Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho’ (Arth) in the melodious voice of the popular ghazal singer Jaswinder Singh. Theatre, poetry, songs woven together made the show interesting and memorable experience.

Manju Mittal and Ruchi Bansal of Sai Creative Arts Network, brought this quality production to Sydney and New Zealand. ‘Kaifi Aur Main’ was a treat to Sydney’s art, theatre and poetry lovers!

The IST Newsdesk

Sydney celebrated its first Vaisakhi function of 2018 on Sunday April 8 at Ryde Civic Hall  amid a galaxy of Ministers, MPs and invitees. The celebration was led by National Sikh Council of Australia President Mr. Ajmer Singh Gill and Secretary Mr. Bawa Singh Jagdev. The attendance was by invitations only and the hall was still packed to its capacity. The event was organised with the support of Federation of Indian Associations of NSW, Mr. Amrinder Bajwa, Mr. Gurcharan Kahlon and Mr.Baljinder Singh.

Mr. Bawa presented a brief on the Vaisakhi and talked about the events that led to the creation of Khalsa Panth in 1699.  Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb was at his peak and continued to commit atrocities on the Hindu population, He ordered them to either convert to Islam or pay tax (jazzia). A lot of them agreed to convert but one saint Guru Teg Bahadur prefered death to converting to Islam. He was beheaded and later died at Chandni Chowk in Delhi after carrying his head on a platter. Gurudwara Sis Ganj has been erected in his honour at the place.

His son Guru Gobind Singh then  asked Hindu families to send their eldest son to join his army in order t0 fight Mughal forces. Thus, the Khalsa Panth was born. The handful Army thus formed succeeded in overpowering Aurangzeb’s large army led by Nawab Wazir Khan  at Chamkaur, thereby weakening the Mughal empire.

The harvesting festival used to be celebrated with gaiety and fervour all over Punjab and the Indian Sub-continent. With the creation of Khalsa Panth on Vaisakhi Day  it added a new dimension to the festival.  On Vaisakhi day in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh summoned Sikhs from all over India to the city of Anandpur Sahib. At this gathering, the Guru called upon Sikhs to uphold their faith and preserve the Sikh religion. Guru Gobind Singh then lifted his sword and asked that anyone prepared to give his life for his faith to come forward. There was a big silence, but the Guru went on repeating his demand.

One Sikh finally came forward and followed the Guru into a tent. Shortly after, the Guru reappeared alone with his sword covered in blood, and asked for a second volunteer. Another Sikh stepped forward and again the Guru took him into the tent, and re-appeared alone with his sword covered with blood. This was repeated until five Sikhs had offered their heads for the Guru. Finally, the Guru emerged from the tent with all five men dressed piously in blue. Guru Gobind Singh called the five Sikhs the Panj Pyare, the Five Beloved Ones.

There is another dimension to the festival. On this day, Gen. Reginald Dyer massacred  peaceful people gathered to celebrate the festival in the Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar. This marked the beginning of the end of British Raj in India.

For people of Punjab, the festival is their traditional solar new year, a harvest festival and they may visit temples, meet friends and party over festive foods. On Vaisakhi, Gurdwaras are decorated and hold satsangs Sikhs visit and bathe in lakes or rivers before visiting local Gurdwaras, community fairs and nagar kirtan processions are held, and people gather to socialise and share festive foods. 

The Sunday’s event saw colourful, energetic tip toeing folk dances by various groups, especially, the fusion dance of South Indian and Punjabi folk. Even the MPs could be seen gyrating to the music.

The MPs led by Federal MP Julie Owens from Parramatta and Ms. Michelle Rowland from Greenway. The NSW Mps led by Minister Victor Dominello, who became nostalgic and recounted how as a child he learnt from his father about the culture and today I am seeing a different culture and learning about it. Jodi McKay, MP for Strathfield said everybody was in their colourful best and Dr. Yadu Singh was not recognisable in a Pagri. Geoff Lee, MP for Parramatta paid glowing tributes to the young dancers. Michelle Rowland mentioned about a book on Guru Gobind Singh that was presented to her and she read the book thoroughly. Ms. Julia Finn, MP from Granville said she loved the celebrations. Dr. Yadu Singh presented the vote of Thanks, appreciating the presence of guests and thanked all VIPs, Media and special guests.

Pure vegetarian Punjabi food was served by Shandar caterers

Sydney, 19 April, 2018 (The IST news network)

Young Westpac official, Ramachandran Gunasekaran, 41, died of a massive heart attack on March 30, 2018. He is survived by his wife and a five-months old baby. This was a sad news for the community. Many visited the family in Wentworthville and offered condolences and support to the bereaved family.

Since nobody knew whether the family needed funds, Community members asked a close family friend, Mr Francis, to figure out if the family of late  Ramachandran Gunasekaran needed financial support. Sewa Australia volunteers too came on board. A  WhatsApp Group was created. The IST has the copies of all messages in the WhatsApp group. One member posted, that “we need to establish whether the family needed financial assistance before initiating fund collections.” Francis was requested to figure out and advise the group. It was also mentioned by others that it would be better if the funds collecting platform has DGR certification. Only Sewa Australia has such certification.

This is where petty politics started. Mr.John Kennedy of the United Indian Associations (UIA) circulated a Flyer, apparently without any discussion with the group, using the name of UIA, and asking the community to donate money. There was no input from the WhatsApp group members. The UIA President also used Sewa Australia’s Logo, without the approval of Sewa Australia. Since Sewa Australia was not happy with this, they asked Mr Kennedy  to remove their logo from UIA fund collection flyer.

It must be mentioned here that UIA, reportedly, does not have DGR certificate from ATO or even charity fund collection certificate from NSW Government.  UIA flyer indicated that they were also collecting $8000 for the transportation of the mortal remains to Tamil Nadu, India for cremation. It is well known that the Govt of India bears all expenses for the transportation of mortal remains of an Indian citizen. The funds were collected by UIA without establishing if the family needed funds or not. Social media including WhatsApp were used to spread the word for funds collection.

Now, Mr. Francis, who is very close to the family, has posted a comment in the WhatsApp group with his  appeal that all funds collected should be returned to the donors as the family does not need monetary help. He was critical of many aspects of this funds collection including use of late Ramachandran Gunasekaran picture in UIA fund raising appeal.

Message from Mr. Francis

Hi All,

Apologies for the time I have taken to come back to this group.
First of all, I would like thank everyone for your support and information provided at a crucial time when we weren’t sure about what to do. To update you all Ramachandran’s funeral was held at Chennai on Sunday last week and his family is there as well.

I have got messages from many of you about fund raising and again would like to thank you for your effort.

Unfortunately I didn’t expect the social media to be used for fund raising campaigns. However what has happened cannot be reversed. Since the family is not in any need of financial support, I request you to refund those contributions where possible as a first option.

Please contact me through text if you still have some contributions left that cannot be refunded, we can discuss legal ways to hand it over to Rama’s family or use it for other causes. Please ensure the contributions are from verifiable sources and there are clean records for collection. Also I would assume any contributions to the family would not hit social media or any other media to protect their privacy.

Thanks
Francis

Though UIA has published a list of donors but no news of refunds has come out. So, the IST sent out an e mail to UIA president, Mr. John Kennedy, with an enquiry if he had refunded the money to the donors or how much money was collected. He was given time till 16 April 2018 but he failed to respond. Since then, several people also have appealed that the funds be refunded.

The IST queries to Mr Kennedy were:

1. How much money was raised?

2. Does UIA have a charity certificate from NSW Govt?

3. Since money assistance is not needed, are you/UIA  returning the collected money? If yes, how, and if no, why not?

4. I have seen Sewa Australia posts too. Why did you use their logo in your flyer without their permission?

The absence of a response from UIA gives rise to speculations that perhaps the funds have not been returned to the donors. 

It is always good to see the community coming around to help the needy person, but it is also true that we should focus our energies on genuine needs. To avoid creating donation fatigue, Charity fund collection should be done only when it is absolutely necessary.  Charity fund collection should be done under the platform, which has credibility and acceptability in the community. Charity fund raising must never be allowed to be a tool for the promotion of any association or person. What UIA did was inappropriate, unnecessary and wasteful. Their activity has not been helpful for the community because there is a serious concern now about fund collection activities without proper investigation.

Sydney, 24 April, 2018 (The IST News Network)

Federal Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon Alan Tudge MP, today launched The Salvation Army’s annual Red Shield Appeal 2018 to Australia’s multicultural communities to help raise $73 million across Australia for those in need.

 The Red Shield Appeal launch to multicultural communities is one of the key events of The Salvation Army’s annual appeal, culminating with the nationwide doorknock weekend on 26-27 May this year.

 Commenting on the launch, the Hon Alan Tudge MP said, “The Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal offers much-needed help, including to people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Support like this is important to ensure Australia remains an open, inclusive and cohesive multicultural society.”

 “We are proud that Australia is the most successful multicultural country in the world and the work of The Salvation Army and other groups in forging closer integration by new residents is a key part of this success,” continued Mr Tudge.

 The Salvation Army’s National Chief Secretary, Colonel Mark Campbell, says the organisation’s services are open to every person who calls Australia home.

 “Wherever there is human need, we will be there to serve without discrimination,” Colonel Campbell says.

 The Salvation Army, affectionately known as The Salvos, provide a number of important social services for multicultural Australia, which can only be achieved through the continued support of the Australian community.

 “These services include homelessness support, women’s and children’s services, financial counselling through Moneycare, addiction and recovery services, legal assistance through Salvos Legal Humanitarian, English classes and many more,” Colonel Campbell says.

 “We are urging the Australian community to dig deep to support this year’s Red Shield Appeal. It is only through the public’s support that The Salvation Army is able to provide a hand up to the most disadvantaged people in our community and give hope where it’s needed most.” 

Australia’s leading independent multicultural marketing agency MultiConnexions is once again partnering with The Salvation Army as the sponsor of this year’s launch. MultiConnexions CEO, Sheba Nandkeolyar, is proud of the long-standing relationship the company has built with The Salvation Army to support its work across Australia. Sheba believes that just as multicultural audiences are proud of their country of birth, they are also proud that Australia has provided them with a new beginning and look forward to opportunities where they can contribute back.

 Mr. Joseph Assaf, Chairman of Ethnic Business Awards and staunch supporter of The Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal for over twenty years said, “The support The Salvation Army gives disadvantaged Australians, including those from multicultural communities, is very valuable and important. I encourage everyone to volunteer for this year’s doorknock and donate.”

 To volunteer for this year’s Red Shield Appeal doorknock weekend, please call 13 SALVOS (13 72 58) or register online atsalvos.org.au.

You can donate to the Red Shield Appeal by calling 13 SALVOS (13 72 58), online at salvos.org.au, in person at any Westpac branch or Salvos Store, or by posting your cheque to PO Box 9888 in your capital city.

New Delhi (Rohini Singh of The Wire): In a hitherto undisclosed business deal that took place after he joined the Narendra Modi government as minister, senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal sold the entire stock of a privately held company he and his wife owned, at nearly 1000 times the face value, to a group firm owned by Ajay Piramal – a billionaire with substantial interests in the infrastructure sector including power.

The sale took place in September 2014, after Goyal had been a minister for four months.

The transaction is of questionable propriety because neither Goyal’s ownership of the company – Flashnet Info Solutions (India)  Private Limited – nor its subsequent sale appears to find reflection in the mandatory statement of assets and liabilities he made with the Prime Minister’s Office in 2014 and 2015 as a minister in the government.

The sale also invites allegations of conflict of interest and crony capitalism as the Piramal group not only had business interests in power and new and renewable energy but went on to extend its investments in the sectors. At the time of the sale, Goyal was minister of state with independent charge of power, coal and new and renewable energy.

His dealings with the Piramal group is the second instance of Goyal’s proximity to corporate India to come to light in recent weeks. In both cases, the minister has been less than transparent about his business relationships.

Questioned earlier this month about his links to Shirdi Industries – a company he had been a director of till 2010 and that ended up defaulting on loans worth hundreds of crores of rupees in 2014 – Goyal, who is now minister for railways and coal, issued a statement saying that he has had “no relationship with [the company] since the last eight years and is not responsible for their issues.”

What he did not disclose, however, is that he and his wife remained major shareholders of the company even after he resigned as director – and only divested the approximately 4.2% stake they owned via a holding company in 2013, five years after he said he had ended his relationship with Shirdi.

Sold in a flash but PMO in the dark

Goyal and his wife set up Flashnet in 2000 and together they owned 99.9% of the stock in this unlisted company. The BJP leader acknowledged his “shareholding of a controlling nature” in Flashnet in his statutory listing of pecuniary interests filed with the Rajya Sabha secretariat shortly after becoming a member of the upper house in 2010, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

See details in https://thewire.in/political-economy/in-selling-firm-to-piramal-group-as-minister-piyush-goyal-pushes-ethical-boundaries

(The IST News Desk)

The Indian Sub-Continent Times (The IST) published a report about a fund raiser by United Indian Associations (UIA), after seeking clarifications from the then UIA President, Mr John Kennedy. He did not respond to The IST queries. http://www.theistimes.com/funds-collection-goes-awry-thanks-to-uia/

After receiving further calls and queries from many people, enquiring about this fund raiser, The IST sent a few more queries to the current UIA president, Mr Sreeni Pillamarri, and the committee members. The IST still did not receive any response, but a few Telugu community members forwarded UIA press release from a Telugu Whatsapp group, where UIA had posted its press release. UIA Statement Page 1 UIA Statement Page 2 UIA did not have courtesy to send their press release to The IST directly, even though they mentioned The IST report in their press release.

UIA admitted in this press release that the family of Late Mr Ramachandran Gunasekaran did not need funds. UIA agreed to refund the money to the donors, but only if claimed within 2 weeks. If donors did not claim the money, UIA will hold this money with themselves. They talked about the creation of a benevolent fund. There are many issues in this press release.

1. When UIA is acknowledging The IST report about their fund raising in their press release, nothing should have prevented them to respond to the queries from The IST directly.
2. UIA has still not responded to the basic query as to why did they collect funds without establishing the need for this fund raising. In the Whatsapp group created by the community to collaborate in assisting the family of the deceased, people requested everyone to establish the need for financial assistance first before embarking on fund raising, which UIA ignored in their great hurry to collect funds from the community.
3. The IST has copies of the posts in the above-mentioned Whatsapp group. It has a copy of what Mr Rajesh Venkatramaiah from Sewa Australia wrote to Mr John Kennedy. It is clear that Sewa Australia did not want their Logo in UIA flyer, which UIA disseminated to the community via various platforms. Even the picture of the deceased was used in one of the flyers.
4. UIA press release mentioned Sewa Australia and Abhijeet Martand’s fund raising and questioned why The IST did not scrutinise them. From the Whatsapp messages, it is apparent that Sewa Australia did not wish to raise funds and that Mr Martand disclosed fund raising of $800, which he committed to refund, as he knew the donors. The IST firmly believes, as do many community members, that money going into Sewa Australia account and the account associated with Mr Martand must be refunded to the donors. The IST understands that Sewa Australia and Martand are small players in these fund raisings.
5. The financial assistance from Government of India (GOI) to transport the mortal remains of an Indian citizen, as for any other financial assistance programme from GOI, is offered to those who genuinely need the assistance, based on their financial situation.  It is known that GOI has arranged this assistance to many families, which needed this help. It would not make any sense to offer financial assistance for transportation of the mortal remains when the family of the deceased do not need this assistance.
6. UIA must do everything, including putting ads in Indian newspapers and social media to inform donors to facilitate refund of this money. Two weeks is not a sufficient period. Refund process must remain open until all monies have been refunded.
7. UIA’s proposed Benevolent fund is a complex matter.  They had announced a benevolent fund around 2010, when they were supposed to deposit $5000 into that fund. Also, they announced $2 from each ticket sold for their Fair in Olympic Park that year would be going to the benevolent fund. UIA needs to explain the status of their previous benevolent fund.
8. Since the money raised by UIA for the family of the deceased was not needed, there is no justification for this money to stay with UIA. There are better and more accountable platforms where this money can be housed.
9. There are other issues with this fund raising, which include lack of DGR certificate with UIA and UIA’s lack of relevant authority to raise public charity money. This could well be a matter for complaint to the relevant Government agencies, if the money raised in UIA fund raiser is not dealt with in an appropriate and transparent fashion.

The IST understands that there is substantial concern and disquiet about the whole affair. UIA should act immediately to redress the issues.

By Ashok Kumar

While the Karnataka BJP is observing the day as anti-mandate day, in a show of strength, a galaxy of opposition leaders and chief ministers descended in Bengaluru for the swearing in of H. D. Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal(S) as Chief Minister of Karnataka. Chief Ministers of non-BJP states and head of regional parties, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and his son KT Rao, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati, DMK’s Stalin and actor-politician Kamal Haasan also attended the swearing-in ceremony as a prelude to Opposition Unity. This and the fact that with major allies deserting BJP, the prospects of 2019 elections is becoming a big worry for Shah and Modi.

A huge podium was erected in front of the Vidhan Souda for the swearing in where all the non- BJP Opposition leaders had gathered in a show of unity. All old foes were friends today, one could see Mayawati ,Akhilesh Yadav and Sitaram Yechury along with Mamata Banerjee sharing the dais and exchanging greetings.

While H. D.  Kumaraswamy of JD(S) – Congress combine has formed the Government in Karnataka, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is twiddling its thumb after the ignominious resignation by Chief Minister B.S.Yeddyurappa having failed to gather the required numbers to secure majority. The BJP is still hoping for some miracle to happen. It is reported that in the new arrangement, Karnataka Congress leader Mr. G. Parameswara has been sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister. None of the MLAs, both from the Congress and JD(S) was present at the swearing ceremony as they had been lodged in hotel rooms to thwart any horse-trading attempts by the BJP.

BJP’s stand throughout this drama has been that the party secured maximum seats and should be invited to form Government. Thanks to the Governor Mr. Vajubhai Vala the party did form the Government with a period of 15 days’ time to prove majority which the Chief Minister Yeddyurappa failed to muster. Yeddyurappa, as a saving grace, refused a floor test as directed by the Supreme Court of India and resigned. The Supreme Court cut short the time to seek majority from 15 days to 2 days. This has exposed the diabolic politics of the ruling party.

Though the BJP gained from 40 to 104 seats, the Congress lost seats from 122 to just 78. But Congress made a smart move to enter into a post-poll alliance with the JD(S) that had only 38 seats and offered JD (S) the chief ministership leaving BJP gasping for breath. The combine staked the claim but that claim was overlooked. This is not about numbers that gives Congress an upper hand but because the smartness it has shown in forming a post-poll alliance with JD(S) to stake claim to form government. And, what followed was the firmness by the combine not to allow its MLAs to be bought thereby reducing BJP to be a mere spectator.

It may be mentioned here that the Governor had been a BJP MLA in Gujarat earlier and had to oblige his masters and gave enough rope to Yeddyurappa to form the Government. But Supreme Court had other plans and cut short this period to only two days thereby closing all doors for Yeddyurappa to indulge in horse-trading. This was evident from the fact that unrepentant BJP supremo Amit Shah made a public statement that had the Cong-JD(S) combine not ‘imprisoned’ their MLAs, the BJP would have formed the government in Karnataka implying that horse trading was imminent. Even till the end BJP supporters and speakers during the TV debates were emphasising that Congress had lost the election and Yeddyurappa would form the government.

In similar situation in Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya, the Governor there did not invite the single largest party (Congress) but asked a combination of parties led by BJP to form the government. But in Karnataka, the rules were reversed.

(The fact that Congress and JD(S) MLAs did not defect despite the swearing in of Yeddyurappa made Shah and Modi worry. Says a senior BJP leader, “The way we are going, we have almost become radioactive for allies. Just imagine, Shah deployed unlimited resources and even used the central agencies to issue threats and yet a tiny regional party did not yield, adds thewire.in”).

It may be recalled that when Yeddyurappa was the chief minister in BJP government in Karnataka, the party had resigned in the wake of corruption charges in the mining scam and  revived his Karnataka Janata Party in 2012. Now, the same BJP made him party’s chief minister candidate. Yeddyurappa is now reportedly headed for a role in party’s “Margdarshak Mandal”. But, he gives Cong- JD(s) govt just three months’ time. The Congress has now realised that if they had formed the alliance with the JD(S) earlier, they could have swept the polls.

With all ended and dusted nobody had expected the Governor politics in Karnataka, Goa, Manipur and Meghalya from the big-wigs of the ruling party that suits the party interests instead of following transparent politics.

The IST News Desk

Minister for Multiculturalism Ray Williams and Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Scott Farlow hosted a roundtable in Strathfield last weekend with multicultural community leaders to stamp out racism.

Mr Williams said Luke Foley’s ‘White Flight’ comments were deeply divisive, dangerous and nasty.

“The language he has used is desperate and inflammatory. It goes to the heart of the type of person he really is,” Mr Williams said.

“In NSW there are more than 307 ancestries, speaking 215 languages and practice 146 religions. The Liberal & National Government is committed to supporting multicultural communities and maintaining social harmony.”

More than 40 community leaders attended the meeting and appreciated the NSW Government’s support for diverse communities.

Mr Farlow said the Liberal & National party will not tolerate racism.

“It’s time for Labor MPs, like the Member for Strathfield, to stand up for their communities and condemn Luke Foley,” said Mr Farlow.

“Our greatest asset as a state and as a nation is our people. Strathfield is home to a number of community groups who live harmoniously together including Chinese, Korean, Indian and Italians.”

The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is committed to maintaining and enhancing our culturally cohesive society. This has been done by:

• Building the schools, hospitals, roads and rail lines through our record $80 billion infrastructure program;
• Hiring more than 10,000 additional frontline nurses, teachers and police;
• Committing $10.9 million to Community Language Schools;
• Investing $23 million towards multicultural programs including our Community in Partnership interpretation services and local community grants;
• Introducing the Premier’s Harmony Dinner, of which 1,400 people attend;
• Supporting major festivals, including Parramasala, Chinese New Year, Diwali and we will soon host the Premier’s Iftar Dinner.

Movie review by Ashok Kumar

Marc Turtletaub  (of Little Miss Sunshine fame) directed Puzzle  premiered in Australia at the Sydney Film Festival stars Kelly Macdonald as Agnes and Bollywood super star, Irrfan Khan (Lunch Box SFF2016) as Robert, David Denman as Louie and Austin Abrams is a story about a housewife with two grown up kids discovers her talent  for solving jigsaw puzzles and which draws her closer to new world. She gets in touch with Robert (Irrfan), a champion, who was looking for a partner to play at a Puzzle championship and both discover that they are made for each other. They fall in love and chart a new life.

Agnes is very straightforward and admits to having sex with her puzzle friend to her husband, Louie (David Denman). On a similar theme, Puzzle finds a parallel in Bollywood’s  1966 film ‘Guide’ where a neglected married dancer finds love in a tourist guide, after her husband shows no interest in her and later start living together. In Puzzle too , Louie shows least interest in puzzle playing and Agnes finds her voice after getting close to her new love interest, a Puzzle champion.

While ‘Guide’ is full of songs and dances, Puzzle revolves around just one song ‘Ave Maria’. Puzzle is a remake of 2010 Argentine of the same name, while Guide is based on R.K Narayan’s novel

Agnes in her late forties is first introduced as she prepares meticulously for a birthday party in her home, a modest row house that hasn’t been decorated since the 1970s, when it belonged to Agnes’ parents. She vacuums, straightens knickknacks and bakes a cake, then serves all the guests drinks and snacks, waiting hand and foot on her husband Louie and full-grown sons Ziggy (Bubba Weiler) and Gabe (Austin Abrams). It’s only when she brings out the cake with lit candles and the guests sing “Happy birthday, dear Agnes!” do we realize she’s the birthday girl as well as the hostess, caterer and cleaner.

Robert is so infatuated that he begins to call Agnes as Maria after listening to the song ‘Ave Maria’ and she shows her liking to be called Maria. Dustin O’Halloran’s music is catchy. MacDonald gives a subdued performance and expresses the upheavals in her life remarkably well. Puzzle is cute film worth watching

(By Ashok and Sanghmitra Kumar)

Straight from the hustle bustle of Cannes into the winter morning of Sydney for the premier of her second directorial venture “Manto”, Nandita Das overcame time difference and the jetlag to sit prepared for the interview.

( The IST): Thank you very much for your time to speak with The Indian Sub Continent Times. Hope you’re having a comfortable stay in Sydney.

(Nandita):  Yes, Thanks

I would like to weave our conversation today around you as a director, you as an actor and you as an activist.

(The IST):  Saadat Hasan Manto was known to be a progressive, bold and practical writer. On one hand he was praised by the critics to write about truths of life which usually writers wouldn’t dare to speak of and on the other hand many found him obscene. So what drew you towards Manto that you decided to direct a film on him? Especially considering that he had decided to migrate to Pakistan during the partition

(Nandita):  when I was in college, I saw a play on Manto at the Sriram Centre, New Delhi . I was so impressed that I bought a full collection (five volumes) of Manto’s works that is in Devanagri (Hindi) script from a nearby Book store. I read most of them and thought of making a film on him. I read most of his short stories. It was in 2012 on his birth centenary celebration a collection of his works came out in English “Why I write” that I found him very interesting.. My father Jatin Das is lot like Manto. He  is a painter and he liked his writings Manto, at times misunderstood. My father never worked for money, he would say ‘love what you do and do what you love.’  Sometimes I feel that I grew up with a person who is at times so idealistic, so rude and so misunderstood. I thought there should be a film on Manto.

(The IST) Initially you were to cast Irrfan Khan as Manto; however that didn’t seem to work out. What was the reason and how do you now feel about casting Nawazuddin?

(Nandita) No never, someone else also asked me the same thing, Irrfan was not my mind but he is a good actor. Nawaz was always my choice. Once I met him at Cannes and I told him about the project. I considered Nawaz because like Manto he is also very short-tempered, he had a similar glint in his eyes, very grounded and had great sense of humour. I did a lot of research and Nawaz closely fitted into the role of Manto.

(The IST): Firaaq was based on the aftermath of the Gujarat violence in 2002. Manto was best known for his stories about the partition. Do you fear a backlash or criticism with the current political scene of the country?

(Nandita): They both had a similar socio-political backdrop. In both the cases, I am not a trained film-maker, I never assisted anybody, I watch very few films. I wrote both the stories, I just felt a deep desire to tell them (People).I am not a writer I am a writer by default. It was not like oh, let me be the director, let me look for a script. It didn’t happen like that. Like Manto use to say, “Main Afsana nahin likhta, Afsana mujhe likhta hai.” (I don’t write stories but stories write me) Something similar happened to me and that’s how I began writing. So for me tragedies, discrimination, how we divide ourselves in the name of religion, these kind of issues, fear, emotions are up on my mind. These kinds of stories are very important to me and that’s how Firaaq was born. The Gujarat violence happened and it was deeply disturbing, that’s when we saw visual after 24 hour channels began. It was not just seeing photographs in news papers but seeing the visuals that disturbed us. It came to our mind that we are dividing people in the name of religion. Like partition we keep on invoking even after 70 years, it has impacted our lives, for me it was more of Manto who spoke of the orthodoxy, who had the moral courage to tell the truth, I felt a good way to respond to what’s happening today. We live in times of much camouflaged kind of lives. The fire of truth we don’t celebrate any more.  It’s again dividing line in our film line some people will agree with me some will not.

(The IST): There was a Pakistani film on Manto made by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat in 2015. How is your film different to his?

(Nandita): It’s very different. He dwells on his short stories and then his life while I start with his life with a little glimpse of his short stories. His film begins from where my film ends. He has taken last three years while I have taken 1946 to 1950. A Lot different in content and treatment but the fact remains the protagonist remains the same. Manto had such a short life but there are so many aspect of his life that I feel I could have made a hundred part series, he deserves that much.

(The IST): Writers like Manto and Ismat Chugtai were known to be ahead of their times (as a part of the Progressive Writers’ Association), yet the current generation knows very little of them. What are your thoughts about this situation? Do you feel that commercial cinema can adopt their stories and pass them on to the current and future generations?

(Nandita): Yes, Manto and Ismat were very ahead of their times. Tomorrow if you see a 70 years old setting, we are grappling with the same issues whether it is identity or whether it is freedom of expression, lot of it is very similar, they both addressed the timeless issues that’s why their stories. In the western world there would have been a lot more, in our country, the decision makers are mostly English speaking people relying on translations that are not good enough. Now, we have and are will have more.

(The IST): Since you have written the story, according to you which period of Manto will you term as the golden period?

(Nandita):  I think the time in India; he was given a great amount of respect. Even he used to say don’t call me an Indian or Pakistani writer I am a Bombay writer. I don’t know the whole country how can I claim to be Indian writer and know Pakistan even less. In Bombay, whether you are rich or poor the city never asks questions, Bombay embraces all. He was very sad to leave Bombay. He was a very sensitive man and his decision to leave for Pakistan was on an impulse. But in Lahore, some of his greatest works were written there

(The IST): You’ve cast Nawazuddin, Tahir Raj Bhasin and even Rishi Kapoor – all mainstream commercial Hindi Cinema actors yet you seem to stay away from commercial cinema yourself as an actor – any particular reason?

(Nandita): Well there are many eminent actors in the film you’ll be surprised to see. I was not exposed to main stream cinema and my parents never saw films. It all happened by default, it’s not by design. I did films that were with more conviction. I did some main stream cinema like I did Aksh with Amitabh Bachchan, Pita with Sanjay Dutt  and with Om Prakash Mehra.  I don’t relate to it much, it’s not my cup of tea.  There are a lot of good actors like Rishi Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Gurdas Man all have done main stream cinema. If somebody tell me to do a cameo I’ll do it.

(The IST Do you feel parallel cinema or art cinema has diminished in India? Nowadays, people say they make “low budget films”. Do you think that’s a good thing or bad?

(Nandita): I won’t say diminished but shrunk a lot. Despite the fact that we have multiplex cinema, despite the digital cinema, the commerce always interferes with art. You require lots of money and an independent film maker is not able to raise enough money, because after making the film, there is advertising, marketing to deal with. Independent cinema struggles to make films, there is no level playing field. Independent cinema is still not there where it should be. A low budget  or high budget doesn’t make film good or bad. There are some very small film  not only in India but the world over they are well performed and very well made. Budget doesn’t decide a good film or bad film. As a viewer, I would like to see a good film whether it is low budget or big budget film. There are very small budget film makers who have very interesting stories to tell and don’t require big budget.

(The IST): In 2011 you were honoured with the French Government’s Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. In 2009 they had released a stamp featuring you. Do you feel that your work hasn’t been given the same honour and recognition in India?

(Nandita): I am an actor by accident  and now a director; it remains a passion. I don’t work for accolades or awards. They remain as an interest, you do your work as a compulsion to share your work. If my country recognises its good, if they don’t that’s fine too, I am happy with the story. I am not a mainstream cinema star, my credibility of 22 years is there. That’s not what I am aspiring for either. Outside India, people who have interest in Hindi cinema know about it.

(The IST):  You have a Master’s degree in Social Work and in the past have also supported many campaigns. Today, the country is undergoing a transformative phase where many revolutions are slowly coming about. Are you currently involved in any campaigns or projects?

Nandita: I am not a social advocate but I do support a lot of campaigns, support a lot of organisations, issues of women, issues of children, issues of discrimination or prejudice. There was a campaign Dark is beautiful in India there is a lot of obsession with the light skin and that has taken a lot of esteem from the other young women. I do a monthly column for e trade in The week, I write for Outlook magazine, I do lend my voice whenever possible and do talks in colleges and schools.

(The IST): I am sure the audience would love to watch more of you on screen and even off screen. Do you have any other projects, as actor/director, in the pipeline.

Nandita:Whether I am not making films, I am still busy with lots of things and there is no project in mind. I have not focussed on it as yet. I am the chairperson of the Children’s Film Society, honorary work that I am taking seriously besides I am a mother and raising child is not easy.

(The IST): Thank you very much for your time, Nandita.

(Nandita): Thanks

In May 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power and four years later it is not able to protect its seats in the by-elections. Its disenchanted allies have begun to desert the alliance. On the other hand, the opposition has been gaining in seats as well as strength.  It may be noted that BJP strength in Lok Sabha has fallen from 282 to 273 just one seat more than the half way mark.

The show of opposition strength was displayed at the swearing in of H D Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. All the bigwigs of the Opposition such as Mamata Banerjee, Sitaram Yechuri, Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, Ajit Singh, one-time ally of BJP Chandrababu Naidu, D Raja and Tejaswi Yadav set aside their differences and set up the challenge to the BJP.

The election to the Karnataka Assembly was marred by BJP’s poor game plan to wrest power.  It staked claim to form government by virtue of being the single largest party in the elections winning 104 seats whereas the Congress could not emulate its last assembly election results where it was the single largest party. The Congress could muster 78 seats and counting.  But it smartly allied with Janata Dal (S) with 38 seats to stake claim to form Government.

It may be recalled that BJP in three states namely Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya was in similar position but formed governments by allying with other parties while the single largest party in these states was Congress. The Governor in all these states played very crucial role in formation of the governments. It goes without mentioning that the Governors in these states were former members of BJP. In case of Karnataka, the Governor  Vajubhai Vala first accepted BJP claim and gave enough rope to break the opposition and prove majority. But the opposition played smart and kept its members away from the sight of the BJP. And, the result was its failure to muster the required numbers.  The Governor, left with no option was forced to invite Congress-JD(S) alliance to form Government.

There are several reasons for this debacle:

1. The youth are in the age group of 18-30 and they are shunned from its roots and historical legacies such as freedom movements, thereby becoming more vulnerable to any irrational , illogical and jingoistic ideas,
2. Parochial nationalism,
3. Millions of dismayed unemployed youth

When the party came to power, the people were promised jobs but people are still waiting for that promise to be fulfilled. The unemployment has risen to over a million with another million losing employment.

1. No idea of societal change,
2. Passed a bill on foreign funding of political parties
3. Biased media
4. Digitalisation
5. Institutional breakdown such as bureaucratic support
6. Biased Election Commission
7. Promised a lot at election time but failed to deliver
8. Foreign policy failure
9. Banks in the red
10. demonetisation
11. GST
12. Party looking with closed eyes