2014-12 Perth

With a perfect match of city style and natural beauty. Auckland really is the ideal backdrop for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. In fact, with four games i ncluding a Semi -Final, plus attractions, activities and stunning scenery so close to the heart of the city, you could say Auckland is the ultimate all - rounder. Discover how you can be part of the action at aucklandnz.com/cwc2015 Auckland. A great place to play.

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Travel safe, travel well

somethi ng whi ch t h ey may h ave to g ive up if t hey are encouraged to m igrate to a new country and set up b rand new social str u ctures

About this ti m e the sup p ly an d demand equa ti o n for fl igh ts to India changes: demand far exceeds supply as m ost Indian Australia n s start their an nual pilgrimage to In dia. While it will no doubt be an in v al uable o p portun ity to ca tch up with friend s and famil y, here are a few observatio n s of what to expect as you 'go back to w here you caine &om '.

On a people- to -people b asis, those who have e lderly p aren ts w ill experience a surge of guilt for aban doning them in India while they d1e m selves live so fa r away. T hey w ill look at o p tions t o h ave them jo in them in Australia , and so, the re will be much Googling to l ook at governme n t r u les and regula tion Bm p erhaps it will be worth l ookin g at d 1e re ali ty of it all, and un dersra n ding whethe r the mum s a nd dads are happy in d1eir current netwo r k o f friends and relatives an d w ith d1eir in depe nd enc e,

There w ill b e m u ch socialising with frie nd s who, since I ndia opened up its ec o no m y in 1991, h ave now establ ished themselves well in the fi nancial fabric of d1e e cono m y While d1ese frie n ds may be fairl y well set, the ir c hildre n may well be gettin g educated in the UK or in t he US, as the de ma nd fo r goo d educ ation far exc eeds supply of quali ty institutions.

The n , ther e w ill be t h e health issues which one w ill invari ably c ome across

For m iddl e class Ind ia , there is ready avail a bility of alcohol and, wid1 m oney at b an d a nd li m ited en tertainm ent oppornmi ties, booze d oes ten d to figure large in the lives o f co n te m porary urb an India n s.

The traffic, o f course, will n ot only b e differen t to what you experi ence in Australia , but al so ch anged from t he last tim e you visited. The in frastr ucn 1re i n I n dia still needs to catch up with t he explosio n in various type of vehicles - be it the cars ot the two wheel s cooters or the buses

There will b e robust debate about d1e n ew Modi governm ent O n t he o n e

han d there wi!J be t hose w h o a re wo rried about d1e e m ergen ce of a single religiondomi n ate d pa r ty and w hat it can do fo r other mino r ities of the country; there will be others who feel that it's time to have a d ifferent government in power who c an take fi rm reins of t he country. T h e p a ssio n of poli tics, fu e ll ed by a couple of drinks, will definitely feature in the discu ssion s. And yes, ther e w ill be th e inevita b le disc ussion about the boomin g p r operty prices and the sc ourge of black mon ey a n d corruption

Australia will fean1re s trongly during your sojourn in India. Cri cket will be in seaso n , desp ite the loss of young c ricketer Phillip H ug h es, an d as D honi, Kohli an d the boys b attle it out with C larke, \\'Tarner and Joh n son , chances are you will see a fair bi t of Aus tralia in li ving rooms aroun d In dia. And for sure, you will be asked why they like Modi so much in Oz

\X1ell, d1at\ your curtain-raiser to yo ur upcoming t rip to I n dia! Regardless, t he beauty of a holi day to India is that it will always keep the connection alive w ith the home cou ntry

For those o:,welling, travel safe and m ay this holid ay be a m emorabl e one for you and yours

PM Modi's inspires selfless charity

0n Monday 17 November, it was inspiring to listen to the honourable PM Modi on radio during the news I am inspired to again attempt to convey a message to the PMO, Union Health Minister and Health Secretary

India's public hospitals are 'sick'; poor designs, construction, maintenance, neglect of vital biomedi cal equipment, no preventative maintenance Hospital engineering and h igh-tech micro speciality in public health has been completely neglected A lot can be learned from Australia

I have offered honorary ser vices to the Ministry of Health for implementing the following two expert reports, - Padma Vibhushan P.L Ver ma, expert committee and Padma Vibhushan R.N Gongoli committee

The UPA Government was guilty of ignoring these recommendations and hence the health care infrastructure is suffering badly in India Current structures \are the source of inefficiency and corruption Innovative models have been recommended by the expert committees and applauded by the WHO

I request your order as an honorary advi sor (hospital engineering) to MOH and Member of SEC of AIIMS and PGI. The need is to act and not waste more time in ruining the engi n eering system I request again action My mission is to die i n the ser vice of patients, h ence claimi n g no salary

What PM Modi's visit means to Australia

Iwas privilege to be one of the attendees at PM Modi's address at All Phon es Arena in Sydney It was g reat to see an Indian PM fina lly realised the importance of connecting with the Indian d i aspora in Australia after 28 years Indians residing abroad have a deep cultu ral and emotiona l bond with their motherland and the response from them was nothing short of extraordinary Why do Indi ans love Modi, both in abroad and lndia?The answer to this is fairly straightforward, expectations PM Modi even acknowledged this in his address Indians ate an optimistic lot and this optimism has led to their phenomenal success all over the world This hope and optimism has been rei gnited by the phenomenal mandate Modi and his pa rty received in M ay this year after the dubious stint by the incumbent government.

visa corp @

Professional Assessment and Visa Strategy

PM Modi has been very well received by world leaders and in particul ar PM

Tony Abbott Austral ia has realised the importance of rising India as an economic powerhouse, and they ca n not let this opportunity go by when their own economy is in a bad shape - esp ecially seeing Austral i a's dependence on China

This is a not only a great diplomatic win for PM Modi but an even greater diplomatic win for PM Abbott Economy and employment are r ight at the top of PM Abbott's agenda, and his party's future is hanging on an economic recovery

Australia is one of the b iggest exporters of mineral resources to the world and in particular China Th e Australian economy is too heavily ba lanced on t h e mining boom and wit h the slowdown in Ch ina, the demand for Australian ir on ore and other resources has declined There has been a 40 p er cent drop in iron o re prices in the past six months alone

PM Modi has a t rill ion dollar i nfrastructure plan for India and Australia sees itself as a major beneficiary of that investment. It would be a win-w in situation for both India and Australia to continue to cooperate with each other and be economic partners in the Asi a Pacific region

Austral ia is p rimaril y an export-based economy and w ill conti n ue to be so given its vast mineral resources The Austral i an government will be expecting infrastructure stimul us in Asia, in particula r Indi a, which increases the demand for mineral resources

Another key area of cooperation is the energy security of over a billion peop le in India The Modi government is keen on renewable energy sources such as solar, wi n d and nuclear energy to satisfy the energy needs of India Australia is a key partner due to the expected Civil Nuclea r deal to exp ort high grade urani um to India

Another key area of cooperation is skill export to Austral i a as India's demographic and workforce can be used as human resources for the world Austral ia needs to open up thei r immi gration policies to selectivel y seek skills which they can get from India

We as immigrants should continue to i nvest in India in the form ofremitta nces and be a pa rt of t he growth stor y Global re m ittance is 430 b illion dollars of which India receives over 70 billion dollars Th is rem ittance can furthe r be increased ifthe Modi government takes effective steps to reduce the per transaction remittance cost.

Austra lia and India are both stable regimes with a common set of values and democrati c setup The time i s ripe for them to move this cooperation to the next level and remove the notion of any geop olitical comp ulsions

We as the Indian community should conti nue to work as a link to support and enhance th i s relations hip going forward As they say, there i s no better time than now!

Despite his success in the big smoke, Phillip Hugh es never Jost his country kid charm

Ihave been trying to delve deep to find some reason s why the h igh ly tragic and ridiculous ly premature death of Phillip Hughes has touched u s all so much Frankly, I struggle co articulate the reasons. All I have is some theories and the anecd otal evidence o f conversa tions wi th fr iend s in cricket and outside.

So, what sort of bloke was he?

1 met him when h e was almost 18 and had come to the big sm oke (Sydney), a few months prio r, to work on his cricket. His mentor and coach, Neil D 'Costa wanted me to meet him an d we spent a most pleasant three hours over di1111e r at Abh i's in Strathfield, shooting the breeze.

Neil D'Cosca had been talking him up as the Next Big Thing, and given that eil had delivered Michael C larke to this country, who could doubt him?

Phillip was respectful, a keen listener a nd politely cook in all the u n solicited ad vice and "insights" I thought I was obliged to give him, given what Neil must have told him! I was impressed as he was a warm, cheerful country kid who, as per h is coach, had a fo rmidable work ethic combined wi d1 an appetite fo r batting fo r long periods o f tim e.

When we get paid for something we would do fo r free, ic is never more d1an a hobby a nd I sensed chat cricket was me rely a game fo r Phillip and he was surprised char he could make a motza out of his magnificent o b session - batti ng.

Subsequently, I saw him around at the cricket and he always came up to bave a yarn or chin- wag (a quality few cr icketers have!) He clid not have to do this After all, he was in tbe middle of some se r ious cricket for bis country, and occasio na!Jy even bis place in the team was in jeopardy, but ic always seemed to be just a game to him and he was still very much the warm, joyous, unspoilt counu-y kid

Ou Australia D ay in 2009, Phil generously came to the Reg

Barcley Oval, Rushcutters Bay, at m y request for an LB\Xf Trust charity fundraiser - a cricket match. He s tayed for a couple o f hours, spo ke to hundreds of supporte r s and refused to even let me get him a taxi back h ome

Our Directors were all fra n kly asto ni shed to see a cricketer behave in su ch an. unassuming, modest and heart-warming manner.

Everyone knows about his rather unique and highly unortl10dox batting techni q ue Howeve r, despite this (or is it because of ic?) he was able to score a prodigious amount of runs in all forms of the ga me.

I chink he had worked it out chat cbou gh the critics, o ld timers, coaches, journalists a n d d1e public had an opinion o n his technique, he would be most successful if he ignored their advice and continued to have faith in what had worked for him, rather than tinker with i t and tempt fate.

Nevertheless, he p u t in the hard slog and made min or adjustments, working unsparingl y with Neil D'Cosca.

He even sought our Sachin Tendull<at, by specia!Jy visi ting l ndia in the off- sea so n , co seek his counsel on improving his game. Sachin was absolutel y touched.

Io September 201 0, when he was wan ting to travel to Inclia direc tly from London, he contacted me in a desperate rush to seek my help in obtaining his visa. Ge n eral ly, every countr y requires visa applicants to lodge their applications in thei r country of residence. To the credit of Inclia's Foreign Service, they went out of their way and obliged Phil in a trice. To his g reat delight he was able to make ic for the start of the Australian cricket team's tour of Inclia, at very short notice.

My l ast memor y of Phillip is bump ing in to him in February 2013, at the team hotel, tl1e Taj Coromandel i n l'vfadras. I was

going out to clinner and he was going back up to h is room after having already eaten. We bad a nice chat near the eleva tor. The Australians had a rough day on the field, but that was not at alJ obvious when we were talking T ypical of the bloke, I tho ug ht.

And now, here we are, mourning a gentle soul, so crue!Jy snatched from our midst, in t he very prime of bis life. The only co n sol ation is d1a t he went whilst indulging in bis passion.

Phillip Hughes was a laconic, humble, generous, uncomplaining, unspoilt character who did not have tickets on himself. He was a. p leasure to be in the company of He had a ioie de vivre abou t bim He had a committnent to exceU ence, and worked tirelessl y to iron o ut d1e fla\VS in his gam e These were all extremely endearing qualities that everyone could recognise and admired in him.

Australia, and I dare say, the

Phillip even sought ou t Sachin Tendu lkar to seek his coun sel on improving his game

My last memory of Philli p is bumping into hi m in February 2013, at Taj Coromandel, the team hotel, in Mad ras We had a nice chat near t he elevator The Austra lians had a roug h day on t he field, but that was not at all obvious when we were ta lking.

Typica I of the bloke, I thought

world, is a much poorer pl ace for his absence.

He will certainly be starring in the Elysian Fields RIP, Hughesy. You truly, mad ly, deeply touched us.

Dm·shak Mehta is Chaimian of 1he L BW Trust. 1he Learning fo1· a Bette,· World Trust (www lbwtrust.com au) is a cricketfocused charity which provides tertiary education to over 1000 students in 7 developing, cricket playing countries, including over 500 students in India alone.

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The passing of Phillip Hughes resonates at an unprecedented level

It is manifestly unfair that r,vo yo ung lives should be forever intertwined in sudi tragic circumstances. Phillip Joel HL1ghes was the 25-yearold countr y boy who sca led the heights of the cricketing world, broke several records along the way, and responded to the crushing lows of multiple demotions in the ooly way he knew how - by piling on the runs. Sea n Anthony Abb ott is the 22 -year- o ld from Western Sydney w ho only recently made h is rise to the cop and remai ns a significant figure in Au stralia's lim itless p oo l of talented fast bowlers. It is heartbreaking that only one of them can continue h is jo urney; and farther heartbreaking still, that significant obsta cl es now lie in his path.

Whe n Hughes was struck with what wou ld eventually be a fatal deliver,~ his mother and sister were watching on in tbe stand s at tlie Sydney Cricket Ground, the scen e of several of his m ost treasured m oments. As he paused and lean ed on h is knees for a few seconds, appearing winded and dazed at worst, it would not have been in th eir - or anyone's - wildest contemplation that events would then take such a devastating turn.

As he fell forward unrestrained , his head collicling witli his beloved and forme r home turf, the shockwaves would have been especially chilli.ng for his devoted famil y as they helplessly watched o n. It was at tl1is point, as his former NSW teamma te s st arted fran tically calling for an ambulance, as hardened Baggy

Green veterans David Warner and Brad Hadel.in grew increasingly disturbed and d.istraught, and as the desperately tiolucky Abbott cradled the head of the batsman w hom he felled, that di e grnv.ity of the impact became clear.

Even as it stood then, cricket would never be the same. But d1e passing of Hughes just two days late r has ramifica tions that w ill be more far-reaching dian previous ly imaginable, even though Hughes is not t he first cricketer to die fro m injuries s ustained o n a cricket field. That list is s ignificant, the m ost recognisable name bein g forme r lnd.ian test cricketer Raman Lamba, who d.ied after being struck by the ball while _fielding at short leg

Hughe~'s passing resonates INDIANLINK

at an unprecedented level for several reasons. He is the fi r st Test batsman to d.ie from a b low sustained while barring - wi th or wi d10ut a helmet.

In ove r 135 years of test cric ket, there is no record of such an even t. His passing also casts significa n t doubt over the trust placed by today's bats men .in their protective equipment; in die modern era, batsmen fea.rless.Iy attempt shots in full reliance o n the fact tliat if t hey get it wron g, they face bruising or, at worst, a fractu re. I.n adclirion, g iven A bbo tt's youth and the fact that the .incident occurred in a domestic game, bowlers a n d batsmen across di e cmmtry at all level s will now have second thoughts about bowling and p laying bouncers respectively There have b een the inevitab le

calls for bouncers to be ou d awed. But as described by die bead of trauma surgery at Sydn ey's St Vincent's Hospital where Hughes was treated, Hughes's injury, whi le "catastrophic", was "ve ry rare and very freakish" So much so, that the inj trry Hughes sustained- a vertebral artery dissection lead.ing to s ubarachnoid haemorcliagehad never before been seen at the hospital, with only 100 cases ever reported worldw id e.

It was an increclibl y unlikely combination of so man y fac tots: the pace of the p itch , the level of wear and tear on the ball, the relative fatig ue levels of bQ[h batsman and bowler, Hughes's search for quick ru n s and even die rain- free week lead ing up to the match. U nequivocall y, it was noone's fault.

The bo uncer has perennially been a part of die game, a vital weapon at die bowler's disposal. It is n ot devised to hurt di e b atsman: it pushes the bats man back, induces uncertain footwork and false strokes. Until the recent resurgence of fast bowling, there was even an unspoken code between fast b owle rs n ot to bowl b ouncers at l esser bats men.

If any positive can come our

of such a tragic situation - as is often the case - .i t is clialogue and h umanity.

There are many areas to add ress. An inquir y into the adequacy of helmets that fail to add ress the most gla ring deficiencies in th e human shill is paramount. The incident reignites the debate regarding cricket's lo n gtime disregard for a concussion rule. lmportan dy, a review must be conducted .into absurdl y dangerous television segments on programs s uch as the C,icket Sho)I) and the promotion of dangerous conduct on the cricket field.

In a now infamous televisi on stunt, Brett Lee furious ly hurled 150 km/h bowicers at English TV host Piers Morgan in Januar y, clearl y aiming co in;ure him , unde r the g uise of (in Lee's own wotds) "educating'' t he public. Althou gh Lee bas expressed u.nderstandab le grjef at Hnghes's passing, Lee's, and Channel 9's, w illingness m risk a man's life in a sadistic pursuit of viewe rship must be closely scrutinised.

However, it is the quintessentially human e lements of die accident, rather t han public debate and policy reform, that will shape how those closely

affected b y it will emerge. The significant counselling offered to Sean Abbott and odi er crickete r s has been widely reported Cricket Australia's determi na tion to focus en tirely o n Hughes's family and teammates is commendab le, despite the insensitivity of the lnd.ian journalist who as ked, during the first St Vincent's Ho spiral pres s conference, whether the first Test against India would be go ing ahead

And there i s renewed recognition chat "trageclies" in sport - l\{ichael Clarke's torn hamstri n g, Bra dman falling for a duck in hi s final innin gs, Tend u.li<ar failing to reac h a century in h is 200'h Test match - a re so far removed fro m the concept of true tragedy, that diey are inconceivabl y irrelevant

The incident may haunt Abbott forever, but it is w idely acknowledged that Hughe s would be die first to forgive him. An imminent r e,mrn is perhaps unlikely, but the public and Abbott's teamma tes will o pen him w idi welcome and caring arms when he r esumes his career.

Phillip J--lugbes was taken from us too soon He will be missed.

RitamMitra

A preview of the cricket season ahead

Ccicket was changed forever l ast mo nth wirh the passing of one of i ts most universally beloved p layers, Phillip Hughes, rwo da ys after he was fatally struck b y a bouncer during a Sheffi eld Shield match ar the Sydney Cricket Ground. Al tho ug h the response ro his death bas b een t mprecedented and heart- warming, wi th a widespread o urp ouring o f grief and support, its full impact on the crfrke t world and the game its elf, fo r the m oment, remain s unclear. There is n o doubt, however, that each an d every match d uring the enormous in tern ational srnnrner that lies ah ead for cricket fans will be dedica ted to Hughes. As hi s family a n d friends have made clear, Hughes wo uld have wan ted the show to go o n , and fo r the n ext b all t o b e bowled; after all , cricket was everything to him. With the memory o f Philli p Hughes in m in d, we take a look at what you can expect from o ne o f the b iggest seaso n s of cricket in m e m ory

Border- Gavaskar Trophy

Matches benveen I nd ia and Australia have grown to b ecome so m e of the most highly

an ti c ipa ted and enthralling encounters, albeit freque ntly one-sided d epending on the h emisphere in which they take place Th is summer, a mun ber of i n teresting side-plots have emerged and they will p lay significant ro les in the way India 's tour un fo ld s

To begin with, it's the first Indian tour do wn under withour at least o n e of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahn! D ravid, VVS Laxman or Sourav Ganguly along since 1991. India 's previo us ly fo rmidable batting line- up - which still failed to win a Test series in Australia in several attempts - has since been replaced wi cl1 a tal.ented b u t u nproven squad including Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sh arm a, A jinkya Rah a ne and Snres h Raina In fact, o nly Virat Kohli bas experienced a Test tonr of Australia as a regular in th e play ing Xl

It w ill b e interestin g to see how tbe fresh Indian batsmen - some o f whom have bistorjcaJly been suscep ti b le to short-pitched b owling - respo nd to the n owknown threat of J',fitc hell J oh n son and company E n gland were a mbu shed by J o hn son: the lCC Cricketer of the Year w ith 37 wickets to him during the Ashes ea rlier this year. U n like E ngla nd , h o , vever, India kn ow wh at to expect.

Captain cy conundrum

Th ere is a good chance th at bo d1 captains wi ll be ruled our of the first Test through in jur y While MS Dh oni ha s already b een c o nfirme d unavai lable, Australia sweats o n

t he fitness of :Michae.1 Clar ke - particularly given the n eed to p ull together a group of p layers still heartbroken at me passing of o n e o f the ir best m ates The good news for Australi a is that Clarke ha s a few precious extra days to prove his fitn ess, due to the rescheduling of the Test series co accomm odate Phil Hughes's funeral in Macksvil.le o n 3 D ecember Ko hli has captained India to an U nd e r- 19 Wo rld Cu p as \Vell as nvin 5-0 OD1 series win s against Sd Lanka and Z imbabwe Captaining India in a Test match against Australia will be an a ltogether different monster mough. Ravi Shastri, India's team director, bas promised that Kohli wi U lead th e team as would a veteran with 20 matches word1 of experience. However, India 's Aedgling bowling a tt ack, the n eed to manage the team's stra tegies

and emotion s in hostile foreign c o n ditions, and I ndi a's h e avy reliance o n KoWi's batting will place an enorm ous am o tmt of pressure o n him. Australia will turn to wic ketkeeper Brad Haddin o r middle-o rd e r batsm an Steve Smith to take the reins Given Australia's extraordinary dept h of fast bowlers and th e familiar hom e co n ditio n s, .losing Dhoni will likel y prove to b e m o re sign ifi ca n t.

The Carlton Mid ODI Tri

Se ri es

Tbe calm before t he sto rm, me tourna m ent between Aus tralia, E n g land and India wi ll be o n e last ch ance for the team s to fine - mne th e ir preparations and finalise t heir squads ahead of the biggest event o n th e cricke t calendar, the I CC World Cup.

Australia's series against South

A fr ica lacked context, but this will be different: t he i mminence of the World Cup, t h e motivation co send a warning to the other teams and th e n eed to develop t he "habit" of winning that elite sporrspeople revere, will all contribute co t he inte nsity of cl1e battle.

A lthough India a n d Australia are the leading favourites for me World Cup, each with ~table sides , India's lo n g tour and Australia's massive summe r may see some fringe players get a chance to break into the p la)~ ng XI

E ng land, meanwhile, are likely to face further emb arrassment on the world stage unless they make full use o f the precious preparation ti.me they h ave bee n granted o n Australian soil.

The World Cup

Th e hype for the I CC World Cup, to be h eld in Australia and New Zeal.and , hasn't ta ken off

yet - there is simply coo much cricket to be played b efore 13 Feb r uary, when matches between New Zealan d a nd Sri Lanka, and Australia an d E n gland, will open the tournament. H owever, ticket sales have been quietly steady, wi cl1 some m atch es selling out sever al mo nths in advance

The 2015 edition of the tou rnam ent is one of t he mo st open in recent m e m ory. Au stralia, w ith an explosive batting line u p, a strong pace attack and home ad vantage, are title favourites, b u t team s suc h as Iodia, South Africa:, ew Zealand a nd the West Indies are all genui n e contenders for the crown As always, a team 's successful campaign may come down to the mental conditioning of the players and the ir ability to lift their intensity during t h e critical mo m ents

The 2014/15 srnmner of cricket pro mises co be a blockbuster affair. T he excitem ent will be palpable a nd we will plar h os t to patriotic r evellers from aro und the world. Bur a tinge of sadness will ooderstandably u nd erpin every moment of elation; Phil Hughes r eminds us th at there is more to it than just a game.

1anme 1a oves

The Indian students' crisis lies all but forgotten by the very people that started it all

Juse ovet five years ago, the Indian media turned its blowtorch on Australia and in one broad brush, painted the country as racist and unsafe for Inclians. With little research or analys is, the attacks on Indian students \Vere loud ly denounced as racist and headline after headline screamed that there was a;ihad against Indians in Australia. That most of tl1e racist claims wer e unfounded and the problems random was soon clear, but tl1e media bad moved on and Australia was another story of the past.

ow six years down the track, tl1e Indian media descended on Australia to report not only o n me G20, but also tl1e great .Modi mega evenc which now seems set to follow the new Indian Prime Minister whenever he goes overseas. If there are over a 100 TV channels in India, it seems more tl1an half were in Australia trying co find that special stor y about Australia and Australians chat could make good co\7erage.

Fortunately, the time difference was such tl1ac the stories filmed in Australia at midday could be telev ised li\7e during the next morning's peak viewing hours. While some TV channels sent only one ere\,~ the anchor and the can1era man, a number sent two crews, one each for their Hindi and English p la tforms

And so, for four days running, viewers in India saw the front of me Allphones Arena, with TV reporters pointing excitedly co the posters behind them of Kacy Perr y who was slated to perform there only days after PM Modi spoke at the venue.

The TV-wallahs were busy scouting for ideas to fill in their time - and no doubt co justify co their bosses in India that their trip was money well spent. This of course allowed a number of Indian Australians to get theLr 15 minutes of fame on Indian televis ion. \'\Thile the Modi event orga nisers had nm up a number of activi ties for them, such as a

visit to Sanskrit schools or a wal k down L ittle Inclia in Harris Park, the visi tors down under wanted their own stories.

One crew spent a few hours on the harbour on tl1e Sydney

Showboat filming the breathtaking cabaret show by the Moulin Rouge girls in their full dance costumes and feather headgear

Weaving these shots through interviews of guests on what they expected from the Modi v isit, would have made for great vis uals no doubt, but we wond er what the staunch Hindu allies of the BJP thought of tl1is.

Another crew got a g roup of local Indians toge ther who recited poems about the Indian Prime Jvlinister.

Another spent a day fil ming at the local radio stud io w ith talkback about the PM Modi visit.

And even as restaurants witl1 a Modi flavour menu were visited, the Australian garbage collection system (w ith cliiferent bins for refuse, recyclable bottles and paper) were exp lain ed to v iewers in India as a supplement to 1vfodi's s1µatch bharat campaign. In fact, by hook or cro o k, the Modi- ficacion of Indian Australians, or of the Australian lifestyle, was grabbing prime time in India.

ot a s ingle TV crew though, decided co relook at the stud ents' issue with a fresh perspective: why did you not hunt clow n Saurabh Sh arma, the MeJbourne youth who was brutally attacked o n a train , and whose CCTV footage yo u aired all -day long on a loop, creating the diplomatic impasse between the two countries that ha s taken ye ars to rebuild? If you had, yo u

would have foun d out that he is happy and health y, and trm7 elled by th e same train at the same time of night each night, l o ng after the inci dent, and that a compassionate Australian dentist actually paid all of his medical costs. Now would that not hav e been a story?

And w hil e all of this \Vas o n, experts were paraded on split screens in India as tl1ey spoke about mutual opportunities between the rwo countries. \"qhil e the concept was good, it was painful to watch so -called experts who bad little idea about ground realities. According to one 'ex pert', there are over 700,000 Indians in Australia currently, and numbers will be up to 1,000,000 in three or four years Sure, inflate the initial number by 40 per cent and be out by over 1 0 years in your analysis, as lon g as tl1e facts do not get in the way of a good sto ry! (Post the event, one 'expert' even claLmed chat arendra J\fodi had staged

the entire Allphones Arena event hin1self by flying planeloacls of peo ple from India co Australia.)

The anchors on India's many news channels threw to their reporters i n Australia fre quentl y, but too often mouthed the \Vords "Indo-A merican relationship" , perhaps by sheer force of habit, instead of "lndo- Australian", and nearly all of them referred to tl1e Anstralian PM as Tony 'Abort'. Let's just hope thi s d oes not translate into -action as far as the renewed relationship bet-ween the two countries is concerned!

Mean while, for I ndi an viewers themselves, the news segments were sometimes ske tch y, and rn a.ny people actually believe that the "Modi Express" is a regular train that n ow runs between Melbourne and Sydney, inaugurated to coincide with i\-focli's vis it.

As for the local JndianAustralians, everyone claimed repeatedJy mat they we re 'excited' about tl1e PM's visit, but failed

co s ay why or to elaborate any further.

But on '.Modi magic Monday', the TV-wallahs clid tbe.ir job well, taking up positions around Allphones Arena as ho rd es of Indian Australian s found their way to the stadium Local media also jo ined in with four channel s - 7, 9, 10 and ABC - also having their teams at the venue. With plenty o f colour and w-ith the clashing of thegarba sticks and the drums and the exub erance of the people, there were some fantastic filming options.

And a s the crowds moved into tl1e arena, the TV crews followed and a lot of Australia beamed its way into the living rooms of India. Friends and fami lies seeing their loved ones from down under on their TV sc reens wer e busy calling up o r Wbats-apping.

Tbe media filled its ro le to inform and entertain and tl1e chest beating about rac ism and stu dent violence were a thing of the past.

Shaping India's destiny

Modi blew us all away. But then, we always knew he would

aving captured the imagination of millions back home with his radical ideas and visionar y beliefs, lndia's charismatic new Prime Minister Narendra Modi aka NaMo, fi n ally touched base with expatriates as Sydney r oiled out the red carpet for ,a rock star reception, uni ting the heterogeneous d ia spora in a show of strength

It was a magical Monday cha t will be etched in our memories forever. Even th e Australian dignitaries gathered on t he o ccasion watc hed o n in awe, lapping up the thunderous applause and freezing the moment wi th their mobile phones.

As I hopped off tbe train at Strathfield en route to All phones Arena, an excited CityRaiJ attendan t let m e through the electronic gates "Yo u m ust be goi ng to meet your Prime Minister," he qui pped.

The h umble chaiwallah's rags -to-riches tale, scripted to perfection, li ke a BolJywood extravaganza, has cleatl y struck a chord with m ore than just the de.rhis and videshis There had been media frenzy all week botb o n tbe domestic and in ternational front Expectations ran high, the mood was electric and Modimania gripped Sydney O lympic Park as 20,000 Indian J\uscralian s congregated to finall y meet the m an himsel f TI1e repercussions were felt far and wide A-11d the sh ow didn't disappoint

The doomsday prophets wer e nowhere to be see n a nd naysayer s wer e clearl y in t h e tninority, drown ed our b y the overw helming exubera nc e.

Tapping into th eir exte n sive r esou rces, the Indian Australian Community Foundation wweiled an impress ive performance. T h e arrangem en ts were impeccab leright from the free shuttle to ticket distribution, crowd management to culmral showcase. A Modi - lied vegetarian menu was u p for g rabs to o in honour of the ceetotalJer A large network of vo lu nteer s ensured the b ig night om unfolded without a glitch.

Every ethnic minority was well represented includ ing the T ibetans and Dawoodi Bohras, conspicuous in their traditional attire and proud to be a part of celebrn.cions Religio u s differences were p ut aside, despite at tempts b y som e sectio n s o f med ia co harp on about unsavoury incid ents of INDIANLINK

the past. India was in t he limelight and nothing else matrered.

Th e euphoria was palpable, risi ng co a crescendo when Mod i finally cook centre stage. And t he g lobal audience listen ed in rapt attention

Much h as been w ritten about h is firebrand rhetoric and consummate showman shi p but what the Allpho n es Arena wimessed on the historic occasion was si.m plicicy of his visio n and genuine desi re to uplift India, quite along the lines of our freedom fighte r s. Hoping to emulate Mahatma Gan dhi and Swami V ivekananda, Modi's grand plan s are fi rmly centred o n usmall" men.

"Many peop le ho ld dreams o f doing man y great jobs. Good luck co chem, what I have co do is small jobs for small er people and [make] the small peop le big, That is what] wa nt to work for," he re iterated

His vision of India is founded on egalitarianism and meritocracy. "\Y/e weren't fo r tunate e n ough co light for the country 's freedom, we didn 't have the good luck to go to jail for India's in depend ence We couldn't die for the country, but at lease we c an live for t he country If we fight, if we struggle, it should be for our country," he further stated passio nate.Iy, whipp ing up the spirit of nationalism for the first time in post-colonial India.

While nuclear p ower, clean

energy and regional security, figure prominently on Mod i's agenda, h is immediate p r iority is a clean India - an India tbat we c an all be proud of. Bo rrowing heavily from our ttadi tional belief tha t cleanliness is next co godliness, Swach Bhuarath Abhfyt1an is not only h is pet p roject , but one that dominated his Sydney address.

"After so man y years of independence, not getting clean drin king water or electricity is something we are n or proud of," the Prime Ministe r admitted witb brutal honesty "Basic sanitation a nd hygiene are pressing issues. If we can make the country clean , it will be the b iggest service for po or people," he continued. ''If you have any feeling to save yo u r cotmtry, then you can clean up the im age clue tbe wotld has of lndia."

Earlier, acknowledging the trad itional own ers of Au stralia, Modi spoke of shared values and common inheritances. O u tlining the e.'ltensive contributions of Indian Australian s to their 'k.ar11M bhoo,m', he complimented thern on their culmre of hard work and dedication

Th e role of the A nglo-Indian legacy in shaping the history of Ausa:alia did n ot go unnoticed ''Australia is a beautiful coun try with bountiful resources, but your biggest asset is yo ur people," he added.

Bur what struck Modi m ost was the dignity of labour '1 have

always admired th is concept. Here, a research sc ientist also works as a cab driver. There is n o shame in hard labour," he noted , saluting th e egalitarian spirit.

Paying trib u te to the strength of democrac y in the two countries, be firmly b e lieves India would once again lea d the world, as a yotmg and energetic nation with "2,500 million arms".

" Democrac y i s a wonde rful concept. I am he re because of Indian democraC )'· Even a common man can climb greater heigh ts in a real d emocracy like India."

Speaking p ersonally to every member of the gatheri ng, he stated "I know many of you too k great interest in tbe Lok Sabha elections o f 2014 I know t bat for you, it was n oc about wh o wins or loses, it was about wanting to know w he n India will become like t he country that you are residing in."

Working closely with the diai,pora, Modi hopes to deliver o n cl1e herculean prom.ises he has Lmdercaken on comrnon 's m an 's be half. To cl1is end, he has alread y begun disman tling bureaucratic red tape and gargantua n hierarchies that have sci fled economic progress.

''Please let us open the window and let some fres h air in Let us b reath e a nd l.ive for the first time and savour the new found freedom," he added poignantly.

An astute leade r, l\fodi is also

acucely aware o f tbe strength of yo uth power and is engaging with them as never befo re

''We want to achieve new heights of development, my dear you ng friends, and India has decided to concentrate on the you ng people," he highlighted "On the confidence of t h eir talent, on the confidence of their capacity, cl1ey would become compete n t co help the whole world l wish tbat cl1e who le world should come to India. The manu facm.ting sec tors, they should come i n because l wi sh that the youth of India should get employment I ha,7 e decided that 100 per cent foreig n invecstment will be allowed in the railways. I'm inviting everyone - please come, please come and invest in India's future."

The emerging superpower is cl eatly open for b usi n ess, a s l\fodi time and time again declared, and Australia will no longer be at the peri p h er y of its visio n. Perhaps Indian Australians can p lay a greater role in shaping the d estiny of their mathmhboomi

MoneyGram expands money transfer services in Australia

Additional self-service kiosks to be made available through selected United Petroleum locations

Australian-based customers looking to t ransfer funds to family and friends overseas now have access to more easyto -use kiosks as part of a new agreement between MoneyGram, a leading global money transfe r company, and Australian fuel company United Petroleum, one of the country's fastest growing independent companies.

The self-service kiosks, which have multi-lingual capabilities, will allow customers to make transfers w ith the click of a button. Through MoneyGram's dedicated kiosks, consumers can easily send money at retai l , petrol and convenience stores that were not previously equipped to offer such products.

This move is part of MoneyGram's strategy to revolutionise self-service money transfer through innovat ive channels like kiosks and mobile serv ices.

With consumers sending over $5 billion AUD annually across b orders, Australia is an important remittance market for MoneyGram to expand its selfservice platform.

"MoneyGram is committed to providing customers with innovative ways to quickly send and receive funds, and by working with United Petroleum to provide user-friendly kiosks, we are placing customer accessibility first;' said Grant Lines, MoneyGram's executive vice president of Asia Pacific, South Asia and the Middle East.

On the road with Namo

Trying to keep up with a man who barely sleeps is exhilarating as well as exhausting

Never did I imagine that I would be in three cities in two days tracking the Indian Prime Minister.

I was there as he entered through the metal doors at a private reception fo r the Indian community, prior to his historic address to over 16,000 delirious fans at the rlliphones Arena in Sydney. I also bel.ieve that I was the onl y person who captured his final wave as he wallced away through the glas.s doo r at the side after the state dinner hosted b y PM Tony Abbott ar the MCG.

M y humble camera captures bodi these moments, albe.it badly. Between these two moments, 1 followed d1e frenzied build -up to his vis it co Australia as hordes of Indian media descended on Sydney, for an event expected to. surpass the Indian PM's American address at the Madi son Square Gardens. The morning of 17 November dawned bright and clear, and I am sure the organisers could have filled out the 50,000 p lu s seats at the Sydney Cricket Ground with people wanting a glimpse of this man known for his winning oratory.

After finishing late at night at the Ailphones Arena in SycL1ey, 1 took a n early morning Right to Canberra co w itnes~ Prime Minister Modi receive the guard of honour from the Australian Federation Guard made up of members of the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Arm y and Royal Australian Air Force. The canons boomed in die front court of the Parliament H o use as Australia's finest honoured the Indian Prime Minister, v,;-lule hordes of Australian Indians cheered on from the sid es

The public gallery at the Australian Pacliament Chamber

was overflowing w ith invited guests who sat quietl y waiting for the official p roceedings to begin at 10 05 am.

As P1,[ Modi entered, escorted by the Sergeant at Arms, d1e gallery could not restrain their applause.

Mr Modi spoke eloquently in his third language of English (after Gujarati and Hindi). While his address had ligh t- hearred moments, which had die Parliamentarians laughing politely, he also hardened his tone as he made clear that all countries, including China, have to Jive peacefully in the East As ia region. Ir bodes well for the Australia-India relationship that he got mobbed by the Australian MPs on his way out.

Later, as T crisscrossed m y way to Me lbourne via Sydney (as all flights to l'v[elboume &om Canberra had been booked out) , I could see Air India One (also referred to as Al- 1 or AIC001 ) on the tarmac at Canberra airport Thought abom asking for a lift (hey, fellow Indian to fellow I ndian, why not?), but decid ed against it as I saw the heavy Special Protective Group (SPG) out in full force.

M y d1ird c i ty in a day got me to Melbourne for a business leaders' meet and then a community meetand-greet at Government House.

The Grand Hall was overflowing again, and it seemed the Modi Express had travelled in reverse, bringing Sydneysiders south to Melbourne.

While PM Modi was being feted by the corporate gurus in a private session, other stalwarts such as those &om the field of sports got a chance to do so at d1e less fo rmal community meet. The chants of " Modi! Modi!" were heard yet again from the crowds, even though d1is tinie rmmd, Modi appeared more subdued.

\'v'as it a deliberate attempt to show less bravado and more restraint, to fit the occas ion? Or was it a to uch of exhaustion, given the hectic schedules of the past few days?

Perhaps in Sydney the ability to talk in H.indi gave him a natural flow, and the sheer occas ion of Canbe rra brought o u t the orator in him But the tank seemed a bit empty in Melbourne.

Yet at the hallowed grounds of the MCG, PM Modi cook some time to "examine" the pitch. I almost expected him to take d1e ke ys out of his pocket to rest the softness and dampness on the pitch to g ive the Indian cricket team a heads - up as what to expect when they p lay there on Boxing Day But in the spirit of fair play, or perhaps in fear of being shirtfronred b y Tony Abbott on this unsporting gesture, he resolved instead to simply enjoy the n1C>ment.

At the reception that followed, one could hear the quiver in the voice of Prime 1'Iini ster Abbott. Wonder if the Indian TV stations played Dire Stea.its' 'Brothers in Arms' as Tony Abbott and arendra Modi gave each other a hug Modi's demeanour also cracked as he felt the genuine affection in the room.

The Private Members Dining area was anytb.ing but private as die State Banquet hosted by PM Tony Abbott brought out the corporate e lite, the Indian Australian community, academics and business leaders The evening went imo wind-down mode wi th entertainment from The String Divas and Circus Oz.

To bon our tlie Indian Prime Minister the trio from The String Diva belted out the tm official national anthem of India, '.Jai Ho' And while be no doubt enjoyed this number, it was the ABBA

song 'i\famma M ia' wh ich had his host Tony Abbott d o a jig 011 his seat. One almos t expected him to ask Modi to join .in a b it of a dance, but tmfortuuacely there were no garba sticks availab le to create this ABBA - Falguni Pathak fusion.

Mr Modi had a quizzical lo o k on his face as the medley of ABBA songs continued (yes, my camera did capture that) and he was thankful for tlie diversion by Estelle Parker from DFAT w ho got his attention. She had been in charge of raking care of Mr Modi when he vis ited in 2001 and wanted to say hello. Much to her delight, he r emembered her and warmly rook both her hands in his as he introduced her to Mr Abbott.

Even as Mr Modi expressed his gracimde to a friend from 13 years ago, Australia's r ichest person and the world's sixth richest woman, Gina Reinhardt stood patiently b y co talk ro the two Prim e :Mi n iste rs.

While politics and business minds interacted , tlie two 'Can Do' Prime Ministers (perhaps Commonwealth Bank needs to trade mark ilieir slogan) aho posed for photos w:ith not only Gina Reinhardt but yours truly as well. Noc far from chem sat cricket legends from both sides such as Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, VVS Laxman, Steve Waugh, G lenn McGrath, Michael Kasprowic b, and business figures such as Ashok Jacob, Maw:ice Newman, V is hal Sikka and Manoj Nagpaul. And seemingly the full front bench of the Abbott go\Tetomenr.

And then it was time co go. Show ing amazing dexterity for

a 64-year-old man, and with a puffing PM Abbott struggling to keep up (note photo) , Modi, with a wave of his hand, was gone. And so it was veni, vidi, vici - Modi came, saw, conquered - tlie hearts and minds of people down under

Over 80, 000 Indians in Brisbane showed great enthusiasm just to catch a glimpse of PM Modi

As soon as the news spread tbat India's newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting Brisbane to attend the G20 summit, there was a jostle to secure passes ro attend his events and the o f fice bearers of Indian organisations in Queensland had a tough rime p leasing their constituen ts!

Following Mocli's rock star performance a t Madiso n Square Garden in l ew York, Indians in Australia couldn't wait to wimess a repeat performance bere and he sure didn't disappoint.

The Indian support for him in Brisbane was so overwhelming tbat some o pposition leaders back home in India g rudgingly accused PM Mod i of bringing in 'hired crowds'! Even the record temperantres in Brisbane during the weeke nd of the G20 summ it couldn't keep tbe crowds away.

Apart from attending the G20 events, PM Modi's schedule in Brisbane included a visi t to the Queensland U niversi t y of Technology (Q UT) , unveiling Mahatma Gandhi's statue at tl1e Roma Street Parklands and a civ ic reception at the Town HaU.

As soo n as Prime J'vlinister Modi

arr ived in Brisbane, he tweeted a picture of the beautiful Brisbane ciry skyline. During hi s v isit to QUT, he was introduced to the vario u s facilities and research programs, including a t our of 'The Cube ' , one of the world's largest i nteractive learning spaces.

PM Modi also inspected Q UT's Agro Robo t, a machi.ne developed as part o f the university's program ro develop robotics techno logy in the agri culrnre sectot

As ked to write a message on d1e Robot, Modi wrote a message in Gujurari, including: "Resear cl1 is the mother of invention.

The develop rn e nt jo urney of mankind is a continuous stream of research."

Meeting with high school students, J)M Modi made a point of acknowl edging former L1clian

Prime Minister Jawahatlal Nehru's birtl1 anniversary, and posed for a series of 'sel fies' A minor controversy empted when some people n oticed that Kashmir was con spicuously

absent from the map of Ind ia di splayed at th e event, bur organi5ers apologised fo r tile b lunder the following day.

The television coverage of Ausu-a.lian Prime M:in.ister

To n y Abbott entering the G20 inauguration accompanied by PM Modi '-Vas a clear i ndication of fadia's rising status among the world's most famous and powerful leaders.

At tbe unveiling of tl1e Gandhi statue, PM Modi was introduced as t he 'hottest star of t he h ottest day' , in reference to the soaring Brisbane hear.

While only a handful of passes were issued for the event, those Indians w h o couldn't get in had the chance ro see and hear him from a distance and cheered as he waved at tllem and acknowledged their presence

I t transpired at the unveiling that the idea of a Gandhi memorial in Brisbane was moored by Modi way back in 1999 when he visited Australia as a pri~rate citizen. He warmly ack n owledged

tile Indian families who hosted him during his previous visits

He congratulated the G20 organ isers for hosting the mos t peaceful summit ever, keeping in tradition wirn Gandhi's ideology

In bi s brief but mem orable speed1 in Hindi, Prim e Minister l\fodi highlighted how Gandhi's ideals are still relevant today, particularly in rela tio n to me two most pressin g challenges in tile world, namely, terrori sm and climate change.

"I£ we had.n 't exploited Mother Namre the way that we have d o ne, and we bad only used ro d1e extent tllat Mallatma Gandhi had preached, then we would not be faced with these problem s today," Modi s aid.

Ir was indeed a historic and memorable occasion on all counts and o ne tlrnt lnclians in Bri sba ne will remember for a Jong rime to con1e

AttheCivic

Reception he ld in his honour at the Brisbane City Hall on the SLmday evening of the G20 weekend, a large crowd wa ited in anticipation fo r the arr ival of Prime Minister Modi.

1ncligenous Australian and Indian danc ers set the scene fol.lowed by beautiful renditions o f the Indian and Australian national anthems.

Speaking in Englis h, Modi began his speech with the words the people of Brisbane were desperate to hear. "\Vhat an OLltstandin g job. I know that you have often lived in the shadow of Melbourne and Sydney, but you have shown the world w hat a great c ity and host you are," P 1v1 Modi said.

Joined by Campbel.I Newman, Premier of Queensland and Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, the Prime l\llinister expressed delight that his journey i.n Australia began in

INDIANLINK

Brisbane.

The Reception was a strictl y by invite- o n ly event for both the Indian and Australian communities. Dressed i n traditional attire, peop le made a point of being at the premises at the g iven time of 4pm to get th eir spot for the best view of the Indian Prime Ministe r.

Brisbane C ity Hall also seemed to welcome tl1e Indian community and the Prime i\1inister, with the ceiling lit in the colours of the Indian Aag

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk

welcomed the people and the Indian Prime i\tiinister Nare ndra Modi " T his is a proud land where the G20 was conducted, also where a peaceful assembly and rights of democracy have b een exercised."

"Prime l'vti nister Narendra Modi, the people see you as a man on whom they rest their hope, destiny and aspirations. You know you are carry ing the responsibility of their unprecedented support "

The Lord i\fayor continued by saying that there is an unusual relationship between Brisbane and H yderabad, and the cities have " recomm itted co the relationship co ensure that India and Australia continue co grow in strength"

Premier of Queensland Campbel.I ewman acknowledged people of Indian descent and highlighted tbe similarities between India and Australia.

"It's an honour to be reaffi rmed wit h the Honorary lndian of tl1e Year title by the Indian communi ty here. \Ve sh are the same r ational Day,January 26, and then there is c ric ket "

Fans cheered as Indian Prime Minister Modi cook co the

podimn. "Queensland i s in tl1e forefront of the relationship between Australia and India, and th e credit o f this long partnership between Indian a nd Queensland goes to you, Premier Newman and Lord Mayor," PM Modi said.

"Queens land has emerged as an area of major growth in resournes to power Indian's dev elopment. It is also a major destination of Indian investments - you have supported partnerships io education and skills "

"The friendship and understanding an1ong business and academic leaders from India d emons trates a strong partnership witl1 Australia, e,specialJy Queen sl and," PM Modi continued.

" Brisbane has emerged as a cen tre of advanced technol ogy, as H yderabad is also known as 'Cyberabad' These two c ities have a sister-city relationship and I truly welc ome the engageme n t betwee n states and cities. l am very keen w im7olve states i n India w ith international engagement."

Tal king about the new wave in India, Modi said, " This is an exci ting moment in India, £illed w ith optimism, a n era of change and progress and the prospect co achieve, cl riven b y the energy and

enterprise of o ur yo u th This is the time to forge pl\.ftnerships i.n India."

An excited Fatema, who has been in Bri sban e for only a few months, said, "l am extremely overjoyed to see our Indian Prime Mi.ni scer Nareodra Modi. It was an inspiring speech and I was p leasantly surprised to h ear him speak in English, I would have loved co hear more."

"le is nice co get cl ose and personal with an eminent political figure, and w ith the L1dian Prime Ministe r's v isit to Australia, it will definitely strengthen the alliances of both th e colmtries," said Anuj Sodha.

For Shobha Rawal w ho has lived in Brisbane for 44 years, "Seeing l arendra J\fodi is a w i sh come true. I tl1oroughl y enjoyed his speech and it i s good to see progress a nd relationship between both the countries."

J\tul Bhardwaj, w is hed the Indian Prime iviinister the very best, "''Y,/e as Ind ians have l ots of hopes and asp irations rested on him," he said. "He wiU march our country into the funrre shoulder to shoulder with the b ig powers "

IS eran I

PM Modi's highly anticipated visit to Melbourne was a grand success for the business community

Drawing attention to his economic agenda, Prime Ministe r Modi's one- day trip to Melbourne was set to cast a pos itive influence on the advancement of bil ateral ties and promotion of mutual trust between i\ustralian and Indian businesses

Dm·ing his vi sit the Indian Prim e l\llinster met CEOs of Australia's top indu stry companies including BHP Billiton Linfox, Hancock Prospecting Group and Visy lndustries.

Accompanying PM i\fodi were CEOs from leading Indian industry organisations including Gautam Adani of the Aclani Group, Anand Mahindra of multinarfonal automobile manufacturers Mahindra & Mahindra, Vishal Sik.ka of Infosys Ltd and Shashi Ruia. chairman of Essar Group.

V ic torian Gove rnor A.lex

Chernov hosted the round table conference at bis residence wh ere the Indian PM chose to address the .leaders in Hindi whicb was tra nslated into E nglish for everyone's benefit.

The forum comprised of business leaders, d elegates from India, journalists and m embers of the Australia. India Business Council (AIBC).

Arnirabb Mattoo, Director of the Australia India lnscimce, was the moderator of the round table event The Victo rian Governor lacer d escribed Australia India

Instin1te as the primary credible think- tank in this country on Australia India relations hi ps.

Du.ring the private event, Treasurer J oe Hockey co mmented briefly o n how, along with minin g, educatio n and the financial sector, it is paramount to focus on smal.l and m edium size emerprise.

According to i\fr Hockey the business- to-business oppomulities will play a key role in helping to further the trade relationship between lndia and Australia.

The business leaders unanimously acknowledged the extraordinary growtli tliac India is poised co e"-perience This will create several opportunities for Australian s to engage w ith India wh ilst forgi ng a bond based on common strategic interests, trade and economic ou tlook.

Responding to tlie suggestio n s put forward to hin1, tlie Indian Prime Jvlinister said he was personally committed to looking a t environm entally- friendly ways of furtlie ring d evelopment.

According to Modi, India requires a substanti al amount of energy

to con tinue its growth. Wit.Ii tl1e push co make India a gasbased econom y, any package that combined these t\vo sectors wo uld be of interest to] ndia

Praising the V icrorian Government for its initiatives in promoting ed ucation, the lndian Pcime Ivlitlister shared his two main areas of focus in the educatio n se cto r. O n e was co encourage young people from India an d Australia to collaborate and conduct b etter quality research , and the o tlier was for selec ted schools from both countries co coordinate wit.Ii ea.ch otl1e r, through student exchanges, co create q uality education opportt1ni ties.

The PM also drew attention to the tourism sector and i ts tre m end ous possibilities. According co Modi, India has a l o ng coastline and the required clientele co sec up a su ccessful business in cruises. He invite d people to invest in developing touris m infrastruc ture i n India and in finding new aven ues to dev elop relarionsllips tbrough tourism.

According to the PM a large

number of Indian students have come to smdy in Au stralia and have belped co create a better understandi ng of India am ongst the common man in Australia. Thi s people-to- people contact has generated confidence an d as a result Australians are more willing to take cisks by investing in an d trading witb India.

Prime i\fo1.ister Modi concluded his address by inviting Austr alians to explore the many possibilities in lnclia and renlinded them of his promise co implem ent, very soon, a vi sa on arrival service fo r all Australians - including people making business tri ps to India

on

PM Modi outlines potential for Australian opportunity in India

After a full day of activities - addressing the Australian parliament, meeting witb business leaders - the popular Indian Prime Minister Narendra :Modi was whisked co the hallowed grounds of the iconic 161 - yearold Melbourne Cricket Ground (tvfCG)

There he was joined by Australian Prime M inister Tony Abbott as well as cricketing legends from both India and Australia, including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and V.V.S. Laxman, Steve Waug h , Gle nn McGrath and Alan Border, for a tout of the turf.

Later, at the gala dinner hosted 11 y PM Abbott, Prime i\liinister l\fodi sought Australia's assistance in acce lerating lnclia's urbanisation process.

"A successful India will be a vast opportunity and a force o f good for the world. We look forward to closer parrnership with friends l ike Australia," Modi said at the dinner.

" lnd ia is experienci ng urbanisation at a rapid pace Studies suggest that by 20 3 1, 11 per cent of the world's urban populatio n might be in Indian cities "

He added that India already has more than SO cities with a p o pL1lation of o v er one million. ' 'U rbanisation can be an enormous oppottunity," Prime i\liinister Modi s aid.

He spoke of his plans to build 100 smart cities, revive heritage cities, bu.i.l d modern solid waste management and waste water treaanent systems in 500 cities, and clean up the cou n tr y's rivers.

"This is part of our larger vis io n of a sustainab le future for our countr y, and rransforming the quali ty of life of our peop le in cities and villages alike," the Prime i\liin ister said He hoped tbat India coul d learn from A ustralia's experie nce and benefit from its expertise and noted that Melbourne is regarded as rhe best city i11 the world to liv e in.

Modi $aid he wanted to bu.i.l d a future in which ev er y Indian can say tbat his life has improved and his environment has become better.

'1 am confident rhat we will

achieve it with the support of the people of Inclia, and th rough tbe talent and energ y o f 800 million yourh, below the age of 3 5 years," he said

"

(It is) a generation that is eager for change and committed to work for it ," the Prime i\liinister added.

Modi also s tressed oo the importance of relationships between people.

" One thing we all agree on. The bonds between the countries are made strong b y the jo ined hands of o ur peop le."

The Prime i\liinister also

areas too. "We have decided ro collaborate on a spo rts univ ers ity in India," he revealed " Our exchanges in sports, tourism , education and culture are g reat sources of streng th for our relationship," he stated. The Prime Minister thanked his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott for being " truly gene ro u s with your hospitality and warmth".

P Jvl Modi concluded, " M y m em orable visit ro Australia ends toni g ht, but a new journe y of our relationship has begun."

spoke about the love for cricket that both India and Australia share "No business is serious enough t o keep an Australian and an Indian from discu ssing this great game," be said

He recounted lndia's glorious cricket triumph at the MCG in the Champions Trophy in 1985 and said rha t the Ground woul d

b e a deserving venue for the final of tbe Cricket Wo rld Cup in 2015

"I bope that om· t\vo team s will play that match," Mocli said.

The Prime Minister also said that India can learn from Australia's famous sporting skills in other

India's Narendra Modi charms Australia's Parliament as the two nations rebuild their relationship

arendra :Modi is offic ially tbe first Inclian Prime Ministe r to address the joint h ouses of .Australia n Parliament. O n 18 November at approxi mately 10.20 am, Modi rose to sh are his views on a wide rn nge o f topic s incl udiog the shared mi.Ji tar y history, democratic systems in the rwo countries, an d security in the region.

That it was a historic occasion was evident from the packed - totbe- rafters chambe r and tbe pin drop sile nc e as Mr Mocli spoke. In a most refreshing way, the Ind ian Prime Minister commenced his address as he did in Sydney the day before, with a special acknowledgetnenr of Incligenons Australi ans. Very early on, he made sure be bad the attentio n of hi s auclience by cleverly incorporati ng a new term in politic al parlance, o n e coi n ed by

Prime 1vlin.ister Tony Abbott onl y weeks ago. Modi had the House smiling when h e acknowledged their e ndura nce in hearing a third international leade r speak in as many d ays : "Maybe this i s Prime Nlinis rer Ab b ott's way of shirrfronting you," he suggested w ith a sm.ile.

The ir interest capmred, PM Modi went on co spea k about the common bond between the two countries which is etched deep into history. He spoke of the soldiers fro m both countries who d ied at Gallipoli; the architec t of Can berra, Walter Burley Gciffin, who lies buried in the old city o f Lucknow in India; and of Australian novelist and lawyer John Lang who foug h t the legal battle for Indian freedom fighter, the Queen of Jhansi, Rani Laxmi B'<li against the British East India Compan y in India's fitst War of Independence 150 years ago, and who n ow lies buried in Musso rie

Bnr wh at PM Modi highlighted was tbe princjple of democracy binding the two nations. ln a full frontal attack on China, whose Premier was still in Australia, Mocli said, "Today, as 1 stand in this cem p le of democracy, 1

consider natio n s such as ours co. be blessed, because democracy offers tbe best opportunity fot the human spirit to flourish , because we have the freedom to choose, the right to speak and t he power co remove - and, for us in politics, witl1 no optio n but to leave with gra ce."

Warming to the them e, Modi spoke abour the need for Australia and Inclia to work rogethe r to m aintain stability in the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean regions \-X1e lc o m .ing Australia's ro le in the prosper ity and security of this region, Modi further said, "\Ve should collaborate more o n maintain ing m ar itime secur ity. \Ve should work togetl1er on the seas a nd collabo rate in internationa.l forums And, we should work for a universal respect for international law and global nor m s." The message was clearly sent to China that tl1ey n eed to be aware of India's d esire for a pace with Australia and Japan co counter their growing naval strengtl1

W itl1 the security issue on the table, Mr 1vlodi then bui.l t a case for greater econom ic engagement between the two countries.

Dangling the carrot of India's gro\ving economic middl e dass, 1viodi urged Australia to en gage more w ith India. He said , "I see Australia as a major partner in every area of our na tio nal priority. In prov.icling skills and education to our youth; a roof over eve ry head and electricity in every household; the most affordable healthcare fo r the most difficult diseases; the next generation of infrastructure that does n or take a toll o n our e nv ironment; energy tlrnt does not cause our glacie r s to melt - clean coal and gas, renewable energy or fuel for nudea r power; cities d1at are sma r t , susta.inab.le and liveab le; villages d1at offer opportunities; agriculture th ar y ields more and farms tha t are better connected to markets; practices and techn ology time save water " He also pro m ised d1at "Australia will nor be at the periphery of our vision, but at th e centre of our thought. So, we stan d cogeth er at a moment of enormous opportunity and great respo n sib ili ty. 1 see a great future of partnership between Inclia and Australia an d, a sh ared co mm itment to reali se it."

Tbe message ,vas clear. Inclia seeks Australia's h elp to counter balance the growing influence of China in the region. At the same ti m e , India is open for business, something which PM To n y Abbot has himself said about Australia. It seems d1at both are singing from tbe saine hymn sheet. The r efe r enc e to cricket, but of course, found its way i nto Mr Modi's address to highlight t he shared passions as well as the spo r ting rivalry between the two nations.

As l\fr Mocli concluded wi th a simple "Thanks a lot", it was clea r th at a watersh ed m oment in the history of the t\Vo countries had occurred

us ra 1ans r

No one had imagined that Australia's relations with Indi a would almost transform after just one vis it PrimeMm.ister Modi took the Australian East Coast by storm, from Brisbane to Me lbourn e through Sydney and Canberra, and he struck a chord wherever he wen t. Prime Minister Modi wowed his audi ences wi th hi s formal E n glish ,5 peeches as well as h is masterly Hindi oratory. But it was not symbolism alone, this was one of the most substantial visits ever undertaken by an India n leader.

C lear ly, the re is today a clear convergence of values and interests between India and Australia in almost every sp h er e: economic and rrade; security and geo- strategy; and peopJeto-people But it required the statesmanship of Modi and the bonding of Tony Abbott and Modi to translate a potential partnership imo a genui ne friendship. This has happened.

I was given the honour of moderating the CEOs roundtable with Mr Modi a t Government House in Melbourne on 18 November. Australian b u sinesses have, in the past, been bearish and cautious about India an d fo und .it difficult to work with India.

Not so on th is occasion The creme de la crem e of Australian b u si nesses were there includ ing Andrew Macke.r12 ie, CEO of the world's la rgest resource company, BHP Billito n; :tvf.ike Smith, CEO of ANZ Banking Group; Sam Walsh, CEO of Rio Tinto; Antho ny Pratt, C EO of Visy; and G ina Rinehart, CEO of Hancock Prospecting Llmited. They were tremendously exc.ited by Mr Modi and bis vision for tbe Indian economy :tvir Pratt annou nc ed th e setting

up of a bigb level Leaders h ip Dialogue between Australia n and Indian bus iness, political, and c.ivil soc iety Jeaders. 1he Australia India Institute will nm this dialogue Anthon y Pratt will be tbe founder patron and Ross Fitzgerald of V isy and l will co- chair d1e dialogue. The Prime l'vim.ister blessed the d ial ogue w hich will take p lace annually b eginning wid1 De lhi next October

All in all, we could n ot have expected more from a vi si t which bas, wid1out exaggeration, changed die course of Australia lndia relations, in every sense o f the word

Roundtable; Above right: Ste ve Waugh and cricket greats w ith

PMs Ton y Abbott and N a re ndra Modi

Steve Waugh

Fonner Australian cricket captain, 2004Australian ofthe Year, Officer ofthe Order ofAustralia

1 was extremely im pressed with the enthusiasm and admiration of the crowd at All phones Arena who came tO see Prime Minister Modi speak. To bave so many peo ple attend an event fo r a world leader is truly exceptional. You woul dn ' t get 30,000 Brits celeb rating David Ca m eron if he visited Sydney, so this demon strates the I ndian collll11tlniry's respect for ivlr Modi as a man o f great stature.

I was privileged tO get t o spe nd

a few moments in conversation with Prime Minis ter Modi. He i s a really good perso n - ordinary, down to earth a nd without hubris. It was lovely to meet w ith him The mos t important facet of thi s visit for both the Indian an d A u stralian governments i s tbe d emo nstra ted commi tment to accelerating d1e pace of our relationship. There has always been a fu ndam entally good relati o n s hip, with our shared language, history and strategic interests, but there's potential to go further. With two new governments, and two new Ptin1e M inisters wbo seem to like each other and get on well both per son ally and politically, it is time for an accelerated relationsh ip. Both gover nm ents are kee n to sign a Fr ee Trad e Agreement as soon as possible. There is such a good Indian diaspo ra community here, espec ially whe re m y electorate is in Western Sydney. Th e commtmi ty is d1riving People are running great businesses, settling their families he re, and the Indian migrant story is ovet\vbelmingly successful. It's a great storyIndians are peac eful, commerciall y successful a nd have g reat fa mily life here in Australia.

Prime :Minister Modi is very p ositive, b asi cally saying ' India is open for business'. It's t he fastest growing economy in tbe world and I think A u stralia would be mad not to d o business wi d 1 J ndia. We ba,7e a lot of similarities which are mentioned, a lot o f similar in terests, and I d on't think we've done e no ugh in th e pas t to build d10se bridges. Cricket, i s one commonali ty, obviously, but there's a lot of business conn ection s we should foste r and Prime ?vlinis-ter Modi certainly encouraged th a t today

I'm launchin g a business today

c alled Waugh Global Realty and I'll be l ooking co sell real estate to Ris a nd al so Indians in lnclia. I'm partnering up w ith some top developers, so I'm starting a new business. Hur Prime Mi nister Modi also spoke about education, sc ience, agriculture, infrastrucmr e - there's a lot of skills in Australia we can export to India

I th.ink it's a genuine war m th betwee n Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Abbott \'(le should strengthe n ties, perhaps more than we h ave,. I d1ink Tony Abbott realises we have a lot in c ommon , we can benefit a lot from the relationship witb India, India can benefi t fro m a relationship with us, and it's just smart business that we're aligning ourselves more closely.

It is su cb an h onour to have your Prime Minister visiting u s bere in Australia I am very taken with bis quo te, wi d1 his whole attitude, 'from red tape to red c arpet' We have a lot co l earn from your Prime Minister and I h o pe our red Ci\rpet is out to him.

Already some o f the steps diat Prime M inister Modi has taken make a lot o f sen se. He's gone out there and said be will be doing m ore for d1e 11-UJung industry tO see it develop more in In dia I suspect tbat means it will happen I thi n k our Treasurer today in the earlier meetings expressed very well t hat he'd like to see a lot more happ e ning b etween small b u sin ess and medium business as well We know a b out tbe big things, we know a b out LNP, we know about some of the commodities, but I th.ink om Treasurer expressed very well [hat we s hnuld also see more happ en between small to m edium bus in ess in Australia and small to medium b u siness in India because th ere could be an enormous growth between the two.

Prime Minister Abbott and Prime Minister Modi seem very close. There is a lot of und erstanding, also, of course , sharing a democratic background. T here i s an increasing Indian p resence in Australia, d1ere is increasi n g trade between our two countries. I hope, alth ough ir i s alread y a war m relation ship, that it will get deeper at every l e,7el.

The international cricket community mourns as the baggy green cap 408 is no more

Tributes poured in for Australian batsman Phillip Hughes who passed away on 27 November after a freak accident during a Sheffield Shield matcb at the SCG. Hughes, who would have mrned 26 on 30 November, passed away two day s after being struck by a bouncer bowled by Sean Abbott.

Although he was hospitalised immediately, he never regained consciousness.

Sydney's Sanj iv Dubey remembers Phillip Hughes as a "little fellow who came to class with a massive kit bag". As a Year 12 smdem at Homebush Boys High School in 2006, the late cricketer was a studem in Dubey's PD HPE class.

" Of course Ho m ebush Boys is famous for tl1at kind of thing. On a regular day, you'll see some 30 to 40 of those kit bags. But Phi.I stood ouc because he'd come straight to the front of the class witl1 his! He also stood out because of o tl1er characteristics, mostly his attitude in class He would listen and learn , and was keen to make an effort," Dube y said. " The omer sportsmen in m y class would sit at the back, and yes s ometimes nod off too, but not Phil. There's a handful of kids over the years that I've picked as ones w ho woul.d go on and make

a mark, and Phil was one o f them."

Canberra's Jay Poria firs t met Phillip Hughes in the mid -2000s when they bo1:h played Sydney Grade Cricke t Jay played for UTS Balmaiu (now known as Sydney Cricket Club) while Phillip played for Western Suburbs D istrict Cricket Club.

Both were picked for t he NSW Under- 19 side i n the Australian Championships in 2006. T he team took the trophy for the fom t b time that year.

"I remember that tour to Adelaide very well ," Ja y Poria to.Id lndit1n Link. ' 1Jhil was always upbeat, and could be pretty naughty too!"

Jay ad.nuts to feeling distraught when he heard of the freak accident at tl1e SCG, but remembers his time witl1 Phil fondly.

"If l had co p ick one quality in tl, e man, it would have to be lus strong determination. Even when his tecbnique was questioned while trialling, and later when he was dropped because of it , he was ver y determined to get back up, and come back stronger. And when he got back into me Under- 19 terun, he came back with a cenmry, and a big one at that."

Peopl e across the world

paid tribute to tllc Australian cricketer by putting out tl1eir bats and posting photos to social media with tl1e hashcag #putoucyourbats , a movement begu11 b y the user @ Sq11izabil!y The man behi n d the account PauI Taylor tweeted, " #pncoutyo1.1rbats isn't about me. lc's just a wa y for all cricketers to show their respects to Phillip Hughes. We've all played cricket in one way or another Backyard o r beach cricket, n o matter what lev el, we've all grown up with a bat and ball. Thi s is our way co connect and show our sadness. Thoughts also must g o to Sean Abbott."

The currently touring Indian team released a statement that said: "We cherisb the mem o ries of playing along wicb him and deep ly respect his contribution to the game of cricket."

e Pay our tributes t onoured to h o Phil Hughes dia # ave hosted the C putoutyourbat # C hampion in ,,, , rrcketFamuy "'1111_

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The coal gamble

With India's clean-energy industry booming, does India need coal exports from Australia?

w h o will suffer.

Return fare including taxes

Indian_g!ant Adani Gro up's p lans _ for the $16 billion Carm1chael Coal P roiect, the largest in Australia, has stirred up environmental groups in India and Australia

Founder of India's Conserva tion Action T rust, Debi Goenka recently travelled to Queensland to file legal

objections to the approval of this coal m ine on behal f of the Indian communi ty. T h is is the frrst rim e that a case has bee n filed by an ovetseas party objecti ng to a coal mine in Australia

The Adani Group 's foray into Australia began in 2 0 10 with the purchase of the Carmichael Coal Niine in the Galilee B asin of Central Queensland and the port of Abbot Point in North Queensland. Th eit aim was to operate on a ver ticall y integrated model - the coal from the

''Instead of

ln 201 1, [(ar n ataka state's Lokayuk ta, th e an ti - corruption ombud sman, investigated com plain ts of profiteering through illegal exports o f iron Ore It fou n d that "officials of Port Department, C11stoms, Police, K'>PCB, CRZ, 1\1i11cs, Local politicians and others are involved in receiving the bribe JJJ01U!)' fro111 M/ s Adrmi E nterprises'~ a n d Adani and other mini ng companies were ''fam1d to he active!J involved in large scale illegal expmts"

Adani bega n construction of the port ac Mundra in the lace 1990s, with commercial operations commencing in 2001 The Indian government asked the Centre of Science and Environment (CSE) to investigate complaints of environmental d egtadation in Mw1dra, and a 2013 report fou nd destruction

supporting India in building its renewable energy capacity, Australia is trying to be its friend by palming off dirty fuel

Carmichael l\fioe would be transported by rail to Abbot Point, and then exported co India and other offshore markets.

Australian fed eral and state governments have both approved the GaWee Bas in project. At capacity, this mine will produce 60 million connes of steaming coal every ye ar, w ith a predicted lifespan of 60 to 90 years Mose of this coal is destined for India. Instead of supporting India in build ing i ts renewable energy capa city, Australia is trying to be its fr iend by palming off

of m angroves, blocking of creeks an d tlisregard for local polluti on, among ocher environmental concerns Organisatio n s such as Greenpeace and GetU p bave been campaigning hard co bring su ch reports from Indi a to cl1e knowledge o f the public

''and financial institutions in Austra lia They have proved successful to so m e extent. Q ui t e a few financial i nstitutions have shied away from the project.

D eb i Goenk a has been working wi th GetUp in raising awareness of these issues He is sceptical abou t the financial viability of the project and says that it may well be a non-sta r ter. The Queensland government has approved the project, albeit with 190 myriad environmental condi tions, as it i s rel ying o n

it to help rurn aroL111d its economy.

Goenka rues that destruction o f cl1e rurty fuel.

''A 2013 Centre

''The livelihood s and health of fisherme n , sal t pan ners and s mall far m ers in cl1e port of Mund ra, Gujarat, where the Adani coal is headed for, will

environment has not been factored into chis eco n omic decision malcing "Do be ruin ed," says Goenka witb regard to why be bad to ta ke the legal ro u te co stem the inAtL'l of coal into India.

Adani claims t he h igh quality in1ported coal will b e. Ip to li ght the lives of 100 million Inruans Studies, however, s how the contrar y

Accord ing co the Insticu te for Energy Economi cs a n d Financi al Analysis i n Australia, India will not b e able to

of Science and Environment report found destruction of mangroves, blocking of creeks and disregard for local pollution among other environmental concerns at the Adani port in Mundra

they realise that many of the jobs will actually go co imported l abour from India? Thac ground water and rive rs in the area will be destroyed? Have they considered ,vhat will happen to cl1e wild life dependent on water? Or what w ill happen to the Great Barrier Reef? Or h ow their approval will affect the poo r in Gujarat?" Tbe legal case lodged pro bono by E nvironmental Ju stice Aus tralia o n behalf of Goenka, is expected to be h eard early n ext year. Th e Carmich ael pro ject is also slated to begin nexr year. afford the price o f imported coal and it would in fact double the price of electricity Other con seq uences would be inAation, cu rre n t acco unt defi ci ts and implic atio n s for Inrua 's ener gy security It i s ironic t hat w bile coal may meet the energy needs o f the r ich, it will be the poor, residing around the port,

''While on the one hand India is cl amouri ng for coaJ to meet i ts in creas ing e n e rgy needs, Goenka is c onvinced that India's ener gy need s cou ld best be served through renewable energy sources "An ybody chinkin g of investing in coal power is li vi ng in cl1e past," h e concludes

G20 endorses India's concerns on black money

The G20 Summit concluded with its leaders endorsing India's concerns over b lacl< money, while promising a new g lobal transparenc y sta ndard tbat will mod ernise international tax rules and allow automatic eJ(change o f related information between governments to cu r b the illici t outflow of money estimated at over one trillion dollars annually. India, being represented at the summit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, immediate ly called this development an unprecedented success, and said the next step will be d1e delivery of an action p lan, along with the Organisation of E conomic Cooperation and

Development (OECD).

The two forums represent 44 countries and 90 per cem of tbe wo rl d economy

"We are taking actions to ensure the fairness of the international cax system and to secure countrie s' revenue bases Profits should he taxed w h er e economic activities deriving the profits a re performed and where value is created ," the G20 leaders said in a jo int comrnuni9 ue at the end of tbe eighth summi t, promising to finalise w0rk b y the end of 2015.

This was precisely what Prime l\llinister Narendra Modi had specifically said and sought during a session on "Delivering Global Economic Resili ence" on the second day of the summit, while also wanting systems tbat w tU help countries in getting back the il.1-gotten monies stashed away abroad.

"At this Summi t, G20 Leaders have e n dorsed a new g lobal transparenc y standard tbat will Leave no place for ta." cheats to

hide. Mo re than 90 jurisdictions will begin amomatic exchange of ta.x foforrnat:ion, nsing a common reporting sta ndard by 201 7 or 2018 ," said Australian P rime Minister Tony Abbott India has no official estin1ates of illegal money stas h ed away overseas, but the unofficial ones range from $466 b illion to $1 4 trillion.

In fact, according to Ind ian negotiators, such strong words on illicit mone y and Ltnposition of curbs in me commun ique would not have been possible without India's intervention, since the original draft did not contain a language chat ,vas satisfactory for India.

They said the Prime 11inister and his official team , led by his Sherpa, Rai lway M inis ter Suresh Prabhu, got strong en dorsements for New Dell1.i's stand, notably from Brazil and South Afri ca, to make this happen.

" India scores at G20," the external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akba.rnddin

tweeted. He and 11.inister Prabhu even termed tbe o mcome " unpreceden ted success".

"The GO communiq u e add ressed concerns going beyond G20, developmental issues - employm ent, India's prime concern, was a central issues of discussion," Prabhu cold reporters at a post- summit briefing

The tax and related b lack mone y issue aside, several o ther issues which New Delhi pursued vigorously in Brisbane fotrnd support at the G20 Summit; reducing the cost of remittance s from abroad, of whi m lndia is the Largest beneficiary at S70 billion annually, collaborations on energy, infrastructure financing, i nclusive g rowth, job creation and energy security.

The communique also specifically welcomed the break t hrough between India and the United States at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and s aw iliis as paving the way for a pact that will help ease tbe

processes involvedin global conm1erce, and move forward in addressing the concerns of developing countries o.n food security.

The G20 promised strong, practical measures to reduce the globa l average cost o f transferring remi ttances to 5 pet cent, which goes up sometimes as high as 10 percent.

The communique also promised to raise globa.l g rowth co deliver better living standards and 9uality jobs for people across the world to ensure fina n cial inclu sion It spec ifically sec a target of raising t he output of G20 members by around 2. 1 percent by 2018 and the necessari7 steps towards achieving th is

Prime Minister Modi al so made a strong p itch for energy security and finding alternative so lutions. "O ur P rime Minister mentioned that we shou.ld create a global centre for dealing witb renewable energy co find solutions

and everydung It was ver y widely welcomed in cluding by chose who are not part of ilie G20 , like Jeffrey Sachs and others w ho have been saying that this i s an excellent idea that we have done," Prabhu said.

Indian interlocutors said another issue that has l)ecome a central theme for the G20, ilianks to India, is employment There was also some movement forward in raising the target of 2.5 percent jobs for women.

Similarly on infras tcncture, the G20 decided to establish a Global Infrastructure Hub within four years to emerge as a platform for sharing of knowledge, also for networking between governments, the priva t e sector and funding institutions.

Akbaruddin s umming up India's gains at the G20 , said: ''I f you go back to our initial briefing and see from iliere where we are tod ay, we have achieved substantially or overwhelmingly a.ll our goa.ls "

A powerful partnership

India and Australia agree on a new security cooperation framework

Inclia and Australia marked a new synergy in bilateral relations as they agteed on a framework for security co o peration to boost defence, c ivil nuclear and economic ties even as pj\,f N arendra 1fodi ended h is hectic five-day, four-city v isit of Australia.

The cwo countries .signed five agreements, including one on exchange of sentenced prisoners, whil e Modi also addressed die Australian parlian1enc, me first lndian prime minister to do so. After tal ks w im Prime :Minister Abbott in Canberra, both countries agreed to seek early closure on their civil nuclear agreement and co speed up negotiations on a b ilateral trade pace.

lnclia and Australia also agreed o n a framework for .securiry cooperation to reaffirm me bilateral strategic partnership. le calls

international fora ys l ike the East

As ia Summit, me G20 and me

lnclian Ocean association.

Abbott said after the bilateral talks that Australia "will export uranium to Indi a under su itab le safegnards, of course".

In a take -off on their

close sporting links, Abbott referred to die BJP goverru1iem's strong niajority in parliament, "Modi has the runs on di e board for getting the bureaucracy working (to get an y job done)."

In Melbourne, Mocli addressed business honchos, includ ing mining magnate Gina Rinehart, saying mat bis

cover other transnational crimes, including ongoing cooperation on illegal rnigra tion.

Both prime minister s directed that an equitable, balanced, mutuall y beneficial and high quality Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement be brought to an early conclusion.

It said the Framework for Security Cooperation showed ''the unshakeable resolve of the two countries in combating and defeating terrorism, inducting threats posed by foreign fighters joining extremist groups".

The Aus tralian government will a lso relax visa restrictions for skilled migrants, in an effort to make die country more competitive A temporary work v isa, the 457 visa allows skilled workers to come to Australia and work for au appro ved business for up to four years.

Prime Nlinister Tony Abbort, a.long wid1 Trade

while not p lacing unnecessary ad ministrative burdens on business," the statement said. In a separate development, d1e gover nment will introduce a new Premium Inv estor Visa (PlV), which offers a faster 12-month pathway co Permanent Australian res idency than the existing Significant Inves tor Visa.

government was nnderra.lcing reforms to enhance die ease of doing business i n l nclia.

J\ joint statement said that the existing Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism would be renamed to

:t:,,[inister Andrew Robb, and Immigration and Border Protection Minister, Scott Morrison, announced several measmes wh ich will make i t easier for Australian businesses to employ skilled migrants "The 45 7 program must be a means of filling genuine skills gaps in die local labour market

for annual prime miniscer ia.l meetings, regular defence ministers' meetings and annual defence policy talks, and regular bilateral maritime exercises.

Both sides will cooperate to counter-terrorism. Australia will support Indian membership of d1e export control regin1es. Ir also calls for " early operationalisation of civil nuclear energy coope ration and Australia's support for strengthening India's energy security by supply of uraninn1 for India's safeguarded nuclear reactors".

Mocli said the t\.vo counu·ies had agreed to speed up negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Paru1ership Agreement.

He sought easier access for lnclian business to the Australian market and quicker investment approvals.

Modi said both sides need to strengthen their security cooperation to combat terrorism and cooperate closely in

Social media savvy seems to come naturally to PM Modi

While cer tain mentions had been made of Indian

Prim e Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's burgeoning 'bromance', it wa s an autographed selfie the pair cook at the MCG chat indicated the true closeness of their friendship.

PM Modi has s hown a particular understanding of how to wor k social m edia from the beginning Throughout his el ectio n ca mpaign, Modi and his team a t th e Bh a ratiya Janata Par ty wor ked his profile on his biogs, Google H ango m s, Facebook and Twitter accou n ts His victo r y message in May was the most re.tweeted post in Indian histor y

After a tour of the Melbou rne C r icket Ground, PM Modi tweeted th e sel6e along with the words, "With m y fr iend @

TonyAbbottMHR at the MCG "

The PM al so t\veeced, " People asked m e isn't it too soon to visi t Australi a a fter @ TonyAbbo ttMHR just visited I said I can't say no to m y friend

Tony "

The Modi mania exper ie nc e was not restricted co crourds of adoring fans lining the streets of the scare capi tal s. His Australian visi t dominated Twitter, w ith the hashtag #Modi[ni\us toppin g the trends for several days

Since emba rki ng o n his landmark tours of the US and A ustralia, r are ndra :Modi's glob al popularity ha s exploded. To give so m e perspective, in A pri l Mod i had over 12 million fa n s This swelled to over 18 million b y July and 21.8 million in September. In just two months, these nwnbers h ave balloo n ed to 25 1 million

Pace.book followers A recent p icture of Mod i meeting Obama and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott at the G20 summit ga rnered more than 450,000 likes Mea nw hile, on Twitter, in Sep tem ber Prime Minister Modi 's official @ narendramodi account

h ad 6.62 million followers, but as of his F i ji visi c this surpassed 8 06 million

T witter followers. So far the Prime Jvlini scer's Office ac cou n t of @ PMOindia h as 3.43 million followers

The tech -savvy prim e minister b as also been active on oth et social media sites including Pinterest, Turnblr and Linkedin

He and officials from the 1Vliniscry o f External Affairs have also been busy sh aring photos on Flickr.

D uring the 25th ASEA Summit recently, Prime i\1linister Modi made bis lnstagram d ebut After sharing his first post, he r eceived a staggeri ng 30,000 likes and curre n tly has more than 136,000 fo llowers. A:11 chis despite not following a s ing le other account!

Since coming to power i n May, Modi bas continued to use

direct ch annels of communication with the public, enha ncing his image as a co mm o n 'man of die people'.

P rim e Minister Modi launched th e 'Talk ro Me' ini tiative a nd the Digital India program as other tools fo r listening to the wants and needs of his c onstituent s. He has been making use of social

media to showcase his government's initiatives inclu ding

S1JJacbh Bhamt:

Connections to the internet have spread across India , an d according to estimates from the Tncerne t and Mobile Association of India, d1ere are more than 80 million current users. Though this is on:ly a smal:I petcentage of the country's population, a lar ge p ortion o f d1ese users are the youth PM

Modi is targeting with a number of his poli cies.

This was evid ent iu yet an o ther selfie the Prime Nlinister took w ith high s ch ool students duri n g his t our of the U n iversity of Queen sla nd.

Prime. Minister Modi has the seco nd largest number of Pace.book followers i n the world after US Preisdenc B arack Obama, and is the third -mo st foll owed world leader on Twitter after President Obama an d P o p e Francis.

As cyber expert P awan D uggal told DNA India, " This single fact tells yo u h ow significant India has become, b ut more signi.Ecan dy it's a lso a salute and salutatio n to the ecc entri c understanding o f th is d isti n g uished statesman who understa nds, li,,es and breath es social media and the in ce rn ec

Nurturing indoor plants makes your life not only more beautiful but healthy too

The mons ter on the wall greets me every rime I seep into my house. Tc's a Nlonstera to be exact, commonly known as the Swiss Cheese plant Its leaves seem to stretch out cheerfully, hand s raised in warm greeting, every time I return borne. It lends an ornan1ental ambience to the interior, for it is indeed a handsome p lant, if somewhat expansive, with an elegantly Rowing outline.

This green g iant came to me four years ago in a very bad shape I c l ooked rather pathetic at fo·st sight, n or at all imposing as irs name s uggested, as it had onl y four drooping leaves all tinged with brown at the edges. It stood in its por on rhe pavement at the local community shopping centre, sil ently beggi ng for care and

attention.

Even at tbe throwaway price of ten dollars, there seemed co be no takers. I decided to rescue it and rook it home. lt acguired a new pot in no time and was give n pride of place in our dining ro o m. Since then my green foundling has dug i.n well i.n its homel y surrmrndings. It has grown phenomenally, also on me. Though the rate of i ts natural growth is rather s low - it adds one leaf every five months , l have observed this single -leaf foliation process with great fascination every time.

The de Ucate organic aposuophe sl owly detac h es itself from the seem of i ts nearest kin , and uncurls gradually from dayto- day until it proudl y presents itse l f as a glossy and stately fanshaped leaf.

Today my Monstera p lant has a majestic presence that lends grace to our d i ning room. It compels admiration from discerning visi tors and commands m y unwavering devotio n. Surely you ha ve heard o f Prince Charles talking to bis plants as a carer

or mace - the underly ing feeU.ng is the same! P lam s can be wo n der ful companions living with you indoors, wo.rkiog well beyond their merely decorative aspect. These silent and moti o nless entities seem to influence o ur emotions subtly, as researchers have found

They impart a sense of cheerfulness and vitaUty to enclosed spaces such as i.n offices and homes They make a person feel relaxed and happy. Indeed, .if you happen co be feeling an emptiness in your nest, and are unable to keep a pet, baving indoor plants may be a good way of filling the gap.

As we all know, the most important reason for nurtu ring in d oor planes i s the face t hat tl1e y offer tremendous health benefits. Indoor air 9ualiry is an increasing health concern in developed countries where people may be s pending most o f tl1ei.r time ind oo r s due to work or li festyle.

"T he air insid e i.s a lways more s tale. We use a w hol e l ot of materials d erived from fossil fuels that contribute to pollution, like

furniture, paint and computers

Th ere's also more carbon di ox ide as we all breathe cogetl1er," says P rofessor Jvfargaret Burchett, a researcher on the subject at t he U niversi ty of Technol ogy, Sydney. Indoor plants help reduce air polluti o n b y absorbing carbon dioxide and other harmful gases and releasing oxygen.

Smdies have found th at indoor plants provide other hea lth benefits as w ell, notabl y reduction in stress and increase in mental concentration. They cairn and soothe, indeed tl1ey impart a sense o f peacefulness.

Plants in a working enviroument help i n crease effic iency and creativi ty Mo reover the foliage help s to balance air humidity Jeve ls, w hich is helpfu l against the common cold, so re throat and some fungal infections.

As a person witl1 reas onable passio n, bur no outstanding aptimde in horticulture, I always root for common and hard y p l ants. Apart from the ubiguitous Epiprm11111t11 Sci11dapsm A 11re11111 that is so familiar to us as the Money Plane, there is a wide

selection of plants to ch oose from, that grow well indoors and d o no t need strenuous care.

There are plenty of guideli nes to be fou nd on all aspects of the subject o n the internet. The M.onstera plane is an obvious ly atuactive o ption Some of the other plams that have fom1d permanent residenc y and prospered under my roof include the Schefflera Acti11opfo,//11 or U mbrella/Octo pus p lane, Chlorop/!)1h1m cotJ1os11111 or Spider Lily plane, Yucca Elepha11tipes or Spine less Yucca/False Palm, Fims Betyami1111 o r \Veep ing Fig, and Hedera o r Common. Ivy. These a.re all good looking and easy to maintain , even for o bUgi n g neighbours who s tep in to take care while we are on hoLidays. Having an extensive g ard en attached to tl1e house does not necessarily preclude the option of keeping indoor planes. Most of us spend the maximum part of o ur day inside the house and not out in the garden. It makes sense to bring some of the green ind oors too. It's a matter o f health and heart after all.

reatest • I

A new campaign encourages Australians of all backgrounds to enlist as organ donors

t any one time, more than 1500 Austral ians are on official transplam ,vai ting lists, hoping they'll be one of the lucky ones to receive an organ transplant before i e's coo late.

Dr Gopal Taoci, an intens ive care specialist originally from Maharashtra but practising in A u stralia for t he past ten years and currently wo r king for the Monash Health Network, is a pass ionate advocate for organ d onation

"I see both sides of the scory," Dr Taori says. "I see tl1ose with organ failure who are on a long waiting list, patients dying while waiting. On the other hand, I see families who are going through a difficul t time, w ith a potenti,1cl lack of knowledge abo u t organ donation. I feel it is imp ortant to help facilitate organ and tissue donation, to help people better understand the process."

Dr Taori says the most common questions about organ donation come from grief-stricken family members who want co e n sure their loved ones are n ot harmed and do not experience an y suffering. " T he organ donation process usually ta kes place after a catastrophic eve n t or accident, and everything occu rs in a short time. People need co know we are crying t o keep the patient alive as our first priority, but after death, t heir organs can help so m eone e lse."

Dr T aori says families in a state of shock often use re ligion as an

excuse, with o rgan donation the last thing on their minds. But each person who d onates their o rgans can save up co ten lives

Hindus believe that the ph rsical bod y is mortal and perishab le, while the so ul is immortal and imperishable. Dr Taori, a follower of Hinduism, does not see any conAict between religion and organ donation

" There is a culture of fear and misunderstanding around the organ donation process," he says. "When it is explained ro people, eithe r in a hospital environment or the community, people are exceptionally receptive ro the in formation."

President of d1e Hindu Council of Australia N ih al Agar confirms organ and tissue donation is compatib le wid1 religion "The Hindu texts do not provide specific guidance or direction 011 this matter, " h e says. ''There is no moral or ethical dilemma for Hindus wishing to donate their organs."

"Support for organ donation is inferred in man y of di e texts and in Hi n du mythology where there is support for organ donation for the beuefi t of otl1ers," Professor Agar continued. "We can say then, from a Hindu perspective, organ donation is a spiritually advantageous deed provided the

decision is made with th e kn owledge and agreement of the donor."

CEO of d1e Organ and T issue A u thority (OTA) Yael Cass said the authori ty recognises faith is an important aspect o f how people live t heir lives and make important li fe dec is ions. "The OTA understands the significant roles chat faitb can play for many people," she said. " In reaching out co the major religious leaders t hrough d1e Doflate Life the greatest gift campaign , we have gained a mutual understanding about organ and tiss u e donation and forged cl o se partners hips "

Dr Taori encourages everyone to talk more openly with their family members and friends about organ donation "There are concerns, especially froin members o f tbe Indian co mmunity, about di e process. People want to make sme there isn't some 'black market', tha t t h eir lm7 ed one's organs go co the rig ht person," he says. "Th ey're u sed to the Indian healthcare system, often a corrupted process, so they have m isgivi ngs, bur here in Australia organ and tissue donation is highly regulated."

When asked if he has had tl1e conversation with his own family, Dr Taori replies, "My whole family are listed as organ donors I wouldn't get into chis if I didn't believe in it myself."

Iam si tting with a group of men and women. We are talidng about various things, including relationships, when I ask a question that leads co silence:

" Does an ybod y here kn ow a man who is depressed or has been depressed?"

A young man eventuaUy speaks up. He says, "Darren* tried to commit suicide". I knew Darren. He was my son's friend They went to univers ity togethe r, but Darren wanted to escape his father.

For over a year he stayed in his room o n campus, playing on.line games and drinking himself to a stupor most nights. His father was not quite me role mode.I he sought, and in finding himself, he lost himself.

1 am dri~,iog w ith m y girlfriend who lives in a country rown. She says as we drive ," and very sadly he re is where a young man died. H is car hit that tree." We a re silent fo r a moment. SmaU towns have a habit of bringing sad news ro too many people who internalise i:heir pain.

"I do nor chink he l ost control. He may have driven i n to the tree on purpose," 1 reply We drive on.

A week later I send her Aowers bur they do not arrive on ti.me. In the evening, r get a call saying chat i:he delay was on account of i:he Aower deliverer supporting her son. His best friend was i:he young man who died le was, she told my g irlfriend , a suicide.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

This is the 'lucky countr y' The land of plenty The seco nd highest on i:he Human Development l1.1dex as measured by the U n ited Nations.

But this is also w here m ore young men per head of population commit suicide than anyw here else

I wo nder why we have a culture of self-destruction as evidenced in part by binge drinking and l reflect on what men talk about when they are together ft coJJJes again, i//adve fient and 1111cxpected. Iike a fag whisperi11g

cold, )'Otl feel t1 smse of distancefro111

)'Oursc!f. F urther)'OU fall, behind_)'Our 91es, knoJl)i11g hen)'Ottr 011fyjriend is vttl11erahili!J Your voice becomes q11iete1; the Jl)or/d 1-ecede,; evrrythi11g "' this ti1Ne 1:011 hmtyo11 Yott feel lik.eyott are dro11mi11g.

1"1!11 became ettgu!Jed in a 1vave of dmkness and)'(}// noticeJ'Ollr limbs are hea1!J and it is hard to /1/alk. If;1/hen )'OIi do w"lk it MkBs effort. You walk closer to the buildings, (!)'CS dou111cast, seeing e11e1ything and everyo11e fro111 the knees do]/)11. In this state )'Ott see111 1111reachahle. Unk110111able.

I t is sometimesJitnt!) to )'OIi that in this space people becor11e kinde1; 11101-e gentle. Yo11 k1101v thl!)' do 11ot k1101vJ'Otl and ca11110t sense the depth of the water pressing down onyou. You kno/11 thq do not k110/JI how to reachJ'OII, _)'ei somehou1 thq co111e p f?ysical!J slight()' closer.

You //l(tit in this spacefor /llben )'Oft have heen berf before) '011 kno/11 it willp"ss - it '"'!Y be half " dqy, aJew dtfys or longer. You do 110/ k11ow 111bat makes it l[ft, hut lik.e the sun on afaggy moming, the thickness ef the dmk11ess lightens You s11dden!J ruili.reJ'O II can 1/lafk ,1101 e stt10oth!Y. Tt i,r like)'Otl 1/lere trying to m11 in the surf, b11t 011/y f/O}II the 111ater is be/01vy o11r waist do )'OU feel fi-eer Yo11 do not tlvoid /{I/king andyour 91es can see faces. The relief is palpable. The shore is 11cm: )"1)11 celebrateyour rise fro111 darkness 1vith too much enthusiasm - not q11ite a ma11ic high, hutfar 1nore mc,-gy a11d h11111011r than )'Oft had on!J "fe111 botrrs ago.

Yo11 look hack 011 the lost d'!Js

[V'o11de,- whe,-e)'OIi 1vmt. 117011der 1vben the darkness will press down ony o11 again, slowing_J'Otlr breathing cmd d11/li11gJ'OUr smses 1-f.1/"onder wl!)\ and al.ro wo11de1ing where it is)'Off go, and wbetheryo11 can be in a place 1vbere yo11r inner self is uot

I am tal king with a father He i s cr ying. His marriage has fail ed and he is confused and lost

Unable ro acknowledge either, he is angry. Desp ite the myths, men feel intensely - but they are not parented to have the words to e11.-press their feeli ngs.

Indeed, men are, in the words of many women, meant to 'man up'.

Vuln erability, anxiety, feeling ove rwh elmed or afraid - where do these things Jit in? This fad1er tells me that he does nor know what to expect. For a taU, strong man he looks ve ry wounded, Jost and weak. The antid1esis of the

O lympic medal he won I bate not he1i1g ma11b1 I kno111 that mostfy f Ctltl cope, h11t SOtlletimes f jllSt 111a11t to he held and to hmvi "!J' ryes out because Tfeel so alone. Thave been so respo11sihle far so long, avd all J want to do is letgo

Arthur* has his arm over b is head as be leans on rhe table. He looks like he is in a lot of pain. He told me that he has clinical depression_ - an unusual admissio n. 1 notice that when he finaU y straightens up he is trying to catch his breath and he has placed h is right a.rm protectively across his chest.

1 know that he feels open and vul nerable and wishes be could manage. 1 am u n sure of my role, but also know that it has to be a safe enough environment for h im not to feel judged.

Arthur has been th.rough a lot recen tly - unable to get work despite his talenr, a r e lationship breakup, a sick mother. He teUs me some things th at mrn out not to be true. lr does not matter. He is m y friend and l will not judge him His lies, h owever, are unbuckling his friendships. His vulnerability, .it seems, Clfren s tems from jealousy. He gets angry when anyone says anythi ng fa vourable abo ut another male - he feels Like he is not good enou gh

If a female friend of his says another man is ' nice' he pa nics and either suggesL5 she intends to s leep with him , or finds a weakness in the man he fee ls threatened b y His frie nd s say it is hard to support him because they do nor want to agree with him,

but at the same time, i:he threats feel real to him

In dus way, his behaviour and his depression coalesce and even his friends say he brings it on himself. I am not so sure

l\l[y brother c"lls me, still de/11sio11al. He tells 111e he is BodhisatvtJ co111e to save the 1vorld. He tells 1ne he does 110!

Jl)ear leather hecr1t1se the cmi111"fs feel pain too I ask hi111 b01v be is. H e sqys be hates to sleep because th91are co111i11g to get him and he 111ust he vigilat1t He St!JS his {/flkles bm-t since bej1111ped fro111 the bnage. Tj onb• be 'ti died thv 1

Jl)Ollld have felt sony for not k110111i1~g

biflJ He sq)'s the drngs help to ease the pain at1d J1Jl!J is everyone out to get him? He asks 111e when I will see him next because the hospital 111il/ let hi111 out and 111e can get a coffee the11. IV'e can have more than om coffee in 11110 hours.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

I am wi th d i e lads - our annual meal ro celebrate the year I know that we will discuss the football, t he season gone. I also kn ow tl1at Albert* will talk about his recent trip away and the 'beautiful bird' he met. Later he will talk about his wife and children and hmv much he loves her.

A.noi:her in the gro up will n o t talk about his wife because they are estranged and he feels isolated in his own hom e Of co urse, men do not articuL·ne the language of iso lation o r estrangement. So he will simpl y say, "Yep - it's aU good " And then go on to discuss everything except his personal life.

After llf)I 111aniage hroke up I called

the helpline l 1vas despemle and tl!o11e. I sought co11,fort. It was a very bard decision to 111akB to call the 1111111/m:

A man mwvered the pho11e. J said J felt isol,tled and alone. The comm/for asked 1vi?J, l told hi111 ahout the distance henveev me and Ill)' chi/d,w H ow Ill) jimmr 1J1ife had movedfftttber aJIJtl)' and hon Tt11i.rsed hei11g.f11l!J involved in the lives of ll!)' sons. The counsellor stmted to give adi·ice. A ll I bad W{lllted was e111patl!J'· In total exa.speralio11 I realised that I 11"1.r better able to co11mef myself than the 'trai11ed' co1111selior. ' IIVhat hope is thereJo,· t11e11with depnssion 111ho can11ot identijj, theirfeelings,' l thought as T b1111g up He's back, this mate. Down from the country. It will be a huge weekend. He and two od1e rs will start the day with beer and progress tl1rough two packets of cigarettes as we laugh our way through the past six months discussing work, relationships,

With alarmingly high rates of depression, it's important to explore how society can provide avenues and support for men to better express their emotions

investment, and observations of die world

It will be fun and the muuber of empties will suggest a wild time '.Vith many people I will join from time co time, u nab le to keep up with the drinking o r to get invo lv ed in the smoking, but able to contribute to the conv ersation.

After a couple o f days, he will go back co the rnral area where he live s Left behind are impressions of a man still running away fro m himself A man at risk and who, when q ue stioned, talks about feeling like nothing fits He sounds em pty and lost A man who will drink to the point of s ickness every weekend, but who will not seek professional help.

Mates h ip d oes not make a difference here. Indeed, if anything it exacerbates the issues because h is mates drink with him and do not talk about feelings that che)' cannot name. His mates laugh abo u t where he passed our or bow sick he was.

I don't kno/lf ho111 Tfelt. l 1JJanted to proJJide eve,ythi11gfor fl(J fa111i!)1 so I famsed 011 "D' /lfork. IIYhen l feel th1y

h,111e 1vht1t they f!eed then l k110111

"!Y sense of duty is //Jell placed Rut "D' /011g hours have my wife stmggling with the children She i.r distant a!ld distmstf11L 117hen l go h0111e

I fac'lfs on the kids Our lives are centred Ofl them, /m t looking t1head l do not kno//1 /lfhat will happrm when thiy leave 11s 117ho will we be together? We are a!t-eatf)• being alone togethe,:

I wonder w h at hope there is fo r our sons whe n men are raised to distance tbeiuselves from feelings.

Society's messages are confused.

I ask some wom e n what the word ' sook ' means. One smiles and says it is used as a term of endearmen t to denote a m a n who is o pen with h is feelings

Anothe r gees aHgi-y and says that m e n s hou ld not be open wi th h ow they feel because stren gth is evidenced b y silence and stoic ism

A third says she wishes her husband was a 'sook' - a capaci ty

to .read feelings for her is 'the id eal man' A fourth says that her partner will cr y watching movies but i s never so expressive with her or their sons And s he notices chat tbe boys will wrestle or bit each other - but never hug.

Jarryd Hayne cried whe n the I SW Blues beat Queensla n d for tl1e fi rst tim e in eight yea rs le is comm on for m e n to justify or talk away their feelings at such times, and to later apologise, as if tl1e expr ession of emotions is w rong. l\,Ceo have been heard ro say 'it was an emotional ti.me'. The term 'emotional' does n ot acruaUy unpack t hei r true feelings. Depression begins when m e n become estranged from themselv es and when there are m ixe d messages about w h o tl1ey should be.

When men brave ly face the reality of deatl1, without hiding behind tinted lenses, their openness sets a b rave example for mher s. Jvli cbael Clarke's

recent fronti.og of the media co openly disclose bow devastated he was at the loss of his mace Phil Hughes was a courageous example of such openness

Big boys don't cry, man up, toughen up, be strong, don't be a girl, don't be a wuss

The term ' bromance' has been coined to describe a loving close brotherly relationship b etween men. lt is heartening that some men are starrin g to become more open with tl1eir feelings

The group Men's Shed has been created to provide m en w ith an avenue to connect with o n e anot her so that they do not feel isolated

During major transitions, such as marital break- up, grief o r loss of a job, men ca n feel like th eir idea of self h as become disrupted and, not having tl1e skills to cope, may find life over whelming and feel isolated and alone

For men with few close friends or whose identity is vested

in famil y, the sense of iso lation, loneliness and depression d1at accompan y life changes can be extrem ely confronting and can lead to despair and a feeling of sinking far ben eath the surface

1 dreaded emry Ja1111a1y 1\1} mate.r were a111t1)\ work 1uas closed down, 111)' hqy.r were iuith their 11111111. The streets we,·e qitiet, the dq;•s hot a11d long A ll l did far hmm //las seek oldfiimds on the internet a11d try a 11d cope l})ifb the isolation

It is very impor tant that men and women learn to id entify feelings and support die exp ression of feelings su ch as anxiety, iso lation, depression, lost, unknown, unreachable, drowning, and t h e like Wh ils t these types of feelings are challenging, the loss of six men eac h day through suicide i s far more confrontin g

* oc their real names

•

IMPORTANT CONTACTS FOR MEN WHO NEED SUPPORT

MenslineAustralia is a professional telephone and online support and information service for Australian men: 1300 78 99 78

Lifeline 24hr crisis telephone line: 13 1114

Men's Shed

www.mensshed org/home/ .aspx Black Dog Institute

www.blackdoginstitute.org au/ Dads in Di stress Support Services

www.dadsin distress.asn.au/

Diwali events may have wrapped up, but the party season is still in full swing

He y there, party animals! Here's some good news for you.

E ve n jf your Diwali parties are ov er for the year, the party season is still going Spring R,,lCing, wedding parties, Christmas, New Year's Eve, the list goes on till the e nd of the year!

Even if y ou are not a party person, or stress about dressing up because you don't feel confident about what co wear, worry not. Here are some par ty sty ling tips and tr icks that will not only ensure yo u look stunning but also are waUet fr iendly!

Dresses

Thinking abom a party outfit inev itably conjures images of pretty dresses and bling. LBD lovers , you are in luck! The little b lack dress continues to s tay trendy and all you need to stand our is a quirky accessory or two. This season update your wardrobe with a black dress that has a fabulous cut and fit with decadent textures, like lace o r jacquard. A b lack and white block dress will be a fabLtlous and trendy choice too. Check out Cue or Sussan for some wonderful, affo rdable choices

Bohemian and tribal prints are tota11y in and I suggest you check tbem out and take a tin y risk by flaunting one of these co your next event instead of a predictable b lock, jewel -tone dress. The risk will pay off, I can teU you! ASOS, Bohemian Traders and Leona Edmi ston are just some of m y suggestions

Separates

Coordinated separates are a big deal r ight now. They are hones tly va lue for money p ieces because you can work the illusion of one p iece when worn cogether or pair them with other tops and bottoms to get more outfits from just two p ieces. The rule is to keep tl1e accessories really sin1p le and neutral to avoid too much of a clash.

Accessories

Accessories trul y make or break an outfit! If you are looking for waller- friendly choices, and already have a few fabulous dresses in your wardrobe, then b y all means just invest in some accessories to refresh that little black dress Tr y mixed metals like silver and

Irose gold cuffs witb a b lack and white dress or add a tribal-inspired statement necklace wit h your LBD. Dainty pendants with chains or pretty crystal ones can be perfect to wear with prints so your look stays balanced and not OTI! You can even add some quitk b y carrying a floral or printed clutch with a p lain dress. C heck out the Myer ouline party themes for some fun ideas.

The 'deta ils'

Okay, you've worked out the fabulous omfir and accessories perfectl y and are looking forward to being tl1e ' queen of tl1e party scene', but here's an important point not to be missed - have yo u thought abo ur what's g o ing underneath? This is where I must emphasise the importance of s hapewear. When you are fabulously dressed, the last thing you want is odd ltm1ps and bumps showing through and making you go al1 awkward. ]\fake sure you p ick some great quality shapewear and trial it before you purchase to be doub ly sure!

Makeup

This one's a nn btainer! Tf you need a quick fix, follow m y five min ute makeup routine. All you will need is some concealer, iHuminator / BB or CC c ream, some mineral powder, eyeliner, mascara and a touch of g loss AIi set to go!

One important hint - o verdoing makeup can acmally make yo u look o lder so go easy on the base, eye shadow and bold lippie.

If you are going to the races ot have an office ce lebration, b y all means grab a fanc y fascinator. You will get brownie points for staying within the dress code, but adding a touch of indiv idual style!

Shoes

Another e lement of your outfit that must n o t be compromised for cosr!

A fabulous pair of heels that not just look good, but feel equall y wonderful to trot in all day, are hjgh ly recommended. Your feet will thank you after the par ty is finished, chat's for sure

If you p ick a great neutral or metallic pair, the y're sure to stay in style for a long ti.me and you will get m o re wear out of tl1em

Tis the season to be indulgent!

Christm as is all about spending ti.me with friends a nd famil y, e njoying food cogetber, and taking a break from wor k and school. These legen-dair y recipes "\Vill wow the coughest critics and sho uld e n su re you 'll spend more ri m e with those you love and less rime wor king in the kitch e n thi s festive seaso n.

Com b ining vers acile Australi an dairy product s and se asonal produce, th ese reci pes have taken the deliciousness o f trad itio n al C hri sm1 as fare a nd added a fresh Auss ie t wist co celebratory fa vourites

BASIL RICOTTA TARTLETS WITH SMOKED TROUT

Makes 16

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10-12 minutes

I ngredi ents

1 sheet butter puff pastry, semi-thawed

1 60g fresh ricotta

1 tbsp shredded fresh basil, p lus extra small leaves to serve

1 tsp finely grated lemon r ind

1 -2 tbsps milk

160g mixed coloured cherry tomatoes, t h inly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

¼ cup baby capers, drained (optional)

½ whole smoked trout, skin and bones discarded, flesh flaked

BLUE CHEESE WITH SALTED

FLORENTINE BARK

Serves 10

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes+ cooling time

Ingredients

40g Austra l ian butter

2 tsp brown sugar

2tsp honey

40g plain flour

2 tbsp pine nuts

¼ cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup flaked almonds

2 tbsp pepitas

2 tbsp raisins, roughly chopped

2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked

1 tsp sea salt flakes, for sprinkling

300g wedge of blue cheese, for serving

Method

Bring butter, sugar and honey to the boil in

as!

a small saucepan Boil for 2 m i nutes Remove from heat and stir flour into the butter mixture followed by nuts, pepitas, raisins and thyme.

Line an oven tray with baking paper ensuring it extends up and over both sides on the tray Dollop scant tablespoonfu l s of the mixture onto the t ray about 5cm apart.

Bake at 180°C for 7-10 minutes or until spread, bubbling and deep golden in co lour Remove and sprinkle with salt. Note that the mixture w ill have formed one l arge th in sheet and w i ll harden upon cool ing

Cool on t ray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining m ixture

Break cooled sheets into shards and serve with blue cheese.

Tip: Bark can be stored in an airti ght container for a few days with baking paper between each layer

Method

Cut puff pastry into 16 squares before itthaws fully, transfer squares to a baking paper li ned oven tray. Combine ricotta, basil and lemon zest until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Add milk if the mixture seems a little dry and crumbly. Spread ricotta mixture over pastry pieces, leaving a narrow border Top each with 2 sl ices tomato.

Bake at 220°C for 10-12 minutes or until puffed and golden

Meanwhi le, pat capers dry with paper towel Heat oil in a small saucepan over medi um-high heat, add caper s and fry for 3-4 minutes until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Top tartlets with flaked trout, capers and extra basil. Serve warm or at room temperatu re.

Tip: Swap the trout with smoked salmon or leave the trout off altogether, for a vegetarian opti on.

LAYERED CHOCOLATE DREAM PAVLOVA

Serves 12

Preparation time: 50 m i nutes+ cooling time

Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

6 egg whites

1 ½ cups caster sugar

2 tsps white vinegar

1 tbsp cornflour

2 tsps vanilla extract

¾ cup flaked almonds

100g dark chocolate, finely chopped

300ml thickened cream

1 tbsp Italian marsala wine (optional)

2 tsps instant espresso coffee powder

200ml creme fraiche

500g fresh mixed berries

Method

To make meringue

Draw a 20cm circle on 3 pieces baking paper and line

3 baking trays Preheat oven to 120°c.

Use an electric mixer to beat egg whites in a dean, dry bowl until soft peaks form Gradually add sugar, beating well between additions until the sugar dissolves and t he mixture is t h ick and glossy.

Beat i n the vinegar, cornflour and vanil l a until combined Divide the meringue between the

prepared trays and spread evenly to the edges of the cirdes Sprinkle w ith almonds

Bake at 120°c for 50-60 minutes, rotating the trays every 2 0 minutes, or until firm to touch Turn off oven Leave meringues in the oven, with t h e door ajar, to cool completely.

To make chocolate cream

Bring 100ml of the cream, marsal a and coffee powder just to the boil in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and add choco late, stirring until melted and smooth. Transfer to a bowl and coo l to room temperature.

Beat the creme fraiche and the remaining cream together with an electri c mixer until firm peaks just form. Do not over-beat Add the cooled chocolate mixture and fold together until combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or unti l thick ened slightly, if necessary

Pl ace one meringue disk on a serving plate and spread with half the choco late cream. Repeat with remaining meringue and chocolate cream, finishing with the last meringue Scatter with berries and serve.

llp: Use a few dollops of meringue to stick the baking paper to the oven trays to help stop the paper slipping when you spread the meringue

The chocolate cream can be made several hours ah ead and refrigerated. Assemb le the cake close to serving time and if berries are abundant, add a few between the layers as well.

SEEKING BRIDES

Qualified professional match for smart Lobana Sikh. Clean s haven , '84 bo rn , 5'1 1 , MBA, Australia n c iri zen Wocking in MNC in Sydn ey: Family sertled in Sydney. Seeking Indian /A u stralian girl. Cas t e no bar. R es p o n d with photograph at - samp alia2@gmail.com

Suitable match required for J ain boy who w as born in Australia. He is handsome, has Clever married, a non- smoke r and is very social He ig ht 5' 9",40 ye ars o ld , we lJ -educated and wo r king hill tim e in a stab le per manent job All fam ily m e mbers are well edttcated a n d settled in Australia. Contact us w ith details at jaininau s@gmail.com

Seeking s uitable matc h for the re-marriage of 1978 Born Punjabi Brahmin Bo y He ight 5' 9", I ssueless, \Veil Settled A u s tralian Citize n workin g as professional for a Corporare based iC1 Sydney Caste n o ba r. Please e mail particu lars w ith photograp h s to accoun t8888@gmai l.co m or Contac t 04 019 54390

SEEKING GROOMS

Suitable match for extremely beautiful, tall, slim Jat Sikh girl, never married, 20 years, 5' 7" currencl y pursuing B.Tech in Computer Sci e nc e Engineering. Mother ACP Police, brother Ln .Australia, only daugh ter, well -serried rep u ted family from Amri tsar. Austra lian C itizen/Permanen t R esident Jat Sikh Bachelor boy w i t h professiona l qualification ONLY App ly with fu !J resume a nd photos at randhawa_ra manjot@ h o rmai l. com

Well-settled Brahmin family in Au s tralia invites alliance for 26 year old, 5"5, daughter. B Commerce/G raphic D esign, wor ki ng fulltime. Seeking vegetarian, non- smoker & drinker preferabl y well - educ ated and settled in Australia P lease ema il inter est co rkvm87@gmail.com or ca!J father o n 042425 1395

Parents looking for a Hindu boy fo r our daughter in Melbourne. She is 2 5 years old, 5 feet 4inches tall, slim, fair, profess ional in medical f:ie ld and Australia n citizen The boy preferred tO 26 to 31 yea rs o ld, sho uld have a professional job and should be Australia n citizen. P lease respond with photo and d etails t o match groo m @ h o unail. com

Se e king suitable match for 37-year-old Hindu girl, charted account, never married , w ith Indian family va lues and welJ- tun ed to western values. Please email with particular s : rk n 1 263@gm ail. com

Looking for a Punjabi boy for our daughter who is 29 years , 5'7'', slim, very beautiful a nd working in finance sec tor in C BD. We have b ee n setclecl in Syd n ey for past 40 years. E ld er daughter is happi ly married in Sydney. Looking for a profession al Sydney -based boy for our younger daugh ter who is close to Indian culnue Please em ail details witl1 phoco: ozin dian 11@gmail.com

AUST settled, profes s i onally qu alified matches _re quire d for our L'\VO d aughte r s, 24 (Pharmacist) a nd 22 (P o dia trist), born and educated in Me lb ottrne. Punjabi/Hindu family respects traditional & modern values. Please communicate initi ally via Em ail: kspoo n i@hotmail.com

H indu lady, Aust citizen, 56, young looking with fair complexion, divorced & vegetarian invites alliance from ideal match He should be a n o n - smoker a n d prefera b ly aged between 52 - 60 Pleas e fee l free to call 0449623316 anytime or e mail ra diance88@live com.

Well settled Punjabi family in Sydn ey lo oking for profes sio n ally qualified, very well settled b oy for da ughter slim, beautiful 5.4" 1985 born citize n , Governmen t employee. D one a Mas t e r 's in T eaching P lease send recen t pho co and b to d ata to scha nderchopra@red if fmail com or pho n e 0411320014

INDIAN LINI{ COMPETITIONS

ARIES tv1arch 21 - April 19

As the year comes to an end, you will be making decisions about a trip and peaceful getaway with your partner. You need to spend some quality time together. There will be some news with regard to your job with hard work and planning finally paying off. Financially you will be feeling more settled. You need to keep yourself physically fit and mentally strong. Any matters that have been upsetting will be released with positive thoughts for the year ahead.

TAURUS April 20 - tv1ay 20

You will be feeling very relaxed and happy with the way your relationship is going. Things are more settled and balanced. There will be some excellent news with regard to finances. The cards are indicating a time need for rest and relaxation, as you have been overdoing things lately. Take time out with your family and loved ones. As the year draws to a close, you need to make some solid plans for next year. Make sure you eat healthily.

GEMINI tv1ay 21 - June 20

The year has been quite exhausting for you in many ways. There will be a lot of plans and thoughts of new ventures and moving home. You will have a new love interest, whom you have either just met or will be meeting very soon. Make sure you keep your health in tip top condition, as you may be feeling a little run down and your immunity could be low. The cards are indicating a peaceful time ahead.

CANCER June 21 - July 20

This month you will be concentrating on your relationship. You will be feeling very romantic and in the mood to spoil your partner. The cards are indicating a fantastic time with regard to work progress and career. You will be feeling appreciated and all your efforts from the past will be rewarded. You will be feeling very secure and happy financially. Be careful you do not overspend during the festive season. A good end to the year.

LEO July 21 - Aug 22

A fantastic end to the year! You will be feeling confident, happy and at peace. There is also a side to you where you will be feeling sexy and ready to mingle. Someone is keeping a close eye on you, so be careful who your friends are. You will be in peak form and your fitness levels will be high. Avoid the tendency to over indulge or give in to temptation. The cards are showing your magnetic personality shining through.

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22

This month you will be feeling as though you would l ike to retreat on your own somewhere and hide. There will be a feeling for the need to spend some 'me time'. There will be pressures from family commitments and you may have some difficult times with a male child. The cards are indicating a time when you will be looking at increasing your income. The year is ending on a note of positivity and plans. Don't lose faith.

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22

You will be feeling in a very positive and happy mood this month. Your spirits seem to have lifted somewhat. The cards are indicating a time of romance and feelings of contentment. You have plans to travel this month, meeting with lots of different friends and family. Your social calendar will be packed for the festive season and you wil l be on a natural high.The cards are indicating a time of fun, excitement, socialising, relaxing and making p lans.

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21

Your life is running the way you want, and there is success in work and love. You have been working hard to bring someone dose to you, and now you are both want to take things to the next level. This month you will be feeling blessed and happy. The cards are indicating a time of financial stability and abundance. There may be some upset around the health ofa member of your family. Tests and examinations are needed.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21

You are bursting with sex appeal and maki ng time for that special person in your life. If you are single, you will be in the mood to flirt and make your intentions clear to that special one. Work will be stressful and there will be extra jobs put on your shoulders. Nothing you cannot handle. Take care of your health, you have been under a lot of mental stress lately. You will be looking at buying a new car.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19

You will be assessing the year that has passed and be feeling quite nostalgic. There are plans to travel next year, and you will be looking at dealing with property matters. You may be relocating or moving home. The cards are indicating a time when you will be putting a lot of energy into the future of your career and forging ahead with plans that have been on your mind for a whi l e. Take time out to relax and meditate.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - r=eb 18

This month you will be planning to spend more time with your family and spouse. If single you will be thinking of someone who has caught your attention. The cards are indicating a time of great promise and adventure. There will be new work coming your way, but you must take time out to focus on what is important. You have a tendency to take on more than you can handle to please everyone. Your fitness levels will be good

PISCES ~eb 19 - tv1arch 20

You will be feeling very energetic and looking forward to meeting up with family this season. You will be planning some surprise meetings with loved ones whom you have not seen for some time. There is a strong feeling of love and powerful influences of contentment. Work will take a back seat as you take sometime out. There are some personal goals that you have firmly p l aced in your mind to achieve in the coming year.

SMART AND SASSY

HAPPY ENDING

STARR ING: Saif Ali Khan, Ileana D'Cruz, Govinda, Kalki Koechlin, Ranveer Shorey

DI RECTOR: Raj Nidimoru/Krishna D K.

0kay, so in how many ways do we get to seethe Modern Indian Bollywood Hero (MIBH) play the commitment-phobic Casanova? See that guy out there We've seen him many times before, and played by Saif Ali Khan many times

Somehow for all its sins of redundancy, Happy Ending still manages to keep the narrative in a ceaseless state of sparkle Saif is that kind of an actor. He brings a shuffling nervous energy to each frame He never does the same thing in exactly the same way twice This is what keeps him going as the king of the ram-com

Think Hum Tum Think Oil Chahta Hai

Think Cocktail Think Salaam Namaste

There are no big cr i ses in the script to sort out. As Saiftells Kareena Kapoor (trying hard to look involved) in the film's prologue, "There is no depth in me What you see is what you get"

Saif again plays the jerk with a roving eye with a goofy panache that is cartoonish in its directness He strips his hero of all vanity and lets hiin roam naked in the wilderness

His Yudi is a selfish, horny, unethical bastard And we don't see him make much of an effort to hide it.

For a large part of the narration, we see Saif's character move across acres of self-seeking pleasure -hood, revelling in a kind of masturbatory courtship where the other partner's feelings are ruthless decimated

There is this smartly-written sequence in a hotel room where Yudi and Aanchal - the one-book wonder and the pulpy

authoress on the rise- share a platon ic bed that soon turns into an occasion fo r subtle mating games

Happy Ending is a film that strives to wear its aura of urbane cool by making the actors so familiar with the i r characters that the line dividing the performers and the performances seems redundant.

Shot in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the film is very good-lookin g. The three cinematographers Chase Bowman, Yaron Levy and Mahesh Limaye, shoot the characters against backdrops that would have served as postcards if the plot didn't invite the locales to be characte rs.

Kalki Koechlin as the blissfully devoted g i rl friend brings such a remarkable charm to her character's annoying devotion to her man that you wonder ifYudi wouldn't be doing the right thing in simply settling down with th is utterly and hopel essly devoted lovergirl.

But restless Yudi, whose only bestseller has been off the shelf for five years, has other plans He takes off on a road trip with the writer-on-therise

The mid-portions where the couple gets close while travelling together is almost inert in mood. Very little actual ly happens in the film And there lies the beauty of the beast called urban relationships.

A l ot ofthe drama that we see in our relationships comes from imagined inferences and illusory innuendos. This is where the co-directors bring i n Yudi's alter ego (Saif in a double role)

The look and the personality of the alter- ego seems inspired by music composer Pritam Maybe there is a subliminal message here: mediocre music and aimless relationships are equall y self-defeating.

Govi n da p lays a tacky Bo ll ywoo d superstar in pur suit of a script that would take h i m from the single-screens to the multiplexes You cou l d say he aspires to be in the kind of film that Happy Ending aims to be.

Govinda and Saifplay against one another with gleefu l gusto. Co - directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. (both make an appearance, one as cabbie, the other as a film director) keep the proceedings free of imposed drama At times, Happy Ending is a savagely wicked, sinfully irreverent, smart and sassy ram-com At other times, it just doesn't move. And because the co-directors know how

to hold our attention even when his protagonist is stricken by ennui, we can safely assume that some sharp writing skills are at work here even when there isn't much happeni ng on the surface

While Saif brings a variation to his stereotypi cal role, Ranveer Shorey as his best friend does the same with his habitual flai r for flirting with the familiar

The two actors get hand of the film's basic mood: same-same but different.

SUBHASH K. JHA

Indian Link A much awarded media group

UNGLI

STAR RING: Sanjay Dutt, Emraan Hashmi, Randeeo Hooda, Kangna Ranaut, Neel Bhoopalam, Angad Bedi, Neha Dhupia

DIRECTOR: Rensil d'Silva 1rlf'-:.r).(--~

Now this one is what one would call a late bloomer Don't get me wrong. It doesn't take l ong to get to the point. In fact the film's vigilante intentions are unmasked immediately after the film opens No beating around the bush No introductory songs

No nonsense?

Well, not quite that An utterly unnecessary and badly-choreographed item song by Shradha Kapoor shows up like a bad omen Before I finished shaking my head in dismay and disbelief, the corruption in this anti -corruption film got worse Emraan Hashmi was forced into doing what he knows best. The smooch is stuck into the script like a tail pinned to a donkey. And according to the script, Emraan is a cop

Four youngsters out to cleanse our country of corruption make a total ass of the l aw Masked but alas not menaci ng

Randeep Hooda, Neela Bhoopalam, Angad Bedi and Kangna Ranaut go for the jugular like four high school students playing out an Enid Slyton adventure

While the twinkle-eyed approach

WAGGING TME FINGER

prevents the plot from tripp ing over with self-importance, it also undermines the g ravity of the situation where the rich and the privileged are shown to get away with much more than murder.

Significantly Rensil 's film is able to show the murder of values without maul i ng the characters' innate sense of joie de vivre. This is where Ung Ii parts ways w ith Rang De Basanti, the other more important film on youthful vigilantism that Rensil d'Silva wrote. In the earlier film the youngsters took to the gun after being personally pushed to the wall.

For a film that wastes no time in p reambles, the narration is strangely sapless in the beginning, with episodes reading like scenes from a television serial.

Ironically it's Sanjay Dutt's entry that livens up the proceedings considerably He plays a jaded cop with refreshing candour and he precipitates the film's climax

The rest of the cast too is above average even at the lowest level. Barring Kangna who has a what-am -I- doinghere look whenever she appears, the smallest of characters are played with conviction Randeep Hood a as a Clark Kent-Superman kind of newshound leading a dual life while wooing his Louis Lane (Neha Dhupia, capable as always) is unusually blithe in his grim part. I wish

there was more of Neil Bhoopalam and Angad Bedi on screen. Whatever they do, they do with feeling a nd passion

Emraan Hash mi's role seems inspi red by Matt Damon i n Martin Scorcsese's The Departed Except that Damon wou ld n' t go aroun d kissi n g just because he is expected to

The angst never reaches any pinnacle, though t h e cinematograph er Hemant Chatur vedi struggles to g ive the characters a l ife beyond the l imitations im posed on the script by the absence of a vitality in the execution

Maybe the director wanted to keep the sloganeering against co r ruption quiet. Ominously Ungli seldom rises above expectations But it does manage to keep afloat, touching raw nerves in the audience by addressi ng cor r uption on the streets.

WAM REKMA, CINA-MA ZINDABAD!

SUPER NANI

STARRING : Rekha, Sharman Joshi, Randhir Kapoor, Anupam Kher DIRECTOR: Indra Kumar )r,.'"{',,_'y

There is something to be said about star power At a time when the biggest of stars sell themselves to the highest bidder on any medium, Rekha preserves an aura of unattainable beauty And yet she plays the gharelu roles now in this Indra Kumar drama with as much panache as she did in Sansar 28 years ago

In that film too Rekha was the unerring householder willing to sublimate her ego for the sake of her family In her new avatar as the home maker who won't flinch even when husband, son, daughter-in-law and daughter treat her like trash, Rekha brings an innate grace to her character's indignities

I d are any other actress to revel in the broad melodramatic milieu of Indr a Kumar's film Stretches of the narrative are designed like ongoing sitcoms with repeated gags and unstoppable skits masquerading as comic relief Shot on sets that belong to the costume dramas ofthe 1960s, Super Nani transports us t o

a world of embarrassi ngly over-stressed patriarchy

The men in the matriarch Bharati's life are so oblivious to their own vanity that they don't know how obnoxious they soun d when they order the homemaker around. The bullies get their comeuppance when Bharati transforms into well, Rekha A di va, albeit of the domestic- ad world

Rekha stands unflinching at the vortex of the nautanki, indestructible in her grace, unflinching in her determination to carry the idiocies on the narration away from prying eyes. She plays the g irl from Patna with smothered dreams that merge into her c urrent ro l e of the 'Mother In d ia' of the melodramatic age, filled with an implosive yearning to break out of her shell.

It is easy for urban India to laugh at Bharati's predicament as a matriarch b u llied by all the men and the women of her family For a lot of older women who live outsi de Modern India, oppression is still a way of life in one form or another Th is is audience that Indra Kumar aims at, and shoots

Many parts of the film in the secondhalf when Rekha's character achieves self-actualization throug h the good offices of her grandson Mann (Sharman

Joshi) and a school frien d (Anupam Kher), a re brut ally crude and imperviou s to the refined requi rements of metropol itan audiences who li ve in nuclear families a nd have probably n ever bothered to know wha t it feels lik e to have an extra -participative (read meddleso me) matr iarch in the house.

And I do believ e that the India which lives in the smaller towns and vi ll ages would warm up to the message of the film : learn to respect you w ife, o r your children wou ld also disre spect her Super Nani marks the ret urn o f Rek ha In a role designed fo r the diva, she spark les like a Diwali phooljharithat just refuses to burn out even when the festivities are over As the beleaguered Nani 's makeover artiste, Sharman Josh i again shows himself an underrated actor While the rest of the supporting cast

There is a sequence where Reema Lagoo (long time no see) is snubbed by a series of autorickshawallahs as she huffs fo r a ride home

This is a moment when you want to murder the perpetrator of ca l lousness

In moments such as these, Rens il d ' Si lva ki ll s it.

SUBHASH K JHA

hams h appily Sharm an rema i ns restrained to the end That ta kes some doing here

But then Sh arman is in inspiring company

There is no one quite as fil led w ith quiet grace as Rekha

SUBHASH K JHA

WE TI-IINK SI-IE'S GAUI-IAR-GEOUS

India is predictably livid at the recent Gauhar Khan slap -gate incident. Emotions ran high not only at the assault directed at the model and actor, but equally at the supposed rationale behind it.

The accused, Mohammad Akil Malik admonishing Gauhar for wearing skimpy outfits and dancing to 'cheap' songs despite being a Muslim, hit out at her at the filming of a TV show recently

"No religion or culture gives you the pe rmission of being violent," Gauhar Khan, who regained composure admirably, said afterwards "This is also a (kind of) terror and it has nothing to do with any belief This loser does not represent my beautiful faith, which i n itself means peace:'

Members of the film fraternity as well as others, shocked and outraged, took to social media to lash out at the perpetrator

"Shocked to hear that Gauhar Khan got slapped for alleged indecency Absurdity just touched a new level. Disgusting and highly condemnable;' tweeted director Director Madhur Bhandarkar

"Dearest natural selection, please help us out-evolve morons like the one who slapped Gauhar Khan Sincerely;'tweeted the Bhaag Milkha Bhaag star, Farhan Akhtar.

Actor Rohit Roy was left"speechless': sharing a shot of the story, he captioned it: "Headlines of today! I mean, seriously?? Have I moved to Taliban country?! #speechless''.

Adaa Khan from the TV show Amrit Manthan asked if the man knows that Islam does not give him permission to touch a lady, forget about slapping her, while actor Mohammad Nazim reiterated the common-sense point that you r religion has nothing to do with what you are wearing Meghna Malik or Ammaji of Na Aana Is Des Laado, a show focusing on female infanticide and other atrocities against women, also said that it's less a question of security and more about'a termite -ridden mindset'.

However, Gauhar is not the only celebrity who has been manhandled and harassed

In November 20 13, a stalker of actress Shruti Haasan allegedly tried to strangle her at her Mumbai resi dence. She somehow managed to close the door on him

The sultry actress Bipasha Basu during the promotions of Raaz 3 in 2012 in Ahmedabad, was harassed when a fan tried to pull Bipasha's skirt. She hurt her right hand trying to escape from the chaos

The Dhoom star John Abraham was'bitten' by a fema l e fan during the inauguration of a jewellery store in 2012 in Mangalore She is said to have grabbed his hand and bitten his fingers And Hrith ik Roshan was recently attacked by a fan outside a cinema hall in Juhu, Mumbai. The fan is said to have jumped at him and grabbed his neck

Gauhar Khan blamed the lack of security for the incident

RI P, Deven Verma

Deven Verma, Bollywood's veteran comedian known for spread ing laughter with his endearing performances in films likeAngoor and Khatta Meetha, died on 2 Dec following a heart attack and kidney failure He was 77.

He is survived by his wife Ru pa Ganguly, the younger daughter of the legendary actor Ashok Kumar.

"Incredible actor, comic excellence second to none. Thank you for makin g my childhood so memorable;' actor Riteish Deshmukh tweeted

Apart from a string of actors an d filmmakers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled his death, sayi ng he was "admired by film lovers''.

"RIP Deven Verma How much I love his scene in Andaz Apna Apna: Main betiyon ko chudiyaan pehnaoonga, Aap ma ko.~ Anushka Sharma tweeted

"#RIP DevenVerma. Your straight-faced impeccable comic timing still doesn't have a successor;'filmmaker Karan Johar noted.

Filmmaker B.R. Chopra's discovery, Deven made a transition from theatre to films with the 1961 partition drama Dharmputra. However, the actor known for his light-hearted roles started his stint with comedy with Gumraah, a fi lm that starred Ashok Kumar in the lead role

After that the actor bagged roles in fi lms like Anupama and Khamoshi, but it was his performance in Chari Mera Kaam that won him his first Filmfare Award The actor, known for his jolly nature and rib tickling gigs, won three Filmfare Awards in the best comedian categor y, one of them for Angoor.

In the latter part of his life, Deven turned to character roles with fi l ms l ike Judaai, Oil To Paagal Hai and Kora Kagaz He last featured in Calcutta Mail in 2003

In his long career, the actor also produced and directed movies such as Besharam and Dana Paani

He tried his hands in television too w ith shows such as Gubbare, Zabaan Sambhal Ke and Mam/a Gadbad Hai.

Sonam turns Santa for a cause

Bollywood's style icon Sonam Kapoor has collaborated with Pernia Qureshi's Pop-Up Shop to retail garments from her personal wardrobe on the webs ite

All proceeds from the sale will go towards Smile Foun dation, an NGO that focuses on helping underprivileged children and youth

This partnership will b ring pieces from Son am's uber chic closet along with ensembles from an assortment of high street brands, Indian designers as well as international fashion labels like Roberto Cavalli, Marc Cain, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Halston Heritage, Anita Dongre, Pernia Qureshi, Nishka Lulla, Atsu, Masaba, Disney and more

"I love the outfits that Pernia and I selected from my wardrobe. I have worn these once, most probably and not more than that. It's as good as new and 100 percent of the proceeds wi ll go to the charity. So you're shopping and you don't need to feel guilty about it;' said the Khoobsurat actress

soNAM KAPOOR

Oz d irector Paul Cox loves Bo ll ywood flicks

Frowning on Hollywood production s as "manipulative': l egendar y Austra l ian filmmaker Paul Cox asserts he wou l d watch "silly" and "inn ocent " Bol lywood flicks rather than those made i n "manipulative" Hollywood.

Descr ibed as a humani st filmmaker, Melbourne based Cox, is a "h uge admirer " of India's repertoire of ind epen dent movies but laments the absence of powerful storytelling and thought-provoking content that were the h i ghpoints of ci nema during the days of masters l ike Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen

His most recent venture on organ donation, Force of Destiny (an offshoot of his own experi ence with liver cancer and the subsequent life- saving transp l ant}, shot i n parts of Kerala, was screened at the 20th Ko l kata International Fil m Festival. Cox's memoi r, Ta l es from the Cancer Ward, detailing h is fight with cancer, is t h e basis of the fi l m The fi l mmaker's l ove for India is pretty well reflected in the film wh i ch stars Lord of the Rings fame actor David Wenham, Bollywood actress Shahana Goswami and Nationa l award winner Seema Biswas, as it incorporates Indian classical music and other cu ltural influences.

Shakti Kapoo r for Gui nness

World Reco rd?

Silver screen baddie Shakti Kapoor, tagged as a rea l-li fe villain ever since the casting - couch- controversy sti ng operation, is now being nominated by daughter Shraddha Kapoor for a certificate from Guinness World Records

The Ashiqui 2 actress feels baddie daddy h as done ov er 700 films, which in itself is "unusual" and "w orthy " o f being l auded.

When in the Bigg Boss house, item ga l Shradha Sharma openly made eyes at h im and flirted outrageously with Shakti , he said, "Frankly, I was embarrassed! Woh meri cost pe footage kha rahi thi. But, I will still pray t h at her dreams in l ife come true!"

Crime Master Gago seems to be turning over a new leaf, huh!!

SHRA DDHA KAPOOR

Sal man's Kat fight

Salman Khan who is known for pulling the leg of his co-stars on the sets of films, stretched it a little too far this time

During l'il sister Arpita's wedding, Salman, who was constantly on stage singing or dancing referred to Katrina Kaif as Katrina Kapoor and commented cheekily on how she had missed the opportunity to be Katrina Khan

"Katrina tum hara gaana bajj raha hai (Chikni chame/i). Please come on stage Mai kya karoon I gave you a chance to become'Katrina Khan: but you chose to be ' Katrina Kapoor'! "

Katrina had made it to the wedding despite the fact that her alleged beau Ranbir Kapoor wasn't invited And though she sportingly went up to the stage and shook a leg with those present, she was seemingly upset with the entire incident. Things reportedly worsened when the video of Salman taking d igs at Katrina went viral.

However, Sallu has reportedly visited Katrina at her residence to apologi se

SALMAN KHAN

and the demure diva accepted the apology w ith a smile. Sallu, you do love controversies, don't you?

Varun Dhawan turns dad

The Saturday Saturday hero, known for his rom-coms, will be playing a father for the first time in his next

The first look of Sriram Raghavan 's Badlapur set the internet abuzz last week as Varun Dhawan, the poster boy of rom-com, slipped into an almost unrecognizable avatar

The actor revealed that many of his peers warned him against doing the thriller, some even said, "You'll be finished''.

Then came words of wisdom from Aamir Khan "The best decisions, as far as fi l ms are concerned, are taken with the heart''. This gave him the impetus to take a drastic pay cut for the project too

The film took Varun away from the mustard fields and coffee shops to a morgue, a prison wh ich housed serial-

WI-IO WORE IT BETTER?

killers, and an ICU w h ich wasn't a fi l m set

"It drained me I had slipped into depression as after a point it no longer felt li ke I was acting in a fi l m. The experience was that terrifying Sri ram really made me suffer Even when the camera was off, he was shooting me It was a reality check of a different kind because till then I had been leading a rather insulated life, both in real life and reel;'Varun admits

The friends he hung out with, on Saturday nights at fancy clubs, were in for a rude shock The film had made Varun quiet and angry and h e was in no mood to party.

Varun sought inspiration from American TV shows like Breaking Bad and Dexter.

And next forVarun is a mixed bag of versatile roles with Remo D ' Souza's ABCD 2, the Hindi remake of The Fault in Our Stars with Deepika Padukone, and also brother Rohit's patriotic film Dhlshoom.

Emraan Hashmi to play Azhar

Serial kisser Emraan Hashmi has been doing some serious roles since the Murder franchise and will play Mohammed Azharuddin in the biopic of the former Indian cricket captain.

The actor revealed t h at the fi l m may have sport as the theme, but it focuses more on the cricketer's life, which is difficult to capture

Talking about the biopic, Emraan said, "The research encompasses speaking to Azhar bhai on anecdotes and moments from his life He has probably led the most exciting life that any sportsperson could have:'

Emraan, who has gone through ups and downs, says his current slate of films wi ll give a push to his caree r.

or Jennifer Hawkins in Toni Maticevski?

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"There is no road map here You do films with honesty and integrity. I don't believe that the box office is the only benchmark for success I am not the guy who will go down the same path which everybody is taking. When you do something different, there are chances that your films may flop;' he said

"My current slate offilms will reinvent me as an actor;' added the Raja Natwarla/ actor Though Ung/I went for a toss, the Azhar-biop i c might bri ng Emraan back to the limelight

anta tot e rescue

It's a weird and wonderful wish list from India

Samabahi, I have just returned home after m y spectacular visit to Australia

Father Christmas is poring over Google

Maps on his laptop He is worried the options for Aight pat hs to take his annual gift g iving jaWlt to the southern hemisphere are narrowing down. Ukrainian airspace is not safe. Putin backers may nm take pot shots at h is sled, with Russians mrning to Ch ri stianity now unlike the Soviet U nion commies, bur what if one of those rebels mistakes Rudolph for a wild antelope and aims at him?!

The Middle East is muddled up with no one knowing who is shooting at who PAK seems to stand for Pain and Killing. Even Lidia is a cause for concern.

With Maneka Gandhi now in some ministerial saddle, animal activists may protest against his rei11deers being used to lug heavy load s of gi fts around the globe non -srop But those avowed cow worshiping Indians hardl y look after the beasts, allowing them to choke and die eati n g plastic bags that farer every lane. There are so man y plastic bags strewn all over the land dia t one day it may look like the snow -covered Arctic Anyhow, with a few more days to sort th is om, Santa consoles himself Opening his foternet browser, he is surprised co see on his Pacebook someone with a face cl osely resembling his - with grey hair and beard - plump, b ut not pm- bellied.

His email reads: "f',laJ\!Ioste

You may have heard the loud roar from .Allphones Arena welcoming .ine. On Indian Link's website you can see their colourful 30-page coverage of m y events. Wherever I wen t I was treated like a rock sta r. But on arriving home, I am shocked to see local stitmps like Shiv Sena's Uday demanding a lot more power than diey deserve They think they can tweak di is chai wallah! A month ago 1 st arted a 'S1J1achh Bharat campaign co c lean up the country and now I want co use d 1e sai11e technique to sweep some of these 'chokras' o ur of the political landscape as well. Please send me the most powerful broom with the longest handle so diat I can do this work from right here in South Bloc.

Ap ke seva 111ei11, Narenbhai".

The straiigest request, Santa smiles to himself. He opens the next one Also from an Indian pollie, Salman Khurshid " Yo u may not know I was India's Foreign Minister in the last government. Nor many Indians knew that eidier. Our party bosses Sonia and Ralml are not pulling crowds any longe r 1 told out newsmen iliac all d1ose huge crowds for Modi in rv[yanmar and Australia were becau se diey were sent from here beforehand. Of course no one questioned me on how that was possible. Too many TV channels here in India and tbey use anything to fill their bulletins. B y the way, can you send some huge p lanes, preferably invisible, to use this technique for ensuring crowds for R.'lhul next ti.me."

Very weird indeed. 'What more i s in scor e?' wonders Santa as Sonia's wish list shows up on the sc reen. Sadde n ed b y her request last year for the PM's chair for her son not being fulfilled, she asks for die best legal brai n s co fight allegations against her and Rabul for impropedy grabbing Rs.1600cr worth o f National Herald buil dings for die paltry sum of Rs.SO lakb. Alternatively, she wants a Bofors gun, the type diat b rought R aj iv down from power, to aim at her adversar ies making such allegations Ha,7 ing barel y succeeded in her p lea co appeal co the Suprern e Court against the judgement of the Bengaluru special court, J ayalali tha, in her note to the jolly old fellow, sou n ds unusually modest. Setting aside her conceited pride over

her proficienc y in English, she politel y asks for some super silks (QCs) co get her case adjourned for the next 18 years as she did befo re until t he Bengaluru court hrought her down co earth.

Proud as a peacock, Subramanian Swamy, cod.1• ove r his success in bringing die much- adored Amma co justice, makes the same request - brilliant barristers co bring to books Sonia and Rahul in order to fuliil his lifelong ambition to end the ehru -Gandhi dynasty.

Pl enty of scope for l eg al eagles co swoop down, feels the m an in the reel suit.

There is no prize for guessing what Dhoni 's appeal will be - a rep lay of the la se World Cup, even i f it means a wait until Marc h co lay his gloved hands on the silverware.

Middle of che road Indi ans

unanimous ly wish for a 'jhadoo' (broom) not only to clean the mounting rubbi sh on the roads ides, but also co sweep away d1e chronic corruption. If it happens, i t will truly be a be Christmas Jadh11' (miracle)