Sanjay worked upon a strategy. He met Santoor maestro, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma in Mumbai and convinced him to come to Sydney. Sanjay also rejigged the dates and moved the concert to August to coincide with the Indian Independence year and called it Freedom Concert 2010. The ideas appealed to Shiv Kumar Sharma who was more than happy to perform with Hari Prasad Chaurasia, his close associate. After all they had created magic many together many a times in the past and had many hit Bollywood labels under the combined name of Shiv-Hari.

While his detractors were laughing in glee at the postponement of his concert, Sanjay was working on a plan. He never lost his belief in the Freedom Concert brand and always believed that Indian classical musicians have a strong brand name and that Indians abroad would always turn up to listen to these maestros. He also personally contacted all the ticket holders of the earlier concert and assured them of a bigger and better concert in August.

These days Sanjay is having the last laugh and his phone does not stop ringing these days. Freedom Concert 2010, both in Melbourne and Sydney has been a great success. The Sydney concert had over 700 people and not a small feat given that it was a hectic day for the Indian community living in Sydney. There was flag hosting ceremony in the morning followed by the UIA Fair with Bollywood singer Mika Singh performing and then the Freedom Concert in the evening. The Freedom Concert brand is now firmly entrenched in the minds of people and this brand belongs to Sanjay and his company Core 4 Entertainment.

The evening started with Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma’s performance. As soon as he appeared on the stage, he was given a standing ovation by the audience. Shiv Kumar Sharma was accompanied on the stage by Vijay Ghate on the tabla and Takahiro Arai on tanpura. Interestingly Takahiro is a Japanese disciple who has made Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma as his guru. Vijay Ghate is considered by vocalists, instrumentalists and classical dancers as one of the best of the younger generation tabla players of India. A disciple of Suresh Talwalkar, Vijay is known for clarity, accuracy, and purity in his rendering of various complicated tabla compositions. Shiv Kumar termed Vijay Ghate as one the best tabla players in India.

The next hour was pure magic as Shiv Kumar Sharma enthralled the audiences with his variations and tunes on the santoor. Some of his low notes were absolutely marvelous and well liked by the audiences. His performance included the traditional pattern of presentation for North Indian Classical Music, beginning with the slow, meditative Alap. Throughout the performance, the tabla skillfully echoed the complex rhythmic phrases of the Santoor. Shiv Kumar played many ragas but his rendition of the Pahari music in Santoor was mind blowing. The recital finished with a light classical dhun played in the charming Raga Pahadi, a melody associated with the beauty of the valleys and mountains in Punjab and Jammu.

Until Shiv Kumar Sharma came along the Santoor was categorized as a simple folk instrument of Kashmir. Shiv Kumar Sharma has singularly elevated this folk instrument to the concert hall status. During the break, the Indian consul general Amit Dasgupta was requested to come on the stage and in a humble gesture took his shoes off before appearing on the stage. While the maestros were performing all the members of the audience had a smile on their face.

One of the little known facts is that Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia was born into a family of wrestlers in Allahabad, India. Young Hari Prasad began training as a wrestler until one day he innocently picked up the bansuri, a single event that changed the entire course of his life as well as the history of music.

When Hari Prasad Chaurasia appeared on the stage he was given a standing ovation and he started by saying that he was pleased to be with his other part of the family in Australia. He was accompanied by Sunil Avachat on the flute, Vijay Ghate on the tabla and local player Yama on the tanpura. Throughout the recital Hariprasad alternated the main line of the melody with a great variety of improvised phrases many of which are playfully imitated by the table by Vijay Ghate. The longer the flute, the deeper its pitch and longer flutes are also difficult to blow and finger. Pandit Hari Prasad displayed amazing mastery of the flute with his introducing innovative fingering and blowing techniques.

At the end of the performance, Indian National Anthem was sung. If you missed this event, then make sure you are a part of Freedom Concert 2011.

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Julia Gillard’s position as an election winner has been compromised after Labor party invited Kevin Rudd to save them from the voter backlash. Julia was supposed to be the sole face of Labor after the mid night political assassination of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Even if Julia wins, Kevin Rudd will share the limelight as he will be credited partly with the Labor win. In politics as soon as there are more contenders for sharing the spoils of office, the leader will always be on tenter hooks and Julia Gillard will not ever be in a commanding position if she becomes Prime Minister this Spring season.

Now if Tony Abbott becomes the next Prime Minister of Australia, he might be held in high esteem within Australia but he will never get the same respect which Kevin Rudd or a John Howard got when they went abroad. Tony Abbott’s policy of sending asylum seekers in boats back when they come into Australia is simply too harsh and is at conflict with the compassion and understanding which the world expects from the heads of developed countries. His notion that Climate Change is not man made will put him in direct conflict with the rest of the Heads of State in global summits and instead of making new friends, he will always find himself at cross roads whenever he travels abroad. The transnational media companies will sneer at his comments as he will be an easy target due to his extreme comments in the past. His refusal to ever set a price on carbon under a Coalition government is not sustainable.

Remember how the last Federal elections were fought on the policy of Afghanistan and Iraq . This was one of the main election issues as voters were keen to know the future foreign policy engagement of the Nation. One of the main highlights of this election is the complete absence of foreign policy issues and Afghanistan and Iraq is the last thing on the minds of our leaders. At a time when Australian causalities in Afghanistan have peaked and we should be discussing future commitments our leaders have steered clear of this issue. Unfortunately for our leaders in this election, the farthest they have gone on foreign policy discussion is Nauru and East Timor .

One of the defining characteristic of this election has also been the focus on the state of Victoria and Queensland . NSW seems to have been forgotten again. There have been no major policy announcements related to the deteriorating  infrastructure in NSW, except the last minute politically motivated announcement of Parramatta to Epping rail link.

The mainstream political parties are fighting this elections mainly on asylum seekers. By calling a no holds debate on this issue they are appealing to lowest common denominator in our society when we should be focussing on the economy. Equally appalling is the attitude of some talkback radio jockeys to create fear in the minds of listeners that Australia is going to be swamped by asylum seekers.

Is this the start of the frustration of people with the mainstream political parties?

Mark came to Australia 8 years back to study Accounting. Says Mark, “I felt after 2007 elections that I should be more involved. The Liberal party then was in a bad shape and the best position they occupied at that time was the Mayor of Brisbane as Sydney and Perth mayors were independents. I felt you can’t have a system where one political party controls everything.” Mark joined Liberal party during his student days in an activist role and has been a paid Liberal party member since the past 3 years and has since quit the Liberal party. “I did not apply for the position as a Liberal party candidate as it has traditional school of thoughts. Younger people in the party are looked upon as kids. My experience of being with them was that you raise an issue and some body would stand up and say hey…I am a member since the past so many years and seniors are always right. I am for younger generation members in politics” adds Mark.

Mark is also dismissive of the Labor party and says “Look after Kevin Rudd became the Prime Minister he refused to sell Uranium to India and also cancelled the naval exercises with India. Since then the attacks on Indian students have increased. State Labor governments have lax attitude regarding law and order. Nothing substantial has been done regarding these students and we as an Indian community need to speak up. Just doing fund raisers for MPs and raising memorandums will not help. We need to speak up and take our voice into the Parliament.”

I asked Mark if he was contesting to just make a point and his response was, “I can win. You got be in the game to win the game. There is a 1 in 4 chance to win. I have different views on immigration I am supporting immigration. I am not like any other fringe party with extreme views. I am against taxes, against work choices or draconian laws. I am disagreeing with mainstream parties because limiting immigration is not good for our economy. I have got mainstream values. I take things as they come. I will continue to be in politics and get involved in more elections.”

He is also a big critic of the Visa capping bill. He adds, “It is unfair, unjust and discriminatory. It gives way too much power to Immigration Minister. It allows Immigration Minister to cancel applications when he/she feels like which is not fair. If someone has already made an application or about to make it then why should he or she suffer. It’s not their fault that Labor and Liberals want to win marginal seats and are so bringing these policies. I also believe there is a racist element involved to all this. Indians are most likely to come through Skilled Migration and with all the media coverage about racist attacks on Indians in the past the government has decided to silence them through this. It’s like saying indirectly “stay quiet or else we will make it harder for you”.
Mark’s family back home is getting used to his new sought fame and career. “My family back home is getting used to my decision. They were very surprised and I have got a lot of support from my mother. Initially they were not convinced. This is big time stuff for me. The guy standing against me is holding five ministries. Other parties are digging dirt on me and snooping around my home. I hope they don’t play the race or religion card.”

“I have lived in Strathfield, Inner West and have seen large immigrant population from Asian countries. Lot of them are now citizens and have no political representation. I see in railway stations, work, public places, and a huge diversity. We need to see the same diversity in Parliament. We need a new breed of leaders and different people in the Parliament” says Mark.

Mark Sharma says that Watson was considered a safe seat and that was why Julia Gillard was yet to visit the area. ‘‘The real election will be in the marginal seats. People shouldn’t want Watson to be a safe seat because it means politicians ignore it and don’t care.”
If you need any more information contact Mark Sharma on 0433 555 381 and go to his website at www.dimpto.com.

She is a great fan of Vani Jayaram. Shreya caught the attention of film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali when she participated in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa for a second time, this time as an adult. In 2000, he offered her the opportunity to be the voice of Paro, the lead female character of his film Devdas, who was portrayed by Aishwarya Rai. Shreya sang five songs under the musical direction of Ismail Darbar in the film. Her performance won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, as well as Filmfare’s RD Burman Award for New Music Talent, given to upcoming talents in music. She also won a National Film Award for the song “Bairi Piya“.

Her songs “Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai” from Jism, “Mera Dholna” from Bhool Bhulaiyaa, “Teri Ore from Singh Is King”, “Yeh Ishq Haaye” from Jab We Met and “Barso Re” from Guru are all smashing hits you can’t ever forget.

Rohit Revo interviewed Shreya Ghoshal on the eve of her tour to Australia.

You are the only singer to get four national awards at the age of 26 in the Hindi film industry. How does it feel to achieve so much at such a young age?
Well, frankly I have never sung for awards.. I am blessed that I have received so much love and respect from my audiences and jury all throughout. I would say, this is just my beginning, there is a lot to do. I am still evolving as an artist.

June 26th, 2010 has been declared as “SHREYA GHOSHAL DAY” in the state of Ohio in US in recognition of your musical contribution? What was your reaction when you heard this?
This is a big honour and completely unexpected. It was a surprise kept for me when I arrived at Ohio for my concert.. The Governor’s wife presented me this honour. I was too overwhelmed!

From Devdas to Guru and peppy Latto in Ghajini. ….you have had a great going. Where is Shreya Ghoshal heading in the future?
Hmmm! Absolutely no idea where I am headed.. The only forces which drive me in life is a hunger for excellence and the need to do different things. So that will decide how my life shapes up in the future..

Do you think reality TV contests are the right medium to attract new music talent to the film industry?
Ans- This question has been asked to me just too many times. Let’s talk something more interesting.

Did you like your experience of being a judge in TV musical contest?
Was fun.. Different kind of experience!

You have sung in many genres. Is there any particular type of song you love to sing?
Indian folk has always attracted me. I would like to experiment more in this genre. And Jazz, which is a very difficult music form, would like to learn it.

DNA INDIA ranked you as #41 in its list of INDIA’s TOP 50 POWER WOMEN. Your reactions please.
Wow. I feel awesome:) but to know that I am powerful is actually intimidating, because with power comes responsibility so, I got to be very careful with every step I take in life, as everyone’s looking here:)

You had a very successful show in Sydney Opera House last time? What is the best part about performing in Sydney?
The last concert I had in Sydney was simply mind-blowing. One of the best I can say the audience was simply awesome! And the venue was really prestigious. I love the Sydney spirit…Ekdam mast Very lively responsive audience. Big music lovers. Can’t wait too see them again

You sing so many songs. But what songs do you listen to when you are free.
Hmmm. Lots. From Indian classical to Jazz to old Hindi film to new ones to a little bit of rock

What is your advice to young singers aspiring to make it big in the film industry
Before u decide to take the plunge into taking up a career in this industry, you must learn music, make your art really perfect. And be unique, don’t blindly copy someone’s style.

You have such a pretty face and many of your fans want to see you acting as well. Do you have any plans of acting.
I can’t act.. I am a drama queen only at home.

If I ever do an album I will feature in the video (Laughs)

Can you give us a peep into what your fans can expect to see and hear in your upcoming concert in Sydney.
Come to the concert. I am sure I will be able to touch all music lover’s hearts somewhere

There will be songs from all my films, and if requested may be some old Hindi songs, a few of my regional hits.

Its all up to the audience’s mood So be ready to make some noise! And make your requests heard

What message do you want to give to your fans in Australia?
Excitement is building up, can’t wait to see you guys. Australian fans know how to show their love for the artists and I want to give them that back too.

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Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma talks to Rohit Revo on the eve of the Freedom Concert 2010.

Australia is looking forward to having you perform at THE FREEDOM CONCERT 2010, how have your past experiences in Australia been?

I have been visiting Australia for the last 20 years.  First time I came in 1980 for the Adelaide Festival, since then I have performed several times and each time I have got bigger audiences who are appreciative of Indian Classical Music

What is going to be the theme of your concert on the eve of India’s Independence Day in Sydney and also in Melbourne?

The Theme of the Concert will be – Freedom comes when there is love, peace and harmony amongst all the people of this globe

A decade back there was a resurgence of interest amongst the youth in traditional musical forms, do you think these people have now moved again in droves to Bollywood music. Especially after the Rahman years youngsters have been attracted to filmi music?

I don’t think we should ever compare film music with traditional classical music.  These are two different genre’s of music.  Film music has always enjoyed mass following whereas Indian Classical Music has niche audience.   The only difference right now is, media is projecting Bollywood Music and not showcasing Indian Classical Music. In the last 40 years followers of Indian Classical Music has increased sharply and organisations like Spic Macay have generated lot of interest amongst the youth for Indian Classical Music

Indian students in Australia had a very tough period last year. Will you be carrying any message for them?

As said earlier, Music crosses the barrier of Religion, Caste and creed.  Therefore, Music is known as Universal language and that language gives the message of love, peace and harmony

You have collaborated in Bollywood and created beautiful music which is a pleasure to listen to even after so many years. Tell us about it, and also working closely with Hari Ji?

I don’t like to use the word Bollywood Music which is used for Hindi Film Music. Yes, I enjoy composing Music for films like Silsila, Chandni, Darr, Lamhe etc. alongwith Hariji.  It is a very challenging field to compose music for a film where one has to keep in mind the storyline, character and locations.  It is a totally different approach from playing Concert on stage.   With God’s blessings our Music has been appreciated and is still very popular.   But still my first love is Indian Classical Music and will always remain so.

How did you come up with the beautiful music for Silsila movie. While creating the music did you ever think it will be such a big hit?

It is not planned.   Music compositions happen by instinct.   The method we followed was – first Yash Chopra had explained the whole film story and the situation where songs were to be played.  After working on the Music for one month, we met again and within 2-3 days all melodies of the songs were finalised and then the remaining work like getting the lyrics written and orchestration started.  By the way Javed Akhtar the well known lyricist wrote film songs for the first time in Silsila as a song writer.

What are your experiences about playing with Western musiciains?

I have performed with the likes of George Harrison of Beatles group, Billy Preston famous keyboard player of that time and later with John Mclaughlin, famous guitarist.  It is a big challenge to combine with Musicians of this caliber.  I enjoyed the experience.

What message do you have for the Indian community living in Australia?

Indians living in Australia should assimilate with local culture and should not forget our own roots and traditions of more than 3000 years and make local people aware of our culture also.

Your son Rahul had successfully scored music for Bollywood films like Yash Chopras’ Hritik starrer Mujhse Dosti karoge and is one of those few musicians who goes classical, fusion, bollywood and world collaborations.

Are you happy with his progress?

Yes,  of course I am very happy and very happy about one aspect i.e. after doing all these genres he has preserved traditions of Indian Classical music.  When he performs Indian Classical music he sticks to the traditional way

The Santoor is a folk instrument from the Kashmir valley? Are you satisfied now with the recognition that Santoor has now got world wide.

Santoor is not a folk instrument.  It is called as Sufiana Music in which Santoor is used.  When, I started playing Santoor nobody had heard or seen the instrument.  With the blessings of My Guru and Father, Pt. Uma dutt Sharma, I am very satisfied that today Santoor has become an integral part of Indian Classical Music.

Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia are coming to Australia to perform at the Freedom Concert 2010. Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia answers questions on the eve of his Australian performance.

Australia is looking forward to having you perform at THE FREEDOM CONCERT 2010, how have your past experiences in Australia been?

I have visited Australia a number of times, and each time has been better than the previous one. I am really looking forward to perform in Australia and celebrate our Independence Day with all of you this time.

What is going to be the theme of your concert on the eve of India’s Independence Day in Sydney and also in Melbourne?

Music is my love. And because it is my love, music has become my religion. I consider music to be the best way of spreading love and harmony, and I am going to spread the message of love and harmony. I am playing for the audience. But between us, I can see Lord Krishna. And the audience can also see him. It is this experience that I wish to share on that day.

A decade back there was a resurgence of interest amongst the youth in traditional musical forms, do you think these people have now moved again in droves to Bollywood music. Especially after the Rahman years youngsters have been attracted to filmi music?

Well, this trend won’t last. Even when these youngsters do these remixes, they are going to the old songs. Eventually you cannot stop the sun from rising, the water from flowing, the moon from spreading its light and you cannot change the seven notes to anything else.

Classical music will retain its luster-the pollution will be washed away. I’m really not worried by this temporary deviation. All music eventually comes out of this form, so sooner or later, you see them back in this form, because this is where from it all originates. Whoever gets involved in this field becomes spiritual because the music itself is purely spiritual. This music is a prayer, a rare kind of prayer. Music is created by the Supreme entity (‘Brahma’) so that we can get an understanding or a view (‘Darshan’) of that entity.

Indian students in Australia had a very tough period last year. Will you be carrying any message for them?

I would like to tell them to believe in love and harmony, carry on working hard, and make all of us proud.

You have collaborated in Bollywood and created beautiful music which is a pleasure to listen to even after so many years. Tell us about it, and also working closely with Shiv Ji?

I worship Shiv Kumar Sharma from the deepest interiors of my heart. He is the elder brother I was lucky to have. Shiv ji is not of this world, I realized that the moment I set eyes on him. We met in the 1950s at a youth festival and then again in Bombay in 1961, and became very close. Creating music together has been a fascinating experience each time.

How did you come up with the beautiful music for Silsila movie. While creating the music did you ever spiritual inner self, ever think it will be such a big hit?

Music flows with the moment, and all that matters is to make something which inspires you spiritually. One would never know how big a certain soundtrack can become, it is that moment, that state of mind and that thought of creating something new that gives us great music. It happens by establishing your connection with the divine.

What are your experiences about playing with Western musicians?

I have collaborated with several western musicians, including John McLaughlin and Jan Gabarek. It has been extremely satisfying and creative.

What message do you have for the Indian community living in Australia?

The amount of happiness I get when I see our culture so well preserved with them is something that makes all Indians very proud. I wish all the community a lot of prosperity and happiness.

We listen to Hariprasad Chaurasia. What does Hariprasad Chaurasia listen to?

I love traditional music, and folk tunes. I was in Korea recently and asked them after my performance to play their traditional music. They did and I had a wonderful time.

You celebrate “Janmashtami” with your students at Vrindaban Gurukul by paying tribute to Lord Krishna by playing the flute for 24 hours. How do you manage to perform for such long hours?

I dare to dream that through my playing and through my students my flute will be left behind as the memory of Krishna. It is this dream that gives me my strength, and I don’t feel that I have played long enough. I could still perhaps, go on for longer hours, because I have the blessings of Lord Krishna. Like I said, music for me is very spiritual, and so there is no fatigue when one is playing. I guess I don’t get the time to get tired! There have been occasions where I have flown to a different country for a 1 hour recital and flown back immediately after to perform somewhere else. For me my music is my aradhana, my prayer, and each auditorium a temple. Music rejuvenates and energizes me and the love I have received in return is the greatest reward.

Australian cricket board erred in its judgment by nominating Howard in the first place over NZ Cricket chairman Sir John Anderson who should have been the first choice as the Australia-NZ nomination for ICC. Howard’s criticism of Sri Lankan spinner Murali was too harsh. Prime Ministers in Asian countries don’t go about berating sports persons of other countries. The image of John Howard using tough language after Indian nuclear tests is more etched in Indian minds than John Howard’s decision to sell Uranium to India. Remember John Howard’s treatment of Indian doctor Mohd Haneef to get cheap votes. Howard also adopted an extreme hard line on Zimbabwe. No wonder opposition to John Howard was overwhelming and came from 6 cricketing nations and not just India. His political past would have never allowed him to be consensual candidate. There are just 10 countries who are qualified to play test cricket and a split amongst them would be disastrous for the future of the game.

John Howard showed he is a thick skinned politician when he travelled secretly to Zimbabwe to garner votes for his ICC nomination, forgetting that he had been canvassing against Zimbabwe for most of his political life.

The issue has still not died down and Howard’s refusal to quit has muddied the waters. It’s like saying John Howard wants to get reelected from Bennelong in the coming elections after he lost the last elections. Due to his insistence to hold on to the job, he will block chances of other suitable candidates for the post. Holding on his job and refusing to see the tide of current is a trait that comes naturally to John Howard. Remember he refused to vacate the job for his Deputy till he got trashed in the elections and even got defeated in his own seat. Howard’s reluctance to withdraw his candidature for ICC Post is ridiculous. The more he stays put the more harm he does to cricket.

Critics have been blaming India and other countries for blocking Howard’s nomination. The question we need to ask is …What if Zimbabwe proposes Robert Mugabe as President of ICC, when it is their turn? Would he be acceptable to Australia? It is like Sheikh Taj Hilaly being proposed as Mufti of Australia. His people have a right to nominate him but he is not going to be accepted by the majority. Australia and New Zealand have a right but the candidate has to be acceptable and non controversial.

It is time for Cricket Australia to propose a new candidate for ICC top job. Australia has scores of better candidates to represent us in ICC and we need to put them forward instead.

Remember the hue and cry in the Indian media against Australia at the height of violence against Indian students in Australia last year. The appointment of Peter Varghese as Australian High Commissioner to India has helped in a big way and taken the edge out of the arguments of those people who said Australia was a racist nation. It was clear if Australia was a racist society it would not have been possible for a person of Indian descent to represent Australia in such a high position. There has been a significant reduction in the rhetoric and anger of Indian criticism of Australia since his appointment.

It is now time to duplicate the Peter Varghese diplomatic strategy in cricket. Dr Harry Harinath is a poster boy of the Australian Indian community and is one of the best examples of the professional acumen which people of Indian origin bring to the Australian community.

This is also a lesson to all politicians to aim to build a global image for themselves rather than pander to lowest elements in the society and raise rhetoric. This is something that Kevin Rudd understood but did not have time to implement. Think of it if Kevin Rudd would have been the appointee of Cricket Australia for ICC, he would have won hands down. He will win even today.

Thanks to Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Federal Stephen Conroy, we are now faced with the prospect of Government censoring what is available on the Internet. The plan involves blacking out about 10,000 websites deemed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to be so offensive that they are categorized as ‘RC,’ or Refused Classification.

At a time when Minister should be spearheading us at the speed of light to the unravelling world of Internet, he is imbroiled in unnecessary controversies and busy defending his decision on introduction of internet filters. Instead of leaving it to households the Minister has decided to take control of the whole internet and make his own assessment of what is good and what is bad. This can cause internet in Australia to slow down as the list of so called rogue websites increase in number and is a big blow to Australia ‘s reputation of a free nation. In a June 5 poll conducted on the web site of the Sydney Morning Herald, 99% of the 88,645 people who responded to the survey said they were against the Internet filter. But the Minister won’t listen to netizens and has formed his opinion which he will not change.

What is funny is that according to the plan, child pornography website will still be allowed to continue running online in order to catch child sex offenders.

The plan is simply unworkable and unwanted. The choice of what to view and not to view should be left to families and if anybody wants their children not to visit pornographic websites and malacious content they can easily buy the filters commercially and some of this software is free as well. The Government is spending 136 million dollars on introducing these filters and this is akin to giving an insulation type rebate to families for installing these internet filters.This is an attack on personal freedom.

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At around 10.30 pm on 13^th May, a car filled with petrol drums was driven at high speed into the office building of Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) office at Lidcombe, setting it instantly on fire. Luckily no one was hurt when the car exploded causing a major fire. People working in CFMEU believe it was the blessing of the Ganesha idol installed inside the office which averted a major catastrophe from happening that night.

Charishma Kaliyanda, whose mother is also a devout Ganesha worshipper, works in this office as an Apprentice Officer and educates workers on their rights and entitlements.  Talking about the incident Charisma says, “When the fire started in our office, our alarm went off and within 20 minutes police and fire department came to the scene. There was a lot of damage but luckily the structural damage was limited. It is not inhabitable and staff has been relocated to another floor. The offenders drove a car through the side fence and broke the glass and doors at the entrance and set fire to the petrol smeared car. The car was stolen and it was a planned and pre mediated attack.”

Charishma is of the firm belief that Ganesha idol inside the CFMEU building averted a bigger disaster. “Ganesha was in the display in reception area and this was the first thing anyone saw while coming into the office. The idol was installed in 2005. A few years back some 4-5 Indian workers on 457 work visa came to us for help when they weren’t being paid or treated properly by their employers. They were being threatened that their legs would be broken and that they would be sent to India. We helped them also found accommodation for them in Auburn and out of gratitude they gave us a Ganesha idol.’

Adds Charishma, “When these workers got the money, the tax department took half of the money. We made an appeal to the tax department to return the taxes as this was under the tax threshold limit. The Tax department gave a ruling to give the tax back to these workers but at this time they had left the country. It was later when Radhika, another CFMEU employee visited India and took the bank order and gave this money to the workers, to the surprise of these workers. Out of gratitude they gave a Ganesha idol to CFMEU. When this idol was installed in the CFMEU office in 2005, a big pooja was performed and we got priests from the Helensberg temple to install the idol. After the arson attack, we again got the priests from Helensberg temple to bless the site. “

Charishma and other CFMEU employees belief that Ganesha averted a major disaster on that day is echoed by Andrew Fergusson, who is the NSW secretary of the CFMEU. Talking to THE INDIAN, Andrew said,” It has been bought to my attention by many of my staff members that Ganesha idol protected us. We have 3 employees here from the Indian background and we speak 15 different languages in the Union and our membership comes from many countries and we work closely with ethnic communities and community organizations. Some workers in the past wanted to make a spiritual contribution to the union and we warmly received it and it helped protect the union office 3 weeks ago.”

Adds Andrew, “Fortunately, the occupants had left minutes earlier and no-one was injured. We had a church group and men and women from the Maori community in the office and they had left the building less than an hour before the attack. Serious damage would have occurred if they would have been still inside the office. We are lucky. We feel a spiritual link to the Ganesha and want to convey our support to the community and will soon organize a big program for restoration of the idol in the future.”

Even the fire officers who attended the scene and risked their lives were lucky as they were unaware that there was petrol in the car which could have exploded at any minute. After the arson attack, priests from the Helensberg temple came to CFMEU office to bless the site.

UIA urged the Minister to:

• Continue the consultation process with the community to smoothen the impact of migration changes to the students
• Review the Visa Capping Bill and prolong the consultation process for at least six months or more fully understand the financial and social impact on Australian economy.
• Make sufficient transitional arrangements for the students affected by the changes in SOL as:

1. To consider students working in their areas of specialisation for GSM applications rather than pushing them to apply through ENS scheme
2. Duration of 885 Visa be increased to 18 months to 3 years
3. Reduce the salary threshold for ENS from $45,000 to $25,000
4. To consider those applications that do not come under new SOL for GSM visas under regional/rural Australia.

The minister was also urged to review the current visa approval process in Indian visa centres as a large number of visa’s are being rejected

Laurie Ferguson supported for better transitional arrangements and Minister Evans also shared the sentiments with the community. Minister Evans advised that he would respond to the delegation soon and the Government would continue to hold consultations with the UIA over the next few months.

The delegation also met Deputy PM. Julia Gillard and presented memo to her Chief Education Advisor Ms Rondah Rietweld and discussed the impact of migration changes on the education industry.

The UIA delegation included President Aruna Chandrala, Secretary Dr Moninder Singh, Joint Treasurer Amarinder Bajwa and former Student Union President Immanuel Selvaraj and Harish Velji President Sub Continent Friends of Labor.

UIA appreciated the assistance and support from Nathan Rees State MP and former Premier NSW and Michelle Rowland Federal Labor Candidate for Greenway for this cause.  For further queries please contact UIA President Aruna Chandrala at 0410 338 900 (achandrala@yahoo.com) or UIA Secretary Dr Moninder Singh at 0413 145 880 (secretaryuia@gmail.com).

It has been a long standing demand of people holding Indian passports especially in the Gulf to get voting rights in India. Group of ministers (GoM) has cleared a draft bill that will allow persons holding an Indian passport studying or working abroad to vote. Can you explain this a bit.

This is a long standing demand of the Gulf people. In the last UPA government, in our 4^th year we introduced the bill. It has been sent to the Parliamentary standing committee. They have come up with suggestions to the bill and also sought clarification about who has voting rights. Then it had to go again to the Indian cabinet and then the Parliament. Prime Minister has appointed a Cabinet committee which consists of AK Anthony as Chairman of the Committee, P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal, Veerappa Moily and myself as members. The new draft had made it clear that those who are holding the Indian passport can vote. We made a provision to the People Representation Act.

If anybody was not staying in their regular residence for more than 6 months then there name would be deleted from the list which included the names of people working in the Gulf and many students who go abroad and they are Indian passport holders. The clause of this bill is simple. By the reason of employment or studies, if anyone holding Indian passport is  living abroad, their name will appear in the voters list of their village, They can vote whenever they are in India during election time.

One of the important deliveries of your ministry has been to implement a scholarship scheme for Diaspora children. How is it going?

It is going on very well and we increased the amount for this scheme and also increased the numbers. We took a decision that minimum 50% must go to PIO children. We want to increase the numbers but budget provisions is a constraint. But I plan to increase the number further.

The Indian government has been seriously considering “an institutionalised mechanism” to prevent attacks on Indian students in Australia. During this trip can you tell us whom you are meeting and what subjects are you covering.

Very good question. I had a very long and a good discussion today with Parramatta Police Commander  Robert Redfern in the presence of students. Later we had a meeting with the Parramatta Mayor, Paul Gillard. These meetings were very fruitful here. Tomorrow in Canberra we are meeting almost 8 ministers. I had met many of them in India, including Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith.

My visit to this country at this time will be very helpful. I can sort out and talk to them. Australian High Commissioner Peter Varghese had a discussion with me in my office in Delhi and I told him that the bill introduced in lower house in Australia is being made retrospectively. Retrospective means it will affect those who are already here. This is a matter of concern which I thought I must discuss and tell them the anxiety of Indian students living and working here.

Attacks on students has been controlled in Sydney but Melbourne is still a problem. What is your feeling behind Sydney’s success story?

Yes I know. The police in Sydney reacted and were sensitive and concerned for the students who study here, not only Indians but also other foreign students and took action against the culprits. So there was a fear among the unwanted elements who created problems. Maybe there were stray incidents but students got a confidence boost but it appears that actions taken by Melbourne side were not as effective as in Sydney.

We put a question to ourselves if Sydney could succeed why the Melbourne police could not succeed. When Victorian Premier visited India we impressed upon him that the police action should be strong. Moreover we should also remember that a larger number of students are in Melbourne.

The Union Cabinet of India has approved setting up Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) in Indian missions in 24 countries to meet contingency expenses for welfare of overseas Indian citizens who are in distress. How can Indian students in Australia access this, in times of need?

It was 24 countries initially, I increased it to 44 countries and Australia is one of them. It is my Ministries fund and we send the money.  This is under the discretion of the Ambassador which can be used when students are in distress, when women are in distress, or if people die unfortunately and body needs to be sent back. We can give this money for covering the ticket expenses.

We charge some consular fees maybe 2 dollars and people are happily paying them which helps generate funds. I am happy because it is being welcomed by people of Indian origin all across.

Right now, many missions do not have a picture over how many Indian students are there in the respective countries. If the ministry has its way, a separate budget could be made to provide country-specific group health insurance cover as an incentive for students to register their names.

It’s a welcome suggestion. In fact we have an insurance scheme called Pravasi Yojana but that is only for workers who pass through immigration clearance. That is a wonderful scheme. They get money for injury and separate fund for treatment but unfortunately there is no such system for students as such because students are not going through our ministry. They don’t need an immigration clearance. They are taken straight by the agents and the educational institutions here and they land here.

Definitely this is a good suggestion and I will discuss this with the Ministry of Education as the subject belongs to them and we will talk together and also talk to Foreign minister and come up with something.  I will try to work it out in whatever way we can to make sure that students take this insurance.

Your ministry has a Know India program. Would you please tell us about this program?

This is a wonderful program. Usually we give it to 40 students in 4 stages. When I took over we used to give only 50% air fare to participants. I said no give them full fare. We take the students to India and earlier they would go to different states and Nehru Kendra was the nodal agency and which took them to a few cities and they come to Delhi and meet the President and go back.  Last year there was a little change to the program. I made sure that children stayed in the villages and stayed with the families. They later came and told me it was a wonderful experience and never thought India was such a wonderful place. They go back with the impression that this is not the India that their father and grand parents had left. They realize this is a new India with great pride.

That a real life version of Bollywood movie “Khosla ka ghosla” happening in India which is Illegal encroachment and unauthorized occupation of properties as was highlighted during this Pravasi Bhartiya Divas. Property dispute is one of the most common complaints by NRIs. They are unable to protect their property due to long absences or lack of awareness of laws?

There is a problem. I admit, especially the inherited land from ancestral property. Some people go abroad to western countries and neighbours will encroach their land. I need the help of state governments in this. I used to write to them and wrote to Chief Ministers to take steps to protect the properties of NRIs.  Some time back I had been to United states and a person complained to me about his flat in Mumbai which had been taken over by bad elements. I talked to the then Chief Minister, Vilas Rao Deshmukh then and resolved the issue. …so we do that sort of an effort. There is a problem and we need to find the solution.

That solution can be done only by state governments. We are yet to formulate some system. Let me assure you when there is any communication to me or my office I take it up with that respective Chief Minister for somebody to follow it up.

Indian community members always raise demands to you and expect so many things from you. What is your expectation from the community?

The Government of India is doing whatever we can. Last thing was the voting rights and the OCI/PIO card. OCI card holders can come and stay as along as they want and get all the benefits. What we expect from them is close association in their countries and we want them as Indian ambassadors in their countries. Indian community has made a political presence in many countries which is good. We understand their first loyalty is to their countries where they are citizens but at the same time they can become partners in the development of India. India is emerging as the major economic power in Asia so we always wish they are party to that. We wish they create a name for themselves wherever they go.

We want our children to go abroad and want their children to come to India. Few years ago when I was in US, people in a conference complained that there is no phone, no road in their village. I told them we are very happy there. In my village around 25,000 people live and we have only 5 telephones there. They were comparing India with America in those days. Today they say what a wonderful country India is.

In the 2011 Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) can we have some focus Areas for Australia/New Zealand for us to participate in larger numbers.

You are always welcome. We have one PBD in India and the other PDB abroad. Last year it was in Singapore and this year we scheduled this in Durban. Definitely we will encourage more people from this part of the world to attend the conference. Last year the most discussed subject was the loss of property and I felt the first day of the conference were very useful as Chief Secretaries  of States were there and they took a note of the problems.  I believe two bodies of GOPIO are my hands and expect them to get more delegates.

What is your message to the Indian community living here in Australia?

My message is very simple. They are here in large numbers I wish and hope many of them will be citizens in this country which means they are going to be part and parcel of this society. They should make an impression on the Australian society that Indian community is one of the best who live along with them.

Students must be helped by society and society must guide them how to live in this country and students must go along with culture and tradition of this country and community can help them. Indian community which lives here can advise then.

You are the best persons who came here with your own tenacity and with your work. Remember there is big country where you were born which is coming up in a big way and you may come back and definitely one day you will come back and when you come back you are always welcome.

The guests were welcomed with traditional “Tilak” with a “Aarti Thaali‘ at the door before they entered the hall. The evening began with the traditional lighting of the lamp followed by a welcome note by GOPIO Sydney President Lucky Singh who also dazzled as the MC for the event. She said, “It is a night of celebrating hard work, commitment and enthusiasm. The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.”

All the guests stood up and observed a one minute silence at the beginning of the event to mourn the tragic death of 159 victims in the Mangalore air crash which had crashed a day earlier in India.

The Chief Guest for the event Indian High Commissioner to Australia, Sujatha Singh, flew in from Canberra to honour the students and be part of this event. She described the event as an evening well spent and commended the efforts of the students who had done well.

Other guests for the evening included Nathan Rees former NSW Premier, Peter Primrose Minister for Youth, Volunteering, Ageing & Disability Services, Michael Richardson MP representative of the Leader of the State Opposition, Julie Owens Federal MP, Gautam Roy Indian Consul, Penny Sharpe MLC, Hornsby Shire Councillor Dilip Chopra and Parramatta Councillor Prabir Maitra. One of noticeable things at Indian functions these days is the heavy presence of Labor party members. Labor party had booked two tables for the event and its candidates for Chiefly, Ed Husic and Greenway, Mitchelle Rowland were also present in the function.

Harry Walia, President GOPIO Sydney North West addressed the audience and read the message of Chairman, GOPIO International, Inder Singh. Said Harmohan Walia, “It took 2 months for us to get a list of achievers from the community and we then formed a selection committee to shortlist the students. All of the GOPIO chapters have worked hard for the success of this event and we will continue this award ceremony next year as well.”

Said Peter Primose, “Initiatives like tonight’s achievers award provide us with a great opportunity to further encourage young children and motivate them to study hard and become leaders of tomorrow. I am certain the inputs and guidance of community, government and our society will enable them to be more productive in future. The goals of GOPIO should itself inspire students of the significance of their culture. On behalf of Premier Kristina Keneally and Govt of NSW I thank GOPIO for this excellent community initiative to recognise young children.” He also read out Premier Kristina Keneally’s message, “I want to say my warmest congratulations to the young achievers of Indian origin for their successful completion of 2009 high school certificate in NSW. I am sure all these young achievers will make an important contribution to Australian future and whatever career they chose I wish them all good success in their future and I thank GOPIO for this excellent initiative.”

MP Michael Richardson representing Barry O Farrell, expressed congratulations to high achievers in education and sports and said, “GOPIO is reaching out to entire Australians. India has made great advances in technology. Australia and India have long standing ties and are bound by Indian Ocean. Indians have a long history of migration and they value education greatly and a good example of this is James Ruse selective school which is in my electorate and has a large number of students of Indian origin.”

Nathan Rees was greeted warmly by the audience and he opened his speech in Hindi by saying Namaskar. He said “At the outset, congratulation to the hard work by GOPIO in putting this event in such a short time and this is a tribute to all of you. Indians understand education better than Australians. We will not succeed unless we improve our education and Australia has one of the best education systems in the world and some of these students being felicitated are part of this. Education is the deep bedrock of any advanced nation and I am happy that people of your heritage are so committed to education.”

“No immigrant community in Australia has achieved more in such a short time than Indian community. Your commitment to work ethics, family and justice and fairness is outstanding.” He got huge accolades for finishing his lines again in Hindi and said,

“Akhir mein sab students ko badai aur mubarakbaad.
Aap sabko apne upar garv hona chaihye “

The students were awarded certificates and trophies by the various dignitaries. The top 3 achievers received a pleasant surprise, when they were awarded laptops by Sub Continent Friends of Labor, 99 Acers Properties, Sharma’s Kitchen and India Club. Amit Dasgupta, Consul General of India also had special gifts for the students. The dignitaries were also presented with a book by the Art of Living Foundation.

The award ceremony was followed by an entertainment program which included traditional and Bollywood dances performed by popular dancer Varun Tewari and Bhangra by Punjab World Entertainers and Bollywood songs. Cheryl Khurana also gave a beautiful dance performance.

Abbas Raza Alvi, Co-Chair GOPIO International Cultural Council recited the following couplet on the occasion:

“Yeh zameen tumahri hogi, Aasmaan tumhara hoga,
Tum jo pyar bantoge, Yeh jahan tumhara hoga…….”

Amit Pall President GOPIO Parramatta closed the evening with a thank you note acknowledging all sponsors and dignitaries.

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