It was barely a year ago that we keenly watched the musical contest on TV and it now very hard to believe that the winner of the contest is no more to entertain us with his soft and melodious voice. The whole nation is shocked at the news. As a fitting tribute to the singing sensation Ishmeet Singh, who died in the Maldives on Tuesday, 29 July 2008, will be given a state funeral in his native town Ludhiana by the Punjab Government.

Directions to this effect were given by the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here this evening, his Media Advisor H S Bains told PTI on Wednesday.

The state government has also arranged a chartered plane to bring Ishmeet’s body to Ludhiana from New Delhi, Bains said adding that cremation would take place with full state honours on Thursday.

He said that state government officials and leaders of the ruling SAD-BJP alliance will escort the body from Halwara airport near Ludhiana to his residence in Shastri Nagar area of the town.

Ishmeet, the winner of the reality show ‘Voice of India 2007′ had gone to the Maldives on Friday for a stage show, but he drowned in the swimming pool of a hotel last evening.

The death of the 19-year-old singer has been condoled by a number of state leaders and ministers including Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his predecessor Amarinder Singh, SAD President Sukhbir Badal and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal.

Atwal and Sukhbir were among those who visited the residence of Ishmeet in Ludhiana today.

Condoling the death of the talented singer, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said, “He had earned name and fame at a young age and was bound to progress further, but a young life has been cut short.”

A pall of gloom descended at the residence of Ishmeet in Ludhiana last night immediately after reports poured in that the young singer died after drowning in a swimming pool at a hotel in the Maldives.

Being the only son in his family, Ishmeet’s mother Amritpal Kaur was in a state of shock as soon as she came to know about the sad demise of the singer who was pursuing his B.Com second year from MNC College in Mumbai.

Flying into Kochi is an experience. You fly over lush green fields interspersed with canals and streams, fringed by coconut trees.

This is in consonance with the picture postcard impression created by the God’s Own Country campaign, which catapulted the state to an internationally acclaimed tourist destination.

Kerala’s growth coincided with Kashmir’s decline around 20 years ago when terrorism replaced tourism. Funding a new airport Returning home Keralites from the Middle East, fed up of dealing with Mumbai airport, organised themselves to fund the new airport using a partnership model well before PPP became a catchword.

Soon Gulf Air and other Middle Eastern airlines were getting crew who could speak Malayalam to steal market share from the lazy monopoly of Air India.

The piquant situation of having full economy loads but empty seats in the upper classes led to promotions in attracting discerning travellers from Europe – with an attractive combination of upgrades to upper classes on economy fares.

Arundhati Roy’s book God of Small Things winning the Booker Prize led to BBC documenting the landscape that inspired her first novel.

Around the same time Jose Dominic of the Casino Group redefined the meaning of a resort experience at Bangaram in the Lakshadweep.

Kerala’s strong trade unions which had prevented the setting up of polluting industries meant that the state was clean and green, the two words used by Jose when rechristening his chain from Casino Group of Hotels to CGH Earth (Clean Green Hotels). Strong traditions Lawrie Baker inspired strong vernacular traditions of architecture. Jose was among the first to ask his staff to wear saris and dhotis with traditional tops, served local cuisine and presented aspects of Kathakali and Kallaripettai while the main thrust was on therapy through Ayurvedic massages.

With festivals like Pooram at Trichur in May and Onam and the Boat Races at Alleppey in August, Kerala is now a yearround destination.

On a recent visit to Kochi, having already stayed at Casino, Brunton Boat Yard and Taj Malabar on earlier visits, I tried out a village home just 15 km from Kochi. Welcoming smiles, personalised service and great food were its strong points.

Excursions to the early morning fish market built up your appetite for the sumptuous breakfast included in the tariff. Special connection And there’s Koder House which has a special connection for me. I witnessed the last Jewish wedding there of the Koder family .

Of course now it is with new owners but they seem to have done a great job in restoring this boutique offering. Bolgatty Palace is a fine example of a state running a heritage hotel well.

The perennial favourite still remains Kumarakom where Coconut Lagoon has been joined by the Taj and the Kumarakom Lake Resort among others.

Quite a few new novels describe the Periyar Game Reserve and while their descriptions are very good, the place is even better. Head for the hills If by this time the humidity gets to you, you can head for the Munnar Hills. If you prefer being a beachcomber, you could head for Kovalam where Leela now runs the Kovalam Beach Resort.

But if you’re a foodie you should head further north to Aziz Manzil, where Faiza Moosa can pamper you with Moplah food. Faiza’s culinary skills have led to her being invited to France. Her husband’s grandfather bought the old plantation house off Tellicherry from a Scottish planter.

Their guest list included the Duchess of Norfolk and Lady Cawdor. In case the names sounds familiar, you probably have read Shakespeare. But even without that you are likely to get lyrical.

— Courtesy The Hindustan Times

      Lata Mangeshkar was once asked which music director she had liked to work with ‘besides’ Madan Mohan. It appeared difficult for her to answer because Madan Mohan’s name was taken off the question. It is said that it was Madan Mohan who could bring out the best in Lata. He would keep on rehearsing till he got what he wanted in Lata’s voice. Lata and Madan Mohan made each other famous.

On 14th July 2008, it was Madan Mohan’s 33rd death anniversary.

Yash Chopra had some of the maestro’s unused compositions and he re-recorded them under the aegis of the composer’s son, Sanjeev Kohli for his film Veer-Zaara .

It is a thumping testimony to Madan Mohan Kohli’s genius that a filmmaker with Chopra’s knack for second-guessing the audience feels his music is still relevant, decades after his heyday. Recent revisits to the past like Dil Vil Pyar Vyar and Jhankaar Beats have paid homage to R D Burman, but never has the entire score of an A-list film been derived from a deceased composer’s virgin works.

What is piquantly ironic, however, is the thought that during his lifetime (he died aged just 51 in 1975) Madan Mohan never got the multiple awards or the commercial frontline that his talent so richly deserved.

 Mohan was born to privilege as the son of Rai Bahadur Chunilal who helped helm the affairs of such famous studios as Bombay Talkies and Filmistan. But the Rai Bahadur sent him to Army. But the musically inclined Madan left Army and went to Lucknow to be in the company of greats like Ustaad Faiyaaz Khan, Talat Mehmood and Shamshad Begum. Soon he came to Bombay and assisted a few music directors like SD Burman. He began his career by composing with Devendra Goel’s debut directorial venture, Aankhen (1950) starring Bharat Bhushan, Shekhar and Nalini Jaywant.

The film was a success, Meena Kapoor’s song Mori atarwa pe kaga bole, mora jiya dole was very popular (there was no Lata Mangeshkar on this soundtrack) and subsequently, a fair amount of work came Madan Mohan’s way.

Among Madan Mohan’s early 1950s films was a trio of films starring his childhood friend, Raj Kapoor: Aashiana, Dhun and Paapi. But despite gems like Mera qarar leja, Main pagal mera manwa pagal and Badi barbadiyan lekar, Madan Mohan’s work failed to create much impact.

It was with the Ashok Kumar-Kishore Kumar tandem, Bhai Bhai (1956) that the young composer tasted a modicum of success. The score had Kishore’s typical Mera naam Abdul Rehman, Lata’s Kadar jaane na but the most successful was Geeta Dutt’s Aye dil mujhe bata de picturised on seductress Shyama who entices Ashok Kumar away from the homely charms of wife Nirupa Roy.

Unfortunately for Madan, though he became well-known for his felicity in weaving many a gossamer melody like Chaand madhyam (Railway Platform), Aaja kahin se aaja (Samundar), Do ghadi woh jo paas aa baithe (Gateway Of India) and Hamsafar saath apna chhod chale (Aakhri Dao), the films were not commercial blockbusters.

To Madan Mohan’s consternation, he found that the topmost heroes and banners had already settled into comfortable grooves with their favourite composers (Raj Kapoor-Shankar Jaikishen, Dilip Kumar-Naushad, Dev Anand-S D Burman) leaving little room for a newcomer, however talented, to elbow his way in.

He may have missed out on providing the music for any of the golden age classics, but two outstanding Madan Mohan scores – Dekh Kabira Roya (1957) and Adalat (1958) – established that whatever may be the rat race positioning, Madan Mohan had to be noted as a special prodigy.

 

The special rapport with Lata

Best songs with Lata	Film
Kadar jaane na	Bhai Bhai
Meri beena tum roye	Dekh Kabira Roye
Hum pyar mein jalne walo ko	Jailor
Yun hasraton ke daag	Adalat
Woh bhooli daastaan	Sanjog
Aapki nazron ne samjha	Anpadh
Naina barse rimjhim	Woh Kaun Thi
Tu jahan jahan chalega	Mera Saaya
Baiyan na dharo	Dastak
Milo na tum toh	Heer Ranjha
Rasm-e-ulfat ko nibhaye	Dil Ki Raahein
Husn haazir hai mohabbat ki sazaa	Laila Majnu

The legendary jugalbandi between Madan Mohan and his eternal muse Lata Mangeshkar began early in his career – with 1951’s plaintive Preetam meri duniya mein do din to rahe hote from Ada.

Madan Mohan had this special ability to highlight the tenderness in Lata’s voice, which even his elaborate orchestrations could never subdue.

And while they have justifiably earned a reputation for highly emotional scorchers, not all their together numbers were lugubrious litanies.

Lata could sound upbeat in Bahana’s Jaa re badra bairi jaa, seductive in Sanjog’s Chala hai kahan, jaunty in Neela Akash’s Aapko pyar chhupane ki buri aadat hai and perky in Mera Saaya’s Nainowali ne and be as easy on the ears as she was in the sombre numbers like Chacha Zindabad’s Bairan neend na aaye, Jahan Ara’s Woh chup rahe mere dil ke daag jalte hai or Ek Kali Muskayee’s Na tum bewafaa ho.

Hitting a high note

By the turn of the sixties, Madan Mohan had acquired a reputation as a composer with class. His successful streak began after his Anpadh (1962) songs like Aapki nazron ne samjha (picturised on Mala Sinha) and Jiya le gayo re mora sanwariya (picturised on Bindu) became the rage.

Significantly, Anpadh’s ghazals, Aapki nazron ne samjha and Hai issi mein pyar ki aabroo gave Madan Mohan the sobriquet of King of Ghazals. He had already laid the foundation with Adalat some years earlier through songs like Yun hasraton ke daag, Unko yeh shikayat hai ke ham and the goosebump-evoking Jaana tha hamse door bahane bana diye.

Madan Mohan’s famous songs
Song	Film	Singers
Aye dil mujhe bata de	Bhai Bhai	Geeta Dutt
Phir wohi shaam	Jahan Ara	Talat Mehmood
Rang aur noor ki baraat	Ghazal	Mohammed Rafi
Kar chale hum fidaa	Haqeequat	Mohammed Rafi
Jhumka gira re	Mera Saaya	Asha Bholse
Teri aankhon ke siwa	Chirag	Mohammed Rafi
Tum jo mil gaye ho toh	Hanste Zakham	Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar
Dil dhoondta hai phir wohi	Mausam	Bhupendra
Main tere dar pe aaya hoon	Laila Majnu	Mohammed Rafi

Further commercial success came the composer’s way with two Sadhana-Raj Khosla mystery thrillers — Woh Kaun Thi (1964) and Mera Saaya (1966). Madan Mohla’s third outing with Khosla, Chiraag (1969), however, didn’t break the bank despite some exquisite tunes.

The sixties also saw Madan Mohan begin his long association with Chetan Anand after the success of Haqeequat (1965) and it continued with Heer Ranjha, Hanste Zakham and Hindustan Ki Kasam. Madan Mohan’s Haqeequat composition, Ab tumhare hawale watan saathiyon, was immortalised by Rafi and finds an echo in a new multistarrer of the same name.

A question of aesthetics

Though he never won a Filmfare award, Madan Mohan bagged the National Award for the Sanjeev Kumar-Rehana Sultan starrer, Dastak (1971) which was embellished with glittering triumphs like Maai ri, Baiyan na dharo and Hum hain mataye kuchao.

Madan Mohan’s keen sense of aesthetics was widely acknowledged and in the 1970s it was sensitive filmmakers like Chetan Anand, Rajinder Singh Bedi (Dastak), Hrishikesh Mukherji (Bawarchi) and Gulzar (Mausam) who collaborated with him.

And Madan Mohan continued to dish out raag-based Indian music at the time when Dum maro dum was already ruling the airwaves.

It is to Madan Mohan’s credit that he remained in demand with discerning filmmakers right up to the end. And it was a fitting irony to this composer’s life that the two films that released soon after his death — Mausam and Laila Majnu — became resounding musical successes. — Source Rediff.com, wikipedia.

The Trust Vote that the Indian United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government won 275—256 on July 22, 2008, has brought out several skeletons in the political cupboard. It has now emerged that how the Left alliance of Communist Party of India (Marxist — CPM), Communist Party of India (CPI), The Forward Bloc (FB), Rashtriya Socialist Party (RSP) and the host of smaller parties could have averted the show-down.

In the entire drama, the Left has been very badly exposed. Like any other party, the CPM, the largest of the Left conglomerate can stoop low to remain in power. The Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thakeray in an editorial in party mouth piece Saamana said the Left was so desperate that it even projected Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati as replacement to Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister of the country.

 They had talked of surrendering the sovereignty of the country to the United States by signing the nuclear deal. And Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury are very good at brain washing people. This they did successfully when they were president of the JNU Students Union headed by the Students Federation of India (SFI), the students’ wing of the CPM. No wonder the SFI had a long run at the JNU. Being an JNU alumni I clearly remember how their propaganda machinery used to work overtime to condemn some of the better decisions of the Government and garner support of the immature freshers.

This is what they did while educating the BSP and other supporters about the nuclear deal. Ironically, none questioned the ties of CPM with China. Said Thackeray: “The Left parties would not mind India becoming slaves of China but would not tolerate India becoming friendly with America. But what they have done in Nandigram needs to be condemned more than what Bush had done in Iraq”

 Noted journalist Khushwant Singh has put it very bluntly in his column “With Malice Towards All” in The Hindustan Times:

“I have done my very best to understand the Communists’ objections to government’s proposed nuclear deal with the United States. I have failed to do so. They say it will compromise our sovereignty and will make us subservient to America in our foreign policy. That makes even less sense to me. America has never tried to dictate our relations with other nations and has often regretted our growing friendship with countries hostile to it.

We have ignored those protests and made our own decisions. If any country has questioned our sovereignty over our territories, it is Communist China. It never accepted the sanctity of our northern borders with it: it waged a war against us, inflicted a humiliation on us, and to this day lays claims to territories that are ours. Our Communist comrades had never a word to say against the Chinese. Ask them why.

Do we need nuclear power? The answer is yes, we do desperately, and the sooner the better. We cannot afford to pay the exorbitant prices of oil, petrol or gas which we have to import to run our cars, buses, trains and aircraft. We cannot produce enough hydel or fossil-produced energy to cope with our ever-increasing demand for more power to run our factories and keep up the pace of development.

Comrade Prakash Karat is of the opinion that the government must first go to the people before signing the nuclear deal. I am not sure what he means by people: does he mean people who know what nuclear energy is and why it is needed, or just everybody who has a vote? If it is the former, then those who know about it have already spoken in its favour. They include the scientist — ex-President Abdul Kalam (Bharat Ratna), most nuclear scientists, many leading industrialists and Brajesh Misra, the most trusted political adviser of ex-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of the BJP.

However, if he means the common man who understands nothing about it, he clearly means an earlier election, which he says he does not want. Whatever it be, he is in for a nasty surprise. Whenever the next general elections take place, it will be a significant diminution of votes for the Communists and gains for his sworn enemy, the Hindu-Sikh communal parties. And hopefully comrade Prakash Karat will fade into the background of the Indian political scene.”

So, the Left has lost all the credibility it had when they allied with the Congress to form the Government.  By projecting the deal as anti-Muslims, the left has played the communal card. And their connection with arch enemies BJP in this matter is incomprehensible. It is very unlikely in the next Lok Sabha elections the Left shall be able to garner as many seats it won in the last elections.

Regarding the Bharatiya Janata Party, the less said the better. The party was looking at short term gains forgetting that the real battle lie ahead— the next general elections.  How the party leaders are going to convince the voters about party’s stand on the nuclear deal.  They were neither here nor there. They were not opposed to the deal but not in favour either. Now, they are left with just one agenda — price-rise which the Manmohan Singh government will try its level best to contain before they go to the people for a second term.

The BSP needs to learn more about the international politics before it tries t form a government at the Centre and certainly Mayawati is no Megawati. — References: HT and agencies

 

 

I have done my very best to understand the Communists’ objections to government’s proposed nuclear deal with the United States. I have failed to do so. They say it will compromise our sovereignty and will make us subservient to America in our foreign policy. That makes even less sense to me. America has never tried to dictate our relations with other nations and has often regretted our growing friendship with countries hostile to it.

We have ignored those protests and made our own decisions. If any country has questioned our sovereignty over our territories, it is Communist China. It never accepted the sanctity of our northern borders with it: it waged a war against us, inflicted a humiliation on us, and to this day lays claims to territories that are ours. Our Communist comrades had never a word to say against the Chinese. Ask them why.

Do we need nuclear power? The answer is yes, we do desperately, and the sooner the better. We cannot afford to pay the exorbitant prices of oil, petrol or gas which we have to import to run our cars, buses, trains and aircraft. We cannot produce enough hydel or fossil-produced energy to cope with our ever-increasing demand for more power to run our factories and keep up the pace of development.

Comrade Prakash Karat is of the opinion that the government must first go to the people before signing the nuclear deal. I am not sure what he means by people: does he mean people who know what nuclear energy is and why it is needed, or just everybody who has a vote? If it is the former, then those who know about it have already spoken in its favour. They include the scientist — ex-President Abdul Kalam (Bharat Ratna), most nuclear scientists, many leading industrialists and Brajesh Misra, the most trusted political adviser of ex-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of the BJP.

However, if he means the common man who understands nothing about it, he clearly means an earlier election, which he says he does not want. Whatever it be, he is in for a nasty surprise. Whenever the next general elections take place, it will be a significant diminution of votes for the Communists and gains for his sworn enemy, the Hindu-Sikh communal parties. And hopefully comrade Prakash Karat will fade into the background of the Indian political scene. — For more details go to www.hindustantimes.com/khushwantsingh

Gandhari… in search of light
Solo act by Aishveryaa Nidhi

Sydney and Melbourne witnessed ‘Mahabharata in one hour’ or Mahabharata through the ‘eyes’ of Gandhari — the unsung and perhaps the most suffered character of the epic.

This masterpiece solo act was presented by renowned Sydney based theatre personality Aishveryaa Nidhi and directed through ‘remote control’ by well known director Arvind Gaur.
In a ‘no second take’ performance Aishveryaa gave a flawless display of acting, portraying Gandhari, Bhishm Pitamah, Dhritrashtra, Krishna and various other characters in this spell bound drama. Aish who had returned from India a day before the performance after getting the directorial tips from Arvind Gaur who couldn’t make it to Australia, passionately narrated the story of Mahabharata and in it the pain of Gandhari with deep emotions. She showed no signs of jet lag or tiredness and straight away went into the characters she had to portray.
Gandhari is a very prominent character of Mahabharata. In the monologue, Gandhari is shown to have a normal childhood, playing and frolicking with friends when suddenly there is a twist in her life. The daughter of the King of Gandhar, Princess Gandhari is forced to marry the blind and much older king Dhrithrashtra. “Maryada Ke Bandhan” and the boon that she will bear 100 sons became the curse of her life.
Gandhari blind-folded herself and vows to remain so for the rest of her life. Just imagine the pain of not being able to see her children and learning about them through the eyes of others. Aishveryaa displays such emotions very artistically. The pain wells up tears in her eyes. Says Aishveryaa,” If I don’t get tears in my eyes I even put off the rehearsals.” ‘She had done a commendable job by alternating between different characters and displaying different emotions and delivering dialogues in various moods non-stop for one hour,” said Rekha Rajvanshi, noted Hindi poetess and broadcaster. She has done reasonably well justifying all characters, she said.

The only complaint Aishveryaa had was about the lighting facilities which were not adequate to show off the expressions. Yet, there was no emotion or expression in her repertoire that was not ably displayed. The background music was scored by Dr. Sangeeta Gaur, who flew in to Australia specially for the show.

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Asked about the anti-war theme of the monologue, Aish says Gandhari tried to prevent the war by all means but she had to give in to the stubborness of her husband and son Duryodhana who turns down the offer of giving away five villages to the five Pandava brothers. Helpless and subdued, Gandhari also rejects the disrobing of Draupadi. The relevance of the play in the contemporary world is that it highlights the anti-war theme and the role of women, especially the mother in educating the society to give up violence” says Aishveryaa who has been very actively involved in popularising Indian theatre in western countries. She is the Artistic Director of Abhinay Theatre.
Arvind Gaur, who has directed plays by Indian and International playwrights such as Samuel Beckett, Bertolt Brecht,Dario Fo, Vijay Tendulkar, Mahesh Dattani,Munshi Premchand,Girish Karnad, Swadesh Deepak and Dharamveer Bharti to name a few also directed Hamare Padosi based on short stories by Chekhov and Kunti Putra Karna for Abhinay Theatre featuring Aishveryaa and Shouyra Nidhi.
Aish and Arvind Gaur as a team have many plays to their credit. This play was first performed at NIDA theatre at National Institute of Dramatic Art and received rave reviews from media. This play was also invited to perform at ITI UNESCO one man show International Festival 2005.
Proceeds of the shows go to home and community care projects of Sri Om Care.

Trust vote is turning out to be no less than the general election that in any case is not too far whether the Manmohan Singh led Government wins it or not. No political party is thinking about the nation. An election at this stage would be a disaster when there is global surge in prices and economies world over is dwindling. With the date approaching for the trust vote, the number game is getting sharper. Over a decade ago, the Vajpayee Government fell by just one vote. It’s going to be extremely close.

   The three major parties have different interests in toppling the Government. The Bharatiya Janata Party is taking it as an opportunity to come back to power in spite of the fact that the nuclear deal would have been in place had the party been in power. In other words, the party has no problem with the nuclear deal. Also, its own Adviser Mr. Brijesh Mishra had lauded the deal recently by saying “we couldn’t have got it any better.” Another issue, the BJP wants to take advantage of is price rise. The BJP as well other parties are aware there is no way at this stage to contain the prices even if they come to power. All the developed nations are facing the problem of price rise. Only if someone could come out with an alternative to oil then the prices can be contained. And, this is very unlikely.

The Bahujan Samaj Party that has nothing to do with the nuclear deal is another force with a twin mission – First, to avenge Centre-‘instigated’ CBI investigations against its MPs and second, the realization of Mayawati dream of progressing from being a State power to a Central power.

The Left, the so-called third force, is like a wounded lion bereft of power that it tasted for the first time in six decades. It has now left its ideology behind and hobnobbing with parties that it once said are communal. So, nobody is thinking of the poor tax payers whose money will be spent on the elections.

Admitting that ruling establishment is pulling all stops to get smaller parties and individual MPs to vote in favour of the UPA during the trust vote, Left is also attempting to rally political parties so that the government can be toppled on July 22.CPM general secretary Prakash Karat had a meeting with party’s parliamentary leadership to decide on the strategy inside and outside Parliament.

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee is not likely to resign before the trust vote but assured his party that he would cast his ballot against the UPA. “It’s all a part of well-thought out plan. We will not lose a vote,” a source said. Senior leaders are also reaching out to various parts of the country to tell people how Manmohan Singh-led government has betrayed the country on the issue of nuclear deal and how it falls short of PM’s promise in Parliament.

As for Left’s efforts to garner support, so far apart from TDP no party has committed. JD (S) MP Veerendra Kumar has also promised support to Left even if party goes with the government. Left is also not relying on Deve Gowda.

But National Conference is undecided. On the other hand Left feels Jharkhand Mukti Morcha cannot be relied upon. Parties like AGP have gone over to NDA and will vote against the government.

Explaining NC’s dilemma, a Left source said, “National Conference does not want to antagonise

Congress before assembly election. NC sees itself as filling the slot left by the PDP in J&K and team with Congress after the election results.”

 

CPM also denied that senior leaders like Jyoti Basu do not agree with party’s stand to vote against the UPA. Calling it “fabricated”, CPM said “such motivated reports are being floated to hamper the rallying of all the forces who are committed to oppose the nuclear deal and bring to book UPA’s failure to tackle price rise and other problems of the people.”

 

But what’s wrong with the nuclear deal? The Prime Minister has said that the deal will open up new possibilities of cooperation not only with the US but also with other nuclear powers like Russia and France. Mr. Manmohan  Singh said that without the agreement trade in dual technologies could not become a reality. The deal, he said protects our national interest, our capacity to use the nuclear power to protect our strategic interests.”

According to sources in Sydney, Australia is waiting for the deal to happen and then reverse its stand on sale of Uranium to India. Australian Foreign Minister Mr. Stephen Smith, according to media reports, said although the Government has a strong policy of not exporting Uranium to non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty signatory countries, the ban could be overturned if the long awaited 123 agreement between India and US was finalised. “If the agreement is passed, we could join the consensus. We will wait for the agreement and then make a judgment. In the agreement, a reference to the section 123 of US Atomic Energy Act of 1954 allows the US and other countries to supply nuclear technology and fuel to India even though it is not a signatory to the NPT.”

The External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the nuclear power offered the most potent means to ensure energy security. “In my view, nuclear power appears to offer India the most potent means to realize its long-term energy security” he said.  Mr.  Mukherjee said “nuclear energy is an option and we shall have to go (for the deal).”  “Given the oil price scenario, we seriously need to consider how our energy basket may be expanded so as to meet the deficit in India’s energy requirement.”

BJP leader Venkiah Naidu had sometimes back blamed the Prime Minister for not obtaining a consensus on the Indo-US nuclear deal before going ahead with it. “The government went the opposite way. It first signed the deal and then sought to have a political consensus and is now seeking cooperation of the opposition” he added.

The Left’s contention is that the Hyde Act does not allow India to pursue its Defence nuclear programme and that the US will interfere with India’s foreign policy.

Even if the US does so it really doesn’t matter because till now it was the Soviet Union who was running India’s foreign policy. It is the shift from Russia to US that is really upsetting the Left.

So, in all situations all parties would have to devise ways to stall elections and save tax payers’ money.

 

It was exactly one year after she left the shores of Australia in June 2007 to exploit her talent, she believed she had, in the dream land called Bollywood that the Sydney girl Sanghmitra saw her dreams coming true when she signed her first film in the lead role ’Bhavnao Ko Smjho’.

Although had done small roles prior to this in ‘Aamir’, Idiot Box (to be released Aug/Sept) and some TV serials Haadsa (Zee TV), CID (on Sony), Kash-ma-kash Zindagi Ki (Doordarshan), Zindagi ke Rang (Pragya channel), Sunil Pal’s Bhavnao Ko Samjho is a great leap forward considering she has been there only for about a year.

‘Bhavnao Ko Samjho’ is Laughter Challenge winner Sunil Pal’s dream project featuring a record 54 comedians from India and Pakistan, including Johnny Lever, Raju Shrivastava, Ehsaan Qureshi, Navin Prabhakar and Sunil Pal himself as well as Sanghmitra has given comic performances in shows in Sydney, the notable being Hamare Padosi.

However, it is Sanghmitra’s second innings in the tinsel town as she had been a child star in veteran Director Lekh Tandon’s ‘Kahan se kahan tak’ in the late 90’s before doing two documentaries on AIDS awareness, a few serials on DD, Telefilm on DD in which she was the only live character and featured in over two dozen educational programmes of the NCERT. In fact, with Haadsa, she was back on Zee after a gap of 12 years. All this was possible due to the training she had in the National School of Drama’s summer camps for school children. The documentaries on AIDS awareness were shown on Australian TV’s SBS channel on the World AIDS Day. Her acting talent was spotted by her mother Shradha and immediately availed the coursed offered by the National School of Drama. Her dancing abilities were exploited by her principal in Delhi Public School and she was a regular at the school functions.

In Sydney, Sanghmitra had become a familiar face after she was regularly featured in ‘Curry Culture’ programme on TVS channel and Abhinay Theatre’s plays based on short stories by Chekhov. Sanghmitra studied Drama in her Year 12 in the school and is fluent in Hindi as well as western theatre.

Sanghmitra has performed at several social functions and received standing ovation after her performance at the Republic Day celebrations function in 2006. Sanghmitra is also a trained ramp model and organized first-ever ramp modeling contest and pageant in Sydney in 2003 which was followed by Mr. India Australia 2003, a pageant for the Indian youth of Sydney.

Back in Mumbai, Sanghmitra’s journey has not been different from any other newcomer. Auditions after auditions, she braved lewd remarks and lurid advances of some producers to make a humble beginning by doing a Punjabi music album and few serials. It was during one of the auditions at Anurag Kashyap’s studio that she was offered a small but significant role in Aamir and she grabbed it with both hands. This was followed by another small but central role in ‘Idiot Box’ in which she makes all characters dance to her tune.

Sanghmitra loves challenges and is undeterred by the various auditions she does almost every day. The auditions would go very well and her talent is appreciated but somehow she couldn’t fit into the requirements. She is determined to keep exploring with the hope that she might soon fit the requirements of a challenging role that would soar her into the category of ‘fine actors’.

 

 
Indian spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been honoured by the New Jersey general assembly and by the city of Edison for his organisation’s initiatives in the US and its service to the world at large. The state assembly passed a resolution acknowledging that the guru, currently visiting the US, has been “furthering the best of human instincts, traits and characteristics, and promoting sustainable growth in poor rural communities”.
It also praised his Art of Living Foundation, “which assists at-risk youth in turning away from gang violence, drugs and alcohol toward a life of greater generosity and service”.
The foundation’s projects in the US include inner city youth leadership programmes, free trauma relief for survivors of tragedies such as Hurricane Katrina and the Virginia Tech shootings, special programmes for returning war veterans, prisoner reform, stress-elimination programmes for corporations and working adults, and human-values based programmes for children and youth.
The mayor of Edison and other leaders also honoured Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and his Art of Living Foundation July 4 for their service to the city and the world during a ceremony inaugurating a three-day meditation and yoga retreat conducted by the guru in the city, a foundation press release said.
Mayor Jun Choi declared July 4-6, which coincides with the US Independence Day, as “His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Weekend in Edison” in front of 1,500 people participating in the course at the Raritan Exposition Centre.
“Sri Sri Ravi Shankar serves as a great leader and as a symbol of wisdom and encouragement through his teachings on spiritual values,” said Choi. “He shares his wisdom and ancient knowledge on how to achieve health and happiness.”
The Town Council of Edison also issued a Proclamation of Commendation for his universal initiatives.
“Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s divine messages and teachings of developing the spirit of universal brotherhood and love amongst one another have provided a model and standard towards which all members of the human family should strive,” said Town Council member Sudhanshu Prasad.
The guru’s initiatives have benefited 300 million people in 145 countries, the press release said. He travels to more than 40 countries every year, sharing his vision of a violence-free, stress-free global family.
 
email from Atul Aneja,Sydney

   

Mrs. Usha Kirpalani

Chaana Chaat

 

1 can of chick pea (chaana)

1onion diced

1 small potato boiled

2 green chilies sliced

1 lemon juiced

1 tabs chaat masala

salt to taste

 

Peel and cut the potato in small pieces.

Open the can of chick pea and wash in a sieve with running water.

Drain the chickpea and keep in serving bowl.

Add all the above ingredients and mix it lightly.

Garnish with coriander and mint leaves.

 

Potato Tikki

 

2 large potatoes

1 slice of bread

2 green chilies chopped

10 mint leaves chopped

½ tsp chaat masala

¼ tsp red chili powder

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

 

Boil potatoes, when still warm peel the skin and mash it.

Soak the bread in little water. Squeeze and add to potato mix.

Add red and green chilies, chaat masala, salt and mint leaves.

Mix nicely and shape into small round tikkies.

Heat oil in frying pan and shallow fry both sides till golden brown.

Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Stir Fried Prawns

 

250gm green prawns

1tbs garlic finely chopped

1tbs ginger finely chopped

2 fresh red chilies chopped

1tbs fish sauce

1tbs oyster sauce

Pinch of sugar and salt

2tbs cooking oil

2tbs chopped coriander leaves

 

Peel and divine the prawns. Wash and pat dry with kitchen paper.

Heat oil in a large pan. Fry prawns for 2 minutes, take it out and keep aside.

Reheat the pan. Fry garlic and ginger, adding prawns, red chilies oyster sauce,

fish sauce, sugar and salt. Keep stir frying for 4 minutes.

Add chopped coriander leaves, mix and serve at once with coconut rice.

Note: Now days you can buy peeled prawns from wollies.

 

 

Coconut Rice

 

2cups long grain white rice

2 cups of coconut milk

2cups water

½ tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

 

Wash the rice in sieve and drain.

Bring to the boil water, coconut milk, sugar and salt.

Add rice and cook on simmer, till water is absorbed and rice is tender.

Leave it for five minutes to rest; fluff and serve with stir fried prawns.

 

Malpuras

 

1 cup wheat flour

½ cup sugar

½ tsp saunf(fennel seeds)

¼ tsp cardamom seeds

1tsp melted ghee

 

Mix all above ingredients and make a thick batter by adding luke warm water.

Leave aside to rest for half an hour.

Heat ghee in fry pan to a depth of about an inch, and pour spoonful of the batter

When one side is golden, turn over and fry other side.

Serve after the main meal with yogurt. .

Spicy Grilled Fish

 

400gm white boneless fish

1tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp chili powder

1tsp chaat masala

1tsp coriander powder

1tbs cornflour

½ tsp salt

 

Cut fish in long fingers 2cm by 6cm.

Mix and rub, all above ingredients into fish pieces.

Brush preheated grill with oil, and grill fish for 3 minutes on each side.

Serve fish as a snack with tomato sauce or with roti and raita.

 

 

Gobhi Fry

 

500gm cauliflower

Bunch spring onion

2tbs garlic chopped

2tbs ginger chopped

2fresh red chilies diced

1tbs soy sauce

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp turmeric

2tbs coriander leaves

½ cup water

 

Cut cauliflower in small florets. Cut spring onion into 2cm pieces.

Heat oil in a large fry pan and add garlic, ginger, red chilies and spring onions. Cook for a minute

Add cauliflower and fry it for a minute, adding soy sauce, sugar, turmeric and water.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, till tender. Sprinkle coriander leaves on top.

Serve with cooked white rice, yogurt and pappadum.

 

Tangri Kebab

 

6-8 chicken drumsticks

3tbs natural yogurt

4tbs tandoori paste

Pinch of salt

1 large onion

1 lemon

 

Cut onion in rings and lemon into wedges, and keep aside.

Skin the chicken and make 2 deep cuts on each drumstick.

Mix together yogurt, salt and tandoori paste. Coat chicken legs with this marinade and leave it overnight or at least 2 hours in fridge.

Grill or barbecue for10-12 minutes on each side, basting with melted butter or ghee.

Serve Tangri Kebab with Naan bread, mint raita, onion rings and lemon wedges.

 

 

Mint Raita

 

1cup natural yogurt

2tbs mint leaves chopped

2 green chilies finely chopped

Salt to taste

½ tsp cumin seeds

 

Dry roast cumin seeds in a fry pan, and when it changes colour to dark brown, take it out and keep aside.

Mix all above ingredients in a serving bowl and sprinkle roasted cumin on top, then serve with Tangri Kebab.

 

 

Matthri

 

1cup plain flour

1cup semolina (rava)

2tbs natural yogurt

½ tsp cracked black pepper

¼ tsp turmeric

2tbs ghee

½ tsp salt

 

Mix together all dry ingredients. Add ghee and yogurt, mix and add enough warm water to make the firm dough.

Divide the dough into small walnut size balls. Roll into a thick circle and deep fry on both sides till light brown in colour.

These mathris can be eaten as a snack on its own or serve with any kind of chaat.

Dal ki Kachori

 

½ cup black gram dal (urad dal)

½ cup moong dal

2 green chilies

Few coriander leaves

½ tsp red chili powder

1tsp ginger grated

Salt to taste

Pinch of baking powder

Oil for deep frying

 

Soak dal for an hour. Drain and grind to a fine paste with salt, ginger, and chopped green chilies. Add coriander leaves and chili powder to dal paste.

Heat oil and fry lime size balls of this paste till golden brown on medium heat.

Serve with imli chutney as a snack with a cup of tea.

 

 

Imly Chutney

 

1/2 cup tamarind pulp (imli)

1 cup hot water

2tbs brown sugar

1 tsp finely grated ginger

1tsp garam masala

1tbs chaat masala

½ tsp red chili powder

Salt to taste

 

Soak imli in hot water for half an hour. Knead and strain through nylon sieve.

Throw pulp and seeds away.

Add salt, sugar,ginger and other masalas to imli water, stir and mix well.

Serve with dal ki kachori as a dipping sauce.