INDIRA LAISRAM

After having gotten used to watching everything non-political on Australian TV, I woke up to some excitement with an SMS that read Julia Gillard has become the new female prime minister of the country. I switched on the idiot box and found even the popular morning entertainment shows had switched to all things political. There were running commentaries, expert comments, and follow of the day's political shake up. I was reminded of budget and election time in India when TV channels overloaded us with information. I was hooked. I saw a tearful Kevin Rudd giving a tearful speech as he handed over power to his deputy. Rudd did not finish his three-year term after leading the Labour party to a historic win to Parliament two and a half years ago. And now just short of his three-year term (unline India where a government lasts five years), he has been unceremoniously removed from office. Surrounded by his millionaire wife and three children, he vowed to contest election again and continu

I got married again, but to the same man. No I am not addicted to marriage but we wanted to be fair to each other and experience both cultures - Indian and Australian. I think they make good memories too. Last year on June 16, I tied the knot and as with all things Indian , it was long, elaborate and had lots of people. We chose Iskon temple as the elders in my family are very closely connected to it and because I found it cheap. All I did was visit the temple twice to book and make arrangements. The temple gave us a pandit who was available on his mobile phone. And Pandit Kamlesh obliged when I requested for an English transcription of the vows or prayers, and making the ceremony short and simple. My family were arriving a few days ahead of the marriage just as the groom. Being the independent girl who had independently chosen her spouse, I was at the helm of things. I think I managed fine. The temple venue looked resplendent in yellow and gold and all the decor on the day of the we

As you enter Coff’s Harbour, tucked between Sydney and Brisbane, it is not hard to guess why the big banana stands as a landmark to visitors. Banana plantation is big in this area. Of course, there is nothing spectacular about seeing widespread banana trees but the fact is, the area grows one of the best varieties of bananas in Australia. And the bananas have a dominant Indian connection. In the early part of the 19th century when the British still ruled India, and the first world war was just beginning, a few adventurous men from Punjab decided to cash in on the shortage of farm labourers in Australia. Their long journey led them first to Queensland, then south to Coff’s Harbour, and finally settling in nearby Woolgoolga, New South Wales. Familiar to farming these men slowly acquired small parcels of land and began working hard to make their fortunes. After becoming established in the area, many then returned home to bring out there close family members. By the 1940s, they had laid

Once upon a time, I was fighting the bulge. I find myself in a similar spot, not so desperately. But like all women, I love to talk about weights. Australia's good food sees women fluctuating between size 4 and size 16. They talk about it on TV whole day - women who cry because they are 300 pounds and yet wont stop drinking ten bottles of Coke a day. Coke is an addiction in this country. Better to be addicted to pan, at least you dont become fat! As if carrying the weight of the world/family is not enough, we also carry the weight of our own bodies. We go non-stop sometimes to the point of annoying the partner, who says' Oh just stop eating too much', and when we are pointed about how much we lack control, we go, 'how dare you comment on my food intake'. Then they just stop saying anything and you are on a downward spiral! I have a lot of wisdom on food. Include more fibres in food, eat in small portions, walk for at least 20 mins everyday, drink enough liquid, et