Sanjay Suri with Sydney’s Raj Suri at the premiere of ‘I Am’ in India

India is making its presence felt at the 65th Cannes Film Festival opening with three films, despite continuing to be a no show in the competition section.

For several years, Indian short films and student films had been the saving grace in an overall bleak representation in the official sections at Cannes.

This year, however, the short  film competition jury headed by Belgian director Jean-Pierre-Dardenne will not find an Indian title among the 10  films listed for the Short Film Competition section and the 15 films selected for the Cine’Fondation section.

However, all is not lost. Ashim Ahluwalia’s film ‘Miss Lovely’ that focuses on the making of B grade movies in Indian cinema  has been selected for screening in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ along with 16 other titles.

Introducing the film, Mr Thierry Fremaux, the festival’s artistic director said, “There is something special in the Indian Cinema. In Cannes we have both Bollywood and the opposite auteur cinema of Satyajit Ray. The selected movie is an auteur movie, at the same time it is like Mean Street meets Boogy Nights.”

Outside the “official selection”, Anurag  Kashyap’s “Ganga of Wasseypur” has made it to the Director’s Fortnight Section. This is a parallel section organized by the French Filmmakers Society. Another film made under his banner, “Peddlers”, directed by Vasan Bala, is being showcased in the Critics Week Section.

The festival will also witness the world premiere of Uday Shankar’s “Kalpana” (1948) in the Cannes Classic section after its restoration.

Besides the films actors from Bollywood who will walk the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival are Sonal Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Arjun Rampal, his wife Mehr Jessia, Freida Pinto.

Sonam Kapoor

This year will see actor Arjun Rampal making his debut on the red carpet at Cannes, with wife Mehr for company. Arjun, who represents a liquor brand, will be attending the festival as its Indian face.

Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan, a Cannes regular, will represent the cosmetic brand  she endorses on May 24 and 25. The actor will attend the amfAR (The American Foundation for AIDS Research) dinner and after-party on May 24.  A fund-raising event in the fight against AIDS, the cosmetic brand is a presenting sponsor for amfAR.

Sydney’s Anupam Sharma is at the Cannes trying to pitch selling a film based on honour killing in India and he said to TIDU before leaving that Australian actress Toni Collette had agreed to act in the movie which will be partly shot in India and partly in Australia and directed by Australian director Bill Bennett. Raj Suri of Miss India Australia is also at Cannes with his brother Sanjay Suri and Onir’s film ‘I Am’ which won the National Award for the Best Hindi Film.

India’s Vice President Hamid Ansari presenting the award to Sanjay Suri

Next year India will celebrate 100 years of its cinema at Cannes. It will present an opportunity to create a deeper understanding and appreciation of Indian cinema by presenting a package that showcases the originality, uniqueness, force and appeal of our cinema.

Not to be missed – Paresh Rawal inhindi play Krishan vs Kanhaiya

Anyone who knows a bare minimum of Bollywood needs no introduction to Paresh Rawal. He is amongst the elite class of the best actors ever produced by India. A National Award as well as multiple filmfare awards winner he has enthralled us with his performances for over 25 years. Over the past decade he has tickled our funny bones to the limit.

He is touring Australia and New Zealand performing for what the critics are calling, A hilariously entertaining and sensationally shocking Hindi play Krishan vs Kanhaiya. It is a story of an atheist who incurs huge losses when his antique shop is destroyed by an earthquake. The story revolves around the fight of the atheist with the Almighty. Along with the ever-versatile Paresh Rawal is his team of talented TV and stage artists including Dharmender Gohil, Sirdhar Vatsar, Vaibhav Biniwala, Khusboo Brhmbhatt, Chirag Vora, Ankit and others. This Hindi play is based on the super-hit comedy Gujarati play “Kanji Virrudh Kanji” currently rocking the Mumbai Theatres.

Shahid Kapoor and Kristina Akheeva

Looks like both the Bollywood and the male Bollywood stars are welcoming the foreign lassies with open arms and a big heart. Angela Johnson, Nargis Fakhri, Amy Jackson and now Kristina Akheeva all have wooed our Bollywood actors thus giving tough competition to the Indian actresses.

Shahid Kapoor is just getting hotter and his list of girl friends or rumoured girl friends longer. After his break up with Kareena Kapoor Shahid has been linked with many with latest buzz is that he has found his new girl friend in Kristina Akheeva, an Australian model. The stories of their link up are rising from the same source from where his earlier rumoured girl friend Nargis Fakhri caught heat – Shahid’s birthday bash in Goa. Although it is believed that there is no smoke without fire but in case of Shahid Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri it looks like there was all smoke and no fire. Both Shahid and Nargis have denied being into a relationship and with the denial has come Shahid’s new smoky girl friend. Kristina was also reportedly at Shahid’s private birthday bash in Goa. Shahid’s new girl Kristina Akheeva, an Australian model of Russian descent has admitted being “good friends” with the Kapoor lad and insisted that it’s just pure friendship between them. Kapoor on the other hand has denied any closeness with Akheeva.

Kristina has recently featured in a racy Wildstone deodorant ad. Check it out.

Tony Abbott Opposition Leader plans to boost language studies including Hindi

Hindi as a language subject in HSC  has declined in the last few years. Says the Coalition, “Australia’s relationship with India is of growing importance and the Australian-Indian community numbers more than 300,000. But there has been a steady decline in the study of Hindi in Australia – for example in 2010 only 16 students sat the NSW HSC in Hindi.”

The Coalition promises to  revive the teaching of foreign languages in Australian schools once it comes to power.

“Knowing the languages of our key regional partners is vital to unlocking the potential of the Asian century for Australia.

A Coalition Government will work urgently with the states to ensure that at least 40 per cent of Year 12 students are once more taking a language other than English within a decade.

The teaching of foreign languages in Australian schools has long been in decline.

The proportion of Year 12 students studying a foreign language has dropped from about 40 per cent in the 1960s to about 12 per cent today.

China is Australia’s biggest trading partner, yet across Australia there are now only about 300 Year 12 Mandarin students who aren’t of Chinese heritage.

Japan is Australia’s second biggest trading partner and there has been a 21 per cent decline in students studying Japanese since 2001.

Indonesia is a vital partner in Australia’s long term future and on current trends Indonesian will disappear from Year 12 studies within four years.

Korean has all but disappeared from our education system – and Korea is our third largest trading partner.”

“A Coalition Government will reverse this trend and revive the teaching of languages in Australian schools. If Australians are to make their way in the world, we cannot rely on other people speaking our language. The Coalition believes that starting in pre-school every student should have an exposure to foreign languages. Because foreign language speakers will have to be mobilised and because teachers take time to be trained, this will be a generational shift.

We will urgently work with the states to ensure that the Australian workforce of the future can grasp the full opportunity of the Asian century,” says a joint press release from Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, Deputy Opposition Leader and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms Julie Bishop and Mr. Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education.

The number of Australians encountering unexpected strife overseas continues to climb, with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) fielding 201,660 requests for consular assistance in 2010-2011, up from 186,235 the year before. This includes over 1200 hospitalisations, 1142 deaths and 28 medical evacuations of Australians to another location.

“DFAT urges Australians to make Smartraveller an integral part of planning and booking trips overseas,” said Paula Ganly, Assistant Secretary for Consular Policy.

“Mother’s Day is a good reminder to make the necessary preparations to protect those we love in the lead-up to the peak mid-year travel period.

“No-one wants to become a burden on their families if they get into difficulty overseas and have not taken adequate precautions, like insurance.”

To ensure holiday makers have a safe and enjoyable mid-year break, Smartraveller recommends registering travel itineraries on www.smartraveller.gov.au, subscribing to travel advice updates and taking out appropriate travel insurance.

“Travel insurance is crucial to protect yourself and your family while overseas, especially where medical expenses are concerned,” Ms Ganly said.

“In the scheme of things, travel insurance is a small additional holiday expense when compared to the potential costs of an accident.”

According to Smartraveller, hospital costs in Southeast Asia regularly exceed $800 a day, the return from Europe of remains of family members who have passed away can be in excess of $10,000, and medical evacuations from the United States range from $75,000 to $95,000, and sometimes reach as high as $300,000. The Department has even handled medical evacuations from Bali where costs have exceeded $60,000.

DFAT consular officers work hard to help Australians who find themselves in trouble overseas. Every year they deal with over 20,000 serious cases of Australians in difficulty.

For more information about Smartraveller and DFAT’s consular role, visit www.smartraveller.gov.au.

From Left : Dr Andrew Penman (CEO of Cancer Council) with Dr Cannas Kwok and Raj Natarajan

Academy Award winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, My Kitchen Rules host Pete Evans and star of Poh’s Kitchen Poh Ling Yeow lead an all-star cast calling on all Aussies to get together with loved ones and have a cuppa for a good cause during Cancer Council’s iconic Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea event this May.

Cancer Council’s Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea ambassador, Poh Ling Yeow, said hosting a

morning tea event for your family, friends or colleagues is fun and simple, and you can be as

creative, unique and adventurous as you like.

“Putting on a morning tea is easy, you just have to bake a few healthy muffins and brew a pot of tea. This year I’m hosting a morning tea for my crew at Poh’s Kitchen. You can show your co-workers you care by holding a morning tea at work or organise an off-site tea tasting party to encourage them to get away from their desks.

“You can put together a street party for your neighbours, spoil your family and friends to a

sophisticated high tea or why not host a morning tea with an international flavour to showcase tea and healthy treats from around the world?

“Whatever you decide to do, make every cup count. It’s a great excuse to drop everything, turn off your phones and escape the emails to catch up and spend time with loved ones while raising

important awareness and funds in the fight against cancer,” she said.

Cancer Council NSW CEO, Dr Andrew Penman AM, said a small cup of tea can make a big

difference in the lives of thousands of Australians touched by cancer.

“Every 12 minutes someone in Australia will die from cancer. Every cup counts so we’re encouraging Australians of all ages from all communities and backgrounds to put the kettle on to beat cancer.

“Cancer does not discriminate. It’s a disease that stretches to all cultures and communities. Cancer Council is for all people and all cancers. We are absolutely committed to supporting different communities and cultures to defeat cancer through prevention, research, support, advocacy and information services.

The official day is on Thursday, 24th May 2012, but hosts can put on an event any time during May.

Registrations are now open and signing up is easy, simply visit www.biggestmorningtea.com.au or call 1300 65 65 85.

Commissioner James Condon, Nihal Gupta, Dr Geoff Lee and Sheba Nandkeolyar

Dr. Geoffrey Lee, MP, Member for Parramatta, launched The Salvation Army’s 2012 Red Shield Appeal to multicultural communities on May 9 in Sydney. In his address, Dr. Lee gave special mention to the various representatives of the ethnic media that attended, respected community leaders, presenters and organisers of the event; Mr. Joseph Assaf – who has personally supported this important initiative for over 15 years – with proud partner Multicall Connexions.

The national target for this year’s Red Shield Appeal is $81.5 million. The doorknock,

which is a major part of the campaign, will be held on the weekend of 19-20 May.

Salvation Army Appeals Director, Major Jeff Winterburn said: “The Red Shield Appeal is vital in enabling us to continue our frontline services. The clients we see are some of society’s most vulnerable people and are coming to us with increasingly complex needs, particularly with financial strain from housing affordability and the increased cost of living.

“We are also seeing more clients than ever before with high levels of stress, anxiety and depression. More worrying is that the prevalence of people presenting at our services who are exhibiting suicidal tendencies is increasing.

“Many people are becoming more and more desperate and are being forced to take dire financial risks in order to stay afloat.

“However, The Salvation Army is uniquely positioned to be able to meet people’s needs on many fronts – we help people find freedom from financial stress, emotional turmoil, loneliness, homelessness, addiction and with so many other issues.”

“More than ever, we need the support of the Australian community to help fund our social services,” said Major Winterburn.

Every year The Salvation Army helps more than one million people. Last year, more than 6,000 people were assisted by The Salvation Army’s migrant and refugee services.

Services specifically catering towards the needs of migrants or people of non-English speaking background include English conversation classes, seniors clubs, job placement services, refugee support including reuniting and advocacy services.

To give to the Red Shield Appeal, please call 13 SALVOS, visit salvos.org.au, donate at any Westpac branch, or post your cheque to PO Box 9888 in your capital city.

For further information regarding The Salvation Army, visit salvos.org.au

Sydney Film Festival’s director Nashen Moodley brings India Focus at the festival

This year the Sydney Film festival (6-17 June 2012) Focus is on the great filmmaking nation of India. The four independent productions taking part in the festival reveal an industry creating work far beyond Bollywood, presenting portraits of a nation grappling with rapid change on every level. Anurag Kashyap’s epic Gangs of Wasseypur has made it to SFF’s Official competition which carries a $60,000 prize for the winner .

Nashen Moodley, who had earlier programmed Durban International Film Festival and held a special focus on the Independent Cinema of India in its 32nd edition, is this year’s Festival director.

The India Focus section will screen Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur Part 1 and 2, Anand Patwardhan’s documentary Jai Bhim Comrade, Musa Syeed’s Valley of Saints, Umesh Kulkarni’s Deool and Sandip Ray’s documentary. The Sound of Old Rooms.

Anurag Kashyap’s epic is a thrilling, beautifully shot and extremely violent journey tracing the feud between mining magnate and politician Ramadhir Singh and the Khan family from colonial to contemporary times,” announces the festival’s official website.

The titles in the SFF 2012 Focus On India strand are:

Jai Bhim Comrade | Director: Anand Patwardhan

The Sound of Old Rooms| Director: Sandeep Ray

The Temple | Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni | Cast: Nana Patekar, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Girish Kulkarni Valley of Saints | Director: Musa Syeed |Cast: Gulzar Bhat, Neelofar Hamid, Afzal Sofi

The 59th Sydney Film Festival announced early highlights in advance of the full program launch on Wednesday, 9 May.

‘This is just a cross-section and a taste of what we have in store, but you’ll already see the extraordinary diversity in subject, style and geography that makes a great international film festival memorable and thought-provoking. From the film that everyone was talking about in Sundance to a look inside Woody Allen’s head, cinema lovers in Sydney, NSW or around Australia will have many reasons to join us here in June.’

This first announcement comprises 25 titles including 22 Australian premieres, 15 features and 10 documentaries, as well as some of the top prize-winning films from Sundance, Rotterdam and Berlin.

The announcement includes the winner of the US Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival Beasts of the Southern Wild, the winner of the FIPRESCI prize at Berlin Film Festival Tabu, the winner of the FIPRESCI prize at International Film Festival Rotterdam Neighbouring Sounds and the winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize Documentary at Sundance, The Law In These Parts.

Since its inception in 1954, Sydney Film Festival (SFF) has become a key cultural event for Sydney and well-established in the international film festival calendar. For 12 days in June the Festival takes over eight venues including the iconic State Theatre, Event Cinemas George Street, Dendy Opera Quays and the Art Gallery of NSW, showcasing the best in film from across Australia and around the world. This year, for the first time, Sydney Film Festival Hub @ Lower Town Hall will open its doors with free exhibitions, screenings, talks, live music and performances from 5pm-10pm throughout the Festival.

SFF boasts an internationally-recognised Official Competition, now in its fifth year. Previous Official Competition winners include; A Separation (2011), Heartbeats (2010), Bronson (2009) and Hunger (2008). The Official Competition winner receives a $60,000 cash prize in recognition of courageous, audacious and cutting-edge filmmaking.

OFFICIAL COMPETITION SELECTION: ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’

‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ is also in the running for SFF Official competition, a $60,000 cash prize, Australia’s richest cash award for film, in recognition of the most courageous, audacious and cutting-edge film from the 12 features selected this year.

Gangs of Wasseypur

Synopsis: Anurag Kashyap’s epic, selected for Directors’ Fortnight Cannes 2012, charts the decades-long conflict between two families involved in coal mining and organised crime in Wasseypur, in the Indian state of Jharkhand. Having more in common with the films of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola than the Indian cinema we are accustomed to, ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’  is an exhilarating tale of vengeance. In its first hour the film sets up the historical context of a feud that will span generations. What follows is a thrilling, beautifully shot and extremely violent journey tracing the feud between mining magnate and politician Ramadhir Singh and the Khan family, from colonial to contemporary times. Ramadhir takes on three Khan generations beginning with the industrious Shahid Khan, then his philandering son, Sardar Khan, and then Sardar’s dope-addled son Faizal Khan. (We note the passage of time through the Bollywood films the family loves to watch.) The Khans are traditional gangsters: aggressive, brutal when necessary and flashy. Ramadhir Singh is more subtle and strategic. Referring to his rivals, he says, “Every fucker’s got his own movie playing inside his head. Every fucker is trying to become the hero of his imaginary film. As long as there are fucking movies in this country people will continue to be fooled.”

Screens with an interval of 30 minutes

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U74oREBdy6A&feature=related

SFF also presents a number of awards to recognise excellence in local filmmaking, including the Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films (which are Academy Award® eligible) and the FOXTEL Australian Documentary Prize. The 59th Sydney Film Festival is supported by the NSW Government through Arts NSW, the Federal Government through Screen Australia, and the City of Sydney. The festival’s Strategic partner is the NSW Government through Destination NSW.

Following are the Indian entries this year:

FOCUS ON INDIA FILMS

Jai Bhim Comrade

Synopsis:In 1997, when a statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar in a Dalit colony in Mumbai was desecrated with a garland of footwear, an angry mob gathered in protest. In no time, a police van drew up a couple of metres from the mob, opened fire, and killed ten persons. Vilas Ghogre, a leftist poet, hung himself in protest.
Jai Bhim Comrade, shot over 14 years, follows the music and the tradition of Ambedkarite reason that Vilas had been a part of.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TglF3fQpyRs

The Sound of Old Rooms

Synopsis: Sandeep Ray’s exquisite documentary, filmed over 20 years, traces the life of Sarthak, an Indian man who juggles his desire to be a poet with the practicalities of raising a family. As a college student he had time to drink with friends and discuss his writings; now with work commitments, he struggles to continue his dream. The crumbling home where he was raised and still lives with his nagging but affectionate mother, wife and young son is extremely cramped; he sleeps, as he has since a child, surrounded by books. Sarthak leads us through Kolkata’s bars, apartments and alleyways as he tries to understand life and find meaning in his work. Director Ray says, “I don’t operate out of nostalgia but out of immediacy of things. If anything the film is nostalgia for the present.”

Trailer: http://vimeo.com/31192412

The Temple

Synopsis: The Temple is a 2011 Indian Marathi film directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni and produced by Abhijeet Gholap.  The film is about the effect of globalisation on India’s small towns and the terrible state of Indian villages, with a political back drop.

Deool won the 59^th National Film Awards  for Best Feature Film, Best Actor and Best Dialogue.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfzctPCpb2A

Valley of Saints

Synopsis: Set on the beautiful Dal Lake in strife-torn Kashmir, the acclaimed ‘Valley of Saints’ is an unlikely love story that raises important environmental issues. Gulzar is a working-class boatman who wants nothing more than to escape the violence and lack of opportunity. His carefully planned efforts to leave the region with his best friend Afzal are foiled by yet another curfew, and Gulzar is forced to remain. His humdrum existence is interrupted by the arrival of Asifa, a beautiful scientist who is researching the water quality of the Dal Lake. Gulzar ferries Asifa around as she makes ominous discoveries about the pollution levels – should the problem go unchecked it could lead to the end of a way of life. Winner of the World Cinema Audience Award (Dramatic) and co-winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhEd2uqI7aM

Other highlights from India include:

An Indian short film Unravel by Meghna Gupta will be screened in the festival’s section for shorts. The film is about an Indian woman in the sleepy northern town of Panipat who ponders the ways of the world as she unravels unwanted clothes from the West recycling them back into yarn.

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Meet the Filmmakers: SFF Talks at the Apple Store

To celebrate the 2012 Sydney Film Festival and the spirit of filmmaking, the Apple Store once again hosts its free Meet the Filmmakers series, where you can hear esteemed writers, directors, producers and actors discuss their latest project and answer your questions.

Indian Filmmaker Anand Patwardhan in conversation with Tom Zubrycki Friday 08 June, 6-7pm

Hear Indian director Anand Patwardhan (Jai Bhim Comrade) in conversation with acclaimed Australian documentary filmmaker Tom Zubrycki. Anand Patwardhan has been making political documentaries for three decades, pursuing diverse and controversial issues at the crux of social and political life in India. Many of his films were banned by state television channels in India and became the subject of litigation by Patwardhan who successfully challenged the censorship rulings in court.

Australia forging stronger ties with India: Senator Kate Lundy, Hon. Chris Bowen and Minister Vayalar Ravi in New Delhi on May 2

Transcript of the Doorstop press conference of the Visiting Minister of Immigration and Citizenship, Mr Chris Bowen and Senator Kate Lundy, Minister for Sport, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister Assisting for Industry and Innovation

With

Indian Minister of overseas Indian Affairs, Vayalar Ravi, New Delhi, India on Wednesday, 2 May 2012

SUBJECTS: Skilled migration, Indian students in Australia, Knight Review of the student visa program, multiculturalism, sport, prospective marriage visas.

VAYALAR RAVI: Can I introduce the two ministers. We have here the Australian Minister for Immigration, Mr Chris Bowen, and the Minister for Sport and Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Ms Kate Lundy here. We had a very fruitful and important discussion, including on the Indian students issue. According to the Ministers, Indian students have no problem in Australia, they are happy. The changes made in skilled visa norms have not affected our students. Our understanding is students are welcome and the relations between our countries are cordial and we are very happy.

CHRIS BOWEN: Thank you, Minister Ravi. Minister Lundy and I are delighted to have met Minister Ravi. Thank you for the time you have made available to us. As I reported to the minister, the Indian community in Australia is vibrant, strong and growing, and above all, a welcome one. On any given day there are half a million people of Indian heritage living in Australia either permanently or temporarily. It is a diaspora which is growing rapidly.

Last year, India was the third largest source of migrants to Australia. This year so far, more migrants have come from India than any other country in the world, which is a very good thing and very welcome. We will see how the figures pan out at the end of the year, but so far India is on track and has supplied more migrants to Australia, more permanent migrants, than any other country in the world.

Of course, importantly, India is also a very large source of students, the second largest source of people who wish to come and study in Australia. Again, this is a very good thing. It is good for Australia, it is good for India and it is good for the individuals concerned. I would like to think that every person who comes to study in Australia from India for the rest of their life will be an ambassador for Australia and India, and an ambassador certainly while they are there for India in Australia.

I have, of course, updated the minister on the recent changes we have made and implemented providing for automatic post-study work rights for people who undertake bachelors’ degrees and above, and for streamlined entry in universities, and updated him on the work we are doing to examine the vocational education and training sector.

So in conclusion, before I pass to Minister Lundy for a brief few words, the Australian-Indian diaspora is a vibrant one, a growing one, and an important one, and above all a welcome one. The Australian-Indian community has contributed to our economic growth and filling the skilled shortages we face in the Australian economy, and more importantly, made Australia a richer place culturally and socially. Thank you very much.

KATE LUNDY: Thank you, Minister Bowen. And to you, Minister Ravi; appreciate the opportunity to meet you.

I would like to make just two points. One is that how proud we are in Australia that we are so multicultural, and our cultural diversity as a nation we see as an enormous strength. And I echo Mr Bowen’s comments about the wonderful relationship we have with India and how strong our people-to-people links are, both through immigration but also through our business links, our friendship through our respective governments. And I see these getting stronger and stronger in the future.

In relation to sport – I am also the Minister for Sport in Australia – we share a great passion for all sports, two of which I would like mention are cricket and hockey. And it is wonderful to be here and see the popularity of cricket. One of the first things that I saw as I came into the door of my hotel room was Australian and Indian cricketers playing side by side in the IPL. It is a wonderful showcase for our mutual love of the sport of cricket. I want to continue to build on the relationship through the platform of sport. It is one of the many, many things our two nations have in common, and it has been a pleasure and privilege for me on my visit to India to see how these strengths and these partnerships continue to grow. Thank you.

JOURNALIST: Indian parents are looking at the security of their children in India. We are second largest source of students for your country. What are the hundred per cent assurance from your side to ensure the safety and security of Indian students in Australia?

BOWEN: Let me make it very clear. We did have some incidents a few years ago. They were tragic incidents. The Australian Government worked very closely with the Government of India, Minister Ravi and his colleagues, and also with the State Government of Victoria where most incidents occurred.

Of course, we take law and order very seriously for all people, whether they be international students or any other person in Australia. We did do some analysis and found that Indian students in Australia were actually less likely to be attacked than other people in the Australian community.

But, of course, there are issues to be worked through with the Indian-Australian community, with the students in particular, in relation to our security, particularly at night, and in some of the work that is being undertaken in high risk activities like working in service stations.

I think the proof is in the pudding. Since we instituted measures with the Government of Victoria in close consultation with the Government of India, there have been no attacks for a very long period of time. And, of course, we do have incidents from time to time, just as any other person in Australia or any other person in India or any other person around the world may be subject to some criminal activity. The Australian law enforcement agencies deal with it with the full force of the law and we always kept the Indian Government as fully apprised of the details as we can. We have such a large number of people in Australia, of course from time to time there will be incidents. But I think the measures put in place and the results we have seen certainly indicate that we have had some success.

JOURNALIST:  And what about students who are there in your country and there is trouble?

RAVI: There is no trouble. No incidents have been reported. Everything has been in the past. For the last or two years there has been no incident.

 JOURNALIST: What about insurance? Will the university provide compensation in the event of a death? Who will take care of them?

RAVI: I will take care. I take care of such cases all over the world. I have a fund for such purposes. But today we have had a very fruitful discussion. We talked about greater coordination in skills development for students who are studying there as well as opportunities for skilled workers migration to Australia.

JOURNALIST: The Immigration Department recently released data regarding marriage visas and the issue of forced marriages. And since a substantial population comes from India, anything on that issue?

BOWEN: Yes, this is a very real issue. The numbers involved are very small. Nevertheless, a very serious issue for the people involved. Of course we have checks and balances in place. If the marriage is legal in [inaudible] it would be legal in Australia. We also have checks to ensure the genuineness of marriage and the voluntariness of the marriage.

I have recently met with several groups representing women who are subject to domestic violence, of course from all around the world. They talked to me about some of the checks and requirements we have in place, and I have indicated I will be reviewing that to ensure that we are providing every possible support to women who are the subject of domestic violence, whether it be in a forced marriage, where the marriage breaks down as a result of domestic violence.

RAVI: Thank you.

Vitamin D deficiency can be more prevalent in the community with people with darker skin who may need 3-6 hours of sun exposure during winter months to help with their Vitamin D levels.

SunSmart is warning that certain parts of the population may be at risk of low or deficient vitamin D levels during Victoria’s autumn and winter months.

Craig Sinclair, Director of the Cancer Prevention Centre at Cancer Council Victoria, said groups at risk include people with naturally very dark skin, individuals with little or no sun exposure including those that are housebound or in institutionalised care, communities who wear concealing clothing for religious or cultural purposes, breastfed babies whose mothers are vitamin D-deficient and people with conditions or medications affecting vitamin D metabolism.

“From May to August in Victoria, people with fair to olive skin need two to three hours of midday winter sun exposure to the face, hands and arms (or equivalent area of skin) spread over the week.”

“However, people with naturally darker skin may require up to three to six times more sun exposure to help with their vitamin D levels. During the cold and wet winter months in Victoria, it may simply not be practical or possible for some people to get this many hours of sun exposure each week.”

A recent study published in the Medical Journal of Australia found that 85% of children diagnosed in Australia with rickets, due to vitamin d deficiency, had naturally dark skin; 75% were refugees; and half had a Sudanese background. Seasonal variations also played a big role with the majority of cases identified in winter and the subsequent months.

Professor Peter Ebeling, Medical Director of Osteoporosis Australia and Head of Endocrinology, University of Melbourne at Western Hospital, said that individuals at risk or concerned about their vitamin D levels should visit their GP.

“Vitamin D is essential for strong bones, muscles and overall health. Levels can be checked via a simple blood test and treated with supplements where required,” Professor Ebeling said.

SunSmart has a variety of practical resources including an information sheet UV and vitamin D for people with naturally very dark skin in 12 different languages, as well as an online vitamin D tracker tool.

For more information on vitamin D, go to sunsmart.com.au.