INL 15 Jan 2019 Digital Edition

18
JANUARY 15, 2019
Entertainmentlink
Indian, Sri Lankan talent on show at Sydney Festival
Venkat Raman
Indian and Sri Lankan
artistes and an Indo-New
Zealand production are
among the highlights of the
Sydney Festival scheduled to
be held at various locations in
Paramatta from January 7 to
January 27, 2018.
Venues, tickets and times
vary between events and hence
readers are advised to visit the
official Sydney Festival website
www.sydneyfestival.org.au
Mallakhamb India
The Indian segment will feature
‘Mallakhamb,’ a traditional
Indian sport that combines
Gymnastics and Yoga.
Five artistes bring back
the ancient sport that tests
the calibre and endurance of
performers.
‘Mallar Khambam’ in Tamil,
‘Malla Khamba’ in Kannada
and ‘Malla Khamb’ in Marathi
depicts a wrestler (‘Mallar’
of ‘Malla’) on a ‘Khambam,’
‘Khamba’ or ‘Khamb’ (Pole) performing
various feats including
Yogic postures, gymnastics and
various poses.
This sport was performed in
streets until the 1960s drawing
children, pedestrians and others
as a form of free amusement.
‘Malla Khamb’ was originally
developed from a training
practice into a form of art.
This performance is a rare
opportunity to see the form’s
top artistes bring their unique
practice from Mumbai, in a
masterful show by Australian
director Benjamin Knapton with
a live soundtrack performed by
Mumbai-based musician Donn
Bhatt.
‘Malla Khamb’ is both physically
brutal and tender, spiritual
‘Bridge of Dreams’- Sandy Evans and Bobby Singh (Photo
by Karen Steains)
Bringing back 'Mallakhamb' (Photo by Benjamin Knapton)
and irreverent, astounding and
human; it is about the artistes
that present it, their bodies and
how they connect with the world
around them.
Bridge of Dreams
India’s rich musical palette will
meet top Australian Jazz talent in
‘Bridge of Dreams,’ a collaboration
that would bring to the Sydney
Festival Hindustani Singer Shubha
Mudgal, Jazz Saxophonist Sandy
Evans, Tabla Maestro Aneesh
‘Counting and Cracking’ (Photo by Daniel Boud and Malith Hegoda)
Pradhan and his disciple Bobby
Singh; and Classical Harmonium
Player Sudhir Nayak.
They will be accompanied by
17-piece Jazz Super-Collective
Sirens Big Band, with Sydney’s
leading female and trans musicians.
A World Premier, ‘Bridges of
Dreams’ boasts of music composed
by Shubha Mudgal, Aneesh
Pradhan and Sandy Evans,
recorded in Mumbai and Sydney.
This is a Project of ideas
between world-class collaborators
working in complex, ever-evolving
genres. ‘Bridge of Dreams’
spans everything from improvisational
Jazz to Hindustani,
Classical, Bollywood and Indipop.
Counting and Cracking
‘Counting and Cracking’ is an
Australian Play that will be staged
at the Sydney Town Hall, with Sri
Lankan meal served.
Written by S Shakthidharan,
a popular Australian storyteller
with Sri Lankan Heritage and
Ancestry, ‘Counting and Cracking’
narrates the story of Radha and
her son Siddhartha who prepare
to settle down in Sydney’s western
suburbs.
They receive a phone call from
Colombo which bring back their
past life.
Shanghai Mimi (Photo Credit: Yang Xiaohuo)
Sixteen actors play four generations
of a family, in a story about
Australia as a land of refuge;
Sri Lanka’s efforts to remain
united; and reconciliation within
families, across countries, across
generations.
It is a timely illustration of
the ways in which Australia
transforms those who come here
and is itself transformed, that
ultimately reveals not how much
separates us, but what we all have
in common.
About the Sydney Festival 2019
The annual cultural celebration
Sydney Festival returns to
transform the City from January 9
to January 27, 2019, delivering the
highest quality art and big ideas.
It would feature 18 World Premieres,
five Australian Premieres
and eight Australian exclusives
along with a variety of new
Australian co-commissions.
Theatre Shows
Roslyn Packer Theatre will be
the home of two international
hit theatre shows, namely,
‘Beware of Pity,’ a Complicité
and Schaubühne Berlin Theatre
collaboration, directed by
internationally renowned Simon
McBurney coming exclusively to
Sydney Festival, and ‘HOME,’ a
magical meditation on safety and
Ram-A-Thon planned in aid of Friends of Fiji Health
10 kilometres of Walk on February 3, 2019
Thakur Ranjit Singh
shelter by award-winning theatre
performer, director and absurdist
Geoff Sobelle.
Life-affirming Celebration
Audience interaction will build
throughout ‘HOME,’ to culminate
in a giant wine-swilling life-affirming
celebration.
The ‘Festival Garden’ and
world-famous Magic Mirrors
‘Spiegeltent’ return to Hyde Park
in January to feature Pigalle, a
new festival commission.
It is set in a Parisian nightclub,
Pigalle is a carousel of music,
muscles and abandon from
the makers of Velvet, starring
Marcia Hines, Iota and Bangarra’s
Waangenga Blanco.
Throughout the Festival, the
tent also showcases a diverse musical
line-up including Orquesta
Akokán, a 13-piece mambo band
direct from Cuba; South African
neo-soul singer and queer icon
with charisma to burn Nakhane;
American art-pop composer
Julia Holter; the Godfather of
Ethio-Jazz Mulatu Astatke, backed
by the eight-piece Black Jesus
Experience; acoustic desert-blues
trio Les Filles de Illighadad; and
sparkling stars of the cabaret
world Paul Capsis, Camille O’Sullivan
and Le Gateau Chocolat.
What started four
years ago as a
prop to raise funds
for completing
Shri Ram Mandir in the West
Auckland suburb of Henderson
has grown to become an annual
fundraiser for needy organisations.
First, we helped Starship Children’s
Hospital with a collection
of more than $10,000. Second,
we raised about $16,000 for St
John’s Ambulance.
The next Walkathon, which
has been named, ‘Ram-A –Thon’
to reflect its initiative from
Shri Ram Mandir, will be held
on Sunday, February 3, 2019,
with a target to far surpass past
collections. This will be to help
people needing urgent medical
attention in Fiji. Funds collected
will go to ‘Friends of Fiji Health,’
which organises volunteer
doctors to help people in Fiji.
Walk with a difference
Unlike past walks which was
day-long, walking through built
up area and roads, we have
reduced this walk to just 10 kms.
And we have shifted closer to
home in West Auckland.
It commences at Shri Ram
Mandir at 830 am (assembly at 8
File Photo of ‘Ram-a-Thon’ held on December 11, 2016, showing National List MP Kanwaljit
Singh Bakshi addressing the walkers at Winter Garden, Auckland Domain.
am) at 11 Brick Street, proceed to
Sturges Road Train Station, wind
down to Vintage Drive (off Sturges)
and join the picturesque cemented
walkway of Henderson through
beautiful forests, vines, and Oratia
Stream, between Central Park
Drive and Henderson Valley Road.
The major break will be at 359
Henderson Valley Road Ashram.
Family Fun Day
The main difference this year
is the addition of a Family Fun
Day. The Walk will terminate at
Henderson Park, where a day full
of activities has been planned from
11 am. These will include Women’s
Volleyball and Penalty Kicks, Men’s
7-A-Side Soccer & Tug o’ War, Senior
Citizens’ Lawn Bowling & Ball
and Bucket, Children’s Marble &
Spoon, Sack Race, Relay and other
non-competitive programmes for
all age groups.
For Soccer fans from Fiji, the
attraction will be Division and
Competition according to ten districts
as follows: Rakiraki, Tavua,
Ba, Lautoka, Nadi, Nadroga, Suva,
Nasinu, Rewa and Labasa.
Message of Spirituality
The most important message is
to religious organisations to follow
in the helping spirit of Shri Ram
Mandir.
Managing Trustee Pravin Kumar
said that this type of walkathon
has multi-pronged objectives.
“We have advised from the outset
that the priority of this Charity
Walk is not fundraising. While that
is one of the aims, it is one on low
Phil Twyford (now Housing, Urban Development and Transport) with (from left) Thakur Ranjit
Singh, Waitakere Indian Association President Mahendra Sharma, Henderson-Massey Local
Board Chairman Shane Henderson and Pravin Kumar at McCormick Park in Te Atatu South on
December 11, 2016. (Pictures supplied by Thakur Ranjit Singh)
priority,” he said.
Multiple Objectives
Mr Pravin said that the Walk has
multiple objectives. They are (a) To
engage with the wider community,
including children, youth, elders,
women and people from all walks
to life – enhancing diversity, teamwork,
networking and promoting
multiculturalism (b) To create
awareness of well-being, healthy
living, walking, exercising and
keeping fit (c) Raise funds for
worthy charitable causes and help
inculcate the concept of helping
others who are less fortunate
than us (d) Work collaboratively
with other likeminded charitable,
community and religious organisations
and (e) Get corporate and
commercial businesses on board
as sponsors
The Walkathon encourages
other religious organisations to
widen their focus from religious
to spiritual wellbeing of the
community.
Further information can be
obtained from Event Director Mahendra
Sharma on 027-6613242.
Email: family_sharma@hotmail.
com
For further details can also be
obtained from Shri Ram Mandir
Facebook Page or from Pundit
Markand Bhatt on (09) 8364647 at
the Mandir.
Thakur Ranjit Singh is a Member
of the ‘Ram-A-Thon’ Organising
Committee. He is a Media
Commentator and runs his blog,
‘Fiji Pundit.’