All about Nepali news and events in Australia

By Anup Bhandari

It is that interesting time of the year, isn’t it? The New Years and Christmas is just round the corner. Good festive vibe is in the air. Everyone is looking forward to the year 2010 with new hopes, goals and dreams.

Over Coffee, I was chatting with my friends this afternoon. Suddenly I noticed an interesting phenomenon I have been experiencing for many years now.

As we sat there in a cafe tucked into a little alley amongst the high rise steel and glass building of Sydney CBD a friend proclaimed, ”I will definitely burn this 10 kilos belted around my stomach in the year 2010”. Then the other added,”I have plans to get back to my yoga and meditation class from the first day of 2010”.

As the conversation progressed my thoughts drifted back to the past where many of us made similar resolutions and held similar conversation end of each year. In the New Year’s I have noticed this repeating trend where enthusiasm to keep up to the goals set, evaporated in the thin air after couple of weeks or months. Have you noticed it too? Read more…

By Anup Bhandari

This is story of a couple, Harke and Maya, who migrated to Australia in mid 2006. Like any other migrant they arrived at Kingsford Airport Sydney with ambitious dreams and colourful hopes intertwined beautifully with nervousness and fear of the unknown.

This story begins early morning, the day, it drizzled and dark clouds covered the skies. Their extended family came from far away to bless the newlywed .On the third day of their marriage they were making this journey across the seas.

The atmosphere had sweet smell of incense. Deep multi partitioned brass plate held the auspicious offerings. The prayers were to be made to their gods and ancestors for good luck. The offering plate was stashed with whole coconut, khatta (Buddhist good luck scarf), rice seeds mixed with vermicelli & curd, petals of flowers. In addition, two brass vases filled with water were placed on the either side of the main gateway. This ritual guaranteed good luck and success in the long journey that lay ahead.

Just when they were ready to leave the house the prayer ceremony began. Harke’s mother breaks the coconut on the floor and offered the coconut water to the dead and the immortals. The ritual proceeded to Tika Ceremony, the couple were blessed by their elders and in the process pasted red coloured rice on their forehead, wrapped a khatta around their necks and placed flower petals on their head. Read more…

Rotary Club of Kogarah organised yet another fundraiser to raise funds for Nepalese and local charities. On a windy Saturday morning, 9th May 2009, about 30 Rotarians and friends gathered at the car park at Carss Park, Blakehurst to participate at the inaugural Car Observation Trial. The Observation Trial was an initiative of Mr. Bob Hallett (Club President, Rotary Club of Kogarah) to add to the other fund raising projects carried out by members of the Rotary Club of Kogarah.

With the help of Gerry and Betsy Hertzberg, who have organised many successful similar Observation Trials, President Bob got the project off to a fine start. Helping Gerry were Graeme Davies and Ron Fraser from the Probus Club of Loftus. Read more…