Echidna Encounters

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Eco-friendly Wilderness Retreats in Wilsons Promontory National Park in Victoria, Australia. Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Wilson’s Promontory (Victoria, Australia) On a balmy summer morning, we snake our way through the wide Melbourne roads, yet to be inundated with rush hour traffic. The shutters in this city of urban flair are still down, apart from a few cafes where early risers are enjoying hot breakfast on cobbled pavements and joggers are making the most of the crisp morning breeze.

We are heading to the Wilsons Promontory National Park, the southernmost tip of mainland Australia. I am filled with a sense of excitement and adventure, similar to the one felt during those short getaways from Delhi to the national parks and sanctuaries of Rajasthan and Haryana.

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New Zealand: Asian Muslims Tell Their Own Stories

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By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 16.03. 2009 (IPS): A new book and accompanying exhibit provide rare insight into the lives of Asian Muslims, who have become an intrinsic part of New Zealand’s diverse community since the first Muslim Chinese gold miners landed on its distant shores 130 years ago.

‘The Crescent Moon: The Asian Face of Islam in New Zealand’ largely focuses on Muslims from the Indian subcontinent, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Fiji, with the aim to create a better understanding and appreciation of Islam and the various Asian cultures that have enriched New Zealand’s socio-economic and cultural fabric.

The first Muslims in the country were 15 Chinese gold miners working in Dunstan on the South Island, according to the New Zealand government census of April 1874, and by 1950 there were still only 150 followers of Islam. The 1996 census registered a Muslim population of less than 14,000.

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Ashoka Pillar now stands tall in Australia

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By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 21.11.2008 (IANS): It has been hailed as historic. A five-metre-high Ashoka Pillar now stands at a monastery located midway between Sydney and Canberra, in a celebration of the spread of Buddhism from India to Australia.

Believed to be the first in Australia, the Ashoka Pillar has been installed at the Sunnataram Forest Monastery in the verdant surroundings of Southern Highlands.

“This is a truly historic event. The Ashoka Pillar, whose Lion Capitol is the national emblem of India, symbolises the global relevance of the principles of truth, non-violence, tolerance and compassion,” Sujan R. Chinoy, consul general of India in Sydney, told IANS.

“Emperor Ashoka fostered democratic rule and it is a privilege to dedicate the Ashoka Pillar at a Buddhist monastery in a fellow democracy such as Australia.”

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