'Sandese Aate Hain': Australian singer recalls Goa roots, performs in 'motherland' India
New Delhi (PTI): Australian singer Reuben de Melo, who was born in Goa and moved to Australia more than two decades ago as a boy, dropped out of engineering college to pursue music and has since carved a niche for himself in the creative field.
The Perth-based singer-songwriter, who won "The Voice Australia" -- a singing competition -- in 2024, is part of Australia's vibrant Indian-origin community.
On Friday night, de Melo and Australia-born musician Milan Ring, who has a mixed heritage including Indian roots from her mother's side, performed at 'Gig on the Green', hosted at the Australian High Commission here.
Australian envoy Philip Green, who attended the event, said efforts are being made to bring the best of Australian culture and art to India, just as "we welcome culture and art from India to Australia".
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"There's now more than a million people of Indian origin in Australia. That's the fastest growing community in our country, and they're doing great things in our society, and we want them to do great things for the bilateral relationship," he told PTI on the sidelines of the event.
This particular facet of people of Indian origin, who have really made it in the arts and culture field in Australia, is "very special," Green said, praising the two musicians.
After the show, de Melo and Ring separately interacted with PTI and shared their journeys into the creative sphere.
"I moved to Perth when I was about 11 years old. I live in Perth, Western Australia. Then, I won 'The Voice Australia' in 2024, and here I am back in India, back to the motherland," said de Melo, a father of three.
The Australian indie folk singer said that while "Perth is my home", he will always carry childhood memories of growing up in Goa, especially his grandmother's place, and his ancestral home.
"They will always be my heaven when I leave this place, you know what I mean," de Melo said.
Recalling that he and his sister, along with their parents, moved to Australia around 2003-2004, de Melo said music entered his life after the death of a close friend.
"Music for me happened when I unfortunately lost a friend. He was an Aussie guy... a singer, and liked to sing at birthday parties and stuff. I picked up a guitar, and I wanted to sing," de Melo said.
In a candid conversation, the singer said he completed three years of engineering before deciding to drop out and pursue music.
Though he works in the mining sector and sings part-time, he shared how he drew from moments of grief in his life and turned them into lyrical compositions.
"I wrote the song 'The Boys' for two colleagues in mining who we lost to acts of suicide," de Melo said.
Going down memory lane, de Melo recalled how during his early days in Goa, he had developed a fascination for the Hindi film "Border".
"I really liked the movie 'Border' and remember the song 'Sandese Aate Hain'. It was one of my favourite movies growing up. I wore a commando outfit every day with my toy guns," de Melo recalled.
While the Perth-based singer has visited India multiple times in the past, for Sydney native Ring, visiting India was "at the top of her bucket list".
India, she said, feels vibrant, colourful and full of energy and "something like a cinema scene," which prompted her to explore the country, its rich music and diverse cuisine.
"It's been on top of my bucket list the whole life to come to India, and here I am. I am kind of pinching myself, it feels surreal," Ring told PTI.
The musician said she has mixed heritage, including Indian heritage from her mother's side. Her maternal grandfather was born in north India, while her father is from Hong Kong, she said.
Ring, who has been based in Berlin for the past couple of years, said each country and its natural sounds in streets or elsewhere feel different. "I would like to go to music events in Delhi and hear the playing of a sitar or tabla," she said.
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Karnataka to approach SC seeking permission to continue MGNREGA
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday decided to approach the Supreme Court seeking permission to continue implementation of MGNREGA in the state, contending that the Centre had repealed the rural employment guarantee law without consultation and failed to put in place any alternative mechanism under the VB-G RAM G Act.
Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state would immediately move the apex court seeking permission to prepare and implement the annual action plan for rural employment works, while also challenging what it described as an infringement on the constitutional rights of states.
The parliament passed VB-G RAM G in December that replaces MGNREGA.
Patil explained that the Cabinet decided to approach the court seeking permission for the State Government to prepare an action plan in this regard. Since the Centre’s stand interferes with the constitutional rights of state governments, the Cabinet has also decided to challenge this issue before the appropriate court
“There are two points here. One is that they have come in the way of our constitutional right of providing the right to work. That has been halted, and, therefore, the State Government has decided to approach the Supreme Court. The second point is that the Government of India has not provided any alternative,” the Minister said.
The Central Government has not yet issued a notification to implement the VB-G RAM G Act, nor has it made any alternative arrangements and hence continuing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is unavoidable in the public interest, the Minister said.
“Therefore, in the interest of the public, farmers and agricultural labourers, we must continue MGNREGA. For that purpose, the Cabinet has decided to approach the court seeking permission for the State Government to prepare the action plan for this year,” he added.
The Minister also said the Centre had only permitted continuation of pending and spillover MGNREGA works without releasing grants or announcing a fresh action plan.
“The Centre itself has said that pending, spillover and half-done MGNREGA works can continue. That means MGNREGA is actually still functioning in practice. But there is no new action plan,” he said.
Patil said the state had already passed a resolution on the issue, while Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had written to the Prime Minister and the Rural Development Minister had held discussions with Union Ministers.
Replying to questions, the minister said the state would move court “as immediately as possible.”
He clarified that the state was seeking permission to formulate and implement this year’s action plan under the existing framework.
“What we are asking the Supreme Court is to allow us to have the action plan for this year and implement it,” he said.
The Cabinet also held detailed discussions on the final report submitted by the State Education Policy Commission headed by former UGC chairman Professor Sukhadeo Thorat.
Patil said a Cabinet sub-committee would be constituted to examine the report and recommend measures for implementation.
“No decision has been taken yet. The Cabinet sub-committee will recommend what should be accepted and what should be modified,” he said.
He said the report comprised around eight volumes and covered issues relating to financial implications, human resources, curriculum reforms, deemed universities, unitary universities and newly established universities. The Chief Minister has been authorised to constitute the sub-committee.
The Cabinet also approved the Karnataka Motor Transport and Other Related Workers’ Social Security and Welfare Amendment Bill, 2026, transferring welfare administration of transport-related workers from the Labour Department to the Transport Department.
The Cabinet further approved establishment of three new industrial estates in Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Surpur under the Karnataka State Small Industries Development Corporation and Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board schemes at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore.
The Cabinet also approved amendments to Karnataka Civil Services (General Recruitment) Rules, 2026, providing two per cent reservation in state civil services appointments for sportspersons.
