'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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Chhattisgarh Vedanta power plant blast: Death toll rises to 20; sixteen workers undergoing treatment
Sakti (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): The death toll in a blast at the Vedanta power plant in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district has mounted to 20 with seven more workers succumbing to injuries, while 16 others are undergoing treatment at different hospitals, officials said on Wednesday.
The deceased include six labourers from West Bengal, five from Chhattisgarh, three each from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, two from Bihar, and one from Madhya Pradesh.
The opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
The explosion occurred on Tuesday afternoon in a steel tube carrying high-pressure steam from the boiler to the turbine at the Vedanta Ltd power plant located in Singhitarai village, leaving several workers with severe burn injuries.
According to officials, four workers died on the spot, while nine others succumbed to injuries soon after the incident.
Seven more workers have died in hospitals, raising the toll to 20, Sakti Collector Amrit Vikas Topno told PTI on Wednesday.
He said that a total of 36 workers were affected in the blast, and 20 of them died.
"Of the 16 injured workers, five are undergoing treatment in hospitals in Raipur, while 11 others are in hospitals of Raigarh, the neighbouring district of Sakti," he added.
Topno added that every possible effort was being made to provide the best medical treatment to the injured.
The deceased were identified, and their family members are being contacted. Arrangements have been made to transport the mortal remains to their native villages via ambulance following the postmortem examination and to provide immediate financial assistance, he said.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each deceased worker and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Vedanta Power has also announced a Rs 35 lakh compensation for the family of each deceased worker, along with employment support.
The company will also provide Rs 15 lakh to each injured person, ensure salary continuation until recovery, and offer counselling support, a statement from the plant management said.
The chief minister has ordered an inquiry by the Commissioner of the Bilaspur division, assuring strict action against the guilty.
He directed officials to ensure free and proper medical treatment for all injured and emphasised that no negligence in their care would be tolerated.
The district administration has also ordered a separate magisterial probe, while the company has initiated its own internal investigation.
Collector Topno has appointed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Dabhra to conduct the magisterial inquiry.
The SDM has been asked to submit a report within 30 days covering key aspects, including the cause of the accident, whether it was due to technical or human error, and details of safety inspections carried out at the plant.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
State Congress communication wing head Sushil Anand Shukla on Wednesday alleged negligence on the plant management's part and accused the government of attempting to shield those responsible.
He also demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of the deceased and Rs 50 lakh for the injured.
The construction of a 1,200 MW coal-based thermal power project (two units of 600 MW each) in Singhitarai, originally owned by Athena Chhattisgarh Power Ltd, started in 2009, but remained stalled between 2016 and 2022.
Vedanta acquired the plant in 2022, after which a 600 MW unit was completed and commissioned in August last year, while the second unit is still under construction.
The deceased have been identified as Amrit Lal Patel, Thanda Ram Lahre, Udhab Singh Yadav, Rameshwar Mahilange, and Nadeem Ansari (all from Chhattisgarh); Susanta Jana, Sheikh Saifuddin, Manas Giri, Kailash Mahto, Shibnath Murmu, and Dipankar Singh (West Bengal), Tarun Kumar Ojha, Abdul Karim and Ashok Parhiya (Jharkhand), Raju Ram, Pappu Kumar and Brijesh Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Aakib Khan and Ritesh Kumar (Bihar), and Chitranjan Dhulai of Madhya Pradesh, officials said.
