Family Footsteps

Susila was born to an Indian father and English mother and grew up in Melbourne. She is a typical girl in Australia and she had a passionalte love of Australia, but she never thought of herself as an Indian. She also has never been to india. ABC channel offered her first trip to India.

While Susila was having dinner with her parents and sisters, they were discussing the culture of India as Susila decided to visit India. Her sister helped her to pack. Susila was allowed to bring 2 outfits and no make up.

Susila was shocked to the filthy and chaotic streets when she arrived in New Delhi. She lived with Nandita, a highly respected astrologer and her family. Nandita gave Susila a traditional welcome when Susila arrived her. Susila was welcomed warmly enen Nandita showed Susila her own room. After a few days they went shopping to buy Indian traditional clothing--Sari for Susila. One day in the morning Susila and Nandita talked about Nandita's job and cultures of arranged marriages. Susila met a famous Indian singer and she practiced Indian songs with the singer for preparing to sing in a wedding. Sometimes Susila was homesick, but she kept going. Susila had a wedding preparation-hand drawing before the wedding.Susila and Nandita joined the traditional wedding. That was an arranged marriage, the bride and the groom just met briefly before the wedding. Susila sang an Indian song at the wedding.

The family of Nandita wished Susila a traditional farewell and blessing when Susila left India. Susila felt proud to be an Indian woman and she had never had that feeling before.

The Melbourne Cup

The most famous Tuesday in Australia is the Melbourne Cup Day. It is on the first Tuesday in November at 3.00 pm, Australians in everywhere stop for one of the world's most famous horse races - the Melbourne Cup. It is one of the world's most challenging horse races and one of the richest (total prize money for 2005 - $AU5.1 million), and is the highlight of the Spring Racing Carnival.

The nation stops whatever it's doing to listen to the race call, or watch the race on TV in the day. They would try their luck with a small wager or entry into a 'sweep' - a lottery in which each ticket-holder is matched with a randomly drawn horse.

The Cup Day has been a public holiday for Melbourne since 1877, and crowds have flocked to the track. By 11.00 am on the first holiday, the Flemington grandstand was packed to its 7,000 capacity, and by 3.00 pm, 150,000 people were estimated to have gathered - thronging the hill beyond. The party atmosphere often means that champagne and canapés, huge hats and racetrack fashions overshadow the business of horse racing.

The first Australian race meet, held in 1810, established the culture of the Melbourne Cup and was organized in Sydney by Governor Macquarie as part of a plan to improve the cultural life of Sydney.

The first Melbourne Cup was run in 1861 at Flemington Race Course and was won by Archer, a horse from Nowra, New South Wales, beating the local favorite, Mormon. The prize was a gold watch and £170.

Phar Lap is perhaps Australia's most famous racehorse, combining stamina and speed. It is the only horse to have started favourite in three successive Melbourne Cups. The jockey who rode Phar Lap to victory in 1930 was Jimmy Pike. He is best known for his partnership with Phar Lap on whom he won 27 races from 30 rides. In 1932 Phar Lap was sent to Mexico for the Agua Caliente Handicap, the world's richest race at the time. Sixteen days later he died in San Francisco in suspicious circumstances, some believing he was poisoned.


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