Indian women wearing gajras is a normal sight across India, especially southern India, but it isn't welcome in Australia. Malayalam actress Navya Nair came to know this first hand.
Malayalam actress Navya Nair was stopped at the Melbourne airport in Australia after she was found carrying Jasmine flowers. She was fined over Rs 1 lakh for carrying a jasmine gajra that was 15 cm long.
Her Onam celebrations recently got sour when she was asked to cough up a whopping Rs 1 lakh for carrying the Jasmine Flower gajra She was going to take part in the Onam celebrations organised by the Malayali Association of Victoria.
“Before I came here, it was my father who bought jasmine for me. He cut it into two parts and gave it to me. He asked me to wear one in my hair from Kochi to Singapore, since it would wither by the time I reached. He told me to keep the second one in my handbag so I could wear it on the onward journey from Singapore. I put it in my carry bag,” Navya said during the event.
"What I did was against the law. It was a mistake I made unknowingly. However, ignorance is no excuse. For bringing a 15 cm jasmine string, officials asked me to pay a fine of AUD 1,980 (Rs 1.14 lakh). A mistake is a mistake, though it was not intentional. They told me the fine must be paid within 28 days,” she added.
She had shared photos before taking the flight to Australia.
She wrote: “First-ever Thiruvonam in the skies! Though I miss being in naadu, carrying the spirit of Onam with me is a joy of its own. Work calls — and that too is another happiness. Onboard Singapore Airlines… Melbourne, here I come."
Navya then shared a video of herself a video collage of herself in this attire with the jasmine gajra, the actor sarcastically wrote, “A show-off right before paying the fine.”
Navya Nair has twice won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress. She made her acting debut in Sibi Malayil’s Ishtam (2001).
She has worked in hit movies like Nandanam, Mazhathullikkilukkam, Kunjikoonan, Kalyanaraman, Vellithira, Ammakilikkoodu, Gramophone, Pattanathil Sundaran, Jalolsavam, Chathikkatha Chanthu, Azhagiya Theeye, Pandippada, Saira, Kanne Madanguka, Sila Nerangalil, Bhagyada Balegara, Drishya, Drishya 2, Oruthee and Janaki Jaane, in Malayalam, Tamil, and Kannada languages.
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