Indian Weekender 13 Feb 2014

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The Pulse of Kiwi-Indians Auckland • Christchurch • Wellington • Hamilton • Palmerston North • Hastings • Invercargill

13 February, 2015 Vol. 6 Issue 28 | www.iwk.co.nz

New Zealand’s frst Kiwi-Indian weekly newspaper

Rohit Takyar Ph: 09-215 9519

Ravi MehtaPh: 09-215 9517

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13 February 20152

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AUCKLAND AT A STANDSTILL ASTHE LITTLE MASTER ARRIVES ¡ Maya Shivam

A placard at the Sydney CricketGround said “Commit all yourcrimes when Sachin is batting. Theywill go unnoticed because even theLord is watching”

This charisma of this God ofcricket is coming to Auckland!!

In the last weeks issue we spokeabout a little birdie….well we nowhave the pleasure of announcingto all our readers that - Auckland

is about to stop - the God of thecricketing world, the legend – SachinTendulkar will infact be in Aucklandon the 27th February 2015. Hearrives as the brand ambassador ofthe ICC Cricket World Cup, but hasbeen secured by Seagold Solutionsand Next Generation Sport to spendan evening with his fans at a galadinner to be hosted at the LanghamHotel. Indian Weekender is proud

to be media partners for the event(please refer to the last page for our promotion).

Sachin Tendulkar canunquestionably be called the ‘faceof modern cricket’. He follows SirDonald Bradman and Sir VivianRichards as his generation’s mostsuccessful batsman. The only closecompetitors Tendulkar has faced areBrian Lara and in more recent times,Ricky Ponting. Statistically, whileBradman scaled unreachable heights,Tendulkar, by his sheer consistencyand longevity, marked his era withsheer greatness and enormous fan-following that shall, probably never be conquered. While there is littlehope for his records to be broken ever – our dream of sharing an eveningwith the “master blaster” now seemswithin reach.

QUICK FACTS

• Sachin Tendulkar is the world’s leading run-getter and centurion in Tests and ODIs.

• He became the rst batsman to score adouble century in ODI cricket.

• Tendulkar is the only player to record 100international centuries.• He became the rst batsman in history torecord more than 15,000 runs in both Testsand ODIs.

• “The Little Master” was the rst batsman inODIs to reach the 10,000 run milestone.

• He holds the record as the youngest Indianto make a debut in international cricket.


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CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015

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Chak De! World Cup fever kicks off ¡ Swati Sharma

The 2015 Cricket World Cup will be the 11th Cricket World Cup,scheduled to be jointly hosted by

Australia and New Zealand from 14

February to 29 March 2015.

India are the defendingchampions, having won the

tournament in 2011 when it was held

in the Indian subcontinent, defeating

Sri Lanka in the nals by 6 wickets.

Sachin Tendulkar has been

named as the 2015 Cricket World

Cup Ambassador by the ICC for the

second time, after 2011 Cricket World

Cup where he was the ambassador.

For the Indians around the world,

the most important match would be

between India and Pakistan scheduled

on 15 February 2015. Tickets for

this match were reportedly sold

out within 12 minutes. The intenserivalry between the countries and the

scarcity of recent clashes adds to the

drama ahead of the Adelaide match.

Observing the current form of

Indian team and considering the

fact that Indian squad have been

in Australia for two months but

hasn’t yet won a competitive match,

losing the four-Test series 2-0 and

losing every game they played in

the limited-overs tri-series against

Australia and England. Indian

captain Dhoni knows his tired team

will have to break their drought in

Australia very quickly if India are

to have any chance of retaining the

World Cup title.

India will begin their World Cup

campaign with a Februray 15 opener

against Pakistan.

The Down Under is hosting CWC

after 23 years. The hosting rights

were awarded at the same time as

those of the 2011 Cricket World

Cup, which Australia and New

Zealand had originally bid to host,

and the 2019 Cricket World Cup,

which was awarded to England. The

2011 tournament was awarded to

the four Asian Test cricket playing

countries, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

and Bangladesh, in a 10 to 3 vote

(Pakistan later lost the co-hosting

rights due to a terrorist attack on the

Sri Lankan team). This is the second

time that the tournament will be

held in Australia and New Zealand,

with the rst being the 1992 Cricket

World Cup.

Teams playingthis world cup:

• Afghanistan

• Australia

• Bangladesh• England

• India

• Ireland

• New Zealand

• Pakistan

• South Africa

• Sri Lanka

• United Arab Emirates

• West Indies

• Zimbabwe


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• Australia and New Zealand are

jointly hosting the tournament. The

two countries will see World Cup

action after 23 years. Last time they

organised this quadrennial 50-over

event was in 1992

• World Cup 2015 will be held from

February 14 to March 29, 2015

• 14 teams (10 Full Members of ICC

and 4 qualifiers) will be participating.

49 matches will be played over 44

days

• Teams are divided into two groups.

Top 4 from Pool A and B will make it

to the quarter-finals, which will be a

knockout stage

• 14 venues (7 each in Australia and

New Zealand) will host the matches

• In Australia, Adelaide, Brisbane,

Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perthand Sydney will be the venues

• Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin,

Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and

Wellington are the New Zealand cities

• Australia will host 26 matches while

New Zealand has got 23

• Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will

be the venue for the final. MCG had

hosted the 1992 final too

• Semi-finals (March 24 and 26) will be

played in Auckland and Sydney

INTERESTING FACTS• Sri Lanka never won a game against

Pakistan

• Pakistan never won a game againstIndia

• India never won a game againstSouth Africa

• And South Africa never won aworld cup


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DATE AND TIME MATCH VENUE

14/02/2015 | 11:00 local time | 22:00 GMT 1st Match, Pool A: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Christchurch

14/02/2015 | 14:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 2nd Match, Pool A: Australia vs England Melbourne

15/02/2015 | 14:00 local time | 01:00 GMT 3rd Match, Pool B: South Africa vs Zimbabwe Hamilton

15/02/2015 | 14:00 local time | 03:30 GMT 4th Match, Pool B: India vs Pakistan Adelaide

16/02/2015 | 11:00 local time | 22:00 GMT 5th Match, Pool B: Ireland vs West Indies Nelson

17/02/2015 | 11:00 local time | 22:00 GMT 6th Match, Pool A: New Zealand vs Scotland Dunedin

18/02/2015 | 14:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 7th Match, Pool A: Afghanistan vs Bangladesh Canberra

19/02/2015 | 11:00 local time | 22:00 GMT 8th Match, Pool B: United Arab Emirates vs Zimbabwe Nelson

20/02/2015 | 14:00 local time | 01:00 GMT 9th Match, Pool A: New Zealand vs England Wellington

21/02/2015 | 11:00 local time | 22:00 GMT 10th Match, Pool B: Pakistan vs West Indies Christchurch

21/02/2015 |13:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 11th Match, Pool A: Australia vs Bangladesh Brisbane

22/02/2015 |11:00 local time | 22:00 GMT 12th Match, Pool A: Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Dunedin

22/02/2015 |14:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 13th Match, Pool B: India vs South Africa Melbourne

23/02/2015 | 11:00 local time | 22:00 GMT 14th Match, Pool A: England vs Scotland Christchurch

24/02/2015 | 14:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 15th Match, Pool B: West Indies vs Zimbabwe Canberra

25/02/2015 | 13:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 16th Match, Pool B: Ireland vs United Arab Emirates Brisbane

26/02/2015 | 11:00 local time | 22:00 GMT 17th Match, Pool A: Afghanistan vs Scotland Dunedin

26/02/2015 | 14:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 18th Match, Pool A: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Melbourne

27/02/2015 | 14:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 19th Match, Pool B: South Africa vs West Indies Sydney

28/02/2015 | 14:00 local time | 01:00 GMT 20th Match, Pool A: New Zealand vs Australia Auckland

28/02/2015 | 14:30 local time | 06:30 GMT 21st Match, Pool B: India vs United Arab Emirates Perth

1/03/2015 | 11:00 local time | 22:00 GMT 22nd Match, Pool A: England vs Sri Lanka Wellington

1/03/2015 | 13:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 23rd Match, Pool B: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe Brisbane

3/03/2015 | 14:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 24th Match, Pool B: Ireland vs South Africa Canberra

4/03/2015 | 14:00 local time | 01:00 GMT 25th Match, Pool B: Pakistan vs United Arab Emirates Napier

4/03/2015 | 14:30 local time | 06:30 GMT 26th Match, Pool A: Australia vs Afghanistan Perth

5/03/2015 | 11:00 local time | 22:00 GMT 27th Match, Pool A: Bangladesh vs Scotland Nelson

6/03/2015 | 14:30 local time | 06:30 GMT 28th Match, Pool B: India vs West Indies Perth

7/03/2015 | 14:00 local time | 01:00 GMT 29th Match, Pool B: Pakistan vs South Africa Auckland

7/03/2015 | 14:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 30th Match, Pool B: Ireland vs Zimbabwe Hobart

8/03/2015 | 11:00 local time | 22:00 GMT 31st Match, Pool A: New Zealand vs Afghanistan Napier

8/03/2015 | 14:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 32nd Match, Pool A: Australia vs Sri Lanka Sydney

9/03/2015 | 14:00 local time | 03:30 GMT 33rd Match, Pool A: England vs Bangladesh Adelaide

10/03/2015 | 14:00 local time | 01:00 GMT 34th Match, Pool B: India vs Ireland Hamilton

11/03/2015 | 14:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 35th Match, Pool A: Scotland vs Sri Lanka Hobart12/03/2015 | 14:00 local time | 01:00 GMT 36th Match, Pool B: South Africa vs United Arab Emirates Wellington

13/03/2015 | 14:00 local time | 01:00 GMT 37th Match, Pool A: New Zealand vs Bangladesh Hamilton

13/03/2015 | 14:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 38th Match, Pool A: Afghanistan vs England Sydney

14/03/2015 | 14:00 local time | 01:00 GMT 39th Match, Pool B: India vs Zimbabwe Auckland

14/03/2015 | 14:30 local time | 03:30 GMT 40th Match, Pool A: Australia vs Scotland Hobart

15/03/2015 | 11:00 local time | 22:00 GMT 41st Match, Pool B: United Arab Emirates vs West Indies Napier

15/03/2015 | 14:00 local time | 03:30 GMT 42nd Match, Pool B: Ireland vs Pakistan Adelaide

18/03/15 1st Quarter-Final: TBA vs TBA Sydney

19/03/15 2nd Quarter-Final: TBA vs TBA Melbourne

20/03/15 3rd Quarter-Final: TBA vs TBA Adelaide

21/03/15 4th Quarter-Final: TBA vs TBA Wellington

24/03/15 1st Semi-Final: TBA vs TBA Auckland

26/03/15 2nd Semi-Final: TBA vs TBA Sydney

29/03/15 Final: TBA vs TBA Melbourne



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NEW ZEALAND SRI LANKA

Brendon McCullum (Captain)Grant ElliottMartin GuptillTom LathamRoss TaylorKane WilliamsonTrent BoultMitchell McClenaghanKyle MillsAdam MilneTim SoutheeCorey AndersonNathan McCullumDaniel VettoriLuke Ronchi

Lahiru ThirimanneMahela JayawardeneDimuth KarunaratneKumar SangakkaraDinesh ChandimalSuranga LakmalLasith MalingaRangana HerathSachithra SenanayakeDushmantha ChameeraAngelo Mathews (Captain)Tillakaratne DilshanJeevan MendisNuwan KulasekaraThisara PereraKumar Sangakkara

TEAMS & CAPTAINS

POOL

APOOL

A



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lAUSTRALIA PAKISTAN INDIADefending Champions

BANGLADESH IRELAND

SCOTLAND UAE

ENGLAND

ZIMBABWEAFGHANISTAN

WEST INDIESSOUTH AFRICA

POOL

BPOOL

B

POOL

B

POOL

B

POOL

A

POOL

A

POOL

APOOL

B

POOL

B

POOL

B

POOL

A

POOL

A

Michael Clarke (Captain)George BaileyAaron FinchSteven SmithDavid WarnerPat CumminsMitchell StarcXavier DohertyJosh HazlewoodJames FaulknerMitchell JohnsonGlenn MaxwellShane WatsonMitchell MarshBrad Haddin

Nasir JamshedAhmed ShehzadMisbah-ul-Haq (Captain)Younis KhanSohaib MaqsoodUmar AkmalSohail KhanMohammad IrfanWahab RiazRahat AliEhsan AdilYasir ShahHaris SohailShahid AfridiSarfraz Ahmed

Shikhar DhawanRohit SharmaAjinkya RahaneVirat KohliSuresh RainaAmbati RayuduMohit SharmaRavichandran AshwinMohammed ShamiUmesh YadavRavindra JadejaAxar PatelStuart BinnyBhuvneshwar Kumar

MS Dhoni (Captain)

Anamul HaqueMominul HaqueTamim Iqbal

Al-Amin HossainArafat SunnyRubel HossainTaijul IslamTaskin AhmedMashrafe Mortaza (Captain)MahmudullahNasir HossainSabbir RahmanShakib Al HasanSoumya SarkarMushfqur Rahim

Ed JoyceWilliam Porterfeld (Captain)Niall O’Brien

Max SorensenAndy McBrinePeter ChaseGeorge DockrellCraig YoungJohn MooneyAndrew BalbirnieAlex CusackKevin O’BrienPaul StirlingStuart ThompsonGary Wilson

Preston Mommsen (Captain)Kyle CoetzerFreddie ColemanHamish GardinerSafyaan Sharif Rob TaylorIain WardlawRichie Berrington

Josh DaveyAlasdair EvansMichael LeaskMajid HaqMatt MachanCalum MacLeodMatthew Cross

Amjad AliAndri BerengerShaiman AnwarSaqlain HaiderNasir AzizManjula GurugeFahad AlhashmiKrishnachandran Karate

Rohan MustafaMohammad NaveedKamran ShahzadMohammad Tauqir (Captain)Khurram KhanAmjad JavedSwapnil Patil

Gary BallanceIan BellAlex HalesEoin Morgan (Captain)Joe RootJames TaylorJames AndersonSteven FinnJames TredwellMoeen AliRavi BoparaStuart BroadChris JordanChris WoakesJos Buttler

Brendan TaylorCraig ErvineTinashe Panyangara

Tendai ChataraTafadzwa KamungoziTawanda MupariwaElton Chigumbura (Captain)Prosper UtseyaSean WilliamsSikandar RazaChamu ChibhabhaHamilton MasakadzaStuart MatsikenyeriSolomon MireRegis Chakabva

Usman GhaniNawroz MangalAsghar Stanikzai

Najibullah ZadranNasir JamalHamid HassanShapoor ZadranDawlat ZadranAftab AlamMohammad Nabi (Captain)Javed AhmadiSamiullah ShenwariMirwais Ashraf Gulbadin NaibAfsar Zazai

Chris GayleDarren BravoLendl SimmonsSulieman BennSheldon CottrellNikita MillerKemar RoachJerome Taylor

Darren SammyMarlon SamuelsDwayne SmithJonathan CarterJason Holder (Captain)Andre RussellDenesh Ramdin

AB de Villiers (Captain)Hashim AmlaFaf du PlessisDavid MillerRilee RossouwKyle AbbottImran TahirMorne Morkel

Aaron PhangisoDale SteynFarhaan BehardienJean-Paul DuminyWayne ParnellVernon PhilanderQuinton de Kock



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Year Host Nation Winner Runner-up

1975 England West Indies Australia

1979 England West Indies England

1983 England India West Indies

1987 Ind & Pak Australia England

1992 Aus & NZ Pakistan England

1996 Ind,Pak & SL Sri Lanka Australia

1999 England Australia Pakistan

2003 South Africa Australia India

2007 West Indies Australia Sri Lanka

2011 Ind,SL & Ban India Sri Lanka

2015 Aus & NZ TBC TBC

RANK TEAM MATCHES POINTS RATING

1 Australia 52 6254 120

2 India 70 8010 114

3 South Africa 55 6211 113

4 Sri Lanka 83 8955 108

5 England 57 5953 104

6 New Zealand 46 4746 103

7 Pakistan 60 5714 95

8 West Indies 51 4808 94

9 Bangladesh 33 2466 75

10 Pakistan 36 1893 53

11 Pakistan 15 622 41

12 Ireland 11 377 34

Rank Rating Nat Name Highest Rating

1 891 SA AB de Villiers899 on 18th January 2015against West Indies

2 867 SA Hashim Amla901 on 5th September 2012against England

3 831 IND Virat Kohli886 on 26th February 2014against Bangladesh

4 823 SL Kumar Sangakkara853 on 3rd March 2014against Afghanistan

5 785 SL Tillekeratne Dilshan785 on 29th January 2015against New Zealand

6 784 NZ Kane Williamson784 on 3rd February 2015against Pakistan

7 725 SA Shikhar Dhawan

785 on 9th November 2014

against Sri Lanka

8 722 NZ Ross Taylor722 on 8th December 2014against Pakistan

9 721 IND MS Dhoni836 on 31st October 2009against Australia

10 720 SA Quinton de Kock749 on 23rd November 2014against Australia

WORLD CUP FINALS AT A GLANCE

CURRENT ODI TEAM RANKINGS

CURRENT ODI BATSMEN RANKINGS



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PROFILES

VIRAT KOHLIDOB: November, 05, 1988Role: BatsmanBatting: Right Hand BatBowling: Right Arm Medium

AJINKYA RAHANEDOB: June 5, 1988Role: BatsmanBatting: Right Hand BatBowling: Right Arm Medium

M.S. DHONI (C)DOB: July, 07, 1981Role: WicketkeeperBatting: Right Hand BatBowling: Right Arm Medium

SURESH RAINADOB: November, 27, 1986Role: BatsmanBatting: Left Hand BatBowling: Right Arm Offbreak

SHIKHAR DHAWANDOB: December, 05, 1985Role: BatsmanBatting: Left Hand BatBowling: Right Arm Offbreak

ROHIT SHARMADOB: April, 30, 1987Role: BatsmanBatting: Right Hand BatBowling: Right Arm Offbreak



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BHUVNESHWAR KUMARDOB: February 5, 1990Role: BowlerBatting: Right Hand BatBowling: Right Arm Medium

RAVICHANDRAN ASHWINDOB: September 17, 1986Role: All RounderBatting: Right Hand BatBowling: Right Arm Offbreak

MOHAMMED SHAMIDOB: March 9, 1990Role: BowlerBatting: Right Hand BatBowling: Right Arm Fast

UMESH YADAVDOB: October 25, 1987Role: BowlerBatting: Right Hand BatBowling: Right Arm Fast/ Med

RAVINDRA JADEJADOB: December, 06, 1988Role: All RounderBatting: Left Hand BatBowling: Left Arm Orthodox

AMBATI RAYUDUDOB: September 23, 1985Role: WicketkeeperBatting: Right Hand BatBowling: Right Arm Offbreak

MOHIT SHARMADOB: Decemeber 19, 1991Role: BowlerBatting: Right Hand BatBowling: Right Arm Medium

STUART ROGER BINNYDOB: June 3, 1984Role: All RounderBatting: Right Hand BatBowling: Right Arm Medium

AKSHAR PATELDOB: January 20, 1994Role: All RounderBatting: Left Hand BatBowling: Left Arm Orthodox



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NEW ZEALAND

Kiwis brave winds to celebrate Waitangi Day ¡ Rizwan Mohammad

The meteorological department’sforecast said Friday 6th February2015 would be a windy and a rainy day,a little suitable for outdoor activities butnot really recommended to drench inthe summer rain. Thepeople of Aucklanddeed the rules ofthe skies and bravedthe winds at the MJSavage MemorialPark, Bastion Pointin Mission Bay tocommemorate the175th year of thesigning of the ‘Trea-ty of Waitangi’.

The WaitangiDay celebrations2015 in Auckland was held with anexciting number of performances anda huge crowd turnout at the ‘marae’

(sacred land), Bastion Point which is avery important location historically forthe Maori people.

Supported by the Auckland Council,the ‘marae’ at the Bastion Point is an el-evated hill and acres of sacred land forthe Polynesian societies, usually a placefor protests by the indigenous people.The celebration started with a ‘Kapa

Haka’ at the ‘Wharenui’ (a big meet-ing house) followed by individual stagedance and band performances. The peo-

ple made themselves comfortable ontheir mats, couches and picnic chairs inthe vast eld, sipped coffee and juice,

ate steaks and cot-

ton candy and rel-

ished the long show.A huge stage

was set and threemost renowned bands from NewZealand- the BlackSeeds, Hollie Smithand 1814 performedat the show. The

Black Seeds who are a Rock and Reg-gae genre band from Wellington tookthe stage late in the afternoon, cheered by more than 15,000 audience. HollieSmith a New Zealand renowned Souland Pop singer performed later in theevening followed by band 1814.

People from all age groups were pre-

sent forthe show. Thekids enjoyedthe face paint-ing, jumpingcastles, swing-ing ships and

oating ballswhile the oth-

ers enjoyed the delicious Napoli Pizzas,exotic sea foods, sausages, organic icecreams and Polynesian artefacts on display. The huge kites of whale and squidwere a show stealer, and since the daywas windy and drizzly, it added beautyto the blues.

A separate tent on the ‘marae’ show-cased various traditional clothing, housedecorations, jewelleries and posters that projected protests against selling oftheir auspicious lands by the govern-ment. The artworks also portrayed thehistory of MJ Savage Memorial park,its existence and the troubles it has beengoing through for the past couple ofdecades. The park itself has a spectacu-lar view of the bay, the sea, and islandsand none the less, the majestic vision ofthe Auckland city.

The whole day celebration was adrug and alcohol free event, attended byMaori, Pākehā, Middle Eastern, Fijian

and Indian families from all over the North Island, which was also the start ofa long weekend last Friday.


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NEW ZEALAND

Riding on a rainbow

¡ Paula Ray

They came in all shapes and sizes, colours andcultures; their beliefs and values as varied astheir vibrant costumes. A multicultural Aucklandlooked even more colourful and warm last Sundayat Coyle Park, in Point Chevalier.

The Big Gay Out, or BGO, as the event iscalled, was in no way affected by the not-so-gayweather that day. After a spate of rain-drenched

days, the enthusiasts were apprehensive thatthe overcast day will be wasted by showers anddrizzles. But luckily the day improved and thecrowd kept getting stronger by late afternoon.

As every other year, the BGO this year toowas marked by cultural performances by localartistes, a visit by the Prime Minister John Key

and an array of stalls set up by every possible brand in town, including universities and banks.All of them expressed their solidarity towardsthe LGBT cause via interactive activities that promote healthy living.

For some, it was also a family day, withchildren crowding the playground or getting theirfaces painted. There were food stalls offeringmulticultural cuisine, and a beer garden too. Aswith all fairs, there were lots of freebies to takehome at the end of the day!

Perhaps the biggest take-away of the daywere the happiness quotient painted on everyface, and tolerance and acceptance of one and all .


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lFood in School

My family and I have lived inmany different countries, andamong diverse cultures and religions.We discovered that no matter whereyou are in the world, people show carefor each other through food. Everyoneloves to give their families and childrenthe best of what they have.

I know this is a feature of Indianculture too: food is precious and nevertaken for granted. And when it’s time

to celebrate, the family table is at thecentre of the action.

I have thought about this concept alot over the past year, as my Food InSchools Bill has been prepared for itsrst reading in Parliament.

Through interviews with doctors,teachers, school principals and indeed

children themselves, I have developeda new understanding of the challengeswe face in feeding the childrenwho arrive at school with emptylunchboxes.

Last year I visited one of the poorest primary schools in the country – and they had said ‘no’ to governmentfood. Why? Because they have worked

in partnership with their families todevelop a school culture that valuesgood nutrition. And, they’ve achievedhealthy lunches for 100% of theirchildren: fruit, vegetables, sandwiches,water.

You could see the good health in

the children’s faces. Obesity levels aredown, and the ability of the childrento concentrate on their work in classis up.

If they can do it in one of the

poorest neighbourhoods we have in New Zealand, I believe any schoolcan do it.

That’s why my Bill is goingto support schools to teach self-sufciency, nutrition and gardeningskills. What’s educational about atruck turning up and dropping offcrates of food?

That’s a good short-term solution, but there’s an old saying that if youfeed a person a sh you feed them fora day, but if you teach a person to sh,you feed them for a lifetime. Onlyself-reliance will bring the long-termchange New Zealand wants to see forits children.

Currently one in four NewZealanders is obese, which bringswith it other problems, like diabetesand heart disease -- the single most

common cause of death in NewZealand. It’s both a tragedy and aneconomic burden New Zealanderscan’t afford.

With better food comes betterhealth and with better health there arefewer chronic diseases and hospitaladmissions that cost the country somuch in taxpayer dollars.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnedin my work as a teacher, as a parent,as a humanitarian with the UN, andas a politician, it’s that people andcommunities operate best whenthey’re engaged in providing theirown solutions for their own problems.

I asked the principal why hercommunity had turned down free foodfrom the government. She explainedthat most parents at her school are

busy and hard-working, sometimesholding down several jobs, many ofthem shift-work.

Feeding their children nourishing

meals is a way they can show love totheir families every day. They didn’twant that important role taken awayfrom them. Neither should we.

POWER COLUMN

David Shearer

Labour MP

Strong job growth and record labour

Jobs mean people can pay their bills.Jobs put food on Kiwi tables. Andjobs mean people can save and investin brighter futures for themselves andtheir families.

New labour market data showsin last year’s December quarteremployment was up by 1.2 per cent,

and up by 3.5 per cent in the last year.That’s 28,000 more jobs in the pastquarter, and 80,000 more jobs overthe last year.

National’s priority to build a morecompetitive and productive economyis paying off.

A recent New Zealand Institute ofEconomic Research survey reported thathiring intentions are very strong, andSEEK reported a 10 per cent increase innew jobs ads during 2014 compared with2013 – 20,000 more ads.

The largest regional contributorsto growth in the New Zealandeconomy over the last year wereAuckland with an increase of 22,300 jobs, Waikato with an increase of17,400 jobs, Canterbury with anincrease of 15,800 jobs, and the Bay ofPlenty with an increase of 15,600 jobs.

We have continually focused oneconomic policies that encourage business investment across NewZealand communities. We knowit’s only when businesses have the

condence to invest, that we achievethe sort of strong job growth weare seeing now. Our approach is

working, New Zealand businesscondence is at historically highlevels. The latest Household LabourForce Survey (HLFS) shows recordhigh participation in the labourmarket – 69.7 per cent. This is thehighest participation rate on record.Despite the strong job growth, thishigh participation rate has meantunemployment has risen slightly to5.7 per cent.

This still has us ahead of mostof the OECD – with the averageunemployment rate across the OECD

at 7.2 per cent.The report also shows average

wages are growing, lifting 2.6 per

cent over the year – well ahead ofthe 0.8 per cent ination rate. Thisis good news for hard-working NewZealanders and their families, givingthem more money in their pockets.

The HLFS also showed that thefemale employment rate is the highestit’s been since 1986, and we’re seeingmore ethnic people in employment.

The hard work and entrepreneurshipof New Zealanders, together with theGovernment’s clear economic plan, andcareful financial management has ourcountry in good shape.

Kanwaljit Bakshi

National List MP

market participation


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NEW ZEALAND

MAYORALDRIVE

News from the Counci l

Te pai me te whairawa 0 Tamaki –the world’s mostliveable city

Te pai me te whai rawa ō Tāmaki –theworld’s most liveable cityAuckland Council is encouraging

mana whenua and Māori citizens,ratepayers and customers to have theirsay on the future of Auckland.

All Aucklanders are invited to

give their feedback on key issues andprop osa ls for the counci l’s 10-yearbudg et – known as the Long -te rmPlan 2015-2025 – to inform the finaldecisions to be made in June 2015.

The Long-term Plan is Auckland’sfirst opportunity to prioritiseprog rammes tha t con tri bute to sixtransformational shifts set out in the 30-year Auckland Plan.

Māori components of the 10-yearbudg et focus on thr ee priori ty are as:a signature Māori event and supportfor marae and papakāinga housingdevelopment.

Feedback can be submitted online

at shapeauckland.co.nz, by email,freepost, via social media or by attendingone of council’s ‘Have your say’ eventswhich replace traditional hearings.

Public consultation incorporatestwo regional hui for Māori – at TeMāhurehure Marae, Premier Avenue,Pt Chevalier (Tuesday 17 Februaryfrom 11am to 2pm) and ManurewaMarae, Finlayson Avenue, Manurewa(Wednesday 11 March from 9am to 12noon) – and a hui for mana whenua atthe Auckland Town Hall (Monday 16March from 1pm to 4pm).

Johnnie Freeland, the manager of thecouncil’s Māori Strategy and Relations

Department, Te Waka Angamua, urgesMāori in Auckland to attend the many‘Have your say’ events in their localareas and across the region.

“Auckland’s point of difference inthe world is its Māori identity and thetransformational shift to ‘significantlylift Māori social and economicwellbeing’ is an important focus,” saysMr Freeland. “Together, all the shiftswill significantly contribute to liftingMāori wellbeing.”

Mr Freeland says the council’spol icies, plans, and act ivi tie sdemonstrate its commitments andobligations to Māori.

“We want to hear the views of Māorion the issues facing Auckland so weencourage them to take the time and getinvolved.”

Feedback must be received by4pm Monday 16 March 2015 –see shapeauckland.co.nz for moreinformation.

Bank of Baroda, NZinducts new director Mr. Claude Oberto, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Bank of Baroda NewZealand Limited. Claude has held several senior positions in the past including VicePresident of Citibank (New Zealand), Treasurer of HSBC (New Zealand) and has worked for the

Financial Markets Authority (FMA). He is currently ManagingDirector of Orwell Union (New Zealand).

Claude has vast experience in the nancial services industryand holds the directorship of various organisations including NZFAA (New Zealand Financial Advisers Association) and theAmanah KiwiSaver Fund.

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NEW ZEALAND

Editorial

Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, Auckland

Printed at Guardian Print, Ashburton

Copyright 2015. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.

Indian Weekender Volume 6 Issue 28

Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited

Managing Editor: Giri Gupta | [email protected]

Editor: Maya Shivam | [email protected]

Associate Editor: Paula Ray | [email protected]

Chief Reporter: Swati Sharma | [email protected]

Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | [email protected]

Chief Technical Ofcer: Rohan Desouza | [email protected]

Graphic and Layout Design: Yashmin Chand and Mahesh | designer@ indianweekender.co.nz

Advertising & Business Development Manager:

Gaurav Gupta - M: 021 292 4519 | [email protected]

Sales & Marketing Manager: Leena M: 022 0151971 | [email protected]

Accounts and Admin.: Farah Khan | [email protected] expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisheris not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication

- T. Harv Eker

ChockaPronounced: Cho-ka

Meaning: Overowing

Usage: ‘The motorway is chocka’

Funny bone

Thought of the week

Pick of the week

TIP from The TreNCheS

Too many clothes in your closet?

Turn all of your hangers backwards. Once you wear

a piece of clothing, hang it back up with the hangerfacing forward. At the end of the year, toss any item

that are still on hangers facing backwards. If youhaven’t worn it in a year you probably wont miss it

“If you want to make a permanent change, stopfocusing on the size of your problems and startfocusing on the size of you!”

From the desk of theManaging Editor

We have heard from reliable sources that our very own Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi has been elected the Chairman of the Law and Order Committee. Indeed we Indiansare ‘Movers and Shakers’! We are especially proud of him for he was the rst Kiwi-Indian

MP, then became the rst recipient of the Indian Weekender – Kiwi-Indian Hall of Fame.

He is now the rst-ever Indian to achieve this feat too.

The other big headline that is obviously topping all the charts now is the wake-up call

Prime Minister Modi has received at what is being called India’s mini elections. Arvind

Kejriwal has proven himself to be the biggest supporter of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan,

in the way his ‘Jhaadu’ (broom) has delivered a clean sweep in Delhi. All eyes will now be

on Kejriwal to stand true to all his promises and to keep up to the di lliwalla’s expectations.

Speculators even say that BJP was really not keen on Delhi as they are busy preparing for

the bigger battles in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. But whatever the case maybe, the truth isthat Kejriwal is all set to take oath on the 14th of February, exactly the day he resigned as

Chief Minister, last year. We will bring you more on Kejriwal in our next issue.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Cricket!! And now is the time to scream the

loudest as the ICC Cricket World Cup blasts off down under. We Indians are awaiting

our biggest treat, the India Pakistan match, which has been made even bigger this year

with none other than Amitabh Bachchan giving the commentary for it. In any case we

are all from a cricket crazy country and enjoy the sport for every bit of it. We have a

special treat for all cricket lovers with details of teams, schedules and above all Team

India – in this issue. Talking of cricket our Face of the Week this issue is also Ravi Shastri,

the ‘unofcial’ Indian Coach. We bring you excerpts of a personal encounter with the

evergreen cricketer.

The biggest news of them all is that Auckland is actually going to come to a standstill

as the master blaster touches down in Auckland. We at Indian Weekender are proudly the

media partners of the Gala Dinner that will be hosted in his honour. We will also have

the honour of spending some good time with the legend and promise to bring our readersevery detail of it. Speaking of which our last page also has a very special opportunity for

all our readers and advertisers, so if you really want your slice of this, you need to contact

us.

As we near the middle of February, the colours of love start to take over the sky, as the

spirit of Valentine’s Day lls the air. We have a special story on this. As stated in the story,

I too would like to reiterate that it’s not just a day for couples, but a day to celebrate all

the people in our lives that we love. It’s a day to let them all know how we feel and how

grateful we are for them. At Indian Weekender, we wish to acknowledge how special all

our readers, advertisers and supporters are and we are grateful for you all. So from the

bottom of ours hearts, we wish you a very Happy Valentine’s Day!.

Giri Gupta

A TransAsia ight with 58 people on board turned onto its side shortly after takeoff, clipped a bridge

and crashed into a river in the island’s capital of Taipei. Amateur dramatic dashcam images showedthe ill-fated plane hitting an elevated road as it banked steeply away from buildings before crashinginto the river. 40 people were killed in the crash.


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United we integrate ¡ Paula Ray

The Treaty of Waitangi Day thatwe celebrated only last week,marks an ofcial integration of

two communities – the Maoris and

the Europeans. That is the day the

two communities signed a treaty

promising to reside peacefully in

Aotearoa (the land of the long white

cloud).

The colour white might signify‘peace’, but in recent times the treaty

isn’t touted to be as peaceful as it

is made out to be. Apart from the

controversy that surrounds it, the fact

remains that even the Maoris are not

the original inhabitants of this land.

Prior to the Maoris, it was the home

for the peace-loving community

Morioris.

History doesn’t document a very

peaceful expulsion of the Morioris

by the Maoris either. The last of the

full-blooded Moriori is said to have

died in 1933.

This brings us to the followingquestions: does the arrival of a new

community to a new land always

have to have violent repurcussions?

Is the same hostility still expressed

against immigrant communities in

today’s world of global cities?

If we look at the extremely

cosmopolitan global cities of the

US, which are perhaps the model for

the world to follow, there is enough

xenophobia to keep the diverse

ethnicities segregated; so much so

that there is a separate suburb for

each ethnic community to inhabit.

In fact, when you pass through

each of these suburbs, you feel like

you have reached that particular

country. For example, every big city

in the world has a China town and a

mini India.

It’s good that these people feel at

home within their suburbs. But often

others passing through those suburbs

are expected to follow the customs of

the concerned community.

This very well links up with what

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal

has been quoted as saying recently:

“[T]here are neighbourhoods

where the police are less likely to

go in, there are neighbourhoods

in the UK and in France that have

been documented… where there

are attempts to impose Shariah law.

There are neighbourhoods where

women do not feel comfortable

walking in without veils.”

Jindal goes on to say: “we have

communities of people that don’t

want to integrate, don’t want to

assimilate.”

If the New Zealand government

carries on with a separate ofce for

Ethnic Affairs, how does it expect

the immigrant communities to ever

integrate with the mainstream? The

very thought of addressing them

separately segregates them and

highlights their differences.

How can we assimilate the diverse

ethnic communities in Aotearoa? Do

write back to share your thoughts.

BJP’s Delhi debacle a personal defeat for Modi? ¡ Sreeparna Chakrabarty

He campaigned like a localleader, handpicked his ownchief ministerial candidate for Delhiand made it a personal referendumon his leader ship. Yet Prime MinisterNarendra Modi could not halt the

AAP juggernaut in these assemblypolls and in the process lost his rstelection since his winning streakbegan with the Gujarat assemblypolls in 2002.

Modi delivered Gujarat for hisparty for three consecutive terms in2002, 2007 and 2012 after he wasparachuted to the state from Delhiin 2001. His portrayal as the party’sprime ministerial candidate in the2014 general election was a directresult of this winning spree and hemanaged to win yet again with theBJP for the rst time getting a fullmajority in the Lok Sabha.

Despite assiduous efforts by theparty to rewall him from the defeat,the facts are inescapable that the BJP- and Modi personally - has paid theprice for putting his own image andreputation at stake in a provincialpoll.

In fact Kiran Bedi’s defeat in theKrishna Nagar constituency shouldbe a personal defeat for Modi, whonot only chose her in spite of her noteven being a primary member of theparty, but campaigned aggressivelyfor her in ways no prime minister hasdone for a local poll.

The BJP campaign bypassed

local leaders and focussed solely

on Modi’s supposedly personalcharisma. It was obvious that Bedias the chief ministerial candidate was just a proxy and Modi intended toexploit his own larger than life imagein this election.

Such was his hubris that Modistuck his neck out and put himselfloud and large in every advertisementof the party in the election - from busshelters to billboards to newspapers.

All posters and full pageadvertisements in newspapers evenon the day of polling had full blown pictures of Modi with Bedi, the

party’s chief ministerial candidate,occupying only inset space at the

bottom. In a personal letter to voterson election day Feb 7, Modi promiseda “world-class city” and said it washis undertaking that he would makeDelhi a city that its citizens would be proud of.

Modi held four rallies in the runup to the Delhi polls, stretching fromAmbedkar Nagar to Rohini, but his party could not manage to win evenfour seats. Kejriwal raced home in67 of the 70 assembly seats with his“paanch saal Kejriwal (Five years toKejriwal)” slogan.

But will Modi be held accountablefor the massive drubbing his partygot in the Delhi polls?

Not if the party leaders andspokesmen are to be believed.Despite the call by Kirti Azad, amedium-level leader of the party, that“heads should roll”, most of the party

faces that came on television soughtto shield Modi and declared that itwas “not a referendum on his primeministership”.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patrasaid it was not a national electionand did not reect on Modi. Infact, BJP President Amit Shah in aninterview last week seems to havesought anticipatory bail for his leadersaying: “Delhi polls will not be areferendum on Modi”.

Modi’s Rs.10 lakh suit withhis name written on it during USPresident Barack Obama’s visitand his supposedly arrogant style

of functioning seem to have rubbed people the wrong way.

Most political analysts have blamed his arrogant style for BJP’smassive defeat in the Delhi election.Veteran journalist and commentatorKuldip Nayar told media: “The way

the BJP carried out a Modi-centriccampaign, any loss is of course areection on him (prime minister).”

H. K. Dua, MP, who has been aneditor of some leading dailies, saidthat the Delhi elections reminded of1977 election in which Indira Gandhiwas defeated.

“This election verdict reminds of1977 when the electorate stunned thethen prime minister Indira Gandhi byinicting a resounding defeat to herafter her (authoritarian) emergencyrule. People of Delhi have delivereda somewhat similar message thistime,” he said.

Kejriwal’s win seems to be the

beginning of a new po litical era forthe country with a focus on localleaders and local issues - bijli, paani,sadak - instead of high voltageforeign policy initiatives which Modiseems to have shown a air for.

The common man or the ‘AamAadmi’ seems to be asking the primeminister how his life can change evenif Obama was Modi’s best friend.

As Congress leader ManishTewari summed it up: “Peoplewanted to teach BJP (read Modi) andits arrogance a lesson, they decidedAAP is the instrument of their choicerather than Congress.”

OPINION / EDITORIAL


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FIJI

Fiji flag will change ¡ By Repeka Nasiko

Despite the criticisms, Governmentis going ahead with its plan tochange the design of the national ag,says Prime Minister Rear Admiral(Ret) Voreqe Bainimarama.

He said he was delighted withthe reaction both locally andinternationally, and was pleased somany Fijians have their eyes on thefuture and not the past.

He encouraged the public to sendin their ideas on symbols they believedbest represented Fiji now “and that willalso resonate with future generationsof Fijians in the decades and centuries

ahead”.The PM said the plan was to

change the designs and replace the

British symbols with “others that areindigenous and truly Fijian”.

“A National Panel of Citizens —established by the Government and broadly representative of all Fijians —will then examine those designs andwork with the Parliament to make anal selection,” he said.

“At that point, Fijians will be givena say on what designs they prefer.

“All with a view to hoisting ournew ag — a genuinely Fijian agnot someone else’s — on the 45thanniversary of our Independence from

Britain on October the 10th, 2015.”Mr Bainimarama stressed while

removing the British symbols garneredinternational attention, it would notchange Fiji’s relationship with UK.

“I want to again stress that Britainremains our friend and we will alwaysvalue our historical link to Britain andthe British Crown.

“We also value the infrastructurethe British left us — such asthe magnicent site of our newParliament — and all those greatBritish institutions that remain —most notably our Westminster systemof Parliament and our independentsystem of justice.”

Free legal aid like never before PM

¡ Maika Bolatiki, Navua

The new Navua Legal AidCommission ofce, situatedat the Ro Matanitobua House inNavua, was last week openedby Prime Minis ter VoreqeBainimarama.

Mr Bainimarama said the ofcewould provide free legal aid to lowincome-earners in the surroundingareas.

“Never before has the Legal

Aid Commission provided greatopportunities to low-incomeearners to have the best free legaladvice,” he said.

“I’m extremely proud that weare giving every Fijian – with anincome of $15,000 or less – freelegal assistance through these

various ofces dotted around thecountry.

He said people can get legalhelp on family law matters, suchas getting custody of children

or enforcing maintenance payments, drafti ng wills , lette rsof administration or get helpwith probate matters and FNPFwithdrawals. Mr Bainimaramaurged lawyers and ofce workers todo their very best to help the people.

He said Government hadsteadily increased funding for LegalAid Commission from $800,000 in2012, to $2 million in 2013, to arecord $4.4 million last year withthe same allocation this year.

NEWS in BRIEF

New aeronautical charges

The new aeronautical fees charged to international airlines for use of theairport facilities in Fiji has come into effect from 1 February 2015.The Attorney-General, Hon. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, said that the

increases will allow Airports Fiji Limited (AFL) to undertake a rangeof necessary reforms to improve its services and undertake signicantinfrastructure development.

The revised fees are for air navigation services, terminal navigationservices, international landing charges, airport development, securitycharges, parking charges and incinerator charges.

Apart from incinerator charges that increased by 100% all other chargesincreased by 70%. The new rates set the maximum AFL can charge – at itsdiscretion – but no more.

“The increases are based on a review carried out by the Fiji CommerceCommission as part of the Commerce (Control of Prices for AeronauticalServices) Order. Submissions were received from AFL, Fiji Airways, otherinternational airlines, and related authorities,” said the Attorney-General.

The Attorney-General said that the last time these aeronautical chargeswere reviewed and increased was in 2008 and the present review was longoverdue.

“The low aeronautical charges at Fijian airports hindered AFL’s ability tocarry out much needed infrastructure development and provide reasonablereturns to its shareholders. Furthermore, AFL over the past year has givensignicant pay rises to its specialised aeronautical staff in order to mitigatethe risk of touting from competitors and in order to improve staff morale andservice levels,” Mr. Sayed-Khaiyum said.

President receives credentials ofUS Ambassdor to Fiji

His Excellency the President, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, received the newresident Ambassador for the United States of America to Fiji.The Fijian Head of State welcomed Her Excellency Ambassador Judith

Cefkin to Fiji as she presented her Letters of Credence to him at GovernmentHouse this morning.

Following the presentation of credentials, Ambassador Cefkin and the

Fijian President held talks at his ofce.Ambassador Cefkin has an extensive career in the Foreign Service after

joining in 1983 and has represented the US in various capacities at differentmissions in many parts of the world.

HE Cefkin, who is also accredited to Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu,said she was excited to serve the Pacic Islands.

She is married to Paul L. Boyd, a retired diplomat and will be based inSuva.

Fijian PM congratulates newlyelected president of Italy

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has congratulated the newly electedPresident of the Republic of Italy, His Excellency Mr Sergio Mattarella.In his message to the Italian President, the Fijian Prime Minister said Fiji

looked forward to strengthening relations between the two countries.

“On behalf of the Government and the people of the Republic of Fiji, Iextend our warmest congratulations to you on your recent election as thePresident of the Republic of Italy.

“I wish you a successful term and look forward to the continuedcooperation and the strengthening of friendly relations between our twocountries. Please accept, Your Excellency, my wishes of personal health andhappiness, as well as prosperity for the people of the Republic of Italy.”

Fijian Foreign Minister receivesnew American envoy to Fiji

The new United States of America Ambassador to Fiji, Her ExcellencyJudith Cefkin paid a courtesy visit to the Minister for Foreign Affairs,Honourable Ratu Inoke Kubuabola in Suva today.

The Ambassador congratulated Fiji on the successful elections andcommended Fiji’s role in the region as the hub of the Pacic. She also

expressed United States appreciation for the contributions Fiji makes to theinternational peace and security through its commitments to peacekeepingoperations.

During their meeting, the two also discussed ways in which Fiji and theUnited States could work towards strengthening their bilateral relations.

Fiji and the USA diplomatic relations dates back to 1971.

Ministry of welfare to assithomeless family rebuild their livesAfamily that lost everything ina re in Lagilagi settlementin Jittu Estate were visited by theHonorable Minister for Women,Children and Poverty Alleviation,Mrs Rosy Akbar.

The 36 year old, Mr Neel KamalRohit and his family have lived inJittu Estate, Samabula, Suva for thelast 35 years.

“I was at work when I came backI was informed that my house has

burnt down too. In fact it was mybrother’s house where the re startedand slowly spread to my house.

“At the time of this incident, therewas no one at home and we have lostall our belongings.

Currently, we are staying atour neighbors place and the police

are still investigating the case todetermine the cause of the re,” MrRohit said.

The family members have thankedthe Ministry for its swift response torebuild their lives.

“We are grateful to MadamMinister for visiting us today and thisdemonstrates government’s quickresponse to assist the needy familiesin Fiji. We have been informed thatwe will be assisted with funds to

help us buy the basic items for ourfamily,” Mr Rohit said.Minister Akbar assured the family

that her Ministry will make everyeffort to assist them.

“Through the Ministry’s FireVictims Relief Assistance, each ofthese two families will be given

the sum of $1000 each. Followingwhich, the Ministry will also workwith its stakeholders to try and getthe required assistance to help them build their house,” Mrs Akbar said. Last year, the Ministry assisted atotal of 110 re victims through a budgetary allocation of $100,000.

This year the Ministry wasallocated $100,000 for Fire VictimsRelief Assistance grant, which provides much-needed relief for

families who lose their homes in are and who do not have insurance.The grants of $1,000 are intended

to provide immediate relief for thingslike food and new clothing and basicneeds. These grants are available tothose living in settlements withoutlease titles.


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FIJI

Fiji Trip In India ‘massive success’Tourism Fiji’s Roadshow to Indiahas been deemed a ‘massivesuccess’ after visiting four of thecountry’s largest cities, expandingopportunities in one of the mostimportant growth markets for Fiji’stourism industry.

The week-long roadshow – ledby the Minister for Industry, Tradeand Tourism, Faiyaz Siddiq Koya –included senior government ofcials,Tourism Fiji representatives, anda range of other leading industrygures from the private sector. Itmade stops in New Delhi, Kolkata,Mumbai and Chennai.

The Minister said the roadshowwas a central part of Tourism Fiji’smarketing and promotion strategyfor India – one the markets it hasidentied as having the best potentialfor growth.

Mr Koya said this year’s roadshowwas especially important because

it follows Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s historic visit to Fi jiin November last year.

Speaking at the Roadshow inNew Delhi, the Minister said: “Iknow that Prime Minister, NarendraModi’s recent visit to our countrysignicantly raised Fiji’s prole inIndia, and we are certainly keen tobuild on that momentum with thisvisit.”

He said the importance of Indiato Tourism Fiji’s long-term strategyto boost visitor arrivals cannot be

overstated.“The country is central to our

plan to expand into non-traditionalmarkets and we expect 2015 to bea bumper year in terms of visitorarrivals from the Subcontinent,” hesaid.

“I believe this optimism is well placed because there is such great potential for growth. There are

so many opportunities to explorewithin the Indian market and theseroadshows are absolutely essentialto help us chart the way.”

The Minister thanked theAttorney-General and Minister forFinance, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, for providing the impetus and layingthe framework for more aggressivemutually benecial engagement intrade and tourism between Fiji andIndia, in his meetings with the IndianMinister for External Affairs and theState Minister for Commerce during

his recent visit to India.“Over 450 travel and tour

operators participated in this year’sroadshow, which is an increase from previous years. This is an indicationof the growing interest in Fiji fromthe Indian traveller,” the Ministersaid.

“One of the key successes of theroadshow was the launch of a new

brochure on Fiji in Mumbai – targetedat the average Indian traveller. This brochure was developed by TourismFiji in partnership with a worldrenowned Swiss-based travel andtour operator Kuoni–SOTC.”

The roadshow followed Fiji’s participation in the three-day South

Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange(SATTE), in New Delhi, whichended on Saturday, January 31,2015.

Ministry Of Industry, Trade And

Tourism

New brochure on Fijilaunched

During the Mumbai stop of theToursim’s Fiji Roadshow,the Minister for Industry, Tradeand Tourism, Faiyaz Siddiq Koya,launched a travel brochure on Fijithat specically targets Indiantravellers.

The brochure was developedthrough a partnership betweenTourism Fiji and Kuoni SOTC,which is a well-known, Swiss-based

luxury travel and tour operator,with branches in several countries,including India.

“Fiji has managed to capitalise onits long standing business relationswith Kuoni SOTC in the UK andEuropean markets and we seethe launch of this brochure as the beginning of an even more successful partnership in India and the Asianregion,” Mr Koya said.

“Kuoni has gained a wealth ofexperience working in the Indianmarket for 60 years This will assist

Fiji in understanding the needs ofIndian travellers and enable us to package our products accordingly.”

Also in Mumbai, the Minister hada series of meetings with prominenttravel agents, including a meetingwith senior representatives from theTravel Agents Association of India(TAAI).

“The meetings with travel agentsand especially TAAI have been

fruitful and I am condent as a resultwe will see further increases inIndian visitor numbers in the comingyear,” the Minister said.

TAAI has extended an invitationto the Minister to attend the IndianTravel Agent Forum in March 2015.

The Mumbai roadshow wasattended by 130 travel and tourismoperators. The Roadshow ended lastFridayin the city of Chennai.

Ministry of Industry, Trade and

Tourism


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INDIA

Modi’s ‘I, me, myself’ style may

have hurt BJP ¡ Amulya GanuliWhat the Delhi poll outcome hasconrmed is that the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) can be stopped inits tracks by a determined opponent,even one not as well-entrenched asestablished regional parties like theAIADMK, the Biju Janata Dal or theTrinamool Congress were in theirrespective states in last year’s generalelection.

In contrast to what happened inTamil Nadu and the two other states,

the BJP has been routed in Delhi byan adversary like the Aam Admi Party(AAP) which entered the fray witha lot of baggage - its hasty departureafter 49 days in power in the capitallast year, the boastful assertion ofanarchist tendencies by its leaderArvind Kejriwal, and an economicoutlook which ranged from being “Leftof Left” to a claim of being sensitive tothe concerns of traders since Kejriwalharked back to his ‘bania’ (tradingcommunity) background.

Understandably, the BJP made fulluse of these deciencies with NarendraModi urging the AAP leader to jointhe Naxalites (Maoists) in the jungles

since he is a self-proclaimed anarchist.Earlier, the prime minister had stressedthe same point by designating Kejriwalas AK-49, the automatic rie that is afavourite of insurgents.

To buttress Modi’s offensive, theBJP threw in nearly all its centralministers, headed by Arun Jaitley, andas many as 120 MPs into the campaign,a classic case of a sledgehammer beingused to swat a seeming y.

But the reason why none of it helpedthe ruling party at the centre will bepalpable to any discerning observer.Ever since Modi’a assumption ofpower last summer on the basis ofheady rhetoric, the ruling party has

been all words and virtually no deeds.Apart from scrapping the Planning

Commission, it has done precious littleto full its promises of a turnaround ofthe economy even if the initial signsare favourable considering that a seven percent growth is being forecast.

However, as Tuesday’s resultsshow, the so-called aspirational middleclass has not been satised. It is worthremembering that today’s generationis far more impatient than theirforbears. They look for quick resultsand explanations that it takes time forthe reforms to bear fruit are rejected asineffectual quibbling.

But an inability to show resultson the economic front is not the only

reason for the rebuff which the BJP hassuffered after its triumph in the generalelection and the successive victories inMaharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhandwith the possibility that it might form agovernment in Jammu and Kashmir aswell with the People’s Democratic Frontas a partner.

One explanation for the voters’ snubto the BJP in Delhi lies in its Achillesheel of communalism, for large sectionsof the electorate must have been aghastthat despite having come to power on the promise of development for all - sabkasaath, sabka vikas - the BJP was lettingthe saffron extremists, including two ofits MPs, Yogi Adityanath and Sakshi

Maharaj, to run amok.Apart from their divisive campaigns,

what has apparently hurt the BJP isModi’s “dangerous silence”, as the NewYork Times called it, on these Hindu

extremists.Since Modi is widely perceived as

a “strong” leader, the silence has beenconsidered strange. Even if he appearsto have acted behind the scenes to reinin some of the hotheads, in addition totelling the party members not to cross theLakshman rekha (a prescribed limit), theapprehension among the minorities havenot gone away.

There is little doubt that the AAP has been a major beneciary of this uneasenot only among the Muslims, but alsothe Christians who have been perturbed by the recent spate of attacks on churchesin Delhi. Since the Congress is virtuallyfading away from the electoral scene,

it could not avail of the minority votes,which went to the AAP.

The AAP also gained from the perception of its honesty. It’s worthrecalling that the Indian voter has long

been looking for a person of integrity atthe top, whether it was Mr Clean, V.P.Singh, in 1989, or Mr Cleaner RajivGandhi in the rst three years of hisreign.

Now, the AAP ts the bill, especiallyin view of its success during its briefstint in power in curbing the police“practice” of collecting haftas or weeklyallowances from petty traders andeven threatening bigwigs - the Ambani brothers were named - if they insisted onhigh user charges on electricity and other

amenities.All these assertions, made with a

touch of hauteur, made the AAP a darlingof the underclass. With the minorities,

too, in their catchment area and themiddle class disappointed with the slow

progress on the economic front, the BJPwas always ghting a losing battle.

Besides, Modi’s “I, me, myself” style

of governance may have begun to jar onthe voter. The party may have to becomea great deal more moderate if it has tosucceed in the next round of elections,notably in Bihar. Modi’s call to Kejriwalfor a tete-a-tete over tea - chai pe charcha- is probably a sign of the toning downof attitudes.

As for the AAP, it is too early tosay now how it will fare outside Delhiconsidering that its elding of 432candidates in the last general election

was something of a disaster since it couldwin only four seats. But it may havelearnt its lessons from that misadventure,especially that governance matters andnot a display of belligerence against all

and sundry.

The party may have to

become a great deal more

moderate if it has to

succeed in the next round of

elections, notably in Bihar.

Modi’s call to Kejriwal for a

tete-a-tete over tea - chai pe

charcha - is probably a sign

of the toning down

of attitudes.


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INDIA

AAP’s ‘Swachh’ Delhi - a clean sweepIn one of the most stunningcomebacks in Indian politicalhistory, Arvind Kejriwal’s AamAadmi Party (AAP) Tuesday (Feb 10)scored a landslide victory in Delhi,delivering to the BJP its rst defeatsince its historic Lok Sabha triumph

and reducing the Congress, whichruled the capital for 15 years till 2013,to a virtual nonentity.

Tens of thousands of jubilant AAPactivists celebrated across the capital andin many other cities as the 27-month-oldparty grabbed a sensational 67 of the 70seats in the Delhi assembly, leaving justthree seats to the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) -- the highest victory margin forany party in Delhi so far.

Although Delhi accounts for only70 of the 4,120 assembly seats inthe country, the AAP’s spectacularshowing had its predictable fallout, withopposition parties and even BJP ally

Shiv Sena taking potshots at Modi.The win gave the AAP, India’syoungest political outt, 96 percent ofseats in a legislature - another record -

and a new lease of life after it was writtenoff following its earlier turbulent 49-daystint in Delhi and the later humiliatingrout in the 2014 Lok Sabha battle.

So stunning and sweeping wasTuesday’s victory in what was supposedto be a tough election with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi himselfleading the BJP’s charge that many AAPleaders and workers who had sloggedfor months broke into tears. Kejriwal,46, had teary eyes as AAP colleaguesrepeatedly hugged him and lifted him

in the air, and congratulatory messagespoured in from all over the country thickand fast. Outside his home, thousands

kept chanting the party’s catchy line:“Paanch Saal, Kejriwal!”

The Congress simply sank, with itschief campaigner Ajay Maken resigningas the party’s general secretary afterhe nished third in his Sadar Bazarconstituency. Most Congress candidateslost by huge margins, one by 95,000votes. The BJP suffered far morehumiliation, with its chief ministerialcandidate Kiran Bedi, who had been personally picked by Modi, losing to a

little known advocate of the AAP.Two of the three BJP winners scraped

through by just 5,000-6,000 votes incontrast to the giant margins scored byAAP candidates.

With the BJP subdued, Modi, who ledan aggressive campaign against Kejriwaland called him a “Naxalite” (Maoist)who should be banished to the forests,congratulated the AAP leader and offeredhis government’s full cooperation.TheAAP said Kejriwal will take oath asDelhi’s chief minister Saturday, exactly ayear after he resigned. Delhi Police said

it will provide “Z” category security thatwould include at least 30 commandoes to

Kejriwal.He urged his supporters not to

become arrogant, pointing out that it wasarrogance which had rst decimated theCongress in Delhi and now the BJP.

“This is incredible. We can’t believeit,” AAP leader and former Delhi ministerManish Sisodia told. Senior AAP leaderYogendra Yadav called it a victory of proverbial David over Goliath.

“The election is a turning point... Thecountry needed this change.”

Gandhian Anna Hazare added: “Theresult is a defeat for Narendra Modi.

What did the BJP do in the past nine

months? The BJP made promises totackle corruption. Instead they took anti- people, anti-farmer decisions.”

Bedi, whose induction as the BJP’schief ministerial candidate causedssures in the party, said: “I have not lost.Let the BJP assess why they lost. I gavemy very best.”

The AAP is set to bag an incredible54 percent of all votes. It swept all partsof the capital, including the middle classareas as well as the numerous low incomeneighbourhoods. All social classes,including Muslims and Christians, votedfor it overwhelmingly.

Kejriwal himself won easily from New Delhi constituency, where he

created history in 2013 by defeating three-time chief minister Shei la Dikshit .

Z category security covers forKejriwal

Delhi Police has provided Z category security cover, with at least 30 armedcommandos, to chief minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal after he was electedthe leader of the AAP legislature party, a police ofcial said.

“He has been given Z category cover which includes Delhi Police’s armedcommandos. They will be around 30 in number,” a Delhi Police ofcer told media.“The security was deployed soon after his appointment as the leader of the AAPlegislature party,” the ofcer said.

A pilot car followed by two escort vehicles carrying security personnel will

accompany Kejriwal, the chief of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), during hismovement around the clock. As per protocol, the Delhi chief minister enjoys Zcategory cover due to the threat perception and the number of security men on dutycould go up. When he resigned from his post, Delhi Police continued the sameZ category security, but only when Kejriwal was under its jurisdiction. Kejriwal,who lives in Ghaziabad, is currently protected by 12 police personnel, includingan escort vehicle of the Uttar Pradesh Police.Delhi Police has already conveyed toits counterparts in Ghaziabad about the security arrangements made for Kejriwal.After he takes oath Saturday, other facilities such as deployment of trafc policemotorcycles for clearance of roads for his convoy will be provided.

AAP’s sweeping wins

Sandeep Kumar of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won with the biggest margin inDelhi Tuesday. He trounced Prabhu Dayal of the BJP by 64,439 votes. SandeepKumar won from Sultanpur Majra constituency in northwest Delhi.

AAP’s Prakash trounced Arvind Kumar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by63,937 votes in Deoli in south Delhi. And in Bawana, also in northwest Delhi, AAP’sVed Prakash trounced BJP’s Gujan Singh by 50,023 votes.

According to the Election Commission, Mahinder Yadav of the AAP was leadingover BJP’s Sanjay Singh by 64,115 votes in Vikaspuri in west Delhi. AAP leaderArvind Kejriwal was re-elected from New Delhi constituency, defeating Nupur Sharmaof the BJP, who during the campaign had called him a monkey by 31,583 votes.

“It is not my defeat; it is a defeatof the BJP”: Bedi

With this statementfollowing herhumiliating defeat in theDelhi assembly election, thedecorated police ofcer-turned-polit ical debutante may well

have written off her short-lived political irtation - andprobab ly burnt her poli ticalboats - that saw her being pitchforked surprisingly as the leaderof the party’s campaign in Delhito being roundly rejected by thepeople of t he capita l - all in thespace of a heady fortnight.

In a career spanning overthree decades in policing,India’s first woman Indian PoliceService officer Kiran Bedi facedmany challenging tasks. But inher new political avatar of leadingthe country’s ruling party in the

Delhi polls, she faced probably herlife’s toughest test with the BJPbanking on her ‘tough task mast er’image to win power in the capitalthat witnessed arguably the mostinteresting electoral battle since itsfirst assembly election in 1993.

But Bedi’s defeat has been all

the more humiliating especiallyin her losing the BJP’s bastion ofKrishna Nagar, considered a safeseat. The seat has been represented by Harsh Vardhan, who is now a

union minister, since 1993.She lost by 2,277 votes. Thewinner is the virtually unknownAam Aadmi Party (AAP) memberS.K. Bagga, an advocate, who pol led 65,919 votes to her 63,642votes.

Bedi, 65, was viewed as an

“outsider” in the party havingnever risen from the ranks.The election rallies by Bedi,known for her unconventionaland outspoken ways, weremostly lacklustre events though

the BJP top brass includingPrime Minister Narendra Modicanvassed for her.

Bedi, who was a key memberof Team Anna during the Lokpalmovement and worked closelywith AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal,described her former colleagueas a “liar” and as someone whoseinuence was “toxic”.

After she joined the BJP,social media re-tweeted her previ ous crit ical comment s againstthe BJP and especially about Modiover the 2002 Godhra riots.

After joining the BJP, Bedi has

been extol ling Modi and the BJPrepeatedly at every opportunity,Asked about her defeat, Bedi

retorted quickly ‘I did not lose. TheBJP lost.

They should introspect why’.And added, for good measure: ‘Iam core member of BJP.”


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INDIA ABROAD

Obama names Delhite Ajay Bangato trade policy body President Barack Obama intends toappoint Ajay Banga, the Indian-American President and CEO of MasterCard,as a member of the Advisory Committee forTrade Policy and Negotiations.

The White House last week announcedObama’s intent to appoint Banga, who isalso the current chairman of the US-IndiaBusiness Council (USIBC) representingmore than 300 of the largest globalcompanies investing in India, with 5 otherkey Administration posts.

“The talent and expertise these individualsbring to their ro les wil l serve our nation well.I am grateful for their service, and lookforward to working with them,” said Obama,whose administration has over two dozenIndian-Americans serving in key jobs.

Banga, who received a BA from St.Stephen’s College, Delhi University and

an MBA from the Indian Institute of

Management Ahmedabad, has been Presidentand CEO of MasterCard since 2009.

Earlier, he held various senior managementroles with Citigroup between 1996 and hisdeparture in 2009, when he served as CEO ofCitigroup Asia Pacic.

He served as Director for Marketing andBusiness Development at PepsiCo RestaurantsInternational India from 1994 to 1996.

Banga began his career at NestlÈ India, wherehe served in various sales and management rolesfrom 1981 to 1994.

Banga is a member of the Board of Directorsof MasterCard and The Dow ChemicalCompany, Vice Chairman of The BusinessCouncil, Member of the Executive Committeeof the Business Roundtable, Member of theCouncil on Foreign Relations, and Member ofthe International Business Council of the WorldEconomic Forum.

Now, arobot todo yourlaundry If you find doing the laundry bori ng, a robo t can sooncome to your rescue. An Indian-origin scientist has developed anautomated tool that is capable ofdoing laundry without any specificknowledge of what it has to wash.

The researches enabled therobot to do the laundry withoutknowing how many and what typeof clothes needed to be washed.

“The widely imagined helperrobots of the future are expectedto ‘clear the table,’ ‘do laundry’or perform day-to-day tasks withease,” said Siddharth Srivastava, a

scientist at the United TechnologiesResearch Center, Berkeley.

The researchers’ key insightwas to use human behaviour --the almost unconscious actionof pulling, stuffing, folding and pili ng -- as a template, adap ting both the repetit ive and thou ghtf ulaspects of human problem-solvingto handle uncertainty in their

computed solutions.Out of the 13 or so tasks involved

in the laundry problem, the team’ssystem was able to complete morethan half of them autonomouslyand nearly completed the rest

-- by far the most effectivedemonstration of laundering for

artificial intelligence (AI) to date,the researches noted.

The framework that Srivastavaand his team developedcombines several popular plan ning paradigms that have been deve lope d in the past usingcomplex control structures such asloops and branches and optimisesthem to run efficiently on modernhardware.

It also incorporates an effectiveapproach for computing plans by

learning from examples, ratherthan through rigid instructions or programmes.

Srivastava presented therobot at the recently concludedAssociation for Advancement ofArtificial Intelligence conferencein Austin, Texas.

Texas allows Sikh policemen to sportbeards, turbansIn one of the biggest goodwillgestures to one of the largestcommunities in the US- the Sikhs-the state of Texas has allowed on-duty Sikh ofcers to sport essentialSikh religious symbols like beardsand turbans.

According to a Washington Post

report last week, the decision of thecounty sheriff of greater Houstonfullled one of the long standingdemands of the Sikhs and made thecounty’s police force one of the rstfew in the nation -- along with thosein Washington DC and Riverside,California -- to permit Sikhs to weartheir ìarticles of faithî on patrol.

“By making these religiousaccommodations, we will ensurethat (our) ofce reects thecommunity we serve, one of themost culturally rich and diverse in

America” Sheriff AdrianGarcia said in a statement.

“Deputies need to not

only understand, respectand communicate with allsegments of the population, but represen t it as well” headded.

Sikh leaders in Houstonand Washington welcomedthe announcement, andthe Sikh American LegalDefence and EducationFund (SALDEF) circulatedInternet photos of Garciashaking hands with DeputySandeep Dhaliwal, 37, whowas wearing a blue policeuniform, navy blue turbanand a short beard.

“With this policy, one ofthe largest sheriff’s ofces

in the country has afrmed thata person does not have to choose between their faith and a career ofservice” said Jasjit Singh, executivedirector of SALDEF in Washington.

The group’s Houstonrepresentative said the move wouldhelp the law enforcement agency to

ìattract the best and brightest fromacross our community.

There are at least 200,000 Sikhsin the US, mostly from India. SomeSikh groups claim that the number isas high as 700,000.

Many of them are middle class,educated professionals in a widerange of occupations.

Their numbers have grownsignicantly since the 1970s, withlarge concentrations in urbanareas, including New York and LosAngeles.

Retired Indian army ofcer helping buildindustries in AfricaOne hardly sees former Indianarmy ofcers in Africa’sbusiness arena. But Col. (Rtd.) RajKalra from New Delhi is an exceptionand is bringing a new dimension toAfrica’s industrial development.

Kalra has brought his academicand professional experience toGhana and is keen to make adifference to the country’s industrialdevelopment. So far, he has proved

to be a businessman with a passionthat is changing the face of industrialdevelopment quietly in Prampram, acoastal settlement, 60 km east of thecapital, Accra.

The passion in him shows whenhe talks about how the country’sindustry should be developed and

listening to him with one’s eyesclosed, he sounds more like a local politician addressing a rally on howthe country should develop.

Kalra had come to Ghana in 2008to help set up a healthcare centre butthis did not work out.

“So, l left, but returned in 2010 toset up a company because l saw thatthere were opportunities here for oneto do a good job,” Kalra told media.

Since then, he has started makingwaves and his passion is showingin the results his work is producing.Kalra is the founder, chairman andmanaging director of the ACECGroup which is based near theGhanaian port city of Tema. Anengineer by profession, with masters

degree in technology and an MBAin nance as well as a certied SixSigma Master Black Belt fromthe US, he has shown that he wasusing his academic qualicationstogether with his experience as chiefexecutive of a heart hospital andresearch centre in India. He has also been the vice-president and head of business of Excellent Group with theRoyal Bank of Scotland, London.

Before that, he served in theIndian armed forces for 22 years andcommanded army units during peaceand war. He is also a qualied leadauditor for ISO 9001:2008, softwarequality assurance, and a certiedexaminer for IMC RamakrishnaBajaj National Quality Awards, India.

With such experience, Kalrahas set about to use his company to provide a platform for internationalcompanies that want to enter Ghana.ACEC is doing this by building anindustrial park at Prampram whichKalra said, “is in line with theconcept of President John Mahama toturn Ghana into an industrial centre

to employ more people”.Already, an Indian company, TND,

has been assisted by the company toset up to produce electricity meters. Inaddition, companies from Indonesia,Brazil and France are operating at thePrampram Industrial Park engagedin agro-processing businesses.Altogether, these companies haveinvested $90-$100 million.


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KIDZONE

Answers to last word search puzzle:

Send us stories, drawings, poems and othercontributions by your little ones alongwith theirphotographs for this page. Email us at [email protected]

Count the hearts

Across: 1. Full 4. Winter 5. Hot 6. White 8. Sharp9. Love

Down: 1. Far 2. Little 3. wise 5. Happy 6. Weak7. Tall

The bird with two head

Once upon a time, there lived a great bird namedBharunda, on the banks of a lake.It was strange because he had two

necks with two heads, but shared thecommon body.

One day, as the bird was wandering,it found a delicious looking red-goldenfruit.

One of the heads mumbled, “Oh,what a delicious looking fruit. I amlucky to have found it. I am sure thefruit is sent from heavens only for me”.On saying so, it started eating the fruit withutmost pleasure. While eating, it kept on praising how itwas the most delicious fruit he had ever eaten.

Hearing and seeing all this, the other head requested,“Oh dear, please also allow me to taste the fruit thatyou are praising with all your heart”. The rst head

did not want to share it, so it laughed and said, “Weshare the same stomach.

Whoever amongst us eats the fruit, it goes to thesame s

Documents

Indian Weekender 13 Feb 2014