8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 1/32
The pulse of Kiwi-Indians
15 January, 2016 • Vol. 7 Issue 41 • www.iwk.co.nz
NZ’s first Kiwi-Indian weekly newspaper
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 2/32
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 3/32
www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
3NEW ZEALAND
Makar Sankranti—a multi-cultural
sun festivalRAM LINGAM
Makar Sankranti is a
festival for all nature-
loving people. After
all, our world is illumined only
by the light of the Sun and its life
giving rays. Here are three aspects
of Makar Sankranti that will
hopefully add clarity to why this
festival is important.
Makar Sankranti means...
Makar is the sign of Capricorn
in our Zodiac and the word
‘Sankranti’ comes from the words‘sam’ meaning good and ‘kranthi’
meaning change. So a change for
good. Another simpler meaning
for Sankranti comes from the
word sankramana meaning
transits. Only the navagrahas
(ve planets, two nodes of the
moon, the moon and the Sun)
transit as far as astrology goes.
Every month the Sun transits into
one of the 12 signs of the Zodiac.
On Makar Sankranti day, the
splendid Sun enters the sign of
Makar (Capricorn). For many, the
entry of the Sun begins its journey
into the Northern Hemisphere.
From this day onwards, the days
slowly start becoming longer
and warmer.
Rejoicing on solar events
The importance of the Sun
to life on Earth is a no-brainer.
Nature is an integral part of life.
The position of the sun on the
sky implies change in climate
and weather patterns aecting
agriculture and vegetation. So no
Sun, no fun. No Sun, no seasons.
No Sun, no life. No Sun, no
rotation. No Sun, no time. In fact,
No Sun, no Sunday.
For spiritual aspirants, it is
the Sun, which is the symbol of
manifest divinity. In the highest
philosophy of India i.e. Vedanta,
the Sun is symbol of the Supreme.
The Rig Veda declares that the
“Sun is the soul of both moving
and unmoving beings”. The
daily chanting of the famous
Gayatri Mantra invokes the Sun
(Savitur) to manifest intelligence
and wisdom. For those who like
reading the horoscope in the
newspaper, Sun (in all astrology—
western and Vedic) signies the
individual self, self-esteem, eyes,
personality, higher oce and
our spirit.
Why Makar Sankranti is amulti-cultural Sun festival?
Indians over millennia have
indeed perfected the art of being in
line with nature and divinity. Add
to that a dose of dharma and the
practice of seeing the divine, you
have a rich Hindu festival. Then
make sweets and savoury and give
that bhog (acknowledgement) to
the divine, you have a memorable
festival bringing joy and harmony
to everyone. It is not a coincidence
that almost all important
astronomical events have a
signicance in nourishing the
India’s cultural life and calendar.
Cosmic actions relate to human
life and has been incorporated
in the Indian cultural calendar.
No wonder it is a product of the
longest, continuous civilisation.
A cosmic event is a scientic
empirical phenomena and
bringing it to human life is to
integrate a culture of syncing
spirituality and nature.
Makar Sankranti is also a multi-
cultural festival. It is celebrated inmany states of India, including
countries in South East Asia. It
is the day of the Pongal harvest
festival in Tamil Nadu. In Gujarat,
it is celebrated with colourful kite
ying, which also implies that
the divine holds the kite-strings
(sutradhaar) of our lives. In Uttar
Pradesh, the famous Magha Mela
begins on this day at Prayaag with
holy dips in the Triveni and people
holy-dipping in the Ganga sagar of
West Bengal.
Business is booming for CrestClean in the regions. We need you -
in Central Otago’s thriving hubs of Cromwell, Alexandra,
Queenstown and Wanaka, or the coastal cities of Timaru,
Ashburton and Oamaru, - beaut places to work, live and raise a
family. CrestClean will help and support you to start your own
business, with a guaranteed income. CrestClean is NZ owned, with
over 500 franchise owners enjoying success all over the country.
Make your move now.
Call now 0800 273 780 for an Information Pack or go to www.crest.co.nz/offers
Business Opportunity
Special Offer$3000 Relocation Assistance
Special OfferBusiness opportunities now in NZ’s beautiful South Island
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 4/32
15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
l
4 NEW ZEALAND
Lohri—the bonre festivalSWATI SHARMA
In India, the country of festivals, Lohri
marks the rst main celebration of
the year. It is observed on January
13 every year and with Indians now living
across the world, the festival is celebrated
among the Indian diaspora, and especially
Punjabi communities the world over.
Lohri celebrations are associated
with dierent events related to history,
agriculture and astrology.
In historical context, Lohri is celebrated
in the praise of Dulla Bhatti, a bandit
who stayed in Punjab during the reign of
Emperor Akbar. He is remembered as a
legend, as he would steal from the rich of
the state and distribute them among thepoor. He was a Muslim bandit who also
rescued Hindu girls from the slave market
of the Middle East and helped them get
married to Hindu boys even helping with
their dowry. Often referred to as the Robin
Hood of the community, Punjabis express
their gratitude towards him by singing
songs in his praise.
Groups of children go door to door and
sing the Lohri song demanding Lohri ‘loot’
in the form of money, sweets, peanuts,
jaggery, fruits and other sweets such as
gajak and rewri. Some of the popular songs
of Lohri are:
“Sunder mundriye ho, tera kaun
vichara ho,
Dulla Bhatti wala ho, Dulle didhee vyahi ho,
Ser sakkar payi ho…..”
And
“Dabba bhareya leera da”
“Ae ghar ameera da” (for those who give
Lohri) or
“Hukka bhai Hukkaa”
“Ae ghar bhukha” (for those turn them
empty-handed)
In astrological context, this day is
celebrated to mark the winter solstice, as on
this day, Earth is the farthest from the sun
and starts moving towards it from the next
day, thus marking the beginning of Magh
and the auspicious uttarayan period. In the
agricultural context, Lohri is the harvest
festival when the rabi crop is reaped.
Celebrations
The festival is celebrated by lighting a
bonre and dancing and singing around
it. The re is also worshipped with jaggery,
peanuts and sesame seeds. People eat the
traditional makki ki roti (India bread made
of maize our), sarson ka saag (mustard
leaves and spinach curry) and jaggery rice.
With the modernisation of festivals, the
way Lohri is celebrated nowadays has also
changed. Families with a recent wedding or
birth celebrate Lohri in hotels, restaurants
or even at their home with guests, DJ
parties and food.
It is said that a good Lohri sets the tone
for the whole year ahead—the more joyous
and exuberant the occasion, the greater
will be the peace and prosperity. We wish
you also have a jubilant week of festivals.
Celebrating festivals away from home
is always dierent. Let’s see how Kiwi-
Indians are celebrating Lohri this year:
Preet Bains: I miss how we celebrate Lohri back in India with ourfamily, friends and neighbours. The festival is all about dance and
fun. In New Zealand, I celebrate it with my brother. Although we do
not light a bonre, we visit the gurudwara. We eat rewdi and peanuts,
and cook special food at home. I have just been back from India
and I wish I could have stayed there longer to celebrate Lohri with
my family.
Manpreet Bhullar: For Punjabis, Lohri is an important festival and
is celebrated with much fervour. Our Lohri is never complete without
bhangra. Like in India, here too we get together with friends, eat
traditional food and dance to the beats of dhol . Although it is summer in
New Zealand but we still eat rewdi and peanuts (even if they are warm
foods) and most importantly sarson da saag. Going to the gurudwara
is a must. These are the little things that have become the symbol of the
festival and keep us connected to them even when we are far from home.
Abhishek Sharma: I have been here in New Zealand for nearly a
year now. Being a student and a part-time worker, there is not much
I do to celebrate our festivals. Like many others here, my day also begins with college and then ends at job. There have been days that I
didn’t even remember that it is a festival and only knew when I talked
to my parent in India at night.
Shriya Bhagwat-Chitale
This year I have an invitation to attend a
Sankranti lunch at a friend’s home. True to
tradition, the dress code is all black. We
will share a traditional meal, til-gul laddoos
and exchange small gifts (haldi-kunku). I
nd such low-key celebrations to be a really
great opportunity to
bond with my friends.
In India, we would
celebrate Sankrantisimilarly, except that
the seasons would
be exactly opposite at
the same time in the
Northern hemisphere.
Aditee Naik
In India, Sankranti is celebrated as
a winter festival, and growing up in
Mumbai, I have great memories of ying
kites with my friends—one of the special
traditions observed in the community to
celebrate the festival.
Here in New Zeland,I’ll mark the festival
by making the
traditional sweets
at home.
Ususally, when the
sweets are shared, it is
accompanied by a cute reminder to speak
sweetly and use gentle words with each
other in the forthcoming year. That is the
most charming ritual, which I follow in
New Zealand too.
Sara Janvekar
This year, I’ll be celebrating Sankranti in
a special way, as it is our baby’s rst. So I
plan to dress him in a special black outt
complete with edible jewellery made out of
sugar. The ceremony is known in Marathi
as bor nahaan, and we will shower the
baby with chocolates (to
replace traditional
berries). In India,
kids particularlyenjoy this festival,
as they’re all invited
home and entertained.
I am very excited to be
planning this in New Zealand.
Shweta Vaidya
Yummy food, family all around you and
the feeling of God blessing you. That
is Sankranti for me. Like all the other
festivals, I am going to yearn to y to India
for this one and be there when the young
ones y kites and eat
sweets and go to thetemple.
RecipeTil Gur laddoo
R oasted sesame seeds combined
with jaggery and shaped as
laddoos
Prep time: 6–10 minutes
Cook time: 11–15 minutes
Ingredients:• Sesame seeds (til), lightly roasted, 1–1/2
cups
• Jaggery (gur), chopped, 1 cup
• Dry coconut, grated, 1/2 cup
• Green cardamom powder 1/4 teaspoon
Method:
Step 1
Grind sesame seeds and jaggery to a
coarse mixture using a mixer or a mortar
and pestle.
Step 2
Transfer the mixture onto a plate,
add dried coconut and green cardamom
powder and mix well.
Step 3
Divide this mixture into equal portions
and shape into lemon-sized ladoos.
Step 4
Store in airtight jars.
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 5/32
www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
5NEW ZEALAND
RecipeSarson ka saag
Atraditional Punjabi dish made of
mustard leaves and spices
Prep time: 11–15 minutes
Cook time: 6–10 minutes
Ingredients:• Fresh mustard leaves (sarson),
5 bunches
• Fresh spinach leaves (palak),
1 bunch
• Bathua or Bathuwa, 1 bunch
• Mustard oil or desi ghee
(claried butter), 5 tablespoons
• Ginger, sliced, two one-inch pieces
• Garlic, sliced, 6-8 cloves
• Onions, sliced, 2 medium
• Green chillies, 4
• Salt to taste
• Cornmeal, 2 tablespoons
Method
• Step 1
Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a
pan, add ginger, garlic and onion and sauté
for two to three minutes. Roughly chop
mustard leaves. Add to pan and stir.
• Step 2
Roughly chop spinach and bathua. Add
to pan and stir. Break the green chillies and
add to the pan.
• Step 3
Add salt to taste and stir well. Let it cook
till the greens turn soft.
• Step 4
Add cornmeal dissolved in a little water
and continue to cook till the greens are
completely cooked. Cool and grind to a
coarse paste.
• Step 5
Transfer into the pan. Add the remaining
olive oil and mix. Simmer for two to threeminutes. Serve hot with makki ki roti.
(Courtesy: Chef Sanjeev Kapoor)
Kaushal Thakkar (Leo)Your friendly Hospitality/Retail ProfessionalBusiness Broker, CLYTH MACLEOD LTD,MREINZ Licensed Salesperson, REAA 2008
Mob: 021-0682145Email: [email protected]
Preeti ThakkarYour friendly Hospitality/Retail ProfessionalBusiness Broker, CLYTH MACLEOD LTD,MREINZ Licensed Salesperson, REAA 2008
Mob: 021-0224 3202Email: [email protected]
PizzaTakeaway
Pita andKebab store
CaféSouth
Fruit &Veggie
Pizza& GrilledChicken Store
Pizza Restaurant-Chef’s Dream!
State of the art equipment-Must view
Cool room, Huge, Easy to manage
Weekly sales approx. $ 5,500-$ 6,500
Asking $135,000 plus Stock CMB44882
Licenced Restaurant
Well established, Suit various cuisines
Spacious, good street frontage
Short evening hours, great potentialWeekly sales approx. $ 5,000-$ 6,000
Asking $69,000 plus Stock CMB44723
Roast shop -Takeaway
Prime location, Ample parking
Trading 5.5 days, Secure lease
Weekly sales approx. $ 4,500-$ 5,000
Asking $38,000 plus Stock CMB45096
Licenced Restaurant
Great location, possible accommodation
Elegant, secure lease
Weekly sales approx. $ 10,000-$ 11,000
Asking $280,000 plus Stock CMB45099
Lotto & Stationery Shop
Strategically located, spacious,
easy to run
Ample parking, 6 days a week
Combined weekly sales approx. $ 40,000
Asking $440,000 plus Stock CMB45233
Fresh Fruit & Vege Store
Very spacious, good frontage,
ample parking
Potential to convert to
Fruit World or similar.
Popular, well patronised
Weekly sales approx. $ 14,000 plus
Asking $ 200,000 plus Stock
plus Vehicle CMB45308
Upcountry Dairy cum takeaway
Spacious, well stocked,
very reasonable rent
Secure lease, calling chef couples/foodies
Combined weekly sales
approx. $ 12,000- $ 13,000
Asking $180,000 plus Stock
Cafes and Lunch bars
Various shapes and sizes
From $ 40,000 to $ 650,000
Call now for details
Grocery and ethnic spice store
Prime location, HUGE!,
well set up, ample storage
Online website ready to go
Weekly sales approx. $ 19,000
plus commissions
Asking $ 220,000 plus
Stock CMB45190
For more information
call Kaushal Thakkar
and Preeti Thakkar
ADVERTISEIN THE ONLY
KIWI-INDIAN WEEKLY
CALL 022-3251630
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 6/32
15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
l
6 NEW ZEALAND
Pongal: celebrating the journey of the sun KUMAR SURESH
They say nothing in
this world comes
easy and if you
ask an Indian farmer,
they can probably give
you a never-ending list ofproblems ranging from
delayed monsoon to the
stepmotherly treatment
from the government. But
when it is time for harvest,
the smiles on their faces is a
sight to behold.
As the sun, the source
of energy and light, takes
his journey towards north
for the next six months,
it marks the beginning
of uttarayan. Pongal and
Makar Sankranti are
some of the names given
to this festival in South
India, which celebrates
the harvest of sesame,
turmeric, sugar cane,
lentils, etc. It is in a way a
seeking the blessing from
sun for a better year ahead,
void of famine, oods and
other obstacles.
Although the festival
is celebrated throughout
India and Nepal, it has a
special place in the hearts
of south Indians. The word
Pongal, itself mean ‘to
boil’ in Tamil. It involves
boiling of lentils and rice in
a pot until it boils over and
overows, symbolising the
abundance of the harvest.
Celebrated over four
days, the rst day of Pongal,
called as Bhogi is about
getting rid of all the old and
unwanted things. People
clean up their houses and
burn all the rubbish and dirt
accumulated over the year.
The second day begins with
worshipping of the Sun and
women in the house usually
decorate the house with
rangoli made of rice our.
The milk is boiled and isallowed to overow as an
oering to the Sun. On the
third day, which is called
the Mattu Pongal, the cattle
are washed and decorated. They
are revered for their help in the
elds for ploughing and providing
milk and fertilizers. It is worth
mentioning that in many places,
there are beauty competitions
held for the cattle—an event that
is taken seriously by many.
The fourth day is called Kanum
Pongal, when the whole family
goes out for an outing. In fact, the
word, Kanum means ‘to visit’. It
is a time for the family to take a break from work in the elds and
spending time with each other.
Pongal in Tamil Nadu and
Makar Sankranti in Karnataka
and Andhra Pradesh is not just
a festival but a worship and a
thanksgiving to Mother Nature for
the prosperity bestowed upon us.
It is one of the few Hindu festivals
that involves direct worshipping
of the natural element(in this
case, the sun).
Although the city life of today
is far away from the elds and
cattle, it is important to know
where our source of energy comes
from. It is a time to appreciate the
work that goes into farming and
celebrate the most important and
one of the oldest professions in the
history of mankind, agriculture.
We at Indian Weekender,
wish our readers a very happy
and a prosperous Pongal and
Makar Sankranti.
Gnanasekaran
Happy Pongal to all. I work for Auckland transport and there are many South Indians
working with me here. Although it is impossible to celebrate the Pongal in an elaborate
way for four days, as in India, we try to get together at one place and celebrate thefestival by cooking pongal and later going out for an outing. That is the least we can do
to follow the traditions passed to us by our previous generations.
Varun
In India, we distribute a mixture of sesame seed, jaggery, ground nuts and dried
coconut called ‘Ellu-bella’. We go to everyone’s home and give them this mixture
along with a sugarcane stem. It is a tradition where at least ve people are given ‘Ellu-
bella’, so I make it and give to my friends and colleagues around me. It gives me great
satisfaction and pleasure explaining to everyone the signicance of the prasadam and
concept of the festival.
Samskruta
Wishing happy Pongal to all. For people of Karnataka, the rst ve celebrations aftermarriage is the grandest Makar Sankranti in one’s life. It is unfortunate that I can’t
celebrate the festival in a big way even as I am getting into my second year of marriage.
Having said that, I have special puja plans for Sankranti and plan to visit temple. I
have also invited some friends for the dinner and plan to cook pongal for them.
Lakshmi
Happy Pongal to all. I belong to a farmer’s family. It is a tradition in our family
that we pray to cattle during Pongal. Without that, the festival is incomplete.
Last year I went looking for a
place where I could nd cows for
worship and at last, I ended up
nding goshala in an ISKCON
temple. This year too, after puja
I will go there and do Go-puja.
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 7/32
www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
7NEW ZEALAND
A free weed-eater for the first 10 franchises
NEW BUSINESS only
Work for Lifestyle, Security, Success and FulfilmentArea available throughout Auckland
From $15,500 + equipmentPay For Work Guarantee of $1,500 per week*
Phone
NOW0800 4546 546
JOIN OUR TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS TODAY!
NEEDS
YOU!
www.jimsmowingauckland.com
Gold Award 2014
for Franchisor Support
Gold Award 2013
for Franchisor Support
Gold Award 2015for Franchisor Support
RecipeW
hat is a Pongal celebration
without the traditional pongal
on your dining table? Here
is the recipe of the two authentic pongal
recipes that require no more than moderate
cooking skills to achieve authentic taste.
Khara Pongal orVen PongalPrep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
INGREDIENTS
• Raw rice ½cup
• Split yellow moong dal (pasi paruppu)
¼ cup
• Cashew nuts
• Salt to taste
For the seasoning:
• Ghee or oil, 1 ½ tablespoon
• Mustard seeds, 1 tablespoon
• Ginger, nely chopped, 1 tablespoon
• Cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon
• Whole black pepper, 2 tablespoon(to be broken but not nely grounded)
• Few curry leaves
METHOD
Step 1
Mix rice and dal, pressure cook adding
salt, 2 1/2–3 cups of water for 4–5 whistles.
The rice has to be cooked in such a way that
it should be mushy.
Step 2
Open the cooker and mash the contents
well when it is still hot.
Step 3
Heat oil and ghee on to a pan and add
mustard seeds, chopped ginger, pepper,
jeera/cumin seeds, curry leaves.
Step 4
Pour it over the rice and dal mix.
Step 5
Add fried cashew nuts and mix
everything well on low ame for 2 minutes.
Serve hot with sambar or coconut chutney.
Sweet/ SakkaraiPongalPrep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
INGREDIENTS
• Rice ½ cup
• Moong dal/pesara pappu, ⅓–½ cup
• Powdered or grated jaggery or palm
sugar, ½ cup
• Green cardamom powder, ⅛ tablespoon
• Small pinch of edible camphor/pacha
karpooram (optional)
• Ghee, 2 to 3 tablespoon
• Raisins, 1 tablespoon
• Cashews, broken, 1 to 2 tablespoon
• Cloves (optional), 1 to 2
• A few coconut pieces sliced or chopped
(optional)
METHOD
Step 1
Add moong dal and rice in pressurecooker. Pour 2 ¼ cups of water. Cook till
soft or for 4 pressure cooker whistles.
Step 2
Pour ¼ cup water to grated jaggery. On a
low ame stir and melt it.
Step 3
When the pressure from the cooker is
down, remove the lid and mash the rice and
dal mix.
Step 4
Filter jaggery syrup to the cooked rice
dal. Add green cardamom powder.
Step 5
Mix and cook on a medium ame till the
jaggery syrup blends with rice.
Step 6
Heat a pan with ghee, add coconut
pieces, cashews, clove and fry till golden,
o the stove and add raisins. Mix this with
the rice.
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 8/32
15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
l
8 NEW ZEALANDNEW ZEALAND
Celebrate the kite festIWK BUREAU
Makar Sakranti is the day
when the sun starts to travel
northwards marking the decline
of winter.
The days become longer, the skies
clearer and the breeze cooler. A feeling ofanticipation, joy and jubilation grips all
who celebrate the occasion of thanksgiving
and merry-making.
The fascination and the fun associated
with the kite ying cuts across age groups
and communities.
It is a competitive fun sport where family
enjoys not only ying kite in air but also to
outdo rival’s kite as well.
Vaishnav Parivar Inc. (VPNZ), a
charitable organisation operating from
Blockhouse Bay in Auckland, is organising
its annual kite ying festival on January 16
at Avondale Racecourse. The festival has
been gaining momentum each year.
In 2015, 8,000 to 9,000 people attended
the event, and this year, the number is
expected to grow with more Indians and
locals joining the festival. VPNZ imports
kites and threads from India each year for
sale to the public at the festival.
In addition there are several food and
other stalls along with live performances.
Entertainment for kids include fun rides
and climbing the wall, slides, face painting
and drawing competitions.
A $5 rae ticket can be bought to
participate in a draw to win exciting prizes
that include a return air ticket to India, 14”
HP Notebook, Panasonic camera, 39” LCD/
LED TV, Accelor8 26” bike, Philip garment
steam iron, Nutri ninja slim blender and
Kodak digital frame.
AirAsia X returns to NZ skiesESHA CHANDA
Malaysian low-cost airline
AirAsia X is set to return to New
Zealand in March with ights
b e t w e e n
K u a l a
Lumpur and
A u c k l a n d .C u r r e n t l y ,
Malaysia Airlines is
the only other airline
that provides services on the
route between the two cities.
In 2012, the 11-hour route from Kuala
Lumpur to Christchurch was cancelled due
to a drop in trac.
Although the company has been
providing hints on its social media accounts
for its new destination, they ocially
conrmed the news on January 12. Starting
March this year, the airlines will extend its
existing Airbus A3330-300 service between
Kuala Lumpur and Gold Cost to Auckland.
Daily one-way ights from Auckland
to Gold Cost are now available at an
introductory oer priced at $99, and
$249 from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur.
The aircraft’s atbed seats are also on sale
and are priced at $249 to Gold
Coast and $599 to Kuala Lumpur
(one way).
The services will commence from March
22. Tickets went on sale on Wednesday and
will be available for purchase until January
24 or until sold out.
Airfares are expected to fall down with
this return with rival airlines Air New
Zealand and JetStar already oering tickets
at reduced prices in March.
Report on diversity in theintelligence agencies welcomed,ndings deploredIWK BUREAU
Multicultural New Zealand
welcomes the review of diversity
in the New Zealand intelligence
community, and is “disappointed but
not surprised” at the lack of awareness
or recognition of cultural diversity in
the agencies.
Federation of MulticulturalCouncils Inc. is a national
organisation with 18
constituent regional
multicultural councils
throughout New Zealand
and national councils for
women, youth, seniors and
business. With a record of 26
years of successful service to the
community, they oer a national
collective voice for ethnic, migrant
and refugee communities and provide
advice to government and civil society on
multicultural policy and practice.
“We beg to dier that because Maori
and Pacic people come from open, honest,
trusting families and communities, theycannot carry out the type of work done by
the agencies and that the necessary secrecy
could be a barrier to recruitment.
It is also patronising for the review to
generalise that security clearances are
an issue with ethnic minorities having a
higher showing in crime statistics,” says
MNZ Executive Director Tayo Agunlejika.
“As highlighted in our own recent
report on Our Multicultural
Future, minority groups
continue to experiences i g n i f i c a n t
discrimination in
employment and in
the public arena,
and they are under-
represented in
government agencies
at both the national
and local level. A similar
study should be carried out
in other government agencies, not
just the Intelligence agencies.
“All government agencies should
have an ethnic relations strategy such
as that adopted by the NZ Police and
the one currently in preparation by
Plunket New Zealand. This would help
in making recruitment more attractive to
ethnic minorities and more eective in
reaching them.
It would also help government agencies
to engage with ethnic communities
to provide more equitable access to
public services.”
DON’T FORGET TO PICK UPINDIAN WEEKENDER WHEN YOUPICK UP YOUR GROCERIES FROM
INDIAN WEEKENDER IS THE ONLY KIWI-INDIAN
WEEKLY PUBLICATION AVAILABLE AT PAK’NSAVE
MANUREWA, FLATBUSH, ROYAL OAK, MT ALBERT,
LINCOLN NORTH AND HENDERSON
Promoting Indiansports goods in NZIWK BUREAU
New Delhi-based Sports Goods
Export Promotion Council
(SGEPC), a nodal agency for
promoting exports of Indian sports goods
and Indian toys industry, last came to
Auckland in 2010 when they organised
a Buyer Seller Meet (BSM) in New
Zealand to showcase India’s wide range of
manufactured sports items and toys.
This year, SGEPC will be bringing a
delegation of 36 companies to the two
countries. In New Zealand, the BSM will
be held in Auckland on March 7 and 8
(tentatively), and will be Australia from
February 28 to March 4.
Founded in 1958, SGEPC represents the
leading manufacturers and exporters of
sports goods and toys in India. Their main
objective is to promote exports of sports
goods and toys from India, for which,
the council regularly organises various
overseas export promotional activities such
as participation in fairs, BSM and trade
delegations. New Zealand is a good market
for Indian sports goods manufacturers and
exporters, and this BSM will give them
an opportunity to display their goods.The delegation will be open to having
one-to-one meetings with local buyers
and importers.
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 9/32
www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
9NEW ZEALANDNEW ZEALAND
Tauranga’s nagar kirtan attracts thousandsSWATI SHARMA
A s many as 5,000 Sikhs participated
in the nagar kirtan (street parade)
held in Tauranga last week to
mark the birth ceremony of Guru Gobind
Singh, the 10th guru of Sikhs.
The number of participants doubled this year with people coming from Auckland,
Hamilton, Tauranga, Waihi, Te Puke,
Katikati, Roturua and Whakatane.
Organised by Gurudwara Sikh Sangat
Tauranga, the parade was a big hit
with people from dierent
communities participating.
The parade started from the gurudwara
at Burrows St and headed back after
more than two hours of cultural showcase
through the streets of Tauranga.
The Sikh martial arts—Gatka and
kirtan—attracted people from the streets
and the organisers said that they received
many calls from the people who said they
liked the parade and wanted to know more
about the Sikh culture.
Free food and drinks were distributed
along the way and a langar was organised
at the Gurudwara. Organiser Daljit Singh
was quoted by Bay of Plenty Times as
saying, “The feedback from all the people
[on the street] was fantastic.
People were telling us they especially
liked all the colour and cultural parts...
Some told us they had never seen anything
like this before and wanted to know more...
It’s exactly the response we were looking
for.” The celebrations were attended by
the dignitaries from New Zealand and
India including Tauranga deputy mayor
Kelvin Clout, Tauranga MP Simon Bridges,
and general secretary of the Shiromani
Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee,
Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, who travelled
from India.
Clockwise from above: Langar organised at the Gurudwara Sikh Sangat Tauranga, young boys dressed in cultural attire, Sikh men performing gatka on the street during the parade and menholding kirpan
FREE ENTRY Basohli style, Pahari
The portrait of Rama
c1730
opaque watercolour
and gold on paper
National Museum,
New Delhi, India
C l o
s i n g
1 7 J a n
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 10/32
15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
l
10 NEW ZEALAND
Getting behind our youthMAYA SHIVAM
K iwi Indian singer
Akshay Hari Belas is
all set to represent the
Kiwi Indian Community on the
world stage with his acceptance
into the Berklee College of
Music in Massachusetts, USA
where the likes of John Mayer
have studied. Getting into
Berklee will not just be a dream
come true for this young artist
but will also open up doors to
tremendous opportunities.
There is, however, one thing
that stands between him and
Berklee and we believe the
community can get behind this
young artist to make this happen.
Indian Weekender caught up
with Akshay to nd out how we
could help.
IWK: Tell us about yourself Akshay: I was born in Ba,
Fiji in 1993 and grew up in
Lautoka till I moved to New
Zealand when I was six. From
a very young age, I have been
interested in music, growing up
watching my favourite Indian
movies that had amazing
music. I was always drawn to
the musical side of life. Mum
says I was singing even before
I could walk. My parents were
dental therapists back in Fiji.
I get my musical side from my
mum whose dad, Hari Prasad,
was given the title of “TheGolden Voice of Fiji”.
He was a classical Indian
musician and was quite well
known around Fiji in those
days. Sadly he died when my
mum was young so I never got
to meet him but I have heard
his music and seen his pictures
with all his trophies.
IWK: Tell us about your
musical journey
Akshay: I moved to New
Zealand in 2001 and in primary
school I picked up the recorder,
which led me to the piano andguitar but singing was always
my main passion.
It wasn’t until I started high
school where I was surrounded
by music and the performing
arts that I got serious about
pursuing music as a career. I
did all my school musicals and
some community ones too. My
greatest achievement in high
school was receiving an AMI
Showdown Award for “Best
Male Soloist in a Musical” for
my role as Rev. Billy Hightower
in the musical Bat Boy.
After high school, I attended
MAINZ (Music and Audio
Institute of New Zealand)
where I studied contemporary
music and performance for two
years. As those two years were
coming to an end I felt like I
needed to move on to bigger and
better things, so on a whim one
night I went onto the Berklee
College website and hit apply,
which just snowballed into me
being accepted!
IWK: For those who don’t
know, tell us more about
Berklee.
Akshay: Berklee College of
Music is located in Boston,
Massachusetts, United States,
and is the largest independent
college of contemporary
music in the world. Known
primarily as the world’s
foremost institute for the
study of jazz and modern
American music, it also offers
college-level courses in a wide
range of contemporary and
historic styles, including rock,
amenco, hip hop, reggae,
salsa, and bluegrass. As of
2015, Berklee alumni have
been awarded a total of 253
Grammy Awards.
Berklee was founded on
the revolutionary principle
that the best way to prepare
students for careers in music is
through the study and practice
of contemporary music.For more than half a century,
the college has evolved to
reect the state of the art of
music and the music business,
leading the way with the
world’s rst baccalaureate
studies in jazz, rock,
electric guitar, lm scoring,
songwriting, turntables,
electronic production, and
more than a dozen other genres
and elds of study.
With a diverse and talented
student body representing 96
countries and alumni who have
collectively won more than 250
Grammys and Latin Grammys,
Berklee is the world’s premierlearning lab for the music of
today—and tomorrow.
IWK: That sounds very
exciting. So what’s the delay?
Akshay: I was meant to start in
January 2016, but I needed to
have the full amount of tuition
for one year’s worth of study to
show to the US Government,
$60239 USD, which roughly
converts to $90K NZD (give or
take a couple hundred). So I’ve
deferred semesters and I plan
to start in their summer intake
(May) which doesn’t give mea lot of time but this is my
dream so I have to do whatever
it takes.
Being in America and studying
at Berklee can lead to so many
more amazing opportunities.
The rst, of course, is to be able
to represent my community
on the world stage. You never
know, I could become a famous
recording artist or be on
Broadway or possibly even be
a singer for Cirque du Soleil,
the dreams are endless.
That’s why I started a
fundraising page https://
g i v e a l i t t l e . c o . n z / c a u s e /
akshayberklee/ because
there’s no harm in asking from
my own people. Also, I am
looking into some grants I can
possibly get.
And that’s why I thought I’d
reach out to the New Zealand
Indian community. It would
be great to have support from
them. You don’t really see
many Indians in the Western
limelight in the music industry.
It would be great to represent
my culture and my heritage onan international scale.
It will be great to see this young
and bright artist represent the
Kiwi Indian Community on
the world stage. We hope that
through this story, Akshay
can nd the support from
individuals and organisations
that can help him make his
dreams a reality.
Indian weekender is available
at 100+ outlets all over new zealand.If you can’t find a copy of your favourite paper, drop us anemail at [email protected] and we will ensure
you get your copies every week at your nearest outlet.
From a very young
age, I have been
interested in music,
growing up watching
my favourite Indian
movies that had
amazing music. Iwas always drawn to
the musical side of
life. Mum says I was
singing even before
I could walk.
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 11/32
www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
11NEW ZEALAND
Recreational shing parks proposed inHauraki Gulf and Marlborough SoundsT
he government has
launched a consultation
document on a new
Marine Protected Areas Act to
replace the Marine Reserves
Act 1971 that includes proposals
for recreational shing parks
in the inner Hauraki Gulf and
Marlborough Sounds.
“We are proposing a new system
of marine protection that will
include marine reserves, species-specic sanctuaries, seabed
reserves, and recreational shing
parks. This more sophisticated
approach with four dierent types
of marine protection is similar to
the graduated approach we take
to reserves on land that vary from
strict nature reserves to those for a
specic or recreational purpose,”
says Environment Minister Dr
Nick Smith.
“The new recreational shing
parks in the Hauraki Gulf and
Marlborough Sounds enhance
the recreational experience in
these areas. There is currently
an estimated 870 tonne per
year of commercial catch in the
proposed Hauraki Park and 139
tonne per year in the proposed
Marlborough Sounds Park that
would be discontinued within the
park boundaries,” says Primary
Industries Minister Nathan Guy.
“Marine conservation is incredibly
important to New Zealand with
an estimated 80 per cent of
indigenous biodiversity and more
than 15,000 known species found
in the sea. New Zealand has a
proud heritage of being one of
the rst countries in the world
to provide for no-take marine
reserves, including the proposal
to create the 620,000 square
kilometres Kermadec Ocean
Sanctuary,” says Conservation
Minister Maggie Barry.
“However, the old Act
is no longer t for modern
purpose. These new proposals
provide a better and more exible
process for establishing and
managing marine reserves and
will enable species sanctuariesfor not just marine mammals but
other signicant species such as
albatross and great white sharks.”
“This reform is the next step
in our programme of work for
New Zealand to be a leader in the
sustainable use and management
of our marine environment.
We have an excellent system of
commercial shery management
with the quota management
system. We introduced in 2009 a
proper regulatory system for the
management of other activities
in the Exclusive Economic
Zone with the establishment of
the Environmental Protection
Authority. We will be passing
legislation this year for one of
the world’s largest no-take areas
with the new Kermadec Ocean
Sanctuary. This next step of a new
Marine Protective Areas Act will
provide a wider range of marine
protection tools and a bettersystem for their establishment
and management,” Dr Smith said.
Ministers welcome feedback
and submissions on the proposals
in today’s discussion document—A
New Marine Protected Areas
Act. Submissions close on March
11. The proposals are then
intended to be drafted into a bill
to be introduced into Parliament
and subjected to further
public input by way of select
committee hearings.
Kenepuru Sound, Marlborough
Diving deep to keepschool pools fullS
chools have resorted to asking for
donations on a charity website
in a last ditch attempt to keep
school pools open, Labour’s Children’s
spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says.
“Despite a requirement from the
Ministry of Education that children are
taught basic swimming skills, more than
150 schools have been forced to close their
pools over the last six years because they
can’t aord to maintain them. Another 130
are at risk of closure.
“Schools have pretty much exhausted
their fundraising options, including
applying for various grants and selling keys
for community use.
“It’s prompted 30 to launch Give a Little
campaigns to buoy up donations, a move
supported by Water Safety New Zealand,
which maintains the school pool is the best
place to teach kids how to swim to survive,
and which is also fundraising for the cause.
“For many families school pools provide
the only opportunity their kids will have
to learn to swim. Water condence and
water safety skills are critical in a country
where activities such as surng, boating
and shing are an integral part of the
outdoor lifestyle.
“Tragically 10 people drowned in New
Zealand waters over the ocial Christmas
holiday period, with the drowning toll for
2015 at 100.
“These facilities not only have a
signicant educational role, they often
become the heart of a community
over summer.
“Despite the importance of kids learning
to swim in a country [such as] New Zealand,
the government has basically ignored the
plight of schools, saying the decision to
keep them open or not is down to boardsof trustees.
“Schools don’t want to lose their pools,
but they are being left without a choice.
“The Ministry of Education needs to
step in and form a plan rather than stand
by while communities lose an asset that
helps save lives,” Jacinda Ardern says.
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 12/32
15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
l
12
Elderly bearing brunt ofNational’s health cuts
The government needs to
take a step back from its
health rhetoric and look
at the impact that its continued
underfunding
of the health
system is
having on
older people,
says Labour’s
Senior Citizens
spokesperson
Ruth Dyson.’
“How we
look after older people is the
marker of a civilised society.
Those in their 70s, 80s and
90s must not be consigned to
the health scrap heap or forced
to live in pain and unable to
get around.
Their quality of life should
be something we value as part
of respecting older citizens as
members of our communities.
“But National’s decision to cut
1.7 billion dollars out of the health
system is seeing more and more
older people declined elective
surgery despite their urgent need.
Recent examples in Christchurch
have only highlighted a problem
that is impacting older people all
around New Zealand. Older New
Zealanders have worked for years
raising families, in paid jobs or
working in our communities. This
is not what they deserve.
“John Key needs to give a
rm commitment to older New
Zealanders that the healthcare
system will be there for them
when they need it and that our
healthcare workers will have the
resources they need to keep people
well,” says Ruth Dyson
Housing construction hitsone billion dollars per monthT
he growth in residential
building hit an all-time
record of a billion dollars
of work consented in a month
for the rst time ever, Building
and Housing Minister Dr Nick
Smith noted in response to
Statistics New Zealand building
consent data.
“These latest gures are very
encouraging and conrm the
success of the government’s
policies to grow housing supply.
The 26,793 consents for new
homes in the year to November is
the highest in more than a decade,
as are the 2,831 issued for the
month of November. The national
gures are 21 per cent higher than
October 2015 and 17 per cent
higher than November 2014,” Dr
Smith says. “I am particularly encouraged
by the 966 new home consents in
Auckland as it is getting close to
the 1,000 per month we need to
match demand for new housing.
It is a 20 per cent increase on
the previous month and three
times the number consented
in November 2008 when
National became government.
This data conrms that solid
progress is being made in lifting
the pace of Auckland’s
residential construction.
“We are also starting to get
benets from Housing Accords
in other parts of New Zealand.
The 328 new home consents in
Wellington is highest number
since April 2008. The government
welcomes a spreading of
housing growth outside Auckland and Christchurch as
well as the trend towards more
apartment construction.
“Today’s gures conrm the
direction of the government’s
housing policies. We are
continuing to free up more land
faster through the Auckland
Housing Accord and the eight
other Accords we have with
councils across the country.
We have initiatives in place to
constrain building materials costs,
rein in development contributions,
cut compliance costs and invest
in improved sector productivity.
Our new $435 million HomeStart
support package will help 90,000
people into home ownership over
ve years.
“We need to keep our foot
on the accelerator to ensure wesupport this positive momentum.
The next step in the government’s
programme include advancing
new housing on Crown-owned
land in Auckland, supporting
the Auckland Council in the
completion of the new Auckland
Unitary Plan, consulting on a new
Urban Development National
Policy Statement, and reform
of the Resource Management
Act to address the long-term
issues aecting housing supply
and aordability.”
Fishhooks in govt’spark plan
N
ational has backed
away from its promise
of recreational shingparks, with their proposal failing
to ban commercial shing
operations in the area, says
Labour Fisheries Spokesperson
Rino Tirikatene.
“At the last election, National
promised to create recreational
shing parks by banning
commercial shing in key areas.
“However, today’s
announcement reveals ‘some
parks might allow commercial
shing to continue for certain
species’. So despite all National’s
spin, commercial shing
will continue in the so called
‘recreation’ parks.“The proposal has also left
open a potential blank cheque
to compensate quota owners
in aected areas while shers
who rely on that quota could
potentially lose their livelihood
and get nothing in return. The
proposed approach could also
leave the government open to
legal action costing the taxpayer
even more. It is also possible
that Treaty Settlements may
be undermined through the
creation of the parks. There will
also be alarm that ‘petroleum
or minerals activity
could be allowed’
within these so calledrecreational shing
parks and additional
onerous reporting
obligations could
be imposed on
recreational shers.
“ B u r y i n g
the announcement in a
vague discussion
document at the
height of summer is
an admission by the
government that the
promised shing
parks are in rough
water. It looks like
another NickS m i t h
stuff-
u p i s
imminent as the Minister has
again been caught out not doing
his homework.
“While the idea may have
sounded good in National’s focus
groups at election time, by
not doing the work behind the
scenes, the government has been
caught out over-promising and
under-delivering yet again,” says
Rino Tirikatene.
Petition for not signing the TPPA IWK BUREAU
Trade Ministers from
the 12 countries in the
Trans-Pacic Partnership
Agreement (TPPA) will sign
the TPPA in Auckland on
Thursday, February 4,
according to statements by
governments of Chile and
Peru (although this has
still not been conrmed by
the secrecy-obsessed New
Zealand government).
On January 12, the
network of Kiwis against
the TPPA, It’s Our Future,
launched a petition, together
with partners, ActionStation and
ShoutOut. The petition will gather
the signatures of Kiwis who do
not consent to the government
signing the TPPA.
Coordinator of It’s Our Future,
Barry Coates, commented,
“We now understand why the
TPPA was negotiated in secret.
It is not in the interests of New
Zealanders. Now the text is
publicly available, it is clear that
the deal is designed to serve the
interests of large corporations and
powerful states, not the interests
of people or the planet.”
He added, “This is not an
agreement that our government
should sign. The TPPA allows
multinational companies to
challenge decisions of parliament
and our courts in a private
international tribunal. The
TPPA’s rules and enforcement
mechanisms will bind the hands of
New Zealand governments for the
indenite future, in violation of
our democracy, sovereignty
and the Treaty of Waitangi.”
Concerned Kiwis are
currently consulting on
actions and events around
the date of signing to
support this petition. The
government is not signing
the TPPA with the consent
of New Zealanders.
Laura O’Connell-Rapira
of ActionStation said, “Tens
of thousands of everyday New
Zealanders have been saying for
more than a year now that we do
not want this deal. We’ve written
letters, made submissions, met
with MPs and marched in the
streets. Yet this government still
chooses to blatantly ignore our
voices. The fact of the matter is,
we’re not going away and we will
not be ignored.”
READ ONLINE AT www.indianweekender.co.nz
NEW ZEALAND
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 13/32
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 14/32
15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
l
14 FIJI
Source: Fiji Sun
Fiji doing
well, saysPM
Prime Minister Voreqe
Bainimarama says Fiji has
been doing really well as
a country.
Mr Bainimarama saidFiji had recorded its sixth
consecutive year of economic
growth and attracted
investment from all overthe world.
“We’ve achieved great
things through hard work
and commitment to our new,unied Fiji,” he said while
kick-starting his tour of the
Northern Division this week.
Fiji Airways flightsposition us as a hub
Fiji Airways ying toSingapore in April
serves as an opportunityin making Fiji a hub, saysacting Prime Minister Aiyaz
Sayed-Khaiyum.Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said Fiji
is now connected to every single
continent around the Pacicexcept South America.
“The level of connectivity has
increased. We y to LA, HongKong, Singapore, Australia, and
NZ and we are connected toKorean Airways,” he added.
“If you visualise it, we are
already in a hub position. Weneed to take advantage of it. The
reality is that Singapore will only
be 9 ½ hours away.” Singapore isa major commercial and nancial
hub of South East Asia. We have
talked about being a little Singapore;we have talked about being a little
Geneva in the Pacic, we have talkedabout being a little Dubai in the
Pacic,” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.
Maneesha Raksha Karan
Gold medal star hopes to inspireM
aneesha Raksha Karan wants to inspire Fijian
scholars studying
overseas to make Fiji proud.
The 28-year-old is Fiji’s rst
Indian Council for Cultural
Relations (ICCR) scholar to
receive ve gold medals.
She was awarded by Mysore
University, Karnataka, in India
last year, where she completed
her Masters in Journalism
and Communication.
Ms Karan has worked for
various media organisations
in Fiji. She is now a media and
journalism lecturer at Fiji NationalUniversity (FNU).
Originally from Salusalu Street,
Labasa, Ms Karan felt proud to
receive the gold medals. “I want
to become a mentor for scholars
and help them make Fiji proud,”
she said.Ms Karan was inspired by
her English teachers to become
a journalist when she was in
secondary school. She enjoyed
studying in India. The Bachelors
course in media and journalism she
studied at University of the SouthPacic (USP) and Masters course
in journalism and communication
in India are dierent. But the
journalism principle, concept and
basics remains the same. “Media
industries are very competitive in
bringing out the truth,” she said.
Ms Karan hopes to enjoy
teaching journalism at FNU.
The Indian Council for Cultural
Relations (ICCR), Ministry of
External Aairs, Government
of India, runs Cultural Centres
around the globe with the
objective to establish, revive and
strengthen cultural relations and
mutual understanding between
India and other countries.
General Cultural Scholarship
Scheme (GCSS) scholarships are
oered to meritorious nationals of
Fiji, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Kiribati,
Nauru and Tonga accredited to the
High Commission of India in Fiji.
Fiji to host 2017 Miss Pacic Islands Pageant
Fiji is expected to
host the 2017 PacicIslands Pageant.
The organising committee saidthey have received a conrmation
letter. The pageant is expected
to be held in Nadi. This year’spageant will take place in Apia,
Samoa and they will be celebrating
its 30th anniversary. Fiji has hadtwo successful winnings at the
Miss Pacic Islands pageant—Merewalesi Nailatikau in 2009,
and Alisi Rabukawaqa in 2011.
The Miss Pacic Islandspageant had become the most
prestigious International pageant
in the Pacic after the Miss AsiaPacic International pageant.
Fiji last hosted the Pacic
Islands Pageant in 2009. Miss Fiji Merewalesi Nailatikau winner for Miss Pacic Islands pageant in 2009
Fiji one of the rst govt to meet standardsset by UN for better education: Reddy
Education Minister DrMahendra Reddy says
Fiji is one of the rst
governments in the African,
Caribbean and Pacic (ACP)
region to meet the standards set
by the United Nations (UN) in
the provision of better access
to education.
Dr Reddy says the benchmark by the United Nations under
UNESCO required governments
to allocate 14% of its annual
budget to the education sector.
He says Fiji currently spends
around 15% of its budget on the
education sector which is above
the level set by the UN and this is
not just for 2016 but for the past
couple of years too. Dr Reddy
adds that schemes such as free
bus fares, free textbooks, free
tuition fee, provision of milk and
Weetbix cereals, transportation
(boats and engines where
necessary) is testimony of the
government’s vision in building a
well-informed society.
Two heads of foreign missions
commissionedT
he President, Major
General (Ret’d) Jioji
Konousi Konrote
commissioned two of Fiji’s
Head of Missions who will be
taking up their postings overseas
next month.
Fiji’s High Commissioner to the
United Kingdom, Jitoko Tikolevu
and Ambassador to the United
Arab Emirates, Kamlesh Prakash
took their oath of allegiance
and oath of execution at the
State House.
The two diplomats, who now join the Fiji diplomatic corps,
are from the nancial and
education sector.
Prior to his appointment Mr
Tikolevu was the chief executive
ocer of the Fiji Revenue and
Customs Authority (FRCA) and
has worked his way up the ladder
since he began his stint at the
Ministry of Commerce as the
licensing clerk in 1981.
He joined the FRCA in 2002
as the senior policy and research
ocer in 2002 after having
acquired a Bachelor of Arts in
Business Studies from University
of the South Pacic and a Masters
in Tax (Honours) from the
University of Auckland.
Mr Prakash has more than
25 years of work experience in
the education eld as a tutor andlecturer in Economics as well as a
training manager in organisations
such as USP and the Fiji Trade
Union Congress.
The former director of
the National Training and
Productivity Centre (NTPC) of the
Fiji National University (FNU)
has 10 years of international
experience as he worked with the
Asian Productivity Organisation
headquartered in Tokyo.
Mr Prakash has a BA in
Economics/Politics from the USP
and a Master of Economics from
Jawaharlal Nehru University in
New Delhi, India.
From left: Fiji’s new High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Jitoko Tikolevu, Minister for ForeignAffairs Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, President Major-General (Ret’d) Jioji Konousi Konrote and Fiji’s newAmbassador to the United Arab Emirates, Kamlesh Prakash. Photo: DEPTFO News
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 15/32
www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
15FIJI
Fiji’s customer serviceranked one of the best
Fiji’s customer service has
been ranked as one of the
best in the world.
An Australian customer service
consultant Richard Coles, who
is currently in the country, says
a good customer service willenhance workplace relations.
Having visited 55 countries and
providing training on customer
service, Richard Coles says Fiji is
one of the best.
The consultant, who has an
extensive experience in customer
service says, a lot more can be
done to further improve this.
“I think you’ve got the basics
right and that is the smile, the
natural smile, the personalities,
the in-built friendliness and
willingness to help people. You
know customer service comes
from the heart, it’s not just a word,
it has to be something that you
feel, something that you what todo and I think that is something
Fijians what to do. However think
I can add to that that I think it
can be improved. I think you got
great potential here, I think you
got to tighten up on a few things, a
few areas.
Training can do that,consulting can do that, changing a
little bit of attitude, getting people
to realise that similar customer
service across the company is
very important. Similar meaning
that my interaction with the
receptionist will be the same as
my interaction with the waiter,
interaction with the pool attendant
and so on and so forth.”
Coles is in the country
conducting customer service
and leadership training to a
leading company.
He has conducted similar
trainings for Qantas Airways,
Royal Dutch Airlines and Emirates Airline to name a few.
Krishna ruled out for 3 months
Fiji football wonder boy,
Roy Krishna is expected to
be out of action for three
months with an ankle injury.
The loss will be felt by hisA-League franchise side, theWellington Phoenix, as it ruleshim out of the remainder ofthe season.
Krishna has been a leadinglight for the Phoenix thisseason, scoring six of their 17
goals and leading the attack.The Sibera, Labasa nativewas injured in a 3–1 loss to theCentral Coast Mariners onDecember 31 and initiallythought to be out fora month.
Krishna is tipped to leadthe Vodafone Fiji Under-23football side in the Rio OlympicGames in August.
Roy Krishna is a Fijianassociation football player, who currently plays as a strikerfor Wellington Phoenix in the A-League.
Interest growing forcricket
Cricket is recording a slow
but steady growth in the
capital city.
There are currently 16 teamsregistered under Suva Cricket Association and President, Akuila Nawai says interestedteams have had to be turnedaway due to limited grounds.
“We hope that we have more
grounds because we have moreteams interested to take part.
“The problem is wedon’t have a lot of grounds.Hopefully the ground at AlbertPark will nish soon so we canaccommodate for other teamsthat really want to come into
the competition.” Meanwhile
in the Perpetual Cup challenge
match yesterday, Punjabi
Tigers defeated Komo by
six wickets.
Fiji NZ Business Council looksforward to a good year
Fiji New Zealand Business
Council president Craig
Strong is positive with the
outlook for this year. This comes
as the council looks forward to
a number of events listed on
its calendar.
Mr Strong said, “We have an
extremely busy calendar in 2016; a
year in which we intend to further
build on the platform of activity
that was developed in 2015. Thepinnacle of 2016 will be our council
hosting the Joint Forum.”
He added preliminary planning
was underway at this stage as the
council plans to anchor the Forum
around the Chiefs vs Crusaders
Super 15 game in Suva on July 1.
2015 was described as
demanding year for the Council.
He continued, “It was a very
busy year for us since the AGM
in April 2015. We hosted a
Trade Delegation from NZ led
by Matua Shane Jones, the NZ
Government’s Pacic Economic
Ambassador. This was followed
by the Joint Forum which was
held in Auckland in June and well
supported by our members.”
For the successful completion
of the year, he acknowledged the
NZ High Commisioner to Fiji,
Mark Ramsden, and the NZ Trade
Commissioner Amanda Vercoe
for their unwavering support for
the council. He also thanked the
council’s executive committee
member and Fiji’s honorary
counsel to the South Island,
Richard Hatherly, for his pro-
active and willingness to drive the
council’s events in Nadi.
Fiji NZ Business Council president Craig Strong
No same sex marriage: PMP
rime Minister Voreqe
Bainimarama says there
will be “no same sexmarriage in Fiji”.
He made this emphaticstatement after watching a FBC
TV programme, Have Your Say.
The programme, which madereferences to the Constitution,
equality and same sex marriage,
featured Shamima Ali, theWomen’s Crisis Centre co-
ordinator. FBC News director
Indra Singh, said one of lastyear’s highlights was a recording
they made on Shamima Ali. MrBainimarama said, “Tell Shamima
Ali, there will be no same sex
marriage in Fiji, a topic pushed byNGOs such as hers under the issue
of human rights.”
He added, “Not in her lifetimeand not in ours. They should not
be confused with the wording
of the Constitution about the
equality and love for one another.”The Constitution, he stressed,
did not refer to equality as the
opportunity for same sex marriageor love for all as love by Sakaraia
for Ropate ending at the altar.
“Not in her lifetime!”For a woman who wants to
get married to another womanhe said, “Go and have it done in
Iceland and stay and live there.
“Fiji does not need
that rubbish.”Ms Ali said she
spoke to FBC TV lastNovember and she did
not say anything on
same sex marriage. Manyreligious organisations
in Fiji support Mr
Bainimarama’s position, vehemently opposing same-sex
marriage. In an earlier interview with Fiji Sun, the former general-
secretary of the Methodist
Church in Fiji and Rotuma,now its president, Reverend
Tevita Nawadra said, “Marriage
ceremony is for a man anda woman.”
Many communities in Fiji
frown upon the idea of a same-sexunion although there is a growing
tolerance towards gays.
Fiji best place in the world, saysBollywood entertainer
V ishwajeet Borwankar,
a Bollywood vocalist,has piled praises on the
Fijian hospitality. He made the
comment in Labasa last month.
“I had the most marvelous
time of my life and I feel fortunate
to be in Fiji which is known as
the best place in the world,” Mr
Borwankar said.
He is from Mumbai,
Maharashtra State in India.
He was in Labasa with Chirag
Wadhwani, an Indian celebrity
comedian, and Usha Nadkarniknown as Savita Tai in the Indian
television serial Pavitra Rishta
which is shown on FBC TV.
They conducted a one-night
show at Subrail Park in Labasa. He
was amazed and pleased to know
the people in Fiji have so much love
for Bollywood.
“People in Fiji know our names
very well and we felt that they hold
us special place in their life.
“The place, people and the food
are amazing. I was astonished by
the way they eat chicken curry and
rice and we experienced their style
of eating too. “We eat a lot of spicy
food in India which the people here
do not, but we managed to modify
our meal and enjoyed every bit of
Fijian lifestyle experience.
“Their love and response which
I, as a feedback, have made me
realise that I have managed to set
my music footprint in Fiji. I will
always cherish these memories and
hope to come back for more shows
in Fiji.”
Meanwhile, Mr Wadhwani, a
famous character on Laugh India
Laugh, a stand-up comedy in
India, was delighted to be in Fiji for
the second time. “Fiji has given a
special identity and wherever I go to
perform, they always give me good
response,” Mr Wadhwani said.
“It could be partially because of
my hair, but I believe they love my
comedy. My advice to youngsters,
who wish to be like me or aspire to
become a comedian, is that your life
and body should be lled with joy.
Your life and your mind should not
be in tension. Always be happy
and enjoy your life.”
He cracked a joke saying, “If
you take tension then your wife
in white sari will go and take
your pension.”
Chirag Wadhwani (left) a celebrity comedian of India with Vishwajeet Borwankar who is the Runner Up
of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa stands together before their show at Subrail Park in Labasa
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 16/32
NEW ZEALANDINDIA
Editorial
— Haruki Murakami
Thought of the week
Whatever i t is you’re seeking won’t comein the form you’re expecti ng
From the desk of theManaging Editor
“In the past, I often reached a point where I felt depleted when I had little
enthusiasm for work (and sometimes even for life in general). The best cure
I found was to inject a few happiness boosters into my daily routine. Today,
rather than waiting for my energy levels to drop dangerously low before I take a break,
I incorporate instant gratication into my life on a regular basis. These infusions of
moments of joy do not merely make me feel better in the moment, they often create
a current of enthusiasm and energy that helps me become more productive, more
creative, happier.
The challenge, as it often is, is to nd the right balance between delaying
gratication, and grabbing it. I leave that to you...”
—Tal Ben-Shahar from Choose the Life You Want
In today’s fast-paced life, it is often too easy to not stop even for a minute to checkin with yourself or to simply take a breather. We just seem to rush from one thing
to another, be it at work or home or in between running to children’s school or the
supermarket; the list of things to do is endless. It is exactly this running around that
leaves us depleted and devoid of energy to carry on, what we may generally call burn
out. It was, therefore, interesting to read what Tal Ben-Sahar has to say about taking
breaks and introducing instant gratication into your days. Sometimes it can be this
ne line that gets us ahead and keeps our energy and enthusiasm levels up. That’s
exactly how life is meant to be, isn’t it? It is not meant to be an unending chore that
we struggle to complete day after day.
While we are on the subject, it may be pertinent to mention the inclusion of our
new column—Soul Space. In this issue, we talk about meditation, but really the
message is the same. If we can make even a little time for ourselves and just breathe,
life will become that much better.
It is the time for our beginning of the year festivals—Lohri, Pongal and Makar
Sankranti. We have stories on each of these festivals and also snippets from our
readers on how they celebrate these festivals away from their home and families.On January 16, we also celebrate Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti. Guru Gobind Singh
was the 10th and one of the most celebrated gurus of the Sikhs. At a young age of 11,
Guru Gobind Singh succeeded his father. He always carried his two swords, which
are known as ‘Piri’ and Miri’. Both these swords denote Shakti and Bhakti. He fought
against the oppression of the Sikhs by the Mughal rulers. Guru Gobind Singh was the
last of 10 gurus and due to his huge contribution towards Sikhism, he is considered
the eternal guru. So greetings and warm wishes to all our readers on these festivals.
No matter what state or religion you belong to, to be able to celebrate together with
friends and family is the biggest joy of all.
Until next time.
Giri Gupta
Pick of the week
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) was snapped from a telescope at the Mt Lemmon SkyCenter, which is operated bythe University of Arizona. Adam Block, a local astrophotographer, took this i mage of the Orion Nebula.
DIY car cleaning tips• Clear out the cloudy headlights by
applying toothpaste on the lenscover and rubbing it with aplain cloth.
• Use a paint brush to
dust between the AC vents,and vaccum up as youbrush it of
• Use olive oil to polishthe leather on the dashboard
• Clean the wheels by usingcleaning powder and water
Indian Weekender : Volume 7 Issue 41
Publisher: Kiwi Media Group LimitedManaging Editor: Giri Gupta | [email protected]
Editor: Annu Sharma | [email protected]
Chief Reporter: Swati Sharma | [email protected]
Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | [email protected]
Reporter: Esha Chanda | [email protected]
Reporter: Kumar Suresh | [email protected]
Chief Technical Ofcer: Rohan Desouza | [email protected]
Sr Graphics and Layout Designer: Mahesh Kumar | [email protected]
Graphic Designer: Yashmin Chand | [email protected]
Accounts and Admin.: Farah Khan | [email protected]
Sales and Marketing: 022 3251630 / 021 1507950 | [email protected]
Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher
is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication
Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent
the views of the team at the Indian Weekender
Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, Auckland
Printed at Horton Media, Auckland
Copyright 2015. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.
Tip from the trenches
Word: Puckeroo
Meaning: Broken, useless
Usage: He had a compass but it was puckeroo
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 17/32
www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
17OPINION/EDITORIAL
Why is the US turning Indian students back?ARUN KUMAR
Call it pre-election rhetoric
or post Paris and St
Bernardino paranoia,
Indian students coming to
the US have been caught in
a bind, with many deported
or denied entry for no fault
of theirs.
They all came with valid
F-1 student visas issued by
US missions in India with
the requisite I-20 forms from
educational institutions certifying
their admission, but have been
sent packing back home at the
port of entry.
There are no ocial gures
available, but an estimated 60
to 70 students have been turned
back so far. The process of
deportation continues despite
New Delhi making a strong plea to
Washington to honour their visas.It all started from San Francisco
about two weeks after the
December 2 terrorist attack in St
Bernardino by a Pakistani couple,
with Air India asked to y back
14 Indian students who had come
to join two allegedly “blacklisted”
dodgy schools. Both Silicon Valley
University (SVU) in San Jose and
Northwestern Polytechnic (NPU)
in Fremont have denied being
“blacklisted” or “under any sort
of governmental investigation
or targeting”
NPU has even blamed the
whole mess “on the actions of
Air India” which after the rst
deportations declined to seat
US-bound students claiming it
had been informed by the US
Customs and Border Protection
(CBP) about the two schools being
under the scanner. NPU suggested
that Air India was not allowing its
students to board, as it has to y
back at its own cost any individual
denied entry to a country.
Air India is reported to have
now resumed bringing in Indian
students provided they commit to
pay for their return in case they
were not allowed to enter.
Over the last couple of weeks,
several students coming through
Chicago or New York and on other
airlines to join other schools,
some of them well reputed,
have also been turned back. Yet,
according to diplomatic sources,
the US has denied any large-scale
denial of entry of Indian students
and claims that CBP agents decide
each case on its own merit whether
it is genuine or not.
In some cases, the studentsdid not even know what courses
they planned to study, where
they would stay or how they
would meet their living expenses
as students are not allowed to
work. Some immigration ocers
are even giving spot tests to
incoming students.
A majority of students hail
from Andhra Pradesh but there
is apparently no racial proling
or targeting of Indian students
as students from other countries
including China too have been
denied entry.
NPU president Peter Hsieh,in a posting on the school’s
website, also said that several
incoming students had informed
that “as long as students have
proper documentation and
are able to answer questions,
they are being allowed into
the US. They also report that this
is not [only] limited to NPU or F-1
students but also to other foreign
travellers on H-1 visa and the
like,” he wrote.
But whether the system has
been gamed by some unscrupulous
elements is beside the point.There seems to be a dysfunction
between the consulates in India
and the border agents, informed
sources said.
The fact that so many students
have been denied entry indicates
that the US consulates in India
were not doing due diligence
before issuing visas.
Unless the US authorities can
nd a quick x, Indian students
who, according to the 2015 Open
Doors Report, make up 13.6 per
cent of the total international
students in the US, would continue
to suer.The US too stands to lose as
with a whopping 29.4 per cent
increase, a record high of 132,888
Indian students studying in the
US in 2014–15 academic year
contributed $3.6 billion to the
US economy.
Will Nawaz Sharif really book thePathankot masterminds ?AMITAVA MUKHERJEE
It is fortunate that theIndian government has
reacted with caution and
maturity to the terrorist strike
at the Indian Air Force base at
Pathankot, the rst grave crisis
faced by the government led by
Narendra Modi.
While guesswork and
accusations are being bandied
around about the involvement of
the Pakistan Army and the ISI in
the gruesome act, the incident has
presented the Indian government
with an occasion to probe further
into the ux and churning
inside the Pakistani civil and
army administration.
At least outwardly, Pakistan
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has
assured all cooperation in bringing
the culprits to book and promised
to take action in the leads provided
by India. Sharif’s posture and his
promptness in speaking to the
Indian prime minister clearly give
out the tension between him and
the Pakistani Army establishment.
As the situation stands today,
Nawaz Sharif is more of a titular
ruler of Pakistan and the actual
epicentre of the administration
has passed on to the army chief,
General Raheel Sharif, in the
name of the National Action Plan,a government programme to root
out terrorism.
But the Indian government
should try to reach out to the
Pakistani Army also, as in recent
years, it has revised its military
doctrine somewhat away from
its Kashmir centric policy and
incorporated into it a new chapter
called sub-conventional warfare
(SCW), which is nothing butan admission of the internal
fundamentalist threat.
The main thrust of SCW is,
no doubt, against the Tehrik-i-
Taliban Pakistan (TTP). However,
there is information that the
TTP is tying its knots with other
terrorist outts such as the Jaish-
e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-
Taiba et al. In that case, the army
might be in a predicament over
re-orienting its relations with
terrorist organisations.
A more uncomfortable
development for the army has
been the news that the TTP and
other fundamentalist terroristorganisations have penetrated
deep inside southern Punjab—
the most important recruitment
ground of the army. Although
the army has achieved signicant
success in North Waziristan,
there are reports that its Pashtun
elements are still surrendering
to the TTP while other non-state
actors are receiving signicant
help as a result of the radicalisationof the army and other
security apparatus.
But New Delhi should not
expect much from Nawaz Sharif as
he is known to enjoy good rapport
with militant organisations such
as the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SS) and
the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).
During the last parliamentary
election, the Pakistani
establishment was rife with
rumours that the Sharif family had
come to an understanding with
the SS by which it had guaranteed
the security of the Sharif family
in return for a good number of SS
leaders and cadres being released
from jail and accommodated in
government jobs in the Punjab
province, which is under the
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
(PML-N).
By a strange twist in fortune,
Nawaz Sharif now needs to send
positive signals to India to stand
up to the overbearing shadow of
the army. But the same man had
appointed Lt. Gen. Javed Nasser,
allegedly an infamous character,
as the ISI chief. This man was
allegedly the principal gure
behind forging a link with and
then providing shelter to Dawood
Ibrahim in Pakistan. He had also
airlifted arms to Bosnian Muslims
when the European Union
was desperately trying to keep
Bosnia united.
There is now a trenchant
criticism, mostly from the
Congress, about Narendra
Modi’s Pakistan policy. It now
appears that Modi should have
been more circumspect before
meeting Nawaz Sharif in Lahore.
On several occasions Sharif had
held out promises of peace and
justice, but that did not prevent
the Pakistani establishment
from releasing Zakiur Rahman
Lakhvi, the dreaded LeT terrorist
with a hand in the 2008 Mumbai
terror attack. Lakhvi has been put
behind the bars again but that has
not prevented him from carrying
on his activities.
During the 2013 general
elections Nawaz Sharif had
received at least moral support
from the TTP. Moreover,
he is known to enjoy a cosy
relationship with the LeJ, a
dreaded organisation accused of
carrying out murders of the Shias.
The PML-N cannot deny the fact
that it had given nominations to
LeJ operatives such as Abid Raja
Gujjar, Sardar Ebad Dogar and
Anjum Akeel Khan against whom
charges of murdering innocent
Shias are pending. Pictures ofNawaz Sharif with LeJ leaders
praying for electoral success before
the 2013 elections had gone viral in
the Internet.
The close relations between
the PML-N and the LeJ came
to limelight when the PML-N
government of Punjab province
had extended a monthly stipend to
Malik Ishaq, who was put behind
bars on charges of killing of Shias.
Rana Sanaullah, the provincial
law minister, tried to softpedal the
issue by saying that it was done on
court orders. Opposition leaders
averred that there was no such
judicial order.
Nawaz Sharif is putting to
practice the Takri Deobandi
ideology to which most of the
terrorist outts swear allegiance.
So will he be really able to bring
to book the masterminds of the
Pathankot terror attack?
But New Delhi shouldnot expect much from
Nawaz Sharif as he isknown to enjoy goodrapport with militantorganizations like theSipah-e-Sahaba (SS)and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 18/32
15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
l
18
India bets on technology to overcomechallengesFAKIR BALAJI
R acing against timeto realise the ‘Vision
2020’ former presidentA.P.J. Abdul Kalam conceived
in 1996, India has embarked
on a similar exercise for 2035,betting on emerging technologies
to overcome major challenges it
faces in ensuring inclusive growthand improving quality of life in
the country.“Technology is a key driver to
empower individuals, societies and
countries, facilitate developmentand enhance capabilities,
while taking advantage of the
democratic dividend,” says anocial document on ‘Technology
Vision 2035’.
The 100-page document,released by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi at the 103rdIndian Science Congress
attempts to envision the country’s
technology future, using asanalogy of four gaits of a horse—
galloping, cantering, trotting and
walking India. The documentarticulates a vision for all Indians
in 2035 and how technology will
bring it to fruition, keeping in view basic needs of security, prosperity
and identity of the population,
projected to be 153 crore from 120crore in 2012.
“No other country will be able to
match India in terms of diversity, which is its core strength. Besides
diversity in culture, the countryis blessed with socio-economic,
demographic, topographical
and agro-climatic diversities,”
the report by the Technologyinformation, forecasting
and assessment council(Tifac) asserted.
As an autonomous body, Tifac
is a think tank under the scienceand technology department of the
central government. It identied10 major challenges requiring
attention, resources and solutions
in the next two decades for the benet of people.
The key challenges are
development, empowerment,inclusiveness, sustainability,
environment, education, health,urban infrastructure, resources,
socio-economic policies, solutions,
electronic communication and
quality research.
The council, under thechairmanship of top nuclearscientist-cum-technocrat Anil
Kakodkar, identied 12 sectors to
realise the grand vision in the next20 years, spanning education,
medical sciences and healthcare,
food and agriculture, water,energy, environment, habitat,
transportation, infrastructure,manufacturing, materials and
information and communication
technology (ICT). Admitting that the ‘Technology
Vision 2020’ was a prisoner to
the imagination of its own times,Rajan said the document was from
the viewpoint of 1996 while that
of 2035 was from the standpointof 2014. “Post-independent India
has never been more dierent inany two decades than between1996 and 2014, as the country’s
GDP (gross domestic product)multiplied six times. If the 1996
document was an aspiration
of a developed India in 2020,this speaks to the realisation
of a developed India by 2035,”
Rajan asserted. Although the country galloped
in some areas and cantered to
keep pace in others, it trotted ina few but could not walk the talk
in many areas in time for variousreasons, internal and external.
In the past two decades, India
galloped in space, nuclear and
missile technologies, life sciences
and biotechnology, cantered in
civil aviation, services and road
transportation but trotted in food
and agriculture, manufacturing
and electronics. “On the ip side,
in healthcare, life span increased
by 10 years to 65 years from 1988
to 2013, while infant mortality
declined to 41 per 1,000 from 94
per 1,000 in the same period (25
years) and maternal mortality
slumped to 190 per 100,000
births in 2013 from a high of
560 in 1990,” the document
pointed out.
Flagging of the ve-day science
event on January 3, Modi told
about 12,500 stakeholders that
the biggest challenge would be
pressure on resources as they
were limited and non-renewable
like fossil fuels. “I am condent
that emerging technologies [such
as] nano, bio, robotics, sensors,
articial intelligence and cognitive
sciences hold the potential to
provide solutions to the challenge
of limited resources,” Modi said.
INDIA
SINGAPORE AIRLINES SPECIAL FARES TO INDIAN
SUB-CONTINENT STARTING FROM NZ$1400Outbound travel should commencebetween 24th Jan and 31st Oct 2016*Sale ends on 18th Jan 2016Limited availability.Black out period/flight restrictions applyand subject to availability
Call Now!Shell 021 915346Zulfi 021 915329Tony 021 915340
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 19/32
www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
19
Pakistan givesIndia ndings onPathankot attack
Pakistan submitted to India its initial
ndings on alleged Pakistani linksto the Pathankot terror attack
saying that the telephone numbers given
by India were not registered in Pakistan, a
news report here said.
A joint investigation team, formed
following a directive of Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif, submitted the initial ndings
on the alleged Pakistani links to the terrorist
attack on the Indian Air Force station
in Punjab’s Pathankot district earlier
this month.
“According to sources close to the
development, the investigation report has
been handed over to Indian authorities,”
The News International said.
It said Indian authorities provided
Pakistan details of telephonic conversations
that terrorists, believed to be Pakistanis,had had with their handlers and family
members from the air base. According to
the Indian authorities, the terrorists who
sneaked into Punjab and attacked the IAF
base on January 2 were aliated to the
proscribed outt Jaish-e-Mohammad.
The report quoted unnamed sources as
saying that the telephone numbers given by
India were not registered in Pakistan.
“The investigation agencies were
further investigating (leads) pertaining to
Pathankot attackers,” it said.
A media report said Pakistan’s Inter-
Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military
Intelligence were helping probe the
suspected Pakistani link to the terror
attack on the IAF base. The ISI, theMilitary Intelligence and the Intelligence
Bureau were part of a Joint Investigation
Team (JIT) formed following a directive of
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Express
Tribune reported.
The decision to form the
JIT was taken at a high-level
meeting chaired by Sharif “a
few days ago”, it said.
Pakistani news reports on
Friday had said that Sharif
directed the Intelligence
Bureau to probe the leads
provided by New Delhi on
the alleged Pakistani links to
the January 2 terror attack in
Punjab. The pre-dawn attack
on the Indian Air Force (IAF)station killed seven security
personnel. Security forces
killed all six attackers who
were said to have sneaked into
Punjab from Pakistan.
“Nawaz (Sharif) is taking
an active role in getting to
the bottom of the Pathankot
incident,” a source in the
Prime Minister’s House was
quoted as saying.
“He (Sharif) also discussed
the issue with army chief Gen
Raheel Sharif and took him on
board about the decision to
form a JIT,” it added.
India has providedIslamabad “actionable
information” on the terrorists’
alleged Pakistani links. New
Delhi wants Sharif to crack
down on those who planned the audacious
terrorist attack.
After the terror attack, Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif promised his Indian
counterpart Narendra Modi that his
government will act on information
provided by New Delhi on the terrorists’
alleged Pakistani links.
“Nawaz (Sharif) has assured his Indian
counterpart (Narendra Modi) that Pakistan
will investigate the matter and make the
results public,” the report said.
But Pakistani ocials have told their
media that the information given by India was not enough and may not stand scrutiny
in a court of law. The News International
quoted “highly placed diplomatic sources”
as saying that the foreign secretary-level
talks between Pakistan and India could
be deferred by New Delhi as there was no
information so far about the visit of the
Indian foreign secretary for the January 15
talks in Islamabad.
No communication has taken place
between Islamabad and New Delhi on
the foreign secretary-level talks since the
Pathankot attack, it said.
Pakistan does not want the foreign
secretary-level talks to get derailed as
they were expected to pave the way for
a comprehensive composite dialogue
covering all outstanding disputes, including
Kashmir, it added.
*Fees subject to change (local taxes and service charges may apply). Western Union also makes money from currency exchange. Subject to terms
and conditions of service. Funds may be delayed or services unavailable based on certain conditions, including amount sent, destination country,
currency availability, regulatory and foreign exchange issues, required receiver action(s), identification requirements, Agent locations hours,
difference in time zones or selection of delayed options. Additional restrictions may apply. See Western Union Send Form and Terms and Conditions
for details. Western Union transaction limits do apply. Network data as at 12 November 2015. ©2015 Western Union Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
moving money for better
SENDINGMONEY TO A
BANK ACCOUNTTHESE HOLIDAYS
Visit your localPostShop today
$10FROM
PLUS NO RECEIVER’S FEE*
Show your loved ones you’re thinking about them.
Send money direct to a bank account at one of over200 PostShops nationwide.
twitter.com/indianweekender
INDIA
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 20/32
15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
l
20 INDIA
NEWS in BRIEFGovt to continue reforms withsingle-minded focus: Jaitley
Union Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley said that
the Narendra Modi
government would continue with
the economic reforms with single-
minded focus.
Addressing the CII partnershipsummit in this coastal city in
Andhra Pradesh, he said the
government would continue with
reforms, which it failed to pursue
in recent months.
“Some of our reforms, which
we have missed out on in the
last few months, have to be
pursued with a single-minded
focus. We cannot aord a
change in direction, and in these
circumstances, every state has to
contribute,” the minister said.
Jaitley pointed out the
World Bank has lowered the
global growth forecast to 2.9
per cent while the growth ratesof economies across the world
are hovering around extremely
low gures.
“Many of our competing
economies are facing extremely
serious challenges. In an
integrated economy, a large
number of those challenges and
diculties gets spilled over.
“So because of the integrated
economy, what happens in China,
what happens in oil prices, impact
our markets. Our revenues also
get impacted, when the price
regimes are low because nominal
GDP gets reduced,” he said. He,
however, said that even under
the trying circumstances Indian
economy was doing well.
“India continues to remain
the fastest growing economy in
the world. So our 7–7.5 per cent
growth rate stands out amongst
the larger economies as bright
spot among global economy.”
The minister said he
believed that India can convert
these circumstances into an
opportunity because some of the
factors adversely impacting the
world suit the country.
Jaitley said after Start-Up
India, the government will launch
Stand Up India, which will be
available only to women and the
SC/ST entrepreneurs.
“Every public sector and
private sector bank, each branch
in the country has to fund one SC,
ST and one woman entrepreneur,”
he added.
Lauding the reforms initiated
by Andhra Pradesh, he said the
state was recording double-digit
growth and it would be one of the
key engines of growth.
Responding to a request made
by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister
N. Chandrababu Naidu, Jaitley
assured all help to the state
in dealing with the
post-bifurcation challenges.
He noted that Andhra has many
assets to become an investors’
destination because of dynamic
leadership and ecosystem Jaitley
hailed competition among states
that have been holding investors’
meets to attract investment, and
claimed that Prime Minister
Narendra Modi is successful in
converting cooperative federalisminto competitive federalism.
He suggested states improve
ease of doing business as
investors look for stability of
policy and business eco-system.
Nearly 1,600 delegates including
350 from US, China and 39 other
countries are attending the three-
day summit. CII director general
Chandrajit Banerjee said that this
is the largest ever turnout at the
Partnership Summit.
Eminent industrialists
including Anil Ambani, Baba
Kalyani, Naushad Forbes, G.M.
Rao and Adi Godrej were present
at the inaugural session.
Nepal PM invites Indian investment,says a lot lost due to agitation
A head of his visit to India
next month, Nepal Prime
Minister K.P. SharmaOli invited Indian businessmen
to invest in the Himalayan
nation, saying it had lost a lotdue to the agitation in the Terai
region and that all steps will betaken to create an
investor-friendly environment.
Interacting with a group ofvisiting Indian journalists, Oli
said Nepal had lost revenue and
income due to the more than four-month-old Madhesi agitation
in the southern Terai plains ofthe country.
“I request the business
community of India to comehere. Of course, due to the unrest
in the Terai, we lost a lot... not
billions but trillions of rupees.We lost income, revenue... No
industry is earning now butwe will immediately create an
investment-friendly situation,”
Oli promised.The southern plains have been
simmering with protests againstthe new Constitution for morethan four months now. More than
55 people, including agitators
and police personnel, have beenkilled during the agitation by the
Madhesi community. TheMadhesi protestors are
demanding, among other things,
a redrawing of the boundariesof the provinces as proposed
in the new Constitution andrepresentation in parliament on
the basis of population.
Nepal’s Left governmenthas held more than a score of
rounds of talks with leaders of the
Samyukta Loktantrik MadhesiMorcha, which is spearheading
the agitation, but without any breakthrough so far.
Oli said Nepal and India
can work together for sharedprosperity for entire South Asia.
Oli said South Asia had a “huge
population” and there were noapprehensions about existence
of market for business ventures.
“But we have to develop ourfeeling in that way... so that we
can work together and enjoy
better future together. I will liketo invite the business community
to work together for better
future of Nepal, India and South Asia,” he said.
“Nepal is committed andhonestly wants to create an
investment-friendly atmosphere,”
he said. According to data from the
Indian embassy here, Indian
rms are the biggest investors inNepal, accounting for about 38.3
per cent of Nepal’s total approved
foreign direct investment.There are about 150 operating
Indian ventures in Nepal engagedin manufacturing and services
that include banking, insurance,
education and telecom besidespower and tourism sectors.
Bilateral trade, which was 29.8
percent of Nepal’s total externaltrade in 1995-96, reached 66
percent in 2013-14. Exportsfrom Nepal to India were worth
$605 million in 2013-14 and
India’s exports to Nepal were
$4.81 billion-worth during thesame scal.
Nepal’s Deputy PrimeMinister, and Foreign Minister
Kamal Thapa had earlier thismonth announced that Oli will
in February embark on his rst
foreign visit post-assumption ofoce to India.
No shortage of medicines athospitals from February 1: Kejrwal
D
elhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the people will
not be denied medicines and consumables at government
hospitals since there will be no shortage of them from
February 1.“When poor people visit government hospitals, they don’t get all
the medicines. But from February 1, no patient will be told that the
medicines are out of stock,” he said here, adding a helpline would
be launched so that people can report the shortage of medicines at
government hospitals.
He stressed health and education would be the top two priorities
of his government in 2016. Shortage of medicines, which gure in the
list of essential drugs, at government hospitals has been a common
complaint in the capital. The Delhi government runs 38 hospitals.
Temple can’t prohibit entry of women devotees: SC
T
he Supreme Court, on Monday, January 11, said that unless
a temple had a constitutional right, it could not prohibit the
entry of the women pilgrims to oer worship. A bench of Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose
and Justice N.V. Ramana said this in the course of the hearing of a
petition by the Indian Young Lawyers Association challenging the
Sabrimala Ayyappan Temple’s custom of prohibiting the entry of
women devotees between 10 and 50 years.
Directing that it would examine the challenge to the custom
prohibiting the entry of women of this age group, the court observed
that a “temple can’t prohibit entry except on the basis of religion.
Unless you have constitutional right you can’t prohibit the entry”.
The court directed the next hearing of the matter on February 8.
Volkswagen to unveil compactsedan at Auto Expo
German car maker Volkswagen will be unveiling its sub-
four metre sedan designed for the Indian market and two
other models at the Delhi Auto Expo, the company’s Indian
subsidiary said.
In a statement, Volkswagen Passenger Cars said the Delhi Auto
Expo will see the world premiere of the sub-four metre Indian
compact sedan designed for the domestic market and made at its
Indian plant. The other two models that would be unveiled at the
auto expo are Passat GTE, a plug-in hybrid, and Tiguan, a sports
utility vehicle (SUV).
“The Indian compact sedan, our made-in-India and made-for-
India carline, is a truly special oering from the Volkswagen stable
with all the brand values of best in class safety features, build quality
and a great driving experience, and is expected to be a game-changer
for us.” Michael Mayer, director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India
was quoted as saying in a statement. “We will also be introducing
the New Passat to the Indian market in 2016.” The Auto Expo will be
held in Delhi next month.
Rs.11,000 crore fund for xingaccident prone areas
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari
announced a Rs.11,000 crore to x accident prone areas
across the country in the next ve years.
Announced as part of the “Road Safety Week” launched by union
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, safety measures also included a
website being launched to identify black spots where accidents
occur frequently.
“People can send information about such spots to the ministry
of road transport and highways which will further take up the issue
with the authorities concerned,” said Gadkari.
In Delhi, work on xing 10 black spots has already begun.
Noting that a Road Safety Authority will be constituted and a Road
Transport and Safety Bill will be placed shortly before parliament,
he asked all to take a resolve on road safety and bring down road
accidents by 50 per cent in (the) next ve years.
Rajnath Singh, expressing concern on nearly ve lakh road
accidents that occur in India every year, said all stakeholders (have)
to play eective role in ensuring safety on roads.
“There is a need for proper training of drivers before they are
issued driving licenses,” he said.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 21/32
www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
21INDIA ABROAD
Nikki Haley seen as potentialRepublican vice presidential pick ARUN KUMAR
South Carolina’s Indian-American
governor Nikki Haley’s choice
to give the Republican response
to President Barack Obama’s State
of the Union address has fuelled
speculation about her as a potential vice
presidential pick.
Born Nimrata “Nikki” Randhawa to
Sikh immigrant parents from India, Haley
at 43, the youngest governor in the country,
gave the Republican response to Obama’s
nal annual address to the Congress
Tuesday night.
“All this comes on the back of a
strong year that saw her prospects in the
veepstakes improve as Haley signed o
on legislation removing the Confederate
ag from Columbia and oversaw a state
battered by a tragic massacre and a massive
ood,” the Politico said.
In August, at the RNC summer meeting
in Cleveland, Haley was invited to be its
luncheon headliner, the Politico noted.
In recent months, Haley has fostered a
close relationship with Christie as well as
with two other Republican White House
hopefuls: Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush,
it said. Over the course of the primarycampaign, she has been exchanging text
messages with all three candidates.
Haley declined to reveal details of what
she plans to say, except to repeat that she
is giving an “address” to the nation rather
a “response” to Obama. “I certainly am
not one to compete against the president
or try to imply that I could be,” Haley told
reporters, according to Charlotte Observer.
Haley’s selection, the Observer said, is seen
as part of the Republican Party’s attempts
to win over female voters, who will have a
chance to elect the rst female president if
Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee.
But she called such talk a “waste of time”.
When asked about being given such
an honour, she smiled and said she was
humbled by it. “You have to know I always
go back to that ve-year-old Indian girlthat lived in Bamberg. That just wondered
what was out there,” Haley said.
Haley was rst elected South Carolina
governor in 2010, becoming both the rst
woman and the rst Indian-American to
hold the top oce in the state. She was re-
elected in 2014.
South Carolina’s Indian-American governor Nikki Haley’s
Indian American
community laudedThe transformational role
played by the Indian
American community
in the development of India-US
relations and its future potential
were underscored by India’s
Ambassador to the US Arun
K. Singh.
Opening an event to celebrate
the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas at
the Indian embassy on Friday,
January 8 he also highlighted the
importance of the day.
The event was well attended
with enthusiastic participation by
the Indian American community
members representing various
sectors including the government,
business, professionals, artists,
journalists and students.
Swadesh Chatterjee, a Padma
Bhushan awardee from North
Carolina, gave a talk on “Building
Bridges: How Indian Americans
Brought the US and India
closer together”.
Chatterjee recently published
a book highlighting the
contribution of Indian Americans
in various elds including energy
cooperation. Satyam Priyadarshy,president of The Indus
Entrepreneurs (TiE), which has
61 chapters across 17 countries,
spoke on “India’s Flagship
Projects and Indian Americans:
Promising Possibilities”.
He also underscored the ways
in which the Indian American
community can contribute to the
India’s organically connected
agship projects such as Smart
City Mission, Skill India, Digital
India, Make In India and
Swachh Bharat.
Indian-origin professor develops
new method to hunt dark matter A n Indian-American
professor has devised
a new method to
characterise dark matter that
can help hunt for the mysterious
space phenomenon.
Sukanya Chakrabarti, assistant
professor at Rochester Institute
of Technology in New York, uses
waves in the galactic disk to map
the interior structure and mass
of galaxies such as seismologists
analyse waves to infer properties
about the Earth’s interior.
Her team used spectroscopic
observations to calculate the
speed of the three Cepheid
variables—stars used as yardsticks
to measure distance in galaxies—
in the Norma constellation.
Chakrabarti used Cepheid
variables to mark the location of
a dark-matter dominated dwarf
galaxy approximately 300,000
light years away.
In contrast, the disk of the
Milky Way terminates at 48,000
light years. “The radial velocity
of the Cepheid variables is the
last piece of evidence that we’ve
been looking for,” Chakrabarti
said. “You can immediately
conclude that they are not part of
our galaxy.”
Invisible particles known as
dark matter make up 85 per cent
of the mass of the universe.
“The mysterious matter
represents a fundamental problem
in astronomy because it is not
understood,” Chakrabarti added.
Her method for locating
satellite galaxies is dominated by
dark-matter taps principles used in
seismology to explore the interior
of the galaxy. “We have made
signicant progress into this new
eld of galactoseismology where
by you can infer the dark matter
content of dwarf galaxies, where
they are, as well as properties of
the interior of galaxies by looking
at observable disturbances in the
gas disk,” Chakrabarti explained.
This new method to
characterise dark matter marks
the rst real application of the
eld of galactoseismology.
“It is very similar to seismology
in a sense because we’re tryingto infer things about the interior
of galaxies and how much dark
matter there is and how much
there has to be to produce these
disturbances,” she pointed out.
The study further questions the
standard paradigm that old stars
populate the dark matter halo and
young stars form in the gas-rich
stellar disks.
Chakrabarti’s ndings have
been submitted for publication in
Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Sukanya Chakrabarti
Arun K. Singh
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 22/32
SPORTS
Djokovic demolishes Nadal, winsQatar Open
W orld No.1 NovakDjokovic started
2016 with a title win
at the $1,283,855 Qatar Open bydefeating arch-rival Rafael Nadal
6–1, 6–2 in the men’s singles nal
on Saturday, January 9. With the win, the Serb bagged
the winner’s cheque of $201,165
and a glittering trophy stylised inthe shape of Qatar’s national bird,
a falcon. Djokovic had his grip onthe match right from the start,
it only got rmer as the match
progressed. In the rst game ofthe rst set, Nadal came rather
close to breaking Djokovic, but the
Serbian had other plans. He notonly retained his serve but broke
Nadal in the immediately with animpressive 40-15 margin to stamp
his class early. It would have been
40-0 had the left-hander not wona disputed line call.
Djokovic was clinical in his
approach, soon making it 3-0,enough to subdue the chants
of ‘vamos Rafa’. Nadal nallymanaged to win the fourth game
to crawl to 1–3. But the Serbian
was in no mood to settle with justone break, and claimed another
in the sixth to go 5–1 up. It was6–1 in no time and the set was in
Djokovic’s pocket.
With the rst set gone, Nadalhad been pushed to the wall,
psychologically at least.
There were rallies in the rstgame of the second set. The World
No.1 retained his serve to go2–0 up. Another rally in the fth
game resulted in another break
in favour of Djokovic and he wasalready 4–1 up. Djokovic won the
next game to go 5–1 up. With great
eort, Nadal retained his serve, but could do little when Djokovic
served in the last game of theevening. The Serbian retained his
serve 40–15 and with that the set was his 6–2. One and quarter of
an hour later, Djokovic was sitting
pretty with the title under his belt.“It’s a great feeling. What can
I say? I am living the best time of
my life and career. It’s easy to losecondence than it is to gain. I am
very grateful to have a start like
this in Doha. He always presentsa great challenge, the rivalry goes
back 10 years, but this is the rsttime I have beaten him set-to-set,”
said Djokovic.
Sania-Martina start
2016 with title winT
he world’s top women
tennis pair of Sania Mirzaand Martina Hingis
started the New Year on a brilliant
note by clinching the women’s
doubles title of the $1 million
Brisbane International at the
Queensland Tennis Centre on
Saturday, January 9.
The top seeded pair took
just an hour and 10 minutes to
beat German wild card pair of
Angelique Kerber, who lost the
women’s singles nal earlier in
the day to Victoria Azarenka ofBelarus, and Andrea Petkovic 7–5,
6–1 at the Pat Rafter Arena.
This is the Indo-Swiss pair’s
26th win in a row and the rst
title of 2016. They have now won
six titles on the trot—the longest
winning streak in the category
since the 1994 season when
Gigi Fernandez and Natasha
Zvereva were on a 28 match-
winning streak. Also, this is the
29-year-old Sania’s second victory
in Australia after partnering
American Bethanie Mattek-Sands
all the way to the title in 2013
while Martina was the defending
champion, having sealed the
crown with German Sabine Lisickilast year. The world’s top ranked
combine took o well by breaking
their opponents in the second
game to go 2–0 up. But the wild
card pair fought well and broke
Sania and Martina twice to take a
4–2 lead. The rst set turned out
to be quite topsy-turvy with both
pairs regularly failing to hold on
to their service games. However,
Sania and Martina rst levelled
the score at four-all and then wonon their serve to take a 5–4 lead
one more time in the set.
Serving at 5–6 down and trying
to push the set into the tie-breaker,
Angelique and Andrea failed to
do so with the top seeds taking
the set in 46 minutes. Unlike the
vigorously fought rst set, the
second one turned out to be more
or less a walkover with Sania and
Martina racing away to a 5–0 lead.
The German girls somehowmanaged to win the sixth game
on their serve but it was a little
too late as the Indo-Swiss pair
clinched the crown with ease in
the next few minutes.
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis have now won 26 consecutive matches, which is the second-beststreak in women’s doubles
Djokovic (L) beat Nadal (R) in straight sets to win the Qatar Open
15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
l
22
MESSI WINS FIFTH
FIFA BALLON D’ORL
ionel Messi won an
unprecedented fth
FIFA Ballon d’Or award,
given to the footballer of the
year, at a gala ceremony on
Monday, January 11, ending his
great rival Cristiano Ronaldo’s
two-year hold on football’s top
individual prize.
Either Messi or Ronaldo, who
became a three-time winner last
year, have won the past eight
awards. The FC Barcelona and
Argentine superstar’s reclaimed
the prize from three-time winner Portugal’s Ronaldo and
he now leads 5–3 in their career
duel for the annual FIFA prize.
Messi also shook o the
challenge of his Barcelona
teammate Brazilian Neymar
who was included on the
shortlist for the rst time. He
was handed over the award
by former AC Milan and Real
Madrid star Kaka who himself
won the award in 2007.
Messi received 41.33 per
cent of the votes, followed by
Ronaldo (27.76 per cent) and
Neymar (7.86 per cent). Messiinspired Barcelona to regain the
Champions League title among
ve major trophies in 2015,
scoring 52 goals in 61 games
with 26 assists.
Barcelona’s dominance was
shaped by the brilliance of
their incredible oensive trio of
Messi, Neymar and Uruguyan
Luis Suarez.
“It’s a very special moment
for me, winning another Ballon
d’Or after being in the audience
watching Cristiano win the last
two years. I want to thank all who
voted for me and my teammates,[without whom] none of this
would be possible. I want
to thank football for
everything it has
brought me, both
bad and good, it
has helped me
grow. Thank
you,” Messi
said after
w i n n i n g
the award.
T h e
C a t a l a n
c l u b ’ s
coach LuisE n r i q u e
was chosen
as the men’s
“World Coach of the
Year” after becoming
European champion
and winning the
Spanish league and cup,
European Super Cup and Club
World Cup. He eclipsed rivals
Pep Guardiola of Bayern Munich
and Jorge Sampaoli, who led
Chile to their rst Copa America
win earlier in the year.
America’s Jill Ellis won the
World Coach of the Year award
for women’s football. La Liga
dominated the FIFA FIFPro
World XI with eight entries, four
each from Barcelona and Real
Madrid, including the Ballon
D’Or nominees Messi, Neymarand Ronaldo.
Brazilian Wendell Lira won
the Puskas Award for the best
goal. The striker plays for Vila
Nova in the third tier in Brazil
but at the time of the goal was
playing for Goianesia. He earned
his side a 2–1 win with the strike
against Atletico-GO.
American Carli Lloyd was
named Women’s World Player
of the Year. Lloyd, 33, led the
United States to victory in the
Women’s World Cup in July,
memorably scoring a hat-trick
in the nal.The FIFA FIFPro World
XI: Goalkeeper: Manuel
Neuer; Defenders: Dani Alves,
Sergio Ramos, Thiago Silva,
Marcelo; Midelders: Andres
Iniesta, Paul Pogba,
Luka Modric;
Forwards:
Neymar,
L i o n e l
M e s s i ,
Cristiano
Ronaldo
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 23/32
KIDS ZONEwww.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
23
R ABBIT S AND
PAR R OT S CAN SE E
W HAT IS BE HIND
T HE M W IT HOUT
T UR NING T HE IR
HE ADS
D i d you
k n o w
KANGAROOS
CANNOT WALKBACKWARDS
Sendus stories,drawings,
poems and othercontributions by yourlittle ones along withtheir photographs for
this page. E-mail usat editor@
indianweekender.co.nz
SP OT 5 DIF F E R E NC E
D i d Y o
u K n o w
F IND T HE PA T H
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 24/32
15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
l
24 TRAVEL
Maldives: to the sunny side of lifeRAHUL DASS
The Maldives will take your
breath away! The gently swaying
palm trees, the talcum white
sand beaches and an emerald sea on
which the sunlight dances—all have
quite a mesmerising eect on the eye of
the beholder. As the aircraft eases down at Maldives
capital Male, the view is picture perfect.
As much as the aircraft’s small window
permits, the warm tropical paradise is
alluring. No wonder, the excitement
among the passengers, particularly the
honeymooners, is palpable.
The sea colour is striking. Closer to the
island is a distinct green of light jade, which
turns a deep blue a bit further away.
The Maldives has some 1,200 islands,
separated into a series of coral atolls. The
country lies just north of the Equator in
the Indian Ocean. For Indians, it is one
of those countries where visa is granted
on arrival. So, you just need to carry yourpassport and catch a ight.
It has a tropical climate where the year
is separated into two main seasons by the
monsoons—hottest in April and coolest in
December. The best time to visit is between
December and April when the weather
is sunny, with clear skies, low humidity
and excellent water clarity. A number of
gorgeous private island resorts, including
two stunning properties run by Club Med,
dot this archipelago of the Maldives.
As one disembarks at Male airport,
the sea is right there. One needs to take
a boat to travel to one of the resorts. The
fresh, bracing air and the ne water spray
as the catamaran cuts through the sea at
high speeds, making a superb beginning to
the holiday.
Holidaying in the Maldives is anenchanting experience, exotic in all
its aspects. With abundant sea life,
natural beauty, pleasant temperatures
and sandy beaches, it is renowned as a
tropical paradise. The memorable add-
ons include swimming, shing, water-
skiing, snorkelling, scuba diving, kite
boarding and windsurng. Snorkelling is
an experience in itself with the clear sea
oering a high visibility. Take a boat ride
to one of the spots, wear your ippers and
gear and jump into the inviting sea. A look
down is like being in a giant aquarium,
with multi-coloured sh gliding through
the water.Passing through a school of sh is an
exhilarating experience. One feels like
staying on and on in the water, but for the
g e n t l e
prodding from the diving experts who
accompany the group.
The corals here are straight out of
science books. All shapes, sizes and colours
of these fragile marine invertebrates can be
spotted on the sea bed, with the sun rays
illuminating them.
If one is of the adventurous, parasailing
is another option. A high-speed boat will
pull a bright coloured parachute on which
you are strapped and you just go up and up
with the wind. In no time, you are looking
at a wide expanse. To call the view stunning
would be an understatement.
One gets to see the distant horizon, where the sea merges into innity. The
water villas, with plenty of oomph factor,
look like small huts. The beautiful resorts
seem to be from la la land.
There are hosts of other options—laze
around on a sun bed, gaze at the sea, soak
in the bright sunshine and take long walks
on the beaches to feel the white sand that
just cascades through the toes, taking away
all your worries.
What to carry?
The Maldives is characteristically warm
and sunny. It’s best to pack light, airy
cottons or linens in sober bright colours.
Sunscreen (SPF 15 or greater) is a must and
so are swimming trunks, thanks to serene,inviting beaches and pools. Slippers or
loafers and a hat or scarf should complete
the summery ensemble.
Just pack your bags and head to this
nation of islands. It will leave you refreshed,
and rejuvenated—to the promised “sunny
side of life”.
Queenstown: a picturesque haven foradventure junkiesRADHIKA BHIRANI
T
he land, rivers, mountains and
sky—Queenstown serves up
adventure pursuits aplenty,
everywhere. Be there, and just go for it.
Whether it’s sailing, hiking, white water
rafting, jet boating, bungee jumping,
skydiving, paragliding, canyon swinging,
skiing, mountain biking or whatever more
to get your adrenaline pumping, this resort
town, nestled in the Southern Alps of New
Zealand, is a perfect stage for it all.
Setting sight on the hustle-bustle of
activities happened as soon as I drew the
curtains apart in my hotel room, which
gave me walking access to the front of the
glistening Lake Wakatipu. It was visibly
dotted with sails, kayaks and boats. The
backdrop was The Remarkables mountain
range, and it was sunset.
“Oh my god, if only I could settle here!”Queenstown can do that to you.
It has a compact town centre, where
everything is within walking distance,
including about 100 places to dine, which
are often alive during the day and night with
live music, and a beauty that’s remarkably
picture postcard perfect. What’s more? You
can see it from every height and angle.
Ask those why skydive from 15,000 feet!
Alas, it was a case of ‘been there, not
done that’ for me at the world-famous
Nzone Skydive, New Zealand’s rst Tandem
Skydive operation. Safety is priority here,
but what it takes is courage—lots of it.
“Take the plunge, take the plunge,”
people kept urging me. My heart said ‘No’.
Missing the skydive, especially after
daring to bungee jump during a past trip to
New Zealand, will remain a regret. So, hey,
if you’re there, just do it. Let the experts
and parachutes take care of the rest.
Queenstown is a resort town in the
south-west of New Zealand’s South Island,
some 900 km from the capital Wellington.It has its own airport. For many Indians,
the rst glimpse of the town’s beauty
came through the Bollywood blockbuster
Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai ,
starring Hrithik Roshan
and Ameesha Patel,
which was partially
shot here. Even the2010 release I Hate Luv
Storys, featuring Sonam
Kapoor and Imran Khan,
captured its beauty.
But a live experience
is of course, always hard
to match.
On another day, we
were to traverse the
infamous Skippers Road,
a mostly one-way, narrow
and steep way said to be
one of the world’s most
dangerous roads some
25 minutes away from
Queenstown. Scenesfrom Lord of the Rings
came alive in the mind
as we crossed some
breathtaking locations, at
parts of which the iconic
movies were shot.
Our destination was
the Shotover river, which
the guide told us, is the
world’s richest gold
bearing river of its size.
We were going jet boating,
with Sidharth Malhotra
along with the impressive company of
cricket greats Stephen Fleming, Simon
Doull and Scott Styris.
With the cold wind slapping us in the
face, eyes barely open, jet boating can turn
out to be quite a joyride as you feel your
adrenaline surge when you speed through
the narrowest canyons, often taking
180-degree spins just inches from the
canyon walls.
Look up at the sky during the ride, and
you’ll spot the deadly Kawarau Bridge
bungee site—the world’s rst commercial
bungee operation. Must be something to
just jump o from there, and no, I wasn’t
going to even try.
Also, if you nd some time, do take a ride
on Queenstown’s ‘Lady of the Lake’, which
was rst launched in 1912—the same year
as the Titanic left shore. One of the oldest
tourist attractions here, and said to be only
remaining passenger-carrying coal-red
steamship in the Southern Hemisphere,
it takes you on a mesmerising tour. Have
some hot chocolate while you’re aboard,
and soak in the beauty of the landscape.
Queenstown can make you forget your
worldly worries. A good enough reason to
go there.
Skydiving in picturesque Queenstown is a surreal experience
Left to right: Simon Doull, Stephen Fleming, Sidharth Malhotra and Scott Syris enjoy theirafternoon on a jet boat ride
Kayaking in Maldives
Relaxing at the Club Med Kani island resort
It has a compact towncentre, where everythingis within walkingdistance, including about100 places to dine, whichare often alive duringthe day and night withlive music, and a beautythat’s remarkably picturepostcard perfect. What’smore? You can see it fromevery height and angle.
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 25/32
www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
25FEATURES
Expand your social network
to enjoy healthier lifeT
he more social ties people have,
the better their health is during
adolescence and the golden years
of their lives, says a new study.
“Based on these ndings, it should be
as important to encourage adolescents and
young adults to build broad social
relationships and social
skills for interacting
with others as it is to
eat healthy and be
physically active,” said
one of the researchers
Kathleen Harris, professor
at University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill, US.
The study builds on
previous research that
shows that aging adults live
longer if they have more social
connections.
Specically, the team
found that the sheer size of a
person’s social network was
important for health in early and
late adulthood.
In adolescence, that is,
social isolation increased risk of
inammation by the same amount as
physical inactivity while social integration
protected against abdominal obesity.
In old age, social isolation was actually
more harmful to health than diabetes on
developing and controlling hypertension.
In middle adulthood, it was not
the number of social connections that
mattered, but what those connections
provided in terms of social support or
strain, the study said.
“The relationship between health and
t h e degree to which people are
integrated in large social
networks is strongest at
the beginning and at the
end of life, and not so
important
in middle
a d u l t h o o d ,
when the quality, not the quantity, of social
relationships matters,” Harris said.
For the study, the researchers drew ondata from four nationally representative
surveys of the US population that, together,
covered the lifespan from adolescence to
old age.
The study was published in the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences.
Heartburn pills may raisekidney disease risk
Popping common over-the-counter
pills for controlling stomach acid,
gas and heartburn daily may put
you at chronic kidney disease risk in the
long run, a team from Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore, and others have
cautioned.
Most commonly prescribed pills like
Omeprazole, Rabeprazole
and Pantoprazole,
which come under the
group called proton
pump inhibitors
(PPIs), appear
to be associated withan increased risk of chronic kidney disease,
warn the researchers.
They, however, say that more research
is needed to determine whether PPI use
causes kidney damage.
“Our study is observational and does not
provide evidence of causality. However, a
causal relationship between PPI use and
CKD could have a considerable public
health eect given the widespread extent
of use,” the authors noted in an article
published online by the journal JAMA
Internal Medicine. The ndings suggest
that up to 70 per cent of these prescriptions
are without indication and that 25 per cent
of long-term PPI users could discontinue
therapy without developing symptoms.
“Indeed, there are already calls for the
reduction of unnecessary use of PPIs,” thestudy noted.
For the study, Morgan E. Grams from
Johns Hopkins and co-authors quantied
the association between PPI use and
incident CKD in the general population
using data on self-reported PPI use in
the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities
(ARIC) study.
In the ARIC group, there
were 56 incident CKD
events among 322
baseline PPI users
(14.2 per 1,000-person
years) and 1,382 events
among 10,160 baseline
nonusers (10.7 per 1,000
person-years).PPI use was associated with risk
of incident CKD in unadjusted and
adjusted analyses.
The 10-year estimated absolute risk of
CKD among the 322 baseline PPI users
was 11.8 per cent while the expected risk
had they not used PPIs was 8.5 per cent,
according to the results.
The authors, however, note that
participants who are prescribed PPIs
may be at higher risk of CKD for reasons
unrelated to their PPI use.
Parents spend more time onFacebook than non-parents
Mobile devices have become
vital tools for parents and they
spend 1.3 times more time on
Facebook than non-parents, a study by
Facebook IQ said.
“Having a child changes everything,
including parents’ relationship with their
mobile phones. Moms’ and dads’ mobile
phones have become their lifeline to
managing schedules, keeping tabs on teens
and sharing their kids’ key milestones,”
Facebook IQ said in a blog post.
“By observing behaviour on Facebook,
we see that parents overindex on mobile
usage. In fact, parents globally spend 1.3X
more time on Facebook mobile than non-
parents,” the blog added.
The social network’s research arm
interviewed parents aged 25 through 65 in
eight markets—Australia, Brazil, Canada,
Germany, Mexico, Spain, Britain and the
US and analysed Facebook and Instagram
data with the help of Ipsos MediaCT and
Sound Research.
Millennial parents (aged 18 through
34) were 30 per cent more likely than
baby boomer parents (50 through 65) to
use their mobile devices to make more
informed purchase decisions, the study
noted.
According to the study, 83 per cent
of parents said they have access to more
information than their parents did. While,
70 per cent of millennial parents said they
are more informed than their parents were,
76 per cent of baby boomers said they
gained access to the Internet and mobile
devices at later stages in life.
Interestingly, more than 50 per cent of
parents said their child or children have
more impact on purchasing decisions than
they did while growing up.The study also revealed that while
parents are sharing more decisions with
their children, they are also learning to
prioritise their own needs so they can be
better equipped to tend to their family.
“Parents are increasingly realising
that if they take care of themselves rst,
they will be able to deal with their daily
responsibilities and stresses and tend
to their family’s needs in a loving and
energetic way,” the blog further read.
Turning off e-mail app on
phone can make you happier I
f reducing stress is on your mind,
turning o the e-mail app on your
phone can be an easy and inexpensive
way to bring happiness back into your life,
new research suggests
E-mail can simultaneously be a great
communication tool and a source of
frustration and stress, the ndings showed.
In a survey of around 2,000 people,
London-based Future Work Centre found
that people who automatically receive
e-mail on their devices are more likely to
report higher levels of e-mail pressure.
The study also pointed out that checking
e-mail earlier in the morning or later atnight is associated with higher levels of
e-mail pressure.
“People who reported higher levels of
e-mail pressure also experienced greater
interference between work and home,” the
report said.
However, how much e-mail pressure
you feel and the extent to which it interferes
with your work-life balance may depend on
your personality.
“Our research shows that e-mail is a
double-edged sword. Whilst it can be a
valuable communication tool, it is clear
that it is a source of stress of frustration
for many of us,” lead author Richard
MacKinnon, insight director, Future Work
Centre, was quoted as saying by Daily Mail .“The people who reported it being
most useful to them also reported
the highest levels of email pressure,”
MacKinnon noted.
Managers experience signicantly
higher levels of e-mail pressure when
compared to non-managers, the results
of the survey showed. “But the habits we
develop, the emotional reactions we have to
messages and the unwritten organisational
etiquette around e-mail, combine into
a toxic source of stress which could be
negatively impacting our productivity and
wellbeing,” MacKinnon said.
Indian
Weekender
To advertise, Call022 - 3251630/021 - 1507950
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 26/32
15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
l
26 FEATURES
Take a power break MAYA SHIVAM
Meditation, a word that can be a
bit daunting for a few people.
Many could be too quick to
say that it is not for them while others
might think of it as a practice for the saints
and sages.
I have been meditating for more than
20 years now and have been introducing
my (very social, party going professional
high yers) friends to it for more than 10
of those years. Needless to say, our tribe/
bunch has seen innumerable benets in our
lives as a result of our practice. However
this must be said that “to take up is easy to
continue is dicult”. But those of us who
have persevered and continued our practiceregardless, are here to share the proof “of
the pudding”. In this rst serve of Soul
Space, we thought we’d start right at the
beginning and do a little introduction into
the world of meditation. This is not meant to
be a religious discourse or a claim of being
a master. This is merely sharing a journey
that is personal and could be dierent
for everyone.
Meditation is no longer an “airy fairy”
concept, but scientic research can clearly
demonstrate the benets of meditation on
the human brain and body. Some of these
benets are now being conrmed with MRI
or EEG scans. The practice appears to have
a variety of neurological benets, fromchanges in gray matter volume to reduced
activity in the various “ght or ight” centers
of the brain to enhanced connectivity
between brain regions. A recent study by
Harvard University was actually able to
prove that Meditation had the power to even
alter one’s DNA—the basic fabric of life. So
if something can alter things at such a deep
basic level, imagine the changes it could
make to our lives on the surface? Skeptics,
of course, may ask what good are a few
brain changes if the psychological eects
aren’t simultaneously being illustrated.
Luckily, there is now evidence for those as
well. Studies report that meditation helps
relieve levels of anxiety and depressionand improve attention, concentration, and
overall psychological well-being. There
are people from around the world who are
claiming to have turned around even serious
medical conditions through meditation and
the power of the mind.
Meditation could be of many types and
because this is such a personal practice, it
is really up to each one of us to decide what
works for us. I have randomly picked up
ve main kinds of meditation practices as
an introduction here. Needless to say, your
personal practice does not need to conformto any one or more of these traditional
practices. These are:
Primordial Sound Meditation (PSM)
PSM is a silent practice that uses a
mantra, a lot like the Hindu meditation
practice. The mantra you receive is the
vibrational sound the universe created
at the time and place of your birth. It’s
calculated following Vedic mathematic
formulas and is very personal and specic
to you. You could even have received it
through your guru or mentor.
Saying your personal mantra, over and
over in your mind, while you concentrate
on your “third eye” (or not, whatever works for you), helps you to enter deeper
levels of awareness by taking you away
from the intellectual side of the brain.
PSM is generally practiced sitting down,
comfortably at a place where you are
unlikely to be disturbed. Dr Deepak Chopra
and Dr David Simon founded this method.
Famous practitioners:
Deepak Chopra and Lady Gaga
Mindfulness Meditation
Established by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979
and now being oered in medical centers,hospitals, and clinics around the world,
Mindfulness Meditation or Mindfulness-
Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) classes
are often taught by health professionals,
to create a partnership in care between the
patient and the medical team.
This technique uses both breath and
body awareness. Breath awareness is just
as it sounds—your attention is focused on
the inhalation and exhalation. The Body
awareness/scan is a process of focused
attention on the physical body starting at
the toes and working your way up to the top
of your head with heightened awareness.
While you do this, you become aware of
any area where you might be holding on tosome tension and then actively relaxing or
releasing the tension or stress. This practicemay be done seated, laying down, or
walking depending on the focus of practice.
Famous practitioner:
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Buddhist or Zen Meditation
This is also referred to as Zazen, which
literally means “seated meditation.” It
comes from Buddhism, which is more of
a philosophy than a religion. You acquire
insight through observing the breath and
the mind. Often times this practice involves
chanting of a mantra.
Famous practitioners:
Dalai Lama and Richard Gere
Kundalini MeditationMeditation in the Kundalini Yoga
tradition entails specic, practical tools
that carefully and precisely support the
mind and guide the body through the use of
breath, mantra, mudra (hand position), and
focus. The range and variety of meditation
techniques in the Kundalini Yoga tradition
are very large.
There are dierent meditations that
reduce stress, work on addictions, increase
vitality, and clear chakras, to name a few.
Since these meditations are so specied,
working with a teacher is a large part of
this tradition.
Famous practitioners:
Sting and Jennifer AnistonThere are many other forms of
meditation and for those who may nd
themselves inspired after reading this, I
can only encourage them to either search
for “your own” practice online or reach
out to someone who you think already
practices. There are several guided
meditations available online. You could
check out Deepak Chopra’s Chopra Centre
website, or myheadspace.com or others
as a starting point. You could also write
to [email protected] for
more information.
Next time we will talk about the various
benets of meditation in some more detail.
Until then, take some time out, sit still and just breathe.
Kite festivalDate: Saturday, Jan 16 - 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Venue: Avondale Racecourse, 90 Ash
Street, Avondale, Auckland
A family day out with kite ying, stageperformances, face painting, food stalls,colour competition and many more funactivities. Buy rae ticket to go into the
draw to win Return air ticket for India. Freeparking available. For more information,contact Manhar Patel on 09 6270380.
Pongal and Chennaiood relief fundraisingprogramme
Date: Sunday, January 31
Time: 6 pm onwards
Venue: Mt Eden War memorial Hall, 489
Dominion Rd,
Mt Eden, Auckland
Muthtamil Sangam Inc. is organising afundraiser to help Chennai ood victims. Itis also an opportunity to celebrate Pongalwith the community. The entertainment
includes Tamil folk dance by AnujaySchool of Dance, drama by MervinConstantine and team and karaoke musicby Ravi Muthumanikam and team. Entryfee for adults is $15, children aged 4and above $10. Collected funds will bedistributed through Agaram foundation.
Free employmentassistance workshopsDate: Tuesday, January 19, Tuesday,
February 2 and Wednesday, February 10
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on January
19 and February 2 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
on February 10
Venue: Auckland Regional Migrant
Services (ARMS), 532 Mt Albert Road,
Three Kings
ARMS is organising two free job searchworkshops for new migrants. Theworkshop provides new Kiwis with adviceand guidance on nding work, writing aCV and cover letter, answering interviewquestions and communicating withpotential employers. The seminar is opento newcomers on full work visas and whohave been in New Zealand for less thantwo years.On Wednesday, February 10, ARMS is
holding a special LinkedIn workshop,teaching migrants how to use professionalnetworking website to improve theirchances of nding work. The workshopis open to all migrants and costs $15.Toregister and for more information, contact
ARMS on [email protected] orcall 09 625 2440.
Sun and Sound— Takapuna BeachDate: Saturday, January 16
Time: noon to 11:30 p.m.
Venue: Takapuna Beach, The Strand, Auckland
Sit back and tune into the fresh funkysounds of Auckland’s premium summerDJs. Head to Takapuna for a day of sun,sound, beer, food and beach games.General admission tickets are priced at$29.
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 27/32
www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
27SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
‘Villages on the mooncan be reality by 2030’ V
illages on the moon,
constructed through
cooperation between
astronauts and robotic systems
on the lunar surface, can become
a reality as early as 2030, a group
of scientists has predicted.
Scientists are exploring the
idea of “moon villages” that can
serve as a potential springboard
for future human missions to
Mars and potentially other deeper
space missions.
In order for that vision to
become a reality, scientists must
rst determine if the resources on
the Moon are as signicant as we
think they are.
“We keep talking about lunar resources
but we still need to demonstrate they can
be used a (that) they are, in fact, reserves,”
said Clive Neal, a planetary geologist fromthe University of Notre Dame in the US.
The ground truth verication of deposit
size, composition, form and homogeneity
requires a coordinated prospecting
programme as a rst step.
“The next step would demonstrate
extraction techniques followed
by renement of the product into
usable commodity.
“A successful programme would then
clearly demonstrate that lunar resources
can enable solar system exploration,”
he said. Neal’s research explores the origin
and evolution of the Moon, focusing on the
petrology and geochemistry of returned
samples coupled with geophysics and other
remotely sensed datasets.
It looks at the geophysical
instrumentation and investigations of the
Moon, formation of impact melts, and more
basalt petrogenesis.
In this regard, the European Space
Agency (ESA) hosted a symposium
titled “Moon 2020-2030– A New Era
of Coordinated Human and Robotic
Exploration”, in the Netherlands recently.
According to Neal, who attended the
conference, the ESA meeting highlighted
technology development in terms of
precision landing, robotic sample return,
and cryogenic sampling, caching, return
and curation.
NASA mission nds100 new alien planetsN
ASA’s planet-hunting revamped
Kepler mission has found morethan 100 conrmed planets
orbiting other stars.
The information about the planets,
some of which are dierent from what thespacecraft observed during its original
mission, was shared by University ofArizona’s Ian Crosseld at a conference
of the American Astronomical Society,
National Geographic reported. Accordingto the report, many newly-found planets are
in multi-planet systems and orbit stars thatare brighter and hotter than the stars in the
original Kepler eld.
It has also found a system with threeplanets that are bigger than Earth, spotted a
planet in the Hyades star cluster—the nearest
open star cluster to Earth—and discovered aplanet being ripped apart as it orbits a white
dwarf star.“Scientists have also found 234 possible
planets that are awaiting conrmation,”
Andrew Vanderburg of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said.
Meanwhile, Tom Barclay of NASA’s Ames
Research Centre said that spacecraft isprobing dierent types of planets (than the
original Kepler mission). With a mission to determine how
common Earth-like planets are, Kepler
stared at the same patch of star-lled sky,watching for periodic blips in starlight
caused by orbiting planets and from
2009 to 2013, Kepler discovered morethan 1,000 new planets.With a tweak
to its steering ability, scientists rectied
the mechanical malfunction of Kepler’slost ability to stare at the same exact
spot. Since then, K2 has been spying on
supernovas, and studying planets orbitingour star.
In 2014, it spent about 70 days observing
Neptune, studying the ice giant’s extremely windy weather and would also attempt to
spot planets that are wandering through thegalaxy without stars of their own.
Among its notable discoveries, K2
has spotted strong evidence of a tiny,rocky object being torn apart as it spirals
around a white dwarf star and discovered
a new planet orbiting two stars and located within its host stars’ “habitable zone”, the
area around the stars in which life could
potentially exist.It also collected data to reveal that our
solar system was born 4.6 billion years agoand only eight percent of the potentially
habitable planets that will ever form in the
universe existed. ASA’s Kepler mission had also conrmed
the rst near-Earth-size planet in the
“habitable zone” around a Sun-like star.
Scientists are exploring the idea of "moon villages" that can serve as apotential springboard for future human missions to Mars and potentially otherdeeper space missions
CES 2016—THE MAGNIFICENT SEVENMAHESH K
The year has started with a big bang
for tech enthusiasts. Every yearin January, CES or the Consumer
Electronics Show takes place in Las Vegas.The show marks new product launches and
sets the tech trend for the year to come.
This year, too, CES 2016 unveiled somecool gadgets and tech concepts, ranging
from automobiles, televisions, mobile
devices to virtual reality, wearable devicesand drones.
While I haven’t been to CES myself
(maybe next year), I have scanned everyreport from tech journals, blogs, etc. and
below are seven of my favourite gadgetsor products.
Faraday Future FFZero1 Concept
If you are a car lover (and who isn’t),
you must have got the buzz about FFZero1.
Faraday Future—the new kid on the electricluxury cars block—sprang this ‘concept
racing car’, which looks like a batmobile or acar time-travelling from
the future. Even
t h o u g hthe car
might not
see the road being just a ‘concept’,it did showcase the ability of Chinese-
backed Faraday Future that designed this
electric, 1,000-horsepower single-seater
with carbon bre body in just 18 months.
It is an impressive platform and greattechnology, which promises production
models that might be coming soon.
Watch out, Tesla!
Chevy Bolt
While Tesla and Faraday Future fuel ourfantasies with their luxurious EVs, Chevy
Bolt might be the EV that most of us will be practically content with. Yes, ‘practical’
is the word here. It is an aordable yet
powerful oering that boasts of a 200-plus mile range, plenty of space with
comfortable seating for ve. GM is alsoproud of the infotainment
system that
features astunning 10.2-inch
t o u c h s c r e e n
‘ M y L i n k ’system. So
for aroundU S $ 3 0 , 0 0 0 ,
you could say goodbye to
petrol and go fully electric instyle.
Casio WSD-F10
With almost every OEM launching
a smartwatch, Casio too jumped the fray.It unveiled its rst Android wear-based
smartwatch WSD-F10 at CES 2016. It is
tougher and rugged with water-resistance
up to 50 metres and MSL-STD-810 militarycompliance. The watch has a 1.32-inch
screen with a resolution of 320x300. You can choose between monochrome
and full-colour mode. Sensors onboard
include a pressure sensor, compass andaccelerometer with the ability to check
altitude, air pressure, tide graphs and
trek activity. At US$500, it does not come cheap.
WSD-F10 goes on sale in April.
Ehang passenger drone
It’s a drone, but it’s not un-manned.
Ehang, a Chinese drone maker, launchedEHang 184, an Autonomous Aerial Vehicle
(AAV), which can seat a human. Accordingto the company, it is the safest, eco-est and
smartest low-altitude autonomous aerial vehicle, aiming at providing medium-short
distance communication and transportation
solution. This beautifully designed dronecan y at a top speed of 100 kilometres per
hour, at a maximum altitude of 11,000 feet
on a roughly 23-minute trip. The all-electricdrone will have to clear various safety
checks and policy makers before you can
get inside it.
HTC Vive
At this year, virtual reality outshone
reality itself, from Oculus to HTC and many
other companies showcasing their versionof VR headsets. HTC got some rave reviews
for Vive. It is pretty slick and combines
the virtual world with the real and lets youimmerse in your game while still being
aware of your real space. You need tocheck the demos out on YouTube or HTC’s
website! It is awesome!
Bang & Olufsen’sBeoLab 90
Stunning! Gorgeous! Out of the world!
This describes B&O’s new speakers. Whilethey look pretty and beautiful, they are
a beast when it comes to sound. You cancontrol them through your smartphone
and get dierent directional modes. Thereare 18 state-of-the-art loudspeaker drivers,
which can be controlled to customise sound
for either solo listening, group listening orradial mode for 360-degree sound. In total,
the ampliers can deliver up to 8200 watts
per loudspeaker. And did I mention theylook amazing?
Withings Thermo
The humble thermometer is going
high-tech. Withings’ WiFi-connectedthermometer, Thermo, can be used by just
hovering over the skin. Designed for littleones, it can be used by parents without waking up or disturbing the baby. I t’s less
invasive and thus more hygienic. FeaturingHotSpotSensor technology, it even has a
dedicated app to track readings and get
reminders. It has 16 infrared sensors andcan read temperature accurately in only
two seconds.
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 28/32
15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
l
28 ENTERTAINMENT
Anushka to staropposite Salmanin Sultan
B
ollywood actress Anushka Sharma
has been nalised as the female
lead opposite superstar Salman
Khan for the upcoming lm Sultan, said astatement from Yash Raj Films.
Anushka, who made her debut in Hindi
cinema in 2008 took to Twitter, to share a
photograph of herself hugging the Dabangg
star. The NH10 actress captioned the image
saying: Sultan.
Produced by Aditya Chopra and written-
directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Sultan, which
has been shot in Karjat, is reportedly based
on the life of a wrestler.
One of the ttest stars of Bollywood,
Salman has gone through intensive training
for wrestling and mixed martial arts for
Zafar’s directorial with international action
director Larnell Stovall.
Sultan is slated to release on Eid 2016.
Being an outsider, I’mworking with goodpeople: Aditi Rao
A ctress Aditi Rao Hydari, who has
shared screen space with megastar
Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan
Akhtar in Wazir, says she’s glad that even
though she doesn’t have a Bollywood
background and is an “outsider” in the
Hindi lm industry, she is “working with
really good people”.
Aditi had, in an earlier interview,
said that she felt like an “outsider” in
the industry.
Asked if having done lms such as
Delhi-6, Yeh Saali Zindagi , Khoobsuratand now Wazir, has changed her views,
Aditi said here: “When I say I’m an outsider,
I mean that my family is not from the
industry... There are so many people who
struggle to get into the industry and being
that outsider, I am working with really
good people.” The 29-year-old actress plays
Farhan’s wife Ruhana in Bejoy Nambiar-
directed Wazir. Aditi says she doesn’t know
“how the industry works”, so she “learns
something new every day” and “looks at it
as positive thing”. “Sometimes it makes you
weak, sometimes it makes you excited but
mostly it’s magic, because I feel privileged
every day,” she added.
The Boss actress said she loves “being an
actor”. “I love being a drama queen in frontof the camera. I really enjoy it.”
India needs lm likeGandhi vs Aazaad :Director
A bhay Kumar, who is set make his
directorial debut with Gandhi vs
Aazaad , says India desperately
needs a lm like this.
“I feel today’s youth, in fact India,
desperately needs a lm like Gandhi vs
Aazaad . It’s a controversial lm, but it also
depicts some facts from Indian history.
The world will see the other side of Gandhi
which they have not seen yet,” Abhay said.
Abhay, grandson of the Bombay Talkies
studio founder Raj Narayan Dube, has
decided to revive the banner with the anti-
Gandhi lm. Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar and
Meena Kumari-starrer Baadbaan was the
last lm released by the studio in 1954.
He said the lm was in its editing stage.
“Almost 95 per cent of the lm is ready. I
am planning to release it in February but
let’s see.” The historical drama will also see
Abhay in the title role of revolutionary hero
Chandra Shekhar Azad.
Big B, Ranveer shareBest Actor award
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan
shared the Best Actor award(male) with Ranveer Singh at
the Screen Awards 2016.
While Big B was honoured for his role in
Piku, Ranveer was adjudged the best actor
for his spectacular work in Bajirao Mastani .
The award for the Best Actor in female
category went to the amboyant Deepika
Padukone for her stunning performance
in Piku.
Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor
was conferred with the Life Time
Achievement award.
Meanwhile, the award for the popular
choice in male and female categories
went to Shah Rukh khan, for Dilwale, and
Deepika for Bajirao Mastani respectively.
Versatile actor Irrfan Khan bagged the
Jury Choice Best Actor (Male) and KalkiKoechlin won the Jury Choice Best Actor
(Female).The red carpet of the gala event
witnessed the presence Amitabh Bachchan,
Sonam Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi
Sinha, Subhash Ghai, Shabana Azmi
and Rishi Kapoor among others.
Katrina saysFitoor new despitehaving read GreatExpectations
A ctress Katrina Kaif considers her
upcoming drama Fitoor a freshlm despite having read the
Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations
on which it is based.
“I’ve read the book and I’ve seen the lms
that have been made on it. So when I got the
script from Abhishek, I really just judged it
on as an entirely new movie because most of
the people who’ll see the lm will probably
not have read the book,” said Katrina, who
was present with her co-star Aditya Roy
Kapur and director Abhishek Kapoor to
promote the lm at a radio station.
“Honestly, I found it to be one of the
most romantic stories I’ve ever heard and
ever read. For me that was instantly where
I wanted to be a part of it because I think
everybody loves romance and passion. And this lm just depicted it in a beautiful,
classic way,” she added.
Great Expectations, rst published in
1861, has been adapted into various lms,
plays and television shows and even novels.
After adapting Chetan Bhagat’s Three
Mistakes Of My Life for Kai Po Che, Kapoor
has taken up a novel again.
“I had read the book several years earlier,
during my childhood in school. The heart
and soul of the book is very basic... in any
country or place, people are able to relate
to this story because it is about love and
about heartbreak.
However, lead actor Aditya, who plays a
character inspired from the character Pip,
hasn’t read the book. “Gattu (Abhishek) had
adapted the book into a script. And If I wasgoing to read the book and those elements
are not going to be there in the script,
then it would not make any sense because
I’d be looking for things that don’t exist.
Fitoor also stars Tabu in a
pivotal role.
Wazir mints Rs.5.57crore on opening day
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan and
actor-lm-maker Farhan Akhtarstarrer action thriller lm Wazir
collected Rs.5.57 crore on its rst day.
The Bejoy Nambiar directorial, which
released on Friday, has received a good
response in multiplexes. The lm collected
Rs.4.07 crore overseas on rst day, thustaking its opening day worldwide total to
Rs.9.64 crore.
“It is very touching that a lm, which
opened at 10 per cent was running at 80–
90 per cent in most cinemas by the time
the day ended on Friday. It is running to
almost full houses today (Saturday), and
I’m grateful to my audience for that,”
lm-maker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who has
produced the lm, said in a statement.
The lm, which also stars Aditi Rao
Hydari, Neil Nitin Mukesh and John
Abraham among others, tells the story of
two unusual friends—a paralysed chess
grandmaster (Amitabh) and a grief-stricken
ATS ocer (Farhan).
Priyanka wins‘Favourite Actress’at People’s Choice Awards 2016
Bollywood actress and former Miss
World Priyanka Chopra made India
proud yet again. She won a People’s
Choice Award for her international acting
debut as FBI agent Alex Parish in American
TV thriller series Quantico. She is said
to be the rst South Asian actress to win
the honour.
Priyanka was named the Favourite
Actress in a New TV series at the gala last
week in Los Angeles. She was pitted against
actresses like Emma Roberts, Jamie LeeCurtis, Lea Michele and Marcia Gay Harden.
Ecstatic with the victory, Priyanka said:
“I’d like to thank everyone who voted for
Quantico. It is my rst year in the US, and
to come to another country and actually
get this kind of acceptance is I guess what
America is all about.”
“So, thank you for accepting me, thank
you to my mom, my manager, the cast
and crew, the writer, ABC...everyone. I’m
really overwhelmed.”
She was given the trophy by Hollywood
action star Vin Diesel, who also gave a
touching tribute to his late Fast and Furious
co-star Paul Walker by singing the song See
you again during the course of the show.
Priyanka looked glamorous in a
shimmery dress by American fashion
designer Vera Wang, and stood out with
her smoky eye make-up. A National Award-
winning actress in India, Priyanka’s acting
repertoire includes lms such as Andaaz ,
Aitraaz , Krrish, Fashion and Mary Kom.
Her last big screen outing as Kashibai in
Bajirao Mastani last year has also won
praises galore. The People’s Choice Award—
which recognises the people and the work
of popular culture through votes given by
the general public—for Priyanka comes as a
llip to her international career, which rst began as a singer in 2012 with her single
In my city. She went on to collaborate with
American rapper Pitbull for Exotic in 2013.
Priyanka will next be seen onscreen in the
forthcoming Bollywood lm Jai Gangaajal ,
which is slated to release on March 4.
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 29/32
www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
29ENTERTAINMENT
Netflix in India: the ifs and buts ofon-demand streaming ANKIT SINHA
The arrival of popular American on-
demand streaming website Netix
in India has given much reason
to cheer, but users have raised concerns
on data consumption and Internet speed.
Nevertheless, the excitement is at its peak,
especially since the content comes without
censorship.
A quick look at the Netix original series
Narcos, which features some intimate
lovemaking scenes, armed that there is no
discernible censorship, which could bother
viewers, who are mostly used to snipped
and beeped content.
“Netix is an on-demand service thatallows people to choose to sign up and
decide what, where and when to watch.
The service includes ratings guides
and episode synopses to help people
decide, and we also provide a PIN-code
system to ensure children can’t view
certain content,” a Netix spokesperson
said.
There’s a melange of exclusive content,
including Netix original TV series such
as Marvel’s Daredevil , Marco Polo and
Narcos, as well as Netix original movies,
documentaries, stand-up comedies and TV
shows for children in addition to a broad
variety of licensed programming.
There are also popular Hindi lms
such as Piku, Singh is Kinng, Hum
Aapke Hain Koun..!, Hate Story and
Hum Saath Saath Hain, with a promise
to add more “as the service grows
in popularity”.
Upon its much-anticipated launch in
India, Netix is oering a free one-monthsubscription to users. After that, there are
three monthly paid plans available, which
are worth Rs.500, Rs.650 and Rs.800,
which can be paid with an international
credit card via Netix, through the iTunes
app store in most markets and via Paypal.
As per Netix, watching lms or TV
shows on its site can exhaust about 1 GB of
data per hour for each stream of standard
HD video, and up to 3 GB per hour for each
stream of HD video.
Despite that, it’s got the potential for being a game-changer, believes lm and TV
industry veteran Amit Khanna.
“It ushers in anytime, anywhere, any
screen video on demand. As Netix and
similar services such as Amazon, Hulu
and Hooq enlarge their repertoire along
with the advent of true broadband and
4G, lmed entertainment will change
forever,” Khanna, the former chairman of
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Entertainment
Limited said.
Netix’s launch has created a great buzz
among movie and TV show acionados
in the country, many of whom believe
it’s a great move, yet data consumption
and slow Internet speed could act asdeterrents. Delhi-based event manager
Saurabh Zutshi, 27, believes “it’s a pretty
good deal”, but data consumption could be
a restriction.
However, 19-year-old engineering
student Nehal Shastri, raised an important
concern regarding the expenses of
broadband in India.
“It’s one thing to pay a subscription fee,
but one will also have to pay signicantly
more for their broadband if they want
to replace their DTH services,” he said, while 23-year-old student Nikhil Warekar
feels Netix will face a “massive technical
challenge” in India due to slow Internet
speed.
“Majority of Indian Internet users
can’t even stream YouTube videos
without waiting for buering. How would
that feel while streaming a movie?” he
commented. Time and again, the lm
industry in India has rued about the issue
of piracy in the country. Will the launch of
Netix solve this issue?
Bangalore based digital specialist
Sandesh Shenoy, 37, feels that Netix might
“make a dent into piracy”.
“The pricing is very attractive and any
middle class person can aord it on a
monthly fee basis. I denitely would be
interested in subscribing to such a service,”
he said.
Netix also addresses the question
regarding adjusting data usage, with four
settings: Low (0.3 GB/hour), medium (SD:
0.7 GB/hour), High (Best video quality, up
to 3 GB/hour for HD and 7 GB/hour for
Ultra HD) and auto.
Asif Kapadia’s Amy earns
two BAFTA nominationsB
ritish lm-maker of Indian origin
Asif Kapadia’s documentary Amy, which is based on the life and
death of singer Amy Winehouse, has been
nominated in the Outstanding British
Film and Documentary award catego
Film Awards.
Amy, the highest-grossing British
documentary of all time, gives an insight
into the short, volatile and dichotomous
life of the jazz diva, who was found dead on
July 2011 from alcohol poisoning at the age
of 27 at her home in Camden here. This lm
encapsulates her personal and professional
life till her death. In the Outstanding
British Film category, Amy is up against
The Danish Girl, Ex Machina, Brooklyn,
The Lobster and 45 Years, read a statement
on the ocial site of the British Academy of
Film and Television Arts.
While in the Documentary category,
the lm has been nominated alongside
Matthew Heineman’s Cartel Land , Davis
Guggenheim’s He Named Me Malala,
Marlon Stevan Riley’s Listen to Me and
Jennifer Peedom’s Sherpa.
The golden nightESHA CHANDA
R icky Gervais’ crass humour might
have left many in the industry
bitter, but for the winners of the73rd Golden Globes, the night was nothing
less than a delight.
The Revenant triumphed at this year’s
ceremony by taking away the top awards—best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and best
motion picture: drama—closely followed
by Ridley Scott’s The Martian. If the
nomination of the movie in the category of
best motion picture: comedy or musical andbest performance by an actor in a motion
picture: comedy or musical had proven
to be controversial, the win left the social
media questioning and mocking the Golden
Globe’s decision.Brie Larson won the best performance
by an actress in a motion picture: drama for
her emotionally wrenching performance in
Room and Jennifer Lawrence took away theaward of best performance by an actress
in a motion picture: musical or comedy
for Joy.
Kate Winslet and Sylvester Stallone
won awards for their performances in asupporting role in Steve Jobs and Creed
respectively. George Miller was awarded the
best director for Mad Max: Fury Road and
the best screenplay went to Aaron Sorkin
for Steve Jobs. Pixar’s Inside Out took awaythe award for best animated feature lm
and Son of Saul claimed the best foreign
language category.
In the television circuit, Mr Robotwon the best television series: drama and
Mozart in the Jungle clinched the title of
best television series: comedy. Jon Hamm
of the famed Mad Men series won an award
for his role as Don Draper and Taraji PHenson was awarded for performance
in television series: drama for her role
in Empire.
Other winners:FilmBest Original Song— Writing’s on the
Wall, SpectreBest Original Score—The Hateful Eight
TelevisionBest performance by an actress
in a television series: comedy ormusical—Rachel Bloom, Crazy
Ex-Girlfriend Best performance by an actor in a
television series: comedy or musical— GaelGarcía Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle
Best performance by an actress in aminiseries or motion picture made fortelevision—Lady Gaga, American Horror
Story: Hotel Best performance by an actor in
a miniseries or motion picture madefor television—Oscar Issac, Show Mea Hero
Best performance by an actor insupporting role a miniseries or motionpicture made for television—MauraTierney, The Affair
Best performance by an actor insupporting role a miniseries or motionpicture made for television—ChristianSlater, Mr Robot
Best miniseries—Wolf Hall
Malala Yousafzai documentary gets BAFTA nomination
H e Named Me Malala—a
documentary on the life of
Pakistani activist for femaleeducation and the youngest-ever Nobel
Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai—has landed
a nomination in the Documentary categoryof the upcoming 69th British Academy
Film Awards.Directed by American lm-maker Davis
Guggenheim, the lm opens a facet of
Malala’s life on the big screen and tells aninspiring story of how a teenage girl, who
was shot in the head on her way to school in
Pakistan in 2012 by Taliban, is undeterred
by the threats and continues her ght forgirls’ right to education.
The documentary is nominated for anaward alongside lm-maker Asif Kapadia’s
Amy that depicts the life and death of singer Amy Winehouse, Matthew Heineman’s
Cartel Land , Marlon Stevan Riley’s Listen
to Me and Jennifer Peedom’s Sherpa,
read a statement on the ocial site of the
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
The 69th British Academy Film Awards
will be held on February 14 at the RoyalOpera House.
He Named Me Malala is also expected to
get nominated in the same category at theupcoming 88th Academy Awards, whose
nal nominations will be announced on
January 14.
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 30/32
15 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
l
30 FEATURES
Farida Master
A master storyteller Farida Master lives in the pulsating world of media. In her three-decade-long journey, she has written stories for leading publication backhome and in New Zealand, handled the end-to-end production of newspapers and magazines and has published two books. In an exclusiveinterview with Indian Weekender , the Auckland-based senior journalist speaks about her stint in the industry, the differences between Indianand New Zealand media and the challenges she faced while working her recent book An Uncensored Life .
ESHA CHANDA
IWK: You came to New Zealand with avast experience in Indian media. Howdifferent do you think is the eld in
New Zealand compared to India?
Farida: It’s very dierent and still
the same.
Most journalists from overseas nd it
dicult to nd a foot-in-the-door but we
are gradually getting there. Every time I see
a byline of an Indian journalist in the local
papers, I sit up and silently applaud them
for making it out there. I do believe that
immigrants are a brave breed of people who
take on the challenge of starting afresh. It’s
as if you have wiped your slate clean of all
the goodwill, friends and contacts you have
created in your country of birth.There are a couple of reasons why it
can be tough to nd a toehold and it’s
mainly because all papers demand New
Zealand experience, and rightly so. Also,
there aren’t as many publications, and the
scribes who have been around love their
jobs with a passion and will probably be
around for the next 20 years. Unlike India,
there is not much movement of journalists
in the editorial departments of
mainstream papers.
In terms of being similar, if you are
a storyteller and you have the nose for
sning up good stories, you will continue
to do so whichever corner of the globe you
may be in. It is a skill that will travel with
you everywhere you go, through land or sea
or shore.
IWK: What was the reason behind
your move?
Farida: All of us are constantly looking
for new adventures, and that probably
was one of the reasons why I may have
consented to move here, although the main
moving force behind the relocation was my
better half that was keen to live in a 100
per cent pure, green country with clean air
to breathe. He’d heard it was a crime-free
country and that the politicians are as clean
as the air we breathe.
IWK: You’ve been in the industry for
30 years. Your journey so far.
Farida: Never a dull moment, I say! Not
many people get to meet so many wildly
interesting or inspiring people and have an
opportunity to probe into their minds and
ask many questions, all in the name of work.
One thing is for sure, as a journalist, I
have interesting stories to tell.
Having started my career with Stardust
in the early ’80s, there are still people who
ask me about the matinee idols and the real
life stories vs the reel ones. It was almost
after 10 years that I stepped out of the ivory
tower that lm stars live in, to interview
everyday people for the city magazine,
Citadel that I later edited. My rst reaction
then was of surprise. I hadn’t realised till
then that people are so easy to interview
and want to share their stories of triumph
and tribulations they’ve faced.
Being the editor of Pune Times of
India with a huge readership was another
whirlwind of activity, people and their
timeless stories that were food for the soul.
As was editing Society Fashion—an ode to
high fashion, uplifting photography and
creativity that rocked my being.
IWK: You have two books to your
credit—The Making of a Legend
and An Uncensored Life. What was
your reason behind working on
these books?
Farida: It’s about taking the leap of
faith and grabbing opportunities that come
your way. Nothing was premeditated. Dr K.
B Grant, the founder of Ruby Hall Clinic,
which is a state-of-the-art hospital in
Pune, had asked me to write his biography
someday since I had interviewed him over aperiod of time when I was editing Citadel .
Strangely, I nally took on the challenge
after I resigned from Pune Times to move
bag and baggage to New Zealand. I thought
this would keep me busy for the rst six
months and give me time to introspect
about the big shift.
However, fate had other things in store.
My dear mum suered a stroke on the
day I was about to leave for New Zealand.
She was hospitalised at Ruby Hall Clinic,
where I knew all the doctors. I, of course,
postponed my trip and wrote the biography
whilst I practically lived at the hospital for
a month.
On the other hand, An Uncensored Life, biography of Zerbanoo Giord happened
at a time, almost 10 years later when I
asked the universe for an all-consuming
challenge that would nourish my being. I
was freelancing for a short while and the
opportunity for the book came through then.
Society magazine that I used to occasionally
write for asked me to write an article
on the top Zoroastrians in the world
who had contributed to humanity.
I contacted Zerbanoo Giord for
the article and the rest is history. In
retrospect, both
the books
h a v e
b e e n
a great
l e a r n i n g
curve for me.
IWK: What is the most
challenging part while working on a
book?
Farida: Working on the biography was
simply mind-boggling, starting with Ms
Giord’s neatly arranged archives in the
attic of her home. I had never seen anythinglike that before. There were hundreds of
articles, written by journalists all over the
world. Meticulously led documents cards,
notes, photographs, newspaper cuttings,
elbowed for attention. At rst glance, I
thought it would take me a decade to go
through the wall-to-wall cabinets that
housed the documentation. A ery lady
who believes in the ‘power of now’, it was at
times hard to keep up with her physically,
mentally and emotionally. She was always
on to planning her next big project before
I could fully comprehend the last one.
Sometimes as she jumped from one chapter
of her life to another, I had to gure out the
timelines and sequence of events.However, the most dicult part was
digging deep to uncover those hurtful
incidents in her life that she had locked
away in the inner recesses of her mind. Not
the kind to brood over past misgivings—
since she is always on the go—I felt terrible
about opening up old wounds to understand
the intricate weaves in the fabric of her life,
and how they unfolded. I am truly thankful
to her for trusting me enough to reveal theinnermost secrets and give me a glimpse of
the most vulnerable moments of her life.
She now calls me Socrates, her philosopher
and shrink and recommends everyone
should have a biography written. I do hope
that An Uncensored Life acts as a catalyst
and enables readers to become game-
changers and make every moment count.
IWK: A great tip that has helped you
achieve your goals.
Farida: When one door closes, the
other opens.
Have faith in yourself and the
universal spirit that makes things
magically happen. Also, don’t
be too cautious.
Grab every opportunity
that comes your way.
Don’t look at the
monetary factor. Do
things to help others
and the good karma
pays you back a
hundred fold.
Above all, listen
to your inner voice
and don’t be afraid
to take chances.
IWK: Any advice
for the ones
who are new tothe industry?
Farida: Keep going,
there are lots more
opportunities in the media
than there were earlier.
Remember, where there are
people, there are stories. Think
of an innovative idea, a good angle
and approach editors with four to ve
ideas neatly keyed in. Most times, they will
approve of at least one or two ideas.
Once you have got a foothold in a
publication and established a relationship,
the rest is relatively easy.
IWK: Do you have any other projects
in the pipeline? Any excitingnews/updates?
Farida: After a grand book release
in India, which we recently had,
An Uncensored Life published by
HarperCollins India, followed by public
readings in Auckland at the Swaminarayan
Temple, Botany Library, the Auckland Art
Gallery and Auckland Library—that Ranjna
Patel kindly helped organise—there are
plans to do more book readings locally,
before we release the biography in the UK,
US, Dubai and Mauritius. That is a lot of
work and planning to do. But right now, I
am just enjoying getting back to normalcy
with my job at the Botany and Ormiston
Times. Sometimes routine is good to takestock of things.
Two copies of An Uncensored Life areavailable with Indian Weekender. If youwould like to receive one, please drop ane-mail to [email protected]
Photo credit: Pradeep Shetty
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 31/32
www.iwk.co.nz | 15 January 2015
l
31FEATURES
0800 4 0 FEES
www.sit.ac.nz
Call us today,
or email
Study debt free under the
Southern Institute of TechnologyZero Fees Scheme
Invercargill Campus Degrees• Applied Media Arts (Visual Media)
(Art/Photography/Graphic Design)
• Audio Production• Commerce
• Contemporary Music
• Environmental Management
• Fashion (Design and Technology)
• Hotel Management
• Information Technology
• Nursing
• Screen Arts (Film & Animation)
• Sport and Exercise
• Therapeutic and Sports Massage
SIT2LRN Study Anywhere Degrees• Applied Management• Professional Communication
SIT’s Zero Fees Scheme gives you the opportunityto get a quality education WITHOUT a large studentloan, so you can get on with your life.
SIT programmes are
NZQA approved and
recognised worldwide.
The ZERO FEES SCHEME applies to all NZ
citizens, NZ residents/permanent residents
and Australian citizens residing in NZ.
8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 16 January 2016
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/indian-weekender-16-january-2016 32/32
BOWL YOU OVER
HOW
DO I WIN?
Text ‘GOBLACKCAPS’followed by your name,
email address and suburbyou live in to 4094.
You’ll then receivea confirmation text
and a call back from anANZ Home Loan Specialistto book an appointment*.
Be one of the first 25to get your home loanpre-approved before
the 30th January 2016to WIN!
A HOME LOANOFFER THAT WILL
Get a home loan pre-approved with ANZ and
win one of 25 double passes to watch the BLACKCAPS take on Australia
at the ANZ ODI Match in Auckland on 3rd February 2016.
Recommended