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16 January 2015

16 January, 2015 Vol. 6 Issue 24 | www.iwk.co.nz

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New Zealands first Kiwi-Indian weekly newspaper

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The Pulse of Kiwi-Indians

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COVER STORY

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

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Another first for the first inductee of

the Kiwi-Indian Hall of Fame
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Maya Shivam

P Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi

becomes the first Indian-born
New Zealander to receive the Pravasi
Bharatiya Samman Award at the
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2015 held at
Gandhinagar. The award recognises
exceptional
and
meritorious
contributions by recipients in their
chosen field. Recipients are chosen
by the Indias Ministry of Overseas
Indian Affairs and presented with
the awards on Indias Non-Resident
Indian Day, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
The three-day Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas, attended by around 4,000
diaspora members, came to an end
with the conferment of the Pravasi
Bharatiya Samman awards by
Vice President Hamid Ansari to 15
prominent diaspora members.
Those recipients of the samman,
the highest honour conferred on
overseas Indians, were Guyanese
President Donald Rabindernauth
Ramaotar; Mala Mehta from
Australia; Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi
from
New
Zealand;
Ashraf
Palarakunnummal and Bharatkumar
Jayantilal Shah from UAE; Essop
Esoop Goolam from South Africa;
Rajmal M Parakh from Oman; Justice
Doraikannu
Karunakaran
from
Seychelles; Sanjaya Rajaram from
Mexico; Lord Raj Loomba and Nathu

National Party MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi receiving Pravasi Bhartiya Samman from Vice President of India Hon. M Hamid Ansari

Ram Puri from Britain; Mahendra

Nanji Mehta from Uganda and
Nandini Tandon and Kamlesh Lulla
from the US.
Lisa Singh from Australia, who
could not receive the award last
year, received the samman, while
A Satyanarayana Nadella, CEO of
Microsoft, who was named for the
award was not present.
Ansari congratulated the awardees
and said India is grateful for their

Glitter Jewellers

contributions to society.
Terming
them
deserving
recipients of this recognition, he said,
Through their exemplary work, they
have also proved to be outstanding
envoys of peace, friendship and
cooperation between India and
countries of their residence.
Ansari said that overseas Indians
are in virtually every country and
region of the world, and recited
an Urdu phrase to describe their

ubiquitous presence: Jidhar dekhta

hoon faqat tu hi tu hai (wherever I
look I see only you).
He said that the diaspora can play
an important role in the development
of India with their knowledge and
resources and their experience of
other lands where similar efforts were
pursued successfully.
Minister for Overseas Indian
Affairs Sushma Swaraj, in her
speech, said that the Narendra Modi

First Kiwi-Indian Hall of Fame in 2013

government has been specially

proactive in nurturing the bonds with
the diaspora.
The diaspora is close to Prime
Minister Modis heart. Wherever he
has gone, he has made a passionate
appeal to NRIs and PIOs to be
partners in Indias ongoing journey of
development and national resurgence.
We believe in infusing a new
energy and vitality into this lasting
Continued on Pg 4

NEW ZEALAND

23 May 2014

COVER STORY

Continued from Pg 3

relationship between India and its

diaspora, she said.
New Zealands List MP, Kanwaljit
Singh Bakshi is honoured to receive
the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya
Samman Award. It is a great honour
to receive the prestigious Pravasi
Bharatiya Samman Award. In
accepting this award, I would like to
acknowledge the contribution of all
New Zealanders of Indian origin to
Kiwi culture, communities, and the
economy, Bakshi said.
As the first Indian-born New
Zealander to receive this award, I am
deeply humbled and thankful for all
the support I have received.
Bakshi was awarded for his
services to the community in New
Zealand and for building a positive
profile of people of Indian origin in
New Zealand and the South Pacific.
Bakshi was the First inductee
to the Kiwi-Indian Hall of Fame
which has now become synonymous
with the highest Indian honour in
New Zealand. A brand which is
the hallmark of Indian Weekender
recognizes and honours imminent
personalities in the Kiwi-Indian
community for their contribution, that
enriches not just the community but
also society at large.
The award was presented to
him by none other than the Prime
Minister of New Zealand John
Key. Bakshis recognition by the
Government of India clearly indicates
the authenticity and the strength
of the selection process behind the

info@trustinsurance.co.nz

Kiwi-Indian Hall of Fame award. Giri

Gupta, Managing Director of Indian
Weekender, congratulating Bakshi,
stated that it is a matter of great
honour that a diplomat of the KiwiIndian Hall of Fame is recognized
on an international platform like the
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. This just
goes to show our futuristic vision

and our policy of think globally act

locally.
In the current National-led
Government, Bakshi is the deputy
chairperson of Law and Order Select
Committee. He is also a member
of the Commerce Committee. In
the last two terms of the National
Government, Bakshi was member

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

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of the Commerce Committee Commerce from the University

Administration of Delhi in 1985, following highdand
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Bakshi with Indian Prime Minister Narender Modi during PBD 2015;
(right) with his family

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16 January 2015

business experience in India as well as in New

Zealand, he acquired expertise in diverse fields
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such as fashion and property industry.
Bakshi moved to New Zealand in the
year 2001, where he and his wife, Irvinder
Kaur considered the rising opportunities in
the country that well acted as a catalyst for
their business growth and also gave a strong
foundation to their two sons, Gawan and Rijaks
education. Its a decision they always stood by.

became actively involved in the National Party

shortly after moving to New Zealand.
I feel privileged to be an MP for National
Party that is working hard to secure a brighter
future for all New Zealanders, recognizes
potential, and rewards hard work.
Bakshi told Indian Weekender that he was
mesmerized by the sheer presence of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. He stated that it was
an honour to meet him and to invite him to New

Bakshi with former Governer General of New Zealand Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Susan Satyanand

Having a political background, he developed

a profound interest in the supporting field
while helping his father in various election
campaigns. He has been active both in business
as well as the Indian community since then.
Apart from supporting the Kiwis, he has also
represented the South-East Asian Communities.
Recognizing shared values and principles, he

Zealand. Bakshi also took this opportunity

to meet with other ministers and dignitaries
present at the event.
Earlier recipients of the Pravasi Bharatiya
Samman Award from New Zealand include
Sir Anand Satyanand and Judge Ajit Swaran
Singh, the reigning Kiwi-Indian Hall of Fame
inductee.

COVER STORY

COVER STORY

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

THIS IS

Maya Shivam

his is indeed, India Modified, kicking off the year in

true-blue Modi style - India has
seen the biggest and the grandest
events for the Indian Diaspora
the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas,
which has injected a strong
dose of optimism amongst the
Indian populace across the world
followed by the Vibrant Gujarat
Summit. The grandeur and the
international appeal of both these
events were exactly in line with

Modis modus operandi.

The 2015 Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas is being hailed as the
grandest event for the diaspora
to date. All kudos for Modis
foreign policy, with he himself
being the biggest draw. The
Pravasi Bharatiya also coincides
with a parallel Youth conclave.
The 13th edition from 7th-9th
January 2015 in Gandhinagar this
year is said to have crossed 2,500
registrations from delegates from
around the world.

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Following
the
Pravasi
Bharatiya, the 7th Vibrant Gujarat
Summit was held during 11th13th January 2015 at Mahatma
Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat,
India. Six summits held so far
have been a resounding success
and immensely contributed to the
transformation of Gujarat into
a Global Business Hub. This
Summit is a platform for other
states and countries to showcase
their
strengths,
highlight
business opportunities, facilitate

knowledge dissemination etc.

The summit this year was also
bigger and better than all others
in the past. This has been a
historical event attended by
some big names from the world
over. All who witnessed the
event unfolding were left in awe
of what had unfolded. Coming
out of this, India stands at the
helm of several billion dollars
of investment commitments to
be injected into the countrys
economy.

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This weeks India Modi-fied

is dedicated to the way India has
kick started 2015. The stories
that follow bring you a snapshot
of all the main events as they
have unfolded over the two
days. Clearly, the draw at both
these events was Modi and Modi
charisma. Needless to say that
underlining all this is the optimism
that the world is now viewing
India with. As Ban Ki-moon said,
Vibrant Gujarat has made the
world vibrate with dynamism.

Modi takes centrestage as he offers Vibrant India

Jaideep Sarin

haring the stage with people who

together control trillions of dollars
and give direction to world economy,
Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi last weekend scaled his idea
of Vibrant Gujarat to that of Vibrant
India.
He called upon countries and
corporates to invest in Indias growth
story and sold his Make in India
campaign to the world business
community.
As the proceedings began Sunday
(Jan 11) at Gandhinagars Mahatma
Mandir complex, Modi had UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon,
US Secretary of State John Kerry,
World Bank President Jim Yong
Kim, the Prime Ministers of Bhutan
and Macedonia, ministers from
Britain, Australia, the Netherlands,
Japan, Canada, Singapore and other
countries, corporate czars and top
CEOs by his side.
This event is perhaps the biggest
gathering on earth where a budding
entrepreneur has the opportunity to
see the president of the World Bank.
Where a young farmer, dreaming to
set up a food processing unit, can
listen to the views of the UN secretary
general on issues like food security,
said a visibly happy Modi.
The number of private jets bringing

in top industrialists, global CEOs,

leaders and diplomats at Ahmedabads
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international
airport and the blaring sirens of police
vehicles escorting VIPs to the summit
venue were an indicator of the how
seriously everyone, Modi included,
took the investment summit.
This year, the summit has the US,
Britain, Japan, Canada, Holland,
Australia, Singapore and South
Africa as partner countries. Leading

trade bodies like the United State

India Business Council (USIBC),
which has brought its biggest-ever
delegation of over 130 top business
honchos, and others are part of the
event.
The scaled up summit saw
Prime Minister Modi hosting and
inaugurating the event in Gujrat.
Top Indian industrialists Mukesh
Ambani, Kumarmangalam Birla,
Anil Ambani, Gautam Adani and

India: the land of opportunities

aking a decisive push towards

generating investment to see
the success of his Make in India
mantra, Modi said that his government
was trying to revive the economy, and
told global investors that India today
was a land of opportunities.
In a short span of seven months,
we have been able to change
the atmosphere of despair and
uncertainty, Modi told the summit.
Since the first day, my government
is actively working to revive the
economy.
He urged countries, businesses
and investors to be part of Indias
growth story. There is an atmosphere
of cooperation towards India. We are
trying to generate confidence for
investment in the country.
Modi, speaking dominantly in
English went on: We will have
to change the way we have been
approaching problems. Recession

is often seen just in the context of

business and industry.
The prime minister said his
government was committed to
changing
and
improving
the
economic and social condition of
India including the quality of life.
We want to promote co-operative
federalism in the country. At the same
time, we want a competitive element

among the states. I call this new

form of federalism co-operative and
competitive federalism.
At the presence of global
personalities and business leaders,
Modi said, Your (world leaders)
presence today has enhanced the
enterprising streak of 60 million
Gujaratis and has boosted the morale
of 1.2 billion Indians.

ICICI Banks Chanda Kochhar

rubbed shoulders with global CEOs,
including Ajay Banga of Mastercard.
In the next one decade, India
can lead in ending poverty. Till India
is part of our efforts (in removing
poverty), the World Bank cannot
succeed [in its endeavours], World
Bank President Jim Yong Kim said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry
said he was inspired by Modis
slogan Sabka saath, Sabka vikas.

He said: We are here as a family,

not only in terms of space, but because
we recognise that someones dream is
dependent on someones direction.
The ultimate objective is welfare of
all... All of us want planet earth to
become a better place to live.
Modi refuted criticism that he was
just making populist announcements.
We
are
not
only
making
commitments and announcements.
But, we are backing them up with
concrete action at the level of policy
and action, he said.
Opening of 100 million bank
accounts in just four months, allowing
100 percent foreign direct investment
(FDI) in railways, allowing 49
percent FDI in defence sector and 49
percent FDI in insurance sector were
some of the steps taken by Modis
government.

We should all adopt it, he said in a

lighter vein.
Modi last hosted the summit in
2013 as chief minister of Gujarat.
From modest beginnings in 2003, the
investment summit saw 17,719 MoUs
(memorandums of understanding)
being signed in 2013 when Modi still
headed the state.
Modi met around 50 CEOs at the
event. This time the agenda was not
only about investing in Gujarat, but
in India.

COVER STORY

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

Investors commit to
millions

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eading companies, international financial

organisations and countries have made
investment commitments worth over Rs 25
lakh crore at the seventh edition of the Vibrant
Gujarat summit, Chief Minister Anandiben
Patel said.

Patel said that a record over 21,000 MoUs

were signed on the first two days of the threeday summit.
She said that 1,225 strategic partnerships
were signed during the biennial summit, the
biggest one so far.
Though the summit is for investment in
Gujarat, it will help in attracting investment
for India and for the success of Make in India
idea of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the
chief minister said.
In New Delhi, an US embassy spokesperson
said, Today (Sunday), US Secretary of State
John Kerry and his delegation completed a
historic two-day visit to the biennial Vibrant
Gujarat Summit.
While in Gujarat, the secretary discussed
the importance of the U.S.-India strategic
partnership, and how US technology and
innovation can enhance sustainable economic
growth throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
The secretary also attended the Global
CEOs Conclave, where he spoke to
international business leaders and innovators
on strengthening trade and investment ties
between the United States and India. In a
separate bilateral meeting, Secretary Kerry and
Prime Minister Modi discussed how the United
States and India can together affirmatively
shape global politics and economics in the 21st

Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel

century, and the opportunity for our partnership

to bolster sustainable economic growth in India
and across the world.
Addressing the summit at the valedictory
event, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh
said that the summit was a brainchild of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi when he was chief
minister of Gujarat.
He (Modi) has changed the political
idiom and political discourse of this country.
The Gujarat model of good governance and
development can be adopted for the whole
country, the home minister said, adding that
Gujarat was not only the land of opportunity
but the mother of opportunity.
Continued on Pg 8

COVER STORY

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

Continued from Pg 7

Reliance will invest Rs 100,000 crore

The Mukesh Ambani ledReliance Industries (RIL) will
invest Rs.100,000 crore across its
businesses, including the Gujarat
petrochemical complex, in the next
18 months.
We will invest over Rs 100,000
crore in the next 12-18 months in
contributing to the Make in India and
Digital India initiatives, Ambani said
at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.
The investments will be in
expanding
RILs
petrochemical
production capacity as well as through
launch of its 4G broadband services.
As part of the investment
programme, RIL will partner thousands
of small businesses and Gujarati

part of Gujarats success story. Over

the last three decades, we have invested
again and again to convert a business
vision into a reality, he added.
Reliance is investing in raising
polyester capacity by 60 percent
across four locations, in a new
1.5 million tonnes refinery of gasbased petrochemical cracker and
downstream units in Jamnagar,
enhancing
refining
profitability
through petroleum coke gasification
and reducing feedstock costs by
ethane imports from the US.

Mukesh Ambani,
MD, Reliance Industries Ltd

entrepreneurs to create virtuous cycle

of prosperity, Ambani said.
Reliance has been an inseparable

Aditya Birla Group to invest Rs

20,000 crore
The Aditya Birla Group will invest
Rs 20,000 crore in Gujarat to increase
capacity of various existing facilities

Red

Kumar Mangalam Birla,

Chairman, Aditya Birla Group

in a state he has a personal bias

towards, Kumar Mangalam Birla
said.

We will be continuing to grow

our businesses here. On the anvil
are brownfield
at our
Black expansionsOrange
cement plant in Sevagram, the VSF
(viscose staple fibre) plants in Vilayat
and Bharuch, and along with that,
expansion in metal plants, Birla said.
Were greatly impressed by
proactive approach of government of
Gujarat. I have a personal bias for it,
Birla said.
He said that, not tax incentives, but
delivery of high quality infrastructure
has drawn the group to the state.
The Aditya Birla Groups
investments in Gujarat amount to
over Rs 25,000 crore, and it generates
revenues in excess of Rs 30,000 crore
a year. The company employs 10,000
persons directly and 20,000 indirectly.

Gujarat a cultural crossover to the world

n his first visit to Gujarat, UN

Secretary General Ban Kimoon said Gujarat could also be a
crossroad for a new era of sustainable
development while it has long been a
cultural crossover to the world.
This dynamic state has long been
a cultural crossover to the world.
Today, it can also be a crossroad for a
new era of sustainable development,
Ban Ki-moon said at the Vibrant
Gujarat Summit.
Invoking the importance of land
of Mahatma Gandhis birth, Ban Kimoon said: I hope all world leaders
and businesses will be inspired by
Gandhis vision and teachings.
Gujarat is a state where
technology meets climate action,
where entrepreneur meet clear
energy, where young people meet job
opportunities, he added.

Gross Domestic
Happiness

he biggest and almost continuous

applause during the summit
inaugural was in honour of Bhutans
Prime Minister TsheringTobgay.
Tobgay spoke just before Modi,
but was able to generate a lot of

Ban Ki-moon,
Secretary General of UN

interest among those present. He

spoke in English and near fluent
Hindi and connected well with
everyone. He spoke about Bhutan
being a tiny Himalayan country and,
while tucked away between giants
China and India, offering abundant
natural resources, tranquility and
quality of life.
Tobgay
spoke
about
the

He said that 2015 was crucial

for global action on issues such as
sustainable development, climate
change and inclusive growth.
This is the most important and
crucial year for humanity, Ban
Ki-moon said in his address at the
summit.
He said important decisions on
global issues like climate change,
sustainable
development
and
inclusive growth were likely to be
taken this year.
He called upon leaders of countries
and the industrial and corporate sector
to work in a way that these issues
were addressed globally.
We are living in a very young
world where half of the population is
young. We have to do much more for
the youth, the UN chief said.

Gross Domestic Happiness being

paramount instead of the worlds
race for higher GDP. The way he
delivered his address, with facts
about Bhutan, had the whole hall
at the Mahatma Mandir complex
applauding him.

Countrys
main economic
summit

Jaitley said there is massive

inequality in society that is visible
through things like lack of access to
clean drinking water and toilets, even
though there is a widespread notion
that the country is growing.

Made in India

jay Banga, CEO, Mastercard

international, pointed out that
he himself was a living example of
Make in India. I was born in India
and studied here (IIM Ahmedabad)
and worked in India for 15 years. So I
was made in India. Then I moved (to
the US) and have been there for the
last 15 years. I was exported there,
as most Made in India things are,
Banga said.
Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with Anandiben Patel

Bhutans Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay with Indian PM

Ajay Banga,
CEO, Mastercard

run Jaitley, Finance Minister,

said the Vibrant Gujarat Global
Investors Summit had become the
countrys main economic summit
while encouraging other states to
organise events of similar kind.
Today, many other states
have adopted this approach. The
government of India is committed to
supporting any such initiative of any
state government, Jaitley said in his
speech.
Addressing the session on
corporate
social
responsibility,

For latest
updates and
breaking news,
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ecti
on

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16 January 2015

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ohn Kerry, US Secretary of State, and Modi

did not just shake hands as world leaders
generally do. Both gave each other a warm hug
as the others, mostly industry captains, business
leaders and CEOs, applauded.
Kerry said he was impressed with palpable
entrepreneurial interest he had seen in the
people of Gujarat and added, PM Modi
made his reputation here in Gujarat. If that

can be extrapolated to the rest of India and

dealing with all countries, we all benefit.
Kerry referred to Modis stint as Gujarat chief
minister, during which he is credited with
turning the state into an economic powerhouse.
It was also a stint during which the US denied
Modi visa over the 2002 riots in Gujarat under
his watch. Since he became Prime Minister
in May last year, however, Modi has multiple
interactions with senior US officials and also
visited the country in September.
Kerry noted in his speech that he has met
Modi three times in the last six months.
He said during their discussions, they
reviewed the relationship between the two
countries and said he was convinced that
India and the US will create a healthier,
more secure and prosperous future.
We are all invested in this relationship because
we recognise what this offers to us, and also what
it demands of us, Kerry said, adding that India
and the US are working together to strengthen
maritime security and anti-terrorism measures.
Kerry travelled to India ahead of US President
Barack Obamas visit as the chief guest at the
January 26 Republic Day celebrations.Among
the items that top the agenda of the secretary
of state, he tried to break down what US
companies view as barriers.

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John Kerry and Narendra Modi during the Summit

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10

COVER STORY

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

Selfies to jackets, Modi stamp all over Vibrant Gujarat

e may have become the Prime

Minister over seven months
back, but Modi seems to dominate
every inch of space at the seventh
edition of the summit.
Special counters could be seen
at the venue, the sprawling 55acre Mahatma Mandir Convention
Centre
complex
comprising
conference venues, exhibition halls
and landscaped gardens, where
computerized selfies with Modi
could be downloaded on mobile
phones.
Though selfies with other leaders,
especially Gujarat Chief Minister
Anandiben Patel, werealso being
offered, Modi remained the biggest
draw.
At any given point in time, at
least two queues of people, all Modi
enthusiasts, could be seen near the
main convention hall.
Nearby, at another stall, Modi
jackets and Modi Kurtas were
being sold.
Even though the event was
Gujarat-centric and hosted by the
state government, most of the
literature and other material had
Modi stamped all over.

Red

Black

Go orange

The
delegates
from
The
Netherlands were easily identifiable
in the crowd with all of them putting
on an orange scarf round their neck.
Even the delegation leader, Vice
Minister for Trade Simon Smits,
put an orange scarf around his neck
before he addressed the gathering.
With the orange colour being
close to the saffron colour linked
to the ruling BJP, some people at
the venue thought that the foreign
delegates had been saffronised! As
the Dutch men and women roamed
around freely with the orange scarves
around their necks, they seemed
amused by the attention they were
drawing.

Selfie with Modi stall

Well protected
With so many most-protected
global leaders arriving at the venue
for the summit, security agencies
were stretched to their limits.
Besides Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, the countrys most protected
person, United Nations Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary
of State John Kerry, World Bank
president Jim Yong Kim, Prime
Ministers of Bhutan and Macedonia,
ministers from the United Kingdom,
Australia, The Netherlands, Japan,
Canada, Singapore and other
countries, corporate czars and top
CEOs; all were provided security
throughout their stay. Added to that
list were central and state ministers
and top officials.
As the VIPs crisscrossed the city,
police pilots and escorts led them
with blaring sirens on the roads, an
unfamiliar experience for the city not
used to so many VIPs at the same
time.

Modi addressing the Global CEO Conclave

Modi paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi

Attendees at Vibrant Gujarat

All venues choc-a-bloc

On the second day of the summit,
all the venues and public areas
remained full with people. Seminars
on various issues - from future smart
cities to water issues to healthcare were held, and all seats were taken
by scores of people. Even then, the
corridors and open areas outside
seemed full with people.
Modi remarked that this was the
biggest summit, an event that he
had conceived and implemented
when he was Gujarat chief minister.
Over 25,000 leaders, corporate
honchos and other delegates from
110 countries, including over
2,500 foreign delegates from 56
international delegations participated
in the summit.
Even though the focus seemed
more on investment in India rather
than in Gujarat alone, as was the
case in previous years, much of the
investment committed at the 2015
summit would go to Gujarat kitty.

Modi takes a round of Vibrant Gujarat

Modi releases special coin and postage stamp to commemorate 100
years of Mahatma Gandhis home coming at PBD

Security checks before the Summit

Orange

COVER STORY

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

11

India and US: The best is yet to be

Red

Black

Amulya Ganguli

Orange

resident Barack Obamas presence at the

Indian Republic Day celebrations Jan 26
will mark the highest point in Indo-American
relations.
What lends special significance to the
occasion is that the US President will spend
nearly two hours in the open with his Indian
hosts. Normally, the US Secret Service is wary
of such a long exposure for their chief executive.
The maximum time which he generally spends
outdoors is a little over an hour during the oathtaking ceremony.
It is obviously the importance which
Obama attaches to the Indian connection which
has made the security agencies shelve their
reservations.
Their willingness to make an exception on
January 26 is all the more significant in these
unpropitious times when the ever-present
threat of terrorism has been accentuated by the
murderous assaults on journalists in Paris.
No one knows better than those in charge of
guarding the heads of nations that no amount
of scrutiny of the visitors or the stationing of
sharp-shooters on rooftops or the closing of
the airspace over the venue is enough to keep
danger at bay if a terrorist is prepared to die
while targeting his perceived enemy.
So, it is not only Delhis polluted air - about
which concerns have also been expressed by
the Americans - which is a cause for worry, but
the possibility that the psychopathic killers in
Pakistan will be loathe to miss an opportunity
when the man they love to hate will be a sitting

target for a prolonged period.

However, if the hosts and their honoured
guest have chosen to overlook these obvious
concerns, the reason is the upturn that has taken
place between the worlds oldest and largest
democracies in recent years.
For many, the two should have been natural
allies for years together. But, the compulsions
of international relations and the varying
perceptions of ideology kept them apart.
While Washingtons preoccupation with
the menace of communism and, especially,
its use of Pakistan as a tool to counter it,
created a barrier between the US and India,
the dominance of capitalism in the former and
Indias preference for asocialistic pattern of
society, as a Congress party resolution said in
1955, was another factor behind the souring of
relations.
Even when the ties began to improve in the
aftermath of the then Prime Minister Manmohan

Singhs initiative to reach an agreement on

a nuclear deal that ended Indias ostracism
from the nuclear club of the Big Five after the
Pokhran implosion in 1974, the fact that there
was hesitation in India about moving close to
the US was evident from several reactions.
One of these was the opposition of a section
of strategic analysts who were against the
opening up of Indias nuclear installations to
outside inspection. But, the most crucial was
the observation of Congress president Sonia
Gandhi that the communists had a point in
criticizing the deal.
Arguably, India-US relations hung by a
thread at that point of time in 2008 when
the Manmohan Singh government faced a
no-confidence motion in Parliament. If the
government had fallen, it would have been
back to the days of former US secretary of state
John Foster Dulles, whose telling phrase - if
you are not with us, youre against us - was a
warning to India about its non-alignment policy
of maintaining equidistance from the two
superpowers of the time.
Thankfully, the clouds passed. Besides,
the realization dawned in Washington that it
could not allow a failed state like Pakistan to
embitter its ties with New Delhi.
Two of Obamas predecessors also played
a seminal role in improving Indo-US relations.
One was Bill Clintons rejection of Pakistans
efforts to redraw the borders in Kashmir with
blood. Up to that point, the belief in the US was
that all would be well only if India handed over

Kashmir on a platter to Pakistan.

But, Pakistans reputation as an epicentre
of terrorism was a reminder that redrawing the
boundaries would only extend the backyard
where Islamabad kept its snakes, to quote
Hillary Clinton.
The other President who recognized Indias
distinctiveness was George W. Bush, who
marvelled at the fact that there were virtually
no Indian Muslims in Al Qaeda. Clearly, Indian
democracy had given enough hope to the
minorities to persuade them to shun extremism.
Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi
can be said, therefore, to be carrying forward
what Bush and Manmohan Singh started.
Moreover, Modi is fortunate in that he doesnt
have anyone in his party who will try to
undercut his initiatives.
Ideologically, too, India is today closer
to the US than ever before. Capitalism is no
longer a cuss word in Indian political circles,
where chief ministers are virtually competing
with one another to invite the domestic and
foreign private sector to invest in their states.
While Pakistan is falling off the map, its
all-weather friend, China, may be realizing that
India is not quite the pushover that it used to
think. Nor is America an unsteady giant. Its
technological prowess will continue to give it
an edge over the pretentious Middle Kingdom.
For India and the US in the 21st century, the
best is yet to be.

12

POWER COLUMN / NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

Dreaming of congestion-free cities

Barry Coates
Green Party

or a Xmas present, I wanted

funding for a better public
transport system in Auckland.
Unfortunately I didnt get it. Nor
did the 1.5 million Aucklanders who
suffer from ever-worsening traffic
jams.
Travelling around Auckland is
a joy over Xmas and New Year.
The roads are no longer clogged, as
people leave the city to go to beach.
Cars and trucks can move around the

city again. This shows that solving

the frustrating and costly traffic
congestion would make a huge
improvement in Aucklanders quality
of life.
Experience from modern cities
across the world shows that more
roads are not the solution. Building
more and more roads just means
more cars and more congestion.
Instead, Auckland needs investment
in a public transport system that
provides frequent and affordable
options. We also need safe routes for
the growing numbers of people (like
me) who ride a bicycle.
Auckland is playing catch up.
Plans for a decent rail system were

shelved in the 1970s and roads

became the only option. In recent
years, there have been improvements
in rail and bus services but more
investment is needed to take the
next step. Auckland can become an
efficient, sustainable city with a train
every five minutes, but that cant
happen until the Government invests
in the City Rail Link.
Traditionally
the
central
government has provided investment
for transport in the main urban centres
to supplement local council funding,
reflecting the important role that
major cities play in the New Zealand
economy, especially Auckland. But
the current government is refusing to

Smiths victims forgotten

Mahesh Bindra
NZ First MP

he rights of the victims of

murderer Phillip John Smith are
being completely overlooked. The
Summary of Chief Custodial Officer
Review in to the Failure to Return
from Temporary Release of Phillip
John Smithis full of good information
and offers 13 recommendations,
unfortunately the rights of victims
have not been taken in to account in
two of the recommendations.
The victims were not informed of
Smiths temporary release, despite
them being listed on the Victim
Notification Register. Appallingly,

they were also not informed that

he had escaped his temporary
release and fled New Zealand.
It
has
been
reported
that Corrections has rightly
apologised to the victims, however,
apologies are just words when there
is no action to back them up.
First: the Victim Notification
Register system needs to be
reviewed. Phillip Smith is subject
to the VNR and his victims are listed
on it, but they didnt know that Smith
was on temporary release let alone
escaped from it
Second:
There
is
a
recommendation that a Temporary
Release Advisory Panel be set up and
chaired by Prison Managers. This is
good, however, the recommendation

about who should be on the

panel does not include victims or
representatives of victims. This is a
complete oversight.
It is New Zealand Firsts belief
that the victims of crime in New
Zealand should be respected, their
rights are paramount. They should
feel safe they should not live in fear
of the offender escaping.
Every New Zealander should
feel safe and every victim should
be respected and protected by the
Government and systems that have
been put in place to do so.Corrections
has rightly apologised to the victims,
however, apologies are just words
when there is no action to back them
up. The action we need to see is
that the Victim Notification Register

Too many missing out on surgery

Winston Peters
NZ First leader

ew Zealand First has been

asking questions about elective
surgery surgery that is not an
emergency but that often changes
peoples lives.

Its hip operations, cataracts,

hernia and many more. A hip
operation, for example, often
completely changes a persons
lifestyle. They are pain free and can
walk without limping.
There have always been waiting
lists for such surgery. But every
government makes changes and the
National government has done that.
But we have discovered that they

system now being used is disguising

the number of untreated patients.
In figures supplied from the
Minister of Healths office we found
that in too many cases people going
to hospital for an operation are tossed
out untreated.
The government says it is
targeting these operations yet many
are missing out.
The ratio of untreated elective

Red

do so until 2020. This will condemn

Aucklanders to a more congestion
and a sub-standard transport system.
When the government released
its new policy on land transport in
December, it included plans for $33
billion investment over ten years
on roads, many of them expensive
and uneconomic motorways. A far
smaller amount of $5 billion has
been allocated for trains, buses,
cycling and walking. This ignores the
changes in transport patterns - road
use has peaked and there are now
record numbers of New Zealanders
opting to take buses and trains, and
growing numbers of walkers and
cyclists.

Black

Orange

In 2015, we need the government

to give the go-ahead to the City
Rail Link and other public transport
projects to make our cities more
efficient, less polluted and better
places to live. Its a win for the
economy, for our quality of life and
for reduced climate impacts. Theres
still time for a late Xmas present.
Barry Coates was a Green Party
candidate for Mt Roskill. He was
formerly Executive Director of Oxfam
New Zealand and has more than 20
years experience of international
negotiations on climate change. He
has a Masters degree in management
from Yale University.

system needs to be reviewed and

victims must be represented on the
Temporary Release Advisory Panel.
Its time the Minister of
Corrections Hon Peseta Sam Lotu-

Iiga showed respect to the victims

of crime in New Zealand and took
action to ensure they are protected.

surgeries has got worse since 2000.

For example, in the Auckland area
nearly 8000 people left the hospital
waiting list untreated in 2014. In the
Bay of Plenty area a New Zealander
is now nearly twice as likely to be
turned away from surgery as under
the previous government
The government must come clean
on this instead of just trumpeting a
campaign around elective surgery.

So many people are being let down,

after initially having gone through
the GP visits and all the rigmarole to
get on the waiting list.
Lets face it, there is still a huge
demand for elective surgery, so as
well as people going untreated who
were on the waiting list, we have
thousands who never make it to the
list.The Ministry of Health does not
have figures on how many.

Auckland museum to form youth advisory group

A
MAYORALDRIVE
News f ro m t he Co uncil

Outdoor fire
permits needed
as risk increases

cross the region people are

enjoying a warm, dry start to 2015
but with this comes an increase in fire
risk. Aucklanders are being urged to
carefully manage all outdoor fires.
A restricted fire season for rural
areas in the Auckland region is still
in place which allows lighting of
outdoor fires on rural land but a
permit is required for fires in the
open air. A total fire ban is now in
place for all Hauraki Gulf Islands.

The hot and dry summer means

risks of vegetation fires are higher so
people needed to be vigilant around
their properties, clearing easily
flammable fuel such as dry leaves
and debris. Council will be issuing
fire permits in Aucklands rural zones
free of charge but people are advised
to plan ahead as permits take three to
five days to issue.
The councils rural fire team
advised people to be aware of the
conditions and check before lighting
outdoor fires in urban areas as well,
including any non-gas barbecues.
For information on fire safety and
tips for the safe lighting of open air
fires call Auckland Council on 09
301 0101 or visit aucklandcouncil/
ruralfire.govt.nz

uckland
Museum
has
announced the formation of a
Youth Advisory Group (YAG) which
will see a select group of Aucklands
youth acting as a source of knowledge
in assisting the Museum to create
stronger links into Aucklands youth
networks and communities.
The instigation of this inaugural
group signals another step in
Auckland
Museums
Future
Museum journey, the long-term
strategy which lays the foundation
for changes over the next 20
years. The aim of the YAG is to
extend the Museums engagement
with an ethnically diverse youth
audience (15-29 year old Auckland
independent adults), by giving them
the opportunity to assist the Museum
in delivering content relevant to them.
Bethany Edmunds, Museum
Youth Outreach Programmer, says:
were really excited to be launching

this group. The aim is to create

opportunities for them to engage
across the whole Museum.
The benefits for the individuals
participating in the group will
range from valuable organisational,
management,
event
planning,
marketing and communication skills,
as well as potentially opening their
eyes to viable career pathways in
the sector. The seven members of

the group have been selected as a

result of their demonstrated youth
leadership, academic achievement,
and participation in anything from the
creative industries to science, human
history, media and communications.
The members will sit on the YAG for
an initial period of one year,with an
option to renew for another year.

NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

13

Forum for Global Youth invites applications

Red

Black

Orange

Paula Ray

lobal Youth is formed by a group of

university students from India under the
umbrella of an apolitical and not-for-profit
forum. They are guided by a group of prominent
Indian diplomats, journalists and academicians
in an endeavour to promote cross-border and
cross-cultural interaction among young students
and professionals from across the globe.
As part of the initiative, New Zealand has
been identified as a key country to set up a
student-to-student direct dialogue to facilitate
interaction and an exchange of ideas between
university students in both countries.
So, Global Forum is extending an open invite
to any students in your prestigious university
who might have an inclination to part-take in
the first ever India-New Zealand Youth Forum.
They will gain a chance for a direct interaction
with students from universities across India.
The forum initially is being set up with the
following immediate goals:
To hold monthly student-to-student
videoconferencing sessions on India-New
Zealand ties, cultural exchange and ideas
exchange
To start a joint India-New Zealand youth
blog for students from both countries to
discuss developments taking place at home
and abroad
To set up the first India-New Zealand
Youth Award for outstanding efforts in
promoting cross-national understanding,
one award each for an Indian student and a
New Zealander student
To connect Indian and New Zealander
students pursuing similar fields of study
The forum will be mentored in the immediate
time space by senior diplomats and journalists
from both the countries. They are also in
communication with the High commission of
New Zealand in New Delhi, High Commission
of India, Wellington, New Zealand as well as
the Ministry of External Affairs, India, to grant
these bodies observer status to the forum, but

Get

Indian
Weekender
issues
mailed to your
address
for just $80
for a full year
(50 issues)

Email : admin@
indianweekender.co.nz
*Amount covers postage only

Name:
Nationality:
Permanent Residence:
Age:
University/College/Institution:
primarily this is designed to be a student-tostudent non-governmental affair.
Interested students are invited to part-

take on a voluntary basis, by emailing an

expression of interest with the following
information to manavikhanna@gmail.com:

Ntec 10th Anniversary Party

2004-2014

Ntec celebrated its 10th Anniversary on Friday 28th

November at a gala event at the Freemans Bay Community
Hall in Auckland.
The many guests, business associates, students and
staff from all campuses were treated to an interesting
programme showcasing Ntecs coming of age and its many
achievements.
The evening began with a kapa haka and blessing
performed by the Phoenix Performing Arts Group, and the
singing of the National Anthem.
This was followed by a speech from Ansari (Director),
tracing the history and growth of Ntec from one college to
the present consortium of five colleges with four campuses
and over 2,500 students from 30 different countries.
The audience was treated to a selection of music and
dance items representing some of the countries where
the students hail from. Of note were the Filipino cultural
performance, Nepali dance, a captivating, foot stomping
Flamenco dance performed by Maria (IELTS teacher), piano
performance by one of our Korean students, and Punjabi
dances.
Each campus manager presented a congratulatory video
produced by their own staff. The campuses outside
Auckland Christchurch, Hastings and Tauranga were
represented by their respective managers Sanchit, Liddy
and Dweep, and other staff who travelled north to celebrate
Ntecs achievements.
Isaac (Director) presented a video on the Blue Dragon
Childrens Foundation, Hanoi, and explained Blue Dragons
very significant work in rescuing at-risk Vietnamese
children and youth, and providing them with support and
opportunities for education and development. Ntec is
pleased to be working with the foundation by providing
several full scholarships for its young people.

Isaac also highlighted Ntecs collaboration with the

Auckland Regional Migrant Services Charitable Trust
(ARMS) in the migrant sphere. Ntec believes that its
students should develop a sense of community involvement,
and hope that this will continue with students continuing to
help and volunteer in the community after the complete their
studies.
Sam (CEO-Ntec), delivered a speech about how Ntec helps
students to make positive changes to their lives and Liddy
(CEO-FutureCOL), spoke about her experience working with
Ntec.
Awards were given to Ntecs Top Scholars, the Ntec Student
Council and ISA members followed by a closing speech by
Rogan(Director of Studies).
The evening was brought to a happy and boisterous close
by the Bollywood Bhangra Group of Dancers with their
bright costumes and energetic Punjabi Folk Dancing with
Dhol drums accompaniment, which brought many people to
their feet, joining in some very spirited dancing.
We greatly appreciate the two very professional MCs Wei Lin
and Ahmad, who ran a great event with their showmanship.
It was an amazing and very zippy performance, in the
words of Rogan.

We would like to thank all of our wonderful and dedicated

staff, our present and past students, and all those who have
worked with and supported Ntec over the last ten years.

WHAT A PARTY !! AND WHAT A WAY TO RING

IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS FOR NTEC TO LEAD THE
CHANGE !!

14

NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

MTV to film TV series LaunchingAucklands

in Auckland
175thbirthday weekend
Red

ew Zealands film and television

industry has received a major
boost with the news that MTV
Networks and Sonar Entertainment
are set to film the TV adaptation of
the classic fantasy adventure book
series Shannara at Auckland
Film Studios Limited and various
locations throughout New Zealand.
Based on the series of cult fantasy

books by author Terry Brooks, preproduction for the TV series begins

this month with filming set to
commence in February 2015.
Welcoming the decision, Auckland
Councils Economic Development
Committee Chair Councillor Arthur
Anae says it will reinforce New
Zealands position as a go-to destination
for quality film and television
production, increase Aucklands profile
and showcase the citys world-class
facilities and locations.
The agreement underlines the
value Auckland Film Studios brings

to a modern, vibrant Auckland as it

encourages creative industries and
highlights the citys capability to
deliver high quality, Auckland-made
productions to the world, he says.
Screen
Auckland,
councils
specialist industry development
team within Auckland Tourism,
Events and Economic Development
(ATEED),has worked with the films

producers since early 2014 providing

expert assistance to ensure their
needs were met by Auckland.
Auckland Film Studios Limited
Chairman James Hill says that the
studios are ready for the challenge of
adapting such a well-known series.
We are confident that the
new series will recreate the world
imagined by Terry Brooks in a
faithful manner, and introduce a
whole new generation of fans to what
is already a classic.

WISH YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR

uckland
Council
invites
everyone to come and celebrate
the 175th anniversary of Auckland,
from Saturday 24 to Monday 26
January. Auckland Council and
ASB are partnering to transform
Shed 10 and Queens Wharf to
give Aucklanders a glimpse into
our past across the three days
of Auckland Anniversary weekend
2015.
Mayor
Len
Brown
says
Auckland is coming of age, and
you can feel a renewed sense of
pride in our place and ourselves. The
175th anniversary is an important
milestone for us so were looking
forward to celebrating with an event
reflecting who we are and what
makesAucklandproud.
The centre-piece of the event is
a large-scale, never-seen-before,
immersive multimedia exhibition
which is a tribute to Aucklanders
who have played a significant part in
the regions history. The exhibition,
produced by acclaimed Creative
Director Mike Mizrahi, features
stories told on screen about the
people who have shaped Auckland;
and stories of Tamaki Makaurau will
unfold in a live story-telling zone.
Quay Street will be closed to
traffic, and as people arrive on
Queens Wharf they will walk
through an historic archway designed
to mark this significant moment in
the citys history. Then the wharf -

including Shed 10 and The Cloud will come alive with entertainment
and historical displays that will take
people back in time.
A highlight of the weekend will
be Sunday evenings free concert
from the HMNZS Otago - berthed
alongside Queens Wharf. Curated
by Tama Waipara, a selection of
bands will bring a local flavour to
the celebration. The concert will
conclude with a spectacular fireworks
display from barges in the harbour
and from the Sky Tower. All three
days will feature buskers, a waka
display in the harbour, photographic
exhibition, vintage cars lining Quay
St, markets, food vendors and more.
Since Sir John Logan Campbell
and James Dilworth opened New
Zealands first savings bank
in Auckland in 1847, the histories
of ASB and Auckland have been
inexorably linked, explains Barbara
Chapman, ASBs Chief Executive.
Mayor Brown adds; We
want everyone to come join the
celebrations as we look back at a rich
history, celebrate our diverse cultures
and acknowledge some of those who
have madeAucklandgreat.
Other
events
happening
at
Aucklands
waterfront
over
Anniversary
Weekend
include;Auckland Regatta, SeePort,
ASB Auckland Seafood Festival,
International Buskers Festival, and
St Jeromes Laneway Festival.

Black

Orange

Quick facts:
Queens Wharf events are FREE
to the public from:
Saturday 24 January: 10am 6pm
Sunday 25 January: 10am 10pm
Monday 26 January: 10am 6pm
Shed
10
multimedia
exhibitionopening times:
Saturday 24 - Monday 26
January:12pm - 6pmdaily
Exclusive ASB customer access:
daily10am - 12pm
HMNZS Otago open Saturday
from 10am - 6pm / Sunday from
10am-3pm.
HMNZS Otago concert,Sunday
25 January, 5.30pm 9.30pm.
Harbour/ Sky Tower Fireworks
display, 9.30pm Sunday 25
January

NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

15

Extending hands of friendship across oceans

Red

Black

Orange

Swati Sharma

large gathering at the Hotel Hyatt Regency,

Chennai witnessed First Business Summit
2015 organised by India-NZ Friendship
Association (INZFA) and Loyola Institute of
Business Administration (LIBA) on January 12
this year.
The Business Summit is envisaged to
be an annual conference organized LIBA in
collaboration with INZFA, where eminent
personalities from across the globe are invited
for sharing their valuable insights and for
deliberating discussions towards enhancing
business relations between countries. The
theme for the first edition of LIBA-INZFA
Business Summit was, Extending Hands of
Friendship across Oceans.
The Business Summit deliberated on the
economic development and collaborative
partnership between India and NZ and provided
an insight into the Asia Pacific business
relations. Light was thrown on the economic
transformation and its impact on business
prospects for India in the Asia Pacific Region.
Eminent industry stalwarts, government
officials from India, New Zealand and other
countries graced the event with their presence
Some of the topics covered by the Speakers
included India on the commonwealth map:
strengthening friendship, India and its
friendly regions in Asia Pacific, the way forward
for a strong economic and trade relationship,
and INZFA and its role in promoting trade and
business between India and New Zealand.
Mr. Wenceslaus Anthony, Founder and
Chairman INZFA spoke on the role of INZFA
in the Business Summit. He spoke of the welldeveloped relations between India and New
Zealand and further developing two way trade
between the countries in the field of Food, ICT,
Manufacturing and Services.
The conference had four different sessions:
India and the rest of the world-friendship across
oceans, building friendship through business
across oceans, panel discussion on INZFA
and its role in promoting trade and business
between India and NZ and commenced with
valedictory session which summed up the
theme of extending hands of friendship across
the oceans.

Dignitaries present at the Business Summit; (right) Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand, The Chair of Commonwealth
Foundation, addressing the gathering

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National MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar

Q & A Session

16

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

NEW ZEALAND

Red

Black

Orange

You can never cross the ocean until you

have the courage to lose sight of the shore

Editorial

- Christopher Columbus

From the desk of the

Managing Editor

Freedom of Expression

ast week I had the privilege of visiting a popular Indian fast food restaurant. After we
exchanged greetings with the owner, he congratulated us for our publication going
weekly. The conversation that followed is something that I will cherish for a long time. He
complained to me that he does not get enough copies of Indian Weekender for his patrons.
He then added that around the middle of the week he actually goes to other shops n the
neighbourhood to pick up copies of the paper, to make them available for his customers who
enjoy reading our publication.
At this stage I offered to bring him a bunch of papers that I had in my car. On seeing the
number of copies I had brought him, he said that these would run out in one day and I am
better off dropping a couple of more bunches to him.
While on the face of it, this was a pleasant discovery, it made me reflect on the growing
popularity and acceptance of Indian Weekender as the number one choice of the Indian
community. It made me realize that all the dedication and hard work we put into making our
publication what it is today, is paying off and the credit for it goes entirely to the support of
our readers. We have come to become the most widely read news magazine amongst KiwiIndians.
This has also been the time for a lot of celebration and excitement back home in India
with the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and Vibrant Gujarat Summit having concluded with
resounding success. A matter of pride for us Kiwi-Indians was the Pravasi BharatiyaSamman
being bestowed on our very own Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi. This news was even more special
for us at Indian Weekender as Mr Bakshi was the first inductee into the Kiwi-Indian Hall of
Fame. We bring you an exclusive story with more details on this.
Another exciting story for our readers this week is our exclusive interview with Superstar
Akshay Kumar. We hope you enjoy this.
Starting this issue we are adding another new column called Migrant Tales. This is based
on stories and struggles of migrants, who have moved thousands of miles away from their
homeland, in search of their dreams, to the land of the long white cloud. We invite our readers
to share their inspiring stories on settling and succeeding in this country. This will become a
beacon of hope to the new migrants who are still struggling to find a foothold.
We have received some really good feedback on our childrens page that we started last
week. We now invite contributions from our young readers to send us their art, poetry, stories,
jokes, riddles - anything that they wish to share and it will be our pleasure to feature them
on our paper.
With everything that is happening in India and the way the world is now looking at India
with optimism and expectation, its time that all of us Indians too, wherever we are, give
our best to achieving our most cherished dreams; to raise the bar on ourselves and commit
ourselves to over-achieving. At the end of the day, the strength of our intention and dreams
will determine the results we manifest. With that in mind, lets draw strength from the
changing environment and give our lives an even greater push forward.
May the force be with you!

Pick of the week

US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Dunkin Donuts at Islamabad, Pakistan,

to have a little slice of home. This soon started trending on social networks.

Giri Gupta

Krero
Indian Weekender Volume 6 Issue 24
Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited
Managing Editor: Giri Gupta | girigupta@xtra.co.nz
Editor: Maya Shivam | editor@indianweekender.co.nz
Associate Editor: Paula Ray | paula@indianweekender.co.nz
Assistant Editor: Swati Sharma | reporter@indianweekender.co.nz
Chief Technical Officer: Rohan Desouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz
Graphic Design and Layout: IWK Design Team | designer@ indianweekender.co.nz
Advertising & Business Development Manager:
Gaurav Gupta - M: 021 292 4519 | gaurav@indianweekender.co.nz
Sales & Marketing Manager: Leena - M.: 022 0151971 | leena@indianweekender.co.nz
Accounts and Admin.: Farah Khan | accounts@indianweekender.co.nz
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

Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, Auckland
Printed at Guardian Print, Ashburton
Copyright 2014. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.

Pronounced: ko-rero
Meaning: To talk, to converse
Usage: I would like to have a krero with you.

Tip from the trenches

Taking a screenshot with iPad

With the iPad you can, take screenshots. To do

that, you need to simultaneously press the centre
circle button (Home) button, and Power button ,
which is located on the top right hand of the iPad.
A small flash and a small noise will confirm that
you have taken the screenshot. The screenshot
can be found in the Photos application. You can
use the screenshots for a multitude of things. You
can send your screenshots by mail, assign them
to a contact, use as wallpapers, print ...etc.

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

OPINION / EDITORIAL

17

A polarised world: the pen or the gun?

Red

Black

Orange

Paula Ray

s the pen mightier than the sword

or the gun for that matter? Or is
the gun powerful enough to freeze the
pen?
To keep the gun at bay, after the
massacre of Second World War we got
together to form the United Nations
as an intergovernmental organisation
to promote international cooperation.
To further the peace-keeping efforts,
we picked up the pen as our chosen
weapon to counter conflict-ridden
situations and promote international
peace and security, and to safeguard
human rights.
Regular glitches leading to
violent attacks, however, seem to
have become the norm over the
decades. The most recent being the
unfortunate attack on Charlie Hebdo
cartoonists in Paris, which left a
dozen dead, including two National
Police officers. In this instance, the
gun apparently silenced the pen.
But each time we have successfully
pulled out the pen to silence the
gun. This time, too, the Charlie
Hebdo team have decided not to get
intimidated by this act of violence and
give in. Instead they are going ahead
with their forthcoming magazine
cover depicting a prophet holding a
Je suis Charlie (I am Charlie) sign
a hashtag that has been trending
in social media platforms since the
incident.

Polarised world
The Charlie Hebdo incident has
polarised the world between a
faction that says the gunmen have
committed an act of terrorism by
killing innocent cartoonists; and
another who feels that the humour
of the cartoonists verge on insult and
making fun of the beliefs and values
held dearly by a certain community.
This is, in fact, a provocation to the
community to emit a reaction. Given
the nature of the provocation, the
resultant reaction is thus.
Whoever we choose to side with,
the fact remains that both the pen
and the gun can be misused. When
weapons are used by one person
or a group to suppress the others,
we term it an act of terrorism. For
example, the gunmen who open fired
at the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists.
But when the same weapon is used
by a super power like the US to blow
up cities in the MENA (Middle East

An illustration by Lucille Clerc that

was widely shared on social media

and North Africa) region, we term

it Americas war against terrorism.
The millions of innocent civilians,
who are wiped out in the process, are
killed without any provocation. Yet
we dont call America a terrorist.
The pen is said to have conferred
on us the freedom of expression our
liberty was never as profound as it
is now. With a pen in hand, we can

conquer the world. Add humour and

a generous dose of creativity to this
feeling of freedom and its impact is
more potent than any gunpowder
ammunition.
Yes, we are referring to the Charlie
Hebdo journalists who created a
priceless bunch of cartoons every
week that overflowed with sarcasm
and political satire. And yes, they did
target one of the timeless factors to
fragment the world: religion. It would
only be fair to mention that the weekly
magazine picked on every religious
belief, including Christianity.
So, the question arises, why did
only one community go up in arms
while the others did not? Pundits
assign it to the fact that certain super
powers, through their war on terror,
have socially and economically
marginalised an entire community.
So much so that acquiring a visa for
any member of this community to
travel outside of their own country
is a nightmare, irrespective of their
social standing. Not to mention the
security checks at airports that has
been reduced to a glorified striptease.
Such is the phobia of the other
community.
If an ally of the same super power
dishes out a tease at another level
via the pen, the affected communitys
reaction is understandable. But, this
in no way justifies their act: just
because you find a cartoon offensive,
you cannot, ever, pull out your AK-47
and shoot at the perpetrator.

Interestingly, one of the police

officers killed in the debacle is
Ahmed Merabet, thus proving that the
gunmen did not represent the views of
the entire community, but only of the
fundamentalist fraction.
Now the question arises: which
is the right path to choose? More
importantly, who is right: the
cartoonists exercising their freedom
of expression or the offended gunmen
who shot them down?

green energy is not a distant dream.

The ability of communities in
India to take bold initiatives has not
been fully harnessed. Communities
of residents, farmers, self-help
groups, SMEs and corporate houses
can come together to build solar
PV electricity generation plants on
rooftops of every building, on the
arid land around villages, unused
land of farmers, on the long routes
of irrigation water canals (as is done
in Gujarat), on railway and bus
stations, on factory shades, corporate
houses, government buildings and
even parking places. These micropower plants could then be wired
to develop the community grids - an
energy internet - that would provide
electricity for self-use, with the
surplus tbeing sold to the grid for
commercial purposes.
Deploying an affordable and
efficient storage technology to enable
the stocking of electricity can resolve
the problem related to cloudy days
when solar energy is inadequate
and quiet days when wind energy is
not generated. Such storages could
be based on the present technology
of using nano-technologies or
storing hydrogen produced by water
electrolysis using solar energy. When
millions of buildings are generating
small amounts of electricity locally,
on-site, they can sell the surplus to
the grid and share electricity with
their neighboring communities.
Is this a utopian road map?
Jeremy Rifkin, political scientist
and technology forecaster who is

a promoter of the lateral energynetwork concept, is already assisting

Germany to implement similar plans.
Twenty million Germans (25 percent
of the population) have chosen to
be off-grid and generate their own
electricity. Half of the electricity in
Germany, a country known for its
cloudy weather, is by solar energy.
Nearly 10,000 farms in the US
also harvest renewable energy along
with maze and wheat in their farms.
They use renewable energy for their
own agricultural operations and extra
electricity is sold in the grid-market
to earn money.
Many of the 25 million Indian
diaspora, spread over 180 countries
have the potential to contribute
to the Make in India with Green
Power campaign by providing
their expertise. Venture capitalists
like Vinod Khosla and Kanwar
Rekhi could promote manufacture
of efficient solar cells and storage
technology; software honchos like
Satya Nadella and Sabeer Bhatia
could develop the energy-internet
and finance experts like Vikram
Pandit could provide a financial
road map. The last diaspora-driven
transformation was seen when the
European diaspora in America helped
Europe rise from ashes after World
War II. India has chance to be the
first in using the diasporas potential
to fight the global war against the
climate change through the energyinternet.

The bottom-line
Western liberalism believes in
complete exercise of freedom of
expression. If it offends you, well
then, its your problem. If you wish,
find a witty way to counter the liberal
claims. In no way, does it recommend
an armed reaction leading to
bloodshed and death.
We have rationalised MF Husains
depiction of Indian goddesses as well
as the Danish cartoonists creativity.
There was a fair amount of protest
against both incidences, but it did not
result in shooting down the artists.
However, the fact remains that
with freedom and liberalism, come
responsibility. Whether you choose to
protest with your pen or pick up the
gun to protect the national borders, be
responsible and show respect towards
the people your target.
The right path lies in choosing
your target conscientiously and
responsibly. Only then you hit the
bulls eye.

Make in India but Make it Green

Rajendra Shende

century back, on January 9,

Mahatma Gandhi made his
determined journey to India with a
singular goal to Make in India. He
wanted to make in India a movement
of freedom from foreign oppression,
discrimination, and social apartheid.
The capital needed for this was in the
form of bold assets of non-violence
and civil disobedience.
Speaking on Independence Day
August 15, 2014 from the ramparts of
New Delhis historic Red Fort, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi launched his
equally historic and rousing Make in
India campaign. His venture capital
in launching this movement is in the
form of Indias unique demographic
dividend - the youth that constitute
65 percent of its population.
The timing of the campaign is
the most promising and opportune.
The last time India arrived on the
world scene with its technological
supremacy was in late 1990s when
software engineering crews of India
created their back-office hives to
help digitally managed businesses
of the West. That was a Make from
India campaign! Those hives and
their verticals and scale-ups are
now over-dripping into the national
treasury a stream of honey of $125
billion, of which exports are nearing
$100 billion.
The role of the Indian diaspora in
Indias transformation into a digital
world had been crucial. Their vast
networks with corporate houses, their

elite image, well groomed expertize

and their financial muscle-power
helped Indian companies make
inroads in the US and in European
markets.
Once again India has a unique
opportunity
for
yet
another
transformation. India reminded the
world of its brain-power by taking
lead in resolving Y2K bug at the
dawn of this millennium. We now
can remind the world of our belief in
nature-power to address the defining
challenge of this century - climate
change. By turning Make in India
into Make in India with Green
Power, we can create a win-win
situation. The role of the diaspora
in moving forward with sustainable
development by using renewable
energy will again be crucial.
The renewable energy revolution
is literally round the corner. For
last more than five years renewable
energy has been part of an amazing
story all over the world. It is the only
energy sector where investment and
installed capacity have consistently
grown with surprisingly steep rates
even during the global financial
crisis that began in 2008 and is still
casting gloom. From 2008 to 2013,
as per United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), electricity
produced from solar PV cells has
grown at an average roaring 39
percent. Investment in clean energy
is $275 billion, at least 10 percent
better than in 2013. A whooping 44
GW of solar PV added in installed
capacity worldwide in 2014 is 10

percent more than in 2013.

Nearly 50 GW of wind turbines
have been installed, up from 32
GW added in 2013. Sales of electric
vehicles have increased by 50
percent. The International Energy
Agency chief has shown that solar
energy could become the first source
of electricity in the world before
2050. Going by its report, the World
Energy Outlook 2014, renewable
sources should in 2040 dethrone coal
as a primary source of electricity, the
cost and variability in availability of
solar and wind energy is no longer
considered
an
insurmountable
obstacle.
Decoupling fossil fuel based
energy generation from the present
growth model would bring inclusive,
fair, equitable and the sustainable
growth that recognizes the value of
ecosystems and respect for the Sun
and Mother Earth. That indeed was
the foundation on which our ancient
Vedic science and technologies
were built on. Labeling the products
Made in India with Green Power
would once again demonstrate
Indias scientific legacy that values
the ecosystems. Indians can create
unique model for addressing freedom
from poverty, inequality, and impacts
of climate change.
Will the use of green energy,
generated from renewable sources,
be really sufficient enough for the
Make in India campaign? Abundant
availability of solar and wind energy
coupled with Indias proven soft
power is poised to ensure that it

18

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

FIJI

Case to be probed by PM

inistry of Education has

accepted
former
acting
permanent secretary for Education
Basundra Kumars letter withdrawing
her resignation, reports Fiji Times.
Acting permanent secretary for
Education, Kelera Taloga, set up an
independent team to investigate the
circumstances surrounding Kumars
suspension without pay. The press
release named State solicitor Ropate
Green as the chairperson of the
committee, two deputy secretaries
Kelera Vakaloloma from the Ministry
of Finance and Krishna Prasad from
the Ministry of Strategic Planning
as members of the committee.
Kumar would, however, remain on
suspension pending investigations.
The investigation committee
will investigate the allegations
and provide an opportunity to Ms
Kumar to provide her response to
the allegations, reports Fiji Times.
Thereafter,
the
investigation
committee will make its findings on
any breach by Ms Kumar of the Public
Service Code of Conduct or any
other terms and conditions, including
her contract of employment, and will
make its recommendations to the

NEWS in BRIEF
Red

Basundra Kumar

s the Government plans reforms

in various ministries, the rising
stars of civil service have been called
upon to man the fort, reports Fiji Times.
While some could find their role
challenging, for others it is part of
their regular chores. Previously deputy
secretaries were required to act when
permanent secretaries were away.
This time they will act for a
longer period because their bosses
are unlikely to be coming back,
explains Fiji Times. Contracts for
all permanent secretaries are said to
have expired on December 31, 2014.
They have to reapply if they
want their jobs back as part of the
comprehensive reforms: Twelve
officers have been given a threemonth extension to ensure that the
Government service is not disrupted,
but six have exited the service.
All permanent secretary posts and
other key positions will be advertised
and applications are open to all
including people living overseas. They
can still reapply if they want to when

Orange

Fumes force flight to turn back

A passenger plane travelling from Fiji to New Zealand was forced to turn
around when its cabin filled with fumes and an oil smell overnight, reports
Fiji Times. The Fiji Airways Boeing 737-800 was on its way to Auckland
from Nadi.
We had an air turn back on one of our B737-800s ..... due to fumes and
oil smell reported in the cabin, Fiji Airways managing director and chief
executive Stefan Pichler said.
The aircraft landed safely without incident. Only one person was seen
by a doctor after landing. The aircraft, currently in the hangar, is being
investigated by one of our engineers, said Pichler.

Film MoU to promote tourism

acting permanent secretary, who will

then decide what action, if any, is to
be taken.
Kumar was said to have welcomed
the decision taken to accept her
withdrawal of resignation.
She requested that her case be
dealt with by the minister responsible
for the Public Service Commission,
instead of the Education Ministry
acting permanent secretary.

This is a positive breakthrough

for me because they have accepted
my withdrawal of resignation, but
I am requesting that the minister
responsible for PSC makes the final
decision about my case, she said.
I am asking that the cases
starting from the Bhawani Dayal
case to be reopened and everyone to
be interviewed, she added.

Rising Stars Of Civil Service

Black

the advertisements are published.

Six deputy secretaries have
stepped up and appointed as acting
permanent secretaries. It is indicative
of the Governments confidence in
their ability.
These include Esala Nayasi,
who is replacing Amena Yauvoli
in Foreign Affairs; Dr Maciusela
Tuicakau replacing Dr Eloni Tora in
Health and Medical Services; Uraia
Waibuta replacing Ropate Ligairi in
Agriculture; Setareki Tale replacing
Filipe Alifereti in Rural and Maritime
Development and National Disaster
Management; Naipote Katonitabua
carrying on in acting role in Prime
Ministers Office after the departure
of Pio Tikoduadua now Minister for
Infrastructure and Transport; Kelera
Taloga replacing Basundra Kumar
who was also acting but moved back
to deputy secretary in Education,
Heritage and Arts.
How much do you know about
them? Fiji Times profiles some of
them.

Esala Nayasi
Nayasi, in his 30s, a lawyer by
profession, was appointed deputy
secretary (operations) in Foreign
Affairs in June 2014. He was the
director of political and treaties since
January 2012. Before that he served
as the the second secretary and later
as first secretary at the Permanent
Mission of Fiji to the United Nations
in New York for a total term of four
years.
Nayasi joined the civil service in
2005, and worked under the Political
and Treaties Division for more than
two years before his diplomatic
posting.
He graduated with a law degree
from the University of the South
Pacific. He also undertook postgraduate studies. He was admitted to
the bar in Fiji in 2005 and completed
a number of UN fellowships on
international law, including the
Summer Programme at The Hague
Academy of International Law.

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Film Fiji, Fiji Airways and Tourism Fiji signed an MoU to promote Fiji
as a film destination, reports Fiji Times.
The MOU was signed on behalf of Fiji Airways, by its managing director
and chief executive officer, Stefan Pichler, who is also Tourism Fiji chairman,
and by Film Fiji CEO, Dallas Foon.
A successful international movie always results in a marked increase
in tourism to that location from fans and we want a boost in the tourism
market, Foon said.
Pichler said they were keen to work together to promote Fiji as a film
destination and the MOU will bring some structure to their efforts. Tourism
will be the big winner here if a major production is shot in Fiji, hence, it
makes absolute sense to partner with Film Fiji for this, he said.
Film Fiji had issued 52 approvals to productions ranging from small
budgets to over $10 million last year, and most of these productions flew
Fiji Airways.

Uraia Waibuta
Waibuta, a 50-year-old civil
servant started in Agriculture and
has progressed through the ranks.
He has served for 24 years and
is highly regarded as the face of
Agriculture,
building
working
relationships between people at the
grassroots and ministry officers.
He has an excellent rapport with
ministry staff. He was educated at
Queen Victoria School and Navuso
Agricultural School where he attained
a certificate in Tropical Agriculture.
He later gained a Diploma in
Tropical Agriculture from the Fiji
School of Agriculture in Koronivia
and a Bachelors degree in
Agriculture from the University of
the South Pacific.
He
has
attended
many
international
courses
and
conferences. He is undergoing a
MBA programme. Waibuta is also
the chairman of the Rewa Provincial
Council. He was appointed by the
Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama.

Kelera Taloga
Taloga, in early 50s, is a civil
servant in the Ministry of Education.
She is a passionate and dedicated
educator. The ministry has been
recognised as a global leader in
financial education since 2013,
when it implemented the integration
of
learning
about
personal
money management into the core
curriculum from years one to 12.
Taloga has been at the forefront
of the Fiji Financial Education
initiative as a contributor and head
of project. Taloga was actively
involved in the areas of curriculum
development and examinations and
formal assessment.
She began her career teaching at
secondary school level and has held
a number of positions within the Fiji
school system. Taloga holds a series
of qualifications in education, food
science and technology, science and
mathematics, including a Masters of
Education from the University of the
South Pacific.

Advertise here
For just $99/- and
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www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

INDIA

Delhi goes to polls on Feb 7; all

parties confident

Red

Black

Orange

he much-awaited assembly
elections in Delhi would be held
Feb 7 and the results announced three
days later, the Election Commission
announced Monday as main players
BJP, AAP and Congress expressed
confidence of winning.
The polls were announced almost
an year after Arvind Kejriwal, of the
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), resigned as
chief minister leading to Presidents
rule in the national capital.
Polling would be held Feb 7 and
the counting would take place Feb
10, Chief Election Commissioner
V.S. Sampath told the media here.
The last date for filing nomination
of candidates will be Jan 21 and they
could withdraw from the contest
by Jan 24, he said. Delhi has a
70-member legislature.
Welcoming the announcement
of the election dates, the Bhartiya
Janata Party (BJP), the AAP and
Congress expressed confidence over
the performance.
The
BJP
welcomes
the
commissions decision and this
development is a tight slap on the
faces of those who were accusing
us of delaying the polls in Delhi.
We are confident that we will win

NEWS in BRIEF
Polio-free status for Gujarat an
important milestone

The achievement of a polio-free status by India, including Gujarat, was

an important milestone in health indicators for the South-East Asia region,
Ban Soon-taek wife of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
said.
Ban Soon-taek congratulated the national, state and local governments
for their strong will and painstaking efforts to drive out polio at a function
to celebrate Gujarats polio-free status.
I also commend the tireless efforts of health workers who had to travel
long distances to ensure that every child received the oral polio vaccine not once but multiple times in a year and for many, many years, she added.
Ban Soon-taek and Nata Menabde, WHO representative to India
felicitated the state officials for their role in polio eradication at a special
event.
Thanking WHO for this special honour, Gujarat Health Minister
Nitinbhai Patel said: For Gujarat, every child is precious and we will
further step up our efforts to secure the health and well-being of every
child in the state.
the assembly elections and provide
a strong, stable and efficient
government to the people of Delhi,
BJP Delhi unit media convenor
Praveen Shankar Kapoor told media.
Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia
told media: We are confident that
we will win. Its a contest between
AAP and the BJP as the Congress is
out of picture.
Delhi elected a hung assembly
in December 2013 after which the

AAP formed a minority government

headed by Kejriwal with Congress
backing. Kejriwal resigned Feb 14,
2014.
Presidents rule was imposed in
the city Feb 17 last year.
The 2013 election ended 15 years
of rule by the Congress, whose seats
in the 70-member house plunged
from 43 in 2008 to just eight. Its vote
share also fell from 40 to 25 percent.

Kejriwal hits out at BJP, mocks

Modi

AP chief Arvind Kejriwal hit

out at the BJP for making false
claims and mocked Prime Minister
Narendra Modi for calling him an
anarchist.
The mood in Delhi is different
from what it was a year ago. Though
the Congress is nowhere in the
picture, we are more popular than
the BJP and ahead of it in public
perception for the ensuing elections,
the Aam Aadmi Party chief said.
Delivering a lecture on Delhi
Elections - Opportunities and
Possibilities of Alternate Politics in
India at St. Aloysius Degree College
in New Delhi, the former Delhi chief
minister claimed that people wanted
his party to return to power in the
capital as they saw a qualitative
difference in governance during its
49-day rule.
People saw dramatic changes
in governance during our short rule,
as we were able to curb corruption,
provide power and supply water to
them within two months of coming
to power, Kejriwal said.
Dubbing the Bharatiya Janata
Party pro-corporate for serving its
vested interests, Kejriwal lamented
that politics had become an
investment and a profitable business
in the country.
Political parties should not raise

19

funds from industrialists, as they will

expect favours in return from the
party that comes to power. We will
fight elections with money donated
by the poor unlike the BJP and other
parties, he told the audience of
about 500 people.
Referring to Modis claim
that over seven crore people had
benefitted from the Pradhan Mantri
Jan Dhan Yojana launched in 2014,
Kejriwal said most of the bank
accounts opened in the last four
months have zero balance.
Whom is Modi fooling? How do
poor people benefit by just having
a bank account when they do not
have sufficient money for living or

saving to deposit? Should opening

bank accounts be the priority of the
government? Is it what the common
man wants, Kejriwal asked, drawing
thunderous applause.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal
attended a fund-raising luncheon
meeting, organised by the AAPs
Karnataka unit to raise money for
contesting the upcoming elections to
the 70-member Delhi assembly.
About 200 people donated
Rs.20,000 each to have lunch with
Kejriwal at a hotel in the city, and
150 of them attended, a party source
told media.

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www.facebook.com/indianweekender

ISRO scientist chosen for Vikram

Sarabhai Award

Distinguished scientist M.Y.S.Prasad, who is director of the India space

agencys Satish Dhawan Space Centre, has been awarded the Vikram
Sarabhai Memorial Award for 2014-15, the Indian Science Congress
Association (ISCA) has announced.
In a statement, the ISCA said Prasad of the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) was chosen for the award, which comprises a gold
medal and certificate, in recognition of his outstanding contribution.
The ISCA awards are presented in the inaugural function of the Indian
Science Congress and in the sectional sessions, the statement said but this
award will be presented soon in a separate function to be organised by
ISCA.

21st century should be of peace,

dialogue: Dalai Lama

Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama said the 21st century should
be a century of peace and batted for dialogue as the sole route to resolve
conflicts.
We must make 21st century a century of peace. The last century, the
20th century, was a century of violence. Peace doesnt mean absence of
conflict. There is always a potential for conflict... human population is
increasing.
Theres no other alternative to solve problems other than talks. This
should be the century of dialogue to attain peace, he said during a lecture
at the Presidency University in Kolkata this week.
The Dalai Lama emphasised secular ways of education.
Use various ways and means to educate to incorporate the concept
of oneness and warm heartedness. Then next generation will be different.
Plan properly secular ways to educate in moral values, he said, expressing
concern on inclination towards materialistic values in modern education.
I am very much worried about materialistic values (in education)..
there is no warm heartedness, he said.

World Bank: Indian economy to

grow by 7 percent in 2016

Helped along by falling oil prices and by lower interest rates in

developed countries, Indias economy is expected to grow by seven percent
next year and these two factors can be a game-changer if the nation were
to seize the opportunity to implement fiscal and structural reforms, World
Bank Chief Economist Kaushik Basu said.
As for this year, Indian economy is expected to grow by 6.4, according
to two separate projections released in United States this week by the
Bangkok-based UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the
Pacific (ESCAP) and the Washington-based World Bank, which also
predicted a 7 percent increase in 2017.
Overall, Basu painted a dim picture of the global economy facing a
stalled recovery in some high-income economies and even some middleincome countries but said there are some silver linings behind the
clouds.
Both ESCAP and the World Bank saw the low oil prices bonanza
helping cut fuel subsidies in order to divert funds for financing sustainable
development while also reforming the economy.
According to the World Banks Global Economic Prospects (GEP)
report, the global economy is projected to grow by 3 percent this year, 3.3
percent in 2016 and 3.2 percent in 2017. Last year, it grew by only a dismal
2.6 percent.

20

INDIA ABROAD

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

Enable voting by NRIs in eight

weeks, SC tells government

he Supreme Court of Indian

has asked the government to
take steps, within eight weeks, for
implementation of e-voting by NRIs
after being told the government
has accepted the poll panels
recommendation to this effect.
The government has accepted
both in letter and spirit the

recommendation of the Election

Commission. Further steps are to be
taken to implement the suggestions
in eight weeks, said a bench of
Chief Justice H.L.Dattu and Justice
A.K.Sikri in their order.
The order came as government
Monday informed the court that it
has accepted the EC report on voting
by the NRIs.
Appearing for the petitioners
Nagender Chindam, Naresh Kumar
Hanchate and Shamsheer V.P,
senior counsel Dushyant Dave told
the court that the recommendation
of the panel set up by the Election
Commission could be carried out
both by the executive order or by
taking a legislative route.
The court also told the government
to do it at the earliest.
In a related plea, the court also

Mahatma Gandhi an
integral part of South
Africa: Minister

ahatma Gandhi was an integral

part of South Africa and the
country shares an inseparable bond
with India, South African Foreign
Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane
told the Indian diaspora youth at the
PBD in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Addressing a plenary session on
Gandhian Thought in Context of the
21st Century: A Youth Perspective
at the Mahatma Mandir complex as
part of the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas here, Mashabane said the
youth of South Africa and India
should take inspiration from the
battles of Nelson Mandela and
Mahatma Gandhi and defend the
national interest of their country and
be the best in science and technology.
She said Mandela and Gandhi
had handed over the baton to us,
and ours is to move on, defend the
national interest of our country and be
the best in science and technology.
She said both South Africa and
India have a vision for development
of the future and are grappling with
challenges.
Her country was just 20 years
old after the end of apartheid
and still faces the challenges of
unemployment and poverty, she said.
Speaking of the rise of extremism
and intolerance in the world, she
said that in 2015, the world would
mark the 70th anniversary of the UN
Security Council.
We see rise of senseless
violence, especially against women
and children. We call for an end to
the decade of conflict.
She said people should take
inspiration from Gandhis philosophy
of satyagraha and that truth must
prevail over all considerations of
politics.
The South African minister said
Gandhi had said poverty was the
worst form of violence and let us
celebrate his immense legacy and

sought the response of the Election

Commission on the facilities that
could be extended to migrant workers
within the country to cast their votes
for the constituency where they are
registered as voters from their native
place.
As Arora said that they could get
registered afresh as voters in the city
where they are working, the counsel
for petitioners said there were
enormous difficulties including that
of identity in getting registered as
voters in a new place.
The
panel
had
however,
rejected the feasibility of NRIs
voting at the diplomatic missions.
It had also not favoured internet
voting till appropriate technology/
IT applications as well as other
vulnerabilities are addressed.

73 IndianAmerican teens
among Intel
science talent
semi-finalists

contribution to our two countries

and our youth be guided by his
principles.
To a question on fighting climate
change, Mashabane said: We will
be able to deal with challenges
of greenhouse gases if we stop
pretending that we are equal, because
we are not. We need to keep to the
principal of equal and differentiated
responsibility.
It is time to come up with
economic models that suit us now by
bringing alternative energy sources
through our own energy sources.
She said the South African
constitution was influenced by the
life of Mahatma Gandhi.
This partnership formed by
South Africa and India and other
progressive forces needs to be
defended, for the youth and the
future.
Addressing the session, Minister
of State for External Affairs Gen.
(retd) V.K. Singh said people need
to apply Gandhian thought to almost
everything were doing today.
Mashabane is a special invitee as
the PBD is celebrating the centenary
of the return of Gandhi to India from
South Africa.

s many as 73 Indian-Americans
figure among 300 high school
seniors named semifinalists in
the Intel Science Talent Search
2015, Americas oldest and most
prestigious pre-college science and
math competition.
The contest is designed to
reward young scientists and to
recognize the richness of how
they contribute to improving and
enriching everyday life.
Each
semifinalist
receives
a $1,000 award from the Intel
Foundation with an additional
$1,000 going to his or her school,
resulting in $600,000 in total
semifinalist awards.
Semifinalists were selected from
more than 1,800 entrants hailing
from 460 high schools in 41 states,
Puerto Rico, and five American and
international high schools overseas.
On Jan 21, 40 of the 300
semifinalists will be named Intel
Science Talent Search finalists.
Finalists will receive an allexpenses-paid trip to Washington,
DC from March 5-11, where they
will compete for more than $1
million in awards.

NEWS in BRIEF
Red

Black

Orange

Indian-origin Robin Dutt is

Stuttgarts new director of sport

erman football club VfB Stuttgart has appointed Indian origin Robin
Dutt as its new director of sport.
The former Bundesliga coach has penned a deal until Dec 2018,
reports Xinhua.
Robin Dutts proposed sportive concept, with the focus on the
optimization of structures and the management of the squad, have fully
convinced the President and the supervisory committee, Joachim
Schmidt, Stuttgarts chairman of the supervisory board said in a press
conference.
We are sure that he can stabilise and refine the VfB in the sportive
department, with all his expertise, experience, network as well as his
team-orientated leadership style.
The 49-year-old new has coached several Bundesliga teams. He helped
Freiburg to return into the first division when he was coach from 2007
until 2011.
In June 2011 he took the reins at Bayer Leverkusen where he was
sacked in April 2012 following poor performances.
Born to a Bengali father, Dutt, also worked for the German Soccer
Association (DFB) as a director of sport. Dutt then took the helm at
Werder Bremen in May 2013 before he was dismissed in October 2014.
With the constantly changing environment of the Bundesliga the club
faces major challenges. In the short term we will do our utmost to stay
up in the top flight. On the long term we want to combine our various
departments to create conditions for a positive development, Dutt said.
Stuttgart presently occupy the 15th place in the league standings,
having one eye on the relegation battle, as they sit just two points above
the drop zone.

Key cancer-promoting gene

discovered

team of researchers, including an Indian-origin scientist, has

discovered a key cancer-promoting gene that may explain how a
protein - TGF-beta - can prevent cancer from forming and encourage its
aggressive growth.
With the new insight into the cancer mystery, considered to be a major
paradox of cancer biology, the findings could provide a potential target
for treatment.
The researchers, including Shyam Nyati from University of Michigan,
identified Bub1 as a key gene involved in regulating TGF-beta receptor.
Bub1 is well-known for its role in cell division. But this is the first
study that links it to TGF-beta. We think this may explain the paradox
of TGF-beta as a tumour promoter and a tumour suppressor, said study
director Alnawaz Rehemtulla from University of Michigan Medical
School.
Our data that Bub1 is involved at the receptor level is completely
unexpected, Rehemtulla added.
TGF-beta is known as a tumour suppressor, meaning it is necessary to
keep cells in check and growing normally. But at some point, its function
flips and it becomes a tumor promoter, fostering aggressive growth and
spread of cancer.
The team of researchers developed a way to screen for genes that
regulate the TGF-beta receptor.
When 720 genes from the human genome were screened against lung
cancer and breast cancer cells, Bub1 emerged as playing a strong role in
TGF-beta signaling.

All PIOs are now overseas citizens

of India: Indian Government

he Indian government has announced that all Persons of Indian Origin

(PIO) card holders will be deemed to be Overseas Citizens of India
(OCI) card holders.
With the government withdrawing the PIO card notification, only
one OCI card with enhanced benefits is in existence, a home ministry
statement said.
The PIO card notification has been withdrawn with immediate effect
and further it has been notified that all existing PIO card holders will be
deemed to be OCI card holders. Now only one OCI card with enhanced
benefits is in existence, it said.
This has been done as per Prime Minister Narendra Modis
announcement during his visits to the US and Australia in September and
November respectively, it said.
The prime minister had announced in the US and Australia during his
visits that the PIO and OCI cards will be merged and the Indian diaspora
will be given maximum possible benefits, it added.

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

SPORTS

Kohli ushers in new era in

Indian cricket

Red

Black

Santosh Rao

ggressive, brash and in your

face - these qualities have
become synonymous with Indias
new captain Virat Kohli, and his
passionate and outspoken methods
has ushered in a new era for Indian
cricket in the Test arena.
The days of the charismatic, ice
cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Tests
are over.
They say a team adopts the
demeanour and characteristics of
their leader, and the nonchalant ways
and detached persona of Indias
captain cool, surely, rubbed off on
the entire team till he led them.
But the coming of Gen Next aggressive players like Virat Kohli,
Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma
and Varun Aaron - has changed
the dynamics of the team. These
cricketers fight fire with fire and not
buckle down under the barrage of
verbal spats.
They like to look at their
opponents in the eye and stand
strong.
The Indian team was begging
for a firebrand leader. The uber cool
attitude of Dhoni stopped working
sometime back, at least in the longest
format of the game.
The Indian team last won a Test
series away from home back in 2011
against the West Indies and there

Orange

was a need for a change, a different

game plan, a different approach and
a different attitude.
The likes of Sachin Tendulkar,
Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag
and VVS Laxman all added to the
coolness that Dhoni brought to the
table. These were not players who
would mouth-off against marauding
fast bowlers, they would rather go
about their way quietly and let the bat
do the talking. And that is exactly the
sort of captain Dhoni was.
With the exit of such stalwarts
and the coming of fresh faces in the
Tests, the team cried out for a new
leader.
Dhoni in 2012 had hinted that he
would soon quit Tests to concentrate
on the shorter formats, especially
the 2015 World Cup to be played in
Australia and New Zealand.
But that call may have come a tad
too late and the suddenness of it took
everyone by surprise. It wasnt the
decision so much as the timing that
left people grasping for answers.
Dhonis Test record has sometimes
been overshadowed and neglected by
his success in the shorter formats.
The team might have climbed to the
top of the Test rankings under his
leadership but the most successful
Indian captain has had a torrid time
abroad.
Overall, Dhoni played 90 Tests in
a career that began in 2005 and scored

4,876 runs at an average of 38, with a

high score of 224 against Australia in
Chennai in 2013. As a wicketkeeper,
he effected 294 dismissals, the fifth
highest in Test cricket.
However, out of 30 Tests overseas
under Dhonis captaincy, India
lost 15. Since the 2011 World Cup
victory, India lost 13 out of 22 Tests
played abroad, winning just two and
drawing six.
Outside Asia, Dhonis highest
score is 92 and averages just 29.79.
Kohli has already hit nine
hundreds overall - three of them in
the current series against Australia and his onward and upward cavalry
charge almost took India to victory
in the first Test at Adelaide.
But, Kohli has a lot to learn in
a short span of time. If the right
reactions from the team dont
come soon, the daggers will be out
swiftly and the fans that love and
adore him will be baying for his
blood.
Kohli, though, takes over
the responsibility with a severe
disadvantage. While Dhoni
was surrounded with senior
and experienced players
when he took over, Kohli
takes charge of a new look
team lacking in experience.
When Dhoni is removed
from
the
equation,
26-year-old pacer Ishant
Sharma becomes the most
experienced player in the
side, having played 61 Tests

while Kohli himself has played just

32.
That leaves Team India severely
short on players who are well-versed
with the nuances of handling Test
cricket. In a way that could work
in favour of Kohli, who will look
to forge his own path and give him
proper control of the team.
Kohli, though, will have to curb
his temper and rein in his gung-ho
attitude. Mixing aggression with
calmness will serve
Indias 32nd
captain
well.

21

ANZ Bank backs

ICC Cricket
World Cup 2015

NZ Bank New Zealand is

sponsoring the ICC Cricket
World Cup 2015, it was revealed
today by 12-year-old reporter
Cullen OConnor at the New
Zealand final squad announcement in
Christchurch.
ICC Chief Executive, David
Richardson, said: We welcome ANZ
Bank New Zealand as a local partner
for the ICC Cricket World Cup
2015. ANZ already has a very strong
association with cricket, especially
through their cultural and community
activities, and the ICC looks forward
to ANZ bringing added life and
excitement to the ICC Cricket World
Cup 2015 in New Zealand.
The 11th edition of the ICC
Cricket World Cup kicks off in
Christchurch on 14 February when
co-host New Zealand takes on former
champion Sri Lanka. On the same
day, at the picturesque Melbourne
Cricket Ground, four-time world
champion Australia will squareoff against England, which reached
the final the last time the event was
staged in Australia/New Zealand in
1992.
A total of 49 matches will be
played across 14 venues, seven
in
New
Zealand
(Auckland,
Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton,
Napier, Nelson and Wellington)
and seven in Australia (Adelaide,
Brisbane,
Canberra,
Hobart,
Melbourne, Perth and Sydney).

22

KIDZONE

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

Red

Black

Orange

YOUNG WRITER: Inara Dutta, 8 Yrs

Monster Bite

YOUNG ARTIST: Rudra Vir Sharma, 8 Yrs

There was monster chasing me. So I ran and ran. Till I had
nowhere to go. I could tell it was a monster, because it had
turquoise fur and white and black polka dots and green horns. It
also had this weird square marking on its face.
Then, after a point, I said, Bite me. Then, I also had that weird
marking on my face and I had grass growing on my body.
The monster said I should look for my mummy. Suddenly I opened
my eyes to see that my mum was shaking me and asking me to
wake up. I was getting late for school. I told my mum that I
wanted to complete my dream.
So I closed my eyes for 1 second and the monster suggested I
look in the opera house. There I saw my mum singing an opera
song that went like la La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la...

A. RAINBOW

Send us stories, drawings, poems

and other contributions by
your little ones alongwith their
photographs for this page. Email us
at editor@indianweekender.co.nz

Answers to last issues Crossword:

Across: 2. Toothpaste 5. Bathtub 7. Shower 8. Faucet 11. Toilet 12. Soap 13. Scale
Down: 1. Toothbrush 3. Plunger 4. Toiletpaper 6. Shampoo 9. Towel 10. Mirror 12. Sink

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

Red

Black

Swati Sharma

eaving the comfort of your

homeland and the place where
you were raised is not very pleasant
feeling. But life constantly pushes us
out of our comfort zone. You have
to keep moving to learn new things,
to gain new experiences, to grow
and to achieve more. Almost 2 years
ago, I moved to New Zealand with
my husband. I had never thought of
settling down in a foreign country, but
because my better half wanted to, so
I held his hand and flew here to start
building our dreams from scratch.
Those who have arrived here recently,
must be struggling to get along with
life in the new country, culture and
ways of living, so different from our
home country. Needless to say, it is
tough when you first start out.
When you start working with
a new machine, it is hard and it
screeches. Its hinges creak and clang.
But as you keep it moving it starts
running smoothly. Life also works
with a similar concept; when you
keep moving and oil your life with
hard-work and optimism, it slowly
starts to run smoothly.
We, from this week, are bringing
this section Migrant Tales, in which
we invite the migrants to New Zealand
to share their experiences and stories.
If you would like to share your story
with us and our readers, please email
us at reporter@indianweekender.
co.nz

FEATURES

Orange

iSpeak
I always had a dream to visit an
island country because the greenery
and beautiful natural views have
always mesmerised me. Coming to
New Zealand was like dream comes

long and how big an institute you have

worked for in your home country;
that experience doesnt matter for
employers here. It goes like in a circleI dont have a job because I dont have
the experience because I dont have a
job.. I was an IT professional back
in India, but my career in NZ started
from the hospitality industry. Getting
first job in NZ in a restaurant was like

true. As soon as I landed at the airport,

I had started loving this beautiful land.
But this all good and happy didnt last
long for me. Struggle to find a cheap,
comfortable house and a job to survive
started and I suddenly felt, where had
I come! It was so hard to find a job in
the beginning. Doesnt matter, how

an achievement for me. I think this

country tests everybody for some time
and those who do not give up, survives
and grows. By the time my studies
finished, I found a job in IT industry
here. Then I actually felt like, Okay!
Now I could say that my life is back
on track. But no! Life asked me, hey

Shiba Bhagat

Non-human sugar in red meat

may promote cancer

team led by an Indian-origin

researcher at the University of
California, San Diego, has found
that a non-human sugar present in
red meat promotes inflammation and
cancer progression in rodents.
During the study, the scientists
fed the sugar molecule known as
Neu5Gc to mice which significantly
promoted spontaneous cancers.
The study did not involve
exposure to carcinogens or artificially
inducing cancers, further implicating
Neu5Gc as a key link between red
meat consumption and cancer.
Until now, all of our evidence
linking Neu5Gc to cancer was
circumstantial
or
indirectly
predicted from somewhat artificial
experimental set ups, said principal
investigator Ajit Varki, distinguished
professor of medicine and cellular
and molecular medicine at University
of California, San Diego.
This is the first time we have
directly shown that mimicking the
exact situation in humans - feeding
non-human Neu5Gc and inducing

anti-Neu5Gc antibodies - increases

spontaneous cancers in mice, Varki
noted.
Neu5Gc is found naturally in
most mammals but not in humans.
Varkis team found that red meats
(beef, pork and lamb) are rich in
Neu5Gc, affirming that foods of
mammalian origin such as these are
the primary sources of Neu5Gc in the
human diet.
The molecule was found to be
bio-available too, meaning it can be
distributed to tissues throughout the

body via the bloodstream.

The researchers had previously
discovered that animal Neu5Gc can
be absorbed into human tissues.
In this study, they hypothesised
that eating red meat could lead to
inflammation if the bodys immune
system is constantly generating
antibodies against consumed animal
Neu5Gc, a foreign molecule.
This work may also help
explain potential connections of
red meat consumption to other
diseases exacerbated by chronic
inflammation, such as atherosclerosis
and type 2 diabetes, Varki noted.
Of course, moderate amounts
of red meat can be a source of good
nutrition for young people. We hope
that our work will eventually lead
the way to practical solutions for
this catch-22 situation, the authors
concluded.
The study was published in the
journal Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences.

how can you think so. Then there was

another challenge to get permanent
residency, after all thats the semi-final
goal. (Final goals for me is to get a
life where when you go shopping, you
dont bother about the price). I finally
got my residency just 6 months back.
During these three years, I have seen
many good and bad days, sometimes I
hadnt enough money to pay my rents
and sometimes getting an unexpected
increment, brought cheers. I do believe
that everything happens for a reason
and I have always learnt something or
the other from circumstances. These
years of struggle have made me strong
enough that instead of saying, why
me? I can ask god to try me.

Jivika Singh
I came to New Zealand almost a
year ago to study Animation and 3D
Graphics which I have studied for 2
years back in India too. I am really
loving what I am learning here. I

had a few friends here in NZ who

had praised about this country so I
was really excited to come here. The
scenic beauty of NZ, friendly Kiwis
passing a sweet smile when you make
eye contact and smart and cute kids,
allure me more as I see these. I really
like the small-small things, Kiwis or

anybody else in this country follows,

like thanking the bus drivers; using
some typical words such as sweet
as (good, thanks or alright), eh? (Is
it?), aaaah (okay); extremely polite
police (to my utter surprise); people of
different ethnicities and many more.
These small things make me feel that
whatever struggle I have to do is worth
it.
But on the other side I can see many
Indian students struggle to get further
visas to stay here. The thing that I
strongly feel is that the government
should take into consideration , when
we students pay such big amounts
to study in their country, we should
also be given some special privileges.
When we apply for student visa, our
degree is given recognition but when
we come here and try to find a job on
that basis, or even want to apply for
further visa, our degrees lose the value.
I just feel that this discrepancy leads
to a lot of students getting exploited
by some nasty employers, who for

their benefit and taking advantage of

students situation force them to work
more and get paid less.
Every coin has two faces and I
think life also goes with similar rule
that you cant have both your hands
in the cookie jar.

Enough sleep can

help you lose weight

ven though diet and exercise are

the prime weight loss weapons,
there is a secret one that takes a lot
less effort- getting enough sleep.
Here is how getting your eight
hours can help you shrink your
waistline, reports huffingtonpost.com.
It helps you eat less: Sleep
affects levels of the hungerregulating hormone leptin,
which helps your body realise
its full, and ghrelin, which
stimulates appetite. Not getting
adequate sleep lowers levels
of leptin while raising levels
of ghrelin, which can cause
overeating when youre sleepdeprived. A recent study found
that women who didnt sleep
enough ate an average of 300
more calories than those who
got adequate sleep.
It reduces belly fat: Anxiety and
stress are two major contributors
to belly fat; getting enough sleep
is one way to beat both.
It may suppress fat genes: A

23

recent study found that women

who slept seven to nine hours
a night weighed less than those
who
were
sleep-deprived.
Researchers believe that those
who slept fewer than seven
hours a night, or more than
nine, were more affected by any
genetic pre-dispositions to be
overweight or obese.
It gives you energy: If youve
gotten a good nights rest, then
youre more likely to have the
energy to tackle your workout
for the day. And, since exercise
helps you sleep, revamping your
sleeping habits can be the start
of a beneficial cycle.

24

ENTERTAINMENT

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

Red

Black

Orange

Rendezvous with

the BOSS

An exclusive interview with Superstar Akshay Kumar

Maya Shivam

ndian Weekender was very proud

to be able to chat to Akshay Kumar
about his forthcoming movie, other
areas of his life, his love for martial
arts and also discover the lesser
known sides of a star who is in no
uncertain terms the Boss.

knew I had to get involved in the

project! Its been great working with
him after Special 26, weve got this
crazy chemistry and Ive got such
respect for him.
There are a lot of messages that will
be conveyed through the film. While
the trailer shows that the film deals
with the issue of terrorism, I also

On the sets of Baby

Maya: Akshay, we are very

excited to interview you. Please
tell us a little bit about your
upcoming movie Baby?
Akshay: I am playing a Special
Forces Officer in the film and it has
been directed by Neeraj Pandey.
When I knew he was on board, I

want people to watch the film and

realize the other messages that we
want to convey.
Maya: Babys a bit of a strange
title name for such a serious and
hard hitting film?
Akshay : I was very surprised when
I first heard the script but slowly I

got to know about the importance

of the title Baby and realized that
it could never have been anything
else!
Maya:You play a Special Forces
officer in Baby. Did you find
your role similar to that of your
role in Holiday?

Akshay:Its true that I am playing

another Special Forces role, but
the characters are very different.
Holiday was a real mix of genres,
crossing between thriller and
rom com but Baby doesnt really
have that light hearted side. My
role in Baby, Ajay, is a grim brutal
character, as if Virat from Holiday
had lost his sense of humour. I did
love that about Virat, he had two
different sides to him, he was a
really complex man. Yes, he had a
social life and chased the girls, but
he couldnt ever switch off. I think
that even my character in Holiday
had a line which
he probably
wouldnt
cross; Ajay
is the sort
of person
who would
do whatever
was

necessary to keep his country safe.

Maya: What sort of physical
preparations did you do for the
film?
Akshay:There were a lot of
preparations I had to make for
Baby. Physically, it was a very
demanding film and so I upped my
game in the gym! I do like to keep
my body guessing so I love trying
out new techniques and exercises.
The most recent discovery I made
are these heavy wooden beads I
bought in Singapore. I have 50
beads, which weighabout 2-3 kilos.
The aim is to move them around
your neck, which seriously works
your core. If you do it wrong, the
beads will drop. It works your
cardio, so when you finish, it tones
you up from the inside out.
Maya: What were the shooting
scenes in the desert like?
Akshay:Quite crazy to be honest! It
was 50 something degrees while we
were out there so we just had to get
it done as quickly as possible which
wasnt easy!
We needed rough desert terrain
and an Arabian airport. Plus, we
just couldnt have
shot it like that in
Mumbai. They
wont close a part
of the street for
you theyd
rather close the
shoot.

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

Red

Maya:Where do you find the

Black
Orange
time to star in 3 or 4 films a year?
Akshay:A lot of it goes down to
hard work and organisation. I only
spent 32 days on the set of Baby
and the whole film was filmed in
about 50 or so days. Thats because
Neeraj has his script in place. I
know Im doing four films a year
while others are doing one per year,
sometimes one in two years. But
I do these films very easily with a
lot of free time in hand. In fact, Im
the only actor who takes so many
holidays. I take at least eight days
off every three months and a long
month-and-a-halfs vacation every
year. So if I have time, what else
do I do?
Maya: We are very keen to know
more about your martial arts
institute for women?
Akshay: I have always believed in
equality for women, women having
the same opportunities, strength
and capabilities as men, and the
power to achieve everything and
anything they want to. Talking
about what motivated me starting
up this initiative - the self-defence
of women in India has been a
major concern lately and not only
has it gained immense media
attention in India for all
the wrong reasons, but
also internationally.

ENTERTAINMENT

25

I have always believed

in equality for women,
women having the same
opportunities, strength
and capabilities as men,
and the power to achieve
everything and anything
they want to.

On the sets of Baby

With the support of young leader

Aditya Thackrey, we commenced
the procedure of starting free of
cost self-defence classes for as
many women as we can to counter
offence this menace.
Maya: Why did you think
this is the need of the hour?
Akshay: I think that in this
day and age, it has become
essential for women to
know how to defend

themselves. In fact, it is necessary

for everyone to know how to
defend and protect themselves
if put in a difficult situation. My
new Martial Arts Institute has
the aim of teaching women not
only the moves of selfdefence,
but also the techniques behind
each move, and the state-of-mind
and discipline needed to perform
Martial Arts. Terrible crimes like
domestic violence and rape occur
against women everywhere in the
world, and so it is vitally important
that women know how to protect
themselves.
Maya: What are your thoughts
on women empowerment and the
role men can play in it.
Akshay: I believe that in life
everyone is equal and equally
unique with special talents and
gifts from God. No one should be
discriminated against or made to
feel inferior. For things like this
I want to use the greatest gift and
asset I have with me for the greater
good Martial Arts.
The self-defence of women in
India has been a major concern
lately and the mere thought that
allows a man to feel that he can
overpower a woman is wrong. I

On the sets of Baby

have always believed in equality

for women, women having the
same opportunities, strength and
capabilities as men, and the power
to achieve everything and anything
they want to.
Maya: We have heard about your
philanthropic work, please tell us
more.
Akshay: I wasnt born with a
silver spoon in my mouth and
like many of my colleagues and
other professionals, weve had to
work ourdamnedestto succeed
and stay successful too.Ive been
incredibly lucky but there are far
more people who arent as fortunate
as I have been.Many of these
people struggle to get hold of even
the basic essentials that many of us
take for granted. I feel truly blessed
to have the opportunity to share a
part of what I have achieved and
earned with someone less fortunate
that I. Everyone deserves a chance
to prosper and sometimes you just
need a little extra help to push you
along your way.
Maya:Do you have any New
Year Resolutions?
Akshay: I dont believe in making
New Year resolutions. I believe in

the simple philosophy of work hard,

please my fans, do good work, &
be a loving husband and father, and
thats it. Im not displeased with
anything that I do, I have no vices,
no bad habits, theres nothing I
need to cut back on. I just bring in
the new year with a happy family,
& I try very hard to keep them
happy, thats all thats important to
me.

For those of us who already

love the Khiladion ka
Khiladi, I am sure we love
him even more in learning
these other facets of his life.
He has been an absolute
inspiration for so many
young people who have
dreams and aspirations and
to remain grounded even
through the phenomenal
success. Heres wishing
Akshay Kumar the very best
for his forthcoming release.
May he continue to rule the
silver screen for years to
come.

26

ENTERTAINMENT

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

Red

Enjoy the very best of

Indian entertainment
this festive season!

FREE

Install today for

and
get

3 months
FREE*!!

PK scores big at Star

Guild Awards 2015

ilmmaker Rajkumar Hiranis PK won the

Best Film along with Best Director, Best
Dialogue, Best Sound Mixing and a special
award for earning over Rs.100 crore at the the
Renault Star Guild Awards 2015.
It was PK that took the maximum awards
at the gala night. The film stars Aamir Khan and
Anushka Sharma in the lead roles.
Actor Shahid Kapoor won the award for best
actor for his performance in Haider while
Priyanka Chopra walked away with the best
actress award for her role in Mary Kom.
Taking the podium as host, the inimitable
Kapil Sharma brought his own brand of humour
to the night as he enthralled audiences with his
quick wit.
While megastar Amitabh Bachchan
performed at Piddly song from his upcoming
movie Shamitabh, Priyanka Chopra kicked
off the night with a stunning performance on
Asalaam e ishqum and Ram chahe leela
chahe.
Alia Bhatt created magic on the stage with a
performance on Phataaka gudi and Radha on
the Dance floor. Other performances included
Jacqueline Fernandes and Shahid.
The Renault Star Guild Awards 2015 copowered by Gionee Smartphones and Ola Cabs
will telecast Jan 18 on Star Plus channel.

Boman finds Farah

soft, beautiful lil girl

Enjoy latest shows!

Everest

Chakravarti Ashok Samrat

16 Premium channels
Exclusive channels on Direct to Home
Satellite services - Sony, Colors, Zee TV
Indias favourite daily soaps & reality shows
Glossy Bollywood magazine & programme
guide sent monthly free of cost
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Recording Option
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Exclusive Direct to Home Satellite services

All NZ
: 0508 933 546
Auckland : 09 621 0520
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*Conditions Apply. Offer valid only on Basic package for the month of January 2015.

t was Farah Khans 50th birthday last friday,

but according to actor Boman Irani, the
choreographer-filmmaker is a little girl!
The Main Hoon Na director calls the shots
on sets with strictness, but Boman says its just
another side of the softie that Farah is.
Behind all the bluster and the rolled up
sleeves that takes on the world, shes one
soft, beautiful lil girl! Happy Birthday @
TheFarahKhan Boman tweeted.
The two shared screen space in Shirin
Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi, and Farah has
directed Boman in films like Main Hoon Na
and Happy New Year.

Coolest MARD Farhan

Akhtar turns 41

ctor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar turned 41

last Friday and Bollywood stars wished
him whole-heartedly.
Happy birthday@FarOutAkhtar Farah
Khan Roopa Shaikh. Bahut saari duayein,

Black

Orange

Shabana, who is Farhans father Javed Akhtars

second wife, tweeted.

Ive learnt a lot from

Nawazuddin: Varun
Dhawan

ctor Varun Dhawan, who has shared

screen space with Nawazuddin Siddiqui
for the first time in Sriram Raghavans next
Badlapur, says it was a learning experience to
work with the the acclaimed actor.
Varun spoke about it at the launch of the
Jee karda... song from the film Badlapur in
Mumbai last week.
When asked to share his experience of
working with Nawazuddin, Varun said: Ive
learnt a lot from him about cinema and about
how he conducts himself as a human being.
Im very grateful to him that he is part of
our film. This film would be incomplete with
Nawaz as he is a very important part of it, he
added.
In Badlapur, Varun will be seen donning
a rugged look for an aggressive character. The
film also stars Yami Gautam, Huma Qureshi in
key roles and it will hit screens Feb 20.

Sachin Tendulkar to
debut on big screen
with biopic

fter wrapping up a stupendous innings on

the cricket pitch, master blaster Sachin
Tendulkar is ready to make a splash on the film
scene. He will star as himself in a biopic to be
released in 2015 itself.
The yet untitled feature, conceived by
Mumbai-based production company 200 Not
Out has been in the works for over a year, in coordination with World Sports Group, the firm
that manages Brand Sachin.
The movie, to be directed by London-based
writer-filmmaker James Erskine, promises
never seen before facets and footage on
Sachin, said Ravi Bhagchandka, founder, 200
Not Out, in a statement.
Apart from his presence in the movie,
Sachin will make a lot of contribution to the
project, which will capture his phenomenal rise
in the world of cricket.
Having started as a 16-year-old, the Little
Master, at five feet five inch, holds the record
for the maximum number of appearances and
is the highest run-getter and century maker in
both versions.

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

Red

Black

Not doing any

film: Shilpa
Shetty

ENTERTAINMENT

Orange

ctress Shilpa Shetty has no plans

to take up an acting project
anytime soon as all her energy is
focussed on her son Viaan, who will
turn two in May.
Viaan is Shilpas first child
with her businessman husband Raj
Kundra, with whom she tied the knot
in 2009.
Im not doing a single film right now
as Viaan is too young. I am enjoying my
motherhood. I want to give him all the
time, Shilpa said here.
Talking about her book, the fit as a
fiddle 39-year-old said: Im writing
a book on nutrition and health. People
feel that I am slim by birth, but thats
not true. I have worked really hard on
my body. I have started writing this
book and I will launch this book this
year itself.

The Lunchbox nominated for BAFTA

fter having been snubbed as

Indias official entry at the
Oscars in 2013, Ritesh Batras
directorial feature movie The
Lunchbox has made it to the
nomination list of the BAFTA
Awards 2015 in the Film Not in the
English Language category. The
team is ecstatic.
The nominations for the awards,
organised annually by British
Academy of Film and Television
Arts (BAFTA), were announced in
London last week.
The Lunchbox, starring Nimrat
Kaur and Irrfan Khan, is competing
with Polish-Danish drama film
Ida, Russian drama Leviathan,
Brazilian-British adventure drama
thriller film Trash, and Belgian
drama Two Days, One Night,
according to the official BAFTA
website.
The movie is a unique love story
between a lovelorn wife and a lonely
man. While it released in India in
2013, it hit the British screens only
in 2014, making it eligible for the
nominations this time.

Militant Islam is never

Islam: Mahesh Bhatt

ollywood
filmmaker
Mahesh
Bhatt,
who
maintains close cultural links
with Pakistan, feels its morale
has hit an all-time low with
the savage killing of children
in Peshawar.
Recently, Taliban militants
attacked an army school
and slaughtered 148 people
including 132 children, in
Pakistans Peshawar city
in retaliation to the armys
operation against extremists in
North Waziristan. One of the
worst acts of human savagery
has triggered global outrage.
Bhatt, who is half-Muslim
(his mother was a Muslim),
feels what Nobel laureate
Rabindranath Tagore had once
expressed.
Tagore once had a
profound conversation with
a Bedoin tribesman whom
he met in an Iraq desert
encampment. The Bedoin told
him that the Holy Prophet
described a true Muslim as
someone whose words and
deeds do not harm any person
in any way, and here we have
brother killing brother! Why is
it that only a believer kills and
not a non-believer? Its very
strange thing, said Bhatt.
Worried about the future of
Pakistan, he said: Pakistan is
a crumbling nation.
Its a house falling apart,
spiritually and emotionally.
Its been a long anguished
struggle for survival for the

27

nation. If you go to Pakistan

youd hear a wail in the air.
Bhatt is appalled by the
line of thought that suggests
that the attack in Peshawar
was expected.
That whole narrative of,
You guys had it coming,
is appalling and brutal, he
said about one of the worst
acts of human savagery ever
perpetrated.
He compares the terror
attack in Peshawar to the
brutality of the Nazis.
Children have always
been the most vulnerable. Any
civilization that cannot take
care of its women and children
doesnt deserve to be called
a civilization. There is no
denying that the state leader in
Pakistan is powerless. If you
go to Karachi youll see
the man on the street is
very confused as to who
the enemy is. Theyve
been brought up on
the narrative that
the man or woman
across the border
is the real enemy.
Now theyre no
longer sure of
who the enemy
is. The enemy,
they
feel,
is
among us.
He thinks its
time for Pakistan
to wake up to
ground reality.
Its
time

Batra considers it an incredible

honour.
Im in London right now... we are
honoured to be nominated alongside
the finest films of the year. Its a great
way to start the New Year, Batra
told IANS over phone.
The films lead actress Nimrat took
to Twitter, and gushed: A BAFTA
Nomination for #TheLunchbox!!
Big love and congrats to the whole
team. Co-producer Guneet Monga
of Sikhya Entertainment shared:
Soo awesome! The Lunchbox
nominated for BAFTA!!! Thank you

they stopped being in denial.

They need to be gently
nudged woken up. Militant
Islam is never Islam. Look at
Punjab where there has been
glorious thought that a real
Muslim never harms another.
Muslims by being what
theyve become, have done
more damage to their religion
than anyone else.

@riteshbatra for creating soo much

magic... love.
Congratulatory messages for the
cast and crew also came in from
industry members like Sujoy Ghosh,
Hansal Mehta and Nikhil Advani.
The nomination turns out to be
extra special for the team, especially
as the Film Federation of India
(FFI) had, in 2013, chosen Gujarati
film The Good Road over The
Lunchbox as Indias entry for the
best foreign film at the Academy
Awards despite the buzz around it.
Mehta made a tongue-in-cheek

comment, saying: So obviously the

Film Federation of India knows better
than #BAFTA. Congratulations @
riteshbatra, @NimratOfficial, @
irrfan_k and @guneetm.
However, with the latest news
surrounding a chance at the BAFTA,
the team is rejoicing.
Jointly produced by multiple
studios like DAR Motion Pictures,
UTV Motion Pictures, Dharma
Productions, Sikhya Entertainment,
National
Film
Development
Corporation (India), ROH Films
(Germany), ASAP Films (France),
and the Cine Mosaic (US), The
Lunchbox has done its round of
international film festivals, including
those in Cannes, Zurich, London and
Toronto.
With names like Anurag Kashyap,
Karan Johar, Guneet Monga and
Danis Tanovic backing it, it went on
to become one of the highest grossing
foreign films at the US box office.
The story revolves around Ila,
a young middle class Mumbai
housewife, essayed by Nimrat, tand
an old widower, played by Irrfan.

28

FEATURES / EVENTS

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

NZ Fashion Tech students, on a five-week

exchange study programme, blog from
Sathyamangalam, in Tamil Nadu

Sine

cant believe it is already the fourth

week! Time flies! We started off
this week by relaxing, doing some
crafts after lots of interesting factory
visits last week. We had fun hand
sewing embroidery, using knitting
wool,
experimenting
different
stitching techniques. On Wednesday
we had an amazing shopping in
Coimbatore purchasing nice sari
and fabulous silk scarves as well as
getting trims for our silk project.
My favourite part of this week
was travelling to Mysore, the second
largest city in the state of Karnataka.
It took us six hours to get there and
I got car sick because the road was
too bumpy. However, it was worth
it! Mysore palace is marvellous the historical palace is officially the
residence of Maharajas, the royal
family. The palace has architectural
domes made out of marbles, and the
building is surrounded by a large
garden. We also went on an elephant
ride inside the palace.

Emilia

ts hard to believe we only have

one week left in India. We started
the week by learning how to do hand
embroidery. Mid-week we went to
a local market to get the extras we
needed for remaking our Resene
outfits for the fashion show.
On Thursday afternoon we
departed for Mysore, where we stayed
the night. In Mysore we first visited
the zoo with lots of different kinds
of animals, though we seemed to be
an attraction in itself, as everyone
wanted to take photos with us.

Bailey

f theres one piece of advice Id

give to someone travelling to
India, it would be to go there with
zero expectations. A Chinese
restaurant will have a menu full of
masala options, a pistachio ice-cream
will have curry leaves in it, and if
something is five minutes away,
it is probably a couple hours away
from happening.
My time in India is full of
unforgettable memories, including
the fact that I chose to wear a saree
the day we went to Mysore. It turned
out that was the closest I would ever
get to living my dream of becoming
Kate Middleton.
As a few of us came down
with illness, I kept hearing about a
mysterious injection given by the
doctor. Nobody really knew what it
was, and they would come right after
about a day. After weeks travelling on
dangerous roads, being surrounded
by stray dogs and angry monkeys,
and eating a huge assortment of local
food, I finally met my match in a
small stone outside the school gate.
I lost my balance and rolled on my
ankle.
I couldnt walk and was in
extreme pain. Surely there was no
medicine the doctor could give to
fix my ankle. She examined my foot
thoroughly and gave me pain-killers.
Then she asked Would you like an
injection? I had to laugh at the time.
But I took the injection, went to sleep
and my foot was miraculously better
the next day. I do appreciate that if
this happened in New Zealand, I
probably would have been out of
action for weeks.

WHATSOn

Indian Kite Festival

Date: 17 January 2015

Time: 11 am to 6:30 pm
Venue: Avondale Racecourse,
90 Ash Street, Auckland.
Vaishnav Parivar (NZ) Inc.
invites you to celebrate
Makarsankranti- Indian Kite
festival, a family day out. Enjoy
Kite flying, stage performances,
have fun and picnic with your
friends and relish yummy Indian
food. Have fun with face painting,
colour competition, food stalls
and fun rides. Kites and threads
on sale. Buy a raffle ticket to WIN
Apple iPhone 6, Slumberzone
queen deluxe bed and many
more exciting prizes!!! Free
Parking!

Annual Akhand
Hanuman Chalisa

Date & Time: 24th 8-10 am and

25th 10am to 12pm January
2015
Venue: Shri Ram Mandir, 11
Brick St, Henderson.

The Hanuman Chalisa will be

recited (sung) continuously by
various groups. You are invited
to come along and witness
and take part in this recital.
Prasad and Mahaprasad will be
served throughout the program.
Devotees are free to bring flowers
and Prasad for offering. Please
feel free to invite your friends and
families as well.

Vasant Panchami

Date: Sunday 25 January 2015

Time: 10:00am to 12:00pm
Venue: Bhartiya Mandir
(Balmoral Temple) 252 Balmoral
Rd, Sandringham, Auckland
1025.
Bhartiya Mandir invites you for
Saraswati Puja on the occasion
of Vasant Panchami. All devotees
and students are requested
to register their name for Puja
with the Acharya of the temple.
Contact: Acharya Shri Upendra
Bhai Joshi on 09-8462677 or
Ravin Kotak on 09-3911190. Puja
will be followed by Mahaprasad.

Bl

ggers

PARK

WEEK FOUR
Red

Black

Orange

Photo: Emilia

Photo: Sine

Photo: Emilia

Photo: Emilia

Kids Fair 2015

Date & Time: Sat 17 Jan 2015,

10:00am5:00pm0
Sun 18 Jan 2015, 10:00am
5:00pm
Venue: ASB Showgrounds, 217
Greenlane West, Auckland
Tickets: Adult (with a FREE
child entry per paying adult
*no ticket for this Child is
required*):$12.00
Additional Children (ages 5 to
12):$6.00
Under 5s:$0.00
An exhibition and entertainment
extravaganza timed to coincide
with the end of the Summer
School Holidays, toddlers to
teens (2-15) and parents will
have a ball, with the entire ASB
Showgrounds packed full of
family entertainment, exhibits
for both kids and their parents,
free amusement rides and much
more. There is even a realistic
animatronic dinosaur (Terry the
T-Rex!) to welcome kids and a
dozen fairytale princesses direct
from the story-books to interact

with! Tickets on sale viawww.

iticket.co.nzor at the door.

Light Show

Date & Time: Tuesday 20

January 6-9PM
Venue: Auckland Art Gallery
Live music:Glass Vaults; George
FM DJ: Hudge
Experience the spectacularLight
Showafter hours with a series of
late night events featuring George
FM DJs, live music and entry
to the exhibition. Tickets $20
-available now via Eventfinda.
Book in advance to guarantee
entry. Group Discount: Groups
of 10 or more, save 10% off
admission.

IMPORTANT
NOTICE!

Patni Singham Pati

Chewingum: Gujarati Comedy
Play
Dear Patrons
Our Gujarati play Patni Singham
Pati Chewing Gum which was
scheduled for 31stJanuary
2015,Saturdayat Dorothy
Winstone Centre. 16 Howe Street.
Aucklandhas been postponed due
to an unforeseen circumstances.
We apologize to one and all for this.
The new date for the show as of
now is unknown.
We will refund the money to all the
customers who have purchased
the ticket in advance. I would
appreciate it if the customers could
go to the respective retail outlet for
their refunds
I thank you once again for your
patience and co-operation.Looking
forward for your great support and
encouragement in our future show

Thank you
Kuntal Trivedi on behalf of
SJKAlliance and Kimaya
Creations.

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

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www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

Building dreams

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Five-year-old Viraaj Amin won third prize in the Habitat for Humanitys annual Build Challenge, which is sponsored
by Lego and has entries from across the country

Paula Ray
Why did you participate inHabitat for
Humanity Build Challenge?
My Mum read about the Habitat for
Humanity Build Challenge sponsored by Lego,
and we thought it would be fun to take part in
it, asI enjoy building and making things from
Lego. It is my favourite thing to do. It was
nice to build a house which people would find
comfortable to live in, and be happy.
What did you have to do?
Build a house out of Lego bricks according
to the rules by Habitat for Humanitys Build
Challenge.
What does the title mean to you?
I was very happy that all my friends and
family voted for my Build, which helped me to
get the 3rd prize. I was super excited.

What was the most difficult thing you did for

the Challenge?
I wanted to make sure the house had a
fireplace like the one in my home, so that
people who live in it would be warm in winter.

What is the best thing you learned from it?

I learned so many things from seeing other
builds by children who also took part, and I got
to know all about Habitat for Humanity.

Who is your hero/ best friend?

My Daddy is my best

friend.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to be a doctor like my grandparents.

Orange

www.iwk.co.nz
16 January 2015

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Breakfast in Auckland...
...Lunch on the
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