22 May, 2015 Vol. 7 Issue 9 | www.iwk.co.

nz

New Zealands first Kiwi-Indian weekly newspaper

The Pulse of Kiwi-Indians

Auckland Christchurch Wellington Hamilton Palmerston North Hastings Invercargill

K IW

K IW

I I NDI A

I I NDI A

K IW

I I NDI A

Established 2013

28th May

mother of all awards

HERO
AMONGST
US

Ravi Mehta

Ph: 09-215 9517

Surya Phutane
Ph: 09-846 9938

Rohit Takyar

Ph: 09-215 9519

Ram Vashist

Ph: 09-391 1535

SERVICES
- Home Loans, Business Loans
- Property Management
- Business & Commercial Insurance
- Life/Trauma/Medical Insurance
- Redundancy/Mortgage Protection Insurance
- Rental Property Returns/LTC setup
- Small Business Tax Returns

Accountants | Mortgage Brokers | Insurance Brokers | Property Managers

Professional Financial Solutions provides the best advice on all financial matters

HEAD OFFICE

35 Morningside Drive, St. Lukes

Mt. Albert, Auckland
Ph: 09 846 9934, Fax: 09-846 9936

BRANCH OFFICE

Level 1/203 Great South Road

Manurewa, Auckland
Ph: 09 266 3834

www.professionalfinancial.co.nz | Email: info@pfsl.co.nz

PROFESSIONAL

FINANCIAL

SOLUTIONS GROUP

NEW ZEALAND

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

INSIDE
Pg 3

Pg 22

Red

Black

NZ LOCAL

Pg 14

FIJI

Pg 18

INDIA

SPORTS

Pg 25

RAZZMATAZZ

Pg 28

BOLLYWOOD

Orange

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

Red

Black

NEW ZEALAND

Orange

Humanity above religious

protocol
Auckland Sikh breaks religious
protocol to help injured child
Maya Shivam

he beginning of this year

saw a Sikh - Rajwinder
Singh being persecuted
for his turban, being called a
terrorist and wrongly accused of
sexual harassment. The issue had
taken an ugly turn when scores
of people joined in this on social
media and threatened Rajwinder
with dire consequences.
In stark contrast was a recent
incident in Auckland where
the turban became the reason
that Harman Singh became an
overnight hero.
Harman Singh, a young Sikh
who did not hesitate to break
religious protocol by removing
his turban to help an injured
child bleeding profusely after
an accident in Auckland on last
week, has earned worldwide
praise.

Singh, 22, did not think twice

before removing his turban to
help the five-year-old who was hit
by a car on way to school.
I wasnt thinking about the
turban. I was thinking about the
accident and I just thought, He
needs something on his head
because hes bleeding. Thats my
job; to help, New Zealand Herald
quoted him.
Gagan Dhillon, a part-time
photo journalist, was on his
way to work when the accident
happened. He too stopped to
help.
Being a Sikh myself, I know
what type of respect the turban
has. People just dont take it off
- people die over it. I saw him
(Singh) with no head covering and
thought, Thats strange. But then
I saw one hand was underneath
the boys head supporting it and
Continued on page 4

Photo courtesy of Gagan Dillion

NEW ZEALAND

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Continued from page 3

his siropao (turban) was stopping

the bleeding, he said.
Although removing the turban
is rare, Singh said the religious
rules did not restrict such an
action in an emergency, stuff.
co.nz reported.
Dhillon posted a photo of Singh
and other people helping the
injured child on Facebook and it
has gone viral since then.
Harman Singh woke up on
Sunday (17 May) to hundreds of
messages from around the world
praising his humanity. A picture
of the 22-year-old Singh who broke
religious protocol by removing his
turban to cradle a boy hit by a car
has turned him into an instant
hero, the New Zealand Herald
reported.
The boy was going to school
with his sister when the accident
happened. The accident happened
outside his house in Takanini,
South Auckland, on Friday (15
May) morning.
Singh has since received
hundreds of Facebook herograms
from the US, Europe and India,
he said. His story has been shared
many thousands of times on social
media.
Singh, 22, from India, is in
Auckland studying a business
course. His act was considered
hugely significant because it breaks
strict religious protocol.
He was overwhelmed at the
number of messages of support
from around the globe. Total
strangers are asking to be friends

NZ engineers to
assess quake damage
in Nepal
Red

on Facebook and thousands of

people have said Well done. I
was only doing what I had to and
trying to be a decent member of the
community.
Singh did not know the injured
boy. He recently visited the boy,
Daejon Pahia, 5, and his family at
Starship Childrens Hospital. They
presented Singh with a bouquet of
flowers and a thank you card.
Daejon was recovering well
and police have launched an
investigation into the accident.
This incident is the perfect
example of humanity is the biggest
religion of all. Every religion
teaches us to choose humanity over
it. No skin colour or race or country
of birth defines your humanism.
When the Indian Weekender
had interviewed the community
about the Rajwinder Singh
incident, the biggest message
that came out of it was that the
larger New Zealand community

needs to be educated about the

religious beliefs of Sikhism. We
hope that this incident will help
change perceptions and also bring
peoples attention to the noble
and magnanimous teachings of
Sikhism.We salute Harman Singh
for his timely and compassionate
actions.

n
engineering
team
from New Zealand is
travelling to Nepal to
assess damage caused by the April
25 earthquake, Foreign Minister
Murray McCully said.
The Nepalese government
has requested assistance from
New Zealand experts with
damage assessments of critical
public infrastructure, including
government
buildings
and
hospitals, Mr McCully said.
Four New Zealand engineers,
with considerable experience in
earthquake strengthening, have
volunteered their time and they
are en route to Nepal, he said.
This group of engineers will be
in Kathmandu for a week, and, in

Ashima Singh
Barrister/ Solicitor
LLB/MIT/BCom

Black

Orange

addition to undertaking damage

assessments, they will also help
determine whether a larger
contingent of 10 to 12 engineers is
required, McCully added.
This
later
deployment
would be for three months and
would focus on assisting with
stabilisation and retro-fitting of
damaged buildings.
Providing
engineering
expertise is a practical way to
contribute to the relief effort and
New Zealand is well regarded in
this area, Mr McCully says.
The New Zealand government
had already provided NZ $2
million ($1.48 million) in financial
assistance to Nepal following the
earthquake.

Raj Pradeep Singh

Barrister/ Solicitor
LLB/BA(Hon)

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

Building a pathway to Success

Red

Black

Orange

Rizwan Mohammad

n the last few issues Indian

Weekender spoke to the
students from India on
the streets of Auckland, the
students shared the stories of
their struggles and hardships
while
looking
for
work,
accommodation, good education,
visa etc.
We came across a group of
students who unlike the others
had altogether a different story
to share. Instead of complaining
like many they had a completely
different perspective on their
struggles in this country.
The students from Otago
Polytechnic have taken the
initiative
of
forming
an
association for the business
management students and with
the support from the institution,
the students have been doing well
professionally.
The students from different
parts of India studying level
7 at Otago Polytechnic have
established Business Students
Association within the college
so that they can start designing
their own career with the help of
the Institute, working together
towards building and improving
skills required in the job market
of New Zealand.
Here, we give the students
the opportunity to come up with

NEW ZEALAND

Students from Otago Polytechnic

ideas and we support them on

every step possible. Moreover
we like the enthusiasm of the
students and the energy they
have, we could see the fire in
their eyes and the passion of their
ideas. says Professor Nick van
der Walt who is the Executive
Director of Otago Polytechnics
Auckland International Campus.
Mihir Patel is the President
of
the
Business
Students
Association and all the members
of the association have their

Indian Takeaway in Busy Food Court

Weekly Sales $6,000, Ample Parking,
Easy to run
Price : $90,000+stock
Korean Business, Great Convert to
Indian Takeaway
Asking : $79,000 or near offers
Indian Takeaway in Auckland
Central Food Court
Weekly Sales 9,000, No late hours,
Huge Potential
Asking : $95,000 +stock

Licensed Restaurant near

Eden Park
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Weekly Sales $25,000 plus, 120 seats .
Asking : $530,000+stock.

individual business cards and

with the help of some counselling
and mentoring they have chosen
their paths and goals for their
future.
We speak to the students
individually,
acknowledge
their shortcomings, make them
comfortable and they open up
with the issues they are facing.
We counsel them, show them
the path they could take and
they work on it, every time they
need some assistance we provide

them adds Sidra Siddiqui who is

the Corporate Relations Manager
at the institution.
The association holds team
meeting every week discussing
individual
goals,
organising
group events, emphasizing on
the academic needs of students,
brainstorming new ideas and
looking out for internships.
The vision behind such an
association was to address the
academic needs of international
students who come here with big
dreams and a perspective that is
usually very different from reality.
The association works with the
vision to improve communication
and presentation skills, learn how
to network, get the knowledge of
diverse Kiwi industries, build
confidence and help each other
accomplishing individual goals.
Siddharth Badam has secured
internship with Service Foods,
Rahil at Trendz and Rohan
Malhotra at Optimiser HQ with
the help from the institution.
The students took active part
in Entourage (Unconvention),
Australias largest educator and
community of entrepreneurs
with over 60,000 members
around the world. Their mantra
behind this unconventional move
was to inspire freedom, enable
greatness, and change the world.
We are planning to form an

Pizza Takeaway, Great Location,

Reasonable Rent
Asking : 110,000+stock
Licensed Restaurant in North shore
Rent $289.00 per week , Great suburb
Asking : $139,000 +stock.
Caf , South Auckland
Weekly Sales : 15,000 ,Reasonable Rent
Asking : $640,000+stock.
6 days Idyllic Caf & Restaurant
Weekly Sales : $17,000, Lifestyle Business
Asking: 399,000+stock
Top Cheesecake Franchise-Profits
Accounts available, Profits circa $270,000
Asking : $810,000+stock.

alumni of the same association

since we are the founding
members; make this association
a strong independent body
managed by students. We want to
increase our industrial relations,
get more students inducted into
the association and make it bigger
so that in the coming years,
students will not have much
trouble looking for internships,
exposure or jobs for that matter
says Siddharth Badam, one of
the founding members of the
association.
All the students from the
committee and others from the
class have secured internships in
NZ based companies, have part
time jobs, and are excelling in
their academics as well polishing
their skills.
The students give credit to
the institute and the faculties
for the amount of support and
mentorship they have received
in the last one year. At the same
time the management commends
the enthusiasm of students on
taking such brave steps. We are
really happy by the initiatives
students have taken and we look
forward to give more exposure
to students, improve their skills
and help them achieving their
Kiwi dreams. concluded Phil
Ker, Chief Executive of Otago
Polytechnic.

Burger/pizza restaurant
Auckland central $ 15,000

Bakery/Caf
Weekly Sales $4,000, Great setup,
Busy location , Huge Potential
Price : $95,000+stock
Well Setup Takeaway convertible to
any cuisine
Weekly Sales $5,000, Beach Community
Asking : 116,000+stock
Pizza Restaurant , All the works
45 seater, Well presented , Excellent
opportunity.
Asking : $135,000
Call now to find out more Preeti Thakar at 021 0224 3202

NEW ZEALAND

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Two thefts in a week raises

questions on safety in Auckland
Rizwan Mohammad

variety shop owner in

Auckland reported two
thefts in a matter of one
week in two of his five stores in
Auckland.
Stop n Shop, a chain of variety
stores in Auckland owned by Mr
Varun Makol has been brokein twice in a week at different
locations. The owner estimated
the theft to be around $1000 in
cash and an estimated $2000 in
goods from each store apart from
broken glasses at the entrance and
inside the stores.
On the night of Saturday 9th
May 2015 between 2 am and 3
am the first theft occurred at the
Henderson branch of the shop.
The burglar appearing to be an
islander between the age of 15 and
20 broke the entrance glass of the
store, opened the cash counter
taking all the cash and expensive
goods from the store.
Though
the
alarm
was
triggered, the security rang the
owners and asked if they need to
report at the store. The store had
previous instances of false alarm
going off, the owner who was not
in town asked his manager to
report to the store and shut the
alarm. The manager on arrival
discovered that it was a theft and
called the police in the wee hours
of the morning.
The police reported the incident
and also took the footage from the
CCTV installed in the store.
Again on Wednesday morning
between 2.30 am to 3 am, the

Indian born in NZ
wins competition
against racism
Red

Black

Orange

alarm at the Glen Eden store

went off, by the time the owner
reached the store along with the
security company, the intruders
had already left the premises
leaving the cash counter empty
and $1500- $2000 worth goods
missing.
Varun Makol who again gave
the CCTV footage of the store to the
police reported his dissatisfaction
with the attitude of the authorities.
He mentions police have not been
able to ascertain any information
about the intruders although they
have some evidence and image
of the thief via CCTV. No one has
been arrested on this case yet.
The way the thefts have
happened in both stores, I am
pretty sure it is the work of one
group because they have taken
the same expensive goods from
both shops and broke in the same
way and around same time of the
night
Varun recalls that the police
instead of reporting the theft
blamed him for keeping expensive
goods at his store and mentions

that they have been delaying their

investigation.
When I called the police and
reported the theft they asked me
unnecessary questions about the
store instead of coming here at
once. Then person on 111 asked me
if I have an insurance, when I said
yes he said dont worry insurance
will pay your damages
They dont know that the
insurance only pays limited
amount and has extensive rules
on that too, plus damage caused
to the property is not covered by
the insurance. How can they take
it so lightly? said Mr Varun.
Mr Varun added that the total
damage taking into account
the cash, goods and properties
broken is estimated to be around
$10000 and will take months to
compensate it back into business.
Mr Varun concluded that he
was not happy with the way the
police were investigating since
there were no developments in the
case yet and nothing positive has
across him by the police in the last
2 weeks.

n
India-born
teens
prescription to combat
racism has earned her
the title in the national Race Unity
Speech Competition in New Zealand.
Kimberly DMello, a class 12
student at Taurangas Aquinas
College, in the North Island, won
the competition at Te Mahurehure
Marae in Pt Chevalier, Auckland
on Saturday night, the online Stuff
reported .
DMello, who was born in India
but raised in New Zealand, made it
through regional finals, heats and
then the final eight at the speech
competition to win NZ$1,000 for
her school and NZ$1,000 for herself.
Do not wait for someone
else. Do it yourself. Do not get
someone else to fix the problem.
Do it yourself and dont rely on the
Aussies, she told the crowd during
her seven-minute speech. Race
Relations Commissioner Dame
Susan Devoy, who was one of the
judges, said DMello had captured
the fundamental essence of human
rights.
We are all responsible for the
kind of country and community we

live in, she said.

DMello, speaking from her home
in Tauranga on Sunday, admitted to
some nerves on the night but said it
was good to perform in front of such
a large audience.
The student said she had not
experienced racism herself but she
had seen a lot of it. The theme of the
night, however, was about bringing
people together, so that is what she
focussed on, she said.

WATCH OUT FOR OUR NEXT ISSUE

INDIAN WEEKENDER
HALL OF FAME
ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Kiwi-Indian girl, Parie Malhotra, qualifies for Robotics

World Championships

arie Malhotra is a member

of and the team manager for
Robotics at Mount Albert
Grammar School (MAGS). One
of MAGS two Robotics teams has
qualified to represent New Zealand at
the World Robotics Championships
in Louisville, Kentucky, in April
2015.
Mount Albert Grammar School
has Robotics as a co-curricular
activity since 2008. Students meet
every Tuesday after school for
about 2 hours and learn to make
robots. However, once students get
involved, it is very common for the
team members to meet not only
during lunch breaks, but also on
weekends at their houses. Despite
robot parts being quite expensive,
the membership is under $100 per
year in order to encourage more and
more students to join.
Parie is the only girl member of the
MAGS Robotics team. Traditionally,
this field has been male dominated
however girls are beginning to make
their mark. Parie has always been
interested in science and has been
encouraged and supported by her
family.

Her hobbies not only include

building robots, LEGO, star gazing
and helping her dad with DIY projects
but also doing orienteering, playing
lacrosse, squash, debating, camping,
tramping and girl guiding. Despite
all the co-curricular activities, she
also actively participates in serving
the community. She is fascinated
by the problem solving knack,
and plans to become an aerospace
engineer one day!
Worldwide Robotics competition
is held annually by an American
Company named VEX since 2007.
The game project is declared each
year, this years being Skyrise.
Participants are to make robots that
play the game fast, accurately and
get high scores.
MAGS team is made up of Parie
Malhotra (year 12), Harry Duncan
(year 13) and Alex Boyd (year
13). They and the other MAGS
team spent the weekend of 28
February - 1 March at the National
Championships at the Vodafone
Events Centre in Manukau.
Nearly 70 teams competed. Both
MAGS teams were placed in the top
10 in their divisions and made it to

Parie Malhotra (year 12), Harry Duncan (center- year 13) and
Alex Boyd (year 13).

the semi-finals.
Although the second team was
eliminated at that stage, Parie,
Harry and Alex won the National
Design Award, qualifying them for

the World Championships. They are

one of seven teams to qualify from
New Zealand.
In winning the Design Award
the judges commented on the

professional presentation of the

teams 100-page document, and
their interview. The team was also
shortlisted for the overall Excellence
Award.
Parie as a team manager
is responsible for liaison and
communication, with the school as
well as the national organization Kiwibots New Zealand, who oversee
Robotics in New Zealand.
This is the second time MAGS
has qualified for the World Robotics
Championships - in 2010 the school
won the National Championships.
The 2015 team would be heading
to Kentucky for participating in the
competition from 15 to 18 April.
Their trip is partly sponsored by The
Royal Society of New Zealand and
the rest is to be raised by students.
The team is going to compete
for design as well as for the robots.
Currently they are making necessary
changes to their robots and busy
fundraising.
Your contribution, made through
the Givealittle page, would be
highly appreciated. The link is
http://givealittle.co.nz/cause/
magsroarbotix.

NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

$5 million Ram Temple

opening in West Auckland

Red

Black

Orange

he $5 million Shri Ram Mandir,

a Hindu temple and community
complex in Henderson, about 13
kilometers from Auckland city center, will
formally do grand opening onJune 13,
concluding eight days of ceremonies starting
June six.
A project of Shri Ram Mandir Charitable
Trust, a registered charity established in
2011, whose objectives include enhancing
cross-cultural understanding; this three-level
complex with a reported capacity of about
1,000 persons aims to address the spiritual,
social, and cultural needs of the community.
Besides a sanctuary on the top floor, it will
also include a community center and place for
youth activities. In addition to being involved
in community/social service and advancing
Hinduism, it also aims to promote harmony
among diverse communities.
Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society
of Hinduism, applauding the efforts of
trustees and Kiwi Indian community, said
that it was important to pass on Hindu
spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming
generations amidst so many distractions in
the consumerist society and hoped that this
new temple would help in this direction.
Zed stressed that instead of running after
materialism; we should focus on inner search
and realization of Self and work towards
achieving moksh (liberation), which was the
goal of Hinduism.
Opening ceremonies include prayashchit,
cultural programs, shradh, poojans, yag,
homs, nagar & jal yatras, 108 kalash and other
poojans, artis, vasses, devta jaagran, praan
pratisthapnam, pushpanjali, various prayers
and a hawan fire ritual.

In addition to offering worship services;

Shri Ram Mandir also reportedly plans to
organize cultural activities, festivals, events,
community gatherings, educational projects,
services for seniors, social welfare and
community service programs, camps and
spiritual-philosophical-recreational-cultural
activities for youth, classes/seminars/
discourses/lectures on Hinduism, and
establish library.
Its Bhoomi Pooja was held on July 21,
2012, although the idea of the temple was
initially launched much earlier. Marble and
Hindu artifacts have been imported from
India for this temple, which is claimed to
be the biggest temple in New Zealand when
completed.
Pravin Kumar, businessman and
community activist, is President of the Trust;
Salendra Kumar is the Treasurer; while other
trustees include Giyannendra Prasad and
Shiu Charan.

Get your favourite

Resene colour FREE!
Bring this advertisement into your
local Resene ColorShop and you will
get quality paint, colours, professional
service and advice. PLUS we will give
you a FREE Resene 55ml testpot in
the Resene colour of your choice.*

free!
0800 RESENE (737 363) www.resene.co.nz
*Available at Resene owned ColorShops only until 30 June 2015.
Limit one free testpot per customer/household.
IW_1FREETESTPOT

Ensuring Your Success Is Our Practice

An established, boutique law firm on the North Shore of Auckland, George Deeb
Associates offers legal advice and services on matters relating to:
Property Law
Residential, commercial and
industrial purchases, sales and
leases
Subdivisions, easements and
related matters
Mortgage transactions and refinancing
Property and Joint Ownership
Agreements and related matters
Trust
Trust protection for families
Gifting
Letters of Wishes
Review of existing Trusts
Estate Planning
Winding up of deceased Estates
Wills
Enduring Power of Attorney
Business and Commercial
Buying and selling of businesses
Contract negotiation
Joint ventures, partnerships and

security documentation
Business Restructuring
Company matters
Company formations and
Corporate structures
Covenants
Director's responsibilities
Shareholder's agreements
Sale of Shares Agreements
Resolution Disputes
Immigration
Immigration assessments
Processing of Application for
Permanent Residence under
Family and Business
Business and Work Visas
Matrimonial and
Relationship Property
Dissolution of marriage
Prenuptial and Matrimonial
Property Agreements

SIVA RAJADURAI
Solicitor

Email : siva@georgedeeb.co.nz

Office Hours:
8.30am to 5.30pm
Monday to Friday

Tel: 09-486-1415
Mobile: 022-613-6480
Fax: 09-486-0301

94 Anzac Street, Takapuna, North Shore,

Auckland, New Zealand 0622

Free Services to Readers

of Indian Weekender
20 minutes of First
Consultation, Standard Will

NEW ZEALAND

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Celebrating the written word

Red

Black

Orange

Esha Chanda

ne of New Zealands most celebrated

cultural events, the Auckland Writers
Festivalin its 15th yearreturned
with a host of public events and the best of
local and international fiction and non-fiction
writers, poets, journalists and economists. A
platform to explore ideas and share stories,
the festival unveiled the biggest names in the
literary circle this year such as literary giant
Haruki Murakami, Man Booker Prize-winners
Kiwis Eleanor Catton and Keri Hulme and
Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker.
Spread across five days, from May
13 to 17, the festival saw more than 150
speakers and numerous live events, lectures,
conversations and readings. The festival also
had a special schools programme, a family
day programmewith 30-minute sessions
and the book launch of Whale Years, a poetry
collection of Greg OBrien.
A roaring success, the Auckland Writers
Festival set a record with more than 60,000
seats filled and a 20 per cent increase in ticket
sales this year.
Japanese literary giant, Haruki Murakami,
made his first Australasian appearance with
the festival. Known for his surreal writings
and splendid stories, Murakami has enthralled
readers across the globe with his fictional works
that include Kafka on the Shore, Norwegian
Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, HardBoiled Wonderland and the End of the World,
1Q84 and more recently Colorless Tsukuru
Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. His nonfictional works include Undergrounda novel
about the 1995 gas attack on the Tokyo subway.

Above and below: Visitors at the Auckland Writers Festival

Dav Pilkey aka Captain Underpants:
(Pictures credit: Marcel Tromp)

One of the most lauded contemporary

writers, Murakami featured in an exclusive
session on Sunday, May 16.
Children clambered and hollered in
excitement at David Walliams and Dav Pilkey
(Captain Underpants) performances, then
queued patiently for more than two hours
to get their books signed. Scottish actor,
playwright, cabaret artist and writer Alan
Cumming put on a party to a full house of more
than 2,200 people who loved it as much as he
did; the very cool Anthony Horowitz told kids
to do something illegal, so long as they dont
get caught fitting words for the writer of the

Gujju bhai takes the

audience to a laughathon...

iddharth Randeria the King of

Comedy entertained the audience
with his laugh-a-minute performance
in his latest comedy drama Gujjubhai Banya
Dabangg at the victory Convention Centre in
Auckland on May 15.
Randeria who plays the character of a
common man as Jagdish Pandya is constantly
nagged by his family members to prove himself
in life. Pandya is waiting for an opportunity to
come his way so that he can show the world
that he is a man of substance who never
compromises with his principles.
Fate takes a turn for him when he finds out
that a dreaded gangster is killed in his house,
and on being pushed by the ghost of his father,
Pandya takes this opportunity to become a self
styled leader for the masses and the laugh riot
ensues. The crowd chuckled every moment
and gave a standing ovation to the actors. The

play has been adapted from a Marathi play and

Siddhart Randeria plays the lead character.
Randeria is well known for his Gujarati
comedy plays, he has also won many awards
as a writer, director and actor.
Gujjubhai Banya Dabangg has received
a tremendous response in India, had recently
toured different cities in US and Canada.
The series started in 2012 with the first play,
Lage Raho Gujjubhai, which is considered
one of the most successful and critically
acclaimed plays in the history of Gujarati
theatre, having completed more than 700
shows in just two years.
The play was followed by Lo Gujjubhai
Ghode Chadya and Gujjubhai Ni Golmaal.
Randerias fans are eager for more sequels
in the Gujjubhai series and the theatre
patrons are looking forward to more quality
programs from the production house.

next James Bond work; Sir Peter Williams QC

shared his lifes work as a lawyer in a funny
and enlightening session which ended with a
standing ovation and satirists David Slack and
Steve Braunias brought the house down.
Students in their thousands poured into
the Aotea Centre for inspiring sessions with
writers from Britain, US, Australia and New
Zealand.
Festival Associate Director, Eleanor
Congreve says the schools programme
increases in popularity each year.
Auckland Writers Festival Board Chair
Pip Muir says it remains for her to sincerely
thank the many people who made this years
extraordinary outcome possible.

Rohit Singh has been awarded Medal,

Trophy and Certificate by the WBC (World
Boxing Council) on 17th May 2015 in
USA. He is the 1st Indian professional
heavyweight boxer in the world.

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

NEW ZEALAND

Scam alert: Caller ID

immigration spoofing scam

Red

Black

Orange

ndian nationals living in New Zealand

are being targeted by a new wave of scam
phone calls claiming to be from Immigration NZ. The callers threaten deportation and
demand payment to a Western Union account
in India.
The scam
The callers fraudulently claim to be calling
from Immigration NZ and tell the person that
there has been a problem with the processing
of their visa and/or arrival card information.
Often the caller has some details of the person they are speaking to, such as name, date
of birth, and/or address. The caller may also
quote reference numbers, although these do
not appear to match Immigration NZ client
or application numbers. The callers are quite
persistent, aggressive, and sound authoritative. As the callers have personal details of the
person they are speaking to, the recipient of
the call often believes it is genuine.
The callers demand that the victims pay
money into a Western Union account or face
serious consequences, such as deportation.
Calls have been made using numbers
showing as the Immigration Contact Centre
(09 914 4100) and Crime Stoppers (0800 555
111), but with an extra zero at the beginning.
The scammers are using a technology known
as caller ID spoofing that allows a legitimate
phone number to appear when the call is actually being made from another number, quite
possibly from outside of New Zealand.
This particular scam has been going on
since around mid-2013 and appears to target
only Indian nationals. Immigration NZ first
posted a warning about the scam on its website on 20 October 2013 and Consumer Affairs

last posted a warning in August 2014. To date,

almost 300 Indian nationals have reported
being called by the scammers with the dollar
values involved typically ranging from $1000
to $5000.
Our advice
Immigration NZneverrequests money
over the phone. No matter how important the
caller may sound,do not pay. Contact the NZ
Police or report the call toScamwatch. Further
advice can be found on theImmigration New
ZealandandConsumer Affairswebsites.
How to stay safe
You can protect yourself by following these
simple rules:
}} Get to know about the common types of
scams and typical red flags you should be
looking out for.
}} If something doesnt seem right, be cautious and double-check details first.
}} Do not pay money to anyone you have
never met.
}} Look after your personal details in the
same way you would your wallet and other possessions.
}} Be aware of common scams. For example, banks, Immigration NZ, or Inland
Revenue never email, call, or SMS customers to ask for money to be sent using
money transfer services. If you receive a
request like that, its a scam.
}} If you have been targeted by a scam,
report it straight away toScamwatch,
and help prevent others from becoming the next victim of a scam.
Visit our Facebook pageand keep updated on scams doing the rounds in NZ.

Tell us what you

stand for
Before our country decides which flag well stand for, we want
to know what you stand for. Have your say online, or see the
postcard in your mailbox or local PostShop.
Your names and contributions will build our nations flagpole,
and when New Zealand decides its flag, itll fly there.
Tell us what you stand for at standfor.co.nz

standfor.co.nz

10

NEW ZEALAND

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Red

Community based organisations

struggle for official charity

t is unacceptable that the big

corporate based charities
claim millions in annual income tax exemptions, while small
community based and operated
non-profit organisations struggle
to gain official charity status, Labours acting spokesperson for the
Voluntary and Community Sector
Louisa Wall says.
The New Zealand Initiatives
latest report,Giving Charities a
Helping Hand, claims our laws favour the big players over the small
organisations.
This is proof that our
current
charity
system
in
NZ has been corporatized.

As
the
report
says
the
Government must provide greater
transparency in the charity sector,
set clearer rules and processes,
and remove the unfair tax
advantages enjoyed by the forprofit arms of charity groups,
says Louisa Wall.
Many New Zealanders will be
shocked to know that current laws
allow the commercial arms of
large charities to claim income tax
exemptions with little oversight
into how much money is passed
on for charitable purposes while
at the same time smaller charities
are struggling to keeptheir charity
status registered.

The degree of separation from

the communities in need and those
providing this important charitable work means communities
throughout NZ are missing out.
We need transparency over who
is benefitting from the $16 billion
flowing into charities each year.
Currently
we
have
ineffective regulations that are
undermining the publics trust
and confidence in the sector.
The community is again calling
on the Government to review the
Charities Act and the definition of
what is a charity. It promised to
do this in 2010 but hasnt, says
Louisa Wall.

Two new tourism projects to

receive funding

rime
Minister
and
Tourism Minister John
Key has announced this
week that the Government is
investing in two new tourism
projects in Rotorua and Blenheim.
Through the Tourism Growth
Partnership fund, the Government
is investing $350,000 to support
the development of a new spa
complex on Rotoruas lakefront,
and $1.5 million to support a new
exhibition at Blenheims Omaka
Aviation Heritage Centre.
Tourism is a significant part
of our economy and a major
employer, says Mr Key.
The $32 million contestable
Tourism Growth Partnership
fund aims to boost innovation
and productivity in the tourism
sector. For each project approved

for investment, the Government

provides up to 50 per cent of the
required funding.
The Government has now
invested $8.1 million in 15
projects. This is in addition to
the applicants contributions of
$39.2 million, giving a total $47.3

million investment in the tourism

industry.
Omaka Aviation Heritage
Centre has already established
itself as a premier tourism
attraction, featuring Sir Peter
Jacksons
WWI
aviation
collection.The centre will be
expanded to include a WWII
hangar exhibition, which will also
serve as a function centre capable
of catering of up to 500 guests,
says Mr Key.
The World Spa project aims to
develop an international standard
spa and wellness complex on
Rotoruas lakefront.The Rotorua
District Council has set a goal of
1.5 million commercial spa visits
yearly, and the development of
this new spa complex will certainly
help with achieving that goal.

$400k for more TV caption and

audio services

he
Government
is
welcoming NZ on Airs
decision to allocate a further
$400,000 for increased TV caption
and audio services.
NZ On Air will provide the
additional funding to Able, a
charitable trust which will deliver
an increase in captioned and audio
described content.
Broadcasting Minister Amy
Adams says the funding will mean
a greater number of programmes
on free-to-air television will be
accessible to the hearing and vision
impaired.
In the 2014-15 financial year,

Able received $2.4 million from NZ

On Air which funded 256 captioned
hours and 31 hours of audio
description per week. Thanks to this
funding, 100 per cent of primetime
content on TVNZ channels is now
captioned.
This new funding brings the total
to nearly $3 million and shows NZ
On Airs real commitment to better
accessibility for those who need it,
Ms Adams says.
Disability Issues Minister Nicky
Wagner also welcomes the increase.
Promoting access to mainstream
services in the community is a
priority area in the Governments

Disability Action Plan.

The increase in captioning and
audio-description will mean more
hearing and sight-impaired people
can access and enjoy programmes
other people take for granted.
The benefits of captioning also
extend to older people who are hard
of hearing and those with English
as a second language, Ms Wagner
says.

Black

Orange

Budget 2015: Taxing

property gains fairly

rime Minister John Key

has announced a set of
measures as part of Budget 2015 that will help to ensure
people buying and selling property for profit pay their fair share
of tax.
People calling for a capital
gains tax often overlook the fact
that under existing rules anyone
buying property with the intention
of selling for gain is already liable
to pay tax on that gain, Mr Key
told the National Partys Lower
North Island regional conference
in Lower Hutt last week.
These changes will implement
a number of measures to strengthen those requirements and help
Inland Revenue to enforce them.
They include:
}} Providing Inland Revenue with
extra funding for compliance
and enforcement
}} Requiring non-residents and
New Zealanders buying and
selling any property other than
their main home to provide a
New Zealand IRD number.
}} Requiring non-residents to
have a New Zealand bank account to get a New Zealand IRD
number.
}} Introducing a new bright line
test to tax gains from residential property sold within two
years of purchase, unless its
the sellers main home, inherited or transferred in a relation-

ship property settlement.

The changes will not affect
New Zealanders main homes.
They are squarely aimed at ensuring that property buyers including overseas speculators who
buy and sell residential property
for gain pay their fair share of tax
as required by law.
We do not support a new capital gains tax, but we do believe
that everyone whether from
New Zealand or overseas should
pay their fair share of tax according to the law, said Mr Key.
The changes will be subject to
consultation and take effect on
1 October this year. The bright
line test will apply to properties
bought on or after that date.
Mr Key says that while the
current law is clear about taxing
property gains, decisions often
rely on the intent of the buyers or
an assessment of their intentions
by Inland Revenue.
One of the reasons this has
become an issue, particularly with
overseas investors, is that we dont
always have good information
about them. And some overseas
investors can be difficult to track
down even if Inland Revenue
knows they owe tax.
Mr Key says New Zealanders
would expect Inland Revenue to
apply the same tax rules on overseas property investors that are
applied to New Zealand property
buyers.

House prices to a crack $1 million in

17 months

he average Auckland
home is on track to cost
$1 million in 17 months
time if nothing substantial is
done to rein in soaring price rises,
Labours Housing spokesperson
Phil Twyford says.

Aucklands house prices have

skyrocketed 63 per cent up a
whopping $313,000 since National
came to office with the average house
now costing $809,000, according to
Quotable Valuable.
That is expensive in anyones
books. For first home buyers its out
of reach.
The grudging and panicked
measures announced by John Key
yesterday will do little if anything
to curb these price rises.
Moves to tax property investors
who flick off their properties within
two years come into effect in October
but their impact wont be felt before
Aucklands average house price

clocks $1 million.
Based on current trends, average
house prices in our biggest city will
reach seven figures in 532 days.
These astronomical increases
have occurred because the Prime
Minister has refused to address the
urgent need to build more houses or
take effective steps to stop foreign
speculators getting rich on the misery
of would-be first home buyers and
renters.
Homeownership
rates
in
Auckland have fallen to 61.5 per cent
and are likely to fall even further as
soaring prices shut more and more
Kiwis out of the market.
It is time for the National
Government to adopt Labours
comprehensive proposal to ban
the sale of residential properties
to foreign speculators and back a
Government-initiated mass home
building programme, Phil Twyford
says.

NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

Film protocol review

Red
Black
Orange
aims to benefit
communities

n increased focus on sharing the

benefits of Aucklands booming
screen industry with local communities is
the key recommendation of an Auckland
Council Hearing Panel which reviewed the
Auckland Film Protocol.
The
panel
considered
written
submissions and heard from a number
of community groups as part of the first
review of the protocol since it was released
in early 2013. Its recommendations will be
considered by councils governing body on
28 May.
The hearings panel recommended minor
changes including a region-wide alignment
for permit fees charged to production
companies which want to film in Auckland,
effective November 2015.
Cr Denise Krum, Chair of the Hearings
Panel, noted the objective of the protocol
was to manage and grow the film industry
in a consistent way across the region, and
ensure Auckland is film friendly while still
taking community interests into account.
The benefits include: Screen Auckland
continuing to work with local boards to
promote and encourage filming activity in
their area; fees from filming activities in
local parks being transferred to the areas
Local and Sports Parks unit- and the local
boards collaborating with Local and Sports
Parks to determine how the revenue is
spent; Auckland Transport to work with
Screen Auckland to determine how best to
redirect film fees recouped from filming on
roads, paths and berms to the affected local
boards.

Council investigating
cemetery vandalism

uckland Council is investigating an

appalling act of vandalism at its Papakura
Cemetery.

Manager Auckland
Cemeteries Catherine
Moore says staff discovered the damage to
several graves in Papakura Cemetery on
Monday this week.
Police have been
contacted and are investigating, however
our first priority is getting in contact with and N e ws f ro m
supporting the families
involved.We are in the process of contacting
those we have information about, but also ask
families concerned to contact the councils call
centre 09 301 0101 with their details and we
will be in touch.
About three or four sections of the cemetery have been affected with damage including
adornments being thrown around and damage to headstones.
I can confirm that no council staff or
contractors were involved in this activity,
which sadly appears to be the work of vandals.

Mayor welcomes
Reserve Bank
initiative

ayor Len Brown has welcomed the

Reserve Bank announcement that it
is to take action to combat what it describes
as growing housing risk in Auckland.
The Reserve Bank has announced that it
will require residential property investors
in Auckland using bank loans to have a
deposit of at least 30 percent unless they
are building new dwellings.
The initiative targets one of the main
sources of the issues facing the Auckland
housing market and sends an important
message
while
complimenting
what
Auckland
Council and the
government are
working to achieve
through
the
Auckland Housing
Accord and other
t h e C o u n c i l initiatives, says
Len Brown.

MAYORALDRIVE

Alcohol policy for

Auckland takes
next step

11

policy to manage the sale and supply of

alcohol in Auckland took another step
last week with Auckland Council adopting
its provisional local alcohol policy (LAP).
Hearings panel chair Cr Bill Cashmore
believes the provisional policy has achieved
a good balance.
At the forefront of our decision making
was ensuring we have a policy that helped
towards reducing alcohol related harm in
our communities.
Among the main policy options included
in the councils provisional LAP are:
}} maximum trading hours for on-licences
of 8am to 4am in Aucklands CBD and
8am up to 3am for the rest of Auckland
}} no option of extension of hours for onlicences
}} maximum trading hours for all offlicences, including supermarkets of
between 9am and 9pm
}} creation of 23 priority areas where a
variety of policy tools will be used to
manage density and location
}} one of these is a two year freeze on the
issuing of new off-licences in priority
areas from when the policy comes in to
effect
}} a range of discretionary licensing
conditions
Once the provisional policy is notified,
submitters have 30 days to make an appeal.

12

NEW ZEALAND

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Red

Truck scams not OK

David Shearer

Labour MP

visited a family budgeting service last

week, to find out about the impact
of home shopping trucks on kiwi
households.
It was one of the saddest meetings Ive
attended in my work as an MP.
I heard about families in crippling debt,
having borrowed to buy items at inflated
prices, with sky-high interest rates.
I heard how the true cost of each item in
the truck is often concealed from customers,
in favour of a price-per-week that sounds
low but isnt, and about how delivery fees

can be inflated -- up to $500.

Some unscrupulous companies even
continue to take money after the full debt
has been repaid.
I heard about customers who have been
tricked into completing multiple directdebit forms, so if they regret their purchase
and cancel it with the bank; another can be
activated by the truck company.
Sales trucks trawl the streets in lowincome areas, knocking on the doors of
family homes, selling clothes, bedding,
furniture, electronics and sometimes food.
Theyre easy to overlook or ignore for those
who live in comfortable suburbs.
But as Labours consumer affairs
spokesman Im pushing for changes in the
law to protect our unemployed, low-paid,
elderly and mentally ill from the predatory
end of this multimillion-dollar industry.
There are 40 companies doing it,

some more ethical than others, but

the unscrupulous operators are
flourishing, and their tactics are
giving the entire industry a bad
reputation.
Only in a sales truck would you
find a packet of biscuits for $23.99
or a packet of rubbish bags selling
for $49.99. Cash is not required. The
trucks run on credit. If they turn up at
a house where a family is hungry but
has no money, petrol or car, they can
buy food from the truck: but only at
extortionate prices.
The government seems more
concerned with protecting the sales
trucks than our most vulnerable
families.
I would like to see council licences
available only to those truck companies that
have joined the Direct Selling Association of

Have your say on the flag

Kanwaljit Bakshi
National List MP

he New Zealand flag is one of the

most important symbols of our
national identity and the proposal
to consider a new flag is attracting a great
deal of interest.
Our current flag has served us for more
than 100 years, one of three flags in our
history.
That means most New Zealanders
appreciate the privilege of having this
very rare opportunity to have their say on
the design that will most likely serve the
country well into the future.
There are lots of ideas about what a new

New Zealand flag could look like.

Its our silver fern, rather than our flag,
thats etched in the crosses marking the final
resting place of all New Zealanders who are
interred in Commonwealth War Graves
overseas. And its often the silver fern,
rather than our flag, that Kiwi travellers
wear when they are overseas.
But, of course, the silver fern is not the
only alternative design idea. There are
already numerous design suggestions on
the Gallery page of the flag.govt.nz website.
Have a look. I think youll be impressed by
the range, and by the care that people are
taking when suggesting ideas.
Prime Minister John Key says he believes
it is the right time for New Zealanders to
consider changing the design to one that
better reflects our status as a modern,
independent nation.
But as hes also said, he gets one vote
in each referendum, just like everyone
else. We are determined the flag debate

will be conducted thoroughly, respectfully

and fairly with every opportunity for New
Zealanders to have their say.
An independent Flag Consideration
Panel was appointed to design and run
the process, and that panel has just
launched public consultation and invited
submissions.

Black

Orange

New Zealand and proven through an audit

that they comply with the code of conduct.
Im also calling for the full price of
each item to be on display, alongside the
recommended retail price of each item.

Until mid-July, New Zealanders can

contribute their ideas and suggestions for a
possible new flag design. The panel will pick
four designs to go to the first referendum.
Voters will be asked to indicate which of
four designs they most prefer. You wont
be able to vote at that stage on whether or
not you want change, because we think it
is important that you know the alternative
before you say yes or no to change.
The design that gets the most support
from the first referendum will go forward to
a second referendum early next year where
voters will have a simple choice between the
new design and the existing flag.
Its a logical process, and its a fair
process. It will be up to the people of New
Zealand to decide whether they want to
change the flag.
You can find out more and take part in
the discussion at www.flag.govt.nz or www.
standfor.co.nz

Weak response to the housing crisis

Winston Peters
NZ First leader

he Prime Minister does not have a

solution to the Auckland housing
crisis, which he has spent so long
denying.
His new two-year tax to catch people
buying and selling property in the Inland
Revenue tax net is weak, and will do nothing
of significance to tackle the crisis.

The foreign buyers will still come and

buy. They will buy to rent. They will buy to
land bank.
The new rule requires non-resident

buyers to get an IRD number and a bank

account. Imagine how many new companies
will be set up.
Therell be applications filed nonstop
for new property companies all in virtually
anonymous offshore property investors.
Mr Key has scoffed at the idea of banning
non-residents, but this is common in many
countries.
The government appears to have no
grasp of the law of supply and demand. At
the moment Auckland needs
13,000 new houses a year but the
consents, to build houses have been just
half that in the last four years.Thats only
the paperwork.
Mr Key completely ignored the record
flows of immigration, now at 56,000 net
a year and half of those people settled in
Auckland.
The demand is there in mammoth

proportions, the supply is not.

The housing bubble will burst.
Mr Key and foreign-owned banks are
on the horns of their own dilemma. They

cant avoid the dire results of house price

deflation and hundreds of thousands losing
most, if not all of their equity, in over-priced
homes.

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

Red

Black

Orange

NEW ZEALAND

13

14

FIJI

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Red

Black

Orange

Fijians celebrated Girmit Day

T
M

Fiji set to name

envoy to NZ

ay 14 marked a
significant day for
Fijians.
A Girmit Day celebration was
held at the Suva Civic Centre, in
the memory of Girmitiyas who
are descendants of indentured
Indian labourers brought to Fiji
to work on sugarcane plantations
for the prosperity of the European
settlers. The celebration reminded
many people present of the ship
Leonidas, which carried 463
Girmitiyas to Fiji from India in
1879.
Government officials including
the President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, Attorney-General Aiyaz
Sayed-Khaiyum, the Minister
for Industry, Trade and Tourism
Faiyaz Siddiq Koya, the Minister
for Women, Children and Poverty
Alleviation Rosy Akbar, the Assistant Minister for Health Veena
Bhatnagar and Assistant Minister
for Infrastructure and Transport
Vijay Nath, were part of the celebration.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said Girmit
Day marked an important chapter
with the arrivals of the Girmitiyas
to Fiji.
They have left an endurable
mark in Fijian history. Its wonderful to see so many people here who
are marking this occasion. There
are many histories relating to the
Girmitiyas, he said. The idea of
celebrating Girmit Day is to make
you a stronger Fijian.
Ms Akbar said we should all feel
proud of the contributions made
by our ancestors. It brought back
a lot of memories and took us to
our routes and heritage which we
all should feel happy about.
We need to create the same
feeling amongst our younger
generation so that they value the
contribution made in the past, she
said.
Ms Bhatnagar said this was a
special day for her. Girmit day
celebration is celebrated in many
parts of Fiji. The performances done

A brief history of Fiji

s Fijis sugar cane industry increased

in the 1870s, the need for labourers
intensified. On May 14, 1879, the first
labour transport ship (Leonidas) arrived bearing
Indian workers.
Overall, over 60,000 indentured servants
eventually came to Fiji under a 5-year contract
(referred to as girmit for agreement - those
people are called girmityas).
The descendants of those workers now make
up nearly 1/2 of Fijis population, and are the
backbone of Fijis business class. An annual
observation of these oppressed labourers still
exists today.

showed multicultural diversity and

there was a fusion. This shows the
younger generation moving to the

right direction, she

said.
We should maintain the culture
that we have and we should keep

it alive. All Fijians should unite,

work towards the betterment and
development of the country.

he Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament, David

Carter, has been told that Fiji
will name its High Commissioner to
Wellington soon.
The news was relayed to Mr
Carter and his delegation in Suva
by Minister for Foreign Affairs Ratu
Inoke Kubuabola.
Mr Carter and his parliamentary
delegation are on a visit to Fijis
Parliament to see the progress of the
parliamentary structures after last
years general election.
We have recently advertised the
position of Fijis High Commissioner
to New Zealand and we are
expecting to make an appointment
soon following the endorsement of
accreditation by the government of
New Zealand, Ratu Inoke told Mr
Carter and delegation when they
made a courtesy visit to his ofice.
He said the 2014 General Election
was a significant milestone in Fijis
electoral history because it used for
the first time the open list system
of proportional representation.
Ratu Inoke expressed Fijis
appreciation on NZs commitment to
support the elections process in the
lead up to 17 September, including
the post-election period.
We wish to express Fijis
appreciation to a total of
NZ$1.9million worth of assistance
was provided by the NZ Government
in terms of technical advice,
procurement of election supplies,
and the hosting of the visit by
three members of the Fiji Electoral
Commission to Auckland, Tauranga
and Wellington, Ratu Inoke said.
Fiji, he said, was grateful for
New Zealands continued support
this year with the funding of
$392,000.00 towards technical
assistance in the Fiji Election Office
as well as the contribution of $1.17
million to the UNDP Parliament
Strengthening Project, which is in
two phases over the next three years.
He said that Fiji welcomed the reengagement and strengthening of its
bilateral relationship with NZ.

Fijian is Mrs Pacific Islands Universe

n
exclusive
event
was held in Adelaide,
Australia, on May 9
to crown the new Miss and Mrs
Australasia Universe and the
new Miss and Mrs Pacific Islands
Universe.
Businesswoman, wife and
mother of two children, Heena
Mohanlal, was crowned as the
next Mrs Pacific Islands Universe
at the event. Cole L Sialeipata was
crowned as the Miss Pacific Island

Universe.
They will now represent The
Pacific Islands including Fiji at
the International Finals Mrs
Universe Contest in Belarus in
August 2015.
Ms Mohanlal was born and
brought up in Ba, Fiji. She had an
arranged marriage at the tender
age of 19 and thereafter lived in
London, England, for 12 years.
The family migrated to Australia
in 2008.

The 2015 Mrs Australasia and

Mrs Pacific Islands Pageant will
use their titles to raise awareness
on the Queens Without Scars,
an organisation that create
awareness on domestic violence
around the world.
According to the Fiji Womens
Crisis Centre (FWCC) statistics
show that on average 64 per cent
of Fiji women suffer some kind of
physical or mental violence.
Every day, 43 women are

injured, one is permanently

disabled,
and
71
lose
consciousness. The statistics show
that Fiji has one of the highest
rates of domestic violence in the
world.
She is determined to create
awareness on domestic violence,
be it physical, psychological,
financial or emotional. It is her
passion and mission to inspire,
motivate and empower women,
especially those affected by

violence.
She resides in Brisbane,
Australia with husband and is
blessed with two children.

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

National Geographic group tours Fiji

Red

Black

Orange

specialist group from the famed

National Geographic magazine
has been in Fiji to see the sights
and sample the culture and environment
our country has to offer.
The Fiji part of the international tour was
organised by Rosie Holidays and has been in
the planning for two years now. It is part of a
three-week sojourn in which the group travels
by private jet to some of the most exotic,
pristine and unique parts of the world.
This programme visited Hawaii, Tonga, Sri
Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Madagascar
and the Maldives. In Fiji, they stayed at the
5-star InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort on
Natadola Beach.
The stopover included a private village visit,

NEWS in BRIEF
Apply visa online now

ou will no longer have to wait in a

line to apply for a tourist visa to
India.
Thanks to the internet, Fijians wanting to
travel to India for a month will now have the
advantage of applying for a Tourist Visa on
Arrival (TVOA) online.
This was confirmed to the media by the
Indian High Commissioner to Fiji, Gitesh
Sarma.
Fiji is now one of at least 180 countries
in the world according to The Express
Tribune website that is provided the
privilege.
Mr Sarma said following the visit of
the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra
Modi, to Fiji on November 27 last year the
Government of India notified a liberalised
visa regime, which included Fiji and other
Pacific island countries.
Tourist Visa on Arrival enabled by
Electronic Travel Authorisation is available
to Fiji citizens to apply online for visits
to India for durations less than 30 days,
he said. There is no necessity to visit the
High Commission of India under this
arrangement.
He said a clearance to travel would be
provided within 72 hours of uploading the
application based on which, the applicant
will be able to travel to India and will be
issued TVOA-ETA at the port of entry.

Fiji-born model to
promote isles

iji-born Takeinivula Jewel will

tell the world about Fiji when she
competes at the Top Model of Colour
International (TMC) in London at the end of
this month.
Miss Jewel, 16, is the youngest model of
the TMC, a modelling competition which
involves models from across the world who
are of African, Caribbean, Hispanic, Oriental,
African, Asian & dual heritage ethnicity.
Born and raised in Fiji, Miss Takeinivula,
who moved to England in 2004, is the
first Pacific Islander to compete in this
competition and promoting Fiji is an
ambition.
For Miss Jewel whose mother hails from
Nasilai Village in Rewa, modelling is nothing
new as she started modelling at the age of 9.
Miss Jewel believes that the multi cultural
society and the way of living in Fiji needs to
be made known to the world.
I am blessed to have this opportunity to
represent my island home and the glory goes
to God, she said.

with a chiefly yaqona ceremony and a private

river safari along the Sigatoka River into the
agricultural hub of the Nadroga province.
Kenny Broad, a prominent anthropologist
who was part of the group, was voted by
National Geographic as 2011 Explorer of the
Year. Mr Broad was the lead anthropologist
on this tour and provided lectures, history on
Pacific anthropology, culture and history.
While in Fiji for three days, he led a small
group on a diving and lagoon expedition.
Other experts from National Geographic who
were part of the group included Greg Stone, a
famous marine biologist and leading expert on
ocean science and conservation.
The visit to Fiji was the final island on the
expedition before heading back to the United

States of America. Tony Whitton, Managing

Director of Rosie Holidays said: This is an
account that has been two years in the planning
for our team at Rosie. I am glad they had an

FIJI

15

enriching stay here. I know a lot of the time

we look at total visitor arrivals into Fiji as the
only measure. Quantity should not be the only
measure, but what about quality of the visitor.

Eco Travels Specials

for Indian Subcontinent
Starting from
$1470*

Starting from
$1365*

Starting from
$1575*

Starting from
$1210*

Accredited Agent

Get
registered with
Eco
Loyalty program
and win an iPad
in lucky draw
on 1st june
2015

www.ecotravels.co.nz

FREE
MONEY TRANSFER*

Lucky winner of

Eco Loyalty Programe

April 2015

TO INDIA, BANGLADESH & NEPAL

*Conditions apply

Mt Albert: 0508 15 16 17
East Tamaki: 0800 024411
Manurewa: 0800 024413
Avondale: 0800 024419

K-Road: 0800 024409

Three Kings: 0800 024410
Mt. Roskill: 0800 024414
Tauranga: 0800 024417
Hamilton: 0800 024408

Airedale: 09 5506236
Puhinui Rd: 0800 024412
Henderson: 0800 024415
Christchurch: 0800 024418

Thought of the week

Strength does not come from winning.
Your struggles develop your strengths. When
you go through hardships and decide not to
surrender, that is strength.

Editorial

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

From the desk of the

Managing Editor

Anything but funny

The power to hold on is characteristic of all men who have accomplished

anything great; they may lack in some other particular, have many weaknesses
or eccentricities, but the quality of persistence is never absent from a successful
man. No matter what opposition he meets or what discouragement overtakes him,
drudgery cannot disgust him, obstacles cannot discourage him, labor cannot weary
him; misfortune, sorrow, and reverses cannot harm him. It is not so much brilliancy
of intellect, or fertility of resource, as persistency of effort, constancy of purpose,
that makes a great man. Those who succeed in life are the men and women who
keep everlastingly at it, who do not believe themselves geniuses, but who know
that if they ever accomplish anything they must do it by determined and persistent
industry.
~Orison Swett Mardenfrom An Iron Will
Six years ago, we started with a dream. We fuelled it with the three Ps that
I often talk about Positivity, Patience and our biggest strength Persistence.
Six years later, we are the most widely read and appreciated community news
magazine. There were storms on the way, there were obstacles, there were pressures
and oppositions, sometimes from within and sometimes without but the team at
IWK stuck together and held on. We are now at the helm of renewing our spirits and
taking off on a brand new journey into our sixth year as we await our Hall of Fame
issue to be released next week at the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame.
The Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame has become a hallmark event, now synonymous
with a rendezvous of the icons. It is an evening well spent with the movers and
shakers of the Indo-Kiwi community. The team at IWK is working full steam ahead
in trying to put this all together and we are holding our breath for it all to unfold.
This year the event is all set to be bigger and brighter than the previous years with
the introduction of two new awards, so we have three awards in all. The Kiwi Indian
Hall of Fame, The Kiwi Indian Young Achiever and the Kiwi Indian Unsung Hero.
The Jury has made their decision and it will be very exciting to see who the awards
go to. In trying to honour these individuals, IWK hopes to add value and further
contribute to the Kiwi Indian Community.
It had been the endeavor of the Indian Weekender to serve the community
and in doing so we also believe in ensuring that we walk the talk. We have done
this for the past six years and we hope to continue to walk this part of sheer grit
and persistence. I hope this will be an example to those readers who perhaps find
themselves struggling with this or that. No matter how big the obstacle that you may
be facing- it is through persisting in your path that you will eventually breakthrough
even the thickest walls. So keep the sun of hope shining in your hearts and continue
on your lifes journey with your head held high. Until next time may the force be
with you.

Pick of the week

Giri Gupta

Indian Weekender : Volume 7 Issue 9

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
Chief Reporter: Swati Sharma | reporter@indianweekender.co.nz
Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | iwk.rizwan@gmail.com
Chief Technical Officer: Rohan Desouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz
Art & Layout Designer: Mahesh Kumar | mahesh@indianweekender.co.nz
Graphic Designer: Yashmin Chand | designer@indianweekender.co.nz
Sales & Marketing Manager: Leena Pal | 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 Horton Media, Auckland
Copyright 2015. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.

One of the newest and funniest trends is capturing hilariously candid shots of our loved
(and hated) politicians. With Indian PM Narendra Modi recently visiting China, the
opportunity was too hard to miss. At the Terracotta Warriors Museum, the PM poked,
prodded and posed with the best of the sculptures of the first emperor of China, much to
the amusement of the Twitterati.

Tips for Life

To get the built up residue
off of your shower head, tie
a baggy of vinegar around a
shower head. Leave it there
over night, and it will clean
everything off with no work.

OPINION / EDITORIAL

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

17

From history: British Indian Army and

the Empire

Red

Black

Orange

n
cademic
ccount

Prof Sekhar Bandyopadhyay

Director of New Zealand India Research Institute

he question that we must

ask in the year of centennial
commemoration
of

World War I is why is the valient

contribution of the Indian soldiers
so easily forgotten? The answer
to this question is complex, but
first and foremost, it lies in that
ironic paradox involved in the
participation of a colonial army
in an imperial war. These Indian
soldiers were not fighting to
defend their own homeland; they
were defending an empire which
by the time the war ended most
of their countrymen had begun to
despise and wanted to get rid of.
But then why were these
Indian soldiers deployed in a

rebellion in China in 1899-1900.

the Company decided to create

In other words, everywhere in

the BIA through open recruitment

the world they loyally served the

from the local military labour

empire. So when the WWI started,

market. It was meant to be a

their services were immediately

mercenary army of Indian soldiers

requisitioned,

or sepoys [sipahi] trained and

quickly despatched to Europe

disciplined by European officers.

to defend France and Belgium

Thus, India could be conquered

against German aggression.

Image via http://arnhemjim.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/uniforms-of-britishempire-1900-by.html

of Plassey in 1757 when the East

frontiers? The answer lies in the

replicated in Africa and the West

India Company realised that it

logic of the British Indian Army

Indies as well. It was initially

was far too expensive to bring

(BIA) - a novel innovation of the

conceptualised

Crown troops from England to

after the Battle

and

they

were

with Indian military manpower,

In course of the war 35,000

maintained from Indian revenue

new soldiers were recruited the

income. By 1805 the strength of

total strength of the army coming

the BIA stood at 155,000 men and

to 1.2 million by the end of the war.

they were fighting in the Indian

Much of it was forced recruitment,

colonial wars for the East India

though not conscription. It is often

Company. Then as the empire

argued that in view of widespread

expanded beyond India, it was

poverty and the crisis in Indian

decided that the BIA could be used

agriculture at that time, the war

anywhere in the world in defence

provided some additional sources

of the British Empire of course,

of employment for these sons of

the expenses were to be borne by

impoverished farmers. But they

the Indian tax payers.

did not want to go to far off lands

century

to fight somebody elses battle,

the BIA was used for territorial

and hence a lot of persuasion and

expansion

in

coercion were required. The war

Burma

was declared in July 1914 by

and Egypt, and for suppressing

the end of September two Indian

resistance movements like the

Infantry Divisions were in France;

Mahdi uprisings in Sudan in

within two weeks of arrival they

1885-86 and 1896 or the Boxer

were sent to the battle front.

In

British Empire, which they later

war so distant from their own

carry on its wars of conquest. So

Ceylon,

the

nineteenth
of

the

empire

Afghanistan,

Of movements in the morn

Paula Ray

uess what, there is a

newly-launched book on
toilet habits that define
a certain ethnic community as
against the rest. Yes, I am talking
about squatting to relieve yourself
in the morn, as opposed to sitting
on the pot. This certain book
has raised enough movement in
Europe for The Guardian to pick
it up and run a review which,
needless to say, is extremely wellcrafted.
The book reminds me of my
childhood years in my home
country, where we had an Indianstyle commode and a Europeanstyle one in our British-era
apartment with high ceilings and
four feet long bronze latches on
really huge doors. It was so British
that we even had a fire-place in
the living room (who would have
thought of that in balmy and
humid Calcutta!).
I mention the details just to
highlight the differences of the
poo-pots Indian and European.
Both are commodes; one had a
clear round bowl, the other had
foot-stands on both sides of the
bowl, spread out like wings. But
why?

Apparently this was

designed to defecate by
Indian-style
squatting,
even though you were
on a raised commode. I
had found it a design as
strange then as I find it
now. If you really want to
introduce Indians to the British
way of life, take it all the way.
Why attempt a hybrid habit thats
neither here nor there?
I understand all multicultural
societies try to strike the same
balance of cultures, which I
feel is rather unbalanced. If
you want to adopt diversity,
incorporate customs as they
come. A straightforward approach
always retains the essence of the
practice. I remember how we used
to be scared of the Indian-style
commode because the elevated
pedestal looked quite ominous.
What if the foot-rests were wet
and our feet slipped? We would
surely break a bone or two!
Anyway, let us come back to the
review I was referring to, of the
book titled Charming Bowels by
Giulia Enders. It says: Squatting
is far more natural and puts less
pressure on our bottoms This
is because the closure mechanism
of the gut is not designed to open

the hatch completely when were

sitting down or standing up.
Enders says, 1.2 billion people
around the world who squat
have almost no incidence of
diverticulosis and fewer problems
with piles. We in the west, on the
other hand, squeeze our gut tissue
until it comes out of our bottoms.
So, you see, there are ethnocultural differences even in the
most basic of our acts. Just like the
western world is doing a complete
U-turn to return to natural
therapy as the best solution to all
medical issues, the sanitary ware
industry might also consider a few
changes now in the way it designs
its commode in the near future.
Thats all good. Multiculturalism
does entail modification and
accommodation. Just hope they
dont come up with another hybrid
design to, quite literally, scare the
shit out.
You might wonder why Enders
is hell-bent on researching

on
excreta.
Well,
apparently, thats one
movement that impacts
how the rest of our
system works; not
just physical but also
psychological.
The
nerves there sense
our
psychological
state: if we are at
home, only then
they relax and
facilitate
the
movement. If not,
they switch off till
we are in a space
where we feel at
home.
Switching
off too often
can lead to
constipation. Enders says, Our
gut, which comprises two-thirds
of our immune system, is full of
[bacteria]. Two kilos worth, in
fact. Our bacteria fight pathogens,
are involved in blood-group
development, digest our food,
extract energy, produce hormones
and can affect our mood.
The gut-brain connection is
no less interesting. Its imbalances
can be linked to psychiatric
disorder and even obesity. This
is an area of study thats quite

Giulia Enders debut book, whose

title translates as Charming
Bowels, has sold 200,000 copies in
her native Germany

virgin as of now. Enders book is

a treasure trove of entertaining
nuggets, including the fact that our
spit contains a pain-killer thats
more powerful than morphine.
Perhaps thats where the concept
of comfort food comes from.

18

INDIA

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Red

Black

Orange

Modi Sarkaar, thodi acchi, thodi bekaar

By Mohit Dubey

ne year is a long time in

politics.
Almost 365-days ago,
the city of Kashi handed over a
defining mandate to Narendra
Modi paving his way to become
Indias prime minister.
With a tsunami of goodwill and
expectations, Modi defeated AAP
candidate Arvind Kejriwal with over
two lakh votes and routed other
political opponents.
A year later the euphoria for
Modi seems to be missing in the city.
While die-hard pro-Modi followers
and the anti-Modi camp hold their
own, common residents here says
they expected a complete makeover
of the city after Modis coronation.
This, they rue, has not happened
We were given to believe that
the city will get a never-before make
over, traffic will improve, the roads
will widen and a lot will happen.
But that is not the case, even after
a year, says Saurabh, owner of
the famous Shri Ram Bhandar - a

200-year-old eatery on the Mint

House road. In fact, he says, not
much has changed.
Avinash Rai, s 34-year-old
banker buying poories and jalebis
for his family nods in agreement.
But he credits Modi of having
brough about a change in thinking
towards hygiene and cleanliness.

Lot may not have happened

on other fronts but there has been
change in the mindset of people,
he told media explaining how even
his 5-year-old son Atharva chides
anyone found littering in the house
or on the roads.
Swami Adyutanand, a seer
sitting on Dr Rajendra Prasad Ghat

on the banks of river Ganges agrees.

Pointing towards environmentfriendly cane dustbins put at many
places on the well-lit ghats, he says
the areas are now clean like never in
the past.
The seer, who earns a livelihood
by jajmani or doing Hindu rituals
for clients, like deep daan and
maha mrityunjay jaap says Modi
has succesfully inculcated the habit
of hygiene among people.
Vinay Kumar Sharma, an
uneducated 20-something boy from
neighbouring Jaunpur and working
as a barber at Nadesar is well
informed about the steps taken by
the prime minister. My mother has
been able to open her bank account
under the jan-dhan yojna he says
breaking into a smile while giving a
head massage to his client.
Anand Srivastava a small-time
businessman running a garment
shop in Laurabeer says power
situation has improved in the city
and work on roads is also underway
at many places. He, however, adds

that Modi needs to deliver faster

and more if had to be in Banarasi
hearts.
Amba, a flower seller in
Gudauliya near the Assi Ghat,
however says that price rise has
not been arrested. Modi babu
mehangayi to kam nahin kar sakin,
aur to theek hai ba (Modi has failed
to check price rise, the rest is okay),
she mumbles while dishing out facts
on how vegetable prices and that of
other essential commodities have
gone up steeply in the past one year.
Ashfaq, selling gup-chup (or
pani-puri) in Ramnagar seems to
be floored by the prime minister.
Modi saab is making serious
efforts to change the city, state and
the country, he says. At least there
is peace and things will look up in
long term, he says with surprising
wisdom for his age.
Kailash Pandey, an octagenarian
retired postal officer sums up the
mood of the city in an earthy but tothe-point one liner - Modi Sarkaar
- thodi acchi, thodi bekaar.

Assessing one-years performance of the

Modi government
By Amit Kapoor

he
Narendra
Modi
government,
which
completes a year in office
on May 26, had won last years
general elections on the plank of
development and its promise to bring
in Acche Din. Here is a performance
snapshot of the major initiatives
undertaken by the government in
various broad areas. These include
the economy, foreign engagement,
agriculture,
infrastructural
development,
social
security
schemes,
urban
development,
industrial development, health
and environment, education and
entrepreneurship and employment.
Lets first turn to the economy. The
economy observed three broad level
trends. First, there was the global
fall in commodity prices that lead to
a gain for oil importing countries as
their import costs suddenly reduced
from approximately $120 a barrel
to $60 a barrel. Second, was the
governments acceptance of the
Fourteenth Finance Commissions
recommendations in the context of
devolving more funds to the states.
The figure now stands at 42 percent
of the total revenue collection, up
from the earlier 32 percent. Third,
was the revived economic growth
forecasts lead by IMF, which in its
April 2015 report, revised its forecasts
for India to 7.5 percent ahead of any
other major developing economy,

including China. The ADB similarly

pointed to a bettering economy with
core inflation down to 5 percent.
With an overall bettering situation,
the economy scores 7.5 out of 10.
Lets now turn to the area where
there was much sound and fury
- namely foreign engagement and
defence. But unlike the phrase, it
did signify Indias increasing global
stature and aspirations. It included,
among other things, trips by many
domestic/foreign dignitaries to and
from India. The resolve to talk and
negotiate contentious border issues
was also observed.
The passing of the Bangladesh
Land Accord Bill was a historic step
aimed at transferring enclaves with
a clear demarcation of territory. In
the defence sphere, there was the
decision to acquire 36 Rafale fighter
jets that was again an imperative
since the squadron strength of
Indian Air Force is already down to
35 against a sanctioned strength of
42. Adding two more squadrons will
help India protect, to some extent, its
skies. Overall a score of 8.5 out of 10
foreign engagement and 7.5 out of 10
on defence.
The agricultural sphere witnessed
erratic weather and the lack of urea
availability made the overall condition
bad. Added to this was the land
acquisition bill that made matters
worse for the government as well as
the farmers. The land bill will help
the farmers with alternative sources

of income and provide employment

to the youth. The governments focus
seems to be on irrigation schemes
and helping farmers in distress. But
much more could have been done
and communicated appropriately.
An overall score of 6.5 on 10.
The industrial, FDI and power
sectors saw varying degrees of
success, the most successful being
the power sector with an increase in
coal production as well as an increase
in power capacity and generation.
The FDI inflows also saw a spurt in
the equity inflows as well as the fact
that defence and insurance have
been opened up to 49 percent foreign
participation bodes well for the
economy.
The industrial sector was a bit
subdued in spite of the Make in India
programme. Some more steps need
to be taken for Make in India to be
successful. Overall a score of 6.5/10
for industries and a score of 8/10 for
power.
The education sector saw many
schemes being launched like the
GIS mapping of schools, the Swachh
Vidyalaya Abhiyan and the like.
However, the historical legacy of
the education system fails to let go.
Therefore, parents prefer private
schooling to government schools.
Also, with respect to higher education,
mere opening of institutions will
not serve the purpose. Quality and
quantity should be the twin pursuits.
An overall score of 6.5 out of 10.

In the context of infrastructure,

the primary purpose seems to be
the creation of new infrastructure
as well as upgradation of existing
infrastructure.
Infrastructure
development is a must since the
speed of business relies on it. The
upgradation of railways and creation
of new highways all fall under
infrastructures ambit. Also included
are ports, airport, waterways and
canals.
The clearance of projects worth
Rs.6 lakh crore makes it amply clear
that infrastructure growth is likely
to be expected in the coming years.
Overall, a score of 7.5 on 10.
The social schemes have been
very impressive and in the reach of
the common man. The Jan Dhan
Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jivan Jyoti
Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) Pradhan
Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana
(PMSBY) and Atal Pension Yojana
schemes together have close to 19
crore takers.
The government seems to have a
social focus on benefitting the poor.
An overall score of 8 on 10.
In the context of urbanization, the
100 Smart Cities project has not seen
that much activity, barring the launch
of GIFT city and the development of
DMIDC cities. An overall score of
6.5 on 10. Health is an area where
the government has not been able to
do much, apart from increasing the
prices of cigarettes. The state of rural
health delivery remains decrepit.

Pollution of air, water and land,

as also the rise in noise levels, has
ensured that people continue to face
serious health issues. An overall score
of 6 on 10.
With respect to entrepreneurship
and employment, this is the first time
a ministry has been created with a
focus on entrepreneurship. Skilling
of youth and entrepreneurship
are crucial areas for realizing the
demographic dividend. Further, a
draft policy on skill development
and entrepreneurship has already
been drafed and put out for public
consultation. The direction and
intent seem to be good. Overall a
score of 7.5/10.
The governments plans, policies
and functioning seem to be in line
with the countrys overall growth
and trajectory. With respect to the
challenges, the government seems
to be prepared with adequate steps.
In the coming years, most of the
things will depend on the pace
of decision-making and speed of
implementation.
(The article is co-authored
with Sankalp Sharma, Senior
Researcher at the Institute for
Competitiveness, India. Amit
Kapoor is Chair, Institute for
Competitiveness & Editor of
Thinkers. The views expressed are
personal. He can be reached at
amit.kapoor@competitiveness.in
and tweets @kautiliya)

INDIA

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

Red

Black

Orange

Corruption has fallen

in Delhi 70-80 percent:
Kejriwal

orruption
has
come down in
Delhi by 70-80
percent, Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal said,
adding his party will try to
fulfil its election promises
within four years.
Addressing thousands
of auto-rickshaw drivers
here, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
leader also announced the launch of
a helpline (011-4240 0400) where
people could lodge complaints
against autos.
He said commuters in general
were upset with auto-rickshaw
drivers because they often refuse to
take passengers, dont put on the
meters and misbehave with people.
At the same time, the chief
minister, who has always considered
auto-rickshaw drivers amongst his
solid supporters, announced sops
for them. He said the power to
prosecute drivers not wearing their
uniform was now being taken away

19

from the Delhi Traffic Police and

given to the Delhi governments
transport department.
He also said that henceforth,
auto-rickshaw drivers while driving
home could put up the board of their
destination so that they were not
forced to go to other places.
The drivers, he said, would no
more have to produce their Class
8 school certificate each time they
renew their driving licence.
All of you should be honest and
serve the people of Delhi, and we
will take good care of you, he
said.

Worlds oldest comatose patient

Aruna Shanbaug dead
Quaid Najmi

urse Aruna Ramchandra

Shanbaug, who lay in coma
for 42 years, the longest
in world history, died in Mumbai
this week. Her death triggered an
outpouring of grief through the day
and at her funeral.
Shanbaug had been in a
vegetative state since she was
brutally raped anally by a contract
sweep in the KEM Hospital on the
night of Nov. 27, 1973. Shanbaug,
aged 67, was deserted by most of
her relatives during her lifetime but
was looked after with unwavering
dedication by the nurses of Asias
largest public healthcare facility, the
BMC-run hospitals Ward No. 4A.
Then aged 25, Shanbaug was
brutally raped by contract sweeper
boy Sohanlal B. Walmiki in the same
hospital when she was changing
prior to proceeding on long leave
for her impending marriage with
a young doctor in the hospital,
Sandeep Sardesai.
While indulging in the gruesome

act, the assailant choked her with a

dog leash chain which cut off oxygen
supply to her brain. This resulted in
severe injuries to the brain stem and
cervical chord injury and she lapsed
into a permanent vegetative state till her death.
Later, the police registered a case
of robbery and attempt to murder
as the hospital authorities allegedly
suppressed the anal rape perpetrated

on her to avoid her social ostracism

and the fact that she was planning to
get married soon.
Walmiki was arrested and
convicted to serve two concurrent
seven years terms. He was later set
free and is believed to be settled
in Delhi since. In Jan. 2011, the
Supreme Court took up hearing
a euthanasia petition filed on
Shanbaugs behalf by celebrity
author and journalist Pinki Virani in
December 2010.
Though the apex court turned
down Viranis petition in March
2011, in a landmark order, it
permitted passive euthanisia in
India.
The Supreme Court also specified
guidelines for passive euthanasia,
including withdrawal of treatment
or food that was allowing a patient
to survive. Virani, who authored
the best-seller biography, Arunas
Story, said though Shanbaug was
comatose for over four decades, she
gifted the country with the historic
right of passive euthanasia.

20

INDIA

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

India, South Korea elevate

ties; Seoul offers $10 bn
for smart cities

outh Korea offered to provide

$10 billion for infrastructure
projects in India, including
smart cities and railways, as Prime
Minister Narendra Modi held talks
with President Park Geun-hye here
on Monday and the two countries
decided to elevate their ties to a
special strategic partnership.
Both sides agreed to increase
their
defence
and
security
cooperation and also inked seven
agreements, including on avoidance
of double taxation and for
cooperation between their National
Security Councils.
Modi, who arrived in the
morning from Ulan Bator, held
talks with President Park after a
ceremonial welcome at the Cheong
Wae Dae, the presidential residence.
Modi, in his press statement
said India considers South Korea a
crucial partner in Indias economic
modernization and it can be a
leading partner in Indias focus on
infrastructure and developing a
world class manufacturing sector.
He said that both countries have
agreed to hold their diplomatic and
security dialogue in the 2 plus 2
format -- between their foreign
and defence secretaries. Japan is
the other country with which India
holds such a dialogue.
I welcome the decision to have
regular cooperation between our
National Security Councils. We have
also agreed to expand cooperation
between our armed forces, said
Modi.
A lengthy joint statement said
that South Korea is to offer $10
billion for mutual cooperation in
infrastructure projects in India,
including smart cities, railways,

power generation and transmission.

Both sides are to cooperate in the
Asia-Pacific Region.
President Park, in her remarks,
said both leaders have found
complementarities
between
Indias Act East and her countrys
Northeast
Asia
Peace
and
Cooperation Initiative (NAPCI).
As part of the Special Strategic
Partnership, both would hold
annual summit meetings; hold
annual joint commissions led
by the their foreign ministers;
boost cooperation between their
defense education institutions;
hold regular consultations between
their National Security Council on
matters of security, defence and
cyber issues, hold the defence and
foreign affairs dialogue in the 2+2
Format and also boost cooperation
between their shipyards for defence
needs, the joint statement said.
Modi said both sides intend to
deepen their cooperation in defence
technology and manufacture of
defence equipment in India.
I have requested President
Park to support the participation of
Korean companies in the defence
sector in India. Her response has
been positive, he said. He also said
both leaders saw vast opportunities

for Korean companies to

participate in Make in India
mission.
India is to set up a channel
for the purpose - Korea Plus to facilitate investment and
operations in India.
Modi said that besides
defence equipment, he has
invited Korean investments
in areas like ship building,
including LNG tankers
and both would set up a Joint
Working Group on shipbuilding.
Both welcomed the signing
of the revised Double Taxation
Avoidance Agreement and to begin negotiations to amend the
CEPA by June 2016, the joint
statement said. Both sides are to
explore cooperation in the steel
sector to develop mutually beneficial projects. They also underlined the importance of peace and
stability in the Korean peninsula
and voiced concern over North
Koreas nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
I offered Indias support to
Korean people for peaceful reunification of Korean Peninsula,
Modi said.
On regional issues, both
discussed their engagement in
the East Asia Summit and with
ASEAN. Both sides agreed to
work together and with other
countries in the region to
ensure freedom of navigation
and safety and security of sea
lanes of communication, he
said. The allusion is to Chinas
assertiveness in the South China
Sea that has upset countries in
the region.

Chinese firms to set up units at

GMRs Kakinada SEZ; invest $3.5 bn

MR Infrastructure has
inked a pact with GIIC of
China to set up units at
its special economic zone (SEZ) in
Andhra Pradeshs Kakinada, which
will attract an investment of $3.5
billion over the next five years, a
company statement said.
Kakinada SEZ (KSEZ), a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Limited, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Guizhou
International Investment Corporation (GIIC) - a consortium of three
leading Chinese manufacturing
companies - to set up an industrial park for the high end Chinese
equipment manufacturing companies, the statement said.
GIIC would invest $500 million
in developing the infrastructure and
various facilities of the industrial
park, which wo uld house leading
Chinese manufacturing industries.
These Chinese companies would
additionally invest $2-3 billion in
setting up their operations over the
next 5 years, it added.

The agreement was signed by C.

Prasanna, president, Kakinada SEZ
in the presence of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, B.V.N. Rao, business chairman, transportation and
urban infrastructure of GMR Infra
and senior officials of GIIC during
the prime ministers visit to China
last week.
GIIC plans to set up a 2,000-acre
industrial park in Kakinada SEZ for
Chinese high-end equipment manu-

facturing companies. The statement

said Chinese companies dealing in
power equipment, electronics, wind
& solar energy, smart technologies, etc., are planning to set up
their manufacturing units in the
SEZ. This industrial park developed by KSEZ and GIIC will bring
development to the entire Kakinada region and generate more
than 5,000 jobs for both skilled
and unskilled workers.

NEWS in BRIEF
Red

Black

Orange

Nepal PM to travel to India, meet

Modi over rehab plan

epalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala is likely to visit

India next month to meet his counterpart Narendra
Modi to discuss a long-term plan for reconstruction and
rehabilitation in the earthquake-ravaged Himalayan nation.
Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat has also got an invitation
from his Indian counterpart Arun Jaitley.
Our prime minister is likely to visit India next month, Mahat
said. Mahat said both the prime ministers have been in regular
touch since the devastating earthquake of April 25 killed over 8,000
people, injured thousands and caused widespread destruction.
This will be Koiralas first foreign visit since the temblor that has
damaged over one million private and public buildings. He has been
facing criticism for returning home from Indonesia two days after
the devastating earthquake.
Nepal, whose annual budget is around $7 billion, will hold an
international donors conference in Kathmandu next month or in
July to seek financial assistance.

Anti-submarine ship to be
launched in Kolkata

he last of four anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships being made

by the Indian Navy will be launched in Kolkata on May 19, navy
officials said.
Kavaratti, which is 90 percent indigenous, is the last of four ASW class
stealth corvettes being built for the Indian Navy under Project 28.
The other three ships of the same class are INS Kamrota, Kadmattt
and Kiltan. Of the three, Kamrota was delivered to the navy in 2014,
and has been commissioned. Kadmatt and Kitan are expected to be
delivered between 2015 and 2017.
The 3,300-tonne Kavaratti can reach a speed of over 25 knots. An
X-shaped hull, full beam superstructure, inclined ship sides and an
Infra Red Signature Suppression (IRSS) system increase the stealth
feature of the ship.
Navy officials said the weapons systems on the ship were largely
indigenous. The ship is also equipped to fight in nuclear, biological
and chemical warfare conditions.
Designed by Naval Design and built by Garden Reach Ship
Builders and Engineers Kolkata, the contract for construction of four
ships was signed in June 2012 at an estimate of around Rs.7,800
crore.

Google gives $5ook for child safety

in India

lobal search engine Google announced $500,000 in grants

to promote child safety campaigns in India.
The grants will support non-profit organisations (NGOs)
with smart applications and promote child safety programmes and
campaigns in India, the companys Indian subsidiary said.
The three non-profit NGOs are Childline India Foundation, Bachpan
Bachao Andolan and Tulir.
The three NGOs provide free counselling to children in need of help,
rescuing them from slavery, trafficking, sexual abuse and forced labour.
The grants through Google.org will be used to reach more children
and create greater awareness about the need to protect their future,
Google India managing director Rajan Anandan said. Childline, which
provides a free phone service for children in need of help or protection,
will develop an online platform to offer its services with the grant.
Similarly, Google will fund Andolan to create a programme for fighting
child sexual abuse and develop an online information site for its mission.
Childline India Foundation executive director Anjaiah Pandiri said
39 percent of the 1.2-billion people were children below 18 years and 40
percent of them were marginalized for various reasons.

ADVERTISE.
STARTING FROM JUST
$99* ONLY

Call at 022 3251630 / 022 0151971

or Email at iwk.teamnz@gmail.com
* Conditions apply

INDIA ABROAD

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

Red

Black

Orange

Indian-origin councillor
becomes first woman Asian
mayor in Britain

n Indian-origin woman
has been elected mayor
of the Ealing Council in
the west London suburban district,
becoming the first Asian woman to
be so elected.
Councillor Harbhajan Kaur
Dheer, 62, who succeeded councillor
Tej Ram Bagha on Tuesday at the
Annual Council Meeting, belongs to
Britains Labour party.
Ealing has 69 councillors and

is Labour controlled. There are 53

Labour councillors, 12 Conservative,
four Liberal Democrat.
Born in India in 1953, Dheer
came to Britain in 1975. She studied
social work at Kingston University
and obtained a degree in 1995. She
worked in Surrey county council
as an approved mental health
professional until 2013, the councils
website said.
Dheer was elected a Labour

councillor from the Greenford

Broadway ward in 2010 for the first
time. She has chaired two scrutiny
panels during her first term as a
councillor. After elections in 2014
she was appointed deputy mayor of
the borough.
The council describes her as
passionate about the rights of
children and the elderly including
those
with
mental
health
problems.

Nine Indian students win awards

n Indian American student won the prestigious

Intel Foundation Young
Scientist Award last week while
nine students from across India
won awards in various categories
and five US students were awarded
science trips to India at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (IISEF) in Pittsburgh.
The IISEF honors the worlds
most promising high school
student scientists, inventors and
engineers selected through rigorous
competitions held around the
world. Many past winners have
gone on to win Nobel Prizes and
other prestigious awards.
For his work on refining a system
to help protect the seas from oildrilling disasters, Karan Jerath, 18,
of Friendswood, Texas, received the
$50,000 Young Scientist Award,
the second highest prize at the
IISEF.
Jerath was also one of the five
students selected for the Intel and
Indo-US Science and Technology
Forum Visit to India Award. They
will receive a weeklong visit to India
to showcase their research projects,
visit research leading institutions

and interact with top scientists.

Onkar Singh Gujral, 18, of La
Martiniere for Boys in Kolkata,
won the Association of Computing
Machinery first award and the
second award in the System
software category for his entry on
image processing algorithms for
detecting nanomaterials.
The other Indian winners came
from Delhi, Kozhikode, Mangalore
and Panipat. An Indian American
foundation, gave ten awards at
the Fair. About 1,700 students
who participated at the IISEF in

Pittsburgh were the top performers

at 422 affiliated fairs held in 75
countries. At the IISEF their projects
went through rigorous evaluations
by about 1,000 judges with PhDs
or equivalent qualifications from
across scientific disciplines.
Seventeen students from India
were selected for the IISEF from
the National Science Fair held
by Initiative for Research and
Innovation in Science.
The top prize, the $75,000
Gordon E. Moore Award, went to
Raymond Wang, 17, of Canada.

Four Indians elected to American

Academy of Arts and Sciences
Arun Kumar

our Indian Americans Sanjeev Arora, Sangeeta N.

Bhatia, Ravindran Kannan
and Renu Malhotra - are among
197 new members of the prestigious
American Academy of Arts and
Sciences, a leading centre for
independent policy research.
The 2015 class includes Pulitzer
Prize-winner Holland Cotter, singersongwriter Judy Collins, Nike
co-founder Philip Knight, Nobel
Prize-winner Brian Kobilka, Tony
Award-winner Audra McDonald,

21

astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson,

and novelist Tom Wolfe.
Theoretical computer scientist
Sanjeev Arora, who developed
the PCP Theorem at Princeton
University, is currently the Charles
C. Fitzmorris Professor of Computer
Science at the same institution.
Sangeeta N. Bhatia, 47, a biological engineer at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, was inducted on the merit of her investigative
research into the application of micro- and nano-technology for tissue
repair and regeneration. Ravindran
Kannan, 62, serves as a principal re-

searcher at Microsoft Research India, where he leads the algorithms

research group. He is also the first
adjunct faculty of Computer Science
and Automation Department of Indian Institute of Science.
Renu Malhotra, 54, is an
American physicist known for
her work on the orbital resonance
between Pluto and Neptune.
We are honored to elect a
new class of extraordinary women
and men to join our distinguished
membership, said Don Randel,
Chair of the Academys Board of
Directors.

Indian-American is National
Geographic Bee champion

aran Menon, a 14-yearold Indian-origin boy,

answered questions about
places from Tashkent to Telangana
to win the National Geographic
Bee championship in Washington
with the top three positions going to
Indian-Americans.
Menon bagged the championship
by answering the final question:
If built, the proposed Grand Inga
Dam would be the worlds largest
hydroelectric dam. Near the Inga
Falls, it is on which African river?
Menons winning
answer: the
Congo.
Im on top of the world right
now, said the New Jerseyite,
who competed against 10 young
finalists, seven of them of Indian
origin, from across the US, in grades
four through eight, for a trip to the
Galapagos Islands and $85,000 in
college scholarships. Menon bested
runner-up Shriya Yarlagadda, 11,
of Michigan, who missed only one
question through the entire contest
(about the Sea of Azov).
It takes a lot of hard work,
preparation, and being able to relax
at key moments, he said.
During one nail-biting moment,
Menon challenged the judges after
he answered taconite when host,
journalist Soledad OBrien, had
wanted iron ore for the name of a
mineral-rich deposit in the Mesabi
Range.
The judges agreed and granted
him the point. This years finalists
included Kapil Nathan of Alabama,

Sojas Wagle of Arkansas, Nicholas

Monahan of Idaho, Patrick Taylor
of Iowa, Abhinav Karthikeyan
of Maryland, Lucy Chae of
Massachusetts, Shriya Yarlagadda
of Michigan, Shreyas Varathan
of Minnesota, Karan Menon of
New Jersey and Tejas Badgujar of
Pennsylvania.
The finalists qualified for the
championship in a preliminary
round two days before that included
54 contestants from state and
territory-level bees.
Four million students competed
in local geography bees this year
from 11,000 schools, representing
roughly 12 percent of US schools.
Geography
helps
prepare
students to make the world a
better place, National Geographic
president and CEO Gary Knell told
the Bees live audience.
A recent survey found that three
of four American eighth graders lack
basic proficiency in the subject.

Indian-American boy wins $5,000

award for device to help blind

aghav Ganesh, a 13-yearold

Indian-American
seventh-grader has won a
$5,000 award and named one of
Americas top 10 youth volunteers
of 2015 for designing and building
a device to help visually impaired
people.
The device built by Ganesh of
San Jose, California uses sensors
to detect objects beyond the
reach of the white canes used by
many blind people. He was one
of 10 young Americans selected
in the 2015 Prudential Spirit of
Community Awards programme
for national recognition based on
their outstanding achievements in
community service.
Selected from a field of more
than 33,000 youth volunteers,
Ganesh also gets an engraved gold
medallion, a crystal trophy for his
school, and a $5,000 grant from
The Prudential Foundation for a
non-profit charitable organisation
of his choice. Raghav got the idea
after watching a video about the
challenges faced by those with
limited or no eyesight. I saw how,
despite being used for several
centuries, the white cane does not

provide users enough information

about their environment, he said.
I also saw why many high-tech
alternatives are not meeting the
needs of visually challenged folks.
Because he enjoys science and
electronics, and has become familiar
with sensors and motors through a
toy-building hobby, Raghav decided
to see if he could design something
better.
He built a small prototype and
entered it in a local science fair. He
then sought advice from the head
of a local blind center, and over
the next several months made five
major revisions based on feedback
from blind centre staff and actual
cane users. He ended up with a
device that clamps onto the cane,
uses ultrasonic and infrared sensors
to detect obstacles more than six
feet (1.8 metres) beyond the end of
the cane, and communicates this
information to the user through
vibrations in the canes handle.
Raghav secured a grant to make
multiple copies, and hopes to create
an open patent so that organisations
for the blind around the world can
make the device for their clients.

22

SPORTS

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Red

Black

Orange

Top-class fields ready for FIFA U-20

World Cup 2015 teams

hristchurch City Council

and FIFA officially opened
the upgraded training fields
to be used by the visiting teams
to Christchurch for their training
leading up to the FIFA U-20 World
Cup 2015.
Four pitches located at Avonhead,
Garrick, Ferrymead and Linfield
parks have all been redeveloped
or upgraded to the highest FIFA
International
standard
and
following the tournament, will be a
great addition to the facilities used
by local teams and clubs.
Councillor Yani Johanson official
Council representative for the FIFA
U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015,
said, The excitement is building now
and its great to see our local schools
adopting teams to support alongside
our own All Whites. All the students
from Merrin School are going to see
the games and will no doubt be in
full voice when the games kick-off
at Christchurch Stadium during the
tournament.
The diversity of teams and
visitors coming to Christchurch is
going to create a festival atmosphere

nurture the future stars of New

Zealand football who are looking
to follow in the footsteps of Ryan
Nelsen and Winston Reid, Mr
Beeche says.

Official mascot Wooliam, Ben Sigmund (Wellington Phoenix), Councillor Yani Johanson, Craig Rhodes (Mainland Football), Dave Beeche (FIFA, guests and the students of Merrin School at the opening ceremony for the
four redeveloped pitches ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015.

and gives us an opportunity to

welcome the world to Christchurch.
The work and effort the Council
and our partners have put in to
prepare and provide upgraded
facilities and fields has been amazing.

These playing fields will be a lasting

legacy of this great tournament,
Councillor Johanson says.
Dave Beeche, CEO LOC FIFA
U-20 World Cup New Zealand
2015, says the quality of the pitches

is something Christchurch can be

proud of.
The upgraded pitches at the four
grounds look fantastic and would
be worthy of any FIFA World Cup
tournament. These pitches will help

Quick facts:
}} The FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015
New Zealand takes place 30
May20 June 2015.
}} All-weather sand carpet sports
pitches offer a safer and more
consistent surface with first class
drainage and are ideal for both
training and playing, all year
round.
}} A former All Whites and
representative eleven take on a
Cashmere High School eleven
this Sunday 17 May at 1pm at the
ASB Stadium. Entry is free and
Ben Sigmund and Wooliam will
be available for interviews and
photos
For further information about
the FIFA U-20 World Cup New
Zealand 2015, please visit www.
christchurch2015.co.nz

Silver Ferns to Face

IPL eight: An unpredictable but
Fiji and South Africa exciting story so far
in July
D

he Silver Ferns will finalise

their
preparations
for
Netball World Cup 2015
(NWC2015) on home soil when they
face Fiji and South Africa in the New
World Netball Series in July.
Playing for the Taini Jamison
Trophy, the Test Matches will
provide fans an excellent opportunity
to see three of world Netballs top 10
teams in action, as well as farewell
the Silver Ferns before they cross the
Tasman for NWC2015 in Sydney.
The Silver Ferns will play one
Test Match against the Fiji Pearls,
ranked number seven in the world,
at Te Rauparaha Arena (Porirua) on
Thursday 23 July.
The Fiji Pearls, under the
direction of New Zealander Kate
Carpenter, havent played the Silver
Ferns in New Zealand since 1999.
Following the success of the
inaugural Oceania Netball Series
in Suva and an Australasian Tour,
Netball in Fiji received a major
boost with the announcement of a

new franchise-style Super League

competition - Digicel Punjas Super
League Netball Series. The Series
showcased Fijis best Netball talent
over a period of four months and
provided a solid platform to launch
their NWC2015 preparations.
South Africas SPAR Proteas,
ranked number six in the world,
will play the Silver Ferns in two Test
Matches beginning at Claudelands
Arena (Hamilton) on Sunday 26
July with the final test at The Trusts
Arena (Auckland) on Tuesday 28
July.
NNZ Chief Executive Hilary
Poole is encouraging fans to show
their support for the Silver Ferns in
the New World Netball Series Test
Matches.
Netball New Zealand will name
the 12 players selected to represent
the Silver Ferns at Netball World
Cup 2015 and the New World
Netball Series for the Taini Jamison
Trophy on July 2, 2015.

avid Warner may have

emerged as the individual
top run-getter in the round
robin stage of the ongoing Indian
Premier League (IPL), but such is
the unpredictability of the cash-rich
tournament that his team Sunrisers
Hyderabad (SRH) crashed out of the
popular competition, finishing sixth
in the points table.
The topsy-turvy nature of the
contests was amply evident during
a sensational last week when
defending
champions
Kolkata
Knight Riders (KKR) - once sitting
pretty at the second spot - saw their
hopes for a play-off slot go for a toss.
Again, Mumbai Indians (MI) at one
point of time looked like finishing
nowhere near the top four, but in the
end made the cut.
The
Warner-led
Sunrisers
seemed on course to entering the
play-offs before they stumbled
in their penultimate group phase
game against Royal Challengers
Bangalore (RCB). Warner - who
leads the batting chart with 562
runs - stupendously caught a Virat
Kohli skier against RCB but failed
to remain within the playing field
to plunge his side into a nerve

Read ONLINE @ www.iwk.co.nz

shattering loss that paved the way

for RCBs play-off qualification.
Kohli is third in the run-getters
table with 481 runs from 14 matches
at an average of 53.44, preceded
by Rajasthan Royals (RR) Ajinkya
Rahane who has notched 498 from
13 matches, averaging 49.80.
Contrary to the helter-skelter
in the middle of the table, twotime champions Chennai Super
Kings (CSK) remained steady in
the forefront, courtesy of their
formidable team composition which
includes West Indian Darren Bravo.
Bravo heads the list of wickettakers with 20 victims from 14
matches with an average of 16.45.
He is followed by RCBs leg-spinner
Yuzvendra Chahal and Mumbai
Indians pacer Lasith Malinga, who
have claimed 19 scalps each.
Besides Chahal and Kohli, burly
Jamaican batsman Chris Gayle
has also contributed to RCBs rise,
hitting as many as 34 sixes in 12
innings.
He is followed by CSKs swashbuckling opener Brendon McCullum
who has clubbed 23 over the bound-

aries so far. But it is Gayles RCB

teammate AB de Villiers who has recorded the highest individual score
in a match, plundering a 59-ball 133
not out against the Mumbai Indians
on May 10. Gayle has also clobbered
his way to a punitive knock of 117
runs against Kings XI Punjab.
His West Indies teammate Andre
Russell was defending champions
KKRs go-to-man, as he managed a
strike rate of 192.89 - the highest in
the tournament.
While Bangalore would fall upon
their most trusted seamer in their
hour of need, Australian Mitchell
Starc, who has 18 wickets to his
credit, alongside the best bowling
average of 13.44. The tournaments
journey has been filled with its share
of ups and downs. Now with four
qualifying teams - CSK, MI, RCB and
RR - and four games remaining, the
stage is set for more fireworks and
excitement.
CSK will take on MI on Tuesday
in Qualifier I in Mumbai.
The winner of the match will
enter the final, to be played on
May 24 in Kolkata. RCB face RR in
the Eliminator match in Pune on
Wednesday.
The winner of the match will
play the losing team of Qualifier I in
Ranchi on Friday to determine the
second team to advance to the title
round.

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

Red

Black

KIDZONE

23

Orange

Funny -Q
Q: Did you hear about the race between
the lettuce and the tomato?
A: The lettuce was a head and the tomato was trying to ketchup!
Q: Why cant you give Elsa a balloon?
A: Because she will Let it go.
Q: What do you get from a pampered cow?
A: Spoiled milk.

Q: What do lawyers wear to court?

A: Lawsuits!
Q: What gets wetter the more it dries?
A: A towel.
Q: What do you get if you cross a cat with
a dark horse?
A: Kitty Perry

Send us stories,
drawings, poems and
other contributions by
your little ones along
with their photographs
for this page. Email
us at editor@
indianweekender.co.nz

24

FEATURES

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

From the desk of

Red

Black

Orange

Can women take smart decisions?

Amit Dasgupta

f you were asked to respond

Yes/No to the above
question, there is every
likelihood that, apart from some
good humoured jokes about
women and decision making, your
response would emphatically be in
the affirmative.
The uncomfortable fact is that
you probably believe that women
are incapable of making smart
decisions.
These reflect the hidden
biases all of us suffer from. Most
of us have grossly delusionary
and inflated self-perceptions of
how ethical or unbiased we are.
The Yale psychologist, David
Armor, calls this the illusion of
objectivity.
When quizzed, we are likely to
say that we believe women to be
smart, that they can do a job as
well as any man, that they have
the talent to rise to the top of
the hierarchy and that we do not
believe professionalism is gender
driven.
In other words, we believe we
are fair, open-minded, unbiased
and objective.
Following years of collaborative
research, Professor Mahzarin
Banaji of Harvard University
and Anthony Greenwald of
the University of Washington
demonstrated that all of us hold
unconscious, or implicit, biases
which can be contrary to our
consciously held, explicit beliefs.
They conclude that the prevalence
of these biases suggests that even
the most well-meaning person
unwittingly allows unconscious
thoughts and feelings to influence
seemingly objective decisions.
Their
research
exposed,
for instance, how we might
consciously
believe
that
a
candidates race, physical features,
colour, sexual orientation or
gender might have nothing to do

with our hiring decision and yet,

unconscious biases actually drive
us into taking flawed decisions.
Consider an example. What
would you feel is our attitude
towards the elderly? Hardly
anyone is likely to have seriously
negative views about old people.
We are likely to consider them as
being benign and kind, possibly a
bit slow in their movements, but
our overall impression is hardly
likely to be anti-elderly.
However,
tests
have
demonstrated that our feelings
towards the elderly are anything
but warm and friendly.
Indeed,
80
percent
of
Americans have a stronger and
automatic preference for the
young over the old. Furthermore,
ageism is one of the strongest
implicit biases visible in every
country, including in Asia.
So, what could be the reason?
Banaji and Greenwald argue
that there are many negative
stereotypes associated with the
elderly in our culture - loneliness
and isolation, poor health, weak
bodies, fading looks, diminished
sensory capabilities, incontinence,
impotence, memory problems,

dementia, Alzheimers, and so

on - none of which we find
particularly appealing.
Studies have also demonstrated
the strong influence our external
environment has on the way in
which we unconsciously think and
behave.
Indeed, our social milieu
influences our attitude towards
others: the elderly, women,
the gay community, Muslims,
the physically and mentally
challenged, Dalits, the poor and
homeless (social media comments
following the court judgment in
the Salman Khan hit and run case
may be recalled), physical looks
[who wants to be fat!], etc.
But when questioned, we are
likely to claim that we are free
of biases and that our decision
making is based solely on objective
criteria.
Unfortunately, this is not
true. The problem is that the
flawed decisions we take, based
on our hidden biases, seriously
and negatively impact company
performance.
Let us consider our attitude
towards women as professionals.
SEBI has issued instructions that

all listed companies must have a

woman on the board as director or
face legal consequences. Despite
this standing instruction, several
companies,
including
public
sector undertakings (PSUs) are
yet to comply with the order.
A
few
forward-looking
companies had women on the
Board even before the SEBI
order. But, for the majority, the
order came as a shock. Some
tried to mechanically comply and,
consequently, through word-ofmouth and personal association,
some women became directors
in boards of several companies.
Many others claim they simply
have not been able to find the
right woman for the job.
The bias, which many would
hotly deny, is that company
performance and the professional
world are implicitly seen as an
exclusive male domain.
This is not restricted to India
or to Asia. Even in America, as
Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook
points out in her celebrated book
Lean In, professional women
face a significant challenge
because men still hold the vast
majority of leadership positions in
government and industry. Women
are simply not considered to be
right enough.
Persons at middle and senior
management I have spoken with
confess that having women in
the board requires a fundamental
shift in attitudes.
While they are comfortable in
seeing women in the work place
(as an example of their explicit
objectivity: women have an equal
right to work as professionals),
this is usually in non-threatening
jobs. Many argue, for instance,
that women have the exceptional
soft skills that most men lack.
What they actually mean (implicit
bias) is that women cannot take
hard decisions and that they are
risk averse. In other words, there

are only certain kinds of jobs that

women are capable of handling
and being a member of the Board
is a challenge they are not geared
for.
Chambers of commerce and
industry have, consequently,
started
collaborating
with
business schools to organize
training programmes for women
professionals to help them to
learn new skills and upgrade
existing ones. Indeed, the SEBI
order has opened up a lucrative
business opportunity. Women see
an exceptional and unanticipated
opportunity
to
substantially
enhance their income by joining
as a member in multiple boards.
They are willing, therefore, to
undergo training programmes
that certify their professional
competence and, hence, facilitate
their entry into the board.
The problem with such training
programmes is that they reinforce
the sexist bias that women are
incapable of assuming higher
responsibilities and if they are,
indeed, to take that extra step, they
need to be made professionally
competent. This, most certainly,
is not likely to bring about the
attitudinal change that sees
women as being unequal.
Training programmes optimize
efficiencies and cannot, by
definition, be gender-driven.
B-schools, consequently, need to
focus on improving the decisionmaking process in companies.
This
requires
training
all
members of the management
team, irrespective of gender.
It is only when the shift from
some to all employees becomes
part of our implicit thinking that
we would address our hidden
biases and bring about the longawaited and much-needed shift in
attitude. Till then, we are not likely
to accept women as professionals
capable of taking smart decisions.

Mt Albert | Royal Oak | Manukau | Henderson | Lincoln North

FEATURES

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

Red

Black

Orange

Trousers 2015
A

major change can be

foreseen
in
fashion
scenario as far as
womens trousers are concerned.
Skinny body hugging trousers are
pass now , new scene emerging in
fashion rundown is FLARE - latest
stroke on canvas of fashion.
No more streamed, structured
and creased trousers where an
inch gain on your hipline gives you
a FASHION ATTACK. Chill is the
mantra, cool is the look, serene is
the essence.
Baring toned midriff flares
have something to offer for all
body shapes.
Trouser Flared knee down worn

your resort wear.

Lustrous satin or silk gives
them perfect champagne evening
look.

its fullest CLEAN CUT FLARE

JEANS are climbing the stairs of
showrooms visuals expeditiously.
From officials to formals, from
party to chilling out, from Sauv to
sexy ballerina flares have walked
in to stay for long.
Everyone loves this 1970s
fashion reinvented as it can be
added to wardrobes of petite as
well as all plus size women.
Slim up at the top and then
flaring out these trousers look
really elegant as they make legs
look longer and silhouette thinner.
Teamed relaxed casual smart tops
they make a perfect wear.

If you have an hourglass figure

you can try Martini glass cut
which is like skinny stem with
wide hem. Add it with luxurious
top and there goes extra clinch in
your glass.
With so much happening on the
pages of styling minion Denims
cant be far behind. After living
Bell Bottom jeans of seventies to

Flares
can
be
worn all lengths floor,
ankle and calf length
teaming up with long
flowy
tops
drapes
structured unstructured
jackets tucked in or
tucked out shirts flares
just fit everywhere.
And to remind you, yes
WHITE PANT are in
for this season with all
its shades white plays
a major part in fashion
canvas. You can team up
white with white but just
break the monochromatic
look by adding contrast
red belt to it or throwing a
black jacket with ochre bag
to add a stroke of color to so
called official look.
Teaming it up with fresh
pale pastels give you a feel of
fresh breeze.
You can create simpler to
most versatile look to them just
being little more innovative.

Creased trousers
flaring waist downwards
following shape of the
body can be formally
worn in muted and bold
stripes andzigzag

with a Sauv top is smart enough

to attend any authoritative meet.
These trousers look nice in solid
colors like white, pale pastels or
deep black and Smokey grey.
Creased trousers flaring waist
downwards following shape of
the body can be formally worn
in muted and bold stripes and
zigzag, but be sure they have to
mider perfectly towards the outer
seams , otherwise you are into a
big fashion hearing.
Pair of mega flares or breezy
palazzo in bold floral prints or
vibrant colors are perfect carry as

25

ENTERTAINMENT

26

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Red

Black

Orange

Deepikas Piku overshadows Ranbirs

Bombay Velvet

anbir
Kapoor-starrer
Bombay Velvet has
failed to displace Deepika
Padukones simple, subtle and
meaningful act as a dutiful daughter
in Piku, box office figures suggest.
A colossal flop, a debacle, a
disaster are some of the verdicts
by film trade analysts on Anurag
Kashyaps high-budget drama
Bombay Velvet, which is set in the
Bombay of the 1960s and about a
man who wants to make it big in life
at any cost.
The film has earned a little over
Rs.16 crore in its opening weekend.
Released on May 15, the film,
which also stars Anushka Sharma
and has marked the acting debut of
Karan Johar, only managed to mint
Rs.5.20 crore on its opening day and
Rs.5.10 crore and Rs.5.80 crore on
Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Its weekend total amounts to

Rs.16.10 crore, according to trade
expert Taran Adarsh, who on
Twitter called the film a debacle.
Its very bad. Bombay Velvet
earned just 16.25 crore. That should
have been the day 1 collection
instead of the weekend collection,
trade analyst Komal Nahta told
media.
But you cant compare Bombay
Velvet to other films because of its
budget of Rs.108 crore. With that
amount, it should have collected
Rs.15 crore on day 1. The film is a
colossal flop, he added.
Another film expert, Vinod
Mirani said Bombay Velvet is a
disaster. However, Kashyap has
no regrets that the audience is not
finding a connect with his film,
which has been his dream project
since nine years.
A lot of people do not connect

with it and a small number of people

did... Maybe our experimenting
with the narrative didnt work for
most but I firmly believe in the film
he posted on his Facebook page.
The one film which has continued
its success story is Shoojit Sircars
slice-of-life entertainer Piku,

Jazbaa first look

which has Amitabh Bachchan,

Irrfan Khan and Deepika telling an
endearing family tale through their
lovable characters.
Piku is running successfully
at the cinemas and has minted
Rs.14.60 crore in its second
weekend, which takes its total

Anil Kapoor not ready

to start acting school

iery and determined -- Aishwarya Rai

Bachchan looks every bit of that in the first
look poster of her comeback film Jazbaa,
the poster of which was launched online on Tuesday.
The poster features Aishwarya looking distressed
and scrabbling in the dust with a citys skyline
behind her.
J A Z B A A. THIS IS THE FIRST LOOK POSTER,
director Sanjay Gupta tweeted on Tuesday.
The film, which marks Aishwaryas comeback to
the silver screen after a gap of five years, is being
officially launched at the 68th Cannes International
Film Festival on Tuesday, in the presence of
Aishwarya and Gupta.
The former beauty queen, who has been setting
fashion statements on the Cannes red carpet, will
be seen doing some daredevil stunts in the movie,
and she is said to have shot for the film in extreme
conditions.
Jazbaa, a Hindi remake of South Korean movie
Seven Days, also features Irrfan Khan, Anupam
Kher, Shabana Azmi, Jackie Shroff, Atul Kulkarni,
Abhimanya Singh, Chandan Roy Sanyal and
Siddhant Kapoor.
Produced by Essel Vision, White Feather Films
and Viking Entertainment, it is slated to release on
October 9.

e has been in the film

industry for almost four
decades, but award
winning
actor-producer
Anil
Kapoor says he is not ready to open
his own acting school yet.
The National Film Awardwinning actor believes that one
needs to give up everything to run a
school and he isnt up for it right
now.
Anybody who wants to do
something like that...education is
something for which you need to
leave everything else and focus on
it. You cant do five things at a time.
You are doing this and that and
running a school too...I think that
doesnt work.
If you see globally, those
who have got into education
or philanthropy, they have left
everything else. And I am not ready

METHOD

Egg Methi Masala

INGREDIENTS
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}

6 eggs
1 big size onion crushed into a paste
1 tsp - garlic paste
1 tsp - ginger paste
tsp - turmeric powder
1 tsp - kashmiri red chilli powder
cup - tomato puree

}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}

2 tbsp - tomato ketchup

1 tbsp - fenugreek leaves
tsp - garam masala powder
tsp sugar
4tbsp - cream
Salt according to taste
2 tbsp - butter

collection to Rs.56.02 crore. In

its opening weekend, it minted
over Rs.25 crore. Also, the film is
being tagged as a hit overseas as it
has earned $4.3 million (Rs.27.34
crore). In fact, Adarsh has called
Piku the BIGGEST HIT of 2015 in
Overseas.

Hard boil and shell the eggs, keep aside.

Melt the butter in a heavy bottom, add
onion paste, stir, for few minutes on medium
heat till onions are brown in colour.
Add garlic paste to the onions, stir, add
ginger paste, stir, for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric
powder to the above masala, stir, add tomato
puree and tomato ketchup, stir for 4 to 5
minutes or till oil leaves the sides of the pan.
Add fenugreek leaves and garam masala
powder, mix well.
Add warm water to the above masala and
let it come to a boil. Add sugar and simmer
till gravy is the right consistency for you.
Taste and adjust the salt.

yet, Anil told media.

Meanwhile, the 58-year-old
has his eyes set on the release of
his next film Dil Dhadakne Do,
which will also be screened in Kuala
Lumpur during 16th edition of the
International Indian Film Academy
(IIFA) Weekend and Awards in
June.
Also starring Ranveer Singh,
Priyanka Chopra, Shefali Shah,
Farhan Akhtar and Anushka
Sharma, Anil is looking forward to
the screening of the Zoya Akhtar
directorial at the film extravaganza.
This year, I think one of the high
points of IIFA will be the screening
of Dil Dhadakne Do. The entire
star cast will be there and its a huge
star cast. There will be surprises on
the awards night which is on June
7. It will be great, said the friend
of IIFA.

Add cream, lower the heat and let the

gravy simmer for another 4 to 5 minutes.
Add eggs to the gravy (you can also halve
the eggs and add to the gravy), simmer for a
few seconds.
Serve warm with naan or rice.

ENTERTAINMENT

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

Red

Black

Orange

Sonakshi Sinha
mouths Shatrughans
dialogue

ollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha

was spotted mouthing her fathers
dialogue from the film Mere

Apne.

Karan took to micro-blogging website

Twitter to wish Verman, who turned a year
older last week.
Karan Johar Happy birthday @
abhivarman....#2states was just the
beginning of a great directorial journey
ahead....have a super year.. Karan tweeted.

Wont do womencentric films for the

heck of it: Deepika

ctress Deepika Padukone, who

has everyone drooling over her
latest release Piku, says she is
open to doing more of women-centric films
but the character and the story should
appeal to her.
I dont want to do women-centric films
for the heck of doing it, said Deepika
during the success bash of Piku on Friday
last week. I wont do a women-centric film
for the sake of doing it. It has to excite me
like Piku has. The subject and the story

The actress took to video messaging

application Dubsmash to lip sync the
dialogue.
Dubsmash is an application that allows
users to choose an audio recording of well
known quotes from a list and record a video
of themselves in which they dub the quote.
The Tevar actress shared the video on
her photo-sharing website Instagram on
Saturday to share the funny video with her
fans and well wishers.
The
27-year-old
captioned
the
video: Found one of dads dialogues
this is too cool!!!!! A #dubsmash a day,
keeps the boredom away... And you
entertained? #badass #shotgun #chhenu
#dialoguebaazi #crazy #fun.
Earlier actress Alia Bhatt was seen
mouthing a famous TV advertisement with
her friend Akansha.

Karan Johar wishes

Abhishek Verman

27

ilmmaker Karan Johar wished

director Abhishek Verman and
says that 2 States was just the
beginning of a great directorial journey for
him.

has to be exciting, the character has to be

challenging.
Then I would definitely do it. I wont do
it for the heck of doing it, she added.
Further she says that her latest release
Piku is one of those films I completely
identified with. Its a story of every girl and
every family, she added.
Meanwhile, Piku that released last
Friday has collected over Rs. 44.52 crore
and is still going strong at the box office.
Besides Deepika, it also features
megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan.
Meanwhile, Deepika, allegedly in a
relationship with actor Ranveer Singh, says
she doesnt want to rush into mariage.
I dont know about settling down. Your
career is one thing but, settling down with
one person for the rest of your life... thats
a completely different feeling, thought
and idea. I dont think Im ready for that,
Deepika told media.
Its not something that I want to rush
in to. It happens once in your lifetime
and when you do it you want to do it in a
right way and with the right person. Its
extremely sacred and I dont want to rush
into it, added the 29-year-old.
Deepika, currently enjoying the success
of her latest film Piku, is tied up with
Bajirao Mastani, which also stars
Ranveer.

Dont seek blessings

from celebrities: Big B

ollywood
megastar
Amitabh
Bachchan disapproves of fans
who try to seek blessings from
any celebrity or ask them to name their
children.
The 72-year-old, who greets his fans
outside his house every Sunday, said that
over the years, he has discovered many
unique modus operandi of meeting him.
Many seek blessings from celebrities,
names for their children and on. This is
disapproved. I am not worthy of blessings
nor intelligent enough to give a name.
Please do not put me through that ordeal!
It would be horrible for a child to live
through his entire life saddled with a name
that was not his parents calling, Big B
wrote on his blog.
Sharing one incident of meeting a young
fan, the Don actor feels that people often
use their children to get his autograph.
A little fellow once came to me on
a crowded occasion, and asked for my
autograph, looking completely puzzled
and hassled. He was having problems
pronouncing autograph... photograph,
auto car, and some other contortions were
with effort struggling to form out of his
chubby face, Big B said.

fans and followers on Tuesday.

A belated but heartfelt thank u to all
for ur blessings & well wishes. Our lil angel
Ameyaa Nirvana melts our hearts a lil more
every day, the Masti actor tweeted.
Viveks wife Priyanka gave birth to their
daughter in her hometown Bengaluru.
The Saathiya actor tied the knot with

Priyanka, who is the daughter of Karnataka

minister Jeevaraj Alva, in Bangalore on
October 29, 2010.

Nawazuddin blessed
with son on 41st
birthday

n his 41st birthday on Tuesday, actor

Nawazuddin Siddiqui received what
is perhaps his best birthday gift ever.
His wife gave birth to a son -- their second
child together -- calling for double celebration.
The actor, who is married to Anjali, was
shooting in Kashmir for his much-anticipated
movie Bajrangi Bhaijaan when he was
informed about the good news. The delivery
happened at his wifes hometown Jabalpur,
said a source close to the critically acclaimed
actor.
An ecstatic Nawazuddin, already on his
way to meet the couples new bundle of joy,
said in a statement: I am happy to become
father for the second time. We havent
thought of a name yet. Im just too happy. Its

He was precocious and honest. When

I asked him his name, he promptly told
me that. When I asked him what my name
was he said: I dont know your name.
My Father asked me to come to you, so I
have come!!. hahahaha.. cute, added the
megastar

Vivek Oberoi, wife

name daughter
Ameyaa Nirvana

ctor Vivek Oberoi and his wife

Priyanka Alva, who were blessed
with a daughter on the auspicious
occasion of Akshya Tritiya in April, have
named the newborn Ameyaa Nirvana.
The 38-year-old actor, who is also a
proud father of two-year-old son Vivaan
Veer Oberoi, took to micro-blogging
website Twitter to share the news with his

going to be a double celebration in the family

from here on.
He confirmed that the mother and the
new-born are fine.
Nawazuddin, who forayed into Bollywood
with Aamir Khan-starrer Sarfarosh, has a
six-year-old daughter Shora.
On his professional front, Nawazuddin
has already cemented a permanent position
in the showbiz by delivering power packed
performance in movie irrespective of the
length of the role.

28

ENTERTAINMENT

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Red

Snapshots from
Cannes Film
Festival
2015

Black

Orange

FEATURE

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

29

On a musical journey

Red

Black

Orange

Chaitanya Rajapurkar, a 14 year old budding young artist composed the music for a thriller play Ek Adhoori Kahani at the Indian Theatre
Festival by Rangmanch and was solely responsible for the audio effects of the play. Indian Weekender spoke to this young musical genius
Rizwan Mohammad
Tell us something
yourself?

at Livewire Media Institute; the

two courses were DJing and
learning
Music
Technology.
It was more like programming,
checking instruments and making
music. While in India I had the
opportunity to work under Amit
Trivedi, I along with his team
recorded a song for an episode of

about

I moved with my family to NZ in

2003 and joined school in 2004.
Currently I am studying at Mt.
Roskill Grammar School in year
12. I like learning about music and
musical instruments, it has been
my passion since my childhood.

Chaitanya Rajapurkar

Support from Family?

What are your hobbies?

My family has been a big support

to me all these years, I mean had
it not been for my mum and dad
being behind me, I wouldnt have
reached where I am right now
and will not be able to achieve my
dream of becoming a renowned
musician.

I would say my hobbies are

both music and engineering. I
like to understand how musical
instruments work, it fascinates me.
When did you get interested
in music?
I guess since my dad was into
creative arts, I kind of flowed into
that stream automatically. Dad is a
brilliant actor and he used to play
percussion with a band in India,
my mum sings Indian classic
and my grandfather used to play
harmonium, so I belong to a family
where everyone has dedicated time
to their passion for music and arts.
I can say music is in my genes...
(Laughs). I got serious about music
when I was in year 6, I took part in
a singing competition by Tarana

As of now I like Vishal Shekhar and

Pritams music, their incorporation
of electronic music into tracks in
amazing.
Also, when it comes to singing I am
a big fan of KK, he is humble and
his vocals are terrific, I also had
the fortune to meet him and share
the dinner table with him couple of
years back.

FM called Taare Zameen Par

and I was the runner up in its 1st
edition. In the next season of Taare
Zameen Par too I unfortunately
came as a runner up. Even though
I did not win, it gave me immense
confidence to be on stage.
Where did you get your
training from for Rangmanch?
When I was 12 years old I was
learning base guitar, a friend of my
dad told me about Rangmanch and
they were looking for someone who
could do the music for the plays.

Rangmanch Indian
TheatreFestival

Venue: Playhouse Theatre, 15 Glendale

Road, Auckland
Date& Time: Friday 22 May- 7:30 pm to
9.30 pm
Saturday 23 May- 7 pm to 9 pm
Sunday 24 May 2015- 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm
This festival will be a mega event to
showcase of 4 x full length Indian plays in
Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and Bengali languages
of exceptional quality and value. Such a grand
celebration of the Art form of Theatre in 4
x different ethnic Indian languages is going
to happen for the first time in the History of
Theatre in Auckland.

CAB workshops
Newcomers Workshop

Date: 27 May 2015

Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm
Venue: Albany House. 575 Albany
Highway, Albany.
Are you new to New Zealand? Find out
about the NZ education system, schooling
in NZ including early childhood education,
enrolments, ESOL funding. The workshop is
funded by Immigration New Zealand. Morning
tea will be provided. Registration is must,
contact: Lesley (09) 4863139 cab.takapuna@
xtra.co.nz

Settlement workshops

Date: Wednesday, 27 May 2015

Time: 7pm to 9pm
Venue: Christchurch Migrant Centre, 166
St Asaph Street, CBD

I readily agreed to it
since it appeared really
exciting to me and I must
say it indeed is. As soon as
Rangmanch opportunity came to
me I started training myself on my
own, I watched YouTube videos,
practiced on the mixer my father
got me.
Any institute
music from?

you

studied

Last year I went to Mumbai for a

couple of months did two courses
on music there. I got my course

Preparing for working and living in New

Zealand: Consumer and Finance workshop
about: Consumer Guarantees Act, Insurance
and Borrowing money

Immigration Issues?
Dont know who to ask?

Date: Monday 25 May 2015

Time: 6pm-9pm
Venue: St Lukes Church and Community
Centre, 130 Remuera Road, Newmarket.
This free workshop is designed and delivered
by Auckland Central CAB. Issue to be
discussed are: Immigration, Visa Issues, Visa
Expiry and Overstaying Problems, Study
Visas, Work Visa, Permanent Residence
Status, Citizenship Applications and more.
Tea, coffee and snacks will be provided. Free
parking available at and around the venue. To
Register, please contact Kunal: kunalprkh@
gmail.com : 0223700190 Phone: (09) 302
3671

Punjabi cultural Night

2015

Date: 6 June 2015

Time: 6pm to 11pm
Venue: Vodafone Events Centre,
Auckland.
Saanjh sports and cultural club in association
with Women Care Trust presents Punjabi
Cultural Night 2015. A ladies only dance
night along with cultural performances. Best
Dance and Best Dress award will be given on
spot. An alcohol and drug free family event
with free entry and free parking. Contact
Sukhbir Kaur at 0210406677 for more details.

Where do you want to see

yourself in 5 years?

Coke Studio.
When in Mumbai I also got trained
for two months under an audio
engineer Aslam Khan who has
been working in the Bollywood
music industry for 17 years.
Do you follow any particular
musician?

In the next 5 years I would like to

have my own music studio and of
course work as a musician.
Apart from my regular studies
I am a taking a course on audio
engineering and will work to
become one of the best musicians
in New Zealand.
As of now my expertise are in
Indian classical and semi classical
music.

30

FEATURE

22 May 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Transcending the language barrier

Red

Black

Orange

Rizwan Mohammad

he opening weekend at
Rangmanchs
Indian
Theatre Festival witnessed
house full shows, engendering more
excitement for this weekend. As you
plan to watch the quality theatre, we
bring you reports from two of the
four plays staged at The Playhouse
Theatre, Auckland.
Gulbaj, the Bengali treat: Bengal
has been known for long for the best
cinematic and theatre productions
in the last couple of decades. Gulbaj
is a story of a man who is obsessed
with cricket, like every Indian, but
suffers a lot because some of his bad
habits and misfortune. The story
shows the struggle an average or
low earning family goes through,
the emotional strains and the comic
side of some situations.
The show last Sunday was house
full with the audience clapping and
jostling on every comedy scene.
The story was nice, I loved the
expressions of the actors. It was
so real and convincing. Cricket
has always been the centre of all
the issues, stories and solutions
in Calcutta, I could relate so many
things from the play mentions Ms
Durga Ray who was overwhelmed
with the show.
The Bengali play got an
outstanding review from the
audience and one and all present
at the theatre enjoyed the show.
One of the spectators present at the
theatre mentioned I wanted some
of my other friends to come and see
this play, unfortunately it will not
be happening again since next week

has been booked for Hindi, Gujrati

and Marathi plays.
Ver Na Vavetar: Theatre is such
a platform that brings the best of
the best from an artist with no room
for mistakes and no second chances
either. The Gujrati play at the
Rangmanch Indian Theatre Festival
was no such exception with rave
reviews being in the air amongst its
viewers. The Gujrati play Ver Na
Vavetar Love at War garnered big
round of applause every time the
lights dimmed off and received a
standing ovation from the audience

when the curtains went down.

The story revolves around two
lovers trying to cross the communal
barrier to be together eternally
stopped by the red necks of the
society who do not want their inter
caste marriage to happen. The
plays brings the harsh reality of life
with hard hitting dialogues, terrific
script, apt direction and an array of
audio and light effects.
The story shows the condition of
a very rural part of India brought
together by love and divided by
caste issues. The play showed a very

honest side of India, is light hearted

at one point, musical in another and
heart-breaking towards the end.
On the front row of the theatre
witnessed few Kiwi audience who
though could get a clue of the
language being spoken on the stage
but could interpret the story with a
few doubts here and there. When
asked one of them mentioned It
was delight to see the play, yes I
could not understand the language
but I could make out what is
going in the story. Mind blowing
performance, they deserved a

standing ovation. For sure!

People who missed the show last
week have one more chance to see
the brilliant work of the Director
and actor Sailesh Prajapati as
protagonist in the play along with
Chirag Solanki, Rohan Jote, Leela
Patel, Rupal Solanki in the lead. The
play has already been declared a hit
with its first show and is already
sold out for the next. The only
chance the audience has to see the
Gujrati play once again is the show
on 30th of this month, but the tickets
for that too are selling off fast.

Auckland Art Gallerys collection re-examined

major programme of new

exhibitions drawn from the
worlds largest collection of
New Zealand art is now on view at
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tmaki.
Presenting works by the countrys
art luminaries such as Michael
Parekowhai, Colin McCahon, Fiona
Pardington and Bill Culbert, these
exhibitions explore the network of
connections that have influenced
New Zealand art from the early 20th
century to today.
Spread across three levels, the
rolling suite of shows, New Zealand
Art: Insights and Connections,
occupies the majority of the Gallerys
floor space. Auckland Art Gallery
Principal Curator Dr Zara Stanhope
says the programme takes a fresh
look at New Zealand art and will be
regularly updated.
By exploring diverse approaches
to creativity through multiple shows,
we have given focused and deeper
insight to New Zealand art and its
place in our country and beyond, she
says.
Developed over the last year by
a team of five in-house curators, the
exhibitions showcase artworks that

have been carefully selected from

the Gallerys collection of more than
15,000 items.
With additional items on loan
from local and international private

and public collections, all the displays

tell multi-layered and engaging
stories. The relationship between
past and present in modern Mori

art, appropriation and homage in

New Zealand and international art,
the disturbing power of landscape
in inter-war art, Cubism and its
impact on New Zealand artists,
and reflections on Aotearoa New
Zealand as depicted by colonists and
18th-century voyagers are themes
explored.
These interlinked exhibitions
reflect our changing cultural
conditions and present creative
perspectives on New Zealand life.
Through them, we aim to offer
memorable experiences that will
inspire visitors to know themselves
and understand their worlds, says
Stanhope.
Audiences can select from these
shows and works to create their own
connections with New Zealand art,
says Stanhope.
Auckland Art Gallery Director
Rhana Devenport says the New
Zealand
Art:
Insights
and
Connections programme highlights a
quality and diversity of artworks that
are specific to NZs culture, history
and place in the world.
Alongside the current solo
projects by leading Auckland-based

artists Lisa Reihana and Billy Apple,

these exhibitions reflect Auckland
Art Gallerys powerful commitment
to the art of Aotearoa New Zealand,
she says.
All exhibitions are free to visit.
NZ Art: Insights and
Connections exhibition
summaries:

Printing the Pacific:

16961804
Using visual records from the period, this exhibition explores the way in
which prints functioned as a means of
generating and disseminating knowledge about the Pacific during the 18th
century. This exhibition forms a companion with Lisa Reihana: in Pursuit
of Venus [infected].

He Iwi Rangatira
Rangatira, or chiefly people,
played important roles in the
history of Aotearoa New Zealand.
The exhibition includes portraits
by Charles F Goldie and Gottfried
Lindauer and other painters and
photographers who recorded 19th
century Mori life, alongside carved
taonga (treasures).

www.iwk.co.nz | 22 May 2015

Red

Black

Orange

FEATURE

31

2015

2015
28th May 2015

KIWI INDIAN

KIWI INDIAN

YOUNG ACHIEVER

2015

UNSUNG HERO
MAIN SPONSOR

2015

PLATINUM SPONSOR

DIAMOND SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

SUPPORTED BY

VENUE PARTNER

RADIO PARTNER

TV PARTNER