Indian

Indian August 21, 2009

Log on to www.iwk.co.nz Volume 1, No. 12
New Zealand’s first Indian weekend magazine
For free distribution

Fiji | 13 Event | 20 Festivity | 31

Peter Foster’s Waitakere goes Ganesh
bomb Bollywood comes home

At a glance

IW now in Wellington
Your favourite magazine is now
available in the capital. Global Vil-
lage Unlimited will represent Indian
Weekender for its Wellington based
content, distribution and advertising.
Page 4.

Rasalingam, Khoury honoured

The handsome contribution of two
Auckland men to ethnic affairs in
New Zealand was recognised and
celebrated at a special function in
the city this week.
Page 7

Here comes colonialism 2.0

The industrialised east was colo-
nised by the nations of pre-industrial
Europe. So is it unreasonable to
expect a backlash from the west now
that wealth and power are surging
back to India and China?
Page 14

Are ETFs right for you?

If you find the tasks of analysing
and picking stocks a little daunt-
ing, exchange-traded Funds (ETFs)
may be right for you. Our personal
finance expert explains.
Page 25

Today’s Exchange Rates

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INR 31.97
FJD 1.34
EURO 0.46

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Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 1

Indian
New Zealand
Mumbai police get their sealegs from Auckland
DEV NADKARNI

North Shore based company provides amphibious craft to help guard Mumbai’s coastline
Auckland-based Sealegs International will
supply four amphibious marine craft to the
Commissioner of Police in Mumbai, India, to
be used for patrolling the city’s waterways and
coastline.
The Indian government has stepped up
maritime surveillance around its vast 7000
km coastline following terrorist attacks in
Mumbai late last year. The terrorists had used
the sea route along the western coast of the
Arabian Sea to launch the attacks that left
nearly 180 people dead.
Sealegs’ amphibious technology was iden-
tified by the police agency as being ideally
suited to the varied tasks of this patrol, where
the ability to conduct extensive on-water re-
connaissance and rapid interdiction needs to
be performed independent of boat launch and
retrieval facilities.
The company’s chief executive Mr David
McKee Wright said that the sales are a result of
close co-operation with the company’s recent-
ly appointed re-seller in the Indian market,
New Wave Distributors (India) Pvt. Ltd, re-
flecting Sealegs’ international market devel-
opment strategy.
“Our Indian Sealegs dealer is one of the
largest boat dealers in India and that has cer-
tainly made things easier. Having said that,
although the decision-making was relatively
quick post the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, bu-
reaucratic processes and procedures meant it
did take some time for the actual order to be
placed,” Sealegs International’s sales manager
Greg Ewen told Indian Weekender.
New Wave Distributors, had made a pre-
sentation to the Indian Security agencies on
the need of amphibious boats, soon after the
Mumbai carnage, as India has practically no
water front infrastructure.
“Sealegs allows the operator to drive into
the water just about anywhere, so it was the
ideal solution for quick deployment and pa-
trolling vessels along the open beaches of
Mumbai,” Mr Ewen said.
The aluminium-hulled Sealegs amphibi-
ous boats are fully configured and include a
newly developed ‘rugged helm’ console for
heavy duty handling by operational person-
nel. The boats are also equipped with Sealegs’
own ‘XRT’ extended run time feature, allow-
ing for prolonged operational capability in hot
and humid conditions when driving on land or
when deployed in flood/rescue roles.
“India is potentially a huge market.
However, cost is a determining factor for
many and Sealegs is built to a very high stan-
dard, with a lot of thought and care invested
into the engineering process and the finished
product, so there is always a certain price for
that high standard of quality,” Mr Ewen said.
The company was working closely with the
Indian distributor making presentations to
various government agencies like Defence,
Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Police.
McKee Wright sees the deployment of
Sealegs vessels in this high profile role as a
clear endorsement of the unique capabilities of
the proprietary amphibian technology and as a
launch pad into the varied requirements of the
Indian government.
The use of Sealegs vessels in a marine po-

licing role further extends the ongoing success
that Sealegs has achieved in securing export
sales of Fire/Rescue configured vessels, to ju-
risdictions as varied as Rome and Malaysia.
Built to European CE and U.S. Coast
Guard specifications, Sealegs amphibious
marine craft are currently being targeted at
international markets in co-operation with re-
gional re-sellers and with the support of New
Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
The company has a staff in excess of 50
people and has two factories in Auckland’s
North Shore. The first factory focuses on the
fabrication of the all aluminium hulls and
the second on the final assembly. Sealegs is
managed by entrepreneurs, David McKee
Wright and Maurice Bryham. Sealegs Corpo-
ration Limited is a public company listed on
the New Zealand Stock Exchange Main Board
(NZX:SLG).

Infosys to set up base in NZ

Indian software giant Infosys technologies, which
has had a presence in Australia for over seven years,
launched a new Consulting and Systems Integra-
tion practice across Australia and New Zealand a
couple of months ago.
The practice represents a major evolution in the
value Infosys offers its clients and adds a significant
new initiative as a consulting partner.
Infosys Australia chief executive Jackie Korho-
nen visited Auckland last week and hinted at plans
of opening an office in Wellington. She also said
that an office in Auckland was a possibility down
the line.
“New Zealand is well known as an innovative
market. Infosys is looking forward to helping New
Zealand organisations become more competitive
by tapping into the best of the global talent pool big plans: Jackie Korhonen, CEO of
along with the wealth of skills available locally,” Infosys Australia
Ms Korhonen told Indian Weekender.
Over a dozen Infosys Australia consultants are “Our new Consulting and Systems Integration
already in the country working on client sites. practice will allow us to engage with clients earlier
Infosys Technologies is India’s second largest in the project lifecycle, by providing the technology
software exporter and employs over 100,000 people and process strategy that supports transformational
in its development centres across the world. business goals, as well as the execution of that strat-
The new consulting practice formalises a trend egy,
toward more strategic engagements for Infosys “When times are good, businesses want to
Australia, which earlier in the year completed a focus on growth rather than on transforming under-
portfolio analysis project for ING Australia, recom- lying processes and strategies. But when the market
mending next steps in the application lifecycle for starts to contract, you can’t afford to ignore ineffi-
a number of core applications as part of that com- ciencies. You must transform,” she added.
pany’s two-year technology transformation project. Infosys plans to grow the Australian and New
Infosys has consciously launched the new prac- Zealand consulting teams to include senior busi-
tice at a time when the global economy is putting ness architects, change management specialists and
pressure on companies to rein in costs, Ms Korho- program directors.
nen said. - Indian Weekender news desk

2 Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Bank of Baroda to start
operations in NZ
The Mumbai-headquartered Bank of Baroda,
one of India’s largest commercial banks is set
to provide trade finance when it opens its first
branch in Auckland through a subsidiary, soon
after it receives clearance from the Reserve
Bank of New Zealand to set up operations. Mr
S.C. Vermani has been named the managing di-
rector of the subsidiary in New Zealand.
The bank has an extensive overseas presence
among Indian financial institutions with some 76
offices in 26 countries. In the past year, despite
the downturn, the bank’s overseas business con-
tributed 23% to net profit and 22.5% to its total
business. For the first quarter ended June 2009, it
posted 85% growth in net profit compared with
the same period a year ago.
While formally announcing its entry into
New Zealand, the bank’s chairman and manag-
ing director M.D. Mallya also said that in the next
couple of months two branches in Uganda would
come up and added that a Malaysian venture
PACIFIC PRESENCE: Bank of Baroda branch in Ba, Fiji.
Success for school sport
John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand
Sport is really impor-
tant for children. It’s
a great way to exer-
cise and it teaches
valuable teamwork,
leadership and fair
play skills.
Encouraging
young New Zealand-
ers to get involved in
sport when they’re at
school can lead to a
lifetime of involve-
ment – and a future
generation of fitter, healthier kiwis.
That’s why the National-led Government is
committed to helping more children take part
in organised sport at school, after school, and
during the holidays. We want all Kiwi kids to
have the opportunity to play sport.
We know many schools struggle to find
coaches, referees, and volunteers to support
sports teams, let alone promote those teams to
their pupils. And we know too many of our
sports clubs are struggling to keep their com-
petitions running. We understand how hard it
is for them to find the coaches, administra-
tors, and other officials needed with limited
funds. We need to overcome these challenges.
Our Kiwisport initiative answers calls
from schools, clubs, and regional sports trusts
for greater support and investment in sport
for children. It delivers $82 million over the
next four years directly to the frontline. This
funding comes from savings that have been
identified in social marketing campaigns,
websites and tagged funding programmes.
We believe it’s better to invest money di-
rectly into schools and organisations helping
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
New Zealand
was also planned during the year, signaling the
bank’s plans to extend its global presence.
Mr Mallya hinted at the acquisition route:
“We are a strong bank ... It has the capability. If
the opportunity presents itself, we will also react
to it,” he said.
The Bank has been in the Pacific region for
nearly five decades having opened its first Pacific
branch in Fiji in the early 1960s to serve the large
and thriving Gujarati business community that
had made the South Pacific country its home. It
also has a presence in Australia.
It’s first overseas operation started in the early
1950s with an office in Mombassa in Kenya. The
bank started by Maharaj Sayajirao Gaikwad of
the then princely state of Baroda completed 100
years last year.
Its first New Zealand branch will be in central
Auckland.
- Indian Weekender news desk
to deliver sport. Kiwisport will see more chil-
dren getting active and enjoying sport.
We’re providing $45 million directly to
schools around the country over the next four
years. Each school will have the f lexibility
and freedom to spend the money in a way that
ensures more of their pupils get access to sport
without layers of bureaucracy and heavy-
handed reporting.
The other $37 million will go into a region-
al partnership fund, which will be allocated
across the 17 regional sports trusts around
New Zealand. This will build stronger links
between schools, sports clubs, and private
sporting providers as they aim to give more
kids the chance to play sport.
National is committed to increasing oppor-
tunities for children to get involved in sport.
Schools and sports clubs play a crucial role
in introducing young New Zealanders to or-
ganised sport. By providing funding directly
to schools and regional sports trusts, Kiwis-
port will make a difference. More children
will see the benefits of physical fitness, being
part of a team, developing leadership skills,
and having fun.
3
Indian
Indian Weekender, Global Village Ethnic Council doyens recognised
Unlimited ink strategic deal
Kiwi Media Group, the publishers of Indian
Weekender and Wellington based Global Village
Unlimited (GVU) have inked a strategic partner-
ship between the two companies.
Among several business projects that the
two companies will co-operate on as part of
the strategic partnership in the coming months,
GVU will bring Indian Weekender not only to
the Indian community in Wellington but also the
wider Kiwi community in and around the capital.
As part of this partnership, GVU will rep-
resent the Indian Weekender for its Wellington
based content, and advertising.
“We see Indian Weekender as a quality
product offering quality news and features to the
community and provides a good representation
of the Indian community in terms of the balance
it offers. GVU is all about quality and the use
of knowledge and new media in bringing that
knowledge to the two markets – New Zealand
and India – that it is active in,” GVU director
Raga D’silva said.
GVU is also the sole rep-
resentative for India’s largest
publication group, The Times
of India (which is also the largest
English daily in the world) and its growing stable
of highly successful online offerings.
In addition, GVU provides support to New
Zealand businesses to make an entry in to the
dynamic but complex Indian market, and helps
Indian businesses form suitable alliances here in
New Zealand.
“Raga’s business is very focused in aligning
the commerce and culture of the two countries
– New Zealand and India, which is a very im-
portant aspect of what Indian Weekender stands
for. It was therefore a very natural move for us to
form an alliance of this kind with GVU,” Indian
Weekender editor-in-chief Dev Nadkarni said.
- Indian Weekender news desk
New Zealand
The handsome contribution of two Auckland men to
ethnic affairs in New Zealand was recognised and
celebrated at the Fickling Centre in central Auckland
on Monday, August 17.
At a function jointly organised by the Auckland
Ethnic Council and the Waitakere Ethnic Board,
Philip Khoury and N Rasalingam were honoured
with certificates of merit for their long service to the
country’s ethnic communities.
Mr Khoury began his long association with
ethnic communities in 1986 representing the Leba-
nese community in Auckland and helped organise
the first national conference of ethnic councils in
1990. Both he and Dr Rasalingam have worked
closely on ethnic affairs over the past two decades.
Dr Rasalingam, QSM came to New Zealand
from Sri Lanka in 1970 and has been serving ethnic
communities and refugees ever since. He has been
associated with the refugee community in Glenn
Innes and has been President of the Auckland Ethnic
Council, and has been closely associated with the
Auckland Refugee Council and the New Zealand LONG INNINGS: Mayor of Auckland John
Ethnic Council. Banks presents the certificates to Dr Rasal-
Auckland Mayor John Banks presented the ingam and Philip Khoury.
certificates. Speaking on the occasion, Mr banks
recalled his student days at the Avondale College ethnically diverse Supercity Council.
saying in the early 1960s, the college was pretty Mr Lee, a fifth-time ARC Councillor, said that

Kiwi Asian journalism scholarship much a mono-ethnic, mono-cultural institutions.

The Asia New Zealand Foundation is launching
an inaugural scholarship as a way of attracting
more Asian New Zealanders into journalism.
The scholarship will apply to the 2010 cal-
endar year and be for the value of $5000 to be
paid on completion of the successful candidate’s
course of journalism study. It is designed to en-
courage greater representation of Asian commu-
nities in mainstream New Zealand journalism.
A 2007 survey of New Zealand journalists
undertaken by the New Zealand Journalism
Training Organisation (NZJTO) showed that
only about 2% of all journalists working in the
mainstream English language news media were
Asian. This is despite Asian New Zealanders
making up about 10% of the population.
For eligibility criteria and more information,
email Charles Mabbett on cmabbett@asianz.org.
nz or call on 04 470 8701.
The deadline for applications is November
30, 2009.
The ethnic diversity that one encounters today in
Auckland is to be celebrated, he said.
Mr Banks also outlined the importance of having
and empowering community councils in the new
structure of the Auckland Supercity – a sentiment
that was shared by other speakers like Auckland Re-
gional Council chairman Mike Lee and Waitakere
Deputy Mayor and Councillor Penny Hulse.
The speakers shared their views on several
aspects of the Supercity, but all agreed that the in-
terests of Auckland’s diverse ethnic communities
must be taken on board. Ms Hulse said that just three
schools in Waitakere City had pupils of 140 differ-
ent ethnicities. She underscored the importance of a
in recent years, local government had “moved too far
away from ordinary folk,” and reiterated his stand
that council and assets and services needed to be
publicly owned by the people of the city.
National MP Jackie Blue represented Prime
Minister John Key. The proceedings began with a
Bharata Natyam dance item presented by Ishara.
Waitakere Ethnic Board President Ann Pala con-
ducted the proceedings.
The Auckland Ethnic Council also presented
four of its ongoing projects to the gathering. The
projects cover activities engaging youth, organ
donors, prevention and mitigation of type-II diabetes
and capacity building within the community.
- Indian Weekender news desk

4 Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
New cell phone usage rule from November MigHTi brings Marathi to the Airwaves
From November 1 it will be against the road rules
for drivers to text or talk on a handheld cell phone
while driving.
The change is part of the Land Transport (Road
User) Amendment Rule and will see drivers using
handheld mobile phones receive an infringement
notice consisting of an $80 fine and 20 demerit
points. Transport Minister Steven Joyce says that
driver distraction – particularly through the use of
cell phones – is a real issue on our roads.
Little India makes another splash
When we were recently invited to an opening of
Little India’s new restaurant in Upper Hutt, we
decided to take the long drive (for a Wellingtonian,
anything beyond 15 minutes is a long drive) into the
scenic beauty of Upper Hutt.
Being after sun set, we obviously missed out
on enjoying the scenic beauty, but nevertheless, the
event itself made it up for that. It was an exception-
ally well attended event with the who’s who of the
Indian community, with our very own Jugnu Gill
being the ever gracious host, greeting everyone at
the door, and ushering them into his new restaurant.
The restaurant has been decorated in line with the
other Little Indias across New Zealand, and has the
smart, elegant, and ethnic Indian touch.
That to me is what Jugnu Gill represents to the
wider community in New Zealand: class, elegance
and – most importantly – humility.
Jugnu Gill was born in India; he completed his
schooling from Sherwood College, Nainital and then
joined the prestigious St Xaviers College in Mumbai.
After two years he went on to London for further ed-
ucation and completed a degree in computer science.
He set off on a career in computing which also took
him to the US.
Somewhere along the line, computing and a
burning desire to entire the hospitality scene with his
other passion (for North Indian cuisine) fused.
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
“There are a lot of other distractions while
driving but handheld mobile phone use has grown
to become a significant problem. The reality is we
need to send a strong signal to all road users that
it’s not on. “Texting and driving, in particular, is
a total no brainer.” Drivers will still be able to use
hands-free devices and two-way radio under the
ban. There would also be an exemption for 111 calls
made for genuine emergencies.
- IW news desk
Around the same time as the passion of cross-
ing over was building in Jugnu’s heart and mind,
his brother Sukhi Gill an accountant from England
moved to New Zealand in late 1980’s and opened his
first Little India in Dunedin in 1991. Jugnu joined
him in Dunedin in 1993 and was thrown into the
deep end to learn the in’s and out’s of running a res-
taurant.
Since then the family business has expanded
into other parts of New Zealand: Dunedin to Queen-
stown to Christchurch to Wellington to Hamilton
to Auckland to Tauranga to Nelson to Melbourne –
now with multiple restaurants in Christchurch, Wel-
lington and Hamilton.
Jugnu continues to create his magic across New
Zealand inspiring other Indians and the wider com-
munity to dream and do things that the heart desires.
- Raga D’silva
In New Zealand, we have
been lucky to have FM
radio with multiple sta-
tions. However, the Access
community radio on fre-
quency 104.6 stands out
quite differently among
these, as it is the only
radio station catering to
the varied communities in
the country.
In Auckland it is known as Planet FM104.6.
Migrant Heritage Charitable Trust Inc (MigHT-
i) saw an opportunity to use this medium to
enhance the cause of the Marathi community
and provide them with a platform, where they
could hear Marathi literature, songs, Kathaka-
than, Kavita, Batmya and radio plays. Prashant
Belwalkar of MigHT-I believes that radio has
a lot to offer to the Maharashtrian community
in New Zealand. Given that the website of the
radio station www.planetaudio.org.nz beams live
streaming audio and gives the listeners an ability
to hear the programs for a week, it was an oppor-
tunity in the making for MigHT-i.
On Wednesday nights at 9.25pm you can
listen to the program titled ‘Bhramanti’ which
literally means ‘travelogue’ wherein Prashant
brings to you news, views, Kathakathans and a
variety of community programmes. Sunday’s
“Nabhovani” literally meaning ‘airwaves’ brings
songs, poetry and interviews to the audience.
Sunday: 11.00 am Nabhovani
Wednesday: 09.25 pm Bhramanti
BAND: FM
Frequency: 104.6
Web: www.planetaudio.org.nz
Feedback: info@nabhovani.com
MigHT-i has tied up with e-sakal (website
of one of Maharashtra’s biggest newspapers) to
New Zealand
provide an update on the latest happenings in
Maharashtra. They are also supported by Cre-
ative Communities (Creative NZ) in this endea-
vour, which will tap into the talents of the Ma-
harastrians in Auckland as well as wider New
Zealand. Future plans include programmes for
senior citizens, womens’ issues and Youth pan-
orama on the lines of Yuvavani in India.
Prashant says that they recently finished a
programme on children participation and are
now looking forward to an area that is of common
interest to all Maharashtrians – drama.
MigHTi is bringing out the first full-fledged
radio play “Suryachi Pille” written by Vasant
Kanetkar on Planet FM 104.6 on Sundays at
11.00am. This will be on Air from Sunday
August 30. It will be serially aired on consecu-
tive Sundays. The voices to this play have been
rendered by Kaustubh Pethe, Devdutta Paran-
jape, Vijay Parulkar, Sunil Gadgil , Kalyani
Gadgil, Jayashree Sonar, Mrunal Niphadkar and
Prashant Belwalkar. This is the first of several
such plays that MigHTi plans to bring to the
radio. It will open doors for a lot of budding
artists in the community.
Many a senior citizen has noted that they
never felt far away from their homeland when
they hear Marathi radio here. It brings back
memories of their youth when radio was the only
medium available to them. They have “requests”
which include Natyasangeet, Bhavgeet, Abhang
, which are catered to by this station. Mighti
also takes the opportunity to invite ideas, sug-
gestions and feedback from the wider commu-
nity in Auckland. Those wishing to participate
in the radio programmes may also get in touch
with Prashant on info@nabhovani.com or call on
095348000.
MigHTi is also bringing two special pro-
grammes based on Hindustani and Carnatic
music on September 19 and 3rd October. Watch
out for the details in the next issue.
5
Indian
Swine flu panic
spreads across India
Mumbai: With the total deaths numbering 28,
panic about swine flu has reached alarming
levels in India. Pune has emerged as the epicen-
ter of the disease with 13 of the 26 deaths. Ban-
galore comes a second with 5 deaths.
India has to deal with the dual problems of
the virus itself and the panic and rumours that
go with it. A total of 1,390 have been confirmed
infected in this nation of 1.2 billion people.
“The amount of frenzy or hysteria is totally
disproportionate to the overall reality of the
disease,” Dr. Jai Narain, the head of the region-
al communicable disease office for the World
Health Organisation, said last week.
Adding to this is the breathless reporting and
updates of the 24 hour news channels, which has
helped whip up media frenzy, resulting in people
wearing surgical masks even when in cities with
relatively low cases of the disease.
In Delhi where no deaths were reported so
far, people are wearing masks on the streets.
In the streets of Mumbai and Pune people have
been seen either with masks or handkerchiefs or
ladies with dupattas around their noses/mouth.
This, in spite of a government directive saying
one need not wear masks on the streets unless
they or a family member is infected.
Pharmacists are doing brisk business of
selling masks at a premium and they say people
are also stocking up on drugs for common cold
and flu.
The Indian government on its part has
stepped up its fight against the disease, with
setting up of more testing centres and increas-
ing its stock of the anti viral drug Tamiflu to 30
million doses. Interestingly, the drug Tamiflu is
6 Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
available only in the government run hospitals
and not in the retail markets. Though the private
sector and the general public are crying hoarse
over this decision, the government says that it
has taken this decision to prevent the virus from
becoming immune to the drug.
All schools in Pune and Mumbai have been
shut down for 10 days. Movie theatres for have
been shut for three days and malls have been
asked to tone down their traditional Indepen-
dence Day holiday sales to keep away crowds.
Adding to the burden of the government
testing centres is the fact that people with regular
symptoms of flu are lining up to be tested. In
Lucknow parents are insisting that all children
be tested. On August 15 a record number of
27,308 persons walked into the testing certres of
which 60 tested positive while on the same day
India recorded maximum number of positive
cases in a day so far ie.169.
Though the fatality rate of the virus is rela-
tively low, scientists worry that it could eventu-
ally mutate into a more deadly strain, opines Dr.
Jayaprakash Muliyil, a professor of epidemiol-
ogy at Christian Medical College in Vellore also
adding, “I cannot see anything to panic about.
These kinds of rumours are not good for the
health of the nation.”
Yet the flu has garnered far more attention
than any of the host of fatal diseases including
tuberculosis which kills more than 1000 people a
day in India, according to World Health Organi-
sation figures.
- All India stories by Shobha Rao,
India Correspondent
Shah Rukh Khan detained
at US airport
Mumbai: Bollywood superstar and one of the most
recognized Indian star in the US, Shah Rukh Khan
was detained for ‘secondary inspection’ at Newark
airport near New York in the early hours of Saturday,
(India time).
Incidentally Shah Rukh was en route to an event
in Chicago to celebrate India’s IndepenceDay. Khan
was reportedly held in the immigration area and re-
peatedly questioned for about two hours.
“I told them I was a movie star who had recently
visited the US to shoot my film, but nothing seemed
to convince the immigration officer” Khan said.
Autograph seeking fans, other immigrations offi-
cers who vouched for him did not fail to impress the
officer.
His hand baggage was inspected and he was
taken to a room where he was questioned about the
purpose of his visit, the names and phone numbers
for the event organisers, which films he had acted in,
why has was carrying so much cash ($1500), why his
checked-in baggage had not arrived (it hadn’t been
loaded in London!) and many such “irrelevant” ques-
tions according to Khan.
During the ordeal he was not allowed the use
of his phone and at the end of the questioning he
was allowed just one call. Khan who said he felt
Magsaysay Award for Indian social activist
New Delhi: Noted Indian social worker Deep Joshi,
along with five others has been named for the pres-
tigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2009, consid-
ered as Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
Joshi, 62, born in a remote village in Pithoragarh,
has a Masters degree from the prestigious Mas-
sachusetts Institute of Technology. He has worked
with the Ford Foundation and Systems Research In-
stitute and has over thirty years of experience in the
field of rural development and livelihood promotion.
He is being recognised for “his vision and leader-
India
“angry and humiliated” by the entire experience,
called Congress MP Rajiv Shukla, who, in turn,
spoke to the Indian consulate and the American au-
thorities who finally released him.
Khan who is a frequent visitor to the US, and who
has a work permit says that he was subjected to the
grilling because of his last name, his Muslim identity.
The Indian minister for Information and Broad-
casting Ambika Soni denounced Shah Rukh’s de-
tention and said, “I don’t think that this manner of
detaining is justified. There should be a tit-for-tat re-
sponse.” The outrage in India over this incident had
the new US ambassador Timothy Roemer go into
quick damage control mode. He issued a statement
“Shah Rukh Khan is a global icon whose films are
much loved even by the Americans, and he is always
welcome in the US.”
But by all accounts Khan doesn’t feel so welcome
and says he will review his plans whether to visit the
US again.
ship in bringing professionalism to the NGO move-
ment in India, by effectively combining “head” and
“heart” in the transformative development of rural
communities,” the Board of Trustees of the Ramon
Magsaysay Award Foundation said in a press state-
ment at its headquarters in Manila, Philippines.
Joshi on his part said, “I am delighted to get this
honour. But the award is not for an individual – it is
for an idea, for the development of rural population.
We need educated people to go to the rural areas and
wok for their welfare.”
Indian
India
Orissa tribal speaks at UN meet Men demand freedom from
Bhubaneshwar:
Laxman Hembram,
a 13-year-old boy
judging panel chose Laxman’s essay from
thousands of entries that were received. He
had written in Oriya, which was translated
the ‘tyranny’ of wives
belonging to the into English. Shimla: On India’s Independence Day, August India have com-
primitive Juang Laxman, a class IX student of the Kalinga 15, a group of men, met in Shimla to make plans mitted suicide
tribe from the Institute of Social Sciences, was flown to to demand for ‘equal rights’ and ‘freedom’ – in the last four
border area of May- Seoul on August 15, with all his expenses from ‘harassment’ by their wives. years. In fact,
urbhanj, Orissa, has paid by the UNEP. As many as 750 delegates A Bangalore based NGO Save Indian husbands com-
represented India at the Tunza International from 150 countries participated in the confer- Family Foundation (SIFF), along with another mitting suicide
Children and Youth conference on Environ- ence. NGO Children’s Rights Initiative for Shared because of
ment-2009 in Seoul from August 17 to 20. “I am excited about Seoul. I will tell the Parenting (CRISP), the state of Maharashtra’s harassment
The meet, organised by United Nation world leaders in English how climate change Purush Suraksha Sanstha and Uttar Pradesh’s is double
Environment Programme (UNEP), had has impacted tribal lifestyle,” an excited Pati Paramesh Kendra organised the event. the number
asked students to write essays on the theme Lamxan, who has been working hard on his “On Independence Day we will raise the of wives
“Climate change: our challenge”. The presentation for the conference, said. issue of freedom and dignity of harassed committing
husbands. More than 100 men, representa- suicide in the country,”
tives of 30,000 other harassed husbands from claims the founder of CRISP.

Suspicious Korean ship found across the country, will converge at a day-long
meeting to come up with strategies to take on
their wives,” Anil Kumar, president of SIFF,
The charter of demands by husbands would
include a separate men’s welfare ministry
on the lines of the women and child welfare

anchored off Andamans had told media persons before the event.
Kumar also reiterated that, “the Indian law
is biased when it comes to husbands, as it often
ministry, equal taxation for men and women,
change in inheritance laws, amendment to the
domestic violence prevention law, and man-
Chennai: The Indian Coast Guard has impounded a North Korean ship, apparently carrying merchan- favours the wives. Be it in the case of custody datory joint custody of children for divorced
dise of sugar off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands after more than a six-hour chase. of children for divorced couples or false al- couples.
The MV Musen dropped anchor off Hut Bay Island on Wednesday August 5, without permission. legations of domestic violence and dowry ha- “We’re meeting at Shimla, not to draw
It had been anchored for more than 48 hours until it was spotted by some passengers from a ferry who rassment, the law generally takes the side of a gender dividing line. We want to discuss a
brought it to the notice of the authorities. Sources said that passengers spotted the ship anchored on women, without listening to the side of men.” social issue and find solutions as the country is
an isolated stretch of seas about 7 km from Hut Bay. To substantiate his claim Kumar also cited seeing a large number of divorces,” a spokes-
Navy chief Admiral Suresh Mehta said that earlier some North Korean ships had been caught in SIFF data on male suicides across India. person of SIFF said.
Indian waters while clandestinely transporting missile and nuclear components to Pakistan, although “Around 120,000 harassed husbands in
the ship’s manifesto claimed that it was carrying sugar and water purification equipment.
The impounded ship has been thoroughly checked and the crew interrogated. What makes it
more embarrassing for the Navy and Coast Guard is that they are supposed to be on high alert after
the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The captain of the ship Yon Jonge Sun has admitted that the ship dropped
India’s Petronet seeks stake in PNG project
anchor off Hut Bay without anybody noticing it for almost two days. An official said “ The captain has Perth: India’s Petronet LNG, the country’s biggest liquefied natural gas importer, is in talks with Ca-
not been able to explain what the vessel was doing all this while. He says there was an engine failure, nadian producer Interoil on buying a stake in Interoil’s proposed Papua New Guinea project, a senior
but why he diverted from the route in the 6th degree channel remains unclear.” executive said last week.
Admiral Mehta said the ship “had no business to be in Indian territorial waters without the requi- Petronet Managing Director Prosad Dasgupta also told reporters on the sidelines of the LNG
site permission.” Interrogators are still puzzled why the ship dropped anchor in the extremely rough World conference in Perth that the company was seeking more LNG from Chevron’s Gorgon project
and isolated patch and it would have been undetected if not for the ferry. Investigations are still in in Western Australia and from an ExxonMobil project in Papua New Guinea.
progress. - www.pacificbusinessonline

Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 7

Indian
Charter to be a guide, says Bainimarama
SUVA --- The Peo-
ple’s Charter for
Change Peace and
Progress will be used
as a guideline while
Government works on
a new Constitution,
says Prime Minister
Commodore Voreqe
Bainimarama.
PM Bainimarama
told the FijiSUN, that the charter is about changes
and for government to put in place reforms to cater
for it.
“These changes are required to be included in
the new Constitution,” said PM Bainimarama.
“So the charter will be used as a guideline.”
He said Fiji’s roadmap clearly defines the
changes that are bound to take place for a better
Fiji.
The 1997 Constitution was revoked by the
former President Ratu Josefa Iloilo in April, this
year.
Fiji Presidency is now open to all
SUVA --- The post of the President is now open
to all races and not specifically for the indigenous
Fijians, says Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe
Bainimarama, Fiji Live reports.
This included people from the country’s second
biggest community, the Indo-Fijians or Indians.
Following the State farewell to outgoing Presi-
dent Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu over the weekend, Com-
modore Bainimarama yesterday said the next Presi-
dent would be decided at the next Cabinet meeting.
“We will decide on who to take up the role of
the President in our next Cabinet meeting,” he said.
When asked whether the presidency role can be
filled by a person of any race as part of the govern-
ment’s non-racial discrimination policy, Commo-
dore Bainimarama said there is a great possibility.
“Io! Sega ni rawa ni dua e tarova ya (Yes!
Nobody can stop that),” Commodore Bainimarama
said.
Ratu Epeli Nailatikau is currently acting in the
role following the official retirement of Ratu Josefa
Fiji’s 15 coach Ilivasi Tabua fired
Suva: Fiji’s 15 head coach and former Wallaby rep
Ilivasi Tabua’s has been sacked by the Fiji Rugby
Union (FRU) board.
In a statement, the board said the termination of
his contract was a result of a recent alcohol related
incident in the middle of the Pacific Nations Cup
tournament this year.
The FRU Board considers, as serious miscon-
duct unbecoming of a person in that position, it said.
Chairman Bill Gavoka stressed the FRU can
never condone inappropriate behaviour.
“The National Coach is a role model to his
players, fellow coaches and to the many young
rugby followers around the country,” Gavoka said.
“It is one of the most senior positions in the or-
8 Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Fiji
Novotel Suva Lami Bay opens
Ratu Iloilo announced the measures in support
of the move towards electoral reforms by the PM Suva: After a refurbishment and redevelopment, late 2010, SSS Nadi Hotel with 184 guestrooms
Bainimarama-led government and gave them a the Tradewinds Hotel & Convention Centre at will showcase a style of hospitality that is syn-
five-year mandate to make the relevant changes. Lami just outside western Suva has re-branded to onymous with luxury and excellence in China’s
Fiji will now adopt new changes following the the Novotel Suva Lami Bay. Suva’s newest 4 star 5-star properties.
abrogation of the 1997 Constitution and Ratu Iloilo international hotel boasts new ocean view guest The development marks the entry by SSS In-
said it’s to facilitate the holding of a true demo- rooms fitted with 32” LCD televisions, high ternational, a wholly-owned investment of China
cratic and parliamentary election. speed internet, room service and mini bar facili- Suzhou Youth Travel Service Co. Ltd. (SYTS)
Ratu Iloilo assures members of the public that ties. “Husk” Restaurant is Suva’s newest restau- from Suzhou, a thriving city for economic devel-
the basic human rights of all citizens shall be pro- rant complimented by “Tonique” – Suva’s only opment in east China’s prosperous Jiangsu Prov-
tected in the new law. bar specialising in Gins from around the world. ince. The introduction of SSS Nadi Hotel is sure
He subsequently appointed a Prime Minister Meanwhile a new luxury hotel conjuring up to create a new benchmark for luxury accom-
and his cabinet following the events of December visions of ancient China with stunning ‘Venice modation and enhance the scope of Fiji’s tourism
5, 2006 and gave them a mandate to adhere to. of the East’ waterways set among tropical land- and hospitality offerings.
“The government has been in existence for scape with modern lifestyle amenities is coming The investment marks China’s growing en-
over two years and they have performed. up in Nadi. Scheduled to welcome and capti- gagement in Fiji.
PM Bainimarama said Fiji is working towards vate global visitors and domestic travellers in
its roadmap for the next five years before election
takes place.
The charter will be used as guidelines in order
for Government put in place all the possible reforms
that are going to move the country forward.
- www.pacificbusinessonline.com
on July 31. Ratu Epeli was earlier appointed by the
government as the Vice-President. The PM said his
government’s new road map is to build a non racial
Fiji and they would work towards that.
In the past the post of the President and Vice
President had been specifically reserved for the in-
digenous Fijians and the appointing authority was
the Great Council of Chiefs.
With the abrogation of the constitution, the
power of the appointment of the President is with
the Prime Minister and his Cabinet.
The Executive Authority of the State is vested
in the President who is the Head of State and sym-
bolises the unity of the State. The President is also
the Commander-in-Chief of the Fiji Military Forces.
Fiji’s first President was the late Ratu Sir Penaia
Ganilau and he was succeeded by the late Ratu Sir
Kamisese Mara. President Ratu Josefa Iloilo was
the country’s third.
- www.pacificbusinessonline.com
ganisation and one that has to be held in high regard.
The incident is serious enough to warrant termina-
tion, more particularly when it occurred during the
tournament in which the team rules had specifically
prohibited alcohol consumption.”
A ferocious defender nicknamed “The Human
Skewer” during his playing days, Tabua joined
the FRU as the High Performance Unit Academy
Coach in September 2006 before taking over as the
National Head Coach from Wayne Pivac in January
2007.
He coached the Flying Fijians to the 2007 Pacific
Nations Cup and to the quarter finals of the 2007
Rugby World Cup.
- Fiji Live/ www.pacificbusinessonline.com
Indian
Joy Ali Flattens Foe
Fiji’s most prominent pugilist, Joy Ali headlined
a blockbuster boxing programme at the Vodafone
Arena in Suva on August 15. His opponent, Jo
Naleca, had been lining up a challenge over the past
3 years. At stake was the newly-created Boxing
Commission of Fiji (BCF)’s alphabet-free Junior
Middleweight Title.
In the build-up to the fight both boxers taunted
each other and called for a heads-on slugfest. Both
were undefeated at home even though Ali had
a blighted international record with a crushing
1-minute blowout at the hands of Argentine Javiar
Mamani at the same venue two years back.
An excited public filled the venue expecting the
stylish boxer-puncher to upset the fighter. Yours
truly had predicted a points victory to Naleca if Joy
failed to KO him (Fiji Sun 16/8/09). The Naitasiri
lad did indeed dance around in the first round, but
the second showed that he was not strong enough to
rock Ali with his crosses.
With ex-champion Jo Ravudi in his corner,
Naleca tried every trick in the trade with some
quickly picked up by referee Vereniki Raiwalui.
Crowd intimidation also entered in round 2, but Joy
stuck to his game plan and the result was a foregone
conclusion as Naleca finally fell in the 9th with 2
hooks and an uppercut.
The main supporting bout had another exciting
Solo Mara to be Fiji’s foreign
permanent secretary
Suva: Fiji’s counsellor at the Fiji Embassy in Brussels is to return to the country to take up his new post as
permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Public Service Commission chairman, Josefa Serulagilagi confirmed that Solo Mara will take up the
position once the incumbent, Peceli Vocea, is confirmed as Fiji’s Ambassador in Brussels.
He said the Fiji government is yet to get a confirmation from Brussels on Mr Vocea’s posting there.
“It has been more than two months now,” he told FijiLive.
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
title match-up between Joy’s brother Junior Farzan
and Naleca’s brother Waisale Ratu for the Junior
Welterweight title. Just 2 months back Junior had
squeaked out a controversial points victory over a
disappointed Ratu. This was reckoning time. And
it did not disappoint.
Junior came out firing right from the opening
bell and had Ratu on the floor in the first stanza.
That set the pace as the taller Ratu went into defen-
sive mode and forgot about his vaunted right cross.
He decided to continuously clinch with a shorter
man and fight at close range. This suited Farzan
who used his infighting skills to wear down and
derail the Naitasiri man through another knock-
down before finishing him off in the 11th.
Much is now expected of the two brothers as
promoter Abdul Feroz looks for overseas oppo-
nents. He has talked about a warm-up bout against
Australian-based Ghanaian Joseph Khwadjo before
pitting Joy against “The Man” Anthony Mundine
in December in Fiji. Junior is expected to fill the
main supporting bout against overseas opponents
in both programs. Boxing is indeed on the up in Fiji.
- Subhash Appana.
Widely regarded as the “encyclopedia” of boxing
in Fiji, Subhash Appana has acted as match-
maker, time-keeper, ring announcer and judge on
a number of occasions. subhasha@ais.ac.nz
Bollywood Fiji authorities
comes to Fiji ban Methodist
Church
Suva: Two Bollywood movies are ex-
pected to be shot in Fiji later this year,
says the Fiji Audio Visual Commission.
fundraising
Manager marketing and public rela-
tions Florence Swamy said the films to
be produced under the Abbas-Mastan
banner would commence production
after the month of Ramadan.
She said representatives of the pro-
duction company would be in Fiji next
month to finalise locations and sign con-
tracts.
Swamy said this would generate an
enhanced positive press for Fiji from the
international media as the stars that will
be coming to Fiji to film here always
attract the press, thereby raising the
profile of Fiji.
Such exposure is unrivalled and will
most definitely boost Fiji’s profile over-
seas as a production destination, hope-
fully catching the eye of other producers
from Bollywood as well as Hollywood,
she said.
With the movie to be distributed
worldwide, this meant that Fiji will
receive widespread publicity as a desti-
nation.
“This is also expected to create expo-
sure for Fiji as a holiday destination and
the resulting implications of such expo-
sure to tourism cannot be underscored
enough,” she said.
“As a result of these films, a substan-
tial number of jobs are expected to be
created.”
- Ashwini Prasad, Fiji Times Online
Fiji
Suva: The much-anticipated Fiji Methodist
Church’s fundraising scheduled for this Satur-
day has been cancelled, reports Fiji Live.
Also the church’s different circuits will not
be allowed to hold their choir competitions.
The Fijian administration said it has estab-
lished that those with political intentions have
been influential in the planning of the circuit
choir competitions, a breach of the agreement
made with the new administration at the Church
headquarters.
Permanent secretary for Information Lt-Col
Neumi Leweni stated a permit will be issued to
the Standing Committee to hold its meeting on
the necessary issues to be addressed by the con-
ference proper.
“It will not be an extended Standing Commit-
tee meeting as agreed to in the last meeting.”
It has also been confirmed that there will be
no permit issued for any gathering to welcome
delegates from abroad.
While the Church has been notified of this,
there has been no comment from its executives.
Efforts to obtain a comment from assistant
general secretary Reverend Tevita Nawadra at
the church headquarters proved futile.
Representatives of the Fijian Methodist
Church in California and Australia are expected
to be in Suva this week for the fundraising event.
The trip had been planned prior to the State’s
decision late yesterday.
9
Indian
Black Craps a big hit
HITTING BIG: The 5 Black Craps with the Indian Players who were supported by Daljit
Singh JP President of the Supreme Sikh Council and Rajinder Singh President of the Auckland
Sikh Society.
The Black Craps consisting of Justin, John, Steve,
Rees and Bernard visited India for about weeks
and visited Calcutta, Mumbai, Varanasi and a few
other cities. Justin Brown has also written a well
received book called "Bowling through India".
They played a friendly cricket match with Kiwi
Indians at the sprawling
grounds at Gurdwara Takanini Sahib, which
was aired last week on prime time in Close Up.
The Kiwi Indians were lead by Bhupinder Singh
who is a promising player and has a great potential
to be part of our National Team - the black caps.
10
The other players in the team were Amarinder
Singh, Navdeep, Raja, Gurpreet m Gurluvleen,
Harpreet, Pavan, Mandeep, Gurseerat, Manbir and
Jagdeep.
After the game which everyone enjoyed, the
teams and those attending partook of the langar
in the communitykitchen at the Gurdwara which
serves free food on a 24/7 basis 365 days a year.
This event was coordinated by Daljit Singh JP who
is the President of the Supreme Sikh Council and
Rajinder Singh President of the Auckland Sikh
Society.
Community
Auckland’s Indian film
shoot concludes
Shooting for the short film being made in Auck-
land has ended and could be released in the
country as early as September, director Sreeman
Myadam said.
The 15-minute movie, titled P.R (Permanent
Residence) was shot over three says starting
August 14 at locations around Auckland.
The story revolves around a man who should
return to his home country as he is not able to
obtain his permanent residence in New Zealand.
But he dosen’t wanted to go back to his
home country without the permanent residence. Hewitt (heroine) Chetan Punj, Shekeram, Soni
Deceit in love and relationships occur as he Prasad, Sufia Ali, Freddy.
tries to secure his permanent residence through Story, screenplay, direction: Sreeman
immoral methods. Myadam. Producer: Rahul Sirigiri (Link 2 Ser-
“It’s a real life story of my people all over vices (NZ) Ltd), Title of the Film:- P.R ( Per-
the world,” said Sreeman, who is from India. manent Residence), Assistant Director: Sufia
Sreeman has been an assistant to several well Ali, Cameraman: Sandeep Khurana, Make Up:
known directors in India and is also eyeing a Tasneem Small, Nuraan Waggie, Megan
bigger project in India soon. Track n Trolly: Jackie & John, Equipment:
Sreeman is off to India this week to finalise Khurana Productions.
editing and other technical aspects of the movie. - Arvind Kumar
Cast includes Rakesh Rathee (hero), Sophie
Bigger, brighter Navratri celebrations this year
Following last year’s resounding success, the Garba and Dandiya will be to the accompani-
Auckland Indian Association has announced an ment of live music by singers and musicians from
even bigger Navratri festival at their usual venue, India. Of course, as usual, there will be a sumptu-
Mahatma Gandhi Centre between Saturday, Sep- ous spread of Panipuri, Bhelpuri, Patodi, Samosa,
tember 19 and Sunday, September 27, according to Kachori, Pav Bhaji, Dosa, Hot chips plus many
the association’s officials. more items. Mineral water, soft drinks and tea and
The start time will be 8pm and as in previous coffee will also be available.
years, the daily events will continue until late. Entry For more information, call Dr Lingappa Kal-
is free before 8pm on every night except on Friday burgi on : (09) 815 3448, Parshottam Govind on
and Saturday. Aarati will be held at 9-30 pm (Sunday (09)419 0792 or Dhiru Patel on (09)626 6134.
to Thursday) and at 10pm on Friday and Saturday.
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
Abhas and Anwesha has
the audience in raptures
A near-capacity audience turned up to watch
Anwesha and Abhas perform at the Logan
Campbell Centre on July 25. They were not dis-
appointed, after being treated to close to four
hours of fabulous entertainment from the charm-
ing duo, as well as some of the best local singing
talent.
Both Anwesha and Abhas were at their
very best. Abhas started the proceedings with
a moving rendition of “Satyam Shivam Sunda-
ram” and that really set the tone for the evening.
Anwesha then captivated the audience with “Na
jiya laage na”, “Manmohana Bade Jhoote”, her
soaring taans sending the crowd into rapture.
Gliding effortlessly to newer material, she had
people dancing in the aisles with “Mindblowing
Mahiya” and “Hum to aise hai bhaiya”.
But what really brought the house down was,
of course, “Mere Dholna”, the deafening ap-
plause at the end of this song testimony to the
mesmerising effect she has when she sings this
song. Abhas, on the other hand, was the consum-
mate entertainer, with a magical stage presence
and his trademark soaring voice which captured
the essence of every song he sang, most notably
“Na to karvan ki talash”, “Aoge Jab tum sajana”,
and the special section on Mohd Rafi. The duets
that he sang with Anwesha were extraordinary:
Kuhu Kuhu bole koyelia, Jaane jaan is dil mein,
and finishing off the show in great style with
Kajrare.
The local singers did a fabulous job too, with
Arpita, Ashish, Ritika (who was also the MC),
Rachit, Sayanti, Naveen, Avish and Bishnupri-
ya – all leaving their mark and heightening the
intensity of the show. The backing musicians
also did a commendable job, with visiting key-
board virtuoso Indrajit Dutta leading from the
front and providing a tight sound all throughout
the show. Dancers from the Monisha School of
Dance added a dash of colour and grace to the
proceedings and were thoroughly appreciated by
the knowledgeable audience.
The show, originally planned for three hours,
Goswami Dwarkeshlalji
Maharaj coming to NZ
HH Goswami 108
Shri Dwarkeshlalji
Maharajshree will be
visiting New Zealand
from August 31 to
September 2 en route
to his first visit to the
Fiji Islands. This will
be his third to New
Zealand. He was last
here in September
2006.
Swamiji is a direct descendent of Shrimad
Vallabharcharyaji (Mahaprabhuji) the founder
of the Pushti Marg faith and currently heads the
sixth ‘Gadi’ (Chair) based at Shree Kalyanrayji
Mandir in Vadodara, Gujarat, India.
In spite of his various spiritual, religious and
social activities in India, he commits time to
visit the United States and the United Kingdom
regularly to enlighten the Vaishnavs there on the
rituals and practices of the Pushti Marg, focus-
ing particularly on the youth.
He is the initiator and chief executive of
the renowned ‘Vaishnav Yuva Sangathan’ and
founder of various charitable, educational and
religious trusts. He is fluent in Sanskrit, Hindi,
Gujarati, Vraj, Marvadi, Urdu and English lan-
guages and has published numerous articles,
books and poetic compositions.
He was the youngest to be installed to one
of the seven ‘Gadis’ of the Pushti Sampraday.
He was also the youngest of the 1200 religious
leaders invited by the United Nations to attend
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Community
stretched to nearly an hour longer. Toward the
end of the concert, the space in front of the stage
turned into a veritable dance floor with cheering
music lovers, young and old, all completely lost
in the magic woven by these two young prodi-
gies.
Abhas contributed to this in no small measure
by abruptly setting off into weaving runs through
the aisles, microphone in hand, singing and liter-
ally exhorting the listeners to get to their feet and
join the celebration of music.
A special 2-DVD set featuring the entire
show is now available for music lovers. The
concert was recorded professionally using state-
of-the-art recording equipment, and the feed-
back about the visual clarity and sound quality
has been positive. The collector’s edition DVD,
priced at only $ 15.00, is available with the or-
ganisers who can be contacted on 09-6294158.
- IW news desk
‘The World Millennium Peace Summit of Spiri-
tual & Religious Leaders’ in 2000.
He has attended many other international
conferences and summits and has facilitated
community projects in India and abroad includ-
ing the reconstruction of the “Amarapur Village”
(renamed ‘Shree Vallabhacharyanagar’) de-
stroyed in the 2001 earthquake; the construction
of two new hospitals, the Shree Vallabhacha-
rya Mahaprabhuji Hospital-1 at Bahadarpur,
Sankheda and the Shree Vallabhacharya Ma-
haprabhuji Hospital-2 at Kaladarshan Crossing,
Waghodia Road, Vadodara (Baroda) and the
establishment of International Youth Forum at
various centres in the USA and England to en-
courage the young to be responsible members
of society by undertaking cultural, religious and
social activities.
Vaishnav Parivar NZ Inc is greatly honoured
to have Swamiji as their spiritual leader (Guruji)
to guide them in the years to come. In the short
time since its incorporation on May 21, 2004,
VPNZ now celebrates several significant reli-
gious events and festivals annually, and their
fortnightly satsang continues to attract growing
participation of Vaishnavs.
During this short visit Swamiji will deliver
one Vachanamrut on September 1 at 7.30pm at
the Halsey Drive Primary School Hall in Lyn-
field, Auckland. Everyone is welcome to attend.
For further details please contact Deepesh
Parikh. His email is info@pushtimargnz.org.nz
- IW news desk
11
 Indian
Indian
From the Editor
Need for a credible trade bridge to India
Exports to India from New Zealand have doubled in the past twelve months and
India has moved up to become New Zealand’s thirteenth largest exports market.
Last year it was not even in the top twenty. Nothing justifies the need to move
quickly on the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with India than this develop-
ment.
The government had made excellent progress with the previous Indian govern-
ment that was in place before the recent elections. Then trade minister Kamal
Nath had been responsive to New Zealand’s proposals to work toward an FTA and
had developed a good rapport with New Zealand officials.
The run up to the election naturally and inevitably slowed down the process.
While the UPA government has been voted back to power, it has a new trade min-
ister in Anand Sharma. So rapport building with his new office has to begin all
over again. But it must be done quickly since no less than 30 countries that have
far bigger economies than New Zealand are vying for his attention.
There is no gainsaying the fact that India offers probably the biggest poten-
tial for growth than any other country in the world. Enough has been said about
the continually growing breadth and depth of its market thanks to near double-
digit growth that is pulling millions of people out of the morass of poverty. Every
country has recognised this and putting in all efforts to gain a foothold there.
New Zealand has a lot going for it in India in terms of its brand equity and
acceptance as an advanced nation that has much to offer in its areas of expertise
– agriculture, dairy and technological innovation. What it lacks is a mechanism
to raise that profile and bring it to the fore rising above the veritable cacophony of
the over two dozen countries trying to grab its attention.
What it also lacks is a credible and efficient organisational mechanism outside
government channels to build bridges and launch initiatives for businesses and in-
vestors in both countries to come together. This needs vision, creativity and com-
mitment and needs work on several levels other than at the commercial one. None
of the organisations that claim to be working on promoting business between the
two countries demonstrate this. In fact, they all seem a ragtag bunch without a
credible plan – and certainly no profile.
Australia, as usual, has beaten us to it and has begun working on the idea in
right earnest.
Last week, inaugurating a new institute to promote better understanding with
India especially in the wake of the attacks on Indian students, Deputy Prime Min-
ister Julia Gillard said, “As the world’s largest democracy and key emerging
economy, India is redefining its role in international affairs. Its influence in our
region and globally is growing. India is among the top 10 trading partners for
Australia and economic relationship between the two countries has grown strong-
ly in recent years. The Australian government is committed to building greater
understanding between our two peoples.”
In January, it has invited celebrity music director A R Rahman of Slumdog
Millionaire fame to perform at a free concert in Sydney. This is bridge building at
its best. While New Zealand may lack Australia’s resources to mount such cam-
paigns, it has a considerable fund of goodwill to fall back on, which it can use to
great effect spurred by some great Kiwi ingenuity.
Now is the time for businesses interested in expanding into India to get their act
together and get serious. Waiting any longer may be far too late.
Indian Weekender Volume 1 No 12
Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited
Group editor-in-chief: Dev Nadkarni dev@indianweekender.co.nz
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Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, Unit O, 8 Bishop Lenihan Place,
East Tamaki, Manukau 2013 and printed at APN Print, Ellerslie, Auckland
Copyright 2009. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.
12
Message & Letters
A dynamic mix of rich cultural heritage
As native Fijians and Fiji Indians we have so much to learn from each other. It is the incident
of British colonial history that has brought our two cultures together by design. The British
imperial colonialists, as they have done in many countries around the world, did not properly
envisage the future colliding of two very highly distinct cultural values and traditions and the
ramifications that this would bring to the future generations. Let’s all come together for a more
inclusive future for all.
- Sam Wasasala
Why the Greeks never came back to India
Many modern scholars both from India and particularly the west have debunked the ‘Aryan
race’ theory or the Aryan invasion theory in India as baseless. Colonial historians used the
Aryan theory as a ploy only to devalue the ancient history of India and denigrate the cultural
heritage. Aryan meant “noble” and was never a race. The Rig Veda says, “Children of Arya are
led by light - Rig Veda VII. 33.17’
-Ram Lingam
Rakesh Krishnan responds:
Agree with you 100%. Aryan was never a race. An Aryan was a person of good manners; a noble
person. What I meant to say was Greeks and Indians shared the same Aryan heritage of India.
Genetic studies confirm the people of Europe and Asia had their origins in India. As you rightly
say, the concept of an Aryan race (and the Aryan invasion theory) was sowed by the British
to divide Indians. It was a bit lazy of me not searching for the correct expression. Thanks for
pointing it out.
After his India sortie Alexander was well and truly Grated , which follows: “Alexander The
Grated”
- C Pinto
Yes, I fully agree with you, if the Greeks won the battle against Porus’ soldiers why did they step
back from India instead of charging further. Hence the fact was Alexander’s soldiers lost the
battle and great king himself was wounded during Hydapses.
- Rahul
As an Indian, the article makes you wonder how much the West has distorted history to demean
us. Also makes you wonder if we could have handed out an Alexander-like treatment to the
British, if they had the guts to fight a war and not sneak in disguised as traders. A very well
researched article indeed. I sincerely hope the West makes it a part of its history books.
- Arindam Dasgupta
MPs and taxpayer funded expenses
Not only it is outrageous it is obscene and reeks of greediness and selfishness. As leaders, the
Members of Parliament should set an example and not just fill their pockets first. Mahatma
Gandhi and his wife Ba travelled all over the Indian sub-continent on trains and on their two
feet and as a result they were fit and trim – and they did not rip off the taxpayers.
In this terrible recessionary time the MPs and ministers whilst on official business away from
their homes should lodge in ashrams, temples, churches, synagogues, mosques and maraes,
boarding houses, and hostels so as to tighten their belts as we hard working taxpayers are
doing. And we are indeed fortunate to have MPs of many diverse faiths in our great country.
This will be a good way for MPs to touch base with the everyday New Zealanders and under-
stand the hardships that the taxpayers are encountering.
- Alton Shameem JP
Brotherly bond from beyond
I couldn’t agree more – one of the most wonderful, genuinely caring, helpful people I have met
in my life. Ashish is someone who never hesitates to assist and help people. She has a very loyal
fan following and I am one of them. There are some people who touch your lives simply by their
sheer presence and their quiet, unassuming personality. That is Ashish – she most definitely
has touched mine. In this materialistic, back stabbing world, Ashish is a refreshing breath of
fresh air!
- Freddy Variava
Suketu was Great!
I was at the Suketu event and it was great to see people from Indian weekender there. Suketu
is a fantastic DJ and I have heard him play before in India. My only complaint about this event
was that tickets were advertised as $20 but sold at the door for up to $30.
- Anjali Krishna
Would you like your copy of
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your mail box?
Please send us your name, street address and phone number along
with a cheque for $30 payable to Kiwi Media Group and mail it to Unit
O, 8 Bishop Lenihan Place, East Tamaki, Manukau 2013. The amount
would cover the costs of mailing and handling 26 issues.
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
The East needs to be vary of Colonialism 2.0
Rakesh Krishnan
The industrialised east was colonised by the nations of pre-industrial Europe. So is it unreasonable to expect a
backlash from the west now that wealth and power are surging back to India and China?
Can colonialism make a comeback? Think it’s a
far-fetched notion? Then think again. In the 18th
and 19th centuries when the world was being
colonised by the likes of Spain, Britain, France,
Belgium, Portugal and the Dutch, India and
China were the two richest countries in the world,
together accounting for over 50 per cent of world
GDP. And yet the two giant Asian nations were
colonised.
If you think colonisation happened when the
east was decadent and the west was rising or that
India and China neglected their militaries and
ignored the foreign threats lurking at their shores,
you couldn’t be more wrong.
Take the Maratha navy led by the legendary
Admiral of the Fleet, Kanhoji Angre. For 33 years
until his death in 1729, Angre’s fleet remained
undefeated, routing the British, Dutch and Portu-
guese navies on the high seas. Down south, Tipu
Sultan’s Mysore was the first kingdom in modern
history to use rockets in war, and he used it to
deadly effect against the British in 1780 in the
Battle of Guntur.
In fact, most Indian rulers of that age had a
keen sense of geopolitics. The Mughal emperor
Jahangir, for instance, had an ambassador at the
Persian court, and every act and word of the Shah
was reported back to Delhi. The Mughals, and
later the Marathas who replaced them, also kept a
close watch on European activities.
When Thomas Roe, the British monarch’s
emissary, landed in Surat in 1616, he was made
to wait a year before Jahangir granted him an au-
dience. Three years later, Roe returned without
a trade treaty because Jahangir saw no point in
trading with a country that had nothing to offer
India.
However, one weak emperor dropped the
ball. A hundred years after Roe’s exit, an English
embassy had a stroke of luck when one of its
members, William Hamilton, a physician of
questionable medical skills, managed to relieve
the emperor Farrukh Siyar of severe pain in his
groin. Farrukh Siyar gratefully signed a decree
giving the British inland trading rights, customs
Peter Foster drops a bomb on Fiji
Subhash Appana
Unannounced bombings are known to have
changed the course of history. When Japan
sneaked in its attack on Pearl Harbour on De-
cember 7, 1941, WW-II moved to the Pacific as
the American giant was forced to wake up and
oblige the Imperial Japanese navy. That tipped
the balance in that war.
Then on August 6, 1945 President Truman
directed the ironically named “Little Boy” to be
dropped on Hiroshima. This was followed by the
“Fat Man” on the 9th in Nagasaki to force sur-
render from a nation that didn’t know the word.
Emperor Hiro Hito was finally allowed to sur-
render via a radio broadcast to the fallen nation
on 15th August 1945.
On 13th August 2009, a finely parceled long-
fused bomb was dropped on Fiji and Australia
by notorious soldier-of-fortune conman, Peter
Foster. The immediate reaction from skeptics and
those with darker concerns would be to dismiss
it as the ramblings of a proven and convicted
trickster who has a huge axe to grind because he
just served more than 3 years in a Brisbane jail.
Some would also see it as an attempt by a wily
mind to return to Fiji and resume the con-job.
This last point has to do with the fact that
Foster has had his eyes on a strip of Yasawa that
he considers paradise on earth. That beachfront
property was leased to a New Zealander when
Foster befriended him and actually got a taste of
paradise by living on the Kiwi’s goodwill.
While on paradise, Foster found out that the
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
duty exemptions, and the right to keep a garrison. has over 750 military bases across the globe.
The rest as they say is history. Despite the huge costs, this extension of mili-
According to professor Rajesh Kochhar, tary power is essential to American hegemony.
emeritus scientist at the Indian Institute of A slew of European nationalities has followed the
Science Education & Research, Chandigarh, American military in its misadventures around
“These exemptions gave the English traders com- the world.
mercial advantages not only over other European Divide and rule: The Americans are playing
companies but also over Indian traders. More up India as a major “regional” power allied with
importantly, the various official orders grant- the west. This scares the hell out of the Chinese,
ing trade concessions forcing the communists
gave the British a cause to come out with kneejerk
to defend, with military
strength if needed.”
“For all but the last 500 statements calling for
India’s breakup, which in
Today, the east is
rising once again. Econo- years of human history, turn makes the Indians
consider China a natural
mists are stunned by the
unprecedented flow of the world’s wealth enemy. Amazingly, since
the dawn of history China
manufacturing, finance and India never saw the
and wealth to the east. measured in human other as a threat, until the
Magid Igbaria, British arrived on the scene
former professor of capital and in goods was and planted the seeds of
management informa- border problems.
tion systems at Tel Aviv
University, writes in The
concentrated in Asia...” Emissions: After pol-
luting the environment for
Virtual Workplace: “For - Magid Igbaria, former professor of more than a century, the
all but the last 500 years
of human history, the management information systems at west now wants India and
China to cut down emis-
world’s wealth measured Tel Aviv University sions. It’s a thinly disguised
in human capital and attempt to slow these
in goods was concen- rapidly growing econo-
trated in Asia. During the past five centuries, the mies.
world’s wealth has been concentrated in the west. The dollar gambit: How powerful (and rich)
This era is coming to an end. Today, the great would you feel if you could print dollars in your
concentrations of human capital, financial power, garage? While the rest of the world has to earn
manufacturing power, and informated power are a living the hard way, the Americans just print
once again accumulating in the East.” dollars to pay their bills. Need a few hundred
Indeed, in 30 years India is predicted to over- billion dollars to pay for the war in Iraq? Need
take the US, even though it is only one-fourteenth Venezuelan oil? Russian titanium? No problem.
the size of the US economy now. That is an in- The Federal Reserve cranks the lever and the
credible rate of wealth accretion. mint starts rolling. Yes, it’s as simple as that and
The question is will the US and Europe simply the Americans have been doing it for the past 50
watch the world go past? On the contrary, there is years.
a concerted effort by a US-led coalition to stop WTO: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir
this trend. Putin has called it “archaic, undemocratic and
Base instincts: Today the US-led coalition inflexible” and dominated by a small group of
manager, Jale Baba plied their power.
Peter therefore, had firsthand knowledge
about the workings of the Qarase government.
In his bomb, he has clearly mentioned names,
dates and incidents. And no one has yet talked
about suing him for any wrong doing. This itself
should make skeptics take notice. Shooting the
messenger has long been considered the wrong
option because it’s the all-important message
that gets ignored in the process.
Perhaps the most famous case of inside rev-
elation by a criminal involved testimony to a
Kiwi held a Native Land Trust Board (NLTB) Senate Select Committee by a gangster called
lease that gave the actual landowners only 5% Joseph Valachi in 1963. This was the first au-
of the monies involved. He then befriended the thentic insight that the public had on the work-
landowners and began to educate them on a new ings of the mafia; in fact this was the first revela-
formula that would give them 50% with Foster tion of the very existence of La Cosa Nostra. If
holding a controlling interest in the new deal. Valachi had been ignored, America would still
The Kiwi friend, who was conveniently for- have pretended to be oblivious of the existence
gotten in the process, got wind of this and started of the mafia.
asserting his contractual rights. Peter retaliated Now we have the Foster Bomb and a few
in characteristic fashion and opened up a path of of his more intriguing releases include the fact
intrigue that showed all the workings of shady that there was a clear post-2000 involvement by
dealings and questionable decisions that became the Australian government in Qarase’s reign.
part of the Qarase government. PM John Howard even seconded his own party
That saga remains unresolved and Peter pollster Mark Textor to Qarase’s office to guide
wants to make a comeback – that’s why he his 2001 campaign despite the fact that he was
dropped this bomb, some say. That aside, there known to have supported the Speight coup.
is no doubt that Peter was an insider with direct Even more intriguing is the counterfactual
connections to the inner circle where PM Laise- that despite the fact that Police Commissioner
nia Qarase, political strategist and business con- Isikia Savua was seen to pretend helplessness
sultant Navitalai Naisoro and Qarase’s campaign on national TV as looters plundered Suva un-
Comment
developed countries which indulge in protection-
ism. One of its aims is to pry open the agricultur-
al markets of Asia – at a time when India has the
highest number of farmer suicides. The modern
Farrukh Siyars are throwing open strategic areas
like nuclear power to the west.
The current method of colonialism is covert,
invisible. You don’t have to physically conquer
countries if the global economic system can
be subverted to ensure your prosperity at the
expense of others. The eastern nations invest their
dollar earnings in US treasury bonds to the tune
of trillions of dollars; these dollars are used by
the Americans to maintain their global military
supremacy, build increasingly modern weapons,
and reward their allies with cash, weapons, and
security umbrellas.
For countries like India and China it’s a night-
marish scenario. Their dollar holdings erode in
value as the American economy tanks and the
greenback weakens.
The west is militarily prepared to defend its
interests. When Iraq was about to tell its custom-
ers it no longer wanted US dollars for its oil…
you know what happened next. Iran is the next
target because it wants to be paid in a basket of
currencies.
The only way this state of affairs can end is if
India, Russia, China, Iran, South Africa and other
self-respecting countries start accepting each
other’s currencies. And importantly, stop accept-
ing US dollars that are not backed by gold. That
will bring down the American hegemony faster
than the Road Runner on a greased highway.
In the first era of colonialism, the then domi-
nant eastern nations opened up their economies
and territories to western interests over a span of
several decades, finally ending up as their colo-
nies. Uncannily, Colonialism 2.0 is happening in
much the same way.
- About the author: Rakesh Krishnan is a
Features Writer with Fairfax New Zealand.
He has previously worked with Businessworld,
India Today and Hindustan Times, and was
news editor with the Financial Express.
checked, he was posted as ambassador to the UN
by Qarase and there was not even a squeak from
either Australia or NZ.
Foster’s allegation of complicity on the part
of A/NZ does get the grey cells churning when
one recalls that it was Australia that seconded
cop Andrew Hughes as Police Commissioner in
Fiji. His job was to hound and bring to justice all
the coup plotters of 2000. Yet it took him 7mths
to even interview a key figure who had fled to
Australia fearing for his life in Fiji.
Andrew Hughes was again supposed to have
been involved in a plot to have Bainimarama ar-
rested in NZ when he came for the failed peace
talks with Qarase in Wellington. Last minute
cold feet by NZ authorities let him slip back to
Fiji and oust Qarase and his nest of power posers.
The question that begs answering is if this
bomb opens up issues of intrigue leading on
to the Bainimarama coup of December 2006,
why are Australia/ NZ pushing for a return to
that façade of democracy when Bainimarama is
clearly espousing an attempt to get Fiji truly op-
erating as a democracy on par with Australia and
NZ? Stay tuned for more on the Foster Bomb.
- The opinions contained here are Subhash
Appana’s own and not necessarily shared by
any organizations that he may be affiliated with,
both here and overseas.
Email: subhasha@ais.ac.nz
Go to www.iwk.co.nz for more
13
Indian
Gaiety and fervour mark
Janmashtami in Auckland
The joyous occasion of Janmashtami, that marks
the birth of Lord Krishna, was celebrated with
great fervour and gaiety by Hindu communities
all over Auckland and New Zealand.
The two main temples in Auckland city –
Bharatiya Mandir on Balmoral Road and at
Mahatma Gandhi Centre at Eden Terrace –
thronged with devotees from about 8pm.
Devotional songs, bhajans, prayers and the
pleasant fragrance of incense filled the festive
atmosphere at both temples where thousands of
people participated.
The devotional singing and celebrations con-
tinued till late as the devout kept the vigil until
midnight, which is when Lord Krishna, the
Avataar of Vishnu the preserver in the Hindu
Punjab International Trade Expo in Dec
The PHD Chamber is organising an inter-
national trade expo “Punjab International
Trade Expo 2009” at Amritsar from 2
- 6December 2009, primarily to offer op-
portunities to industry, entrepreneurs and
corporates from India and abroad. A large
number of overseas exhibitors is expected
to attend in addition participation from
within the country who will showcase their
products and engage in business network-
ing.
The Government of Punjab is the host
state and the expo is being organised in
the city of Amritsar in Punjab. Punjab has
the highest per capita income (more than
double the all-India average) among all
states in India and Amritsar is an important
14 Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Community
trinity, was born.
Throughout the evening, prasad bhojan was
distributed by volunteers at both temples, which
all those present partook of.
Several political leaders paid a visit to the
temples and mingled with the crowds.
Reports have also been received of the great
Janmashtami celebrations at the Hare Krishna
temple in Kumeu where hundreds had gathered
to take part in the proceedings that included
chanting and singing followed by Prasad bhojan.
Janmashtami was also celebrated by the
Indian community throughout New Zealand.
Reports and pictures from other cities in New
Zealand are posted on www.iwk.co.nz.
- IW news desk
commercial hub of North India. The city
also has an international airport.
The expo will have world-class infra-
structure to accommodate a large number
of exhibitors, business and government del-
egations from India and abroad along with
media. More than 150,000 business and
general visitors are expected to visit the
event during the period of 5 days.
Further enquiries to
Ms. Shabnam Pareek (email:
shabnam@phdcci.in ) or
Krishan Kalra, Secretary General
- PHD CHAMBER. Phone : +91-11-
26863801; 26857747 (Direct)
Fax : +91-11-26863135
Indian

Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 15

Indian
Independence Day Celebrations
Indian tricolour flies
high in Auckland...
India’s 62nd Independence Day was celebrated
with a two-hour function at the Mahatma Gandhi
Centre in Auckland today. Organised by the Auck-
land Indian Association, the proceedings began
with the flag hoisting ceremony – an indoor affair
this year because of rains.
The morning began with a short welcome and
address by association president Shri Harshad
Patel. He said that amidst the economic gloom that
had gripped the world, India had weathered the
recession well and was poised to lead the global
business environment out of the downturn because
of its rapid rate of growth.
Senior association member Shri Kantibhai
Bhika unfurled the flag escorted and helped by as-
sociation secretary Dr Lingappa Kalburgi.
Addressing the gathering after the national
anthem was sung, Shri Bhika paid homage to those
who had laid down their lives for India’s indepen-
dence and outlined the recent successes of Indians
all over the world as well as in New Zealand.
As well as a number of prominent citizens of
Indian origin, several National and labour Party
politicians also attended. Ethnic Affairs Minister
Pansy Wong, National MP Cam Calder, Labour
Party leader and MP Phil Goff and Labour MPs
Chris Carter and Rajen Prasad were present.
Ms Wong said that this was the sevent year
she was attending Indian I-Day celebrations. She
said she was looking forward to the Indian festive
season in the coming months saying, “Bollywood
will rule again in the month of October,” referring
to the highly successful Divali celebrations that
have had Bollywood dances as their highpoints
over the past few years.
16
Dr Prasad referred to points from President of
India Dr Pratibha Patil’s national address touch-
ing upon points of social justice and the need for
the benefits of India’s economic success to trickle
down to the lower levels of society.
Mr Goff said among his few heroes was
Mahatma Gandhi, who he praised for his humility,
selflessness, courage and belief in social justice.
He said Gandhiji was one of last century’s most
inspirational leaders.
He also expressed satisfaction at recent reports
that New Zealand had now doubled its exports to
India and said he was happy that talks on a free
trade agreement between the two countries were
under way.
Two justices from India, Smt Hema Kohli and
Shri S.K. Misra, visiting New Zealand for a con-
ference beginning in Christchurch next week also
attended. In her brief speech, Justice Kohli, who
had landed only last night said there was much for
India to learn from New Zealand on environmental
matters.
A variety entertainment programme regaled
the audience after the customary speeches. A
series of dances from all over India choreographed
Jai Ho: (Top to bottom) Bhangra by commu-
by Auckland’s leading dance academy, Rachna
Natyalaya, and the highly popular Indianz dance nity kids; Another Indian dance performance; Dr
group performed superbly to lusty rounds of ap- Rajen Prasad flanked by Labour MPs Phil Goff and
plause. Chris Carter; Ethnic Affairs minister Pansy Wong
A Koli dance from Maharashtra and the final and National MP Cam Calder; Auckland Indian
Bhangra presented by the Punjabi Association
Association President, Harshad Patel; (main image
were also equally appreciated.
Those present were treated to a sumptuous on right) Kantibhai Bhika and Lingappa Kalburgi
meal after the ceremonies concluded. hoisting the Indian flag
- IW news desk
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
Indian Independence Day Celebrations
...and in Wellington
vande mataram: Acting High Commissioner His Excellency Kunal Roy addresses the
gathering (and right) with young Indian Wellingtonians India House. Photos by Nicola Fenton
Indian Independence Day celebrations got off
to a colourful start in Wellington on Saturday
morning with Indian Wellingtonians turning up
in colourful traditional attire.
The event was hosted by Acting High Com-
missioner of India in New Zealand, His Excel-
lency Kunal Roy, at India House in Lower Hutt.
The celebrations were well attended with
Indians of all ages participating in the proceed-
ings.
H.E. Kunal Roy hoisted the Indian national
flag followed by singing of the national anthem.
He then passed on the Independence Day message
from the President of India, Smt Pratibha Patil, to
the gathering. The ceremony concluded with the
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
singing of Vande Mataram.
Light refreshments were served to the guests.
“The special solidarity and the feeling of
‘one-ness’ when the flag was hoisted and the
national anthem was sung, and the message of
peace and unity by the President, read by His
Excellency Shri Kunal Roy, are the things that
stood out for me,” said Wellington resident Raga
D’silva who covered the event for Indian Week-
ender and took photographs.
“I particularly remembered the words
‘mazhab nahi sikata aapas mein bair rakhna’ that
were read out – and could not help wishing that it
became a slogan of the world today.”
Rotorua resounds with
Indian festivities
The Bay of Plenty (Rotorua) Indian Association celebrated Janmashtami Birth day on August 14 at
Gandhi Hall, Gibson Street, Rotorua. The celebration was huge success; over 200 people participated
in the function. The evening programme commenced at 8.30 pm with the prayer followed by cultural
items till 10.30 pm and the bhajan session carried on till midnight. The highlight of the evening was
the drama in Hindi by Piyush Joshi and his son Deep Joshi on Bhagwad Geeta and teachings of Lord
Krishna. Another attraction was Vasudev carrying baby Krishna and crossing the Yamuna river,
performed by young children, which was enjoyed by all.
The association also celebrated combined festival of Raksha Bandhan and India Independence
Day. The association had invited a few guests and dignitaries to participate. Among the guests were
His Worship the Mayor Mr Kevin Winters and Mrs Winters, National MP Todd Mclay and his wife,
Labour MP Steve Chadwick and Ethnic Council Vice President Hasmukh Chhagan. The highlight of
the evening was young girls tying Rakhi to invited guests followed by cultural items based on Raksha
Bandhan. Indian Independence Day celebrations took place thereafter. Bhangra dance by young stu-
dents on patriotic song of Yeh Desh hai Veer Jawano Kaa was much appreciated.
17
Indian

telstraclear

18 Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Community
Cultural Forum of India’s double celebration Sri Raghavendra’s 338th Archana celebrated
On the occasion of its fifth birthday and 25th (silver jubilee) performance Cultural Sri Raghavendra Swamy’s 338th Aradha-
Forum of India is hosting ‘Dhan Ta Nan Bollywood’ Dhamaka with Sumitra Iyer of na-2009” (August 7-9) was celebrated with
Star Voice of India fame along with well-known musicians from India. A scintillating enthusiasm and festivity by a group of ardent
performance by some of Auckland’s accomplished singers will be an added attraction to devotees of Sri Guru Raghavendra Bhakti Pra-
CFI’s double celebrations. chara Peeta (SGRBPP), Auckland. This was
The event will be held on Saturday, October 3 at Dorothy Winstone Centre (Auck- the seventh year in succession that the func-
land Girls Grammar School), Howe Street, Auckland. Please feel free to contact Ram tion was held.
Iyer on 021-529982 or ram.cfi@gmail.com with any further information that you may The function commenced at 8:00 am with
require. The show is brought to you in association with Yogiji’s Food Mart. a two-hour long Pooja and chanting followed
Cultural Forum of India Ltd. (CFI) is an event management company operating out of devotional by the singing of many composi-
Auckland, New Zealand. We help in designing an event concept that reflects the special tions of saintls (Dasara Sankeertane) that was
purpose and image you wish to convey. CFI was formed for promoting Indian music and rendered by the devotees.
culture among the locals and Indians living in New Zealand. Its inaugural show ‘Sur This was followed by a pravachan on
2004’ was held at the Mount Albert War Memorial hall on the auspicious day of Dassera “GURU stotra Patana Mahima” – by one of the
on October 23, 2004. “ We serve as event coordinator-manager to different events. We founder members. The highlight of the day was
understand the stress of coordinating internal & external resources and we know what the newly built, elegant structure of the chariot
works,” says founder Ram Iyer. “Our vision is to organise and promote quality events (ratha) engineered by one of the devotees who
and provide complete entertainment to the viewers of New Zealand.” CFI’s strategy is donated it to Peeta on that day.
to properly stage and execute events with a focused purpose, says Iyer Delicious Prasadam prepared by devotees Seva (cradle seva) to Rayaru.
was served to all in the traditional manner The chairman and the secretary of Peeta fe-
on plantain leaves. A short audio-visual was licitated the devotees who worked tirelessly for

Food programme expanding to help Manukau kids screened while the devotees partook of the
prasadam. The evening session commenced at
the event. Around 300 devotees attended.

6.00pm with sangita seva followed by Tottalu - More details on www.rayarapeeta.co.nz

More children will have full tummies thanks
to a major funding boost by the government,
says Auckland-based National MP, Kanwaljit
Singh Bakshi.
The Prime Minister announced today on
the Big Night In Telethon that the Ministry of
Health and Ministry of Social Development
are jointly funding $320,000 for KidsCan to
deliver free food to an extra 7500 kids this
year.
KidsCan currently provides free food each
week at school for around 8500 financially dis-
advantaged children.
Executive Director of KidsCan Julie Helson
said the funding from the government “could
not have come at a better time. We will now
be able to meet the needs of the thousands of
hungry children on our waiting list, ensuring
they are in better position to learn in the class-
room.”
Mr Bakshi said, “I’m really pleased that a
number of local schools will benefit, includ-
ing St John the Evangelist School, Yendarra
Primary School, Panama Road School, Sir
Edmund Hilary Collegiate Junior, Ferguson
Talks at Ramkrishna Vedanta Centre
Intermediate School, Te Kura Kaupapa Maori The Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre of New Zealand has announced a series of talks by Swami
o Otara and Otahuhu Intermediate School. Tadanandaji of Ramakrishna Mission Fiji who will be visiting Auckland.
‘We know many parents are struggling to Swamiji will speak in both Hindi and English on several topics including “Spirituality: what
make ends meet, and that kids can’t learn if is it really”, “Seeing through the Vedanta-scope”, “The modern spiritual ideal”, “Synthesis of
they’re hungry. yogas”, “Spiritual practices” and “Divine Grace”.
“This food will really make a difference to The talks will be held at Ramakrishna Vedanta centre, 27 Arawa Street New Lynn Auck-
the ability of these children to concentrate at land between August 25 and 29 from 7.30pm to 9.00pm on those days. The final talk will be on
school. Sunday, August 30 between 10.30am and 12.30pm and will be followed by Mahaprasad.
“The funding boost is an example of the Swamiji is keen to meet as many ex-students of Shri Vivekananda College as possible.
difference we can make for children and their
families when communities come together in a For more information on the event, call Jailal on 6267143 or Monnay on 3763103.
spirit of generosity.”
- IW Newsdesk

Advertisement

New Zealand Indian Central Association (Inc.)

PO Box 1941 - Wellington, New Zealand

President: Ratilal Champaneri Gen Secretary: Veer Khar

Phone: 021 383 859 Phone: 0274 417 654
Email: president@nzindians.org.nz Email: secretary@nzindians.org.nz

ATTENTION COMMUNITY MEMBERS:

1.0Are you a member of any of the branches of New
Zealand Indian Central Association (If not join a branch
and avail this opportunity) If the answer to all the above is ‘YES’; then
please forward your CV to:
2.0Do you have any special talent? Secretary, NZICA, P O BOX: 1941, Welling-
ton. Email - secretary@nzindians.org.nz.
Or
NZICA has been asked to collect CVs and
Are you a professional who aspires for more respon- recommend members based on their merit.
sible roles?
Please Hurry!
Or
First round of CV assessment takes place
Have you made some outstanding contribution to the before Diwali in the Parliament on
community? October 13, 2009

3.0Do you want to shoulder higher responsibility like

being on the boards of various governmental and non-
governmental organisations

Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 19

Indian
Community news in pics
Punjabi Virsa a big success The Bapu of Indoor cricket

Left: Grand Gandhi - the winning team with the cup.

Right:(L-R) Former Black Cap - Dipak Patel; Gary Troup - Deputy Mayor Manukau
City Council and former Black Cap; Nigam Mehta - Event Manager for SPROUT
Ranjna Patel - Director - East Tamaki Healthcare

The Waaris brothers lived up to their reputa-

tion of a scintillating house full performance at the Telstra Clear Centre Manukau. They were per-
forming in Australia and New Zealand as part of their Punjabi Virsa 2009 tour which has now become
an annual event and their fans eagerlylook forward to it every year.
The show started with pulsating beats of the dhol and bhangra followed by the performance of a
local singer Kamaljit. The three brother made a grand entry and enthralled the audience for well over
three hours. They dexterously catered to all sections of the audience. The students who are great fans
of Manmohan Waaris’s love songs were the happiest of the lot. A song about Shaheed Bhagat Singh
got the crowd pumped up with patriotism and it was well received especially due to the looming Inde-
pendence Day celebrations. For the younger audience is was a good dose of pure Punjabi culture and
heritage as they danced to the melodious tunes of the Waaris brothers.
Varinder Bareli and Inderjit Kalkat who were the promoters of this very successful show ex-
pressed pleasure and satisfaction at the success of the “house full” event. They have promised the
people of Auckland to keep up their work of bringing in performers and shows from India and keep
the vital cultural link alive. As a sponsor, Indian Weekender was pleased at the quality of the perfor-
mance and the overwhelming response the show received. We wish the promoters good luck and hope
to be associated with them for all their future events.
- Harjinder Singh Basiala

Waitakere goes Bollywood!

The Waitakere National Party celebrated Indian inde-
pendence day with a Bollywood experience. The venue
resembled a club you would see in the high streets of
Mumbai. Men and women of many races dressed in
authentic Indian clothing. The bar was serving India’s
favourite Kingfisher beer and for a dinner there was
a buffet of quality Indian cuisine. The night had
many speakers including Anil Thapliyal who spoke
on Indian independence, Manoj Tahal the president
of Waitakere Indian Association and the honourable
Paula Bennett MP for Waitakere also spoke on the his-
toric occasion of the 62nd Indian independence. Henna hand painting was happen-
ing and while dinner was served large screens showed the critically acclaimed Slumdog Mil-
lionaire. The evening was a success with everyone enjoying themselves and to see the Minister
of Social Development the honourable Paula Bennett celebrating this occasion hand in hand
with Indians and many other races was a humbling thought and a step forward for NZ-Indian
relations.

For all your

legal needs
Aaron Kashyap
BA, LLB
Barrister and solicitor
Level 1, 351 Manukau Road, PO Box 26-596, DXCP 32513, Epsom, Auckland
Mobile: 0274 857 302 Phone: (09) 6238277 Fax: (09)6235177
Email: aaron@kashyaplaw.co.nz

20 Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Delivering Botany’s happiest Indian
shopping experience
Botany’s favourite Indian one-stop-shop,
Saluja’s Food and Spices completes three years
this week. “It has been hugely exciting,” says
Maneesh Saluja, who runs the popular store with
wife Aprajita. “In the past three years, we’ve
learned so much about products, customer pref-
erences and the so many aspects of the retail
business – but what’s most satisfying is that we
have made so many friends.”
Maneesh has had a successful business
career back in Ludhiana, India, where he helped
run several departments of the family’s garment
manufacturing, distribution and exports indus-
try. “I spent 15 years in that business, which has
more than 100 employees and is still run by my
father,” Maneesh says. “Working on and manag-
ing so many aspects of the business helped me
greatly in honing my commercial skills.”
Maneesh was responsible for starting the
export division and that took him to several
countries around the world. “That’s when I
began considering the idea of living and de-
veloping a business in a different country. One
thing led to another and soon we found ourselves
here in New Zealand.”
Maneesh and Aprajita spent the first couple
of years keenly studying different commercial
aspects of doing business in a country like New
Zealand that is so different in so many ways
from India. “We looked around quite a bit and
began thinking differently. We worked around
the realities here and after careful consideration,
decided on getting into the retail business,” says
Maneesh.
Having decided on getting into retail, the
couple began scouting for the right place. “It was
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
no easy decision,” says
Maneesh.
After months of
studying Auckland’s de-
mographics and statis-
tics, the Salujas zeroed in
on Botany. “This was not
a place too many people
recommended. Also, it
is quite expensive here.
But we saw the potential.
There were a fair number
of Indians and people of
Indian origin from dif-
ferent countries and there service with a smile: Maneesh
was also a sophisticated Saluja
western segment of population that is interested
in trying out new things, so we decided on this
place.”
Saluja’s Food and Spices is conveniently
located at Bishop Dunn Place just off Te Irirangi in Business we have been maintaining and in-
Drive in what is now one of Botany’s busiest
shopping hubs.
“We got this store up and running in mid-
August 2006,” says Aprajita. Being new in
FMCG industry it was a tough challenge for the
couple. The biggest challenge in those early days biggest support from the day one, they have
was to get customers through the door, say both
Maneesh and Aprajita.
“But we took things coolly and did our plan-
ning systematically,” says Maneesh. As well as
the nitty-gritties of ordering merchandise and
managing inventory and displaying stocks, they
paid careful attention to customer service. “I
kept notes of customer preferences and sugges-
tions that we followed up quite meticulously,”
Community
BusinessProfile
says Aprajita. outlet: well appointed, well lit and squeaky clean
By and by, the with soft traditional Indian music filling the air.
footfalls began to The couple’s friendly manner is apparent as they
increase and soon greet every customer walking through the door
enough, they began and hold conversation with most of them.
to develop familiar- Asked the reasons for the relatively quick
ity with repeat cus- success of their store and what makes it tick, the
tomers. “Actually, couple suggests we’d rather ask their customers
we have enjoyed our for opinions. “We’d rather not say this ourselves,
customers’ support please feel free to talk with our customers,” says
from the word go,” Aprajita.
says Aprajita. “I “We’ve been shopping here ever since Salu-
must say we received ja’s began,” says Pramila Sareen. “The very first
encouragement from impression was great: the customer service has
them in the early always been good and has got friendlier all the
days.” time. They offer so many conveniences. We
“We did some media advertising. But what can pre-order on phone, they are well organised
really got us going was word of mouth public- unlike other shops which are cluttered. Many of
ity – which indeed is priceless,” says Maneesh. our friends shop there and everyone has a good
Backed with the strong overseas experience experience.”
“They’re a happy bunch of people and are
creasing our product range with the growing very helpful,” says Prakash Grover. “We enjoy
consumer demand. going there, they are always courteous. Once my
Maneesh and Aprajita acknowledge the con- wife was feeling a bit unwell while shopping.
tribution of son Atharv and daughter Arshia in They helped her with the groceries all the way to
the running of the store. “They have been our the car. That was really good of them.”
Maneesh and Aprajita is certainly a happy
been equally dedicated to the store as us,” says couple as they look back on their three years of
Maneesh. running the store. But they don’t intend resting
So what brought the Salujas so much cus- on their laurels. “We’ve got plans ahead,” says
tomer goodwill? Maneesh, but will not say what they are. “But
“Top quality product, fair pricing and per- in the meantime we’ll concentrate in making
sonalised customer service are something to the shopping experience at Saluja’s better all the
which we have always paid careful attention to time. On the occasion of our third anniversary,
and constantly improved upon,” says Maneesh. we’d like to express our thanks for our growing,
Saluja’s Food and Spices is a modern retail loyal customer family.”
21
Indian

22 Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Bollywood

“You learn from Celeb Speak SHAHID KAPOOR tells JYOTHI VENKATESH on the eve of
the release of Kaminey that ever since he went public about

every relationship”
his break up with Kareena, he has become very shy…
What made you say yes to Vishal’s offer to cast you in Kaminey?
I told Vishal Bharadwaj when I met him that I was very keen to work with him when he expressed his
ardent desire to make his type of commercial film, not the regular and routine one. Vishal narrated a
few concepts to me but the concept of the twins in Kaminey immediately appealed to me and I told
him on the spot that I wanted to be on board in the film.

What is Kaminey all about?

Kaminey is about a pair of twin brothers – Charlie and Guddu. I am playing a double role. Charlie
lisps while Guddu has a stutter problem. They are as different as chalk and cheese. And they can’t
stand the sight of each other. Till one fateful rainy night, their lives cross.

Which role was tougher to play?

Charlie and Guddu compliment each other and cover most aspects of the human mind. It was not an
easy task to play the character of Charlie who lisps. I had to work on his physical appearance a lot
because it is quiet different from that of mine. Believe it or not, I actually had to work hard on my
body for a whole year even before the film went on the floors. I had to sacrifice on my intake of food
too. I had to look 22 or 23.

Does it mean that it was cakewalk to play Guddu?

It was quite difficult to play the character of the stammering Guddu. I did not want to make then char-
acter of Guddu look like a caricature. Hence I met a speech therapist. I made it a point to interact with
some members of stammering clubs, to get into the skin of the stammering character, it was essential
for me to go through an internalized process.

Do you agree that you have gambled by taking up a different double role?
It is a misconception among actors that you should stink or look ugly and menacing when you set out
to play a negative character. You can play a negative character with aplomb and yet appear handsome.
It is very rarely that an actor is able to lay his hands on a good script. In was hooked on to the script
of Kaminey even when Vishal narrated it to me. I need to take up films where I am not just presented
as a star but the actor in me also gets to the fore with my performance.

Do you mean to say that it is not a big risk?

Though per se Kaminey is a love story, I would say that it was a difficult film not only for Vishal Bha-
radwaj but also me as an actor. Yes. I knew that I was taking a big risk when I said that I was keen on
doing a film like this especially after having come up with a romantic hit like Jab We Met. I knew that
it was a difficult and different step for me. It did take guts on my part to say yes to Vishal but then I
wanted to push the envelope as an actor and get into an entirely different league as an actor.

Aren’t you worried that your stardom will be affected if you take up roles like in Ka-
miney?
The toughest aspect of Kaminey is that our creative space is very limited because we have to cater
to an all India audience. If I am accepted in this film, it will open new doors for my career. Films
like Lagaan, Rang de Basanti and Chak De India were not expected to click at the box office. I hope
Kaminey too, follows suit. It is not necessary that an actor should do only similar kinds of three types
of roles.

How scared are you about the audience reaction to Kaminey at the box office?
The audience will either accept a film like Kaminey instantly or reject it. The flip side to it is that if it
does not click, by virtue of having accepted the film, people would definitely say that it was a grave
mistake on my part as an actor. However if it clicks, I would be lauded for my foresight as an actor.
It was doubly tough because I had to play both the characters simultaneously in the same location.

Did Saif and Kareena turn down the roles you and Priyanka have essayed in Kamin-
ey?
I too read in papers that then role was offered to Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Chopra but they had
turned it down. To tell you the truth, I did not ask Vishal even once whether he had considered some
other actor for the roles of Chandu and Charlie in Kaminey, because I feel that whether it is that of
Chandu or Charlie, it is a fantastic role which no other actor would have dared to turn it down.

How was the experience of working with Priyanka Chopra in Kaminey?

I thought that Priyanka Chopra is a good actor before I started working with her in Kaminey. Now,
after having worked with her, I know for a fact that she is a very good actor. I should say that working
in Kaminey was a great challenge for her because I have a double role in it. What I like about her
is the fact that though most of the other actors are very selfish, she is not a selfish actor at all, but a
very intelligent one. Priyanka is a very positive person. I would call her a very good team player. Her
overall attitude is to make a good film.

Is that the reason you are seeing Priyanka these days?

I get linked to every actress, whether it is Vidya Balan earlier or Priyanka and Rani now because
besides the fact that I am single, I have worked with Priyanka in Kaminey and I am now working with
Rani Mukerjee in Dil Bole Hadappa. Tomorrow, I would not be surprised if I am linked with Anushka
Sharma just because I am working with her in Yashji’s new film directed by Parmeet Sethi.

Does it mean that the rumors linking the two of you are not true?
I am fed up yelling from the roof tops that there is nothing between me and Priyanka. We are just good
friends and I do not mean it in the filmi way. I am very private about my personal life. In fact I am not
an introvert but then I have become very shy of talking about my personal life, ever since Kareena and
I had a public break up. I find it very difficult to deal with my personal life when it becomes too public.

What did you learn when your relationship with Kareena turned sour?
Every one of us learns from every relationship of yours. There is no point in blaming either party
when a relationship goes kaput. There are several reasons which lead to two people calling off their
relationship after it is public.

Is it true that you have turned down your mother actress Neelima Azeem’s offer to
cast you in her debut film as a director?
I do not want to talk about my mother wanting to make a film with me, because it is far too premature.

What has happened to your plans to work under your dad Pankaj Kapoor’s direction?
I am looking forward to working with my dad in a film that he will be directing by the end of this year.

Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 23

Indian
Bollywood

Katrina
Kaif

Indian

24 Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
When Milind
Soman played
on-screen
husband to
Shilpa Shetty
Actor Milind Soman, who has been in the news
for openly escorting his latest girlfriend (Rock
On actress) Shahana Goswami following his
dramatic split with French actress-wife Mylene
Jampanoi, seems to be on cloud nine these days.
Besides being on a high, thanks to “the warm
rapport” he shares with his special friend (read
soul mate), the sinewy Soman is ecstatic about
his latest ‘under-wraps’ completed movie Sig-
nature. “It’s a mind-blowing subject where as a
sports-coach I am the centre of attraction with
Shilpa Shetty playing my doting wife and Esha
Deol oozing her massive ‘crush’ on me. “The
social-suspense thriller film directed by veteran
Partho Ghosh (of Agnisakshi and 100 Days) will
shock audiences when they see Shilpa Shetty
defying her glamour-puss image and playing
Bollywood
whose character in the film has a bizarre ‘tantrik’
twist, would often laugh aloud eerily during the
shots. “That’s not true. There was nothing un-
natural about Shilpa’s laughter. She had another
reason for that. During the romantic song picturi-
sations, I would find it rather awkward doing my
lip-sync and trying to dance. This would result
in Madame Shilpa having a hearty laugh at my
expense. But it was good fun that helped us to
de-stress,” Milind says with a smile. According
to him, the two shared a terrific chemistry on
screen. “At least on-screen, I guess I am damn
good at playing a husband,” chuckles the Bheja
Fry actor.
There is also talk that his role as a ‘sports-
coach’ is a smart take-off on Shah Rukh Khan in
Chak De. However, Milind denies this outright.

a demure plain Jane wife,” insists Soman, who
has been lately attempting films of all genres
and languages, including a Marathi (Gandh)
flick and even Tamil and Telugu movies. “In my
latest Telugu movie Satyameva Jayate, my nega-
tive role is similar to what Ajay Devgan played
in Khaakee. In fact, instead of mumbling the
usual one, two three, four, I learnt the nuances
of the difficult Telugu lingo to ensure that my
lip-movements perfectly match the dubbing,” en-
thuses the fitness freak actor who has also been
part of the cast for a Swedish movie called ARN.
Coming back to Signature, we ask Milind
what the experience was like working with
Shilpa. Last heard there were reports that Shilpa,
“Hey, I am definitely not under any sports-movie
hang-over. Since I am an expert swimmer and an
athlete (remember he participated in the Mumbai
Marathon) the role fitted me like a glove and I
have played it my own way,” he clarifies. Is it true
that Esha’s negative role as an obsessive stalk-
ing lover reminded him of real-life female fans
who had last hounded him? “Actually, Esha’s role
is shown as an extreme case who is hell-bent on
hooking me. In reality, I would shudder to meet
a maniac fidaa-fan like her. Fortunately my die-
hard female fans off-screen were not as besotted
as her,” shrugs Milind.
- Chaitanya Padukone

Devotional Singer Anup Jalota ‘singles’ out

Sachin Tendulkar for his latest ‘score’
Not many are aware that ‘Bhajan Samrat’ Anup Jalota is a huge cricket-buff and is ‘pally’ with most
of the cricketing luminaries including Kapil Dev. The jovial Jalota known for his witty repartees
will soon be seen flaunting his ‘cricket connection’. The versatile senior singer has discreetly
recorded an eloquent vocal tribute titled ‘Bhaarat Ki Shaan’, composed by him with lyrics written
by a software engineer (‘Chhotu’) dedicated to batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. Says Anup, “It’s
a ten-minute ‘long-playing’ score akin to Tendulkar’s brilliant performance as an ace batsman. For
the first time in my singing career of three decades, I have recorded a ‘single’ in vocal and instru-
mental tracks, that too as a tribute to a great cricketer. Never get ‘run out’ in life has always been
my mission-mantra. We hope to release this unique track within a couple of months from now,”
reveals the singer who has his own ‘take’ on the infectious cricket-mania.
“Cricket is like a ‘religion’ in India, but we have to ensure that there is no over-dose of the game.
Otherwise it’s bound to make fans lose their enthusiasm in watching the non-stop telecast of suc-
cessive series,” insists the ‘religious’ vocal music singer who celebrated his birthday recently (July
29) with an off beat twist. “This time I decided to surprise all my celeb invitees with a live qawaali
performance by eminent singer Munnawar Masoom. Although I am a bhajan-ghazal exponent, I
make it a point to sing a couple of popular qawwalis at my ghazal concerts, which even my fans
enjoy,” laughs Anup whose next dream-project in the pipeline is a tribute album to the iconic-
maverick legend Kishore Kumar.

Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 25

Indian
“I am enjoying my single status right now”
Rosa Catalano on ‘Life after Saif’ and her career
Saif’s Italian ex beau Rozza Catalano has been
unable to check out the Khan’s first home pro-
duction ‘Love Aaj Kal’, which incidentally had
Saif ‘convincingly’ romancing two ‘foreign’
artistes Giselle (Harleen) and Florence (Jo) on
screen. Some cine-buffs even wondered whether
his whirlwind fling with signorina Catalano
off-screen, aided him in his slick performance.
Responds Rosa, “Hey, I am just back from a
month-long tour of Europe. I was freaking out
with friends and family. I could not catch up on
any of the Bollywood releases out here. Anyway
my good wishes are always with ‘him’ (read
Saif) in whatever he does,” declares the model-
actress, adding that she has lately been on a high.
Before we probe as to which spirits she sipped,
she chuckles, “It was performing all those dare-
devil stunts in the upcoming Khatron Ke Khiladi
reality TV show, (Colors Channel) which swung
me into ecstasy.”
Khatron ke Khiladi apart, there is a lot hap-
pening in Rozza’s professional life. Taking time
off from her favourite Capoeira (a native Brazil-
ian dance-exercise) fitness sessions, which she
indulges in whenever she is not busy shooting,
Rozza settles down to talk about her career and
her future plans. For one, she is quite miffed with
people referring to her as the “latest firang item-
girl in B-town who is set to upstage Yana Gupta”.
“It’s true that dancing is my passion and I have
done item-songs for a few Bollywood movies like
‘Shaurya’ and Sunny Deol’s ‘Chamku’. But I hate
being tagged as an item-dancer because there’s
much more to me. Producers are now signing me
on for well-defined roles. One of them is a movie
‘Ek Second—Jo Zindagi Badal De’ directed by
Partho Ghosh where I play the role of Jackie
Shroff’s foreigner wife. There are other films in
Recession in Bollywood: kabhi khushi kabhi gham
Rajesh Krishnamurthy takes a sneak peek at what’s coming our way later this year
It was years ago when Indian cinema was taking
it’s first steps in the international arena that a
Hollywood scribe coined the term “Bollywood”
to describe the fledgling Indian industry in
derisive fashion. Over the years the derisively
named Bollywood has time after time proved
that it and indeed the entire Indian film industry
has much more substance than the west would
give it credit for.
Bollywood has been constantly evolving and
now boasts of a global audience from Alaska to
Adelaide and Montreal to Mogadishu. Millions
of fans across continents love every tear that
trickles down the shapely heroine’s cheek, every
punch that the hero throws and every latka and
Jhatka of the item numbers on celluloid.
Traditionally too Bollywood has provided
cheap and affordable entertainment to the
masses in India and therefore to even think of
recession in Bollywood is almost sacrilege …
Daiya re daiya, ka hoi joun hamar phillumwa
band ho jayi? Ka kari hum thod maja mare ke
wastin? However unthinkable or unpalatable it
may be, that is the reality in a globalised world.
Although the industry captains may not ac-
knowledge it in public the signs are there for all
to see. For the last 2-3 quatrers no major film
with A-list star cast has been released except
perhaps the Akshay Kumar thriller flick 8x10
Tasveer, Abhishek Bacchan’s Delhi-6, both of
which sank without causing a single ripple.
Most major productions that are on the floors
have had their schedules pushed back (depend-
ing on the stage of completion). The Abhishek
starrer “Drona” for example spent Rs. 22 crores
(approximately NZ$8.5 million) on the villain’s
get up and associated special effects alone!
Many keenly awaited projects have also been
downscaled in terms of budget. Singh may have
been King a couple of seasons ago but in Bol-
lywood today “Recession is King”. Some of the
movies that have been released in the recent
26
Bollywood
ing in disguise because I get to regularly learn
new Hindi words and phrases from him,” laughs
Rosa who being an ‘Indophile’ relishes Indian
spicy food, freaks out on mangoes, and has a
fetish for ethnic outfits and Hindi songs even off-
screen.
Although she still nurses a ‘soft corner’ for
her mentor-cum-ex-beau Saif Ali Khan more as
a “silent well-wisher”, her dream-dude is none
other suave Akshaye Khanna . “Given a choice
I would love to work with Akshaye because he
is such an awesome performer. But Hrithik
Roshan’s dances and screen-charisma also fas-
cinate me,” she confesses on second thoughts.
Incidentally, Rosa won the hearts of ace choreog-
raphers Saroj Khan and Ahmed Khan when she
danced to their tunes for two different songs in a
forthcoming film. “It was an awesome privilege
working with both of them. They did seem im-
pressed when I completed my song portions much
Although she still nurses a ahead of the schedules that too with the right lip-
sync. It was just that I had learnt the Hindi lyrics
‘soft corner’ for her mentor- and understood the translated meanings well in
advance. So I knew precisely the right expres-
cum-ex-beau Saif Ali Khan more sions,” claims the Italian model whose “dream” is
to briefly meet Madame Sonia Gandhi someday.
as a “silent well-wisher”, her “The way Sonia-ji has blended so beautifully into
Indian culture, her moral strength and leadership
dream-dude is none other suave qualities are truly an inspiration for me,” she jus-
Akshaye Khanna . tifies. Wasn’t Rosa hunting for a new emotional
anchor after her bizarre break-up with Saif Ali ?
“Since I believe in giving 100 per cent to a rela-
the anvil too,” she reveals, adding that she has tionship, I am in no frantic hurry to get hooked
now appointed an agent to co-ordinate her work on to someone just for the heck of it. Right now
in Hindi films. However, she has been having a I am enjoying my single status, while my ‘work’
tough time communicating with the agent, who is my constant partner,” she declares as a parting
speaks only in chaste Hindi. “It is no doubt an shot.
effort but on the flip side, I would say it is a bless- - Chaitanya Padukone
past are Anubhav, 99, Aloo Chat, Coffee House, forward to are:
Detective Nani, Zor laga ke Haiya, etc. The one Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year star- Mai aur Mrs.Khanna – A Salman Khan
common thread between them being no A-list ring Rishi & Neetu da puttar…decked up as home production of sorts the under the joint
star cast, small budget and off beat/cross over a sardar a la Sunjay Dutt in ‘Sarhad Paar’ Banner of Sohail Khan Productions & UTV
themes and a limited & Salman Khan in Motion Pictures.Star Cast: Salman Khan,
release in B&C class ‘Heroes’. Govinda, Sohail Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Preity
territories. Zinta.
Big banners and
premier production
Big banners and Kites- A Hrithik
Roshan home produc-
Veer - directed by Gadar director, Anil
Sharma, Veer is a big budget magnum opus a
houses like Ronnie
Screwwala’s UTV,
premier production tion directed by Anurag
Basu and not Rakesh
period film set in the 18th century.It’s story is
reportedly penned by Salman Khan himself.
Pritish Nandy Com-
munications and a few houses like Ronnie Roshan but still start-
ing withtheir perrinialy De Dana Dan - Comedy is back and so is
others have either post-
poned or down sized Screwwala’s UTV, favourite alphabet‘K’.
Starring Hrithik
Priyadarshan doing what he does best. Hope-
fully it will recreate the laugh riot magic of
projects. The stars
too are not entirely Pritish Nandy Com- Roshan, Barbara Mori,
Kangana Ranaut
Hera Pheri. The movie stars hot onscreen pair-
Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar,Suniel Shetty ,
untouched by the re- Paresh Rawal,Sameera Reddy and Neha Dhupia
cession. Many A-list
stars have reduced
munications and a My name is Khan-
This film re-unites the
also star in the film.
their asking price and
have also reduced
few others have ei- super-hit jodi of all
time (SRK & Kajol),
London DreamsFlim: London Dreams
Director:Vipul Shah ,Cast: Salman khan Asin ,
their signing amount.
Many of them have ther postponed or that was last seen in
Karan Johar’s ‘Kabhi
Ajay Devgan. A lavishly mounted movie with
an A list star cast after the successful Namastey
also gone for trade-ins
of territory collections down sized projects. Khushi Kabhie Gham’
.Rumour has it that the
London by the same production team.
instead of taking a full
pay cheque. Estab- The stars too are not story is an intensely
emotional one based on
Three Idiots- is the tentative title for
Rajkumar Hirani’s upcoming film starring
lished thespians like a true story. Mr.Perferction Aamir Khan.The film also starrs
Rajanikant have even
gone so far as to refund
entirely untouched by Paathshaala - di-
Kareena Kapoor, R. Madhavan and Sharman
Joshi.
the distributors losses
on his big budget films
the recession. rected by Milind Ukey
the film stars Shahid Kaminay- Vishal Bharadwaj’s come back
like “kuselan”, which Kapoor and Ayesha flick starring Shahid Kapur, Priyanka Chopra
was remade in Hindi Takia, Nana Patekar& and Amol Gupte(the creative director of Taare
as Billu (barber!) with King Khan in the lead. Suniel Shetty. According to reports it is India’s Zameen Par). Easily one of the awaited films of
However it’s not all doom and gloom in Bol- most lavish children’s film yet! . 2009, you will see Shahid Kapur in a double role
lywood just yet. The later half of 2009 is all here. The look of Shahid is going to be totally
set to witness some fireworks at the box office Run Bhola Run - A comedy thriller di- different for Kaminay and it is reportedly kept
with a long list of top notch directors and actors rected by Neeraj Vora Starring old war horse under the wraps. The movie is supposed to be a
vying for the title of “ viewers favourite”.Some Govinda,Amisha Patel , comedy with a difference.
of the forthcoming flicks that you can look Tusshar Kapoor and Celina Jaitley. Enjoy…
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
Reviewing interest rates
RAVI MEHTA
Over the past few weeks, the data emerging from
various financial markets, business confidence
reports, consumer confidence reports and retail
sales figures from different countries around the
globe are confirming the fact that worst is behind
us.
In line with that the world share markets have
climbed. The companies have come up with
better than expected results.
The result is that there is optimism in world
financial markets. The investors are shirking
risk aversion and are investing in riskier assets
namely equities and currencies which were bet-
tered towards the last year.
If the economy performs too well, there is
risk that inflation will be a big problem in the
next 2-3 years. Correspondingly the interest rates
will also shoot up.
New Zealand is a small economy. Our ex-
change rate and interest rates are all influenced
by world economies, particularly by Australia.
A couple of weeks ago, job numbers came
out better than expected in Australia. It is widely
speculated that Australia will be raising the in-
terest rates within next few months.
The effect is that here in New Zealand
medium and long term interest rates have gone
up with three year rate moving by almost 50 basis
points. This is in spite of the fact that official
Are ETFs right for you?
If you find the tasks of analysing and picking stocks a little
daunting, Exchange-traded Funds (ETFs) may be right for you.
What Is an ETF?
An ETF is essentially a portfolio of stocks
(or in some cases other investments) that trade
on a stock exchange much like a regular stock
does. Its performance tracks an underlying
index, which the ETF is designed to replicate.
An S&P 500 ETF for example tracks the per-
formance of a basket of stocks that make up
the underlying components of the S&P 500
index.
An ETF’s price changes throughout the
day, f luctuating with supply and demand,
unlike a mutual fund that has its net-asset
value (NAV) calculated at the end of each
trading day.
By owning an ETF, you get the diversi-
fication of an index fund plus the f lexibility
of a stock. Because ETFs trade like stocks,
you can short sell them, buy them on margin
and purchase as little as one share. Another
advantage is that the expense ratios of most
ETFs are lower than that of the average mutual
fund. When buying and selling ETFs, you pay
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
cash rate is very low and Reserve bank Governor
has repeatedly said that it will remain low for a
period of around next 10-12 months.
What should consumers do in this situation?
A few months ago when the mortgage rates
were falling, people were breaking their fixed
rates and putting everything on floating paying
hefty penalties. Now when the rates are going
up, people are again getting panicky and are in a
hurry to fix the rates. This is human tendency. No
one can predict the interest rates and the econom-
ic conditions accurately, that is the reason I have
been advocating diversification of risk in my pre-
vious columns. I have been suggesting splitting
the loan into different amounts and fixing them
for different maturity periods. No one can tell
precisely the term you should fix your mortgage
loan for, but I feel the financial markets are over
optimistic about future growth of economy and
consequently higher interest rates resulting from
higher inflation.
Though corporates around the world have
come up with surprisingly good results, the fact
is that most of the profits have been achieved by
cost cutting measures like laying off employees.
The consumer around the world particularly in
US and Europe has slowed down spending. The
reason is not only rising unemployment but also
the fact that they are saving more as they have
your broker the same commission that you’d
pay on any regular trade.
Varieties of ETFs
The first exchange-traded fund was the
S&P 500 index fund (nicknamed spiders
because of their SPDR ticker symbol), which
began trading on the American Stock Ex-
change (AMEX) in 1993. Today - tracking
a wide variety of sector-specific, country-
specific and broad-market indexes - there are
hundreds of ETFs trading on the open market.
According to Morgan Stanley, by the
end of 2007, there were 1,171 ETFs trading
worldwide, with assets approaching US$ 800
billion.
You can pretty much find an ETF for just
about any kind of sector of the market. For
example, if you were interested in the bio-
technology sector, perhaps Barclay’s iShares
Nasdaq Biotechnology Index Fund (ticker
IBB) would be worth looking into. Does the
Indian market pique your interest? Then
Finance
been scared by the devastating effect of econom-
ic crisis.
It will take some time for their confidence to
be restored. Till then there cannot be full fledged
economic recovery. Although there are some
experts who are predicting that there will be
sharp recovery, there are many economists who
believe that the process will be very slow – there
even could be a dip again. Remember, ultimately
the Government stimulus will be withdrawn and
it will have negative effect on world economies
when it is done.
If someone can afford to take risk of fixing
at higher rates in future, they may be better off
fixing for shorter term now. However, those with
large loans or those who do not want to take risk,
for them, still my preferred strategy would be to
split the loan into 3-4 parts and fixing these for
different fixed rate terms.
Note: Based on data figures as on August 16.
- Ravi Mehta is an Auckland based
Financial Advisor and can be contacted on
ravi.mehta@pfsl.co.nz
A disclosure statement under Securities
Markets Act relating to his services is available
on request and is free of charge.
For further information, please visit website
www.professionalfinancial.co.nz
take a look at the Societe Generale’s Lyxor
ETF India (S&P CNX NIFTY) (ticker FC6).
Or if you’d like exposure to the gold sector,
then maybe Standard & Poors Depository Re-
ceipts’ SPDR Gold Trust (ticker 087) might be
for you.
ETFs- right for you?
ETFs are index funds at heart, so inves-
tors are encouraged to study the philosophy
of index investing which downplays stock
picking in favour of buying the market.
ETFs can be a valuable component for any
investor’s portfolio, from the most sophisti-
cated institutional money manager to a novice
investor who is getting started. Like other in-
vestments, it is important for the investor to
evaluate the different options to ensure the
right ETF is chosen for the job.
- Sunil Khemlani
StoneBridge Securities (NZ) Limited
Tel: 09 308 0787
Email: sunil.khemlani@stonebridge-
group.co.nz
This is not an offer to deal in any finan-
cial product and is not specific advice for
any particular investor. A full Disclosure
Statement in accordance with the Securities
Markets Act 1988 is available free of charge
on request.
Law
EBA (Drink Drive Charge
– Second time)
Neelam McDonald
Mr J Singh from Pukekohe writes to say that last
Saturday he was stopped at a police ckeck-point
and breath tested. He refused the offer of legal
advice at the time. His evidential breath test re-
turned a reading of 589mcg/l.
He lives with his wife and two children. He has
full time employment. Mr Singh further advises
that he has been convicted of a drink drive offence
in May 2006. He wants advice because he has to
appear in the District Court in two weeks time.
Looking at the facts I can see that this is
his second offence. The maximum penalty for
this second offence is imprisonment for three
months or a fine of $4,500, as well as a mandatory
minimum disqualification for six months or more.
Mr Singh will definitely be disqualified for six
months or more. He will be fined. When deciding
about the fine the court will consider his family,
his work and his financial situation.
Indefinite disqualification
If Mr Singh’s previous offence within the past
five years involved:
• a breath level higher than 1000 micrograms or
• a blood level higher than 200 milligrams or
• an offence against either s59 or s60 of the Land
Transport Act 1998 (which relates to failing to
remain or accompany or to permit a blood speci-
men to be taken), then in this instance the court
must make an order for indefinite disqualification
until the Director removes the disqualification
under $100.
The director cannot remove the indefinite dis-
qualification for a minimum of one year and one
day and until such time as the disqualified person
has completed the necessary steps including at-
tendance at an assessment centre.
Can Mr Singh’s car be confiscated?
In this case the court must order that his motor
vehicle be confiscated. In deciding whether to
make an order under this section of the Act, the
court must have regard to any undue hardship that
making of the order would cause in relation to his
trade, business, occupation or employment: any
undue hardship on any other person who would
otherwise have the use or benefit of the motor
vehicle. There is a possibility that his car is con-
fiscated.
Can Mr Singh be eligible for a work/limited
license?
No. Mr Singh will not be eligible for a work/
limited License because of the five year rule. His
second offence has taken place within five years
since his first offence.
My advice for anyone in a similar position is to
consult a lawyer.
- If you have any questions about criminal
or traffic law, please write to Neelam McDonald
at info@indianweekender.co.nz. Please indicate
if you would like your name and address to be
printed. The information contained in this article
or response is intended to provide general in-
formation. The contents do not constitute legal
advice and should not be relied on as such.
Readers should seek independent legal advice in
particular matters.
27
Indian

28 Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian

WEEKENDCUISINE 5 easy tips for

Psoriasis and
Paneer Makhani Pasanda Honey Mustard ,Rock Melon
Eczema
Recipe by Ruby Dhillon and Crispy Noodle Salad
By Swami Ramdevji
Recipe by Shri Desai

1. Take 2 tablets of Kayakalp Vati

Ingredients: Ingredients: 00 twice a day.
•0 1-Medium chicken •0 Cooked Chicken Breast 1(if salted then adjust the
•0 6- Onions cut into rings 00 seasoning when mixing) 2. Apply Kayakalp Oil in the effected
•0 1- Cup yoghurt (beaten) •0 Rock Melon ½ 00 areas twice a day.
•0 3- Tomatos chopped Cucumber ½
•0 1tsp- Ginger paste •0 Red Onion ½ 3. Practise breathing exercises
•0 1tsp- Garlic paste •0 Iceburg Lettuce 1 00 (pranayam) everyday, especially
•0 3- Green chillis chopped •0 Fresh Mint leaves few sprigs 00 Kapal-bhati and Anulom-Vilom for
(or according to your taste) •0 Crispy Noodles 1 pack 00 at least 15 mins each in the morn
•0 2tsp- Lemon juice • Honey Mustard Dressing Enough to make the salad moist 00 ing and evening.
•0 1tsp- Red chilli powder 00 and evenly coated
•0 1tsp- Garam masala powder •0 Rock salt-crushed To taste 4. Drink 100% Amla juice and 100%
•0 1tsp- Coriander powder • Crushed black pepper To taste 00 Aloe vera juice with hot water
•0 1tsp- Cumin powder 00 twice a day.
2tbs- Butter Method:
Salt according to taste 5. Avoid wearing synthetic clothes
•0 Shred the chicken breast 00 hence wear cotton more often.
in small bite size pieces
Method: •0 Cube or make balls us- Next issue:
•0 Marinate chicken with beaten yoghurt, Onion rings, chopped ing a melon baller after
green chillies and all the powder masalas. Cover and keep it deseeding it Diabetes
aside for two hours. •0 Cube cucumber with
•0 Melt butter in a wok. Add garlic paste stir it then add ginger the skin on
paste and cook it for 40 seconds. Add chopped tomatos and •0 Slice onion after trimming
cook till they are soft. •0 Chop lettuce leaves
•0 Add marinated chicken to it stirring often over a moderate to •0 Use whole mint leaves – 8 to 10
high heat, adding a splash of water if necessary. • Mix and fold everything in bowl including spices and honey
•0 Add lemon juice and cook chicken until it is fully tenderized mustard dressing
and well coated with the gravy. • Sprinkle spicy noodles on top just before serving so they do
•0 Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. not get soggy.

Tip: For a subtle onion flavor replace it with spring onion’s

green portion only.

Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 29

Indian
A safe haven for people who transcend boundaries
Farida Master
I have always believed that emigrants are a bunch of
terribly brave people. To begin with, they are ready
to commit professional suicide in exchange of a
mouthful of sky and are willing to transcend bound-
aries and divorce their close-knit families back home
for a lungful of fresh air. Starting from scratch, suf-
fering from an identity crisis, coping with a huge
dent in their self-esteem when they grab the first job
available, adjusting to cultural differences in the way
they dress, speak and present themselves, the list is
endless...
Cushioning the fall and making it easier for
emigrants to come to terms with living in a new
country where rugby rules the roost and recession is
now well, a way of life, have been Dolly and Aspi
Shahlori. Meet the feisty and friendly couple (if you
haven’t known them already) who built Parsiana
lodge in the late 1990s only because they didn’t want
others to go through the same bitter experiences
that they have had, when they first migrated to New
Zealand nineteen years ago.
Anyone who has lived or walked into the Par-
siana lodge, almost a landmark in the suburb of
Pakuranga, would know that it makes perfect fodder
for a television script. Be it `Shortland Street’ or a
`Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi...’ there are lots of interest-
ing goings-on with each resident at the lodge. It’s a
home away from home to a merry-mix of students,
couples, families, tourists on a pit stop to Auckland
and sometimes even elderly parents who may have
had major disagreements with their family and
walked out of the house!
From a lonely hearts club where boy meets girl
and gets married under the keen eye of Dolly and
Aspi – but not without the usual soap opera of their
life unfolding – to families making the lodge their
home because they find comfort and solace in com-
munity living, it’s a meeting ground for people of all
ethnicities, culture and age.
What’s their secret?
Dev Nadkarni visits the world’s happiest country
The discussion is intense around the table at the
Waterfront, Port Vila’s popular watering hole.
The assortment of experts, consultants and in-
vestors – some of them from halfway across the
globe and first timers in these parts – proffer
their individual takes on what makes the deni-
zens of this little Melanesian country, Vanuatu,
in the middle of the Pacific Ocean the happiest
in the world.
According to the Happy Plant Index com-
piled by British think-tank New economics
Foundation, Vanuatu is one of the top five hap-
piest countries in the world, the other four being
Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica and Panama.
“It’s hard to understand,” says one tippler.
“Their healthcare is poor, their roads are appall-
ing and they have to pay for their kids’ primary
school.”
“The problem is that the stuff you think gives
you happiness is not necessarily seen the same
way by these people,” retorts another. “That’s
why it’s hard for us to understand.”
An assembled
leaf fridge
30
There have also been those long standing resi-
dents at the Parsiana Lodge who have gone around
helping other new migrants by driving them around
for their first job interview, guiding them and provid-
ing support to new comers. Strange as it may sound,
it’s almost like a welcoming committee, which is
there to shield you from the rough and tumble of
finding your way in a new city.
Dolly Shahlori, who has a Masters in Public
Health and is also an immigration agent, has always
been able to keep everyone abreast with the latest
goings on in the government agencies and what’s
expected of them when they enter a new country –
since she has been a patron of a lot of agencies and
Yet another joins issue with the method that
has been used to rank the countries. “It is ri-
diculous that all of the developed world ranks so
low on the index.” He rather cynically attributes
“this happiness index business” as an exercise
to make the least developed countries feel good
“because there’s little else to cheer about.”
After several more rounds of theorizing –
from strong Vanuatu Kava to pre-modern life-
styles – amply fuelled by local ‘Tusker’ beer
some of the group decide to ask a local for the
secret of their eternal joy.
Clutching on to the short sleeve of a passing
bar hand’s electric-blue island shirt, one of them
staggers on to his feet and makes bold to ask:
“What’s it that makes you guys the happiest in
the world?”
“Huh?” says the hapless man half-smiling
and looking around the table with Mad Maga-
zine mascot Alfred E. Neuman’s classic quiz-
zical expression, obviously clueless about what
we’re trying to get out of him. After what seems
an interminable moment come the words in a
reassuring tone, “Bro’, don’t worry, be happy.”
Smiling broadly he makes his way towards the
bar.
C4’s endearing paradise
The bar hand is not alone in his bliss-
ful ignorance of his country’s ‘most
happy in the world’ status. Next day, I
ask the question to a cabbie, a vendor
at the sprawling produce market and
the sales girl selling me a Tamtam (a
popular local icon that’s a must on
handicraft shopping list). Smiles are
all I receive by way of replies.
Finally, I find a semblance of an
answer at the unique Ekasup village
just outside the capital Port Vila. “Just
call me C4,” says the bare-bodied, grass-
organisations. She, along with her husband Aspi
and their lovely kids, Zeeba and Darian have always
rolled out a warm welcome to make migrants feel at
home. It’s almost a flame of hope for those who have
taken the leap of faith and moved bag and baggage to
a foreign country!
In short, it’s due to Dolly and Aspi’s nurturing
nature that the Parsiana lodge is happy place to be
in – mainly because it drives away the clouds of
gloom even in a wet and dreary clime. At any given
time, there is a potluck or a movie night happening,
if not there are picnics, parties or long drives being
planned. What sets it apart from other commercial
living places is that it’s enveloped with a sense of
Assembling a ‘ leaf fridge
Schoolkids have a break.
skirted English-speaking gent who welcomes
us into the village and will be our guide for the
visit. “C4? How do you spell it,” I ask pen and
notepad in hand. “The letter C and the number
4,” he says. “That’s the best way you write my
native name in English.” C4, I scribble. Reminds
me of the wise C3PO of the Star Wars movies.
Ekasup is perhaps one of the South Pacific’s
best attractions in cultural tourism. It offers an
equally exotic and educative slice of pre-modern
life in Vanuatu. One is amazed at what humans
can do in the face of adversity with natural mate-
rials available at hand.
C4 shows us how to make and use spears,
bows and arrows, snare chicken, fish in the brook
and even construct a natural fridge that can pre-
serve otherwise perishable food for as long as
five years --with absolutely no source of power!
“So what makes Vanuatu the happiest place
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Personality
bonhomie and joie de vivre.
“Like now, we have with us an elderly Kashmiri
lady who needs constant observation due to sei-
zures. But her daughter-in-law who is doing her PhD
is secure with the knowledge that there are people
at the lodge who will take care of her in case of an
emergency, just in case she is not there,” says Dolly
who has currently moved to Sydney with her family
but frequently visits home to make sure every one is
well looked after.
Then there have been times when Aspi has
been guardian to some of the international students
staying at the lodge who are doing their engineering
or hospitality degree in Auckland. And that includes
trips to the principal’s office when the students wag
college. He tries to play the dutiful father at the best
of times. And the worst! For the girl students they
have early curfew timings!
From newly married couples who are trying to
settle down to a new life, to being there for an indi-
vidual who had a sex- change operation and getting
everyone to accept him and support him through out
the transitionary period, both Dolly and Aspi have
played a central character in the script that is waiting
to be staged.
Or then converted into a short comedy film based
on Parsiana lodge.
Travel
Abseiling down a waterfall
on earth,” I ask C4 as we tuck into a natural meal
cooked right before our eyes, served on banana
leaf dishes. “Look at this village,” says C4. “You
don’t need money for this kind of life. We use
everything that nature’s given us and it’s given
everyone plenty – you find your happiness in it.”
Shades of the Dalai Lama?
He spots me looking for a bin to dump my
leaf-plate. “Just chuck it,” he says. “It’s natural
and biodegradable – it recycles naturally. Every-
thing here comes from nature and goes back to
her.”
Another C4-ism: “We don’t need a museum,
we’re a continuously living culture.”
“C 4 Contentment,” I think as I step into the
bus for the short bumpy ride back into Port Vila.
Potholes, potholes everywhere – even in the
air!
If Ekasup transports you to another age, Van-
uatu’s roads transport you to another cratered
planet. “Every year the pot holes just get bigger.
But this is not as bad as it was last year,” says my
cabbie. “Why?” I ask. “Did some foreign aided
for the road project come through?”
“No,” he replies. “We hear of so much foreign
aid coming in all the time – the potholes never
get filled. But we had the election last year so
some of the potholes especially on the roads
going into villages got a bit better.”
On my bumpy Air Vanuatu flight back into
Auckland an elderly Kiwi schoolteacher vol-
unteering in Vanuatu who is sitting next to me
says, “I’d never imagined we’d have Vanuatu’s
potholes even in the air.”
Indian
The Essence of Ganesh
Ganesh Chaturthi falls on Sunday
RAM LINGAM
Lord Ganesh ~ A God with an elephant head and
big body riding a mouse. Sounds paradoxical and
illogical? It may not be so absurd if we under-
stand the hidden symbolism in Ganesh’s image.
Of all deities in the Hindu pantheon Lord
Ganesh is worshipped first and foremost in any
ceremony, worship and even before starting any
rituals for other deities. The images of Lord
Ganesh is all-pervading right from the sculp-
tures in 5,000 year old ancient temples includ-
ing monuments in other parts of Asia to T-shirts,
craft mels, wedding cards, invitations and even
the popular Indian cinema. Nothing in the Hindu
world begins without invoking the beloved ele-
phant-headed God.
Symbolism of Lord Ganesh
Lord Ganesh’s image is a composite of el-
ephant head and man, traditionally mounted on
a mouse with four arms. Without guidance from
Gurus, the hidden and main symbolism of Gane-
sha’s image seems difficult to comprehend and
may appear absurd. Though there are many sym-
bolic interpretations, to the devoted seeker every
part of his image is symbolic in the path of true
wisdom.
According to many masters in the knowledge
tradition of Hinduism, Lord Ganesh’s large el-
ephant head is symbolic of mighty understand-
ing that is required to pursue the highest path of
knowledge. The trunk of Lord Ganesh symbol-
izes the intellect which discriminates fully to
resolve gross problems in the inside & outside
world. His large mouth and big belly represents
wide appetite for life digesting all that life has
to offer.
His ears represent continuous and intelligent
listening to the teacher as he himself listened to
Veda Vyāsa and understood it fully while scrib-
ing the Mahābharata. He has only one tusk, with
the other broken off indicating the pursuit of
going beyond the pairs of opposites ~ likes and
dislikes.
His four hands represent the four inner facul-
ties we have. In one hand he has rope, in another
an axe. With the axe, he cuts off the attachments
of his devotees to the limited, binding world and
with a rope he pulls them nearer to truth and
ties them to the highest goal. In his third hand
he holds a modaka representing the reward of
disciplined practice and with the other hand in
the abhaya (fearless) mudra he offers protection
on a person’s journey through life, especially the
spiritual one.
We also find a mouse bowing down close by
in the midst of sweet food yet looking up at the
Lord. This denotes the power of desire which is
the ‘mouse’ within each personality which can
eat away even mountain of merit in it. This power
of desire is to be used for doing service keep the
vision of the Lord symbolized by looking up.
Ganesh’s popular names
Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
The name Ganesha is a Sanskrit mix of 2
words - gana, meaning a group, multitudes,
hosts and isha meaning lord. Also is his another
popular name - Ganapati which is a compound
composed of ‘gana’ meaning ‘group’, and pati,
meaning “ruler” or “lord”.
According to commentators, the word ‘gana’
also means groups of sense organs, organs of
action, pancha pranas (the five vital airs or life
forces) (the five vital life forces), antahkarana
(the four inner equipments of mind, intellect,
memory and ego) the pancha mahabhutas (the
five elements in nature) etc. He is the master, and
naturally guides and leads them in the right di-
rection. Vināyaka is a common name for Ganesh
that appears in the Purānas and is reflected in
the naming of the eight famous Ganesha temples
in Mahārāshtra known as the ‘Astavināyak’
temples.
Ganesh ~ the God of success
To the faithful, Lord Ganesh is the remover
of obstacles, be it spiritual or material. Accord-
ing to many Indian spiritual masters, the worship
of Ganesh depicts the commencement of man’s
spiritual journey with a form to its culmination
in formless God-consciousness.
Lord Ganesh is the God of success as he is as-
sociated with wisdom, understanding, learning,
forethought, power and overcoming obstacles
(vighna) which are key ingredients of material
and spiritual success. As the remover of obsta-
cles, he is invoked at the start of every journey
or important venture, marriage, religious rite,
construction of house or factory, house warming,
studies etc.
Ganesha chaturthi marks the birth of the Lord
Ganesh or Ganapati. This year it falls on 23rd
August.
Invoking the grace of Lord Ganesh, may all
our obstacles be removed in life by ‘Mastering
our Buddhi for any Achievement’. After all, our
buddhi (intellect) is the most important resource
we have to discriminate and decide what is good
for us and discover the Ganesha within ourselves.
Wishing you a happy and auspicious
Ganesh chaturthi.
Ganpati Bappa Morya.
The Lord of endless
creative energy
DEV NADKARNI
There’s probably no deity in any of the world’s
faiths that can be represented and expressed in
such a variety of ways as Ganesh – one of India’s
most loved and recognisable gods.
Google ‘Ganesh’ in the images tab and you
will encounter a literally endless array of pic-
tures, graphics, illustrations, paintings and sculp-
tures of the elephant-headed deity fashioned out
in an equally endless variety of material ranging
from pen and ink to flowers, leaves and almost
anything else.
It’s not for nothing that one of Ganesh’s
names is “Ananta”, which indeed means endless
and infinite. He is regarded as the God of all be-
ginnings and the Lord of creativity. It is therefore
small wonder that he lends himself to being rep-
resented in infinite ways, yet never once losing
his identity or all the wonderful things he stands
for.
And it’s not surprising, too, that the modern
computer graphics tool of choice is the mouse,
which indeed, is Ganesh’s inseparable compan-
ion!
Ganesh has inspired India and Indians
through the ages. It was Ganesh, too, that helped
How well do you know Ganesh?
1. One of these is not a name of
Ganesh
a) Vighnahara b) Shurpakarna
c) Markandeya d) Gajamukha
2. One of these is a brother of Ganesh
a) Mushaka b) Skanda c) Vyasa
d) Kripa
3. According to a story, Ganesh’s ve-
hicle, the mouse was a
a) A bird b) An elephant
c) A lizard d) A demon
4. Which sage dictated the Mahabhara-
ta to Ganesh?
a) Vyasa b) Vasishtha
c) Vishvamitra d) Agastya
5. The Public celebration of the Gane-
shotsav was started by
a) Mahatma Gandhi b) Veer Savarkar c)
Lokmanya Tilak d) Vivekananda
6. One of these is not a Astavinayaka
destination
a) Ranjangaon b) Ozhar
Heritage
light the spark of India’s freedom struggle as a
movement of the masses: Lokmanya Tilak used
the festival to get around colonial British rules
that prevented mass assemblies of people to
prevent Indians from coming together. Under
the guise of religious fervour, Tilak mobilised
the masses by spreading the message of freedom
during the festivities.
He is perhaps the most widely travelled of
Indian deities – and since ancient times. His
likeness has been found in ancient civilisations
across the world from Japan, China and South
East Asia to Eastern Europe and even Mexico
and other countries of South America. There is a
museum in the Indian city of Pune that has docu-
mented these instances.
He is one deity that is dear to all regions of
the Indian subcontinent and is worshipped ev-
erywhere. In fact, he is a deity who has more
following around the – world including millions
of non-Indians – than any other Indian icon.
Ganesh, by his very nature, makes an intimate
connection with his devotees and for many is as
much God as friend.
c) Theur d) Titvala
7. One is not supposed to look at the
____ on Ganesh Chaturthi day
a) The sun b) The moon
c) North star d) Peepal tree
8. Ananta Chaturdashi is the day when
one
a) Installs Ganesh idols
b) Immerses Ganesh idols
c) Does both d) None
9. Ganas were the hordes who were in
the command of
a) Indra b) Vishnu
c) Brahma d) Shiva
10. Which of these flowers is closely
identified with Ganesh
a) Red hibiscus b) Yellow rose
c) Violet gladiolus d) Pink rose
10. Red hibiscus 5. Lokmanya Tilak
9. Shiva 4. Vyasa
8Immerses Ganesha idols 3. A demon
7 The Moon 2. Skanda
6. Titvala 1. Markandeya
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32 Indian Weekender | August 21, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz