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January 21, 2011
Volume 2, No. 20
New Zealand’s first Indian weekend magazine
For free distribution

New Zealand | 4 Community | 17 India | 12

Meet Vidya (Geeta) Kites takeover Music for peace brings
Venugopalan Auckland skies world violinists together

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Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 1

Indian
New Zealand

Curry Munchers to hit big screen next month

DEV NADKARNI
& Talk of carrying coals to Newcastle!
While New Zealand has long been pro-
Present
moting its locales to Hollywood and Bol-
lywood, here is Curry Munchers, a New
Zealand film conceived and produced by
Kiwi Indians whose innovative team is
taking this slickly produced home pro-
duction all the way to Bollywood – and
beyond.
Several years in conception, Curry
Munchers was produced on a shooting
schedule that was as tight as its budget
and completed in record time by a multi-
national, multitalented cast and crew.
The film is a light-hearted comedy
about love, hope – and some hot and
spicy curry. It is a story of change,
chasing one’s dreams and the challenges On location on the sets of Curry Munchers
one faces when faced with the situation
of re-location and resettlement. sal appeal, talking of the problems that cast and crew and run a contest that kicks
The film deals with some of the most young people face in all environments. off both in our print and online editions
contentious issues that new migrants The narration is in English and the pro- with several prizes to be won. To find out
face: what stops a migrant from integrat- duction values are extremely profession- more about the film and to win prizes
ing, assimilating into a new country and al as testified by experts who have seen read these pages and participate in the
culture? Is it language? Loss of the tradi- the first rushes. contest that will appear online and our
tional family safety net? Lack of accep- Curry Munchers has been produced next issue on February 4. To participate
(c) mahayana films copyright 2011

tance by locals? Could it be the failure
Releasing on 24 Feb to attract local girls? Or scarce job op-
portunities? The film is set in modern,
Only in Cinemas contemporary New Zealand society with
www.currymunchersthemovie.com its cosmopolitan mix of people and cul-
tures.
A Shot in New Zealand and New Delhi,
the film has a very Kiwi feel in its treat-
Production
ment. This New Zealand made film by
local artistes and crew also has a univer-
by Mahayana Films, a team of pro-
fessionals specialising in feature film
production, commercial/music video
production, line-production and web ad-
vertising.
Indian Weekender is proud to be as-
sociated with the film and to present it
to New Zealand audiences. Our next
issue will carry an extensive feature on
the film introducing readers to the film’s
online, subscribe online to our newslet-
ter at www.indianweekender.co.nz.
Can’t wait to have more curry? Have
a first look at the trailers of the movie on
You Tube Channel. Just go to the follow-
ing link: http://www.youtube.com/user/
mahayanafilms Or just go to the search
option and type ‘Curry Munchers the
movie’. You can always find more on
Facebook and My Space.

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2 Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
How the curry was cooked…
“I was sitting under a Pohutakowa tree
after work on a balmy Friday summer
evening about six years ago, while hav-
ing a glass of mango juice, pondering
on the monotonies of my life. The frus-
tration of having to work a 10 to 12 hour
shift continuously for the last two weeks
on an academic career pre- decided
by my parents was clearly imprinted in
my forehead,” says lead actor Anand
Naidu, who also conceived the film and
co-produced it.
“I was bemoaning my life when my
gorgeous wife chastised me for being
a whinger and complainer. She con-
fronted me saying, ‘there was nothing
to stop me from doing what I wanted
to do now’ and questioned me on what
I’d be doing if I was given a chance to
re-live it.
“At first, her words added fuel to the
fire, especially since according to her,
I had done well out of my parents’ cho-
sen career, but once she left I actually
realised I hadn’t fully given it a thought.
I picked up a pen and started writ-
ing. Hence I wrote the first draft of this
script,” he continues reminiscing how
he began putting together the recipe.
“I took my first draft to professional
writers who took it apart. Reflecting on
their advice I reworked the script, learnt
Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz
about script writing and rewrote various
versions of the script. In the process I
got various people involved as co-
writers who have added huge value to
the script.”
But Anand realised that cooking up a
mean dish was only part of the story.
There had to be the necessary com-
mercial nous to make it work.
“I realised, as a trained prudent busi-
ness person would, that this story
needed to have all the commercial
attributes to ensure it reached a wider
audience and it could obtain a reward
for the investors involved.
“I then defined the elements required
for commercial success and ensured
the script ticked off all the boxes. After
many years and numerous rewrites,
the script eventually got ready to go for
production. The screenplay was then
re-written by Padma Akula, a screen
play writer,” he says remembering the
blood, sweat and tears shed during the
hard yards.
“The story is loosely based on my life
‘what if’ scenarios, except I had of
course wanted to be an actor and an
entertainer but became a chartered
accountant. My wife’s words did impact
on me, and I had been training and
acting for the last six years, whilst still
working as a financial controller to
realise my dreams.”
Cont pg.4...
Harshad Patel humbled by QSM award
Usually a soft-spo-
ken, self-effacing
and mild-man-
nered gentleman,
Harshad Patel
is visibly over-
whelmed as he
talks to Indian
Weekender about
the QSM (Queen’s
Service Medal)
conferred on him as
part of the govern-
ment’s New year’s awards.
“It is a huge honour to be a recipient of this
beautiful QSM award. It is a great honour es-
pecially for my family and for the members of
the Auckland Indian Association and the Indian
community at large living in New Zealand,” he
said.
He said his first thoughts were gratitude to
his family and the community. “I would like to
thank my family for encouraging me to work for
the community and also our Indian Community
for giving me an opportunity to serve them,” he
added.
“I am proud to be an Indian and am a very
proud President of The Auckland Indian As-
sociation, one of the oldest and most respected
Indian organisations in New Zealand.”
Reminiscing his long association with the
AIA, Mr Patel said, “I introduced myself to the
AIA approximately 30 years ago as the musi-
cian. We had a small community hall called
Gandhi Hall in Victoria Street in city. From
there I started my journey with the AIA.
“I mainly played harmonium and later key-
boards when we moved to the Mahatma Gandhi
Centre. In 1984, I became the chairman of the
entertainment committee.”
With his group of volunteer musicians, Mr
Patel raised a substantial amount, especially
providing music at the Navratri festivals for
New Zealand
several years. He remained Chairman of the en-
tertainment committee for 21 years. “I still play
harmonium in our Radha Krishna mandir in the
holy month of Shravan,” he said with satisfac-
tion.
“There are so many profound memories I
have cherished throughout the years working
for the AIA.” Mr Patel helped organise several
cultural shows for the association.
He counts the performing a Gujarati folk
dance in which he played live music at the
opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Game
in Auckland in 1990 as one of the highlights of
his long association with AIA.
Mr Patel has been one of the active team
leaders of the fundraising committee. “We went
door to door to raise fund for the Mahatma
Gandhi Centre. It was a huge and hard task but
with the good support from the members, we
managed to complete the task very successfully.
The existence of Mahatma Gandhi would not
have been possible without the excellent support
from the community members.”
He has served the association at various
levels: as vice president, member of the board
of trustees, vice chairman of the board and he
was the president from 1999 for three years
and again became president in 2007. He was
awarded life membership of the AIA for his ex-
ceptionally dedicated services to the AIA.
Recently new boards of trustees including
Mr Patel were elected in the Special General
meeting. “Our future aim is to look in to the
future development of the Mahatma Gandhi
centre. I am so fortunate to have a dedicated
team of the officers, executive committee
members, Chairpersons of the various sub com-
mittees. Over the years, the Auckland Indian
Association has achieved many significant
goals,” he said.
Mr Patel is also vice president of the New
Zealand Indian Central Association (NZICA).
3
Indian
Cont from pg.3
The story in a nutshell
Curry Munchers tells the story of Sid, an Indian
immigrant recently arrived in New Zealand.
Instead of studying to become an engineer, Sid
goes behind his parents back and gets a part
time job at a restaurant to earn money and in-
dependence. Sid’s plans however take a surprise
turn when he and the kitchen crew have to come
to the rescue of the failing restaurant, which
leads to deceiving his parents, conflict over girls
and cultural stereotyping all with hilarious
results!
The who, what where…
Produced by Mahayana Films, the movie is
directed by Cristobal Lobos, shot on location in
Auckland and New Delhi.
Cast: Anand Naidu, Alison, Vidya Venugo-
palan (featured in Indian Weekender this week),
Leela Patel, Tarun Mohanbhai, Raj Verma,
Ajay Vashist, Bhavnesh Soni.
New Zealand premiere: February 21. Opens
to public on February 24. The film also releases
in Fiji and Australia shortly thereafter before
moving on to India and other parts of the world.
Meet Vidya (Geeta)
Venugopalan
ARVIND KUMAR
Her character’s flambuoyant personality is what at-
tracted Aucklander Vidya Venugopalan to the role
of Geeta in “Curry Munchers”.
“It was the free-spirited nature of Geeta that I
could easily connect with,” Vidya told the Indian
Weekender this week.
Vidya, the 23-year-old South Indian beauty,
originally from Tamil Nadu, is one of the leading
female artistes in the locally produced movie which
is low on budget, but with a big heart.
“I’m really looking forward to the movie and
how people will receive it. Quite excited that it’s
finally happening.”
In reel life, she plays Geeta, who is sister of lead
character Sid (played by Anand Naidu).
In real life, she is project leader of Mental
Health at a Primary Health Organisation attached
to the Waitemata District Health Board (WDHB).
Next week, she takes a giant step in her personal
life and becomes Mrs Vidya Sashank. She weds
Auckland software engineer Sashank Rajkumar on
Monday.
Vidya’s favourite curry?
“Palek Paneer.” She’s a vegetarian.
So how did Vidya land the role?
“I was spotted by Padma Akula (the movie’s
screenplay writer) during a dance competition. She
approached me when I won the Dance Pe Chance
competition in 2009, and it went ahead from there.”
Were you satisfied with your performance in
“Curry Munchers”?
“You tend to look at yourself quite critically, so I
think there’s always room for improvement. Defi-
nitely could have done better.”
What was it like relating to other co-stars,
considering established actors Ajay Vashist
and Leela Patel play your mum and dad in the
movie?
“It was so easy to get along with them; we recog-
nized similarities and connected well. Ajay and
Leela are just so good as actors. I was really in-
spired and enjoyed the company.”
What did you think of the plot of Curry Munch-
ers and its appeal to the international audience?
“It’s different. It’s first a New Zealand Indian
movie, surely bound to attract a lot of interest. The
plot is different, it does convey a message; stands
apart from others.”
Your thoughts on the movie industry in New
Zealand?
“New Zealand has a baby movie industry. Curry
Munchers could have done with more support from
government. Because of the constraints, we had to
finish shooting within a month.”
Your favourite New Zealand movie?
“Boy was really cool.”
What next? Are you keen on furthering your
acting career?
“We’ll see where life takes me. Getting married on
Monday, so it’s a huge change.”
Your New Year’s resolution?
“To further my career and be a good wife.”
New Zealand
Atif to donate
profits to flood
relief
International pop star and Bolly-
wood singer Atif Aslam begins his
first Australasian tour at Auckland’s
Logan Campbell Centre tonight
(Januatry 21). The Pakistani award-
winning artiste will donate ticket
profits from the concert to support
Oxfam’s work with survivors of last year’s devastating
floods, which have affected over 20 million people. Indian
Weekender is proud to co-present the show.
Aslam has seen first hand the destruction the floods
have had on his homeland. He travelled to the worst af-
fected areas and helped hand out food, supplies and aid to
the victims. He was so moved by the sights that he released
a song encouraging fans to support survivors in any way
possible.
The singer and actor comes fresh from performing
to sell out crowds in the US, Amsterdam and Dubai. He
has nearly finished a new album that features collabora-
tions with Guns N’ Roses, Lanny Cordola, Slash and many
other international artists.
Event Director, Omar Liaqat, is the man responsible for
bringing the international sensation to this part of the world
and says that this is a very special occasion: “We are for-
tunate to have such an icon to visit us in New Zealand for
this show. His fans will come from as far as Christchurch.
Atif Aslam is the biggest pop rock icon of the Asian sub-
continent.
“One of the reasons for attracting such a huge act is
that he will inspire youth here in New Zealand to help the
youth of less fortunate areas, such of those in Pakistan,”
said Liaqat.
“This event is focusing on the devastated region of
Pakistan. It will raise awareness. The best part of this
concert will be that profits from tickets sold will go directly
to Oxfam New Zealand to allow them to continue their
work in Pakistan.”
Oxfam is helping over 1.8 million people throughout
Pakistan. The response includes evacuating people from
devastated homes, distributing hot food and shelter kits,
providing families with clean water and building emer-
gency toilets to help prevent the spread of disease.

The team at ANZ wishes you

a happy Republic Day.

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4 Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz
ANZ National Bank Limited ANZ0342IWA
Indian
New Zealand

Kiwi Indian teens in the arc lights

It’s bigger, it’s better and it’s on again.
Miss and Master Teen Indian NZ is on next month
and is expected to be more exciting than the inaugural
THE CONTESTAN
TS
event held two years ago.
This year’s event co presented by Indian Week- This year’s cont
estants are:
ender will be held at TelstraClear Events Centre’s GIRLS: 1. Anjali,
2. Cr ystal, 3.
Genesis Theatre in Manukau on February 12, starting Jannine, 4. Jayn
e, 5. Jyo, 6.
at 7pm. Shayla, 7. Shee
tal, 8. Komal, 9.
And 25 contestants have been put through their Salma, 10. Soni
a, 11. Shyleen,
paces for the past two months by organiser Tanya 12. Saheba, 13.
Mehra, the brains behind the concept. Mona
BOYS: 1. Jai Kh
Tanya is not taking this pageant lightly as she is anna, 2. Nikhil,
3. Imran, 4: Salm
keen on developing the contestants’ confidence and aan, 5: Hot-
anya, 6: Shikha
self esteem to serve them well in the future. r, 7: Vinny, 8.
Richie, 9. Faizal
Of all people, Tanya should know as she has been , 10. Rajnel, 11.
Merhan, 12. Sh
a beauty queen in India herself, and as familiar with amal.
the full rigours of such competitions.
Tanya, of Hillsborough, Auckland, was Miss
Delhi University in 1994 and was also part of the
batch which bid for the Miss India crown – eventually quality; innovation and Interaction; genuine platform The inaugural competition in 2008 was won by
won by Aishwarya Rai, now a megastar. to showcase their brain and inner beauty. Rashmi Dubshi, who later gained Canadian citi-
Having been through intensive training during her Tanya said her team “would train and work on zenship and had to relinquish her title and responsi-
n
time in the pageant, Tanya came to New Zealand with
her family in 2002.
each and every participant so that they can gain self-
confidence, expose their talent to the max and at the
bilities; so the title was awarded to second runner-up
Lucy Russell when the first runner-up Sheenal failed
Bollywood connectio
In her opinion, what she saw of the local Miss same time they will get acquainted to the rich Indian to carry out her responsibilities as required in the contest could
IndiaNZ pageants over the years left her dissatisfied culture and tradition. pageant rules. Tanya said this year’s
winners.
that the participants were actually reaping any benefits “It’s 100 per cent result oriented, 100 per cent en- Tanya said Lucy had more than lived up to her re- also open doors for the
ver tisement
out of it. tertainment; 100 per cent Made in New Zealand.” sponsibilities and was one of the main drivers of this Leading Bollywood ad
es h Ra i wil l be on
“There should be a strong focus on building char- For their efforts, the Miss and Master Teen India year’s competition. producer Roop
for tal en t for his ne w com-
acter, and that is what I have aimed to do,” Tanya told NZ winners will get an all expenses trip to participate The male section was won by Master Teen Raja the hunt
nu s.
Indian Weekender this week. in the Miss Teen /Master Teen international pageant Sandhu, 1st Runner up-Rikash Kumar, 2nd Runner mercial venture and Ve
ambassador
Tanya and her small team help the contestants to to be held in Chicago in July. Runners-up get $1000, up-Sahil Arora. Who will be first brand
develop and improve their talent and dancing skills; and $500 each respectively. The event is organised, designed by Tanya along Te en in NZ ? He said it
from Indian
develop personality; Q& A skills; health and fitness Tanya, who gained her BSc in Sports Science with her efficient team. Choreographed by Faisal, the pageant.
could be anyone from
sessions; fundraising programmes and sessions; from Delhi University and Masters in Sports Science dance choreography by Lucy Russell and Raja 15 9 8016 for
Call Tanya on 021
media exposure; photo shoots. from Bhopal University, said she was passionate Sandhu, model co-ordinator Manan Walia and pro-
All intended to enhance contestants’ inter national about the pageant, and was now determined to get it duction co-ordinator is Harneet Kaur. details.
exposure; confidence; self esteem; social responsi- going regularly after a brief lapse in 2009 because of Miss and Master Teen Fundraising night on
bility and awareness; self presentation; leadership a family tragedy. January 29 at 491c Club Sapphire,7pm till late.

Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 5

Indian
FOFH mission exceeds all expectations
DEV NADKARNI
The inaugural Friends of Fiji Health (FOFH)
charitable mission in western Fiji in November-
December last year has met with great success,
spurring on the dedicated, close-knit volunteer
team to do more this year.
“What the team achieved has exceeded all
expectations,” mission leader Dr Sunil Pillay, a
specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist with
Fertility Associates and Auckland Hospital, who
is also a founding trustee and chairman of FOFH
told Indian Weekender last week.
On November 27, 33 volunteer medical pro-
fessionals of the New Zealand registered charity
set up by a group of Fiji-born NZ-based profes-
sionals with a desire to contribute in a meaning-
ful way to help the people in their country of
birth began a two-week mission to provide much
needed relief to Fijian patients.
The team has been working on the project for
some time. The trustees undertook a fact-find-
ing, scoping visit to Fiji in July 2010. They found
enthusiastic medical staff doing some good work
despite shortages of equipment, infrastructure,
supplies and enough hands.
FOFH identified specific needs in the areas
of internal medicine, obstetrics and gynaecolo-
gy, general surgery and primary healthcare. This
helped set the stage for the November-December
mission.
“We had set a target of 40 surgical proce-
dures for the two week mission but ended up
doing 61,” Dr Pillay said. “54 were major proce-
dures, 4 moderate and 3 minor.” The clinics set
up during the mission also treated some 150 pa-
tients – more than what was originally planned.
“Importantly, there were no complications in
any of these procedures. This is testimony to the
expertise of the FOFH team and the local doctors
6 Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz
Volunteers assembled at Auckland Airport Before departure.
Lautoka Hospital
and nurses in Fiji,” Dr Pillay added.
The FOFH volunteer team included 12
specialist doctors, 18 nurses, three anesthe-
tists, several technicians, and a physiotherapist
and comprised Fijians, Fiji Indians and Kiwis
working in the New Zealand medical system –
both private and public.
The surgical mission was mainly based out
of Lautoka Hospital in the west of Fiji’s main
island of Viti Levu, not far from the international
New Zealand
airport, Nadi. Lautoka Hospital services half the
population of Viti Levu, the other major centre
being the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in
Suva.
Though small in number the medical team
was big on service delivery. They took the ser-
vices to patients in districts outside Lautoka.
“This resulted in working long hours in some-
times-difficult environmental conditions along-
side the local experts,” Dr Ajay Kumar, FOFH
trustee and volunteer heading the specialist phy-
sician team told Indian Weekender.
For the first time in Fiji the endoscopic proce-
dures were done in the districts, away from the
main hospitals, much to the delight of local au-
thorities and patients. The team took the services
to 5 district hospitals in the Western Division.
They assessed and formulated comprehensive
management plans for some 300 patients with
complex medical problems as well as perform-
ing 89 endoscopic procedures.
Dr Vinod Singh, a physician, was also based
at Lautoka Hospital to provide much needed
respite, teaching and expertise with regard to
complex cases.
“We have been greatly enthused by this first
mission,” says mission project manager Bob
Naidu. He and the dedicated and highly moti-
vated band of trustees are now working on ways
and means to mount more missions for FOFH on
the back of the success of last month’s mission.
FOFH took great care in planning its first
mission. “What we have learned from it will
help us fine tune future missions,” Mr Naidu
said. The mission had taken into account medico
legal aspects and any post-operative follow-ups
that may have been required on the local patients
after the team returned to New Zealand. “But
there being no complications, this did not arise,”
Indian
New Zealand

Dr Pillay added.
One of the highpoints of the mission was the
official recommissioning of the two operating
theatres as well as the opening of a new operat-
ing theatre, which was completed by a joint effort
between Family Trusts, Friends of Fiji Heart
Foundation and FOFH.
Dr Eloni Tora, Deputy Secretary of Health
officially opened the theatres in the presence of
Joe Cokanasiga (Minister of Agriculture and As-
sistant Prime Minister, proud father of Adi Talei a
volunteer team leader for the nurses that travelled
with the team), Mr Punja of Punja & Sons and
Dilip Khatri of Jacks Fiji.
FOFH is a completely independent non-gov-
ernmental organisation (NGO) with humanitar-
ian aims and no political affiliations. The Fijian
government is accepting of the helping hand that Dr. Sunil Pillay carrying out a complex surgical procedure with the local Gynecolo- Patients in the ward recovering with smiles on their face
FOFH offers to the Fijian people and has made its gist Dr Jane Tereveti.
facilities available to FOFH.
While acknowledging the contributions of its
sponsors who have generously donated funds,
medicines, medical equipment and in kind,
FOFH is actively sourcing funding from indi-
viduals and organisations to help it meet the costs
of future missions.

Excerpts from FOFH volunteers’ Fiji diary:

Mrs M, A 66 year old Indian woman, was referred

to the FOFH gynaecology clinic at Lautoka Hos-
pital by the FOFH team working at Nadi Hospital.
Her daughter-law brought her to the hospital on a
wheelchair. She had a long history of back and
pelvic pain. She said that it felt like her “inside
was falling out”. She was unable to do any work
at home and depended on others for help.
In the clinic, we had great difficulty in getting
her on to the examining table. She was diagnosed Dr Ajay Kumar discussing a case with the local health professional at Tavua clinic Dr Dinesh Lal is discussing the outcomes of his examinations with a patient at
as having pelvic organ prolapsed and needed while Pauline Deo, a volunteer nurses in the background is busy carrying out blood Tavua clinic
pressure checks.
surgery. She was admitted to the gynaecology
ward on the same day and proceeded to have a
very successful vaginal hysterectomy with ante- dependent on her family for being looked after.
rior and posterior repair on the next day. Mary recovered fully after a challenging but
The next morning she was feeling much uncomplicated surgery removing a 29kg ovarian
better but was very reluctant to mobilise because mass. She went home 5 days after surgery to
in her mind she did not believe that she could. usual normal duties. Mary is thankful to the vol-
Later on the same day, with a bit of encourage- unteer team and Lautoka Hospital Staff.
ment and support, she was up on her feet. She was
discharged home 2 days later and walked from
the hospital You can donate to FOFH projects
Prior to going home, she thanked all the staff By Cheque: Please make the cheque
and gave” a thousand blessings “ to FOFH team payable to “Friends of Fiji Health [NZ]
and hoped that we would return to help many Inc” and mark it “Not Negotiable”. Post
other women like her. to: The Treasurer, Rajesh Chaudhary,
34A Omahu Road, Remuera 1050,
Mary, a 47-year-old lady with an abdominal-pel- Auckland. Please provide your full name
vic mass growing from sometime came in the last and address.
hours for help.
Her mass has been growing for some years
causing her difficulty with mobility. This By Direct Credit:Donations can be paid
growing mass also decreased her appetite. She by direct credit to: ASB Bank Limited – Part of the consignment of equipment, medicine and consumables that were air freighted from Auckland to Nadi.
had lost a lot of weight. Mary felt tired and could Account No. 12-3252-0044839-00. The task was completed successfully by the afternoon by the volunteers with help from the hospital staff and
some local volunteers.
not go about doing her daily duties. She became

Dr Eloni Tora, Deputy Secretary Of Health after officially opening the new Signing of The Agreement of Assistance (AOA) between The Ministry of Patients waiting their turn to be called up for examina-
theatre. On display is one of the 3 anesthetic machines donated by FOFH. Health, Fiji and FOFH (NZ) Inc. The principal signatories were Dr Eloni Tora tions in Tavua.
and Dr Sunil Pillay with Dr Jemesa Tudravu and Bob Naidu as witnesses for
the two respective parties.

Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 7

 Indian
Manganiyar musicians to spellbind Auckland Arts Festival
Tickets are on sale for one of the biggest acts from
India to ever visit New Zealand - a headline event at
the 2011 Auckland Arts Festival.
The Manganiyar Seduction, an incredible
concert of music from the deserts of northern India,
comes to Auckland after acclaimed, sell-out perfor-
mances around the world – including New York,
London, Sydney, Dublin, Paris and Barcelona.
Performed in the Civic Theatre on March
10th,11th and 12th, The Manganiyar Seduction fea-
tures 43 musicians from the Rajasthan, seated in a
‘magic box’ of 36 red-curtained cubicles, arranged
in four horizontal rows – a set inspired by the Hawa
Mahal, the ‘Palace of the Winds’ in Jaipur.
The concert begins when a single cubicle lights
up and the first singer begins his song. Soon another
cubicle lights up and then another thus creating a
dramatic and astounding build-up of musical in-
struments and voice, which has been described as
having an effect “like that of a gospel Mass or a
slow-building rave: a joyous, communal experience
of the seductive power of music” (Irish Indepen-
dent).
Auckland Arts Festival Artistic Director, David
Malacari, describes The Manganiyar Seduction as
New Zealand
“one of the hottest tickets on the world circuit.” caste. Abel bought a contemporary twist to the tradi- an international centre for contemporary and tradi-
“From the moment I learned of Roysten’s epic tional form, creating a production hailed by Sydney’s tional performance, due to open in 2012. Roysten
productions, The Manganiyar Seduction and 100 Daily Telegraph as “a theatrical spectacle which is also currently working on The Manganiyar War,
Snake Charmers, I was determined to bring one of easily projects the images of India into the mind ... a interpreting the Mahabharata through music.
them to Auckland, and musical feast.” Also performing in the 2011 Auckland Arts Fes-
I am thrilled to have Producer tival is Varanasi musician Rajendra Prasanna, one
secured The Mangani- and direc- of the great players of shehnai and flute. Prasanna, a
yar Seduction,” he says. tor Roysten colleague of Pt. Ravi Shankar, will be accompanied
“This is a very Abel was born by three musicans, including one of his sons, in a
special show. A won- in Kerala in one-off concert, Spirit of India, on March 15th at the
derful way for new southern India. Concert Chamber in the Auckland Town Hall.
audiences to be intro- He graduated The Manganiyar Seduction will be performed at
duced to great Indian from the Na- the Civic Theatre, March 10-12, at 7.30pm. Tickets
music, and a chance for tional School from 37.50-77.50. Spirit of India will be performed
New Zealand’s Indian of Drama in at the Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber,
community to experi- 1994 before March 15 at 7pm. Tickets from 42.50-57.50. For
ence great art from their doing an ap- further information and ticketing details, please visit
homeland. prenticeship the Auckland Arts Festival website, www.auckland-
“The Manganiyar with the Royal festival.co.nz, or ticketing agent, www.buytickets.
Seduction is already Shakespeare co.nz, 09 357 3355 or 0800 289 842.
promising to be one of the most popular shows in Company in the same year. On his return home he For further details about the artists or perfor-
next year’s Festival.” founded the Indian Shakespeare Company. Abel mances, please contact Emma Willis, Assistant
The Manganiyar Seduction was first created has recently finished directing his latest produc- Publicist, Auckland Arts Festival, emma.willis@
in Delhi 2006, a collaboration between director, tion at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi, featuring aucklandfestival.co.nz 09 374 0331
Roysten Abel, and the musicians of the Manganiyar 2000 folk artists, and is in the process of setting up

India’s UID project registers one millionth citizen

New Delhi: At noon on Thursday, fifteen-
year-old Sukrity, a resident of North Tripura,
became the one millionth resident whose
Aadhaar number was generated by the Unique
Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
‘It took us nearly six weeks to cross one
lakh enrolments,’ Nandan Nilekani, Chair-
man of the UIDAI said. ‘However, it has taken
us almost the same time to ramp up from one
lakh to one million Aadhaar enrolments. This
success is an auspicious milestone, en-route
to our goal of issuing 600 million Aadhaar
numbers in the next four years.’
The speed of UIDAI’s registrars in deploy-
ing enrolment stations across the country,
and in training large numbers of operators,
has ensured this milestone in such a short
period, the government agency said.
The youngest person to receive their
Aadhaar number so far is a 13-day-old infant;
the oldest person to receive their Aadhaar
number was 103 years old.
According to the UIDAI, its systems have
held up impressively to the large numbers of
people enrolling across the country. In ad-
dition, the training and quality controls the
Authority has put in place have been critical
in minimising problems in data collection,
which will ensure that the Aadhaar number
will be a secure, reliable form of identifica-
tion.
“Enrolment for the Aadhaar number will
accelerate further in the coming weeks, as
more registrars begin enrolling residents,”
R.S. Sharma, UIDAI’s Director General &
Mission Director said. So far, over 60 reg-
istrars have signed MoUs with the UIDAI,
and more than fifteen of these registrars have
begun enrolments.
India’s Finance Ministry recently recog-
nised the Aadhaar number as sufficient proof
of identity and proof of address, for individu-
als to get a bank account.
“This move will be an impetus for regis-
trars in the financial sector to begin enrolling
people for the number. It will also be pivotal
in bringing financial services to the millions
of unbanked people in the country, who have
been excluded so far because of their lack of
identification,” the UIDAI said.
Part of the Planning Commission of India,
the UIDAI is tasked with the responsibility
for implementing the envisioned Multipur-
pose National Identity Card or Unique Identi-
fication card (UID Card) project in India.
The project aims to create a national ID
for every Indian citizen with the objective
of increasing national security, managing
citizen identity and facilitating e-governance.

President General Secretary

Paul Singh Bains J.P. Raj Singh Thandi J.P.
Phone: +64 21 167 3974 Phone: +64 21 333 604
Email: president@nzindians.org.nz Email: secretary@nzindians.org.nz

Vice President Harshadbhai Patel [027 447 5706] | Assistant Secretary Raj Bedi [021 241 1424] | Treasurer Manjit Singh [021 781 902]

Affiliated Branches Auckland | Bay of Plenty | Central Districts | Christchurch | Country Section | Manukau | Pukekohe | Taranaki | Waikato | Wellington
Associate Members NZ Punjabi Cultural Association Inc | New Zealand Kannada Koota Inc | Probasee Bengali Association of NZ Inc | Auckland Marathi Association Inc | New Zealand Telugu Association Inc
| Muth Tamil Sangam Inc
Probationary Associate Members Auckland Malayali Samajam Please visit www.nzindians.org.nz to find the details of the Indian Association in your area
8 Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
Big wedding leads to love affair with NZ
It was not only the much-talked about Chicago-
based groom Vikram Aditya Kumar who fell in
love with God’s own country and its amazing
beauty (queen) but there was another celebrity
couple at the wedding who was absolutely smitten
by New Zealand and have promised to come back
soon.
Not many know that the internationally ac-
claimed actor Kabir Bedi’s son, Adam Bedi
and his wife Nisha Harale (ex-Miss Mumbai),
compere/hostess for the Pooja Chitgopekar-Vi-
kram Aditya Kumar wedding that made head-
lines, (and even had NDTV fly down from India
to cover the shaadi for their weekly show The Big
Fat Indian Wedding) were there to help with the
The wedding couple and the couple in love with New Zealand
organisation as well.
In fact the much-in-the-news couple, Adam
and Nisha Bedi who run Niche Entertainment,
fell literally head-over-heels in love with New
Zealand. They wanted to make the most of their
trip here, which is probably why at the last minute
they decided to go bungee-jumping on their way
back to the airport.
The blue-eyed Adam Bedi who loves adven-
ture, revealed that he’s worked with production
houses in the US (Ugly Betty included) and in
India, and has done a couple of films, but most
of all he enjoys working along with his wife as a
director of events with major brands in India.
The young couple worked in tandem with
David Hayward of New Zealand’s biggest event
management company, The Orange Group who
Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz
was absolutely stoked by the scale of Indian wed-
dings and the concept of a baraat, mehendi cer-
emony, sangeet, bidaai – add to it the bhangra pop
star Daler Mehndi whose beat everyone happily
danced to.
So while The Orange Group tried to arrange
for lions and cheetah cubs (which they are known
for as they have done an earlier event for a builder
with the wild side making a prominent appear-
ance) and other logistics, Adam and Nisha worked
on the shehanai, qawwalis, shadow play and were
the overall cultural event directors.
Soni Mudalia, the wedding theme specialist,
who has been in the wedding industry for the last
eight years, made sure that she created the right at-
mosphere and decor to go with ten events packed
in three days at the big Indian wedding orches-
trated by Vikram’s tycoon father Shalabh Kumar,
the Chicago-based electronics millionaire of Au-
totech Viktron Group – a Bangalore-based world
leader in computer circuit board equipment.
Now who would have thought that after all the
elaborate celebrations at different venues, includ-
ing the flight of nine helicopters in a V formation,
the happy groom was overheard admitting to one
of his friends that he really didn’t mind a small
affair – like getting married on the beach with a
handful of friends. Except that his doting dad had
been dreaming of this grand wedding for the past
22 years!
- Farida Master
Indian minister to inaugurate
Bank of Baroda
Bank of Baroda (NZ) will be officially
inaugurated at the hands of Shri Namo
Narayan Meena, India’s Minister of State
for Banking and Finance, on February 4
in Auckland.
M D Mallya, Chair-
man and Managing
Director of Bank of
Baroda, the bank’s
Indian parent, will
also be present
for the inaugura-
tion, which will take
place at the bank’s
swanky Dominion Mr MD Mallya & Shri Namo Narayan Meena customer base of
Road branch.
Bank of Baroda New Zealand became
the country’s nineteenth banking entity
after receiving a licence to operate from
the Reserve Bank of New Zealand on
September 1, 2009. It began opera-
tions on June 24, 2010. With the formal
inauguration next month, the bank will
offer complete services including internet
banking, the bank’s Managing Director
Satish Vermani told Indian Weekender.
Bank of Baroda has its corporate
headquarters in Mumbai. The bank was
founded in 1908 in Baroda but was one
of the earliest banks to have ventured
overseas following the entrepreneurial
Gujarati community around the world.
New Zealand
Though new in this country, it has been
operating in Oceania since the 1950s
when it opened its operations in Fiji.
From humble beginnings, the bank has
grown to emerge as an Indian financial
powerhouse. It has
a network of over
3100 branches
in India. It has 78
overseas branch-
es/foreign offices
in 25 countries
across 5 continents
serving a global
over 39 million. It
has assets of over US$ 50 billion. Some
23% of the bank’s revenue comes from its
overseas operations.
Mr.
Bank of Baroda NZ’s state-of-art secure
IT system is linked directly to its Indian
branches and any money deposited in
Auckland will be seamlessly available in
any Bank of Baroda branch in India and
vice versa. This is the reason why its lead-
ing personal remittance product Rapid-
funds2India has been so popular with the
NRI community.
The bank has planned a series of events
around the formal inauguration on
February 4.
9
Indian
India
Sachin’s longevity phenomenal: Paes India Briefs
Correspondent Supriyo Hazra in conversation with tennis ace Leander Paes. End of the Chavanni
New Delhi: The Indian government
has decided to scrap coins of 25 paise
denomination from mid-2011. The
You and Mahesh Bhupathi are quarter-rupee coins, popularly known a
teaming up once again. For ‘chavanni’, will cease to be accepted as a
how long are you two going to legal form of currency from June 30, 2011,
the finance ministry said in a statement
continue the partnership? recently. The decision makes 50 paise the
For me it is important that we play minimum denomination coin acceptable
for transactions from that date. “Also, in
together for India. That’s why we chose accounting, i.e. the entries in books of
Chennai Open. We want to showcase accounts, pricing of products or services or
the game to the youths here in India. taxes shall also be rounded off to 50 paise
So, it is important for us to play in India. or whole rupee from that date,” the ministry
Speaking about how long we are said. Rising steel prices and a strong
inflation rate are among the factors behind
going to partner together, it depends. making the the 25 paise coins infeasible,
It depends on the performance. If we reports said.
enjoy the partnership, then of course
we will have an open chance of playing
together.We hope to have a good start, Omar asks BJP to abandon
together, in Australia. Tricolour hoisting plans
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief
What do you feel about the Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday urged
performance of Somdev the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to abandon
Devvarman? its plans to hoist the National Flag at Lal
Chowk here on Republic Day. He said any
His talent lies in his hard work. To go
and see him perform is a fantastic
and Mahesh are concerned, we are been working in a film. Tell us attempt by the BJP to hoist the Tricolour

one. He performed really well at the

Commonwealth Games and at the
Asiad. He of course has the mettle to
carry out the flags of India on his own
shoulders.
What are the chances of India at
the Davis Cup?
Yes, Serbia are the Davis Cup
champions. It will be a good challenge
unbeaten for long time in Davis Cup.
It will be a good challenge to keep the
record intact.
How are preparing for the
Olympics?
I have already started my preparation
for Olympics. It will be wonderful to
win doubles medal at the Olympics.
The grass court in London is awesome.
something on your venture in
the world of films?
Yes, I am working in a movie. I will be
shooting in Kolkata.But I will not disclose
much about it now. I want to keep the
suspense. I want my fans to come and
watch the movie and know about my role
in it.
What is your reaction on Sachin
will lead to trouble in the state. “It is strange
that after 19 years, when BJP hoisted flag in
Lal Chowk in 1992, it has again struck them
(BJP) to hoist the flag in Lal Chowk. It has
exposed their intention of creating trouble,”
the chief minister said on the sidelines of a
function. The BJP’s youth wing’s ‘Rashtriya
Ekta Yatra’, which started from West Bengal
on Wednesday, is scheduled to wind up at
Lal Chowk with the hoisting of the Tricolour
on Republic Day (January 26). Asking BJP
to call off its Yatra, Abdullah said it will do

for India when they face them. They
have a strong doubles team and
also have lots of options. As far as I
Wimbledon is indeed the ‘Mecca’ of
Tennis.
We have heard that you have
Tendulkar’s 50th Test century?
What Sachin did was phenomenal. Truly,
excellence takes a long time. The longevity
he has showed is phenomenal.
harm rather than good for the fragile peace
in the Kashmir Valley. BJP national president
Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday flagged off
the 3,037-km Yatra from West Bengal to
Kashmir.

BJP attacks UPA on black

money in Swiss banks
New Delhi: India’s main Opposition Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday accused Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh for covering up
names of people who have piled black money
in Swiss banks.
“The indictment of the Central Govt. by
the Supreme Court on the issue of reveal-
ing the names of the people whose ill-gotten
money is stashed in the Swiss Banks is shock-
ing. It is intriguing that there is no response
from the Government on the issue,” said BJP
national spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
“The Prime Minister had earlier commit-
ted to the nation that he would initiate steps to
recover more than one lakh crores of rupees il-
legally stashed in the Swiss Banks within 100
days of assuming power. The Prime Minister
is quiet, the Government is quiet.
“So much so that Shri Shanta Kumar,
Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha
and also the former Chief Minister of Him-
achal Pradesh had raised this issue while at-
tending a UN Convention on Corruption. He
said India, after signing the Treaty, is one of
the few countries which has not yet ratified the
Convention.”
“Over and above, the Swiss Ambassador
has categorically stated that there is no request
whatsoever from the Indian Government to
reveal the names of those people whose money
has been kept in the Swiss Banks. An absolute
inaction in this regard makes the Manmohan
Singh Government culpable,” said Rudy.

The
BJP MP said a situation has come where the
government is ‘overtly and covertly attempt-
ing to cover up the black money’.
The defensive stance taken by the govt.
brings its intentions and motivations under a
cloud, he said.

“The situation is all the more
intriguing where the Supreme Court has asked
the Government what the difficulty is in dis-
closing the names of the people who have
stashed a very huge amount of money in Swiss
Banks and German Banks in Leichtenstein.
While on 30th July, 2009, the Prime Minis-
ter, Dr. Manmohan Singh, had categorically
told the Rajya Sabha that action has already
started for getting back the money belonging
to Indians from Swiss Banks.
“The Prime Minister on that day in Rajya
Sabha had suo motu intervened to refer to the
statement of the Finance Minister in his reply
to the Finance Bill in the House and had stated
that the Finance Minister had specifically
dealt with this aspect and had said that action
has already started,” said Rudy.


The BJP leader said it is noteworthy
whether it is 2G scam, whether it is Swiss
Bank money or any other issue related to cor-
ruption under UPA, the Supreme Court has
been compelled to intervene. “This complete-
ly indicates the failure of the UPA Govern-
ment on all fronts whether it is corruption or
price rise. The BJP is concerned over all these
issues which concern the nation.”
“The Bharatiya Janata Party in the light of
the remarks of the Hon. Supreme Court would
like the Prime Minister to clarify whether
he chose to mislead the House by making a
statement which has been contradicted by the
Supreme Court. It is a matter of propriety and
also a matter of privilege of the House. The
BJP would want a straight answer from the
Prime Minister,” said Rudy.

10 Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

 Indian
India

ICICI Bank, Vodafone Essar

ink
India’s kanjoos Karodpatis
pact for financial inclusion Mumbai: Indian billionaires in the recent past
have faced a lot of criticism for not giving
The Tata group has a long history of philan-
thropy in India. Tata Trust, the nonprofit arm of
Mu mb ai: IC IC I Ba enough and with the Gates-Buffet Indian tour the group has been actively supporting social or-
nk Lt d, a lea din g inching closer, the air around philanthropy is ganizations and individuals for several decades.
pr iva te sec tor ba nk To thi s eff ec t, fin an
, an d Vo da fon e cia l inc lus ion heating up, according to a recently-released “It is easy to write a cheque but very difficult
Es sar Lt d, on e of ha s be en an im po rta
the lar ge st Mo bil e nt go al tha t aim s lecture series. to see the impact,” said J J Irani. “To see posi-
Ne tw ork Op era tor to pro vid e ac ce ss
s in Ind ia, an - to ba sic fin an cia l JSW Foundation, CSR arm of the Jindal tive social impact it is essential to have a wealth
no un ce d a joi nt ini ser vic es to ea ch an
tia tiv e to dr ive fi- d ev ery ind ivi du al group, launched the O P Jindal lecture series in creation arm and a delivery arm.”
na nc ial inc lus ion in ac ros s the co un try.
the co un try las t Su ch ac ce ss is es- collaboration with Asia Society India Centre in “The basic problem in India is a problem of
we ek . sen tia l to ini tia te gr
ow
Un de r thi s tie -up , bo ert o un -ba nk ed sec tio th in the hit h- Mumbai at an event titled ‘Next generation phi- scale. The Government must take initiative and
th en tit ies wi ll ns of the so cie ty, lanthropy’. work closely with NGO’s as they cannot do it
off er a bo uq ue t of ev en tua lly res ult ing
fin an cia l pro du cts in im pro ve me nt An eminent panel comprising Pierre alone. Frankly the previous generations have
su ch as sav ing s ac co in the pe r ca pit a ho us
un ts, pre -pa id in- eh old inc om e an d Omidyar, Founder, eBay Inc and Co-founder contributed more than the current and this needs
str um en ts an d cre dit the Gr os s Do me sti c
pro du cts thr ou gh Pr od uc t (G DP) of Omidyar Network and captains of Indian in- to change.” said Ajay Piramal.
a mo bil e ph on e ba sed the co un try.
pla tfo rm . dustry, JJ Irani, Director, TATA Sons, Anand The Piramal Foundation has been support-
Th is pa rtn ers hip Sp ea kin g on the all
is ex pe cte d to Ko ch ha r, Ma na gin g ian ce , Ch an da Mahindra, VC & MD, Mahindra & Mahindra, ing several social initiatives in the areas of
br ing the un -ba nk ed
an d un de r-b an ke d Di
po pu lat ion int o the IC IC I Ba nk sai d, “W rec tor & CE O, Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Enterprises healthcare and education.
org an ise d fin an - e are ve ry ex cit ed and Madhabi Puri Buch, MD & CEO, ICICI Se- Employee engagement is an important aspect
cia l ser vic es fra me ab ou t the pa rtn ers hip
wo rk an d ass ist in wi th Vo da fon e, curities shared their vision and ideas for young of corporate social responsibility and the Ma-
fu rth eri ng the ele wh ich wi ll he lp IC IC
ctr on ic pa ym en ts I Ba nk in de ep en - India. hindra and Mahindra group’s innovative strat-
ma rke t in Ind ia. ing its ba se wi thi n the
co un try. Mo bil e Sajan Jindal, VC and MD of JSW Steel said, egy called ESOP or Employee Social Options is
IC IC I Ba nk wi ll lev pe ne tra tio n is gr ow
era ge the dis - ing ex po ne nti al- “My father Shri O P Jindal envisioned support- a remarkable example of employee engagement.
tri bu tio n str en gth of ly in the co un try of
Vo da fon e, wh ich wh ich the r ur al ing social initiatives at an early stage and sup- “The Government can show the way and
ma na ge s ov er 1.5 mi ma rke t for ms a ma jor
lli on ret ail po int s co ntr ibu tor. porting community development and the girl have a role to play and corporations must be a
for ac qu iri ng cu sto “T he re is a hu ge po
me rs an d ser vic ing ten tia l for off er- child has always been very important for the step ahead,” said Anand Mahindra.
the m. ing mo bil e ba nk ing
in the se reg ion s, group” “There is no better way to understand your
Th e Re ser ve Ba nk wh ich wi ll fac ili tat
of Ind ia (R BI ) e ac ce ss to the fi- Speaking at the event Pierre Omidyar said, strengths and discover how you can make a dif-
ha s ov er the pa st few na nc ial ly ex clu de d
ye ars co me ou t pa rts of the so cie ty “India has the potential to lead the world in ference in the larger context than to voluntarily
wi th va rio us me asu an d en su re tha t be ne
res to fac ili tat e fit s fro m va rio us social innovation.” engage in philanthropy,” said Madhabi Puri
ba nk s to ac hie ve the we lfa re an d gr ow th
fin an cia l inc lu- pro gr am s of the The Omidyar Network has made an invest- Buch.
sio n ag en da . RB I ha go ve rn me nt rea ch
s all the
ap po int for-pr ofi t’ co ow ed ba nk s to oth er fin an cia l ser vic m alo ng wi th ment of about US$ 70 million in social initia- The Ministry of Corporate Affairs recently
mp an ies as Bu si- es an d pro du cts . tives and plan to invest another US$ 100 – 200 suggested companies to spend 2% of their net
ne ss Co rre sp on de nts Vo da fon e, wi th its
(B Cs). inn ov ati ve an d million in the next 5 years. “It doesn’t really profits for social causes.
Th is tie -up be tw ee cu sto me r foc us ini tia tiv es,
n IC IC I Ba nk pa rtn er wh o wi ll he is an ide al matter whether you invest in a nonprofit orga- This is something that leading Indian busi-
an d Vo da fon e is a lp in
ste p in tha t dir ec -
tio n, sai d off ici als . ca us e of fin an cia l inc fu rth eri ng the nization or a for profit social enterprise. What ness houses already seem to be doing. However,
lus ion in Ind ia”. matters is the social impact,” Omidyar said. the concept of CSR in India is inclined more
Th e Ind ian go ve rn Ma rte n Pie ter s, Ma
me nt ha s be en na gin g Di rec tor “People in India are inherently capable but towards corporate giving while globally the
ac tiv ely pu rsu ing the & CE O, Vo da fon e
ag en da for inc lu- Es sar, sai d: “T he often lack equal opportunity. Provided the right concept of CSR is more about the triple bottom-
siv e gr ow th to en su RB I mo ve to all ow
re tha t be ne fit s of for-pr ofi t co mp a- conditions and a chance to display its deep line.
the ex po ne nti al gr ow nie s to be Bu sin ess
th ph ase rea ch all Co rre sp on de nts is talent, India has the potential to become the The Indian philanthropy space gaining rapid
the sec tio ns of the so a we lco me mo ve .
cie ty. social innovation hub for the rest of the world,” momentum and is certainly something to watch
he said. out for in the months to come.

India’s green agenda gets New memorial for indentured workers

World Bank backing
New Delhi: The World Bank has agreed
to provide economic assistance to
strengthen India’s Central and State
pollution control boards and biodiversity
conservation.
The accord was reached at a meeting
between the Indian Environment Min-
ister Jairam Ramesh and World Bank
Group President Robert B. Zoellick here
last week.
The World Bank and the Government
of India together will support projects
with fuel-efficient transport infrastruc-
ture, clean energy hydro-power plants,
efficient water supply and waste water
systems, programs that help farmers,
fishing communities and people in other
vulnerable communities to safeguard
their livelihoods.
The proposed project to strengthen the
capacity of the Pollution Control Boards
will help build their skills and infrastruc-
ture, ensure their financial sustainability
and set up new monitoring and data
management mechanisms, the Environ-
ment Ministry said in a statement
The biodiversity project will seek to
demonstrate conservation measures in
various ecosystems, catalogue India’s
rich biodiversity in hot-spots, and sup-
port livelihoods of communities living
Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz
within biodiversity-rich areas and enable
them to benefit from investments in
these areas, the statement added.
Ramesh said that the Government is
working at strengthening environmental
regulations, which could be an area of
future engagement.
Zoellick said, “India is working to inte-
grate its growth objectives and needs to
overcome poverty with the sustainability
of natural resources and the well-being
of future generations. The government is
striving to avoid actions that will add to
costs – today and tomorrow – for health,
clean water, clean air and preservation
of valuable biodiversity. The World Bank
Group is pleased to share its experience
to support India’s inclusive and sustain-
able development.”
The World Bank has already given its
financial support for three environment
management and protection projects
which include Integrated Coastal Zone
Management Project, Industrial Pollution
Management Project and the National
Ganga Project with USD 220 million,
USD 65 million and USD 20 million help
respectively, he informed.
The Minister for Overseas Indian affairs, Vyalar Ravi, unveiling a memorial plaque in memory of the
Indian Indentured workers at Kidderpore dock in Kolkata
The Minister for Overseas Indian affairs,
Vyalar Ravi, unveiled a memorial plaque in
memory of the Indian Indentured workers at
Kidderpore dock in Kolkata on January 11.
The memorial is a project jointly sponsored
by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, the
Kolkata Port Trust, and the government of the
state of West Bengal.
It will perpetuate the memory of the
over one million men, women and children
that left Indian shores under contracts with
mainly British but also Dutch and French co-
lonial powers to work in agricultural projects –
chiefly sugarcane plantations – in their respec-
tive colonies around the world.
Indentured migration mainly took place
between 1834 and 1920.
Considerable numbers of persons of Indian
origin trace their ancestry to indentured
workers brought in by the colonial powers.
These are scattered around the world from Fiji
in the Pacific to Surinam in Central America
with several South East Asian and other coun-
tries in between.
Many leaders from the diaspora have been
lamenting the absence of any enduring symbol
of their old links to India establishing their
connection to their ancestors and their cultural
heritage.
This memorial will go some way in ad-
dressing that.
Kolkata was the departure point for a fair
number of indentured workers and its selection
as a site for the memorial is apt.
The plaque’s inscription reads: ‘In hon-
oured tribute to Indian indentured labourers –
with due recognition and lasting remembrance
of Indian indentured labourers who left these
shores during 19th and 20th centuries, seeking
better livelihoods in far away lands.
‘For their pioneering spirit, determination,
resilience, endurance, perseverance and sacri-
fices amidst extremely harsh conditions...
‘For their invaluable contributions to lands
they adopted, and for the triumph of the spirit
of Indianness they maintained and passed on to
their descendants.’
Minister for Railways, Mamata Banerjee
and Minister of State for for Shipping, Mukul
Roy also attended.
- Dev Nadkarni
11
Indian
Music for peace brings
world violinists together
Who says ‘fusion music’ often fails to
impress? That it’s more confusion than
harmony? Listening to some of the most well-
known contemporary violin players of the
world at the concert Violins for Peace recently
(G D Birla Sabhaghar, Kolkata), these doubts
could be put to rest.
Conceived by L. Subramaniam, violin
maestro, it brought together violinists from
as far as USA, Norway, Algeria and Russia to
showcase the versatility of the violin, whether
adapted to Indian classical tradition or the
gypsy music of Russia.
That music encompasses barriers of lan-
guage and geographical borders to touch the lis-
teners was once again vindicated at the concert.
For the average Indian, Algeria is a far-off land
in north Africa.
But as Kheir Eddine M’kachiche put the
bow to the violin it was as if the deserts, the
blue waters of its Mediterranean coastline and
the people came alive through the plaintive
tones. You also noticed that the violin was
placed like a cello, that is, on the lap, unlike the
traditional way in this performance. Grammy
award winner Mark O’Connor is a celebrated
artiste world-wide. In his hands both classical
and Wild West folk ethos come alive.
Norwegian Benedicte Maurseth plays a
rare old-style Hardanger fiddle. Mournful and
happy, her fiddle played them both. A bonus
was the dirge she sang harking to the folk tradi-
tion of singing on the grave of the dead.
Catharina Chen of Norway specialises in
classical numbers and her performance left no
doubt about her talent that has brought numer-
ous awards at home and abroad.
For Kolkatans, a rare opportunity was to
listen to Loyko, a band of three, from Russia,
their violins and guitar throbbing with the
vibrant Gypsy music with Jewish influences in
Russia, reminiscent of the film Fiddler on the
Roof.
L. Subramaniam, known as “God of Indian
violin”, and his able disciple and son ‘Ambi’
Subramaniam brought to the fore how the
western musical instrument has been so beauti-
fully adapted to Karnatic style of music to the
accompaniment of traditional South Indian per-
cussion instruments.
12
While
artiste
each
played solo
numbers, the show-stopper came at the
end of the programme when L. Subramaniam’s
own composition blended all the styles and ar-
tistes in a harmonious whole that made the au-
dience give a standing ovation.
Indeed, ‘Violins for Peace’ was an apt title
for the concert. For, music encompasses appar-
ent differences and carries the message of peace
and harmony within its womb.
The event was a part of the Lakshminarayan
Global Music Festival, established in 1992 as
a tribute to V Lashminarayana, L. Subrama-
niam’s father and guru. This year also happens
to be his birth centenary and series of concerts
across the country has a special significance.
According to a report from New Delhi,
‘Violin for Peace’ mesmerized audience in
Gurgaon too after Kolkata. The audiences at
the concert hall were in a thrall as they wit-
nessed the father-son duo of L.Subramaniam
and Ambi Subhramaniam produce enchanting
music. Subramaniam said, “We have a desire to
have a very special series of concerts to mark
the centenary of my father and we realized that
there could be no better way than to go back to
his roots – the violin – and bring together some
of the best players from around the world”.
The concert was organized to mark the
celebration of twenty years of the Lakshmi-
narayana Global Music Festival (LGMF). The
concert represented the major musical styles
from across the globe, starting from the Al-
gerian violinist Kheir-Eddine, Norwegian
hardanger fiddler Benedicte Maurseth, Bethel
Tsuzu, Vladimir Bessonov, Michael Savichev,
great country fiddle Mark O’Connor, Sergey
Erdenko, classical violinist Catharina Chen, K.
Sekar, Ramanamurthy, Sathya Sai and Stein.
Singer Kavita Krishnamurthy also marked her
presence at the concert.
This concert will be performed all over the
world with the hope of attracting more listeners
to the captivating sound of Violin.
- Ranjita Biswas in Kolkata
Collingwood predicts England, India,
SA and Aussies for WC semis
Dubai: With less than 30 days to go until the ICC
Cricket World Cup 2011, England’s Paul Collin-
gwood says England, India, South Africa and
Australia are likely to make it to the ICC Cricket
World Cup semi-finals.
Speaking on last week’s ICC Cricket World
audio show, the 34-year-old batsman, who an-
nounced his retirement from Test cricket earlier
this month, looks ahead to England’s upcoming
ODI series against Australia as well as the ICC
Cricket World Cup 2011.
“It’s a huge motivation to do well against
Australia in all formats of the game. We want to
keep the momentum going from the Test series
and we want to carry that into the ICC Cricket
NRIs able to vote soon: Minister
New Delhi: Minister
of Overseas Indian
Affairs Vayalar Ravi
has revealed that Par-
liament has passed
a bill to enable the
Non Resident Indians
(NRIs) vote in India
soon.
In the curtain raiser
press conference of
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the Minis-
ter said the Parliament has passed the bill on
Voting Rights to NRIs into an Act.
Two rounds of discussion with Election
Commission on procedures for enrolment and
methods of votes have been completed, he
said.
He hoped that around 10 million Overseas
Indians, who have Indian Passports, would be
India Briefs
Food inflation on declining trend
New Delhi: Bringing some respite, the food infla-
tion for the week ended January 1, 2011, showed
a declining trend after being on the rise for the
five previous weeks. Latest reports last week said
that the food inflation stood at 16.91 per cent for
the week ended January 1, 2011, against 18.32 per
cent for the previous week. However, several food
items, including vegetables and onions, continued
to be costlier. Vegetable prices soared by 70.73 per
cent on an annual basis in the wholesale market
while onions cost 70.70 per cent more on a year
on year basis. Egg, meat, fish, milk and fruits
remained on an increasing cost trend, though
prices of pulses, wheat, potatoes and cereals came
down. Soaring vegetable and onion prices had led
to rising food inflation for the December month,
drawing criticism for the government.
Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz
India
World Cup. We want to finish the ODI series in
Australia filled with confidence and ready to take
on anyone at the World Cup,” he says.
When asked to pick his four teams for the ICC
Cricket World Cup semi-finals, Collingwood
says, “On current form I’d hope to put England
into a semi-final, it would be hard to not put
India in there with the strength in their batting
and in home conditions – they’ll be tricky to play
against.
“I always think Australia can’t be ruled out
since they’ve had a good history in this tour-
nament and finally I’d pick South Africa as the
fourth semi-finalist. But you never know I may be
well off the mark!”
benefited from
this. He also said
that the OCI and
PIO schemes
would be merged.
The Minister
said that around
1300 delegates
had registered for
PBD-2011 from
across the world.
Highlighting the main features of the con-
vocation, Ravi said that the Ministry of De-
velopment of North Eastern Region (DONER)
and eight North Eastern States would be part-
ners of the 9th PBD.
“Engaging with the young overseas
Indian”, was the theme of the meet where New
Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Saty-
anand was the chief guest.
L&T exports first nuclear
equipment to USA
Mumbai: Larsen & Toubro (L&T), India’s leading
engineering company, on Thursday announced
that it has delivered the first four Dry Shielded
Canisters for Transnuclear Inc, USA, an AREVA
company. These Canisters form a part of orders of
50 such units for three leading American nuclear
power plant operators to be manufactured in ac-
cordance with the US Code of Federal Regula-
tions and Nuclear Safety Class 1 standards, said
the company. L&T is currently the only Indian
manufacturer authorized by American Society of
Mechanical Engineers (ASME) to use ‘N’, ‘NPT’,
‘NA’ stamps and ‘NS’ Certification for enabling
design & manufacture and construction of nuclear
island equipment as per American standards. L&T
serves the power sector across the entire spectrum
– from design services to equipment manufacture,
erection construction and commissioning of com-
plete projects on a turnkey basis.
Indian
‘Taxi industry faces
collapse’
Su va: Th e Fij i Ta xi Un
ion is ask ing
Go ver nm en t to co ns ide
r tax im en’s
pli gh t an d inc rea se the
tax i far es.
Un ion ge ne ral sec ret ary
Ris hi Ra m
sai d the ir ple a is du e
to the ma s-
siv e inc rea se in fue l pri
ce s.
Mr Ra m sai d wit ho ut ha
vin g the
far e inc rea se the tax i
ind us try
wo uld co llap se as alr ea
dy a nu m-
be r of tax i op era tor s ha
ve ce ase d
the ir op era tio ns .
“Ta xi op era tor s on the
isla nd of
Tav eu ni ha ve ce ase d
the ir op era -
tio ns ,” Mr Ra m sai d.
“Th is pe op le are op era
tin g twi n-
ca bs an d fou r-w he el dri
ve veh icle s
an d the ir fue l co ns um
pti on is twi ce
mo re tha n the sta nd ard
ca rs.”
In his let ter to the Min
iste r for
Tra ns po rt, Co lon el Tim
oc i Na tuv a,
Mr Ra m req ue ste d for
a sp ee dy
pro ce ss an d the sai d
ma tte r to be
de alt wit h thi s mo nth .
He sai d thi s wo uld allo
w the tax i
Construction of huge
new complex begins
Suva : Cons truct ion work s for a $30 millio
cinem a has begu n in Suva .
The com plex, belo ngin g to Dam odar Broth
cons truct ed alon g Gran tham Road in Raiw
Sout h Paci fic.
City, whic h is near the Univ ersit y of the
Yeste rday, Suva spec ial adm inistr ator Chan
that the Dam odar Com plex is an inves tmen
the city of Suva but the coun try as a whol
size of the Spor ts City
“The com plex is goin g to be doub le the
acco rding to the infor matio n that I have
cinem a, resta uran ts and othe r retai l outle
“This com es as good news to the city and
crea te emp loym ent oppo rtuni ties and it
grea ter Suva area .
Peop le in thos e area s no long er need to
leisu re activ ities.”
Mr Uma ria said the cons truct ion is expe
could be in oper ation by next
year and if thing s go well, the com plex
year.
odar Broth ers (Film) Limit ed’s
Mean while , the cinem a will add to Dam
chain of cinem as in the coun try.
The com pany ’s man agin g direc tor Div Dam
for com men t, howe ver, Ridi Dam odar conf
cinem a woul d soon be open in Suva .
“Yes , work is cont inuin g at Gran tham Road
from the offic e tomo rrow
cinem a but finer deta ils can be obta ined
(toda y),” Ms Dam odar said.
Suva and Villag e 4 Cine mas in
The com pany has Villag e 6 Cine mas in
tre in Laba sa.
Laut oka, Gala xy 2 in Nadi and Elite Thea
The com pany has been in the movi e indu
owns the Nand o’s chain of resta uran ts.
Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz
Fiji
Bid to retain doctors in Fiji
The number of locally trained doctors opting Ministry of Health and it is committed to see
for greener pastures over the past 10 to 15 years that capacity building is implemented across
stands at 400.

 all levels to ensure skills level is maintained
The Health Ministry’s Strategic Plan for at an acceptable level .


2011 to 2015 focuses on human resource de- Ministry of Health permanent secretary
velopment with staff retention maintained and Dr Salanieta Saketa said the ministry has more
addressed in depth to meet the acute shortage of than 300 doctors in Fiji including both public
health professionals.

 and private practitioners.


far e inc rea se to be gra
nte d on the Health Minister, Dr Neil Sharma said this “Retention strategies include provision of
firs t we ek of Fe bru ary
. was vital to ensure sustainability in the delivery training opportunities both local and abroad,
Ho we ver, Mr Ra m ho pe
d the Tra ns - of health services to our people.

 support by way of modernising equipment and
po rt Min ist ry wo uld saf
e- gu ard the “Increased on-going education locally and improve work conditions and provide necessary
tax i ind us try be for e it abroad will need to be saddled with career ori- infrastructure to support their newly acquired
co llap ses .
La st mo nth the Min ist entation for our young workforce to improve on specialized skills,” she said.


ry of Wo rks ,
Pu bli c Uti liti es an d Tra retention strategies,” Dr Sharma said. 

 “There are also provisions of housing in
ns po rt an -
no un ce d tha t the re wo Customer focus remains an area of major rural settings and in urban setting for those who
uld be no
inc rea se in bu s an d tax concern in 2011 to 2014 as well as increased are eligible.


i far es at output from the medical and nursing schools to “We have increased current establishment
thi s tim e.
Pe rm an en t Se cre tar y address some of the work pressure. 
 
 with additional 20 posts per year for the next
Ca ma Tu -
ilo ma sai d the de cis ion Staff retention is a major challenge for the three years beginning 2011.”
wa s ba sed
on the fac t tha t val ue d-
ad de d tax
wa s ref un da ble .
Govt To Assist Rural Dwellers
He sai d the no tio n or
arg um en t
tha t wit h the inc rea se
in VAT, the re
sh ou ld be a co rre sp on
din g in-
cre ase in far es for bu
ses an d tax is Government will amend the Act that requires services like the National Fire Authority.


wa s wr on g.
members of the public to pay $200 when applying Village headman of Namosi Koro, Mr Emosi
Mr Tu ilo ma sai d su bm for a licence to open a shop.

 Sauduadua said they did not receive such services
iss ion s for
far e inc rea ses ma de by Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Baini- and hence should not pay for it.

He said the cost
bu s an d
tax i op era tor s, we re tho marama assured the district of Veinuqa in the for a license increased dramatically over the years
rou gh ly
co ns ide red be for e the province of Namosi that Government would look from $30 to $60 and now $200.


Min iste r
ma kes a de cis ion . into their plight.

 Commodore Bainimarama has called for a
Villagers of Veinuqa raised the issue during review into the legislation calling on the Commis-
the Prime Minister’s visit to Namosi this sioner Central and the Provincial Development
week.

During a talanoa session the villagers permanent secretary to look into the mater with
raised their concerns saying $200 was too much authorities concerned.


to obtain a new licence. 

 Villagers intending to open a shop will be
According to villagers, when they approached able to see some changes in legislation in the near
authorities on the matter, they were told that $200 future.
covers payments that would be made to essential
4000 apply for new homes in Fiji
n com plex that will inclu de a
Suva: Four thousand families in Fiji have applied
for housing blocks in the new Waila City project, to
be constructed by a Malaysian company, Top Sym-
mercial, recreational and spiritual facilities,” Dr
Wahab said. The commercial developments cover
shops, malls, food courts and a unique organised
phony. This was revealed by the Housing Authority light industry for manufacturing.
chief executive officer Alipate Naiorosui. Dr Wahab said Waila City project also offered
He said most of the applicants were young recreational parks and educational facilities in-
ers Limit ed, is bein g
families trying to secure a home for their future. cluding space for primary secondary and ter-
ai, at the back of Spor ts
“The fact that these properties are on freehold tiary schools and an international standard rugby
land makes it an attraction to these families,” Mr stadium. “We have also incorporated natural veg-
du Uma ria told the Fiji Sun Naiorosui said on Thursday. etation along the creek to preserve the natural envi-
The Waila City project is designed to become ronment as well,” he said.
t that woul d bene fit not only
a self contained city that will support a popula- Mr Wahab adds provisions have also been
e.
tion of 25,000 people. Top Symphony of Malaysia made for houses of worship with central area to
managing director Dr Sharifuddin Wahab said accommodate churches, temples, mosques and a
the proposed city will consist of various housing community hall. Around the outskirts of the city,
gath ered and it will hous e a
designs, which are friendly to young couple who land to build chapels and smaller houses of worship
ts,” Mr Uma ria said.
are starting life in the form of two rooms walk-up are also provided.
the coun try beca use it will flats all the way to families requiring three to four The city centre will also have a bus station and
will be able to servi ce the bedrooms. market adjacent to the mall where a hotel tower and
“With the slogan, ‘My home, My dream, My office block is being designed, it will also include a
world,’ the project has also taken into account com- police station, hospital and fire station.
com e down to Suva for their
Fiji, China ink rural development deal
cted to be com plete d withi n a
Suva: Fiji and China have signed an agree- endorsed and formalised a framework agree-
ment for development in several provinces of ment that will allow a Chinese government
both main islands of the country. concessional loan package to upgrade major
Chinese Ambassador Han Zhiqiang and Fiji road infrastructure on our two main islands.”


odar could not be reac hed
Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Baini- Roads that will be upgraded are the Natewa
irme d to Fiji Sun that a new marama inked the deal on December 22 for coastal road from Nagigi to Bagasau junction,
development works in Vanua Levu, Naitasiri, Sawani-Serea road from Naqali to Vunidawa,
Nadroga and Ba. Most of the works will be the Sigatoka Valley road to Keyasi govern-
wher e we will have anot her
carried out in 2011. ment station and the Moto road in Ba. 
 

Commodore Bainimarama said the Fiji gov- “I thank the government of the Peoples Re-
ernment had always been grateful to China public of China and her people for their con-
for its contribution toward Fiji’s economic de- tinued support and assistance,” he added.

velopment. China’s Ambassador to Fiji, Dr Han Zhiqiang
“Today marks a very significant milestone in said China would continue to help Fiji because
stry for deca des and also the history of the bilateral relations between they felt Fiji could contribute a lot to the
our two countries,” he said after the signing region.
 “The Chinese government is a true
the agreement. friend of Fiji as we believe that Fiji plays an
“Significant is the fact that we have once again important role in the Pacific,” he said.
13
 Indian
Indian
Letters
Team SPROUT springs a surprise
Can we have more teams? I was keen to play but no place. Can the organiser plz ensure that every-
one gets a chance. The semi-final was awesome ..enjoyed the food and fruits :)
– Ruby Singh
From the Editor Thanks to all the supporters it was fun organising this event.

Can a letter stop the slumdog killionaires?

– Team SPROUT

Amazingly, somebody finally noticed the big, fat,
slothful elephant in the room and at long last
decided to do something about it, even if it was
only picking up a pen. Last week 14 prominent
and well-regarded Indian citizens came together
to write an open letter to Prime Minister Man-
mohan Singh expressing alarm over corruption
and worsening governance that has enervated
India.
The letter, signed by some of the biggest
participants in India’s economic success story
ranging from industrialists to thinkers points to
the “governance deficit” in “government, busi-
ness and institutions”, and the “urgent need”
to tackle the “malaise of corruption, which is
“Corruption is the only reason why the slumdog millionaire visage of the country will
endure far longer than the cloying images of luxurious seven star hotel lobbies, billion
dollar skyscraper residences and shamelessly crass million dollar weddings.”
corroding the fabric of our nation.”
The sheer number of corruption scandals
that the media have reported in the past year –
from the Commonwealth Games contracts scam
to the deepening mobile 2G licensing scandal
– involving hundreds of billions of rupees shows
how corruption has gnawed away at the guts of
the country’s rickety democratic institutions and
is threatening to disrupt their very functioning.
India’s corrupt polity has been known to the
world for long – almost explicitly condoned by
former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, when she
remarked that corruption was not just an Indian
but a global phenomenon.
With that sort of attitude it is no surprise
that the malaise has seeped so deep into nearly
every institution and day-to-day activity, that it
is considered part and parcel of doing business.
Indeed, graft has been institutionalised in the
Indian system.
Corruption is the sole reason why India’s
ever present chasm of economic and develop-
mental contrasts will continue to grow despite
steady near double-digit growth for over a
decade.
Corruption is the only reason why the
slumdog millionaire visage of the country will
endure far longer than the cloying images of
luxurious seven star hotel lobbies, billion dollar
skyscraper residences and shamelessly crass
million dollar weddings.
And it is the only reason why a number of
innovative technology companies that can help
India’s poor rise above their lot faster than their
highly inequitable economic growth ever can,
are pulling out of India in sheer frustration.
Opinion Poll:
Should the retirement age for New Zealanders be raised to 67 (from
the current 65), as proposed by the Retirement Commissioner?
YES
Unfortunately this is happening in the develop-
ment space – the very area that raises human
living standards.
It comes as no surprise that despite the much
touted growth rate that is lifting hundreds of
thousands of India’s dispossessed out of poverty,
some 17,368 farmers killed themselves in 2009,
7% more than in 2008, according to the Times
of India. The state of Maharashtra, which has
Mumbai as its capital and is India’s richest
state, topped with the most farmer suicides – as
it has for ten years in a row.
In keeping with India’s unshakeable, deeply
entrenched legacy of contrasts, the country’s
agriculture minister, Sharad Pawar, is a farmer
from this very state and is one of the country’s
richest politicians. (Incidentally, he was one of
the several high profile no shows at the recent,
much touted wedding in Auckland). He has
been under fire for the runaway prices of onions
and vegetables, which is threatening the very
existence of the national government forcing a
cabinet reshuffle to get under way next week.
Last week, India’s environment ministry
ordered the demolition of a 31-storied block of
apartments in an upscale area of downtown
Mumbai for violation of environmental rules.
The controversial high-rise was originally
meant to be a six-storey structure to house
India’s war heroes and the kin of the war dead.
But it was surreptitiously extended to 31 floors
allegedly without mandatory permission.
More than the people it was meant for,
powerful politicians, bureaucrats and their
family and friends allegedly got allotments to
the apartments at heavily subsidised prices
that were meant for the soldiers’ families. The
scandal grew big enough to claim the chief min-
ister of the state whose family members had also
been allegedly allotted space in the building.
The demolition of a building allegedly
constructed by bending every rule in the book
is at best a symbolic swing of the wrecking ball
at India’s gargantuan edifice of corruption. But
its roots run deep and long – too deep and too
long. All the way to the Swiss banks and the tax
havens around the world. Impossible to root out
without leaders and people of character and
resolve – even if they are mere letter writers.
– Dev Nadkarni
NO
Senior Indian minister cancels NZ visit
Thank God for small mercies. It is a good thing his visit has been called off. He probably would have
caused a famine in NZ. In India, with the prices of onions and other vegetables going through the
roof and food grains being in short supply, while they are allowed to rot in the government grana-
ries, the poor and the malnourished are struggling to survive. In a winter of discontent he has no
solutions for problems for which he is solely responsible.
– CH Gomes
End of the Chavanni
In Mumbai, where I live, the chavanni had disappeared long back. Years ago, shopkeepers and
others would refuse to accept chavannis. The only place you could use them, if one had them, was
on BEST buses. I know of a friend, an elderly man, who would religiously drop a chavanni in the
box at a temple everyday. I don’t know what he will do now. In religious rituals, it is common to
use Rs 1.25,etc. that is a quarter along with a whole. I suppose, it will have to be rounded off too.
Late action.
– M.G. Bhat
New F$37m cement factory in Fiji
A good move for such an investment.One small but important advice.I dealt with the cement factory
after it was established when the Company allowed huge discharge of cement dust which clouded
Suva and the d deosited in the sea bed.The pollution control equipments were of inferior quality
and were not operated or maintained by the Company.The company was only conerned with profit
making.I am available and happy to advise with my expertise in this field.This is an important isssue
for Fiji.
– Cecil Ram Lochan JP, Dip. Air Pollution Control
A R Rahman turns 45
Hearty Congratulations on his movie for 127 hours and wishing him. Many happy returns to him.
May God bless him.
– Subra M Subramaniam
Sibal emphasises the need to preserve Urdu
I read this article with great interest and it resonated with me, a child of Independence born at the
time when the nation was sadly split. Growing up in northern India despite being British I spoke
Urdu as a first language because of our domestic staff and then came English and of course the
Urdu morphed into Hindi. Urdu is vibrant and vital. Preserve what is good and beautiful for India.
– Aline Dobbie
Tata Coffee, Starbucks sign MoU
Support Indianised South Indian coffee – not machine coffee, please.
Why buy machine made coffee and make offshore guys rich. Hope Starbucks markets Indianised
Coffees. Howard Schultz, Chairman, President and CEO, Starbucks Coffee Company should
instead say “We are in India to make money – nothing else – Stuff your culture and diversity”.
Don’t Indians know about coffee already and we make better coffee any day.”
– South Indian Filter Coffee waalla
‘Curry Munchers’ Premiere
When is the red carpet premiere in Auckland?
– Katrina
It’s on 21st February at Manuakau Westfield. Releases nationwide on the 24th of February 2011”
– Aunanda Naaido
Paul Henry resigns from TVNZ
I don’t think he should have left ... he could have toned it down a bit. If we’re this NICE country that

40% 60%
CARES, why not give Paul a second chance? People who take on high political profile jobs should
understand the society.
-Barbie Pauly

Indian Weekender Volume 2 No. 20

Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited Ten top stories on iwk.co.nz
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Indian
Comment

Big brother making a case to control the internet?

dev nadkarni

The WikiLeaks saga is far from a David and Goliath tale

Nearly every major historical event has at least
one popular conspiracy theory that fires the
public imagination and lingers long enough
to form the leitmotif of alternative lore, which
manages to cast its telling shadow on some
aspects of the generally accepted “official”
record.
The assassinations of US presidents Lincoln
and Kennedy, the “real” reasons for the sinking
of the Titanic, the raft of UFO (unidentified
flying object) sightings in the 1950s and 1960s,
the moon walk of 1969, and nearer our times, the
September 11, 2001 incident – all have the choic-
est conspiracy theories woven around them.
These theories have been preserved in hun-
dreds of books and magazines – many of them
bestsellers no matter how crackpot they may
sound – dozens of films and television shows
and of course countless YouTube videos and
digital files on the internet.
The latest major event to spawn a juicy con-
spiracy theory is the WikiLeaks saga. Amid
reports that catalogued the unfolding of the
250,000-document leak – more a torrent than a
leak, really – and their publication by the media
across the world, a convincing theory, as in the
manner of almost all conspiracy theories, has
surfaced.
There is a school of thought that believes that
the whole WikiLeaks saga was a planned opera-
tion of a consortium of the big, bad, super secre-
tive, completely opaque and ruthless, faceless
intelligence organisations of the Western world.
A ploy to find the strongest possible justifica-
tion to control the free flow of information in the
world via the bugbear of all manner of secrets
– the internet.
The argument here is that it would not have
been possible for a disgruntled, lowly-paid
soldier, now held in solitary confinement in a
prison in Virginia, USA, to have had access to
such a cornucopia of classified documents on
such diverse matters at his station in the Middle
East without help from higher officials who were
responsible for the secrecy of the documents.
Like the 9/11 conspiracy theories or for that
matter even those about the lunar landing and
others, this theory too is sure to have its diehard
believers and defenders.
The ingredients for a choice, spicily juicy
recipe are all there: The internet has grown at the
speed of light into an unbelievably big, amor-
phous beast.
In its wake it has dissolved political and
geographical boundaries and is all but out of
reach of brick and mortar jurisdictional author-
ity, challenging every statute in every country’s
‘book of authority’ as it were.
Like nothing else in history, the internet has
enabled the convergence of the flow of ideas,
two-way communication, mass communication
as in publishing, sound and visual broadcasting
as well as commerce, besides much else in one
single hand-held device, often independent of
location.
The high barriers to the power afforded by
the ownership and control over traditional media
have not only been lowered but have been de-
stroyed.
One does not need to have millions of dollars
to become a broadcaster – any blogger will
vouch for that.
Why, the man at the centre of the WikiLeaks
saga, Julian Assange, is an acclaimed homeless
individual with none of the trappings of a tradi-
tional media magnate or the halo of a celebrity
editor.
Suddenly, the individual has been placed
on an even keel with traditional big money, big
power, big muscle authority.
Doublespeak
It is undoubtedly a nightmare for everyone
that has something to hide. And governments
and politicians everywhere have the most to
hide, no matter how much democracy, fair play
and transparency they may profess.
Doublespeak is the stuff of politics and it is
abundantly evident in the leaked documents.
In fact, few of the documents would take the
informed citizen by surprise.
But journalists, commentators and citizens
who follow events closely, all along suspected
what has been released. For instance, Fiji had
been saying all along that New Zealand and
Australia were spying on it. That has now been
confirmed.
Last year, I wrote a piece in a New Zealand
newspaper that the US was worried that Paki-
stan’s nuclear devices could easily fall into the
hands of Taliban terrorists who were lurking
ever closer to the country’s nuclear installations.
The US officially denied this saying the Pen-
tagon was in close touch with Pakistan’s chain of
command and there was no question of a worry.
The leaks though tell the real story. The US
was worried as hell. And still is – as it should be.
So there is every reason for the authority to
worry about the burgeoning, completely indi-
vidualised, hard-to-pin-down, on-the-fly power
of the internet.
It has the potential to leave governments
bereft of the clothes they wear, exposing them
for all to see. There is a very good case, indeed,
to clamp down on it in the name of national in-
terest, sovereignty, security and peace.
Regulating the internet
Whether the conspiracy theorists are right
or wrong in their contention that governments
initiated the leaks to gain control of the internet
does not really matter.
But their belief has a grain of truth and that
is what matters – rather disturbingly: we are be-
ginning to see early moves in the world’s gov-
ernments towards toying with ideas about, yes,
you guessed right, regulating the internet.
There have been media reports that the
United Nations is actually considering a con-
sortium of an inter-governmental working group
“to harmonise global efforts by policymakers to
regulate the internet”.
The meeting, which took place in New York
days before Christmas, discussed the possibility
of forming a global body consisting of govern-
ment representatives to create standards for po-
licing the internet. And it clearly states that this
is specifically in response to the WikiLeaks phe-
nomenon. At first instance, the world appears
divided on this. There is one group of countries
that is openly eager and another appears to be
more cautious.
No prizes for matching the countries to their
respective groups. Their reputation or the lack
of it – for upholding liberty, equality and egali-
tarianism in both letter and spirit is a dead give-
away.
India, South Africa, China and Saudi Arabia
seemed to support the idea of a new inter-gov-
ernmental regulatory body to police the internet.
The US, Canada, the UK, Belgium and Aus-
tralia, as also community and business represen-
tatives, have raised the cautionary flag.
So, conspiracy theories notwithstanding, Big
Brother does want to control at least some of the
gates to the internet – the simplest, biggest and
most potent purveyor of freedom ever known to
mankind.

Women’s clothing and social judgments

Vidyut Raka
I recently read a news article from Pakistan
where a girl went to some party that also had
boys attending and returned late. She got raped.
In the debate that stormed in the comments,
two prevalent views came forth. The first was
when someone commented that if she was going
to wear revealing clothes and go to late night
parties with boys, she would naturally get raped.
The other was a more rational one that her cloth-
ing or habits don’t justify the man’s crime. It was
widely denounced as repressive to expect her to
wear conservative clothing. I think both sides
have it right and wrong.
While it does make sense to be careful in an
environment prone to crime or a society where
crimes against women are rampant, it is no less
than sensible precautions women the world over
take. This isn’t about what freedoms we have,
but how we exercise them in the culture we live
in.
It isn’t about repression, it is about becom-
ing an ambassador for yourself, for dressing so
that you express respect for the values of the
culture you live in. You don’t have to like them.
I love wearing shorts and its really the best for
Mumbai’s climate, but as a daughter-in-law in a
middle class locality, I tend not to go out shop-
ping in shorts. I’m not repressed. I am simply
fitting in.
When I go out to the shop, the point is buying
stuff, not fending off ‘friendlies’ or getting
eyeballed by everyone from street kids to dis-
approving grandmothers. Chances are, if I get
stared at, its more likely to be because shorts
would look so out of place rather than lecher-
ous intentions. There is nothing demeaning in
making circumstantial compromises. They don’t
diminish your individuality. Check out Angelina etc don’t immediately start having sex with them
Jolie when she visited Pakistan after the floods. or someone else or even themselves. There is
Then do an image search for her name and check something called a brain that determines what
out what normal clothing for her looks like. Like we do with inputs coming in from our senses.
I said, nothing wrong with dressing in a place- Of course the men are criminals and a social
appropriate manner. hazard. That is the tip of the iceberg. It is our
Similar things about being careful with per- social conversations that determine the foun-
sonal safety. There is nothing wrong in asking dations to this kind of thinking. If dressing
people to drop you home safely, or taking pre- modestly is attached to morality, it becomes an
cautions like not lingering in secluded places, excuse for individuals in the society to judge
wearing clothing and other individuals un-
footwear that allows necessarily and pos-
you to flee if needed, sibly justify crimes
learning basic self “Someone commented that against them. Fact
defense or keeping is, clothing and even
handy something that if she was going to wear clothing as an ex-
could be used to defend revealing clothes and go pression of character
yourself in order to flee differs widely.
– pepper sprays, etc. to late night parties with The older gen-
This is being careful.
The point here is not
boys, she would naturally eration of British
people had clothes
who is at fault, but that get raped.” that endangered
it is our life getting their breasts falling
messed up regardless out, but thought the
of whose fault it is. sight of an ankle was scandalous. Traditional
However, it is ridiculous to think that the Indians in many parts of the country have this
woman is at fault for getting raped because of thing about the sari draped over the breasts.
her dress or whatever. This kind of thinking is They are okay with their daughters wearing
prevalent the world over. Men apparently have salwar kameez or even jeans as long as they
a tendency to outsource responsibility for their take a dupatta or a scarf. Never mind that the
bodily functions when it comes to matters of sari usually exposes your waist. Many modern
shame, but I have yet to see a non-rapist man women think the burkha as a symbol of sup-
say that well, he’s managed to remain legal pression and an expression of denial of what a
because he sees only modest women all day or woman is, but are fine if a dress covers as much
something. The truth is that waiters in dance ground as the burkha, but doesn’t look like one.
bars, surrounded by attractive, skimpily dressed Many Indians are fine with western clothing as
women, expressly flaunting their sexuality, etc long as it ‘reaches below the knees’ or ‘is trouser
type’ – as in doesn’t risk showing more than in-
tended like a skirt could.
Other times, the reasons are more practical
or scientific. Many mountaineers deplore the
tendencies of fashionable adventurer clients who
wear less clothes and have sun burned shoulders
and dehydration headaches the next day. Many
doctors are against the burkha because the skin
doesn’t get adequate sunlight which is essential
to the formation of good bones and overheating
in hot, humid climates. Many Indian women find
saris or salwar kameez too fiddly and clumsy for
their kind of pursuits. It is impractical to wear
too many clothes for swimming, and so on.
It is high time we started realizing as a society
that dress has a purpose, and that purpose is di-
rected by what the wearer wants. By deciding
what another should wear, we are essentially
saying that they are trying to do inappropriate
things through their clothes. In other words,
we are being judgmental and dominating. This
is not respectful. This is not such a great idea,
because no matter what you wear, chances are
fiftly other people will find it silly.
--
Vidyut Raka is an India-based writer,
website designer, change facilitator and an ad-
vocate for causes she believes in. She describes
herself as a student of life and believes that it is
her curiosity and eagerness for discovering new
things that allows her to cross-apply her learn-
ing from diverse experiences. She has never had
a single profession, has never earned money
from something she didn’t enjoy and she finds
it convenient and efficient to not hold grudges.
Indian Weekender welcomes Vidyut as an occa-
sional columnist.

Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 15

Indian

16 Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

 Indian
Community
Kites takeover Auckland skies

The Hindu harvest festival of Makar Sankran-

ti, also celebrated as Pongal in India’s south-
ern states, was celebrated worldwide on
January 13/14. Besides the pomp, gaiety and
community spirit that accompanies all Indian
festivals Makar Sankranti is also celebrated
with kite flying by many Indian communities.

In Auckland, the Vaishnav Parivar has been

organising traditional kite flying competitions
for six years now. This year it was held on
Sunday, January 8 and was the biggest so
far, according to the organisers.

Nearly 7000 people turned up throughout

the day that fortunately had crystal clear
There also were
weather and the right sort of breeze to help
16other prize winners
the plethora of kites to soar into the cloud-
that won a camera,
less blue of the Auckland sky.
mobile phone, digital
photo frame among
While kite flying and competitions between
several others
kite flyers was the main attraction, it really
Vaishnav Parivar
was a family day out with fun rides, free face
plans to scale up the
painiting, an array of food, DJ performances
celebrations next
and a raffle draw.
year.
Avneel Singh was the lucky winner of the
- Indian Weekender
raffle winning a return ticket to Sydney.
correspondent

lebrate the festive spirit

Seniors ce Community welcomes New Year in style
ficulties in adjusting into
New Zealand
as Ch aritabl e Tru st organised a facing dif s suc h as cul tur al shock, gen-
The Shanti Niw th Asi an orig in on society due to barrier mu nication bar-
of Sou s, language and com
Christmas party for elders atte nde d and the erational gap on, dependence
er 250 sen iors soc ial iso lati
December 18. Ov cap aci ty.  riers, loneliness and ss, chi ld minding
ked to port, emotional stre
Springs Road hall was pac ow tru stee s Ashok on family sup lth and welfare
n alo ng wit h fell kno wle dge of hea
Ataur Rehma add res sed the pressures, lack of link s, trans-
Ind u Baj aj system, lack of com mu nity
Gaur, Roshni Golian and A bir thd ay celebra- es and elder
trib ute d gif ts. and mo bili ty issu
gathering and dis an
port
s wa s abuse and neglec t.
tion of some senior citizen need to
emotional affair where the
seniors She felt there was a great
bir th- in ord er to provide
sang the traditional “happy establish services
ble w the can dle s ce and ass ista nce to older
day to you” and guidan
e a good
before cutting the cake. people so they could hav added
icti on of the bir th lity of life . As we all kno w,
A befitting dep qua
gua ges and
d wit h en- barriers of dif fere nt lan
of Jesus Christ was enacte ple te ds can create
sen iors , com tur al bac kgr oun
thusiasm by the w-
cul
ion and iso lation
o sho lus
with the three wise men wh us. feelings of exc
d to dep ression
new ly bor n Jes ich in tur n can lea
ered gifts on the wh
.
Trust volunteers Pushpa
Prasad, and mental health problems
and Jay a Th apa r, the He r goa l tow ard s giving Shed 16 on Jesmond Road Drury (the sociation and Prithipal Singh Basra of
Sam Naidoo r was
youngest of them all, spoke
on the oc- the best as Social Worke en indoor and out door cafe exclusively Auckland Sikh Society.
rin g per for ma nce by ive d in No vem ber 199 8, wh
casion. A soul stir ach used by Angithi Caterers for produc-
ers ushered blished
a group of African Drumm the trust was legally esta tion and parties) sprang to life in the Sunita and Yash of Milan weddings
rit and got eve ryo ne er the nam e of Sha nti Niwas
in the festive spi und first weekend of January where the and the Joginder Singh family who
st Inc orp ora ted and
dancing. Charitable Tru Bedi family of Papatoetoe in associa- are currently on a visit to New Zea-
ma de a dra ma tic ent ry am e fina nci ally ind epe ndent in
Santa Claus bec land also attended the function.
ryone. The has been tion with Angithi Caterers organised
and distributed gifts to eve January 2003. The trust
wit h a sum ptu ous iste red wit h the Ch arit ies Com- a community gathering of about 40 Everyone participated in the Bingo
day concluded reg
eers for all for goods members from diverse communities. game, a dance in the garden and
meal cooked by the volunt mission (CC26135) and
re pre sen t. ser vic es tax . of course eating the classic Indian
those who we and
involve-
Shanti Niwas Charitable
Trust Indu Bajaj’s incredible The simple objective was to wel- dishes.
org ani sati on, has a in var iou s com mu nity projects come the year 2011. Nimi, Raj and
Inc, a non-profit me nt
wit h soc iall y iso lat- to the eld erly of South
proud history of working great support Dasham Bedi heartily welcomed all. Vicky and Sonia Grover, the beautiful
s of Ind ian and Sou th Asi an origin has provided is apt ly sup por ted by Nilima hardworking couple of Angithi fame,
ed senior citizen Asian origin. She The guests included Azim Riaz from
living in the Auckland reg
ion. the trust since 1998. She
for Venkat who has been with Radio Tarana, Andrew, the owner of conveyed thanks to all the guests for
cul turally app rop riat e ser vices
soc ial wo rk and is passionate about
Initially,
al bac kgr oun d we re has a degree in ng about positive
Shed 16, Helen from Howick & Pak- showering praise on the recipes used
older people of diverse cul tur
Bajaj, wo rking with the elderly bri to
al uranga Times, Gary Troup (Director by them specially the lamb Rogan
initiated by experienced soc
ial worke r Ind u s. Nilima is also the Gener
uar y 199 4 und er the um - changes in their live two rk and the Pre sident CCO Regional Facilities), Ajit Singh josh and lamb Kabab.
Q.S.M and M.S.W, in Jan Secretary of the Asian Ne Randhawa of Punjabi Cultural As-
n Northern.
brella of Methodist Missio era l of Indian Womens Club.
contact with sev
At the time she came in
migrants of Indian
olderWeekender descent who seemed to be
Indian | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 17
Indian

Address:
145 New North Road, Eden Terrace,
Mt Eden, Auckland
Time:
11.00am onwards
Contacts:
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Zealand Country Section Indian Association, Manukau Indian Association, Pukekohe Indian Association, Waikato Indian Association, Wellington Indian
Association, Taranaki Indian Association
Associate Members
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Zealand Telugu Association Inc, Muth Tamil Sangam Inc, Auckland Malayali Samajam

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18 Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
New GOPIO President vows to improve its image
In recent years, GOPIO (Global Organi-
sation of People of Indian Origin) in New
Zealand has been in the news in Kiwi
Indian circles, having courted a string of
controversies on a range of matters.
But after months of the organisation
being in a limbo of sorts, a new interim
president has been elected pending the
adoption of a new constitution, which is ex-
pected to be ready in March or April 2011.
The new interim president Rakesh
Gupta, who till recently was President of
the Botany Chapter of GOPIO, has been
unanimously elected and has vowed to
bring an end to the favouritism, politics,
controversial appointments and factional-
ism within the organisation.
Mr Gupta said he was not a member of
any political party and hence would try
his best to keep GOPIO apolitical. He also
clarified that the two controversial appoint-
ments made hastily earlier this year had
been disestablished with immediate effect.
Certain unavoidable circumstances
created in the past had been a learning
process for GOPIO, Mr Gupta said. He
would endeavour to do things better in the
future and focus on working for the com-
munity alongside likeminded organisations.
He said he would like to establish mean-
ingful communication with the community
and expressed a desire to work closely with
Indian Weekender toward this end. He con-
gratulated Indian Weekender for providing
positive journalism, which had made the
community proud.
Excerpts of the interview are as under:
IW: On what basis was your appoint-
ment made? Was there an election? What
about other official positions? When will
they be appointed?
Governor-General opens
new St John facility
A new St John building
was opened in Mt Wel-
lington, Auckland, on
December 17 by the Gov-
ernor-General and Prior of
St John, Rt Hon Sir Anand
Satyanand.
It is designed to ac-
commodate 127 staff and
house the services sup-
porting St John in New
Zealand. The existing St
John facilities on the site
which opened in 1984 are
greatly advanced by the
development.
Sir Anand and Lady
Susan Satyanand were
joined by St John vol-
unteers and staff and
members of the commu-
nity for today’s opening
ceremony.
“I acknowledge the
considerable efforts
of service of St John
members past and present
during this, the 125th year
anniversary of St John in
New Zealand,” Sir Anand
says.
The facility has a
strong green focus with the main building
being ventilated naturally rather than air-
conditioned and having external louvres to
help regulate temperature. Rainwater is re-
cycled from the roof for toilet flushing.
The building will provide a common lo-
Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz
Community
Rakesh Gupta: I was appointed unani- and others don’t. GOPIO has been recently linked with the
mously and Satish Sharma remains the area Papatoetoe voter scam. What do you have
co-ordinator and Sandeep Aggarwal is the One convincing argument why one should to say?
Treasurer plus all chapter presidents remain join GOPIO?
on the executive. This is a very unfortunate incident. I was in
Maybe we don’t have one the dark about certain people and personal-
How long has GOPIO been now other than the inter- ities prior to the appointments. Even though
in New Zealand? national networking aspect I was part of the executive that approved the
– but will surely prove our- appointments, I feel that more due diligence
GOPIO started in October selves in the days to come. should have been done before the appoint-
2008, so it has been around ments and they should not have been rushed
for a little over 2 years. Do you have a document- into. I will work towards improving the
ed plan for your activities image and controlling any damage done.
What has GOPIO achieved in the days to come? Those positions have now been disestab-
in these two years? lished and we wish to distance GOPIO from
The top five achievements No – but we will formulate such people and actions.
are: 1. A medical camp to one soon.
provide free tests for dia- There was a new constitution mooted
betes 2. Fund raising for Why did senior execu- with a committee appointed for its draft-
Fiji f lood victims 3. Fund tive members of GOPIO ing? What’s the progress?
raising for slain taxi driver resign recently?
Hiren Mohini’s family 4. A sub committee headed by a lawyer is
Cultural celebrations in- The people who have re- looking into it and hopefully by March or
cluding holi etc 5. Conduct a “ I feel that more due signed did not cite clear April we will adopt this new constitution
workshop on family violence. diligence should have reasons. I feel they resigned which will be followed by fresh elections
due to difference of opinion. for the committee. The existing constitu-
What is GOPIO offering the been done before the tion does not have a proper system of elec-
Indian diaspora in NZ that appointments and There is a perception that tion.
other prominent organisa- GOPIO is a closed, elitist
tions are not? Why should they should not have club because of the way Other GOPIO chapters seem to think
anybody join GOPIO? been rushed into. I some of its affairs have been there is no need for a separate consti-
conducted in the past. Any tution as it already has one. So why the
All existing organisations are will work towards comments? need for a new constitution?
only within NZ and GOPIO improving the image
has an international aspect. Due to short notice by the Some of the chapter constitutions are very
GOPIO through its inter- and controlling any High Commission maybe good but the needs for the national constitu-
national footprint can help damage done.” there were some anomalies tion are different from the chapter constitu-
lobby the Indian Government in the organisation of the tions and hence the need for a comprehen-
for issues affecting NRI’s as Kapil Sibal event. I will work sive national constitution whereby all the
GOPIO international is in constant touch towards ensuring that this perception is financial reporting cycles of each chapter
with the Govt. Of India and use their good changed and everyone feels involved. In the will also be streamlined.
offices to protect the rights of people of future, our actions will ref lect the learn-
Indian origin. International networking and ings we have made from our past actions.
linkages is something that GOPIO provides
Join the St John-Indian Weekender
ambulance project & help the community...
cation for a number
of shared service ac-
tivities for the whole
organisation and re-
solves the need to
provide adequate
accommodation for
various teams who
have been sharing
cramped and tempo-
rary space for years.
“This building
is the latest of many
buildings to provide
shelter for St John
people as they work.
Those who served
before would, I am
sure, be very proud
to see the wide range
of services St John is
able to provide today,”
he says
“In constructing
this building, St John
has developed a splen-
did base for the wider
St John team who
in turn are support-
ing the community
across the country,”
Sir Anand says.
Meanwhile the Indian Weekender Make
A Difference for St John Appeal is going
ahead with enthusiastic response from
members of the Indian community..
19
Indian
Bollywood

‘I didn’t even want Bharat Ratna’

It’s never too late to do what you want to; that’s what Lata Mangeshkar believes in. And hence, at 81, she has
turned a calendar girl. The nightingale of India speaks to Sreya Basu about her new venture
We mostly associate a high-profile
calendar with fashion photographs.
What made you come up with a musi-
cal calendar?
Because I don’t know anything better
(smiles). The idea was Hridaynath’s
(brother). Tere Sur Aur Mere Geet cal-
endar for 2011 contains my photos with
24 music directors I have worked with. I
unveiled the calendar on the 110th birth
anniversary of my father (Pandit Deena-
nath Mangeshkar). So, you can say, it’s
a tribute to him.
This is the second time in a row that
people will get Lata Mangeshkar
calendar?
Yes. Last year (2010), we made the cal-
endar based on our family. For 2011, we
thought of bringing well-known music
directors together. It was very difficult
for us to choose because the directors I
worked with were all geniuses.
How many music composers you
have worked with so far?
When we made a list, I found I had sung
with 115 music directors. Now it’s not
possible to put all of them into one cal-
endar. But the calendar won’t have been
completed without photos of Shankar-
Jaikishan; and times that temple. From there, we shifted to Wal-
Khemchand we used keshwar. The Bombay of that time and
Prakashji, who to love, is the Mumbai of today is completely dif-
first made me still loved ferent. Those days were more peaceful-
sing Aayega by today’s ek shanti aur pyaar ka mahaul tha.
Aanewala for generation. Today, the peace has been replaced
Madhubala People still by tall towers and buildings. There are
from the film love songs thousands of people and lakhs of cars...
Mahal in 1949. composed the peace has escaped from people’s
And how can I by Salil hearts.
forget Ghulam Chowd- The time is so bad today that now-a-
Haidersaab! hury, SD days you don’t even get to hear good
He fought Burman, words from fellow-people. When you
with others RD Bur- read newspapers, you come across so
and made me man and many weird incidents…even news chan-
sing. He gave Hemant nels show incidents that are hard for me
me the first Kumar. to believe…little girls being raped and
chance to sing in 1947. After that, he killed, women are murdered…every oth-
went back to Pakistan. He used to call You often say that you would love to er day there are bomb blasts….how can
me memsaab. Before going, he told me: remain in your past… people become so heartless! The year
‘Memsaab, tumhara itna naam hoga aur I always prefer to reminiscence my past 2010 has not been a good year. In these
tum mujhe yaad karogi’ (you will be very days…I don’t think of the days that lie turbulent times, the only one that gives
famous and you will remember me). ahead of me. I remember my past more me the strength to carry on is God.
vividly than my present.
Music has changed over the years. Is that because, like music, people You have received numerous awards
But do you still find one thread that’s too have changed? in your lifetime. Which is the one
common between the music of your I came to Mumbai in 1945 and since award that you prize the most?
time and the ones we hear today? then, we lived at all kinds of strange I didn’t even want Bharat Ratna. The
There have been a lot of changes in mu- places. At Nana Chowk, there was a love I have got, and still get from public,
sic if you compare ours and your time. Shiv mandir and we used to live in a is my biggest award.
But one thing is there, the songs of our dharmshala-kind of a place beside the

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20 Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Bollywood
‘Dhobi Ghat not Aamir Khan film’
Kiran Rao can’t stop smiling with her debut film Dhobi
Ghat receiving appreciations worldwide even before
it hits the theatres. The writer-director speaks to
correspondent Sreya Basu about her new venture and
of course, husband-actor Aamir Khan

Is Dhobi Ghat a tale of every

Mumbaikar?
I think it’s a very relatable film. It’s an emo-
tional story. But it’s a subtle film, a quiet
film…it’s a slice-of-life sort of a film. It’s
about four people and the city of Mumbai.

What inspired you with the storyline of

Dhobi Ghat?
When I sat to write it a few years back, I
didn’t know exactly what to write. But I
am very inspired by the city of Mumbai.
It’s a muse for me in a sense. Dhobi Ghat
(Mumbai Diaries) is my homage to Mum-
bai and its people - people on trains, in
boats, stuck in traffic, perched on con-
struction sites, sitting by the sea, thinking
of tomorrow. I wrote this script with two
ideas as starting points for this story of
four people adrift in this city.

So, what were the starting points of you

film?
One grew out of the personal experience
I’ve had as a tenant in Mumbai, having had
to shift to a new apartment almost every
year (due to short term tenancy laws). Ev-
ery new apartment I moved to always felt a
little warm from the last occupant, leading
to the idea that I was in some strange way
connected to the people that had lived in
the space before me and would thereafter.
What if they had left behind something to translate it to something closer to the
that revealed to me their life and secrets? film. So, I think Mumbai Diaries is apt as
The second idea was to examine whether far as the storyline of my film is concerned.

You have one of the four Khans of Bol-

lywood in your debut film…
To have Aamir as a producer, actor and
collaborator on the film was my great,
good fortune, and I owe this film to his
unflagging belief and support.

Was it easy to convince Aamir to act in

your film?
You want to know the truth? In the begin-
ning, Aamir was not meant to be in this

it’s really possible in a country riddled with
class and caste prejudice for an upper
class girl to have a relationship with a boy
from a disadvantaged background. While
popular Hindi cinema has championed the
idea that ‘love conquers all’ for the past 60
odd years, does it in real life?
Why did you put Mumbai Diaries as a
tagline for your film?
Actually, we needed an English title when
we took the film to festivals- it was pre-
miered at Toronto International Film Fes-
tival and then showcased at London Film
Festival. Dhobi Ghat is a metaphorical title
(though it’s a location as well) and we had
$
film. It’s a small film and I wanted to do
it with a small crew and unknown faces.
We did a lot of testing for the painter’s
character, but were not getting the right
person. We were talking on the script and
the character when Aamir said: “You can
try me…test kar sakti ho…if you don’t
mind.” (Smiles). And we decided to go for
an audition for him to get an idea how to
play this particular role. After the audition,
his plan was successful as I could look no
further, and had to cast him.
But Aamir Khan is surely the USP of
your film?
Well, there is no amount of warning that
can take away the idea that Aamir Khan
is in my film. So, I have to keep telling
people that ‘look, don’t expect an Aamir
Khan film’. We consciously decided that
this film should not be known as an Aamir
Khan film. The kind of expectation his films
attract is very universal and there is a very
All NZ: 0508 933 546
loyal, loving audience. We didn’t want to
do that because this film is not Aamir’s
traditional kind of films…the kind of films
he usually does. So it was important not to Auckland: 09 621 0520
www.visionasia.co.nz
mislead the audience.

Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 21

Indian

22 Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
‘Acting not profession, B-town heartthrob
Hrithik turns 37
it’s my mehbooba’ Mumbai: Bollywood ‘superhero’ and heart-
throb of millions of females world wide, Hrithik
Roshan, turned 37 last week.
At 75, Dharmendra is giving tough competition to sons Sunny Here are some trivia about the macho
Roshan junior, as he prepares to rejoice the all
and Bobby Deol, dancing in floral shirt with item girls in his important day in his life.
Hrithik debut in the glamorous world of Bol-
new film Yamla Pagla Deewana. The original He-Man of lywood as a child actor in films like- ‘Aasha’,
‘Aap Ke Deewane’, ‘Bhagwan Dada’.
Bollywood in conversation with Sreya Basu Both ‘Bhagwan Dada’ and ‘Aap Ke
Deewane’ featured his father Rakesh Roshan in
the lead role.
What brought you back on the silver Later on Hrithik also followed his father and
screen and that too as a main lead? went on to help his father as an assistant direc-
It has been 50 years that I am part of the tor in films like “Karan Arjun” and “Koyla”,
Hindi film industry. The only force that before making his debut in the blockbuster
‘Kahoo Naa Pyar Hai’ that was directed by his
keeps driving me even today is the love
father.
and support of the people. I am thankful to
them that even after 50 years they have not
thrown me out of their hearts. And I know,
Bollywood
In this exciting career, Hrithik has received
multiple awards besides winning his first inter-
national award at the Golden Minbar Interna-
tional Film Festival for his performance in the
period film ‘Jodhaa Akbar’.
It is said that in the year 2000, on the oc-
casion of Valentine’s Day, Hrithik Roshan re-
ceived an an unbelievable 30,000 marriage pro-
posals. Surely this actor knew how to attract his
female fans.
Hrithik’s list of favourite films include
names like- ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’,
‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’, ‘Sholay’, ‘Pretty
Woman’ and’ When Harry Met Sally’.
In the coming months, Hrithik will be back
with a couple films like ‘Zindagi Na Milegi’,
‘Dobara’ ‘Agneepath’, to spell his magic once
again on the big screen.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy talk
I will be there in people’s hearts forever.
Acting is not a profession for me, it’s my
mehbooba (girlfriend). When she used to

about World Cup song

get angry and keep me away from her, I
used to woo her back and vice versa. She
was angry with me for quite some years,
and I am trying to win her back with this
film Yamla Pagla Deewana.
This is the second film that stars all the
three Deols…
In 2007, I made Apne with Sunny and
Bobby. People were very happy to see us
together in one film. So I decided to gift
them another film, casting all three of us, in
this new year. Apne was a very emotional
picture (film) with a sports background.
People loved it. But this film, there is a lot of
comedy, fights, thrills, and also few good
emotional punches. So, this time, we hope
to bring smile on people’s eyes and tears in
their eyes.
Who is the Yamla (crazy), who is the
Pagla (mad) and who is the Deewana
(lover) in this film?
Sunny, Bobby and me…all have our turns
to play Yamla, Pagla and Deewana.
Your dream to be an actor took you from
a Punjab village (Sahnewal) to Mumbai.
Did you always want to take up acting as
a career?
I dreamt an impossible dream. As a child,
out of my whim, I saw a dream of becom-
ing an actor. Then, before I could realize, I
started filling colours to my dream; and by
the time hum jawaan huye, I got addicted
to films. It was very hard to make it to the
film industry in those days, especially for a
boy coming from a middle-class family. But
my every breath was desperate to fulfill my
dream. I didn’t see any film till Class VIII…
my parents were very strict. I remember,
once some of my friends came back after
watching a film and they were very excited.
I asked them what a film is all about. They
too couldn’t explain; they said ‘Pictures
speak’. When I was in Class IX, the first film
I saw was Dilipsaab’s (Kumar) Shaheed;
and I was spell-bound. I wondered: ‘Which
world do these beautiful people belong to?
Where is this heaven? I too want to be one
of them.”
There was a time when you were among
the top 10 most handsome men in the
world. How did you react to that?
I was excited; but it was hard for me to be-
lieve that how is it possible? How can I be
one of the ten most handsome men in the
world? As for me, I was always dissatisfied
with the way I looked on screen. I always
used to ask my directors for reshoots say-
ing I am not looking good from this angle
or that angle.
Do you think you have been given your
due by the industry?
No…really no and I know I will never get it.
And fault is mine…I didn’t ask for it; I don’t
know the way how to take it. I don’t have
PROs…I don’t know how to develop net-
works. I am unfit to get my dues, perhaps.
Now-a-days, lot of senior stars like Am-
itabh Bachchan, Dev Anand and Sham-
mi Kapoor are on social networking and
blogging sites like Twitter. But you prefer
to keep away from these things. Why?
Blowing one’s own trumpet is a very painful
thing for me. I know I too have to go and
promote my film Yamla Pagla Deewana,
because that’s the trend now. I too won’t
be spared; but I am not comfortable with
these things.
Dubai: With still more than a month
to go, the catchy ICC Cricket World
Cup 2011 song, De Ghumaa Ke, is
already making a big impact in the sub-
continent and beyond. On this week’s
edition of ICC Cricket World audio
show, the composers of song, Shankar-
Ehsaan-Loy, talk about the inspiration
for their hit tune.
As popular and critically acclaimed mu-
sic directors of Bollywood, the trio has
created an upbeat song, with versions
in Hindi, Bangla and Sinhalese that will
feature widely in the build-up to and
during the tournament that will run from
Feb 19 to April 2 in Bangladesh, India
and Sri Lanka.
“We thought
about what
one should
expect of an
anthem, and we
wanted to com-
pose a song
that appealed to
every cross-sec-
tion of society.
“The title De Ghumaa Ke (literally
meaning ‘Hit it Hard’) is a term you
use whether you’re watching your own
local team or Sachin Tendulkar hit a
six. That’s the whole idea, a fun song
that will catch on and we hope it gets
the crowds chanting and dancing in
the stands throughout the ICC Cricket
World Cup,” they say.
Also on this week’s show, newly ap-
pointed New Zealand head coach John
Wright looks ahead to his side’s upcom-
ing series against Pakistan and then on
to next month’s ICC Cricket World Cup.
“Pakistan have proved to be a difficult
opposition who are hard to predict,”
says Wright.
“I think looking at the Test series we
have to bat consistently well, particu-
larly up front. That’s the area we need
to perform on, we need to put good
scores on and then I think we can take
the match, I think it’s critical for this
series.
“I hope we can turn things around for
the World Cup, that’s
my job, it’s the role I’ve
been given. I’m excited
about it and I think if
we get the boys play-
ing to their potential
then we could do well.
We’ve got the talent
available – good
strikers of the ball
and several match-
winners – it just takes a few wins to
rebuild confidence,” he adds.
Zimbabwe’s Grant Flower also talks
exclusively to the show this week about
his retirement from all formats of the
game and the highlights of his career.
“I enjoyed every minute of my career,
I’m fortunate to have played nearly 12
years of Test cricket and a lot of ODIs.
There were a few highs and lows but
one of my greatest moments has to be
winning our first Test here in Zimba-
bwe against Pakistan where I scored a
double-hundred alongside my brother
Andy.

Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 23

Indian
Personality

The soul of
Indian fashion
in New Zealand
arvind kumar
It is not uncommon for the name Roop Darshan
to come to mind when women in Auckland talk
about Indian fashion.
From Navsari to Nausori and now to Auck-
land – it has been a long, and successful, journey
for the pioneers of Roop Darshan, Auckland’s
leading Indian fashion house.
Established in Auckland for the past 16
years, the “soul of Indian fashion” is steeped
in history going back almost four generations
– starting in the vast Navsari City in Gujarat,
India, to Nausori, a small town 20 minutes’
drive from the capital Suva, in the Fiji Islands.
From modest beginnings at its current prem-
ises in White Swan Rd in Auckland, Roop
Darshan not too long ago opened another shop
in Papatoetoe, and has spread its wings across
the Tasman in Sydney, Australia.
From a couple of staff at their small store in
Auckland, the fashion icon now employs more
than 30 staff in the thriving business that has a
multi-million dollar annual turnover.
But, as the people behind the success tell, all
was not so plain sailing 64 years ago.
unbelievable compared to now,” he chuckles.
“In India, 60 rupees was the wages for a
whole month in those days.”
The Roop Darshan patriarch said life in Fiji
in those days was “peaceful”.
“Fiji, under British rule, was quite good, and
things were also very good when Ratu Mara was
Prime Minister of Fiji, but the coups destroyed
the peace of the beautiful country,” Manilal
Harkisan said.
“Auckland is also very nice, and with the
grace of God, we have succeeded here and hope
all is well for the future, too.”
The Present
When Mahesh Kumar, the younger of
Manilal Harkisan’s two sons, turned 17, he
joined the business and Manilal & Sons stepped
into the world of Indian fashion.
The young and dynamic Mahesh, who cur-
rently oversees the Roop Darshan Auckland
operations, injected vitality and a new vision
to Manilal & Sons and nurtured it into a bus-
tling and popular fashion store – turning it into

Roop Darshan pioneer Manilal Harkisan, 83, with his son Mahesh Kumar at their
White Swan Rd shop in Auckland.

a household name in Fiji.

The Past
In the beginning, there was Harkisan
Damodar, who arrived in Fiji in 1947 from
Navsari, Gujarat, to Fiji.
India was on the verge of Independence from
Great Britain and Indians in Fiji had not too
long ago finished serving their “slavery” of the
indentured labour system, better known in the
Pacific nation as “Girmit”.
A tailor by trade, Harkisan Damodar set up a
small tailoring business in Lautoka, in western
Fiji, operating under the banner “F S Solanki”.
A year later, he was joined in the fledgling busi-
ness by his 21-year-old son, Manilal Harkisan.
Father and son burned the candle at both
ends trying to make a living and things were
just beginning to look good when fate took an
unexpected turn.
Harkisan Damodar died suddenly in 1951
and the young Manilal Harkisan closed shop
in Lautoka and spent a couple of lonely years
working in Suva before heading to Nausori to
set up another tailoring shop – thus “Manilal &
Sons” was born in 1953.
Manilal Harkisan, now aged 83, and living
in Auckland, has fond memories of his begin-
nings in the main street of Nausori town.
“Things were a lot different those days,”
Manilal Harkisan told the Indian Weekender
this week.
“We paid about 25 pounds rent a month; ev-
eryone else was paying 15 pounds – that’s quite
After the coups and political instability in
Fiji, Mahesh then moved to New Zealand in
1998 to manage the White Swan Rd shop which
had been started a few years earlier by his older
brother, Vraj Lal, who now heads the family
business in Sydney.
The White Swan Rd store, when it first
opened, occupied just one shop space. Today, it
has taken over the neighbouring four premises.
More space means better display and more stock
and variety.
Today, Mahesh is a content man having
tackled competition in the market and winning.
“We have provided good service and quality
products to our customers, so we have a loyal
base which keeps growing.”
Success meant expansion and January 2009
saw them opening their second Auckland store
in Papatoetoe.
Mahesh has three children – Saagar, 25,
Deepal, 24, and Gavin, 21.
The Future
Enter Saagar Kumar, the University of
Auckland graduate who has joined the business
as Business Manager with BCom and Interna-
tional Business qualifications under his belt.
Young Saagar still remembers the days
when as a youngster he used to accompany his
Dad, Mahesh to the Auckland Airport to collect
cargo.
“It was 1998 and we had a smaller shop at
Saagar Kumar, 25, son of Mahesh, and grandson of Manilal Harkisan, now manages Roop Darshan
store at White Swan Rd, Mt Roskill.
that time and very few staff, so dad and I had
to go to the airport ourselves to pick the cargo,
unpack it in the evenings and price items so they
are ready to sell the following day.
“We were involved in everything, but it was
good as I learned a lot along the way.”
Saagar, who has visions of enhancing the
quality of goods available to customers, attri-
butes their success to keeping a step ahead of
the competition.
“Although it is a combination of factors, I
would say the most important factor is that we
launch the latest fashion first” Saagar told the
Indian Weekender.
“With the advent of TV stations like Star
Plus, customers are more aware of the fashion
trends.”
Saagar said he had noticed that women were
a lot more fashion conscious now, thus giving
rise to more custom-made items.
“We already do that to a certain extent, but
demand is growing.”
Saagar said that one significant point of dif-
ference Roop Darshan had with other fashion
shops was the fact that “we develop a lot of our
own products in India”.
“Dad and I make at frequent trips to India to
meet suppliers and develop new products.”
Saagar also attributes the dedication of em-
ployees to the success of the business over the
years. Nileshni and Sunila were both employed
at Manilal & Sons in Nausori and when they mi-
grated to Auckland, and joined Roop Darshan.
Saagar paid tribute to the efforts of his
grandfather and his dad to for the steady growth
the business had enjoyed over the past decade,
and he was eager to stamp his mark and take it
to the next level.
ROOP DARSHAN
Retailers of fashion Indian
wear and Jewellery
www.roopdarshan.co.nz
1 White Swan Rd,
Mt Roskill, Auckland.
Ph, 09 626 2922.
221 Great South Rd, Papatoetoe,
Auckland. Ph 09 277 2922.

24 Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian

Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 25

Indian
Heritage

India’s first global monk

ram lingam

Swami Vivekananda – one of most admired spiritual geniuses of India is regarded by Indians as the patriot saint of
modern India, a Vedantic Guru with global impact, a nation builder, a source of wisdom, dynamism and spiritual power.
About this great monk, India’s Nobel Laureate and Poet Rabindranath Tagore had said, “If you want to know India,
study Vivekananda. In him everything is positive and nothing negative”.

This dynamic Indian monk born on the January
12 1863, embraced monk-hood at the young age
of 23 after being in the company of a great 19th
century Indian mystic Ramakrishna Paramah-
ansa, became world famous outside India when
he was just 30 years. He attained Mahāsamādhi
at 39 and inspired a generation of intellectuals
including everyday people during and after his
time. The 147th birth anniversary of Swāmi
Vivekānanda falls on the 12th of January this
year.
Many of us know about the Swāmi from our
school text books which mention his famous
‘Sisters and Brothers of America’ speech to
the parliament of religions in Chicago on 11th
September 1893. According to reports, when
the Swāmi began with the address “Sisters
and Brothers of America” the entire audience
of some 7000 people feeling the depth of his
sincerity, rose to their feet, went into a baffling
rapture and clapped that lasted for more than
three minutes.
He went on to say, “It fills my heart with joy
unspeakable to rise in response to the warm
and cordial welcome which you have given us. I
thank you in the name of the most ancient order
of monks in the world; I thank you in the name
of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the
name of millions and millions of Hindu people
of all classes and sects....”
While other delegates spoke of their own
faiths and creeds, Vivekānanda spoke of the
one God of all, the source and spiritual science
behind every faith. The entire speech was like a
crash course on Vedic principles to Americans.
The result of his fiery and eloquent speeches
resulted in the western press calling him ‘The
Cyclonic Hindu’.
Says Swāmi Prabhavānanda who was one
of the pioneer Swāmis of Rāmakrishna order in
When I Asked God for Strength
He Gave Me Difficult Situations to Face
When I Asked God for Brain & Brawn
He Gave Me Puzzles in Life to Solve
When I Asked God for Happiness
He Showed Me Some Unhappy People
When I Asked God for Wealth
He Showed Me How to Work Hard
When I Asked God for Favors
He Showed Me Opportunities to Work Hard
When I Asked God for Peace
He Showed Me How to Help Others
God Gave Me Nothing I Wanted
He Gave Me Everything I Needed
- Swami Vivekananda
of India’s philosophies and her ancient wisdom
America “Vivekānanda’s tour of the United traditions. Reading these volumes, one finds
States also had a revitalizing effect on India. out why he made such a huge impact globally
Previously, those who had gone to the West and why the collected works are considered as
from India were full of apologies for the state of an Indian spiritual encyclopedia. There is not a
their country. He was not.” generation that he hasn’t inspired.
All in all he made two trips to the West, and For Gāndhi, Swāmi Vivekānanda’s influ-
both of these trips were remarkable for the stir ence increased his “love for his country a thou-
and fervor they caused due to the dispelling sandfold. Gāndhi said, “Swāmi Vivekānanda’s
of ignorance about an incorrectly perceived writings need no introduction from anybody.
India especially her spiritual wisdom. During They make their own irresistible appeal.” At
his lifetime, he traveled widely from the U.S. the Belur Math, Gāndhi was heard to say that
across to Europe going as far as Athens, Con- his whole life was an effort to bring into actions
stantinople (Istanbul), Egypt, China, and Japan. the ideas of Vivekānanda”. Pandit Nehru re-
All his speeches, instructions, interviews, marked: “Rooted in the past and full of pride in
writings, letters, poems are available in 9 India’s heritage, Vivekānanda was yet modern
volumes titled ‘The complete works of Swāmi in his approach to life’s problems and was a
Vivekānanda’ which is simply a Bhārat Darshan kind of bridge between the past of India and her
present.”
Among his other achievements, Swami Vi-
vekananda was the first Indian to be invited
to accept the chair of Oriental Philosophy at
Harvard. The Jamshedpur Township where
Jamshedji Tata established his steel factory
was indicated by Swami Vivekananda. He also
inspired Tata to set up the India’s finest scien-
tific institution ~ ‘Indian Institute of Science’
in Bengaluru.
What made Swāmi Vivekānanda so ap-
pealing globally to everyone despite their
race or nationality? What was the philosophy
that Swāmi Vivekānanda propounded? Ac-
cording to Swami Adiswarānanda from the
Rāmakrishna-Vivekānanda Center of New
York, “The message of Swāmi Vivekānanda
was the message of Vedanta”. When asked
about the ‘Vedas - the main scripture of the
Hindus’, Swāmi Vivekānanda replied, “The
Vedas, i.e. only those portions of them which
agree with reason, are to be accepted as author-
ity. Other Shāstras, such as the Purānas etc.,
are only to be accepted so far as they do not
go against the Vedas. All the religious thoughts
that have come subsequent to the Vedas, in the
world, in whatever part of it have been derived
from the Vedas.”
About his philosophy, in his own words
Swāmi Vivekānanda said: “I propound a phi-
losophy, which can serve as a basis to every
possible religious system in the world, and my
attitude is one of extreme sympathy - my teach-
ing is antagonistic to none. I direct my attention
to the individual, to make him strong, to teach
him that he himself is divine, and I call upon
men to make themselves conscious of this di-
vinity within.”

The Hill Temple at Palni – and its reflection in Nadi

Padmini Gaunder
The hill temple at Palni is perhaps the most
famous Subrahmania temple in India. The
legend describing how it came to be is fasci-
nating to say the least.
It goes like this. The sage Narada decided
to visit Siva and Parvathi at their home in
Kailas in the Himalayas. He had one ‘pazham’
(a fruit, usually a banana) in his hand and as
he reached Kailas, the two sons of Siva and
Parvathi, Ganesha and Subrahmanian, went
to him and wanted the ‘pazham’. Narada did
not know what to do as he had only one fruit
and both the boys were demanding it. So he
thought of a solution.
Narada told the boys that as he had only
one fruit he would have a contest and give it
to the winner. He said he would give it to the
one who goes round the world first. As soon
as he heard this Subrahmanian got on his
vehicle peacock and left. Ganesha thought
for a moment. He knew that with his vehicle,
the mouse, he would not be able to beat his
brother. So he went round Siva and Parvathi
once and went to Narada and demanded the
fruit, saying that since They are the world
going round
Them is equal to going round the world.
Narada had to accept His reasoning and give
the fruit to Ganesha.
Meanwhile Subrahmanian went round the
world and came back expecting to get the fruit.
But He saw His brother sitting and eating the
fruit. He became so angry that he had been
cheated of his fair reward that he once again
climbed on His vehicle, the peacock, and left
Kailas. When He did not come back Siva and
Parvathi became upset and went looking for
Him. They could not find Him for a long time.
Finally when They came to the south They
saw Him sitting on a hill with His peacock
beside Him.
Siva and Parvathi were so happy to see
Their son again that They went and hugged
Him saying ‘pazham nee’ which meant ‘You
are our pazham’. They were trying to tell Him
that He got angry about a fruit and left Kailas
but for Them He was more important than any
fruit.
‘Pazham nee’ became Palni. Later a temple
was built there and we are told that is how it
got its name.
Before one had to climb the hill to go and
worship at the temple but about fifty years ago
a winch was built to take the devotees up in
small groups and to bring them down after
offering worship at the temple. The winches
keep going up and down throughout but still
many devotees prefer to climb the steps rather
than take the easy way out. After every set of
steps there is a landing where the devotees can
sit down and rest before going on to the next
climb. If you go with children there are ladies
who come and offer to help with them for a
small sum.
Many devotees climb with ‘kavadi’ a
wooden frame that is carried as part of the
penance.
In Nadi in Fiji the Subrahmania temple was
built by the early south Indian settlers who
established the Then India Sanmarga Ikya
Sangam. When they got the deity from India
they wanted it to look like the deity in Palni.
The festivals that are celebrated in Palni
are also celebrated grandly in Nadi. In January
there is the nine day ‘thirunal’ for ‘Thai
poosam’ and in March again there is the three
day festival, ‘Panguni Uthiram’ Former resi-
dents of Fiji come from New Zealand, Austra-
lia, Canada, USA etc. to participate in these
festivals. Many of them also arrange their
children’s marriages at the temple. For the
south Indians of Fiji the Nadi temple is their
Palni temple. The only thing that is missing
is the hill!

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Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 27

 Indian
Columns
(Part 1 of a multi part series)
Recipe
Common mistakes in KiwiSaver investments. By Ruby Dhillon

RAVI MEHTA
Though this column is equally applicable to all
forms of investments, I have chosen to write
it in terms of KiwiSaver as over 1.3 million
Kiwis are enrolled in it.
Majority of people are totally irrational
about money. They put money in saving ac-
counts/term deposits while continue to have
mortgages/hire purchase/credit card debt.
When it comes to investing, often they look at
short term and make irrational decisions about
their investments.
Most common investment mistakes people
make are-
1. Not understanding the product
2. Looking for quick results
3. Not assessing level of risk
4. Investing too conservatively
5. Not investing soon enough
6. Concentrating only on Scheme Fees outperformed all other asset classes. The
and big name Funds
1. Not understanding the Product.
The most common mistake about KiwiSaver,
people make is that they do not understand
the available products that are different types
of funds and underlying asset classes. Many
people go to bank and choose a fund on the
generalized recommendation of banking con-
sultant or on the basis of past performance of
a particular fund. On finding a fund not per-
forming well over a short period, they switch
to other fund of same provider or switch to
other fund providers. The reason being they do
not understand the nature, expected returns,
time horizons they should look at and the risk
involved in underlying different asset classes
comprised in different funds.
Basically there are 4 asset classes namely;
shares, property, long term bonds (fixed in-
terest) and short term money market instru-
ments (cash). The most common funds are
Growth funds, Balanced funds and conserva-
tive funds. There are other funds like Aggres-
sive and Capital Guaranteed funds as well. In
Conservative funds, the fund managers invest
biggest percentage of funds in Fixed income
and rest in other asset classes, whereas in
Growth funds, biggest percentage is invested
in shares and rest in other asset classes. In a
balanced fund, all the assets classes are fairly
represented.
In case of shares, the returns fluctuate the
most. There are huge swings in share markets
in short periods of time. These may produce
hugely negative returns in few years and ex-
cellent positive returns in other years. But it
is a fact that if we look at last 100 years or
so history of US stock markets, shares have
trends in other developed markets have been
the same.
According to research by FundSource (New
Zealand leading investment research experts),
the expected Real returns in long term from
various asset classes is as under-
Asset Class Real Expected Long term Note: This column is for general guidance
Return % per annum
Equities 5-9
Property 3-5
Fixed Interest 1-3
Cash 0-2
Here Real return means, return after infla-
tion. Suppose you put money in bank deposit
at 5% per year. If the inflation is 3%, per year,
then your real return will be only 2%. It means,
though in nominal terms, you are earning 5%,
in actual terms your capital is growing only by
2% as your purchasing power is going down by
3% due to inflation.
Considering huge fluctuations in share
prices over short periods of time, those invest-
ing in Aggressive or Growth funds must look
for longer term performance, but what people
do is the opposite. When they see the value of
their fund going down in short term, they get
panicky and switch over to other funds.
2. Looking for quick results
Most investments take time to grow. KiwiSav-
er investments are essentially for your retire-
ment (there are few exceptions like withdraw-
al to buy first home etc). One should not get
panicky looking for results over shorter period
of time, but most of people get panicky by not
getting desired results in short term.
To be continued in the next issue
only. Before acting, readers must consult
their financial advisor about their risk toler-
ance and circumstances. The writer or Indian
Weekender is in no way responsible for any
loss suffered by anyone acting on these rec-
ommendations.
- Ravi Mehta is an Auckland based Finan-
cial 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.
Healthy
Methi Poori
INGREDIENTS
l 300gm- Fresh or frozen Methi leaves
l 1 inch- Ginger piece
l 3- Green chilli
l 1/2tsp- Cumin seeds
l 4- Cups of wheat flour
l Oil for frying – preferably Rice Bran
l Oil
l Salt to taste
METHOD
l In a mixer make a paste of Methi
leaves with green chillies, cumin
seeds, ginger and salt.. Add water if
you need to make a paste.
l Knead the flour with the above paste
l Heat the oil in a wok for frying.
l Make small balls out of the dough
and roll them to make pooris.
l Fry them one by one and leave
on absorbent paper for a while to
reduce the oil.
l Serve hot with Aloo Ki Sabzi along
with a wedge of lime, fresh cut onion
salad and green chilli .

28 Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian

&

Present
(c) mahayana films copyright 2011

Releasing on 24 Feb
Only in Cinemas
www.currymunchersthemovie.com
A

Production

Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 29

Indian
Do you know what’s round
the corner?
Oliver Pereira
Usually people curse when paying premiums for
their insurance policies. They consider it a waste
as there is no immediate return or benefit from
making those payments. But it is very rare that you
come across people who complain when the insur-
ance claims are paid out.
Insurance is a precautionary thing, you never
know what’s around the corner.
Having insurance means the difference
between ‘just surviving’ through unexpected
disruptions to life and having the means to make
choices.
Here is just one of the claim stories.
Case Study:
Sam graduated from Law school in 1965 and
after three years post graduate study, started in
private practise. Around this time he met an insur-
ance adviser, who recommended he buy life insur-
ance and income protection.
“I agreed to the idea; but frankly, being young,
fit and healthy, I saw it as a bit of a waste,” says
Sam.
He and his wife soon had two sons and, like
most young families, were “mortgaged up to our
eyeballs”.
“I saw the insurance policies as ‘necessary
evils’, but still I resented those monthly payments.”
As the years went by, their sons grew up, the
mortgage disappeared, and their savings and in-
vestments multiplied. And thankfully, they re-
mained in good health.
“We considered cancelling our insurance poli-
cies, as they seemed of little use. I planned to retire
in another seven or eight years and we could easily
invest the money and at least see something for it.
How wrong I was.”
Sam developed a limp in his left leg, which was
initially diagnosed as an old hamstring injury and
was treated as such.
Despite excellent medical attention, the limp
got worse and to cut a long story short, nine months
later he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
“With this rare condition, the nerves that drive
the muscles die and, as a result, the muscles waste
away, causing progressive paralysis. Eventually,
it affects the muscles that control breathing and is
usually fatal within two to four years.”
At the time he was diagnosed, while he was
limping badly, he was able to continue working.
“The writing was on the wall, however so I em-
ployed an excellent locum, and stopped working.
This ensured that the business remained viable and
that our staff kept their jobs, but it did not provide
us with sufficient money to live on.
At the time of narrating this story both of Sam’s
arms are partially paralysed. Fortunately for Sam
his income protection is proving him and his wife
sufficient funds to live on. And when he dies his
wife will receive funds from the life policies,
which, when added to their savings and invest-
ments, will allow her to maintain a comfortable
lifestyle for the rest of her life
Sam is eternally grateful for the advise given all
those years ago and is relieved to have maintained
his income protection and life insurance policies.
- The above information has been provided
to serve only as a guideline to assist in evaluat-
ing your insurance needs. You are encouraged
to do your own research before arriving at any
decisions.
For further information, please contact:
Oliver Pereira – OPM Insurance Services Ltd.
Ph. 0800 66 77 92, Faxmail. 021 551 669,
Mobile. 021 66 77 92
Email. oliver.pereira@xtra.co.nz
Don’t think of renovating
till you read this
Bobby Banerjee
Seven common mistakes people make while planning
their home renovations
It’s summer again and time to have a look at
renovating your house to suit your changing re-
quirements. However, you need to plan projects
carefully and avoid these seven common mis-
takes, to make renovation a hassle free process.
Three of the seven are covered in this issue:
1. Not putting a plan together
It is almost as expensive to get a build-
ing consent and drawings done for extending
a wall as it is to add a couple of rooms. Think
of future uses, as well as the present one you
have in mind and get it drawn up together. You
will save a lot of time and money. Consider the
purpose of the room and your requirements. For
example, if you are adding an office, you may
want to have a quiet room overlooking the back-
yard rather than the street. If you are planning
a bedroom for a new baby, consider what use
you may find for the room when your children
have grown. Perhaps you hope to start a B&B
or rent out a suite to a student. In either case, it
would be practical to include a bathroom in the
room. What is the traffic flow between the addi-
tion and the rest of your home? A well-planned
traffic flow will make the most efficient use of
space. Hallways are generally wasted space;
careful configuration of doors and entryways
can avoid long hallways. Another consideration
is the distance between the new addition and
key rooms in your home. For example, if you
are building an office and you are a parent who
is working at home, you may want the office to
be placed near the child’s room or the kitchen.
2. Not checking with the experts
Regulations change – for example building
codes are always being introduced and updated.
Column
Don’t be afraid to call in the experts, especially
when working on electric, gas, solar, and/or
plumbing. Is it time to change elements in the
old house, for instance wooden to aluminium
joinery; updating bathroom fittings, new tiles?
3. Not looking at the external holistic design
of the house
The building materials used to construct a
new addition may not match those used in your
existing home. You may need to paint your
home’s exterior, install new siding, trim, and
window shutters and upgrade flooring, counter-
tops and fixtures. Another consideration is how
well the new addition will fit into the existing
architecture of your home. Ideally, the addition
should look like it has always been there. It can
be hard to imagine the final outcome by looking
at drawings. 3-D sketches that can provide a
more realistic view. It’s worth spending the
money at the drawing stage than regret later
when everything is built. To help make your ad-
dition blend seamlessly into your existing home,
you may wish to include similar architectural el-
ements (e.g. gables or a bay window).
Look out for the remaining 4 mistakes in the
next issue.
- For any renovation related queries call
Bobby on 836 0576. Bobby is the director of
Tarzan Design Ltd. providing architectural
design solutions for you in Auckland since the
past 15 years. They specialise in renovations,
new homes and commercial interior refurbish-
ments from preparation of conceptual design to
getting you a building consent

A new start – but it’s

important to keep it going.
Varsha Asrani
Twenty eleven is here ... a new year ... a new walk during breaks for at least fifteen minutes,
start ... time to implement the resolutions we ideally at lunch time could be added to our
have made. routine.

According to research, fitness and taming the
bulge take the number two and three spot
amongst the top ten resolutions in the world.
It’s easy to make resolutions, the challenge is
to stick to them and achieve them. Through
this article let’s learn some tricks to stick to our
weight loss resolution, tame the bulge and get
fit this year.
It is most important to practice fitness activities
each day. It takes between thirty to sixty min-
utes of fitness activity daily to achieve weight
loss results. As mentioned in my previous ar-
ticles the activity could be anything from brisk
walking, running, swimming, playing a sport or
even dance on a popular song. Even breaking
the activity in fifteen minute intervals may do
the trick as long it is practised each day.
Setting achievable goals is an ideal start. It is
important to take baby steps, set goals which
are small and realistic. Setting goals which are
big often causes dissatisfaction and leads to
dropping the ball. A goal of around half a kilo
each week is realistic however you can push
the boundary to a kilo too.
Keep facts in your face; keep a track of what
you eat. It is ideal to keep a note of your food
intake; this will help you easily identify what’s
not needed in your diet.
It is ideal to re-visit some of the tried and tested
techniques, 5+ a day is a good start. A brisk
Zumba, Power Yoga to Bolly-robics, there are
multiple options available just around the cor-
ner to support your resolution. Find an activity
that suits you or even better if you join with like
minded friends and create your own fun physi-
cal activity group.
What you eat is an important part that con-
tributes in your aim to achieve weight loss
and planning your intake starts at the time of
buying, learn to read labels. Join a group that
trains in label reading, for more information visit
my website.
It is easy to identify barriers that can derail your
plans and a bad day should not act as a deter-
rent to you plans.
Think and act positive, it is better to say, I will
do this rather than I won’t or I can’t. Find a
mentor who can support and motivate you
with your plan. There is professional help
available of course at a cost, but as they say...
all good things come for a price. These one-off
cost are a great investment that can prevent us
from the stress that complements obesity.
This article is a general guideline ONLY. Please
see a health professional for individual condi-
tions and needs.
Varsha Asrani is a New Zealand Registered Dietitian.
For personal consultations she can be contacted
on 0210524353. For any questions, suggestions or
views please email her on info@varshaasrani.com.

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32 Indian Weekender | January 21, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz