Indian Weekender 8 September 2017

08SEPTEMBER2017 | Vol 9 Issue 25

Rohit Takyar

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Who are we ?

We are the party of the common man. We are your voice. No matter who you are, and where you have come from, we are here to help.

What do we as New Zealand People’s Party stand for ?

We have people coming to our party office from all over the world. People with rosy pictures of life shown and promises made to them for a beautiful life with their families in New Zealand. All coming to this country in pursuit of a peaceful, secure future that they dreamt of when they made a choice to leave their respective countries. There are so many who have gone through nightmares dealing with myriad issues from a diverse cross section of the population. It is on a daily basis that our candidates hear out people with shattered minds, tearful eyes and completely crushed and failed hopes. Some students, some skilled migrants, some families with little children who have been living in the country for a few years having residency applications being declined and some who have just come and their businesses attacked by robbers and criminals. So many have been cheated and conned by different agents and immigration consultants here and in their own country of residence. They come knowing there is no one to help them out and these are the people we meet regularly. All with a common grievance. They all have been failed. Failed by the system and suffering their unknown fate in New Zealand.

Mr S came to us after his application for skilled migrant visa as a Retail Manager was declined by immigration. The concerns that the Immigration New Zealand had were that he was not really a manager but a sales representative. Therefore not eligible to be granted a permanent residence. We have him a lot of time and counselled his family and helped him by guiding him to take another opinion with another immigration lawyer. This time his appeal was taken to the higher authorities and he finally had his visa granted.

Mrs Wang come to us in a hysteric condition having been attacked in her shop in Manurewa when she was alone. She had called the cops but got no response. She had no one else to ask but somehow she came to the Nzpp party office. After pacifying her and calming her down, the party office candidates went back with her to her shop, called the cops and this time they came to assess the situation immediately.

The Police has been walking around that street now on a regular basis and she able to manage her shop with less fear and more peace of mind.

Our job is to help. We are not here to just win this election. We are here to be of assistance to the people. We are your friends. To us, politics is honesty, ethics and trust and that alone is our only motto.

Authorised by A. Sharma, 258 Balmoral Road, Sandringham Auckland

08SEPTEMBER2017 | Vol 9 Issue 25

Dev Dhingra

Labour Party

Parineeti Chopra

Fund Master honoured

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Rohit Takyar

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The Indian Weekender

Malayali Samajam host mega

Smiles galore at Eid celebrations

¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

Onam celebrations in Auckland in Auckland

T

he Auckland Malayali Samajam, which has never failed in wowing its community members, has transcended cultural barriers and spread the celebrations across different communities.

The Auckland Malayali Samajam was the first is the world to celebrate Onam in a parliament outside India.

The parliament in Wellington on Thursday, August 3 hosted Onam with the Malayali community members across the country and also released a commemorative stamp to mark the historic event.

On Saturday, September 2, the Samajam hosted a massive Onam event at Mahatma Gandhi Centre that exhibited colours, dances and music of ‘God’s Own Country’.

The event witnessed the presence of Mayor of Auckland Phil Goff, Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett, Leader of the Labour Party Jacinda Ardern, multiple award winning Indian composer and musician Jerry Amaldev who came as a special guest from India for the event, National List MPs Kanwalijit Bakshi, Dr Parmjeet Parmar, Labour Party MP Michael Wood and Labour Party candidate for Maungakiekie Priyanca Radhakrishnan.

The event commenced with the popular traditional Tiger Dance (Pulikali) where dancers and drummers marched from the end of the hall towards the stage that was hailed with cheering and applause.

Mayor Phil Goff felicitated Mr Amaldev, who is a three-time Kerala State Film Awards

T

winning composer of film scores and has given music to some of the most important Malayalam films.

Darpanam 2017, a magazine about the Malayali community in New Zealand was also released on this occasion by MP Kanwaljit Bakshi at the event.

The event continued with an award ceremony and cultural dance and musical performances by the young community members.

he Muslim community in New Zealand celebrated Eid-ul-Adha on Saturday, September 2.

Community members started the celebrations by offering 2-rakat obligatory congressional prayer at Mosques or Eidgahs and then feasting during the day.

New Zealand Eid Day, a not for profit organisation hosted a mega Eid celebratory event at the Eden Park on the Eid day for the community members to come and enjoy the festivity.

Two big halls at the Eden Park Stadium were reserved for the prayer services, separately for men and women. According to the customary practice, Taqbeer (verses from the Holy Quran) were recited in a loud voice by the attendees present before the prayers started.

The Eid Salah, which is a special 2-rakat prayer with 12 Taqbeer was conducted by Hazim Arafeh, President of FIANZ (Federation of Islamic Association of New Zealand).

Beating the wet and windy weather, more than 7,000 men, women and children gathered at Eden Park Stadium to attend the Eid prayers, and another 5,000 people came in through the day for the small carnival arranged within the stadium premises for the visitors.

Henna, Islamic books and study material, scarves and hijabs, and Islamic artefacts were on display to engage the visitors. Children enjoyed the bouncing castles, face painting and the visitors enjoyed the lip smacking snacks and delicacies at the venue.

The purpose of such event venues is to get all the communities not just Muslim but also friends and families of the Muslim community

to visit and learn as well as be a part of this multicultural event.

It is important for the able and earning adults to sacrifice an animal (cow, goat or camel) on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, the meat of which is divided into three equal parts. One part remains with the family, another part is distributed among friends and relatives, and the third part is given to the poor and the unfortunate.

Eid-ul-Adha is the second biggest festival of the Muslim community after Eid-ul-Fitr, and it is this occasion when the Haj pilgrimage is made in Mecca.

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5 3

Emotions run high in Kiwi-Indian candidates’ election debate ¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH

E

lection debates are in fashion, with emotions running high, and the Kiwi-Indian candidates’ election debate organised

by Indian Association New Zealand (IANZ) on Saturday, September 2, was no different.

Emotions ran high in this debate, especially on the questions of law and order and immigration, with some members of public entering in a heated exchange of words with the candidates, requiring immediate intervention by moderators, organising committee and other members of public.

Clearly, it was a blinder, which many in the audience might have missed the drama by a whisker.

However, what such “public bickering between political leaders” as Jacinda Ardern had publically said on Newshub leaders’ debate the other night, proved beyond doubt, was that immigration and law and order are the two most important issues for the Kiwi-Indian community.

Interestingly, these two issues were not debated as

passionately as some of the other issues in two leaders’ debates between Prime Minister Bill English and Labour leader Jacinda Ardern on TVNZ 1 and Newshub respectively.

Though anti-immigration sentiments are overflowing in this election with calls for arbitrarily closing doors of New Zealand, but what is being missed is the point that such calls around immigration affect lives of individual people and communities.

Thus leaving the responsibility on the wider Kiwi-Indian community to lobby against any knee-jerk policy on immigration and bottom-up their collective

voice on this important issue affecting one and all in the community.

Election debates are usually expected to swing from serving the entertainment, to service to the community, like a pendulum on an imaginary utility-pendulum (if anything like that exists).

Bigger the election debate, preferably broadcast live on national TV, the potential of serving entertainment exceeds the element of service to the community, provided voters do not necessarily stack their votes on election debate.

However, for the KiwiIndian community and by and large other ethnic communities, the scope of such election

there are two times in life... now and too late!!!

d e b a t e s are more a service to the c o m m u n i t y, a n d entertainment quotient, if any, is a bonus.

T h e community needs to comprehend key political messages of each political party, and sometimes this is best achieved by directly hearing local ethnic political representatives in each party rather than from mainstream political leaders.

In this regard, this debate organised by Indian Association of New Zealand and supported by Humm FM and The Indian Weekender was a success as it brought five contenders from main political parties vying for the Indian community’s votes.

The contestants included Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi of the National Party, Priyanca Radhakrishnan of the Labour Party, Mahesh Bindra of New Zealand First, Raj Pardeep Singh of the Green party and

Roshan Nauhria of the New Zealand People’s Party.

The debate started with a two-minute free run to each candidate to explain their respective political party’s vision for New Zealand followed by a more nuanced conversation on specific issues such as the economy, health, housing, immigration and law and order.

Candidates expectedly were following the trajectories of their respective political parties and leaders.

While National’s Kanwaljit Singh beat the drum of economic progress, surplus budget, and record levels of low-unemployment, their nemesis, Labour’s Priyanca Radhakrishnan passionately advocated the cause of low productivity in the New Zealand economy, poverty and inequality.

Mahesh Bindra had the task of challenging the notion of New Zealand First party being racist and xenophobic and Raj Pardeep Singh – a first timer in politics had his task cut out for helping the Green Party get into Kiwi-Indian voters.

Roshan Nauhria of New Zealand People’s Party, the relatively new political party, claiming to exclusively represent ethnic migrants sought to impress voters on election promises on immigration and law and order.

To what extent did they eventually succeeded remains to be determined in future.

But, the debate was an appreciative initiative that brought to the fore an important point that a lot more is needed to educate the Kiwi-Indian community about key policies of major political parties.

“The narrative for the Indian community is changing,” Veer Khar, IANZ Diversity Centre Chairperson told The Indian Weekender.

The debate was collectively moderated by the trio of Ajay Vashist, Ram Lingam, and Roy Kaund.

At the end, a straw poll was taken to determine voter trends which returned with National at 40 per cent, Labour at 34 per cent, NZ First 12 per cent, Greens at 9 per cent and NZ People Party at 5 per cent.

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25-year old Indian missing in Auckland ¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

A

25-year old Indian man has been reported missing since Tuesday, August 29, when he failed to return back home in Ellerslie, Auckland.

He was last seen at Mission Bay – a seaside suburb of Auckland city, around 11:30 a.m. on the same day.

Ramireddy Malapati was living with his friends in Ellerslie and had gone to Mission Bay with his roommate who dropped him near the Mövenpick ice cream parlour.

According to Mr Malapati’s roommate Srikanth Subireddy, Mr Malapati travelled to Mission Bay almost twice a week to meet his friend or his lawyer.

“He would say that he is going to meet his lawyer and sometimes his friend and my roommate Gopi would drop him there,” Mr Srikanth told The Indian Weekender.

Mr Srikanth added that he would usually go in the afternoon and return by 10 or 11 p.m. in the night, but he failed to return home on August 29.

“He asked me to drop him at Mission Bay as he wanted to meet his lawyer and I did, hoping that he would return on his own at his usual time, but he didn’t,” Mr Gopi added.

When Mr Malapati did not return, his roommates called him on his number, texted him on phone, Whatsapp and Facebook but got no response. They assumed he would have stayed at some of his friends’ place that night.

Mr Srikanth then contacted his family in Hyderabad on Thursday hoping he would have called there, but he hadn’t. Mr Srikanth then contacted Mr Malapati’s employer in Mt Wellington who confirmed that Mr Malapati

did not come work for the past two months.

On Friday, September 1, Mr Srikanth and his other roommates then lodged a missing person complaint with the Auckland Police.

The Auckland City District Police had earlier on Monday, September 4, appealed to the public through its Facebook post to help police provide any information on the whereabouts of 25-year old Ramireddy Malapati.

At the time of going to print, there was no known whereabouts of Mr Malapati.

According to Mr Malapati’s other roommate Bandi Gopinath, Mr Malapati started living with them since August this year and said he was working with a private company in Mt Wellington.

Mr Malapati came to New Zealand in December 2014 on student visa to study IT and was classmates with both Bandi Gopinath and Srikanth Subiredy at Ntec, a tertiary education provider in Auckland CBD. The visa status of Mr Malapati is not known to his roommates.

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Friday, September 08, 2017

FTA with India is a priority for NZ, says Trade Minister

5 7

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¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH

T

rade Minister Todd McClay has reaffirmed New Zealand government’s commitment to signing a Free Trade Agreement with India.

“India is a priority for me.

“I have been engaged in talks with the former Minister for Trade of India, and we both have agreed to put more personal political effort into the ongoing negotiations.

“Now I am very hopeful that in the next three years of National government we would be able to deliver the agreement with India,” Minister affirmed.

The Minister was speaking at a business event hosted by India New Zealand Business Council (INZBC) in Pullman Hotel, Auckland, on Thursday, September 7.

INZBC is the premier trade organization in New Zealand working for over 25 years to build trade relations between India and New Zealand. Earlier in the week, The Minister had visited The Indian Weekender studio and spoken about his intent to signing a quality trade deal with India.

“We have modernised our trade strategy for the next 10 to 15 years and announced Trade Agenda 2030 earlier this year.

“We have set up an ambitious goal of having free trade agreements cover 90 per cent of New Zealand’s goods exports by 2030, up from 53 per cent today.

“That means we have to complete the trade agreement with India because India is a big and fast growing market,” Minister McClay said.

“There is a good opportunity there, and India should not view New Zealand economy as a threat. We have a lot of things that Indian economy wants.

“The probability that New Zealand economy can impact agricultural production in India is zero.

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¡¡ N. GURU DUTT

A

fter three terms and minus the charisma of its previous leader, the National Party looks increasingly weighed down by jadedness wrought by the burden of incumbency as campaign ’17 approaches crescendo.

There is nothing new and novel in National’s bag of tricks.

Whatever is being presented as new seems an afterthought – a bunch of hurriedly cobbled initiatives that are more reactive than proactive with a strong whiff of expedience, eyes firmly on the elections. Bill English’s surprise billion dollar child poverty announcement at the second televised leaders’ debate is a case in point.

Labour has exploited this to the hilt. In that debate on TV3, Jacinda Ardern repeatedly asked Bill English, “But why has it taken nine years?” and “Thank you. We have been pushing for this for nine years,” to peals of applause from the studio audience.

Clearly, National’s policy makers, like everyone else on the political firmament, have been caught unawares by the Jacinda juggernaut. And that has sent them scurrying back to the drawing board and to more rounds of number crunching, mostly in response to Labour’s policy pronouncements than coming up with something original.

Unfortunately for National, that number crunching has been flawed. Hurried, sloppy work has landed Steven Joyce in a spot of embarrassment having picked a non-existent $11 billion hole in Labour’s budgeting. None of the nation’s leading economists have been successful in finding that hole – on the contrary many have actually lauded Labour for the transparency it has shown in its budget. Mr Joyce finds himself in splendid isolation, with a nary a voice of support even from his own party.

Ms Ardern and her finance spokesman Grant Robertson have asked Mr Joyce and National to apologise to Kiwis for what they see as an attempt to mislead them.

National’s trepidation at Labour’s phoenix-like rise has seen Mr Joyce’s communications team go for the jugular on Labour’s policies. Almost every media release coming from his office has critiqued Labour’s policies rather than selling National’s own. While critiquing the opposition is a timetested campaign strategy, solely concentrating on it is clearly a sign of nervousness.

Adding to National’s staid,

unexciting policymaking and lacklustre campaigning are the same old faces that seem unable to see the straws in the wind. National still seems reluctant to acknowledge the immensity and severity of the housing problem and Auckland region’s public transport issues.

In an age where voters around the world are rooting for leaders who take firm stands and not politically correct wishy-washy non-stances, National’s leadership seems content with doing exactly that. In the debates it has shown ambivalence on a number of issues in contrast to Labour’s readiness to take a stand.

Ms Ardern’s hardline retaliatory stand on Australia’s treatment of Kiwi students is a case in point. So are the ones on cannabis and abortion.

While National seems to have run out of ideas to renew itself, the Jacinda effect has hit the reset button for Labour. National is burdened by the weight of having to defend its rule of nine years and the growing perception that it could have done much more for the country.

Labour is selling the dream of the future – only a dream at this stage, nonetheless. Labour has a fresh, new, young face, just as in Canada, France and Ireland where voters have put their weight behind younger leaders. It is symptomatic of a voter tired of the status quo and more than willing to risk backing untested, inexperienced young leaders.

But can Labour continue its juggernaut into the Beehive merely on the basis of vision? It’s new leader is inexperienced, never having held a ministerial role or even being part of government. Youth is on her side. Something that will appeal to younger voters who increasingly find it difficult to relate to the old guard of the baby boomer era and therefore have tended to exclude themselves from the electoral process.

Labour’s promises on tertiary education and housing will also find favour with the young. And for the Doubting Thomas not easily swayed by campaign spin, the big tick that their budgeting has received from leading economists, especially in response to National’s criticism – now all but debunked as flawed if not mischievous – gives those promises much needed credibility.

What this new young leadership does not have though is the heft of experience of National’s old guard and Mr English’s redoubtable reputation for navigating New Zealand through the doldrums of the global financial crisis. He is proven as a superb Man Friday. But his record as leader has been less than flattering, having led National to its worst ever defeat in 2002.

That is the cross that Mr English and National will find increasingly heavy to bear as what more and more looks like a two-horse race reaches the finish line on September 23.

The Indian Weekender

VERDICT 2017 - SPECIAL FEATURE

Friday, September 8, 2017

9 7

Bill vs Jacinda second debate: What if English would have ruled out Winston Peters completely? ¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH

T

he second leader’s debate was not just fiery and competitive but was compelling in many other ways.

One such compelling moment was when Prime Minister Bill English had to come out and make a bold commitment to reducing child poverty in New Zealand by about 30 per cent, which roughly comprises 100,000 children in next two or three years.

Was this commitment, a wellplanned and thought out strategy or something that was spun out at the heat of the moment and well extracted by Newshub Political Editor Patrick Gower could not be known immediately.

However, it would definitely oxygenate Mr English’s personality with much-needed compassion in countering the rising popularity of Jacinda Ardern to some extent.

So far Ms Ardern has successfully established a monopoly on “compassion and vision” for New Zealand.

Mr English at the debate was able to make some inroads into Ms Ardern’s claim of compassion for New Zealanders.

Clearly, pressure is on Mr English to hold the ground after nine years of being in government and facing a rising Jacindamania.

Clearly, pressure is on Mr English to hold the ground after nine years of being in government and facing a rising Jacindamania.

In that regard, Mr English is following a strategy of accentuating on policies while intermittently showing passion and adding to personality to entice voters.

This election continues to be debated around the question of personality versus policies with two leaders Prime Minister Bill English

and Leader of Opposition Jacinda Ardern seeking to emphasise their strengths and making inroads into strengths of their opponents.

Another fascinating moment of the debate that could have been even better was when both leaders were asked about what they will be putting on the table while negotiating with Winston Peters after elections.

Surely, Mr Peters is another personality that would have a significant impact on the outcome of elections, to the extent that he was discussed in the leaders’ debate despite not being a participant or present on the occasion.

It is interesting to ponder what if one of the leaders in the debate would have dramatically ruled out Winston Peters in any post-election government forming negotiations.

Raj Singh Candidate for Manukau East

Raj is the founder and Principal of a South Auckland based law firm who wants to share his professional success by giving his community a voice and representing them in Parliament through his work with the Green Party.

He is passionate about policy, law, effective communication and leadership, education and immigration.

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Jacinda Ardern is already riding on a high tide of popularity driven by her charisma to revive Labour’s fortunes from an abysmal 24 per cent to a high of 43 per cent to mount the first real challenge in nine years to change the government. In essence, she would not want to gamble big time to risk this new-found position of being in government.

Moreover, she has already taken the lead and demonstrated audacity to rule out deputy Prime Ministership and the Finance Minister’s portfolio for Mr Peters to lure undecided voters. Another statement could have gone wrong as an ambitious overstatement.

However, Mr English did not have any such baggage of previously ruling out Mr Peters and is in much need of political oxygen to keep Jacindamania at bay.

Another outright commitment on the night, calculated, or on the spur

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of the moment, could have added a much-needed iota of charisma on Mr English’s personality to lure back some undecided voters who might have gone to Labour following Jacinda’s charisma.

Anyway, the cost of being in government adds an appearance of complexity and lack of forthrightness in one’s responses and hence risk of being seen as indecisive. Mr English had many such brain-fade moments on questions of one single policy for Maori, one single issue to march for New Zealanders and many more.

By ruling out a septuagenarian, Mr Peters, boldly and decisively would have covered much ground for Mr English.

Earlier in 2008, John Key had ruled out Winston Peters, which had then wiped out New Zealand First to propel National back into power.

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VERDICT 2017 - SPECIAL FEATURE

Friday, September 8, 2017

The Indian Weekender

Labour launches new Contact Ethnic Communities Labour’s Ethnic Communities Team Policy Email Michael.Wood@parliament.govt.nz Email Ethnic.Communities@labour.org.nz Phone 09 373 3332 Address 85 Grafton Rd, Auckland NZ 1010

¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH

T

Michael Wood MP Spokesperson for Ethnic Communities

Jacinda Ardern MP Labour Leader

Authorised by Jacinda Ardern MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

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Jenny Salesa - Speaking Out for You

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Vote 11-23 September Vote SALESA, Party Vote LABOUR

he Labour Party has launched a new Ethnic Communities Policy promising a more supportive and fairer environment for the ethnic communities in New Zealand under a new Labour government after election.

The Policy was announced by Michael Wood, Labour Spokesperson for Ethnic Communities on Thursday, September 7, in Manukau, South Auckland.

“We recognise in particular that ethnic communities in New Zealand seek opportunities to live in safe communities, to succeed and contribute back to New Zealand, to be treated fairly and on their merits, and to build lives in a respectful and tolerant community,” said Michael Wood, Labour Spokesperson for Ethnic Communities.

Among other things the Party is committing to upgrade the current Office of Ethnic Affairs to the Ministry of Ethnic Communities.

The Party is promising 60 new community patrol cars over the period of next three years to keep community safe.

The Party is also promising to establish a unit of twelve Victims of Crime Advocates who will be empowered to co-ordinate government agencies to provide swift and co-ordinated support to victims.

This will be at the cost of $1.2million opex (operational expenditure) per year ongoing.

It seems that the Party has also taken a note of growing number of stories in media and public life where large numbers of highly skilled migrants are not able to be absorbed in New Zealand economy and secure decent employments relevant to their skills forcing many to drive taxis and doing other relatively less skilled jobs.

Labour is promising to conduct a high level review of the reasons why highly qualified migrants are often not able to get jobs in their fields of expertise and develop policy initiatives to remove barriers.

The Party is also offering to run a two year scheme within the public service to ensure that there are equitable opportunities for diverse communities to advance to senior positions.

There is a provision for a ‘blind’ job application process for senior positions in public sector.

Key Highlights: • Deliver 1000 new frontline community based police officers to work at the community level, deterring and solving crime.

• Deal with the root causes of crime, providing jobs, education, and hope for young people so that they become productive members of society • Establish a unit of twelve Victims of Crime Advocates who will be empowered to coordinate government agencies to provide swift and co-ordinated support to victims.

• Provide financial support to Community Patrols NZ to deliver twenty new patrol cars each year for three years, and twelve paid volunteer co-ordinators to increase the reach of community patrols on local streets.

• Work with police and the Ministry of Justice to provide guidelines to small business owners about their rights when confronted by offenders.

• Run a voluntary trial civic engagement course for new and recent migrants to support their participation in New Zealand’s civic life and access to community services.

• Conduct a high level review of the reasons why highly qualified migrants are often not able to get jobs in their fields of expertise and develop policy initiatives to remove barriers • Within the public service run a two year pilot scheme to ensure that there are equitable opportunities for diverse communities to advance to senior positions.

• Structured mentoring for public servants from ethnic communities who want to develop their careers.

• The development of a programme that proactively encourages diverse communities to apply for senior positions across the state services • ‘Blind’ job applications for senior positions in which name and country of origin are removed from the initial job application.

'Fund Master' honoured ¡¡ IWK BUREAU

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und Master, one of New Zealand’s leading financial services companies has won two prestigious awards last week.

Fund Master was awarded 1st place in the 2016 BNZ Adviser of the Year and earned the third place in the 2016 Home Loan Adviser of the Year.

This election is a choice, a chance to take this new voice of fresh appeal to be part of the government.

New Zealand People's Party, as the name suggests is a party for the people. It is a voice of for the people. A party that is all about you.

We are a righteous, relentless representation of your community and we are raring to go. All we need to make it happen is your PARTY VOTE. Anil Sharma General Secretary

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VERDICT 2017 - SPECIAL FEATURE

12 10

Friday, September 8, 2017

The Indian Weekender

National Increasing elective Fair immigration is surgeries to 200,000 a year critical: NZPP That’s tens of thousands more life changing operations such as joint replacements, cataracts, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi cancerous skin lesions and National Party List MP cardiac surgeries – and we are committed to doing more.

Over the next four years we will s New Zealanders live longer, access to elective surgery is increase the number of elective becoming more important surgeries by an average of 5,500 more operations a year meaning we will be than ever.

Over the next four years National doing 200,000 elective surgeries a year will further increase the number of by 2021/2022. elective surgeries to 200,000 a year, To support this National will ensuring access to life-changing increase spending on elective surgery operations like hip replacements for by $30 million per year for the next thousands more New Zealanders. four years, rising to $120m per year Under National, access to elective by 2020/21 – part of our record surgery has increased every year, and investment in health. we will continue to do more.

As I said in this column earlier health Elective surgery makes a real is our top funding priority, with a difference to patients and their record $16.8b to be invested this year families – it reduces pain, restores an extra $888m on last year. independence and improves quality of We are investing in primary care, life. screening and early interventions Health has been National’s top because catching issues earlier helps funding priority in Government, and increase our chances of successful our strong economy has allowed us to treatment. continuously increase access to worldWe have increased free and cheap class health services like elective GP visits and prescriptions, there are surgeries in a sustainable manner. more doctors and nurses than ever, When we came into office there and we are tackling mental health and were 118,000 elective surgeries being addiction issues. delivered each year and they were We’re delivering thousands more increasing by only 1,400 a year. elective surgeries and specialist Under National the number of assessments, and lifted Pharmac elective surgeries carried out by DHBs funding to record levels, meaning has increased by 56,000 to 174,000 more access to world-class medicines. surgeries every year and they’re • Cheap GP visits for 600,000 low expected to reach 178,000 this year. income Kiwis

A

• We’ll implement our new mental health and addiction plan, supported by $224 million in funding.

• Supporting mums and babies, with a free dental course for pregnant women and mothers of under 1s, and making a third free IVF cycle available to eligible couples who don’t fall pregnant after their first two funded cycles.

• Complete the redevelopment of the $463 million Acute Services Building and the new $72 million Outpatients facility in Christchurch • Complete the new $78 million Grey Base Hospital in Greymouth • Build Dunedin a new $1.2-$1.4 billion hospital. Provide additional mental health facilities at the Mason Clinic in Auckland. Establish a School of Rural Medicine to support rural New Zealand • Increase the number of elective surgeries to 200,000 a year over the next four years.

• These are significant increases and demonstrates our commitment to further increasing access to healthcare for New Zealanders.

• Only National can manage the economy while also continuing to increase access to the world-class health services people need.

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in. They are two different issues. The parent category Roshan Nauhria should be open again.

Leader, New Zealand Also on the question People's Party of how would our party deal with the future of egarding a question asked international students who have to me by one of the debate landed here in the hope of gaining organisers on if our party permanent residence, my response in favour of cutting immigration would be that students who are numbers my reply would be that already here came under the we are not too concerned about impression that studying in New the numbers. What we want is fair Zealand is a pathway to residency.

But this opportunity has been immigration. What we promise we backtracked. You are backstabbing need to deliver. If there are people them - which is not right. who have been given a promise and We need to offer these students they have come to our country based an open work permit if they are on that, then we have to respect willing to take up courses which that and take care of them. If we address our skill shortages. Once cannot do that, then we must not let they finish their course, we can anyone come in till we are not sure. then give them a work permit so The serene government is being that they can work anywhere. indecisive and bringing a very bad Next question was if we are name to the country. They need to bringing in Migrant workers long term to fill our skill shortages take a stand on one option. I would should they be offered permanent say immigrant bashing had to be residency? stopped. We have to let immigrants Again I would say yes. If come as they are important for the you give them a work permit, it economy. And we need to take care implies they are good workers. So of them also. We can’t bring them why don’t we want to give them and take their money and then send permanent residency here? We them back home. might want to give them a 2-year The number of people being work permit after which if they can allowed to come over will change apply for permanent residency after it can go up and down - depending the required vetting – checking their on the requirements of the economy. medical history, criminal conviction If you want to reduce the number if any and a good reference from the of people coming over, then don’t employer etc. also reduce the families coming

R

Lua and Jenny Mangere

The Indian Weekender

NEW ZEALAND

Friday, September 08, 2017

SOUTH LINE

News-in-brief from South Island

Over 850 attend Christchurch’s Ratri before Navratri

13 11

Social Sensation by the Fiji Association in Christchurch

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rganised by the Christchurch branch of Atmiya Youth Group, a wing of the Yogi Divine Society (YDS) New Zealand, the city’s annual Ratri before Navratri festival held last Saturday was a big success with attendance exceeding 850.

Dipak Kalidas, an They active member of also noted that YDS and the main apart from celebrating organiser of the the age-old festival of festival said, Navratri, their motive for “We started this organising these annual events is yearly affair in to spread the YDS’s message of 2012 and have Ratri before Navratri in Christchurch selfless service to mankind and grown since living in harmony with self, then. We do it wearing the best A star attraction at the festival was in two parts. First friends, family, society and costumes Neel Patel, winner of MIK Tarana is the Ratri before environment.

They also noted that Idol 2015, who sang dandiya raas Navratri celebrations apart from celebrating and garba melodies continuously for which was held last the age-old festival of almost four hours.

Saturday, followed by the main Navratri, their motive for organising Mr Kalidas, who is a multievent on September 23.” these annual events is to spread the talented musician himself, was at The organisers and main event YDS’s message of selfless service the Octapad, ably supported by Ravi sponsor – Guruji Food Mart also to mankind and living in harmony Maisuria, lead percussionist at Taal acknowledged and gave prizes to the with self, friends, family, society and Productions – a music production best dancing groups as well as those environment. company.

Dancers at Christchurch Fiji Association's Social Sensation 2017

T

he Christchurch Fiji Association – an organisation formed in 2002 to initiate, promote, support and maintain cultural, religious and educational needs of the Fiji and Pacific migrants and their children – organised it’s annual Social on September 2.

Vinesh Prakash, Secretary of the Association said, “Attended by over 200 members, the event saw karoake and dance performances, as well as the traditional Fijian drink and food

being served. It was a good gathering, and a precursor to our main event next month, which will be the Diwali celebrations.

“The event gave an opportunity to our kids to display their talents.

In our Association we appreciate all artists and don’t judge them. No screening is done. People just come and perform.

This has fostered a community spirit and helped us succeed year after year.”

singing from pre-schoolers, the organisers added.

In line with the message of Eid, the food that was not served was donated to the Help the Homeless

for distribution. \Notably, the Muslim Association of Canterbury had also organised an Eid pot-luck picnic on Sunday at the Groynes, which was cancelled due to bad weather.

Eid-ul-Adha celebrated in Christchurch

T

he city’s Muslim community gathered at the Cowles Stadium on the morning of September 2, to offer the Eid-ulAdha prayers. Later, on Sunday, the

Canterbury Muslim Community Trust (CMCT) organised an Eid Breakfast event, which was attended by over 100 people. The well-attended event was by registration with free catered

meals for a diverse multicultural cross section of the Christchurch Muslim community, CMCT said.

The event included a super kids speech competition and some great

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The Indian Weekender

Bollywood with a twist of EDM

B

NEW ZEALAND

Friday, September 8, 2017

ollywood parties in Auckland are bookmarked by most Indians—and Kiwis—in the city.

A recent rise has been seen over the past few years and DJs spinning crowd-favourite dance tunes in popular clubshave now become a common sight on most weekends. Joining this night scene is Page 3—an entertainment company that is gearing up to bring some of the best of Bollywood music but with a twist. And the man behind the decks this time is DJ Robin.

While back home, club parties have seen

a revolution with EDM fused with desi music, it is something that the Indian crowd has yet to experience in New Zealand.

And that is what is on offer with Page 3’s first event. DJ Robin moved to New Zealand from India more than seven years ago and quickly became a part of the Auckland night scene.

In his home country, he worked as a full-time DJ and was seen at a number of Bollywood celebrity events. Today, he is often seen playing in clubs such as Lenin, Underpass, and Hangar

Onam celebrations concludes in Christchurch

in Auckland. He has more than 14 years of experience under his belt, specialising in House, Hip-hop, and Electronic music, and has a good ear for urban Bollywood music.

Talking about the music he likes to play, DJ Robin said, “Every party has a vibe of its own.

Music is a universal language, and I make sure that the crowd and I share the same vibe. The crowd guides me to the selection of the tracks and the genre I play.”

Apart from his full-time job, DJ Robin runs a successful film and photo company called

13

Pause Films and Photo and is working on aninternational Tech House and Psychedelic music festival, which is still under wraps.

But before he hits the international stage, catch DJ Robin spinning the latest hits at La Zeppa in Auckland on Saturday, September 9 (10 p.m. onwards).

Tickets are priced at $25 (general), $45 (couple), and $50 (VIP) and can be purchased by texting/callingSanchit at +64 21 0677283.

For more details, check out Page3’s Facebook page.

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China Southern $ 1080* (20 Jul to 30 Nov 2017 & 08 Jan to 13 Jul 2018) King Mahabali makes an appearance at Kerala Cultural Forum's Onam celebrations in Christchurch_picture courtesy Councillor Jimmy Chen

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he city’s Malayali community gathered again on Saturday, September 2, to celebrate the festival of Onam under the umbrella of city-based social and cultural organisation Kerala Cultural Forum.

Dinesh Kumar Chattikal, President of KCF, said, “With over 450 people attending, this was one of the biggest ever Onam celebrations "It in the Garden City. is a harvest As expected, the festival, and is highlight of the day was celebrated with joy the delicious feast of and enthusiasm all over Onam called 'Onam the state by people of Sadya', and thanks to all communities. The Binoy Kuriakose and celebrations here were his team for preparing wonderful. such delicious and mouth watering food, which was praised by one and all.”

The chief guest of the day was Christchurch City Councillor Jimmy Chen, who said, “I was delighted and honoured to attend the Onam festival at Middleton Grange School today. I got to know that Onam is the biggest and the most important festival of the state of Kerala.

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The gathering also appreciated Vibi Krishna and his team for an outstanding stage décor and pookkalam [floral carpet].

“This time, we also introduced a KCF achievement award, whose first recipient was Uma Verma and her dancing school Revathi Performing Arts. This was in recognition for her devotional work for classical dance in Christchurch,” added Mr Chattikal.

Among others, the organisers also acknowledged Mr Rajeshwar from the Telugu Association South Island for helping them during the event.

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Editorial

Election and debates: What’s in it for the migrant communities?

N

ew Zealand is well entrenched into election fever right now with debates taking centre stage of the country’s political life.

Almost every second day there is an election debate somewhere in our proximity and almost every time served live on television, radio and Facebook.

Undoubtedly, the leader’s debate between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition continues to attract more attention than others and for obvious reasons.

The nation collectively exhilarates, even if momentarily, after every round of such debates guessing who the winner was and by what margin.

The actual debates are being followed by social media frenzy, next day lunch time gossips at work place, at bars over a drink and even few more days, for the more enthusiastic politics watchers among us, till the next debate hits on them.

To many Kiwi-Indians, who still carry some memories from their old life from India – a place that many still call as their original home – this fervour may remind about their own insatiable appetite for discussing heroics of the Indian cricket team.

Indians have a huge appetite for following heroics of Indian cricket team live in the stadium, then watching on television, repeat telecasts and then reading again and again in newspapers and social media.

This is separate from the lively and often animated discussions on the public transport on their way to work and back to homes.

Surely, there is a huge and much-cherished appetite for cricket among the broader Indian community.

Coming back to elections, these debates are the current toast of the nation, and KiwiIndian community is no different except the fact that they might find less “beef or meat” as they say here in New Zealand to remain glued for long to such debates.

For some observers beyond our communities, laying out such an expectation that “what’s in it for migrant communities,” it might be a little bit boisterous, if not outrageous.

However, there is no escaping from the fact that such expectations are inevitable and should be welcomed rather than viewed with any aspersions.

Migrant communities and Kiwi-Indian community, in particular, have an equal stake, if not more than others in this country’s politics.

They need to participate in the political process of the country, especially in shaping the narrative about immigration, which has a huge potential to affect their day to day experience in their lives in this country.

The current narrative on immigration propelled by both major parties – National and Labour Party is not very helpful.

While Labour Party is calling for radical chopping of numbers of immigrant workers on the pretext of catching up on infrastructural woes of Auckland, and this is despite some whopping shortage of skilled labours across all major industries around the country.

The National Party though boasting of being the only party in favour of keeping immigration open is, however, guilty of perpetuating, or allowing to perpetuate, a negative stereotype that most of the immigrants arriving in this country are low-skilled and of less value, who are willing to work on low-wages to remain in this country.

There is no denial of the fact that there are, and there would be, many vulnerable migrant workers who would submit themselves to be exploited by shoddy employers to remain in this country.

But not everyone in the migrant community, in fact, an overwhelming majority, do not subscribe to the current perception where they are seen being conveniently clubbed as low-skilled workers who are playing an insignificant role in New Zealand economy and society.

This narrative has to change, and for that to happen, it is critical that migrant communities engage proactively in the electoral process of the country.

Towards that goal, leaders debate are a good starting point for the community to get involved in the election process and ask the question “what’s in it for me?”

Thought of the week “There is no royal road to anything.

One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures.” – Josiah Gilbert Holland Auckland Weather forecast for the week Sept 9 – Sept 15, 2017

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu A monring shower, some sun

Mostly cloudy with little rain

14° 8°

14° 8°

Mostly Partly sunny Some sun Partly sunny A periods cloudy, a with a with a with a of rain little rain shower little rain shower

14° 8°

14° 10°

18° 8°

14° 8°

18° 8°

This week in New Zealand’s history 8 September 1862 First Albertland settlers arrive in Auckland

T

he Matilda Wattenbach brought 352 Nonconformist (non-Anglican Protestant) immigrants from England. Another 315 arrived on the Hanover a week later, and six more immigrant ships had arrived by 1865.

8 September 1954 New Zealand signs Manila Pact

T

he South-East Asia Collective Defence Treaty, or Manila Pact, aimed to contain the spread of communism in the region. The South-East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was the institutional expression of this treaty.

12 September 1914 Forty-three miners killed in explosion at Huntly

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t 7.20 a.m. an explosion at Ralph’s mine on Raynor Rd rocked Huntly. Fortunately, it was a Saturday and only 60 men were at work instead of the weekday shift of 250.

13 September 1933 New Zealand’s first woman MP elected

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he Labour Party’s Elizabeth McCombs became New Zealand’s first woman Member of Parliament, winning a by-election in the Lyttelton seat caused by the death of her husband, James McCombs (one of the first Labour MPs, he had held the seat since 1913).

Indian Weekender : Volume 9 Issue 25 Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited Managing Editor: Bhav Dhillon | bhav@indianweekender.co.nz Content Editor: Sandeep Singh | sandeep@indianweekender.co.nz Chief Reporter: Swati Sharma | swati@indianweekender.co.nz Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | rizwan@indianweekender.co.nz Chief Reporter—South Island: Gaurav Sharma Chief Technical Officer: Rohan Desouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz Sr Graphics and Layout Designer: Mahesh Kumar | mahesh@indianweekender.co.nz Graphic Designer: Yashmin Chand | design@indianweekender.co.nz Accounts and Admin.: 09-6366306 | accounts@indianweekender.co.nz Sales and Distribution: 022 3251630 | sales@indianweekender.co.nz Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent the views of the team at the Indian Weekender Kiwi Media Publishing Limited - 133A, Level 1, Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland.

Printed at Horton Media, Auckland Copyright 2017. Kiwi Media Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved.

16

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Friday, September 8, 2017

Denouement at Doklam: India must take long-term measures

ADMIRAL ARUN PRAKASH (RETD)

A

ccustomed as we are to shrill hyperbole in India's public discourse, the description of the tense Himalayan face-off as the "incident at Doklam" and its denouement as "expeditious disengagement of border personnel" by the Ministry of External Affairs came across as refreshing examples of phlegmatic understatement.

The diplomatic finesse shown by India stood in stark contrast to the Chinese spokesperson's gauche declaration that India had "pulled back all the trespassing personnel and equipment".

Political pundits and diplomatic analysts are likely to spend days deciphering the hidden meanings underlying the Chinese conduct and

dialectic, seen and heard during the past six weeks. The common man has, understandably, heaved a sigh of relief at the (short-term) resolution of a dire crisis; an eyeball-toeyeball confrontation between two major military powers and nucleararmed states. The Chinese do not risk the outcome of a conflict on a single clash; they plan elaborate multiple strategies and the patient accumulation of small gains. Doklam was, by no means, India's last confrontation with China and there is, thus, no cause whatsoever for our soldiers, diplomats and political leadership to become complacent -for four reasons.

Firstly, our 1962 military defeat was due to the egregious misreading of China's intent by India's political leadership. Fifty-five years on, clarity and resolve are still lacking

vis-a-vis our strategic stance and policies towards an increasingly bellicose China.

This seeming diffidence is partly rooted in a fear of the unknown, our profound ignorance about this huge neighbour. We have neither created a substantive pool of Mandarin speakers, nor fostered many organisations dedicated to researching China's history, culture, economy, industry and strategic thought. With bizarre perversity, we have been spurning the huge window, into China, that a willing and cooperative Taiwan has been offering to us, for years. We need to stop groping in the dark and create strategies to counter China's longterm intentions.

Secondly, China, translating its enormous economic gains into coercive military power, expects

neighbouring nations to voluntarily submit to Chinese hegemony. This is a clear echo of the distant past. In 416 BCE, when the mighty Athenian state overpowered the tiny island of Melos, it had delivered an ultimatum, using a similar chilling phraseology: "The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must."

Servile personalities like Philippine President Duterte have given China false illusions of grandeur and power by kowtowing for economic gains.

These illusions have been reinforced

by America's aborted "pivot to Asia" and ineffectual "freedom of navigation" operations by US Navy.

The artificial South China Sea islands are here to stay and China knows that possession is nine-points of law.

PLA Colonel Liu Mingfu's 2010 book, "China Dream", provides many pointers. It defines China's national goal as to become "number one" in the world, but rejecting the "peaceful rise" thesis, it advocates a "military rise" along with its "economic rise". A part of the "Chinese dream of national rejuvenation" is the establishment of a "unified global system", or Empire, termed tianxia in Mandarin. Order, in this system, is maintained under the aegis of a hegemon state, which dominates by virtue of its acknowledged superiority.

According to former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the Chinese have been shrewd practitioners of realpolitik and follow a strategic doctrine distinctly different from the rest of the world. Followers of the game of chess or "shatranj", Indians think in terms of striking

The Indian Weekender blows, decisive battles and finally checkmating or claiming total victory over the opponent.

The Chinese counterpart of shatranj is the game of "wei-qui", based on "surrounding pieces" and "strategic encirclement". Opponents seek empty spaces and building up of strength, surrounding and capturing opposing pieces. While chess encourages single-mindedness, weiqui generates strategic flexibility. Let us learn to play wei-qui.

Thirdly, while patting ourselves on the back for deft diplomacy, let us not forget that we have had a close call.

While our gallant armed forces could certainly have given a "bloody nose" (so eagerly sought by militant TV anchors) to the PLA on many fronts, a general war or even a limited clash would have been equally damaging to both nations and their economies.

Let us, also, remind ourselves that the PLA is undergirded by a militaryindustrial complex, established in the 1950s, which is a prolific producer of missiles, tanks, fighters, warships, submarines and ordnance. While the world has an inkling that the "Make in India" project is awaiting take-off, the feckless office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India saw it fit to choose this juncture to reveal every single shortcoming in India's half-full arsenal.

Avoiding knee-jerk responses, let us undertake long-term measures to ensure that our armed forces are always equipped and ready to fight a 30-day "intense war". Let us also find ways to prevent statutory bodies like the CAG from endangering national security.

Licensed REAA (2008)

INDIA

Modi promotes four to cabinet, inducts nine new faces in govt 18

Friday, September 8, 2017

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our Ministers of State – Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sithraman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi – were on Sunday promoted to the Cabinet and nine new faces including four former bureaucrats became Ministers of States as Prime Minister Narendra Modi expanded the union council of ministers.

The promoted ministers and the new faces were administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Ram Nath Kovind at a 35-minute ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, attended among others by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and family members of the some new ministers.

The new Ministers of State are former diplomat Hardeep Puri, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (MP), former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satya Pal Singh (MP), former bureaucrat K.J. Alphons as well as Ashwini Choubey, Shiv Pratap Shukla, Virendra Kumar, Anant Kumar Hegde and former union Home Secretary R.K. Singh (all MPs).

Sunday’s exercise did not involve BJP allies including the Janata DalUnited.

The portfolios of the new and existing ministers – if any of them gets a new ministry – will be known after Rashtrapati Bhavan issues a press communique on recommendations of the Prime Minister, who left for China after the swearing-in ceromony.

Pradhan (Petroleum), Goyal (Power), Sitharaman (Commerce and Industry) and Naqvi (Minority Affairs) were Ministers of State with independent charge. Suresh Prabhu appeared to indicate that he will no longer be the Railway Minister.

“Thanks to all 13 Lacs plus rail family for their support, love, goodwill. I will always cherish these memories with me. Wishing you all a great life,” he tweeted.

Cabinet ministers Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Dharmendra Pradhan at the swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi

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Rajnath Singh: Minister of Home Affairs.

Sushma Swaraj: Minister of External Affairs.

Arun Jaitley: Minister of Finance; Minister of Corporate Affairs.

Nitin Jairam Gadkari: Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of Shipping; Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Suresh Prabhu: Minister of Commerce and Industry.

DV Sadananda Gowda: Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

Uma Bharati: Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Ramvilas Paswan: Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

Maneka Sanjay: Gandhi Minister of Women and Child Development.

Ananthkumar: Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers; Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.

Ravi Shankar Prasad: Minister of Law and Justice; Minister of Electronics and Information Technology.

Jagat Prakash Nadda: Minister of Health and Family Welfare.

Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati: Minister of Civil Aviation.

Prabhu had offered to quit after last months’s rail accident in Uttar Pradesh claimed 23 lives. Among the new entrants, four are former bureaucrats.

While Puri and Alphons are not members of Parliament, R.K. Singh and Satyapal Singh are members of Lok Sabha. Four others are from

“Demolition Man” when as DDA Commissioner he undertook a campaign against unauthorized constructions in Delhi scrapping 15,000 buildings, is a former IAS officer who joined the BJP in Kerala.

As a Collector, Alphons played a leading role in making Kottayam the first literate town in the whole country in 1989. He is the first BJP person from Kerala in the central government after the veteran O. Rajagopal.

R.K. Singh, a Lok Sabha member from Ara in Bihar, was union Home Secretary during the UPA rule and served in various capacities.

14. Anant Geete: Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

15. Harsimrat Kaur Badal: Minister of Food Processing Industries.

16. Narendra Singh Tomar: Minister of Rural Development; Minister of Panchayati Raj; Minister of Mines.

17. Chaudhary Birender Singh: Minister of Steel.

18. Jual Oram: Minister of Tribal Affairs.

19. Radha Mohan Singh: Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

20. Thaawar Chand Gehlot: Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.

21. Smriti Zubin Irani: Minister of Textiles; Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

22. Harsh Vardhan: Minister of Science and Technology; Minister of Earth Sciences; Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

23. Prakash Javadekar: Minister of Human Resource Development.

24. Dharmendra Pradhan: Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

25. Piyush Goyal: Minister of Railways; Minister of Coal.

26. Nirmala Sitharaman: Minister of Defence.

27. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi: Minister of Minority Affairs.

the Lok Sabha and one is from Rajya Sabha. Puri, who was India’s Permanent Representative at the UN, joined the BJP ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election. An officer of the 1974 IFS batch, he is known for his experience and expertise in foreign policy and national security.

Alphons, who earned the sobriquet

Satyapal Singh, an MP from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, was Mumbai Police Commissioner and is also known for his work in Maoistaffected areas of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

He was credited with breaking the backbone of organised crime syndicates in the 1990s.

The Indian Weekender

Teachers are the best category of nation builders: President

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resident Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday, September 5, said teachers are the “best category” of nation builders but noted there is a dip in the standard of education because teachers are running away from their responsibility.

After meeting teachers who received awards on the occasion of Teachers Day, he said: “You are the best category of nation builders.

India is a diverse nation... bringing all children to the mainstream is the responsibility of teachers.”

He also said that it was “important that our children should be taught to be good human beings first and imbibe the values of honesty and integrity” because it was “only then will they excel in the profession they choose”.

Kovind however said that there is a dip in the standard of education because “teachers are running away from their responsibility”.

He also called on teachers to try to understand the family and financial background of students so that they can bring all students to the same level.

“Children in schools are from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Teachers need to take care of this. They should make an effort to understand the child’s family background and minimise disparity among the students of a class.

“Without understanding the background of every student, uniformity cannot be brought,” he said in his speech in Hindi.

Pointing out that many teachers gave extra tuition to those who paid for it, he said it was like “selling education”.

“As per Indian tradition, education is not sold, it is given as a gift. If you convert it into tuition or coaching, what would be the difference in a trader and a teacher? You would be selling education,” he said.

India-Russia friendship rock solid: Sushma President assures full support for Women’s Reservation Bill

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he friendship between India and Russia is solid like a rock, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday, September 7.

According to a tweet by the Indian Embassy in Russia, Sushma Swaraj also said that there was no way this friendship could get weak.

Earlier in the day, she addressed the third Eastern Economic Forum, which is aimed at improving relations between the international investment community, Russian business and federal and local governments.

It is also aimed at making a comprehensive expert assessment of the economic potential of East Russia, as well as the improvement of the competitiveness and investment attractions of the region, both at the Russian and international levels.

Sushma Swaraj also held a meeting with Yury Trutnev, Deputy

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Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj smile during their meeting at the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia

Prime Minister and Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District.

Her visit here follows Indian

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June this year.

resident Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday assured a delegation of women’s groups of full support for the speedy passage of the womens reservation bill as it sought his backing for gender equality in politics.

The delegation updated Kovind on the present status of women in governance and the immediate passage of the bill.

The President extended his full support, said a statement released by the delegation.

The delegation was led by Ranjana Kumari, Director Centre for Social Research. The other members were Sara Pilot, Chairperson, CEQUIN, Ranu Bhogal, Director (Policy, Research and Campaign), Oxfam, India; Vinodhini Moses, National General Secretary, YWCA of India and Gayatri Sharma, Director, Women Power Connect.

“We have got a very good response at the highest level of governance and sincerely hope that we will get the bill passed this year.

"Women’s groups will leave no stone unturned, and step up their campaign in the coming months,” said Ranjana Kumari.

The statement said: “Even after 70 years of Independence, crime against women is rampant and gender equality is completely lacking in every sphere of society.

The status of women is best reflected in the political sphere, where women hold mere 12 per cent seats in Parliament and an average of 9 per cent in state assemblies in India.”

“Women’s groups believe that unless there are more women in politics, their concerns cannot be addressed consistently and effectively,” it added.

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SPORTS

Kohli stars as India thrash Sri Lanka 20

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irat Kohli led from the front with some explosive batting as India thrashed Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the one-off Twenty20 International at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday, September.

Kohli plundered 82 runs off just 54 deliveries, smashing seven boundaries and a six as the visitors chased down the 171-run target with four balls and seven wickets to spare.

Manish Pandey gave Kohli excellent support from the other end. The righthander from Karnataka brought up his maiden half-century in T20Is and remained unbeaten on 51 with four boundaries and a six studding his 36-ball innings.

The duo put together 119 runs between them off 77 deliveries after the early departure of Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Lokesh Rahul.

By the time Kohli fell to young pacer Isuru Udana – caught by Dasun Shanaka while trying to clear the mid-wicket fence – the Indians were on the threshold of victory, with 10 runs needed off nine balls.

For Sri Lanka, veteran fast bowler Lasith Malinga, Seekkuge Prasanna and Isuru Udana took a wicket each.

Rohit and Rahul had put the visitors off to a promising start. But Rohit virtually threw away his wicket with a poorly attempted slog off Malinga, which saw Thisara Perera running in from mid-on to latch onto the skier.

Rahul departed exactly three overs later thanks to a brilliant diving catch by Dasun Shanaka at cover off Seekkuge Prasanna’s bowling.

But that was the last bit of celebration that the Lankans will manage for a long time as Kohli and Pandey came together to ensure a comfortable victory for India.

Friday, September 8, 2017

Pandey hit the winning runs in style, hitting Thisara Perera for a boundary to the mid-off fence which also brought up his half-century.

Earlier, Sri Lanka rode on Dilshan Munaweera’s 29-ball brisk half century to post 170/7.

Put in to bat after a rain-

delayed start, the hosts lost the opening duo of skipper Upul Tharanga (5) and Niroshan Dickwella (17) within the first five overs to totter at 46/2.

India’s T20 specialists –Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah – gave the visitors a perfect start to remove the opening duo.

Bhuvneshwar got rid of Tharanga with a perfect in-swinger as the ball crashed into his middle stumps before Bumrah, who was bludgeoned for three boundaries in his first over, came back to castle Dickwella in the fifth over of the innings.

Coming in at No.3, Munaweera (53 from 29 balls, 5*4, 4*6) saved the hosts from the blushes with a fighting half century that came off 26 balls before all-rounder Ashan Priyanjan’s unbeaten run-a-ball 40 helped them to a

The Indian Weekender

healthy total.

Munaweera and Priyanjan’s 37-run stand for the fourth wicket was the only highlight of the Sri Lankan innings which once again derailed at a crucial juncture, thanks to the Indian spin duo of leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and chinaman Kuldeep Yadav.

Towards the end, all-rounder Isuru Udana slammed an unbeaten 10-ball 19 but more importantly chipped in with a 36-run undefeated eighth-wicket stand with

Priyanjan to help the Sri Lankans go past the 150-run mark.

Chahal was the wrecker-inchief picking three for 43, while Kuldeep (2/20) applied the brakes on the hosts’ scoring as India aimed to finish off their tour on a winning note.

Kohli's scores in last ten successful T20I chases

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The health benefits of coconut The Indian Weekender

FEATURES

Friday, September 8, 2017

C

oconut is a natural fruit with many benefits for the health.

Coconuts are highly nutritious, rich in fibre, and packed with essential vitamins and minerals. They have become a very hot and versatile food commodity and are being used in everything from our daily cuisine to our beauty regimens.

From culinary creations to magic beauty portions, they pack a good punch. They are one of the wonder foods on earth and amply provides for all human needs and have multiple health benefits.

These benefits include lowering cholesterol, healing, stabilizing blood sugar, hydration, and replacing blood plasma in an emergency.

Considered to be one of the most treasured foods, coconuts products – including coconut flesh, coconut oil, coconut water, coconut cream, and coconut milk, each deliver superb health benefits.

Coconut oil is most popular for its hydrating properties. It is suitable for all skin types and good for dry skin, dry patches and wounds, say experts.

Beauty benefits of Coconut oil

Beauty benefits of coconut oil ¡¡ Coconut oil can be used as make-up

remover as it is mild and gently removes all kind of make-up including waterproof make-up as well. ¡¡ It can be used on body as well for massage and relaxation. As massage oil, its most important property is hydration and glow. ¡¡ Most of the moisturisers available in the market are water or petroleum based, coconut oil, on the other hand, is completely natural and a much better moisturiser for the skin. Coconut oil

21

the oil, and you can literally soak into its moisturising benefits. ¡¡ Rub coconut oil on minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises. The oil calms the area and creates a barrier against dirt and bacteria.

Benefits of Coconuts ¡¡ Healthy heart: coconut helps to

fights redness and irritation so it reduces acne while leaving your skin conditioned from within. ¡¡ Using coconut oil regularly underneath and around your eye area can prevent wrinkles and reduce puffiness and undereye circles. ¡¡ Mix honey and coconut oil in equal parts and apply it as a face mask. The mask will help to clear acne and keep skin soft and glowing. ¡¡ You can mix coarse sugar with coconut oil and use it to exfoliate skin, the grainy sugar will slough off dead skin and the oil

will leave the skin moisturised.

¡¡ Instead of bubble baths and bath salts,

provide healthy short chain and medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) that are essential to good health. Close to 98% of all fatty acids consumed are long chain fatty acids (LCFA) which have negative effect on cholesterol ratios. MCFA have no negative effect on cholesterol ratios and help lower the risk of atherosclerosis and protect against heart disease. Unlike other fats, the unique properties of coconut also contain a large amount of la-uric acid, which is the predominant fatty acid found in mother’s milk. ¡¡ High in dietary fibre: coconut supply an impressive 61% dietary fibre. There are two types of fibre: soluble fibre which consists of starch and sugar and promote calories, insoluble fibre which contains no calories. Since the body cannot digest the dietary fibre in coconut, no calories are derived from it and it has no effect on blood sugar. ¡¡ Quick energy boost: coconut is utilized by the body to produce energy rather than store it as body fat. It promotes healthy thyroid function and helps to relieve symptoms of chronic fatigue. It also supports improved endurance during physical and athletic performance.

try using coconut oil. The hot water melts

For more information about how we can provide health insurance for you and your family please contact advisers@nib.co.nz or speak with your financial adviser.

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Health insurance designed for you

22

FEATURES

Friday, September 8 2017

The Indian Weekender

RECIPES

coriander leaves and salt. Mix well.

¡¡ Divide the mixture into equal portions

Malai Kofta

Soft potato dumplings in a luscious nutty sauce

K

oftas were brought to India by travellers from Persia according to anecdotes and sure enough, the Persian word ‘kōfta’ describes mincemeat and spices rolled into balls. There are as many types of koftas made as there are regions – possibly even more. In contemporary cooking, they can be served as dry finger food, on skewers or swimming in gravy. In this recipe, koftas made of potatoes and paneer meet a delicate gravy of cream (malai).

Preparation: 20 min Cooking Time: 45 min Serve: 6 Taste: Mild

Ingredient: ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡

For the koftas 3 medium potatoes 100g paneer 2–3 green chillies, puréed into a paste 1 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tsp cardamom powder 1/2 tsp red chilli powder 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped Salt, to taste

¡¡ 2 Tbsp raisins, for the filling ¡¡ 1 Tbsp cashew nuts, chopped, Oil, for ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡

deep frying 1/2 cup cornflour, for coating koftas For the gravy 1 Tbsp cashew nuts 2 tsp poppy seeds 1 Tbsp water, as required 1 Tbsp butter 2 medium onions, chopped 1 tsp garlic paste 1 tsp ginger paste 4 medium tomatoes, chopped 1 tsp red chilli powder 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tsp garam masala powder 1/4 tsp turmeric powder Salt, to taste 1 cup water 1/2 cup cream 1 Tbsp butter 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Method:

For the koftas

¡¡ Boil potatoes until tender, then peel and mash them.

¡¡ In a large bowl, mash and crumble the

paneer with your fingers until soft. Mix in the mashed potatoes . Add green chilli paste, coriander powder, cardamom powder, red chilli powder, chopped

September 8 to September 17 | By Manisha Koushik Manisha Koushik is a practicing astrologer, tarot card reader, numerologist, vastu and fengshui consultant based in India with a global presence through the online channels. She is available for consultations online as well. E-mail her at support@askmanisha.com or contact at +91-11-26449898 Mobile/Whatsapp: +919015607139 • www.askmanisha.com ¡¡ Aries (Mar 21-Apr 20) There is a fifty-fifty chance of getting a break that you so eagerly want. Some promising career options may come to those looking for suitable employment. You will be able to achieve what your heart desired on the professional front. A timely loan may save some from an embarrassment. Raising money for higher education will not be much of a problem. You are likely to adopt healthy options to achieve total fitness. Catering to somebody’s mood is required.

Lucky Number- 17 / Lucky Colour- Purple ¡¡ Taurus (Apr 21-May 20) You will need to be at your persuasive best to get what you desire! Family’s support will help you in thinking something big on the financial front. Someone that you find harsh on the social front may have a soft heart, so don’t make opinions in haste. You may be held responsible for a deed that you have not committed at work.

Academically, you may find things improving.

An exercise routine may look discouraging, but will help bring you back in shape.

Lucky Number- 5 / Lucky Colour- Dark Red ¡¡ Gemini (May 21-Jun 21) Developments on the professional front appear favourable. Luck may favour you on the academic front in getting something that you desperately want. Some problems being faced on the personal front are set to get resolved.

Returns from property and investments will keep your coffers brimming. Your efforts towards maintaining good health will be richly rewarded. You may plan a trip out of town for something urgent in the coming weeks.

Lucky Number- 22 / Lucky Colour- Royal Blue ¡¡ Cancer (Jun 22-Jul 20) Getting a leg up on a rival is only possible if you play your cards well. You will be torn between professional and domestic commitments, and may find it difficult to prioritise things. Pressure on the work front may mount, but you will be able to counter it well. Some of you may remain occupied trying to figure out ways to make a quick buck. Needless risks are best avoided by those romancing on the sly. Health remains satisfactory.

Lucky Number- 7 / Lucky Colour- Golden ¡¡ Leo (Jul 21-Aug 22) Preparations for a journey may keep you busy.

A new mode of conveyance is set to ease your commuting problems. Putting money in property now is likely to prove a goldmine at a later date. You are likely to develop romantic feelings for a co-worker in the office and receive positive signals too! Expenses may need to be brought under control. You will need to pay more attention to your health and make efforts to keep yourself fit.

Lucky Number- 3 / Lucky Colour- Saffron ¡¡ Virgo (Aug 23-Sep 23)

V E G E TA R I A N

and roll gently with your hands into golf size balls (koftas).

Make a hole in the centre of the kofta with your finger, press some raisins and cashews into the middle and seal the edges. ¡¡ Heat oil in a deep pan on a medium heat. Spread the cornflour onto a plate. Roll the individual koftas in the cornflour to coat evenly. Deepfry in batches until golden-brown in colour.

Remove from oil and drain them on a paper towel. Keep aside.

For the gravy

¡¡ Place the cashew nuts and poppy

seeds in a food processor and grind them into a smooth paste adding little water at a time. Keep aside. ¡¡ Heat 1 Tbsp of butter in a heavybottomed pan, add onions and fry until they turn golden-brown in colour. Add garlic paste, stir, add ginger paste and sauté for 2–3 minutes. ¡¡ Add chopped tomatoes, stir and sauté until soft. Add chashew nuts and poppy seeds paste to the onion masala, cook while stirring for 2-3 minutes or until oil surfaces. Take the pan off the heat. Once it cools, purée the sauce into a fine paste with a hand-blender. Keep aside. ¡¡ Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a heavy bottom pan. Add the puréed masala to the

India’s Most Wanted Recipies | 77

Ruby Dhillon

Don’t trust anyone blindly, who promises you the moon. You will financially be in a position to upgrade an expensive gadget. A good advice will let you seize an investment opportunity.

An evening out with lover is indicated. Loving bonds are likely to get strengthened for newly married couples. Children are likely to brighten the domestic atmosphere. Shifting to a new house is indicated for some. Health remains perfect by being regular in your daily exercises.

Lucky Number- 15 / Lucky Colour- Turquoise ¡¡ Libra (Sep 24-Oct 23) An enjoyable time is foreseen this week. You are likely to have fun travelling with family.

Those searching for suitable accommodation may find luck shining on them. Minor ailments can trouble you. Your focus may waver on the academic front and get you into all sorts of problems. On the professional front, you may be hard pressed to prove your mettle. It will be wise to restrain yourself from spending on things that catch your fancy.

Lucky Number- 8 / Lucky Colour- Electric Grey ¡¡ Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22) There is a possibility of someone you know from your childhood days springing a surprise.

Your desire to visit a tourist destination is likely to get fulfilled soon. A house or an apartment may come in your name. Changing your diet and shunning junk food is the need of the hour and will have positive effect on your health.

Financially, you will be able to achieve stability.

Indecision regarding choosing the right career may keep your mind in turmoil.

Lucky Number- 2 / Lucky Colour- Light Blue ¡¡ Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 21) Options open to you on the academic front may appear a bit confusing, but make a considered choice. Family will be much more supportive of your ideas. Some of you will have a good time in the company of friends or cousins. This is a good time to go enjoy a picnic or visit an old monument. A love interest is likely to make the

2

pan, stir, a d d red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well, sauté again until oil surfaces. ¡¡ Add 1 cup of water to the masala, cover and bring it to a boil on a low heat, Add the cream while stirring gently.

Add koftas to the gravy. Cook for 2–3 minutes on a high heat to heat through.

Garnish with chopped coriander.

Serve hot with Plain Naan or Jeera Rice.

Ruby's Tip: Add koftas to the gravy just before serving, otherwise they become soggy or they can break since they are very soft.

first move on the romantic front, so be prepared!

Health and finance appear good.

Lucky Number- 18 / Lucky Colour- Maroon ¡¡ Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 21) A windfall on the professional front cannot be ruled out. Someone you are promoting is likely to get established firmly. Your image is likely to get a boost on the social front. Someone is likely to get serious with you and compel you to take a call on the romantic front. Health wise you will feel on the top of the world this week.

Taking career advice from elders or seniors will be beneficial.

Lucky Number- 11Lucky Colour- Lavender ¡¡ Aquarius (Jan 22-Feb 19) You are likely to regain lost ground on the academic front. Things started this week will prove most beneficial. You will need to become financially savvy to raise capital for something big. Not being in sync with other family members may make you feel that you are not being given a fair deal. You may be taken aback by someone’s brazen attempt to indulge in romance, but deal with the situation diplomatically. You will remain fit and energetic.

Lucky Number- 15 / Lucky Colour- Coffee ¡¡ Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20) Someone may be out to hurt you, but you will be able to get the better of him or her. You are likely to grow monetarily stronger by taking some good decisions on the financial front. Someone may seem hell bent in drawing your attention on the romantic front. A property issue may get decided in your favour. Irregular timings may tell on your health. Your initiative at work may go in vain, if you don’t supervise it.

Lucky Number- 4 / Lucky Colour- Dark Grey

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Friday, September 8, 2017

AUCKLAND’S HOTTEST BOLLYWOOD STATION

Parineeti Chopra: Visiting Australia was like meeting a star

The Indian Weekender

Bollywood songs are losing poetic value: Kumar Sanu

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opular playback artist Kumar Sanu says that he prefers singing for the regional film industry as compared to Bollywood as the quality of lyrics and the poetic value of Hindi film songs have become poor.

Asked about his choice of songs in recent times, Kumar Sanu, a recipient of Padma Shri, told the media on Monday: “These days Hindi film songs mostly have bad lyrics like char bottle Vodka.”

“Bollywood songs are losing their poetic value. When it comes to the 1990s’ songs, we all can recall them by their beautiful poetry, melody and how soothing they were to the soul.

“These days listening to Hindi songs, mostly, boils your blood. However, in regional film songs, they still value good lyrics.”

Kumar Sanu, who lent his voice to the title track of Sony Entertainment Television’s upcoming show Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai, was present at the show’s trailer launch.

He performed live along with singer Sadhana Sargam at the launch. He, however, said he was not against modern music. “See, change is constant. Music should change. Technically, we have come a long way – matching up to the international standard. It is good.

“But, we have to always remember, songs are based on their melody and lyrics. I am not saying these days people are not making good songs. They are doing it. But it is two songs out of 10 whereas in the 1990s, good film songs used to be nine out of 10! That’s the difference.”

The singer performed some of his popular numbers like Mera dil bhi kitna pagal hai, Saanson ki zarurat hai jaise and Jab koi baat bigad jaye along with the title track of the show.

It is composed by Anu Malik.

Produced by Shashi Sumeet Productions, the story of Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai is about a teenage love story set in the 1990s when gadgets had not invaded the youngster’s world.

The show will premiere on Tuesday, September 12.

P

arineeti Chopra, who has been appointed as the first Indian woman Ambassador in ‘Friend of Australia’ (FOA) advocacy panel by Tourism Australia, says that visiting the country was like meeting a star. At a press conference Parineeti, asked to comment on her feeling about this association with Australia, said: “I feel really good. Even if not for this honour, I find myself very connected with Australia. When I first time went to Australia, I literally did a ‘Saashtang namaskaar’ (kissed the ground) when I came out of airport. It was this one location I have been waiting to go to.

“In fact I travel a lot and visit 4-5 new countries every year... I am that kind of a person. But Australia is one of those places, I was waiting to visit as I have heard a lot about it and researched so much.

So when I went there it was like meeting a star. it was like, you have only seen him on TV or seen in pictures, but now meeting in person... so that was the kind of feeling I had, and I feel very loved over there.”

The Friends of Australia programme has been devised as a way for Tourism Australia to foster mutually beneficial long term friendship with those they regard as unique, positive and influential storytellers.

With this, Parineeti joins fellow Indian Friends of Australia, chef Sanjeev Kapoor and renowned cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle.

Asked to comment on her status as single and rumours she was I dating Hardik Pandya, Parineeti said: “Whether I am single or not feel really is not a discussion, but yes, I am definitely not dating Hardik good. Even if Pandya. Even I was surprised when I heard about this from few not for this honour, of my friends.”

I find myself very Parineeti who is teaming up once again with Arjun Kapoor connected with for Dibakar Benarjee’s Sandeep aur Pinky Faraar, said Arjun Australia has already started workshops for it.

“We are already in preps... Arjun has already started workshops with Dibakar. I am starting with Golmaal promotions now and then after its release I will join the workshops immediately after coming from the script. But I am very excited as its going to be an intense film, a physically and mentally challenging film. So very excited to get into it. After that we (I and Arjun) are doing a very light film Namastey Canada. So it was like we will be spending next one year together.”

“I am very excited, I get along very well with him (Arjun), as he is one of my closest friends in the industry,” said the Ishaqzaade actress.

Apart from Parineeti, Golmaal Again also stars Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Kunal Khemu, Parineeti Chopra, Tabu, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Shreyas Talpade. The trailer of the film will be out this month.

That phase of my life is over: Teachers in any form are

Hema Malini on film comeback actual heroes: Anupam Kher

V

eteran actress and politician Hema Malini says that her acting phase is no longer part of her life but if something interesting comes up then she would definitely take that up.

“I think that phase of my life is over (laughs). Even people in parliament ask me whether I am working in films or not. I feel like doing a film, but I must get a proper story. I just can’t do any films which come my way.

“If anything similar to my role in Baghban or anything interesting comes my way then I will definitely work in films,” Hema Malini said on the sidelines of the press conference for her upcoming programme “Synergy 2017”, an international cultural festival.

Talking about the event, she said that she is going to

present the programme.

“I am focusing on this programme and I will not be dancing in this but presenting it. That doesn’t mean I am going to stop dancing. I want to continue my work in the field of dance and service of people of our country,” the actress added.

Hema Malini is a BJP MP from Mathura constituency.

When a journalist asked her if she is going to become a Union Minister of India, she

said, “A lot of people ask me this question but I don’t think I have the nature to become a minister and rule.” “I am very happy with what I am. I don’t expect all these things and I don’t have that desire. I want to contribute in the field of art and if I become a minister then I have to sit there and people will not able to meet me.

“As an MP, I am trying to do my best work and I am really happy with that. I want to bring change in my Mathura constituency and I will not stay in peace until that happens,” she added.

Through the “Synergy 2017” festival, Hema Malini will be promoting a lot of young artists from all over India who will perform classical dance forms. The festival will be held in Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata.

A

ctor Anupam Kher says teachers in any form are actual heroes.

“Teachers in any form are actual heroes because they produce so many heroes and it’s a thankless job because they need to create more and more stars or heroes and they remain there,” Anupam said in a statement.

Anupam along with National Award winning choreographer Shiamak Davar, leading Kathak exponent Birju Maharaj, former national level wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and Shaheen Mistry (CEO of Teach for India) were felicitated by children’s entertainment channel Sony YAY!. The channel’s lead characters’ Prince Jai and Dumdaar Viru handed them the Heroes Behind the Heroes mementos. Anupam lauded the effort.

“I’m very honoured to be presented this award... This is a very fine award,” he added.

Through the initiative, the channel aims to inspire children to love, respect and acknowledge their teachers and mentors.

On receiving the award, Davar said: “I’m very happy to be honoured with this because as a teacher, I’m so happy that my Shahi Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput, Boman Irani, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and everybody who

has been with me for so many years have really gone forward in their careers. So for me, it’s a very big honour and I’m very grateful.”

Leena Lele Dutta, Business Head, Sony Pictures Network Kids Genre, also said: “Through this unique initiative, we want to thank all the teachers, the true backbone of the nation, for all the time and effort they have put in to bring out the greatness in all their students.”

IN CINEMAS NEXT WEEK

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 14

28

FEATURES

Indian Calendar September 2017

Date

Day Festivals & Observances

2 Sept Sat Parsva Ekadashi, Kalki Dwadashi, Bakrid 3 Sept Sun Vamana Jayanthi, Bhuvaneshwari Jayanti, Pradosh Vrat 4 Sept Mon Onam 5 Sept Tue Anant Chaturdashi, Ganesh Visarjan 6 Sept Wed Bhadrapada Purnima 7 Sept Thur Pratipada Shraddha 8 Sept Fri Gaythri Jayanthi 9 Sept Sat Sankasthi Chathurthi 11 Sept Mon Maha Bharani, Masik Karthigai 13 Sept Wed Jivitputhrika Vrat, Ashtama Rohini, Kalashtami, Rohini Vrat 16 Sept Sat Indira Ekadashi 17 Sept Sun Kanya Sankranti, Vishwakarma Puja 18 Sept Mon Pradosh Vrat 20 Sept Wed Ashwin Amavasya, Mahalaya Amavasya, Sarva Pitru Amavasya 21 Sept Thur Chandra Darshan, Navratri begins, Ghatasthapana 25 Sept Mon Lalitha Panchami 28 Sept Thur Saraswati Avahan, Durga Ashtami 29 Sept Fri Saraswati Puja, Maha Navami, Ayudha Puja 30 Sept Sat Saraswati Visarjan, Dussehra, Vijaya Dashami

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