Indian Weekender Digital Edition 24 March 2017 by Indian Weekender

Remembering Shahid Bhagat Singh

24 MARCH2017

Martyr’s Day, March 23

Vol. 9 • Issue 1

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New Zealand-India direct flights: How long will be the wait? ¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH

ast week on March 15, Transport Minister Simon Bridges signed another air services agreement for New Zealand, this time with Columbia, the fifth South American destination in as many years after the new policy was implemented in 2012. New Zealand now has air services agreements (ASAs) in place with 61 countries and territories. On this occasion, Mr Bridges made an interesting revelation that Air New Zealand was able to start their first direct flight to Buenos Aires in December 2015, exactly one year after the signing of the agreement with Argentina in December 2014. Air New Zealand had then inaugurated the route by announcing that it will fly three days a week between Buenos Aires and Auckland. An inevitable question pops in mind that how long will be the wait for a direct flight between New Zealand and India, given that the first anniversary of the signing of the code-share agreement between New Zealand and India is fast approaching in May this year. “I have been waiting for a direct flight between New Zealand and

India since last few years,” says Manish Kumar, a businessman who travels to India quite a few times for work. In May 2016, a historic codeshare agreement was signed between the two countries in Auckland during Indian President Pranab Mukherjee’s state visit to New Zealand creating an expectation that the direct flights between the two countries would be a reality soon. Speaking to Indian Weekender, Tom Forster, Manager Aviation and Security, Ministry of Transport confirmed that the codesharing agreement signed in 2016 was an improvisation over the previous travel agreements between both the countries. “New Zealand has a full Air Service Agreement in place with India that allows for both codesharing and own aircraft services. It replaced a previous ASA signed with India in 2006. “The main improvements over the 2006 ASA are that it allows for more flexibility regarding the routes airlines of either side may offer between the two countries. In particular, it allows New Zealand airlines to serve more destinations in India,” Mr Forster said. Given the historic deal between the two countries and the fact that a period of one year was enough

for Air New Zealand to start a three times a week direct service from Auckland to Buenos Aires, then how long would it take for any similar development in New Zealand-India route? It is not to suggest that it is AirNew Zealand’s ‘responsibility’ purely to start a direct flight between New Zealand and India. The intention here is to genuinely explore how long the wait is before a direct flight between the two countries becomes operational. Air New Zealand and Air India (India’s national carrier) are the only two possible players with the capability and genuine interests to launch a direct service between the two countries.

Both Air New Zealand and Air India have Boeing 787 aircraft in their fleets that could manage the 16-hour flight time. The expectations from Air New Zealand, however, emanates from its leadership in expanding new markets in the recent past. In 2016 alone, Air New Zealand announced direct flights to Ho Chi Minh City and Manila to open up new markets of Vietnam and Philippines respectively. The start of Manila flight was delayed, however, as Air NZ had to announce a deferral later, owing to some administrative reasons beyond its control. The market remains confident that direct flights will be resumed soon.

Similarly, in November 2016, Air New Zealand started to fly to Osaka, Japan, three times in a week until March 26, 2017. In this regard, there has not been much noticeable movements in the India segment so far. Apparently, there are some suggestions out in the market that direct flights between New Zealand and India are not yet viable. A report released last year by NZ-Asia Research Foundation just before Auckland’s Diwali Festival of Lights on October 15 and 16, titled ‘India and New Zealand: Growing our connectivity’ pointed that Air New Zealand considers the yield on the sector as insufficient to justify non-stop flights. The airline’s media team reiterates what is already known in the public that a direct flight to India is not on the cards yet. “We are fully committed to our alliance with Singapore Airlines and have no current plans to introduce direct flights to India,” Air New Zealand’s media release said. Similarly, Air India, Australia Manager, Sujoy Kishore also confirmed that New ZealandIndia direct flight was not on the immidiate agenda. “We might consider it in future, but as of now there are no immediate plans.” Mr Kishore said.

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But the unanswered question is that why market forces are being so apprehensive about the potential of the Indian segment to sustain a profitable direct flight operation between the two countries.

India—a growing market

he fact that India is a fast growing market is widely acknowledged and does not need repeated emphasis. What is needed, though, is a comparative check of the challenges and opportunities offered by the Indian segment of travel market to create an urgency of opening up a direct flight at the earliest. In this regard, if distance is a deterrent, then the flight distance between Auckland to New Delhi is 12,480 km, which is comparable to the New Zealand to Argentina flight distance of 10357.74 km. According to Tourism New Zealand’s website, last year, until November 2016, the total visitor numbers to New Zealand from Argentina (and Brazil) were around 40,000. If numbers are a deterrent, then last year, from March 2016 to February 2017, international visitor arrivals from India increased from 14.8% to 53,424, thus making India the ninth-fastest growing source destination for travellers to New Zealand, ahead of Malaysia and Indonesia. Whereas, departures to India rose by 17.6% to nearly 52,000 until March last year suggesting Indian travel market is fast growing. Gazelle Mascarenas

Direct flight will be a hassle-free journey. Last month’s trip to India was a nightmare; there were long wait and baggage issues. I got my baggage after 15days due to the transit. Direct flights mean, you start here and land in Mumbai.

Eco Travel’s Director Amit Saha also vouches for enough numbers on the plate to justify direct flight between the two destinations. “We are 100% confident that a direct flight to India flight will have more than 90% occupancy every day,” Mr Saha said. Relianz Travels director V. Giri anticipates much stronger inbound traffic to New Zealand if direct flights were to start today. Speaking to Indian Weekender, Mr Giri affirms, “We are confident that incoming traffic to NZ is going to increase by leaps and bounds.” Subhash Dhawan

Not just, a lot of people will be so happy to see direct flights to India. My wife is in India, and my daughter and I are planning to make the trip soon. We will travel every six months with direct flights in the picture.

India—an “intrepid” destination

part from the existing traffic between the two countries, there is a huge potential to expand this market further by riding on India’s lure as an “intrepid” destination as described by Flight Centre NZ general manager, product, Sean Berenson. “India has been growing in popularity with Flight Centre customers in recent years, as more Kiwis seek to travel to more intrepid, ‘off the beaten path’ destinations,” Mr Berenson said. “During 2016, Flight Centre NZ saw an almost 10% increase in the number of customers travelling to India. Delhi, in particular, increased by almost 20% and Jaipur, Kerala, and Chennai were top spots for our customers once on the ground,” Mr Berenson added.

Kuntal Trivedi

As a businessman, it will make my travel shorter and save a lot of time that I can utilise in a better way otherwise. With a stopover, there is a long transition and immigration process which is time-consuming. I will definitely travel more frequently.

India—a second home for the Kiwi-Indian community

he potential of growth in Indian travel segment is not just dependent on India’s reputation as a growing market and an “intrepid” destination. Rather there is a yet unfulfilled latent potential of India as a ‘second’ home to about 180,000 Kiwi-Indians living in New Zealand, either by birth or cultural heritage. According to the latest estimates, there are currently 220,000 people in New Zealand who call themselves as Kiwi-Indian, with around 80 per cent of them living in Auckland alone. The term Kiwi-Indian includes Indians born in New Zealand (including immigrants from India), Indo-Fijians, and Indians born in Africa (such as South African Indians and Indians in East Africa) or any New Zealander with at least one parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent with an Indian heritage. For thousands of them, who are living embodiment of Indian culture and lifestyle, visiting India and connecting back with their original roots is an unmet emotional need. Harman Singh

When travelling to India, one is very curious and excited to meet their family. Direct flights will cut short the time of transit and luggage hassles. My last visit had a 14-hour wait in China and it was a nightmare.

It will not be an exaggeration to assert that a large number of these people could be potential frequent travellers to India if an option of direct flight to India exists. Experts in the travelling industry generally believe that direct flights to destinations are attractive to travellers who may not have considered the destination otherwise. Bipin Kumar Tavadia

The transit period is one of the primary reasons that I would prefer a direct flight. Last time I had to wait for almost 12-hours in Hong Kong Airport in the transit. I am waiting to see a direct flight between India and NZ for the last five years. I will travel at least three times if a direct flight is started.

India—an alternative way to access London and Europe

lthough it is more for the Indian tourism sector to position and market India in New Zealand as an alternative and costeffective way to access London and Europe, the opportunity is there for anyone to take. The point being made here is that creative marketing can overcome the suggested challenge of insignificant yield on this segment and push new horizons. “It may also open up an alternative and cost-effective way to access London and Europe providing an interesting stopover destination for a lot of young Kiwis heading over to London and Europe for working holidays, an alternative to the ever popular South East Asia,” Mr Berenson said. Mandar Tropkar

Direct flights will benefit the business people; it will be more convenient and increase connectivity between the two countries. I may opt to travel more frequently with direct flights.

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24 March 2017 | www.iwk.co.nz

New Zealanders need to stand up against racism: Dame Susan Devoy

Ms Devoy reiterated that a majority of New Zealanders embrace diversity, but there will always be an element of the society who are intolerant and pass racist comments. It can never be eradicated completely, but people can work together to support each other.

¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

his year, the Race Relations Day, Human Rights Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy is calling all New Zealanders to stand up for one another and to stand up for what we believe in—creating a truly multicultural society. “This year, we are focused on encouraging New Zealanders to answer these two questions: What do you stand for? What do you want [against]? The world is at crossroads when it comes to race relations: the way we treat each other will decide what path New Zealand goes down,” Ms Devoy said. Every year, March 21 is celebrated as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to mark the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre when 69 black South African citizens, including 10 children, were shot to death by their police for protesting against racial apartheid laws. Lately, there has been a surge in reports of personal racist attacks on people from ethnic minorities. In the last few weeks, Indian Weekender covered a few incidents of racist ranting hurled at Indian-New Zealanders in Auckland where alleged offenders were caught live on camera screaming “go back to your country,” on seemingly trivial disputes in public places. The Race Relations Office met the representatives of the Asian Media at AIG Building on Tuesday, March 21 to launch

Representatives of ethnic media at the Race Relations Day launch event

Race Relations Day 2017. Speaking at the event, Ms Devoy acknowledged the rising incidents of racist attacks on people from ethnic minorities. The launch event was attended by ethnic media houses such as WTV, Filipino Migrants, Korea Post, Indian Weekender, Sky Kiwi Media, and TV33. Ms Devoy spoke to individual ethnic media houses on how to convey the message to the ethnic masses in New Zealand about racial issues. She encouraged the public to raise their concerns and report if they feel they are a victim of racial abuse. “We want people to record attacks, to support people who are being attacked, and to ensure attacks are reported,” Ms Devoy told Indian Weekender.

Family Renewal Retreat observed T ¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

he Syro Malabar community of Auckland observed a Family Renewal Retreat at Ellerslie Church from March 19 to 22. The retreat was held as a part of the Lent Celebrations, which was attended by 600 people every day. Lent is a period of 40 days before Easter in the Christian calendar and its starts with Ash Wednesday. It is said to be the season of reflection and preparation for the Easter celebrations. The event was hosted every day from 5 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. by Father Mathew Elavumkal VC, director of Divine Retreat Centre, Muringoor, India, which is the largest retreat centre in India. The centre conducts retreats in Malayalam, Tamil, English, Hindi, and Konkani around the year. Father Mathew Elavumkal was previously the director of Kamba Ashramam in Mumbai and was also the director of Divine Retreat Centre in Delhi. The retreat includes Mass, healing prayers, preaching the word of God, and adoration every evening. A special prayer for purification

of the family tree, especially for previous and future generations was conducted on March 21. The purpose of the retreat is spiritual upliftment and self re-orientation, and it is believed to have the power to heal one’s illnesses. The retreat will continue at five other locations in New Zealand until April 7. Hamilton will host the next retreat between March 24 and 26, Hastings will conduct from March 27 to 29, Palmerston North on March 30 and 31, Wellington from April 1 to 3, and the journey will be concluded in Christchurch from April 5 to 7. The retreat at different locations in New Zealand is hosted by New Zealand Syro Malabar Catholic Mission led by Father Joy Thottamkara C.Ss.R and Assistant Chaplain Father Thomas Cherukanayil. The Auckland Syro Malabar community consists of more than 500 families who meet every Friday and Sunday at Ellerslie Church for prayers and mass and conduct Catechism classes for children up to 12 years on Sundays from 3.30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

“When we see yet another racist attack on the news, we need to ask ourselves: Is this us? Is this the kind of country we want to be? If the answer is no. Then we need to do something. “What we do today is our insurance policy for the future of our nation,” she added.

Ms Devoy also asked the victims to look after their safety first and then report the incident. “You need to move to a safe place. Your safety is the first thing. Maybe you just have to walk away. If you can, you should report to the New Zealand Police so that they can investigate,” she said. This year, several events have been planned nationwide throughout the month of March to celebrate Race Relations Day. “With race relations events planned from Oamaru to Gisborne, Wanganui to Invercargill, what’s great is that we are celebrating race relations in our provinces and smaller towns not just our big cities. While we have our tough times, we do care about and respect each other, and it shows,” Ms Devoy said. More than 30 events are being held throughout March with more being added to the list every day.

Sikh Youth Group helps raise funds for Cancer Society ¡¡ IWK BUREAU

embers of Spoken Words, a Sikh youth group, will run for 18 hours along with others around a racetrack in support of Cancer Society at Pukekohe Showgrounds in Pukekohe next month. The run will commence on April 1 at 4 p.m. and end at 10 a.m. on April 2. Relay for Life is an event organised by New Zealand Cancer Society that takes place in different parts of New Zealand during the months of March and April. This community event gives everyone an opportunity to celebrate cancer survivors, remember the loved ones lost to cancer, and fight back by raising awareness and funds to support the work of New Zealand Cancer Society. The event will start with a lap of honour led by cancer survivors and carers. This will be followed by 18 hours of non-stop walking or jogging. “It is a great opportunity for us to share our values of sewa (service) and compassion, which are so central to our community,” Jasmeet Singh, a member of Spoken Words, said. “Our community is incredibly generous and is always willing to support those in need. It is crucial for us to be seen participating in events [such as] Relay for Life doing the sewa so everyone can see that we can stand together with the wider community in tackling important issues, whether it

is cancer, child poverty, or inequality,” he added. Spoken Words is an organisation that empowers youth so they can utilise their skills and talents to be an asset to the society. It was established in 2014 and has worked with many organisations including Diabetes NZ, Auckland WaterSafe, Ministry of Youth Development, and Manurewa Council in conducting community-focused projects. They also organise volunteering sessions and food drives to Auckland City Mission. The group had managed to raise $2100 last year and has already raised more than $1700 for NZ Cancer Society through fundraising. The money raised is used for cancer support services, health promotion, and cancer research. The event is open to everyone, and the group invites everyone from the community to join them on the track. The community can show their support by making a donation online.

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www.iwk.co.nz | 24 March2017

Crown Superette robbery: Offenders roaming free, owners fearful ¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

olice have charged two offenders of Crown Superette robbery with aggravated robbery and referred four to the Youth Aid, who will appear in the Youth Court next month. One teenage girl referred to Child, Youth and Family (CYF) has run away and is still at large. The dairy has been closed since the incident that took place on March 12. The owners of the dairy on Melrose Road are still fearful, as the offenders, even the ones who have been charged, are roaming free. “We are still fearful, as the offenders are still freely roaming the streets. There has been no constructive assistance from Victim Support and insurance, and the store is closed till now,” Raj Chopra, the brother-in-law and spokesperson for the victim, said. “We are the ones who are at a complete loss,” he added. Victims of the assault—Jitesh Arora and his wife Preeti Arora—are back from the hospital and currently recovering. “Jitest’s third surgery last week was done, and he was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday night (March 21) and will take time to recover from his wounds,” Mr Chopra said.

Seven young offenders had attacked and stolen tobacco and cash from Crown Superette on March 12 at around 7:30 a.m. The offenders left the owners covered in blood and with serious injuries. Following the robbery, community members gathered in solidarity outside the store to support the victims on the evening of March 14. A Crime Prevention Group was formed, which is due to host their first community meeting on March 23 at Fickling Convention Centre in Three Kings. “The purpose of the meeting is to get the community together and discuss how such incidents should be tackled in the future,” Mr Chopra told Indian Weekender. “The law needs to be more strict, and police should be given more powers so that these offenders do not repeat their offence. “I do not support dairy owners resorting to carrying firearms in defence to such incidents. This will further worsen the situation during such incidents.” “This call-to-action group will discuss to what degree a store owner can defend themselves in such situations and put a motion towards that the law is made stringent for these perpetrators,” Sunny Kaushal, community leader and co-organiser of the Crime Prevention Group, said.

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Shops owners consider firearms to defend aggravated robberies ¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

nother daylight robbery in Auckland and Whangarei has forced the shop owners to consider carrying a firearm in defence during aggravated robberies. “Store owners are at a stage where they are frustrated of these incidents, and if need be, they are willing to hold a firearm behind the counter, not to shoot but to scare the offenders off,” Mr Suresh Ramji, vice-president of Manukau Indian Association, told Indian Weekender. At around 7 a.m. on Monday, March 20, a group of seven men entered Hillside Superette in Papatoetoe, armed with wheel jack, and robbed the store of cigarettes and cash. There were two people in the shop at the time the incident happened. One of the offenders pinned the store man on the ground while the owner Kishore Patel managed to stay away from the offender’s block, unharmed. The other attacker shook the wired security cage but failed to bring it down. Determined to get away with something, another member of the group slid through the cage into the cash counter, and in less than a minute, took cigarettes from the rack estimated $7000 and unaccounted amount of cash. The robber, whose face was covered and was clad in a blue

hoodie sweatshirt and blue track pants, climbed inside the counter, cleared the rack, and passed the cigarette trays to his accomplice standing outside the counter. He also took cash from the till and then pulled the till tray and squeezed himself through the cage, running away with his accomplices. The robbery at Hillside Superette is the latest in the string of attacks in the last few weeks. Retail stores in South Auckland have been victims of a number of aggravated robberies in recent weeks. Indian Weekender, in its March 17 issue, reported a list of robberies in South Auckland including firing between police and robbers at Idlewild Dairy in Mangere on March 13, robbery at gunpoint at Puhinui Superette, Papatoetoe March 11,

“

Gone are the days when one-onone confrontation happened with bats and sticks. These days, hooligans attack in a group of more than five or seven people, so what do you do when someone wields an iron rod or a knife on your head?

and a gas petrol station robbery in Manukau on the night of March 7. The incident has enraged dairy owners to a point where some of them are considering keeping firearms to defend themselves in such situations. “Gone are the days when oneon-one confrontation happened with bats and sticks. These days, hooligans attack in a group of more than five or seven people, so what do you do when someone wields an iron rod or a knife on your head?” Mr Ramji added. In another incident, two people were hospitalised on March 12 when seven people stormed a dairy store in Mt Roskill and beat the store attendees. Most of the dairy owners in South Auckland have installed iron wires on their counters, panic alarms, multiple CCTV cameras, iron grills outside the store against ram raids, etc. to protect themselves. There are community patrolling groups and even the police patrol the area during the day, late evenings, and in the wee hours. “We have been seeking advice within the community, held multiple meetings, and have been speaking to the police as well. The [store] owners feel this should be the next step to scare these hooligans,” Mr Ramji added. “We just want to scare these hooligans. The idea is not to shoot but frighten them and defend.”

Whangarei dairy robbery

n another incident, Maunu Superette in Whangarei was robbed at around 5 p.m. on Monday, March 20. According to the sources, a witness saw a masked man standing near Maunu Superette just before the robbery and informed the police of a ‘robbery in progress.’ The witness had chased the offender before he disappeared. The shop owner also ran after the offender. No arrests have been made so far. The area is haunted by two robberies in the last three days, the other being Four Square supermarket in Otaika, which was robbed of tobacco and cash by three armed men on the night of Saturday, March 18.

Walk for humanity raises thousands Four Fiji companies to showcase for charity products at Pasifika Festival

¡¡ IWK BUREAU

he Ahmadiyya Muslim community of New Zealand held its ninth annual Walkathon on Saturday, March 18. Eighty-four participants walked up to 10 km around the Barry Curtis Park in Flat Bush, raising thousands of dollars through sponsorship. The event has now become a regular feature in the community’s annual calendar, with the money raised supporting the New Zealand Blind Foundation and the Humanity First charities. “Supporting people in need as well as helping the poor in one’s community are central pillars of the Islamic faith. By organising this walk and reaching out to the wider community to help sponsor the walkers, we are doing nothing more than what we believe to be our duty as true Muslims,” Ahmadiyya community spokesperson, Dr Nadeem Ahmad, said. “It is indeed heartening to see the spirit shown by both the participants as well as all the volunteers who have worked so hard in the background to make this walk a success. “NZ Blind Foundation and the Humanity First Charities both have worked very hard to improve the lives of hundreds in our country and beyond. We are humbled that in a small way we can be part of their contribution to the society.” Mr Ahmad added. Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community along with representatives of the NZ Blind Foundation and the AA participated in the 2017 Walkathon event. Local businesses, nurses and doctors at the Manukau and Auckland District Health Board and other generous sponsors helped reach a total of over $10,000 through the walk. The attendees

Community participates in Walkathon at Barry Curtis Park

were treated to a barbeque and sausage sizzle after the walk that was sponsored by Mike Pero New Zealand. Representative Sheikhil Khan gave out special prizes to individuals with the highest pledge amounts. Spanning worldwide in more than 200 countries, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a dynamic, fast-growing international revival movement within Islam, with membership exceeding tens of millions of people. The motto of the Ahmadiyya community ‘Love for all and Hatred for none’ is evident through the peaceful actions of its millions of followers around the globe. The New Zealand branch of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was established in 1987 and now includes more than 500 members. The community is a registered charitable organisation and endeavours to be an active and integrated community within the New Zealand society.

our companies from Fiji will be participating at this year’s Pasifika Festival at Western Springs, Auckland on March 25-26. Representatives from each of these companies are participants in the Pacific Trade & Invest Path to Market Program and have attended in-country workshops that were held in the country in 2016. The path to Market workshops is held in conjunction with the country’s economic development agency, helping companies from the Pacific Islands including Fiji to find buyers for their products in New Zealand. In Fiji’s case, Pacific Trade & Invest (PT&I) worked with the Fiji Export Council. The Fiji Export Council will lead the Fiji delegation at the Pasifika Festival. The four Fijian companies and the lead export agency Fiji Export Council were welcomed by PT&I Trade Commissioner Michael Greenslade. “A big Bula Vinaka to our friends from Fiji. It is great to have a continued presence from Fiji in 2017 following the visit of Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and his ministerial team to New Zealand in 2016,” Mr Greenslade said. “They promised increasing commercial engagement with New Zealand, and we are seeing it with the capability of this year’s delegation to Pasifika. Vinaka Vakalevu for your participation, and let’s look forward to a successful Pasifika,” Mr Greenslade further added. Ian Furlong, PT&I Trade Development Manager, who was in Fiji as part of the workshop stage of the Path to Market program said, “Having been with them at the workshop in Fiji last year, it is great to see the participants once again as we progress into the next stage of the Path to Market program,

where we work with them in their destination market here in New Zealand.” Fiji’s four companies are from the country’s growing agribusiness/forestry sector. Aswhy Enterprise deals with timber exports, sustainable agriculture and civil engineering consultation works; Bilo Sinai sources its kava for domestic sales and export from the pristine island of Kadavu; Living Springs is engaged in the processing, packing and export of a range of commodities and Lami Kava has been in the kava business for three decades. Along with companies from Fiji, delegations of 20 other companies from eight Pacific Islands countries will showcase their products at the Pasifika Festival. The companies are from Fiji, Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga. The companies’ participation in Pasifika starts on Friday, March 24 with a Maori Powhiri (welcome), briefings and media interviews before the start of the twoday festival. The program will carry on after Pasifika ends with a one-day export workshop on Monday followed by business to business meetings on Tuesday, March 28.

www.iwk.co.nz | 24 March2017

Two young Indian girls find new home in New Zealand

Rani and Veni with their new mother Daryn Louise Menzies

¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

he wait for Kiwi woman Deryn Louise Menzies to become a mother has finally come to an end with the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare, Kerala in India approving her application to adopt two little sisters on Wednesday, March 15. Ms Menzies’ application to adopt two little sisters, Veni and Rani was scrutinised by officials of both the countries and Ms Menzies flew with her ‘two-daughters’ earlier this week. The single mother from Napier has already made the arrangements to welcome the siblings to their ‘new’ home. Ms Menzies, a music therapist, confided her intention to adopt two children with her close friend Elizabeth and chose India to be the destination for her hunt. Her search began almost five-years ago when she realised she had accomplished her dreams and is now ready to be a mother. “I was a happy woman who had achieved all she aspired for and felt it was time to give back to society,” Ms Menzies said, adding that she chose India since it allowed single women to adopt. She started the journey with convincing New Zealand authorities of her abilities to adopt and who made an official request to its Indian counterpart. The authorities then identified the adoption centre and children matching her profile. Ms Menzies also underwent training programmes gear herself for raise an adopted child. Six-year-old Veni and her five-year-old sister Rani were introduced to Ms Denzies

in November 2015, and she fell in love with the two sisters. Ms Menzies since then has bonded with the two children and had been sending them gifts and postcards from her travel. Both Veni and Rani were issued Indian passports with temporary visas but has Ms Denzies full name as her official parent. Once the duo reach New Zealand, they will go through prior approved procedures, and their Indian passports will be converted to NZ Passports. The two sisters will live at Ms Denzies’ farm house near Napier and grow amongst the beauty of the region surrounded by cows, grass and cheese. Excited to welcome, the doting mother has already decorated the house and put new curtains in their rooms with the pictures of Elephants. Ms Denzies is a bit apprehensive raising the two children is a very different culture and with a slight language concern as well, but is positive that it will be resolved without much difficulty. “It is a challenging task, but I hope to ensure that they stay in touch with their roots while adapting to life over there,” Ms Menzies added. Currently, the girls in speak in their native language Malayalam and a bit of English such as keywords to communicate, while Ms Menzies has learnt a little bit of Malayalam too.

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General elections, MMP electoral system, and the balance of power: How well prepared is the Kiwi-Indian community?

ince general elections are exactly six months away, with voting due on September 23, it is an opportune time to question the preparedness of the Kiwi-Indian community for the next elections. Currently, the mainstream media is going gaga about the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll released on Thursday, March 21, which shows National are rock solid at 47% vote with Labour-Green alliance falling short at a combined 42% with Winston Peters’ New Zealand First’s decisive seven per cent vote share. It is being suggested that at the end, Mr Peters might tilt towards the National Party in the final bargain to power in lieu of some major portfolio and policy control. There is nothing new in this poll apart from an awkward revelation that Labour’s newly crowned Deputy Leader Jacinda Ardern is polling ahead of their Leader Andrew Little at 10.3% as opposed to Mr Little’s 8.3% as the next preferred prime minister of the country. While the mainstream media is busy in analysing possible future scenarios of this latest poll, which surveyed a sample population of 1,000 residents with a 3.1% margin

“

It is believed in some quarters, though not necessarily factually correct, that the prime minister’s power to determine the election date can give some subtle advantages to the government of the day

error, the ethnic media may be grappling with one important question—what is in for me?

However, the reasons for this drift are not completely unreasonable. In our case, the number of people, identifying with the Indian ethnic group in New Zealand has more than doubled, increasing from 62,187 to 155,178, in a period of 12 years from 2001 to 2013, the last census year. Moreover, this manifold increase has primarily occurred through migration and not through birth in New Zealand, thus clearly indicating that for a majority of voters in the community, the electoral system in New Zealand is a new political system to comprehend. Furthermore, the life cycle of migrants suggests that during the early formative years in the new country of residence, there is little

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attention towards politics purely because they are focused on more pressing needs of life such as gaining employment, housing, kids’ education and settling the business in their new home. Against this backdrop, it is not altogether blasphemous to suggest that ethnic communities, or the ‘new’ migrants, including Kiwi-Indians, are less inclined towards participating in the political process. Added to this, the public disdain that majority of ethnic Asian migrants bring from their places of origin towards the political processes in general leaves little incentive for being election-ready. This piece intends to bridge this gap and educate the readers about the incentives for active engagement with the political process.

About general elections

ew Zealand general elections generally occur every three years. Unlike some other countries, New Zealand has no fixed election date for general elections. Rather the prime minister determines the timing of general elections by advising the Governor-General when to issue the writs for a general election. It is believed in some quarters, though not necessarily factually correct, that the prime minister’s

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power to determine the election date can give some subtle advantages to the government of the day. It is to say that if the governing party believes that a section of the population will either vote against them or not at all, they might hold the election in early spring, when the weather may well keep less-committed voters away from the polls. In the last decade, there had been a convention of holding elections on the last Saturday of November, which had been broken in 2014 when elections were held in the month of September. Following this lead, some may argue that National Party may have some anxiety about getting their voters out on the Election Day, a challenge they had recently experienced in the Mt Roskill byelection late last year. Labour, in this regard, do have some momentum on their side as demonstrated in the electoral outcome of Mt Roskill and Mt Albert by-election verdicts.

Mixed-member promotional (MMP) electoral system

he introduction of MMP electoral system in 1993 is often considered as one of the most significant constitutional change of the 20th-century New Zealand. In this model, the voter casts two votes, the first for their preferred party and the second for an electorate MP.

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During an election, the candidate who gets the most electorate votes wins. These party votes are counted on the basis of First Past the Post (FPP) system. So the candidate getting maximum votes is declared a winner and becomes an electorate MP. However, a political party’s seats in the parliament are not entirely dependent upon the number of electorate MPs. Under current MMP rules, a political party that wins at least one electorate seat or five per cent of the party vote gets a share of the seats in the Parliament that is about the same as its share of the party vote. This share of seats is filled by a list of candidates nominated by the political party, and they are called as list MPs, as they are elected from the party list and not from a geographical constituency. Political parties can, therefore, get seats in the parliament and thus a say in the legislation even without having won one single electorate. It is to say that every party vote that a political party manages to get counts towards the possibility of getting seats in the parliament. There are two important implications of New Zealand’s MMP system. First, every election in MMP system is a closely contested election regardless of their showings in the opinion polls.

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Since the introduction of MMP system in New Zealand, no one political party is confident of securing a dominant majority in the parliament

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Second, every single party vote counts towards determining who gets into the Parliament. Probably, this should be one big enough incentive for the Indian community and other ethnic communities to engage with the political process in this country more proactively.

Balance of power in New Zealand politics

he balance of power is originally a concept of international politics but repeatedly used in New Zealand’s domestic politics where it mainly implies who will have a decisive say in the forming of the government. Since the introduction of MMP system in New Zealand, no one political party is confident of securing a dominant majority in the parliament, unlike many other democracies with First Past the Post system (say India), therefore leaving balance of power in the hands of several smaller parties and individual politicians. According to the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll, National Party even with its current dominant lead over opposition will still secure 61 seats in parliament, one short of required majority to form the government. New Zealand First’s Winston Peters has long been projected to have that balance of power in 2017 elections. Mr Peters has previously, on many occasions, enjoyed the balance of power in the Parliament, notably in 1996 and 2005, extracting much ‘control’ on important policies in return. Recently, a newly formed New Zealand People Party (NZPP) for ethnic migrants has sought to claim this elusive balance of power in New Zealand politics, although, it appears a distant dream so far. Clearly, incentives are galore for political engagement in this country, as every vote counts (especially party votes) and balance of power could be the precious prize.

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Humm FM celebrates Confluence of colours and cultures: Waitekere Holi its 6th birthday ¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

uckland’s only Bollywood Indian FM station Humm 106.2 FM completed six years of entertaining the Indian community on March 23. Humm FM’s director Roshila Prasad thanked their listeners because of whom the radio station is continually gaining popularity. “We are grateful to our listeners for their support over the years – especially in our efforts to raise money for the community and charity work. In fact it’s our community of listeners who make us ‘Humm’ and motivate us to go the extra mile. Last year, we reached out to the audience and brought them exciting opportunities to participate in our on-air competitions”. In some of the offers given out to Humm FM listeners, people were able to win some great goodies¡¡ A lucky couple won a holiday package worth $10,000 to Paradise Tavueni in Fiji ¡¡ Every month Humm FM chooses lucky winners to go on adventures such as skydiving, parasailing, game fishing etc. with RJs Dev and Sandy ¡¡ Concert tickets for Hindi concerts and Punjabi shows ¡¡ Movie tickets every week ¡¡ Food and beauty vouchers Humm FM also debuted at Farmers Santa Parade in 2016 with one of the most entertaining and unique floats with live music and pyrotechnics. The Santa Parade was attended by over 250,000 people. After the success of Christmas 54 Hrs Radiothon in 2015 for less fortunate kids, Radiothon for Fiji Cyclone, and Bollywood Movie in the Park, Humm FM became the first Indian radio station to participate in the carnival. Last year was an exciting year for Humm FM as they also launched the Muze D3 (Digital Device Driven) app for their listeners in Auckland. The app has now become an important part of listener’s daily entertainment, interaction and engagement. It can be downloaded for free from App Store or Play Store. Ms Prasad also thanked their advertisers, “ We would like to thank our advertisers for giving us the opportunity to work for them and we look forward to keep providing the high standard of quality service, as your success is our business.”

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aturday, March 18 and Sunday, March 19 witnessed two mega Holi celebratory events hosted in Auckland. The equally impressive shows Humm FM and Waitakere Indian Association Holi gave a chance to thousands of multicultural New Zealanders an escape into the world of colours and music. The Waitakere Indian Association of West Auckland organised a noon to evening Holi event on Sunday, March 19 at the Trust Arena, in Henderson which saw a footfall of more than 4,000 visitors from different communities in Auckland. The Holi event was held with the focus to get everyone to celebrate the festival of colours irrespective of their ethnicity and religion. A good number of visitors at the event were from the Pakeha, Samoan, Maori, Fijian and Kiwi-Indian community.

The event was attended by Labour Party Leader Andrew Little who shared his enthusiasm for the festival of colours. The celebrations was also attended by Henderson-Massey Local Board member Shane Henderson, National List MPs Alfred Ngaro, Kanwaljit Bakshi, Melissa Lee, Dr Parmjeet Parmar, NZ First List MP Mahesh Bindra, MP for Te Atatu Phil Twyford, Mt Roskill MP Michael Wood, Linda Cooper, one of the Councillors for the Waitakere Ward of Auckland Council, Labour Party candidate for Maungakekei Priyanca Radhakrishnan, and members from Nepal & Sri Lanka Ministry of External Affairs among others. The young crowd jumped on to the dance floor non-stop from afternoon until the event concluded at 6.30 p.m. Others thronged the food stalls for delicious Indian snacks. Ella Kumar, a member of the Puketapapa Local Board also performed at the early hours of the event.

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Humm FM Holi enthrals

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¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

uckland’s popular music station Humm FM 106.2 hosted the most exhilarating Holi celebrations ‘Colours in the Park 2017’ on Saturday, March 18 at Three Kings Reserve in Mt Eden, and it was filled with music, colours, and good food. Attended by more than 5,000 people from noon until 7 p.m., the event witnessed the multicultural society of Auckland come together for the celebration of colours. A section of the ground was cordoned only for playing with colours where people from all age groups danced to the tunes of the DJs. The event commenced with a dance performance by Mt Roskill Grammar School Community Education led by Puketapapa Local Board member Ella Kumar. The group consisted of 11 members, eight of whom performed on the stage while the remaining three interacting with the crowd on the ground. The energetic dance performance set the tone for the celebration as the crowd joined the music and danced alongside the group. Ethnic Liaison Officer Constable Robert Stanton from New Zealand Police also joined in the celebrations. Children playfully applied abir on his face and posed for pictures with the officer.

As Auckland is struggling with acute water shortage for the last few weeks, attendees were advised to limit their water usage while playing with watercolours. The event witnessed also saw the presence of community leaders and members of parliament who joined the celebrations in the afternoon. Among the dignitaries present were List MP Kanwaljit Bakshi, Parmjeet Parmar, Mahesh Bindra, MP for Mt Roskill Michael Wood, Labour Candidate from Maungakiekie Priyanca Radhakrishnan, community leader Sunny Kaushal, a member of Puketapapa Local Board Shail Kaushal and Bhartiya Samaj’s Jeet Suchdev. DJs at the show uplifted the momentum of the afternoon with their remix numbers mixing Hollywood, Bollywood, and Punjabi songs. The crowd hummed and jumped as DJs Geezville, Raaz, Riks, and NRK jammed on the stage. The evening performance by Roach Killa from the UK and J Hind USA further added to the colour-music-dance extravaganza. The duo rocked the crowd with their famous tracks. Rapper Roach Killa sang his Heartbroken, Ghora, and One Touch, while J Hind sang Muqabla, K.I.N.G, Sansar, and Jaane Jaana. And to top it all, the amazing host of food stalls adjacent to the stage catered lip smacking snacks and drinks to the visitors.

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SOUTH LINE

News-in-brief from South Island

A Bollywood musical

coming to Chch in April

Bollywood Dreams performing at a Chinese festival in Christchurch in 2016

¡¡ GAURAV SHARMA

ollowing from the success of last year’s first-ever dance musical in the South Island, the city-based dance school Bollywood Dreams—a brainchild of 23-year-old dancing sensation and masters student at the University of Canterbury, Shawn Thomas—will be presenting its annual performance on April 28 and 29 this year. Titled Teri Padosan Rangeela, the two-hour musical will feature 60 performers [all students of Mr

turn people down. That’s why we Thomas] aged between five and 25, have decided to perform two shows and they will be divided In this year. into five groups terms of the depending “In terms of the dance dance school, our on their school, our aim now is to aim now is to move dancing skills. move beyond the borders of beyond the borders Christchurch and expand As was the case last time, of Christchurch and our reach to the North Island. this year, too, expand our reach to We will also be looking for the North more cultural collaborations the musical Island” and aim to perform at other will feature 45 ethnic communities’ events as well. popular Bollywood dance medleys. “This we feel would be the best way to share our music and dance “The demand for tickets last with the wider community.” year was so huge that we had to

Awareness is needed to tackle domestic violence in the South Asian community: Sahaayta ¡¡ GAURAV SHARMA

he monthly meeting of a recently launched coffee club to deliberate ideas for women empowerment among the South Asian community in the South Island has highlighted the need for generating awareness against domestic violence across the region. An initiative of Christchurchbased Indian Cultural Group (ICG) and Auckland-based community organisation based in Manukau, Sahaayta, the meeting also had women speakers to talk about women issues. While Dr Ruchika Sachdev, a dentist, shared how she frequently encounters women suffering from domestic violence as part of her everyday practice, Jane Song from the Canterbury

Migrants Centre shared insights on how vulnerable migrant women are in New Zealand without any family and peer support. Sahaayta’s coordinator in Canterbury and facilitator of the coffee group, Nimi Bedi, added, “Our ongoing effort is to generate a dialogue among cultures to tackle this social evil head-on. What we started in Auckland 10–12 years ago, that kind of awareness campaign is needed in the South Island now, as more and more women from South Asia are migrating here. “Women need to open up. But this will not happen unless they have the confidence from the community and authorities that they will be protected. We need to work towards that.”

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Subcontinent shines at Culture Galore 2017

Shirish Paranjape, a community board member in Christchurch City Council, addressing the gathering at Chrstchurch's Culture Galore 2017

¡¡ GAURAV SHARMA

n its 16th year now, Culture Galore 2017, held in Christchurch on March 11, had performances and delicious dishes from the Indian subcontinent, with Bharatanatyam Group of Christchurch garnering appreciation from all quarters. Established 12 years back by a Sri Lankan Tamil, Anura Uniting against domestic violence in the South Asian community in South Island dha Ambalavanar, students from the Bharatanatyam Group of Christchurch—one of the dance schools in the city teaching the classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu—performed stuti and Thillana, which was a curtain raiser for its annual dance recital scheduled next month. Shirish Parajape, a newly elected Fendalton/Waimairi/Harewood community board member, who hails from Mumbai, noted, “The event has grown massively

from when it started in 2001, with a big increase in the number of ethnic and cultural groups participating. This year, for example, all the stalls were booked months in advance. “One of the unique features of Culture Galore is that all the food stalls are managed by community groups and commercial establishments and restaurants are not allowed. “Another special feature is that the event is supported by two community boards— the Fendalton/Waimairi/Harewood and Riccarton/Wigram/Halswell boards. Also, due to the proximity of the venue to the University of Canterbury and nearby student accommodations, this event serves well to welcome international students to our multi-ethnic city.” In all, the event was attended by more than 6,000 people and had representation from more than 70 different ethnic communities living in Christchurch now.

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ISCC completes 20 years of existence ¡¡ GAURAV SHARMA

hristchurch-based social and cultural organisation Indian Social and Cultural Club (ISCC), in its recently held AGM, has elected a new 20-member strong executive committee to oversee the club’s initiatives in its 20th anniversary year. Formed in 1997, the club is known for organising the biggest Diwali festival in the South Island every year.

The newly-elected executive committee of Christchurch's Indian Social and Cultural Club_picture credit ISCC

Amit Raut, the newly elected Secretary of the Club informed, “The major decisions taken by the new committee pertains to updating the 20-year-old constitution of

ISCC. This has been necessitated, as all our events and initiatives have grown to acquire much larger scale over the last two decades. We have also decided to increase the number

of our executive committee members from this year.” Thomas Shaji Kurian, former treasurer of ISCC and now chair of the newly formed sub-committee to oversee this year’s Diwali event, added,

Dunedin introduced to Kathak ¡¡ GAURAV SHARMA

t was traditional with a contemporary twist: that’s how Swaroopa Unni—an Indian classical dancer originally from Calicut who has been running the only Indian classical dance school in Otago called Natyaloka— described the weekend showcase of Kathak as part of Dunedin Fringe Festival. Called Rang—Colours, the Indian classical dance rendition was performed by Ms Unni, in collaboration with her teachers and internationally acclaimed artists Nirupama and Rajendra who run the Abhinava Dance Company in Bengaluru. Rohini Prabhath, one of their students, also participated in the

Swaroopa Unni (left) performing during Dunedin Fringe Festival. Picture credit Chris Sullivan

performance held on March 18 and 19. “As I am trained in both Kathak and Bharatnatyam, we decided to give audiences a taste of both Indian

classical dances. So one segment, which was very well-received, was me performing Bharatnatyam and Rohini showcasing Kathak on the same song, with [the] same story and same emotions.

Trained eyes can gauge the difference between the two art forms by different hand gestures [and] subtlety of expressions, as Bharatnatyam has exaggerated motions and half-sitting postures, [and] unlike Bharatnatyam, Kathak has only standing positions,” Ms Unni informed. The dancers also made the performance interactive in the final segment, which was extempore in nature. “Nirupama and Rajendra created rhythms and foot works according to [the] wishes of the audiences. They also shared their wealth of knowledge about Indian dances by explaining in detail how the famous flamingo dance form has its origins

“Also on the 2017 agenda is to work towards making the dream of an Indian community centre a reality in Christchurch. We aim to work with the wider community— even those outside the ISCC—to achieve that.” Meanwhile, the new committee has already started preparations for ISCC Connect—an annual gathering of ISCC members and anyone who wishes to attend— to be held sometime in the next month or so.

in Kathak,” Ms Unni added. Looking towards the future, Ms Unni concluded, “After Rang, my focus now is Natyaloka’s annual dance recital scheduled in September, which all our students eagerly look forward to.” “Last year was our fifth anniversary. So our performance was special. “Called Yatra, it was based on the theme of tracing the journey of all migrants in New Zealand. Additionally, we had made use of traditional Māori musical instruments—taonga puoro—in our performance to indicate the fusion of cultures as is happening in modern New Zealand now.”

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Global movement opens Fijian chapter Uni urges Fijians to T apply for NZ grants he opening of a Fijian office of The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) on Saturday, March 18, would help with identity issues, said Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts. “Ethnic identity is like big global family connecting groups of people together, no matter where they are in the world,” Mr Reddy said. “It is through the workings of organisations such as GOPIO that this ethnic bonding and connection becomes strengthened.” GOPIO Suva (Fiji) Chapter was launched by International GOPIO coordinatorOceania Suman Kapoor; the Indian High Commissioner to Fiji, Vishwas Sapkal; President of GOPIO Suva (Fiji) Ramesh Chand and Mr Reddy at the Fiji Sevashram Sangha in Suva. “Every human being is proud of their ethnicity, cultural and religious values and kinship ties,” Mr Reddy said. “This is what binds the individual to their family, community and the global society at large.

Fiji Airways hoping to fly to Beijing and Northern Europe: Sayed-Khaiyum

inister for Civil Av i a t i o n Aiyaz SayedKhaiyum has told parliament that Fiji Airways would love to fly to Beijing when negotiations with Air Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum China are sorted out. Sayed-Khaiyum says this is because Air China has very good connectivity. He says they would also love to fly to Northern Europe. Sayed-Khaiyum adds that in June, Fiji Airways will be flying to South Australia for the first time. Opposition MP Viliame Gavoka then said that the success of Fiji Airways is also attributed to the vision of the Alliance, SVT and SDL governments. But Sayed-Khaiyum says the success of Fiji today is attributed to the Fiji First government.

From left: GOPIO Suva (Fiji) president Ramesh Chand, Indian High Commissioner to Fiji Vishwas Sapkal, Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts Mahendra Reddy, and GOPIO Oceania co-ordinator Suman Kappor during the launch yesterday. Photo: Ashna Kumar

Mr Sapkal said yesterday marked a very special day. “This is a great initiative that our community members have come up with to connect people of Indian origins to come together,” he said. GOPIO’s initial mission was established to network the global Indian community

and to monitor and address the interests and concerns of overseas Indians people of Indian origin (PIOs) and non-resident Indians (NRIs). An estimated 30 million people of Indian origin are living outside India.

NZ’s Immigration officials encourage people to register if they want to win residence in NZ

ew Zealand's Immigration officials are encouraging people in Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Fiji to register if they want to win residence in New Zealand. Each year up to 1,100 Samoan citizens, 250 Tongan and Fijian citizens and 75 Kiribati and Tuvaluan citizens are selected by ballot to be considered for residence in New Zealand. The ballot under the Samoan Quota and Pacific Access Category takes place throughout April. Those who are successful then have eight months to lodge their resident visa applications, the critical part of which is an acceptable job offer from a New Zealand employer. In recent years hundreds of people who won places in the ballots had to forfeit them after failing to secure work in New Zealand.

ijians have been urged to take advantage of scholarship opportunities at the Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) in New Zealand. A statement from the university's international development scholarships co-ordinator Sera Vatuloka said VUW was New Zealand's globally ranked city university. Ms Vatuloka said These VUW offered scholarships g l o b a l l y appeal to individucompetitive als wishing to extend d e g r e e themselves, advance programs their career, change to match their profession, or NZ Pacific simply to experience S ch o l a r s h i p s studying p r i o r i t y abroad” sectors for Fiji in business, finance and economic, education, public sector management, conservation and health. "These scholarships appeal to individuals wishing to extend themselves, advance their career, change their profession, or simply to experience studying abroad," she said. "We encourage Fijians to apply for a scholarship through the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to study at VUW. "We appreciate that making connections is a key aspect of the Fijian way of life and therefore we will be in Fiji on the 20th of March to inform respective Fijian stakeholders about scholarship application processes." Ms Vatuloka said the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade offered New Zealand Pacific Scholarships to Fijians for postgraduate study. Applications close at the end of the month. "At VUY, we are committed to supporting these scholarship recipients, to build on Fijian's leadership capacity and equip individuals with skills and knowledge to benefit Fiji," she said.

Teaching children to respect own culture: Naicker

s important as it is to teach students about other cultures, what is happening at Labasa Multicultural Centre is about teaching children to respect and celebrate their own. During the Holi celebration on Saturday, the centre’s administrator Prabha Naicker said teaching children about their own culture not only gave them the opportunity to respect themselves, but it also gave them a cultural base that they could take with them as they grew up. “Children learn best when they see, hear and then they themselves put teachings into action,” Ms Naicker said. “For this what the centre did was that we invited Qelewaqa Bal Ramayan group to recite popular musical genre so that children can hear. “Then we had a guest speaker, a Labasa primary school teacher who spoke about the importance of celebrating Holi followed by

narrated his woe to mother, Yashoda, who teasingly asked him to colour Radha’s face in which ever colour he wanted. “In a mischievous mood, Krishna applied colour on Radha’s face. “Thus, the tradition of applying colour on one another is being religiously followed to date.” The Fiji Sun caught up with two best friends Sunidhi Prasad and Shyna Devi among the 201 students of the centre playing colours. “We always look forward to Holi celebration because this Children is the only time we can tease learn best our friends with colours,” when they see, 12-year-old Shyna of hear and then they Tovata, Labasa said. International Society for Krsna Consciousness devotees from Nadi, Savusavu and Labasa during the Holi celebration in main street of Labasa Town. Photo:SHRATIKA NAIDU themselves put Two siblings Mahi Kumar teachings into “It is said that young Krishna was playing of colours. “The tradition of playing and Sakshi Kumar dressed in action” of colours on Holi draws its roots from a jealous of Radha’s fair complexion same coloured attire were seen tradition of Krishna and Radha. since he himself was very dark. “He playing with powder.

FIJI

www.iwk.co.nz | 24 March 2017

‘Miracle water’ not allowed into New Zealand F iji’s so-called “miracle” water from the Natadradave springs is “not allowed” into New Zealand, the Ministry of Primary Industries (NZMPI) posted on its Facebook page. It said: “Fijian holy water announcement” “We’ve been seeing a lot of passengers from Fiji arriving with bottles of holy water from natural springs. “This water is not allowed into New Zealand as it might have contaminants in it that we don’t want in New Zealand.” Last night, the Biosecurity of Fiji chief executive officer, Xavier R Khan, emphasised that there was no ban placed by the New Zealand authorities. “Miracle water (natural spring water) believed to have healing properties taken by Fijian travellers to New Zealand has not been banned by the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries (NZMPI). Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (BAF) has not received any

Natadradave miracle warter NOT ALLOWED in New Zealand. In circle: group of people at the Natadradave spring.

official notification of any such ban by NZMPI,” he said. “Miracle water (natural spring water) can be a good host for the transmission of biosecurity risks. Heat treatment is a biosecurity import requirement set by NZMPI for which they have requested travelers to declare the miracle water (natural spring water) at the NZ borders. “As per normal border inspection and clearance processes, if the

regulated article does not meet border import requirements, it may be detained and/ or destroyed. “BAF reiterates that we have not received any notification from NZMPI or from the NZ High Commission on any BANS IMPOSED on Fiji miracle water (natural spring water).”

Can’t wait, says Roy Krishna

odafone national football captain and Wellington Phoenix star striker Roy Krishna arrived into the country last night brimming with confidence of their chances against the New Zealand All Whites on Saturday, March 25. Speaking to SUNsports Krishna said he can’t wait to join the team in their first training run. “Playing against the New Zealand All Whites is going to be tough as they are the Oceania champions,” he said. “Like I’ve said before on the game day it’s going to be eleven against eleven and I’m looking forward to it.” Krishna said he has been keeping a constant contact with national football head coach Christophe Gamel and is expecting to gel well with the players. He pointed out the focus this weekend is to secure a spot in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. “This first game is important for Fiji as we have the home advantage. The Kiwis have played some matches and have got points.” The Labasa native has called on fans to be at Churchill Park, Lautoka to support them. The clash kicks off at 1pm.

BIG DAY

rishna arrived at Nadi International Airport on a Fiji Airways flight from Sydney. He was greeted by his fiancée Naziah Ali. When asked on their wedding day, Krishna laughed and shied away from the camera.

WHITES SETBACK

ll Whites captain Winston Reid is going to miss Saturday’s qualifier against Fiji after being injured while playing for English club West Ham. Reid limped off with a groin injury in

Mr Khan also advised all Fijians travelling overseas to familiarise themselves with the biosecurity requirements of the respective country they were travelling to and ensure compliance with the country’s requirements. In The Border Space newsletter, various “interesting risk items” were picked up by the NZ border control. T h e Natadradave h e a l i n g waters was one of them. Other items included Thai fish with maggots, Fruitfly in suitcase and Spanner crabs still alive. Here is what was noted about the Natadradave waters. “Miracle water poses biosecurity risk My staff have seen a lot of weird things coming across the border this summer, but I have to

say “miracle water” is stranger than most. The water has been arriving in New Zealand in significant qualities from Fiji. “It is sourced from a spring in the village of Natadradave in the Tailevu province and is believed to have healing properties. Apparently there has been a lot of local and international interest in the water since it was used to combat an outbreak of conjunctivitis last March. “It has since been found to cure a range of ailments, including blindness. Healing claims aside, MPI has some serious biosecurity concerns about untreated water getting past our borders. We require travellers to declare the miracle water. “And the water itself must undergo heat treatment, costing passengers about $60 a shot. There have been no reports the water’s healing powers have been affected by the heat treatment.”

Fiji PM stresses why oceans action

West Ham’s 3-2 loss to Leicester City. Reid will not be replaced in the squad and striker Chris Wood will captain the side. “It’s disappointing he is not coming because he is such an important player, he is a great character and I know how much he was looking forward to being here,” said coach Anthony Hudson. “But with regards to the team we have been in this position many times. “We have got a good squad, we are adaptable and we have enough in this squad to deal with this tour so we are prepared for this.” Striker Monty Patterson will also miss the Lautoka and the return fixture in Wellington next Tuesday due to a hamstring injury. Patterson, who plays for Ipswich Town in the English Championship, will be replaced by Phoenix midfielder Alex Rufer. It’s disappointing he is not coming because he is such an important player, he is a great character and I know how much he was looking forward to being here.” – Coach Anthony Hudson

iji will rally with its Pacific neighbours on the global platform to have their voices heard over the depletion of the oceans and seas due to pollution, says Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama. Mr Bainimarama was responding to a question posed by Government MP, Mataiasi Niumataiwalu in Parliament yesterday. He said Fijians relied on the ecosystem as a source of food and income. Mr Niumataiwalu questioned how Fiji would highlight the issues on the global stage and its benefits. Apart from Fiji, Mr Bainimarama said that other countries within the region also depended on a healthy ocean for their food. “We can’t afford to take the back seat in the global campaign, to reverse that pollution, overfishing and increase marine traffic has done on our eco-system,” he said. Mr Bainimarama said Fiji lived with its consequences on a daily basis even though developed countries didn’t feel them. “Every Fijian understands the need for urgent action to protect our oceans and value the global community to reverse the staggering degradation of our marine resources,” he said. Mr Bainimarama said even men have returned with nothing from their fishing trips as fish stocks have been depleted. He added coastal communities were experiencing the impact that bleaching had on coral reefs and it was a phenomenon that intensified to an unprecedented level last year. As the former Fijian Navy Commander, Mr Bainimarama

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama outside Parliament

said he witnessed how plastics had accumulated in our seas and how the ocean had degraded by people who robbed marine resources. He said small island developing nations were the ones suffering. For the first time, Fiji would co-host with Sweden the first ever United Nations conference on oceans in June. “Healthy oceans and seas are the lifeblood of the planet we inherit,” Mr Bainimarama said. Mr Bainimarama said they would push for a comprehensive review of the current states of our oceans and unfiltered truth revealed to the community of nations. “As part of our missions of a cleaner Pacific we are also calling on those responsible to do what is necessary to address nuclear and other contentment, ship wrecks and other World War II relics in our oceans,” Mr Bainimarama said. He said a global observing system needed to be put in place to improve ocean health.

Editorial Call for firearms: an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind

he recent call for firearms by the dairy shop owners to deter aggravated robberies have created a spur, and rightly, though.

According to an online survey done by Newshub 57 per cent of respondents

do not support the idea of dairy owners arming themselves with guns.

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” — Albert Einstein

FUNNY BONE

The fact that even if 43 per cent respondents are supporting this idea is problematic. Evidence overseas suggests that offenders get more inclined to carry and use firearms in the likelihood of their intended target armed with a firearm. It is to say that when offenders would be aware that their targeted small business owners could possess firearms, then they will always be entering premises with firearms, and the will, to use those firearms, on the slightest pretext. It is no brainer to guess if all shopkeepers - who are law-abiding citizens will have that “will” to use firearms always. Also, evidence suggests that criminals are more comfortable than normal lawabiding citizens in procuring and using guns. New Zealand is a gun free country, and it should remain that way. We cannot afford to create a new social problem of “gun trotting youth on our streets” to seek a solution to another malaise, especially when there is no evidence to suggest that shop owners potential arming with a gun would deter the offenders. Therefore, the call for arming with a gun so conveniently ‘attributed’ by the mainstream media to the Indian dairy owners should be treated as what it actually is - a momentary expression of frustration with the ever increasing numbers of aggravated robberies - rather than a call for policy change. This will be one big challenge for the recently formed Crime Prevention Group - a community initiative to formulate a community-led action plan against the rising menace of aggravated robberies - to distil the emotional call for arming with the gun from more peaceful means to bring forward remedial measures. There will be an extra responsibility on this community group to delineate the call for firearms from the Indian dairy owners. As Indian migrants all over the world are recognised for their peace loving attributes, and that recognition should not be disturbed unnecessarily.

This week in New Zealand’s hitory March 26 1896 Brunner mine disaster kills 65 At 9.30 a.m. an explosion tore through the Brunner mine in Westland’s Grey Valley. Two men sent underground to investigate were later found unconscious from black damp, a suffocating mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

March 27 1984 Trades’ Hall bombing Caretaker and unionist Ernie Abbott was killed on 27 March 1984 by a bomb at Trades’ Hall in Wellington’s Vivian St. Trades’ Hall was the headquarters for many trade unions and police suspected that they were the targets.

and small businesses are being assaulted and victimised.

March 28 1983 Signing of CER agreement strengthens trans-Tasman trade ties

Indian Weekender : Volume 9 Issue 01

New Zealand and Australia formally signed the Closer Economic Relations (CER) agreement, strengthening trade ties between the Tasman neighbours.

It’s easier said than done though, especially when more and more dairy owners

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.

March 29 1901 Skippers Bridge opened At 96 m long and 91 m high, the suspension bridge over the Shotover River near Queenstown in Central Otago is one of the most spectacular bridges in New Zealand.

OPINION/EDITORIAL

www.iwk.co.nz | 24 March 2017

Key might have left his legacy in the hard basket ¡¡ DEV NADKARNI

in Parliament nor a credible alternative to the electorate in terms of well thought out policy let alone any semblance of stable leadership.

ore than three months after his shock resignation in December last year, former Prime Minister John Key was still quelling rumours about his sudden exit ahead of his valedictory speech to Parliament this week. That many Kiwis thought at the time – some still do – there was more to the resignation than meets the eye comes as no surprise. Unlike successful sportspeople and celebrities, few politicians, if any, have been known to quit while ahead. And John Key was always ahead, with consistently high approval ratings hovering around the 50 per cent mark through much of his premiership. Unsurprisingly, Mr Key has been hard put to explain that the real reasons for his throwing in the towel were uncharacteristically mundane. Active politics had a taken a toll on family life, he said. Stepping down well ahead of this year’s election would give a fair chance to Kiwis to assess the National Party’s new leadership in the run-up to the elections, was his other reason. True as they might have been, many were unconvinced. There is no question that John Key is among this country’s most popular prime ministers. His state house to Beehive story via being a successful moneyman in the world’s biggest capital markets is inspirational. His ability to seemingly connect with all manner of people is almost showbiz celebrity like. No wonder that he is admired by a whole bunch

DISAPPOINTMENTS

of world leaders from Barack Obama to Malcolm Turnbull, who waxed eloquent about him and his leadership on television upon hearing of his resignation. Mr Key’s leadership saw this country successfully navigate the stormy waters of the global financial crisis, with the economy continually managing to grow, no matter how slowly, at a time when the rest of the developed world economies were reeling and failing to register growth in some years. New Zealand successfully extricated itself out of a debt hole to notch up a surplus toward the end of his premiership. On the domestic front, he dealt with many contentious issues deftly, getting most people around to his side. In fact, his style of functioning made hard things look easy. He connected well with the country’s growing migrant groups and was extremely popular with Kiwi Indians, always turning up at the

many cultural fests that dot the calendar. He was a chief guest at four of the Indian Weekender Hall of Fame functions. Nicknamed ‘the smiling assassin’ his government did take some potentially unpopular decisions such as rationalising welfare payments, which political parties of other dispensations might have been loathe to dealing with. His easy and positive manner generally raised New Zealand’s stock in international circles and in the past decade, this country has featured high in nearly every global desirability index. While Mr Key had a lot going for him in his years in power, his popularity was helped in no small measure by the disarray in the Labour party throughout much of his tenure. As Mr Key’s popularity soared, Labour squabbled over its leadership no less than three times, all the while stumbling along, offering neither strong opposition

hen Mr Key said, “Disappointments are inevitable in politics,” in his valedictory address, he was perhaps referring to his own disappointments – such as the failed flag referendum. For many Kiwis, too, it was a disappointment – not because it failed, though, but because it was even attempted in the first place. Most Kiwis saw it as a pointless, wasteful exercise and voted with their feet. That $24 million exercise was one of Mr Key’s few political miscalculations that failed to become part of his legacy. Though Mr Key’s stewardship skillfully navigated choppy economic waters, one would have expected him to leverage his considerable economic nous and international financial experience to help broad base New Zealand’s primary industry-centric economy. Not many politicians and heads of governments come with the kind of financial experience of Mr Key, and his lack of action in opening more doors and creating a conducive financial environment for Kiwis’ celebrated innovativeness will be seen as a major missed opportunity. While the nation might have done well in macroeconomic indicators during the Key years, the reality on the ground seems to point the other way. Social and financial inequality among New Zealanders

has increased. While the reasons for this could be many, over-relying on immigration and unbridled international student numbers as a driver of growth are undoubtedly one. It has put pressure on the country’s infrastructure and public services and will take good leadership and investment to put it right. Despite living for many years in New York and Singapore, Mr Key never appeared to appreciate the virtues of public transport infrastructure. During his leadership, the government dragged its feet for years on Auckland’s transport woes, most of all the City Rail Link. Its policies seemed to favour the private transport lobby. Mr Key’s too hard basket had 17 a couple of other files that piled up high as well. Superannuation, which he perplexingly vowed not to touch during his watch and housing, which, with his financial nous and political acumen, one would have thought he could have found answers for. Housing will likely turn out to be the biggest issue in the coming elections. All in all, Mr Key has left New Zealand in a better place. But Kiwis will have to wait for another prime minister to deal with the real issues that profoundly impact on the quality of their lives now, and crucially, in the future. Decisive action on these important issues would have carved out a great legacy for Mr Key. Too bad they’re still in the too hard basket.

Punjab’s revival will depend upon revitalising its once industrial cities ¡¡ AMIT KAPOOR

he conversation around BJPs electoral win in UP has completely overshadowed the political scenario in the state of Punjab. Political commentators attribute this to Punjab’s small electoral share compared to UP, but there is more to it than mere arithmetic. Only a few decades ago, Punjab was a poster boy for development -- a state that was the centre-stage of the Green Revolution and whose cities were fast industrialising. Ludhiana was a production hub for cycles; Jalandhar had a thriving sports goods industry, and Amritsar had its textile industry. Punjab’s economic size made it hard to be side-lined. Now, the state and its cities have fallen into Detroit-like insignificance. Industries have chosen to exit the state. Between 2007 and 2014, about 18,770 factories have closed down. As a result, employment and economic growth have fallen below the national average. Moreover, the rising menace of drugs has added to the woes. The strong anti-incumbency shown in the recent elections reflects the desire for change among the people of Punjab and, hopefully, the Amarinder Singh-led government will live up to the expectation of the electorate. Reviving the state needs to begin at the

level of its cities as they have the potential to become engines of growth and prosperity. Since industrial clusters across the cities of Punjab were a driving force behind Punjab’s erstwhile growth, it should be instructive to delve into the reasons for their decline. First, was the availability of cheaper imports of manufactured and intermediary goods from China. For instance, Jalandhar, which was a global supplier of sports goods, lost its competitive edge to cheaper Chinese products. Similarly, the cycles industry in Ludhiana lost its place to cheaper imports of cycle components from China. The second reason is the loss of competitive advantage to Punjab’s neighbouring states. Tax structures are more attractive in Himachal Pradesh. The state has been offering a tax holiday to industries since 2003 along with other sops. Also, industrial power is much more abundantly available and considerably cheaper in Himachal Pradesh. Third is the flawed economic policies followed by the state leadership. Punjab’s agricultural sector is riddled with controls and huge subsidies, which makes the state’s fiscal situation highly unmanageable. The state provides free electricity to its farmers. To compensate for this subsidy, arcane duties and cesses are imposed on electricity provided to industries. This makes operations unreasonably expensive.

The newly-elected Congress government needs to reverse all these policy errors to revive Punjab’s growth story. Since agriculture is no longer the mainstay of its economy, the best approach that the incoming government can take is to revive the state’s basic units of economic power: its cities. Reviving the industrial clusters that once thrived in the cities of Punjab is its best bet in a failing economy. Cities can only succeed by attracting talent and talent, in turn, seeks out good places to consume as well as produce. Cities in Punjab have been losing both of these characteristics over the years. A state that was once the most prosperous in the country, now lags behind Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Telangana, while being just at par with Himachal Pradesh. Talent will clearly not seek out a place that is in perpetual decline and nor will companies do so. Therefore, for a city to succeed it needs to provide a

decent quality of living to attract talent and a business-friendly environment to lure opportunities for the inhabitants. However, Punjab would also need to develop talent among its population, which it has lost out over time. To do so, the government needs to balance its books and reduce its fiscal burden by cutting down on its subsidy bill. The resources it gains from this needs to be devoted to talent-building sectors like education and health. Second, it needs to remedy its flawed economic policies that have been making business unviable in the state. These are the two most crucial factors that require urgent redressal to revive Punjab. The Congress government could very well use the faith reposed upon it by the people of the state as a path to its salvation. Amit Kapoor is chair, Institute for Competitiveness, India. The views expressed are personal. The article is coauthored with Chirag Yadav)

WORLD

Five killed in London terror attack

24 March 2017 | www.iwk.co.nz

ritish police confirmed that deal toll in Wednesday’s terror attack outside the Parliament in central London has risen to five. On Wednesday, three people and a terrorist were dead after an attacker brought carnage to central London on Wednesday, mowing down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and hacking at police with knives in the grounds of the Houses of Parliament. Metro Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told reporters that about 40 people were injured in the attack. Rowley, also London’s top antiterror officer, said that the officer who died in the attack has been named as Keith Palmer, who was 48 and had 15 years service as a police officer. He said he would not comment on the identity of the attacker, although he suggested the police was aware of who the assailant was. The attacker was shot dead after stabbing Palmer. The other three victims were all civilians, the police officer said. At least 40 people were hit on the crowded bridge when a 4x4 drove along the pavement, knocking down pedestrians before crashing into a fence below Big Ben, the local media reported. An intruder, described by a witness as “middle-aged and Asian”, then managed to break

‘India, Pakistan need to respect Indus Waters Treaty’

Emergency services staff provide medical attention to the victims. Photo Matt Dunham

into the grounds of the Parliament where he fatally stabbed a police officer with two knives, the Daily Mail reported. The policeman died at the scene. The attacker, who was shot by armed officers, died after he was taken to hospital. Prime Minister Theresa May was bundled into her car by a plain-clothes police officer and driven quickly from the scene as the attack unfolded. She will chair a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra Committee. Scotland Yard said the attack, which comes a year to the day after the terrorist atrocities in Brussels, was being treated “as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise”. Witness Jayne Wilkinson said: “We were taking photos of Big Ben and we saw all the people running towards us, and then there was an Asian guy in about his 40s carrying

a knife about seven or eight inches long. “And then there were three shots fired, and then we crossed the road and looked over. The man was on the floor with blood. “He had a lightweight jacket on, dark trousers and a shirt. He was running through those gates, towards Parliament, and the police were chasing him.” A spokesman for the Port of London Authority, which looks after safety on the River Thames, said: “A female member of the public was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge. She is alive but undergoing urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. We believe she fell from the bridge”.

oth India and Pakistan need to respect the Indus Waters Treaty as it is in the interest of both the countries, Pakistan's Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif said on Monday, March 20. Under the Indus Waters Treaty, India has exclusive rights to three Indus basin "The talks, postponed since 2015, rivers, including the Ravi, which has virtually disappeared on the Pakistani side. have resumed due to efforts made Chenab river. Addressing the Asif said delays had been by the government. They are in the witnessed in the past in the media, Asif said that the talks best interests of both neighbours," handling of the Kishanganga would focus on three power projects he said at a press conference project, claiming that "when we with varying capacities of power as the 113th Indo-Pak Indus (Pakistan) went to the court of generation: Pakul Dal (1,000MW), Water Commission conference arbitration our position was not Miyar (120MW) and Lower commenced in Islamabad. as strong as it could have been if Kalnai (48MW). A 10-member Indian delegation we had approached the court in a "To respect this agreement timely manner." led by Indian Indus Water (the Indus Waters Treaty) and Commissioner P.P. Saxena arrived However, he added that the find a solution through it is country's position regarding the on Sunday for talks, two Ratle project is "very strong". We in the interest of both years after water experts "We are working to make of the two sides at the are working countries," the minister changes to the design of the project level of Permanent to make changes said. that are in Pakistan's interest and Indus Commission to the design of the The minister also which are in accordance with the met in May 2015, project that are in spoke regarding treaty," the minister said. reported Dawn. Pakistan’s interest the controversial The two sides would not discuss The Pakistani and which are in Kishanganga and the controversial Kishanganga and delegation is led by accordance with Ratle hydroelectric Ratle hydropower projects, a senior Pakistan's Indus Water the treaty, projects regarding official earlier told Dawn. Commissioner Mirza Asif which Pakistan has asked The talks concluded on Beg. The two-day talks would the World Bank to set up a Court Tuesday, March 21 and the Indian focus on the designs, disputed by of Arbitration to hear its objections, delegation would leave for New Pakistan, of the three controversial Delhi the same day. the newspaper reported. water projects being built on the

NEWS in BRIEF 600 mn kids will face extreme water shortage by 2040

early 600 million children, one in four worldwide, will live in areas with extremely limited water resources by 2040, according to a UN report. The report was released on Tuesday, March 21, by the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef), Efe news reported on Wednesday. Unicef warned of the threat to children’s lives due to the lack of safe water and of how climate change is exacerbating the problem. “Water is elemental; without it, nothing can grow. But around the world, millions of children lack access to safe water – endangering their lives, undermining their health, and jeopardising their future,” Unicef Executive Director Anthony Lake said. “This crisis will only grow unless we take collective action now,” he insisted. The report warns that population growth as well as increased consumption and demand are putting more and more stress on water availability, while right now such stress is already “extremely high” in 36 countries. The situation occurs when demand for water far exceeds the renewable supply available, the report said. It also highlighted various factors affecting the quality and availability of water such as warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, melting ice and increasing droughts. To date, 663 million people are lacking adequate access to water sources and more than 800 children under the age of five die every day from diarrhoea linked to contaminated water and inadequate sanitation and hygiene. According to Unicef, the lack of an adequate supply exposes children to deadly diseases forcing children in many places to spend hours every day to collect water, preventing them from going to school.

iPhone 7 goes red to help fight AIDS

ecognising more than 10 years of partnership with the Product (RED) charity that fights against HIV/AIDS, Apple announced iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in a vibrant red aluminium

finish. Apple is the world’s largest corporate donor

to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, contributing more than $130 million as part of its partnership with (RED). “Combining the global reach of the world’s most loved smartphone with our efforts to provide access to life-saving ARV medication in sub-Saharan Africa, customers now have a remarkable opportunity to make a difference and contribute to the Global Fund through the purchase of this new beautiful (PRODUCT) RED iPhone,” said Deborah Dugan, (RED)’s CEO. The special edition (PRODUCT) RED iPhone will be available to order online worldwide and in stores beginning Friday, March 24. iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition will be available in 128GB and 256GB models. “Since we began working with (RED) 10 years ago, our customers have made a significant impact in fighting the spread of AIDS through the purchase of our products,” said Tim Cook, Apple CEO, in a statement. “The introduction of this special edition iPhone in a gorgeous red finish is our biggest (PRODUCT) RED offering to date in celebration of our partnership with (RED), and we can’t wait to get it into customers’ hands,” Cook added.

Twitter shut six lakh terror-related accounts in 18 months

icro-blogging website Twitter has blocked more than six lakh terror-related accounts in last one and a half years, media reported. According to a report in CNET on Tuesday, March 21, that quoted Twitter’s ‘Transparency Report’, the micro-blogging site has suspended a total of 636,248 terror-related accounts since August 1, 2015. In the last six months of 2016, Twitter suspended 376,890 accounts for promoting terrorism. Twitter had announced the blocking of more than 125,000 accounts earlier in 2016 which were primarily related to the Islamic State (IS) extremist group. In addition to the account suspensions, Twitter’s global Public Policy team has expanded its partnerships with organisations working to counter violent extremism (CVE) online. As many experts and other companies have noted, there is no “magic algorithm” for identifying terrorist content on the internet, so global online platforms are forced to make challenging judgement calls based on very limited information and guidance. Twitter has also been working with groups like People Against Violent Extremism and the Lumen project to curb use of the platform for promoting terrorism, racism and separatism. Twitter has charted out rules against the promotion of violence. One of the rules specifically talks about terrorism, saying: “You may not make threats of violence or promote violence, including threatening or promoting terrorism.”

INDIA

www.iwk.co.nz | 24 March 2017

Modi is man from Nostradamus' prediction: BJP MP

JP's Lok Sabha member Kirit Somaiya on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the man from French soothsayer Nostradamus' prophecy, who will take India to new heights. Speaking in the Lok Sabha on the supplementary demands for grants, Somaiya said: "The prediction that Nostradamus made that a leader will emerge in the east, and will take India to new heights, Modi is that leader." Nostradamus, a famous 16th century soothsayer is said to have predicted several historic events, including the rise of Hitler and the collapse of the World Trade Centre in 2001. Similar statements were made earlier by other Bharatiya Janata Party members, including Minister

Kirit Somaiya also took a dig at the opposition for raising demonetisation issue in every debate.

of State for Home Kiren Rijiju who had shared the prophecy on his Facebook page. Somaiya also took a dig at the opposition for raising demonetisation issue in every debate.

"When we were debating budget, they raised demonetisation. Even today (Monday) they raised it... Talking about demonetisation, they suffered devaluation so badly that one will have to search for Congress in Uttar Pradesh," Somaiya said.

Giving up Defence Ministry big sacrifice by Parrikar: Goa BJP

World Water Day: Modi exhorts people to save water

n the occasion of World Water Day on Wednesday, March 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the fellow countrymen to save every drop of the crucial resource and praised the UN for choosing 'wastewater' as its theme. "On 'World Water Day', lets pledge to save every drop of water. When Jan Shakti (people's power) has made up its mind, we can successfully preserve Jal Shakti (water power)," Modi said. "This year, the UN has chosen a valid theme – wastewater. It will help further awareness on water recycling and why it is essential for our planet," Modi added. According to a UNICEF report released on the occasion, by 2040 nearly 600 million children, one in every four worldwide, will live in areas with extremely limited water resources. The report warned of the threat to children's lives due to the lack of safe water and of how climate change is exacerbating the problem.

oa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar made a huge sacrifice by giving up the defence portfolio and choosing to govern the state, BJP spokesperson Nilesh Cabral said on Tuesday, March 21. Reacting to Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut’s charge on Monday that the BJP-led coalition government in Goa was a corrupt one, Cabral said that the Sena had been obliterated in the February 4 assembly elections and therefore had no locus standi to make such comments. “Giving up the Defence Ministry and coming back to Goa is a big sacrifice. He came (back) to become the Chief Minister of Goa, which is like a district in Maharashtra. This is our good fortune,” Cabral said. The BJP leader said: “Raut

"Giving up the Defence Ministry and coming back to Goa is a big sacrifice. Manohar Parrikar came (back) to become the Chief Minister of Goa, which is like a district in Maharashtra. This is our good fortune," BJP spokesperson Nilesh Cabral said.

speaks about corruption all the while because he himself is corrupt. We have barely formed the government – so how can he make a corruption charge? He has been driven away from Goa, he should not come back to Goa again.” The Shiv Sena contested four seats in Goa assembly elections in alliance with two regional parties, but did not win a single seat.

Hoping to implement GST from July 1: Jaitley

inance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Wednesday, March 22, that the government was hoping to implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST) by July 1 after the enabling Bills get Parliament's nod in the current budget session. "GST is the biggest reform in India. Hopefully, GST will be implemented by July 1. GST Bills will hopefully be cleared in Parliament," Jaitley said here at the 23rd Conference of Auditors General of Commonwealth Nations hosted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.Jaitley said that India's indirect taxation regime, which is currently the most complex in the world, will transform into a simplified one with the implementation of GST.

NEWS in BRIEF

Mukesh Ambani tops Forbes list of 101 Indian billionaires

ndia has the fourth largest number of billionaires globally, with Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani heading the list of more than 100 high net worth individual Indians, as per the latest listing by American magazine Forbes. The US, with 565, has more billionaires than any other nation. China comes next with 319, while Germany is at number three with 114. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates heads the list for Mukesh Ambani the fourth year in a row with a fortune of $86 billion, up from $75 billion last year. Mukesh Ambani tops the list of Indian billionaires, and is placed 33rd with a net worth of $23.2 billion. Forbes said the RIL chairman sparked a price war in the Indian telecom market with the launch of the Jio4G phone service last September. His younger brother Anil is ranked 745th with a net worth of $2.7 billion. The US magazine said Anil Ambani “orchestrated the merger of his Reliance Communication’s telecom business with that of rival Aircel, controlled by Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan. The combine, which awaits regulatory approvals, will be the country’s fourth-largest mobile phone operator”.

Women scientists focus of three Indian science journals

hree Indian scientific journals have featured, for the first time since their inception, special issues authored exclusively by women scientists to trigger a debate on lower representation of women in science. Centred on International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11) and International Women’s Day on March 8, an all-female authorship is the focus in Current Science journal (forthcoming issue) and the March issue of Resonance (published by the Indian Academy of Sciences) and Physics News (Indian Physics Association publication). Researchers Prajval Shastri and Sudeshna Mazumdar-Leighton, guest editors of the Resonance issue write in the editorial that “such a ‘special’ issue should not have been necessary”. Expanding on the gender gap in sciences and other arenas, they note: “Science faculty in Indian universities, (i.e., trained science PhDs) have about 45 per cent women.” “Yet, this fraction is not matched in elite research institutions, in institutional leadership, in awards and honours, and also, it turns out, in the authorship of Resonance, which is under 16 per cent even over the last three years.”

BJP all for electoral reforms: Minister

lectoral reforms are a priority for the ruling BJP as these are needed to make India a superpower, Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Arjun Meghwal said on Tuesday, March 21. “Reforms in electoral practices are the BJP’s top priority and we are working towards it,” Meghwal said at a seminar on ‘Transparency in Political Funding’ organised by advocacy group Bharat Niti. He also referred to a speech by Bhim Rao Ambedkar in the Constituent Assembly, wherein he had championed universal franchise and paved the way for a democracy in Arjun Meghwa independent India. “He gave all Indians the voting right, irrespective of gender and class, saying elections will be celebrated as festivals in the country... (he said) India should lead other countries,” the Minister said.

Make law to build Ayodhya temple: VHP

V Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hoped the GST bills will be cleared in Parliament.

"We have the most complicated indirect tax systems. Once implemented, what is currently the most complicated system in the world will become the simplest in the world. The enabling laws are before the Parliament. By middle of the year (2017), we hope to see the implementation of GST," he said. "Evasion of taxes will be difficult under GST. Size of Indian economy will increase," he added. Jaitley also noted that India is an open economy with 90 per cent of

the investment happening through the automatic route. "Opposition to reforms is minimal. Opposition to protectionism is minimal. Reforms in the foreign direct investment (FDI) in India have been significant and we are among the most open economies in the world," he said. The Finance Minister, however, lamented that while public investment and FDI were high, private sector investment still lagged behind.

ishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia on Tuesday, March 21, demanded a law to build the Ram temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. “The Centre must bring in a law to build the Ram Temple at Ayodhya,” Togadia said. “The Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas and the VHP have a constant stand that the disputed land belongs to Lord Ram and there should be a grand temple there,” he added. The Supreme Court said the settlement of the Ram JanmabhoomiBabri Masjid dispute through amicable negotiations is a better course than insisting on a judicial pronouncement. Speaking on the earlier efforts to resolve the dispute through dialogue, Togadia said: “In 1991, then Prime Minister Chandrashekhar tried to get the VHP and the Babri Masjid Action Committee sit across the table to amicably resolve the matter. When the VHP submitted all proofs on the presence of a temple there (disputed site), the Babri panel members left the meeting.”

Togadia said the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had accepted that there are enough proofs of the existence of a temple at the disputed site. Speaking on the Muslims’ stand on the archaeological evidence, the VHP leader said they had maintained that ‘if the temple existed, we will withdraw our claim”. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court ordered a partition of the disputed land between the parties concerned.

INDIA

24 March 2017| www.iwk.co.nz

Yogi vows to work for UP's all-round development

owing to work for the allround development of Uttar Pradesh, new Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday that his priorities will be to rid the state of corruption and communal riots. "We will work to make the state free of corruption, rowdyism and hooliganism. We will present a developmental model which will prevent distress migration of youths for jobs," he said. Adiyanath, a long-time BJP member of Parliament from Gorakhpur, told the Lok Sabha that he will curb anti-social elements in the country's most populous state. The leader also took a dig at the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance in his state, saying he came between the two to defeat it in the just-concluded assembly elections. Adityanath, who took oath on Sunday, was in Delhi on Tuesday to meet President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several union ministers and BJP leaders. He claimed credit for bringing about changes in Gorakhpur which, he said, did not enjoy a positive image among the people earlier. Now, he said, no trader in Gorakhpur pays "goonda tax", the

town does not witness abductions and there are no communal riots in eastern Uttar Pradesh. "We will be successful in brining the same situation in Uttar Pradesh." Taking a dig at the SP-Congress alliance, Adityanath said: "I am one year younger to Rahul Gandhi and a year older to Akhilesh Yadav. Since I came between them, it was the reason for the alliance's defeat in Uttar Pradesh." The BJP won 312 of the 403 assembly seats in the FebruaryMarch elections.

The Chief Minister also accused the earlier UP government of not utilising most funds allocated by the central government and vowed to follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan of 'sabka saathsabka vikas'. Thanking Modi for giving him a chance to serve the state, Adityanath said he will try to lead its growth story. Adityanath met Modi and discussed several issues related to the state. The hour-long meeting was held at Parliament House. The precise details of what they discussed

Cash transaction limit proposed to be cut to Rs 2 lakh

were not known but informed sources said that both discussed development-related issues. After the meeting, Yogi Adityanath didn't speak to the media and left for Home Minister Rajnath Singh's residence. Earlier, he called on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. In his meeting with Rajnath Singh, Adityanath discussed law and order in Uttar Pradesh and sought his support. Rajnath is a former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and presently MP from Lucknow. Adityanath also met President Pranab Mukherjee, BJP President Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and party veteran L.K. Advani.

During his meeting with Shah, Adityanath is learnt to have discussed portfolio distribution in his ministry. BJP sources said Adityanath wants to keep Home Department with his himself while his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya is trying to get the portfolio. They said Adityanath is likely to announce the portfolio by Thursday. Besides two Deputy Chief Ministers, his council of ministers has 22 other Cabinet ministers, nine Ministers of State with independent charge and 13 Ministers of State.

Amarinder meets Modi, seeks special package for farmers

unjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday, March 22, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a special central government package to provide one-time loan waiver to the beleaguered, debt-ridden farmers of Punjab. Amarinder, who met the Prime Minister on Wednesday at his Parliament House office, said the meeting was a courtesy call, during which the issue of farm debt waiver was also discussed. The Chief Minister said though he had sought financial assistance from the central government, his government was committed to waiver of the farmers' loans in the state and had already initiated a time-bound process for the same. Expressing concern over the recent spate of farmer suicides in

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Parliament House in New

his state, Amarinder said he had requested the Prime Minister to announce a special package to pull the farmers of Punjab out of the debt-trap. "The mounting farm debts was making agriculture in Punjab increasingly unsustainable,

endangering not only the food security of the nation but also the social fabric of this sensitive border state," Amarinder pointed out. Green Revolution state Punjab contributes 50 per cent food grains to the central kitty despite having just 1.54 per cent of the

geographical area of the country. In recent years, hundreds of farmers in the agrarian state have committed suicide due to increasing debt and dwindling land holding. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister said the total farm debt in Punjab amounted to over Rs 80,000 crore, including the crop loans in the cooperative sector amounting to about Rs 12,500 crore. "The average debt per farm household in Punjab works out to be Rs 8 lakh (including crop loan), while the state's per hectare debt of small and marginal farmers was the highest in India," he pointed out. "The problem had become so severe that many farmers were driven to suicide to escape the social and moral consequences of not being able to repay their debts," the letter stated.

n yet another move to curb black money in India, the government on Tuesday, March 21, proposed a fresh ceiling of Rs 2 lakh on cash transactions, which is lower than the Rs 3 lakh proposed in Budget 2017-18. An amendment to this effect, was one among the 40 amendments proposed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to the Finance Bill, 2017, while moving for its consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha. “In the official amend.to FBill Govt has proposed that limit of 3 lakhs for cash tranx, beyond which it is illegal, be reduced to 2 lakhs,” tweeted Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia. “The penalty for violating this is a fine equivalent to the amount of transaction,” he said in a separate tweet. Jaitley had proposed that the cap on cash transactions be Rs 3 lakh with effect from April 1. Moving the Bill, Jaitley spoke in defence of amendments made to 40 acts, which had been criticised by opposition members of the house on a point of order. He said if a substantial portion of a bill deals with imposition or abolition of tax, then even if it has other incidental provisions, it can still be introduced as a Money Bill. A Finance Bill is ordinarily introduced to give effect to the financial proposals of the government for the next financial year. Jaitley said that following the government’s demonetisation drive to curb corruption, various income tax incentives had been introduced, including electoral bonds, to deal with black money in political life. This had necessitated amendments to various Acts, he said. The Finance Minister said the government will amend several laws including the RBI Act and Income Tax Act to allow political parties to raise funds through electoral bonds. “Electoral bonds have been announced as a scheme for cleansing political money under the Income Tax Act,” he said.

World needs to get rid of violence: President P resident Pranab Mukherjee said the world needs to discuss and deliberate as to why it is facing the scourge of violence and how to stop the “wanton destruction”. “No part of the world today is free from the scourge of violence. This crisis is all pervasive. The basic question being raised today is how to stop this wanton destruction and come back to sanity,” the President said. He was speaking as the chief guest at the valedictory session of the three-day international conference, “Buddhism in the

21st Century - Perspectives and Responses to Global Challenges and Crises”, at Rajgir in Nalanda district of Bihar. Speaking about the relevance of Buddhism, the President said the philosophy of Buddhism is as relevant today as ever – especially as the world grapples with complex problems that seem intractable. “Buddhism has had a deep influence on human civilisation. The mighty emperor Ashoka, who had the ambition of extending his empire as far as he could, was converted into a missionary. Dhamma Ashoka is remembered in history rather than warrior

Ashoka,” he said. He said that in the 21st century, the path of Lord Buddha and Buddhism will help the world get rid of viloence and terrorism. About the historical significance of the ancient Nalanda University, Mukherjee said it reflects our ancient educational system which attracted mighty minds in the form of students and teachers in ancient India. Quoting Gandhiji on the Buddha, Mukherjee said: “He was saturated with the best which was in Hinduism... His great Hindu spirit cuts its way through the forest

of meaningless words which had overlaid the golden truth which was in the Vedas.” The President congratulated the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara for publishing the entire Pali Tripitaka (texts or words of the Buddha) in 41 volumes in the Devanagari script. Appreciating the initiatives of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, the President said this will go a long way in popularising the tenets of Buddhism and will help the coming generations to easily connect with the supreme ideals of humanity, forbearance, discipline and compassion.

www.iwk.co.nz | 24 March 2017

Indian-American sworn-in as top US healthcare head A I

INDIA ABROAD

Kerala Priest stabbed in Melbourne: out of danger

ndian-American Seema Verma has been sworn-in as the head of a key healthcare agency in the Donald Trump administration. Verma was sworn in on Tuesday, March 21, by US Vice President Mike Pence as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which are part of the Department of Health and Human Services, PBS NewsHour reported. The $1 trillion agency oversees health insurance programmes for everyone from nursing home residents to newborns. "President Donald Trump has chosen one of the leading experts in America on state-based healthcare solutions to lead this important agency," Vice President Pence said at the swearing-in ceremony at the White House. "The President has asked you to bring your expertise to DC," Pence said, adding: "We're confident that you'll help restore healthcare decision making to the states, and in the process help make the best healthcare system in the world even better." Verma is the second IndianAmerican to be inducted into the Trump administration. US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley was the first cabinet rank official from the community to serve in any

Catholic priest from Kerala was attacked by a man on Sunday when the former was leading the Sunday mass in a Melbourne church. “The priest, Tomy Mathew, was stabbed in the neck with a kitchen knife by the man during the mass at a Catholic church in Melbourne suburbs,” said Thiruvallom Bhasi, editor of a Melbourne daily who is currently visiting Thiruvananthapuram. “While the ceremony was on, the accused came forward and shouted that since he (Mathew) is an Indian,

US vice-president Mike Pence administers the oath of office to Seema Verma, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, accompanied by her husband Sanjay, her son Shaan, and her daughter Maya, Washington.

presidential administration. "Today, our healthcare stands at a crossroads, and we have no choice but to reform it," she said. The Senate confirmed her nomination on Monday by a vote of 55-43, largely along party lines. Verma is taking over the agency as a Republican healthcare bill moving through the House has reopened the debate over the government's role in healthcare. Verma is an Indiana healthcare consultant and protege of Pence, who is a former Indiana governor. The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) which represents more than 60,000 physicians, welcomed Verma's appointment, reported New India Times newspaper. Ajay Lodha, President of AAPI, lauded Verma's accomplishments

in Indiana, and said he hoped that the problems faced by patients under the Medicare drug plan would be resolved under her leadership. When Trump announced in November that he was appointing Verma for the post, he said that she would be part of "the dream team that will transform our healthcare system for the benefit of all Americans". Her role will extend beyond the insurance programmes – Medicare for senior citizens and Medicaid for the poor – to helping craft and implement the Republican healthcare reform plan to replace Obamacare. "She has decades of experience advising on Medicare and Medicaid policy and helping states navigate our complicated systems," Trump had said.

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he cannot conduct the mass,” Bhasi added. The priest is now said to be out of danger. The Police have taken one man into custody and are yet to confirm if it was a case of racist abuse. “At this stage, it is too early to tell (motive), and the investigation is ongoing,” Detective Senior Constable Rhiannon Norton said at a press conference in Melbourne. Father Mathew has been the parish priest of St Matthew’s since late 2014. He was well-liked by the parishioners, who were shocked by the attack.

Trump to nominate Indian judge for 2nd highest court

S President Donald Trump is nominating IndianAmerican federal judge Amul Thapar for elevation to an appeals court, second highest level of the US judiciary. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell publicised Trump’s plan to nominate Thapar, who was the first Indian to be made a federal judge. Appeals courts are just below the Supreme Court.Thapar was on a short list of Trump’s picks for the Supreme Court that was announced during last year’s election campaign. McConnel said in a statement: “I applaud the President for announcing his intent to nominate my friend, Judge Amul Thapar, to serve on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Throughout his already impressive career of public service,

Amul has shown an incredible intellect and an unshakable dedication to the law.” The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals covers two important states of Michigan and Ohio, in addition to Kentucky and Tennessee. Thapar is currently a federal judge for Eastern Kentucky appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2007. If approved by the Senate, Thapar will be the second IndianAmerican at the appellate court level, joining Judge Sri Srinivasan, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama to the powerful Appeals Court that covers Washington. Srinivasan was on Obama’s short list of candidates for the Supreme Court. However, Obama finally appointed Merrick Garland to succeed the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

SPORTS

24 March 2017 | www.iwk.co.nz

Kohli has become the Trump of world sport: Australian media T

he on-field antics from cricketers Patrick’s name. I don’t know why. He’s our of either side in the ongoing India- physio. Australia series are refusing to die “His job is to treat me. I don’t find the down, with the Australian media reason behind it. I could not understand. on Tuesday comparing home You must ask why they have started taking skipper Virat Kohli to US President his name,” Kohli said at post match Donald Trump. press conference. Kohli, who had earlier lashed out Kohli, who hurt his shoulder while fielding at the Australians before falling short of on the opening day of the third Test, only calling them ‘cheats’ after the second Test came to bat on the third day after missing in Bengaluru, was held accountable for most of the action on the first two days. continual perpetuation of fake news by Later, it was Australian all-rounder Glenn Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph. Maxwell, who started mocking the India The newspaper alleged that the 28-year- captain, when he dived to save a boundary. old Delhi batsman launched a scandalous Kohli gave it back with similar gestures, attack on his opposite number Steve Smith when left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja went and the Kangaroos where he accused of through opener David Warner’s defence in them being systematic cheats, but refused to the second innings. apologise or provide any concrete evidence. Denying his counterpart’s accusations, “Virat Kohli has become the Donald Smith said: “It was a bit disappointing. Trump of world sport. I didn’t actually do anything. Virat was “Just like President Trump, Kohli decided having a go at me saying I was disrespecting to blame the media as a means of trying to Patrick Farhart. I was probably the exact hide the egg smeared right across his opposite.” I think he (Patrick) Virat face,” the newspaper reported. probably did a pretty terrific Kohli has job to be able to get Virat After completion of the third become the Donald back on the field after Test, which ended in a draw Trump of world sport. at Ranchi, Kohli had on Just like President Trump, that shoulder injury. He’s Monday accused the visitors Kohli decided to blame the a terrific physio and he of trying to disrespect media as a means of trying obviously does a great job for them,” the 27-year-old the Indian team physio to hide the egg smeared added. Patrick Farhart. “They (fourright across his face” five of them) started taking

NZ didn’t back their pacers, says Piedt

outh African off-spinner Dane Piedt, who was included in the squad for their final cricket Test against New Zealand on Monday, March 20, said the home side should have backed their pace bowlers rather than spinners. Left-arm orthodox spinner Keshav Maharaj’s career-best 6-40 guided South Africa to a comfortable victory in the second Test in Wellington to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. “I think they have shot themselves in the foot. They didn’t back their seamers to do the job, and I thought their seamers bowled pretty well in South Africa. They bowled us out for 263 in Durban on quite a sporting deck,” Piedt was quoted as saying by Cricinfo. “I didn’t expect that New Zealand would play two spinners in the first Test and when they left Tim Southee out I was also surprised. Just the fact that two series before that, Bangladesh and Pakistan were here and they played on surfaces that were quite

Hope in Hamilton

outh Africa's had the slight edge on the Blackcaps throughout their entertaining tour and Saturday's, March 25, third and final ANZ Test at Seddon Park sees the hosts desperate for a victory to square the series. Here's five things to keep an eye on:

Bounce back

Batting coach Craig McMillan summed it up best following the stinging second Test loss in Wellington. "To lose within three days is unacceptable so the group's hurting, and it's disappointing but something we have to acknowledge ... However it's important to remember, while Tuesday wasn't good, it's

only just over a week ago that we performed pretty well in that first Test ... We need to get back to that standard and bounce back quickly for Hamilton," Preach Craig said.

King Henry

This young man's maiden Test century in the first innings at the Basin Reserve was pure class and vindicated the selectors' faith in him. The 25-year-old's knock showed all the steel and resolve that the Blackcaps will need to turn things around.

Hamilton turner

There's talk of a spin-friendly Seddon Park track which will be on the turning

Waikari clay side of the block. This could see the return of Mitchell Santner to the Xl to partner Jeetan Patel in a Blackcaps spinning combo who performed admirably in Dunedin. South Africa may also look to bring in a second specialist spinner in Dane Piedt who's been flown in for the final Test with a dry pitch expected.

Bring back Boult

Blackcaps selector Gavin Larsen is confident star pace bowler Trent Boult will be on the park for day one of the final Test. The left arm spear-head sat out the second Test with upper leg pain, but has returned to

South African off-spinner Dane Piedt

sporting for the seamers. “I expected it to be the same, but obviously with the type of seam attack we have they thought they would be under pressure,” he added. New Zealand’s pacers had contributed handsomely to their success in the past series but in the recent series, selectors as well as curator backed spinners despite below-par performance.

bowling and would be a welcome return to lead the attack. He claimed 4-64 in the first innings in Dunedin and is at the top of his game at the moment.

Encouraging signs

Rookie Test opener Jeet Raval has looked assured at the top of the order in his six Test career to date. He already has four half centuries under his belt including two in this series and with a healthy average of 40, he'll be looking to kick onto his first set of three figures in Hamilton. A technician at the top a pleasure to watch.

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Sudoku

Daily Sudoku puzzle No. 3803

Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, column and each of the 3x3 squares Daily Medium level Daily Sudoku puzzle No. 3806 2017-03-15 2017-03-12 allMedium level contains the digits from 1Sudoku to 9.puzzle No. 3804 2017-03-13

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Daily Sudoku puzzle No. 3807

2017-03-16

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Answers to last week's puzzles

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FUN ZONE

www.iwk.co.nz | 24 March 2017

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Adjective Word Scramble

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Puzzle solution: Puzzle solution: Play sudoku online at: Play sudoku online at: Sudoku puzzle No. 3801 2017-03-10 Sudoku puzzle No. 3796 2017-03-05

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The caped crusader, Batman, operated in which city? What was the name of Michael Jackson's famous chimpanzee companion? Which fruit gave its name to a desk top computer in 1984? What type of animal was Babe in the film of the same name? Who's slogan was Put a Tiger in Your Tank? What colour are Superman's shorts? What is the unit of currency in India? What is the closest planet to Earth? s True or False - Hair yanked out by the roots will not grow back? Which supermarket chain uses Jamie Oliver in their adverts? What is Fred Flintstone's favourite sport? True or False, women blink twice as much as men? What mineral is spinach high in? What was the name of the green Tellytubby? How many wings does a butterfly have? What sort of hat did Laurel and Hardy wear? Which cartoon dog has the initials "S.D." on his collar? What is the name of the fairy in Peter Pan? Which TV animation has a robot called Bender? What are the three primary colours in white light?

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Verb Quiz Read the sentence and write down which word you think is the verb.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

I think about it a lot. Run fast! I eat 3 meals a day. Let's sing a song. Jump over the fence. I often laugh. Climb to the top. Listen carefully. Look out the window. I walk every day.

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FEATURES

24 March 2017 | www.iwk.co.nz

The importance of Gruha Pravesh Puja B ¡¡DEVIKA RANI

uilding or buying a house is a major milestone in one’s life. Entering a new home signifies new beginnings filled with expectations and anticipation of good days to come. Performing a gruha pravesh puja or a house warming ceremony has a special significance for most Hindus. It is believed that entering a new house requires auspicious benedictions of the Almighty. The home-owners are also expected to seek the blessings their ancestors. A puja for Lord Ganesh is fundamental not only to obtain his blessings but also to remove any obstacles. An auspicious date is selected for the gruha pravesh puja while Tuesdays and amavsya are usually avoided. According to the shastras: Approva gruha pravesh is done for a newly constructed house Sapoorva gruha pravesh is performed while entering a house that was previously owned Dwandwah gruha pravesh is for entering a house after a major reconstruction or renovation A puja cannot be conducted in an incomplete house. Therefore it has to be completed in most respects and ready to be occupied. Minor finishes can be done later. The house is cleaned properly and the entrance of the house is decorated with mango leaves, flowers, toran, and rangoli. The mango leaves absorb negative energies and the flowers

are attractive and welcoming. The rangoli not only has beautiful and attractive designs but also has a peaceful and calming effect on the people entering the house. A vastu puja is performed outside to eliminate mistakes or doshas in the house that may have occurred due the bearing and shape of the land, design, or construction faults of the building. A kalash (copper or silver pot) filled with water and nine types of grains and with a coconut covered in red cloth placed over it is used for the puja and carried inside by the lady of the house. The puja items and photos of gods are brought into the house first. Only the stove is initially required; the furniture and other things should only be moved into the house after the puja. It is recommended that the puja is performed by a pandit before sunrise during the auspicious

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A puja for Lord Ganesh is fundamental not only to obtain his blessings but also to remove any obstacles.

Brahma Muhurat. A gruha shanti havan is performed and holy water or Theertham is sprinkled around the house to purify the house and enhance postive vibrations. The family members eagerly await the day of the puja and dress up in traditional clothes. A coconut is broken outside the front door and the family members enter the house with the photos of Ganesh and other dieties. Lamps are lit and a Mangal Kalash is placed in front of the dieties.

March 24 to March 30 | By Manisha Koushik ¡¡ Aries (Mar 21-Apr 20)

¡¡ Cancer (Jun 22-Jul 20)

The pandit proceeds to the propitious north-east part of the house to perform the havan and puja while chanting Vedic mantras. The smoke from the holy fire of the havan is considered to dispel vastu doshas and negative energies. The lady of the house enters the kitchen, does puja to the stove, and proceeds to boil milk in a new vessel. Milk signifies purity and the milk is allowed to boil over to indicate abundance in the house. The milk is sweetened and offered first to the gods and then

distributed to family members as prasad. A Satyanarayan katha is organised for family and friends followed by lunch. After the gruha pravesh puja has been performed, the house should not be unlit or unoccupied. It is advised that people stay in the house for a minimum of three days after the puja. The puja enhances the positive energies inside and around the house. It is believed that it ensures prosperity, good health, and well-being of the occupants of the house. With compliments from E-puja.co.nz

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

¡¡ Libra (Sep 24-Oct 23)

¡¡ Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 21)

Your bubbly nature is likely to attract people like moth to flame. Someone is likely to rope you in for organizing an event because of your classy attitude. Your reputation on the social front is likely to suffer; exercise caution. Lack of assertiveness may make people take you for granted on the professional front. You will feel better provided you learn to be more systematic in life. Spending time with neighbours will while away the lonely hours for the elders.

This is the right time to actively pursue your goals. Some of you may be entrusted with more responsibilities at work. A superstitious mumbojumbo can get the better of you. Some of you may resent the participation of a family elder in your future plans. Acquiring a property is possible for some. Travelling with family will be fun. You will manage to get the better of your social rivals. Take up meditation or yoga for achieving a fit body and mind.

You are likely to get an opportunity to dictate terms at work. Certain delays could result in change of plans but won’t affect your deadlines. Your domestic burden may be shared by other family members. Heart-to-heart talk will bring you closer to the one you love. Try deliberately to deal with an old ailment that is playing up. A change of scene is likely for those planning a vacation. Mutual respect and concern for each other is likely to bring couples closer.

Your visibility is now strengthened on the professional front. Helping out someone in need will give you a sense of self-worth and fulfilment. A family youngster setting out on a new job or higher studies will become a source of pride. Try keeping partner’s romantic interest alive through your flirty ways. Good financial management is likely to benefit. Your busy schedule may keep you from enjoying the social scene. Health of the spouse needs some concern.

Lucky number: 22 / Lucky colour: Purple

Lucky number: 1 / Lucky colour: Orange

Lucky number: 9 / Lucky colour: Yellow

Lucky number: 8 / Lucky colour: Violet

¡¡Taurus (Apr 21-May 20)

¡¡ Leo (Jul 21-Aug 22)

You can be upstaged at work by a close rival. Do not be restless even if you feel you are in a rut. Excelling on the academic front is foretold. Good news awaits some on the home front. Someone may give you a bright idea at work and you may get down to doing it. You will be able to keep yourself abreast of the latest on the professional front. There is a likelihood of love blossoming into budding romance. Avoid any investments this week. Lucky number: 15 / Lucky colour: Sea green

¡¡ Gemini (May 21-Jun 21)

Impressing those who matter on the professional front will not be too difficult this week. Someone you are infatuated with is likely to call you over. Returns from a business venture are likely to brighten up your period. Homemakers may have their hands full in doing up the house. You will soon go on a fitness spree just to get back in shape. Students may need someone’s guidance on the academic front, so don’t hesitate. Some major changes are foreseen on the domestic front. Lucky number: 11 / Lucky colour: Lavender

¡¡ Virgo (Aug 23-Sep 23)

¡¡ Scorpio (Oct 24-Nov 22) Your enthusiasm about certain ongoing projects will help you come up with fresh insights. Guard against making impulsive decisions. Realising a handsome amount from someone is possible on the financial front. Value of something that you had invested in is likely to depreciate. Excesses can have an adverse effect on your health. An awaited result may have you on pins and needles. You get to enjoy a stable love life. An excursion with friends can be planned and will prove most exciting. Lucky number: 3 / Lucky colour: Magenta

¡¡ Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 21)

¡¡ Aquarius (Jan 22-Feb 19) The week begins on a good note. Strong financial front will make you think on the lines of a big investment. Children are likely to add a feather in the cap. Someone may help you regain your position on the social front. A slow and steady approach will help you in taking firm control at work. Differences with the spouse or lover begin to disappear now. A trip to strengthen the spiritual ties cannot be ruled out for some. Finances will be stable. Lucky number: 18 / Lucky colour: Saffron

¡¡ Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20)

A change is coming your way and will prove most favourable. Someone’s achievement will get you into a celebrations mood. A serious approach and careful attention to detail at work is needed. Working with new technologies will be challenging for some but you will manage to sail through well. Control over your tongue will only help you get away from any more problems. Plans for a vacation may have to be revised. Singles should be realistic about their expectations from potential relationships.

This is one of the good period. Superiors will look up to you in a professional situation. Your academic performance will be above par. Avoid stressful situations at work by keeping a low profile. Your intelligence and competence promise to keep you way ahead in a competitive environment. Company of lover will prove immensely joyful. Those travelling long distance by road can expect a comfortable time. Health remains good. Keep a watch on wasteful expenditure.

You will find things moving your way on the professional front. Budding romance may find some sitting on Cloud Nine. Getting into two minds regarding someone who seems interested in you on the romantic front may delay the inevitable. Planning a vacation with friends and family will prove to be a lot of fun. A family youngster is likely to win your admiration. Those into real estate will find a venture profitable. Health of those ailing is likely to improve.

Your ideas on the home front will be smoothly implemented. At work, you can be efficiently personified. Some of you may plan to purchase some property. A good time is foreseen for students appearing in a competitive exam. A choice posting is likely for government employees. Use your intellect to respond quickly to new ideas in business. Your health consciousness is likely to contribute towards maintaining good health. Travelling to meet some old friends will prove exciting.

Lucky number: 4 / Lucky colour: Dark red

Lucky number: 5 / Lucky colour: Bluish green

Lucky number: 17 / Lucky colour: Light grey

Lucky number: 6 / Lucky colour: Turquoise

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www.iwk.co.nz | 24 March 2017

Salted Lassi

A refreshing yoghurt drink flavoured with cumin

oghurt (dahi) appears in Indian cuisine in many avatars, from sweet treats to savoury raitas and snacks (especially chaat or fast food served at roadside stalls). In India, it is hard to bypass yoghurt on the menu. It is regarded as an integral part of the culinary tradition. Churning transforms plain yoghurt into a delicious lassi. If ordering at a restaurant, there are two versions; this is the salted one.

6 kinds of walks and their benefits W

Preparation Times

Time - 5 minutes Serves/Makes – 2 Tastes: [on icon of spice meter] (Mild/Medium/Spicy/Hot) – Mild

Ingredient

• • • • • •

2 cups plain yoghurt 1½ cups cold water 1½ tsp. cumin seeds (jeera), coarsely powdered) 1 tsp. salt A few ice cubes, to serve Fresh mint leaves, to garnish

Method:

•

Dry-roast cumin seeds in a pan on medium heat until they turn golden brown in colour and release an aroma. Cool to room temperature and grind

• • •

to a coarse powder (using a mortar and pestle or grinder). Process plain yoghurt, cold water, roasted cumin, and salt in a blender. Serve with ice cubes and fresh mint leaves on top Cumin powder not only tastes good in lassi but it also tastes great in raita or when sprinkled over plain yoghurt that is often served with naan, rice and any curry.

6 foods for a healthy liver

ne of the most vital organs of your body, the liver is responsible for most metabolic functions. Here are foods to include in your diet to keep your liver functioning normally. Avocados: Avocados produce a type of antioxidant called glutathione, which is needed for our livers to filter out harmful materials.

Grapefruit: Rich in vitamin C and containing antioxidant properties, having this fruit or as a juice can help flush out carcinogens and toxins.

Spinach: Leafy veggies, especially spinach and lettuce help in neutralising chemicals and aid protective mechanism for the liver.

Garlic: Loaded with sulfur, a mineral that helps rid the body of toxins, garlic is known to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels. It is also used in the treatment of high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and bacteriarelated illnesses.

Tu r m e r i c : Using turmeric (haldi) as a spice in your food can not only enhance the colour but also help your liver. It is said to help your system digest fats and acts as a natural detox for your liver.

Citrus fruits: Citrus fruits like oranges and lemons are full of vitamin C that can help your body remove out all the toxic materials and aid the digestion process.

e have all have heard that walking is so beneficial to health — we know about how it helps prevent several chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke — but are we walking enough? How many calories you burn depends on your body weight and how fast you walk. It's also important to walk the right way. Take brisk strides, keep your shoulders back, swing your arm and don't tilt your head. As you take steps, let the heels dig into the ground first, then let the pressure move towards the balls of your feet and finally the toes. 1. Brisk Walking: This is the most 4. Uphill climb: Usually done on commonly used style. Beneficial to holidays and during other recreational weight-watchers, it also strengthens the activities. It works to strengthen the heart and cuts diabetes risk. calves, thighs and hamstring.

2. Power striding: An upgrade to the brisk walk, power striding is taking the natural gait to a faster, brisker pace with exaggerated arm swings. Helps to burn fat, build metabolism and boost energy levels.

5. Treadmill walking: Part of the cardio gym activity, this works for just anyone. Use the pace as you're your comfort level. Also one of the most relaxed styles of walking as you need not worry about obstacles in your path.

3. Stairwell walk: Walking up and downstairs is also a great way to burn calories (175-200 an hour) and tones major muscle groups. Remember, to take rest in-between.

6. Pool walking: Can also be done by the seashore. It takes the stress and pressure off the joints as water provides support. It's apt for patients with arthritis, back pain and osteoporosis.

Health Tip of the Day

tudies have shown that basil leaves are a significant anti-stress agents, providing protection against stress. Even healthy persons can chew 12 leaves of basil, twice a day, to prevent stress.

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24 March 2017 | www.iwk.co.nz

New Zealand fans await Salman Khan’s Da Bangg Tour

ith less than a month to go to the biggest ever Bollywood show in New Zealand, the excitement is building up amongst the Salman Khan fans. Preparations are in full swing for the Da Bangg The Tour that will be featuring Bollywood superstars Salman Khan, Bipasha Basu, Sonakshi Sinha, Prabhu Deva, Badshah, Manish Paul and Daisy Shah. The show will be held on April 21 at Vector Arena in Auckland. Samuel Sen of RS Promotions who recently visited Salman Khan in India, says that they are very excited for the show and his meeting with Salman Khan has brought more energy among the promoters. “Salman is definitely a giving human, a simple guy who has something to offer to everyone.” Mr Sen was also invited as a guest by Salman to attend the Z Cine Awards. He said that Salman is looking forward to meeting his fans in New Zealand. With tickets selling out really quick, the promoters are expecting a successful show and planning for it accordingly. The preparations are now in final stage. Upon Mr Sen’s request, Salman has also signed away ‘Being Human’ t-shirts by writing ‘Kia Ora NZ’ and these t-shirts will

soon available as giveaways to those who have bought tickets to Salman Khan’s Auckland show. “You just buy a ticket to give yourself a chance to win a personalised Being Human t-shirt on April 21. The winner for that will be announced on the night of the show,” Mr Sen added. If you haven’t bought your tickets yet, visit www.eventfinder. co.nz/bollywood to buy and book the best seats now. The family passes are also open no, so go ahead and get ready for the ultimate Bollywood experience.

¡¡ SOMRITA GHOSH

He writes about one incident when people flocked around him, making him feel like a superstar. It was one of his friends who suggested with the idea of scripting down his emotions in the form of a biography. The next pages are set in chronological order of the incidents that happened in the wrestler’s life. The initial chapters take readers through his struggling days where he writes about his biggest regret in life—not completing his basic education. Being a fifth standard drop-out, Khali had to face huge criticism and go through humiliation. “Being uneducated, I know the pain of not receiving a good education. I had to face a lot of hardships due to the lack of knowledge and communication skills. I remember feeling a sharp sting in my heart when people mocked me because I couldn’t speak English, when I was not able to make quick calculations or when I wasn’t able to fill the participation

Shocking: Kapil threw a show at team, slapped Sunil

recent development in the comedian-actors Kapil Sharma and Sunil Grover’s recent spat suggests that Kapil threw a show at his team because they started eating before him. The latest update published by Hindustan Times, a source who wished to stay anonymous and was on board the same flight as Kapil, said that ‘Kapil had consumed an entire bottle of Glenfiddich whisky, and was visibly drunk’. He said that when his crew members started to eat the food served by the flight crew, Kapil got angry as he was still finishing his drink. “Jab maine khaana shuru nahi kiya toh tum logo ne kaise le liya khaana?” he shouted and could be heard by the co-passengers as well. The eye-witness revealed that the startled co-actors started returning their half-finished food trays to the crew. At this point, Sunil Grover tried to calm Kapil down, who then started yelling at him. “Kapil got up, took off his shoe, and hit Sunil,” says the source, adding, “He also pulled Sunil’s collar, and repeatedly slapped him.” The report says that a female crew member of Kapil’s also got hit in the scuffle. Sunil was reportedly trying to calm and tell Kapil not to create a scene. By this time, Kapil’s abuses were so loud that he could be heard also where the economy class passengers were sitting. Kapil’s team refused to calm him down on being requested by cabin crew as they said they were too scared.

The source said that shouting at his team, Kapil said, “Tum logon ko maine banaya hai. Sabka career khatam kar dunga. Tum TV waale kya samajhte ho? Sabko nikaal dunga main.” To Sunil Grover, he kept repeating, “Gaya tha na tu toh. Aaya na waapas mere hi paas”, referring to Sunil quitting Kapil’s show, Comedy Nights with Kapil, earlier to start his own show Mad in India on Star Plus, and later returning to the Kapil’s show after failing to get enough TRPs. The source further revealed that by this time, most passengers were rattled and several of them enquired from the crew if any emergency measure could be taken to diffuse the situation. “While yelling, Kapil also kept loudly abusing in Punjabi. At some point, the cabin crew told

Kapil that they would have to call security on landing, if he didn’t stop. He, however, kept repeating, “Arrey yeh log samajhte kya hai. In sab ka career meri wajah se hai,” says the source. Interestingly, before the news of the fight hit headlines, Kapil Sharma made a sudden announcement on Twitter about his girlfriend Ginni, who he plans to marry next year. It is now being seen as a preventive measure to deflect negative attention. But as the news spread, both Kapil and Sunil ended up tweeting about the incident. Sunil Grover has already missed two days of shoot of The Kapil Sharma Show, amid speculation that he has quit in protest. Co-actors Ali Asgar and Chandan Prabhakar also did not report for shoot, in an apparent solidarity with Grover.

The incredible journey from Dalip Rana to The Great Khali Book: The Man Who Became Khali Author: Dalip Singh Rana with Vinit K Bansal Publisher: Penguin; Pages: 178

rom living under circumstances where getting two meals a day seemed difficult, a man decided to fight against his destiny and overcome the hurdles to win the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) championship. This is the story of The Great Khali. The Man Who Became Khali, written in seemingly simple language, is a short memoir of the journey of Dalip Singh Rana who later went on to become the The Great Khali. The 178-page book is spread over 27 short chapters, opening with a prologue which conveys the thought behind the book.

forms by myself,” he mentions in the book. However, just like in Bollywood films, here too, the protagonist rises, defeats all odds and progresses on the path of success. Lady Luck finally bestows her blessing upon him, and brings in good days. All it took was an interview to a media house to gain some attention in his locality and eventually got him a job with the Punjab Police. The reason? He was ‘different’. “You are huge, very huge. Don’t you think people should know about you?” a journalist asked him during an interview. This led to the publication

of a feature story on him and fame and recognition followed. For a man who had never heard of WWE ending up being a champion perhaps counts for a story to be told. “It intensified my interest in wrestling and I found the moves fascinating,” he writes when he first watched a match on television. He gradually flourished in the US where he went for mastering in the art of WWE. Though certain unfortunate events did come his way, Khali managed to cross over all barriers. Some incidents, for him, hold special mention, like the moment when he first won his international match and the day he became WWE champion in 2007. The book is a great read for those seeking inspiration from the Great Khali’s life.

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www.iwk.co.nz | 24 March 2017

AUCKL AND’S HOT TEST BOLLY WOOD STATION

Anushka Sharma: Initial years in industry were hyper-anxious

ctress Anushka Sharma said that through most of her early years in the industry, she felt hyper-anxious because the boundaries and expectations from her were pre-decided. Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2017, Anushka shared snippets from her childhood and how her values have shaped her as a person. Talking about empowerment, she said it means “independence” to her. “It’s my ability to think, decide and take on life on my own. It also includes the ability to question and re-examine all that is supposed to be right or the established way of doing something. Most of what we do in our lives, all that is shaped by the values we receive,” she said in her speech. “As kids, our minds are so impressionable, we soak up everything we see and hear around us, that shapes our personalities,” she added. The “NH 10” actor said her father always told her to do the right thing, however difficult it is, and that’s the secret to living happily. “Success in life is never guaranteed, leading a righteous life will at least be peaceful and you will never regret. Stand up for what’s right, no matter what. If you feel strongly from within that you’re being treated unfairly, don’t accept it,” said Anushka. Talking about the experience of entering Bollywood, she said: “I became increasingly aware of my gender and that the boundaries and the expectations of me were pre-decided, this didn’t make any sense to me. Most of my early years in the industry, I felt hyper-anxious,” she said. She also revealed that her decision to turn producer was welcomed with shock in the industry. “I questioned all established norms. I wanted to be a producer, which was treated with shock often. Common perception in the industry is that only those female actors become producers who are to wrap up their careers in a short while.” Anushka was briefly joined on stage by actor Suraj Sharma, who stars in her forthcoming production “Phillauri”.

Hope people find my memoir interesting: Ramesh Sippy

e is the man behind cinematic classics like Sholay, Shakti and Seeta Aur Geeta, and even set a benchmark for the small screen with family drama Buniyaad. Now, Ramesh Sippy has set out to pen his experiences in a book and is hoping it will hold the people’s interest. “I am writing a book on my experiences, a book on all the films that I have done. It will be out hopefully by the end of this year,” Sippy said. How is it turning out to be? “Predictions, predictions, predictions,” he responded elusively. Be it Karan Johar’s much talked-about biography An Unsuitable Boy, Yasser Usman’s Rekha: The Untold Story or actor Rishi Kapoor’s autobiography Khullam Khulla, celebrities are telling their Bollywood stories in an uncensored style. Sippy says he is trying his best to come out with a book which satiates people’s quest to get their hands on the film industry’s inside truth. “I will try to do my best. I hope people find it interesting. I think I have the capacity to come out with something that people want to read about... With the kind of details people want to know. So, if I can write it in an interesting manner, I am sure people will like it too,” the 70-year-old said. If one goes back in time to trace his journey in the world of entertainment, he started quite young. The son of late legendary filmmaker-producer G.P. Sippy, he even came in front of the camera as a child artiste for “Bewaqoof ” in 1960. As a director, he is known for films like Andaz, Shakti, Saagar, Zameen, Bhrashtachar and Zamaana Deewana, but the star attraction of his filmography is Sholay. As a producer, Sippy has backed projects like Brahmachari, Bluffmaster!, Taxi No. 9 2 11, Chandni Chowk to China and Sonali Cable. His last directorial was the 1995 release Zamaana Deewana, and his comeback film as a director was Shimla Mirchi, which is yet to release. “The film is complete and is with Viacom18. We will take a call on when it will be released. At this point of time, I don’t have perfect information about when it is going to release,” Sippy said. He will also impart cinematic knowledge through his Ramesh Sippy Academy of

Cinema and Entertainment. The veteran filmmaker has introduced a graduation programme at Mumbai University in association with Garware Institute. He says it is a step towards taking his legacy forward. “I have learnt a lot from this industry and I want to share the learning with everyone else,” he said, adding: “It is going to be tough. I like challenges. I like doing things that aren’t easy to do,” he said. The filmmaker is happy that youngsters are enthused about making a career in showbiz, and they get support from their parents too. Looking back at his journey, Sippy said: “When I started my career, there weren’t such things (film institutes). There was a time when parents probably would have told their children, ‘No, this is not a line to go for’. But today, this attitude has changed both in the youngsters and in the parents.” The filmmaker, whose son Rohan is also into filmmaking, has a word of caution for all the youngsters wanting to make it big in Bollywood. “Not everybody can succeed, not everybody will reach the top, but they can all try and they all will certainly be doing some work in the industry.”

It’s exaggerated that film industry is divided: Mahesh

ilmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who is outspoken about his views on the country’s sociopolitical issues, says the view that the movie industry in India is “divided”, is exaggerated. “I think it’s an exaggerated view that film industry is divided. Take Anupam Kher as an example. He is our guy, but his political ideologies are completely different from me. But our bond is as it was and will remain as it is,” the veteran filmmaker said at News18 India Chaupal. Bhatt’s next production is Srijit Mukherji-directed “Begum Jaan”, in which actress Vidya Balan essays the madam of a brothel. The film’s trailer gives a

hint at the boldness Vidya has society through their work, also spoke shown for the role as she mouths of controversies surrounding films. It is a fact that with controversies, expletives uninhibitedly. At a time when the censor board you get a lot of media attention and uses its scissors very often to snip media space but it is not necessary out scenes, Bhatt says they were sure that it converts into tickets. But that if any problems arise, they will if the situation is of law and order, that can turn into a loss. It’s go to court. “But we were surprised with the bad business. “Yes, controversies pathbreaking decision of the censor are engineered, but again, it’s not board. Our film was passed without necessary that they convert into tickets and financial gain. any cuts. Begum Jaan is trying to It It’s an attention set a moral compass, and is a fact that e c o n o m y. that’s why it is different with controversies, Everyone wants from others,” he you get a lot of media at pointed out. attention and media space attention Bhatt, who believes but it is not necessary that it m i n i m u m storytellers address converts into tickets. But if the purchase,” he the moral and ethical situation is of law and order, said. that can turn into a loss. It’s problems of the bad business

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DIA MIRZA: 24 March 2017 | www.iwk.co.nz

Wonderful to be part of Sanjay Dutt’s biopic

ctress-producer Dia Mirza, who will play the role of Sanjay Dutt’s wife Manyata in the actor’s biopic, says it’s wonderful to be part of the project. She is glad the project is giving her a chance to work with one of her favourite filmmakers Rajkumar Hirani, who is directing the film. “I am working on Sanjay Dutt’s biopic right now, and I am really excited about it. It’s wonderful film to be part of, and to be directed by my favourite filmmaker,” Dia said. How easy or difficult is it to portray a real-life character on the big screen? “I think for an actor, the work is only as difficult as a written material. With the team so sound and with such a wonderful environment out there, you feel nothing but to put your best foot forward,” Dia said. “I would like to believe that whether it is playing a real-life character or fictional character, the idea is to understand what you are doing and the purpose of your presence should matter.”

“What you need to do is to take the story forward... That should matter the most,” added the actress, who has worked with Sanjay in films like “Parineeta” and “Lage Raho Munna Bhai” Meanwhile, Dia Mirza said she believes in the concept of sustainable fashion and feels emphasis needs to be laid on reuse and recycle of products as a matter of respect towards nature. Swedish fashion retail giant H&M, along with Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) hosted a preview to introduce the new Conscious Exclusive collection of the brand at the Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) where Dia was invited as the special guest. The event also highlighted the brand’s efforts towards sustainable fashion and its ongoing initiative which urges customers to join in the movement for a circular fashion future. Talking about her love for sustainable fashion, Dia said: “I am huge champion of nature and this

line of H&M reflects my personal ethos... I think it’s important to pay attention on how one can reuse and recycle for sustainable fashion.” The actress says that even when she is away from cameras, she prefers to opt for clothes that are sustainable. “The only thing I am concerned about is being comfortable, and if I am dressed appropriately for the occasion, I take great pride in that. My stylist is always looking out for putting me in clothes that are sustainable, so we celebrate fabrics and also opt for designers who choose to make clothes from hand woven and organic materials. “I think it’s all about finding balance,” said the former beauty queen.

No film should be banned: Konkona

Looking forward to perform with Salman Khan: Bipasha Basu

ctress Bipasha Basu, who will be joining Salman Khan for the grand world tour Da-Bangg, is excited to perform with the superstar. “I am very excited. I did my first ever world tour in 2003 and that was with Salman. That time I was like a child. There was a time when I used to get scared to perform in front of the audience, and now it’s a complete circle—going back again. I am really looking forward to performing with Salman Khan,” Bipasha said at the cover launch of Health magazine in Mumbai recently. The tour will be taking place in Auckland (April 21), Sydney (April 22) and Melbourne (April 23). “I have never performed in Australia and New Zealand, so that is exciting. I am getting some interesting news that we are sold out in most of the event venues,” Bipasha said.

Rapper and singer Badshah, Salman’s Jai Ho co-star Daisy Shah and choreographer and filmmaker Prabhu Deva will be there too touring with the team.

ctress Konkona Sensharma is upset with the decision of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to deny a certificate to her film Lipstick Under My Burkha. She feels the CBFC should just give a certificate, and not ban films at all. “I am really fed up of the fact that these kind of films are banned and so many other kind of films are not. No films should be banned at all,” Konkona said. The film, also starring Ratna Pathak Shah, chronicles the secret lives of four women of different ages in a small town in India as they search for different kinds of freedom. Lipstick Under My Burkha has been deemed too “lady

oriented” in content and according to the censor board, it is laced with sexual scenes and abusive words. Konkona added: “I think the CBFC should just give a certificate. It’s important that we watch all kinds of films and it’s important that we watch films where women talk about themselves.”

Can’t expect Bollywood to stand up for politics in India: Kalki

ctress Kalki Koechlin said Bollywood can’t be expected to stand up for the political scenario in India. Commenting about the issue of Pakistani actors working in India, Kalki said at the India Today Conclave : “Bollywood is not an NGO. You can’t expect them to stand up for the politics of this country. At the end of the day, it’s a business. Although there are ways to keep speaking about these issues.” At the session, she spoke about her documentary “Azmaish”, which looks at India and Pakistan outside the context of conflict and instead focuses on the struggles of commoners in both the countries. The documentary saw Kalki collaborate with Pakistan-based filmmaker Sabiha Sumar. Kalki said two things that unify India and Pakistan are cricket and Bollywood. “Bollywood is huge in Pakistan. People recognised me because of Yeh Jawaani H a i Even Deewani. Even with Inwith India, dia, a lot of us are unia lot of us are fied because of movies. unified because of People of northeast movies. People of India speak Hindi be- northeast India speak Hindi because of cause of Bollywood,” Bollywood she said.

The actress talked about the film on show “March on Women”, which will air on CNN-News18. Lipstick Under My Burkha won a Gender Equality Award at the Mumbai Film Festival last year and recently won the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival.

A happy marriage in the industry would jolt me: Karan

ilmmaker Karan Johar says he would be shocked and surprised if he comes across a “happy marriage” in the film industry. “A happy marriage in the industry would really jolt me. I’d be like, ‘You’re a dinosaur, get out of here’,” Karan said at the India Today conclave. Besides being a successful director, producer and writer, the 44-year-old is the son of acclaimed late producer Yash Johar. The actor also talked about his new experience as a father to twins via surrogacy earlier this month. The daughter has been named Roohi - a rearrangement of Karan’s mother’s name Hiroo and the son has been christened Yash - on Karan’s late father’s name. “I am a mother to my children before being a father. The vacuum within forced me to take up parenting,” he said. Talking about love, the “Student of the Year” helmer said “Love is a beautiful thing. I love people who love. Self-pity is the most wonderful thing to be in, but one has to get out of that zone after some time. In today’s time love can’t heal everything, rather hatred can.”

FEATURES

24 March 2017 | www.iwk.co.nz

CAB Pakuranga/Eastern Manukau

Date: Friday, March 24 Time: 10 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. Venue: Howick Local Board Meeting Room, Pakuranga Library Building, 7 Aylesbury Street, Pakuranga. CAB Pakuranga/Eastern Manukau will hold two free information sessions for newcomers on Employment. Facilitated by Valerie Maskell, Career Consultant. Lunch provided. Please confirm your by phoning or texting Vani Kapoor at 021 459250 or email at settlement.pakuranga@cab. org.nz.

CAB Tauranga

Date: Friday, March 24 Time: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Venue: Kaimai Room, Tauranga City Council, Willow Street, Tauranga CAB Tauranga will hold a free information session for newcomers on Job Search in New Zealand. Presented by Brendon Gardner from MBIE and Nick Ball from Careers New Zealand. Please confirm your place by phoning CAB office on 07 578 1592 or email at Tauranga@cab.org.nz by Wednesday, March 22, 2017.

Wellington Colour Fest

Date: Saturday, March 25 Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Venue: Upper Frank Kitts Park, Wellington Central This event will be celebrated with colour, fun, food and entertainment. What really makes this event special is that it will be celebrating Holi at an iconic location in the heart of the capital city. Plenty of Colour (organic & bio-degradable), and entertainment by dancers, MCs, DJs and VJs will be there. This event is supported by Wellington City Council, Food Stalls, Bouncy Castle, alcohol and drug free event, multi-cultural vibe. We are looking to attract around 2000 people to this event.

Waitakere Ethnic Community Safety Plan

Date: Wednesday, March 29 Time: 6 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. Venue: Upper Henderson Council Chamber, 6 Henderson Valley Road Waitakere Ethnic Community Safety Plan hosted by Waitakere Ethnic Board, in partnership with Auckland Council and Waitemata District Police. The ”Waitakere Ethnic Community Safety Plan” is the outcome of good collaboration between the three partners, applying the empowered community approach. The Plan provides a framework for future community safety projects, and is led by the Waitakere Ethnic community and supported by their partners: Police and the three West Auckland local boards. We also wish to formally welcome the new Police Superintendent to West Auckland Tusha Penny. Networking and dinner followed by presentation and welcome. RSVP: contact@waitakereethnicboard.org. nz Mandeep.Kaur@police.govt.nz for seating and catering purposes.

CAB New Lynn

Date: April 8 2017 Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Venue: Library Building, 3 Memorial Drive, New Lynn CAB New Lynn will hold three free information sessions for newcomers on Finding Employment in New Zealand. The topics will cover: Pre-employment – What you need to know? Job search – How to apply for jobs? Preparing for your first job? To register please drop in, call or email at Citizens Advice Bureau New Lynn. Phone 827 7830 or 827 4731, Email newlynn@cab.org.nz. Light refreshments will be provided.

Salman Khan’s Da-Bang, The Tour Date: Friday, April 21 Venue: Vector Arena, Auckland

CLASSIFIEDS Flatmates Wanted ¡¡Auckland CBD Rent: $255. As I’m moving out of my single room, my flatmate is looking for a flatmate in her 2 bedroom apartment on 149 Nelson Street. She is Indain, full time working and in her 20s. She’s looking for a male or female flatmate to move in at the 3rd of April. You should be clean and tidy and pay your rent on time. Price is $255 per week including all expenses. Bond is $350. If you are interested, send a message to me or text Sana on 0273738777.

¡¡Henderson Looking for flatmate to rent one bedroom. Price include water, electricity, unlimited internet. Open plan living area and large designer kitchen nearby Henderson mall and train station.Ideal flatmates: full time worker, student who pay rent on time. $180 per person and couple $ 220. No pets allowed. Contact no. 02108591565

Accomodation ¡¡Auckland City Centre I need accommodation for myself on urgent basis near Auckland City Centre ASAP. Please call of text 0275059506.

¡¡Dominion Rd, Sandringham Looking for an accommodation around Dominion Rd, Sandringham, Avondale or st lukes or anywhere from Unitec and City is easy to go with. Looking for Individual room along with washroom with lockable wardrobe. Apartments are more preferable.Dont want to stay with couples. So please dont call if you are a couple. I am 25 Indian. Vegetarian - Gujju guy. UNITEC student. Please call immediate if you have rooms available. Rent will be paid on time so no need to worry about that. Looking for cool buddies to stay without any restrictions. Contact me @ 0220977132 – HARDIK.

Bollywood heartthrob Salman Khan will set the stage on fire on April 21 at Vector Arena. The Da-bang tour will include Bollywood A-listed actors Sonakshi Sinha, Bipasha Basu, popular TV host Manish Paul, actor-dancer-director Prabhu Deva, and rapper Badshah. Tickets are available on www. dabangnz2017.com and on Ticketmaster.co.nz.

Situation Vacancy

¡¡Part Time – Office Manager • 24 hours per week • Onehunga location • Accounting and Payroll

A great opportunity to work in a fantastic team environment and build on your accounts experience, this is a position with plenty of variety. This could be the perfect chance to be involved in an industry that is constantly changing, presenting new challenges and projects regularly.

Advertise for FREE

in the Indian Weekender Classified section. Email: sales@indianweekender.co.nz Situation Vacancy ¡¡ Office/ Accounts Administrator Seeking an experienced Office/Accounts Administrator who is flexible to do ‘anything and everything’, enjoys variety of work, and working in a small team environment. This permanent role requires someone to start immediately, working part time hours from 9am -2pm (there can be flexibility around the work hours if someone is requiring to work i.e. 10-2pm). What the job involved: • Answering customer phone calls • AR (chasing debtors)

This position is primarily focused on payroll, however also includes other elements such as dealing with creditors and accounts payable, as well as assisting with IT issues. The role is around 24 hours per week, 3 days per week.

• AP

The position will report into the GM and have primary responsibility for -

• Wages

• Managing the AP and AR functions - leading a team of two people • Running their complex end to end payroll • Communicating across all levels of the business

The ideal person will be flexible and adaptable, and have experience using IMS Payroll or another large payroll system. If this sounds like you then call us today, phone Melissa Farquhar or Sarah Bailey at Graham Consulting on 09 666 0807 or email melissa@grahamconsulting.co.

Categories: • Flatmates Wanted • Situation Vacancy • Job Wanted • Buy and Sell • Business • Personal Just email your ad’s content with your full details at sales@indianweekender.co.nz

• Bank reconciliations • Filing • Raise invoice credit note statements • PAYE • Freight/courier admin • Order stationery • Skills and experiences required for this job: • MYOB experience or similar software usage • Ace payroll • • Administration skills • Time management • Organisation

On offer: • Competitive hourly rate + 8% holiday pay • Great location near the airport with onsite parking available • Working Monday – Friday, part time basis To apply send your CV to Jessica.liao@madison. co.nz

Vehicle For Sale ¡¡Receptionist/Office Admin P/T Physio Reform is seeking a friendly and reliable part time receptionist to join our growing team at our East Tamaki clinic. In this roll you will be the first point of contact for many of our patients either through phone call enquiries or walk ins. It is therefore essential to be welcoming and respectful and to conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times. Responsibilities include: - Answering phone calls/enquiries - Greeting and assisting new patients - Making appointments - General administrative duties - Taking payments - Liaising closely with the team of physiotherapists and other health professionals To be considered, applicants should have: - Great communication skills - Proficient computer skills (previous experience with Gensolve Practive Manager will be ideal but not essential; MS Office) - Dealing with ACC claims - Excellent customer service - The ability to work as part of a small team - Well organised, punctual and reliable The office hours range between 8 am and 8pm, depending on the therapists timetable. Hours of work are negotiable and flexible. This is a great opportunity to join a small business that is rapidly growing and be part of a fun and challenging environment. For all applications, please email physioreformltd@gmail.com with your CV and cover letter attached.

MATHS AND ENGLISH TUITIONS In South Auckland

For children studying in Year 1 to Year 6 • Classroom Teaching ensures personal attention. • Online learning support powered by IntelliSeeds first time in New Zealand • Special Focus on Developing child’s brain–Intelliability • Stimulates Brain and enhances IQ REGISTER TODAY FOR FREE PARENT ORIENTATION To register call or Whats app us @ 0221593477

Classes starting from 03rd April 2017

Parent Orientation Dates: 29/03/2017: 5.15 PM TO 5.45 PM Wednesday 30/03/2017: 5.15 PM to 5.45 PM Thursday 01/04/2017: 3.15 PM to 3.45 PM Saturday

NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE OF LEARNING LTD After school Private Learning Centre

2C-302, Te Irirangi Drive, Botany South, Flat Bush–2013, Auckland

Ph: 0221593477, 092731537 / www.nziol.co.nz