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23 January 2015

23 January, 2015 Vol. 6 Issue 25 | www.iwk.co.nz

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New Zealands first Kiwi-Indian weekly newspaper

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The Pulse of Kiwi-Indians

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23 January 2015

COVER STORY

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McCLYMONT AND ASSOCIATES

Immigration Law Specialists

Alastair McClymont

We provide legal advice and

representation to clients needing
help with all New Zealand Immigration
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COVER STORY

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

Proud to be an Indian

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Paula Ray & Maya Shivam

e have all had our own reasons

to move out of our home
country in search of greener pastures
and not just that, most of us for years,
have shied away from claiming our
heritage and ethnicity. Often, we are
seen finding reasons to explain why
we are not really Indian.
Lately, however, the tables seem
to have turned; such that even
returning to India seems to be a
viable option worth a try. The grass
definitely looks a lot greener now on
Indian shores.
We had been hearing about India
shining for a few years now. But in
the past few months, our homeland
has been shining so bright that we
can proudly thump our chests and
introduce ourselves as Indians.
What could have possibly
changed to bring about such a
reversal in our psyche? One reason
that immediately comes to mind is
that a clean green India is no longer
a utopian dream, but something that
every Indian is being forced to follow
be it a high ranking government
official, a politician or a school-going
child. Swachch Bharat is de rigueur
and not open to choice.
As for us NRIs (non-resident
Indians), the country has opened its
doors wide open. The government
has granted lifelong visa for PIO

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(person of Indian origin) card

holders, implying that we dont have
to wait in long queues to visit our
friends and family back home.
Foreign Direct Investment is
being encouraged to an extent that

the Modi government is wooing

foreign businesses to use India as
their manufacturing hub.
Whats new with that, you would
say? India has been exporting its
produce to western economies for

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decades now. The difference lies

in the fact that manufacturing hubs
in India, want to upgrade their
productivity to cater to international
standards. So the next time you see
a Made in India tag on your shirt or

your gym towel, be proud and flaunt

it.
The
most
unprecedented
development in recent times, to
make us truly proud, has been the
successful Mars orbiter mission
Mangalayan, which has made India
the fourth country to reach Mars;
the only country to do so in its first
attempt and that too at an enviable
cost.
If we look at the financial status
of the country during the recent
Vibrant Gujarat summit, 21,000
MoUs were signed, to invest Rs 2.5
billion. Not to mention, the galaxy of
star personalities that graced the land,
including UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon and US Secretary of State,
John Kerry.
The visit of all of these stars
though will pale with the visit of US
President Barack Obama as the Chief
Guest on the Indian Republic Day
marking his second visit to India
during the same term of office.
In preparation for Obamas visit,
innumerable CCTVs are being
installed all over New Delhi and a
battalion of security personnel have
already descended on the capital
city. To quote Indian news media,
the following are arriving along with
Obama:
Continued on Pg 4

COVER STORY

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

Continued from Pg 3

Garden with an encore in Sydney.

Alright, thats enough of politics.
Lets turn towards sports and look
for some reason to celebrate. Voila!
Theres Rohit Sharmas 264 runs off
173 balls to cheer for, as is Saina
Nehwals medal at the Olympics.
Mary Kom fetched the first-ever
Asian Games boxing gold medal
for India, with her biopic reckoned
amongst top Bollywood blockbusters
in the past year.
Talking about films, Aamir
Khans PK grossed a record Rs 300
crore with a controversial story line
which has become a topic of heated,

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Six aircrafts, carrying security

staff
Presidents cavalcade, with 30
cars. One of them might be the
Cadillac One, among the worlds
most high tech cars.
Marine One helicopters
Air Force One, Obamas
plane (equipped to protect Obama
even from nuclear attack)
Which other country in the world
can boast of having its general
election results telecast live at the
Times Square in New York and many
other countries in the world, including
New Zealand? The Manukau Square
had its own telecast and a celebration
for the worlds largest democracy.
It is indeed unprecedented that
a countrys Prime Minister gets a
Rockstar welcome with his own
independent platforms in foreign
lands during state visits, like we
witnessed Modi in Madison Square

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India has achieved a remarkable

and sustained socio-economic
progress in the last 20 years in scale,
size and pace which is unprecedented
in its own history. I am humbly
proud of my birth country India. I am
humbly proud of my home country
New Zealand and being a Kiwi-Indian.
Wishing you all a happy and safe
Indian Republic Day.

Dr Sayeeda Bano JP
Senior Lecturer of Economics
University of Waikato
Continued on Pg 5

ND 5
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VHIWPENEUARY 2

C JA
UN 25th
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&
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24

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VICTORI

R E S I D E N C E S

FREEHOLD STRATA
TITLE RESIDENCES
SUPERIOR OWNER OCCUPIER AND
DISCERNING INVESTOR RESIDENCES
PRICED FROM

$385,000*
REE

www.victoriaresidences.co.nz
CUS

ST

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ST

TW

EST

CORNER VICTORIA ST WEST & FEDERAL ST

12
OPPOSITE
AUCKLAND SKY TOWER
CARPARKING ON-SITE

TRE
ET

10
8
W

ET

ARTISTS IMPRESSION ONLY

T EA

4
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TOR

EN S
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FED

VIC

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OPEN DAILY

11

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SS

75 VICTORIA STREET WEST

ALB
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ONSITE
DISPLAY SUITE

THERN MOT O R WAY

NOR

DISCLAIMER: *Based on availability and pricing as at 13th January 2015. Prices start from $385,000 NZD, refer to a current Victoria price list for a complete list of
prices. All prices are quoted in NZD. View angle will vary depending on the level and orientation of the residence. Every Precaution has been taken to establish the
accuracy of the material herein at the time of printing, however, no responsibility will be taken for any errors/omissions. Prospective purchasers should not confine
themselves solely to the content of this material and acknowledge that they have had a reasonable opportunity to seek legal, technical and other advice. The material
herein was prepared prior to commencement of construction and the approval of necessary Territorial Authority consents. Images of the building are in no way an
accurate representation of the materials that will be used in constructing Victoria Residences. The final building design and materials are subject to Auckland Council
approval. The Developer reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of units according to market demand and therefore sizes and layouts of units may
vary. Changes may be made during development and all dimensions, finishes, fittings and specifications are subject to change without notice. Auckland Council
District Plan (Central Area) minimum complying apartment sizes are studio 35m2, 1 bedrooms 45m2, 2 bedrooms 70m2, 3 bedrooms 90m2. A flexible room (flexi
room) is not a bedroom and cannot be used as such. It may be used as a study, TV room, gym or similar. All minimum sizes include the specified balcony areas.

ERA
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ARTISTS IMPRESSION ONLY

15

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HAYLEY SOK
P 021 132 8985
E h.sok@barfoot.co.nz

COVER STORY

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015
Continued from Pg 4

although quite liberating, arguments among

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Indians both within and outside the country.
Irrfan Khan has made us proud by his
commendable performances, both in Hollywood
and mainstream Bollywood films. His acting
prowess in Lunchbox was appreciated at the
Bafta awards in 2014.
Making it to the Forbes list of rich people is
again a milestone that has already been crossed
by many an Indian. Whats interesting is the

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second ranking of Shah Rukh Khan in the list of

richest actors in the world, leaving behind the
likes of Tom Cruise, Clint Eastwood and Tom
Hanks. In fact, SRK has also been decorated
with Chevalier de la Legion dHonneur for his
contribution to Bollywood.
As if rocking the world on the AR Rahman
beat of Jai Ho wasnt enough, Priyanka
Chopra, a Bollywood beauty, has not only made
her mark as a pop singer but has also quite

Belonging to a nation where the

basis of existence is universal and
not driven by any stagnant ideology
and a country that has practiced
tolerance towards the barbaric world
around and relentlessly strived to
guide it to modern day civilisation;
definitely gives a comforting feeling.
Irresponsible historians in the past
may have written accolades about the
looters and plunderers that tried to
bruise Indian landmass, but now it is
heartening to see that the realised world
understands the soul of India the proud
accomplishment for every Indian.

Veer Khar
President, Manukau Indian Association
Continued on Pg 6

Boarding House: 2 x 12 Units

By Waikato University , excellent returns,
Price $2 million.
Education Center - Prots $100,000 +
Short hours, dynamic growth, full
nancials. Value at $215,000.
Liquor Shop: Prime Location
Weekly sales $25,000 approx.
Price $399,000 + Stock
Licenced Restaurant
Perfect for a couple. Top Location.
Trading 5 nights only. Weekly sales
$8,000. Showing prot. Price $165,000.

Real Estate Ofce & Rent Roll

Long Established and Protable Growing
area. Price $370,000

Character Cafe and Catering

Solid business in affluent cafe culture
suburb. 6 days only. Weekly sales approx
$9,000. Excellent rent at 6% of sales.
Price $188,000

COVER STORY

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

Continued from Pg 5

Namaste, kia ora and best wishes to all.

I am honoured to wish readers of the Indian Weekender and
their families a happy Republic Day.
Republic Day marks a seminal point in Indias history, and
we join with you in commemorating 66 years of Indias democracy and statehood.
Auckland has strong links with India, and our growing Indian communities can rightly be proud of the place they have
in our region, and their significant contribution to Aucklands
economic, social and cultural life.
The many different ethnicities represented in our population
set Auckland apart as a truly international city. Our diversity
is one of Aucklands greatest strengths, helping us be globally
connected and giving us greater appreciation of our friends and
neighbours home cultures.
It is important we recognise the positive contribution the Indian community makes to our region, and I am proud to join
you in commemorating Indias Republic Day. I wish you all the
very best in your celebrations.

Thank you.
Len Brown
MAYOR OF AUCKLAND

We are part of Indian culture, which is

one of the oldest in the world. Indian culture
has rich history. It is based on non-violence,
family values and helping each other. We
learn to respect each human being and diverse
cultures. One of the basic principles of being
an Indian, we respect our elders. These values
make me feel proud to be an Indian.

Roshan Nauhria
MD, Nauhria Precast& ReinforcingLimited

We are very fortunate to have in our

heritage a rich and vibrant culture which
reflects our everyday deeds. In 1950, India
adopted the Constitution which has set the
blueprint for the Government. Let all Indians
around the worldhold our head high; let the
world know we are Proud to be an Indian. At
Vibrant Gujarat, which has turned to Vibrant
India, Modi said: Someones dream is
dependent on someones direction. 65 years
ago, a dream was reached; let 2015 be the next
big milestone in history. VandeMataram
andHappy Republic Day.

Ranjna Patel
Director, East Tamaki Healthcare

successfully cut an album with Pitbull. Recently, she released her single that is trending on the
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top of most charts around the world.
The Indian diaspora around the world seems to have come out of their shells and shining
their own light. Rakesh Khurana was appointed as Dean at the Harvard College and Nitin
Nohria is the 10th and the current Dean of Harvard Business School. He is also the George F
Baker Professor of Administration.
The world over there is a rise in the number of Indians who are being included in foreign
Parliaments and power houses. New Zealand too has three Indian members in its Parliament. As
if this wasnt enough, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman was recently bestowed on our very own
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi. All these make us walk a few inches taller. To add to this is the Annual
Kiwi-Indian Hall of Fame that acknowledges and celebrates the contribution of Kiwi-Indians in
our wider community.
Reflecting the global popularity of Indian food, a number of Indian words like keema and
papad have been accepted in the Oxford English dictionary for the first time. The ninth edition
of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, released recently, has included over 240 words
from Indian English.
For years the United Kingdom have had Chicken Tikka Masala as their favoured dish and a
recent survey stated that Butter Chicken is one of the top favourites in New Zealand. New-age
gurus and life coaches around the world are greeting or signing off with Namaste. The recent
inclusion of 21st June as the International Yoga Day is a worldwide recognition of one of the
oldest Indian practices.
Indian scientists and doctors around the world have for years earned acclaim with their genius.
While corruption is said to be largely under control ever since Anna Hazare led the India Against
Corruption supporters, the sidelines witnessed the growth through grit and determination of
a chaiwala (tea seller), raising the bar for Indian democracy by getting elected as the Prime
Minister of a country of 1.2 billion people.
We Indians have a long history of a rich and varied cultural heritage which gradually faded
through invasion and long periods of alien rule. Revival of our cultural roots are now clearly
visible. We now have grounds to be proud of our roots and there is no reason for any Indian to
shy away from proclaiming our ethnicity. India is today accepted as the fastest growing country
in the world and we are only just getting started. So lets throw our hands up in the air and
announce with all our heart

YESSS, WE ARE PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN!

NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

NZ scientist receives
top award in China

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cience and Innovation Minister Steven

Joyce has welcomed the news that Kiwi
scientist Dr Phil Rolston has been awarded the
Chinese Governments most prestigious science prize for his work in grasslands seed development.

Dr. Phil Rolston

Rolston, Senior Scientist at AgResearch Lincoln, received the award at a ceremony in The
Great Hall of the People which was attended by
President Xi Jinping, Vice-Premier Li Keqiang,
and Minister of Science and Technology Wan
Gang.
The International Science and
Technology Co-operation Award of
the Peoples Republic of China is that
countrys highest accolade for foreign
scientists, Mr Joyce says.
Dr Rolston has dedicated more
than three decades of his working life to
advance grasslands seed development
and pasture improvement systems, especially in Gansu Province. Improved
soil fertility has meant higher-quality
pastures for famers, which is having a
significant impact on productivity and
profitability in the region.
China is an important science and
innovation partner for New Zealand.
Research collaboration between the
two countries is growing rapidly, and
President Xi Jinpings visit to New
Zealand in November highlighted our
deepening partnerships.
This award is a tremendous honour
for Rolston, and a great example of
how our best and brightest are forging
strong and enduring linkages with China to build knowledge and expertise in
new areas.

Annual convention for

Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community
T

he Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will

be hosting their 26th Annual Religious
Conference in Manukau on Saturday 24th of
January with a large gathering of Muslims and
invited guests expected to attend.
This year the theme for the Annual
Conference is Allah the Almighty, giving
prominence to our creator and our obligation to
humanity (His creation).
Mohammad Iqbal, National President of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, believes that
Allah the Almighty is the Master and the King.
He has no equal or partner and He is the sole
Creator of everything in the universe. Failure
to understand the unity of God has transcended
mankind into all sorts of turmoil, violence, and
brutality in the name of Allah and religion.
said Iqbal.
The Spiritual Head of the Worldwide
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hadhrat
Mirza Masroor Ahmad in his closing address at
the Annual Convention held in Qadian, India on
28 December 2014, said .in the first chapter
of the Holy Quran, Allah has stated that He is
the Lord of all the Worlds and as such He is
the Lord of all people of all beliefs. Thus, it was
impossible for a true Muslim to show anything
other than sympathy for all of mankind.
His Holiness said, We must develop the
very highest standards of compassion for all
humanity. Love for every person should gush
forth from our hearts like water gushes from a

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fountain. We must nurse those who are in pain

or those whose hearts ache with grief. Only
then can we be considered true representatives
of Islam.
People can never justify injustices whether
it be politically or economically motivated or
power driven or anger driven to use the name
of God to glue the ignorant people together
to justify joining them and fighting and
shedding innocent blood, usurping other rights/
properties, honour and dignity, said Iqbal
In a special session for guests and dignitaries
starting at 11.00 am, the central missionary
Maulana Shafiq-ur-Rehman will speak on God,
the Source of Peace.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is
a religious organisation, international in its
scope. It is acknowledged worldwide for its
sincere efforts to promote peace.
The Ahmadiyya annual convention is
celebrated internationally in countries all
over the world including Australia, England,
Germany, Canada and the United States of
America, with tens of thousands of participants.
The convention will be held at 20 Dalgety
Drive, Wiri Manukau on Saturday, January
24 starting at 11:00am. Any member of the
public wishing to attend should contact Mr.
Eqbal Khan, National Secretary for External
Affairs on 021 133 6146. Refreshments and
lunch provided by the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community.

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NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

Twins conquer seven peaks

fter conquering seven peaks of

the world, Indian twins Tashi
and Nungshi Malik are set to take
on their next adventure. The Malik
twins have each been awarded a New
Zealand India Sports Scholarship
(NZISS) to study the Graduate
Diploma in Sport and Exercise at
the Southern Institute of Technology
(SIT) in Invercargill in February this
year.
The sisters concurred the final of
the 7 peaks, Mt Vinson in Antarctica
in December 2014. This made the
Malik twins the first siblings and
first twins to successfully climb
all 7 peaks of the world. This is
part of mission #2 for 7 which was
born out of the juxtaposition of
our love for mountaineering and
our desire to fight for the cause
of Indian girl child. Coming from
a place with female feticide and
increasing violence against the girl
child, we want to stand for her as

she climbs mountains through lifes

journey. Using our mountaineering
as a metaphor for lifes climbs
and breaking gender stereotypes,

we want to show her that she can

conquer every obstacle thats thrown
her way. (www.nungshitashi.com)
The New Zealand India Sports

Fun-filled five days

Swati Sharma

ore than hundred children

participated in the summer
camp organized by Bhartiya Samaj
Charitable trust from 12-16 January.
The volunteers and staff members
made the annual camp a grand
success.
Five days of cultural, fun-filled

and entertaining environment, saw

children and parents satisfied with
the arrangements and facilities at the
camp.
Founder and trustee of Bhartiya
Samaj Charitable Trust, Jeet Suchdev
said, Ultimately, we are helping
children to believe in themselves.
Whether it is providing our children

with healthy well balanced meals

throughout the day, or nurturing a
healthy and safe environment so
children are recognized for their
personal achievements; everything
we do is about helping our children
reach their own potential.
Other
than
fun,
physical
activities, learning and integrity were
the rules that all children followed.
They were also encouraged to show
respect to other participants and be
honest. They were all found to be
responsible for their own words and
actions, ensuring a positive effect on
the Camp.
Sports activities were followed by
professional team of sportspersons
from Kelly Sports. Coaches did the
maximum efforts to make the camp
enjoyable. The Bolliworks exercise
sessions by Health & Fitness
Educator Ella Kumar were also quite
popular.
Children having fun at the
Summer Camp

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Scholarship is funded by the New

Zealand government will cover all
2015 tuition fees to study at SIT for
Tashi and Nungshi plus a contribution
to their living costs. Ten lucky
scholars from India were awarded
a NZISS to study at institutions
in New Zealand. SIT secured the
highest number of awardees with
three of the ten scholarships coming
to study the Graduate Diploma in
Sport and Exercise in 2015. Yogesh
Sharma joins the twins as SITs third
NZISS awardee.
Yogesh is a physiotherapist by
profession and is actively involved
with private Cricket Academies in
Delhi (North India) giving young
cricketers physical training and
cricket coaching. He was a local
physician/trainer for the Canadian
National Cricket Team when they
were in India for the Cricket World
Cup warm-up games. Sharma has
also assisted the Rajasthan Royals

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(Indian Premier League) team on

various occasions.
The scholarship winners were
delighted to receive their awards
from Stephen Fleming - Former
Black Caps captain and Primary
Industries Minister Nathan Guy in
New Delhi at a special celebration
to kick off the 2015 World Cricket
Cup (to be held in New Zealand and
Australia).
SIT, CE Penny Simmonds said
she was delighted that SIT had
secured the most scholarships of any
Tertiary Institute and having meet
Tashi and Nungshi Malik she is sure
they and Yogesh Sharma will be real
assets to the Southland community
while they are at SIT next year.
Ms Simmonds said she hoped
community organisations would
make the most of having three high
profile Indian sports people in our
midst by asking them to speak and
take part in community activities.

NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

The Indian Kite Festival

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Rizwan Mohammad

he Indian Kite Festival 2015 was

successfully celebrated at the
Avondale racecourse last Saturday.
More than 9000 people participated
in this once in a year festival of kite
flying and having a wonderful family
outing.
The Kite Festival was organised
by Vaishnav Parivar who have been
doing it for the last 10 years in
Auckland and seeing the massive
turn out of crowd here, this festival
is being replicated in the cities like
Sydney and Melbourne in Australia
too. This festival is an opportunity
that Indian families have been looking
forward to all year, to come together
and celebrate the togetherness of the

whole Indian community.

The program started at 11am and
the crowd kept increasing by every
hour with the peak hours being 2 pm
onwards. Though drizzle did slow
down the momentum of the show for
a couple of minutes but the people
were back again enthusiastic and
filled with energy for the occasion.
Kite festival which is basically a
festival for the Gujrati community,
but it brought together the people
from all different communities
in New Zealand. The Avondale
racecourse was occupied with people
from Gujrat, Punjab, the South
Indian community, Fiji-Indians and
European community too. The venue
itself looked vibrant, bursting with

colourful dresses, single and family

size camping tents, children running
around and food items.
The food stalls had traditional
Indian street king food items like
bhel puri, chaats, sugarcane juice
and ice gola. The venue also had
kids playing corners like karting
with family, cycling and merrygo-round. The skies were full with
different sizes and designs of kites
like spider-man designed, shark
shaped kites, regular animated and
traditional designed kites that were
being sold for $2 to $5 at the venue.
The crowd comprised of people from
all age groups and it brought families
together on a fun weekend outing.
There were also stage performances

by individuals, face painting for the

kids and hourly draws to win prizes.
Though the rain towards the evening
shortened the show by an hour but the
show altogether was a grand success
for the organisers and the Indian
community.

THIS MONTHS SPECIAL

at the gateau house
STRAWBERRY FRESH CREAM GATEAU

XSmall $34 - Standard $45

Offer valid only 01/01/2015 ~ 31/01/2015
*It may end early depending on Strawberry Season

COOKIE & CREAM CHEESE LOG

Normally $24 - Now $19 only

Offer valid only 16/01/2015 ~ 31/01/2015

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi

N AT I O N A L L I S T M P

More cakes are available for

Birthday, Wedding and special occasions

AUCKLAND OFFICE: Unit 1, 131 Kolmar Rd, Papatoetoe, Auckland

Ph: 09 278 9302 | Email: bakshi.mp@parliament.govt.nz

Postal Address: PO Box 23136, Hunters Corner, Auckland 2025

www.bakshi.co.nz

www.national.org.nz

www.gateauhouse.com

Queen Street, CBD High Street, CBD Newmarket

Dannemora Henderson Glenfield

10

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

NEW ZEALAND

Two companies
fined for unlawful
works on residential
development sites

Long TermBlack
Plan
photography
competition

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wo property developers have been fined by

the Auckland District Court for residential
developments carried out in breach of the
Resource Management Act (RMA).
Union Development Ltd, a property
development company, was fined $42,750 for
the discharge of a large quantity of concrete
from a residential development to the Wairaki
Stream in Lynfield. This occurred while a
retaining wall was being constructed. The
concrete was up to 25cm thick in places in
the stream and extended for about 100 metres
through Lynfield Reserve.Several eels and fish
were killed by the concrete.
In sentencing Union Development, Judge
Harland found that the company was negligent
in relation to its environmental obligations:
A message needs to be given that those who
undertake property development, even on a
small scale, need to make themselves fully
aware of their environmental. If the property
developer is not familiar with the requirements,
then the obligation is on them to employ a
person who is.
Another property developer, SCD Ltd,
was fined $17,812 for continually failing to
comply with resource consent conditions by
carrying out works in the drip line of scheduled
Kahikatea and Rimu trees, including severing
several of the tree roots, and pruning trees
without consent. The company had been
warned several times by council employees and
issued with abatement notices, but still failed to
comply with the RMA.

Orange

MAYORALDRIVE
New s from t he Counc il

Second Symposium on managing Kauri

Dieback Disease

veryone interested in protecting kauri are

invited to attend the second Symposium
on kauri dieback disease (Phytophthora taxon
Agathis or PTA), which can kill kauri of all
ages and sizes.
We held our first Kauri Dieback Symposium
in 2013 to encourage open discussions about
this disease, the current research and efforts
to reduce the disease spreading, says Kauri
Dieback Programme Leadership Chair, Erik
van Eyndhoven.
Dr Nari Williams, science leader for
the Healthy trees, healthy future; enabling
technologies to combat Phytophthora diseases,
says This event will showcase what our
scientists and new flush of graduate students are
bringing to the programme. It is an exciting way
for scientists to engage with iwi, land owners
and communities to discuss how our research
aims to support kauri dieback management,

now and into the future.

Come and hear more about what is happening
and what it will mean for the protection of kauri
and other key plant species nationally at the
second Kauri Dieback Symposium being held
at the Copthorne Hotel and Resort, Hokianga
on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 February, 2015.
There will also be a panel discussion and
a field trip hosted by Te Roroa following the
Symposium on Sunday 15 February.
Anyone interested in learning more
about how they can help keep kauri standing
is welcome to register for this free event.
Please register your interest online at www.
kauridieback.co.nz
Remember, everyone has a part to play in
helping prevent the spread of kauri dieback.
Keep to tracks and off kauri roots, and remove
all soil from your shoes, tyres and equipment
before and after visiting kauri forests.

he Christchurch City Council is asking

photographers to capture a striking image
of a city in transition for the cover of its Long
Term Plan.
ThePlan published in March will shape the
city over the next 10 years and beyond, and
Mayor Lianne Dalziel is keen to find a very
special cover shot.
Were looking for an image that captures
the mood of a city in transition, a place where
the unexpected is the new normal, a place
where anything is possible. This time we want
your imagination to run wild.
Yes the earthquakes did enormous damage,
but with the rebuild really underway theres
now a sense of new and exciting things ahead
and we want the cover to reflect that.
Anyone can enter up to five images in the
photography competition which closes on 22
February. For further information on entries go
towww.ccc.govt.nz/photocompetition
The winner will receive an acknowledgement
on the inside cover of the Long Term Plan
consultation documentwhich may also feature
other competition entries on inside pages.
The winning image and other highly
commended photographs will also go on show
in the Councils Civic Offices in March.

www.facebook.com/
indianweekender

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

POWER COLUMN

11

Looking ahead in 2015

Red

Black

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi

National List MP

m looking forward to another

busy year as the Government
focuses on locking in the hard-won
gains New Zealanders have made
under National. I want this country
to seize the many opportunities
available over the next few years to
get more jobs and higher wages to
support New Zealanders and their
families.
We begin 2015 in good shape.
The economy is in its fifth year of

Orange

expansion and economic growth is

expected to average around 3 per
cent over the next four years, better
than the Euro area, United States,
United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada.
Employment is growing, with
72,000 more people employed than a
year ago, and an additional 153,000
people are expected to be in work by
mid-2019.
The average full-time wage
is expected to rise by $8000 to
around $64,000 by mid-2019.
Unemployment, currently down to
5.4 per cent, is expected to fall to 4.5
per cent by 2018.

Interest rates are staying lower

for longer, and household disposable
income is increasing faster than
inflation rising 9 per cent in real
terms over the past four years. It is
forecast to increase another 9 per
cent over the next four years.
Our positive performance and
outlook in an unpredictable world
led one international bank economist
to call New Zealand the rock star
economy.
However, our goal isnt to be a
rock star. Its to be rock solid. We
want stable, sustainable growth
over the long term to support New

Zealanders and their families.

Well continue to do this by
spending taxpayers money wisely
and responsibly managing the
countrys finances just like youd
expect us to.
Well continue to build a more
competitive and productive economy
because thats the best way to create
more jobs and increase your wages.
Well continue to work at
delivering better public services.
These include lifting educational
achievement and upskilling our
workforce, providing better and
more convenient healthcare, getting

more people off welfare and into

work, supporting the vulnerable, and
making our communities safer.
Well also continue to support the
rebuilding of Christchurch because
we pledged we would stand with our
second-largest city, and we are.
This is a remarkable country and
there are many opportunities for us
all.
After a refreshing break with
family and friends Im looking
forward to getting stuck in and
continuing to build the brighter
future our community and all New
Zealanders deserve.

Harnessing the power of the sun

Barry Coates
Green Party

hese long sunny days are not only

good for outdoor family time,
they can provide us with abundant
and cheap energy. The conversion
of sunlight to electricity has long
been possible, but reduced costs and
improved efficiencies of solar arrays
are now making it cheaper to harness
the power of the sun. Solar power
can displace the burning of coal and
gas, contributing to a lowering of
greenhouse gas emissions that cause
climate change.

Power can be generated in

centralised solar power stations,
but the most exciting development
is rooftop solar. Householders are
now installing solar arrays on their
rooftops,
generating
electricity
to displace their purchases from
utilities and selling power back to
the grid. This lowers transmission
costs because electricity can be used
locally rather than being sent from
far away (most power comes from
the South Island). Potentially lower
electricity bills, reduced reliance on a
distribution grid and lower emissions
means that its a win-win-win.
As a result, most governments

support solar power and accelerate

its introduction. As an example,
Germany which is not noted for high
sunshine hours, recently produced
more than half of its electricity
through solar power, mainly from
rooftops. Increasingly India and other
developing countries are embracing
the opportunities to generate their
electricity from solar power. Their
companies are at the forefront of the
growing solar industries.
But the New Zealand government
has not supported the introduction
of solar. Instead, the government
continues to give subsidies to oil
and gas and to the coal company,

Solid Energy, supporting the

pollution economy rather than clean
technology. The government has
also allowed the utilities to reduce
the prices they pay from surplus
electricity from household solar,
discouraging
households
from
installing solar.
The Green Party has policies to
encourage the use of solar, including
requiring the Electricity Authority to
set a fair price for utilities for surplus
electricity, and helping schools and
households to invest in solar arrays.
With government encouragement,
we can become the first country
to generate all our electricity from

renewable sources. New Zealand

can lead the world in the transition
away from fossil fuels, benefiting our
economy, encouraging self-reliance
and reducing our climate change
emissions. This is an exciting vision.
Barry Coates was a Green
Party candidate for Mt Roskill. He
was formerly Executive Director
of Oxfam New Zealand and has
more than 20 years experience of
international negotiations on climate
change. He has a Masters degree in
management from Yale University.

Pressure goes on jobs, hospitals, housing,

school from immigration
Winston Peters
NZ First leader

he Social Development Minister

spoke on radio about the number
of people on welfare benefits in New
Zealand. She mentioned that there
was a need to be careful we dont fill
up all the spaces with immigrants.
This was a revelation as National
has refused to act on the record levels
of immigration, both permanent and
temporary, while New Zealand First
has pointed out the numbers are
putting increased pressure on all our
public services like hospitals and
schools, and increasing demand for
housing. There is also pressure on
jobs. Its not as though there is an

abundance of jobs available in New

Zealand.
Low-skilled jobs are being
snapped up by international students,
who National has allowed work
permits, and record migrant numbers
staying each year. However, we have
an official unemployment rate of
140,000 and thousands on casual and
part-time work.
New Zealand First has always
believed in immigration that will
benefit New Zealand.
Everyone can see the migrant
workforce is growing rapidly.
Service stations and supermarket
counters are manned by foreign
workers, thousands of foreign
construction workers have poured
in for the Christchurch Rebuild, and
the dairy industry has a sea of foreign
employees.

New Zealand First believes its

long since time to take a breather
from flooding the country with
people and concentrate on getting
New Zealanders into work and
taking the heat out of the rental and
home ownership market.
The-OECD warns we have an
unmanaged flow of temporary
workers, the biggest among 34
OECD countries, and it says it is
potentially bad for New Zealanders
job chances.
National has just opened the
gates, picking the easy option to keep
wages and conditions down.
At the same time National is
trying to push people off benefits
when the few jobs are snapped up by
migrants, many of whom will accept
any conditions, as has been revealed
in Christchurch.

The government is doing little

about job creation. The Minister
claimed on radio that on the East
Coast of the North Island, for
example, it was a pretty good
lifestyle. Obviously she is not
working on job creation in the region

We now know that the government

understands that record immigration
is causing problems. Their inaction is
obviouslyabout playing politics. The
sad reality is that New Zealanders are
the victims.

12

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

INDIA

Red

Black

Orange

India-US ties set to move to transformative level

Ranjana Narayan

ndia-US ties are set to move to

the transformative level during
President Barack Obamas India visit
later this week, building also on the
personal rapport developed between
him and Prime Minister Narendra
Modi with both sides keen to have
promising outcomes from the talks on
a range of issues, including defence,
energy, education and economic
cooperation.
Obama, chief guest at this years
Republic Day parade, has described
Modi as a man of action.
The two leaders have met thrice
already in the recent past - in
Washington during the bilateral in
September last year, in Myanmar
during the East Asia Summit and in
Brisbane during the G20 in November.
But the Jan 25 bilateral would be an
important summit meeting in that
it would seek to give a more concrete
shape to many of the agreed points of
the joint statement issued last year in
Washington.
The summit would see a more
broader partnership and more
energized ties between the two sides.
In the field of defence, both sides
are set to ink a new 10-year defence
framework agreement that would take

defence cooperation to a higher level.

Talks on developing the next
generation aircraft carrier are likely to
gain steam as well as on coproduction
of defence equipment.
The US is keen to replicate in part
the kind of defence cooperation that
India and Russia share, especially
on the lines of the BrahMos missiles
that is jointly developed by the two
countries.
The US is also to cooperate with a
planned National Defence University
to be set up by India.
The agreement for US involvement
the Smart Cities project for Ajmer,
Allahabad and Vishakhapatnam is
also to get a push during the talks.
Talks have been going on between
relevant authorities to take forward
the project over the past few months.
It would see the US participating in
the three cities as knowledge partner
in the areas of traffic management,
solid waste management, garbage
disposal, recycling waste water and in
water storage, said sources.
Economic ties are also set to get a
major leg up.
The fact that the US government
and business houses view the Modi
government as business-friendly
is evident from the fact that an

80-member team from the US with

12 CEOs attended the Vibrant Gujarat
Summit in Gandhinagar, led by US
Secretary of State John Kerry.
Kerry had met Modi during the
sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat for
talks on the agenda for Obamas
visit. The US Secretary of State
later told reporters that both sides
would strive to make progress on the
four main issues of climate change,
defence, civil nuclear cooperation and
economic partnership.

The stalled civil nuclear deal is

also expected to get a major push with
the contact group from both sides
having held two rounds of talks so far.
Issues over Indias liability laws are
expected to be ironed over.
The US is hoping to build on the
Modi governments bold policy
initiatives like Make in India, Smart
Cities, Skilling India and renewable
energy.
After Modis assurance to foreign
companies to ensure ease in doing

business in India by cutting away red

tape, more investments have been
flowing into India from the US.
More concrete movement on the
Modi governments Digital India
initiative as well as on Indias proposal
to establish the Global Initiative of
Academic Networks (GIAN, or
Knowledge) would be seen during the
summit.
As part of cooperation under GIAN,
which is part of the joint statement,
India is to invite and host up to 1,000
American academics each year to
teach in centrally-recognized Indian
Universities, at their convenience.
While the American teachers are to be
reimbursed by their parent universities,
India would be looking after their stay
in the country and also pay a token
amount.
The process of identifying the
universities on both sides is underway.
The talks would also see forward
movement to cooperation in the
health sector, especially in developing
affordable vaccines for dengue,
malaria, and tuberculosis and also in
cancer research.
Obama is the first US president
to visit India twice during his tenure
and the first to attend the Republic
Day parade as chief guest.

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

Red

Black

INDIA

13

Orange

Obama visit to bring Make In India tidings

Biswajit Choudhury

appening like a quick followup to Prime Minister Narendra

Modis November US visit that
secured its corporate commitments
of $41 billion in India, President
Barack Obamas visit later this
week is expected to result in major
announcements on the Make In India
front, informed sources said.
Amitabh Kant, secretary in the
department of industrial policy and
promotion (DIPP), is currently
heading a team in Washington for
an outreach on the Make in India
programme Tuesday that will
be attended by all top American
companies with interets in India
A source in the commerce and
industry ministry told IANS that the
outreach will convey the improved
environment for doing business in
India and assure US investors of a
stable policy regime. The delegation
will meet with officials of several top
companies to get investments in the
industrial corridors planned in India.
During
the
Obama
visit,
intellectual property rights and a
bilateral investment treaty (BIT)
would be key issues on the agenda,
according to a US State Department

official. The commerce ministry

source said a series of woerking

group meetings are planned on

various issues, including intellectual

property rights (IPR), investment

in manufacturing, a totalisation
pact, market access for agricultural
products and an easier visa regime.
The groups were set up under
the trade policy forum (TPF),
reconvened after a gap of four years
in November, that was co-chaired
by Commerce and Industry Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman and US Trade
Representative Michael Froman.
The US has been pressing for
tightening Indias IPR regime,
while Froman had, in November,
said here that high standards were
being adopted by the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP), and India too
needs to look at its current standards.
While officials from both sides
are working on a multi-billion dollar
fund to invest in Indias renewable
energy sector to be announced during
the US presidents visit, solar power
projects have reportedly become
problematic due to the Make In India
campaign.
The governments announcement
last month, of a series of 1,000
MW solar PV (photovoltaic) power
projects that has a
mandatory
condition that all PV cells and
modules used in solar plants set up

under the scheme will be made in

India, is reportedly an irritant for the
US.
The US has complained against
India at the World Trade Organisation
over the Jawaharlal Nehru National
Solar Missions domestic content
requirement (DCR) for solar cells
and solar modules in its projects.
India maintains that US subsidies
on solar products threaten Indian
manufacturers and has accused it
of dumping cheap and outdated
technology in India.
India is expected to push for
an easier US visa regime for its
professionals and a totalisation pact
that would exempt Indian workers
from having to make social security
contributions.
Top chief executives from both
countries are slated to meet to meet
on Jan 26 to set the agenda for
economic cooperation.
The US is the sixth largest investor
in India with $13 billion from April
2000 to September 2014. It is also
Indias second largest trading partner
after China with bilateral trade worth
$61.64 billion.

Political leadership in the Indian context

Amit Kapoor

he Oxford online dictionary

describes leadership as: The
action of leading a group of people
or an organization, or the ability to
do this.
Three points arise from this
definition. First, there has to be
action. It may be thought of as work
as described in karmic terms by
Krishna to Arjuna in The Bhagavad
Gita. Second, there essentially has
to be someone who is willing to be
lead. In other words, there has to be
someone ready to follow a leader.
Krishna, the lord of the world, is
urging Arjuna, his follower, for
action. Third, the ability to lead is
dependent upon authority (by virtue
of position) or exercise of power
(spiritual/moral/physical) by the
leader. In this case, the power of
Krishna is derived from his being the
lord of the universe.
Next week the leader of the
worlds largest democracy will
meet the leader of the worlds most
prosperous and presumably the
oldest one. They will discuss the
future of these two great nations.
A pertinent question that comes
immediately to mind is: How much
do destinies of nations depend on
individual leadership? Most people
would agree that institutions are

necessary for the rise and fall of

nations. What about the relationship
of effective leadership to the future
of countries? We believe it is central
but often neglected.
One needs to make a distinction
between leadership, management
and power. Leadership is often
dependent on a purpose and results
in a change in values, ideals, vision
et al. Management is often objectives
driven and results in a kind of stability
and is based on rationality, process
driven thinking and the fulfillment
of contractual obligations. Power
mainly refers to the means leaders
have to potentially influence others.
The rise of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has turned the
attention away from the views of
an institution/organization (the
BJP) in the political context to an
individuals and the view of his
leadership ability. While it is early
days to take a position on him as
a leader on the national front, it
must be mentioned that his success
as a leader has inspired a whole
publication industry with books like
Nitin Agarwals 21 Leadership
lessons of Narendra Damodardas
Modi, Andy Marinos Narendra
Modi: A Political Biography and
Sudesh Vermas Narendra Modi
The Gamechanger.

The first book draws lessons and

principles from Modis leadership
ability that has brought him success.
Marino deals with an analysis of
Modis personal and political life.
Vermas book focuses on Narendra
Modi the man. All these books allude
to a broader point of the need for
undertaking research in political
leadership in postcolonial societies
that has largely been missing atleast
in the academic world in the Indian
context.
Although one hears of leadership
programmes/modules/development
of leadership in educational
institutions in India, research
in political as well as business
leadership is scant when we compare
it to the US. It could be because
the initial focus in a developing
country context is on building proper
institutions rather than researching
leadership. However, as regards
people, from times immemorial,
leaders have caught their fascination.
In earlier times often the people who
are today recognized as great leaders
were either from the religious/
spiritual domain (think Mohammad,
or Jesus or Kabir or Vivekananda
or even the Dalai Lama today) or
from the political/militaristic domain
(think Alexander, Napolean, Akbar,
Ashoka and the like).

If one looks at the political

context of the previous century to
name just a few political leaders,
some that would immediately come
to mind would be Gandhi, Churchill,
Kennedy,
Reagan,
Thatcher,
Roosevelt, Mao, Hitler, Mussolini,
Stalin, Mandela and the like. Some
of them did an excellent service to
their nations, others ruined them.
Similarly businesses too have had
great leaders in the previous century think of the likes of JP Morgan, John
D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford and Walt
Disney, and most recently, Steve
Jobs, Dhirubhai Ambani and Ratan
Tata. The list is no way complete and
is only meant to serve a suggestive
purpose. What has their impact
been? What can we learn from their
leadership? While we have taken
leaders, that too a select few from
the governments and corporations,
people in the arts, civil society, the
judiciary and the media have been
equally if not more distinguished.
What impact has their lives made
on the fate of nations? That is a
crucial starting point in the analysis
of leadership and its implications for
the rise and fall of nations.
It must be noted that leadership as
a theme is as old as political inquiry
itself. Early examples of people
grappling with the idea of leadership

come from Plato, Machiavelli, Sun

Tzu, Confucius and Kautilya et al.
In the most recent past, it has been
examined through various lenses
and approaches and therefore several
theories of leadership have emerged.
Several experts and scholars too have
actively contributed in the western
world to the research and scholarship
on leadership, most prominent
among them being Warren Bennis,
Stephen Covey, and Peter F. Drucker.
Perhaps in the years to come we may
see more inquiry into the nature of
leadership in the Indian context. The
present government would be indeed
wise to remember Ronald Reagans
advice on leadership taken from
21 leadership lessons of Narendra
Modi: To grasp and hold a vision
that is the very essence of successful
leadership. With his recent address
at a global economic summit we
know Modi has a vision for India, but
will he be able to hold on to it, we
will have to wait and watch.
The article is co-authored with
Sankalp Sharma, Senior Researcher
at the Institute for Competitiveness,
India. The views expressed are
personal. Amit Kapoor is Chair,
Institute for Competitiveness &
Editor of Thinkers.

14

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

FIJI

NEWS in BRIEF
Report analyses electoral process

The Concerned Citizens for Credible Elections group launched the Voter
Perception Based Elections Report last week in Suva, reports Fiji Sun.
Suliana Siwatibau, group chairperson, said the report provided an analysis
of the electoral procedures of last Septembers general elections.
We had 106 volunteer researchers of which 100 were ready to gather
information on the set-up of election stations, counting of votes and voters
perceptions, Siwatibau said. The purpose was to learn from the experience
to improve future elections and election monitoring.
It is our hope that all our efforts will not be in vain but will give rise to
greater citizen participation in election monitoring for increasing faith in our
democratic institutions into the future, she said.
The group is made up of 16 civil society organisations like the Fiji
Womens Crisis Centre, Pacific Dialogue, Fiji Council of Churches and the
Citizens Constitutional Forum among others.

Trade Union elections

Coral Coast Tourism and Catering Union will hold its election in early
February, supervised by the Fijian Elections Office.
The union was formed by the employees of the Warwick Fiji Resort
and Spa after being dissatisfied with the Union of Hospitality, Catering and
Tourism Industries Employees in 2013.
Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem confirmed that in the first
quarter of this year, a number of trade union elections would be held. Under
the Electoral Decree, trade unions now need to notify the Fijian Elections
Office of their intention to organise an election at least six weeks prior to
the date fixed for the elections. The new system makes the election of trade
unionists transparent.

Education makes a smart country:

PM

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says an educated country is a smart

country. And a smart country can produce the quality goods and services
that can boost Fijis capacity to compete on the international stage to
make our exports a byword for quality and Fijian workers valued the world
over, Bainimarama said at the opening of the Niusawa High School girls
dormitory, reports Fiji Sun.
So I want to leave an important message with you all today that I hope
will resonate across Fiji. That your school motto here in Niusawa nothing
without work is a motto that should be embraced by every Fijian, he said.

Online water bills from March

From March onwards Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) customers will be
able to access their water bills through the internet. The authoritys Gentrack
billing system will be fully operational by then.
Chief executive officer, Opetaia Ravai, said the new system would
replace the outdated billing process that has been in existence since the
Public Works Department (PWD) days. He said the existing billing system
has not evolved with the changing business and customer needs. It is all part
of WAF upgrading, to provide our customers with the latest in technology for
a faster and more efficient services.

New funding scheme begins

debate
Red

he Oppositions criticism of the

new parliamentary funding for
party offices demonstrates a
further misunderstanding of
the separation of powers and
parliamentary procedures and
processes, says the Government.
Responding to claims by
Opposition leader, Ro Teimumu
Kepa, at a press conference,
the government spokesperson
said that the new funding
system was imposed on them
without consultation and with
less than 48 hours notice before
implementation, reports Fiji
Sun.
This is unacceptable. The
entire episode is not parliamentary
democracy, but its parliamentary
dictatorship,
said
the
spokesperson, claiming that the
directive came from Minister for
Finance Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
Under the new arrangement,
Secretary-General to Parliament,
Viniana Namosimalua, states that the
new funding system allocates parties
$15,000 per Member of Parliament
per annum.
According to Namosimaluas letter
dated January 8 and addressed to the
secretary-generals of the three parties
in Parliament, she advised them on
the new funding allocation and her
decision to revoke the appointments
of all political parties support staff
in their respective parliamentary
offices saying that political parties in
parliament will no longer be provided
with established civil service positions
for their parliamentary offices.
The allocation means FijiFirst (32
MPs) will receive $480,000 a year;
SODELPA (15 MPs) will receive
$225,000 a year while NFP (three
MPs) will get $45,000.
This is funding for the parties
to run their Parliamentary offices
independently and choose their own
staff outside civil service rules. This
new arrangement is effective from 1st
January, 2015.
All temporary appointments and
extension of appointments of existing
staff in the respective political party
offices under civil service positions
had been revoked from January 9.
The
Government
denied

Namosimalua had acted on the

directions of the Minister of Finance
to implement the new funding

arrangement.
Its statement said: To the
contrary, the new arrangement was
implemented by the SecretaryGeneral in the exercise of the powers
conferred upon the Secretary-General
under the Constitution. The 8 January
2015 letter from the SecretaryGeneral to all political parties in
Parliament makes it very clear that
the Secretary-General, in the exercise
of her constitutional powers, has
decided that political parties in
Parliament will no longer be provided
with established civil service
positions for their parliamentary
offices. Instead, all the political
parties will be allocated funding by
the Secretary-General and it will be
the responsibility of the respective
political parties to engage their own
staff for their political party offices in
Parliament.
Furthermore, in her 8 January
2015 letter, the Secretary-General
further states as follows: Based on the
funding appropriated for Parliament
in the 2015 National Budget under the
2015 Appropriation Act 2014, I have
reviewed the amounts to be allocated
to each political party for the staff of
their parliamentary offices and I have
decided that each political party will
be allocated funding of $15,000 per
member per annum.

Black

Orange

It is therefore quite clear from

the 8 January 2015 letter that the
Secretary-General decided in her own
right that she will be making
and implementing this new
arrangement for the funding of
staffing of parliamentary offices
of political parties.
Given the above, the
claims by the Opposition are
misleading and superfluous. In
light of the fact that the decision
to implement a new funding
arrangement was made by the
Secretary-General, any claim
that there was a breach of the
Constitution or the Standing
Orders is unfounded.
There is no doubt that the
Secretary-General
consulted
and held discussions with the
Minister of Finance, as the
funding of staffing is being
sourced from monies allocated
to Parliament under the 2015
National Budget.
There is nothing unconstitutional
or improper about an independent
constitutional office consulting the
Minister of Finance or his Ministry
on budgetary and funding issues, both
before and after the announcement
of the National Budget. Such
consultations on financial matters are
regularly held and will continue to
be held with numerous independent
constitutional offices, including the
Judiciary, the Director of Public
Prosecutions,
FICAC,
AuditorGeneral, Supervisor of Elections and
other Commissions established under
the Constitution.
Of course, the Secretary-General
held discussions with the Minister
of Finance regarding resourcing
of Government and Opposition
parliamentary offices. Indeed, even
before the 2015 National Budget
was finalised, the Secretary-General
had raised concerns with respect to
the provision and management of
staff for the respective political party
parliamentary offices. These included
hiring of staff who were over the civil
service retirement age, as well as
requests for staff to be appointed to
civil service positions without having
proper qualifications and without a
competitive selection criteria being
followed.

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ASPHALT ROOFING (NZ) LIMITED

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www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

FIJI

15

Floodgate Opens

Red

Black

Orange

floodgate has been constructed in Waikete Village in Tailevu

to prevent salt water from reaching farms and crops in the
village, reports Fiji Sun.
The floodgate is a combined effort by the Ministry of Agriculture
and the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) Programme
to support families, especially farmers, whose crops are affected
by the high salinity content in the soil.
The Ministrys Land and Water Resource Management
(LWRM) Division director, Colin Simmons, explained that the
new floodgate would also mitigate flooding in the village.
Waikete village is a pilot project area for the PACC Program
and this was one of the last projects for 2014 in the Central
Division, he said.

VICTORI

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The Victoria
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of release
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fter successfully selling down four

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only a dollar coins throw from the Sky Tower
and Sky CityPRICED
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opening day of the
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VIP release on Monday welcomed over 100
agents from New Zealands top real estate
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of this distinguished address in Aucklands
CBD. Acclaimed Auckland architects,
The Leuschke Group, have designed The
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its surroundings. Every residence combines
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trust account). The balance
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arkets
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Happy Republic
Day

ARTISTS IMPRESSION ONLY

HAYLEY SOK
P 021 132 8985
E h.sok@barfoot.co.nz

16

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

NEW ZEALAND

Red

Black

Orange

The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a

captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.

Editorial

- Mark Caine

From the desk of the

Managing Editor

Funny bone ?

ust today, I spoke to a dear friend of mine after a gap of 35years. Needless to say,
life had happened to both of us and we had drifted apart. God bless my daughter and
technology; together they tracked him down. Its often that until you meet or speak to
someone after those many years, is when you actually realize how much you missed them
and how important they are to you. Often we become so busy with our lives and struggles
that we lose track of those who have actually been our building blocks. But then, just as
life caused you to drift apart, it causes you to come together again.
The lesson I came back from this was never to let go of people who are important. Life
is about cherishing the relationships you build.
Talking of building relationships, the mother of all relationships is what is on everyones
mind these days the growing India and US relationship. It is history in the making it
will be the first ever time that a President of the United States has visited India twice
during his term and the first ever time that the US President will be the chief guest at a
Republic Day celebration. There is great speculation and expectation from this impending
Obama visit to India. More so after the very optimistic visit of John Kerry during the
Vibrant Gujarat Summit. We had elaborately covered Mr Kerrys visit in our previous
issue and this issue brings you a curtain-raiser on the Obama visit. The excitement of the
year seems to be really building up and everyone almost seems to be holding their breath
to see how it all unfolds. Please look out for our next issue with all the details and other
reports on the Republic Day celebrations.
The other news thats topping the charts these days is the upcoming Delhi elections and
the Clash of the Titans Kiran Bedi the game-changer for BJP and Arvind Kejriwal of
AAP. The two together are keeping the media very busy and we thought we will serve up
a portion of it before the Obama mania takes over and all other stories take the sidelines.
In this issue we bring you another installment of Razzmatazz. The first one was very
well received by our readers and this time we have the renowned designer Nikhil Kapoor
of NIFT fame giving us fashion tips for 2015. Hope you enjoy some really beautiful
pictures provided exclusively for Indian Weekeneder.
In this issue our section on Pimp your Cause raises another important and thoughtprovoking question. A question that has perhaps been asked a bit too often, but has to date
not brought any clear answer. Perhaps we now as a society need to put our heads together
and think of the answer.
To sign off, on behalf of the entire team at Indian Weekender, wish all our readers a
very Happy Republic Day. Lets spare a thought to those who put the building blocks of
our country so we may one day build it into the India of our dreams. As India prepares
itself for the flight to newer and higher frontiers, heres wishing that all Indians around
the world as they fix their gaze on achieving higher frontiers. Lets stand tall and witness
India scale greater heights lets applaud and cheer the vision and the determination of
the man who is making this possible and lets claim our rightful place in the world lets
be proud to be an Indian!
May the Force be with you!
Giri Gupta

Indian Weekender Volume 6 Issue 25

Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited
Managing Editor: Giri Gupta | girigupta@xtra.co.nz
Editor: Maya Shivam | editor@indianweekender.co.nz
Associate Editor: Paula Ray | paula@indianweekender.co.nz

Pick of the week

The Unreal Times reported that the US will transport 20,000 gallons of breathable air for
Obamas visit to Delhi for Republic Day. This is how President Obama will roll during his
visit to Delhi (Base image via indiatoday.com)

Sweet-as

Pronounced: Sweet-as
A term people say instead of cool or awesome
Usage: That car over there is sweet-as bro!

Chief Reporter: Swati Sharma | reporter@indianweekender.co.nz

Reporter: Rizwan Mohammed | iwk.reporter@gmail.com
Chief Technical Officer: Rohan Desouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz
Graphic and Layout Design: IWK Design Team | designer@ indianweekender.co.nz
Advertising & Business Development Manager:
Gaurav Gupta - M: 021 292 4519 | gaurav@indianweekender.co.nz
Sales Manager: Leena M: 022 0151971 | leena@indianweekender.co.nz
Accounts and Admin.: Farah Khan | accounts@indianweekender.co.nz
Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher
is not responsible for advertisers claims as appearing in the publication
Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, Auckland
Printed at Guardian Print, Ashburton
Copyright 2014. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.

TIP from the TRENCHES

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Write notes of all types, from short lists to lengthy research, and access
them on any device. Collect web articles, handwritten notes, and photos
to keep all the details in one place.
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Get organized: create notebooks and add tags to wrangle projects.
Find anything fast: text in notes, photos, and PDFs is searchable.
Create a workspace for collaboration with shared notebooks and
share ideas.
Keep up with to-dos: make to-do lists and check items off as you go.
Manage expenses: organize receipts, bills, and invoices.

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

OPINION / EDITORIAL

17

Modi magic may face its severest test in Delhi

Red

Black

Orange

Amulya Ganguli

he Delhi elections next month will show

whether Narendra Modi continues to
find it difficult to score sweeping victories in
states where he faces a modicum of political
resistance.
As was seen in Maharashtra and Jharkhand,
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was unable
to secure a majority on its own in the state
legislatures because the local parties - the Shiv
Sena in Maharashtra and the Jharkhand Mukti
Morcha in Jharkhand - could not be brushed
aside by the purported Modi wave.
This inability was seen in the general
election as well when the AIADMK in Tamil
Nadu, the Biju Janata Dal in Odisha and the
Trinamool Congress in West Bengal could not
be dislodged from their strongholds.
The BJPs success in Haryana was due
to the fact that its two major opponents - the
Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal
(INLD) - had gone into serious decline with the
topmost INLD leaders being in jail. Jammu and
Kashmir is in a different category because of its
distinctive demographic composition.
Since conventional wisdom suggests that
even if the BJP gets a majority in Delhi, the
Aam Admi Party (AAP) will not be a pushover,
the contest will be yet another major test of the
efficacy of the Modi magic. If the AAP runs

the BJP close, the latter will have only itself

to blame. Had it been a little more energetic in
addressing the problems of the national capital
via Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung, at a time when
more than 50 percent of the development funds
have remained unspent, the BJPs prospects
would have been brighter.
But it is not so much the political and official
lethargy in heeding the citys infrastructural
needs which may hurt the BJP as its failure to
rein in the saffron loudmouths, although Prime
Minister Modi is unhappy about their antics,
according to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
However, the result of this failure is the
possible consolidation of a sizable percentage
of minority votes behind the AAP, now that the
Congress is out of reckoning. Since Muslims
constitute 11.7 percent of Delhis population,
their support for the AAP is a gift to the
BJPs main opponent by Yogi Adityanath,
Sakshi Maharaj and others whose blinkered
views make them oblivious of the fact that
fundamentalism has few takers.
The situation may be partly redressed by
the entry into the BJP by one of the AAPs
most visible faces at one time, Shazia Ilmi,
who was earlier with Anna Hazare. But her
critics are likely to say that since the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) claimed to have
been associated with Annas anti-corruption

movement, Shazia has only come full circle.

The entry into the BJP of another of Annas
former associates, Kiran Bedi, has created
considerable stir because of the belief that
the energetic former police officer may be
the partys chief ministerial candidate. She is
however likely to face in-house opposition
from other chief ministerial aspirants like
Vijay Goel and Jagdish Mukhi who have
long been associated with the party and are
not a fair weather friend like Bedi. Moreover,
Bedis earlier critical comments about Modi,
especially about the 2002 Gujarat riots, may
come to haunt her.
It is entirely possible that if the BJP had
been more proactive in the field of development
at both the state and national levels, the AAP
would have been unable to make much
headway. As it is, the party has lost much of its
earlier middle class support, as its spokesmen
admit. A possible reason is that its chief
minister of 49 days in the winter of 2013-14,
Arvind Kejriwal, still gives the impression that
his penchant for showmanship will come in the
way of governance.
He may no longer sit on a dharna or declare
his anarchist preferences, but it is unlikely that
he will eschew his instinctive confrontational
style in favour of a mature approach to
administration and in the matter of dealing with

other parties.
Even otherwise, the AAP remains a hodgepodge of ideologies with the left of left
tendencies, as mentioned by its ideologue
Yogendra Yadav, alternating with Kejriwals
assertion of his bania credentials. This medley
stands in contrast to Modis focus on economic
growth, which is the mainstay of his appeal.
It is this approach of the prime minister which
has persuaded the third party in the fray, the
Congress, to decide to look beyond secularism
and the welfare of the poor to reach out to the
aspirational generation. However, as for its
chances in the Delhi election, the decline in its vote
share from 25 percent in the assembly elections of
2013 to 14 percent in the parliamentary polls of
2014 shows that not only the people have retained
their dislike for the Congress, but their aversion
may have intensified.
Although the AAPs vote share rose from
29.5 percent in 2013 to 33 percent in 2014, the
BJPs showing was more impressive since it
won all the seven parliamentary constituencies
in Delhi with 46.1 percent of the votes, a
substantial jump from 2013s 33.7 percent. Will
the BJP be able to live up to this achievement?
Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The
views expressed are personal

The message of the greatest Temptation lies in the eye

Pravasi Bharatiya
of the beholder
book Hind Swaraj
(1909)
defined
Prof Sekhar Bandyopadhyay
a
universalist
Director of New Zealand India Research Institute
concept
of
nationhood,
which
was
not
to
be
based
on
the
am writing this column from India during the
last phase of my more than a months stay in majoritarianism of any particular community, but
my country of birth. During this stay I watched would provide appropriate place to the minorities
a number of important events happening, each and the downtrodden. It would even be inclusive
having specific significance for todays India. of foreigners, as he wrote: The introduction of
The most important of all from my perspective foreigners does not necessarily destroy the nation,
as a non-resident Indian (NRI) was of course the they merge in it. A country is one nation only when
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held on 7-9 January at such a condition obtains in it. Such a notion of
inclusive nationhood is worth emulating for all
Gujarats Gandhinagar.
This particular event is being held in India other nations receiving immigrants. Following
since 2003 with a mission to reconnect with his grand vision, the Indian constitution provided
about twenty-five million people of Indian origin that the state would show equal respect for all
spread across the world. It is to recognise the religions and guarantee social justice for all
achievements of these migrs (Pravasis) and to
benefit from their intellectual leadership, skills and
capital investments.
However, this years event was special, as
it celebrated the centenary of home coming of
the greatest of all Indian expatriates, Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi, better known as Mahatma
(the great soul) Gandhi. On 9 January 1915 he
landed at the Port of Bombay after nearly twenty
years of stay in South Africa, where he fought hitherto underprivileged castes and tribes of India.
Today India needs economic development,
against a racist regime for the rights of Indians. For
the next thirty-three years, until his assassination no doubt, and in this mission the wealthy NRIs
on 30 January 1948, he gave India his incredible can certainly help with investments, advice and
intellectual and political leadership in achieving leadership. But she also needs Gandhis wisdom,
independence and attaining nationhood. If India and his message of inclusive nationalism, religious
had the misfortune of being partitioned, it was tolerance and the principles of social justice.
A few days ago Professor Jagdish Bhagwati,
because many of his disciples did not listen to his
advice during the last hours of British rule. But that the famous Professor of Economics at Columbia
is a different story, which we need not go into here. University and a great champion of Narendra
What has struck me however is that in todays Modis Gujarat model of free market economy,
India people should take the Mahatmas message reminded an audience at Teen Murti Bhavan in
much more seriously and passionately than they New Delhi that these two aspects of development
- economic and social - are complementary to each
ever did before.
It was in South Africa that Gandhi realised the other. It is only an inclusive India that can achieve
pluralist nature of Indian society and in his famous great heights in terms of economic development.

n
cademic
ccount

We want to voice what affects us; we want to be heard. This

is our platform to stand united against all odds

Paula Ray

t was about five years ago, almost a year

after Pooja had first arrived in Auckland.
The apartment she was renting in CBD was
managed by a reputed letting agency and their
service was quite commendable.
Midway through her tenancy contract, the
property was sold off and the new owner did
not hire the services of the agency. As is the
norm, thereafter she had to report directly to the
apartment owner in case something needed to
be repaired.
So one day, a window lock snapped into
two and she got in touch with the owner, who
duly asked her to show him the window the
following afternoon. They agreed on a time and
Pooja waited at home to let him in.
After attending to the lock, he started a polite
conversation and eventually it veered towards
personal information. Pooja did not feel very
comfortable and so she told him that she had an
appointment.
As she walked towards the main door to let
him out, he grabbed the neckline of her T-shirt
indecently. This took her by complete surprise and
she slapped his hand away, pushing him out of the
door. At the same time, it also scared the wits out
of her. The apartment belongs to him and he had
complete right to ask her to leave overnight, or
so she thought. In those days, she was not very
conversant with the New Zealand tenancy laws.
Her first instinct was to call the building
manager, who happened to be one of the first
friends she made in this city. He was very helpful
and Pooja could talk to him about what had just
happened.
In due time, she found out about the tenancy
laws of the land, mostly via Citizens Advice
Bureau, and decided to report the incident to the

In this column, I share my experiences that

would perhaps be familiar to you too.
If you can relate to them, please share your
thoughts or similar experiences with me

police. She wanted it to be documented, so that

in case something further happened there will be
a record of it.
That took Pooja to the Auckland Police and
an elderly officer sat her down in a room to write
down the report. She was asked to narrate the
incident and so she did. From time to time, she
was paused and asked for certain details.
But there was one particular detail that took
the wind out of her sail. She was asked: Please
excuse my question but what were you wearing
that day?
She asked: What do you mean by that?
The officer said: I mean to ask were you
wearing anything provocative, like a deep
neckline?
Being a newly-arrived immigrant and not
being familiar with the laws of the land, Pooja
didnt know how to react. All she could muster
to say was: No. Just a casual T-shirt and a
cardie over it.
My question is: Should the law enforcer
ask such a question? More importantly, would
a female police officer have asked the same
question? Why is it that even in a liberal
western culture, women are held responsible
for the injustice meted out to them? As if, she
was asking for it!

18

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

INDIA

Kiran Bedi BJPs chief ministerial

candidate in Delhi
Red

ormer IPS officer Kiran Bedi,

who joined the BJP just a
week ago, will be the partys chief
ministerial candidate in the Feb 7
Delhi assembly polls, taking on her
former anti-corruption stir colleague
Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP).
She will contest from Krishna
Nagar seat in east Delhi. It was
earlier held by Harsh Vardhan, the
chief ministerial candidate in the
December 2013 elections and now a
union minister.
Making the announcement after
a meeting of the party parliamentary
board, Bharatiya Janata Party chief
Amit Shah expressed confidence that
the decision will result in the party
getting full majority.
The BJP parliamentary board has
decided that the party will fight the
forthcoming polls under leadership
of Kiran Bedi. Kiranji will also be
the chief ministerial candidate, Shah
said at a late night press conference.
I feel the name that the BJP
has decided will meet the peoples
expectations and our decision will
definitely lead to victory, he added.
Shah said that workers were
feeling enthused since Bedi took
membership of the party. It has
raised their morale, he said.

Bedi joined the BJP Jan on 15.

Shah dismissed suggestions that there
were differences among party leaders
over Bedis projection as the chief
ministerial candidate.
Every worker is one on this, he
said.
Hours after the announcement,
however, a hoarding of Bedi outside
the BJP office here was vandalised.
Some vandals had cut out the faces
of Bedi and party president Satish
Upadhyay from a hoarding that was

put up outside the office of BJPs state

unit at 14, Pandit Pant Marg following
the announcement.
The banner showed Upadhyay and
Bedi on one side and Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and BJP president
Amit Shah on the other with the lines
Kiran Bedi ji ka Bhajapa me hardik
swagat hain (A hearty welcome to
Kiran Bedi in BJP) written in the
centre.
The incident appears to be giving
credibility to some media reports

that the decision to opt for Bedi -considered to be an outsider -- over

other senior leaders has divided the
party, with one section overjoyed and
the other left sulking.
The BJPs decision on naming
Bedi, 65, as chief ministerial candidate
came after the party leadership felt
that they needed a credible local face
to take on Kejriwal, who has strong
anti-corruption credentials. AAP
finished close to the BJP in the 2013
assembly poll.
The partys decision came just two
days before the end of nomination
process for the Feb 7 polls to the
70-member assembly.
Bedi has been an anti-corruption
activist, a former tennis player and
her innings in Delhi Police is still
widely remembered in the city. She
initiated prison reforms in the Tihar
Central Jail when she was heading it.
She has won the Ramon
Magsaysay award, an honour she
shares with Kejriwal. Both were part
of the anti-corruption agitation led by
Gandhian Anna Hazare.
Since her induction in the BJP,
Bedi has talked about her priorities
-- as a likely candidate to lead the
partys campaign.
Asked about the change in BJPs
stance of not projecting a chief

Black

Orange

ministerial candidate, Shah said

the party had also projected chief
ministerial candidates in states such
as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
There is an atmosphere. A
decision is taken after taking into
account all factors... the political
factors, he said.
Before it took decision to induct
Bedi and project a local face, the BJP
in Delhi appeared to bank mainly on
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Answering a query about Bedi
being an outsider, Shah said that
the party had provided platform to
people from various fields and they
had delivered successfully.
The decision was taken with
consensus. It has support of all, he
said.
Shah said the party would continue
to have a tie-up with the Shiromani
Akali Dal in Delhi.
On Bedi, he said: She has lived
in Delhi throughout her life. She is a
well-known name in the fight against
corruption and in service of people.
Answering a query, he said the
decision to field Bedi from Krishna
Nagar, a traditional seat of the
party, was taken so that she could
devote time to campaign in all the
seats.

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

INDIA

19

How AAP won this election even before

the actual election

Red

Black

Arijit Chakraborty

t has been almost a year that the

capital state of India last saw an
elected government. Delhi witnessed
an unprecedented change in the
socio-political atmosphere, since
the India Against Corruption (IAC)
movement in the early 2011. More
number of students was seenon the
streets raising their voice for theanticorruption bill than gosspining inside
the McDonalds and cafs. Today the
politicalawareness among the people
ofDelhi is higher thanthat ofthe rest
of India. In the last one year, Delhi
is going to face its third major
election. The political battle is even
more interesting with the presence
of a new player in the form of Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) in the electoral
politics. Arvind Kejriwal (an ex
IIT alumnus, joint commissioner
of income tax department, social
activist and winner of the prestigious
Raman Magsaysay award) led
AAP, was born as a product of the
anti-corruption movement, popularly
known as Janlokpal movement. For
the last two years,AAP is pitching for
a different political game altogether.
This party, which has still not crossed
its adolescence,has already brought
several changes in the political
scenario. In 2013, BJP was forced
to replace the incumbent Delhi BJP
president, Mr. Vijay Goel by Dr.
Harsh Vardhan, under tremendous
pressure and allegations from AAP
againstMr. Goel. Dr. Harsh Vardhan
had a cleaner image among the Delhi
BJP leaders and was well known for
his role as the ex health minister of
Delhi in the polio immunization
campaign.
In
the
2013
assembly
election,AAP emerged as the second
largest political party of Delhi
by bagging 28 out of 70 seats.
BJP, even after becoming the single
largest party, declined to form the
government for not having a clear
majority. In a country where the
post-pollscenarios are mucked with
cash-for-vote and horse-trading
scams, this call from BJP was clearly
unprecedented. Although with that
AAP claimed yet another moral
victory, it was trapped in a catch-22
situation on being invited by the
Lt. Governor of Delhi to form a
government. After initial denial, AAP
eventually formed the government in
Delhi after a week-long referendum
among the people. BJP and Congress
challenged AAP to implement its
pre-poll promises which most of
the people thought is not plausible.
In the very first month, several
important steps were taken such as,
subsidizing electricity and providing
free water to the people of Delhi.
Audits were initiated on the power
companies. In the 49-day stint of
AAP government there was a sharp
drop in the corruption level in Delhi,

Orange

which was evident from thesurveys

of the leadingnational dailieslike the
Times of India. The new government
also gave a massive blow to the
crony capitalists and politicians
by initiating investigations against
Ambani(the richest Indian featuring
on the Forbes list), for irregularities
in gas pricing and power sector and
ShielaDikshit, (ex CM of Delhi) for
her alleged role in the Common wealth

assembly polls AAP decided not

to fight elections in Maharashtra,
Haryana, Jharkhand and Jammu
& Kashmir; instead to focus and
consolidate its strength in Delhi. In
the meantime, AAP had locked in
a legal battle at the Supreme Court
(SC) to hold immediate election in
the state. Both the previous UPA
government and the incumbent BJP
led NDA government were in no

president, Satish Upadhyay, who

was declared as the campaign head
of the state, on having a conflict
of interest. AAPs alleged that Mr.
Upadhyay was the owner of at least
two different companies who got
contract for installing electric meters
in Delhi. BJP insiders allegedly
passed on evidences regarding this
to AAP. Since long, Delhiites have
complained of receiving bizarre

Game scam. The crony capitalists

of India are perceptually corrupt
and are known to support the few
hundred billion rupees worth election
campaign of the major political
parties including BJP and Congress.
AAP has repeatedly demanded all
the political parties to come under
the Right to Information (RTI) act,
which will ensure transparency in
election funding. But so far,all the
major political players have declined
to come under the purview of RTI.
In February 2014, AAP tabled the
anti corruption bill for the state of
Delhi which was jointly blocked
by Congress and BJP on the floor
of assembly. In the absence of a
clear majority,the bill was not even
debated and following that, Arvind
Kejriwal and his cabinet of ministers
resigned from the government.
The cabinet advised to dissolve the
government and appealed for a fresh
election in conjunct with the general
election. But the Congress-led UPA
government decided to impose
Presidents rule in Delhi.
AAPs ideologues then decided
to take their battle to the national
level and fight the general election
across the length and breadth of the
nation. Although AAP managed to
get 10 million votes but it ended
up with just 4 seats. Putting that
into context, BJP in its maiden run
got only 2 seats in the early 80s.
The 2014 general election was not
an ordinary election. There was an
overall anger among the people of
the country against the Congressled UPA, after the country went
through years of high inflation rate
and several large-scale scams. Many
significant political players including
BSP and SP got decimated in front
of the much propagated election
campaign of BJP. In the subsequent

mood to face immediate election

even after the Modi wave swept
the country. SC ordered the central
government to taken an immediate
action regarding this and ultimately
the Delhi assembly was dissolved in
November 2014.
With time AAP has evolved
considerably. They have clearly
understood that common people
of Delhi not only need corruption
free transparent governance, but
also they want to see clear agenda
for developmental measures. On
that line, AAP launched its Delhi
Dialogue program. This laid a clear
blueprint of AAPs vision towards
making Delhi a world-class city. It
discusses various pertaining aspects
of Delhi including women security,
opening new government schools
and colleges, interest-free education
loans for the students, infrastructure
development of hospitals, free
medicines, free Wi-Fi across the
length and breadth of Delhi. Since
November 2014 opinions, polls
on national media have shown
a longitudinal growth in the
popularity of Arvind Kejriwal as
aChief Ministerial candidate of Delhi
and neck-to-neck fight between AAP
and BJP. AAP gained a considerable
ground in Delhi since the general
election. According to surveys, Mr.
Kejriwal in fact commanded more
popularity than rest of the leaders
put together. Delhi BJP on the other
hand, lacked a credible face. In the
absence of acredible leader,the Delhi
BJP unit appeared more fragmented
than ever before. However, BJP
always maintained that they would
fight the election under the leadership
of the Prime Minister, Narendra
Modi. Three weeks before the
election, AAP
launched
an
all-out attack on BJPs Delhi

electric bills disproportionate to the

amount of usage. So this became a
key issue, which further tarnished the
image of Delhi BJP. To counter this,
day after AAPs press conference,
Ms. KiranBedi, an ex IPS officer and
colleague of Arvind Kejriwal during
the anti-corruption movement, joined
BJP. Political pundits saw that as their
last strategy to check the exponential
growth of Kejriwals popularity.
In the past Ms. Bedi was known to
be a critic of Narendra Modi and
questioned his role in the Gujarat
massacre. She even urged the voters
not to vote for BJP and Congress
since neither of these two hasagreed
upon making their election funding
transparent. Many political analysts
questioned Bedis sudden change
in stand. In fact this was seen as a
win-win situation for both BJP and
Bedi, the former having no credible
face to lead Delhi BJP and the latter
took this opportunity as a shortcut
to CMs chair. Last night BJP has
officially announced her name as the
Chief Ministerial candidate. This is
a clear deviation of BJPs original
stand of not formally announcing a
CM candidate. BJP did not declare
CM candidates for rest of the states,
but for Delhi they had to play the
political game differently.
As, social scientist and now AAP
leader, Prof. Yogendra Yadav said
many times in the past that AAPs
long-term vision is to change the
course of Indian politics by giving an
alternative form of it. In that course
of change, there will be few wins
and many losses. The great empire
of Rome was not built in day, so
itsfoolish to think that a corruption
free developed India could be built
overnight. But this rethinking of
political strategies of major political
forces including BJP is a clear

indication towards that change.

Even after the mammoth mandate
in the general election, BJP seems
to have hit roadblocks in Delhi. BJP
president, Amit Shahs statement in
a recent election rally in Delhi sums
up the concern within the party fold,
we have to find another way to fight
the AAP as it fights like an NGO
and, therefore, we need to fight it in
unconventional ways.Today AAP is
forcing the other political parties to
project clean candidates, to address
the issue of corruption in public
meetings and more importantly
to find a leader who would match
the charisma of Arvind Kejriwal.
Clearly in Delhi AAP is setting the
terms for the other political parties to
catch up.
As one the senior journalists in
India, RajdeepSardesai recently
wrote in an opinion-piece, three
Ms - Modi, money and yes, the
media, - are all lining up behind the
BJP. I dont know what that says
about the state of the Delhi voter
but it sure says a lot about the state
of the media. Sardesai also wrote
that a particular channel authority
has advised the editorial team to
stop live coverage of AAP rallies
and inviting any spokesperson on
live debates. In todays age of moral
bankruptcy in Indian media, the
game is even more difficult for
AAP. The party has to find ways
to stay relevant and play the media
game cleverly. Today youths discuss
politics at cafs. Indian students
from all across the globes donate
time, money and energy to build up
a new India. Young professionals
take sabbatical and campaign for the
party. On the day Kejriwal gave his
last speech in the Delhi assembly,
thousands of youths were seen glued
to the television screens outside the
tea joints, electronic showrooms,
railway stations;the kind of passion
only seen in India-Pakistan cricket
matches. But today AAP has
changed the meaning of politics
from a common slang to a way to
serve the nation. Only time will tell
how long this unconventional form
of politics will sustain in the Indian
context, where typically the number
of seats won and not the ethics or
transparency in the electoral process
defines success and failures. I was
reading one of Kejriwals recent
tweets, how a beggar at one of the
traffic intersections took out Rs.5 and
donated to the party fund. The other
day an 8-year old girl donated all she
had in her piggy bank. For a party,
which is based on crowd funding,
these small gestures show how
well AAP has captured the pulse of
aamaadmis and aurats. There lies the
victory of AAP where the electoral
outcome becomes meaningless
!The writer is a research scholar in

visual neuroscience at the University

of Auckland and a socio-political
commentator

20

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

INDIA

NEWS in BRIEF
20,000 more can see Republic Day
parade this year

The Republic Day parade this year will see an additional gathering of
20,000 people on Rajpath here, a police official said recently.
The extended sitting arrangements were done in the anticipation of
more people coming to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi alongwith US
President Barack Obama, a senior police official told media.
Arrangements are being made at the Rajpath-Rafi Marg crossing and
Rajpath-Man Singh Road.

Modi salutes courage of officers

on Army Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi saluted the indomitable courage and

valour of the army on the occasion of 67th Army Day on January 17th and
said he was proud of their determination.
On Army Day, I salute the indomitable courage and valour of our
army. We are extremely proud of their dedication and determination, he
said in a statement.
All three service chiefs - Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag,
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Robin K. Dhowan and Air Chief Marshal
Arup Raha - paid tributes at the Amar Jawan Jyoti in New Delhi at India
Gate last week.
Army Day is observed on Jan 15 every year.
The day is of great significance and is observed to commemorate the
appointment of Lt Gen (later Field Marshal) K.M. Cariappa as the first
Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in 1949.

Hyderabad eye institute achieves

20,000 corneal transplants

The L.V. Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), Hyderabad has said it has
become the first in the world to achieve 20,000 corneal transplants.
The not-for-profit and non-government institute crossed the landmark
in the 25th year of establishment of its Ramayamma International Eye
Bank, the largest eye bank in Asia.
The Cornea Centre of Excellence at LVPEI is the largest and one of the
best in the world, institute officials said last week.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan felicitated
the cornea and eye bank teams and commended LVPEIs commitment to
quality eye care.

Goa carnival from Feb 14

Goas popular Carnival festival will be held over four days from Feb
14, state tourism officials said.
The Carnival, a festival which is symbolic of Goas Portuguese legacy
will be held in six towns, including capital Panaji, over the four days.
According to a press release issued by Goa state tourism ministry, the
carnival float parade this year will feature themes revolving around sociocultural, environment and tourism-related aspects.
The carnival is celebrated in a big way in countries once ruled by the
Iberians - either Portuguese like the globally celebrated Brazilian Carnival
or the Spanish and to some extent in regions ruled by the French who
celebrate Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), a similarly inspired festival.
For the week prior to the austere Christian season of Lent, Goa celebrates
one last shot at having fun before the liquor bottles and beef and pork are
stacked away as part of a 40-day period of religious penitence.
On the streets, gay and colourful parades with floats, wind their way
through crowded streets across the state, each led by King Momo, a
ceremonial figure, who is given the key to the days celebrations.

Japanese nationals join Delhi

cleanliness drive

Commending Prime Minister Narendra Modis Clean India campaign,

Japanese nationals last week participated in a cleanliness drive in Delhi.
The initiative under Come Clean India is aimed at encouraging
employees of every Japanese company in India to participate in the drive.
It was organised by Image India, a think tank and research centre.
We are inspired by Modis initiative to make India filth free. I
have come all the way from Tokyo to participate and be a part of it and
encourage citizens of my country living here, said Mitsuru Nagamori, a
senior manager with a life insurance company in Tokyo, during the drive
at New Delhi railway station premises.

Security upped for Obama visit,

Red

Black

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Delhi Police warns of aerial threats

D
elhi Police has asked their
counterparts in northern states
to keep a watch on open areas for
flying of para gliders and micro-light
aircraft and share any terror-related
information as security arrangements
for US President Barack Obamas
forthcoming visit are being put in top
gear.
While Delhi police held a meeting
with officials from northern states,
1informed sources said that a team
of US Secret Service held meeting
with Indian security agencies at the
ministry of external affairs here to
discuss the security arrangements.
Obama will be the chief guest for
the Republic Day parade Jan 26. He
is also expected to visit Agra Jan 27.
The sources said that US Secret
Service team is keen on emergency
exit routes and dummy routes at
places Obama would be visiting
during his visit.
They said the US team also wanted
all restaurants and hotels enroute Agra
from Delhi to be completely sanitised
and shut a day before Obamas
expected visit to the historic city to
see Taj Mahal.
Delhi Police chief B.S. Bassi last
week held a meeting with senior police
officials from the northern states to
share terror related intelligence and
inputs about various extremist outfits
and their designs.
The meeting also discussed ways
to curb criminal activities in NCR
(national capital region) and better
coordination for the Republic Day
and the forthcoming Delhi assembly
polls.
Senior officers of Delhi Police
and their counterparts from Haryana,
Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Rajasthan and
Jammu and Kashmir attended the
meeting.
Bassi called for increasing police
presence, intensive checking at
vulnerable points, tenant verification,
proper checking of guest houses and

cyber cafes and sensitising secondhand car dealers, transporters,

property dealers, cycle sellers,
chemical dealers and STD/ISTD
booth owners.
He stressed on keeping watch on
open area for flying of para-glider,
micro-light air craft.
Bassi had cautioned against
possible terror attacks in the national
capital ahead of Republic Day by
means of para-gliders or drones.
The police commissioner stressed
on sharing information, conducting
raids and concerted action against
inter-state criminals particularly those
involved in heinous offences, repeat
offender and gangs, etc. in order
to strengthen measures of counter
terrorism, a Delhi Police statement
said.
Bassi asked officials of northern
states to share advance information
regarding visit of protected persons.
The meeting also discussed
diversion and checking of vehicles on
borders between Jan 23 and 25.
Bassi had told the media earlier in
the day that adequate arrangements

were being made for Obamas

visit. We will make all adequate
arrangements with our various units
working together, he said.
Police officials in Agra said that
commandos will take up positions
along the Yamuna river bed at the
rear of the Taj Mahal. Fifty odd
commandos will be in Agra till Jan
29, a source said.
They said that roads near the
historic monument will be totally
sanitised and barricaded. The
security agencies have already
begun screening road-side shops and
kiosks, an emporium-owner said.
Sources in the Agra administration
indicated that the national highway to
Delhi could be sealed for two days.
Traffic from the Yamuna Expressway
towards the city is also likely to be
curbed.
A large number of American
security personnel are believed to be
already in the city, moving around and
interacting with the locals as tourists
in plainclothes. A team visited Kheria
airport and reviewed the security
arrangements, the officials said.

India, Sri Lanka pledge to build better ties

ine days after President Maithripala Sirisena took office,

Sri Lanka and India Sunday pledged
to deepen their relations, with New
Delhi agreeing to work closely and
extensively with Colombo.
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj conveyed Indias views to her
new Sri Lankan counterpart Mangala
Samaraweera, who arrived New Delhi overnight on his first foreign trip
after Sirisena came to power Jan 9.
In three hours of extensive discussions, Sushma Swaraj and Samaraweera covered all issues including enhancing bilateral cooperation
and political reconciliation efforts in
Sri Lanka.
Also discussed were Indian development partnership projects in Sri

Lanka and issues related to the alleged trespassing of Indian fishermen

into Sri Lankan waters.
An external affairs ministry statement said the two ministers had extremely cordial, positive and substantive discussion, covering the entire
expanse of the close and friendly
(bilateral) relations.
Samaraweera indicated that his
choice of New Delhi as his first destination reflects the priority the new
Sri Lankan government gives to relations between our two countries.
India and Sri Lanka agreed to reengage on the issue of repatriation of
Tamil refugees currently in India.A
meeting of officials on this is to be
held later this month.
The Sri Lankan minister indicated

that efforts were underway to release

87 Indian fishermens boats seized by
authorities in Colombo.

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

INDIA ABROAD

21

Mauritius keen to bridge India and Indian-American

Africa: Indian-origin minister
toddler can identify
M
all countries of world
A

Red

Black

auritius is keen to become a

real bridge for India to invest
and connect with the rest of Africa
and with Europe, said Showkutally
Soodhun, the new vice prime minister
of the Indian Ocean island who is of
Indian descent and who is proud of
his Hindi roots.
We want that Mauritius be a
bridge for India, a real bridge for
India, and through Mauritius they can
come and invest and go to Europe
and Africa. This is very important,
Soodhun said.
Soodhun, who was in India to
attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
in Gandhinagar and later in the
capital to attend the World Hindi
Day celebrations, was full of praise
for the government of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
This is a new government
(in India) and we are also a new
government. It is a very dynamic
government, he said of the Bharatiya
Janata Party-led government.
The Mauritius general elections of
Dec 10, 2014 brought former prime
minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth back
into the saddle. Soodhun is the minister
of housing and lands in the government.
According to Soodhun, bilateral
relations between India and Mauritius
were getting even more cemented,
and our economic, social and political
links are getting even more closer.
He said though the Mauritius
government was very new, our prime
minister has sent me (to India) to go
and give a good signal - that we have
such high regard for India and are so

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keen to strengthen our relations.

Soodhun said Mauritius was
planning to purchase all petroleum
products from India. All our
petroleum products will come from
India, worth $1 billion for three years.
Soodhun, who gave a speech
in Hindi at the World Hindi Day
celebrations Jan 10, referred to India
as Bharat Ma.
The Indo-Mauritian population of
the island nation is an overwhelming
68 percent of 1.3 million, all
descendants of indentured Indian
labourers who were taken to work
in the sugarcane fields in the former
British colony.
Soodhun said Mauritius would
support India at international fora and
that India and Mauritius were going
to work together in all aspects.
The Mauritius minister also said
his country would give its full support
to India for popularizing Hindi across
the world.
On the world stage, for

Indian-American to
run for US senate
C
alifornias
Indian-American
Attorney General Kamala Harris,
a good friend of President Barack
Obama, has thrown her hat into the
ring for the 2016 race to replace
fellow Democrat veteran Barbara
Boxer in the US Senate.
I will be a fighter for the next
generation on the critical issues
facing our country, pledged
Oakland, California-born Harris, 50,
the states first Indian-American and
first African American top law officer
announcing her run on her website.
I will be a fighter for middle class
families who are feeling the pinch
of stagnant wages and diminishing
opportunity, added the daughter
of an Indian mother and JamaicanAmerican father.
Harrisons mother Dr Shyamala
Gopalan is a breast cancer specialist
who emigrated from Chennai in the
1960s while her father Donald Harris
is an economics professor at Stanford
University.
Harris, the former district attorney
of San Francisco who was just reelected to her second term as attorney
general, was the first to formally
declare her candidacy since Boxer
announced last week that she would
not run for re-election in 2016.
Harris position was strengthened
Monday when Lt. Gov. Gavin

Newsom bowed out of contention.

Newsom, 47, is reported to be
interested in running for governor
when Jerry Brown faces term limits
in 2018.
If Harris wins, she would be the
first ever Indian-American in the
100-member US Senate.
There are also currently two US
governors of Indian origin - Bobby
Jindal and Nikki Haley - both
Republicans are said to be mulling
presidential runs in 2016.
Obama last year caused a bit of a
stir when he called Harris by far the
best-looking attorney general.
He later called long time friend
Harris to apologise for saying: Shes
brilliant and shes dedicated, shes
tough. She also happens to be, by far,
the best-looking attorney general ...
Its true! Cmon. Harris graciously
accepted the Presidents apology.

popularizing Hindi, if there is a need

to support Bharat Ma, then Chhota
Bharat (as Mauritius is known) will
lend its support wholeheartedly, he
said in Hindi.
Soodhun said he felt great pride in
his Hindi roots. He confessed that he
was an aashiq of Hindi, along with
other languages like English, French,
Arabic, Bhojpuri and Swahili.
He said Mauritius had launched
a Hindi union in colleges and
universities to teach Hindi and
popularize it. He said Mauritius
wanted to spread Hindi, which was
as sweet as ganna (sugarcane juice),
across the world.
Soodhun said both Mauritius and
India want to give their people roti,
kapda aur makan (bread, clothes and
houses). This is what we are doing.
Soodhun met Modi and External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and
other ministers during his India visit.

New study
outlines how
Americans see
Sikhism

new comprehensive study of

Sikhs in America, outlining
how Americans perceive Sikhism
and what the community needs to
convey to effectively build positive
awareness in America, is set to be
released later this month.
The study giving facts, images,
and stories of Sikhs in America, was
conducted by noted pollster Geoff
Garin, president of Peter D. Hart
Research, who was the chief strategic
advisor to Hillary Clintons 2008
presidential campaign.
It will be published by the National
Sikh Campaign (NSC) launched
earlier this year to help promote the
Sikh image in America.
NSC hopes to use this data to shape
the Sikh communitys communication
strategy going forward, according to a
media release.
The report outlines how Sikh
Americans are currently viewed by
their fellow Americans at large, the
key targeted messages Sikhs need to
communicate to the broader public
to build maximum understanding
of their faith and their identity, and
the specific communities the Sikh
community needs to communicate
with to build relationships.

three-year-old Indian-American
boy can identify all 196
countries, plus some dependencies
and territories, on the world map in a
mere four minutes and 42 seconds, a
media report said.
Impressed by the performance
of New York-born Vihaan Chamala,
judges from RecordSetter honoured
him with a world record, India West
reported last week, adding that his
name is likely to be included in the
Asia Book of Records, India Book of
Records and Miracle World Records.
RecordSetter is a social media
website containing a collection of
world records created by the public
and evaluated by the staff and visitors
to the site.
Vihaan is the only child of
Jayasree, a clinical physical therapist,
and Raghu Ram Chamala. The
toddler has also memorised names
of planets, days, months, chemistry
elements, Telugu and English
alphabets and words.

Competitive China forces Australia

to explore opportunities in India

ith the Chinese market

becoming more competitive
and growth slowing down, Australia
is eyeing collaborations in 14
industry sectors in India prioritising
services, mines and agro as key
areas, an Australian government
official said.
Growth is falling in China,
competition in China has much grown
and over the next decade, the growth
is going to be in India, commercial
counsellor of the Australian Trade
Commission Gregory Harvey told
media.
Harvey said the Chinese have
gone to capacity and the recent
changes in the industrial outlook in
India makes it a favourable country
for the Australian firms to seek
collaborations and investment.

Recently, Australian trade and

investment minister Andrew Robb
said signing the free trade agreement
with India is a priority.
The time is right for Australian
companies to seek collaborations
in India. Specifically, dairy sector
is important for us in agro business
besides mining which holds huge
potential, commercial counsellor
Harvery said.
India is the largest producer of
milk globally and holds investment
potential
for
technological
upgradations as well as product
diversification.
Harvey said Australian firms can
help Indian milkmen to diversify
their product range as well as
optimise the production of milk.

Stranded Indian workers go home

t least 300 Indian workers,

who were stranded after being
duped by their recruitment agencies
in India, are set to leave the Saudi
Arabia for their home country, with
their sponsor finally agreeing to pay
for the return journey after the Indian
Embassys intervention.
An official at the community
welfare department of the embassy
said the workers were recruited in
bulk from different places in India
and contracted to join ongoing airport
development work in Riyadh but on
arrival they were directed to do odd
jobs for various other companies in
different parts of the Kingdom as the
concerned company for which they
were hired could not win the airport

contract, Arab News reported.

The contracted company here
wanted to outsource the workers
to other companies and send them
for work in various parts of the
Kingdom, the official said.
Later, they approached the
embassy saying they have been
duped by their recruiters in India
as the job to be done here does not
match with their work permit, he
said.
He added that the workers were
paid their wages, but all of them
wanted to return home.
Thanks to the embassys
intervention and the sponsor agreeing
to repatriate them, they are going
back home, one of them said.

22

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

INDIA ABROAD

Indian-origin envoys of US,

Canada take charge in New Delhi
F

our new envoys last week

presented their credentials to
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee
and of them, two were persons of
Indian-origin - the US ambassador
and the Canadian high commissioner.
Richard Rahul Verma is the first
American of Indian-origin to occupy
the post, while Nadir Patel is the first

India in the 1960s, said he was looking

forward to work with India on the
shared goals of security, development
and prosperity as he described the
times as exciting for the ties.
At his confirmation hearing in
Washington recently, Verma told the
Senate Foreign Relations committee
that US President Barack Obamas

search of Indian diplomat Devyani

Khobragade in New York.
The new Canadian envoy is the
son of Gujarati immigrants. Speaking
about his new role, 44-year-old Patel
said: I look forward to working
with Prime Minister Modi and his
government to further expand ties
between Canada and India.

NEWS in BRIEF
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Issue stamp to commemorate

Diwali: US lawmaker

A US lawmaker has introduced a resolution in the Congress, urging the

countrys postal service to issue a stamp honouring Diwali -- an important
spiritual and cultural festival for many Americans, a media report said.
Despite the significance of this holiday to many Americans, the United
States Postal Service has not yet recognised Diwali with a commemorative
stamp, as it has with other major religious and cultural holidays such as
Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Eid, The American Bazaar website
quoted Democratic Party Representative Carolyn B. Maloney as saying in
a press release.
Maloney has spearheaded numerous efforts in the past to raise awareness
about Diwali, the Indian festival of lights. Two years ago, she proposed a
similar resolution but it failed to gain traction in Washington.
However, this time she is joined by lawmakers like Mike Honda, Ami
Bera, Tulsi Gabbard, and Grace Meng.
Indian-Americans now number around 3.5 million and comprise the
third largest Asian community in the US, according to a report by the
Center for American Progress.

Indian-Americans documentary
wins award

(L -R) Richard Rahul Verma;

Nadir Patel

Canadian of Indian-origin to do so.

Both have impressive credentials
and
come
with
considerable
diplomatic
and
administrative
experience, an indication of the
importance the India posting has
become in world capitals.
Verma and Patel presented their
credentials at a ceremony held in
Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Verma, 46, will continue the US
embassys work in advancing the USIndia strategic partnership, the US
embassy has said.
On his arrival in India Jan 2,
Verma, whose parents migrated from

historic visit to India in January will

build on (Prime Minister Narendra)
Modis highly successful visit to the
United States this past September.
There is no question that this is a
defining and exciting time in the USIndia relationship, he said. Verma
also acknowledged the contribution
of immigrants from the Indian
subcontinent and vowed to strive to
live up to the high standards they have
set.
The New Delhi post had been
vacant since the previous ambassador
Nancy Powell quit last May after
India-US ties hit a low following
a major diplomatic spat over the
December 2013 arrest and strip

There are several areas where

collaboration is already strong,
and there is scope for even greater
cooperation to enhance our mutual
prosperity, security and people-topeople ties.
Prior to his arrival in India, Patel
served as Assistant Deputy Minister
and Chief Financial Officer for
Canadas Department of Foreign
Affairs, Trade and Development.
Patel was selected in 2012 by
the Embassy newspaper as one of
the 80 most influential Canadians
shaping Canadas foreign policy, an
honour he got again in 2014 from
the Power and Influence magazine
(top 100).

Indian-American Frank Islam

receives Martin Luther award

n eminent Indian-American
entrepreneur and philanthropist
Frank Islam has been presented
with the prestigious Martin Luther
King Jr. Award in recognition of
his contribution to the legacy of
the great leader through his efforts
in international service and civil
engagement.
The award, which carries the
name of Martin Luther King Jr., an
apostle of peace, is about building
bridges between humanity.
The award was presented to Islam
by Harry Johnson, president of the
Memorial Foundation Inc. and one
of the honorary vice chairs of the
event, which was held at Willard
Intercontinental,
the
American
Bazaar reported Monday.
I feel doubly blessed to be given
this honor because of the indelible
connection between King and that
other famous civil and human rights
leader from my homeland of India,
Mahatma Gandhi, said Islam, who
came to the US as a student in the
1970s.

The CNN documentary, WEED: Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports, presented

by its chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta has received the duPontColumbia University Award for 2015, according to a university release.
The documentary took a critical look at research on medical marijuana
and its impact on the lives of its users. With compelling personal cases,
over two groundbreaking primetime hours, CNN illustrated how medical
marijuana can heal and help when traditional drugs, also often harmful,
dont work, the university said.
The documentary also took a critical look at recreational use and how
marijuana today is much more potent and potentially dangerous than in
previous generations.
Sanjay Gupta, a leading Indian-American neurosurgeon, author and
media personality, has served as a White House Fellow from 1997 to 1998.
In 2003, Gupta travelled to Iraq to cover the medical aspects of the 2003
invasion of that country. While in Iraq, he performed emergency surgery on
both US soldiers and Iraqi civilians.
Every year about a dozen news stories are honoured by the duPontColumbia University Awards for the strength of their reporting, storytelling
and impact.

Curiosity set to drill into crystalrich rock on Mars

NASAs Curiosity Mars rover is all set to drill into a crystal-rich rock
on the Red planet to find out salt mineral left behind when lake water
evaporated, says an Indian-American scientist associated with the project.
The rock target called Mojave at Gale Crater displays copious slender
features - slightly smaller than grains of rice - that appear to be mineral
crystals.
The crystal shapes are apparent in the earlier images of Mojave but we
do not know what they represent, said Curiosity project scientist Ashwin
Vasavada at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
We are hoping that mineral identifications we get from the rovers
laboratory will shed more light than we got from just the images and bulk
chemistry, he added.
To begin with, Curiosity is beginning a mini-drill test to assess the
rocks suitability for deeper drilling which collects a sample for on board
laboratory analysis.

Indian donates $2.5 mn for UCLA

research facility

He added that both King and

Gandhi have been beacons to me in
my personal life, and charitable and
philanthropic involvement.
Islam also said that the award was
especially important to him because
of its emphasis on peace and nonviolence.
More lives have been lost in the
past 100 years than at any given point

in time. Whether it is in the name of

religion, nationalism or any other
extremist ideology, thousands are
being killed every year, he said.
Last year, President Obama
appointed him to the board of
Trustees of the Kennedy Center.
He also serves on the International
Advisory Committee of the US
Institute of Peace.

An Indian-American has gifted $2.5 million to the University of

California, Los Angeles (UCLA), for a new state-of-the-art engineering lab
dedicated to integrated microsystems, the university said.
The donation by UCLA alumnus Mukund Padmanabhan, the founder of
nonprofit Guru Krupa Foundation, will be used to support the construction
of new research facility in the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering
and Applied Science.
Padmanabhan had earlier made three donations of $500,000 each.
The new $2.5 million contribution will create the Mukund Padmanabhan
Systems Scaling Technology Laboratory in Engineering VI.

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

SPORTS

De Villiers cracks fastest ODI

century in 31 balls

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remier South African batsman

AB de Villiers Sunday cracked
the fastest century in One-Day
International (ODI) history, reaching
three figures in just 31 deliveries
against the West Indies at the New
Wanderers Stadium in Johannesberg,
Southe Africa.
The
previous
One-Day
International record was held by New
Zealander Corey Anderson, who
took 36 balls to reach his ton playing
against the same opponents a year
ago. However, Chris Gayles 100
from 30 balls in the Indian Premier
League (IPL) in April 2013 is the
fastest century in cricket history.
De Villiers, who ended up scoring
a 44-ball 149, hammered 16 sixes
that also helped him share the record
of scoring maximum sixes in an ODI
innings with Indian Rohit Sharma.
Sundays total was just four short
of the all-time ODI record score of
443 for nine set by Sri Lanka against
the Netherlands in July 2006 and
highest against a Test-playing nation.
South African skipper De Villiers,
who bludgeoned nine fours to score
his 19th century, reached half century
in 16 balls. The innings also saw
three centuries scored for the first
time.
De Villiers forged a 67-ball 192run partnership for the third wicket
with the 31-year-old Amla, who
scored his 18th ODI hundred.

ustralia
registered
their
second victory in the OneDay International (ODI) tri-series,
beating India by four wickets with
an over to spare at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground (MCG) Sunday.
India posted 267 for eight -thanks to Rohit Sharmas 138 -- but
Australia, buoyed by Aaron Finch
(96), Steven Smith (47), and Shane
Watson (41), scored 269 for six in 49
overs.
The match saw an intense finish
as Mohammad Shami removed
Smith in the 40th over and Finch

Cricket Fanzone and

Fantrail all set to get
the party started

he opening of the ICC Cricket

World Cup 2015 New Zealand
is now less than a month away and
a dedicated Fanzone and Fantrail are
set to add to the festival atmosphere.
Situated at Victoria Square from
13-23 February, the Fanzone will
be a hub for cricket fans of all ages
and will be the starting point for the
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 New
Zealand Fantrail that leads all the
way to Hagley Oval.
The Fanzone will feature
something for everyone with food
and beverage stands, backyard
cricket games, prize giveaways,
family days, face-painting, cultmovies and live big-screen coverage
of all the games from Hagley Oval.
The Fanzone opening night on 13
February features a Heroes and
Heroines themed night of musical
entertainment with performances for
home grown acts such as Bic Runga,
Tiki Taane and DJ Reno. Following
the Black Caps opening game on
Saturday 14 February, Kiwi music
legend Jordan Luck takes to the
stage.
Christchurch Mayor Lianne
Dalziel says the Fanzone will be
a must for all cricket fans during
the ICC Cricket World Cup in
Christchurch.

Australia beat India by four

wickets

edged an Umesh Yadav delivery

to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh
Dhoni as Australia struggled in the
latter part of their innings.
The 46th over produced no
runs and helped India exert
further pressure on the Australian
lower-order. But the calmness of
experienced wicketkeeper-batsman
Brad Haddin (not out 13) and young
all-rounder James Faulkner (not
out 9) saw the hosts record their
successive win after beating England
in the first ODI.
Indian bowlers looked rusty and

toothless at the begining, giving

away easy runs. Australian batsmen
clearly dominated the game till the
late drama.
Pacer Umesh Yadav picked up
two wickets for 55 and Ravichandran
Ashwin, Axar Patel, Shami and
Bhuvneshwar Kumar took a wicket
each.
The 24-year-old Starc was the
most successful bowler for Australia,
taking six wickets for 43 in 10 overs
while Sandhu and Faulkner picked
up a wicket each. India will face
Australia on 26th January in Sydney.

23

The ICC Cricket World Cup

2015 New Zealand will be an
amazing festival and the Fanzone
and Fantrail will be a great way for
everyone to celebrate the magic of
the Cricket World Cup.
The Fantrail will open on the
three match days and start from
the Fanzone. Starting at Victoria
Square the Fantrail takes you down
Worcester Boulevard, past the
Historic Arts Centre and Canterbury
Museum and through the Botanic
Gardens to the Hagley Oval.
To add to the festival atmosphere, all
along the Fantrail there will be music,
performances and entertainment to
ensure you are charged up and ready
to cheer on your team at Hagley
Oval.
Having this global event in
Christchurch is an honour and a
privilege for us and we fully intend
to show all our visitors and residents
a good time, says Mayor Dalziel.
The Fanzone and Fantrail details
are:
The Fanzone is open 13-23
February 2015, between 9am10.30pm (8am on match days).
Entrance to the Fanzone is free
of charge.
The Fantrail is open on match
days from 9am.

New Zealand in good

shape for World Cup
N

ew Zealand cricket legend

Richard Hadlee has voiced
optimism about the countrys chances
in the upcoming World Cup, which is
being co-hosted with Australia.
Were in pretty good shape,
theres some good depth but the
bottom line is youve got to perform
over a sustained period of time and
thats what all the teams have to do,
Hadlee quoted. But it will be a good
World Cup. Theres about four or five
teams with a real shot.
Hadlee was similarly optimistic
about skipper Brendon McCullum
continuing his recent rich vein of
form but also warned the team
against overburdening him with
expectations, saying that others
should also rise to the task.
McCullum has scores of 117
and 51 in the ongoing One-Day
International (ODI) series against Sri
Lanka after hitting 195 against them
in the Boxing Day Test last month.
Hes going through a dream
period that sportspeople will have
from time to time so hes cashing
in. Hes scoring double hundreds,
triple hundreds (against India last
February) and one-day hundreds,
Hadlee said.
At the moment hes in wonderful
nick and hes an inspirational player

and he really needs the support of

others around him. If everyone can
contribute theyre going to win a lot
of games.
The owner of 431 wickets from 86
Tests also expressed his satisfaction
with New Zealands preparation for
the tournament.
Former Australia Test skipper Bill
Lawry recently identified the team as
the dark horses of the competition
and the former seamer was in
agreement with the Australian great.
Every four years theres
pressure on all the players due to the
expectations, but if thats what some
people in Australia believe, well,
good luck to them. But its up to the
15 guys to do that and they will have
a lot of support in New Zealand, he
remarked.

24

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

CAREERS

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Orange

Think right, and youll get the right job

Arthur Parker-Ramani

m excited to be writing with the

Indian Weekender as the Careers
Columnist. If you are currently, or
looking to in the near future, apply
for a new job, this will be of interest
to you.
In my day-to-day work, I
professionally help many talented
people; a fair number of which
are from the Indian community. I
help them with their CVs and job
interviews. Through the Indian

Weekender, I have decided to help

members of the Indian Community
become the best they can. I would
like to encouarge you to ask
questions and take advantage of the
free questions & answer service Im
providing to readers.
If you have any questions on
topics such as
Job Interviews
Applications
CV Writing
Please feel free to email me ,
Arthur, with any questions or queries
in relation to job hunting or CVs
at: questions@kingofcv.com. Any
questions that I think may help other
people I will answer in the Indian
Weekender, giving back to other
people who may be in the same
circumstance. Just note, I am not
an immigration advisor and cant
provide any advice around that
subject.
Seeking a job in New Zealand can
be disheartening. Even at the best
of times you have to be prepared to
accept disappointments and setbacks.
Its quite natural to get down when
youre faced with a rejection letter,
or from simply not getting any reply

to your application. Its therefore

vitally important for job seekers to
develop a strategy for dealing with
disappointments and maintaining
motivation. Here are three simple
things any job seeker can do to make
sure they stay motivated in their
search for a job theyll love.
Set Specific Goals
Finding a job can seem like a
daunting task. This is all the more
true when youve been trying for a
while and just cant seem to catch a
break. The temptation to just give up
can set in very easily. To avoid this
set yourself specific targets for each
day. These targets can be very simple
search through two job boards
today; or apply to at least one advert
today; or send a follow-up email to
one company today. Breaking your
job search down into specific daily
targets keeps things manageable
and provides an ongoing sense of
accomplishment with your search.
ACTION POINT:
Take some time to sit down and
write a list of daily targets that you
can achieve as part of your job search.

Be specific list things that you can

accomplish with little difficulty. You
can adjust your goals on a daily or
weekly basis.
Build In Some Free Time
To balance out having specific
daily goals to achieve, make sure
to allow yourself the opportunity to
take a break from your job search.
Dwelling non-stop on frustration and
disappointments kills motivation and
breeds desperation. To counteract
this, make sure you take time to take
a break from your job search. Hang
out with friends, visit family, go to
a film, visit a museum, talk a walk.
Getting away from your job search
and enjoying yourself for a few
hours will help you maintain your
perspective and your motivation.
Get Some Constructive
Criticism
If youve been struggling through
your job search for a while, it can be
useful and, maybe even necessary, to
step back and evaluate your strategy
for finding a job youll love. Talking
to family and friends, asking them
to look over your CV and cover

letter, can provide you with valuable

feedback. Getting professional advice
can also be invaluable. Investing a
little in your job search strategy can
get you a huge return in terms of a
job youll love. We often have people
coming to us whove been looking
for a job for months. We generally
always find that working with them
on their CV and cover letter, together
with having them talk with some of
our consultants to develop a new
job seeking strategy, nearly always
delivers positive results.
Maintaining your motivation is
vitally important to landing the job of
your dreams. Developing a strategy
to deal with disappointments and to
keep your enthusiasm alive can make
all the difference in finding a job that
will bring you a sense of satisfaction.
If you would like to know more,
you can reach me personally for a
online copy of my book, which is
free to all Indian Weekender readers.
Arthur Parker-Ramani is a
professional CV writer for King of
CV and can be contacted with any
questions at info@kingofcv.com

BY SMT INDU & SHRI PRAMOD KAPUR

FOLLOWED BY MAHAPRASAD

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

Black

ABOUT
FUN FACTS

25

D:
EW ZEALAN
NOrange

No part of the country is more than 128km (79 miles) from the
sea.
The longest place name in the world is
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu,
a hill in Hawkes Bay.
Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world.
Only 5% of NZs population is human- the rest are animals.
NZ is the least corrupt nation in the world (tied with Denmark),
according to the Corruptions Perception Index.
New Zealand has more Scottish pipe bands per capita than any
other country in the world.
Blue Lake, in Nelson Lakes National Park, has the clearest water in
the world.
New Zealand is home to the worlds smallest dolphin species.
There are no land snakes, native or introduced, in NZ.
New Zealand has three official languages: English, Mori and New
Zealand Sign Language.

The Jackal and the Drum

One day, a jackal called Gomaya was very hungry,
and was wandering about in search of food.
After some time, he wandered out of the jungle he
lived in, and reached a deserted battlefield.
In this deserted
battlefield, a
battle was fought
recently. The
fighting armies
had left behind a
drum, which was
lying near a tree.
As strong winds
blew, the branches
of the tree got rubbed against the drum. This made
a strange noise.
When the jackal heard this sound, he got very
frightened and thought of running away, If I
cannot flee from here before I am seen by the
person making all this noise, I will be in trouble.
As he was about to run away, he had a second
thought. It is unwise to run away from something
without knowing.
Instead, I must be
careful in finding
out the source of
this noise.
He took the courage
to creep forward
cautiously. When he
saw the drum, he
realized that it was
only the wind that
was causing all the noise.
He continued his search for food, and near the
drum he found sufficient food and water.
The wise indeed say:

Only the brave succeed in life.

RIDDLES
Q1: What has a foot but no legs?
Q2: Poor people have it. Rich people need
it. If you eat it you die. What is it?
Q3: What comes down but never goes up?
Q4: Im tall when Im young and Im short
when Im old. What am I?
1: A snail 2: Nothing 3: Rain 4: A candle

Red

KIDZONE

Answers to last issues crossword:

Across: 1. Two 4. Fingers 6. Eyes 8. Mouth 10. Listen
Down: 1. Tongue 2. One 3. Nose 5. Watch 6. Ears. 7. Smell

26

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

WOMEN
From the desk of I am Woman

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Hair-say in Btown breaks gender barriers

Paula Ray

ind-swept, flowing long tresses is no longer the

epitome of femininity at least not in Bollywood.
But then Bollywood sets the trend for street fashion in
India, as well as Indians abroad.
You got it! Cropped, neat hair-do, often Tom-boyish, is
the look to sport this season. The trend has been growing
its roots for a while now, till it found a firm footing in
Jaggu (Anushka Sharma) in the film PK.
A few others to have joined the bandwagon include
sassy Sonakshi Sinha, who tweeted: I did it mostly on
an impulse, though. Everyone thinks its really gutsy to
go cut off your long hair, but I just woke up one day, and
went for it!
Just prior to that, the Bachchan bahu Aishwarya
donned a cropped look for a TV commercial. After
flaunting her long hair like an adarsh Bhartiya naari,
when she is actually living it in real life, she looked the
other way.
In an all-new avatar, the 41-year-old former Miss
World appears in chic blunt look for the hair product
promotion.
The latest in the list is adventurous Priyanka. Before
getting her locks chopped off, she tweeted: Time to do
something spontaneous!! Feeling a bit adventurous.
Chopping the tresses!
She even shared a photograph of her new look on
Facebook. Sporting a black ensemble and red lips, she
showed off her new short hairdo with highlights in the
photograph.
Her fans have already given her thumbs up for the
new look using words like wow, beautiful and
cool. These approvals have, thus, challenged the
conventionally accepted appearance of women, opening
up the doors to experiment with alternatives.

Male models Crawford wants daughters Now, all-women canteen

at Jamia in Delhi
to be healthy
need more
confidence:
Jourdan
Dunn
Model Jourdan Dunn believes
male models need to show more
confidence while doing the catwalk
than their female counterparts.
The 24-year-old, who was
recently unveiled as the face of
luxury brand Burberry alongside
Naomi supermodel Campbell, insists
working as woman in the fashion
industry can be difficult, but believes
her male counterparts have a tougher
job strutting themselves on the
runway because they cant wear heels.
Its easier but then they have to
bring a little something because when
we wear heels we give a bit more
of a walk. They have to bring more
confidence, more swagger I guess,
femalefirst.co.uk quoted Dunn as
saying.
Even if you think you look silly
in your outfit you have to be confident
and sell it, she added.

Reality TV star Cindy Crawford is

dedicated to teaching her two children
about having a fit and healthy frame.
The 48-year-old, who has
daughters Kaia, 13, and Presley, 15,
with her husband Rande Gerber,
makes a conscious effort to teach
the youngsters about having a healthy
body, over a stick thin figure.
If my daughter sees me
accepting my body the way it is and
not denigrating myself because Im
not stick thin, or only eating lettuce

with no dressing. If she sees I enjoy

food, but I also exercise, femalefirst.
co.uk quoted Crawford as saying.
I mean, I dont sit around with
a pint of ice cream watching TV,
but at the same time if we all go out
for ice cream as a family, Ill order
some. A kiddie-size one, but thats
the way you do it. Im very conscious
that I want (Kaia) to get the right
message because what you see in the
magazines and on the runways, it is a
very thin image, she added.

Jamia Millia Islamia has got its

first all women-run canteen as part
of the efforts of a self-help group
towards women empowerment.
Launched as a symbol of gender
equity and womens empowerment,
the canteen was inaugurated Friday
by Salma Ansari, wife of vicepresident Mohammed Hamid Ansari.
It is being run by Ekta, a self-help
group for women from the Jamia
neighbourhood.
Salma Ansari lauded the efforts
of the university towards women
empowerment. Jamia has done an
impressive work by empowering
these women, she said.
The group has been providing
training for entrepreneurship and
business skills to the women, said
Mukesh Ranjan, media coordinator,
Jamia.
Ekta group was formed with

assistance from Zakir Hussain

Memorial Welfare Society and
Jamias Outreach Programme is
helping the group to provide training
skills among the women in Jamia
neighbourhood.
The canteen will be run completely
by the women entrepreneurs with the
help of women workforce from the
neighbourhood.
This is one of the initiatives of
the Outreach Programme of Jamia to
reach out to the neighbourhood for
community development of weaker
sections of the society particularly
the women, Ranjan added.
Gulshama, a woman who has
joined the canteen, said she is excited
to work here as cooking has always
been her passion. I have already
undergone some training in Saket
about catering and here I can earn
some money for my family.

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

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FASHION

27

Orange

The look
of 2015

Nikhil Kapoor

Total look of 2015 is soft, romantic and

subtle. Whether its colors, fabric,
embroidery or prints its that soft romance
thrown all over. Even the cuts, drape have
that natural flow of soft wind .
Colors

As look says all color palate is eclectic mix of

understated vivid hues. Soft pastels and neutral
shades are inspired by nature. Tangerine, blues,
browns shows there presence but with a softer
look.ORANGE is new romantic color of the
season right from shades of tangerine to coral
to crimson it rules the color palette. White on
white whether print, embroidery or patch rules
as a classy look.

Crop tops

Denim

Crop tops and jackets , printed solid or

embroidered is major part of designer
collection. Teamed with skirts pants or even
sarees its giving a new look to the look book.

As internatinal forcast denims is used with open

dands either forming a complete look or as part
of detailings. Embroidered and printed denim
is also used with a big applause this season.
So in totality denim is no more that tough and
hard denim its treatment is soft and silhouettes
flowing.

Flowy layering

Its a in look..soft and flowing skirt or pants

teamed with soft long shirt with a drape scarf
round the neck will make any one fall for you.

Relaxed silhouttes

No more fitted and contoured silhouttes ,

breathe it easy is the mantra of the season, no
more form fitting structures neclines, its more
of fabric romancing with your body by shaping
himself around you without a fixed pattern.

Embellishments and
embroidery concepts

Mirrors in all its sizes and forms are in with a

bang, added with resham or self zari its used
by all designers. Gota patti is back both in
traditional and contemporary look , bridal or
formal tunics its used in all. Zardosi in its sutle
look is in . Yellow gold has completely given to
dull gold or light silver.
Age old resham work is in, kashida or
zardosi,parsi or kashmiri is back to catch your
heart. Daabri a traditional embroidery using
sitaara in its smallest size is adored all over.

Transparency

Fabrics

Romantic sheer is all over the canvas. chiffons,

soft nets , laces dominates the ramp.Silk has
made a major comeback but in softer flowy
look.

Prints

Floral prints , are seen all over whether its a

shirt or skirt, lehenga or saree drape or bags,
fine and delicate floral look can be seen all
over.Embroidered or appliqud floral motifs
are used all over in mild and tender look. Lined
geometrical prints put together with solids is
playing major look in casuals.

This plays refreshing and breezy romance all

through this season, laces returns in big way
very delicately to give this romance a elegant
and royal scenario. Though some of the tones
are earthy and prints are bold geometricals
they are muted in a way that it gives a sutle
romantic mood an earthy flavour. Easy and
flowy silhouettes give this romantic fairy tale
an uncomplicated look.

Sheer

Sheer fabrics are used in abundance let it be

net, chiffon or georgette, layering forms a
big part of the plot of this fairy tale romance.
Bold embroideries or prints layerd with these
fabrics oh lala, you have to wear it to feel like
cinderalla in arms of her prince charming.

Net and lace

Net and lace in its various forms is used in

abundance, these fabrics are also used as base
of different type of embroideries.

Nikhil Kapoor a graduate of NIFT is

currently Chief Designer at Pratapsons, Jaipur
and is internationally acclaimed for his work
and his taste.
Photos Courtesy: Pratapsons , Jaipur.
Photographer: Faisal Hashmi

28

ENTERTAINMENT

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

Red

Black

Orange

Indias answer to The Godfather Start bidding to sit

next to Big B
comes to America

ndian director Anurag Kashyaps

award-winning epic Gangs of
Wasseypur is Indias answer to The
Godfather and Oldboy and Indias
coming out party as an international
storytelling powerhouse.
So says Adi Shankar, Kolkata
born Indian-American filmmaker
who at just 29 has created his
own
counter-culture
brand
with critically acclaimed R-rated
violent feature films and superhero
bootleg films like The
Grey and A Walk Among the
Tombstones.
Outside of the Indian
population in the US, there is a
growing audience for arthouse
genre films, Shankar, US
presenter of the Indian crime saga,
said in an email interview.
Its unabashedly violent action
and crime films for the thinking
person, he said calling the
Gangs Indias first entry on the
list of films like Oldboy and I
Saw the Devil from Korea and
Drive and Nightcrawler from
America.
Part 1 of the film charting 70 years
in the lives - and spectacular deaths
- of two mafia-like families fighting
for control of the coal-mining town
of Wasseypur, India, will be released
Friday for an exclusive one-weekonly run at several AMC theatres

across the US.

Part II will release in the same
theatres the following week on
January 23, also for one week only.
In New York City, the full film will
play at the prestigious Lincoln Centre

opening on January 16 for one week.

Shankar said he considered it
his civic duty to help get Gangs
a mainstream US release because
the success of a movie like Ek
Villain, a clear unlicensed rip off of
Kim Jee Woons I Saw the Devil

is shameful and not only hurts

the creditability of the Indian film
business, but also reflects badly on
India as a whole.
We are better than that, we are
a nation of smart, innovative and
creative people who have
interesting stories to tell, he
said. We must defy the status
quo of the vapid consumerist
mosh pit India has become.
This is why Gangs of
Wasseypur is great. Its our
answer to The Godfather and
Oldboy, but its not a ripoff, and if I can help it find an
audience internationally, I have
a civic duty to do so, Shankar
said.
Describing
Gangs
as
Indias coming out party as
an international storytelling
powerhouse, Shankar hoped
to draw the NRI film audience
to the theatres with a simple
strategy he calls guilt tripping.
Turning to his own work,
Shankar said he was inspired to
make the kind of films he makes
by films like Road Warrior,
Robocop, The Warriors, Escape
from New York, Judge Dredd and
X-Men: The Animated Series.
But his films dont have a USP as
such. I just make stuff that I want to
see. This brand Ive built for myself
wasnt by design.

icture this-- a candid chat with

a celebrity on a flight. Sounds
unrealistic. Not anymore as a startup venture Fly with VIP is offering a
seat next to a star on a flight through
online auction, starting with megastar
Amitabh Bachchan.
After Big B, the unique initiative
will be followed by the team of
forthcoming movie Shamitabh Dhanush, Akshara Haasan and R.
Balki when they will fly on a private
jet. The chance to fly with Amitabh
is likely to occur in the first week of
February. The bidding will take place
at FlywithVIP.com.
The treat by the company doesnt
end with Shamitabh. They have
signed up celebrities across 14
different genres including film
directors and producers, sportsmen,
fashion designers, spiritual leaders,

TV stars among others.

The users can take their pick from
stars like Ranbir Kapoor, Aditya Roy
Kapur, Virat Kohli, Farah Khan. One
can also take styling tips by sitting
next to ace fashion designer Manish
Malhotra.
The company founded by
Mumbai-based entrepreneur Gautam
Chhabria and co-founded by
Bangalore-based social entrepreneur
Anil Shetty in 2011, has patented
the concept in India, US, Russia,
Indonesia, Malaysia and other places.
There is a rigorous screening
process adopted to ensure unwanted
bidders like bookies who may want to
fly with the Indian cricketers are kept
out, said Chhabria in a statement.
About 85 percent of the collections
will go to a charity close to the
celebritys heart.

Nawazuddin, Deepti Naval in Hollywood film I hits the bulls eye, collects
Although, Tannishtha didnt
al actress Tannishtha Chatterjee
over Rs.100 crore

will soon start shooting for her

next Hollywood project Lion, that
will also feature other Indian actors
like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Priyanka
Bose and Deepti Naval. The shoot
started in Kolkata, last weekend.
The film is an adaptation of the
book A Long Way Home written by
Indian born Australian businessman
Saroo Brierley. The book talks about
his separation from his mother and
how he was adopted by an Australian
family.
The film is based on a real life
incident. Its about a lost boy who
gets adopted by an Australian pair.
Its his journey from Kolkata to

Tasmania, Tannishtha told media.

Directed by Garth Davis, the film
will be produced by Australias SeeSaw Films.

reveal much about her role, she said

it will definitely be a crucial one and
will be a surprise for all.
My role in the film is pretty
crucial. Its a surprise in the story. Its
going to be a very changing thing in
the plot, said Tannishtha, whose film
Jal had found a place in the Oscar
long list of 2014 in two categories Best Picture and Best Original Score.
Sharing the details about the
shooting schedule, Tannishtha said
the shooting of Lion has started
in Kolkata. It is expected to hit the
theatres at the end of this year.
The film also stars Hollywood
actors Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel.

Filmmaker Shankars
Tamil magnum opus I,
despite mixed reviews,
has managed to set the box
office on fire by collecting
over Rs.100 crore in
its opening weekend
worldwide.
The film has done
exceptionally
good
business outside Tamil
Nadu as well. In Kerala,
it has set new records for
a Tamil film. It has already collected
over Rs.100 crore worldwide and
continues to go strong at the ticket
window, trade analyst Trinath told
media.

The dubbed Telugu

version of I has done
phenomenal business
in Andhra Pradesh.
On release day,
the Telugu version
collected
nearly
Rs.9 crore, which
is exceptional for a
dubbed film, he said.
The Hindi dubbed
version of the film,
according to Trinath,
has collected about Rs.6 crore since
its release.
Starring Vikram, I also features
Amy Jackson and Upen Patel in
important roles.

Hawaizaada not a biopic: Ayushmann Khurrana

A
ctor Ayushmann Khurrana, who
is gearing up for the release of his
upcoming film Hawaizaada, says
his film is based on the real life story
of scientist Shivkar Bapuji Talpade but
it is not a biopic.
In the film Ayushmann is playing
the role of Shivkar Bapuji Talpade
who is supposed to have constructed
and flown Indias first unnamed

airplane in 1895.
I can not term this (Hawaizaada)
film as a biopic because nothing is
known about this person (Shivkar
Talpade). You know about Milkha
Singh, You know about Mary Kom
(MC Mary Kom), You know about
Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi), but you
dont know about Shivkar Talpade.
So, technically this is not a biopic,

Ayushmann told media.

But, of course its based on true
events. And Im sure public will like
it, he added.
Asked what is the best thing about
Hawaizaada, Ayushmann said: The
best thing about this film is the novelty
of the script. The one liner that the
guy who made the first aircraft was an
Indian. Thats the novelty.

Apart from that the look of the

film. It gives you very international
look, international feel, every frame
of the film looks like a painting. The
dialogues are beautiful, he added.
Directed
by
Vibhu
Puri,
Hawaizaada also features Mithun
Chakraborty and Pallavi Sharda in key
roles. The film is set to release Jan 30,
2015.

ENTERTAINMENT / EVENTS

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

Red

Black

Orange

I feel empowered
after Haider:
Shahid Kapoor

Shahid hopes that films like

Haider do well at the box office as
they are inspirational and fearless.
Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj,
Haider was an adaptation of
William Shakespeares Hamlet. The
film was released Oct 2 last year.

shared his thoughts over the award at

21st Life OK Screen Awards, held in
Mumbai earlier last week.
Shah Rukh said that he is not
looking forward to receiving a
Lifetime Achievement award for next
110 years at least. He said that wants
to stay young, feel young and keep
going with his work, as he feels that
that there is a long way to go before
he plans to retire and give up on
acting, said a source from the event.

SRK steers
clear of lifetime
achievement
awards

Nigam
undeterred on
losing out Oscar
nomination

hahid Kapoor, who won the Best

Actor award at the 21st Annual
Life OK Screen Awards for the film
Haider, says he feels empowered
after doing the film.
I think films like Haider should
create a new universe for the entire
generation of new actors. I feel very
empowered after having done a film
like Haider.
I feel that I can do films that I
truly believe in and I can do the work
that I probably became an actor to
do, Shahid said at the red carpet
event of Screen Awards.

inger-composer Sonu Nigam,

whose work for Jal missed a
nomination in the Original Score
category of the 87th Academy
Awards, isnt bogged down for not
making the shortlist.
Sonu and Bickram Ghosh were
part of the longlist of the category
for Jal, but they couldnt make it to
the final nomination list, which was
announced last week.
So there is news everywhere
that we couldnt make it in the final
nominations for Oscar
thankful 2 God just 2 b spoken in
this light, Sonu tweeted.
Awesome that our very first
outing as composers has brought us
in this elite list. We must be doing
something right with the Music we
know, he posted further.

WHATSOn

Republic Day
Celebration

Date: 26th January 2015

Time: Flag Hoisting at 10 am
Venue: Mahatma Gandhi
Centre, 145 New North Road
Eden Terrace, Auckland 1021
Indian Republic Day Celebrations
with Flag Hoisting followed by
light refreshments. Open for all,
No entry fees.

Date: 24- 26 January 2015

Time: 11 am to 6 pm
Venue: Halsey Wharf, Wynyard
Quarter
The 2015 ASB Auckland Seafood
Festival will return to Halsey
Wharf, Wynyard Quarter! With its
amazing views of the Waitemata
Harbour and its location right in
theheart of the cityone cannot
think of a more perfect place to
enjoy some of New Zealands
best seafood!

Lights, Camera,
Action! Art for 5
YearOlds

Date: Tuesday 27 January 2015

Time: 10:30am 12:30pm
Venue: Auckland Art Gallery Toi
o Tmaki, Cnr Kitchener and
Wellesley Streets, Auckland

Join us for storytelling and a

chance to create your own
artwork with light. In this
workshop we will read a story
together and then we will tell
our own stories experimenting
with colour, shadow and
light projection. Create your
own amazing light artwork to
capture in photos. General
Admission:$18.00. Children
can then be dropped-off and
picked-up in the Classroom on
lower ground level. The contact
number for the Classroom is 307
4522.

175th Auckland
Anniversary:A
Story of Auckland

Date: Saturday 24 to Monday 26

January 2015
Time: 12 noon to 6 pm
Venue: Shed 10, Cruise Ship
Terminal, Queens Wharf,
Auckland.
The centrepiece of the event
is a large-scale, never-seenbefore, immersive multimedia
exhibition, which is a tribute to
Aucklanders who have played
a significant part in the regions
history. The exhibition, produced
by acclaimed creative director
Mike Mizrahi, features stories
told on screen about the people
who have shaped Auckland,
and stories of Tamaki Makaurau

sharing screen-space with Amitabh

Bachchan in Shamitabh, says it was
a learning experience to work with
the megastar.
We firstly met in an award
function and after that we met on
sets. He made me very comfortable.
It was a great adventure and learning
experience working with him, he
said.
Directed by R. Balki Shamitabh
also features Akshara Haasan.

I am still trying
to impress
my wife, says
Dhanush

Auckland Seafood
Festival

29

A
S

uperstar Shah Rukh Khan seems

to relate lifetime achievement
award to retirement. And the king of
romance is in no mood to hang up his
boots for another 110 years!
The actor, who has entertained
audience with movies like Dilwale
Dulhania Le Jayenge, Veer-Zaara
and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...,

ctor Dhanush, who is married to

superstar Rajinikanths daughter
Aishwarya, says he is still trying to
impress his wife.
Asked how he managed to
impress the superstar and his
daughter, Dhanush said: To impress
Rajinikanth, you just have to be
honest and simple, and I am still
trying to impress Aishwarya.
However, Dhanush says his
wife is proud that he has a huge fan
following.
She is very happy and she is
very proud..., he said.
Dhanush, who will be next seen

will unfold in a live storytelling

zone. The wharf, including Shed
10 and The Cloud, will come
alive with entertainment and
historical displays that will take
people back in time.

Family concert and

fireworks

staurant
e
R
e
t
a
G
ia
d
nt
rty at In
New YearsYeParsa Party at India Gate Restaura

Date: Sunday 25 January

Time: 5.30 pm-9.30 pm
(fireworks 9.30pm)
Venue: Queens Wharf and Quay
Street
A highlight of the weekend
will be Sunday evenings free
concert from the HMNZS
Otago - berthed alongside
Queens Wharf. Curated by
Tama Waipara, a selection of
bands will bring a local flavour
to the celebration. The concert
will conclude at 9.30pm with a
spectacular fireworks display
from barges in the harbour and
from the Sky Tower.
Please note: This is an alcoholfree event.

New

This year's New Year Eve was organized at India Gate

Restaurant, Epsom. It was a very colourful event with
lots of live entertainment for the whole evening. The
evening included Bhangra, Belly Dance and live
This year's
New
Year
wasThere
organized
at India Gate
singing
by DJ
Dan &Eve
his party.
was a huge
balloonEpsom.
drop with It
party
poppers
andcolourful
canons at the
turn with
Restaurant,
was
a very
event
of year. The whole area looked like a huge dance floor
lots of live
entertainment
for the whole evening. The
with everyone on floo
floor. It was a family event celebrating
eveningtheincluded
Dance
and live
coming of Bhangra,
the new yearBelly
with kids
& parents.

singing by DJ Dan & his party. There was a huge

balloon drop with party poppers and canons at the turn

30

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

FEATURES

NZ Fashion Tech students, on a five-week

exchange study programme, blog from
Sathyamangalam, in Tamil Nadu

Bl

ggers

PARK

WEEK FIVE
Red

Black

Orange

NZ Fashion Tech students strut their stuff in India

ifteen young New Zealand fashion designers on their Indian Apparel and Textile Practium visit to India had the chance to strut their stuff during their last week in India in December in a catwalk show
promoted by their host Bannari Amman Institute of Technology. The students (now graduates) recreated outfits that had been made for the Resene Challenge and NZ Fashion Week using local saris
woven on handlooms from nearby Doddampalayam village. The outfits were recreated especially to be worn by models brought in from Bangalore. Guests were blown away by the innovative concept
and the individual designs. The models themselves were as delighted as the guests, and of course the students. A fantastic even to round-off the five-week visit sponsored by the New Zealand Prime
Ministers Scholarships for Asia programme.

Designed by:
Sine Priewkrathok

Designed by:
Jainie Taylor

Designed by:
Erin Wellington

The NZ Fashion Tech Team

Designed by:
Maria De Las Mercedes Gonzalez Villa

Designed by:
Te Aroha Goodwin

Designed by:
Ting Yu

Designed by:
Tori Green

www.iwk.co.nz
23 January 2015

FEATURES

31

The good samaritan

Red

Black

Orange

Rahul Uppal offers to give back to the society what he has received quite generously
since his arrival in Auckland

Rahul Uppal

Paula Ray

hile young people were busy

planning their New Years
eve parties and posting updates on
Facebook, a young man in Auckland
posted the following:

Uppal has been in New Zealand

for four years now. He is, at present,
a contractor with Now Couriers for
the past six months, after completing
a diploma in Business Management
and dabbling with a few other jobs.
During one of his rounds near the
airport, he saw this guy looking sad

and waiting outside with a depressed

look about him. On enquiry, the guy
said that his uncle who promised to
pick him up, had his phone switched
off, explains Uppal.
I helped him call up another of

his friends and dropped him at his

home. I also gave him my phone
number and address and told him to
contact me if he needs anything or
finds himself stranded again, says
Uppal.
Later, I learned this person is
from Pakistan and realised that you

dont need a relationship to help

people, adds Uppal.
When Uppal had first arrived in
Auckland, he was lucky to have his
mate from his hometown pick him up
from the airport and look after him.
I stayed with him in the same house
for the first year of my stay and was
very helpful. This is just my effort to
help other people and pay back for
the kindness I received when I was
new to the country.
Uppal goes on to mention that it
is a common sight to see stranded
students and new immigrants on
Queen Street, sometimes even
overnight. Auckland Central is
where they come from the airport
and often they are mistreated by
their relatives and friends on whom
they depend for the initial settling-in
process, says Uppal.
Since his Facebook post, Uppal
has helped one person, by picking
her up from the airport, who now
lives in the same building as me, he
adds.
This person, a woman, had
contacted Uppal on Facebook after
she saw his post on the Facebook
group Indians in New Zealand. The
post had gathered 88 likes and about
20 comments both positive and

skeptical.
Its fairly easy to build up a rapport
on a networking site like Facebook,
but how do you build up trust with
a complete stranger who resides in
a faraway land? The dynamics get
complicated when you consider the
gender equation.
If you can ask a stranger on the
road for directions in a new country,
how is that different from talking to a

Facebook user within a group? asks

Uppal.
Fair enough. All you need is the
motivation to help others. Even if
you are busy, there are people who
need your help and it doesnt take
much to extend that helping hand,
adds Uppal.
So the next time, your pickup
doesnt arrive in time or stands you
up, you know which number to dial!

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