23 MARCH2018 | Vol 10 Issue 01

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EXCLUSIVE
SIMON BRIDGES:
HOUSING ISSUE
CAN GET NATS
BACK IN POWER
NEW ZEALAND
parliament
celebrates

holi
 2 NEW ZEALAND
Race Relations Day
commemoration at Governor House
¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD
‘
Give Nothing to Racism’ has been
the theme and message that Human
Rights Commission has conveyed
to New Zealand’s ethnically diverse
community on the occasion of Race
Relations Day 2018.
March 21 marks the International
Day for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination which is observed
to remember the 1960 Sharpeville
Massacre when 69 black South
African citizens –including ten
children – were shot to death by their
own Police for protesting against
racial apartheid laws.
The Human Rights Commission
hosted the Race Relations Day a
few days earlier at Government
House Auckland on Saturday,
March 17. The event witnessed
the presence of Governor General
Dame Patsy Reddy, Race Relations
Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy,
Race Relations Strategic Advisor
Rakesh Naidoo, Honorary Consul
of India in Auckland Bhav Dhillon,
2017 Young New Zealander of the
Year Rez Gardi, who was also the
host of the event, representatives
of different migrant communities,
students from Mission Heights
From Left- Sir David Gascoigne, MC of the event Rez
Gardi, Governor Dame Patsy Reddy and Race Relations
Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy
We are a Chinese School in Dannemora.
Race Relations Commissioner
country
Dame Susan Devoy acknowledged
of migrants, and
the presence of the diverse ethnicity
in that spirit, we present in the country and about
the Human Rights Commission’s
must commit to
campaign against racism.
welcoming and “From the moment we began,
supporting new many Kiwis didn’t think we have
migrants. a problem with racism. We thought
if we are not as bad as America or
Australia, we are all good. But the
reality is when we talk to Maori New
Junior College, Holy Family School Zealanders, Asian New Zealanders,
Porirua and from Fo Guang Shan Pasifika Kiwis, Muslim Kiwis, every
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acknowledged the migrant
communities thriving in the
country and congratulated
the work by the Human
Rights Commission’s
‘Give Nothing to Racism’
campaign.
“We have more
ethnicities in New than
there are countries in
the world,” Dame Patsy
Reddy said.
single person has a story to share. A
“If everyone has to have the same
story of prejudice, a memory of being
chances to succeed and if we want
humiliated, and a time when they
our Aotearoa New Zealand to be
were made to feel less than everyone
strong and thrive as a 21st century
else,” Dame Susan Devoy said citing
nation, we must celebrate our
why the campaign is essential.
diversity, be inclusive, and be open
“We share real-life stories of
real people, and this is what our to change. It is simply unacceptable
for someone to be left behind just
campaign ‘Give Nothing to Racism’
is all about. because of their ethnicity, language
My advice is don’t let anyone get and religious beliefs,” the Governor
General added.
away with it. Racism starts small but
so does hope,” Dame Susan added. We are a country of migrants,
MC of the event Rez Gardi recalled and in that spirit, we must commit
her hope of having a better life in to welcoming and supporting new
Pakistan in 1998 when the news of migrants. We all thrive when treated
her resettlement to New Zealand was with dignity, it’s up to us to challenge
given to her family. She was awarded racial slurs and harassment and let’s
2017 New Zealander of the Year. not give in to racism,” Dame Patsy
Governor General Dame Patsy concluded.
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 The Indian Weekender
“Scissors are hard,” says Bridges
on National Party caucus reshuffle
¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH
S
cissors are hard says National
Party new Leader Simon
Bridges on why no Kiwi-
Indian MPs could make it to the front
bench in the recently held reshuffle
of the Party caucus.
Mr Bridges was at The Indian
Weekender studio ahead of his
meeting with former American
President Barrack Obama later
tonight at Auckland’s viaduct
harbour.
Mr Bridges was probed with a
range of questions related to the
recent leadership change, caucus
reshuffle and the exodus of senior
MPs since then, along with the
apparently less-than-remarkable
positioning of the two Kiwi-Indian
MPs in the new party list.
“No, absolutely not,” Mr Bridges
asserted when posed with the direct
question if he believed that the
two Kiwi-Indian MPs did not have
what it takes to be successful in the
National caucus.
“Both Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi and
Dr Parmjeet Parmar have been given
significant responsibilities…
“There weren’t massive jumps!
“But over time good people
would keep coming up,” Mr Bridges
affirmed.
“Scissors are hard. Very difficult!
“56 MPs! The most talented team
Friday, March 23, 2018
National Party leader
Simon Bridges
in NZ politics! Every one of them has
the talent to go higher.
“But the truth is that in a
comprehensive reshuffle like this,
some come forward, and some go
backward, and that’s the reality of
it,” Mr Bridges said.
Unfazed by high profile
exodus from caucus
O
n the leadership change and
being at the helm of affairs in
the National Party since then, Mr
Bridges said, “It has gone even better
than what I have previously thought.
“Obviously I was focused on the
contest, but we have joined together
since then,” Mr Bridges said about
the five-person leadership contest.
However, many would differ with
this assertion with the two high-
profile retirement announcements
of Steven Joyce and Dr Jonathan
Coleman – a fact that was rejected by
Mr Bridges.
“It is a reflection of the strength of
National Party.
“We have 56 MPs, and you would
expect some retirements, and with
every retirement, we need the inflow
of some fresh talents.
“This is the same National Party
today as it was yesterday.
“But we need to keep modernising government resources of officials
with the times,” Mr Bridges asserted,
signalling that he was unfazed with
the high profile exodus in the Party
caucus.
What’s in it for Kiwi-Indian
community?
M
r Bridges is of opinion that
the National Party would still
be the same Party that it has been
in the past, continuing to focus on
the strong economy, growing jobs,
strong education and creating new
opportunities.
“I value the importance of strong
education and will continue to focus
on it.
“We [Me, Kanwaljit and Parmjeet
Parmar] will continue to go back to
the community, keep listening to
them and build the connection with
the community,” Mr Bridges said.
Vision for 2020
O n being asked on what would
be his party’s vision for 2020,
Mr Bridges said, “We would not be
repeating the same mistake that the
Labour Party did when in opposition
and not preparing strong policies.
“We plan to go back to the
community and come up with strong
policies so that people would know
ahead what we have to offer in 2020.
“We would not have the
NEW ZEALAND 3
this time so we would be sending
our 56 MPs strongly back to the
community,” Mr Bridges said.
Housing issue can
get Nats back into
government
P
robably the most probing
question of the day to Mr
Bridges was his views on the so-
called crisis in NZ housing and the
possibility of Nats being punished
out of power again in 2020.
To which pat came the reply, “I
would put it differently. Housing
would be a significant issue why we
will get back to government.
“My view is that we had a
comprehensive plan in the housing
when we were in government.
“But arguably though we needed
to be quicker in showing everyone
what we were doing.
“Now this government is going to
do what we were doing, rebrand it
and call it by different names.
“I don’t think though that
[Labour’s] housing and Kiwibuild
programme would work.
“I think what they will end up
literally doing is taking what the
private sector is doing and paying
more to see the same to happen,” Mr
Bridges said.
 4 NEW ZEALAND Friday, March 23, 2018 The Indian Weekender

Probasee Bengali lifts Migrant Kiwibuild a

Community Cricket Cup after 14 years failure
¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

P
robasee Bengali Association
of New Zealand has become
the new champion of the
Migrant Community Cricket Cup Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi
after seven long years of struggle. National Party List MP
The team has been runner-ups

twice and the last time they raised
the trophy was in 2004, fourteen
years earlier.
Probasee Bengali Association team's
The twentieth edition of the skipper Shovik Nandi receiving the cup Probasee Bengali Association team
tournament started in November
2017 with nine teams participating
from the ultimate title. Of the nine teams,
Tamil Super Strikers, Probasee Bengali,
Auckland Institute of Studies (AIS) and
NZ Telangana Boyz reached to the semi-
finals last month.
Telangana City Boyz took the fourth
position after being defeated by AIS,
and Tamil Super Strikers secured the 3rd
position after losing to Probasee Bengali
in the semi-finals. The final match took
place on Saturday, March 17 at the
Auckland Domain with Probasee scoring
90 runs with the loss of nine wickets in
20 overs. Probasee stopped the AIS team
with wickets out at 84 runs at the end of
20 overs.
This concluded the Probasee Bengali
team’s seven years long resilience and
hard work to lift the trophy and was
declared as the champions of 2018.
“Before the tournament, I said to my
teammates that it’s my last tournament so
let’s win this time. We were determined,
and we practised hard,” skipper Shovik
Nandi told The Indian Weekender.
with the cup
Best Players Awards:
Best Batsman: Rohan Kundu, Probasee
Bengali, 203 runs
Best Bowler: Shakir Mohammed,
Telangana City Boyz, 21 Wickets
Player of the Tournament: Sai Chaitanya,
Tamil Super Strikers, 175 runs with a one-
half century, 11 wickets- with one hattrick
and seven catches
Migrant Community Cricket Cup has
been running for the past 20 years, and it
gives the cricket-passionate migrants here
to showcase their talents on the field.
“It’s not just about cricket; this
tournament gives the players and the
youngsters an opportunity to come opportunity
together and bond with one another as one community
community. “It also gives the platform to our alliance even in the future,” Chairman
not so young cricket lovers who are too
busy with their and lifestyle to showcase
their passion for the sport and remain
in practice,” Prashant Belwalkar, lead
organiser of the event told The Indian
Weekender.
Before the tournament, I
said to my teammates that
it’s my last tournament
so let’s win this time. We
were determined, and we
practised hard
The tournament from its very first
instalment has been supported by Relianz
Group and has been the backbone of the
community sports event.
“Supporting such events is an
for us to give back to the
and we commit to continue
of Relianz Group, Giridharan Giri told
The Indian Weekender.
The cricket tournament has provided the
talented sportsmen to use this as a platform
to jumpstart their career in cricket.
L
abour spent much of its time in Opposition criticising
the National Government for not building enough
houses.
It promised to build 100,000 houses over ten years as part
of its Kiwibuild programme.
Labour has now been in Government for almost 150 days
and, in spite of its spin and bluster Kiwibuild has yet to yield
a single new house.
This is in spite of its promise to get Kiwibuild underway as
part of its 100-day plan.
Housing Minister Phil Twyford has done nothing about
building houses except talk about them.
He confirmed in Parliamentary Question Time that the
Government is planning to buy off private developments and
put a Kiwibuild stamp on them.
This won’t add anything to record residential building boom
that was underway under the previous National Government.
It’s simply bludging off the private sector.
It’s clear that this Government is all talk and no action.
Its first 150 days have been marked by the announcement of
almost 50 different reviews, working groups or inquiries – an
average of one every four days.
Labour had nine years in opposition to prepare real
policies and plans that it could implement if it got back into
Government.
National will not be making that same mistake. Already
we are working hard to develop new policies that will build
on the successes of the last decade and continue to take New
Zealand forward.
New Zealanders deserve more than empty promises.

Prime retail investment in Link Drive

Unit F, 20 Link Drive, Wairau Valley, Auckland

Boundary lines are indicative only

Boundary lines are indicative only

• First time on the market for 15 years Auction (unless sold prior) 11am,
• Highly sought-after location in Wairau Valley Wednesday 11th April 2018.
• Opportunity for investors or future owner occupiers Bayleys House, 30 Gaunt Street,
• Currently returning $178,800pa + GST and outgoings Auckland, New Zealand

Being located in the tightly held Wairau Valley commercial precinct, David Han
the locality enjoys good demand from investors and tenants. This +64 21 498 924
high-profile retail unit is situated within a well-established retail david.han@bayleys.co.nz
Devereux Howe-Smith Realty Ltd, Bayleys,
centre and split into two tenancies, an acupuncture clinic and Licensed under the REA Act 2008
clothing and bedding shop as sub-tenant.
Surrounding tenants are Subway, motel, four restaurants, café, Terry Kim
dentist, fruit and vegetable, chiropractor, bakery, health and +64 27 471 1446
terry.kim@bayleys.co.nz
supplement store, bar and supermarkets. This property offers an Devereux Howe-Smith Realty Ltd, Bayleys,
Licensed under the REA Act 2008
excellent opportunity for passive income investors, owner
occupiers and add value investors.
Call now for further details. Steven Liu
+64 21 808 579
Property Details steven.liu@bayleys.co.nz
Devereux Howe-Smith Realty Ltd, Bayleys,
Floor area 625m2 (approximately) Licensed under the REA Act 2008
Zoning Business - Mixed Use Zone
Car Parks 11
Tenancy Details
Currently returning a rental of $178,800pa + GST and outgoings.
Full tenancy available upon details are available upon request.
BAYLEYS.CO.NZ/1501574
 The Indian Weekender
Mum clueless on how to keep her and teen-
daughter in NZ after husband passes away
¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH
A
distressed Indian mum is
clueless on how to remain
legitimately in New Zealand along
with her teenage daughter after
her husband passed away halfway
through immigrating to the country.
The life story of Neisha Tandon,
the wife of 32-year-old Atul Tandon
who passed away on December 18,
2017, while here on a work visa, has
turned upside down with her visa due
to expire in days, not weeks.
Ms Tandon has a teenage daughter
currently studying in year nine in
One Tree Hill College, whose visa
also expires soon, leaving the family
in limbo. The daughter who identifies
herself as a Kiwi and sees NZ as
her home has started in year four in
school soon after arriving in NZ.
“I cannot go back to my home
country. I have no family there to
support. Essentially, I have nowhere
to go,” Ms Tandon told The Indian
Weekender sharing her story of
the desperation of remaining in
the country.
The family had first arrived in NZ
in 2014 from India with the long-
term goal of studying, working and
finally settling in the country.
The family had chosen NZ for its
Kiwi tradition of welcoming people
with open-heartedness and accepting
people without any biases and
prejudices, according to Ms Tandon.
“We saw New Zealand as our
biggest hope when we first arrived
here in 2014.”
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Neisha Tandon
and daughter
with late Atul
Tandon in a
old photo
The family had first
arrived in NZ in
2014 from India with
the long-term goal
of studying, working
and finally settling
in the country
That hope was shattered on
December 18, when Atul Tandon,
passed away in his sleep, possibly
because of massive heart failure.
The hope could further be
destroyed soon and possibly forever,
should Ms Tandon fail to sort out her
visa situation – a prospect that looks
bleak so far.
The fact that the mother-daughter
duo was in a destitute situation
without much friends and family
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support, neither here or back in India,
was evident when Atul expired and
the family had no means to arrange
for the funeral or for sending his
body back to India.
The High Commission of India,
Wellington, had to then intervene on
a humanitarian basis and provide for
the funeral services in Auckland.
The absence of support from
friends and family, and notably
the local Kiwi-Indian community,
became further telling, in the
following days, when Ms Tandon
started scrambling to get back on her
feet to sort out her visa situation.
Often, in the lives of new
migrants, the first thing to worry
about, or to resurrect, in the event of
an unfortunate situation of death, is
the visa situation.
In the case of Neisha Tandon, that
visa situation stands threatened.
At the time of the death, Mr
Tandon was working full time as
Duty Manager in Pizza Hut on an
employer-supported work visa.
Ms Tandon was on a spouse-
dependent work visa, which was
due to expire in August 2018, and
working full-time at Z Gas Station,
whereas their teenage daughter
studied in year nine in One Tree Hill
College on a domestic student visa.
In desperation to resurrect her
visa situation, which was partner
dependent, she consulted a licensed
immigration adviser, who rightly
sought for visitor visa for the mother-
daughter duo from Immigration New
Zealand (INZ), with a plea that it will
give time to them to sort out their
lives. Although technically correct,
it seems compassion was missing,
or little thought was given, in this
immediate solution sought from
the INZ.
As a three-month visitor visa,
for a mum-daughter duo, who have
recently struggled to arrange for
husband’s funeral, would in no way
have brought any respite, or even
given some breathing space to them
to plan anything else?
Probably the absence of support
and right counsel from family,
friends, and the local community at
that stage was more telling than any
other time after Ms Tandon’s life
story went wrong.
INZ has approved the daughter’s
visitor visa for three months, which
expired on March 19, and they
have reapplied since then, whereas
the mother’s initial visitor visa
application is still pending with them.
Uncertainty looms over the lives
of the hapless mum-daughter duo.
Desperate action –
writing to the government
I
n a bid to seek help from the
government, Ms Tandon had
approached several local MPs
in government and opposition,
ministers, and the Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern herself requesting
urgent and compassionate assistance.
The Prime Minister’s Office had
to rightly direct her to the office of
NEW ZEALAND 5
Associate Immigration Minister Kris
Faafoi, who was again not able to do
anything as by then Ms Tandon had
already filed a visitor visa application
with the INZ.
The Associate Immigration
Minister is the only person in
government who can decide on
any application on compassionate
grounds. However, some experts on
immigration law have opined that
Ms Tandon’s case for a mercy plea
or compassionate view would not
stand ground.
Till now, Ms Tandon had only
received a call back from the
electorate office of Jenny Salesa,
Labour MP and the Minister of
Ethnic Communities, assuring that
someone would assist.
Clearly, and expectedly, there
is more despondency and little
organisation and direction in
Ms Tandon’s actions to seek an
appropriate visa.
Call to community for help
A
Givealittle page has been set
up to seek community help to
assist the mum-daughter duo (https://
givealittle.co.nz/cause/neisha-
tandon).
“The funds will be spent on getting
Neisha a place to stay and living
costs for Neisha and her daughter.
Any additional funds will be used to
help Neisha study and gain a New
Zealand qualification and also for her
daughter’s schooling,” a post on the
page said.
 6 NEW ZEALAND Friday, March 23, 2018 The Indian Weekender

2018 road accidents tolls highest in years

¡¡ IWK BUREAU Crash-preventing safety barriers

I
am as frustrated as everyone else
that people continue to be killed
on our roads unnecessarily,” says
Assistant Commissioner for Road
Policing Sandra Venables.
“These deaths mean there are now
families, friends, and colleagues who
will carry a lifetime of grief.
They will miss out on the usual life
milestones that other families get to
enjoy with their loved ones.”
“Every day we talk about the
same circumstances where lives
have been lost through a driver
taking unnecessary risks and putting
themselves, their passengers, and
other road users in harm’s way.  country.”
“We want everybody to understand
the responsibility they have to protect
themselves and their passengers, as
well as all other road users.”
“Simple things such as being
respectful and courteous on the road,
having a focus on getting to the
destination safely, having plenty of
time so you can take breaks, and not
taking unnecessary risks.
Being a few minutes late is better
than not making it there at all.”
“Decisions drivers make impact
not only them and those in their
vehicle, but everybody else on the
road.
Even good drivers can make
a mistake and sometimes those
mistakes can cause death.
Parents need to have these tough
conversations with their teenage
drivers as well.”
“Please pay attention to your
driving, drive to the conditions,
put your phone away, and put
on your seatbelt
  “Police focus is on preventing
harm; we don’t want to see people
driving too fast for the conditions,
driving impaired, driving distracted,
or not wearing seatbelts.”
“Please pay attention to your
driving, drive to the conditions, put
your phone away, and put on your
seatbelt.
And if you want to have a drink,
don’t drive.
These are simple things everyone
can do to make our roads safer.”
“Our staff are committed to
preventing further loss of life and
that is why we will not apologise for
policing our roads and taking every
opportunity to prevent harm.”
NZ Transport Agency Director
Safety and Environment, Harry
Wilson says every death on our roads
is a tragedy.
“Road deaths are not just numbers,
and we never lose sight of the real
human loss and grieving behind
these figures.”
“The Transport Agency is
supporting the efforts of Police to
will also be added to some roads.
“These are relatively simple, but
effective, improvements which can
help prevent deaths and serious
injuries.
For example, rumble strips can
reduce all crashes by around 25
percent and fatal run-off-road crashes
by up to 42 percent.”
“As part of the Boost programme
we are also investigating the
installation of more rural intersection
activated warning signs (RIAWS) at
a number of high-risk intersections
on other state highways around the
RIAWS are electronic signs that
reduce the speed limit on the state
highway (usually from 100 km/h to
60km/hr or 70km/h) if a vehicle is
turning into or out of a side road.
RIAWS signs are already being
successfully used at 13 locations on
target enforcement activity on a state highways around the country
number of high risk roads to reduce to improve intersection safety with
deaths and injuries.” minimal delays for road users.
“At the same time we are The Transport Agency is currently
delivering the Government’s holding public consultation on 10
Safety Boost programme, a $22.5
RIAWS sites throughout the country.
million programme of targeted
Assistant Commissioner Venables
improvements to make 30 regional
and Harry Wilson want drivers and
state highways safer.”
The roads are in Northland, riders to remember that road safety is
everybody’s responsibility.
Taranaki, Manawatu-Wanganui,
Canterbury, Otago, and Southland Nobody wants to share the road
with someone who isn’t paying
and are being upgraded with rumble
strips and better signs. attention or is taking risks.

High profile land bank with income Prime position Wairau Valley industrial
1736, 1744 & 1748 Dairy Flat Highway, Silverdale, Auckland Unit A, 234 Archers Road, Wairau Valley, Auckland

1
Boundary lines are indicative only

Boundary lines are indicative only

l
l
l
Currently returning $734,147pa + GST and outgoings
5.505ha (more or less)
Lease site plan

Zoning – Future Urban – see Silverdale West Dairy Flat

Deadline Private Treaty
(unless sold prior)
4pm, Thursday 12th April 2018.
l Business Area Structure Plan
29 Northcroft Street,
Silverdale is desperately short of industrial zoned land. These sites Takapuna, Auckland
sit adjacent to the motorway and are located roughly mid point
between the current Silverdale industrial precinct and the new
Rosemary Wakeman
Highgate Business Park. Ph: 021 225 4960
rosemary.wakeman@bayleys.co.nz
1744 & 1748 Dairy Flat Highway comprises of two adjoining lots Devereux Howe-Smith Realty Ltd, Bayleys,
totalling 4.9705 hectares with significant frontage to the northern Licensed under the REA Act 2008
motorway and in close proximity to the Silverdale motorway
interchange.
2 3
• Prominent position with excellent road frontage Auction (unless sold prior)
• Located in the heart of Wairau Valley 11am, Wednesday 11th April 2018
• Will appeal to a wide range of owner occupiers and investors Bayleys House, 30 Gaunt Street,
Auckland, New Zealand
• Consented residential component
• Excellent warehouse to office ratio Ranjan Unka
Offered to the market for the first time since 1998, this is a rare opportunity in a tightly +64 21 711 755
ranjan.unka@bayleys.co.nz
held location. The property offers a number of strong attributes for an owner occupier,
DEVEREUX HOWE-SMITH REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS,
dual roller door access, good stud height in the warehouse, quality showroom/offices, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

The yard platforms are fully leased. and accommodation on the first floor. Matt Mimmack
1736 Dairy Flat Highway is a smaller land holding of approximately Archers Road is strategically located in the heart of Wairau Valley near SH1 motorway +64 21 229 5878
interchanges and is within very close proximity to Takapuna´s CBD. The property matt.mimmack@bayleys.co.nz
5,345m2 (more or less). DEVEREUX HOWE-SMITH REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS,
neighbours to NZ Safety, Bunnings Warehouse, Mitre 10 Mega and Pak´nSave.
These sites are an ideal opportunity for a purchaser to either hold LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

long term or to develop once the new zoning has been established. With an established commercial and residential catchment, an already popular and
thriving location, this opportunity is a must for all owner occupiers to secure and
bayleys.co.nz/1501585
Property Details
establish their business.
Land Area 5.505ha (more or less)
AUP (OP) Zoning 1,992.8m2 (approximately)
Property Details
Tenure Fee Simple
Total Floor Area 1,146m± (approximately)
Tenancy Details
AUP (OP) Zoning Light Industry
The properties are currently leased and are returning an income of Car Parks 13 on-site car parks
$734,147pa + GST and outgoings. Full tenancy details and chattels list
are available upon request.
BAYLEYS.CO.NZ/1501583 For sale with vacant possession.
 The Indian Weekender Friday, March 23, 2018 NEW ZEALAND 7

NZ Excellence Award programme Bill to ban

tenant letting
welcomes 35 Indian students fees introduced
¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH Neeraj Nambiar Vinutha Haridhasan ambitious young Indian

A
students the chance to undertake
group of 35 award-
specialist study in New Zealand
winning Indian students
– an experience that will help set Phil Twyford
have begun studies at
them apart in the increasingly
universities throughout New competitive global job market,” Minister for Housing and Urban
Zealand under a new scholarship Development and Transport
Grant McPherson, Chief Executive
programme.

The New Zealand Excellence
Award programme was
established in 2016 and is a
partnership between Education
New Zealand and Universities
New Zealand.
The programme aims to grow high-
quality education connections with
India that raise New Zealand’s profile
and contribute to the skills shortage
India is facing.
The 35 awards represent a total
scholarship pool of NZ$175,000, with
each scholarship worth NZ$5,000.
The 35 students are enrolled at all
eight of New Zealand’s universities
and are studying design or STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics) subjects at undergraduate
and postgraduate level. Their courses
range from analytics, accounting,
and information security and digital
forensics to veterinary science.
This is the second round of New
Zealand Excellence Award recipients.
Several of the second round of
recipients have already become Kiwi
ambassadors for Education New
Zealand. This involves the students
sharing their experience via ENZ’s
social media channels such as YouTube,
Instagram and Twitter throughout their
time here.
Vinutha Haridhasan, the 25-year-old
student of accounting from Chennai is
one such student who had first arrived
in NZ in 2017 and is currently an ENZ
ambassador.
“I had chosen New Zealand as my
preferred high education destination
after a close family friend who had been
studying aviation in New Zealand told
me how welcoming Kiwis were,” Ms
Haridhasan said.
Neeraj Nambiar, another student from
Mumbai, and recipient of NZ Excellency
Awards last year has completed his
Masters in Engineering Management at
the University of Auckland.
“I had chosen NZ because of its
highly advanced educational institution,
the University of Auckland, which is
ranked in the top 100 in the world,” Mr
Nambiar said.
The awards are designed to attract the
best minds and talents from India.
“The awards give talented and
L
of Education New Zealand said.
“New Zealand was recently
ranked first in the world for
providing a future-focused
education. Our universities
offer world-class teaching and
research resources and strong industry
collaboration. Students here are
encouraged to think independently,
critically and creatively which, in turn,
leads to high levels of innovation,” Mr
McPherson added.
Chris Whelan, Chief Executive of
Universities New Zealand, said: “All
eight New Zealand universities are
ranked within the top 500 globally,
so these awards offer the students the
opportunity to undertake high-quality
study in New Zealand.”
“These 35 students will have a once-
in-a-lifetime experience which they will
take home with them, along with the
skills and knowledge they gain from
their qualifications,” Mr Whelan said.
The number of international students
at New Zealand universities has
increased 12 per cent between 2013
(23,410) and 2016 (26,231).
However, there has been a decline
in the numbers of international student
applications since 2017.
egislation banning the charging of letting fees to tenants
has been introduced to Parliament, Housing and Urban
Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today.
Around half of all Kiwis now live in rented homes. This Bill could
put up to $47 million into the pockets of Kiwi families each year.
This could make a real difference to struggling families. There are
significant costs associated with moving to a new rental property,
which many families are now forced to do every year.
When moving into a new rental property, tenants can face up to
four weeks’ bond, two weeks’ rent in advance – and one weeks’ rent
as a letting fee – in addition to moving costs.
With homeownership rates at a 60 year low, this Bill recognises
that we need to take action now to make rent more affordable so
people can save to buy their own home.
Banning the charging of letting fees to tenants is a good first
step in improving the life of renters, while we continue our broader
review of the Residential Tenancies Act.
This review will examine a range of changes to make life better
for renters and will include looking at limiting rent increases to once
per year. It will also consider other initiatives to improve the security
of tenure and better allow tenants to make their house a home.
The review is expected to result in legislation being introduced to
Parliament by the end of the year.
Ultimately the best way to put tenants in a better situation is to
increase the supply of housing and end the shortage that is driving
rents up. The Government’s KiwiBuild policy and urban growth
reforms are designed to increase supply.” Phil Twyford says.

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 8 NEW ZEALAND

Food Inn’s vibrant menu

Friday, March 23, 2018 The Indian Weekender

a treat to the taste buds

I
n a market where every
restaurant and takeaway is
serving the age-old dishes
pleasing its enthusiastic food lovers,
Sandringham’s Food Inn has upped
the ante by introducing an authentic
set of new dishes that recall the tastes
of its Indian origins.
The vibrant menu of the restaurant
and takeaway has some new names
that are hard not to notice. Of the
many new dishes added to the chart
of the food outlet, special dishes
such as Nilgiri Chicken, Lucknowi
Biryani and Dragon Chicken are the
new favourites of the market.
Food Inn has gained a new
momentum by introducing these new
dishes that are quickly getting empty
from its display counters. The orders
still keep swooping in, and the chefs
get busy preparing the signature
dishes for the diners.
The three special dishes Lucknowi
Biryani, Dragon Chicken and Nilgiri
Chicken, are the focus of review
this week.
Nilgiri Chicken
The green chicken curry is
deceptive to the eyes when it comes
to its surprising taste of the mountains
of south India, Nilgiri Hills, and the
place from where the dish derives
its name.
This dish although appearing to
be saag chicken (spinach chicken)
is actually made of the paste of fresh
coriander, mint and green chillies.
The dish has a slight touch of South
India with the essence of the fresh
mint and coriander, a little spice too.
The tender pieces of chicken are
cooked with precision so the taste
of the spice emanates from each of
the chicken pieces. The curry tastes
equally amazing with naan bread,
rice or simply in a spoon to sip.
The dish has been a big hit amongst
the foodies in the Sandringham
village who are praising it for its
originality and bringing the taste of
home in the curry.
Lucknow Biryani
Sandringham’s restaurants are
famous for its Hyderabadi Dum
Biryani, which has been quite
successful so far. Food Inn has taken
the privilege to offer Sandringham
and be the only restaurant to offer
authentic Lucknowi style biryani,
one of the oldest and most original
forms of biryani introduced to India.
Lucknow is famous for its variety
of kebabs, some of its outlets still
serving the delicacies for over 100
years in Lucknow City. Bringing the
same traditional spices and cooking
style to Food Inn, the restaurant
offers the taste of Lucknow on its
plates to the customers who cannot
have enough of it.
The soul of Lucknowi Biryani is its
invigorating aroma that stems from
the plate of steamed rice, ground
spices, chicken that is marinated for
over three hours so that it soaks in the
spices in its soft meat.
A box of biryani is certainly not
enough and is incomplete without
a few pieces of nawabi kebabs
with mint chutney and a simple
onion raita.
Special Goat Biryani
Goat biryani is something that
is rarely or never found in the
menus of any restaurants unless
one prepares and cooks at home
Indo-Chinese dish that gives a tinge
on a festive occasion. Food Inn
of sour and hot taste to the regular
offers the customers
dry chicken item. The red-orange
goat biryani thrice
starter is garnished with coriander
a week, which is
and tastes best with mint chutney or
Friday, Saturday and
even as finger bite.
Sunday but there
Food Inn has started a new
is one condition to
drive that gives the community an
it. The pinnacle of
Lucknowi biryani is opportunity to feature their dishes/
only cooked when recipes in as a guest in Food Inn’s
the best goat meat is dynamic menu.
available to be used.
The goat meat is What to do?
marinated for more Send your recipes to The Indian
than three hours, so Weekender Facebook page with
the meat gets juicier pictures and if selected, the person
with the spices and will be notified, and the recipe
cooked with dum to will be featured on the menu for
give the food lovers
one month.
a chance to have the best biryani in
town.
Dragon Chicken
Dragon Chicken is once again an
experimental dish that has quickly
become the new choice of starter for
the people. Dragon Chicken is an

Unique dance drama draws fulsome applause

¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH Nadkarni for the Mohan Nadkarni Foundation,

T
he near full house crowd at the Green
Bay High School that had turned up
to watch the first-of-its-kind musical
dance drama Eka Premachi Goshta stayed back
long after the curtains fell to congratulate the
cast and crew.
The play was unique in many ways – it
involved singing, instrumentation, acting,
dancing and audiovisuals simultaneously
unfolding on stage. Curiously, it had no
dialogues but the songs were strung together
by narration in Marathi and English. More than
35 actors, singers, dancers, musicians and other
artistes besides sound and light technicians – all
from Auckland – were involved.
Written, produced and directed by Dev
the production was also a unique collaboration
with renowned music teacher Sandhya
Badakere and her Swar Sadhana Academy
and dance teacher Swarali Pande, the play’s
dance director, and her own Nritya Dance
Academy. The adaptation and narration
was by experienced theatre personality
Kaustubh Pethe.
Apart from the melodiousness, the highlight
of the singing that was much appreciated by
the audience was the fact that several of the
singers were non-Marathi speaking and had
never been exposed to the language; yet they
mastered the pronunciation so perfectly that it
was impossible to tell that they did not speak
it natively. That credit must squarely go to Ms
Badakere. The story that began in run time of 110 minutes plus
Mumbai in the 1960s continued an interval in between. “We
through New York, finally take that as a compliment,”
ending in Auckland in the Mr Nadkarni told The Indian
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 The Indian Weekender Friday, March 23, 2018 NEW ZEALAND 9

NZ Parliament celebrates Holi

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Performers with the dignitaries at the event

N
ew Zealand Parliament opened
its doors to a new tradition of
celebrating the Indian festival
of colours, holi. The corridor of the
parliament building was bustling with
festivities where the parliament staff
graciously welcomed guests dressed
in colourful traditional attire. The
highlight of the event was the presence
of honourable Prime Minister Jacinda
Ardern, who participated in the
celebrations and also addressed the
gathering.
Holi is celebrated in all of India
where people from all walks of life
come together in playful, joyous
gathering and throw colours at each
other. It signifies the victory of good
over evil and for many its a festive
day to meet others, play and laugh,
forget and forgive, and repair broken
relationships.
The Prime Minister, special guests
and other ministers were welcomed by
traditional Indian Teeka ceremony and
were also presented a traditional shawl.
Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny
Salesa, was dressed in traditional Indian
attire.
Over 200 guests of Indian origin
gathered at the New Zealand Parliament
to celebrate Holi. The event was hosted
at The Banquet Hall in the main
Parliament building on 20th March
2018. Along with Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern, the other guests were
Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny
Salesa, MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan,
High Commissioner to India His
Excellency Sanjiv Kohli, New Zealand
Indian Central Association Vice
President Paul Patel, Vanisa Dhiru-
President of the National Council of
Women and many other ministers of
parliament.
Radha Raman, a student of
Natraj School of Dance, performed
Bharatnatyam dance, an Indian
classical form of dance in praise of Lord
Ganesha, the remover of all obstacles.
The dance was choreographed by
Prabha Ravi, founder and director
of Natraj School of Dance. A special
Bollywood dance performed by a group
of young dancers from Shivam dance
academy. This dance showcased the
fun, vibrant, mischievous nature of the
Holi.
Prime Minister Ardern addressed
the gathering and spoke about the
significance of holi in New Zealand
Indian community, the friendly
of experience
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit
New Zealand.
Minister Jenny Salesa also addressed
the gathering and thanked everyone for
attending the event. New Zealand Indian
Central Association Vice President Paul
Patel in his speech presented a silver Nimish Parikh
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agreed to get few selfies clicked. The
event concluded with the informal Search and
interaction opportunity over some light
Indian high tea, which everyone enjoyed
follow us on
and made the most of by discussing
issues/concerns, clicking pictures/
taking selfies with the ministers.
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 10 NEW ZEALAND Friday, March 23, 2018 The Indian Weekender

Christchurch coloured Telugu Association in Chch

in the holi spirit marks Ugadi and Ram Navami
- with over 10,000 people attending, the celebration held on Saturday,
March 17, was the biggest-ever Indian festival held in the famed
Hagley Park, with free entry for all

B
eing organised annually since 2014 by
Revel Events – a Christchurch based
event management company – this
year’s Christchurch Holi, the Indian festival of
colours, was the biggest and grandest.
Attended by more than 10,000 people, the
free event was supported by the Christchurch
Multicultural Council (CMC), and the
Christchurch City Council. The principal
sponsor was Yogiji’s Food Mart, which supplied
colours for the celebrations.
Hitesh Sharma, co-partner in Revel Events,
sharing his joy after a very successful event
said, “It started with a simple idea to create
an afternoon full of colours for the Indian
community living in Christchurch. Now, it
has spread to the wider community, which is
very pleasantly surprising for us. It shows that
Kiwis are ready to embrace other cultures and Members of the Telugu community during Ugadi
experience the diversity of the human race. The and dance, and green face powder colour and celebrations in Christchurch
organisation of this event took almost a year. green costumes, thereby valuing and embracing (picture courtesy Lavanya Kasibhatla)

But with the help of over 50 volunteers, we
were able to pull it off successfully.”
Sandeep Khanna, Creative Director and
partner at Revel Events added, “Apart from
a slew of colours, we had nine cultural
performances. There were also colour
countdowns, colour blasts, followed by a seven-
round matki phod competition, which was won
by a Punjabi group this time. Prizes for the
colouring competition held across Christchurch
schools, for which we got over 102 entries,
were also given during the day. This year we
made the event more interactive by inviting
people on stage to dance on dhol beats, thereby
giving the wider community a taste of our rich
Indian tradition.”
On the question of holi being part of the
city’s Race Relations Day celebrations as well,
Surinder Tandon, President of CMC, said,
“Firstly, both holi and Race Relations Day
come during the same month, i.e. March, and
secondly but more importantly, they share the
common significance of showing respect and
equality for diversity in terms of ethnicity,
culture and faith. Thus, holi is an ideal festival
to commemorate and celebrate the New
Zealand Race Relations Day, which falls on
March 21, every year.”
“Additionally, since the Holi event was on
the St Patrick’s Day this year, it was a good
opportunity to combine and celebrate both the
events with the fusion of Indian-Irish music
T
multiculturalism,” he added.
he Telugu Association of South Island In Christchurch too, much like in Andhra
Mr Tandon was referring to the highly-
New Zealand (TasiNZ), an informal Pradesh, the celebrations included lighting a
praised fusion dance performance showcased
group in existence since 2006 that lamp, prayers, poetry recitals, dance and Telugu
at the event by the dance schools Revathi
became an incorporated society last year, song performances. Elders of the community
Performing Arts (Indian Bharatnatayam) and
celebrated Ugadi, the Telugu New Year, and also shared stories about Lord Ram and noted
Southern Cross Irish Dance.
Ram Navami, in Christchurch last Sunday. the importance of Ugadi in the Southern Indian
“We have been practising from late January
Ugadi or Yugadi, as it is called in the Deccan culture.
regularly. Getting and mixing songs with
region of India, marks the commencement of Another tradition practised during Ugadi is
the right balance was a real challenge. It
the Hindu New Year by recognising a change to look into the Panchanga Sravanam, which
was really interesting to see the similarities
in the lunar orbit. It also signals the advent of are astrological predictions for the coming
and differences between two dance styles.
spring. The first day of bright half of the lunar new year, delivered in the form of recitation
With this collaboration being so successful,
month Chaitra is considered to be the day for of the almanac (new year calendar). Lavanya
Shannon – the lead Irish dancer – has decided
Ugadi celebration, which generally falls in the Kasibhatla, a member of TasiNZ, read the
to try more Indian dancing styles. So there is
months of March/April of the English calendar. annual predictions for all the zodiac signs for
room for more such fusion dance creations in
According to Hindu traditions, the day is the new Panchanga.
future too,” said Uma Verma, owner of Revathi
dedicated to Lord Brahma – the almighty The afternoon ended with lunch comprising
Performing Arts.
creator, who began his creation on this very traditional Andhra cuisine of this festival
Talking about what the future holds for holi
day. Celebrations include decorating houses including dishes like Pulihora, Bobbatlu, and
in the South Island, both Mr Sharma and Mr
with mango leaves and rangolis, and ritualistic Ugadi Pachchadi – a dish prepared with jaggery,
Khanna, were optimistic and shared their vision.
worship to pray for good health and prosperity raw mangoes, neem flowers and raw tamarind.
“For Christchurch, we hope to see more and
in the coming year. The nine-day long spring
more people becoming the part of this colourful
festival of Vasanta Navratri begins on this day
event over the next few years. For Canterbury,
and concludes on Ram Navami.
we hope many more cities and towns embrace
the festival, much like the Garden City has,
with open arms. Rangiora in north Canterbury About the Christchurch Multicultural Strategy
has already taken a lead in this and is holding its
version of holi the coming Saturday.”
ISA - University of Otago Indian Students’
Association, too has planned its own holi
celebrations further south in Dunedin on
March 24.

Christchurch City Council

stands against racism
T
he Christchurch Multicultural Strategy It recognises that the council has a leadership

C
hristchurch City Council is taking a
stand against racism by throwing its
support behind the Give Nothing to
Racism campaign, which is an initiative of
the Human Rights Commission, aimed at
encouraging New Zealanders to take a stand
against even so-called ‘small’ acts of racism.
“Today is Race Relations Day and we want
to send a clear message that Christchurch
is a city that embraces and celebrates
diversity. Racism has no place in our city,’’ noted
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel.
Councillor Jimmy Chen, who chairs the
Council’s Multicultural Subcommittee, also
added that racism or prejudice, in any shape or
form, should not be tolerated.“Christchurch is
home to people from more than 170 ethnicities
– and it is richer for that. We want everyone to
feel welcome here, respected and accepted. Last
year we developed a Multicultural Strategy that
committed us to supporting and embracing the
diversity of the people in Otautahi/Christchurch.
Today I’m proud that we are standing together
as a Council and saying we give nothing to
racism – we give it no encouragement, no
respect, no place.”
is a commitment by the council to
provide a framework and a set of goals
and actions to ensure every single person
in Christchurch feels a sense of belonging.
It will also give everyone in Christchurch
an equal opportunity to access the council’s
services, information, as well as participating
in the decision-making process. This strategy
acknowledges Ngāi Tahu are mana whenua
— the indigenous people of our area in
Christchurch, and that Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the
foundation document of New Zealand.
role in making Christchurch a city where
diversity is welcomed and celebrated. This
strategy outlines what the council can do in
terms of improving service delivery, up-skilling
the internal organisation and developing
authentic relationships to achieve the outcome
of a diverse, inclusive and welcoming city.
As such the City Council will: monitor
implementation of the strategy across the
council with the community, and publish an
annual Diversity and Inclusion report.
••
14 NEW ZEALAND Friday, March 23, 2018 The Indian Weekender
 14 FIJI
India stands ready to support Fiji in defense
and electrification of rural communities
I
ndia stands ready to support Fiji
in defense and electrification
of rural communities with the
distribution of LED bulbs.
This was after the Prime
Minister Voreqe Bainimarama’s
fourth meeting with the Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
Talks also included Fiji to receive
pharmaceutical assistance from
India.
The Indian Prime Minister is
seeking support from his countryside
Gujarat State, to establish a supply
chain of pharmaceutical products in
Fiji.
Bainimarama has also been lauded
for his support to the International
Solar Alliance initiative.
So far India has distributed around
280 million LED bulbs worldwide.
India is the fastest growing
economy and through its UJALA
initiative which is boasting its LED
Patrons treated to unique brand
supply source.
of Indian entertainment
T
M
any fans of Indian folk
music in Suva were
treated to classy music and
songs from far-flung Chattisgarh, in
Central India, on Friday last week.
On stage was folk band Aarug
Group, part of the Namaste Pacifika
programme hosted by the Indian
High Commission, in Suva.
The show was held at the
Jai Narayan College, on Rewa
Street, Suva.
Aarug Group is a Chhattisgarhi
folk music and dance group and led
by actor/singer Anuj Sharma, who is
a native of Chattisgarh.
The group’s repertoire comprises
mainly traditional Chhattisgarhi
folk music.
Those who know Indian
"In
folk music regard Aarug
the Namaste
as a musical bouquet
Pacifika festival, we
from Chhattisgarh
have seen some amazing
which boasts
performances and shows
selective folk songs
by various groups from
and music.
India who have performed
These include
around Fiji showcasing
some of the very
their talents."
popular songs which
have entertained the
people of India, particularly
those who live in other parts of the
world for many decades.
A special feature of the Aarug
band is a presentation using
solely traditional Chhattisgarhi
musical instruments. This is the first
time Chhattisgarhi music and dance
Respect religious differences, says Koya
I
t is important that we recognise
and understand that we are all
different and we should respect
others’ differences, says Minister for
Industry, Trade, Tourism, Lands and
Mineral Resources Faiyaz Koya.
Mr Koya made this remark during
Ram Naumi celebrations at Narere,
Nasinu, on Sunday night.
The Ram Naumi was organised
by the Aum Shiv Shakti Ramayan
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Aarug Group lead singer Anuj Sharma wowed
the crowd with his folk music and dance show on
March 16, 2018 at the Jai Narayan College in Suva
has been brought to our shores.
Indian High Commissioner to
Fiji Vishvas Sapkal said the Aarug
Group had dynamically shown how
Bollywood was inspired by the
folk songs. “In the Namaste Pacifika
festival, we have seen some amazing
Mandali and held at a residence in
Narere, Nasinu. The celebrations
started on Sunday, March 18, and
will end next Monday (March 26).
Mr Koya said the 2013
Constitution protected everyone’s
right to worship and enabled Fijians
to freely participate and be part of
any religion. He said Fijians needed
to be tolerant and respect Fiji’s
diversity of cultures, religions and
The members of the Aarug Group from India. Photo: Indian High
Commission
performances and shows by various
groups from India who have
performed around Fiji showcasing
their talents,’’ Mr Sapkal said.
“We have few more events coming
up this month.
“It was a great turnout. Many
economic backgrounds.
“This diversity enriches our lives
and makes us a model community
locally and internationally,” Mr
Koya said.
“One of our strengths as a nation
is our diversity. When we come
together in unity we unleash a great
power of good. “Our other strength
is our belief that there is a God who
loves each and every one of us,
Friday, March 23, 2018
appreciated the folk music and
dances showcased.
“The turnout was more than
what we had expected. We hope
that people will enjoy more
upcoming shows.
irrespective of our ethnicity, culture
or religious background.
“We are all children of God and
nurturing this spiritual strength
is crucial. Ram Naumi and other
religious festivals have
helped us to maintain that
perspective,” Mr Koya
said. and makes us a model
He said there were community locally and
many messages that
The Indian Weekender
Red Cross leader in
Fiji on global visit
F
ifteen branches of the Fiji Red
Cross welcomed the global
head of the organisation
morning at a full traditional
ceremony in Suva.
While welcoming the Secretary-
General of IFRC, Elhadi As Sy who
is based in Geneva, Switzerland,
the Director General of the Fiji Red
Cross, Filipe Nainoca, told the global
leader the ceremony was befitting
a chief because he was regarded
as such. 
Mr Nainoca said as head of
190 worldwide societies of the
International Federation of the Red
Cross, he was a chief. 
“That you have made this time
to visit our humble country is a
real honour and privilege,” Mr
Nainoca said. We know it is difficult
to be able to visit us.?
Mr Sy is on a worldwide visit to
members of the IFRC and will be in
select countries in the Pacific.
The IFRC leader will be speaking
on the work of the Red Cross,
specifically to do with climate
change and disaster response at a
public discussion at the University of
the South Pacific last week.
‘Pacific vulnerable’ to
natural disasters
he Pacific region is highly
vulnerable to the threat posed
by natural disasters such as
tropical cyclones and tsunamis in the
face of climate change.
And for the past 60 years, Pacific
Island countries experienced losses
averaging to $US284 million
($F577m) a year because of natural
disasters and climate shocks.
This has affected about nine
million people and caused as many
as 9811 reported deaths.
This was shared by Acting
Minister for Women, Jone Usamate,
while opening the Regional Pacific
Shock Responsive Social Protection
Conference in Nadi yesterday.
Mr Usamate said there had been
three Category 5 cyclones spanning
over the past few years and all three
— TC Pam, STC Winston and STC
Gita — had devastated livelihoods
and infrastructure.
“When Fiji was hit by STC
Winston, an estimated 350,000
people living in TC Winston’s path
had been affected (180,000 men and
170,000 women),” he said.
“A 30-day State of Natural Disaster
had been declared, which expired on
March 21. Forty-two people were
confirmed dead.
“Some 56,000 people were
sheltered in evacuation centres.
“The cyclone damaged at least
495 schools, 88 health facilities,
disrupted basic public services and
destroyed crops and livelihoods.”
could be learnt from Lord Rama’s
character and these were that, we
should respectfully and lovingly
obey our father’s orders.
Mr Koya said there could be
"This situations in life even when
diversity we should consider
enriches our lives sacrificing our own
comfort for our
father’s dignity and
internationally." parents’ wishes.
 The Indian Weekender Friday, March 23, 2018 FIJI 15

NZ INPUT AT USP GETTING BIGGER

T
he appointment of Jonathan Curr, New Commission in Suva and in Wellington.
Zealand’s High Commissioner to Fiji, “I also wish to congratulate the New Zealand
could not have come at a better time Government and look forward to working
as the relationship between the University of closely with you and your team and the officials
the South Pacific (USP) and New Zealand has in Wellington,” he said.
strengthened even further. Mr Curr was also informed that USP has
Speaking during the first visit by Mr Curr to officially engaged with New Zealand’s Ministry
USP on Monday, Vice-Chancellor Professor of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) through
Rajesh Chandra and President of USP said: the bilateral High Level Consultations (HLC)
“New Zealand has been our partner from in Wellington every year and later in the year
the beginning. through the tripartite HLC, including Australia.
"It is one of the countries that commissioned He said there was an upcoming High Level
the initial stages of the study into the formation Consultation in Wellington scheduled for April
of this university,” he said. 16, 2018 and USP looked forward to more
A major event has been planned by the fruitful discussions at this bilateral meeting. Jonathan Curr, New Zealand’s High Commissioner (left) and Professor Rajesh Chandra, Vice-Chancellor
and President of USP following the visit and discussions at the Laucala Campus.
university as part of its 50th anniversary - Source: USP
celebrations in honour of the contributions of
the Fiji and New Zealand governments via the
joint unveiling of a commemorative monument
at the Laucala Campus on March 23 2018, by
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, Fiji’s
Prime Minister, and Ron Mark, the Minister of
Defence, New Zealand.
Professor Chandra noted that the New
Zealand Government supported the first years
of the operations by leaving valuable buildings
and other assets at Laucala Bay, which was a
base for the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
These he mentioned, have been utilised for
many years and some of these are still being
used to date.
“New Zealand has been steadfast in
supporting USP, in helping govern it through the
membership of the Council and the University
Grants Committee and our relationship has
been extremely constructive and progressive,”
Professor Chandra reaffirmed.
He said that New Zealand had been
instrumental in the development of the
unvesirty’s telecommunications through
funding the initial USPNet Satellite and was
currently supporting the upgrade of USPNet
scheduled for completion this year.

"New Zealand has

provided support towards
the core budget of
the University, which
has enabled USP to
position itself well to
serve the Pacific region
with ICT, research, and
regionalism becoming the
transformative strategy for
the University"
“New Zealand has provided support towards
the core budget of the University, which has
enabled USP to position itself well to serve
the Pacific region with ICT, research, and
regionalism becoming the transformative
strategy for the University,” he said.
Professor Chandra highlighted that USP
considers New Zealand government’s $NZ5.6
million ($F8.31 million) towards the USPNet
upgrade as an excellent contribution to mark
USP’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Professor Chandra warmly welcomed Mr
Curr, congratulated him on his new appointment
as high commissioner and wished him well.
Professor Chandra said that USP had
excellent relations with Mr Curr’s predecessor,
Mark Ramsden, during his term in Suva, and
described the latter as a “proactive and effective
ambassador for USP”.
He affirmed that USP has excellent relations
with officials from the New Zealand High
 Thought of the week
"Confidence and hard work is the
medicine to kill the disease called
failure. It will make you successful
person." –A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Editorial

The festival of Auckland Weather forecast for the week

March 23 – March 29, 2018

colours reaches Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu

NZ parliament Reriods Cloudy, A Little A little Sunny and Sunshine Partly

T
of Rain Breezy, afternoon morning pleasant with a Sunny
he Indian festival of colours, Holi, which is celebrated with great a pm rain rain shower
shower
pomp and show all around the country, has finally reached New
Zealand Parliament.
If a celebration in Parliament is an acknowledgement of NZ’s growing 26° 24° 24° 24° 25° 23° 23°
multiculturalism and rising numbers and the profile of the Kiwi-Indian 18° 18° 18° 18° 16° 16° 17°
community, then certainly this latest Holi celebration was able to make a
statement. This week in New Zealand’s history
The statement was subtle and persuasive that multiculturalism in NZ is
on the rise and welcomed by all. 26 March 1896
It is to the credit of this current government to further deepen collective Brunner mine disaster kills 65
acceptance of multiculturalism in our day to day lives.
However, a special appreciation and acknowledgement from the
A t 9.30 a.m. an explosion tore through the Brunner mine in Westland’s Grey Valley. Two
men sent underground to investigate were later found unconscious from black damp, a
suffocating mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
community are reserved for the Minister for Ethnic Communities, Jenny
Salesa, and Kiwi-Indian MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan for taking the lead 27 March 1883
and facilitating Holi celebrations in parliament. The 'Sallies' come to New Zealand
It is the role of Members of Parliament to advocate for community’s
interests, expectation and aspirations within the government. O n 27 March 1883 two young English Salvation Army officers, Captain George Pollard and
Lieutenant Edward Wright, arrived at Port Chalmers. Their mission was to establish a New
Ms Salesa, the long time electorate MP from Manukau East, which is Zealand branch of the Christian evangelical movement, which had been founded in the slums of
London’s East End in 1865.
probably Auckland’s one of the most diverse electorates, and where a large
segment of Indian community resides, has always been warm and receptive
27 March 1984
to the aspirations of the Indian community. Trades' Hall bombing
The lead taken by her office in taking another popular Indian festival to
the corridors of NZ Parliament is much appreciated.
Among all Indian festivals celebrated in the parliament, probably Holi
C aretaker and unionist Ernie Abbott was killed on 27 March 1984 by a bomb at Trades’ Hall
in Wellington’s Vivian St. Trades’ Hall was the headquarters for many trade unions and
police suspected that they were the targets.
would stand out for being a great equaliser of all perceived and real
differences in terms of caste, gender, age and ethnic identities. 28 March 1955
“People irrespective of caste, gender and age take to the streets, to throw NZ cricketers skittled for 26
coloured water and powder at one another. It is a great leveller,” Ms Salesa
said
I n recent years most test matches between New Zealand and England have been keenly
contested. This was not the case in 1955.

The role of first time Kiwi-Indian MP Ms Radhakrishnan deserves 29 March 1901

a special mention for facilitating the first ever Holi celebrations in the
Parliament.
“I was proud to welcome representatives of our Indian communities to
the Parliament, alongside the Prime Minister and the Ethnic Communities
Minister,” Ms Radha Krishnan told The Indian Weekender.
“The fact that the Prime Minister attended, spoke and interacted with the
guests at the event, is a clear indication that our Indian communities are
held in high regard by this government,” Ms Radhakrishnan said.
The gesture of celebrating this festival in parliament was also noted and
acknowledged by the Government of India.
Speaking to the Indian Weekender, the High Commissioner of India,
Sanjiv Kohli, acknowledged and thanked the gesture of the people of this
country.
“The celebration of Holi in parliament was not only recognition of the
Skippers Bridge opened
A t 96 m long and 91 m above the river, the Skippers suspension bridge over the Shotover
River near Queenstown in Central Otago is one of the highest and most spectacular in New
Zealand.
Indian Weekender : Volume 10 Issue 1
Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited
Content Editor: Sandeep Singh | sandeep@indianweekender.co.nz
Chief Reporter: Swati Sharma | swati@indianweekender.co.nz
Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | rizwan@indianweekender.co.nz
Chief Reporter—South Island: Gaurav Sharma
Chief Technical Officer: Rohan Desouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz
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“It was also a demonstration of this country’s respect for ethnic diversity.
“For me, it was a moment of pride as an Indian, and an opportunity as the
High Commissioner to thank this country and its people for their goodwill
and gesture,” Mr Kohli said.
The celebrations of Holi in parliament also coincided with the eve of
Race Relations Day – another global event that promotes equality, mutual
respect, tolerance and peaceful coexistence within our societies.
Indeed, this week had more than one opportunity to appreciate and
celebrate growing multiculturalism in New Zealand.
Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher
is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication
Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent
the views of the team at the Indian Weekender
Kiwi Media Publishing Limited - 133A, Level 1, Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland.
Printed at Horton Media, Auckland
Copyright 2017. Kiwi Media Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved.
 The Indian Weekender Friday, March 23, 2018 OPINION/EDITORIAL 17

First Holi celebration in NZ Parliament

Performers welcome guets with the traditional teeka Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern meeting the guests

17

One of the performer welcomes

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
with traditional teeka

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was presented

with a Gungaroo as a token gift for the baby
shower, a widely prevalent tradition in India

Indian community leaders with MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan

A community member applying teeka on High

Commissioner of India Mr Sanjiv Kohli

A Bharatanatyam performer
Naginbhai Patel at the celebration Guests with Jenny Salesa at the Holi celebration
 18 INDIA
AFTER FOUR
YEARS OF
HOPE, GOVT
CONFIRMS
DEATH OF 39
INDIANS IN
IRAQ
A
ll 39 Indian construction
workers kidnapped by
the Islamic State in 2014
from Iraq's city of Mosul have
been killed, the government said
on Tuesday, confirming the worst
fears after keeping alive hopes over
their survival for the last nearly four
years.
The confirmation came in the form
of a suo motu statement External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
made in the Rajya Sabha after a
limited truce was struck between the
government and the opposition in
the chamber of the House Chairman
M. Venkaiah Naidu.
Sushma Swaraj, who had earlier
made statements, including a July 22,
2017 answer in the Lok Sabha that
"as per the latest information from
multiple third party sources, they
are all safe", on Tuesday rejected
the lone survivor Harjit Masih's
claim that the 39 Indians were shot
dead as a "cock and bull story which
wasn't true".
After questions were raised over
the government's confirmation, the
minister held a press conference
to say that the government cannot
declare any person dead without
concrete proof and it was her duty
to inform Parliament first about
their death rather than tell their
families first.
"I refused to close the files (of
the 39 Indians) till we had concrete
proof in hand (about their death),"
India, Nepal talk bilateral trade boost, developmental aid partnership
A
s part of India's bid to reach
out to the new dispensation
in Nepal, External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj held a
meeting with visiting Industry,
Commerce and Supplies Minister
Matrika Yadav and discussed ways
to take forward bilateral trade and the
developmental aid partnership.
"Leaders discussed ways to take our
trade, commerce and developmental
partnership forward," External
Affairs Ministry spokesperson
Raveesh Kumar tweeted.
India is Nepal's largest trade
partner and the largest source
of foreign investments, besides
providing transit for almost the entire
third country trade of Nepal.
she said.
Earlier, she informed the Rajya
Sabha that Indian efforts to search
for the missing led to a mound near
Badush village in Mosul where a
local resident said some bodies had
been buried by the Islamic State
under a mound.
She said deep penetration radars
helped find 39 bodies
buried under the "This
is nothing less
mound. The bodies
were exhumed than brutality to
and DNA samples the families who were
from relatives waiting for the safe return
of the missing of their boys. The minister
workers were sent should have called us
to Iraq. before exploding the
The minister bomb on us
said DNA samples
matched with 38 bodies
and the 39th was yet to be fully
confirmed because the DNA sample
sent was from someone else in his
family as his parents are dead.
"The first sign was that the bodies
were exactly 39, plus strands of long
hair and a 'kada' were also found. So
we started conducting DNA tests."
The victims -- 27 from Punjab,
four from Himachal Pradesh and
six from Bihar and two from West
Bengal -- were construction workers
employed by an Iraqi company
in Mosul. The victims were taken
hostage when the Islamic State took
control of the second largest city
in Iraq. They were trying to leave
Mosul when they were abducted.
It accounts for over two-thirds of
Nepal's merchandise trade, about
one-third of trade in services, 46 per
cent of foreign direct investments,
almost 100 per cent of petroleum
supplies and a significant share of
inward remittance on account of
pensioners and workers.
Indian firms are the leading
investors in Nepal, accounting
for about 40 per cent of the total
approved foreign direct investments.
There is also an established
mechanism between the two
countries to take forward cooperation
in the hydropower sector.
India is the leading development
aid partner for Nepal focusing on
creation of infrastructure at the
She said Minister of State for
External Affairs V.K. Singh will
go to Iraq to bring back the mortal
remains of the Indians. "The plane
carrying the bodies will first reach
Amritsar, then Patna and then go to
Kolkata."
She dismissed the claims of Masih,
the only survivor who escaped
from Mosul.
"He was not willing to
tell me how he escaped,"
she said.
He had escaped
along with
Bangladeshis with the
help of a caterer with a
fake name Ali, she said.
Briefing media persons
later, Sushma Swaraj
said her government did not
believe in declaring a missing person
as believed to be killed.
"Not a single day was spared in
our efforts to trace them after they
went missing in June 2014," Sushma
Swaraj said.
Asked why then there was such
a delay in confirming the death of
these Indians, she said the DNA
samples were initially matched with
the bodies found in mass graves in
Iraq. Asked what kept hopes alive of
the fate of these men, the minister
said at least two Heads of State had
said they might not have been killed.
The lone Indian wondered why
the government didn't believe him
all these years after having "spoken
grass-root level, under which various
projects have been implemented in
the areas of infrastructure, health,
water resources, education and rural
and community development.
Monday's meeting comes after
the Left coalition came to power
following last year's parliamentary
and local body elections in the
Himalayan nation.
While K.P. Sharma Oli's
Communist Party of Nepal-Unified
Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) won
the largest number of seats, the
CPN-Maoist Centre, led by former
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal
"Prachanda", seen as a good friend
of India, became the second largest
party. Monday's meeting between
Friday, March 23, 2018
P
the truth".
"I had been saying for the past
three years that all 39 Indians had
been killed by ISIS militants,"
Masih, 28, a resident of a village in
Gurdaspur district, told reporters.
He said they all were killed in
front of his eyes. Narrating the
incident, Masih said the Indians
were kidnapped by the militants
I
and after some days they fired
indiscriminately at them.
"I was fortunate to manage to
escape from the clutches of the
militants despite getting a bullet
injury," he said. Reacting to the
confirmation of deaths, Swaran
Singh, whose kin was among the 39
dead, said Sushma Swaraj should
have informed the aggrieved families
about the deaths before "exploding
the bomb on us" in Parliament.
"This is nothing less than brutality
to the families who were waiting
for the safe return of their boys.
The minister should have called us
before exploding the bomb on us,"
Singh said.
He said the government earlier
trusted unreliable sources about their
safety and "it is very much possible
that the claim made by them now is
also wrong".
Kanwaljit Kaur, the mother of
Dharmendra Kumar of Batala
village in Gurdaspur district, said: "I
have not lost hope. I have shortlisted
a few girls for him and anxiously
waiting to see him as a bridegroom."
Nepal's Industry, Commerce and Supplies Minister Matrika Yadav calls on External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi on March 19, 2018.
Sushma Swaraj and Yadav can be
seen as a part of New Delhi's efforts
to reach out to Kathmandu given
Oli's pro-China image. Yadav is a
standing committee member of the
CPN-Maoist Centre.
Last week, Sushma Swaraj also
made a phone call to congratulate
The Indian Weekender
Modi makes
congratulatory
call to Merkel
rime Minister Narendra Modi
on Wednesday called German
Chancellor Angela Merkel to
congratulate her on assuming office
for the fourth successive term.
An official release said Modi
lauded “the strong leadership”
provided by Chancellor Merkel to
Germany, and the pivotal role played
by Germany in European affairs
during her tenure.
“Prime Minister Modi reiterated
his commitment to continue
working with Chancellor Merkel
for deepening and strengthening the
Indo-German bilateral relationship,”
the release said.
The Prime Minister also said
during the telephonic talk that he is
looking forward to his forthcoming
meeting with German President
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who will
be on a State Visit to India from
March 22 to 26.
Merkel was officially re-elected
the German Chancellor with the
majority of lawmakers in the lower
parliament backing her candidacy in
a vote last week.
India wants multi-
polar world, ready
to join world
leaders: Minister
ndia wants a multi-polar world
and is ready to take its "well-
deserved place" among the
leading nations, Union Minister
of State for Corporate Affairs P.P.
Chaudhary on said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the inaugural of the
18th International Competition
Network Annual Conference here,
the Minister, according to an official
statement, said: "There is a growing
need to follow a phased, flexible and
planned approach to global anti-trust
cooperation."
It is essential to overcome
the challenges in cross-border
investigations and mergers while
confronting different legal systems,
diverse evidence collection
mechanisms and so on, he added.
Speaking at the event, Competition
Commission of India Chairperson
D.K. Sikri said the issues related
to big data, artificial intelligence,
internet of things and blockchain,
among others, can pose a number of
competition challenges.
her newly appointed Nepalese
counterpart Pradeep Gyawali.
In her congratulatory letter, she
expressed confidence that India-
Nepal partnership will be further
strengthened during his tenure,"
Kumar said, adding that she also
invited Gyawali to visit India.
 The Indian Weekender
President presents Padma awards
P
resident Ram Nath Kovind
on Tuesday presented Padma
Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan
and the Padma Shri awards at a
ceremony held at the Rashtrapati
Bhavan.
The ceremony, held at the majestic
Durbar Hall, was attended by Vice
President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Home
Minister Rajnath Singh apart from
other dignitaries. Home Secretary
Rajiv Gauba anchored the event.
The President, Vice President and
the Prime Minister informally met
the awardees and their families over
tea and interacted with them briefly
after the ceremony was over.
The gesture thrilled the recipients
and the attendees who hankered to
get their pictures clicked with the
highest office bearers of the country.
The youngsters looked particularly
enamoured with Modi and jostled to
take selfies or pictures with him as he
passed by greeting them.
For a change, the hawk-eyed
security personnel did not mind
people coming close to the Prime
Minister, who looked dapper in his
traditional kurta-pyjama and sky-
blue jacket.
The President conferred Padma
Vibhushan - the country’s second
highest civilian honour -- on
film music director Ilaiyaraja,
Hindustani classical vocalist Ghulam
Mustafa Khan and writer-thinker P.
Parameswaran.
He conferred Padma Bhushan,
the third highest civilian honour
Friday, March 23, 2018
Yogendra receives Padma Shri from
President Ram Nath Kovind at the Civil
Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati
Bhavan, in New Delhi on March 20,
2018.
on Philipose Mar Chrusostom,
the senior most Bishop of the
Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian
Church; Ramachandran Nagaswamy,
an expert in Indian art; professor
Ved Prakash Nanda, a John Evans
Distinguished Professor at University
of Denver; and Pandit Arvind Parikh,
India’s one of the top sitar players.
The President also gave away
Padma Shri award to the first lot of
36 recipients including sporstsmen
Somdev Devvarman and Kidambi
Shrikanth, painter Bhajju Shyam
and yoga trainer Nouf Almarwaai, a
Saudi Arabi national.
The HummFM App
Download & Win!*
V Nanammal receives Padma Shri from
President Ram Nath Kovind at the Civil
Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati
Bhavan, in New Delhi on March 20,
2018.
Lentina Ao Thakkar receives Padma
Shri from President Ram Nath Kovind
at the Civil Investiture Ceremony, at
Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on
March 20, 2018
Live Playlists
Polls & Contests
India warns Facebook, Zuckerberg
of action over data breach
File photo of law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad interacting with Facebook CEO Mark
Zuckerberg during his visit to New Delhi
I
ndia on Wednesday warned
social media giant Facebook
and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg
of “stringent action” including
summoning him over “misuse”
of data to allegedly influence
electoral process.
“As Law Minister of India let me
make it very, very clear. We fully
support freedom of press, freedom
of speech and expression and free
exchange of ideas on social media.
“But any attempt to covert or
overt by the social media including
Facebook of trying to influence
India’s electoral process through
undesirable means will neither be
appreciated nor tolerated,” Union
Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar
Prasad told the media.
“Let Facebook note it very clearly.
And if need be stringent action shall
be undertaken.”
The warning comes amid reports
that a data analytics firm that worked
with US President Donald Trump’s
election team allegedly harvested
millions of Facebook profiles of
US voters to influence their choice
at the ballot box. Prasad, a senior
BJP leader, reminded Zuckerberg
Open Chat Set Favourites
Online Requests
INDIA 19
of powers of India’s IT Act, saying
“you better note the observation of IT
Minister of India.
“If any data theft of Indians is
done with the collusion of Facebook
systems, it will not be tolerated. We
have got stringent powers in the
IT Act including summoning you
in India.” Prasad said the government
was in touch with the US Federal
Trade Commission and the
Department of Justice to assess the
privacy violations of Indian users.
“We will also summon the
company and Facebook to assess the
data theft of Indian users and will
take strictest action,” he warned.
Cambridge Analytica, a British
consulting company, was accused
of harvesting data of up to 50
million Facebook users without
permission and using the data to help
politicians, including Trump and
the Brexit (Britain’s exit from the
EU) campaign.
The European Union (EU) and
British lawmakers have demanded
that Facebook should clarify data
breach following revelations that
personal data was massively misused
for political purposes.
 20 INDIA ABROAD
CANADA’S TOP
SIKH TYCOON
DONATES $10M
TO UNIVERSITY
C
anada’s top Sikh real
estate tycoon Bob Dhillon
donated $10 million to the
University of Lethbridge in Alberta
on Wednesday.
The university has renamed its
business school after him. It will
henceforth be called the Dhillon
School of Business.
Calgary-based Bob (Navneet)
Dhillon is the president and CEO
of the real estate giant Mainstreet
Equity Corporation which he started
from the back of his car in the 1980s.  "I am an immigrant and
With its assets over $1.5 billion,
the company owns over 10,000
apartment units across Canada.
The university said the Dhillon
School of Business will drive
futuristic learning and focus on new
technologies such as blockchain,
cryptocurrencies and new growth
industries, including artificial
intelligence and robotics.
“I’m a first-generation immigrant
Guru Gobind Singh’s life, teachings
hailed at Birmingham seminar
F
T
he life and teachings of Guru
Gobind Singh were hailed at
a seminar organised by the
University of Birmingham and the
Consulate General of India to mark
the 350th birth anniversary of the
10th Sikh guru.
Over 500 people gathered at the
university’s Aston Webb building for
the seminar on Saturday.
The keynote address was
delivered by former chief "Guru
justice of India Jagdish Gobind Singh
Singh Khehar. was a spiritual
The event was
master, warrior, poet
hosted by the
and philosopher, who
university’s Edward
made many notable
Cadbury Centre for
contributions to
Public Understanding
Sikhism."
of Religion.
Andrew Davies from the
centre said, “We are delighted
to welcome so many people to
the University of Birmingham to
celebrate the life of this revered
leader of one of the world’s great
religions.”
“Guru Gobind Singh was a
spiritual master, warrior, poet and
Bob Dhillon
and I’m very fortunate that I’m in a
position to make this contribution.
This is my way of giving back to
Canada,” said Dhillon whose family
hails from Tallewal village near
Barnala in Punjab.
Dhillon, who is an alumnus of
Bishop Cotton School in Shimla,
said: “I am an immigrant and a
businessman and I’m extremely
thankful for the opportunities I’ve
had growing up here in Canada.  discover.”
a businessman and I’m
extremely thankful for
the opportunities I’ve
had growing up here in
Canada." 
“I was very fortunate that the
importance of education was drilled
into me by my family, my parents,
From left to right – D PSingh, counsellor (Consular) High Commission of India, London; Bhai Mohinder Singh ,
chairman Nishkam Guru Nanak Sewa Jatha; Aman Puri, consul-general of India, Birmingham; Justice J S Khehar,
former Chief Justice of India; Mandeep Kaur, Sikh chaplain to the British armed forces; and Andrew Davies,
director, Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham.
philosopher, who made many
notable contributions to Sikhism.
He founded the Sikh warrior
community, called Khalsa, and
introduced five articles of faith that
Khalsa Sikhs wear all the time.
“He continued the formalisation
of the religion and wrote key Sikh
texts, but his declaration of the Sikh
my brother, really everybody around
me growing up.”
The Sikh real estate tycoon, who
also holds an MBA from the famous
Ivey School of Business at Western
University, added: “Education is
what drives successful global nations
and Canada is unique in that there is
so much opportunity here.  famous Las Ramblas tourist spot,
“The UofL is a world-class
university that the world needs to
University President and Vice
Chancellor Mike Mahon said the
donation from Dhillon will be
transformational for his institution.  emergency services arrived.
“Our university was founded
by forward-thinking mavericks...
Here we are 50-plus years later
and we’re still looking ahead,
pushing boundaries and creating an
educational experience like no other.  is my duty to go and help somebody
“This gift, this commitment from
Dhillon, will help drive us forward.”
holy book as his successor ensured
the Guru Granth Sahib remains the
Sikhs’ guide and is as relevant today
as it was in the 17th century.”
Participants at the seminar
included Bhai Sahib Mohinder
Singh, chairman of the Guru Nanak
Nishkam Sewa Jatha in Birmingham,
DP Singh of the High Commission
Friday, March 23, 2018
British Indian man wins bravery
award in Barcelona terror attack
Julian
Cadman
A
n Indian-
origin Birmingham man,
who risked his life to help a
fatally injured young boy in the last
year›s Barcelona terror attack, has
been selected for this year’s ‘Pride of
Birmingham’ award
Harry Athwal, a project At
manager from Great that moment
Barr area of north- you have a split
west Birmingham, second to decide what you Cadman, who have
was in Spain on are going to do. It was my
holiday with a group instinct that I had to go and heroic actions.
of friends and family, help somebody. I had to
including his sister do something. It’s in
Kinde Dehr, when a my DNA
terrorist drove a van into
pedestrians on Barcelona’s
killing 13 people and injuring
hundreds. He ran to help seven-year-
old Julian Alessandro Cadman, who
was among those hit, and defied
police orders to evacuate the area
to keep holding on to him until the
The boy, who had dual British
and Australian nationality, died on
the spot but his family have since
thanked Athwal for being there for
him. “I am a Sikh, and in Sikhism it
who is hurt or who is being bullied.
That, in a sense, overtook me. I
didn’t have time to think,” Athwal
of India, London, and Mandeep
Kaur, Sikh chaplain to the British
armed forces.
India’s consul-general Aman Puri
said: “I am particularly pleased that
justice Khehar travelled all the way
from India for this event and shared
his thoughts on the current relevance
of Guru’s message for humanity”.
The Indian Weekender
Harry Athwal
told the Birmingham Mail.
“At that moment you have a split
second to decide what you are going
to do. It was my instinct that I had to
go and help somebody. I had to do
something. It’s in my DNA,” he said.
The 45-year-old has since
been in touch with the
boy’s grandparents,
Noreen and Tony
thanked him for his
He had arrived in
Barcelona on August
17, 2017, the day of
the attack along with his
sister Kinde Dehr and a group
of friends.
A week ago, he was in Barcelone
for a family holiday with his wife
Harjinder and two sons, 19-year-old
Deirnn and eight-year-old Khye, to
celebrate his younger son’s birthday
The group was having lunch at a
restaurant overlooking Las Ramblas
when he heard people’s scream and
saw a van ploughing through them.
He rushed down to the street to try
and help.
“The noise was phenomenal as it
[van] hit people - thump after thump
after thump. Straight away, I realised
it was a terrorist attack,” he recalled.
Indian American-led
team chasing information
leakers at Facebook:
Report
acebook CEO Mark
Zuckerberg has reportedly
deployed "secret police" to
catch and punish information leakers
at his company and the team is led by
an Indian American senior employee
Sonya Ahuja.
According to a report in The
Guardian, an unnamed employee
was called to a meeting in 2017 under
the guise of a promotion. However,
he found himself face to face with
the secretive "rat-catching" team
led by Ahuja, the company's head of
investigations.
The team had records of
screenshots he had taken, links he
had clicked or hovered over.
The "secret police" also accessed
chats between him and a journalist
dating back to before he joined the
company.
"It's horrifying how much they
know. You go into Facebook and it
has this warm, fuzzy feeling of 'we're
changing the world' and 'we care
about things'.
"But you get on their bad side
and all of a sudden you are face to
face with [Facebook CEO] Mark
Zuckerberg's secret police," the
employee told The Guardian.
 The Indian Weekender Friday, March 23, 2018 WORLD 21

Trump congratulates Putin for Russian election win: Kremlin

U
S President Donald Trump with
Russian President Vladimir
Putin at the G-20 Summit in
Hamburg, Germany.
President Donald Trump and Vladimir
Putin on Tuesday discussed holding a possible
summit as the American leader congratulated
the Russian President on his re-election, the
Kremlin said.
The Kremlin said that the two presidents also
spoke Tuesday about the need to coordinate
efforts to limit the arms race and closer
cooperation on strategic stability and counter-
terrorism.
The statement says they also expressed
satisfaction with the apparent easing of tensions
over North Korea’s weapons programme.
The Kremlin said the two leaders also
discussed the Ukrainian crisis and the seven-
year Syrian war and talked about a possible
bilateral meeting.
Russia has repeatedly said it hoped for
better ties with the US under Trump. Relations
between the two countries instead have
remained tense amid the allegations of Russian
meddling in the 2016 US presidential election
and the investigations of whether there was
collusion between Trump’s campaign and
Russia. Earlier, Putin spokesman Dmitry
Peskov said he doesn’t consider Trump’s
silence an “unfriendly move.” Peskov said
maybe Trump’s schedule didn’t allow it and
suggested he might call later. The White House
said Monday that it is “not surprised by the
outcome” of Sunday’s election, and that no
US President Donald Trump with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 Summit in Hamburg,
congratulatory call was planned.

Stephen Hawking's ashes to sit

Germany.

near graves of Newton and Darwin

"But it's not empty. Think of it as a
kind of vacuum energy permeating
the fabric of spacetime that defies
measure," the astrophysicist said on his
official Twitter account.
T
he ashes of world famous physicist
Steven Hawking will be interred in
London's Westminster Abbey near
the graves of ground-breaking scientists Sir
Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.
In a statement released by the Abbey on
Tuesday, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall,
Dean of Westminster, said it was a "fitting"
tribute to the British scientist who passed
away last week at the age of 76.
"We believe it to be vital that science and
religion work together to seek to answer the
great questions of the mystery of life and of
the universe," Hall said in the statement.
Isaac Newton was buried at the Abbey
following his death in 1727, as was naturalist
Charles Darwin a century and a half later
in 1882. The Abbey announced there
would also be a service of thanksgiving in
Hawking's honor later in the year. Queen
Elizabeth II lays a wreath on the tomb of Sir
Isaac Newton in London, on March 8, 2010.
Considered by many to be the greatest
scientist of his generation, Hawking
overcame a debilitating disease to gain a
worldwide following for his brilliant work in
theoretical physics.
He was born in Oxford, England, in 1942
on the 300th anniversary of the death of
astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei.
Along with fellow physicist Roger Penrose,
Hawking merged Einstein's theory of
relativity with quantum theory to suggest
that space and time would begin with the Big
Bang and end in black holes.
His landmark "A Brief History of Time"
sold more than 10 million copies.
He accomplished all this while suffering
from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis),
a neurodegenerative disease which is
usually fatal within a few years. He was
diagnosed in 1963. Although his disease left
him paralyzed and using a wheelchair for
mobility, Hawking said on his website he had
tried not to let it affect the way he lived his
life. "I try to lead as normal a life as possible,
and not think about my condition, or regret
the things it prevents me from doing, which
are not that many," he wrote on his website.
Following news of his death, his fellow
scientists around the world paid tribute
to Hawking, with Neil DeGrasse Tyson
saying he had left an "intellectual vacuum in
his wake."

H-1B visa fast-track processing

on hold, but lottery stays

A
ccording to the USCIS, it was
suspending the service to deal with
long-pending petitions.
The United States has suspended premium
processing of H-1B visas for 2019, for which
applications will be accepted from April 2 and
petitions will be randomly selected through
electronic lottery as before.
Premium processing allows companies to
apply for fast-tracking petitions for a higher fee.
This is the second time in two years that the US
citizenship and immigration services (USCIS),
which ru`ns the programme, has suspended it.
But the rest of the H-1B selection process will
remain as it is, through a lottery. “The lottery
will be conducted as in past years,” wrote
Joanne F Talbot of USCIS in response to an
email query about changes, if any, specifically
the lottery.
She continued: “USCIS uses a computer-
generated lottery to randomly select enough
petitions to meet the 65,000 general cap and
the 20,000 cap under the advance degree
exemption.”
There are “no changes”, Talbot said, when
asked about proposals to end the lottery and
replace it with a system that prioritised petitions
offering the highest wages to most qualified
professionals.
According to the USCIS, it was suspending
the service to deal with long-pending petitions.
“This temporary suspension will help us
reduce overall H-1B processing time,” it
said. The suspension is expected to last until
September 10.
The Trump administration has pushed for
ending the electronic lottery, arguing it is gamed
by companies — naming Indian firms Infosys,
TCS and Wipro — that file more petitions than
needed to stand a better chance in the random
selection.
Indians are the highest recipient of H-1B
visas, accounting for more than 70% of those
issued in 2016. But a large number of them are
generally hired by American companies such as
Facebook, Google and Microsoft.
 22 SPORTS Friday, March 23, 2018 The Indian Weekender

MS DHONI
‘TOPPER IN
UNIVERSITY
WHERE I AM
STILL
STUDYING’:
DINESH
KARTHIK
Dinesh Karthik, whose sensational late-order blitz helped India pull off a tense chase in the Nidahas Trophy final against
Bangladesh, said that he has learnt a lot from MS Dhoni and he should not be compared with the former India captain

D
inesh Karthik has become the
toast of the nation with his
8-ball-29 against Bangladesh
in the Nidahas Trophy tri-series final
but he still feels like a “student in
an University where MS Dhoni is a
topper”, when comes to the tag of a
best finisher.
“When it comes to Dhoni -- I am
studying in a university where he is
the topper. He is one of the guys I
have always looked up to. It is unfair
to compare me with him,” Karthik
told journalists during an interaction,
on Tuesday.
Interestingly, Karthik made his
international debut in September
2004 during Champions Trophy
in England, three months before
Dhoni’s debut against Bangladesh in
a bilateral series in December.
In the next 14 years, Dhoni became
India’s most successful captain and
one of its greatest limited overs
exponent while Karthik struggled in
the fringes, waiting for his chances.
“His (Dhoni) journey has been
totally different and my journey is
a different one. He is a terrific guy.
He is somebody who used to be
reserved, shy. Today, he is a person,
who is really vocal in helping the
youngsters. I feel these comparisons
are very unfair. As I said, he is
probably a topper in a university,
where I am studying. I am just happy
in the space I am in,” Karthik said.
"It feels good that all
the attention is on me.
All the good karma and
good things I have done
over the years helped me
hit that six. It is just that
the shot went for a six...
probably the two mm
extra that it went for it
became a six."
Having been around for a decade
and a half, Karthik is finally enjoying
his time under spotlight, something
he has so richly deserved. He
attributes it to his good karma and
divine intervention.
“It feels good that all the attention
is on me. All the good karma and
good things I have done over the
years helped me hit that six. It is just
that the shot went for a six... probably
the two mm extra that it went for it
became a six.”
The feeling is yet to sink in and
Karthik admitted it.
“It is hard for me to put in words.
I am just happy to play this sport.
When you play domestic cricket, it
is a hard grind, To suddenly get so
much attention feels so good but you
also know that you want this to be a
start of something special,” he added.
Karthik also said the time spent
with Mumbai cricketer Abhishek
Nayar over the years had helped him
strengthen the mental aspect of his
game.
“He (Abhishek Nayar) has been
the most important factor in the last
two and half years in my career. He
has helped me prepare for games.
He has made me think in terms of
strategy. He also knows what is the Indian Cricket team celebrates after winning the Nidahas Trophy tri-series final.
right way to work hard. He has been 32-year-old stumper said. Kolkata Knight Riders for the
the river and I have been the boat,” He may have been a bit upset with upcoming IPL and he would like to
he added. Rohit Sharma’s decision to promote grow in stature after the platform that
Karthik also defended rookie Shankar ahead of him but lavished Nidahas Trophy has provided him.
Vijay Shankar who didn’t have the praise on Mumbaikar’s style of “(The forthcoming) IPL is
experience of tackling Mustafizur captaincy. extemely imporant. It is a fabulous
Rahaman’s slower deliveries. “His (Rohit Sharma’s) biggest tournament. Indian cricket is where
“Vijay Shankar has the skill. He strength is that he has won three IPLs it is because of the IPL. We get to
has done really well as a bowler. as skipper and has immense belief in rub shoulders with the best. On a
For someone, who is a batting all- his ability to lead a team. He does a personal note, it is very important
rounder, he did well under pressure. lot of homework. He is strategically tournament for me,” Karthik said.
I see a really good future for him. very strong. He is a very thorough The feisty Karthik is excited about
He has got a good attitude. He is a captain and is someone who is his new role and wants to live up to
special talent and he has it in him highly-skilled,” Karthik said. the legacy left behind by Gautam
to play for a long, long time,” the Gambhir.

MS Dhoni gets Padma Bhushan award; Somdev

He has been named captain of

Devvarman, Kidambi Srikanth honoured

M
S Dhoni and Pankaj Advani were
honoured with the Padma Bhushan
award while the Padma Shri award
went to Kidambi Srikanth, Mirabai Chanu and
Somdev Devvarman.
Former Indian cricket team skipper MS
Dhoni and cueist Pankaj Advani were conferred
with the country’s third-highest civilian award,
Padma Bhushan, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Badminton ace Kidambi Srikanth and
former Asian Games gold medallist tennis
player Somdev Devvarman were also
honoured in the same ceremony as the duo
received Padma Shri awards. It was a season
to remember for second ranked shuttler as he
won as many as six titles including four Super
Series titles - French Open, Denmark Open,
Australian Open, Indonesia Open, India Open
and China Open.The other sportspersons who
received the Padma Shri award on Tuesday
were weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and
paralympian Murlikant Petkar.
Petkar was the first Indian paralympian to
win an individual Olympic gold medal when
he achieved the feat in the 1972 Summer
Paralympics, in Heidelberg, Germany.
He set a world record in the 50m freestyle
swimming event, at 37.33 seconds and was a
finalist in javelin, precision javelin throw and Indian President Ram Nath Kovind (R) confers the
slalom in the same tournament. Padma Shri award to Kidambi Srikanth during an
event at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi
 The Indian Weekender
CROSSWORD NO: 7
SUDOKU NO: 9
HITORI NO: 9
Hitori – a logic puzzle with very simple
rules and challenging solutions. Can
you eliminate numbers until there are
no duplicates in any row or column?
Objective / Rules
Eliminate numbers until there are
no duplicates in any row or column.
Eliminate numbers by marking
Friday, March 23, 2018 TIME OUT 23
QUIZ QUESTIONS NO: 7 ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What is the name of the
German airline? Lufthansa
2. In which European city can
you find the home of Anne
Frank? Amsterdam
3. How many stars has the
American flag got? Fifty
4. How long is the Great Wall
of China? 4000 miles
5. Who invented Ferrari? Enzo
Ferrari
6. According to the Bible, who
was the first murderer? Cain
7. In what year did princess
diana die? In the year 1997
8. Which famous British
women murderer of the 19th
century was never arrested?
Jack the Ripper
9. On which mountain did
Jesus take his last supper?
Golgotha or Calvary
10. What is the largest number
of five digits? 99999
11. What is the most fractured
human bone? Clavicle
12. What is the most famous
university of Paris?
Sorbonne
13. Which animal is on the
golden Flemish flag? Lion
14. What is the name of the
Indian holy river? Ganges
15. Which South American
country is named after
Venice? Venezuela
16. How many stars feature on
the flag of New Zealand?
Four stars
17. What colour to do you
get when you mix red and
white? Pink
18. What is both a French
wine region and a luxury
American automobile?
Cadillac
19. For which narrow sea strait
is Hellespont the ancient
name? Dardanelles
Send us stories, drawings,
poems and other
contributions by your
little ones along with their
photographs for this page.
E-mail us at reporter@
indianweekender.co.nz
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE NO: 7
See how many differences you can find in the right or left photo.
them in Black.
You are not allowed to have two
Black squares touching horizontally
or vertically (diagonally is ok).
Any White square can be reached
from any other (i.e. they are
connected).
24 FEATURES Friday, March 23, 2018 The Indian Weekender

Treat your lips to balms with

With superfoods, coconut oil
6

Ruby
RECIPES
H
RICE
ydrated, healthy lips can elevate yourself to exfoliate your lips. Mix
your appearance. Use lip balms with together a little organic coconut oil with
superfoods like blueberries, and some granulated sugar then scrub your lips

Vegetable Biryani
exfoliate chapped lips with a product with right with it. Just rinse it off when you’re done
ingredients like coconut oil or jojoba oil and and apply a bit of lip balm.
brown sugar, suggest experts. • Rose water and glycerine are both said to
Rice and spiced vegetables Use balms infused with superfoods: have various benefits. While rosewater
are cooked in layers to • Blueberries: These contain anti-oxidants will leave a light pink tint on your lips, the
that protect from premature ageing.  glycerine will take away the dry and dead
create a visual feast

T
• Grapefruits and mandarins: These are skin. Combine both these products and
here are many theories about the route rich in vitamin A and C, minerals and apply it to your lips and get rid of all the
via which biryani found its way to antioxidants and the potassium present in dead skin and dryness.
Ruby Dhillon India’s Most Wanted Recipies | 153

India. West Asia, Afghanistan, Persia the grapefruit provides a protective shield • Use jojoba oil as it will provide the much-
and even Kazhakstan are variously credited METHOD against UV rays. wanted nourishment and moisturising
with introducing the dish to the Indian palette. • Peel and slice the onions and fry them in • Cranberries: This fruit contains a high effect. Mix it with brown sugar as it is good
Fragrant Basmati rice is the grain of choice in a hot oil until crisp and brown in colour, percentage of vitamin B3, vitamin B5 for exfoliation. Scrub your lips with this
traditional biryani recipes. Layers of rice are which will take 2-3 minutes. Remove and and antioxidants making it useful in mix and witness the smooth lips that are
alternated with spiced veggies and cooked spread them on the paper towel for the shielding you from any harm caused due free from all the dirt and dryness. Massage
together in this one-pot marvel. extra oil to be absorbed. Keep aside. to environmental factors.  it in for not more than 3-4 minutes.
• Boil rice with bay leaves, green • Brush your lips. Apply a thin layer of a • Green tea oil is full of goodness and
Prparation Time: 30 Min cardamom, clove, salt and oil until the multipurpose organic balm, then use a antioxidants that can help calm, reduce
Cooking Time: 30 Min rice if half cooked. Remove the whole soft toothbrush to gently scrub the dead redness, reveal radiance that looks healthy
Serve: 4 garam masala and drain the rice. Keep skin off. Make sure you’re using a new and has a glow all year around. It makes
Taste: Mild aside. toothbrush for this purpose so you don’t for the perfect scrub for this time of the
• Boil the vegetables until half cooked, scrub toothpaste into your lip’s delicate year to help prolong the summer glow. 
INGRDIENTS: drain and keep aside. skin or dead skin cells onto your teeth. • When applied topically, it is an effective
• 2 large onions • Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan on medium • Using coconut oil and sugar is a really treatment for preventing bleeding lips.
• Oil for deep frying heat add cumin seeds, green cardamom, simple, inexpensive and easy do-it-
For the rice black cardamom, cinnamon stick, mace
• 11/2 cup rice (soaked in 1 cup of water for
30 minutes)
and cloves, sauté until very fragrant. Add
ginger, garlic paste, stir for 1-2 minutes.
Genius kitchen hacks you should know
For easier hard-boiled eggs, salt suggests Laurent Tourondel, chef and partner at
• 4 cups water Add tomatoes and sauté on medium heat
is your BFF Arlington Club in New York City. This is good
• 2 bay leaves stirring continuously until the tomatoes
• 2 green cardamon seeds are soft.
• 1 clove • Add vegetables and fry them for 2-3
• 1tsp salt minutes on medium heat, stirring
• 1 tsb oil continuously. Lower the heat and add
For cooking cumin powder, coriander powder, red
• 2 cups of vegetables (any with your chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt,
choice) mix well.
• 2 Tbsp oil • Whisk yoghurt then add to the vegetables,
• 1 tsp cumin seeds sauté for a minute then add mint leaves,
• 2 green cardamon
• 1 cinnamon stick
coriander leaves, lemon juice and water,
mix well.
• Take half of the vegetables out of the pan
W ant the shells of hard-boiled eggs to
come off in big chunks instead of a
million tiny pieces? Add a teaspoon of salt to
to remember when trying to squeeze out as
much juice as possible for a vinaigrette. 
• 2 mace
• 2 cloves for layering. Sprinkle half fried onions the cooking water before putting in the eggs. Cut away the mold
• 2 tsp ginger paste
• 2 tsp garlic paste
(keep 1Tbsp of fried onions aside to
sprinkle on rice in the end) on top of the
vegetables in the pan.
Clean a blender sans sponge
B efore you
toss suspect-
looking leftovers,
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder • Spread half of the rice on vegetables, know this: firm
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder sprinkle fried onions and half of saffron foods are more
• Salt to taste milk then spread other half of vegetables likely to be
• 1 cup yoghurt, plain and thick on the rice. Top with the other half of rice. salvageable than
• 1/2 cup mint leaves chopped • Last sprinkle the remaining of saffron soft foods. Mold
• 1/2 cup corinder leaves chopped with milk, clarified butter, mint leaves, generally can’t
penetrate deep into hard cheeses like Asiago

F
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice coriander leaves and fried onions on the ill it one-third full with warm water
• 1/2 cup water rice. and cheddar, so it’s OK to cut off about an inch.
and a few drops of dishwashing liquid,
For laying the biryani • Cover the pan with a damped muslin The same goes for firm produce like bell
recommends Woman’s Day. Run it for ten
• 2 tsp saffron soaked in 3 Tbsp of warm cloth. Close the pan with a lid on top for peppers and carrots. However, chuck moldy-
seconds. Rinse and dry.
milk the moisture to retain and let the biryani looking foods with high moisture content—
• 2 Tbsp clarified butter cook for 5-8 minutes. Take the pan off the Juice a lemon with a microwave yogurt, soft cheeses, cooked leftovers,

Z
• 2Tbsp of mint leaves chopped heat and leave it covered for 5 minutes. ap a lemon for ten seconds to break down and bread. Porous foods are likely to be
• Serve with raita cells and make the juice flow faster, contaminated beneath the surface.
• 2Tbsp coriander leaves chopped
 Friday, March 23, 2018
HEALTH
The Indian Weekender
Healthy office spaces
promote healthy lifestyles
M
anaged and serviced co-working
spaces go an extra step to promote
a healthy lifestyle. Studies have
shown that employees who work in a healthy
environment usually enjoy good well-being,
increased productivity and a positive outlook
towards the company.
Creating a perfect office set-up and turning
it into an ideal workplace environment usually
involves astronomical costs. From paying
office rent to office furnishings, insurances,
equipment and money invested in health and
hygiene, the cost is mostly high.
• Maintaining hygiene: None of
the healthy measures taken into
consideration will be effective if the
workstation itself is host to illnesses
and lacks basic sanitation. There are
numerous people who get satisfaction
from a clean environment. An absolutely
clean and a hygienic toilet with the smell
of fresh lemon is on everyone’s wish
list. A hygienic washroom boosts the
morale of office employees and helps in
increasing their productivity.
• Seeding plants: Numerous scientific
studies have established the advantages
-- both physical and psychological -- of
having plants inside the office. Moreover,
with pollution levels rising above the
danger zone, seeding indoor plants in
an office will contribute towards fresher
air and a cleaner environment. It is also
highly cost-effective compared to indoor
air purifiers: A significant aspect for any
cost-conscious business owner.
• Pantry services: Clean, healthy and
Manisha Koushik is a practicing astrologer, tarot card reader, numerologist, vastu and fengshui
consultant based in India with a global presence through the online channels. She is available for
consultations online as well. E-mail her at support@askmanisha.com or contact
at +91-11-26449898 Mobile/Whatsapp: +919015607139 • www.askmanisha.com
hygienic food leads to happy and
efficient employees. Hence, pantry
services form an important ingredient
of a healthy work environment. Industry
experts say 70 per cent to 90 per cent
of healthcare spending can be saved by
excluding unhealthy lifestyle choices,
one of the major reasons for chronic
lifestyle diseases.
Co-working and managed office space
providers are opting for pantry service
wherein snacking becomes a healthy break-
time instead of employees depending on
junk food from roadside shops and streetfood
vendors.
• Bright interiors, comfortable
furniture: A specially-designed office
ensures innovation among employees.
According to psychoanalysts, mental
and physical health is majorly dependent
on the physical work environment.
Hence, managed and co-working
spaces these days prefer bright coloured
furniture along with peppy interiors.
Such colours make employees more
productive and help them stay active
throughout the day. Comfortable
ergonomic furniture has also proven
to alleviate stress in employees, hence
promoting a positive work environment.
Interactive work desks are also a new
concept offered by co-working office
providers, which not only encourages
interaction but can also change height
and position according to the comfort
postures of employees.
• Gyms for strong work life: Various
studies have claimed a solid connection
between the amount of time people spend
in sitting and thereafter the increased
chances of diabetes, obesity, cancer and
cardiovascular diseases.
Hence, co-working and managed office
spaces are providing office gyms for
employees to maintain energy, enthusiasm
and positivity – while helping an individual
become healthier and fitter.
FEATURES 25
March 23 to 29 March | By Manisha Koushik
ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 20)
Someone in the family can bring disrepute, so take steps to nip it in the bud, if
possible. Keep your professional and personal lives separate, if you don’t want
to contend with any misunderstandings. Not understanding the urgency on the
academic front may create troubles, so remain in touch of the developments.
Add-on qualifications may be required for a better break in the job market.
Lucky Number : 18 / Lucky Colour : Saffron
TAURUS (Apr 21-May 20)
Getting snubbed on the romantic front appears to be in store for some. Those
pursuing higher studies are likely to get some lucrative job offers. Things go
perfectly well on the professional front, as you manage to make new clients
and sign new contracts. Your steely resolve will help you remain in top physical
condition. You will manage to boost your earning potential by making the right
moves. Lucky Number : 3 / Lucky Colour : Magenta
GEMINI (May 21-Jun 21)
Someone getting over smart on the social front may need to be put in place, so
do so, but smilingly! If there is something pending at work, it will be in your
interest to complete it the soonest. Monetary front grows strong for some. to
the one you love will keep your spirits high. It will be important to take a break
from academics, just to refresh your mind. Lucky Number : 9 / Lucky Colour
: Yellow
CANCER (Jun 22-Jul 20)
Keep a tab on meeting deadlines to refrain yourself from the last minute tensions.
Your consistency and reliability will help you take better decisions at workplace.
Your special someone may be in the mood to break the routine and do something
exciting. Business, love and travel with lovers go hand in hand, allowing you to
spend some good time together. Lucky Number : 5 / Lucky Colour : Bluish
Green
LEO (Jul 21-Aug 22)
Enjoying the fruits of labour on the fitness front is indicated for the health
conscious. A much anticipated social event may not prove as exciting as expected,
but you are assured of an enjoyable time. A short vacation promises a welcome
break from the routine, so start packing your bags. A well-coordinated teamwork
is required, if you want to tackle a new project or assignment at work. Lucky
Number : 15 / Lucky Colour : Sea Green
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 23)
Efforts to keep finances in order will succeed. Some of you may seriously
contemplate a job switch. Product manufacturers will need to enhance quality
of their products to pass muster. You will need to address lover’s fears about
something personal on the romantic front. Whatever you are doing to keep
yourself fit is likely to prove immensely beneficial.
Lucky Number : 4 / Lucky Colour : Dark Red
LIBRA (Sep 24-Oct 23)
A cheerful state of mind is likely to bring mental peace. Attending a social event/
family function brings a romantic encounter. Explore new opportunities that
come your way on the career front but consider them carefully before finalising.
It is the right time to enjoy some adventurous holidays with friends. You will
have to follow fitness routine to maintain good health. Lucky Number :8 /
Lucky Colour : Violet
SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 22)
Caution is advised in property investment, so don’t be hasty. Additional domestic
chores may prove tiring for some. Continue to put your best foot forward to
maintain your good tempo at work. Opening up in front of someone has its
own pitfalls, so consider carefully. Likelihood of getting job opportunities are
indicated for some this week. Lucky Number : 22 / Lucky Colour : Purple
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23-Dec 21)
Worries and apprehensions on the material front may have a sobering effect on
your spirit. A home loan desired by some is likely to get sanctioned this week.
You may have to abide by your commitment on the social front. Your request
for a raise is likely to fall on deaf ears. Be certain of the financial viability of
a project before putting it in action. Lucky Number :1 / Lucky Colour :Orange
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 21)
A rewarding week is ahead as you succeed in whatever you do. Mental alertness
would enable to confront tricky situations at work. Your confidence may get you
far on the job front along with right approach. Pleasing the one you love will help
in strengthening the relationship. Exercising to remain fit may start giving you
good results on the fitness front. Lucky Number : 6 / Lucky Colour : Turquoise
AQUARIUS (Jan 22-Feb 19)
You are likely to succeed in impressing people around with your positive outlook
& confidence. Be sure to consider the legal aspects, if you’re planning to purchase
a property. It is time to take up academics in the right earnest, since any delay
may find you lagging behind. Travel opportunities full of challenges are often the
beginning of great enterprises. Lucky Number : 17 / Lucky Colour : Sea Green
PISCES (Feb 20-Mar 20)
Your confidence on the academic front promises to take you to the very top. Job
market appears rosy, as opportunities come within your grasp. Waning interest of
someone you secretly love may get your alarm bells ringing! Not keeping a tab
on your expenses may soon find you in the red. Minor ailments, aches and pains
threaten to make life miserable for some. Lucky Number : 3 / Lucky Colour :
Magenta
 26 FEATURES
What does it take to be an International Citizen?
SANDEEP SINGH
T
he Making of International Citizen:
‘More than a Second Class Citizen’ is
the book that explores different facets
of the transformation of a person into a true
international citizen.
The book does not ask this question
explicitly; instead, it presents the journey of
transformation of an information technology
(IT) professional, deftly, of what is involved in
the transformation process.
The main protagonist of the book is an IT
professional, and the background setting is
Indian city Gurugram (formerly known as
Gurgaon) – the IT hub in the northern part of
India – where he works and then eventually
travels overseas in one of his job-related
postings.
The Indian IT hubs or cities have a life of
their own, often overflowing with abundant
energy of the youth, filled with the myriad
dreams and social aspirations.
There are many books depicting emotions
and human stories that go inside India’s
legendary cyber cities.
This book is a fictional work exploring various
facets of emotions around the transformation to
an international citizen.
The author of the book is Sankalp Jagati
(popularly known as Sanky) an Auckland
based freelance business consultant, writer and
business coach. The Indian Weekender spoke
to Mr Jagati about his venture. Here are the
excerpts from the interview.
IWK: Please tell us about your back-
ground and how you ventured into book
writing.
Sanky: I am a freelance business consultant,
writer and business coach. Currently, I am
TECHNOLOGY
Google Maps spotted testing a
new search bar, here's how it looks
T R
hose who have been following the
app industry must be aware that
Google keeps testing new features
and brings some major/minor, cosmetic
changes in its apps.
This time, the company’s Maps app is
found to be testing a new search bar. This
new change spotted by 9to5Google is
nothing major though but still has several
minor tweaks.
The new search bar is found in Google
Maps stable version 9.73.3 on Pixel 2 XL.
Unlike what is seen in other Google apps
such as Play Music, Google Play and others,
this new bar is more rounded from the
corners has ‘Google Maps’ logo placed in
between instead on one side.
There are also some variances noticed in
the box’s text. Some see “Where to?” while
others see “Search here” written inside the
search bar.
Google seems to be putting a lot of
emphasis on its search bar across web, apps
and other services.
Recently, the company’s video sharing
platform, YouTube, was also found testing
a new full-width search bar UI on Android.
However, the design still has the
rectangular look. Besides the look, nothing
else is changed on how the new bar
functions.
Surprisingly, the full-width search bar
removes YouTube branding from the main
screen.
Friday, March 23, 2018 The Indian Weekender
Book Review
1990s) and provide a perfect setting to project
the North Indian city, its culture and corporate
lifestyle to showcase an evolved metropolitan
city to the global readers to provide a glimpse of
the lives, struggles and willingness to succeed
of corporate middle income earners in India.
IWK: Is it your first book? Since when
have you been thinking about this plot
and writing book?
Sanky: This is my first published fiction
novel. In the past I’ve published academic
work in finance and public policy related issues
in India.
IWK: What is the main
message around the
book?
Sanky: As the
main character
of the book is a
engaged in business consulting and academic Gurgaon, India, its
lecturing in management subjects at tertiary main character Raja people’s person,
his dreams, his
level in Auckland, New Zealand. I love to write Chowdhary a ‘larger
fiction and satirical humour and enjoy playing than life’ figure, ways and means
are different
outdoor and indoor sports. his flamboyant
lifestyle and his than ordinary
IWK: What is this book all about? to succeed in
struggles (at work
Sanky: The story is centred on the main life. The book is a
and in his personal life)
character Raja, an IT professional, who has a work of fiction and
and ambitions before
flamboyant lifestyle and is a source of envy for satire and provides
coming to the mythical city
many. But what is not realised by many is that entertainment value to its
Aubaland based in Nuviland
he has his issues and struggles as well. This readers describing the struggle
where he wants to succeed in ‘his
book is a depiction of both and other emotions of immigrants coming to the western
way’ in a semi-government Telecom firm.
around his adjustment in the western world. world and trying to assimilate and succeed in
The key question that this book explores is if IWK: Why that background (say Guru- different work and cultural settings in their own
Raja is successful in achieving his ambitions on gram) – What makes you think of that way.
his own terms or become a mere statistic. plot? On a lighter note, this book also provides a
Sanky: The background and initial chapters peep into cultural insights and idiosyncrasies,
IWK: What is the background of the
are centred around the IT hub of North India, while breaking a few stereotypes.
book and the main protagonist?
Cyber city Gurgaon (Gurugram) known for The book is an inspiration for professionals
Sanky: Background of the book speaks about
the IT and services revolution (started in the to get to that final frontier.
everyday corporate life in an IT-firm situated in
Apple nearly doubles
self-driving fleet in
California
The search giant is moving more towards egistering 18 new vehicles since January, Apple
the rounded look. It already had a rounded has expanded its self-driving car programme
search bar in the stock Android Oreo UI. In rapidly and now has 45 autonomous vehicles
Android P Developer Preview 1, the firm is registered with
making the notifications also rounded from California's
the corners, matching it with the rest of the Department of
design language. Motor Vehicles.
Earlier this month, the search giant was The company
spotted testing a redesigned mobile site had 27 self-
with an address bar placed at the bottom of driving cars
the screen. As a minor change, the rounded until late
search bar is seen with a ‘G’ logo on the side January.
and the categories below the search bar are "Apple has
not boxed like what we see now. nearly doubled
the number of
self-driving cars
in its California test fleet. The number of cars is more
than companies like Google, Waymo, and Uberhave and
is second only to General Motors which performs tests
with Cruise -- its self-driving division," the Financial
Times reported late on Tuesday.
Behind Apple is Tesla which currently has 39 self-
driving vehicles, and Uber which has 29 cars.
Codenamed "Project Titan", Apple's self-driving
programme's fleet is reportedly made up of Lexus
RX450h SUVs each of which is fitted with huge racks of
LIDAR and radar sensors as well as cameras.
"The Cupertino-headquartered company is expected
to produce a platform for ride-hailing services, most
likely in partnership with third parties," according to
Apple Insider.
"Alternately, it could revert to designing its own
electric vehicle but the company would need to contract
with outside factories to build it," the report added.
 The Indian Weekender Friday, March 23, 2018 NEW ZEALAND 27

Tamil School of Dance hosts a magnificent dance show

RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

T
he Tamil School of Dance on Saturday,
March 17 hosted its annual event
at New Lynn Community Centre
showcasing the talents of the young classical
dancers of its school.
The school’s annual concert provides an
opportunity to their students to showcase
their talents to their families, friends and the
community. This year’s concert was based
on Ganapathi theme, which depicts the
story of Ganapathi – his birth, battles with
demons to destroy evil and the celebration of
Chaturthi festival.
The event was attended by the parents of the
students, classical dance lovers, National List
MPs Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Dr Paramjeet
Parmar, Labour MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan
and Puketapapa Local Board member
Ella Kumar.
The show started with Pushpanjali, The
that is offered as a prayer followed aim of Tamil
by Bharathanatyam dance. New Zealand School of
Dance’s is the preservation Classical dancers perform at the event
It is believed that dance, like
of culture through classical
music, knows no geographical
dance Bharathanatyam and Sitsabesan who has been a time to suit changing conditions and concepts has performed at the Auckland Diwali event on
boundaries, has no linguistic
bringing communities together Bharathanatiyam teacher of artistry. Aotea Square, Auckland International Cultural
barriers and has no racial in New Zealand for more Thus the arts of India, especially music and Festival, Auckland Library Shows organised
and unifying their minds
divisions. Dance is a great unifying than ten years. dance are a revelation of many thousands of by Auckland Council, Lakeside Festival,
and souls through this
and integrating force, and it is Ambiha Sitsabesan has years of culture and civilisation. Auckland Multicultural Expo and various other
form of art.
clearly demonstrated in the show that conducted numerous shows in The Tamil New Zealand School of Dance community andbusiness events.
included participating dancers from the Auckland and Wellington along has been training the students in the South The school has actively promoted the
Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, with her sons Sakayan and Saeyavan who have Indian style Bharathanatyam for over ten years younger generation in not just dancing, but
Hindi and Bengali speaking communities. graduated in Bharathanatyam six years ago. now. The school has students enrolled from also encourage students to teach dance, and
The aim of Tamil New Zealand School of Though Bharathanatyam originated over India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Fiji and showcase the vibrant art form at different
Dance’s is the preservation of culture through 2000 years ago, it has always been a growing South Africa. events and stages.
classical dance Bharathanatyam and bringing art in India and on a global scale. Its basic The school regularly performs at Indian It also encourages students to undertake
communities together and unifying their minds principles and ideals have remained practically community events, and also in other dance collaboration with community dance
and souls through this form of art. unchanged although its repertoire and forms of ethnic events and contributes to the greater groups and develop relationships with the
The Tamil New Zealand School of Dance is presentation have been changing from time to multicultural space of Aotearoa New Zealand. It wider Kiwi community.
managed by renowned classical dancer Ambiha

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

raises thousands for charity BHARATIYA MANDIR
252 -254 BALMORAL ROAD, MT ALBERT, AUCKLAND

SRI RAMNAVMI MAHOTSAV

SUNDAY, 25TH MARCH 2018
Neerja Pandit is renowned
Bollywood playback singer.
She is singing Bhajans
at Bharatiya Mandir on
this Sunday 25th March
from10.45am to 11.45am.
Paricipants at charity walkathon
This is a very special
opportunity to listen to this
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD Speaking at the event, Theresa Liebenberg of melodious singer.

T
the Blind Foundation praised the community’s
he Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
contribution is not just raising funds for
of New Zealand has always strived
the charity, but also towards changing the
to connect with the multicultural
commonly held misconceptions about the
community in the country and has taken
Islamic faith.
numerous initiatives to help the community
The Community’s spokesman, DrNadeem
including New Year’s Day clean-up drive,
Ahmad, acknowledged and applauded all the
raising funds for earthquake affected people,
participants and the volunteers who had worked
supporting local missions, hospitals etc.
tirelessly in the background to make the event
One event that the Ahmadiyya community NEERJA PANDITJI
a success.
hosts every year is its annual walkathon
The walk was followed by a barbeque lunch
charity walk to raise funds and contribute to a 18th March to 24th March 2018 SUNDAY, 25th March 2018
sponsored by Mike Pero New Zealand, and its
community cause.
representative Sheikhil Khan gave out special
On Saturday, March 17, it arranged the SRI RAM JANMOTSAV POOJA
prizes to the individuals with the highest SRI RAMCHARIT MANAS KATHA
walkathon event at the Barry Curtis Park in Flat 9.15 AM TO 10.45 AM
pledge amounts.
Bush. About one hundred participants took part BY BHAJANS BY NEERJA PANDITJI
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a
in the walk along with the representatives of ACHARYA SHRI UPENDRABHAI JOSHI 10.45 AM TO 11.45 AM
worldwide reformist movement in Islam, with
the Blind Foundation and guide dogs walking TIME: 7.45 PM TO 9.00 PM
millions of followers in over 200 countries. It is SRI RAM JANMOTSAV AARTI
together to raise funds for charity.
acknowledged worldwide for its sincere efforts 12.00 MIDDAY
In its tenth year, the annual event is organised
to establish global peace, and for its work
by volunteers of the Ahmadiyya community, BHANDARA (MAHAPRASAD) will be served everyday
towards charitable causes.
with 100 per cent of the funds raised passed
The community organisation recently
on to the charities. This year the walk raised
hosted mosque open day in Christchurch and a PLEASE CONTACT : ACHARYA SHRI UPENDRA BHAI JOSHI OR
over $10,500 that will be split between the
jalsa event that relayed the message of peace PT SHRI GOVIND SHARMA ON 09-8462677 OR JYOTI PARASHAR
Blind Foundation and the Humanity First
and brotherhood amongst the diverse ethnic (RELIGIOUS COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON) ON 0212082915
International charities.
communities in the country.
 28 ENTERTAINMENT Friday, March 23, 2018 The Indian Weekender

AUCKLAND’S HOTTEST BOLLYWOOD STATION

Aishwarya Rai:
Even though I have never announced it,
Smiling was Anil Kapoor’
s biggest ‘hichki’

A
ctor
Kapoor
Anil

says one of

my choices were meant to bring about the major hiccups at

the start of his career

change in perception was that he couldn’t

smile in front of the

E
ven though I have never announced playing a character integral to the narrative and camera.
it, my choices were meant to bring yet the character was not the obvious leading lady, The makers of
about change in perception which was a first. Rani Mukerji starrer Hichki are promoting the
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan spoke about Again, I was fearlessly making that choice. film uniquely by asking prominent personalities
her career and choices in an interview to a People could have reacted with: Does that mean to share their untold weaknesses and how
leading publication. She said that she broke you are now going to play character roles? That they eventually converted them into massive
norms and her choices opened avenues for as a conversation could have started. And even strengths.Anil said: “When I began my career, I
all actors. today I’m saying it. But the reactions were was told that my eyes are quite small and they
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan set "Even different; I was lauded for doing that part. looked even smaller when I smiled. That made
the temperatures soaring though I have And  Karan Johar  said, “I wouldn’t me conscious about smiling. I would never smile
with her act in Ae Dil Hai never announced it, a have had Saba without you.”” openly, and I would suppress my natural smile.
Mushkil. She played the lot of my choices from the She also said, “Even though I But then I overcame this ‘hichki’.
role of Saba who falls ‘90s until now were meant have never announced it, a lot of “I began to stop worrying that my eyes would
for a much younger to bring about change in my choices from the ‘90s until now look small, and I worked on my smile. Now, each
character in the film. perception and open were meant to bring about change time I smile, I do so freely, having overcome it.”
Aishwarya looked stylish avenues for in perception and open avenues for Directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra and
and exuded charm and all of us." all of us. Today it’s good to see actors produced by Maneesh Sharma under the
maturity in her performance. make choices across the board and not Yash Raj Films banner, Hichki will release on
There was immense brouhaha about being slotted. At the time when I was doing it, I March 23.
Aishwarya’s chemistry with  Ranbir was shaking up the regular.”
Kapoor after the trailer was launched. About her next film, Fanne Khan with Anil Acting ‘not a competition’
She spoke to a leading publication about Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao, Ash said, “Today,
it and said, “It’s so liberating to have played when I’m doing Fanne Khan, again, it’s not a full for Rajkummar

N
Saba, not for the obvious reasons. I knew I was blown part but the idea of the role is strong.” ational Award-
winning actor

Fans will see my less savoury side Rajkummar Rao

doesn’t see acting as a

with The Story: Swara Bhasker competition. He says it is

a personal journey.

A
ctress Swara Bhasker says web series The Story, will reflect some flaws in her personality, Rajkummar ’s
opening up her "less savoury" side to her fans. “personal journey” in
The Story is a web series on ZEE5, and features celebrities turning storytellers to let showbiz started in 2010
viewers know about a tale – bizarre, humorous and terrifying – of their own personal lives. when he featured in the film Rann. But it was
Swara, who features in one episode, says she is not sure if fans will get to know about after starring in the 2013 film Kai Po Che!, based
"lesser known facts" about her. on three friends, that he achieved fame. “For me,
"But fans will definitely get to see a less savoury side of me. Some flaws in my acting is not a competition. It’s a very personal
personality will be reflected in this episode of The Story," the actress said. journey. My only competition is with the man in
She also said the story she will tell is not "100 per cent accurate", but is closely based the mirror and to grow as an artiste with every
on actual things that happened. "Now when I look back, I laugh on whatever happened. I film,” Rajkummar tweeted along with his image
was young, confused, and impulsive and didn't know what exactly I was getting into. But, in which he is all suited up and looking at himself
that's the beauty of looking back at true and strange things," she added, without divulging in a mirror.
about the story she will tell on the show. The Anarkali of Aarah actress hopes fans don't He even gave image courtesy to his girlfriend
judge her. and actress Patralekhaa, with whom he acted in
"I hope they see the fun and young confused person, who deals with all sorts of City Lights – a film by Hansal Mehta.
madness in her life, in this story. We are quite honest in the way we have portrayed Rajkummar is currently being showered with
my character." appreciation for his work in Omerta by Mehta.
Swara, who will next be seen in the Hindi film Veere Di Wedding, says working The film’s trailer was unveiled earlier this week.
on The Story was fun as she liked the idea of playing a character in her own real It is based on British-Pakistani terrorist Omar
life story. Saeed Sheikh.

‘Okay’ for outsiders to be discriminated against in film industry: Kangana

N
ational Award-winning actress Kangana someone says you have two scenes now, I used everywhere, we have grown up seeing it.
Ranaut, who raked up the nepotism to think, my work will get over in 30 minutes.  "When I talked about it, perhaps people
debate last year, said “outsiders” in the “I did not know about brand building and were subconsciously observing it, they
film industry should not lose heart if they face brand endorsement... when a magazine told me wanted to talk about it. My comment
discrimination. that they want to put me on their cover, I asked worked as a catalyst.”
“It is ‘okay’ to be discriminated against if you them to talk to my manager about money. Kangana Ranaut is currently
are an outsider because there are things that one "They banned me for five years but I did not busy with her upcoming film
does to know as an outsider newcomer. People know the difference back then. Manikarnika: The Queen of
are not responsible for you (the newcomer), you "So yes, coming from non-film background, Jhansi. But there was a time
have to be persistent, observant to know things. I was also immature and no one was there to when the actress’ private
Today I am talking about it because I made it guide. I learnt.” Asked about if she managed to life had become a matter of
to this level. I learnt,” said Kangana at a session change the viewpoint of filmmaker Karan Johar national debate after her much
of News18’s “Rising India Summit”.  with her statement, Kangana said: “I am no one public squabble with another
“I put my observation out there and understand to do that, my intention was not that. He believes B-town actor. Now, the actress
this is how it functions. In the beginning, in bloodlines, dynasty and such talents worked has again expressed her thoughts
everyone is treated in the same way; don’t think for him, isn’t it? I cannot make him believe in on the controversial matter.
it is happening to you only. Do not think the talents that he does not believe in. Sharing her thoughts on the tumultuous
world is like this to me, the world is the way it "I but I can say what I want to say. relationship she ended saying that
is; it is not fair to anyone. You have got to would I said it (about nepotism) out she definitely has marriage
make sure that you work around it,” she love to serve my of observation, I am not on her mind and is
said. Citing an example of her early days, society; nepotism exists an activist here, though I looking forward to
Kangana said, “I did not understand the everywhere, we have would love to serve my having a family.
difference between shot and scenes, so if grown up seeing it." society; nepotism exists
 The Indian Weekender Friday, March 23, 2018 ENTERTAINMENT 29

After Gulaab Gang, I thought I Salman gets in racer

mode for Race 3
was best villain ever: Juhi Chawla S uperstar Salman Khan on Monday
treated his fans to the first look from his

B
efore she played the antagonist "What's nice about web series is that much-anticipated film Race 3. He will be
in Gulaab Gang and impressed they are not bound by convention and seen as racer Sikander, who is smart, emotional
movie goers, Juhi Chawla had when it's a damn good story you but mysterious as well.
won hearts in the film industry with bubbly, girl- have the liberty to say it well and With a serious look on his face, the actor is
next-door roles during the 1990s. The veteran shoot it well and release it on the seen wearing a smart suit with stylish glares
actress says she thought of herself as "the best web so my doors are open. I and holding a gun in the image.
villain ever", but found it strange that movie don't mind at all when there is "I will introduce my Race 3 family to you
makers did not approach her for more such roles. something very interesting I this week... My name is Sikander. Selfless over
"After Gulaab Gang, believe me, I thought I would like to do a web series," selfish. Race 3 this Eid," Salman posted on
was the best villain ever! I had such a fun time she said. Twitter while sharing the image.
portraying that role that I would have loved to Having worked in the film Directed by Remo
do some more of that but strangely not many world during a time when D'souza, Race 3
people came after that to say let's do something Bollywood had its unique also stars Bobby
black like that," Juhi said. elements like songs and Deol, Jacqueline
Known for her work in films like Qayamat Se dancing around the trees, and Fernandez, Daisy
Qayamat Tak, Bol Radha Bol, Hum Hain Rahi conventional roles for women Shah, Saqib
Pyar Ke, Darr, Ishq and My Brother Nikhil, and men, Juhi believes that Saleem and
Juhi tried to give a twist to her work portfolio today the industry is losing Anil Kapoor.
"I'm very happy His co-stars got
by essaying a negative role as a corrupt and cold its uniqueness by aping with the way our
politician in Gulaab Gang. Hollywood. together to post
Her work was widely appreciated and her "I'm very happy with the way
Indian films are. different facets
performance earned rave reviews with many our Indian films are. In fact, I
In fact, I think in of Sikander's
critics calling it her career's best performance. think in trying to ape the west, trying to ape the personality.
Now, the 50-year-old, who is the ambassador of trying to be cool, trying to be west, trying to be Anil shared:
the first edition of the Women of India Organic with it and modern, we are losing cool, trying to be "Introducing our
Festival, says she is playing a character close to some of our uniqueness. I don't with it and first racer, Sikander...
it in a yet-untitled film where she is essaying a see the Indian songs and dances on modern, we are For him family isn't a word,
it's a sentence." Jacqueline gave a hint of the
dark grey character. screen anymore or very little. losing some
"I'm quite enjoying it," said the actress, who is "The innocence of our films, the fun storyline with a post: "Meet Sikander, the
of our mystery you can't solve."
experimenting with her work and also ventured and games, the naach gaane, I loved that uniqueness."
into the digital world with the web series The about our Hindi films. I really don't want Bobby defined his character as the "perfect
Test Case. It is the "not bound by convention" that our films should ape the west," she friend and perfect partner", and Saqib Saleem
factor which attracts her to the medium, said added. wrote: "He is faster than head and heart."
Juhi. After filming for a cameo in the Shah Rukh Co-presented by Tips Films and Salman
"Web series is an interesting space. The Khan-starrer Zero, Juhi is presently shooting Khan Films, Race 3 is produced by Ramesh
shooting for the series was just like a film for a psychological thriller in which she is S. Taurani. Shot in Bangkok and Mumbai
shooting and in this I just had a guest appearance, playing a "very different character from my along with Abu Dhabi, the third instalment of
a very strong personality that I played so I really usual happy go lucky persona". the Race franchise is slated to release in June
really enjoyed that. around Eid this year.

My father thought I’d be back from Blessed to have Deepika

Mumbai in three months: Neha in my life: Ranveer Singh
W B
hen she left Delhi to
pursue a career in the
city of dreams, Mumbai –
Bombay back then – some 17 years
ago, Neha Dhupia’s father thought
she would be back in no time.
However, she feels grateful about
having a long career, but she wants
to do more.
Neha made her screen debut in
1994 Malyalam film “Minnaram”.
She won the Miss India pageant in
2002, and a year later, she ventured
into Bollywood with Qayamat: City
Under Threat.
On her stint in showbiz, Neha said:
“I am just happy that I have a career.
I remember when I was 20 years old
and come to Bombay to make a life...
My father booked a ticket and he was
like ‘I assuming you would be back
in three months. You want to be an
IAS officer’”.
She said she still has that ticket,
adding “I have been here (in Mumbai)
for 17 years.”
The actress, 37, says she is happy
that there is relevance around her
and that today she is far more self-
assured as a person.  right choices for me.”  “was trying to be somebody I was not”.
“I am happy with the choices I
have made. I am happy that I have
choices and that I made a life in a
city that I never visited. I am happy
that I’ve not been a ‘has been’ yet.
Am I satisfied? No. I always want
to do more. So, that’s the difference.
Happiness is not defined by box
office, net worth or image... Because ollywood actor Ranveer Singh says
you are striving to do better every he shares a relationship of mutual
day,” she added.  admiration with Deepika Padukone,
The actress, who has worked who he says he is “blessed” to have in his
in films like Julie, Ek Chalis life. Ranveer was at the News18 Rising
Ki Last Local, Mithya, Singh Is India Summit when he was asked about his
Kinng and Dasvidaniya, apart relationship status with Deepika and about
from more recent performances his marriage plans. Dodging the question,
in projects like “Hindi Medium” Ranveer, who has never confirmed or
and Tumhari Sulu. denied a relationship with Deepika even
Any regrets? as rumours have been around for some
“Stupid choices for the sake years, said: “It is a relationship of mutual
of work could be a regret, but admiration... I rate her very highly as an
actor, and she doesn’t.”
apart from that nothing,” she
“She says, ‘You’re just a ham’,” he
said.
quipped, adding that she is “awesome” and
Neha is currently seen
that “there’s a lot to learn from her as an
as a gang leader in action
artiste”.
adventure reality television He acknowledged that his Bajirao
show Roadies Xtreme, which Mastani, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela
airs on MTV. and Padmaavat co-star has helped him
Asked if she is ‘extreme’ as a become a “well-rounded human being” and
person in any way, Neha said: “I have that he is “blessed to have her in my life”.
extreme emotions, choices, likes Ranveer was also asked if his quirky and
and dislikes, which also means flamboyant persona is his real self?
that I am very clear in my head. He said it was in 2013 that something in
How extreme am I? I have done him changed and he felt he didn’t need to
things that are adventurous, I try and fit in.
have done things that may or “I felt I should say what I feel like,
may not be always be the dress the way I feel like. It’s less taxing,” he said, recounting how earlier he
She says she is an Ranveer said his school friends don’t find his flamboyance over-the-
“extreme” person. “I have top or made up because they have seen him so since the beginning.
always been different for “If you see the remarks in my report cards, they add up to things
sure. I have been extreme that he loves to entertain, he’s gregarious, vivacious and I was always
in my choices – whether it pushing the style envelope even in the fourth standard.
“When the cable TV came in, I caught on the hip-hop style with
is the movies or doing other
MTV and copied Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg with the baggy jeans. I
stuff,” she said.
was ahead of the curve, and I have always been this way.”
30 FEATURES Friday, March 23, 2018 The Indian Weekender

STRAWBERRY PLANTING & TRIMMING

BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE WORK AVAILABLE
HOURLY PLUS BONUS FOR THOSE WHO MEET TARGETS. CAB Pakuranga/Eastern
TRANSPORT FROM COLLECTION POINTS MAY BE Manukau
Date: Monday, March 26
AVAILABLE. APPLY IN PERSON 9am to 12 noon Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
BRING TAX NUMBERS. PHOTO ID AND PROOF OF Venue: Howick Local Board Meeting Room,
Pakuranga Library Building, 7 Aylesbury
ELIGIBILITY TO WORK IN NZ Street, Pakuranga
CAB Pakuranga/Eastern Manukau will hold a free
information sessions for newcomers on
Perrys Berrys Ltd Career Counselling. It will be held in two parts.
Part 1: First steps to Job Search, writing CV and
5 Campana Road Cover letter. Part 2: Attending interviews and
Papatoetoe learn interview techniques Lowie Recruitment will
be present both days with possible temporary
PH: 09 6222 350, employment@perrysberrys.co.nz job offers. Facilitated by Bhavna Champion – Life
Coach in Auckland. Light lunch provided. Please
confirm your place by phoning or texting Vani
happening at the Coolest Capital of World. This is
one festival, where people of all ages and cultures
can get together, celebrate diversity and look
forward to the future. Bring your family, friends to
the iconic Upper Frank Kitts Park, throw colour
on each other, enjoy delicious food and dance to
tunes of renowned Djs. This is strictly an Alcohol
& Drug Free Event. 
Gandhi - Bollywood
Dreams Musical
Date: Thursday, April 19 to Sunday, April 21
Time: 6:30 p.m. onwards
Venue: Papa Hou- Christchurch YMCA, 12
Hereford Street, ChCh Central
Bollywood Dreams brings you their 3rd annual

NAME CHANGE
It is for general information that I, RAJVIR SINGH, son
of PARAMJIT SINGH, residing at 3/50 Birdwood Avenue,
Papatoetoe, Auckland, have changed my name to RAJVIR
SINGH UPPAL.
Translation Service
Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu, Sinhalese, Arabic, etc
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Kapoor (Migrant Connect Administrator) at 021
459520 or email at settlement.pakuranga@cab.
org.nz.
Balloons over Waikato
2018
Date: Sunday, March 25
Time: 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Venue: Wairere Drive, Hamilton 3204, Waikato
Over 130,000 spectators over 5 days will
enjoy the amazing site of balloons ascending
through the Waikato sunrise at 7-7:30am every
morning and Hamilton’s biggest night out at
the Zuru Nightglow, where the balloons glow
to orchestrated music finishing with the best
fireworks display in town!
Holi Wellington Colour
Fest 2018
Date: Saturday, March 24
Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Venue: Upper Frank, Kitts Park, Wellington
Central
3333 Events and Productions Limited is proud to
bring to you:  Holi: Wellington Colour Fest
Colour Food Fun Entertainment. Holi : The
Festival of Colour and Celebration is now
show ‘Gandhi - A Journey Through Music’
Relive Gandhi’s historic moments from his early
days in South Africa to the Independence of
India. Experience the story of this remarkable
man’s journey, his experiences and experiments
with Truth. A musical extravaganza comprising
of 13 Bollywood songs and dances across a
variety of genres, also showcasing a spectacular
set depicting the era of the man that shaped
an entire nation. Directed & Choreographed
by Shawn Thomas. A great event for kids and
families during the upcoming school holidays. 
Khamoshiyaan Gun
Gunane Lagi
Date: Saturday, April 7
Time: 6:30 p.m. onwards
Venue: Dorothy Winstone Centre, 16 Howe
Street
Aarohi Academy of Music in association
with Everest Financial Services is organising
KHAMOSHIYAAN GUN GUNANE LAGI - 4
: Tribute to Mangeshars on 7th April 2018 at
Dorothy Winstone Centre, Auckland. Ticketed
event. $20.

ridal
XPO
Saturday, 7April 2018
The Cloud, Auckland
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