Indian Weekender 21 August 2015

21 August, 2015 Vol. 7 Issue 22 | www.iwk.co.
nz
New Zealands first Kiwi-Indian weekly newspaper
The Pulse of Kiwi-Indians
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CONTENTS
21 August 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
Red
Pg 7
NEW ZEALAND
Hindola festival celebrated in

Swaminarayan Temple
Women who changed

our world
Orange
Pg 22
Pg 20
EDUCATION
INDIA
Young Kiwis to represent NZ

at Harvard Model UN
Prime Minister Modi

visits UAE
Pg 24
I AM WOMAN
Black
Pg 26
BOLLYWOOD
Manoj Bajpayee shares his

views on Indian cinema
Pg 30
FACE OF THE WEEK

The melodious journey
of Vidya Teke
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NEW ZEALAND
www.iwk.co.nz | 21 August 2015
Red
Black
Orange
All eyes on India

I
Maya Shivam
ndian Weekender is proud

to partner with the New
Zealand India Research
Institute based at Victoria
University of Wellington. The
conference will be opened by
Minister for Tertiary Education,
Skills and Employment, Hon
Steven Joyce.
Accomplished speakers from
around the world will address
the conference with key note
addresses from stalwarts second
to none in their fields. We feature
some big names at the conference:
Professor Subrata Mitra,
director of the Institute of
South Asian Studies at the
National University of Singapore,
who will consider democracy
and the making of foreign policy
in India.
Professor Ian Hall of
Griffith University on the
topic of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and the remaking of Indias
normative power. Professor Ian
Hall, B.A. (Hons) Modern History,
University of Oxford; MLitt
International Studies Studies,
PhD International Relations,

University of St Andrews.
Ian Hall joined Griffith
University in January 2015. His
research and teaching interests
include the history of international
thought and Indian foreign policy.
He has published a number of
books and articles in these areas,
and is currently working on an
ARC-funded discovery project on
the evolution of Indian thinking
about international relations since
1964. He currently sits on the
editorial boards of Asian Politics
and Policy and the Australian
Journal of International Affairs.
Dr Amitendu Palit, Senior
Research Fellow and Research
Lead (Trade and Economic
Policy) at the Institute of
South Asian Studies (ISAS)
in the National University of
Singapore. He is an economist
specialising
in
comparative
economic
studies,
political
economy of international trade,
regional developments and public
policies. His current research
is on China-India comparative
economic development, trade and
Leading scholars from

Singapore, India, the
Netherlands, Australia and
New Zealand will be taking
part in a two-day conference
on the emergence of
India as a global power
in the 21st century.
The conference will take
place on August 25 and 26.
regional architectures in the AsiaPacific and political economy of

economic reforms.
Dr Palit has worked in
Indias Ministry of Finance for a
decade and has handled Indias
external sector, industrial and
infrastructure policies. He has
also worked in the Indian Council
for Research on International
Economic Relations (ICRIER).
He was on Advisory Committees
of Indias Planning Commission
and the International Labour
Organisation (ILO). His books
include China India Economics:

Challenges, Competition and
Collaboration (Routledge, UK;
2011), Special Economic Zones
in India: Myths and Realities
(Anthem, UK; 2008, co-authored)
and South Asia: beyond the
Global Financial Crisis (edited;
World Scientific, 2011). His

forthcoming book is The TransPacific Partnership, China and
India (Routledge, UK). He has
several publications in leading
academic journals. A columnist
for Indias Financial Express,
Continued on Page 4
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NEW ZEALAND
Continued from Page 3
he writes for the China Daily, Wall Street

Journal, Business Times and other leading
global publications.
Dr Nicolas Blarel is an assistant
professor of International Relations at the
Institute of Political Science. He studies
foreign policy issues, with a focus on
security issues in South Asia.
His current research focuses on why
rising powers choose to redefine their
strategic objectives and means. Nicolas
also studies Indias relations with the
Middle-East and has a forthcoming book
on The Evolution of Indias Israel Policy:
Continuity, Change, and Compromise
since 1922 at Oxford University Press. In
addition, Nicolas published book chapters
and articles on Indias nuclear policies,
Indias relations with the US, Indias soft
power potential, and Indias insurgent
movements and state-making.
Nicolas has worked for the French
Foreign Ministrys policy planning staff
(the Centre dAnalyses et de Prvisions)
on questions related to Afghanistan, South
Asia, and nuclear proliferation. Nicolas has
been a visiting fellow at the Institute for
Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in
New Delhi. He was also editorial assistant
at the peer-reviewed academic journal,
International Studies Quarterly. Before
coming to Leiden, Nicolas studied at
Institut dEtudes Politiques in Strasbourg,
Sciences Po Paris, and Indiana University.
Professor Sekhar Bandyopadhyay
is the Inaugural Director of the newly
established New Zealand India Research
Institute and Professor of Asian History
at Victoria University of Wellington in
New Zealand. In 1992 he joined Victoria
University, where he has been an Associate
Dean (Research) and Deputy Dean in the
The conference
aims to address
issues related to
Indias foreign
policy, as well as
domestic politics,
to understand
what kind of power
a rising India will
evolve into.
Red
Clockwise from
extreme left: Professor
Subrata Mitra,
Professor Ian Hall,
Dr Nicolas Blarel, Dr
Amitendu Palit and
Professor Sekhar
Bandyopadhyay
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Before coming to Victoria he taught
at University of Calcutta and Kalyani
University in India.
According
to
Professor
Sekhar
Bandyopadhyay, people attending the
conference will gain an understanding
of what Indias arrival on the global
stage means for her Asian neighbours, as
well as for the world at large, including
New Zealand.
The conference aims to address issues
related to Indias foreign policy, as well as
domestic politics, to understand what kind
of power a rising India will evolve into.
Educated
at
Presidency
College
and University of Calcutta, Professor
Bandyopadhyays
primary
research
interest is in the history of nationalism and
caste system in colonial and postcolonial

India. He is also interested in the history of
Indian migration and the Indian diaspora.
He has written seven books, edited or coedited eight books, and published more
than 40 book chapters and journal articles.
Some of his recent books are Caste, Protest
and Identity in Colonial India (Second
edition, OUP, 2011), Decolonization in
South Asia (Routledge, 2009), Caste,
Culture and Hegemony: Social Dominance
in Colonial Bengal (Sage, 2004), From
Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern
India (Orient Longman, 2004). He has
recently edited Nationalist Movement in
India: A Reader (OUP, 2009) and India
in New Zealand: Local Identities, Global
Relations (Otago University Press, 2010).
He is currently engaged in a research
Black
project on Dalits in the history of Partition

in eastern India. It is funded by a Marsden
research grant from the Royal Society of
New Zealand.
Professor Bandyopadhyay is Associate
Editor of the New Zealand Journal of
Asian Studies. He is an Inaugural Fellow of
the New Zealand Academy of Humanities.
In 2009 he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of New Zealand. He has
been a visiting fellow at University of
Chicago, Australian National University,
National University of Singapore, School
of Oriental and African Studies (London),
International Institute of Asian Studies
(Leiden), Curtin University of Technology,
University of Calcutta and Rabindra
Bharati University (India).
Topics to be covered will include Indias
relationship with China, its influence on
climate change negotiations, its soft power
in South East Asia, and its influence in the
Middle-East and the Indian Ocean region.
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NEW ZEALAND
Auckland celebrates I-Day
Red
Black
Orange
Celebrations of the 69th Indian Independence Day in Auckland
Members of the Auckland Indian Association celebrate India Independence Day at Mahatma Gandhi Centre last week
Mahatma Gandhi Centre

Rizwan Mohammad
he Auckland Indian Association

organised a grand Independence
Day celebration last week with
more than 350 people attending the event.
August 15 is remembered as the day India
attained freedom from the British rule
in 1947.
The programme commenced in the
morning at Mahatma Gandhi Centre
with the introduction speech by the
President of the Auckland Indian
Association
ParshottambhaiGovind,
flag hoisting by Hirabhai Miruben
Bhana followed by the national anthem
and prayer by a group of children from
Gandhikul Gujrati School clad in colourful
ethnic wear. The programme also included
a speech by Sunny Kaushal, one of the
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President of New Zealand Indian Central
Association and the President of the
Auckland Indian Association.
The cultural programme started with a
classical dance by Jessica Coria, a dancer
from the Caribbean, who had come
especially for the celebration. This was
followed by a patriotic skit and dance by
the children from Gandhikul Gujrati School
showcasing the Indian freedom struggle in
their performance. Labour leader Andrew
Little and Labour MP Phil Goff also graced
the event.
The cultural programme was continued
by dandiya and other dance performances
by group of students from University of
Auckland Indian Society.
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NEW ZEALAND
Bhartiya Samaj pays tributes to freedom fighters

Red
elebration of freedom
were in full swing at Shri
Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan,
where Bhartiya Samaj Charitable
Trust along with Roopa Aur Aap
charitable trust celebrated the
69th Indian Independence Day at
Shri Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan with
much festivity and fervor.
The
India
Independence
Day is an occasion to celebrate
the freedom of Indias great
democracy, while we remember
with solemn reverence the
sacrifice that thousands of our
valiant countrymen made for
this cause. The tributes were
paid to the freedom fighters who
sacrificed their lives to gain the
freedom for India.
The celebrations started with
the hoisting of the Indian tricolour
flag by Roshan Nauhria, President
Bhartiya Mandirfollowed with the
national anthem of India andNew
Zealand by the Bal Vikas (BSCT
language and cultural classes)
children. Furthermore the sound of
dhol exhilarated hearts and feet to
dancing and celebrate the 69 years
of freedom.
The celebration was followedby
many cultural performances from
various organisations, reflecting
the diverse and rich cultural
side of India with great zest and
pomp. The celebrations were a
joint effort of the organisations
involved that included Auckland
Tamil Association, NZ Telugu
Above: (left) Bhartiya Samaj senior members dancing to the beats of dhol and (right) Senior citizens
give a patriotic performance.
Below: Roshan Nauhria, President, Bhartiya Mandir, hoists the Indian tricolour
Creation group singers, Exotic

Group,
Indian
Weekender,
0800Mandap,
India
Gate,
Bhartiya Mandir, Bhartiya Samaj
Seniors and Bhartiya Samajs Bal
Vikas Children.
Association,
Punjabi
Cultural
Association, Auckland Marathi
Association, Nepalese Association,
ISKCON, Lucky Bhangra Group,
Bolly
Beats
Academy
and
Dignitaries
gracing
the
occasion wereHon Peseta Sam
Lotu-Iiga, Minister of Ethnic
Communities;Hon
Andrew
Little, Labour Party Leader;Nigel
Haworth,
Labour
Party
President;Hon Ron Mark, NZ
First Deputy Leader;Members of
Parliament Hon Phil Goff, Kanwaljit
Singh Bakshi,Dr Parmjeet Parmar,
Mahesh Bindra; Race Relation
Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy.
Representatives of community
organisations and community
leaders
were
also
present.
Every moment spent on the India

Independence Day celebrations
planted patriotism and happiness
deep in the soul of each one present.
The turnout of this event made it
evident that the interest is high in
Black
Orange
the cultural heritage restoration

among our next generation. Despite
of different cultures, religions and
languages everyone came along
with each other to spread love
and brotherhood.
SIT celebrates Independence Day
SITs Indian Independence Day celebrations for 2015 that were held on August 14.
Left: Nunshi Malik, Yogesh Sharma and Tashi Malik lead the Indian national anthem after raising
the flag
Right: SIT international students and staff gather around the flag pole to celebrate
NEW ZEALAND
Historic Indian miniatures from New Delhi

tell an epic tale at Auckland Art Gallery
Red
Black
Orange
uckland Art Gallery Toi o Tmaki

presents a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to see an exquisite
collection of rare Indian miniature
paintings that depict the epic Sanskrit tale
of Lord Rama.
The Story of Rama: Indian Miniatures
from the National Museum, New Delhiwill
make the final appearance of its world tour
at Auckland Art Gallery fromSaturday,
September 5, 2015 to Sunday, January 17,
2016. Entry to the exhibition will be free.
Auckland Art Gallery Director Rhana
Devenport says the Gallery is honoured to
exhibitThe Story of Rama.
This is the largest collection of historical
Indian art ever shown in New Zealand and
an absolutely rare occasion to see these
astonishingly beautiful miniature paintings
in this country. We are thrilled to have the
opportunity to offer this exhibition free of
charge to our visitors, she says.
One of the most important stories in Indian
culture, Ramayana, or journey of Rama,
is a tale of love, loyalty and the triumph of
good over evil. It recounts the life of the hero
Lord Rama, a model prince and the seventh
incarnation of Lord Vishnu, whose character
to the current day is admired for his honour,
courage and compassion. Credited to the
sage Valmiki,Ramayana dates back as far
as the fifth to fourth centuries BC, and is the
earliest and most significant work composed
in Sanskrit. The selection of miniatures from
the National Museum, New Delhi features 101
paintings that represent 24 regional Indian
miniature painting styles dating from early 17th
Indian filmmaker
shortlisted for Grand
Teton Award
IWK Bureau
Left: Portrait of Rama, Basholi style, Pahari

Right: The great battle between Rama and Ravana, Guler style,
Pahari
to 19th centuries. The exhibition is arranged to

reflect the traditional division of the story into
seven kandas (cantos or books), which follow
the life of Rama from his birth as a prince of
Koshala to his marriage to the beautiful Sita,
their exile from Koshala, the kidnapping of
Sita by Ravana, and her rescue by Rama with
the help of his brother Lakshmana and Lord
Hanuman, the monkey general. At the end
of the sixth kandas, Rama and Sita return
home triumphant to a joyous celebration lit by
thousands of beautiful oil lanterns. For many,
Rama and Sitas homecoming marks the origin
of Diwali, the festival of lights. Were proud

to present this exhibition in Auckland during
the festival of Diwali. By sharing the rich
cultural and artistic heritage of India through
this exhibition, were able to demonstrate our
commitment to reflecting Aucklands dynamic
and rich cultural diversity, says Devenport.
Dates:Saturday, September 5, 2015 to
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.every day except
Christmas Day
Where: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tmaki
Corner Wellesley and Kitchener Streets
Auckland, New Zealand
Admission: Free
documentary film based on the

Kiwi native parrot Kakapo is now
in the run for Grand Teton Award.
The 15-minute documentary named
SiroccoHow a Dud became a Stud has
been shot in New Zealand and also won the
prestigious Wildscreen Panda Awards also
known as the Green Oscar last year.
The science and natural history
filmmaker from West Bengal, Ashwika
Kapur (27) says, Its an honour even being
shortlisted for the Grand Teton Award and
I am praying my documentary wins. Kapur
graduated in science and natural history
filmmaking from the University of Otago,
New Zealand, after her schooling and
college in Kolkata.
Kakapos are critically endangered bird
species native to New Zealand. There
are so few Kakapo parrots surviving on
Earth, that all of them have names. The
documentary tell the rags-to-riches story
of Sirocco, the Kakapo parrot, who was so
popular that the New Zealand government
made it the countrys official spokesbird for
conservation.This is the bizarre story of his
rise to stardom.
NEW ZEALAND
Refugee movie star to give

inspirational talk for migrant
women
inmama Oo Leota, former Burmese

refugee and star of The Girl from
Glenn Innes will be giving an
inspirational talk at a free health and wellbeing celebration for migrant and refugee
background women at the Avondale
Community Centre on Saturday, August 29.
Leota will be sharing her story of
her journey from a refugee background
schoolgirl to becoming a community leader,
working with refugees. Former refugee
Burundi self-made business woman and
driving school owner Odetta Ntezicimpa
will also give a rousing talk about her
journey. Organised by refugee and migrant
womens community project, the WISE
Collective, the exciting event, which
celebrates womens well-being, also boasts
a host of fun activities including zumba,
laughter yoga, belly dancing, bellyrobix,
competitions and prizes, free massages and
beauty sessions, and a free healthy lunch by
the WISE Collective.
There will also be a chance for women
to have blood pressure checks thanks to
the Avondale Medical Centre, and service
providers including the CAB Language
Link, Community Health, English Language
Partners, Family Planning and Inner City
Womens Group will also be on hand to
provide information about their services
and support. It is hoped that the Auckland
Council funded event will help inform
migrant women of the different ways they
can turn exercise a fun part of their daily
lives and to encourage women to look after
their health. WISE Project Coordinator
Heather Tanguay says, This event is for

migrant and former refugee women to
celebrate health and wellbeing with a day
of information, exercise, dance, music and
friendship. We want to show women the
benefits and fun of the exercise. It can be
fun and inexpensive. It does not have to be
formal like joining a gym, it can be informal
like having a dance.
The celebration runs from 10 a.m. to 3: 30
p.m. For a gold coin koha, transport will
be available to drive women to the event
from Massey Community Centre car park
on Don Buck Road, Henderson Baptist
Church car park at 319 Great North
Road, Wesley Community Centre at 740
Sandringham Road Extension and the
Countdown car park on Stoddard Road.
Buses will return to those locations at the
end of the event.
Registration is essential.
To register contact Sasi on 021 0299 6912.
ARMS workshop for

migrants on job search
Red
uckland Regional Migrant Services

(ARMS) is running a series of free
information workshops for new
Kiwis in August.
From Monday, August 24 until Friday,
August 28, ARMS will be running a string
of information workshops, covering
top tips and guidance for finding work,
information on the education system,
health, homeownership, legal rights and
budgeting with talks from NZ Police,
Auckland District Health Board, Ministry of
Education and Auckland Community Law
Centre to name a few. ARMS is also running
a free job search workshop on Tuesday 18
August at the Three Kings offices, and an
interactive Treaty of Waitangi Workshop
for Newcomers at the Auckland Art Gallery,
complete with a talk on how to respond to
job interview question on the treaty, and a
tour of Maori art work.
The workshop, which teaches newcomers
about the Treaty as well as how to respond
to interview questions on the topic, will be
held on Saturday, August 29.
For more information on the workshops,
contact ARMS on 09 625 2440 or visit the
team at 532 Mt Albert Road, Three Kings
Plaza. Details of the events and workshops
are below:
Black
Orange
Job Search WorkshopAugust 18,

9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
NZs education system and library
services: Info SessionAugust 24,
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Health
System
in
NZ
and
Community Safety: Info Session
August 25, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Home Ownership and Tenancy in
NZ: Info SessionAugust 26, 9:30
a.m. to 3 p.m.
Budgeting and Financial Systems in
a.m. to 3 p.m.
Legal Rights and Responsibilities in
a.m. to 3 p.m.
Treaty of Waitangi Workshop for
NewcomersAugust 29, 9 a.m. to 5
p.m.
English Language Clinic Tuesdays,
by appointment
Legal Advice ServiceWednesdays,
3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. by appointment
only
Immigration AdviceThursdays, 11
a.m. to 1 p.m. by appointment only
Read ONLINE @ www.iwk.co.nz
NEW ZEALAND
Boxer wins national

migrant award
Red
Black
Orange
orirua boxer Latu Talu

has another title to add to
his championship belts.
The 24-year-old was honoured
with the New Zealand Association
for Migration and Investment
(NZAMI) Migrant of the Year
Award last week.
The NZAMI Awards recognise
the major contribution of migrants
and professionals involved in
the immigration industry. The
awards were announced at a
black tie ceremony in held in
Auckland on August 14 where
Minister of State Services, Paula
Bennett, presented Latu Talu
with his award. The Minister also
presented the Business/Investor
Migrant Award.
Mt Roskill MP, Dr. Parmjeet
Parmar, also attended the
awardsceremony. The awards
were co-sponsored by Migration
Cover, the first insurance product
created specifically for migrants.
Latu arrived in New Zealand
with his family from Tuvalu as
a young boy and came to the
attention of immigration services
when he needed a work visa for
his after school supermarket job.
It was discovered that his parents
had mistakenly left him off their
visa applications.
In 2006, Latu walked into the
Naenae Boxing Academy and
was taken under the wing of the
Hindola Festival in
Swaminarayan Temple
IWK Bureau
E
Latu Talu (Photo courtesy ofCraig
McGhie Photography)
academys famous patron, Billy
Graham. What began as a hobby
turned into a pathway for personal
development and under Billy
Grahams coaching Latu became
Naenaes first NZ champion
in 2007.
In true Rocky Balboa style, Latu
went on to win the North Island
Golden Gloves title, Wellington/
Hutt Valley titles and travelled to
the USA in 2012 to demonstrate
his boxing skills at the US Airforce
Academy. Latu was eventually
selected for trials for the 2014
Glasgow Commonwealth Games,
but because he did not have NZ
citizenship he could not apply.
In fact it wasnt until February
2015 when Latu was finally
granted NZ permanent residency.
very year, during the

monsoon
months
of
Ashadh and Shravan/
Savan (JulyAugust) the temples
are awash with devotion. The
Hindola festival is also celebrated
in the Savan month in India
and around the world. Literally
translated, a hindola means
a swing. The Swaminarayan
temple in Auckland is also
celebrating the Hindola festival
with devotees participating in
the decorations and preparations
every day. Recently, on the
occasion of Indian Independence
Day, the hindola was made up of
the national colours.
The devotees used flowers
to make the clothes for Lord
Swaminarayan, Lord Krishna
and Radha. It took 11 hours and
a team of 50 peopleover half of
which were local and international
studentsto meticulously sew,
glue and bind the flowers and
florae together.
The arrival of the Hindola
Utsav during these months
usher a new breeze of bhakti and
festivity in the temples of India.
For one whole month, the chal
(mobile) murti of the Lord is
placed in a hindola and pulled to
and fro with a string. The festival
finds its origin in the streets of
Vrundavan 5,000 years ago where
the Gopis rocked Lord Krishna
on a decorated swing. Ever since,

to experience the divine joy of
rocking the mighty Lord in a
small swing, the hindola festival
became the focus of devotion.
Today, in memory of the Lords
divine sports, the hindola
festival is celebrated with joy and
enthusiasm at all Swaminarayan

temples. It is an aesthetic
experience of devotion to the Lord,
requiring meticulous preparation
by sadhus and devotees to produce
hindolas of a variety of colours,
shapes and forms.
10
NEW ZEALAND
Red
Black
Orange
$10m in drinking water subsidies More opportunities

for small communities
for specialist nurses
he
latest
round
of
Government
subsidies
will
allow
more
than 6,000 people in small
communities
around
New
Zealand to benefit from improved
drinking water supplies.
This was the final funding
round for the drinking-water
subsidy scheme, a 10-year
programme aiming to help small,
disadvantaged
communities
establish or improve their
drinking water supplies.
While drinking water supplies
in larger centres already provide
safe drinking-water, the subsidy
scheme has assisted smaller
supplies in the most deprived
areas to optimise the quality of
their water. In this final round
of applications, funding of more

than $10 million for a total of 19
projects was approved, Associate
Health Minister Peter Dunne says.
Unfortunately
a
number
of applicants have not been
successful. However I can reassure
them that their local DHB public

health unit can still assist in
optimising the quality of their
current water supply.
DHB public health units have
staff with expertise in drinkingwater and access to engineers and
scientists who can help councils
and communities decide the
best options to get a safe and
adequate supply of water, which is
also affordable.
Once all projects approved or
currently underway are completed,
the Government will have provided
more than $96.5 million to help
small disadvantaged communities
improve their drinking water.
More than 130,000 people will
receive safer and more secure
water supplies.
ealth
Minister
Jonathan Coleman says
more clinical nurse
specialists are providing specialist
care and expert advice.
Specialist nurses are a core
part of the healthcare team. They
lead the development of nursing
protocols in their area of practice,
and help to ensure that our nursing
workforce delivers tailored quality
care, says Dr Coleman.
There are now 1,449 clinical
nurse specialists across the 20
DHBs, making up almost six
per cent of the DHB registered
nursing workforce. This is a six per
cent increase from last year. The
number has nearly doubled from
744 in 2007. Nurse specialists are
working in almost every field of
KiwiSaver sign-ups continue to fall
ew KiwiSaver sign-ups
in July were 45 per
cent below the monthly
average, despite John Key saying
axing the kickstart will not
make a blind bit of difference to
the number of people who join
KiwiSaver, says Labours Finance
spokesperson Grant Robertson.
IRDs latest figures make
appalling reading for those who
know that KiwiSaver is vital for
bolstering our national savings and
investments, and safeguarding the
well-being of future generations in
their retirement.
Overall new sign-ups in July
are 45 per cent below the monthly
average before National cut the
kickstart payment.
It gets much worse for the
young. Net new members in
Kiwisaver aged 017 fell by almost
2000 in July. Compared to the
monthly average of the last 12
months thats a drop of 182 per
cent.
For those aged 1824 net new
members have fallen by 111 per
cent compared to the monthly
average. After John Key scrapped
the KiwiSaver kickstartas soon
Net NewKiwiSavermembers by age

Age
Group
Monthly Average
of net new
members May
14 to May 15
Net new
members
June 15
017
1435
-551
June
decrease
compared
to monthly
average
138.4%
1824
1223
325
73.4%
2534
4403
3,957
10.1%
3544
2705
2,263
16.3%
4554
2829
2,244
20.7%
55+
3124
2,625
16.0%
ALL
15,606
as the Budget was made public

he said IRDs formal advice was
the cut would not make a blind bit
of difference.
He misled New Zealanders
about that advice, and he should
apologise for that. The major
drop off in enrolments is for
11,105
28.8%
young New Zealanders.This is the

real shame of Nationals cutting of
the kickstart.
A new generation are being
denied the chance to create
good savings habits, particularly
those from backgrounds who
will struggle to put much aside
practice, including mental health,

care of the elderly, orthopaedics,
paediatrics, gynaecology, cardiology
and emergency care, as well as
forensics and eating disorders.
Nurses now have even more
opportunity to specialise and they
have greater access to training and
support, says Dr Coleman.
We have developed a new
training programme for nurses
performing endoscopies, which
will help to speed up waiting
times. It will be available in 2016.
We are also continuing to
grow the number of diabetes
nurse prescribers to add to the
100 already trained or in training,
and we plan to further increase
the number of specialist nurses in
palliative care.
Contact bows to
pressure
Net new
members
July 15
July
decrease
compared
to monthly
average
-1,188
182.8%
-134
111.0%
3,762
14.6%
2,032
24.9%
2,060
27.2%
2,103
32.7%
8,581
45.0%
in normal circumstances. After

years of gradually weakening
KiwiSaver, National is now
causing real damage to the savings
culture that KiwiSaver had begun
to foster.
They should hang their heads
in shame, Grant Robertson said.
ontact
Energy
has
decided to cut its pre-pay
rates to be in line with
its customers who pay monthly.
Labours
Consumer
Affairs
Spokesperson David Shearer says
the decision is good news and
the company deserves credit for
responding so quickly.
Two months ago I took Contact
to task for profiteering from prepay customers, stinging them with
bills up to 38% more than normal
electricity bills.
Families in financial trouble
were often the target. Often they are
pressured to go on pre-pay schemes
by power companies because they
have difficulty paying their bills. Yet
despite paying up front in advance,
relieving power companies of
any non-payment risk, they were
charged more. I argued charges for
pre-pay customers should at least be
the same as those on normal rates.
Other electricity companies
have already dropped their prices
after Labours campaign last year
highlighted the practice of charging
excess on pre-pay bills. Its great that
Contact has come to the party as well
pre-pay customers will get a much
fairer deal than they were getting a
year ago, says David Shearer.
Foreign investment must add real value
ew Zealanders must be
told what value foreign
investors are creating
when they buy our productive
land, Labours spokesperson on
the Overseas Investment Office
Stuart Nash says.
Todays (August 17) KPMG
report into foreign investment is
notable for one glaring omission:
what is the quality of the

investment to New Zealanders
and the New Zealand economy?
It is not enough for the
Government to simply report on
the quantity of our land that is
being sold offshore: investors are
required to add value over and
above what a Kiwi investor would,
in the form of additional jobs and
exports. But the OIO is failing to
report on whether these promises

are being kept.
Labour
is
pro-foreign
investment when it offers more
valuemore jobs and more
export dollars.
But we are being failed by a
scheme, which seems to value
quantity over quality.
Since 2005, 716 investors
were given the right to purchase
sensitive land (5ha or more)

and had to quantify what
the additional value is that they
would offer.
But we have no idea whether
these promises are being kept
or whether the international
investment is adding real value to
our economy.
Quality investments will add
significant value in terms of high
value employment, new skills,

increased trade access and export
receipts. Low value ones will
add nothing to our economy and
communities.
New Zealanders need to know
that overseas investment in our
land is good for the country and not
just turning rural and provincial
communities into tenants in our
own land, says Nash.
NEW ZEALAND
11
Building Code information

to be more accessible
Red
Black
Orange
he Government is investing in a
single website for all Building Code
information to make it easier to
access and comply with building regulations,
Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick
Smith announced last week.
Homeowners and builders have to search
multiple websites as well as many hard copy
documents to comply with the Building Code
in its current format. This project to create a
single website with all the information will
help improve compliance and efficiency in
the building industry, Dr Smith says.
The first milestone in this project was
marked this week with the Ministry of
Business, Innovation and Employment
issuing a Request for Proposal from IT
companies to develop the portal.
Building industry productivity has
lagged behind other industries. Smart
application of information technologies is
part of the solution. The Government needs
to support this by investing more in user-
friendly websites to help the industry shift

from paper-oriented systems to the web.
The new service will be accessible from a
computer, smart phone or tablet.
The project is being led by the Ministry
of Business, Innovation and Employment,
BRANZ and Standards New Zealand and
is supported by a range of other industry
organisations, including the New Zealand
Institute of Architects, Architectural
Designers New Zealand, the Building
Officials Institute of New Zealand, the
Institution of Professional Engineers,
Registered Master Builders and Certified
Builders Association New Zealand.
The portal is expected to be up and
running by late 2016. The building and
construction sector is on the cusp of
unprecedented levels of sector growth in
coming years, and this project is about the
Government ensuring the right tools are in
place to meet the demand, Dr Smith says.
30
MONTHS
INTEREST FREE
*
Maintenance work makes

properties healthier
ousing
New
Zealands
maintenance
programme
is
making its properties warmer and
healthier for vulnerable New Zealanders,
Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.
Upgrades have been completed at 2,869
properties since June. Just in the past
week, maintenance teams have completed
761 responsive repairs, and 131 minor
capital works, which include things like
upgrading insulation.
Improvements to Housing New Zealands
properties are making a real difference to the
lives of those who most need our help, says
Mrs Bennett.
Properties are being made warmer with
the installation of more than 1,750 heaters
and 3,214 sets of thermal drapes. Carpet has
also been installed in 2,102 properties.
Mechanical ventilation has been
installed in kitchens in 2,309 properties, and
in bathrooms in 2,226 properties, meaning
tenants will have an easier time keeping
their homes healthy and dry.
Improving the quality of social housing

is a big priority for this Government, and
this maintenance work is a crucial part of
Housing New Zealands business-as-usual
programme to upgrade its properties, Mrs
Bennett says.
Ministers have made it clear that we
expect Housing New Zealand to prioritise
maintenance focused on improving warmth
and dryness in properties, and Im pleased
with the staffs dedication to making
this happen.
Most
importantly,
tenants
are
appreciating the work, with one taking the
time to write and tell Housing New Zealand
what a blessing it is to have a lovely warm
home after a heat pump was installed in
her house.
Housing New Zealand will spend close
to $300 million this year maintaining and
upgrading its properties, which includes
both planned maintenance and responding
to requests from tenants.
Healthy lifestyle initiative

helping more diabetics
ealth Minister Jonathan Coleman

says a growing number of New
Zealanders with type 2 diabetes or
pre-diabetes are receiving support and advice
through the Green Prescriptions initiative.
Green Prescriptions provide advice on
nutrition and physical activity and support
to help people manage a range of conditions,
including weight problems, high blood
pressure and diabetes.
In the last financial year, close to 48,000
Green Prescription referrals were issued by
GPs or practice nurses, says Dr Coleman.
Of those, almost a third had type 2
diabetes or had been identified as being at
risk of developing diabetes. Thats up from
20 per cent in 2013/14.
Budget
2013
provided
additional
funding for Green Prescriptions of $7.2
million over four years, specifically linked
to increasing the number of referrals
related to type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.
This funding included a target of 11,531
diabetes-related referrals for 2014/15. That

target has been surpassed, with 13,944
referrals recorded over that period,says
Dr Coleman.
Feedback from the latest patient survey
is also encouraging, with more than two
thirds sayingthey havenoticed a positive
change in their health and 64 per cent are
now encouraging others to be more active.
GreenPrescriptions ispart of the
Governments commitment to encourage
New Zealanders to live healthier more active
lives away from hospitals, supported by the
extra $400 million being invested into the
health sector in Budget 2015.
Further information about Green
Prescriptions and the patient survey can be
found on the Ministry of Health website.
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12
NEW ZEALAND
Red
Black
Orange
More elective surgery improving peoples

lives in Counties Manukau
Kanwaljit Bakshi
National List MP
ew Zealanders across
Counties Manukau are
getting the surgery they
need to live longer and more active
lives. Increasing the number of
elective surgeries being carried
out is a priority for National, and
more operations are now being
performed each year.
Last year 17,533 people in

Counties
Manukau
received
elective surgery, compared to
13,102 in 2007/2008. Thats a 34
per cent increase, a result which is
a credit to the hardworking health
regions professionals.
The number of New Zealanders
receiving elective surgery across
the country has increased by 42
per cent in the last seven years,
from 117,954 in 2007/08 to
167,188 in 2014/15. Thats around
50,000 more surgeries being
performed than when National
came into Government.
In May we announced $98

million from Budget 2015 to boost
elective surgery and improve
the prevention and treatment
of orthopaedic conditions. This
funding is helping deliver an
average extra 4,000 elective
operations per year over the
next four years, meaning New
Zealanders can live longer,
healthier lives, free of pain.
The health budget has grown
to a record $15.9 billion this year,
including more than $300 million
for district health boards to help
meet demand from population
growth and provide extra services

for New Zealanders. Counties
Manukau District Health Boards
funding has increased by $333
million over the last seven years.
That funding increase is part
of the $400 million invested into
health this year in Budget 2015.
We are funding areas which
make a real difference to Kiwi
families. All children under 13 are
now eligible to receive free doctors
visits as part of the Governments
$90 million investment to extend
free doctors visits to 700,000
children. So far 97 per cent of
general practices with enrolled
Independent Indias achievements

Phil Goff
Labour MP
ast week I attended

celebrations
across
Auckland
marking
the
occasion
of
Indias
69th Independence.
Sixty-nine years is only a
fraction of time in Indian history,
which goes back over 5,000
years but it is the benchmark for
Indias development as a modern,
proudly
independent
and
sovereign nation.
As
we
celebrate
Indian
Independence we recall the critical
role played in its struggle for
independence by Mahatma Gandi.
He inspired India but other people
too across the post-war world
who cried out for independence
and freedom from colonial
domination. In developed and
developing countries alike Gandhi
won admiration and support for
his promotion of non-violent
activism, social justice and a world
without conflict. He inspired us
with his humility and selflessness.
Gandhi is one of my great
political heroes. He spoke with
wisdom and conviction and
political leaders today could
learn much from him. Some of
my favourite quotes on how we

should live are:
Power is of two kinds.
One is obtained by the fear of
punishment and the other by acts
of love. Power based on love is a
thousand times more effective and
permanent than one derived from
fear of punishment.
Strength does not come from
physical capacity. It comes from
an indomitable will. An eye for
an eye only ends up making the
whole world blind.
The weak can never forgive.
Forgiveness is the attribute of
the strong. Live as if you were
to die tomorrow. Learn as if you
were to live forever. You must be
the change you wish to see in the
world.
How much better a place the

world would be if we were to live
as Gandhi taught. Sadly in the
excesses of partition following
independence extremism rather
than the common humanity
Gandhi taught prevailed.
Yet
despite
the
many
challenges India has faced, since
independence it has sustained its
freedoms and democracy when
those rights have been lost in
many of the countries around it.
India is proud to be the worlds
largest democracy. It has kept its
unity as a nation which contains
many different groupings and 122
major languages. It has emerged
as a leader in the world and one
of the worlds most powerful
INDIAN WEEKENDER
HOUSING SPECIAL
ISSUE
To advertise, call
022-325 1630, 021-150 7950
children aged 612 have opted in

to this scheme, with 99 per cent
of children under 13 receiving
free healthcare.
Labour oversaw a wasteful,
inefficient health system, with
bloated back offices and poor
investment which did not deliver
the services New Zealanders
needed.
Thankfully those days are over,
as Nationals record investment
in the health sector is delivering
better public health services for
New Zealanders.
economies. It has a young and

growing workforce and this
year the World Bank projected
it to become the worlds fastest
growing economy by 2017. It is
a major player in information
technology with more than 3,100
start-ups in 2014. It has the
largest centre of film production
in the world. It is a big financial
contributor to the UN and its
peacekeeping missions.
To the people of India and to
Indian communities around the
world, congratulations on your
achievements on the occasion of
your 69th anniversary.
Jai Hind!
NEW ZEALAND
Red
Black
Auckland
Council
responds to
Using Land for
Housing inquiry
uckland Council has

welcomed the broader
approach
taken
by
the Productivity Commission
in its draft report, Using Land
for Housing.
In its submission to the
Productivity
Commission,
endorsed at this weeks Auckland
Development Committee, the
council acknowledges that the
draft report recognises the
critical role of infrastructure and
infrastructure investment, from
both a housing pipeline and an
affordability perspective.
Deputy Mayor and Auckland
Development
Committee
13
Orange
ChairPenny Hulse says that

partnership working will be key to
tackle Aucklands housing issues
going forward.
Housing affordability and
ensuring an adequate supply of
housing are not new issues in
Auckland, she says.
The councils submission to the

Commission supports some of the
proposals in the draft report, but
also raises concerns over proposals
that it deems have the potential to
undermine Aucklanders ability to
lead the shaping of Auckland as
the worlds most liveable city.
The council looks forward to
central governments response to
the Commissions final report due
out in September.
Opportunities
abound for
future of Aotea
Quarter
In our discussions with the

Productivity Commission, we note
that land supply is only one part
of a range of solutions needed to
address housing affordability.
To address the housing
challenge, we need a strong
partnership
with
central
government, iwi, and private
sector to develop a range of
solutions including the financing
of infrastructure. For the first
time since the Auckland Plan
was adopted Auckland now has a
ready-to-go (zoned and serviced)
greenfield land supply of just
under six years.
ucklanders will be asked

to help shape a new
framework to evolve the
area around Aotea Square into a
thriving cultural hub, servicing
the whole of Auckland.
The Auckland Development
Committee has approved a

consultation paper on the
Aotea
Quarter
Framework,
which will go out for public
feedback
in
September
and October.
Committee deputy chair and
political design champion Chris
Darby says: Many great things are
already happening in the quarter,
including
laneways,
events
and upgrades to Myers Park.
When the new Aotea Station is
createdalong with the City Rail
Link and bus improvements
this area will become very well
connected: north, south, east
and west.
This is going to create huge
opportunities for the area to
really lift its game and become
the cultural and entertainment
hub for all Auckland, Councillor
Darby says.
The consultation programme is
set to include public walking tours,
focus groups and opportunities

to have your say online at
Shape Auckland.
Questions will include how
the quarter can better fulfil its
region-wide role, how to get more
families living in the area, which
parts need to be made safer or
better for pedestrians and how
some of the sites around the area
could be better used.
While the consultation is
underway, in the first week of
September the council will also
be putting a call out to developers
who want to express an interest in
the Civic Administration Building,
which has now been vacated by
council staff.
The council has agreed a
number of requirements for
theExpression of Interest
(EOI)
process,
including
restoring the buildings heritage
values, sustainable design and
recognising Te Aranga Maori
design principles.
We would love to
hear from you.
Share your feedback and
opinions with us.
Email us at
reporter@indianweekender.co.nz
FIJI
14
Red
PM leaves for Jaipur summit
iji stands to gain more

assistance from India
during the second edition
of the Forum for India-Pacific
Islands Co-operation (FIPCI)
at Jaipur.
The Fijian delegation, led
by Prime Minister Voreqe
Bainimarama left last week.
He is accompanied by his wife
Mary, the Minister for Industry,
Trade and Tourism, Faiyaz Koya,
Minister for Women Children and
Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar,
deputy Permanent Secretary for
Foreign Affairs, Luke Daunivalu,
the Permanent Secretary in the
Prime Ministers Office, Naipote
Katonitabua, and PMs Personal
Staff Officer (PSO), Captain
Isireli Tagivakatini.
Speaking to the Fiji Sun

from Australia yesterday, Mr
Bainimarama said he would
attend a series of meetings
in India.
Fiji places an importance on
the initiative by India to host the
Pacific Islands leaders, he said.
The summit, is attended by
14 regional countriesNauru,
Kiribati,
Vanuatu,
Solomon
Islands, Samoa, Niue, Palau,
Micronesia, Marshall Islands,

Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
Climate change effect in the
region is expected to be high on
the agenda.
Indian High Commisioner to
Fiji, Gitesh Sarma also left last
week and will receive the PM and
his delegation in Delhi.
Pacific island countries lack
expertise in certain fields so this
summit will discuss ways in which
India can assist them, especially
in the areas of science, agriculture
and technological development,
Mr Sarma said.
The first summit was held last
November in Fiji where Pacific
Islands leaders discussed certain
issues facing the region with
Indian Prime Minister, Narendra
Modi. Mr Bainimarama will join

other leaders during the summit
to discuss ways to enhance Indias
relationship with Fiji and other
Pacific Island countries.
Mr Sarma said, Fiji plays
a major role in regional
development of the Pacific as it
is the most central country. They
have played an outstanding effort
in trying to link services to other
small Pacific Island countries and
bilateral engagement is one of the
top agenda between Fiji and India.
This summit has come at a
good time as Fiji is about to host
the Pacific Islands Development
Forum later this year.
Delegates at the summit will
also visit the famous Taj Mahal in
Agra as part of the programme.
Bowling
Silver, bronze for Fijian chefs
team to
name squad
owls Fiji will name the

national squad for the
coming
Asia
Pacific
Championship in New Zealand
next week.
The final two-day trials for
the Fiji squad started at the Nadi
Sports Club. The national squad
members to the recent Pacific
Games were joined by players in
the extended squad for the trial.
Fiji will send a 10-member
contingent to Christchurch for the
Asia Pacific Championship, which
will serve as the qualifiers for the
2016 World Bowls Championship.
Bowls
Fiji
chairman
of
selectors Panapasa Matailevu said
Fiji would be represented in all the
disciplines which include singles,
pairs, triples and fours, both in the
mens and womens sections.
This is the final trials because
we have seen how the players have
performed at the recent Pacific
Games in PNG, Matailevu said.
So during the trials we are
focusing on the combinations.
The Asia Pacific Games serves
as the qualification for the 2016
World Bowls Championship.
So it will be the disciplines
that the players will need to win to
qualify for the world event.
It is more difficult to qualify
and the players need to be
determined to get through.
They have to be hungry to
win because the Asia Pacific
Championship will be tougher
than the Pacific Games.
Countries such as Australia,
New
Zealand,
Malaysia
and Hong Kong China have
professional players.
News source: Fiji Sun
he Pacific Oz-Tralasiasponsored Fiji Chefs Team

returned with silver and
a bronze medals from the Global
Chefs Challenge in Auckland, New
Zealand, last week.
The Fijian team consisted of
chef Abhinesh Sharma (Sofitel Fiji
Resort and Spa) and Rohit Singh
(Castaway Island Resort).
They competed in the World
Chefs accredited Global Chef
Challenge and Global Junior Chef
Challenge.
They both won silver medals
in their categories plus a bronze
medal for the overall points tally.
Fiji was in the top three with
only a slight points difference
that separated each team, said
Fiji Chefs Association president
Shailesh Naidu. He was also one
of the judges for the competition.
Mr Naidu said this competition
had chefs from New Zealand,
Guam, Vanuatu, Fiji and Australia.
Fijian chefs Abhinesh Sharma (left) and Rohit Singh with their medals in New Zealand last week. Photo:
Fiji Chefs Association
The winners would represent the

Pacific Rim in the Global Finals
in Greece next year. Whilst
the competition against bigger
nations is always tough, our team
displayed some amazing dishes.
Both were highly commended by
all judges, and I can very proudly
say these young Fijian chefs were
not just a number out there but

gave the winning team a good run
for their money, he added.
Mr Naidu thanked Sofitel Fiji
Resort and Spa, Castaway Island
Resort for their great support
and Pacific Oz-Tralasia for again
sponsoring the team.
Black
Orange
Fiji hosts
Asia Pacific
meet
iji will host the Asia

Pacific Rural Development
Meeting at the Tanoa
International Hotel in Nadi.
The Minister for Agriculture,
Rural Development and National
Disaster
Management,
Inia
Seruiratu, said the meeting would
be attended by rural development
ministers
and
permanent
secretaries/chief executive officers
from 15 Asia/Pacific countries.
The leaders, he said, would
attend the biennial 20th Governing
Council Meet (GC-20), 30th
Executive Committee Meet (EC-30),
and 7th Regional Policy Dialogue
Meet (RPD-70) for the Centre on
Integrated Rural Development for
Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP).
The
ministers
for
rural
development and agriculture make
up the GC while the permanent
secretaries or equivalents form the
executive committee (EC).
Mr
Seruiratu
said
the
meeting indicated Governments
commitment to rural development
investment in the country.
Member countries expected
to attend include Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri
Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
About 200 government officials,
inter-governmental representatives,
international
observers,
diplomats, donor officials, and
development practitioners are also
expected to attend.
The Chief Guest will be the
President, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau.
Fijian exchange students arrive in NZ
he 10 students selected
for the Crest Chicken
Cool Stuff for Schools
(CFS) campaign to New Zealand
were reminded of their roles as
Fijian ambassadors.
Goodman
Fielder
General
manager, Chris Zaayman relayed
this message at the Grand Pacific
Hotel in Suva.
Mr Zaayman said they are proud
to be able to offer this exchange for
a second year in a row.
When we launched the initiative
in 2014, we also introduced a
cultural exchange programme that
allowed participating schools to
nominate a student to be selected
for the all expenses paid trip of a

lifetime, he said.
Year
eight
student,
Seinibiaukula Fung of Dilkhusa
Methodist
School,
Nausori
thanked organisers for the oncein-a-lifetime-opportunity.
I am forever grateful for this
opportunity and I hope upon my
return to help children my age
and tell them the experience of
participating in such programme,
she said.
Meanwhile,
Director
for
Heritage and Arts, Lusiana Fotofili
said she was delighted for the ten
Fijian students. She acknowledged
the good work by the management
Goodman Fielder General Manager Chris Zaayman (middle), with eight of the ten students visiting New
Zealand on Crest culture exchange New Zealand tour Photo: Ronald Kumar
and staff of Goodman Fielder

in bringing about a project
that allowed for the students
cultural exchange.
Mrs
Fotofili
also
advised
students to promote Fiji schools
to students in New Zealand and

tell them that Fiji is one Place
they need to see for its tranquility;
beauty;
economic
stability;
cultural attraction and its geographical closeness.
FIJI
Indians in Fiji celebrate Independence Day
Red
Black
ijians of Indian-descent
celebrated Indias 69th
Independence Day at India
House in Suva, Fiji with the Indian
envoy spreading the message of
peace and friendship, a media
report said last week.
Indian High Commissioner to
Fiji Gitesh Sharma said the rise
of India would be measured by
the strength of their values, and
determined by economic growth
and equitable distribution of the
nations resources.
Peace, friendship and cooperation bind nations and peoples
together, Fiji Times Online quoted
Sharma as saying. Recognising
Orange
the shared destiny of the Indian

sub-continent, we must strengthen
connectivity, expand institutional
capacity and enhance mutual trust
to further regional co-operation,
he said.
As we make progress in
advancing our interests globally,
India is also engaged in pro-actively
promoting goodwill and prosperity
in our immediate neighbourhood,
he added. Meanwhile, Indian
president
Parnab
Mukherjee,
in a statement read during the
celebration, extended his warm
greetings to Indians around the
word, members of the armed
forces, paramilitary forces and
internal security forces.
NEWS in BRIEF
Staff of the Indian High Commission with High Commissioner Gitesh Sarma (in beige-coloured suit), while celebrating Indias 69th independence
day at India House
News source: Fiji Sun
AFTER HOURS
ECO TRAVELS
HOLIDAY PACKAGE DEALS
Fiji seeks Indias

support for climate
change talks
0800 00 29 84
we will beat
any valid
written fare
ndia should support Fiji and other

Pacific island countries at the climate
change talks to be held in Paris later
this year, the government-owned Fiji
Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) said
this week.
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama
highlighted this in a letter to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi as he
congratulated him on Indias 69th
Independence Day, Xinhua quoted the
FBC as saying.
As he paid tribute to the historic
relations shared between the two
countries, Bainimarama pointed to areas
that have the potential to boost and
strengthen the Fiji-India ties.
Bainimarama is set to join leaders
at the second Forum for India-Pacific
Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) summit on
August 20 and 21 in India to discuss ways
to enhance Indias relationship with Fiji
and other Pacific island countries.
NZ lifts ban on
Fijian farm produce
15
he Ministry of Public Enterprise

will ensure that all standards
will be met by exporters after
New Zealand lifted the temporary ban on
Fijian farm produces.
The Bio Security Authority will now
ensure all export farm produces to New
Zealand meet all international standard
requirements. All Fijian exporters of
farm produce to countries such as New
Zealand must now strictly adhere to
processes in place. The Ministry of Public
Enterprise will accept no less than what
is required.
That everybody adhere to all the
standards it is very critical for example
because you have your particular product
been given the treatment dont try to put
pressure on the officers that were carrying
it out to hurry along for example standard
set that the product needs to be in the
machine for 20 minutes dont try and get
it out by 15 minutes this have a impact
on the certification process, said Aiyaz
Sayed-Khaiyum (Minister for Public
Enterprise) If this process is not followed
then the industry could again face some
problems,said Sayed-Khaiyum.
The Biosecurity Authority of Fiji
will be the key agency to see that new
standards are followed.
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Thought of the week

Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.
Oprah Winfrey
Anything but funny
Editorial
From the desk of the

Managing Editor
Finally, and perhaps most important, work that is devoid of play is either
boring or a grind. We can get pretty far through sheer willpower, and some people
have prodigious powers of perfectionism, self-denial, and suffering. Ultimately,
though, people cannot succeed in rising to the highest levels of their field if they dont
enjoy what they are doing, if they dont make time for play. Having a fierce dedication
to grinding out the work is often not enough. Without some sense of fun or play,
people usually cant make themselves stick to any discipline long enough to master it.
People always say that you can reach the top by keeping your nose to the
grindstone, but as sports performance specialist Chuck Hogan observes, this is not
true. People reach the highest levels of a discipline because they are driven by love,
by fun, by play. The great performers perform as they do, and do so with such grace,
because they love what they are doing, Hogan observes. Its not work. Its play.
~ Stuart Brown from Play
It is important that when we passionately start to pursue any single goal we make
space for play. It was not for nothing that we were taught all work and no play
Humour and fun are great allies of determination and achievement. They make the
ride worthwhile and also make sure that you keep going and dont run out of steam.
They say laughing rejuvenates our souls, so in any pursuit of life, let us remember to
maintain a playful spirit.
This has been an eventful week. While Indians all over the world celebrated
Independence Day with great pride, there was an incident that made us hang our
heads in shame. Yes, I am referring to the manhandling of the senior (in age) ex
servicemen who were engaged in a peaceful demonstration for the One Rank One
Pay, that the Government seems to be delaying. How do the very men who give up
their entire lives for the sake of the security of the country become a security threat?
Sometimes our biggest strides can be overshadowed by little mistakes. There is every
confidence that Prime Minister Modi will do the right thing, but at the moment, it is
about watching this space.
In what has become Prime Minister Narendra Modis trademark, he sets out an
ambitious agenda for his overseas visits and manages to deliver beyond expectations.
This has happened again with his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this
week. Modis visit to the UAE has once again underlined Indias continuing stakes in
a region that is growing through a period of momentous change.
Next week will open with the two-day conference on the Emergence of India as
a Global Power in the 21st century. Leading scholars from Singapore, India, the
Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand will be taking part The conference takes
place in Wellington on August 25 and 26.
Indian Weekender is proud to partner with the New Zealand India Research
Institute based at Victoria University of Wellington for the conference.
Indian Weekender is equally proud also to be partnering with ANZ Bank for the
upcoming Migrant Expo to be held in Auckland City on September 5. Our next issue
will carry more details of this. So if you are a new or a settled migrant, do schedule
this into your diary to come along for a family day which will be full of information,
fun and food.
Until next time, remember to keep up your playful spirit.
Pick of the week

The Empire State Building in New York
lit up with Indian tricolor on during the
celebrations of 69th Independence Day of
India 15 August 2015 in New York.
(Photo: PTI)
Giri Gupta
Indian Weekender : Volume 7 Issue 22

Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited
Managing Editor: Giri Gupta | girigupta@xtra.co.nz
Editor: Annu Sharma | editor@indianweekender.co.nz
Chief Reporter: Swati Sharma | reporter@indianweekender.co.nz
Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | iwk.rizwan@gmail.com
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Reporter: Kumar Suresh | iwk.kumar@gmail.com
Chief Technical Officer: Rohan Desouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz
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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
Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, Auckland
Printed at Horton Media, Auckland
Copyright 2015. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.
Haere Ra
Pronounced: ha-e-re-ra | Meaning: Good bye

Usage: Haere Ra, may God bless you.
Tip from the trenches

Around the house
Put a lemon wedge in the water while boiling

eggs. The shells will just about fall off when
theyre done.
If a shirt shrinks, put it in a bowl with ice
water and one cup of hair conditioner.
It will restore it to its normal size.
OPINION / EDITORIAL
17
What makes Indians in the UAE unique?
Red
Black
Malavika Vettath
Orange
ont know Arabic or fluent English?

Youll still get by in the UAE if you
know Hindi or Malayalam - a line
often repeated in jest here. But mind you,
theres a whole lot of truth in that. The UAE
is home to 2.6 million Indian expats, the
largest expat community constituting 30
per cent of the total population!
Little wonder that an overwhelming
48,000 Indians have signed up to see and
hear Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
Monday at the Dubai Cricket Stadium
despite the scorching heat. The excitement
is palpable with Modi being the first Indian
prime minister to visit this Gulf nation in
34 yearsa wish fulfilled after decades of
clamour.
Modis visit primarily seeks to enhance
cooperation in energy and trade and reach
out to investors. The India-UAE trade totals
around $60 billion. This makes the UAE
Indias third largest trading partner for
201314 after China and the US. India is
the UAEs second largest trading partner.
But Modis visit, though on short notice,
will also provide much-needed reassurance
to Indians in the UAE that the Indian state
values their contribution much like their
NRI counterparts in the West.
So what sets the Indian community in
the UAE apart and in what ways are they
important to their home country and the
country they now call their home?
With India being the top receiver of
remittances from its worldwide diaspora
at $70.4 billion in 2014, Indians living
and working in the UAE are the biggest
source of remittances to India, contributing
$12.6 billion, according to the World Bank.
In comparison, about $11.2 billion of
remittances for India originated in the US,
which has a larger Indian origin population
with much higher incomes.
And the contribution of Indians to

the UAE growth story too has been
immense, whether it is the hard work of
thousands of unskilled labourers, those
in the service sector or the contribution of
Indian businessmen and professionals in
fields such as health, retail, education or
real estate.
Indians emerged as the leading
professional migrants to the UAE in 2014,
representing 28 percent, according to a
global study by professional networking
site LinkedIn.
The demographics are interesting.
According to the Indian embassy, in the
1970s and 1980s, when the principal
requirement was for blue-collar workers,
85-90 percent of them were Indians. In
the 1990s, the profile of the community
changed. Today, 1520 percent of Indians
are professionally qualified personnel.
Known as the playground of the rich, the
UAE is home to six Indians named in the
Forbes 2015 Billionaires List: businessmen
Mickey Jagtiani, M.A. Yusuff Ali, real estate
tycoon Ravi Pillai, educationist Sunny

Varkey, healthcare and foreign exchange
czar B.R. Shetty and pioneering healthcare
tycoon Azad Moopen.
The UAE has seen a rapid increase in
Indian schools and colleges. Earlier, NRIs
in the UAE had no choice but to send their
children back to India or abroad elsewhere
for higher education. Its a different story
now with the presence of well-known
institutes offering graduate and postgraduate courses at campuses in the Dubai
International Academic City.
What makes the Indian in the UAE
unique from those settled elsewhere in the
world is they know they have to go back
to India eventually as expats dont get
citizenship or permanent residency. So they
are Indian at heart and Indian by passport.
At the same time, Indians are top
investors in UAEs real estate now.
According to a Dubai Land Department
report, foreign investment in Dubais realty
market by Indians amounted to AED 18.12
billion (Rs.3,035 crore) in the year gone by,
surpassing investments by those from other

countries.
Malayalis form nearly 40 percent
of the 2.6 million Indians in the UAE,
making Kerala the biggest benefactor of
the remittances. The country is also home
to diverse Indian communities. Sindhis
and Gujaratis dominate most family-run
businesses. There are also sizeable number
of Punjabis, Tamils and Goans.
Where Indians go, they are bound to
take their food along. The bustling locality
of Karama in the heart of Dubai, nicknamed
Little India, is dotted with enticing eateries
offering menus from nearly 15 Indian states
including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil
Nadu, Goa and Rajasthan.
For an average Indian, religion is an
important part of life. And Dubai shines
as a beacon of religious tolerance in the
Gulf. In 1958, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al
Maktoum, father of Dubais current ruler,
permitted a Hindu temple to be built on the
first floor of a bylane in Bur Dubai. More
than 50,000 Sikhs in the UAE got their own
grand Gurudwara in 2012, thanks to land
donated by Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid
al Maktoum, the Prime Minister of UAE
and Ruler of Dubai. The UAE also hosts
several churches frequented by the Malayali
Syrian Christians.
The most glamorous business is of course
show business. The UAE is a huge source of
box office revenue for Bollywood and the
Malayalam film industry. Generations of
Emiratis grew up watching Hindi movies
as staple entertainment, idolizing Amitabh
Bachchan and, later, Shah Rukh Khan.
Indian movie stars fly down to the UAE
for film premieres a day before it releases
even in India. Not to forget the routine store
inaugurations and stage shows, one can say
that the chances of running into an Indian
film star are more in Dubai than in India!
Holistic development of youth is need of the hour

Rajat Arora
outh-hood is considered a crucial

period for establishing a positive
well-being in a lifetime of a human
being but a vast number of our youth seem
to be neglecting their health, unmindful of
the dangers lurking.
Good health in youth sets the stage for
a healthy ageing. When they begin the
transition from childhood to adolescence
and move on to adulthood, they undergo
changes at both emotional and physical
levels. An overview on health of youth has
demonstrated the serious health challenges
that this vulnerable group faces.
While most young people are healthy,
more than 1.8 million young people aged
between 15 and 24 die each year, mostly
due to preventable causes, according to the
World Health Organisation (WHO).
Many more engage in behaviours that
are dangerous to their current state of
health and puts their health at risk for years
to come. Promoting healthy lifestyles and
taking steps to better educate and protect
this group from health risks will ensure
longer, more productive lives.
Bad habits and poor hygiene, persistent
behavioural risks, poor basic sanitation, and
new and emerging diseases are contributing
to a deadly mix that is changing the classic
picture of healthy youth.
Hence it has become imperative for the

health fraternity to devise, test and make
wider use of effective new approaches,
including operational, community-based
research, clinical studies and longitudinal
surveys that focus on adolescents
and youth.
The WHO puts forth startling facts that
indicate inaccessibility of preventive and
timely health care for youth.
Road traffic injuries were the leading
cause of death in 2012, with some 330
adolescents dying every day. The other
main causes of adolescent deaths include
HIV, suicide, lower respiratory infections
and interpersonal violence.
Globally, the WHO states that there
are 49 births per 1,000 girls aged 15 to
19, according to 2010 figures. Half of all
mental health disorders in adulthood
appear to start by age 14, but most cases are
undetected and untreated.
Around one in six people in the world is
an adolescent: that is 1.2 billion are people
aged between 10 and 19. Alcohol or tobacco
use, lack of physical activity, unprotected
sex and/or exposure to violence have been
some of the factors that jeopardise the
health of youth today.
Alcohol consumption of three or more
drinks per day and cigarette smoking share
similar, and probably additive, effects on
some forms of cardiovascular disease.
Alcohol consumption of three or more
drinks per day clearly raises blood pressure,

one of the most important cardiovascular
risk factors.
As a result, consumers of three to five
drinks per day have a roughly 50 per
cent higher risk of high blood pressure
(hypertension) and the risk increases
even more with heavier intake. There are
similar relationships between alcohol and
tobacco use and levels of triglycerides, a fat
in the blood that has been linked to risk of
coronary heart disease.
In supplement to physical health,
mental health also plays a significant
role. In our quest for youth development,
one often tends to focus on the physical,
financial, academic and professional
side while neglecting the mental aspect.
But to develop in an all-around way, one
needs to acknowledge and understand the
importance of good mental health. Good
mental health is being in a state in which
one is fully aware of and has achieved some
semblance of balance in life along with a
sense of well-being and confidence to face
lifes challenges.
Another important aspect where health
plays a vital role in youth is in academics.
Health-related factors such as hunger,
physical and emotional abuse, and chronic
illness can lead to poor school performance.
Health-risk behaviour such as early sexual
initiation, violence, unhealthy eating, and
physical inactivity are consistently linked
to poor grades, test scores, and lower

educational attainment.
Hence, to bring about a positive impact
on the well-being of youth, it is important
for all the stakeholders to work in a way that
provides a safe and nurturing environment
wherein youth have adequate access to
preventive and curative healthcare.
For holistic development of youth,
sound
public
policies,
supportive
environments, community action, and the
reorientation of health services all have
a part to play. Of particular importance,
however, is the direct involvement of youth
in the promotion of their own health.
Rajat Arora is MD, MRCP (UK), DM,
Interventional Cardiologist and Medical
Director at Yashoda Hospitals in Delhi. The
views expressed are personal.
18
INDIA
Red
Black
Orange
Is India ready for a larger role?

Tarun Basu
t a recent international
conference
organised
by the Assilah Forum
Foundation in the eponymous
picture postcard-pretty town
in northern Morocco, speakers
highlighted
the
importance
of India as a key player in the
American rebalance in the
Asia-Pacific, especially with the
worrying rise of China, politically,
militarily and economically.
At a lecture in New Delhi to mark
10 years of the Indo-US nuclear
deal, then foreign secretary and key
negotiator Shyam Saran disclosed
that many of the foot-draggers
among the powerful Nuclear
Supplier Group (NSG) cartel fell in
line with the waiver for New Delhi,
despite it not being a signatory
to the NPT, because, as some of
them confided, the exceptionalism
happened all because it was India.
With Prime Minister Narendra
Modi in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) for his 26th country visit
in just 15 months in power, the
question being asked is: Is India set
to play a larger role in global affairs?
Will India be a balancing power
or a leading player? Will India
step in to play a peacemaker role in
global hotspots as many countries
keep demanding? These and many
other questions are sought to be

answered by well-known strategic
analyst and columnist C. Raja
Mohan in his latest offering Modis
World: Expanding Indias Sphere
of Influence (HarperCollins).
Raja Mohan says Modis practice
of foreign policy, much to
everyones surprise since he had no
previous experience in it, has been
purposeful and consequential
and it was more than just imparting
energy - he made 18 foreign visits
in the first year of power - but was
also about following continuity with
some subtle changes in orientation
that appeared to lend the policy a
more defined and a sharper edge.
According to him, Modi put
his personal stamp on four issues:
- discarding defensiveness on
global issues, shedding some past
certitudes on multilateralism and
beginning to alter the way that
India looks at global problems;
- overruled long-standing political
objections in Delhi to expanding
economic cooperation with China,
going so far as to compel the security
establishment to liberalise visa rules;
- Bypassing Pakistan to endorse
sub-regional
cooperation
by
signing the significant BBIN
treaty between India, Nepal,
Bhutan
and
Bangladesh;
- and, overruling opposition within
his own party to go ahead with

the contentious land boundary
agreement with Bangladesh that
the previous government lacked
the political capital to conclude.
What
is
Modis
foreign
policy vision?
Although he himself is yet
to articulate it in parliament
or elsewhere, two recent policy
addresses, one by National Security
Adviser Ajit Doval, and the other
by Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar,
provide some interesting insights to
his and the governments thinking.
Doval made two interesting
observations that reflect in many
ways the changed thinking of the
Indian establishment.
One, weak states invite trouble
and hence, to demonstrate one is a
strong state, one must not hesitate
to exercise power. Two, there is little
place for morality in international
affairs. Nations must take recourse
to any means to protect itself,
including having to take recourse to
capital punishment (in allusion to
the debate on the hanging of Yakub
Memon) and cannot subjugate
the states interest to individual
morality in the larger interest of
society.. He also said India was
punching below its weight and
India should now improve our
weight and punch proportionately.
Jaishankers speech at Singapore External Affairs Minister Salman

was even more revealing. He Khurshid in the government of
talked about changes in Indias Manmohan Singh made light of
foreign policy being the sharpest these remarks, saying India never
in the last year and that energetic saw itself as a power in any sense
diplomacy (by the prime minister) as its foreign policy was largely an
has resulted in India leaving instrument to promote national
larger and deeper footprints in the development goals and not for
world and being ready to shoulder projecting itself to the world in
greater global responsibilities. any muscular manner.
That then, as Raja Mohan points
He made another interesting
observation - that Indias future out, is where Modi undertook a
lay in being a human resources definitive reframing of Indias
power, rather than a military or foreign policy in defining a
an economic power, and it should new international identity for
be seen by the rest of the world, India as a leading power and
including the US and China, as has overruled the reluctance of
an opportunity rather than an its political class to think about
the world in strategic terms
investment-risky country.
He said the deepening and and assume a leadership role.
broadening of ties with the US Modi, true to this character,
were among the key elements has dreamed of a Big Power
of a changing Asian calculus, a role for India, but the question
point that has been belaboured that remains is India ready yet
by the US in recent times. to play that role, institutionally
In a major policy speech at and structurally, whether it has
Perth, Australia, in 2012, then a political consensus for that
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strategic leap and whether its
described India as an important forces can be deployed beyond
player in the Indo-Pacific region the borders if required to match
and urged New Delhi to play the expectations of such a role.
a larger role in the regions Some in India may yet be sceptical
affairs, a suggestion that only got that things may not have been too
lukewarm response in New Delhi well thought out and the delivery
by the government of the day. may not be able to match such
At an interaction with editors, then vaunting ambitions.
INDIA
Red
Black
19
Orange
Modi exhorts India to start up, stand up
n his second Independence Day

address, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi vowed to end corruption,
exhorted India to start up, stand up, didnt
announce the eagerly-awaited One Rank
One Pension scheme and gave a complete
miss to foreign policy.
Addressing the nation on August 15
from the ramparts of the 17th century Red
Fort, Modi said that his government was
determined to build a new India, including
providing electricity to 18,500 power-less
villages in the next 1,000 days.
Dressed in a cream kurta pyjama, beige
jacket and mustard headgear, Modi said
his Swachh Bharat campaign was the
biggest success of his BJP-led government
which took office in May last year.
He, however, disappointed lakhs of exservice personnel who were awaiting for a
concrete announcement on the One-RankOne-Pension (OROP) scheme. He said the
government had accepted in principle the
scheme, but not give any clear roadmap
for its adoption, prompting protesting exservicemen in Jantar Mantar to cry out
shame, shame.
During his one hour, 23-minute long
speech, Modi made it clear that there was no
place for casteism and communalism in India.
He said the country can be free of corruption
but we have to start from the top.
It can be done... Corruption is eating up
our country like termites. If you want to get
rid of termites, you have to inject medicine.
Corruption had become part of the system.
Contractors were running the nation. We
have taken steps to correct the system.
Other steps had been taken to tackle black
money from the appointment of a special
probe team to enacting a stringent law.

The Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI), he said, was probing some 800
cases of black money until he took power.
Now the CBI was examining 1,800 cases.
Already several thousand crores of rupees had

been collected from people who had begun
to declare their ill-gotten assets, he said.
In his speech, Modi repeatedly used the word
Team India - to denote a united nation.
This is Team India, a team of 125 crore

Indians. This is the team that makes the nation
and takes our nation to new heights, he said.
Modi also listed key initiatives of his 15-month
government in the area of financial inclusion,
fighting graft and inducing transparency,
and said true economic progress must
touch the bottom of the pyramid.
He said the countrys youth be given
opportunities and support to become
entrepreneurs in their own right, notably
the deprived.
In the coming days, start-ups
will be promoted in every corner of
the country. Start up India, stand
up India, the prime minister said.
All banks in our country must contribute
to a start-up revolution. Each of the
125,000 bank branches must assist one
Dalit or one tribal entrepreneur and one
woman entrepreneur. They must also
become entrepreneurs in the future.
Modi announced the agriculture ministry
would now be known as the Ministry
of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare -to take better care of farmers needs.
He said he had also faced a lot of pressure
against the transparent processes such as on
the e-auction of private FM Radio channels.
But
he
did
not
yield.
People said radio concerns the common
man. I was pressured, he said, alluding
to calls for giving away the licences cheap.
But the transparent process evoked a lot
of interest and the 85 channels that were
on the block fetched Rs.1,000 crore to
the exchequer. The government, he said,
had brought down inflation despite poor
rainfall, and called for a restructuring of
agricultural practices.
6 I-Day promises from 2014 that Modi (partially)fulfilled

Saumya Tewari
s Prime Minister Narendra

Modi delivered his second
Independence
Day
speech,
IndiaSpend and FactChecker reviewed the
implementation of key pronouncements he
made in his first Independence Day speech
on August 15, 2014:
1. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
- More than 174 million bank accounts
opened; 46 per cent have no money
What Modi said: I wish to connect the
poorest citizens of the country with the
facility of bank accounts through this
yojana. There are millions of families who
have mobile phones but no bank accounts.
We have to change this scenario.
What happened: Pradhan Mantri JanDhan Yojana (PMJDY), or the Prime
Ministers Peoples Wealth Programme,
has indeed opened a window to financial
inclusion: allowing the poor access to
formal financial services-bank accounts,
credit services, debit cards, insurance
and pensions. As on August 5, 2015, 174.5
million new bank accounts have been
opened; 46 per cent of these had no money
- zero-balance accounts.
2. Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojna
(MPs Ideal Village Programme)-Most
MPs have adopted villages; success
or failure will be apparent by 2016
What Modi said: Each of our MPs should
make one village of his or her constituency

a Model Village by 2016. After 2016, select
two more villages for this purpose, before
we go for the general elections in 2019.
What happened: So far, only 45 Lok
Sabha MPs (of 543) and five Rajya
Sabha MPs (of 247) have ignored the
scheme and not adopted villages. As
Mint reported, there is no change in
the Uttar Pradesh village that Congress
Vice President Rahul Gandhi adopted.
Success or failure will be apparent by
2016, Modis deadline to create the
model villages he spoke about in 2014.
3. Separate toilets in all government
schools - Majority built, according
to government, especially for girls,
but only a fraction have water
What Modi said: All schools in the
country should have toilets with separate
toilets for girls. This target should be
finished within one year with the help of
state governments and on the next August
15, we should be in a firm position to
announce that there is no school in India
without separate toilets for boys and girls.
What happened: Eighty-five percent of
government schools had toilets for boys and
91 percent had toilets for girls, according to
the human resource development ministry.
There is no independent verification of this
claim. However, water for these toilets is
another matter: only 27 percent of toilets
for boys and 31 percent for girls had water,
according to the mission document of the
Swachh Vidhyalya (Clean Schools) scheme.

4. Ten-year moratorium on communal
clashes - Riots continue at largely
the same rate as during the tenure
of the previous UPA government
What Modi said: I appeal to all those
people that whether it is the poison of
casteism, communalism, regionalism,
discrimination on social and economic
basis, all these are obstacles in our way
forward. Lets resolve for once in our
hearts, we shall march ahead to a society
which will be free from all such tensions.
What happened: The average number of
riots per month has largely stayed the same
over six years, rising marginally this year.
The worst year was 2013, and the year with
the fewest riots was 2011.
5. Launch of Make in India
and
Foreign
Direct
Investment
(FDI) - Successfully launched and
promoted; 29 per cent rise in FDI
What Modi said: I want to appeal to all the
people world over, from the ramparts of
the Red Fort, Come, make in India; Come,
manufacture in India. Sell in any country
of the world but manufacture here.
What happened: The Make in India
initiative was launched in September 2014.
There has been a 48 percent increase in
FDI during October 2014 to April 2015
over the equivalent period of the previous
year, according to an answer given to the
Lok Sabha by the ministry of commerce.
There was a 37 percent growth in FDI
during January to May 2015 over the

same period in 2014, according to the
Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion. Overall, FDI grew 29 percent in
the financial year 2014-15 over the previous
year. Investments by foreign institutional
investors, or the money coming through
financial markets, were $40.92 billion in
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, about
seven times as much as in 2013-14, The
Wall Street Journal reported.
6. Jobs for young people under
35 - New ministry launches skilling
programmes for 2.4 million youth,
but 12 million jobs needed every year
What Modi said: Sixty-five percent
population of the country happens to be
under the age of 35 years. We have young
people, they are unemployed but the kind of
young people we seek for are not available.
If we have to promote the development
of our country then our mission has to be
skill development and skilled India.
What happened: The flagship, outcomebased Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas
Yojana (PMKVY), the Prime Ministers
Skill Development Scheme, was launched
on July 15, 2015. Under this scheme, the
government has set a target to provide skill
training to 400.2 million people by 2022.
In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org,
a data-driven, non-profit, public interest
journalism platform. FactChecker is a part
of IndiaSpend.
20
INDIA
India, UAE to establish investment fund of $75bn

Red
n a significant move, India

and the UAE have agreed to
cooperate in cracking down
on terrorism and radicalisation,
and called on all nations to
dismantle terrorism infrastructure
where they exist and bring
perpetrators of terrorism to
justice, in what is being seen as a
veiled message to Pakistan.
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi said the India-UAE joint
statement was clear in its message
without caring for anyone.
In a veiled swipe at Pakistan,
Modi, while addressing a massive
diaspora event in the evening,
said India and the UAE have come
out against terrorism, without
any camouflage, in clear terms,
without caring for anyone, given a
clear message against terrorism.
Addressing
thousands
of
cheering Indian diaspora at
the Dubai Cricket Stadium in
Abu Dhabi, Modi said in a jibe
at Pakistan, that those who
need to understand will do
so - the message of the joint
statement against terrorism.
Samajhnewale
samajh
jayengey.
Akalmand
ko
ishara kafi hai, he said.
In the joint statement, issued after
talks between Prime Minister Modi
and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin
Zayed AI Nahyan in Abu Dhabi,
India and the UAE also agreed to
promote investment, including
through the establishment of
a
UAE-India
Infrastructure
Investment Fund of $75 billion for
supporting projects in India in the
sector of railways, ports, roads,
airports and industrial corridors
and parks.
The statement said the visit of
Orange
PM Modi With HH Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan & HE Dr. Anwar Gargash at the Sheikh Zayed
Grand Mosque
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al
Nahyan at a meeting in Abu Dhabi, UAE
an Indian prime minister to UAE

after 34 years marks the beginning
of a new and comprehensive
strategic
partnership.
Both
sides
denounce
and
oppose
terrorism
in
all
forms
and
manifestations,
said
the
joint
statement.
India and the UAE call on all
states to reject and abandon
the use of terrorism against
other
countries,
it
said.
The two nations agreed to work
together for the adoption of Indias
proposal
on
Comprehensive
Convention on International
Terrorism in the United Nations.
Both agreed to work together
to control, regulate and share
information on flow of funds
Wipro sets
up open data
centre for
enterprises
Black
ipro Ltd has set up an open data centre

in this tech hub to help enterprises
adopt new age software defined
infrastructure (SDI), the IT bellwether said this week.
As a centre of excellence the data centre integrates
proprietary and open source solutions across layers,
including network, storage, compute and cloud, the
software major said in a statement in Bengaluru.
The centre also aims to transform client data
centres by leveraging its adoption framework,
comprising its IP (intellectual property) assets.
Our centre helps clients navigate through challenges
associated with transformation of data centres. The
centre of excellence will build, integrate, test and
demonstrate customer aligned SDI solutions, Wipros
global infrastructure services chief executive G.K.
Prasanna said on the occasion.
The centre of excellence is linked to three data
centres with dual data centre architecture and
located in the companys electronic city campus and
Mountain View in the US. The outsourcing major has
forged strategic and niche technology alliances with
Silicon Valley start-ups and mid-size OEMs (original
equipment manufacturers) to offer comprehensive
and future-proof solutions to customers.
that
affect
radicalisation.
Both will strengthen cooperation
in law enforcement, anti-money
laundering,
drug
trafficking,
extradition
arrangements.
Both are to promote cooperation
in cyber security, including
prevention of use of cyber for
terrorism, radicalisation and
disturbing
social
harmony.
Both are to establish a dialogue
between their National Security
Advisers and their National
Security Councils.
The
NSAs
are
to
meet
every
six
months.
The joint statement marks a
tectonic shift of the UAE away
from Pakistan, said sources.
The agreement on terrorism
would also help plug all loopholes

used by terrorists like Dawood to
use the UAE to secretly plant their
funds to further terrorism in India.
India and the UAE are to
cooperate
to
strengthen
maritime security in the Gulf
and the Indian Ocean Region.
They agreed to strengthen defence
relations,
including
through
regular exercises and cooperation
in defence manufacturing.
India welcomed the UAEs
decision to participate in the
International Fleet Review in
India in 2016.
India and the UAE are to
establish a strategic security
dialogue
between
the
two
governments, which calls on
all nations to fully respect
and sincerely implement their
commitment to resolve disputes
bilaterally
and
peacefully
without resorting to violence
and terrorism. On trade and
investment, India and the UAE
have agreed to set up a revised
target of increasing trade by 60
per cent in the next five years.
In the strategic energy sector,
both agreed to promote strategic
Indias First Lady

passes away at 58
he had always remained in the

background, smiling graciously at
invited guests from her wheelchair
during events held at the Rashtrapati
Bhavan. First Lady Suvra Mukherjee,
President Pranab Mukherjees wife of
58 years, passed away in New Delhi on
Tuesday, August 18.
The first lady was admitted to the
Intensive Care Unit of the Armys Research
And Referral Hospital in New Delhi two
weeks back. President Mukherjee cut short
his two-day visit to Odisha and returned
to the national capital that evening itself.
She was known to be suffering from a
heart ailment.
Suvra Mukherjee died after a cardiac
arrest. She was on ventilator till the time of
her death, Armys Research And Referral
Hospital PRO Sanjay Kumar told media.
The last rites of the first lady were
performed at the electric crematorium on
Wednesday, August 19.
The funeral ceremony was attended
by Pranab Mukherjee, their children
Sharmistha, Abhijit and Indrajit, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, Bangladesh
President Abdul Hamid, Bangladesh Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina, and Congress
president Sonia Gandhi.
partnership
in
the
energy
sector, including through the
UAEs participation in India in
the development of strategic
petroleum reserves, upstream
and
downstream
petroleum
sectors, and collaboration in third
countries.
Both countries agreed to
promote cooperation in space,
including in joint development
and launch of satellites.
In nuclear energy, India
and the UAE will cooperate
in peaceful uses of nuclear
energy including in areas such
as safety, health, agriculture
and science and technology.
On UNSC reforms, both sides
agreed on early reforms of the UN
in its 70th anniversary year. Modi
thanked the UAE for support for
Indias permanent membership.
The prime minister thanked
the
UAE
for
its
strong
support to the International
Day of Yoga on June 21.
Modi also thanked the crown
prince for his decision to allot
land for construction of a temple
in Abu Dhabi.
US to develop
Allahabad as
smart city
he US will help Uttar

Pradesh in developing
Allahabad as a smart city,
US Ambassador to India Richard

R. Verma said this week.
Verma called on Chief Minister
Akhilesh Yadav in Allahabad and
held wide-ranging deliberations
on
business
and
investment
opportunities in the state.

During
Former prime minister Manmohan
Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal, Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb
Jung, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta
Banerjee among others were also present.
Married to Pranab Mukherjee on
July 13, 1957, Suvra Mukherjee was an
accomplished Rabindra Sangeet exponent.
The couple have two sons and a daughter.
Her son Abhijeet Mukherjee is a Congress
MP from Jangipur, West Bengal, while
daughter Sharmistha is an accomplished
dancer and has joined the Congress party.
Another son is Indrajit Mukherjee.
Suvra Mukherjee was born in Narail,
Bangladesh, where her relatives still live.
diplomat
further
the
meeting,
expressed
strengthen
the
desire
and
to
take
forward bilateral relations with

India, especially Uttar Pradesh.
He said many industrialists in
the US were keen to invest in the
state, and sought information for
US investment in key sectors.
During the meeting, Verma said
his country would help develop
Allahabad as a smart city and that
very soon, a US delegation would
come to the state and discuss with
officials how to take this forward.
INDIA ABROAD
Red
Black
21
Orange
Indians win World of Dance trophy in US

Sugandha Rawal
esihoppers, an Indian
dance troupe, emerged
victorious at the World
of Dance competition in Los
Angeles, beating 34 competitors
from 14 countries.
Indian classical dance moves on
fast-paced western music became
a hit here when Desihoppers
group of dancers from different
parts of India took to the stage.
Initiated by trio Shantanu
Maheshwari,
MacedonDmello
and Nimit Kotian, the race to
clinch the trophy was not easy
for the Desihoppers. Cries of
Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Ganpati
bindass NAACH crew - Desihoppers triumph at the World of Dance championship
Bappa Morya rent the air and

the Indian tricolour was waved
at the venue, the Los Angeles
Convention Center, as the group

was announced the winners on
August 16. They received a trophy
along with a cheque of $5,000.

They also got the Crowd Favourite
Trophy at the eventwhich
since 2008, has united the dance
community from the US, Europe,
South America, Asia, and Canada
to celebrate the lifestyle and
culture of urban dance and music.
I still cant believe that we won
the first prize.
There were so many tough
competitors, who performed with
about 50-70 people while we were
just seven.
We dont know what we
will do with the money, Nimit
told media after registering
a win in the competition.
A dream to find acclaim in the
Indian American student in team that

discovers Jupiter-like planet
Arun Kumar
n international team of
astronomers, including
an Indian-American PhD
student, has discovered a Jupiterlike exoplanet outside earths solar
system just a 100 light years away.
Researchers including Rahul I.
Patel, a PhD student in Physics &
Astronomy Department of Stony
Brook University, New York, are
calling the exoplanet a young
Jupiter because it shares many
characteristics of Jupiter.
A paper outlining the full
findings is published in Science.
The finding could serve as a
decoder ring for astronomers
to understand how planets
formed around the sun as it
provides an opportunity to look
at younger star systems in the
earlier phase of development,
according to a media release.
Called 51 Eridani b, the exoplanet
is the faintest one on record,
and also shows the strongest
methane signature ever detected
on an alien planet, which
An international team of astronomers, including

an Indian-American PhD student, has discovered
a Jupiter like exoplanet outside earths solar
system just a 100 light years away
should yield additional clues

as to how the planet formed.
We found that 51 Eridani
is surrounded by warm dust
that indicates the presence of
an asteroid belt, said Patel.
Finding dust around a star is
like seeing a large signpost that
tells us there might be a planet,
he added. This is because the dust
is ually created when lots of large
asteroids collide and destroy each

other, usually pushed around by
a large planet - like 51 Eridani b.
Patel led NASAs Wide-field
Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
to search for any thermal glow
that dust and ice grains resulting
from collisions among asteroids
and comets in the Solar System
can produce.
His previous work identifying
recycled planetary dust, known as
debris disks, around close to a
hundred other star systems, puts
the discovery of the exoplanet in
context. In addition to being the
faintest planet ever imaged, its also
the coldest - 400 Celsius, whereas
others are around 700 C - and
features the strongest atmospheric
methane signal on record.
Previous Jupiter-like exoplanets
have shown only faint traces of
methane, far different from the
heavy methane atmospheres of
the gas giants in our solar system.
All of these characteristics,
the
researchers
say,
point
to a planet that is very
much what models suggest

Jupiter was like in its infancy.
Patel and Stanimir Metchev, a
Physics & Astronomy Professor
at Western University in Canada
and at Stony Brook University, are
co-investigators on the scientific
study. They are both members
of the international Gemini
Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey
(GPIES) team, which is dedicated
to imaging and characterising
exoplanets, planets discovered
outside of earths solar system.
What makes 51 Eridani particularly
interesting is that it also harbours
dust and ice in the planetary system,
explained Metchev.
These are much like the dust
and the ice grains produced by
collisions among asteroids and
comets in the Solar System.
More data from the European
Space Agencys Herschel Space
Observatory reveal that 51 Eridani
is also surrounded by a more distant
and colder cometary belt, much like
the Kuiper Belt of comets beyond
Neptune in the solar system.
Indian community in US celebrates Independence Day
ndian
community
here
celebrated
Indias
69th
Independence Day with
ambassador Arun K. Singh
unfurling the national flag
and a cultural programme
of
patriotic
songs
in
different
Indian
languages.
More than 350 community
members
attended
the
Independence Day celebrations at
Embassy Residence and sang the
national anthem. The ambassador
addressed the guests and read
out Presidents Independence
Day address to the nation.
In his own message on the

occasion, Singh thanked the
Indian nationals and the Indian
American community for their
dynamic,
substantial
and
continuous
contribution
to
strengthening the relationship
between the largest democracy
and the oldest democracy.
Hailed
as
the
defining
partnership of the 21st century in
the world, India and the US are
enhancing their relationship not
only at the bilateral level, but also
at the regional and global levels,
he said.
With the historic visits of

Prime Minister Narendra Modi
to the US in September 2014 and
President Barack Obama to India
in January 2015, the leaders
of both countries have given a
great impetus to the momentum
of this relationship, Singh said.

India-US
cooperation
has
deepened in the established
sectors while new fields are
continuously added to widen
our relationship, he said.
People-to-people contact is one
of the strongest pillars of this
growing relationship.
Indian community members
also
joined
flag
hoisting
ceremonies at the Indian mission
at the UN and Indian consulates
in New York, San Francisco,
Chicago, Houston and Atlanta.
dance sphere brought the trio

together and as they moved a step
ahead with the victory, Nimit said
that their hard work has paid off.
The Desihoppers staged an
energetic performance by starting
off with a formation of Lord
Ganesha and then providing a
glimpse of Indian classical dance.
The group, which got mentored
by Jaja Vankov, a choreographer
from the Czech Republic, and
of So You Think You Can Dance
fame, not only got a standing
ovation, but the audience was
seen reaching out to the dancers
after the performance to applaud
their effort.
Indian American
lawyer shortlisted
for prestigious
award
ndian American attorney

Richa Naujoks ne Gautam
has been shortlisted for
Thomson Reuters Foundations
Trust Law Lawyer of the
Year award.
Celebrating
ground-breaking
pro bono projects undertaken by
legal teams with NGOs and social
enterprises around the world, the
award recognises lawyers who have
gone above and beyond in providing
exceptional pro bono support.
Among individual nominees,
Richa Naujoks is the only Indian and
the only US lawyer shortlisted for this
prestigious award, said a statement.
A senior associate at Nixon Peabody
LLPs New York City office, she is a
graduate of the National Law School
of India University in Bangalore and
the University of Washington in
Seattle (LLM). She currently serves
as co-chair of the India Committee
of the American Bar Associations
Section of International Law.
Richa Naujoks was nominated
by Mumbai-based Wello for her
outstanding pro bono work on
the complex restructuring of
Wellos US and Indian legal and
operational structure.
Wello makes water wheels that
help women safely carry water from
distant water sources to their homes.
Trust Law connects the worlds
leading legal teams to provide free
legal assistance to organisations
working
for
social
and
environmental change.
It is able to draw from its network
of more than 100,000 lawyers across
the world to meet the legal needs
of NGOs and social enterprises.
In addition to Wello, other South
Asian projects and NGOs are
represented within the various
categories for the 2015 awards.
Indian firm Law Quest is nominated
for its support of Nazdeek
EDUCATION
22
Red
represent
Australasia
at
Harvard
Model United Nations and Yale Model

United Nations.
The students will set out with their
Faculty Advisors on an intensive Ivy League
academic study tour in January 2016. This
whirlwind tour will give the students the
Ivy League experience, immersing them in
selected from across New Zealand and
Tiger
Australia to be a part of this prestigious
Aggarwal (Auckland) Kate Li (Auckland)
Australasian delegation.
Nikki Mehta (Melbourne) Rayna Ravji
At both Harvard and Yale Model United

Nations they will be debating a wide range
of international issues as part of their two
and a half week intensive international
academic study tour.
The following students have been
selected
as
part
of
the
delegation:
the culture of each school and showcasing
Isobel Ryan (Auckland) Nathan Huynh
the world-- class education programmes
(Melbourne) Carolyn Song (Auckland)
the United States of America has to offer.
Helen Wu (Auckland) Angus Woods
The students aged between 1518 were
(Brisbane)
Saurav
Bansal
(Auckland)
Brown
(Auckland)
(Wellington)
Eugenia
Tsao
Amay
(Auckland)
Sarah Lu (Auckland) The delegation

has already begun their unique training
programme in which they receive guidance
on how to produce conference documents
such as briefing papers, position papers
and resolutions.
With a delegation-wide Harvard focus,
each student is also preparing for Ivy
League admissions office visits, lectures
and on campus billeting with students
sharing the same study interests as them.
NZ students to participate in World

Science Conference in Israel
ive of New Zealands science

students participated in the WSCI2015 World Science Conference
Israel, a new scientific undertaking, which
brought together leading scientific leaders
of the present with promising young
scientists of the future.
The five-year 13 students from Hamilton,
Pukekohe,
Wellington,
Onehunga,
Hamilton and New Plymouth were selected
by the Royal Society of New Zealand.
An
unprecedented
festival
of
international scienceheld from August 16
to 20 in Jerusalem saw 15 Nobel laureates
and 400 young science geniuses from all
over the world participating in the biggest
scientific conference of its kind.
Israel hosted more than 400 young
science mastermindsin Jerusalemthe
Alex Kennedy, 17, of Hamilton Boys High School, has been

selected to rub shoulders with Nobel Prize winners at the
World Science Conference - Israel in August
Making teaching and learning

easier
odern, multi-purpose and

transportable classrooms will
soon be in use in many New
Zealand schools. The Ministry of Education
has awarded a contract to Interlink for the
supply, construction and delivery of new
style modular transportable classrooms.
This contract has the potential to deliver
over $100 million worth of modern and
moveable school buildings over the next 10
years. The contract will deliver at least 50
transportable classrooms each year, and
more can be delivered if needed.
These new buildings will provide better
teaching environments for the educators,
and better learning spaces for the kids.
The transportable buildings are high
quality. But they have the added advantage
of being more adaptable and relocatable.
Schools can reconfigure the buildings to
support a wide range of teaching activities.
They can double and triple the space to
accommodate more students as required.
Under the contract, Interlink will
work with schools to ensure the buildings
Artists impression, courtesy of Portacom

Building Solutions | Opus International
Consultants | Brewer Davidson.
complement
the
schools
individual
character. Schools can select the colour

options and fixed furnishings that best
meet their needs, and discuss the most
suitable site location and orientation.
Orange
Kiwis Lack Patience

to Become Teachers Survey
10 young Kiwis chosen to represent NZ

at Harvard Model UN
en outstanding young New
Zealanders have been chosen
as part of the delegation to
Black
future generation of world scientistsfrom

more than 70 countries worldwideand15
Nobel laureates, for the firstWorld Science
ConferenceIsrael (WSCI-2015).
Initiated by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the State of Israel in collaboration
with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Nobel Laureate Prof. Roger Kornberg, and
the Ministry of Science & Technology, the
WSCI brought young students from all
around the world for an intensive oneweek program. During the conference,
the participants had a chance to attend
lectures, to interact, and to be inspired by
Nobel Laureates of various fields, Wolf
Prize & Fields Medal winners, as well
as other leading scientists from around
the world.
iwis think the teaching profession

is becoming tougher and the
majority says they wouldnt have
the patience to do the job, according to
new research.
A recent study which investigated
how New Zealanders perceive the role
of teachers in our society found most of
us had concerns with how teachers were
coping with the demands on them.
Eight out of ten (78%) of Kiwis surveyed
said they believed the job of a teacher is
harder than it was a decade ago, and that
the career requirements whether in early
education, primary or high school, have
increased with time.
Many Kiwis (47%) acknowledge they
wouldnt have the patience to take on
a teaching job themselves if the tables
were turned, and are disappointed with
the level of support teachers receive from
the community.
The study also highlighted the
significant influence teachers have on our
lives as three-quarters (75%) of all Kiwis
say outside of our family it is teachers who
have the greatest impact.
Interestingly, along with educating
children in all areas of the curriculum and
guiding their social development, the new
research shows teachers are also key in
shaping the future of many students lives,
with around four in 10 people (37%) saying
a teacher inspired their career path.
The level of that influence may be
growing, with nearly half of all young
people (47%) aged 18-24 saying they have
been influenced by a teacher in their chosen
direction after leaving school.
A majority of 75% say we should be
doing more for the people who take on the
challenging role of caring for and educating
Kiwi kids throughout their school years.
Capitals Education Summit

agrees pathway for growth
eaders of Wellington Citys

education, local government and
business communities converged
for the Education Summit to focus on
expanding the Capitals international
student market.
Held at Te Papa on Wednesday 19
August, and hosted by Mayor Celia
Wade-Brown, the Summits 90 attendees
heard from a panel of the Capitals top
educationalists on the issues, opportunities
and challenges in growing the number of
international students.
The panel featured Grant Guilford,
Vice Chancellor Victoria University,
Steve Maharey, Vice Chancellor Massey
University, Chris Gosling, CEO Whitireia
and Weltec, Julia Davidson, Principal
Wellington Girls College, and Charles
Finny, Chair of Education New Zealand.
Mayor Celia Wade-Brown presented on
the citys commitment to education at all
levels and the economic growth initiatives
currently undertaken by the Council.
The Capital, and the Wellington City
Council, values education and todays

event underlined our commitment to
growing our international student market
in partnership with the education sector,
says Mayor Wade-Brown.
Key themes discussed by panellists
included the importance of growing
international students and primary and
high school levels, business opportunities
among foreign alumni contacts, better
collateral
material
and
marketing
campaigns, career pathways and better
public transport enabling affordable
accommodation. A longer runway to
enable direct flights from Asian hubs was
universally backed by panellists.
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KIDS ZONE
23
Orange
The Fox, the Cock, and the Dog
One moonlight night a Fox was prowling about a

farmer's hen-coop, and saw a Cock roosting high up
beyond his reach. Good news, good news! he cried.
Why, what is that? said the Cock.
King Lion has declared a universal truce. No beast
may hurt a bird henceforth, but all shall dwell together
in brotherly friendship.
Why, that is good news, said the Cock; and there I
see someone coming, with whom we can share the good
tidings. And so saying he
craned his neck forward
and looked afar off.
What is it you see?
said the Fox.
It is only my master's
Dog that is coming
towards us. What, going
so soon? he continued,
as the Fox began to turn
away as soon as he had
heard the news.
Will you not stop
and congratulate the
Dog on the reign of universal peace?
I would gladly do so, said the Fox, but I fear he may
not have heard of King Lion's decree.
Cunning often outwits itself.
Send us
stories, drawings, poems
and other contributions
by your little ones along
with their photographs
for this page.
E-mail us at
editor@indianweekender.co.nz
24
FEATURES
From the desk of

Red
Black
Orange
Women who changed our world
This week, we take a look at three women who have influenced the lives of many around the world
Esha Chanda
Oprah Winfrey
ne of the richest and most influential woman in

the world, Oprah Winfrey reigns supreme in the
media industry. A generous philanthropist and a
media proprietor, Winfrey started off as a news anchor at
the age of 19 for a local station.
She started hosting a personal talk show named AM
Chicago in 1984, and a year later, due to the success of
the show, it was renamed to The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Winfrey also appeared in Steven Spielbergs adaptation
of the novel The Color Purple. Her performance earned
her a nomination at the Academy Awards for Best
Supporting Actress.
In 1998, she created Oprahs Angel Network, a public
charity formed. Some of the projects under the Angel
Network included building more than 55 schools in 12
countries, and providing more
than $1 million worth of
school supplies to 18,000
impoverished
South
African children. The
charity also helped in
building and restoring
eight
communities
across
Mississippi,
Louisiana, Alabama
and Texas after
Hurricane Katrina
and Rita.
The charity
closed
down
in 2010.
Rosa Parks
Amelia Earhart
frican American civil rights activist Rosa Parks

refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on
a bus ride in Alabama is considered to spark the
Montgomery
Bus Boycott. The
Montgomery
City
Code required bus drivers
to
provide
separate accommodation for white
and black passengers. When the front of the bus filled up,
the bus driver would ask black passengers to give up their
seat. Parks simple act of refusal landed her in prison and
set off the civil rights movement.
The boycott of the municipal bus company that began
on December 5, 1955, was a huge success, as an estimated
40,000 African American commuters opted to walk to
work. The boycott continued for several months, and on
November 13, 1956, the US Supreme Court declared the
Montgomery City Code as unconstitutional.
Parks was awarded the Spingarn MedalNAACPs
(National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People) highest award, the prestigious Luther King
Jr award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the
Congressional Gold Medal. She passed away at the age of
92 in her apartment in Detroit, Michigan.
10-minute flight at a Long Beach air show in 1920

transformed the life of young Amelia Earhart.
She knew she had to learn to fly. Earhart saved
money doing odd jobs to take flying lessons. In 1922, she
flew her planea second-hand Kinner Airster biplane
nicknamed The Canaryto 14,000 feet and set a world
record for female pilots. On May 15, 1923, she became the
16th woman to get the pilots license.
Earhart took her first solo Transatlantic flight in 1932 as
she set off from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and landed
at Culmore, Northern Ireland after 14 hours and 56 minutes
of tackling icy conditions and mechanical problems. She
also became the first person to fly solo from Honolulu to
Oakland. Earhart, along
with her navigator Fred
Noonan, took off on July
2, 1937, and despite
ideal weather reports,
the pair faced overcast
skies and rain showers.
The ITASCA sent
regular transmissions to
her, but Earhart couldnt
hear it. At 8:45 a.m., Earhart
sent her last message, We
are running north and
south. Although a rescue
mission was commenced
immediately, the United
States government called
off the operation on July
19. The fascination around
her
disappearance
continues even today.
Study without
the stress of
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Management
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To subscribe to Online version of

Indian Weekender,
Email at info@indianweekender.co.nz
with subject Subscribe
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FEATURES
25
26
ENTERTAINMENT
Red
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Indian cinema needs freedom of

expression: Manoj Bajpayee
Nivedita
he need of the hour in

Indian cinema as much as
in India itself, is complete
freedom of expression, says
acclaimed actor Manoj Bajpayee.
The actor, who has been
appreciated for his roles in films
like Satya, Pinjar, Shool and
Gangs of Wasseypur, has starred
in an Independence Day special
digital video titled Jai Hind.
He says people shouldnt
be ready to attack creative
artistes every now and then.
In Indian cinema, there is a
censor board to interfere here
and there, and then there are
a number of people with their
own interest.
They are ready to ban it (a film)
or rip the theatres or burn posters.
I
feel
there
should
be
constitutional right of freedom
of expression. Either you give
cinema artistes complete freedom
of expressing themselves or you
dont have them in the society

because in cinema, people cant
be open for attack all the time,
Manoj said in an interview.
He stressed that defending
themselves against attacks is not
something we are trained to do.
We are trained to receive praises
or criticism but we are not trained
to defend ourselves against the
political attack or the attack on
the theatres. So, Indian cinema
needs freedom of expression in
its totality said the 46-year-old.
In the wake of the bans be if
beef or porn in the country,
Manoj also said that decisions
such as these curb the basic
rights of freedom among citizens.
We got independence from
Britishers definitely, but we need
to find independence mentally.
That is the question I have in
mind. Are we free to talk, walk,
eat or read?
These are the questions that
citizens should ask themselves.
Independence, for me, is the
freedom to walk the way I want to

walk, freedom to eat, freedom to
dress up the way I want to dress
up and freedom of expression.
When these things will start
happening, then I will think that we
truly got Independence, he said.
Manoj, who started his career
with a television serial
Swabhimaan and later went
on to do small roles in films
like Dastak and Bandit Queen,
got his big break in the 1998
crime film Satya. He even
won a National Film Award
for his role as Bhiku Mhatre.
He again received a National
Film Award for his role in the
film Pinjar.
He was last seen in Tevar.
Asked about the reason behind
doing a short film like Jai
Hind, in which he stars with
Raveena Tandon, Manoj said: I
committed to do a short film with
Amit Sharma (Tevar director),
but for some reason he could
not manage to do it on the given
schedule. Then this

one came to me and I
found the script very
apt for the moment.
Kapil Sharma had never thought

of doing movies
ndias most loved TV show anchor Kapil Sharma is all set to debut
on the big screen, but the stand-up comic says he had never
thought he would get a chance to do movies.
I had never thought of doing a movie. My aim was only
to do stand-up comedy and I was doing it well, said Kapil.
Anukalp, the writer of his show, has also written Kapils debut movie
Kis Kisko Pyaar Karu. He (Anukalp) had shown the script to AbbasMustan some time back and the belief Abbas-Mustan showed on
casting me inspired me to do the movie, Kapil said.
Kapil was too busy shooting for Comedy Nights when he signed the movie.
I gave the mahurat shot for the movie after a night-long shoot of Comedy
Nights. I didnt sleep all night, but I dont know how I got the energy, he said.
Kapil, who made his entry in the entertainment industry
through a comedy show, has been here for over eight years.
TV has given me everything.
There was news that I had said that I hate
how TV works. But the fact is that I had a slipped disc in
February, and in TV, you have no option but to work.
I had to produce the episode for the next telecast.
This is the thing about TV that I dont like.
I pulled off till June, spoke to my
doctors and then decided to quit as I
could not pull it further, he said.
There were rumours that his popular
TV show stopped as he had to go to US.
People feel I stopped the show for shows
in the US but thats not true.
The commitments were quite prior to all
this. People had invested there as well, arenas
were booked, tickets sold, so I had to do it.
But
I
will
continue
TV
as
it
has
given
me
a
lot,
he
added.
Kis Kisko Pyaar Karu also stars Arbaaz Khan, Manjari
Phadnis, Amrita Puri, Simran Kaur Mundi, Elli Avram,
Varun Sharma, Supriya Pathak and Johnny Levers
daughter Jamie Lever. Directed by Abbas Mustan,
the movie is set to release on September 25.
Irrfan Khan and Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani.
Iranian actress
touched by Irrfans
hospitality
ranian actress Golshifteh

Farahani, who was on a visit
to India for the preliminary
work on a new film Song of
Scorpions, says her co-star Irrfan
Khan played the perfect host.
I was really touched by
everything Irrfan did for me,
Farahani said in a statement.
Song of Scorpions is a directorial
by Anup Singh of Qissa fame.
The film brought Farahani
and
Geneva-based
Singh
to India in early August.
Even though Irrfan had an
erratic schedule, he ensured

that the guests have a good
time and invited them over for
dinner discussing anything and
everything be it cinema or food
or simply the details of their
upcoming film, said a source.
Irrfan is currently filming an
action-drama
film
Jazbaa,
directed by Sanjay Gupta.

It is also actress Aishwarya
Rai Bachchans come-back movie
and features Shabana Azmi in a
supporting role.
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vegetarian experience
Coming Soon
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AT
23 ERIC BAKER PLACE,

PAPATOETOE, AUCKLAND
OPENING IN
EARLY SEPTEMBER
AT
905 DOMINION ROAD,
AUCKLAND
27
28
ENTERTAINMENT
Rajinikanths next
film loosely based on
real-life don
Red
The trailer of Shaandaar received a roaring

response on video-sharing site YouTube.
It
introduces Shahid as Jagjinder
Joginder and Alia as Alia, and their on
screen romance is palpable with funny
and quirky scenes. The film also features
Sanjay Kapoor, Sanah Kapoor, Sushma
Seth, Diljit Dosanj, Shibani Dandekar and
Anjana Sukhani. The upcoming romantic
comedy movie, which revolves around
destination wedding is jointly produced
by filmmakers Karan Johar, Anurag
Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane.
It is slated to hit the theatres on October 22.
all Indian Muslims. So in a way, we wanted

to show that Indian Muslims also feel
patriotic, Saif said at a media interaction.
Saif plays Indian Army captain Daniyal
Khan in the film which also stars Katrina
Kaif. About his character, he said: He is
terminated from the army as he is accused
of cowardice. He stays in Kashmir in a
depressed state, having differences with his
father and others.
Phantom, directed by Kabir Khan and
produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, is scheduled
to release on August 28.
Black
Orange
Film like Manjhi

cant be watched on
laptops: Nawazuddin
Srimanthudu collects Sholay never had

poor opening:
Rs.101.25 crore in
Ramesh Sippy
first week
uperstar
Rajinikanths
next
Tamil film is reportedly titled
Kabali, and loosely based on
the real life of a Chennai mafia don.
In the film, Rajini sir plays a character
called Kabaleeshwaran, and the title Kabali
is derived from it.
The story is based on a don from
Mylapore
in
Chennai,
a
source
from the film unit told reporters.
To be directed by Pa. Ranjith, the film
is slated go on floors on September 17.
The initial few minutes of the film will
be set in Mylapore, and then the story
will shift to Malaysia, the source said.
Also starring Radhika Apte, Dhansikaa
and Kalaiarasan, the film will have
music by Santhosh Narayanan. It will be
Rajinikanths 159th film.
I am totally burdenfree: Vikas Bahl on

Shaandaar
uperstar
Mahesh
Babu-starrer
Srimanthudu
has
grossed
Rs.101.25 crore in its first week
worldwide, a statement said last week.
Eros International had released the
Koratala Siva-directed Srimanthudu in over
2,000 screens worldwide.
Its a proud moment to associate with
Mahesh Babu once again and Mythri Movie
Makers for this family entertainer that
has taken audiences by storm and reports
across regions continue to be extremely
encouraging.
The Telugu industry holds great
opportunity for us and we look forward
to leverage its attractive film content
to
strengthen
our
operations
in
south, Eros International managing
director Sunil Lulla said in a statement.
Also starring Shruti Haasan, the film
follows the life of a young multimillionaire who adopts a village.
The film also stars Jagapathi Babu,
Rajendra Prasad and Harish Uthaman.
Want to show Indian

Muslims are also
patriotic: Saif
ctor Saif Ali Khan says his character

of an Indian Muslim in Phantom
has a crucial undercurrent because
they wanted to show that Indian Muslims
also feel patriotic about their country.
irector Vikas Bahl, who has directed

Shahid Kapoor-Alia Bhatt starrer
Shaandaar, says he has achieved
so much acclaim with his last film Queen
that he is completely burden-free this time.
... Its my time to be irresponsible and have
more fun because what I had to achieve has
happened last year.
A good film has happened and it
has got a lot of acclaim. So I actually
feel no burden this time, he said.
I just feel its time to have fun,
make lots of films, keep writing new
ideas and enjoy yourself, he added.
We havent stressed much that he is an

Indian Muslim, but according to me, it holds
substantial importance as an undercurrent
influence.
Kabir Khan, I and Sajid Nadiadwala are
irector Ramesh Sippy denied

reports that his blockbuster film
Sholay had a lackluster collection
at the box-office for the first two weeks.
He says that it got a blockbuster opening.
There was tremendous eagerness among
people for the film.
When the film hit the theatres, it had an

outstanding opening and was House Full
everywhere and innumerable tickets were
sold in black. It is a completely wrong to say
that the film had poor opening, said Sippy.
He was present at the National Centre
for the Performing Arts to celebrate the
completion of 40 years of Sholay.
Sippy, however, accepted that the film
received disastrous reviews from critics.
Yes, critics slammed the film.
The trade pundits were firm that this
film cant work and that it was a disaster.
But the viewer loved it from day one. And
the popularity increased over time when the
dialogues came out, he said.
Sholay, which saw Dharmendra and
Amitabh Bachchan play friends Jai-Veeru,
was about a retired police chief, Thakur
Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar), who plots to
bring down notorious bandit Gabbar Singh
(Amjad Khan) with the help of Jai and Veeru.
Hema Malini and Jaya Bhaduri essayed the
love interests of Veeru and Jai in the film that
was released on Independence Day in 1975.
The film held the record for the maximum
number of weeks at the box-office before
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge broke
its record.
ctor Nawazuddin Siddiqui says

watching a film like Manjhi - The
Mountain Man on a small laptop
doesnt justify the purpose of watching
a movie of that huge scale and depth.
Interacting with journalists during the
films promotion, Nawazuddin was asked
about business getting hit due to the
films leak. All I can say is that, a story
and a film like this cannot be watched on
a small laptop. A story where there is a
mountain and a person is standing in front
of it, the depth of such a visual cant be seen
on a small laptop screen. So its my sincere
request to people who have already seen the
film that they come to the theatres to watch
it again, he said.
The pleasure can be felt only on the big
screen. The film will make you cry and laugh
and crack all your emotions and thats why
you should watch it on the big screen, he said.
The full version of the film was leaked online
a week back. Nawazuddin said Viacom
18, the films distributors, were handling
all legal matters related to the incident.
Director
Ketan
Mehta
echoed
Nawazuddins views. The film, which also
stars Radhika Apte, releases on August 21.
Jackie overwhelmed
with emotional
response to
ctor Jackie Shroff says he has

been receiving overwhelming
response for his performance as
a father to Akshay Kumar and Sidharth
Malhotras
characters
in
Brothers.
Asked about the over Rs.50 crore opening
weekend for Brothers and the reactions he
has received, Jackie told media persons:
I thank god. The industry has offered
a lot of love and respect for this film. Ive
received a lot of phone calls and messages.
Tanuja told me that my performance
had made her cry. Even Renuka Shahane
complimented the film and my work.
Brothers, directed by Karan Malhotra
and
produced
by
Karan
Johars
Dharma
Productions,
has
had
a
promising start at the box office.
Jackie will next be seen in the educational
drama Chalk N Duster with Shabana Azmi
and Juhi Chawla, and suspense thriller
Chehere alongside Manisha Koirala and
Gulshan Grover.
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29
30
FEATURES
A melodious journey
M
Maya Shivam
esmerised by the
charisma of Vidyas
golden
voice,
we
were drawn to featuring her
interview as Auckland prepares
for a melodious journey called
Khamoshiyan Gungunane Lagi.
Vidya Teke, an artist par excellence
runs the Arohi Academi of Music
in Auckland that specialises in
imparting education in music to
all ages and skill levels. Vidya takes
pride in the personal attention she
is able to give each of her students.
As she prepares to lead a team
of talented men and women
in a special dedication to the
legend and her inspirationLata
Mangeshkar, Indian Weekender
is proud to feature her as our Face
of the Week. Here is a snippet of
our conversation with her :
Tell us about your journey

of music
My musical journey began
when I started understanding my
fathers soulful singing, which
moved me. He was a teacher
of literature, by profession.
Although I have a Masters degree
in Organic Chemistry as well as
a Bachelor of Education, music
has been my first love. I got the
gift of the essence of music from
my beloved father, and this has
always been the source of my inner
strength. I learnt music from my
father until my marriage, and from
different maestros in Pune after
marriage. I studied with Kerkar
Sir, Nehaji Deshpande (disciple
of Veenaji Sahasrabuddhe) and
Bhaktiji for five years. Bhaktiji
is an accomplished teacher and
Vidya Teke
renowned singer of Hindustani

Classical Music from the Gwalior
gharana. She is the daughter of
renowned singer parents from the
Gwalior gharana. I still take her
valuable guidance.
I keep learning so its difficult to

single out a best performance.
The
goal
is
that
every
performance should be my best
so I always try to give my best in
every performance.
How
did
you
your passion?
What has been the dream

stage performance for you
so far?
discover
Listening, learning and singing

classical music is my passion.
As a child and a young student
I attended live concerts of
renowned maestros such as Ram
Marathe, Madhuvanti Dandekar,
Jitendra Abhisheki, and Arati
Ankalikar. The quality of divinity
in their singing inspired me and
drove me to discover the Bhav of
that Divinity. This pursuit of that
rare Divinity of the Maestros is my
mission in my musical practice.
Which has been your best
performance to date?
I have given many stage
performances and won around
50 competitions in India. I won
the Tak dhi na dhin trophy on
Doordarshan Mumbai. I was in
Marathi Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Zee
TV. I did Live Antakshary with
Annu Kapoor at Pune SSPMS
ground. In Auckland I won the
Kaun Banega Superstar trophy
organised by Dreamz Productions
and I was a judge for Tarana Idol
for two years. I have performed
with Amit Kumar, Bankim Pathak
and Raju Srivastav. At all times
When I performed in a social

programme Ae mere vatan ke
logo and
Lalkrishna Advaniji
who was the Chief Guest singled
me out for special appreciation.
That was very inspiring for me.
What inspired you to start an
institute for music?
Music is an important part of
life and can provide fulfilment
in a persons life. The pure tones
of music are cleansing for the
mind, body, and spirit. I felt that
I had something to offer to those
who are passionate about music,
for example, youth who want to
develop and explore their talent,
women of all ages who want to
pursue their passion for music and
keep learning and developing that
interest. Anybody who can talk and
has a passion for music can sing.
So the academy is open to young
people and women of all ages, who
are interested in different types of
singing: karaoke, light classical,
semi-classical or Bollywood. My
Music Academy, Aarohi Academy
of Music is run on the principles
Red
I have outlined. For me, music is

worship, and I practise it in the
spirit of an offering and service
to God.
Tell
us
more
about
Khamoshiyaan Gungunane
Lagi
In my musical journey, my
husband Shekhar Teke has
always supported me to keep my
passion alive and is my pillar.
He has formatted the concept of
Khamoshiyaan Gungunane Lagi.
He knows my passion for Latajis
songs which I inherited from my
late father. This concept is closest
to my heart and this concert is a
tribute to the Legendary Lata
Mangeshkar.
Every
Indian
has lived with her songs from
childhood. Last year we did
Part I of the same programme
with an overwhelming
response from the
audience.
There
isnt enough time
to perform all of
Latajis evergreen,
immortal songs in
one concert, so we
return this year with
more evergreen songs
of Lata Mangeshkar, on
12 September 2015.
Black
family and friends who support

me all the time, my students who
work hard and my gurus for giving
me knowledge. I am grateful to
all of them and I will continue to
try my best always. Many thanks,
Indian Weekender, for the
opportunity to share my feelings.
We wish Vidya the best for the
future and look forward to the
upcoming musical extravaganza .
How do you feel

about
pursuing
your dream and
passion
and
being successful
at it?
Success comes
from effort and
gratitude. I am
grateful for the
effort of my
International Students
Support Seminar
CAB workshop on Legal Education CAB Workshop on Successful

Date: Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Job Seeking
CAB Workshop on Rest Home

Subsidies
The rhy of rain
Date: Saturday, 22 August 2015

Time: 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Venue: Mission Height School, 103 Jeffs Road,
Flat Bush, Manukau, Auckland.
Lifes Int. Charitable Trust is organising a support
seminar for international students. It is an open forum
for all international students to come and share their
experiences, issue and concerns with Government
representatives directly.
For more details, email: info@lictnz.org
Date: Tuesday, 25 August 2015

Time: 2 pm to 3 pm
Venue: Ratu Room, Manaia PHO, 28-30 Rust Avenue,
Whangarei
CAB Whangarei will hold a free workshop on Rest Home
Subsidies and International Pension Portability. You will get
to know the criteria to avail rest home subsidies and how
the international pension portability works in New Zealand.
Presenter: The speakers are from Ministry of Social
Development Helen Cobb on subsidies and Lyn Pairama
on pension portability. Afternoon tea will be provided.
For more information please call Moea Armstrong at 09
4388046 or email her at cab.whngr@xtra.co.nz
Orange
Time: 6.30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Venue: Taranaki Community Law Service Meeting
Room, Level 1, Vero Building, 10 Devon Street East
CAB New Plymouth will hold a free workshop on Legal
Education. They will cover:Legal system how it works
in New Zealand, Care of Children Act, Court Preparation,
Minimum Entitlements, Consumer Guarantees, Credit
Contract. Thw orkshop will be presented by Angela
Solomons of Taranaki Community Law.
Refreshments will be provided.
For more information please call 06 759 1492 or email at
mctnz@xtra.co.nz
Date: Friday 4 September & Saturday 5 September 2015

Time: 7 p.m. onwards
Venue: The Auckland Performing Arts Centre, 100
Motions Rd, Western Springs, Auckland.
Artham Dance Company & Agaram Productions presentA rhy of rain, an Indian classical fusion exploring the
unsung, eternal love between the sun and the water.
The mystical science of earths water cycle the neverending, wondrous saga of condensation and evaporation.
Featured in the 5 day long Short and Sweet Dance
festival, the act is choreographed by Bhuvana Venkat and
is directed by Creative DirectorPadma Akula.
Date: Friday, 11 September 2015

Time: 10am to 12pm
Venue: Waikato Migrant Resource Centre, 46 G
Boundary Rd, Claudelands, Hamilton
CAB Hamilton will hold a free workshop on Successful
Job Seeking. Topics to be covered are: How Networking
works in New Zealand, The hidden job market, English for
workplace conversations. The workshop will be presented
by English Language Partners Waikato. Light refreshments
will be provided. RSVP: Please confirm your place by
Monday, 7 September by phoning CAB office on (07) 839
0808 or Email at hamilton@cab.org.nz
Maisuria Samaj NZ General

Meeting
Date: Saturday 24 October 2015

Time: 6 p.m. onwards
Venue: New Lynn Community Centre Totara Ave, New
Lynn Auckland.
Maisuria Samaj of New Zealand is organising its first
General Meeting .All Maisuria Families are invited
to attend. PLEASE NOTE DATES HAVE CHANGED
FROM15th August to 24th October 2015.
Red
Black
Orange
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21 August, 2015 Vol. 7 Issue 22 | www.iwk.co.

New Zealands first Kiwi-Indian weekly newspaper

The Pulse of Kiwi-Indians

Auckland Christchurch Wellington Hamilton Palmerston North Hastings Invercargill

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August 21, 2015

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21 August 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

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Women who changed

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Prime Minister Modi

Manoj Bajpayee shares his

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www.iwk.co.nz | 21 August 2015

All eyes on India

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21 August 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

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