Indian

Indian www.indianweekender.co.nz
May 29, 2009
Volume 1, No. 6
New Zealand’s first Indian weekend magazine
For free distribution

Business | 5 Fiji | 12 Bollywood | 16-20

NZ firm ties up with Sugar turns bitter as Priyanka, Shaan
Ambani Group EU cancels allocation & John

At a glance
NZ-India Business
An Indian delegation of business-
people meets with New Zealand
government officials for informal dis-
cussions in the lead up to the FTA
Page 4

Tension in Jalandhar
Punjab and some parts of North
India were gripped by protests and
violence after the killing of a Sikh
religious leader in Austria
Page 7

Unique commnity initiative

A community project aims to
provide free funeral services for
its members and their families in
Auckland
Page 23

Land a job in recession

Expert advice on how to find a job in
this bleak recessionary times. Don’t
miss the interesting case study.
Page 27

Today’s Exchange Rates

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Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009 1

Indian
Maori lead Auckland protest against supercity
Kara Segedin
Despite the rain, 7000 Aucklanders from across
the city came together to protest the government’s
super city proposal and the removal of Māori rep-
resentative seats.
In the early hours of May 25, Māori and non-
Māori alike gathered at marae around Auckland
in preparation for the Hikoi.
At central Auckland’s Orakei Marae people
of all ages came with their banners and flags to
show their support for Māori representation on
the Auckland super city council.
Matt Maihi, Bastion Point-Orakei Marae
manager, says it’s a matter of mana whenua
(rights to land or power from tribal land).
“We’re trying to get the government to under-
stand that to go through this scenario in Tāmaki-
makau-rau the mana whenua has to be recog-
nised,” he said.
He said the government’s plan was a concern
for all communities.
“Auckland is not happy that the government is
coming out with the super city.”
Critics of the Māori seats say they are a form
of racism, but Mr Maihi disagreed.
“I don’t think its racism, we need better repre-
sentation. If Mana Whenua aren’t allowed to have
that representation I don’t feel it’s right.”
For Mr Maihi it was not about race. “For me it’s
about a clear understanding of having a voice.”
May 25 holds special significance for Māori.
Thirty one years ago, police and the army forcibly
removed 218 people protesting the loss of Ngati
Whatua land at Bastion Point, ending 506 days of
occupation.
At 9:30am the hikoi made its way to the central
city. Flanked by several police officers the group
2 Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
The hikoi: Protestors marching through Queen Street
slowly walked the route along Tamaki Drive to the
bottom of Queen Street.
Demonstrators were joined by a number of well
known faces including Green Party MP Russel
Norman and Waitakere City Mayor Bob Harvey.
Commuters were warned to either leave early or
expect delays. Those who didn’t follow this advice
found themselves stranded at bus stops as roads
were closed to one lane.
At midday, hikoi from Waitakere, Manukau,
Central and the North Shore marched slowly up
Queen Street.
The protest was peaceful, but powerful as thou-
sands sang, performed haka, and called out their
slogans.
The hikoi came to a stop out side the Town Hall
where organisers thanked Auckland’s diverse com-
munities for there support.
Hikoi organiser Ngarimu Blair said they weren’t
going to take the government’s decision lying down.
“We are organised, we are passionate,” he said.
“We have a lot of support form all Aucklanders,
from whichever waka, boat, or plane they arrived
in this country in.”
New Zealand
They want the government to reverse the deci-
sion to exclude Māori from the council and say
the hikoi is just the beginning.
They’ve meet with community leaders, Auck-
land Mayors and the Prime Minister.
“We’d be bringing our world view.”
Mr Blair said it was important that different
cultural values were brought forward. “Democ-
racy is about bringing all views and all people to
the table.”
“Our elders said we’ve got to stand-up for all
Aucklanders who feel that they’ve been disen-
franchised.”
Mr Blair said they would continue the journey
until there was guaranteed Māori representation.
“The hikoi is the start of something not the
end.”
Meanwhile Prime Minister John Key reiter-
ated his stand that the protest was too premature
and should have waited until after the select com-
mittee process but said that his government re-
spected everyone’s right to protest.
“I don’t think the hikoi of itself will make any
difference really. . .we are going to go through the
select committee process, that’s not a whitewash we
are actually going to listen to what happens there.
We are trying to work on getting an outcome that
works for everyone,” he told TVNZ’s Breakfast pro-
gramme.
But the Maori show of strength on May 25 is
certain to influence the national government’s stand
in coming weeks and some commentators have said
the government is likely to come up with a solution
to accommodate perceived Maori interests.
- Staff reporter
Indian
Musuku’s exclusion
puzzles many
No one has claimed responsibility for what was
made to look like a spontaneous show of support
for National Party politician Ravi Musuku at
Kingsland last week (where some people waved
“Bring back Ravi” placards at a busy intersection
in peak traffic), there is a strong feeling among
Indians in the Mt Albert electorate that he got the
short shrift from his party’s leadership.
National left out Mr Musuku, who fought two
elections against formidable Labour candidate and
former Prime Minister Helen Clark, in favour of
former ethnic TV journalist and presenter Melissa
Lee who is already a list MP.
His showing in last year’s election had greatly
improved and the Indian community had widely
expected him to be National’s natural choice when
the by-election necessitated by Ms Clark’s depar-
ture.
Mr Musuku claimed no knowledge of the
sudden show of support at the Kingsland traffic
lights but Ms Lee’s campaigners said they be-
lieved younger Labour supporters were behind it.
Initially Mr Musuku’s exclusion came as a bit
of a surprise, community volunteers at the San-
dringham Community Centre told Indian Week-
ender. “We never really received any sort of ex-
planation why it chose to leave him out in the cold
especially against wide expectations from a com-
munity that he represented twice,” said one senior
leader.
ACT party MP and Mt Albert by election
candidate John Boscaven echoed this sentiment
saying, “National’s decision to run Ms Lee in the
by-election instead of Ravi Musuku – who ran in
Mt Albert for National in the past two General
Elections – was a big mistake.”
Ever since campaigning began, Ms Lee has
hopped from one controversy to another, causing
a series of embarrassments for National. Her state-
ment that the Waterview motorway project would
keep away criminals from South Auckland drew
Manukau mayor ‘unsurprised’ by supercity legislation
‘No major surprises’ is the reaction of Mayor of
Manukau, Len Brown, to the legislation passed
by government that has effectively created a new
super Auckland Council.
“We were aware the government was going
to create the Auckland Council, and we in
Manukau are certainly not opposed to having a
strong, unified voice for the region,” he says.
“In fact, subject to some important modifi-
cations, we see many benefits in it, but it will
require great leadership – both politically and at
an executive level.
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
Lee and Musuku
ire from wide sections of the public – University
of Auckland students waved placards saying she
was racist when she addressed them.
Rival candidates had a field day when she is
allegedly admitted defeat right in the middle of a
campaign saying she had no chance of winning.
Her responses to questions from the media came
up for criticism as well though she later said that
they were made in jest by one of her campaign
workers. Pictures of her wrongly parked cam-
paign vehicle published in a daily only added to
her woes.
Labour candidate and former senior United
Nations official David Shearer said that the elec-
torate had now got over Ms Lee’s earlier com-
ments and that it was now focused on the real
issues. Labour has positioned him as a strong
voice with broad experience in advocacy – some-
thing it obviously expects to make an impression
on an electorate that is preoccupied with concerns
about a controversial motorway running through
its communities.
Mr Musuku, who hopes to be in parliament
after the 2011 election, has been quoted in the
media saying that he fully supported Ms Lee and
believed that she had a good chance of winning –
quite contrary to the candidate’s own assessment
of her chances. Prime Minister John Key is also
expected to campaign for Ms Lee in the coming
weeks.
- Staff reporter
“We knew the first bill (Local Government
(Auckland Reorganisation) Act 2009) would be
passed under urgency and there is nothing in it
that is really unexpected.
“The bill establishes the Auckland Council
as a unitary authority on November 1, 2010,
which is when all the existing councils cease to
exist.
“It also establishes the Auckland Transition
Agency which will plan and manage all matters
relating to the establishment of the new council.”
Mr Brown says the bill is “quite prescrip-
Mt Albert residents make
SH 20 a by-election issue
A group of Mt Albert residents want the motor-
way link of SH20 to SH16 to become a key by-
election issue.
Steven Joyce, the Minister of Transport has
asked for a review of the tunnel option citing
costs as prohibitive to building a tunnel. Despite
numerous requests from Mt Albert residents, the
Minister has so far refused to visit the Mt Albert/
Waterview area, to listen to residents concerns
about how a surface motorway would impact on
their lives, according to Eden Albert Commu-
nity Board spokesperson and vice chairman Phil
Chase.
Chase believes the Minister is being disin-
genuous about the costs he has publicly stated as
$2.77 billion and the reason for the review. “The
Minister has included the cost of the upgrade to
SH16 (North Western motorway) in the tunnel
option price. This upgrade has to be done regard-
less of what option is chosen (tunnel or surface).
The Minister needs to take the SH16 upgrade out
of the cost of the tunnel figure and then compare
this to the surface motorway option.”
Residents also believe the environmental,
health and social impacts have not been costed
into the surface option and that the government
will not account for this in their figures. Resi-
tive” but its introduction now gives some clarity
around how the existing councils will operate in
the period up to the creation of the new unitary
Auckland Council.
The second bill, the Local Government
(Auckland Council) Bill, which sets out the
broad outline of the Auckland Council structure
and representation issues, will go to a special
select committee for public submissions.
“This is when our communities will have
the chance to have their say on how they think
the Auckland Council should operate,” says Mr
New Zealand
dents want candidates and parties to be prepared
to debate this issue and state on the record which
option they support.
Concerned residents say the legacy a surface
motorway will leave for future generations is not
what a modern Auckland wants. “All of Auckland
needs to be clear about what this option will do
to our city. It’s a 1960’s solution to a 21st century
problem” says Waterview resident Margi Watson.
“There are countless examples around the
world, particularly with our neighbour cities of
Sydney and Melbourne where tunnels are the pre-
ferred option as they do not impact negatively on
established suburbs. A surface motorway has no
foresight and bulldozes much needed housing in
Auckland” says Rob Black, Board member of the
Waterview Primary School.
After exhaustive consultation for many years,
Transit NZ (now NZ Transport Agency) identified
the issues and concerns of locals in regards to the
form of SH20. Consequently Transit ruled out a
surface motorway because of the environmental,
health, recreation and social impacts including
the need to jump two rail lines, two main roads
and Oakley Stream. The tunnel option has gener-
ally been accepted as the least disruptive method
by the communities.
Brown.
Manukau City Council is particularly con-
cerned about the number of councillors to be
elected to the new council on an ‘at large’ basis
as opposed to on a “ward” basis; the number of
Local Boards and their roles and functions; and
Maori representation.
“All of us in the Auckland region have to
live with what is decided over the next couple of
months. We need to make sure we get it right,”
the mayor said.
- Staff reporter
3
Indian
MFAT, NZTE meet with Indian businesspeople over FTA
Dev Nadkarni
Groundwork for the planned Free Trade Agree-
ment between New Zealand is beginning to
gather steam from the New Zealand government
side. Last week, senior officials of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and New
Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) invited a
number of Indian business leaders to a meeting
in Auckland, seeking their inputs and ideas on
the forthcoming FTA and briefed them about the
progress so far. The Indian delegation was lead by
the New Zealand Central Central Indian Associa-
tion (NZCIA).
A joint study by the Indian and New Zealand
governments concluded in February this year
that both countries stood to benefit with an FTA
in place. The trade ministers of both countries
– New Zealand’s Tim Groser and India’s Kamal
Nath – met in New Delhi a month later and agreed
in principle for an FTA subject to approval from
the Indian government.
The run up to the Indian elections might have
slowed progress a little but the re-election of UPA
will probably result in the continuance of policies
that were in place in its previous government and
the New Zealand government hopes to pick up
where it left off as soon as the new UPA govern-
ment settles down.
“It all depends on when the Indian govern-
ment takes the decision,” said Julian Ludbrook,
Lead Negotiator-India FTA Unit at MFAT. “But
we hope to get the process under way later this
year.” Mr Ludbrook said communities on both
sides were instrumental in shaping opinion and
that there was need for engagement with them in
the lead up to the FTA. This meeting was a step
toward such community engagement.
Don Rae, NZTE’s International Market
Manager for South and South East Asia said that
4 Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
Facilitating trade: Indian business leaders at the meeting with MFAT and
NZTE officials in Auckland
India is a key target market for New Zealand al-
though it ranks at number 17 among the country’s
trading partners. The first Trade Commissioner to
India would be appointed later this year, subject to
the approval of the Government of India, he said.
A trade office has been in operation in India since
2007.
“New Zealand seeks comprehensivity in the
agreement,” said Mr Ludbrook. Relevance to
WTO norms in goods and services, elimination of
tariffs as well as issues relating to sanitary, phyto-
sanitary, customs, competition, intellectual prop-
erty and government procurement were important
to New Zealand, he added.
Among several issues raised at the meeting was
New Zealand - India
prominent community leader Prithipal Singh’s
concerns relating to quarantine issues especially
in the wake of recent cases of rejections in con-
signments containing Indian staples like pulses.
While biosecurity standards were stringent, both
MFAT and NZTE said, “concrete instances of
food product rejections were needed.” The offi-
cials assured the group that all concerns would be
taken on board and urged the group to keep com-
munication channels open.
NZCIA President Ratilal Champaneri and Sec-
retary Veer Khar said that the potential of Indians
coming to New Zealand as students was grossly
underexplored because of a number of reasons re-
lating to both visa policy and the lack of adequate
visa application processing facilities in India.
The group also put forth ideas of joint ventures
between New Zealand’s universities and institutes
of higher education in India where New Zealand
universities could offer courses tailor made for
India’s fastest growing sectors. An example of
this is courses in frontline customer services for
personnel at airports in view of the fact that India
is the fastest growing aviation market and would
need big numbers of trained personnel in airport
management tasks over the next several years.
New Zealand was particularly keen on explor-
ing opportunities in agriculture, round log and
coal exports in India’s fast expanding markets. In
the services sector, there was interest in tourism,
education and technology, the officials said. But
air services was outside the purview of the FTA,
Mr Ludbrook advised and any expansion in this
sector would have to be dealt with under separate
mechanisms.
One of the suggestions that came from the
group was offering India post harvest preserva-
tion technologies for the agriculture and horticul-
ture sector, particularly in view of the fact that as
much as 40 per cent of the produce perishes due to
poor infrastructure in cool storage, handling and
inadequate and improper transportation modes.
Members of the group also pointed out that
a number of businesses across several sectors
in New Zealand had warmed to the idea of ex-
panding their activities to India, recognising its
growing potential ahead of the planned FTA.
Some of these were in the areas of wireless com-
munication, automated airport baggage handling
systems and even cafes.
The officials requested the group to stay in
touch over the coming weeks and thanked those
present for their inputs.
 Indian
Wooing India for increased arrivals
The Auckland International Airport is looking
at India to propel an increase in arrival numbers
and revenues to counter flattening numbers from
other parts of the world in the wake of the financial
downturn.
According to the National Business Review,
Glenn Wedlock, the airport company’s aeronau-
tical business development manager recently at-
tended the Routes Asia conference of the region’s
20 major airlines in Hyderabad and presented each
with a strong case to consider flying to Auckland.
“I discussed with Air India, Kingfisher and Jet
about starting direct services and although growth
has slowed due to the recession they are interested
in routes here in the next few years,” Mr Wedlock
told the National Business Review.
“Jet and Qantas code-share, Air India is
looking at joining the Star Alliance next year and
Qantas flies from Mumbai to Sydney and Auck-
land so we are closely watching Indian airlines
and what their plans are.”
Indian arrivals went up 13 per cent in the year
to March with 18,500 passengers arriving in the
said period. It happens to be one of only three
increases in the airport’s top 10 markets. This is
number is only expected to increase in coming
years because of the frequent visits in the VFR
(visiting friends and relatives) category driven by
almost 100,000 immigrant Indians living perma-
nently in New Zealand.
Meanwhile a recent survey has also revealed
that the average Indian tourist spends nearly twice
the amount of what the average Australian tourist
spends while travelling in New Zealand.
These factors have whetted the appetite of the
aviation and tourism industries in New Zealand to
look at India as a market of growing promise and
potential.
New Zealand - India
Tomizone ties up with Anil
Ambani group
Chris Keall, in the National Business Review
Tomizone boss Steve Simms spoke exclusively to Simms said. He hopes the technology will see
National Business Review earlier this week after Tomizone software, deployed though hotspots
returning from Bangalore, where his company has owned by Reliance and others, control a majority
just closed a deal with Reliance World – part of the of public wi-fi outlets in the country.
giant Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, which has a Beyond the cyberlaw, another restriction on
$US80 billion market cap. wireless internet in India is that there are only
Reliance plans to roll out Tomizone network about two million people with wi-fi equipped
software – which enables casual wi-fi connection notebooks at this point.
and billing via credit card – at its 242 wi-fi outlets, But as in many areas on the sub-continent,
which span 105 cities. rapid growth is ahead. Survey firm Tonse Telecom
Auckland-based Tomizone now has four staff says the India wi-fi services market will grow
in India, led by country manager Girish Hiremath 300% by 2013 to hit $US1 billion.
who has previously held management positions at
Reliance, and rival telcos Tata and BPL Mobile. - Reproduced with permission from NBR
For a country with 1.2 billion people, 242
outlets seems tiny (the deal is worth around $2
million to Tomizone during its roll-out year). And
even by Mr Simms’ own standards, it’s modest.
Indian law requires that a person’s identity be
authenticated before they gain an internet account,
which has retarded the growth of commercial wi-fi.
(And complicated life in other areas; if you lack a
credit card, opening a new cell phone account can
entail a visit to your home by the phone company
to confirm your address).

Harcourts makes its India foray Mr Simms said that Tomizone has custom-
developed cyberlaw compliance software for the
Indian market. Dubbed Virgil, it is designed
Real estate major Harcourts is planning on setting up shop in India through franchises, as it has to ensure a user’s identity (via their
done in several other countries. Knowing well that the real estate industry in India is largely credit card details), and associate
unregulated, it is also looking at setting up training programmes tailored to the requirements of that identity to a wireless inter-
real estate practitioners in India. International executive director Paul Wright is visiting India in net connection.
June to look at opportunities, and perhaps even sign a deal. Harcourts also operates through the Virgil gives his company
franchise route in countries like China, Fiji, Indonesia and South Africa. a unique ability to deal with
India’s regulatory issues, Mr

Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009 5

Indian
Singh is king in Indian elections
New Delhi: Contrary to all expectations and
every single opinion poll prediction, the Con-
gress turned its ‘middle path’ philosophy into a
strong pro-incumbency factor to claim near-vic-
tory with its pre-poll allies in a historic election
that badly shook the Right and annihilated the
Left. Decision 2009 is seen as a rejection of the
shrill, personalised and communal politics of the
BJP led by L.K.Advani and the Prakash Karat-
led CPI (M).
This election was supposed to be without
any national issue. The Indian voter, however,
has voted for a coherent and stable government.
Manmohan Singh took charge as Prime Minis-
ter and is the only PM after Jawahalal Nehru in
1961, to be voted back after completing a full
five-year term. This time around he will head
the government without the support of whimsi-
cal and maverick partners like Mayawati and the
Left.
The election marked an emphatic endorse-
ment of Manmohan Singh as PM, a triumph for
Sonia Gandhi, who quietly took the right calls
and allowing Rahul Gandhi to takeover from her
as the party’s main campaigner which in turn,
saw Rahul come into his own.
With a total tally of 260 seats out of 543, the
Congress was just short of 12 seats to stake a
claim to form the next government. This meant
the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) with the
Congress and its pre-poll allies needed only some
independents or one major ally to form a coher-
ent government. The Congress recorded sweep-
ing victories in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh,
Punjab and Kerala. It made major gains in Uttar
Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal and Ram
Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party cut sorry
figures in Bihar while the latter lost in his con-
stituency – where he held the Guinness record
for victory in an election by the highest margin
6 Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
India
– for the first time. Mayawati’s Bahujan Sama-
jwadi Party and Mulayam Singh’s Samajwadi
party failed to sparkle in the main battleground
Uttar Pradesh.
The excellent performance of Nitish Kumar’s
Janata Dal (U) in Bihar and Naveen Patnaik’s
Biju Janata Dal in Orissa is a lesson for other re-
gional parties that inclusive, development driven
governance pays good electoral dividends.
Celeb Winners and Losers
Shashi Tharoor, Congress defeated
Ramachandran Nair of the CPI(M)
Mohammed Azharuddin, Congress
defeated Sarvesh Kuman of the BJP
Navjot Singh Sidhu, BJP defeated
O.P.Soni of Congress
Shatrughan Sinha, BJP defeated
Vijay Kumar of RJD,
Jaya Prada, Samajwadi Party de-
feated Noor Bano Begam of Congress
Raj Babbar, Congress defeated
Seema Upadhyay of BSP
Vinod Khanna, BJP lost to Pratap
Singh Bajwa of Congress
Shekar Suman, Congress lost to
Shatrughan Sinha, BJP
Mallika Sarabhai, Independent, lost
to L.K.Advani, BJP
Nafisa Ali, Samajwadi Party lost to
Lalji Tandon, BJP
Indian
Tension in Jalandhar after attacks in Vienna
Shobha Rao, India correspondent
Tension gripped the city on Sunday as soon as
news regarding firing on Sant Niranjan Dass, Head
of Dera Sachkhand Ballan, and his supporters in
Vienna, Austria reached the area.
Followers of the sect started gathering the Buta
Mandi locality in protest against the firing incident
and torched a truck parked in the area, police said.
Senior Superintendent of Police R K Jaiswal
said policemen have been deployed at sensitive
points to check any untoward incident.
At least 11 people were injured, nine of them
seriously when two groups of Sikh worshippers
clashed with knives and handgun at a gurdwara in
Vienna on Sunday, Vienna police said.
The fight erupted following a dispute over the
sermon given by a priest from Shri Guru Ravidas
Sabha.
At least six men, one wielding a gun and the
others knives, attacked the preacher and others.
Terming the situation in Punjab as “not quite
normal”, Home Minister P Chidambaram on
Monday said the Centre has asked the state govern-
ment to enforce curfew strictly in all areas where
violence broke out after the killing of a sect leader
in Austria.
The Centre has also responded to the state’s
request for additional companies of para-military
companies by sending 2,500 personnel and a he-
licopter, he told reporters after assuming office in
New Delhi.
“We have already provided 14 companies
(1,400 personnel) of paramilitary forces. They are
already in place since morning. Eleven more (com-
panies) are moving. We have also provided a heli-
copter to the state government,” he said.
Expressing concern over the violence which
spread from Jalandhar to the neighbouring dis-
tricts of Phagwara, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahar,
the Home Minister said the situation in the state is
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
“not quite normal”.
“We are informed that curfew was imposed
in Jalandhar and some other places. But our in-
formation is that though the curfew was imposed,
it was not enforced strictly. There are TV visuals
of people moving in Jalandhar and some other
places,” he said.
The Home Minister said the Centre has asked
the Punjab government to enforce curfew wherev-
er imposed. “The decision to impose curfew was of
the state government and once it has been imposed,
it must be enforced,” he said.
Appealing to people of Punjab to maintain
peace and return home, Chidambaram said the
National Party list MP Kanwaljit Singh
Bakshi said, “The attacks on a congre-
gation of Sikhs in Vienna earlier this
week has sent shock waves through
Sikh communities all over the world.
Sikhism is a religion of peace and
Sikhs are generally peaceful and loving
people. I am greatly saddened by this
incident. Any dispute should be sorted
out by talking and should never result to
violence. I went to the Bombay Siri Ravi
Daas temple on Monday and conveyed
my condolences. My thoughts and
prayers are with those concerned.”
government has some information about the inci-
dent in Vienna and was still waiting for the details.
“We have some information. There is a time gap
also. Preliminary information is that some people
outside Austria came to the Gurdwara and un-
leashed violence. But I am awaiting full informa-
tion,” he said.
The Home Minister termed the incident in
Vienna as “serendipitous” event over which
nobody had any control and nobody had any in-
dication.
Chidambaram said the Punjab government is
dealing with the matter and it should be given time
to put the violence to an end. “We should be more
patient, give time to the Punjab government to deal
with the matter. We should not become judgmen-
tal on the first day. I don’t wish to be judgmental.
We are willing to help the Punjab government,” he
said.
The Home Minister said the MPs of the Punjab
are also helping the authorities in restoring nor-
malcy in the state.
Train services hit
Train services in North India were badly af-
fected today because of the violence in Punjab as
more than 30 trains to and from the state were can-
celled and over 10 others regulated mid-way.
Over 14 trains were also left stranded midway
at several stations in the state as protestors squatted
on rail tracks.
“Railways provided them shelter at the local
gurudwaras and nearby railway colonies while the
Northern Railways’ Women’s Welfare Organisa-
tion came up with free food for the stranded pas-
sengers,” a Northern Railway spokesperson told
reporters.
He said the violence that broke out after the
killing of a Dera leader in Vienna also led to large
scale damage to Railway properties. More than 10
coaches of Himsagar Express were torched near
Jalandhar and a locomotive was damaged by a
mob.
Though real estimate was not available,
Railway sources said properties worth crores were
destroyed in the violence.
Indian
companies
in top 50 in
the world
Mumbai: They may not be as big as their
global peers in terms of revenue and profits,
but Indian companies are top of the lot in
terms of their reputation, according to a
study that has ranked Tatas as more reputed
than global giants like Google, Microsoft,
Coca-Cola, GE and Walt Disney.
Noting that the world looks to “corpo-
rate India to find trust, admiration and good
feeling,” the US-based brand and reputa-
tion management consulting firm Reputa-
tion Institute has named five Indian firms
among the top-50 in its annual list of the
world’s most reputed companies.
The Reputation Institute’s global pulse
of 600 companies is a measure of corporate
reputation calculated by averaging percep-
tions of four indicators -- trust, esteem,
admiration and good feeling -- obtained
from a representative sample of at least 100
respondents in the companies’ home coun-
tries.
Among Indian companies, Tatas are fol-
lowed by State Bank of India (29th), Infosys
(39th), Larsen & Toubro (47th) and Maruti
Suzuki (49th).
ther Indian firms in the top 200 are: Hin-
dustan Unilever, ITC Ltd, Canara Bank
Hindustan Petroleum, Indian Oil, Wipro,
Mahindra & Mahindra, Bharti Airtel,
Bank of Baroda, Bharat Petroleum and
Punjab National Bank.
India
Sikh body demands
Vatican status for
Nankana Sahib
Patiala: Vatican-like status for Nankana Sahib
and Amritsar has been demanded by the Sikh
Nation Organisation (SNO) in the wake of the
mass exodus of Sikhs as a result of the Taliban’s
persecution in Pakistan. The organisation wants
to provide safety and an effective Sikh voice to
raise issues promptly in the United Nations.
A protest demonstration to highlight the issue
was held here earlier this month in front of Gurd-
wara Hoti Mardan before the visit of Prime Min-
ister Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to the holy city
of Amritsar. Pakistan-born Sikhs, now settled
in Patiala after migrating during partition, came
to tears while sharing the agony of brethren left
back in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the Sikh body has petitioned
the United Nations’ Human Rights Council for
immediate action to end persecution of Sikhs
by Taliban in Swat Valley, by invoking special
procedure of the UN Council to deal with the
situation of grave and continued human rights
violations in countries that are signatories to UN
conventions.
It argued that the action of the Pakistan gov-
ernment warranted immediate UN intervention.
Dr Manjit Singh Randhawa, president of the
Sikh body, said in an appeal for urgent action
under special procedure, the UN’s immediate
intervention had been sought to save lives, prop-
erty and shrines and to ensure religious freedom
of minority Sikh and Hindu communities in
Swat Valley and North West Frontier Province
in Pakistan.
He added that through its ill-conceived
action, the government of Pakistan had given
autonomy and transferred administrative control
of the region to Taliban extremists, under the
pretext of restoring peace in the region. General
amnesty for all crimes committed has been
offered and all pending investigation, legal pro-
ceedings and any penalty, forfeiture or punish-
ments pronounced have been repealed, he said.
The Sikh body brought to the notice of the UN
Human Rights Council that besides retrograde
ways of punishment and honour-killings which
are in contravention to the human rights dec-
laration and UN conventions, there are serious
cultural restrictions involved under Taliban rule
and the law of ‘Shariah’, including honour kill-
ings of women, restrictions on education of girls
and employment of women, disallowing women
to step out of their homes unescorted by male
relatives and so on.
Modi
missile
misfires
Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra
Modi has managed to improve – though just
by a token seat – the BJP tally in Gujarat, irre-
spective of the party’s debacle in other states.
Modi aides were hoping for a tally of 20 and
above, but because of the strong showing by
the Congress that was not to be.
Modi, who many in the BJP hail as the
future prime minister, took a gamble by se-
lecting only young candidates which met with
only partial success. Modi had his way almost
entirely in the distribution of BJP tickets. All
but two candidates were of Modi’s choice.
Eight candidates hand-picked by Modi lost.
Another gamble that failed was the decision to
field candidates with criminal background and
Congress turncoats.
His arrogant prediction that he could get
anyone elected in Gujarat came true in the as-
sembly elections but became the main reason
for the BJP not reaching lofty heights in the
state. Modi tried to project himself as the
prime ministerial candidate, thinking that the
voters would see this as his election. All this
is likely to dent his credentials and scuttle his
plans to shift to Delhi.
7
Indian
And now, edible cutlery!
Hyderabad: The next time you eat a meal instead of cleaning and keeping away the cutlery for
the next meal, all you have to do is chomp on it for dessert. Edible cutlery, which would soon
be launched promises to change the way our dining tables look, besides adding to the nutrition
quotient of your diet.
Made of sorghum (jowar), the eco-friendly cutlery is the result of three years of research by
two former scientists of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics,
better known as Icrisat. Baked with jowar flour and food-grade bonding agents, the cutlery in-
cludes spoons, knives, forks, and chopsticks.
“We started working on the project with the objective of creating a market for jowar,” says
Narayana Peesapaty, managing director of the Hyderabad-based BK Environmental Innovations,
who, along with R Ramadevi, has created the novel cutlery. “Jowar is healthier than any other
staple, but not many are used to consuming it. We wanted to make an innovative effort to make it
attractive and edible.”
The company says it has got the use-it-eat-it cutlery tested at various laboratories, including the
National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and authorities enforcing the Prevention of Food Adultera-
tion Act. The company has also applied for a patent in India.
The cutlery is created by making a dough of jowar flour with bonding agents mixed in to make
it sturdy. The dough is then given different shapes with the help of moulds. On fears that the spoon
or fork may disappear before the meal is over, Peesapaty says the cutlery will not dissolve imme-
diately. “It may get slightly spongy by the time you complete your meal, but, by then, you would
eat it anyway,” he says.
While the company claims there is enough demand from large hotel chains in the country for
spoons and forks, the Asian market is hungry for chopsticks. “Chopsticks are found to be one of
the reasons for degradation of forests in some Asian countries. Those countries are looking for
alternate products and we are providing a healthy substitute,” he says.
What gives the jowar cutlery an extra edge is its nutritional value. Jowar is rich in calcium,
iron, phosphorous, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fibre, says Peesapaty. It is also said to be
good for diabetics. But jowar flour is used only in rotis and there are few jowar-growing belts in
the country now.
Making a case for the largely ignored cereal, the scientist says growing jowar needs less water.
“With the water required for one acre of paddy, a farmer can feed six acres of jowar crop,” he says.
“But farmers will turn to jowar only if there is demand.” This may change if the cutlery is a hit.
While the scientists say they are focusing on the export market, about 25% will be meant for
sale in the domestic market and companies like ITC Group, Royal Jet and the UAE king’s private
jet operators have already showed keen interest in this product.
- Shobha Rao
8 Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
India
Slum kids line up for auditions
Mumbai: The success of the movie Slumdog Mil-
lionaire and its little stars from the slums have
given a new ray of hope for hundreds of slum chil-
dren of Mumbai. They may not belong to the Khan
or the Kapoor clan but they know slumdogs can be
millionaires. Riding on this hope many parents in
Mumbai slums are looking at this avenue for their
children to get a better future.
Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Mohammed the
star kids of Slumdog Millionaire, have already
bagged roles in producer Vashu Bhagnani’s upcoming movie. For another movie he is casting another
seven or eight kids selected from the slums. “After Slumdog, people want a better future for their children
and films seem like one of the best ways to get it,” says the director.
Shoail Qureshi, a small shop owner says, “Films are a good source of income,” and hopes his two
daughters would some day make it big, so far they have not made it past the numerous auditions
Muskaan, 10, who lives in a Bandra slum was also a part of Slumdog cast and has worked in TV serials
too. She thinks knowing English is crucial to realizing her acting dreams. “I saw on TV that everyone
at the Oscar ceremony was speaking English. That’s why my father moved me from the Urdu school to
an English one.”
The industry is also looking at slum children differently. “Earlier the demand was for children from
upmarket backgrounds,” says a casting agent adding that in the last six months he has supplied 70% more
slum children than before.
Industrialist A.S. Bindra arrested
New Delhi: Industrialist A.S. Bindra, more famous as the father of Abhinav Bindra who won an in-
dividual gold medal at the last Olympic games, was arrested by a team of the economic offence wing
(EOW) of the Delhi police from his farmhouse on the Zirakpur-Patiala highway. The arrest was made in
connection with two cases of cheating and fraud registered at the Connaught Place Police Station, New
Delhi, in 2006 and 2007.
A team of the Delhi police led by SI Rajiv Bhardwaj picked up Bindra in connection with complaints
filed by Apple Finance and IndusInd Bank.
The arrest was made after the metropolitan magistrate, Patiala house, Delhi, issued non-bailable
warrant against senior Bindra, who was accused of cheating Apple Finance to the tune of Rs 4.31 crore
and IndusInd Bank of Rs 5 crore. The industrialist had defaulted in repaying loans and his cheques had
bounced. The cheque numbers also did not tally with the account numbers.
The cases were transferred to the EOW of the Delhi police and had been under investigation since
then. The police had made the request to the court for an arrest warrant after certain leads and develop-
ments in the investigation. Bindra is learnt to have denied the allegations.
Indian
PM hopes
DMK will see
reason and
come back
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today hoped
that the Tamil Nadu ally will “see reason” and
reconsider its decision of not joining the gov-
ernment in the next few days by accepting the
“reasonable” offer. after being sworn-in at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan when asked whether there
was any hitch in DMK joining the govern-
ment, Dr.Singh said “Whatever UPA offered
(to DMK) is reasonable. They (DMK) are our
respected colleagues. We still hope in the next
few days they will reconsider their decision,”
he said.
The sulking southern ally DMK decided
not to join the government, saying the Con-
gress’ formula on allocation of ministerial
berths was not acceptable to it.
Asked how long it would take, Singh said “I
keep hoping that without any loss of time, they
(DMK) will come back after discussing” the
issue in its working committee.
When queried whether there was any
controversy about inclusion of DMK leader
T R Baalu in the Cabinet, the Prime Minis-
ter replied in the negative and said “they are
our honoured colleagues. There is no question
about having any reservation”.
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
BRIEFS
Manhoman Singh’s new
caninet: who got what
S.M.Krishna: External Affairs
Mamata Banerjee: Railways
Pranab Mukherjee: Finance
P.Chidambaram: Home
Sharad Pawar: Agriculture, Food
and Civil Supplies
A.K.Anthony: Defence
Friends and foes attend
swearing in
Winners, losers, estranged allies were all
present when Dr. Manmohan Singh took oath
as the Prime Minister for the second con-
secutive term. The DMK, a major ally of the
Congress, chose to stay out of the government
formation, but was represented by former Min-
ister A Raja and some party MPs represented
it at the swearing-in ceremony. Besides BJP
chief L.K.Advani, members who had joined
together to form the third front like RJD chief
Lalu Prasad Yadav, CPI (M) leader Sitaram
Yechury and LJP head Ramvilas Paswan were
also present.
Prime Minister pays
rent till 2011
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is an
elected member from Assam, owns a rented
house in Guwahati. The house belongs to
former chief minister of Assam, the late
Hiteswar Saikia. Hemo Prava Saikia, who is
living in the house now, said she was proud
that she has a tenant who is now the Prime
Minister of the country for the second term.
“Manmohan Singh never forgets to pay his
dues, and this time he has sent a cheque paying
the rent till the year 2011,” she added.
Eyes wide shut
CPI(M) General Secretary, Prakash Karat,
slept soundly through an entire two hour flight
en route to Chennai earlier this week. Natu-
rally the assumption was that he was too ex-
hausted by all the campaigning and haphazard
schedules. However a shrewd political ob-
server observed that “Perhaps he just wanted
to avoid having to answer any questions during
the flight from people, politicians or journal-
ists”.
Heat is on the royalty
People are enjoying the election season in Raj-
asthan in spite of the scorching heat, how? Just
by watching the plight of the once powerful
royal families sweating it out for the ongoing
General Elections. Former chief minister and
erstwhile Maharani of Jhalawar, Vasudhara
Raje was seen sweating, waiting for her heli-
copter at Jodhpur airport. People waiting for
their flights in the departure lounge were heard
India
commenting, “With power and throne both
gone, the royals are also now feeling the heat.”
The lucky boot
It all started with journalist Jarnail Singh, who
hurled a shoe at P.Chidambaram on April 8,
protesting againt the clean cit given to Jagdish
Tytler in the 1984 Sikh riots case. If can call
this a coincidence of sorts, all the politicians
who were targets of ‘shoe’ missiles in the
run-up to the elections have won in their re-
spective constituencies. While home minister
P.Chidambaram, BJP leader L.K.Advani and
industrialist Navin Jindal have won, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh who did not contest
a seat but has emerged winner in terms of the
Congress led alliance coming back to power.
Wives not wanted
Three tainted leaders from Bihar — Moham-
med Shahabuddin, Pappu Yadac and Sura-
jbhan Singh were barred from contesting
the elections by the Supreme Court due to
the number of criminal cases against them.
They had fielded their wives in the fray, but
all of them lost. Similarly criminals turned
politicians like Mohammed Ansari, Atiq
Ahmed and Surendra Yadav, Bihar and UP,
who contested the elections all lost. “The
Nitish Kumar government’s crackdown on
criminals has emboldened people to reject
them in the polls” said a sociology professor
of Patna University.
9
Indian
Deccan chargers –
the champs of IPL2
prashant belwalkar
Cellar dwellers in IPL1 are the champions of
IPL2. Yes, Deccan Chargers (DC) beat Banga-
lore Royal challengers (BRC) in a thrilling final
to win the coveted IPL diamond studded trophy.
Defending a meagre total of 143 DC restricted
BRC to 137 in the allotted 20 overs and won
the trophy.
BRC started the final in a positive mood
and the willy Kumble got rid of the danger
man Adam Gichrist for a duck. The first two
overs of Kumble cost just five runs and he had
2 wickets to show for that. However, Herschel
Gibbs played a solid knock at the other end to
remain unbeaten on 53 and take the total of
Deccan chargers to a respectable 143. He was
well supported by Symonds and Rohit Sharma.
BRC chasing a modest total start cautiously but
kept loosing wickets at regular intervals and no
one stayed at the crease long enough to really
challenge the target set by DC. As long as van
der Merwe and Ross Taylor were at the crease,
it looks like a easy stroll for BRC to take the
cup, but Symonds 2 wickets in 2 balls which
sent Taylor and Virat Kohli packing turned
the tables. Harmeeet Singh then joined the fun
when he had Boucher smartly caught by Gibbs.
It was DC all the way from then on.
Newly elected president HE Jacob Zuma
officially closed the 5 week long extravaganza
and curtains fell on IPL2.
But before that he
languished some rich praise on IPL and South
Africa for coming to party in three short weeks
and successfully hosting the tournament after
the Indian government pulled the plug on it due
to elections and citing security as a cause of
concern. He claimed that the event bought in
more than 1 billion Rands (Nearly NZD200M)
to the economy and was a huge success. Lalit
Modi, the chairman of IPL proclaimed that this
event was the highest attended event , of any
10
kind, in
South Africa and promised to make the
third edition even bigger.
The path to finals by BRC and DC was not
easy. The qualification for the final 4 berths
went to wire as only Delhi Daredevils were
comfortably placed at the top of the table and
the end of week 4 and the remaining three were
up for grabs. Any of the remaining teams bar
Kolkotta Knight riders could have qualified
for the semis. However, there
was heartbreak for Mumbai
Indians, Rajasthan Royals
and Kings XI Punjab when
they lost crucial matches at a
late stage. A magnificent hat-
trick by Yuvraj could not help
his team into the semis as their
challenge crumbled against
a resurgent BRC. Infact, the
toughest route for semis was
for BRC as they had to win all
their four matches against tough
opposition. But they managed to
win all four of their last league
games and take third spot on
the table. . Chennai super kings
after some hiccups managed to
take the second spot in the stand-
ings while DC filled up the last spot for semis at
the expense of Kings XI Punjab. Interestingly,
none of the film fraternity owners of the fran-
chisees had a successful outing this time.
The Semi finals was an interesting lineup
with top ranked team Delhi Daredevils taking
on Deccan Chargers. However, an aggressive
85 in double quick time by Adam Gilchrist
ensured that DC overturned the target of 153
For all your
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IPL 2009
Kolkata Knight
Riders could
have done better
under dada
set by DD with
more than 2 overs
to spare. They
moved into the
finals with con-
fidence. Chennai
super kings mav-
erick captain MS
Dhoni for once
failed to turn on
his magic. CSK
set a modest
147 target for
BRC which was
easily achieved
by the inform
junior star
Manish Pandey
with help of old war horse Rahul Dravid
and the rising star Virat Kohli.
The scene was set for a thrilling finale and
the teams didn’t disappoint the huge crowd at
Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg. It was
the willy Kumble taking on the slogger Gil-
christ. However, it was Gilchrist who had the
last laugh and both his hands on the trophy.
RP Singh for DC was owner of purple cap and
the highest wicket taker of the tournament.
Matthew Hayden was the owner of orange cap
and the highest run getter of the tournament. Kolkata Knight Rider’s young pacer
Suresh Raina was the winner of Young star of Ashok Dinda, feels that had the team
the tournament. played under the leadership of Saurav
The tournament tough would be remem- Ganguly, they would have done better
bered for senior pros who redeemed themselves than finishing as the team with the least
in this format of the game and showed the Gen points and return home ignomiously.
X that they still had it in them when it comes “Dada (Ganguly) knows us (the Bengal
to matters of cricket and the Grey hairs are not cricketers) inside out. He knows what are
just due to an outing in the sun. Common IPL, our strengths and weaknesses. Our perfor-
we are waiting for the 3rd edition. As they say mance would have been better under his
in Bollywood – PACK UP! captaincy. He would have been success-
ful in getting the best out of our players,”
Dinda said on his arrival here on Friday.
Dinda arrived with his teammates in-
cluding Ganguly, Laxmi Ratan Shukla
and Wriddhiman Saha from South Africa,
where they finished their IPL campaign at
the bottom of tally. Ganguly, however, de-
clined to talk to the waiting media.
Under New Zealander Brendon Mc-
Cullum the Kolkata side had a disastrous
campaign as the Bollywood superstar
Shah Rukh Khan-owned side earned
the dubious distinction of losing eight
matches on the trot.
- Shobha Rao
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
Indian

Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009 11

Indian
EU cancels Euro24 million
sugar allocation to Fiji
The European Commission has cancelled the 2009
sugar allocation for Fiji in the absence of any in-
dications that a legitimate government will be in
place in 2009.
Fiji’s allocation for sugar reform accompanying
measures for 2009 totaled EUR 24 million.
The Commission would have made this fi-
nancing available to Fiji subject to a legitimate
government being in place in accordance with EU
Council decision of 1 October 2007.
European Commissioner for Development and
Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel said: “I encour-
age the Government of Fiji to fulfil its commit-
ments to the EU so that we are able to reinstate
sugar reform payments in the future.”
Meanwhile, The European Union has re-af-
firmed its opposition to the Fiji military’s refusal
to allow the country to return to democracy for at
least another five years.
The European Commissioner for Fisheries and
Maritime Affairs, Joe Borg has been meeting in
Canberra with Australian ministers.
He said virtually all financial assistance to Fiji
has been suspended.
Mr Borg also said reports in the Fiji media
quoting the EU’s Commissioner for Develop-
ment Cooperation, Louis Michel, as saying the EU
wanted to assist Fiji were entirely false.
“Commissioner Michel was very clear in that
he expressed his extreme disappointment with the
recent developments that have taken place in Fiji
and that these are completely unacceptable to the
European Union,” he told Radio Australia
Fiji’s former sugar minister and former Prime
Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, has said the cancel-
lation of EU sugar funding for Fiji this year could
lead to the collapse of the industry.
12
Sugar turns bitter for Fiji
“Sugar is very important for Fiji’s economy,
and if this industry collapses, it’s now reduced to
half its former size, but if it should go together then
of course it will have very grave consequences for
Fiji’s economy, so it is in the interests of all con-
cerned to do something to save this industry from
collapse,” he said.
Mr Chaudhry said the EC’s move is a big blow
for farmers, as they would benefit most from the
money.
Fiji
Regime consultant lambasts
NZ over coup sanctions
John Samy, who heads the support team for the National Council for Building a Better Fiji, has
called on New Zealand to soften its stance on Fiji and remove sanctions, Radio NZ International
reports.
He was speaking at an Institute of Policy Studies seminar in Wellington that was considering
what the role of the New Zealand government should be towards Fiji.
A leading international economist and now a NZ citizen, Fiji-born Sami said New Zealand and
Australia had been obsessed with holding elections as soon as possible and the sanctions they have
imposed are only hurting the people of Fiji.
“New Zealand’s attitude to date has been more prone to folly and wooden-headedness. If the
purpose of those sanctions are to bring the economy of Fiji down and in governance terms to actu-
ally get them to do things that are not in the national interest because they don’t have the capacity,
the institutions are not working. How can we say that these are smart sanctions.”
Samy also helped to formulate the People’s Charter in Fiji and said this would provide a good
framework for progress.
‘FHRC curtailment unfortunate’
The Citizens’ Constitutional Forum (CCF) has described the curtailment of the status and powers of
the Fiji Human Rights Commission (FHRC) by a presidential decree as unfortunate. However, CCF
reminds that the international human rights mechanisms can still be utilised under the various human
rights declarations and conventions.
CCF has called on the Caretaker Government to restore the 1997 Constitution and the judiciary, so
that those arrested or detained under the State of Emergency regulations have a chance of fair treatment
from the law.
“The decree prevents the FHRC from receiving complaints against, investigating, questioning or
challenging the legality or validity of any decrees made by the President. It is interfering with the inde-
pendence of the FHRC,” chief executive officer Rev Akuila Yabaki said.
“The FHRC will now be unable to perform the key role of acting as a watchdog of the government as
it is no longer allowed to make recommendations on the implications of any proposed law or policy that
may affect human rights,” Rev Yabaki said.
“However, Fiji’s government is still accountable to the international human rights bodies and has
obligations to protect and respect core human rights and provide progress reports to the international
community represented by the various treaty bodies,” Rev Yabaki said. “Fiji, as a member of the inter-
national community and a recipient of aid money, has obligations to uphold core human rights.”
“Concerned citizens can still utilise the international mechanisms available – such as the reporting
and complaints procedures available through the Optional Protocols and the UN Committees for human
rights conventions and declarations,” Rev Yabaki said.
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
Indian
Comply with regulations, says Fiji exclusion
from PALM
leweni as Govt plans tv channel meeting because
Government spokesperson and Permanent Secre-
tary for Information Lieutenant-Colonel Neumi
Leweni has reiterated that individuals found break-
ing the Public Emergency Decree will be detained
and possibly charged.
With the regulations extended for another
month, Lt-Col Leweni said people who were trying
to upset, cause incitement or tension amongst the
communities would not be tolerated and would
need to seriously think twice about their priorities
since the government was only focused on moving
the nation forward.
“I urge members of the
public and especially com-
munity leaders who may
Fiji needs leaders who have
be contemplating inciteful
actions to stop, as this would
only impact on government’s
the interest of all at heart –
efforts to progress the nation regardless of ethnicity
towards a better Fiji.
“Fiji needs leaders who
have the interest of all at
heart – regardless of ethnicity,” Lt-Col Leweni
said.
Lt-Col Leweni has urged members of the
public to adhere to Section 16 of the Public Emer-
gency Decree.
Section 16 of the Public Emergency Regula-
tions states:
16.—(1) Where the Permanent Secretary for In-
formation has reason to believe that any broadcast
or publication may give rise to disorder and may
thereby cause undue demands to be made upon
the police or the Armed Forces, or may result in
a breach of the peace, or promote disaffection or
public alarm, or undermine the Government and
the State of Fiji, he or she may, by order, prohibit
eed
just what you n
L E
UNBE ATA B
F O R
DEALS
B UY E R S and Large
BULK
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Contact these specials
for the
MANGERE BRIDGE 40 Coronation Rd Mgere Auckland - 0-9-636 8424
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
Fiji
AERIAL SOLUTIONS
Contact
Pramesh
such broadcast or publication.
(2) In order to give effect to subsection (1) above
any broadcaster or publisher upon direction by the
Permanent Secretary for Information must submit
of military
to him or her all material for broadcast or publica-
tion material before broadcast or publication.
(3) Any person or entity which fails in any
regime:
way whatsoever to comply with the provisions this
section may be ordered by the Commissioner of
Police or Officer Commanding upon advice from
Samoan PM
the Permanent Secretary for Information to cease Tokyo, 19 May 2009 --- Samoan Prime Minister
all activities and operations. Tuilaepa Lupesoli’ai Sa’ilele Malielegaoi together
Meanwhile, Fiji’s mili- with other Independent Pacific Island leaders in-
tary rulers are planning to cluding New Zealand and Australia will be in Mob: 027 224 0529
set up their own television Japan this week. Ph/Fax: 09 818 1014
channel to promote their This important meeting with Japan’s President,
Email: duttsaerial@xtra.co.nz
aims and objectives.
Last week Radio New
said Mr Tuilaepa, is an opportunity to discuss some
of the developments that these developed countries
Zealand obtained a leaked can help the Pacific Islands.  UHF/VHF TV Aerial
document which reveals He said this meeting is held every two years and
Fiji’s interim government a meeting with the President of France will be fol-  Satellite Reception
wants its own channel on lowed in the end of this year in New Caledonia.
Fiji TV and is also hoping to take over 12 pages of Tuilaepa indicated that the most important
 Sky & TV Outlet
the Fiji Sun newspaper. thing at these meetings is the acceptance by these  Home Theatre System
Government spokesman Major Neumi Leweni big countries of concerns and matters given by the
said plenty of other countries control the news, so Pacific Island countries.  Cable Plant
why not Fiji. “This is where Fiji is failing to see,” he told  Commercial TV System
“You tell me, what other governments do it? Samoa Observer
Australia has got Channel 7 [sic], what does New “They can’t be recognised if they went on as a  Telecommunication
Zealand have?” he told Radio New Zealand. military government,” he said. Systems
He said they hope to have the new TV channel “That is not recognised in democratic govern-
up and running next week. ments.”  TN & DVD VCR Repairs
“It’s one of the paid channels, but when the gov- Mr Tuilaepa said human rights are not accepted
ernment programme is on, it’ll be a free to air one.” in this type of government Fiji is using, and is also
and Tuning
Fiji’s military regime has been deporting not accepted by the Pacific Forum and these big  Freeview-HD-SAT/UHF
foreign journalists, arresting local reporters and countries.
censoring the news. It is confirmed that Fiji is not invited by Japan receivers & installation
for the forum this year.ends
Restaurants
Takeaways
Religious
Functions
HALL AVENUE Hall Ave Otahu Auckland - 0-9-276 6161
13
 Indian
Indian
From the Editor
This time, Indians voted with
their minds – and feet
The inscrutable Indian voter has delivered a near crystal clear verdict in the na-
tional elections against all predictions and expectations. Up until the final stages
of the polling process almost every prediction and analysis pointed toward a hung
parliament with either of the two major parties having to rely on a motley group
of marginal players to be able to form the government much like what happened in
the last elections in 2004.
But the Indian voter proved those predictions completely wrong and voted solidly
instead for the virtues of stability, moderation, propriety, good sense, rising well
above sectarianism. In fact most of these attributes are ingrained in the personal-
ity of the winning UPA’s prime ministerial candidate and Dr Manmohan Singh’s
typically understated role in the coalition’s win has just been that – understated.
In past five years of his leadership, Dr Singh was severely criticised as being a
weak and pliable puppet of the so-called Congress high command and described
as unpatriotic and cowardly in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai
that claimed more than 170 lives. His chances of leading the UPA to a victory were
written off by many commentators when his government’s inability to prevent the
IPL2 tournament from leaving Indian shores became apparent.
All that political punditry has been proved wrong. It might be months before
socio-political analysts and expert statisticians and psephologists come up with
explanations of why voters voted the way they did and what factors led to this near-
clear verdict but what is there for us all to see is that this once the Indian voter
voted with both mind and feet, leaving out the heart.
Not being swayed by unrelenting attempts at polarisation along religious lines
especially in the wake of incidents like the Mumbai attacks but rooting instead
for the calm, businesslike practicality, straightforwardness, sincerity and middle-
of-the-road-ness exemplified by Dr Singh, the voters showed maturity and intel-
ligence – voting with their minds. These qualities have never been attributed to the
Indian voter in elections past with analysts contending that Indians have always
voted emotionally – driven by their heart.
The Indian voter’s collective unconscious also seems to have figured out quite
quickly after the experience in 2004 that a multiplicity of parties in power does
not make for smooth implementation of policy. In the previous government smaller
parties held the UPA to ransom on several occasions. A notable instance is the
communist parties’ withdrawal of support because of the nuclear deal.
The coalition experience of the past couple of elections convinced some politi-
cians that the politics of coalition was here to stay, which encouraged the forma-
tion of political forces like the fourth front. But this time the voter revered this trend
marginalising such forces to the periphery as leaders like Lalu Prasad Yadav came
to realise.
As well as a vote for stability and a virtual thumbs-up for Dr Singh’s – inciden-
tally the world’s most well qualified politician today – understated style of leader-
ship that shaped the Indian economy over the past few decades, this election also
proved to be quite a shocker for both the criminal and maverick elements in the
country’s politics.
In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, people voted with their feet as well – booting out
known criminals who contested the elections, many of whom had won previous
elections through cunning and corruption. Some people, whose criminal records
prevented them from contesting, promoted their wives’ and relatives’ candidature
– but the voters were too smart to see through this subterfuge.
Dr Singh’s personality and role in shaping UPA’s victory despite not being a
grassroots politician has not been acknowledged as much as it should be. His
understated demeanour exudes intelligence, humility, deference, practicality, rea-
sonableness and a quiet determination – attributes that run counter to the bluster-
ous world of personality-based politics.
But these are exactly the values that middle India has strived for and enshrined
in its culture through the millennia, the very values that have given India her iden-
tity and the strength to thrive as one of the world’s oldest continuously existing
civilisations.
Indian Weekender Volume 1 No 6
Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited
Editor: Dev Nadkarni dev@indianweekender.co.nz
India Correspondent: Shobha Rao shobha@indianweekender.co.nz
Design: Tanmay Desai desaidesign@gmail.com / www.desaign.co.nz
Advertising: Reggie Singh - 021 160 6704, reggie@indianweekender.co.nz
or Giri Gupta - 021 221 1131
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editor@indianweekender.co.nz
Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, Unit O, 8 Bishop Lenihan Place,
East Tamaki, Manukau 2013 and printed at BMP, East Tamaki, Auckland
Copyright 2009. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.
14
Letters
Many thanks for publishing the write up on our Sandringham Community Centre.
The community members were very happy to see the article. A senior member
said in our usual Thursday Market, that such a article on the Centre had appeared
in a daily only long ago. Reading the article and passing copies of the paper from
one to another seemed to be the main engagement among those who visited the
Centre today.
My personal appreciation for publishing the news item on Bhajan Sangeetha.
It made the participants very happy. They all felt ‘recognised’. There were new
participants too from far off places like Manukau and Waitakere after they read
through the article. I must say, carrying such news items goes a long way as a
feel good factor for the Indian community and for fostering ‘Indianism’ among the
community at large. Many thanks for your encouragement.
- Manu
The Indian elections have drawn praise from across the world for the
peaceful manner in which such a huge logistic exercise was organised
with such efficiency. One letter to the editor by an American reader
that appeared in the western media summed it up beautifully. It is one
of the best tributes to India that we have read in recent times. Here it
is:
Sir,
It is truly the greatest show on earth, an ode to a diverse and democratic
ethos, where 700 million+ of humanity vote, providing their small part in
directing their ancient civilization into the future. It is no less impressive
when done in a neighborhood which includes de-stabilizing and violent
Pakistan, China, and Burma.
Its challenges are immense, more so probably than anywhere else, par-
ticularly in development and fending off terrorism -- but considering these
challenges and its neighbors, it is even more astounding that the most
diverse nation on Earth, with hundreds of languages, all religions and
cultures, is not only surviving, but thriving.
The nation where Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism were born,
which is the second largest Muslim nation on Earth; where Christianity
has existed for 2000 years; where the oldest Jewish synagogues and Jewish
communities have resided since the Romans burnt their 2nd temple; where
the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile reside; where the Zo-
rastrians from Persia have thrived since being thrown out of their ancient
homeland; where Armenians and Syrians and many others have to come
live; where the Paris-based OECD said was the largest economy on Earth
1500 of the last 2000 years, including the 2nd largest only 200 years ago;
where 3 Muslim Presidents have been elected, where a Sikh is Prime Min-
ister and the head of the ruling party a Catholic Italian woman, where the
President is also a women, succeeding a Muslim President who as a rocket
scientist was a hero in the nation; where a booming economy is lifting 40
million out of poverty each year and is expected to have the majority of its
population in the middle class, already equal to the entire US population,
by 2025; where its optimism and vibrancy is manifested in its movies, arts,
economic growth, and voting, despite all the incredible challenges and
hardships; where all the great powers are vying for inf luence, as it itself
finds its place in the world.
Where all of this is happening, is India, and as greater than 1/10 of hu-
manity gets ready to vote, it is an inspiration to all the World.
- V. Mitchell, New York
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with a cheque for $30 payable to Kiwi Media Group and mail it to Unit
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Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
Indian
A clear mandate for Manmohan Singh
Srihari Gudipoodi
A month ago, in the May 1 issue, we predicted
in these columns that ‘UPA would form the
Government and Dr. Manmohan Singh would
surely unfurl the national flag from the ram-
parts of the Red Forte on August 15, Indepen-
dence Day’. That prediction has indeed come
true.
Now it is time for the Prime Minister Man-
mohan Singh to act. The first thing he did after
his election was to appeal to all the secular
parties to lend a hand in building the nation
and to take it forward. While saying so he also
showed due respect to his party leaders saying:
“but for the visionary leadership of Smt. Sonia
Gandhi and hard work put in by youth leader
Sri Rahul Gandhi this result would not have
been possible.”
In this country of multitude of political
parties it has become difficult to form a com-
fortable government. This time, at least, the
electorate provided an opportunity to give
them a clearer mandate to rule.
Other parties
It is also time for the other parties to reca-
pitulate. One hopes that the BJP, the second
largest party in the Parliament, now grows
taller with a more secularist outlook and re-
frains from resorting to agitations that rely on
inflaming religious passions, concentrating
instead on the social and ethnic conflicts that
have been threatening the fabric of country.
BJP is also an important political party
craving to establish a stable government. They
simply can’t hope to achieve that with all these
self-inflicting strategies.
Regionalism
There are enough of narrow-minded re-
gional parties, who try to make hay when
their sun shines. Recall the way the DMK,
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam of Dr. Karu-
nanidhi, played spoil sport almost when the
central team of ministers was being formed,
Cooking up ideas to beat the recession
dev nadkarni
If necessity is the mother of invention, adversity
is its grandmother. The rough and turbulent eco-
nomic weather stirred up like a perfect storm by
the continuing global financial crisis is compel-
ling companies and countries across the world to
come up with survival strategies that would have
been unthinkable even as recently as six months
ago.
From adjustments and compromises to co-
operation and brilliant ideas for new directions
in existing business ventures are all being tried
and tested in a bid for survival. How successful
these strategies would be only time can tell – and
whether these strategies would prove counter
productive when the business climate improves
is anybody’s guess.
In New Zealand’s new car business, single
brand dealerships are merging into ones that
vend multiple brands. Even when the reces-
sion began to unfold early last year such a move
would have been inconceivable say those in the
business.
Marques that take pride in their individual
identity and would not be seen with competing
brands under the same roof under any circum-
stances are all huddling together in the same
merged dealership. This is a phenomenon not ex-
clusive to New Zealand and Australia. It is hap-
pening all across the world including the United
States, the world’s biggest auto market.
Business software that has long existed and
served customers well through the good times is
being rejigged and new features are being added
to help companies counter recessionary trends.
Some of the popular business accounting and
customer relationship management software
brands in use in New Zealand, for instance, miss
some vital features that would be invaluable in
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
by demanding more number of cabinet posts.
Was it not narrow mindedness in trying to ac-
commodate Karunanidhi’s family members
and second lieutenants in big numbers, while
having meager share of MP seats in the Par-
liament? Mr.Karunanidhi did play a negative
role in not accepting the number of ministe-
rial berths offered by the Prime Minister. One
hopes better sense prevails in not creating
hiccups at the very initial stage of government
formation and at every stage of governance.
Left, left out
The Communist Party of India and other
left parties lent their hand in the success of the
previous government especially in convert-
ing their pro-people policies into action, like
the rural employment schemes, farmers’ loan
waivers, spending on education and health
comprehensively. The positive partnership
went on for four and half years. These schemes
also captured the young voters’ imagination,
another reason for the present impressive
outcome. But the way the left parties withdrew
their support as a protest against Dr. Manmo-
recessionary times.
Since the recession unfolded, payments have
been late in coming through. Business bodies
and forums throughout the world have reported
that it is taking progressively longer for compa-
nies to pay their bills and settle accounts because
of the severe squeeze on liquidity.
This has placed mounting pressure on cor-
porate cash flows necessitating all types of cuts
and culls including trimming staff and curtail-
ment of products and services. The accounting
software that many of these companies use are
ill equipped to deal with
the delayed payment
schedules that have now In tough times invention and
become the norm in the
recession. innovation are the key to the
One smart software
firm has seen opportu-
survival of businesses.
nity in all this and has
launched a new software that plugs into compa-
nies’ existing accounting and cashflow manage-
ment software to better manage communication
and relationship with creditors with a number of
tasks such as specially worded reminders and
notifications as well as linking that information
to their bankers, and if need be, to debt collec-
tion agencies in a timely fashion.
Being a recession baby and in keeping with
the reality of the times, this add-on software
comes with a ridiculously low price tag. In fact
it is based on a business model whose time has
come: SaaS or Software as a Service where the
client pays only for the services used. The soft-
ware sits on servers of the service provider and
the user pays a monthly affordable licence fee
like rent to use it.
The entrepreneur who launched this busi-
han Singh’s efforts to buy uranium from the
United States and other countries for India’s
atomic power plants pushed them to a corner.
It was a self-inflicted punishment. Added
to that the Nano car project episode of Tatas
totally made them political untouchables.
And the result could be seen in the election
results. The beneficiary in this Nano episode
is that voluble leader of Trinamool Congress,
Mamata Benerji. Teamed with Congress as a
UPA partner she bagged an impressive number
of seats.
Vote bank
At one time the Congress regarded UP as
its impregnable vote bank. But it gradually
slipped out and lost to BJP, SP and BSP. Con-
gress had a mere nominal existence. Surpris-
ingly these elections brought back its old glory
to some extent. This was a remarkable resur-
gence. Rahul Gandhi, this time, proved a hero
by going it alone in UP and winning there. His
gamble paid off. The fact that he is looking
far ahead of others is now an objective reality.
This government will surely last its full term
ness software plugin in such dark times when
most businesses are holding on to their capital
and would not consider investing in Greenfield
ventures is already beginning to taste success.
Sign-ups are going up impressively according to
his company.
A number of software application providers
across the board are seriously considering the
SaaS model because of its affordability and flex-
ibility as has been demonstrated by the CRM
applications industry even before the recession
began.
In tough times inven-
tion and innovation are the
key to the survival of busi-
nesses.
The recession has hit
discretionary spending
the most and that is a big
worry for the travel and
tourism industry, which indeed is the lifeblood
of Pacific Island economies. A tourism industry
conference early this month to come up with
strategies to counter the downturn in visiting
numbers could not have come at a better time for
the islands’ collective tourism industry.
But even before the conference, one Pacific
Island country made the headlines most im-
pressively and has set people talking: The Cook
Islands declared late last month that it was unaf-
fected by the recession and was as such not par-
ticipating in the global recession and so was the
place to be if the world wanted to lift its spirits.
At a time when the global media is overflow-
ing with depressing news and analyses of the
financial bloodbath, and as countries are begin-
ning to come up with all kinds of funding ini-
tiatives to kick start their economies by raising
Comment
with a comfortable alliance partnership. It also
won a major chunk of vote and seat share in
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil
Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. The
latter, in fact, gave more number of MPs to the
parliament. This wave could be seen in Maha-
rashtra too. Nitish Kumar swept Bihar. Naveen
Patnaik did the same in Orissa.
Need for PM to become elected MP
People think that this was the right time for
Manmohan Singh to contest for Lok Sabha at
least once in his lifetime, asking one of his in-
cumbent party colleagues to resign and thus
facilitate his candidature for election. All
through his political career he has been a nom-
inated MP of the Rajya Sabha. It is impera-
tive that he has to be seen as a Prime Minister
elected by the people.
Perhaps the most positive feature of this
election was that many history sheeters and
criminals masquerading as politicians in the
badlands of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were
comprehensively booted out showing that the
Indian voter knew what was in his or her best
interests.
Cabinet formation is still incomplete. At
the time of writing, only 19 members were
sworn in as ministers, along with the PM.
They included Pranab Mukherji (Finance),
A.K.Antony (Defense), P.Chidambaram
(Home), Sharad Pawar (Agriculture) with
the addition of new faces - S.M.Krishna, the
former Chief Minister of Karnataka and Gov-
ernor of Maharashtra as external Affairs min-
ister and Mamata Benerji as the Minister for
Railways. Some young faces must be given a
boost when the cabinet is expanded next time.
- Srihari Gudipoodi is a senior journal-
ist based in Hyderabad contributing to the
Hindu and Eenadu. He is currently visiting
New Zealand.
even bigger debt mountains (which will in every
likelihood lead to monstrous inflation in the next
few years – but that’s quite another story), here
is a small Pacific Island country that has grabbed
the world’s attention by saying it’s not participat-
ing in the recession.
For whatever it is worth, the statement has
proved an attention grabber. No one would really
take that statement seriously but the sheer spunk
and the manner in which the country put out that
statement deserves kudos. This is innovation in
adversity at its best – even if it sounds like a cute
little joke. The fact is that it has grabbed atten-
tion and brought focus on the Cook Islands as a
great and happy place to visit.
In 2006, Vanuatu was chosen as the happiest
place in the world. But the country didn’t quite
use that enviable accolade to promote it well. In
fact when I asked a number of people about it in
Port Vila – even within the hospitality industry –
they were unaware that such an appellation had
been conferred on their country. It is great op-
portunity that has been missed by the country’s
tourism authority – and this was the best time to
revive it.
Unlike the Cooks, Vanuatu’s title had been
conferred on it by an organisation, which is not
the same as shouting from the rooftops about
your self – something the Cook Islands admin-
istration has done so well and to the admiration
of many. The key to real success will be in how
the Cook Islands follows up on that strategy to
increase visitors and bring in valuable tourist
dollars at a time like this.
With the emergence of the happiest place on
earth and the world’s first recession free country,
Fiji’s longstanding claim to being the world’s
friendliest nation is seriously at stake.
15
Indian
Bollywood

I never go by the banner of a film

Priyanka Chopra is clearly going through one of the most exciting phases in her life- professionally and personally. On
the professional side, besides a string of successes, she has the maximum number of awards this year and has some
promising films lined up for release. On the personal front, her link-up with Shahid Kapur, her Kaminey co-star, has been
the subject of considerable curiosity. We caught up with the talented actress at the web-site launch of her first Yashraj
film, ‘Pyaar Impossible’.

What got you attracted to a film like ‘Pyaar Impossible’. Was it the banner of Yas-
hraj Films?
I have never done films in the past because of their banners, which is also one of the reasons, why
my work so far is with a good number of new producers, directors and actors. For me, both Drona
and Dostana were on the same level, as the other films I have done. In the case of Pyar Impossible, I
was excited about the script of the film. I could relate to the character very well. In addition, I think
many people will be able to connect to the film, since all of us have our own share of insecurities
in life.

Could you elaborate on the story of the film?

The film tells the story of a geek called Abhay (played by Uday) and a beautiful girl whom he adores
but is unable to confess his feelings for her because he does not think he is good enough for her.

Have you ever come across a geek in life yourself?

I haven’t come across one, but I was a geek myself in school. I was studying that time in Grade 8 in
a U.S school. I was a very reserved child and could not talk to anyone. I also had a crush on another
student but every time I would bump into him, I would be speechless. I would also walk quietly
behind the other students in the class, in a bid to hide myself. I think all of us have gone through
such phases in life, when we are not confident enough to face people.

How has the experience been working with Uday?

Uday knows the script of the film inside out because he has written it himself. It has been a great
experience working with him and I would love to work with him again, if the opportunity arises.
The film has also turned out very well and it will be something to watch out for.

What is your concept of love and what are the factors that matter?
I would like to look at the person beneath the façade. Good looks should be secondary. I have
known many people who have never been happy about relationships, despite having dated the best-
looking men and women. It is important for a person to know and understand the other person and
his or her feelings.

There is a lot of anticipation about your forthcoming release, Kaminey.

I am looking forward to it too. The film has shaped up very well. Director Vishal Bharadwaj is
full of ideas and working with him has been an altogether great experience. Also, the character of
Sweety that I am playing in the film is a very realistic and believable character of a college-going
girl in her early 20s. Vishal has defined the character so well that it invariably makes an impression.
The simplistic look of the character has also been designed accordingly. It is not easy to get a film
like Kaminey everyday.

Both Fashion and Dostana, had you playing glamorous roles. Were you apprehen-
sive about taking up Kaminey?
Not in the least. In fact, I deliberately chose the role of Kaminey to be able to experiment with a new
character and look. I am looking at essaying different characters in all the films that I am doing,
be it Kaminey, Whats Your Raashee or for that matter, Pyaar Impossible. I am trying to explore
various genres of acting.

- By Chhaya

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16 Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009

Indian
Bollywood
Celeb Speak: Shaan

Jab we met...
He has cut down on the maddening pace of work to take time off for
his family and his creative pursuits. Shaan has now decided to render
his voice for a select few songs, even as he continues to top the list of
playback singers post the success of Dostana (Kucch Kam) and a series
of hits in Race, Kismet Konnection, Ek Vivaah…Aisa Bhi, besides the
unbeatable ‘Where’s The Party Tonight’.

Birthday and Zodiac Sign: September 30, Libra.

Birthplace: Mumbai.
Pet name: Raja.
Learnt singing under: Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.
First public performance: Channel V road show in Kolkata in 1996.
Fan of: Kishore Kumar.
Favourite song: The one from Fanaah.
One composer you miss singing for: R D Burman.
First movie break and song: ‘Musi musi hasi’ from Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi.
Memorable moment: Winning on Sports Day as house captain.
Most embarrassing moment: As a kid, I once urinated in my pants.
Most prestigious award: The MTV Asia award in 2002 for Tanha dil.
Favourite Hangout: With my two kids in their playroom.
Favourite Holiday Destination: I would love to name some faraway exotic place,
but it is Goa.
Favourite movie: Lage Raho Munnabhai.
Favourite dress: Jeans and T-shirt.
Favourite brand: I love shopping but am not loyal to any particular brand.
Fitness schedule: I work out in the gym once a week and think about it for the
rest of the week.
You relax by: Taking a massage at home.
Hate to eat: Badly-cooked food.
Love to eat: Red meat – any preparation.
Love most: My family.
Your strength: My family.
Your weakness: My indecisiveness.
Biggest fear: Dying! I don’t mind growing old, have grey hair but I don’t want to die!
If you were not Shaan: I would be Shantanu Mukherjee – the investigative journalist!
If you could change the world: I would love to prevent the US of A from bullying
the rest of the world.
‘SA RE GA MA PA’ to you: Has been a learning ground.

- By Bhaswati Bose

Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009 17

Indian
L’Oreal announces
Sonam Kapoor as its
new spokesperson
L’Oreal Paris, the leading beauty brand in the
world, recently announced Sonam Kapoor as its
new spokesperson. Kapoor was welcomed as the
youngest member to join the L’Oréal Paris team
that boasts of names like Aishwarya Rai, Penel-
ope Cruz, Beyonce Knowles, Eva Longoria and
others. Also seen at the event were Karan Johar,
Ritesh Deshmukh, Atul Kasbekar, Candice
Pinto, Narayani Shastri, Kunal Kohli, Neelam
Kothari, Anushka Manchanda, Zoya Akhtar,
Shveta Salve with her partner, and Chetan
Hansraj with his wife.
Big B felicitates
Resul Pookutty
Amitabh Bachchan recently felicitated Resul
Pookutty, the Oscar-winning sound engineer of
Slumdog Millionaire, at a function held at the
Country Club, Andheri. The function was or-
ganised by the Western India Motion Pictures
and TV Sound Engineers’ Association to honour
Pookutty for his achievement. Resul was indeed
touched when Amitabh embraced him warmly
and congratulated him for his outstanding
achievement. Among the other celebrated guests
seen on the occasion were actors Gul Panag,
Ronit Roy, producer Dheeraj Kumar, and singer
Udit Narayan. For Big B, it was indeed an occa-
sion to express his regard for talent, irrespective
of the reservations he had earlier voiced about
Slumdog Millionaire.
18
Bollywood
40th Dadasaheb Garnier appoints
Phalke Awards John Abraham
The 40th Dadasaheb Phalke awards were held on
May 4, at Bhaidas Auditorium, Vile Parle, Mumbai.
Among those present at the event were veteran pro-
ducer, Surinder Kapoor and his sons, Boney and
Sanjay Kapoor, besides daughter-in-law Sridevi,
legendary singer Shamshad Begum, veteran actor
Manoj Kumar who arrived with his son, Kunal
Goswami, besides Randhir Kapoor, Mahesh Bhatt,
Ashutosh Gowariker and veteran music director
Vipin Reshammiya with his son Himesh.
Prithviraj Kapoor was posthumously awarded
the Phalke Kalpataru award for his contribution to
Hindi cinema, while his son, Shammi Kapoor was
awarded the Phalke Legend Actor Award. Surinder
Kapoor, who started his career as an assistant di-
rector to his cousin, Prithviraj Kapoor, was also
among the awardees, besides legendary singer,
Shamshad Begum, who was presented with the Garnier recently appointed actor John Abraham
Phalke Golden Singer award. Actress Sridevi who as its brand ambassador for its range of men’s
provided the glamour element at the event, present- products. A press meet was held to this effect
ed the Phalke Ratna Award to veteran actor Manoj at ‘The Hotel Trident’ on May 7 to this effect.
Kumar, known for his patriotic films like Purab The handsome hunk interacted with the media
aur Paschim, Shaheed and Kranti. Himesh Resh- and fielded queries on his decision to endorse
ammiya’s father Vipin, was also among those who the Garnier range. He also spoke about his per-
received a Phalke award, besides Ashutosh Gowar- sonal styling and announced that despite being
iker who was presented with the Phalke Memorable perceived as a male style icon, he was a zero
Commercial Award. Mahesh Bhatt was the chief maintenance guy when it came to make up and
guest at the event. personal styling.
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
Indian
Bollywood

Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009 19

Indian
The man who crated the “an- Aja Nachle – No Longer A Guilty Trip
gry young man” is no more
Veteran filmmaker Prakash Mehra passed away
on May 17 at the Kokilaben Hospital in Andheri,
Mumbai, due to a prolonged illness. He was 70.
Mehra ventured into filmmaking in 1968, with
the Shashi Kapoor starrrer, Haseena Maan Jayegi.
The 1971 hit Mela with Feroz and Sanjay Khan in
the lead roles, followed soon after. However, he
catapulted to fame with the Amitabh Bachchan
starrer, Zanjeer (1973), which heralded the arrival
of the angry young man on screen. He and Amitabh
Bachchan teamed up to give some of the biggest
box-office hits like Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978),
Sharabi (1984), Laawaris (1981) and  Namak Halal
(1982). In fact, the character Amitabh played in
Sharaabi was believed to be modelled on his own
real-life character. Mehra’s last film with Amitabh,
Jaadugar (1981) failed to meet box-office expecta-
tions. Subsequently there was speculation that he
had fallen out with Amitabh and the two were not
on talking terms anymore. However, Amitabh put
to rest all rumours when he visited an ailing Mehra
in hospital.  since the past seven years, after his wife went into a
Prakash Mehra was known to be a habitual
drinker. His spotless white attire and white shoes
were two distinct trademarks of his personality.
Advertisement
President: Ratilal Champaneri Gen Secretary: Veer Khar
Phone: 021 383 859 Phone: 0274 417 654
Email: president@nzindians.org.nz
New Zealand Indian Community
Congratulates India for yet another
successful national elections
20
Bollywood
His last film as a producer-director was Bal Brah-
machari (1996) which introduced Puru Raj Kumar
as the hero opposite Karisma Kapoor. By that time
however, his magic at spinning box office hits had
waned out. His last produced film was the Rekha
starrer Mujhe Meri Biwi Se Bachao (2001).
Mehra had received several awards in the Indian
film trade two of them being the lifetime achieve-
ment award from the India Motion Picture Direc-
tors Association (IMPDA) (2006) and the Lifetime
Achievement Producer’s awards from IMPAA
(Indian Motion Picture Producers Association)
(2008). It is a little known fact that he was also
one of the first Bombay directors to venture into
Hollywood. In the late eighties, he tried to make
the English film, The God Connection, as a joint
venture with Frank Yandolino. The movie was to
include Hollywood actors like Charles Bronson but
the heavily funded project never quite materialized.
Mehra was known to be a very passionate film-
maker. According to his erstwhile assistant, Ram
Sethi who assisted him in Haath Ki Safai, Mela,
Zanjeer Himalaya Se Ooncha, Muqaddar Ka Si-
kandar, Sharabi and a number of other films, he
would work late in the night and wake up late in
the mornings. “I remember how he would call me
up in the middle of the night when he liked a par-
ticular shot and wanted to discuss it. People often
attributed his late arrival on the sets to his exces-
sive drinking. I was the only one who would watch
him work all night. Prakash Mehra and Manmo-
han Desai, were two great filmmakers who rose
to success at the same time. They were champion
makers and there was no rivalry between them.
Mehra was going through a very depressing phase
coma. He stopped filmmaking entirely to look after
his wife,” Sethi revealed.
New Zealand Indian Central Association (Inc.)
PO Box 1941 - Wellington, New Zealand
It’s 10pm on a Saturday night and plans are being
laid for a late night
Night club visit. A number of suggestions are
thrown around mostly of clubs in the Auckland
CBD until a mobile phone beeps to life with an in-
coming SMS message from DJ Dave of Aja Nachle
Nightclub.
“Aja Nachle Niteclub, 380 Manukau Rd, Epsom.
Bollywood Dance Comp w Trophies & Freestyle
Catwalk,” says the text.
Well that’s it then: a decision has been made and
off we go to Aja Nachle with a few reluctant friends
in tow. Why are they reluctant? Well, experience
has conditioned them to expect a dingy nightclub
with dated bollywood remixes, brawls, overpriced
drinks and an overall poor clubbing experience and
I don’t blame them.
We arrive at 380 Manukau Road and easily
find a parking spot between a new model BMW 5
series and barely street legal looking Evolution. As
we make our way towards the entrance of Chaska
Punjab Da Restaurant (where Aja Nachle is located)
we are greeted by a lush red carpet lined with oil-lit
lamps. Two friendly security guards kindly hold
the door open for us as we enter and head upstairs.
You can already hear the base thumping to ‘Desi
Girl’ but it’s not overbearing and the ladies accom-
panying us can barely contain their excitement.
“Hurry up…it’s our favourite song,” they urge.
Cover tonight is $15 – seems expensive but
worth it once you’re inside. We are in lush sur-
roundings with couches, chairs and tables set away
from the dance floor. People are all over the place
but it’s not overcrowded. In fact, there is plenty
of personal space, lots of ventilation, projectors
playing music videos, and a dynamic LED lit dance
floor with laser lights, strobes and other nightclub
essentials surrounding the dance floor.
Other patrons are very well groomed and
dressed. The ladies are in cocktail dresses or in
funky club wear. The men are in impeccably
groomed and dressed and everyone is on show
tonight.
Email: secretary@nzindians.org.nz
jai Ho!
Entertainment
Even our reluctant friends have gotten into
the act and are now over at the song request kiosk
typing their choice of bhangra, bollywood, hiphop
and RnB songs into a computer that will relay them
directly to the DJ booth.
Over in the corner is a pool table with what
seems to be a mini tournament going on. People are
interacting at the bar and a bartender is straddling
the counter making a ‘flaming Lamborghini’ for a
customer by stacking glasses up to a meter high and
setting it alight.
Well, the tone has been set. The dance competi-
tion registrations are under way and soon everyone
will be around the makeshift catwalk as models
encourage patrons with enough confidence to ac-
company them on to strut their stuff.
What about the reluctant ones? Well, there’s no
stopping them now as they order fancy drinks of
their own and head off to try and win a trophy in
the dance competition.
Aja Nachle is the brainchild of Dave Dutt, aka
DJ Dave. A pioneer in Indian entertainment, He
prides himself in running a venue that allows pro-
fessional Indians to socialize and have fun in a safe
and relaxed environment.
DJ Dave has been a prominent figure in the
world of Indian entertainment for a very long time.
His presence and support at major Indian functions
and events has helped various talent groups and
individuals achieve their recognition in the world
of entertainment both in New Zealand and abroad.
Apart from being a very well known DJ who
has performed at various functions and clubs, Dave
has organised and hosted various international acts
such as Bally Sagoo, The Rishi Rich Project with
Jay Sean, Juggy D and Veronica, Tigerstyle and
most recently the Jazzy B concert afterparty with
the crown prince of bhangra making a personal ap-
pearance.
The part entertainment, part nightclub formula
is what makes Aja Nachle Nightclub a popular
Saturday night destination and the premier Indian
nightclub experience.
- Reggie Singh
Ratilal Champaneri
(President NZICA)
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
Indian
Bollywood

Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009 21

Indian
“Born to dance”
Indian Weekender meets Yashika Vasram, a former Wellington
accountant, who believes she was born to dance the traditional
art form Bharata Natyam. She is one of those who set out to
pursue excellence with tremendous passion – and she says she
will not rest until the highest level is attained.
Graduating with a Bachelors in Art from the New
Zealand Academy of Bharata Natyam, Yashika
is keen to learn more about the ancient perform-
ing art, and is also keen to pass on her success to
those who may want to embrace the traditional
dance. Here, she talks about her passion and in-
spiration, which keeps her ticking.
How long have you been practicing tradi-
tional Indian dancing and who has been
your teacher? I have learnt this art since 2000
from Sri Vivek Kinra from the New Zealand
Academy of Bharata Natyam.
What inspired you to take up Bharata
Natyam? And why did you choose Bhara-
ta Natyam over other traditional forms
of dancing? My guru, Sri Vivek Kinra has
always inspired me to dance. I did not choose
this art … Bharata Natyam was chosen by Lord
Nataraja to be part of my life since I was born.
I believe this is my karma attracting me to this
art form.
How many hours a day did you put in to
your practice? Two hours a day
How do you feel about your achieve-
ment? I feel complete and proud to be a
Bharata Natyam dancer.
Do you feel a need to pass on the beauti-
ful art to others? I would like to pass on this
sacred art form to anyone who is keen and seri-
ous enough to appreciate Bharata Natyam.
Who is your favorite Indian dancer? My
Guru, Sri Vivek Kinra is my favourite.
Is there a Bollywood dancer you look up
to? Madhuri Dxit
What do you think of the modern Bolly-
wood form of dancing? I enjoy Bollywood
when it is performed professionally and not
mixed with traditional dance forms. It is very
important to keep the two styles separate.
What do you get out of dancing? I get
peace and satisfaction, which I need to stay
calm and alive. Bharata Natyam is a very spiri-
tual and devotional way towards achieving the
supreme.
How tough is the physical demands the
dance makes on the aspirant? This dance
style is very demanding physically. One must
eat well, lots of walk, exercise and yoga. Some
may need gym exercise depending on the body
structure.
What now, after being qualified? I would
like to continue learning the theory side of this
art, more advanced level of dance moves and
public performances.
A dance school? I have taught this art to keen
students of Labasa for two years under my dance
school, Nritya Academy of Bharata Natyam.
22
What advice would you give to other
budding dancers? Practice leads to perfec-
tion. Dance as if no one is watching . . . follow
your heart and keep dancing. Practice leads to
perfection.
Who is your favorite actor/actress? Shah
Rukh, Shahid Kapoor, Kajol, Madhuri Dixit and
Sri Devi.
Favorite movie? Lamhe, Jab We Met, Vivah,
Enough (English)
What do you do in your spare time? I
enjoy my beauty sleep, reading, music, movies
and emailing
Favourite food? Anything 100 per cent pure
vegetarian
Who in the world would
you most like to meet?
Lord Nataraja, the god of
dancers
Community
Local Indian girl goes
to global pageant
A Kiwi Indian teen is off to compete in the Miss Teen Interna-
tional pageant in the United States USA in July.
Lucy Russell is not new to pageants. She was the second
runner-up at the Miss Teen/ Master Teen India NZ 2008 and
her family and friends feel sure that she can do one better
and do her country proud this time around. She turns 17
this year and is a student of Travel and Tourism at MIT.
Soon after her impressive performance, Tanya Arts ap-
proached her and asked her if she was still interested in
taking part in International pageant. She said she was and
thereby began an association between Lucy and Tanya Arts.
The unfortunate demise of her father soon afterwards not only
plunged the family into gloom but also brought a number of finan-
cial problems. Those circumstances broke Lucy so badly that she lost
interest in the pageant.
But constant support from her close family and encouragement from
Tanya Arts brought back her confidence to go ahead and pursue her cher-
ished dreams.
Tanya Arts took the responsibility to raise funds and help her through-
out for the procedure and preparations for the competition with the help of
organising socials and sponsorships.
“Winning Miss Teen India NZ 08, changed my life and attitude. I learnt a lot and the experi-
ence made me a responsible and confident teen both in terms of my outlook towards life, family and
society,” says Lucy.
“I had no doubt about her abilities because she is confident but the question before me was would
she be able to pull this big one off? The exercise was to cost as much as $30,000,” says Tanya.
“I wish to come up a winner at the end of this pageant and help people like myself accomplish
their dreams, to make young teens believe in themselves,” says Lucy. “Everyone in this world is en-
titled to have a dream and I hope to send a message that it can be done even if you start at the bottom
of the heap. For me this pageant is my dream now. And I am pleased that both my parents are so
happy to approve of it,” says Lucy.
Tanya is pleased as well. “I was really impressed with this little girl – now I know that she is most
deserving candidate who has the passion, enthusiasm, focuses and she knows where she stands,” she
says.
To know more about the pageant visit www.missteeninternational.us
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
Indian
A laudable community initiative
starts on optimistic note
Arvind Kumar
The first sod has been turned in a community
project that is aiming to provide free funeral
services for its members and their families in
Auckland.
Free, if not cheaper, funeral services is the
aim of the New Zealand-Fiji Community Support
Services and Projects Trust, which held its first
public meeting in Mangere Bridge last weekend.
More than 70 members of the public turned
out for the meeting at Wanderers Club which also
attracted prominent Fiji and Pacific community
members including former Fiji MP and Auck-
land businessman Harnam Singh Golian who has
thrown his weight behind the project.
And the man behind it all, Auckland busi-
nessman Sam Achary, said the proposed com-
munity funeral home project could be a reality
within three months.
Achary said it was a pioneering project,
which could serve as a role model for other com-
munities in New Zealand to follow.
The meeting heard that the trust, which was
formed in November last year, had already iden-
tified an unused funeral home at Huntington
Park, Pakuranga, and the purchase and upgrade
would cost around $900,000.
A majority of the people present backed
the project, and suggested ways to raise funds.
Almost $4000 was raised from pledges at the
meeting. A total $75,000 is needed within three
months for the trust to secure the Huntington
Park premises.
The fundraising model backed by the trust
is the sale of “calendars”, which, while raising
funds for the project, will allow the purchaser
to win prizes in return. The calendars carry a
Vinodbhai mesmerises Gujarati folk in Auckland
prashant belwalkar
On May 16th, Aucklanders were treated to a
shower of a different kind thanks to the efforts of
the doctor couple, Vipul and Nilima Upadhyay.
The shower of beautiful musical notes treated an
audience of more than 100 people with the melo-
dious singing by Shri Vinodbhai Patel of Gujarat.
Shri Vinodbhai, an exponent of the Kirana
Gharana and a student of guru Shree Babubhai
Andhariya, is known in the Gujarati circles for
his Bhajans, Sugam sangeet and folk songs. His
has a unique ability to connect with the audience
and uses wit and humour interlaced with poetry
to get the audience swinging to his moods.
The evening started with a Vandana to the
lord Ganesha and moved on acknowledge the role
of parents and their importance in life. The song
was a tribute to all parents. Vinodbhai is known
for his quick wit and has a character “Jaankaka”
literally meaning ‘one who knows everything’ He
bought out Jaankaka on a number of occasions to
highlight an issue while sending a message to the
audience.
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
combination of numbers from a pack of cards
and will be drawn each week, and the first prize
winner will get Lotto tickets worth $1000.
At around $4 a week for a draw in the calen-
dar, the trust hopes the sale of 8000 calendars
will provide the bulk of the funds for the project.
Achary, who has personally been helping
scores of families with funeral expenses, said it
was a matter close to his heart.
“Having seen many families struggling with
funeral expenses of loved ones over a long period
of time, I have always felt that we should be able
to do something for those who need help in their
time of sorrow,” Achary said.
“It is time to give back to the community,
and I am confident of a fruitful outcome of this
project.
“The community’s own funeral place will
ease a lot of burden faced by families.”
* A recent online poll by website Sandesh
showed that 63 per cent of respondents supported
a funeral home / rest home for the community,
27 per cent was against, and nine per cent was
unsure.
The funeral home is the first on the ambitious
list of projects planned by the trust – next on the
list is a community resource centre and a rest
home.
Achary said although the trust was initially
set up as a Fiji community initiative, it was open
to everybody because every other community
had shown huge interest in the venture.
For details on the project and to buy calendars,
or to make donations, Achary can be contacted
on 09 634 5545, 09 634 0437 or 021 395723.
Indian scientist sworn in
as a Justice of the Peace
Staff at the Rotorua base of Scion no longer have
to travel too far if they need documents certified.
Senior scientist Guna Magesan was sworn in re-
cently as a Justice of the Peace (JP), making him
the only JP on the Crown Research Institute’s
Rotorua campus.
The Environmental Vitality Group scientist
says accepting the appointment is all about his
desire to serve his Rotorua community.
Guna Magesan has served the community
for many years through his work with several
organisations and trusts. Guna’s work on youth
development and Hindu-Maori relations are well
recognised. He was the Liaison person for the
7th Joint Conference on “Preservation of Ancient
Cultures and the Globalisation Scenario” jointly
organised by School of Maori and Pacific Devel-
opment (Waikato University) and International
Centre for Cultural Studies (India).
He helped in release a book on “Indo-Maori
cultures” in Rotorua. Last year he organised the
NZ Hindu conference that was inaugurated by
respected Te Arikinui King Tuheitia, the Maori
King.
“I enjoy organising the annual Marae stay for
the Indian community because it gives them an
opportunity to experience and learn about Maori
culture and heritage,” Guna said. It has now
become part of the Rotorua Deepawali Festival
that he coordinates.
HONOURED: Guna receiving “Royal Federation of Justices New Zealand” badge from Pat
Lawrence, vice president of Rotorua and Districts Justices of the Peace Association.
The mood then changed to ‘friendship’ and
who better than ‘Krishna-Sudama’ to talk about
when it comes to eternal friendship. The songs
‘Man me’ and ‘Nagar mein..” had the audience
swinging to the tune of Lord Krishna. It is im-
portant to note here that our own Basant Madhur
was accompanying Vinodbhai on Tabla, and he
proved that music knows no bounds and lan-
guage is no barrier. His taal on the table was
fantastic. When it comes to matters of Krishna,
from friendship to Love was a natural progres-
sion.
‘Premras’ was in the air and songs depecting
the relationship of Krishna and Radha were ren-
dered effortlessly by Vinodbhai. His narration of
Charan kanya (daughter) brought back memories
of old. He bought out the different Gujarati dia-
lects and the humour they bring to the listener
in his usual manner and then moved to a Saaki,
a tribute to Surdaas, who is epitome of devotion
towards Lord Krishna.
A unique Raagmaala of 10 raagas was ren-
Community
In fact it was the community groups that en-
couraged him to become a JP. He is the chair-
person for the Rotorua GlobalFest Trust, and
general secretary of the Hindu Council of New
Zealand Inc. a charitable organisation. In the past
he has served as vice president of the Rotorua
Ethnic Council and a Trustee of the Indigo Festi-
val Trust, Hamilton, and the Multi-cultural Ser-
vices Trust. They all provided him with letters of
support. Scion also gave a support letter.
JPs are appointed by the Governor-General on
the recommendation of the Minister of Justice,
following a nomination by the local Member of
Parliament.
A JP’s duties fall into two categories: min-
isterial and judicial. All JPs have to undertake
ministerial duties, but they can also opt to do the
judicial functions, which include issuing arrest
warrants and sitting in a judicial capacity in
court. Guna elected to provide ministerial duties
only, such as: witnessing signatures, certifying
documents and taking affidavits or affirmations.
Guna was sworn in on 20 May. In a ceremony
at the Rotorua High Court, he was presented with
a certificate, a stamp, and “Royal Federation of
Justices New Zealand” badge from Pat Law-
rence, vice president of Rotorua and Districts
Justices of the Peace Association.
dered by him. He started of with Raaj Malkauns
then moved to Kedar, Kafi, Darbari Kanada,
Desh, Yaman, Sohni, Bageshree before finish-
ing off with Malkauns again. He interlaced
bhajans with popular songs on these ragas. This
nonstop Raagmaala was probably the highlight
of the evening. He then moved onto ‘Farmaishi’
(request) songs which included Bhajans, Gazals
and light folk songs.
The evening ended with Bhairavi. Despite
sitting for more than four hours nobody was com-
plaining as it is once in while you get to hear such
soulful music in Auckland. Normally Vinodbhai
sings for Temples and trusts, but this was depar-
ture from his usual routine thanks to network-
ing of Dr Vipul and Dr Nilima, who also was the
MC for the evening. Aucklanders who know this
couple for their community work were thank-
ful for organising such a melodious evening.
Vinodbhai’s songs, humour and wit will remain
with us for long time.
23
Indian

13 - 14 June 2009
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24 Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009

Indian
Multicultural
event beckons
Aucklanders
VENUE: ASB SHOWGROUNDS, Green-
lane, 10am-4pm Daily
Free Entry. Sponsored by Western Union
and Singapore Airlines
7th Auckland Migrant Expo (14th in the Na-
tionwide Series)
13-14 June 2009 www.migrantexpo.co.nz
Migrant Health & Safety Expo
13-14 June 2009 www.migrantexpo.co.nz
1st International Students Fair
13-14 June 2009 www.migrantexpo.com
Look East - South East Asian Food, Cul-
tural, Fashion & Trade Expo
13-14 June 2009 www.lookeast.co.nz
3rd Fiesta Pilipinas
Filipino Food, Cultural and Trade Expo
13-14 June 2009 www.fiestapilipinas.co.nz
Tel: 09 476 1987
Email: migrantexpo@xtra.co.nz
Consumer insurance needs –
knowledge can be powerful
Oliver Pereira
Most people know insurance is important, and
when asked what type of insurance they have,
the overwhelming response is asset protection,
such as home or motor vehicle insurance. But
when it comes to insuring their lives or their
ability to earn, are we missing the mark?
United States historian, Daniel J. Boorstin
once said, “The greatest obstacle to discovery
is not ignorance, but illusion of knowledge”.
This statement seems to resonate in consum-
ers’ attitudes towards what type of insurance is
important to them. While most appreciate the
value of protecting what matters to them, they
may not be well informed about which life event
could have the biggest impact in their lives.
Recent overseas studies illustrate that, while
consumers are well protected for their vehicles
and home, when it comes to insurance pro-
tection for their lives or income, the percent-
age drops significantly, as illustrated below. A
recent American survey on disability insurance
indicated that people were overly optimistic
about their likelihood of avoiding disability,
with only 13% thinking that it was ‘somewhat
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
Finance
Is the recession over?
ravi mehta
It is quite common to observe that share • A growing number of economists considerably from their lows touched during last
markets move 6 to 9 months in advance of the say they see signs that the battered U.S. 8 months.
likely economic conditions that are to unfold. economy could start to recover as soon as this But the world is still facing the big problem of
The World stock indices have jumped summer job losses. In US, though there are signs that the
between 20% and 75% of their lows touched in • Goods Orders, Home Sales Probably Rose: pace of job losses is easing.
last quarter of 2008. US S&P 500 has jumped U.S. Economy Preview In New Zealand, as we all are aware that the
to 887 from 752, Hong Kong Hang Seng has • CPI, production data point to easing recession house prices are showing signs of stability. Many
jumped to 17,062 from 12,618, Japan’s Nikkei to expats who were working in US, UK, UAE etc
9225 from 7229. (As on 24.05.09, at the time of This recession started with falling house are returning home. It is giving added stability
writing of this column). prices in US and spread through the world. to house prices.
The biggest gainer of course has been Indian Falling house prices in the US and around the It will create more demand for goods. The in-
Stock Markets where BSE index went below world did lead to the full-blown financial crisis. terest rates are at historic lows.
8000 in the last quarter of 2008 and is around The credit markets are not functioning well. Business confidence in New Zealand is rising
14,000 now – a gain of 75% thanks to better than Home foreclosures are a major cause of concern and it will have positive effect on employment
expected election results. for financial institutions around the world. But and capital spending which will give further sta-
If one visits different business websites as is evident from above headlines on different bility to economy.
like CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, CNN Money, news websites, house prices are stabilising in Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh
one will find positive news headlines almost world’s big economies. This is definitely a very is of the opinion that the world economy will
daily. Over the past one month or so,there positive sign. The CEO of “Toll Brothers” the start recovering towards the end of this calendar
have been headlines like: leading luxury home builder in US, Robert Toll year. Here it is worth pointing out that Dr Singh
• US economy showing signs of recovery: in response to question by Mad money host of is an eminent economist (has been ex chairman
Barack Obama CNBC as to if there is light at the end of tunnel of London School of Economics) his predictions
• NZ business confidence lifts in April, may said, “The light you see at the end of the tunnel carry much weight unlike other political leaders
point to economy finding a floor may be the train coming toward you.” (reported of the world.
• German Investor Confidence Rises to Three- by CNBC). We can safely hope that we have seen the
Year High It is a statement that reflects the high confi- worst of world recession. The things will con-
• Bidding Wars Over a House? Real Estate dence of a CEO. tinue to turn better in coming days. Certainly the
Pros Commodities prices have started moving up. world economy is in pre recovery stage and may
• UK House Prices Rise for First Time Since The price of crude oil has gone up from below experience start of positive growth within next
‘07 $35 a barrel to around $60 a barrel. The prices of 6 to 9 months.
• Buy ‘Cyclical’ Stocks as Worst Is Past, industrial metals like steel, zinc, aluminum have - Ravi Mehta is an Auckland based
Goldman Sachs Advises bottomed out and are showing signs of stabilisa- Financial Advisor and can be contacted on ravi.
• China GDP Slowest on Record, But Upturn tion. mehta@pfsl.co.nz. A disclosure statement under
in Sight The currencies, which had a free fall against Securities Markets Act 1998 relating to his services
• Recovery hopes begin to blossom the US dollar and Japanese Yen have moved up is available on request and is free of charge.
or very likely’ that they would become dis-
abled1. The reality may be much more daunting
considering that, in the 2006 New Zealand dis-
ability survey 65% of people aged 45 or more
reported some form of disability. Addition-
ally, major illness is also having a large impact
with 51% of men and 33% of women likely to
become disabled due to a critical illness before
the aged of 702.
The graph above highlights the discrepancy
between the level of life insurance and the cost
of an average claim, compared to other forms of
insurance (in this case, for Australians).
Consider that the average claim for motor
vehicle or home contents insurance is $1,500-
$3,500 while the average disability income
claim is more than $20,000. Additionally, as
noted earlier, disability happens more often
than we think it does. Of the working popula-
tion, one in six men and one in four women are
expected to suffer disability between the age
of 35 and 65, causing break from work of six
months or more.3
25
Indian
The Mutual Fund option
bobby kumar
Individuals differ in their investment outlook,
wants, their requirements of growth / return
and the areas and extent to which they would
want to take on risk. This combined with the
fact hat they invest their hard earned savings
into investment that are subject to risks
which may wipe out their savings is a scary
thought. How does an individual invest to get
the return that they desire with an acceptable
return? This is often a difficult question that
props up when investors try and decide where
to invest their hard earned money.
Investment is a fairly specialised field and
most people tend to have an above average
knowledge of how they are supposed to func-
tion. However knowing about something by
reading and understanding are quite different
from practical actual investment experience
and its ongoing functioning. Entry or exit
from stocks, their inherent risk, sectors or
industries that are performing well or badly,
corporate news and announcements, changes
in the macro / micro economic situation, all
these events are constantly changing and
require a good understanding on how they
will impact the investment climate.
Professional expertise is what is required
to invest correctly and understand the under-
lying risks of an investment. Investors need
to clearly understand how much of their in-
vestment will be impacted in case the invest-
ment vehicle they choose goes down. How
then do they invest? Well, the best solution
Even though most
managers will not be
able to outperform the
market year on year a
steady above average
return net of fees
and costs is what the
investor must try and
identify.
to a retail investor’s problem is a mutual fund
or trust.
The immediate question then is why
should a retail investor invest in a mutual
fund? The answer is the investor would get
the benefits or a professional fund manager,
better access to overseas and other markets
like commodities that he is unable to under-
stand or enter which may provide them with
healthy returns. Apart from these obvious
benefits an investor is able to secure better
returns and diversify his investments in a way
that it will not be possible given the limited
time resources and money involved. Today
there is a mutual fund to suit every budget,
risk with access to every market and risk to
satisfy the most speculative of investors. This
also coupled with the fact with the advent of
the PIE regime in New Zealand (Portfolio In-
vestment Entity). The benefits of investing in
such vehicles is:
The income from PIE investments is not
clubbed together with other income for the
purposes of checking income for government
assistance schemes (students loans and other
government soft loans fall under this catego-
ry)
An investor is taxed at the PIE level and
not at the individual level which means that
an individuals tax return need not include the
income from a PIE investment
26
The tax rates ion PIE returns are restricted
to a maximum of 30.00% from 1 April 2008
This kind of a solution is an excellent op-
portunity for individuals to invest in cash
PIE’s like ASB or AMP Rabobank with a
superior return with a lower tax liability as
well. Investors also have the opportunity to
harness superior investment manager skills
at affordable prices and can invest in sectors
like emerging markets and commodities
like Oil, bullion and metals knowing fully
well that their investment will bear superior
return.
However like most fairy tales this one too
has a few grey areas, most investment man-
agers will charge a heavy premium for letting
investors gain from their expertise. Investors
must very carefully examine entry and exit
fees before they sign up for an investment.
Fees by whatever name will take the return
out of the investment, investors must read
the fine print and understand what their costs
will be. Another issue for investors is the per-
formance history of the fund manager. Even
though most managers will not be able to
outperform the market year on year a steady
above average return net of fees and costs is
what the investor must try and identify. Iden-
tifying the correct type of fund is another
issue investors must concentrate on, a fund
that has had very high returns for the past few
years maybe at the end of the business cycle
for that kind of industry, sector or economy,
investors must look at future potential rather
than past glory when identifying the fund
right for them.
Like all other investments the success
or failure will rests with the investors and
unless they are prepared to take the time, ex-
ercise judgment and carefully compare per-
formance they will lose. Investors must select
wisely and look closely at the costs involved
before they commit. There are various sites
on the www available like www.morningstar.
net.nz, which could help form an informed
decision.
- This does not constitute financial advise
in any manner and investors must not apply
these concepts in individual cases, which will
depend on their own financial circumstances.
I request feedback at fin_ aide@yahoo.co.nz
Here is a response from Mr Sunil Khem-
lani in response to my earlier article about
derivate and FX markets, and such feed-
back is welcomed:
Dear Bobby Kumar,
I recently read your article in the Indian
Weekender about the different financial in-
struments available to investors. I agree that
potential investors should seek advice from
professionals before delving into the world
of fx, derivatives and commodities trading.
The markets are highly complex and present
many challenges to the uninitiated. Being
one who has been involved in trading of such
products for close to 15 years now (mostly in
the US and Singapore), I can say that it takes
a great deal of discipline, astute savvy-ness
and professional expertise to maintain profit-
ability and extend the longevity of a trading
account.
Should any of your readers express an in-
terest in starting up an account or want spe-
cific advice, I would be happy to offer some
assistance. I am now based in Auckland, New
Zealand and can be contacted at details pro-
vided below.
- Sunil Khemlani
FX Dealer | Tricom Securities (NZ)
Limited
Direct : +64 9 308 0787
Mobile: 021 678 645
Leaders - are they
born or made?
RAJESH KRISHNAMURTHY
Whether it is around a bowl of yaqona or a cup of
hot tea accompanied by hot crispy pakoras, when-
ever the topic of discussion veers to politics or one’s
job the general lament is that of a serious dearth of
good leaders who can provide good leadership, be it
for the country or for the company. Most of us have
often heard the term good leader (politician or busi-
ness leader) used in the context of the past. Does
that mean that today we are bereft of good leaders?
What makes a good leader anyway?
Leadership qualities can vary in different envi-
ronments, teams and situations.
This can be illustrated in both art and modern
leadership models. For example, the fact that lead-
ership qualities are dependent on context is dem-
onstrated in the old English play “The Admirable
Crichton” and the Hollywood war film “Twelve
O’Clock High.”
“The Admirable Crichton” is a classic of sorts
written in 1902. In it, the aristocrat and butler are
marooned on a desert island and have to swap their
roles of lord and servant. The lord’s knowledge of
English politics is of no value, whereas the butler’s
practical skills are essential for survival.
“Twelve O’clock High” was produced in 1949
at the height of the war films era in Hollywood.
In the film as a squadron suffers increasing losses
during the war, the squadron commander’s soft
people-oriented approach starts to fail. He is then
replaced by a dictatorial bully who turns the squad-
ron round and restores their pride (in a modern busi-
ness setting, such leadership behavior would often
be regarded as unacceptable).
Just like individual personalities, people too
have one particular style of leadership that they are
amenable to. This is fine if they can find a situation
that requires that style of leadership.
Flexible leadership, however, involves being
able to adapt your leadership style according to the
situation and the state of the team.
Adaptability or the need to change one’s leader-
ship style according to the circumstances is one of
the fundamental principles of good leadership. This
is called situational leadership and there are many
examples of this in modern history and also those
that go much further back, to biblical times and
Hockey stick in a
car: Legal or illegal?
NEELAM MCDONALD
Some of my clients have asked – “Can I carry
a hockey stick in my car for protection?”
The answer is no, you cannot.  (Any item such as
a cricket bat, golf club, even a piece of timber can
constitute an offensive weapon).
If you are stopped by a police officer and a
hockey stick is discovered in your car you will be
asked - “Why is the hockey stick in your vehicle?”
Or sometime a police officer will ask, “if you are
attacked would you use it for self defence?”
If you reply that you are carrying it for your
own protection, or say that you would use it in
self-defence then in that case you have broken
the law. You could be charged with possession of
an offensive weapon.
Suppose that a search of your vehicle reveals
a hockey stick, say in the boot or on the floor at
the back seat, what then? If you are not aware of
it, unaware that it was there, or you don’t know
how it got there then tell that very important fact
to the police.
The issue for any criminal liability is – did
you knowingly possess an offensive weapon. As
you were unaware that the hockey stick was in
the car and you did not know how it got there you
Investment
other periods of recorded history.
How you approach leadership qualities will
depend on whether you are looking at the subject
from the perspective of a business organisation or
an individual.
Great political figures like Mahatma Gandhi,
Nelson Mandela, and entrepreneurs like Dhirubhai
Ambani and Narayan Murthy are acknowledged for
their leadership ability yet they all have very dif-
ferent qualities – in fact they are as different from
each other as chalk and cheese. However, there is a
common thread that makes them true leaders. They
all gave up something they were doing to chart a
different course and the rest, as they say, is history!
From the examples above, we can safely infer
that leaders are people, with a clear vision of what
they want and why they want it. They are also gifted
with the ability to express themselves to others to
gain their co-operation and support to achieve their
vision.
Therefore the answer to “what makes a good
leader?” depends on the context. In the context of
ordinary Joe Bloggs like you and me, the companies
need to find people who have what they are looking
for and individuals need to find organizations who
are looking for what they have to offer.
Businesses aim to improve their performance
by selecting and developing individual potential.
At the outset, the needs of the organization are
usually well-defined but the individuals, who may
become leaders, are unknown. The organization’s
task is therefore one of identifying the people who
will enhance the company’s performance; select-
ing individuals whose character, skills and poten-
tial closely match the company’s vision or plan
and developing those individuals so their potential
becomes a reality.
An individual’s perspective, however, is differ-
ent: You are who you are, and if your profile does
not fit that of the organization you are working for,
then your task is to:
• understand your own attributes or potential and
• find a new role or organization where your profile
will be valued.
Ask the lawyer
could not be charged with that offence. 
If the police officer goes further and asks
whether you would have used the hockey stick
in self defence, you would be prudent to say
nothing.     
Naturally if you are going to play a game of
hockey and you have a hockey stick in your car
for that purpose then you have not committed a
criminal offence.
To conclude, you should always keep in mind
your rights when questioned by the police.  (If
you are unaware of your rights please read my
column in the Indian Weekender issue of May
15, 2009). 
If an item, which may constitute a weapon, is
found in your car and the police question you, a
wise approach is to give your name, age, address
and occupation. You have to do that much. Then
tell the police that you wish to consult a lawyer
and do not wish to answer any further questions.
You have the right to remain silent.
- For any enquiries you may
contact Neelam on 027 270 5805
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
Indian
How to look for a job in times like these...
SANJIT DEVA
Like a good fisherman, today’s job seeker too
needs to continuously change his approach
based on the environment to attract the right job.
What was a good valid practice to scope a job a
month or two back is probably no longer a great
approach now. The market is changing rapidly
and so are the needs of your potential employers.
He is now keen to hire a person who can save
him money or make him money, i.e. generate
new business. If you have not been tapped for
a new assignment or not had a great run due to
the network you keep, you are probably already
behind on the platform to catch the job train.
Let’s start with some basic dos and don’ts.
Firstly do not get too specialised as this may
lead to reducing your future options and could
lead to a dead end due to your industry or job
roles been made redundant. Secondly, it does
not matter what you earned in your last role,
you may need to prepare yourself to the fact you
may earn lesser in the new role. Thirdly, having
a strong functional skill set is no longer a pass
key to move ahead. In the present climate most
organizations are looking for something more.
So what approaches can help you land you
towards a pathway of a job or a profitable career
with a “recession” worried employer?
I have three suggestions:
1.Know yourself and the environment
2. Presenting yourself
3.Handling the employers
1.Knowing yourself and the environment
Know yourself - have the determination, the
confidence and the conviction. You are in this
situation not for your fault, but due to actions of
market reality beyond your control.
Sit down with a blank sheet and write down
you aspiration, career goal and dreams and how
your present skills, attitude and knowledge fit
into the entire plan. This is important as it helps
you understand your talent base and identify
gaps, translating to a concise self marketing tool
when you are in front of potential employer.
To show case the process we
discussed above, run through the
following case study
Candidate: John Ramsay Vijay Kumar
Occupation: Manager, Personal trainer,
Bus driver
Living in: Auckland suburb
Present Situation: Lost the job as manager
with a large multinational where he worked for
15 years when the company was partially sold
off and the division he worked for was moved to
Australia. He knew the entire sector was slowly
dying down in the town due to a new technol-
ogy. And so decided there might be more job
opportunities elsewhere
Work plan: Sign up with a career mapping
company. Talked with a career coach to develop
a plan, and also got the information for all the
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
Productivity
Researching the environment- In planning Networking – I cannot say more emphatical- not some creative illusion but based on hard facts
your career, know what is happening around ly the importance of this activity than any other of skill, talent, attitude, knowledge and your per-
you. Read the local and national papers. Find out thing you do in looking for a job. Take action sonal presentation.
what is happening in various industries. You can and get involved in business, industry and local To present this brand you need to present
create a data bank about your industry of choice network bodies. These organizations are a great yourself with an impressive resume. A resume is
by recording how many place to meet and under- a mean of introduction to a prospective employer
job opening are pres- stand what is happening and documenting the qualities you have to offer.
ently available, where and get leads into poten- Ensure your details in the resume are accurate,
the jobs are, what is the tial jobs. concise, and in line with the requirement of the
salary range, what edu- Recruitment sites like role.
cation level is needed to seek, trade me are a great Try and limit it to 3 or 4 pages, well spaced
do that job, Who are the place too to find out the and easy to read with critical bits of name,
market leaders in the in- local job market and who contact details, education qualification, work
dustry and what are they is hiring and advertising, history and achievement. Things to leave out are
doing and the best jobs or showing you quickly and a personal profile and a run of general statements
roles from which you can directly the best set of like hard working and energetic etc. This is ex-
transact into those roles. opportunities out there. pected in all roles and will be seen as filler and
This will help you Also in today’s world of not productive to your case.
identify the various connectivity, social net- If you wish to present some elements of
sectors and decide the working sites like Linke- your personality which you think are critical
direction of your next dIn and Face book are to the role, then include them in an interest and
step based on real market becoming good hunting achievement section. Try and keep them recent
results and not on some grounds for getting re- and related to the environment you are likely to
hear say or fad you heard ferrals, searching for old join.
at the “local”. classmates and work col- 3.Handling the employers
From the informa- leagues who could be in Nothing is more important than what you
tion develop a personal a position to point you in present when you are actually in front of the
plan which should clearly the right direction. potential employer. This is the time when they
identify your pathways Remember this re- are referencing between what is on the resume
to success. You may find search is helping you or said about you to what is actually present in
you may need to change identify and follow front of them.
your industry or the place where the money is and A general good practice is to run a dummy
of work, change the city your best way to get it to interview with a person you are comfortable
or rethink totally and go work for you. It is said with, with loaded potential question answer
back to school to get a new set of skills, what- “money does not buy you happiness” but it sure session, so you are not stumped and have time
ever you do will be based on real facts and real does pay the bills. to prepare yourself if needed. Remember do no
information. 2.Presenting yourself sound rehearsed or made up.
If you are having trouble developing a plan, Next step is to develop a “brand” – You During the interview your effort is to ensure
ask assistance of your nearest career planner or In an effort to get a foot in the door you need the employer is convinced that you are in line
advisor who has specialized skills in this area. to have a strong personal brand which is the right with his job requirements, have the knowledge
A bit of help can go a long way in helping you fit for the role. This gives you as well as the em- which` can supplement the work flow, take them
decide on the right path, saving you time and ployer the confidence of your commitment and quickly past their competition, and ward off their
energy. effort to do the job properly. Remember this is adversaries.
major players in the country in the related sector looking for. Hurdles:
and came up with a list of companies he wanted Getting the job: Was offered a job way below a) Initially did not get the role or the salary in
to work for, and began contacting them. the his pay scale and experience level, declined the city of choice
Signing up for job alerts on sites like seek it, but the interviewer told him about a potential b) Was a tough one for the family settling in a
and trade me to get a feel for what was out there. positions in another city, and a few months later new environment
Then contacted industry specific organizations after he’d sold his house and moved, He inter- c) Their old house remains unsold, they may
with divisions in other towns, to know more viewed for the junior position and got an offer. have to rent it
about potential in those cities, and finally, cold- While looking at jobs posted on the local
called companies in the area to see if they were job web site, saw a listing for a manager. It Reference: Google, BNET and other
hiring. wasn’t really his specialty, but he applied human resource trade publications
After decided to visit other city in person, anyway and it turned out the company was
went to the local department of industries and also looking for a new manager in his special- Sanjiv Deva is General Manager of Total
the central library to put together several lists of ty which they had not advertised for. During Business Solutions, an office support services
contractors and firms, and drove to them to drop the phone interview, the interviewer gave him company offering services of sales outsourcing,
off his resume. During the trip a old work mate the details of the concerned department head. mailing, cleaning, recruitment, security and
suggested he check out the job boards of both After meeting the person, the hiring manager travel. You can contact him on 021 846608
the local schools and the councils, knowing they felt he would be a good fit and extended a job
might have listings for the types of jobs he was offer to him a few weeks later
Give your child WRITINZ
the edge 7 Wheturangi Road
Greenlane, Auckland
Writinz is an organisation committed to prepare your child New Zealand
for school as we are passionate about pre-school numeracy
and literacy skills. Ph: 021 916 212
Our careing and attentive staff is committed to a planned Tel/Fax: 09 522 8912
and regularly evaluated program aimed at better equipping Email:
your child for school. Through specially designed programs, ruby.dhillon@xtra.co.nz
we inspire recognition of numbers and alphabets in a relaxed,
flexible and supportive environment.
27
Indian
HA!

ODDS AND ENDS

Different Strokes
THE father exclaimed one morning, “There
is something wrong with my shaving
brush!” On hearing this, his little son
remarked, “But it was all right when I
painted my toy with it.”
TRIVIA
= 4
2+2
CAT
WHO coined the phrase “The Three R’s”,
which stands for reading, writing and
arithmetic? A Sir William Curtis, who was
unable to read or write!
A Town Without Streets
C
AN you imagine a town
without streets? Catal Huyuk
in Central Anatolia in Turkey
was one such town. The town had no
streets! How did the people move about
the town? They climbed up the roofs
using ladders and walked across the flat
rooftops of the houses. This was possible
because the houses touched one another.
As there were no streets, there were no
front doors either. Entrances to the houses
were through little porches on the roofs.
Catal Huyuk hummed with life 9000
years ago. It is the earliest known city.
Nearly 10000 people lived in the town.
Their prime occupation was farming. For
some mysterious reason, the people
deserted the quaint town and it fell into
ruins. Excavation of the city began in
1961.

2. There was a group of boys on

FAMOUS FIRST TIMEPASS cycles, playing follow-the-leader.
There were four boys in front of
THE world’s first slot-machine was a boy, four boys behind a boy and
designed nearly 2000 years ago by an a boy in the middle.
Egyptian inventor named Heron, in the city How many boys were there in all?
of Alexandria. Ancient Egyptians used to
drop a coin in the machine to receive holy
water from the tap for the ritual wash before
worshipping.

3. How many kilograms does each

1. A youth asked a multimillionaire for his
daughter’s hand in marriage. The man
said he would consent to the marriage
only if the youth could arrange ten coins
to form the phrase “I consent”.
The young man took out ten coins from
EASY DRAW his pocket and began to arrange them
on the table in front of him. But no
Draw a Spider in 4 easy steps. matter how he positioned them, he
3. The cube weighs 6 kg, the
could not form the phrase.
Do you think it was an impossible task?
cube, pyramid, and sphere weigh
when each row has the combined
weight indicated?
Answers :
“ten coins” to form the phrase.
sphere, 2 kg.
pyramid 3 kg and the
be re-arranging the letters in the words
piece of paper. By doing this he would
had to do was to write ‘I consent’ on a
2. 5 boys. 1. It was an easy task. All that the youth

SEE ‘N’ SMILE — By Nishant

NZ-8.1 / © 2009 Amrita Bharati, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan; e-mail: amritabharati@vsnl.com

28 Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009

Indian
ACTIVITY
Amazing Matchsticks!
Here is a trick with matchsticks that will surprise
your friends! Try it out!
Things needed:
Four unused matchsticks; a cup of water.
Method:
1. Bend the matchsticks in the middle as shown,
but without breaking them completely. You must
take care that the matchsticks are not broken off
completely.
2. Arrange the matchsticks as shown in a four-sided
shape, with a narrow space in the middle.
3. Dip your finger in the cup of water and let a
drop of water fall into the space in the middle of
the matchstick arrangement.
4. You will be amazed to see the matchsticks move
apart slowly to form a star shape!
5. Why does it happen? As the water spreads out,
it is absorbed by the wood in the matchsticks.
This makes it expand and as a result the
matchsticks get pushed out.
Story
How Bear Lost
His Tail
IT was the beginning of winter
and Fox was very hungry. The
ground was frozen and he’d had
nothing to eat for four days. Not a
bird or a squirrel was to be seen.
Then Fox suddenly saw an Eskimo
pulling a sled piled with fat fish across
the snow just ahead of him. His mouth
watered and he racked his brains for a way
to get the fish, because the Eskimo had a big
knife and a heavy club with him.
Then Fox had a brainwave. He ran on ahead and
lay down very still in the snow in the Eskimo’s path, famished too.
pretending to be dead. When the Eskimo saw the fox, he “Oh, I just sat with my tail in the lake. Soon the fish
was delighted. were biting and I pulled up my tail. Guess how many I
“What a fine fur coat this fellow will make!” he thought caught in this way? Four fat ones!” said Fox, grinning
and threw the ‘dead’ fox onto the sled. slyly. Now in those times, Bear had a beautiful long
Fox was waiting for just such a bushy tail, just like Fox. He was happy to put it to use
chance and he stealthily grabbed four catching fish. He went and sat by the side of the lake
of the biggest fish, then rolled off the and let his tail down into the icy water. He sat and sat,
sled in a flash. He ran swiftly into the but could not feel a single bite. Soon, he was very cold
forest and finding a secluded corner and very numb and had enough. But when he tried to
behind a rock, started eating the fish. get up, he found that he couldn’t budge. The lake had
“Ummm.. delicious!” murmured frozen over and his lovely tail was stuck! Bear panicked
Fox, demolishing the last of his stolen and pulled with all his might. But the ice just wouldn’t
supper, just as Bear shuffled up. let go. Finally, he gave a great yank and the ice cracked.
“Ah,” exclaimed Bear. “Fish, no Bear was free, but he’d left his fine tail behind in the
less! How did you manage it, Fox?” lake! Poor Bear! All he had left was a raggedy stump,
And he drooled because Bear was and that’s how he’s been ever since.
NZ-8.2/ © 2009 Amrita Bharati, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan; e-mail: amritabharati@vsnl.com

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Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009 29

Indian
ARIES
(Mar. 21- April 20)
Someone you work with may be withhold-
ing important information. Don’t be satis-
fied with lame answers. Dig deep to hunt
out the truth. Your position could depend
on your thoroughness. Unexpected bills
will be impossible for you to pay. Don’t be
too quick to let friends and relatives know
what you’re up to.
TAURUS
(Apr. 21- may 21)
You may not be too pleased with the ac-
tions of those you live with. Do a little extra
work at home. Financial limitations may
add to your depression. Look out for those
wanting to push you into a disagreement.
GEMINI
(May 22-June 21)
Towards the middle of the week you will
some stiff competition from your col-
leagues this may cause some mental
disturbances for you. You could also bump
in at your friend’s party. However, you can
restructure your financial plans.
CANCER
(June 22-July 22)
Emotional situations could bring out your
stubborn nature. Focus on your own
domestic problems. Travel if it’s needed to
start the ball rolling. Use your quick wit to
win points and friends.
LEO
(July 23-Aug 22)
Your home environment appears to be a
little shaky. Don’t let situations get out of
hand. You are likely to reveal information
unintentionally. Travel opportunities look
positive, but be cautious while driving.
VIRGO
(Aug. 23 -Sept. 23)
Your time, not your cash, will do a lot more
for your relationship. Stubborn about mak-
ing changes around your home. You will
be subject to pushy individuals if you get
involved in uncertain organizations.
LIBRA
(Sept. 24 -Oct. 23)
Those who are in the field of entertainment
business they may achieve great suc-
cess. Since you have been going through
a tough emotional upheaval your friends
will offer you solace and support through
these period.
SCORPIO
(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22)
Those who are in the field of entertainment
business they may achieve great suc-
cess. Since you have been going through
a tough emotional upheaval your friends
will offer you solace and support through
these period.
Horoscopes / Ramdev Health tips
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 23 -Dec. 21)
Take the time to close deals that have been up
in the air. Try to join groups of interest such as
ballroom dance classes or perhaps an internet or-
ganization. Emotional disputes will only end in
sorrow. You will be in an overly generous mood
this week. Start having some more fun.
CAPRICORN
(Dec 22.- Jan. 20)
Involvement in groups of interest will bring
you in touch with important individuals.
Consider a conservative investment that
will stay solid when everything else goes
sour. You will benefit by taking care of
other people’s concerns.
AQUARIUS
(Jan. 21 -Feb. 19)
Try to spend some time on your own. Be
quiet about your intentions or ideas that
might bring added cash. You should sign
up for creative courses. Concentrate on
your work.
PISCES
(Feb. 20-Mar. 20)
You will be emotional about your per-
sonal life. Secret intrigues could get you
into trouble. Try to take care of the needs
of those you love. Use your head and do
things to your liking.
4 Easy steps to
stop hair fall &
graying of hair
By Swami Ramdevji
1.Nails of the fingers of both hands
should be rubbed together for five
minutes continuously thrice a day
regularly to stop hair fall and graying
of hair.
2.Drink 100% pure Aloe Vera juice &
100% pure Amla Juice (two spoon
each) in the morning and evening.
It will give nourishment to your hair
from inside the body. This has been
experimented on lots of people in
India.
3.Use Ramdevji’s herbal hair oil
at night, which has Brahmi, Amla,
Bhrnga-raja, sesame oil to cure Hair
fall, Dandruff, Alopecia & Premature
graying of hair.
4.Finally use Ramdevji’s Herbal
Shampoo to wash your hair, which
has Ritha, Amla, henna, Shikakai,
Aloe vera, Bhrnga-raj. It acts as a
conditioner as well.
Next Issue – Arthritis and Joint pain.

WEEKENDCUISINE
Butter Chicken Recipe by Steamed Pork
Ingredients:
Ruby Dhillon
Dumplings
•0 500g- boneless chicken (medium size)
Ingredients:
•0 2 tsp- ginger paste
•0 2tsp- garlic paste
•0 Pork 100 Gms
•0 2big- tomatoes chopped
•0 Fresh Garlic 2 cloves
•0 230g- tomato puree 00 (chopped finely)
•0 1 tsp- deghi mirch or red chilli powder •0 Sesames Oil 1 Tsp
•0 1 tsp- sugar •0 Soy Sauce 1 Tsp
•0 1½ tsp- garam masala powder •0 Fresh Coriander Few sprigs
•0 ½ tsp- turmeric powder 00 (chopped finely)
•0 30g/ 5tsp- cashew nut paste •0 Wanton Wrappers 10 (Available from
•0 200ml- crème 00 any Asian Shop)
Serving suggestion
•0 1½ tsp- salt or according to your taste •0 Egg 1 (beaten well)
•0 4 tbsp- butter •0 Green cabbage 50 gms
•0 Coriander chopped for garnishing 00 (Shredded)

Method: Method:
•0 Heat half the butter in a wok, fry garlic paste then ginger paste until the
liquid evaporates. •0 Mix all ingredients from 1-5 in a mixing bowl.

•0 Add chopped tomatoes cover and simmer until mashed. Force the gravy •0 Fill 10 gms of mix in each wanton wrap.
through a finely meshed sieve and keep aside.
•0 Apply egg on all sides of the wanton wrap.
•0 Melt the remaining butter in a wok. Add the tomato mix saute over medium heat
•0 Lift all corners up, press and seal to get the desired shape ..
for a minute. Add cashew nut paste, fry until light brown.
•0 Steam for 15 -20 minutes along with shredded cabbage in the cane steamer.
•0 Add deghi mirch, turmeric powder, garam masala, sugar, salt and mix it. Then
add tomato puree, fry until you see oil on the top. •0 Serve with Sweet Chili sauce

•0 Add chicken pieces into the cooked masala, cover and keep it for 10 minutes
stirring in between, remove the lid when the chicken is done mix cream stirring
continuously, cook for one minute.
Note: If you replace Pork mince with Chicken, just increase oil from 1Tsp to 2.
•0 Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

30 Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009

Indian
...and they lived happily ever after…
RAm Lingam
The traditional vows in Indian Marriages
In the heritage column of the previous issue, we
looked at some of the fundamental aspects of tradi-
tional Indian marriages. In this concluding feature,
let’s look at the wedding ceremony, particularly the
traditional wedding vows.
Indian weddings (Vivaha) are bright and colour-
ful events filled with pomp, majaa-masti, celebrations,
gifts, food, adornment, shopping and much else that
continues in a festive atmosphere for several days.
Watch a typical Suraj Barjatya movie and you will
come to know the many traditions, colours of a tra-
ditional Indian wedding. With all the colours in this
Vivaha ceremony come the customs and rituals that
are supposed to be explained to the bride and the
groom. But many a times, the bride and groom get
so overpowered by the attention they get on their
wedding day that the significance of such an impor-
tant ceremony gets sidelined.
Did you know?
In Sanskrit the word ‘Vivaha’ (meaning marriage)
comes from the root ‘vah’ which means to carry/flow.
The word ‘Vivaha’ (marriage) is a composition of two
words ‘Vaha’ and ‘Vi.’ Wherein, ‘Vaha’ means ‘to
flow’ and ‘’Vi’ means ‘harmoniously together.’ There-
fore, the word ‘Vivaha’ means ‘to flow together har-
moniously.’ The oath and bond of dedication that the
bride and groom take to each other is mutually agreed
that “carries” them along for the remainder of their life
journey.
The Hindi word ‘Shaadi’ is supposed to have
come from the Urdu word for marriage - (which in
turn comes from a Farsee/Persian root word ‘Shaad’
meaning ‘happiness’).
Why so many rituals in a traditional Indian
wedding?
Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009
All the Indian wedding rituals without exception
have deep significance and provide valuable guid-
ance to the newly wed – to live a productive life.
Elders and the wise-heads who fully understand these
rituals often assert that the Indian wedding rituals and
customs teach us the actual essence of a married life.
It tells us the values, which should be followed after
marriage to lead a happy married life. Indian marriage
rituals portray marriage as a symbol of purity, union
of two individuals, community and culture. All the
Indian marriages carry out similar rituals with slight
difference due to regional preferences and the Priest’s
training.
The final wedding day…
Though the wedding ceremonies are sometimes
several days long, the final day is the most signifi-
cant and that which solemnises the union. The final
wedding day includes many rituals, readings, and
blessings which are pronounced in Sanskrit by
the Priest. Only on this final auspicious day of the
wedding, the “prescribed” vows are taken by the bride
and the groom before a fire that represents the Al-
mighty and as a witness to their marriage. These vows
come directly from the Vedic scriptures and they are
the very same vows that Indian ancestors took to on
their wedding days.
While various steps are followed by different sects
and regions of India, the steps that form the core of
an Indian wedding ceremony range from ‘Var Sat-
kaarah’ (reception of the bridegroom and his kins-
people at the entrance gate of the wedding hall) to the
‘Aashirvadah’ (benediction by the elders). Though all
steps are significant, the critical ones are the ‘Mangal
Fera’- where the couple circle the sacred fire (Agni)
seven times taking the wedding vows using chanting
of the Saptapadi (seven steps) mantras. The ‘Mangal
Fera’ “legalises” or solemnises the marriage accord-
ing to custom.
The sacred seven wedding vows - SAPTAPAĎI
‘Sapta’ means seven and ‘Padi’ means steps. The
seven vows in the Saptapadi (Saath phere in Hindi)
is taken with seven steps representing nourishment,
strength, prosperity, happiness, progeny, long life and
harmony and understanding, respectively.
The ritual of Saptapadi is symbolic of the journey
of life, which both the bride and groom should travel
together hand in hand. The seven promises or vows,
which are made while they take the seven steps to-
gether around the sacred fire can be summarised as
follows:
1. The first step is taken to earn and provide a living
for their household/ family, avoiding things that might
harm them – FAMILY
2. The second step is taken to build their physical,
mental and spiritual powers to lead a healthy lifestyle
– HEALTHY & HOLISTIC LIFESTYLE
3. The third step is taken to earn and increase their
wealth by righteous means - RIGHTEOUS WEALTH
& PROSPERITY
4. The fourth step is taken to acquire knowledge, hap-
piness and harmony by mutual love, trust, respect, un-
derstanding and faith - LOVE
5. The fifth step is taken to have children for whom
they will be responsible and blessed with healthy, righ-
teous and brave children - NEXT GENERATION
6. The sixth step is taken for self-control, self-restraint
and longevity - VALUES
7. The seventh step is taken to be true to each other,
loyal and remain life-long companions by this
wedding - LOYAL & LASTING COMPANION-
Heritage
SHIP
A layman’s version of the Saptapadi reads like this:
Let us take the first step to - provide for our household.
Let us take the second step to - develop physical, psy-
chological and spiritual powers.
Let us take the third step to- increase our wealth by
righteous means and proper use.
Let us take the fourth step to - acquire knowledge,
happiness and harmony by mutual love and trust.
Let us take the fifth step, so that we- be blessed with
strong, virtuous and valiant children.
Let us take the sixth step for - self-restraint and lon-
gevity.
Finally, let us take the seventh step and - be true com-
panions and remain lifelong partners by this mar-
riage.”
We have taken the Seven Steps. You have become
mine forever. Yes, we have become partners. I have
become yours. Hereafter, I cannot live without you.
Do not live without me. Let us share the joys. We are
word and meaning, united. You are thought and I am
sound. May the night, morning, earth, heavens, plants,
sun, cattle, yield be productive for us. As the heavens
are stable, as the earth is stable, as the mountains are
stable, as the whole universe is stable, so may our com-
panionship be permanently stable.
The ‘SAPTAPADI’, is thus an important wedding
ritual where the Almighty is invoked and vows made
in the divine presence for a bright and better future by
the newly married couple.
Though the Indian weddings have now been
commercialised like many old traditions, the core of
ancient Indian traditions is still practiced and hasn’t
changed, even in this century.
31
Indian

Shilpa Shetty is on cloud nine

She is riding high these days, what with her professional
and personal life going through the best ever phase. After
her success on the reality show Big Brother, Shilpa Shetty
has not looked back. The latest on her front is her foray in
the Indian Premier League team of Rajasthan Royals, with
industrialist and beau Raj Kundra.

Indian

32 Indian Weekender | May 29, 2009