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May 14, 2010
Volume 2, No. 4
New Zealand’s first Indian weekend magazine
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Global Indian | 9 Bollywood | 20 Heritage | 28

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1
Indian
Studies confirm high cardiovascular risk for Indians
Shriya Bhagwat Chitale
For Hitesh Shah (not his real name), a 48 year old
Indian from Auckland, a midweek afternoon 10
months ago proved to be a turning point. ``I was
returning from work that day when I felt numb-
ness in my arm and a crushing, intense pain in
my chest,’’ he remembers. It was his first heart
attack and it served him as a wake-up call to
adopt a healthier lifestyle. ``I try to never miss
my workout at the gym. And I avoid anything
that would stress me out. It just isn’t worth it.’’
he says.
Shah’s is not an isolated case. According to
the findings of Asian Health Chart Book pub-
lished by the Ministry of Health, Indians have
significantly higher rates of hospitalisation
and mortality due to cardiovascular disease as
compared to the total population in the country.
This is especially true for new migrants who
are mostly in good health when they arrive to
settle in New Zealand. As they get accustomed
to living in the country, they are more likely to
experience high blood pressure, high blood cho-
lesterol; and cardiovascular disease.
The community reflects what is known as
`the healthy migrant effect’ where the health
of migrants deteriorates over time. As new mi-
grants get accustomed to new food habits and a
different lifestyle, certain related lifestyle health
issues creep in. For instance, data suggests that
Indians appear to have a higher prevalence
of obesity than any other social groups in the
country.
This is echoed in an analysis of the New
Zealand Health Survey by Dr Robert Scragg,
Associate Professor at the School of Population
Health at the University of Auckland. While
published a few years ago in 2005, according
2 Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
to Dr Scragg the findings still hold true for the
Asian community.
While the overall lifestyle pattern of the
Asian community is generally good since they
are less likely to smoke or drink alcohol, the
lack of physical activity is a likely cause for
an elevated risk of diabetes and cardiovascular
disease. South Asians have higher prevalence of
obesity compared to other Asians and this is a
contributing factor to their increased risk of dia-
betes and heart disease.
Health experts working closely with the
community unanimously share the opinion that
While the overall lifestyle
pattern of the Asian
community is generally
good since they are less
likely to smoke or drink
alcohol, the lack of physical
activity is a likely cause for
an elevated risk of diabetes
and cardiovascular disease.
this trend is a cause for concern.
``There is a need for an innovative approach
to health communication if we are to deal with
this trend effectively. There is a lack of evi-
dence on the most effective community inter-
ventions and no recognized infrastructure to
deliver Asian services in New Zealand,’’ says Dr
Ranjna Patel, Director of East Tamaki Health-
care Group. She speaks from the experience of
running Arrogya, which literally means well-
being, a health awareness programme aiming
to raise levels of awareness in the community
using existing points of gathering, like places of
worship.
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``An understanding of the community and
working with an insight into the culture often
yields better results. Often, when I work with the
community I come across people who say they
need to exercise more in order to keep fit in New
Zealand. It didn’t take them as much effort to
work off excessive weight in their home country.
Or that they find it hard to minimize the use of
certain ingredients, like oil, for cooking if they
are to move towards a healthier lifestyle,’’ she
says.
The South Asian community constitutes 6
percent of the population in New Zealand and is
predicted to grow to 12 percent by 2021. Asians
beings treated as a different category with special
needs was recognised after the first Asian health
needs analysis for Counties Manukau. ``The
analysis highlighted the issue and resulted in the
formation of the South Asian Advisory group,’’
says Dr Geeta Gala, Public Health Physician at
the Northern Cancer Network. ``All academic
work on cardiovascular disease and diabetes
now take Indians as a separate group and not
classify them under ‘other’ group. This high-
lights the issue in this ethnic group.’’
It is imperative that health awareness is de-
veloped to engage with the community. Some of
the suggestions by the experts are simple and ef-
fective. Like culturally appropriate, more visu-
ally based & activity related messages.
The preventive measures clearly are healthy
eating and regular physical activity in order to
reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Finally, all the experts agree and recommend the
old fashioned way of working up a sweat and ex-
ercising regularly as a way to leading a healthy
and disease free life.
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Indian
Measures taken for protecting Support needed for
Indians in Australia: Minister Queen’s Baton relay
New Delhi: The Indian Mission/Posts in
Australia regularly take up the incidents of
assaults on members of Indian community
including students, with the Australian au-
thorities, at federal and state levels, said
Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar
Ravi in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on
Wednesday.
The High Commissioner has repeatedly
taken up the matter with the concerned Min-
isters and senior officers in the Government,
seeking their assistance in addressing the
issue, with a view to prevent the recurrence of
such incidents and had several meetings with
them in 2009 and 2010.
These include the concerned Ministers
at the federal level and Premiers of several
states (NSW, Victoria, Queensland, etc.,) as
well as senior officials, said the Minister.
He further said the High Commissioner
and the Consuls General in Sydney and Mel-
bourne have regular interaction with Indian
community in various cities and have visited
several Universities and private colleges in all
the major cities in Australia.
“They have had discussions with students
on the issues faced by them. The students are
encouraged to report any incidents in order
to enable the High Commission and Consul-
ates to provide any assistance required. The
High Commission and Consulates are also
in regular discussions with students, major
education providers on their orientation pro-
grammes for Indian students, as also with the
Indian Community and Associations, so that
they too may be closely involved in the inter-
actions with the student community and in
making them feel welcome.”
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Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
The High Commission in Australia and the
Consulates General in Melbourne and Sydney
each have a Community Welfare and Student
Liaison Officer (CWSLO) who is on call 24
x 7, and whose mobile number is on their re-
spective websites as the emergency response
number. Any problem involving an Indian
student or member of the community is
handled by the CWSLO, in coordination with
the High Commissioner/Consuls General.
There is also a policy of “Open Fridays”,
when any student can walk into the Chancery
without an appointment and meet the con-
cerned officer to discuss any problems, the
Minister said.
“The issue of attacks on Indian students
in Australia has been taken up at the highest
level. The Prime Minister of India conveyed
the high priority that Government of India at-
taches to the safety, security and well-being
of the Indian community in Australia, to the
Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd,
during his visit to India on 12 November,
2009.
“Rudd had reiterated that Australia had a
zero tolerance to violence and was commit-
ted to taking all possible measures to protect
the safety and welfare of all international stu-
dents, including Indian students,” the Minis-
ter said.
At the instance of the Government of
India, the Government of Australia has taken
several important measures aimed at enhanc-
ing the safety and security of our students,
both at the State as well as the Federal level,
which have been useful, he added.
- Indian Weekender India correspondent
tion
tion
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New Zealand
The Commonwealth Games’ Queen’s
Baton relay will be in New Zealand next
week.
The baton, very much like the Olympic
torch, carries a message from the Queen
to the athletes of the 2010 Commonwealth
Games to be held in New Delhi, India, in
October.
It arrives in Auckland on Monday, May
17 and will coincide with the launch of the
New Zealand team’s campaign to Delhi.
The Indian community in Auckland has
a grand opportunity to participate in an
historic sports moment.
Twenty runners from the Indian com- The relay began at London’s Bucking-
munity have been selected to run with the ham Palace on October 29 and will travel
Queen’s Baton. through 71 countries before arriving in
“We need your participation to make India on June 25 ahead of the Common-
this event a success,” said Sunil Kaushal, wealth Games, which start on October 3.
run organizer. The Auckland Indian Association is
“We need people to come and cheer the also hosting the public viewing of the
runners. The more the merrier.” Queen Baton on Tuesday, May 18, from
4-6pm. Please encourage your members to
Venue for the run: Manukau Square, come and participate in this public event.
Behind Manukau Shopping Centre. Venue: Mahatma Gandhi Centre, Auck-
Date: Monday May 17, 2010. Time: land Indian Association, 145 New North
1.45pm to 2.30pm. Rd, Eden Terrace, Mt Eden, Auckland.
Contact: Sunjay Ganda, Cell: 021 280
Students at Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate 2200, email: masterg@xtra.co.nz
in Manukau City will be the first to get For more information on the Delhi 2010
their hands on the baton before it passes Queens Baton Relay and to keep up to date
through 11 other South Auckland schools, on the Baton’s progress please visit http://
which are all members of Sir John Walker’s cwgdelhi2010.org/batonrelay2010.
Find Your Field of Dreams programme.
3
Indian
Navtej’s killer gets 17 years
Manurewa liquor store owner Navtej Singh’s
killer has been handed a sentence by Justice
Graham Lang at the High Court in Auckland
that will see him in jail for a minimum of 17
years with no parole.
The killer, Anitelea Chan Kee shot Navtej
at point blank range during a robbery that went
horribly wrong on the night of June 7, 2008 at
the Singhs’ liquor outlet. Chan Kee was among
the five who stormed into the store to steal
alcohol and cigarettes after attending a birth-
day party nearby.
Thirty-year-old Navtej was handing over
the till to the robbers when he was shot by
Chan Kee. He succumbed to his injuries in
hospital the next day.
Kieran Raftery, Crown prosecu- tor,
pressed for a minimum non-parole period of
17 years, saying it was hard to see how Chan
Kee could have been more callous, the New
Zealand Herald has reported.
Chan Kee’s lawyer Jonathan Down said his
client wasn’t a “cold and callous killer” but a
“young man who acted recklessly while he was
intoxicated.” However, Justice Graham Lang
said the killing had been reckless and aspects
of it were callous, according to the Herald.
Navtej’s widow, Harjinder Kaur wept as
she read aloud a victim impact statement to the
court.
“In reality our life has been de- stroyed.
Partnering with locals key to success in India
New Zealand’s exports to India are dominated by commodities such as coal, wood and wool. However, as Mike Booker explains,
exciting opportunities exist in other sectors for New Zealand companies prepared to invest alongside Indian partners.
New Zealand exporters are increasingly participat-
ing in India’s rapid wealth creation. The Interna-
tional Monetary Fund forecasts the Indian economy
will grow 8.8 percent in 2010 and 8.4 percent in
2011.
India now ranks as our 14th largest export des-
tination compared with 21st in 2007. In 2009 New
Zealand exports to India were worth NZ$629.66
million, up 15.8 percent on 2008.
India’s rise up the export rankings is expected
to continue as its fast growing economy – it grew
6.1 percent in 2009 - creates more opportunities for
Kiwi goods and services.
But to make the most of them, you need a local
presence advise companies already exporting to
India.
That will mean having your own staff in-coun-
try or a reliable and trustworthy local partner, says
4RF’s Atul Gautam, who is the telecommunication
company’s Vice President with responibility for
Marketing & Business Development.
“This is the biggest challenge for Kiwi firms to
address.”
He says doing business in India can be Byzan-
tine, especially in the government or quasi-govern-
ment sectors. But on the flip side English is com-
monly spoken and the legal system is good.
Another company already selling in India is Gal-
lagher Security Management Systems. Its Business
Development Manager Ian Meadows says Kiwi
company responsiveness to customer requirements,
and ability to create niche products and services, is
a strong match with the needs of the Indian market.
(Pictured: Reliance Infocomm, Gallagher Security
Management Systems’ partner in Mumbai).
But, Ian Meadows warns, “business in India
may not happen as fast as it does in New Zealand,
and companies must be prepared to make regular
visits. One visit to a potential partner is unlikely to
generate business. And products which work well in
New Zealand may not be accepted ‘out of the box’ in
India - companies must be prepared to adapt to local
requirements.”
Cliff Fuller, New Zealand Trade and Enter-
prise’s (NZTE) Trade Commissioner in New Delhi,
says “every serious New Zealand exporter needs to
4 Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
Thirty-year-old Navtej, pictured
here with his wife, Harjinder Kaur,
was handing over the till to the
robbers when he was shot by
Chan Kee.
have a view about exporting to India. You need to
be clear about why you are not engaging in India.
“There might be a good reason, but you’ve got to
know what that is.”
He says more Kiwi companies are thinking
about India and “more are acting on their thinking
than we have ever seen before”.
Fuller says exporters wanting long-term and
significant success in India need to play by India’s
rules. “The Indian approach is to look for partner-
ships with New Zealand companies so that they
can work together to develop markets in India and
elsewhere.
“They look at it as a long-term partnership to
grow the business.”
And to make the most of these opportunities
“you’ve got to be here.”
Dr Val Lindsay, Associate Professor at Victoria
University’s School of Marketing and International
Business, recently returned from India and was
struck by the optimism of Indians.
The attitude is: “We are growing and nothing is
going to stop that growth. Come and join the ride.”
Lindsay is part of the “Building a sustainable
competitive advantage for New Zealand service
firms in Asia” project.
Building on the partnership theme, she says
Indians are “thirsting to know more about what we
can do and how that is relevant to them”.
But it is not just the Kiwi product or service on
its own that they will be interested in. “They will
want to grow and enhance the opportunity together
with the New Zealand company.
“Many Indian companies are growing fast in in-
ternational markets and if a New Zealand company
can become part of the supply chain, it is an oppor-
tunity to grow with them.”
“Scalability is essential.”
New Zealand companies, says Lindsay, are not
always aware of the highly competitive pricing
structures in India. “The local companies are devel-
oping very quickly – you will not just be compet-
ing with them on innovation, but also price and they
generally have much lower cost structures.”
She says most of the world’s leading companies
are competing in India as well.
It’s as if I’m just living my life as a dead person.
No-one can see there is so much pain in my
heart ... I can’t under- stand what has hap- pened
to me. He was a very good and loving human
being and had never hurt anyone,” she said. The
convicted killer’s associates Myron Felise, 22,
Tino Felise, 21, Eti Filoa, 25, Walter McCar-
thy, 19, and Jason Naseri, 21, were all found not
guilty of murder or manslaughter at their trial
earlier this year. However, Tino Felise, Eti Filoa
and
Walter McCarthy were all found guilty of
aggravated robbery at the store which cost the
life of Navtej. Chan Kee, Myron Felise and
Naseri were also con- victed of aggravated
robbery after they pleaded guilty to the charge
before the trial began.
Myron Felise was sentenced to six years,
Naseri six years and four months, and Tino
Felise five years for their roles in the robbery.
McCarthy was jailed for two years six months
and Filoa four years four months.
Leaders head for Wellington to
discuss violence
Meanwhile, executives of the New Zealand
Central Indian Association will meet with Police
Minister in Wellington next week to discuss law
and order concerns regarding the Indian com-
munity in New Zealand.
Association secretary Raj Singh Thandi and
It needs to be remembered that despite India’s
rapid economic growth, it is still a poor country. In
2009 its gross domestic product per capita (PPP)
was US$3100, the 164th lowest in the world (see
source).
The opportunities
l Resources: Most of New Zealand’s current
trade is based on resources such as coal, wool
and wood. India’s wood processing industry is
one of its fastest growing.
l Infrastructure: Matt Roy in Mumbai, in an
Action Asia Insight story says New Zealand
should focus on winning access to food process-
ing infrastructure, where India requires massive
investment.
l The growing Indian economy has also created
a huge need for quality infrastructure like the
booming aviation services and technology
sector. The government is focusing on public
infrastructure with opportunities for private
participation.
l Technology and innovation: Fuller says there
are three main areas of opportunity for Kiwi
companies: working with large Indian corpora-
tions to customise and scale up; IT products and
services, particularly in the mobile market and
Health IT.
l India has one of the world’s fastest growing
telecommunications markets and IT services
have been the driving force of service sector
growth.
l Skills and education: Rising disposable
incomes have led to greater demand for services
such as education.
l Since 2003 the number of Indian students
studying in New Zealand has increased from ap-
proximately 800 students to over 4,000.
l Clean technology: India wants to diversify its
energy supplies and sources away from coal. In-
creasing energy costs, and decreasing supplies
of fossil-fuels, make it vital for India to look at
clean technologies.
l It is one of the major world markets for wind
New Zealand
president Paul Singh Bains will meet up with
Judith Collins on Wednesday in the capital.
Mr Thandi said since being elected to the as-
sociation recently, this was the first official ap-
proach by the executives to gauge the law and
order situation in the country related to the com-
munity.
Among issues expected to be discussed are
crimes against members of the Indian commu-
nity, such as bashing / killing of taxi drivers, bus
drivers, and sentences meted out to offenders.
Reacting to the bashing and robbery of a bus
driver in Auckland on Monday, Mr Thandi said
he was concerned the driver was asked to drive
the bus back to the depot after the incident.
Sudeep Singh was bashed almost 20 times
over the head and left with concussion and
bruises after the incident in Otara.
Mr Thandi supported calls for security
cameras in buses and taxis to protect the welfare
of drivers.
“At least people will think twice before
doing anything silly,” Mr Thandi said.
On the sentencing of the Navtej Singh’s
killer, Mr Thandi said while the man who pulled
the trigger of the gun that killed Navtej, he was
disappointed the other accessories to the crime
had got away with lighter sentences.
“It was just a slap on the wrist,” Mr Thandi
said, “they were all in it together and should
have received similar sentences.”
energy. Major hydropower projects are under-
way or planned.
l Fuller says another clean tech opportunity is
in building materials and products, particularly
FSC certified wood.
l Aspirational consumer products and services:
Fuller says the main opportunity here is with
food and beverage products, especially in retail
and the service sector. Retail, he says is just
getting off the ground.
Negotiating freer trade
with India
The first round of New Zealand’s Free Trade Agree-
ment/Comprehensive Economic Cooperation
Agreement negotiations with India was held in Wel-
lington in early April.
A key priority in this FTA for New Zealand
is the elimination of India’s tariff duties. India’s
average applied tariff overall is 11.9% but this varies
greatly across different sectors, with higher tariffs
being applied on many of the goods that are of inter-
est to us
Other areas that will be covered in the negotia-
tions include services, investment, technical barri-
ers to trade, sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures.
The New Zealand government also seeks commit-
ments from India on intellectual property, compe-
tition policy, government procurement, trade and
labour and trade and the environment
The next round will be held in New Delhi and
it is hoped it will take place in late July or August.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is
keen to hear about the barriers to market entry that
New Zealand firms are experiencing in India, so
the officials can seek to address these through the
negotiations.
- For further information or to make any
comment, please contact Joanne Dow, India FTA
Coordinator, joanne.dow@mfat.govt.nz or 04 439
8084.
Reproduced courtesy the Asia New Zealand
Foundation website http://www.asianz.org.nz
Indian
AIS St Helens celebrates 20 years
AIS St Helens was established in 1990, start-
ing as a School of Language offering courses in
English language to international students. The
institute was located for the first three years in
Auckland’s Downtown Centre before moving
to its present premises in Mt Albert.
We are now New Zealand’s largest private
degree provider for international students. Our
roll is around 1,000 students of whom about
80% are international students from over 30
different countries. We are the only private
business school to offer diplomas, graduate di-
plomas and degrees in International Business,
Tourism Management and Information Tech-
nology and an MBA programme. Our three
semester year (January, May and September)
allows students to fast-track programmes and
enter the workforce quickly. Our employment
support has students successfully placed in
Music pirate gets home detention
A Manurewa store owner who sold pirated Michael
Jackson and Eminem CDs has been sentenced to
four months home detention and to pay reparations
of $3,000.
The man was charged after police raided the
Indian Sweets & Snacks and Video Store in Manure-
wa on September 30 last year and arrested its pro-
prietor for selling pirated copies of Michael Jackson
CDs. A member of the public reported the shop to
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
(RIANZ) in July 2009. During a joint operation with
the police, RIANZ investigators visited the store and
bought pirated copies of Thriller and Bad among
others.
As well as about 20 Michael Jackson and
Eminem CDs believed to contain pirated material,
the police also seized a computer with optical disc
burning capabilities. A 30-year old man was ar-
rested and pleaded guilty on April 14, 2010. “Pirate
CD sellers are thieves,” says RIANZ CEO Campbell
Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
New Zealand
New Zealand and around the world. Our strong
academic student support systems help students
excel. We celebrate our student body diversity.
The 27 March 2010 saw AIS St Helens
celebrate 20 years as a private education pro-
vider in Auckland.  The Fun Day showcased
our diverse student body talent with dancing
and music from over 12 different cultures on
the main stage.  Selecting lunch or snacks was
difficult with food stalls with Tongan, Chinese,
Japanese, Indian, Bangladesh, Thai, Lebanese
and a Kiwi barbeque available.  There were bal-
loons for children, face painting, henna painting
or more energetic activities of sumo wrestling
and a bungee run to compliant presentation on
the main stage.  It was a great day to celebrate
20 years of education and the multicultural
people that make up staff and students at AIS
St Helens.
Smith. “Not only are they stealing from artists and
songwriters, they are also taking sales from legiti-
mate CD retailers and removing cash flow for rein-
vestment in NZ music.”
Mr Smith says RIANZ believes by enforcing the
law it is highlighting the scale of the problem.
“Piracy is an enormous problem for our industry.
We prosecute in order to educate about copyright, to
get the message out that it’s wrong to make or sell
pirated material.”
Mr Smith says RIANZ is actively monitoring
the sale of pirate CDs nation-wide. “The police are
right behind us on this and they really have done a
great job in supporting our investigations and taking
action against those infringing the law.” The penalty
for offending is for a fine up to $150,000 and / or up
to five years imprisonment per offence. RIANZ has
recently launched a Report Music Piracy website
where the public can submit music piracy concerns.
It’s at www.reportmusicpiracy.co.nz.
5
Indian
India
Chidambaram snubs Census caste demand
New Delhi: Nothing should be done that may data’. 21 lakh dren. Names of He said, “Let me reiterate that the main ob-
affect the integrity of population census said enumerators, some castes are jective of the population census is to do an ac-
Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram on mostly primary found in both the curate de-facto headcount of the usual residents
Friday, stubbing the demands for Caste featur- school teachers, list of Scheduled in India on the deemed date i.e. 00.00 hours on
ing as a question on the 2011 Census. have been select- Castes and list of March 1, 2011.”
“There are two questions here; the first one, ed and trained. OBCs. Scheduled “Based on universally applied scientific de-
‘whether it is desirable to enumerate the caste They have been Castes converted mographic tools, we have an estimate of what
of each member of the household?’ and the trained to ask to Christianity the population of India will be on that day.
second, assuming that it is desirable to do so,‘is the question and or Islam are also However, it is necessary and desirable to make
the census the vehicle to carry out the enumera- record the answer treated differ- an accurate headcount; therefore I say that
tion?’” said Chidambaram In reply to a discus- as returned by the ently in different nothing should be done that may affect the ac-
sion on the need to lay down specific parameters respondent.” States. curacy of the headcount or the integrity of the
for conducting the Census, 2011, in the Lok He said the The status of a population census.” he added.
Sabha on Friday. enumerator is not migrant from one The Minister noted that Information relating
He further said, “I do not wish to enter into an investigator or State to another to the caste of each member of the household
a debate on the first question. There can be dif- verifier and, has and the status of was last collected and published in detail in
ferent views on the subject and we must respect no training or children of inter- 1931. After independence, as a matter of policy,
each other’s views. In fact, Members who said expertise to clas- caste marriage, the question relating to caste, other than sched-
that “caste is a reality” also acknowledged that sify the answer in terms of caste uled caste and scheduled tribe, was not included.
caste is a divisive factor and that we are nowhere as OBC or other- classification, are “Caste was not included in the last Census
near establishing a casteless society.” wise since there is a central list of Other Back- also vexed questions. of 2001 also. I may point out that the records
He said that the Registrar General has ward Classes and State-specific lists of Other The Registrar General has also pointed out show that an attempt was made by the Ministry
pointed out a number of logistic and practical Backward Classes. that, assuming that it is desirable to canvass the of Social Justice to include caste as one of the
difficulties in canvassing the question of caste Some States do not have a list of OBCs; some question of caste, further issues will arise re- questions that should be canvassed during the
while conducting the census. States have a list of OBCs and a sub-set called garding the methodology, avoiding phonetic and 2001 census,” he said.
Highlighting the distinction between ‘enu- Most Backward Classes. spelling errors, stage of canvassing, maintain- “However, the Government of the day – the
meration’ and ‘compilation, analysis and dis- The Registrar General has also pointed out ing the integrity of the enumeration, doing an NDA Government – did not take a decision to
semination’, he said, “It has been pointed out that there are certain open-ended categories accurate headcount of the population etc. said that effect and maintained the policy that has
that the census is meant to collect ‘observational in the lists such as orphans and destitute chil- the Home Minister. been in force since 1951,” said Chidambaram.

Ayurveda digitised to Brain strokes on a rise in India

prevent bio-piracy
New Delhi: A report of the National Commis- including Community Health Centres and Dis-
sion on Macroeconomics and Health says that trict Hospitals. Under the National Rural Health
the number of stroke cases will increase from Mission (NRHM), funds have been provided
12 lakh in 2005 to 17 lakh in 2015 said Minis- to States/UTs to strengthen their health infra-
ter for Health & Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi structure.
Azad in reply to a question raised in the Lok To address the Non Communicable Disease
il of Scientific and Indust rial Sabha on Friday. burden including stroke cases, the Ministry of
New Delhi: The Depart ment in collaboration with the Counc He said hospital based data from India in- Health and Family Welfare has drafted a Na-
Knowl edge Digita l Librar y (TKDL) in order
Research (CSIR), has created the Traditional dicate a high proportion of young stroke cases tional Programme for Prevention and Control
acy of the Indian Traditi onal Medic al Knowl edge said Minister of
to prevent the bio-pir a question raised in (first ever stroke onset of less than 40 years of of Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke
i in written reply to
State for Health & Family Welfare, Dinesh Trived age) ranging between 15 per cent to 30 per cent. (NPDCS). Initially, the programme is proposed
the Lok Sabha on Friday .
(EPO) and United States Cases of stroke(s) are attended to in the to be implemented in 15 States/UTs in 100 dis-
Agreements have been signed with the European Patent Office health care delivery system at various levels tricts.
(USPO ) to provid e them access to this library , in order to prevent
Patent Organization
grant of wrong patents.
tion titled “Method of Treat-
Natreon Inc., a US Multinational had filed a patent applica
ment or Management of Stress” on July 27, 2006
ania somnifera plant extract ; and a pharm aceutic
throug
ally,
h a compo
veterin ary
sition compr ising With-
or nutritionally accept- ‘Cigarettes face 28 to 69% tax on MRP’
able carrier(s) before the EPO. New Delhi: In a written reply to a question and Jarda scented tobacco have been brought
ces to EPO along with
The Traditional Knowledge Digital Librar y submit ted eviden raised in Lok Sabha on Friday, Minister of State under the purview of compounded levy scheme
references of various texts of Ayurveda, Siddha & Unani. for Health & Family Welfare, S Gandhiselvan wherein the excise duty is paid based on the
somnifera) is frequently and
These evidences established that Ashwagandha (Withania said currently, the incidence of Central Excise number of machines installed in the factory of
n in the treatm ent of depression, insomnia,
effectively used through oral administratio ive factors of stress
duty on major brands of cigarettes calculated production.
and convul sions which are defined as the causat
gastritis, gastric ulcer on the MRP (Maximum Retail Price) of the Gutkha is already under the compounded
in the patent application. product ranges from 28 per cent to 69 per cent. levy scheme since July 2008. In addition, some
the treatment of palpitation,
TKDL evidences also mention the use of Ashwagandha in The incidence would be even higher when States also levy VAT on tobacco products.
anemia which have been stated as conditions
excessive perspiration, diabetes mellitus and calculated on factory gate prices. In addition, The health cost of only three tobacco attrib-
resulting from stress by the applica nt. cigarettes bear state taxes such as VAT, Octroi utable diseases, viz. cancers, lung disorder and
EPO has observed that, in
After examination of the evidence presented before it, the etc. cardio vascular ailment was estimated in that
ent, the subjec t-matte r of claims cannot be considered as novel. Ac-
the light of this docum In the 2010-11 budget, the Government has expenditure at Rs 30,833 Cr. (2002-03).
ew its applica tion on March 25, 2010.
cordingly, the applicant Natreon Inc. withdr increased the basic excise duty on all tobacco As per the report, Tobacco Control in India
products, except beedis, by around 20 per cent. - 2004, about 8-9 lakh persons die annually due
Chewing tobacco, unmanufactured tobacco to diseases attributable to tobacco use.

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Indian
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Indian
Pawar made respondent in
IPL entertainment tax PIL
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court Wednesday
directed impleading the Union Government in a
Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking levy of en-
tertainment tax on Indian Premier League (IPL)
matches and allowed making Union Agriculture
minister Sharad Pawar a party to the case.
A division bench of Justices P B Majmudar and
R G Ketkar passed these order while hearing the PIL
filed by Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai seeking a
direction to the Maharashtra government to recover
entertainment tax from IPL.
Questioning the official involvement of minis-
ters in sporting bodies, the bench said, “If a minister
holds a post in a cricket association, and the state
cabinet is to decide on granting some exemption
to the association...perhaps conflict of interest may
US based singer advances in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa
Mumbai: After fifteen year of hunting melodi-
ous voices and skyrocketing several singers,
this season of Zee Tv’s popular singing hunt
show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa will see an Atlanta
based singer Supriya Shridharan, elbowing
her way in the show.
The 20 year old singer has advanced to
the next round of auditions in the show which
will be conducted in MUmbai. She sang the
title song from ‘Hum Dil De Chukhe Sanam’,
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s song ‘Sanware’ and
other popular Bollywood songs for her video
audition to impress the show’s producers, who
all voted to send her to Mumbai for the next
round of auditions.
“I’ve been singing from the moment I
learned to speak in musical choirs, in school,
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arise.”
“This is a very important issue,” the bench
said, seeking ‘assistance’ of the Additional Solicitor
General, who represents the Union, on this.
According to petitioner Desai, the state cabinet
had decided in January this year to impose enter-
tainment tax on IPL matches, but the decision was
never implemented.
The state government has maintained that no
decision has been taken on whether to impose en-
tertainment tax on IPL though the issue was ‘dis-
cussed’ in a cabinet meeting.
The court has also allowed the petitioner to
implead former IPL chairman Lalit Modi and in-
cumbent Chirayu Amin in the case.
The next date of hearing in June 22.
and wherever I could. Now I’m ready to punch
my ticket to Bollywood and make my dreams
come true,” gushes the aspiring singer.
Supriya epitomises the budding talent of
our South Asian youth in the United States,”
says Zee TV’s Territory Head for the America
Subroto Bhattacharya. “By bringing Supriya
to India’s entertainment capital, we hope to
cultivate a deeper appreciation, respect and
understanding for music, cinema, arts and
theater among the South Asian community in
the United States.”
Bhattacharya continues, “We have seen
many auditions from U.S. contestants, and
this, by far, was the best vocals yet. Supriya
has that ‘it’ quality that defines a star in the
making.”
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India
Gill’s eviction notice
against Kalmadi
New Delhi: Taking the tenure battle to the next warned yesterday that the bid to dismiss their au-
level, Sports Minister MS Gill filed an eviction tonomy may invite international ban on India.
notice against Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Under the new regulation, secretaries and trea-
President Suresh Kalmadi in the Delhi High Court surers can serve eight years at a stretch and can
with the aim of setting limits on tenures of office seek a re-election only after a four-year gap but
bearers of all sporting bodies. NSF presidents including long-standing IOA chief
Saying that that the matter will be examined Suresh Kalmadi, are barred from occupying the
and all the copies of an affidavit are filed, the court top posts for more than 12 years, with or without
adjourned the hearing till May 19. break.
According to the new amendments to the Gill said, “I passed this order in confidence
guidelines announced by the court, while the that it will serve the best interest of the sportsper-
office bearers can hold the post for two terms of 4 sons of the country and it will give an impetus
years each, which totals to 8 years and then take a to transparent and professional management of
break of one term before making a comeback, the Indian sports, in the new century.”
President of any sporting body can hold the tenure The regulation also aims to end the more than a
for 12 years media reports said on Wednesday.
Opposing this proposal, IOA President Suresh
Kalmadi earlier met PM Manmohan Singh, stating
decade-old command of VK Verma (badminton),
Captain Satish K Sharma (aero club),VK Malhotra
(archery), Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (cycling), VK
the inappropriate timing of the matter ahead of the Verma (badminton), B S Adityan (volleyball) and
Commonwealth Games and seeking the PM’s in- Jagdish Tytler (judo), apart from Kalmadi himself
tervention. who has been IOA president for 14 years.
Labelling the government move as ‘inter-
ference’ in their affairs, The IOA and the NSFs
UN lauds Indian website’s
efforts to promote rural jobs
New York: A United Nations-supported global across all of India,” she added.
initiative on Thursday welcomed the efforts of Sanjay Modi, Managing Director for
an international recruitment website to promote Monster.com in India, Middle East and South-
access to job opportunities for young people in East Asia said the company’s support of Roz-
rural India as a way of alleviating poverty and garduniya.com, which means “world of em-
accelerating development. ployment opportunities” in Hindi, will create
Business Call to Action (BCtA), an initiative avenues of employment and growth in 40,000
supported by the UN Development Programme villages across India.
(UNDP), the UN Global Compact and several “Our initiative is in line with the United
other organisations, recognized Monster World- Nations’ Millennium Development Goals
wide for its decision to provide a portal to Ro- (MDGs), supports the Government’s vision
zgarduniya.com, a recruitment tool for compa- of inclusive growth in India, and is absolutely
nies looking to hire local talent in India. consistent with our own values at Monster.
“The Business Call to Action is pleased to The portal has been designed after intensive
welcome Monster.com as its newest member research with the youth in rural India to under-
working to leverage core business expertise to stand their profiles and internet usage behav-
support inclusive development and alleviate iour,” said Modi.
poverty among India’s rural population,” said The MDGs are eight goals aiming to respond
Natalie Africa, the Programme Manager of to the world’s main social development and
BCtA. poverty alleviation challenges, which States
“Innovative business models such as this have agreed to make efforts to achieve by 2015.
marry business innovation with sustainable - Indian Weekender news desk
development outcomes to promote prosperity
CISF wants no prams,
wheelchairs at IGI
FAIRMONT New Delhi: The next tim
e you go to Indira Gandh
International Airport wit obridges and could com
h your child or an elderly
relative, be prepared to be in contact with depart e
harassed as the airlines ing
and Central Industrial Sec sources however claimed passengers. Airline
uri that this was being fol-
at loggerheads on the issu ty Force (CISF) are lowed only in Delhi.
e of permitting airlines
to let passengers use the Recently, passengers of
ir own wheelchairs and two international
prams at the disembarkat carriers were stuck inside
ion point. the aircraft because of
Earlier, passengers could this new rule.
point in their wheelcha go up to the ladder
irs and prams and check Airlines officials said tha
t
them in. On landing, the had asked for his wheelcha one passenger who
airline would unload ir was not permitted to
these from the baggage use it and instead anothe
hold area and let passen r one had to be arranged
gers use them again. - from the airport
operator Delhi Internatio
nal
Air
But in the last 10 days or port (P) Ltd (DIAL). In
so, CISF has stopped
airlines from this practic with two toddlers was not another case, a lady
e, saying that passenger allowed to access the
$999 should pick these up fro
m the baggage belt.
Airlines, however, are con
s children’s stroller.
CISF officials justified
testing that this is sec the mo
ty reasons. A spokesper ve by citing
making it very difficult uri
for disabled passengers son said: “The
and specially mothers wit change was brought abo
h toddlers. ut recently as we felt tha
CISF officials are unmo the re was a possibility of t
ved and said that it a mixing up of cabin
was being implemented
at all airports for safety
baggage with that permi
tted only in the baggage
reasons where arriving hold area. Things like
passengers entered the
smuggled in.”
guns etc could easily be
Indian
Zakir, Rahul together for
Rhythm of Love
Mumbai: The unforgettable ‘Rhythm of Love
- Charukeshi Live’ concert in San Francisco
by tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Husain and
santoor player Rahul Sharma will now be
released in a CD version.
The special live recording released by Sare-
gama India Ltd, include a whirlwind tour of
key cities in the US, an exciting road trip with
Zakir at the wheel and Rahul navigating, and
a magical concert at San Francisco.
“Enjoy the entire raga Charukeshi, with Ra-
hul playing a deeply romantic composition
created by his father, the legendary Pandit
Shivkumar Sharma. Zakir’s expert touch on
the tablas ensures that this is an unforgetta-
ble performance, now captured for posterity
on CD,” said a Saregama spokesperson.
Saregama launches WAP
Portal
Mumbai: Saregama India Ltd, a leading mu-
sic company, has launched its WAP Portal
where the country’s largest music collection
will accessible on mobile phone.
One year ago, in April 2009, Saregama had
introduced full-song downloads on mobile
on Airtel Live and Vodafone Live through ag-
gregator Techzone, which opened up a new
revenue model for the music industry on the
mobile platform.
Talking about the initiative the Chief Manager
– New Media PK Prasannan said: “Sare-
gama’s WAP ia an initiative to deliver full MP3
songs from a rich catalogue of over 50000
songs from 10 languages.”
At a point when the physical sale is on a
downtrend, Saregama has proved yet again
that retro content has got good demand.
Since the launch of this service on mobile
we have more than a lakh music lovers
visited and downloaded songs from wap.
saregama.com,” Prasannan said.
The new platform brings Saregama’s huge
collection from artists like Lata, Rafi, Asha,
Indian means business at Harvard
An Indian who is closely related to senior
community leader Roshan Nauhria (MNZM),
of Auckland, has been appointed the new
head of the prestigious Harvard Business
School.
American Indian Nitin Nauhria, who
takes up his new appointment in July, is an
alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology.
He joined Harvard as a faculty in 1988.
His latest work includes a combined
effort with his colleague Rakesh Khurana to
instrument an oath for businesses globally.
Nauhria and Khurana were also the protag-
onists behind the introduction of the MBA
Oath in 2009 that emphasised on the ethical
behavior of MBA grads.
Though one of the highest profile HBS
professors, Prof Nauhria was not necessarily
the obvious choice for the job, Silicon India
reported.
Many insiders predicted that senior as-
sociate dean Srikant Datar or Carl Kester,
deputy dean for academic affairs, would be
appointed. However, his experience within
Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
Kishore, M. S. Subbulakshmi - in every
genre - from gems of vintage Hindi film
music to ghazals, from the best of devotional
to regional music.
The South Indian selection includes MGR,
Rajnikant, Sivaji Ganesan, SPB, and Yesu-
das, while the Bengali music holdings range
from Tagore to Hemanta.
Memorial for Bhopal Gas
Tragedy victims
Mumbai: A proposal for construction of an
International Bhopal Gas Tragedy memorial
involving estimated expenditure of Rs. 70
crore was received from the State Govern-
ment of Madhya Pradesh in December
2005, said Minister of State for Chemicals
and Fertilisers Srikant Kumar Jena in a writ-
ten reply in the Lok Sabha.
The Government of Madhya Pradesh was
advised to approach the Planning com-
mission directly for funds. The Planning
Commission approved one time Additional
Central Assistance of Rs. 10.00 crore for this
purpose, during 2006-07 to the Government
of Madhya Pradesh.
A proposal for construction of Bhopal
memorial with an estimated expenditure of
Rs. 116.18 crore was received again from the
Government of Madhya Pradesh in Novem-
ber 2009.
The State Government of Madhya Pradesh
has again been advised to take up the mat-
ter directly with Planning Commission for
required funds.
Railways run ‘Sanksriti Yatra’
on Tagore anniversary
Kolkata: To commemorate the 150th birth
anniversary of world poet Rabindranath
Tagore, Indian Railways have decided to run
an Exhibition Train showcasing his life and
philosophy.
The Exhibition Train will be flagged off by
Mamata Banerjee, Minister for Railways, on
Sunday afternoon-on the birthday of Tagore.
business at harvard: American In-
dian Nitin Nauhria; Roshan Nauhria (MNZM)
Five (5) air-conditioned coaches were modi-
fied at Liluah Railway Workshop in which life
and philosophy of Tagore will be presented.
Both exterior and interior decoration of
coaches in order to make them suitable for
the exhibition were made under the guid-
ance of Saoli Mitra, Chairperson, Committee
on Heritage & Culture, Ministry of Railways.
A commemorative volume, depicting life and
creative works of Tagore will be published on
this occasion. Many eminent scholars have
contributed in this commemorative volume.
Burqa-clad woman forces
priority landing of Dhaka-
bound plane
Kolkata: A Dhaka-bound Spicejet flight last
week made a ‘priority landing’ at the interna-
tional airport here after a burqa-clad woman
rose suspicion of crew members on board,
who was also reportedly heard ‘talking
about hijacking’ with her fellow passenger.
The Delhi-Kolkata-Dhaka flight with over 100
passengers landed at the Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose airport here around noon on
Wednesday after the pilot requested the Air
Traffic Controller (ATC) for a priority landing
clearance.
The aircraft was parked at an isolation
bay and the burqa-clad passenger and
her fellow passenger were offloaded. The
aircraft was also searched thoroughly. The
papers of the two passengers were checked
and were found to be in order. The broad
physique of the passenger in burqa had led
to initial suspicions.
They were questioned by the authorities,
though no indication of any terror plan on
their part has come to light yet.
4.5 mn Indians working in
Gulf countries: Min
New Delhi: Indian workers are in demand
abroad in various sectors including manu-
facturing industries. There are about 4.5
million Indian workers in the Gulf countries
India and his stints
at London Business
School made him the
right choice to bring
in a global perspec-
tive to the dean’s po-
sition.
The 48-year-old
leadership professor
will serve as the 10th
dean of Harvard Busi-
ness School by suc-
ceeding the current
dean Jay Light. The
chemical engineer turned professor Nauhria,
accepted the role on Tueday and will resume
his post from July 1.
“I feel a profound sense of responsibil-
ity for continuing Harvard Business School’s
proud legacy of ground-breaking ideas and
transformational educational experienc-
es,” he said. Currently he is the Richard P.
Chapman Professor of Business Administra-
tion at the century-old institution and co-
India - briefs
apart from the large number of high-skill In-
dian workers in the USA, Canada, Australia
and the European Union, said Minister of
Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi in a writ-
ten reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
During 2009 about 6.10 lakh workers from
India took emigration clearance to leave
India for employment abroad.
The policy of the Government is to facilitate
orderly and legal emigration of Indian work-
ers, discourage illegal/irregular migration
and ensure the protection and welfare of
emigrants.
The Government is proposing the Emigra-
tion Management Bill, 2010, to replace
the existing Emigration Act, 1983, said the
minister.
The proposed Bill is aimed at transforming
emigration into a simple, transparent, ef-
ficient and humane economic process, facili-
tate legal migration, prevent illegal migration/
human smuggling, enable ethical recruit-
ment practices, and enhance protection and
welfare of emigrant workers.
Mumbai-Goa NH to be four-
laned
New Delhi: The Government is planning to
widen the Mumbai-Goa stretch of National
Highway 17 to four lane, said R.P.N.Singh,
Minister of State for Road Transport and
Highways, in the Rajya Sabha on Wednes-
day.
The Mumbai-Goa stretch of NH-17 has a
length of 475.210 km. in the State of Maha-
rashtra and 122 Km. in the State of Goa. In
Maharashtra, four laning on a 25 km stretch
between Zarap to Patra Devi is in progress
and is likely to be completed in December,
2010.
On the balance portion, the work is likely to
commence in the year 2011-12. The entire
work is likely to be completed in 2014-15.
The present estimated cost is around
Rs.7100 crores.
Global Indians
chair of its Leadership Initiative.
Some of his students also recall how
he, along with his brother-in-law Bharat N.
Anand, the Henry R. Byers Professor of Busi-
ness Administration at Harvard, are known
for their hospitality and the receptions to cel-
ebrate Indian festivals and its culture.
“As his student, I found his discussion
techniques and detailing immensely infor-
mative and thought provoking,” said Manoj
Kumar, managing partner with the Hahhura-
bi and Solomon, a legal and corporate con-
sultancy firm.
“Prof. Nauhria also made the curriculum
and case studies very relevant to issues in
the Indian business context. He deserves a
special mention for making the programme
so very insightful,” Kumar added.
Nauhria received his degree in chemical
engineering in 1984 from the Indian Insti-
tute of Technology in Mumbai, which also
awarded him with its distinguished alumnus
medal in 2007.
9
Indian
AirAsia celebrates maiden
flight to Mumbai
Mumbai: Low-cost airline AirAsia celebrated
its inaugural flight to Mumbai from  Kuala
Lumpur on Thursday signifying its foray entry
into western India.  Mumbai (Maharashtra).
Marking a major tourism and economic coup
for both countries, commencing today, AirAsia
will be servicing the Kuala Lumpur – Mumbai
route between the Low Cost Carrier Ter-
minal and  Chhatrapati  ShivajiInternation-
al Airport with 4 direct flights weekly through
its long haul, low fare affiliate, AirAsia X, said
an airline release.
The A330 aircraft deployed for the Mumbai
–  Kuala Lumpur  route, took off on-time
at 9:20 am (GMT+8) and touched down
at 12:00noon IST in Mumbai.
The event was kicked-off with a traditional
Indian welcoming dance for the Malaysian en-
tourage at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
The event was attended by Dato’ Tony Fer-
nandes, Group CEO of AirAsia and Founder
of AirAsia X, Azran Osman Rani, CEO of
AirAsia X, Kathleen Tan, Regional Head of
Commercial  joined by  Wan Zaidi,  Consulate
India Business
Diesel to open Mumbai stores in April
General of Malaysia, Mumbai, Manoharan,
Director of Tourism Malaysia, Mumbai  and 
Sujata Thakur, Regional Director India Tourism
Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of
AirAsia and Founder of AirAsia X  said: “We
are thrilled to start this much-awaited service
to Mumbai today and provide the people of this
magnificent city with unrivalled low-fare flights
to Kuala Lumpur, the Gateway to ASEAN and
beyond. 
“AirAsia is determined to help in en-
hancing the tourist and commercial links
between  India  and  Malaysia. Mumbai is our
sixth destination city in  India, after  Trivan-
drum, Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi and Tiruchirap-
pali.”
To mark the celebration of the inaugural
Mumbai – Kuala Lumpur flight, AirAsia will be
offering fares from as low as INR 1 (MYR 0.08
sen). The offer is open for sale for the booking
period for May 7 only for the travel period be-
ginning May 8-August 8. 

Tata Tea turns ‘Global’

Kolkata: Tata Tea Limited has changed its
central identity to Tata Global Beverages
Limited, said a company statement on Thurs-
day.
According to the statement, “Tata Tea
assumes a new central identity embracing all its
associate beverage companies across the world
The Board of Directors of Tata Tea Limited has
approved a name change. Tata Tea, Tetley, Eight
O Clock Coffee and other company names will
change to one corporate name: Tata Global Bev-
erages Limited, subject to the approval of the
Shareholders and the approval of the Central
Government.”
“The approval of the shareholders is pro-
posed to be sought by way of postal ballot in ac-
cordance with the provisions of Section 192A of
the Companies Act, 1956,” said the statement.
Following the operational integration of its
five beverage businesses, announced last year,
Tata Global Beverages will unite all the bever-
age interests marking another step in its trans-
formation to become a global leader in ‘good for
you’ beverages.
Commenting on the announcement, R.
Krishna Kumar said: “Today’s announcement
clearly demonstrates the group’s pride in its Tata
parentage and heritage, as well as its intention to
build a new and strong global Tata brand.”
This signals an important milestone in the
evolution of the beverage business, where 70%
of the current consolidated revenues come from
outside of India.
Current brand names will remain for its
products.
Mumbai: Popular Italian lifestyle brand Diesel
has launched its stores across major Indian
cities. Partnered with Reliance Brands Ltd – a
part of the Reliance Industries group, Diesel is
launching 2 stores in Mumbai this month.
The brand will open
one store each in Banga-
lore, Delhi and Hyderabad,
over the next few months.
Renzo Rosso, President
and Founder of Diesel said,
“I have always admired
Indian people, they are
very passionate about what
they do and they have an
innate fashion taste. India has been one of our
major objectives for the last 5 years, we worked
hard in order to find the right location, the
perfect time and the best partner to expand our
with its ‘Be Stupid’ ads is encouraging people to
take risks and move beyond the smart and safe
track for life, said the company.
Darshan Mehta, President and CEO, Reli-
ance Brands, said: “To launch In India one of
the most iconic brand in con-
temporary fashion, is the cul-
mination of a dream and many
months of painstaking but
enjoyable work for my team
and me. Diesel has spawned a
genre of fashion that is an alter-
nate to established luxury and
in India it arrives to a throng
of hungry fashionastas and a
growing generation of cool consumers.”
Designed by the Diesel Creative Team, the
two Mumbai stores exude their own distinctive
identity and are not a replica of any other ex-

Look forward to RIL renegotiations: Anil
Mumbai: ADAG Chairman
Anil Ambani on Friday said
brand in this country. The time is now and we
are very excited to be here”.
Known as a premium casual brand, Diesel
isting Diesel flagship in the world, claimed the
company.
- Indian Weekender news desk
said.
“The court has also directed that suitable ar-

Jet Airways gets World Cup packages

he is looking forward to ‘suc- rangements for gas supply should not only be suit-
cessful renegotiations’ with able to RIL but also the shareholders of RNRL,
his brother Mukesh Ambani’s whose interests have to be fully protected,” he
Reliance Industries Limited added.
(RIL) over the terms of Gas Meanwhile, RNRL shares crashed following Mumbai: Jet “Through our as-
Sale Master Agreement. following the verdict. The dispute involves a deal Airways, India’s sociation with Cutting
The Supreme Court on Friday held back the by Reliance Industries to supply Reliance Natural premier interna- Edge Travel – the par-
order in the Mukesh Ambani versus Anil Ambani Resources with 28 million standard cubic metres tional airline, has ticipating tour opera-
case and asked the billionaire brothers to re-nego- a day (mmscmd) of gas for 17 years at a rate below unveiled an array tor for the 2010 FIFA
tiation the terms of Gas Sale Master Agreement the government price. The deal was part of the of ‘2010 FIFA World Cup in India, we
in six weeks. 2005 family settlement, brokered by their mother World Cup’ pack- are confident that our
The court observed that the gas legally belongs Kokilaben. Reliance Industries argues the private ages for Indian packages will prove
to the government till it reaches the consumer and agreement cannot take precedence over govern- soccer fans under extremely popular with
said that the Ambanis’ family MoU is not legally ment policy, which determines who can receive its holidays brand soccer fans around
binding, thus giving a setback to Anil Ambani’s gas and at what price. JetEscapes. India, perfectly com-
Reliance Natural Resources Limited (RNRL). Anil, who claims otherwise, rolled out a series Jet Airways, plementing our new
The apex court also said that Mukesh Am- of front-page advertisements in major newspapers the sub-agent daily non-stop service
bani’s RIL does not have absolute marketing right accusing the government of taking the side of Re- of Cutting Edge to Johannesburg from
over gas and the price is subject to government ap- liance Industries. Travels who have India. After all there
proval. The gas, which Reliance Natural wants at been appointed the is no bigger stage in
“RNRL looks forward to an expeditious and almost half the government-set rate of $4.2 per “Participating Tour world soccer than the
successful renegotiations with RIL within the stip- million metric British thermal unit (mmBtu), Operator for 2010 2010 FIFA World Cup,
ulated period of six weeks to secure gas supply for comes from the vast Krishna Godavari basin off FIFA World Cup and we are happy to
the group’s power plants in line with the Supreme India’s east coast that is operated by Reliance In- in India” offers give Indian fans this
Court order,” Anil told reporters. dustries. these attractive packages to South Africa, once in a lifetime opportunity.”
He also made it clear that his company will not The government initially filed a petition in including match-day tickets to a game of the The JetEscapes 2010 FIFA World Cup
file a review petition on the case. India’s highest court asking to be made a party guest’s choice, exclusively for its Jet Privilege Bonanza packages start at Rs. 1,51,000 and
“By a majority judgement, the Supreme Court in the dispute, arguing the family agreement members. include return Economy class air fare on Jet
has upheld RNRL’s case that the company petition between the brothers was not applicable, and Sudheer Raghavan, Chief Commercial Airways, four nights and five days accommo-
filed by RNRL as maintainable and has upheld Reliance Industries could only sell gas with its Officer, Jet Airways, said: “Jet Airways is de- dation in applicable hotels in Johannesburg,
the powers of the court to modify the scheme and consent. However, it later modified its stance, lighted to introduce these special JetEscapes airport transfers, the all important match
make it workable. RNRL has currently no plans to saying it only wanted to assert that it is the rightful 2010 FIFA World Cup packages, created spe- ticket, travel insurance and a chance to earn 5
file a review petition in the Supreme Court,” Anil owner of the gas. cifically for the Indian soccer fan. JP Miles on every INR 100 spent.

10 Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
India Business
HCL partners Stellar for expansion Indian IT product serves
London/Noida, May
5 (IBNS) HCL Tech-
nologies Ltd. (HCL),
a leading global IT
tralasian market.
As per the agree-
ment, HCL and
Stellar will target
Middle East
services provider, and new industries and
Stellar Asia Pacific, a provide an expand-
global provider of call ed offering to both
centre and business new and existing
process outsourcing clients in the Aus-
solutions, announced tralasian market,”
that they are entering said John Hol-
into a strategic and lingsworth, CEO,
symbiotic partner- Stellar Asia Pacific.
ship. According to
Through this part- “In addition to its 26 BPO delivery Datamonitor, the
nership, HCL and centers across APAC, Europe, and the BPO services sector
Stellar will jointly in Australia which
offer a compelling Americas, HCL will leverage Stellar’s was valued at USD
business services and Australian and Philippines contact 5,551.5 million in
outsourcing proposi- 2008, is expected
tion to clients by le- centre capabilities to offer near-shore, to grow at a rate of
veraging HCL’s back 7.5% between 2008
office and technology
offshore delivery option to clients,” and 2013, and could Chennai: Ramco Systems, India’s leading IT face automatically with the different software
product capabilities reach a value of Product Company has signed up with Tradeline systems and the Ramco Financial management
which complement Stellar’s customer relation- USD 7,970.7 million by the end of the period. L.L.C., a Dubai-based trading and manufactur- system, which is currently running at the Al
ship management services. The BPO services sector derives its revenues ing group, to offer IT solutions on HCM and Ghurair Iron and Steel Company. This package
“We are delighted to partner with Stellar. via five segments; CRM BPO, F&A BPO, HR Payroll Management. is believed to empower the employees by pro-
Our clients will benefit from the combination of outsourcing, Procurement BPO and vertical- Under the deal, Ramco HCM and Payroll so- viding self service access.” 
HCL’s and Stellar’s leading technology and ser- specific BPO. lutions will integrate the processes of the differ- Tradeline Group will use Ramco HCM and
vices. This initiative is part of HCL’s aggressive “This partnership reinforces HCL’s strategy ent business units within the Tradeline Group, Payroll for their Trading, Shipping and Iron
strategy to expand its global delivery footprint to deepen its presence as a business services by providing centralized payroll processing and Steel Manufacturing business units, which
to offer the blended delivery option to global provider in ANZ and APAC. Through this part- capabilities to the group companies which will comprise proximately 450 employees. While
clients,” said Rajiv Swarup, Corporate Vice nership HCL will leverage its capabilities in help streamlining the HR process across all the implemented centrally at their head office in
President, HCL Technologies Ltd. delivering vertical-specific BPO solutions and business units of Tradeline.  Dubai, the solution will enable different busi-
“In addition to its 26 BPO delivery centers services to offer cost-effective outsourcing and Commenting on the deal,  R Shankar, Vice ness units, located across the UAE, to access the
across APAC, Europe, and the Americas, HCL offshore-able alternatives to clients,” said Vi- President, Middle East Operations, Ramco system and operate independently. 
will leverage Stellar’s Australian and Philip- render Aggarwal, Executive Vice President & Systems said, “The uniqueness of this package Ramco HCM and Payroll solutions to the
pines contact centre capabilities to offer near- Head of APAC-MEA Markets, HCL Technolo- will benefit Tradeline in multiple ways. Though Tradeline Group will comprise a package of
shore, offshore delivery option to clients,” gies Ltd. implemented centrally, it will be accessible to different functions such as Employee Data
Swarup said. HCL and Stellar will target specific industry multiple business units located in different parts Management, Leave Management, Time Man-
“Stellar and HCL have recognized that their segments such as Banking & Financial Servic- of the Emirates. Besides, it will also automate agement, Payroll, Recruitment, Appraisal,
services are complementary to each other and es, Telecommunications, Manufacturing, Utili- the end-to-end activities of the HR department, Training, Employee and Manager Self service,
have entered into a strategic alliance to jointly ties Services, Retail and Media. which are currently handled manually. and many more.  
provide solutions and services in the Aus- “The HR system will be enabled to inter-
COLENSO1967F

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11
Indian
Naxalism
and Maoism
One of the biggest problems facing India today is the Naxal issue. The saga of violence continues daily across wide
swathes of the country’s hinterland. ANANT TRIVEDI analyses how this has come to be and looks at possible solutions
Tragedy consumed the lives of so many CRPF
Jawans recently in Dantewala in an ambush
by Naxals. Media is busy with writings and
debates and seminars are being held by con-
cerned citizens – we love to debate issues.
There is so much being speculated about how
the perpetrators of the massacre should be dealt
with, who should be held accountable for the
loss of so many lives, the failure intelligence,
who should take the blame for lack of training
and inadequate preparedness of those sent in to
enforce the rule of law.
Politicians as always, are busy trading
charges at each other with the Home Min-
ister coming under a lot of flak with calls for
his resignation. No politician from the state of
Chattisgarh has accepted responsibility – the
problem belongs somewhere else. Nor even
politicians from the ‘red corridor’ of Manipur,
Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh,
Mizoram, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa , West
Bengal have shed their silence.
The day after the massacre the CM and
another politician could be clearly seen in a
jovial mood on this sombre occasion, caught
off guard no doubt by the cameras. It seems
this was another item in their busy sched-
ule – promise compensation to the be-
reaved and life moves on.
Dantewala is not the first tragic event
in recent times and sadly perhaps it
won’t be the last. The country is suffer-
ing as a result of a chaotic state of gov-
ernance, which has been getting worse
over years. Those elected to govern
do not see the need for planning for
the future and well being of those
they are elected to govern. The
need to ensure proper civil ad-
ministration, communication,
adequate well equipped and
trained and accountable law
enforcement and judicial
delivery – for all particu-
larly beyond the urban
sprawls, seems alien to
the elected leadership.
The elected, the
supporting civil ad-
ministration and
the law enforce-
ment machin-
ery are today
totally en-
grossed in
filling their
coffers,
in fact a
AI
ES
race to
YD
MA
TA N
N:O
ATI
TR
US
IL L
12
The spread of
surpass the other in quantum of loot. It is
naïve to believe that those elected are there for
reasons other than to acquire enormous illegiti-
mate wealth, and retain their hold on power.
The nation is in the grip of a mafia, which
gets elected by hook or by crook. Political mafia
whose strategy is to get cosy with groups who
espouse violence and insurgency as a strategy
for winning political power continues. With
this background, it is important to sit back and
analyse the situation to determine what needs
to be done by the State and how should civil
society intervene to arrest the slow but
sure decline into a state of law-
lessness and anarchy.
C a n
con-
cerned
citizens
afford to sit back
and allow the nation
to be further destroyed
by a minority that has
proved repeatedly that
they cannot be trusted
to govern. At grass roots
there is very good nexus
in between the bureaucrats,
politicians, policeman and
the leaders of Maoist move-
ment. Without political pa-
tronage and protection it is
not possible for such move-
ments to sustain.
How did we get into this situ-
ation?
The troubled areas are typi-
cally those where there has
been virtually no developmen-
tal activity over the 60 plus years
India - Viewpoint
of independence. These are areas where locals
have been systematically repressed, their re-
sources looted and fundamental rights violated.
Police atrocities and feudal caste based hi-
erarchy has taken matters from bad to worse.
These are not confined to the forest belts like
Dantewala. Pockets of neglect exist all round
the country and these are typically the breed-
ing grounds of miscreant activity and are also
places where disruptive philosophy of Maoism
flourishes.
The particular belt where tragedy struck is
an where people live off the land, and have
been hunting for food and been tilling the
soil for subsistence for generations. This
land is there home. There are no roads,
schools, hospitals and no presence of
civil administration or the law enforce-
ment agencies.
These are areas where subsis-
tence is at a few rupees a day,
if you don’t hunt successfully
or are not able to convert
some vegetation into food
you simply go hungry, if you
fall ill you die unless the local
voodoo doctor is able to cure
you. There are still vast tracks
of the country where millions
exist in such primitive ways,
abandoned by the State.
Law enforcement has
entered the scene only recently
to help protect the mining mafia
and contractors who moved into
the area to extract valuable miner-
als but without any plan for compen-
sating those whose land is being usurped
by providing them either money or enrich-
ing their lives with ‘value’ such as employ-
ment, health schooling etc.
These are clearly encroachers who have
moved in, in connivance with the elected and
the powerful of the area. The helpless local is
forced to move away and make way.
Why would the miner or contractor need
protection if they had reached out to the
local tribals and provided a package of em-
ployment, education, and compensation at a
fair price?
Where there is neglect by the state, there will
be poverty and social injustice. Where there is
no redressal mechanism for disputes, there will
inevitably be an environment in which miscre-
ants and anti State philosophies gather sympa-
thy.
Where the state has failed to govern, people
will succumb to persuasion from the anti-state
elements to take alternatives to safeguard their
interest and some will no doubt out of despera-
tion and foolishness take up arms. No doubt
Maoists have moved into the area (often sup-
ported by equally criminal political partners)
and in many instances preached the philosophy
Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
of extortion as a remedy against the miners thus
in turn making the erstwhile peaceful tribals
into a lawless mob.
When they know no better, it is foolish to
blame them alone. Tribals have no experience
of the benefit of a civilised administration and
now do not trust a system which has exploited
them and now offers the course of law to resolve
disputes. These locals are fighting for survival.
They see their lives threatened by aliens who
have moved into their home and destroying
them. They have to resist this invasion with
every means available.
It follows that the miners to protect them-
selves call for help from the administration
whose babus and politicians were no doubt in
collusion and receiving bribes from the miners
to be allowed to extract minerals, coal, etc. re-
action of the state machinery is to violently put
down any insurgency. But is the consequential
collateral damage from such strategy clearly
understood?
What we are witnessing at increasing fre-
quency today are symptoms of a gradually
failing nation. Our political class is at a loss
on how to deal with the situation sensibly. The
nation is threatened not so much by Maoism or
even the spreading of Naxalism but by the in-
creasing apathy for the well being of the citizen
and total disregard for the rule of law by those
whom we elect to govern and then fail to hold
them accountable.
How should this situation be reversed?
The law enforcement agencies will only
see this as a law and order situation. The
Home Minister who is charged with maintain-
ing the rule of law has no choice but to restore
the respect for law. But should the rule of law
only be enforced amongst these villagers and
tribals who are the true aggrieved in the first
instance from years of neglect? Should we not
also punish those who caused this situation –
who allowed neglect and encouraged repression
to carry on for so long, who looted the land,
allowed mining mafias to move in and displace
the poor, who violated human rights for so long?
These villagers and tribals have never seen the
benefits of progress (food, livelihood, health,
education, roads, resolution of disputes....) they
have instead seen their place of abode of centu-
ries being occupied by strangers and they being
made to uproot and go some where else! They
have only experienced social injustice.
To address this problem requires a package
of measures and it is questionable whether our
elected leadership is up to the task of delivering
the required change, without a big nudge from
the citizen who put them there.
- Anant Trivedi is with the National
Network For India in New Delhi. NNFI con-
nects like minded people across India as well
as NRIs facilitating good governance.
Indian
Fiji

Fiji’s defining moment

sam thompson

A Fiji Indian journalist was the first to break the news of the first military coup in Fiji to the world, exactly 23 years
ago today, May 14. SAM THOMPSON tells his story.
Democracy as we knew it in Fiji ended on the
stroke of 10 on May 14, 1987.
The chiming of the clock at Government
buildings was the signal for the then Colonel
Sitiveni Rabuka and his men, to storm parlia-
ment and kidnap the democratically elected
Government of Dr Timoci Bavadra. Every jour-
nalist has a defining moment in their career. My
claim to fame was this one. I broke the news to
the world. But I almost missed out on being a
witness to one of the most momentous moments
that changed the course of Fiji’s history. At the
time I was a cocky 26-year-old editor of Fiji’s
first commercial radio station FM96. I say that
because we were redefining radio from the
drab drivel of the government run stations at
the time. We pushed the boundaries by start-
ing hourly news bulletins with a three man new
team, against the vast resources of the Govern-
ment broadcaster.
They said it couldn’t be done because Fiji
was too small and many on the sideline were
watching, expecting us to fall flat on our faces.
With this back drop of having much to prove,
I was sitting at my desk on that fateful day ex-
ploring options of how to generate fresh news
for the top of the hour. The tedium of a parlia-
mentary session, trying to make sense of what
out elected representatives were saying was un-
appealing, but I decided was a necessary evil.
So I ended up at the press gallery, bored silly,
and because I had skipped breakfast hunger
pains were setting in. This was the pre-mo-
bile phone era where land lines were fiercely
guarded and faxes ruled. There was just one
phone next to the press gallery where Hansard
recording were taking place. At 10am when the
clock started chiming, I decided I had enough
and got up to leave, when I noticed Rabuka
striding through the parliamentary chamber
towards the Speaker. My curiosity peaked and
I decided breakfast could wait. Rabuka was not
in uniform, he was dressed smartly, coat and
tie and a sulu, no indication of what’s to come.
Shortly after balaclava clad men, dressed in
army fatigues, brandishing pistols barged into
parliament positioned themselves behind Gov-
ernment MPs.
I remember thinking this is an unusual exer-
cise for the army to conduct, but than my jour-
nalistic instincts kicked in and I started counting
heads and observing details. Among those were
Rabuka instructing Government parliamentar-
ians to follow his men out of parliament. Prime
Minister Dr Timoci Bavadra leaning back in
his chair, rolling his eyes upwards, slapping
“I burst through that and came to a screeching
halt with an AK 42 riffle in my stomach and a
balaclava clad soldier at the end of it wanting to
know what the #@#* I was doing.”
his table with both hand, pushing himself up in
defiance. A soldier, placing a gun in his back
and ordering him to lead the way out of parlia-
ment. Other Government MPs roughly pulled
out of their seats and shoved along at gun point,
some stumbling, others leaning on each other
for support, in confusion. Fiji Broadcasting
Corporation journalist Francis Herman (later
became chief executive of FBC) and I looked
at each other and it dawned at us at the same
time that this is a coup. Both of us scrambled for
the only phone. He got there first. The nearest
phone for me was the Ministry of Information
building next door. I went charging down the
gallery stairs. The old parliamentary entrance
had bat wing doors, like the cowboy movies.
I burst through that and came to a screeching
halt with an AK 42 riffle in my stomach and a
balaclava clad soldier at the end of it wanting
to know what the #@#* I was doing. Like any
B grade movie I immediately put my hand up,
shaking my note pad, as if that was going to
be any help, shouting “I’m a reporter, I’m a re-
porter”. He obviously had more pressing issues
to deal with and told me to “get the #@#* out
of here”.
I didn’t need to be told twice. I raced into
the Ministry of information building, shouting
give me a phone, any phone now. The Director
of Information at that time was Peter Thomp-
son. He wanted to know what the urgency was.
While dialling the radio station, I said there
had been a coup. He and a few others around
at the time laughed and said yeah right. By that
time I had been put through to the studio, I told
the announcer to fade the music with breaking
news. I started my report saying there has been
a military take over and gave details of Rabuka
and his men storming parliament and taking
Government MP’s hostage. Peter Thompson
heard the report in stunned silence and finally
said “well they are going to be here wanting to
put out a press release”. One of the Information
Ministry reporters grabbed the phone from me
and said I can’t use it anymore. Francis Herman
should have broken the biggest story in Fiji’s
history. He later told me he was trying to con-
vince his superiors that there had been a coup,
but no one would believe him. I had no such
problems, I was the editor, no one was going
to argue with me. So I waited for the first news
release by Rabuka, officially telling Fiji citi-
zens, their lives had changed for ever. By that
time the building was surrounded by armed
soldiers. I grabbed the first the copy out of the
printer and jumped through a window, my only
way out of the building.
I ran to the road to flag down a car to get
to the radio station as soon as possible, to get
the official statement to air. The first vehicle to
come along was a police van which I flagged
down. Luckily I knew the officers from my days
doing the police round. They said hop in and
they will drop me and started asking what was
the hurry. I said there had been coup. Their re-
sponse “Oh yeah, so what happened”.
I said “you know a coup, don’t know what
the hell’s going to happen now” They looked at
me blankly so I explained to them the military
has taken over, guns are involved, elected gov-
ernment is under arrest. It suddenly dawned on
them what a coup was, they both looked at each
other and said to me “we can’t take you to FM96
anymore we’ll drop you at the nearest taxi
stand”. By that time the military had stormed
the Fiji Sun, The Fiji Time and FBC and shut
them down. FM 96 was the new kid on the
block, they forgot about us when they planned
the coup. When I arrived at the station there
was no soldier in sight. I got Rabuka’s official
statement that he had taken over the country to
air and had a field day getting reactions. Emo-
tional clips of Bavadra’s wife and relatives of
other MP’s, Opposition sentiments to the coup.
It was picked up by the wire service. The news
had got out. It took the military four hours to
realise people knew what was going on because
they had tuned into FM96.
By that time I had done numerous inter-
views with overseas news organisations includ-
ing Radio New Zealand, Radio Australia, BBC
and Voice of America.
- Sam Thompson now lives in Auckland,
and works for NewstalkZB radio station

Tappoo Kanji passes away Don’t fight over land: Bainimarama

Fiji’s sugar industry had suffered because of non- of health problems in the Province.
The sire of the Tappoo smith business, handcraft- renewal of leases, Prime Minister Commodore The council was told tests had confirmed that
business empire, ing small pieces of jewel- Voreqe Bainimarama told the people of Tailevu the water was unsafe for drinking.
Tappoo Kanji passed lery himself in Sigatoka today. “Water is the main cause of sickness in the
away peacefully in his in 1941, he laid the foun- Mr Bainimarama said the sugar industry, Tailevu Province, Korovou Hospital Medical
sleep on Sunday. dations of a business that, mostly farmed by Indians, used to be the back- officer in charge Dr James Kalouvaki told the
The funeral for within a generation, is one bone of Fiji’s economy, but had suffered due to meeting.
Tappoo Bhai, as he of the largest in Fiji. non-renewal of leases. He told the Tailevu Pro- Dr James urged council members to go back
was fondly known, Today the Tappoo com- vincial Council not to fight over land. and inform the people to boil every drinking
was on Tuesday. mercial entity is into retail- Addressing the council, Mr Bainimarama water. He said test taken and confirmed that water
The Tappoo Group, the late Tappoo Kanji and son ing, duty-free, wholesaling, said fighting for land would not bring anything was not safe unless boiled.
an integral part of the Kanti Tappoo hospitality and much more but overgrown properties. He warned there had been an increase of
business environment – one of the biggest busi- He said the land issue should be put aside if Typhoid, Leptopharesis and diarrhea cases and
in Fiji, is the result of Tappoo Bhai’s dedication to ness ventures in the islands. Fiji was to move forward, Radio Fiji reported. these were all water related disease. He also apol-
truth and compassion. Having written several pieces Kanti Tappoo, the eldest, leads the business as Also, at the meeting the People of Tailevu ogized to the Tailevu Council for the non-imple-
on his life, I came know a lot about the grit of this its chairman, while Vinod, Mahendra, Kamlesh, were urged to boil water as it was the main cause mentation of awareness programmes.
person as he made a life for himself and his family Suresh, Yogesh and Madhu (CEO) run the day-to-

Fiji signs $9 million anti-tuberculosis deal

in Fiji in the 1930s and 40s. day affairs. Their sons are also part of the business
Starting as a gold jeweller, Tappoo Bhai went on holding, with the exception of Sumeet Tappoo who
to peddling goods on a bicycle in the Sigatoka Valley is a successful singer in Bollywood.
area. He built up his small business from there, start- The Tappoo Group has earned a name for itself Suva: Fiji’s Ministry of Health and the Global Fund ent will work with the sub-recipients including the
ing with a general goods shop, to put together a com- as a company dedicated to nation-building through have signed a $9 million agreement to help reduce Fiji Red Cross Society, the Fiji Nursing Association
mercial enterprise that has been praised for its dedi- commercial pursuit and parity. tuberculosis in Fiji. and the Fiji School of Medicine and nursing pro-
cation to the country. • The Group employs over a 1000 staff, with Minister for Health Dr Neil Sharma said the grams under the College of Medicine, the Nursing
Tappoo Bhai is the epitome of the man who made several hundred others employed by its subsidiaries. grant will contribute to upgrading laboratory and Health Sciences of the Fiji National University,
good through sheer hard work and determination. It has an unmatched number of long service awards systems in the main divisional facilities, support- the National TB program, the National Reference
His sons have always said that their father showed among its staff ing the national TB program and strengthening the Laboratory, the Fiji Pharmaceutical and Biomedical
them the way to do business: with rancour, without • The Tappoo Family Charitable Trust makes health information systems. Service Centre and The Health Information Unit.
aggression and with the common man always in the large donations for education and social works. “A significant aspect of the project is the over- The programme will be carried out over the
fore-front of their mind. It was set up as part of the 65th anniversary of the seeing of the treatment of around 650 TB patients next 27months.
A deeply spiritual man, Tappoo Bhai was an Group in 2006 over the past five years and the screening and distri- The Global Fund is a multi-billion-dollar in-
ardent follower of Mahatma. His decisions were • Tappoo City, one the largest investment in bution of TB prophylaxis to more than 750 children ternational financing mechanism intended to help
bound by ‘dharma’, something he passed on to his Fiji in the past few years, was built at a cost of $50 in contact with infectious patients,” said Sharma. advance the fight against diseases such as TB,
children. million. He said the ministry being the principal recipi- AIDS and malaria.
When Tappoo Bhai established his small gold- - Nalinesh Arun

Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 13

 Indian
Indian
From the Editor
As nice guys, we’re doomed to finish last
Kiwis turned up turned by the thousands on Auckland’s Queen Street last week to march in
protest against the government’s proposed mining plans. Though the number of marchers re-
ported by the media varied between 15,000 and 50,000, it was enough to send a chill wind in
Prime Minister John Key’s camp. Those numbers would have warmed the cockles of Labour
Party politicians’ hearts.
The country’s clean and green image and reputation is prized dearly enough by people
to have motivated them to turn up in such large numbers against the proposed mining plans
even though the value of mineral wealth that can be mined is estimated at some $200 billion.
Opinion is divided on whether modern, clean and controlled mining techniques will add
to handsomely the economy while having a minimal effect on the environment and the fragile
ecosystems we Kiwis care about so much. The jury is out on whether the proposed so-called
surgical mining can ever be sustainably profitable. There is no agreement on whether the
exercise will ultimately be viable economically.
Although that is an important debate, what we Kiwis also need to analyse is whether our
fiercely ecology-centric attitude is holding our economy back. New Zealand has been slip-
ping on several of the OECD indices for several years now and if the slide continues, things
will only get worse. With a small population and the tyranny of distance with our trading
partners, global environmental concerns and Kiwis’ attitudes could put this country on a
downward slide that will prove hard to stem once it gathers momentum.
The laudably lofty ideals of protecting the environment and leaving a cleaner, greener
world for our children and grand children that motivated all those thousands of people on
Queen Street has guided leaders’ policy making over the years – which lead to the previous
government’s Kyoto commitments.
Before the last election, National promised to make those commitments more practicable
to minimize their potentially negative effect on the country’s economy. That has not hap-
pened. In fact, the government, under its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) has decided to
bring a carbon tax on 100 per cent of emissions over the coming few years. Contrast this with
most countries around the developed world committing to tax just 4 per cent of their emis-
sions. And the government has refused to postpone the scheme or take a relook.
While taking a stand against mining will never allow the country to tap into the potential
$200 billion wealth trapped under its surface, the ETS will see a rise in prices of every single
commodity in the country. This will make New Zealand exports dearer and the vital dairy
industry uncompetitive in the global market. This is a double whammy with which the gov-
ernment is unbelievably creating an uneven playing field for the country.
Worse things are tipped to happen. The second stage of the United Kingdom’s half-baked
Air Passenger Duty (APD) – an excise duty charged on flying passengers from airports
within the UK to destinations outside on aircraft with capacities of 20 or more seats – will
kick in later this year. The tax has a cascading scale related to distance, which makes long
distance flying considerably more expensive.
A passenger travelling from the UK to New Zealand will have to pay a whopping 170
pounds surcharge on their ticket price. This is bound to affect passenger numbers from the
UK. If the European Union follows suit, numbers from Europe will also fall. The region’s
tourism industry in association with others all over the world is protesting this tax, which
purports to save the world by putting disincentives on people so that they don’t fly long dis-
tances and pollute the sky.
So we are being asked to pay a tax to save the world. The question is: what in the emission
control strategies that the world is dreaming up would have helped counter carbon spewed
a natural calamity like the Icelandic volcano belching out 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide
per day? Who pays for such an unexpected surge in carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases
because of natural causes?
What effect would this have on targets set at world conferences to deal with the problem
such as Copenhagen? Will all targets be dynamically adjusted and carbon taxes raised every
time there is a surge in atmospheric carbon following every volcano or – god forbid – a
future Krakatoa? Who has the answers?
And some more questions: What sort of country do we want to leave for our future gen-
eration – a clean green nation driven by fundamentalist ideals resulting in declining stan-
dards of living and a regressively poorer economy, or a strong nation that strives to strike a
balance between its own economic interests and its environment?
The world respects the strong more than it does nice guys. We simply can’t come up
trumps if we continue to delude ourselves as Mr Nice Guys to the world.
– Dev Nadkarni
Indian Weekender Volume 2 No 4
Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited
Group editor-in-chief: Dev Nadkarni dev@indianweekender.co.nz
Online editor: Arvind Kumar arvind@indianweekender.co.nz
India Correspondent: Shobha Rao shobha@indianweekender.co.nz
Chief Technical Officer: Rohan Desouza rohan@ indianweekender.co.nz
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Please email original editorial contributions, community notices and pictures to
editor@indianweekender.co.nz
Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher
is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearingv in the publication
Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, New Market
and printed at APN Print, Ellerslie, Auckland
Copyright 2010. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.
14
Letters
Fiji and The Fijians
I possess this book, which was given to my Grandfather – a Methodist missionary in Fiji in the
1800s. The book was written by Thomas Williams with a preface written by James Calvert in 1884.
It is a most interesting book which gives “in depth descriptions” of the various practices and culture
of the Fijians during the 17th Century and the courage these missionaries faced journeying into
these islands.
Sandra McGrath
T20
The IPL is combination of Sports and entertainment. The IPL has broken all the rules of the gentle-
men’s game by bringing in beautiful and talented cheerleaders celebrities from bollywoood. How
abour, we see one of them umpire an IPL match? We need some ladies on the field too.
Marina
Sikhs role in Anzac
This issue could be signficantly promoted by attending the many ANZAC day events. Perhaps a
group can plan for the next one, make contacts with appropriate parties and contribute on behalf
of the Indians who (i think its over 1000) lost their lives. In this country we as ethnic people must
focus on postive outcomes or fail in the view that we have not altered our own discriminatory
behaviours.
Ann Pala QSM
Thanks for bringing it up. There are so many untold stories like these which are never given long
deserved imprtance because of political reasons. Thanks for touching these hidden areas. That is
true journalism.
S.S Kang
Please keep up the good work in highlighting the acheivements of fellow Indians. The local media
conveniently forgets the input of Sikhs in ANZAC. Sikh forces are the only forces in the world who
have ever controlled the NWFP in Afghanistan - I remember this was also reported in detail in an
article in Indian Weekender - highlighting the fearless sikh soldier which is till today unparalleled.
Gurpartap Bajwa
Fiji could be Dubai
Great comments from a great Australian. Well Done Hon. Peter Lewis.Australian Politicians led by
the former Prime Minister imposed draconian measures to attack Fiji’s Leadership and to destroy
any semblance of return to normalcy, because it favours their political purposes. Hon Peter has
broken the chain. ...
Noor Dean
Myths of vedas
The definition of Vedas is from the Wikipedia and not my own, although I can see where they
are coming from. The positing of natural phenomenon onto a personality is seen as a myth: fire
for Agni, water for Varun, thunder and lightening for Indra - and all the events surrounding their
existence. Not knowing about the background of these entities and their correlation to cosmology,
western critics call them myths. Not believing it ourselves makes them myths too. Which is a sorry
state of affairs....
Nalinesh
Ain’t good enough mate
I rekon 17 years isnt enough, he took an innocent life so therefore should own up for his filthy
actions. I dont know Navtej but i wonder what kinda person could do such a thing like the killer did.
At least lock him up for good so he can’t destroy more lives.
P
Congratulations
The paper is a truly engrossing and entertaining read and one of the most professional publications
in the market. Thanks for providing such a high quality publication to the Indian community.
Adeela
Top 10 stories on www.iwk.co.nz
1. Femina Miss India now hunts for ‘Bollywood Diva’
2. New York Sikh body to appeal against Tytler clean chit
3. Sumeet Tappoo’s album makes India top 10 list
4. Malayali Samajam celebrates Kerala’s ethos in NZ
5. Shammi Kapoor’s son makes a comeback
6. Ayurveda digitised to prevent bio-piracy
7. An apple a day . . .
8. Pratima Nand honoured as local hero
9. NZ-India FTA first round of talks concluded
10. Fiji ‘has potential to surpass Dubai’
Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
Coup Anniversary and Forgiveness
Subhash Appana
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Sitiveni
Rabuka’s coup, a coup that brought into the
tranquil backwaters of the South Pacific the use
of might over right as a weapon to change gov-
ernment. Sure this had been the mode of choice
in the good old days, but colonisation and re-
finement by the British was supposed to have
changed this more than a century ago. And like
all old habits, it was supposed to have receded
into the mists of time.
Unfortunately, the transformative effects of
colonisation and subsequent experiences with
responsible self-government were left wanting
on that fateful day as Fiji showed that it was not
prepared to join the ranks of democratic nations
and that there was still some learning left for
its people. That was ultimately the unflattering
verdict that Sitiveni Rabuka invited when he
unleashed the coup genie at 10am on 14th May
1987.
Fiji’s first coup involved a well orchestrated
military operation. Firebrand Taukei Movement
leader, Taniela Veitata, proclaimed “power flows
from the barrel of a gun” as Captain Savenaca
Draunidalo and nine masked, silent gunmen
executed Fiji’s “treason at ten” that brought
democracy to its knees in that pacific paradise
that was once referred to as “the way the world
should be” by no other than the Pope.
Today marks 23 years after the fall of Fiji
from that elevated pedestal from where when
PM Ratu Mara walked into any international
forum, the world took notice. This was, after all,
the man who helped broker the Lome Conven-
tion between the ACP and EEC in 1975. And
Fiji’s PM always walked tall and proud with
Malcolm Fraser of Australia and Lee Kwan Yew
of Singapore. Those were the days when Fiji had
to be acknowledged.
Coup Fallout
The fallout from that coup has kept Fiji both
hobbled and crippled since that fateful day as
an unprecedented exodus of the largely Indo-
Fijian community began from a country that
they had helped develop into what they saw as
“home”. In the euphoria of independence just 17
years before, this same immigrant community
had enthusiastically chanted and sung: Fiji desh
hamaara hae, praano se bhi pyara hae.
Rabuka’s coup extinguished that flame of
feeling and passion that had been painstakingly
nurtured through the tyrannical trials and tribu-
lations of Girmit. Heart-wrenching farewells
were made as tears flowed among unprepared
families torn apart in an unexpected new search
for a home outside Fiji. A lifestyle that had been
built around the undulating green cane fields
was suddenly not meant to be.
Indian leaders, civil servants and sympathi-
sers were hounded, seized and removed from
their positions as an ethnic “balancing” exercise
ensued in the civil service amid an environ-
ment of distrust, fear and hatred. Any advantage
that could be exploited for personal gain was
pursued with relish. Any dislikes or misunder-
standings among neighbours both near and far
were “corrected” as enough soldiers chose to
look through only one eye.
The hounding continued to Nadi Airport
where those who chose to leave had to contend
with embarrassing and demeaning clearance
processes in a system that suddenly had too
many gaps for abusive interpretation. Officials
made on-the-spot rules to maximise discomfort
and many still talk about the inhumanity shown
among humans who appeared to have metamor-
phosed into demons overnight.
The propaganda machinery in the meantime,
went into overdrive as crass attempts were made
to use race to justify the unjustifiable. Unfortu-
nately the forcibly disturbed emotions did little
to calm these necessary official encounters. And
it would be unfair not to mention the many of-
ficials who did help in those tight times. Unfor-
tunately the bad too often outshines the good in
the human mind especially when it is outraged
Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
Today marks 23 years after the fall of Fiji from
that elevated pedestal from where when PM
Ratu Mara walked into any international forum,
the world took notice.
by a sense of unfairness.
A bigger, oft-understated, fallout from that
coup was the release of variant ambitious ethnic
Fijian interests that suddenly realised that there
were opportunities to be exploited. This is when
the tightly glued Fijian traditional system began
to haemorrhage with increasing speed. This is
when the chiefly system was first defied, tested
and diverted towards narrow political interests.
The coup had spawned a plethora of interests,
demands, expectations and more importantly, it
brought to the centre a different type of Fijian
bureaucrat/politician. It also centralised the role
of the Methodist Church in Fijian politics. And
of necessity, the demarcation between national
government and the Fijian “system” was now as
confused as ever.
That was the source of the tightrope that
Rabuka was forced to walk throughout his
reign; that’s why he was always reshuffling his
cabinet and making constant political deals. Ul-
timately that was what led to his fall from grace
at the hands of the voters in 1999. Rabuka could
not continue to please the myriad interests that
he had spawned with his coup and strategically
nurtured through his silently intensifying power
tussle with Ratu Mara.
The “coup culture” that Fiji finds itself
saddled with was thus seeded by Lieutenant-
Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka more than 2 decades
ago. There is also a link between all of Fiji’s 5
coups so far, the most direct being between the
1987 coup and that of Bainimarama in 2006.
Rabuka thus, stands in the centre of the creation
and maintenance of Fiji as “Coup-Coup Land”.
It is in this light that we need to evaluate his at-
tempts at shaking off his Coup-Karma.
Forgiveness for Coup-Karma
There have been numerous reactions to
Rabuka’s recent attempt at making a public
apology for the 1987 coup. This time he took
the initiative to approach the Tui Vuda, former
President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo. Few realise that
Ratu Josefa has direct links with Vuniduva, the
seat of the Tui Cakau (one of Fiji’s 3 paramount
chiefs) at Somosomo in Taveuni. There was
therefore, obvious Rabuka-type strategy in this
latest move.
The Taukei Sawaieke, Ratu Tevita Mo-
Comment
moedonu went to great pains to clarify that,
“Rabuka did not go there to apologise for over-
throwing the Dr Bavadra-led government, but to
admit that what he did was wrong....It was up to
us whether to pardon him” (FT 16/4/10). This is
the type of attached provisos that have always
characterised Rabuka’s initiatives. And this is
what makes people skeptical about his sincerity.
Some of the public reactions have been
downright vindictive and unforgiving, but
others have shown that we still retain what it
takes to rise above the pettiness that enshrines
the darker side of human nature. I do not wish
to go through the more pronounced reactions
here, but would like to emphasise that I doubt
too many of these people have known Rabuka
in person.
I have. And like anybody who knows
Rabuka, can vouch that he has that elusive yet
priceless quality called leadership. Rabuka has
such charisma that he can effortlessly take over
a gathering regardless of size. I have no doubts
that he had all the right intentions when he ex-
ecuted that Father of Coups in 1987. I also have
no doubts that his attempts at seeking forgive-
ness are genuine – that is the nature of the man.
Unfortunately, the web of lies and deceit
that he weaved through all of his public pro-
nouncements about that coup and subsequent
developments in Fiji have come back to haunt
him. Rabuka was thrust into a situation that was
thought to be well above his depth; at some stage
he decided to take control of the political game
that had rationalised the 1987 coup. And the fact
that he successfully swam through it for 12yrs
has to be credited to the man.
That journey, which was initially meant to
last for only a few days or weeks, called for
the continuous plotting of a path for his politi-
cal purpose once he decided to stay on. This is
where the real legacy of Rabuka lies. He created
a web of lies, a complex facade of truth to keep
the aggrieved, angered and self-righteous hordes
out and continue to appease the hungry factions
that propped him. Fiji politics, which has largely
been Fijian, continued in that vein – that’s what
was being exploited by Qarase and his Gang.
Coming back to the issue of forgiveness for
Rabuka, no matter what model we apply, two
factors stand out as pre-requisites for real for-
giveness: the need for truth and repentance. I
doubt that Rabuka will ever be able to tell the
whole truth; his lies that beget further lies have
entangled and strangled the truth too strongly.
That leaves repentance. And that is what nobody
can strangle Rabuka with; he is free to repent in
the unending web of his lies.
The Now
23 years later much has changed; the Indian
threat is no more, attempts are renewed at every
turn to castigate and ostracise Fiji even from the
Pacific fraternity. The un-neighbourly outbursts
from Samoa are shocking at best. Any attempt
to try to present a non-outraged position on the
Bainimarama regime is seen as pro-coup and
seditious. Where will the solutions come from?
Do elections guarantee democracy, transpar-
ency and accountability in Fiji?
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the
1987 coup that transformed Fiji’s political land-
scape from one of smug complacence and ac-
ceptance to one of forceful denial of the tenets of
democracy and the verdict of the voter through
militant advocacy of the unfettered rights of a
section of the community that could not com-
prehend the responsibilities that went with that
elevated political positioning and has continued
to refuse to accept the same. The trials for Fiji
continue.
- Subhash Appana is an academic and
political commentator. The opinions contained
in this article are entirely his and not neces-
sarily shared by any organizations he may be
associated with both in Fiji and abroad. Email
subhasha@ais.ac.nz
15
Indian
Fiji

Touching tribute to the sacrifice of ancestors

Arvind Kumar
Exactly 131 years ago today (May 14) the first Indians landed on Fiji shores to work on the sugar cane plantations. Most
of them made Fiji their home after years of hard labour under their British plantation masters. An Auckland man now tells
the story of one “Girmitiya” in a new book.
An Auckland accountant has formulated a unique and friends. ence of their forefathers “Often when families live very far apart, chil-
way to keep his family networks connected . . . Mr Prakash com- in whatever was being dren born in respective families sometimes never
and at the same time pay tribute to his ancestors mended the vision and enjoyed by the current get to meet or get to know each other.
who were among the pioneers of the first Indians the initiative taken by generation. “This book is aimed at connecting everyone
brought to Fiji from India to work on the sugar cane Kumar to publish the Kumar, who lives in and at the same time telling the story of Girmit of
farms. book to strengthen his Mangere with his wife our ancestors. It was a different world then, and it is
Satendra Kumar, originally of Sigatoka, Fiji, family networks and at and sons, said he hoped something the younger generation needs to cherish
has penned a book which not only lists names and the same time remind- the book would help and respect.”
contact details of family members going back three ing the current genera- his network of family According to the book, Ram Prasad, who lived
generations – starting from his maternal grandfa- tion of the struggles the members – spread across in Gokul, in Mathura district, in Uttar Pradesh, was
ther (nanaji), but attempts to tell the how and why pioneers had to endure to the globe – to be able to forced on to the boat by unknown assailants who
of “Girmit”. secure a better future for stay connected for a long grabbed him while he was away from his home fol-
The book, The Legacy of Ram Prasad – Trials their descendants. time to come. lowing a scuffle with his zamindaar’s son.
and Tribulations of a Girmitiya, tells the story of He paid tribute to “Too often we have Once on the boat – the rest as they say – is
Kumar’s Nanaji, Ram Prasad, who is believed to the mammoth hardships noticed that families lose history. Bundled together with scores of others,
have been coerced into boarding a boat bound for faced by the indentured contact with each other, they didn’t see land for weeks before landing in Fiji
Fiji shores in 1901. labourers and why it touching tribute: Satendra Kumar, especially once they and began their “slavery” under the harsh condi-
The book was launched in Manukau last week was important for the left, author of The Legacy of Ram Prasad with migrate and become en- tions imposed by the plantation landlords.
by prominent retired school principal Chandra younger generation to Chandra Prakash, chief guest, at the launch- grossed in their hectic
Prakash at a function attended mostly by families remember the influ- lifestyles,” Kumar said.
ing of Kumar’s book in Manukau on Friday.

WHAT IS GIRMIT?
When the Indentured labour system was introduced by the
British government in the 1830s, each labourer was required to
sign an employment contract called the “The Indenture Agree-
ment”.
For the Indian labourers who did not understand the English
well, pronunciation of English words became a challenge.
In Fiji, the Indentured Labourers had to use the term “Agree-
ment” as this was what bound them not only to their employers,
but also to their destiny. Unable to pronounce “Agreement”,
they settled for “Girmit”, as it is known by Fiji Indians today.
The first batch of indentured labourers was brought from India
to work in the sugar cane plantations in Fiji in 1879. They first
landed on Fiji shores on May 14 – the day of the first military
coup carried out by Major-General Sitiveni Rabuka in 1987.

Fiji battles termite infestation

SUVA: A joint government team led by easily enraged and are also attracted to
Fiji’s ministry of agriculture will be in the light and fly only at night.
western city of Lautoka today to try and
stamp out the termite infestation that has Agriculture permanent secretary Colonel
wreaked havoc in seven settlements. Mason Smith said the operation would
Codenamed Operation ‘Kadivuka’, it will take six months and cost $700,000.
involve 120 personnel from various gov-
ernment ministries and departments. He said they were working with the
Targeted areas are Tomuka, Tavakubu, Secretariat of the Pacific Community
Naikabula, Natabua, Saru, Tawatawa to secure the services of an overseas
and Vitogo Paipai. consultant to help them identify
measures to contain the
Senior biosecurity pest.
officer Western
Lemeki Ratu- “We will try to
cicivi said identify infested
all those structures first
involved for inspec-
in the tion and then
operation decide on
have been whether to
appointed pull down
temporary the structures
biosecurity of- and burn them
ficers by perma- on the site if the
nent secretary for termite infestation is
agriculture, Colonel out of control,” he said.
Mason Smith.
Col. Mason said if homes were
“Residents in these areas should be severely infested and beyond chemi-
expecting biosecurity officers within the cal treatment, they would make careful
next few days. The deadly termites build considerations before burning it.
their colonies six to 18 feet underground
and around 300 feet radius,” he told Fiji “This is a six-month eradication exercise
Live. which will cost about $700,000,” he said.
“The affected areas are quite large. Each
Lautoka residents who might have home will be assessed on a case by
termites in their houses are being urged case basis and we don’t want to be seen
not disturb termite colonies as they are as invading properties.”

16 Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Community

Christchurch celebrates Vaisakhi

More than 300 people recently celebrated the Vaisakhi festival held in Christchurch.
Gurdwara Singh Sabha (Christchurch) of New Zealand Sikh Society (South Island)
celebrated the Vaisakhi festival in Christchurch on Sunday 25 April.
The programme started with the Sukhmani Sahib path. Raagi jatha, led by Bhai
Surinder Singh of Auckland, graced the occasion with Shabad Kirtan.
This was followed by Ardaas, Hukumnama and Guru ka Langar. A Sangat of over
300 in number, including Christchurch National MP Nicky Wagner and members of
diverse ethnic communities attended the function.
- Indian Weekender news desk

Ken Patel is Wellington’s

Local Hero

Kantilal Patel, better known as Ken Patel has been recognized as one of Wellington’s Local Heroes
for his 40 years of community service at the KiwiBank Local Heroes Award ceremony in late April.
Mr Patel is a Justice of the Peace and a marriage celebrant. He received a Queens Service Medal
in 2004 and has worked with the Indian, Pacific Island and refugee communities helping them with
their transition to life in New Zealand.
Though retired, Mr Patel spends his time in social work. “I’m retired so I have all the time in
the world,” he says.
Mr Patel is not new to recognition. His part accolades have been: the Absolutely Positively Wel-
lington award, Pride of India Gold Award (which he won in London), Bharat Gaurav Award, Glory
of India Gold Medal and Pravasi Excellence Award.
- Indian Weekender nmews desk

Caption: Kantilal Patel with Grant McCabe and NZICA past president Ratilal Champaneri

Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 17

Indian
Electronic “Third eye” that sees and records all
In the wake of continuing attacks on taxi
drivers across New Zealand, the government
has recently recommended the installation of
cameras as a security device for drivers. Few
New Zealand taxis have such devices installed
and the sooner drivers and fleet operators use
them the more secure they and their families
can feel as they go about their livelihoods.
Auckland IT firm Logical Systems has a
state of the art solution on offer, says the com-
pany’s Managing Director Daven Naidu.
“The greatest risk while driving is the
sheer unpredictability of events on the road.
Potential hazards wait around every corner,”
he says. “If you are a taxicab or public trans-
portation operator, hazards may be inside
your vehicle as well.
“With dual high resolution colour cameras,
GPS, infrared, up to 3 minutes of pre-alarm
recording, and SDHC flash storage (4GB in-
cluded), the T-eye is as technologically so-
phisticated as it is practical.”
T-eye offers to both commercial and
private vehicle operators an effective risk
reducing means to aid in the investigation
process, decrease collateral damages associ-
ated with car accidents, deter crime inside the
vehicle, and overall enhance the safety on the
road.
T-Eye, an in-vehicle EDR (Event Data Re-
corder), makes constant recordings of video
footage using a ‘first-in’ ‘first-out’ method.
TappooCity brings world-class sophistication to Fiji
TappooCity is the latest instance in the
Tappoo Group’s fine tradition of setting up
highly reputed up-market retail stores in top
locations throughout Fiji.
Located in downtown Suva, which is not
only Fiji’s but also the South Pacific islands’
golden mile, TappooCity has turned out to
be a sophisticated shopping, entertainment
and business destination on par with such a
facility anywhere in the world.
It has been drawing both domestic and
international visitors since it opened in
December last year and has created quite a
buzz in the market.
Tappoo’s own flagship store sprawls
across three levels of the iconic building
that has a strikingly elegant elevation. It is
the first building in Fiji to boast as many as
four elevators in addition to escalators for
easy movement and accessibility between
all levels of the building.
18
Logical Systems Managing Director Daven Naidu with the T-Eye
In the event of an accident or triggered alarm
recording, the T-Eye ‘flags’ these files so they
do not delete when the SD card becomes full.
When the T-Eye is triggered, the record-
ing begins up to 3 minutes before the trigger
activation (which is adjustable). These videos
may later be viewed for surveillance purposes
While level 4 is dedicated
to a food court and selected
speciality stores, levels 5 and 6
house offices. There is a gener-
ous provision for the parking of as
many as 80 cars.
“The state of the art store is
comparable with the best of stores
from around the world,” says
Madhu Tappoo, CEO and Executive
Director, Tappoo Group.
“Level 4 is now ready for leasing
– and this presents a unique oppor-
tunity for entrepreneurs to run food outlets
and specialty shops,” he adds.
This is indeed a unique opportunity for
former Fiji citizens either to open a new
outlet or bring in a New Zealand or Austra-
lian or even an American franchise and run
it as a franchised food outlet, Mr Tappoo
says.
Community
Business Profile
PC, with the push of a button you can convert
videos to AVI format for easy playback in
almost any media player,” Mr Naidu says.
The device offers a twin cameras view,
wide-angle view and is compact and extreme-
ly affordable. “No incident is too small to
be unnoticed, captured digitally, Automated
driving recorder. The T-eye allows drivers to
mark video and scenes of interest for future
review – it’s your automotive digital eyewit-
ness,” he says.
The T eye is useful for law enforcement or
personal use, Fleet Management, Accident re-
construction, Professional fleet and car racing
driver training, and student driver training.
The two cameras plus audio channel pro-
vides a “third eye” observer. It also features
on board digital video recorder with GPS,
Speedo readings and external alarm trigger,
an SD Card which allows for re-enactment
and replay of video and audio, Continuously
records video in a loop and saving time before
and after an accident.
Logical Systems is New Zealand’s sole
distributor for T-Eye and welcomes inquiries.
or evidence in an investigation, providing Logical has been in the IT business for over
concrete evidence for clarifying responsibil- two decades and is well known in the New
ity. Zealand and Fiji market as a reseller of Apple
The T-Eye provides an easy user interface products for the past several years.
to extract the data from the unit and transfer
to a computer. “Our unique software makes it
effortless to view and save video files to your
Business Profile
The Fiji
government is en-
couraging foreign
investment and
also offering
dual citizenship to
former Fiji citizens to encourage
investment in the economy.
- Indian Weekender
business correspondent
Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
Barber on the Move
Ellis Avenue in Mt. Roskill has long been a
quiet residential enclave – this has been un-
dergoing silent change over the last couple
of years. The once-quiet neighbourhood is
suddenly a convenient shopping centre for
Aucklanders who prefer to access services
away from the hustle and bustle of busier
centres on the main routes.
The famous jewellery, drapery store,
Shingaar moved to Ellis Avenue from the
City almost a decade ago. Owned by the es-
tablished Rana family from Labasa (Fiji), the
owners say the quieter location has been a
revelation.
Ellis Avenue also has a general store spe-
cializing in Indian groceries, a character
bookshop, and a bread shop with other con-
veniences in the pipeline. And enriching the
customers’ experience in the silently f lour-
ishing enclave is indomitable barber, Nilesh.
Born in Madhi near the historically-
significant city of Soorat in Gujerat, Nilesh
hails from a family of barbers. Both his
father and grandfather were skilled masters
of the trade. His father still runs the iconic
family business in Madhi. In fact, in that
laid back village setting everyone knows the
Master Barber.
Nilesh arrived in Auckland in 2002. Over
the past 8 years, the politely spoken barber
has worked for 2 hair salons in Auckland. In
each of these, he quickly built up a steady cli-
entele base with his friendliness and obvious
hair skills.
As he continued to attract pleasantly-sat-
isfied customers in his stride, Nilesh decided
to take a major gamble that every enterprising
craftsman has to take at one time or another –
Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
chop-chop: Nilesh attending to
regular customer, Shiddhant in his
stylishly decorated salon.
to open his own barber shop, design it in his
own way and become his own boss. That was
the birth of Champion’s Hair Art at 19 Ellis
Avenue, Mt. Roskill.
As the number of shops in Ellis Avenue
continues to grow, visitors cannot miss
Nilesh as he plies his trade with the usual
welcoming smile that has become a trade-
mark of this barber.
- Subhash Appana
Bula Vinaka, India
Twenty three-year-old Amrita Sahay has just re-
turned from a trip to India, and guess what she wants
to do now? Yes, she wants to go back and see more of
the world’s biggest democracy.
Amrita, of Hamilton, was the only New Zea-
lander among a group of 40 from around the world
selected to participate in the programme which was
run by the Overseas Indian Affairs Department.
The programme is designed to cater for young
people of Indian origin who have never visited the
sub-continent.
Originally from Fiji, Amrita toured various parts
of India with others from 16 different countries, in-
cluding Trinidad & Tobago, Fiji, Malaysia, Chile,
Russia, Netherlands, South Africa, Canada, United
Kingdom, Argentina, Surinam and Zimbabwe.
Amrita, who is a graphic design graduate, said she
was blown away by everything that she saw in India.
“I was just overwhelmed,” Amrita told the Indian
Weekender. “It was just another experience.
“There’s just so must to see. It doesn’t seem much
when you hear or read about things in India, but when
you actually see for yourself, it just blows you away.”
While she was impressed by the Taj Mahal,
Community
Amrita was equally fascinated with her visits to
Gateway of India, Parliament, palaces, heritage
places, Gandhi Memorial, age-old temples adorned
with intricate art, universities, wineries, farms and
the people. “Too much to see, not enough time,” said
Amrita who was away for three weeks. “I do want to
go back and this time, the family’s going with me.”
Amrita said while she made lots of new friends,
it was an eye-opening experience for her in the sense
that many Indians scattered throughout the world
knew little about their cultures. “Some didn’t even
speak Hindi. Indians from Fiji are lucky that most
speak Hindi and do know a great deal about their cul-
tures and also practice it. “The experience has defi-
nitely broadened my knowledge.”
Amrita said she was grateful to the organizers that
the tour was well organized and that they felt secure
at all times.
Although they did not have a chance to visit Bol-
lywood, she definitely would have loved to see Shah
Rukh Khan or other big stars in person.
“Oh well, next time.”
- Arvind Kumar
19
Indian
Bollywood

Emraan on Mallika, Divya go

Ajay’s footsteps for sensuous in ‘Hiss’

organic food
Mumbai: Actor Emraan Hashmi seems much time together during the shoot and
much inspired by his ‘Once Upon a Time In also did a lot of Gym together.
Mumbai’ co-star Ajay Devgn. “Actually whenever me and Ajay used to
A news leaked out recently that Ajay and be at his farms, it felt so good because in
Emraan are keeping a very good company this time of a massive pollution, where you
and guess what, Emraan is actually taking can’t trust anything you eat because almost
his bonding to a new level. everything is adulterated and nurtured with
Actually, all the ‘Once upon a time….’ so many chemically involved techniques,
cast and crew, including Emraan, used it is great of Ajay to actually have his own
to frequently visit Ajay Devgan’s farm in farm. Here if not 100% then atleast 90% we
Karjat while on shoots, where Ajay grows can be sure of that what we eat is pure.”
his own veggies and fruits and several times Ask him about the tips he took from
Ajay and Emraan spent a good time Ajay and Emraan says- “I remember I
there trying their hands at did learn about several do’s and
a bit of farming. don’ts on how to manage it
Emraan was so all and a little about how
impressed by the to farm while we were
growing fad of on Ajay’s farming land.
organic farming So ‘Inshah Allah’ you
that he is thinking shall soon hear of my
of buying his own new land that I am
piece of land out certainly looking to
Mumbai: Actors Mallika Sherawat and Divya yet too hot to resist, claims the makers of ‘Hiss’.
of Mumbai now so buy somewhere out of
Dutta have found their individualistic sensual- Buzz is both these glam girls are going to go
that he could grow Mumbai and grow my
ity while shooting for ‘Hiss’. to Cannes Film Festival this year in May where
his own organic own organic food.”
An independent co-production between the the look of their film will be unveiled.
food and go the “I have under-
USA and India, directed by Jennifer Chambers What we have to now see is how they set the
healthy way, as we stood one thing in all
Lynch, Hiss, which has already been in news Cannes on fire with their own kind of sensual
had already seen him these years that if you
for its hot and bold promos featuring Mallika appeals!
lately in a new avatar, have a good health then
Sherawat has something more to offer than just The film starring Irrfan Khan, Mallika Sher-
sporting a macho look you have all the wealth
being a Freaking Horror Journey. awat, Divya Dutta and Jeff Doucette, is based
with a fabulous fit phy- in the world, so whatever
The film has let Divya and Mallika find sen- on the legend of Nāga and is about a snake
sique and six packs. it takes to keep myself
suality in their own styles.   woman whose mate is captured by an Ameri-
When asked about and my family healthy, I
Mallika will be seen in a full glam avatar as can hunter. The snake woman decides to take
his bonding with Ajay will do,” he added.
always; showing off her super curvaceous body revenge on the hunter.
and his new inspiration,
and wooing audiences with her groovy looks, The film will be released this year in English
Emraan says- “It has been
while Divya will be seen in some sensuous as well as in Hindi languages as it was shot si-
a fun working with
scenes which are far more subtle in appeal but multaneously in both the languages. 
Ajay. He is a great
human being.

Shahid play’s ‘badmaash’

We have
spent so

on Zoom

Mumbai, May 3 (IB

NS
Bolly wood heart throb ) Ever wondered if his quick dance
Shahid Kapoor is actu- moves?
ally a ‘Bad maash’ (na
ughty) behind the sw behind his drop-dead Or, what’s the secret
Chocolate boy face? eet gorgeous looks?
Shahid will talk to
Shahid will be the hour on anything an callers for an entire
guest at Zoom TV’s d every thing includ
‘R ing A Star’ on We his interests, passion ing
dnesday to promote s etc.
upcoming film ‘Bad his ‘Bad maash Compan
maash Company’, wh y’ is Shahid’s second
he will take calls fro ere ventu re with Ya
m his fans and answer sh raj, the first being
their equerries like all Hadippa’. ‘Dil Bole
from where does he
get

20 Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Bollywood

Khali to debut in ‘Kushti’

Mumbai: Heavy-weight star The Great stantly. However he is scared to ap-
Khali is making his Bollywood debut proach her as he finds out that he
with Hindi film ‘Kushti’. is the daughter of the ferocious ex-
He will be sharing the screen with wrestler, Avtar Singh.
actors Asrani, Rajpal Yadav, Om Puri Chander in the process of sorting
and Sharat Saxena. of letters for dispatch from the let-
‘Kusthi’ is set in a village terbox, Chander finds a letter
in North India, notorious addressed to Salman Khan,
for its obsession with wres- Super star, Mumbai. He
tling where the trustee- opens the letter and finds
ship of the village temple out that the letter is sent
is decided by an annual by Laadli.
wrestling match. He decides to play a
This match has been mischievous game and
fought for the past many Laadli ends up thinking
years by two fierce op- he is Salman Khan’s
ponents, Jiten Singh best friend.
(Om Puri) and Avtar The rest of the
Singh (Sharat Saxena). movie is all about
Both want to win Chander trying to woo
the prestigious and Laadli, and getting ap-
lucrative trusteeship proved by her father.
of the village temple But the main high-
against the other. light of the film is a fight se-
Avtar Singh has a young quence between the seven-
and beautiful daughter and-a- half feet Khali and
Ladli (Nargis). the 5 feet tall Rajpal Yadav.
She is a big fan of How Chander wins his
Salman Khan. One love in the ‘Kushti’ ring
day,Chander (Rajpal against The Great Khali
Yadav), the new postmas- forms the climax in the
ter arrives. He has come film.
to take charge of the old The movie is pro-
post office in the village, duced by Venus films

‘Want to do
which has been closed and is directed by
for some time. Rajeev Kumar. It will
Chander meets be releasing on May
Laadli and falls in 14.
love with her in-

Vintage glory at 141st stand-up comedy’

Phalke Awards
The annual prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Awards
event in Mumbai, this time held on the Phalke’s
141st anniversary was a classy blend of vintage
glory, traditional ethnic glamour with an undercur-
rent of heart-warming nostalgia. As most cinema-
savvy readers may be aware, that Phalke is known
as the ‘Father of Indian Cinema’ having pioneered
the silent movies era, with his ‘Raja Harishchandra’
way back in 1913.
Not surprisingly, it was the combination of
Awardees (80 plus) DevAnand and (80 plus) Pran
Sikand which won a thunderous ovation when they
were presented with the ‘Phalke Ratna’ and the
‘Phalke Icon’ trophies.
As Dev and Pran warmly hugged each other,
hundreds of invitees instantly jogged into a ‘flash-
back’ where they recalled how both of them had
played lost-and-found brothers on-screen in this
musical yesteryear mega-hit ‘Johnny Mera Naam’
(1970 ).
Since it was also the eve of the ‘golden jubilee’
of the Maharashtra State formation, State Deputy
Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal who is also a huge
cultural and Hindi movies buff, extolled the phe-
nomenal contribution of all the veteran awardee
actors particularly Pran, Dev Anand and previous
year awardee Manoj (‘Mr.Bhaarat’) Kumar who
was also present on the jubilant occasion.
“It’s a great honour for me to be fe-
licitated by the
Phalke. Although
I need to move
on a wheelchair
and have lost
the strength my
legs , hamaare
nazron mein
abhi bhi dum
hai.( Still have
strength in my
vision). It’s
such a joy to
see all my movie colleagues and all of you in the
audience,” reacted Pran who is fondly remembered
for his roles in scores of movies like ‘Upkaar’,’Purab
Aur Paschim’ and of course as Pathaan Sher
Khan in ‘Zanjeer’ which first launched Amitabh
Bachchan as the ‘angry young man’.
In his trademark staccato-style the ‘ageless’
Dev Anand enthused, “Its my prerogative to be
conferred with the Academy’s ‘Phalke Ratna’ and I
royally salute genius Phalke who gave us the mag-
ic-of-movies and the entire talented Hindi film fra-
ternity who have made the colorful, musical Indian
motion picture industry the largest in the world.”
OLD IS GOLD: (top) Dev Anand with
Prem; (below) Special Guest Manoj Ku-
mar with Dev Anand at Phalke Awards 2010
Unfortunately, either for genuine (“out-of-town”)
reasons or commercial reasons (“no appearance
fee”), today’s gen-next yuppie stars were conspicu-
ous by their absence at the Phalke Awards.
But as event co-organiser producer Ashok
Shekhar (son of veteran Phalke Awardee Chan-
drashekhar) shrugged with “The show must go on.”
Actress Vaishnavi has come a long way from Anil Kapoor’s
Laadla and her journo stint in kid’s serial Shaktimaan. She
is now seen in Doordarshan serial Karmyudh essaying the
role of a dynamic cop. Excerpts
Tell us something more about your role in the serial Karmyudh.
Karmyudh is the story of the ever-changing social conditions, family-values and traditions, luck,
courage and the thought process of the Indian society. The serial focuses mainly on the rampant cor-
ruption taking place in our society and the way to fight it. It is not the story of a single woman, but of
an entire social system. The show also points towards the negative events taking place in our society
and encourages people to raise their voices against it. I am playing the role of Shivangi Chauhan
who is a strong woman, an ideal mother, wife and a daughter-in-law. My character Shivangi is ex-
tremely determined and dedicated to her work.
Why did you choose to work in Karmyudh?
I really liked the story of the serial when I first heard it. I have worked with Keval jee before also
and I really like to work in a good and hospitable environment. We all get along very well and that’s
what makes it a healthy working environment. Also this is a weekly series and nowadays hardly any
weekly serials are being made.
How was it working with Harsh Chaaya and Rohini Hattangadi?
It was a good experience working with such talented and well-known actors from the industry.
Both of them are playing very powerful roles in the serial. Harsh Chaaya is shown as my husband
Yashwant Chauhan, a politician-extremely idealistic in nature and always sticking to his principals.
Rohinji is playing the role of Maa Sa who also happens to be my mother-in-law. She is the glue that
holds the family together especially Shivangi and Yashwant who are otherwise extremely volatile
when it comes to applying their ideals in real life.
Are you planning to do comedy any time soon?
I love comedy. I want to try out stand-up comedy. I have earlier acted in a comedy serial on Sahara
One named Raju Raja Raja Ram.
What was your experience doing a dance reality show Saas v/s Bahu.
I really enjoyed working for a dance reality show as I really love dancing. I even bagged 2 trophies
“Best dancer of the series and another one when our team Saas Team won. Initially I was having
some inhibitions about dancing in front of my seniors .But later on as the show progressed I shed
my inhibitions and lost my fear of dancing in front my seniors. If I get a chance I would love to
participate in another dance reality show.
Are you doing any movies?
Yes I am doing a movie titled as Saancha. This is a very unique film and the audience will find it
hard to recognize me on screen. I am playing the role of a brick-maker and my role is similar to the
role of Smita Patil in the movie Mirch-masala. This movie was made especially to win the awards.

Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 21

Indian
Raajneeti reflects hurly burly of Indian politics
Raajneeti is a story about Indian politics. About
Indian democracy. About Indian elections.
Above all, it is the story of a few people who
control the destiny of millions. It is the story of
their unstoppable ambition, and their bitter and
violent battle to achieve it. This is the story of
people who understand power - and know how
to wield it at will.
It is the story of Bhasker Sanyal (Naseerud-
din Shah), the fire-brand leftist leader, as feared
for his single-handed ability to challenge the
most powerful of leaders as he was respected
for his political integrity. Until one private
mistake of his hurtled him into a self-imposed
exile and spawned a secret consequence that
shook the destiny of the political future of the
state.
And of Sooraj (Ajay Devgan) who rose from
the backward classes - with anger in his heart
and leadership on his mind. And yet, his destiny
could never overcome the tragedy of his birth,
trapping him in a terrible dilemma where his
loyalty to his friend threatens to destroy his
own family. Of Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar), who
shunned every political ambition even as he
continued to mentor and guide
the younger generation of leaders while the
battle got bloodier by the day.
It is the story of Prithvi Pratap (Arjun
Rampal), heir to a powerful political legacy
and impatient to seize the top position. A man
with a heart of gold but who is all brawn. A man
whose uncontrollable passions bring his family
to the brink of political extinction.
And of Veerendra Pratap (Manoj Bajpai),
whose lunge at the throne was thwarted even
as he was within striking distance of it. A man
who believes he was born to rule, and who will
now stop at absolutely nothing to claw his way
back to the top.
Of Indu Sakseria (Katrina Kaif), the prin-
cess – beautiful, passionate, arrogant. She had
only one all-consuming love. Little did she
know that her personal happiness was depen-
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dent on the changing electoral fortunes of her
love, and that even a slight shift in the faultlines
of political negotiation would cause a devastat-
ing earthquake in her personal life. And yet,
this spirited never-say-die diva rose from the
ashes of her tragedy to challenge every con-
tender, over-turning the political future of the
state.
Of Sarah Jean Collins (Sarah Thompson),
who came from one of the bloodiest and most
violent places on earth. Who escaped from
there, bruised, hurt, and fell in love with a soul-
mate who shared a similar legacy. And her ab-
horrence for it. And yet, when he was sucked
into his destiny, this innocent bewildered girl’s
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private world was thrown asunder.
And, it is the story of Samar Pratap (Ranbir
Kapoor), the ultimate outsider. The apoliti-
Why is Kites called Kites?
Rakesh Roshan & Anurag Basu reveal the inspiration
behind summer’s most eagerly awaited romantic film.
Finally, we know why Kites is called Kites! Pro-
ducer Rakesh Roshan & director Anurag Basu,
makers of Kites one of the most eagerly awaited
romantic films of this summer disclose the in-
spiration behind their film’s title.
The title and story of Kites is the brainchild
of Rakesh Roshan, the man behind some of Bol-
lywood’s most creative blockbusters.
“The idea for Kites came to me when I was
gazing at the sky and saw two kites flying,”
notes Rakesh Roshan. “It looked very romantic.
It was very intriguing--the way they came close,
played, almost embraced each other and then
drew apart. Unaware that someone else was
pulling the strings and could cut them loose. I
sat down and penned a story around this idea”.
“Kites is the metaphor of the film. Kites fly
against the wind and not with it, stronger the
wind blows, higher the kites fly,” adds Anurag
Basu who penned the screenplay and directed
the film. “Our protagonists in the movie too face
obstacles; their love grows deeper with every
increasing obstacle.”
Kites is a compelling romantic saga that
goes beyond barriers, boundaries and cultures.
It is a story of passion that defies every rule, of
a relationship that takes two lovers on a thrill-
ing journey filled with precious moments - and
unexpected betrayal.
Kites is made in two versions, Hindi and
English. Both will release on 21st May, 2010
across more than 60 countries. Shot in Los
Angeles, Las Vegas and Santa Fe, Kites is one
of the biggest films ever produced in India.
Produced by Rakesh Roshan and to be re-
leased worldwide by Reliance BIG Pictures,
Kites is directed by Anurag Basu. It stars
Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
KITES is a
Bollywood
cal conscientious objector, who got reluctantly
sucked into the battle-ravaged arena of family
rivalry. Only to turn into a master of the craft
of political warfare. It is the story of the woman
that he loved, and the one that loved and lost
him. It is the story of his determined and fierce
fight to protect his family. Of the bloodiest of
final battles in a war alien to his character.
It is the story of a man’s descent into the
moral hell that is Indian politics.
It is the story of a fiercely fought election
campaign, where money-power and corruption
are the accepted norms, and where treachery
and manipulation are routinely used weapons.
As the personal drama of these conflictridden
characters unfolds against this gritty backdrop,
love and friendship become mere baits, and re-
lationships get sacrificed at the altar of political
alignments. The darkness that rises from their
souls threatens to envelope all that they hold
precious. Until eventually, in the crescendo of
increasing violence, the line between good and
evil blurs, making it impossible to distinguish
heroes from villains.
Raajneeti is the story of Indian democracy.
And its ugly underside.
Raajneeti releases on June 4, 2010.
Hrithik Roshan and the Mexican star Barbara
Mori along with Kangana Ranaut, Kabir Bedi
and Nick Brown. Kites has music by Rajesh
Roshan, cinematography by Ayananka Bose
and stunt coordination by Hollywood’s Spiro
Razatos. The English version of Kites is pre-
sented and reworked by the well known Holly-
wood director Brett Ratner( Rush Hour Series,
Kite
X-Men: The Last Stand).It is re-edited by Mark
Helfrich (Rush Hour Series, X-Men: The Last
Stand) with additional background score by
Graeme Revell (Sin City, Grindhouse, Pineap-
ple Express).
Kites releases on May 21, 2010.
Releasing
May
S
SK
SK
HO
SKY
HOY T
A
Hrithik Ro
story of lo
ve that go
relationshi es beyond
p that take barriers,
s two love boundarie
rs on a th s & culture
s. It
Indian
Bollywood

‘Don’t compare
me to Khali’
Actor Rajpal Yadav is in news
again for his forthcoming film
Kushti where he will be seen
wrestling with WWE champion
The Great Khali. Excerpts

Tell us something more about

your film Kushti

The story of the movie is based on a

small village in North India where
wrestling is the most popular sport
and a wrestling match is held every
year. Two wrestling rivals Avtar
Singh and Jiten Singh have been
competing with each other in wres-
tling for many years. Avtar Singh’s
daughter (Laadli) is a huge fan of
actor Salman Khan. I play Chander,
who is a simple postman. I am madly in
love with Avtar Singh’s daughter.

How was it playing a postman?

It was the first time I am playing the role of such a humble and
simple postman; so the experience was quite interesting.

Your co-star in the film is Khali. How was your experi-

ence working with him?

It was a great experience working with Khali. He’s very down-to-

earth. He never made showed off and I never realized that Khali is
an international WWE wrestler by his modesty. We could spend
only 8-10 days with him but in that short time I found out that
beneath that entire tough exterior he is a simple man by heart.

Did you enjoy the fight with Khali in the movie?

To be very honest I don’t want to be compared with Khali. I

can never dare to even think to fight with him in a wrestling
match. Initially I was very scared of getting hurt very badly
by shooting for that wrestling match as Khali is extremely
powerful. Moreover he’s 3 times my height and size. But
luckily the wrestling went well and everything is alright
with me, that is why I am standing here, right in front of you.

How do you think audience will respond to

the film?

I have full faith and confidence that the movie which is filled
with so much laughter and comedy that the audience will be
rolling on the floors. All of us have worked extremely hard
towards making this movie and the director Rajeev Kumar
has done an excellent job in directing the movie.

It was said that the director Rajeev Kumar can-

not converse in Hindi. Did it become a problem
during the shooting of the film?

Absolutely not. Rajeev ji has assisted Priyan ji (di-

rector Priyadarshan) in his films and this is entirely
Rajeev ji’s movie. When the audience will see the
film, I am sure even they wouldn’t be able to
know that the movie is directed by a non-Hindi
speaking director.

Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 23

Indian
Bollywood

Serious Shaan sings Rafi’s B’day song

fashion still Mumbai: Attend a birthday celebration and
a song you certainly can’t miss hearing is
“Baar Baar Yeh Din Aye…..Happy Birthday
back singer of present times, Shaan, who is
very popular amongst the youth of today.
The song titled ‘Happy Bird-Day’ is now

eludes India:
To You” from the film ‘Farz’ sung by legend- seen and heard in the Hindi animation film
ary singer Mohd Rafi. ‘Bird Idol’.  
The song has become a must for every “I have sung most of the songs in the film

Arnab
birthday party since its release in 1967. but when Jyotin Ji discussed about making
But with time comes a change and so has something new and historical and came up
a new age birthday song been created after with idea of this song, I almost took it as the
a gap of over 4 long decade which has been first song of my career, because it required so
sung by Bollywood’s most bankable play- much of justice to its soul. Then there always
was an anticipation of people comparing it
Entertainment overrides creativity in Indian Kashmiri and and Parsi traditional clothing, has with Mohd’ Rafi Sahab’s song, coz whenever
fashion weeks, says designer Arnab Sengupta, a lot of embroidery and thread work and brings something new is tried, comparisons are the
who showcased his collection for the upcoming out a splash of Indian colours and style. first thing we see.  But now when people who
Indian Premier London Fashion Week. “The designs draw inspiration from the have heard it speak about it being a song of a
“The Indian fashion weeks are all about thepalaces and streets of Jaipur and has my cus- lifetime, I feel so happy to have been a part
entertainment and stars. Anybody can get away tomary traditional and ‘folk’ feel to it.” of it,” said Shaan. 
with any design by simply roping in a cricketer With heavy use of nets, velvets, Georgette, The song was conceptualized and is the
or a Bollywood actor,” he says. Brocade, and similar materials, the collection output of efforts by the producers of ‘Bird
Calling the London Fashion Week ‘the highlights the Kalamkari style of prints, veg- Idol’, Goel Screencraft, who have a long
BAFTA, of fashion industry’, he says, “Over- etable dyed on 100 per cent muslin cotton with history of producing very popular children’s
seas, people are more interested in serious painstakingly intricate detailing. songs in movies.
fashion. The design matters, not who is flaunt- Bengali actress, Ritupara Sengupta, who Jyotin Goel, Director of the film, said:
ing it for the day.” was present at the launch, clad in a blue sari “Actually this song was conceptualized by
Arnab is among the few Indian design- from the collection, says, “The thing that I love me and my son. We were at a Birthday Party
about his work is that it’s so joyful; it always has
ers selected to present their collections at the and Humming Happy Birthday and here
event, and he said he is “honoured to be able a festive feel to it.” in India we normally say Happy Bird-Day
to showcase the designs among the stalwarts of “I think Arnab is doing an excellent job in instead of saying Birthday, So that’s where
fashion like Rocky S, Neeta Lulla and Narendra making fashion wearable. His designs are in- the idea struck us and when the song came
Kumar.” novative, gorgeous and intricate without being in to happening, only one name came across
Arnab says, his collection, featuring a over the top,” she adds. my mind- Shaan.
fusion groove primarily focused on Rajasthani Arnab too feels that it is indeed very essen- “Yes, we wanted the voice which
style intermingled with tial for a design to be wearable but he says that represents the youth of today and
when it comes to fashion, wearable or not, the who better than Shaan. In fact I
consumer is still stuck in the Middle ages. was very happy when I saw Shaan
“There’s a mentality among Bengali people with the same zeal that of a young
to not invest in designer clothes; they’d much kid, while singing the song.
rather spend money on jewellery and stuff. I feel Finally the song will be out now
this needs to change,” says the designer. and I am sure from now on along
He points out how ‘investing in fashion’ and with B’aar Baar Yeh Din Aaye’,
hiring Sabyasachi Mukherjee as her designer our song will become a must in
has worked wonders for Hindi film actress the birthday celebrations.” 
Vidya Balan’s glam quotient. The story of ‘Bird Idol’ re-
Arnab, who has done 200 exhibitions all volves around a bird called
over, including the past three instalments of ‘Hummi’ who is not happy
Bridal Asia; Asian Fashion Extravaganza, with the bird music and is
Dubai; Bride & Groom, Bangkok; and DNA, greatly impressed by human
Mumbai said this collection took around two music and how he introduc-
months to complete and it features 20 outfits; es human music to the bird
the prices start at Rs 15,000. music by entering into a
Trained in Fashion Designing from the competition called Bird Idol
National Institute of Fashion Technology, and with his genuine effort
Kolkata and coming from a ‘humble back- he puts himself and his
ground and no connections’, Sengupta’s parents into trouble. 
first show was ‘Angarakha’ in collabora-
tion with the Nagaland government in 2003

A master of his craft

and he thereafter successfully launched the
‘Arnab Sengupta’ label in 2005.
The designer who said his career
started with teaching at various fashion
schools and setting up Bangladesh’s first
ngupta
e s s Ri t u parna Se co ll e c tion fashion institute, works from his home- Prakash Jha, a multiple award-winning inde-
Actr ngupta
A rn a b Se on . workshop in Lake Town, Kolkata. pendent filmmaker from India, has produced
fl aunts n w e e k in Lond - Divyanshu Dutta Roy and directed ten feature films, over 25 docu-
a s h io
for a f Photos by Avishek Mitra / IBNS. mentaries, two television features and three
television series.
Jha, a committed social activist, has
always sought to document and explore the
changing socio-economic and political reali-
ties that affect the common man.
Jha’s engagement with social issues
finds voice and vision through his cinema.
Prakash Jha Productions’ trademark is
thought-provoking quality cinema.
Jha won his first National Award for Best
Documentary in 1982 for Faces After the
Storm and then went on to win the Golden
Lotus for Best Feature Film in 1985 for
Damul. Over the years he has won several Mrityudand, Damul and Parinati. Jha has
international awards and 10 National also made other mainstream popular feature
Awards including the Golden Lotus for the films like Dil Kya Kare, Rahul and Hip Hip
Best Documentary in 2003 for Sonal, the es- Hurray.
teemed National Award for the Best Feature He is also the producer of feature films by
Film on Other Social Issues in 2004 for Gan- other directors –Dil Dosti Etc (2007), Khoya
gaajal and the National Award for the Best Khoya Chand (2007) and Turning 30!!! that
Screenplay for Apaharan in 2006. is slated for release in 2010.With Raajneeti
He is acclaimed for successfully using Jha uses the vast canvas of Indian politics to
the popular idiom to discuss relevant social discuss democracy and the battle for power.
issues for films like Apaharan, Gangaajal, Raajneeti is about politics… and beyond.

24 Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy to Udita turns traditional
‘Rock On’ Overseas at ‘Chase’ premiere
Mumbai: Popular music composer trio Shankar-
Ehsaan-Loy is all set rock at 12 concerts across 16
cities abroad with Shri Balaji Entertainment Inc’s
‘Inspiration Rock On Live in concert’.
Singers like Mahalaxmi Iyer and Richa
Sharma will also be participating in the tour.
“Our main focus is on the music and the
musical content,” said Shankar Mahadevan .
Asked about performing with Pakistani Singer
Shafaqat Amaanat Ali Khan, he said: “We don’t
mind performing in Pakistan as well. Shafaqat is a
very talented singer and he is well known all over
the world. The Pakistani people staying abroad
will turn up in huge numbers to listen to him”.
“We also want to spread the message of love,
friendship and peace though our concert,” Loy
added.“Music is to heal. When people listen to
our music they can relate to it. That is why people
loved Kal Ho Na Ho’s music because they could
feel the emotions hidden deep in every song.”
Meanwhile, Mahalaxmi said: “When a singer
records a song in a studio, he or she doesn’t un-
Eros International launches
Tappoo’s debut album
MUMBAI: Sumeet Tappoo’s debut romantic
album, released by India’s largest film company
Eros International, has hit the TOP 10 charts in
India.
Meri Deewangi, in its third week of release,
has gained momentum and has entered the
Planet M Indian Charts at number Nine, the
Rhythm House Charts at number three, the
Mirchi Charts at number nine and the Bolly-
wood Online Charts at number six.
The music video of the title track of the
album has also become a huge hit with music
lovers across the world. The video features up-
coming actress Anjali Pandey alongside Sumeet
in a stunning music video created and produced
by talented director Cunal Ranjan who has
created a surreal world with the use of VFX and
high- end graphics.
Sumeet’s work in Meri Deewangi has won
both critical and commercial acclaim and the
Mumbai-based singer is all set to make a mark
in the music scene in India and internationally.
Sumeet was elated at the news of his debut
album making the Top 10 charts in India. “I
am absolutely thrilled that this effort has been
recognised by music lovers here in India.
My honest expectation of this album was
that it would just be liked by music lovers around
the world. But this news of making the charts is
an icing on the cake. My sincere gratitude to all
Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
derstand the depth of the song and hence we can’t
determine to which extent the audience would
appreciate it. The thunderous clapping of the au-
dience to an artist’s performance is best music to
the artist’s ears. That’s why whenever we get an
opportunity to perform we try not to miss .I really
enjoy performing in front of a live audience.”
The choreographers of the show are Kunjan
and Danny.
“There is a huge difference in performing in a
reality show and in front of a live audience. This
tour means a lot to us as it is challenging as well.
We all feel privileged to perform in front of60,000
live audiences,” the duo said.
“We will be doing 12 concerts in more than
16 cities abroad. We have the most talented artists
travelling and performing with us. We have made
a commitment that we will successfully finish the
all the concerts in a span of 1 month,” Ehsaan said.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are presently working
on Nikhil Advani’s ‘Patiala House’ and a film with
director Zoya Akhtar.
the good wishes and blessings from friends and
music lovers” said Sumeet.
Meri Deewangi features eight romantic
tracks which have been composed by Music Di-
rector Deepak Pandit, with Music arrangement
by Hira Pandit and Dhiren Raichura, and backed
by well-known musicians from within the in-
dustry. Lyricists include Manoj Muntashir, Asir
Burahanpuri and Shaqeel Azmi. The album was
mastered in London by Mauro Cacclalanza.
As a bonus, the album also features a ‘Dance
Mix’ of the title track which has been pro-
duced by internationally renowned and London
based artists Priest J (aka Suj Joshi) and Patrick
McMahon.
Meri Deewangi is now available in all
leading music stores worldwide including in
New Zealand.
Mumbai: Actor
Udita Goswami
recently stunned
onlookers with
her traditional
avatar at the
premier of
her new film
‘Chase’ at Juhu,
Mumbai.
Udita, who is
mainly known for
the ‘dare to bare’
look arrived at the
premiere in ethnic
wear- a Vandana Sajnani Khattar and the devoted
stylish and elegant black kurta and salwaar.
The first arrival at the premiere was made
by producer-actor Anuuj Saxena, along with his
co-actress Tarina Patel. Anuuj Saxena looked
dashing in his suit. His parents also arrived to
bless their son for his successful –double stint
as an actor and as a producer.
Tarina Patel decided to turn up in wore a
beautiful orange color designer dress.
Many of Anuuj’s co-actors from the tele-
vision industry also turned up for the movie
premiere-some with their spouses, some alone.
Actress Tasneem Sheikh attended the pre-
miere with her shippy husband Sameer Nerur-
kar. Also actor Indraneil Sengupta came along
his wife Barkha Bisht who wore a cream colored
All movies have love-making scenes’
Model-turned-actress Tarina Patel has acted in
movies like Just Married, Dus Kahaniyan, Dhol,
Bhool Bhulaiyya, and Karz. She will now be
seen in Anuuj Saxena-Udita Goswami starrer
Chase. Excerpts from an interview with Indian
Weekender Bollywood correspondent:
Tell us something about your role in
Chase.
Chase is an action thriller .The movie is the struggle
of Sohail who is accused wrongly of a murder and is
caught in the trap set by some of the most influential
people in the city. I play the character of Surabhee
who is a journalist as well as Sohail’s girlfriend. She
endangers everything dear to her in the process of
helping Sohail to set himself free.
How was your experience working with
director Jagmohan Mundhra?
I had an amazing experience working with Jag Ji.
He has directed the movie very well and I am condi-
dent that the audiences are going to love the movie.
There has been a certain speculation
going on that you and Anuuj shot for
some hot and steamy love-making
scenes…
No this not true. I have shot for scenes which were
necessary for the story of the film. We were re-
Bollywood
mini-dress and she definitely did not look a day
older than 16!
But the main star of the evening hands down
was director Jag Mundhra who came and posed
for photographs along with the cast.
Anuuj especially brought Jag Mundhra
to pose for the cameras. Despite of the recent
speculations about Anuuj and Jag Mundhra not
being on talking, the two seemed to be getting
along very well each other.
The duo seemed to have put back their dif-
ferences to bask together in ‘Chase’.
Aditya Raj Kapoor was also present at the
premiere.
Rajesh Khattar came along his better half
husband made sure that when every snap of him
was clicked his beloved wife was in the snap
along with him.
Critically acclaimed director Tanuja
Chandra also attended the premiere and looked
smart and elegant in her ethnic wear.
Savita Prabhune, Narayani Shastri, and
Raymon Singh Anuuj’s co-stars from his serial
‘Kkusum’ also attended the premiere.
‘SarkarRaj’ actress Rukhsar attended the
premiere in a dark green party dress.
Model Muzzamil Ibrahim came with a
friend.
Amongst others who attended the premiere
were actresses Poonam Dhillon and Deepsikha,
and telly actors Gautam Rode and Shaleen
Bhanot.
quired to shoot for some love-making scenes but
I think almost all the movies that are being made
nowadays have such scenes.
What was your experience being cast
opposite Anuuj?
Anuuj is a delight to work it. He managed to juggle
his roles of being an actor and a producer very suc-
cessfully. We had lots of fun during the making of
the movie in Mumbai andShrinagar where had to
shoot for some song sequences.
This is an action-thriller movie and you
are playing a love interest of the lead
hero. So is your role secondary com-
pared to others who shot for the action
sequences?
Absolutely not. I have been assigned a very good
role in the movie. My character is sketched as per
the storyline and inspite of it being a complete
action thriller movie I had to work a lot for it.
Do you think the audience will appreci-
ate the movie?
I am very confident that the audience will appreci-
ate the movie as all of us have worked very hard in
making the movie. Jag Ji has done a fantastic job di-
recting the movie. I am sure that the audience won’t
be disappointed after seeing the movie.
25
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26 Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
The story of the iPhone 4
Divyanshu Dutta Roy
New York: On Thursday, March 18 2010, a
North Carolina State University 2006 graduate
reportedly entered Gourmet Haus Staudt, a nice
German beer garden in Redwood City, Califor-
nia, to celebrate his 27th birthday.
He also apparently updated his Facebook
status from his phone by typing “I underes-
timated how good German beer is.” And then
somewhere along he lost his phone; and that’s
where the night went wrong.
The problem was that the just-turned-27,
Gray Powell, an employee at Apple Inc., was
using a top secret prototype phone made by
Apple - what now seems to be the 4th genera-
tion iPhone.
Powell, an Apple Software Engineer working
on the iPhone Baseband Software, the program
that enables the iPhone to make calls was using
the next-generation iPhone that he was testing
on the field, cleverly disguised as an iPhone
3GS.
The man found it at the supposedly took it
home thinking to be just an ordinary iPhone that
he would return the following day.
Next morning he found that Apple had re-
motely ‘killed’ the phone and that’s when, after
some tinkering, the plastic disguise-case came
off and there lay a distinctly different looking
iPhone.
Known for its legendary secrecy surround-
ing its products prior to launch, the event turned
into somewhat of an embarrassment for Apple,
when almost a month later a technology blog
completely dissected its top secret prototype in
front of the world.
Gizmodo, a technology blog owned and
operated by Gawker Media, an online media
company and blog network, founded and owned
by Nick Denton based in New York City and
Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
considered to be one of the most visible and suc-
cessful blog-oriented media companies, went
public with the scoop on Apr 19, 2010 10:00 a.m
(ET).
Gizmodo however was not the first one;
when something as heated as the next iPhone
is doing the rounds, whispers and murmurs are
bound to come up.
Around 7:48 p.m. (ET) on April 17, Giz-
The problem was that the just-turned-27,
Gray Powell, an employee at Apple Inc., was
using a top secret prototype phone made by
Apple - what now seems to be the
4th generation iPhone.
modo’s competitor blog, Endgadget, owned by
AOL Inc. had posted some images which it said
it ‘thought’ to be the next gen iPhone.
Endgadget, however, did not pursue the story
for some reason and after Gawker’s Nick Denton
shelled out 5000 USD for the device, Gizmodo
brought out the electrifying piece of news.
Even though it raises many eyebrows to what
extent a ‘story’ may be pursued and at what cost,
Denton, who seemed unabashed, tweeted, “Yes,
we’re proud practitioners of checkbook journal-
ism. Anything for the story!”
According to Gizmodo, the new iPhone fea-
tures an all new front-facing video chat camera,
improved regular back-camera, a camera flash,
an improved display, split volume buttons, a me-
tallic finish to all the buttons and ‘what looks to
be a secondary mic for noise cancellation, at the
top, next to the headphone jack’.
Also, almost confirming its originality, the
new iPhone features an iPad-like micro-SIM
instead of the regular sized SIM cards used in
previous iPhone models.
The device also sees several design evolu-
tions such as a completely flat back, an aluminum
border going completely around the outside, and
a general departure from the overall ‘rounded-
ness’ of the designs of previous iPhones for a
more ‘industrial’ or ‘squared’ look.
The phone is also reported to be running the
recently announced iPhone 4 operating system,
is 3 grams heavier and features a 16% larger
battery.
Even though there is a possibility that this
could be a fake device, but as Gizmodo reports,
it is very unlikely that ‘someone having to use
Apple components to design a functioning
phone, from scratch, and then disseminating it
to people around the world’.
Technology
Of course a story of this magnitude raises in-
numerable questions in the social media driven
world today.
Even though the web is buzzing with excite-
ment but questions such as why Endgadget did
not pursue the story.
Some bloggers believe that AOL, which
owns Endgadget, and is still a huge corpora-
tion, might have been discouraged from taking
on risks that could have otherwise put it at odds
with Apple.
AOL has in the meantime, reportedly said
that they “aren’t in the habit of paying for
scoops” and this “encourages awful behaviour
in tipsters”.
One will inevitably wonder what Apple’s
action be, being a company that guards its
secrets with revered ferocity but Apple has not
yet made any signs of taking on Gizmodo on the
legal lawn.
Surprising many critics, on Monday,
Apple sent a polite letter to Gizmodo editor,
Brian Lam, asking for the ‘device’ back after
Gizmodo merely stated that all it needed was a
written acknowledgement from Apple that they
had indeed, lost the ‘device’.
At the same time, there are bloggers as well
who still feel that all this was actually a cleverly
executed sham for either to create the buzz or
to get an idea public opinion regarding the pro-
posed iPhone specs without actually having to
admit much.
The yet to be named 4th generation iPhone,
rumoured to be christened ‘iPhone 4G’ or
‘iPhone HD’, is expected to be unveiled in June
this year.
Apple, expected to reveal its quarterly earn-
ings on Monday, experienced a downward curve
in its stock prices after the story flared all over,
but has slowly started recovering.
27
Indian
Health

While you were…not sleeping!

When 41 year old Sheel Kumar decided to lant before, during have experienced awareness occur despite our best efforts, we
go under the surgeons knife little she know and after surgery to anesthesia aware- must engage the patient in a program of psy-
that it would leave her petrified for the years ensure the safety, ness are encour- chological rehabilitation to reduce these long-
to come. The operation; which was a simple comfort and recov- aged to contact term consequences.”
surgery to remove a scar tissue from an ery of each patient.” their anesthesi- Medical community is aggressively ad-
ankle injury became a horrendous experience I nt r a- operat ive ologist regarding dressing intra-operative awareness, but there
for Sheel as she was able to feel everything awareness remains their experience. are things that even the patients should do to
despite of being anesthetized. an undesirable The first step in limit their risk.
What Kumar experienced is a phenom- complication with overcoming the First of all listing down all medications
enon called intra-operative awareness during potential for the de- adverse emotional before surgery as some might make your body
anesthesia. It’s something that happens when velopment of post- consequences of metabolize things more quickly. One also
the effect of the anaesthetic agents responsi- traumatic stress dis- an intra-operative needs to give a brief account of family history
ble for lack of awareness during the surgical order. awareness experi- and medical risk factors.
process either is not good enough or has worn Assessing the ence is acknowl- Also when researching on the choice of
off while the operation is in progress. depth of anesthesia edgement that it your surgeon, one should not forget to find
According to the American Society of remains a challenge may have occurred out who will be administering and monitor-
Anesthesiologists (ASA) incidences of aware- for the anesthesia “Int ra-opera- ing anesthesia during the surgery. It is wise to
ness occur once or twice per 1,000 surgeries provider as clinical tive awareness is find out about their credentials, training, and
performed under general anesthesia. signs are unreliable Following surgery, patients who believe obviously a ter- safety record.
“Regardless of statistics, even one case of and there is no sen- they may have experienced anesthesia rible outcome, and It could be the most important research
anesthesia awareness is too many,” Dr. Saikat sitive and specific clearly we need to you do to protect your safety when undergo-
Sengupta, Sr Consultant & Academic Coordi- monitor. awareness are encouraged to contact do everything we ing any surgical procedure.
nator, Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata . Fo l l o w i n g their anesthesiologist regarding their can to prevent it,” (IBNS)
“The entire team responsible for the surgery, patients who reveals Dr. Sengup-
patient in the Operating Room must be vigi- believe they may experience. ta adds. “Should

Why is Tagore still important?
ram lingam
Last week on 7th May it was the 150th birth
anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore
(7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941). Tagore as we
know him was a Bengali poet, philosopher,
artist, playwright, composer and novelist. Just
late last year we even saw the inauguration of a
Tagore library here in Auckland at the Mahatma
Gandhi centre.
Tagore has been acclaimed as perhaps the
greatest literary figure in history. His extraordi-
nary output in literature includes approximately
50 dramas, 1000 poems, 2000 songs, 38 plays,
12 novels, 100 books of verse (much of which
he set to music), 200 short stories, innumer-
able essays covering every important social,
political and cultural issue of his time. Tagore
also left numerous drawings and paintings, and
songs for which he wrote the music himself.
There is any hardly any Indian from main-
land India who doesn’t know about the great
bard of Bengal – Tagore. But do we know
enough about Tagore and his major ideas which
renewed Indian culture in his writings?
We certainly know him to be the author of
India’s national anthem – the ‘Jana Gana Mana’
and as a poet was the winner of the Nobel Prize
for literature in 1913. He was the father figure
who gave the title of ‘Mahatma’ to Mahatma
Gandhi. It was given in response to Gandhiji
conferring the title of “Gurudev” (great teacher)
upon Tagore.
Tagore who gave us our national anthem
wrote -- “I have loved India and sought to serve
her not because of her geographical magnitude,
not because of her great past, but because of my
faith in her today and my belief that she will
stand for truth and freedom and the higher
things of life”.
His song ‘Amar Shonar Bangla (My Golden
Bengal) of which the first ten lines got adopted
in 1972 as the Bangladesh national anthem. In
fact, in 2006, even China’s Communist Party
signalled its favourable view of the Indian
poet when the party organ, the People’s Daily,
elected him as one of the 50 foreign person-
alities who have influenced modern Chinese
thinking. The paper described his as “one of
India’s greatest poets, writers, artists as well
as social activists”. Tagore’s poems were trans-
lated in Chinese as early as 1915 and also pub-
lished in influential publications of the time like
the Xin Qingnian (New Youth).
According to the biography available in
nobelprize.org, Rabindranath was educated at
Heritage
Mind without Fear
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake
- Rabindranath Tagore
home; and although at seventeen he was sent to by Rabindranath. Dr.S.Radhakrishnan who other poet. For the world he became the voice
England for formal schooling, he did not finish wrote his first book “The Philosophy of Rabi- of India’s spiritual heritage; and for India he
his studies there. In his mature years, in ad- ndranath Tagore” believed Tagore’s philosophy became a great living institution. That’s why
dition to his many-sided literary activities, he to be the “genuine manifestation of the Indian Tagore is still important.
managed the family estates, a project which spirit.”
brought him into close touch with common So why is Tagore still important in this
humanity and increased his interest in social modern world? What are his major ideas? Here are samp
les of his
reforms. He also started an experimental school Tagore is important because he is unquestion- famous quote
at Shantiniketan where he tried his Upanishadic ably the most towering figure of modern Indian s:
ideals of education. Tagore was knighted by the and what he teaches us is timeless. l Faith
is the bird th
ruling British Government in 1915, but in 1919 His major ideas some 130 years ago are sings when the da at feels the light and
he surrendered it as a protest against the Mas- still relevant and implemented even today. His w n is still dark.
l Do not say, “I
sacre of Amritsar, where British troops killed major ideas according to an article by Profes- dismiss it with a t is mor ning,”
na and
some 400 Indian demonstrators protesting co- sor Narayan Champawat in the book ‘’Great it for the first tim me of yesterday. See
lonial laws. Between 1878 and 1932, Tagore Thinkers of the Eastern World’ were: ‘Modern e as a newborn
that has no nam child
visited more than thirty countries on five conti- civilisation has gathered its wealth and missed e.
l The soil, in retu
nents; many of these trips were crucial in famil- its well-being. True education must aim at keeps the tree tie rn for her serv
iarizing non-Indian audiences with his works. freedom from ignorance of the laws of the uni- d to her; the sk ice,
nothing and leav y asks
Tagore’s ideal was the universal human being verse and freedom from passion and prejudice. es it free.
l You can’t cross
– rational, humane, creative and spiritual. He The supreme one is personality and creates the standing and sta the sea merel
was himself such a person. His philosophy was world and its people for self expression. The ring at the water y by
l If yo
u cr y beca .
founded on his vision of reality. Rabindranath supreme and humanity are related by mutual out of your life, use the sun has gone
Tagore was not a stranger to the political arena love. The same stream of life runs throughout your tears will
you from seeing prevent
either. He actively supported Mahatma Gandhi, the universe. Religion should establish unity in l Death
th e stars
is not extin
and his agenda of social reforms through civil diversity.’ is only putting ou guishing the light; it
t
disobedience. Gandhi and the other founding As a philosopher, he brought out the essence daw n has come. the lamp because the
leaders of modern India were deeply influenced of Eastern spirituality in his poetry like no

28 Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
An apple a day…Healthy Eating
Adeela Afiz
The need to eat healthy and have a good diet
is something we always hear about and a lot
of us claim to already do. For the rest of us,
the array of foods and sweets on offer every-
day are too tempting and we end up indulging
without meaning too.
But what is healthy eating really and how
can we easily incorporate it into our lives?
Healthy eating incorporates a lot of factors.
It is not just about eating the right foods, with a
balance of all the food groups including carbo-
hydrates, protein and good fats but also moni-
toring salt, sugar, additives and preservatives
and using portion control. The need for edu-
cation in this area is perhaps becoming more
essential as we see the rising incidence of Type
Two Diabetes and Heart Disease in our Indian
community. Why is this so?
While the foundation of the basic Indian
diet is healthy, incorporating legumes, vegeta-
bles and other high in antioxidant spices, two
areas where we overindulge is in adding extras
such as butter and cream and portion sizes.
Ingredients like ghee (clarified butter) and
even normal butter and margarine spreads
should be used in moderation. Ghee has been
used since ancient times and has many benefi-
WEEKENDCUISINE
Cocktail Prawns
Recipe by Ruby Dhillon
Ingredients:
• 1kg- Peeled Prawns - large size
- fresh or frozen
• [Easiest is to buy a frozen pack
of peeled prawns from your lo-
cal super market]
• 1- Onion (small and sliced)
• 3tbs- Crushed Ginger
• 2tbs- Cumin seeds
• 10- Whole red chillis
• 8- Cloves
• 2- Cinnamon sticks (1-inch)
• 5tbs- Vinegar
• Salt according to taste
• Oil for frying
Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
cial properties, also being used in ayurveda. I
am not saying it should be completely cut out
of our diets. But like all things, moderation is
important. When using in cooking, either for
making roti and parathas or using in curries,
pay attention to the amount that is being
used. You may find that you are
able to use a lot less and still
get the taste you require
without compromising your
health in the long run. Or
you may want to experi-
ment with alternatives
such as low cholesterol
or reduced salt options
so that your meals are
healthier.
Portion control is
another important factor.
Even while eating the healthiest
diet, if you’re eating twice as much
as you need too, your body will store
it as fat. Over eating on a regular basis puts
your whole body under stress. The digestive
system needs to work harder and longer every
time you eat a large meal. Your body needs
a certain amount of energy to function each
Method:
• Make a paste of the cumin seeds,
red chillis, cloves, cinnamon sticks,
ginger and vinegar
• Heat oil in a wok. Fry onions until
brown.
• Add the above paste and fry until fat
leaves the masala.
• Add prawn, stir and cook until its
dry and cooked
• Serve hot with chopped coriander
and/or sweet thai chilli sauce.
• Can also be served on skewers
day, when you eat more calories in a day than
what you use, the extra calories are stored in
your body as fat cells. When the amount of fat
cells increase and you gain weight, it impacts
your whole body. Your heart needs to work
harder to pump blood to the areas of extra
weight and new capillaries (tiny blood
vessels) need to be formed. This
is why gaining too much weight
impacts your health and can
cause problems such as hyper-
tension and heart disease.
Two fairly easy changes
you may like to try to improve
what you eat is eating low GI
alternatives and when doing
your shopping, choosing prod-
ucts with the heart foundation
tick.
Low GI stands for Glycemic
Index and simply means the amount of
sugar that a product contains and how quickly
it will increase the amount of sugar in your
blood. By making some small changes you can
make it easier for your body to digest these
foods and be healthier. For example, eating
brown or wholegrain bread instead of white.
Mixing in wholemeal flour instead of just
using white flour, and eating porridge instead
of sugary breakfast cereals. This benefits you
in two ways. 1. It contains less sugar so it
is healthier for you. 2: They are slow release
foods so they keep you fuller for longer which
can help you eat less during the day and help
with weight management.
The heart foundation tick is a red tick that
is displayed on foods in the supermarket. The
health food foundation puts this tick on a wide
variety of products that are the healthier option
to help reduce heart disease in New Zealand.
These products have the tick because they
contain low levels of fats, salt and calories
Who can you trust?
Oliver Pereira
Independent ratings and what they mean
Ever wondered about the ‘financial rating’ in-
formation at the end of insurance company cor-
respondence: how important it is and what it
tells you?
We all like to know that the company we’re
dealing with is well regarded and reputable
when it comes to their meeting their obligations.
But apart from what you hear or are told, how do
you really know? That’s where ratings come in.
A number of high-profile companies conduct
independent evaluations of companies operat-
ing in the financial services industry − including
insurers − providing a means of benchmarking
financial strength and dependability.
A.M. Best is one of the leading providers
of insurance ratings worldwide, with over 100
years’ experience of the insurance industry.
Their Financial Strength Rating (FSR) is an as-
sessment of an insurer’s ability to meet its obli-
gations to policyholders.
The ‘secure’ ratings are A++, A+ (superior),
A, A- (excellent) and B++, B+ (good). In recent
years, these ratings have become an increasing-
ly important factor in consumers’ decisions to
purchase insurance.
Another well-known ratings provider is
Standard & Poor’s.
This international company has been assess-
ing the financial strength of insurance compa-
Health
compared to similar products. The point of it is
to make it easy for you to identify which is the
healthier brand or product when buying bread,
meat, dairy, sauces etc. Next time you are out
shopping keep and eye out for the tick and try
to use heart foundation endorsed products to
help prevent heart disease.
Lastly remember to keep up your water
intake! Hydration is important and the best
source of it is natural filtered water rather than
sweet or sugary drinks. . Try to have 8 glasses
of water a day and to make it easier, keep a
drink bottle handy so you ca keep sipping
throughout the day.
Quick tips in conclusion:
• eat a variety of nutritious foods
• eat less fatty, salty, sugary foods
• keep fried treats to a minimum or
use an alternative way of cooking
• eat more vegetables and fruits
• fully breastfeed infants for at least
six months
• be active every day for at least 30
minutes in as many ways as possible
• add some vigorous exercise for
extra benefit and fitness
• aim to maintain a healthy weight
throughout life
Chiropractors believe in using the best and
most natural options for your body to optimise
your health. Diet and exercise is part of a holis-
tic lifestyle and incorporated into a chiroprac-
tic health care programme.
- For more information please feel free to
contact Adeela Afiz, Chiropractic Intern at
New Zealand College of Chiropractic, 6 Har-
rison Road, Mt Wellington, Auckland Ph:
09 526 2100. www.chiropractic.ac.nz
Column
nies since 1971. Its premier ratings start with
AAA (extremely strong), AA (very strong), A
(strong) and BBB (good).
Similar ratings schemes exist to provide im-
partial benchmarking in other financial sectors.
For example, the Australasian company Cannex
rates all financial products available in New
Zealand, including deposit account and credit
card services, and home loans. Superior prod-
ucts and services receive a five-star rating.
For more information, go to:
www.ambest.com
www.standardandpoors.com
www.cannex.com
The above information is general and has
been provided to serve only as a guideline to
assist in evaluating your insurance needs and
is not to be relied upon as a full explanation
or substitute for obtaining professional advice
related to your individual circumstances. You
are encouraged to do your own research before
arriving at any decisions.
For further information, please contact:
Oliver Pereira – OPM Insurance Services
Ltd.
Ph. 0800 66 77 92, Faxmail. 021 551 669,
Mobile. 021 66 77 92
Email. oliver.pereira@xtra.co.nz
29
Indian

30 Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian

Indian Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 31

 Kites
Indian

Releasing May 21

SCREENING AT

SKYCITY QUEENS STREET

SKYCITY MANUKAU

HOYTS SYLVIA PARK

SKYCITY ST LUKES

HOYTS BOTANY DOWNS

Directed By:
Anurag Kashyap
Starring:
Hrithik Roshan & Barbara Mori

KITES is a story of love that goes beyond barriers, boundaries & cultures. It is a story of passion that defines every rule, of a
relationship that takes two lovers on a thrilling journey filled with precious moments - and unexpected betrayal.

For session times & more info, visit

www.mindblowingfilms.com
Follow us on:
Orkut / MySpace
*SESSION TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE, PLEASE CHECK YOUR
Facebook - search Mind Blowing Films @ Facebook
32
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Indian - twitter.com/mindblowingfilm
Weekender | May 14, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz