Indian Weekender 17 October 2014

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17 October 2014
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17 October, 2014 Vol. 6 Issue 13 | www.iwk.co.nz
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READERS CONTRIBUTION
Spirituality, religion and humanity
Chander Satija
F
irst Man came: Religions were instituted
later for the evolution of his soul. Man was
not made for the sake of religion but the purpose
was to attain bliss and to realize the Lord.
The God created human beings; and
only later did they become Sikhs, Muslims,
Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Hindus and so
forth. God does not belong to any particular
race, country, nationality, caste or religion. His
language, colour, race and religion is love only.
He is all pervading, omnipresent, omnipotent
and monotheistic.
We all are spiritual divine beings passing
through human existence. Our soul is a particle
of God. That means we belongs to Him and He
belongs to us; we are of Him, as He is of us.
True religion teaches us to love all and to
remember God. While loving the Lord, we
have to love His creation also. Muslim Mystic
Sheikh Saadi had said,
Sons of Adam are organs of each other. As
in the beginning , they spring from the same
stalk. When pain is caused to one organ, other
organs lose their tranquillity.
According to Hinduism, Compassion is the
basic element of any religion. Lord Buddha
also said, Non-violence is the supreme
religion.
A Muslim saint has said, Thousands of
rituals and worship and obeisances; thousands
of fasts/Rozas and in each fast thousands of
prayers; and remaining awake for thousands of
nights... all are not acceptable to the Lord if that
man injures others.
In the Holy Quran it is mentioned that
different modes of worship and rituals have
been prescribed by prophets in different times.
Whether one utters Ram or Khuda or Allah or
God or Lord Buddha or Christ, Vahe Guru or
Jehovah or any other name, the reference is to
the same Merciful Creator who is nameless.
In any language you pray to the God, He
understands it only if it is done from the core
of our heart. What is happening today, all over
the world, is that radicals are killing innocent
children, women and old people all in the name
of Allah/ God. Hatred is being spread against
people of other faiths and religions.
Many people have been maimed for life and
families ruined since their bread -winners are
either killed or seriously injured in the ruthless
bomb/ missile attacks. Women are prohibited
from going to work in jobs or prevented from
studying in school or college. How could such
suppressive countries progress?
In Syria, Iraq and many other countries in
the Middle-East and Africa, Sunnis and Shiites
are fercely fghting against each other, killing
hundreds of innocent people and destroying
their cities and home without any valid reason
and with no positive conclusion or result.
Their intolerance and narrow-mindedness
towards other sects and faiths divide the people,
resulting in unending blood bath. Who is going
to gain? None of these communities nor the
common people of any sect or religion are going
to gain except perhaps arms manufacturers or
dealers.
Concepts like Jihad-murderous attempts to
enforce belief and behaviour on others- belong
in the evil past of human history. The end
products of such actions are hatred, destruction
and total anarchy. And there is worldwide
identifcation of Muslims communities with
intolerance and militancy.
With one breath, they say, Allah is merciful
and most compassionate yet with another
breath they say, Kill the infdels: destroy the
unbelievers, showing no mercy in their cruel
killing of the innocent.
Maulvi Rum, the highly respected mystic
of Turkey, once said, The Saints /Prophets/
Murshid have come to unite and not to separate
people.
Mystic Hafz has said, The same candle
lights the mosque, church and the temple.
I wonder why there is enmity between the
believers and non-believers.
If we treat people of other faiths as non-
believers or infdel, then we are not following
the Will of the Lord but going against it. And
that is sin. If we speak hatred and abuse to
them or about them, that is blasphemy. How
Allah would be happy with such acts of cruelty
against its own loving children.
The radicals brainwash the youths to
convince them that by waging Jihad they would
go upon their death to Zannat( paradise) and
enjoy the pleasures of the beautiful virgins in
gardens of delight. How stupid is this ignorant
myth! If they killed the children of an all-
mighty father, how he is going to treat the
perpetrators? Would He punish them to Hell
or reward them to paradise.Even a child can
answer this question correctly .
Even putting aside reason for a moment
and assuming that the killers went to paradise,
would such mentally sick sadistic monsters,
guilty of such evil, enjoy the fruits of their
cruelty? Allah /God rule the whole universe
with the Law of Karma, basically the law of
cause and effect. According to this universal
law:As you sow, you shall reap .
Karmic Law is a matter of balancing our
karmic debit and credit account. Prophet
Mohammed also said, He who does a good
deed will receive ten times its worth; And he
who does evil will be requited to an equal
degree; and no will be wronged.
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NEW ZEALAND
DIFFERENT STROKES, SAME SPIRIT
Would you prefer one big Diwali celebration that everybody attends? Or would you rather have one festival for each region
central, south, west and north for Kiwi-Indians residing in distant suburbs?
Paula Ray
T
he Queen of all Diwalis was held at Aotea
Square last weekend. Queen Street, the
lifeline of Auckland Central, was blocked off
mid-way to make way for celebrations. If you
were lucky enough to be present there, chances
are you felt you were back in India. From the
aroma at the food stalls to the handicrafts and
workshops, not to mention the crowd around
you was oh-so Indian! Unless, of course, you
looked up and saw the city skyline and released
you were actually miles away from your home
country.
Every Kiwi-Indian is touched by Auckland
Diwali Festival, whether they physically make
their way to it or savour it from afar. Most times,
unless you are adventurous enough, you dont
wish to brave the traffc and pay for parking to
have a few of hours of fun at the festival. You
would rather hear about the celebration updates
on radio and wait for your regional or local
Diwali festival to visit with friends and family.
But the question is does this not dissect the
community into smaller pockets? Is it better to
have one big Diwali celebration that everybody
attends together? Or have one festival for each
region central, south, west and north to
accommodate the Kiwi-Indians who reside in
distant suburbs across the length and breadth
of the city? These are questions that are often
pondered over by Kiwi-Indians. So, let us
explore the pros and cons of having one Diwali
versus several Diwali celebrations in Auckland.
ONE DIWALI, ONE CELEBRATION
The fact that an important road like the
Queen Street is blocked for Diwali shows
that the New Zealand government recognises
the Kiwi-Indian community and respects its
culture. It is a big thing for the community that
has worked hard to be where it is now, says
Naveen Prakash, President of Waitakere Indian
Association.
Harshad Patel, President of New Zealand
Indian Central Association, prefers to get all
community organisations together for one
gala celebration and plans to work on it in the
near future. Diwali showcases our unity as an
ethnic community, expressed through cultural
activities and festivities. We can get together
and do it together, says Patel.
Diwali signifes the victory of light over
darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over
evil, and hope over despair. It has also come
to represent the Indian diaspora all across the
world, says Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, National
MP. To borrow Shashi Tharoors phrase of
Indias Soft Power, celebration of Diwali by
the Indian diaspora in NZ and across the world
has without doubt helped in telling the India
story to the world.
Mahatma Gandhi Centre used to be
the venue for Auckland Councils Diwali
The fact that an important
road like the Queen Street
is blocked for Diwali shows
that the New Zealand
government recognises the
Kiwi-Indian community
and respects its culture.
It is a big thing for the
community that has
worked hard to be where
it is now
- Naveen Prakash, President of
Waitakere Indian Association
Continued on Pg 4
Ram Leela at Waitakere Diwali 2013
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
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celebrations for several years, till the
community grew in size and the venue became
too small, remembers Patel.
Bakshi adds, As a Member of Parliament
I get invited to and feel privileged to attend
Diwali celebrations all across the country. It
is, therefore, a bit hard for me to say that I do
not enjoy the festivities and the hospitality.
However, in my opinion celebrating this
unifying festival in every suburb doesnt do
justice to it. Neither does it convey to the wider
society the true meaning of the festival.
ONE DIWALI, MANY CELEBRATIONS
Multiple celebrations might apparently
showcase the Kiwi-Indian community to be
divided. It does not help that the festivities have
been reduced to a dance event, resulting in
the festival losing its distinctive character. Of
course, we do have a spectacular freworks
display in the end. However, one of the major
arguments for multiple celebrations is the fact
that it gives each region an opportunity to
showcase its talent. Regional celebrations help
the local community residing in that region
to come together and know each other. This
is diffcult to achieve in the big crowd that
descends at Auckland Central.
Bakshi says, Celebrating Diwali at a single
spot may prove challenging due to logistical
issues. The Indian diaspora is spread in all
areas of Auckland. To create ease of access for
members of our communities I feel it is best
to celebrate Diwali in South, West and Central
Auckland.
On a positive note, Bakshi adds, The
organising committee of Diwali in all these
areas can team up with smaller community
organisations towards integrating their efforts
towards planning and organising Diwali in
each zone of Auckland. All organisers should
be provided with an opportunity to participate
equally and they should be acknowledged
for their work and efforts. As members of an
ethnic community in a foreign land, I believe
we should put efforts to stand united in times
of joy and adversity. I think in celebrating the
festival of Diwali collectively, rather than in
small groups, we stand to further build on the
India story.
Thinking along the same lines, Nimmi Bedi,
community facilitator, South Auckland, says,
So many celebrations of the same festival
do not give a good image of the community.
However, it is not fair to have only one Diwali
either. Rather we could arrive at a mid-point
and have one in each region that combines the
local community organisations in that region.
All of these celebrations are predominantly
about Bollywood and Bhangra, with pockets
of other Indian elements thrown in. The real
festival has disappeared, laments Bedi. We
celebrate our traditional form of Diwali at our
gurudwara in Papatoetoe.
Diwali, actually, means different things to
different communities within India and each
community celebrates it in a different way. In
spite of the multiple celebrations, interestingly
enough, all of them adhere to the generic
festival theme.
A smaller and more regional celebration,
however, brings the community people together
and makes it easier for them to know each
other. When we ask our members if they went
to the Auckland Central Diwali, almost 80 per
cent of them say they have not, says Prakash,
President of Waitakere Indian Association.
The community events help us to discuss
issues of concern and work out what works
better. This is also when we can gauge peoples
opinion and relay it to the Council.
With the increase in Kiwi-Indian population,
the local talents have also multiplied. Their
variety is refected in the increase in cultural
performances. Not everybody can make it to
the Auckland Diwali. The regional celebrations
give every performer a platform to showcase
their talent, says Darshana Sinnarkar, resident
of Mt Roskill. An opportunity to perform
brings the kids along with their parents and
friends, and thats what ensures participation,
says Prakash.
BURMA INVITED TO DIWALI
The diversity of our culture is not just
refected in the many ways in which Diwali is
celebrated in the country, but also in the many
opinions on how to celebrate the festival. The
wish to organise the best also brings out the
best in all organisers. So, frankly speaking, the
multiple celebration approach stands to gain in
the long run.
In their attempt to provide Kiwi-Indians with
the best-ever Diwali year after year, Auckland
Council believes in being a step ahead. This year,
it was heard at an ATEED (Auckland Tourism
Events and Economic Development) meeting
that, for some added attraction, their marketing
team was planning to bring the elephant from the
zoo to Aotea Square during the celebrations. But
they did not get permission from Auckland Zoo.
When approached by Indian Weekender, the
zoo authorities said: It turns out that ATEED did
not ask for our elephant Burma to join the Diwali
Festival celebrations in Aotea Square. We have in
the past been asked by other organisations if our
animals could leave the zoo premises, but have
declined as we strictly follow the Ministry for
Primary Industries (MPI) guidelines for Zoos in
New Zealand.
Irrespective of whether elephant Burma
made it to the celebrations or not, Kiwi-Indians
had a gala time at the Auckland Diwali Festival.
The spirit of the organisers is refected in the
way they go out of their way to make an event
memorable even if it comes in the form of
multiple celebrations.
Continued from Pg 3
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23 May 2014
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NEW ZEALAND
Performer at Auckland Diwali Festival 2014
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NEW ZEALAND
Indian cultural celebrations
begin at Massey University
A
10-day celebration of Indian culture began
last week at Masseys Albany campus with
the launch of an exhibition of rare photos of
Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
More than 70 people attended the event, held
at the campus library to commemorate Gandhis
birthday. It was hosted by the universitys new
migrants director Professor Shaista Shameem
in partnership with the campus registrar, the
Albany Students Association and the Offce
of the Assistant Vice-Chancellor Mori and
Pasifka.
Among the guests were Indian dignitaries,
business people and Auckland community
groups. Indian High Commissioner to New
Zealand Ravi Thapar acknowledged Massey
for recognising someone, who is an icon
symbolising something that will continue to be
relevant. Mr Thapar said he sees New Zealand
as a very smart and innovative country with
enormous potential for doing more business
with his country in science and technology
exchanges.
National Party Member of Parliament
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi said he hoped leaders
like Gandhi would continue to inspire young
people. We have been fortunate to have lived
in a time where we have seen or read stories
about the struggles of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin
Luther King and Nelson Mandela, he said.
Professor Shameem says Massey University
is actively recognising and embracing the
increasing diversity of the people of Auckland,
which includes a signifcant Indian population.
An Indian documentary flm festival is also
running alongside the exhibition until October
10. Three of the six documentaries are about
Gandhi. The festival is screening in the library
mini-theatre each lunchtime.
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
6
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NEW ZEALAND
The hand that feeds
Belongs to Shivani Arora, executive chef at India Gate Restaurant, who cooks and serves food to thousands, not only within
the Kiwi-Indian community but also beyond
Paula Ray
T
here is a pair of hands that wields the
ladle and brings out just the right mix of
aromatic spices. The fragrance weaves its
magic and makes its way out of the kitchen
to engulf all within its generous folds. Such is
the beauty of Annapurna. She does not let any
soul go hungry. In fact, she regularly cooks for
about 3,000-odd people at charity fundraising
events within the Kiwi-Indian community in
Auckland. But most of the time, her kindness
goes unrecognised. She is a silent worker who
prefers to work behind the scenes, in her quiet
and graceful ways.
That is precisely why, at Indian Weekender,
we decided to pay tribute to the leading lady
of Indian hospitality for her many deeds. Her
inner circle of friends and family often refer to
Shivani Arora as Annapurna, the Goddess of
food and nourishment.
She discovered her penchant for cooking at
the tender age of 12, when she used to live with
her extended family in Chandigarh, India. Her
passion to buy spices from the market, roast
and grind them in the right proportions, and add
them to make mouth-watering dishes, has only
grown over the years. Today, she is the epitome
of perfection when it comes to Indian food in
Auckland.
Arora holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and
a B.Ed. Before moving to Auckland at the
beginning of the millennium, she was a teacher
by profession in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Soon
after she arrived in Auckland with her husband
and two sons, Arora visited an Indian retail
store in Sandringham and immediately decided
to buy it. In another three years, the couple
opened their second retail store, Khyber Spice
Invader, in Royal Oak. This was followed by
The Base, a Nandos franchise, in Hamilton,
and Chaska Da Punjab in Epsom. It was the
latter that was renamed India Gate Restaurant
and thus began the couples ever-successful
foray into the hospitality and retail industry.
The opening of India Gate Restaurant
marks a watershed in the history of Indian
hospitality in Auckland. Aroras commitment
to preservation of culture, tradition and a style
that lives up to the expectations of Maharajas
(kings), is refected by the service and quality
standards of the restaurant. Arora is actively
involved with the day-to-day running of her
enterprise. In fact, she is often seen in the
restaurants kitchen, sharing her culinary
expertise with her staff.
Her name comes up frst when fnding
a reliable catering service at all meetings
organised by community associations as
well as places of worship, like temples and
gurdwaras.
India Gate is also well known for its
charity fundraiser activities, where Arora
volunteers to feed a few thousand people at
local charities - and she actually cooks for
them herself.
In addition to her varied culinary
crowns, Arora is also the Vice President
of Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan in New
Zealand and has been instrumental in
organising all of the six Mata ki Chowki
that have been held at Shirdi Sai Sansthan
so far. Her zeal to serve the community
and take her social responsibilities seriously
is also manifested via her involvement with
several non-proft organisations in the country.
Arora is the undisputed role model for many
a Kiwi-Indian woman who has left her family
in search of a new home on the soil of this
country.
Our very own Annapurna has created
an oasis for them and their family as she
continues to feed not only the body but also the
soul of the community in her own tacit avatars.
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
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$25,000 APPROX ASKING $320,000 + STOCK 44467
FRUIT AND VEGE IN WEST AUCKLAND WEEKLY SALES $26,000
5 DAYS CAFE IN AUCKLAND CBD ASKING $44,000 + STOCK
REF 44570
LUNCHBAR/TAKEAWAY IN SOUTH AUCKLAND
ASKING $39,000 + STOCK REF 44600
DAIRY IN AUCKLAND CBD WEEKLY SALES $9,000 APPROX
COLOUMBUS CAFE IN WEST AUCKLAND WEEKLY SALES
$10,000 APPROX ASKING $260,000 + STOCK REF 44530
WENDYS SUPER SUNDAE ASKING $149,000 + STOCK
REF 44405
THE COFFEE CLUB WEEKLY SALES $14,000 APPROX
OPORTO FRANCHISE (UNDER CONTRACT)
MOVENPICK QUEENSTOWN ASKING $400,000 + STOCK
REF 44472
MOVENPICK WELLIGTON ASKING $250,000 + STOCK
REF 44533
Has gender arrived? asks
Prof Deshpande
O
n Monday 29 September, the New Zealand
India Research Institutehosted a public
seminar at Victoria University by Rajeshwari
Deshpande, Professor of Politics at the
SavitribaiPhule Pune University, India,and the
current ICCR visiting chair for Contemporary
Indian Studies at the University of Technology,
Sydney. Prof Deshpandes seminar, entitled
Womens Vote in Indian Elections: Has Gender
Arrived?, examined the nature of womens vote
casting in India. Her talk was woven around her
analysis of the National Election Studies (NES)
data set on Indian elections generated by the
Lokniti research programme of the Centre for
Study of Developing Societies, Delhi.
The NES data, Professor Deshpande argued, provide an empirical vantage point to understand the
trends of routine political participation of Indian women during the last two decades. Her analysis
of the data indicates that gender as an explanatory factor to understand the nature of womens vote
cannot be seen in isolation and that at times caste and class may override gender in deciding the way
women vote. Professor Deshpande argued that gender thus remains enmeshed in other dimensions
of social hierarchy and regional dynamics in deciding the nature of womens political participation.
In that sense, gender has not become a major factor in Indian electoral politics yet.
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
8
Red Black Orange
NEW ZEALAND

INSTITUTE OF NEW ZEALAND
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SOON IN
AUCKLAND CITY ALSO
MAYORALDRIVE
News f rom t he Counci l
Local boards gain
power to object to
alcohol licences
A
uckland Council has delegated local
boards the power to object to alcohol
licence applications in their area.
Until last months Governing Body meeting,
local boards did not
have the authority
to engage in legal
proceedings such
as objecting to an
application for an
alcohol licence.
Like any party
objecting to a licence
application, local
boards will be required
to follow strict criteria
outlined in the Sale &
Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.
Criteria such as the suitability of the
applicant and whether the amenity and good
order of the locality may affect the area are
just some of the grounds required to make an
objection.
An objection by any resident, business,
local board or agency (e.g. Police, Medical
Board of Health) must be fled with the District
Licensing Committee (DLC) within 15 working
days of the frst public notice announcing an
application has been made.
DLCs consider all aspects of the application
and any objections before they make the
decision on whether to grant or decline an
application.
In making their fnal decision the DLC must
follow the criteria set out in the Act.
State of Auckland
snapshot available
A
statistical snapshot of Aucklands social
and natural environment in 2014 is
available online from October 10th, with
the release of Auckland Councils State
of Auckland report cards.
The report cards provide the most recent
statistics on Aucklands water, soil and air
quality, demographic make-up, land supply,
biodiversity and how Aucklanders rate their
quality of life. The cards report the topics
regionally and for local board areas, so local
communities can compare their communities
performance with others across Auckland.
Martin Neale, Team Leader Environmental
Science Research, Investigations &
Monitoring, says the report cards provide
objective evidence about how Auckland and its
communities are progressing towards becoming
the worlds most liveable city.
The report cards provide us with
information that we can easily compare across
areas and with previous years, so we can
monitor our progress as a community, says
Dr Neale. He says as the region develops so
will its economy and pressure on the natural
environment.
However, the information the councils
researchers gather helps shape the regions
responses and ensures that resources are
invested in the right places.
For example, Pakuranga Stream is
amongst the worst fve locations in the region
for water quality, but it is also the focus of
the Auckland Council supported Volcano to
the Sea community and environmental project
intended to improve environmental health.
Council to consult on
sale of products in
legal high sale areas
A
uckland Councils Regional Strategy and
Policy Committee today voted to adopt
its proposed draft policy on psychoactive
substances and consult on plans that would
see the sale of the
products restricted
throughout the city.
While council cannot
legally prevent the
substances being
sold once licensed
by government, it
can ensure that the
retail outlets selling
the products are
not near vulnerable
communities, schools,
or treatment centres for mental health issues or
substance abuse.
The decision to approve the draft policy and
put it out to public consultation comes while
the government has temporarily restricted the
sale of the products. It is expected that the
consultation and implementation of the policy
will be complete ahead of the resumption of
licenses being granted by government.
Committee chair councillor George Wood
says that the decision to approve the draft
policy was the correct one and that public
safety should be the number one priority.
I am pleased the committee reached
this decision. Now we will make sure that
the consultation on the policy will allow
Aucklanders to engage on this issue and have
their voices heard.
Council projects bag
Best Design Awards
A
project commissioned by the Waitemat
Local Board won three awards at this
years national Best Design Awards.
The sculpture-led identity for Studio One
Toi T (the refurbished Artstation) took the
Gold Pin for Small Brand Identity, as well as
Best Environmental Graphics. Studio One
Toi T was also awarded the Purple Pin
for Graphic Design, one of the events supreme
awards for a project that raises the bar of New
Zealand design. The project was developed and
produced by multi-award winning Alt Group.
Winners were announced at a special event
on Friday 10 October. Waitemat Local Board
Chair Shale Chambers says he is delighted
the boards innovative approach to providing
for its communities has been so signifcantly
recognised.
While accepting the awards, Mr Poole
thanked the Waitemat Local Board and
Auckland Council teams, adding he was
extremely proud to see Studio One Toi T
being recognised at such a high level.
The work was described by the judges as
breaking down the barrier between the art
world and the rest of the world.
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
9
Red Black Orange
NEW ZEALAND
NZSEs class of 2014
graduates amidst applause
O
n Thursday, 09 October 2014 New Zealand
School of Education (NZSE) held their
graduation ceremony at the Dorothy Winston
Centre in Auckland Girls Grammar. The staff
of NZSE proudly watched on as graduates
crossed the stage in their regalia to receive
their certifcates from the Head of Schools in
front of their family and friends. This was the
graduates time to shine and be rewarded for all
their hard work through their academic journey.
The graduation ceremony was held for over
300 students who have successfully completed
their NZSE programmes and was kicked off
with a touching powhiri performed by the Kapa
Haka Group from the Rutherford College.
Inspired by NZSEs vision of transforming
lives through the power of learning, industry
speaker Stephen Paea (Sales Manager at
Liberate IT), opened the ceremony with a
motivational speech about his own student
journey and how academic studies has
transformed his life.
Alongside Stephen, Raj Peram (international
student) spoke about his student journey
from Hyderabad, India and what it meant to
be a student at NZSE. NZSE provides both
international and domestic students with
so much support and made the transition in
coming to New Zealand very easy he says. Raj
has the Career Services Team at NZSE to thank
for helping him land his Customer Service
Technician role at leading telecommunication
company iiNet. Raj reaped the awards of
studying at a leading ICT tertiary provider
as he started this position not long after the
completion of his programme at NZSE.
Delivering a range of programmes from
its fve schools: School of ICT, School
of Business, School of Design, School of
Education, School of English and Foundation
Studies, NZSE is a quality education provider
starting from just one campus and has grown
into three campuses. With campuses in New
Lynn, Manukau and Auckland CBD, they have
Auckland covered for delivering quality tertiary
educational opportunities to both domestic and
international students
With the mission of producing successful
graduates through exciting educational
experiences, NZSE is dedicated to their
strategy of total student experience and is
striving to increase student readiness for either
employment or further tertiary education.
NZSE has a dedicated Career Services Team
with a focus on building strong relationships
with NZ businesses and engaging with NZ
employers on a regular basis to prepare our
students for the job market.
New Zealand School of Education - Where
exciting, educational experiences serve to
transform lives and deliver best in class
employment outcomes.
For more information on the Schools and
programmes offered at NZSE, please feel free
to visit their website at www.nzse.ac.nz or call
them on 0800 99 88 11.
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www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
10
Red Black Orange
Waikato Innovation Park
receives $3M to ramp up
value-added food production
T
he Waikato Innovation Park has received a
$3 million equity injection from Callaghan
Innovation. It will use the funds to kick off
a $5.0 million expansion of its FoodWaikato
spray drying facility this month.
At full capacity, the new manufacturing
capability is expected to inject an additional
$38.5 million per year in export revenues back
into the New Zealand economy from the sale of
new, value-added consumer products.
With this expansion, FoodWaikato will
provide a greater level of development and
innovation capability to dairy companies
thats cow, goat and sheep - as well as fruit and
vegetables producers.
Were moving from helping our customers
manufacture ingredients that sell for around
US$4,700 per tonne to US$20,000 per tonne.
At full capacity, we will produce around
2500 tonnes of new, value-added products,
explained Waikato Innovation Park CEO,
Stuart Gordon.
Science and Innovation Minister Steven
Joyce said the investment aligns with
Callaghan Innovations goal of accelerating
commercialisation of innovation by frms in
New Zealand.
The expansion of FoodWaikato provides
more open access facilities that support smart
ideas coming out of the food and beverage
sector.
With an estimated $38.25 million per
year of additional export revenues expected to
fow back into the New Zealand economy due
to this one initiative, the FoodWaikato plant
expansion will help more companies take their
innovations to new export markets and help
the Government reach its goal of doubling the
value of exports by 2025, Joyce outlined.
Stuart Gordon said expanding the facility
is all about helping more companies take their
innovations to new export markets.
Indian origin lecturer
praised for anti-
racism stand
A
n Indian origin professor from New
Zealands University of Canterbury, who
returned a student-voted lecturer of the year
award to protest what he calls an underbelly
of hate on campus, has been praised by the
countrys race relations commissioner, media
reported.
Ekant Veer, an associate professor who has
taught marketing at the university since 2010,
won the award on a vote from the university
students association UCSA, NZ City reported.
But he returned the award after what he says
was UCSAs failure to act over the RoUndie
500 event run by the universitys Engineering
Society, where participants were encouraged
to dress up in costumes that were the more
inappropriate the better.
Veer - of Indian descent and born in the
English city of Liverpool - says this resulted in
a host of costumes that were undeniably racist
and sexist.
I have no proof that the UCSA has taken
the matter seriously. With no apology and no
guarantee of ensuring similar behaviour does
not occur again, I believe that racist and sexist
behaviour will continue.
New Zealands Race Relations
Commissioner Susan Devoy has said Veer
epitomised the Kiwi fghting spirit.
Devoy said Christchurch students should
not forget that foreign nations were some of the
frst to send search and rescue teams into the
devastated city in February 2011 and migrant
workers and Asian companies were investing
millions in the rebuild.
Veer said he has been a target of racism
since arriving in 2010.
NEW ZEALAND
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
11
Red Black Orange
Promises from foreign buyers
T
he automatic approvals and the sale of New
Zealand land and businesses continues but
no-one is checked to see if foreign buyers keep
their promises of creating jobs in New Zealand.
The Overseas Investment Offce attaches a
list of supposed benefts to New Zealand with
each approval, suggesting that the sale will
increase our exports and bring more wealth for
New Zealand as a whole.
No one appears to be checking to see if
any jobs are created at all? Who checks to see
if our exports increase? Who is checking the
contract and holding the new owner of our
land to account?
Among the sales that are approved byt the
Offce many applicants say they will build
exclusive accommodation and hunting lodges.
Kiwis are able to do this. How many more
fancy lodges do we need anyway? Are they
ever built? Is this just a trick, a quick insert
into the application by a lawyer so the OIO is
satisfed?
August sales and increased investments
in land approved by the Overseas Investment
Offce include dairy farms, vineyards and bare
land n Canterbury, Marlborough, Auckland and
Taranaki with buyers mainly from Australia,
the UK and the US.
Investor groups are prominent again as they
are each month - groups that see the money-
making possibilities from buying New Zealand
land and businesses. Its fair to say their profts
are moved overseas via our banking system
which is close to 100 per cent foreign owned.
Our wealth is being siphoned off.
The National government ignored the call
from a majority of New Zealanders not to sell
our assets. The alternative for the government
is to prove that there are substantial benefts to
New Zealand and New Zealanders from sales
to foreigners. And to prove that Kiwis are not
being shut out of opportunity on their own land
because wealthy foreign buyers have pushed
prices beyond the reach of locals. Its the same
picture in the housing market.
Among land and business sales approved
in August is Nelson land for purchasers who
intend to migrate and live here, the $36
million sale of Towers life insurance business
to Australian interests and a $22m additional
investment in dairy farms near Ashburton.
It has also approved British trader Richard
Magides purchase of land in Queenstown
where he has pledged to build a luxury lodge.
Mr Magides has previously bought Ben Avon
Station, in Otago, where he also promised
to build a lodge, though it does not appear a
consent has been lodged yet. He has also
previously bought a penthouse and winery.
War without peace
T
here are few more defning moments for
a government than the decision to wage
war. Prime Minister, John Key has said we
are within weeks of deciding what action we
will take against Islamic State (also known as
ISIS) in Iraq. The options range from providing
humanitarian aid to special forces (SAS) being
deployed.
This may sound like an easy decision.
The public beheading of Westerners has
been broadcast widely and there is a growing
humanitarian crisis as more civilians join
the millions of displaced people from the
Syrian confict. There is a growing sense that
something must be done.
But defning something is not
straightforward. Western intervention in Iraq
over the past twenty fve years has resulted in
hundreds of thousands of casualties, destroyed
infrastructure and left a legacy of hatred and
sectarian division. If military action is about
achieving intended consequences, the record
of recent US coalitions has been abysmal.
The Middle East is now more dangerous
and unstable than ever, and the provision of
weapons and training for one group of allies
today only strengthens a new group of enemies
tomorrow. More aerial bombardment of the
irregular forces of the Islamic State in either
Iraq or Syria is unlikely to be effective, and
even less likely to create the conditions for
building peace.
Further, joining a US-led coalition, without
a United Nations mandate, will make it clear
that New Zealand is deepening our alliance
with the US, a departure from our independent
foreign policy and the decision not to join the
US coalition in Iraq in 2003. This has broader
implications for our foreign relations and
potentially exposes New Zealanders to greater
risk as they travel abroad.
There are many places in the world where
intervention is needed, where there are more
civilian casualties and a greater chance of
success. It is hard to escape the view that the US
has prioritised this war because of oil reserves.
In a world that is rapidly making a transition
to renewable energy, with more fossil fuel
reserves than can ever be used, this rationale
looks increasingly misguided.
The Green Party argues that any intervention
should have an objective analysis to show
it is politically wise and it is in accordance
with international law. These conditions have
not been met. Further, it should be properly
mandated. Before the election, the Prime
Minister dismissed suggestions of New
Zealand involvement, but now appears to be
in favour. He has suggested that there may be
Parliamentary debate prior to a government
decision. But a wider democratic process is
needed, with objective analysis of the options,
and without scare-mongering over terrorism or
fanning the fames of prejudice against Muslim
communities. At the least, there should be a
Parliamentary vote on whether to commit New
Zealand to this war, rather than a decision by
the government.
Barry Coates was a Green Party candidate
for Mt Roskill and narrowly missed out
on becoming an MP. He was formerly the
Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand and
has experience of international negotiations
on trade, climate change and sustainable
development.
Barry Coates
Green Party
Winston Peters
NZ First leader
POWER COLUMN
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
12
Red Black Orange
NEW ZEALAND
DECLARE IT
& PAY FOR IT
OR LOSE IT!
TOBACCO
DUTY FREE
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Find out what your duty will be at
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INDIAN WEEKENDER Indian Weekender 265x180.indd 1 29/08/14 11:44 am
Hot deals on the ffth anniversary of hot yoga classes
T
o celebrate the 5th anniversary of opening
Achel hot yoga offered free classes to all
on the 11th October - at both their studios in
Botany and Manukau.
A special offer to readers of this paper is that
you can practice a free class between the 15th
& 31st October when you present this article.
Do you have back ache, trouble sleeping or
would just like your clothes to ft better, this is
the perfect opportunity to try a very popular
form of yoga. Achel hot yoga predominantly
offer bikram yoga classes. Bikram yoga is a 90
minute class that encompasses 26 postures and
2 breathing excercises carried out in a heated
room that targets all the systems in the body in
an attempt to balance strength with fexibility
and that works to get the entire body working
more effciently.
Bikram yoga is a beginners series readily
accessible to people that have not done any
yoga/sport at all, catering to all ftness levels.
As part of the anniversary celebration they
had their biggest sale to date and offer these
savings to you when you attend your free
class included are 1 month unlimited yoga $99
(normally $160) or one year unlimited yoga
$999 (normally $1300).
Ms Adoko an immigrant to Auckland frst
practiced Bikram yoga in 2004 and felt the
benefts of the practice almost immediately.
Having been introduced to yoga at a young
age, she always had an affnity with the practice
and a keen interest in health and wellbeing, but
spread this enthusiasm across a wide range of
sports including rugby, tennis, netball, soccer,
swimming, running, gym work and cricket.
Then in 2006, after realising that it gave her the
ideal combination of challenge, ftness, stress
relief and health benefts ms Adoko decided
that bikram yoga was something she wanted to
do for the rest of her life. In 2006 she trained
to become a bikram yoga teache; in 2009 the
Botany studio was opened and late last year in
2013 the Manukau studio opened.
At Achel Hot yoga they believe that health
is a birth rite and therefore offer a wide range of
payment options to allow anyone that wants to
practice yoga to do so. There are also a limited
number of spots for students to exchange work
at the studios for classes.
Students have reported improvement in
symptoms of chronic illnesses including back
pain, insomnia, a reduction in stress levels
amongst many others.
Many of us are diligent and plan for our
retirement fnancially but unfortunately many
get to retirement and physically are not able
to enjoy their time due to health reasons. In
regularly attending hot yoga classes you plan
for your physical well being now and for years
to come.
All are welcome to attend a free class with
us - look at our website for class times.
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
13
Red Black Orange
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Kailash Satyarthi, champion of child rights, wins Nobel
Kailash Satyarthi, Indias best known face
against child labour, was last week awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize along with Pakistani
teenager Malala Yousufzai for their struggle
against the suppression of children and young
people.
President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi led a proud nation
in congratulating the Delhi-based 60-year-old
activist, who pledged to keep fghting to secure
freedom for the hundreds of thousands from
poor families who slog away as child workers
in pitiable conditions.
Satyarthi is the ffth Indian to win a Nobel
prize after Rabindranath Tagore (1913,
Literature), C.V. Raman (1930, Physics),
Mother Teresa (1979, Peace) and Amartya
Sen (1988, Economics). Rajendra K. Pachauri
accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for the Inter-
governmental Panel on Climatic Change
(IPCC) in 2007.
Born in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, Satyarthi,
who gave up a promising career as an electrical
engineer when he was 26, expressed hope this
recognition would strengthen the struggle of
child labourers.
This award is a dedication to all those
people and activists fghting for the cause of
children. I hope this will give strength to the
struggle of children working as labourers,
Satyarthi told media.
The lanky Indian, who is usually dressed in
a simple khadi kurta-pyjama, shared the Nobel
Peace Prize with Malala, the Pakistani teenager
who stood up to the Taliban and survived a near
fatal shooting.
Satyarthis Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA,
or Save Childhood Movement), has for years
not just campaigned against child labour but
raided factories as well as sweat-shops that
employ children illegally, turning them into
virtual slave labour and often paying them a
pittance for hours of hard toil.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it
was awarding Satyarthi and Malala for their
struggle against the suppression of children and
young people and for the right of all children to
education.
It said that showing great personal courage,
Satyarthi, maintaining Gandhis tradition,
has headed various forms of protests and
demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the
grave exploitation of children for fnancial gain.
He has also contributed to the development
of important international conventions on
childrens rights.
Malala was shot by a Taliban gunman as
she took a bus home from school in Pakistans
northwest in 2012. She went to Britain for
treatment.
The Nobel Committee regards it as an
important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an
Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common
struggle for education and against extremism.
It said there were 168 million child labourers
in the world now. In 2000, the fgure was 78
million higher. The world has come closer to
the goal of eliminating child labour.
Satyarthis group has so far freed about
80,000 children from servitude, including
bonded labourers, and helped in their successful
re-integration, rehabilitation and education.
President Mukherjee said: The prize should
be seen as recognition of the contributions of
Indias vibrant civil society in addressing
complex social problems such as child labour
and the important role played by them in
collaboration with the government in the
nations efforts to eliminate all forms of child
labour in the country.
Prime Minister Modi hailed Satyarthi for
devoting his life to a cause extremely relevant
to entire humankind. He added: The entire
nation is proud of his momentous achievement.
I salute his determined efforts.
Modi also congratulated Malala, saying her
life is a journey of immense grit and courage.
Amnesty International praised Satyarthi
and Malala for promoting the rights of the
worlds most vulnerable children. Satyarthi
has dedicated his life to helping the millions
of children in India who are forced into slavery
and work in torrid conditions, it said.
Several prestigious awards have been
conferred on Satyarthi, including Defenders of
Democracy Award (2009, US), Alfonso Comin
International Award (2008, Spain), Medal of
the Italian Senate (2007, Italy) and Robert F.
Kennedy International Human Rights Award
(US).
Satyarthi is credited with the enactment
of national and international legislations,
treaties and conventions besides constitutional
amendment on child labour and education.
Terming the Nobel Peace Prize to Satyarthi
as a big and historical occasion, Shireen
Vakeel Miller, advocacy director with NGO
Save the Children, told media: This event
will bring into the spotlight the problem of
child labour in India. Said Meenakshi Kohli,
well known child rights activist: It is great
that a person who has contributed so much
to eradication of child labour has won the
Nobel Prize. But we have to continue with the
momentum gained and not forget the issue once
the spotlight goes.
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
14
Red Black Orange
INDIA
Who is Kailash Satyarthi?
Maya Shivam
I
have a confession to make. I had no idea of
who Kailash Satyarthi was till the news broke
about him being awarded the Nobel peace prize
for 2014. I checked with many friends and
even they did not have a clue of about who he
was. All this is not a refection on the Nobel
committee but a commentary on people like
us who think that they are aware citizens but
are really ignorance personifed. And the blame
for this ignorance can also easily be placed on
the media of the country, who are responsible
directly and indirectly for holding a mirror on
to happenings in the country.
As our popular media spends an inordinate
amount of energy in concentrating on trivia,
on leggy beauties and the popularity rantings
of our ministers and what we think is news. In
the process, many real things, things that are
meaningful and make a difference to our life,
are all neglected. Specially those who chip
along without any care for name or fame but
just to make a difference to peoples lives.
Needless to say, having realized how little
we knew about Kailash my frst resort was to
hit Google. I did manage to fnd quite a bit of
information on him but the fact still remains
how little we have known about this man.
Kailash Satyarthi has spent a lifetime
fghting against child labour, but for the
mainstream media such matters hardly make
news. Nor do child and women traffcking; nor
does hunger or poverty. Well, to be correct,
it does make news, but only sometimes and
such news is relegated to the inside pages. The
front pages are dominated by the commercial
news or updates on the glitterati. Of course,
the aspiring middle classes men and women
are all excited about special deals and trends
and this is what we write about. In this myopic
world of have-nots posing as haves, is it strange
that nobody has heard of Kailash Satyarthi?
As I dug further I realize that the
responsibility does not all lie with the media.
The efforts of this man have never been realized
by the Government of India. His Biographical
website has a list of accolades he has received
for his work from around the world and sadly
the name of his own country is conspicuously
missing from the list. I have listed these
accolades at the bottom of this article just for
the beneft of out readers.
What struck me most was the story that
Kailash Styarthi has shared, that really
prompted him to think about child labour.
On Kailash Satyarthis frst day at school, he
spotted a child his age at work as a cobbler on
the doorstep of his classroom. He shares how he
asked his teacher and then even the Principal of
his school, why that child was not studying but
worked while Kailash himself attended school.
This incident stayed with him, Sathyarthi said
in interviews years later, and it pushed him to
devote his life to fghting child labour.
Anyhow, now that Kailash Satyarthi is a
Nobel Peace Laureate, the media of the world
is interested in him and I am sure he will
receive the attention he deserves and so will the
cause that he has devoted his life to. We have
compiled some quick facts and list of accolades
that he has received, just so that you know him
a little better.
TIMELINE FACTS
Born: 11 January 1954, Vidisha,
India
1975-80: Graduated in Electrical
Engineering, diploma in high voltage
engineering and later taught at a college in
Bhopal.
1980: Founded and edited Hindi fortnightly,
The struggle shall continue, which focused
on human rights issues.
1983: Founded the Bachpan Bachao
Andolan, a movement campaigning for
rights of children.Over 80,000 children
saved so far through the movement from
child labour.
1989: Co-Founded the South Asian
Coalition on Child Servitude (SACCS).
1994: Started Rugmark, a social labeling
program in which rugs are labeled and
certifed to be child-labour-free by factories
that agree to be regularly inspected.
1995: Won the Robert F Kennedy Human
Rights Award.
1998: Organized the Global march against
Child Labour across 103 countries
2004: Brutally attacked while rescuing
children from a local circus, Great Roman
Circus. Attacked again in 2011 while
rescuing children from garment sweatshops
in Delhi.
2011: Bal Mitra Gram (BMG) programme
started in 2011 where child labourers are
withdrawn from work to be enrolled in
school.
Member of a High Level Group formed by
UNESCO on Education for All comprising
of select Presidents, Prime Ministers and
UN Agency Heads.
Indian government yet to confer any
civilian award on him so far.
ACCOLADES RECEIVED
Defenders of Democracy Award (2009-
USA)
Alfonso Comin International
Award (2008-Spain)
Medal of the Italian Senate (2007-Italy)
Heroes Acting to End Modern Day Slavey
by US State Department (2007-USA)
Freedom Award (2006-USA)
In October 2002, Satyarthi was awarded
the Wallenberg Medal from the University
of Michigan in recognition of his
courageous humanitarian work against the
exploitation of child labor.
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
Award (1999-Germany)
La Hospitalet Award (1999-Spain)
De Gouden Wimpel
Award (1998-Netherlands)
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
Award (1995-USA)
The Trumpeter Award (1995-USA)
The Aachener International Peace
Award (1994-Germany)
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
15
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INDIA
Satyarthis Nobel Prize leaves rescued children delighted
E
ighteen-year-old Manan Ansari has no
idea what a Nobel Peace Prize but he is
delighted to see a smile on the face of the most
important man in his life-- child rights crusader
Kailash Satyarthi, who rescued him from the
mines of Jharkhand when he was just eight.
Waiting in the lobby of the Bachpan
Bachao Andolans (BBA) offce here in south
Delhi to meet the man of the hour, Ansari got
to know about the news in the afternoon and
immediately rushed to meet Satyarthi, whom he
proudly calls his mother, father, friend, guide
and confdante.
He means everything to me. If it was not
for him I may have not been alive today as I
was working in a mine back home (Jharkhand)
when I was rescued, Ansari who is pursuing
a course in science from the Delhi University
told media.
Its a special day because he has won the
prize and I am the happiest person in the world
today, added the boy who wants to become a
doctor.
After being rescued, Ansari was taken to
Rajasthan where he completed his schooling
and then came to Delhi this year for his
graduation.
BBA has been one of the frst NGOs to have
started work on child rights, and against child
labour in 1980. Touching the lives of thousands
of young children, often from socially and
economically vulnerable background, the group
actively participates in rescue operations along
with police and the labour department and helps
the kids reunite with their families.
BBA has also led successful campaigns
against the use and sale of products in domestic
and international markets that employ children
to do the work.
For 22-year-old Suman Kumar Mahto,
Satyarthi is a guiding light who has helped him
become independent.
I never imagined that one day I would
become a graphic designer and earn enough
money for not only myself but also my family,
a proud Mahto who earns around Rs. 15,000
every month and sends a major share of his
salary to his mother and brother back home in
Bihar.
Mahto was employed as a domestic help
in Bihar when rescued by BBA back in 2001.
He came to Delhi in 2010 to pursue a course in
graphic designing.
According to Mahto, Satyarthi has the gift to
sense if any of his child is worried or bothered
about something and also the ability to solve
that problem.
When I came to Delhi, the thought of how
to earn a decent livelihood gave me sleepless
nights. But he (Satyarthi) comforted me and
helped in standing on my feet, Mahto said.He
knows how to deal with troubled children
like us. He talks to us like a friend and keeps
cracking jokes to make us feel comfortable, he
added.
He means everything to
me. If it was not for him
I may have not been
alive today as I was
working in a mine back
home (Jharkhand) when
I was rescued...
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
16
Red Black Orange
NEW ZEALAND
Editorial
Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, Auckland
Printed at Guardian Print, Ashburton
Copyright 2010. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.
Indian Weekender Volume 6 Issue 13
Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited
Managing Editor: Giri Gupta | girigupta@xtra.co.nz
Associate Editor: Paula Ray | editor@indianweekender.co.nz
Associate Editor: Maya Shivam | iwk.maya@gmail.com
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Sales and Admin Support: Alpana Gupta | iwk.sales@gmail.com
Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher
is not responsible for advertisers claims as appearing in the publication
From the desk of
Managing Editor
I
t has been a week since we published the story on the Indian Prime Ministers frst address
to the people, in the radio series called Mann Ki Baat. I had shared last time that I am
inspired by it. But really, I have not been able to forget the story shared by Modi even for a
minute, this past week.
Modi recounted the story of a tigress and her two cubs that Swami Vivekananda would
often relate to make people realize their inner strength. One of the cubs got lost and was
raised by a sheep and began to think and act like a sheep until one day it accidentally met its
mother again. The cub roared when it was made to realize it was a tiger, not a sheep.
This story is so true for India. We have been so focused on our weaknesses over the past
few years that we forgot what our strengths were. It has taken the genius of this great leader
to remind us that we are like that tiger cub; we are the king of the jungle. I am sure it will not
be long before the world will hear India roar. In spite of whatever the critics say, this man has
made the world stop in its tracks and take a second look at the mighty power called India. We
hope you enjoyed our last issue. Do write to us about what you thought. We love to hear from
our readers, so we can constantly grow.
The Auckland Diwali festival was a huge success. Participating in the events of the
weekend, one could not help but be proud of our rich cultural heritage. The diversity of our
arts, food, languages, attire and traditions and yet there is one name that describes us - Indian.
The Indian Weekender Speaker Series were enlightening. It was an honour to listen to the
masters of their own felds talk about various aspects of India and of being Indian.
I realized that the frst migrants from India to New Zealand date back as far as the 1800s.
I also read an article recently on Indian soldiers who even fought the Battle of Gallipoli.
Needless to say, they were part of the British forces then. So really, our relationship with this
country that we now call home has been long and strong. And as we take on the colours of
this land we call our own, its important that we share the colours that we have brought with
us from our roots and the Diwali festival is all about that sharing. It was heartening also to see
so many other cultures come together and share our festivities. To immerse themselves in the
rich and vibrant colors that is the very essence of our culture. Our current issue is dedicated
to bringing this spirit of Diwali to you.
The other point that the Speaker Series brought home was - hope. As we listened to the
stories of people who have become role models in the community recount stories of their
humble beginnings, one could not but feel hopeful for a better tomorrow. The key they said
was - persistence. There is great strength within us. There is only the need for us to recognize
the strength within us, like Swami Vivekananda said. And like Prime Minister Modi said: If
we recognise the strength within ourselves, our self-esteem will rise and we will be victorious.
Our country will also become victorious and successful.
As we light up every nook and corner of our cities, homes and hearts, heres hoping that
this Diwali lights up the lives of all our readers. No matter what your circumstances are, we
hope you will not forget that you are the tiger; never forget your own potential and never let
go of the hope for a better tomorrow.
On behalf of the Indian Weekender family, I have the pleasure of wishing all our readers
a very Happy and a Joyous Diwali! May the year ahead be flled with prosperity and good
fortune. God Bless.
Giri Gupta
Just as one candle lights another and can light thousands
of other candles, so one heart illuminates another heart
and can illiminate thousands of other hearts.
- Leo Tolstoy
I began to write it
because I was bored.
I have written some
articles in the past for
few magazines and I
enjoyed writing. But
I didnt think I will
complete a book,
Not sure if Ill pen second
half of autobiography
Uma Ramasubramanian
S
easoned actor Naseeruddin Shah, who
quietly released his autobiography, says he
hasnt chronicled his entire life in the book and
is unsure if he would pen the second half or not!
One can read about his frst marriage,
daughter Sheeba, professional ups and downs
and how he wooed and wed his present wife
Ratna in his autobiography titled And Then
One Day, which took him four years to
complete.
I didnt keep it as a secret. I just thought I
will never complete it, Naseer told media in
an interview.
And Then One Day, which hit the stands
in the frst week of September, didnt happened
just like that.
His journey has been vast, experiences have
been varied and accolades and appreciations
have been aplenty, but the book is the result of
his boredom.
I began to write it because I was bored. I
have written some articles in the past for few
magazines and I enjoyed writing. But I didnt
think I will complete a book, said the 64-year-
old who has done about 200 flms in a career
spanning over four decades.
He wrote it as long as he could stand it.
Then I gave it up. Then I thought what the
hell is the point of writing this. Later after a gap
of a year or two, I wrote my experiences with
people who infuenced me, so Ratna said why
dont you put this all together in sequence. So I
did that, said the actor.
From theatre to parallel cinema to
mainstream movies, from crossover cinema
to international flm, Naseers oeuvre boast
of variety and quality. Thanks to that, he was
honoured with the Padma Shri and the Padma
Bhushan, Indias third and fourth highest
civilian awards, for his contribution to Indian
cinema.
However, the autobiography doesnt
chronicle every stage of his life.
I have completed the story up to my second
wedding. But I dont know whether I will write
the second half or not...it will take another 12
years at least, but I am not sure about that, said
Naseer won prestigious National Awards of
Sparsh, Paar and Iqbal.
Was your wife Ratna the driving force
behind the autobiography?
No, it was not Ratna. Ratna was curious
about it, but the driving force was Ramchandra
Guha, who read one of my articles on (former
Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan)
Pataudi and said he liked it and I was very
kicked about that.
He asked me have you written anything
else, so I gave him these (frst) 100 pages (of
the book). He liked it and said you have to
fnish this because dont wait too long life is
uncertain and dont wait to write about your
entire life. He was my unoffcial editor before I
found a publisher, said Naseer.
Uma Ramasubramanian can be contacted
at uma.sagit@gmail.com
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
17
Red Black Orange
OPINION / EDITORIAL
Irony of peace award amid India-Pakistan border friction
C Uday Bhaskar
I
n a surprise announcement, Indias little-
known child rights adherent Kailash Satyarthi
and Pakistans Malala Yousafzai have together
been awarded this years prestigious Nobel
Peace Prize for their struggle against the
suppression of children and young people and
for the right of all children to education.
This prize assumes signifcance not only
because this is the frst time that the legacy
of Mahatma Gandhi (who incidentally did not
receive the Nobel) has been acknowledged by
the Nobel committee. Concurrently, it is a frst
for Pakistan, in that a young girl internationally
recognized for braving a brutal Taliban attack
and who remains committed to education for
the girl-child has been awarded the coveted
prize.
But this joint award is even more ironically
poignant, coming as it does when India and
Pakistan are engaged in an intense exchange
of ordnance across the contested Line of
Control in Jammu & Kashmir and heavily
guarded International Border. The fact that
innocent civilians have been killed on both side
underscores the imperative of nurturing peace
on the sub-continent despite the revisionist
agenda of the deep-state in Pakistan.
Kailash Satyarthi has been active in the
movement against child labour since the 1990s.
His organization Bachpan Bachao Andolan
has freed thousands of hapless children from
various forms of servitude and helped in their
successful re-integration, rehabilitation and
education.
The Norwegian Noble committee awarded
the peace prize to Kailash Satyarthi for
showing great personal courage and strength.
The committee noted that Satyarthi followed
the great tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and
has headed various forms of peaceful protests
and demonstrations, focusing on the grave
exploitation of children for fnancial gain. The
Committee further added: His contribution
towards the development of important
convention on childs rights is immense.
In relation to Malala Yousafzai, it was
observed that she has shown by personal
example that even children and young people
can contribute to improving their own situation.
It is pertinent to note that Malala has worked
under the most dangerous situations and the
citation said: Through her heroic struggle,
she has become a leading spokesperson for
girls right to education.
An exile of sorts, who cannot return to
her country because of the Taliban threat,
Malalas choice for the Peace Prize draws
attention to Pakistans most severe socio-
cultural challenge - that of radical and
ideological extremism which, among other
infexible strictures, forbids girls from
obtaining education. Malala herself is a victim
of such radical extremism and was shot at by
the Taliban in 2012 for supporting girls
education and protesting against curbs imposed
by extremist forces.
On the other hand, in India, though gender-
equity is not as distorted, the status of children
in general and women in particular leaves a
lot to be desired. The shameful Nirbhaya case
of December 2012 is illustrative. The plight of
young children who are forced into employment
that often takes the form of servitude bordering
on bonded labour is one of Indias glaring
omissions. Estimates of the total number of
Indian children who are forced into labour vary
from 12 to 17 million and this is deplorable.
Satyarthi symbolizes the quiet one-man
crusade against this form of exploitation
and hopefully the Nobel prize (despite its
incongruous reference to the Hindu-Muslim
identity of the awardees) will focus much
needed attention and spur a more concerted
collective effort in this regard.
The improvement of basic human security
indicators which includes a secure future
for children and the removal of misplaced
cultural taboos that target girls and women is
a challenge for large parts of southern Asia. In
their respective trajectories, both Satyarthi and
Malala have emerged as role-model crusaders
for the struggle against suppression of children
and young people.
As the guns remain silent and an uneasy
peace prevails on the India-Pakistan border,
hope for that abiding peace remains elusive.
Perhaps it may yet flter through the many tears
that scar the faces of the oppressed children of
the sub-continent.
That the sub-continent still has a wry sense
of humour is summed up in this lighter vein
quip from Pakistan doing the cyber rounds:
When Pakistan is getting its frst Nobel
Peace Prize, an Indian comes and steals half of
it. Im going to call one half of the 2014 Nobel
Peace prize as Azad Nobel Peace Prize and the
other half as Indian Held Nobel Peace Prize.

C Uday Bhaskar is a strategic analyst
and Director, Society for Policy Studies. The
views expressed are personal. He can be
contacted at cudaybhaskar@spsindia.in
Maya Shivam
I
f Modi has one fnger on the pulse of the
countrys youth he has his other fngers on
social media apps. The government of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has fuelled a spike in
social media and interest in his government and
its policies, including foreign policy.
With a robust foreign policy agenda and
some well-publicised diplomatic engagements,
the Twitter handle and Facebook page of the
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has seen a
quantum jump of 400 percent since the Modi
government came into power over four months
ago. Its website has more than doubled its
viewership since.
This has particularly happened after Modis
recent visit to the US, where he got celebrity
like treatment from the affuent and infuential
Indian community. The cyberspace also seemed
to be buzzing during his visit to Japan and visits
to India by leaders of China and Australia.
The MEA website - www.mea.gov.in - in
its attempt to reach a wider global audience
is now available, besides in English and
Hindi, in Spanish and Arabic, with the latter
introduced a few days ago. It will be available
in French and Russian by early next year. Two
months ago it was named among the 40 best
government websites in the world for Design
Inspiration, along with websites of the US
House of Representatives and Japans Ministry
of Foreign Affairs.
Colourful photographs on the latest
diplomatic events are constantly uploaded as
are interesting photo features and articles on any
major event. It has seen a more than doubling
of visitors since Modi came to power, with
the fgure at present standing at more than 26
million. Its section on documentaries is gaining
in popularity, with a new documentary uploaded
every week by the Public Diplomacy Division
of the ministry. The current documentary
Bridging Worlds: A Meeting of Minds: The
Story of Indians in The United Kingdom has
got over 1,400 views on its YouTube channel.
During Prime Minister Modis major visit to
the US, the spokespersons Twitter handle was
a constant source of news and updates of what
the prime minister was doing or who he was
meeting. The twitter handle and the website
saw a huge number of visitors during this time.
While the news from Facebbok front was that
Modi had more Facebook fans in the US than
most current members of Congress, governors
and other political candidates, according to a
media report.
Modis American Facebook base of almost
180,500 is larger than all but 21 American
elected offcials and current candidates.
Therefore, the visit of Facebook CEO to
India is signifcant ahead of the lauch of the
Digital India Mission. While in India he met
with the Prime Minister after which Modi said
on his Facebook page Had a wonderful meeting
with Facebook CEO Mr. Mark Zuckerberg. We
discussed several issues during our meeting,
He also said: I spoke to him about Swachh
Bharat Mission. Mr. Zuckerberg shared that
Facebook would assist the Government of
India in the Clean India mobile application.
This will surely give an impetus to Swachh
Bharat Mission.. Modi requested Zuckerberg
to identify certain areas where the social media
can help in promoting Indias tourism potential.
Zuckerberg is excited about Digital India
initiative. I requested him to identify certain
areas where Facebook can help us in that. I
also requested Mr. Zuckerberg to identify how
Facebook can help promote Indias rich tourist
potential across the world, he said.
Its no wonder that Mr Modis popularity
is hitting new heights especially with
Generation-X now being called the Social
Media Generation.
Modi had more
Facebook fans in
the US than most
current members
of Congress,
governors and
other political
candidates
Social Media Governance
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
18
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FEATURES
From the desk of I am Woman
I am Woman I am Malala
M
alala Yousufzai, the 17-year-old Pakistani
girl education campaigner who was shot
in the head in 2012 by a Taliban gunman, is the
youngest person ever to win a Nobel Prize.
Malala won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize
along with Indian childrens rights activist
Kailash Satyarthi.
In naming her for the 2014 Nobel Peace
Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said:
Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzay has
already fought for several years for the right of
girls to education, and has shown by example
that children and young people, too, can
contribute to improving their own situations.
This she has done under the most dangerous
circumstances. Through her heroic struggle,
she has become a leading spokesperson for
girls rights to education.
Born July 12, 1997, in a Sunni Muslim
family at Mingora in Pakistans Swat Valley,
Malala attended a school run by her father,
Ziauddin Yousafzai.
After the Taliban started attacking girls
schools in Swat, Malala gave a speech in
Peshawar, Pakistan, in September 2008, on
How dare the Taliban take away my basic right
to education?
The next year, she started writing a blog
under the pen name Gul Makal for the BBC on
life under Taliban threats, but her identity was
given away in December the same year.
Her activism did not go unnoticed and, in
2011 she was nominated for the International
Childrens Peace Prize, also known as the
Childrens Nobel. The same year she was
awarded the National Youth Peace Prize of
Pakistan.
Then on Oct 9, 2012, Malala was shot in the
head while on her way to school by a Taliban
militant. Her friends were also injured.
From that horrifc moment two years ago to
this momentous October morning, the 17-year-
olds tale has been one of immense inspiration
for millions of people across the world who
value childrens - and not just girls - rights and
education.
After being shot, a critically injured Malala
was airlifted to a military hospital in Peshawar.
There a damaged portion of her skull had to
be removed. Later the Pakistan government
at its expense, airlifted her to Queen Elizabeth
Hospital in Birmingham, England, where she
was treated for life-threatening injuries and
pulled back from the brink.
In England, after being discharged from
hospital, she started attending Birmingham
High School in March 2013.
On July 12 that year, her 16th birthday, she
gave a speech at the UN. She said: I speak -
not for myself, but for all girls and boys. I raise
up my voice - not so that I can shout, but so that
those without a voice can be heard. Those who
have fought for their rights: Their right to live
in peace; their right to be treated with dignity;
their right to equality of opportunity; their right
to be educated.
In October 2013, she released her
autobiography: I am Malala: The girl who
stood up for education and was shot by the
Taliban.
The same month, the European Parliament
conferred on her the Sakharov Prize for
Freedom of Thought.
She was nominated for the Nobel Peace
Prize last year too but did not get it.
This year she became the Nobel laureate,
the youngest ever. She was in school in
Birmingham when the good news foated in.
Speaking at United Nations Malala said Dear
brothers and sisters, we must not forget that
millions of people are suffering from poverty,
injustice and ignorance. We must not forget
that millions of children are out of schools. We
must not forget that our sisters and brothers are
waiting for a bright peaceful future.
So let us wage a global struggle against
illiteracy, poverty and terrorism and let us
pick up our books and pens. They are our most
powerful weapons.
One child, one teacher, one pen and one
book can change the world.
Although many of us may not be able to
relate to the extreme circumstances that Malala
has struggled under, however her story does not
fail to inspire any woman who cares to listen.
It is a story of overcoming your fear and
standing up in your uniqueness, looking fear in
the eye.
Each one of us has a story to tell if you
have a story, we would like to hear from you.
Write to us on iamwoman@xtra.co.nz or
join us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/
womanunlimited
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
19
Red Black Orange
DIWALI SPECIAL
Five days of Diwali
Dhanteras marks the frst day of the
fve-day-long Diwali Festival. Dhanteras
Festival, also known as Dhantrayodashi or
Dhanwantari Triodasi, falls on the auspicious
13th lunar day of Krishna
Paksha in the Hindu month of
Kartik (October/ November).
In the word Dhanteras, Dhan
stands for wealth. On Dhanteras,
Goddess Laxmi is worshiped
to provide prosperity and well
being. Hence Dhanteras holds a lot
more signifcance for the business
community.
Legend has it that once the
sixteen year old son of King Hima
was doomed to die by a snake-bite
on the fourth day of his marriage as
per his horoscope. On that particular fourth
day of his marriage, his young wife did not
allow him to sleep. She laid all the ornaments
and lots of gold and silver coins in a big heap
at the entrance of her husbands boudoir and
lighted innumerable lamps all over the place.
Thereafter, she went on telling stories and
singing songs.
When Yama, the god of Death arrived there
in the guise of a serpent, his
eyes were
blinded by the dazzle of brilliant lights and
he could not enter the Princes chamber. So he
climbed on top of the heap of the ornaments
and coins and sat there whole night listening
to the melodious songs. In the morning, he
quietly went away. Thus, the young wife
saved her husband from the clutches of death.
Since then, this day of Dhanteras came to be
known as the day of Yamadeepdaan and
lamps are kept burning throughout the night in
reverential
adoration to Yama, the god of Death.
According to another popular legend,
when the gods and demons churned the
ocean for Amrit or nectar, Dhanavantri (the
physician of the gods and an incarnation of
Vishnu) emerged carrying a jar of the elixir on
the day of Dhanteras.
To mark the auspicious day, houses
and business premises are renovated and
decorated. Entrances are made colorful
with lovely traditional motifs of Rangoli
designs to welcome the Goddess of Wealth
and Prosperity. To indicate her long-awaited
arrival, small footprints
are drawn with rice four
and vermilion powder all
over the houses. Lamps are
kept burning all through the
nights.
Traditionally on
Dhanteras Hindus consider it
auspicious to purchase gold
or silver articles or at least
one or two new utensils. It
is believed that new Dhan
or some form of precious metal is a sign of
good luck. Laxmi-Puja is performed in the
evenings when tiny Diyas of clay are lighted
to drive away the shadows of evil spirits.
Bhajans-devotional songs- in praise of
Goddess Laxmiare also sung.
1
2
3
Dhanteras
T
he day before Diwali is celebrated as
Chhoti Diwali / NarakChaturdasi or
small Diwali. It is Diwali on a smaller scale,
with fewer lights lit and fewer crackers burst.
The morning after Choti Diwali, the women
of the house make beautiful, colored rangoli
in the doorway and courtyard. Tiny footprints
made out of rice paste are a special feature of
the rangolis made for Diwali. In Hindu homes,
Chhoti Diwali celebrations involve a ritual
puja to Goddess Lakshmi and also to Rama
in the evening. Songs in honor of the god are
sung and aarti is performed.
The story goes that the demon king
Narakasur ruler of Pragjyotishpur (a province
to the South of Nepal) after defeating Lord
Indra had snatched away the magnifcent
earrings of Aditi, the Mother Goddess (the
ruler of Suraloka and a relative of Satyabhama,
Lord Krishnas wife) and imprisoned sixteen
thousand daughters of the gods and saints in
his harem.
On coming to know about this, Satyabhama
was enraged by Narakasuras malevolence
towards women, and she appealed to
Krishna to give her the golden chance to
destroy Narakasura. The legend also says
that Narakasura was given a curse that he
would be killed by a woman. Krishna granted
Satyabhama a boon to fght with Narakasura.
With Krishna as the charioteer, Satyabhama
entered the battle feld. During the war,
Krishna swooned for a while, a preordained
divinely act adopted to empower Satyabhama
to kill the demon. After Narakasura was
beheaded, the imprisoned women were
released, and Krishna accepted to marry them.
So on the day previous to Narakachaturdashi,
Lord Krishnas divine intervention led to
the killing of the demon, Narakasura and
liberation of the imprisoned damsels as well
as recovery of the precious earrings of Aditi.
As a symbol of that victory Lord Krishna
smeared his forehead with the demon kings
blood. Krishna returned home in the very
early morning of the Narakachaturdashi day.
The womenfolk massaged scented oil to his
body and gave him a good bath to wash away
the flth from his body. Since then the custom
of taking bath before sunrise on this day has
become a traditional practice specially in
Maharashtra.
It is interesting to note that Bhudevi,
mother of the slain Narakasura, declared that
his death should not be a day of mourning
but an occasion to celebrate and rejoice.
Since then, Deepavali is being
celebrated by people every year
with joyous celebrations with lot
of fun and frolic, and fre works.
In South India that victory of
the divine over the mundane is
celebrated in a very peculiar way.
People wake up before sunrise
prepare a paste by mixing Kumkum
in oil, symbolizing blood and after
breaking a bitter fruit that represents
the head of the demon King that
was smashed by Krishna, apply that
mixture on their foreheads. Then
they have an oil bath using sandalwood paste.
In Maharashtra also, traditional early baths
with oil and Uptan (paste) of gram four and
fragrant powders are a `must. All through the
ritual of baths, deafening sounds of crackers
and freworks are there in order that the
children enjoy bathing. Afterward steamed
vermicelli with milk and sugar or puffed rice
with curd is served.
Choti Diwali /
NarakChaturdasi
Lakshmi Puja on Diwali
T
he third day of Diwali festival is the most
important one
for Lakshmi-puja
and is entirely
devoted to the
propitiation of
Goddess Lakshmi.
On this very day
sun enters his
second course and
passes Libra which
is represented by
the balance or scale.
Hence, this design of
Libra is believed to
have suggested the
balancing of account
books and their closing. Despite the fact that
this day falls on an amavasya day it is regarded
as the most auspicious.
The day of Lakshmi-Puja falls on the dark
night of Amavasya. The strains of joyous
sounds of bells and drums foat from the
temples as man is invoking Goddess Laxmi
in a wondrous holy pouring-in of his heart.
All of a sudden that impenetrable darkness is
pierced by innumerable rays of light for just
a moment and the next moment a blaze of
light descends down to earth from heaven as
golden-footed Deep-Lakshmi alights on earth
in all her celestial glory amidst chantings of
Vedic hymns.
A sublime light of knowledge dawns
upon humanity and this self enlightenment is
expressed through the twinkling lamps that
illuminate the palaces of thewealthy as well as
the lowly abodes of the poor.
It is believed that on this day Lakshmi
walks through the green felds and loiters
through the bye-lanes and showers her
blessings on man for plenty and prosperity.
Lakshmi Pooja, or the worship of the
goddess of wealth, is the main event on Diwali
in North and West India. It is extremely
important to keep the house spotlessly clean
and pure on Diwali. Goddess Lakshmi likes
cleanliness, and she will visit the cleanest
house frst.
This is also the reason why the broom is
worshiped on this day with offerings of haldi
and kumkum (turmeric and vermilion). Lamps
are lit in the evening to welcome the goddess.
They are believed to light up Her path.
Lakshmi Puja consists of a combined
puja of fve deities: Ganesha is worshiped
at the beginning of every auspicious act as
Vighnaharta; Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped
in her three forms - Mahalakshmi (the goddess
of wealth and money), Mahasaraswati
(the goddess of books and learning), and
Mahakali; Kuber (the treasurer of the gods) is
also worshiped.
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
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DIWALI SPECIAL
Padwa
The day following the Amavasya is
KartikShuddhPadwa and it is only on this
day that the King Bali would come out of
PathalLoka and rule Bhulok as per the boon
given by Lord Vishnu. Hence, it is also known
as Bali Padyami. This day also marks
the coronation of King Vikramaditya and
Vikaram-Samvat was started from this Padwa
day.
Gudi Padwa is symbolic of love and
devotion between the wife and husband. On
this day newly-married daughters with their
husbands are invited for special meals and
given presents. In olden days brothers went to
fetch their sisters from their in-laws home for
this important day.
Govardhan-Puja
Govardhan-Puja is also performed in
the North on this day. Govardhan is a small
hillock in Braj, near Mathura and on this day
of Diwali people of Punjab, Haryana,
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar build
cowdung, hillocks, decorate
them with fowers and then
worship them. This festival
is in commemoration of the
lifting of Mount Govardhan
by Krishna. As per Vishnu-
Puran the people of Gokul
used to celebrate a festival
in honor of Lord Indra
and worshiped him
after the end of every
monsoon season but
one particular year
the young Krishna
stopped them from
offering prayers to
Lord Indra who in
terrifc anger sent a
deluge to submerge
Gokul.
People were afraid that the downpour was
a result of their neglect of Indra. But Krishna
assured them that no harm would befall them.
He lifted Mount
Govardhan with his little fnger
and sheltered men and beasts
from the rain. This gave him
the epithet Govardhandhari.
After this, Indra accepted
the supremacy of Krishna.
This day is also
observed as Annakoot
meaning mountain of food.
P i o u s people keep
awake the
whole night
and cook
ffty-six or
108 different
types of food
for the bhog
(the offering
of food) to
K r i s h n a .
In temples
specially in Mathura and Nathadwara, the
deities are given milkbath, dressed in shining
attires with ornaments of dazzling diamonds,
pearls, rubies and other precious stones.
After the prayers and traditional worship
innumerable varieties of delicious sweets
are ceremoniously raised in the form of a
mountain before the deities as Bhog and
then the devotees approach the Mountain of
Food and take Prasad from it.
Vishwakarma Puja
A Hindu god, the divine architect, and one
of the fourteen precious things born of the
Samudramanthan. He constructed the holy
city of Dwarka where Krishna ruled, the Maya
Sabha of the Pandavas, and was the creator of
many fabulous weapons for the gods.
On this day workers pray for the smooth
functioning of various machines. It is
customary for craftsmen to worship their tools
in his name, refraining from using the tools
while doing so. Modern electronic servers are
also worshipped for their smooth functioning.
Special statues and pictures of
Vishwakarma are normally installed in every
workplace and factory. All workers gather
in one common place and perform the puja
(reverence).
D
iwali, the festival of lights, is a fve day
long celebrations. The ffth or the last day
of Diwali is Bhaiya Dooj, popularly known
as Bhai Dooj. The reason why this festival is
known as bhaidooj is that it falls on the second
day after the new moon, that is the Dooj day.
And it is a day to pray for the long life of the
brother, which is referred as bhayya or bhai.
According to religious scriptures, Yamaraj,
the God of death, went to visit his sisters
house after a long period of separation. His
sister, Yami was very happy to see him and
welcomed him by putting an auspicious mark
on his forehead for his welfare. Yami and
Yamraj then shared a meal. He was so pleased
with his sisters reception, he proclaimed that
every year, on the dooj day, if a sister puts a
tilak on her brothers forehead, then no one
can harm her brother. Till date, this tradition
is followed. Sisters perform puja for their
brothers safety and well being. Brothers in
return give gifts to their sisters as a token of
love.
Another version Lord Krishna, after killing
Narakasur, the asura king, went to meet his
sister Subhadra. Subhadra welcomed him in
the traditional way by showing him a light and
putting on his forehead a tilak of
her sisterly protection.
Some other legend says that
BhagawaanMahavir found nirvana,
his brother Raja Nandivardhan was
very say and missed his brother a lot.
Sister Sudarshana then comforted his
brother. Since then, women have been
revered during this festival.
The festival of Diwali is incomplete
without bhaidooj. It is referred as
Bhaiyya-Duj in the Hindi-speaking
belt, Bhav-Bij in the Marathi-speaking
communities, Bhai fota in Bengal and
Bhai-Tika in Nepal.
The essence of the Bhaidooj festival is
that it is celebrated to strengthen the love
between brothers and sisters. It is a day
of food-sharing, gift-giving and reaching
out to the inner most depths of the hearts.
Brothers and sisters indulge themselves on
this day by gifting each other gifts. Varied
gifts specially meant for bhai dooj is available
in the market.
4
5
Padwa, Govardhan Puja
and Vishwakarma Puja
Bhai Duj
Bollywood couple fnd love at Auckland Diwali Festival
T
he wedding theme at Auckland Diwali
Festivals took on true meaning when a
young couple got engaged at the end of a
Bollywood dance routine.
Sheen Puthethu dropped to one
knee and proposed to his long time
sweetheart, Athy Raj, after their closing
dance to a romantic Indian love song.
Crowds of onlookers were just as
surprised as Athy, who said a resounding
yes before hugging her husband to be.
She was surprised and overjoyed with the
news saying it was the best news of her life.
Sheen says hed been waiting to fnd
the perfect opportunity to propose to
his girlfriend of two years and the happiness
and colour at Diwali Festival seemed ideal.
What better way to propose to the
light of my life than at the festival of
lights, he says.
The pair of nurses live in One Tree
Hill and have been together for two
years but friends for much longer. Sheen
and Athy were part of the festivals
street performances and danced in front
of a huge crowd on Queen Street.
Diwali Festival concluded on Sunday
with the grand fnale freworks display,
presented by Barfoot & Thompson.
Organisers say the event has been a
huge success attracting tens of thousands
of Aucklanders to enjoy performances,
craft stalls and vegetarian food.
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
21
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Montage: Auckland Diwali Festival
2014
DIWALI SPECIAL
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
22
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DIWALI SPECIAL
SPONSORS
SUPPORTERS
ATEED and Asia New Zealand thank our
valued sponsors and supporters of
Auckland Diwali Festival 2014.
PRESENTED BY
Suburban Newspapers
Auckland
D
E
S
T
3
3
2
auckl andnz. com/di wal i
W
hat s on i n AKL
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17 October 2014
23
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FIJI
Commonwealth cheers Fiji PM
C
ommonwealth Secretary General
Kamalesh Sharma congratulated Fiji Prime
Minister Voreqe Bainimarama on his election
victory, media reported Monday.
Sharma met Bainimarama on the sidelines
of UN General Assembly in New York this
week, Fiji Live reported.
According to a statement, Sharma
and Bainimaram discussed about the
Commonwealth fnance ministers meeting to
be held in Washington Oct 8.
The Commonwealth reinstated Fiji last week
as a full member in recognition of the credible
election held Sep 17 and the assumption of
offce by a democratically elected government.
Fiji was suspended from the councils of the
Commonwealth in 2006 following a military
coup. A full suspension followed in 2009
following abrogation of the constitution, also
excluding the country from sporting events and
other Commonwealth activities.
Earlier this year, Fijis full suspension was
scaled back, enabling the country to participate
in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Business council congratulates new Fijian Government
M
embers of the New Zealand Fiji
Business Council have hailed the newly
elected Government in Fiji at their Annual
General Meeting held in Auckland last Friday.
Congratulating the Government, re-elected
council Chairman Chander Sen said the
members were looking forward to deepening
business ties between the two countries.
Several member companies of the 26-year-
old council are already engaged in major public
infrastructure and private sector development
projects around the country in Fiji and the
normalisation of political and diplomatic
relationships between Fiji and the rest of
the world will likely see increased inward
investment in the country.
There are many exciting developments in
Fiji including Fiji Airways, hotel developments,
mining, infrastructural works and agricultural
developments. I trust New Zealand companies
will be able to partake of much of this, Mr
Sen said. New Zealand companies were well
positioned to participate gainfully in this new
phase, he added. New Zealands recently
appointed Economic Ambassador for the
Pacifc, Shane Jones, addressed the members
after the AGM reassuring them that he would
always be available to Kiwi businesspeople for
consultations on doing business in Fiji as well
as the rest of the Pacifc and beyond.
He emphasised the importance of the blue
economy referring to the rich exclusive
economic zones (EEZs) that surround each
island nation of the Pacifc.
The NZ offce of Pacifc Islands Trade &
Invest (PT&I), which has been a member of
the council for several years, was last week co-
opted as Observer to the council, joining NZ
Trade & Enterprise (NZTE), the NZ Ministry
of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFaT) and the Fiji
High Commission in NZ, among others.
On the previous evening, an impressive
gathering of diplomats, envoys, business
people and professionals celebrated Fijis
Independence Day at the Hilton Hotel on
Aucklands waterfront. Fijis envoy in New
Zealand Mere Tora and Honorary Consul
Harish Lodhia delivered speeches.
Sweet returns of the season
Labasa
Fiji Sugar
Corporation, the
largest sugar mill in
Fiji, is said to produce
67,000 tonnes of sugar
this year. After a 17-
week crushing season,
considered a very short
season, the mill crushed
544,000 tonnes of sugar cane.
Due to dry weather conditions and
uncontrolled fres, this season there was a
decreased production of crops. In spite of the
shortage in supply, the sugar produced is much
higher than last year.
Last year 28,000 tonnes of
sugar was produced, which
is almost half of
the produce this
year. Labasa FSCs
chief engineer
Vilikesa Vatubuli
attributed this
signifcant increase
in production to a
very hard-working and
dedicated team.
Be pro-active and take
control this festive season
A
s the auspicious season of Diwali is here,
it is a great time to share and spread
happiness and joy. It is also a very good time to
get your life/medical/trauma insurance covers
reviewed by the experts. A quick and friendly
chat with our advisors can go a long way in
letting you know, if the policies you hold are
worth the money you pay. This could also mean
that you save signifcantly, in terms of dollars,
in the long run and get the maximum benefts
out of your policies.
Dont wait to fnd out that your policies
are not enough or be denied claims, because
of terms and conditions in the fne print. Be
pro-active and get your policies reviewed today
to make sure you are in control. This ensures
that you are prepared for the worst and that you
know if you are getting your moneys worth.
If it is good, reliable mortgage services like
refxing/refnancing of home loans or just great
advice that you are after, we would be glad to
help you out.
All you need to do is give us a call on 0800
88 78 78, and an advisor will come over to you,
for a chat.
May the joy of this season light up your
life! Happy Diwali from everyone at Trust
Mortgages and Insurance Services, New Lynn!
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
24
Red Black Orange
INDIA
Star TV bags ICC
broadcasting deal
T
he International Cricket Council (ICC)
Sunday announced its decision to jointly
award the audio-visual rights for ICC events
from 2015 to 2023 to Star India and Star
Middle East for an undisclosed fee.
The decision, taken at ICCs headquarters
here, was announced by a press statement,
claiming that it is crickets biggest-ever global
broadcast partnership, signifcantly in excess
of the ICCs previous commercial deals.
The statement added that the decision was
taken after an examination of 17 competitive
bids from various broadcasters across different
territories that started in July 2014.
The current contract with ESPN Star Sports
expires at the end of the 2015 World Cup in
February-March 2015.
We are delighted that our partnership
with the Star group has extended to the next
cycle of ICC events. This illustrates the strong
relationship we have built in the current cycle
and the value we have delivered since 2007,
N. Srinivasan, ICC chairman, said.
Star has an outstanding reputation as a
sports broadcaster and has played an integral
role in promoting and growing the game by
taking coverage of ICC Events to a truly global
and record-breaking audience, and we look
forward to this continuing for another eight
years.
Star has been an excellent partner for the
ICC during the current rights cycle, promoting
and supporting ICC Events and cricket in
general in the sub-continent, and I am pleased
that we now have a chance to build on that
success over the next eight years on a global
level.
Lisa Ray plans cancer
research institute in India
E
ver since Canada-born Indian actress Lisa
Ray battled Multiple Myeloma, a form
of cancer, she has campaigned for the cause
and spoken widely of it to spread awareness.
Now, shes planning to open her own research
institute for cancer in India.
The Water actress, who has returned to
the country, says she plans to join hands with
Shiladitya Sengupta, who has worked in the
area of cancer research and who won the DoD
Breast Cancer Research Program Collaborative
Innovators Award in 2009.
Together, they want to open an institute
on the lines of Bostons Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute.
Shiladitya and I share a common dream - a
cancer institute similar to Dana-Farber here in
India, Lisa said in a statement.
Im looking forward to collaborating with
Shiladitya on the crucial issue of establishing
resources for ongoing research into cancer
treatments here in India. We have the ability to
provide affordable solutions for diagnosis and
treatment as well as patient support specifcally
designed for India, she added.
Lisa stands as an inspiration to several
cancer patients as instead of wallowing in
self-pity, she put herself out there and began
campaigning for the cause.
Even as theres news that she is ready to
make a comeback to flms, Lisa is sure that she
will continue doing her bit for spreading cancer
awareness.
My goal is to continue to spread awareness
through the media, talks, and collaborations
with medical professionals in India. Since
preventative courses of action are as important,
I will be writing extensively on a new blog and
organising as many outreach programmes as
possible in India.
Eventually, Id like to transform the
experience creatively for the big screen and
bring my experiences to that canvas to provoke
even more conversation around cancer, said
the 42-year-old, who also featured in flms
like Kasoor, Bollywood/Hollywood and
Cooking With Stella.
I believe that to transform the cancer
experience in India, we need two major shifts:
in general awareness, and then in funding --
both to make treatment accessible to all strata
of society and to encourage research and
breakthroughs here in India, she added.
Lisa has won accolades and awards due to
her philanthropic efforts for cancer awareness.
She ran a blog called Yellow Diaries to
document and share with the world her fght
against the disease.
She even helped to establish and raise money
for the frst research chair for Mutiple Myeloma
at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto;
flmed an educational video on stem cells for
the McEwan Center for Regenerative Medicine
and co-designed the Ray of Hope capsule line
for Satya Paul saris, among other things.
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
25
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INDIA
South-East India hit by cyclone Hudhud
C
yclonic storm Hudhud hit the Andhra
Pradesh coast in India Sunday, triggering
heavy rains and strong gales, which wrecked
havoc in the states coastal region causing four
causalities.
The heavy downpour accompanied by
powerful winds with speeds reaching up to
185 kmph uprooted trees, felled electricity and
communication towers and caused widespread
destruction to crops in
Andhra Pradesh.
With trees and poles
falling on highways, the
vehicular traffc came
to a complete halt while
railways cancelled all
services in the region.
The very severe
cyclonic storm in
the Bay of Bengal
started crossing the
coast around noon
at Pudimadaka,
about 50 km from
Visakhapatnam.
People were
confned to their homes
through the day as
strong gales felled
scores of trees, power
and communication
towers and hoardings. Many cars parked on
roads were damaged.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N.
Chandrababu Naidu said in Hyderabad that the
eye of the storm crossed the coast but it may
take some hours for the entire system to cross.
He appealed to people to remain indoors till
evening.
With the authorities losing contact with the
radar tracking the cyclone, they were fnding
it diffcult to provide information about the
impact and wind speed. Naidu quoted the navy
as putting the gale speed at 185 kmph.
We dont have a mechanism to assess the
damages as the communication network has
collapsed, said Naidu, before leaving for
coastal Andhra by
road.
Offcials said
320 villages in four
districts of Srikakulam,
Vi j a y a n a g a r a m,
Visakhapatnam and
East Godavari were
affected.
Two people
were killed in
Vi s a k h a p a t n a m
while another died in
Srikakulam district.
Two deaths occurred
due to falling trees
and one due to a wall
collapse.
Naidu announced
a compensation of
Rs.5 lakh each to
the families of those
killed, Rs.1 lakh for critically injured and
Rs.50,000 for other injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to
Naidu over phone and assured all help to the
state. Naidu later urged the central government
to declare cyclone Hudhud a national calamity
and provide Rs.2,000 crore as an interim relief
package.
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www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
26
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BRIEF
Complain about illegal parking through
Facebook, WhatsApp: Police
T
he Delhi traffc police have asked people to complain through its Facebook page, traffc
helpline number 1095 and Delhi Polices anti-corruption WhatsApp helpline +91-
9910641064 to end illegal parking.
Special Commissioner of Police (Traffc) Muktesh Chander has urged people to help traffc
police curb the illegal parking menace in the city.
If anybody is charging money for getting ones vehicle parked and not giving a receipt
for that, they can tell us about such activities through our traffc polices Facebook page and
traffc helpline, he said.
Chander said people can also lodge their complaint through Delhi Polices anti-corruption
helpline number by making a call or sending audio and video clips.
EC move to curb bogus voting by veiled
women
T
o check any attempt at bogus voting by women coming in veils to polling booths for
casting their votes, the Election Commission (EC) has decided to appoint female offcials
at all booths, election offcials said here Sunday.
EC general observer Lakuk Venkateshwar Lu said: It was observed that some women who
come for polling in veils cast bogus votes. A decision was taken to check this menace.
He said that female offcials will be posted within their village or area so that they are able to
cast their vote.
The decision to appoint female offcials was taken due to diffculty faced by male offcials
in identifying women voters coming to cast their vote with veiled faces, especially in rural
areas.
Modi makes railways
an attractive investment
destination
I
ndian Railways has become an attractive
investment destination, especially with
the Narendra Modi government pitching for
modernisation and upgradation of one of the
largest railway networks in the world with
high-speed trains and modern stations with
world-class amenities.
The prime ministers recent interaction
with the leaders of Japan and China has led
to both inking agreements to invest in Indias
mammoth railways network by way of high-
speed trains and modernising stations. Teams
from both Japan and China will be visiting India
soon to study specifc sectors before fnalising
agreements, said an offcial.
Japan has offered to provide fnancial,
technical and operational support to India for
introducing its bullet trains, called Shinkansen,
on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route.
The Japan International Cooperation
Agency is conducting a feasibility study on the
530-km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad route for
running a bullet train at a speed of over 250 km
an hour. The study will be completed by July
2015, Indian Railways spokesperson Anil K.
Saxena told media.
The corridor with around seven stations is
expected to cost Rs.60,000 crore (about $1,000)
over six years, at Rs.10,000 crore a year.
The safety angle of the bullet train project
on the corridor will be studied, Saxena added.
Once completed, a bullet train would
take around 3-4 hours to reach Ahmedabad,
compared to the eight hours it takes now by
express train.
Japan has also evinced interest in fnancing
semi-high speed trains in India, which travel at
speeds up to 200 kmph, while bullet trains run
at speeds of over 250 kmph.
A Japanese team would conduct a study
for semi-high speed and bullet train on the
Mumbai-Delhi corridor, the offcial added.
Around 10 stations have been identifed
for modernisation. These would be made
into world-class stations. Delhi and Mumbai
stations are to be initially upgraded and Chinese
help would be sought for this.
Modi, during his US visit, pitched for
investment in Indian Railways. Two major
American frms - Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD)
and General Electric - have been shortlisted for
the manufacture of heavy locomotive engines
in PPP (public-private partnership) mode in
Bihar.
Indian Railways, the largest network in Asia,
runs 11,000 trains every day, of which 7,000
are passenger trains. It ferries over 13 million
passengers every day on its 63,028-km tracks.
INDIA
After Modi praise, Congress axes Tharoor
as spokesman
T
he Congress has removed Shashi Tharoor as a spokesperson following a recommendation
from its Kerala unit after he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a decision the former
diplomat said he accepted as a loyal party worker.
The All India Congress Committee took the decision following a complaint by its Kerala
unit, which was upset over Tharoors praise for Modi and his decision to join the Clean India
Campaign.
A former central minister, Tharoor was one of nine prominent people Modi nominated for
the Clean India Campaign.
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said Tharoor was a party spokesman, he was supposed
to speak for the party, not for himself.
The BJP accused the Congress of politicising the Clean India Campaign.
It is an internal matter of the party... But it shows the level of intolerance within the
Congress, BJP spokesman Sidharth Nath Singh said.
Child sex-ratio in India has gone down:
Harsh Vardhan
D
espite a law to curb female foeticide, the child sex-ratio in India has gone down over
the last 20 years, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said.
The minister said he has decided to set up an expert group to examine the new methods
being used for gender determination of foetuses to get around the existing regulation of
ultrasound machines.
While misuse of ultrasound machines is still prevalent because it is cheap, newer
medical technologies are increasingly being used in the name of genetic testing, he said.
The minister was addressing members of the reconstituted Central Supervisory Board, the
highest body overseeing the implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic
Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act 1994.
Harsh Vardhan said: Despite having the PC-PNDT Act for 20 years, the male to female
child ratio which was 964 to 1,000 in 1971 has come down to 918 according to census 2011.
The meeting was co-chaired by union Women and Child Development minister Maneka
Gandhi.
She pointed out that it is mainly the upper middle and rich classes who avail of sex
selection methods. They have a preference for fewer children and that too children who are
male.
She added that several amendments are necessary in the act and hoped the health ministry
would provide the technical inputs.
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
27
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INDIA ABROAD
US awards for India-born scientist, scholar
I
ndia-born scientist Arogyaswami Joseph
Paulraj and mathematics scholar Himanshu
Asnani at Standford University in the Silicon
Valley have been awarded prizes by the
Marconi Society in Washington.
Paulraj, 69, was honoured with the
prestigious Marconi Prize for his pioneering
work on developing wireless technology to
transmit and receive data at high speed.
Asnani, 27, received the Societys Paul
Baran Young Scholar Award for contributing
to point-to-point and multi-terminal channel
coding and source coding problems.
Paulraj, donated his cash prize of $100,000
(Rs.60 lakh) to the Societys young scholar
programme. Asnani
was also presented with
a cash prize of $4,000
(Rs.2.4 lakh).
After receiving
the award, Paulraj
said the society was
playing a key role
through recognition and
scholarships to enhance
social, economic and
cultural values.
As its an honour to be named a fellow of
Marconi Society, I will do best to be worthy
of it. This is the highest recognition in the ICT
(information and communications technology),
which is signifcant for Indias growth, Paulraj
said.
Overwhelmed by the honour at a young
age, Asnani credited his parents and teachers
for their love and guidance during his career
pursuit.
I dedicate this award to my mentor and
spiritual guide Srila Prabhupada, founder
of Iskon (International Society for Krishna
Consciousness) and whose teachings had a
great impact in my life, Asnani said.
Wisdom of the east should come together
with the technology of the west to create a spirit
of selfess giving to society and humanity at
large, Asnani observed.
Born in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, about
360 km from here, Paulraj was also honoured
with the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal
in 2011 for his profound work on theoretical
foundations of MIMO.
Asnani, who hails from Kota in Rajasthan, is
also a system engineer at the Swedish telecom
majors R&D centre in the Silicon Valley, off
the US west coast, besides pursuing doctorate
(Ph.D) in mathematics at Stanford Universitys
Electrical Engineering
School.
Graduating from IIT-
Bombay in electrical
engineering in 2009,
Asnani went to the US
to do masters (MS) at
Stanford and enrolled
for Ph.D in the same
subject.
Indo-Canadian is Canadas new envoy to India
C
anadas new High Commissioner to India
Nadir Patel is an Indo-Canadian, one who
was born in Prime Minister Narendra Modis
state of Gujarat and speaks Gujarati at home.
Patel is barely 44. His appointment was
announced Friday by Foreign Affairs Minister
John Baird and International Trade Minister Ed
Fast.
Patels appointment follows the appointment
of Richard Rahul Verma, an Indian American,
as the countrys next ambassador to India.
We are pleased to announce the
appointment of Nadir Patel as Canadas new
High Commissioner in the Republic of India,
said the two ministers. Patel brings a wealth
of experience and will strengthen even further
the Canada-India relationship, including on
bilateral trade and international security.
Parliamentary Secretary to Baird, another
Indo-Canadian Deepak Obhrai is also with the
two ministers, all on board Air Canada thats
heading to India.
I am delighted Nadir Patel is our new high
commissioner, Obhrai said. He will join
other distinguished Canadians who have had a
strong hand in strengthening our relations with
India, especially when my government has put
relations with India as a priority.
Patel was born in Gujarat. He was rather
young when his parents decided to emigrate to
Canada. Patel went to Wilfrid Laurier University
in Waterloo (Ontario) where he fnished his
under-graduate in 1993 with political science as
his major subject. After graduating, he joined
the Federal Public Service and one after another
he kept on incessantly moving in the rank.
Till three years back, Patel was Canadas
consul-general in Shanghai. On returning to
Ottawa, he became assistant deputy minister
for corporate planning, fnance and information
technology, and chief fnancial offcer at Foreign
Affairs, Trade and Development Canada.
In the meantime, Patel also fnished his
MBA from New York University and London
School of Economics and Political Science and
HEC Paris in 2009.
While the two federal ministers, along with
Parliamentary Secretary Obhrai, will introduce
their new High Commissioner at the highest
levels of government, their hands would also
be full discussing with their Indian counterparts
the question of security and trade.
Minister Fast will continue on his course,
starting Oct 12 leading a 17-man trade delegation
and will visit Mumbai and Chandigarh. This
will be the third business delegation I am
leading to India, Fast said sitting on the 24th
foor of the Sun Life Financial, in the heart of
downtown Toronto.
The current bilateral trade is $6-billion
whichs a far cry from what the two prime
ministers in their summit in New Delhi in
November 2009 pledged - $15 billion by 2015.
The key to increased investment and
trade is the singing of the Foreign Investment
Protection Agreement, said Fast.
It was in fact supposed to have been signed
last year, certainly early this year when Fast met
his then Indian counterpart, then Commerce
Minister Anand Sharma in New York.
But suddenly something happened and that
hasnt been explained to us and the fact is FIPA
hasnt been signed.
Hes optimistic under leadership of pro-
business Prime Minister Narendra Modi the fle
on foreign trade and investment would move
quickly up the bureaucratic ladder on to the
prime ministers table.
Indian-American activist wins prestigious
US food award
I
ndian-American food justice activist
Navina Khanna is one of the fve winners
of the prestigious James Beard Foundation
Leadership awards for 2014, considered
North Americas highest honour for food and
beverage professionals.
Khanna, Fellow at Movement Strategy
Centre, has won the award For her work
as a food justice activist organizing across
communities for equitable and ecological food
systems on local, regional, and national levels.
The JBF awards covering all aspects of
the industry -from chefs and restaurateurs
to cookbook authors and food journalists
to restaurant designers and architects - are
presented each spring at Lincoln Centre.
New York based JBF also maintains the
historic James Beard House in the Citys
Greenwich Village as a performance space
for visiting chefs and hosts conferences,
tastings, lectures, workshops, and food-related
art exhibits around US.
Khanna is also a co-founder and the Field
Director of Live Real, a national initiative
dedicated to amplifying the power of young
people in frontline communities shaping
radically different food systems through policy
and practice.
As a Movement Strategy Centre Innovation
Fellow, Khanna, according to her profle,
applies lessons from other social justice
movements to build a stronger, more aligned,
and strategic food justice movement.
Committed to creating equitable, ecological
systems, she has spent nearly 15 years focused
on transformative change through agriculture
and food systems.
Based in Oakland, shes worked as an
educator, community organiser, activist and
policy advocate transforming local, regional,
and national agri-food systems from feld to
vacant lot to table.
Khanna holds an MS in International
Agricultural Development from University
of California, Davis, where she developed
curriculum for the frst undergraduate major in
sustainable agri-food systems at a Land-Grant
University.
28-year-old Indian architect, Alok Shetty
has been named young leader of tomorrow
by Time magazine for his pioneering work
in designing affordable food-proof houses
for slum dwellers.
The best of the lot
Nadir Patel (left) with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Shanghai
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
28
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EVENTS
Garba rocks Mahatma
Gandhi centre
O
n Saturday night the walls of the Mahatma Gandhi centre rocked, as over 300 people enjoyed
a live performance of music from our special entertainers from India. Chaitaliben Jatinbhai,
Manishkumar Shashikant Pochawala and Hemantkumar Balvantrai Tailor and Prakashbhai
Manubhai Patel have been coming to New Zealand for a number of years now to provide live
music for the Nine nights of the Navratri festival and also Poonam na garba (Full moon garba).
The Auckland Indian Associations Navratri Festival is the biggest in Auckland and this year was
no exception with record breaking numbers attending.
The musical evening night however, was a night for all to kick back and enjoy while our artist
took requests from the foor. By the end of the evening the dance foor was humming and the music
was endless. The crowd ranged from children to adults and elderly people who still enjoyed a
passion for music and song. During the evening a typical Gujarati meal was served and enjoyed.

Richness of tradition
O
n the occasion of Diwali, Migrant Heritage
Charitable Trust Inc (regd) is proud to
bring to you an immensely popular and talented
artist Dhanashree Pandit Rai, disciple of Shobha
Gurtu and Pt. Firoz Dastur to New Zealand.
Dhanashree Pandit Rai is an acclaimed
vocalist and teacher of this unique style of
singing which has many favours like Hori,
Kajari, etc. Dhanashree holds a Masters
Degree in Hindustani Classical Music from
University of Bombay. She has trained under
the stalwart of the Kirana Gharana Pt. Firoz
Dastur and the Thumri legend Shobha Gurtu.
She has also received valuable guidance in
Thumri from Begum Afroz Bano and Batuk
Dewanji. Dhanashree is a regular performer
over All India Radio and has also recorded
for Music Asia (ALAAP programme) and Star
Plus (NINAAD programme). She is a recipient
of the prestigious SUR MANI award from Sur
Singar Samsad.
Dhanashree is one of the leading exponents
of the Thumri form of music and her repertoire,
besides Khayal, consists of Thumri, Chaiti,
Hori, Kajri , Sawan, Jhoola etc. She is aspiring
to give Thumri its rightful place on the concert
stage today since it defnitely faces the risk of
extinction with the dominance of Khayal.
She will be accompanied by Manjit Singh
of Rhythm School of Music. An acclaimed
Tabla player and disciple of renowned Punjab
Gharana stalwart Ustad Kulwinder Singh,
himself a disciple of legendary Ustad Allah
Rakha Khan. He upholds the tradition of the
Punjab Gharana and has performed with several
international artists in New Zealand. Also
accompanying her on Samvadini (Harmonium)
is Sameer Bhalodkar, son of the legendary
Samvadini player Shri Jayant Bhalodkar. He
too has accompanied several international
singers in New Zealand and has several solo
performances to his credit. He also hosts an
annual event in the memory of his late father.
This program Rangarasiya is being
held on 1st November in Auckland. Do
come in numbers as this is a unique
event for the frst time in Auckland.
Vocal: Dhanashree Pandit Rai
Tabla: Manjit Singh (Rhythm School of Music)
Samvadini: Samir Bhalodkar
For details, see Whats On section on Page 38.
Mystique of Benarasi
Silk Sarees Celebrating
Colours of the season
An exhibition of exquisite hand woven sarees by Kushma Ram
T
his November, Kay Collections is
exhibiting a bespoke collection of stunning
hand woven sarees as part of the Indian festive
season, in Auckland. For those who have an
appreciation for the simple but aesthetically
beautiful, a feast of designs and colours is
sure to sweep them off their feet. The Kay
Collections sarees refect the colours that
capture the vibrancy of the feminine mood and
many forms of its beauty.
Designer Kushma Ram, who is based in
Delhi, India, has been bringing the exhibitions
to Australia, over the last few years. It will be
the frst time that she will be exhibiting in New
Zealand. A number of sarees that have won
national and state handloom awards, will be on
display for the frst time.
Kushma has been working with the weavers
in different regions of India to design sarees and
re-create the traditional ones using centuries-
old hand loom traditions and techniques. Her
efforts are helping restore and preserve a fast
dying art form in India.
The collection will have sarees that have
been handcrafted with real zari (gold plated
pure silver thread) on muslin (malmal); the
epitome of elegance, grace and beauty - once
the exclusive preserve of royalty. The malmal
warp worked with the zari weft, coupled with
the rare and age-old rangkat technique of
weaving make it a very complex, yet delicate
saree which is truly an heirloom. A number of
these sarees in silk and cotton will be on display.
A good hand woven saree, can some
times take up to two years to craft. Weavers
painstakingly work through the warp and the
weft yarns re-creating heritage masterpieces
only from memory.
The exhibition presents a variety of weaving
techniques in silks and cottons refecting
the rich cultures and traditions of weaving
communities across India with whom Kay
Collections works. Handcrafted by some of
Indias fnest weavers, this vibrant collection
offers designs and colours that are subtle yet
vibrant, classic yet contemporary, for the
woman who is modern yet grounded.
The exhibition is an event for the whole
family. It is an opportunity to learn about the
different weaving techniques that capture the
moods, events and the life surrounding the
weavers from Benares, Gujarat, Bengal and
Tamil Nadu among others. Through these
exhibitions, Kay Collections plays a small part
in presenting Indian culture to New Zealand
audiences and contributing to preserving this
fast disappearing art form.
This festive season, celebrate the melange
of colours, drape yourself in the richness and
diversity embodied by the sarees, or just enjoy
this unique exhibition for its display of the
traditional heritage of the master weavers of
India.
Entry to the exhibition will be free and
open to the public. There will be opportunity to
purchase sarees at the exhibition.
Venue and dates of the Auckland exhibition
will be announced later.
One of the pieces on display that has been
re-created from a heritage saree, by the Ansari
family of master weavers of Cholapur, Varanasi.
Weavers from this 300 year old weaving family
have won national awards for their exceptional
craftsmanship, given by the President of India
in 2009 and 2011 a rare master weaver still
working this art form.
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
29
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EVENTS
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for overseas calls from
Vodafone NZ mobiles
Dial 8588
from your
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NZ mobile
8588 short-code can only be used from a Vodafone NZ Mobile in conjunction with one of
these phone cards. Surcharges apply from non-Vodafone mobile phones and payphones.
A 10c p/min surcharge applies to calls made to NZ numbers. See www.prepaidcards.
co.nz for calling rates and terms and conditions.
Buy a TalkTalk or Pacifc Talk card
from your local convenience store
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www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
30
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FEATURE
Why is Diwali a festival of knowledge?
Ram Lingam
T
he Diwali chant
of the victory of
Good over Evil is too
superfcial and shallow.
This explanation certainly
lacks credibility from an Indian perspective.
The good over evil story has become so
rampant that, for every major Indian festival,
this so-called evil is made a fashionable
scapegoat for explaining festive signifcance.
It is a kind of a warmongers lingo, especially
when the English word evil has no translation
in any Indian language. To get to the central
message of any Indian utsav like Diwali,
we just need to draw our attention to the key
symbolism. During the Diwali utsav, a lighted
lamp is a symbol of knowledge.
In the Holy Geeta, Shri Krishna says
that Aham Krsnasya Jagatah meaning
everything that exists is a manifestation of his
divinity. So there is nothing that is devoid of
divinity. Logically then, there can never exist
a devil or evil outside divinity. It is rather hard
to comprehend this, especially when our minds
are constantly fed alien concepts of evil and
devil laced with war-mongering phrases.
It is Knowledge over Ignorance not Good
over Evil...
The Indian way of studying life is much
deeper and subtler. It looks at what makes a
person unrighteous. The many deep thinkers,
philosophers and enlightened masters of India
have unanimously pointed out that absence
of knowledge or ignorance is the real
reason for unrighteous selfsh tendencies. The
Buddha said the root cause of all suffering is
ignorance (Avijja - Pali for Avidya). His
assertion being If the root cause of suffering is
eliminated, man will be happy.
In times earlier to the insightful Buddha,
the Dhaarmic literature had already pointed out
that, Avidya or lack of vidya/knowledge
was at the root of all so-called evil and darkness
was its metaphor. The logic (tarka) established
was - where there is no light of wisdom, there
will be darkness. Conversely when wisdom
dawns, there can never be darkness.
Swami Vivekananda said, Ignorance is the
great mother of all misery, and the fundamental
ignorance is to think that the Infnite weeps and
cries, that He is fnite. This is the basis of all
ignorance that we, the immortal, the ever pure,
the perfect Spirit, think that we are little minds,
that we are little bodies; it is the mother of all
selfshness. As soon as I think that I am a little
body, I want to preserve it, to protect it, to keep
it nice, at the expense of other bodies; then you
and I become separate. As soon as this idea
of separation comes, it opens the door to all
mischief and leads to all misery.
The messages from the past have been
categorical that ignorance alone is the real cause
that makes us unhappy. The antidote being the
light of knowledge as in the context of Diwali.
Lamps are not a Home Decor item in Indian
culture...
The Diwali utsav has many historical origins
and so are the diverse practices of celebrating
it. But lamps are a common factor. Whenever
Indians have thought of celebrating in a grand
scale, lamps have been lit city-wide. Even
on the eve of Indian independence in 1947,
the homes, buildings, streets and cities were
decorated with lamps. The followers (Jains) of
Shri Vardhman Mahaveer lit lamps to celebrate
his enlightenment as it symbolized personal
illumination.
Though the illuminated lamp is a primary
symbol in Indian culture, it is not a home
decor item. Every Hindu house has a lamp.
Every temple, every altar in a Hindu home,
every Hindu ritual from birth to death involves
lighting the lamp. Even the common invocation
is to lead a person from darkness to light (jyoti)
as in Tamaso ma Jyotir gamaya found in the
Brhad-Aranyaka Upanishad.
Light means knowledge...
In Indian culture, light represents
knowledge that dispels ignorance. Light makes
it possible to see things clearly. Light is also
considered as a symbol of true auspiciousness,
prosperity and abundance which is an outcome
of wisdom. Wisdom symbolized as light is said
to culminate in infnite happiness. The fnite
things can never give happiness as asserted in
Na alpe sukham asti by the Guru Sanatkumara
in the Chaandogya Upanishad. The Guru says
only the real core in everyone is the source of
happiness. This source is alluded to as light
in the Katha Upanishad which says All that
shines is but the shadow of this shining; all this
universe is effulgent with his light.
Contemporary Gurus like Swami
Chinmayananda in one of his Diwali messages
makes this practical when he said "Let us
remind ourselves, at least on this great day that
we can be victorious over our impulses and
come to illumine for the world around the lamp
of wisdom from the Land of Spiritual Light... In
our bosom, the wick of the mind is maintained
by the oil of vaasanas (unmanifest desires).
When the oil of vaasanas is over, the distinct
fame of Existence futters, to become one with
the Elemental Fire (unmanifest)".
The lighted lamp symbolizes wisdom
(gyana) that alone leads to happiness is the
assertion by the greats throughout Indian
spiritual literature.
Hence Diwali is better to be rephrased as a
festival of knowledge rather than a superfcial
understanding of a victory of good over evil.
Ram Lingam shares the insights on India
and Indian culture at www.indiasutra.co.nz
Housing hopes: Mera Ghar Mera Mahal
Gagan Saxena, from Auckland Council Building Control Department, enlightens us about housing in Auckland
Pooja (interviewer): What is building
consent process?
Gagan Saxena: Any building work we do
on our site, we check its compliance. It needs to
meet the requirements. That checking process
is building consent process.
Pooja: It seems really important but how
does it actually help people and why is it so
important that people must pay attention to it?
GS: In New Zealand environment, when we
plan for any type of building construction, its a
must that it meets the build code requirements.
We work under building act as well all, I am
trying to be a little bit technical here. But
all I would like to say, that its helpful as we
have to make sure that we check buildings
compliance and when we check that, depends
upon information provided along, we just need
to make sure that we are providing healthy
environment and building compliance to our
customers.
Pooja: We have heard about pre-lodgement
meeting. Now as Mr Gagan from Auckland
Council is here, please elaborate, what is pre-
lodgement meeting?
GS: It is available for our customers. For
any project that our customers think they need
councils help in, there is a formal way for
have this meeting. We organise it for them. The
services we provide in that meeting depend
upon the nature of the job. For example if you
are building a new house, which is a quite
complex and stressful process, I agree with
the customers in that; I would recommend
them that they come and sit with council and
try to understand their point of view. And I
personally recommend them that it helps them
in construction in long run. So there is a formal
process called pre-application meeting. You
have to contact Council for that and then council
formally book them. Depending upon the
project type, we provide our expertise to them in
that meeting for example-structural engineers,
building offcers, planners, development
engineers. They will be there, depending upon
the project. We frst understand the project and
then we invite them to the meeting. And well
try to provide as much information as we can
to our customers through that formal meeting
process.
Pooja: Does this apply only to those who
organise their projects themselves? What about
those who go to building companies to get full
service and care for their projects or those who
go to architects? Do they need to come and visit
the council?
GS: Just to clarify here, this process doesnt
differentiate between people who do their
projects themselves or even got to any type
contractors. I would like to say our process
is there for our customers. If they bring the
professionals to the meeting thats well and
good because they understand the technical
side of it bit better. But certainly if the owner of
the property is interested to meet us to initially
understand the whole process, I think they
can contact us at any stage. So basically it is
recommendedthey should at least understand
the process.
Yousuf: So listening to all this, what I get
in mind that whenever you think of any kind
of building work, building consent is required.
That is how it is, isnt it?
GS: Not really, Yousuf. I want to clarify
here, again I am little bit technical, but under
schedule-1 of the building act, its very, very
clear, that certain types of works do not require
the building consent, but it still need to meet
the requirements of building code and the other
legislations. I would strongly recommend here
that sometimes, we get into a bit of problem,
where we think as a customer that theres not
need of building consent and we continue with
the building work. I would suggest that you
should contact council. As I already told you
that we have various means to help you, like
pre-application meeting, you can call council,
council also provide counter advice facility.
So all you need to do is to just contact council
and ask them if that particular work requires
building consent or not.
Yousuf/Pooja: So then at least they would
do what they need to do. And the doubt is clear.
Gagan: Should be. Now the things are
readily available. Our forms are so robust. Its
there. So you just need to ask us if you have
any doubt. Everything is there online. But
sometimes I understand its not easy to fnd
the information on our website. They pretty
diffcult. And thats what we are there for. Just
call me or councils helpdesk. Our number is
3010101 and we provide very good customer
service(Laughs). Of course we try our best
and everyone is available to help you out.
Yousuf: So now, we know whether our
project needs consent or not after contacting
council. Then what next?
Gagan: As I told you, a formal process is
involved. Mostly, information is available
on the form that you apply for the building
consent application form, depending on if it is
residential consent or commercial consent. All
info is there. But your professionals help you
out and we (council people) are there to help
you, come to us. We provide 10-15 minutes
free service, you can come and discuss your
projects with us. There are planning advisors,
development engineering advisors, building
side of the advisors available and thats free.
But again, if you want bit lengthy meeting or
some formal meeting, theres pre-application
meeting. And I understand that it not easy for
everyone to understand the process. But I would
request everyone to give us an opportunity to
help you understand.
Yousuf: So frst process is to have a pre-
application meeting and then actually lodge the
application?
Gagan: Yes. Application is lodged and
then assigned to our building or development
or engineering experts or planners. Then they
check that particular type of consent and we are
checking the compliance/ technicality of it. So
after checking that when we approve it, then
the building owner can start construction on
his site, which need to comply with the code of
whats there in building consent.
Yousuf: Does council helps people with
flling up the forms or is it something that they
need to do themselves?
Gagan: Normally the professionals, people
hire, help them in the whole process as I
said, there are technicalities involved in the
process, they need drawings, specifcations
and sometimes structural calculations for
example like that. So they help our customers
to do that and they comes to us to check
those technicalities side of it. But certainly if
customer want to understand certain things, we
help them, we defnitely do.
Courtesy of Humm FM,
Mera Ghar Mera Mahal
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
31
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EVENTS
Jagad Guru speaks
Jagad Guru Speaks returns to television

every Thursday, beginning 22 October on
Face TV (Sky 083) which screens nationwide.
This TV series will, as previously, be very
appealing to many in the Indian community.
Jagad Guru is a paramahamsa in the line of
great acharyas known as the Brahma Madhva
Gaudiya Sampradya, in ancient Vedic tradition
of Vaishnavism.
Deep knowledge, humility and devotion
to God, the qualifcations of the actual lover
and representative of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Bhagavan, are evident in the
person of Jagad Guru Siddhaswaruapananda
Paramahamsa, a disciple of His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivendanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.
Jagad Guru sees and embraces the
Supreme Person, Bhagavan, heart to heart,
and motivated by compassion for all souls, he
works tirelessly and selfessly to help others
revive their own original love for God, as well
as communicating the message of Godhead,
world wide. When heard and appreciated, this
beautiful timeless message is life changing. As
Sri Krishna says to Arjuna:
Just try to hear the truth by approaching a
spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively
and render service unto him. The self realized
soul can impart knowledge unto you because
he has seen the truth.
In this world, there is nothing so sublime
and pure as transcendental knowledge. Such
knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism.
And one who has achieved this enjoys the self
within himself in due course of time.
Bhagavad Gita [as it is] 4:34,38
So be sure to tune into Jagad Guru Speaks.
Let your friends and family know too. After all
there is nothing else like it on television.
Karwa Chauth: Indian Valentines Day
Swati Sharma
W
hen you love someone, you give
everything you can without expecting
anything. This ideation is evident in every part
of the world. But Indian women have been
following it too seriously.
Indian women have been ideal example of
sacrifce, dedication and love for their husband
from ages, whether it be Sita, Lord Ramas
wife who sacrifced her life for her husband
or Savitri, who fought with Yama, the god of
death, to bring her husband Satyavan back to
life.
I have heard a saint saying that when too
many people pray together for a single cause
on a particular day, the prayers are heard and
beneft the bestowers. Though there are many
occasions to express your love for your loved
ones but for Indian women, Karwachauth is the
day when they all pray together for wellbeing,
safety and longevity of their husband.
Karwachauth is a one day festival mostly
celebrated by North Indian women, in which
married women fast for their husbands long
life from sunrise to moonrise. They eat Sargi
(food items given by mother-in-law) before
sunrise and then the fast begins with dawn.
Fasting women do not eat or drink during the
day.
Nowadays, some people think that its old-
fashion to fast for your husband for a whole
day without even having anything. Where
some women still follow these rituals whole
heartedly, some have changed the way they
used to celebrate this festival in India. But
how is it changing? Lets see how Kiwi-Indian
women celebrated Karwa Chauth this year.
Asha Dang (51): I celebrate Karwa Chauth
the way I used to in India. But obviously things
have changed a bit. We lived in a joint family
in India, so we used to celebrate all together.
Here everyone is busy with their lives. But this
time it was on Saturday. So we got some time
to meet friends. As usual we went to the temple
to perform the evening puja and katha, where
we exchange karwa with other women. We
dont get many occasions here in this country to
celebrate festivals together. So we do not want
to miss even a single chance we get.
Manpreet Kaur (26): This is my frst
Karwa Chauth in New Zealand and I found it
very lonely here. We had a lot of chaos on this
day back in Punjab (India). We used to go to
shopping where markets were full of people.
The hustle bustle in the town never made me
feel the hunger, while I fasted. But here I miss
all of that. I was at work and couldnt even get
the feel of the festival. I was just waiting for the
moon to rise so that I can eat something.
Sonal Gupta (33): I used to fast with
dedication earlier but now as work pressure is
increasing its very hard to follow all the rituals
with the same dedication. I did the morning
puja along with my mother-in-law and sister-in-
law. But as all of us were working, my mother-
in-law asked us to have some food and tea after
doing the katha in the morning at about 11.
So that we can bear with the hunger until the
moon rise. Then we did puja after moon rise
and had our dinner. We have adopted the rituals
according to the lifestyle now a days.
Aparajita Saluja (): Ever since we have
moved to New Zealand, we make it a point
to celebrate Karwa Chauth together with all
friends. I feel we have become more particular
about tradition and culture being away from
our country. May be its because we get fewer
occasions to get together and we want to make
best of it.
Auckland women celebrate Karwa Chauth
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
32
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D
espite being tagged as mindless, loud,
dumb, pointless and exhausting,
action thriller Bang Bang! has minted
Rs.27.54 crore on the frst day. Haider - a
well-appreciated and a comparatively small
flm - released on the same day and has got its
share of audience too. It has raked in Rs.6.14
crore.
Bang Bang!, reportedly made at a budget
of Rs.180 crore, and Rs.24 crore flm Haider,
which is Vishal Bhardwajs adaptation of
William Shakespeares Hamlet, came
Thursday.
Directed by Siddharth Anand, Bang
Bang! stars Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif.
In addition to star power, it has ingredients like
love story, amazing stunts and peppy music
and has captured the scenic beauty of exotic
locations like Prague, Greece and London.
With Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor
as the lead actors, Haider has a completely
different look. Set against the unrest in the
Kashmir Valley, the story revolves around a
man who wants to avenge his fathers death.
Bang Bang! opened across the country at
90 percent occupancy and continued its run at
the counters through the day, said a statement.
Haider is getting rave reviews by critics
worldwide and audience word of mouth is
excellent! Haider has performed extremely
well in metros and specifcally in Mumbai,
Pune, Delhi/NCR, Bangalore, Hyderabad, said
a statement.
Shah Rukh receives
Global Diversity
Award
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has
been honoured with Global Diversity Award
2014 by British parliament for his contribution
to cinema.
House of Commons speaker John Bercow
presented the award to Shah Rukh Saturday.
Now (in) parliament to receive the Global
Diversity Award... Humbled and grateful.
Thank you, he tweeted before the ceremony.
Boman Irani, his Happy New Year co-
star, congratulated the 48-year-old Shah Rukh.
Proud of you... so very proud, for being
bestowed the Global Diversity Award, Boman
tweeted.
The past recipients of the
award include megastar
Amitabh Bachchan,
former beauty queen
and actress Aishwarya
Rai and Hollywood
actor Jackie Chan.
Massy Bang Bang!,
classy Haider
enthrall moviegoers
Diary
ENTERTAINMENT
Aamir pledges to help
the injured on roads
S
uperstar Aamir Khan, who hosts Satyamev
Jayate - a show that raises important social
issues in the country, has now decided to help
those who get injured in road accidents.
The third season of the show is currently
on air and an episode on Road Accidents Or
Murders? was shown.
I pledge that I will never be a bystander
in an accident. will always help the injured
immediately no matter what #RoadsOKPlease
#MumkinHai, he tweeted Sunday.
According to the shows website, on an
average, 380 people are killed in road accidents
every day in India yet not much is done about it.
The episode highlights how a majority of them
cannot be dismissed as accidents - in fact, they
are murders.

No numerologists
hand in Raajpals
name change
A
ctor Rajpal Yadav, who is now Raajpal
Yadav, says he didnt go to a numerologist
to add an extra a in his frst name.
When asked about the extra a added to his
name, he said: I dont wear a single ring, so
its not that I consulted a numerologist for this.
I have been wanting to add an a in my name
for a long time. Finally, I managed to do that.
On the work front, the Kushti actor is
making his debut in Hollywood with Bhopal -
A Prayer For Rain.

Now, Farah Khan pays
tribute to Michael
Jackson

A
fter actors Shahid Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan
and Tiger Shroff, its now choreographer-
director Farah Khans turn to pay tribute to the
late pop star Michael Jackson.
She had done so through a song from her
forthcoming directorial Happy New Year.
In the recently unveiled song titled
Nonsense ki night, the movies stars like
Shah Rukh Khan and Boman Irani are seen
in Jacksons Thriller inspired red pants and
red jacket with black design accents and doing
signature moves of the pop legend.
#NonsenseKiNight is also a sort of tribute
to my guru MICHAEL JACKSON. check out
the thriller inspired costumes n steps, Farah
tweeted Sunday.
The director also revealed that the song is
her frst credit as lyric writer.

www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
33
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ENTERTAINMENT
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
34
Red Black Orange
ENTERTAINMENT
Good content always fnds viewers: Shahid Kapoor
A
ctor Shahid Kapoors
Kashmir based drama
Haider has crossed the Rs.
50 crore mark at the box
offce and he says good
content always fnd an
audience.
We didnt know what
to expect from Haider, we
just knew its a unique flm
and we wanted to do it. When
it got ready, we felt it was an
honest flm Shahid told media
in an interview.
Haider, which marked
director Vishal Bhardwaj and Shahids
second successful collaboration after
Kaminey, collected over Rs. 50 core in the
frst week.
We had faith, trust and pride because it was
not an easy flm to make. Its been amazing
so far. We were waiting for the audiences
response, but we knew its not an out and out
entertainer so this kind of appreciation from the
audience is great.
I have always believed that good content
will always fnd an audience. As an actor you
have to take risks and do a flm like Haider
and when it works, you feel cool about it, he
added.
The quintessential Bhardwaj flm adapted
from one of Shakespeares most powerful and
infuential tragedies - Hamlet, was supported
by other powerful performers in the cast - Tabu,
Kay Kay Menon, Irrfan Khan and Shraddha
Kapoor.
The critics have raved about Shahids
performance in the flm and said that he was the
show stealer in the flm.
When asked which was the best compliment
he got for his performance, he said: A lot of
compliments.... Irrfan saw the flm and he
tweeted about it. Kay Kay called me and said
I didnt know you would do so well. My father
said you have done a good job and thats the
biggest compliment.
Vishal said he would not have made the
flm without me. All these things make you feel
special, said Shahid who has tasted success
after a long time.
My daughters far more intelligent than
me: Mahesh Bhatt
Mahesh Bhatt has been one of the best
flmmakers of his time and inspired generations
with his movie-making skills, but the director,
who now produces flms with new talent, says
his three daughters - Pooja, Shaheen and Alia -
are far more intelligent and practical than him.
I have got three daughters and all three of
them make me very proud. I have no problem
in telling them that they are far more intelligent
than I am and I also take instructions from
them, Bhatt told IANS.
The flmmaker, known for crafting
meaningful cinemas such as Arth,
Saraansh, Naam, Kaash and Daddy,
has daughter Pooja with his frst wife Kiran
Bhatt (original name Lorraine Bright). Later he
married actress Soni Razdan and they have two
daughters - Shaheen and Alia - together.
Sharing his joy of being a proud father of
three successful girl children, he says that all
of them have achieved something in their lives
and that too without any help.
Pooja is an example of how a girl child
can sparkle and be completely self suffcient.
Shaheen is a brilliant writer and unique child,
he said.
Alia is a star and she has added to my
ageing stardom. I have been a star and man
of public fgure of a kind, but India is a young
country and most of the Indians, who consume
entertainment products, are under 25. Alia
is undoubtedly one of the tallest icon in that
space, added Bhatt who also has son Rahul.
If he is a proud father, he is a doting dad too.
We belong to that strata of the society
where attack from unknown people wont
happen. But yes, my eldest daughter Pooja
had a relationship with a person who under
the infuence of alcohol did abuse her and that
became a very painful chapter of our family.
So, if a strong self-suffcient woman like
her can be subjected to domestic violence, then
it makes me shiver when I visualise about all
those vulnerable girls who do not have the
economic clout or do not have the shield of
stardom, he said.
Having contributed to Bollywood for around
four decades, the moviemaker co-owns Vishesh
Films with his brother Mukesh and they have
together churned out bold and successful flms
like Murder, Jism and Raaz.
These flms raised eyebrows for their sensual
portrayal of women.
Tell him that flms objectify women;
Bhatt dismisses it saying that objectifcation
of women is also there in our culture and
patriarchal mindset governs our society.
Women are born slaves to a traditions,
which compels them to be submissive, weak,
docile, put up with the injustice and sufferings
to achieve great virtue.
To say that all the movies are responsible
for the objectifcation of women is an
exaggeration. I feel that women have the right
to dress up in a particular way and if you call it
objectifcation then whats wrong?
She has the right to choose what she
wears and if that doesnt go according to your
culture and mindset, it doesnt mean that you
should fght under the garbage by calling it
an objectifcation. To blame a woman saying
that she dresses up provocatively and invites
rape and other injustice is an heartbreaking
argument, which has no place in our social
discourse, said the flmmaker.

Time to send complete
all-rounder: Lara Dutta
on beauty pageant
Lara Dutta, the last Indian lass to bring
the Miss Universe crown home in 2000, is
mentoring aspiring beauty queens through her
TV debut show Miss Diva Universe. She
says it is time to focus on the new lot, their
individualities and train them to be all-rounders.
Miss Diva Universe 2014, which
premiered Oct 6 on channel Zee Cafe, is a
whole new property and completely re-branded,
she said.
What I like most about it is that with
the show, the country will actually get a
chance to know the girls who are competing
for international crown rather then seeing
newspaper one morning and reading about the
winner Lara said.
Most importantly, the show helps in
discovering the 15 contestants individuality.
All of them (aspirants) either try to
embrace Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka or me, but I
think if they can bring their own individuality
and personality, it will be more important thing.
Be yourself. Be totally comfortable and
confdent in your skin. Thats what we are
looking at, said the diva when asked about the
USP of the TV show.
Srishti Rana bagged the Miss Asia Pacifc
World title last year, but it has been a dry spell
for India at Miss Universe and Miss World
contests since 2000.
Lara says there are several reasons behind
the contestants not winning the crown.
The (format of the) contest has changed a
lot from the time Priyanka Chopra, Dia Mirza
or I won. So, I think its good step to re-brand
the entire thing because internationally too
the requirements are changing. The way the
contests are conducted is way different from the
time we won said the 36-year-old.
After winning the title, Lara made her
Bollywood debut in 2003 with Andaaz and
went on to do flms like Masti, No Entry,
Housefull and Don 2.
The actress, who is married to tennis ace
Mahesh Bhupathi and has daughter Saira with
him, says that it is important for the contestants
to get the right exposure.
You need to send somebody who is complete
all rounder, just one thing wont work. You are
put in various sort of environmental situation
where you have to work on your articulation,
confdence and be on your feet.
It is important that girls around the country
really know what goes into making a beauty
pageant winner. Its not just about girl who
looks good in bikini or who has a nice smile or
nice body or thing like that.
Its a lengthy process to select a girl. I think
girls should get more exposure before they
compete internationally she said
Like other sectors, here too social media is
playing an important role.
Today, social media and things like that are
so big that these girls are actually getting bigger
media reach before they actually occupy a title.
I think its a great concept she said.
Aishwarya flags off the 16th Mumbai
Film Festival
A
ctress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Tuesday
declared the 16th Mumbai Film Festival
open, calling it a honour to be given the
privilege.
Kudos to the team and everybody who has
made this happen. I knew what was going on
and what it took to keep the fag going. I am
experiencing the conviction, belief, faith they
had to keep this festival going. I take such
pride and such an honour to be standing here
today and declaring 16th Mumbai Film festival
open, Aishwarya told reporters after the
opening ceremony.
Aishwarya, Helen and Catherine Deneuve
were the guest of honour at the opening
ceremony. Helen and Catherine were conferred
lifetime achievement awards.
The 16th MAMI flm festival will continue
till Oct 21.
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
35
Red Black Orange
ENTERTAINMENT
BOB
FULL PAGE AD
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
36
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ENTERTAINMENT
WIFW 2015: High on inspiration, technology; low on star power
F
rom Mother Nature to weavers, designers
used the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion
Week Spring-Summer (WIFW SS) 2015 as a
platform to pay tribute to them. However, the
gala, where technology met fashion, was low
on B-Town glam.
The fashion gala, which concluded Sunday,
saw participation of 124 designers, out of
which some drew inspiration from Kashmir,
Assam and Benares and also from Japan, China
and Africa.
Opened by Aneeth Arora, her collection had
summer-friendly pieces like cotton khadi dress,
shorts, chanderi tops, blue denims as well as
cotton and silk shirts in colours like white, blue,
green and orange.
Oriental inspiration was part of designers
like Alpana Neeraj and Atsu Sekhose collections
and they even familiarised the attendees with
Japanese culture on the runway.
If Japan-inspired creations grabbed
eyeballs, the nomadic culture of Xining, capital
of northwest Chinas Qinghai Province, was the
focal point of Urvashi Kaurs spring-summer
line. She made extensive use of tassels, pom-
poms, tapes and ribbons on garments, which
had a lot of Chinese-inspired necklines.
Nachiket Barves show transported the
attendees to Africa. Fascinated by the continent,
Barve came up with the Kalahari collection,
an atypical tribal wear it had everything that
decodes fashion - front slit skirts, palazzos and
more.
Mother Nature inspired Gauri and Nainikas
collection. With a modern and stark silhouette,
the collection was primarily designed in the
striking colours of earth like white, blue, green
and shades of grey was an ode to nature.
Organised by the Fashion Design Council
of India (FDCI), the fve-day event was held at
Pragati Maidan here.
Even Kavita Bhartia collections was an
ode to master artisans and karigars.
Denim, which has returned to the ramp,
was the focal poing of Rajesh Pratap Singhs
collection. He also made sure that the weavers,
whom he addressed as his colleagues,
actively participated in the show. The collection
brought forward Singhs love for raw selvedge
denim made with pure natural indigo.
In the fashion circuitm, stoles are considered
trendy, but this time Poonam Dubey and
Chhaya Mehrotra made our own desi gamcha
a fashionable. The traditional gamcha (cotton
stole), a must have for people in the states like
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, got a fashionable
twist.
This time there were two off-site shows
too - on the opening, Tarun Tahiliani braved
dust storm for his show at DLF Emporio and
wowed fashionistas with colourful and artistic
ensemble.
His clothes had lots of draping in blue and
orange hue; red with yellow and more. Inspired
by the works of London-based artists Amrit and
Rabindra -- The Singh Twins, Tahilianis range
refected elements from their paintings.
The grand fnale, held at Quli Khans tomb
with Qutub Minar as its backdrop, by Rohit
Bal was truly larger than life. The Kashmiri
designer presented Gulbagh, inspired by the
rich and the lush Mughal gardens in the valley.
However, the Bollywood quotient was not
so overwhelming.
Arjun Rampal walked for Bal, while Aditi
Rao Hydari turned showstopper for Payal
Singhal, singer-actress Monica Dogra for
Kanika Saluja and tennis star Sania Mirza
turned heads in designer Ritu Pandes creation.
Evergreen actress Rekha, though didnt
make her presence at the fashion gala, Wendell
Rodricks paid homage to the icon through his
collection.
Neha Dhupia, who was the Twitter face of
Wills Lifestyle, tweeted live from the venues.
Apart from that there were other initiatives
taken to mix technology with fashion.
The FDCI launched the Wills Lifestyle India
Fashion Week app in partnership with Sent.ly
for Android Play Store with an aim to connect
designers with visitors at the event.
Wills Fashion Tag (Radio-frequency
identifcation - RFID) was back for the second
time. Through RFIDs, fashionistas at the
venue were spotted sharing stories of their
WIFW experience with their friends on social-
networking sites. They could click a selfe, tell
friends about what theyre up to and what their
mood was.
If that was not enough, Wills Rock the Ramp
- 360 Degree Selfe was another initiative that
attracted the attendees. Fashionistas were seen
focking towards the selfe booth that had a
mechanical arm ftted with a Go Pro camera,
which rotated and captured a 360 degree video.
The fashion gala, which
concluded Sunday, saw
participation of 124
designers, out of which
some drew inspiration
from Kashmir, Assam
and Benares and also
from Japan, China and
Africa.
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
37
Red Black Orange
ENTERTAINMENT
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HELP LINE
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WHATSOn
Waitakere Diwali 2014
Date: 18 October 2014
Time: 11 am to 10 pm
Venue: The Trust Arena, Central park
drive, Henderson
Waitakere Indian Association (WIA) is once
again gearing for its annual Diwali event in
Henderson where we will see the biggest
indoor Diwali event in New Zealand. Waitakere
Diwali, as usual, will be held at Trusts Arena
culminating in grand freworks display. This
year the Ram Leela will be performed by
the ISKCON group, also there will be three
students from Waitakere College from non-
Indian background that will be talking about
Diwali. Free entry! For more information or
enquiries call: 021 047 7414
Sham-e-Ghazal
Date: Saturday 18 October 2014
Time: 7:30 pm onwards
Venue: Dorothy Winstone Centre,
Auckland Grammer School,
14 Howe St. Newton, Auckland.
Aariya entertainment presents legendry Pankaj
Udhas in Sham-e-Ghazal, the live-in concert.
Also featuring Shirley Setia and Kanik Mongia.
For tickets contact: Dinesh 021 709 884, Rahul
021554 444. Visit www.aariyaentertainment.
com for more information

Rangrasiya
Date: 1
st
November 2014
Time: 6:30 pm onwards
Venue: Mt Albert War Memorial hall, 773
New North Road, Mt Albert Auckland
On the occasion of Diwali, Migrant Heritage
Charitable Trust Inc (regd) is proud to bring
to you an immensely popular and talented
artist Dhanashree Pandit Rai to New Zealand.
Dhanashree is one of the leading exponents of
the THUMRI form of music and her repertoire,
besides khayal, consists of thumri, chaiti, hori,
kajri , sawan, jhoola etc. Vocal: Dhanashree
Pandit Rai, Tabla: Manjit Singh (Rhythm School
of Music), Samvadini: Amir Bhalodkar. Tickets
for $20 available from 1st October 2014 at:
Yogijis Food Mart, 26 Carr Road, Mt Roskill,
Auckland.
Contact: Yogijis - 624 5757 or Varsha
0272435353
Auckland Library Diwali
2014
Date: 12 - 26 October
Venue: Multiple locations
Diwali is the annual festival of lights. In
Auckland, public Diwali celebrations take place
across the city and the event is marked as a
major festival by Auckland Council. Auckland
Libraries celebrates Diwali every year with a
region-wide programme of henna workshops,
music and dance demonstrations, special
story-times and much more. To fnd a library
near you visit: http://www.aucklandlibraries.
govt.nz/EN/Events/Events/pages/diwali2014.
aspx
Pregnancy Yoga Classes
Date: Every Wednesday
Time: 5:30pm6:30pm
Venue: East West Organics, 34 Portage
Rd, Auckland
These gentle Transformation Hatha Yoga
classes will enable you to help your body adjust
to your pregnancy, to help you to strengthen
your muscles for carrying your baby and birth,
this will also help with readjusting back after the
birth of your baby. Classes are only available for
those over 16 weeks into pregnancy and you
will need to check with your midwife or Doctor
before coming to the classes.
Talented teenagers musical journey
IWK Bureau
A
t just 15-years-old, Chaitanya Rajapurkar
is perhaps one of Aucklands youngest
musicians to have composed for plays and live
theatre single-handedly. It takes some doing to
get a hold of the shy and unassuming teenager.
At the recent festival of Ganesha organised by
the Auckland Marathi Association, he helped
with music of course, but it was also obvious
that his talents are not limited by music alone.
At the Marathi Association event, Chaitanya
performed with a group of his friends on stage.
The groups bonding and harmony translated
superbly in the perfectly choreographed Garba
performance. Audiences at community events
tend to be restless and not easy to please, yet,
they were glued to their seats till the very
end. Not just once but twice for an encore
performance.
Music though, is his passion, he asserts.
He frst seriously considered it as a profession
only two years ago, but, music happened to him
much before.
On a quiet afternoon a few years back,
It was 4 pm, he grins, he was listening to a
childrens programme on community radio.
The RJ would invite callers to ring and the
6-year-old Chaitanya did. The RJ asked him to
sing; he did and won a prize for it.
Soon after this, my mother began to teach
me music herself, he says. His mother Seema
Rajapurkar sings Hindustani classical.
Chaitanya seems very matter of fact about
his choice of music as a profession. After all,
the stereotype still exists of Indians wanting
their kids to pursue the usual medicine,
banking or engineering degrees.
Not so for the Rajapurkars - music runs in
Chaitanyas family. His paternal grandfather
played the harmonium. Chaitanyas father,
Prasad Rajapurkar supports and contributes
his time to theatre amongst other community
service too.
So what next for the young musician?
Honing his craft if you tune in to community
radio, or attend a local concert you will
defnitely hear him there.
Chaitanya Rajapurkar
FEATURES
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
39
Red Black Orange
FEATURES
Southern Insttute of Technology
wishes you a happy Diwali Festval
www.sit.ac.nz
0800 4 0 FEES
*Direct material costs apply
New under the
Zero Fees Scheme
in 2015
This one year, full time programme, is aimed at IT
professionals and recent graduates (domestic and
international) wishing to undertake a programme of
study that covers a wider range of subject areas, in
order to prepare for further study or to assist with
obtaining a more senior position in an IT or IT business
related place of employment.
Postgraduate Diploma in
Information Technology
The Zero Fees Scheme applies to all NewZealand citizens, New
Zealand permanent residents and Australian citizens residing in
New Zealand.
Call today
or email
info@sit.ac.nz
www.iwk.co.nz
17 October 2014
40
Red Black Orange
MELBOURNE APARTMENTS

Indian Weekender 17 October 2014

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Indian Weekender 17 October 2014

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