Indian

Indian Log on to www.iwk.co.nz

December 17, 2010
Volume 2, No. 19
New Zealand’s first Indian weekend magazine
For free distribution

Jack Dubey | 20 Bollywood | 24 Community | 19

The long, hard road A chat with teen icon Kolkata celebrates a
to success Genelia D’Souza very special Christmas

from the
Indian Weekender
Team

Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 1

 Indian
New Zealand

Young Riten does Fiji and the Pacific proud

dev nadkarni

A young Fiji agriculturist of Indian selected 2 finalists from each of the 6 ACP regions
(South Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Central
descent has won a rare accolade for Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific).
his ideas to attract young people to These 12 finalists were invited to Johannes-
one of the most vital professions that burg, South Africa, to present their essays last
month. Out of the 12, 6 regional winners were se-
is increasingly being seen by young- lected. Riten was declared the “Pacific Regional
sters as unsexy in the developing world Winner” for his essay titled, “Use of information
– farming – and suggesting the use of and communication technology to address infor-
mation poverty and reluctance of farmers to com-
technology to maximise yield and profit. mercialise in the Fiji islands”.
On being asked what it was like to have won
Nadi born Riten Chand Gosai won the CTA the keenly contested competition, Riten told
ARDYIS Pacific Regional Prize at an internation- Indian Weekender: “I had my fingers crossed.
al essay competition in South Africa last month. Going to South Africa to present our essays if
The European Union-funded Technical Centre front of expert personnel was an achievement in
for Agriculture and Rural Development (CTA is itself – the win was a bonus.”
its French acronym) ran the competition in the 79- What made the young Riten take to a profes-
nation grouping of developing countries known as sion increasingly seen as uninteresting and un-
ACP (African Caribbean Pacific) in which all the glamorous by young people?
island nations of the South Pacific are included. “Right from high school, an aspiration was
The problem of food security does not get the always there to do something and prove that ag-
attention it deserves, when compared to issues riculture is not a layman’s subject, especially for a
like climate change about which there is far more Pacific country like Fiji where we survive by agri-
coverage in the media. Rising populations and Riten receiving his award in Johannesburg, South Africa culture – as a matter of fact, we need agriculture.
rapidly growing prosperity, particularly in the tion, which explains China’s pursuit of farmlands The essay competition was run as a programme “Consequently, that urge to change the stereo-
fast growing economies of India and China, are in distant countries like New Zealand – to ensure of ARDYIS – Agriculture and Rural Development type and negative attitude of people, particularly
exerting ever-growing pressure on the food supply future food supply for their growing populations. Youths in the Information Society – a project to the youth, toward agriculture provided me with
chain. Amid these pressures there is yet another issue involve youths in agriculture and exploit ICT (in- the inspiration to write something that really ap-
As these countries grow, their demand for that is affecting agriculture particularly in de- formation and communication technology) tools pealed to the judges. I wanted my essay to have
natural resources grows by leaps and bounds. It is veloping countries rather severely. Less and less for the betterment of agriculture in ACP countries some meaning, to carry some weight and to be
no surprise that forests equivalent to several foot- young people are attracted to farming, which is and also to raise the standard of rural areas and the able to influence the youths to join me in saying
ball fields are lost because of urbanisation, which creating a severe shortage of human resources in rural population. ‘yes’ to agriculture,” Riten said.
is also claiming farmland for increased demand in the farming sector. Young people are attracted to Youths between the ages of 18 to 30 were en- Riten has had an excellent career at Mulomulo
housing. urban lifestyles and farming isn’t seen as a “sexy” couraged to participate from all ACP countries. Primary and Mulomulo Secondary schools and
This leaves less land and water for food cultiva- profession to be in. Out of the hundreds of entries received, the jury has been the dux and head boy. He was adjudged

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2 Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

 Indian
New Zealand
Mayor orders review of CCTV to fight crime

Best Senior Prefect in 2005. He

won an AusAID (Australian aid
programme) scholarship for “Bach-
elors of Agriculture” degree at the
University of the South Pacific’s
(Alafua Campus in Samoa) in 2008.
“I have been in Samoa for 3 years now and
am graduating with my degree on December
17,” he said. “But the greatest achievement so far
is winning this competition in South Africa and
being declared the Pacific Regional winner.”
What next for Riten, whose prize is a first for
the whole of the Pacific region? “I would like to
encourage the youths of Fiji to quit the stereotype
that agriculture is for weak students – it just may
be the most important sector in Fiji in 2-3 decades
when climate change, urbanisation and popula-
tion growth threaten our food security. Interac-
tive use of ICT tools (especially mobile phones)
has potential to greatly assist with agriculture and
rural development,” Riten said.
“We, being in Fiji, just cannot ignore agricul-
ture and focus on industries alien to us – we have
to give agriculture first priority. This will encour-
age rural development as well. Any discussion
on such topics is most welcome and I encourage
youths to join my bandwagon.
“When I envisage the future of the Pacific in
20 – 30 years and think of its food security, I see
agriculture extremely important. A country like
Fiji needs innovative people in this field who can
really move this industry without serious impli-
cations on the environment and its sustainability.
“While the fragile Pacific environment needs
protection, increased agricultural output is also
vital – we need skilled agricultural professionals
to avoid this imbalance. The Pacific needs a green
revolution of its own and I believe I can contrib-
ute.”
Riten says he plans to put up a web page, prob-
ably on a social networking site like Facebook in
the next few weeks to post news related to agricul-
ture and the Pacific. “I also want to assist youths
via this webpage – giving advice, career tips,
discussing ideas and how to get into agricultural
studies and move away from this negative attitude
people have toward agriculture,” he says.
Another Fiji resident, Miriama Kunawave
Brown, won the The Pacific Representative
Award at the Johannesburg event last month. The Mayor has ordered a review of agencies other than council own the vast
closed circuit television and its use in majority of CCTV systems operating in
Riten’s ideas to get the youths involved: the battle against crime. the streets of Auckland.
-Awareness: youths are simply unaware of the The review is one of the 100 projects Reported crime increased in all three of
opportunities available to them through agri- launched by Len Brown in the first 100 Auckland’s police districts last year. It
cultural studies. For some reason, other fields days of the Auckland Council. increased by between 1.2% in the Wait-
like commerce, medicine, engineering, etc. CCTV is becoming increasingly popular emata Police District last year, 1.6% in
are always encouraged during careers class.
Agriculture gets a no no. This simply has to be
as a tool to prevent and detect crime as Auckland City Police District and 6.9% in
the technology becomes more wide- Counties Manukau.
avoided. Youths need to know how important
agriculture will be in the future. spread, sophisticated and cost effective. “The use of CCTV is a proven tool in
The issue for the new Auckland Coun- solving crime and making people feel
-ICTs (information and communication tech- cil is how best to coordinate the use of safer,” says Len Brown. “We can reduce
nologies): These are being innovatively used in existing CCTV systems and to extend crime in Auckland by coordinating the
many ACP countries and should be in itself a
the use of CCTV in association with New way we use CCTV. We owe it to our
pulling factor for youths as ICT tools are always
attractive. Zealand Police, town centres, business people to make them feel as safe as we
associations and residents. can in our streets.”
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Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 3

Indian
New Zealand

Auckland set to witness

mother of all weddings
A wedding destined to be seen by
millions across India is set to be staged
in Auckland next month – no doubt
taking away the breath of Kiwis unused
to the extravagance of maharajah style
marriage.
“It is good to have something unique
and special,” she says.
“We don’t just want an ordinary
wedding; we wanted something totally
unique.”

The wedding of Auckland doctor Pooja
Chitgopeker to Chicago industrialist
Vikram Aditya Kumar at the Formosa
Golf Club in east Auckland will be loud
enough to be seen across the city – and
on New Delhi Television (NDTV’s) My
Big Fat Indian Wedding series.
Complete with lions, tigers, perhaps
an elephant or two, the groom will ride
in on a chariot, watched by a guest list
including Sachin Tendulkar and Anil
Kumble and American right wing idols
Sarah Palin and Donald Rumsfeld.
Bhangra king Daler Mehndi will provide
the music. Aruna Chitgopeker, who
admits she is being seriously stressed
by the organisation of it all, has no
doubt it’s the perfect thing to do for the
oldest of her two children.
They have hired the Formosa Golf Club
and booked out most of the Langholm
for January 6 to 8 and have had
designers create a Rajasthan setting
in which the groom will ride in on the
chariot to meet his former beauty queen
bride.
“He arrives like a king or a prince,”
Aruna said.
The 40 groomsmen will arrive in nine
helicopters flying in formation over
Auckland.
“Ideally we wanted to hire an island
for three days, because we’ve got up
to 400 people coming from overseas,”
Aruna said.
They are having trouble finding an
elephant.

“We have tigers and lions. We have
all that sorted. There are rules and
regulations, they are not going to
be let loose, there will be in special
cages.
“It is quite overwhelming, it is all
exciting and there is so much to do.
It’s not an arranged wedding.
“It’s a love marriage, we are in this
century.”
The families are praying furiously
for fine weather after they ruled out
alternative venues in Jaipur or Maimi for
the traditional Hindu wedding.

“There is a bit of a nervous feeling, Her father, Mohan Chigopeker, is a

being such a high end wedding as
well.”
Pooja, who graduated last month
from Auckland University medical
school, was born in Manchester,
England, but spent most of her
childhood here, attending Diocesan
School for Girls.
She won the Miss India New Zealand
(2002) contest, Miss India Worldwide
(2003) (1st runner up) and Miss
Auckland (2002) (1st runner up).
She says that after she won the
beauty contests, Bollywood came
calling. She instead decided on the
family tradition, medicine.
Now hoping to become a plastic
surgeon, she is now with her
husband to be in Chicago.
doctor who served as team doctor
for both the Indian and New Zealand
cricket teams.
Kumar, who was born in Chicago,
is CEO in waiting of family owned
Autotech Viktron Group, a Bangalore
based company that is a world leader in
computer circuit board equipment.
As for the guest list, Aruna was not too
sure who had RSVP’d yet.
Palin and Rumsfeld – Kumar family
friends and supporters – had got the
invites, and so has Prime Minister John
Key and Mayor Len Brown.
In a rare change of exclusive weddings,
the media are also invited.
- Michael Field

4 Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian

Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 5

 Indian
Seniors open hearts to Indian Weekender’s cause
It was heartwarming to watch
the more than 200 seniors of
Indian origin have a great time at
the Christmas party organised
especially for them at Chaska
Punjab Da restaurant in Epsom
last Saturday.
Impeccably organised by the
Jeet Sachdev-led Bharatiya
Samaj, the seniors spent sev-
eral hours mingling with each
other, singing, dancing and
generally having a ball in keep-
ing with the spirit of the festive
season.
Co hosts Roopa Sachdev and Shivani
Arora gave the proceedings their own
special touch by making the guests feel
at home and encouraging and urging
each and every of the members pres-
ent to participate in the gaiety.
A highlight of the afternoon was the
manner in which the seniors opened
their hearts and their wallets for the
Indian Weekender Make A Difference
for St John Appeal. The project aims
to raise funds toward an ambulance
for the nation’s largest ambulance service,
St John, as a gesture of goodwill and
gratitude from the Indian community in
Auckland and the rest of New Zealand.
In response to a brief speech by Kiwi Me-
6 Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
dia
Group director and Indian
Weekender publisher Giri Gupta and a
short presentation by St John’s volunteer
Mr Bertrand, nearly every senior member
present donated to the cause by inserting
coins and notes in the two sealed boxes
New Zealand
dozen hands went up. Then he went
on to narrate his own experience and
the lack of such a convenient facility
back in India because of which there
are so many easily avoidable deaths
every year.
He urged all those present to donate
generously. Most seniors who spoke
during the programme seconded
his appeal and wished Indian
Weekender well in its endeavor to
establish an ambulance do-
nated to society with
donations from the
Indian community.
Mr Bertrand thanked
those present for
their generosity,
as did Mr Gupta of
Indian Weekender.
Mr Jeet Sachdev, Ms
Roopa Sachdev and
Ms Shivani Arora also
congratulated Indian
Weekender on taking
up the project.
as they were taken around the hall by The gathering was
volunteers. treated to a lovely repast complete
with entrees and an Indian style lunch
One senior citizen gave an impromptu served up by the recently reinvigorated
speech in support of the case with all management of Chaska Punjab Da.
spontaneity. “How many of us have used
this amazing service?” he asked. Several -Indian Weekender Correspondent
Indian
New Zealand

Green focus for new St John facilities

The people who help people will get a boost
in the form of a new environmentally friendly
St John building in Auckland. In its position
at Mt Wellington, this new facility provides a
much-needed central base for staff who work to
enhance the health and well-being of all New
Zealanders.
While demand for St John services has
grown, the buildings that housed St John people
did not keep pace. The new space allows St
John to provide accommodation on one site for
various teams who have been sharing cramped
temporary space such as motel units and porta-
coms for years.
The new building will enable increased col-
laboration among the various teams of St John
at one common location for many of its shared
service activities for the whole organisation.
Well before project commencement the
project manager and architects gained insights
into and appreciation for the community organi-
sation which has a range of valuable and reliable
products and services including the Ambulance
Service.
St John is in its 125th year of service to
New Zealanders and in that time has grown to
become one of the country’s largest charities,
touching the lives of hundreds of thousands of
people each year.
The architecture of the new headquarters
embodies materials and forms from previous
phases of development and provides a distinc-
tive and contemporary character for the new
front door to the campus.
The building has a number of Environmental
Sustainable Design (ESD) features to enhance ments, multipurpose conference centre for the include providing effective emergency medical ported to hospital and community locations;
the quality of the working space and to reduce campus and museum and archive spaces for St care, help and support to deliver the best pos- 17,166,606 kilometres travelled by ambulances;
the long term environmental impact of the John historical artifacts. sible outcomes for New Zealanders. 9,574 events serviced; 57,398 people trained in
building. The building at 2 Harrison Road, Mt Wel- National statistics for the year ending June first aid; 8,045 community volunteers; 5,714
Each building module has been carefully lington will be officially opened on Friday De- 2010 include: 371,224 patients treated and trans- Youth members.
sized and oriented to maximise daylight pen- cember 17 at 10am by His Excellency The Right
etration and natural cross ventilation across the Honourable Sir Anand Satyanand, GNZM,
work spaces. QSO, KStJ.
Timber screens reduce thermal gain and The new St John facility is an addition to
control sunlight on the northern elevations. Ver- four 1980s buildings spread over the site. It will
tical climbing frames supporting native creep- house 127 staff.
ers will bring vegetation within arms reach of The vision of St John is enhanced health and
the opening windows and in doing so soften the well-being for all New Zealanders. Its goals
view towards the adjacent parking areas.
Rainwater is harvested and stored for sani-
tary and irrigation uses. Materials and fixtures
have carefully selected throughout the design to
minimise energy consumption and to lower op-
erating costs long term.
The building includes staff showers to en-
courage cycle commuting, café bars to encour-
age social interaction between various depart-

Auckland Council calls

for people’s panel
The Auckland Council People’s Panel is looking for Aucklanders who want to have a say
on issues and be a sounding board for future plans, policies, innovative new services and
service improvements.
Shelley Watson, Manager Communications and Public Affairs says the People’s Panel
gives Aucklanders an opportunity to provide feedback on the things that are important
to them.
“We want to know what Aucklanders think about our services, policies and plans, and
to hear new ideas about how Auckland can become the world’s most liveable city.”
Joining the People’s Panel is easy. Simply log on to http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.
nz/peoplespanel, complete your details and we’ll invite you to complete your first survey
or feedback form.
Participants will be asked to provide feedback on at least three topics a year via a
monthly email. In return, we will share the results and feedback so that residents can see
how their views are impacting and shaping council policies, plans and services.
“Auckland is a culturally diverse region. The People’s Panel needs volunteers from all
communities across the region to join in and take part. We want to ensure that results and
feedback represent the views of all Aucklanders.”
“We particularly want residents from the West, South and North Shore areas. The
former Auckland City and Rodney District areas are represented from previous panels
whose membership has transferred from the former councils.”

Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 7

Indian
India

UNESCO condemns Imran Khan in

Coca-Cola’s ‘Shadow’
murder of Pakistani Mumb ai: Bo llywood hea rtth
rob a stro ng em otio nal con nec

journalists
Imr an Kh an has bee n rop t wit h to-
ed in for day ’s you th by highlightin
Co ca- Co la’s late st commu g the nee d
nic a- to connec t wit h the peo ple
tion campai gn aro und
‘Sh adow’. us in our busy cos -
mo politan life.”
Triba l Area (FATA). Par t of the glo b-
New York : The head of the Unite d al ‘Op en Ha ppi - The late st commu -
Natio ns agen cy taske d with de- nes s’ campai gn nic atio n is targ ete d
fend ing pres s freed om on Tues - “The killin g of Altaf Chan dio,
in India, this is at the you th and
day cond emn ed the rece nt mur- Abdu l Wah ab and Perv ez Khan is
the firs t eve r rein forc es the nee d
ders of three Pakis tani journ alists , a deni al of freed om of expr essio n,
campai gn in to connec t wit h
notin g that the fact that they lost a fund amen tal right that is a cor-
the his tor y of oth er hum an beings
their lives in two sepa rate inci- ners tone of a dem ocra tic socie ty,”
Co ca- Co la In- in this lon ely wo rld.
dent s on the same day unde rline s said UNE SCO Direc tor-G ener al
dia , which wa s Using vis ually
the grav e dang ers facin g med ia Irina Boko va.
firs t rele ase d on exc iting ele me nts of
profe ssion als in the Sout h Asian mo bile pho nes shadow pup pet ry,
natio n. “The fact three journ alists have
and online me - the late st ‘Sh adow’
lost their lives in two sepa -
dia and is now film showc ase s
Altaf Chan dio, pres iden t of the rate incid ents on the same day
being rele ase d how a bot tle of
Mirp ur Khas pres s club in Sind h unde rline s the grav e dang ers
on televis ion. Co ca- Co la act s as
prov ince and the bure au chief of facin g journ alists in Pakis tan,”
a cat alyst in ma king
the priva te Sind hi lang uage chan - she adde d. “I call on the auth ori-
The campai gn an ins tan t connec -
nel, AWA Z (voic e), was repo rtedl y ties to do their utmo st to bring the
has alre ady tion bet we en two
shot outs ide his hous e on Dec 6 perp etrat ors to justic e, to show
bee n dow nlo ad- stra nge rs.
by unid entif ied gunm en. that impu nity will not be toler ated
ed and pre -
in Pakis tan.”
viewe d by ove r The sile nt yet
Abdu l Wah ab, a journ alist for 300,00 0 con sumers and uni que inte rac tion
Expr ess New s, and Perv ez Khan , Acco rding to the Inter natio nal alre ady of the two protag oni sts brid
has ove r 90,000 refe rra ls
a journ alist with WAQ T TV, were Fede ratio n of Jour nalis ts, the re- online. gap of urb an iso lati on and
ging the

also killed on 6 Dece mbe r, when
a suici de bom ber struc k a gove rn-
men t build ing in Ghal anai, a town
in the Fede rally Adm iniste red
cent killin gs bring to 14 the num - nec ting ove r a bot tle of Co
con -
Acc ording to An and Singh, ca- Co la
ber of med ia profe ssion als killed Direc- – has bee n apt ly capture
tor- Ma rke ting, Co ca- Co la d and is
in Pakis tan so far this year. India, bes t exp lain ed by the tag
“Through the late st ‘Sh ado line ‘Co ke
w’ Khule Toh Ba at Ch ale’ (Co
Ca mp aign, we aim to fur ke Op ens
the r cre ate Up Pos sib iliti es).

8 Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
India

Pillai pens a new ICC Cricket World Cup

Mahabharata Kolkata: Noted author Radhakrishnan Pillai is busy
penning a new Mahabharata which would be the key to
corporate success.
‘’Corporate Chanakya’ is the simplification of the age-
old formulas of Chanakya’s Arthashastra to achieve
success in the corporate world,’’ the author said here.
The Sardar Patel Award- 2009 winner author has also
emphasised on the need to enjoy education.
“Education should be enjoyed but should not trans-
form into a burden.I believe, the annual examination
and fees concept should be abolished,’’ the manage-
ment guru said.
He was speaking on an interactive session on his book
‘Corporate Chanakya’ in Kolkata on Thursday.
“The book contains sections on leadership, management and training. In short,it is a
guide to corporate success,’’ Pillai added.
“This book, is like a daily capsule. You do not need to read the whole book to under-
stand. Read one chapter a day, try to visualize it, then it is worth learning. Do not just
study it, live it,’’ the author said.
Asked about his next project, Pillai said, “My next work will be on the Mahabharata, on
their management and administrative policies, techniques etc.”
“But nothing is final, I am working on it. And it will take at least a span of two years to
conceptualise my thoughts. And the name of the book might come up as Management
on Mahabharata,” Pillai said.
fever grips Indian children
Mumbai: Young people across India will get a
chance to experience what it is like to take part
in an ICC Cricket World Cup this week when
mini versions of the tournament are held across
the country.
was younger and hopefully some of the players
taking part in the schools tournaments may go
on to play for India at a future event.”
The focus for the Think Wise campaign for
the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will
Schools events will take place across the be ‘Get the Facts, Protect Yourself’.
eight host cities in India, as the countdown The campaign will encourage young
clock moves ever closer to the start of the ICC people to be informed, take appropriate action
Cricket World Cup which begins on 19 Febru- to prevent HIV infection and stand together
ary next year. against stigma and discrimination often facing
The schools tournaments will be held in people living with HIV and AIDS. Further
Mumbai (14-15 December), Nagpur (14-15 De- details on what activities will take place as
cember), Mohali (14-15 December), Kolkata part of the Think Wise partnership will be an-
(14-15 December), Ahmedabad (17-18 Decem- nounced in due course.
ber), Delhi (17-18 December), Chennai (17-18 Schools and community programmes ahead
December) and Bengaluru (17-18 December). of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 are also
In addition, young adults will receive HIV being delivered in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
education and awareness sessions both at school
and during the tournaments as part of the Think
Wise initiative, a joint partnership between
the ICC, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Global
Media AIDS Initiative that has been running
since 2003. The initiative aims to raise aware-
ness around HIV prevention and eliminate dis-
crimination against people living with HIV and
AIDS.
These awareness sessions will be support-
ed by Stumpy, the official mascot of the ICC
Cricket World Cup 2011, who will interact with
participants and distribute official memorabilia.
India batsman and Think Wise champion
Virender Sehwag said: “I am very excited about
playing in the ICC Cricket World Cup next year
and it is great to see that young people across
the country are getting involved in the tourna-
ment as well.
“I know that I was inspired to play the
game when I watched the World Cup when I

Chinese premier visits India to

repair fragile ties
New Delhi: Under the shadow of mistrust
over many prickly issues, Chinese
premier Wen Jiabao arrives India on a
three-day state visit from Wednesday to
forge trade ties and hammer out a com-
mon ground on climate change.
The subject of stapled visa issued by
China to Kashmir residents is likely to
figure in the talks during the visit which
will also mark celebrations of the 60th
anniversary of establishment of diplo-
matic ties between the two Asian giants
and the closing ceremony of Chinese
Festival in India.
Jiabao is scheduled to visit Tagore
International School at Vasant Vihar, later
on Wednesday. On Thursday, he will visit
Forecourt in Rashtrapati Bhavan, where
he will be given a formal reception.
Later, he will lay wreaths on the Samadhi
(tomb) of Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat.
Keeping a busy schedule on the same
day, the Chinese premier will meet
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and
attend a delegation-level talk with Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh before a num-
ber of agreements are signed between
the two nations.
“The two neighbouring countries should work
together as a world factory and world office,”
Later on the day,he will call on Vice-Pres-
ident Hamid Ansari, Congress President
and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and
President Pratibha Patil.
Jiabao will also attend the closing
event of the Chinese Festival in India to
celebrate the 60th anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic relations
between the two Asian nations.
On Friday, he will Sushma Swaraj,
leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha
around 10 a.m, an hour before emplan-
ing for Islamabad.
Jiabao’s visit is extremely crucial at a
time when the two nations have gone
through hitches over a number of issues
in recent times.
China’s Ambassador Zhang Yan said on
Monday that ‘special care’ is needed for
the ‘fragile ties’ between the two Asian
nations, while India’s Foreign Secretary
Nirupama Rao assured of a balanced
and positive approach of the host nation.
“China-India relations are very fragile
and very easy to be damaged and very
difficult to repair. Therefore, they need
special care in the information age,” Yan
said at a conference on India-China rela-
tions by the FICCI here.
‘To achieve this, the government should
provide guidance to the public to avoid a
war of words,” he said stressing the need
for more trust between the two neigh-
bours.
The Chinese Ambassador also main-
tained that there was enough space for
both the countries to grow and prosper.
“The two neighbouring countries should
work together as a world factory and
world office,” he said.
Rao,on the other hand, said the demo-
cratic set-up of India at times leads to a
diverse view of things from the neigh-
bour’s end.
She said, “Often, our Chinese friends
speak of a certain gulf in appreciation of
each country vis-a-vis the other, espe-
cially when it comes to opinions of that
are expressed in the media of the two
countries.
“Our Chinese friends are increasingly
exposed to the vibrant, I would say,
noisy nature of our democracy. The fact
that many schools of thought contend,
many opinions are expressed which are
often at divergence with each other. But
I would urge them to understand that
there is a certain very commonsensical,
very rational approach that we in India
have to China.”
Pointing that China was India’s largest
neighbour, Rao added, “We regard in a
real sense and an absolute sense the im-
portance of building bridges with China,
understanding China better, creating
more of a mutually beneficial relationship
between the two countries.”

Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 9

Indian
‘Sky is the limit’ for ties with Germany
Berlin: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, wrapping up his Germany visit, un-
derlined the close partnership the two nations
share and pledged India’s commitment to
further the ties.
“India’s relations with Germany are excel-
lent. There are no bilateral
irritants and I believe that
the sky is the limit for our
cooperation,” Singh said at
a joint press interaction with
German Chancellor Angela
Merkel here on Saturday,
while also inviting Merkel
to visit India.
Highlighting that
Germany is India’s largest
trading partner in Europe,
he emphasized on Germa-
ny’s key role in ensuring
financial stability and eco-
nomic recovery in the Euro-
zone and assured of India’s
support to Chancellor Merkel in this endeavour.
“The economic resurgence of Europe is
critical for a balanced recovery of the global
economy. We have agreed to continue our close
consultations within the G-20 framework to
work towards such an outcome,” Singh said.
The Indian prime minister also expressed
optimism of greater ties between the two
nations when they both serve on the United
Nations Security Council in 2011 and 2012.
Captaining the side was
special: Gambhir
New Delhi: Gautam Gambhir,
under whose leadership India
white-whashed the series
against New Zealand by 5-0
margin, said captaining the
Indian side that played against
Kiwis was a ‘special’ feeling
and he never imagined such a
result.
“Captaining this side was
a special thing,” he said in
an interview to a national
channel.
“You dream of captaining
your country, the day was
special for me”, he added.
He also said he never
imagined a 5-0 margin victory against
Kiwis.
“Never imagined a 5-0 victory,” he said.
Gambhir also mentioned that the 5-0
thumping over New Zealand also showcases
how eager the young players were to perform
10
“We will work closely with Germany both
bilaterally and within the G-4, to enhance the
effectiveness of the Security Council, as well
as in support of the expansion of the permanent
and non-permanent categories of its member-
ship,” Singh added.
He also appreciated Germany’s
consistent support, including in
the Nuclear Suppliers Group, for
the opening of international com-
merce for India in the field of civil
nuclear energy.
Singh also emphasized on en-
hancing trading ties between the
two nations in sectors such as
manufacturing and infrastructure
and high technology trade.
Inviting Merkel to visit India
next year, Singh pointed that 2011
would mark the 60th anniversary
of the establishment of diplo-
matic relations between India and
Germany. Germany will organize
a Year of Germany in India beginning Septem-
ber 2011, and India will organize the Days of
India in Germany during 2012-13.
“I have invited Chancellor Merkel to visit
India next year, and I look forward to hosting
her in Delhi,” the Indian prime minister said.
Singh returned to New Delhi last Sunday,
concluding his three-day visit to Belgium and
Germany during which he attended the EU-In-
dia Summit and met Chancellor Angela Merkel.
against the Kiwis at the
‘best of their abilities’.
“The side was hungry to
perform,” Gambhir said.
Speaking on the crucial
South Africa series he men-
tioned that: “We need to start
well versus South Africa, we
have the talent to beat South
Africa in South Africa.”
He also mentioned that he
want to perform well against
all the nations which includes
South Africa.
Gambhir captained the side
against New Zealand in the
absence of skipper M.S. Dhoni
and most of senior players, who
had departed for South Africa for prepara-
tions.
The three-Test series against South Africa
starts on December 16 at the Centurion.
For all your
legal needs
Aaron Kashyap
BA, LLB
Barrister and solicitor
Level 1, 351 Manukau Road, PO Box 26-596, DXCP 32513, Epsom, Auckland
Mobile: 0274 857 302 Phone: (09) 6238277 Fax: (09)6235177
Email: aaron@kashyaplaw.co.nz
India’s tour to South Africa
is ill-timed, says Wasim
New Delhi: Former Pakistan captain Wasim
Akram feels that India’s tour to South Africa is
ill-times just before the World Cup and players
have a chance to pick up injuries.
“I have been keenly following Indian
cricket for a while and I can safely say that they
are playing too much cricket. According to me
the timing of the South African tour, starting
December 16, is not good at all,” said Wasim, a
fastbowling legend.
He said, “I will beg to differ with Imran
Khan’s views on India’s upcoming tour of
South Africa. Imran has said a tough tour of
South Africa ahead
of the World Cup will
stand India in good
stead. Not really.”
“Making a bal-
anced cricketing
calendar has been
a problem with the
Indian Board in the
last five-six years.
There is a serious
overkill. India play
too many matches
round the year and no
wonder their fast bowlers are getting injured
far too often,” Wasim was quoted as saying by
ESPNStar.com.
“No matter how good the players’ form is,
the South Africa series will end just a couple
of weeks before the World Cup and that is little
too close. Although, they may not be tired
physically because it’s their job to play cricket
but it will certainly take a mental toll on Indian
cricketers. Any series that involved three
Krishna temple to be built on
Moscow outskirts
Moscow: A new Krishna temple is being
planned on the northern outskirts of Russia’s
capital Moscow, after authorities allocated a
plot for it, according to reports.
Reports suggest that construction on this
temple in Vereskino village on Novoskhodnens-
koye Highway will begin by December 31, 2012.
This is the outcome of petitioning and efforts by
International Society for Krishna Conscious-
ness (ISKCON) and other Hindu community
and India Government which began as far back
as 1991 and saw many ups and downs.
Architectural design has reportedly been
already approved and the project will be fi-
nalised and construction permission obtained
in 2011.
Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
India
Tests, one T20 and five ODIs is quite tiring and
there is a great risk of injuries,” he added.
Wasim feels that as far as India’s hunt for
the fourth and fifth bowler goes, Ishant Sharma
is the one for the job.
“I will always want to invest on a player
who is going to be around for a long while.
And according to me, Ishant is only 22 and
very eager to perform. Ishant has had a lean
patch but is back in contention. The Indian
think-tank should back him to the hilt. He is
tall, has a high-arm action and is hard-work-
ing and hence should be given the adequate
support. Given the con-
ditions in South Africa,
he should thrive there,”
he said.
He also said that
India are favourites to
win the World cup.
“I want to reiterate
the fact that Dhoni’s boys
will certainly be rated
very highly on present
form and in favourable
conditions as well. India
have gelled together as a
unit and are looking to be the most confident
team. In the last three World Cups, Austra-
lia were the clear favourites and it is after a
long time that they are not being counted in
the title race. The 5-0 whitewash against New
Zealand has once again proved India’s might in
world cricket. The win does not say that New
Zealand were a weak side but the result clearly
indicates India have a strong bench strength,”
he said.
Project will reportedly combine classical
Indian temple design with modern technologies.
Besides a spacious sanctuary for worship,
this temple complex is proposed to include an
Ayurvedic hospital, center for social programs,
auditorium, accommodation for devotees/pil-
grims, etc.
Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in
a statement in Nevada (USA) on Monday ap-
plauded efforts of ISKCON and other Hindu
community and India Government to realise this
wonderful proposed Krishna temple complex.
Lord Krishna is the eighth avatar (incarna-
tion) of Lord Vishnu and subject of major Hindu
scriptures such as the Bhagavad-Gita (Song of
the Lord) and Bhagavad-Purana.
Indian
India Briefs
‘Overweight’ airhostess gets back job
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday upheld a plea by a former Indian
Airlines (now Air India) airhostess who was sacked for being overweight
and ordered the national carrier to reinstate her. A division bench of justices
Pratap Kumar Ray and MK Sinha asked Air India to give the litigant, Nipa Dhar,
ground duties within two months. The airlines was also asked to pay all her
dues since 2001, when she was sacked, within three months and constitute a
medical board to examine her health. Nipa Dhar had challenged her dismissal
by Indian Airlines in 2001 for being overweight. She was reportedly served a
notice by the airlines in 2001 that she was 15 kgs overweight and when she
had requested for a ground duty, she was handed down termination letter.
Dhar’s counsel, Madhumita Roy, submitted before the court that her client’s
weight had increased after taking medicines prescribed by an airline doctor
for altitude phobia.
Goa to have women fire fighters soon
Panaji: Goa Fire and Emergency Services Department (FESD) will be
recruiting young women in the Fire services by April 2011, State officials today
said. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of annual inspection day parade
of the FESD, Chief Secretary Sanjay Shrivastava said that “recruitment rules”
for allowing women to be inducted into the fire force are in the process of
finalisation.
The entire work force is at present being examined by administrative reforms
department so that all 13 fire stations across the State can have women in fire
fighting. State Home Minister Ravi Naik who was also present for the event
said that the induction of women force is essential ‘as male fighters might
attract accusations of molestation during rescue operations.’
Uma Bharti confirms return to BJP
New Delhi: Expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Uma Bharti has
confirmed that she will be returning to the Hindu nationalist political group
Hospitality
SIT Queenstown Campus
0800 QT 4 SIT / 03 442 5375
info@sit.ac.nz www.sit.ac.nz
Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
India
after a being out of it for five years, television reports said on Sunday.
She affirmed BJP leader L K Advani’s blog post on Saturday indicating her
return to the party, news channel Times Now said. Advani had written that
since Nitin Gadkari had become BJP president he had focused on bringing
back people like Jaswant Singh and Uma Bharti back to the party. The former
Madhya Pradesh chief minister had went on to form the Bharatiya Janshakti
Party (BJSP) after being expelled following her outburst against BJP leader
L K Advani, in full glare of television cameras. She has now said that she was
first approached by Gadkari and will make a formal statement after January 14
next year.
Islamabad cannot use terror : German Chancellor
Berlin: German chancellor Angela Merkel for the first time sent a strong
message to Pakistan saying that Islamabad cannot use terror as a means to
any end. After a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,
Merkel said that Berlin would take up the terror issue with Islamabad.
“We want to do whatever we can to make it clear to Pakistan that terror cannot
be a means to an end in solving a political problem.
We will make it clear to Pakistan that terror is unacceptable,” said Merkel, after
the 11th EU-India summit, where the two sides met for the first time and issued
a joint declaration on international terrorism.
Senior officials accompanying the PM, said this was the first time such a
strong statement had come out from the EU. While the German Chancellor
also complimented India for its stand taken at the Cancun conference
on climate change, Singh said the world must continue to build upon the
progress that has been made at the conference. Both India and Germany are
set to take over as non-permanent member of UNSC next month and the two
leaders said that they would work together within G4 to advance UN reforms
and also to strengthen and advance their permanent membership claim.
11
 Indian
Fiji

Blue Lagoon Cruises Fiji rejects Australia’s

framework for law and justice
will sail to Lau
Suva: Blue Lagoon Cruises will begin sail- specialist’s 35-berth MV Mystique Princess engagement in pacific
ing to Lau a first for any cruise company in will set sail on its inaugural voyage to the
Lau Islands as part of a seven-day itinerary. Suva: Fiji’s Solicitor-General and Perma- “The head of the Australian Attorney-
the country (Fiji).
The ship’s crew will be complimented by nent Secretary for Justice Mr Christo- General’s Department chaired the meet-
With the maiden voyage scheduled for May
a local cultural expert who will join the pher Pryde said Fiji had rejected Aus- ing on the first day. On the second day,
16 2011 and two more cruises planned for
voyage to provide presentations and back- tralia’s Framework for Law and Justice the chair was handed over to a junior
August 15 and November 14, Blue Lagoon
ground on the unique regions to be visited Engagement in the Pacific. person from the AG’s Department. She
looks set to open a new and exciting chapter
en route. checked with each of the member states
for Fiji Tourism.
The itinerary encompasses a cruise along Mr Pryde questioned Australia’s com- whether this was acceptable but chose
A year in the making, Blue Lagoon Cruises
the southern side of Vanua Levu towards mitment to the Pacific region at the 29th to deliberately ignore Fiji.”
has created a world-first tourism opportunity
isolated Kioa Island. Pacific Islands Legal Officers’ Network
for visitors to Fiji in the process becoming
A highlight of this port of call is the greet- (“PILON”) meeting in Brisbane last week. “This type of behavior, which is typical of
the first cruise operator to offer itineraries to
ing afforded by the local people who paddle “The issues of money laundering, hu- Australia, is not only childish but unpro-
the area known as ‘The Exploring Isles’ the
canoes out to meet the ship resplendent in man trafficking, and transnational crime fessional and disrespectful to Fiji as a
rarely visited Lau Island group.
traditional costume. are problems not just for Fiji but for the Pacific Island country. Other countries
From May 16, 2011 the boutique cruise
whole of the Pacific. Australia’s policy of in the region may have their differences
isolating Fiji and withholding assistance of opinion with Fiji but they still treat Fiji
and co-operation at the operational level with common courtesy and respect. Aus-
to tackle these issues demonstrates tralia needs to take a lesson from other
Australia is not wholly committed to the pacific island countries and act in a way
region,” Mr Pryde said. that is appropriate for the region.

“NZ, Australia, and the Forum and Com-
monwealth Secretariats, in particular,
need to review their policies of isolation
and non-co-operation with Fiji and work
for the common good for the whole of
the Pacific region and leave aside their
political differences.
“Crimes such as human trafficking and
money laundering will not stand still.
They will not wait until 2014; we must
tackle them now. The longer we delay in
addressing these issues, the worse they
become. The policy of isolation and non-
co-operation by Australia only works to
strengthen and play into the hands of
criminal elements in the Pacific,” he said.
Mr Pryde was also critical of the way the
three-day meeting was chaired by the
Australian Attorney-General’s Depart-
ment.
Car hire and 7 nights accommodation
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Unfortunately, episodes such as these
serve to highlight Australia’s difference
with countries in the region,” he said.
Despite Australia’s non-co-operation,
Fiji continues to honour its international
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mutual assistance, enforcement of court
orders, and requests under the various
applicable Hague Conventions.
“Fiji expects more from a country that
sees itself as a leader in the region.
Australia’s attitude is singly unhelpful in
dealing with issues such as transnational
crime in the Pacific region,” he said.
The PILON was attended by 12 Pacific
Island states, including Fiji and a num-
ber of observer delegations including
the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
and the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The meeting was held in Brisbane, Aus-
tralia from 8-10 December, 2010.

Of course, you may just

New zealand law
society meeting
prefer to park up.

positive Justi ce perm anen t secre tary

Suva : Solic itor-G ener al and Minis try of
and Law Soci ety pres iden t Mr
Mr Chris toph er Pryd e met the New Zeal
.


Jona than Temm in Welli ngto n last week

d be unab le to atten d the

This was after Mr Temm indic ated he woul
rau.


Attor ney- Gene ral’s Conf eren ce in Dena

discu ssed vario us issue s

“The meet ing was a very posit ive one. We
Mr Temm has agre ed to
conc ernin g the lega l profe ssion in Fiji and
in prov iding cont inuin g lega l
look at assis ting the Fiji lega l
pro fessi on
Pryd e said.
 

educ ation cour ses in the New Year,” Mr

tion to Mr Temm to atten d the

Mr Pryd e had earli er exten ded an invita
ce in Dena rau but Mr Temm
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Indian
Fiji 1
2
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FIJI
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Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 13

 Indian
Indian
From the Editor
No light at the end of the tunnel
It’s clearly going to be a troubled holiday break for New Zealand’s leaders – and all New Zea-
landers. The run up to Christmas and New Year is littered with worrisome indicators of continu-
ing problems in the path of the country’s economic recovery.
The blowout of the deficit that will require the country to step up borrowing from the present
$250 million a week to $350 million; the fact that the rejigging of the tax rate in October is not
looking like it is going the way it was expected to go with bigger shortfalls in meeting collection
targets; the continuing lag in the real estate market; the precipitous dip in new private sector
investment and the lack of appetite for bank credit are just a few red flags that make the road
ahead look harder than ever.
This is over and above problems such as the long languishing export sector so vital to New
Zealand’s economy; continuing high prices of consumer essentials and a stagnant job market
that makes the overall picture look even bleaker. Opinion is divided among economists whether
New Zealand is headed for a double dip recession, with any faint glimmers of hope of recovery
in the past quarter looking set to fade away into last year’s darkness at least in the first quarter of
next year.
In the midst of it all, the government is not looking like it has the answers. Despite the much-
touted financial wizardry of its leadership, it is unable to show New Zealanders any light at the
end of the tunnel. The tunnel only seems to get longer and with many more twists and turns,
some admittedly beyond the government’s control – such as the Canterbury quake and the leaky
homes payout, besides other unforeseen circumstances that have strained its finances.
In the coming weeks, we are more than likely to see blame for the long delayed recovery
being heaped on these “unforeseen” circumstances, because clearly, it is the easy way to explain
away non achievement for any government in power.
The government’s lack of courage in seizing the opportunity to take bolder decisions on the
economy and mopping up resources with tougher reform, despite the strong mandate and popu-
larity that the government had in the first two years, is now beginning to show.
As a result the measures it has announced in the past few weeks – such as laying more
emphasis on savings in the 2011 budget and other belt tightening measures like controlling
government spending are already beginning to look ineffectual in front of the mounting problems
that threaten the country’s already weak economic situation.
Besides, belt tightening is easier said than done particularly next year, given that it is an elec-
tion year and with a big international event like the Rugby World Cup on the cards. No govern-
ment in power can hope not to spend in an election year. Despite its continuing huge lead over
Labour in the opinion polls, the National government cannot expect to put in practice the kind of
belt tightening its needs to do to take corrective measures.
Some of the measures it will have to consider seriously to raise funds are sale of assets in
government enterprises to the private sector. This is indeed a political hot potato but the govern-
ment has few other options. National’s leadership will have to seriously consider going into what
it has already dubbed “no go zones” in the realm of taxation – such as a capital gains tax.
It has always been suspected that these reforms would be expedited in National’s second
term after next year’s elections, which it is expected to win – at least as things stand – given the
complete disarray in the Labour camp and its lack of any credible game plan or even the projec-
tion of a decisive and credible leader so close to the election.
With a looming election year in which the government clearly looks as though it is more likely
to duck rather than dare take tough decisions despite leading in the opinion polls, an opposi-
tion that continues to look rudderless with its leadership nearly in tatters and a global economy
looking as bleak as ever, Kiwis look to be in even harder times at least in the first half of next
year.
If nothing else, the rugby result may lift the country’s spirits in the second half. Or they may
not, who knows. And no incumbent government would like to seek reelection in circumstances
like that. So it is reasonable to expect a pre RWC election. Which means no tough decisions in
the first half of next year – and bleak times will continue.
Time to stop sounding so Grinchy?
Have a great holiday and a Happy New Year.
– Dev Nadkarni
Opinion Poll:
Should savings in New Zealand made compulsory?
PEOPLE MUST
YES NO BE EDUCATED
71% 0% 29%
Indian Weekender Volume 2 No. 19
Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited
Group editor-in-chief: Dev Nadkarni dev@indianweekender.co.nz
Online editor: Arvind Kumar arvind@indianweekender.co.nz
India Correspondent: Shobha Rao shobha@indianweekender.co.nz
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14
Letters
Corruption – who is the culprit?
The big-time corrupt persons are only corrupt because of the people they deal with. Corrup-
tion is a two-way thing - the person instigating and the person corresponding. Among the
Indians, many consider it a reeti-reewaj to bribe people/scratch their backs/extend a gift to
facilitate something and they say it is a gift. The receiver of the bribe and the person bribing
are equally to blame. The only way to stop this is to make sure one does not bribe/facilitate/
gift to someone to cut a better deal.
– -Nalinesh Arun
In India scams these days are running into USD 50 billion after more than 2 years of report-
ing by only one mainstream newspaper and citizens journalism on internet. The “stakes”
are always rising – it never comes down! If more mistakes and more money “at stake” can
be tolerated, corruption will grow, and you will have billion dollar scams. But these big time
corrupt persons will also deliver some good services to the community. I agree we are all
make human mistakes but I am not in favour of donating more tax dollars to corruption, I am
personally of the view that with one mistake discovered, the person should be out.
–AN
Pansy Wong Resignation
I agreed with the Indianweekender that Mr Key should be quick thinking but artfully pro-
crastinating as political leader. We all don’t agree that Ministers or MP’s should use public
money for personal gains, but then we should also see that how much money is at stake and
what is the contribution of that person to party and community as minister or MP. I think if
a person is doing good job, we mush give his/her one chance. we r all human beings and can
make mistakes.
– Kuldeep Arora
Pike River
We pray to the Almighty that their souls rest in absolute peace. We also pray that the grieving
families be given all the support, courage, comfort and the determination to go forward in
life....
– Muni Ratnam
Beyond the two B’s
It’s fantastic that we have embedded our traditions and cultures in our new home. As our
populations grow and we stablise our role here, I need to reflect on another issue, democ-
racy and influencing public policies come to mind. Sure politics may not suit to be a career
of choice for many of us, however, how else do we shape the politics of our new home
and legislations that affect our democractic participation. It is time for critical thought?
Wishing you Safe Holidays!...
– Ann Pala
Facade of Democracy
Unfortunately the writer has not given the facts. The demand for independence was raised by
the Federation Party lead by an expatriate Indian, A.D. Patel. His party’s motto was: “We are
fighting for the interests of the Indians.” Hence, hardly any support from the Fijians, espe-
cially the Fijian chiefs. Conversely, the Fijian leaders (Mara, Cakabau,Ganilau, Toganivalus,
etc) formed the Fijian Party and later the Alliance supported by the Eurpeans ...
-Gul
Portuguese influence on Goa created these issues
Germans have a valid concern. Germans have naturally drifted away towards the broad-
minded atheism and agnosticism, but the Chrisitianity that was injected into Goa has led to
increase in ills like drugs, sex, and other filth in the native Goans who got forced/induced
by the illicit activities of the priests and mercenaries Portuguese used in Goa to destroy the
culture and beauty.
– Maria Hernandez
I can’t believe how ridiculous Maria’s comment is. It’s a hodge podge of ideas devoid of any
chronology. Having been a resident of Goa it was paradise on earth right from the 1960s when
the Portugese left, through to the early 1980s. Government apathy, corruption, greed, low end
tourists that treat the place like a waste basket and the systemic influx of poorer migrants from
other states have contributed to it’s downfall.
–David D’Souza
Letters may be edited for correctness of spellings and clarity
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Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
Living in a world without the West
Rakesh Krishnan Simha
As the world enters the second decade of the millennium, signs of a precipitous decline in Western power and prosperity are clearly evident.
PIGS! No, I’m not swearing at anyone. PIGS is the
acronym for Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain –
the four European countries so deep in economic
troubles that not even light can reach the bottom.
Indeed, 2010 could be the last Christmas many
Western countries will celebrate in the way they
have done in the years past. For, a black hole of
financial and social troubles is threatening to dis-
lodge Europe and North America from the apex
position they have occupied for barely 300 years.
By the time the current recession pans out,
vast swathes of Europe will have living standards
lower than Thailand’s. Many East European coun-
tries are already hopelessly poor, with joblessness
and crime rampant. In many cities prostitution is
the only ‘industry’ left.
Western Europe’s powerhouse, Germany, has
been propping up the tottering economies of the
European Union. Germany has paid out hundreds
of billions of dollars to its poor cousins, mainly
because it cannot let them sink – they are a ready
market for German products. But how long can
Germany support its bankrupt brothers?
Canada’s Globe & Mail newspaper wonders
if Britain’s current condition is a harbinger of
the West’s future. It says that intergenerational
poverty, rare in most countries today, has become
a factor in a notable British subculture. That tallies
with a British government report, which shows
that if you are born poor, you stay poor. Worse,
millions of middle class British youth are faced
with the stark choice of either stepping down into
the underclass or migrating.
However, it is the American implosion, when
it comes, that will be the most spectacular. Earlier
this year Tracy, a small town in California, de-
clared that its residents will now have to pay
every time they call 911 for a medical emergency.
Residents can pay a US$48 fee for the year, which
allows them to call 911 as many times as neces-
sary. Or there’s the option of not signing up for the
Why India/Indian is the Target
Padmini Gaunder
The last few months have been very eventful for
the Indian community. There were the Diwali
celebrations in which the different ethnic groups
that make up this multicultural nation took
part. Before that there was the Commonwealth
Games held in New Delhi, the Indian capital.
We heard of the lack of preparation and the dirt
at the venue and the filthy conditions where the
athletes were supposed to stay!
In the middle of all these there was the con-
troversy about Paul Henry’s derogatory remarks
about our Governor General and the Chief Min-
ister of Delhi. Both of them were too busy with
other more important things to worry about
someone insignificant like Paul Henry but the
Indian community as a whole took offence at his
remarks and protested.
But why has the Indian/India suddenly
become the target of these attacks? I would say
that it is because India is doing well all round in
spite of the recession. India is not much affected
by the recession unlike the rest of the world and
people have started noticing this success and
they do not like what they see. So to discredit
India they look for faults and come up with
whatever they can.
This is a dangerous trait and it should be
nipped in the bud. It is similar to the anti-Jewish
sentiment in Germany in the 1930s. The Jewish
people were hard working and they were able
to survive in spite of the tough economic times.
The others who saw it did not like it. This led to
the dislike of the Jewish people which resulted in
the persecution of millions of Jews for no other
reason but that they were Jews. We have to learn
from history to avoid such inhumanities happen-
ing again.
Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
annual fee. Instead they will be charged US$300 if
they make a call for help. Remember, California is
America’s richest state. You get the picture.
As we move into the Christmas season, more
than 35 million Americans are starving. Some
of them will die but the American coroners will
merely write “Died of natural causes” in their
post-mortems. It is indeed a strange country
where millions live on a meal (or soup) a day while
the rich live in mansions as usual.
Contrary to what the media says, it’s not the
Iraq and Afghanistan wars that are hollowing out
the West. It’s just that the East is just becoming
wealthier in comparison through better economic
practices and systems. Also, the West is not able
to corner cheap supplies of oil and minerals like it
could in the colonial days.
Chew on this figure – $123,000,000,000,000.
For the numerically challenged that’s $123 tril-
lion and China’s estimated economy in the year
2040. For perspective, the US economy is worth
some $14 trillion today. What it means is China
will soon become a colossus and the US will have
to simply take a deep breath and retreat to shallow
waters.
Yes, the titans of tomorrow will be China and
India – not necessarily in that order. The second
string will be a motley star cast comprising
Russia, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa, Indonesia,
Argentina, and of course the US. That will be the
shape of the world without the West.
For Western powers that’s a scary thought. For
generations they have ruled the planet by colonis-
ing countries, and through rock solid alliances
like NATO. Those that disagree like the Russians,
Venezuelans, Serbians, North Koreans and Irani-
ans are made targets of subversion.
But now the BRIC states (Brazil, Russia, India,
China) are determined to break the dominance of
the West. These rising powers are increasingly
“routing around” the West.
With India and the Indians in recent years,
their successes in many areas have made people
realise that they are inferior to none. When the
world first came to know about India through the
early European travellers like Megasthenese and
Marco Polo people admired what they read and
heard about. The Chinese pilgrims like Fahian
were also full of praise for India. Recently it
was pointed out at the UN that India conquered
China culturally for over two thousand years
without having to send any soldiers.
When people came to know about India’s
wealth many came and plundered it. The best
example was Mohammed Ghazni who was
supposed to have come several times with the
only intention of taking all the wealth he could
lay hands on. Then there were the Mughals
who came and made India their home. The last
to come were the Europeans which included
the French and the Portuguese apart from the
British.
The English, unlike the Mughals, did not
want to make India their home but enjoy the
economic benefits while making sure that their
country remained superior to India. From the
beginning they realised how India was rich not
only in material things but in culture also. In
human talent the Indian seemed to excel. The
British realised that the Indian weavers could
weave finer clothes than the mills in Lancashire
so they cut off the thumbs of the Indian weavers
to make sure that their mills had no competition!
As early as 1835 Lord Macaulay declared:
“I have travelled across the length and
breadth of India and I have not seen one person
who is a beggar, who is a thief, such wealth I
have seen in this country, such high moral
There are two ways this works. One, the rising
powers are deepening their trade, defence and
cultural ties. Two, in doing so these countries are
loosening the ties that bind them to the interna-
tional system centred in the West. So in effect,
they are creating an alternative arrangement in
which they neither enter into conflict situations
with the West nor enter into subservient alliances
(like those offered to South Korea and Japan).
This simply makes the West irrelevant.
For instance, India’s biggest trade partner
is now the UAE. Its biggest weapons supplier is
Russia and its largest supplier of crucial telecom
equipment is China.
In effect, the West is getting squeezed out.
China has become the world’s factory that pro-
duces virtually everything from iPods to rockets.
Russia has brought its vast mineral resources onto
the world’s market so that rising powers don’t have
to buy them from Western middlemen. Moscow’s
astute diplomacy has shut out the West from the
huge gas and oil fields of Central Asia.
India, already the world’s software HQ (Intel
and IBM have more employees in India than in
the US) and is becoming a manufacturing power-
house. Indeed, India’s growth story could easily
despatch China to the back pages. Both India and
China are racing each other to buy up the world’s
minerals and commodities.
The routing around the West phenomenon is
increasingly visible. Look at the Russia-India T-50
fifth generation fighter bomber. It is being de-
signed and built in Russia with avionics and elec-
tronics from India, with potential buyers in China,
Venezuela, Algeria, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Or picture this: a Venezuelan whiz kid con-
ceptualises a computer tablet, the software for
which is developed by India’s Infosys, mated to
hardware manufactured in Taiwan, financed by a
Malaysian multinational and marketed by an Abu
Dhabi firm. Well, it’s the stuff that’s giving night-
values, people of such calibre that I do not think
we would ever conquer this country, unless we
break the very backbone of this nation, which
is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, there-
fore, I propose that we replace her old and
ancient education system, her culture, for if the
Indians think that all that is foreign and English
is good and greater than their own, they will lose
their self esteem, their native culture and they
will become what we want them, a truly domi-
nated nation” (Address to the British Parliament,
2 February, 1835).
Within half a century Macaulay’s policies
had the impact he desired. Talking of “the de-
structive success” of the education policy that
the British had, Swami Vivekananda observed:
“The modern young (as well as the old) Hindu
struggles in vain to understand the religion of his
forefathers, and gives up the quest altogether.” 
 who had wanted to somehow get out of the place
Since Independence in 1947 India has
prospered in many ways. India’s wealth has
increased but the problem lies in the unequal
distribution. Since it follows democracy, unlike
China, it is difficult to ensure that wealth is
distributed fairly. When at the beginning the
problem became evident people were persuaded
to give up what they had in excess and help their
fellow countrymen
Acharya Vinobha Bhave is one person who
comes to mind. He had his Bhoodan Movement
in the 1950s as he walked through the whole of
India persuading people to give up the extra land
that they had. A lot of people were persuaded to
do so and many ladies also came forward and
gave away their extra gold jewels. However, the
problem of unequal distribution has remained,
Comment
mares to Western companies.
It is a measure of the decline of the West that
just as America cancelled a replacement for its
aging Space Shuttle, India announced its Mars
mission, with plans to land on the moon by 2020.
India now launches more satellites than the US,
with an Indian PSLV rocket creating a record last
year by launching 10 satellites in one go.
But why is the West getting bypassed and is
there hope for the agitated Western masses who
are rioting across Europe as the recession bites?
One reason is that the Western economic model
has failed spectacularly. Not only has it failed to
lift most countries in the wider world, even in the
West it has only benefitted the rich. Banks and
financial institutions across the Western world
have lied to their customers and stolen trillions
of dollars. The politicians, who are supposed to
have protected these unfortunate investors, have
lied even more and shielded the bank robbers and
then rewarded them with hundreds of billions in
bailout cash. Clearly not a Kodak moment!
On the other hand, vast swathes of China and
India are becoming gentrified – that is, the poor
are becoming middle class and the middle class
moves up one notch and so on. Try getting hold
of a full time maid in India these days. You get
the picture.
The West has had its heyday. Unfortunately its
liberal democratic traditions have not benefitted
95% of the planet. In sharp contrast the model of
authoritarian prosperity espoused by Russia and
China has yielded spectacular results.
PIGS is a four letter word after all!
(About the author: Rakesh Krishnan Simha is an
infidel. He is a features writer at New Zealand’s
leading media house. He has previously worked
with Businessworld, India Today and Hindustan
Times, and was news editor with the Financial
Express.)
widening the gap between the rich and the poor.
After Independence for some decades India
struggled to bring herself up on a level with
other advanced countries. There was strict
control over foreign exchange and foreign
goods were prohibited while giving protection
to local products like khadi, handloom, Indian
handicrafts and other things indigenous to India.
There was a renaissance of indigenous cultures
and traditions. But the Indian middle class who
could not buy foreign things started craving for
everything foreign.
Slowly the economy improved and from an
under developed country, India became a devel-
oping nation and finally it is now a developed
country. Now that there is no restriction on
foreign exchange, Indians realise that Indian
made things are often superior to foreign goods.
Such is the improvement in India that people
now want to go back to India to spend their
retired life back in their home country.
India has not only gone ahead economically
but it has gone ahead in many other ways. It
became a world leader in Information Technol-
ogy. Recently at the Commonwealth Games in
New Delhi not only did India finish second; other
countries participating had to admit in the end
that the organisation was superb and in spite of
the initial hiccups the facilities were world class.
It has also become the top in cricket. It is this all
round progress in India that makes people take
notice and look for faults to discredit her.
It is, as was said earlier, a similar situation
to that of the Jews in Germany in the 1930s. So
people in authority should take good notice to
avoid the situation from deteriorating.
15
 Indian
Community

Auckland celebrates Srinivasa Balaji Kalyanam

Mayuri Tamhane, IW
correspondent
Over 1500 devotees of the Shirdi Saibaba
Temple of NZ Inc performed Srinivasa (Lord
Tirupathi) Kalyanam (wedding) on November
28, with great fervour at the Mount Eden War
Memorial Hall in Balmoral.
Fifty families performed the Kalyanam
ceremony. The day began with Suprabhata
Seva (waking up Lord Srinivasa from bed) by
chanting of Suprabhatam. Then Lord Balaji
was decorated with a variety of flowers and
Tulasi garlands which is called Tomala seva.
Pandit Chandru of Papakura Ganesh Temple
started the Kalyanam (wedding) in the
beautifully decorated mandap. Devotees
took darshan of Lord Balaji, Mata Padma-
vathi and Mata Alivelumanga, followed by
Mahaprasad.
The evening started with Shirdi Saibaba’s
Dhoop Arathi, followed by Unjal seva (swing
seva), Sahasra Deepalankara seva (having
darshan of Lord Balaji in the midst of 1000
lamps and then Ekanta seva (putting Lord
Balaji to bed).
The highlight of the evening programme was
Sahasara Deepalankara seva.
The murthis of Lord Balaji, Mata Padmavathi
and Mata Alivelumanga have come from one
of India’s greatest spiritual centres, Tirupathi,
and they will be in Auckland with Shirdi
Saibaba Temple.
Every devotee was given the fa-
mous Laddu from Tirumala. Shirdi
Saibaba Temple devotees have
considered themselves fortunate
to have obtained the laddus from
Tirumala Tirupathi Devastanam.
“On behalf of Shirdi Saibaba Tem-
ple Committee, I sincerely thank
all the devotees who made this
event a grand success. With the
kind support of the devotees and
sponsors we could raise around
$15000 from this event. We will
continue to do these kind of
successful events in the future,”
Ravi Chittajallu, secretary of the
Temple committee told Indian
Weekender.
The Temple conducts regular
bhajans and aarathi every
Thursday from 7.30pm, at
Sylvia Park School, Longford Street, Mt
Wellington. More details about temple events
are available at www.saibabatemple.org.nz

16 Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Community

Book on cricket captains offers

insights to inspire ‘young guns’
People always look for inspiration when
faced with any challenge. When people
seek inspiration, what they are often really
seeking is Hope. When we hear about lead-
ership the one thing we hear all Leaders do
in common is provide Hope. As Napoleon
Bonaparte once said “A Leader is a Dealer
in Hope.”
That certainly seems to have been the
key message to the “young guns” of Indian
cricket and the central theme of the latest
book on Indian cricket authored by Prof.
Suryaprakash Chaturvedi titled ‘Hamare
Kaptan – Nayudu se Dhoni Tak’ which
was released at the hands of Indian crick-
eter Virender Sehwag at a book release
function held in Delhi.
“It is nice to see that books are being
written on our past heroes. It will help
the current generation to know about our
former greats,” Sehwag said, speaking at
the function just before the start of the re-
cently concluded India-Australia cricket
series.
Praising the book, the ‘Sultan of
Multan’ Shewag said he will share the in-
formation provided in the book with all his
team-mates and maybe even gift the book
to Dhoni. Whether Shewag did pass on a
copy of the book to captain Dhoni and his
boys is another matter but if India’s em-
phatic win over Australia in both the Tests
and ODIs is anything to go by then the come to make it more attractive,” he was
leadership qualities of captain Mahendra quoted saying.
Singh Dhoni enumerated in the book were If that wasn’t enough the quality of
certainly illustrated on the field through- cricket played by both sides during the
out the series. series especially by India in the two test
Prof. Chaturvedi’s books on cricket matches confirmed that the longer version

Hamilton Sri Balaji

offers a different perspective to readers of the game only got more competitive and
and cricket fol- even more exciting.
lowers by ref lect- Speaking at the
ing on the heroics The narrative of Hamare book release Prof.
of the past. The
narrative
Hamare Kaptan
of Kaptan feels like cricket
folklore being told by
Chaturvedi brief ly
ref lected on the asso-
ciation of former New Temple Trust conducts Sri
Maha Lakshmi Homan.
feels like cricket Zealand cricketer John
folklore being an academician who is Wright as the coach
told by an acade- and his relationship
mician who is pas- passionate about the with Saurav Ganguly
sionate about the
subject and has
subject and has spent a as the captain of the
Indian cricket team.
Th e ha milto n Sri Ba laj
i Te mp le wit h the Te mp le Tru ste
spent a lot of time lot of time in research “What makes a good
Tru st is co nduc ting a
shmi Ho ma n an d po
Ma ha La k- as po ss ibl e as they ha
es as so on
ve only 10 8
in research study-
ing the game, the
studying the game, the captain is not just one
particular quality but Ja nu ary 29 next ye ar
oja on the
at the Ph oe -
‘ya ntr am s’ to give aw
ay.
Th
matches and it’s matches and it’s leading a combination of a set nix Ha ll in Ha milto n.
frie nd s are inv ite d to
Devotee s an d
e do na tio n of $51.0 0
yo ur pa rtic ipa tio n. Th
will se cure
leading person- of skills and ability. e Ho ma n an d
alities. Hamre personalities. Whilst individual an d rec eive the ble ss
pa rtic ipa te
ing s fro m
po oja will be co nduc
ted on Ja nu -
Kaptan gives cricketing skills are a the atten da nc e of the ary 29 at the Ph oe nix Ha
Ho ma n an d ll sta rting
readers informa- pre-requisite, courage po oja . at 9.0 0a m ( Sa turday
).
tion in the form of tales and incidences to challenge and confront challenges, Th e praye rs are co nd Ma ha pra sad will be se
uc ted to rve d after
from the lives of all the captains to have ability to take calculated risks, mental and ce leb rate thi s Go ddes the po oja .
led India on the cricket field right from physical fitness and a faculty to play the s an d inv ite Th e Te mp le Tru ste es
he r to yo ur family an have em -
Capt. C.K Nayudu through to Mahendra opposition out is what makes a cricketer d ho me s an d ba rke d on purch as ing
rec eive he r ble ss ing s a fairly large
Singh Dhoni, analyzing their strengths a successful captain” he said summing up an d for tun es se cti
for the co ming ye ar. on by next ye ar en d
and weaknesses and highlighting their his book. an d are
Go ddes s La ks hmi is inv iting do na tio ns of
success and failures. His book achieves Suryaprakash Chaturvedi is a former often po r- $100 0.0 0 pe r
traye d as be au tiful go family or individua l for
where others fail and it does so by provid- academician and cricket administrator ddes s wit h thi s pur-
four arm s in a lovely po se. This paymen t
ing insights which inspires. Acknowledg- turned author. He began writing on the sa ri an d is ca n be made
often pic tured eit he r over 10 mo nthly ins tal
ing the need to preserve the history of the game covering matches for leading news- sta nding on emen ts of
game Shewag said “Books like this will papers in India and has since then au- a pin k lot us or sta nd $100.00 pe r mo nth or
ing on a lot us on e off pay-
help us understand our cricketing past thored 9 books on cricket in Hindi. The flowe r. Sh e ha s two me nt of $100 0.0 0.
lot us es he ld Th e tru ste es are ke en
better. We would certainly want to know more popular among these to have also in a back ha nd s an d to take thi s
he r fro nt projec t off the gro un
how our former captains led the teams, been published in English include India ha nd s off ering ble ss d an d are
ing s an d in se rio us in ge tting thi
what were their tactics, how they batted, and World Cricket and Some Great All- on e ha nd off ering we s sta rte d as
bowled.” Rounders which also features chapters on alt h which is so on as po ss ibl e, so de
sh ow n by co ins flowin votee s are
Fielding questions by the media about cricket in New Zealand and cricket hall of g fro m on e kin dly en co urage d to
ha nd. ma ke thi s
the format of the game, the opener defend- fame inductee Sir Richard Hadlee. Th e Ho ma n which inv do na tio n. Furth er do
ed Test cricket. “There used to be so many okes the na tio ns are
Go ddes s will be co nd gracio us ly ac ce pte d.
draws in Test matches that would keep the Prof. Chaturvedi’s books will be soon uc ted by Ple as e ma ke co ntact
Ch an dru Kuruk ul fro wit h the
crowds away but things have changed. We available in New Zealand. For further m the Ga ne sh tru ste es or at the Ma
are getting more and more results in Test details please contact Te mp le in Pa pa kura. ha La ks hmi
Pa rtic ipa nts Ho ma n in Ja nu ary 20
cricket and even a target of 350 can be Girish Anantharaman are en co urage d to ma 11.
ke co ntact
chased in a day in a Test match. Cricket M: 021 02947194
has not changed. A few innovations have E: garyraman@hotmail.com

Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 17

Indian
Community

St John friend to Join the St John-Indian Weekender

ambulance project & help the community...

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support. That’s where St John Friends of 2. Call 0800 ST JOHN (0800 785 646) and have this form handy to make a credit card donation.
the Emergency Department make such a 3. Go online to www.stjohn.org.nz/donate
difference. Yes – I would like to give a donation towards a new ambulance for St John:
“My training with St John meant that I
was able to help. I was really pleased that I $30 $40 $50 $100 $ (other) Mr Mrs Miss Ms/other (please circle one)

was prepared. The cyclist was too!” I would like to donate by

When Aucklander Canute D’Souza saw a
cyclist suddenly collapse on the road ahead
of him, he didn’t hesitate.
“I hopped out of the car in the middle
of the road and was able to resuscitate him,
and then hand him over to ambulance of-
ficers when they arrived, says Canute.
While more used to taking a ‘back seat’
in patient care, Canute is nevertheless no
stranger to emergencies.
He has done many shifts in Auckland
City Hospital as a St John Friends of the
Emergency Department volunteer.
When fitting these around his shift
First name
The cyclist made a full recovery. Enclosed cheque (payable to: Order of St John) OR
Help add another ambulance in the Surname
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community. St John is the Indian Week-
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Second Hindu Youth Conference announced

What’s your game plan? Hindu Youth New Zealand and New Zealand mingle with motivated students and young
Hindu Students Forum have announced the 2nd adults.
Going to the Twenty 20 match?
AT.10/EdenPark1

New Zealand Hindu Youth Conference. It will
There are a few things you need to know. take place on May 7 and 8, 2011. The theme of
the conference is “Dynamic Spirit of Youth”.
The conference aims to harness the dynamic
spirit of youth for the purpose of social prog-
ress and transformation. It will provide a forum
to empower and utilise the energy and vision of
young New Zealanders for constructive social
purposes, with a focus on Hindu culture and
philosophy.
The conference will also discuss and
deliberate topics such as pluralism; building
leadership in youth; technology; environmen-
tal sustainability; seva (Service) social issues
and how all this is related to the multicultural
melting pot that is New Zealand.
Fun activities, games and competitions have
also been planned for the two-day event.
There will be interactive sessions with pre-
senters from different walks of life who have
made a mark for themselves in the society.
For relevant government agencies, this
would be a great opportunity to meet and
Members of the Hindu Youth New Zealand
have been part of government delegations
to Asia Pacific regional interfaith dialogue
sponsored by the Human Rights Commission
(of New Zealand), to the Aspiring Leaders’
Forum held at the New Zealand Parliament,
the Parliament Deepawali reception hosted by
the Hon. Minister of Ethnic Affairs and other
networks, forums and activities at the national
and international levels.
Hindu Youth New Zealand and Hindu Stu-
dents’ Forum work towards making a positive
difference in the lives of youth and students to
enable them to achieve their highest potential.
People wishing to participate may convey
their interest as facilitators of workshops or to
be part of the organising committee to Nitika
Sharma, Conference Coordinator and Spokes-
person on 0211 579 129 or Bhavisha Daya, Joint
Conference Coordinator and National Secre-
tary, New Zealand Hindu Students Forum on
021 025 27197 or email hinduyouth.nz@gmail.
com.

On Boxing Day (Sunday), Eden Park will host the BLACKCAPS vs Pakistan
(Twenty 20) Gates open 1pm, 2pm start. Join us for a great game!
Things you need to know Public transport
• Family and alcohol free zones are available • Public transport will be operating on a reduced
• For everyone’s enjoyment, no unruly behaviour (holiday) timetable with trains replaced by buses.
will be tolerated • Go to maxx.co.nz for details
• We are a smoke-free venue • Taxi drop-offs have changed (see map)
• Check the website for what you can bring
to the venue. Message for residents
Permitted parking now available throughout Zone A
Liquor Ban
A liquor ban will be enforced for the duration of the Need to know more?
event in specified areas. Please check the map for details.
Visit us online at edenpark.co.nz or phone us on
Are you driving? 09 815 5551.
• Road closures will affect many streets before and
after the match
• Changes made to assigned areas for mobility parking Thanks and enjoy the game!
and public drop offs
• See map for details.

Proudly supported by:

18 Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Kolkata celebrates a very special Christmas
Christmas holds a niche in the festival calendar of Kolkata. It has become much more secular too being
celebrated by all. The fondness for the non- indigenous festival has a lot to do with the city’s history,
finds Ranjita Biswas
There is something in the air. You can feel the sup-
pressed excitement. Is it to do with the welcome nip
in the air, the tangy smell of orange and the sudden
burst of colour on the dusty footpath of Kolkata as
the ‘Bhutias’ from the hills of Bhutan spread their
woollens? No, something more.
Then, dot on 1 December, the rotunda in good
old New Market turns into a fairyland with glis-
tening pine trees, paper hats and tinsel baubles. Of
course, it’s soon to be “Burra Din” –the big day.
That’s how people of Kolkata have lovingly coined
a festival from across the seas - Christmas of Santa
Claus, mistletoe and plum pudding. So what if the
pine trees are fake, or the ‘snow’ is flaky cotton-
wool? It’s Christmas after all.
Christmas in Kolkata is something special.
Even now when the Sunset Boulevard of the city,
i.e. Park Street, is not so brightly illuminated as
in olden times and most of the large Anglo Indian
community who lent a special sparkle to the festivi-
ties have migrated to Australia or Canada, you can
feel it. For, by now Christmas has become a festival
for all encompassing class and creed.
Unlike in other places, Christmas in Kolkata is
not confined to upmarket clubs or expensive hotels
and restaurants. The Bengalis love to celebrate the
birth of Jesus with good food, outings and picnics.
Come Christmas and you can see long queues in
front of reputed cake and pastry shops. Now this
tradition has spilled over to the ‘para’(small local-
ity) shops. Even the humblest household would like
to have a piece of cake on Burra Din.
Reba Mistry is a maid who works in four house-
holds a day in the Salt Lake area to make ends meet.
But she says, “Buying cake for Christmas day is a
must. My son waits for it.”
For once the famous Bengali sweets take a back
seat. The confectioners, big and small , gear up for
the extra demand from long ahead. These days
‘cake-mixing’ attended by celebs in five-star hotels
and restaurants has become quite a thing for photo
ops.
However, the old families of the Christian com-
munity still stick to their trusted baker in the New
Market-Free School Street area for the authentic
cake. They buy the dry fruits long ahead, clean
them, and keep the ingredients ready to deliver at
the baker’s hovel with his old style oven. The cakes
are delicious remain fresh for quite a long time.
On the day itself the city’s landmarks, the
Alipore Zoo, the grounds of the Victoria Memorial
and every open space spill over with visitors enjoy-
ing the merry mood and bright sunlight. “Merry
Christmas!” you will hear the greeting even from
strangers. In the evening of Christmas Eve it is a
‘done’ thing to take a walk in the overcrowded Park
Street with family and friends to buy balloons and
whistles. Without prior reservation – some do not
accept reservation at all, getting a table for a meal is
Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
Community
a Herculean task. ‘Foo Foo’ bands moved from one locality to another the ‘who’s who’ list.
True, the special air around Xmas in Kolkata while carol singers from the Salvation Army were a Today, the social ‘do’ tradition is faithfully
has also to do with heritage and nostalgia. It is a common sight, old timers reminisced. carried on by the premier clubs in the city. Kolkata’s
city that flourished under British patronage. Kipling The Bengali zemindars and rich traders vied club-culture is famous even today and each rustles
called it “Chance directed, chance created ” as with each other to prepare the most exclusive ‘dalis’ up a special menu for Christmas with roast turkey
indeed it was three centuries ago. Though there or ‘dolies’ for the burra sahibs. These gift hampers and the traditional pudding, besides other items.
were piled with sweets, Those days Christmas also meant the begin-
fruits, cakes and toys; ning of the sporting season. Polo, horse-race and
sometimes they con- golf hogged the limelight. This tradition still con-
tained diamond rings tinues.
and made-to-order Today, even as the city celebrates Xmas, it
Kashmiri shawls. is perhaps inevitable that there are nostalgic
On the other moments for older citizens for whom the celebra-
hand, the sahibs had tion is not what it was. They wonder aloud where
to ‘Indianise’ some are delicacies like Kulkuls and Rosy cookies gone.
of the rituals too “… The once-famous Christmas lunch at Firpo’s which
the British decorat- consisted of “roast turkey and cranberry sauce,
ed their bungalows mince pies, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake,
and churches with and first-class wine” has disappeared alongwith the
wreathes of marigolds; restaurant. Nahoum’s, one of the oldest confection-
for pine boughs they eries in New Market offered out-of-the world deli-
palm branches and for cacies like coconut luzine, pista cakes and almond
Holly- Poinsettias,” a samosas. No more; it’s too expensive.
report says. The entire
town from the richest But the infectious mood of Yuletide happiness
to the humblest used has a much greater reach today. People irrespective
to be agog with prepa- of religion still like to join in the midnight Mass
rations for the ‘burra- at St. Paul’s Cathedral or pray in the numerous
khana’ on the Christ- churches. Even non-Christian localities sport Na-
mas day. The talk of tivity scenes and strings of tuni (tiny) bulbs deco-
is dispute as to the town was, of course, the one at the Viceregal rate many a household.
its birth date (not residence at Belvedere which now houses the Na- As Neil O’Brien, scion of the Anglo Indian
established by tional Library, a heritage property today. Those community in Kolkata, says, “Christmas has
the British but who were not invited to the party not included in become much more secular today.”
that there was
already a local-
ity on the banks
of the Hooghly),
there is no doubt
that the devel-
opment of Cal-
cutta, as it was
known before, as
a port and later
capital of British
India, was due to
the colonisers. Young, fast growing Kolkata soon
offered exuberant fun and frolic to the somewhat
conservative British of the day. Accounts by White
ladies talk about picnics, river parties, riding ren-
dezvous and fancy dress balls that accompanied the
‘season’ beginning with Christmas.
Indian kings and rich zemindars took to the
western-world festivities with great enthusiasm,
it seems, from reports. A New Zealand based
publication Otago Witness reported (Issue 2285,
16 December 1897) about “The most expensive
FREE
Christmas card on record” commissioned by the
Gaekwar of Baroda to a Kolkata based English
firm which was made of pure ivory. Expert carvers
worked for six months on the 12x10 card full of
intricate designs and studded with 44 diamonds.
It was reported to have cost half a million pound
sterling at that time. Apparently it was meant for “a
certain European lady” but was never delivered to
her. But that’s another story.
Even after the capital was shifted to Delhi in
Buy any 3
1911, the city retained its reputation for the winter boxes and get
festivities. Rajahs big and small from far corners of
the country descended in the city with whole en- 1 Travel Mug
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the city. Even the Viceroy used to come down from Just add 200ml of Hot Water to each sachet
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The centre of attraction, as even today, though
in a much depleted form, was the Hogg Market or Ph: (09) 620 0999 / 0800 VISHNU (847 468)
New Market and the “Army and Navy Store” burst- www.chaigold.co.nz, info@chaigold.co.nz
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Available in All leading Super Markets & Indian Stores
19
Indian
Personality

Jack’s long, hard road to success

ARVIND KUMAR
Jagdish Dube is a simple man with
humble beginnings.
And despite being at the helm of the first
and one of the biggest vehicle dealerships
in Auckland, Jack – as he is commonly
known – has never allowed his business
success go to his head.
Instead, as the chief of The Car Clearance
Centre vehicle dealership in Otahuhu,
Jack is sincere in his tributes to his roots
and to those who have stood by him to
help guide his business to the heights of
success it is enjoying today.
“It was hard work, and we have gone
from strength to strength to where we are
today,” Jack told Indian Weekender this
week.
The Car Clearance Centre was started
up by Jack and his father, Hiralal Maharaj
Dube, 16 years ago initially operating out
of 31 Salesyard Rd, now at No. 41.
Dube Snr had been in the truck and carrier
business in Samabula, Suva, and so was
the great motivator and mentor in getting
Jack started on to the road to success.
He passed away two years ago, and Jack
has been left with a huge vacuum in his
life and the business.
“I really do miss him a lot now,” said Jack,
who turns 50 next month. “He was always
there to guide and help out where he
could.
“He always knew what was happening,
and was the key inspiration for me.”
Filling in the gap left by his dad is busi-

WAITING FOR YOU

ness manager Dalip Singh, a veteran
of more than 30 years’ experience with
Carpenters Motors in Suva.
“Dalip is a key man in the business and his
experience in the industry is invaluable,”
said Jack, who is the eldest of five siblings
– three brothers and two sisters.
Jack also has high praise for his accounts
manager Ravnesh Kumar who packs 20
years’ experience with him from ANZ Bank
in Fiji.
Jack himself started off as a clerical officer
with the Lami Town Council, about 20
minutes’ drive west out of Suva City.
I, as a cadet reporter covering the council
rounds for the Fiji Sun in the early eight-
ies, still remember Jack helping us with
any queries we had about council matters.
Although surrounded by council bureau-
cracy and “tough” bosses, young Jack
remained down to earth and accessible
to all.
Following the military coups of 1987, Jack
and family migrated to New Zealand where
Jack did administration work before set-
ting up Car Clearance Centre.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Car Clearance Centre is now a multi-
million dollar business, and Jack owes
his success to good after sales customer
service which has brought him lots of
repeat business.
“One customer just recently bought his
fourth car here,” said Jack, whose com-
pany now also offers in-house finance for
customers.
“We used to carry up to 50 cars before
but now stock well over 100 vehicles, all
makes and models.”
He also attributes his success to tak-
ing care of his staff, customers and the
community. Jack is also heavily involved
in charity work in the community through
schools, and is also an avid supporter of
the medical camps to Fiji.
Jack has two children – Shayne, 22, and
Dolly, 18, both students at University of
Auckland.
Jack Dube recently ventured into movie
making and his maiden venture has been
released in theatres and the DVD is due out
next year.
“Waiting For You” was produced by Jack
and Premlata Dube, Dr Singh and Shyam S R
Upadhyay, and lead cast includes Bomi Doti-
wala and Usha Jerajani; and also well known
local TV personality Roopa Suchdev.
Directed by Shyam S R Upadhyay and
shot entirely in New Zealand, “Waiting For
You” is a gentle, warm and very human love
story between an elderly, childless Indian
couple who have lived in New Zealand for
most of their life, far away from home, and
what happens when the wife is admitted to the
hospital with a heart problem, and her husband
has to deal with the realisation that he is going
to lose her soon.
The past and the present are interwoven
into the narrative, as the husband has to cope
with an increasing loneliness, as he deals with
daily visits to the hospital and returning home
to an empty house.
In his remembrance of times past, he revis-
its his homeland of Rajasthan through books in
the local library, and starts wandering through
the empty, silent city streets, and into a large
park in the rain, deep inside his troubled mind.
He forms a friendship with a young New
Zealand girl, who has a baby, and this simple
uncomplicated relationship makes him happy
for a time.
Family friends try to intervene, but he
gradually finds it more and more difficult as
his wife’s condition deteriorates, and he resents
their intrusion into his personal life, and rejects
any help from them.
He now knows that he is going to lose his
wife, and in their last time together in the hos-
pital, she tells him not to worry about her, and
that they will live forever.
More details at www.waitingforyoufilm.
com

20 Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Bollywood

‘I am a fan of Madhuri Dixit’

Katrina Kaif is on Cloud 9 these days. First, she got a Barbie crafted to her likeness, and then an item
number-Sheila Ki Jawaani-in Tees Maar Khan, that has replaced Munni on the charts. The actor tells Sreya
Basu that the film is going to be a complete entertainer
Farah Khan said she will give you I used to walk into the sets with my
the biggest item number of the hands shaking. Farah used to say:
year in her film Tees Maar Khan ‘What’s wrong with you?’ and I said:
and Sheila Ki Jawaani is ruling the ‘I am so afraid of you.’ But never once
charts. So she kept her promise? did she yell at me. So, I don’t know
if she was being nice to me or I was
Yea. Sheila Ki Jawaani is a fun song; really dancing and acting well.
it’s very much part of the movie and
not a separate item song. I aspire Who is one actress is Bollywood
to become an actress in Tees Maar whom you really look up to?
Khan, and the film I get is called
Sheila Ki Jawaani…so you can under- I am a fan of Madhuri Dixit. Her every
stand what my character was going dance, every expression, every move-
through (Laughs). ment, to me, is very aspirational ;
especially expressions, which is very
This time, even critics are appreci- essential for an actor, where one can
ating your moves in the song… only try, try and try to get the perfect
take. I don’t think there’s anybody like
Farah and me tried to do something her. She is the most beautiful actress
different. As for me, I was just follow- ever to come on screen.
ing Farah’s instructions. I was very
clear that even if I have an opinion, I You are the first Bollywood actor
am going to follow her blindly in the who has a Barbie doll crafted to her
film. likeness. How was the feeling to
hold a Barbie that resembles you?
Sheila Ki Jawaani has toppled Mun-
ni Badnaam (from Salman Khan’s As a child, like all young girls, I too
Dabaang). What do you have to say have grown up with Barbie. She has
on that? been a friend and I have shared many
I recently met Malaika (Arora Khan) experiences with her. Barbie is the
on the sets of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5. ultimate fashion icon and is the most
Her verdict was, this year, Sheila and popular doll in the world. She has
Munni rocked. Malaika is a natural captured my imagination for many
dancer. years and now when I get an oppor-
tunity to be a part of Barbie’s heritage
I don’t think she has to put any effort – I am enchanted, deeply honoured
on a song…she is inherently very and humbled as I today join the
talented; unlike me, who had to put ranks of iconic women who represent
a lot of effort in the song, with Farah Barbie’s aspirational values. I am
constantly reminding me not to look extremely grateful to Mattel for pre-
bubbly in an item number. senting me my very own Barbie doll. I
hope that my young fans are equally
Farah Khan is known for shouting thrilled with this doll.
at her cast and crew on the sets.
Did she yell at you too?

Kava goes Bollywood

For the first time ever, Fiji’s traditional kava Fijians, talk about the culture in the movie
drinking ceremony will feature in a Bolly- and promote them too because I feel that this
wood movie. country is as good as my country,” said Mr
The centuries-old cultural practice will Raj, who directed Mein Aur Mrs Khanna
be highlighted in Bombay Muumbai, the first starring Salman and Kareena Kapoor last
Bollywood movie to be shot in the country year.
next March, starring megastar Salman Khan.
Fiji-born pop singer Aiysha has a sing “It (Fiji and India) has a lot of similarities,
and dance role alongside superstar Khan in the emotions are the same. Lots of people
Bombay Muumbaai and the f lick will feature speak Hindi here so why not be a part of Bol-
a special traditional kava ceremony. lywood?”
“We’re going to amalgamate both the Ex-Suva Grammar student Aiysha, who
countries, both the cultures, together in the has done over 300 concerts around the world,
film,” Bombay Muumbaai director Prem Raj said she was “very excited” about her silver
told the Fiji Times last week. screen debut.
Raj, who is in the country with Aiysha “That’s something that I always planned
and executive director Mohammed Jamal, to do but just like everything, the timing
said the idea was to promote Fiji to India and needs to be right.”
the world. Two more Bollywood movies will be shot
“We definitely want to talk about the next year after Bombay Muumbaai.

Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 21

Indian
Hard Kaur gets eco-friendly website
Mumbai: Popular Rap Singer Hard Kaur has
come with her website, which reveals her ‘real
world’. The major attraction is that the website
is environment friendly.
As one enters the website, he will feel as
if he has entered Hard Kaur’s e-world. An in-
teresting thing is the background music, which
Bollywood
one can listen to, change or pause just like an
I-Pod. There is a day-and-night zone which de-
Dharmendra turns 75 Mumbai: Veteran actor of B-town,
flects Hard Kaur universe.
The website contains everything about Dharmendra turns 75 on Wednesday.
Hard Kaur- from trivia about herself, songs,
videos, her shopping interests to links to social But age is absolutely not a big factor
sites like Facebook and Twitter. for the ‘angry hero’ of the past as his
fans will see him once again on the
silver screen in his upcoming movie
‘Yamla Pagla Deewana’.

Directed by Samir Karnik, the film

will feature Dharmendra sharing the
screen with his two sons Sunny and
Bobby Deol.

In his long career in B-town, Dhar-

mendra has acted in several movies
which includes names like Phool aur
Paththar, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Sholay,
Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere, Bandini,
Life in a Metro, Apne .

His latest venture ‘Yamla Pagla Dee-

wana’ is all set to release on Jan 14.

‘Meet Brothers’ turns

music directors
Arun and I separated Mumbai: Popular Hindi band ‘Meet Broth-
ers’ is back again to entertain their fans, as
Manmeet and Harmeet turn music directors
singers of B-town like Mohit Chauhan, Udit
Narayan, Shreya Ghoshal, Kavita Seth and
Kunal Ganjawala.

months ago: Hurley

for the upcoming Rajshri Production film “Being a part of Rajshri Production itself
titled “Isi Life Mein”. is a big achievement and how Rajshri’s
“Working with Rajshri was a big for us; movie we all know and their songs are also
Rajshri production is an institution in which melodic. So when we got the chance we just
many things can be learnt while working in grab it,” said the ‘Meet Brothers’, whose
London: British actress Elizabeth Hurley is really falling for Shane. Shane has been it. Working with film cast and Kuku Kohli popular song ‘Jogi Singh Barnala Singh
has confirmed that her three-year marriage a real support through the tough time she’s was a memorable time,” the duo said. Aaho’ was immensely appreciated by the
with Indian had splitting The film will have 10 song tracks com- audience.
businessman with Arun,” an posed by them, which will include multiple Earlier, they had also composed music
Arun Nayar unnamed source genres like: Rock, Hip Hop, classic, Bhajan, for the film named “Do Dooni Chaar”.
has been off for told the UK Jazz, Opera- Belle, Romantic and envy. At present ‘Meet Brothers’ will be com-
months. tabloid. The songs have been sung by popular posing music for 4-5 movies.
“Not a “The only
great day. For thing standing

I am still young: Anil

the record, my in their way is
husband Arun the geography.
& I separated Shane is mes-
a few months merised by Liz.
ago. Our close She’s the first
family & person he has
friends were felt so strongly
Mumbai: Actor Anil Kapoor is publicizing
aware of this,” about since his
his film ‘No Problem’ in every way.
she said on divorce. They
Twitter on have so much
Sunday. chemistry,” the The ‘No Problem’ team visited lifestyle
H u r l e y ’s report said. brand Provougue’s showroom here on
post was a re- The Austra- Thursday to promote their film.
buttal to UK lian spin-wizard
tabloid reports also posted a Anil Kapoor was looking dashing in a
that she was ‘clar if ication’ T-shirt; accompanying him, came Akshay
cheating on to the tabloid Khanna wearing spunky denims, and
her husband reports on his producer Rajat Rawail.
with Austra- website.
lian cricketer “Sadly and Asked why the film is titled ‘No Problem’,
Shane Warne. unfortunately,
Rawail Said, “There is no problem in
B r i t a i n’s (wife) Simone
News of the World had splashed pictures and I split up a while ago, our close friends making the movie…it’s a mixture of all
of the couple caught kissing in the lobby of and family were informed at that time. It great comedians from Sanjay Dutt, Paresh
London’s Bentley Hotel, where they spent is a private matter so we did not make it Rawal, Akshay Khanna and off course Anil
two nights together this week, it said. public. We remain friends and will con- Kapoor and Suniel Shetty.”
The 43-year-old model-actress had tinue to be good parents,” he said.
begun dating Nayar in 2003 and the two 41-year-old Warne has three children “Provogue is a leading brand, the clothes
exchanged vows in March 2007 at the - Brooke, 13, Jackson, 11 and Summer, 8 are good and I am still young and hence
Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire before - from a series of relationships. I wanted to promote my film here,” said
tying the knot, Hindu-style, at an ex- Hurley has an 8-year-old son, Damian, Kapoor.
travagant week-long celebration at Umaid with American film producer Steve Bing. “Watch this movie; you will just forget all
Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. She earlier dated actor Hugh Grant for 13 When asked about the rapport between your problems for the time being; it’s
The Daily Mail had also cooked up a years before the two announced an “ami-
director Anees Bazmee, he said, “This is entertaining and fun,” said Khanna.
juicy story. “It is more than just a fling. Liz cable” split in May 2000.
my third film with him. The past movies
were great; this movie too will be a hit and
we will keep entertaining you in future.”

22 Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
‘Ready to team up again and again
with Katrina’
Akshay Kumar is playing a conman in Farah Khan’s Tees Maar Khan. The actor tells Sreya Basu
that the film is going to be a complete entertainer
Farah Khan only works with Shah Rukh
Khan. So, were you surprised to find
yourself in her camp?
More than surprised, I was happy about
it… I got to play a part in one of her films.
That was a more exciting thing for me.
So, let’s keep these camps aside; camps
are for kids.
Your image as ‘aadha Robindood’ (half
Robinhood) is already gaining popularity
among the youths…
(Laughs) You have to credit that to my
character in the film, who loots wealthy
people, but does not distribute the riches
among the poor. If I would have played a
full Robinhood, then this film would not
have been made. In that case, he would
have given away all his riches and won’t
have been Tees Maar Khan.
Tees Maar Khan is having offtrack
promotions-the music was launched in
a local train, and then there was a party
at Juhu beach for the masses. Whose
concepts are these?
The film is for the masses and we are try-
ing to connect with them. All these weird
ideas came from Farah’s brain. There is
a train robbery sequence in the film. So,
the music launch idea came from there.
She made me board a train after 24 years
for the music launch. As for the beach
party, I have never heard of anything
like that before. She wanted to connect
directly to the people and tell them about
the film. But all of us really enjoyed
ourselves.
Your pairing with Katrina has always
Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
turned out to be a box office success…
Thankfully, things have been working for
both of us and if that’s the trend or way
to make it at the box office, we are ready
to team up again and again.
Do you think your pairing with Katrina is
going to click this time too?
We will know that on December 24 when
the film releases…doodh ka doodh,
paani ka paani ho jayega.
As a producer, is there any apprehension
about the box office collections?
Not just as
Bollywood
an actor, as a producer also, I am very
happy with the results. The film has been
made on a unique idea and the results of
all our efforts will start showing soon.
You have tried your hand at so varied
genres…action, comedy, serious roles.
But there are critics who say you lack
the credibility factor. Do you agree?
I don’t think about these things so
much. I only do those films which
I want to do, I feel like doing. I do
films to make myself happy, my
audiences happy. I am happy to be
an entertainer.
Is it true that you are always con-
scious that your market rates
keep rising?
I do four-five films a year. And
now I have my own production com-
pany as well. Obviously, being the
producer, I can’t charge money from
myself. So, that way, my rate
is zero. But when
the films do well,
my money comes
back to me only.
How do you look at
the race for the No 1
position in Bollywood?
I have never participated in this
competition for No 1, 2 or 3. We
are not horses at Mahalaxmi
race course. Every year over
150 films are made in Bollywood
and there are only seven or eight
heroes. And for any of us, it is not
humanly possible to do more than
3-4 films a year.
23
Indian
‘I am a mad girl’
Teen icon Genelia D’Souza is too busy these days with her films It’s My Life, Hook
Ya Crook and Urumi. In Kolkata to launch Nocturne lounge, the actor tells Sreya
Basu that she won’t change her mad self for anything.
How will you define yourself as a per-
son?
I am a person who loves to chill out more
than anything else. I spent my entire col-
lege life at Café Coffee Day at Carter Road
(Mumbai). Even today, I have not changed
my lifestyle; I still walk my way from home
to the café, though now at times, it’s a bit
difficult because of my hectic schedules.
And also, because people recognize
you?
Yes. But unlike other stars, I thoroughly
enjoy it. I get super-excited when someone
calls me by my name. I too scream back:
‘Aiyeee’. I know, at times, this creates con-
fusion. So I try not to do my mad things all
the time.
Tell us about your childhood days.
I grew up in Bandra. I am a complete
sportsgirl; I have played everything-from
basketball to hockey…the Joggers Park
has so much been a part of my life be-
cause of my trainings. Not many people
know that I am a state-level athlete. People
used to call me a tomboy, though I used
to say that I am a tomboy with a feminine
side, though even I don’t know what that
means. (Laughs) I am a mad girl…fully.
How did Bollywood happen to you?
One day I got a call rom Ramoji Rao say-
Deepika’s wardrobe
up for grabs
New Delhi: India’s leading online shopping
club FashionAndYou.com has announced
an opportunity to bid for style icon Deepika
Padukone’s exquisite offerings from her
personal closet.
Fashion and You
and Deepika have part-
nered together to en-
courage India’s quest
for an Olympic gold.
In a novel offer,
members from across
the country can bid for
their favorite movie
stars’ personal posses-
sions and help future
Indian athletes achieve
their dreams through
Olympic Gold Quest
(OGQ).
OGQ strives to
compliment the efforts
of the Indian Gov-
ernment and various
Sports Federations
in identifying and
funding the best and
most deserving medal
prospects for the Olympic Games.
OGC is a brainchild of Indian sporting
legends Geet Sethi and Prakash Padukone
with the aim of Olympic glory for India.
Speaking about the auction platform,
Deepika said: “I am delighted to share my
24
Bollywood
Rajinikanth
turns 60
Chennai: South Indian superstar Rajinikanth,
who has entertained his fans by his unique style
of acting and dialogue delivering, turned 60 on
Sunday.
He celebrated the occasion with his family.
But age is absolutely not a factor for the talent-
ed performer, as Rajinikanth’s latest release, ‘En-
these guys kept calling me for a month-
thiran’ turned out to be the biggest hit of this year.
and-a-half. Then, my mom said this is an His performance in the movie was appreciated
opportunity and that I should try it out. I by his fans allover.
always have the option to quit if I am not Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, better known as Ra-
happy with it. jinikanth, gained popularity with the film titled
‘Apoorva Raagangal’.
So are you happy the way your acting Since then he has successfully performed in
career has shaped up in Bollywood as multiple films like:‘Mullum Malarum’, ‘Arunach-
well as in South? alam’,’ Chandramukhi’, ‘Sivaji’, ‘Enthiran’.
I am totally satisfied. I had a peak, I had Whether it is his unique style of dialogue de-
a fall, and I have a peak again. But I was livering or flipping cigarettes in his mouth, he has
never out of work. However, my worst always attracted his audiences.
phase taught me a lot. When I am in a hit In his long career he has also appeared in
Hindi films like: ‘Chaalbaaz’, ‘Uttar Dakshin’,
phase now, I know things can go down.
‘Giraftaar’ and ‘Hum’.
I am really lucky that I got accepted in Rajinikanth is a recipient of the Padma
four industries (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honour, for
Malayalam). his contribution to the Indian cinema.
You are mostly projected as a young,
bubbly, chirpy girl. Are you happy with
your image?
Absolutely. I am young, fun-loving. I don’t
want people to know me as someone who
ing he is doing a Hindi film called Tujhe is very reserved and serious type, be-
Meri Kasam and wants to launch me! Now, cause I am not.
it was bad enough that I got into modeling
because I was from a family who has no What is the best thing you got yourself
clue about the glamour world. And films after becoming a star?
were something I couldn’t even thought My Bandra apartment. I love bright colours
of attempting; first because, I was clue- and decked it up accordingly. You will find
less about acting. And then, in my family, a red living area, an orange-and-white
films were like ‘No no no, it is a bad world study-cum-gym, a blue-and-pink bed-
and we can’t get into it…bla bla bla.’ And room. My home reflects my vibrancy.
wardrobe with my fans through e-retailers
Fashion And You. Each and every ensemble
and hand bag are my prized possession and I
have very fond memories of them.”
“I am very
certain that my fans
would love to own
them and join me as
a fashion diva this
season. Fashion And
You has embarked
on a very noble
cause of utilizing
the proceeds of this
Auction Platform to
a charitable founda-
tion, which is in the
larger interest of the
society.
“The funds from
the auction would
support ‘Olympic
Gold Quest’ a foun-
dation for promot-
ing sports talent in
the country, which
is very close to me,”
said the actor.
The auction also provides members
the opportunity to own the beautiful sari
adorned by Deepika in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, for
promotion of ‘Om Shanti Om’, dresses and
gowns that she carried very gracefully at
similar events for the movie.
Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
Heritage

New Year ka funda

ram lingam

Many of us from India celebrate more than one New Year. Besides the 1st of January every year, we also celebrate
another New Year day based on the region we come from in India and the Indian calendar. What are the origins of this
Indian calendar, which has been around for more than 5000 years? Who invented it? What is it based on?
The world at large uses the civic calendar system
with 01 January 2011 as the New Year day next
year. In fact, the celebration of the New Year
on 01 January is a relatively new phenomenon
based on the calendar system started in Europe
during 1852. Prior to that many a calendar
reforms happened over the past 2500 years till
the Middle Ages. Even with the current calen-
dar we use, there are proposed reforms wanting
to switch to a more accurate system.
Besides the current calendar which we
all use, there are quite a few other calendars
which are also actively in use today. Since
ancient times many civilizations and societies
had devised calendars, along with its periodic
reforms suited to their particular needs. His-
torically there are at least 20 or may be 30 odd
calendar systems used for different purposes by
different cultures, based on Luni-Solar, Lunar
or Solar Calendar systems. To name a few, there
is the Hebrew calendar used by Jews, Iranian
(Persian) calendar used in Iran and Afghani-
stan, Islamic calendar, Chinese calendar, Julian
calendar, Ethiopian calendar, Thai solar calen-
dar, Buddhist calendar, Bahá’í calendar, Mayan
calendar, Hindu calendar called ‘Panchāng’ etc.
The traditional Indian and Chinese calendar
is a “Luni-solar calendar” based on the com-
bined computations of the actual positions of
the Moon (luni) and the Sun (solar). The Indian
calendar in use is a combination of both solar
and lunar inferences where months are based
on the moon, while the seasons are governed by
the sun. The current national calendar of India
was set up in 1957 by the Calendar Reform
Committee that formalized a luni-solar calen-
dar.
What is the origin of Indian calendars? The
Indian calendars in particular are one of the
most ancient calendars of the world as they
descend from the Vedic times. There are many
references to calendars in the Holy Vedas. The
Hindu calendars (regional and the national
Sāka calendar) are used mainly for festivals,
religious ceremonies, family-social functions,
farming festivals etc. The Hindu calculation
of time (called Kaal in Sanskrit) is supposed to
have come to us from Sage Ganita who is men-
tioned in the Manusmriti and the Mahabharata.
Mostly, the Indian calendars are inher-
ited from a system first articulated in Jyotish
Vedānga which is an adjunct of the Holy Vedas.
The calendars then got standardized in the
ancient astronomical text Sūrya Siddhānta
and subsequently reformed by olden astron-
omers and cosmologists like Āryabhatta,
Varāhamihira and Bhāskara. They surmised
that ‘time’ is cyclical in nature, which means
every starting point will have to be an ending
point.
Confirming the achievements of Indians
in astronomy and cosmology, Marquis Pierre
Simon de Laplace (1749-1827) French math-
ematician, philosopher, and astronomer, wrote:
“Nevertheless the ancient reputation of the
Indians does not permit us to doubt that they
have always cultivated astronomy, and the re-
markable exactness of the mean motions which
they assign to the Sun and the Moon necessarily
required very ancient observation.”
The ancient Hindu astronomers, philoso-
phers and mathematicians did not think of time
in linear terms with a beginning and an end.
Hence time is thought in terms of great cycles of
thousands and millions of years and measured
in kalpas, yugas, manvantaras, cosmic day and
night of Brahma etc which are extremely long
periods of time.
The concept of time and the resulting
account in the form of the calendar has been
studied deeply by the scientists the world over.
The ancient Indian scientists during their
time also came out with some original work
in understanding this intriguing concept and
measure of time. The fruit of this effort was the
Indian calendar i.e. the ‘Panchāng’ or ‘’Panjika’
which India uses till today, tough with reforms.
Though we tend to use the universal calendar
for all practical, administrative and commercial
purposes, we refer to the traditional Panchāng
for all new undertakings in life, for auspicious
events like weddings, religious rites like Naam-
karan, Shraadh, Tarpan etc. The Panchāng
covers everything from the phases of the moon,
the positions of the constellations, sun, stars,
planets, and identifies auspicious time & day
for various activities. Panchāng is derived from
two words – ‘Panch’ meaning five and ‘ang’
meaning parts. The Panchāng routinely used
by pundits and astrologers contain five attri-
butes of the day i.e. which are Vaar (weekday);
Nakshatra (star or constellation through which
the moon is passing); Thithi (lunar day); Yoga
(total distance traversed by the sun & moon
from a specific point); and Karana (half a lunar
day). In many parts of India, especially in South
India, birthdays and other anniversaries are
celebrated mainly on lunar days (thithis) and
nakshatra.
Based on the mathematical analysis found
in the ancient astronomical texts, we can only
infer that the ancient Indian scientists were too
cerebral and superlative. They primarily were
Ācharyas belonging to the different branches
of Vedic metaphysics. After all the wonderful
effort to the measure and reporting of ‘time’,
the Ācharyas and Gurus of the Vedic religion
gave some startling advice to mankind, who ac-
cording to them, are caught in the realm of time
and space, caught in the karmic cycle. They say
that ‘Time’ exists only in the minds of ignorant.
Hence they advised to go ‘beyond’ the dimen-
sion of time. But how is that possible? Isn’t that
mind boggling? I mean time-boggling?

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Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 25

Indian
2012 – the year of reckoning?
Features writer Nalinesh Arun shares his views on the year 2012 and how it is being viewed by others.
As 2012 draws near, a growing number of people
are proclaiming massive changes that will be
taking place on Earth. Much of the speculation
is due to the Mayan (large) calendar which ends
on December 21, 2012 (according to its rela-
tion with our modern calendar, of course). The
movie 2012 has some information about this,
and the web is full of it.
Type “2012” into a search engine and you
will get 332,000,000 results. The web is buzzing
with the ‘end of days’ sites, with much greater
emphasis than the Y2K bug could ever have
generated. All kinds of outcomes are offered,
from a meteorite hitting the planet, to utter col-
lapse of civilisation due to greed, to the third
world war.
All religions are being tapped into for “clear
signs” of the catastrophe, as well as prophets
and science. Pseudo-scientists have either the
Planet X (also Nibiru, or sometimes as having
Nibiru, with its Planet X) crashing into earth
in or around that date. Other “prophets” say the
people of planet Nibiru (or Planet X) will arrive
to earth to see what their “creation” (the Human
race) is up to.
Others still talk of comets or other heav-
enly bodies striking the planet, causing a cli-
matic change of such proportions that only a
half billion people will be able to survive. They
imagine a “nuclear” winter that will either send
the earth into another ice age, or turn large parts
of it into searing deserts. The list of catastrophes
is endless on the web.
December 2012 is an important time in
many calendars and prophesies, including the
Hindu calendar, the Hopi prophesies and, in-
terestingly, Maori lore. In Maori lore Decem-
ber 2012 or thereabouts is when the curtain is
lifted. Or is dissolved or comes down – depend-
ing on the various translations of the phrase in
old Maori - “ka hinga te arai”.
This speaks of the reunification of “Rangi”
(the Sky) and “Papa” (the Earth). The creation
legend goes thus – in the beginning Rangi and
Papa were partners and were closely clasped
together. They had a number of children, who
lived in between these two parents, squashed
and without light. One day these children (who
were all Gods - God of the Wind, God of the
Sea, God of War etc) decided to push their
parents apart so they could have room to move.
They all tried and failed, till one of the Gods,
Tane, pushed them apart, separated them, and
there was light.
Ka hinga te arai then could mean the Earth
and Sky becoming one (what would be conse-
quence of such a move, or does it mean some-
thing other than coming together?); it could
mean the blotting out of the sun due to some
kind of covering (whether from an explosion
that send dust and debris into the atmosphere
to block out the Sun’s rays) or (my favourite)
it could mean an opening of the dimensions
through an upsurge of the human consciousness
so things previously unknown to us becomes
apparent.
One meaning of the phrase is the removal
(dissolving) of the planes separator - basically
the merging of the physical and spiritual planes.
Some translate this as a time when the unknow-
ables become known through a shift in percep-
tion that is forced onto mankind. This, for once,
is one of the saner interpretations of what could
happen in 2012.
In the Hopi Indian prophesies 2012, or
thereabouts, is seen as the return of the Pahana
(the White Brother from the skies) with whose
coming will come the dawn of the
Fifth World
We are presently at the end of the fourth world,
according to Hopi Indians. Out in South America
it is the Sons of Light returning to Earth to help
mankind onto the next step in their evolution.
There are many people around the world who
believe in something close to this understand-
26
ing of what will happen in 2012 – humanity will
undergo a change of sorts to their consciousness
in that time, with or without help from others.
Some web pages are dedicated to this approach,
with a number talking of the galactic centring
where our sun, for the first time in thousands
of years, will hit the centre of our galaxy, the
Milky Way.
This alignment to the galaxy will have pro-
found impact in the way we use our senses, our
brain and our consciousness. Gravitation forces
and other cosmic forces (including the cosmic
December 2012 is an important time in
many calendars and prophesies, including
the Hindu calendar, the Hopi prophesies and,
interestingly, Maori lore...
background radiation) will work together in
ways that will change us, and everything else,
associated with our planet. This includes some
major changes to the alignment of the planet, it
is said.
“But our old ways of thinking, including
our biology will change as the Sun, Earth and
Pleides line up in space. This will cause an
increase in discharge of photons from the sun
which is bound to cause changes in our brain
pattern,” – astrologer and modern day guru Dat-
tatreya Siva Baba.
Others still are saying that around December
2012, several wormholes will open at the centre
of our galaxy, allowing “others” from around
the universe to finally contact use. Various
ideas and descriptions have been given of these
others, including the Sons of Light, and a host of
“aliens” who are not aliens but our friends from
far across the universe.
In Hinduism, the field of speculation is vast
as far as 2012 is concerned. Several people are
putting forth the idea that Kali Yuga will end in
2012, and Satya (Krita) Yuga begins. Other are
saying the Kali Yuga has a few thousand years to
go, some say 5000 years, others 427,000 years.
Some modern “thinkers” believe that the
yuga calculations are all wrong and, yes, the
Satya Yuaga (the Golden Age) is about to begin.
But with a proviso – there will be calamities,
natural and otherwise – like financial problems,
wars and global warming.
These thinkers take the likes of Sri Aurobin-
do and use his proclamations like “India of the
ages is not dead nor has she spoken her last cre-
ative word; she lives and has still something to
do for herself and the human peoples” to show
the changes the end of the next two years will
bring for the Earth.
India has long been touted as the guru of the
world by the many modern sages and thinkers
and innovators of the spirit. They, including
A still from the movie ‘2012’.
Swami Vivekananda, have said that India will
rise as the teacher of the world when the rest
of the world is surfeit of its childishness and is
willing to learn the way of wisdom from India.
Keeping such prophesies in mind, it is no
wonder that the younger generation in India and
the Indian Disapora is leaning towards a con-
sciousness shift rather than catastrophe in 2012.
But as long as we, the Indians of today, continue
aping the West, this guru aspect of India will
remain in abeyance (but that is another story).
Good and positive
All and good, as this writer also believes in
something positive and even good happening in
2012. After snuffling through the thousands of
ideas surrounding the year 2012, one thing was
very clear – mankind is desperately looking at
ways to stop the wounding of its psyche and the
planet.
The escalation of the war against the planet
and its people has reached a peak that even
WWII could not achieve. When children start
dying at the rate one every six minute (due to
disease, abuse and lack of clean water and food)
then it is time to re-look at the way we have been
doing things.
As it is said: the solution of a problem that
exists today cannot be found in the methods of
problem solving that we were using yesterday.
So we must look to the extraordinary and as yet
“unthought” of solutions to our present prob-
lems.
Every idea of governance that we have seen
has its pitfalls, some more than others as shown
by the collapse of “communism” in the recent
past. The so-called collapse of “capitalism” in
the recent years has also shown us what happens
when greed and rampant consumerism is let
loose upon the people.
Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
Feature
The so-called liberations and revolutions
have, in fact, not liberated people, just made us
more like the people who had held us off from
that world of power for so long. Children appear
to be more abused worldwide than maybe ever
before – with child slavery on the rise, and child
prostitution even being condoned by parents in
the less developed sections of the world, where a
father can sell a daughter to pimps for less than
$100.
Food production is the highest it has ever
been and so much of it is wasted, yet a third of
the population find it hard to put together three
square meals each day for the family. Water, the
most abundant element on earth, is getting ex-
pensive to have as more waterways are poisoned
and fewer places of clean water become avail-
able to the world’s population.
And nature is taking its toll (or its revenge) on
every sphere of the globe. Mankind, it appears,
is finding harder to adjust to the new ways that
the Earth is reacting to its perilous situation.
These are the problems that have been be-
setting mankind for a very long time now. And
we still haven’t any answer to them. Is the “end
of days” phenomenon (this attitude to the years
2012) a subliminal cry of help from the collec-
tive psyche of mankind? Why is it that so many
from several parts of the planets are concerned
so much over a little date?
I, for one, don’t believe the Earth will be
destroyed. Yet, I can’t help feeling something
will happen in 2012. I think it will be a bit of
almost everything – some calamity will hit us at
a pace and proportion that will force our hands
into living a better life. Whether this is a global
catastrophe or an event of such proportion that
mankind finally says “enough is enough”, I
don’t know.
One of the prophesies I abide by is that there
will be “minor adjustments” to the planet, with
minor adjustments seen from the point of view
of the planet and not us. This is already happen-
ing. Few of us know that the magnetic poles has
already shift by several degrees southward over
Europe. Some say it is as much as 15 degrees
(?). This would explain why Spain and Portu-
gal are presently experiencing snowfall in areas
where it was previously sunny at this time of
the year.
Could it get worse?
Yes, it has been steadily getting worse. The
nature and scope of natural disasters in the past
few years has been unprecedented. Earthquakes
and tsunamis are getting more frequent, global
warming (whether man-made or natural) is a
fact, and the weather patterns around the world
is throwing up surprises almost every day.
The level of human suffering will have to
peak before “realisation” of the evils of greed,
selfishness, partisan leanings and racism takes
place for humans. It has to get worse before it
gets better. Maybe it is up to us to ride out this
‘worse’ phase before we can get to the golden
age.
The way of wisdom as shown by our ancient
seers is to hold everything in trust – there is no
ownership of anything, including the resources
of the earth. Just as a school headmaster will
look after the property of the school with dili-
gence and with faith, so should every human
being look to the things he or she owns, indi-
vidually and as a collective.
But just as when the headmaster is trans-
ferred and he give up the ‘ownership’ of the
school properties without a fuss, so should
human being be ready to give up anything they
‘own’ – their family, their property, their very
life. This is the way of detachment that our an-
cients showed.
* Nalinesh Arun is a former Fiji journalist
who lived in India for many years. He is now
based in Christchurch
Indian

Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 27

Indian
Column

What are your New Year Resolutions?

Oliver Pereira
We have completed one more calendar
year and are almost facing down the barrel
of the New Year ahead. Is this a good time
to pause for a moment after the hectic
pace of this year and reflect on the
good times and not so good times we
have had this year.
we prepared for the journey in the year
ahead? Most people insure their cars and
properties against damage and loss, but
THINK ABOUT THESE SCENARIOS…
time you assessed the risks to you and
your family? Life insurance products
(sometimes known as ‘risk’ insurance) are
or monthly payments to the beneficiary
in the event that the insured person dies,
or suffers a critical illness or an illness or
accident that prevents them from earning
their usual income and maintaining their
lifestyle and financial commitments.

Is there anything that you wish had
done better, changed if you had an-
other chance?
Do you know of someone who gradu-
ated this year with honours? Someone
who got a promotion? Some one who
got married? Someone who had a new
bon child?
All happy occasions, which were
planned for and achieved.
As hard it may sound do you know
someone who lost a loved one? Some-
one who suffered a major illness? Were
they prepared for such an eventuality?
Were they prepared for such unex-
pected events in their lives? How did
they cope financially? Did anyone of us
know that there would be such a major
earthquake in Christchurch?
While Life itself is a gift how well are
You or a family member needs to go to hospital to have a major So, can you afford not to have insurance?
operation (perhaps for breast cancer or heart bypass) – would
Yes
you be prepared to wait on the public health system for treatment, No If you have answered ‘No’ to any of
these questions, then you are likely to be
with little choice regarding the hospital care you would receive?
‘carrying’ some level of risk or, in other
words, be underinsured. Doing a lifestyle
You are unable to work for six months due to illness or injury – do
you have enough savings to see you through without damaging
Yes check with an insurance adviser will show
your long-term financial goals? No whether you have the right kind of insur-
ance for your stage of life. We can help
You or your partner suffers a life-changing and traumatic event you understand the risks you are carrying,
such as diagnosis of cancer, a heart attack or stroke, and makes a Yes and provide advice on how best to man-
age these risks within your budget.
slow recovery – would you have enough savings to live on during
recovery and adjustment without adding financial stress to the No
situation? The above information has been provided
to serve only as a guideline to assist in
You die suddenly leaving your partner and children behind –
Yes evaluating your insurance needs. You
would they cope financially without an insurance pay-out? No are encouraged to do your own research
before arriving at any decisions.
For further information, please contact:
many neglect to insure their lives and liveli- designed to provide a backup plan to hold Oliver Pereira –
hoods. things together when life turns an unex- OPM Insurance Services Ltd.
Even those who have thought to protect pected corner. Ph. 0800 66 77 92 | Faxmail. 021 551 669
their lifestyles may not have the levels | Mobile. 021 66 77 92
of cover they need. When was the last These products can pay either a lump sum Email. oliver.pereira@xtra.co.nz

28 Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Surviving the Silly Season
Varsha Asrani
It’s the time of the year when you want to
relax, be off work and enjoy the sun along
with the festive season!!
Between all the celebrations, overseas
travel, family and friends visiting; it is
really hard to resist the urge to dig in to
delicatessen, resulting in weight gain that
you would have probably fought through-
out the year.
Its quite natural for your body to react to
a change in circumstances, this could be
triggered by the food you eat over the next
few weeks, your lifestyle and your moods
and what you might drink even, and here I
am referring to alcohol.
One barely thinks about losing weight
during holiday’s and it is a possibility that
we might even get back to work with a few
additional kilos.
Consciously or subconsciously we in-
dulge in treats, this is not really your fault
but it is the season moods to be blamed
………..it’s the time where you have boxes
of chocolates, cakes, baking and all sorts
of treats from family and friends.
What do we do to get it all in control?
We realise that it is not possible to avoid
situations during this time, but let us aim
to just maintain yourself to what you are
at the moment and keep away any weight
gain as far as possible.
Exercise may not fit your plans, but even a
walk at the beach, a swim or playing with
kids at the park can add to some activity.
Stretching out at home or shaking a leg
on some music of your choice can take
the pressure off you and make you feel
less guilty.
Above all the hardest bit is the discipline
with food.
It’s always good to try a few tips which
Early Childhood Education vital for Ethnic Communities.
Ashraf Choudhary- Associate Ethnic Affairs spokesperson
All political parties talk big about the
importance of early childhood education
(ECE), but actions speak louder than
words.
Labour’s policy for 20 Hours Free ECE
was in line with the trend in OECD coun-
tries to provide at least two years free
provision before children start school.
Research shows that children of all
ethnicities who have experienced quality
ECE perform far better in schooling on
average than those who have not, with
these differences carrying on into adult-
hood.
National promised parents it would not
touch Labour’s 20 hours free ECE. But
after being elected it broke this promise
and cut $480 million from the sector
starting this month.
These are the first phase of cuts, which
will force up fees while reducing the num-
ber of qualified teaching staff at centres.
The next cuts come in February.
National also promised to improve adult
to child ratios, but there is already evi-
dence that the opposite is happening as
Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
can be helpful and avoid the emotional
turmoil you may go through when the fun
is over and when you stand on the scale
to find a few more kilos.
Replace the fried variety with healthier
options like the tandoor grilled, keep the
butter away from the naan, cream from
the vegetarian curries and second help-
ings, choose low calorie drinks and go
slow with alcohol, drink responsibly. Avoid
extras if possible, always ensure you have
a salad on the side at home or at the res-
taurant – it makes the difference.
Mind those sweets...these can cause a
huge dent. Indulging in these each day of
the week for the next few weeks can defi-
nitely not let you fit in the same size dress
when the season ends.
Enjoy the weather, the holidays with your
family and the festive season but watch
what you do and eat. Aim to keep your
weight the same and drink heaps of water
to be hydrated over the summer season.
Enjoy the festive season and to make this
season more special, we are giving away
a handsome discount on your first consul-
tation in the New Year *. For further details
email me on varsha@varshaasrani.com.
This article is a general guideline ONLY.
Please see a health professional for indi-
vidual conditions and needs.
--
Varsha Asrani is a New Zealand
Registered Dietitian. For personal
consultations she can be contacted
on 0210524353. For any questions,
suggestions or views please email her on
info@varshaasrani.com.
* Conditions Apply
centres shed staff to cope with Govern-
ment funding cuts.
The Minister is desperately trying to
blame the ECE providers themselves for
increasing fees, claiming that was not her
intention and that centres are “choosing”
to do so. But Treasury officials told the
Minister that these cuts would increase
the cost to families by $40-$80 a week,
putting early childhood education out
of reach for children from our poorest
families.
The National Government’s decision
to increase GST to 15 percent, despite
promising before the election that they
would not do so, has also pushed fees
up.
Given all these broken promises, it is
unacceptable that the Minister continues
to try and mislead parents by blaming
centres for fee increases.
And now the Government is carrying out
a “wide ranging review” of Labour’s 20
Hours Free ECE funding – in other words
another cost cutting exercise.
The Government says ECE costs too
Helping your child succeed
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi MP
Primary school children around the
country will break this week for the
Christmas holidays. It’s an exciting time
for children, a busy time for parents,
and an opportunity to reflect on your
child’s progress in the classroom over
the past 12 months.
This year, primary
and intermediate Last week, an
schools began
implementing Na-
international study from
tional Standards. the OECD came out,
The Standards
are signposts showing that New Zealand
that show what
children should be
students performed a
able to achieve in lot better than average
reading, writing,
and maths, and in reading, maths, and
by when. Parents
are sent plain-
science. This is a credit to
language reports the great job our teachers
on their child’s
progress at least are doing.
twice a year.
Last week, an
international study from the OECD came
out, showing that New Zealand students
performed a lot better than average in
reading, maths, and science. This is a
credit to the great job our teachers are
doing.
However, the study also shows we have
too many low achievers and that there’s
been no overall progress in reading
since 2000 or in maths since 2003.
That’s why National Standards are so
important. One child in five leaves
school without the basic skills they
need to succeed in a modern economy.
National Standards identify those who
much and they haven’t seen “value for
money” from Labour’s funding increases.
This is utter rubbish.
For example, the Minister claims par-
ticipation rates have not increased, yet
her own Ministry says enrolments have
increased 10% since Labour increased
funding to the sector.
Labour dramatically increased funding
so we could build more centres in areas
of high demand and high need, reduce
the cost barrier for families participat-
ing in ECE, and reflect the real cost of
employing 100% qualified staff. This last
point is particularly important.
Early childhood teachers are profession-
ally trained to teach children during one
of their most important developmental
stages when their brains are literally be-
ing shaped. The responsibility is enor-
mous. And yet this Government seems to
see early childhood teachers as nothing
more than glorified babysitters.
Why else would National say that from
February next year centres will no lon-
ger be funded to have all of their staff
properly trained and qualified? They say
Column
are falling behind, so they can get the
help they need before it’s too late.
We’re supporting the Standards with
$36 million over four years to help those
children. This money will be used to
develop resources and programmes to
help lift the achieve-
ment of those who
may otherwise fall
behind and drop out.
We’re also moving
education resources
to the frontline, and
putting children
at the heart of the
education system –
where they belong.
At least 50 expert
practitioners will be
appointed to work
closely with schools,
and find ways to
help their students
succeed. We’ve also
focused teacher de-
velopment squarely
on lifting student achievement.
This year has been a bedding in year
for National Standards. I encourage par-
ents to go and talk to your school about
National Standards, and how you can
work together to make sure your child
achieves in the classroom.
Implementing National Standards and
providing extra support to teachers and
schools, is helping every child get the
skills they need to succeed, reach their
full potential, and make the most of their
bright future.
only 80% of teachers need any kind of
qualification in early childhood teach-
ing, the implicit suggestion being that
someone with absolutely no qualification
can do just as good a job in making up
the other 20%.
Times are tough.
But every Government has choices,
and every Government must have the
courage to stand by their decisions and
defend them, not cower and try to pass
the blame to others. This Government
managed to find tens of billions of dol-
lars for tax cuts for the wealthiest New
Zealanders, subsidies for greenhouse
gas polluters, private schools, and even
$1.6billion for a “holiday highway” north
of Auckland.
They could have taken a small part of
that spending and continued to invest in
early childhood education and the future
of our children. They chose not to. It’s not
acceptable.
Contact: Ashraf Choudhary 021 799 573.
29
Indian
HA!
Simple Soman and his friend
were walking down the
street. Soman noticed a
compact on the pavement
and bent down to pick it up.
He opened it, looked in the
mirror and said, “Hmmm,
this person looks familiar.”
His friend wanted to take
a look. So Soman handed
him the compact. The friend
looked in the mirror and said,
“Of course you find the face
familiar. It’s me!”
FAMOUS FIRST
THE German Heinkel He-178,
the first jet aircraft, made its
maiden flight on August 27,
1939.
TRIVIA
Thailand’s former Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
sent his 17-year-old daughter
to work in McDonald’s so that
she could learn the value of
money and the importance of
hard work.
Thaksin Shinawatra is one
of the country’s richest men.
TRUE OR FALSE
A boomerang can hit a
quarry and return to the
hunter.
False. A boomerang returns to
the hunter only if it misses the
quarry. If it makes even the
slightest contact with the
quarry, it cannot return.
30
PANORAMA
Underground Mecca
COOBER Pedy is a mining
town in Australia where
people live underground to
escape from the harsh climate.
Opal was discovered here in
1915 by a teenager, Willie
Hutchinson. Thereafter, it has
been acknowledged as the
world's opal capital.
On ground, the area
resembles a barren nuclear
war zone. The dusty desert
town faces hot and dry climate
with temperatures soaring to
nearly 500C in summer and
TIMEPASS
A Simply Quizzing
2. What do the
rs
ge the lette
1. Rearran
OOR
NEWD rd.
o as to form one wo
s
B Number Fun
Complete the number pyramid
with the help of the clues given below.
Clues :
1. There is no Roman representation for this
number.
2. ___ Downing Street.
3. The sum of the first ten odd numbers.
4. 143 x 7 = ____.
5. 111111 11 = ______.
JEST FOR KICKS
dipping to a freezing -20C
during winter. For a town
starved of greenery, its first
'tree' was created by welding
together pieces of scrap metal!
So the early settlers sought
shelter in underground homes
where the temperature is always
pleasant. Whenever they discovered can even try your hand at
The first homes were opals in the process, they scouting for opals, though
originally 'dugouts' —mines simply dug more, making mining has stopped in the town
which were abandoned by their houses bigger! area. There is also a golf course
miners. Soon enough, people Today, there are complete with a pond…only
there is no grass and the pond
dug into the sandstone to underground hotels and
create homes for themselves. churches in Coober Pedy. You is an oil slick!
Easy Draw
3. Why do scuba divers
always fall backwards? Draw an
elephant
from the
numbers 11, 69, letter ‘B’.
and 88 have in
common?
C Guess the Age
By looking at the pictures in the family album,
can you tell the age of each member?
grandmother 80 and father 61.
90, daughter-in-law 23, mother 50, B.
The son is 30, grandson 10, grandfather
will see their ages in English numerals. inside of the boat.
C. If you look at their faces carefully, you bang their heads on the
forwards they would
PRATAPAN 3. Because if they fell
upside down.
right side up and
2. They read the same
A. 1. ONE WORD
Answers:
NZ-25 © 2010 Amrita Bharati, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan; e-mail: amritabharati@vsnl.com
Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
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Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz 31

Indian

and
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32 Indian Weekender | December 17, 2010 | www.iwk.co.nz