5th June, 2015 Vol. 7 Issue 11 | www.iwk.co.

nz

New Zealands first Kiwi-Indian weekly newspaper

The Pulse of Kiwi-Indians

Auckland Christchurch Wellington Hamilton Palmerston North Hastings Invercargill

KIWI INDIAN
HALL OF FAME 2015
EXTRAVAGANZA
GET THE COMPLETE PICTURE inside

CONTENTS

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

INSIDE
Pg 4

Pg 23

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HALL OF FAME
2015

Pg 10

NEW ZEALAND

Pg 19

DIRECT DIL SE

SPORTS

Pg 26

QUEENS
BIRTHDAY

Pg 30

FACE OF
THE WEEK

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

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HALL OF FAME 2015

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Razzle Dazzle Glitz & Glamour

Thats how we do it!!
Maya Shivam

he Kiwi Indian Hall

of Fame the third
edition, turned out to
be an evening that all those
in attendance will remember
for months to come. From the
guests who walked down the red
carpet, to the performances, the
ambience and the food all were
out to give taste and class a new
definition that night.
The stars that dazzled everyone
that night were the Prime Minister
Rt Hon John Key, the Minister
of Ethnic Communities Hon
Peseta Sam Lotu Liga, the three
Kiwi Indian MPs, many other
parliamentarians,
community
leaders and ace business people.
Adding a sharp doze of glamour
to the event were the star couple
of Dancing With the Stars fame
Colin Mathura Jefferey and his
dancing partner Kristie Williams.
The crew from TV3 were in

attendance and the event got

prominently featured during the
first episode of Dancing With the
Stars.
Indian Weekender was very
proud to also showcase that
evening, the tenacious twins that
have recently conquered Mount
Everest Nungshi and Tashi
Malik, who are students at the
Southern Institute of Technology.
While the photo booth at the

end of the Red Carpet was where

most people preferred to hang
out that night, the bright eyed
Indian Weekender team members
made sure each and everyone got
a slice of the lime light, had an
enjoyable evening and left with
a limited edition Hall of Fame
bottle of wine.
The pages that follow bring
you snapshots of how the evening
unfolded..

HALL OF FAME 2015

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Hall of Fame awardees inspire the

diaspora
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Dev Nadkarni

n just three years since

inception, the Kiwi Indian
Hall of Fame event has grown
to become a veritable red-letter
day in the New Zealand Indian
diasporas calendar. The speed
with which this event has grown
in popularity in such a short time
shows the importance we Kiwi
Indians accord to recognising
and celebrating the successes
and lifetime contributions of our
own people in our lovely adopted
country.
The success of the sponsoring
publication of the award, the one
that you are now reading, too,
has been no less phenomenal.
Launched six years ago, the idea
behind the Indian Weekender
was to primarily celebrate Kiwi
Indians successes and share
positive stories. Especially in
a media environment that was
too negative in its approach to
migrants of which Indians are a
significant part.
As the publications founding
editor, I share the pride of
Indian Weekenders founding
co-publishers Giri Gupta and
Bhav Dhillon as we look back on
the challenges that the fledgling
publication faced and how these
were overcome with hard work
and dedication. Our objective was
to bring positivity and an air of

celebration to being Kiwi Indian.

Having celebrated our success
stories through the publication
and its online avatar, Indian
Weekender has brought those
celebrations to real life, with the
Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame.
At last weeks third Kiwi
Indian Hall of Fame event,
chief guest Prime Minister John
Key acknowledged the growing
popularity of the award when he
said in his speech that the event
was getting bigger and bigger
with each passing year. He should
know because he has addressed
the growing audience in each
of the three years as chief guest.
As in previous years, the Prime
Minister was appreciative of Kiwi
Indians hard work, industry,
energy and their growing
contribution to the national
economy.
In attendance last week was
also a good representation of New
Zealands political spectrum with
several present and past Members
of Parliament including three of
Indian origin besides luminaries
from many fields and a virtual
whos who of Kiwi Indians. In all,
450 people were present at the
Langham Hotel in Auckland to
witness the induction of the third
Kiwi Indian into the Hall of Fame
under chandeliers emitting light
of the Indian tricolour. Two new
awards, too, were announced:

Kiwi Indian Young Achiever and

Kiwi Indian Unsung Hero.

The awardees

No Kiwi Indian could be in

disagreement with this years
choice of inductee into the Hall
of Fame. Kantilal Naranji Patel
better known as Kanti Patel or
simply Kantibhai has contributed
immensely to the countrys
healthcare system. The man who
came to this country with $20
and a medical degree in 1974 has

today built the countrys largest

private clinician-owned primary
care
providing
organisation
known to all as the Nirvana
Health Group, spread across no
less than 36 locations.
A much awarded and decorated
doctor and businessman, Dr
Patel has worked tirelessly
to bring quality healthcare to
grassroots New Zealand at an
equally accessible cost structure.
Having himself come from an
impoverished background, he

Ashima Singh
Barrister/ Solicitor
LLB/MIT/BCom

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has never forsaken his moorings

and strives hard to drive down
the costs of quality healthcare
provisioning across the country
and even in Australia. Having
given back much to the country
he calls home, he is now keen to
contribute his mite and his skills
to his mother country, India.
The judges could not have
made a better choice than Dr
Kantibhai Patel for induction into
the Hall of Fame. His is a name
that will continue to inspire a

Raj Pradeep Singh

Barrister/ Solicitor
LLB/BA(Hon)

HALL OF FAME 2015

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

whole generation of Kiwi Indians to do
their best for the country, community and
ones own family. Dr Patels solid, spiritual
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old-world values, his dedication to his work
and his altruism, while following sound
business practices, are qualities that many
in our emerging generation would do well
to emulate.

their work. Their only objective is to be of

help to the community. The new Unsung
Heroes category was introduced precisely
to recognise such selfless individuals in the
community. It was a hard slog to pick the
inaugural awardee because there are many
deserving people and there were many
nominations.

Bright young Prerna Sinha became

the first Kiwi Indian Young Achiever
awardee. A multitalented and multifaceted
young woman, she is someone who has
demonstrated that young people can
achieve success in this country with their
own hard work and dedication. Having
come to New Zealand as a student, Prerna
has dug in her roots deep and is now
reaching for the stars not just in one field
but several undoubtedly an inspiration
to the growing multitudes of young Indians
coming to New Zealand to study and seek a
better life.
We have so many selfless, hardworking
self-effacing people in our communities
that it is often hard to come across them.
They work quietly, often determined to
avoid any spotlight on themselves and

Continued on Page 6

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HALL OF FAME 2015

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Continued from Page 5

However, one name stood

out: Pravin Chandra Patel or
simply Pravinbhai. He has been
such a dedicated worker in the
community for so long that it is
hard to list the organisations he
has set up, led and championed
for the weal of the community.
His has been exemplary life of
giving of his time, energy,
effort and skill all with the
sole of objective of helping the
community, strengthening its
institutions and preserving the
Indian heritage. His self-effacing
nature was evident in his humble,
brief acceptance speech in which
he thanked the very community
he has so selflessly served.

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Talent showcased

As well as celebrating our

successes, the event also has
become a platform for showcasing
our talented youngsters. A
young, talented Maori group of
performers staged a haka and
teamed up with Nachda Punjab,
the countrys most experienced
Bhangra crew to perform an
engaging fusion routine after
Nachdas presentation of a dholaccompanied classic Bhangra
number.
The surprise item of the

And the award goes to..!

Swati Sharma

T
An

he third edition of Kiwi

Indian Hall of Fame was
all glaze and glitters.
evening

celebrities,

stars

studded
and

with
elites,

witnessed more than 400 guests in

The Great Room at The Langham.

The most awaited awards
of the year for the Kiwi Indian
community were given out by
the Prime Minister and the Chief
Guest for the night, Rt Hon John
Key.
Among the newly introduced

awards, were the Kiwi Indian

Unsung Hero and the Kiwi Indian
Young Achiever.
Community
serviceman,
Pravin Bhai Patel won the Unsung
Hero award for his continuous
work towards the betterment of
the Indian community in New

Zealand.
The young achiever award was
given out to the very talented
Prerna Sinha, popularly known
as DJ Charlie, for her great
achievements at a young age of 27
years.
For the biggest honour of the
Kiwi Indian community, Indian

evening though was the Victorious

March Band of the Soka Gakkai
International
Black(NZ) organisation.
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Comprising an ensemble of 45
young artistes of a range of ages
and ethnicities, the band held
the audience spellbound as it
presented its numbers with a lot
of foot tapping and wine glass
clinking from the audience, as
cheerful conductor Beth Cohen
wielded the baton and egged on the
audience at the same time. Kiwi
Indian singer-songwriter Sayanti
rounded off the entertainment
with a rendition in her superbly
sultry voice.
The Kiwi Indian Hall of
Fame has come to symbolise the
achievement of Kiwis of Indian
origin, no matter where they
might have come from. The first
inductee three years ago was
Member of Parliament Kanwaljit
Singh Bakshi, who hails from
India. Next it was justice Ajit
Swaran Singh who is of Fiji Indian
origin and this years inductee,
Kantibhai Patel grew up in Kenya.
Just how much this event will
be looked forward too was again
summed up in the last line of
Prime Minister Keys address:
See you all next year, he said.

Weekender had the pleasure

and proud to induct Dr Kantilal
Naranji Patel, into the Kiwi Indian
Hall of Fame for the year 2015
for his extensive work for the
community through East Tamaki
Healthcare and Nirvana Health
Group. Lets know more about
them.

Dr Kantilal Naranji Patel, inductee

Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame 2015
Background
Born 1949, As a child,
growing up in Kenya
Kanti faced hardships
not known to many.
His
impoverished
background was mixed
with an unrelenting
desire from a simple
father
prioritising
that his children be
educated and use
that education to serve.
Amongst political unrest, his father, a pious
man, was separated from his family for 20 years, Through
those years, his only contact was through telegrams and the messages were a
continuous urge to ensure that Kanti pursued education and understood the obligations
to support his family, in particular his younger siblings.
Father of 3 adult children Rakesh, Meena and Depak , Kanti is a grandfather of 7,
6 girls and one boy. He moved to New Zealand in 1974, with a medical degree, $20 in
his pocket, and probably his biggest asset, an arranged marriage to his wife of 42 years,
Ranjna.
Kantis academic and professional achievements are unsurpassed. From his MBBS
from Baroda Medical School, Kanti went on to a Fellowship of the Indian Academy of
General Practitioners, was a Founding Member of the WONCA (World Organisation of
National Colleges, Acadamies and Academic Associations of Family Physicians) and in
2009 was awarded the Distinguished Fellowship of the Royal New Zealand College of
General Practitioners.
In 2009, Kanti was honoured with the Queens Service Medal for services to Medicine
and the Indian Community.

Business
We all know Dr Patel as the Chairman and Founder of Nirvana Health Group, New
Zealands largest Private clinician owned Primary Care Provider. The Group, founded
in 1977 by Dr Patel, from his single practice in Otara has developed into a network of 36
practices in New Zealand and 14 in Australia. The care provided by the team of over 900
staff reaches over 400,000 Aucklanders a year, delivering over 1.5million consultations.
Over 60% of these consultations are provided free of charge to the patients
He has Revolutionalised medical practice and care for the Auckland community,
ensuring low cost access to those vulnerable communities most in need whilst maintaining
an uncompromising stance on the high quality treatment to his patients.
In order to deliver specialist care to his patients. He has built 2 specialist centres,
where specialists can provide access to patients, free of charge.
Charitable
The examples of this vision do not just limit themselves to medicine.
Always seeking to serve, Dr Patel has contributed in the fields of community
development.
A founding Trustee of the Bharitiya Mandir,
Chairman of the International Swaminarayan Satsang Organization - he has
built the Hindu Temple in Papatoetoe.
He has extended the religious and spiritual offerings to now have 28 homes
surrounding his community complex, which house migrant students and needy
families for accommodation at nominal rates.
Kanti would argue that he is not even half way there. His dreams for Revolutionising
Medical care for New Zealanders is a journey that he is personally leading. He wants
to see every patient given the best treatment, in the most cost affordable and timely
manner. He is driven to create environments of safe integration for Indian migrants, he
wants to enhance the true nature of Indian culture within the community and continues
to deliver on these dreams through his charitable work.

HALL OF FAME 2015

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

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Prerna Sinha
Kiwi Indian Young Achiever 2015

rerna Sinha is a 27-year old career-oriented and exceptionally talented

youngwoman residing in Auckland. By day shes a Senior Developer in the
Product & Infrastructure department of a leading organisation, which is one
of the most successful websites in the country. By night youll likely find her at some of
Aucklands best night clubs spinning records and mixing tracks under the pseudonym
DJ Charlie.She transitions from one avatar to the other with finesse and grace. Both
male dominated professions Prerna rules both her streams of work with ease and
conviction and is an inspiration to many young women.
She is also an Official Brand Ambassador for Audio-Technica in New Zealand.
Audio-Technica is a worldwide group of companies devoted to the design, manufacture,
marketing and distribution of state-of-the-art audio equipment. As DJ Charlie, she
has been a part of and performed at some of the biggest events in New Zealand. She
has a very loyal following of music listeners globally. She has also featured on local
and international radio shows in USA, UK and UAE.
She was Won Entrepreneurial Challenge on Miss Universe New Zealand 2014 and
also finished in the Top 10 in the pageant. Prerna made New Zealand her home when
she moved here as an International student in 2006, to pursue her undergraduate
studies in IT.She is a role model for many young international students who arrive on
the shores of New Zealand with stars in their eyes. Prernas journey and achievements
so far have made her an influential and inspirational woman for the Kiwi-Indian
community.

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HALL OF FAME 2015

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Pravin Chandra Patel

Kiwi Indian Unsung Hero, 2015

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Mr Pravin Chandra Patel, more popularly known as Pravinbhai by all since 1996. His knowledge on Hindu
values has impressed the audience at many seminars. Mr Patel has held held key positions with various Bharatiya
(Indian) oriented organisations. All his work has been on voluntary basis, inspite of being a busy and successful
businessman.
Born in East Africa, PravinBhai studied Engineering in India. Subsequently, he migrated to New Zealand and
started his Business.
Soon, due to his nature and inclination, he was attracted to various Hindu organisations and got involved
in various capacities with Bharatiya Mandir, Vipassana Meditation Centre, Vedanta Society, Foundation for
Self Knowledge, Hindu Heritage Centre, Hindu Elders Foundation, Hindu Council of New Zealand, Hindu
Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) amongst many others.
The, HSS, is an organization dedicated to training especially the youth to become the leaders oftomorrow.
Mr Patels personal and leadership qualities suited the organisations vision, and he was approached to lead it
by becoming its President. He has been helping with that leadership for the past 19 years.
He has been instrumental in guiding the organization to strive for the well being of the Hindu youth and to
provide them with clear values to benefit the NZ society.

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Under his leadership and guidance, a number of significant events took place:
}}
Youth Leaders Training Camp (7-day camp) So far 9 such camps have been held. Approximately group of 400 youths from various part of NZ have
taken part and graduated.
World Peace Meet in Auckland in 2003 : For the first time, 52 Indian -oriented organisations came together to organise a large gathering of Hindus in New Zealand
New Zealand Hindu Youth Festival : Organised in Rotorua in order to portray the right way of celebrating Hindu cultural festival and also to start a regular youth
training in Rotorua as a new centre
Developing relationship with the Marae and Maori community
Took leading roles in all the Hindu Conferences held so far including the Elders and Youth conference.
Organised two Hindu family camps in order to understand and exchange ideas with the Maori community.

Mr Patel is a humble and extraordinary individual who acts as an exceptional role model for the Indian Youth of our community, he provides inspiration to all those who are
in contact with him.

Behind the scenes

Esha Chanda

would not have been possible

along with tea light candles

stage and in the clubs. His classy

without different crucial elements

emitting a warm glow made

and up-market boat cruises have

deas easily float into the

mind, but it is the execution
that matters. The Kiwi

Indian Hall of Fame started off

with one such idea. It was in its

that turned the event into a

success.
elegant

been popular year after year.

backdrop of the stage covered

Framing it right

with drapes in flamboyant hues of

The decor
The

for a beautiful centrepiece. The

Great

Room

A treasure chest of memories

orange and red added a splash of

has been created with delightful

nascent stages then and the team

of The Langham in Central

colour to the evening.

moments frozen in time. Kimaya

behind Indian Weekender shaped

Auckland was further enhanced

Creations,

it into an event that would be

by decorations from Mandap,

The acoustic journey

etched in the history of Indians in

New Zealand. The two figurines

New Zealand.

of the majestic elephant on the

Last week the Kiwi Indian

red carpet spread out for the

Hall of Fame entered its third

400 guests added a traditional

year. Months of hard work and

element to the glamorous start

persistence culminated into a

of the evening. The tri-coloured

stellar evening that saw cultural

chandeliers over the round tables

performances, song renditions

gave a subtle ethnic touch. The

and three new awardees. But it

table runner shaped as a flower

an

Auckland-based

company, added a modern and

distinctive touch to the traditional
art of still photography with
beautiful candid pictures from
the evening. Video interviews
conducted at the photo booth
gave guests a platform to share
their experiences of the event.
One of the most favourite and
popular spots of the evening,

DJ Dave

guests were given the opportunity

Kuntal Trivedi of Kimaya Creations

to click an exclusive photo with

the Prime Minister along with
friends and families.
All in all the vent was a
culmination of the hard work
and the team dynamics of many
professionals working towards
the success of the entire event.
It may however be pertinent
to mention that the event was
conceptualised,

produced,

executed and spearheaded by

EVENTS | ENTERTAINMENT | MEDIA

the in house talent an Indian

Weekender. It was truly the

With years of experience in New

showcasing of the labour of love

Zealand and around the globe,

that the entire team had put

DJ Dave is a recognised name in

together that memorable evening.

the world of entertainment. His

team created magic with light
and sound as they belted out
popular Bollywood foot-tapping
music and soft instrumentals
throughout the evening.
Specialising in all kinds of
music

for

weddings,

corporate

events,

engagements,

receptions,birthday parties &

conferences DJ Dave provides
a

huge

Selection

of

music

for everyone. Events by DJ

Daveshowcase the best talent on

For news and updates,

like us on Facebook

HALL OF FAME 2015

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

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Hall of Fame 2015

Snapshots

Continued on next page

10

HALL OF FAME 2015

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

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Indian goodwill delegation

visits NZ
Swati Sharma

ndia New Zealand

Business
Council
recently hosted a
goodwill delegation of
Indian
Parliamentarians
to New Zealand headed
by
the
Minister
of
Parliamentary
affairs
and Skills Development Hon Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
This was another big step
in
strengthening
New
Zealand- India relations.
Dignitaries
from
New
Zealand Parliament were
also present to openly
discuss issues like the free
trade agreement and others
amongst which participation
of Air India in the New
Zealand business market to
help bolster the ties between
the two countries.
Opening remarks were
made by His Excellency
the High Commissioner of
India to New Zealand, Mr
Ravi Thapar, who welcomed
the delegates and thanked
INZBC for facilitating the
evening.
Mr Rudy commenced
his address by introducing
everyone in his delegation,
in a light hearted informal
address. Speaking about his
association with the High
Commissioner going as far

back as, when they were at

University. He also spoke
about inviting the New
Zealand Parliamentarians
to a game of Cricket with the
Indian Parliamentary team.
Talking business, Mr
Rudy explained how the
current
Government
has gone through three
major chapters including
legislation,
financial
inclusion and international
diplomacy over the past
one year that supported the
growth and development in
the Country.
He said that ever
since the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi took charge,
the countrys engagement
across the world has
increased manifold.
He
also talked about the
current Indian government
resolving major overdue

issues related to border

security and terrorism with
the neighbouring countries
like
Bangladesh
and
Pakistan.
Speaking on the current
state of Indo NZ ties,
the Minister stated that
although there can clearly be
many areas where the two
Countries could collaborate
in terms of Agriculture,
Education or in the Digital
India programme - he
stated that the engagement
with New Zealand remains
low. He referred to Prime
Minster Narendra Modis
visit to Australia and stated
that perhaps Mr Modi
wanted to spend some more
time in New Zealand and
that is why he decided not
to make a short flight in a
hurry.
Praising New Zealand
for being one of the safest
countries in the world
he
congratulated
the
Government for keeping
the countrys borders secure
from threats of terrorism.
Among
the
NZ
Parliamentarians
joining
the discussion, were Mr
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi,
Dr Parmjeet Parmar from
National Party, Mr Phil Goff
from Labour Party and Mr
Mahesh Bindra from NZ
First Party.

NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

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Changes made to disability

support services

ood
progress
has
been
made in implementing the
recommendations of a major
review of disability support services,
Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam
Lotu-Iiga says.
Substantial changes to the Ministry
of Healths processes and systems and
managing provider performance have been
made, Mr Lotu-Iiga says.
This review was a response to concerns
raised by the disability sector around
transparent performance and quality
management of ministry-funded provider
services.
Its implementation is one of the priority
areas contained in the updated Disability
Support Services Strategic Plan, which is
being released today(June 3rd).
The ministry is working with disabled
people, government agencies, providers
and the wider sector on more than 60
activities to help achieve the reports
recommendations.
Nineteen have been completed and
43 are in progress. Completed activities
include new bi-monthly reports that inform
decisions about provider performance and
establishing a two-year project to provide

paid internships for young disabled people.

The ministry listened when disabled
people told them they wanted a voice in
decisions made about services that impact
on them, their whnau and providers. The
focus is on their safety, quality of life and
ability to speak up about the standard of
services they receive, Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Community Patrol
launched in Mount Roskill

They do really good work to help their

community and will be a valued addition to
Mount Roskill, says Dr Parmar.
National has worked hard to help
our police build
a
safer
New
Zealand; we now
have the lowest
crime rate since
1978. Our police
have
focused
on
prevention
first, and weve
given them better
resources to do
the job so they can
National MP Parmjeet Parmar, Taki Tuhaka, Merril Bourne and Glenn
spend less time
Cleaver following the launch of the Mount Roskill Community Patrol.
behind a desk and
more time out in
attended the event at St Giles Presbyterian
their neighbourhoods.
Church.
Together with this new community
It is great to see such a strong sense
patrol,
Im sure all our families will feel
of caring for the safety of people in this
community with the launch of the Mount very secure in their homes and workplaces,
Roskill Community Patrol. I would like to as they should!
congratulate them and thank them for the
Community Patrols of New Zealand
work they will be doing helping keep our was formed in 2001 to promote and foster
neighbourhoods safe.
a collaborative working relationship with
A community patrol is made up of Police and to provide resources, support
volunteers who act as eyes and ears for and guidance to local community patrol
police, helping to create a safer environment
groups.
to live in.
ount Roskill had a Community
Patrol for the first time after
their launch recently.
National List MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar

Hot Retail Opportunity

6 Arrenway Drive, Albany, Auckland

Boundary lines are indicative only

Add value/Break up!

Attention Developers, Owner Occupiers, Tenants
Large 1,847m2 freehold standalone site with ample car parks
Substantial 560m2 tilt slab building with holding income
Would suit a variety of uses including retail, restaurant, showroom, childcare, subject to resource consent.

Located on the eastern side of Arrenway Drive, close to the junction with Triton Drive, neighbours include
The North Shore Plaza, Turners Cars and Fish City.
Currently occupied by Korean Sauna and The Nam San Restaurant, the passing rental provides holding income
with the option to terminate the Sauna tenancy. This property offers investors, owner occupiers and developers
an opportunity to grow the income or divide the property into a range of smaller units upwards of 80m2 and
represents exceptional value for money.
Property Details
Building Area
80m2* - 560m2 (more or less)
Zoning
Business 10
PAUP
Light Industry, Precinct - Albany 2
*Smaller units subject to consents

Tenancy Details
Name of Tenant Korean Sauna Limited
Net Rental
$120,000pa + GST and OPEX
Nam San Restaurant is currently under review.

Tony Chaudhary
M +64 21 995 121
B +64 9 271 7267
tony.chaudhary@bayleys.co.nz

Terry Kim
M +64 274 711 446
B +64 9 489 0966
terry.kim@bayleys.co.nz

Bayleys Real Estate Ltd, Manukau,

Licensed under the REA Act 2008

Devereux Howe-Smith Realty Ltd, Bayleys,

Licensed under the REA Act 2008

Michael Block
M +64 21 888 233
B +64 9 489 0973
block@bayleys.co.nz
Devereux Howe-Smith Realty Ltd, Bayleys,
Licensed under the REA Act 2008

Expressions of Interest 4pm, Thursday, 2nd July 2015

(unless sold or leased prior)
29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622, New Zealand

www.bayleys.co.nz/377799

12

NEW ZEALAND

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Red

Black

Orange

Families health still a priority under National

Kanwaljit Bakshi
National List MP

elivering better public health

services
to
New
Zealand
families remains a priority
under National, and we are committing a
record $15.9 billion in this years health
budget to do just that.
The major announcement on Budget
Day was our $76.1 million commitment
to hospices and palliative care. We
are funding areas which make a huge
difference to peoples lives by ensuring
terminally ill people are as free from pain

and suffering as possible.

Hospices provide valuable care and
support for families and friends, and this
investment will ensure they can continue
to do so.
National is also investing $13 million
to fund 60 new nurse specialists and help
hospices expand their community care
services.
These nurses play a critical role in
training and mentoring staff across aged
care facilities. They will help to ensure
that as our population ages, high quality
care and facilities remain available to
them.
We are helping New Zealanders live
longer, healthier lives, free of pain.
Before the Budget we reaffirmed this
commitment by announcing a further
$98 million to boost elective surgery and
improve prevention and treatment of

orthopaedic conditions.
This funding will help deliver an
average extra 4,000 elective operations
per year over the next four years.
Thats more hip and knee operations
for those who need them most. Latest
figures show a record 161,000 elective
operations were performed last year,
44,000 more than in 2008/09 thats
what careful management of our finances
delivers for Kiwis.
We will also invest $12 million to
extend Waitemata District Health
Boards bowel cancer screening pilot to
2017.
The Government is considering the
next steps in funding for bowel cancer
screening but has already started to lay
the groundwork with funding for more
colonoscopies in Budget 2015.
Initiatives are also underway to

Step up to tackle child poverty

Barry Coates
Green Party

any of us will miss the TV

broadcaster, John Campbell.
His campaigning on issues
has played a valuable role in highlighting
important social issues.
In particular, the Campbell Live
programmes on child poverty showed the
reality of lunch for too many children in
New Zealand it is difficult for kids to
learn when they are hungry.
Video images brought to life the work
of frontline agencies like Auckland City
Mission, advocates like the Child Poverty

Action Group and political work of the

Green Party.
As a result of our collective efforts,
child poverty became an issue at the last
election.
After years of downplaying the
problem, the Prime Minister promised
after the election that this government
would reduce child poverty.
But meeting that promise will need far
more than was announced in the recent
Budget.
The increases in income for welfare
beneficiaries in the recent Budget are
welcome, but an additional $25 per week
will do little to will do little to meet the
rising costs of rent, food, clothing and
other costs.
The scale of the problem needs to be
recognised.
The Childrens Commission identifies
that 260,000 children live in income
poverty, 180,000 suffer material hardship

and around 110,000 live in severe poverty.

This means one in four children are
at risk of lower educational attainment,
poorer health, higher unemployment
and higher involvement in crime. It
impoverishes us as a society and affects
us all, no matter who we are. We need
long term solutions, not just short term
improvements.
The Budget also introduced some
measures that will make it more difficult
for children to grow up in a supportive
family environment.
In order to qualify for a benefit, sole
parents will need to be in work when their
youngest child turns three years old (it is
currently five).
This is a problem for many parents
who need to pay far higher costs of
childcare, and struggle to find work when
unemployment remains high, jobs are
insecure and part time or shift work is the
only option.

Positive visit to Fijis Parliament

Phil Goff
Labour MP

ogether with the Speaker and

Clerk of our Parliament and the
Chair of our Foreign Affairs Select
Committee, I had the privilege of recently
sitting in on two sessions of Fijis new
Parliament.
After eight years of having no elected
representatives and no means to hold the
Government to account, Fijis Parliament
is now back in action.
The new Parliamentary chamber has
been moved back to the old Government
buildings in the centre of Suva where it is
more accessible.

Its sessions are televised as well as

being broadcast online so people can see
what is happening in their Parliament.
Of its 50 elected representatives, only
four have been in Parliament before so
most are relatively inexperienced.
The Speaker and her Parliamentary
office are also new. Everyone is on a steep
learning curve.
However, we were impressed by how
Parliamentarians are picking up their new
roles quickly.
Opposition MPs are asking good
questions and Ministers are getting used
to the idea of being able to be held to
account for their decisions.
Parliament has the adversarial feeling
of all Westminster style Parliaments
though New Zealand created a rare
moment of total unity in the Parliament
when all sides unanimously passed a
resolution congratulating the Fijian
Rugby team on its victory over the All
Blacks in the Sevens Final in Glasgow!

They enjoyed the fact that New Zealand

Parliamentarians were there to witness it.
The new Parliament still has a long
way to go. There are decrees in place
that constrain the readiness of the media
to be critical.
And old 1969 Public
Decree requires MPs to seek police
permission before organising meetings
with constituents. At budget time 15 Bills
were pushed through under urgency in 10
minutes.
These are matters that Fijians
themselves will have to address and
resolve.
The purpose of our Parliamentary visit
was not to presume to dictate to Fiji as
outsiders how they should conduct their
affairs.
We were there as friends and
neighbours of Fiji to offer our assistance in
any way that it requests to strengthen the
institution of Parliament and help build
the conventions that make democracy
resilient and sustainable.

increase the workforce to carry out those

colonoscopies. C
ancer
services
have
improved
immeasurably under this Government,
with a new health target that says people
will get treatment within 62 days of their
GP first suspecting they have cancer.
Under Labour, New Zealanders were
leaving to get their cancer treatment in
Australia.
Thankfully those days are over.
Also, fromJuly 1, free doctors visits
will be extended to 400,000 more
children and their families because cost
should not stop parents taking their kids
to the doctor.
Thats what National is all about,
delivering better public health services
that really make a difference to New
Zealand families.

Families working long hours for low

wages still struggle with too little to pay
the weekly bills.
And the Kiwisaver payment of $1000,
which was an opportunity to kickstart
saving, was axed in the Budget.
The Green Party is committed to a
plan to tackle child poverty, with proper
targets and a comprehensive package of
measures.
This is the only way to make real
progress in tackling child poverty,
and to start restoring peoples belief
that governments can make a positive
difference.
It is little wonder that people get
cynical about politics. Promises are made,
but nothing really changes. We can do
better.
Barry Coates was a candidate for Mt.
Roskill in the election and is 16th on the Green
Party list. Hes formerly CEO of Oxfam
New Zealand.

Fiji is doing well economically.

Tourism is prospering and I saw many
advances in the provision of infrastructure
and highways.
The Government also deserves credit
for its commitment to a Fiji where
citizenship is equal for all regardless of
their ethnicity.
Fiji and New Zealand are sovereign
countries with sometimes differing
policies and views.
However, as Pacific countries with
shared
institutions,
language
and
interests, we are also natural partners and
it makes sense for us to work together.
The reestablishment of elections and
democracy in Fiji opens the way for
stronger cooperation and a much better
relationship between governments and
parliaments.
This will match the strong and genuine
friendship which has always existed at the
people to people level between Kiwis and
Fijians.

NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

The event - presented by our region, and a great way to
council-controlled organisation experience a traditional Indian
Orange
Auckland Tourism, Events and festival.
Economic Development (ATEED)
Groups and performers who
and Asia NZ Foundation - will would like to be considered
pplications are now take place in Aotea Square and for stage performances, street
open for stallholders and Queen Street in central Auckland performances and the Radio
Bollywood
dance
performers who would on the weekend of 17-18 October Tarana
like to help light up Auckland at 2015.
competition at Auckland Diwali
Auckland Diwali Festival 2015.
ATEED Chief Executive, Brett Festival need to apply by 14
The Auckland Diwali Festival is ORiley, says: Auckland Diwali August 2015.
a two-day celebration that brings Festival has become
Aucklanders and visitors of all ages a must-do occasion
and ethnic backgrounds together in Aucklands annual
to celebrate and experience events calendar, with
traditional and contemporary tens
of
thousands
Indian culture in its many exciting of Aucklanders and
forms.
visitors of all ethnic
It is the largest vegetarian backgrounds attending
festival in the country and includes each
year.
Along
live performances, a huge range of with Pasifika and the
Indian foods and sweets, street Auckland
Lantern N e ws f ro m t h e C o u n c i l
theatre, workshops and a dazzling Festival, it is one of
fireworks display.
our major cultural events in
Auckland Diwali Festival stall
sites are available for vegetarian
food, sweets, craft, and henna
vendors, or to promote community
organisations and businesses.
The deadline for stallholder
applications is 29 June 2015
Further information, an online
application form and dance
competition judging criteria can
be found onDiwali websiteor
by
emailing
the
Auckland
Diwali Festival team atdiwali@
aucklandnz.com.

Help light up
Auckland Black
at
Red
Diwali Festival
2015

13

Building the worlds most liveable

city
Investing in transport
In response to the feedback
on
the
10-year
budget,
Auckland Council has decided
to act immediately on the
regions transport problems,
implementing an Accelerated
Transport Programme (ATP) that
will see new investments of about

Rates
There will be an average
general rates increase of 2.5
per cent for 2015/2016, 3.2 per
cent in 2016/2017 and 3.5 per
cent for each of the remaining
years of the budget to pay for the
hundreds of essential day-to-day
services that the council provides.
Other decisions in the 10-year

$170 million per year over the next

three years. This will allow work to
start on the urgent improvements
required to get Auckland moving.
To pay for the Accelerated
Transport Programme, there will
be a three-year Interim Transport
Levy of $99 ($114 including GST)
a year for non-business ratepayers
and $159 ($183 including GST)
for business ratepayers while the
council seeks government support
for alternative funding to deliver
the Auckland Plan Transport
Network.

budget include:
Keeping the Uniform Annual
General Charge at $385
Reducing business rates at
a slower rate than originally
proposed, limiting the impact of
the business differential strategy
on residential ratepayers to an
additional 0.5 per cent a year until
2036/2037
The introduction of an annual
on-property booked inorganic
service.
In July, the final budget will be
available both online and in hard
copy at libraries, service centres
and local board offices.

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14

FIJI

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Red

Key visit in the pipeline

ew
Zealand
Prime
Minister John Key could
visit Fiji this year.
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Ratu Inoke Kubuabola confirmed
that the matter was raised during
consultations with New Zealand
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray
McCully in Auckland in May this
year.
We will let you know when it
has been firmed up, said Ratu
Inoke.
At their Auckland meeting, the
two foreign ministers discussed
progress with rebuilding the
countries relationship following
their earlier meeting last year in
Nadi, Fiji.
Their talks covered bilateral

issues, Pacific, regional and global

issues, including co-operation
around New Zealands term on the
United Nations Security Council.

They agreed that the talks

should become an annual event,
with the next session taking place
in Fiji next year.

Groenewald moves to use taser guns

he Commissioner of Police,
Ben Groenewald, will make
a submission to the Defence
Minister Timoci Natuva this week
for the issuing of taser electric shock
guns to Police officers.
The move follows a series of
recent robberies involving attacks
on Police officers by criminal
elements.
The attacks have raised public
concern about the safety of Police
officers while on duty. On April
27, five masked men tried to rob
Aerotown Mobil Service Station
in Nadi and fought Police with
bottles and stones. Two weeks
ago, Commissioner Groenewald
was attacked with a wine bottle at
the liquor shop distill, in Flagstaff,
Suva. He received 13 stitches.
Early last Thursday morning,
seven men armed with bottles and
stones fought six Police officers and
their dogs after a home invasion.
Mr Groenewald said the way the
crime the Aerotown Nadi robbery
was handled was disappointing and
an embarrassment and the force
needed to look into it.

Fiji Commissioner of Police, Ben Groenewald

There are ways that we

can empower our people more
professionally in terms of how to
approach crime scenes, he said.
We do have fire arms available
and we do issue people for specific
operations.
It is not a new thing but it is
not for general issuing to all Police
officers in uniforms.
I think the same principle will
be applied if we decided to start
using taser guns. I had an informal
discussion with my line minister

about this and I have prepared

a proper presentation that I will
submit to his office early next (this)
week, Mr Groenewald told Radio
Australia.
Meanwhile, Fiji Womens Crisis
Centre co-ordinator Shamima Ali
also told Radio Australia it was not
time for the Police to be considering
issuing taser guns to its officers.
She said the Police needed to
undertake in-depth human rights
training before considering the use
of arms.

Orange

Our world without

borders, says PM

F
Minister for Foreign Affairs Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, (left) and New Zealand
Prime Minister John Key (right).

Black

iji will lead the charge in six

months time when world
leaders meet in Paris for the
Global Climate Summit.
This was reaffirmed by Prime
Minister Voreqe Bainimarama in
Thailand.
Fiji and the other island nations
will be leading the charge at the
Paris Summit to finally get the global
community to wake up, he said.
To pressure those nations in
the coalition of the selfish to
start finally accepting that they are
citizens of the World and that World
doesnt end at their own borders.
Mr Bainimarama said the
summit would go down as one of the

turning points in history. Because

we will either start taking this issue
seriously or it will soon be too late.
He called on other Pacific nations
to rally together in the Pacific Way.
We need to take the message
of our extreme vulnerability to
every corner of the Earth. To get
the citizens of other nations to start
pressuring their governments to
recognise our plight and come to our
assistance. He said the campaign
begins now.
Mr Bainimarama thanked
the member nations of the EU,
who have committed themselves
to a 40 per cent cut in carbon
emissions by 2030.

Germany thump Fiji in Under-20

World Cup opener

Germanys Grischa Proemial (R) and Levin Oeztunali celebrate after

the formers goal against Fiji. Germany started its FIFA U-20 World Cup
New Zealand 2015 campaign off in style with an 8-1 thumping of Fiji,
while Brazil came from behind to defeat Nigeria.

dominant German side

were just too strong
for the Fijians as they
thumped the Pacific nation 8-1
in their opening FIFA Under -20
World Cup match in Christchurch
on Monday.
Hany Mukhtar scored a hattrick for the Germans while his
team mate Niklas Stark scored a
double, but the Fijians did have

something to cheer about when

Iosefo Verevou scored off an
unexpected strike in the 48th
minute. Mark Stendera, Grischa
Proemel and Marvin Stefaniak
also scored for Germany as they
tore through the Fijians with ease.
Germany will face off against
Uzbekistan while Fiji will take
on Honduras at Christchurch
Stadium.

Search begins for Miss World Fiji

he search for Fijis next

representative to the Miss
World begins on June 6.
This year, organisers are hoping
to attract applicants from far and
wide. Last year, Australian finalist
Asena Rokotuiwai, who was one of
the many international applicants,
finished second and also scooped the
Top Model award.
Applicants from as far as the
US, Chile and the UK applied for
last years title, which was won by
Taveuni beauty, Charlene Tafunai,
who is the reigning Miss World Fiji.

The Fiji Broadcasting Corporation

and the Fiji Sun have been confirmed
as the exclusive media partners for
this years event. In 2013, Duane
Gazi, director of Model Scouting at
Trump Model Management in New
York was brought in to judge the
contest. A model search conducted
by the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation
saw Sigatoka beauty, Philippa Steele,
discovered and signed to Trump
Model Management.
Supermodel Rachel Hunter was
also the guest judge in 2012 and this
was the first time for an international

model to be involved in a local

event, said managing director Miss
World Fiji Lara Chung.
The Miss World Fiji contest will
take place from July 20-25 this year
at The Pearl South Pacific Resort in
Deuba. This is the third consecutive
year in which the resort is hosting
the national finals. Miss World
Fiji has also received worldwide
attention for its creative photo
shoots and colourful costumes
that attracted the attention of
international bloggers, pageant
journalists and the international

Miss World Organisation. The big

reveal photo shoot which we did last
year received picture of the day and
over nine thousand likes on the Miss
World Facebook page. Our national
costumes have also placed Fiji on
the international stage with the Owl
costume winning in 2012 and our
Kula bird costume placing 10th last
year. This is out of 125 participating
countries, Ms Chung said.
Ten national finalists will be
selected at the official castings on
June 6 before the final competition
on July 25.

Charlene Tafunai was crowned

Miss World Fiji 2014

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

Chand Warns workers On Social Media

Red

Black

Orange

ivil servants must be totally

focused on serving the public
during working hours, says
Permanent Secretary for the Public
Service Commission Parmesh Chand.
This follows incidents where civil
servants were seen uploading pictures
and updating posts on social media sites
during working hours.
Mr Chand has warned that civil
servants are not to engage in personal
social media activities in their offices.
There are no specific policies
regarding social media.
However, civil servants are bound by
the Civil Service Code of Conduct which

NEWS in BRIEF
More Georgian
scholarships on offer

ore Georgian scholarships

are being made available for
Fijians during the September

intake.
Georgias non-resident Ambassador
to Fiji Vladimer Konstantinidi confirmed
this with Minister for Foreign Affairs Ratu
Inoke Kubuabola during their meeting
last week.
Ratu Inoke had visited Georgia in 2012
and following successful bilateral talks,
the government of Georgia had offered six
scholarships for Fijian students to study
medicine at the Tibilisi State Medical
University of Georgia.
The Foreign Minister said they
discussed various ways in which the two
countries could work towards enhancing
their bilateral relations.
He also extended an invitation for Ratu
Inoke to re-visit Georgia.

Workers urged to
make plan

he final batch of workers for

the NZ recognised seasonal
employers (RSE) work scheme
has been urged to make financial plans to
avoid spending their wages unnecessarily.
You will have the opportunity to earn
good wages, deputy OHS and Workers
Compensation secretary Isimeli Tuivaga
told the group of six at the Tanoa Skylodge
Hotel in Nadi.
Let me warn you that there will be lots
of avenues there in NZ to spend your hard
earned wages. Therefore, I urge you all
to establish your plan, write it down and
continue to monitor this plan while you
are in NZ.
Establish some timelines and targets
for you to meet. This way, you will not be
easily swayed to spend your hard-earned
savings unnecessarily. Discuss your plan
with your loved ones so that you can get
their support.
The group of six began their predeparture orientation at the weekend as
part of efforts to adjust them to their new
environment for the next seven months.
Mr Tuivaga urged them to create a
positive impression for their employers
and new community in NZ.
You are Fijian brand ambassadors
and being so, you will need to showcase
and display Fijian hospitality and who
you really are.

states that all employees must at all time

behave in a way that upholds the Public
Service Values and the integrity and good
reputation of the public service, he said.
Each public servant is accountable to
their respective Permanent Secretaries
or departmental heads.
They have their individual work plans
and performance requirements.
The provision of quality and timely
public service delivery is at the core of
each public servants focus and work
activities.
He said while social media was a great
tool for information sharing that could
assist officers in their work of servicing

FIJI

15

to the public, officers are reminded

to refrain from using social media for
personal reasons.
We are focused on building a modern
civil service that is able to utilise new
technology.
We should remain mindful at all
times that there are high standards and
efficiencies to maintain.

The provision of quality

and timely public service
delivery is at the core of each
public servants focus and
work activities.

Permanent Secretary for the Public Service

Commission Parmesh Chand

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Thought of the week

The truth is that you always

know the right thing to do. The
hard part is doing it.

Editorial

- Robert H Schullar

From the desk of the

Managing Editor

Anything but funny

rom one of the oldest civilisations in the world to the land of the long white
cloud it was in the late 1800s that the first Indians set foot on New Zealand.
Ever since then - numbers of us have emerged to make this the Gods own
country - our home.
From the battle fields at Gallipoli to the everyday grind, we have stood shoulder
to shoulder with our Kiwi brothers. Today - we are 178,000 strong and the most
affluent community. We owe this to the hard work, tenacity, persistence and the
values we grew up with. It is with similar values that the Indian Weekender was
set up six years ago. Recession was at its peak and the more we were told that we
wouldnt make it, the stronger was our determination.
It hasnt been an easy ride we have met storms of persecutions, of opposition,
of criticism, of heartbreak and pain from without and sometimes from within.
But, no matter what - we have carried on regardless. And it was amidst all this - that
in October last year we took the major leap of going from being a fortnightly to being
the first ever weekly publication serving the Indian community.
But that wasnt all that we got on our journey we also got tremendous support
from the community, we met people who trusted us and are our advertisers. We met
extremely talented people who contributed to the paper, we made lifelong friends
and over a 100,000 readers, not just in New Zealand but the world over. It is all of
you people who give us our strength to breakthrough beyond our limitations.
The Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame is such an endeavour that celebrates people who
have broken through their limitations and shattered all myths. It acknowledges and
recognizes the success of Kiwi Indians, especially those amidst us who are trailblazers and who show the way and thus inspire others to succeed. This year we
proudly introduced two new honours The Kiwi Indian Young Achiever and the Kiwi
Indian unsung hero. This was just another endeavour to honour the achievements
of more Kiwi Indians who make New Zealand proud just by being here , by being
that face in the crowd , by shining with pure strength of being the best. I would like
to congratulate the winners. They truly deserve the honours.
The trust put in the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame to highlight the successes of
these leaders in our community is showcased by the fact that we had numerous
nominations this year. The involvement of the community in honouring their fellow
kiwi Indians is commendable. Our Jury had a very difficult challenge at hand and I
have to extend my heartfelt thanks to them for making the hardest decisions for us.
There are numerous other Kiwi Indians who continue to make their presence
felt in every field arts, government, politics, business, medicine, law etc. - and
through their successes, they contribute to New Zealand every day.
As we look forward to many more opportunities to celebrate the achievements
and contributions that Kiwi Indians are making to this beautiful country we proudly
call home - I wish them more success - let even the skies not limit your dreams
and may you have the strength to achieve your dreams and may we - at the Hall
Of Fame- celebrate your success, year after year after year and create role models
for our coming generations and thus make a tangible impression on the wider NZ
society.

Pick of the week

Giri Gupta

Indian Weekender : Volume 7 Issue 11

Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited
Managing Editor: Giri Gupta | girigupta@xtra.co.nz
Editor: Annu Sharma | editor@indianweekender.co.nz
Associate Editor: Paula Ray | paula@indianweekender.co.nz
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Caitlyn Jenner, the Olympian formerly known as Bruce Jenner, made her debut on
the cover of Vanity Fair Monday, a little more than a month after announcing she is
transgender in an interview with ABCs Diane Sawyer.
Call me Caitlyn, Jenner declared in a quote printed on the cover.

Tips for Life

Indian Kitchen
If you want to cook
ladys finger vegetable
in a hurry, add the
masala and squeeze a
lemon over it. The drops
of lemon will help to
cook the vegetable in
just few minutes.

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

OPINION / EDITORIAL

17

A cover a day keeps the bills away

Red

Black

Paula Ray

apti moved to Auckland

after she received an offer
to pursue a doctorate at a
leading university in the country.
Her husband had a job that
entailed frequent travels and so
it was but logical for her to bring
their minor daughter, Meghna,
along with her. They had both got
medical insurance - for Rapti as
part of her visa requirement and
for Meghna in case of emergency.
On arriving in Auckland, Rapti
was advised to register with the
university health services. But
the same services do not register
dependents. In due course she
found out that she couldnt
even register Meghna with a
general practitioner outside of
the university. It means, every
time Meghna needs to go to the
doctor for a checkup, Rapti will
have to pay a huge sum of money
as consultation fee. Of course,
this fee can be claimed back from
the insurance provider. But, the
fee is so high that it is difficult
for a person on a student budget
to shell it out each time. And,
children do fall ill mostly when it
is most inconvenient, or so says
Murphys law.
A general practitioner registers

Orange

an international student
with the clinic only if their
visa is valid for a duration
of 24 months minimum.
Rapti was in the country
for a 3 to 4-year-long
programme, but she could
not secure a scholarship.
As such, her visa would
only be valid for one year at a
time. Thus, she did not qualify to
register with the clinic.
This, thankfully, did not include
ACC (Accident Compensation
Corporation) which is offered
free of cost to every resident and
visitor in the country.
My questions: Is this a
logical course of action? If you
are inviting scholars to engage
in doctoral research in the
country, should the authorities
not provide them with relevant
healthcare facilities? Just for your
information, the consultation fees
that an international visitor has to
pay for a mere cold and flu, begins
from $120 upwards. How many
students can afford to rustle up
that sum, even if it can be claimed
back from the insurance provider?
When Rapti applied for her
student visa, she was not told
about these clauses. Or even the
fact that the one-year visa that

In this column, I share my

experiences that would
perhaps be familiar to
you too.
If you can relate to them,
please share your thoughts
or similar experiences.
will be issued to her each time
does not cover basic facilities for
her dependent minor child. Is this
fair on her given that she is a taxpayer of the land? Yes, she works
at the university and being an
international student, pays a heavy
tax. This is beyond the annual fees
she pays the university.
Of course, she can claim
returns on income tax. But then,
on a weekly basis, her earnings are
sans the high tax she pays.
Can the authorities not
smoothen these creases and make
it worthwhile for an international
student to pursue a few years
of research in this country? The

If you are inviting

scholars to engage in
doctoral research in
the country, should the
authorities not provide
them with relevant
healthcare facilities?
student not only brings in skills
and expertise to the market, but
the university gets government
fund for each student on top of the

fees that the student pays.

I understand the entire
process rests on give and take.
There are a lot of facilities that a
PhD student enjoys, for example
free public school education
for their dependent child. But
medical facility is among the basic
requirements for an individual.
By that logic, resident medical
facilities should be extended to
international students too who
undertake long-term studies.
What do you say?

Early habits to prepare for Ramadan

amadan is coming, in
the middle of June.
Before we know it,
another year will have passed.
What are we doing to prepare to
welcome our guest? The sahaba
(ra) used to spend half the year in
anticipation of Ramadan and half
a year missing it. Do we have the
same sense of anticipation? They
were constantly living in hope of
Ramadan, preparing every step
of the way and holding on to the
spiritual highs gained from one
Ramadan to the next.
There are many things we
can do in anticipation of the
month of Ramadan, to prepare
ourselves mentally, spiritually and
physically.
Lets begin with the first
thing we do in the morning. The
Prophet (saw) encouraged us to
have a pre-dawn meal (suhur)
before fasting. Anas (ra) reported
that the Prophet (saw) said, Eat
a pre-dawn meal for there are
blessings in it (Bukhari, Muslim).
Analysing this habit, one can see
two key features of this practice:
1. Waking up early, before dawn
2. Eating in the early hours of
the morning
Waking up early
To enable us to eat the predawn meal, we must be able to
wake up before dawn each day.
Think about what time you are
regularly waking up on a normal
day, and analyse whether there is
room for improvement.

Do you have a hard time waking

up for fajr prayer each morning?
If so, then waking up before fajr
during Ramadan is going to be
even harder. Try sleeping early
each night and work towards
waking up before fajr time on a
regular basis. The early hours of
the morning are filled with many
rewards. Remind yourself of these
rewards and motivate yourself to
benefit from them.
Practise
going
to
sleep
early each night by sleeping
immediately after isha prayer. Our
beloved Prophet (saw) disliked
talking and staying up too long
after isha.
Prophet Muhammad (saw)
made dua and said, O Allah, bless
my ummah in its (nights) early
hours. Make it a habit from today

to sleep and wake up early each

day to capture this blessing.
The blessing which our
beloved Prophet (saw) taught us
is in line with what is only being
scientifically encouraged for the
body. The body will be in line with
the earths circadian rhythms.
Harvard
biologist
Christoph
Randler discovered in 2008 that
early risers are more proactive.

In a 2008 Texas University study,

college students who identified
themselves as morning people
earned a full point higher on their
GPAs than those who were night
owls (3.5 vs 2.5).
Abu Hurairah (ra) reports that
the Messenger of Allah (saw)
said, The best prayer after the
obligatory prayers is the night
prayer (Muslim).

Waking
up
early
and
performing tahajjud prayer is a
good way to inculcate morning
habits for Ramadan. This not only
gets you up and alert, but also
reaps the merits that Allah (swt)
has gifted us with.
Abu Hurairah (ra) narrated
that Allahs Messenger (saw) said,
In the last third of every night,
our Cherisher and Sustainer, Allah
(swt) descends to the lowermost
heaven and says, Who is calling
Me, so that I may answer him?
Who is asking something from
Me, so that may I grant it to him?
Who is seeking forgiveness from
Me, so that I may forgive him?.
(Bukhari, hadith qudsi).
The gifts of the early hours are
already open to us well before
Ramadan and they will prepare us
for the times to come, if only we
start to practise the habits.
If waking up for tahajjud is too
great a step, then practise waking
up early for fajr, and spend some
time making thikr each morning
to get into the habit. Sit on your
prayer mat after fajr for as long as
you can.
The angels keep on asking
Allahs forgiveness for anyone of
you, as long as he is at his praying
place and he does not pass wind.
They say, O Allah! Forgive him.
O Allah! Be Merciful to him
(Bukhari)...To be continued.
This article is an excerptfrom
RocketScience, the newsletter of Mount
AlbertIslamic Trust &is reprinted with
their permission.

18

INDIA

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Red

Black

Orange

Governance has largely been on track

Anuj Puri

s the Prime Minister

Narendra
Modi
government
enters
its second year in office, there
is no dearth of bouquets and
brickbats for the NaMo regime
in the media. On analysing
the
governments
electoral
assurances, the actions taken so
far and the respective timelines
being followed to achieve these,
one would say it is reasonably on
track in fulfilling its short-term,
medium-term and long-term
promises.
It is worthwhile to reflect on the
grassroots-level transformation
we can expect to see:
}} Millions of home buyers in
towns and cities and farmers
across the country (the latter
being landowners affected by
infrastructure projects) are
empowered with the clauses in
the real estate regulatory bill
and LARR
}} Investment
opportunities
in office spaces open up for
small retail investors thanks
to real estate investment trusts
(REITs)
}} The quality of life of millions
of Indian citizens is upgraded
when the proposed 100 smart
and sustainable cities come to life

}} Benami,
or
fictitious,
transactions, which have for
the longest time been a bane
of the real estate sector, are
eliminated.
Let us take a look at the
progress on some of the promises
Narendra Modis party made in its
electoral manifesto. Specifically,
we will isolate promises which
have direct bearing on enhanced
governance
and
reinforced
democratic
fundamentals,
which are important for Indias
development
and
futurereadiness:
The promises that are on track:
}} Transparency: Re-auctioning
of coal blocks earned the
government huge revenues
}} Efficiency: Real-time effort
towards rendering the existing
institutional frameworks more
efficient; a good example
being the change in Food
Corporation of Indias food
procurement and storage
mechanisms.
}} Productivity
And
Accountability: Prime Minister
Modi has been directly
involved in monitoring and
raising the productivity as well
as efficiency of his ministry
officials. He is clearly bucking

}}

}}

}}

}}

a chronic trend of bureaucratic

unavailability and aiming
to increase public access to
government officials.
Black Money: The bill to
curb black money has given a
moratorium period to bring
back unaccounted money into
the system by paying normal
tax. The ongoing dialogue with
the Swiss financial authorities
to disclose secret accounts
of Indians abroad is reaping
results.
Corruption: Wired (online)
transactions are now being
encouraged
for
property
transactions. This is a major
step forward for curtailing
black money in the sector.
Investor Confidence: Market
confidence has improved with
the strengthening of the Indian
equity, debt, currency markets
and equal tax regime that was
promised to both domestic
as well as international
investment companies.
Positioning India: Via a series
of international tours, the
prime minister is helping India
rid itself of its anti-investor

image and is opening up new

avenues of foreign business
in India, especially under the
Make in India campaign.
}} Decentralisation
And
Cooperative
Governance:
Gradual increase in the
financial autonomy of states,
farmers
have
real-time
information on minimum
support price through digital
channels and drastic price
movements have been largely
under control. A focus on
citizen outreach programmes
as well as leveraging social
media have bought the people
closer to the governance
process.
Promises that may see progress
soon:
}} States with similar problems
will be able to form councils
under NITI Aayog to discuss
common concerns
}} NITI Aayog, along with
other national agencies, will
help individual states in
mobilisation of resources.
Promises that saw little or no
progress:
}} Relaxing clauses in the LARR

Bill, REITs and foreign direct

investment (FDI) policies that
investors find difficult to follow
}} Increased credit facilitation to
start-ups
}} Initiation of employment
exchange programmes with
other countries
}} Obsolete laws to be scrapped
or modified
}} Online dissemination of court
cases for better monitoring
and creation of specialised
courts to fast-track delivery of
justice.
In short, the Modi government
has a fairly balanced list of hits
and misses so far. The trend does
seem to lean more towards action
than inaction. It definitely seems
that the prime minister has every
intention of living up to the larger
part of his electoral promises in
the future.
One agrees with Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) Governor
Raghuram Rajan when he says
that the expectations from
the new government when it
came to power last year were
probably unrealistic. But it
has, in fact, taken steps to create
an environment for investment
and is sensitive to concerns of
investors.

INDIA

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

Red

Black

19

Orange

One Rank, One Pension matter of faith

for me: Modi

rime Minister Narendra

Modi in his monthly
address assured the exservicemen that his government
will soon resolve the tangles
related to the One rank, One
pension (OROP) issue and
that interests of retired defence
personnel is a matter of faith and
expression of patriotism for him.
Interests of the former defence
personnel is a matter of faith and
expression of patriotism for me,
Modi said in his radio address
Mann Ki Baat.
Seeking more time from exservicemen, Modi said: This
government, and I repeat, this
government will give a solution to
OROP.
I am not talking as a prime
minister. For 40 years, this
(OROP) question has been
persisting. Nothing has happened
so far, he added.
He said different departments
of the government have been
working on it, but the issue is
very complicated and remaining
pending for 40 years has made it
more complicated.
It is not as simple as we
thought, it is complicated. and
40 years have added to the
complications. Government is

finding ways to make it simple and

acceptable to all, said Modi.
There is no need to give reports
in media about every step. I assure
you, this government will bring to
you a solution on One rank, One
pension, he said.
Miffed over their long-pending
demand of OROP not being met,
veterans from the armed forces
have said they were ready for a
protracted fight with the central
government and would launch an
agitation next month.
Describing the issue as
complicated and pending for
the past 40 years, Modi said
the concerned officials in the
government were engaged to
find a solution to this issue and
asked the ex-servicemen not to be
swayed by politics on the issue.
I will request all soldiers,
those who are trying to politicise
the issue, have been playing with
you for 40 years... I dont want to
take any steps that make the issue
more complicated, he said.
Give me some time, you have
been patient for 40 years, give
some time to me as well, give me
a chance to work on it and we will
solve all the problems, the prime
minister said.
Expressing satisfaction over

Over 8.52 crore

people have joined
the schemes in just
20 days. This shows
peoples faith in
central governments
social uplifting
initiatives for them

the recently launched social

security schemes, Modi said he
wants to create an army of poor
against poverty.
Over 8.52 crore people have
joined the schemes in just 20
days. This shows peoples faith
in central governments social
uplifting initiatives for them,
Modi said in the 8th edition of

Mann Ki Baat.
The schemes - Pradhan Mantri
Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan
Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana
and Atal Pension Yojana - were
very important initiatives in
the direction of ensuring social
security, he added.
Modi
appealed
to
the
countrymen to make International

No flip-flop on Pakistan policy, no cricket

diplomacy either: Sushma

xternal Affairs Minister

Sushma Swaraj has denied
any flip-flop in Indias
policy towards Pakistan and said
talks with the neighbour can
only be held in an atmosphere of
sadbhavna or goodwill and without
the involvement of a third party.
Addressing a mega press
conference in New Delhi on the
completion of the NDA governments
one year in office, Sushma Swaraj
said there were no talks planned
with Pakistan as of now and also
discounted media reports about
cricket diplomacy being launched
between the two countries.
Answering a question on
perceived wavering regarding its
stance on Pakistan, she said the
three ministries of home, defence
and external affairs have different
roles.
If there is firing on the border,
the home ministry will not sit quiet
but speak strongly, the defence
ministry will speak in a similar vein;

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj

but it is the ministry of external

attend the swearing-in of Prime

affairs role to see the positives in the

Minister Narendra Modi and held

entire relationship... that is our role.

talks with him, the government

There is no flip-flop, she said.

has based its policy for talks with

She said that since the time

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif came to India a year ago to

Pakistan on three principles -- which

it has often reiterated.
There is no change in our policy,

we have told this to Pakistan always,

she said.
Sushma Swaraj also said that
with the 2008 Mumbai attack
mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi
out of jail, there can be no talks with
Pakistan.
If Lakhvi is outside and he is free
and Pakistan thinks we will speak,
will India ever accept that, she
asked.
On Indias efforts to seek UN
Security Council sanctions against
Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed
Salahuddin -- which are facing a
roadblock from China, the minister
said New Delhi has told Beijing that
the terrorism targeting India and
China comes from the same source
and both should work together to
tackle the scourge.
To a question on how India has
agreed to launch cricket diplomacy
with Pakistan, Sushma Swaraj
said no decision has been taken
on resuming cricketing ties with
Pakistan.

Yoga Day, to be celebrated on

June 21, a success.
He also urged them to become
Yoga ambassadors and make
this important knowledge easily
available to the world for the
welfare of mankind.
Congratulating students who
passed the Central Board of
Second Education examinations,
Modi asked them to pick up the
future course of study on the basis
of their aptitude.
The students who have not
succeeded in their examinations
need not be disheartened and take
it as an opportunity to find new
avenues, Modi said, adding that
success and failure are a part of
life. We can learn a lot from failure
also.

Indian
Government
files complaint
against Nestle

he government of India
has filed a complaint
against Nestle India with
the National Consumer Disputes
Redressal Commission (NCDRC),
following the controversy over
samples of Maggi noodles
containing
lead
beyond
permissible limits.
Food and Consumer Affairs
Minister Ram Vilas Paswan
told reporters that the NCDRC
will probe the matter and take
appropriate action.
He said the government, for the
first time, was taking action under
Section 12-1-D of the Consumer
Protection Act, under which both
Centre and states have powers to
file complaints.
The Delhi government on
Wednesday
banned
Maggi
noodles for 15 days in the capital,
after 10 of 13 samples were
found to contain more than the
permissible quantity of lead.

20

INDIA

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

India, Sweden ink six

agreements on Pranab visit

ndia and Sweden has inked

six agreements, including in
the field of polar research and
for boosting trade, during the visit
of President Pranab Mukherjee
this week to the key Arctic Council
member, in the first-ever visit by
an Indian head of state.
Mukherjee was on a five-day
visit to Sweden and Belarus.
The president, who began his
visit May 31, was in Sweden for
June 1-2, and in Belarus for June
2-4.
Among the agreements inked
is a MoU on Cooperation in
Sustainable Urban Development,
which includes dialogue and
interaction on global sustainable
urban
development
issues,
exchange
of
knowledge,
institutional
cooperation
including
capacity
building,
research and development and
commercial relations regarding
sustainable urban development,
according to a ministry of external
affairs statement.
Both sides also inked a MoU for
cooperation in the field of micro,
small and medium enterprises.
This
aims
at
promoting
partnership projects, institution
to institution and enterprise to
enterprise cooperation relating to
MSMEs, encourage exchange of
information and experiences in
policy setting and research on the
development of MSMEs, feasibility

Red

Black

Orange

Now log on to free wi-fi stroll on

Shimlas Ridge

President Pranab Mukherjee meets Sweden Prime Minister Stefan Lofven

at Rosenbad during his state visit of Sweden in Stockholm.

studies to identify thrust areas and

opportunities for development of
MSMEs and facilitating exchange
of business mission.
Both also inked an agreement
on Visa Exemption for diplomatic
passports.
A letter of intent was also
signed between Indias Earth
System Science Organisation
(ESSO) and the Swedish Polar
Research Secretariat (SPRS) on

collaboration in polar and ocean

research.
This
is
to
encourage
collaboration in the areas of polar
(Antarctic and Arctic) and ocean
research by enhancing scientific
capabilities, conducting joint
research and survey activities,
exchange
of
informational
material on education, training
and research matters, said the
statemen.

Modis Bangladesh
visit: Focus on trade,
connectivity

oosting
trade
and
connectivity,
especially
people-to-people, is set
to be the focus of Prime Minister
Narendra Modis visit to Bangladesh
on June 6-7, as both neighbours
prepare to put into operation the
long awaited land swap agreement.
Modi, who is travelling to Dhaka
on a 36-hour visit, will take along
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee, who would be present at
the signing of the Land Boundary
Agreement in Dhaka.
But an accord on sharing the
Teesta river waters will not be on
the agenda as much distance is to
be travelled yet by both sides on
arriving at an agreement.
It is understood that while the
West Bengal government has been
kept on board on consultations
regarding sharing of the Teesta,
which runs through lower riparian
neighbour
Bangladesh,
the
necessary support from the state
has not been forthcoming.
Modi, during the visit, will flag
off the Shillong-Dhaka via Guwahati
bus service, and the Kolkata-Dhaka
via Agartala bus service, which
is expected to give a major boost
to people-to-people connectivity
between both countries.

NEWS in BRIEF

ou can now log on to a free Wi-Fi facility while strolling on

the historic Ridge, Shimlas most famous promenade.
The Shimla Municipal Corporation, as a pilot project,
has launched this facility for residents as well as tourists, Deputy
Mayor Tikender Panwar said.
To avail of the service, people need to register their mobile
numbers, and a passkey will be sent.
The facility can be used by each user for two hours every day
and the speed would be 1 Mbps with data storage of 7 GB. The free
Wi-Fi service will cover some parts of Mall Road, which was once a
British only street for strolling. Seven routers (access points) have
been installed to provide Wi-Fi service and the range of each router
would be approximately 150 metres.
Users are also requested to give their feedback about the facility
on the Shimla Municipal Corporations Facebook page.
The state capital remains chock-a-block with tourists, especially
during the peak tourist seasons -- May-June and November-January.
According to tourism industry representatives, Shimla gets
20,000 to 30,000 tourists on an average every weekend during the
peak season.

Karnataka to move SC against

Jayalalithaas acquittal

he
Karnataka
government
has
decided to appeal in
the Supreme Court against the
acquittal of Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister J. Jayalalithaa in the
disproportionate assets case.
The state cabinet has
accepted the recommendation
of the special public prosecutor
(B.V. Acharya) and state advocate
general (Ravivarma Kumar)
to appeal against the May 11
Karnataka High Court verdict,
which acquitted Jayalalithaa in
the case, state Law Minister T.B.
Jayachandra told reporters.
Though the ruling Congresss
legal cell recently advised against such appeal, as the state
government was not a party to the 19-year-old case, the cabinet
endorsed the opinion of the AG and SPP on merits after the apex
court ruled that Karnataka was the sole prosecuting agency as the
case was transferred to the state in 2003 from a Chennai trial court.
Clarifying that the decision had nothing to do with inter-state
issues, the minister said that the cabinet decision on Monday was
based on merits and the governments responsibility to honour the
top courts observations and abide by its ruling in the case.

New assistant chief of naval staff,

air takes over

ear Admiral Philipose G Pynumootil took over as assistant

chief of naval staff (air) this week.
An alumnus of the Lawrence School, Lovedale and the

National Defence Academy, Pynumootil was commissioned in the

Indian Navy on January 1, 1986.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

While both countries already

have the Kolkata to Dhaka train
service, Maitree Express, both sides
would examine the possibility of a
train service between Khulna and
Kolkata, sources said.
In a major step forward, both
sides are negotiating a coastal
shipping agreement, which would
allow smaller vessels to go to
Bangladesh. The inking of the LBA
in Dhaka would set off the process
of its implementation which is likely
to take a few months.

Both sides have also settled

their maritime border, following an
arbitration process.
The significance of settling the
border is that now no one will
question where the border lies.
The lurking fear in Bangladesh
that India may reopen the border
question has been set at rest, a
source said.
It is also critical in terms of the
impact on the people living in the
enclaves, who have been stateless
since independence.

A rotary wing pilot, he has served in several key operational

and staff posts including commanding naval air stations and guided
missile frigate INS Brahmaputra.
He has participated in Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka and
Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. Prior to taking over his current
appointment, he was principal director, aircraft acquisition at the
naval headquarters.
He has done the staff course at the Defence Services Staff College,
Wellington, and the Higher Air Command Course at the College of
Air Warfare, Hyderabad. A post graduate in defence studies and
international relations, he has also done an M.Phil in strategic
studies.

INDIA ABROAD

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

Red

Black

Orange

Indian-American kid graduates with three

degrees

n 11-year-old IndianAmerican
kid,
has
graduated
from
a
Californian college with three
associate degrees in math, science
and foreign language studies.
At an age, when most kids of his
age are busy scrolling through
iPads or smartphones, this Indian
American is different.
Tanishq Abraham is now the
youngest person to graduate
from American River College in
Sacramento, California, KCRA
Sacramento reported.
This is not much of a big deal to
me, said Abraham, who graduated
with a 4.0 score and three associate
degrees.
Abraham not only plans to
become a doctor, but also win a
Nobel Prize. Besides, he wants to
become the US president in future.
Three Associate college degrees
- Awesome feeling - completed

21

Tanishq Abraham with his family

my first few baby steps to my BIG

goal- @NobelPrize med doctor/
researcher & @POTUS Abraham
tweeted. Last year, he received his
high school graduation diploma at
a private ceremony in front of his
friends and family.
He even received a congratulatory
letter from the US President Barack

Obama. According to Abraham,

some of his fellow graduates were
intimidated by him but a lot were
really happy that there was a kid in
their class.
Even in kindergarten, he was
pretty ahead, a few years ahead -and then it just went from there,
Abrahams mother, Taji Abraham, a

veterinarian, told KCRA-TV.

One of the best aspect of
his graduation was his college
graduation cap. The boy wrote his
favourite Toy Story quote on the top
of the cap: 2 Infinity and Beyond
He later thanked his parents for
their contributions to his learning -and posted several photos of himself
and his family on Twitter having a
meal at my favourite restaurant to
celebrate his graduation.
Abraham was just four-years-old,
when he was accepted to MENSA; a
group for people whose Intelligence
Quotient (IQ) is in the top two
percent of the population. His
younger sister aged four also became
a member.
During his childhood, he
wrote astronomy blogs for NASA.
Exhilarated, Abraham is planning
to take an eight-week Calculus II
course this summer and also a
family vacation.

Again! Two Indian American students

Spelling Bee co-winners

wo Indian American students

have jointly won the 2015 Scripps
National Spelling Bee competition
successfully negotiating the words
scherenschnitte and nunatak in a nailbiting final. Vanya Shivashankar, 13, of
Olathe, Kansas, and Gokul Venkatachalam,
14, of Chesterfield, Missouri, were declared
co-champions last week.
Vanya correctly spelt scherenschnitte
-- meaning the art of cutting paper into decorative designs -- and Gokul did likewise
with nunatak -- a hill or mountain completely surrounded by glacial ice. In this
years national championship, 285 spellers
competed for the title.
Shivashankar and Venkatachalam put
both their hands on the trophy and thrust it
into the air on Thursday, 28 May evening -after spelling word after word that few people could even hope to pronounce correctly.
This is the second year in a row that the
final has yielded co-champions Scripps
National Spelling Bee said on its website.
Last year was the first time in 52 years
that two people had shared the trophy,
and 2015 marks the first time in the bees

Vanya Shivashankar (L) of Olathe, Kansas and Gokul Venkatachalam of Chesterfield,

Missouri (US) with the Scripps National Spelling Bee trophy after winning the spelling
bee in National Harbor, Maryland, US

90-year history that there have ever been

co-champions two years in a row. This is
only the fifth tie ever. Among the words
the two spelled on their way to the title were
cypseline, urgrund. filicite, myrmotherine,
sprachgefuhl, zimocca, hippocrepiform,
nixtamal, paroemiology, scacchite, pipsissewa, bruxellois, and pyrrhuloxia.
Shivshankar, an eighth grader at California Trail Middle School, has competed
in the national bee four other times. Last

year, she tied for 13th place. Her older sister, Kavya, was the 2009 National Spelling
Bee champion.
Venkatachalam, an eighth grader at
Parkway West School, came in third place
in last years competition. After his victory,
he said the competition was a culmination
of six years of hard work.
Ive dealt with defeat and success, he
said during the live broadcast. Im finally
happy to have success.

Sikh man made

mayor of British
district

ndian-origin
councillor
Parvinder Singh Batth was
chosen as the mayor of Britains
Wokingham Borough Council, the
first Sikh to hold the position.
Being born in Punjab to a
farming family, I come from a
humble background, he said while
officially taking over his post.
However I now feel even more
humbled being chosen as the new
mayor, Get Reading online quoted
Batth as saying.
Councillor Batth named the
childrens organisation Arc as
this years chosen charity. The
organisation aims to transform the
lives of children through a range
of education, health and child
protection programmes.
Since being founded in 2002,
the charity has claimed to have
helped more than 430,000 children
worldwide.
Batth also thanked his wife for
her support.

Indian businessman
honoured for public
service in Singapore

n Indian-origin businessman has been honoured for his commendable public service in
Singapore.
Gautam Banerjee, senior managing director at
Blackstone and co-chairman of its Asia operating
committee, as well as chairman of Blackstone Singapore, was awarded the prestigious Public Service
Medal by President Tony Tan Keng Yam, AsiaOne
online reported.
Having left Mumbai at the age of 16, Banerjee
worked with leading financial firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for more than 30 years, with nine
years as its executive chairman, until his retirement
in December 2012.
Once nominated a member of parliament in Singapore, Banerjee currently serves on the board of Singapore Airlines Limited, the Indian Hotels Company
Limited and is the vice chairman of the Singapore
Business Federation.
He is also a fellow of the Institute of Chartered
Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the
Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA).
Their strong support has led to the development
of new capabilities in their respective sectors, and
created exciting job opportunities for Singaporeans,
Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB)
chairman Beh Swan Gin said in a statement.

Indian-American scientist finds new way for kidney diagnosis

n a major success, an IndianAmerican scientist and his

colleague have identified a new,
less-invasive method to provide
diagnostic information on kidney
disease and its severity.
They used an optical probe and
Raman spectroscopy to differentiate
between healthy and diseased

kidneys. There are some molecules

that must be responsible for these
different Raman signals, but we
dont need to know what those
molecules may be, said Chandra
Mohan, professor at University of
Houston in the US.
As long as theres a difference in
the signal, thats good enough -- you

can easily differentiate between a

diseased kidneys Raman signal and
a healthy kidneys Raman signal,
Mohan said. For the study, Mohan
and his colleague Wei-Chuan Shih,
assistant professor of electrical and
computer engineering, relied upon
the fact that a healthy kidney and a
diseased kidney produce different

Raman signals.
Raman spectroscopy provides
molecular fingerprints that enable
non-invasive or minimal invasive
and label-free detection for the
quantification of subtle molecular
changes, Mohan and Shih said.
By
adapting
multivariate
analysis to Raman spectroscopy,

we have successfully differentiated

between the diseased and the nondiseased with up to 100 percent
accuracy, and among the severely
diseased, the mildly diseased and
the healthy with up to 98 percent
accuracy, concluded Mohan and
Shih. The study was outlined in
the Journal of Biophotonics.

22

INDIA ABROAD

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian scientist turns

blood into nerve cells

tem cell scientists led by Mick

Bhatia from the McMaster
University have successfully
converted adult human blood cells
into neural cells.
The team directly converted adult
human blood cells to both central
nervous system (brain and spinal
cord) neurons as well as neurons in
the peripheral nervous system (rest
of the body) that are responsible
for pain, temperature and itch
perception.
This means that how a persons
nervous system cells react and
respond to stimuli can be determined
from his blood.
Now we can take blood samples
and make the main cell types of
neurological systems - the central
nervous system and the peripheral
nervous system - in a dish that is
specialised for each patient. Nobody
has ever done this with adult blood.
Ever, explained Bhatia, director of
the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer
Research Institute.
Bhatias team successfully tested
their process using fresh blood as

Mick Bhatia

well as frozen blood.

Scientists can actually take a
patients blood sample and with it,
can produce one million sensory
neurons that make up the peripheral
nerves in short order with this new
approach.
We can also make central
nervous system cells, as the blood
to neural conversion technology we
developed creates neural stem cells

during the process of conversion,

Bhatia noted.
The revolutionary, patented
direct conversion technology has
broad and immediate applications.
In the future, the process may
have prognostic potential, explained
Bhatia, in that one might be able
to look at a patient with Type 2
diabetes and predict whether they
will experience neuropathy by
running tests in the lab using their
own neural cells derived from their
blood sample.
This bench to bedside research
is very exciting and will have a
major impact on the management
of neurological diseases, particularly
neuropathic pain, added Akbar
Panju, medical director of the
Michael G. DeGroote Institute for
Pain Research and Care.
This research will help scientists
provide
personalized
medical
therapy for patients suffering with
neuropathic pain, the authors
concluded.
The breakthrough was detailed in
the journal Cell Reports.

Indian-Australian
student wins Apple
scholarship
Red

n
Indian-origin
student and his two
other classmates in
Australia have won scholarships
to attend Apples upcoming
annual Worldwide Developers
Conference in June, media
reported.
Class 10 students Deepan
Kumar,
Ben
Maliel
and
Christopher Seidl from Canberra
Boys Grammar School won the
scholarship by submitting their
own coded iOS application,
reported Canberra Times.

Two Indian-Americans among

Forbes 50 successful women

wo Indian-origin women
have made it to the Forbes
list of Americas 50 most
successful and self-made women.
India-born Neerja Sethi, 60, is
ranked 14th with a net worth of $1.1
billion, while London-born Jayshree
Ullal, 54, is ranked 30th with a net
worth of $470 million in te inaugural
Most Successful, Self-Made Women
in the US list.
Elizabeth Anne Holmes, CEO
of blood diagnostics company
Theranos, tops the list with a net
worth of $4.5 billion
According to Forbes magazine,
to be eligible for this list, women had
to have substantially made their own
fortunes. In cases where they started
businesses with, and still share with,
their husbands, weve assigned
them half of that combined wealth
Neerja Sethi, an entrepreneur, is an
alumnus of Delhi University and
co-founded an IT consulting and
outsourcing company, Syntel, with
her husband, billionaire Bharat
Desai in 1980.
In its first year, the company
only brought in $30,000 in revenue.

Neerja Seth (left) and Jayshree Ullal (right).

Today, its market cap is well over $3

billion, and it has 24,000 employees
worldwide, Forbes stated in her
profile.
Sethi served as Syntels treasurer
during its first 16 years of operations
and is currently the vice president of
corporate affairs, a role she has had
since the companys inception.
Sethi, a mother of two, also sits
on the board of directors of the
company alongside her husband,
who remains chairman.

Born in India, Sethi holds

an undergraduate degree in
mathematics, a masters degree in
computer science, and an MBA in
operations research.
Through their family foundation,
the couple pledged $1 million in
2014 to the University of Michigan
to develop a start-up accelerator,
the profile reads.
London-born Jayshree Ullal was
raised in New Delhi, and took over
computer networking company

UAE employers must register before hiring Indians

he Indian embassy in the

United Arab Emirates
(UAE) has made it
mandatory
for
prospective
employers seeking to hire Indian
workers to register online on its
website, an official statement said.
According to the statement
issued by the embassy last week,
the employers will need to register

online at the eMigrate system after

which they can obtain a permit to
recruit workers directly or through
approved recruiting agents.
The new system will be
implemented
in
phases
-employers hiring between 50 and
150 indian workers will have to
register before June 30; those
hiring 20 to 50 workers must

register by July 31; and those

hiring less than 20 workers must
register by August 31.
Employers hiring over 150
workers are advised to register
online with immediate effect.
Employers will be required to
declare the terms and conditions
of employment at the time of
registration.

Arsita Networks in California as

president and chief executive officer
in 2008, when it had less than 50
employees, transforming it to one
of Silicon Valleys most valuable
networking firms by 2014.
Ullal, who owns more than 10
percent of Aristas shares, is one
of Americas wealthiest female
executives. She took slightly more
than an engineering team doing
some good technology and turned
it into the thriving network switch
company it is today, Forbes quoted
Arista co-founder David Cheriton as
saying.
Cheriton and fellow co-founder
Andreas von Bechtolsheim had
previously worked with Ullal at
Cisco, where she spent 15 years.
She had earlier served as vice
president of marketing at Crescendo
Communications, which Cisco
acquired in 1993.
Ullal, also a mother of two, got
an electrical engineering degree at
San Francisco State University and
a masters degree in engineering
management at Santa Clara
University.

Black

Orange

According
to
Kumar,
programming helped students
develop creative ideas that could
solve many challenges the society
faces and should be implemented
in more schools.
Apple had announced 350
scholarships
for
the
26th
annual Worldwide Developers
Conference to be held from June
8 to 12 in San Francisco.
The conference is famous for
Apples keynote presentations on
new products.

Dubai-based
Indian to climb
mountain for
funds

A Dubai-based Indian sales

executive aims to raise funds
for human trafficking victims in
India by climbing Africas Mount
Kilimanjaro, media reported.
V.J. Nagender Rao, 31, aims
to climb Africas highest peak
to raise $10,000 for the rescue
and rehabilitation of human
trafficking victims in India, the
Khaleej Times reported.
Inspired from a talk by worldrenowned Indian social activist
Sunitha Krishan, Rao planned the
climb.
Its a difficult climb where
people have also died Rao said.
But I thought I should push
myself to raise awareness for the
girls. But its will power. Its how
much and how badly you want it.
The money raised through
the climb will go to the Rescue
Foundation, a Mumbai-based
NGO that seeks to rescue and
rehabilitate human trafficking
victims in India, Bangladesh and
Nepal.
Rao plans to undertake the
eight-day climb in August.

SPORTS

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

Red

Black

23

Orange

FIFA U-20 World Cup kicks off in New Zealand

IWK Bureau

he FIFA U-20 World

Cup kicked into action at
Aucklands North Harbour
Stadium on Saturday May 30th,
heralding the most important
football tournament ever held in
New Zealand.
The opening clash between
host nation New Zealand and the
Ukraine which resulted in a draw
was preceded by a colourful opening
ceremony giving New Zealand
football fans and the world a taste
of the excitement to come during
the three-week tournament (30 May
20 June). Sport and Recreation
Minister Jonathan Coleman says
North Harbour Stadium is well
placed for the start of the FIFA
Under-20 World Cup.
The tournament is a great
opportunity for Kiwis to see the
next generation of global football
superstars.With a global TV
audience of 170 million, the FIFA
U-20 World Cup places New
Zealand at the centre stage of world
football for the next three weeks,
says Dr Coleman.
Auckland New Zealands
largest city is known for delivering
fantastic events and the football
festivities were in full swing in the
City of Sails Fever Pitch hub at
Queens Wharf, on the citys thriving
downtown waterfront.
Later in the day, six-time FIFA
U-20 World Cup champions
Argentina took on Panama in a tense
clash in New Zealands capital city
Wellington.
The game took place in an
electric atmosphere at Wellingtons
waterfront Westpac Stadium also
known as the Cake Tin due to its
circular shape and home to the
Wellington Phoenix, New Zealands
only professional football team. Just
as Argentinas clash was getting
underway in Wellington, the USA
kicked off their campaign against
Myanmar in the northern city of
Whangarei.
May 30th marked the beginning
of the tournament the second
biggest in FIFAs football calendar

Nicolas Stark of Germany celebrates his goal against Fiji

Bence Mervo of Hungary leaps and heads his teams first goal past goalkeeper, Jo Sol Song of DPR Korea during the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand
2015 Group E match between Korea DPR and Hungary

Musa Yahaya #11 of Nigeria celebrates with team mates after he scores
his teams second goal during the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015
Group E match between Nigeria and Brazil

Gabriel Boschilia #8 of Brazil celebrates with team mates after he shoots

and scores his teams third goal of the game during the FIFA U-20 World
Cup New Zealand 2015 Group E match between Nigeria and Brazil

as 24 of the worlds most talented

U-20 football teams vie for the crown
of FIFA U-20 World Cup winners.
A total of 52 games will be played
out in seven host cities around New
Zealand, offering Kiwi football fans
the chance to see some of the rising
stars on the world game on their own
doorstep.
In the lead up to the big kick
off, each team has been treated to a
moving Mori cultural welcome in
the host city where they will be based
for their group games.
Teams from Hungary, Nigeria,
Korea and Brazil whose displays
at previous tournaments have
helped produce past greats such as
Ronaldinho and current English
Premier League stars Philippe

campaign in a tantalising clash

against Nigeria at New Plymouths
Stadium Taranaki on 1 June,
followed by Korea against Hungary.
The
Government
has
contributed $5.5 million to the
tournament, says Dr Coleman.
Over 7,000 visitors are expected,
including 800 players and support
staff and 100 media, benefiting our
economy and regional host cities.
The four new playing fields built
in Whangarei, and upgraded pitches
in Hamilton and Christchurch, will
also have lasting benefits, says Dr
Coleman.
The FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015
Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton,
New Plymouth and Wellington in
the North Island will host games,

French Open: Sania

enters quarters

ndian tennis players Leander Paes and Rohan

Bopanna crashed out in the mens doubles prequarterfinals, while Sania Mirza partnering Swiss
Martina Hingis entered the quarter-finals of the French
Open in Paris on Sunday.
Paes partnering Canadian Daniel Nestor who were
seeded 10th lost to the sixth seed Italian pair of Simone
Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 2-6, 4-6 in straight sets. Ninth
seed Bopanna along with Romanian Florin Mergea
went down fighting 3-6, 7-6, 3-6 to fifth seed JeanJulien Rojer of the Netherlands and Romanian Horia
Tecau. Top-seeded Sania and Martina Hingis ousted
the 14th seed Italian pair of Karin Knapp and Roberta
Knapp 6-1, 6-4 in the third round to enter the quarters.

Coutinho (Liverpool) and Oscar

(Chelsea) were given their
traditional welcomes at New
Plymouths wae Marae.
As part of their welcome, each
team member was gifted a pounamu
(carved New Zealand greenstone)
crafted by local jewellers The Rock
Shed. Each pounamu, which was
presented in a handwoven flax kete
basket, was blessed by the event
manager Kiterangi Cameron.
In New Zealand the sacred
pounamu is a symbol of strength,
durability and beauty. Historically
used by Mori for tools, weapons
and personal ornaments, pounamu
also denotes great status.
Five time FIFA U-20 World
Cup Champions Brazil started their

while Christchurch and Dunedin

will represent the sport-loving South
Island. The schedule sees four pool
games played in two of the seven
host cities daily - with plenty of
double-header football action to
whet the sporting appetite.
During
the
three-week
tournament (30 May - 20 June
2015) New Zealand will play host to
24 international teams, with a total
of 52 matches played.
Broadcast to more than 100
countries, with a global reach of
around 170 million people, the
FIFA U-20 World Cup will also help
promote New Zealand to the world.
Thousands of overseas football fans
are expected to travel to the country
in support of their team.

Shooter Gurpreet qualifies for

2016 olympics

ormer
Commonwealth
Games
gold
medallist
Gurpreet Singh on Sunday
became Indias fifth shooter to
qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic
Games finishing fourth in the 10m
Air Pistol category at the ISSF World
Cup Rifle/ Pistol here.
The 28-year-old shot a total of
154.8 points to finish fourth in the
Final. Joao Costa of Portugal who
shot a total of 201.4 in the event
won the gold medal, according to a
release. The silver and bronze medal

for the event went to Tomoyuki

Matsuda of Japan and Chinese Yang
Sun with scores of 200.4 and 177.3
respectively.
The event had three quota places
up for grabs and Portuguese Costa
had already sealed his quota place
earlier hence he was not eligible for
one here.
Earlier in the day, Gurpreet had
edged past the in-form Jitu Rai by a
point to qualify for the final.
Gurpreet has been shooting
steady for a while now and it was

just yesterday in the mens 25m

Rapid Fire Pistol category, where he
missed out on his quota place by the
narrowest of margin after finishing
fourth.
However destiny had it that he
finally earned India its fifth quota
place.
The other Indians to have earned
India the earlier four quota places are
Jitu Rai, Olympic bronze medallist
Gagan Narang, Apurvi Chandela
and Indias only individual Olympic
gold medallist Abhinav Bindra.

24

EDUCATION

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Red

SIT is TFESCs Employer of

the Year

outhern
Institute
of
Technology was awarded
Employer of the Year by
the Territorial Forces Employer
Support Council at a ceremony at
Parliament last night.
The
award
recognises
employers who contribute to
the New Zealand Defence Force
through supporting staff who
serve as reservists. SIT currently
has staff and students serving
as reservists with the NZDF, in
roles such as medics and infantry
soldiers.
SIT Chief Executive Penny
Simmonds and Academic and
Relationship Leader Sally Dobbs
attended the ceremony and
were presented with the award
by Minister of Defence Gerry
Brownlee, TFESC Chair Peter
Townsend and Chief of Defence
Force New Zealand Lieutenant
General Tim Keating.
At the awards it was announced
that two representatives from
SIT and each of the two other
category winners would be flown

Guest lecture
at SIT

outhern
Institute
of
Technology
Digital
Media
students
had
the opportunity of a lifetime
on Monday 4th May, when
Wellington-based Visual Effects
Producer,
Marion
Davey,
presented a guest lecture at the
Institute.
Marion, who recently served
as Advanced Production Office
Coordinator on the Tapanui
shoot of the Disney feature
film, Petes Dragon, answered
students questions and helped
them understand what producers
and directors are looking for in a
showreel when applying to work
on productions.
Marion shared her wealth
of experience, having worked
on global blockbusters such as
Harry Potter and the Prisoner
of Azkaban, Lord of the Rings
and Tintin. SIT had 7 current
and former-students working on
Petes Dragon, and its graduates
are highly sort after by production
houses.
Petes
Dragon
Executive
Producer Barrie M Osborne said,
Tyndall Productions were lucky
enough to gain the services of
some SIT film students while
filming Petes Dragon in Tapanui.
They were attentive, interested
and eager to learn, and were a
great help to the production. I
would certainly call on the film
school again to help out.

to Chunuk Bair for the 100 year

NZ commemorative service on
8 August, on a New Zealand Air
Force Boeing 757.
The award was an honour for
SIT, but also reward for SITs
hard-working reservist staff Ms
Simmonds
said,
particularly
Academic
and
Relationship
Leader Sally Dobbs who is a Major
in the Royal New Zealand Nursing
Corps.
Being an NZDF reservist is a
significant commitment for staff
in terms of time and energy, and
SIT is proud to be able to support
them she said.
The
NZDF
Reserve
is
comprised of volunteers who

contribute internationally on
operational deployments and
nationally to civil defence during
natural disasters. Employers
support reservists by helping
them balance their employment
with training and operations in
the NZDF.
Ms Simmonds said that she
sees benefits to all parties. SIT
also benefits from the unique
leadership skills and experiences
that our reservist staff learn during
their training and deployments
she said.
SIT received the Employer of
the Year Award from the OtagoSouthland Territorial Forces
Employer Support Council earlier
this year to become eligible for the
national award.
National category winners
also announced last night were
Country and Character Homes
from Palmerston North, winner
of the Small Business Employer
of the Year award and Manukau
Police, winner of the Chair and
Director General award.

Black

Orange

ASG National Excellence in

Teaching Awards now open

ommunities all around

New Zealand can now
nominate
outstanding
teachers for the ASG National
Excellence in Teaching Awards
(NEiTA).
Every two years ASG NEiTA
gives
school
communities,
parents, grandparents and boards
of management an opportunity
to recognise and thank teachers
for the crucial work they do
and making a real difference in
education.
Nominated teachers, principals
and centre directors have the
chance of becoming the regional
award recipients, with the national
award recipients announced in
October 2016.
The national award recipients
will be presented with professional
development grants, helping them
to pursue further studies and
embark on international study
tours.
ASG NEiTA Chief Executive
Officer, John Velegrinis, said
without these awards many
exceptional teachers would fly
under the radar.
ASG is proud of NEiTA because

it provides the community with

an avenue to nominate teachers
and give them recognition they so
richly deserve. These teachers are
dedicated to ensuring that all of
our children are receiving a world
class education and are equipped
with tools for lifelong learning.
Ultimately these students
will drive the economy and the
impact our ASG NEiTA recipients
have had on their development is
profound. This extends outside of
the classroom as well, impacting
communities and the profession.
So I encourage communities
to nominate their teachers and
send a message that their work is
appreciated and deeply valued.
Nominations for the awards
close on 30 September 2015.
To nominate go to: www.asg.
co.nz/nominate. Teachers can be
nominated across early childhood,
primary and secondary school
categories.
Almost
30,000
teachers
have been nominated by their
communities across Australia and
New Zealand since the awards
started in 1994. ASG NEiTA
started in 1996 in New Zealand.

NZTC assists Indian student with move to

NZ to launch ECE career

tudying at New Zealand

Tertiary College (NZTC)
was an opportunity for
Angeline Chettiar to work in the
field she loves with her experience
backed by an internationallyrecognised qualification.
Angeline,
who
graduated
from NZTC with her Graduate
Diploma in Teaching (Early
Childhood Education) in April
2015, is thrilled to have obtained
a permanent teaching job and a
bright future ahead doing what
she loves: caring for babies.
I enjoy working with babies
because they are very cute and
innocent, said Angeline. Also,
as early childhood teachers, I feel
that we help shape their future
and help them in their learning
journey.
In India, Angeline gained
four years of work experience
teaching kindergarten, and she
knew that she wanted to earn
an international qualification
to support her experience.
After researching her options
thoroughly, she felt that New
Zealand was the best provider of
early childhood education so she
contacted NZTCs India Office.
Angeline said that Sanjay
Jain, NZTCs Marketing Manager
(India), was hugely helpful in

making her move to New Zealand

smooth and successful. Sanjay
assisted Angeline with completing
the documentation required to
move to New Zealand, liaised with
her agency and NZTC Auckland
on her behalf, and was available
24/7 to answer her questions.
Sanjays positive attitude and
motivational words were a great
inspiration for me and my family,
said Angeline, adding that even
after beginning her studies in New
Zealand, Sanjay continued to be in
touch via email to ensure that she
was comfortable and settled in her
studies.
As an international student,
Angeline
faced
challenges
due to differences in culture,
language,
and
educational
systems. However, she believes
that challenges are everywhere,
whether in India or New Zealand,
and that its key to keep a positive

attitude and think of every

challenge as a stepping stone and
learning opportunity.
Back in India, we had things
that we needed to memorise, but I
had never studied in a framework
where I had to write an essay and
submit it, explained Angeline.
At NZTC I learned about writing
an essay in my own words,
researching, avoiding plagiarism,
and backing up my work with
articles. It was a good learning
experience.
Angeline feels the education
she received at NZTC has been
excellent because it was practical
and grounded in real-world
experience.
You have field practice every
week, so you dont need to wait
until after graduation to gain work
experience, she said. Everything
I have studied this year I can

actually relate to my teaching.

Now that she has graduated,
Angeline is working as a qualified
teacher for babies. Her teachers
registration is her first priority
at the moment, and after she has
achieved this she will look into
upgrading her studies.
Extremely satisfied with her
education at NZTC and the career
she has launched as a result of it,
Angeline is now singing NZTCs
praises to friends and relatives who
live overseas. If they are planning
to study towards an international
qualification, whether they are
from a teaching or non-teaching
background,
Angeline
urges
them to consider pursuing early
childhood education at NZTC.
Ive been telling them that
if they are planning to study
overseas, NZTC is the place to be,
she said.

KID ZONE

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

Red

Black

Orange

e
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A. A nervous ship

Send us stories, draw

contributions by your ings, poems and other
little ones along with
thei
photographs for this
page. Email us at edito r
r@
indianweekender.co.n
z

Insect crossword

25

26

EVENTS

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Queens Birthday on queens wharf

Rizwan Mohammad

he Queens Wharf played

host to a massive crowd
that had come together
to celebrate the Queens Birthday.
The fanfare commenced on
Saturday, 30 May and lasted until
Monday, 1 June.
Queens Birthday is celebrated
on the first Monday of June every
year in New Zealand, this is also
when the names of the recipients
of the Queens Service Medal are
announced. This is also a public
holiday and almost always falls on
a weekend so the long weekend
is what most people wait for.
Shed 10 at the Queens Wharf

saw a sale of Maori artefacts,

homemade
woollen
jackets,
scarves, beautiful picture frames
and antique cutleries and pots.
Old vintage cars such as
limousines made during World
War 1, a fine collection of Mini
Coopers made in the 1960s, some
of the oldest Jaguars, Bugatti
Veyron and Bentley cars were
on display for public view at the
Cloud.
Other activities included fun
games for the children at the
Cloud along with a photo booth
where you could click a snap with
a lady dressed as Queen Elizabeth.
There were face painting stalls

and also a movie corner that

showcased the animated film
Paddington.
The organisers also took this

Red

opportunity to promote the

U-20 FIFA World Cup 2015 for
which New Zealand is the host.
Children could try their luck at

Black

Orange

mini football, play on a bouncy

shaped as a goalpost and get
their pictures clicked at footballthemed photo booths.

Indian Theatre Festival ends with a bang

Rangmanch has created a new benchmark with the Indian Theatre Festival last month. With plays in four different languages, each went house
full and received positive reviews from the audience.
Rizwan Mohammad

Ek Adhuri Kahani

angmanch kicked off

with three plays on Friday
15, March, the first being
Ek Adhuri Kahani. An excited
crowd, a nervous yet thrilled crew,
lip-smacking snacks and a two
hour-long suspense showit was
a perfect combination for a juicy
Friday evening.
Ek Adhuri Kahani is a play
filled with questions, suspense
and a murder mystery that kept
the audience at the edge of their
seats. The play starts off with the
main character Peter sentenced to
be hanged to death by the law. The

audience is then introduced to a

play writer, who is puzzled when
Peter commits to the crime, as he
believes that a man such as him
could not commit a cold-blooded
murder.
The play then presents a series
of other characters associated to
Peter. Questions are raised and
the mystery unfolds slowly as the
play jumps between flashbacks
and present day. The lighting and
spine-chilling background score
perfectly build up the tension
among the audience.
Ek Adhuri Kahani portrays
the intensity of emotions the
protagonist goes through during
tough times of his life; scenarios
where irreversible mistakes have

a domino effect on his and others

life. The story shows the harsh
realities of life, the effect of poverty
and poor decisions and how our
society gets trapped in the struggle
to survive. It questions our choice
between love and death, when
either is painful and has dire
consequences.
The audience chuckled at times
and were left shocked sometimes,.
The play received rave reviews
from its viewers and a thunder of
applause at the end. A member of
the audience was overhead saying,
Rangmanch has truly brought a
classic nerve chilling story onboard
with brilliant acting, amazing
storyline and wonderful lighting
and sound effects on the stage.

The tiny twinkles of Rangmanch

Kalki Kaljat Ghusli

The Marathi play Kalki Kaljat

Ghusli was able to capture the
plight of some families who live
all their lives without a father. The
play comprised of three characters
Kanchan played by Prerna Joshi,
Kanhaiyya played by Bipin Chavan
and Yamini played by Rohini
Purandare.
Kanhaiyya is a talented musician
and leaves his wife and daughter
in pursue of a successful career in
the music industry. After several
years of struggle in Bombay, he still
hangs between success and failure
somehow surviving in the land of
dreams.
He is followed by his daughter

Kanchan to Bombay who tries to

convince him that in pursuit of a
perfect life and career he lost his
family. Yamini is his close associate
in Bombay and they have helped
each other in their tough times.
The drama is apt and well
applauded by the audience.
Performances of Kanhaiyya and
Yamini were very convincing.
Prerna Joshi who played the second
lead character was given a standing
ovation for her performance. Her
dialogue delivery, command over
the language was next to perfect,
her acting was very much powerful,
such that one could feel her
emotions. says Dr Priya Punjabi
who immensely enjoyed the show.

Salomi Pandya, 10 years

Malisha Ghosh, 11 years

Ryan Ghosh, 8 years

Siddhraj Solanki, 6 years

Aliza Khan, 11 years

I study at Blockhouse Bay

Intermediate in year 7. I played
the role of Vini daughter of Tina
in the Hindi play Ek Adhuri
Kahani. I have always loved
dancing and drama. I have been
a part of productions since my
primary school and I dance a
lot. I like hip-hop, ballet and
mostly Bollywood dance. My
mum is a dancer so she taught
me Bharatanatyam too and I
participated at the Indian Dance
Festival and Durga Puja too.
Jayanta uncle is a family friend
and one day he asked me if I
would like to do a small role in a
play and I agreed to it.

I study at St. Dominic Catholic

Primary School and I am in year
4. I play the character of Vili,
Tinas son in the Hindi play Ek
Adhuri Kahani. My hobbies are
playing Cricket and doing math. I
love math and it is my favourite
subject in school, and I dont like
dancing but mum keeps pulling
me for dance. My sister Malisha
is a very good dancer but I am
very good in Cricket. I am a good
bowler and a fielder too; I play
for the New Lynn Suburbs Club.
When I grow up I want to play for
the Indian cricket team, and for
that I will go to India, learn and
stay there.

I study at Hillsborough
Primary School and I am in year
2. My dad says I did my first
stage performance when I was 6
months old and at the Christmas
skit. I also played the role in
documentary called Raising
Children in New Zealand series
by TVNZ 7; Plunket currently
gives a copy of that DVD to every
parent whose child is born in NZ.
Other than acting I like
cricket, playing soccer, drawing,
swimming and I also do Karate. I
also like singing and I can nicely
sing the Gangnam Style. I really
enjoyed the play and use to run
around the stage all the time and
I made some new friends.

I study at Auckland Normal

Intermediate in Mt. Eden in year
7. I played a small role in the
Gujarati play Ver Na Vavetar. I
really love dancing and acting, I
have taken part in productions in
my school. Before the play I was
very nervous but after doing the
play it gave me more confidence.
Other than acting and dancing I
like writing poems, short stories,
I write my journals. When I
grow up I would like to become
a forensic expert, they are cool. I
saw CID TV serial on TV and told
my mum that I want to be in CID
someday.

I study at Howick Primary

School in year 6. Sailesh uncle
in a family friend and asked my
mum if I would like to be a part of
a Gujarati play, so my mum said
yes. I like singing, but not many
productions. But after rehearsing
so many times, I got confidence
and now I can act in any drama. I
like singing and when I first sang
in the class I got really nervous
and was shaking but slowly I
started enjoying it and the fear
was gone.
Everybody says I will become a
lawyer when I grow up because I
have the traits of a lawyer.

ENTERTAINMENT

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

Red

Black

27

Orange

Kangana inaugurates
Irrfan to miss Jurassic
World promotions in India first Gap store in

ctor Irrfan Khan is

shooting for his foreign
project Inferno in
Budapest. It will keep him away
from promoting his forthcoming
film Jurassic World in India.
Apart
from
promotional
activities, the actor, who is being
lauded for his latest film Piku,
will also miss its Indian premiere.
There is a big launch planned
by the studio.
However, from the schedule
that Irrfan is in between right now,
it is unlikely that he would be able
to be a part of it. He is certain he
will make it for the international
premiere with the rest of the cast,
said a source.
There were a few other
promotional activities planned
too, but apart from attending
two international film premieres,
the actor wont be able to do
any promotions in India, read a

India

statement.
Irrfan, who has created a route
for himself in the west through
films like The Namesake, A
Mighty Heart, Life of Pi,
Slumdog Millionaire and The
Amazing Spider-Man, will be
attending the films premiere in
Paris.
Directed by Colin Trevorrow,

Jurassic World also stars Chris

Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.
The new film is set 22 years after
the park opened. The science
fiction adventure film will hit
theatres on June 12.
Meanwhile, Irrfan is busy with
Inferno, a film adaptation of
Dan Browns book, being directed
by Ron Howard.

Shilpa Shetty takes Bollywood to

London via radio

ctress Shilpa Shetty,

who found popularity in
Britain after winning a
season of Celebrity Big Brother
in 2007, has turned into a radio
jockey to talk about Bollywood
with the people in London.
She will be on a special show
on BBC Radio 2. The actress, who
is married to businessman Raj
Kundra, took to micro-blogging
site Twitter to share details of
the show, which will go live in
September.
Working day in London.
Recording for a series of shows
introducing Bollywood to the
Mainstream here on BBC Radio 2.
Goes on air in Sept, Shilpa tweeted.
The actress interacted with melody
queen Lata Mangeshkar and
Bollywoods entertainment master
Karan Johar for the broadcast.

She feels indebted to the two for

taking time out to delve upon their
journey in showbiz.
So much fun recording,
spoke to @mangeshkarlata and
@karanjohar. Thanku so much
for making the shows so special,
indebted to you both, the actress
further posted.

Elated by the new role, the

Dhadkan actress posted two
photographs of herself in radio
jockey mode. She shared these
images on photo-sharing website
Instagram with the caption: The
new RJ in the house.
After her stint on the sliver
screen, the actress turned into an
entrepreneur and has carved a
name for herself in the business
world.
Shilpa runs a spa and wellness
chain IOSIS and she is also a
co-owner of the Indian Premier
League
franchise
Rajasthan
Royals. She even has a jewellery
business, and is a successful fitness
expert.
The actress also walked into the
small screens as a judge and a host
for a slew of shows like Bigg Boss
and Nach Baliye.

merican multinational
clothing and accessories
brand Gap made its way
to the Indian market last week
with the launch of its first store,
inaugurated by actress Kangana
Ranaut amidst a huge crowd in a
mall in New Delhi.
Spread over 10,000 sq ft at the
Select City Walk in south Delhi,
the new flagship store offers Gap
for men and women, GapKids,
and babyGap Summer 2015
collections.
It has come into the market
via a partnership with Arvind
Lifestyle Brands Ltd.
The brands spokesperson
credited Bollywood superstar
Shah Rukh Khan for popularising
Gap in the country through the
1998 film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
Talking about the reason
behind bringing the brand to India,
and how it will break the clutter of
the multiple international labels
available here, Oliver Kaye, CEO Gap Business, told media: I think
our clothes are perfect for Indian
summer.
Its very easy to wear with a
whole lot of linen feel to it.
Also, I believe that Shah Rukh
has already made our brand
famous in India with his orange
t-shirt that he wore in his film
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai with Gap
written on it.
If King Khan made Gap famous
in his movie, here was Bollywoods
Queen Kangana sporting a casual
summer-perfect outfit from the
brand at the launch.
The fan following of the actress
was obvious from the fact that
over a thousand people were
waiting in line to get a glimpse of
her -- creating chaos at the heavily
promoted event.
The moment they saw their

Dharmendra may soon undergo

shoulder surgery

eteran
actor
Dharmendra
may
undergo
shoulder
surgery soon, his wife and actress
Hema Malini said last week.
Addressing
Dharmendras
health scare, Hema said he is
recuperating well, but necessary
medical treatment has to be
ensured.
Just an update on Dharamji.
He got admitted to Breach Candy
to chk his blood count as he felt
tired all the time & to chk his
shoulder pain, Hema tweeted.

His haemoglobin count was a

bit low so he was anaemic. Under
observation now & he may have a
shoulder surgery a lil later. Pray
he is ok fast, she added.
According to reports, the
actor was rushed to the hospital
after he complained of pain
in his shoulder, which he hurt
while shooting for Second Hand
Husband.
The couple have two daughters
- Esha and Ahana -- together.
Known as the Hindi cinemas
original He-Man, the actor is

known for hits like Sholay,

Dream Girland Seeta Aur
Geeta. Dharmendra has two
sons from his first marriage -Sunny and Bobby Deol.
Dharmendras
daughter
Esha also took to the microblogging site Twitter to send out
a message too.
Thank u all for ur concern!
My dad is fit and fine (sic), Esha
tweeted.
On the professional front, in the
last few years,

the actor has been appreciated for his acts in

movies such as Yamla
Pagla Deewana and
Apne, which also
starred his sons.
Dharmendras
last film outing
was Punjabi movie
Double Di Trouble.

favourite actress, the crowd

cheered away.
Since opening its doors in 1969,
Gap has been known for offering
consumers cool, modern American
designs fit for every occasion.
Customers worldwide have looked
to the iconic international brand
for on-trend, casual clothing and
accessories that help them express
their personal sense of style.

28

ENTERTAINMENT

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

Red

Tanu Weds
Manu Returns
is modern day
Prem Rog:
Rishi Kapoor

The thriller, which will star

Manoj and versatile Tabu,
will be produced under Manoj
Bajpayee Productions Pvt Ltd.
The actor will be co-producing
the film with Neeraj Pandey and
it is directed by debutant Mukul
Abhyankar.
The plot of the film is
shrouded in secrecy as the actor
had earlier mentioned that he
cannot disclose much about the
first production as its a thriller
and it would mean revealing
the storyline -- you will have to
watch the film.

Tabu gets into

tough inspector
look for
Drishyam

fter garnering plaudits

for playing a mother in
Haider, versatile actress
Tabu will be back on the silver screen
with more power in a police officers

eteran actor Rishi Kapoor

has called Kangana Ranaut
and R. Madhavan-starrer
Tanu Weds Manu Returns a
modern day version of his 1982 film
Prem Rog.
Directed by Aanand L. Rai, Tanu
Weds Manu Returns, a sequel
to 2011 film Tanu Weds Manu,
focuses on the rediscovery of love
between a married couple Tanu
(Kangana) and Manu (Madhavan).
The film features Kangana in a
double role of Tanu and Datto and
has a supporting cast of actors
Jimmy Sheirgill, Deepak Dobriyal
and Swara Bhaskar. The film got
massive response not only from the
critics and the audience, but also
from the film fraternity.
TWMR is a modern day Prem
Rog redone in todays time. You have
heard it a million times how good
the movie is so dont need to say
it. Bravo, Rishi posted on Twitter.
The director of Tanu Weds Manu
Returns thanked Rishi for giving a
thumbs up to his film.
Prem Rog, directed by late
actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor, tells
the story of a mans love towards
a woman, who is a widow and of a
higher status.

Manoj Bajpayees
production
venture titled
Missing

ctor Manoj Bajpayee

will be debuting as
producer soon and he
has titled his production venture
Missing.
We had two titles that
were shortlisted, but we finally
decided on Missing as the
whole team agreed that it was
the apt title, Manoj said in a
statement.

and Abhishek Pathak.

week.
The actress, who is working
hard on A.R. Murugadosss
Akira, has been named the face of
the five-day fashion extravaganza,
which will start in New Delhi on
July 15.
Meanwhile, Sonakshi is excited
to head out to Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia,
where
the
IIFA
celebrations will begin on June 5.
Sonakshi will perform at IIFA
Rocks, an exclusive musical
extravaganza, hosted by actors
Ayushmann
Khurrana
and
Parineeti Chopra, on the starting
day. She will also lend her grace
to a live act on the concluding
awards night on June 7.

ctress Sonakshi Sinha

says she always dreamt
of
performing
like
a rockstar in front of a live
audience, and her singing act at
the forthcoming 16th edition of
the three-day International Indian
Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend
and Awards in June, will fulfil her
dream.
Im all set for IIFA. I always
had this rockstar dream in my
life that I am singing at a concert...
and this is going to be as close to
it as possible. In a way, my dream
is coming true. So, yes, I am very
excited, the Dabangg actress
told media on the sidelines of
the announcement of the seventh
edition of BMW India Bridal
Fashion Week in New Delhi last

Emraan
Hashmis
pre-kissing
ritual

mraan Hashmi earned the

title of Bollywoods serial
kisser, but the actor says
he sticks to a pre-kissing ritual

Anupam Kher to
stage his play in
Hong Kong

Sonakshis
singing
performance at
IIFA a dream
come true

avatar in Drishyam.
There is a recurring pattern in
Tabus choice of films -- be it Cheeni
Kum or Chandni Bar and that is the
strong female characters. This time
too, the actress will play the role of
IG Meera Deshmukh, who will go to
any lengths to unmask the truth.
The role is touted as the toughest
role she has ever portrayed, read a
statement.
Drishyam, a thriller directed
by Nishikant Kamat, also features
Ajay Devgn. He plays a middle class
family man named Vijay Salgaonkar.
A Panorama Studios and Viacom
18 Motion Pictures Production,
presented by Viacom 18 Motion
Pictures, Drishyam is produced by
Kumar Mangat Pathak, Ajit Andhare

Orange

The
60-year-old,
who
completed 31 years in the
entertainment industry recently,
took to Twitter to announce the
news.
Bye bye & Thank You
Singapore. Now on my way to
HongKong to stage my play
#KuchBhiHoSaktaHai, Anupam
tweeted alongside a photograph
of him.
The autobiographical play
is presented by Anupam, who
narrates his journey to success
through a monologue.
Last seen in Dirty Politics,
Anupam will next appear in
Chalk n Duster.

Piku finds
success in
distant Poland

he worldwide success of
Shoojit Sircars Piku
now has Poland within
its ambit. The film is a runaway
success in this Polish capital
since its May 20 joint released by
Yashraj Films and Anuj Sharmas
Images & Worlds.
It will soon be screened in
other major Polish cities like
Krakow, Lodz, Lublin, Wroclaw
and Poznan.
Poland is not only a market
for Bollywood masala movies,
but Polish film buffs are keen on
serious and clean movies such
as Piku, said Anuj Sharma,
president of Images & Worlds
company.
Piku has opened a new
chapter in Poland. We in Poland
want to see creative films like this
one. It is a wonderful and lighthearted comedy and allows us to
keep pace with the latest trends in
Bollywood productions, Janusz
Krzyzowski, president of the
India-Poland Cultural Committee
said.
Yashraj Films had also earlier
released Rani Mukherjis bold film
Mardani. Rani had especially
come for its premiere in January
this year. Mardani too was wellreceived by Polish fans.
The craze for Bollywood
films began a decade ago when
in November 2004, Karan
Johars Kabhi Khushi, Khabhi
Gham was shown with Polish
subtitles. Shahrukh Khan became
a household name in no time
and his posters were sold in the
thousands.

Black

eteran actor Anupam

Kher, who was in
Singapore for the first
international show of Mera woh
Matlab Nahi Tha, will next stage
his play Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai
in Hong Kong.

to get a scene right he avoids

berries!
In an episode of Farah Ki
Daawat hosted by choreographerfilmmaker Farah Khan, the
Jannat actor shared that before
a kissing scene in his movies, he
avoids eating any kind of berries
because he is allergic to them.
But he recounted having garlic
just before one such scene, just to
get back at an actress. And no, he
didnt take any names!
The actor also shared that
his best kiss has been with a dog
instead of any actress.
Best kiss was when my dog
licked my face, he quipped.
Emraan also tried his hand at
cooking by helping Farah cook her
signature roast chicken.
In Farah Ki Daawat, which
is aired on Colors channel,
Bollywood celebrities showcase
their culinary skills.

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For more info and ticket enquiries contact Harish 021 62 62 82, Ram Iyer on 09 213 3868 or 021 529982

31 July 2015, Victory Convention Centre, Auckland

TICKETS WILL BE ON SALE SOON

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30

FEATURE

5 June 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz

An encounter with the thespian...

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Sailesh Prajapati is a renowned theatre artist; he also owns a media production company in Auckland. Rich in his experience and invincible as
an actor, he has been in the media industry for over 30 years. Indian Weekender speaks to the thespian...
Rizwan Mohammad

Is there a mentor or an idol

that you follow?

How
has
been
your
association with Rangmanch?

Tell us about your acting

career

When I joined theatre 35

years back Kailash Pandya from
Darpana and Raju Barot were
my mentors and they have been
my backbone. I have also worked
with Raghubir Yadav from NSD
and Peepli Live fame, Ketan
Mehta, Nadita Das, Abhijat
Joshi, Saumya Joshi. Here
in New Zealand Vanessa
Alexander has been a good
friend; she is well recognised
in the NZ TV industry. She
has been of immense support
ever since I completed my Post
Graduate Diploma in Arts (Film,
TV and Media) from University of
Auckland in the early 2007.

Rangmanch started in 2007

and used to do only Hindi plays
initially then we have started doing
Gujarati Plays and a year back the
idea came to make Rangmanch
bigger
by
including
more
languages. The effort has been
put ever since to get everything
together from different plays to
actors, music, lighting, properties,
booking theatre, tickets etc.
I am the treasurer at
Rangmanch, directed Gujarati
plays so far and acted in Hindi
plays as well. The response we
got was phenomenal; everybody
was pleased with the quality of
the plays and the magnitude of
the crowd. We have just wrapped
up the show and collecting the
properties from the theatre and
the videos of reviews should be on
Facebook soon.

It has been almost 35 years

since I started doing theatre, I
was paid Rs. 100 for my first play
which was a Gujrati folk play
called Jasma Odan. Since I was
very good in Garba, I was asked
by my friends to learn classical
dance. So, I went to Darpana and
met Kailash Pandya there; he told
me that I should get involved in
drama and learn acting as he saw
an actor in me. So, there started
my journey with the performing
arts and I still feel the same
enthusiasm and energy even today
with theatre.
From the very start I had this
inclination towards creative arts,
though I studied law but somehow
after freelancing in this field it
became my passion and I have
been into this industry since.
What draws you to theatre?
Theatre is completely a different
world, in movies especially in
Bollywood the actors are more of
stars and are not necessarily much
of actors. In theatre you have to
be very careful when it comes to
projecting your body language,
emphasizing on your expressions,
delivering your dialogues and if
there are mistakes then prompt

Sailesh Prajapati

improvisation. In fact, there is no

room for mistakes on stage.
Also in film shooting you
have the provisions for retakes,
not much crowd around and
post production smoothes the
final product, but in theatre you
perform in front of a live audience
and again no room for retakes.
Have you worked with TV as
well in the past?
Yes, I was associated with
Doordarshan for 5 years as
production assitant and director
for their TV series. In 1993 I
left Doordarshan and started

Bermuda telefilms Ltd, which

focussed on TV series in Gujrati.
While freelancing and doing
roles in TV series at times I kept
working with this media industry.
I played the character of Ernie in
Americas television programme
in Power Rangers Megaforce in
2014.
How many plays have you
done so far?
I have done 35 full length plays
of two hours both Gujrati and
Hindi and 20 one act plays of 40
minutes.

DAHI CHICKEN
PREPARATION AND COOKING
TIME: 105 MINUTES | SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS FOR MARINATION
}} 800gm chicken pieces
}} 1cup plain thick yoghurt
}} 1tsp coriander powder
}} 1tsp chicken masala powder
}} tsp cumin powder
}} tsp garam masala powder
}} tsp red chilli powder
}} 1tbsp ginger paste
}} 1tbsp garlic paste
}} Salt according to taste

METHOD FOR MARINADE

Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly
and pat dry them, keep aside.
In a big deep bowl whisk yoghurt, add
all the above ingredients except chicken.
Mix well, then add chicken. Cover and
keep it in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE
}} 2 onions, medium, crushed or grated
}} 3 tomatoes, large
}} 2 to 3 green chillies

}}
}}
}}
}}
}}

tsp turmeric powder

Juice of 1 lime
Salt according to taste
Fresh coriander for garnishing
1tbsp oil for cooking

METHOD FOR SAUCE

Using a blender, make a paste of green
chilli and tomatoes, keep aside.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pot. Cook
the onions till golden brown in colour
(about 6 to 8 minutes).
Add garlic paste, stir, then add the
ginger paste to the golden brown onions.
On low heat stir for one minute. Add the
tomato chilli paste, stir for another few
minutes till the tomatoes are soft and
mushy and oil separates. Now your onion
masala is ready.
Add chicken and the marinade to this
onion masala. Cook on medium heat for
2-3 minutes, and keep stirring so that it
does not stick to the bottom of the pan
and the extra moisture has evaporated.
Add turmeric powder to the above mix
and adjust the salt (keeping in mind that
some salt is already in the marinade).
While stirring add half cup of warm water
to the chicken, close the lid, reduce the
flame to low and let the chicken simmer
for 15 to 20 minutes or till done (you
dont have to stir continuously, you can
check 1-2 times in between to ensure the
chicken is not sticking to the bottom).
Serve hot and garnish with chopped
coriander and lime juice.

Other than plays, what do you

do?
I am a freelance post
production service provider in
Film and Television industry of
New Zealand. I have worked in
television earlier too and now
I have Indo-NZ Film Company
that does post production work
for TV series and advertisements.
Recently I worked for Power
Rangers-Dino
Charge
and
working for Filthy Rich TV
drama serise for TV2 and did
acting in advertisement of NZTA
on drug driving. My agents are
Auckland Actors.

Punjabi cultural Night

2015

Date: 6 June 2015

Time: 6 pm to 11 pm
Venue: Vodafone Events Centre,
Auckland
Saanjh sports and cultural club in
association with Women Care Trust
presents Punjabi Cultural Night 2015.
An alcohol and drug free family event
with free entry and free parking. Contact
Sukhbir Kaur at 0210406677 for more
details.

Informative evening
for Ethnics community
groups

Date: Monday 8 June 2015

Time: 6 pm to 9 pm
Venue: Fickling Centre in the
Hillsborough room
Ethnic community groups invited
to attend information evening with
major government departments and
organisations. Auckland Regional
Migrant Services (ARMS) is inviting ethnic
community groups where organisations
including Immigration New Zealand, NZ

Winter Splash 2015

Date: Sunday 21 June

Time: noon-2 pm
Venue: Selwyn Reserve- Tamaki Drive,
Mission Bay
The annual Winter Splash in Mission Bay
is a fun, free family day out.
There will be activities for all ages,
including youth activities organised by

Do you plan to make feature

film in the future?
Yes, I do have plans to make a
full length feature film very soon,
I have been working on the script
for two years on and off. I have
also contacted a few production
houses back in India and look
forward to get the actors.

Orkei Youth Board and a sausage sizzle.

And, of course, therell be the famous dip
in the water - are you brave enough?
Call: 09 301 0101

Auckland Photographic
Society - Life through
the Lens

Date & Time: 27 May - 18 June, Monday

Thursday from 9 am-7 pm
Friday 9 am-5 pm, Saturday 9 am-4 pm
Venue: Studio One Toi T, 1 Ponsonby
Road, Ponsonby
This exhibition presents the work of the
members of the Auckland Photographic
Society (APS). The open exhibition
theme has allowed the photographers to
choose their own subject and genre.

Free workshop for Job

Search in NZ by CAB,
Hamilton

Date: Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Time: 11.30am to 1 pm & 1 pm to 2.30pm
Venue: Memorial Waikato Migrant
Resource Centre, 46G Boundary Road,
Claudelands
Networking and finding NZ referees
CVs and covering letter basics for New
Zealand employers
Getting started on LinkedIn
Presenters: Brendon Gardner from MBIE
and Mariella Trynes from Careers New
Zealand
Please confirm your place by phoning our
CAB office on (07) 839 0808 or Email at
cab.hamilton@xtra.co.nz

www.iwk.co.nz | 5 June 2015

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FEATURE

31

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One Tree Hill College, 421-451 Great South Road, Penrose, Auckland,
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