Indian

Indian September 4, 2009

Log on to www.iwk.co.nz Volume 1, No. 13
New Zealand’s first Indian weekend magazine
For free distribution

Chai time | 5 Music fest | 13 Bollywood | 22

India-inspired Tabla maestro Chak De girl
tea launched Fazal Qureshi in Sagarika Ghatge
NZ

At a glance

India’s top leather exporters

A delegation of leather exporters
from India has expressed interest
in scaling up trade with New Zea-
land as part of their plans to expand
aggressively into the Australasian
market. Page 3

Jaswant on Jinnah
Why Jaswant Singh is right about
Jinnah in his new book. Instead of
vilifying the author for defending Jin-
nah, we must appreciate his courage
in exposing the real villains of the
Partition, thinks IW’s current affairs
commentator. Page 6

Commonwealth suspends Fiji

Despite the full suspension effective
September 1, the Commonwealth
has said it remains open to engag-
ing with Fiji, while Commodore
Bainiamarama calls it “a necessary
sacrifice.” Page 10

Hits and misses

Last fortnight saw some exciting
cricket all around. England regained
the Ashes beating Australia 2-1. But
Daniel Vettori’s personal landmark
could not stem the Black caps being
blacked out by Sri Lanka. IW cricket
writer reports. Page 24

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Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 1

Indian
Kollywood’s new darling is from Blockhouse Bay
Dev Nadkarni meets the Tamil film industry’s latest big find
“I suppose it was just destined to happen,” says
Blockhouse Bay girl Uttara Ramkumar whose
lovely visage will hit the silver screen the world
over come December.
This petite winner of the Miss India New
Zealand 2008 pageant had absolutely no plans of
embarking on a career in films. In May last year,
JK Creations, a movie production house from
Chennai in South India – the capital of Tamil
movies also referred to as Kollywood – was in
New Zealand auditioning for a fresh new female
face to suit the role of an “NRI girl” for a film it
was planning to shoot here.
The talent scouts from Chennai were unable
to select any of the two-dozen or so candidates
that auditioned and returned rather disappointed
to Chennai. Uttara and her parents knew about
the auditions but didn’t consider it. “It was never
in our scheme of things,” says Uttara, who had
her university studies to pursue.
Then the producer happened to chance upon
a DVD of the Miss India New Zealand 2008
pageant in Chennai and was bowled over when
he saw Uttara on the screen. He immediately
got in touch with Uttara’s parents Anuradha and
Ramkumar and the family began to mull over
the offer.
Yet undecided, the family sent a set of pho-
tographs and a screen test shot at home back to
Chennai. Yes, the director and the producers
were interested.
Meanwhile the producers said they had
decided to shoot the film in Melbourne, not here
in New Zealand – which added another dimen-
sion to the family’s decision-making process,
and for some time they decided to drop the idea.
But the production house and the director
had impeccable credentials and the script was
2 Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
too good as a refreshing new idea. “Besides, the
shooting schedule was a short one, spread over a
couple of months,” says Uttara. “And it fitted in
well with my university schedule, though it was
hard being away for so long.”
The film’s director is K.R. Mathivanan, who
has been associate director with the much ac-
claimed director Shankar and worked on the
recent mega-blockbuster Sivaji, starring south-
ern India’s biggest star – and reportedly India’s
highest paid actor – Rajanikanth.
Uttara joins a long line of a previous genera-
New Zealand
tion of South Indian actresses who were accom-
plished Indian classical danseuses before they
made their careers on the silver screen. Vyjayan-
thimala and Hema Malini are only two of them.
Uttara, too, has carved a niche for herself in New
Zealand as an accomplished Bharata Natyam
dancer having performed at several places. A
product of her mother’s popular home-based
dance school, Uttara had her Arangetram a few
years ago in Auckland.
Has her training in traditional dance come in
handy for her new career in front of the camera?
“It certainly has,” says Uttara. “There is a lot of
Abhinaya (emoting) involved while portraying
characters in many dance sequences; we play the
roles of several characters – so that helped.”
Uttara has had a fair share of dance sequenc-
es in the film. “I enjoyed it and my training really
helped,” she says.
But dance is a live performing art and a con-
tinuous, unbroken performance unlike acting in
a film, which is sliced and diced into dozens of
shots even for a single scene. “In that sense I was
a little lucky,” replies Uttara. “Most of the shots
for scenes in the film were quite long and I was
quite comfortable doing them because much of
my dialogue delivery was continuous.”
And was she comfortable speaking the lan-
guage? “My Tamil had a bit of a Kiwi accent,”
she laughs. “But I was playing an NRI girl, so I
guess it sounds authentic for the role. I’m more
at home with Telugu, which is my mother’s
language, and of course Hindi.” She got acting
lessons pretty much on the fly from the film’s
experienced crew and director before and in
between shots.
The film titled “Aridhu, Aridhu” – which
means “very rare” is a variation on the boy-
meets-girl theme. It’s about a Chennai boy who
lands up in Melbourne because of a set of in-
teresting circumstances and meets the girl that
Uttara plays.
ACTION: Uttara in various scenes
“Unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to reveal from Aridhu Aridhu
the detailed story, but I can tell you it’s very dif- With Kollywood firmly in her grasp, Bolly-
ferent, interesting and very, very intriguing,” she wood is a mere hop, skip and jump away. Are
says of the film which besides being a love story the young actor’s sights on Mumbai’s bright arc
has its fair share of action. “But importantly, it lights yet? “Of course,” she gushes. “Which
has a strong social message,” she adds. Indian girl doesn’t dream of a career in Bolly-
Sai Thaman, the fast rising star of Southern wood?”
India’s music world, has written the film’s score. Though she loves Auckland and being at
He shot to fame with the recent Telugu hit titled home with her parents – especially her mother
“Kick” which has become a blockbuster largely whom she credits with all her success so far –
because of its music. Aridhu Aridhu’s music is Uttara realises she will have to spend more time
due for release some time this month. “There are away in coming months. “I will have to spend
quite a few songs and they’re fantastic,” Uttara quite a lot of time in India in the run up to the
says. release,” she says.
Uttara’s “discovery” has been splashed Does she have a message for young Kiwi
across the film glossies in both Kollywood and Indians on their paths to achievement? “Just
neighbouring Tollywood (the Andhra Pradesh believe in yourself and follow your heart with a
film industry) including the redoubtable Tamil sensible plan,” she says. Way to go, Uttara!
magazine Ananda Vikatan. And even before the
film has hit the theatres, she already has three Listen to Uttara’s audio interview
firm offers with one schedule already drawn up. on www.iwk.co.nz
“It’s all happening way too fast,” says Uttara.
Indian
New Zealand
Indian leather exporters make first foray into NZ
A delegation of leather exporters from India
that spent a day at a buyer-seller meet in
Auckland has expressed interest in scaling up
trade with New Zealand as part of their plans
to expand aggressively into the Australasian
market.
Indian leather exporters have established
an excellent market for themselves primarily
in Europe and to some extent in the United
States and are now in the process of finding
markets further afield. This was their first
trip to the region and included a similar buy-
er-seller meet in Sydney and a business visit
to Melbourne.
India has a relatively tiny slice of about $US
1500 million of the whopping $US 127 billion
leather products market, Indian Leather Ex-
porters Council official Ali Ahmed Khan
told Indian Weekender. Between themselves,
New Zealand and Australia had a market of
between $US 55-60 million he said.
Though small, leather trade between New
Zealand and India has been rising steadily.
It has nearly doubled in the past five years LOOKING GOOD IN LEATHER: (Clock wise from top left) Rajeev Bohra, Ajit and
going up from $US 3 million in 2003 to $US Meenakshi Kalsi, wide variety of leather belts, Hemant Gupta, Sangita Gulati,
5 million last year. “There is enough potential Ali Ahmed Khan; some more leather products
and we need to make known the good quality
of Indian products in these markets. Such buy-
er-seller meets do help,” he said. Kolkata and Chennai is looking at expanding ton-based company that organised the New
While India imports raw hides from New its presence in both New Zealand and Austra- Zealand part of the visit also arranged visits
Zealand, it exports a range of finished product lia. to top Auckland stores in the course of the
including saddlery, leather accessories and Mr Bohra was rather disappointed with the delegation’s two-day stay in the city. “This
garments. manner in which the buyer-seller meet was has been a very productive first visit and the
Rajeev Bohra of New Delhi-based leather organised on the delegation’s Australian leg delegation’s members are looking forward
products manufacturer Cheviot said that of the tour – a sentiment that was shared by to following up with the contacts they have
Indian products had gained a reputation in several other members. “I wish the organis- made,” GVU director Raga D’silva told Indian
Europe. His company has been suppliers to ers had marketed our trip better. It would have Weekender.
high profile labels like Christian Dior, Burb- been much better if we had decision makers “GVU will help build on the contacts made
erry and DKNY besides a host of others. come to meet with us,” he said, but was happy between the potential buyers and sellers in the
“European markets now realise that you go with the arrangements in New Zealand. past two days,” Nicola Fenton of GVU said.
to China for quantity and price but to India Global Village Unlimited, the Welling- - Indian Weekender staff writer
if you are after quality and fashion,” he said.
“And that’s what really matters to the world’s
leading fashion brands.”
Hemant Gupta of Cintrones Alwi, a Span-
ish-Indian accessories manufacturer and ex-
porter to several European markets said that
buyers were now aware that Indian manu-
facturers now meet the most stringent envi-
ronmental standards and fair trade practices.
“Our products, for instance, are completely
chrome free and we adhere to international
manufacturing and process standards,” he
said.
Sumit and Preeti Jalan of Leatherman
Exports found that buyers in Oceania were
predisposed toward China more than India
mainly because there was little awareness of
Indian products here. Leatherman is a major
supplier of a range of accessories to European
fashion stores as also to top of the line bou-
tiques in the United States. “This is the first
time for us here and we are hopeful of making
a breakthrough while we are here,” Mr Jalan
said.
Speaking of buyer perceptions in Aus-
tralia, Mr Jalan said, “Some buyers seemed
to be wary of buying from India because of
past experiences that were not very good.
Such perceptions need to be changed because
Indian business has changed and has become
extremely professional in recent years.”
Leather Linkers’ Lalit Arora felt that the
recent problems in Australia involving Indian
students could have also played a part in a
sense of wariness in Australian buyers’ ap-
proach to Indian businesses.
Agra based Metro & Metro’s Ajit and
Meenakshi Kalsi supply a wide range of both
women’s and men’s footwear to store chains
like Sears, Wolverine and JC Penney and have
established themselves as reliable suppliers of
high quality products in the European and the
US markets. “I think our experience in New
Zealand is better than in Australia because it
was better organised here,” Mr Kalsi said.
Sangita Gulati of Kolkata-based Rishi
Arts has been dealing with the region for
over four years. “We’ve been exporting bags,
belts, garments and accessories to Australia
and New Zealand for some time now. We also
import lambskin from New Zealand,” she said
pointing to a couple of bags made out of Kiwi
lambskin. Her company that has tanneries in

Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 3

Indian
Punjjabi TV on NZ TV screens from September
Leading South Asian television channel Star Plus, Sony, Zee TV, Star One, Colors,
service in the Australia and New Zealand Set Max, Star Gold, MTV India and NDTV
region, Vision Asia, is set to bring Punjjabi in English and Hindi.” The channel is focused
TV exclusively on its bouquet from Septem- and dedicated to the promotion of undiluted
ber 2009. love of the Punjabi culture, language and
Speaking to the media, chief executive music, all types of entertainment exclusively
officer Sameer Goswami said, “Keeping in for the Punjabi speaking community and is
mind our promise of bringing the best from available as an add-on channel or a stand
back home, everyday, we are launching Punj- alone channel on Vision Asia Platform.
jabi TV as an add-on channel to the wonder- It is a complete general entertainment
ful Dildar Punjabi community in Australia, channel that offers an unparalleled line-up of
New Zealand. “Punjjabi TV is an excellent family entertainment programming giving
fit to our current bouquet which already has the viewers a vast range of programmes,
A quick look at what’s on offer…
AAG DE KALIRREY
Focusing the storyline on the importance
of the “Waris” in the culture of Punjab, Aag
de kalirrey traces the trails and tribulations
of the Gill family as it faces a dilemma
when the second son of the family dies an
accidental death. As the elder son’s wife
is not able to bear a child, the Gill family
quest for a “waris” makes them force their
grieving daughter-in-law into marrying her
husband’s younger brother. Will the Gill
family be able to come to terms with this
reality or will the bride’s auspicious “Kalir-
rey” turn into shackles for them?
CHADHYA CHANN SAMUNDRON PAR
This is the story of Gurdial Singh, who migrates to Punjab during partition and set up a
strong business empire with his hard work and perseverance. The strong entity be-
tween the sons is the main cause of tension and turbulence in his life. The entity of Sim-
ran, a girl brought up in the west, as Gurdial singh’s grandson’s wife, marks a change in
this estranged family.
4 Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
right from religious, comedy, cookery,
reality shows, movies, news, music and Bol-
lywood news.
“Punjjabi TV is truly a complete family
entertainment channel with something for
each and every member of the family and
will have instant connect with the Punjabi
community residing in Australia and New
Zealand, like what we’ve experienced in US
and UK”, said Manish Vasisht, Managing
Partner and CEO of Channel Guide.
Vision Asia is an independent multi-
channel pay television platform servicing
New Zealand
the cultural and entertainment needs of the
people of South Asian background living in
Australia and New Zealand. The service was
launched on August 15, 2000 in Australia and
New Zealand. Besides an excellent program
mix, the service has come to be known for
the digital transmission of clear picture
quality and the fact that their channels are
stored and delayed to match the prime time
viewing in the New Zealand Time Zone.
- Indian Weekender news desk
DIL DIYAN GALLAN DIL HEE JAANE
A story of unrequited love, Dil Diyan Gal-
lan Dil Hee Jaane is a journey of two lov-
ers Aman and Purnima. Destiny brings
them together and then separates
them, only to get their paths to cross
once again after years! Meanwhile, life
has moved on and this reunion causes
upheavals strong enough to shake their
world. Will these forlorn lovers ever find
their love?
ISHQ VICH YOU NEVER KNOW
Roop, the tomboy with tremendous
spark and spunk, meets the most eligble
bachelor in town, Ravi. What happens
when opposites attract is a series of
emotional twists in their life which leads
to the age old notion.
Indian
Editor lifts bar for NZ ethnic media
The chief editor of a new community newspaper
catering for the Indo-Fijian and Indian diaspora
in New Zealand has vowed to raise the bar in
ethnic publishing.
Speaking at a national Diversity Forum
seminar today on the new Asian media, Dev
Nadkarni of the Indian Weekender challenged
mainstream media to make better use of skilled
but marginalised ethnic
minority journalists.
“Good and experi-
enced ethnic journalists
are languishing as bus
drivers, supermarket
shelvers - or at the best,
subeditors,” said Nad-
karni at Wellington’s Te
Papa museum.
His newspaper
has been able to tap
into Indian journal-
ism talent neglected by
the mainstream media
when the newspaper
was launched in Auckland in March.
Twelve editions later the paper has already
impressed with bold layout, strong news se-
lection and community coverage along with
“cricket and Bollywood”.
The Indian Weekender has captured a
claimed third of the readership in the Indian di-
aspora of 110,0000 people – catering for readers
with cultural roots from Fiji, India, South Africa
and the Indian subcontinent countries of Bangla-
dash, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The newspaper has also added a website
www.iwk.co.nz and this week added a mobile
phone-based edition.
Nadkarni, a former coordinator of the Univer-
sity of the South Pacific journalism programme
and a journalist from Mumbai, has carved out an
innovative publishing niche since he migrated to
Trade Minister leaves for India for
informal WTO ministerial meeting
Trade Minister Tim Groser departs for India
next Tuesday to attend an informal Ministerial
meeting of invited WTO members hosted in New
Delhi on 3-4 September by the Indian Commerce
and Industry Minister, Anand Sharma.
While in India, the Minister will also advance
New Zealand’s trade objectives in the region and
issues under his climate change portfolio.
“The New Delhi Ministerial provides a valu-
able opportunity to assess progress and provide
direction to move the negotiations forward in
order to conclude the Doha Round by 2010 - in
line with recent commitments, including the
APEC MRT in July,” the Minister said.
The Minister will be working to achieve this
direction through his efforts at the meeting in
New Delhi, and separate bilateral meetings with
key WTO members, including Minister Sharma
and others.
“What we really need to see is traction on
the ground in Geneva, stemming from bilateral
understandings reached between the key players
on some important remaining issues. New Delhi
could be an important staging post leading into
the Pittsburgh G20 Summit to build the neces-
sary political support for concluding the Round,”
he added.
The Minister will also meet with key Indian
ministers while in New Delhi.
“While my main focus in India will be the
WTO meeting, I will be making the most of the
opportunity to meet individually with key Indian
contacts” said Mr Groser.
“India has the potential to be of huge long
term importance to New Zealand.”
“New Zealand and India have concluded a
study which recommended an FTA
between our countries. In February we an-
nounced agreement, in principle, to begin FTA
negotiations this year.”
“India has since had an election and its new
Cabinet will need to approve this study but I have
Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
New Zealand from Fiji in 2005.
He founded Pacific Business Online, played a
key role in developing the web-based edition of
Islands Business news magazine, and is a co-di-
rector of the Knowledge Basket Pacific database.
Nadkarni said it had been especially chal-
lenging launching a newspaper in New Zealand
amid a recession.
“People said we
were either fools or ab-
solute brave hearts,” he
said, but the newspaper
was rapidly becoming
consolidated.
“We aim to feel
the pulse of the Kiwi
Indian,” and engage
with the wider com-
munity.
Other speakers
in the annual forum,
hosted by the Human
Rights Commission
and marking the fifth
year of the NZ Diversity Action Programme, in-
cluded Chinese media editors and a researcher.
Henry Ho, chief executive of WTV, spoke
of the cluster of television channels catering for
the Cantonese, Japanese, Korean and Mandarin
audiences in New Zealand, while Dorothy Li,
chief editor of Skykiwi and an AUT University
business graduate described progress of the most
successful local website for Chinese youth.
Phoebe Li, an Asian studies doctoral candi-
date from Auckland University, talked about her
“virtual Chinatown” thesis, saying how local
Chinese media had boosted “brand awareness”
with New Zealand mainstream media by pro-
viding crucial information during the so-called
“pumpkin case” about an abandoned toddler and
a high-profile kidnapping.
- David Robie
met with the new Commerce and Industry min-
ister Anand
Sharma and I am confident that we will begin
negotiations soon. I look forward to working
with India to grow our trade relationship.”
“In addition to discussions on trade, I will
also be meeting with Indian environment minis-
ter, Jairam Ramesh, to talk about the UN climate
change negotiations and the need for a greater
international focus on agricultural mitigation re-
search” Mr Groser said.
- Indian Weeknder news desk
New Zealand
Indian origin, a Kiwi first
Bell Tea Launches New Blend Inspired by India
India has long been recognised
as the home of black tea, with a
culture seeped in the ritual of tea
making. The teas grown in India
are some of the finest and most
sought-after in the world. And so
it was to India that Bell turned for
the inspiration behind their latest
blend, and a world first.
Bell India Origin is an elegant
blend of two of India’s most famous
teas: Darjeeling and Assam. Grown
at the foothills of the Himalayas,
Darjeeling is often described as the
champagne of teas, and has a dis-
tinctive muscatel vitality about it, while Assam
is renowned for its rich, malty flavour and with friends
velvety smoothness. Combined, these two teas and family.
make an intriguing blend. Matt comments, “Bell India
So intriguing, in fact, that Bell Tea’s Master Origin is a sum2ptuous blend, created with New
Tea Taster and Blender, Matt Greenwood, used Zealanders’ tastes in mind. It pairs wonderfully
to hand-blend a similar version for Buckingham with food and, of all our Bell Tea blends, India
Palace (using the finest Darjeeling and Assam Origin is one to be savoured and given time to
teas of course!) And this is, in part, where the remain on the palate.”
inspiration for the blend came from. Bell India Origin is available in packs of 80
In what Bell believes to be a world first (at tea bags. Priced at RRP$5.35 from supermarkets
least on a large scale), they have combined this nationwide.
special and highly coveted blend into a tea that Visit www.belltea.co.nz for more informa-
is readily available at supermarkets, and blended tion and to view Matt’s blog (just click on the
specifically for the New Zealand palate. India Tea Guy Notebook).
Origin is the perfect mix of India’s two greatest - Indian Weekender Newsdesk
teas, and is ideal for drinking in the afternoon
Maori seats decision a backward
step: Manukau Mayor
Manukau Mayor Len Brown says the govern- “The Treaty of Waitangi provides for tangata
ment’s decision not to include seats for Maori on
the new Auckland Council lacks courage.
“Maori have been an integral part of the
Manukau community and have made a huge
whenua representation in Local Government.
Having Maori seats on the new council would go
a long way towards ensuring greater unity across
the region.
contribution across the region, and the country,”
says Mr Brown.
“They have been very clear about their aspi-
“We will have 1.4 million people under the
new umbrella and the aim is to unite everyone
across the region. If the government wants
rations for the new council, and the Government people to support the super city and to build on
had the opportunity to take a courageous step this new council, you want people to feel includ-
forward for the future of this city. They have ed. I fear this has not happened in this case. “
not so far.” Mr Brown says Manukau City Council sup-
Mr Brown is also questioning the process ported Maori representation and allowing their
around the decision. contribution to decision making in its submis-
“I’m surprised that the government set up sion to the select committee.
a sub-committee to look specifically at Maori “We are setting in place a structure that we
representation and have not waited for their rec- hope will last a hundred years. We need to get
ommendations to be reported back,” says Mr this process right the first time. To not do so
Brown. would create big problems for our city going
“This decision seems overly pre-emptive forward,” says Mr Brown.
of the process. Local Government Minister
Rodney Hide has often spoken of the importance - Indian Weekender news desk
of transparency, but where is that transparency
now?”
5
Indian
Jaswant praises Jinnah in his new book Abrupt end to Chandrayaan
New Delhi: Senior BJP leaders it seems are
taking turns to court controversy with regard
to Mohammed Ali Jinnah. After BJP president
L.K. Advani a few years ago now it is the turn of
former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh to
sing eulogies to the founder of Pakistan Moham-
med Ali Jinnah.
Singh’s book Jinnah: India-Partition, Inde-
pendence, was launched on August 17. Predict-
ably senior BJP members chose to keep away
from the function. Not only did they stay away,
party president Rajnath Singh issued a state-
ment completely dissociating from the views ex-
pressed in the book.
6 Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
‘The book authored by Shri Jaswant Singh
does not represent the views of the Bharatiya
Janata Party. In fact the party completely dissoci-
ates itself from the contents of the book,’ Rajnath
Singh said in a statement issued here.
Jaswant Singh in his 699 page book says that
the founder of Pakistan was not only misunder-
stood but ‘demonised’ by India, while it was ac-
tually Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime min-
ister, whose belief in a centralised polity had led
to the partition of the country in 1947.
Singh goes on to say ‘Nehru believed in a
highly centralised polity. That’s what he wanted
India to be. Jinnah wanted a federal polity. That
even Gandhi accepted. Nehru didn’t. Consistent-
ly, he stood in the way of a federal India until
1947 when it became a partitioned India.’
While contradicting Jaswant Singh’s views
the BJP president said: ‘Jinnah had an important
role to play in the division of India, which led to
a lot of dislocation and destabilisation of millions
of people. This is too well-known.
‘We cannot wish away this painful part of our
history.’
The Congress party did not let this opportuni-
ty go by to slam their rivals. While questioning
Singh’s nationalism, the Congress accused the
BJP for its ‘warped’ sense of history and it asked
why Advani and Singh paid tributes
to Jinnah while ignor-
ing the contributions
of a nationalist like
Maulana Azad. On
a lighter vein a Con-
gress spokesperson
was heard quipping
“ the BJP will soon
become Bharatiya
Jinnah Party”
Read Comment
on page 15
New Delhi: India’s first lunar mission came to
an abrupt end on Saturday, August 29, as scien-
tists at the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) lost all contact with the spacecraft.
“The mission is definitely over. We have lost
contact with the spacecraft,” M. Annadurai,
Project Director of the Chandrayaan-1 said in a
press statement. But S.Satish ISRO chief spokes-
person said the space agency has not yet declared
it dead. ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair claimed
the spacecraft was “recoverable”.
“It [Chandrayaan-1] has done its job techni-
cally ... 100 per cent. Scientifically also, it has
done almost 90-95 per cent of its job,” said Ann-
adurai. The mission, which had five indigenous
and six international experiments, had almost
completed its scientific objectives he added.
Statue diplomacy rocks
southern states
The unveiling of Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluar’s
statue on August 9 in Banglaore has ended an
18-year old standoff and would pave the way
for bonding of hearts between people of Karna-
taka and Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister BS Yeddy-
urappa said on Sunday. The event marked a new
beginning for relations for the two states, who
have had a long history of inimical relations for
several years.
Chief Minster of Tamil Nadu M.Karunanidhi
who had vowed not to attend any public function
in Bangalore until the statue was unveiled, said
on the occasion that this event was a good begin-
ning for opening of hearts of the people.
Speaking at the function the Karnataka chief
minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said, “ These are not
India
Built at a cost of Rs.386 crore, the mission
had put India in the elite club of six nations with
moon missions. Launched in October 2008,
it was slated to be a two year mission and has
completed 312 days in space and more than 3400
orbits around the moon.
Earlier in May the satellite lost a critical in-
strument called the star sensor and two months
later there was an overheating a problem which
necessitated the deactivation of some 11 pay-
loads to salvage the craft.
This unexpected development poses ques-
tions on the future missions of the Chandrayaan
programme. ISRO scientists say Chandrayaan-2
is more complex and would need a foolproof
plan, which would subsequently lead to a manned
mission to the moon.
just statues. These are symbols of bonding of
hearts... It is my dream that the people of Tamil
Nadu and Karnataka share a peaceful relation-
ship,”
The bronze statue of Thiruvalluvar had been
under a veil since 1991 as some pro-Kannada
groups had opposed to its installation in Banga-
lore. The Karnataka chief minister came down
on those opposing the installation of the statue,
he said, “I feel it is not appropriate to oppose
the statue in the name of Kannada language. We
should treat all the visionaries born in any state
in the country as assets of our nation.”
Tamil Nadu on its part has reciprocated by
agreeing to install a statue of Kannada poet Sar-
vagna’s statue in Chennai later in the year.
Indian
India
Pakistan’s ISI and Nepal prince
involved in counterfeit racket

New Delhi: With Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh being active partners in tracing the long standing
problem of fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), some leading facts have conclusively proved what
Indian government had long suspected. Intelligence agencies have traced the origins of the fake
currency and found that it is being printed in Karachi, Quetta and Lahore under the patronage of
Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
IB officials have already warned the Centre about fake currency making inroads into the Indian
economy through Nepal and Bangladesh. The IB believes that the ISI and its allies use the sea to dis-
patch fake currency worth hundreds of crores of rupees into India.
Terror handlers ensure that any would-be terrorist from Pakistan entering India to participate in
subversive activities must carry fake currency. IB sources say the ISI’s fake currency racket is cur-
rently limited to denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000
With the recent arrests in Nepal and Madhya Pradesh startling revelations have come up linking
the Nepal’s former prince Paras to underworld kingpin Dawood Ibrahim. Two Nepali nationals
who were caught by the MP police have revealed a prominent minister’s son Yunus Ansari as the
conduit between King Gyanendra’s son Paras and India’s most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, who
between them have been pushing crores of fake currency into India.
Investigations revealed that that Dawood was involved in the printing and manufacture of the fake
currency, while Paras was responsible for the transit of the money from other countries into Nepal
and then it’s flow into India.
Paras, the son of the former Nepal king Gyanendra, who has now taken refuge in Singapore, used
his influence to ensure the smooth flow of this money to the transit points on the India-Nepal border.
In a related development investigating officers have also found out that the Pakistani ISI has im-
pressed upon the government in Islamabad to import additional currency-standard printing paper
from companies located in London to pursue its nefarious designs in India.
Officials pointed out that Pakistan has been procuring currency-standard printing paper in huge
quantities from London-based companies — much higher than normal requirement of the country for
printing its own currency presumably for diverting it to print fake Indian currency.
Interestingly America has reached an agreement with Switzerland, under which Swiss bank UBS
AG agreed to hand over details of more than 4,000 secret accounts worth 18 billion dollars.

Don’t bank on us say Swiss Banks to India

New Delhi: Swiss banks have categorically told India that they were not welcome there on a name-
fishing expedition.
Swiss Bankers Association’s Head of International Communications James Nason had told re-
porters , “Swiss law and even OECD’s Model Tax Convention do not permit fishing expeditions. In
other words, the indiscriminate trawling through bank accounts in the hope of finding something
interesting.
“This means that India cannot simply throw its telephone book at Switzerland and ask if any of
these people have a bank account here,” a top official at Swiss Bankers Association said from Basel.
Nason added that banks had a right to protect the identity and privacy of their clients, but if India
has any specific suspicion they would surely cooperate. To reiterate his point he cited the example of
the contorversial Bofors case, in which they had provided all information needed.
The illegal stashing away of crores of rupees in Swiss Banks has always been an issue in India,
with the Bharatiya Janata Party making it a poll issue in the recent Lok Sabha elections. It had prom-
ised to bring back the money if voted to power and said the amount would be used to fund several
welfare schemes.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee recently informed Parliament that the government was com-
mitted to unearthing black money within and outside the country.
“Swiss authorities, I am told, have agreed for negotiations (on the issue)... We have already taken it
(the issue of black money) not only with Swiss authorities but other nations as well,” Mukherjee said.
“We will also work on specific information and we will also like to follow the Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development pattern,” Mr. Mukherjee said.
Interestingly America has reached an agreement with Switzerland, under which Swiss bank UBS
AG agreed to hand over details of more than 4,000 secret accounts worth 18 billion dollars.

Gandhi, Kochar on Forbes list

Mumbai: Forbes, the international business magazine has brought out its new annual list of the 100
most powerful women in the world. Congress president Sonia Gandhi is at 13th place, eight notches
higher than her ranking last year.
Two other Indian women on the list are Chanda Kochar, CEO of ICICI bank, who ranks 20th and
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, chairman and managing director of Biocon India, who ranks 91st.
For Kochar this is the first time in the list, while Mazumdar like Sonia has risen by eight places
from her last year’s ranking.
Two other women of Indian origin who are on the list are Indra Nooyi, chief executive of Pepsico
who ranks 3rd and Nevanethem Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who
ranks 63rd.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati who ranked 59th last year has been knocked off the list
this year.

Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 7

Indian
Outsourcing signals boom in India’s publishing industry
Joydeep Gupta
As the world seeks to come out of the current
economic downturn, the $2 billion Indian pub-
lishing industry is getting more organised and
getting ready to take advantage of an expected
surge in the outsourcing of publishing activi-
ties. Catering to the world’s seventh largest
book market overall, and third largest for books
in English after the US and Britain, the Indian
publishing industry has long been characterised
by small players. But they are now keenly aware
of the advantages of being part of the global fra-
ternity, industry experts said.
Outsourcing of publishing activities has
become an increasingly bigger market. Arecent
report by market research firm ValueNotes es-
timates that the Indian publishing outsourcing
industry is expected to grow to a $1.2 billion
annual market by 2012 from $660 million in
2008.
The growth is expected to come from the
rise in the number of publishing firms that will
outsource their work. These include traditional
segments – academic, educational and legal pub-
lishing – as well as new segments such as maga-
zines, cor- porate and publishing of business-to-
business (B2B) newslet- ters.
“We also expect a large boom in the out-
sourcing of chil- dren’s books, which are very
expensive to produce abroad because they
involve high-end artwork and design,” said the
head of a firm that has been in the business of
producing chil- dren’s books for American and
British publishers since 2000.
India continues to remain the favoured pub-
lishing outsourc- ing hub, with 35,550 people in
direct employment. The total employee strength
is estimated to cross 55,000 by 2012. Publishing
outsourcing includes a wide range of services.
The four broad heads include content, design,
8 Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
technology and ‘other’ services. Content con-
tinues to drive the industry and contributes 72
percent to the industry’s total revenues.
“The boom in the publishing sector is a result
of a sustained effort for the last 40 years by the
government of India and the publishers operat-
ing in the country to promote readership and
reading habits. For example, the National Book
Trust (NBT) has been tirelessly promoting the
book culture in the country for the last 51 years.
Moreover, the readership has also increased,”
said Amar Mody, joint director of the National
Book Trust.
According to Mody, exposure to the world is
one of the pri- mary reasons for the increase in
the number of readers in the country. “For the
first 30 years since Independence, Indian readers
had been rather insulated from what was hap-
pening in the publishing industry around the
world. “Good books in French, Latin and other
European languages were translated to English
and we read them. But with the mushrooming of
pub- lishers and tie-ups with foreign publishers,
foreign books are being translated and published
in India leading to a growth in the industry,”
Mody explained.
The translation segment has been a boost to
the growth in the industry.
Over the past couple of years, services off-
shored have undergone a transition - from low
value services such as tagging and copy editing
to high value services such as original designs,
testing and assessment and e-learning tools.
There has been an influx of technology in the
industry that has enhanced productivity, work-
flow management and most importantly reduced
costs and turnaround time.
According to ValueNotes, most providers
have access to similar technology. However,
the differentiator has really been the capabili-
ties developed around workflow and innovation.
Today’s technology will become tomorrow’s
standard, and constant innovation will differen-
tiate the winners.
The academic segment contributes to about
60 percent of books outsourced to India, fol-
lowed by the educational pub- lishing segment.
The ‘other’ segment – comprising mostly maga-
zines, corporate and B2B, which are now fast
growing segments in the publishing outsourcing
market – has increased its share since 2007, in-
dicating significant traction in the last cou- ple
of years.
Says Kapish Mehra, the publisher of Rupa
& Co: “The younger generation contributes
to a large reading segment and since nearly 75
percent of the country is young, it has opened up
a huge market.”
ValueNotes reports that Indian players are
shifting focus from the matured academic
segment to the more lucrative segments in the
publishing market. The firm believes that edu-
cational, magazines, corporate, B2B, trade and
e-books will be attractive segments over the
next three-four years, and that Indian service
providers can extend their current capabilities
to service these upcoming opportunities. It has
identified over 140 Indian players in the publish-
ing outsourcing industry.
The Confederation of Indian Industry, a
leading industry chamber, estimates that the
Indian publishing industry, which is growing at
an average annual rate of 15 percent, was now
exporting its books and publishing services to
over 120 coun- tries. The export market alone has
been estimated to be worth $550 million a year.
Most of the products exported are books, pam-
phlets, newspapers and periodicals. Apart from
India
outsourcing and exports, India itself provides a
huge book market, with well over 100,000 titles
published each year by more than 16,000 regis-
tered and many unregistered publishers.
“A publisher needs to keep in mind the
student at which the book is targeted, and ensure
quality and pricing is appropriate. The Indian
market offers such a wide range of opportuni-
ties that the biggest problem is prioritising them.
Growth in publishing, prior to the global finan-
cial crisis seemed to be about 12-15 percent. Now
it appears that the educational market continues
to grow, but other segments have had a setback,”
Vivek Govil of Pearson Education said. Like
most other mature markets, about 60 percent of
all books published and sold in India are educa-
tional books, including textbooks. An estimated
19,000 books are published in English each year,
a figure surpassed only by books in Hindi, an
estimated 20,000 a year.
The industry still suffers from a serious
piracy problem, caused largely by the high price
of books, especially foreign books published
under licence, where currency exchange rates
push up the prices.
But recently, more and more multinational
publishers have realised the way to handle this
is to set up Indian subsidiaries and publish the
books locally. This process has slowed down due
to the global economic situation, but is expected
to pick up again by the end of this year.
The industry also has to sort out how to
reduce prices of books, since even popular works
of fiction rarely sell over 15,000 copies each, and
sales figures for top non-fiction works rarely
cross 5,000.
It is not easy to solve this problem, because
Indian publishers typically price their books at
two-and-a-half to four times the direct produc-
tion cost, far lower than the global average of
10. Industry experts say increasing volume is
the only way to reduce prices, and they expect
this increased volume to come mainly from the
Indian languages book market. Among the mul-
tinational publishers, Penguin has started bring-
ing out books in Indian languages, and more
are planning to follow suit, as the book-buying
population is growing fastest in this segment, in
line with newspapers sales – a result of the rising
literacy level in the country.
- Indo-Asian News Service.
Article supplied by High Commission of
India, New Zealand
Indian
IMF and ADB come to Fiji’s assistance Bainimarama denies eyeing presidency
Suva, Fiji: Financial assistance from the In-
ternational Monetary Fund (IMF) has boosted
Fiji’s foreign reserves to over FJD$900 million
(US$449 million), the country’s Reserve Bank
announced last week.
IMF, as part of its allocation to assist
members deal with the impact of the global eco-
nomic crisis, allocated FJ$190 million (US$94
million) to Fiji.
“Fiji received F$165 million on Friday 28
August and a further F$25 million will be re-
ceived on 9 September. This amount is based on
Fiji’s quota in the IMF as a member, said a gov-
ernment statement.
Governor of the Reserve Bank, Sada Reddy
said the IMF assistance was ‘very timely.
“This boost to Fiji’s foreign reserves will
greatly support the country’s balance of payment
and engender more confidence in the economy
and the financial system.
“While this level of foreign reserves is ad-
equate, it is important that we continue to carry
out reforms to increase exports and reduce
imports so that the perennial and growing
current account deficit of the country at around
20 percent of GDP is brought down significantly
to around 10 percent of GDP or below over the
next 2 to 3 years, Mr Reddy said.
Fiji’s foreign reserves now stands at FJ$920
million, increasing to FJ$950 in September.
According to the Reserve Bank, this is the
highest level of foreign reserves since the $912
million in December 2000.
Meanwhile, the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) will extend an emergency loan of FJ$17.6
million to help rebuild damaged infrastructure
and revive economic activity in Fiji’s rural areas.
The Board of Directors approved the assis-
tance which will be used to rehabilitate roads,
bridges, and other infrastructure, particularly
on Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island. Heavy rains last
Holding elections ‘is Fiji`s
prerogative’ says Indian diplomat
The prerogative to hold elections lies on the Fiji
Government and we can only be willing to assist,
says Indian High Commissioner, Prabhakar Jha,
Fiji Live has reported.
According to Mr Jha, the Indian Government
is ready to assist Fiji in any way to hold elections
at the earliest convenient time.
“We can provide all sorts of assistance to Fiji,
but the prerogative to hold elections belongs to
the Fiji government,” he said.
The recent trade between the two nations has
been positive and relations have been strong, Mr
Jha said.
“In India we regard democracy very highly
and to restore democracy we will always be
helpful.
Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Fiji
January caused serious flooding in many regions, Suva, Fiji: Fiji’s leader Commodore Frank Baini- exactly that, just rubbish,” he said.
including the agriculturally-rich Sigatoka Valley marama has dismissed reports he plans to elect “Don’t believe everything you hear from the
and around Nadi town. The floodwaters forced himself as the country’s next president, reports New Zealand media, it shows the lack of knowl-
thousands of people to temporarily evacuate their Radio Australia. edge of what is happening here in Fiji.”
homes, destroyed crops causing a spike in food International media have reported sugges- He also told the radio station that a delegation
prices, and damaged roads, schools, medical fa- tions that Commodore Bainimarama plans to from the Commonwealth is scheduled to visit Fiji
cilities and water and sanitation systems. appoint himself to the position, following the next month.
“The floods have made life much harder for retirement of 88-year-old Ratu Josefa Iloilo last The Commonwealth has given a deadline of
rural people, who were already living below month Sept. 1 for Fiji to make positive steps to holding
the poverty line, and the rehabilitation of roads, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau is acting as Fiji’s Presi- democratic elections, or face suspension.
bridges, and water supplies is essential for sus- dent, and Commodore Bainimarama says there is Commodore Bainimarama has said he wants
taining economic activities,” said Keith Leonard, no hurry to appoint anyone to the position. a Commonwealth team visit Fiji to get a “better
Regional Director of ADB’s Fiji Office. In comments critical of the media, Commo- picture” of the situation. “We have talked about
Ensuring access to markets is a major prior- dore Bainimarama told New Zealand’s Radio some dates, and I think the weekend after the
ity, particularly for the many poor rural dwellers, Tarana that the idea of him becoming Fiji’s presi- 9th of September - that would be when they are
including women, who grow and sell vegetables dent is rubbish. coming to Fiji,” he said.
for their livelihoods. “What’s coming out of the media is like some
“The project will also boost continued access stories in the blog. And stories in the blog are - Pacificbusinessonline/ Pacnews/ Radaus
to health and education services, and the deliv-
ery of safe water to rural villages,” said Richard
Phelps, Infrastructure Specialist of ADB’s office
in the Fiji Islands.
Climate proofing is a key feature of the
project, with damaged infrastructure to be
rebuilt to better withstand extreme events in
future. Low-lying Pacific Island nations are con-
sidered to be among the most at risk from pro-
jected spikes in sea levels and natural disasters
linked to climate change.
The loan, to be sourced from Ordinary Capital
Resources, has a 32-year term with an 8-year
grace period, and interest charges determined by
ADB’s LIBOR-based lending facility. The Gov-
ernment of Fiji will provide support equivalent
to around $2.4 million, for a total project cost of
almost $20 million. The executing agency is the
Ministry of National Planning and the estimated
project completion date is August 2011.
- Pacificbusinessonline.com/ Pacnews
“I may not have the exact figures on me but I
can say that trade is being done now on a much
bigger scale.
“The tradeshows are a proof of that,” Mr Jha
said.
India he said, will continue to support sectors
such as health and education.
“India continues to provide scholarships
to students who wish to undertake university
studies in India and we have a very good relation
with the health sector as well.”
The Health Minister earlier this year took a
trip to India to recruit doctors and the Fiji Mili-
tary signed a $1 million contract a New Delhi
hospital, a deal previously held by New Zealand
health authorities.
- Pacificbusinessonline.com
9
Indian
Commonwealth suspends Fiji; Fiji’s suspension taken with
wants to remain engaged regret, says McCully
For the third time in its short history since inde-
pendence, Fiji’s has been suspended from the 53-
member Commonwealth of Nations.
Commonwealth Secretary General, Kamalesh
Sharma mad the formal announcement in London
on September 1.
“This is an announcement I make with deep
regret - it is a step the Com-
monwealth is now obliged to
take, and one that it takes in Commodore Frank
sorrow,” he said.
The suspension means
that Fiji will be excluded
Bainimarama, has time
from the Commonwealth
Heads of Government
and again reiterated
Meeting (CHOGM) and any
other Commonwealth related
that his government will
activities including sporting
activities like the Common-
not bow to international
wealth Games.
There will also be no pressure to force Fiji to
technical assistance to Fiji
with the exception of assis- hold elections this year.
tance to facilitating the res-
toration of democracy. Con-
tacts at professional and non-governmental levels
with Fiji counterparts will be left to the discretion
of individual pan-Commonwealth organisations.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group
(CMAG) last met on July 31. At that meeting,
CMAG urged the Fiji regime to reactivate imme-
diately the President’s Political Dialogue Forum
(PPDF) process, facilitated by the Commonwealth
and the United Nations, in a manner that was in-
dependent, inclusive, time-bound and without any
pre-determined outcome, and that would lead to
credible elections in the country by October 2010.
Understanding Colonialism/Neo-Colonialism
Padmini Gounder
Lord Macualay had given us a glimpse of
what colonialism meant when he said: “I
have travelled across the length and breadth
of India and I have not seen one person who
is a beggar, who is a thief, such wealth I have
seen in this country, such high moral values,
people of such calibre that I do not think
we would ever conquer this country, unless
we break the very backbone of this nation,
which is her spiritual and cultural heritage,
and, therefore, I propose that we replace
her old and ancient education system, her
culture, for if the Indians think that all that
is foreign and English is good and greater
than their own, they will lose their self
esteem, their native culture and they will
become what we want them, a truly domi-
nated nation” (Address to the British Parlia-
ment, 2 February, 1835).
Something similar seemed to have hap-
pened in Fiji, not during the colonial rule,
but after Independence. Since Fiji was ceded
to Great Britain, the colonial government
looked after Fijian interests to a great extent.
Fiji became a democratic country and fol-
lowed the Westminster system from 1970.
The country made remarkable progress
within a short time. The Fiji Visitors Bureau
advertised the country as ‘Fiji: the Way the
World should be’ and it was not an empty
slogan either. In an imperfect world, Fiji
seemed to come close to perfection. Vijay
Naidu, an Indo-Fijian academic, noted that
for the local people Fiji was not a paradise as
the tourist brochures claimed. He neverthe-
less admitted that until 1987 it was a home-
land where “they could go about their daily
chores in peace and without feelings of in-
security and fear of discrimination” (Naidu,
1988, p.4).
As Fiji’s fame as a prosperous and har-
monious nation spread people started won-
dering about its remarkable success. People
10
CMAG had sought a firm commitment from Fiji
to these terms by no later than 1 September 2009,
failing which it would be fully suspended.
“Although I received a letter from Commodore
Bainimarama on August 21 reaffirming his com-
mitment to the principles of the Commonwealth,
his response did not meet the terms set out by
CMAG on July 31, I informed
him of this in writing on
August 24,” Mr Sharma said.
But the official spokesman
of the Fijian administration, Lt
Colonel Neumi Leweni has the
told local media that the gov-
ernment has not received any
formal correspondence on the
suspension.
Commodore Frank Baini-
marama, has time and again
reiterated that his government
will not bow to international
pressure to force Fiji to hold
elections this year. His ad-
ministration has put in place a
roadmap to hold elections by
2014.
Despite the decision to fully suspend Fiji, the
Commonwealth remains open to engaging with
Fiji.
“I welcome the invitation from Commodore
Bainimarama to meet my Special Representative
in Fiji in September, and look forward to continu-
ing my good offices engagement to promote adher-
ence to Commonwealth principles and the welfare
of the people of Fiji,” Mr Sharma said.
- www.pacificbusinessonline.com/ Pacnews
who were familiar with Fiji knew the reason
for this which was the outstanding leader-
ship provided by Ratu Mara. Ratu Mara was
first and foremost a Fijian chief but he knew
that for the progress of the country it was
important to make the Indians feel secure.
So he gave them equal rights in every way
and just as he anticipated the country made
remarkable progress.
“The people of Fiji, when they went
abroad, could raise their heads with pride,
and not without a bit of justified smugness”
noted one scholar. That, however, did not
make everyone happy. As the scholar admit-
ted: “Outsiders spent a lot of time trying to
explain how Fiji, a country that should have
been in racial strife wasn’t; why a big bang
racial conf lagration had not taken place”
(McCall, 1987, p.45).
These outsiders could not accept that
a Pacific chief, who was very proud of his
Polynesian/Melanesian heritage was pro-
viding leadership better than most other
leaders.. They realized that it was important
to get rid of Ratu Mara as the leader because
he was not only against the colonials. He also
had the ability to make Fiji a great nation not
only through the multiracial harmony that
his government fostered but also through the
outstanding economic progress the country
made as a result of the policies of his gov-
ernment. And the European vested interests
would have hardly any part to play in this
achievement and therefore no share in the
success.
Most Indians did not realize the strength
of such feelings and attitudes and joined this
group of neo-colonials in their efforts to
overthrow the multiracial Alliance govern-
ment. My fellow student at the University
of Western Australia, Charles Eaton, asked
me in 1992: ‘Why are the Indians always
against Ratu Mara, considering that he is the
Fiji’s suspension from the Commonwealth is the
result of Commodore Bainimarama’s refusal to take
meaningful steps to return Fiji to democracy, Foreign
Minister Murray McCully said on Wednesday.
“Under Commonwealth rules, countries are
given two years to return to democracy or face sus-
pension,” Mr McCully said.
“At its meeting in July the Commonwealth Min-
isterial Action Group (CMAG) agreed to provide
the Fiji regime with a further opportunity – until 1
September – to permit genuine political dialogue,
and a prompt return to democracy. “Regrettably this
opportunity was not taken. “As Secretary-General
Sharma has said, the decision to suspend Fiji from
the Commonwealth was one taken more out of
sorrow than of anger.
“But if there is one thing that underpins the Com-
monwealth, it is a shared commitment to democracy,
rule of law, and human rights, and Fiji has been given
plenty of warnings that it has to show some respect
for those basic principles.
Fiji: Commonwealth suspension necessary ‘sacrifice’
Suspension from the Commonwealth was a neces-
sary sacrifice, Fiji’s military regime has stated in
response to news of its third suspension.
Bainimarama was in Malaysia on Wednesday
and acting prime minister Ratu Epeli Ganilau told
Radio New Zealand International the suspension
was predictable, given that the regime was unable to
meet the 2010 deadline.
“Hopefully by the time we get to elections in
2014 all these things can come back as normal,
(these are) sacrifices that have to be faced, in order
to achieve what we?ve set out to do,” Ganilau said.
“Reforms don’t happen overnight, we’re talking
about major reforms here to the political process,”
Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Fiji
“The Commonwealth’s decision follows Fiji’s
suspension from the Pacific Islands Forum in May
this year.
“Full suspension from the Commonwealth is yet
another strong message from the international com-
munity to Fiji’s military regime that they must make
meaningful progress towards a rapid return to legiti-
mate government.
“Fiji was suspended from Commonwealth Min-
isterial and Heads of Government meetings immedi-
ately after the coup.
“The Secretary-General has made it clear that
the suspension will include an end to technical as-
sistance to Fiji, except assistance aimed at restoring
democracy, and Fiji will not be able to participate
in Commonwealth sporting events, including next
year’s Commonwealth Games,” Mr McCully said.
A Commonwealth delegation will visit Fiji later
this month to discuss assisting Fiji to return to de-
mocracy.
- Indian Weekender news desk
he said.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith
said the suspension was a strong message to the
military regime to return Fiji to democracy and the
rule of law. “Fiji’s full suspension from the Com-
monwealth, effective today, is the sad but inevitable
result of the failure of Commodore Bainimarama to
return Fiji to democracy,” Smith said.
Bainimarama’s regime has agreed to meet the
Commonwealth’s special representative to the
country, former New Zealand Governor-General
Paul Reeves, when he visits Fiji for three days from
September 9.
- www.pacificbusinessonline.com/ Pacnews
best friend that they have ever had?’ I did
not know the answer then. But now I know
it which is that the Indians had been told by
their leaders that Ratu Mara was the cause of
all their problems and once he was out they
(the Indians) would enjoy security in Fiji.
The policies that the Mara government
followed to eliminate inequalities between
communities by using positive discrimina-
tion, especially in education, were attacked
by the Indian leaders, mainly at election
times. The Indian leaders’ failure to explain
and make their followers understand that
such policies were necessary for achieving
equity and building a harmonious nation
made the political upheavals of 1987 seem
inevitable.
Ratu Mara was the most moderate among
the Fijian leaders (Norton, 2002, p.143) so
it would have been in the best interests of
the Indian community for its leaders to co-
operate with him rather than trying to defeat
his government. The Indo-Fijian scholar,
Brij Lal, had warned in 1986 about the dire
consequences that awaited the Indian com-
munity when the opposition succeeded in
its efforts to overthrow the Fijian domi-
nated government but unfortunately no one
seemed to have taken any notice of this
timely warning. When the inevitable hap-
pened and the elected coalition government
was soon overthrown people were shocked.
Since the Indian leaders failed to realise
the consequences of getting rid of Ratu
Mara and his government at all cost the
‘dire consequences’ that Brij Lal had hinted
at became a reality with the result that “the
people of Fiji cannot go about with the pride
that they had before, for their land too has
demonstrated its imperfections” (McCall,
1987, p.46).
Indian
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Fiji rugby lost its coach last week. Removal
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South Africa. What is remarkable is the uncer-
emonious manner in which Fiji Rugby Union
(FRU) removed Ilivasi Tabua.
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Not too long ago, Dakuidreketi had sacked 15s rugby. Waisale Serevi’s was even greater
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back to the drawing boards yet again
Ph: 09 624 1365 / 09 625 1766
field, as he prepared to take the national 7s
team for an afternoon training run. That was - Subhash Appana subhasha@ais.ac.nz Fax: 09 624 1366

Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 11

Indian
Waitakere Diwali Festival 2009 Devotional music workshop
This year the Waitakere Diwali Festival cel-
ebrates 10 years of providing entertainment, fes-
tivities, Indian food and cultural exchange for the
people of Waitakere.
With humble beginnings in year 2000 this
festival has grown to be one of the largest com-
munity events in Waitakere attracting over
20,000 people on the day. Like the past five years
this year’s festival will once again be staged at
the Trusts Stadium in Waitakere on Sunday
October 4, starting from 11.00am and finishing
at 10.30pm with a huge fireworks display.
In Waitakere, this festival is celebrated by
the whole community irrespective of their back-
ground. It is an opportunity to share and cele-
brate the colours, costumes and mouthwatering
food from the Indian Continent.
This event is intended to attract the wider
Kiwi communities to participate in the event.
While New Zealanders of varied cultural back-
ground and ethnicity live and worked together,
there is little opportunity for them to witness and
understand each other’s culture and heritage.
The day offers variety entertainment items
including a live band, Bollywood dances, cul-
tural performances and drama items in the main
grandstand. Patrons also have the opportunity
to shop around the 40 Indian merchandise stalls
inside the stadium. Attractions include tradi-
tional hand painting “Henna” and trying out
the Rangoli displays. This year there will be a
spectacular indoor laser light show and the grand
finale of the night will be a dazzling fireworks
display.
With the whole family in mind, a Kids amuse-
ment area will also be set up inside the stadium
making it the largest indoor Diwali celebrations
in New Zealand.
For those wishing to try out different Indian
cuisines, there will be 18 food stalls.
NZ Sikh Community helps Liver Transplant Patient and education of Girls
One of the basic tenets of Sikhism is to
give “Dasvand” which enables members to
donate10% of their earnings for the welfare of
the needy. Members of the NZ Sikh Society
have given us all an excellent example of
this by sending 2 lakh rupees to India in aid
of those who need it the most. One lakh has
been given to social worker Harshinder Kaur
for paying the fees of poor and needy female
students who show excellent abilities and are
willing to excel and realize their full poten-
tial. Harshinder Kaur is spearheading the
campaign for the advancement of females and
Society supports this is one of the basic aims
of Sikhism.
The other lakh has been sent to Avtar Singh
whose 6 year old son, lovingly called “Honey”,
needed an urgent liver transplant operation.
Avtar Singh who could not afford this opera-
tion and requested the public. His plight was
12
Community
attracts enthusiasts
Twelve participants of
the Ghosti Gaayana
Group did some soulful
singing of Krishna Songs
for Janmashtami at the
Hare Krishna temple,
Kumeu. The group also
rendered devotional songs
and bhajans in chorus at
the Bhajan Satsang Jan-
mashtami & Raghavendra
Swami celebrations.
The Ghosti Gaayana
Group has come a long
way since their first
Bhatki Sangeetha (de-
votional music) class on
Mother’s Day (which
the Indian Weekender
covered). Dedicated prac-
tice and perseverance
have rekindled their desire
to sing in praise of Hindu
The organising committee is headed by the deities while offering every day pooja and during is learning,” said satisfied mother Anu Mysore.
Waitakere Indian Association with members different festivals. Senior citizens like Hema, Mani, Vidya and
from WEB, WCC and the Indian Community. A The Bhakti Sangeetha workshop was de- Rama shared their infectious energies and en-
number of major sponsors including the Waita- signed and delivered by Vasantha Kalbagal, thusiasm in rendering meaningful melody to the
kere City Council, The Charitable Trusts Foun- student of guru late Shri Rudrapatnam K Nara- chorus. The young and young-at-heart availed of
dation, ANZ Bank, Mitre 10 Mega, Indian Week- yaswamy of the Carnatic Mysore style of music. this opportunity.
ender, Radio Tarana, G3, HUM, More FM, Lotus Women of different professions made time In September, the forthcoming sessions of
Foreign Exchange and The Aucklander have for music enthusiastically. Mangala Prabhakar the 4-Sunday Bhakti Sangeetha Workshop are
thrown in their support behind the event together says this is the first time she has actually found on 6 th, 13th, 20th and 27th between 2pm and
with local Indian businesses. devotion in learning music and it lingrs in her 4 pm. The Workshop will be conducted at 3/531,
Entry to the festival is absolutely free and ears. Mt Albert Road,Three Kings, Auckland, for a fee
open to all. For more information call the event “I had heard some of the songs but never of $ 5 per session. Contact Vasantha on 09 625
Project Manager: Sanjay Kumar Ph : 021 0267 knew how to sing. This whole exercise was made 5890 for registration.
6779 or visit www.wia.net.nz simple and achievable,” said Padmini Raj. “As a
mother, I can now relate to what music my son - Indian Weekender newsdesk
reported in major newspapers in India. In its
quest to serve the society and also to support The Gurudwara at Takanini, Auckland
the needy in India, the NZ Sikh Society sent
this amount to help with the liver transplant.
Society spokesman and convener of the
Supreme Sikh Council, Daljit Singh JP
stated that with the grace of the almighty, the
members of the Society will continue such
noble gestures and he expressed gratitude to
all the kind donors.
NZ Sikh Society Auckland is a leading
communal body given charitable trust status.
NZ Sikh Society runs the Gurudwara’s in
Otahuhu and Takanini. All fellow god fearing
members who wish to contribute and make a
difference in the lives of the needy and the
poor can contact Daljit Singh JP on 021803512
or daljit@xtra.co.nz.
For all your
legal needs
Aaron Kashyap
BA, LLB
Barrister and solicitor
Level 1, 351 Manukau Road, PO Box 26-596, DXCP 32513, Epsom, Auckland
Mobile: 0274 857 302 Phone: (09) 6238277 Fax: (09)6235177
Email: aaron@kashyaplaw.co.nz
Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
Papatoetoe High rocks
Papatoetoe High School rocked the Logan Camp-
bell Centre in Auckland last week as they stamped
themselves as the kings of the dance floor.
And they also walked away $3000 richer – for
winning the Bollywood High School Dance Com-
petition (Second Decade) - pitted against 25 other
schools from around Auckland and Hamilton in
front of a capacity 3000 crowd.
The competition, in its 11th year, is one of the
most popular events on the entertainment calendar
in the country, and the battle was fierce.
Kelston Boys placed second, collecting $1500
and trophy for their efforts while Manurewa High
was third – picking up $750 plus trophy.
Papatoetoe High opened up their performance
with enchanting visual effect showing a dancing
silhouette behind a screen while the lead performer
related to the audience the theme of their perfor-
mance – “What is love”.
And then the screen dropped to start of the hit
song Ba Khuda Tumhi Ho from the movie Kismet
Konnection, and the whole cast joined the lead per-
former through a series of other popular tunes.
Manurewa High’s opening number was Khwaja
Mere Khwaja from the movie Jodha Akbar, where
all performers were appropriately dressed to create
a well co-ordinated visual impact.
The show opened up with a spectacular tribute
to Michael Jackson the King of Pop, who died sud-
denly in July.All participating schools put up im-
pressive performances, and point to note was the
fact that almost all school teams included several
non-Indian performers.Show organizer Binesh
Sumer, of Desi Showbiz International, was pleased
with the success of the event and promised bigger
entertainment next year.
He also announced the start of a new show later
this year – the Intermediate Schools Dance Com-
petition.
Sumer also thanked sponsors – Radio Tarana,
Auckland Sweets and Snacks, Mirchee TV and
Indian Weekender.
Participating Schools: Alfriston College, Botany
Downs Secondary School, Diocesan Girls, James
Cook High, Kelston Girls High, Lynfield College,
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The spacious and airy workshop is equipped
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Deluxe also specializes in compliance on freshly
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Over the years Deluxe Compliance and Mechan-
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Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
ROCK ON: (Top) Members of Papatoetoe
High, winners of the Bollywood High School
Dance Competition held in Auckland on
August 22; (Bottom) Second runners-up.
Marist College, Mt Roskill Grammar, Pakuranga
College, Papatoetoe High, One Tree Hill College,
Rutherford College, Westlake Girls, Kelston Boys
High, Southern Cross, Avondale College, De La
Salle College, Rosehill College, Howick College,
Waitakere College, Mt Albert Grammar, Ma-
cleans College, Hamilton Girls High, Manurewa
High, Onehunga High, Glenfield College, Otahuhu
College.
The show also provided a backdrop for the
shooting of the movie Pump Up the Mandali – the
first feature length Bollywood movie being made in
Auckland using Fiji Hindi.
Desi Sowbiz handed out a total of $12,000 in
prizes of cash and in kind. An even bigger event
looms for next year.
- Arvind Kumar
The company emphasises on putting customers
first and pays close attention to customer service and
customer satisfaction.
Community
Hindustani music maestros
to perform in Auckland
Lovers of Indian Classical Music will have a unique opportunity to
experience the performace as well as Jugalbandi of two great ar-
tistes, Fazal Qureshi and Adrian McNeil. The concert is going to be
held on Sunday, September 27, (which is incidentally the daylight
saving begins) at 6.30 pm in the Avondale College auditorium. It is
organised by the group Music 4 Dreamz formed by Prashant Tijore,
Siddharth Sharma, Rohitesh Prasad and Rakesh Nanda.
Fazal Qureshi :
Hailing from a background that reverber-
ates with the taal of the tabla, music has been
Fazal Qureshi’s natural inheritance.
Under the guidance of his Guru and father
the late great tabla maestro, Ustad Alla
Rakha, and with the inspiration drawn from
his brother, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Fazal has
developed a unique style that is distinguished
for its fine sense of rhythm, versatility and
eloquence.
He performs both as a soloist and as an ac-
companist. His deep rooted knowledge and
dedication to Indian classical music helps him
accompany North as well as South Indian in-
strumentalists, vocalists and dancers. The mu-
sicians he has performed with include Ustad
Alla Rakha, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Shiv
Kumar Sharma, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia,
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Sultan Khan,
Dr. L. Subramaniam, L. Shankar, Vikku Vi-
nayakram, U. Srinivas, Ustad Shahid Parvez,
and Sitara Devi.
Fazal has expanded his horizons by being
involved with other styles of music of the
world especially Jazz and Western classical
music, and has performed with many well
known Jazz musicians. For the last 16 years he
has been associated with Mynta, his world music band based in Sweden. They have performed
all over the world and have released six immensely popular albums.
Besides being a performer he has also composed music for Mynta and for various other
events. He has now started composing music for Indian films and is currently working on an
album of his own compositions, thus adding to his versatility as a musician.
Adrian McNeil :
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Adrian
was based in India for many years, mostly
in Calcutta, Mumbai and Dehra Dun. He has
undergone intensive training according to the
guru-shishya parampara (traditional methods)
for more than twenty five years under Pandit
Ashok Roy, Professor Sachindranath Roy and
Dr. Ashok Ranade. He regularly performs in
major concerts in Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta,
Bangalore and regional centres where his
playing attracts critical acclaim. He often
appears in the media in India and has per-
formed for National Television and Radio
along with leading cable television station
Zee TV, and has been interviewed by major
national daily newspapers.
He regularly performs in Australia, has
made a number of recordings for the Austra-
lian Broadcasting Corporation and has toured
widely including France and Hong Kong.
Adrian now lives in Sydney, Australia,
where he is a lecturer in improvisation studies, musicianship and world music in the Depart-
ment of Contemporary Music Studies.
Adrian began his training in Hindustani music in 1980 when he became a disciple of Pt.
Ashok Roy, the renowned sarodiya, himself a long-time disciple of the legendary Ustad Ali
Akbar Khan. Since this time Adrian has intensively studied the sarod and Hindustani classi-
cal music according to the guru-sishya parampara traditional training method which has also
included a period of four years of staying with his guru both in India, but also Australia, where
Ashok Roy now lives.
Over the last few years he has also became a disciple of the Mumbai-based, senior musi-
cian and sitariya, Prof. Sachindra Nath Roy (Ashok Roy’s uncle and a senior disciple of Ustad
Alauddin Khan and Ustad Enayat Khan - two of the most important figures in 20th century
Hindustani music). He has also studied classical vocal music intensively in Mumbai with the
well-known vocalist and musicologist Dr. Ashok Ranade.
The wider music loving community is eagerly waiting for this concert & there have been lot
of enquiries about the concert. The tickets for this concert are selling fast. See accompanying
advert for details.
- Indian Weekender news desk
13
 Indian
Indian
From the Editor
West’s attitude to Fiji has changed
region’s geopolitics
Fiji’s suspension from the Commonwealth on September 1 was a dead certainty. Its
earlier suspension from the 16-nation Pacific Islands Forum didn’t deter it and it would
have been naïve to think that the threat of this week’s suspension – it’s third from the
Commonwealth since independence – would make the Fijian administration change its
mind.
Commodore Bainimarama has repeatedly said that there will be no turning back from
the roadmap that has been set for the country to hold elections in 2014 after the reforms
planned in the troubled nation’s political system are completed.
The fact that there is little that the Western world can do about it is beginning to dawn
on its leaders after more than two years of a stubbornly belligerent stand that involved
slapping a slew of sanctions aimed at crippling Fiji’s administration, which they un-
doubtedly hoped would bring it to its knees. This has simply not happened and that tack
has all but come unstuck.
Responding to Fiji’s suspension from the Commonwealth, Murray McCully, New Zea-
land’s Minister of Foreign Affairs has said there will not be any more sanctions from New
Zealand’s side. There simply can’t be. It’s a sign that New Zealand and Australia have
now realised that the isolationist strategy they have stuck to since early 2007 has not
worked. In fact, it has only ended up hurting innocent Fiji citizens more than anyone else.
Despite suspending it, Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma has said
that the 53-member grouping will continue to engage with Fiji and is sending a delega-
tion to Suva later this month.
Fiji is too be important to be trivialised with the insensitive approach that New
Zealand and Australia have had toward it over the past two and a half years. It has
always been the gateway to the South Pacific and will remain so. Any attempts to shift it
to a neighbouring country like Samoa – which Samoa’s leadership has repeatedly sought
– is wishful thinking and well nigh impossible for reasons of its inferior infrastructure,
costs and sheer logistics, which New Zealand and Australia simply cannot afford.
Despite suspending it from its membership, the Pacific Forum is still headquartered in
Fiji. This is akin to the United Nations, based in New York, suspending the United States
from its membership. In the words of a senior Pacific Forum functionary, “The Forum
needs Fiji far more than Fiji needs the Forum.”
Nature abhors a vacuum and the one created by New Zealand and Australia has
been quickly filled by aggressively ambitious China. The Asian economic powerhouse
has stepped up both its profile and investments in Fiji. As well as a huge new embassy,
the Chinese are helping Fiji catch up with infrastructure investments that have received
a setback. A new super luxury hotel with Venice-style waterways and gondolas is one of
the bigger private sector investments that is coming up near Nadi.
The geopolitics of the Pacific has been in slow ferment for about two decades now with
Asian powers like China, Taiwan and Japan playing increasingly important roles in its
development. It will now begin to accelerate. And the West’s handling of the Fiji situation
since early 2007 has already proved to be the catalyst.
Changes in the UN Law of the Sea has enabled Pacific Island countries to redraw
their continental shelf boundaries to include several million additional square kilometres
of open ocean to their exclusive economic zones (EEZ). This will vest them with rights
to farm greater swathes of their waters and prospect larger areas of the ocean bed for
minerals and oil, something that has already begun to happen – and no prizes for guess-
ing which country is in the best position to win the lion’s share of those prospecting and
mining contracts.
Though it puts up a brave face, so worried is the Western world of the changing geo-
politics of the Pacific, which is the world’s last largely untapped resource-rich region,
that a couple of months ago US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rather ingenuously
said that the US was “not ceding” the Pacific to anyone.
Her use of the word “ceding” is interesting. One can only cede when one possesses
something. It betrays the West’s – certainly the US’ – long held belief that the Pacific is
its own backyard.
Nothing could be farther than the truth. And its attitude to Fiji has helped in no small
way in crashing that belief.
Indian Weekender Volume 1 No 13
Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited
Group editor-in-chief: Dev Nadkarni dev@indianweekender.co.nz
Online editor: Arvind Kumar arvind@indianweekender.co.nz
India Correspondent: Shobha Rao shobha@indianweekender.co.nz
Chief Technical Officer: Rohan Desouza rohan@ indianweekender.co.nz
Design: Tanmay Desai desaidesign@gmail.com / www.desaign.co.nz
Advertising: Rajesh Krishnamurthy - 021 032 7466, rajesh@indianweekender.co.nz
or Giri Gupta - 021 221 1131
Please email original editorial contributions, community notices and pictures to
editor@indianweekender.co.nz
Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher
is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearingv in the publication
Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, Unit O, 8 Bishop Lenihan Place,
East Tamaki, Manukau 2013 and printed at APN Print, Ellerslie, Auckland
Copyright 2009. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.
14
Message & Letters
Demerit Points
I think the demerit point system unfairly disadvantages those who drive for a living. Good idea
for ‘boy races’ but not so good for truck drivers. For example you can now get 20 demerits for
not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. That’s just pathetic.
- Kegan
Positive aspects of Hygiene study ignored
When it comes to children washing their hands before eating, 79% of Indian kids obediently
do so, while only 29% of Australians do. How come the positive aspects of the study have been
ignored? I believe that’s what a balanced article is all about.
- Rakesh Krishnan
Keen on Leather export
I am from Hamilton and I have my leather company, which is exporting products to Europe and
now keen to export to New Zealand. Can I get the details of the buyers of New Zealand.
Aamir Mirza
Your enquiry has been forwarded to the right channels. -Editor
Indian needs to be wary of Colonialism 2.0
I never disagreed with Indian civilisation’s greatness; it was way ahead of most civilisations of
its time and had no parallels through the years. It is the decline since then that I’m referring to
and none of that had anything to do with colonisation. India’s caste system is still alive, endemic
corruption, female infanticide is rampant, poverty is the worst in the world it has a population
time bomb. I think our evils needs to be addressed much before harping about colonisation and
it’s evils.
- Sundar Rajan
Every country has its failings and India is no exception. Yes, the problems you mention do exist
and can’t be wished away. Similar problems exist in the so-called advanced countries includ-
ing NZ. Every country is attempting to deal with it in its own way, which you may or may not
comprehend or agree with. In India a lot is being done at the grass root level .For that to be
visible will take time. “Ask not what the country has done fro you but ask what you can do for
the country”.
- Rajesh Krishnamurthy
I think the article is quite relevant. I’m sick and tired of people in New Zealand, epecially, the
media showing India as a backward country, where people live in stone houses. While most
Kiwis are sensible people, the problem lies with a small elite and the media that carry a deep co-
lonial hangover. By showing India’s external investment Mr Krishnan wants to show that India
is a major power. We should applaud the extensive research. He is pointing out our strengths,
whats wrong with that?
- Arun Ahuja
Who you calling third world?
The very basis of this article is completely flawed. ‘India’ in its sense never existed before the
British united it and created it’s existence. It was ruled by a bunch of medieval Maharajas who
would never have united to become India, they ruled and conquered to suit their own selfish
interests. The remark on emissions was pretty appalling, the world today is facing climate
change on a scale never seen before and India doesn’t need to become the biggest polluter to
have strong economy.
Sundar Rajan
Sundar Rajan’s view borrowed reflects a hollow colonial mindset. India has existed as Bharata
Desa for at least 2500 years and as empire under Ashok extended from Gandhar (Kandahar)
to Kambhuja Desa (Cambodia). India’s political boundaries and structure as we have it today
could be argued to be a colonial construct but to say India itself is a creation of the British
reflects extreme intellectual bankruptcy. No nation has remained un-redefined as a result of
colonialism.
Suraj Bhan
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Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Indian
Why Jaswant is right about Jinnah
Rakesh Krishnan
Instead of vilifying Jaswant Singh for defending Jinnah, we must appreciate his courage in exposing the real villains of the Partition.
The Indian freedom movement was sweeping
in its scope. From the tribesmen of the Andhra
hills led by Alluri Ramachandra Raju to the broad
streets of Mumbai, from the Raja of Darbhanga
to the revolutionaries of Punjab, all Indians were
united in the belief that the oppressive British
empire had to be defeated at all costs. But here
Congress leader M.K. Gandhi differed from most
Indians, including his colleague Muhammad Ali
Jinnah.
When Gandhi returned from South Africa, he
was in favour of continued British rule in India. In
1907 he wrote, “Should the British be thrown out
of India? Can it be done, even if we wish to do so?
To these two questions we can reply that we stand
to lose by ending British rule and that, even if we
want, India is not in a position to end it.” These are
the words of a man who was literally thrown out a
train for sitting in a whites only coach.
Indeed, Gandhi the votary of non-violence
and peace urged all Indians to enlist in the British
Army, which had been brutalising India for nearly
two centuries. This was the time when Jinnah in-
tensified his most vocal criticism of Britain’s in-
tensified recruiting drive in India. According to
historian Prakash Almeida, Jinnah insisted that,
“Indians should be put on the same footing as the
European British subjects before being asked to
fight”.
Once during a Congress session (called for in-
creasing recruitment for WWI), Willingdon, the
governor of Bombay, humiliated Bal Gangadhar
Tilak by asking him to leave the meeting. An in-
furiated Jinnah rose and demanded an explana-
tion from the governor general. On another occa-
sion Jinnah, still wanting to pay back Willingdon
for insulting Tilak, disrupted a meeting and had to
be dragged away by the commissioner of police.
So imagine Jinnah’s shock when Gandhi
wrote him a letter urging him to make an emphat-
ic declaration regarding recruitment saying, “seek
ye first the recruitment office and everything will
be added unto you”. Here Gandhi exhibits not
only amazing flippancy but is also a patronizing
attitude.
Like Subhas Bose, Jinnah was frustrated by
the tardiness shown by the Congress brass in
Media Reporting on Fiji Needs Balance
Subhash Appana
Fiji’s military-propped government has been the
focus of much hostility, speculation and demoni-
sation in the Western media. In almost all exposes
the presenters have either run afoul of the coup
regime or had an acquaintance hard done by the
same. Their takes on Fiji therefore, have been
tainted. This article analyses blinkered reporting
on Fiji in New Zealand, and attempts to place on
the public platter a more dispassionate view on the
Pacific’s pariah state.
In April, TVNZ ran two short news pieces on
Fiji in their 6pm programme. All of their inter-
viewees apart from lawyer Dorsami Naidu were
ethnic-Fijians. All of the comparatively prolonged
footage on squatter dwellers covered ethnic-Fi-
jians. Two points were being highlighted in par-
ticular: one, that the coup has brought about wors-
ening misery; and two, that the people continue to
be cowed to keep quiet.
On August 24, Barbara Dreaver (the TVNZ
reporter) was interviewed on Maori TV about
Fiji’s plight following the “kick” in Cairns, and
she highlighted that reporting was not free, that
poverty had worsened and that Riyaz Saiyed-
Khaiyum’s opinions on Fiji were “understand-
able” because he was the coup-installed Attorney
General Aiyaz Saiyed Khaiyum’s brother.
In the same breath she said that the Fiji Indians
“supported” the coup. It is this subtle ethnic slant
that creates cause for concern as ironically no
misery was graphically shown among Indo-Fi-
jians in her earlier TVNZ skit. And no ordinary
Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
demanding full freedom. Gandhi’s non-violence
exasperated these leaders because it shielded the
British from the wrath of the people. After the Jal-
lianwallah Bagh massacre of 2000 unarmed men,
women and children by General Reginald Dyer in
a public park in 1919, Indian anger had reached
critical mass, but Congress leaders failed to capi-
talise on it.
Next, the Caliphate Movement, which Gandhi
backed to the hilt. “In laying down my life for the
Caliphate, I ensure the safety of the cow from the
Mussalman’s knife, that is my religion,” he said.
Former foreign minister Jaswant Singh writes in
his controversial new book Jinnah: India-Parti-
tion-Independence, “In 1915 Gandhi told a group
of students that politics
should never be divorced
from religion…The signal It’s high time Indians
was picked by Muslims
planning to marry politics stopped blaming Jinnah
with religion.”
Jinnah had nothing but for Partition. When 90%
contempt for the Caliph-
ate Movement. For the Muslim Kashmir finds it
staunchly secular nation-
alist it was Indian nation- impossible to secede from
hood alone that mattered,
not an obscure European India, how could Muslims
rivalry involving Britain
and Turkey. Where Jinnah
who comprised only 24%
displayed farsightedness,
wisdom and patriotism,
of undivided India have
Gandhi exhibited an op-
portunistic streak. Gandhi
demanded Pakistan?
pigeonholed minority in-
terests as separate from the larger national inter-
est. Jinnah told Gandhi that the ‘Mahatma’ had
ruined politics in India by “dragging up a lot of
unwholesome elements” and giving them “politi-
cal prominence”, “that it was a crime to mix up
politics and religion the way he had done”.
Sanjeev Nayyar, current affairs analyst and
founder of www.esamskriti.com says, “Gandhi
by his action in respect of the Caliphate Move-
ment endorsed the view of Muslim leaders that
they were Muslims first and Indians afterwards,
that their interests were more bound up with the
Indo-Fijians were interviewed for the footage.
A superficial sidelining has always appeared
to be the most politically prudent stance on the
Indo-Fijian and the New Zealand media does not
help by making subtle insinuations when pre-
senting supposedly knowledgeable coverage of
present politics in Fiji. The New Zealand media
has failed miserably in this regard and a short re-
minder is warranted here.
The Indo-Fijian arrived in Fiji in 1879 as in-
dentured labourers saddled with the familiar yoke
of making the colony economically viable. Their
long struggle for recognition is well documented.
Their struggle for acceptance however, continues.
This has nothing to do with periodic coups in the
country even though the more fanciful and ruth-
less cannot resist the temptation to rope in the
Indian variable whenever they feel short.
All of Fiji’s earlier coups were justified from
the perspective of Indian hegemonic designs on
Fiji or an inability of the Indian to fit into the
Fijian scheme of things. This was the popular line
and mediawallahs loved it; so much so that they
refuse to entertain any other takes.
A Community TV interview of Dr. Ray Nichol
on August 26 was remarkable for the manner in
which the interviewer tried to lead and cajole the
academic. There were many useful insights that
she provided, but selective deafness appeared to
prevail.
The 1987 coup was justified as a necessity to
save the Fijian race from being overwhelmed by
fate of the Muslim world outside India than that
of India herself. What else but Pakistan could
anyone expect?”
Jinnah’s aversion for the Caliphate was vin-
dicated when the Moplahs of Kerala massacred
thousands of Hindu men, women and children.
A chastened Gandhi soon gave up his support for
the movement.
Finally, it came down to a game of numbers.
When Jinnah drafted his Lucknow Pact he
wanted the following percentages of Muslim
members in each of the legislative councils: 33%
at the centre and in Bombay, 50% in Punjab, 40%
in Bengal, 30% in the United Provinces, 25% in
Bihar and Orissa, 15% in the Central Provinces
and in Madras.
In hindsight, reject-
ing the Pact was a colos-
sal blunder. Proportional
representation would have
assuaged Muslim fears. Jin-
nah’s mentor Gokhale, a true
blue Hindu, had always been
inclusive, giving Muslims
adequate representation in
governing councils. Though
Gokhale was a key player in
the Hindu revivalist move-
ment, Muslims instinctively
trusted him.
When Jinnah walked
out of the Congress, it was
not a walk toward Pakistan.
Jaswant Singh says: “It could
not be, for almost every
Muslim was with Gandhi when Jinnah left the
Congress.”
Indeed, Jinnah had few options. His mentors
Gokhale and Tilak were dead. Ever since Gan-
dhi’s arrival from South Africa, Gandhi had tried
to paint him as a “Mohammedan”. Had Gokhale
been alive, Jinnah would have been at the helm
of the freedom movement. He himself aspired to
be a Muslim-Gokhale, but now he was frustrated
by the machinations of Gandhi and the wealthy
Congress patron Motilal Nehru.
In fact, Motilal was at one point willing to
the Indians, and the Indo-Fijian from a violent
Fijian backlash. What followed for 10yrs was
a fragmented Fijian power-grab that forced an
enlightened Rabuka to promulgate a broadly ac-
cepted constitution in 1997.
All was well until, against expectations,
Chaudhry ascended to power at the 1999 polls.
Enter George Speight and his shadowy backers
and the hijacking of parliament in 2000. The
news media went delirious and the hostages were
largely forgotten as the savagery and topsy-turvy
world of Fijian politics unravelled.
The period 2000-2006 was again characterised
by a scramble to consolidate opportunities among
a Fijian elite who were largely dependent on the
rural Fijian vote to prolong the pillage within a
conveniently-spurious democratic framework.
It was within this backdrop that the subtle tug-
of-war between Bainimarama and Qarase was
played out.
Commodore Bainimarama removed Qarase
on December 5, 2006, because it was clear that he
could not be toppled through the ballot box. Not
only were the constitutional provisions undemo-
cratic, but Qarase and his cohorts had managed to
play the rigging game right under the eyes of in-
ternational “watchers”. How else could the 2006
elections bag some 600,000 valid votes from a
population of 800,000?
Bainimarama’s focus now is not only on creat-
ing consensus, but to ensure that every vote has
the same weight. In this regard, it is not only the
Comment
postpone independence by a couple of decades.
Why? Perhaps because he didn’t want freedom at
a juncture when Jinnah was a towering figure, and
Motilal’s son Jawaharlal hadn’t quite become a
national figure. To Jinnah it meant only one thing
– Gandhi wanted the stage all to himself and later
for his protégé Jawaharlal Nehru.
Upon joining the Muslim League, Jinnah
made it clear to its leaders that he would not com-
promise on the question of India’s unity, that he
would not attempt to break the union, that the
League had to work with the Congress for India’s
freedom. He reminded them that the enemy was
Britain not Gandhi.
Things, however, did not work out the way
Jinnah intended in the League. Perhaps he did not
have the patience of Sardar Patel (who like him
was saddled with a role subservient to Nehru), so
he decided he would create a new secular country
of his dreams – Pakistan. The British – eager for a
parting shot at the Indians – were only too happy
to oblige. Of course, Pakistan ended up becoming
an Islamic state.
It’s high time Indians stopped blaming Jinnah
for Partition. When 90% Muslim Kashmir finds
it impossible to secede from India, how could
Muslims who comprised only 24% of undivided
India have demanded Pakistan? The demand for
Pakistan was made by fringe elements that Gandhi
encouraged and Jinnah initially kept away from.
The responsibility for India’s vivisection lies with
the Congress and British, not with Jinnah.
It has taken a Hindu nationalist, Jaswant
Singh, to defend the Muslim Jinnah. Now will a
member of the so-called secular brigade do their
bit to set right history? India’s scholars and leaders
have turned history into hagiography, but facts
rather than mythmaking should be the basis of
history. As Jaswant Singh says in his book, “Facts
are humbling. They prevent you from jumping to
conclusions.”
- Rakesh Krishnan is a features writer with
Fairfax New Zealand. He has previously worked
with Businessworld, India Today and Hindustan
Times, and was news editor with the Financial
Express.
Indo-Fijian vote that has always been disadvan-
taged, but the more significant urban Fijian vote
as well. Moreover, elections in Fiji have not been
issues-based because of the distorting influence
of the race variable. Bainimarama promises to
correct this.
He knows that the consensus that he seeks will
never materialise. That was probably the most
compelling reason for the “Presidential coup” of
April 2009 as it cleared the path for easier elec-
toral reforms. No good will come out of isolating
the man who holds power in Fiji. That will only
aggravate the situation and serve no one’s interest.
Moreover, continued reference to Indians and
how they “support” this coup is not only lazy, it
is unprofessional. If the Fiji Indian succumbs to
the human weakness of feeling perverse pleasure
at the forced education of fence-sitters and coup-
supporters, should he be blamed for it? I say stop
this atrocity; the Fiji Indian was always maligned
for the wrong reasons because it served parochial
holier-than-thou positions. The media here would
do well to rethink the need for balance in report-
ing.
- Subhash Appana is an academic and
political commentator. The opinions contained
in this article are entirely his and not neces-
sarily shared by any organizations he may be
associated with both in Fiji and abroad. Email
subhasha@ais.ac.nz
15
Indian
MigHTi’s “NAADBRAMHA” brings a Durga Puja in Auckland
‘Jugalbandi’ of Hindustani and Carnatic music
Migrant Heritage Charitable Trust Inc (MigHT-
i) is continuing its work of bringing to fore the
rich heritage of Indian Music in New Zealand.
This time it is bringing together two pillars of
Indian Music stream – Hindustani and Carnat-
ic Music. In a not to be missed ‘Jugalbandi’
between the two styles, the evening will feature
top artists in New Zealand on Sarod, Sitar,
with his nimble fingers. Raman will be creating
tapping music on the Mridangam.
Hindustani and Carnatic music will come
head to head during the evening and create a
magic of “Sur” and “Taal” which will leave you
mesmerised and the evening promises to show
you what our Indian music is capable of achiev-
ing.
Community
Durga Puja has been celebrated since 300BC with pomp and passion as a community festival. Thanks
to the migrant Bengali population, it is now celebrated in Auckland under the auspices of Nandan, a
Bengali association, for the past several years.
The biggest festival in the year for Bengalis is the Durga Puja. Nandan has been organising the
celebrations in Auckland for the past eight years.
It is a joyous and auspicious occasion for the Indian community at large, as you will see in the
cosmopolitan faces at the Glenavon School in Blockhouse Bay on September 25, 26 and 27.
Local talent will get a chance to share the stage and this year different groups in the local com-
munity have been invited to participate to make the celebrations all the more varied and eventful. For
further details please call Babli on 624 0848.

Dance group rarin’ to go for festive season

Tabla, Violin and Mridangam. The programme is brought to you thanks to
MigHT-i is glad to bring the program the support of Creative NZ, AB International,
“NAADBRAMHA” on September 19th at Brownsons Jewellers - Onehunga, Global Fi-
Mt Eden War Memorial Hall. nancial Services, Shivams Panel Beating sup-
Programme: NAADBRAMHA plies, Premier Panel Beating supplies limited, “Dance group Insight
Date: 19th September 2009 0800 Mandap and Indian Weekender. started over a cup of
Time: 06.30 pm The tickets for this concert can be pur- chai while discuss-
Venue: Mt Eden War Memorial Hall chased from Yogiji’s (09 624 5757), Manjit ing the various dance
Address: 487 Dominion Road, Mt Eden, (0211595971) or Varsha (09 5348000) from forms every indi-
Auckland, New Zealand September 3, 2009. vidual specialised in
Tickets: Adults - $15, Children (5-15 yrs) like, Salsa, Oddissi
The evening will feature Sarod recital and Senior Citizens (50+) - $10, Family (4 and Bharat Natyam,”
by Satish Sharma. Manjit Singh will also be people) - $40. says group leader
showing the Magic of Tabla at the venue. You can also book your tickets on email: Ritika. “We then
Dr Ashok Malur will be enchanting the au- info@might-i.org. decided to mix the
dience with the melodious rendering of Violin, So mark your calendars today and book the three dance forms and
while Lester Silver will show the magic of Sitar tickets early! start a group that gave
unique, yet unforget-
table performances.”

Old is Gold on October 3 Ignite gave it’s

first performance at
the Diwali mela in
Hindu Elders Foundation, a division of the Hindu Council of New Zealand Inc., has announced the October 2007. And
first New Zealand Hindu Elders Conference on Saturday, October 3 at the Hindu Heritage Centre, since then, it has
Auckland. The theme of the conference is Old is Gold. been performing at
With the support and hard work of volunteers and senior citizen organisations, the conference various shows and community events. The group are Diwali mela on October 3 and 4 at Waitakere
organising committee has already received more than 130 registrations when the limit set for the consists of ten dancers who are well trained in City and October 10 and 11 at Auckland City
conference was 150. Bharat Natyam, Oddisi, Salsa and contemporary Diwali celebrations. Ignite also performs at com-
A number of community groups, NGOs, government agencies and universities are participating in forms of dance. munity functions on invitation. For futher details
the conference. Eminent persons drawn from various organisations including the government, NGOs, Insight has also performed at events like please contact Ajay on 021 066 2715 or Ritika on
community groups, ministers and members of Parliament will speak at the event. Krazy4 Dance, Diwali melas, Konkani and 021 159 3705.
Mr Pravin Patel is the coordinator of the conference. Tamil association functions. Its upcoming events

16 Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian

FAZAL ad

Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 17

Indian
Community
Community news in pictures
Indian Weekender brings you this gallery of Ganesh pictures from around Auckland
Tagore Library for Mahatma
and thanks the families that have sent in the pictures.
Gandhi Centre
The Auckland Indian Association will be cel-
ebrating Gandhi Jayanti and inauguration of
Tagore Library on October 3, 6.30pm onwards at
Mahatma Gandhi Centre.
The Library will provide services and issuing
its resources to the members of the Auckland
Indian Association and members of the associ-
ated organizations who maintain their language
resources. This Library intends to maintain re-
sources in terms of books, magazines, cds, dvds,
audios in various Indian languages like Gujara-
Ganapati Dec ti, Hindi, English, Kannada, Marathi, Telugu,
oration Marat Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali. Members will
hi Mandal
be encouraged to use internet facilities for their
extended sources for their studies, research and
home works etc.
Konkani The facility will have a unique collection of
resources mainly on Indian literature, languages,
religion, culture, philosophy, history, arts, trade For further information on sponsorship and
and business etc. other forms of contribution, please contact: Sec-
Members of the New Zealand community are retary: Dr Lingappa Kalburgi
welcome to contribute towards library books, Ph: 09-815 3448; Mob: 021 1142 148;
Indian magazines/newspapers and any other E-Mail: secretary@auckindianassoc.org.nz.
form of source of information. website: www.auckindianassoc.org.nz

NZ Sikh Society elects

office bearers
Konkani

New team: The newly elected office bearers along with Senior members of the
Society
The NZ Sikh Society had its annual elections at
Gurdwara Takanini Sahib on Sunday the 30th
of August. A large gathering of members as-
rs
Niphadka Belwalkars sembled at 2 PM and started the proceedings by
paying obeisance to the lord almighty and ex-
pressing sorrow at some of the members who had
passed away.
Manpreet Singh was declared the chairper-
son for this meeting in which the activities of
the past year including the accounts were pre-
sented. A few members of the Sikh community
whose memberships had been rejected in the past
years expressed their dissatisfaction at not being
allowed to be members of the society and staged
a walkout when they felt their demands were not
met.
The Chairman cited the byelaws, which state
that the committee has the unquestionable rights
to accept or decline any membership and thus
continued the process of the meeting. A few
others in the community who were making lot of
noises in the days prior to the meeting, failed to
make any considerable impact during this elec-
tion and annual general meeting. Overall the pro-
ceedings were peaceful and unanimous
S. Gurnam Singh a senior baptised Sikh who
has been relentlessly serving the community for
the past over 12 years were unanimously elected
President. His name was proposed by Daljit
Singh JP, as Gurnam Singh had earlier success-
fully served as the treasurer for 5 years and as the
vice-president for 2 years.
The other office bearers elected were as
follows: Vice-President Tarsem Singh Dhirow-
al, General Secretary Pargat Singh, Treasurer
Santokh Singh Bodal, Librarian Gurnek Singh,
Auditor Paramjit Singh and Assistant General
Secretary Ranvir Singh. The excutive members
elected unanimously are Onkar Singh Soni,
Kartar Singh, Rajinder Singh, Harmesh Singh,
Varinder Singh, Hardip Singh, Kamaljit Singh
Benipal, Naib Singh, Amar Singh Lahoria,
Karamjit Singh, Tirath Singh, Manohar Singh
Minhas, Balwinder Singh Lanedar, Sahib Singh,
Joga Singh, Avtar Singh Jaswal, Harjit Singh
Bhaia, Karnail Singh, Sucha Singh, Surinder
Singh, Manjinder Singh Basi, Manpreet Singh
JP and Daljit Singh JP.
Various sub committees were also formed and
it was announced that some more sub committees
will be formed to increase the coordination and
effectiveness of the NZ Sikh Society within the
community. Manpreet Singh and Daljit Singh JP
were appointed as the Spokesmen for the Society
and were also given the express responsibility of
coordinating community related issues with im-
migration and the police departments.
- Harjinder Singh Basiala
for Indian Weekender

18 Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian

Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 19

Indian

20 Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Bollywood
Do Knot Disturb’s Zabardast Music Launch! BIG Pictures hosts’ photo exhibition of scenic
Kashmir taken during the shoot of Sikandar’
What makes Kashmir the ultimate paradise debutant Arunuday Singh. Also present were
on Earth? What does this paradise look like? the film’s director Piyush Jha and producer
Curious minds wanting an answer to these Sudhir Mishra, who were ecstatic to bring their
questions found a cue through a visual delight Kashmir memories in Mumbai, and relive them
at PVR Juhu today, when ace filmmaker Vidhu with fellow Mumbaikars. It was befitting that
Vinod Chopra recently inaugurated a photo filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra inaugurate
exhibition of scenic Kashmir taken during the exhibition. Being a Kashmiri himself, he
the filming of the recently released, Sikandar, had shot two of his hit films in the valley. “I
a film written and directed by Piyush Jha and made Khamosh more than two decades ago and
produced by BIG Pictures. The photo exhibi- I again revisited the Valley for Mission Kashmir
tion showcased a wide-arrayed display of pic- in 2000. So much has changed between this
turesque photographs taken during the 40-day period, and yet much is still the same. I am glad
shoot of Sikandar, including Kashmir’s snow- that along with Sikandar this photo exhibition
capped mountains, tall chinar trees, the pris- will bring to the fore the idea that Kashmir is
tine waters of the Chenab, the soldiers at fre- indeed paradise on Earth, and this paradise in
quent check posts on every road. Present at the our own country,”
Plug in your earphones, there’s real cool music coming your way. BIG Music launched the music track inauguration of the photo exhibition was the said Chopra.
of David Dhawan’s Do Knot Disturb on August 25, at a glittering function. Present on the occasion entire cast of Sikandar including R Madhavan,
were Govinda, David Dhawan, the film’s producer Vashu Bhagnani, music director Shravan from Sanjay Suri, Parzaan Dastur, Ayesha Kapur and
the Nadeem-Shravan duo, lyricist Sameer and singers Neeraj Shridhar and Anushka Manchanda.
Actors Riteish Deshmukh and Lara Dutta joined via video conference from London, which was also
the highlight of the event. The pulsating music of Do Knot Disturb has Retro, bhangra, rap ….you’ll
find something for every mood here. The key songs ‘Mere Naal’ and ‘Bebo’ capture two distinctive
moods. In another innovation, this is the first time a music company in India has launched a major
Akriti Kakar goes patriotic
Bollywood blockbuster’s music on a SD (Secure Digital) card, that enables listeners to load and store
this in their mobile phones and MP3 players. Do Knot Disturb set to release worldwide on October 2 The young and talented Akriti Kakar recently finished record-
is a co-production between BIG Pictures and Vashu Bhagnani’s Puja Films. ing the revamped version of ‘Meri Desh Ki Dharti’ along with
Daler Mehndi, for the upcoming film Kisaan. The original
being sung by Manoj Kumar in the film ‘Upkaar’, was a

Deepshika ushers birthday in style big hit and became as famous as the national anthem.
When asked about the intensity with which she ren-
dered the song, Akriti revealed, “As a child when
The Stardust Bar at Grand Homtel in Malad I was part of Kalyan-ji-Anand-ji’s little wonder
was one star-studded affair. It was Deepshikha’s troupe, we would sing this one song in all our trips
birthday who brought in her special day with abroad as well as India. I also remember meeting
family and friends. Interestingly, she shared lyricist Gulshan Bawra, then. Today when I met
her birthday with DJ Aman Nagpal (who owns the duo, I feel nostalgic. At the same time I feel
the bar) so, it became a joint party. Deepshikha privileged to have lent my voice to such a his-
looked ravishing in a blue gown and for the first toric score.” We bet that must have been one
time her son Vivaan and daughter Vidhika joined proud moment for her.
in the celebrations of mommy dearest. A host of
television stars and other celebrities graced the
event among them being Anupam Bhattacharya
who was seen with wife Paulomy, Deepak Para-
shar, Poonam Dhillon, Waqar Sheikh, Rajesh
Khera, Sai-Shakti Anand, Anchit Kaur, Sandeep
Rajora, Kavita Kapoor, Reshma Tipnis, Pari-
one after the other. Also seen were Bhagyashree
with her husband, Himalay besides Sheeba and
Want to study, work or
tosh Painter, Ashiesh Roy, Shweta Salve, Brinda
Parekh, Keshav Arora, Kawaljeet, Amisha
Khanna, AD Singh, Sandhya Mridul, Suraj
Akashdeep. The ritzy and glitzy crowd mingled
over mocktails. Needless to add the birthday
bash rocked till the wee hours of the morning.
live in New Zealand?
Thappar, Manav Gohil, Neha Maheswari, Moon-
moon Dutta, Mansi Verma and Mink walked in Talk to a licenced immigration adviser
who actually understands your situation
First look of Blue unveiled

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The first glimpse of ‘BLUE’ was unveiled in a grand media event by none other than Music Maestro
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as they presented a unique ‘Sound promo’ of the film. SCO 17, Swastik Vihar, Sector 5, Mansa Devi
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Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 21

Indian
Bollywood

Chak De girl Sagarika Ghatge

Model turned actress, Sagarika Ghatge has literally
chucked away dozens of flimsy filmy offers post the
release of her hockey-centric debut movie ‘Chak De
India ’ starring the King Khan who incidentally was cast
as the adamant tough coach-mentor. Two years later,
the tall, winsome actress is elated with the release of
her second multi-starrer Hindi film ‘Fox’ .
Chaitanya Padukone
Unlike most other newcomers in Bollywood to it. There is also a romantic undercurrent oppo-
who are desperate to sign movies left, right site Arjun Rampal to the character of the young
and centre, Sagarika Ghatge who essayed the attractive internship-lawyer that I have played in
spunky hockey player, Preeti Sabharwal in Yash the film. Also, it was a one-of-a-kind experience
Chopra’s ‘Chak De India’ working with thriller-specialist

“I am being
(‘CDI’), refuses to jump on Deepak Tijori who directed
the ‘quantity bandwagon’ us,” smiles Sagarika who is a
. “Fortunately, I am not ‘sporty’ person off-screen and

prudent in
the insecure and stressed loves swimming and skating.
out type who is desperate Ask her about the reported
to grab a role. I have been cat-fights she had with co-star

my choice
prudent and extremely Udita Goswami during the
selective in my choice of shoot of the film and Sagarika cut!: Sagarika with Arjun Rampal and Udita Goswami
roles, despite the fact that laughs amusedly. “Hey, that’s

of roles”
I was flooded with offers
after the success of Chak
De India,” Sagarika reveals.
Sagarika points out that her
priority is to look for versa-
tile lead characters which leave an impact. Con-
sidering that she is averse to being typecast, how
would she define her role in her latest film ‘Fox’?
“It is definitely not the run-of-the-mill kind of a
role to start with. It also has an intellectual side
a figment of someone’s wild
imagination. The truth is that
Udita and I got along excel-
lently because both of us are
very chilled out off-screen. We
are still in touch because we even ‘work-out’
together at the same gym,” says Sagarika, who
also dismisses misleading media reports that she
had shot an item-song for the film. “Gosh, this is
ridiculous. It was just a rocking dance sequence
which Udita and I briefly shot as part of the slick
publicity promos of ‘Fox’,” she shrugs.
Currently, Sagarika has a promising line-up
of three films on hand including the romantic lead
opposite Imran Khan in ‘Raftaar’ and acclaimed
film-maker J P Dutta’s (of ‘Border’, ‘Refugee’
and Umrao Jaan fame) untitled movie, in which
she has been paired opposite Ayaan Khan (son
of sarod-maestro Amjad Ali Khan). Off-screen
too, the typical Capricornian girl Sagarika feels,
admits to being a woman of substance who be-
lieves in taking her own decisions. “That’s how
I have always been,” she says adding that if and
when she has a off-screen boyfriend, he too will
have to respect her career and not try to impose
himself unneccesarily. Cheers to that !

22 Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Bollywood
Excel Entertainment’s Luck By Chance to
“I do not deny that I have had be screened at the Engendered Film
relationships in the past” Festival at New York
Excel Entertainment’s Luck by Chance, which
PRIYANKA CHOPRA tells JYOTHI VENKATESH that she is not also marked Zoya Akhtar’s directorial debut, is
all set to be screened at the Engendered Film Fes-
insecure as an actress, when he meets her on the eve of the tival at New York. Luck By Chance will be the
release of her latest release Kaminey, for this interview at her closing film at the festival, which concludes on
August 30. The brother-sister duo Farhan Akhtar
spacious apartment in Yaari Road, where attired in her salwar and Zoya Akhtar are scheduled to attend the
and kameez, she looked quite the girl next door. event.
The Engendered Film Festival is a trans-
national arts and human rights organisation
How excited were you when you were of-
aimed at creating awareness around gender and
fered Kaminey by Vishal Bharadwaj? sexuality in the South Asian Diaspora. This
I am excited with every film which I set out cutting-edge film festival brings together a body
to do. Every film then becomes a Mughal of bold and contemporary cinematic work that
E Azam for me because I give my 100% to provides a new lens with which to view South
every film of mine, whether they are small Asian Cinema. Films range from Bollywood to
budget films or big budget multi starrers. I do independent Hollywood to eclectic shorts and excited to have Luck By Chance screened at
not take any film of mine lightly. documentaries from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Engendered Film Festival at New York. En-
as well as the Diaspora in the United States and gendered Film Festival is a platform for Indian
Describe your journey as an actress from Australia. cinema in New York and it’s great to be repre-
Andaaz to Kaminey!  An ecstatic Zoya Akhtar says, “I am really sented and featured with such gusto.”
I have been working for the last six years.

“Lord Ganesha is our holy

Believe it or not, in the first two years I did not
at all know what I was doing. I think it is high
time that I took a break for myself. I need it

mascot and saviour”, chorus

because all these years I have been slogging
day in and day out and have never had the
opportunity to be with myself and at peace.

the Bollywood celeb

In fact, I had even collapsed on the sets
when I was shooting for What’s Your Rashee.  

What is your USP as an actor?

If I try to play safe as an actress and do the
same types of roles again and again, forget
me and my co-stars, because we know they
about the viewers, I’d get bored with myself
are cooked up and hence end up laughing
in the first place. I like to etch out characters
instead of losing our cool.
that challenge me and let me push the enve-
lope as an actress. To me, every character
How do you react to rumors linking you
that I set out to do is different. I also am
with your leading men?
glad that I had learnt by trial and error, from
Like any other normal young girl from a
my various directors because if I had not
respectable family, I feel that a small rumor
fumbled, I could not have learnt on the job.
tends to become the truth if it is constantly
spread by the media round the clock. Numer-
What is your role in Ashutosh Gowarikar’s
ous link ups about me do bother me because
What’s Your Rashee?
I am a family girl and hate giving clarifications
I have essayed not just one or two but twelve
to my family. The more the clarifications I
different roles. I do not think any actor,
make, the more the stories that are cooked ‘Devaa Ho Devaa, Ganpati Devaa, Tumse TV icon (“Swayamvar” reality show) Rakhee
whether male or female has played twelve
up by the media and hence I remain quiet Badhkar Kaun”, (Oh Lord Ganesha, nobody is Sawant is candid about her sentiments. “Without
roles in one single film in the entire world.
when I am linked with my co-actors. Specula- greater than thou) goes the popular refrain of a Bhagwan Ganesh’s blessings I don’t think I could
tions are part of the lives of actors but I feel yesteryear Indi-pop number from a Hindi movie. have ever achieved what I have done in the past
Were you skeptical about Fashion when From Amitabh Bachchan to Salman Khan, five years,” insists Madame Sawant whose rags-
it is awful when an actor’s life is made into
Madhur offered to cast you in it? Hrithik Roshan to Ranbir Kapoor and Shilpa to-riches story has been a huge inspiration of
a tamasha. It is sad that though India has
I concede that I was very nervous and quite Shetty to Rakhee Sawant ---all of them endorse sorts to many a ‘struggling wannabe’. Not many
progressed hell of a lot, a boy and a girl still
skeptical whether I would be able to carry the this chant. Almost every second showbiz celeb are aware that the debonair dude actor, Neil Nitin
cannot be good friends.
entire film on my shoulders since I was called and film-maker is an ardent devotee of Lord Mukesh (of Johnny Gaddar and New York fame)
upon to play the title role. I am glad Madhur Ganesha. Since the showbiz industry is fickle, attributes his success story to Lord Ganesha. Neil
convinced me to take up the role by repos- unpredictable and slippery they consider the ‘el- recalls how he came out of the ‘strange struggle’
How did you react when Ashutosh stated ephant-headed’ God as their “lucky mascot and for his big break as a filmy hero. “My dad who
ing faith in my capacity to essay the role.
that Ash deserved her award better than saviour” for achieving starry success. is a noted singer was adamant, that I should
Fashion actually gave me the courage to pick
you? Despite being branded the off-screen bad- achieve success on my independent merit. Crazy
up a film which does not boast of a big hero
Ashutosh Gowarikar is one filmmaker that I boy, the sinewy Salman religiously worships the as it may sound, the ‘Johnny Gaddar’ director
because I now know that it is only the content
respect tremendously. I did not take any of- Ganesha icon at his posh residence at Bandra (Sriram ) finalized me only after being prompted
that can take a film to greater heights.  Bandstand which points to his secular nature. by several ‘deals’ with his pack of playing cards
fence to what he said on the stage when IFFA
happened and I was given the best actress Incidentally Salman’s mother (Salma after mar- where he had to choose between top star-heroes
Do you regret having acted in films like riage) originally happens to be a Hindu Maha- and me as a newcomer. It is all thanks to Lord
award for Fashion, because I did not under-
Love Story 2050 and Drona?        rashtrian. Few are aware that Hrithik Roshan Ganesha’s blessings which made this big break
stand what was happening on the stage.
Right from my childhood, I have faced rejec- brings home a Ganesh idol for one-and-a-half- in ‘Johnny Gaddar’ possible,” enthuses Neil who
In any case, I do not believe in carrying on
tions too but I have never felt bad about day worship-ceremony. “Praying fervently and religiously offers aratis and pujas to a huge ornate
grudges, because I feel that life is in any case
rejections for the simple reason that I used seeking Lord Ganesh’s blessings gives me the Ganpati icon which he and his father bring home
short and we should move on. However, if inner strength to give my best, both in my career every year on Ganesh Chaturthi at their Napean
to feel that it is the loss of people who had
you ask me whether I deserved the award and my personal life,” enthuses Hrithik who it Sea Road residence. “Fortunately this year I am
rejected me and not my loss. I do not regret
more for Fashion than Aishwarya Rai for may be recalled had shot for the latter half of his in Mumbai to perform the ceremony every day.
having acted in films like Love Story 2050
Jodha Akbar, I would definitely say yes.  super-hit debut movie ‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’ on Last year, I was away in the U.S. for shooting
and Drona, because though they may not
have been hits, no one can deny that they exotic locales in picturesque New Zealand. Cur- and I had to keep calling up my residence daily
To what extent are you scared of new com- rently, the handsome hunk is busy with the post- to listen to the arati on my cell-phone. My dad
were trend setters and will be known as cult
ers arriving every day in the tinsel town production of his latest action-thriller home- (Nitin) fondly refers to it as ‘distance devotion’.
films ten years hence.   production ‘Kites’. Not just Hrithik, a galaxy of This time I am specially seeking the Supreme
like Asin in Ghajini, Anushka Sharma in
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi etc? showbiz luminaries including playback singer Deity’s blessings for my realistic hard-hitting
Is it true that you are seeing Shahid? Richa Sharma, actors Deepshikha, Meghna movie ‘Jail’ directed by Madhur Bhandarkar who
If I am seeing someone, I’d be frank enough Naidu, Sagarika Ghatge (‘Chak De’ glam-girl also happens to be a staunch Ganesha-bhakt,”
If I were not doing the kind of work that I do
to come clean and say it openly. In the past, I ), Priyanka Kothari, Hema Malini, Govinda, smiles Neil as he replies to his fan-mail from
these days, I’d have felt the threat when new
have had relationships and I have not hidden Jackie Shroff, Jeetendra and Nana Patekar, claim ‘fidaa females’. The bottom-line is that Lord
comers come in droves in the industry. The to have openly declared their devotion for Lord Ganesha reigns over the mega movie industry
them, though I am a very private person. At
truth is that I am secure and do not have the Ganesha. They were all seen earnestly offering which needs ship-loads of ‘divine luck’ to tide
the same time I do not want to talk about
time to worry about new actresses, because their prayers in the on-going Ganesha festival in over the stormy seas full of ‘flop sharks’.
what is happening in my bedroom. When
I feel that there is work for every one and front of artistically carved massive idols.
stories linking me with my co-actors start cir-
hence do not feel threatened career-wise. The outspoken actress-danseuse and now - Chaitanya Padukone
culating, it does not create tensions between

Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 23

Indian
England regain Ashes, Black caps blacked out
Prashant Belwalkar
Last fortnight saw some exciting cricket all around
the world. There were some stunning results and
unbelievable escape acts as well. England regained
the Ashes through a hard fought series beating
Australia 2-1. On the other hand Daniel Vettori’s
personal landmark couldnot stem the Black caps
being blacked out by Sri Lanka as they were beaten
2-0.
The Ashes dream for England, as they do a
Houdini Act!
England will be looking at the 2005 Ashes cam-
paign for inspiration when they host Australia this
time. Ponting on the other hand will be burying the
ghosts of a disastrous T20 World Cup campaign.
England managed to scramble to safety cour-
tesy, some rain, some time wasting and to a large
extent a rearguard action by the tail enders who
frustrated, the Aussies to draw the first test.
England beat a hapless Australia in the second
test after setting them a target of 521 runs on the
4th day , which the Aussies could not achieve and
lost the test by 115 runs, to take a 1-0 lead in the 5
test series. Aussies managed to stave of England
in the 3rd test which fizzled into a draw, England
still leading 1-0 as they entered the 4th Match of
the series.
Aussies took control of the 4th test on day 1
when England got it horribly wrong and were
bundled out for a mere 103 in the first innings.
Indians Play Hardball in America
When American talent scouts picked up javelin throwers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel from northern India last year,
the two teenagers couldn’t tell the difference between a curve ball and the Rose Bowl, but this month they became
the first Indians to play professional baseball in the US. But are they good enough to succeed in the major league or
just props in an American publicity stunt?
Rakesh Krishnan
Even Bollywood screenwriters would have
found this obscurity-to-fame, rags-to-riches
story hard to pitch. Twenty-year-old Rinku
Singh, the son of a truck driver from Bhadohi,
Uttar Pradesh, and the youngest of nine chil-
dren, wins the “Million-Dollar Arm” competi-
tion by throwing a baseball faster and more ac-
curately than 30,000 other contestants. The feat
earns him a $100,000 cash prize, six months
intensive coaching in southern California and
the opportunity to try out for America’s leading
baseball teams.
When veteran major league scout Ray
Poitevint comes to India to see whether Singh,
a 6-2, 195-pound left-hander, has potential,
he spots Dinesh Patel, who had earlier fouled
his competition throw. Patel throws harder but
isn’t as accurate but still manages to impress
Poitevint, who signs him up. Brought up in Va-
ranasi by his uncle and grandmother after his
parents found they could not afford to raise him,
the 5-11, 185-pound right-hander gets $2500 and
six months training in southern California.
That was last year. This year on July 4 Patel
and Singh took the mound for the Bradenton
Pirates of the Florida-based Gulf Coast League,
a rookie-level development league. Both players
are prospects for Major League Baseball’s Pitts-
burgh Pirates.
Director of player development Kyle Stark
says, “The fact that they have pitched in an
actual professional game speaks volumes about
how far they’ve come. This continues to be a
long-term process, with many steps along the
way. They’re the first from their country to do
something like this. That’s progress.”
The players, with shoulder strength gained
through their initial training to become javelin
throwers, are minor celebrities in the big, bois-
terous world of baseball. They have a loyal fan
following, a busy blog, and they run into celeb-
rities that most people only read about. And, of
course, the American media can’t have enough
of them.
24
Aussies then made 445 runs in their 1st innings
which proved too much for England as they
crashed for 263 runs in their second outing. They
lost the test by an Innings and 80 runs, giving a
foothold to the Aussies who squared the series 1-1.
The final test was full of drama as England
bundled out Australia for a mere 160 while chasing
the 332 runs of England. England then made 373/9
in their second outing setting a target of 546 for
Australia to chase with 2 full days of play remain-
ing. But this proved too much for the Aussies as
they were bundled out for 348 giving England a
historic repeat of 2005 as they beat Australia 2-1.
Flintoff to retire
Amid all the tension filled drama of the Ashes,
the England fans have had to brace themselves for
Singh and Patel may be the first Indian
players to be signed by a major US baseball
team, but they won’t be the last – the official
Major League Baseball website, MLB.com,
reports 500,000 to a million participants are
expected to compete in the 2009 season of The
Million Dollar Arm in India. J.B. Bernstein,
managing director of The Million Dollar Arm,
described the contest as an Indian baseball
version of American Idol, the popular US tele-
vision show.
Their success has already sparked a small-
scale frenzy for baseball in India. Says Brahma-
din Singh, Singh’s father from Bhadohi: “With
telephonic guidance from Rinku, youths in our
village have already started practising seriously
to become million-dollar pitchers like Rinku.”
Adds his mother Antaraja Devi: “He was often
dubbed a loafer because he played sport. Now
every villager prays for a loafer like him.”
Their transformation from struggling javelin
throwers to assimilation in America is nothing
sort of miraculous. The first thing the pair did
on learning they had been signed up by the
Pirates was to go online to find out where Pitts-
burgh was. They brushed up on their English by
watching baseball games on cable TV – through
some shocks off the field as well. Hot on the heels
of Vaughan who retired from all forms of cricket,
Flintoff announced that he will be retiring from
Test crickets at the end of the Ashes series to con-
centrate and prolong his career in the ODI and T20
series. This might sound as bad news for English
fans, but the Chennai Superstar owners must be
happy that their investment is paying off! We have
to see what happens by the end of the Ashes!
Black Caps blacked out in Sri Lanka
Dan the man managed to achieve a rare double
of scoring 300 wickets and 3000 career runs in
this series, he also contributed with 140 runs in the
second innings of the second test but that was not
which they encountered key terms such as
“curveball” and “strike” for the first time.
America was virtually like another planet
for the plucky pitchers. Their coach taught them
how to operate the washing machine and dish-
washer. Patel still has trouble fathoming the idea
that you can pick up the telephone to order pizza
delivered right to your door. “We like Chinese
food, pork ribs, banana pancakes, turkey franks,
soup, the choice of food is amazing,” they say.
Singh was a month away from joining the
army. His entire family – he is the youngest of
eight children – worked in agriculture, where
his dad drove a vegetable truck. Now, Singh
says, his father pays someone else to drive
the truck while he stays home. Patel isn’t sure
whether his family – he has two brothers and
one sister – quite understands what’s happen-
ing. “I miss them,” he says.
There were a million distractions in Los
Angeles, where they trained initially, yet they
refused to let anything deter them from their
dream. Instead of accepting any invitations to
campus parties they asked for earplugs so they
could sleep.
They remain a humble pair and haven’t lost
any of their rustic charm. They speak English
Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Sport
enough to save the second test as the Black caps
lost the series 2-0.
The first test saw some excellent batting by
the Sri Lankans as they piled up runs thanks to
centuries by Mahela Jayawardene, Dilhsan, Sa-
maraweera. Murali then worked his magic as they
won the first test by 202 runs despite some excel-
lent batting by Vettori in both the innings.
Samaraweera continued where he had left off
in the 1st test as he compiled is 2nd back to back
century while Mahela Jayawaradene missed his
century by a mere 8 runs, as they piled up 416 runs
in the first innings. Blacks managed to avoid the
follow on thanks to 81 by Ross Taylor, but the rest of
the batting could not handle Herath and Murali as
they were bundled out for 234. Sangakkara played
a captains knock in the second innings as he made
109, but the unlucky Mahela once missed his ton
by 4 runs. Dan Vettori completed his swoop of 300
wickets in the innings to join the unique 300/3000
group as he become the second New Zealander and
only the 8th player in the world to achieve this mile-
stone. NZ fought back in the second innings while
chasing a target of 493 as they made 397 thanks to
140 by Daniel Vettori. Black caps lost the series
2-0 thanks to some smart bowling by Herath, who
has emerged from the shadows of Murali.
Black caps now can find solace in the ODI
series.
with an improvised idiom that would sound alien
even in urban India, addressing me as ‘Rakesh
Sir’. I figured I was in excellent company with
Barry Bonds Sir, Mark Ciardi Sir, JB Sir, and
even the bizarre Santa Sir!
“This is the most amazing thing I’ve been
part of,” says Tom House, University of South-
ern California pitching coach, who has spent the
past year training the pair. “This is like medical
science. It’s turning raw athletes into pitchers.
You wouldn’t believe how far they’ve come.”
To be sure, it’s more shrewd marketing than
science. Ever since signing the two Indians, the
Pirates, who won their last World Series title
30 years ago, have been besieged by the media
from around the world, including India. Their
promoters hope they can make it as profession-
als, saying such success would boost baseball
in India.
“The Pirates are committed to creatively
adding talent to our organisation,” general
manager Neal Huntington said in a statement.
“By adding these two young men, we are
pleased to not only add two prospects to our
system but also hope to open a pathway to an
untapped market.”
Singh and Patel are hopeful they can play
hardball with the big boys. They say they’d like
to win the World Series for the Pirates. “We are
extremely proud to represent India in the US.
No Indian has ever done this before so we are
trying very hard to show the USA that India has
good athletes too; that Indians can do anything.”
The pitchers want their dream run to contin-
ue. “It’s hard to put in words what all of this has
meant to us,” Singh says. “This is a world we
didn’t even know existed. We’re living it now.
We don’t want it to end.”
- Rakesh Krishnan is a features writer
with Fairfax New Zealand. He has previously
worked with Businessworld, India Today and
Hindustan Times, and was news editor with the
Financial Express.
Indian
The Investment Clock
Sunil Khemlani
Investment experts have often looked to a well respected technique called The Investment Clock to work out what they
should do with their money next.
The Investment Clock has been around since it was
first published in London’s Evening Standard in
1937. While not flawless, the Clock often provides
a useful guide for making investment decisions and
can be quite accurate at predicting what might lay
ahead in the economic cycle. It is thought to take
between seven and nine years for the clock to move
a full circle. The difficulty is determining exactly
where the hand on the Clock should be placed at any
given time. The current cycle has been so volatile that
the clock has arguably moved from 12 o’clock (the
market high in November 2007) to 7 o’clock (falling
interest rates) in just 17 months!
The 4 phases of The Investment Clock:
(i) Slow Down Phase – 12:01 – 3:00 o’clock
(ii) Recession Phase – 3:01 – 6:00 o’clock
(iii) Recovery Phase – 6:01 – or property and
9:00 o’clock
(iv) Boom Phase – 9:01 – trouble on the
12:00 o’clock
Lets look at the characteristics of each phase:
12:00 o’clock – Top of the Boom – The Slow
Down Phase begins
Boom time is a period of greed and excess. Con-
sumerism is at its most extreme, full employment
provides for maximum optimism and a feeling of of
real and sometimes imagined wealth exists, where
investors believe that the favourable conditions will
continue indefinitely. A whole range of new players
come into the sharemarket at this level, and often
regret having little or no knowledge, relying on what
others have told them – that sharemarket investment
‘is easy money’. Smart investors get out on the way
to and at the top of the boom by taking their share
gains and moving into real estate as part of a longer
term wealth creation strategy. At this stage of the
phase, the rapid increase in the demand for real estate
often pushes demand above supply and results in an
invrease in property prices. Property prices may rise
well above real value and can come back to bite you
later, if you have excessive gearing.
1:00 o’clock – Cost of funds begin to rise as
demand increases
As property purchases are primarily funded by
borrowing; the increased demand for funds causes
the cost of funds or interest rates to rise. The Govern-
ment recognises that the economy is overheating and
introduces measures to enable a ‘soft landing’, by in-
creasing interest rates to flatten demand by consum-
ers. Often the inflation bogey can rear its ugly head
in this period and monetary policy in the form of in-
terest rate increases can be used to keep it in check.
If the Reserve Bank overcorrects in this period by
raising rates too quickly and too high, it can cause the
market to come to a grinding halt.
2:00 o’clock – Rapid growth cannot be sustained
and signs of slowdown emerge
The rapid growth of the property and sharemar-
ket cannot be sustained for more than a few years and
eventually the economic slow down becomes appar-
ent. Interest rates continue to increase until it is no
longer viable for purchases to continue in property
and soon supply outstrips demand. As interest rates
rise, companies find it harder to make profits and this,
combined with the booming property market and the
fact that fixed interest investments now seem more
attractive, causes share prices to begin to fall or at
least plateau.
3:00 o’clock – Savvy investors begin to exit; people
begin to sell shares
Before the clock strikes midnight, savvy investors
have exited shares and are looking for the next oppor-
tunity, having realised that there is likely to soon be a
correction in the market. 3 o’clock sees the realisation
of this correction and the consequences that will in-
evitably follow. Subsequently, more people are selling
shares within this phase and the lack of demand trig-
gers a sell-off, a slump in share prices and coupled
with falling commodity prices the decline acceler-
ates. High interest rates still persisting at the begin-
ning of this cycle slow the economy and lead us into
Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Finance
the beginning of the market at this booming and everyone belioeves the good times will
a recessionary level often see ex- never end, as overseas reserves continue to rise.
phase. cellent gains in the
years ahead. 11 o’clock – Government spending increases, jobs
4 o’clock – created; economy gathers momentum
decline into re- 9 o’clock – Signs More spending on government projects and
cession begins of share prices infrastructure occurs in this phase, to create jobs,
to become ap- beginning to rise; which increases the demand on private sector busi-
parent unemployment nesses. This inturn results in employment of more
Decline into begins decline staff to cope with increases production needs. Lower
recession begins The seeds of interest rates then prompt business to borrow and
as business con- the recovery are invest in capital projects. Well before the Clock
fidence starts to now sown and strikes midnight, wise investors have exited shares
fall and consum- eventually share and are looking for the next investment opportunity.
ers start spend- prices will rise
ing. Investors as unemploy- Where are we now?
find little value ment, which is Several recent economic indicators have been
in either shares often regarded positive and point to the beginning of the recovery
as a lagging eco- cycle. US and China growth figures have also pointed
with impending nomic indicator to a positive outlook, giving further credence that the
falls. Share prices worst of the global financial crisis and its contagion
horizon, fixed move through a effects on the world is behind us, with prospects of
interest securi- period of gradual recovery a reality for late 2009-10. Most experts
ties and cash increases from believe the clock may have moved past 6o’clock and
become popular again – Cash is now King. A flight 6 o’clock until about 11 o’clock as commodities in- currently between 7 o’clock (falling interest rates)
to quality assets occurs to protect what remains of an crease in price, overseas reserves are rebuilt and and 8 o’clock (rising share prices).
individual’s wealth. Often the gold price escalates at money becomes easier, subsequently property again The convergence of good news presents a great
this time as it is seen as a store of value against wors- becomes an attractive investment opportunity. opportunity for investors to take advantage of a range
ening economic conditions. The dollar can also come of investment options providing some best values
under pressure to find the right level of adjustment in 10 o’clock – More aggressive market highs become in shares in years. Although we can never pick the
line with prevailing economic ill winds relative to the apparent; speculation begins absolute bottom of the sharemarket, equipped with
rest of the world. The improving economy leads to more aggres- the investment clock, you can start to identify where
sive market highs. A frenzy of interest and specula- you are in the current economic cycle and consult an
5 o’clock – Initial Public Offerings begin to tion begins, marking the beginning of the end of the expert financial advisor to assist you on the road to
vanish; capital raising disappears recovery phase, which peaks when the economy is recovery.
Poor business confidence means the new capital
ventures are postponed and Initial Public Offerings
become a thing of the past. This is a time when capital
is near impossible to raise and banks are not lending.
Less spending and higher interest rates result in
lower demand, which results in less production. Con-
sumer confidence is at a very low level with demand
for goods and services coming under enormous pres-
sure. With fewer sales, there is a squeeze on earn-
ings, resulting in profit downgrades; and economic
rationalisation becomes a hot topic in boardrooms.
The economy slows to the point where productivity
stalls and then declines. When this happens for two
consecutive periods, the economy is said to be in a
recession.
6 o’clock – The nadir of the downward swing in
the economic cycle
6 o’clock marks the peak of a downward swing in
the economic cycle. Investors are either too scared,
or cannot afford to borrow money and in response,
interest rates slowly start falling. Individuals are now
trying to payoff debt and spend less where they can,
as well as trying to keep their jobs. A severe contrac-
tion in the labour market is often evident in this phase
of the Clock. This can exacerbate recessionary deep-
ening, unless correction through government fiscal
and Reserve Bank monetary stimulus, and return to
business confidence becomes apparent.
7 o’clock – A recovery from recession begins
A recovery from recession begins with increased
government spending and a sustained easing of inter-
est rates. Interest rates fall to historically low levels
and eventually a point is reached where long term
investors see value in the market and start to accu-
mulate the better performing shares – often you don’t
need to look any further than the Top 50 companies
for investment selection. With a lower demand for
money and interest rates falling, the economy is stim-
ulated and share prices begin to slowly rise. Cash is
no longer King and the value net of inflation begins
to erode,
8 o’clock – Companies become leaner; increase
productivity
During this time, companies are forced to become
leaner and increase productivity. These measures
and the slowly improving economy translate into
increased company profits and this gradually stimu-
lates share prices to recover. Investors who come into
25
Indian
How to pay your mortgage faster
RAVI MEHTA
Is paying off your home mortgage a good idea?
Normally it is –particularly in respect of your
own home. In case of investment properties,
due to tax advantages, the answer may be dif-
ferent.
But there can be some situations where
paying off the mortgage faster may not be the
best idea. It really depends what opportunities
you can avail with your surplus funds which
can be used to repay your mortgage faster.
Suppose you are in business and on an
average earn 10% on your capital after tax and
you have the opportunity to use extra funds for
business expansion continuing to earn 10%,
why should you pay your mortgage faster than
required if mortgage rate is lower than 10%.
But if you who don’t have the opportunity
to invest where after tax return are more than
the interest being paid on mortgage, you should
contemplate repaying mortgage faster.
There are different ways to repay mort-
gage faster. The easiest way is to take loan
for shorter term rather than standard term the
Marketing training in a recessionary market
RAJESH KRISHNAMURTHY
These are tough times for most companies. Re-
cession hit our shores sometime last year but it
is only now that the frost over the market is be-
ginning to bite. So everyone is trying to sharpen
their pencils and cut down on expenses deemed
unnecessary or of low priority. These include the
usual suspects like advertising, travel, recruit-
ment etc., and in many cases training budgets are
slashed too.
On one end of the spectrum there are many
people in the marketing field who have tremen-
dous experience and have grown through the
ranks. They also have excellent track records.
But somewhere down the line they are concep-
tually weak. In present competitive times, it is
important to have a good blend of conceptual
clarity and practical experience. Marketing train-
ing helps in achieving this balance.
On the other end of the spectrum there are
also people who have impeccable academic cre-
dentials and conceptual clarity but do not have
practical experience. By virtue of their qualifi-
cations alone they may be holding positions of
responsibility and they may be taking decisions
that will have a long term effect on the growth of
the company and brand as well. Such people too
need exposure and training on a regular basis.
The million dollar question therefore is “What
26
banks offer.
With a standard loan of 30 years with inter-
est rate of 7%, your installment will be approx-
imately $153per week on a loan of $100000.
The loan term will go down to 15 years if you
repay $207 per week.
Put it another way, you will need to put
extra $10,000 per year approximately to repay
your mortgage of $350,000 carrying an inter-
est of 7% per annum in 15 years instead of 30
years. Isn’t it good? Indeed it is, so, should you
go for a loan of 15 years term instead of 30
years?
There is risk involved. It is easier to get
shorter loan term but difficult to get it extended
as most of the banks will re assess the loan at
the time you want to get the term extended.
Why you will ask for term to be extended
because you may find it difficult to afford
higher repayments due to adverse change in
your circumstances.
The bank will assess according to circum-
stances on the date of application and most
kind of strategic marketing training is needed by
companies?” and more importantly, why is it
needed on a regular rather than an ad-hoc basis
even during difficult economic times?
The reason regular training in marketing is
needed is because techniques in marketing keep
changing regularly as
also does customer ex-
pectations. If one does not
realize the changes in the
The reason regular
marketplace as well as the
change in expectation of
training in marketing
consumers, one may end
up making inappropri-
is needed is because
ate marketing strategies
and therefore not able to
techniques in marketing
support the growth of
the brand or product.
keep changing regularly
Similarly, even in the area
of sales, product man-
as also does customer
agement, advertising or
market research, if there
expectations.
is no updating of techno-
logical advancement in
skills, there is a chance that the brand could be
left behind primarily because the people behind
the brand have not moved with the times.
Just as in accounting, finance, production,
likely the request for extension of loan term
will not be approved.
Another thing, if you have been repaying
the mortgage faster and at some future date
you are going into arrears, the lending institu-
tion will not consider what extra amount you
have paid, but will take your house to mort-
gagee sale.
Then the next option is that you should not
go for a reduced loan term, but go for maximum
sanctioned term. And after that periodically,
put extra lump sums. Most of lending institu-
tions allow for the same in fixed interest loans
to certain extent without any penalty.
The other way to repay your mortgage faster
is to split your loan and have some portion on
revolving credit facility.
In your revolving credit facility, you should
run your all income with all expenses and
mortgage repayments coming out of it. Funds
should be allowed to sit in the account for as
long as possible to save interest. Your surplus
after meeting your expenses will automatically
human resources, information technology etc.,
there is a regular updating of skills through train-
ing, there is a similar discipline followed in mar-
keting. Even in a field such as medicine, doctors
continuously attend seminars or in house train-
ing programs to ensure that they are in sync with
the latest trends in global
medicine. This helps them
get a cutting edge to serve
their patients better.
The key area in an or-
ganisation where marketing
training is needed is actually
from top to bottom. First, the
frontline sales people need
to be trained so that they go
around managing their re-
spective markets in a profes-
sional manner. If not service
levels would fall, resulting in
a drop in sales, culminating
in the loss of brand visibility
and from there on it would
be a downward spiral for the
brand and the company. Secondly, at the super-
visory/manager level, they should not only be
able to work with the trade channels but also be
able to handle, motivate and lead the field force.
Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Finance
be left in your loan thereby saving you interest
and reducing your outstanding loan balance.
The good thing is that surplus funds are
always available for redraw. This way your
loan term will be reduced. But this type of
arrangement should be used only by those
who are financially much disciplined. Those
who are not, normally tend to overspend and
for them fixed commitment towards loan is a
better option.
It is recommended that you seek the advice
of your financial adviser before deciding the
option for you.
- Ravi Mehta is an Auckland based Finan-
cial Advisor and can be contacted on ravi.
mehta@pfsl.co.nz
A disclosure statement under Securities
Markets Act relating to his services is avail-
able on request and is free of charge.
For further information, please visit www.
professionalfinancial.co.nz
Productivity
Thirdly, the regional/national sales manager too
require various skills which include aspects of
portfolio management, riding market expecta-
tions, management of promotions- sales promo-
tions, consumer promotions etc. Many a time the
product manager is skewed towards one or two
elements of the marketing mix instead of having
a balanced view of all elements. This needs to
be corrected through periodical training to get
things back in perspective.
Finally, the top management including some-
times the chief executive need regular training
in strategic marketing thinking; whether it is in
terms of brand extensions, brand positioning or
re-positioning, new product launches or with-
drawals or decisions to prune products or ser-
vices etc.
It is therefore extremely crucial to give inputs
which are seen as investments in the develop-
ment of the marketing human resource through
regular, consistent and strategic marketing train-
ing which would develop careers as well as help
sales and marketing professionals grow brands
successfully in the face of intense competition
in the marketplace. This needs to be done con-
sistently and regularly regardless of the pressing
need to cut cost in the short term.
Indian
Finance
Can you trust your insurance adviser?
OLIVER PEREIRA
With call centre operators offering to sell you Hints and Tips on finding the insurance best for you? limitations of their knowledge, advising that
insurance which is supposedly right for you adviser you can trust A good adviser will generally have a stan- they will seek out the answer to your query.
over the phone and bank tellers asking if you dard process that he would follow to com-
would be interested in purchasing life cover • Is the adviser ‘independent’? plete a need analysis and discuss how to meet • Does the adviser maintain an ongoing re-
when all you wanted to do was cash a cheque – Some ‘advisers’ may in fact be ‘sales- those needs. Subsequently the adviser should lationship with their clients?
it is all too easy to assume that purchasing in- people’ for a specific insurance company. be able to tailor-make your insurance policy Once you are ‘on the books’ and your first
surance is just an “off the shelf ” product. But Independent ad- and justify why such premium has been paid, you do not want to
just stop and think for a moment how much do visers are not af- options are recom- be ‘put on the shelf’ to be forgotten. Circum-
you know about insurance and how it would filiated with any What is the amount of mended over others. stances change and you do not want to be
work for you especially during the moment of particular insur- in a serious claim situation before you find
truth: claim time. What is the amount of in- ance company information that you have to • What sort of knowl- out that your coverage no longer meets your
formation that you have to disclose at the time and, as such, are edge and experience needs. A good adviser will actively review
of applying for an insurance cover? What are not obliged to disclose at the time of applying should you look for? your situation.
the repercussions of non disclosure? Which place business It is important to
insurance company has the product more suit- with a particular for an insurance cover? What differentiate between • Ask someone you know!
able for your requirements? How would you company. This a ‘salesperson’ and an Ask friends, family or colleagues if they
go about the claim process? Listed below are gives the adviser are the repercussions of non adviser. As with most are happy with the services their advisers
a few questions you may like to ponder on. the freedom to things, detail is the key. provide. They may give you some more ideas
access a variety disclosure? Which insurance Two policies that may about what to ask a potential adviser. Hope-
Why do you need an adviser? of insurance so- appear the same, seem- fully these key issues will be able to lead you
An adviser will often have established lutions through company has the product more ingly allowing cost to in the right direction.
relationships with various insurance com- which to tailor- be the deciding factor, This information has been provided to
panies and extensive knowledge of products make a client’s suitable for your requirements? may on a more inter- serve only as a guideline to assist in evaluat-
and processes. This will often prove less time policy to best fit rogative examination ing your insurance needs. You are encouraged
consuming, particularly valuable in the fast the client’s needs have vast different con- to do your own research before arriving at any
settlement of claims during difficult times. and circumstances. sequences on your particular circumstance decisions.
Overall it is more beneficial for you to have should you come to claim.
an adviser as your first contact and as your • Who are the insurance suppliers? A knowledgeable adviser will be acutely - Oliver Pereira
advocate. An adviser can answer questions, You want to be sure that there is indeed a aware of these specifics and will be well OPM Insurance Services Ltd.
sort out issues, regularly review the appropri- variety of options available to the adviser/you versed in the policies, processes and develop- Ph. 0800 66 77 92; Faxmail. 021 551 669
ateness of your policies and generally manage that meet your needs. ments, and therefore able to offer an expert Mobile. 021 66 77 92
your best interests. opinion based on your needs assessment. A Email. oliver.pereira@xtra.co.nz
• How does the adviser identify solution good adviser will be aware of and admit the

Putting patients first Good parents should not be

John Key, Prime Minister
be criminalised
PANSY WONG, Ethnic Affairs Minister
Patients should be at the centre of all thing that increases bureaucracy and
health services. Whether you’ve got a takes resources away from frontline The National-led Government is introducing
broken bone, the winter f lu, or a baby on health services. We’re going to do what’s safeguards to give parents comfort that they will
the way, it’s important you get the care best for patients. not be prosecuted for lightly smacking their chil-
you need. We’ll ensure District Health Boards dren.
The National-led Government inherit- have the same autonomy they’ve always The decision to introduce these safeguards
ed a public health system with significant had to plan and fund local health services to protect the interests of parents follows the
staffing, service and financial problems. within the Government’s priorities. Citizens Initiated Referendum on smacking –
The health budget doubled in nine years, We want your feedback – people the result of which reinforced the message that
but there was little should write to the New Zealanders do not want to see good parents
improvement in Health Minister’s criminalised for lightly smacking their children.
services. office by 18 Sep- We take this message very seriously and will
This is unac- tember. Cabinet will be working with the Police and Child, Youth and
ceptable so we consider the report’s Family to make sure the law is being adminis-
asked some of the recom mendations tered as it should be.
most experienced over the next couple Family is an important aspect of life for many
doctors and man- of months. within our Indian communities and it is crucial ing trend that good parents are being punished,
agers in the health National is com- that we all feel confident in the raising our chil- the law will be changed to ensure that they are
sector to recom- mitted to delivering dren so they can grow up to reach their full po- not criminalised for lightly smacking their chil-
mend how to best We want your feedback – better, sooner, more tential. dren.
improve our public convenient health- No parent should have to fear prosecution The debate surrounding smacking is not new
health system. people should write to the care for you and for their role in raising their children and even and has been a hot topic around Kiwi dinner
The indepen- your family. To do though the current law is working as intended, tables since, under the previous Labour govern-
dent group’s report
recognises that to
Health Minister’s office this, we’re building
a strong and endur-
with there being no prosecutions, the National- ment, changes were made to Section 59 of the
led Government will continue to monitor the Crimes Act making it illegal to smack children
improve frontline
health services we
by 18 September. Cabinet ing public health
system based on
way it is being implemented. for the purpose of correction in 2007.
For example, we have asked for a review of The changes were made as part of The Crimes
need more input
from frontline
will consider the report’s need.
Just as families
Police and Child, Youth and Family policies and (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Act 2007,
procedures to identify any changes that are nec- which was introduced by Green Party MP Sue
staff. There are
also recommenda-
recommendations over the and businesses are
tightening their
essary to ensure good parents are being treated Bradford and raised controversy in Parliament.
as Parliament intended. This review is expected When these amendments were introduced
tions to strengthen
clinical leader-
next couple of months. belts and economis-
ing in the current
to be completed by December 1, 2009. they raised fears that they would lead to good
We are also bringing forward the delivery parents being unfairly criminalised for disciplin-
ship and clinical economic times, the of a Ministry of Social Development report on ing their children.
networks. It’s vital that our doctors and health system needs to do the same. But data, trends and the effect of the law change. That was why at the time, Hon John Key, in-
nurses are involved in running the health this won’t be done at the expense of front- Originally expected at the end of this year, the troduced the addition of the provision that police
system. line services. report will now be completed later this month, can use discretion to ensure good parents would
The report proposes consolidating We need to deliver greater efficiency or early October. not be prosecuted before agreeing to support the
back office functions across the 21 Dis- and productivity, so we need to take sug- Police have also been invited to continue to Act.
trict Health Boards to harness the power gestions that could deliver that seriously. report on a six-monthly or annual basis for the These fears have proven to be unfounded.
of bulk buying. We don’t need 21 pay- Any savings we make in health will be next three years on the operation of the law, and In fact, there has not been a single prosecution,
rolls, 21 approaches to IT, and 21 pro- reinvested into health. to include data on cases where parents or care- which shows that the law is working the way
curement systems. Your health, and the health of your givers say the force used on the child was reason- that Parliament intended and that no changes are
It also proposes cutting by two thirds family, is an important priority for Na- able in the circumstances. needed to the legislation at this stage.
the number of committees that advise the tional. We are committed to putting pa- Prime Minister John Key has said very pub- If it is shown that the law is not working, we
Health Ministry. tients first and building a healthier future licly that if future Police data indicates a worry- will change it.
The Government will not accept any- for all New Zealanders.

Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 27

Indian

28 Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian

WEEKENDCUISINE 5 Easy tips for

Diabetes.
Chicken Bolognese Chicken Sweet Corn
By Swami Ramdevji
Recipe by Ruby Dhillon Soup a la Indian style
Recipe by Shri Desai
1.0 Practice Pranayam everyday with
Ingredients: Bhastrika, Kapalbhati, Anulom Vilom
Ingredients: & Manduk Asana.
•0 Water 1 Ltr
•0 450g- Chicken (bone- •0 Chicken Stock powder 1 cube 2.0 Take 1 tablet of Madhunashini
less chicken breasts, finely •0 Boiled and shredded chicken 2 Table spoons along with 1 tablet of Chandraprabha-
chopped) •0 Cream style sweet corn 150 gms vati twice a day.
•0 350g- Spaghetti tin (from •0 Egg 1
Supermarket) •0 Corn flour 1 tsp 3.0 Drink Aloe Vera juice & Amla juice
•0 2- Onions chopped • Freshly chopped “spring onion” 1 Tbsp together with hot water, twice a day.
•0 400g- Tomatoes chopped (or •0 Finely chopped “Dhania” 1 Tbsp
a chopped tomato can) 4.0 Pressing the point under the
•0 3- Garlic cloves crushed On Side smallest finger below the life line is
•0 25g- Butter •0 Vinegerated Green the acupressure point for Diabetes.
•0 1tsp- Oregano • Chilies
•0 ¾-cup- Parmesan cheese • Soy Sauce 5.0 After meals take a long walk &
•0 Salt and Pepper according to • Salt and pepper avoid sleeping after lunch. Try to
taste eat green vegetables and avoid any
sweets.

Method: Method:
•0 Add some salt to the water and boil in a pan and cook the spa- •0 Bring water to boil in a sauce pan Next Issue: Cholesterol
ghetti for 8-10 minutes or until firm. Drain the spaghetti, toss in • Add stock cube and sweet corn .Mix well.
the oil and keep it aside. Add shredded chicken pieces Note: Free Yoga classes on Sundays
•0
•0 Melt butter in a wok, fry onions until they are translucent then Dissolve corn flour in cold water and add to the boiling 10am – 11.30am at
•0
stir in the garlic followed by chopped chicken. Cook stirring it soup and stir well 8 Bishop Lenihan place, East Tamaki.
for 3 minutes. Sprinkle some salt. Ph: 09 622 3308
•0 Break egg in a bowl,whisk and strain into the sauce pan .
•0 Add tomatoes and oregano and stir thoroughly. Simmer for 20 •0 Serve hot after garnishing with spring onion or “Dhania”
minutes, stirring regularly. and serve hot with above mentioned sides...
•0 Add Spaghetti to the chicken sauce. Toss over a gentle heat,
season with some more salt and pepper and add half the
grated cheese. Toss again.
•0 Serve hot, sprinkled with remaining cheese on the top.

Advertisement

New Zealand Indian Central Association (Inc.)

PO Box 1941 - Wellington, New Zealand

President: Ratilal Champaneri Gen Secretary: Veer Khar

Phone: 021 383 859 Phone: 0274 417 654
Email: president@nzindians.org.nz Email: secretary@nzindians.org.nz

ATTENTION COMMUNITY MEMBERS:

1.0Are you a member of any of the branches of New
Zealand Indian Central Association (If not join a branch
and avail this opportunity) If the answer to all the above is ‘YES’; then
please forward your CV to:
2.0Do you have any special talent? Secretary, NZICA, P O BOX: 1941, Welling-
ton. Email - secretary@nzindians.org.nz.
Or
NZICA has been asked to collect CVs and
Are you a professional who aspires for more respon- recommend members based on their merit.
sible roles?
Please Hurry!
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First round of CV assessment takes place
Have you made some outstanding contribution to the before Diwali in the Parliament on
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3.0Do you want to shoulder higher responsibility like

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governmental organisations

Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz 29

Indian
Leela Patel – a creative, multifaceted artiste
RASHMI SHENOY
Leela Patel is multi-talented – an actress, en-
tertainer, singer and an entrepreneur. Instantly
identified in New Zealand as Shobhana Kumari
playing Shanti’s mom in the popular TV2 soap
Shortland Street, Leela will be back on TV from
October 17.
When I met with Leela at her modest Avon-
dale home, I was expecting to see a lady clad in a
blue sari but was taken aback by her youthful ap-
pearance and a very down to earth and positive
personality. Being a single mum, Leela has effec-
tively managed her acting career and her teenage
kids (aged 20 and 21) along with caring for her
grandmother until recently. Leela comes from a
big family (sixth of eight siblings) all based in
Auckland. She is the only one in showbiz.
Having taken a keen interest in singing,
Leela sang at various shows in the early 1990s.
She began in 1990 with a musical group called
Bombay Fever managed by Jagdish Punja and
has performed numerous shows around New
Zealand. She toured Fiji in 1991 and again in
1995 and also performed karaoke shows in Mel-
bourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
In 1994 she won the local Auckland Indian
Idol Competition organised by Ashvin Anand
of AA Promotions. Her biggest challenge in this
competition, she says, was memorising Hindi
lyrics as she is a “local Gujarati and barely
speaks Hindi.”
Her singing eventually led to her acting,
which eventually led to acting. With a few
acting courses under her belt, Leela approached
a few agents and one day she got a call to audi-
tion for Shortland Street for the role of Shanti’s
aunty (Rani).
She was disappointed when she was not
shortlisted. Little did she know that the director
at Shortland Street had her in mind for a more im-
portant role. She was a huge fan of this soap and
always wanted to be a part of it since its infancy
19 years ago. When asked what was challenging
in the role Leela says she had to work hard at
maintaining the Indian accent during her dia-
logues as in reality, she does not have an accent.
“That wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Also, what
people don’t realise is that an actor or actress has
to perform what they are asked to do; they can’t
go about changing the storyline to suit them-
selves.” She points out that Shorty is a soap not a
documentary – the story has to be juicy to keep
the audience interested.
Before her stint with Shortland Street, Leela
had only just completed her movie Apron Strings
where she played the role of Tara. It is the first
Indian feature film to be funded through of-
ficial channels in New Zealand. Apron strings
is a debut feature for Sima Urale, which raises
social issues, examines the incredibly complex
yet tender mother-child relationships that you
and I can easily relate to.
“It was very inspiring to be working with
Sima. She had a great working relationship with
the entire team and brought the best out of us,”
30
Clockwise from Top: With Laila Rouass in her much acclaimed film Apron
Strings; in traditional Indian garb; with Apron Strings director Sima Urale
says Leela.
The film was funded under a unique low-bud-
get initiative called Signature Film, supported by
the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ on Air
and Television New Zealand.
A few other movies that Leela has featured
Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
Personality
in are Dead Certs in 1996; a teleplay written
by Rawiri Paratane, Vertical Limit by Martin
Campbell in 2000 and her hour long TV movie
Money for Jam in 1999 based on a true story.
She played a dead woman in the mountain
climbing movie Vertical Limit but quickly added
that it was not all sad as it was shot in Queen-
stown and over all they had a lot of fun too. But
at the back of her mind, she was always hoping
to get a better role than playing dead, she laughs.
She’s been to India a couple of times and
intends to take her son and daughter to India
sometime in the future.
After her much acclaimed performance in
Apron Strings as Tara, Leela was invited to par-
ticipate in the Dubai International film festival
which in December 2008. “This was an amazing
platform to meet and network with fantastic
actors from around the world. I even met a few
stars from Bollywood like Nandita Das,” she
says. Her coffee table has rows of albums full of
photos from Dubai and her photos with the cast
and crew of Shortland Street.
Amid her hectic schedule, Leela also finds
time to teach at pre-school and has plans to set
up a home based childcare centre along with her
entertainment services, and of course continue
acting.
She has taken her acting career seriously and
says her past experience has helped her in playing
her roles effectively in both Apron Strings and at
Shortland Street. Both the roles came easily to
her as she has a daughter at home and knows the
challenges a mum could have; playing the role of
a neglected wife wasn’t too hard as it was some-
thing that happened to her.
A similarity in her role in Apron Strings was
that she too has a sister who is married to a Kiwi
and although it didn’t bring too much heartache
to her personally, there was a lot of grief and the
emotions ran high in the family.
Listening to soft music, singing, dancing and
gardening is what relaxes Leela. Life’s been a
struggle but her positive attitude has helped her
be successful in what she’s been doing, she says.
She believes in God, in being a good person and
has been a role model for a lot of people in the
community. When she meditates, she has a lot
of positive affirmations with abundance of good-
ness in life. This has helped her achieve her
goals.
Her message to the Indian community, es-
pecially to the women “is to follow your dream.
Don’t ever think it is too late and don’t let nega-
tive people, negative thoughts or any other ob-
stacles come in your way.” If you dream it, you
can do it.
She hopes to appear on Shorty hopefully for
a lot longer this time and is always open to new
acting assignments. Talking about openness I
asked her if she was open to meeting Mr Right
in the future and amusedly she said she was cer-
tainly open to that.
Indian
The teacher of teachers
Remembering the great Indian genius in whose honour the country celebrates Teachers Day every year on September 5.
RAM LINGAM
An American scholar Jacques Barzun once said
‘Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is
a lost tradition’. And as the adage goes, ‘Teach-
ing is the profession that teaches all the other
professions‘, the Indian tradition has always re-
spected teachers and Gurus. While the teachers
and Gurus are both inspiring, the teacher in the
general sense teaches a subject and the Guru in
the Indian sense unveils the ignorance for wisdom
to dawn.
The ‘Teachers’ Day’ in India on September
5 every year is celebrated to commemorate the
birthday of one such accomplished teacher ac-
claimed as one of the greatest thinkers and phi-
losophers of modern India – Dr. Sarvapelli Rad-
hakrishnan (1888-1975). He was recognised as a
multi-faceted personality – an eminent education-
ist, a scholar of eastern and western religions, a
world philosopher, a cultural ambassador, a biog-
rapher and above all a seeker of truth.
The origin of Teacher’s day in India
Somewhere in this glitter of modern consum-
erism, Dr Radhakrishnan and his accomplish-
ments as a scholar and as a teacher have been less
remembered. Teacher’s day may be slipping into
oblivion but it matters for those who value their
teachers and who value learning. Many learned
people, teachers and professors have either heard
about him as a scholar but know almost nothing
about his contribution to education. Today we
seem to know more about film actors and their
lives than that of greats like Dr. Radhakrishnan.
While most of us who are from India would
have some recollection of Teacher’s day celebra-
tion during our school days, we may not know
t what you need
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MANGERE BRIDGE 40 Coronation Rd Mgere Auckland - 0-9-636 8424
Indian Weekender | September 4, 2009 | www.iwk.co.nz
“A good teacher must know how to arouse
the interest of the pupil in the field of study
for which he is responsible. He must himself
be a master in the field of study and be in
touch with the latest developments in the
subject, he must himself be a fellow traveler
in the exciting pursuit of knowledge...”
- Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
the incident that was behind 5th Sept becoming
Teacher’s day. In fact many teachers from India
don’t know about this. The celebration of ‘Teach-
er’s day’ has an interesting story behind it. When
Dr. Radhakrishnan became the President of India
in 1962, some of his students approached him and
requested to allow them to celebrate September
5, as his “birthday’’ nationally. In reply Dr. Rad-
hakrishnan said, “instead of celebrating my birth-
day separately, it would be my proud privilege if
September 5 is observed as Teachers’ Day’’. The
request showed Dr. Radhakrishnan’s reverence
for the teaching profession. From then onwards,
the day has been observed as Teachers’ Day all
over India.
Who is a good teacher?
Dr. Radhakrishnan loved his teaching pro-
fession more than any other professions he had
HALL AVENUE Hall Ave Otahu Auckland - 0-9-276 6161
taken up during his eventful lifetime. Dr. S. Rad-
hakrishnan believed that “A good teacher must
know how to arouse the interest of the pupil in
the field of study for which he is responsible. He
must himself be a master in the field of study and
be in touch with the latest developments in the
subject, he must himself be a fellow traveler in
the exciting pursuit of knowledge...” According to
him, “the aim of education is not the acquisition
of information, although important, or acquisition
of technical skills, though essential in modern
society, but the development of that bent of mind,
that attitude of reason, that spirit of democracy
which will make us responsible citizens.”
His influence
Dr. Radhakrishnan is considered as one of the
greatest philosophers of India and the world. In
1952 the Library of Living Philosophers, an insti-
Restaurants
Takeaways
and Large
Religious
Functions
Heritage
tute of world-wide repute, brought out a massive
898 page volume on ‘The Philosophy of Sarva-
pelli Radhakrishnan, devoted wholly to a critical
appreciation of his writings.
India’s highest award, the Bharat Ratna, was
conferred on him in 1954 in recognition of his
meritorious service to mankind.
Dr.S.Radhakrishnan started his career as a
college teacher, Vice-chancellor, a Spalding Pro-
fessor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford
University held many high offices in Indian and
abroad culminating in his becoming the Head of
the Indian Republic. His 40 odd books on philoso-
phy and religion bear the stamp of his distinctive
genius for clarity and precision.
His philosophy was unbiased and inclusive as
one can find in his remarks. “Those who separate
themselves from the rest of the world in the name
of religion or race, nation or polity are not assist-
ing human evolution but retarding it”.
There are some 50 plus countries that have
a dedicated day for their teachers while more
than 100 countries including New Zealand cel-
ebrate the 5th of October as World’s Teacher’s
day. But in our life pursuits, we easily seem to
forget our teachers and Gurus who have built and
channelised our capabilities. In the Hindu tradi-
tion world the teacher (Guru) is considered even
greater than God as Sant Kabir says “I face both
God and my guru. Whom should I bow to first?
I first bow to my guru because he’s the one who
showed me the path to God.”
It’s also a great day for budding teachers to
take the pledge to create educated people and not
just qualified ones.
31
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