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grace
millane
murder:
Emotions
pour out!
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 2 NEW ZEALAND
Grace Millane murder:
¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH
N
ew Zealanders continue to pour out
their emotions on the unfortunate
murder of British backpacker Grace
Millane in Auckland last week, ranging from
a public apology from the Prime Minister
to numerous vigils bringing people in large
numbers, throughout the length and breadth of
the country.
The story of the death of twenty-year-old
British backpacker who was supposed to be
on a journey of her lifetime and was scheduled
to celebrate her twenty-second birthday in the
country just when her life was tragically cut-
short has touched a chord with everyone in
New Zealand.
The notable outbursts that gained much
public attention were a public apology by
the Prime Minister, sombre-faced, emotional
sentiments expressed by Detective Inspector
Scott Beard – the policeman who led a
meticulous investigation to find the body of
Grace and made an arrest – apart from public
vigils all around the county.
Among the more visibly seen emotional
outpourings, some were of differing opinions
as well – especially those who found the
expression of collective grief a bit disrespectful
to many, including the deceased young lady and
also to many other similar unfortunate stories
of murder and deaths that have happened in the
country in the span of ten days that the media
and social media has been all but consumed by
this story.
Over the same period of the ten days that the
nation collectively mourned Grace Millane’s
murder – a 21-year-old was stabbed to death in
Mt Roskill, a solo mother to a small child was
beaten to death in her South Auckland home, a
Grace Millane
An image of Grace Millane amid candles at the Wellington vigil.
Photo- RNZ -Emma Hatton
young father beaten to death in Christchurch,
a 71-year-old man decapitated in Petone. None
of these equally unfortunate deaths attracted
anywhere close to the attention that the death of
Grace Millane received.
To be fair, these opinions were also an
emotional outpouring, much like others, though
Friday, December 14, 2018
differing with the majority.
Indeed, the nation has come to a pause, if not
to a standstill – as the idea that New Zealand
is a safe country, particularly for young single
women choosing to travel to the country as a
part of her world trip – is being severely tested
The Indian Weekender
in the minds of many people.
Packing one’s bag and travelling, alone
or in groups all around the world,
especially within the group of thirty-
odd developed countries, is a
well-established way of life and
almost a right of passage for a
many young New Zealanders.
Receiving young guests
from, and sending guests
to, countries like the United
Kingdom, is in the very
DNA of this country, thus
explaining the magnitude of
emotional outpourings from
one and all in this country.
On Wednesday, December 12,
public vigils were held in places
like Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington,
Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.
A candlelit vigil was held in Nelson
Photo- RNZ-Tracy Neal
The vigil in Auckland was joined by father
of a Kiwi girl – Emily Longley – who was
murdered in the UK in 2011 as he felt a strong
emotional bond with Ms Millane’s father,
whose exceptionally composed behaviour
while being in NZ has moved one and all.
 The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018 NEW ZEALAND 3

Kiwis pour out emotions

Timeline of the murder The crowd at the Wellington vigil (Photo) RNZ, Emma Hatton

Thursday, Dec 7:
Police issues media advisory
for sighting of Grace Millane

T
of
he Police had first issued
media advisory for sighting
missing 22-year-old English
tourist Grace Millane on Thursday, Prime Minster Jacinda Arden A tribute to Grace Millane at Titirangi roundabout.
Photo- RNZ - Maxine Jacobs.jpg
Photo- RNZ - Rebekah Parsons-King
December 6.
At that stage, Grace was last sighted last sighted and Police expressed grave fears The father of missing girl arrives in the an end. It is an unbearable time for the Millane
around 7pm on Saturday, December 1, on of her safety. The investigation to continue country in search of his daughter. family, and our hearts go out to them.
Victoria Street, Auckland CBD. throughout the weekend. The investigation will continue through for
Sunday, Dec 9:
Various sightings have her wearing either, Saturday, Dec 8: some time yet.
Police identifies location
black top, blues jeans and red sneakers, or a Police confirms worst fears of interest The focus now is to piece together exactly
black dress with white shoes. what happened to a young girl, who came to

P
of Grace’s death
Detective Inspector Scott Beard then said olice investigating the murder of English this country on her OE.
Grace not been in contact with her family back
in UK for a number of days. T he investigation into the disappearance of
Grace Millane has developed this evening.
Just after 3pm this afternoon, a 26-year-old
tourist Grace Millane have identified a
location of interest. Monday, Dec 10:
Man appears in court, gets
A full scene examination is underway in a
Friday, Dec 7: man was located at a central Auckland address name suppression
bush area on Scenic Drive.

Police media advisory confirms last sighting by Police.
in Auckland CBD He was brought back here to the Auckland
Central Police station and is currently speaking
to us in relation to the murder of Grace Millane.
The evidence police had gathered to this
point of the enquiry has established that this is
a homicide.
Grace’s family have been advised of this
development and they are devastated.
Grace Rental Car The man is still being spoken to at this point.
T
At this stage, police were not able to confirm he man arrested in Grace Millane case
whether Grace has been located at this site. appeared in Auckland court where he
was sent to Police custody and got name
A full road closure of Scenic Drive, between
suppression.
the intersection of Mountain Road/Scenic
Drive and the Waitakere Reservoir Carpark, Wednesday, December 12
was in place from 3pm until 7pm on Sunday.
Sunday, Dec 9:
Police locates the body of
V igils conducted all around the country to
express sentiments for Grace Millane’s
tragic murder on her first
Grace Millane overseas trip.

S ince first reported missing on Wednesday,

Saturday, Dec 8:
S hortly after 4 p.m. on Sunday, December 9, Thursday, December 13

Final police update
December 1, Police issued another media
advisory next day advising possible last sighting
in public at the Citylife Hotel, on Saturday 1 T he 26-year-old who has been speaking with
Police in relation to the disappearance of
Grace Millane will be charged with her murder.
December with a male companion.
Police identifies this man and he has been He will remain in Police custody until
spoken to. Six days had passed since Grace was Monday morning when he will appear in the
Auckland District Court.
A
Police was able to locate a body believed to
shovel that was the subject
be of Grace.
The formal identification process will now
take place, however, based on the evidence we
of a Police appeal in
relation to the Grace Millane
investigation recovered as
have gathered over the past few days, we expect a result of the continued
that this is Grace. examination of CCTV footage.
Obviously, this brings the search for Grace to

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 4 NEW ZEALAND Friday, December 14, 2018 The Indian Weekender

INDIAN CYCLIST ON WORLD TOUR

PLANS TO COVER NZ IN 35 DAYS
¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH acknowledging the daunting spirit, motivation,

T
he famous Indian cyclist – Abhishek passion and commitment behind his endeavour.
Sharma – who is on a six-year mission Speaking to The Indian Weekender, Hon.
to bike around the world covering some Consul of India, Bhav Dhillon said, “It is a
90 countries, has reached New Zealand shores great endeavour by this young man who is out
and is aiming to cover the country in 35 days. on a mission since the last four years promoting
Abhishek, 29, began his world tour four years brand India among other key messages of
and one month ago on November 10, 2014, awareness around climate change.
with a desire for creating global awareness “We welcome him here in New Zealand and
against climate change, global warming, and wish him all the best while he remains here in
calling for world peace. world’s most beautiful country,” Mr Dhillon
“I am going around the world, said.
motivating and educating people The only plan is no plan
about the impacts of global
warming and climate change
and calling for peace,”
R evealing his modus operandi of selecting a country and then pursuing tour on his cycle], Abhishek said, “The only plan is that I have
no plan.”
“I have no corporate sponsor supporting my endeavour.
Abhishek said. “I am purely relying on the love and support of the people that I continue to meet on a daily basis to continue my journey,” Abhishek said.
“I am also spreading “I reach the country check Google it if possible and then talk to people in communities and plan my journey ahead.
the message about India “Now I plan to bike to Hamilton, Tauranga, Taupo, Palmerston North, and Wellington in the North Island.
– our people, our culture, “Once I manage to cross over to South Island by ferry then I will go from Picton to Christchurch to Dunedin and then back to Queenstown,”
values and heritage – and Abhishek said.
spreading the message of “Everything depends on multiple factors including weather, road conditions, and most importantly the kind of support I can get from
world peace,” Abhishek people,” Abhishek added.
added.
The Consulate
of India hosted
Mr Sharma to
a community
reception at an
event in Quadrant
Hotel, Auckland
CBD, on
Wednesd ay,
December
1 2 ,

Meeting people, connecting Abhishek by facilitating ferry transfer from Wellington to

Picton and return, much to the delight of everyone.
communities Similarly, Sunny Kaushal, another community leader,

A bhishek is relying purely on generous support from

members of communities, both Indian diaspora and
broader community in this magical journey.
The moment Abhishek disclosed this in the event on
Wednesday, several enthusiastic members of the Indian
diaspora started counting their resources all around the
country who can be reined in to support his journey.
Speaking on the occasion Jeet Suchdev of Bhartiya
Samaj said, “One thing we can assure you here in New
Zealand is full support from our community. We have a
vibrant Kiwi-Indian community all around the country.”
Bhikhu Bhana, President of New Zealand Indian Central
Association announced that their organisation will support
who is coordinating all efforts within the community
from Auckland for supporting Abhishek told The Indian
Weekender, “We are confident that our community
members would be able to pull in support for this young
boy ranging from food, accommodation and logistic
support.”
“I encourage anyone keen to help this young Indian
man to get in touch with us. Every help is welcome,” Mr
Kaushal said.
“I am also thankful to members of our Indian diaspora
who have come out today to extend their support for Mr
Sharma’s endeavours here in New Zealand.
••
 The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018
Government seeking advice on early
withdrawals from KiwiSaver funds
¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH
C
ommerce and Consumer Affairs
Minister Kris Faafoi has appointed
two independent advisers to advise
the government whether to facilitate a rule-
change around facilitating an early withdrawal
from KiwiSaver funds – a fund earmarked for
retirement – particularly for life-shortening
conditions.
Dr Claire Matthews (Massey University) and
Donna Mitchell (IHC) will advise on changing
the withdrawal criteria.
There are currently some circumstances
when people can access their KiwiSaver, such
as when buying a first home or suffering from
serious illness.
However, people with life-shortening
conditions are typically only able to withdraw
their savings at a stage they are permanently
unable to work or at imminent risk of death.
Mr Faafoi met with Tim Fairhall earlier this
year, who drew attention to the issue of people
in situations like his – a life expectancy well
short of 65 yet unable to access their own
KiwiSaver.
“KiwiSaver helps New Zealanders enjoy the
best retirement they can,” Kris Faafoi says.
“Part of the success of KiwiSaver as a
retirement savings scheme is because funds are
not available until the age of 65, so the savings
grow and help people considerably towards a
financially secure retirement.
“However, it’s important KiwiSaver works
for all New Zealanders. Tim has Down
Syndrome and is aging prematurely. He hopes
to retire in his mid-40s and access his savings –
but at the moment, he can’t.
“I think it’s fair and just that New Zealanders
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 6 NEW ZEALAND Friday, December 14, 2018 The Indian Weekender

Knowledge around KiwiSaver limited

in ethnic-migrant communities
¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH Once someone chooses to join, contributions A KiwiSaver member for three or more years

T
he latest ASB KiwiSaver survey
released on Monday, December 10,
brings to fore a fact - widely believed
to be the case for ethnic migrant communities
- that the knowledge around KiwiSaver is -
limited.
The survey reveals that the puzzle around the
role of KiwiSaver in retirement planning is at
best at varying levels amongst New Zealanders.
With about 40 per cent of respondents plan to
use KiwiSaver to cover day to day expenses and
provide income within retirement, and 11 per
cent plan on leaving the money in KiwiSaver
once retired. Another 11 per cent of people plan
to use KiwiSaver to pay off mortgages or other
debt. Splitting into deciles, 46 per cent of people
aged 30-40 and 54 per cent aged 40-49 plan on
using KiwiSaver to fund day-to-day expenses.
The survey also reveals uncertainty about
how much saving would be required each year
in retirement, with 20 per cent of respondents
think that the amount required per year is under
$30,000 while another 31 per cent think a figure
between $30,000 and $50,000 each year will be
needed.
While the most prevalent lack of knowledge
emerging in this latest ASB survey is around
the role of KiwiSaver in retirement planning,
the lack of knowledge around KiwiSaver within
ethnic migrant communities, including the
Kiwi-Indian community is stark.
Essentially, KiwiSaver is a government
money saving initiative to develop long-term
money-saving habits among participants.
However, money can be used for a first home
or in cases of financial hardship along with
retirement.
However, not everyone is equally aware of it.
Anurag Kashyap, 33-year-old sales
professional, who had recently purchased
the first home in West Auckland came up
impromptu with a response on KiwiSaver, “I
don’t think there was any benefit of KiwiSaver
for first home buyers in Auckland housing
market, given the prices of houses are higher
than the national average.”
Mr Kashyap got it confused with Kiwisaver
Homestart Grant – a grant given by Housing
New Zealand to an eligible KiwiSaver member,
who has been contributing to it at least for three
years, for assisting in first-home-buying.
What is KiwiSaver?
KiwiSaver is a voluntary, work-based
savings initiative, augmented with government
contributions, which offers a wide range of
membership benefits.
Broadly, KiwiSaver savings are made up of
an individual’s contributions to the account,
employer’s and government’s contribution,
plus or minus investment returns and minus any
withdrawals, fees and taxes.
The money is not kept with government
or banks or employer, rather it is placed with
government approved KiwiSaver providers
(though KiwiSaver is not guaranteed by the
Government), which is further invested based
on individual’s preferences.
are deducted from their pay at the rate of either
3 per cent, 4 per cent or 8 per cent (you choose
the rate) and invested in a KiwiSaver scheme.
Self-employed people can also join
KiwiSaver by contacting their KiwiSaver
provider and informing how much you want to
contribute and make payments directly to them.
Who can join KiwiSaver?
New Zealanders - citizens, or those who are
entitled to live in New Zealand permanently
(residence visa) - under the age of 65 can join
KiwiSaver.
Those on temporary visas, student and work
visas are not eligible to become a member of
KiwiSaver.
When can you get your money back?
The overall objective of KiwiSaver is to help
people in long-term saving habits and plan their
life after retirement. KiwiSaver savings will
generally be locked in until one is eligible for
NZ Super (currently 65), or had been a member
for at least five years (if you joined over the age
of 60).
However, members can also withdraw their
money for a few more critical phases in their
lives, particularly buying a first home, moving
overseas permanently, suffering significant
financial hardship and being seriously ill.
How does it help in first-home-
buying?
From a perspective of the ethnic migrant
communities, including Kiwi-Indian, probably
one of the most well-known benefits of
KiwiSaver is the assistance it provides building
corpus towards first-home-buying.
is eligible to withdraw money to purchase their
first home (not an investment property).
Dev Dhingra, of Fund Master – Mortgage and
Insurance Advisers told the Indian Weekender,
“It would be fair to say that within our Kiwi-
Indian community, the awareness about
KiwiSaver is related more with the desire to
buy first-home rather than long-term planning
for retirement.”
“We meet several clients who are at different
levels of awareness with regards to KiwiSaver
when they start looking for first home buying.
“A person with an average annual income
of $48,000 can end up saving roughly around
$3000 every year with minimum 3 per cent
contribution from their employer. When you
take for three years, and if they are a working
couple with a partner in more or less same
earnings, then they can save much money
towards their first home,” Mr Dhingra said.
KiwiSaver HomeStart grant
Once you have contributed to KiwiSaver for
a minimum of three years, then apart from the
ability to withdraw money towards first home,
they are also eligible to meet Housing New
Zealand’s, HomeStart Grant.
The grant can vary depending upon different
eligibility criterion.
When purchasing an existing/older home,
the HomeStart grant is $1,000 for each year
of contribution to the scheme. It means those
contributing for three years can get a maximum
of $3000 and for those contributing five years
can get a maximum of $5000.

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 The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018 NEW ZEALAND 7

Ek chhoti si Asha...
¡¡ TULIKA SAKLANI

I
n 2013, when little Ria proudly said
“D for Diwali,” in her Kindergarten,
she got overwhelming response
from all her teachers and peers. It was
her mother Asha, who first approached
the day care centre to do a small show
and tell session on stories from the life
of Lord Rama and Sita. This was Asha’s
first little step towards preserving and
giving identity to India’s biggest festival
Deepavali.
For the last few years she has been
actively participating in spreading
awareness on Deepavali in her daughters’
school. Asha believes that “she is trying
her best to give her daughter and the
younger generation the same upbringing
that she got in her formative years”
Five decades back when few Indian
families like hers landed in New
Zealand, the biggest desire for them
was to preserve Indian tradition and
culture for themselves and generations
to come. Asha has vivid memories of
all the colourful festivals which she
enjoyed growing up as a child with her
siblings in Northshore at Auckland. She
becomes nostalgic while going down
the memory lane when her family and
many other Indian families like hers
worked quite hard to keep their culture
alive. Her impressionable mind at the
tender age of five started accepting the
values around the rich and vibrant Indian
tradition. According to her, “She had
access to the best of both worlds. She
grew up enjoying Rugby, Hollywood
movies and at the same time dancing to
Bollywood tunes and having loads of fun
with colourful Indian festivals together.”
Today, for her, it’s all about taking
the legacy ahead from her generation
to the next one. Every year it’s a usual
tradition for Asha to visit her daughters’
Sunnybrae Normal Primary school
during Deepavali. This year she focused
more on different kinds of Rangoli. The
children at school spent around 90
minutes doing the Rangoli, which
they loved. Q and A session on Diwali
was quite enjoyed by all children. The
children have a lot of fun and learn about
another culture at the same time.
Apart from this, Asha is also engaged
in organizing children's activities at
Gujarati Samaj Deepavali functions. “We
generally do some arts and crafts with
a Diwali theme which all the kids
thoroughly enjoy and this year she
organised a Deepavali quiz which was a
superhit amongst Primary school kids.”
Asha believes, “It’s a great
transformation to see Indian children
embracing their culture and sharing with
Kiwi children around them. Such efforts
can keep the legacy going ahead rather
than getting our language and culture
diluted living in New Zealand.”
The deliberate act of keeping cultural
heritage from the present to the future
is a huge effort which has tremendous
potential to spread as mass movements
for cultural heritage.
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 8 NEW ZEALAND
Second language bill set to pass
after consensus: Can Hindi be
taught in NZ schools?
¡¡ SANDEEP SINGH
N
ational MP Nikki Kaye’s second
language bill is all set to pass the
second reading in parliament after
consensus seems to be emerging with Labour
and Green Party extending their support to
the bill.
This is a remarkable departure from the
beginning of the year when Ms Kaye had first
introduced the bill in parliament only to be told
by the education Minister Chris Hipkins that
the proposition was too aspirational.
“This is a very significant step for greater
support for the future of second language
learning and our future. I am looking forward to
a national conversation about my Bill and how
it can create smarter, more culturally aware
New Zealanders who are better equipped to
succeed in our globally connected world,” Ms
Kaye said.
“I expect the languages that would be
consulted on would include Mandarin, Māori,
French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Hindi
and Pasifika languages,” Ms Kaye said.
Extending support to the bill, Education
Minister Chris Hipkins said, “It’s better to
approach this in a multi-party fashion, and not
split along party lines.”
“Let’s have a debate about whether having a
list of priority languages is the way to go about
it, or if there are other ways to go about it.
We’re going into this with a very open mind,”
Mr Hipkins said.
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Introduced as a private member’s bill at
the beginning of this year, the bill envisages
teaching foreign priority languages in New
Zealand schools, encouraging possibilities of
getting the Hindi language – the fourth most
widely spoken language in NZ – also included
in the curriculum.
The bill is expected to pass through its second
reading sometime early next year.
Subsequently, it would be going to select
committees for further deliberation and
engagement with members of public and wider
communities.
How has the second language
bill progressed so far?
The idea of inclusion of second languages
as an option in NZ schools first gained traction
when National Party made an electoral promise
in August 2017 of the plan to give all primary
school children the opportunity to learn a
second language with a proposed cash injection
of $169 million.
However, initially Hindi language did not
find mention in the list of languages to be
offered in the National’s electoral promise – a
fact vigorously raised with the then party leader
and caretaker Prime Minister Bill English in an
exclusive interview.
Subsequently, National MP Nikki Kaye
introduced the bill in parliament at the
beginning of this year as a private member bill.
The Labour Party had initially been reluctant
Na Facebook, na twitter
yaad Rakho Glitter
Friday, December 14, 2018 The Indian Weekender
to support the bill and the idea of making the
option of second language available to students
in NZ schools citing it was too aspirational.
However, despite the growing support
and emerging consensus, on the idea of
having foreign languages in NZ schools,
the nervousness of arranging the logistics of
delivering the second language has still not
eroded completely. Mr Hipkins said he’s a bit
nervous about legislating the curriculum, and
the big issue will be having enough teachers.
“We really want to see a much greater
emphasis on every child in NZ to have access
to Maori as our indigenous language. At the
moment, we don’t have the resources to deliver
that,” Mr Hipkins said.
What if Hindi gets included in the
NZ curriculum?
The demand to include the Hindi language in
the New Zealand school curriculum is not new
and gains traction and wider recognition within
the community time and again.
It is likely that this above development would
once again spur the demand for introduction of The Indian Weekender had earlier this year
Hindi language in NZ curriculum. reported the efforts of two Wellington-based
However, the important question that needs educationists Dr Pushpa Wood and Sunita
to be delved upon is if there were enough Narayan who had sought to explore potential
educational and logistical resources available capabilities lying within our community that
within the community and beyond to be able to
could possibly be ready or further developed
satisfactorily deliver when the time comes – an
if the popular demand of including the Hindi
uncertainty shared by the Education Minister
language in NZ curriculum is approved.
Mr Hipkins.
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 The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018 NEW ZEALAND 9

Awards for meritorious students

of Gandhi Gruh Gujarati School
¡¡ IWK BUREAU have a passion for working with children and
for teaching children their mother tongue,” Ms
Patel added.
The students also regularly took part
in the Auckland Council Diwali Concert,
Independence Day programmes, Republic Day
concerts and Rangoli competition.
The Gujarati School has been operational for
over sixty years in Auckland.The Gandhi Gruh
Gujarati School’s vision is to strive to enhance
Gujarati children’s sense of identity by teaching
the language both written and oral. The school
is committed to celebrating Gandhi Jayanti
every year, and this year took part in the Global
Peace March to inaugurate the commencement
of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
“Some of the proudest moments for us
was when students have been able to deliver
speeches in fluent Gujarati, recite slots in
Sanskrit and perform musical items on tabla
and flute. We also now have alumni students
helping in the school,” Ms Patel added.
The end of the year prizegiving event
was well supported by the Auckland Indian
Association executive officers, the board of
trustees, members and parents.
“One of the primary objectives of the
Auckland Indian Association Inc. is to promote
and preserve Indian culture in New Zealand, and
Gandhi Gruh Gujarati School plays a pivotal
role in helping the association to achieve this
objective,” President of the Auckland Indian
Association Inc. Narendra Bhana told The
Indian Weekender.
Mr Bhana also congratulated the Leadership
and Student of the Year Awards recipients
Himnish Patel and Dhruvi Raval for their
outstanding achievements and encouraged
them to keep raising their personal standards
continuously.

AUCKLAND INDIAN ASSOCIATION

MAHATMA GANDHI CENTRE
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On Sunday, December 9,
Gandhi Gruh Gujarati School a
sub-committee of the Auckland
Indian Association Inc. held
its annual prizegiving event to
celebrate the end of the school
year and recognise the students
for the high achievements.

S
tudent Himnish Patel was awarded
the Leadership Award of the Year for
being a role model to other students and
demonstrating commitment and influence in
both studies and extra curriculums.
The Student of the Year award was presented
to Dhruvi Raval for demonstrating commitment
and diligence in her performance throughout
the year.
“This was a well-deserved award for
Dhruvi. All students received a Certificate of
Participation, and top achievers of the classes
were also recognised. The event was attended
by over 200 people – particularly by the parents,
grandparents and relatives of the students,”
Chairperson of Gandhi Gruh Gujarati School,
Shantiben Patel told The Indian Weekender. An all-purpose indoor facility close to the heart of the city makes Mahatma Gandhi
“The prize giving is not only a celebration
of what the children have achieved but also the
Centre a versatile and attractive Venue for Indian Weddings, business functions,
teachers and the schools’ contribution to the social gatherings and religious functions. Our knowledgeable priest provides
Association and the wider community,” Ms
Patel added. religious services and ceremonies including weddings. A large commercial Kitchen
This year the school had an average of fifty
students attending the school every Sunday.
facilities and a wide range of catering options available for all occasions.
The school conducted six classes and eight
teachers with three dedicated helpers.
“The teaching staff are an exceptional group FOR FURTHER ENQUIRIES Tel: (09) 357 0665 or (09) 377 2424
of people, some qualified teachers from India CONTACT US ON Email: office@aiai.org.nz Website: www.aiai.org.nz
and other counties but mostly these people
 10 NEW ZEALAND Friday, December 14, 2018 The Indian Weekender

All Nations Cricket Festival

approaching finals this weekend
¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

T
he second day of the All Nations Cricket
Festival was held in Christchurch
on Sunday, December 9, with seven
matches, moving toward the last five games of
the pool before the finals.
Christchurch Multicultural Council and
Christchurch Metro Cricket Association
organise the T20 tournament hosting ten teams
in their second season with more than 110
players participating in the tournament.
The second day of the tournament witnessed
some stellar performances from each of the
ten teams giving a nail-biting end to almost
every match. “We have mixed ethnic teams in ARA All
“The second day of the pool games was Nations T20 Cricket Tournament showcasing
excellent- we saw a lot of enthusiasm amongst cross-ethnicity/nationality integration,
the players and their supporters who cheered
friendship and harmony. The All Stars team
their teams at the Hagley Oval,” President of
is led by captain Habib Marwat, which has
Multicultural Society, Surinder Tandon told
players representing Pakistani, Indian, Afghani,
The Indian Weekender.
Sri Lankan and New Zealand origins- well
The day saw seven matches played and the
done,” Mr Tandon said.
third and final day of the tournament will see
another five pool games and the final that will The tournament is supported by Ara Institute
name the champions for 2018 season. Strikers, too, won three total matches with two The best bowlers in the second day were of Canterbury, Little India Merivale, Travel
“Most of our players in these ten teams play wins on the first day and leading the second Jeewan Bear from Doon Tigers with five wickets Corner, Ravel Events, Tech Doctor and Taaftan
for different league games and at other clubs- day was Punjab Warriors who won all three for 18 runs, Arun Bharadwaj from Kings XI Moroccan Grill Restaurant.
and this tournament helps them get prepared for matches played in two days. Punjab with 5 for 27 runs and Harpreet Singh The last pool games and final will be held
the other regional and national tournaments,” The highest scorers on the second day were with 3 for 24 runs. on Sunday, December 16 at Hagley Oval in
Mr Tandon added. Trev Garrett with 100 not out and Raj Arora This brings the tournament fixture to Punjab Christchurch from 10 a.m.
The second day of the tournament saw with 58 from the All Rounders, Harish Sharma Warriors, Strikers and Doon with total three
three teams consistently performing well and from the Strikers with 51 runs, Umair from matches, Nepal Warriors, All Rounders and All
leading in terms of total wins. Doon Tigers won Cornered Tigers with 52 and Randhika and Stars with two wins, Cornered Tigers with one
two matches in the first day and one match in Habib from All Stars with their 50 and 52 runs win and Kings XI Punjab, Tamil Pasangya and
the second day, making a total of three wins. apiece. Tamil Society with zero wins.

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Our country is a target for criminal networks, looking to clean their money. It’s estimated
that over $1 billion a year comes from drug dealing and fraud, and can be laundered
through New Zealand businesses. Risking our reputation and economy. So, we’re making
law changes to protect New Zealand and everything we love about it. To find out more,
visit keepourmoneyclean.govt.nz
The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018 NEW ZEALAND 11
 12 NEW ZEALAND
Sydney Metro ready to ferry passengers
on 22 ‘Made in India’ trains
¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD
S
ydney is getting ready to start ferry its
passengers on trains made in India, the
last batch of the 22 trains ordered is
expected to be received soon.
In March 2014, the French manufacturer,
Alstom’s Sricity facility in Andhra Pradesh,
India won the contract to build 22- six-car
trainsets as well as the CBTC signalling system,
for the North West Rail Link, Australia’s
biggest public transport project and first fully-
automated metro network.
On December 6, the company finished the
last of the 22 Metropolis trains for Sydney
Metro and held a flag-off ceremony before
sending the trains to be shipped to Sydney.
“We are immensely proud to have completed
the last train for Sydney Metro in this landmark
project for the Asia Pacific region. We are also
proud to see Sricity concluding its first export
order on time, delivering on expectations and
winning our customer’s trust,” Alstom Senior
Vice President Asia Pacific, Ling Fang said.
“We firmly believe in India’s role as a
manufacturing and engineering hub for
Civic Participation Forum
in ChCh discusses the
participation of ethnic
communities
¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD
T
he Office of Ethnic Communities
Christchurch organised the Civic
Participation Consultation Forum
at the Office of Internal Affairs on Friday,
December 7.
Community Leaders and Ethnic Agencies'
Representatives were invited to attend and
present their views on and experiences of Civic
Participation in New Zealand.
The purpose of the forum was to support the
creation of an environment that facilitates and
encourages ethnic communities to participate
fully in society.
The Civic Participation aims to support
Ethnic Communities to participate civically by
creating opportunities and remove barriers.
Over 40 ethnic group community leaders
international markets, and this milestone bear
witness to that,” SBS reported.
The fully-automated has the latest in public
information system, areas for prams, luggage,
bicycles, wheelchairs spaces and separate
priority seating for passengers with reduced
mobility.   
and ethnic agencies
representatives attended
a consultation forum on
Civic Participation.
The attendees were
divided into eight
breakout groups
and supplied with a
questionnaire to refer
and discuss upon.
Some of the
questions part of the
discussions were- what
are their views on civic participation, barriers
for the ethnic communities that prevent them
from participating civically, motivations for
the participation, how can civic participation
made more accessible for the communities and
any broader issues that the reps would like to
address at the forum.
President of Christchurch Multicultural
Council Surinder Tandon and Community
Board Member from Waimairi, Shirish
Paranjape were among the invitees from the
Indian community to share their own journeys
of increasing the involvement in various
activities and roles for civic participation over
the last two decades.
“The aim was to support the creation of an
environment that facilitates and encourages
ethnic communities to participate civically
fully in society in order to increase ethnic
representation and to promote multicultural
values and cross-culture integration, respect
and harmony,” Mr Tandon said.
“Some of the key barriers that we discussed
were cultural understanding of the people,
language, lack of knowledge and education
amongst the community members about the
civic elections and process of participation,
their contributions in the civic elections etc.,”
Mr Tandon told The Indian Weekender.
Friday, December 14, 2018
The train design is based on International
Metropolis train that are used in 25 cities
including metros like Singapore, Barcelona,
and Amsterdam but is customised for the
Sydney Metro network.
Alstom’s engineering hub in Bengaluru
adapted the Metropolis and Urbalis solutions to
Skills Update's
graduation day
At least ten years jail term for
Hardeep Singh Deol’s killer
¡¡ RIZWAN MOHAMMAD
C
hristchurch Court on Wednesday,
December 12 sentenced Franchesca
Kororia Borell for at least ten years
in jail for stabbing her partner Hardeep Singh
Deol on Christmas Day in 2016.
Ms Borell was found guilty of murder by
Christchurch District Court in October and was
sentenced the jail term earlier this week.
Ms Borell was said to be depressed and
drunk on the Christmas day because she could
not be with her young daughter and ended up
arguing with her partner Mr Deol and stabbing
him in a fit of rage.
Ms Borell denied killing her partner
intentionally but admitted to manslaughter
during her trial in High Court. She claimed
that she had thrown the knife at him but did not
mean to kill him.
The jury in October sided with the Crown’s
evidence that Singh died from a single stab
wound to the heart rather than injuries from the
The Indian Weekender
the specific needs of Sydney Metro to ensure
fast, safe and reliable services to the residents
of Sydney.
Sydney Metro train features
• Level access between the platform and
train and three double doors per side per
carriage for faster loading and unloading.
• Heating and air-conditioning in all metro
trains.
• A new generation of fast, safe and reliable
metro train.
• At all times, a team of expert train
controllers will monitor Sydney Metro,
making sure everything runs smoothly.
• Wheelchair spaces, separate priority
seating and emergency intercoms inside
trains.
• Continuous mobile phone coverage
throughout the metro network.
• Two multi-purpose areas per train for
prams, luggage and bicycles.
Skills Update Training and
Education Group had their
graduation day on 6th
and 7th December at their
Mangere campus.
thrown knife as claimed by the assailant.
“Today, Singh’s family told how they are
suffering a “life sentence of loss” and spoke
of a much-loved son and family member,” NZ
Herald reported.
Mr Doel hailed from the Rania town of Sirsa
district in Haryana, India and came to New
Zealand to study hotel management in 2014
after completing his B Tech from a private
college in Malout, India.
He was on a work visa and had started
working as a pivot builder at Precise
Water Services in Christchurch in early
November 2016.
 The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018 NEW ZEALAND 13

Hindi a Nelson Police welcome new water safety kits

step closer
¡¡ IWK BUREAU York, a former raft guide, using videos provided

N
by Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
elson Bays Police are wising up on “The initial response has been good and

to being
water safety in preparation for the officers have enjoyed it,” he says.
busy summer holidays. “This is a level of training in water safety
Staff at Stoke Police Station are training with equipment we haven’t had before, but it’s
newly acquired water safety kits which include

taught in
a rescue throw-rope and self-inflating personal
floatation device.
They are now available in all road policing
important to stress that Police are not qualified
water rescuers.
with no flotation device,” says Sergeant York. “This gear is for use around water, not in it.
“Around two years ago we got lifejackets It gives officers some protection should they

our Schools
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi
National Party List MP
vehicles, frontline vehicles and rural stations in
Nelson Bays.
The initiative was kicked off by Sergeant
Mal York, Officer in Command of Nelson Bays
SAR, who has first-hand experience with water
rescues and evacuations, including during
Cyclone Gita.
“In Cyclone Gita, we had officers all over
responding to people at risk from flood waters,
some officers had to wade through the water
and throw bags in a single car. Water rescues
happen really fast – Gita showed us that, in an
area like Nelson, we need the equipment in all
our frontline cars.
“There’s a lot of water in Nelson. We’re
always responding to riverbank incidents or
ocean rescues so it’s good to have a floatation
device.”
The training sessions are run by Sergeant
fall in.”
Police offers the following advice for
having fun and staying safe around our
waterways and beaches this summer:
• Be prepared – know how to swim confidently.
• Wear a lifejacket when out on the water.
• Be aware of hazards – obey warning signs
and do not enter the water after drinking.
• Know your limits – if in doubt, stay out!

A
s a country New Zealand is home
to over 100 ethnicities hence it is
important for us to embrace second
language learning.
Research shows positive benefits that
learning and speaking more than one language
has cognitively, culturally, socially and
economically.
Hon Nikki Kaye, National Party’s
Spokesperson for Education has managed to
gain support of all major parties in Parliament
towards her second language bill.
Her efforts will ensure that every child in
school years 1- 8 will get the opportunity to
learn a second language.
Apart from Hindi, languages that would be
consulted on would include Mandarin, Māori,
French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Pasifika
languages.
Hon Nikki Kaye’s bill would see a final list
of 10 or more priority languages resourced for
teaching by schools including Te Reo and sign
language.
The Bill will now go to select committee so
the public, organisations and communities can
have their say.
Issues that will be worked through at select
committee include details around investing in
workforce development to ensure we have the
teachers and ensuring adequate time is given
for schools to implement this. This could be
phased in over a number of years.
School boards would consult with their
communities to determine which of the priority
languages will be taught at their school.
Every school would be required to deliver
at least one second language, but some may
choose to offer more than one.
Even in opposition the New Zealand National
Party is focused on holding the Government to
account. However, in case we see areas where
we can work working constructively on any
policy, we will do so without hesitation.
I think this is a very significant step for greater
support for the future of second language
learning and future of our children. On behalf
of the National Party, I thank organisations and
volunteers who have worked over the years to
I am looking forward to a national
conversation about this Bill and how it can
create smarter, more culturally aware New
Zealanders who are better equipped to succeed
in our globally connected world.
14 NEW ZEALAND
A legend of a production
¡¡ DEV NADKARNI
L
ast week’s exceedingly
brilliant staging of The
Legends of Shiva has once
again proved Chinmaya Mission
NZ’s considerable ability to
put together complex theatrical
productions of excellence time and
again.
Legends, which involved more
than 120 cast and crew, is its third
production in as many years, behind
Ramayana and Mahabharata, which
were also equally well-received.
From classical and folk dances
to ballads and dance-dramas, India
has a rich, timeless tradition of
storytelling through a bewildering
range of performing arts. While
Legends drew from many of these
traditions, it built its narrative on
the one most favourite technique of
Indian traditional storytelling: asker-
narrator dialogues.
Legends is a collection of
stories about Lord Shiva, perhaps
Hinduism’s oldest deity going back
to the Indus Valley civilisation who
is continuously worshipped to this
day across the subcontinent. The
stories are drawn from several texts
and traditions and all though popular
and widely known, they were well
contextualised by delightful Q&A
between the equally delightful and
endearing asker-narrator duo. The
eternally lovable young Ganesha
asking innocent questions of Shiva’s
trusted lieutenant and vehicle Nandi,
who provides answers by way of
preludes to acts that follow, were a
well-devised mechanism that not
only glued the production together
but also provided a delightful
sideshow – quite literally, on a side-
stage midway up the auditorium.
Nine months in the making,
Legends owes its success in large
parts to its engaging, flawless script.
Indian culture seamlessly
combines legends, beliefs,
philosophy, ethics, ritual, devotion,
artistic expression and much else
into sheer kaleidoscopic beauty.
And the script of Legends does
full justice to all these facets most
handsomely. It is many layered and
one can take away from it as much
or as little, depending on one’s
proclivities and familiarity with our
many splendoured traditions.
All the more kudos to
scriptwriters Swami Atulananda and
Nikhil Mokkapati for not just this
stupendous effort but equally for
contextualising it for the uninitiated
and for the partially initiated, if I
may use that expression.
(On a personal note, having
worked as one of the editors of the
well-known series Amar Chitra
Katha many years ago – I recall
having worked on Tales of Shiva
and Sati and Shiva – I can appreciate
the effort that would have gone into
the script and I doff my hat to the
scriptwriters.)
The different rasas of Shiva
– fearsomeness, compassion,
simplicity and steadfastness,
to list a few – were expressed
beautifully drawing from a variety
of performing art traditions ranging
Friday, December 14, 2018 The Indian Weekender
from classical dance to
traditional martial arts in the
episodic presentations. The
depiction of Ardhanarishwara
to the instrumentalised
accompaniment of the
traditional Natanagara
Atisundara was a standout,
as was the quick-fire dance of
Kali at her most fearsome.
The strong script provided
a fine blueprint for the
producers, directors and
choreographers to build on –
and what a wonderful edifice
they did build! The talented
choreographers creatively
contemporized the dances,
while yet rooting them in
tradition. The backdrop visuals,
lighting, on-stage effects
and sound were perfectly
synchronized rounding off the
production as a flawless effort.
What was most impressive
was the dedication and hard
work of all concerned to draw
the best out of one another
Snapshots in making this production so
successful and memorable.
from
The effort has proved beyond
The Legends doubt that with dedication and
of Shiva willingness, it is possible to not
only preserve our traditions
in far off lands but also instill
in our youth a love of our
traditions while developing
their talents and providing
them a platform to display
them.
Chinmaya Mission NZ’s
President of the Executive
Committee Ram Lingam
says, “A mammoth effort
like this is a hallmark of
Chinmaya Mission youth
not just in New Zealand but
worldwide. With productions
like these, Chinmaya Mission
endeavours to highlight the
spiritual wisdom of India
to the community at large,
particularly to our modern
educated generation.”
If the standing ovations
at the end of the each of the
four performances is anything
to go by, the audiences will
be waiting with bated breath
for this wonderfully talented
team’s next offering.
Dev Nadkarni is the founding
editor of Indian Weekender
 The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018 FIJI 15

MODI CONGRATULATES PM ON RE-ELECTION Fiji calls for

I
ndian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has congratulated his Fijian
counterpart, Prime Minister Voreqe
Bainimarama, on his re-election as
Prime Minister throughout the next
four-year term of Government.
In a congratulatory note to Prime
Minister Bainimarama, Prime Minister
Modi said India and Fiji enjoy
traditionally warm and cordial relations
based on mutual respect, goodwill and
understanding.
“On behalf of the Government
and the people of India and on my
own personal behalf, I extend warm
greetings and congratulations on Your
Excellency’s re-election as the Prime
Minister of the Republic of Fiji.
"I also convey my best wishes for
continued progress and prosperity of
the people of the Republic of Fiji under
your able leadership.”
“We have excellent co-operation
in both bilateral and multilateral for
a for our shared objectives. I am
confident that our strong relationship
will continue to grow under your
leadership.”
We have excellent co-
operation in both bilateral
and multilateral for a for
our shared objectives. I am
confident that our strong
relationship will continue
to grow under your
leadership
Prime Minister Modi added that
India and Fiji share important values
that support the countries’ strong
bilateral relationship.
continued
emphasis
on climate
ambition
F
iji has called for business
houses to place an emphasis
on climate ambition measures
in their meeting agendas so as to
ensure that there is more commitment
by all stakeholders.
This call was made by Fiji’s
Ambassador in Belgium and former
COP23 Envoy, Deo Saran at a side
event at COP24 that saw Fiji handing
over the Marrakech Business Action
for Climate (MBA 4 Climate) to
Poland.
MBA 4 Climate is a network of
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during
a visit to India in March this year. Photo: DEPTFO News Global Employers’ Associations
committed to accelerating climate

Fiji maintains support for global action for the implementation of the
Paris Agreement.
The network aims to create

compact on migration synergy and permanent exchanges

between the private sectors, with

A
S migration and the
treatment of migrants
continue to gather interest,
Fiji and the Pacific Small Island
Developing States have maintained
support for a Global Compact
on Migration.
According to a statement from
Government, the compact guide
countries on policies for cross
border migration.
Migration is one of the most
challenging and controversial
features of modern reality, together
with climate change and disasters.
This year in July, State parties
of the United Nations agreed to a
text for a Global Compact based
on the dignity and human rights of
all migrants and includes a section
on migrants who move across
borders as a result of disasters and
climate change.
Fiji and the Pacific SIDS
have supported the compact and
especially for the sections which
promote an inclusive approach to
climate change displacement, as this
is an issue of central interest to the
Pacific.
Ambassador Khan and First Secretary Bai while attending the Global Compact on
Migration
Together with the
recommendations of the Task Force
on Displacement of the Warsaw
International Mechanism at the
UNFCCC COP24 this month, the
GCM provides a blueprint to
guide the policies of all countries,
especially those in the Pacific, which
must include such migration in their
national policies because of their
vulnerability to climate change.
The member States of the
United Nation and civil society
representatives are meeting
in Morocco to formally adopt
the Compact.
However, since the negotiation
of the text, several countries have
withdrawn their support for the
Compact.
Fiji is represented at the Compact
meeting by Fiji’s Permanent
Representative to the UN in Geneva
Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan
and the First Secretary to Fiji’s
Mission to the UN in New York
Gene Bai.
Ambassador Khan spoke on Fiji’s
experiences with climate change
and migration in an event hosted
by the International Organisation
for Migration and also chaired a
side event before the GCM meeting
today, on policy coherence between
international organizations and
national governments, on climate
change induced migration.
Speakers included the High
Commissioner for Refugees Filippo
Grandi, the High Commissioner
for Human Rights Ms Michelle
Bachelet, the Director General of
the International Organization for
Migration Mr Antonio Vitorino and
the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh
Shahidul Haque.
the objective of commitments to
partner with governments and
others in the implementation of the
Paris Agreement. It also aims to
promote the emergence of a new
low-carbon economy that combats
climate change while creating new
jobs and advancing shared economic
prosperity.
In officiating at the handing over
of the presidency from Fiji’s “Fiji
Commerce & Employers Federation”
to Poland’s “Employers of the
Republic of Poland, Ambassador
Saran highlighted the vital role of the
business sector in achieving climate
ambition targets.
Business and industry Ambassador
Saran noted has a significant role to
play in enabling the global economy
to achieve its climate goals. More and
more companies are now committed
to leadership on climate action than
ever before.
However, it is not enough yet he
says and more needs to be done faster
to fully transition to a zero-carbon
and resilient economy.
The Ambassador adding that
through the network there would
be an opportunity to ensure climate
action remains on its agenda.

Many Fijians benefit from Fiji wins Cape Town 7s after beating USA 29-15
India’s ITEC programme T
he Fiji Airways Men’s National 7s
side has defeated USA 29-15 to claim
the Cape Town 7s title for the first
time. USA had a strong start with both teams

T
he government of India spends $1.5
million Fijian dollars each year to
provide short course trainings for 150
Fijians to study in India.
Indian High Commissioner to Fiji Vishvas
Sapkal says the India Technical and Economic
cooperation (ITEC) programme is enabling
the trained individuals to return to Fiji and
contribute positively to the workforce.
Sapkal says education is a tool and the Indian
Government will continue providing assistance
in this sector.
“IT is an important sector along with
management and public administration. The
police force also goes to India to train and a lot
of employees from Water Authority of Fiji keep
going to India, enriching their own experiences
and knowledge which they later apply in Fiji.”
Sapkal says this programme also enhances
the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Indian High Commissioner to Fiji Vishvas Sapkal
To date, over 8000 Fijians have benefited
from this programme.
showing great skill and defence which was
shown when Aminiasi Tuimaba chased down
Perry Baker to prevent a try.
Captain Kalione Nasoko led his team
scoring their first try in the third minute giving
Fiji an early lead 5-0 in the first half.
The Fijian side held their ground defensively
as the Americans bombarded them time and
time again.
Player of the final, Vilimoni Botitu scored
Fiji’s second try intercepting a pass from
Madison Hughes in the fifth minute adding to
Fiji’s lead 12-0 while Sevuloni Mocenacagi
scored right after the halftime hooter extending
Fiji’s lead 17-0 going into halftime.
Botitu scored his second try of the game in
the third minute of the second half.
USA’s first try came from Ben Pinkleman
as he powered through a tackle by Mesulame
Kunavula and Jerry Tuwai.
Nasoko scored his second try in the fifth
minute after breaking through USA’s defence
and Folau Niua was yellow carded after a
dangerous tackle on Jerry Tuwai.
USA scored two more tries but it was not
enough to catch up to Fiji’s 29-15 lead.
Meanwhile Fiji Men’s National 7s Coach
Gareth Baber says that he is proud of the boy’s
performance.
Fiji had earlier defeated Spain in their
quarterfinal 46-7 and later defeated hosts
South Africa in their semifinal 17-12.
The Fiji side has drastically improved their
defence when compared to last weeks games
but discipline is still a lingering issue for the
side as they had received a total of 3 yellow
cards throughout the tournament.
 Thought of the week
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving
up. The most certain way to succeed is
always to try just one more time"
– Thomas A. Edison
Editorial
Congress wins, but Auckland Weather forecast for the week
December 14 – December 21, 2018
BJP not yet out: Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu
Mixed signals for
2019 Indian elections Partly Mostly
Sunny, a few cloudy,
Partly
sunny, a
Partly
Sunny,
A little
afternoon
Mostly
Cloudy
Rain

T
showers showers shower Pleasant
he Congress recorded its best-ever performance against the BJP since the disastrous
2014 Lok Sabha polls capturing power in the three Hindi heartland states and reviving
its hopes in the next general elections. 23°
22° 22° 24° 24° 22° 21°
However the outcome has also sent signals that defeating the BJP nationally may not be an 16°
17° 16° 16° 16° 16° 15°
easy task.
Except for Chhattisgarh, where the party won a two-thirds majority, the results were not as
resounding as the Congress would have liked, especially in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
This week in New Zealand’s history
where it failed to cross the half-way mark on its own by just two seats.  14 December 2009
It lost power in Mizoram, the only north eastern state it had, and was routed in Telangana
Cabinet endorses Tino Rangatiratanga flag
T
where its decision to go with the Telugu Desam Party evidently boomeranged.
he government recognised the Māori (Tino Rangatiratanga) flag as the preferred national
The verdict, with the Congress poised to form governments in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and
Māori flag. While it does not carry official status, flying it alongside the New Zealand
Madhya Pradesh, coincided with the first anniversary of Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as party
flag on days of national significance is intended to symbolise and enhance the Crown–Māori
chief, raising his stature as a leader and enhancing his image as a serious politician.  relationship.
The outcome is expected to energize the Congress rank and file who have been largely starved
of election victories since its 2014 debacle. The latest victory is the first time since 2014 when
the Congress has defeated the BJP in a straight contest.  15 December 1915
Questions remain if the verdict is strong enough to dent the image of Prime Minister Narendra The evacuation of Gallipoli begins
Modi as an effective campaigner and communicator but it is likely to give some confidence to
Congress workers that the party has a chance to turn the tables if there is a “Modi versus Rahul”
contest in 2019. 
I n a well-planned operation, which contrasted sharply with those mounted earlier in the
Gallipoli campaign, Allied forces successfully withdrew from Anzac and Suvla between 15
and 20 December.
The outcome will strengthen the position of the Congress in the emerging alliance of
opposition parties to take on the BJP-led alliance in 2019 and increase worries of Modi and 15 December 1944
BJP chief Amit Shah in the Hindi heartland states where the BJP won most seats in the 2014
Poll tax on Chinese immigrants abolished
T
Lok Sabha battle. 
he Finance Act (No. 3) abolished the poll tax introduced in 1881, which was described by
The Congress has performed well as a challenger but has found it hard to defend its incumbent
Minister of Finance Walter Nash as a ‘blot on our legislation’.
governments. 
The results showed that the Congress can build its campaign around the issues of agrarian
distress, unemployment, demonetization, corruption, security of women, Goods and Services
16 December 1905
Tax (GST), autonomy of institutions and “misuse” of investigative agencies. All Blacks' non-try hands Wales historic win
The outcome has given the opportunity to Congress to pose a challenge to the BJP though it
would be an uphill challenge to implement its promise of farm loan waivers. It had attacked the A great rugby rivalry was born when a try by All Black Bob Deans was disallowed, resulting
in the only loss of the ‘Originals’ tour (see 16 September). The incident is still debated.
BJP governments in the states and the Centre on the issue. 
Rahul Gandhi ran an energetic campaign since the announcement of polls in the five states in 16 December 1977
October and held 62 rallies, targeting Modi in every meeting.  Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act 1977 passed
P
He addressed 19 public meetings and held one roadshow in Chhattisgarh, 25 public meetings arliament passed the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act 1977 as a result of an
and four road shows in Madhya Pradesh, 19 public meetings and two roadshows in Rajasthan, inquiry by a Royal Commission.
17 public meetings in Telangana and two rallies in Mizoram. 
Gandhi was able to effect an organisational coherence in the poll-bound states, overcoming
one of the party’s weaknesses.  Indian Weekender : Volume 10 Issue 39
He made organisational changes and put Kamal Nath as party chief in faction-ridden Madhya Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited
Pradesh. The decision was made in April, barely seven months before the Assembly polls Content Editor: Sandeep Singh | sandeep@indianweekender.co.nz
leaving the new state chief little time to build his campaign.
Events Manager: Swati Sharma | swati@indianweekender.co.nz
The results are expected to lead to questions in the Congress if its decision not to project a
Chief Ministerial candidate was the best strategy.  Chief Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | rizwan@indianweekender.co.nz
The BJP’s strong performance in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh despite anti-incumbency Chief Technical Officer: Rohan Desouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz
apparently shows that the 2019 election will need a much more sustained effort by the Congress Sr Graphics and Layout Designer: Mahesh Kumar | mahesh@indianweekender.co.nz
to dislodge the Modi government.  Graphic Designer: Yashmin Chand | design@indianweekender.co.nz
Though the Congress won more seats than BJP in both these states, the two parties have Accounts and Admin.: 09-2173623 | accounts@indianweekender.co.nz
nearly the same vote share. 
Sales and Distribution: 021 952218 | sales@indianweekender.co.nz
The Congress could not win a full majority in Rajasthan, falling short by two seats in a
cyclical rotation in which both BJP and Congress have been forming governments alternately Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher
in the last 20 years.  is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication
In Madhya Pradesh, where BJP has been in power for the past 15 years, it could not secure
a thumping majority like it did in the neighbouring Chhattisgarh and is all set to form a Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent
government with the support of BSP and SP.  the views of the team at the Indian Weekender
In Chhattisgarh, it won after parting ways with former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi who floated
Kiwi Media Publishing Limited - 133A, Level 1, Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland.
his own party. 
Gandhi has indicated that the Congress will continue to build its campaign in the Lok Printed at Horton Media, Auckland
Sabha elections around the issues it raised during the Assembly polls. He has also said that the Copyright 2017. Kiwi Media Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved.
opposition parties will unitedly fight the polls. 
With the opposition unlikely to project a Prime Ministerial candidate, the BJP is likely to play
this to its advantage in the Lok Sabha elections by making it “Modi versus who” battle
 The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018 OPINION/EDITORIAL 17

Five reasons for India to lead in

Universal Health Care with Ayurveda
RAM N. KUMAR  expensive and ineffective in terms of healthcare accessibility to a vast population.

T
he healthcare access of a country
reflects its economic, social and
political standards and growth on the
world stage. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), half the world’s 7.3
billion population lacks access to essential
health services.
Around 800 million people have to spend
10 per cent of their income on their healthcare.
And more than 100 million people become
severely poor due to the medical expenses they
incur.
India’s healthcare infrastructure is in a shaky
state and also has to surmount challenges of
lifestyle and chronic diseases such as cancer,
diabetes, asthma and cardiac ailments et al.
In such a scenario, even if accessibility and
costs are improved to a certain degree, the real
health crisis remains unresolved.  to change the way we look at health services.
Even the World Health Organisation has
introduced its Traditional Medicine Strategy
healthy. Indian Ayurveda has a huge potential
This Universal Health Coverage Day, it is
high time the country realised the potential of
assuring overall the health of the common
citizen. Treatment costs are escalating day
by day, making healthcare accessible only
to a very small percentage of the country’s
ever increasing population
• A holistic and preventive medical
science, Ayurveda is the oldest system
dating back to more than 3,500 years. No
medicine system understands body and
mind so deeply and wholly as Ayurveda
does. Its treatment and therapies based on
natural herbs can cure any disease
• The Ayurveda medicine system is
so deep that just by following the right
advice on lifestyle and diet, one can stay
healthy by minimising the vulnerability to
diseases.
Ayurveda is also the only comprehensive
answer to the most serious of chronic diseases
and every Ayurveda practitioner is a proof and
witness of the health miracles this age-old
Traditional medicine practitioners are still
primary healthcare providers in the country’s
rural and remote areas.
* The side effects of western medicine and
the inclinational of health-conscious people
towards natures blessings has also increased the
popularity of Ayurveda in urban India and it is
now gathering pace across the world
With a focus on research, innovation and
market creation, we can make Ayurveda
the first call of treatment. India can lead in
universal healthcare by taking the advantages
of this ancient medicine system to everyone,
everywhere.
By bringing evidence-based treatment
to Ayurveda, we can achieve the universal
ambition of a healthier world. 
It is time for the world’s health organisations
to look eastward. It is time to think Ayurveda.
17
(Ram N. Kumar is Founder & CEO of

which aims to support member states to Ayurveda as a key to universal healthcare. Here medical science has accomplished NirogStreet, a technology-led Ayurveda
platform. The views expressed are
develop policies and to strengthen the role of are the five reasons for India to lead:  * The Ayurvedic medicine system is the only personal. He can be contacted at ram@
traditional medicine in keeping populations • Western medicine is becoming more cost-effective solution that can enhance the nirogstreeet.com)

Salvaging trust after Urjit Patel’s exit

AMIT KAPOOR & CHIRAG
YADAV 
established a lot of goodwill by
infusing independence in the RBI’s

D
isagreements between
the government and the
central bank are a common
occurrence in any economy. It
is an expected outcome, given
their contrasting roles where one
has to maintain the growth of the
economy at a healthy pace while the
other has to ensure price stability,
which sometimes dampens growth
prospects.
However, this time it was different
as weeks of animosity between
North Block and Mint Street has
culminated in the resignation of the
RBI Governor, Urjit Patel.
To underscore the gravity of the
situation, it should be pointed out
that it is only the second instance
in the history of independent India
that an RBI governor had to resign.
The previous case goes back to
1957 when the RBI Governor, Sir
Benegal Rama Rau, resigned due
to differences with the then Finance
Minister, T.T. Krishnamachari
(TTK). Rau had disliked the fact that
TTK believed and publicly claimed
that the RBI was a subordinate office
of the Finance Ministry and treated
it as such.
He even openly hijacked the RBI’s
monetary policy by announcing a
stamp duty on bills. To Rau’s dismay,
even Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru sided with his Finance
Minister.
The case of Urjit Patel somewhat
closely resembles that of Rau in the
sense that his disagreements with the
government also seemingly arose
from its intrusion into the RBI’s
working.
Over the last few weeks, it had
become evident that there were at
least three things that the government
wants the RBI to do differently.
The first issue arose after the
collapse of IL&FS, which sparked
fears that banks might become wary
of lending to non-banking financial
companies (NBFCs) leading to a
liquidity squeeze within the sector
that might put India’s credit market
at risk.
Most significantly, the MSME
sector was feared to take the worst
hit, which would have brought the
economy to a standstill. In order
to avoid such an outcome, the
government wanted the RBI to open
a special liquidity window for the
NBFC sector and avoid the risk of a
credit freeze.
In turn, the RBI was of the view
that a liquidity window should be the
measure of last resort. The situation
was not as exigent in its view.
The second contentious issue was
the RBI’s handling of the bad loan
issue.
In response to the NPA crisis,
the RBI put 12 banks - 11 in the
public sector and one in the private
sector - under its Prompt Corrective
Action (PCA) framework under
which these institutions face lending
restrictions until their proportion of
bad loans are substantially reduced.
Since this regulation has dampened
lending activity in the economy,
the government has been pushing
the RBI to ease its implementation,
which the central bank has firmly
resisted.
The third point of contention
was the central bank’s reserves.
The government breached its full-
year fiscal deficit target at the end
of October, which was meant to
happen by the end of March 2019.
Nevertheless, the government has
still maintained its commitment to
not breach the fiscal deficit target of
3.3 per cent this year. So, it is looking
for avenues to gain additional
revenues.
The RBI, which has way more than
the required reserves at over 26 per
cent of the total assets compared with
a global mean of 16 per cent, seems
like a viable source to tap into. But
the RBI has maintained that it needs
a strong balance sheet to function
effectively.
The long-simmering tussle over
these issues was even punctuated
by finance ministry signalling the
invocation of the never-used Section
7 of the RBI Act, which allows the
government to give directions to the
RBI that it may “consider necessary
in the public interest.” As far as
public knowledge goes, the Section
has not yet been invoked.  more collaborative approach with the
It is not yet clear what specifically
led to Patel’s resignation, but a
combination of these factors surely
has had a role to play. A former RBI
governor painted the move as “a
statement of protest”.
When the BJP government
had come into power, it had
functioning.
The establishment of the monetary
policy committee that was tasked
with inflation targeting was the
perfect model that ensured the
operational independence of the
central bank to attain its objectives.
The mechanism gave India a
state-of-the-art monetary policy
framework that was sorely missing
in the economy.
It was one of the most important
economic reforms of the BJP
government that is now at risk of
being dismantled. 
Patel’s resignation, irrespective
of the reasons that caused it, puts a
significant dent on the public trust in
the autonomy of the functioning of
the central bank; something which
this government itself has tried hard
to build.
Trust is a currency that holds the
entire modern economic system
together and significantly reduces
transaction costs. It will be extremely
costly for the economy in the long-
run if that trust is weakened in any
sense.
So, the government should
be wary of taking any actions
that affect the public trust in the
country’s institutions as short-
terms gains of kickstarting lending
activities or meeting the fiscal deficit
targets cannot compensate for the
repercussions that will emerge from
the means adopted in achieving them. 
The way forward for the
government should be to adopt a
RBI, instead of a combative one, to
achieve the intended economic goals.
(Amit Kapoor - amit.kapoor@
competitiveness.in - is chair,
Institute for Competitiveness;
Chirag Yadav is senior
researcher, Institute for
Competitiveness.) 
18 INDIA Friday, December 14, 2018 The Indian Weekender

CONGRESS BRINGS BJP THREE NOTCHES DOWN

C
ongress president Rahul Gandhi declared victory in
Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, giving
the credit to “party workers, farmers, youth and
small businesses”.
Ending its near eclipse and breathing new life into Opposition
attempts to set up a united front against the BJP-led NDA in the
run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress returned to the
Hindi heartland with impressive gains in the assembly elections
Tuesday, routing the BJP in Chhattisgarh after 15 years.
The party is set to form the government in Rajasthan and has
staked claim in Madhya Pradesh though, until late at night, the
seesaw battle for power in Bhopal continued.
That nine of the 13 Independents elected in Rajasthan and the
four Independents in Madhya Pradesh are all Congress rebels
appeared to have tilted the scales in the favour of the party in
these two states.
MP Congress president Kamal Nath sought a late night
appointment with the Governor on behalf of his party to form
the government. In his letter to Raj Bhavan, he underlined that
all the Independents have assured support to the Congress.
In the evening, Congress president Rahul Gandhi declared
victory in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan,
giving the credit to “party workers, farmers, youth and small
businesses”. He thanked the outgoing Chief Ministers of the
BJP-ruled states for their achievements, saying “it is time for
change and we will take their work forward”.
Soon after, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a series of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections — Ashok Gehlot spoke not just Yet the success in this round pose challenges as well. While
tweets, congratulated the Congress “for their victories” and for his party in Rajasthan but Congressmen elsewhere too: “ Congress leaders feel it will give the party bargaining rights
said: “We accept the people’s mandate with humility. I thank People did not have the confidence that anybody can actually with regional parties when it comes to seat sharing, they also
the people of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan defeat Narendra Modi. And today’s victory has dispelled admit it also will inject a sense of insecurity among them.
for giving us the opportunity to serve these states. The BJP that perception.” Echoing this sentiment, senior CPI leader D Raja said: “It
Governments in these states worked tirelessly for the welfare Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan together will strengthen the Congress, also strengthen all secular,
of the people.” account for 65 Lok Sabha seats, of which the BJP had won 62 democratic parties.
He also congratulated “KCR Garu for the thumping win in 2014 when the Modi wave swept the Hindi heartland. "Everyone will have to draw lessons and be mutually
in Telangana” and “the Mizo National Front (MNF) for their For the Opposition, there is a significant takeaway from accommodative and realistic so that the unity of secular and
impressive victory in Mizoram”. Thanking his party workers, the verdict Tuesday — that the BJP under Modi is no longer democratic forces is taken forward to ensure the defeat of the
he said “victory and defeat are an integral part of life”. invincible. The victory is doubly sweet for the Congress BJP in the 2019 elections.”
As the results came in and it became clear that the Congress because it is the first time that the party has defeated the BJP in Leaders in the Opposition said had the Congress tied up with
had finally managed to buck the trend of electoral reverses a direct fight since 2014. It came close in Gujarat but the BJP the BSP in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the results would
and voter alienation — it lost power in a dozen states since eventually raced past the post. not have been so close.

Rahul Gandhi to decide who will be CM in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh

In Madhya Pradesh, the main contenders are Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia. In Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot are eyeing for the top spot

C
ongress president Rahul The Samajwadi Party and the years, the grand-old party wrested
Gandhi will announce the Bahujan Samaj Party have offered power from the BJP in the state.
name of the new chief support to the Congress. Mizo National Front (MNF)
minister in Rajasthan and Madhya president Zoramthanga to be
Who will be CM in Chhattis-
Pradesh, the Hindi-heartland states garh: Rahul Gandhi to decide Mizoram CM
won by the party in the recently Mallikarjun Kharge, Observer for Mizo National Front (MNF)
concluded Assembly Elections. Chhattisgarh said party chief Rahul president Zoramthanga would be
In Madhya Pradesh, the main Gandhi will decide who will become sworn-in as the chief minister of
contenders for the position are the Chief Minister of the state.” Mizoram at the Raj Bhavan on
It has been unanimously decided Saturday. The MNF returned to
state party president Kamal Nath
that the head of the CLP leaders power in Mizoram by bagging
and campaign committee chief
will be decided by Rahul Gandhi. 26 seats of the 40-member state
Jyotiraditya Scindia. In Rajasthan, legislature after a decade.
former chief minister Ashok Gehlot Rahul Gandhi had said that even if
a resolution is passed unanimously, KCR sworn-in as Telangana
and the party’s young face in the deliberate on the CM face, Congress central observer of the state and was
every MLA should be talked CM
state-Sachin Pilot-are eyeing for the leader Shobha Ozha announced present at the meeting. In Rajasthan
to & their opinions have to be With the emphatic victory of the
top spot. that MLAs made a unanimous too, the onus is now on the party considered,” media quoted him TRS, K Chandrashekhar Rao was
A day after the results were decision that party president chief to choose between the hopeful as saying. The contenders are sworn in as the Chief Minister of
announced, the Congress said it Rahul Gandhi will decide CMs. Tamardhwaj Sahu-the 69-year-old Telangana on Thursday, his second
would stake claim to form "It who will be the Chief Meanwhile, Gehlot and Pilot MP from Durg, TS Singh Deo-who consecutive term. Known for his
the government in both has been Minister in Madhya have arrived at the residence of was the Leader of Opposition in penchant for Vastu and Astrology,
states. unanimously Pradesh. Former Governor Kalyan Singh to form Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, KCR decided upon taking oath at
After a Congress decided that the head Defence Minister the government. T and current President of Chhattisgarh 1.34 pm following advice from
Legislative Party meet of the CLP leaders will AK Antony was The Congress party won 99 seats Pradesh Congress Committee Laxmi Narayan Acharya, the chief
be decided by Rahul Bhupesh Baghe. priest of the Yadadri temple, who
in Bhopal Wednesday to appointed the in the 199-member house.
Gandhi." Ending electoral draught of 15 has cited the time as “auspicious”.
 The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018 INDIA 19

MODI INAUGURATES NEWS in BRIEF

PARTNERS' FORUM 2018 O
15,779 Indian websites hacked during January-
November 2018, says IT ministry
ver 15,700 Indian websites were reported hacked this year up to

P
rime Minister Narendra Modi
on Wednesday inaugurated
the fourth Partners' Forum, an
international conference organised to
improve the health and well-being
of women, children and adolescents,
with about 1,500 participants from
85 countries.
Addressing the Forum, Modi said:
"India was one of the first countries
to advocate focused attention
on adolescence and implement
a full-fledged health promotion
and prevention programme for
adolescents."
He also said that "it is only
partnerships between citizens,
communities and countries that will
get us to our goals".
"India stands ready to support
its fellow countries in the march to
achieving their development goals
through skill building and training
programmes, provision of affordable
medicines and vaccines, knowledge
transfers and exchange programmes."
Modi said that the countries have
gathered to discuss ways to improve
health and wellbeing of mothers and
children as it "will determine the
health of our tomorrow".
"We have achieved a lot of
progress in the last few years and yet
a lot remains to be done. From bigger
budgets to better outcomes, and from
mindset change to monitoring, there
are a lot of interventions required,"
Modi added. From India, Intensified
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with dignitaries at the inauguration of the Partners'
Forum-2018 in New Delhi on Dec. 12, 2018
Mission Indradhanush has been
selected as one of the case studies
under Quality, Equity and Dignity
(QED) theme.
"I am pleased to note that India's
immunisation programme, a subject
close to my heart, is being featured
as a success story in this forum.
Under Mission Indradhaush, we
reached 32.8 million children and 8.4
million pregnant women over the last
three years. "We have also increased
the number of vaccines under the
universal immunisation programme
from seven to 12. Our vaccines now
cover life threatening diseases like
pneumonia and diarrhoea," he said.
This is the second time India is
hosting the Partners' Forum. The last
one was held in 2010.
The two-day conference,
organised by the Central government
in association with the Partnership
for Maternal, Newborn and Child
Health (PMNCH), will conclude.
The mission of PMNCH is
to support the global health
community to work successfully
towards achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs),
particularly the health-related SDGs
as articulated in the Strategy for
Women's Children's and Adolescents'
Health in support of 'Every Woman
Every Child' (EWEC) movement, the
Prime Minister's Office said.
The invited countries have been
selected from across all regions and
income levels and nations that are
currently chairing key global and
regional bodies, including G7, G20,
BRICS, and others.
The programme of the Partners'
Forum will be framed around the
objectives of the Global Strategy of
Survive - Thrive - Transform.
November, Parliament was informed Wednesday.
“As per information reported to and tracked by Indian Computer Emergency
Response Team (CERT-In), 33,147, 30,067 and 15,779 Indian websites were
hacked during the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 (up to November) respectively,”
electronics and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a written reply to the
Lok Sabha.
He added that the government has taken following measures to enhance the
cyber security and prevent cyber attacks in the country.
The minister said Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)
issues alerts and advisories regarding latest cyber threats and countermeasures
on a regular basis and cyber security exercises are conducted regularly to
enable assessment of cyber security posture and preparedness of organisations
in government and critical sectors.
India to launch GSAT 7 satellite for Indian Air Force
I ndia will be launching
GSAT 7A, a military
communication satellite for
the Indian Air Force (IAF),
on December 19 with its
Geosynchronous Satellite
Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk
II) rocket, said Indian space
agency.
According to the Indian
Space Research Organisation
(ISRO), its GSLV rocket will launch the 2,250-kg communication satellite,
GSAT-7A from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
SHAR, Sriharikota.
The Indian space agency said just over 19 minutes after GSLV rocket's
lift-off, GSAT 7A will be injected into a geosynchronous transfer orbit from
where it would be lifted to its final geostationary orbit.
The satellite with a maximum life of eight years will be for the use of IAF.
The satellite is built to provide communication capability to the users in Ku-
band over the Indian region.
Earlier, ISRO had sent up GSAT 7 or Rukmini, a communication satellite,
for use by the Indian Navy.

India hands over first 50 houses built

India joins elite club, inducts advanced submarine
rescue vessel

for Rohingya refugees in Myanmar I ndia has joined an elite group of nations by inducting its first flyaway Deep
Sea Submarine Rescue System along with other associated equipment here
on Wednesday.
The first batch of 50 houses was formally handed over to the Myanmar authorities on Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba inducted the first of the two non-
Tuesday, President Kovind’s office tweeted. tethered Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) at the Naval Dockyard.

I
ndia on Tuesday handed over to
Myanmar the first 50 houses built
by the country for the displaced
minority Rohingya Muslims in the
restive Rakhine province.
The housing units were handed
over after President Ram Nath
Kovind and his Myanmar counterpart
U Win Myint held delegation-level
talks and decided to step up bilateral
ties. India is building 250 houses
in Rakhine province as part of a
developmental project.
The first batch of 50 houses
More than 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims fled from Myanmar’s Rakhine state to
"I hope we don't have to use it, but in case we need to use, the intention is
to rescue each and every life," Admiral Lanba observed.
The induction of DSRV has catapulted India into a small league of navies
globally that posses an integral submarine rescue capability, said Vice-
Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval
Command. Designed and supplied by M/s. James Fisher & Sons, UK, to meet
the unique requirements of the Indian Navy, the most advanced DSRV is
manned by three crew members and has a capacity to rescue 14 personnel at
a time from a distressed submarine upto a depth of 650 metres.
While the first DSRV will be based in Mumbai, another one will be
inducted in a few months and will be based in Vishakhapatnam, the Eastern
Naval Command headquarters.
PM hands over tricolour to divyang mountaineer

was formally handed over to the
Myanmar authorities on Tuesday,
President Kovind’s office tweeted.
India is building 250 houses in
Myanmar’s Rakhine province as
part of a developmental project. The
first batch of 50 houses was formally
handed over to the
India signed a development
programme for Rakhine State in
Myanmar late last year which was
neighbouring Bangladesh since August 2017 after a military crackdown, triggering a
massive refugee crisis.
designed to assist the Myanmar
government in Rakhine State to build
housing infrastructure for displaced
persons, which senior Indian officials
said was appreciated not just by the
government of Myanmar but also
by the United Nations and other
agencies.
More than 700,000 minority
Rohingya Muslims fled from
Myanmar’s Rakhine state to
neighbouring Bangladesh since
August 2017 after a military
crackdown, triggering a massive
refugee crisis.
Kovind is currently on a three-day
state visit to Myanmar, the first by a
President of India in 12 years.
P
rime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday handed over the tricolour
flag to Arunima Sinha, marking the beginning of her expedition to Mount
Vinson, Antarctica.
Sinha, the first female divyang to climb Mount Everest, called on the Prime
Minister here and apprised him of her upcoming mountaineering expedition
to Antarctica. Modi lauded her impressive achievements and extended his
best wishes for her latest venture.
Sinha had earlier conquered the highest peaks in five continents, becoming
the first female divyang to achieve the feat

India, Iceland discuss geothermal energy cooperation

I
ndia and Iceland discussed cooperation
in geothermal energy among other areas
during a bilateral meeting between External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Icelandic
Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarso.
"The two Ministers noted that in the areas
such as geothermal energy, fisheries, IT,
pharmaceuticals and tourism, both countries
could establish strong partnership," the
External Affairs Ministry said in a statement
following the meeting. "The Icelandic
Minister appreciated growing opportunities for
Icelandic companies in the fast-growing Indian
economy," it stated.
"The two Ministers expressed satisfaction
at the ongoing cooperation at multilateral and
international forums."
Ahead of the meeting, Thordarson said that
his country was keen to share its experience in
generating geothermal energy.
Geothermal energy is thermal energy
generated and stored in the earth. Thermal
energy is the energy that determines the
temperature of matter. India has been working
on renewable energy initiatives with New Delhi
setting up the International Solar Alliance (ISA)
following the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
Thordarson, who arrived here on Friday
on the inaugural WOW Airlines flight that
connects New Delhi with Iceland's capital
Reykjavik, said that his country wants more
bilateral trade with India, especially through
the export of high quality seafood.
He also said that with the launch of the new
New Delhi-Reykjavik flight, Iceland wants to
attract Indian tourists and referred to the song
Geruwa from the Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol
starrer Dilwale that was shot entirely in Iceland.
Thordarson believes a smoother visa regime
will boost tourist flow both ways.
 20 INDIA ABROAD
Sundar Pichai denies chef overseas to prove
political bias to Congress himself on home ground'
G
oogle CEO Sundar Pichai
on Tuesday denied that the
tech giant favours the more
progressive political currents, in
contrast to what some legislators
and media outlets have claimed, in
his first appearance before the US
Congress.
“I lead this company without
political bias and work to ensure
that our products continue to operate
that way. To do otherwise would go
against our core principles and our
business interests. We are a company
that provides platforms for diverse
perspectives and opinions - and we
have no shortage of them among
our own employees,” Pichai told the
Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Google CEO said that Google
does “want to allow for diverse
perspectives and opinions, but we
have rules of the road. When we
find violations on our policies,
we do remove those videos (from
YouTube),” Efe reported.
In recent months, the committee
headed by Republican Sen. Bob
Goodlatte has held hearings focusing
on whether big tech firms display any
kind of anti-conservative bias against
such policies or lawmakers, among
Diaspora should act as India’s ambassadors: Rijiju
U
nion Minister of State for
Home Kiren Rijiju told
a visiting group of 40
Indian Diaspora youths to act as
ambassadors of India’s growth story
and spread the good word about their
experience in this country on their
return.
The group from eight countries
is in India as part of a 25-day
visit under the 49th ‘Know India
Programme’ (KIP) being organised
by the Ministry of External Affairs in
partnership with the Andhra Pradesh
government. 
The KIP is an initiative to engage
young Indian Diaspora in the age
group of 18 to 30 years and make
them feel a sense of connect with
their motherland.
Interacting with the participants
from Fiji (11), Guyana (6), Myanmar
(6), Trinidad and Tobago (6),
South Africa (6), Suriname (3), the
'Indian city' Brampton to have Canada's first
world-class cricket stadium
W
ith its population
of cricket-loving
immigrants increasing
rapidly, the Indian-dominated city of
Brampton on the outskirts of Toronto
will soon build the first world-class
cricket stadium in Canada.
Announcing this while addressing
members of the Indo-Canada
Chamber of Commerce on Friday,
Brampton's newly elected Mayor
Patrick Brown said cricket is a
passion in India as he has witnessed
during his visits.
"That's why we will build a world-
class cricket stadium in Brampton
during my term," so that anyone
coming from India to do business
other controversies.
Another basic question being
handled in these hearings has been
the ability of the tech companies to
deal with foreign interference in US
elections.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg told
the Senate in September that their
firms are now “better prepared” to
combat those type of attacks.
Sandberg and Dorsey defended
their efforts almost a year after
their companies confirmed before
the same committee that Russia
used accounts on their platforms
to disseminate divisive political
Netherlands (1) and Sri Lanka (1)
here, Rijiju said: “The government
recognizes the importance of the
Indian Diaspora and has a well laid
down policy for engaging with the
Diaspora community.”  Besides Andhra Pradesh and Delhi,
Rijiju invited the Indian Diaspora
youths to avail scholarship
programme GIAN (Global Initiative
for Academic Network), VAJRA
Faculty Scheme which aims to bring
a strong international connect to the
R&D ecosystem of India, Mission
Shodh GANGA (Global Alliance
or live in his city doesn't miss what
they love, the Mayor told the Indo-
Canadian gathering.
Known as a friend of India and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
the Indo-Canadian community here,
Brown, a former MP, has been to
India 18 times during the past 11
years.
In fact, he started this year in
India by doing a puja in Varanasi
and offering prayers at the Golden
Temple in Amritsar.
The Indo-Canadian community
accounts for a huge portion of the
city's population of over 600,000,
with Punjabis alone making up over
20 per cent of its population.
messages with the aim of influencing
the 2016 presidential election.
In April, Facebook CEO Mark
Zuckerberg also faced lawmakers’
questions, although on that occasion
they focused on the scandal
involving Cambridge Analytica, a
political consulting firm that gained
unauthorised access to 87 million
Facebook user accounts.
On Monday, Google announced
that it had decided to move up the
closure of its social networking
platform Google+ to April 2019 after
detecting a new security breach that
exposed the private information of
52.5 million users.
for New Generation Acceleration),
Scholarship Programme for
Diaspora Children (SPDC) and
Indian Technical and Economic
Cooperation (ITEC).
the 25-day tour will also takes them
to Agra. They will also meet senior
functionaries in the Central and state
governments.  Experts agreed that as far as
Since 2004, the MEA has
conducted 48 editions of KIP with
participation of 1,612 overseas
Indian youths.
To make the huge Indian
community feel at home in his city,
the Mayor said: "We will also have
the first outdoor 'garba' this year out
on the streets." He also mentioned
that Brampton already allows
the Indo-Canadian community to
celebrate Diwali with fireworks.
The Mayor said that since creating
jobs tops his agenda, he would
take every step to make Brampton
attractive for businesses and
investors from anywhere, including
India, by keeping the cost of doing
business in his city low.
"There won't be any tax increase
during my term," he said.
Describing Indian and other
Friday, December 14, 2018
'Challenging for an Indian
L
ondon-based Alfred Prasad
may be a Michelin-starred
Indian chef with over 25 years
of experience. But in India, he is
born again, with a flourish, setting
up the Indian restaurant Omya in The
Oberoi Hotel in Delhi. Prasad also
recently curated dishes for the frozen
food major Innovative Foods that
owns the Sumeru brand.
"The challenge for an Indian
chef who has established himself
overseas is to prove his mettle in his
home country," Prasad, now running
his own Mahika Ltd consulting
company, told said.
Many chefs and brand experts
media spoke to agreed that Prasad's
tie-up with Innovative Foods is a
first-of-its-kind in the country --
curating the food for a brand and
his name and image featuring on
the product pack. The tagline on
the product pack says: Michelin-
starred Chef Alfred Prasad's
Signature Dishes. "The
"The Omya at The challenge
Oberoi and Sumeru for an Indian chef
frozen food are the who has established
two opportunities for himself overseas is to
me to prove myself prove his mettle in his collaborative effort with
as an Indian chef once home country"
again," Prasad said.
Queried about his
professional journey from
traditional hot kitchen food to frozen
foods, Prasad said: "The talks with
Innovative Foods started a year back.
We wanted to disrupt the frozen food
market in India. Earlier, it was only
fried stuff and raw frozen vegetables
and not the gourmet range," Prasad
said.
The Bengaluru-based company
recently launched four frozen food
products – Super Millet Kichidi,
Coromandel Roasted Chicken,
Coromandel Paneer and Signature
Pepper Chicken – curated by Prasad.
"Eight more products are in the
development pipeline," Prasad said.
Prasad is quite elated as his name
and image will enter thousands of
Indian and overseas homes.
"The ready-to-eat or heat-and-
eat food market size is about Rs
3,500 crore, out of which retail
will be about Rs 1,000 crore,
food services (supplies to quick-
diaspora communities of his city
as its biggest assets, the Mayor
said he would use the huge Indian
community to pitch his city to
businesses in India. "The Indo-
Canada Chamber of Commerce can
open doors for Brampton in India. I
have been India 18 times in 11 years
and I will do now as Mayor to pitch
The Indian Weekender
service restaurants) Rs 1,500 crore
and hotels and restaurants about
Rs.1,000 crore," Innovative Foods
CEO Mithun Appaiah said.
On the setting up of Omya
restaurant, Prasad said: "For
the Oberois, the Delhi property
is prestigious. When they
refurbished the property, they
decided to have an Indian
restaurant."
"I told the Oberoi's top
management, it should be
their knowledge of the
local market as I didn't know
the current Delhi market after
being in London for over 20 years,"
Prasad said.
Looking back, Prasad said the
training at Bukhara and Dum Pukht
at ITC Maurya in Delhi and working
in the South Indian restaurant
Dakshin at ITC Park Sheraton in
Chennai gave him a good foundation
in Indian cuisine.
He said he went to London to
work in Veerasamy restaurant and
later joined the Tamarind restaurant.
In 2002, at the age of 29, he got the
Michelin star.
"I was not chasing stars... it
happened on its own. The Michelin
star rating is given based on what
is on the plate and not on other
considerations like the restaurant
decor," Prasad explained.
the Indian restaurant and the food
industry is concerned, Prasad is a
new face now with a reputation built
in London.
Brampton to businesses in India," he
said.
Assuring the Indian-friendly
Mayor of all support, Indo-Canada
Chamber of Commerce President
Pramod Goyal said the chamber
has been building business bridges
between the two countries for over
40 years and creating jobs.
 The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018 WORLD 21

Sri Lanka

BRITISH PM
Parliament
passes vote of
confidence on

THERESA MAY
wins Conservative
ousted PM
S
ri Lanka's Parliament passed
a vote of confidence on
ousted Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremesinghe with 117 lawmakers
from the 225-member Parliament

Party vote of confidence

voting in his favour.
The vote came as incumbent
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa

by 200 to 117 and parliamentarians loyal to him

boycotted sessions for the third
consecutive week, alleging that
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya was acting
in favour of Wickremesinghe and his
United National Party (UNP), Xinhua
news agency reported.
May had needed 159 votes for the simple majority to win the vote Following the vote, Wickremesinghe

P
rime Minister Theresa May won a
confidence vote from her party on
Wednesday but 117 of her lawmakers said
she was no longer the right leader to implement
Britain’s exit from the European Union.
May had needed 159 votes for the simple
majority to win the vote.
Britain’s March 29 exit has been plunged into
crisis by parliamentary opposition to the divorce
deal she struck with the EU last month, which has
opened up possibilities including a delay to Brexit
or even another referendum on membership.
May on Monday cancelled a parliamentary vote
on the deal, which is designed to maintain close
future ties with the EU, after it became clear she
would lose it.
Eurosceptic critics of the deal within her
own party triggered a no-confidence vote in her
leadership on Tuesday, hours after she returned
from talks with European leaders aimed at
winning additional assurances about her deal.
After two hours of voting in Committee Room
14 in the House of Commons, Graham Brady,
chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative
backbenchers, said 200 Conservative lawmakers
had voted in support of May as leader, and
117 against.
May, who voted to remain in the EU in the
2016 referendum, had warned opponents of
her withdrawal deal – struck after two years of
negotiations – that if they toppled her, Brexit
would be delayed or stopped.
Shortly before the vote, May sought to win over
wavering lawmakers by promising to step down
before the 2022 election.
Brexit is Britain’s most significant political
and economic decision since World War Two.
Pro-Europeans fear the departure will weaken
the West as it grapples with the U.S. presidency
of Donald Trump and growing assertiveness
from Russia and China. The outcome will shape
Britain’s $2.8 trillion economy, have far-reaching
consequences for the unity of the kingdom and
determine whether London keeps its place as one
of the top two global financial centres.
Supporters of Brexit admit there may be
some short-term pain for Britain’s $2.9 trillion
economy, but say it will prosper in the long term
when cut free from the EU, which they cast as
a failing German-dominated experiment in
European integration.
May, the 62-year-old daughter of a Church of
England pastor, won the top job in the turmoil that
followed the 2016 EU referendum.
She promised to implement Brexit, while
keeping close ties to the bloc, to heal a
divided nation.
thanked all the parliamentarians who
voted for him and promised to protect
democracy in the island country.
Rajapaksa loyalists, however, termed
the vote as "invalid", saying former
strongman was appointed the Prime
Minister and there was a government in
place as the Court of Appeal had only
temporarily suspended the government
from performing its duties.
Meanwhile, the Speaker informed
President Maithripala Sirisena on the
results of the confidence vote, officials
said. Sri Lanka has been embroiled
in a political turmoil since President
Sirisena surprisingly sacked Prime
Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in
late October and appointed former
President Rajapaksa in his place.

Mexico’s Vanessa Ponce De Leon

bags Miss World 2018 crown
I
ndia’s Manushi Chhillar, who
won the Miss World pageant
last year, on Saturday passed the
baton to Mexico’s Vanessa Ponce De
Leon at a glitzy ceremony, where the
first runner-up title went to Thailand’s
representative and Femina Miss
India 2018 Anukreethy Vas failed to
make it even to the top 12.
“I can’t believe it, I really can’t
believe it... And I think all the girls
deserved it. I am proud to represent
all of them. I will do as much as I
can in the time I have got. Thank you
so much, everyone,” Vanessa said
backstage after winning the crown at
the Sanya City Arena here.
The 26-year-old smiled away
with moist eyes as she folded her
hands in gratitude to gesture the
traditional Indian ‘Namaste’ greeting
when Manushi placed the elaborate
crown on her head. She took a walk
as the newly-crowned beauty queen,
waving at the crowd and wrapped up
the evening with a celebratory dance
with co-contestants.
Having pursued a degree in
International Business, Vanessa, is
currently on the board of directors of
a rehab centre for girls and volunteers
for ‘Migrantes en el Camino’. She
is a speaker for the National Youth
Institute as well as working as a
model and a presenter.  for India at the Miss World beauty
An adventurous soul, she has
qualified as an open water scuba
diver, and also enjoys playing
volleyball, painting and ultimate
Frisbee, according to the official
Miss World website. Thailand’s
Miss Mexico Vanessa Ponce de Leon,
26, is crowned by former Miss World
2017 India’s Manushi Chhillar as she
wins the Miss World 2018 title in Sanya,
Hainan island, China on Saturday,
December 8, 2018.
representative Nicolene Pichapa
Limsnukan, 20, got the runner-up
spot. Others in the top 5 included
contestants from Belarus, Jamaica
and Uganda.
Indians were keeping their
fingers crossed for Anukreethy after
Manushi broke a years-long jinx
pageant last year. But Anukreethy, a
native of Tiruchirappalli, made it to
the top 30, but failed to make the cut
to the top 12 at the gala.
A total of 118 contestants
participated in the contest this year.
The Sun's heat can no longer touch Voyager 2 but its gravity still can.
Voyager 2 is now also in interstellar
space behind its Voyager 1 twin
F
orty-one years after it left
Earth, NASAs Voyager 2
probe has now become only
the second human-made object to
enter interstellar space after its twin
Voyager 1 did in 2012.
Since November 5, the instrument
on Voyager 2 that detects plasma from
the Sun, also called solar wind, has
not observed solar wind, indicating
that it has left the heliosphere, "the
protective bubble of particles and
magnetic fields created by the Sun."
Voyager 2 is now some 18 billion
kilometers away compared to
Voyager 1 at 21.6 billion kilometers,
both offering a measure of how far
the empire of the Sun stretches.
In terms of the reach of heliospheric
particles or particles from the Sun,
both spacecraft are effectively
outside of it but they still have a long
way to traverse for them to escape
the influence of solar gravity.
As NASA explains, it will take
Voyager 2,300 years to enter the inner
edge of the Oort Cloud, a collection
of small objects still affected by the
Sun's gravity.
Estimates of how far the Oort
Cloud stretches vary between about
1,000 astronomical units (AU) - one
AU is the distance between the Sun
and the Earth of about 150 million
kilometers - and 100,000 AU.
It will take the probes up to 30,000
years to completely cross the Oort
Cloud. The Sun's heat can no longer
touch Voyager 2 but its gravity
still can.
However, for all practical purposes,
both spacecraft are in interstellar
space or the space between stars.
One everyday example of how much
technology has been revolutionised
since they left, smartphones now
have 200,000 times memory than the
two probes.
With that little memory, the duo
produced remarkable images of
planets unlike the often pointless
selfies that that people produce using
their powerful smartphones.
The Voyager missions have been
an astonishing success for NASA.
Originally built to last five years
they both lasted nearly eight times
that and during those four decades
transformed human understanding of
the solar system.
They both conducted close-up
studies of Jupiter and Saturn. NASA
altered the path of Voyager such that
it conducted flybys of Uranus and
Neptune, making the first exploration
of those very distant planets.
The two spacecraft are expected
to last billions of years, drifting
around in space and could be the
only available evidence of human
civilization in deep space for a
prospective advanced civilization.
 22 SPORTS Friday, December 14, 2018 The Indian Weekender

Coaching
excites me,
says recently
retired Gautam
Gambhir Haven’t decided about it (coaching), but then
I like being part of an action. It is something
that has always excited me for all my life.
Let’s see, I am going to evaluate whether to
get into coaching or mentorship.

Talking about the controversial chapter in women’s cricket concerning the likes of Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur and ex-
coach Ramesh Powar, ICC Test batsman of the year (2009) said that it is unfortunate to see such dissension in a team.

A
fter joining the family of retired Indian
cricketers, Gautam Gambhir who is
excited about coaching, is still torn
between becoming a coach or a mentor.
The highest run-getter in the final of 2007 T20
World Cup and 2011 World Cup, Gambhir in
an exclusive interview said: “Haven’t decided
about it (coaching), but then I like being part
of an action. It is something that has always
excited me for all my life. Let’s see, I am going
to evaluate whether to get into coaching or
mentorship.”
When asked whether he will follow the
footsteps of Australian bowler Mitchell
Johnson who plans to train himself to become
a coach, Gambhir said: “I have been a senior
player for Delhi for a very long time and
mentored those young kids as well. Coaching
is not rocket science. I think it is about sharing
your experience and being as honest as you can.
It is just your passion whether you like it or you
don’t. And If you like it you will enjoy and help
someone become better and try to achieve his
dream. So that is something that excites me to
become.”
Talking about the controversial chapter in
women’s cricket concerning the likes of Mithali
Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur and ex-coach Ramesh
Powar, ICC Test batsman of the year (2009)
said that it is unfortunate to see such dissension
in a team which is taking cricket forward to
great heights.
“It is something unfortunate. These
controversies shouldn’t happen. I think it has
more to do with ego. Whatever BCCI would
decide, it will be best in the interest of the team.
Ultimately, it is not about what an individual
wants. Whatever is better for the team that
should happen,” he said.
Meanwhile, reacting on the second-Test of
the ongoing four-match series between India
and Australia, Gambhir said India will have
lots of confidence because it is already a 1-0
advantage.
On the Perth pitch, former left-hander
batsman said, “Wicket is going to suit fast
bowlers so whoever bowls well and put runs
will have the advantage in the Perth Test”.
Gambhir announced his retirement from
all formats of cricket earlier on December 4,
calling it the most difficult decision taken with
the heaviest heart. In his last outing for Delhi in
the Ranji Trophy against Andhra Pradesh, the
former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain
went on to score 112 off 185 balls with the help
of ten boundaries at Feroz Shah Kotla.

Australia storm Sindhu beats defending champion

into hockey World Yamaguchi in BWF World Tour Finals in China
Cup semis
I
ndia's P.V. Sindhu on been too defensive against her
Wednesday beat world opponent and would be hoping
number two and defending to repeat last year's performance,
champion Akane Yamaguchi of when she went on to win the
Japan 24-22, 21-15 in her opening tournament despite a first-round
match of the BWF World Tour loss to Sindhu.
Finals in Guangzhou. The top two players from
World number six Sindhu, who the two groups will qualify for

A
ustralia thrashed France 3-0 to enter
the semi-finals of the ongoing Hockey
World Cup 2018 at the Kalinga
Stadium on Wednesday.
Jeremy Hayward scored from the penalty
corner as he found space between two players
and the goalkeeper failed to protect.
lost last year's final to Yamaguchi
in Dubai, saved two game points
in the opening game and took the
match in 55 minutes, reports Efe.
"It's important to start well in
the group stage. I was nervous
towards the end of the first game
but once I won that game I played
better," the 23-year-old Indian
Olympic silver medallist said
after the match, according to an
official BWF report.
Sindhu trailed in both games
but absorbed the pressure and
fought back each time with a mix
of aggression and patience.
Yamaguchi said she may have
the semi-finals, after which a
knockout draw will be held.
Sindhu and Yamaguchi have
been clubbed together with world
number one Tai Tzu Ying of
Chinese Taipei and the United
States' Beiwen Zhang in Group A.

Australia favourites to win second Test: Ponting

Australia took a 2-0 lead as Blake Grovers
found the back of the net in the 19th minute.

The Kookaburras scored their third goal
from fourth penalty corner as a stunning work
by Aran Zakerski put the finishing touch on
the move. In the semi-finals, Australia will
now take on the winner between India and the
Netherlands and that which takes place.
Earlier, England stunned Rio Olympic
champions Argentina 3-2 to book their place in
Saturday’s semi-finals.
England scored three field goals through
Barry Middleton (27th minute), Will Calnan
(45th) and Harry Martin (49th), while Gonzalo
Peillat (17th, 48th) struck both the goals for the
losing side at the Kalinga Stadium.
D
espite India winning the first Test,
former Australia captain Ricky Ponting
feels the hosts will have an upper hand
in the second Test beginning here on Friday.
India defeated Australia by 31 runs in the
opening match to take a 1-0 lead in the four-Test
series. Ponting opined that the newly laid pitch
at the Western Australia Cricket Association
(WACA) Stadium here will suit the Australians
more than their rivals.
"I think Perth will definitely be a lot more
suitable for our guys than the Indians. But our
players need to bounce back pretty quickly,"
Ponting told reporters.
"They were pretty poor this week and got
within 30 runs. And that's not saying India
played at their absolute best either, but they're
absolutely capable," he added.
"There's some positives to take from it but
they've also got to take a good hard look at what
they've done through this game and make sure
they do it a lot better."
Ponting further said Australia should not
tinker with their playing XI in the second Test.
Aaron Finch, who was playing his first
Test on Australian soil, failed to live upto
expectations, with scores of 0 and 11. Ponting
however, dismissed suggestions that the opener
should be dropped.
"Why wouldn't they do that for this game if
that's their best line-up?" Ponting asked.
"I just think that would be really reactionary.
The selectors have made a decision, or whoever
is setting the batting order, that they think
Aaron Finch is the right guy to be opening the
batting for Australia.
"When you start moving guys around, it
just creates more uncertainty. Finch would
potentially train differently next week than he
had this week because he's not opening (and)
Usman has to train differently because he is
opening," he added.
 The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018 FEATURES 23

Travel Special Feature

TEA,
TEA, TRAINS
TRAINS &
& RELICS
RELICS
FROM
FROM THE
THE RAJ:
RAJ:
T EXPLORING
EXPLORING INDIA’S
INDIA’S phants
wander

WESTERN
WESTERN GHATS
GHATS
hough the 48-hect-
the Ghats on are grounds.
average reach 915m, in
Munnar: tea, carda-
Tamil Nadu they tower over
mom and cooking classes
2500m high in the Nilgiri Hills –
where you’ll meet Ooty, ‘Queen of Hill
Stations’ – and the Palani Hills near Kodaikanal.
J ust over the border in serene
Kerala, Munnar (1524m) is
the hustle-bustle hub of South India’s major tea
Across the border in Kerala, some of the world’s highest-
noor growing area. Much like Ooty, Munnar’s commercial, traffic-
altitude tea plantations sprawl around Munnar. In between,
tigers, elephants, langur monkeys, chital deer and gaur (Indian (not hectic central Coo-
bison) flit through the unspoilt wilderness of several contiguous noor) makes a more peaceful alternative Nilgiri base to Ooty,
protected parks. with easy access to superb viewpoints, the 50-year-old High-
field Tea Estate, and such gorgeous heritage accommodation as
Ooty, queen of the Nilgiri Hill
1900s British bungalow 180° McIver. Meanwhile, quiet Kotagiri
(1800m), 30km east of Ooty, is the Nilgiris’ original hill sta-
tion: its earthy-red Sullivan Memorial is the 1819 house of Ooty
founder John Sullivan.
With the Nilgiris, half the fun is getting here – ideally aboard
the celebrated British-built, narrow-gauge Nilgiri Mountain
Railway. Awarded World Heritage status by Unesco, the blue-
and-cream-coloured ‘toy’ train trundles between Mettupalayam
in the plains and Ooty, via Coonoor, traversing tunnels, tackling
bridges and passing ever-more-spectacular forest and tea-
plantation views; you might even spy a wild elephant pushing
through the undergrowth. choked centre fades fast as you venture out into its mellow,

I t was British colonials who originally sought refuge from
the sweltering lowland heat in these cool, mist-shrouded
mountains of native shola (virgin forest), founding South
India’s eccentric collection of hill stations. Today, it is Indian
holidaymakers rather than foreign tourists who flock to the
Western Ghats seeking cool air, natural beauty and green serenity.
Major town of the Unesco-designated Nilgiri Biosphere
Reserve – a highly biodiverse 5520-sq-km area that flows
across northwest Tamil Nadu into Kerala and Karnataka – the
typically frenzied yet historically captivating town of Ooty
(Udhagamandalam; 2240m) is Tamil Nadu’s most popular hill
station. Like its Himalayan siblings, it was founded in the early
19th century, when Madras (now Chennai) was the capital of
British India’s Madras Presidency. Ooty is also the springboard
for exploring Tamil Nadu’s wildlife-rich Mudumalai Tiger
Reserve, just northwest.
Ooty’s Hindu temples, lively bazaar, chaotic centre and
pedalboat-sprinkled lake give way to flower-wreathed English-
style lanes, passing splendid Raj–era buildings like the red-hued,
still-operating 1867 Nilgiri Library, and St Stephen’s Church,
dating from 1829. Many of these have been reimagined as
exquisite heritage hotels: cosy 1855 bungalow Lymond House,
or the early 19th-century Taj brand Savoy.
A cuppa in Coonoor
Kodaikanal, princess of the Palani Hills
R inged by the protected Palani Hills, 250km southeast of
Ooty, Tamil Nadu’s 2100m-high ‘Princess of Hill Stations’,
Kodaikanal (Kodai), is all the more atmospheric when (often)
veiled in mist. Unusually, Kodai was founded in 1845 not
by moustachioed British Empire officials but by American
missionaries escaping malaria in the Madurai lowlands, and has
its own distinct character punctuated by its international school,
organic-fired cuisine and popularity with Indian honeymooners.
Rowboats bob on the star-shaped lake, and the hazy
surrounding hillsides are carpeted with shola forest – found
only in the Western Ghats – and kurinji shrubs, which blossom
in lavender-blue just once every 12 years (including in 2018!).
Walks thread through forests to horizon-reaching viewpoints,
shimmering lakes, and the budget-traveller haven of Vattakanal
village (4.5km southwest of Kodai), which has the sociable vibe
of a miniature South Indian Manali.
If you’re feeling adventurous, there are two-day treks (with
guides) across to Munnar in Kerala via Top Station (1880m), with
glorious views over the Ghats. The long-running and reputable
trekking outfit Tracks & Trails offer guided walks and insider ex-
pertise. Stars of Kodai’s accommodation scene include expertly
run, ecofriendly Cinnabar homestay, and the high-end, lake-view
enticingly green valleys and hills, where cottages hide amid the
glinting leaves of manicured tea and cardamom plantations.
You can join guided treks to high-altitude mountain outlooks
and tea estates and tour the model Tea Museum, or get hands-
on with delicately spiced Keralan cuisine at a cooking class
with respected food writer Nimi Sunilkumar. Among Munnar’s
mountain escapes, gorgeous family-run homestay Rose Gardens
shines for its cooking courses, valley vistas and coconut-pancake
breakfasts.
Protecting The Western Ghats
C risscrossing between Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu,
the adjoining protected areas of Bandipur, Nagarhole,
Wayanad, Sathyamangalam and Mudumalai host the planet’s
single largest tiger population. According to India’s 2014 tiger
census, 570 tigers prowl these wilds – you’ll be lucky to spot
one, but keep your eyes peeled in the Ghats’ many national parks
as there’s always a chance.
Karnataka’s 643-sq-km Nagarhole National Park, west
of Mysuru (Mysore), is home to one of the world’s greatest
concentration of wild Asian elephants, joined in its Kabini-
River-flanking forests by tigers, leopards, dholes (wild dogs),
chital, gaurs and langurs. Many of these signature species
also roam Bandipur National Park just to the southeast, which
encompasses 880 sq km at Karnataka’s junction with Kerala and
Tamil Nadu.

B ustling Coonoor (1720m) sits 20km southeast of Ooty, encir-

cled by an emerald-green sea of tea plantations. Upper Coo-
Carlton, a majestic colonial-era mansion, or choose to retreat to
ecofocused Elephant Valley in the Palani Hills below, where ele-
Courtesy for Article and Pictures: Isabella Noble, Lonely
Planet Writer
 24 FEATURES
A fragrant, sweet and delicious ice cream with pistachios
M
aking and eating kulfi is
India’s way of putting up a
fight against the tropical sun
– it’s a delicious gastronomic weapon.
And it is not a new way to keep cool.
This frozen dessert is known to have
been first mentioned as early as the
mid-1500s. The key difference between
kulfi and ice cream is that there are no
eggs added. Kulfi is simply pure milk,
reduced, caramelised and cooled to
create a glorious treat.
Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking times: 60 min / Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS:
• 5 cups full-fat milk
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp cardamom powder 1/4 tsp
saffron
• 5 cups full-fat milk
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp cardamom powder 1/4 tsp
saffron
METHOD
• Bring the milk to the boil in a wide,
heavy-bottomed pan and then simmer
over medium heat, stirring from time
to time to avoid scorching or burning,
until the milk reduces to about half its
volume (about 30–40 minutes).
• Once the colour of the milk changes
to beige-cream, and bubbles begin to
appear in the centre of the pan, add the
Mug recipes for the lazy days you’re craving comfort food on
F
or the days where even getting out of bed seems a task,
do yourself a favour and cook up these scrumptious mug
recipes full of comfort food.
OMELET IN A MUG
Ingredients:
• 1 egg,
• 2 egg whites,
• 2 tsp of shredded cheddar cheese,
• 1 tsp of diced green bell pepper,
• Salt and pepper as per taste,
• Cooking spray.
You can add any other vegetables or ingredients as per your
taste.
Method:
• Combine egg, egg whites, cheddar cheese, bell pepper, salt,
ground pepper in a microwave-safe mug coated with non-
stick spray. Microwave on high for 1 minute and give the
contents a stir. Return to the microwave and cook until the
eggs are completely set, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Here again,
time varies according to the microwave you’re using.
• Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top or any other ingredient you
want and dig in.
EGG FRIED RICE IN A MUG
Ingredients
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 2tsp frozen peas
• 2 tsp chopped red pepper
• 1/2 stalk of sliced green onion
• Small pinch of bean sprouts
• Small pinch of shredded purple
cabbage
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp soy sauce
Friday, December 14, 2018 The Indian Weekender
About low-cholesterol recipes
A collection of recipes most searched and frequently tried by the health-freaks and weight watchers. These
low-cholesterol recipes are easy to make and tops the list of most delectable yet healthy recipes.
CHICKEN AVOCADO SALAD
I f you are looking for a healthy meal this evening, Chicken Avocado Salad should be your go to dish today!
Ingredients • 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 100 gm boiled chicken
Method
breasts
• To prepare this salad recipe, peel the avocado
• 150 gm lettuce leaf
and cut fine slices of it in a bowl. Next, wash the
PISTA KULFI • 1 handful arugula
• 1 small avocados
• 100 gm cherry tomatoes
cherry tomatoes and cut them into halves. Peel
and finely chop the red onion in a small bowl.
Then, finally cut julienne of boiled chicken. Also,
• 2 tablespoon red onion
wash the arugula and lettuce leaves, and pat them
10
For Dressing dry. Keep these salad leaves aside until required.
• 2 tablespoon oregano (Note: You can also grill the chicken for better
RECIPES
• 1 teaspoon red wine taste using the least oil.)
DESSERTS
vinegar • Now, prepare the salad dressing my mixing
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice together red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil,
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper oregano, Dijon mustard, black pepper and lemon
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil juice.
CHICKEN SOUP
caster sugar, cardamom powder and
Ruby Dhillon India’s Most Wanted Recipies | 217
C hicken Soup Recipe is a basic continental soup recipe which is prepared with chicken, sliced onions,
garlic, carrots and celery. This authentic soup recipe is loved by people of all ages and is really healthy
INGREDIENTS
saffron. Bring the mixture back to the
• 900 gm chopped into cubes chicken
boil and simmer for another minute or
• coarse sea salt as required
two. Stir the mixture continuously to
• 2 cup sliced onion
ensure that it does not burn and that
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
the sugar is dissolved completely
• 4 cup water
(and doesn’t caramelise). Take it off
• 1 sliced celery
the heat and let it cool.
• 3 medium sliced thick carrot
• Add pistachios to the thick milk (keep
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
few aside for garnishing), mix well
pot with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes.
and pour into moulds. Freeze at the
METHOD • When boiled, remove the breast of chicken and
coolest possible temperature.
• Take a large stockpot and pour water in it. Boil keep it aside. Now add sliced carrots and simmer
• To serve, take the mould out of the
water on medium flame, then add chicken in the for another 40 minutes.
freezer and remove the kulfi (with
the help of a knife) and place into an pot. Season chicken with salt, and let it boil on • Next, remove the remaining chicken from the pot
individual serving bowl. low flame. and cut off the back and wings. Keep it aside to
• Garnish with vark and pistachios and • Dip a rim of the spoon below the foam and scoop cool slightly. Once cooled, remove meat from
serve immediately. it up. Rinse the sieve in the bowl and continue bones.
to scoop the scum. Keep the liquid at a simmer • Cut the meat into small bite-size chunks. Stir in
Ruby's Tip: You can freeze kulfi in rather than a hard boil. the chicken and use a large spoon to skim off
any kind of mould (such as decorative • Then add sliced onions, celery and garlic. Mix the the fat that rises on top. Sprinkle salt and black
pans or bowls) and serve according to it. vegetables well with chicken. Partially cover the pepper. Serve hot.
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil • Cut the lasagna sheet in half, and cut each strip in half again.
• 1/2 tsp onion powder Place the pasta sheets into a bowl, and pour very hot water in
• 1/4 tsp five-spice powder it, until it covers all the pieces and set it aside.
• Chop the spinach and place it in a microwave-safe bowl
Method
• Cover the top with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in
• Place the rice into a large mug. Lay the peas, red pepper,
it for ventilation. Microwave for 1 minute. Take out the
green onion, mung bean sprouts and cabbage on top. Cover
spinach and let it rest. Mix the spinach with the ricotta,
the mug with cling film. Using a knife, puncture one or two
pepper, granulated garlic, and salt. Set mixture aside.
small holes through the film. Don’t miss this step under any
Pour 2 tablespoons of pasta sauce at the bottom of the mug
cirumstances.
• Top with a piece of softened pasta sheet. Add some spinach
• Microwave on high for 1 minute 15 seconds.
mixture, 2 tablespoons of mozzarella, and a pasta sheet.
In the meantime, beat the egg and mix in the seasonings (soy
Continue building the lasagna, ending with a layer of pasta
sauce, sesame oil, onion powder and five-spice powder).
sheet at the top. Sprinkle mozzarella over the pasta.
Pour the egg mixture into the mug, and stir with the
• Microwave everything for 1 minute 30 seconds. Check to
vegetables and rice.
make sure that the mozzarella is melted. If it isn’t, continue
• Cover the mug with cling film again, and microwave for 1
microwaving at 15-second intervals until the cheese is fully
minute 15 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds. Take the mug out
melted
of the microwave, and give everything a good stir. Let the
fried rice stand for a minute to finish cooking. Use a fork to MAC AND CHEESE IN A MUG
fluff up the rice and serve.
Ingredients
LASAGNE IN A MUG • 1/3 cup elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup water
Ingredients
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 fresh lasagna sheet
• Splash of milk
• 2 1/2 cups baby spinach, roughly
chopped Metho
• 1/4 diced medium yellow bell • Put the macaroni in your microwave
pepper safe mug or bowl.Add in the water, you may need a little
• 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese more if you have a strong microwave.
• 3 finely chopped large basil leaves (optional) • Microwave for 6 minutes, stirring at every 2
• Salt as per taste minutes. The pasta should be cooked with just a
• 1/8 tsp granulated garlic little bit of water at the bottom of bowl or mug.
• 6 tsp pasta sauce or tomato sauce Add the shredded cheese to the cooked pasta and place in
• 1/3 cup grated mozarella cheese microwave for 30 seconds. After the cheese has melted, stir
well and add in a splash of milk.
Method
• The milk will help make the pasta extra creamy. 
 The Indian Weekender
CROSSWORD NO: 35
SUDOKU NO: 35
HITORI NO: 35
Hitori – a logic puzzle with very simple
rules and challenging solutions. Can
you eliminate numbers until there are
no duplicates in any row or column?
Objective / Rules
Eliminate numbers until there are
no duplicates in any row or column.
Eliminate numbers by marking
Friday, December 14, 2018 TIME OUT 25
QUIZ QUESTIONS NO: 35 ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. I am Liverpudlian but not Liverpool.
What am I? 
2. Name the French novelist and poet,
born in 1802, who was exiled to Jersey
and who wrote about a hunchback.
3. Who was the Hollywood star, born in
1928, who made her first film at the
age of three, and who was famous for
frilly dresses and ringlets? 
4. Name the American actress famous for
her violet eyes and voluptuous figure,
who found fame as an Egyptian. 
5. Which type entertainment has cars
but no roads, curves but no figure, and
white knuckles? 
6. What has three classes, can be found
underground or high up, and can be
a target for ultra-modern hopes or
lavish nostalgia?
7. I have a cake and a table named after
me, and I’m used all round the world.
What am I?.
8. Home to the Ross Sea and a species of
flightless bird. Where is this? 
9. Name the British lady who played
a role in the Crimean War, and who
received the Order of Merit in 1907? 
10. Name the Corsican who captured
Toulon and who sold Louisiana to
America. .
11. Born in the 16th Century in Devon,
England, his career was linked to
tobacco and potatoes, and he was
imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Who was this? .
12. I’m called thick when close to the
ground, but people smile when I’m
high. What am I? 
13. Who created the animation for Monty
Python? .
14. Who, in 1806, became King George’s
favourite potter?
15. In the long-running British TV series,
Coronation Street, what was the name
of Minni Caldwell’s cat? 
16. What is painter and sculptor
Michelangelo’s full name? 
17. Name the artist who was born in
Milan in 1571 and was described
during his lifetime as the most famous
painter in Rome, despite having had
a death warrant issued against him by
the pope. 
18. Whereabouts in London is the Stock
Exchange? 
19. What is the world’s biggest spider? 
20. Info.cern.ch is famous for being what? 
Golaith Birdeater tarantula 20. The world’s very first website
Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni 17. Paternoster Square 19.
Gilliam 14.Josia Spode 15. Bobby 16. Michelangelo di
Bonaparte 11. Sir Walter Raleigh 12. A Cloud 13. Terry
Coffee 8. Antarctica 9. Florence Nightingale 10. Napoleon
Temple 4. Elizaveth Taylor 5. Roller Coaster 6. Trains 7.
Answers: 1 Everton Football Club. 2.Victor Hugo 3. Shirley
Send us stories, drawings, poems and
other contributions by your little ones
along with their photographs for this page.
E-mail us at reporter@indianweekender.
co.nz
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE NO: 35
See how many differences you can find in the right or left photo.
them in Black.
You are not allowed to have two
Black squares touching horizontally
or vertically (diagonally is ok).
Any White square can be reached
from any other (i.e. they are
connected).
 26 FEATURES Friday, December 14, 2018 The Indian Weekender

14 December to 20 December | By Manisha Koushik

Manisha Koushik is a practicing astrologer, tarot card reader, numerologist, vastu and fengshui
consultant based in India with a global presence through the online channels. She is available for
consultations online as well. E-mail her at support@askmanisha.com or contact
at +91-11-26449898 Mobile/Whatsapp: +91-9716145644 • www.askmanisha.com
ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 20)
Overseas travel is foretold for those wishing to visit exotic places. Be a realist
enough to take no for an answer from a potential lover on the romantic front.
You will be able to raise your performance level on the academic front through
outside help. Your efforts on the professional front will bring you into the notice
of those who matter, so keep up the good work. Lucky Number :6 / Lucky
Colour : White
TAURUS (Apr 21-May 20)
Investing all your money in one venture or scheme is not recommended,
howsoever attractive be the prospects. Things remain in order on the professional
front, as you go about your task efficiently. Your attempts to curry favour with
those who matter on the academic front will succeed. Joining a group of health-
conscious people will prove immensely beneficial for your health. Lucky
Number :11 / Lucky Colour : Silver
GEMINI (May 21-Jun 21)
A minor job at work may get complicated and eat away your working hours. You
may resolve to save money for paying an outstanding amount. You are likely to
miss out on some good investment opportunities by being over cautious. Some
development at home may not be to your liking and can pit you against others.
An official trip may need to be postponed. Lucky Number :5 / Lucky Colour :
All Shades of Green

CANCER (Jun 22-Jul 20)

T
his outfit ideas are going to make you look the most stunning guest The wedding This will be a blissful week for you. Money comes your way and fill your coffers
season is in full swing and we literally have someone or the other getting married. all to the brim. Taking an instant liking for someone is possible, so expect romance
the ‘shaadi-festivities’ bring in a lot of fun and jazz, its the closing ceremony aka the to knock on your door soon! Your strong showing on the academic front is likely
gala reception which is something that everyone looks forward to.   to mark you as an achiever. Adopting an active lifestyle is indicated for some and
will help achieving good health. Lucky Number :18 / Lucky Colour : Sandy
Brown
Traditional weave A pleasant period greets you and promises to climax towards exciting finish. Your

T raditional weaves are the new cool. Everyone is
going back to our Indian roots and adapting the
gorgeous Benarasi and Kanjeevaram sarees. Team
your saree with a pair of block heels, a clutch and
chandbalis.
Sharara set
romantic endeavours prove fruitful, as you go around spreading your charm! An
exciting trip may materialise and take you on a tour of beautiful sites. Increased
earning and perks are likely to give a boost to those in the private sector. An old
ailment disappears, as you step on the path to perfect health. Lucky Number :4
/ Lucky Colour : Dark Grey
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 23)
The week promises much fun and gaiety, as you get the time to mingle in your
social circle. Not breaking your daily routine will help you in retaining good
health. Initiative taken on the professional front will get due recognition from
those who matter. Misunderstandings doing the rounds on the family front will
be sorted out, so expect the domestic harmony to prevail. Lucky Number :3 /
Lucky Colour : White
LIBRA (Sep 24-Oct 23)
YYou are likely to remain in high spirits throughout the week. A business trip

T his one is definitely everyone’s favourite

offlate. A sharara is comfort defined. Pick one
in an occur yellow, rani pink, deep red hued. Team it
will prove fruitful in bagging a lucrative deal. On the professional front, chances
of getting selected for something prestigious cannot be ruled out. Good price can
be expected for a property, if you are interested in it. Those going steady may
think on the lines of solemnising their relationship. Lucky Number :17 / Lucky
with golden juttis, a multi layered pair of chandbalis Colour : Light Blue
and you’re all ready for the party.
SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 22)
A piece of good news on the social front may get you into a celebratory mood.
You will do well to refurbish your professional image to attract better clientele.
Academic excellence is likely to help you achieve your dream. Financial worries
become a thing of the past, as money comes from unexpected sources. An old
flame is slated to enter your life once again and brighten the romantic front.
Lucky Number : 8 / Lucky Colour : Electric Grey

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23-Dec 21)

Lace saree Your burden of work on the professional front is set to increase, so tighten your

P erfect for this wedding season. A lace saree
can never ever get out of vogue. Pick one in a
gorgeous pastel hue. Go minimal with your jewellery
but dont forget to style your outfit with an elegant
Metallic Clutch.
Metallic Clutch
belt. Change of scene, just to resurrect your married life is possible. Your current
exercise regimen will make you feel stronger and fitter. A family youngster may
join the family business soon. You may need to search out a mutual friend who
can introduce you to the one you admire on the romantic front! Lucky Number
: 9 / Lucky Colour : Lemon
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 21)
You will be able to get your ideas implemented at work and make your mark.
Travel plans will go without a hitch. You will be able to maintain the balance
between food intake and workouts to enjoy good health. A treat, coupled with
an enjoyable outing, is likely to make it a best time for you. Financial stability
will be maintained by concerted efforts. Lucky Number : 15 / Lucky Colour :
Dark Brown
AQUARIUS (Jan 22-Feb 19)
Those searching for accommodation near place of work or study may get lucky.

T
Keeping seniors informed of the developments at work will be in your interest.
he perfect accessory which defines grace, poise
Someone may convey his or her indebtedness to you for your help, in a most
and elegance, a clutch is a wedding favourite. If touching manner. You may be singled out for a special honour on the professional
you’re that guest who loves to stick to minimal styling front. You will feel fit and energetic, like never before! Lucky Number :4 /
then a Metallic Clutch is just what you need. Style it Lucky Colour : Dark Grey
with a beautiful saree or a floor length ensemble. The
PISCES (Feb 20-Mar 20)
wedding season definitely calls for a lot of glamming Luck favours you on the financial front, so expect money to flow in. Your
and dressing up. initiative on the academic front is likely to give good results. Someone may
persuade you to accompany him or her on an interesting excursion. You may
spend more than you had budgeted for in setting up a new house, but it will be
worth it. Don’t let personal differences spoil the fun on the social front. Lucky
Number : 11 / Lucky Colour : Silver
 The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018 FEATURES 27

Gardening
December harvest highlights

DR UPENDRA SAKLANI
December is the start of summer
in New Zealand in contrast to the
northern hemisphere where winter
is stepping up after November. We
have been enjoying couple of months
before the festive season and are
welcoming New Year to celebrate.
In the past two months in October
and November vegetable gardeners
might have completed all sowing and
planting of summer vegetables like
cucurbits (gourds, melons, squashes,
courgettes, rockets etc.), tomato, egg
plants (brinjal), chillies, capsicum
,beans, garden peas, potato, sweet
potato, coriander, sweet corns,
spinach, amaranths, fenugreek
(methi) beet root, radish and few
others.
Irrigation
All these vegetables at this time
are on high growing stage, (photos
of few full grown vegetables) need
frequent irrigation, considering hot
and dry weather conditions. Plants
are best to water in the morning and
evening time, not during mid day of
heat. Frequency of watering varies
from crop to crop. Leafy vegetables
need more watering as compared
to other, but keep soil always moist
in all conditions. High volume of
water is being used during summer
due to more consumption by plants,
which could be supplemented by
installing water harvesting system
at your house. This system is not
only keeping the water supply
abundant but cuts short the water bill
considerably.
Weeding and Hoeing
With the onset of summer, weeds
are spring up faster than winter
season. Remove them at an early to
avoid larger volume at late stage.
Never allow them to grow up to
seeding otherwise new seeds may
again grow with high density and
create difficulty in weeding later.
Weeding and hoeing are almost same
operation which remove weeds and
at the same time loosen the upper
soil crust for better soil aeration for
fasten root development. One can
use systemic insecticide on path and
boundaries to control weeds for long
time, but this is however practiced
only on an expert’s recommendation.
Plant Protection
Summers are favourable time for
certain insects and diseases to grow
rapidly. Keep an eye on insects like
snails, slugs, caterpillars, beetles,
weevils, aphids, and whitefly. Try
to control them soon they surfaced
in crops. Diseases like early and late
blight are very harmful to potato,
tomato, and capsicums.  Powdery
and downy mildew are similarly
dangerous to cucurbits like gourds
and melons.
As I mentioned in my previous
articles that follow integrated pest
management practices, which
include, keeping pest population
under thresh hold level without  in the market. They are to be used
affecting plant health and production.
Follow proper sanitation, crop
rotations and companion cropping,
besides using other tools like light
traps and bug scans and hand
picking. All these measures are used
to minimise pest population.
Some mild insecticides like
metaldehyde or mesunol pellets are
useful against snails and slugs, retinol
or carbyl dusts are against chewing
insects like beetles and weevils, 
maldison or mineral oil spray against
sucking insects  like white fly and
aphids and mancozeb or copper
oxychloride against mildew and
blights are some chemicals available
as preventive rather than control
measures, but only under expert’s
recommendation.     

Unparalleled warmth changing Arctic

T
he Arctic is experiencing a multi-
year stretch of unparalleled
warmth “that is unlike any period
on record”, according to the 2018 Arctic
Report Card by the US National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
The report released on Tuesday stated that
human-caused climate change is transforming
the Arctic, both physically through the reduction
of sea ice and biologically through reductions
in wildlife populations and introduction of
marine toxins and algae, CNN reported.
Temperatures in the Arctic were warming
more than twice as fast as the overall planet’s
average temperature, with temperatures this
year in the highest latitudes (above 60 degrees amount of warming and ice loss that has been an inch, the US sapace agency has said. According to NASA, ICESat-2 managed
north) coming in 1.7 degrees Celsius above the observed would take much longer than the few Less than three months into its mission, the to observe some of the previously unmapped
1981-2010 average, it said.  years over which we have seen these drastic Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or features of the Transantarctic Mountains, which
These were the second warmest (behind changes. ICESat-2, is measuring the height of sea ice to divide East and West Antarctica.
2016) air temperatures ever recorded during The rapid warming of the within an inch, tracing the terrain of previously The satellite measures elevation by tracking
the Arctic year, which runs from October "The Arctic is known as “Arctic unmapped Antarctic valleys, surveying remote the photon returns reflect from the surface. It
through September to avoid splitting the changes we amplification”, which is due ice sheets, and peering through forest canopies showed high ice plateaus, crevasses in the ice
winter season. are witnessing in the to multiple feedback loops and shallow coastal waters, NASA said in a 65 feet (20 meters) deep, and the sharp edges of
Arctic are sufficiently
The five years since 2014 have that the report describes.  statement on Tuesday. ice shelves dropping into the ocean. 
rapid that they cannot
been warmer than any other years in Warmer temperatures ICESat-2 was launched on September 15 During its first few months, ICESat-2
be explained without
the historical record, which goes back lead to less ice and snow, with a three-year mission to understand Earth’s observed ice in the Arctic and Antarctica. 
considering our impacts
to 1900.  which means less sunlight ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, snow cover and Using its six beams for data collection,
on the chemistry of the
Although Arctic temperatures have atmosphere" is reflected and more permafrost.  researchers say we’ll soon have a better
been subject to wild swings back and is absorbed by the darker This information from tracking Earth’s understanding of sea ice thickness than ever
forth through the decades due to natural oceans.  rapidly changing ice, would aid researchers to before.
variability, they have been consistently warmer This warms the ocean further, which study impact of sea level rise and to improve So far, “the data’s spectacular...The fresh ice
than average since 2000 and at or near record in turn decreases the sea ice even more. The sea ice and climate forecasts. is totally flat to within a couple centimetres”,
since 2014, the report said. lack of sea ice and more ocean surface leads “ICESat-2 is going to be a fantastic tool for noted Ron Kwok, a sea ice scientist at NASA’s
“The changes we are witnessing in the to additional cloudiness later in the fall season, research and discovery, both for cryospheric Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
Arctic are sufficiently rapid that they cannot which keeps the Arctic region warmer even sciences and other disciplines,” said Tom “We’ll have much higher resolution of where
be explained without considering our impacts later into the winter. Neumann, ICESat-2 project scientist at NASA’s it’s ice and where it’s water in the marginal ice
on the chemistry of the atmosphere,” Thomas NASA satellite maps Antarctica ice sheets, Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland. zones, where the compact ice cover meets the
Mote, a research scientist at the University of sea ice, forests The team shared some of the satellite’s ocean, during melt and freeze-up.” 
Georgia who authored part of the report, told NASA’s satellite to track Earth’s melting ice preliminary findings at the American “That’s going to be new science to think
the media. Mote expressed than any natural has revealed accurate first maps of Antarctica Geophysical Union’s annual meeting in about,” Kwok said. 
cycle or mechanism that would lead to the such that it can measure sea ice height to within Washington, D.C.
 28 ENTERTAINMENT Friday, December 14, 2018 The Indian Weekender

Deepika Padukone turns producer Was wonderful

D
eepika Padukone teams up with
Teams Meghna Gulzar for acid attack
survivor Laxmi Agarwal’s
up with story. This film, which is yet untitled,
MEGHNA will mark Padukone’s debut as producer
as well as she felt very passionate about
GULZAR the subject.
She said, “When I heard the story,
to tell
I was deeply moved. It is a story not
just of gross violence, but of strength,
the story courage, hope and victory. It has had
such a massive impact on me that I
of acid personally and creatively needed go
beyond and hence the decision to turn
as parent
Also, when you take a face as beau-
tiful as hers and portray it as an acid
survivor, the magnitude of the vio-
to share
lence and damage is that much more Mowgli...
resounding.”
Looking forward to the journey with with Aaradhya:
Gulzar, Padukone said, “I have been
greatly impacted by Meghna’s work Abhishek
A
and beyond thrilled to be collaborating ctor Abhishek Bachchan,
with her. We now look forward to com- who has voiced the character
mencing our journey on this film.”
Laxmi, who comes from a humble,
of Bagheera in the Hindi
version of Mowgli: Legend Of
It is both an emotionally and
unprivileged background, was 15 when
the attack occurred, which was at a
the Jungle, says it was wonderful

attack producer too.” physically challenging role to

play. I was instinctively convinced
New Delhi bus stop in 2005.
for him as a parent to be able to
share this story with his daughter

survivor Gulzar added, “Despite regulation

on the sale of acid and changes in
that Deepika can do justice to the
Her assailant was a man twice
her age, known to her family and an
Aaradhya Bachchan.
Asked what's his fondest memory

Laxmi legislation regarding acid attacks,
both of which are consequences of the
Agarwal acid attack case of Laxmi and her PIL
(Public Interest Litigation), the ground
reality is still very grim.
Acid violence is a very prevalent
danger even today. Medical treatment,
compensation, rehabilitation and
inclusion of
character and the story. unlikely suitor whose advances Laxmi of The Jungle Book, Abhishek
acid attack survivors are still very real had clearly declined. said: "Most of people my age will
challenges. Using Laxmi’s story as
a lens, we are attempting to explore
Through this story, the film
attempts to understand the on-ground
probably tell you of the original
cartoon film and that's pretty much
these aspects and consequences of acid consequences of surviving an acid my generation's childhood was spent
violence in our society. This is what attack in India, the medico-legal-social singing a lot of those songs and re-
makes this story relevant and one that state of affairs that transpire after the enacting a lot of those scenes."
must be towld. Because, if anything, acid has been hurled and the face is "It was wonderful for me today as
awareness is the first step irreparably burnt. a parent to able to share that story
towards change.” While the film showcases her with my daughter. It was really nice."
Terming Padukone as the journey in the time after her attack s, a Abhishek says the interpretation of
best choice for the role, she significant part of the story is the game- the classic, which released globally
added, “It is both an emotion- changing PIL in the Supreme Court on the streaming site Netflix on
ally and physically challenging that inspired the amendment on acid Friday, have come out and it is nice.
role to play. I was instinctively laws in 2013. She is currently running "To give something which is more
convinced that Deepika can do the Chhanv Foundation to help acid contemporary and something they
justice to the character and the attack survivors.With might be able to associate with.
story. Also, her physicality matched various narratives Today's generation is very aware and
what I had imagined for the character intertwined, the mature than what we were at that
of Laxmi. film is a gritty age... So, I am not sure the original
I am grateful and feel extremely en- investigative piece, 'The Jungle Book' story which was
couraged that Deepika was so interspersed with made into a cartoon would appeal to
spontaneous in her decision a compelling them anymore. They might find it a
to do this film. courtroom drama. little infantile," he said.
Directed by Andy Serkis, Mowgli:
When I heard the story, I was deeply Legend Of The Jungle is a layered
moved. It is a story not just of gross interpretation of author Rudyard
violence, but of strength, courage, hope Kipling's The Jungle Book.
and victory. It has had such a massive "I think what is wonderful about
impact on me that I personally and cre- Mowgli is that it's a representation
atively needed go beyond and hence the of Kipling's story which appeals to
decision to turn producer too. today' youth," Abhishek added.

Disha Patani: Bharat is very special to me as I bagged

a role opposite Salman Khan so early in my career
KATRINA ON MARRIAGE, CHILDREN:
Was on my mind but didn’t work out;
D
isha Patani made her Bollywood debut in
2016 with the film MS Dhoni: The Untold
Story in which she starred alongside love will come to me at the right time
K
Sushant Singh Rajput. The actress later acted in atrina Kaif will be seen playing an I’m sure there’s a bigger hand that
Kung Fu Yoga and Baaghi 2. unusual character of a superstar shapes your destiny.”
Her last release Baaghi 2 alongside Tiger herself on screen in Aanand L Katrina was in a serious
Shroff was a blockbuster at the box office. Rai’s Zero. relationship for around
Currently, the actress is busy with the shooting The movie also starring Shah Rukh 5 years with Ranbir
of Ali Abbas Zafar’s Bharat. Khan and Anushka Sharma will see a new Kapoor before their public
The film stars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in side of the actress, which was definitely breakup in 2016. 
the lead role. In Bharat, Disha Patani will be not an easy one to portray. Speaking  Katrina also says that
playing Salman Khan’s sister’s role. The duo has on length about the impact it left in her bad experience does not
been shooting since July for the film. The cast has real life, Katrina also got candid about deter her from believing
shot for the film at various locations like Mumbai, her love life, if marriage and children and “feeling” a Mills and
Malta and Chandigarh. is on cards for her in an interview with Boon romance.
In Bharat, Salman and Disha will be seen doing the media.  She added, “I know love
some breath taking action scenes. In an interview She opened up about marriage saying will come to me at the right
with DNA, the stunning actress said that 2018 has that it was on her mind a few years back time when I least expect
been a great year for her. but since things didn’t work out the it. I could drop a book
About working with Salman Khan, the actress way she hoped, she last left everything at the airport and as I
to universe. bend down to pick it
said, "Bharat has been very special to me since
Katrina said, “It was on my mind but up, someone else
I bagged a role opposite Salman Khan so early in
it didn’t work out and you have to keep goes down on his
my career. My role in Bharat has been the most
"Bharat following the path set for you in life. I hunches too, to
challenging one so far."
has been don’t stress about it now. I fought that help me. I would
 Bharat also stars Sunil Grover, Jackie battle and am at peace with the fact that look up, our
very special to me
Shroff, Tabu and Nora Fatehi in pivotal roles. some things didn’t turn eyes would
since I bagged a role "It
The film is all set to hit the silver screens on opposite Salman out the way I had lock and in
Eid next year.  was on my
Khan so early in hoped for. Now, mind but it didn’t that instant…
 On the personal front, she is in a steady my career." I’ve left it to the work out and you have (Clicks her
relationship with her Baaghi 2 co-star Tiger universe and to fingers) love
to keep following the
Shroff. However, the couple has never officially God because path set for you in life." would happen!” 
accepted of being in a relationship.
 The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018 ENTERTAINMENT 29

Supriya Pathak reveals why playing

a mother on-screen excites her
V
eteran actress Supriya Pathak, who played an
unwed mother in Masoom and an unschooled
mom in Wake Up Sid, knows that she plays a
mother all the time, but they are different. She says she
tries to bring in variations in her roles -- and she always
finds them exciting.
The quinquagenarian has attained a cult status in
the country for playing Hansa Parekh in the comedy
franchise Khichdi. But the audience also loves her work
in films like Bazaar, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela
and Delhi-6. While she has played various characters
in her Bollywood career that started in the early 1980s,
one thing she accepts is that she often gets to essay a
mother's role in movies.
"I know that I play a mother all the time, but different
kinds of mother. Every time I get a role of a mother, I
try to find a different area, person or milieu where I can
put the mother... that's always exciting. That's the age
bracket I am in, so I am going to get a mother's role. It's
me who has to make it more interesting and find things
to do in it," Supriya said.
Even in Tigers, which released in India last month on
ZEE5, she plays a mother.
"I found the subject to be relevant and an important
issue to be brought forward. I feel that cinema, if made
entertainingly with a certain meaning, reaches out to
a lot more people. It makes them aware of issues or
things that help people to understand what's around
them," she explained.
"It was a kind of subject that needed to be told,"
she added about the movie that tells the story of a
salesman, who works for an international company
that manufactures baby formula products. When he who had starred in the 1985 Malayalam movie
discovers that the products have killed hundreds of Akalathe Ambili.
children, he decides to expose the company. "Those days, a lot of Hindi films were made
Directed by Oscar winner Danis Tanovic, the film in south India. Then also, it was much more
had premiered at the Toronto International Film organised than in Mumbai or north India. My
Festival back in 2014. idea of south (Indian film industry)
"I feel that a film made with so much of hard work, was always that it was more
if it doesn't see the light of day... that's a feeling of organised and that attracts you
sadness. Being in the profession of acting, we would because it has got discipline.
like our work to be watched by people. That's the People are professionals
reason why we work and if it is not seen, it is upsetting. and, still, there is a
Now that it has come out, we are happy," said Supriya. kind of basic emotion
surrounding it and very
I am very fond of acting. My only interest, work-oriented," said
love and passion is acting. Wherever you put Supriya, whose
me, if you ask me to act, I will be the happiest. I mother tongue is
am ready to explore any avenue, any role. Gujarati.
She wants
Tigers is not her first international film. She had also to experiment
featured in UNindian, which starred former Australian more as an
cricketer Brett Lee. actress.
Asked about working on an international film, she "I am very
said: "I learnt a lot from the director (Tanovic). He was fond of acting. My
very clear with what he wanted. He taught me how to only interest, love and passion
look at a character and be precise." is acting. Wherever you put me,
The year 2018 also saw her making her debut if you ask me to act, I will be
in Telugu filmdom with Aravindha Sametha Veera the happiest. I am ready to
Raghava, helmed by Trivikram Srinivas. explore any avenue, any role.
"I really enjoyed working with the people. It Anything given to me which
was wonderful. I feel I can do something
"My director was a wonderful person. I hope I get with, I will take it up," said the
an opportunity to work there again," said the actress, theatre actress.

I feel more free, feminine in saris: Modelling will always be special:

Kangana Ranaut
S A
aris make me look feminine, says
National Award winning actress Kangana
Ranaut, who has been seen wearing and
experimenting with the six-yard wonder quite
often.
“I discovered sari much later in my life...
I grew up in hills where there is almost no
tradition of wearing saris. But when I became
an artiste, my love for saris started gradually.
Through acting, I got an opportunity to travel
to different places and see different cultures.
That’s how my journey with saris started.
“It (sari) makes me look more feminine.
When I wear a sari, I automatically feel more
free and able to express myself better... There
is some magical power in saris,” the Queen
actress said during the launch of Taneira, a
flagship handloom sari store by Titan.
While talking about the beauty of saris,
Kangana also expressed concern over the
condition of Indian weavers.
“No doubt, the trend of saris is always there,
but not as much as it should be. We a have a
lot to do. Till now, our weavers are suffering.
There were thousands of handicraft firms which
have disappeared. With synthetic fibre gaining
popularity among youth, handloom weavers are
suffering, so we have a long way to go,” she
said.
For the inauguration ceremony of the store,
Kangana was dressed in a handcrafted Banarasi
moonlight blue coloured sari from Taneira’s
collection. She was accompanied by her elder
sister Rangoli.
Asked what’s her favourite sari look,
Kangana smiled and said: “I feel comfortable
in saris the most. Be it my airport sari look with
sneakers or top bun, or be it a complete Indian
traditional look, I love all the looks.”
Giving more details about the collection,
Shyamala Ramanan, Business Head, Titan
Company Limited, said: “Our collection
represents the Indian woman... The main
aim of Taneira is to impart the beauty of our
Indian women through our saris. All saris are
handwoven and made up of natural products.”
Malaika Arora
ctress Malaika Arora, who will be
one of the judges for the auditions of
models for the forthcoming edition of
Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Summer/Resort
2019, says that she is extremely nostalgic about
her modelling days.
“Modelling will always hold a special place
in my life. It marks the start of my journey in
this industry. I am extremely nostalgic about
my early days as a model. I owe everything that
I have learnt to my mentors,” Malaika said. 
Lakme Fashion Week is a platform that
provides aspiring models a launchpad that one
can only dream of. I am thrilled to be a part of
the hunt for fresh talent,” said Malaika.
The actress along with designer duo
Shantanu and Nikhil, show director Anu Ahuja,
Head of Innovations, Lakme – Ashwath
Swaminathan and Vice President and "Modelling
Head of Fashion, IMG Reliance – will always
Jaspreet Chandok will be judging the hold a special place
show.  in my life. It marks
The fashion week is credited with the start of my
launching some of India’s most journey in this
successful models including Deepika Vice President and Head of
industry"
Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Anjali Lama, Fashion at IMG Reliance, Chandok,
Bhumika Arora, Pooja Mor and Kiara said, “Every season, we at Lakme
Advani.  Fashion Week aim at introducing new and fresh
Swaminathan says that he is looking forward talent by providing the ideal platform to make a
to the upcoming edition where new talent promising debut. This season too, we continue
spotted in these auditions will sport the latest our commitment to present fresh talent on the
trends in beauty and fashion at the fashion gala. runway.”

Bollywood wishes long life for Dilip Kumar on 96th birthday

F
rom veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan
to younger talent like Shraddha Kapoor
and Abhishek Bachchan – celebrities
from the film world on Tuesday wished the
legendary Dilip Kumar good health and a long
life on his 96th birthday.
Dilip Kumar, who is confined to his house
due to his frail health, has amassed a huge fan
following with his work in films like Andaz,
Babul, Deedar, Aan, Devdas, Azaad, Naya
Daur, Yahudi, Madhumati, Kohinoor, Mughal-
e-Azam, Gunga Jamuna and Ram Aur Shyam.
As an actor, he last graced the silver screen
in 1998's Qila.
Here's what the celebrities have tweeted:
Amitabh Bachchan: The ultimate master
of his craft -- Dilip Kumar -- Mohammed
Yusuf Khan turns 96. Prayers and duas for his
good health and happiness always. The history
of Indian cinema shall always be written as
'before Dilip Kumar and after Dilip Kumar'.
Shatrughan Sinha: A legend, icon, thespian
and an institution Dilip Kumar. Happy
birthday! The most outstanding, magnificent
and admirable actor of Indian cinema, spanning
a career of six decades. A great humanitarian
and humble human being. Satyajit Ray aptly
named him 'ultimate method actor'.
Subhash Ghai: How can I express this
greatest legend Dilip Kumar. Who taught
me so many values and virtues of life While
making three films with him 'Vidhata', 'Karma',
'Saudagar'. He inspired me to set up Whistling
Woods International for the next generation.
Happy birthday sahib. Saheb... Dilip Kumar. Lots of love and
Abhishek Bachchan: Happy birthday Dilip happiness. God bless always.
Kumar sahab. We pray for your happiness and Karan Tacker: A very happy birthday
good health. Have a wonderful day. Dilip Sahab... Thank you for being such an
Abbas Mustan: Happy Birthday Yusuf inspiration to millions!
 30 FEATURES Friday, December 14, 2018 The Indian Weekender

Humm FM’s ‘Christmas for Kids – 55 Hour Radiothon’ will

bring joy on more than 7700 children’s faces in 2018
SUPPLIED CONTENT and a few listeners couriered gifts Prasad says, “Christmas is a time
from Whangarei, Napier and even as of giving and sharing, as a radio

7
737 kids who would have far as Wellington. A listener, Montu station we provided a platform to
gone without a Christmas who believes Radiothon has become our listeners to come forward and
gift this festive season will a ritual for him and his family came become a Santa for the kids who
now celebrate with a smile as all the way from Whakatane to would have gone without a present
hundreds of Humm FM listeners donate gifts at Humm FM Station. this Christmas”.
walked through the doors with gifts Humm FM started the trend of Roshila says, this year a lot of new
making Christmas for Kids 55 Hour ‘Christmas for Kids Radiothon’ listeners joined the cause and as a
Radiothon a milestone. in 2015 which lasted for 54 hours community we are proud to make a
Humm 106.2FM’s Breakfast Show and nearly 2000 gifts were donated difference in thousands of kids’ life.
Host, Vijay, Drive Show Hosts Dev to the Auckland City Mission for She says, this shows the strength of
and Sandy with Ruzbeh went without distribution. In 2016, Vijay, Dev and Humm FM as a radio station.
sleep for 55 hours and stayed On-Air Sandy, decided to go an extra hour The gifts have been handed over to
to appeal for Christmas presents for ( Historically based on GfK Radio ‘Christmas for Kids Radiothon’ on making the radiothon, 55 Hour long the Salvation Army for distribution.
kids, who otherwise, would have Audience Measurement, Commercial Thursday 6th December at midday and nearly 4000 gifts were collected Humm FM congratulates all
gone without the magic of Christmas Radio Stations, Auckland Survey 4 and by 7pm Saturday 8th December, and donated to the Salvation Army listeners who came with their
this festive season. 2018, Cumulative Audience (000.0s), the station was flooded with toys. and last year 5024 gifts were donated family and friends to donate gifts,
Auckland’s undisputed number Mon-Sun 12mn-12mn, People 10+, During Humm FM Radiothon, by Humm FM Listeners. making Christmas for Kids 55 Hour
1* Bollywood Radio- Humm FM, *Hindi Stations Auckland) launched listeners came from all over Auckland Humm FM Director, Roshila Radiothon 2018, a milestone.

the premier South Auckland venue, Vodafone

Events Centre.
FunFest Charitable Trust was formed in 2002
with the sole purpose of creating a free event
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The most visited Indian news

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See details on our FB page / event and website country and all ages. 

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Stores, Dairies, Supermarkets and Liquor Stores. He also has vast exposure in Date: Monday, December 31 - Tuesday, Chinese festival, celebrating the year of the pig,
the hospitality sector. Shaun has sold many businesses and has helped hundreds
January 1 from Thursday 14 – Sunday 17 February, in the
of buyers and sellers of petrol stations and convenience stores throughout New
Zealand. Shaun understands both sides of the transaction from the perspective Time: 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Auckland Domain.
of both the buyer and the seller as he is a former successful business owner as Venue: Sky Tower, Corner Victoria & Federal Be entertained and dazzled by hundreds of
he had owned and successfully run a big BP Service Station & thoroughly
Street, Auckland handmade Chinese lanterns, music and dance
understands how it works.
Let’s get together and Welcome 2019 in Grand performances, martial arts demonstrations,
Shaun offers the degree of professional service that effectively brings business style. Hosted by Indian Students in New Zealand traditional Chinese art and craft – there’s a range
buyers and sellers together to experience successful and desirable outcomes. of activities for all ages.
Shaun has a nationwide network of contacts and a track record of success,
Plus, it’s free to attend!
receiving many referrals from satisfied buyers and sellers. Trillian Trust FunFest 2019 If you’re all about the lanterns and less about the
For a confidential, no obligation discussion about the sale of your business please Date: Thursday, Janurary 10 - Sunday, crowds, be sure to head to the Domain on 14
give me a call on 029 770 9767 or send an email to shaunk@abcbusiness.co.nz February for the lantern appreciation night (there
January 13
Time: 9 a.m. onwards will be no stalls, live entertainment or food on
2015/2 2013 Venue: Vodafone Event Centre, 770 Great this night).
201
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RISING Shaun Khanna South Road, Manukau, Auckland Keep an eye out for the full festival programme,
STAR 029 770 9767
E VIDEO OF TH E
RUNN YEAR RUNN YEAR
Life Education Trust Counties Manukau is really available in 2019.
LISTER E YEAR ER-U
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shaunk@abcbusiness.co.nz excited to be the principal beneficiary of 2019’s For more information on the Auckland Lantern
Trillian Trust FunFest. Festival, visit www.aucklandnz.com/lantern, and
029 770 9767 www.businessesforsale.co.nz
Licensed REAA 2008 A free for all the family event which is based in follow What’s on in AucklandFacebook page!

Annual Children & Youth Summer Camp 2019 Glitter Jewellers names winners of Diwali
Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust is organizing the Annual Summer competition
Camp’ 2019 from 7th Jan’2019 to 11th Jan’2019 for Children aged 6 SUPPLIED CONTENT

G
to 14 years at Mt Roskill War Memorial Hall, 13 May Road, Mt Roskill.
litter Jewellers in Manurewa ran a
Aimed at enrichment of the young minds,we focus on imparting skills Double Dhamaka Sale during the Diwali
like personality development, leadership, community involvement, season this year giving the customers
understanding of multiple cultures/ethnicity, at an early age. a chance to win prizes additional to the
This is done through our activities/workshops which will include discounts offered.
Sports, Yoga, Creative craft, Computer workshops, Music, Dance, This season saw more than 600 customers
Motivational and Communication Skill sessions and much more to participating in this contest over 40 days. Earlier
polish and groom the young ones. last week, Glitter jewellers announced the
winners who went into the draw to win a 50-inch
For more information and enrollment please contact: Sony Smart TV and Sony Soundbar.
Jeet Suchdev QSM JP on 0212221020 Customer Harpreet Singh from Manurewa its valued customers for participating in the draw
won the 50-inch smart TV, and Ms Shivani from and congratulated the winners of the prizes.
Ruchika Agarwal on 620 0579 / 021 08881461or
Papatoetoe won the Sony Soundbar. Glitter Jewellers is located on 2/216 Great
email bsct1995@gmail.com/jeet@xtra.co.nz South Road, Manurewa.
Glitter Jewellers director Manoj Singh thanked
 The Indian Weekender Friday, December 14, 2018 FEATURES 31

GETTING READY TO WELCOME TEAM INDIA 

T
he team at New Zealand Cricket are getting ready for a To get set for the season New Zealand Cricket is reaching out With the historic nature of the tour featuring both the men’s
massive summer season ahead with tours from India’s to community groups and teams around the country to spread and women’s teams NZC want as many people to be involved
Men’s and Women’s teams. the word about Team India’s Tour.  as possible! 

Schedule
Boundary Rider Seating in VIP Boundary Rider area (1 meal
provided, including parent/guardian)

W
in the chance to get close to the action and
become a boundary rider during the NZ vs
India Series this summer. You and a friend
could field beyond the boundary during the upcoming
WHITE FERNS and BLACKCAPS games.
Boundary Riders entrants must be aged
between 10-14 years old.
Prize pack includes:
Entry and accreditation for you and a friend (plus
entry for one parent/guardian) to be part of the
Boundary Rider squad for the day
Boundary Rider t-shirt and cap
NZC giveaways
Opportunity to capture selfies with players and
player signatures
Opportunity to be part of the welcoming crew as
players enter onto the field
One lucky South Island winner (+1 friend & 1 adult)
will be flown to a game selected at NZC’s discretion,
T&C’s apply.
Apply: http://www.nzc.nz/community/boundary-
rider
 24 SUPPORT
7

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