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February 18, 2011
Volume 2, No. 22
New Zealand’s first Indian weekend magazine
For free distribution

Heritage | 26 Bollywood | 20 Travel | 28

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Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 1

Indian
New
NewZealand
Zealand

Teenagers rock stage, walk into hearts

Every teenager that participated in last weekend’s It was a tough competition between the contes- functions. Organiser Tanya
Tanya Arts-Indian Weekender presented Miss and tants until the eminent judges found the top six and Mehra taught these teens to Miss Te
Master Teen India contest – irrespective of whether after that it was all about their individual calibre give their hundred percent 1st Run en
ner u
they won the top accolades or not – showed the audi- and overall performance. Judges took their time to throughout the preparation Sheylee p:
n
ence what a bright future lay ahead of them, as they declare the result and come up with the right deci- phase.
strutted in the arc lights brimming with confidence sion. Six boys and girls each
and showcasing their talent with such elan. Apart from the awards and accolades that the were shortlisted from contes-
The show was a resounding success, thanks to participants won, the grand prize of the event is a tants twice than number for
them and the dedicated teams that worked backstage chance to gain exposure in Bollywood, thanks to the both sexes.
for months. Everyone’s hard work shone throughout offer by one of the judges, noted Bollywood director The top six were:
the event. The audience lapped it all up throughout Roopesh Rai Sikand, who will promote their talent Miss Teen: Syba, Mona,
the four-hour show. in one of the world’s great movie industries – Bol- Jyne, Jannine, Sheyleen, Jyo
Both girls and boys looked fabulous in their lywood. Master Teen: Vinny, Nikhil,
stylish outfits – Western and Indian for the girls and Mr Sikand, who came all the way from India (and Jai, Hotanya, Richie, Imran Miss Te
e
emerging styles of Indian garments for boys that
were all trendy.
was featured in Indian Weekender issue of February
4), was one of four judges at the event: Justin Brown,
And the winners are…
Syba Dhatt who was spon-
Winner: n
The crowd went into a tizzy showering every well known presenter of 97.4 FM, writer and editor, sored by “Poojaz Desiner Fash- Syba
participant with rounds of spontaneous applause as Farida Master (former editor of several top Indian ions” won the The Miss Teen
each model displayed their catwalk, styles and per- publication and Indian Weekender columnist) and title and Richie Agarwal scooped
sonality. Arnold du Toit, ex-Mr. World New Zealand. Master Teen. Jannine and Nikhil were the first
Miss Teen
Tanya Arts runners up while Vinny Dhatt and Sheyleen were Runner up:
has given a ter- adjudged second runners up. Jannine
rific platform to Every participant was recognised for their
these talented talents, style and appearance and were awarded mul-
teenagers to tiple prizes and titles in a range of categories.
display their The fillers were equally absorbing and the per-
talent and gain formances memorable. The groups who performed
confidence as on the night were Beat Box, Khote Sikkay, Brahm-
they were put acharis and future Miss and Master Teen. The crowd
through the went wild and crazy. a family.”
paces in a highly “I am just a trainer and the rest totally depend The show that drew dozens of sponsors was made
disciplined upon the participants,” Tanya Mehra told Indian possible by the tireless efforts of Faisal, Harneet
routine across Weekender. “In my three months’ training, I always Kaur, Manan Walia , Raja Sandhu , Jazil Mistry,
three months. taught my participants to be responsible, have faith, Shiva Mandap, Club Sapphire ,Fozia Yousuf , Street
Master Their style and commitment, respect for your elders/parents, and of Cred . Thank you very much for your uninterrupted
Te
Winner: en Master Teen
Master
T
elan carried the course for the Judges and their final decisions.” and selfless support.
1st Run een day despite a She says wins and losses are milestones in life For those who missed the live show, remember to
Richie Runner up: n e r u p:
Vinny couple of co- and one must learn from them. “As far as I am con- look up schedules on Triangle TV.
Nikhil
ordination mal- cerned they all are winners for me and we all are like -Indian Weekender correspondent

2 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
New Zealand

Conquering the Himalayas on a 150cc bike

DEV NADKARNI titude of 15,000ft, stay at hotels during nights tition,” Parishrut said.
Parishrut Jhina is crazy about motorbikes. He and sometimes just in tents outside, in the Professional and amateurs are classified
lives, breathes, eats and sleeps motorbikes. For freezing mountain temperatures. separately, inviting anyone who dares up into
the 25-year-old student who works as a bakery Because of the low octane in Indian and the mountains. Despite the rugged, wild sound
chef in Auckland, motorbikes are not just Tibetan fuel, some riders are even burdened of the terrain the organization running the Raid
style statements but the avenue for participat- with carrying extra fuel for themselves. There is meticulous and careful in removing as many
ing in what he calls “ultimate adventure”. are road checks every 30 kilometers to make danger-risks as humanly possible. There is a
It was this passion for the two-wheelers sure no competitors have wandered off-course. rigorous pre-race tech inspections in addition
that forced the The sport is certainly not for the faint to health and tech inspections along the way.
young man to hearted and can Back in New Zealand, Parishrut prac-
travel to India frighten people tices and participates in rallies around the
and take part who are not up to country. Sponsors for the sport are few and far
in the Maruti the challenge. between and it is a struggle to persevere with
Suzuki Raid de In all 167 par- his passion, he says. His long time mentor
Himalaya 2010 ticipants regis- Vikram takes him around in a trailer truck
rally. The route tered up for the with special clamps to hold bikes. Parishrut
passes through adventure, which pays $50 a day for the privilege of practice
one of the most included 54 mo- on the tracks.
difficult and torcyclists, 43 Though he won first place in his category
competitors in the with an unmodified, 150cc, Indian-made On the dirt track…
inhospitable
natural terrains 4 wheel X-treme bike, the shiny, silver plated trophy was not ac-
for motorbikes version and 70 companied by a cheque or any monetary com-
in the western in the 4 wheel ponent. Like any other sport that is not cricket,
Himalayas. Adventure Trail it is hard to find sponsors in the subcontinent.
It runs a version. Among Pursuing his studies and working at the
length of 2000 Parishrut being awarded the trophy the motorcy- same time, Parishrut’s heart lies in two-wheel-
km of barely tarred roads, dirt tracks and slush clists, there were er rallying. He hopes to participate in more
caused by rain. Riders have to often encoun- 5 Austrians, 2 from the US and one each from challenging rallies and is doing the hard yards
ter freezing weather conditions. It covers some Canada and New Zealand. with whatever equipment he can lay his hands
of the highest motorable places in the world, Parishrut rode to glory in the formidable on and tracks he can afford to ride on in New
including the famous Spiti valley and Patseo rally winning the trophy in the ‘Unmodified Zealand.
(4830 metres), Sarchu (4551m) in Lahaul valley, Indian Bike’ category, and also bagged overall Anybody out there who can help catapult
and the formidable Baralacha la (4883m). eighth position in the challenging Motoquad Parishrut to the next level?
The bikers struggle on through inclement (Xtreme Section). You can watch the challenge at:
weather, with numbed and chilled limbs, fre- “It was awesome to take part in the Raid ht t p://w w w.yout ube.com /
quent tosses and shattering, not to mention along with so many professional bikers. It was watch?v=BTDxsdk4qb8
spinal jerks. They spend nearly a week on so wonderful to bag the top spot in one of the http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooBU8j
course spending at least two days above an al- categories. I enjoyed taking part in the compe- 1EsLY&feature=channel

Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 3

 Indian
New Zealand
After ‘honour killing’ it is ‘forced teen marriage’
Close on the heels of the “honour killing” label that immediately defaming the hardworking Sikh com- nities and they condemn this practice. As a member Committee has sent a letter to the journalist that reads:
the mainstream New Zealand media gave Indians fol- munity who have made a great contribution to New of Justice and Electoral select committee we heard a “We are really disappointed with the article written
lowing the alleged homicide in the Waikato, it is now Zealand.” petition in November 2009 in this regard and made in Sunday Star Times “Teens forced into marriages”.
squarely accusing the Sikh and Muslim communities Asked what these ulterior motives could be, Mr some recommendations to the Minister of Justice. I hope your article is based on related proof and is not
of being involved in “as many as 50 forced and teen Singh said, “I believe the agenda is much wider in that “The petition focused on forced marriages and just an allegation on the Muslim and the Sikh com-
marriages a year”. they are trying to criticise our sacred system of ar- relationships in the nature of marriage. It raised con- munity.
Another parallel between the Waikato episode and ranged marriages so the immigrants coming through cerns across the racial, ethnic, and religious spectrum. “As you know this is a very serious issue and by
this new one concerning Sikhs and Muslims is that this system should be stopped.” It did not focus on Sikhs and Muslims specifically. publishing this article you are accusing both the com-
Shila Nair, who works with the NGO Shakti, has been Spokesman of the Auckland Sikh Society, Ajit The Sikh and Muslim communities have quite under- munities, religious leaders and the holy places where
quoted in the media perpetrating the “teen marriage” these marriages take place. As the chairperson of
story just as Hamilton’s Roy Vellara sought to colour NZICA Women Committee I haven’t come across or
the grossly erroneous “honour killings” story by wan- heard of any cases like this.
tonly giving it a regional flavour. “If what your article discusses is true I would like
Sikh community leaders in New Zealand are ex- to be involved in rectifying the situation. It is hard for
tremely disappointed with the contents of the article us to believe that this is happening in NZ as children
that appeared in Fairfax media’s Stuff website – as are born here know their rights very well. I wonder why
people from the larger Indian diaspora. Shila Nair did not contact the community leaders,
Several eminent leaders contacted Indian Week- police or other women’s organisations before going to
ender following publication of the article. President of the media?
the oldest Indian organisation in the country, the New “Don’t you find it surprising that the Muslim and
Zealand Indian Central Association (NZICA) Paul Sikh community are unaware of any underage mar-
Singh Bains said, “It is very damaging and degrad- riages being performed. I would like to meet Shila
ing for the Sikh and Muslim communities throughout Nair, you and some of the girls affected. Hopefully it
New Zealand. We at NZICA are disturbed that such wouldn’t be hard to get 5-6 victims to meet with the
articles are being allowedto be published in papers Photos of: Paul Singh Bains, Prithipal Singh & Ranjana Patel NZICA Women Committee to support your statement
like the Sunday Star Times. Journalists like Michael ‘As many as 50 underage New Zealand girls a year are
Field should research their stories thoroughly before Singh Randhawa said he had spoken to journalist standably taken offence at the suggestions made in the being forced into marriages...’”
writing. Michael Field. “I spoke with Mr Field at the Sunday Sunday Star Times article. Dr. Anil Channa a medical practitioner and ex-
“Even if there was an isolated case, it is just not Star Times and laid out the concerns of the Sikh Com- “The Justice and Electoral Select Committee has ecutive committee member of the Manukau Indian
appropriate to tarnish the entire community. My munity about the defamatory character of its news heard submissions on this issue and taken advice Association who is an active community worker and
question is if a New Zealand European was reported item, particularly after Shila Nair from Shakti denied from officials from the Ministry of Justice. We have leader condemns any under age or forced marriage in
involved in such activity would the journalist blame to me about specifically mentioning the Sikh Com- reported back to Parliament and raised a number of any community and also strongly condemns labelling
the Church group as well? The journalist needs to be munity. issues. We have also recommended that the Minister an entire community for the actions of a few. He went
taken to task for such baseless reporting.” “Mr Field said this was a recycled news item first of Justice, Hon Simon Power, consider an appropriate further to question the credibility of Shakti and his
Prithipal Singh Basra, MNZM, President of brought out by TVNZ based on submissions made by response to those issues. I understand the Minister experience of dealing with this organisation has been
Global Indians and a marriage celebrant said, “We Shakti to Parliament for an amendment to the mar- will do this in due course.” less than satisfactory. He considers that it is about time
condemn this statement as this is made without any riage Act. He claimed to have contacted or e-mailed a Senior community leader Ranjana Patel, QSM the community got together and exposed some of the
proof or evidence to support this news item other than few sikh organisations but got no response. and President of the Manukau Indian Association and activities.
a frivolous comment from Shila Nair. “I told him that the Auckland Sikh Society had not also member of the National Advisory Council on A Joint statement issued by the Supreme Sikh
“I would say that we should seriously look at the received any email or phone call from him. This sort Employment for Women categorically stated that she Council of New Zealand leader Daljit Singh and
credibility of the Shakti organisation as this is funded of reporting is unpardonable and the Sikh community had never heard of any forced teen marriages in the Ranvir Singh Lali, NZ Sikh Society Auckland
by New Zealand government to look after and present will denounce such reports aimed at defaming them.” Sikh community. Spokesman Manpreet Singh and Rajinder Singh, NZ
the true views of New Zealand Indians so policies Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, National Party MP and Ms Patel also runs one of the largest chain of Sikh Society Tauranga’s Ram Singh, NZ Sikh Society
can be formulated to help the women who sometimes himself a Sikh said, “In that article there were claims medical practices in South Auckland and on going Palmerston North’s Sandeep Singh, NZ Sikh Society
suffer injustices. that as many as 50 underage New Zealand girls a year through her records could find only 1 pregnancy under Central Auckland West’s Harpreet Singh Gill and Da-
“I have spent 42 years serving the Sikh commu- are being forced into marriages by Sikh and Muslim the age of 16, which was not a case of forced marriage vinder Singh Jolly strongly condemned the defama-
nity. I have never come across this under age forced religious leaders who abuse a loophole in the Marriage or preganancy. It is pertinent to mention that she has tory statement issued by the Shakti group.
marriage problem. If Shila thinks otherwise, then she Act. over 105,000 patients registered with their group and The leaders have expressed shock with the article
should present us with proof so we can investigate it “The issue of forced marriages is of concern to ev- out of that 19000 are from Indian orgin. Ms Patel is being published without picking up inconsistencies
further. eryone. Identifying this within the Sikh and Muslim also a marriage celebrant and is active amongst the and technical points in Shakti’s information provided
“We should all unite and oppose this statement as community’s is not appropriate. I have had discussions wider community. to the newspaper.
this may have many other ulterior motives other than with the leaders of both the Sikh and Muslim commu- Gurpreet Kaur, chairwoman of NZICA’s Women’s -Indian Weekender correspondents

Nalini hits bestseller mark, again

Fiji-born New with the Dragon Tattoo fame, and American having appeared on it eight times with previ- Hachette NZ after Orion picked up United
Zealand author James Patterson. ous releases, Singh was still thrilled. Kingdom and Commonwealth rights.
Nalini Singh “To make the New York Times bestseller “It’s always the most amazing feeling to Singh was born in Fiji and raised in New
has again burst list is an incredible achievement, and it is ex- see my name on the list. I’m incredibly excited Zealand. She spent three years living and
through the New tremely unusual for a New Zealander to reach that so many readers are enjoying my books,” working in Japan, during which time she took
York Times best- these heights,” managing director of publisher Singh told the Herald. the chance to travel around Asia.
seller list with Hachette NZ Kevin Chapman told the New With 22 titles to her name, she currently She has worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a
A r c h a n g e l’s Zealand Herald. writes two ongoing paranormal romance series candy factory general hand, a bank temp and
Consort, at No 8 on the mass market fiction “Nalini has shown herself to be in the top – The Guild Hunter and the Psy-Changeling. an English teacher, though not necessarily in
list. tier of international authors.” that order.
The former Mt Roskill Grammar student’s Archangel’s Consort is the third book in Despite her success in America, Singh was “Some might call that inconsistency but I
latest book is sandwiched between mega-sell- Singh’s bestselling “Guild Hunter” series. relatively unknown here until recently, when call it grist for the writer’s mill,” she said.
ing authors, Swede Stieg Larsson of the Girl While was no stranger to the New York list, her books became widely available through Singh lives in Auckland.

4 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
New Zealand
Bank of Baroda predicts big growth in NZ
strong adherence to prudent banking norms and said
DEV NADKARNI this was responsible for most Indian public sector
India’s Minister of State for Finance, Namo Narain banks’ strong performance through what was widely
Meena formally inaugurated Bank of Baroda New seen as a worldwide recessionary period.
Zealand’s operations at its premises on Auckland’s “The Indian regulatory authority [the Reserve
Dominion Road on Friday February 4. Bank of India] has very strict capital adequacy
Also attending the opening ceremony and cel- norms which all banks have to stick to. This pre-
ebrations was M D Mallya, the Chairman and Man- vents over leverage and helps maintain liquidity,” Mr
aging Director of the bank’s Indian parent, Bank of Mallya said.
Baroda and its General Manager for overseas op- Bank of Baroda had set itself an even higher
erations V H Thatte, among capital adequacy ratio
hundreds of members of that what was prescribed
the Indian and Fijian Indian by the Reserve Bank o
communities. India, Mr Mallya added.
Sanskrit prayers were Bank of Baroda
chanted before the minister NZ Managing Direc-
cut the ribbon. The premises tor Satish Vermani said
was then blessed in Hindu New Zealand’s 19th
and Maori tradition. commercial bank which
Though the bank’s ser- was given licence by the
vices were soft launched Reserve Bank of New
in June last year, its full Zealand in late 2009, had
fledged services were made Bank of Baroda India Chairman and Managing Director garnered about 1100 cus-
operational this week. The M D Mallya lights the ceremonial lamp at the bank’s tomers.
Auckland premises as Indian Minister of State for
bank gained popularity Finance Namo Narain Meena and BOBNZ Managing But the bank was
over the past six months Director Satish Vermani look on mainly patronised by
mainly of its money trans- the Indian diaspora,
fer service to India, which with more than 95% of
offers instant money trans- account holders being of
fers to any branch in India Indian origin, one of the
and transfers with only managers revealed.
a few hours delay for ac- When Indian Week-
counts in other Indian bank ender asked why despite
branches. 60 years of global ex-
Speaking to Indian pansion the bank still
Weekender shortly after the had Indians as its cus-
formal inauguration, Mr tomer focus, Mr Mallya
Mallya said the Indian com- said it was because of a
munity’s response to the (L-R) Bank of Baroda New Zealand directors Vijaya combination of reasons.
Vaidyanath, Labour MP Rajen Prasad, Satish Vermani,
bank since the soft launch Namo Narain Meena, National MP Kanwaljit Singh The bank tended to
was encouraging. “At this Bakshi and M D Mallya follow the Indian dias-
rate, I am sure the bank pora around the world
will soon establish new setting up banks wher-
branches in the country.” ever Indian business-
He indicated that the next people settled. This
branches were likely to be meant a preponderance
opened in South Auckland, of Indian clientele.
followed by Wellington and “But over time this
Christchurch. changes,” Mr Mallya
Bank of Baroda is said. “In Kenya and
India’s second largest bank South Africa, Bank of
and the only Indian bank in Baroda is as much a
New Zealand. It is the only local bank as their own
Indian bank in 10 of the 26 Mr Mallya addresses the media with Mr Vermani banks and the clientele
countries where it has es- has large numbers of
tablished operations since its first foreign foray in local people.”
Kenya in 1953. It established in Fiji fifty years ago. This scenario was likely to be played out in New
In its hundred plus year history the bank never Zealand too, he said.
recorded a loss, Mr Mallya said. Details of the bank’s Mr Mallya and Mr Vermani both assured that
many achievements were detailed in speeches fol- the bank would develop products and practices that
lowing the inauguration: the bank has 84 offices in suited the New Zealand business environment. “It is
26 countries, some 3300 branches and a whopping important to develop a product the customer needs
39 million customers across the globe. About 25% rather than try to see a product you already have,
of its business comes from its overseas operations. which may not be best suited,” Mr Mallya said.
Outlining the bank’s plans in New Zealand, Mr The Indian entourage later met with the Indian
Mallya said the bank had already started building community at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at a
its lending portfolio. About 52% of this comprised function arranged by the New Zealand Central
housing mortgages and the rest other forms of credit, Indian Association and the Auckland Indian Asso-
he told Indian Weekender. ciation.
The rather small capital of US$40 million for a As well as minister Meena and Mr Mallya, Na-
bank of its size was not a limiting factor, Mr Mallya tional Party Member of Parliament Kanwaljit Singh
said. “The parent bank is always available to help in- Bakshi, AIA President Harshad Patel, NZICA
crease this. But [BOBNZ] will also be taking depos- President Paul Singh Bains and General Secretary
its from local customers and this would help increase Raj Thandi spoke at the function, with the minister
the lending portfolio.” outlining India’s economic progress and his govern-
Bank of Baroda was deemed India’s best bank ment’s future plans.
last year and Mr Mallya, the nation’s best banker. He said this was an important time in the rela-
This was based on hard performance figures, Mr tionship between the two countries as they stood on
Mallya told Indian Weekender when asked how this the threshold of a free trade agreement.
was determined. Mr Mallya said that the minister was keenly in-
For instance, the bank’s non performing assets terested in developing the banking sector and helped
(bad loans) in its entire lending portfolio was 0.3% catalyse changes to improve services. He also said
compared to the average of about 1.5% of India’s the bank was excited at the prospect of increased
other public sector banks. trade between the two countries because of the im-
Despite the recession, the bank had considerably pending FTA. Trade had already increased 25% in
increased both its volume of business and its profit, the past two years, he said.
Mr Mallya said. The bank hosted a dinner for about 250 guests
“Because of the trouble that other western banks drawn from a section of the Indian community.
were in, Bank of Baroda was in a position to take Reserve Bank of New Zealand Deputy Governor
advantage of the situation thanks to its sound balance Grant Spencer, Bank of Baroda NZ directors Rajen
sheet and robust banking practices and cherry pick Prasad and Vijaya Vaidyanath, minister Meena, Mr
clientele, which helped increase business,” he said. Mallya, Mr Thatte and Mr Vermani spoke on the oc-
He commended the Indian banking system’s casion.

Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 5

Indian
New Zealand

Are you ready for real red hot curry?

The much anticipated Curry Munchers premieres next week and our sneak peek tells us that you will not be disap-
pointed and only ask for more curry. Our contest had a fantastic response and the winners are listed on this page. This
week we continue the series of interviews with the cast and crew of this amazing film that began three issues back…

True blue Kiwi in the middle of a curry Meet Gaurav Gupta

Meet Alison, the tireless restaurant hand and team backbone of Curry Munchers Line producer, Curry Munchers
1. Do you eat curry? If so, what is your favou-
rite curried dish? Am I satisfied with my performance? Never ask an ARVIND KUMAR down under, we would have such good talent and
I do eat curry. I like a good vege curry or dhal. I actor that, we can’t be objective about our own work hard working professionals.
haven’t had any Indian food since we shot the film - I so will always say no! Of course there are scenes that Watching a good movie on the big screen is and en-
was all curried out after five weeks of curry on set! I think could have gone better, but over all I am happy joyable experience. How it gets to the big screen is How hard was it accessing the bureaucracy
that we got through the shoot and got the whole script another matter. of councils/governments to get permission
2. What attracted you to the role in Curry
shot. It was quite an undertaking in a limited amount The hard work that goes behind the scenes is some- for shooting in certain locations?
Munchers . . .? of time, and we would never have a finished film thing moviegoers rarely think about.
It was such a long time ago, way back in 2008, that without such an amazing crew and everyones dedica- Gaurav Gupta is line producer for the movie “Curry New Zealand is very ‘film friendly’ indeed. I have
I saw the role of Mary in Curry Munchers. I think I tion and commitment. I guess the real proof will be in Munchers” which premieres in New Zealand the- shot in India, France, Germany and now NZ. It hasn’t
read the role and thought that not only was I a good fit the pudding! atres on February 21. been tough as there are set practices & procedures.
for the part but that Mary was in many ways very like “Curry Munchers”, produced by Mahayana Films, But if you think big, it may get tough.
me. She comes from different and jointly presented by Indian
4. What do you think of
circumstances than I, but I think Weekender, is a light-hearted
the plot of Curry Munch- The cast? Was it difficult
we have a similar temperament. comedy about love, hope – and
ers and its potential finding appropriate cast in
3. Did the role in Curry some hot and spicy curry. It is
appeal to the international New Zealand?
Munchers (playing the a story of change, chasing one’s
audience? Not exactly. There are a lot
leading lady) challenge dreams and the challenges one of talented people here, but
I think Curry Munchers will
you as an actor? Were you faces when faced with the situ- most of them keep traveling to
resonate particularly with cer-
satisfied with your perfor- tain people, possibly those who ation of re-location and resettle- Australia or US. However the
mance? are immigrants, and anyone ment. director Cristobal was more
The fact that Mary is a lead char- facing any kind of assimilation. Gaurav tells how Curry involved in casting.
acter in the film made playing the Munchers took shape . . . from
5. Are you keen on over-
role no more of a challenge than the beginning. The shooting? Could you
seas offers, and do you
were she a minor part. You still have done better with a
have to give 100% commitment think your role in Curry What is your favourite
Munchers helps expose bigger budget? What was
to the role and character no mat- curry?
ter what the size. In fact in many you to a bigger group of the most difficult aspect of
Shahi Paneer … paneer &
ways it is easier to find the character in a bigger role, talent scouts? gravy always go hand-in-hand making this movie?
because you have more to draw from in the script. As an actor and film maker I am keen to be involved Obviously! Budget was the most
The challenge with playing a lead in a film comes in good projects no matter where they are filmed in When did you first hear worrying factor; but having said
with the increased work load - the number of scenes the world. I am living overseas at present, audition- that, we had a great crew who
about Curry Munchers
you are in and the amount of time on set, and the ing and shooting projects in Canada. And if Curry went to lengths to make this
Munchers is seen by an overseas audience, then of and how were you roped
subsequent amount of time off set you have to spend movie happen. They all had a zeal.
course it will be bigger exposure. in?
dissecting the script and your role. I had to be disci-
6. Curry Munchers is a movie low on budget Anand, the producer and lead actor of CM contacted
plined in the use of my time, making sure I got all the What do you think about the New Zealand
me when he wanted to start the production by shoot-
work done and got enough sleep, so that I wasn’t tired but big on heart as it is made by a group of movie industry as compared with Bolly-
ing in India. I was based in Delhi at that time and the
on set the next day. people who are passionate about making wood where you come from?
shoot was easy for me to plan the shoot there. But
good movies right here in New Zealand. we covered the most difficult locations like the Jama
Some scenes just came naturally and were fun, but Your thoughts? NZ movie industry is definitely smaller; but has huge
there were also some challenging scenes where Mary Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Daryaganj, India Gate… potential. We should stop looking at Hollywood or
Number 8 wire.... You’ve got to get in there and do it all a Producers nightmare.
either had a different energy or reacted differently to yourself! Huge kudos to everyone involved in taking Bollywood to come and shoot here and go. Why can’t
how I would, so the challenge was to find the truth in Curry Munchers from paper to screen. we develop our own industry, with an International
that for me. What does a line producer do? How did that flavor?
work for Curry Munchers?
A line producer ‘makes it happen’! translating the What is your favourite New Zealand made
script to getting it on screen is a line producers job.
Join the St John-Indian Weekender However in this project, I have worked more than a
movie?

Line producer by definition. It has been a passion and I saw Sione’s Wedding as part of the research, and
a mission to see this movie through. found it appealing. Even Boy was a great film.. there
ambulance project & help the community... was something in it that still lingers on..
Are you glad you became involved in this
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6 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
India
Briefs
India-UAE trade grows
300%: Sharma
Saif-Kareena to get engaged? cratic framework of governance. We are
proud of our traditionally close relations
Mumbai: Speculations are ripe that the’ with the people of Egypt and wish them
hottest’ couple of B-town, Saif Ali Khan peace, stability and prosperity.” Egyp-
peration in
l trad e betw een India with considerable scope for coo and Kareena Kapoor are planning to get tians erupted in joyful emotions and
hi: Bila tera nten ance of
New Del
registered tourism is construction and mai engaged formally. However, the glamor- chanted “we did it” as Hosni Mubarak
and United Arab Emirates has hotels. ous duo has no plans of getting mar- bowed before the unrelenting pro-
in the last
an increase over 300 percent Sharma said that since UAE
is focusing
ried soon, despite their engagement, democracy protests and stepped down
Uni on Min iste r of Com mer ce and with
five years, on knowledge based industries reported Mumbai-based DNA newspa- from power on Friday after ruling the
ustr y Ana nd Sha rma said here on ers in spa ce,
and Ind India emerging as world lead country for 30 years. Mubarak handed
-tec h- per. Kareena, who is still in the peak of
Thursday. rma ceu tica ls, and bio
akin g at a mee ting wit h agriculture, pha her acting career, feels that it is not the over power to the Supreme Council for
Sharma was spe scope for co-
de Sheikha nology, there is considerable best time to get married. Saif Ali Khan the Armed Forces.
UAE Minister of Foreign Tra ope ration in technology transfer,
research
has reportedly gifted the gorgeous Bol-
Lubna Bint Al Qasimi. and development and for join t-ve nture.
lywood actor a big diamond, which she
st trading
He said that UAE is the topmo India has a vas t mar ket and UA E inves-
wears on her finger, but hardly prefers
of Ind ia rep rese ntin g abo ut 60 per- tner s in India Bhutto murder: Warrant against
partner
Cooperation tors would find industrial par to speak about it.
cent of India’s export to Gulf to set up mutually adv anta geo us ind ustr ial Musharraf
9-10.
Council (GCC) countries in 200 complexes in the Gul f as wel l as in Ind ia
lot of
The minister said that there is and third countries to cater to
the markets Islamabad: A non-bailable warrant has
inv estm ent pot enti al whi ch
bus ines s and India welcomes Mubarak been issued against Pakistan’s former
tual advan- worldwide, he added.
can be further exploited to mu The top five exportable items
from India
resignation president Pervez Musharraf in assas-
tage of both the cou ntri es. ry; petr oleum
Pol icy For um set up to UAE are gems and Jewelle sination case of former premier Benazir
Ind ia-U AE Tra de hin ery and Bhutto, reports said on last Saturday.
te bilateral products; basmati rice; mac New Delhi: India has welcomed the
by the two countries to facilita instruments; and metal produc
ts. The top decision of Hosni Mubarak to step down Musharraf was on Monday named as
hened, he
trade needs to be further strengt five importa ble item s from UA E to India
as the President of Egypt in the face an accused in Bhutto’s assassination.
said. pre cious and
came up are petroleum; gold; pearls, of mounting pro-democracy protests Investigating agencies named Mush-
During the interaction, tourism semi-precious stones; met alif erro us ores
that swept the Arab nation. In a state- arraf in an interim charge-sheet filed in
potential for
as one the areas that has good and metal scra p; and non -fer rou s metals.
ment last week, India’s External Affairs an anti-terrorism court, reports said. He
wth , offi cial s said . Ano ther area
future gro Ministry said: “We welcome the decision was earlier blamed by a United Na-
of President Mubarak to step down in tions commission for failing to provide
deference to the wishes of the people adequate security to Bhutto. Musharraf
of Egypt. We also welcome the com- now lives in self-exile in United King-
dom. Bhutto was killed in a suicide at-
Will take inspiration from ‘83 win: Gambhir mitment of the Supreme Council of the
Armed Forces to ensure a peaceful
transition of power in a time bound man-
tacker in Rawalpindi in December 2007
during an election rally, when Musharraf
ner to establish an open and demo- was in power.
Chennai: On this week’s ICC Cricket World Radio Simmons, who says his side is ready to cause an-
Show, India’s Gautam Gambhir says he will be other upset at the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011.
looking to India’s 1983-victory when it comes to “You can expect Ireland to play as hard as they
inspiration and motivation ahead of this year’s
Cricket World Cup which begins
have done previously, the side will play as hard as
we can in this tournament. India’s exports grow 32.5% in Jan 2011
in just nine days time with the “We’ve had the opportunity to New Delhi: India’s exports have registered a 200 billion in February 2011and it will cross
first match between India and play a lot of matches since the growth of 32.5 percent during January 2011, USD 220 billion during this fiscal,” he said.
Bangladesh in Mirpur. last World Cup, against the likes at USD 20.6 billion, Commerce Secretary
“I definitely look to the 1983 of England and Australia and so Rahul Khullar has said. The Commerce Secretary said that so far in
World Cup win for inspiration we have picked up things and this fiscal the engineering sector has done ex-
as we want to get the World Cup learnt from these things which are He added that during Apr. 2010 and Jan. 2011, ceptionally well with sales growing 70 percent
back. We were pretty close to extremely positive coming into this the country’s exports reached USD 184.6 bil- to USD 45 billion.
winning in 2003 and hopefully World Cup,” says Simmons. lion, growing 29.4 percent.
we can turn it around and win this Finally, Australia’s Cameron White Other sectors that have done well include
time in India. reflects on his ICC Cricket World Imports grew by 17.6 percent to USD 273.6 gems and jewellery (9.3 percent increase at
“There’s a lot of pressure on us Cup hero, “My World Cup hero billion, with a trade deficit of USD 89 billion, USD 24.5 billion), petroleum and oil products
but hopefully if we can continue is Shane Warne. In the 1999 ICC during the same period. (36 percent up at USD 30 billion), cotton yarn
to perform as we have done over Cricket World Cup semi-final and made-ups (52 percent up at USD 4.7
the last year-and-a-half in both against South Africa, Australia got Last month India’s imports were USD 28.6 bil- billion), electronics (percent up at USD 6.4 bil-
Test and 50-over format, we can be in the right a reasonable score and South Africa came on to bat lion, Khullar informed, adding that the import lion) and plastics and linoleum (40 percent up
frame of mind to win the 50-over World Cup,” says and Warne just took them apart.” figures were not final yet. at USD 3.7 billion).
Gambhir. “I think it was Herschelle Gibbs that just didn’t see Khullar stated that exports of rice, iron ore and
Also on this week’s show, Ireland’s head coach the ball turning in and Warne had South Africa four “On the whole, the export performance is vegetables are on a slump because of ban on
and former West Indies international cricketer, Phil down with not many runs on the board,” he said. pretty good and it is expected to cross USD exports in these sectors.

Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 7

Indian
India
Census 2011 to be India under pressure,
says Pollock
much faster: PC CWG scam:
CBI arrests Kalmadi aide
Johannesburg: Former
New Delhi: Union Home Minister P South African skipper
Chidambaram has said that Census Shaun Pollock feels
2011 will carried out using state-of-the- that the Proteas have a
art technology to ensure faster comple- the
Binu Nanu, was arre ste d by strong chance of mak-
tion of work, bring down completion Pun e: In the fifth arre st so far, invo lvem ent in the ing the final of the Feb
- CB I  for his
time from four-five years to one-two a  clo se aide of former Com 19-April 2 World Cup.
years. es Org ani zing CWG ove rlay sca m.
mo nwe alth Gam
Chidambaram on Wednesday Commit tee (OC) chi ef Suresh
unveiled the mascot of enumerator for tod y TS Dar bar i, M Jayach andran “There is no other team
Kalmadi was taken into cus
Census 2011. The enumeration proce- I from Pun e and Sanjay Mo hin dro o , all to be afraid of,” Pollock was quoted as saying
on Frid ay by the CB
dure for the Census begins on Feb 9
nec tion with the ove r- aides of Kalmadi, were ar- by the Afrikaans weekly Beeld quoted Pollock
in the con got
and would continue till Feb 28, 2011.
m.   res ted ea rlie r, but they late r as saying at a function.
House listing, housing census and lays sca
bail. 
collection of data on National Popula- “In previous tournaments Australia instilled
tion Register (NPR) was done in the The Cen tral Bureau of Inve sti-
d The CB I ear lier raided the fear in its opponents because of their domina-
first phase from April to Sep 2010. gat ion (CB I) sleu ths arre ste
- homes and offi ces of the OC tion. This time, that is not the case. That is why
During the second phase, 2.7 She kha r Deo ruk hka r, the sec
Kal ma di, and offi cial s while Kalmadi him self South Africa have a good chance of returning
million enumerators and supervisors reta ry of Suresh l
rt fac es a pro be by the federa as world champions,” he added.
will visit house to house for counting pro duc ed him bef ore a cou age ncy.
purposes. inve stig ating
here. Pollock also said that India will face tremen-
Registrar General and Census
Commissioner of India C Chandram- e Suresh Kalmadi, a Congre ss dous pressure as a host nation.
Later the CB I was give n thre
auli gave details about the mammoth sit rem and of the MP from Pun e, is acc use d of
day s’ tran
exercise which entails an expenditure indulging in var iou s fina nci al “I also favoured the chances of the English, but
per son for que stio ning in New
of Rs 2,200 crore. sca ms invo lving the org aniza- there is something missing in them. New Zea-
Delhi whe re he was being 0. 
For enumeration purpose, Rs 2.47 tion of the Games in Oct 201 land is also not a threat and the West Indies
million blocks have been made to count taken.   are now so weak that they are just making up
population of approximately 240 mil- India fac ed humiliat ion bef ore the numbers. Pakistan is like the French rugby
lion households. The arre sts are made in the
r- the ent ire wor ld in the run up team -- you never know what mood they will
The RGI said that the omissions rate awa rding of con trac ts for ove
ues to the Games owing to sha bby show up,” said Pollock.
in the Indian Census is around 1.7 per lays at diff ere nt Games ven
pre par atio ns. The Games
cent which is well within international at fan cy rate s, CB I said.
norms and the effort in the ongoing whi ch, howeve r, con clu ded Pollock said he believed that the core team
fifth with out any major hitc h and that was in action against the visiting Indian
Census is to further reduce this rate. She kha r De orukhkar i s the era l
For population enumeration, d in the Indian athlete s bro ugh t sev team in the recent tour would be seen in action
per son to be arre ste
29 questions have been devised on m. acc olades to the nat ion.  in the sub-continent.”
Commo nwe alth Games sca
demographic, marital status, cultural, 18, a bus ine ssm an,
literacy, economic, migration, travel to On Jan “(New cap) Imran Tahir (former Pakistan
place of work and fertility parameters. player) will probably play against the smaller
sides to see how he performs,” said Pollock.

8 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
India
IAF inducts Super Hercules aircraft
New Delhi: Together with the raising of No. 77 C-130 aircraft were among others present at the Briefs
Squadron, named ‘Veiled Vipers’, the Indian Air ceremony.
Force (IAF) inducted the first C-130J-30 Super Adopting ‘Kill with Stealth’ as their motto,
Hercules aircraft, procured from the United States the tactical airlift aircraft will be able to under-
of America (USA), into service at IAF’s Hindan take quick deployment of ‘Special Forces’ in all Rs 2.3 cr insurance for each Software for Islamic
airbase, last week. weather conditions, including airdrops and land- Team India cricketers banking solutions
The squadron will have all of six aircraft after ings on unprepared or semi-prepared surface even
their phased arrival by end 2011. in complete darkness.
Mumbai: The Board of Control for Mumbai: Software developer
At an induction ceremony held in the airbase, Capable of undertaking low-level air-to-air
Defence Minister AK Antony handed over the refueling to enhance its range, rapid forward Cricket in India (BCCI) has struck a InfraSoft Technologies’ is set to tap
keys of the aircraft to the Commanding Officer of basing of personnel and equipment in emergent deal with an insurance company for into the newly-created opportunities
No. 77 Squadron, Group Captain Tejbir Singh, in situations would be one of its multifaceted roles. Rs 2.3 crore each of the Team India in Islamic banking in India with its
the presence The war time cricketers for personal accident policy OMNIEnterprise Islamic Banking &
of Chief of employability during the mega World Cup champion- Finance Solution suite.
the Air Staff, will include spe- ship. The cricket board also made a
Air Chief cial air opera- premium deal with the Oriental Insur- The Kerala High Court on last Thursday
Marshal PV tions, airborne ance Company (OIC) to the tune of Rs had dismissed petitions challenging
Naik, mark- operations, air 130 crore to protect financial losses in the state government’s decision to
ing its formal transported op- case of a match being affected by bad start the country’s first Islamic bank,
induction. erations, air sup- weather. paving the way for setting up financial
Gp Capt ply operations, institutions that adhere to the Sharia
Tejbir later air maintenance
OIC’s deputy general manager Reena law in India.
conducted the operations and
Defence Min- casualty evacu- Bhatnagar said the BCCI has pur-
ister and Air ation among chased the group personal accident Popular in West Asia and other Muslim-
Chief around other roles. policy with $500,000 or Rs 2.3 crore for dominated countries such as Indonesia
the aircraft. As the dignitaries proceeded inside, a The peacetime roles include operations and each player for the period between Feb and Malaysia, Islamic finance works
section of IAF’s Special Forces ‘Garuds’ in com- air maintenance in mountainous terrain in adverse 10-April 9. 
The policy to cover in case on the principles sharing of profits and
bat suits jumped off from the rear of the aircraft in circumstances, UN or multinational missions, hu- of death or total disability, permanent risk and the a prohibition of payment or
a symbolic display of their future integration with manitarian assistance including disaster relief and partial disability and temporary total acceptance of interest fees for loans.
the squadron. evacuation of Indian Diaspora during emergen- disability to a player or a support InfraSoft’s OMNIEnterprise Islamic
The event was also attended by Defence cies and crisis situations. staff member. The policy will also be Banking & Finance Solution, with a firm
Secretary, Shri Pradeep Kumar, Vice Chief of the The Super Hercules inducted was flown to invoked if a player or support staff hold in the Middle East, is pitched as
Air Staff, Air Marshal NAK Browne, Air Officer India by the pilots of the newly formed squadron member becomes a victim or sustains a ready product to address the need
Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command from USA. IAF pilots and personnel underwent
injury due a terror attack. 

The insur- of upgrading Islamic retail banks by
(WAC), Air Marshal DC Kumaria and other training at various USAF bases including at the
senior IAF officials, including personnel of the Lockheed Martin complex in Atlanta. The second ance policy is provided under the Inter- offering solutions based on Takaful
newly raised squadron. aircraft is expected in first week of March, this national Cricket Council’s norms. 

In distribution laws, the company said.
US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer, year. 1996 WC, the Indian players were
Chief of Staff (CoS) of USAF, General Norton The IAF aircraft will make its debut appear- covered with Rs 10 lakh each.
A Schwartz, US Embassy officials, Lockheed ance at the Aero India-2011, at Bengaluru, from
Martin Corporation officials, manufactures of February 9-13.

Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 9

Indian
India

How wine binds Mumbai

and Stuttgart

Mumbai: To celebrate 40 years of and educational forums, entertainment

sisterhood between Mumbai and the program; Stuttgart specialities buffet;
German city of Stuttgart, a German wine tasting with experts from Stutt-
delegation organized the landmark gart accompanied by typical Swabian
annual wine festival ‘Stuttgart meets music.
Mumbai’ at a city hotel here recently.
Noting this extraordinary extravaganza
Stuttgart, the state capital of Baden- of goodwill, Dr. Leopold-Theodor Hel-
Württemberg, Germany is surrounded dmann, General Consul of Republic of
by amazing vineyards that produce Germany, said: “If India and Germany
prize-winning wines. continue to leverage on each other’s
potentials as they currently are, the
As a token of appreciation and good future will be very promising and may
regards for India, Andreas Lapp, who aid the countries in becoming very
is Chairman of The Board of LAPP important economic players.”
HOLDINGS AG., a German electricity
connectivity solution provider, and also Bernhard Steinrücke, Director Gen-
the Honorary Consul of Republic of eral Indo-German Chamber of Com-
India since 2001, initiated the signature merce commended LAPP Group’s
event six years ago. proactive involvement in bolstering
relations between the nations and con-
Over 1000 bottles of wine is especially ferring that, “LAPP Group is not only a
flown down from Germany for this leading electrical connectivity solu-
event to present the citizens of Mumbai tions provider, but the foremost social
with a true German flavour of love and connector interlinking cultures as well.”
friendship.
Some other socio-cultural activities ini-
Reiterating this Andreas Lapp stated, tiated to further enhance relations be-
“Wine sharing is part of our culture and tween India and Baden-Württemberg is
by bringing home-grown wine we want the foundation of the Indian Business
to foster closer ties between India and Centre Stuttgart at the LAPP Group
German cultures. premises in Stuttgart that provides fully
furnished offices, technical infrastruc-
“This year’s event is very special for ture and expert advice, the centre aims
us as the year 2011-2012 is the year of to make it easier for Indian companies
Germany and India heralding 60 mo- to locate in Baden-Württemberg.
mentous years of diplomatic relations.”

Expressing his fondness and com- Speaking on the occasion, Klaus-Pe-

mitment to India, he said, “India has ter Murawski, Deputy Mayor of Stutt-
always been very close to Germany for gart, said: “Stuttgart and Mumbai have
multiple reasons from common Indo- a twin city relationship since 1968. The
German languages to Bollywood mov- past 40 years of this relationship have
ies and we wish to cement this further been very successful.”
by growing the economic relations as
well.” Besides cooperation on the business,
arts and culture front the relationship
Focused on deepening this existing also extends to social issues.
relationship the wine-fest brought
together people from politics, across “We have a long time working relation
industries and cultural domains. between the municipal hospitals of
Stuttgart and Mumbai. The two cities
Some of the other programme orga- have also been cooperating on issues
nized at this event were- jewellery related to disaster management,” he
workshop on modern German jewellery added.
and design culture, tourism workshops

10 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Fiji
Former President Ratu Iloilo farewelled
No ‘conflict’
Afl Wins
Respect, honour and reverence marked the hour the capital city Suva where the fallen chief

between Fiji
the former president and Tui Vuda the late Ratu long held his seat of power both as the vice
Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda departed Govern- president and president, the crowds bowed their

Nausori Airport
ment House for the final time. heads.
Escort platoons of the Republic of Fiji Mili- The same crowds then rushed after the cor-

and Tonga


tary Forces numbering in the hundreds kept the tege to Walu Bay where the casket was lifted

Hangar Tender
tempo of the sorrowful march and among them off the gun carriage and placed into the masi
were the two highest officers in the land His and iri decorated hearse.
Excellency the President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau From the young to the senior, they all
and the Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe braved the hot sun to bid Ratu Iloilo farewell.
Bainimarama. Along the Queens Highway people seated r to Suva: There is no ‘conflict’ between Fiji and
His Excellency Ratu Epeli and Commo- on road sides as a final homage for Ratu Iloilo AF L ha s wo n the ten de Tonga on the Minerva Reef issue as reported
ee ha ng ars at
dore Bainimarama marched behind the vehicle as his casket accompanied by both the Prime pu rch ase all thr by the overseas media, Foreign Affairs
ern ati on al Air po rt.
carrying Ratu Iloilo’s widow Adi Kavunono Minister and the President makes the final Na us ori Int Ministry Permanent Secretary Solo Mara has
e we ha ve ob tai ne d the
accompanying the hearse. journey to Vuda. “O nc clarified.
 

e tha t the y
It was a magnificent send off for a great, Wreaths were laid by the roadsides, black ha ng ars , we be liev “There is no ‘conflict’ between Tonga and
ntl y co ntr ibu te
compassionate leader who commanded the cloth tied onto poles and masi signified the wil l sig nif ica Fiji as alluded to in media reports overseas,”
respect of many. As the casket slowly transited mourning of villages along the Queens. th ou r co mm erc ial an d he said. 
 

to bo
vel op -
op era tio na l air po rt de “What we have are overlapping claims in
AF L Ch ief Ex ec u- our maritime boundaries in the South, which
me nt,” sai d
tu Tim oc i Tu isa wa u. is now a subject of negotiation after both
tive , Ra
countries have submitted claims for an ex-
we re tended continental shelf beyond the 200mile
All thr ee of the ha ng ars Exclusive Economy Zone (as provided for
Air Fij i bu t in rec en t
ow ne d by under the UN Convention on the Law of the
wa s in
yea rs the loc al air lin e Sea [UNCLOS].” 
 

le an d
ser ou s fin an cia l tro ub Mr Mara went on to say that this is not an
too k ove r ow ne r-
the ba nk s extra-ordinary event as we also have overlap-
sh ip. ping claims with New Zealand in the same
area in our Southern waters. 
 

of the
Wh ile Air Fij i bu ilt two He said situation was nothing as reported
, Air Pa cif ic co ns tru ct- in the media and Fiji and Tongan officials
ha ng ars
as ho me to
ed the thi rd in l97 2 will meet later this year to negotiate the
its BA C1-11s. delimitation of our maritime boundaries as
mandated by UNCLOS. 
 

“We will be doing the same with Vanuatu,
Solomon Islands and Tuvalu,” Mr Mara said.


Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 11

Indian
Fiji
Environment Staffs Visit Seniors
Suva: The Department of Environment social Those staff members, who were unable to
committee organised a special community come gave full support and backing for this
activity earlier this week. 

 good initiative.
A mix of fun, jokes, tears, emo-
tions and stories all floated in during the visit to
The aim was to create a community friendly Old People’s Home.
picture of the department as one that deals 


with communities most during waste, pol- Department staff members have not only
lution, EIA, biodiversity and conservation shown the old, vulnerable and disadvantaged
campaigns. people of our society their compassion and
c are for them but have started on a journey
Department officials visited Samabula Old to build a more cooperative, understanding
People’s Home and gave them food, helped and responsible society toward environment
them clean their environment. They also through the use of social touches in life and
passed on to the residents messages about community work.
 

environment and shared their problems by
listening.
 
 The department director and senior offices
offered their advice and support.
The activity
The young members of the DOE staff were included DOE staff members cleaning the
eager to sacrifice their special Valentine’s Day surrounding of the home, chatting with the
and Prophet Mohammed National Holiday for people (even watched Fiji play sevens with
this cause. them on TV), and then gave them free lunch
with juice, cakes and fruits.

Two new bridges for Fiji’s King’s Road

Suva: Work on the building of two bridges on “This is the same company that successfully lives have been lost because of accidents on the “Excess to these bridges along with the
King’s Road on Viti Levu’s eastern coast has been built the Naqali Bridge,”Commodore Bainimarama two bridges, “he added. completion of the sealing of the Kings Road will
initiated following a ground-breaking ceremony at said. Commodore Bainimarama acknowledged no doubt provide numerous opportunities including
the sites on last Friday. Landowners from the Yavusa Rara and Yavusa that the Wainibuka area had always suffered from economic development for all Fijians.”
Fiji Prime Minister Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bure accorded the Prime Minister a traditional flooding, loss of food crops and loss of school days The economic counselor at the Peoples Repub-
Bainimarama officiated at the ceremony of the itaukei ceremony of welcome. for children during natural disasters. lic of China Embassy in Fiji, Mr Cai Shuizeng said
Naqia and Wainiboa bridges in Wainibuka on the Sixty-seven-year old Taitusi Nawaqabuli of “This is why Government is prioritising devel- the two bridges will take one year and six months
Kings Road. Naqia village praised Government for the initiative. opments in this area. I fully understand the suffer- to complete.
Funding for the two bridges is provided by the “This is a very happy occasion to the Yavusa ing that you’ve been experiencing for decades,” “We have 20 Chinese workers and the majority
ADB with the total amount of $9million. Rara and the Yavusa Bure because these bridges Commodore Bainimarama said. are locals,”Mr Shuizeng said.
Commodore Bainimarama said the two bridges needed to be replaced. They were built way back in “I encourage local residents to take advantage Mr Shuizeng said the Chinese workers are
would be built by the Chinese Railway Fifth 1930,” Mr Nawaqabuli said. of the opportunities that will become available after happy to be associated with the friendly people of
Group. “The bridges are prone to flooding and many the completion of these bridges. Naqia who are very corporative with the project.

12 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian

Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 13

 Indian
Indian
Letters
Black money: Govt to reveal names after cases filed
I think India is taking correct step of eliminating corruption and briberies. This step should have
been taken many centuries before, by now India must be on world leading democracy. It has a many
wash list, eradicating cast system, disciminating or giving preferences to based religion/language/
From the Editor location etc. They must promote and grow decent society in the world.”
– Subra M Subramaniam

And now it’s forced, under age marriages! Guess who can’t handle the truth
The community is understandably livid at the continuing misrepresentation of ethnic com- Bad ACT-ing When a friend emailed Coddington’s link to me I was aghast at how someone could
munities in New Zealand’s mainstream media. write about another ethnic group like this. For an American like me, it was like stepping back in
time. I’ll surely include her piece in my journalism class in the States. Gosh! What kind of place is
What began with Paul Henry’s comments about Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand’s
that?
“non-New Zealander” appearance continued with the deliberate mispronunciation of Delhi –Josh Reiter
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s last name and then likening it to all Indians – which inciden-
tally was under-reported during the brouhaha that raged for weeks, finally culminating in the
resignation of Mr Henry. Deborah [Coddington] is partly correct and partly wrong
More recently, a straightforward case of suspected homicide in the Waikato was mischievous- Deborah, I read your article while I agree what you’re trying to come across with saying, in this
ly interpreted as an “honour killing” by a section of the mainstream media to which injudi- case the media including yourself jumped to the conclusion that it was an ‘Honour Killing’ even
cious comments from so-called “leaders” and “experts” of the Indian community added fuel though the police themselves said it was being treated as a Homicide. It’s one thing to analyse the
by giving a regional and casteist colour to the whole episode. story when all the facts are known and quite another when the entire story lies on a flimsy founda-
This led some commentators to make extreme comments on migrants as a whole and some tion that the media cooked up for themselves. Then the story just isn’t about hype it’s a blatant lie!
of the articles that were published in Indian Weekender and the online edition continue to –Sundar R
attract comments from all over the world even weeks after these first reports appeared. A night out with the stars
The latest in this unfortunate chain of stories is the report that the forced marriage of under Abhishek Bachchan
age girls is rampant in the Sikh and Muslim communities in New Zealand. The story quotes a
non-government organisation called Shakti, which has been around since 1995 and is active “Shaneel Choy says is a nice guy, polite and relaxed. I think tall people are generally that way. I
have yet to come across a relaxed, easy going shorty.
in the realm of women’s welfare, running four refuges for migrant women in Auckland, Tau- – Harish C
ranga and Christchurch, among its other activities.
Shakti has made submissions to the government on its experience and findings in their sphere
of work – the many domestic issues that migrant women face in New Zealand. Vastu Vidya
A Shakti spokesperson has been quoted in the story as saying that there are as many as 50 Vastu is a great idea but it is wrong value North Indian civilization above the south. The author
cases of forced and under age marriages taking place every year in New Zealand – and that would be wise to leave out prejudicial and incorrect claims.
too predominantly in the Sikh and Muslim communities. – SA
Shakti apparently believes that these marriages are solemnized in places of worship and Beautiful article thank you , I first meet M Benner some 20 plus years ago, [thank god]one of the fisrt
even clandestinely in homes by officiating priests. Community leaders vehemently refute this things he said;’you are fortunate to have this business enterence facing east ,plus a north opening,
saying if it was as rampant as it is made out to be, there would have been someone in the com- also the last two houses we lived [living ] in is enterence facing east, a TM ... er
– Grant Sprague
munity who would have heard about it.
Unfortunately Mr Watson’s comments are incorrect. I am trained in Maharishi Vastu Architecture
There surely are reformists and whistleblowers in every community. If indeed it was so and administer MVA for Oceania. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi recognised the systemic nature of our
rampant and a rising trend over the years, it is indeed surprising that so many respected com- “sick buildings” in the West and revised Vastu Vidya. All dimensions and entrances of the building
munity leaders of unimpeachable credentials pledge that they have never ever heard about are calculated using complex and contiguous mathematical formulae. These show that East and or
such cases, as seen from the accompanying article in this issue. North entrances are required for maximum support of Natural Law.
If Shakti has the evidence, it should discuss this with the communities first rather than go to – Neil Hamill
a media, which to begin with is apathetic to migrant issues, constantly looking to connect
vague, often non-existent dots to paint a picture that fits a long existing stereotype. Senior
Congratulations Winners and participants
mainstream journalists admit that there is a trend in certain newsrooms to sensationalise
anything that sounds out of the ordinary for the so-called “Middle New Zealander”. Congratulations Winners and Team who is behind in this valuable contribution to our vibrant
As University of Auckland academic Ruth DeSouza pointed out in a previous Indian Week- society. I am presently involved in organising similar event for our community I will be much glad
to be in touch with your group to share some common features for great success of these functions.
ender issue and our online social networking page – and as NZICA President Paul Singh
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the very best on your invaluable effort to serve
Bains says in this issue, why are infererences sought to be drawn from cultural references community.
only insofar as migrant stories are concerned. “If a New Zealand European was reported – Subra M Subramaniam
involved in such activity would the journalist blame the Church group as well?” Mr Bains
asks pertinently. Congrats Winners, Participants and Organizers! This is indeed a great way of binding the com-
In dragging entire communities wantonly especially when the cases reported are far from a munity together :) !
discernible trend are, if at all, isolated, the mainstream media does a disservice to the real – Purnima Vinod
problem of such violence which is bound to exist in a wide swathe of ethnicities around the We can see Mahatma Gandhiji’s vision. Event like this, espicially meat free, smoke free, alcohol free
world – including the western world. leads to Good thought.
By naming a specific community an impression is created that such occurences are restricted – Raman Sivakumar
to those communities and do not happen elsewhere. This is a fallacious assumption – but
it gains ground when cultures and ethnicities are deliberately sought to be associated with Understanding caste
certain behavioural traits. I suppose the article has some merit; however, it does not explain the current excessive discrimina-
Invariably there is a tendency to “ghettoise” such reportage by tarnishing an entire commu- tion, particularly in India, against the so-called “untouchables” by the ruling classes.I’m told that
nity or ethnic or religious group with the same brush. It is not only unfair but grossly insensi- the Pundits can only be from the selected “upper” caste. How true?
tive and unprofessional. – Atish
What is unfortunate is that members of ethnic communities and overzealous activists and
organisations are often responsible for further complicating the issue by engaging with the
To Atish
media with half-baked opinions, statistics and analyses. Thanks for your comments. That’s right this article does not explain the current deplorable practice.
– Dev Nadkarni The article is about the ancient concept of ‘Varna’ system not the current practice. By the way, the
word Pundit is a title of respect for a ‘learned man’. It also means ‘prowess’, ‘erudition’, ‘expertise’
or ‘scholarliness’ referred to as ‘Paanditya.’
–Ram
Indian Weekender Volume 2 No. 22
Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited
Group editor-in-chief: Dev Nadkarni dev@indianweekender.co.nz
Ten top stories on iwk.co.nz
1.0 A night out with the stars
Online editor: Arvind Kumar arvind@indianweekender.co.nz
India Correspondent: Shobha Rao shobha@indianweekender.co.nz 2.0 Guess who can’t handle the truth
Chief Technical Officer: Rohan Desouza rohan@ indianweekender.co.nz 3.0 Rotorua gears up for Holi
Design: Tanmay Desai desaidesign@gmail.com / www.desaign.co.nz 4.0 Vastu Vidya - bastions of bliss
Advertising: Giri Gupta - Ph: 520 0922, Mob: 021 221 1131. Email - girigupta@xtra.co.nz
Please email original editorial contributions, community notices and pictures to 5.0 Bringing true talent to screens big and small
editor@indianweekender.co.nz 6.0 Bank of Baroda starts full-fledged operations
Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher 7.0 Bank predicts big growth in NZ
is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication
8.0 Nalini hits bestseller mark, again
Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, New Market 9.0 Ever munched curry in a movie theatre?
and printed at APN Print, Ellerslie, Auckland
10. Understanding Caste Ka Chakkar
Copyright 2010. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.

14 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Comment

Shivaji and the rebirth of a nation

Rakesh Krishnan Simha

Shivaji was a military genius who built an empire from scratch but it is for sparking a national revival that he should
be remembered. A tribute to great king on his birth anniversary
Shivaji, the Maratha warrior who established Barely 15 years old, he formed a tightly knit he was in favour of meeting the Europeans as Marathas became the masters of Delhi and
a modern and powerful Hindu kingdom in group of Mawala and Konkani boys and cap- far west as possible, he acknowledged their the Mughal emperor became their protectee.
south-western India from 1642-1680, is un- tured some forts of the sultan. The amazing considerable advances in the military field. Hindus were finally able to walk free in their
doubtedly the greatest Indian of the modern thing is the Mawalas and Konkanis were phys- But he often meted out exemplary punish- own country after more than 400 years.
era. To understand Shivaji’s importance in ically much smaller than the Pathans, Moghuls ment when required. In June 1661, Shivaji’s sol- A most remarkable achievement of this
Indian history, especially his role in rekin- and the African Muslims, and yet they pre- diers plundered Rajapur and captured several soldier king was the completely non-feudato-
dling the spirit of Indian nationhood, one must vailed in battle after battle. Englishmen. This was payback for the English ry nature of his empire. Shivaji’s was the first
recognise that his empire was built against im- Starting with guerrilla raids, soon the aid to Bijapur. A letter from the president of modern Indian state that had large numbers
possible odds. Marathas were engaging in pitched battles with the English factory at Surat to the disconso- of soldiers from the brahmin as well as lower
India in the 17th century was hurtling the powerful and well trained Mughal armies late prisoners is interesting: “How you came to castes such as Holkars. For the first time in the
toward catastrophe. The Hindus, who com- comprising Mughals, Rajputs and Pathans. prison you know very well. This punishment modern era, jobs were not connected to one’s
prised the vast majority of the country, were caste. Muslims were treated equitably, his chief
hopelessly divided, leading a disenfranchised secretary being a Muslim. Shivaji, who was
and moribund existence under Muslim rule. deeply influenced by the ancient Hindu epics,
The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had launched “Shivaji proved by his example that the Hindus can was keen on establishing a casteless society.
a purge against Hindus by destroying their That it worked offers hope to those wanting to
temples and re-imposing the hated jaziya, a defeat enemies, conduct their own defence, main- kickstart social engineering in India.
punitive and offensive tax, which every Hindu When news of Shivaji’s death reached Au-
had to pay or convert to Islam. Before him, tain navies and ocean-trading fleets of their own, and rangzeb, the emperor was elated but then the
his father Shah Jahan (the builder of the Taj reality sunk in, and he muttered: “He was a
Mahal) and grandfather Jehangir had banned conduct naval battles on equal terms with foreigners. great captain and the only one who has had the
the construction of new Hindu temples. magnanimity to raise a new kingdom, while I
While Europe was beginning to crawl He taught the modern Hindus to rise to the full stature have been endeavouring to destroy the ancient
out of poverty, plagues and backward dogma, sovereignties of this country. My armies have
India was going in the reverse direction. Since of their own growth.” been employed against him for 19 years and
the destruction of the leading universities of nevertheless his state has been increasing.”
Nalanda and Taxila by Muslim invaders, not Indeed, the emperor had expended his empire’s
one new university had been built. Further- wealth and energy in his campaign against
more, a new threat was emerging in the form Shivaji defeated them all and also beat the is not for your defending company’s goods. It Shivaji.
of European nations like Portugal, France, Portuguese and the English on the high seas. is for your going to the siege of Panhala and Modern India’s pseudo-secularist histo-
Britain and Holland who, under the pretext of Incredibly, he never lost a single battle, a fact firing cannon under English banner. Anybody rians and political leadership have refused
trade, were looking for opportunities to colo- unparalleled in the history of the world. who is strong enough would have punished to accept Shivaji’s greatness. Believing that
nise India. Shivaji was the first Indian ruler in the you in these circumstances. Merchants have mentioning Shivaji’s name will hurt Muslim
Other great liberators like Italy’s Garib- modern era to understand the importance of no business to sell ball and power nor fire on sentiment, he is rarely acknowledged for his
aldi and America’s George Washington had the navy. He built hundreds of ships, large enemies.” military genius, his administrative brilliance or
two things in their favour – they had only and small, which battled the British and Por- The Western powers were constantly fight- his nation building efforts. In fact, Nehru and
one enemy and their people were solidly tuguese fleets. Historian Jadunath Sarkar ing one another but they were shrewd enough Gandhi both described the great Maratha as a
behind them. Shivaji had to reckon with the writes, “Shivaji proved by his example that the to take advantage of the weaknesses of the misguided patriot. Incredible, coming from two
mighty northern Mughal army of Aurangzeb, Hindus can defeat enemies, conduct their own country. Shivaji played the same game against men under whose watch India was partitioned.
the powerful sultanate army of Bijapur, the defence, maintain navies and ocean-trading the Europeans and took advantage of the jeal- When Shivaji started with a few good men
Pathans, the fierce Abyssinians of Janjira on fleets of their own, and conduct naval battles ousies among these powers. He would, for in the 1640’s, perhaps only he could have imag-
the west coast, the fanatic Portuguese and the on equal terms with foreigners. He taught the instance, use cannons and ammunition from ined that over a hundred years later, a mighty
wily English. His own people, the Marathas, modern Hindus to rise to the full stature of the Portuguese to attack the English, and take Maratha army would plant the Hindu flag on the
were serving as soldiers and chiefs in Muslim their own growth.” English help to fight the Dutch. walls of Attock, Punjab, in the extreme west of
armies and lacked any nationalistic spirit. Shivaji was farsighted in his dealings with Shivaji’s legacy is that he laid the founda- India.
Shivaji got his inspiration from the Mahab- the Europeans. He knew they had power- tions of a strong kingdom which ultimately (About the author: Rakesh Krishnan Simha
harata saying, “One thousand horsemen of one ful cannons and matchlocks, which could be under the later Maratha rulers re-established is a features writer at New Zealand’s leading
mind are enough to conquer the whole world.” deadly if transferred to his enemies. So while Hindu rule over most parts of India. The media house.)

Ramakrishna Mission’s forgotten role in Fiji’s History

Padmini Gaunder
In March the 175th birth anniversary of Sri Ramak- During his travels Swami Vivekananda noticed rishna Mission centres that were established outside Even after this Swami Rudrananda was actively
rishna Paramahaamsa will be celebrated. After his the degradation of India from its former grandeur. India also mainly focused on imparting spiritual involved with the sugarcane farmers as the Senior
death in 1886, at the age of 50, the Ramakrishna Lord Macaulay was supposed to have said in 1835 knowledge. Perhaps the only exception was Fiji Representative on the Sugar Advisory Council
Mission was established by his foremost disciple, that they (the British) should break the backbone where the mission in its first few decades gave more until 1984 when he resigned because of ill health.
Swami Vivekananda, with help and support from of India which was her spiritual and cultural heri- importance to helping the people in need, especially Unfortunately after Patel’s death the Indo-Fijian
his fellow disciples (other disciples of Sri Ramak- tage which would make the Indians lose their self- stopping the exploitation of the sugarcane farmers. leaders who succeeded Patel were not interested in
rishna) whom he welded together into a brother- esteem. The India Swami Vivekananda saw during Swami Rudrananda of the Ramakrishna Mission the welfare of the sugarcane farmers as their interest
hood. was only in getting the votes and they found it easy
Swami Vivekananda made Hinduism better to win elections by appealing to communalism.
known internationally through his travels abroad. So they ignored or distanced themselves from
But when he tried to get into the Parliament of Re- “Swami Vivekananda made Hinduism better known Swamiji who believed in multiracialism and in co-
ligions in Chicago in 1893 he was refused entry operating with the Fijian chiefly leaders. In fact,
because he had no credentials. John Wright, the internationally through his travels abroad” some of the Indian leaders even worked against
Professor of Greek at Harvard University at that what Swamiji was doing for the farmers. This af-
time who later wrote a letter introducing Swamiji fected the direction Fiji took and shaped its subse-
to the Parliament committee, remarked that to ask his travels was a truly dominated country as Ma- who came to Fiji in 1939 and remained there for the quent history.
Swamiji for credentials was like asking the sun its caulay had wanted it to be. rest of his life (he died in 1985) spent most of his The historians of colonial Fiji (eg. Gillion) have
right to shine! When Swami Vivekananda established the Ra- time trying to uplift the sugarcane farmers. He was noted the important role played by the Ramakrishna
Before going abroad Swami Vivekananda had makrishna Mission one of the things foremost in ably supported by A.D. Patel who became Fiji’s first Mission in the history of colonial Fiji. Though this
gone on a tour of India, from the Himalayas to his mind was the regeneration of India to its former Leader of the Opposition. Their efforts were paid role continued after independence it is something
Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India. At glory. So apart from spiritual teachings other main off with the Denning Award in 1969 which gave the the historians of independent Fiji have so far failed
Kanyakumari, where three oceans meet (the Bay aims of the mission also included helping the people farmers 70 per cent of the profits and the millers 30 to record. This I think is a grave omission.
of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea) in need and providing sound education (different per cent. The millers, the Colonial Sugar Refining It is hoped that future historians of Fiji will pay
Swamiji had swum out into the sea and climbed and from the education the colonial government gave). Company (CSR), said they could not operate under more attention to this contribution and record it for
sat on a rock in the ocean and meditated. Today the When Swami Vivekananda visited other coun- those conditions and the government of indepen- the benefit of future generations who may be inter-
rock is known as the Vivekananda Rock and is a tries it was the spirituality that he exhumed and his dent Fiji decided to takeover the industry. So the Fiji ested in finding out what really went wrong with the
major attraction. spiritual teachings that attracted the people. Ramak- Sugar Corporation (FSC) was established in 1972. sugar industry after independence.

Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 15

Indian

16 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Community
Meditation courses for young people Funky music
Anapana courses are being offered for 8 and masti show
coming up
to 18 year olds at the Vipassana Medita-
tion Centre near Kaukapakapa, about 45
minutes drive from Auckland.

The courses are designed for children It’s definitely going to be a big night of
(8-11 years of age) and teenagers (12-18). music and masti. So, mark your calendars
The children’s course is being held on for Saturday, March 26, to be at the Avon-
March 12 and the teenagers’ course on dale College Theatre 7pm onwards.
March 13. The New Funky Desi Band promises
to sweep you off your feet as they belt
The courses are for one day only, from out their Krazzy tunes … totally flimy …
9.30 am to 4.30 pm. Students learn tadka maarke!
centre, regular practice of Anapana Come join in the fun and frolic and
Anapana, which is a simple technique of
technique gives many benefits, including: music and masti to enjoy yourselves while
observing the breath to calm and focus also encouraging this young band of en-
the mind. Improved concentration and memory; In-
tertainers that show so much promise.
creased awareness and alertness of mind; Their fare is pretty exhaustive and
The technique is not religious or sectarian More self-confidence; Greater capacity eclectic: they will present recent hit
and is acceptable to people of any back- to work and study; Increased goodwill for Geets, Sufi andaz, Dhoom Dhadaka and
ground. The aim is to let young people others. more Dhamal songs. So you’ll have plenty
experience the benefits of meditation. to foot tap away the night.
More information at www.medini.dhamma. You all know Ashish, Kanika and
According to a media release from the org or 09 4205319 Sneha. Newcomers Kavinesh, Moushumi,
Priya and Sashi will join them. What’s
more, it’s the first time that a saxophone

‘You Count,’ is message to

and accordion player will be presented at
a Bollywood music concert in Auckland.
This event is bought to you by CFI
Events in association with Indian Week-

Kiwi Asians
ender.
Entry $15 Only. Remember, it’s Sat-
urday, March 26, 2011, at the Avondale
College Theater, Victor Street, Avondale,
Statistics New Zealand has a message are properly allocated. Auckland from 7:00 PM onwards.
for the Asian community for its 2011 But some Asian people were not counted Tickets on sale soon. Contact Ram
Census: “You Count”. in the last census, because many didn’t Iyer on 021-529 982 , 09-827 0559 or
The census will count every person in know they had to fill in the census forms. email-ram.cfi@gmail.com to book
New Zealand on Tuesday, 8 March. Ev- Asian people had the highest numbers of
eryone in New Zealand on census day, in- those not counted of any ethnic group.
cluding overseas visitors, must complete a This means their communities may be
census form. It is the law. missing out on what they’re entitled to. The
The 2011 Census advertising campaign census information is used to help decide
began on February 9, with the overarching funding for things like schools, roads, and
message: “You Count”. health care. It can be used by community
Census information helps determine groups to apply for resources such as com-
how billions of dollars of government munity centres and parks.
funding is spent in the community. Official census collectors will deliver
“Our population is larger today then it’s the census forms to every household in the
ever been. Therefore, it’s more important two weeks before census day, or they can
than ever that we count everyone, so that be filled in online.
everyone in New Zealand can get the ser- For more information about the census,
vices they need, in the right places,” says or to fill in your census forms online, go to
2011 Census General Manager Carol Slap- www.census.govt.nz
pendel. Information in other languages
“The You Count campaign focuses on Information about the census is avail-
ordinary people and what’s important to able in different languages at this link:
them. It’s designed to get people thinking http://www.census.govt.nz/about-census/
about the value of census and how it helps resources/about-2011-census-in-other-lan-
shape their future,” she said. guages.aspx
There were 354,552 Asian people in There is also be a toll-free Helpline
New Zealand in 2006 (at the time of the - 0800 CENSUS (0800 236 787) – avail-
last census) – about 9% of the population. able from 15 February for callers to talk to
This community is growing, and it is im- people who speak Hindi, Mandarin, Can-
portant to know by how much, so resources tonese, Korean and other languages.

Kiwi Asian journalism

scholarship awarded
A young Fijian-Indian New Zealander has of Kiwi Asians in the journalism industry,
been awarded the 2011 Asia New Zealand we can ensure balanced media coverage of
Foundation Kiwi Asian Journalism Scholar- stories that are relevant to all New Zealand-
ship. ers,” she said.
The successful candidate, Clarissa Chan- The Kiwi Asian Journalism Scholarship is
drahasen, is of Fijian-Indian heritage. She designed to attract more young Kiwi Asians
comes from Kelson in Lower Hutt. into journalism study and to encourage
Ms Chandrahasen has a degree in biomedi- increased representation of Asian communi-
cal science from Victoria University and ties in the mainstream journalism.
is enrolled in the 2011 Massey University The Kiwi Asian Journalism Scholarship will
journalism programme. apply to the 2011 academic year and is for
“One of the things I love about New Zea- the value of $5000 to be paid on completion
land is that we recognize the need for all of Ms Chandrahasen’s course of journalism
our diverse cultures to contribute to all our study.
industries in order to ensure our collective The 2012 scholarship will be open for ap-
success. By improving the representation plications in August.

Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 17

Indian
Community

Tee – A journey of a woman Don’t miss th

chance to s
ee
is
An exciting Marathi musical play in New Zealand
“TEE” – jou
A woman’s life is a journey which has few paral-
lels. She is born as a beautiful child, grows up into a
Kareena.
Her amazing timing and performance has made
and became popularly known as “Rani Varma”, the
wonder child singer. She was crowned with “ S.D. of a womanrney
wonderful damsel, and then gets married. The same Gupte win brownie points amongst the Hindi viewers Burman Award “ as the “ Best Female Singer - 1976
child is now ready to give birth to a child of her own. who, so far, knew her only from the commercials “ by well-known music organisation, ‘ Sur Singar ‘. and the full
Managing the family as a mother, she then is ready Krack and Eureka Forbes Vacuum Cleaner. On Rani has formed her own musical group called, range of
to take on the role of a grand mother to her child’s homeground, that is in Marathi, Gupte is playing a “Saptak”. She performed more than 700 shows characters
offspring’s. All through this journey she is portray- negative role with panache in a Marathi daily Hya of Saptak and has charmed the audience with her
ing the role of child, teenager, woman, wife, mother, Gojirwanya Gharat aired on ETV Marathi. Unlike magical singing and gracious presence by singing in
mother-in-law, grandmother and so on. One person the psychedelic vamps that rule the serials across more than 9 different languages. Rani also grabs the
but different roles. channels, Gupte’s vamp act is a revelation. She un- honour of being the first recognized female recordist
Migrant Heritage Charitable Trust Inc (MigHT-i) derplays her negativity to such an extent that you can of India after graduating from the Audio Engineer-
is proud to bring to the New Zealand shores for the easily mistake her for a loving ma or saas! ing school from USA and owns her own recording to have them performing in Auckland and Wellington
first time a Marathi Musical play ‘TEE’- (tI) essaying Her noteworthy stage performances include play- studio. courtesy MigHT-i. Don’t miss this chance to see
this wonderful journey performed by none other ing a 70-year-old lady in Celebration, a socially-rele- The sisters have now teamed up to form their own “TEE” – journey of a woman and the full range of
than the talented Vandana Gupte and songs by Rani vant play reflecting the breaking up of families, Shree production group “Sister Concern” and are bringing characters by Vandana Gupte and unmatched singing
Varma. Tashi Sau, a comedy, Char Choughi a hard-hitting this journey across the world. New Zealand is lucky by Rani Varma.
They are sisters in real life and daughters of the women centric play which won her the Sangeet
famous singer Smt. Manik Varma. The production is Natak Academy award for her 20-minute mono-
Name: TEE Date: 26th February 2011, (SATURDAY)
performed under their banner “Sister concern” and logue. Gupte gets so involved with the characters
Venue: Mt Albert War Memorial Hall Time: 5.00 pm Tickets: $20 – Adults
has received rave reviews in US, Europe and Sin- she portrays, that for the role of a sweeper in the play
773, New North Road, Mt. Contact: Meena (04) 4782883
gapore. Vandana Gupte is today’s leading Marathi Zoonj, Gupte actually lived with the slum-dwellers to
Albert
stage artist and has to her credit roles ranging from get a hang of how they cook, talk and chew tobacco.
Auckland The program is brought to you in asso-
–effervescent, bubbly characters, suspense thrillers, She even cultivated the lehza of their language.
Date: 26th February 2011, (SATURDAY) ciation with SLA Limited, D & R Digital
serious portrayal’s to comedy. She manages all roles Rani Varma, the youngest of the siblings, was a
Time: 6.00 pm and Indian Weekender. Supported by
convincingly and is the most sought after actress in child prodigy who took on her mother’s singing abil-
Tickets: $25 – Adults, $15 – Children/ Panworld Travel (mangere), Khyber
the theatre circle. Not only that she has also to her ity and was an instant hit with the audiences. Looking
Snr Citizens. Spice Invader (Royal Oak), Zaveri Or-
credit some award winning roles in Marathi films to her talent and potential, the famous music director
Contact: VARSHA (09) 5348000 or thodontist, Relianz Forex, Supervalue
as well as is known for her role ‘Neelambari’ in the of Indian Motion Pictures, Shri. C. Ramchandra gave
Prashant -027 440 4440 or email (Mangere).
Hindi serial Kareena-Kareena. The Marathi audience her the first break in his musical concert “Geet Go-
info@might-i.org A real treat for stage lovers, so don’t
has seen and enjoyed her performances for over pal” as a solo singer at the age of nine. At 12, her first
30 years. But the Hindi viewers have only recently playback songs for a Marathi film, Gharkul, became miss it.
Venue: Little Theatre,
been exposed to this versatile actress who’s holding super hits, where she captured the hearts of millions
Queens Drive, Wellington -Indian Weekender Arts Correspondent
her own against the chulbuli Kareena in Kareena with her sweet melodious voice and confidence

INZBC adopts new constitution

Nanaksar Chardi India NZ Business Council
is recognised by the govern-
reference to Prashanta Mukherjee and Don Rae.
The Constitution Committee was headed by Paddy

KalaStudy Centre inaugurated

ment and businesses in New Marra and the amendment was studied in depth by
Zealand and India alike as Solicitor Warwick Wright.
the leading organisation Wenceslaus went to add that within a short span
that promotes and facilitates of time the council membership has increased by
their parents who attended the Inauguration business, trade and service over one hundred percent. He said that the INZBC is
“Education is the foundation with which an between the two countries. very conscious that it accepts quality members, who
individual can build a successful career and and the blessing ceremony at the Nanaksar
Sikh Temple. Mr. K. S Bakshi also congratu- A historical amendment have demonstrated business integrity and proven
can contribute positively to the wider society to the Constitution was unanimously adopted by its values. He thanked all the members for the con-
as well.” This was the key message by Sant lated Baba Amar Singh ji and the AIEC Trust
in promoting education in New Zealand. He members at the Special General Meeting held at the tribution they are making and helping the Council
Baba Amar Singh ji on the inauguration of National Bank Building in Auckland on the 15th of grow from strength to strength. He also added that
Nanaksar Chardi Kala Learning Centre on reiterated the National Governments support
to education in the coming February. the Council is unique in the sense that its members
Sunday, February 6 at The amended eligibility criteria, ensures that and office bearers have come in the spirit of service
years as well.
102, Great South Road, people with business experience and who have been to accelerate the growth and development of busi-
The programme started
Manurewa. a member for six months are eligible for the office ness and trade between India and New Zealand. He
with the Ardas, a prayer
The community based bearers position. The term of office bearers have also thanked the Indian High Commission and Ministry
seeking blessings from
study support centre will been limited to a maximum of two terms and numer- of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the support and
Guru Granth Sahib ji for
be providing assistance ous other changes have been made to the constitution the great relationship they have established with the
the success of the Centre.
to children studying in to suit the present day needs. Council.
The name “Chardi Kala”
year 5 to year 8 (ages 9 The office bearers are expected to perform on The Chairman also thanked ANZ Bank for their
(staying in high spirits and
to 12) with day to day the responsibility allotted to them and people with continued support to the council in hosting various
thinking positive) has been
studies, assist in building relevant experience, business standing and integrity events in the past year. ANZ Bank has been support-
chosen by Babaji himself as
confidence and focus on would be invited to be part of the Advisory Board. ing the business council since its inception and we see
the Centre aims to provide
overall development of Chairperson Wenceslaus Anthony termed it as an ANZ as a key connector between the two countries as
holistic learning opportuni-
each child. Approved by historical event for INZBC as the Council amended ANZ Bank has also been supporting the Indian com-
ties that will uplift the spirits
the Ministry of Education, the 23 year old Constitution. He thanked all the munity at large at various events including Diwali,
of our youth and give them
the Nanaksar Chardi Kala members for their valuable inputs and made a special Holi and hosting the Minister Valayar Ravi.
positive reinforcement for a
Learning Centre is in re-
complete and contented way
sponse to the urgent need
of life. Qualified teachers
by local families as AIEC
will be working individu-
Trust was approached by
ally on each child, working
several migrant and local
alongside their schools and
families which do not
encouraging their fami-
have the time or educa-
lies to support the learn-
tional background to help
ing for their children. The
their children in studies.
Chardi Kala Centre is well
In such cases, the children
lose interest in education and end up leaving equipped with broadband internet connec-
studies in between. The Nanaksar Chardi tion, reference books and a highly stimulating
Kala Learning Centre will fill in this gap and learning environment. Students will also be
try to help children enjoy their learning. given guidance and counseling for life skills
The importance of education was also and career options.
stressed upon by Dr. Ajit Swaran Singh, the Everyone present appreciated the opening
keynote speaker and one of the few Indian of the Centre and insisted that more such ini-
descent District Court Judges ofNew Zealand. tiatives are required for our youngsters. The
His passion for promoting education is well Nanaksar Chardi Kala Learning centre will
known in the community and listening about start delivering programs from 14 Feb 2011
his own life inspired many youngsters and and is currently open for enrolment.

18 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Bollywood
Yesterday, once more in colour
Hum Dono Rangeen premieres in Mumbai, but will coloured Rakhi Sawant lambasts
Kangna Ranaut
classic be rage? Supriyo Hazra reports
In a star studded evening in Mumbai, the colour culean task.
version of Dev Anand’s classic ‘Hum Dono’, According to Ravi Chopra, who re-released
premiered as ‘Hum Dono-Rangeen’, on Feb his father B R Chopra’s Naya Daur in colour, Mumbai: Item girl Rakhi Sawant is furious
3, even as the response to such efforts evoke earlier said in interviews that one of the tech- and fuming over actor Kangna Ranaut’s
mixed reactions from cineastes. nical challenges is to ensure that the colour is comment on the Kangna-Mika kiss
While Bollywood will come out with more perfect and looks good since the original colour ruckus.
such coloured classics, the art house movie con- is not known.
noisseurs are against the move to colour path- He said modern softwares help in colour After Kangna apparently refused to en-
breaking films like Satyajit Ray’s “Panther selection.
gage in a lip-lock with singer Mika Singh
Panchali”. He said he chose to colour the film since
Leading B-town actors- Ranbir Kapoor, many among the young people had not seen the for a film shoot, she went ahead and fired
Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Govinda attended film, a classic according to him, since it was not a salvo at the controversy queen.
the premiere of the film in a Mumbai theatre in colour.
and they were effusive in praise of the film. It took nearly two and half years to colour “I am no Rakhi Sawant to do something
“Just returned home from the hum dono pre- the film in the course of which the sound quality like this” (kiss Mika), she is supposed to
miere and I am deeply touched to see the love was also improved. have said.
of my fans, I would like to thank Goldie my However, a poll conducted by a Bengali This has enraged Rakhi, who has shot
brother for making such a brilliant filmm [sic],” channel showed that 96 percent of the viewers back, “How dare Kangna do her publicity
tweeted Dev Anand. do not want to see path-breaking Bengali movie gimmicks, firing from my shoulder. I have
“I thank aamir, kiran, salman, ranbir, ‘Pather Pachali’ directed by Satyajjit Ray to be never kissed Mika. He had forcibly planted
govinda, imtiyaz, Faisal, sunny, dharam, shatru, released in colour version. one on me and the world knows that. If
jaaved, shabana, ashutosh, aditya kapoor, The opinion was “Pather Panchali” needs
Kangna is so publicity hungry, she should
Sanjay khan, naseer, Also uddhav thackrey his no support of colour to improve its quality or
family, adnan, Ketan Desai and all my friends make it appear more attractive to contemporary have kissed Mika for the song and be-
and sorry if I missed any names but love you all viewers. come famous. Why resort to talking about
[sic],” he tweeted earlier. According to Satyajit Ray Society, a Mum- Rakhi Sawant to gain mileage.”
Salman Khan tweeted after watching the bai-based organisation, that worked on ‘Mughl-
colour version of the popular 1961 film: “Must e-Azam’ and ‘Naya Daur’, had shown willing- Now, now! Knowing Rakhi, its best for
must must watch hum dono.” ness to colour Ray’s Pather Panchali. Kangna to eat up her words or quickly
Released in 1961, ‘Hum Dono’ was pro- But the maestro’s son Sandip Ray called the apologize to her for ‘dragging’ her into
duced by Dev Anand and Navketan films. project ‘atrocious.’ the picture, or Rakhi might just road roller
The film released on big screen on Friday. Mrinal Sen, Pradip Mukhopadhyay, Barun Kangna in national media.
Earlier, iconic Indian Hindi films like ‘Mu- Chanda, Buddhadeb Dasgupta and Gautam “With battle lines drawn, a new war seems
ghl-e-Azam’ and ‘Naya Daur’ were released Ghosh are leading names from Bengali film in- to have just begun here,” chuckles Rakhi’s
in colour format and they were appreciated by dustry who had come out and expressed their
publicist Dale Bhagwagar.
the viewers though the response was never too shock at the very idea of colouring Pather Pan-
overwhelming. chali, though they are not at all against colour in
However, colouring a film is no less a her- cinema per se.

Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 19

Indian
Bollywood

‘Shashi Tharoor was my Antony’

One of the first women to make cross-culture films,
Mira Nair bagged an Oscar nomination for her debut
movie Salaam Bombay. She speaks to Sreya Basu
about what brought her to filmmaking as the auteur
makes the right noises with her new work- a screen
adaptation of Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid’s novel
`The Reluctant Fundamentalist`



You are a Punjabi, but you grew up on

Orissa. How did that happen?
My father was an IAS of Orissa cadre. I was born
and brought up in Orissa…I spent 20 years of my life
there. I went to Stewart School in Bhubaneswar with
my brother.

There is a story that you used to challenge

your teachers. True?
cluding Ramu Damodaran, Amitabh Ghosh, Gautam You should never do things thinking what’s going to Satyajit Ray’s films (Apu’s Trilogy) at the Science
I had come with my father on deputation for two
Mukhopadhyay. And my Antony was Shashi Tha- come. In fact, I never expected that I would become a Centre in Harvard at the age of 19. So I can’t say
years in Delhi and gone to a proper school (Loreto
roor who always lost his wig during the love scene. filmmaker. I never took films seriously. films inspired me.
Convent). When I went back to this convent school
in Bhubaneswar, I found education was pretty lousy
You were into theatres at the Harvard too. How will you define filmmaking? But as a kid growing up in a small town, what was
there. By that time I had tasted what is called decent
Why did you shift to documentary filmmak- Filmmaking, according to me, is all about capturing most inspirational was jatra, which is mythological
education. And because these young teachers (wait-
ing from theatres? something extraordinary things about ordinary life. travelling theatre. People would come from villages
ing to get married) thought me as a good student,
Theatre was not so sustaining for me at the university. And I feel blessed that at the age of 20, I found my and take over a school field; as a prop they would
they would just see the copy coming from me and
I was under the illusion that I was an academic and place in life. have only a set of painted stairs, I used to go with my
give me highest marks. I knew that and I was getting
I used to work in political theatres in Calcutta and driver and while everybody thought I didn’t enjoy
absolutely unchallenged. And so I decided to have
Delhi. I was stimulated to work visually. I took up a Did you enjoy watching films? going to such places, I used to sit there and world
a campaign of testing them. When I had essays to
photography course and used those photographs to As I told you, I come from a very small town in emerge in front of me. The incredible Prahlad natak,
write, let’s say, on hospitals, I used to write literally
enter the film department that was really competitive. Bhubaneswar… there was only one movie theatre and other mythological dramas were spelt out in front
gibberish and I would still get the top marks. In short,
I was 19 when I started studying films, 21 when I where they perennially showed Doctor Zhivago. And of me. That was the fuel of my first excitement of
I was a spunky, kind of mad kid…I still am. (Smiles)
graduated from there. I have a distinct memory that power would often go doing anything with the art.
off and it would be terribly hot inside the hall. The
You got involved in street theatres while at
Did you expect that after 11 years you will manager would come and say: ‘Pretend you are in Postscript: Mira Nair, who had been planning to
Miranda House, Delhi University…and you
get an Oscar nomination for your debut film Siberia and it’s very cold’. (Laughs) In short, I was shoot The Reluctant Fundamentalist in Pakistan, has
were famous as Cleopatra?
(Salaam Bombay)? very uneducated about films, even Indian ones. I am been refused visa. Media reports quote her saying she
I was famous as Cleopatra…and the five slaves who
No, no. As Gita says, beware the fruits of action. ashamed to say this, but it’s true…that first time I saw would recreate Lahore in Delhi.
carried me on stage are extremely famous now, in-

20 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Bollywood
Control raging hormones, says Mithun ‘Saheb biwi aur gangster’
Mumbai: With Valentines’ Day just around
the corner, guess what’s brewing in the minds
of most male contestants on Zee TV’s dance
Doubles, the two young boys wowed the audi-
ence with the sheer magic of superb synchro-
nization as they moved to the theme song of
crew parties hard
reality show DID Doubles. Lagaan.
Apparently, all of them recently expressed They were a picture of India’s rustic pride
a desire to shake a leg as they played peasants
with the sexy host of the passionately revolting
show - Shveta Salve! against exploitative tax
policies of the British.
In a bid to woo It then came as a shock
Shveta, the boys are re- to everyone on the sets
ported to have landed up when Prithvi who had
on the sets with flowers, climbed atop a high
chocolates and cards for prop to the strike the
the lovely lady. final pose of this fabu-
On seeing their lous act collapsed to the
elaborate preparations floor.
and their eager re- Prithvi had appar-
quests to take turns and ently been suffering
dance with her, Mithun from an upset tummy
Chakraborty is said to for the past 2 days
have put his foot down and was dehydrated.
and said, “What’s going Rushing to his aid,
on? Control yourselves, Geeta got emotional as
boys. Get a grip on your she offered him water.
emotions and focus on
your performances. Feeling guilty for
This is a once-in-a- no fault of hers, Geeta
lifetime opportunity for asked Prithvi once he Mumbai: Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia Deepraj Rana, entrepreneur Jai Patel with
you to showcase your recovered, “Did I over- and producer Rahul Mittra threw a wrap Aarya Bora and England’s Designer Mis-
dancing talent.” burden you, Prithvi? You were so brilliant on up party at actor Randeep Hooda’s ter- hail were among the select celebrities who
Wow! Looks like Dada is getting all pos- stage today but nothing could possibly justify race over the weekend to celebrate the attended the party.
sessive and doesn’t want so many young men any damage to your well-being. That always is completion of their upcoming movie
vying for the attentions of his “hawt and hap- our first priority!” ‘Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster’. The guests partied hard, as they danced
pening” host Shveta. Prithvi immediately clarified that at no on the yet-to-be released songs of the film
But how about the lady herself? Oh! Sh- point did Geeta pressurize him during the re- A grueling month long shoot of the film “Saheb Biwi aur Gangster”.
veta’s just basking in the glory of being in hot hearsals and that it was his own determination was concluded recently in the interiors of
demand. She was heard whispering to one of to put forth a brilliant act that made him some- Gujarat. Producer Rahul Mittra who is aiming for
the crew members, “Haven’t had a better Val- what neglect his own health. a summer release of the film was seen
entine’s day … I’m lovin’ it!” It was a moment of deep satisfaction for
Irfaan Khan, Jimmy Shergill, Mahie Gill, raising a toast for actor Irfaan Khan on
Meanwhile, when Vivek & Prithvi ap- Prithvi when all the masters and Mithun Da
peared on stage for the recent shoot of DID lauded him for his excellent act. Neetu Chandra, Aseem Mishra, Pravesh bagging the highly coveted Padma Shree
Rana, Shreya Narain, Vipin Sharma, Award recently.

Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 21

Indian
Bollywood
‘Playing 37-40 was difficult for me’ Aishwarya surprises
Abhishek
New Zealand: With Players’ filming sched-
Priyanka Chopra has donned a grey avatar for Vishal Bharadwaj’s new film 7 Khoon Maaf, where ule moving right on track, Bollywood’s
she will be seen romancing seven heroes and then, be responsible for their deaths. The actor in popular couple took time off to celebrate
conversation with TWF correspondent Sreya Basu Abhishek Bachchan’s 35th birthday in New
Zealand’s charming, hillside harbour city,
Wellington on Saturday night.
You play wife to seven actors in 7 Khoon It’s shocking for me…the way unsubstanti- On location to film the Indian remake of The
Maaf and there were quite a few intimate ated and source-based news are pro- Italian Job, Bachchan’s early birthday sur-
scenes with them. How comfortable duced as reality. You hear some rumours prise arrived when wife Aishwarya Rai flew
were you shooting them? and make that front-page news. Neither in to spend time with her star-stud hubby
you find out if there is any truth in the and make this day extra special.
Here we are talking about marriages news, nor ask the person what’s real- With an indulgent three tier chocolate cake
and I don’t know of any marriage without ity, nor substantiate it with proper paper from a local New Zealand bakery in tow,
intimacy. And I think if you want to show works. This kind of thing has happened birthday boy Bachchan Junior was joined
love and pain, it comes with a lot of other to me for the first time in my career. I am by his wife and some of his castmates for a
emotions. There is never an isolated emo- deeply hurt; and it has deeply affected little cake cutting celebration at lunchtime
tion of love or hatred or anger or intimacy. me. I have told what I had to say. Further, on the sets of the film in Wellington.
When you are showing a scene, I am I would continue cooperating with investi- Later that evening, director duo Abbas
an actor playing a particular character, I gating authorities. As far as the news of Rs Mustan organized a party for the entire
would go to the extent I am comfortable. 6 crore been discovered from my resi- filming crew at their hotel in Wellington.
This film is all about Vishal Sir’s (Bharad- dence goes, neither there was money un- Those present were AB, Aishwarya Rai,
waj) conception. der my mattress, nor have I seen so much Sonam Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Omi Vaidya,
cash. I have already issued my statement Sikander Kher, Action Director Alan Amin,
How was it sharing screen with actors group to play. So, I was very nervous and to the media and I don’t think there is need DoP Ravi Yadav and many others.
like Naseeruddin Shah, Annu Kapoor I completely relied on my director to take to say more. While the fun didn’t stop early, some of the
and Irrfan Khan? me through that…and he did. stars took the party to the streets as they
headed out for a fun evening at Wellington’s
It was very nerve-racking initially because Shahrukh Khan, after seeing a few There were reports that Shahid Kapoor city centre where over 30,000 kiwi rugby
I had never worked with any of them. Annu scenes from 7 Khoon Maaf, said you was present at the time of IT raids to fans, dressed in costumes, were celebrat-
Sir I had known for a while. I had done a are a She-ro (female hero). What do you support you. How true was this? ing their victory in the NZI Sevens rugby
workshop with Naseeruddin Sir right be- have to say on that? tournament.
fore I started the film, which really helped My mom was not at home at the time and A little birthday get-together quickly turned
me because he himself is an institution of I think he is being too kind to me. Shahid lives three minutes away from my into a fully charged, exciting night out of
cinema. Irrfan is tremendously talented place. So, yes, I called him because there town amidst Wellington’s bustling hub of
and we started the first schedule of the You seem to be very disturbed with the was nobody else I could call at that time restaurants, bars and vibrant nightlife for the
film with him. It was a tricky edge for me news of recent Income Tax raids at your and could come immediately. He was birthday boy and his cast mates.
because I was playing a woman in the age residence… there when this happened. What a way to bring in his 35th birthday!
group of 37-40 years. It’s very difficult age

22 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

Indian
Bollywood
The Players in Auckland A night out with the stars
After their shooting very relaxed. It was such a pleasure
schedule in Wellington ARVIND KUMAR meeting them.”
– where Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan flew in with The Wellington Sevens street party
two Saturdays ago is one outing Shaneel said Abhishek even joined
friends from India to the party and joined the Indian dance
wish husband Abhishek Shaneel Choy and his girlfriend will
remember forever, and one they will group playing drums in the street.
a happy 35th birthday
– the cast and crew of probably never stop talking about.
Shaneel, 24, an automation engineer, “It would have been even better if
Players moved to Auck- Aishwarya had been in the photo
land for the rest of the and Meron Tegegn, 21, were out
enjoying the street party in Cour t- too but it was quite late and she ap-
shoot in New Zealand. peared a bit stressed – but it was all
The shoots were done ney Place after the sevens tourna-
ment when they spot ted Bolly wood very exciting.”
at several places in
Auckland and Kiwi megastars Abhishek Bachchan and
his wife Aishwarya Rai among the Shaneel said Abhishek said “hello”
Indians who chanced to them and shook hands with him
upon the whereabouts crowd.
and gave Meron a hug.
of the stars visited the
shooting hotspots to And Abhishek even posed for a
photo, which he took himself while Abhishek, Aishwarya and a host
get a glimpse of the go- of other Bolly wood stars are still
ings on. pointing the camera towards them
and giving a thumbs-up as the crowd believed to be in the country filming
In this scene – of the movie, Ab- for “Players” – a remake of the British
hishek is seen with Omi Vaidya swirled around them at around 2am.
“It’s one night we are not likely to hit film “The Italian Job”. Other stars
of 3 idiots fame. here are Neil Nitin Mukesh, Bipasha
Indian Weekender was reliably forget,” Shaneel told the Indian
Weekender. Basu, and Sonam Kapoor.
informed that about 30 children
of Indian origin from the Mount “I first saw Aishwarya, and thought
she looked like Aishwarya, so Meron Shaneel’s veteran journalist father
Roskill area participated in the Harris Choy said he had spot ted
scene where Abhishek inaugu- checked and it was her.
Sonam Kapoor in the city a couple of
rates a school building, Sonam weeks ago.
Kapoor cuts the ribbon and “I then asked Meron to take our
lets the kids in who run into the photo but Abhishek’s bodyguard
took our camera when Abhiskek “It was definitely her,” Harris said.
campus. The shooting was held This was Sonam Kapoor’s second
at Massey university campus inter vened, took the camera himself,
posed and clicked,” Shaneel said. stint in New Zealand after shooting
Albany. “I Hate Luv Storeys” earlier last year
Indian Weekender also caught “Abhishek took the picture himself
a bored Abhishek sat around in the swel- so that makes it even more special with Imran Khan.
Abhishek and the crew in a ‘drive by shoot’ tering heat under a parasol, waiting for his
on Wairau Road on the North Shore where – he’s a really nice and polite guy,
own action to begin.

I am fortunate to be working with Rahmanji:

Zee bids adieu to Harshdeep Kaur
popular show Mumbai: Sufi singer Harshdeep Kaur is indeed category for his compositions in the film ‘127 hours’
passing through a special phase in her life touring and for the original song ‘If I rise’ from the same
Mumbai: Zee TV’s popular show ‘Agle the world for shows with none other than music flick.
Janam Mohe Bitiya Ho Kijo’ will come to maestro A R Rahman. Sharing her experience of working with A R
an end on Feb 12 with a special one and half Kaur said, “Presently I am performing for Rahman, Kaur said, “Everyone wants to work with
hour episode at 8 pm. Rahman ji on “The Journey home” world Tour and Rahman. I feel myself to be very fortunate as I got
‘Agle janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo’ travelling many countries.” the opportunity to work with him many times.”
created waves across India for showcasing a She has sung the popular song ‘R.I.P’ under Earlier, she sang the “Ek Onkar” for Rahman
prevalent social evil in society. Rahman’s direction, from the recently released from the hugely appreciated soundtrack of ‘Rang
The concept of ‘selling the girl child Hollywood movie, ‘127 hours’, directed by Oscar De Basanti’.
amidst utter poverty to raise money for the winning director Danny Boyle. Beside this she also sang in several B-town
rest of the family’ had viewers hooked onto Rahman has bagged two nominations at the movies like “Band Baaja Baarat”, “Karz”, “Karam”,
a reality rampant in the country. 83rd Annual Academy Award in the original score “Taxi -9211” and “Guzaarish”.
Commenting on this, Zee TV Market-
ing Head, Akash Chawla said, “Agle Janam
Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo is an excellent example
of how a powerful story like this one will
always command recognition compared to
the glamorous stuff shown on television.
He said, “The show in its peak was de-
livering close to 4.5 TVRs. Currently in the
7:30 pm timeslot, Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya show.
Hi Kijo will be replaced by with the magical Abhishek, who essays the character of
love of Dev and Radhika in Choti Bahu. We Shekhar, said, “I’m feeling very nostalgic
are hoping that this ‘power of love’ will win that the show is coming to an end as I have
many more million hearts with an all new some wonderful memories playing the role
story.” of Shekhar. I owe all my success to this show
The entire cast of the show will have a and to Zee TV. I thank the viewers for all the
grand farewell party mark the success of the adulation we received.

Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 23

Indian
Personality

More is less at popular supermarket

ARVIND KUMAR bute unwavering family values as the key to
When I visited the Food For Less supermarket success. Apart from the supermarket, they
New Lynn branch this week, I was expecting also own the Globex Importers distributor-
to find the head of the store sitting behind a ship.
desk in an air conditioned office. “Everything we are today has been because
Instead, staff directed me towards the of the blessing and guidance of our father,”
butchery where I found Romit Prakash stand- Romit told the Indian Weekender.
ing behind the meat slicing machine where he “Dad’s guidance was most important, and
was busy helping out his staff as the queue of we owe every bit of success to him.
customers built up. “Another key person in our life was dad’s
It is this sort of hands-on commitment and Guruji (now late Pundit Vishnu Kashyap) who
down to earth approach that has seen the rise guided dad and was behind us buying the
of the burgeoning Food For Less supermar- Otahuhu branch of Food For Less.”
ket group – first in Otahuhu and now in New “We always stick up for each other and the
Lynn. family bond is strong – and that’s what keeps
Twenty eight-year-old Romit, who actually our feet on the ground,” Romit said.
has biomedical qualifications from the Auck- So much so that after all these years, the
land University, manages the New Lynn store two brothers – married with children – and
while older brother Nilesh, 32, manages the their parents (altogether 10) – still live togeth-
Otahuhu branch, selling all fresh Fiji produce, er in the same house they bought in Howick
groceries and meat. when they first came to New Zealand in 2000.
But the humble Auckland brothers attri- The family is originally from Eight Miles, able experience in the food business. Indian items but also cater for mainstream
Nasinu, about 20 minutes out In 2003, they bought Food World and sold consumers, and that draws in all types of cus-
of Suva City in Fiji towards the it seven months later, and set their sights on tomers.”
Nausori Airport. the Food For Less in Otahuhu. “There are expansion plans, but still in
Dad Uma Chand, who now “It was a sinking ship but we managed to planning stages,” Romit said.
prefers remaining in the business turn it around,” Romit said. Romit said that through their distribution
background, grew all sorts of veg- “It was hard work and we all pitched to- business, they were able to sell goods cheaper
etables at Eight Miles and was one gether to make it work. There were times than they were sold in Fiji, mainly because of
of the key suppliers to Suva Market. when we weren’t sure about certain things, the stronger NZ dollar and the bulk buying
“In fact after the 1987 coup, dad but we carried on regardless.” nature of their business.
was the only remaining supplier of The New Lynn branch was opened about For now, the brothers are content in
vegetables to Suva market.” 18 months ago, converted into a supermarket achieving slow but steady progress, and have
But the switch from farming to from a veggie store. every confidence of making it even bigger out
supermarkets was not easy. Romit Today, the success story is a multi-million of Auckland.
was still in high school when the dollar business with their two supermarkets,
family moved to New Zealand. and the distribution business and there are FOOD FOR LESS
While Nilesh, who has sharp plans to expand to other parts of the country.
business acumen, joined the Food Food For Less has taken on the might of Atkinson Ave, Otahuhu
World supermarket in Otara as a re- some of the long established Indian food/ Veronica St, New Lynn
ceiving clerk, Romit did the check- grocery outlets – and is winning. Ph, 09 826-4387
Nilesh Prakash outs and groceries – gaining valu- “Our advantage is that we don’t just sell

Romit Prakash

24 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

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Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 25

Indian
Heritage

Why shivāji mahārāj matters

ram lingam

What Napoleon is to France and Julius Ceaser is to Rome, Shivāi Mahārāj is to India. February 19 is Shivāji
Mahārāj’s birth anniversary. For those looking for inspiration, his life story has plenty to offer even today, to bring
about change – within and without, against all odds.
Imagine a 15-year old teenager taking an oath to free future of India is going to be sooner or later”.
the country from Mughal tyranny. At 17, this boy un- The 17th century saint Sant Tukarām extolled his
dertakes his first military strike only with a handful reign as “Rām Rājya” in which the ruler and his sub-
of soldiers and captures a fort in difficult terrain. jects were all equal and there was all-round welfare.
When imprisoned by the Mughal King, he tricks his Even his own guru, Samarth Rāmdas acknowledged
elite guards by escaping in large sweet baskets. Under him as “Shrimant Yogi,” or a person achieving desires
the very nose of a cruel, powerful, intolerant and des- with detachment, which draw attention to the Chha-
potic Mughal Aurangazeb, he carves up his Marāthā trapati’s underlying life-attitude.
Empire. Only few rulers in the world could have Even inimical chroniclers like Khāfī Khān, a
built an empire with such scarce resources and hard contemporary Historian of the Mughals, writes in his
topography that his native territory offered. Later he Muntakhab-ul-Lubab: “Shivāji had always striven to
even offers his empire to his guru. He is India’s na- maintain the honour of the people in his territories
tional hero – Chhatrapati Shivāji Mahārāj (1630-1680) … and was careful to maintain the honour of women
whose mix of military intelligence, guerilla warfare and children of Muhammadans when they fell into
and public good are still unmatched and have no par- his hands. His injunctions on this point were very
allel. strict.” Bhimsen, a contemporary historian in Tarikh-
Chhatrapati Shivāji Mahārāj as he should be i-Dilkasha remarks: “He was a straightforward man
rightly called was a people’s king, a visionary general, and a matchless soldier and knew the administrative
a secular ruler, a humble disciple of his guru, a fear- side of the king-ship very well. He enjoyed the full
less warrior and much more to his subjects, supporters confidence of his soldiers.”
and even to his enemies. Upon his coronation in 1674, To such a hero, Sir J.N. Sarkar, a prominent Indian
he was conferred the title of ‘Chhatrapati‘- A ‘Chha- historian remarks “States fall, empires break up, dy-
trapati’ is a Lord (pati) who is worthy of a ‘chatra’ nasties become extinct, but the memory of a true ‘hero
(umbrella) meaning a person worthy of a ceremonial as King’ like Shivāji, remains an imperishable histori-
umbrella. Only ‘Supreme Kings’ in India are credited cal legacy for the entire human race.”
with ceremonial umbrellas and hence the title. ‘Chha- Unfortunately we know of Chhatrapati Shivāji
trapati’ also indicates a person who gives shade to his Mahārāj mainly through our school textbooks and
followers and ensures their welfare as it has been the TV serials, which is simply not adequate. Remarks
case during his short life of fifty years. Francois Gautier, a French journalist, writer and his-
Despite the odds, he was a just King who showed torian “most French people are proud of Napoleon –
tolerance toward all religions and languages. In an en- “States fall, empires break up, dynasties become extinct, but and rightly so – because he was, like Shivaji, a great
lightening letter to Aurangzeb, he showed his wisdom
and respect of other religions, when he wrote: “Verily, the memory of a true ‘hero as King’ like Shivāji, remains an warrior, a visionary and an exceptional statesman.
Therefore, every year, at least four to five new books
Islam and Hinduism are terms of contrast. They imperishable historical legacy for the entire human race.” are written, directly or indirectly, about Napoleon, his
are used by the true Divine Painter for blending the life or his deeds. Compare this with India, where it is
colours and filling in the outlines. If it is a mosque, J.N. Sarkar – Indian Historian difficult to find a book about Shivaji. No nation can
the call to prayer is chanted in remembrance of Him. move forward unless it has heroes. No country can
If it is a temple, the bells are rung in yearning for Him progress unless it is proud of itself and can make its
alone.” Setu Madhavrao Pagadi, a historian in his in- of the sea coast. He is rightly called the father of the children relate to heroes seeped in one’s culture.”
The history of India is incomplete without the troduction to his book ‘Chhatrapati Shivāji’ wrote: Indian Navy.” To know Chhatrapati Shivāji Mahārāj is to know
Marāthā history with Shivāji Mahārāj at the nucleus. “Shivāji is one of the great national figures of India… Swāmi Vivekānandā adds to the Chhatrapati’s the vision of a patriot inspired by the teachings of the
To know the attributes of this great King is to discover As a soldier, warrior and general, Shivāji fashioned subtleties saying, “Is there a greater hero, a greater ancient Indian philosophers. His life shows us a path
the motives and values behind his actions, which the army into a truly national one. Perfect discipline, saint, a greater bhakta and a greater King than Shivaji? of natural love for self-determination and aversion for
matters today more than ever. Without going into the rapid movements, excellent intelligence service, and Shivaji was the very embodiment of a born ruler of external domination. It is only befitting that the city
details of his life and events, here is a gloss of estimates continuous attention to defence marked his military men as typified in our great epics. He was the type of of Mumbai is planning to erect his statue off its shore
by thinkers and writers about Chhatrapati Shivāji organization, and this enabled him to defeat his adver- the real son of India representing the true conscious- in the Arabian Sea – that will be taller than the Statue
Mahārāj which shows why he matters even today. saries time and again. Nor did he neglect the defence ness of the nation. It was he who showed what the of Liberty.

Sport
World Cup 2011 gets under way – Will it be Sachin’s final hurrah!
include Ireland, Canada and Netherlands. These the earlier editions. prised if they get into the final four.
PRASHANT BELWALKAR have been the sort of whipping boys for the regu- India will be hoping to break the curse of “host South Africa are actually the strongest team on
This year’s first major sporting event gets under way lation teams, but have been involved in some fan- nations” not winning the tournament ever. The paper, but have managed to get the tag of “chokers”
in the Indian subcontinent from 19th of February tastic matches of their own. The other ICC regular entire nation would be praying for the boys in blue in the world cups as they managed to loose from
and the reigning champions Australia would be keen members Zimbabwe and Kenya bring in a spice to to take the trophy on their home ground and give a winning positions in 3 editions. They were done in
to make it four in a row. Challenging them would be the tournament as they have shown in the past that fitting tribute to the living legend of cricket “Sachin by Mr Duckworth and Lewis not once but twice and
the hosts India and Sri Lanka. One must not forget on the big stage they can spring surprises of their Tendulkar”. Sachin’s own form has been fantas- then they managed to loose from a strong position
the third host Bangladesh as they are capable of cre- own. Remember Zimbabwe beating India, Kenya tic but has been restricted in appearances since his and hand Australia an easy entry into the final. But
ating a surprise or two themselves. Unfortunately, getting the better of West Indies. Probably the most record breaking double hundred last year. Hope that this time they look prepared and have even managed
Pakistan the fourth partner has been stripped off un-fancied team is that of New Zealand. While the his body is able to take the rigours of the month long to keep the veteran Boucher out of the team, which
their hosting rights for all non-cricketing reasons but black caps have never gone beyond the Semis in tournament. The only Achilles heel in the blues team shows the riches that they have in the ranks.
they are the most unpredictable team ever and can’t this tournament, they have been the most consistent is their bowling which is spear headed by Zaheer, but Pakistan can never be under estimated and have
be ruled out in their own backyard like settings in team with a quarter final placing in all editions. So has erratic support in form of the ageing Nehra and a formidable talent in their ranks. Individually they
the subcontinent. Add to the mix the strong South don’t take the black caps lightly, despite their current the capricious Sreesanth. Maybe the unknown ele- are a brilliant team, but are known to explode for all
Africans, who have never won this tournament, and form. ments of Chawla and Ashwin might turn the tables the wrong reasons. If they can keep their cool then
England. Though England is the new T20 champs, Form can be a misleading factor in this tourna- in India’s favour. they can be a team to watch. West Indies are in a
they have yet to conquer the ODI summit despite ment, which has never been won by the team fancied Sri Lanka is also on home turf and a formidable similar boat where in a Pollard, Gayle, Sarwan can
being in a few finals. Erstwhile champs West Indies by the pundits. Take 1975 when all and sundry force. They have resisted the temptation of giving turn the match on their own. But will the perform as
are an enigma. They have individual players who thought England would win the tournament but another chance to the veterans Jayasurya and Vaas, a team? Bangladesh can cause a flutter and so can
can take the game away on their day, but as a team West Indies won, same goes for India in 1983, Aus- but have shown faith in the new breed of excit- Zimbabwe, but nothing beyond that.
they haven’t created a stir since winning the Cham- tralia in 1987, Pakistan in 1992, Sri Lanka in 1996. ing cricketers. They will be a force to reckon with So who will rule the roost and run away as the
pions trophy a couple of years back. Australia has had a tight grip on the trophy in last 3 as they have the maverick duo - death specialist winner! Don’t keep guessing as the fun and passion
There are a lot of contenders from around the editions and is one of favourites this time too. But Malinga and hitter Dilshan, ever reliable Sangak- beings on Friday 19th Feb as India taken on Bangla-
world under the ICC development program which they are not overwhelmingly strong as they were in kara and Jayawardane amongst them. Don’t be sur- desh. As they say in matches “Play”!

26 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

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Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 27

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Travel

The World in the palm of your hand

Technology for today’s traveller

ANMOL TRIKANNAD agencies have now entered the mobile domain load maps which you can use offline. This will Besides allowing you to update what you had
thereby allowing travellers to plan their itinerar- help you save dough and face, especially when for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it allows you to
The fact that New Zealand is tucked away in ies on the go. Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) all you had to do was follow those “really easy let mum know you are safe. Ping! And What-
the corner of the world means we have to travel such as Expedia and Travelocity allow users to directions” your friend gave you. Using a free sApp allow you to send free text messages while
further and donate a fair chunk of our holiday view deals, book trips and manage their itin- app called MapQuest, you can save maps and Skype allows you to make phone calls on the
time to flying time, which is inevitable. But eraries. Dedicated travel planner apps such as routes on the website and access them from your cheap, saving you on long-distance calling rates.
thankfully these days, travel gadgets are handy Worldmate and Tripit phone. Notable apps You will need a Wi-Fi or network connection to
to help you save time spent on getting informa- allow you to manage include those from save on global roaming costs.
tion at your destinations. your entire journey Frommer’s, Zagat and 6) Miscellaneous Apps: Apps for currency
Time spent waiting in transit at LAX or the including flight, hotel Lonely Planet. Also conversion, packing/to-do lists, airport info,
bus that was supposed to arrive half an hour ago and rental bookings check-out the London world time, wi-fi hotspot finders (the in-built
in Buenos Aires, could be certainly put to better even enabling to sync and Paris subway wi-fi finder doesn’t work if you switch to air-
use. your meetings with apps which ensure plane mode), pedometers and alarm clock apps
With the world increasingly becoming one your calendar – your you master the art of are useful to have. One of the more quirky apps
big global village, it is now available at your fin- personal assistant on navigation through I found is the ‘Anti-Mosquito Free’ which sup-
gertips in a range of sizes and colours to suit. the go! the concrete jungles. posedly drives away mozzies by emitting low
The most notable of these is the brainchild of 2) Airport and 4) Language apps: frequency waves. Word of advice - Don’t ditch
Apple’s founder, Steve Jobs. He revolutionised airline apps: A You might not get the the insect repellent!
the world with the release of the iPhone in 2007 number of airlines accent down pat, but Beware: Most apps require a network con-
and then went a step further with the release of offer their own app, you could surely order nection or internet connection (through a wi-fi)
Apple’s app store in 2008. which lets you access Peking Duck in the to function. Global roaming charges can sting
These software applications, known as your flight details at side streets of Beijing, users and can cost anywhere between $5-20/
‘apps’, now number in the hundreds of thou- the least. Some even wait a minute, in Man- MB. To avoid the standoff with your telecom
sands and cover every aspect of life, with a allow you to book, darin! If the cat got provider, turn data roaming off on your phone.
dedicated ‘Travel’ category. Using a multitude check-in and track your tongue, you can Increasing use of mobile devices has led to wi-fi
of these apps, you can now transform your piece flight status. Air New even trigger an audio hotspots in most tourist friendly destinations.
of metal and plastic into an indispensable travel- Zealand’s app called recording for more Airports, libraries and coffee shops.
ling companion. the mPass allows you than 600 common Web-based booking avenues such as Air
Other manufacturers such as Blackberry to check the most up phrases in 17 different New Zealand’s Grabaseat and HoT’s, ‘makemy-
and Nokia are joining the apps bandwagon. to date details of all languages, for every- trip’ have successfully proven that we are in-
Although an entire book might be more ap- your flight bookings day situations using creasingly looking online to book our next trip
propriate to talk about travel apps, here is a and serves as an electronic boarding pass (Do- Lonely Planet’s Phrasebook app. Along with the and a great deal. Travel operator specific apps
list of general apps that will ensure you arrive mestic only and no check-in bags). If you are a destination guides, which have become synony- will cater to a wider range of travellers and those
at places well informed. The apps listed below Koru member, you can scan your way into the mous with Travel, the Lonely Planet guides are who are increasingly flexible with their travel
are the ones I have tested with the iPhone. Lounge. invaluable resources in all formats. plans. Besides this, the apps are sold trough
These could be available on other members of 3) Maps and Destination guide apps: Al- 5) Social media and messaging apps: Social iTunes, which provides worldwide exposure and
the Apple family – iPad and iPod Touch and on though the inbuilt maps application is some- media slaves can rest assured that those anxious will drive destination and tourism operators to
other mobile devices as well. times useful, it is painfully slow even on wi-fi minutes of lost time in tweeting can now be consider the mobile platform as an indispensible
1) Travel planner apps: Web based travel and mobile networks. An alternative is to down- recouped courtesy Twitter and Facebook apps. marketing and sales tool.

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Feature

The heart of giving

Despite criticism, the Indian philanthropy space is gaining rapid momentum and is certainly something to watch
out for in the months to come. Namit Agarwal reports Indian billionaires’ altruism
Indian billionaires have been criticised for their make smart financial decisions about their giving. India can lead in social in India. Tata Trust, the nonprofit arm of the group
inability to contribute enough to social causes. But it is complicated to find organizations and even innovation: Industry has been actively supporting social organisations and
As more and more billionaires around the world more complicated to find whether the organization individuals for several decades.
pledge their wealth for charitable purposes the gap is credible,” she said. With the Gates-Buffet (Bill Gates and Warren “It is easy to write a cheque but very difficult to
becomes more distinct vis-à-vis India. The Global Indian Fund (GIF) provides a variety Buffet, the latter is American investor and philan- see the impact,” said J J Irani. “To see positive social
But in the recent past we have seen Indian in- of options for US donors to support nonprofits and thropist ) Indian tour inching closer, the air around impact it is essential to have a wealth creation arm
dustry leaders parting with their wealth, setting get tax benefits. GIF has partnered with Samhita to philanthropy is heating up in India, according to a and a delivery arm.”
examples to bring about a perception change in the create an online platform for US donors to support recently-released lecture series. “The basic problem in India is a problem of
corporate circle. We can now hope that in the near Indian nonprofits. GIF together with Samhita and JSW Foundation, CSR arm of the Jindal group, scale. The Government must take initiative and
future Indian corporate houses will come closer to other sector experts have created a credibility launched the O P Jindal lecture series in collabora- work closely with NGO’s as they cannot do it alone.
the international philanthropic benchmark. framework to verify and list nonprofits on the portal tion with Asia Society India Centre in Mumbai at an Frankly the previous generations have contributed
In the US almost 82% donations come from in- and will be launching soon. event titled ‘Next generation philanthropy’ recently. more than the current and this needs to change.” said
dividuals and only 5% from corporate foundations. According to Akhil Sahani, Director, Kaizen An eminent panel comprising Pierre Omidyar, Ajay Piramal.
This astonishing figure is beyond comparison in Private Equity, the biggest mistake that nonprof- Founder, eBay Inc and Co-founder Omidyar The Piramal Foundation has been supporting
India. In a recent donor survey conducted jointly its make is to go to a donor with a one-size-fits-all Network and captains of Indian industry, JJ Irani, several social initiatives in the areas of healthcare
by Samhita and the Global India Fund it was found request, without knowing what their preferences Director, TATA Sons, Anand Mahindra, VC & MD, and education.
that most donors are unaware of credible nonprofit are. Mahindra & Mahindra, Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Employee engagement is an important aspect of
organisations to support. “The key is to understand who your donor is and Piramal Enterprises and Madhabi Puri Buch, MD & corporate social responsibility and the Mahindra and
To address this issue and to make philanthropy what is it that he or she is affiliated with,” he said. CEO, ICICI Securities shared their vision and ideas Mahindra group’s innovative strategy called ESOP
easy, essential and effective the American Center “The term donor brings in the concept of a be- for young India. or Employee Social Options is a remarkable example
and Samhita organised a panel discussion of distin- nevolent giver and a grateful recipient and we need Sajan Jindal, VC and MD of JSW Steel said, “My of employee engagement.
guished panelists in Mumbai on January 6. to put that aside,” said Noshir Dadrawala, Chief Ex- father Shri O P Jindal envisioned supporting social “The Government can show the way and have a
The panelists were Dr. Amita Vyas, Assistant ecutive, Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy. initiatives at an early stage and supporting commu- role to play and corporations must be a step ahead,”
Professor and Director, George Washington Uni- Noshir, author of many nonprofit management nity development and the girl child has always been said Anand Mahindra.
versity and Founder, Global India Fund; Li Ping Lo, books, has helped several nonprofits come into very important for the group” “There is no better way to understand your
Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Consulate Mumbai; existence and also helped several philanthropists Pierre Omidyar said, “India has the potential to strengths and discover how you can make a differ-
Noshir Dadrawala, Chief Executive, Centre for Ad- support social causes effectively. lead the world in social innovation.” ence in the larger context than to voluntarily engage
vancement of Philanthropy; Vidya Shah, Executive EdelGive Foundation has been supporting The Omidyar Network has made an investment in philanthropy,” said Madhabi Puri Buch.
Director and Head, EdelGive Foundation; Akhil several nonprofit organisations by providing grants. of about US$ 70 million in social initiatives and plan The Ministry of Corporate Affairs recently sug-
Shahani, Director, Kaizen Private Equity and Rajiv “We struggle to find enough credible organisations to invest another US$ 100 – 200 million in the next gested companies spend 2% of their net profits for
Agarwal, Advertising Consultant. The discussion to support,” said Vidya Shah. EdelGive Foundation 5 years. “It doesn’t really matter whether you invest social causes.
was moderated by Priya Naik, CEO, Samhita. stresses on building the organisation’s capacity by in a nonprofit organization or a for profit social enter- This is something that leading Indian business
“Everytime I’d share stories of the wonderful improving administrative resources like HR and prise. What matters is the social impact,” Omidyar houses already seem to be doing. However, the
work that nonprofit organizations in India do. I’ve Finance. said. concept of CSR in India is inclined more towards
always met with the same response that they didn’t “In the United States tax benefits is a very im- “People in India are inherently capable but often corporate giving while globally the concept of CSR
know that there are so many such organizations portant incentive for people to give,” said Li Ping lack equal opportunity. Provided the right conditions is more about the triple bottomline.
doing such great work,” said Dr. Amita Vyas. Lo, Foreign Service Officer, US Consulate Mumbai. and a chance to display its deep talent, India has the The Indian philanthropy space gaining rapid mo-
“People all across the United States care about “In India and also in US and UK religious giving potential to become the social innovation hub for the mentum and is certainly something to watch out for
supporting social causes here in India. But there are takes a major share. India has a culture of giving but rest of the world,” he said. in the months to come.
too many complexities to giving. People want to not institutional giving,” said Noshir. The Tata group has a long history of philanthropy (–IBNS)

Mehndi takes the US by storm Body art beyond borders

The Indian tradition of applying henna for festive occasions is becoming increasingly popular in the United States.
SPAN writer Jane Varner Malhotra reports from Washington D.C.
art form. Women seeking mehndi for weddings no tranquility and intimacy through her work. “Without ankle. It was a challenge to do a same size finger print
longer have to drive for hours to find an experienced henna in this busy city, I don’t think I’d get to know so in henna, but in the end it was fun.”
artist. Every major city now offers a selection of pro- many interesting people,” she explains. “Henna is an Some customers get a little too creative. Once a
fessional henna studios; with the help of the Internet, art of patience, and it relaxes. So when you do henna, man called Patangay to ask for henna done as a pair
many artists can be found in remote areas as well. it holds two people together in hours of conversation of decorative shorts. She was never able to find time
Why is henna becoming so popular in the US? – so rare these days – and a real connection grows.” for that client. “One woman wanted a turtle on her
Body art is on the rise in general. According to a Henna opens doors, too. “The work brings me bottom,” she laughs. “I was also contacted to create
2006 study by the Pew Research Center, one in three into people’s homes, so I have really explored New a mehndi design for Julia Roberts for the movie
Americans aged 18 to 25 now have tattoos. But many York City. Event planners hire me to work in beau- Eat Pray Love, in which they planned to include a
Americans are reluctant to take the permanent tattoo tiful venues. I even worked for a royal family from wedding sequence in India. Eventually that scene
plunge, and henna offers an attractive alternative. the Middle East living for a month in the penthouse did not end up in the picture, but it was an interest-
“Natural, painless and temporary – people like that,” of the Waldorf Astoria,” recalls Patangay. “The prin- ing process to go through, getting the measurements
says henna artist Kamala Chandrasekhar of Santa cess showed me her baby album, and told me about for her hand and working on a stencil that would be
Clara, Bay Area in California. “They’re in awe of the how she spends her days. She was surprisingly down converted to a temporary tattoo.”
art form and the elaborate Indian designs,” she adds. to earth.” Chandrasekhar has also had unusual requests,
When she moved to the US in the ‘80s, Chan- Now in her mid-30s, Patangay grew up in India including a cityscape across a man’s chest and shoul-
drasekhar worked as an instructor of Bharatanatyam practicing henna with her family at home. She moved ders, and a “green man” with leaves and plants sur-
At her aunt’s recent cross-cultural wedding, my dance. Later, as her career and a search for better from Hyderabad in 1998 and studied at the New York rounding a face on a client’s back.
11-year-old daughter, Helen, made a new friend – the weather took her from Minnesota to California, she Institute of Technology. She notes that most of her Both Chandrasekhar and Patangay extend their
henna artist. Helen sat by the woman’s side for hours began to experiment with henna designs she had friends and fellow students knew little of her hobby artistic talents to the more traditional canvas – paint-
during the mehndi ceremony, mesmerised as the learned from a master henna artist while visiting and she had no intention of making a business from it. ings. Recently, Patangay held an exhibition in New
henna cone danced across the guests’ hands, forming family in India. In 1999, after years of daily practice However, through a referral, the American Museum York of her hennography, which incorporates paint-
intricate patterns in a matter of minutes. By the time – on friends, family and herself – someone at a local of Natural History invited her to be part of a weekend ing and photography of henna artistry done on a
the exhausted but friendly henna artist left the party, beauty parlor admired the work on her left hand and body art exhibit and represent India and henna art- model or on canvas. She also designs henna-inspired
I’m pretty sure my delighted daughter’s hands and asked her who did it. istry. “As a new immigrant, I couldn’t have asked for jewellery, ceramics and wedding cakes.
arms offered a complete catalogue of all the woman’s “When I told her I’d done it myself, she said she a better venue to exhibit my work. Soon my business Chandrasekhar is part of a network in the Bay
patterns and motifs. had a bride who needed her henna done,” recalls grew and shortly after the event, I opened Henna Area of henna artists that refer each other in case of
For many of the older American guests, this was Chandrasekhar. “In those days there were not many Studio, Inc.,” she says. illness, or when an artist needs help for a large event.
their first henna experience, but the under-30 crowd henna artists in the area and she convinced me to do Although in India henna is more commonly part “Henna artistry is fulfilling but the work is challeng-
certainly knew the routine. These days, town festi- it. I was nervous and it took a long time. But it came of a beauty salon package along with nails, eyebrows ing. Even if you are really good at henna, you have to
vals, shopping malls, farmers’ markets and beach out better than I expected, and by word of mouth and a facial, in the US, Patangay finds that henna has have a good business sense as well, marketing your-
resorts across the US have become host to an increas- soon many people were calling me, and there was no a different purpose. “Many American clients use self, knowing what your clients want and all the while
ing number of henna artists. Men, women and chil- looking back.” henna to explore innovative ideas. The applications being a professional.”
dren are lining up to enjoy the elaborate and tempo- On the opposite coast, amid the hustle and bustle can be very creative. For instance, one of my clients (Photo Courtesy Kamala Chandrasekhar/Henna World)
rary tattoos as more people become familiar with the of New York City, henna artist Sandy Patangay finds wanted her thumb impression done in henna on her – SPAN /Trans World Features (TWF)

Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 29

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Column
By Ruby Dhillon

Expecting? What to eat? Recipe

Vegetarian Barbecue
Varsha Asrani
“I am expecting” these three words brings tremen- & cereals, milk & milk products, and meat/fish/
dous joy to the entire family and as soon as the chicken/vegetarian protein. The diet should consist
news is shared, the focus shifts to the “would be less of high-fat, high-sugar, low-nutrient foods and In summer, barbecue is an integral part of the kiwi way of life. With many Indians prefer-
mum” and “soon to arrive baby”. it is important throughout pregnancy to consume a
It is a well known fact that nutrition and diet healthy, nutritious and balanced diet. ring to be vegetarians, I am giving a general recipe in which many different vegetarian
during pregnancy is of prime importance and this Remember, during pregnancy your energy re- things can be marinated like cauliflower, capsicum, egg plant, button mushrooms,
is also practiced in most cultures, however at times quirements does not double, so pregnancy isn’t an paneer, tofu and even rings of potato and onions !
we ignore the healthy side of nutrition in pregnancy. excuse to fill up on chocolates and chips! In the below recipe I have mentioned mushrooms - but they can be substituted with
Research confirms, the age old myth of “Eating Research highlights that important nutrient like other above mentioned vegetarian stuff.
for two” is no more true and it also emphasizes the folate has found to reduce the risk of spinal cord
need for eating healthy during these times for both defects like spina bifida. Good sources of folate are
the “would be mum” and the “arriving child”. green vegetables, legumes and citrus fruit as well Ingredients l Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
During a recent consultation, my client’s Mum as fortified cereals and fruit juice, however with 2 Capsicums cut into chunks
l l Salt - 1 teaspoon
in Law stated “that feeding clarified butter (Ghee) these nutrients, when you consult your GP, they
can ease delivery, while this has not been proven; may prescribe a folic acid supplement (if needed). l 15 Button mushrooms cut into halves l Besan ( Chana gram flour)

research states excessive fat and sugar intake may Iodine is another important nutrient during l 1 big onion cut into chunks - 1 tablespoon
lead to insulin resistance in both the mother and pregnancy, for the baby’s brain development, good l Half cup thick curd l Oil for basting
the child which may result in making the baby fat sources of iodine includes iodised salt, seaweed, l Quarter cup cream l Wooden skewers
causing complications and maybe a strenuous de- seafood, dairy products, eggs and fish. It is impor- l Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon each l Lemon wedges
livery too. Traditionally preparing foods loaded tant that you consult a health professional to iden-
l MDH tandoori masala - 1 tablespoon l MDH Chat Masala
with fat and sugars for varied reasons may not have tify the need and the right products.
any significant value. Another area of prime importance during
Another common myth is “Consuming full these times is the knowledge of food safety. Un- Method
cream milk can get your baby a fair complexion”, fortunately some foods like pre-cooked meats and Mix curd, cream, ginger paste, garlic paste, besan, cream, chilli powder,
again there is no scientific research supporting this, salads may cause food borne illnesses like listeria, salt and tandoori masala into a thick marinade in a large bowl. Whisk
definitely the extra cream in the milk will get the food poisoning, which can be a cause for concern vigorously to ensure homogenous mix.
“would be mum” those extra kilos which will pos- during pregnancy. Generally, hot well cooked fresh Add the button mushrooms , capsicum chunks and onion chunks to the mix and
sibly stay even after the baby arrives. It is of prime foods are best choices. For more details contact the leave to marinate for at least one hour. If you prefer spicy add more red
importance, that milk is consumed to get the ad- NZ Food Safety Authority and / or a health profes-
chilli powder.
ditional calcium needed for the development of the sional.
baby’s bones; this can also be achieved through This article is a general guideline ONLY. Please Tip: Dip the wooden skewers in water. Doing this will not burn the skewers
trim milk which at times contains more calcium see a health professional for individual conditions during the barbecue process.
than whole or full cream milk. Compare labels to and needs. Thread the mushrooms, capsicum and onion alternately on the skewers and cook
know the difference, for more details on reading Varsha Asrani is a New Zealand Registered on the barbecue for not more than 5-7 minutes - rotating to ensure even
labels you can join one of the label reading tours, Dietitian. For personal consultations she can be cooking. Keep basting with oil to ensuring that the mushrooms do not dry and
visit www.varshaasrani.com for more information. contacted on 0210524353. For any questions, sug- shrivel.
A well balanced diet should be made up of all gestions or views please email her on info@var- Serve with lemon wedges and sprinkle chat masala.
four food groups i.e. fruit & vegetables, breads shaasrani.com.

30 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz

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Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz 31

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32 Indian Weekender | February 18, 2011 | www.iwk.co.nz