indian weekender 31 october 2014

8/10/2019 Indian Weekender 31 October 2014

1/32

www.iwk.co.nz31 October 2014

1

l FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION

New Zealands first Kiwi-Indian Weekly Newspaper Auckland Hamilton Palmerston North Hastings Invercargill

The leading Kiwi-Indian weekly news magazinenow 31 October, 2014 Vol. 6 Issue 15 | www.iwk.co.nz

SINGH

KINGAn ode to the lions of India

IS

Rohit Takyar Ravi Mehta

Surya Phutane Lisa Loader

SERVICES- Home Loans, Business Loans- Property Management- Business & Commercial Insurance- Life/Trauma/Medical Insurance- Redundancy/Mortgage Protection Insurance- Rental Property Returns/LTC setup- Small Business Tax Returns

Mortgage Brokers | Insurance Brokers | Property Managers | Tax ConsultantsProfessional Financial Solutions provides the best advice on all financial matters

HEAD OFFICE35 Morningside Drive, St. LukesMt. Albert, AucklandPh: 09 846 9934, Fax: 09-846 9936www.professionalfinancial.co.nz | Email: [email protected]

BRANCH OFFICELevel 1/203 Great South RoadManurewa, AucklandPh: 09 266 3834

PROFESSIONALFINANCIALSOLUTIONS GROUP

Professional Financial Solutions GroupCONGRATULATES INDIAN WEEKENDER

FOR GOING WEEKLY

Greetingsto all our

readerson theauspiciousoccasion

ofGurpurab


2/32


2

l

READERS CONTRIBUTIONS

Becoming who we really are Bill Harrison

Fear of so-called culture shock often drivesnewcomers into hiding from their owngoals. Yet, one shy womans journey revealssuch negativities transformed into their exactopposite.

Preeti Mann, 2006 Restaurant Managerof the Year awardee, urges recent-Kiwis toready themselves for any recreation of theirexpectations either up or down. Only thenwill they be fully getting to grips with thereality of new lives here.

Eventually, training between 160-200managers and general staff yearly, ex-JalandhariPreeti recalled her 1994 NZ beginning a s PointZero. Newly married, though housebound insmaller town Napier, she was oddly inspired byAmerican TV talk shows.

Though larrikin-style the broadcastshelpfully unveiled womens universal freedom.The psychology and safety of my ownculture was at that time lost to me, cited thisformer teacher of PE and social science. That,additionally, drove the new Preeti into a fastfood-related career, one highlight of whichsaw her attain 2011-14 management of HR andnational training.

While restaurants are of bricks and mortar,progress of their staff depends on the softer,emotional reality of no jobs being neithergreater nor lesser. Every aspect being vital. Asthe rst woman whose management includedequipment maintenance, Preeti once surprisedtwo ex-patriot male colleagues by xing a faultydeep fryer. Struck by sudden con dence in her,the two then con ded a beverage dispenserneeded similar attention. Management,migration, all the major forward steps are about

our being part of everything around us. The wayahead is to lessen our dependence on others.

Conceding the need for forward planningand other such other such roadmaps, Preetisurmises any achievement as the blending ofheart with head. When managers know every

job with their own hands, they will know thehardships of those who do it daily.

Though goodwill seems more a personalitytrait than a necessity, Preeti built upon it her2008-12 area overseeing of 15 quick servicerestaurants. Near invisible to the untrained eye,this morale building translated immediatelyinto revenue return even for once-problematic

properties. The year 2014 nds her with theTraining Bureau, involved with preparationof hospitality staff for liquor quali cationcerti cates.

The closing entreaty of this once lostnewcomer is for her universal fellows totruly live the similarity between personal and

professional success.

GLENBROOK VINTAGE RAILWAY Near Waiuku, 55 Minutes South-west of Auckland

SIR TOPHAM HATT, THE FAT CONTROLLER WILL BE IN CHARGEFirst train departs 10am, and every 30 minutes thereafter till 4pm

Train Fares: Adult $25, Child $10 (Under 4yrs free) Family $65(Train fares also include all childrens entertainment)

8th

& 9th

November 2014

FREE ENTRY

www.gvr.co.nz

Follow the Drury-Waiuku Route. Turn into Glenbrook Station Road.www.thomasandfriends.com

Preeti Mann

Ik Onkar Sat Nam Karta-Purakh

Nirbhau Nirvair Akal-Murat Ajuni

Saibhang Gur-PrasadJap Aad Sach Jugad Sach

Hai Bhi SachNanak Hosi Bhi Sach...


3/32


3

l

SPECIAL FEATURE

We provide legal advice and representationto clients needing help with allNew Zealand Immigration and CitizenshipIssues including: Resident Visas Work Visas Student Visas Appeals Hearings and Complaints

McCLYMONT AND ASSOCIATESImmigration Law Specialist

Experience. Advice. Results.Call us for free consultation on 09 6233344

Physical address : Level 1, 2 Owens Road, Epsom, Auckland 1023Phone :09 623 3344 | Email : [email protected]

http://www.amlaw.co.nz/

Alastair McClymont

EK ONKAR: THE GURUS WAY OF LIFE Swati Sharma

S ri Guru Nanak Devji was the rst of the Sikh Gurus thefounder of Sikhism. The teachings of Sikhism, also calledGurbani, highlights the principle of equality and denies anydiscrimination based on caste, religion or gender. In Guru NanakDevjis words, Truth is higher than anything else, higher still istruthful living. A Sikh is expected to give away his ego while

leading a truthful family life, share his earnings with the lessfortunate work for personal and social development. He gavethe world the mantra of Ek Onkar one God and taught the

principles of oneness that are true to this day.With Guru Nanak Devjis birth anniversary round the corner,

we pay tribute to apparently the worlds most energetic clan -the Sikhs.

The Ten Sikh Gurus have been enlightening the path fornot only Sikhs but countless others, over generations. Theirteachings have been followed by different communitiesworldwide. With Guru Nanak Devji being the rst Guruof Sikhism, he was succeeded by Guru Angad Devji, GuruAmardasji, Guru Ramdasji, Guru Arjan/Arjun Devji,Guru Hargobindji, Guru Har raiji, Guru Harkishanji, GuruTegh Bahadurji and Guru Gobind Singhji who was the 10thguru of Sikhism.

He then declared Guru Granth Sahibji the ultimate andeternal Sikh guru. In his words sab Sikhan ko hukam hai, gurumaanyo granth (Everyone is advised to learn, as now GuruGranth Sahib will be the successor guru for all).

About Guru Nanak Devs life : Guru Sahib was born in 1469at Rai Bhoeki Talwandi which is now known as NankanaSahiband is in Pakistan. Son of an accountant Mehta Kalu andMata Tripta, guru sahib had an older sister, Bibi Nanki whois also known as the rst disciple of Guru Nanak. There areso many famous tales about him where one can feel the divinelight of knowledge in him. During his school, he explained thealphabets in terms of realization of truth about god and humans.He was believed to be sent to different schools to study Hinduand Muslim scripture. But his messages to the world wereabove all scriptural knowledge. In his words he explains that

whatever he says comes to him from God.O Lalo as comes the Divine Word from God to me so do I

narrate it. (Tilang Mohalla 1, p-722)I am saying what He commandeth me to say. (Wadhans

Mohalla 1, p-566)At the age of nine, his family persuaded him for the sacred

thread (Janaeu) ceremony, one of the important rituals ofHindus.

He denied putting the thread on and recited the followingwords, which left everyone present in the assembly, astounded:

Though men commit countless thefts, countless adulteries,utter countless falsehoods and countless words of abuse;Though they commit countless robberies and villainiesnight and day against their fellow creatures;The priest in utter despair asked , What kind of sacred

thread O Nanak, would you wear?The Guru replied , Out of the cotton of compassionSpin the thread of contentment Tie knots of continence,Give it twist of truth.That would make a Janaeu for the soul,

If thou have it, O Brahman, put it on me.Such a thread once worn will never break

Nor get soiled, burnt or lost,The man who weareth such a thread is blessed.(Asa di Var, Slok Mohalla 1, p-471)In another instance, when one day he went to graze

buffaloes, he fell asleep under a tree while the ock destroyedall crops of the neighbouring elds. When the owner broughtan of cer to show him the damage caused by guru sahib, theywere surprised to see that all crops had blossomed more than before.

In a similar instance when guru sahib was sleeping undera tree in a bright sunny day, a big cobra came and coveredhis head to provide shadow so that he can sleep well. When

passers saw this scene they were convinced that he wasreally a man of god. There are many more instances whereworld started to feel the divine saints extraordinary energy.

He was presumed to be married at the age of 14 to 18 toBibi Sulakhni. He was blessed with two sons, Sri Chand andLakhmi Das. But even marriage could not divert his mindfrom his divine mission. He believed in the fact that its notonly our family whom we should serve but also the world. Heconsidered humanity as his family and that was the foremostresponsibility for him. According to him, serving the humanityis the real service and worship of the Lord.

Different scriptures have mentioned 1469 as the year of hisenlightenment, when he suddenly disappeared while bathingin Baeen River and remained underwater for three days.When he came out he recited following words Satgur nanak

pragteya, mitti dhund jagg chaanan hoa (With manifestation(birth) of true Guru Nanak, the mist of ignorance and falsehooddisappeared and there was the light of righteousness).

Continued on Pg 4


4/32


4

l

SPECIAL FEATURE

It is said that Sikhism has three bodies - God,The Guru and The Gurbani (divine words).The one God sends Guru as his envoy whoacts as epitome of divine light of knowledgeand delivers gods message (Gurbani).In his youth, he would accompany holy menand undertake long discussions about God andnature.

Guru sahib always upheld that: There isno Hindu, there is no Muslim, we are all one,giving message of equality to the world.

He preached the concept of love, humility,compassion, sel ess sewa (service), social-welfare, moral, social and spiritual values.

Guru Nanak Devji introduced three basicprinciples for every human being to follow:

Remember the name of God at all times. Earn an honest living as a householder Share a portion of your earnings with the

less fortunate.Guru sahib also rejected the caste system,

adultery and ritualism. In consistence withhis message of equality, Guru Nanak Devjiconfronted those who considered women to beevil and inferior to men. Other than these, he is

also widely recognized for his four major divine journeys, called Udasiyaan in scriptures. Hecompleted most of his journeys on foot withhis comrade Bhai Mardana. They walkedthousands of kilometres around Bengal, Assam,Sri Lanka, Kashmir, Ladakh, Tibet, Baghdad,Mecca and Medina.

He appointed Bhai Lehna as his successorand gave him a new name Guru Angad Dev.He left the world in 1539.

Guru Nanak Devji has been guidinggenerations with his words and insights. Hislife and teachings offer consistent evidenceof fruitlessness of rituals. He exposed theirhollowness and exhorted human beings to riseabove such customs.

Today, Sikhism is the fth largest religionin the world, with over 25 million followersacross the globe. No matter where they are theclan is known to come together as one, justas the great Guru taught. His teachings arefollowed by not just the Sikhs but of numerousother commuities who regularly read histeachings and place strong faith in the power ofhis philosophy.

The golden principles

Punjabis are known worldwide for theirextraordinary enthusiasm, courage andenergetic aura. Their presence certainly canmake any occasion much livelier. They arewidely known as big-hearted, always happy,dedicated, fun and food loving people.

Its believed that the immense sacri ces thatPunjabis made in the past have brought themgreat courage and energy that is evident in their

personality.

Well while enjoying the life to the fullest,they also follow Sikh customs by heart. Thesecustoms or principles not only inspire Sikhs but

people from different religious backgroundstoo. Golden principles and concepts of Sikhismcan be explained as below:Kirt Karna: Honest Labour

Honest earning of bread with dignity and

labour. To earn ones livelihood throughcreative, productive and honest labour.

Wand Chhakna: Sharing with OthersTo share the fruits of earnings with the

needy. Sharing with and caring for the needyand sick. Help those people who cannot helpthemselves.

Nam Japna: Meditation or contemplation in

the name of GodMeditation on the Divine Name with love

and devotion. To be in tune with the In nitethrough meditation on the Divine qualitiesso that the believer becomes lled withGodsname.

Nishkam Seva Sambhal - Sel ess serviceSeva is a voluntary and sel ess service

to others to attract Gods grace. It is a uniqueconcept in Sikhism. Seva is the willingness

to sacri ce sel sh desires for the bene t oflarger interest of others as an indication of loveand commitment. Seva is the most importantconduct expected of a true Sikh. It is a source oflove and other virtues in life. It shuns vices andremoves pride. It helps those who are needy,

poor and sick.

Continued from Pg 3


5/32


5

l

SPECIAL FEATURE

SPECIALISTS IN EARLYCHILDHOOD TEACHEREDUCATION

09 520 4000 | [email protected]

Study at one of New Zealands leading teacher educa on providers

NZQA Category 1 provider Programs approved by New Zealand

Teachers Council.

Op ons to study in Auckland or at our

new Christchurch Campus..............................................................................................................

Parcha Shabad Ka - Understanding GurbaniSikhism believes in reading, and reciting

Gurbani (gurus words) by understanding itproperly. The Sikhs are required to practice theGurbani in their practical life. Bani enshrinedin Sri Guru Granth Sahib is Dhur-Ki-Bani(Revelation of Gods Word).

Sarbat Da Bhala - Well-Being of Human RaceWelfare of all; Peace and prosperity for all.

The Sikhs believe in goodness of humanity.They wish welfare of humanity. They pray for

universal peace, prosperity and protection ofhuman beings over this universe.

Gods glory ever increases; in His Will,Nanak prays for the good of everyone.

Bhana Mannana - Accepting will of GodSikhs believe that the bene ts we get, are

gifts from God and we are mere actors on stage.God rewards us and whether our efforts aresuccessful is determined by His will.

If we accept this philosophy, we willalways be in peace with ourselves and with ourenvironment and we will stop worrying aboutthe failure of our efforts.

Ishnan and Darshan Ishnan - Purity of mindand body

Sikhism believes in attaining holiness,purity, personal cleanliness and cleanlinessof surroundings by avoiding loathsomeness,abomination, physical and emotional stress.It believes that heart and mind cannot be purewithout cleanliness of body. Therefore bathingand washing is an important aspect of Sikh wayof life.

Sacha Achar - Keeping good moral characterThe Sikhs must keep good moral character

as a part of daily life, may they be in war orpeace. They should not be adulterer. They muststay away from vices like lust, anger, greed,attachment and ego by leading a virtuous andpious life.

Charhdi Kala - Optimism-exalted spirit

A Sikh is required to be optimistic and readyto face and address the problems; He should becourageous and ready to sacri ce for righteouscause. Passiveness, gloominess, despair anddepression has no place in Sikh life.

A Sikh always looks for the bright side,

whether win or lose by how he interprets andreacts to everything that happens.

Daswandh - Donate the EarningsSikhs are asked to set as ide one-tenth of their

earnings for undertaking works of commonwelfare. This amount would be sent to Gurus

treasury so that the needs of missionary workof Sikh Panth could be met for ever.

Sikhism stands for human liberty, equalityand fraternity. It believes in universal

brotherhood, peace and prosperity withcommittment for sel ess service to the entirehuman race. The Sikh prayer all over the worldis not con ned to a single community, or acountry. It is for the well-being of entire humanrace.

(Source www.allaboutsikhs.com)

Photo credit: Davinder Singh Photography


6/32


6

l

SPECIAL FEATURE

Working for the community Swati Sharma

Sikhs have been setting examples for the world when it comes to serving the society or helping the needful. Sikh temples/ Gurudwaras havebeen working along the same line as taught by Guru Nanak Devji, where He says that serving humanity is the true service of the Lord.

As in India, Gurudwaras in Auckland also do different activities in order to help the community, like Punjabi Language classes, day care centre,free food (Langar), and cultural activities.

Nanaksar Trust (Nanaksar Thath IsherDarbar, Manurewa)

Religiously the Nanaksar way started inthe early 1900s with Saint Baba Nand Singhji

who set very high standards in meditating andworshipping God. Today, Nanaksar is a lineageof Sikh saints who live to serve the beings ofGod.

On the insistence of the local sangat and withthe help of the few families the New ZealandNanaksar Thath Isher Darbar was incorporatedin November 1989. After some time a smallGurdwara was started. With the increase ofSikh families migrating to New Zealand, thesehumble beginnings have today resulted in one

of the most beautiful and the busiest Gurdwarain the southern hemisphere.

For over three years now, GurdwaraSahib hosts children from the local primary,

intermediate and high schools to make themaware of Sikhism and also give them anexperience of our religious practices. The

New Zealand Nanaksar Trust is assistingthe enforcement and community agencies tounderstand our religious and cultural beliefs byhosting a series of Awareness Sessions at theGurdwara Sahib. The aim of these sessions isto give the staff from agencies across the boarda better understanding about our community sothat they can understand our values, beliefs and

practices and then provide culturally sensitiveadvice to our families in need.

Started in April 2009, the NanaksarEducation Phulwari is licensed for 38 childrenand is working hard to provide a caring andstimulating learning environment for childrenacross all ethnicities. Responding to anotherneed of the local community, the NanaksarChardi Kala Learning Centre was introduced,another Ministry of Education approved afterschool study support service for primary andintermediate school children. The homeworksupport service is helping children withhomework, assists them in understanding theirstudy topics and gives them opportunities toenhance their overall con dence.

(Anti-clock wise from above) Rt Hon John Key, the Prime Minister of New Zealand with the children ofNanaksar Education Phulwari during his visit in October 2010; School Children from the local Inter-mediate School visiting Gurdwara Nanaksar; School children having Langar (Community Meal)


7/32


7

l

SPECIAL FEATURE

Gurudwara Sri Dashmesh Darbar, KolmarRoad

Other than Nanaksar trust other Gurudwarasare also playing an important role in helpingout the community. Gurudwara Sri DashmeshDarbar, Kolmar Road other than Punjabi classesand cultural activities, also provides free foodeveryday morning to night.

Gurudwara committee member ReshamSingh says, We know when students fromIndia come here to study, its very hard for them

to nd work here. So, at least they shouldntworry about their food. They can come hereanytime to have food or tea. We are trying tohelp them where we can.

He says that they do not have orthodoxapproach towards the religion. One has to bea bit exible according to the surroundingenvironment and culture. We do not publicisethe work we do for community, but as preached

by our holy Gurus we follow their path inserving the humanity

Gurudwara Sri Guru Harkishan Sahib,New Lynn; Gurudwara Sri Kalgidhar Sahib,Takanini; Sri Guru Nanak Dev Sikh SangatGurdwara Otahuhu; Gurdwara Sri KalgidharSahib, Tauranga; Gurudwara Sri Guru Arjan

Devji, Avondale and other gurudwaras s ituatedin different parts of New Zealand will beorganising different Diwan and Akhand Pathon the occasion of Sri Guru Nanak Devjis birthanniversary.

(Clockwise from top left) Gurudwara Sri Dashmesh Darbar Kolmar Road; Sangat during Ardaas;Gurudwara Sri Kalgidhar Sahib, Takanini; Akhand path at one of the local gurudwaras


8/32


8

l

SPECIAL FEATURE

Bikramjit Singh:All living beings have comefrom God. Lets live in peaceand harmony. Happy Guru

Nanaks Gurpurab!

Gurunishan Singh : MayWaheguru bless everyone withthe potential to serve humanity.I wish good health and

prosperity to everyone. HappyGurpurab!

Manpreet Kaur Bains : Iwould like to wish a veryHappy Gurpurab to all myfriends, family and readers ofIndian Weekender. May Guru

Nanak Devji ful ll everyoneswishes and dreams!

Harmeet Singh Bhatti :Satguru Nanak pragteya mittidhund jag chaanan hoa. Many,many best wishes to all onGuru Nanak Devjis Gurpurab.

Akshay Sharma : Such is thekarma of those upon whom Hecast His Glance of Grace. O

Nanak, the merciful Lord, byHis grace, uplifts and exaltsthem. On His auspicious

birthday, may Guru NanakDevji bless you and yourfamily at all times!

Ankur Lakhanpal : Guru isour guide in ups and down ofour life. A life without a guruis like a city without streets,a king without treasures anda merchant without business.

Nothing is more blissful thanhaving a gurus guidance.Happy Gurpurab to all!

Manpreet Bhullar : ThisGurpurab, Ill wish that everychild be blessed by their

parents. May they live long,may there be happiness and

peace. Celebrate Gurpurab withyour loved ones and family

and enjoy Guru Nanaks divinelove and blessings. HappyGurpurab!

Simranjit Singh : May Gurujiinspire you to achieve all yourgoals and may his blessings bewith you in whatever you do.Happy Gurpurab!

Jasvir Kaur Lall: HappyGurpurab to everyone! Letus all celebrate janam divas(birthday) of Guru Nanak Devjiwith joy, love and peace.

Sandeep and JasleenBatra :Nanak Naam chardiKalaa, Tere Bhane Sarbat DaBhala Dhan Dhan Sahib SriGuru Nanak Devji de prakashutsav di aap sub nu lakh lakhvadhaai. May this Gurpurab

bring lots of joy and happinessin everyones life. HappyGurpurab!

Kamaldeep Singh : Guru isaspiration, Guru is inspiration.Happy Gurpurab!

Wishes from the community On the auspicious occasion of Guru Nanak Devjis Gurpurab, Punjabis from New Zealand send wishes to their friends, families and loved ones.


9/32


9

l

SPECIAL FEATURE

The roaring lionsThis is a humble attempt to list the top 10 jewels who have made the Sikh community proud, through hard work and dedication that has becometheir trademark over the years. Honestly, it was not an easy job: whether to limit the list by gender or by generation. There are many importantnames that we have not been able to accommodate due to constraint of space, including that of eminent painter Amrita Shergill, legendarycricketer Bishan Singh Bedi, erudite economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia, or Monty Panesar, the left-handed spinner from England. The followingis the list we came up with, in no particular order.

Paula Ray

AJAYPAL SINGH BANGACEO and President of Mastercard Inc

This Sikh-American was chosenamong the top 50 people in businessby Fortune magazine. Born into a Sikh familyin Pune, Maharashtra. He received education atSt Stephens College, Delhi University and didMBA from the Indian Institute of Management,Ahmedabad. Bangas business career began asa management trainee at Nestl, India, wherehe worked for 13 years, followed by top-notchmanagement positions at corporations such asCitigroup, Pepsico and Kraft Foods.

HARBHAJAN SINGHCricketer

Indian cricketer and former captainof IPL team Mumbai Indians, Singh scoredthe second-highest number of Test wickets as aspecialist bowler.

He was conferred the Padma Shri, Indiasfourth highest civilian honour, in 2009. He is

popularly referred to as Bhajji by his Indianfans, while outside India he is called TheTurbanator derived from his reputation as a

bowler who successfully terminates innings ofthe opposing team.

He wears a black turban when he playscricket, which has become an iconic fashiontrend of sorts.

MANMOHAN SINGHEx-Prime Minister of India

An economist, Manmohan Singh served asthe 14th Prime Minister of India from 2004 -2014. The rst Sikh in the of ce, he was alsothe rst Prime Minister since Nehru to be re-elected for a full term. Singhs family migratedto India during Partition in 1947. He obtained hisdoctorate in economics from Oxford, and thenworked for the UN. In the 70s and 80s, Singhheld several key posts in Government of India:as Chief Economic Advisor of the PM, ReserveBank governor, Planning Commission head andCabinet Finance Minister.

KALPANA CHAWLAAstronaut

Born in Karnal, India, she was therst Indian woman in space. After gaining

a PhD in aerospace engineering in 1988 fromthe University of Colorado, Boulder, she

joined NASA. Chawla held a certi cated ightinstructor rating for airplanes, gliders as well ascommercial pilot license for single and multi-engine airplanes, seaplanes and gliders.

In 2003, she went to the space on the SpaceShuttle Columbia, with seven crew members.But the spacecraft disintegrated during re-entry into the Earths atmosphere.

Continued on Pg 10


10/32


10

l

SPECIAL FEATUREContinued from Pg 9

YUVRAJ SINGHCricketer

An all-rounder left-handed batsman andbowler, he was the Man of the Tournamentin the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, whichIndia won. In a match against England at the2007 World Twenty20, he hit six sixes in oneover - an achievement that was achieved onlythree times before and not yet repeated in anyinternational match between two Test cricketteams.

Unfortunately, in 2011, Yuvraj wasdiagnosed with cancer in his left lung andunderwent chemotherapy in the US. In March2012, he was discharged from the hospitaland he made his international comeback in aTwenty20 match in September against NewZealand. Yuvraj was conferred with the ArjunaAward, Indias second highest sporting award,in 2012. In 2014, he was awarded the PadmaShri.

KIRRON KHER Actress

Kirron Kher is an Indian theatre, lmand television actress, who has also hostedTV talk shows. She played mostly supportingroles in Bollywood lms, such as MainHoon Na (2004), Hum Tum (2004), Veer-Zaara (2004) among many others.

Kher is active in non-pro t movementssuch as Laadli (a campaign against femaleinfanticide) and Roko Cancer (a campaignfor awareness against cancer). She joinedthe Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2009. Shecampaigned for the party, including inChandigarh, for the 2011 municipal corporationelections. In May this year, she was elected tothe Lok Sabha from Chandigarh.

MILKHA SINGHAthlete

The Flying Sikh, as he is popularly knownas, was an Indian sprinter who served the IndianArmy. He was the rst Indian male athleteto win an gold medals at CommonwealthGames, Asisn Games. He represented Indiain the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne,the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome andthe 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He wasawarded the Padma Shri, Indias fourth-highestcivilian honour, in recognition of his sportingachievements.

Milkha Singh is best remembered for hisfeat at the 1960 Olympic Games, where he

nished fourth place in the 400 metres nal.He managed to lead the race till 200 metresand then allowed his competitors to go ahead.His fourth position achieved in 45.73 becamethe Indian national record that was held foralmost 40 years.

ARPINDER KAUR PilotA ight instructor in San Antonio, USA,Arpinder Kaur is the rst turbaned womanSikh pilot for a major US commercial airlinescompany.

Her recruitment marks another effort toovercome discrimination among the dynamicyoung Sikhs.

Arpinder has been famously quoted assaying, Two of the reasons I did this were:

rst, my love of ying and, second, to set a precedent for the community so they know youcan be in your Sikh appearance and do anythingout there.


11/32


11

l

SPECIAL FEATURE

KIRAN BEDIEx-IPS Of cer

A retired Indian Police Service of cer, KiranBedi is now engaged more in social activism. In1972, she was the rst woman IPS of cer.

Her last posting before retirement wasas Director General at the Bureau of PoliceResearch and Development.

She has founded two non-pro t organisationsin India: the Navjyoti India Foundation in 2007for welfare and preventive policing, and the

India Vision Foundation for prison reformation,drug abuse prevention and child welfare. Bediwas awarded Ramon Magsaysay award in1994.

In recent times, Bedi was one of the namesinstrumental for the formation of India AgainstCorruption to help pass the Lokpal Bill at theParliament.

KHUSHWANT SINGHAuthor

A lawyer by education, and a novelist andjournalist by profession, Khushwant Singh wasbest known for his love for poetry and hishumour was often laced with acid wit.

He served as the editor of several literary

and news magazines, including The IllustratedWeekly of India, the National Herald andHindustan Times during 1970s and 1980s.

Singh was a Rajya Sabha member from1980 to 1986, the upper house of the IndianParliament. Prior to this, in 1974 he was awardedthe Padma Bhushan for his contribution to thecountry and its people.

However, during the seige of the GoldenTemple by the Indian Army, Singh returnedthe award in protest. The Indian governmentdecorated him with the Padma Vibhushanin 2007.

Lucky, Pappi, Kake da dhaba Jaideep Sarin

Punjabi dhabas are known countrywide fortheir rich and nger-licking food by theroadside. But it is also the lavish spread of theirinteresting names that makes them stand out.

From simple names like the typical PunjabiDhaba, which one can nd all over, to theonce well-known Puran Singh da Mashhoordhaba in Ambala, to Chandigarhs famousPal Dhaba, to the uphill attraction of Gianida Dhaba on the Chandigarh-Shimla highway,to modern ones like Dhaba Express nearHoshiarpur, Punjab, - dhaba names do carry aunique identity about themselves.

Dhabas - or roadside eateries - have been a popular attraction for decades, especially forthose travelling along highways. Most of themare popular for serving hot, spicy food.

The common names that are associatedwith dhabas are Lucky da Dhaba, Kakkeda Dhaba, Pappi da Dhaba, Sher-e-Punjabdhaba and others.

Among the unique dhaba names that onecomes across while travelling in northernIndia are Ladoo ji da Dhaba near Jalandhar,Pahalwan dhaba, Veerji dhaba and others.

Dhaba names are as much an eye-catcherand an attraction as is the food that they serve.While many of the dhaba names are commonones - those that you will nd after every fewkilometres - some are really unique, SunnyBrar, a businessman from Ludhiana who keepstravelling, said.

While dhabas along highways are popular,at certain places even within city limits, someof the dhabas have acquired cult status. Though

these city-based dhabas are more like casualrestaurants rather than having the look of arustic rural dhaba, they attract hundreds ofdhaba-food hungry clients every day.

Amritsars most famous dhabas areBharawan da Dhaba and Kesar dhaba.Ambala, 45 km from Chandigarh, had its ever-famous Puran Singh da Mashhoor dhaba.Jalandhar city had its popular Vijay dhabathough other dhaba-style eateries along theJalandhar-Ludhiana highway are now morefrequented by people.

The Delhi-Ambala portion of NationalHighway No. 1 (NH-1) has always been a

popular destination for its ever-increasing listof dhabas. Here, the likes of Sukhdev dhaba,Gulshan dhaba and Zilmil dhaba complexand the more re ned ones like Haveli attractthousands of people every day.

A real-time high for dhabas was whenvisiting Canadian Prime Minister StephenHarper came calling at a dhaba in Chandigarhin November 2012 and even hosted a roadsidedinner.


12/32


12

l

SPECIAL FEATURE

The rise of Rocket Singh Maya Shivam

It isnt necessarily the taming ofBollywood but it is a metamorphosis,nevertheless. Bollywood has been the epicenterof everything thats hot and happening, it

has blossomed into a presence on the worldstage with Bollywood stars enjoying a globalfollowing. New releases now routinely open in

New York and London and Indian lm makerskeep one eye on the Indian Diaspora.

The industry has always had a strongPunjabi (including Sikh) presence: actorslike Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Sunil Dutt,Dharmendra, Kabir Bedi, Simi Grewal, NeetuSingh, Poonam Dhillon and now Kirron Kher,Mandira Bedi, Gul (Kirat) Panag, AkshayKumar and Ranbir Kapoor; singers likeMohammad Ra , Mahender Kapoor, JagjitSingh and writers like Rajender Singh Bediand Gulzar.

Despite this, Sikhs were never portrayedin a lead role - until now. A string of recentmovies starting with the ground breakingSingh is Kinng closely followed by Love Aaj-Kal and then Rocket Singh appear to have seta new trend.

To add the dash of increased masculinity, passion, energy, enthusiasm, righteousness,and courage, our heroes frequently adorn theSingh Avatar now. Then whether it is to dieor kill for their true love or sacri ce their lifefor the Country at the Border, whether it is

being Rocket Singh -the salesman of the yearor simply the Son of Sardar. The humming ofPunjabi songs like Pani da rang is consideredhip and DJs around the world rock the partieswith Baby Doll main sone di or Ghanti big

ben di. And with the way the world is going dance like Punjabi we think this trend ishere to stay.


13/32


13

lDiwali celebrations held at ParliamentE thnic Communities Minister Peseta SamLotu-Iiga hosted the Prime Minister,Members of Parliament and representativesof the Indian community this evening inParliaments Grand Hall to celebrate Diwali.

Diwali is a time of festivity and goodwilland is the most important festival of the yearfor many Hindus around the world. Tonights

event demonstrates how New Zealand embracesour wider Indian community and culture, MrLotu-Iiga says.

Diwali, the festival of lights, is an ancientfestival celebrated each year. It signi es thevictory of light over darkness, wisdom overignorance, good over evil, and hope overmisery.

New Zealand has a strong relationshipwith India built on solid and longstandingconnections and many New Zealanders tracetheir origins to India.

The last Census showed how much ourpopulation has changed over the last 15years. Indians have been coming to NewZealand since the late 18 th century andHindi is our fourth most spoken language.The number of Indian Kiwis has alsomore than doubled since 2001 with about155,000 New Zealanders now of Indianethnicity.

New Zealand is one of the most diversenations in the OECD. Indian Kiwis are valuedmembers of our nation, making a tremendouscontribution at all levels and to a variety ofsectors in our society, Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

I encourage all New Zealanders to embracefestivities like Diwali. It is an opportunity forNew Zealands Indian community to celebratetheir heritage and showcase their culturesvibrant colour, energy and stories.

NEW ZEALAND


14/32


14

l

NEW ZEALAND

MAYORAL DRIVENews f rom the Counc i l

$19m Lopdell Precinct

and new galleryunveiledAcivic opening ceremony and free familyday featuring arts, music and lm willcelebrate completion of the $19million LopdellPrecinct redevelopment in Titirangi thisSaturday (1 November).

The two-year project has been a partnershipbetween Waitakere Ranges Local Board andLopdell House Development Trust, withfunding support from the Trusts CommunityFoundation, NZ Lotteries Commission andASBCommunity Trust.

Work has included installation of a newparking deck, seismic-strengthening and

heritage restoration of the iconic LopdellHouse, renovation of the historic TreasureHouse and the construction of a new gallery,Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery.

The stunning new gallery, designed byMitchell & Stout and built by NZ Strong, isthe last stage of the development to be nishedand offers world-class, purpose-built facilities including ve gallery spaces spread overthree oors.

It has been amazing to watch this wonderfulproject taking shape, says local board chairSandra Coney.

The of cial opening of the Precinct andthe new Te Uru gallery represents the end of afund-raising journey that has taken the Lopdell

House Development Trust more than 12 yearsto complete.Following the of cial opening by Mayor

Len Brown from 9am-10am, the entire precinctwill be open to the public between 10am and4.30pm with tours, lms, kids arts activitiesand music for people of all ages to enjoy.

Auckland urban

design panel boostsreputation of Auckland as a design-led city The success of Auckland Councils urbandesign panel and its in uence on the

i n t e r n a t i o n a l l yacclaimed designquality of manyrecent majordevelopments in thecity is celebrated ina stunning new booklaunched this week.

Established in2003 by AucklandCity Council inconjunction with TheProperty Councilof NZ in direct

response to the need to commit to better urbandesign standards, the panel is an independent

body of design and development professionalsnominated by the Property Council of NZ, the

New Zealand Institute of Architects, the NewZealand Institute of Landscape Architects andthe New Zealand Planning Institute.

Covering the panels work over the pastdecade, the book has been penned by over50 contributors including local designers,developers and decision-makers Pip Cheshire,

Councillor Chris Darby, Mike Geale, RauHoskins, Richard Naish and Tania Wongamong others.

The book is published by BeatnikPublishers and is available by requestto [email protected].

General Revaluation

report received bycouncillors The Finance and Performance committeethis morning received the 2014 GeneralRevaluation report, which shows averageresidential capital value increases of 34.8 percent since 2011. It also shows increases of 16.2

per cent for commercial property; 15.7 per centfor industrial; 17.7 per cent for lifestyle and 4.6

per cent for rural property.The new values will be published online

at aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/revaluation from 10 November 2014, or owners can wait f or theirrevaluation notice in the mail in mid-November.The new values wont be used to help set ratesuntil 1 July 2015.

Increases in property valuations have noimpact on the amount of rates money thecouncil collects. If property values go up, noadditional income ows to council. Propertyvalues simply help to determine how rates areshared across ratepayers.

Committee chair Penny Webster said, Itsnot about the amount of rates council collects,

but rather distributing rates fairly based on thecapital value of each property.

The overall amount of rates collected isset through the long term planning process,which also sets rating policies and involvesconsultation with the community. Each council

rst works out how much money it will need tofund its programmes, subtracts any income itreceives, and the amount left over is the level ofrates it collects. Property values determine howthis is then shared among ratepayers.

If ratepayers believe their values areincorrect they can object during the statutory30-day objection period, from10 November to19 December 2014.

An insurance in time can save nine

Paula Ray

R avi Mehta of Professional FinancialSolutions Limited (PFSL) was voted thesecond top-most individual mortgage advisorin New Zealand at a recent survey. He believesthis expansion mainly due to word-of-mouth

referral from satis ed customers besideintegrity, transparency and hard-work of theprofessional team.

Recently, PFSL is excited to have has joinedhands with Aim Associates Limited (50 per centequity), owned by veteran business insuranceadvisor Ram Vashist. With over three decadesof experience Ram Vashist is commonly knownfor his professional knowledge andover threedecades experience in insurance solution andswift claims settlement.

Ram Vashist earned his image of businessambassador to Fiji while serving as the generalmanager of South Paci c Operations in early

2000s. He was instrumental in setting upInsuranceCompany Of ce in New Zealand in2005.

Each business insurance policy protectsvarious risks, which needs to be understood.Insurance cover are not an investment but along-term collateral security which transfer

your business risk so you can focus more onyour core business.

He strongly recommends that you are insafe hand if you ensure that insurance providerhas the relevant quali cations experience and

proper knowledge of claim procedures.With new tie up of PFSL and Aim

Associates, existing and prospective customerswill feel further comfortable and assured of best

professional advice under one roof, may it be amortgage, accounting, property management orany kind of insurance matter.

Restrictions in place

at Greville Road next weekendThe NZ Transport Agency advises drivers to plan for a weekend closure of the GrevilleRoad interchange on Aucklands NorthernMotorway (State Highway 1), starting Friday,7 November.

The closure starts from 9pm on the Fridayand will continueuntil 5am Monday (9

November).The weekend

restrictions are asfollows:

N o r t h b o u n d

traf c exitingthe motorway atGreville Roadwill be diverteddown TawaDrive to accessRosedale Road, Bush Road and AlbanyExpressway.

Northbound on-ramp at Greville Road will be closed.

No access to Albany Expressway fromGreville Road or the motorway off-ramp

Southbound traf c exiting the motorway atGreville Road can only left turn.

There will be sign-posted detour routes.The Transport Agency says local roads are

also expected to be busy, and people using thedetours should allow extra time to get to theirdestinations.

Novembers closure is dependent on theweather.

For more information visit:-www.nzta.govt.nz/UHH-Greville

Ram Vashist

GetIndian

Weekender

issuesmailed

to youraddressfor just

$80 fora full year(50 issues)*Amount covers postage only


15/32


15

l

POWER COLUMN

Growing the smart green economy

W hile economic data suggests that theeconomy is doing well, the reality isthat the foundations are shaky, propped up bya dairy price bubble, the Christchurch re-buildand house price speculation. This is shown inour persistent trade de cits over the past twentyyears - the New Zealand economy is not payingits way in the world. As a result, interest ratesare high and more and more of the economyis overseas-owned. We are living beyond ourmeans.

A major problem has been the lack of aclear strategy for economic development. Eventhough the government set a target for exportsto reach 40% of GDP by 2040, the latest datashows exports at the lowest ratio for 25 years.

We are not paying our way in the world. New Zealand exports remain highly

dependent on the export of a few commodities,notably dairy products. Most of thesecommodities, like milk powder and logs, arenot processed here to create value and jobs, andcommodity prices are volatile, as we have seenin the halving of dairy prices in recent months.Our economy shares the commodity-dependent

characteristics of low income developingcountries. New Zealand needs to make a transition to

becoming a smart economy, but our spendingon research and development is amongstthe lowest in the OECD, and there has beeninadequate support for vocational training inthe sciences, engineering, manufacturing andIT. Meanwhile, most capital investment hasgone into housing and speculation, re ectingthe lack of a capital gains tax to provide a level

playing eld for investors in the productiveeconomy.

The latest report from the Technology

Investment Network shows that the technology-intensive sectors of manufacturing, informationtechnology and biotechnology are revivingafter a long period of decline, and grew by2.3% last year. But this marginal growth hasoccurred from a low base. Far more urgencyand focus is needed if New Zealand is not tofall even further behind other countries.

We also need to make the transition to a

green economy, and to bene t from the majorchanges that are sweeping across the world.International business is waking up to thechallenges of sustainability and New Zealand

business is ideally placed to bene t. A greenereconomy taps into the growing market forclean technology, builds our international

brand as a clean, green country and protects ourenvironment.

But the government is neglecting action onclimate change, promoting polluting industrieslike mining and deep sea oil drilling, and

pushing more dairy production on marginalland. This is the pathway that neglects the

need to transition towards a knowledge-basedeconomy and destroys the environment thatis essential for our quality of life and futureeconomy.

There is a better strategy. The Green Partyhas consistently advocated for a smarter greenereconomy. This can create better opportunities,and Indian communities in New Zealand are

particularly well placed to lead and bene t from

these opportunities.The Green Party have proposed morefunding for innovation and investment inclean technology, tax credits for research anddevelopment, cheaper broadband access andsupport for universities to strengthen our abilityto participate in the rapidly growing knowledgeeconomy. A smarter and greener economy can

provide jobs and opportunities. The GreenParty would welcome engagement with theIndian community to achieve this vision.

Barry Coates was a Green Party candidate for Mt Roskill and narrowly missed out on

becoming an MP.

The sorry tale of changes to working conditions

Changes are being made by the Nationalgovernment to employment law under theclaim that they will give more exibility in theworkplace.

The sad part is that the exibility to be soldas good for all, but this is a government tiedto business. New Zealand First stands up foreveryone, businesses and workers alike. We arefor New Zealand being a fair place.

So we do not support a government bill that

wants to do away with work breaks. Tea breaks and lunch breaks, like many

of our working conditions, were set in placeover blood, sweat and tears.They may seem to

be a minor part of employment laws but theyrepresent something much bigger.

They are what we are today. A country withreasonable working conditions, though thesehave been chipped away in the last few decades.

They represent the transition from workingconditions when people were forced to worklong hours in appalling conditions. Many diedon the job. Many were maimed and could neverwork again. Work sometimes was a sentence ofdeath.

Workers stook up against mean employers,and ill meaning governments, and over a long

period of time improved working conditions.The work breaks are part of the focus of

the new bill and could end in workers beingenticed to trade them away for a small pay riseor some other bene t. So if you are working ata bakery for example you may well have to tendhot ovens for ve hours or so on end, withouta break.

A National Minister even suggested thatsome workers might not need a break at all

because they probably just snacked on nuts allday.

Well heres some news for you Minister.

People get tired. They lose their concentrationspan after a period of time. They get injuriesfrom doing the same task over and over again.People need a break.

With a record number of people coming tolive in New Zealand we hear some employerssay they relish having foreign workers theyll work 24 hours a day. This is a sure

re way to increase claims on ACC we should be embarrassed to treat workers like that.

Conditions in the workplace are there for areason and make the workplace a fair place forall employee and employer. Thats makes for

New Zealand being a fair place.

Barry CoatesGreen Party

Winston PetersNZ First leader


16/32


16

l

NEW ZEALAND

Editorial

Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, AucklandPrinted at Horton Media, AucklandCopyright 2014. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.

Indian Weekender Volume 6 Issue 15Publisher: Kiwi Media Group LimitedManaging Editor: Giri Gupta | [email protected] Editor: Paula Ray | [email protected] Editor: Maya Shivam | [email protected]: Swati Sharma | [email protected] Chief Technical Of cer: Rohan Desouza | [email protected]: Mahesh Kumar | [email protected] & Business Development Manager:Gaurav Gupta - M: 021 292 4519 | [email protected] and Marketing Manager: Leena Pal - M: 022 015 1971 | [email protected] and Admin.: Farah Khan - P: 520 0922 | [email protected]

Sales and Admin Support : Alpana Gupta | [email protected]

Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisheris not responsible for advertisers claims as appearing in the publication

From the desk of theManaging Editor

The Indian Weekender seems to be in a perpetual mode for celebrations or is it thattime of the year when, we hard working Indians decide to celebrate life? Just as the Diwalicelebrations were dimming, the celebrations for Gurpurab are around the corner. Our currentissue is dedicated to the great Saint whose teachings are as true and applicable today asthey were in the late 1400s and early 1500s. His message of Ek Onkar One God, holdsthe essence of a peaceful coexistence, which is the need of the hour in a world rife withdifferences. He established Sikhism based on his teaching that there was neither a Hindu Godnor a Muslim God and that God was one.

Over the years Sikhism has grown and spread across the world with a very rich spiritual,cultural and traditional legacy being carried forward by roughly 25 million adherents acrossthe globe. Sikhism is the fth largest religion in the world. Our current issue, is a tribute tothis inseparable community that makes our heritage richer. These brave hearts called Singh(Lions) are known for their passion, exuberance, enthusiasm, unity and patriotism. Indeedthe history of India would look a lot different, had it not been for the contribution of some

brave Sikhs. With this tribute to a brave community of India we hope you enjoy our issueand wish that this auspicious day lights up your lives and ushers in the joys and good fortunethat you hope for.

In the mean while, when we all celebrated Diwali at home with our families, our PrimeMinister chose to celebrate it with our other brave hearts the soldiers of the Indian Armydeployed at the worlds highest battleground in Siachen. It has been 9 years since any IndianPrime Minister visited these soldiers who serve the nation under adverse weather conditionsand a militarily hostile environment. PM Modi is the rst Prime Minister who chose to spendhis Diwali amongst the soldiers guarding our frontiers.

Talking about soldiering and celebrating our Sikh community, it is pertinent to note thatthe Indian Army has a large contribution of Sikh soldiers. To this day a number of Punjabifamilies, follow the tradition of raising their oldest son as a Sikh, who invariably is dedicatedto joining the Indian Army. Hardy, devoted, industrious and skilled, the Sikhs contribute inequal measure to many other a reas like farming, transport, business, entertainment, educationand manufacturing industry. In fact they have become a symbol to reckon with and we have

recently seen most leading Bollywood actors take on the Singh Avatar. We bring you aserving of this as well, in our current issue.

It is quite amazing how rich, diverse and unique each Indian community is and how eachof these communities in their own way contributes to not only India but to the world as awhole by immigrating overseas. Here too, our large Indian community is a happy mix ofso many little communities that contribute greatly to the growth and development of NewZealand.

Our three Members of Parliament, proudly Indian, have now been truly inducted and havemade their maiden speeches addressing the Parliament. It was an honour to hear Mr MaheshBindra MP acknowledge the Indian Weekender in his speech. It is noteworthy that the othertwo MPs are Sikhs.

Let us always remember what Guru Nanak taught - God is one. We may call Him bydifferent names, walk different paths yet our destination is one. So let us join hands in onenessand be there for one and all without discrimination.

May I request everyone to join me in this tribute to our Sikh brothers and sisters who arethe epitome of hard work, fearlessness, enthusiasm, attitude, exuberance and live heartedness,

as we lovingly say Singh is King!Giri Gupta

Burn worldly love, rub the ashes and make ink of it; make the heart thepen, the intellect the writer; wri te that which has no end or limit.

- Guru Nanak Dev

The funny bone @ Indian Weekender

Tolerance and Indiasplurality Amit Kapoor

The world is becoming increasinglyconnected, both physically and digitally. It

has raised the fundamental death of distancedebate. According to the debate, the pro-side

believes that the world is becoming increasinglyat while the opponents point to the relative non-

availability of data about internationalization toconclusively say that distance is dead. Whilewe believe that, distance still matters, wedo feel that increasingly there is a movementtowards distance becoming irrelevant over alonger time frame.

A fundamental question then arises-whatdoes this mean for labour and capital that arethe basis of production in an economy. Whatabout the mobility of these two within andacross international borders? So far, movementof capital can happen more freely, within as

well as across borders.It is because the nancial architecture

shaped by the digital revolution has resulted inthe movement of capital relatively freely bothwithin as well as across borders. The capitalacross borders mostly includes nancial owslike foreign direct Investment ows, remittance

ows, development assistance, etc.Labour is mostly restricted within national

borders, but migration is becoming anincreasingly well-known reality. It is happening

both within the country as well as abroad.Internationally, India already has the secondlargest diaspora abroad with some 22 millionoverseas Indians.

Within any country, the urban rural

opportunity divide is the main driving force formovement of people to urban centers for jobsand better opportunities. India is expected tosee a massive migration in the years to comeas more people from its rural and suburbanareas (roughly 70 percent at present) move tothe urban centers (roughly 30 percentat present)over the next 20-25 years.

What do these broad urbanization andglobalization prospects imply for societies?In our opinion, this calls for tolerance asa fundamental driver for social progress

within and across societies. Tolerance is thewillingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefsthat are different from your own.

It appears to us that this fundamental valueat the level of individuals and communitieswill have a very strong bearing on the way theworld will re-structure in the years to come.Economic mobility should also lead to socialunderstanding and cohesion else this will leadto a situation of alienation and con ict.

The World Values Survey recently came upwith data on 81 countries where respondentswere asked to identify people who they did notwant as their neighbors. The survey showedthat a large fraction of Indian respondents (43.5

percent) chose that they did not want a neighbor

from a different race.It may be pertinent to understand what the

Father of the Nation had in mind when hetalked about the idea: I do not want my houseto be walled in on all sides and my windows to

be stuffed. I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely a s possible.But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.

It is critical that we dont get blown off butequally pertinent is the willingness to let theculture of all lands blow entirely across ourhouse. If we do not allow this to happen, we willremain autarkic to ideas and thoughts as well asto trade and commerce. It is the anti-thesis tothe idea of Indian civilization that is based ontolerance, openness and mutual respect.

This article is co-authored by Sankalp

Sharma, Senior Researcher at the Institute for

Competitiveness, India is Chair, Institute for

Competitiveness & Editor of Thinkers. The views

expressed are personal. The authors can be

reached at [email protected] and

tweets @kautiliya


17/32


18/32


18

l

FIJI

Minister makes child developmenta priority

Arvind Kumar

The development of children is one ofthe top priorities for the Ministry ofWomen, Children and Poverty Alleviation,

says Minister Rosy So a Akbar. Mrs Akbar made these comments during herof cial visit to residential homes in WesternDivision last week. On Wednesday, the Ministerfor Children visited the children at VeilomaniBoys Home in Namosau, Ba along with St MinaChildrens Home and Treasure House in Nadi.Mrs Akbar and the staff from the Ministry alsotook time to celebrate Diwali and presented giftpacks for the children at Veilomani Boys Home.We will ensure that the children who areunder our care are well looked after and myMinistry will do everything within its powersto ensure that they become responsiblecitizens. With a positive attitude, we will moveforward in taking their lives to greater heights.This Ministry will continue to strengthen its

partnership with non-government organisationsto reach out to as many underprivilegedchildren in our society, Mrs Akbar said.On the offset I would like to thank theMinistry staff and the management ofVeilomani Boys Home for looking afterthe welfare of these children. The Ministryhas embarked on a more compassionateway of addressing issues concerningunderprivileged persons and regardless ofthe circumstances that brought these childrenunder our care, we will do our best to see thatthey reach their greatest potential in life.The Minister also encouraged youngboys at Veilomani to excel in theirstudies and ful l their dreams. We believe that education is the greatest

weapon that is going to shape your lives.Dream big, start dreaming about what you wantto become and work hard towards achievingthat dream. Values like discipline, respect foreach other will take you closer towards yourdream. With these words, I wish you all a happyDiwali and blessed new year, Mrs Akbar said.Reverend Sarwesh Kumar Singh,

Superintendent of Veilomani BoysHome who is also the Principal forVeilomani Vocational College, thanked thegovernment delegation for the timely visit.This home was established way backin 1976 and initially, there were six boysat this centre. Today we have total of 23

boys. Seventeen of them have been placedhere by the Department of Social Welfareand all of these children are provided withfood, clothing, education and opportunitiesto develop themselves, Mr Singh said.Most of these boys dont have families andsome of them come from broken families. Thevision of the Home is to ensure that all thechildren who are placed here are able to broaden

their knowledge and when they grow they will be a blessing for their communities, he added.We are thankful to the Madam Minister forvisiting them at this festive season as it bringshappiness and hope to these children. Todaysvisit by Madam Minister and her team re ectson the governments commitment to empowerthese children and motivates these children towork hard towards their future, Mr Singh said.This year, the Ministry has provided a grantof $20,000 for the renovation of the facilityat Veilomani Boys Home and also providesmonthly Care and Protection (C&P) allowancesfor the children. Currently, a total of $12,900has been paid by the Government for C&Pallowances to Veilomani Boys Home.

Govt meets with progresspartners

Arvind Kumar

F ijis development partners were given aclear picture of Governments priorityareas during a meeting with Cabinet in Suvalast week.

The meeting was the rst of its kind inFijis history and gave representatives fromdevelopment partners the chance to meet withMinisters face-to-face and begin to consideropportunities for future partnership.

The Attorney-General and Minister forFinance, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, made a

presentation at the meeting highlighting theGovernments top priorities and pointing outareas where assistance would be most useful.

He spoke about Governments plans forinfrastructure, education, healthcare, nationalsecurity, social welfare, gender policies,

protection of children, enforcement ofservices to disabled persons, urban and ruraldevelopment, trade, employment, industrialrelations and agriculture.

Representatives from the United Nations agencies, the European Union, theInternational Monetary Fund and the AsianDevelopment Bank were present at the meetingand all expressed keen interest to partnerwith Government to help Fiji achieve itsdevelopment goals.

Speaking after the meeting, the Attorney-General said that the FijiFirst Governmentis committed to working closely with foreign

development partners to ensure that their programs and projects are coordinated withGovernments priorities and initiatives.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum explained that closeco-ordination and co-operation betweenGovernment and development partners willensure both the maximum bene t for the Fijian

people as well as the most ef cient use of resources. In order to have the greatest effect, programs

whether by individual agencies or NGOs should be developed in consultation withGovernment and therefore meetings like thisallow us to adopt a coordinated and holisticapproach to national development, he said.

The United Nations DevelopmentProgrammes resident representative,

Ms Osnat Lubrani, said developmentagencies can be critical in providing not

just funding but also technical expertise.Next year will be very important for theUnited Nations as we take stock of the UNssustainable development goals in terms of whathas been achieved. So this meeting has beenimportant for us to understand the issues Fijiwill be dealing with, she said.

Envoys of foreign missions also spoke aboutstrengthening their development commitmentin a number of key sectors.

The Attorney-General said the feedbackfrom the rst meeting has been very positive anda second meeting has already been scheduled intwo weeks time when development partnersare expected to make speci c proposals for

programs that can complement Governmentswork.

Australian foreignminister to meetBainimarama

Australias Minister for Foreign Affairs,Julie Bishop will meet with senior Fijiangovernment of cials when she visits Fiji thisweekend.

The Australian Foreign Minister, who willlead a delegation from Australia, will hold talkswith Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.She is also expected to hold talks with SeniorGovernment of cials including Fijis Ministerfor Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Ratu Inoke Kubuabola.


19/32


19

l

FIJI

Chiefs anddistrictheads urgedto embracechangeTui Macuata Ratu Wiliame Katonivere hasurged chiefs and heads of districts withinhis province to accept the changes ushered in

by the new Government.Ratu Wiliame labelled the neutralisation

of lease allotments among members of landowning units around the country as a fair move.

He said some chiefs and heads of clans werequick to say the move would disable them f romcarrying out their traditional duties.

Ratu Wiliame said if this was how the chiefsfelt, then the iTaukei race was headed for a

bleak future.He told them the change should not affect

their values and their calling.Ratu Wiliame reminded chiefs and clan

heads the position they had was a godly callingand as such, everyone would be answerableto God about what they had done with theresponsibility vested on them.

He said the onus was on them to positivelyin uence those under their leadership on howto wisely invest their resources on worthyventures. He said this would work for peoplewho were real leaders and had an in uence inthe people they led.

Ratu Wiliame said the changes required thatchiefs actively play their roles and be decisiveand wise leaders.

Free water in pipelineF ijians who earn $30,000 per householdincome or less will be entitled to 50 litresof water per person per day free of charge, saysWater Authority of Fiji chief executive OpetaiaRavai.

Mr Ravai said those exceeding the 50 litrelimit would have to pay.

He said the Water Authority of Fiji wasalmost ready to provide Fijians living below theannual salary of $30,000 free water.

He also said they were completing andne-tuning a few procedural issues, adding

the project was practicable and it was aimedat ensuring all Fijians whether rich or poor hadaccess to piped water.

The free water provision that was alsopart of the current governments manifesto ispracticable because it only encompasses thosewith an annual salary below $30,000, he said.

Free water here means 50 litres of water per person per day and those using more thanthis will have to pay.

Members with piped water coverage intheir area will be able to access the free water

soon.Mr Ravai said the authority would monitor

water usage through daily readings beforecollecting the amount of water used in a monthwith the number of people in a household.

This exercise will also ensure that wateris not wasted and that people do not take theseincentives lightly or abuse them, he said.

This is an attempt by government to provide water supply for all people in Fiji and itis a human right that has been enshrined in ourConstitution.

Government is setting policies in place toensure that these rights are recognised.

PM extends hand of unity to opposition P rime Minister Rear Admiral (Ret) VoreqeBainimarama extended an invitation toLeader of Opposition Ro Teimumu Kepa toput aside their political differences and worktogether for the betterment of Fiji.

I intend to run an inclusive Government.I intend to leave no Fijian behind. So I amextending a sincere invitation to my politicalopponents and especially the honourableLeader of the Opposition to work with me toimprove the prospects of every citizen andespecially our young people, Mr Bainimaramasaid in his maiden parliamentary address.

By all means you can and you mustcritique our policies, thats your role in ourparliamentary democracy, just as it is in other

countries.But dont do it simply for the sake of it. We

must all and I ask you to work with and supportall policies that are for the good of the nation.

We must all and, I ask you to put theinterests of our young people above politics.

Because assisting them is the key todeveloping a stronger and more educatednation.

Assisting them is an investment in a better Fiji. Assisting them means a stable and prosperous Fiji. Mr Bainimarama highlightedthat one of the major focus for his Governmentwould be to help disadvantaged Fijians.

He said one way to do that was to eradicate poverty and that could be achieved through

education and skilling people.I have said before that my proudest

achievement in Government has been to freestruggling families from the worry of having to

pay for their childrens education.Because in my own life, I have witnessed

the heartbreak of many ordinary Fijians innot being able to meet the cost of school fees.Heartbreaking because we have always knownthat education is the key to breaking the cycleof poverty.

And not getting a proper education hascondemned successive generations to lives ofmenial work, meagre incomes, drudgery andnot being able to improve their socioeconomicstatus.


20/32


20

l

INDIA

Think above politics: PMP rime Minister Narendra Modi last weekurged NDA parliamentarians to thinkabove politics and spread the message ofSwachh Bharat or Clean India initiative toschools.

Modi urged the MPs of the NationalDemocratic Alliance (NDA) to visit schools

in their areas over a ve-day period beginning Nov 14 -- the 125th birth anniversary of Indias

rst prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, andexplain to children the importance of hygiene.

This would send a positive message, saida statement from the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP).

The 400-odd MPs of the NDA togetherrepresented a force with tremendous positiveenergy, which could help chart a new coursefor the country. Let us think big. Let us thinkfar. Let us think above politics, the statementquoted Modi as saying.

Soon after the meeting, Modi tweeted:Interacted with NDA MPs earlier today.

The statement said Modi also urged themembers of Parliament, for whom he hosteda Diwali Milan at his of cial residence at 7Race Course Road, to take to the people, thework done by the NDA government for thewelfare of the poor.

Modi lauds Hrithik, Nagarjuna over Clean India

P rime Minister Narendra Modi last weeklauded actors Hrithik Roshan and Nagarjunafor joining the Swachh Bharat mission,saying they willinspire otherstoo.

Am sureyou all willget inspired byHrithiks efforts!

He has made asigni cant efforttowards creatinga Swachh Bharat.MyCleanIndia,Modi wrote in his Twitter handle.

His comments came hours after HrithikRoshan tweeted: Swachhbharat I started

cleaning my own surroundings and learnt somuch. Started with my lanes in Juhu.

2day I pledge 2 keep my home, my roads,my city, mycountry clean.I also takeresponsibility 2teach n empowerothers 2 follow.

In anothertweet, Modisaid: Notedactor Nagarjuna

joining SwachhBharat Mission

can draw many others towards our efforts tocreate a Clean India.

Tharoor thanks Modi for lauding cleanlinessCongress parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor,who last week launched a cleanliness drivenear the famed Kovalam beach, thanked Prime

Minister Narendra Modi for congratulating himfor what he did.Thanking Modi, Tharoor posted on Twitter:

Thank you @narendramodi ji. Heres a videoof my clean-up & a request to you (also coming

by letter).Modi retweeted the photos of Tharoor on

his twitter handle @narendramodi and also

praised him, writing: A great effort by @ShashiTharoor! His active participation inSwachh Bharat Mission is very encouraging.

Tharoor posted another tweet: My messageto fellow citizens & an appeal to @PMOIndiato help clean & revive the Parvathy Puthanarin Tvm.

Tharoor accepted Modis invite to join theSwachh Bharat mission, but his party took itas a case of indiscipline and relieved him of the

party spokesperson post.

Diwali with the Heroes Maya Shivam

L ets talk about the second longest glacierof the non polar regions in the world thatextends approximately 80 Kilometers in lengthwith heights varying from 18000 to 22000 feet.The temperatures remain at sub zero throughoutthe year, dipping to minus 50 degree centigradeduring winters. The average winter snowfall isupwards of 35 feet. The terrain is rugged withhidden crevasses and frequent avalanches.The nearest road ends at the base camp 72kilometers away. It is in these conditions thatthe brave soldiers of the Indian Army guard ourfrontiers on the worlds highest battle ground-SIACHIN.

There are numerous posts strung acrossthe ridge with four to ve troops at each postmaintaining vigil 24x7x365. The approachto the posts is slow and dangerous requiringmountaineering skills. The rare ed air, low onoxygen, affects the body and mental capacity.Food items and supplies are air dropped for theforward placed troops and is dependent on goodweather for ying, which often comes with astroke of luck.

The day often starts with heating snow forwater. Food is cooked within each post. Themen almost never shave, it protects them fromthe cold, besides - its technically an almostimpossible feat to achieve. Bathing is a luxury.

Whats the icing on the cake you may say- intermittent shelling and exchange of refrom across the line of control. As if this isnta very tall ask, these men stay away from theirfamilies, and from civilisation for days on end.

Yet never for a second do these men falterfrom their line of duty, such is their commitmentto the safety of their country and countrymen.

On the other hand is the civilian population,who live in the comfort of their homes andfamily, where daily necessities of breathing,

movement, food, bathing etc are taken forgranted.

Being a proud Fauji(Army) kid, growing up,what broke my heart ever so often was whenthe civilian kids turned around and said - theyare doing their job, thats what they get paidfor. Anyone who is remotely connected to thedefence forces knows that these heroes dontget paid anywhere close to what they do for theCountry.

What would you expect as justi edremuneration to be paid in such remoteenvirons where one wrong move spells death?While the other fathers attended the parent -teacher meetings at school expressing their joyat how wonderful the children were doing atschool, our Army fathers would be deployedsomewhere due to expected tension on the

borders - what do you pay any father for that?

Our armed forces are seldom treated withthe respect and admiration they deserve, neither

by the people nor by the Government which hasconsistently ignored the demand for introducingthe overdue One Rank- One Pension (OROP)norm followed by the defence forces the worldover.

Frustration led many veterans to return theirgallantry awards and service medals to marktheir protest. Despite this, not for a minute haveour armed forces failed to ful l their duties.

Its all eyes on the Modi led governmentnow and the soldiers remain hopeful thattheir services to the country will now beacknowledged and the OROP issue will beresolved.

It has been 9 years since a Prime Ministervisited Siachen. This is also the rst time that aPrime Minister chose to spend Diwali with the

troops. Modi thanked the troops on behalf of1.25 billion Indians , saying that all countrymenslept safely in their homes because the soldierskept the Country safe. How many decadeshave passed without One Rank One Pension. Itis in my destiny that One r ank One Pension will

be ful lled, and preparations are being madefor a National War Memorial, that we could all

be proud of. The government is committed tothe cause, said Modi.

Strategists and analysts say that this was not just a time for the Prime Minister to bond withthe troops but also to send a stern message forthose across the borders who have been tryingto destroy the peace in the region.

Speaking to the soldiers Mr Modi said Ihave specially come on the occasion of Diwalito be with you. I am aware how it feels like tospend Diwali with your family. The happinessis different, but you are so involved in thedevotion to your Motherland that, whilst thefamily is spending Diwali somewhere else youare somewhere else guarding the Motherland.

My coming to this place will not llthe void of your family members, but as arepresentative of 125 crore people... after beingwith you, I feel proud and satis ed, Mr. Moditold the troops.

While Mr Modi calls the subject of thearmed forces an emotional one - heres hopingthat the rest of the Country also takes time toacknowledge the sacri ces made by thesefearless soldiers in protecting our Motherland.I remain eternally proud of my grand fathersand my father, all three war veterans, and holdmy head high at all times for their valour andsacri ces .

Mr Modi later tweeted - Be it the altitudeor bitter cold, nothing deters our soldiers. Theystand there, serving our nation. They make ustruly proud,


21/32


21

l NEWS in BRIEF

INDIA

Modi announces Rs 745 crorefor Kashmir Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an additional relief package of Rs 745 crore for ood-affected Jammu and Kashmir.Talking to some media persons at the Raj Bhavan in New Delhi, Modisaid he had come to the state immediately after the oods occurredlast month and announced a relief package of Rs 1,000 crore.

I believe it would be better if the nancial relief to people whosehomes have been damaged is directly given to them through bankaccounts. The nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the people ofJammu and Kashmir. Everything will be done to r ebuild the damagedhomes and livelihood of the affected people, Modi says.

Modi Express to take PMs fansfrom Melbourne to Sydney In appreciation of Narendra Modis humble beginnings, over 200fans of the Indian prime minister will travel 870 km by a specialtrain dubbed Modi Express from Melbourne to Sydney for adiaspora event Nov 17.

Carrying 220 Modi fans, the four-carriage train decorated withtricolour balloons will depart from Melbournes Southern Crossstation for Sydney at 8.30 p.m. Nov 16, spokesperson Balesh SinghDhankhar of the Indian Australian Community Foundation (IACF)told media over phone from Sydney.

About 1,000 such fans are expected to arrive from Melbourneto Sydney. As the trains capacity is just 220, only that many willtravel, he said. Modi will reach Brisbane to take part in the two-dayG20 summit starting Nov 15. It will be followed by a communityreception in Sydney Nov 17 during which Modi will address theIndian diaspora.

Delhi Jama Masjids Shahi Imamattacked

The Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid New Delhi, Syed Ahmed Bukhari,was attacked by a 32-year-old man who tried to set him ablaze

during evening prayers, police and witnesses said. The accused, saidto be mentally unstable, was arrested.

The incident took place at the Jama Masjid when the manapproached the Shahi Imam while the latter was praying, pouredkerosene on him and tried to set him ablaze. But the attacker failedto harm the Shahi Imam, one o f the best known Muslim clerics in thecountry.

Fill top posts in nationalisedbanksW ith six major nationalised banks remaining headless and acouple of others without executive directors, the All India BankEmployees Association (AIBEA) has urged the central governmentto ll up the vacancies.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, copy of which wasreleased to the media, AIBEA general secretary CH Venkatachalamsaid: The post of Chairman and Managing Director of Bankslike United Bank of India, Canara Bank, Syndicate Bank, Bank ofBaroda, Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, etc. aswell as the post of Executive Director in Allahabad Bank, AndhraBank, UCO Bank, Union Bank of India, etc. remain un lled.

Goa sets up control rooms aheadof cyclone Nilofar Goa has set up control rooms to gear up for emergencies prompted by cyclone Nilofar, which is expected to pass along the ArabianSea with the next one day.

The collector of North Goa has set up emergency control rooms asa preparedness measure to tackle any kind of unforeseen emergenciesas a result of severe cyclonic storm Nilofar over west-central ArabianSea, a government statement said.

The state has seen unseasonal showers as a result of a deepdepression caused in the Arabian Sea ahead of the cyclone.

Run for Unity on Patels birthanniversary, says Central Govt.W ith Sardar Vallabhbhai Patels birth anniversaryOct 31 being observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas,employees of government of ces, Public ServiceUndertakings, and other institutions will take a pledge tomaintain unity and integrity of the country.

The pledge will also be administered in schools andcolleges and the human resource development ministerhas been requested to issue suitableinstructions, a statement said lastweek.

It said the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas(National Unity Day) will provide anopportunity to re-af rm the inherentstrength and resilience of our nationto withstand the actual and potentialthreats to the unity, integrity andsecurity of our country.

All the ministries and departmentsof the central, state governments, andunion territories have been requestedto organise appropriate programmeson the occasion in a be tting manner,including the pledge-taking ceremony,it said.

A Run for Unity, involving people from all sectionsof the society, march-past in the evening by police, theCentral Armed Police Forces and other organisations likeNational Cadet Corps, National Service Scheme, Scoutsand Guides, and Home Guards will also be held.

The event to be held in all major cities, district townsand other places in rural areas is expected to draw allsections of the society, particularly youth from colleges,National Cadet Corps and the National Service Scheme.

The birth anniversary of Sardar Patel will provideall of us an opportunity to reaf rm the inherent strength

and resilience of our nation to withstand the actual and potential threats to the unity, integrity and security of ourcountry, union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was quotedas saying in the release.

He appealed to people to participate enthusiasticallyin large numbers to pay rich tributes to the real nationalhero.

Employees of governmentof ces, public sector undertakingsand other institutions will pledge tomaintain the unity and integrity ofthe country. The pledge will also beadministered in schools and colleges.The Central Board of SecondaryEducation has issued a notice askingschools to administer the pledge.An of cial statement said theRashtriya Ekta Diwas will providean opportunity to re-af rm theinherent strength and resilience ofour nation to withstand the actualand potential threats to the unity,integrity and security of our country.The CBSE has appointed 250 centre

coordinators in schools across India to organise the event.In each centre, 400-500 students from the neighbourhoodschools will come together on Oct 31 for other mass activities.In every centre the activities will focus on collectivelymaking posters, jingles, paintings, collage, teamdebates, etc. on such topics which will involve joint

planning and completion. Centre coordinators may alsoorganise indigenous team games, a CBSE notice said.Activities will also involve collaborative effort to conveythe message of importance of unity in sustaining any worksuch as keeping public places clean, it added.

Buddhism binds India, VietnamV ietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visitedBodh Gaya and prayed at the Mahabodhi temple,Buddhisms holiest shrine.

Prime Minister Dung, who was here on a two-day visit,also circumambulated the ancient Mahabodhi tree underwhich the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment.

Mantras of the Theravada and Mahayana Buddhismschools were chanted in Vietnamese as well in deferenceto Prime Minister Dung and his wife Tran Thanh Kiem.

After the prayers, Prime Minister Dung said thatBuddhism binds India and Vietnam together.

He also proposed that there should be direct ightsbetween Bodh Gaya and Hanoi, and sought visa-on-arrivalfacility for Vietnamese saying it would boost the numberof Buddhist pilgrims to the site.

Dung also announced a decision to sign a MoU with

India on the Nalanda University as part of reverence forthe ancient university where Buddhism studies ourishedmore than 1,000 years ago, and also to revive Buddhistlinks, of cial sources said.

Earlier, the Vietnamese leader arrived at the Buddhistpilgrimage town of Bodh Gaya on a day-long visit.

Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi welcomedPrime Minister Dung at the Gautam Buddha InternationalAirport near Bodh Gaya.

Ahead of the visit, Vietnams Ambassador Thanh TanSaturday visited Patna and met Manjhi.

The 1,500-year-old Buddhist shrine in Bodh Gaya,some 110 km from here, is where Gautama Buddha is saidto have attained enlightenment about 2,550 years ago.

Like us on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/indianweekender


22/32


22

l

INDIA ABROAD

India-born SundarPichai is Googles new

product chiefIn a major restructuring of Googlemanagement, India-born Sundar Pichai, whois already in-charge of Android, Chrome andGoogle Apps, has been made the chief of coreGoogle products, according to a technologymagazine.

The highly respected Pichai, 42, will nowhave purview over research, search, maps,Google+, commerce and ad products andinfrastructure, Re/code magazine said in anexclusive story citing a memo to staff byGoogle CEO Larry Page.

Re/Code cited sources as saying that Pagehas told the staff that he wants to focus on thebigger picture.

From his beginnings managing Chrome,Pichai has also become more widely recognisedoutside of Google too.

Born in Chennai in 1972, Pichai joinedGoogle in 2004. He earlier worked at AppliedMaterials and also at McKinsey & Co.

He attended the Wharton School atthe University of Pennsylvania, StanfordUniversity and the Indian Institute ofTechnology Kharagpur.

Picture courtesy: Twitter account @State_SCA

Indian-American Azita Raji named US envoy to Sweden P resident Barack Obama has nomi

indian weekender 31 october 2014

Documents