Indian Weekender 29 January 2016

29 January, 2016 • Vol. 7 Issue 43 • www.iwk.co.nz

NZ’s first Kiwi-Indian weekly newspaper

The pulse of Kiwi-Indians

STATE OF THE NATION 2016

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CONTENTS

29 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

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New Zealand Celebrating Auckland’s anniversary Pg

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Travel Discover the streets of Moscow

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Feature From Guinness Book of World Records to the silver screen

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Opinion/Editorial A new energy in France-India relationship

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Star gazing

What do the stars have in store this week

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Face of the Week In focus: dancer-turnedactress Natasha Bali

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www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

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Feel good speech skirts ticklish issues N. Chaitanya Deva

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ou could be forgiven if you thought Prime Minister John Key’s state of the nation address this week was an early curtain raiser to campaign 2017. Packed with significant big-ticket announcements and a glowing report card of his government’s performance so far, it looked every bit a mid-term missive to constituents. And it came just days after media and commentators reported that it was quite clear now that he is eyeing a fourth term.

His announcements on $4.2 billion worth of investments in Auckland in the next three years and plans to start projects earlier will undoubtedly help dispel longstanding criticism about Wellington’s continuing cold shoulder to the nation’s economic powerhouse, which Mr Key described as New Zealand’s shop front to the world.

Mr Key’s speech has made the perceived delays in Wellington’s support for what has often been known as ‘Mayor Len’s train set’ in beltway speak thing of the past. Over the past several months, capital boffins have worked closely with the Auckland Council to iron out matters related to the rail link, boosting the government’s confidence to back the project, a far cry from its position when the project was first announced years ago. Aucklanders will see a light at the end of the tunnel of their commuting

woes with those announcements. As well as trains, the Prime Minister has promised a speedy consenting process for the longplanned east-west road link and announced fast tracking of upgrades to existing motorways and other projects—all sweet music to the Auckland commuter.

The much discussed second harbour crossing has not found mention, which could well be because of its nascent stage of planning and it being a fair way beyond the time frame of election 2017. Mr Key also spoke at some length on infrastructure projects elsewhere around the country.

Mr Key’s pronouncements on Auckland’s biggest issue, housing, though, are less gung-ho. Severely constrained by the badly-in-need-of-reform Resource Management Act and other assorted decades-long bureaucratic tunnel

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vision, band-aid measures to address ballooning accommodation shortage have unsurprisingly come a cropper.

Nothing significant can really be achieved without an overhaul of the act, but the Prime Minister has alluded to the possibility of playing catch up by 2020.

He has underscored his government’s willingness to step up efforts to address the issue effectively even as international surveys reported this week that Auckland was the fifth costliest city in the world to buy real estate.

Indications are that the government’s measures to tackle perceived foreignerdriven property speculation that kicked in from October last year have somewhat cooled off the Auckland property market.

The Prime Minister made a point to mention these measures as well as the extra funding to IRD for enforcing tax compliance.

What he left unsaid is the progressive reforms his government has implemented in the welfare space, which would draw brownie points from the hardworking, taxpaying average Kiwi but certainly not so from the welfare dependent. In fact, he did not mention ‘welfare’ even once in the speech.

Also left unsaid were the country’s security concerns around international terrorism, the refugee issue and the involvement of its armed force in the Middle East, and of course, the flag. These are all polarising issues and best left to themselves

rather than risk opening the proverbial Pandora’s Box to spoil the warm fuzziness of the largely feel-good speech.

But one contentious issue he had to comment on is the TPPA (Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement), the signing of which is to take place next week in Auckland with 12 countries participating. The Prime Minister extolled its benefits to New Zealand business and industry in his speech but it remains to be seen if he succeeds in convincing factions that are opposed to it including groups of Maori.

The Waitangi observances next week are expected to see protests from Maori against both the TPPA and the flag when groups will confront the Prime Minister and his entourage. Mr Key did get a foretaste of it all at the annual Ratana Church event last week.

However, at the time of writing comes the news that senior Labour Party leaders Phil Goff and David Shearer have both broken ranks with their party in support of signing the TPPA, which should be music to the Prime Minister’s ears. But this is not surprising as both leaders were involved with the deal when negotiations first began more than a decade ago and they have better global trade perspectives than many in the Labour Party. And, oh yes, Mr Goff has his hat in the ring for Auckland’s Mayoral elections later this year. He simply can’t afford to look business unfriendly.

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29 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

The state of Auckland Transport— CRL dreams closer

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Backing Auckland: Future Transport Investments

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s the Prime Minister made his state of the nation speech, Auckland infrastructure came out on top with transport being the biggest winners. Prime Minister John Key has outlined the government’s plan to kick-start the next generation of major Auckland transport projects, including the City Rail Link, and to accelerate a trio of State Highway projects.

Mr Key said the government is backing Auckland to succeed by advancing crucial transport infrastructure projects.

“There is a next generation of major projects that is going to be required to develop and improve transport in Auckland for the benefit of the city and the country,” said Mr Key. This will go a long way in strengthening the competitiveness of Auckland and entering it in the league of other dynamic cities like Singapore and Hong Kong.

Time to get on with the job said Chairman, Auckland Transport. The Prime Ministers announcement on extra Government funding for major projects is the catalyst for transformational change in the region, says Auckland Transport chairman Dr Lester Levy.

The Prime Minister has confirmed a Government contribution to the City Rail Link project as well as a commitment of extra funding to accelerate work on the East-West road link (between the Southern and South Western Motorways) and the Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative (AMETI).

In addition the Prime Minister announced that a preferred alignment for a tunnel under the WaitemataHarbour would be confirmed by the end of the year.

Dr Levy says the announcements signal a new era for transport and economic growth in Auckland.

“Some of these projects have been on the books for decades but

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the stumbling block has always been funding,” he says. “And as time marches on the problems of congestion just get worse and worse.”

“Now we can at last set our sights firmly on building our way out of the daily transport frustrations of thousands of Aucklanders and the very real economic and social costs that come with that.”

Dr Levy says that investing in a combination of public transport and roading projects, as well as a focus on other modes such as walking and cycling, is critical.

“It is not one or the other; public transport is the game changer as far as Auckland transport is concerned but it can only work if the roading and motorway networks are functioning effectively and efficiently as well,” he says.

“That is why the projects announced today cannot be seen in isolation. They are a package of initiatives which together will see the transformational change needed in Auckland.”

“And as well as the transport benefits, many thousands of jobs will be created in the construction of these projects over a number of years.”

“As chairman of Auckland Transport I am also committed to ensuring that we fully maximise existing infrastructure as we

The Prime Minister has confirmed a Government contribution to the City Rail Link project as well as a commitment of extra funding to accelerate work on the East-West road link (between the Southern and South Western Motorways) and the Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative (AMETI)

plan, build and accelerate new projects. In tandem we can achieve outcomes for Auckland that people just don’t believe are possible now.”

Mayor Len Brown has also warmly welcomed the government’s announcement providing support for the City Rail Link (CRL).

“Since the government announced its support for the City Rail Link (CRL) back in 2012, I have been asking the government to provide certainty over the funding. That is what we needed and that is what the government has delivered today. To reach our vision of Auckland being

the world’s most liveable city, we need this to happen.

Aucklanders have been waiting for the CRL for decades and it’s been my number one priority since my first Auckland Council mayoral campaign.”

“I have long championed the City Rail Link project because it will be transformational, not only to keep Auckland moving but also to boost the city’s economic and social life. Its benefits will be felt across Auckland as well as building a great heart in the central city. Today’s guarantee of completion of the link in 2022 is excellent news.”

Len Brown says government support for Auckland infrastructure projects will help Auckland cope with its growth as the engine room on the New

Zealand economy. Auckland’s population is growing at three per cent a year or more than 800 new people a week and, over the past two years, Auckland’s economy has been growing at an extra $3 billion a year.

Work on the CRL began just before Christmas in Albert Street where infrastructure is being moved to make way for the new rail tunnel.

Auckland Transport figures show that last year, rail patronage increased 22.9% or 2.9 million trips to total 15.4 million trips. At current growth rates, the patronage target of 20 million trips per year, set by the government for funding of the CRL will be achieved at the end of this year, three years ahead of schedule.

Indian man bashed on his way to deliver pizzas IWK BUREAU

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hashi Sharma, an international student working as a pizza driver, was beaten while he was on his way to deliver pizzas in Napier.

Sharma says that the accused, including two girls, showed no remorse. But he feels lucky that he escaped with just the upper cheekbone fracture and a gash in the back of head, according to the media report by New Zealand Herald. He says he was one more rock’s hit away

from dying during a robbery on Friday, January 22. “They did it for fun. […] I could have been hit one more time and I would be

dead,” the Domino’s driver was quoted as saying.

Sharma was unaware of the rock hit until police told him.

Sharma comes from Haryana, India and arrived to New Zealand in July last year for EIT postgraduate studies in Napier.

“But what’s happened has happened,” he was quoted as saying. “I can’t change the course of that.” According to New Zealand Herald report, the attack took place as he went

to a property in Milton Rd late on the night of January 22 with four pizzas worth $42. The attackers emerged from hiding in a driveway and he was struck on the head and one of the girls attempted to run him over with his own car, which was then stolen, along with his phone and the pizzas.

With the help of two people on the street, Sharma managed to call the police and an ambulance.

The vehicle and phone were recovered in Hastings. While the car was slightly damaged, all the

data from the phone was deleted.

According to the latest updates two boys and two girls, aged 16 and 17 from Hastings, were arrested as a result of the attack and are charged with aggravated robbery, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years jail.

The older one of the accused, a male and a female, both aged 17, appeared in Hastings District Court on January 26 and made a second appearance on January 27, while the other two will appear in the Youth Court next month.

www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

BSCT celebrates Indian Republic Day

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IWK Bureau

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he 67th Republic Day of India was celebrated with great enthusiasm and patriotic fervour by Indian diaspora and friends of India. Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust hosts a Republic Day celebration each year in a community location in Auckland as an opportunity for Kiwi Indians to get together and commemorate this important date.

On January 23, during the Senior Citizens Meet, India’s Republic Day was celebrated with a flag hoisting ceremony

by Hemant Prashar, President, Bharitya Mandir. This was followed by the national anthem. Hon. Phil Goff, who was present at the event, addressed the attendees where he spoke about the Indian community and its cultural performances.

The celebrations concluded with a community lunch.

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29 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

Collaboration brings NZ-India business closer

On the occasion of the 67th Republic Day of India, the High Commission of India organised a reception in Wellington. Hon Red Black Orange Nicky Wagner, Minister Customs was the chief guest. Hon Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, Minister Ethnic Communities and Hon Peter Dunne, Minister Internal Affairs, also attended the reception.

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ew Zealand-based India Trade Alliance (ITA) has begun 2016 by strengthening links with two prominent business and industry bodies in India.

“For NZ businesses to work closer with Indian counterparts, we need collaborative working relationship with our counterparts in India to lay a platform for Kiwi firms to be able to engage at business level”, says Chairman Giri Gupta.

The Alliance’s General Secretary Sunil Kaushal signed Memoranda of Understanding with ASSOCHAM (the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry), and CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) in India this month. These are two of the biggest organisations representing Indian business and industry nationwide.

Kanwaljit Bakshi, New Zealand Member of Parliament and Jane Cunliffe, New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE) Trade Commissioner to North India were present at the signing of the MoU with CII. Mr Kaushal also had extensive talks with Ms Cunliffe about India Trade Alliance’s initiatives this year and in future years. CII is India’s premier business association has more than 7,100 members, from the

Story in Pictures

private as well as public sectors, including SMEs and MNCs, and an indirect membership of more than 100,000 enterprises from around 240 national and regional sectoral industry bodies.

ITA also met with Grahame Morton, New Zealand High Commissioner to India, who Mr Kaushal says graciously offered support to ITA’s initiatives to promote trade and investment between New Zealand and India.

Earlier ITA also signed a MoU with ASSOCHAM which has in its fold more than 400 Industry Chambers, Trade Associations and serving more than 450,000 Corporate Members from all over India. Speaking to the members of ASSOCHAM, New Zealand High Commissioner Grahame Morton reiterated New Zealand’s commitment to engage with India bilaterally,

culturally, academically and in sporting relations.

While in India, Mr Kaushal also met senior Indian officials from trade and foreign affairs ministries. Among these were Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaishankar, Trade Negotiator Arvind Mehta and Joint Secretary (South) Mr P Muzumdar.

Mr Kaushal also introduced ITA to the newly appointed Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand Sanjiv Kohli, who arrives in New Zealand next month.

The third Makar Sankranti festival held in Christchurch Gaurav Sharma

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he Uttarayan Makar Sankranti festival, organised by the citybased social organisation Indian Cultural Group (ICG) on Sunday, saw more than 200 kite-flyers engaging in a fierce battle of cutting strings and bringing down each other’s kites.

Rashik Goyal, treasurer of ICG informed, “While some group brought their own kites and strings, we also had an on-thespot sale to ensure everyone gets involved. And such a huge turnout is a big encouragement for us. We are hoping for a similar response in March when we will be celebrating Easter along with Vaisakhi. Some very big names in the Punjabi music scene including Ninja, A-Kay, and Guru Randawa are among those attending.”

A sentiment echoed by Jeet Gadhavi, a member of the Christchurch-based social group Youngistan formed two-years back to promote Gujarati culture

ASC’s annual Gayatri Maha-Yaj Gaurav Sharma

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ffiliated to the Arya Samaj Pratinidhi Sabha New Zealand Incorporated, Arya Samaj Christchurch (ASC) organised its annual Gayatri Maha-Yaj on Sunday.

The organisation, which was formed in 2006 and has a membership of around 65 people, is known in the city for its

in Canterbury, who concluded, “As uttarayan celebrations are big back home, it’s nice to be able to recreate that feel here as

well. Around 50 of our members participated in kite-flying this time. Hopefully the celebrations will grow even bigger next year.”

monthly satsangs. “The MahaYaj is our flagship event of the year, where our main purohit Janaki performs a havan accompanied by the chants of the gayatri mantra, which is followed by a light meal for all devotees,” informed Diwakar Kandula, who is a researcher with the Lincoln University and is the president of ASC.

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www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

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TPPA is not in our interests Wellington City leads on reducing emissions

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Barry Coates Green Party

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ver the past six years, there have been secret negotiations of a new international treaty that will affect the lives of all New Zealanders. The text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) has now been publicly released, and it is clear why negotiations were secret.

Over the past few weeks, new academic research has provided evidence about the likely impacts of the TPPA, showing it is not in the interests of the New Zealand economy, our environment, our health system or our democratic rights. There will be protests in the forthcoming days.

The government refers to the TPPA as a ‘trade agreement’ but most of its 30 chapters (and 6,147 pages!) are about the domestic economy.

The gains from trade are likely to be tiny, but the potential costs are huge. The TPPA gives foreign investors preferential rights over governments, and allows them to sue government policies in an international tribunal without even having to go through

the New Zealand courts. The Green Party has been actively engaged in raising concern about the TPPA in Parliament.

It is unsurprising that many New Zealanders are concerned about the TPPA. What is surprising is how many people have taken the time to understand the issues beyond the government’s slogans. A TV3/ Reid Research poll last November said that a sizeable majority of the public know about the TPPA and don’t think it should be signed.

The government is planning to do so anyway on February 4 at the Sky City casino.

They have no public mandate to sign. Even though we are having two referendums on a flag, the government has refused to have a referendum on the TPPA. There is still time. The TPPA does not come into force until it is ratified and that process is likely to take several years, if at all. There is strong opposition in the US and Canada, as well as New Zealand.

Raise your voice on the TPPA. There will be a march down Queen St on Thursday, February 4, assembling at Aotea Square at midday.

It will be loud, colourful, family-friendly and inclusive of all. We will be joined by thousands of Aucklanders on their lunch break, as well as people who have travelled across the country to join us.

For more information, see www. itsourfuture.org.nz.

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ellington has become the first city in New Zealand and the second in the world, following Beijing, to launch a 2050 Energy Calculator.

It will allow Wellingtonians to explore how energy and transport choices will shape the city’s carbon emissions footprint, and help address climate change.

Wellington Mayor, Celia Wade-Brown, says Wellington’s 2050 Energy Calculator is an opportunity for Wellingtonians young and old to learn about, understand, and take action to fight climate change—20 minutes is all it takes.

“Users can vary 31 ‘levers’ that affect how energy is used and produced in the city—such as improving public transport or increasing the number of solar panel installations.

“The calculator will allow people to see the impact of their choices on Wellington’s emissions pathway, based on scientific data. It covers all parts of the economy and all greenhouse gas emissions released in the city, including non-energyrelated emissions.

The calculator framework was developed by the UK government as a way to help understand emissions and address climate change on a global scale. It’s an awardwinning tool, user-friendly and completely free. Wellington City Council adapted the calculator in partnership with the National Energy Research Institute and Enspiral.

The British High Commissioner, Jonathan Sinclair, says, “The UK believes

that lifestyles can still improve while the world reduces emissions. Our ultimate goal is to keep climate change to 2°C, which is why we developed the 2050 Energy Calculator—a unique, open-source interactive tool—because we can’t afford to leave it till tomorrow.”

Chief Executive of the National Energy Research Institute, Simon Arnold, says, “We hope the calculator will enable and provoke well-informed debate about Wellington’s options for addressing climate change and building a sustainable energy future. The future is uncertain and cities face many important choices and trade-offs, which is why a tool allowing people to explore a wide range of options is vital.”

Wellington City Council is using the calculator to build an energy pathway for Wellington that hits the 80% CO2-e emission reduction target by 2050. The calculator has also proven useful for crafting a more targeted approach to future emissions reduction efforts based on data rather than intuition.

Portfolio leader for Environment and Climate Change, David Lee says, “This calculator is a wonderful example of where the UK and New Zealand are working together to share best practice and is one of many initiatives being undertaken to help meet Wellington City’s emission reduction targets.”

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Celebrating Auckland’s anniversary Red

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The story behind Auckland’s annual celebration and the events to look out for during the long weekend Esha Chanda

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everal months before the Queen formally declared New Zealand to be a Crown colony, William Hobson, New Zealand’s first governor, was asked to choose a site for his new capital. He established Auckland—a name given to the settlement after his patron Lord Auckland, first Lord of the Admiralty—as the colony’s capital in 1841. A year later, the governor established Auckland Anniversary as a public holiday, which is now observed on the Monday closest to January 29—the day Hobson came to Bay of Islands in 1840.

Over the years, the day has come to represent the many milestones in the creation and development of Tamaki Makaurau. This weekend, thousands of Aucklanders will head to the city to mark the anniversary and celebrate yet another milestone achieved by New Zealand’s largest city.

Ports of Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta

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he highlight of the celebrations in the City of Sails is the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta that takes place every year. One of the biggest one-day sailing regattas, the roots of the tradition lie in a three-race event that took place in 1840 on the Waitemata Harbour when the representatives of the then Lieutenant Governor William Hobson rowed ashore.

Attracting a huge fleet of vessels, the regatta includes a tugboat race—which arrived on the scene in 2007—dragon boating, waka ama and remote control sailing. The regatta will take place on Monday, February 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m at Waitemata and Viaduct Harbour.

ASB Auckland Seafood Festival

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oak in the sun and savour the best of New Zealand’s seafood at the four-day seafood celebration that returns to Halsey Wharf, Wynyard Quarter this year. From steamed mussels, whitebait fritters, Bluff oysters, fish fillets and roasted groper belly, this year’s festival includes more than 100 delicious seafood dishes along with demonstrations from top chefs.

With the view of Waitemata Harbour, relax with a glass of wine or chilled beer that will be served alongside live music and entertainment.

The ASB Auckland Seafood Festival will take place from Friday, January 29 to Monday, February 1. Pre-sale tickets are priced at $20 and on the door sales are available for $25. If you’re heading to the waterfront in a group of six, get the tickets for $15 each. Entry is free for children aged 12 and below.

St Jerome’s Laneway Festival

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t began in 2004 as a series of weekly shows in Melbourne, and today has grown into one of the most sought-after international festivals featuring new and revered music. Over the years, the festival spread it wings across different venues

and by 2009, their reach had expanded to include shows in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. The following year, the festival made its debut in Auckland with a diverse line-up.

This year, the festival kicks off with its first event in New Zealand on February 1 and will feature Beach House, Courtney Barnett, Vince Staples and CHVRCHES. Tickets are priced at $149.50. The festival will take place at Silo Park, Auckland CBD from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

International Buskers Festival

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atch some of the most impressive street performers at the 16th annual International Buskers Festival from January 29 to February 1. The vibrant international street performers to hit the streets from Viaduct to Aotea Square include acrobats, hula hoop artists, comedians, magicians and contortionists.

Venues include Karanga Plaza, Market Square, Eastern Viaduct, Princes Wharf, Queens Wharf, Downtown Shopping Centre and Aotea Square. Check aucklandbuskersfestival.co.nz for more details on show timings.

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celebration of Auckland’s Maori culture, the Tamaki Harenga Waka festival will provide a peek into Tamaki Makaurau’s unique Maori history, heritage and culture through Maori games, storytelling and workshops. Making its debut this year, the festival will be spread across three days and will see performances from established and emerging Maori musicians along with traditional and modern kappa haka performances. Don’t forget to savour the delicious kai prepared

by Maori chefs and shop for authentic arts and crafts.

The festival will take place from Saturday, January 30 to February 1 at The Cloud, Queens Wharf.

Ports of Auckland SeePort

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iscover Auckland’s port from land, sky and sea at the annual celebration of the shipping industry and maritime heritage. The SeePort festival gives an opportunity to experience the port from behind the iconic Red Fence. Take a tour through bus or boats or through a scenic flight over the Waitemata Harbour. Or you could immerse yourself in a world of trade with Maritime Museum’s free interactive game. Turn back the hands of the clock and tour Auckland’s port on one of the first tugboats. The Royal New Zealand Navy will also be putting on displays on their RHIB boats.

And as the sun sets on Sunday, there will be a free concert from the Auckland Symphony Orchestra featuring New Zealand-born singer and songwriter Lisa Crawley. The night will come to an end with a display of fireworks on the wharf.

The festival will take place from Saturday, January 30 to February 1.

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www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

Annual Convention 2016— true Islamic Caliphate

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IWK Bureau

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hmadiyya M u s l i m Community of New Zealand has chosen Khilafat (Caliphate) as the theme for their upcoming Annual Convention to promote the true Islamic Caliphate as a divine guidance for peace and unification, not a Caliphate of destruction and terror.

Hundreds are expected to gather in Auckland to be part of the 2016 Annual Convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on January 29 and 30 at the Bai’tul Muqeet Mosque, 20 Dalgety Drive in Manukau. Community members, ethnic community leaders, parliamentarians and religious leaders of all faiths will be part of this Convention to better understand the message of the true Islamic Caliphate.

The National President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mr Mohammed Iqbal said, “The current Caliph, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, has spearheaded the community and addressed many world leaders and taken the message of peace to Capitol Hill in Washington, the European Parliament in Brussels, the Houses of Parliament in London and he even delivered

an address in our Parliament in Wellington to name but a few.

This is a Caliphate, which is fighting the ideology of radicalised so-called Muslims; a Caliphate, which is spearheading new initiatives to fight anti-Muslim rhetoric; a Caliphate which is the voice of ‘Love for All, Hatred for None’; a Caliphate, which unites millions around the world at one hand; a Caliphate, which imparts the true teachings of Islam; teachings of peace, love, tolerance, harmony, co-existence and service to humanity.

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The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community welcomes New Zealand public to be part of this special Annual Convention on January 30 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to learn about the true Caliphate of Islam. For registration, contact 0800 Y ISLAM (0800 9 47526).

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New science challenge to boost land productivity

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cience and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce launched the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge, which aims to enhance primary sector production and productivity while maintaining and improving land and water quality.

The National Science Challenges are dedicated to breaking new ground in areas of science that are crucial to New Zealand’s future. “From an economic standpoint they don’t come much more important than this,� Mr Joyce says. “There is increasing confidence that new agricultural tools will be able achieve both these crucial objectives for New Zealand. The job of this challenge is to use science to accelerate the development of these tools.�

The Our Land and Water Challenge is the ninth of 11 to be launched, and receives funding of up to $96.9 million over 10 years.

Hosted by AgResearch, it involves the six other CRI research partners: ESR, GNS Science, Landcare Research, NIWA, Plant and Food Research, and Scion, and five universities and affiliates: Auckland University, Lincoln Agritech, Lincoln University, Massey University and Waikato University. “The government’s Business Growth Agenda targets a doubling

of primary sector exports by 2025, while the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management looks to ensure water quality and use is properly provided for over the long term,�

Mr Joyce says.  “The Our Land and Water Challenge will provide the science necessary to bridge these two goals, and is critical to New Zealand’s economic and environmental wellbeing.  “It will deliver new ideas, technologies and systems for primary production, from paddock to consumer, while using a wide range of scientific collaborative approaches to improve land and water management, and drive behavioural change.�  Initial research will include projects on: }} Identifying contaminant flow pathways and dilution processes in soil and water to help make better land management decisions and reduce environmental impact }} Developing “next generation� farming systems that deliver high profits with a low environmental footprint through new specialty products, new forage and new feed, or infrastructure systems }} Exploration of new technologies such as such as drones, precision

agriculture, and animal and plant genetics, information systems and diverse products to make the best possible use of New Zealand’s diverse land resources }} A project to capture New Zealand’s innovation talent, drawing on the knowledge and experience of leading farmers, growers and foresters to design targeted solutions for primary production systems. }} Designing effective collaborative processes and tools for achieving water quality limits. }} Development of a national mÄ tauranga-centred framework through case studies in Northland to aid development of MÄ ori agribusiness and community wellbeing.

The National Science Challenges are designed to tackle the biggest science-based issues and opportunities facing New Zealand. Each Challenge includes both new funding and funds that will become available as current research contracts directly related to each Challenge mature.

The new challenge money comprises $133.5 million over four years allocated in Budgets 2012 and 2013, and continuing funding of $30.5 million per year thereafter.

Ensuring access to social housing is fair and reasonable

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hanges announced last year to discourage people from refusing reasonable social housing offers come into effect. “Too many people have been refusing offers of social housing properties without a good reason and this is delaying others from getting into homes that suit their needs,� Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says. “The government’s number one focus in social housing is getting those who have no home into a safe and warm property as quickly as possible, and we don’t think it is reasonable to hold that up by being overly demanding.�

The changes coming into effect include:

Reducing from three to one the

number of times a person can decline a home without a good and sufficient reason before they are removed from the social housing register.

Where reasonable, requiring

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Record numbers of people switching electricity retailers

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ast year saw the highest number of people switch electricity retailers since 2011, says Energy and Resources M i n i s t e r Simon Bridges.

In 2015, 4 1 9 , 0 0 0 consumers s w i t c h e d p r o v i d e r s , compared to 388,000 in 2011 when the ‘What’s My Number’ campaign began, resulting in potential savings of more than $24 million last year. More than 1.8 million consumers have switched providers since 2011, with total estimated savings valued at $207 million. “‘What’s My Number’ is continuing to provide increasing numbers of consumers with the choice to shop around for the best deal. “I would encourage anyone to check it out to see if they can get a better deal on their power,� Mr Bridges said.

Mr Bridges says the government is committed to a competitive electricity market that empowers consumers and keeps downward pressure on power prices. “In recent years, there has been a large increase in the number of electricity retailers entering the market, with 22 independent retailers supplying consumers

through 3 3 brands as on December 2 0 1 5 .

Coupled with the success of websites such as ‘What’s My Number’, this is translating into greater choice and record number of consumer switches.�

Mr Bridges says further steps are being taken to make it easier for customers to get a better deal.

From February 1, consumers and their agents will be able to access more information about their electricity use and the plans offered by retailers. “Access to a fuller picture of electricity data will allow consumers to make informed decisions and compare prices more effectively,� Mr Bridges says.

New Zealand releases final TPP text

T people on the social housing register to name a minimum of three suburbs they could live in, up from one.

Nearly 10,000 social housing offers were made last year and of those 3,453 were declined, with 414 for unacceptable reasons such as wanting a garage or a bigger back yard. Under the changes people who refuse a property without a

good reason may be removed from the social housing register for 13 weeks. “The Ministry of Social Development, who administer the social housing application process, will look at each case on its merits so that people declining properties for good reasons like health, safety or security concerns aren’t penalised,� says Mrs Bennett.

rade Minister Todd McClay announced that New Zealand has released the legally verified TPP text, in its capacity as Depositary of the Agreement. “This is the final version of the Agreement, which will be signed

by TPP countries in February.

New Zealand looks forward to hosting this important event,� says Mr McClay. New Zealand released an earlier version of the text on November 5, 2015. “As Depositary, New Zealand will also release French and Spanish versions of the text.�

Legal verification is the final step in a treaty negotiation prior to signature, and involves the treaty text being reviewed by the Parties’ legal counsel to ensure it is consistent.

Immediately after signature the government will submit the text of TPP to Parliament, along with the National Interest Analysis, for treaty examination.

After that, the legislative changes required to implement TPP will go through normal Parliamentary procedures, including select committee scrutiny.

NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

More students completing qualifications in STEM subjects

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ertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has welcomed figures released today that show a greater proportion of degree-level domestic graduates are completing qualifications in STEM-related subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths). “It’s important that we grow the number of graduates in areas where there is real industry demand,�

Mr Joyce says. “Producing more engineering, ICT and science graduates will help alleviate actual and potential skill level or higher increased to 1,550 in 2014, an increase of 29 per shortages in these key areas.� cent from 2011. This represented The report, What did they do?

3.7 per cent of graduates at The field of study of domestic the bachelors level or higher graduates 2011-2014, outlines in 2014, an increase from 2.9 the field of study of all domestic per cent in 2011. Natural and graduates from the New Zealand physical sciences also increased tertiary education system. as a proportion of graduates at In engineering and related the bachelors level or higher, technologies, the number of reaching 9.4 per cent in 2014, up graduates at the bachelors level from 8.9 per cent in 2011. The or higher reached more than number of graduates completing 2,000 in one year for the first a qualification at the bachelors time in 2014, an increase of 21 per level or higher in this field reached cent from 2011.

3,930 in 2014, an increase of 7.5 In 2014, engineering graduates per cent from 2011. represented 4.8 per cent of all “The growth we are seeing graduates at the bachelors level is a good start but we need it to or higher, an increase from 4.0 continue, Mr Joyce said. “It is per cent in 2011. In the field of important that we continue to Information Technology, the grow the number of students number of graduates completing and graduates in these “maker� a qualification at the bachelors subjects, to fuel the growth in

our tech sector. We need to be as strong in engineering, physical sciences, and information technology as we are in our areas of traditional strength—the social sciences and the humanities. “The Tertiary Education Strategy 2015-2019 set a target to prioritise getting industries the skills they needed, this shows that the sector is steadily delivering on that goal.�  Overall, the number of domestic students completing a qualification at a tertiary education provider reached 126,000 in 2014, an increase from 124,000 in 2011. “Our tertiary education now is delivering around 5,000 more degree graduates a year than when the government came into office in 2008. That’s a real boost in outcomes and a real boost in high level skills for New Zealand.�

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Workplace vocational education on the rise

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ertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has welcomed a report which shows apprentice numbers and completion rates are both up, following the major industry training reforms of 2012–13. The Ministry of Education report on workplace training NZ’s Workplace-Based Learners: 2014, shows a shift to apprenticeships and away from lower level traineeships. At the same time, completion rates have increased. “Our workforce needs worldclass skills and knowledge that will boost the productivity of New Zealand’s economy while helping individuals to get ahead in life.

A more highly skilled, highly qualified workforce is essential for that,� Mr Joyce said. “I’m delighted that the results are tracking well with the goals of the Tertiary Education Strategy and the new industry training legislation. The creation of the NZ Apprenticeships, mergers of industry training organisations (ITOs), and a focus on quality have all contributed to a stronger industry training system, and to better outcomes,� Mr Joyce said. Highlights from the Ministry of Education report were:

There were 41,800 people

enrolled in apprenticeships and apprenticeship-type training  in 2014 The numbers in apprenticeship training was up by 11.5 per cent on the previous year The credit completion rate for apprentices was 88 per cent, compared with 72 per cent in 2009 “These results show the changes implemented through the Industry Training Review and resulting legislation have lifted access to quality industry training,� said Steven Joyce. “While there remains more work to do to lift performance further, the redesigned system is responding well to the needs of employers and workers�.

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NEW ZEALAND

29 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

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Investing in infrastructure and jobs Kanwaljit Bakshi

National List MP

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016 has arrived and I wish all New Zealanders a happy and prosperous New Year. It is great to be back in action. This year again, we remain committed to working hard for New Zealanders and ensure that we create more jobs while providing essential services and support that families need.

The National-led government

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is investing more than ever before in Auckland’s transport network. We are spending $1 billion a year on public transport and a safe, reliable and efficient motorway system.

Auckland is home to a third of our population. It’s the country’s largest commercial centre, and it’s growing at a great rate of knots.

As a government, we’ve made strides in bettering the region’s transport system.

That’s why we’re continuing to back Auckland to accommodate the extra 700,000 residents it’s expected to gain by 2045.

This week, the Prime Minister

announced the government will work with Auckland Council to bring forward the start date of the City Rail Link.

The government is also working to formalise its funding commitment from 2020, which the Council has indicated would allow construction of the main works to start in 2018, at least two years sooner than currently envisaged.

Stretching 3.4 kilometres and running up to 70 metres below the CBD, the Central Rail Link will forge a vital connection between Britomart Station and the existing Western Line stop at Mt Eden.

With stops planned at Karangahape Road and Aotea Square, the City Rail Link will cut 17 minutes off the train trip from Henderson to downtown Auckland.

When Auckland’s transport network thrives, Auckland thrives.

More and more people are choosing Auckland as a place to live and do business.

Accelerating the $2.4 billion City Rail Link is a vote of confidence in the future.

It’s a signal to residents, investors and visitors alike that the direction Auckland’s travelling in is a positive one.

For a city that has hosted the America’s Cup, the Rugby World Cup, the NRL Nines and has so much more planned, the City Rail Link will only add to Auckland’s growth and momentum.

As an Aucklander myself, I look forward to seeing this exciting project get on track sooner rather than later as Auckland’s transport system moves further into the future. Not only will this enhance the transport system, but will also help in boosting the productivity leading to more jobs and thus, improving the economy.

and talk of the TPPA being the greatest trade deal New Zealand has ever entered into.

What will be obscured is that the agreement the 12 nations sign stands a strong chance of not being worth the paper it is written on. In spite of President Barack Obama’s evangelistic efforts on behalf of TPPA, the complex trade deal has tepid support from American business groups and Republican politicians. TPP needs American approval to progress and if the US Congress decides no, then the curtain will drop on the whole deal. The vote looks likely also to be delayed. Senate majority

leader Mitch McConnell told the Washington Post he would resist a vote in the Congress until at least the period immediately following the November US presidential election, i.e., after President Obama has left office.

New Zealand First is opposed to the TPPA on several counts and stresses that the public should be aware of trade deals with many of the Pacific Rim countries lining up to sign TPPA already exist.

While there will be some gains for our chief exporter, dairying, under the TPPA, they are not that significant because TPPA’s original ambition to eliminate all tariffs

has not succeeded. Subsidies to overseas farmers remain. The US dairy industry’s entrenched protectionism, for example, has long proved a hard nut to crack and this continues.

The fear of missing out should not be given as an excuse for New Zealand signing since countries such as Norway and Switzerland have demonstrated you can perform successfully without being part of such trade deals.

One of the more frightening scenarios about the TPPA is that it opens up countries such as New Zealand to the possibility of massive lawsuits from big

business. The United States is facing a claim made against it by a private corporation under the North American Free Trade Agreement. The claim is worth a staggering $US15 billion and was lodged because President Obama called a halt to construction of an oil pipeline from Canada through the United States.

Come February 4, there will be scant mention, if any, of this claim nor of the risk of major lawsuits under TPPA. Only one such claim would be enough to economically challenge New Zealand.

and around Turkey. Most of them have been in the camps waiting for a very long time, without the resources to attempt the journey to Europe that many others made.

Before being accepted by New Zealand, they were thoroughly researched and vetted by both the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR and the New Zealand government’s immigration service.

It’s a sad fact that more than 90% of refugees would rather stay in their own countries than have to face settling and adapting

to somewhere new. The refugees now making their homes in New Zealand had simply run out of options. We’ve all seen the pictures of destruction in Syria.

For them, this is the last resort.

New Zealand’s annual refugee quota is currently 750 and the government is going to review that this year. The figure of 750 was set in 1987 but our population has grown by 40% since then. If the quota had simply kept pace with population growth, it would be well over 1,000 by now. My feeling

is that it should be at least that—if not closer to 1,500.

It’s important to distinguish between the 750 refugees we take each year and the people who arrive in New Zealand via our migration policy. The two are unrelated.

Welcoming refugees is about exercising our humanitarian duty.

We’re helping a tiny proportion of those who are desperately in need.

New Zealand’s past experience of refugees has been positive. The refugees we accepted from the

Tampa in 2001 are now a highly educated group of young people, proud to be Kiwis and contributing strongly—just like so many of our immigrants.

Those arriving now are mostly families with children, and we all know how fast kids can adapt.

I’m sure many of you reading this were born outside New Zealand too, and will understand the challenges involved in settling somewhere new. Let’s all give them a warm welcome to New Zealand.

Zealanders moving off welfare into work. We’ve fulfilled our promise of returning to surplus in 2014–15, and we will continue to focus on keeping a tight rein on spending, running surpluses, and paying down debt.

Around 750,000 children under 13 now have access to free GP visits and prescriptions, paid parental leave went up last year and will increase again in April, and our HomeStart programme is helping young Kiwi families buy their first home.

The Korean Free Trade Agreement signed last year is

helping farmers and businesses and next month (February) we will sign the Trans Pacific Partnership—New Zealand’s biggest-ever free trade deal— worth around $2.7 billion to our economy by 2030.

After recharging the batteries I’m heading into the 2016 parliamentary year focused, energised, and full of ideas to keep New Zealand moving ahead.

I want this country to seize the many opportunities available over the next few years to get more jobs and higher wages to support New Zealanders and their families.

Big handshake photo opportunity on flimsy grounds Winston Peters NZ First leader

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he signing of the TPPA (Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement), National’s grand public relations exercise in Auckland on February 4, stands a big chance of being all for nothing.

Prime Minister Key will make the most of the visit by 11 trade ministers from around the Pacific Rim. The red carpet will be rolled out; there will be smiling faces,

Syrian refugees welcomed to New Zealand David Shearer Labour MP

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fter all the talk and planning, refugees have finally started arriving in New Zealand from Syria. It is good that we’re playing our part in a global crisis.

The people who are coming here are from refugee camps, mainly in

Looking forward to a busy year Parmjeet Parmar

National List MP

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he year is well underway and many of us are now back at work. I’m looking forward to another busy year.

As an MP, one of the most important things to me is supporting families and households. I know the issues that matter to our community

are a stronger economy and more jobs, better frontline health and education services, and a safer New Zealand.

Jobs and wages are growing—34,000 new jobs in the past year with a further 195,000 people expected to be in work by mid-2020. Wages are growing considerably faster than the cost of living and the average wage is expected to increase $6,000 to $63,500 within five years.

Our economy is performing solidly with economic growth over the next few years expected to average 2.7 per cent a year.

Reduced ACC levies, with more to come, are helping businesses and households, as is the roll out of ultra-fast broadband and investment of billions in roads, schools, and hospitals.

Businesses are confident and hiring more staff and more Kiwis are voting with their feet and either staying in New Zealand or coming home.

We’re continuing to see improved results from our public services in areas that really matter such as better health care, lower crime, higher educational achievement, and more New

NEW ZEALAND

www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

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Soulful Sonny needs a forever home

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oulful Sonny is waiting at Silverdale Animal Shelter for his forever home.

Sonny is an 1 8 - m o n t h - o l d Shepherd-crossedSharpei. He has a lot of love to give and will be your best friend for a belly rub.

Sonny has his basic commands down and will excel with further training which is made easy by his willingness to please. He will require moderate to high exercise and will suit an active family.

He is a social boy and will suit most homes, preferably without cats. Sonny will suit a home with older children.

Sonny will cost $230 to adopt, which includes his microchipping, de-sexing, registration, worm and flea treatment. He will also have had his first

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vaccination and a vet check.

Kennels are open for viewing during weekdays from 10:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. and weekends/ public holidays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A fully fenced section or suitable containment area is needed to adopt a dog from an Auckland Council animal shelter.

If you think you can give Sonny his new home please give a call at the Silverdale Animal Shelter (09) 421 0222 or visit 47 Tavern Road, Silverdale.

Tau fly found in Manurewa

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he Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is investigating a find of a single Tau fly in a surveillance trap in the Auckland suburb of Manurewa.

The MPI media announcement on 22 January said that this is the first time a fly of this species has been found in New Zealand and, as only one fly has been trapped, this is not considered an outbreak.

MPI said that this particular fly is a species normally found in South East and Southern Asia and is used to a more tropical climate, therefore it is very unlikely to be able to establish itself in New Zealand. Auckland Council Civil Defence is already supporting the investigation and the council will provide further technical support to MPI if and when required.

Foods to monitor Unlike the Queensland fruit fly, which was found and then eradicated in the Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn last year, the Tau fly has a much more limited range of host material and has

DAIRY FOR LEASE

Located in the heart of Blockhouse Bay Dairy is located on New Windsor Road and consists of a 3 bedroom unit at the back of shop with double garage storage, and a back yard. The Dairy has great parking available and is next to an awesome Fish n chip shop and a Barber Shop with a Café just down the road.

For inquiries please contact Owner Ram Lochan 09 8280117 or home 09 4169394

a preference for cucumbers, pumpkins a n d

cannot be moved outside of the Controlled Area, which is a 1.5km radius from Browns Road, Manurewa.

To determine whether your property falls within the Control A r e a , visit the MPI website

Tau Fly. Image supplied by Ministry for Primary Industries.

zucchini. In addition, capsicum, beans, passion fruit and melons are minor hosts.

www.mpi.govt.nz/tau-fly and enter your street address into their online search function.

Controlled area If you live, work or visit Manurewa, please note that pumpkin, melon, cucumber, capsicum, zucchini, beans and passionfruit plants and fruit

Have you seen a Tau fly?

If you think you might have seen a Tau fly in your area, please call the Ministry for Primary Industries helpline on 0800 80 99 66 immediately.

Central City Retail Opportunity

50 Courthouse Lane, Auckland Central, Auckland

www.bayleys.co.nz/378306

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• Established retail unit for sale or lease • Wide street frontage, rarely vacant • For lease $33,000pa + GST + outgoings • For sale by negotiation All retail occupiers and investors should inspect this good sized retail store. Facing onto Courthouse Lane and opposite the main entrance to the Metropolis Apartments. Occupied by the "House of Whisky"for the last five years, now is your chance to own or lease.

Be part of a vibrant central city retail centre full of interesting and unique retailers at Chancery Square.

Fantastic central location next to High Street, across the road from the Metropolis and just down the road from the university.

Property Details Floor Area

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34m² (approx.)

Tenancy Details

For sale with vacant possession For Sale or Lease

by Deadline Private Treaty 4pm, Wednesday 24th February 2016 29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, New Zealand

Trevor Duffin M 021 245 9731 B 09 489 0978

Millie Liang M 021 968 128 B 09 375 8440

Devereux Howe-Smith Realty Ltd, Bayleys Licensed under the REA Act 2008

Bayleys Real Estate Ltd Licensed under the REA Act 2008

trevor.duffin@bayleys.co.nz

millie.liang@bayleys.co.nz

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FIJI

29 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

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True spirit of independence

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ndia High Commissioner to Fiji, Gitesh Sarma, spoke on the occasion of India’s Republic Day. Here are excerpts from his speech: “I convey my greetings and good wishes to the people of Fiji.

India’s constitution came into effect on January 26, 1950.

It is a day to remember when India’s constitution came into force, completing the country’s transition toward becoming an independent Republic.

Republic Day represents the true spirit of independent India.

Since attaining independence in 1947, the people of India have worked hard to improve their lives and bring about prosperity in the

country. There have been many successes, while many challenges still remain.

The government and the people of India are committed to continue working for further progress and development in the country.

The new government has given further thrust to the economy in the direction of promoting inclusive growth and giving equal opportunities to all sections of the society and many initiatives have been taken in this regard.

India and Fiji share close and friendly relations. India’s links with Fiji started in 1879 when Indian labourers were brought here under indenture system to work on sugarcane plantations.

Our relations have grown steadily. Today, bilateral relations cover co-operation in several areas such as education, training, health, trade, tourism, culture, sports, defence, etc.

The recent high level visits have contributed to further strengthening of relations between the two countries.

We look forward to the support of the people of Fiji to work for further strengthening of our relations and expanding peopleto-people contacts.

Our co-operation bilaterally and in multilateral fora would continue to contribute to positive outcomes.

Fiji commits to enhanced age care services

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India and Fiji relations grow: Rana

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ndia and Fiji’s close friendly relations have grown over the years and continues to grow.

This was highlighted by the Acting Indian High Commissioner to Fiji, Jagdev Singh Rana at India’s Republic Day celebration in Suva on Wednesday.

Rana says this relationship covers cooperation in several

areas such as education, training, health, trade, tourism, culture, sports, defence and others.

He says the recent high level visit of Narendra Modi to Fiji in 2014 and Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama to India in August last year are testimony to the importance the leadership of the two countries attaches to bilateral relations.

He told all the India nationals

present in the celebration today that they are representing India in Fiji and are contributing to the development and strengthening of friendly relations between the two countries.

Fiji is the first country in the world to celebrate the Indian National Day.

ILO experts arrive in Fiji

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ix international experts arrived in the country as part of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) tripartite mission to review a complaint lodged against Fiji pursuant to Article 26 of the ILO Constitution.

Fiji Trades Union Congress national secretary Felix Anthony confirmed meeting the mission in the afternoon. “It is made up of the ambassador of Ghana to Geneva,

Source: Fiji Sun

who will be the chairperson of the mission,” he said.

“The workers representative is the president of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and the employer’s representative is the leader of the Japanese Employers Federation.

“They will be accompanied by experts from the ILO. “There are three—legal and labour experts plus, the director of standards for ILO. The FTUC is

scheduled to meet them at 1 p.m. and I think we have two hours with them.

“Then, we will be meeting them on Thursday morning for a debrief after they have met with all other delegations.

“We are expecting the mission to write up their report before the March session of the ILO governing body, which is where they will present the findings. I know they will be

he senior citizens in Fiji will have increased opportunities to age care services and this will be possible through the Fijian Government’s commitment to create an inclusive and supportive environment for the elderly.

This was reiterated by the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar while officially opening the National Council for Older Persons (NCOP) meeting held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Suva.

Minister Akbar emphasised on the importance of NCOP to tackle the challenges of the ageing population.

“Fiji’s elderly population has increased over the past two decades with a further increase expected in the next 50 years. According to the last 2007 National Census Fiji’s total population was recorded at 837,271. Older persons (60 years and above) comprise 7.5 per cent of Fiji’s population with a registered total of 62,940.

“The Fijian Government’s commitment to older persons is protected under Fiji’s 2013 Constitution, through the Bill

meeting with the government, and I certainly hope they will understand that this is serious business and Fiji’s reputation as a country is at stake and it is up to these leaders to uphold our international reputation.

The mission will depart the country on Friday. AttorneyGeneral Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said Government was looking forward to the mission.

of Rights which provides every Fijian with socio-economic rights that include rights to education, to economic participation, to work and just minimum wage, to reasonable access to transportation, to housing and sanitation, to adequate food and water, to social security schemes, to health, freedom from arbitrary evictions and to environmental rights.

Government’s major objective is to improve the living standards of all Fijians. This is attainable through fair and efficient delivery of social services,” Minister Akbar elaborated.

The Council plans to use a multisectoral approach to increase its reach out to the senior citizens.

FIJI

www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

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Unlimited Tamaashaa premiers in Fiji T

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he team behind the 2010 Fiji-Hindi comedy film Pump up the Mandali are back with another comedy motion picture.

Unlimited Tamaashaa will premier in Fiji. The film took about two years to complete.

Film director Sridhar Kallidai said most of the Fiji scenes were shot on Sonaisali Island in Nadi.

“Fifty per cent of our cast was from Fiji and the other actors were from New Zealand and

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India,” he said. “It was amazing to shoot here in Fiji because the location and the people were great. We spent 16 days in Nadi but most of our scenes in New Zealand took a little time.

“We also received support from many Fijian companies.”

Post-production of the film took about a year and a half.

On Wednesday, January 27, the movie was launched at Village 6 Cinemas. According to

Mr Kallidai, the story revolves around a middle-aged man, who discovers a formula that can turn people with darker complexions into ones with light coloured skin.

“It runs for about two and a half hours and we have added a song in it so it is very fun and entertaining.”

He said after being released in Fiji, the movie would also be screened in New Zealand and Australia.

NEWS in BRIEF Inter-island trade: Fiji sets example for Pacific countries

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iji has set an example for other Pacific Island countries to follow when it comes to interisland trade.

This is revealed in a report which will be jointly launched by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the European Union on February 3.

The report is an outcome of the European Union-supported Increasing Agricultural Commodity Trade project implemented by SPC. The launch will be officiated by SPC director-general Dr Colin Tukuitonga, the ambassador of EU Delegation to the Pacific Andrew Jacobs and the Fijian Trade commissioner to Papua New Guinea, Navitalai Tuivuniwai.

NZ High Commission offers sporting assistance

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epresentatives from the New Zealand High Commission met this week with officials of the Ministry of Youth & Sports to gauge Government’s role in sports development as well as identify areas that requires support.

The Deputy High Commissioner Amanda Vercoe and Policy officer Justine Roberts met with the Ministry’s permanent secretary Mr Josefa Sania, the director William Naisara and other senior officers of the ministry in Suva.

Ms Vercoe said they were looking at developing initiatives to look at sports for children in the Pacific region.

“It is currently in its planning stages and to apply our programme we are keen to get some input from potential countries,” Ms Vercoe said.

She said the current key focus is that they would be looking at children aged between five and 12 and using sports and physical activities as a vehicle for a healthier lifestyle.

“The programme is being looked at to roll out in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga in the first instance and we’re looking at a combination of sports programmes for established sporting clubs and assessing available infrastructure and potentially establish new structures where they are required,” Ms Vercoe said.

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Thought of the week

Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.

— Albert Einstein

Editorial

From the desk of the Managing Editor

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Confidence is the cornerstone of success in all domains of life, and developing it is much like nurturing a garden. It takes attention, gentle care, and vigilance.

Poor self-confidence is like a garden that has been overgrown with weeds.

The gardener must search through all the foliage to find and nurture the flowers.

Self-confidence can be nurtured by many gardeners, including coaches, family, and mentors. But it is most important that you understand how to nurture and develop your own self-confidence.

When you grow confident, you are essentially learning specific concrete knowledge that bonds your intention with your ability, thus forming a trust. It is this trust or confidence that forms a crucial bridge to being Zone-like—in your attitude, your approach, and your ability to realize your goals and turn your desire into will.”— Dr Michael Lardon from Finding Your Zone I really enjoyed reading this piece. To have confidence means to trust your own ability. This does not come naturally and needs work on our part—almost like tending a garden. We need to carefully tend it and ensure no weeds have sprung up.

Weeds, in this case, would mean limiting beliefs that we might pick up as a result of setbacks and failures. It’s important that we constantly pick ourselves up and be our own cheerleaders.

This week we bring you the very recent state of the nation speech by John Key and the key focus areas. We will make the full text of the speech available online for those who are keen to read it. The Prime Minister has stated in no uncertain terms that the government is looking to develop Auckland into a business and commercial hub. It will be exciting to see the developments over the next four years.

On the other hand, India’s might and power were on display at the Republic day parade like each year. We bring you a story on that with some pictures. We also hope readers watched the live telecast of the parade via the live feed we made available on our Facebook page.

On popular demand, we are happy to introduce our astrology column this week.

We will endeavour to bring you weekly forecasts every week. You will note that this is exclusive content being produced specially for Indian Weekender and coincides with the day of our release (Friday to Friday). Needless to say that the forecasts are an indication by the astrologer on what the stars say and should be used only as a guide.

Akshay Kumar starrer Airlift is performing well across the world. It is an inspiring film that tells the story of the real-life hero behind the biggest evacuation in history.

Read our story on this along with interviews of the leading stars. The full text of the interviews will be made available online.

We hope you will enjoy reading our current issue as much as we have enjoyed putting it together for you.

Until next time.

Pick of the week

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and ESA astronaut Tim Peake shared a series of aurora photographs taken from the International Space Station on January 20, 2016.

Image Credit: ESA/NASA

Giri Gupta

Indian Weekender : Volume 7 Issue 43 Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited Managing Editor: Giri Gupta | girigupta@xtra.co.nz Editor: Annu Sharma | editor@indianweekender.co.nz Chief Reporter: Swati Sharma | reporter@indianweekender.co.nz Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | iwk.rizwan@gmail.com Reporter: Esha Chanda | iwk.eshac@gmail.com Reporter: Kumar Suresh | iwk.kumar@gmail.com Chief Technical Officer: Rohan Desouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz Sr Graphics and Layout Designer: Mahesh Kumar | mahesh@indianweekender.co.nz Graphic Designer: Yashmin Chand | designer@indianweekender.co.nz Accounts and Admin.: Farah Khan | accounts@indianweekender.co.nz Sales and Marketing: 022 3251630 / 021 1507950 | sales@indianweekender.co.nz Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent the views of the team at the Indian Weekender Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, Auckland Printed at Horton Media, Auckland Copyright 2015. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.

Word: Blazed Meaning: To be energised Usage: I have been blazed all week!

Tip from the trenches

Your guide to nail-care • Always use rubber gloves while cleaning the dishes.

The chemicals in the cleaning products are strong and harmful your nails.

• Regularly moisturise your nails with special nail creams • Ditch the nail polish for a while. Regular application of nail polish can turn your nails yellow.

• Don’t cut out the cuticles. Instead use a cuticle remover gel or cream.

• Use a nail hardener to make your nails strong. You can apply it as a basecoat before polishing.

OPINION/EDITORIAL

www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

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A new energy in France-India relationship

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rench President Francois Hollande visited India as guest of honour at the Republic Day parade on January 26. Is the visit a sign of the coming of age of Indo-French relations?

It’s been almost two years to the date from Hollande’s first visit to India as president. In the interregnum, a lot has changed around the world and in bilateral relations. The world is confronted with its biggest geostrategic challenge in the shape of the Islamic State (IS), which has emerged as a major threat to peace and security around the world and whose agents have already carried out numerous attacks in France, the US and many other countries.

The IS attacks in the Middle East have also led to the biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War and over a million refugees have landed in the European Union. Hundreds more have perished in their attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea, seeking the safety of Europe.

The situation of the world economy is hardly any better, as over the last year or so it has been rattled by the Chinese tsunami and a European economy that seems stuck in low, jobless growth, with very few bright spots, including India, which seem to be keeping the global economy afloat.

With its expected GDP growth of about seven per cent this year, India has kept its place as the fastest growing large economy in the world for the second year running.

Businesses from around the world, including France, are now looking at India with renewed expectations. Ever since India elected Narendra Modi as prime minister in

May 2014, there seems to be a new spring in the step of Indian relations with France.

Modi was in France twice in 2015, once on a bilateral visit in April and then again in November for the Climate Change Summit in Paris. Besides, Indian and French leaders have taken time out for bilateral discussions at practically all multilateral events such as the UN General Assembly meeting in New York in September and the G20 meet in Antalya, Turkey, in November.

Anyone looking for signs of this new sense of purpose and direction in the relationship needs to only look at fresh movement in the long-pending deal over the purchase of the French Rafale multi-role medium range combat aircraft. After having been stuck for nearly seven years, when in January 2012, India finally opted for Rafale as the aircraft that would become the new backbone of the Indian Air Force, with 128 fulfilling the role, the French government

and Rafale-manufacturer Dassault were hoping it would be only a matter of a few months more to close the deal and begin the supply of the aircraft.

On his first visit to France, at a joint press conference with Hollande in Palais Elysee, Modi sprung a surprise and announced that India would buy 36 Rafales in fly-away condition, saying that the terms of this deal would be finalised shortly.

Modi sees a big role for the French in creating a real manufacturing hub in the country, especially in areas where the French are normally strong, notably railways, aviation, defence, automobile, nuclear power, etc. France is an equally good and logical partner for India in the implementation of several other projects that the country has been focussing on. One of the most important areas for enhanced bilateral cooperation in the urbanisation of India. In the smart city project, the

French have already evinced interest in undertaking the work in three cities.

Another key area where France could lend a helping hand to India is the country’s power sector, in conventional, nuclear as well as renewable energy sources.

The biggest boost in this collaboration was received during the Climate Change Summit. At the event, India, along with dozens of other nations, launched the International Solar Alliance, aimed at pooling resources and technologies to boost the solar energy power plants throughout the nations that are blessed with adequate number of sunny days.

So far, the Indo-French business relationship remains overwhelmingly dominated by the behemoths, with little engagement of the smaller companies.

The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector is involved only in small volumes of trades in very traditional segments such as textiles, food, gems and jewellery.

But the reluctance of more SMEs to trade or do business with each other has led to stagnation in Indo-French trade, which has been hovering around the seven billion euro mark for almost all of the past decade, despite several ambitious targets set by leaders on various occasions. This pales in comparison to the trade between India and Germany or India and the UK, both of which are nearly thrice as high as that of France.

The new focus areas of India could be the big breakthrough in this relationship, which could help take the bilateral trade to the next level and give the bandwidth, which has been missing from this crucial relationship for a long while.

Travel writing may change, but will never die Vikas Datta

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ts demise was predicted as far as back as the 1930s but it endured, and even in our day, despite the internet and Google Maps allowing us to access any part of the world virtually on our devices, travel writing will stay as the best window into other cultures, says a panel of travelogue writers.

Travel writing “is one of the most ancient forms of literature, predating the novel by thousands of years and a form that has ‘appeared simultaneously and independently throughout the world”, said writer William Dalrymple as he kicked off “The Travel Session”, featuring legendary travel writer Colin Thubron, Anthony Sattin, and Gerard Russell among others, at the final day of the Jaipur Literature

Travel writing “is one of the most ancient forms of literature, predating the novel by thousands of years and a form that has ‘appeared simultaneously and independently throughout the world”

Festival on January 25. Thubron, who has more than half a century experience of travel to exotic and rarelyfrequented (then) places across Europe and Asia after chronicling his first journey in Mirror to Damascus (1967)— one such work on the Syrian capital in more than a 100 years, contended that the end of travel writing w a s predicted in the 1930s, but “it refused to die”.

Internet and Google Maps may have allowed people to virtually plot the entire globe and view from the comforts of one’s home, but he maintained that “the feeling of being in the place is different to seeing it on the desktop” and expressed confidence that although different generations might approach travel differently, the impulse for adventure remained the same.

“One must dare to do something special, as it always yields into something great,” said Thubron, whose other works include Among the Russians (1983), Behind the

Wall: A Journey through China (1987), The Lost Heart of Asia (1994), In Siberia (1999), and To a Mountain in Tibet (2011).

British journalist and writer Sattin, who read from his book The Pharaoh’s Shadow: Travels in Ancient and Modern Egypt, a nuanced and evocative j o u r n e y in time and space through the country’s past to its conflicted present, said his experience showed him that the way ancient Egyptians lived thousands of years ago continues to define existence there even today.

Indian journalist Salil Tripathi, who has been to more than 50 countries, said he likes looking at places “through their literature or their people or their history”, while American writer and journalist Alex Shoumatoff noted how adventures can be inspired from the strangest of places.

In his case, it was a piece about India’s north-eastern state Mizoram, “wedged between Myanmar and Bangladesh”, in a Canadian newspaper and he was so

interested in it “decided to investigate, and ended up writing an article about the rat infestation in the bamboo plants in the region, and its affect on the locals”.

Despite visiting and writing about several unique places in her Small Wars Permitting: Dispatches from Foreign Lands (2008), British journalist and author Christina Lamb, who quipped that she felt she was there on false pretences since she was at the festival as The Sunday Times foreign correspondent, not as a conventional travel writer.

Reading from Farewell Kabul: From Afghanistan to a More Dangerous Place, she mentioned her experience of visiting Guantanamo Bay, which she described as “the strangest place” she had ever been to, where she saw instances of inhumane treatment, but also such a “complex toilet flushing system was so complex that she had to receive a military briefing on it” and how “people seemed more worried about bumping into iguanas than the human rights violations going on”.

Russell, a former British diplomat, mentioned some experiences of encountering several unique but obscure and dying religions he had encountered in the Middle East including the Mandeans, Yazidis and Samaritans, which he had described in Heirs to a Forgotten Kingdom, and maintains are the last surviving examples of the curious, hidden links between today’s religions.

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President urges innovative Kashmiris will benefit from handling of rising tax cases India-Pakistan peace: Vohra

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resident Pranab Mukherjee said the growing number of tax disputes in India and the amount involved call for innovative tax litigation management to contribute to further ease of doing business in the country.

“With the development of Indian economy, the direct taxes and number of tax payers have increased manifold, which have put pressures on the tax dispute redressal system,” Mukherjee said while inaugurating the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.

“The rising trends in tax disputes and the quantum involved in tax litigations, call for an innovative tax litigation management system,” he said.

“Through speedy justice, consistent orders, fair approach and business-oriented litigation management system, you can contribute to the growth story of India, which is unfolding itself,” he told the tax appellate body officials.

The president said tax dispute resolution is an integral component of the ecosystem for promoting investments and attracting business.

“As per World Bank Group 2016 report, India is ranked at 130 in the ease

President Pranab Mukherjee

of doing business. This status must be improved,” he said. Mukherjee also said the rising number of disputes call for trained manpower in both the tax department as well as tax judiciary to keep India globally competitive in the tax judicial system.

ammu and Kashmir celebrated Republic Day on Tuesday, January 26 with Governor N.N. Vohra saying the state will benefit the most from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s peace initiative vis-a-vis Pakistan.

The official Republic Day functions in Srinagar, the state’s summer capital, and Jammu, the winter capital, passed off peacefully.

The main Republic Day function was held at the Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu where Governor Vohra hoisted the national flag and took salute at an impressive parade of the army, security forces and school children.

Speaking on the occasion of the 67th Republic Day, Vohra said the people of the state would be the greatest beneficiaries of the peace initiative started by Modi between India and Pakistan. The governor also paid tribute to late chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, after whose death the state was brought under Governor’s Rule.

“I hope the elected government will soon assume office in the state,” he said.

Vohra also spoke about the dedication and devotion to duty displayed by the army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and central paramilitary forces in maintaining peace in the troubled state. He praised the

residents of border areas for cooperating with security forces.

Senior civil and military officers attended the main function in Jammu, where school children and cultural troupes entertained the audience with their programmes highlighting the country’s unity in diversity.

A thick security blanket was thrown around the stadium. More than 1,000 security personnel were deployed.

In Srinagar, the main function was held at the Bakshi Stadium where Divisional Commissioner Asgar Samoon hoisted the national flag and took salute at a parade.

Former chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti attended the function.

This was the first public appearance of Mehbooba Mufti after her father passed away on January 7. In all other major towns across the state, district magistrates took salute. All separatist leaders including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Yasin Malik and Shabir Shah were placed under house arrest in Srinagar to prevent them from disrupting the Republic Day functions.

Separatists had asked people to observe January 26 as a “black day” to attract international attention to the Kashmir issue.

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INDIA

www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

Rajinikanth, Saina among 112 Padma awardees

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piritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, legendary actor Rajinikanth, sportspersons Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza are among the 112 notable personalities to get Padma awards in 2016.

Late industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani, former chief vigilance commissioner Vinod Rai, actor Anupam Kher and late spiritual leader Swami Dayanand Saraswati were also on the awardees list announced by the government on Monday, January 25.

This year, President Pranab Mukherjee will confer 10 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 83 Padma Shri awards on people from different walks of life.

As many as 19 awardees are women and 10 are foreigners, non-resident Indians and people of Indian origin (including one posthumous). Four of those on the honour list are posthumous awardees.

The awardees of Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award after Bharat Ratna, are Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Rajinikanth, Dhirubhai Ambani, Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dancer Yamini Krishnamurthi, classical vocalist Girija Devi, media baron Ramoji Rao, cancer specialist Dr Vishwanathan Shanta, former Jammu and Kashmir governor Jagmohan, former Defence Research and Development Organisation chief Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre (science and engineering) and Indian-American economist Avinash Dixit.

Former chief vigilance commissioner Vinod Rai, actor Anupam Kher, sportspersons Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza and late spiritual leader Swami

India makes entry permit mandatory for Nepali vehicles

B Clockwise from above: Actor Rajinikanth, ace tennis player Sania Mirza and top badminton player Saina Nehwal

Dayanand Saraswati are among the 19 personalities to get Padma Bhushan.

Others who will get Padma Bhushan award, announced by the government on Monday, are Udit Narayan Jha (artplayback singing), Ram V. Sutar (artsculpture), Heisnam Kanhailal (arttheatre), Dr Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad (literature and education), Prof N.S. Ramanuja Tatacharya (literature and education), Dr Barjinder Singh Hamdard (literature and education - journalism), Prof D. Nageshwar Reddy (medicinegastroenterology), Swami Tejomayananda (others-spiritualism), Hafeez Contractor (others-architecture), Ravindra Chandra Bhargava (public affairs), Dr Venkata Rama Rao Alla (science and engineering), Indu

Jain (trade and industry), Robert Blackwill (public affairs) and Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry (trade and industry).

Meet India’s brave hearts Sushil Kumar

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hey are young, energetic, and brave and are even willing to risk their lives to save that of others.

They are the special 25 brave sons and daughters of India, who saved several lives while putting themselves in life-threatening situations and not worrying about their own well-being. Hailing from different parts of the country, they received the National Bravery Awards for 2015 from President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan on January 22 for showing exemplary courage without expecting anything in return.

On Tuesday, these brave hearts were part of the Republic Day parade on the magnificent Rajpath, with the president taking the salute and his French counterpart Francois Hollande the chief guest.

Gaurav Kawduji Sahastrabuddhe (15), Shivampet Ruchitha (8), Arjun Singh (16), Aromal S.M. (12), Ramdinthara (15), Rakeshbhai Shanabhai Patel (13), Nilesh Revaram Bhil (9), Joena Chakraborty (10), Bhimsen alias Sonu (10), Kashish Dhanani (10), Vaibhav Rameshwar (9), Dishant Mehndiratta (12), Chongtham Kuber Meitei (12), Angelica Tynsong (13), Mohit Mahendra Dalvi (14), Nithin Philip Mathew (13), Sarwanand Saha (15), Beedhhovan (14), Anandu Dileep (14), Maurice Yengkhom (14), Abhijith K.V. (15), Sai Krishna Akhil Kilambi (14), Muhammad Shamnad (14), Abinash Mishra (17) and Shivansh Singh (13) are the courageous

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Recipients of the National Bravery Awards for 2015

children who saved lives of others without fearing for their own. Two of them—Gaurav Kawduji Sahastrabuddhe of Maharashtra and Shivansh Singh of Uttar Pradesh—were honoured posthumously as they died while helping others in trouble.

Sahastrabuddhe died on June 3, 2014 while trying to save four boys from drowning in a lake. They were playing near Ambazari lake in Nagpur district when one of them slipped and fell into it.

On seeing this, the other three dived into the water to rescue him but they too started drowning. Sahastrabuddhe then jumped into the lake and saved them one by one but he himself got so tired in the process that he could not save himself and died. Similarly, Shivansh Singh died while trying to save

his friend Vivek, who fell in the Saryu river while bathing. Vivek was in deep water and was drowning when Shivansh Singh reached there to help him. He tried his best and brought Vivek near the shore. However, Vivek had died by that time and Shivansh Singh also died after a while as he got very tried in the process.

Their mothers received the award from the president on behalf of their brave sons.

The bravehearts, who looked cheerful after receiving their awards, had one sentiment in common that they would serve the country or would continue helping people in need as they grow up.

“I would like to serve the nation as I grow up,” Rakeshbhai Shanabhai Patel said, adding, “We all should help each other in

eginning from Monday, January 25, Nepali vehicles wishing to enter Indian territory, will be required to obtain a permit, an Indian official said citing security considerations for the development.

Talking to journalists in Birgunj, Kamalesh Kumar, additional commissioner at the Indian customs office, said those who enter India without a permit will have to pay a fine or his/her vehicle may be confiscated.

This new provision will be implemented at the Raxaul-Birgunj border entry point, which sees 70 per cent of the total business between the two countries and 23 other trading points. As per the new rule, Nepali drivers would be required to obtain a oneday pass to enter India. They would be allowed to travel up to three km, while specified entry points would be assigned for them.

Anyone wishing to stay longer in India can obtain permits from the Consulate General in Birgunj or the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. Under various bilateral treaties, Nepali vehicles could earlier move freely through all Nepal-India border entry points and needed no permission.

The Indian decision has already been communicated to the Nepali authorities.

Kamalesh Kumar said all one-day passes will be issued free of cost and they will display information about the vehicles.

whatever way we can. Serving the nation is my dream. I think we should continue to serve our country in whatever way we can,” he said.

Patel had saved a boy from drowning. He struggled for over 35 minutes in a well that the boy had fallen into while playing.

Joena Chakraborty helped her father retreive his mobile phone from a miscreant as she caught him the leg while he was trying to run away after snatching the device.

“Anybody who has done something wrong is to be challenged,” Chakraborty said.

“The moment I realised that my father’s mobile phone was snatched by a man, I, without losing a second, started chasing him. He had a blade in his hand but it did not deter me to grab him by his legs,” she said. Passers-by caught the snatcher and handed him to the police.

Sarwanand Saha of Chhattisgarh, who saved a man from drowning in flood water, said that helping others in difficult situations should come naturally to people.

“I was returning from school when I saw a man drowning. I immediately jumped into the water and pulled him out of it,” he said, adding that he did not fear for his own life as “it all happened without any warning”.

On what he would like to do after completing his education, Saha said serving the nation was his dream and he will try to join the defence forces.

He, however, also believed that one can serve the country even without being in the forces as “serving the less privileged could also be very satisfying”.

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29 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

French troops join Republic Day parade in Delhi Red

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ndia’s 67th Republic Day was celebrated across cities and towns on Tuesday, with the country’s military might on display in New Delhi where French troops made history by joining the impressive parade.

India’s military prowess and the country’s diverse cultural heritage were on display on the magnificent Rajpath boulevard.

French President Francois Hollande, the chief guest, watched admiringly the 90-minute splendour where President Pranab Mukherjee took salute from the military. It ended with colourful tableaux marking India’s cultural diversity, a daredevil motorcycle show and a grand flypast by air force fighters.

Across the country, governors and chief ministers unfurled the national flag and took salute from military and police units. The celebrations went off peacefully everywhere.

The celebrations began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi driving to the Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial to the Unknown Soldier at India Gate and laying a wreath in honour of the countless Indian soldiers who have died in battles since World War I. Modi then drove up to the saluting base to receive President Pranab Mukherjee and President Francois Hollande.

The President’s Bodyguard presented

as were the massed bands. Then, instead of a marching continent of ex-servicemen, there was a tableau dedicated to them in the first part of the parade, an army dog squad with handlers made an appearance after 26 years,

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Indian Air Force. Vice President Hamid Ansari, the three service chiefs, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, cabinet ministers, a host of dignitaries and a group of women achievers seated in a special enclosure were on hand to witness the hour-andhalf long parade.

French president departs from India After attending the Republic Day parade as chief guest, French President Francois Hollande departed from India on Tuesday evening.

“Thank you President@ fhollande for visiting India & gracing our Republic Day celebrations.

PM@narendramodi @ Elysee,” the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted.

During the course of Hollande’s visit, 14 agreements were signed between India and France, including in the areas of science and technology, railways and space after bilateral discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hollande on Monday, January 25.

Sixteen other agreements were signed between the two countries

Top: The contingent of BSF’s Dare Devils passes through Rajpath during the Republic Day parade Above: The tableau of DRDO at the parade Inset: Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets French President Francois Hollande at Rajpath in New Delhi

the national salute, the tricolour was unfurled and the national anthem was played to set the tone for a rather poignant moment— the posthumous presentation of the Ashok Chakra, the country’s

Top: BSF’s camel contingent at the parade Above: French Army contingent participates in the Republic Day parade

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highest gallantry award in peacetime. It was presented this year to the widow of Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami of the Parachute Regiment, who laid down his life while fighting terrorists in the Kashmir Valley last Septmeber.

The emotion on Mukherjee’s face was visible as he presented the medal and the citation to Goswami’s widow.

A contingent from the French 35th Infantry Regiment— elements of which served in India in 1781–84—got the honour of leading the marching contingents and it performed with panache, preceded by a pipes and drums band. It is the first time a foreign army unit took part in the event.

The French apart, there was much that was different this time.

The armoured element was bareboned—just the T-90 Bhishma main battle tank and the BMP infantry combat vehicle—the marching contingents were fewer,

Top: Indian Navy’s tableau passes through Rajpath Above: Three planes in arrow formation fly over Rajpath during Republic Day Parade in New Delhi

and the camel-mounted troopers of the Border Security Force made up the rear element of the parade’s military element.

In another break with tradition, the young recipients of the National Awards for Bravery came up towards the end, followed by the children’s pageant, a daredevil motorcycle display by the Corps of Signals, and a grand flypast by fighters, heavy-lift transports and helicopters of the

after an India-France Business Summit held in Chandigarh on Sunday. Another highlight of the French president’s visit was the laying of the foundation stone of the headquarter of the newly-launched International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the inauguration of its interim secretariat at Gurgaon.France committed 300 million euros ($325 million) for the initial projects of the ISA.

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Indian American entrepreneur Indian-origin scientist discovers 10 gets invite to Shark Tank new lupus genes

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26-year-old IndianAmerican entrepreneur from Nevada, in southwestern US, has been invited on Shark Tank, the popular American television series, the American Bazaar reported on Wednesday.

Shaan Patel will be pitching for investment for his startup ‘2400 Expert’, a company that prepares students for SAT (scholastic assessment test) and ACT (American college testing) on the January 29 episode of ABC’s hit show which has the ability to make multi-millionaires in a few years of those who manage to get a deal. While SAT is more of an aptitude test, testing reasoning and verbal abilities, ACT is and always has been curriculum-based achievements test, measuring what a student has learned in school. Patel’s start-up ‘2400 Expert’ offers six-week courses in 20 major US cities and online.

A Clark High School graduate, Patel put in nearly 2,000 hours of work into developing the curriculum and books for his prep course. His product pitch claims 100 strategies developed

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Shaan Patel will be pitching for investment for his start-up 2400 Expert

by a perfect-scoring SAT student, double the course hours and half the price of top instructors.

“The secret to getting on Shark Tank is to ignore Shark Tank.

Entrepreneurs who would like to get on Shark Tank should not focus on getting Shark Tank.

Instead, they should focus on building their business,” the American Bazaar quoted Patel as saying in an interview to CBS. Patel who has bootstrapped the venture is not resting on the possibility of whether he gets a deal or not on the TV series.

However, he is creating a buzz within the community with his

call-up on the show, said the report. “You should start with a great idea, but more importantly great execution of that idea. Once you have done that, Shark Tank will be much more interested in what you have to offer,” Patel said.

Patel is also trying to “recruit” viewers for his Shark Tank episode. And he’s throwing a viewing party on January 29, 2016 at his alma mater Clark High School where he’ll also be giving away $30,000 worth of SAT prep books and another $100,000 in prep courses to the general public, revealed the report.

Indian diaspora students to compete in US science contest

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ourteen students from the Indian diaspora have been selected to compete for $1 million in prizes at the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search Competition this year by fielding high-level projects ranging from cancer vaccines to complex mathematical theories.

They are among the 40 US high school students who made it to the Some of the Indian diaspora students who made it to the finals finals of the competition sponsored by Intel Corporation and conducted by the Society Last year two Indian-Americans won second place medals and two others, third for Science & the Public.

Announcing finalists chosen from among place medals in the competition.

The finalists will travel to Washington in 300 semi-finalists from across the nation March for the competition that will award a Wednesday, the president of the society, Maya Ajmera, said, “Finalists of the Intel total of more that $1 million in prizes from Science Talent Search are the innovators of the Intel Foundation.

The previous winners of the Science the future.

“Their research projects range from highly Talent Search competition include 12 theoretical basic research to innovative Nobel laureates, two Fields Medals practical applications aimed at solving awardees and 18 MacArthur Foundation the most vexing problems,” she added. “Genius” Fellows.

Kerala dentist wins top Australian honour

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Kerala dentist settled in Melbourne has been honoured with the highest civilian honour, the Order of Australia.

Sajeev Koshy was given the award for his service to dentistry in Victoria, Australia.

Koshy, who has served as the president of the Kerala Dental Council, president

of the Indian Dental Association, was honoured on the Australia Day Awards 2016, by the Governor General of Australia.

Koshy is currently the head of the endodontic at the Royal Melbourne Dental Hospital, which is the teaching hospital for the University of Melbourne.

n international team led by an Indian-American scientist has identified 10 new genes associated with the autoimmune disease lupus—a debilitating condition where the body’s immune system becomes unbalanced and attacks its own tissues. Swapan Nath, a scientist with the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), and colleagues analysed more than 17,000 human DNA samples collected from blood gathered from volunteers in four countries—South Korea, China, Malaysia and Japan.

Of those samples, nearly 4,500 had confirmed cases of lupus, while the rest served as healthy controls for the research.

“We know lupus has a strong genetic basis but in order to better treat the disease, we have to identify those genes,” said Nath.

From that analysis, the researchers identified 10 distinct DNA sequence variants linked to lupus. The disease affects nearly five million people worldwide,

according to the Lupus Foundation of America.

“These findings mark a significant advance in our knowledge base for lupus genes,” said Judith James, director of OMRF’s Autoimmune Disease Institute. For every gene we identify, it brings us closer to uncovering the trigger for this puzzling disease. It’s good news for researchers and patients alike,” he added.

In the study, one gene in particular, known as GTF2I, showed a high likelihood of being involved in the development of lupus. “Its genetic effect appears to be higher than previously known lupus genes discovered from Asians, and we surmise that it now may be the predominant gene involved in lupus,” Nath noted in a paper published in the journal Nature Genetics.

The ultimate goal, said Nath, is to understand the disease better and develop personalised intervention therapies for patients based on their genetic makeup.

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SPORTS

29 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

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Djokovic survives five-set thriller at Australian Open

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ive-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic managed to shake off a dogged five-set challenge from 14th seed Gilles Simon on Sunday, despite the world No.1 playing one of his worst tennis matches in recent memory.

Djokovic hit an unprecedented 100 unforced errors throughout the match—a self-proclaimed record number of mistakes, which spanned a gruelling four hours and 32 minutes before he won 6–3, 6–7, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, reports Xinhua.

Simon nagged the top seed the entire time, returning balls and waiting for the champion to make a mistake, with frustrations boiling over in a tense fourth set before the class of the Serb came to the fore in the fifth.

In his post-match press conference, Djokovic said he was pleased to win the match

despite producing one of his worst on-court performances in recent years.

“Unfortunately you have days like this. It’s actually good to win when you play that bad,” Djokovic said.

“In terms of the level I’ve played, it’s a match to forget for me.”

When asked if he had ever hit 100 unforced errors in a match

before, the five-time Australian Open winner said he had “never been close”.

“But there’s a first time for everything,” he added.

Djokovic admitted he will need to step up his game on Tuesday, when he faces seventh seed Kei Nishikori, who dismantled world No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets earlier on Sunday.

Sania wins both matches at Australian Open

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t was the perfect day for Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, who won both her women’s and mixed doubles matches to progress at the Australian Open on Saturday, January 23.

Playing on Show Court 2, women’s doubles top seeds Sania and Martina Hingis needed only an hour and three minutes to beat Ukrainian sisters Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok 6–2, 6–3 to enter the third round at Melbourne Park.

The Indo-Swiss combine was easily the better team, racing away to take the first set in only 23 minutes. Overall, Sania and Martina broke their unseeded opponents four times out of the seven opportunities they got.

In reply, Lyudmyla and Nadiia could convert only one breakpoint during the entire second round encounter. Also, the Ukrainian girls committed 22 unforced errors, twice more than that of their opponents. To add to that, they double faulted four times, handing crucial points to Sania and Martina. The top seeds will next take on RussianItalian combination of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Roberta Vinci for a place in the quarterfinals.

Later in the day, Sania returned to play her mixed doubles opening match with Croatian partner Ivan Dodig on the same court. The top seeds again had a straight sets

victory, beating local pair of Ajla Tomljanovic and Nick Kyrgios 7–5, 6–1 in 59 minutes.

This time too, Sania’s team proved far better than the Australian pair. Sania and Ivan earned as many as 14 breakpoint chances, though converting only four. But that was more than enough to seal the match in only two sets. In addition, they also hit 34 winners; double that of Ajla and Nick. In comparison, the local team could win only one breakpoint out of the five chances they got. Also, three double faults during the match did not

help their cause. Sania and Ivan will take on Kazakh-Pakistani pairing of Yaroslava Shvedova and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi in the second round.

In juniors’ action, India’s Karman Kaur Thandi defeated Australian Olivia Gadecki 6–3, 6–4 on Court 10 in her opening girls’ singles match and will face Hungarian Panna Udvardy next.

In the same category, Karman’s compatriot Pranjala Yadlapalli, seeded 10th, defeated Japan’s Mayuka Aikawa 6–4, 5–7, 6–1 on Court 5 to move into the second round.

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Good to begin World T20 preparations with win: Kohli

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eclared Man of the Match for his quick fire, unbeaten 90, India star batsman Virat Kohli said he was happy to begin preparations for the forthcoming World Twenty20 with a comfortable 37-run victory over Australia in the first of the three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket series at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday, January 26.

The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in MarchApril in India. Young pacer Jasprit Bumrah starred on his T20I debut by picking up three wickets for 23 runs, while another debutant, Hardik Pandya, bagged 2/37. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was also equally effective, picking two wickets for 21 runs in four overs. Asked to bat, India scored 188/3 in 20 overs, thanks to Virat Kohli’s powerful innings of 90 not out from 55 deliveries and Suresh Raina’s 41. In reply, the hosts were bowled out for 151 in 19.3 overs. Captain Aaron Finch was Australia’s highest scorer with a 44.

“I really like playing here, would like to take the pitch to everywhere I go. Happy that our T20 World Cup preparation starts from here with a win, we will go on from this game,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony. It was a good batting strip; the ball came nicely onto the bat. I could play my shots. The crowd have been brilliant as well, they have supported us very well right throughout the tour,” the 27-year-old added.

India return to No.1 Test spot Following their 37-run triumph over Australia in the first match of the three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket series, India’s day got even better as they were named the new top ranked Test team after England completed a 2–1 series victory over former leaders South Africa.

South Africa’s whopping 280-run

win over England in the final Test in Centurion was not enough to prevent their slide from the top of the standings to the third spot.

India returned the Test summit of the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings for the first time since August 2011. Australia is in the second spot.

“After England’s 2-1 series win against South Africa, India are officially No. 1 in the Test Rankings,” the ICC tweeted.

Australia can have a go at the first place with a series win in the two-Test Trans-Tasman Trophy next month against New Zealand, starting on February 12 in Wellington.

India moved to second on the rankings in December when they mauled South Africa 3–0 on home soil. It was the first time South Africa had been beaten away from home in nine years.

Pakistan is in the fourth spot, followed by England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Chelsea’s Ramires to join Chinese club Jiangsu

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helsea midfielder Ramires is close to moving to Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning for a fee of around 25 million pounds ($35.5 million).

Ramires, who joined Chelsea for 18 million pounds ($ 25.6 million) in 2010, just signed a new four-year deal in October, reports Xinhua. The 28-year-old Brazil international will become the most expensive player in Chinese football history if he completes

the move. He would be coached by former Chelsea midfielder Dan Petrescu of Romania, who has been in charge of Jiangsu since last July. Ramires played 242 matches for Chelsea and scored 37 goals. But he has only started seven Premier League games in a campaign in which the defending English champions have struggled. He also played 52 games for Brazil after making his international debut in 2009.

KIDS ZONE

www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

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Join the dots

Find the path

All polar bears are left pawed Find the word

Ostriches faster th can run a and the m n horses ales can roar like lions

Beavers can hold their breaths for up to 45 minutes

Send us stories, drawings, poems and other contributions by your little ones along with their photographs for this page. E-mail us at editor@

indianweekender.co.nz

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FEATURES

29 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

Moscow, a city of monuments, churches, bygone era charm Red

Aparajita Gupta

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alking along the wet pavements on a chilly wintry evening looking at the imposing palatial buildings, beautiful churches and parks is bound to make one feel romantic and dreamy. Such is the charm of Moscow, the capital and the largest city of Russia.

The city with rich political, cultural and economic heritage is strewn with elegant sprawling buildings all over, which speak of the bygone era.

One can spend a whole day looking at the beautiful architecture of the Kremlin, the official residence of the President of Russia. And then step into the Red Square area, which is considered as the central square of Moscow.

No one can miss the beautiful Saint Basil’s Church in the Red Square area with its colourful onion-shaped domes.

Saint Basil’s Cathedral is a showcase of Renaissance Russian architecture.

Facing Red Square is the most famous mall in Moscow, Gum. It is not one of the glass buildings that we are accustomed to see as a mall. It is also one of those imposing old structures.

Although the Soviet Communism period is long gone, there are umpteen number of buildings and statues to remind us of that era.

The city is named after the river Moskva, which has meandered through it. A ferry ride along the river during sunset is an ideal opportunity to enjoy the beauty and grace of the city.

The city has a subway under it, helping daily commuters to move from one part to the other easily, avoiding notorious traffic congestion.

With beautiful stations, the metro rail service in the city is one of the oldest in the world. Starting its operations in 1935, it now has 197 stations. Along with the old architectures in the city this also speaks about the heritage. During the extreme winter months, metro rides are very pleasurable as they protect people from the chilly breeze outside.

In some parts of the city tramway networks are also visible.

The city experiences extreme cold weather for almost seven months but it does not stop the wanderlusts from visiting the place even in November to experience the chill in the air and snow. But one should wear enough warm clothes to protect oneself.

“It is a beautiful city. There is so much to see and experience. But food is a problem for Indians,” Tanvi Bakshi, an Indian tourist in Moscow said.

The locals usually eat a lot of red meat and potato and, of course, drink Vodka!

All these help them maintain their body temperature in the extreme winter time, when the mercury level even dips as low as -10 or -15 degree Celsius.

Language is a hindrance. A majority of the population speaks only Russian. Even the road signs are in Russian. These factors definitely make travelling a little difficult for the tourists. But the sheer attraction of the place surpasses all kinds of obstacles.

The city is named after the river Moskva, which has meandered through it. A ferry ride along the river during sunset is an ideal opportunity to enjoy the beauty and grace of the city.

After speaking to a local tourist guide, this became clearer. “For the last five-six years we have seen a huge number of Chinese tourists visiting Russia. But for some reason, this year there was a lot of Indian tourists as well,” Svetlana, the guide, said.

For Indian travellers, this is a good time to visit Moscow, as the difference between

Rupee and Rouble is marginal. A mustvisit is the memorial museum of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, the Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.

Besides the old buildings, one should also visit the Moscow International Business Centre also known as MoscowCity. Europe’s tallest building, the Federation Tower, is located in MoscowCity. A stroll on the observation deck of any of these sky scrapers will give one the feeling of walking on Cloud 9.

Till date, Russians’ feel strongly connected with India through legendary Bollywood actor Raj Kapoor. Many of them still recollect watching his Shree 420.

Songs of blockbuster hit movie of 1980s Disco Dancer are fresh in their memories.

Even some of them can hum a line or two of the song Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy Aaja from that movie!

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ASTROLOGY

www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

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Weekly forecast: January 29 to February 4 ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

This is the time when you can let your hair down and enjoy life. Appreciation for something you have achieved at work is likely. Opportunities for making a quick buck come to you.

Students are likely to fare well on the academic front. Those in gold and jewellery business can expect gains in the second half. Domestic scene will be peaceful and serene. Someone in the family may require your support. You are likely to take steps to rejuvenate your love life.

A proposal that is being offered to you needs scrutiny, so don’t be in any hurry to respond. You are likely to enjoy a short trip to someplace out of town. A gift-bearing relation may land from abroad and make your enjoy this phase. You will need determination and tact to make things favourable on the professional front. It will be important to resolve the problems faced on the academic front before they become insurmountable. Health poses no problems.

Health-wise stars don’t augur well, as you may be troubled by one ailment or the other. Steps may have to be taken to strengthen your financial front. You may need guidance and may be required to spend extra hours at work. Performance on the academic front may leave much to be desired. You will find immense satisfaction in spending time with family. Love beckons some, so make the most of it! Matters spiritual are likely to attract you.

You may need to closely supervise a task on the professional front to avoid any mistakes. Romantic feelings may dominate you and make you plan some evening out with lover. You may drive down to your favourite place just to let your hair down. House owners may find a suitable tenant for their property. Check whatever you are submitting on the academic front twice as chances of making mistakes cannot be ruled out. Health remains satisfactory.

Lucky No.: 9 Lucky Colour: Sandy Brown

Lucky No.: 4 Lucky Colour: Orange

Lucky No.: 2 Lucky Colour: Violet

Lucky No.: 11 Lucky Colour: Indigo

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You may need to keep up the pressure on a senior, if you want things to happen your way. This week, you are likely to enjoy peace and comfort with the one you love. There is much awaiting you at the end of a long journey; all you need to do is to undertake the trip. You can be at your creative best in setting up the house.

You may carry home some doubts from the academic front.

There is an outside chance of gaining advantage in a professional deal.

Some of you can make up your mind for a job switch. Your meticulous planning on the professional front suffers from poor execution, so do something about it. You are likely to miss out on good investment opportunities by being over cautious.

Some of you may have to curb your lavish lifestyle and become more conscious of ground realities. Don’t take your health for granted.

Someone’s arrival is likely to brighten the home front. A windfall is foreseen, especially for those working on commission basis. An investment is likely to give handsome returns. Those ailing will find distinct improvement in their health. A home remedy may work wonders for a common ailment. You are likely to be satisfied by the performance of a particular subordinate. Networking will help in getting support when you need it the most. An enjoyable vacation is on the cards.

You may plan to travel long distance to meet someone close. A good period is foreseen, when you will be able to complete all your pending work. Some of you may get invited to a seminar or a conference. A family youngster may make you feel proud.

Good time for the eligible on the marriage front. Festival spirit is set to set in for some. Finding someone knowledgeable to discuss a complex matter will be in your favour.

(March 21-April 20)

(April 21-May 20)

(July 23-August 23)

(August 24-Sep 23)

Lucky No.: 5 Lucky Colour: Parrot Green

Lucky No.: 2 Lucky Colour: Indigo

SAGITTARIUS

(Nov 23-December 11) It will be difficult for even your rivals to ignore your contribution on the professional front. A raise or increment can be expected. Home front may soon become exciting, as you plan to hold family get together.

You will succeed in tying up all the loose ends on the academic front.

Good investment opportunities come your way and keep you financially strong. Exciting times are foretold on the romantic front, as you get to spend quality time with lover.

Lucky No.: 15 Lucky Colour: Peach

CAPRICORN

(Dec 22-January 21) This is the time when you can expect something good happening on the financial front. Your efforts to get a permanent roof over your head will succeed. Overseas travel is foretold for those wanting to visit exotic places. Your efforts on the professional front will bring you into the notice of those who matter, so keep up the good work. Good news awaits some on the academic front.

Socially, you will be much more in demand than before.

Lucky No.: 4 Lucky Colour: Royal Blue

(May 21-June 21)

(Sep 24-October 23)

Lucky No.: 17 Lucky Colour: Dark Turquoise

AQUARIUS

(Jan 22-February 19) This is the right time to tackle complicated matters. Improved performance is likely to get you a lot of praise on the academic front.

Good time management will allow you to double your output at work.

Homemakers may go in for a new appliance or gadget. A party can be organised at home. There is a likelihood of a budding romance appearing on the horizon as someone of the opposite gender comes into your life.

Lucky No.: 3 Lucky Colour: Purple

(June 22-July 20)

(Oct 24-November 22)

Lucky No.: 18 Lucky Colour: Lemon

PISCES

(Feb 20-March 20) You are likely to earn some favours on the professional front. Some of you are likely to make your mark on the academic front. Your premonition regarding something important will prove right. Recovering money from someone will prove to be easier than you thought. Meeting someone important on the social front will be in your favour. You are likely to enjoy your love life. Travelling long distance by road will prove comfortable. Health remains good.

Lucky No.: 22 Lucky Colour: Sky Blue

By Manisha Koushik Manisha Koushik is the talented daughter and associate of world renowned celebrity astrologer Dr Prem Kumar Sharma. She is gifted with strong intuitions and clairvoyance right from the childhood. A practicing astrologer, tarot card reader, numerologist, vastu and fengshui consultant is based in India but maintains a global presence through the online channels. She is available for consultations online as well. Reach out to her to explore what the future holds for you. Let her tarot cards do the magic and numbers make you understand which choices in life will be best for you!

E-mail: support@askmanisha.com | Website: www.askmanisha.com Contact: +91-11-26449898, 26489899 | Mobile/Whatsapp: +919015607139

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FEATURES

29 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

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A story of perseverance Swati Sharma

them, which eventually they did. In the meantime, a friend introduced me to a data entry job at the Auckland Council. I started as a cashier only to move to the position of Rates Officer, as my boss realised I had much more potential. My career steadily grew over three years in the Council and I got into project management. I owe my growth to my bosses at Auckland Council who saw potential in me and helped me to grow by providing me support and appropriate training. I have been a Project Manager for more than 12 years working in large organisations such as Auckland Council, Manukau Council, Auckland District Health Board and recently with St John Ambulance.

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hey say that stories that inspire people most are stories from real life. Each of us experience different challenges. The journey of migrants is always inspirational. Their stories talk about how they moved out of their comfort zone to make not only their own but also the life of their families better. But mostly these stories bring home the fact that we humans are capable of hard work and perseverance even under difficult circumstances to achieve our dreams.

This week’s Migrant Tales is a story of a strong woman who did not let life’s challenges pull her back. She paved her way through in an unknown land among unknown people. Her story is about not losing hope, believing in yourself and achieving your dreams.

IWK: Tell us about your life in the country of your origin.

I was lucky to have been born in an affluent family. After finishing my schooling, I did my graduation and a Post Graduate Master’s Degree. I got married soon after finishing my education. After spending a couple of years thereafter in Delhi, we moved overseas and have not gone back since then.

IWK: When and why did you move to New Zealand?

I lived in several countries with my family on an expat status. When my daughter was three, we realised we had to station ourselves permanently in a country to provide her with a stable environment.

New Zealand topped our choices for a move and we applied for permanent residency under skilled migration category, which was approved.

Interestingly, we had moved countries since we had lodged our application. When we received the approval, it was a tough decision to leave a good career, business and a rather comfortable environment to an unknown place with no job—something we were not used to as we always lived on expat status, which itself was a luxurious lifestyle in those days.

IWK: How easy or difficult was life here for you in the initial years?

“

I think the main challenges migrants face are related to employment.

Most of us are more qualified than the jobs we are doing. Another challenge most migrants face is around effective integration within New Zealand society at large...

Moving to any new country poses social and cultural challenges, which we were quite used to, having lived in several countries.

What was unusual was the professional challenge that we faced. My husband, having worked in senior management positions in large multi-national companies, received more than 400 rejections as the response to job applications. The amount of stress it caused him led to him suffering from a heart attack. We went through a stressful time trying to cope with his illness on top of all the hardships related to our move.

IWK: Can you share any incident/s about the difficulties you faced here?

There were few migrants in those days and acceptance by the locals was relatively hard. Even though the language was not a

IWK: What would you say about the work environment and culture? barrier, the colour definitely was. Unlike today, we could not dress in our Indian clothes publicly.

The difficulties that I faced and I feel most of the migrants face when they come to New Zealand are those related to employment. Our PR application was based on skills, minimum requirements of which was to have degree qualifications and job experience in the related field. After arriving here and applying for jobs, we realised that our skills and qualifications had no value even though they were endorsed by NZQA. It was all about who you knew, which was difficult, as we were new to the country.

This has not changed much since then, but as the migrant’s population has grown, we are more in a position to help each other.

IWK: What was the most difficult phase of your life in New Zealand and how did you overcome it?

The most difficult time of my life was initially when we did not know anyone, job prospects seem to be low and all this was followed by sickness.

IWK: Tell us about your career in New Zealand I was a qualified Tertiary level teacher when I came to New Zealand. As I was not the principal applicant, my qualifications were not assessed earlier and so I could not work as a teacher until NZQA endorsed

Work environment and culture are good in New Zealand. It is hard for migrants to reach the top tiers in their fields, which, as I understand, we all migrants have got to accept.

IWK: What do you think are the challenges that migrants face in a country such as New Zealand?

I think the main challenges migrants face are related to employment. Most of us are more qualified than the jobs we are doing.

Another challenge most migrants face is around effective integration within New Zealand society at large, which was not an issue for me and my family. Most of the issues are related to the cultural disparity.

Networking is important in New Zealand, something migrants are not aware of when they are new here.

IWK: What would you suggest to those who are struggling to settle in the country?

Accept the good values of the country you have adopted but do maintain values and traditions of the country of your origin.

Do keep trying, take the challenges headon and do not get disheartened. Everyone settles in fine eventually.

(The name of the inspirational person above has not been mentioned due to reasons of privacy.)

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Features

www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

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Forgot that car key again? Check for early signs of dementia Nishant Arora

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hen 36-year-old Latha could not any more take the embarrassment of daily episodes of forgetfulness—recalling where she kept her money or forgot to pick up children from school— she finally decided to visit a good neurologist.

Blamed by her family for being irritable and short tempered at times, she was later diagnosed with early signs of dementia—a chronic syndrome characterised by a slow decline in memory, personality and overall functioning of an individual and on the rise among young Indians.

“There is a definitive surge in the number of young Indians diagnosed with dementia at an early age. Depression is setting at a young age in Indians which results in less interest in work and disturbance in the food and sleep patterns leading to memory decline,” Dr Mohinish Bhatjiwale, director (neurosurgery and neurosciences) at Nanavati Super Specialty Hospital in Mumbai, says.

Dr Atul Prasad, director and senior consultant (neurology) at BLK Super Specialty Hospital in New Delhi, agrees, “Yes there is a surge in young patients—both men and women with memoryrelated problems.”

Latha, who often complained about fatigue, poor memory and feeling low, was prescribed a small mood stabiliser dose by Dr Prasad along with some lifestyle changes.

Within weeks, her mood swings improved and in a

span of six months, there were no further complaints of memory disturbances.

According to Dr Sunil Mittal, director at Cosmos Institute of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences (CIMBS), in New Delhi, many factors contribute towards dementia, some being genetic, others environmental.

“While we have little control over our genetic predisposition, what we certainly can do is to make the best of what we have in our hands,” Mittal says.

A recent US study found that women who reported problems with their memory were 70 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia decades later.

Normal memory problems include taking several minutes to recall where the car is parked, forgetting to call a friend back, putting things down and being unable to find them soon after or forgetting the name of someone you have just met.

“Stress, grief and lack of sleep can also affect memory, as can trying to do too many things at once,” say the authors in the journal Neurology.

Dementia, however, is not a specific disease. It is an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities.

Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80 per cent of such cases.

If you have symptoms like finding multi-tasking increasingly difficult, problems negotiating familiar places, such as you

Keeping the mind active with attention enhancing tasks and cognitive tasks goes a long way in preventing dementia. Leading a healthy lifestyle with balanced diet, moderate exercise and healthy coping with stress can go a long way in preventing dementia. regularly can’t find your vehicle in the car park, forgetting the names of close relatives and friends or problem in recognising faces, colours, shapes and the like, it needs to be attended.

“It is important to detect early signs of mild cognitive impairment which can be a red flag for onset of dementia. Once detected, to prevent progression of dementia

is also important,” Mittal notes.

Keeping the mind active with attention enhancing tasks and cognitive tasks goes a long way in preventing dementia. Leading a healthy lifestyle with balanced diet, moderate exercise and healthy coping with stress can go a long way in preventing dementia.

“Certain other medical conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and stroke can also be risk factors for dementia,” Mittal stresses, adding, “Therefore, it is extremely important to keep them under check with regular followup and proper treatment.”

“After all, a healthy mind and healthy body go hand-in-hand,” he says. Children are affected more owing to parental conflict at home and emotional disturbance which renders them emotionally dry. It is extremely important to have a mix of positive environment, emotions and lifestyle to develop a strong and long-lasting memory,” Bhatjiwale suggests. Can singing improve memory in youngsters already diagnosed with early

stages of dementia? “Participating in musical activities can help individuals with dementia, boost their self-esteem and prevent social isolation. Musical tasks can be a healthy exercise for the mind while being a pleasant and enjoyable experience at the same time,” explains Dr Shobhana Mittal, a consultant psychiatrist at CIMBS, New Delhi.

The mind is like your body and it is up to you how much you make it work. “Playing Sudoku, Bridge and other such mindrelated games helps sharpen your mind and memory,” advises Dr Rajshekhar Reddi, a leading neurologist from Max Hospitals.

Dementia can be avoided by having a positive attitude towards life, living in a natural environment with less pollution and more exposure to oxygen.

“A well-balanced lifestyle with regular practice of yoga and proper hydration can also go a long way in avoiding dementia. Happier people have a better memory, after all,” Dr Bhatjiwale concludes.

Brush your teeth twice a day and revitalise your heart Vivek Singh Chauhan

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hat have brushing and cleaning your teeth to do with your heart? A lot, say health experts, suggesting that taking care of your teeth and gums will not only help keep oral hygiene or make you smile better but also save your heart from various heart diseases.

Gum disease can be a reason for heart disease because bacteria from infected gums can dislodge, enter the bloodstream, attach to blood vessels and increase clot

formation. “Swelling caused by gum disease may also trigger clot formation. Clots decrease blood flow to the heart, thereby causing an elevation in blood pressure and increasing the risk of a heart attack”, says Dr Subhash Chandra, chairman (cardiology) at BLK Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi.

Dr Chandra recently treated Neelam, an 18-year-old girl who was diagnosed with endocarditis (suffering from leaking heart valve). The infection in her heart valves was caused by mouth bacteria.

Endocarditis is an infection of the heart’s valves or inner lining. It occurs when germs get into the bloodstream and settle inside the heart, often on a valve.

The infection is usually caused by bacteria but in rare cases it is seen to be caused by fungi.

Not brushing the teeth increases the bacterial count in the mouth which can travel to the damaged heart valves to cause infection. Many of the risk

factors for gum disease are the same as those for heart disease, such as tobacco use, poor nutrition and diabetes.

Overall, people who have chronic gum disease are at higher risk for a heart attack.

The people with moderate or advanced gum (periodontal) disease are more likely to have heart disease than those with healthy gums.

There are two groups—namely coronary heart disease and infection in heart valves— in which the effect of poor oral health can be studied. Poor oral healthcare increases the risk of coronary heart diseases.

“Poor oral health increases the risk of infection in heart valves, especially in case of pre-existing damage in the heart valve.

With such a condition, the infection due to poor oral health can reach to the already damaged heart valves, causing an infection there too.” explains Dr Tapan Ghosh, director (cardiology sciences) at Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon. Brushing your teeth twice a day is a mandate to maintain good oral healthcare. It is always advisable to go

for a regular dental check-up in order to maintain a good oral health.

“One of the biggest mouth-heart connections is related to gum disease.

The spread of infected bacteria by swollen and bleeding gums not only destroys the structure of teeth jawbones but can also cause heart attack,” the experts caution.

Gum disease, which is called “gingivitis” in its early stages and periodontal disease in the late stages, is caused by plaque build-up along and below the gum line.

“Apart from heart attack, poor oral health hygiene may result in various serious health consequences as respiratory infections, diabetes, poor nutrition, osteoporosis and stomach disease like gastro-intestinal infection, H Pylori, gastritis and stomach cancer,” adds Dr Ramesh Garg, head (gastroenterology) at Saroj Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi.

So next time when you ignore brushing your teeth, hear the voice of your heart!

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Commercial awards don’t affect me anymore: Nawazuddin

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National Award winning actor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui says he remains unaffected when his critically acclaimed movies fail to be recognised at any “commercial” award ceremonies.

At most Bollywood award galas, it is Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Piku and Bajirao Mastani that won the top honours. Clearly, Nawazuddin’s Manjhi—The Mountain Man on Bihar’s ‘Mountain Man’ who singlehandedly cut a road through a hill to connect his village has not been in the picture.

Siddiqui, who appeared at the 22nd Lions Gold Awards, said, “Commercial awards don’t affect me anymore. Those who get the awards, they feel happy and those who are not (getting any), feel upset.”

“This award (Lions Gold Award) is important for me as they select only those actors whose performances have been really good, compared to other awards functions.”

“Nobody gave me award for Gangs of Wasseypur except Lions Gold Award for the character of Faisal Khan, which became iconic. Now, I am receiving an award for Manjhi..., which went unnoticed in all award events even after audience liked the movie,” he added.

Ketan Mehta’s Manjhi—The Mountain Man was commercially not successful. But it was performances of Radhika Apte and Nawazuddin, which pulled audience to the theatre. The 49-year-old actor, who has dabbled in a variety of roles, said, “Stardom is something I do not think about. I am still trying to be an actor.” He will next be seen in Raees and TE3N.

Bigg Boss season 10 opens doors to commoners

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igg Boss has been giving an insight view to the life of celebrities since 2006. For the first time, the controversial reality show will open its doors to the common people to appear as contestants along with the stars on its next season.

29 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

After getting a lot of mails and text messages from the fans of the show, the makers have decided to give them a chance to appear on the 10th season of Bigg Boss.

“Bigg Boss as a show is like a study in human psychology. One can learn so much about human behaviour through the actions of the housemates in a given situation. As we take on this interesting content innovation, we look forward to receiving some interesting entries from our increasing viewer base,” Colors CEO Raj Nayak said in a statement.

Nayak shared that the contestants can be from any working background, but if they have the calibre of an “entertainer, then this is the break that you have been looking for”.

“Every year we receive thousands of e-mails, texts, enquiring about ways to enter the show. Finally, the day has arrived.

Hope the fans and avid viewers make full use of this as the channel gears up for the casting. The call for entries will start now for all enthusiasts,” Nayak added.

Those who wish to enter the Bigg Boss house have to make a three-minute video showcasing a trait that will make them eligible for the show. The video has to be posted on the official website of the channel.

The entries began from the finale of Bigg Boss Nau on January 23 and will be accepted until May 31.

“Take the National Awards for has produced the film under his banner Red Black Orange instance. The highest number of Rajkumar Hirani Films, said in a statement.

Written and directed by Sudha Kongara, awards has gone to artists from the film stars R. Madhavan and newcomer southern industry,” he said.

Talking about the impact of Baahubali Ritika Singh, who is a real life boxer.

Saala Khadoos revolves around a coach, on Indian cinema, he said, “Today, the character Katappa from the film is more played by Madhavan, who is relentlessly popular than all the three Khans of pushing his protégé, essayed by Ritika, to overcome obstacles and achieve her boxing Bollywood put together.”

Popular southern stars Shivrajkumar, goals. The film will release on January 29.

Shriya Saran and Devi Sri Prasad among others flagged off the two-day event, backed

by Fortune Sunflower Oil. IIFA stands for the International Indian Film Academy, which also organises an annual Bollywood extravaganza at a foreign destination every year.

Classic films our legacy, treasure: Boman Irani

Akshay humbled by Airlift response

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fter the successful takeoff of his film Airlift, Akshay Kumar has thanked his fans for the love and support showered on the Raja Krishna Menon directorial.

The film, which revolves around the evacuation of Indians from Kuwait during the 1990 Iraq-Kuwait war, released on January 22, and on the opening day earned over Rs.12 crore at the ticket window.

45 per cent Indian cinema revenue comes from south: Pookutty

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scar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty on Sunday said that 45 per cent of the total revenue of Indian cinema comes from the southern filmdom.

Speaking on the occasion of the launch of the first edition of IIFA Utsavam, which will celebrate and honour the best of talent across four southern film industries— Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada— he said he was glad that the southern filmdom finally got its due.

“I don’t know how to thank you all for every ounce of all your love and support for #Airlift, feeling extremely humbled,” Akshay tweeted on Sunday.

The film tells the story of an unsung hero who provided help in the evacuation of Kuwait-based Indians during the IraqKuwait war.

Airlift also stars Nimrat Kaur, Feryna Wazheir and Purab Kohli.

Nimrat also followed the star in thanking the movie-goers, and posted: “So grateful to each of you the love. Feel so fortunate to have been associated with this incredible story. #Airlift.”

Rajkumar Hirani ‘nervous’ about Saala Khadoos

“I’ve known the people at IIFA for many years. I’ve always wondered why the focus was always on Bollywood when southern cinema constitutes 45 per cent share of total revenue of Indian cinema,” Pookutty said here. He said that all the major stalwarts from different crafts of cinema came from the south.

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ilm-maker Rajkumar Hirani, best known for directing award winning films such as Lage Raho Munna Bhai, 3 Idiots and PK, says he is “nervous” and “excited” about his upcoming production venture Saala Khadoos.

“Saala Khadoos is my first home production and it being my first venture, I’m equally nervous and excited. However, it’s been a wonderful journey,” Hirani, who

ctor Boman Irani, who will host a festival celebrating the life and work of legendary film-maker Bimal Roy on television, says classic films are “our legacy, our treasure”. death Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Roy, Zee Classic will celebrate his life and work, with the “Bimal Roy Festival presented by Boman Irani”.

“Classic films are our legacy, our treasure. Those who don’t want to see them, so be it. But the few that will see them will get influenced by them. Even if a few get influenced, they will realise that they are watching something that they have missed out, that they are deprived of,” Boman said.

“Children of my generation had the opportunity to watch good, classic films regularly, but we don’t get to see the stuff now. Now we have 180 channels and still we are unable to screen or telecast one single classic film,” he rued.

Boman shared that one of the first classic films he saw was Roy’s movie Do Bigha Zamin, which released in 1953.

“It was completely a different kind of cinema, had a statement with the story line, about the industrialisation of the country, the plight of the farmers and issues that are even more relevant today,” said the Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. actor.

He mentioned late actor Balraj Sahni’s influence on him, saying that he continues to get inspired with his work in the film.

“I was completely blown away by his performance in the film and realised this is what takes to be an actor. Not somebody who mouths a few lines,” Boman said.

“If I was born in that generation, I would totally love to work in any of the Bimal Roy films,” he added.

The festival, co-powered by State Bank of India, will air every Saturday starting from February 6 with Do Bigha Zamin.

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www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

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Nandita Das optimistic Eros’s 2016 about Section 377 battle in India line-up has more than 65 films

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ctress Nandita Das, who believes her 1996 film Fire showcasing homosexuality planted the seed for change towards the LGBT community, says the country is currently “back to square one” as far as the Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code is

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concerned.

However, she is “optimistic” regarding a positive move.

The Delhi High Court had decriminalised homosexuality in 2009, but the Supreme Court overturned it when it upheld Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in 2013 and refused to read it down to exclude same-sex relationships between consenting adults, calling the LGBT community “miniscule”.

Talking about it, Nandita, w h o ’ s a social activist too, said, “The fact that Section 377 is being discussed and that Delhi High Court wanted to repeal it... for all

that, Fire did somewhere plant the seed.”

“Our country is such a country of contradiction, we take two steps forward and sometimes three steps backwards. So, when the Delhi High Court ruling happened, we celebrated, and the Supreme Court, which has otherwise given such landmark decisions, passed the buck on to parliament and we’re in a way back to square one,” she said.

“It’s a tough battle, but I’m an optimist. You can see that slowly people are talking about it and making it more mainstream it more.”

The actress-director, who was cast in Deepa Mehta’s Fire with Shabana Azmi, spoke at a panel discussion for the Best Of Kashish festival, which is set to be held in May. Referring to the issues with the censor board due to same-sex content and other issues faced by some filmmakers, she said, “... I’m not sure if we’re mature. In many ways, Fire was a landmark film because there was not a single cut.

Even after the attacks, when it was given back to the censor board, they upheld their verdict.”

“Even while we were shooting, we thought they might cut one or two scenes, but look at the kind of content they’re trying to ban or censor right now. So we have regressed in some ways.”

Nandita will share her views on child marriage during a panel discussion at the upcoming Dialogue Derivatives 2016 to be held in Goa later this month.

Aishwarya talks films, Cannes and more with Hollande

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ctress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is said to have had a “hospitable” experience when she met French President François Hollande at a special luncheon on Tuesday, January 26, looking radiant and ravishing in a red Banarasi sari.

Their conversation ranged from talking about movies to her experiences at Cannes, a guest at the lunch confirmed, adding that Hollande even made Aishwarya join him at his table.

“The French president was very warm,” the insider said.

Aishwarya, who has been in the midst of shooting her new film Sarbjit, took out time from her busy schedule to attend the lunch, which was hosted by French Ambassador Francois Richier.

The former beauty queen, a past recipient of the prestigious Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters—a civilian award by the French government—was the

only Indian actor to be present.

Hollande attended the lunch following his appearance at the country’s colourful Republic Day parade on Rajpath as the chief guest.

Other guests at the lunch included designers Ritu Beri, who has earlier received the Chevalier Des Arts et Des Lettres award— one of the highest civilian awards by the French government—for her contribution to the enrichment of Indo-French cultural relations; and Manish Arora, who shares a deep connect with Paris, the source said.

There were other politicians and businessmen at the gala.

For the occasion, Aishwarya chose a perfectly suited ensemble—a sari from designer duo Swati and Sunaina.

Made in Banaras—age-old weavers from where are poised for a facelift courtesy Prime Minister Narendra Modi—the six-yard

wonder that the actress wore, was woven with fine mulberry silk and zari made from pure silver threads dipped in gold.

It was only fit that that Aishwarya chose a creation so deeply rooted in Indian technique and craft to meet the president of France, a country that she’s had a great connect with for long.

She’s a regular at the Cannes International Film Festival, where the first look of Jazbaa—her comeback film post pregnancy— was launched last year.

An actress who has featured in Bollywood films such as Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Dhoom 2, Guru and Devdas, Aishwarya is also an ambassador of French cosmetics and beauty company L’Oréal Paris, for which she recently starred in an ad with Eva Longoria.

She even shot for her international film Pink Panther 2 in Paris.

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r o s International, a leading Indian film production house, on Monday, January 25, announced its exhaustive line-up of 65-plus films across multiple languages for this year.

The titles include Housefull 3, Shivaay, Singam 3 and Rock On 2.

Hindi entertainers apart, there will also be movies in regional languages such as Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Punjabi.

The year will see the release of exciting big ticket entertainers such as R. Balki’s Ki & Ka, starring Arjun Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan, set for April 1; the hit franchise comedy Housefull 3 set for June 3 and Rohit Dhawan’s Dishoom, starring John Abraham and Varun Dhawan set for July 29.

Film-maker Neeraj Vora’s Hera Pheri 3, starring John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan and Paresh Rawal, will hit the screens on August 12 while actors Riteish Deshmukh and Nargis Fakhri starrer Banjo is slated for August 19. Directed by Nitya Mehra, Baar Baar Dekho, a love story starring Katrina Kaif and Siddharth Malhotra, will release on September 9.

Actors Ayushmann Khuranna and Bhumi Pednekar, who wowed the audience through their performances in Dum Laga Ke Haisha, will return on the silver screen together with

Manmarziyan, which will release on September 23. Ajay Devgn’s highly anticipated project Shivaay will be Eros’ Diwali treat, with its release set for October 28.

This will be followed by Rock On 2, which will release on November 11. Eros will also present Saif Ali Khan starrer Chef and Amyra Dastur, Diganth Manchale’s Ticket to Bollywood.

In the Tamil industry, Eros will present films such as 24 starring Suriya and Samantha, Siddharth and Hansika Motwani’s Uyire Uyire and Suriya, Anushka Shetty and Shruti Haasan’s Singam 3.

“We have seen an excellent 2015 with the resounding success of Tanu Weds Manu Returns, peaking with the multiple-record breaking Bajrangi Bhaijaan and ending the year with our crowning glory Bajirao Mastani.

“We are at a very exciting phase in Eros and have an equally promising slate coming up in 2016 that will reinforce and further strengthen our leadership position in the Indian media and entertainment industry,” Sunil Lulla, managing director, Eros International Media Ltd, said in a statement. “We hope and believe that 2016 will be just as magical as 2015,” he added.

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29 January 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

Airlift—from Guinness Book of World Records to the silver screen Red

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vacuating nationals from the strife of a conflict zone is one of the major tasks for any country. While there have been many rescue operations undertaken by many countries in the past, the credit of carrying out the biggest ever air evacuation in the history of mankind goes to India.

It was 1990 when Air India entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the most number of people evacuated by a civil airliner. The operation was carried out during Persian Gulf War to evacuate Indian expatriates from Kuwait and Iraq.

The rescue operation lasted for 59 days where 488 flights from Amman to Mumbai travelled a distance of 4,117 kms to evacuate more than 170,000 civillians.

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar’s latest thriller Airlift that hit the theatres last week is the story of this iconic evacuation.

The real story In the film, Akshay Kumar plays the character of Ranjit Katyal, a fictional character. Since the day the trailer of Airlift was released, there has been a certain curiosity among people to know more about the hero behind the operation.

According to a research by the director of the film Raja Menon, it was not one but two persons who played the major roles in the evacuation—Sunny Mathews and Vedi. According to India TV reports, both had formed an unofficial committee and carried out the rescue operation.

The details about Vedi are unknown and vague while the granddaughter of Sunny Mathews recently shared a post on Facebook to offer her tribute to the real hero of the operation. Along with her post, Rhea Mathews has shared newspaper cuttings where he has been acknowledged as the ‘saviour’ and ‘messiah’ for his contribution to the operation.

The post went viral and has been shared more than two thousand times by people, who are saluting Mathews for his courage and the work he did.

The reel story Airlift is a human saga set in the backdrop of war-ravaged Kuwait in August 1990, when Saddam Hussein attacks and takes over Kuwait, rendering several thousand Indians homeless.

Akshay Kumar as Ranjit Katyal, the unsung hero, is sincere and portrays the character credibly. He is a self-absorbed businessman living in the lap of luxury one minute and a

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With minor flaws that can be overlooked, Airlift is a well-made film that would definitely appeal to patriotic Indians. A must watch we say. distraught family man the next.

With equal ease, he brings out the frustration and fears of a helpless Indian in Kuwait trying to help his fellow countrymen.

Nimrat Kaur as his wife Amrita left a strong impact as she seems connected with her character throughout. The ensemble of actors, despite limited screen time, are the soul of the movie.

The legacy of Kuwait evacuation has been dramatised.

We realise the sheer bravery involved of many unsung heroes, especially Air India and the Government of India.

Owing to the predictability of the subject, the element of surprise for the viewer is very little. But the performances and the human pathos keep the viewers stuck to their seats.

Priya Seth’s cinematography of the war scenes and destruction is praiseworthy, as she recreates the anguish and fears of the stranded Indians, right before

your eyes, enabling you to relive those moments.

The film recreates the vulnerability of Indians and their indefatigable spirit with aplomb along with displaying a spectrum of

human emotions in the hour of crisis. With minor flaws that can be overlooked, Airlift is a wellmade film that would definitely appeal to patriotic Indians. A must watch we say.

Excerpts from the interviews with the leading cast of the film Akshay Kumar Q. In the times when online views of the First Look as well as the response from social media clearly defines which way the film is heading, you must be thrilled with the overwhelming start, isn’t it?

A. I am definitely thrilled, but I’m also a pragmatic man. It is by far a response beyond what I could have even hoped for.

For that is when something really means something, when you don’t expect or demand such a response, when the people themselves without you thrusting it down their throats, when they make up their own minds in their own time, that is when an actor feels the warmth of his work. No matter what happens from here, whether many come to experience this journey in full force or not, at least I’ll know they liked the thought of it. Now it will take not only my star power and the script itself, but the interest of the Nation and its people if they really care to learn about India’s brave recent history, and the strength of its people when push comes to shove.

Q. How do you define success for a film?

A. I’ve reached that stage where the success of a film doesn’t mean as much to me as the interest or the appreciation it can earn wholeheartedly. Not all Blockbusters are worthy, I say that from my own experience, as wonderful as it is to break records, there are very few that make it into the ‘Cult Club’ forever. These are so precious and rare, no one can dish out a ‘Cult’ every year. I’m

Nimrat Kaur happy making films that intrigue, excite, entertain people while I search for my next Hera Pheri, Waqt or Namaste London.

Q. If faced with the same situation as Ranjit Katyal, what would you have done?

A. Well, let’s just say that in Airlift, I was in fact playing a businessman version of myself. I’m an extremely protective man, if something like this disaster was to ever happen again, I hope to be that man in real life that provides the kind of safety people are looking for. The best part about this film is it makes you want to be that man as well. I know I can’t stop bad circumstances from happening to my people, but I want to think I can help them once the shit storm does hit, like what I do for my women’s self-defence in Mumbai, I can’t stop men from attacking innocent women, but I will try to train as many as I can to defend themselves if they ever do. The Maharastrian farmers, I can’t make their crops grow, but I can support them enough not to end their lives if it happens to be a bad harvest. God made my hands strong enough so I could hold others in their hour of need. I don’t want to just be an on screen hero, I want my kids to know it takes real action to be a real hero, not just defeating bad guys, but defending as many good along the way.

Q. How was it working with Akshay Kumar, how is he as a co-star?

A. Akshay Kumar is a huge star, so I was, of course, intimidated and nervous before meeting him. But having worked with him, I know he’s such a good actor and one of the most wonderful persons I have met till date. He made me feel comfortable and I really enjoyed working with him.

Q. Why has it taken this long for you to do a second film?

A. I was half a year away for American tele series Homeland, which took a lot of my time. And then when I came back, it just so happened that I didn’t like the scripts that I was offered, or the ones I liked didn’t take off at the right time. So it was just a matter

of chance that I had a two year gap.

Q. When did you decide to become an actor?

A. I don’t think that you wake up one day knowing you want to become an actor. I don’t have anyone in my family who is an artist as ours is an academically inclined family. So just admitting out loud that I want to become an actor did not come easy.

www.iwk.co.nz | 29 January 2016

In focus: dancer-turned-actress Natasha Bali

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Natasha Bali started off as radio presenter before deciding to pursue her passion for dancing by opening a dance academy. Winner of the reality TV dance show Humse Badkar Kaun, Natasha Bali recently landed her first role in the movie Unlimited Tamaashaa that will soon hit theatres in New Zealand. Indian Weekender spoke to this upcoming actor to know more about her movie and her journey so far.

IWK: Tell us a little about your dance academy.

Natasha: I have been dancing for 20 years. My dance academy Farishtah School of Dance runs in the Botany/Flat Bush area. I teach bharatnatyam, Bollywood and ballroom dancing. My tagline is: It’s never too late to put on your dancing shoes. I strongly believe that anyone can learn to dance at any age and I am continuously striving to encourage the youth and older generations to put on their dancing shoes.

Many times, married women tend to think that there is no platform for them to showcase their talents. I like to encourage and help them.

IWK: You were the winner of Humse Badkar Kaun in 2012. Do you think reality television provides a platform for young talent?

Natasha: Yes, reality TV provides a platform for young talent by giving them the chance to showcase their art and to be appreciated by the audience. Shows such as Humse Badkar Kaun definitely allow you to build on your talents, where you have to come out of you preferred dance genre and perform other international dance forms.

Natasha Bali

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I strongly believe that anyone can learn to dance at any age and I am continuously striving to encourage the youth and older generations to put on their dancing shoes.

IWK: Your debut movie is set to release soon. Tell us a little about it.

Natasha: I am playing the role of Maya who is one of the lead characters in the film. The movie revolves around a secret formula that whitens skin tone. Everyone is trying to steal the formula because of its expected demand. We all go through a lot of adventures to get there. It is a drama, comedy and action film with a unique and funny storyline. It premiered on January 27, and shows started screening in Damodar Event Cinemas Suva and Lautoka

from January 28. This will be followed by a New Zealand and Australia release at a later date.

IWK: Why did you decide to enter the reel world?

Natasha: At a young age, I had developed a passion for dancing. Dance forms include a lot of different expressions, which

Auckland Anniversary Weekend

Date: Saturday, January 30, 2016 to Monday, February 01, 2016 Time: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Venue: Various locations along Auckland’s waterfront With all the great events happening this Auckland Anniversary Weekend, there are many reasons to stay in town. From spectacular street performers to sensational seafood, Auckland’s waterfront is the place to be – and yes, there will be fireworks! Prices vary from event to event but there will be many free events. See page 8 for more details of different events.

Pongal and Chennai flood relief fundraising programme

Date: Sunday, January 31 Time: 6 pm onwards Venue: Mt Eden War memorial Hall, 489 Dominion Rd, Mt Eden, Auckland Muthtamil Sangam Inc. is organising a fundraiser to

involves minor acting. The interest in acting developed from there. Also, when I was in high school, my English teacher encouraged me to audition for a school production of Richard, the third. I auditioned for the role of Duchess of York and got selected.

IWK: How first role?

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help Chennai flood victims. It is also an opportunity to celebrate Pongal with the community. The enwc24c sw5tertainment includes Tamil folk dance by Anujay School of Dance, drama by Mervin Constantine and team and karaoke music by Ravi Muthumanikam and team.

Entry fee for adults is $15, children aged 4 and above $10. Collected funds will be distributed through Agaram foundation.

CAB workshop on The Treaty of Waitangi

Date: Thursday, 4 February 2016 Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Venue: Cafler Room, Forum North, 7 Rust Avenue, Whangarei.

Citizen Advice Bureau Whangarei will hold a free workshop/seminars for the newcomers irrespective of visa status on The Treaty of Waitangi. Find out about the impact of Treaty on the life in New Zealand. Light lunch provided. For more information please call Moea Armstrong at 09 4388046 or email her at Whangarei@ cab.org.nz

Free employment assistance workshops

Date: Tuesday, February 2 and Wednesday, February 10 Time: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on February 2 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on February 10

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Natasha: I was approached by one of my friends from Fiji who is a music producer and programmer. He had found on Facebook that the film was looking for a choreographer for a dance sequence. He asked if I would be interested. The same evening I was called for a meeting with the rest of the cast and crew. My director Sridhar Kallidai asked if I would be interested in playing a role in the film instead and handed me the script.

I was completely unprepared and nervous about it but gave my best shot. But Sridhar was happy and offered me the role. Before accepting, I spoke to my parents about it who thought it would be a great opportunity to try something new.

Venue: Auckland Regional Migrant Services (ARMS), 532 Mt Albert Road, Three Kings ARMS is organising free job search workshop for new migrants on Tuesday, February 2. The workshop provides new Kiwis with advice and guidance on finding work, writing a CV and cover letter, answering interview questions and communicating with potential employers.

The seminar is open to newcomers on full work visas and who have been in New Zealand for less than two years.

On Wednesday, February 10, ARMS is holding a special LinkedIn workshop, teaching migrants how to use professional networking website to improve their chances of finding work. The workshop is open to all migrants and costs $15.To register and for more information, contact ARMS on reception@arms-mrc.org.nz or call 09 625 2440.

One God One World Family with the Brahmakumaris

Date: Saturday, February 13, 2016 Time: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Venue: Ellerslie War Memorial Hall, 138 Main Hwy, Ellerslie.

The Brahmakumaris, Auckland is celebrating a multifaith programme titled One God One World Family. Bring everyone together on the February 13, 2016. It’s a FREE event and everyone is cordially invited to attend it.

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